A/N: This idea had been bugging me for a while, so I decided to write it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Naruto knew running.
He had ran since he was a little child, scared of the villagers' hateful glares that rested upon him. He had ran until the ANBU caught him and brought him back to the orphanage, where the glares were more subtle but no less vicious. He couldn't run there, however, so he hid his urge to do so.
The tenth of October was the worst as it was the day he wasn't the only one running; it was the day people were chasing him. He had learnt through experience that during the festival, the best thing for him to do wasn't running, but hiding. So he hid, all the while itching with the desire to get out and spend some of his energy.
That was the problem, you see; Naruto had an endless amount of energy. He ran because of the hate surrounding him, but before that, he had ran because he was filled with curiosity and the wish to explore the world. He couldn't for the life of him sit still, and that had caused him no little amount of trouble over the years.
When Naruto grew to understand more complex matters, he decided to spend his energy by pranking. This caused him to run even more: the ANBU chasing him would have taken him to the Hokage, and while he knew that the old man wouldn't do anything horrible to him, he rather enjoyed his freedom and didn't like to be punished. So he ran and ran and hid, escaping the ANBU time and time again.
He had run for fear, for energy, and for freedom, but after learning how all the villagers respected the Hokage, he started running towards a goal. It wasn't a literal running, but that didn't make it any less significant. He decided to become strong and to prove himself to others, and that was the goal he was running after.
At least until he met Uchiha Sasuke, who dismissed him with a smirk. Then his direction changed so that his path lead to Sasuke, or more importantly, becoming the boy's equal. Every smirk, smug 'hn', and condescending look just gave more wind to Naruto's sails and caused him to run faster.
When he saw Haku and Zabuza die, his steps faltered, and his journey changed once again. Now he wasn't running because of others or for himself; he was running forothers. He didn't want to see anyone else die.
The chuunin exams and meeting Gaara was something that could have caused Naruto to pause, but it didn't. He took the fact that he could have easily turned out like Gaara in stride, and ran after the other jinchuuriki. He defeated him, too, which was probably the first inclination that his running was actually achieving something.
When Sasuke abandoned the village, Naruto naturally ran after him. He ran and ran and fought, and eventually lost. He couldn't understand why, and this was perhaps the point in time when he hesitated the most in taking another step. But he continued running, determined to become stronger and eventually bring his brooding teammate home.
Even with Jiraya, he constantly ran. He ran to get stronger, he ran to reduce the journey, and he ran to escape.
It was only when Naruto started learning the sage-mode that he couldn't run anymore. So he stayed still, listening and feeling the world around him, and remembering the past he had tried so hard to run away from. It was an odd feeling, not running, when he had become accustomed to running nonstop from a very young age.
It was pleasant, though; not constantly moving for whatever reason. Just being still and enjoying the world and life.
When he came back, everyone was dead.
That was the moment Naruto swore to never stop again.
Reviews are always welcome!