Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto and all characters belongs to its respectful owners.

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"It's almost unbearable, isn't it… the pain of being all alone." –Naruto Uzumaki

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When it was Naruto's fifth birthday, a group of drunk villagers tried to break into orphanage. They were not successful, but it was enough to make the matron and staff come to a decision. Naruto found himself thrown out on the streets the next day, with nothing but the clothes on his back and no idea where to go. For the first few days he remained in the village, hiding in the shadows and trying to end the gnawing pain growing in his tummy. The street were cruel, he came to quickly know, but the villagers were crueler. Some spit and yelled at him. Others threw thing and tossed him out of shops. Some even chased him and tried to beat him dead. But they all shared those ugly, ugly, looks. The looks that hurt more than beatings and threats. Those looks that made him want to punch them in the face and scream "I'm here! I exist! I'm a person too!" It was like he wasn't there, and they were all staring at something ugly and hateful instead.

He didn't like being in the village.

So he mostly stayed in the forest. Naruto knew the forest and where all the hunting traps were, and if he was lucky he sometimes he found a bunch of tasty nuts. He tried eating some berries he found once, but they didn't agree with his stomach because he threw up afterwards and fell asleep for a really long time. He didn't try eating any animals either because they were all too furry to eat and a lot tried had sharp claws and teeth and tried to attack him. But at least the forest didn't have those awful looks and let him play and do things he wanted like practice being a ninja. And at night he got to watch the stars and listen to the trees.

It was peaceful, but it also very lonely.

It was also where he met his best friend.

"What's a little boy doing here all alone, away from the village?"

Naruto scrambled to his feet and stared at the figure above him, ready to bolt at any moment. The man had a mask, but it wasn't like those animal ones he saw in shops or on those ninja people he discovered a few times. It only had one eyehole, and had cool black flames painted over an orange sky. Naruto really liked the orange mask.

"Is he lost? Ran away from home, maybe?" After some hesitation, Naruto shook his head.

"I don't…have a home." the night was chilly, and even with the ratty, smelly blanket around him he shivered a bit from the wind. He would have to go back to the village a dig for another blanket in one of the dumpsters soon. Maybe one with less holes.

The man cocked his head. "Ah, surely a little boy like you has a place to go, people who are worried?"

"I'm an orphan," Naruto ducked his head and pulled his blanket tighter, trying to stop the ache in his chest. It was more than that he knew, but he didn't know why. "No one cares. They hate me."

A warmth enveloped him, and Naruto found himself sitting next to the masked man. He was wrapped snuggly in the man's cloak, and long fingers were patting his head. "Tobi doesn't hate you. Tobi thinks you're a good boy."

"Really?" sat up straighter. He was wary, but he couldn't keep the hopefulness out of his voice. Tobi nodded.

"Of course! Naruto-kun is a good boy, just like Tobi. And good boys stick together."

For a minute Naruto sat there in stunned silence, wondering if he heard right. Sticking together…like friends? This guy wanted to be his friend? He never had a friend before, but Tobi was nice and shared his cloak… A dazzling smile burst from the little boy's face as he flung himself onto the man. "Like friends? You really mean it?! I'll be the bestest friend ever for you, Tobi-san!"

Tobi twirled Naruto around, going a silly jittery dance while Naruto laughed aloud. "Naruto thinks Tobi as a best friend? I must be very lucky! Tobi promise he won't fail!"

After much commotion and rambling on both sides, they sat under a nearby a tree. Naruto quickly fell asleep, a smile plastered on his face from all the fun he had. He was blissfully unaware that his new friend was watching him, smiling for reasons far different as his own.

The masked man removed himself from the sleeping boy and stepped into the shadows. Things were going smoothly so far, but this was only the beginning.

"I will not fail, no matter what." he promised one last time, and disappeared.

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A/N: First Naruto fanfic, but I really have no excuse for how crappy it's starting off. Then again, I haven't been writing like this again for over a year or more. Anyway, all feedback is welcome so go ahead and tell me what you think or what could have been done better.