All Naruto characters, names, and events present in this story is a copyright for the original creator. All other additional characters not affiliated with the original Naruto are under my copyright.
Chapter One
Naruto sat at home in the small kitchen if his single bedroom apartment. Hearing the high-pitched whistle of the silver kettle, he reached out and grabbed it by the handle. Peeling back the paper ramen lid, boiling water traveled through the spout into the cup. The blonde waited a minute before separating a wooden pair of chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu." Naruto slurped the noddles surrounded by the empty silence. Looking out the window into the blue sky his eyes saw the familiar faces of the hokages. There were the two Senjuu brothers who had founded Konoha, the third face being the master of the legendary Sanin, his father, and Tsunade. Their regal stone carvings overlooked the bustling village as if even if the previous kages died, their spirits still stood as protectors.
Naruto couldn't help but smile a little from that thought as gently breeze carried in through the window. Sai and Sakura appeared right then both wearing gear.
"Come on, Naruto, Kakashi sensei told us to come get you." Strong leaf green eyes stared at the eating form of her team mate. She couldn't help but feel a little bit of the loneliness the apartment home reflected. There was a minimal amount of furnishings inside which made it seem even more devoid of life. Next time, Sakura swore to herself that she would bring a gift. Maybe a potted plant would help, just something to give the place more life.
Sai on the other hand tried to come up with a nickname for Naruto. So he settled with, "Hey dumbass, let's get going soon." Having been freed of Danzo and the ROOT after the incident with Sasuke at Orochimaru's base, the pale nin had been learning how to better communicate with others. At first it started with physical gestures: hugs, punches to the arm, and slaps on the cheek. Sadly, the end result was always a hard punch to the face or just a slap. Either way his face ended up bruised for a couple of days.
Chugging down the remaining contents of the meal, Naruto sprang up from the chair. Paying no mind to the trash he was going to leave behind, he bounded through the window and gracefully landed to the ground. Stretching a bit by raising his fists to the air the other two members of team seven quickly followed. Naruto really does dance to the rhythm of his own drums.
Casually putting his hands behind his head, "So what does kakashi-sensei wants from us? Do we have some kind of new missions? Is it going to be about Sasuke?" Naruto asked curiously. He always asked that at every possible mission.
Sakura shook her head, pink hair swaying from side to side. "I know as much as you and Said do nothing. All sensei said was to gather at the north gate to be briefed about what we're doing. "There was a hint of underlying disappointment in the kunoichi's voice. How long has it been since Sasuke Uchiha decided to go rogue in order to take revenge on his brother for the death of his, no their, clan?
No one could forget that time when Naruto had been found unconscious at the valley by Kakashi Hatake. Rumors circulated for days before the official story became available to the general public. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had fought each other, only to end with the injuries of one and the disappearance of the other. Now Sasuke stands as a highly wanted missing ninja of the Hidden Leaf. To say that Team Seven was broken only described half of i Sasuke took an important piece of the team with him: the trust and friendship.
Silence fell on the trio afterwards and they made their way to the rendezvous point. There they saw the familiar spiky silver hair and black face mask.
Kakashi quickly filled his students in on them in on the mission before heading out. Team seven's job was to escort a nobleman across the border of fire country to the neighboring country in order. They weren't given any specific reason for the task but they completed it nonetheless.
When the two day mission came to an end and the quartet returned home, things became the same old routine again. Naruto couldn't help but want to find a little entertainment. This triggered his memories of days long past when he would prank every day. The most fun came from painting on the figure beads of the hokages and hearing the reactions of onlookers. Those were the good old days of ignorance and childhood naivety. And he began to wish that he could return to those... simpler days.
It was bearing evening, evident by the setting of the sun as it cast a bloody like ray to paint the sky. Naruto went to visit granny Tsunade just for someone to talk to while the day became replaced by the cold night.
Knocking on the door to her office Tsunade only paused for a second from her paperwork to say, "Come in, Naruto" before continuing.
Opening the wooden door than peeking in first, the teen couldn't help but smile brightly. "Having fun, Granny?" A grimace was the only answer he got from the busty woman. Snickering just a bit he sat on the floor cross legged. The room became absolutely quiet except for the scribbling of pen and rustle of paper. That's the one beautiful part of the office. There were no distracting or unnecessary sounds to ruin a person's train of thought. This place gave one time to think about the events that have unfolded or even give a sort of breather by escaping the noise of the outside world.
Shizune came in a couple of times with a tray with a pair of tea cups before retiring to her room for the night. She looked tired, being the assistant for the hokage and a highly called on medical ninja.
"So naruto, what do you want to talk about today?" Tsunade finally finished, massaging her tires hands a little before fully focusing on the boy who reminded her so much of her deceased love and brother. She had developed a soft spot for this energized youth when he surpassed all her expectations that week after the first meeting when orochimaru made a surprise entrance once again into her life. Had it not been for Naruto, she may not be here, or better yet, Konoha would no be here.
Naruto lay down on the floor to stare at the ceiling. Light slowly began to disappear from the room. What was he here for? "Ne, Granny, do you think-" A spark of bright light outside the windows blinded the two completely being taken off guard. Rubbing his eyes, Naruto heard yelling and suddenly felt a hand grab the front of his head. The rough and callused hand swiftly brought his head up and just as quickly slammed it with a resounding crack.
Tsunade heard the crack and grew angry. "Show yourself cowards. Or are you too much of cowards to face me?" Taunting didn't seem to draw them out. Gleams of weapons glittered at the corner of her eyes as the fifth expertly dodged them. Dodging such weapons was child's play to the woman. Shooting out at the attackers, she quickly took them all down with finesse even before her eyes became fully adjusted. Rushing over to Naruto, she found that he had a fractured skull but no damage to the brain or any other parts of the body.
Sighing in relief, Tsunade started to heal him. Naruto's eyes flickered open and ice blue eyes stared at the light brown of the Hokage.
"Are you okay?" was the first thing out of the kid's mouth. That earned him a gentle smile and single nod.
No one else but the jounins, elders, and Naruto knew about the incident last night. Tsunade had demanded that the attack stay a secret until further information could be obtained on how the intruders managed to infiltrate the village and get near the office.
Everyone expressed their concern for the safety of not only Tsunade but also that of the entire village. The dangers were all too real. If the attackers had managed to surprise even the fifth than there was no telling how capable they would be at killing innocent lives in the dead of night. Risks were rising with every moment that passed and it took all that Tsunade stood for not to form search teams. There was no need to create further unrest among anyone at the moment, not with the already standing threats being faced.
So in the end the verdict was made final. The incident would remain on the down low for now. But little did Naruto expect that this would mark the beginning of his chaotic destiny.