I've written way too many stories in this period of time, and gahhoiancroinyriutv

Summary:

Naruto Uzumaki was a boy who only wants to serve his kingdom; be a warrior. But instead he's stuck in an orphanage with a woman who won't even let him leave the fields he slaves away in. When the royal caravan, which comes around each year to find new recruits for the army, comes to his quaint village, there's only one thing he can do. Kingdom AU.

Disclaimer: Obviously don't own Naruto

Pairings Options

Kakashi x Naruto

Itachi x Naruto

Sasuke x Naruto

Other Options?

(I'm not a fan of Sakura don't even try)

XxXxXx

The boy stood on the highest rock in the lower country of the Uchiha Kingdom of Fire Country. He looked north to where the sun was rising on another boring day. As far as he could see there were rolling green hills and forests, rising and falling like the humps of a camel. The burnt orange rays of the sun hid behind the treeline. Orange was his favorite color. The increasing light sparkled on the dew of the grass, making a kind of magic that made him feel like a kid again. If only.

He rarely woke this early, nor did he usually venture this far, nor had he ever ascended this high, but today was different. It was the boy's birthday; October 10th. He shuddered, knowing that when he returned his adventureous mood would dampen under his caretakers wrath. But today, he didn't care. On this day, he disreguarded a million rules, a million chores that had oppressed him for 16 years.

This boy- Naruto Uzumaki – the youngest of four boys, and the least favorite of his "father." He had begun his life in an orphanage for as long as he could remember. He jumped from house to house, but each house he went to was given a length of bad luck. Withering crops, dying animals, and disease were what gave him the reputation of the "Demon Child."

But today was different. Today was an opportunity. He had tossed and turned all night, then later awoken weary yet excited. For today was the day, which only happened every several years, where the kings captain would chose this county's next warriors. It had always been his dream to join, but each time the caravan came to his village he would be hidden, shielded from the eyes of the royals. Not today. If he missed today by the time the next caravan came he would be too old to join the legion, and Naruto would be forced to submit to the destiny that had been written for him. The destiny of tending to his father's flock until he could no longer. This was a thought Naruto could not bear.

Enlistment Day. It was the one day the king's authorities canvassed the provinces and hand-picked volunteers for the Legion. For as long as he had lived, Naruto had wanted nothing more. He was to join the King's ANBU, a group of elites bedecked in the finest armor and bathed in the most riches. If you're not born of noble birth, the only way to get that rank was to fight through the legion's training. This was his last chance.

Naruto stood on the horizon, searching for the slightest sign of motion. He was watching the only road to the village. They would have to enter through there.

The flock of sheep protested around him, rising their voices in a series of grunts and calls, urging him down the mountain back to the plains. The annoying noises and the scents made it difficult to concentrate at the task at hand.

What had made all these years of torture bearable, the years of being pushed around, being used as a slave, and baing the one no one cared for, was the idea that he would some day leave this place. One day, he would surprise everyone by being the best damn swordsmen in the land. In one swift motion he would be gone and say goodbye to all of this.

His father, of course, had never considered him a candidate for the legion. No one had. Actually, no one considered him a candidate for anything. Instead, the village's love and devotion went to the nurturing of his 3 brothers. The eldest was 18, the maximum age for Legion Training. The other two, twins, were 17, only a few months older than Naruto himself. Perhaps because they all had the same brown hair and dark eyes and fair skin they ignored Naruto. Whatever it was, they barely acknowledged his existence. Besides the group beatings the village did to him sometimes. He had the scars to prove it.

Worse than that, his brothers were taller and broader than Naruto himself. Despite being a satisfactory height himself, being around his brothers made him feel… small. His muscular legs, built up from years running and in the fields, were like twigs next to their giant barrel legs. His brothers forced all the work upon him, and instead flirted with the village girls and drank away at the taverns. His father made no attempt in protecting Naruto from his brothers; in fact, he seemed to delight in it.

Naruto was left to tend to the sheep while his brothers trained. It was never quite spoken, but it was understood that Naruto would spend the rest of his life working in the fields.

Worse still, Naruto sensed his brothers hated him. They seemed almost… threatened by him. Naruto didn't know how, but he seemed to arouse something inside his brothers. Fear? Jealousy? Perhaps it was because he didn't look like them, Naruto didn't even dress like them. His father reserved the best robes, the ones with the special pockets for weapons woven in red and purple, while Naruto wore, at the best, rags.

But Naruto made the best he could. He made his clothes fit by tying a sash around his narrow waist, and in the summer, he ripped the sleeves off his tunic to show off his toned arms, forged in the fields. He wore shoes that barely laced up to his ankles and had one pair of scratchy, worn pants. He looked like a typical herder.

But he hardly had the demeanor. Naruto stood tall and lean, with a proud, sharp jaw, noble chin, and high cheekbones. His blonde hair, spiky and unruly, softly cascaded just above the nape of his neck. His bangs caress his forehead and are cut unevenly just above his eyebrows. He looked like a displaced warrior. And his beautiful cerulean eyes, which glisten like the sun reflecting off the water, are the most mesmerizing thing about him. He also has 3 curious whisker marks etched across each cheek. He looked rather exotic.

Naruto was determined to reject the fate his father set out for him. Determined to prove that he could be more than a simple country boy. And he would stand at the selection, even if he had to get on his knees and beg.

XxXxXx

Whoops sorry I wrote a story. I seriously didn't mean to.