Disclaimer: I don't own anything from naruto or any music featured here but I own my characters!!!

The Golden Paths: The legend of Naruto

The voices of the mountains spoke deep into the valley that carried the flowing river water that went past a small peaceful village. This village seemed intangible to the outside world, impertinently intangible towards the upper class who found the practices of this village strange. There used to be more of this village's kind but so far the reign of terror which was held strong in the will of Lord Orochimaru had destroyed the others, Suna, Kumo, Kiri, Iwa and other minor villages of the same belief. However this village left was called Konoha and its population was confined to a small community of people all lead by respectable elders. The past leaders, Hashirama Senju, his brother Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi who was their current leader as their fourth leader was killed and their fourth was Minato Namikaze.
The village's belief was simple. They believed everyone was equal and that each human being held the will of fire which gave them a right to become or do anything they wished. They believed everyone chose their own destiny and made their own goals that would or should work towards the plans of One force. Their village crest was a bird that represented freedom. Their belief in equality was exactly what disturbed the upper class and most people who believed that there were rules to life dependant on your birth. If you were the son of a nobleman you were respected if you were an outcast you were not accepted in society and considered dirty. All were not equal in this way and your heritage would be your downfall or your benefit.

In this village lived a lively young boy called Naruto Uzumaki. He lived with his aging grandparents from his mother's side as his mother apparently died in childbirth and his father and his family side was killed. He was always smiling and always cheerful, however his parents' absence always bothered him at the back of his mind and since his grandparents were nearing the end of their lives he was afraid to be orphaned. Even though he knew very well the village would look after him he would feel left out, he always wondered how it would feel to have a father to play with everyday or teach him how to cut firewood and become an active helper of the community. Though good minded, Naruto was troublesome and often a dreamer, the village's children always teased him about his dreams of one day becoming someone of great importance, maybe even Overlord. He wanted to be so great so he could teach everyone about his village's belief, but as young as he was he didn't understand the ignorance of the upper class or the hatred felt for his belief outside the small world of his village. The only thing he understood was that not many people believed in what his village believed in, the will of fire. His grandparents encouraged him to be actively helpful in religious ceremonies or become a student of the elders so he could become a priest in their village. However Naruto spent his time daydreaming and playing in the mountains never heeding his grandparents' words. Nonetheless he worked hard to look after his grandparents always helping with chores, cutting wood and gathering ingredients. Naruto from a young age had a love for gardening and treasured all the plants they grew in their small garden and looked after the crops well.

With such a simple minded boy and his simple life who would have thought he could amount to anything greater or travel any further than those mountains high with the river that passed by. Fate works in strange ways and it seemed the Goddess smiled down upon this daydreamer.

Naruto

The grass tickled my feet as usual; I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair and the cold song of the mountains. The colours that played in between the cracks of wind in the soft spring sun were grey and green blooming with the soon to be bright colours of pink, red and blue. The sky was slowly greying over as it was sign of showers. It's always raining in spring around here, my grandmother said that the mountains sang everyday and in spring would beckon the rain clouds with a cold breeze to feed the ground below so in summer the flowers that bloomed were vibrant and alive in the dry period. The mountains were our protectors and all revolved round them as creations, gifts to us humans from the Great One. If we listened hard enough we could catch the mountain song and then we could one day learn to paint our souls on the canvas of the wind. My grandmother always spoke in poetic rhymes, she said my mother loved poetry and always came to the mountains to sing.
With the clouds brewing I swiftly ran through the field back home to my grandparents. The wind blew in the opposite direction to my path and the mountains breezy song became colder as if they were pushing me back. I stopped briefly as I tried to see if I could understand the message they were trying to tell me. Faintly the wind brushed past me in whispers and the smell of smoke wafted around me. My eyes snapped open as the smell became stronger and then a spark was blown past me. Fire. There was a fire! The village was burning down and I didn't understand why. Then my entire grandmother's tale felt so real, the wind warning me the mountains singing to the clouds to wash away the fire. I ran to the village careful not to touch the flying sparks that were being carried by the wind. By the time I reached the village I heard screaming. I ran into the fire frantically looking for anyone alive. Then the sound of hooves came by and I immediately hid behind some fallen wood pieces. They were soldiers shouting to one another. I thought they came to save us so I jumped out of my place and ran to one of the horses shouting. The noise of the fire must have roared above my voice as they didn't hear me. I came closer until I heard a thud. I saw bodies on the floor and one of the guards holding an elder by the collar.
'How disrespectful' I thought, I was about to jump on the guard in my anger but instead stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the guard slit the elders throat with a swing of his blade. I had never witnessed death before and it was not a glorious sight as the elders said death would be. I listened to the faint sounds of the elders gurgling and heard him take his last breath and watched as his head fell as if nodding. The guard dropped his body and shouted out an order that was almost incomprehensible as if he spoke a different language.

"Search this whole village I don't want a single soul alive!"

I panicked at this command, I needed to escape but not until I saw my grandparents. Even if dead I needed to pay my respects to them so their souls would be at peace. I quickly moved through the shadows of the fire and found my house among the burning others. The door was still standing but the house was ready to collapse. I entered in covering my mouth so not to choke on the suffocating fumes. I found my grandparents bodies lying together in the blankets on the floor in our small living room. Their dead faces were peaceful as if they saw this coming; their bodies were not tangled in a disarray of limbs like the others I had seen. They had died in an almost happy way and I was glad to know they didn't burn to death yet but probably died from the fumes of the fire. I reached out to touch my grandmother's pale hand when it grasped my fingers. I gasped,

"Naruto..." My grandmother's feeble voice rang in my ears.

"You must leave here alive, but before you go I have something I need to give you." She said, her breath was warm and smoky and her eyes watered. I nodded silently and held onto her hand more tightly.
With her remaining strength she took out a small sack, it was the most beautiful man-made thing I had ever seen. It was embroidered with gold thread and the material was a vibrant green, yellow and red flower patterns with an unknown crest on it.

"Your mother wanted you to have this when you were older, but it seems I can't hold onto it any longer." She gave a brief painful smile before nodding off into the next life.

"Thank you grandmother," I whispered tears welled up in my eyes as I chanted the words of the death prayer we spoke once someone had died. There was no more time for crying for the guards voices neared the house and the roof was about to collapse. I ran out holding the sack close to my bosom. Then an unusual feeling welled up in my soul, I felt angry, more than angry, I was furious. I wanted to do something hateful and painful just so the guards would feel the pain they had put me through. They had destroyed my life, everything I ever loved in one day and I wanted them to feel my pain. This feeling felt so wrong for as a child it was wrong to kill. However that same rule seemed to be why everyone was dead, why all was lost because we did not defend ourselves. I picked up a sharp piece of broken wood and gripped it in my hand. I wasn't going to die, and if living meant killing each and everyone one of these guards, then so let it be. I hid again and tried to stay hidden until I felt a hand on my shoulder. My heart jumped and it turned around with the intention to strike the intruder with the "weapon" in my hand. It was a false alarm as I saw it was our head elder and leader of our village, Elder Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Naruto, do you intend to do anything with that offending piece of wood in your hand?" He asked in a shaming voice. I slowly dropped the weapon in my hand and he regained his usual cheerful but serious tone.

"Trouble has fallen upon us Naruto and it is necessary that we try to stay alive, otherwise it is possible that our beliefs may die as well. You may have not known but we may be the last believers to the will of fire. Come with me I know a safer place."
And with that I followed Sarutobi-sama into the fields heading for the mountains. Sarutobi was very old but he was capable and amazing, that is why he was chosen as our leader after the first and second. It was if he knew the way of the outside world, he was swift even in his age and led me quickly across the grass. The rain was beating mercilessly on our bodies but nonetheless we kept going. The hard rain masked our tracks and the sound of us moving so I was grateful to the mountains after all. We neared the mountains now and I realised that I had never been this close to them before. I could almost see the source of the flowing river. We stopped at an entrance to an old wooden building that seemed to be hidden by the mountain rocks. I took one last look at what was once our village and went inside with Sarutobi-sama. I'm afraid you're singing was too late mountains.

"Naruto are you fine, do you have any injuries?" Sarutobi asked with honest concern.

"Yes Elder Sarutobi I'm fine..." I said in a distant voice. He disappeared into another room and I just sat down near what seemed to be an alter. It looked like the temple at out village only grander with gold decorations and incense lit everywhere. I filled my nostrils with the aroma until its sweet scent filled my head, trying to absorb all that had happened. I heard chanting in the next room where Sarutobi-sama was, I assumed he was praying for the dead.

"Those people Naruto were from the Imperial palace in Otogakure, they were sent to destroy us because of our beliefs." Sarutobi-sama said out of the blue which surprised me. He came with a tray of green tea and handed me a cup.

"Why, we have done nothing to them as far as I know, we have a peaceful village with a peaceful thought of mind. Is it wrong to be at peace?" I asked in anger and confusion, those words were of my grandmother.

"Shiranu ga hotoke (Not knowing is Buddha)." He sighed before sipping his tea.
"Nani (What)?"

"It means ignorance is bliss Naruto. You see you and the village children were brought up with slight ignorance to the outside world. We hoped that by doing this then the faith would stay alive; I didn't want to do this but the elders considered it best because of what had happened over the past years since Overlord Orochimaru has been in power." He began. I stayed silent waiting for more. It was unusual for me to be quiet but I wanted to understand everything first then ask questions later.

"Well you seem keen to know the whole thing aren't you, then I'll say all." He said and in a distant voice began explaining what seemed to me a history of secrets concealed.

Orochimaru wished to wipe us out because we were a nuisance in his eyes though we harmed no-one. There were other villages like us that had been wiped out in similar ways to ours under his orders. We have been secluded and stayed far from civilisation in the cities to keep us safe but clearly it's failed. My father was killed for the same reason our village was wiped out.

"But why?" I said at the end which made it seem I didn't comprehend a word Sarutobi-sama had told me.

"I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu (A frog in the well does not know the great sea)."
I tried my hardest to understand this proverb but I gave up. He noticed and sighed again and told me,

"People are fine to judge things by their own small experience; they don't know that there is more knowledge out there in the world. Therefore Naruto it is out of fear that they kill us not out of righteousness, it is out of ignorance not out of understanding." His wise words flowed out of his mouth and filled me. When he spoke of the wrong doing of others it never put anger into other people but more understanding.

"Sarutobi-sama you understand a lot, have you ever been in their world?" I asked curiously of the man's great knowledge.

"I'm old Naruto there is much I have seen, I have seen great clans rise and fall and Overlords come and go, with my age it is expected I know so much." He said in a matter of fact tone.
However I felt he was hiding more from me. He read my expression and answered,

"You are right that there is more to this Naruto, however it can only be told to you when you are ready."

"By the time I'm ready you may already be gone!" I said exasperated.
He laughed at this. I realised that Elder Sarutobi always liked me very much and looked after me and stood up for me when the other elders wouldn't or complained. He was always there for me and my grandparents and now I owed my life to him.

"How can I ever repay you Elder Sarutobi?" I asked.

"By fulfilling your destiny Naruto, I know you have a great future ahead of you." He said.
His words surprised me. Our village was burnt down, my family dead and I found out the outside world despised my very being because of my belief. What chance do I have?
Then I remembered the sack my grandmother had given me and I brought it to show Sarutobi-sama.

"My grandmother gave it to me before she died; she said my mother wanted me to have it." I handed it over to him; I hadn't opened the sack up yet. He looked at the sack with familiarity in his eyes. He smiled warmly and spoke,

"I see, but you are not old enough to have this yet so I'll look after it for you until you are."
"Nani!?" I cried with upset.

The only sentiment left by my family and he wants to keep it. I was upset but he comforted me.

"Naruto I promise you, it'll be worth the wait."

He looked at my expression and spoke again,
"Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu (If you don't enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub)."

I smiled as I knew that expression 'Nothing ventured nothing gained',
"Why don't you speak in plain Japanese old man!" I said mockingly.

We both laughed and I felt much better,

"Tobi ga taka wo umu." (A kite breeding a hawk*) I said with a laugh. (*Ordinary parents giving birth to an amazing child)
"Not exactly in your case Naruto." Sarutobi spoke with a smile. I gave him a curious look but shrugged it off.

We decided to look out as the rain had stopped. When we looked out it was already evening. I watched the stars and briefly prayed the evening prayer. It would never feel the same again without my grandparents. As I tried to walk away I heard the thudding of hooves again. I was stricken with fear but I ran as fast as I could back towards the mountains. The thudding sounds of hooves being the only thing I could hear, I could smell my own fear.
THUD, THUD, SWOOSH
I was told the movement of horses was graceful and beautiful, but hearing the graceful and quick movements of the horse behind me only had my heart in my throat. The creature was gaining and I couldn't outrun it, I dropped panting and tried to cry for Elder Sarutobi. The horse abruptly stopped next to my exhausted body, I could see the silhouette of a broad man in the grass as the moonlight shone behind our backs. I closed my eyes, the sound of his blade leaving his sheath; it was a wonderful and terrifying sound that seemed to shimmer in itself.

I thought this may be the end so I chanted the words of ante-death over again in my head. All were forgiven all will be condemned and I was somewhat at peace. I awaited the finishing blow.
CLANG

For some you might have read it very very minor changes but I'm planning on making sure I continue full-heartedly ^^