I just want to begin by thanking you for showing some interest in reading this story. I will make any edits to errors whenever I happen to spot any issues. But please feel free to point out anything I may have missed in a PM or review. Anyways, let's get on with the fanfic!
Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. I have written this story for only entertainment purposes and nothing else.
"Why am I here?"
Naruto Uzumaki had lost count on how many times he asked himself that question. His heart was racing as he dashed through the dusty streets of Konohagakure in the late hours of the night. The yellow and orange flames that engulfed the entire village lashed at the spiky haired blonde with great intensity. He desperately searched each road and alleyway for an exit. However, he always ended up at the center of the village no matter which direction he ran.
"There's gotta be an exit somewhere!"
Frustrated, Naruto tried to run faster through the streets. Eventually, his running began to falter.
The thick, foggy smoke filled his lungs causing him to go into a coughing fit. He tore a small piece of his shirt to make a face mask. His coughing slowed down enough for him to catch his breath.
"Someone please help me!" A woman's voiced weakly cried out.
Naruto stopped in front of a nearby two-story house that was about to collapse in on itself. "Can you hear me!?" He waited for a reply but no answer. After he made it inside, he quickly scanned all the rooms to find out that no one was trapped inside. "Where are you?!" Again, he heard no reply from the woman. The sounds of crackling wood alerted Naruto that he needed to leave immediately. Without a second thought, he jumped through the second story window. He managed to land safely on the ground, albeit a few minor cuts.
"Help!"
"Can anyone hear me? I am trapped inside!"
"Somebody call for help before he bleeds out!"
"MOM! DAD! Where are you?!"
"We're not gonna make it!"
"Yondaime -sama! Please protect us!"
The constant cries from the villagers rang nonstop through Naruto's ears. He searched thoroughly in the abandoned buildings for any survivors, but all of his efforts were to no avail. "Where is everyone?"
Suddenly a few tremors surged underneath his feet.
At first Naruto doesn't move, his brain is unable to make sense of the input from his ears and feet. The noise is like extended thunder, but the vibrations are coming from beneath him. He got low to the earth and waited for the quakes to stop. He watched as the smaller cracks in the ground formed together to create an extensive chasm in front of him. A massive ball of fur shot out of the ground and soared high into the clear night sky.
"What the hell was that?" Naruto looked up to see what obscured the moon's light. What he saw made his body writhe in fear. His breathing became erratic, deep, then shallow. He felt his stomach contort causing him to feel sick."I-It's …. the...the.. Kyūbi No Yoko!" His mind told him to move out of the way, but his body was frozen in place. He could only watch as the beast dropped back down to the village.
The Kyūbi struck the ground producing an immense shock wave of air to move out in all directions. Numerous buildings were picked up and pushed towards the outer wall of the village. Naruto was blown back into a tree. He managed to get a solid grip on one of the branches. As his legs dangled in the air, he attempted to pull himself closer to the tree trunk. However, he lost his grip on the tree branch, and was shoved back with the flying debris.
In an instant, the entire village was silent. The yellow and orange flames that once consumed the village were extinguished. All that remained were foundations where former residences and business used to stand. The famous Hokage Monument in the distance had been heavily battered. The outer wall that once stood tall and proud protecting the village was left broken and vulnerable.
Naruto woke up feeling something sharp piercing the right side of his body."Shit!" He glimpsed at his right side to see his shirt absorbing the streaming blood. He winced in pain as he used his right hand to cover wound. He tried to stand up but his left arm was trapped underneath a beam. He moved his arm left and right in hopes of freeing himself.
Once he heard the Kyūbi's footsteps growing louder, Naruto tried to pull his left arm harder. Suddenly, the debris overhead was pushed aside to reveal the Kyūbi's eyes. The iris was a deep red with a black pupil in the shape of a three-sided whirlwind shuriken. The blonde seemed hypnotized by the demon's gaze. As the fox raised its fist high into the air, Naruto stopped trying to free himself. He watched as the Kyūbi's fist came hammering down towards him.
"No!" Naruto popped up from dirt in a sweat. He feverishly looked around to ensure that he was back at the training ground. While trying to catch his breath, he could feel his body trembling. He couldn't explain the various emotions his body was exhibiting. It was anxiety, confusion, fear, and anger all wrapped into one. He quickly lifted up his shirt to see the seal on his stomach flashing red for a moment before disappearing. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he laid back down. It was just a nightmare.
After watching a few clouds pass by, he slowly stood up. He noticed a target hanging off a tree in the distance. There were several kunai spread all over the base of the tree. I must've taken a nap after my intense training. He picked up a kunai and tossed it. His eyes widened with excitement as it headed towards the bullseye. Unfortunately, it whizzed by the tree into some nearby bushes.
"Hey!" An older man stepped out of the bushes holding the kunai. "This thing isn't a toy, kid!"
"Sorry!" Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I was in the middle of training."
"Training, on this day?" The man asked as he pointed behind the boy."Shouldn't you be at the festival with all the other kids?"
Naruto turned around to see the streets surrounding the Hokage Tower shining brightly. "Ahh! I forgot all about that!" He snatched up the remaining kunai and dashed towards his new destination. "Thanks old man!"
Tonight's festival was a place of unrestrained joy. Along the usually busy streets of Konoha shone hundreds of paper lanterns; illuminating the darkness with their flickering candles. Everywhere there were folks dressed in colorful kimonos with a mask or paint covering their face. To add to the celebration, children ran around in large groups chasing after the giant fox costume with sticks. Music filled the air with festive beats that made the people want to dance. The air tasted so heavenly with the chefs in food carts cooking every delicious thing imaginable.
"This is awesome!" Naruto shouted as he wandered through the crowd.
"I'm glad you finally decided to show yourself," Iruka said as he tapped the blonde's shoulder. "Are you trying to get away before your master plan unfolds?"
"Nah." Naruto replied. "I kind of forgot to plan something for this year. Maybe next time."
"Good, I would hate to see what you had planned."
"You gotta admit it was pretty funny, Sensei. I can't believe it took so long before anyone could catch me!"
"Funny huh?" Iruka punched the laughing Naruto on the head. "You hid paint in all the fireworks!It took the entire village two weeks to get it all up!"
"Ow!" Naruto slowly rubbed the top of his head. "That was about as hard as you hit me the first time."
"Well, I am glad to see you learned your lesson."
A few minutes later, Naruto and Iruka noticed Sasuke running in their direction. He stopped in front of the two, searching for somewhere to hide.
"Is there something wrong, Sasuke?" Iruka asked.
Without saying a word, the Uchiha grabbed a nearby hook and transformed into a red lantern.
"What the..." Naruto was interrupted by a sudden swarm of girls trampling over him.
"Iruka-sensei, did you see Sasuke-kun run this way?" A red-haired girl inquired
"Umm... Sasuke...Uchiha." Iruka stammered as he scratched his left cheek. " Why do you ask?"
"So he can watch the fireworks with me tonight!"Another girl responded causing the other girls to laugh at her.
"In your dreams. Sasuke-kun will never be seen with you!"
"I doubt he would go with you either! I am exactly his type."
"I am pretty sure Sasuke would like to go see the fireworks with all of you," Iruka said, hoping it would relieve the tension in the group.
"There is no way I will let Sasuke-kun go any girl except me!" All of the girls shouted in unison
"I know who to ask." Sakura pulled Naruto up from the ground by his shirt. "Naruto! Where is Sasuke-kun?"
"Sa...Sa...Sasuke?" Naruto sat on his knees dazed as Sakura jerked him back and forth.
"Move out of the way, Forehead!" Ino exclaimed as she started to shake him furiously. "We know at least you saw him run by here!"
This would be a great opportunity to get back at teme. Naruto smiled for a second before pointing towards the Hokage Tower. "He went that way!"
"He must waiting for me!" Ino exclaimed as she released her grip on Naruto. "Here I come, Sasuke-kun!"
The entire group of girls darted in that direction, desperately trying to reach the Uchiha first.
Once the girls disappeared, Sasuke dropped down in front of them. "Hmph." He ran into the the crowd hoping that he had finally got away from his numerous fangirls.
"Can you believe that guy?" Naruto asked still sitting on the ground. "He couldn't even say..." His stomach growled and churned before he could finish his sentence.
"Come on Naruto." Iruka laughed as he offered a hand to the blonde. "Let's go eat."
Iruka and Naruto managed to squeeze through the crowd to the front of a closed Ramen Ichiraku.
"What gives?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms. "They are never closed on this day! " He watched as Iruka walked into the dark restaurant without uttering a word. "Sensei?" He went in after him to find something unexpected. Teuchi and Iruka were standing on both sides of Ayame as she held out a small white cake with ten little burning candles.
"Happy Birthday Naruto!"
Naruto stood there stunned by their little act of kindness. He grinned, a little, then his smile pushed up his cheeks to reveal his teeth. He inhaled deeply, preparing to blow out the candles.
"Wait!" Ayame placed her hand over Naruto's mouth. "You gotta make a wish first."
I wish... Naruto closed his eyes for a few seconds then blew away the flames. "Thank you!"
Teuchi placed his arm around the blonde. "Now, let's get you two fed."
As soon Naruto and Iruka took a seat, Teuchi swiftly cooked up two big bowls of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet. Ayame carefully placed the two savory bowls in front of them.
"Itadakimasu," They said in unison.
This is exactly what I wished for. Naruto was drooling at the sight of the delicious bowl of ramen.
Iruka laughed as he watched Naruto dive into his meal."It isn't going anywhere. Naruto."
"I haven't had anything all day." Naruto placed the empty bowl down onto the counter. "I spent the entire day training."
"Training on your birthday?" Ayame asked in surprise. "That is no fun."
" If I want to be the Hokage, then I have to train hard everyday." Naruto took one of the slices of cake. "Even if it's on my own birthday."
"You gotta pass the genin exam before you can do that," Iruka said with a big smile.
"Don't worry Iruka sensei. I will pass that exam this time with no problems!"
Everyone in the restaurant heard the crowd outside beginning to grow quiet. They all stepped out to see the Sandaime Hokage standing atop the tower with several clan leaders and council members seated next to him. Behind the group stood a large vermillion pot with "fire" written on it.
"We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the defeat of the Kyūbi No Yoko. Ten years ago, the Yondaime Hokage gave his life away to seal the mighty beast into an vermillion pot similar to the one behind me. Unfortunately, he was not the only casualty that night. His beloved wife, newborn child, and countless Konoha shinobi also perished during the attack. They all chose to lay down their lives to defend this village and its people. They ensured that their Will of Fire continued to go on in the next generation. So, I ask that all of you celebrate this night in memory of those loved ones who couldn't be here with us!"
The audience erupted into applause. Their cheering and clapping could be heard throughout the entire village. The lanterns that once illuminated the streets were quickly blown out one by one. Everyone stood watching as the first few fireworks burst through the dark night into colorful blooms amongst the stars.
"There you are!"
Naruto turned around to see Kiba with Akamaru sitting in his jacket. "Hey, what's up?"
"We found good spot up front to watch the fireworks. I was looking for you earlier to show you where it was." Kiba started walking through the crowd. "Everyone else is already at there."
"Thanks again Iruka-sensei, Ayame-chan, and Teuchi-san!" Naruto waved goodbye and followed Kiba through the mass of people. Eventually, Naruto lost track of the boy in all of the excitement. Crap, where did he go!? Naruto tried to push onward, but he was unable to get any closer. All he could do was look up from his position and watch the fireworks display.
"He-hello Naruto-kun."
Naruto's gaze was briefly met by a pair of pale, white eyes. "Hey Hinata." He noticed a little girl standing in front of her. "Who is this?"
"Th-this is my...my l-little sister, Hanabi."
"You're the one who did the paint last year!" Hanabi stared at the blue-eyed blonde for a moment before smiling. "I thought it was really funny."
"Yup! And it all went exactly as I expected."
"Otōsan said he was gonna kill you whenever he found you."
Naruto felt chills run down his spine at Hanabi's comment. He shuddered at the thought of what the head of the Hyūga clan might do to him. "He's not here, is he?"
"No," Hanabi answered.
A sigh of relief escaped Naruto's lips. "Anyways, Hinata have you see Kiba by any chance?"
"Um...Kiba-kun j-just ran by a s-second ago." Hinata replied. "He went t-that way."
Naruto looked in the direction she pointed towards. He knew that it was impossible to make it through the crowd. "It's okay. At least I can the fireworks with you," he said with the biggest grin on his face.
Hinata felt her heart racing and palms getting sweaty. Naruto-kun is watching the fireworks with me! Her pale skin turned red hot.
Soon, dozens of fireworks started to fill the night sky with color.
"Wow! Did you..." Naruto paused once he saw Hinata's face."Are you okay?"
Hinata nodded quickly to his question. Please don't stare at me Naruto-kun. She tried to hide her blush behind her hand.
"You sure?" Naruto was about to pull back her hand. "You don't have a fever do you?"
"She will be fine," Hanabi interjected as she tried to cover her laughter. This is the Naruto I've heard neechan talk so much about.
As Naruto stood there watching the fireworks, he could feel something deep within him boiling with hatred. He had experienced the same feeling in his dream. He could hear this deep voice talking to him.
Soon, all of you will feel my hate, and suffer as I have suffered!
Otōsan – Father
Neechan – Elder sister
Author's Note: Chapter one is done! I will continue to write but this story is dependent on your reviews, comments, questions, and feedback. Let me know what did you think about the story and characters. If there are any questions, I will try to address them at the beginning of the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Stay Tuned!