DISCLAIMER –dont really see the reason why i need to put this cuz its obvious, but I do not own Naruto. :P
Prologue
Naruto lived alone and his life was sad and isolated, no one had ever truly been there for him and it was because of this he had come to rely on himself and only himself. That way none could let him down like they had in the past and this suited him fine. It was painful but it made his life more bearable.
This was a sad realisation; you would not expect such a decision to be made by Naruto, a 6 year old boy. Hated by his village for reasons he could not fathom.
Up until the age of four, Naruto had been mostly protected by the Hokage. the old man would give Naruto a bed for the night and let him sleep in his office, he would even send a member of the anbu to escort him back to his home (which Naruto disliked returning to), which kept him safe from the regular attacks made on him. He knew that he was the only one whom Naruto could rely on and sought to look after him as much as he could.
Sarutobi had only introduced the idea of an Anbu escort after Naruto had one day turned up in his office hardly able to walk. His left ankle was twisted at a precarious angle and was visibly swelling, Naruto had to drag it behind him so that it scarped against the floor, tearing skin and embedding grit into the scrapes. There were bruises on his legs which looked serious and from the way the boy was standing (or rather dangerously slouching) he presumed that similar bruises trailed across his entire body.
The small boy of three had been viciously assaulted by two civilians who cornered him in an alley way after he had gotten lost in an attempt to find his way home. Naruto had recounted the tale to the man sobbing and flinching as he recalled the event. Sarutobi had known about the villagers' attitude towards the blonde but this was the first time he knew of an actual physical attack. The man felt ashamed, this was not how the yondaime had envisioned the life for his son. Not at all. He felt ashamed that he had done nothing to stop it, even though he was supposed to be the strongest. He could almost feel his heart breaking when the still crying boy in his lap told him that this was not actually the first time he'd gotten hurt
When the Hokage had inquired (in rage which was hidden behind a mask of calm) why he had not told him before, the boy had simply said "I didn't want to worry you, and besides, I must deserve it…." at this statement Sarutobi had honestly wished the ground would crush him for being so idle and ignorant against the boys antagonists. After another half hour of sobbing the small boy had succumbed to sleep, still in the man's lap. By morning he had healed already, leaving no evidence of the previous night's affair.
After that day the third imposed strict maintanance of the boy and was reluctant to let him out of his sight. So for the next year he and Naruto had become close.
Whilst Naruto stayed in the old man's office they would talk, even if it was only moaning about paperwork it made Naruto content. This old man was the only one to ever talk to him and Naruto respected him. He had put forth his whole heart to Hokage and loved him as a grandfather. He would persistently take safe haven in the office and came to see it as his sanctuary, a place where he could escape and no one could hurt him.
Naruto knew this was the happiest time of his life, which in itself was heartbreaking as it wasn't happy childhood by any standards one might have.
But this cost money and over the years Sarutobi had run out of funds to pay the ANBU escorts and Naruto was no longer permitted to stay in the tower because of numerous complaints made by certain members of the council and several ninja who had seen him taking his refuge. Sarutobi had no choice but to comply with the council's wishes after a unanimous vote and abandoned Naruto to his orphanage, isolated far from town.
Such as it was that Naruto was now alone, his innocent heart afraid of what was to come.