DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO
Naruto Uzumaki's blonde hair swayed in the gentle breeze as he sat on the fourths head. The blue headband with Konaha's symbol rested lazily in his hands. The villagers hated him; no matter what he did they always seemed to find a way to make him seem bad. Even after graduating the academy, becoming Kakashi's student, and train under Juriya they still hated him. His grip tightened on the small hetiate. He had just completed a rigorous C-rank mission and still not everyone in the village trusted him. He guessed they had a point. Why trust him, he was the Kyuubi container after all. Ever since the fourth hokage sealed the nine tailed fox demon inside of his body he had been shunned. Hell he couldn't even defeat Orochimaru and return Sasuke to the village as promised. He was a failure. True he had made friends with the other teams and their leaders but why couldn't he be friends with the village? Hinata's father seemed to hate him, the hokage advisors hated him. What did he have to do to make people not hate him? He raised his hand to his face and fingered the whisker like marks on his cheeks. He had the face of a demon. His sky blue eyes hardened as he contemplated throwing his headband off the monument. Why work for a village that hated him? Why cause yourself such pain for people who enjoyed watching you suffer? Fourteen years of anguish was piling up for the young Kyuubi container.
"You're up here again Naruto?" asked a worried male voice behind him. Naruto remained silent hoping his old sensei would leave him alone.
"It's the third time this week I've found you hidden away like this, what's wrong?" continued the older voice as he took a seat beside the blonde. Finally Naruto decided to speak.
"I'm a demon. Why would they want someone like me protecting their village when the demon inside me tried to destroy it? They hate me Iruka sensei." He mumbled. Iruka sighed knowing he was right about the blonde's actions.
"Do you think you'll destroy the city? Do you think you're a demon?" the teacher asked in a questioning tone he had adapted from his years of teaching academy students. Naruto sighed as he placed the headband at his side.
"I don't know. The Kyuubi keeps telling me different things every time I ask for more power. But sometimes I feel like I'm losing control. I'm still weak." Naruto growled.
"Yes, you're still learning things. But it's not weakness. Naruto most children would have turned on us by now if they went through what you have. Look at Gaara, he hated his village and was downright sinister until you connected with him. You're special and everyone knows it. Some of the older villagers may still be weary of you but give it time. Soon even they will know who you truly are." Iruka explained. Naruto closed his eyes turning his head from his old academy teacher.
"Who am I?" Naruto asked ashamed. Iruka carefully picked up the headband and began examining it.
"Do you remember when I gave this to you?" he asked casually. Naruto looked confused before nodding for his old teacher to continue.
"You had just stolen the forbidden scrolls for Mizuki and I had tracked you down into the woods. I told you to run while I fought off the enemy. That's when I told him that you weren't the demon fox that killed my parents but Uzumaki Naruto, a shinobi of Konaha." Iruka beamed.
"Then at the end before we returned to the village you gave me your headband." Naruto whispered as he reclaimed the older ninja's old headband. Once he replaced it on his forehead, Naruto heaved himself from his sitting position.
"Your right sensei, I'm not that stupid fox. I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI THE NEXT HOKAGE!" he proclaimed screaming out the last part of his sentence. The older man laughed as he scratched the long scar across his nose.
"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto my next boss. Oh how scary that will be. So will having ramen for dinner be a new law?" Iruka teased. Naruto's stomach rumbled as he gave his sensei a foxy grin.
"Um, yeah I'm broke again." The young shinobi said as he scratched the back of his head.
"I'll treat you to ramen this time Naruto, but you owe me." The older ninja laughed.
"Right when I become the hokage I'll make the old man at Ichiraku's give you free ramen." Naruto said as the two made their way to the old ramen shop.
"All right, all right. Let's go Naruto he does close you know." And with that the two ninja's left knowing that they would soon return to the monument to quail the young blondes insecurities. Because Iruka knew that the fourths head was the only place the blonde seemed to gather his mind and the one place Iruka and Naruto seemed to not be ninjas.
AN/ IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WROTE A NARUTO FANFIC. THIS ONE SEEMED TO BE A BIT OFF AT THE END BUT OH WELL. PLEASE REVIEW.