~5 years earlier~
Naruto was running through the forest for a bit of exploring when it started to rain. Naruto didn't really mind the rain, so he just kept exploring.
That's when he came across something lying on the ground near an old shack. He walked over to it and saw that it was a girl. She looked to be about his age and had long brown hair that was messy and had a few leaves stuck in it. She was covered in cuts and scratches and her clothes were torn in a few places. Naruto looked around to see if there was anyone nearby, but the place was deserted.
Naruto bent down next to the girl and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, but she didn't move. He was really worried now.
I don't know what to do… Naruto thought. I mean what can I do anyway? I doubt anybody would care if I asked for their help. I'm just a kid that everybody looks down upon. He looked at the girl again. I can't just leave her here…
He shook her shoulder again. "Are you okay? Nee-chan! Wake up!" still she didn't respond. Naruto knew he had to get her out of the rain and fast. He lifted her up as best he could and carried her back to his house. Naruto carefully dried her off and tended her cuts the way Iruka-sensei had shown him. Then he laid her in his bed and covered her with a blanket. A few minutes later, she opened her eyes.
"Where… am I?" she asked weakly.
"You're in my house, back in Konoha," Naruto replied. "I found you hurt in the forest and was worried, so I brought you home to make sure you were okay."
"Who… who are you?"
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki." He said, "What's your name?"
"My… name?" she repeated blankly, "My… name…?"
"Don't… don't you have a name?" Naruto asked.
She sat up and held her head. "I… don't remember…"
"You don't remember your name?" Naruto was very confused. How could anyone forget their own name?
"No… I don't… I don't remember anything…" she buried her face in her hands and started to cry. Naruto didn't know what to do. Then he got an idea.
"Don't cry, nee-chan." He said comfortingly as he sat down beside her on the bed. "You're safe now; you can live here with me and I'll help you remember. That is, if that's okay with you… Aneko nee-chan."
"Aneko…?" she asked confused.
"Yep—that'll be your name until you can remember your real name." Naruto said with a big goofy smile. "You like it?"
She hesitated before smiling up at Naruto. He blushed. Nobody in Konoha had ever smiled at him before. They usually just avoided him or gave him icy, cold-hearted stares. Everybody had treated Naruto as if he was some kind of freak. He felt happy, knowing that this girl didn't hate him for no reason. He knew from that moment on that they would always be friends, no matter what.