Our tale begins with a man named Etsuki Takibana.

He lived in the land of fire, on the southern coast. In 30 years of life he never gave any thought to the mighty Ninja that warred within the lands, instead preferring to focus on his two great loves. Fishing, and the village he grew up in.

Fishing, swimming, traveling the water in a small skiff, and repairing said skiff. This was what preoccupied his time. He never caused trouble, never got married, and never did anything out of the ordinary. Until the day of his 30th birthday, when he decided to celebrate. The villager's gathered around and cheered as he left, a month long journey under Konoha ninja guard as he visited famous sites around the nation.

The high point of his journey was Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves. This was the ninja village of the land of fire, and the place where a monstrous demon fox had attacked six years ago. The monster had killed hundreds, before the greatest ninja in the village had defeated it, at the unfortunate cost of his own life.

Needless to say, the fisherman enjoyed the journey immensely. After living in the same village for so long, dependent only on the watery depths of the ocean for new sights, all that he saw amazed him. Ninja running across rooftops faster than the swiftest boat was commonplace for Konoha citizens, but it nearly gave the man a heart attack the first time he saw it.

He was nearing the end of his journey, on his final day in Konohagakure, when Etsuki came across something that would change his life, and destroy the elemental nations.

In the middle of the street, in broad daylight, a group of people were violently attacking something. There were dozens of them, some armed, others not, but all very angry. Etsuki had never seen the look on their faces, but the primal nature that rests within all of us did. It was bloodlust.

A cry somehow found it's way out of the mob, over all the shouts and curses shouted, and somehow found it's way to Etsuki. Normally someone like him would simply avoid the whole mess, but when he realized the cries were human he had no choice. For Etsuki was a moral man, and never in his thirty years of life had he even imagined a crime so horrible, so terrible, so monstrous, that it could warrant such a merciless attack from so many.

Entering the mob, the fisherman pushed, shoved and fought his way to the center. Some people punched him, but he ignored it. Because the cries had gotten louder, and he now realized they were the cries of a child.

Rage blinded him, his arm moved before he could control himself, and for the first time in his life... Etsuki Takibana punched somebody. Then again. And again. And again. Until he was through the mob, standing over the child. Somebody in the crowd swung, a metal pipe in his hand. Etsuki's arm bent in a way arm's shouldn't bend. But still he stood over the boy.

His bodyguards rushed to protect him, fighting through the mob as he did. When the mob saw the ninja pushing through them, they quickly broke and ran, the simple-minded parasites instantly terrified of individuals that weren't a defenseless six year-old.

Etsuki just stood there, above the boy. Blood ran down his arm, falling to the red dyed floor. There was a lot of it, too much of it. He feared that he was too late. Then the boy crawled to his feet, looking up at the injured man who had saved him. The boys cuts were gone, his skin unblemished. Several of his bones were oddly shaped, slowly moving back into place after their brutal breaking.

Etsuki wept. The man who'd lived his life in quiet comfort was gone, murdered by his first true look at the cruelty of man. All he could see was the young boys brilliant blue eyes, and a smile that was heartbreakingly contagious. He hugged the boy, embracing him as family.

The two spoke, then left together. Etsuki brought the boy to his village. It was a quiet few weeks, the boy brought a life to the quiet place. The village grew to love him as their own, but none more than Etsuki. He taught the child how to fish, and the boy quickly proved to be a natural. By the weeks end he could maneuver the skiff on his own. The boy was naturally curious, learning much and making friends with ease. He had a smile that captured everyone around him. It was the first time the boy had truly known love.

They were warned. Time and time again. But they loved this child who had nobody else. They would not turn him over to the people who treated him so poorly. They were his family now, the boy was happy.

After fourteen days the first incident occurred. Shortly after midnight, a house burned. It was late, and dark, and nobody knew what caused it. So nobody saw it for what it was. For another week the village was plagued by minor troubles, many related to fire. Then on the 22 day of the boy's stay, a man was found at the town's edge. He had been burned alive... From the inside out.

For another week things were calm, nothing too serious. Then came a night that would truly seal the fate of this land. As night melted into day, people arrived on the edge of the village. There were many of them, more than there were people in the village. They were led by a Ninja, who wore a metal plate on his forehead with a swirled leaf shape engraved into it.

More of the Ninja were in the crowd, but none as high-ranking as the leader. They demanded the villagers turn the boy over to them or they would be destroyed.

The boy hung his head, cried and whispered his goodbyes as he walked towards the mob. He was stopped by a hand, then another. Another and another and another held him back. The hands pushed him back, the villagers saw that the boy they loved was ready to give his life for them... And decided they could at least do the same for him. Every member of the village, man, woman, and child stood up.

They raised whatever they had, kitchen knives, fishing spears, everything they had. And they told the mob no. The boy was safe, nobody else would ever harm him. Their defiance enraged the monsters before them. These monsters had Ninja on their sides, they had nothing to fear from fishermen.

With a shout they charged the villagers. But these townsfolk fought like demons, rising up long after they should have given in. Each desperate to take one more with them to keep one more pair of hands from the boy.

It proved futile. No matter how fiercely they fought they were no match for the Ninja. The trained warriors mowed them down, they used powerful techniques to kill dozens with a single blow. Nobody could stop them.

The boy was crying once more, huddled inside of Etsuki's skiff. Etsuki had promised they could go on a long fishing trip to take his mind off the village problems. The tears were wiped from his face by Etsuki.

Blood ran down his shirt, a long slash crossing his chest, the cut so deep you could see the bone. He smiled, told the boy to be strong, then pushed the skiff out to sea. Pointing straight ahead, he told the boy where to go, directing him to the southern lands. Laughter was his reply, but it didn't come from the boy.

Behind Etsuki, the leading Ninja stood, his followers behind him. Etsuki smiled, for the boy was too far out to sea to be reached by men. The Ninja leader, the only one there with the rank of Jonin, laughed again. He revealed that he could walk on water, and that catching the boy would be childs play.

Etsuki turned to the boy he loved like a son. The boy cried for the stranger he loved like a father. Then Etsuki spoke to him. His words said, Etsuki Takibana, the man who was spectacularly unspectacular, did something never before done in the elemental nations. A simple man, with no shinobi training, killed a Jonin.

He smiled before he died, happy that nobody could now reach the boy.

Naruto sat in the skiff, crying for the father he'd now lost. Before he turned his attention towards the horizon, towards land he was unsure even existed.

"I will avenge you Otosan. It's the promise of a lifetime."