The Dead Lands - Prologue
He'd always loved the rain.
Never really knew why. Just enjoyed it. It was calming. It washed away the filth and the grime of the city, cleansing the filthy stone and glass. It gave the air that musty rain smell. People didn't idle in the streets, either. Everything was quiet; serene.
Bolt Uzumaki sat up, back propped against his pillow, staring out the window of his hospital room. Rain tapped playfully on the window, beckoning him to come outside. He wished he could, but his doctors wouldn't take it well when they found him soaking wet with waterlogged bandages. So, instead, he simply sat in his bed and watched. Watched and waited. He could feel the presence coming down the hall. Even wounded and exhausted, he wasn't blind. The presence stopped outside the door, briefly interacting with the two other signatures, Anbu, no doubt, and then entered.
A slight pause followed the sound of the door closing, then followed by footsteps crossing the floor. A chair scraped over, and someone sat down. Silence.
"Bolt?"
He turned his gaze from the window. Facing the foot of his bed, across a small table, his father sat watching him. He looked tired. So, so tired. Dark bags hung under his eyes, his hair wild. His orange clothes and Hokage cape were a disheveled mess. A tense silence hung in the air, interrupted only by the light flicks of rain on the windows and the distant echo of thunder. The man eyed him with something between sorrow and caution. Bolt simply offered him a very tired, very slight smile.
"So, you gonna go first, or what? How's this work?" Bolt asked, opting to be the icebreaker. His father held his expression.
"Bolt, take this seriously," His father replied. "You scared a lot of people. They don't know what to do about you." He took out a small tape recorder and a notepad, placing them on the table.
"I scared them?" Bolt began, "How so?" His tone not one of questioning, more of indifference. He looked back out the window.
"Your power. You overwhelmed them. That much strength-"
"Is no different than you." The young Uzumaki cut him off. His eyes shifted back to his dad. "I mean, really, think about it. Under you and Sasuke, how far down in the next strongest person? Or the average Jounin, for that matter? How is that any different?" The Hokage was silent for a moment, thinking of an answer.
"I'm the Hokage. They look at me different." His son leaned back, eyes on the ceiling.
"But you weren't the Hokage. Not always. When Madara Uchiha tried to take over the world, you weren't Hokage. How much stronger were you then? Or when Toneri cut the moon in half? Yeah, when you creamed a guy SO strong, he cut the moon in half? Were you Hokage then?"
Bolt sighed, leaning up once more, his bandaged left arm resting against his chest, right arm straining under the weight of his battered body. With an audible grunt, he managed to sit himself up. He looked back at his dad.
"So. What's this about? Why am I so different?"
Naruto looked down at his hands, then back to the young man.
"Bolt," He started, "We thought you were dead... you've been gone for three years. Why didn't you come back sooner?" The beginnings of tears brimmed on the man's eyes, his face now a myriad of sadness and concern.
Bolt sighed.
"Turn on the recorder."
Naruto looked momentarily puzzled, but did as he was told.
Bolt turned his eyes out the window. In the distance, thunder flashed down from the clouds and struck the side of a mountain.
"You'll have to be patient. It's a very long story. There are parts I'm proud of, and many I'm not. But to understand it all, or at least get a sense of why I made the decisions I've made, you'll have to hear it all." He turned his face back to his father, a crooked grin spread between his cheeks.
"Besides, I'm not moving for a while. What else is there to do?"
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Author's notes:
So I know it's short, but hey, it is a prologue. And I wanted to go ahead and get it out there. Chapter One is in the works, and will be out soon, though I feel the need to tell you there won't be any set release date for chapters. They'll be out when I'm ready. Quality over quantity. I prefer a better story to a quickly released one.
In case you don't like Bolt (most people don't), Let me give a quick breakdown on how this story's Bolt differs from the real one, so there isn't TOO much exposition as the story begins:
Bolt's issues with his father stem from the fact that the man has trouble separating his two jobs, father and Hokage. That being said, this Bolt isn't loud and arrogant; he isn't boastful, he isn't a grinning fool, and he isn't as overpowered as the story started him at. Bolt's talents reside in his ability to analyze a situation or an area, plotting out the correct moves to make and executing them. Think Sherlock Holmes, but dumbed down. Bolt knows the basics of the Rasengan, but has yet to be able to replicate it without shadow clones, a skill which he knows, but doesn't rely on. His chakra is high Chunin level, due to his parentage, but not higher than that. He heals faster than average, and has alot of stamina, but not quite Jinchuriki level. He's quiet at the time the story starts, like Sasuke was in Part One, but not as arrogant, for lack of a better word. When he does speak, he's either straight to the point serious, though that only happens when there's danger, or he's quite soft spoken and witty in his jokes. Since his serious side is so rare, he gives off the impression he doesn't really care, opting to joke about everything in some sarcastic manner. As a result of this, his family and friends, team included, see him as a bit of a wild card. They never know what he's really thinking, and has surprised them on several occasions with his Nara-esque breakdown of a situation, though not that often, since by this point of the story he's twelve years old. Bolt did not cheat in the Chunin exams in this timeline, and there was no Otsutsuki battle. The exams went on as normal. He did get defeated by Sarada in the final battle, though was not bothered by this. He expected it from someone who aspires to one day become Hokage. Bolt's closest friends are Shikadai, Inojin, Metal Lee, Mitsuki, and Sarada, with Sarada being his closest. She knows him better than anyone, and knows what he thinks most of the time, though he's still a bit of a mystery to her.
Naruto, while wise, strong, and an excellent leader, has difficulty dealing with him. He worries he doesn't care for the world he's helped build. Having been an orphan, Naruto struggles to effectively act as a father with his son. He seems to use his job's duties as cover, unable to be a father when he has the time, and unable to be a Hokage when Bolt wishes to be treated as a real shinobi. Hinata sees Bolt as harnessing a lot of anger towards his father, when in reality Bolt just sees Naruto as someone who both can't put a line between Bolt as a son and a ninja, and someone who unfairly shoulders the burden of the village. He sees his father as someone who takes on all the problems when so many others could help. Bolt is 12 after all, and by no means perfect; his viewpoints aren't entirely false or true. The again, neither are Naruto's actions and views. This story is about flawed people, REAL people, trying their best.
This story will lift heavily in the opening of Chapter One from my story 'Subject 371' because I love that opening, though less will be revealed.
In terms of raw power, Bolt may well end up as strong as Naruto or Sasuke, but he's going to be a smarter fighter. Less jutsu, more stealth.
So yeah. Let me hear your ideas, your criticisms, and your questions. Also, I do think there will be pairing, just undecided as to who yet, and the story won't be centered around that.