Unraveling secrets: the first step: shaping the protagonist
Ch 1- the beginning
Hi guys, this is my 2nd attempt at a story, this story is where I am gonna shape him to be a more serious and strong character, stronger Konoha 12 and no characters will be bashed. I sincerely hope you like it.
Saga- prologue saga.
Arc- prologue arc.
Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto, duh.
Naruto uzumaki, 12 years old is sleeping in the last bench of the academy. He is the laughing-stock of the class, failing twice in a row; it is his third year in the academy. No whatsoever skills to be mentioned except for stealth, rumors have it he painted the hokage monument and escaped the ANBU group dispatched to capture him. He is the village's prankster after all.
He has his signature goofy grin which never left his face; he has three whisker marks on his cheeks giving him the appearance of a fox. He had spiky blond hair, blue eyes. He was rather short for his age. He strongly resembled his father Minato namikaze, the fourth Hokage. Of course, only a handful new this, everybody thought he was just a useless little punk, nuisance, with no trouble in his life.
Nobody knew his past; nobody was able to see through the goofy smile, the mask to hide his pain…
Flashback start
'MINATO'
'T-take care o-of him'
'His name, what is the boy's name?'
'N-Naruto, Namikaze Uzumaki N-Naruto'
'I promise you Minato, I will protect Naruto'
That was the day Naruto's parents died. 10th October, the day of the kyubi attack. The yondaime sacrificed his life to protect the village. That day the sandaime created a law forbidding the citizens of the village to reveal something to the younger generation, Naruto uzumaki was a jinchuuriki, the human sacrifice to hold the kyubi.
'We are kicking you out boy'
'W-why, what have I done?'
'We don't keep a demon, boy'
'I am no demon, you are wrong, what have I done to deserve this?'
The 5 years old blonde was kicked out of the orphanage unknown to the Hokage.
'Catch him'
'He has stolen bread from my shop'
'Damn brat'
'You fox thief'
For the first two days, everyone kicked him out when he went to beg for food or shelter like other beggars in the village. So the boy was forced to steal just to survive. He failed in his task next two days and got severe beating but succeeded for the first time in the next day.
'N-Naruto, is that you Naruto my boy?'
'Sorry old man, didn't mean to push ya'
'Why are you here boy, it's late. Let's go back to the orphanage'
'They kicked me out a week ago'
'What?'
That fateful sunday he collided with the sandaime near the sarutobi estate.
'Why wasn't I informed Kizashi haruno?'
'Such trifling matter is not something you should concern yourself with sir'
'That is not for you to decide'
'Calm down Hokage-sama'
'We had the populace supporting us, and besides what we did were for the best anyway. We had gotten a written complain from the orphanage about how he was a menace to the other kids'
'Genta, Mebuki, you guys'
'Civilian matters fall under our jurisdiction sir. For the safety of the children living in the orphanage we couldn't ignore his psychopathic actions'
Village council head Kizashi haruno, vice head Mebuki haruno, third in command Genta, the three keys of the village council, viewed as heroes by many villagers were the main obstacles in Naruto's life.
'That is why he should be under my supervision'
'You should hand the boy to him Sarutobi'
'And create another massacre'
'Sarutobi think about it'
'There is nothing to think about Koharu, I will not hand Naruto over to Danzo'
'You are acting foolish Sarutobi'
'It's you who is foolish Homura'
'He can be our most powerful weapon'
'He is not a tool Danzo'
'How foolish'
'Shikaku, provide Naruto a flat near the borders of the red light district'
'The slums Hokage-sama'
'To keep my promise, I will have to hide him from Danzo'
'Understood'
A two room flat was given to Naruto in the slums of Konoha.
'Ne, ne, wanna play with me?'
'Sure'
'How many times do I have to tell you to not mix with this boy?'
He was never allowed to befriend anyone, no friends, no on for support, he desired attention. With a stupid grin on his face, wearing a bright orange jacket, playing pranks he got his wish, so what if was negative? So what?
'Demon'
'Fox boy'
'Why doesn't he die?'
'Is the Hokage insane?'
'Seriously, he will attend ninja academy?'
Murmurs followed him wherever he went, no place to run, no place to hide, he ignored them or at least tried to, but at some corner of his heart it hurt, it pained him, but there was nothing he could do. He was helpless.
'Sakura-chan, want to grab a bite with me?'
'NARUTO-BAKA, GET AWAY FROM ME. WHY DO YOU ALWAYS INTERFERE BETWEEN ME AND SASUE-KUN'S LOVE YOU IDIOT? HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO REJECT YOU? IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU MY PARENTS SUFFER SO MUCH? I HATE YOU'
He has a crush on Sakura haruno, at least he think he does, he once saw Ami bullying her. She had the same eyes as him for some time in the past. He wanted to comfort her. But she happened to be the daughter of the head and vice head of village council, Bad luck.
'Cheer up Naruto'
'You can have the first bowl for free, my treat'
The only place which allowed him to eat was Ichiraku ramen. Ayame and Teuchi were the only ones who were kind to him along with old man and maybe Iruka, their homeroom teacher.
Flashback end
"Naruto, NARUTO' shouted a voice making Naruto jerk his head up at once.
"Huh what?" said Naruto looking around, almost most of the students were gone. With drool on his face he looked in front of him and saw Iruka standing in front of him.
"Iruka-sensei" said Naruto wiping of the drool on his face.
"You again slept during my class" said Iruka.
"Hehe" tittered Naruto with a sheepish grin on his face.
"If you don't pay any attention in class, then you will fail for the third time" said Iruka.
"But nobody wants to teach me" said Naruto in a low tone. Iruka felt a bit of guilt surging in his heart, he knew Naruto was alone, just like his past. No parents, no family, to get attention he became the class clown, just like Iruka…no, he had it harder than Iruka.
"Naruto, want to get some ramen? My treat" asked Iruka.
"Sensei you are the best" said…rather shouted Naruto.
Naruto's mood swing caused Iruka to sweat drop. But he didn't know how big of a mistake that was, he didn't know when it comes to ramen, not even an Akimichi can eat more than Naruto.
10 minutes later:
"Thank you sensei" said a full Naruto happily as he waved at Iruka.
Iruka was walking away with anime tear running down his face, not even a ryo was left on his purse. Naruto devoured one week of his supplies.
"Bye Ayame-nee, Teuchi-jiji" said Naruto waving at them, they waved back at him.
"Ah, I am full" said Naruto rubbing his belly and walked away.
Naruto was going back towards the slum area where his house was.
'If you don't pay any attention in class, then you will fail for the third time' Iruka's voice rang on his ears.
He stopped walking; his eyes became hollow, sad as he looked down. He clenched his fists.
"Shut up, I know" said Naruto in a low voice, it sounded as a growl.
It was dark, no lamps in the street, he was near the slums, no buildings and no people were there, only trees which were barely visible in the moonlight.
Naruto caught a buzzing or a hissing sound, as if something was approaching him very quickly. Just as he was about to turn around, he felt as if a jolt ran down his body, second later he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He looked at that spot and saw a kunai stuck in his shoulder, blood was gushing out of his shoulder and ran down his arm, then he felt his arm lose all functions, he couldn't move it because of the pain.
"Eh?" said Naruto aloud.
"Finally, I can have my revenge" said a sick voice. Naruto looked at the place from where the voice came.
He saw a person with a mad grin on his face; he took a step forward towards Naruto. Under the moonlight Naruto saw the man.
His attire is that of the standard Konoha shinobi complete with a flak jacket and a forehead protector which he wears like a bandanna. He also wears an eye-patch over his left eye.
He knew that man; he was Iwana akame, a chunin from Konoha and an academy teacher!
"S-sensei" said Naruto, he was shaking with fear, he was scared, and no one to help, his face was of utter horror.
"Die" shouted Iwana.
Naruto ran, ran away from the man, he was scared, so scared he was. He had nowhere to run in the darkness, he didn't know where he was going but he was running, running from death.
'Not bad' thought Iwana, 'guess running from ANBU cops gives him the advantage in running'.
Iwana chased after him, trying to catch him but Naruto was faster. Seeing this he drew a kunai from the pouch and threw it aiming at his leg.
Bull's eye! It hit the spot he aimed for; he had got good aim and precision. Naruto barely maintained his balance, he staggered forward. He suffered, he wanted to run but was unable to, and blood was coming out of his leg.
He saw a tree nearby and reached out to it for support. He then turned around, leaning his back against the tree.
He saw his sensei, Iwana akame walking towards him slowly, menacingly licking his lips.
"I will put you out of your misery, boy" said Iwana with a low but maniacal tone.
Naruto as a last resort drew and threw a kunai towards his assassin but he parried it with his bare hand. No surprises there though, blunt, filled with scratches all over, that was the kind of materials he would be sold in the slums because that's all the stores there had, he was not allowed in the shops of the city.
But Naruto felt calm facing his last moments, he didn't know why, the shaking in his legs stopped. He could think rationally now. And his logical mind said to him 'there was nothing he could do'
In his last moments Naruto was thinking:
'What is this?'
'Is this the end for me?'
'With me not having done a single thing in my life'
'So easily…No…!'
"NO" shouted Naruto as Iwana charged at him raising his hand holding a kunai.
"Die demon, feel the pain of losing an eye, family. Feel the helplessness of being able to do nothing, die" shouted Iwana. He was inches away from his prey.
He stopped; his stomach slowly was being coloured red, a black katana sticking out of his stomach.
Iwana looked back and saw that standing there was a man with spiky brown hair,dark eyes, wearing the standard attire of the Konoha shinobi complete with a forehead protector and the standard flak jacket. He also wore small appendages on his hand ranging from black bandages to metal rings on his fingers. His most distinct feature is the weal-like scar on his face, running across the bridge of his nose and down across the left side of his face.
"Raido Namiashi" said Iwana as blood was oozing out of his mouth.
Raido was a tokubetsu jonin of Konoha, known throughout the village because of his profession of an assassin, and also Hokage's bodyguard.
"No, I won't die, I don't want to die. I still haven't got my revenge" said Iwana gripping the blade sticking out of his stomach.
"The only people who should kill are those prepared to die themselves, that's the code of the shinobi" said Raido and slashed his intestines from inside with a leftwards horizontal slash and withdrew his sword. The left side of Iwana was cleaved in two as he fell down face first on the ground, blood flowing out from his left side.
Naruto's tensed up body relaxed as he sat down on the ground still leaning on the tree. He let out a sigh of relief and looked up to see his saviour.
Raido was removing blood from his 'Kokuto' and as he glanced the boy, when he finished he looked at Naruto. He looked for injuries and saw that the kyubi was already busy healing him.
Damn those village Councillors, the daily treatment was not enough for them was it? Now they straight went for the kill. He had always watched him from the shadows along with his former platoon buddies, sometimes even Kakashi joined them. He knew Naruto's heritage. He hated the villagers for treating the kid in this way.
But what he hated more was the fact that Naruto's training was sabotaged because of them. Because Naruto wanted attention he neglected his training, he had potential, he had the desire...and yet he was the dead weight of the academy.
"Are you okay?" he said.
"Yeah, something like this is going to heal in no time" said Naruto grinning as he stood up.
"Remove the kunais from your body" said Raido as he leaned closer to the boy.
"Okay" said Naruto.
Naruto winced as he took out the kunai stuck in his shoulder and leg and threw it on the ground, and then he looked at Raido.
Raido took out the first aid kit and quickly bandaged the wound after checking for infections.
"You can't walk like that, sit on my back" said Raido and picked the boy up on his back.
"So where are we going?" asked Naruto.
"To the Hokage tower" said Raido.
"And what about... his body" said Naruto quietly as he glanced at the dead chunin's body but felt sick and quickly turned away.
"ANBU will pick it up" said Raido and started walking. He couldn't shunshin with a injured kid on his back, if he did that Naruto's wounds might open up again.
Raido was still angry, though he was not showing it. He was a calm and collected man, friendly towards his comrades. He was an assassin so he of course could suppress his emotions.
"What type of shinobi wears orange? pathetic" Raido very slowly murmured. His lips barely twitched and thus no one should be able to pick that up.
"Hey what did you say about me?" shouted Naruto.
Raido froze, how did he hear that? Oh...he lived as a thief before so he head heightened senses, How could I forgot?
"Nothing, you're imagining it" said Raido.
"Don't fool me, I know you hate me too right. Let me down you scar face" said Naruto.
"Don't kid around,you're injured and..." said Raido but felt someone pull his hair.
"How do I even know that you're going to take me to the academy? Who knows where you will take me and then finish what my...former sensei started" said Naruto.
Raido again was surprised, that was actually a very good point, especially after what happened to him today but...
"I'm not like the others kid and don't pull my hair" said Raido.
"Huh why should I even listen to you?" said Naruto and bit Raido's head.
"AHHH get off me you pathetic excuse for a shinobi" shouted Raido in pain.
Naruto froze, what did he call him? Pathetic, but why? For not being able to protect himself.
"What did you call me?" said Naruto as he got off Raido's back.
"You wear orange, spend all time prank people, dead last and a failure in academy. Yet you waste your potential and never take your studies seriously. All for some fake acknowledgement" said Raido in anger before he could stop himself.
Naruto lowered his head and his eyes were overshadowed by his hair.
"What would you know? So what if it's negative attention? You aren't the one in my shoes, you don't have the right to criticize me" said Naruto as his voice broke.
"I skip class because my taijutsu teachers intentionally teach me wrong, I can't buy any equipment in the shops of the city and even in slums this was all I could afford, training huh...who will teach me? Who even cares about me? It's not like I have any other choice...IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO BE LIKE THIS" shouted Naruto at the end. Tears rolled down his cheek as Raido's gaze softened.
'He figured out that his academy teachers teach him wrong...I was assigned to protect him when he is out of the academy, and when he was given an apartment I even came to know what village council pulled on him, why didn't I figure it out? It's obvious, his grin, his clumsiness, everything is something he adapted to gain acknowledgement, his mask to hide his pain' thought Raido.
"I don't know" said Raido softly.
Naruto looked at him as he rubbed his eyes.
"I don't know how it is to live like you, but the way you're going you will never be happy, you will never achieve something...you know that right, you're not a idiot like how everyone sees you, you know the best that the way you are you can't even be a shinobi" said Raido.
"You will never become Hokage" said Raido.
"Shut up. I will become a genin, and then Hokage, then I will make everyone recognize me" argued back Naruto.
Raido frowned, so that's why he wanted to become Hokage. Raido was now aware of Naruto's mask. He knew now what lied behind that stupid fake grin, but Naruto didn't understand what it meant to be a kage.
"You doesn't understand what it means to be Hokage" said Raido.
"Then tell me bastard" said Naruto.
Raido suppressed the urge to smile, he remembered what the yondaime told him about being a Hokage.
"It isn't that if you become Hokage, everyone will acknowledge you. It's the ones who are acknowledged that can become Hokage" said Raido.
"Then how can I make anyone acknowledge me?" asked Naruto.
"That is something you will have to figure out on your own" said Raido.
"Now come with me Naruto uzumaki, I am ordered to bring you back to the Hokage for treatment after all, time is ticking" said Raido and picked up Naruto on his back and started running towards the Hokage tower.
Database:
Iwana akame-
Rank- chunin.
Occupation- academy teacher.
Personality- loathes Naruto.
Chakra nature- Fire release.
Abilities- skilled in handling kunais with good accuracy.
It's done; the first chapter is done guys. Tell me how it is and pls reply as it makes me more motivated.
Ja ne.