In no way do I own any part of naruto. The only thing I own is my OC Sora. Thanks for reading!

People are cruel. They hate, scorn, judge, and torment others when they do not understand. They fear the unknown. They are cowards and because of fear, they alienate others. There is no excuse for nasty behavior. Many individuals are ostracised and hated, they all react in different ways. Some are pushed to react in a less than savory manner. They turn violent and murder those who have caused them such pain and anguish. They turn down a dark path that only leads to more hurt. Others grow to become stronger and prove to others that they aren't worthless, that they aren't monsters. Then you have those that run. The pain has become too much for them and they cannot handle being around any of those wretched people. One dark-haired woman has done just that. She ran.

Her name is Sora Hayashi. As a young child, she struggled to survive. She was cast out because of circumstances she couldn't control. In her early years of life, she was experimented on. The outcome had left her scarred emotionally and afraid of what she had become. The village she grew up in never accepted her. The villagers threw things at her. Rocks, spoiled food, almost anything they could get their hands on if the girl got within range. They called her names, demon, wretch, filth, monster, and much more. Although young she refused to hate the villagers. She had seen them be kind to others. She knew what it was like to fear what you didn't understand. Yes, she hated it, and it was never okay for them to go to the lengths that they did. But she never hated them. However, she also didn't like them. It was a weird combination for the young girl. She would try very hard to earn the acceptance of even one person. But they all turned away from her. No one accepted her in this small village.

Years passed and the girl started to grow. She was now 17 years of age. Her hair had grown out and her amber eyes more solemn. She began showing signs of strength which only made the villagers even more aggressive. She began to learn how to pass unnoticed for the most part. Moving silently and quickly. This helped her avoid most of the hate in town. She would train to the best of her knowledge to become stronger. However, she never retaliated when the villagers would catch her. After a particularly rough incident, she fled. She was beaten and bruised but refused to stop, terrified that the villagers would catch her. After days of wandering, she collapsed in the middle of dense woods. The pain and exhaustion had caught up with her.

-With Team 7-

"But Kakashi-sensei! Why are we even doing this!" Naruto whined as he picked up another piece of garbage. Team 7 was currently just outside the village cleaning up trash. Sakura, the pink-haired kunoichi, punched Naruto right on the top of his head.

"Naruto, you idiot! Don't talk back!" She yelled at the cowering shinobi. He grabbed his head and spouted fake tears. Sasuke scoffed at the idiocy between the two of them.

"YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANNA SAY TEME!?" Naruto screeched earning yet another hit from the aggravated kunoichi. Kakashi sighed with the immaturity of his team. This being slightly ironic as Kakashi could be immature as well. He suddenly ceased all movement and held his hand up for the others to silence themselves. They immediately were on edge. He motioned for them to stay there. He began to walk off in the direction of this unknown presence. He stalked through the trees looking out for any unknown attack. He was extremely caught off guard by the sight ahead of him. A girl, thin and frail, laid out on the ground before him. Long brown hair cascaded over the ground where she lay. He immediately ran to her and checked her vitals. She was alive but very weak. She needed medical attention as soon as possible. He quickly picked her up and ran. He gave his students the signal that everything was okay and continued into the village. Kakashi was surprised at the weight of the lost girl. Too light. He deemed her malnourished. Concern and worry crossed his masked face. She was too young to be this weak. He felt her move and looked down to see her semi-conscious. She began to flail around. He saw her instinctual fear.

"Shhh. It's all going to be fine. You are safe." Kakashi murmured to the lost girl. She slowed her movements and mumbled a thank you, before losing consciousness once more. Cursing quietly he rounded the corner and straight into the hospital. He caught a nurse quite off guard when he practically landed on top of her. Once laying eyes on the small girl, she immediately jumped into action. She called others over who took the girl from Kakashi and led her into a separate room. He couldn't help but feel confusion and concern over this lost girl. Having nothing else to do or help with, he left the hospital to check on his students.

"See you soon, Lost Girl."

-Sora-

She awoke to a massive headache and aches and pains all over her body. The pain pierced her legs, arms, and back. Sora held back a groan as she tried to open her eyes. The sudden light stung her eyes as she shut them back. Squinting through the light she opened her amber colored eyes and saw that she was in a bed as opposed to the hard ground of the forest she collapsed in. She was confused and hurting. She had no idea why she was here or how she got there. She vaguely remembered white. The feeling of someone carrying her. Who was her rescuer? What if she will be sent back? Are these people the same as her old village? Many questions and scenarios flew through her head. Sora put a hand on her head slowly sat up. A cough alerted her to the sound of a guest. She was not alone. She jerked her head in the direction of the sound. In the corner of the room stood and an old man dressed in white and red. His exterior seemed firm, but the corners of his eyes showed kindness. She stiff and wary of this man in front of her. He was obviously a man in power.

"I see you have finally awoken," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. She nodded shyly. He saw the fear and anxiousness in her body language. He continued on, "I am sure you are aware, but there are some things that we need to discuss. And I need you to be completely honest with me." She paled at the thought of more hate and fear. He seemed to sense her distress because he elaborated. "I do not mean you any harm. Although you seem to have spooked the nurses a bit with your arrival and with a feature not normally found in people." He knew. She started to shake. He knew, and she didn't know how to handle that. He said he didn't mean her any harm but who knew what he was actually thinking or if he would change his mind. He rested a hand on her knee and gave her a very small smile. She relaxed just a bit.

"Now, why don't you fill me in." He said softly. She looked down but knew she had no way out but to explain the situation.

"W-Who are you?" She stuttered. She at least wanted to know her questioner.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."