Author's Note: Hey guys, it's been a while. I kind of lost motivation on the last story. I didn't like the way I was progressing, so I decided to restart… sort of. This is going to have some of the same things, and some different. However, I will be doing a better job at this story. My schedule should be one chapter a month. This way, I won't need to rush out chapters and can do it when I want to and not feel like I have to. Enjoy!
"Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. I'm known for being an emotional guy who acts before he thinks. To be quite honest, I never liked to be like that. But, because I was on a team with Sasuke Uchiha, a pure genius and powerhouse shinobi, and Sakura Haruno, another genius, but lacked the strength that a capable shinobi required. So, I had to balance the team by being the opposite type of ninja that Sakura was. I had to be strong in ability, but weak in knowledge. I hated playing the role of an idiotic ninja. But, with the betrayal of Sasuke and my promotion from genin to chunin, I have a chance to be an actual shinobi. I will fulfill the role of what a shinobi is meant to be. I will become a tool. A tool that is used by the higher ups of the village.
My true potential can now be realized and there's no one that can stop me. With Sasuke gone and Kakashi and Sakura not being on my team, I will no longer have friendships that can hold me back. This feeling of betrayal will no longer be felt since there is no one to backstab me. While I've become acquaintances with a few of my peers, they are, by no means, friends of mine. I do have a feeling that they think we are friends, since we did decide to have a weekly get-together at Yakiniku Q ever since we all officially became genin. However, I no longer am a genin nor am I on a team with any of them. I no longer feel like wasting my time conversing with them. They all are too naïve and think that a ninja can be at full strength if they have emotions. Emotions such as regret, sadness, or grief prevent shinobi from becoming perfect tools. I will become a perfect tool, and no one is here to stop me.
I have to thank Sasuke for putting a whole in my stomach. If not for that, I wouldn't be stuck in a hospital room, allowing me to think about my past and reevaluate my future. Not only should I thank Sasuke, but I should also thank Kakashi. One of the few the few things he taught me while I was under his supervision was to "look underneath the underneath" as he put it. I used to think that it was friends that can make you strong. While it is true and it's gotten me this far, it was what was holding me back. I used to seek people's attention and sought for their praise. It's that train of thought that can make shinobi weak. If someone completed an S-Rank mission, it needs to stay classified. However, if this someone only seeks praise, then he will be saddened by the lack of attention he deserves. With this way of thinking, then someone not seeking praise all the time won't have his moral lowered by not receiving praise. He would be able to continue his missions at a higher level than the first guy, making him a more complete tool.
That is what I wish to become. No. That is what I will become. And I will become a complete tool without the use of friends. Friends would only get in the way. Failure is not an option. I will only have one life, so I only have one chance to do this."
With that, Naruto closed his notebook, put it in his pillow, and went to sleep. After all, he needed to rest if he was going to leave the hospital to start down his new path.