Chapter 1:
Suddenly the weight of the village came down on him. Growing up in the big village presented itself with big problems. There was no-one who saw him as a human, well accept for some, but the majority were more determined to make him feel uncomfortable than the minority made him feel at home. There was Sarutobi-sama, the hokage but he was as the name suggested, the hokage and was more busy with his work than he had time for the orphaned blond. There also was iruka, but he was a chuunin, and was one of the academy's teachers and was a bit too busy with the whole class that naruto hardly got any individual attention, despite the instructions from the hokage. With these two people absent from his life, he was left with nothing more than to pull pranks on the villagers and get chased around the village by irate jonins and chuunins.
But this was just a front for what he really felt inside, loneliness, fear, anger and rejection. He stood afar and watched as parents scolded their children from even going too near to him and worst for who made the dreadful mistake of talking to him. Dreadful mistake, but why was it so bad to talk to this young orphaned blond, he pondered on this question many nights before he went to bed and every morning he woke to face another dreadful day. He even began to change his whole attitude towards the people and tried to be kind and polite, but this just made him the victim of verbal and physical abuse, worse than he had ever faces it, but through all this, he never once gave up, his determination seemed to be solar powered and never once died out.
The day was fine, well in his eyes, the sun was shinning, birds were singing, people avoided him, shopkeepers attacked him… everything was normal. The blond boy walked along a roof top, for that was the only place where people couldn't reach him readily. His hands supported his head as he looked up into the partially cloudy sky. His eyes squinted, small shadows began to appear above him, growing larger and larger, the shadows began to shape out into figures. The figures began to shape into ANBU members as they landed noiselessly around him.
"Naruto Uzumaki" a gruff voice said from behind a bird designed mask, the black cloak he wore gave a slight insight to what he wore underneath as it billowed in the slight wind.
Naruto slowly dropped his hands to his side and looked around slowly, there were six of them there, completely surrounding him. A dog, at the back, bird in front, cat at the side, some weird animal at the other side and two in the back behind the dog. Naruto remembered them by their masks, and grew quite acquainted with them over the time he lived in the village. They were his alleged 'guardians', but he knew they just monitored his movements about the village.
"whatever it is I didn't do it" The blond said with a tone showing he was not interested about what they wanted.
"today's different Naruto, you're to come with us to the hokage's office" The cat said, her feminine voice held no hate but only concern when she encountered Naruto.
"Hn?" Naruto said, he eye brows lifting in curiosity, "jiji-san requested me, this must be my lucky day"
" yes, hokage-sama requested your presence" The dog said with strict emphasis on the hokage-sama as he resented the way the blond addressed the sandaime.
The office was quite as not one of the people bustling by said a word, even if their conversations were on a high before they saw the blond sitting in the waiting area in front the hokage's office. The door opened and the sandaime's assistant pushed his head through to peer at the blond, when he was met with the icy stare, he opened the door and looked down at a folder he had in his hand,
"am…naruto uzumaki, please come in" He said, never once taking his eyes from the paper and speaking loudly as if there was a large crowd in the waiting area. Naruto lazily rose from the seat, and waltz through the door. It was a tight squeeze where he had to walk since the man held the door so close to the frame, Naruto almost popped a blood vessel with anger, he slammed the door against the wall with the man behind it sprawled on the floor, spotting a broken nose. Naruto entered fully, cool as a cucumber as if nothing had happened. Sarutobi looked concerningly at his assistant before turning his hazel eyes at the academy student.
"hai hokage-sama!" Naruto said with sarcastic exuberance, "I'm so glad to be here!"
Sarutobi sighed and leaned back in his seat, moving the pipe around with his lips.
"naruto, something has come up" Sarutobi began in a serious tone, Naruto stopped the smiling and his eyes drew into a frown. The old man's face was straight and lined and he took the pipe from his lips "it's about what happened last week"
Naruto grimaced, he memories were beginning to fade but the moment just refreshed his memory,
"what about last week old man?" Naruto asked in a similar tone to the hokage's.
" There has been a hearing and you have been summoned to another tomorrow" Sarutobi explained.
"what for, they already know what happened" Naruto said defensively.
"true but they called another to hear your point" he added.
"my point!" Naruto yelled angrily, he had a bad feeling about this, but he was silenced by a hand.
"just be there tomorrow and don't let the ANBU come searching" Sarutobi said sternly.
That night naruto was troubled, he could not sleep no matter how tired he was, his mind kept recalling what the old man had said about the meeting he had to attend tomorrow, he kept sieving through all the possible reasons they could have to request him to give his point of view on the subject, he had a bad feeling about the case.
Morning came fast and naruto was up before the first cock crowed, he bustled around his room making breakfast, well the only thing he could possible make without having smoke in the kitchen, ramen. He jumped into his usual orange suit with the 'kill me please' circle on the back and was off. People eyed him as usual but today was not the day for him to retaliate, he would have but he had not the time to. The hokage's office was a little way off towering over the rest of the village with its bright red paint, a little faded but still ominous with the land of fire insignia spread on the front. Naruto senses tingled and he cocked his head to one side, on a roof next to him, the cat ANBU landed, running at the same speed as him, she turned her head and peered down on the blond,
"I see your on time?" she said in an expectant tone,
"why are you here?" Naruto asked shifting his attention to his path, which was quite clear since it was early in the morning,
"you don't have to be so defensive, I'm only concerned about you" She said in a tone which showed that she was hurt at the statement that naruto made.
"well that's a first" Naruto replied coldly not wanting to accept anyone too close to him for hey would just end up leaving him all by himself. The cat ANBU was silent for a while before she used the shunshin technique and disappeared from the spot. Naruto kept on running until he reached the office, he was escorted in by the 'professor's' assistant, he scowled as he saw the blond coming and his hand unconsciously moved up to his bandaged nose. Naruto noticed as he passed the hokage's office but kept on walking silently since he knew what was about to occur. They kept on walking, naruto ignoring the scowls from the workers at the office and a few ninjas as they lurked around the office corridors. The stopped before a large door, its red paint began to strip in some places giving it a dejected look. The assistant placed both hands on the bars and yanked it open. The creaks made Naruto's heart race even though he tried to calm himself with the assurance that he was innocent. The room was buzzing with talking, as a large circular desk was occupied with what seemed to be council members and the hokage sitting in a seat , slightly raised facing the boy at the other end of the room. He beckoned to the youth to enter and as soon as he made the first step, the room hushed. There was a break in the desk, a slight passage into the centre circle where a wooden seat was situated. Naruto instinctively walked into the centre but never sat. There were eyes staring at him, some held nothing and just stared at the boy as he was there but other held so much hatred that he could actually feel it, especially one, a man with his left eye bandaged and also his left arm, he wore a long white robe as he sat beside the hokage. Naruto shook from the intent he felt coming from the man,
"Naruto please take a seat" The hokage said loudly. As soon as he took the seat the hokage spoke again,
" Today, we the council of konohagakure have gathered to discuss the case brought up against the village, being represented by.. Danzou" there was a slight disgust in the way the hokage called the name, Naruto now realized that the bandaged man was the one the hokage was relating to due to the ominous smirk which was painted to his face at the sound of his name. Naruto took a deep breath and released it slowly, it always helped in his training with kakashi-sensei,
" this case is being brought against the defendant, Naruto uzumaki of konohagakure"
One would wonder why Naruto was in an enclosed are when his team was training at the training grounds after recently passing their test, well, the council had 'mysteriously' found out about his adventures with the forbidden scroll and forced the third to open a case against the blond, saying that he was mizuki's accomplice. As much as Iruka and the sandaime wanted to help the blond they would be powerless if the council voted him out and they were aiming for death!
"we'll begin with the opening statements of the prosecution" the hokage said.
The bandaged figure rose slowly from his seat, eye staring intently at the bond with a sadistic look on his face.
"we the council have gathered here today to bring forth justice of konoha unto a constant law breaker" Danzou began in a tone clearly trying to sway the council with the speech about justice and loyalty to the village. Naruto tensed, he could see where the speech was going even with his limited intellectual capabilities,
" He has been an accomplice to the theft of the forbidden scroll, for he was the one who broke into the honorable hokage's office…." Danzou turned to the hokage who frowned at him, the council man flashed a smile then turned back to the room, " and made away with the scroll which he then handed over to the traitor"
Naruto exploded, he lounged from his seat in such a force that he landed a meter from the seat,
"I was tricked by him!" He yelled at no one in particular, he just wanted someone to believe him. There was a flash in front of him, black robes swayed before his eyes, a hand slammed into his chest and sent him sailing back to his seat. He hit the seat at an amazing speed, the wind knocked out of him. There was silence in the council room, the instigator was an ANBU, who was standing guard over the preceding. He made a step forward to wake to boy but white robes swayed in front of his eyes, The hokage was out of his seat.
"don't touch him!" he growled glaring at the ANBU behind him. The ANBU, startled by the sudden appearance stepped back a bit. Sarutobi knelt before the boy and rested a hand on his shoulder. He slowly raised his hand and rested his index finder on the boy's forehead.
"Don't come in here 3rd, your not welcomed in my presence" A voice growled angrily as the Sandaime began to push his chakra into the blond.
"silence you creature!" Sarutobi ordered, he was standing in a dark passage way, water flowing in an odd manner around his legs, like running away from a terrible aurora. The feeling escaping the bars before him was such an ominous one that he had to take all his courage to stand his ground yet alone order the beast. A heavy laughter escaped the bars, from the dark, slitted eyes opened slowly to bare down on the hokage. Sandaime held his ground,
"your host is unconscious and I'm trying to revive him" the hokage said sternly,
"I don't care if he dies!" The voice growled angrily. Red chakra began to ooze out from among the bars, swirling around the legs of the hokage, Sarutobi jumped back and slammed his palm together,
"wind style: arctic bliss!" he yelled, his peaked chakra began to change into artificial wind and began to wisp around the room. Kitsune roared with laughter,
"you think you can restrain me with that weak jutsu!"
" wasn't planning to you old fool" Sarutobi shot back as he began to blur out of sight until the wind died down,
"Using the jutsu to break out of the realm, ingenious" was the complement that came from the fox.
Sarutobi's eyes shot open and he rose from the unconscious boy's side and made his way over to his seat at the head of the table. Danzou eyed him as he walked passed, then his deathly cold eyes turned to the blond youth who was now stirring with consciousness.
Naruto sat up in the seat and looked around wearily as the council men stared at him like an odd piece of furniture.\
It was not until six grueling hours of out bursts and restrains, that the case was over, the sentence passed…, only five minutes earlier that the youth subjected to blame had had his heart ripped away.
The blond was now as one would put it, 'existing', going through the motions of heading home, the glaring eyes of the villagers, unnoticed…his once gleaming headband…gone.
Naruto would have preferred if they had taken his like, as they had set out originally to do, but the old man hokage had held out his part and instead, they had taken his dream, killed his hope, his heart, that from which he had derived the strength ignore the insults shot at him form civilians and ninjas alike. Uzumaki naruto was no longer a shinobi!
He walked back to his apartment, hands stuffed in his pockets and his once raised head now drooped, staring at the shadow that seemed to follow his every move. He felt hollow inside, like a walking ghost. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and brushed his fore-head to confirm the haze of a memory that was on the fore front of his mind, feeling nothing but bare skin, he sighed.
Civilians looked at him awkwardly as he walked passed, this time with a hint of hesitation in their actions, the feeling he carried was so strong that they remained in their positions and none dared to provoke him. One fat merchant, grabbed an apple and foolishly sailed it at the boy's head. Naruto's hand shot up and grabbed the fruit right before it collided with his head, silence filled the area as the blond stopped. Head still down, a single drop of water fell unto the dirt, then his cheeks were soaked with tears. He hand began to squeeze the apple, nails protruding from his fingertips until they sunk into the fruit, splitting it. Angry eyes shot up and glared at the merchant, not the once blue eyes that the boy hid all his pain behind, but blood red irises, slits for pupils holding such pain and anger that everyone shuddered.
Sarutobi sat in his chair, pipe in mouth puffing away nervously, he had been forced to do this by the council, it was never in his intentions to rid the boy of his hope but it was better than death… or was it. Suddenly, shivers ran down his spine, he sat up in his chair in an alert mindset. This feeling, he had felt it before, the same sickening power that brought back painful memories,
"Kakashi!' he ordered and in the blink of an eye, the ex-ANBU squad leader appeared before the old man, the normal look in his eyes was gone and a more serious one took its stead,
"naruto" was the
one word that come out of his mouth,
"Get him before those ANBU
root reach him, for id they do they'll kill him for sure!"
Kakashi wanted no more, for even before the sentence was finished he used a perfected shunshin and was gone with any movement of his arms or legs.
Sasuke and sakura were in the middle of their training when their sensei just got up and vanished with any warning,
"I bet he ditched us this time for sure" Sakura pouted as she flung herself down on the grassy floor.
"Just shut it" Sasuke growled as he took his seat o a log. Suddenly his eyes shot open, two tomoe swirling rapidly, he clutched his head, hands over his eyes, his sharingan was activated without his will and it hurt like hell. Suddenly, a feeling of icy cold waters washed over him and he pin pointed its source. He jumped up suddenly and dashed off at full speed towards the thing that made him react so violently.
"I wonder how come he go the post of jonin, well, special jonin at that, well I think its because he's a favorite of Hokage-sama" Sakura rambled on before turning to see that the love of her life was gone, she sighed in shame.
A second before Kakashi appeared on the roof adjacent to where he felt the ominous presence, it disappeared. The masked whit-haired man crouched on the roof, looking around the area, apparently the people there were still wooed by what had happened.
"I'll check his apartment" He concluded before vanishing again. A minute after, three masked shinobi appeared on the same site that Kakashi disappeared from,
"he's gone" said a rumbling voice, the two scanned the area thoroughly,
"you know, if we kill him, promotion will be on the horizon, which means more money" the other sad in a sly tone,
"all you think about is money, lets go"
The two figures vanished from the spot in a blur.
Sasuke came to a screeching stop on the road, he was sure the feeling was coming from this spot, he looked around, sighed and turned around to retrace his steps, trying to avoid the awes of the people around him.
Kakashi appeared before a door in the apartment, he looked up and down the corridors to make sure the scene was clear, before proceeding to open the door.
One minute earlier
Naruto burst through the doors, panting like a dog out of breath, he slammed the door behind him. His head throbbed from fighting the beast within him back into the depths of his sub-conscious. He flung himself on his bed, tears streamed down his face as he groped the sheet under his palms.
"why me, why me!" he cursed his existence. He jumped up from the bed in anger and grabbed the lamp that sat on the desk beside his bed and flung it into the wall. The sound of the glass splintering soothed him a bit…but for only a while.
"Fox!" he yelled angrily, there was a slight chuckle in his head,
"so you finally decided to summon my power" the voice said laughingly, "it's about time" , in a more serious tone.
Red chakra flowed through his channels, as his eyes turned blood red.
Present
The jonin turned the knob and stepped inside, the room was strangely tided and smelling clean.
"Naruto" he called in a cautious tone, "its me Kakashi, I just came to see how your doing"
There was no answer,
"Naruto?" his tone was now tainted with worry, he moved through the house slowly, not wanting to frighten the boy if he was still in the demonic state. He heard a sound from the kitchen, a crashing sound. The jonin drew his kunai and held it ready in case he was attacked. He slid open the door to the kitchen and stepped inside only to see naruto chopping away at some vegetables. He stuffed the kunai into his holster,
" Naruto, you had me worried" he said in a sighing tone, " the hokage has su…"
"shut up!" came the shocking reply to his not finished sentence.
"Naru-" Kakashi began again only to be silenced by the same distinctive order but much louder. Naruto turned to him, tears streaming down his face, lips trembling with anger,
" He should have let them kill me instead, maybe then I wouldn't have to face this pain" He chopped at the vegetable but completely missed, leaving the counter with a chakra fortified gash.
"I don't care about, this village anymore, I don't want to become hokage, I want to find my own way!" Naruto rose the knife, and brought it down without a hint of hesitation, but the sad thing, the knife was aimed at his finger unknowingly.
"Naruto!" kakashi warned, but it was too late, *poof* smoke rose to the ceilings in a single column. Kakashi stepped back in awe, from the smoke, a sheet of paper floated down into the Hatake's hands, as he read on, the more his eyes opened. He disappeared from the spot in a hurry.
Sarutobi was alarmed at the speed at which kakashi appeared before him,
"what is it kakashi?" the hokage asked his most trusted jonin,
" its naruto….he's left the village!"