Believe
"It's the promise of a lifetime! Believe it!"
"I'm gonna be Hokage! Believe it!"
"Believe it!"
When he'd been a child, Naruto knew he was different. Everyone treated him like he was worth less than even the other orphans. No one did anything overly horrible. No one had beaten him, starved him, or anything like that. They fed him at the orphanage, they gave him clothes, they took care of his physical needs. But not his emotional needs.
No one wanted to be his friend; parents warned their children he was a "bad apple". He was always brushed off when he tried to tell a story, or told he was lying when others lied about him. It was always the same, every time. "Naruto started it!" the other children would say. He'd protest, but whoever was told of the fight always told him, "Don't lie!"
After awhile, he knew not to bother arguing, though he wished they'd believe it when he said it wasn't his fault.
But as he got older, he decided he didn't care about the other kids, or the staff at the orphanage. He had his own apartment; he had the Hokage, Ayame-nee-chan and old man Teuchi from Ichiraku's, and Iruka-sensei. He could act cheerful, and declare his promises to the world. He would be Hokage, he would protect those he loves.
But when he said that to anyone other than his precious people, they laughed and said he'd never amount to anything more than a Chuunin, at best.
But he'd show them. He'd be Hokage, believe it! He'd be the best ninja ever, believe it!
"Believe it!" was his motto, he decided, from the moment he first said it. But that wasn't what he meant.
When he said "believe it" he really meant "believe me".
"Don't believe it, believe me"
A/N: I know Naruto doesn't say "believe it" in the (good/)Japanese version, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.