I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. I do love them though.

My Life.

"Na…ru…to!" My heart speeds up and by reflex I flinch, hands reaching to cover my head in an attempt to ward off punishment. The actions may make me seem guilty but I get blamed for so many things I seek only for self-preservation. Angry voices always do this to me, no matter if I am the recipient of that anger or not. I duck down next to a building, trying to make myself as small as possible. Fear consumes me but as it is such a normal part of my life all I feel is cold.

"Naruto," I cringe, pulling myself into a ball and shaking slightly. It comes to me that this person is calling me by name. Not kid, not brat or monster or any of the usual titles heard in reference to me. That limited the amount of people after me. Sandaime Hokage, leader of Konoha the village hidden in leaves, would top the list. But the old man wouldn't bother to search himself; he had all the ninja in the village under his control.

It's not a kid calling me. Kids didn't generally provoke this type of reaction from me. Although some of the girls could be really scary and seemed to hate me for no real reason. That's not including the super obsessed fan girls who fall over themselves for that stuck up Sasuke guy. Alone or in groups they were people you did not want to get on the wrong side of.

The last people who would all me by name, would be the teachers at the academy. I'm not sure I trust them but at least they acknowledge me a little and are sometimes nice. That might be due to an order from the Hokage though. The old man is the only one I can really trust.

I hear whoever it is approaching me. They block out the sun and after a few minutes without anything happening I reluctantly lower my arms to peer up at him. He appears to be of average height, dark brown eyes and hair drawn into a spiky ponytail. He wears the symbol of our village, a leaf, on a band tied around his head. His most distinguishing features are his tanned skin and a long scar across his nose reaching both cheeks.

"Iruka…sensei?" I ask tentatively, looking at him with worried eyes. He was very irate, if that frown was anything to go by. Question was why? And how did it relate to me?

"You need to come with me," he said, frown not dissipating in the slightest.

"No!" I sounded frightened and hated myself for it. Yes I'm scared, but there is no reasons to let anyone else know that. "You only ever look for me when I'm in trouble and I haven't done anything, I swear. Just like the last time and the time before that. The entire town hates me. There's no end to the supposed 'witnesses' of my wrongdoings. Things I have no knowledge of until they accuse me of them.

Iruka seemed to decrease in size a little as he stepped back and sighed. He might have sounded regretful but all my attention was so focused on his words that his actions did not register, "this is the council's order Naruto, not Sandaime Hokage's"

I shudder, curling into myself again. The council really had it in for me. If tit weren't for the Sandaime's interventions I would have been severely injured if not killed from their ideas of "suitable punishment". I'm sure they know I am not really the one at fault but they take pleasure from my suffering. And being a child it took me a long time to realize that this situation was not normal, I was only one experiencing these things. The council probably spends their days devising new and more sadistic methods by which to torture me.

"Stop that! Pull yourself together and start moving, it'll be worse if you keep them waiting." 'That's true,' I thought. He sounded gruff but I knew he was giving me as much kindness as he could without people becoming suspicious. We both knew that open kindness towards me would mean that either I couldn't see Iruka again, or he may face the same oppression and end up hating me the same as the other villagers. It's happened before. People I thought might become my friend would have a 180º change in attitude over night and start hating me without cause. That hurt the most. Then there are those that are too scared or too loyal to break the rules. I hate the council.

For another minute I don't move, letting my stubbornness show. Reluctantly my arms fall aside and I push to my feet.

Satisfied, Iruka turned and started walking in the direction of the Hokage tower. I walk behind him pretending not to hear the whisperings that follow wherever I walk. I'm only five years old and yet have more people out to get me than anyone should have a right to.

On the way some of the more daring villagers thought it fun to throw rocks at me and trip me up. By the time we reach the final 50 meters to the tower, I'm sporting several bruises. So now I must face a council who hates me whilst covered in mud, dirt, dust and blood. Not the best approach when seeking leniency for punishment undeserved.

"Naruto, do the henge jutsu I taught you. It is not wise to appear before them as you are."

"Yes sir, Iruka sensei." I didn't need to be told but I'll play along. There are more important things to be concerned with than disrespecting someone who actually gives a damn about me. I concentrate, focusing the mysterious energy known as chakra and make some hand signs to release the spell for the guise. When I look down there is now no speck of dirt or blood, my clothes are neat and unruffled, skin clear from grime. Bruising and cuts now hidden from sight.

Iruka screws his nose up, critically examining my handiwork. "No good," he finally said. "It's too much. There is absolutely no way that Naruto Uzumaki, a five year old boy picked up from dirt streets in the middle of the afternoon, is going to look this clean cut. As if he just came out of the shower with clean clothes waiting for him." He reached out, grabbing my shirt, and pulled me forward sharply so that I fell to my knees. Dust flew up, covering me from head to toe despite the henge.

I'm now dirty again but less so than before. It is enough to satisfy Iruka and pass under the council's critical eye, without too much being said against me.

"Thanks," I mutter, getting up. He just nods and continues on his way. Following behind I focus on the spiral emblem attached to the back of his uniform, ignoring the outside world.

Eventually we reach the tower and start climbing the steps that lead to the mission room where I usually receive my sentencing. The steps themselves are a conundrum. They take forever to climb yet I always reach the top too quickly for comfort. After the stairs is a corridor. It's probably my mind playing tricks on me but this passageway is one of the scariest places in the world. The light darkens and the walls close in as I walk. It feels as though, at any moment, arms will reach out and take me away or do me harm. It becomes a tunnel, at the end of which there is no sun. In its place there is a monster waiting to consume me. After so many trips to the mission room I feel that my fear should have faded a little. Instead is continues to grow with every additional journey down this hallway, to the point where it takes all my strength to not show any fear in the enemy's territory.

We reach a set of double wooden doors and I fight the shivers creeping up my spine and the ever present urge to run as if my life depended on it. I get the feeling that if I were to run then I would be shown no mercy.

There are guards stationed to either side of the doors and Iruka greets them with a nod which they return. They pause to glare at me before one goes into the room to announce our arrival. There are muffled words and the guard comes back. Inclining his head to his companion, together they push the doors open wide for admittance. I stick close Iruka, as I doubt their courtesy didn't extend to me.

The doors shut behind me with a resounding click. 'Great, where going to be here a while then,' I thought, hating the sarcasm present even in my mind.

The room appeared empty at first. The line of tables opposite the doors, surprisingly empty of its regular occupants. To be certain I do not cause disrespect, I keep my eyes forward with head lowered slightly in decent. Iruka leads me to the center of the room before going to stand by the door, leaving me to face my prosecutors alone.

I tell myself that he has too. That he wouldn't willingly leave me to the slaughter, but I still can't discern his true intensions where I am involved. He is nice enough towards me, I just don't know if it is real though and in my experience it is better not to put trust in the people around me.

"Thank you Iruka for your efficient work, you may go back to the academy now," that was a dismissal if ever there was one. I can't tell where the voice is coming from or who said it, causing me no end of frustration. Form all appearances Iruka and I were the only two people in the room. I sensed movement behind me and guessed Iruka had bowed and left. The sound of the door clicking shut once more marked the finality of his departure. 'Alone again huh?' it didn't surprise me. They always did this, isolating me, they didn't want the rest of village or its ninja to know what happened behind the closed doors of the council.

I'm left waiting for such a long time that I begin to wonder if I really am the only person in the room and have been forgotten. I'm not that lucky. An age later, when my feet have gone well beyond simply beginning to hurt and I've had more than enough time to go insane with wondering what might be in store for, they start the proceedings.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are charged with treason against the village hidden in leaves, it's Hokage and the members of this esteemed council. We have gone over all the evidence relating too the incident in question and have eye witness accounts."

'At least they went straight to point of the matter. Ok, this is bad ,make that really bad. Dammit this happens all the time, granted this occasion is worse than the other put together… but still, I'll try to make the best of it.'

I stand still for a full minute after their announcement, too shocked to move. My tongue feels like lead, making it difficult for me to talk. After a few failed attempts at speaking I manage to get out one word.

"What?"

I beg of you, be honest. If people like it I'm more happy to continue with it. I will try to update regularly but please be patient if it takes a few weeks. I want your opinions too. I am new at this and more minds will mean more and better ideas. I want to continue writing and your encouragement will be the key to finishing my stories.