Not Alone, Not Anymore
Chapter 1
Unknown Date 34 years after the Kyuubi attack: Unknown location….unknown world
The day was somewhat bright, warm, and sunny as can be, or at least as much as the "Fog" would let it be. It's been a long time since anyone's seen the sun in its full glory since the war. The war that changed everything from how people lived today to how the world worked. The war that ruined nearly everyone's lives even if they deny it, because of course they were in the right. One such individual was however not in agreement with the mindset of what he thought were delusional idiots. But how could he not be? After all he was born on the wrong side of the war, the side that nearly no one thought to side with, but fought to the very end taking out half if not 2/3 of the world's army. But that was the past, this is now, and now this boy is making the best of it despite the hell he's been through. After all only about a few more years then he can finally leave this place….even though he'll be hunted for the rest of his life if he chooses to go through with it. However, that was the future, this is now, and now it's time to for him to leave the old broken down shrine that was his home to find food.
The boy wakes up from his bed groaning from the sores that came from his late night training. He walks over to open a trunk grabbing a dusty, old brown hunting coat coated in dried blood with a hood covering most of his body head down, and face which was already covered nose down from the cloth mask he wore. He's about 13 years of age, but has done things that would make him feel like 30. The boy quietly leaves his home while slowly closing the door so he would not wake the sleeping catastrophe that was his adopted sister. Since his home was close to the forest it was easy for him to hunt for anything he needed. From herbivores to carnivores for food/clothing, plants to insects for remedies of all kinds, to finding a river for a pure source of water….a hard thing to come by nowadays. Hiding in the bushes the boy grabs his sleeping darts from his coat pocket to capture a nearby elk grazing away without a care in the world… big mistake. He needs only his hands to complete this task, he's practiced this enough to the point where his blow darts seemed too slow for something like this. Sleeping dart in hand the boy threw the dart silently, and perfectly hitting the mark of where he intended to as the elk fell into an unconscious state. Satisfied with his haul the boy walks over to the elk picking it up with little to no hassle seeing as he has done this to the point where an adult sized elk feels as just as heavy like his sister.
Quickly running home the boy to avoid unwanted attention takes set's the elk down in front of the kitchen, which was really a butcher shop, to snap its neck killing it instantly. After a few hours of de-skinning, separating the edible, and usable parts of the elk for usage later throwing away whatever he deemed unnecessary. The boy came outside with a bag full of meat throwing the contents onto the grill he uh…acquired during one of his loot-err…scouting trips. Walking back to close the "kitchen" door shut the boy takes a sideways glance to behind the shrine knowing what was there. Drawing a heavy breath the boy sets down the bag of meat by the grill walking towards to a sight he never enjoys seeing.
What was behind there was something that he created by himself, something that he regrets creating, something that needed to be created, and something that reminded him of a painful past. Walking closer the sight the boy felt a variety of feelings none of them pleasant ones, but what else could he feel? Continuing his walk the boy lowers his head in sadness, but is trying his best to be strong. Coming to a halt the boy raised his head to stare with sadness in his eyes holding back the tears from the sight that crushed him every time. What he saw was rows, and rows of unmarked graves that didn't even have the names of those who lay beneath them. The bastards wouldn't give him that, but they did at least grant him the decency to inscribe "one" word on the stones along with a symbol if he so desired.
This particular grave had a snake carved into it that wrapped itself around a stick that had what looked like bumpy balls through it that was supposed to resemble dango, and had the word "Sensei" inscribed below.
He bows respectfully "Morning auntie…bet you're having the time of your life now huh? I'm sure you've met Uncle by now, and truly happy up there drinking away chugging down piles of dango. Talk to you later." He said as he left to greet the other graves. Saying what he had to the rest of the graves individually the boy makes one last stop to a particular trio of graves.
The grave on the left had a clenched fist inscribed onto it. He was always a fighter, always the brave one despite being the younger one, and when he met his end dying in the older one's arms the younger one only put on that stupid grin he always wore; underneath it was the word that best described him in every sense…"Brother".
The grave on the right held the image of a big heart that covered nearly the entire stone that held two small children within the heart, the word was inscribed above the heart at the top, but was very visible to him. He thought it was fitting considering she always loved him, and his brother no matter what they did….or what they did to each other. She always smiled at them, comforted them, and always let them know that she loved them with all her heart even when she died in his arms she had that same gentle smile she always wore…"Mother".
The last grave in the center of the two held the biggest stone the boy could find, and carry at the time. Even though he hardly knew him, and the only things he knew of him were the stories his mother would tell, he still admired the man with every fiber of his being. However, the boy could not recognize the man as something that the man was supposed to be when he only showed himself as a reminder that he existed. Instead the boy recognized the man as something that he was to his people, his wife, and his children as well…"Hero". The word was carved into the stone at the very top when the symbol beneath was a simple spiral that had a blazing fire behind it symbolizing the spirit the "Hero" had within his heart that filled the hearts of everyone around him.
"Morning everyone….life still sucks, but I guess I can't complain…actually I don't have the right to complain now that I think about it." (Turns to the grave on the left)
"Hey Sentōki, bet it's great up there hanging up there with Mother, and…everyone else. You know I met somebody who constantly asks about you, I'd bet you two would get along real well. I'm going to talk to Mother now. See ya later." (Turns to the grave on the right)
"Hello Mother, sky's still dark can't even see the sun anymore. I still keep tabs on…the Hyuuga heir. I'd bet you'd slap me for calling her that considering what the Hyuuga have…never mind. She's still safe, and I will tell her the truth one day…even though she may hate or even kill me when she finds out, but I'll accept whatever she throws at me Kami knows I deserve so much worse. I'm going to talk to you-know-who….I know who he is, what he is to me, but I can't bring myself to call him that. Not after…goodbye for now Mother." (Turns to the center grave with empty eyes)
"I hope you're making up for lost time up there. I don't hate you keep that in mind, but I don't think of you as my fa…never mind. For the few moments I've actually been with you till the day you died in front of me I've always admired you as a symbol for hope, and look how that turned out. I admired you, I longed for you, I even loved you at one point in my life, but you were hardly there at all only to give me and Sentōki a reminder you existed other than the stories mother would tell about you. I understand you had a duty to your village, I understand there was a war that needed you, I even understand when mother had to leave us to help you, and I even understand why you sealed Uncle away in…I don't hate you, I really don't. I just can't find it in myself to love you anymore. Goodbye…Hero." He bows in respect, and turns to leave.
Walking back to the pile of meat he left on the grill the boy takes one last look to the graveyard filled with family, and friends alike.
"All of you deserved a better fate than this, and I swear I will make sure that all of your sacrifices were not in vain." The boys said with conviction
After saying what he had to the boy turned his attention back to the meat he left on the grill so he could cook for the walking empty pit that was his adopted sister.
Waking up to the smell of meat the boy's catastrophe of a sister jumped out of bed to appear at the table outside in front of the grill to sit down with a plate in front of her fork in hand drooling for next meal. The girl was 5 years younger than the boy making her around 8 at this point, she was still wearing her yellow pajamas that had a sun pattern top to bottom, her blonde neck length hair was a mess having an obvious case of bedhead, her face was one full of happiness acting like a ray of hope for the boy giving him reason to keep on living, her big beautiful smile rivaled that of the stupid grin his younger brother always wore only she was wearing it for a different reason, but lastly her eyes which were blue like the sky once was were filled with hope of a better day.
"Niichan! Is that our breakfast?" the small blonde girl asked eagerly
Sighing from exhaustion the boy acted like nothing was wrong, and went into what he called "Big brother mode."
"Aye, I swear when it comes to my cooking you're always up with no problem, but when I try to wake you up for your training you always complain." the boy said shaking his head
"So?" the girl asked ignoring what the boy said causing him to sigh
"Sigh…yes, this is our breakfast." The boy said giving the girl a chance to giggle in glee as the drool started to drip from her mouth.
"Oi! Try not to drool all over your plate before the foods on your plate." The boy chided
"Sorry Niichan. I just love it when you cook barbecue for breakfast!" the girl said rubbing the behind of her head.
"Lunch actually, you slept in more than usual, and to make up for that you are going on a 5 hour training session today hardcore style." He said laughing evilly as the color drained from his sister's face.
"W-why didn't you wake me up Niichan!?" the girl said complaining
"Because you need to learn how to wake yourself up, and besides you never wake up when I tell you to. Think of it as a motivational method to get up."
"That's not fair Niichan!" the girl pouted
"Yes it is, if I, an alarm clock, and constant prodding can't wake you up then fear of being sore for a few days will be the next thing I try."
"Hmpf!" the girl said crossing her arms
"Here, try to chew every once in a while ok? Last thing I need is you choking" the boy said filling the girl's plate with meat as it changed her mood if only slightly.
"So what's it today?" the girl asked a hopeful the meal would cheer her up
"Venison…with some of your favorite greens." the boy said evilly dropping a variety of vegetables next to the meat he served watching the happy smile on his sister's face turn into a grimace.
"Nooooo! But I hate them Niichan you know that! Why do you do this to me?" the girl said depressingly dropping her head
"Because you need a balanced diet, and if you want to grow up properly then I suggest you eat your veggies missy. Besides aren't you practicing to be a medical ninja?" The boy said lecturing his sister who pouted in defeat.
"Meanie." She simply said eating her dreaded veggies
"But I'm the meanie who's gonna make sure you grow up normally so that your parents have a healthy child to reunite with." the boy continued
"Have you made any progress with that Niichan? It's been a while since we've talked to them." the girl said hopeful to see her parents.
"I'm afraid not, but I think I've discovered a way to at least help me in that sense. Should take about a week to talk to them again if I pull some all-nighters. Which I will." the boy said assuring his sister.
"Really!? Thank you Niichan!" the girl said grinning happily
"Hey, I'm going out to bring some of this to you-know-who. Kami knows she's gonna need fresh food." The boy said tying up the bag of meat
"What about you Niichan? Did you eat yet?" the girl asked with her mouth full
"Yeah, I ate before I got here, but it's rude to eat with your mouth full. I've told you that already." the boy chided as the girl swallowed her food.
"Sorry. Please be safe out there Niichan!" the girl said waving her brother off
"I'll be back in 20 minutes! Make sure you wash up for training today at the usual spot or else, and remember to stay away from strangers!" the boy yelled as he went to venture towards his best friend's house.
The "village" as the boy called it refusing to call it by name was once a powerful place. However, since the war it's nothing, but a plague filled ruin full of diseased ridden citizens that fought over the basic necessities of life. The "village" was separated into two rings, the Inner Ring, and the Outer Ring. The Outer Ring was for the "infected" citizens, nobles, and commoners alike. The Inner Ring was for anyone who wasn't infected be they poor or rich, and only those who could pull their weight; it also held all of the clans to keep their military power in check as well as their heritage alive.
The boy's house was at the far end outskirts of the village secluded from anyone else so it was easy to walk freely without worrying to get caught with the disease even though he seemed to be immune to it. As he continued down the streets filled with diseased citizens the boy walked by as he passed the usual day to day chaos that ensued between them. For example he saw two men fighting over a loaf of bread that seemed stale, but to them it was a meal they couldn't pass up.
'Typical, fighting over something simple as food when they continue to rely on the old ways for their needs…pathetic. Still, makes me wonder if I should leave this place with everyone sooner than later. Oh well, no time to dwell on it now. Time to visit what's left of the Yamanaka's I guess.' the boy thought to himself as he continued to walk through the streets.
October 10th 5 years after the Kyuubi attack: Konoha
The time was 7:45 p.m. with a dark cloudy sky with a heavy chance of rain today, perfect weather for matching the mood of the village. Other than the people either drinking, sleeping, sobbing, or even trying to move on from that terrible night; all in all it was a remorseful, but peaceful day for the entirety of Konoha.
However, it was a pretty crappy day for Naruto. Because even though it was his birthday turning 5 years old was the last thing on his mind as he was literally kicked out of the orphanage (at morning no less). Or "Hell" as he would call it seeing as he was barely fed, always getting looks from people that look like they want to kill him, estranged from other kids due to the adults telling them to or of their own will, but worst of all he was always alone. Alone when he was happy which was rare. Alone when he was sad which happened more often than not. Alone when the kids went to play. Alone every day of his life. Oh sure there were people around him, but Naruto learned very quickly the difference between being around people and being "around" people. Alone when he cried, laughed, ate food, played, in school, and now he's alone again in the street at night wondering where he's going to eat hell even sleep at this point seeing as he now had no place of residence. The only thing he can think of right now is going to the only person in the entire village that didn't look at him at anger, fear, or ignored him when trying to speak his mind. That man being the 3rd Hokage: Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As he walked towards the tower he visited oh so many times for a variety, he noticed the sounds of angry people forming behind him. Wondering what was going on he turned around and stopped in fear and confusion seeing at least 10 or more people between their late teens to mid-20's all looking at him with murderous eyes and glares that would indicate harm to anyone they're looking at and worst of all they were all looking at "him". What didn't help was they were all emitting a dangerous aura that only seemed to get bigger the more they looked at him. He had hoped there was someone else behind him, but deep down he knew there was no one behind him that all these people were going to do something to him and it was going to be bad. What solidified his thinking was the fact they were now yelling the names he was always called by everyone never understanding why he got them in the first place
"Demon brat!" "Fox Demon!" "Monster!" was what they were more or less yelling at their own pace among other rude names and words he had never heard of, but can guess they had a less than friendly meaning.
"Damn demon brat do you know what happened today 5 years ago?!" one rather drunken portly villager shouted with absolute hatred added in his voice.
Fearing for his life he thought he should answer or say something to indicate they heard him
"N-no I don't" Naruto managed to spew out to them hoping that someone would help or just run to the Hokage hoping that he would do something to stop this.
"Go on take a guess depending on your answer we might ease up on what we're going to do to you" the same villager said with venom in his voice while taking another swig of his bottle.
Immediately he tried to think what the heck this guy was talking about, but the only thing that popped in his head was his birthday; however these people didn't looked interested in his day of birth. Nonetheless he thought back to one of the stories the Hokage told him about the Kyuubi destroying the village 5 years ago today only to be killed by the 4th Hokage who sacrificed his life to do so. Thinking this was his ticket out he gathered the courage to speak to the angry mob.
"Uh… the day that the Kyuubi attacked the village?" the scared blond said with uncertainty.
"Well I guess you're not totally ignorant on what happened, but you forgot two tiny details that are very important." the now supposed leader of this group slurred who seemed to be saying what everyone else was thinking.
Feeling a pit in his stomach he nervously asked what the hell he missed when he thought he hit it right on the head.
"W-what are they?" the now scared and nervous blond child asked.
"One that OUR families and friends died that night, and Two the fact that YOU were born!" he shouted along with the others yelling at the child at different points when the leader was speaking.
Naruto's eyes widen in fear and shock finally deciding not to wait anymore for help and just run hoping that he could get away from them.
"Hey he's getting away!" "Get Him!" the furious villagers said now after the child running away from them trying to escape the punishment they were going to inflict on him.
Running for his life with tears in his eyes Naruto ran as fast as he could not caring anywhere at this point just away from the terrifying strangers. As he was running he could hear them catching up not paying attention he was suddenly stopped and fell back by something that he hit at full speed.
"Oh, Kami my head! What the hell hit me?"
Or someone as he soon found out by the groaning voice of a kid older than him by more than a couple years.
"I found you!" said a familiar voice. Stiffening up he immediately tried to run again only to be grabbed by the person he hit on the wrist.
"Hey, try watching where you're running next time kid! What the heck are you running so fast for anyways?" the stranger asked him
"Us! Now move kid otherwise we'll pummel you to for getting in our way" the drunken leader said with now his group close behind him.
"Uh, who are you and what do you want with this kid anyways besides aren't you guys a little too old to be beating up a kid anyways unless you people are just assholes." said the strange kid giving the mob a look that said "Give me an answer now".
"My name is Jun and we're here to get our revenge on that Monster for what happened 5 years ago!" Jun said clarifying his position.
"YEAH!" is what the group shouted together in unison after Jun finished what he said stating they are in agreement with him.
"5 years ago? The kid looks 5 himself what did he do cry you guys to insanity or something?" the strange kid sarcastically said with not a care of what would happen. Naruto actually chuckled for a second, but quickly stopped himself when Jun gave him an evil glare "Shut up demon brat or I swear I'll-"
"Or you'll what crush him with that fatass of yours tubby?" the stranger interrupted now standing in front of Naruto who managed to get a better look at him thanks to the moonlight with the street lamps helping with his vision.
His skin was a light tan and was taller than him which was a given since he could tell he was older than him, he wore a grey sleeveless hoodie with a spiral on the back that showed the short sleeves of his black shirt, he also seemed to be carrying a shoulder bag filled with various items he couldn't make out, black fingerless gloves and black wristbands on both arms, dark blue pants with bandages tied at the bottom so they wouldn't get caught from sharp objects, he also had a black bandanna covering up most of his face leaving only his eyes which were a lighter blue compared to his mask and eyes; actually if he looked a bit closer he could notice a scar going down at an angle across his right eye that goes into the bandanna and dark blue spiky hair that was similar to his but more spiky.
"Why you little shit I'm gonna-"
"The name is Shintaro fatass, and you are not touching this kid unless you give me a valid reason and it better be a good one." Shintaro said with conviction in his voice not backing down.
"Simple he's the reason all our families and friends are dead he's nothing but a monster that the world will be better off with! That good enough of a reason kid?" Jun said to Shintaro with drunken rage.
"Huh, so I was right after all" (looks at the crowd with disapproving eyes) "and it looks like the rest of you are the same…. sigh oh well."
"Right about what brat?" Jun said with anger and confusion.
Shintaro then pointed at the group with his middle finger up and said "You guys are assholes and I don't like assholes so there!" Shintaro yelled cockily.
Meanwhile Naruto began shaking thinking what the hell was wrong with this guy? Did he not see the big group of angry people looking for an excuse to beat someone up! Tick marks began showing on everyone's heads their anger now focused on this kid that outright called them all assholes and flipped them off without a care.
"That's it! You're in for it now brat! At first I was gonna be nice and let you go, but now you're gonna pay!" Jun yelled at the boy who insulted him.
Shintaro got into a fighting stance with a look that said "Come and get it" which was more effective with the words that left his mouth "Go ahead and try".
"My pleasure!" said Jun charging at Shintaro with knife like glares pointed directly at him, but that all changed when the child that he was going to hit vanished in front of him only to reappear inches from his face with the only thing in sight a fist that impacted his head.
Now looking at the sky feeling pain, Jun was launched upward with a sharp pain delivered by a powerful high kick to his back from underneath him; and now he felt like he was floating toward the sky what felt like forever only to be struck down hard with a kick again only this time to his abdomen. Now Jun crashed to the ground making a small gasp of air, moaned then passing out with a line of drool coming from his mouth and a blank look in his eyes. Everyone's jaw dropped from the event that just transpired; the angry mob due to fear and shock and Naruto's due to awe. They all just stared at the small boy who just took down a grown man in less than 30 seconds trying to see if they weren't in a horrible dream.
It was after many moments of silence that one of the members of the now less angry mob wondering what the hell happened.
"W-what the hell happened?" is what one the group members said trying to figure out the situation.
"Simple he got his fatass handed to him because he decided to be an asshole; although I did plan to kick him back down from a higher distance, but he was taking forever. I mean really what the hell does that guy eat?" Shintaro said with his arms crossed looking straight at the group
"Now you guys aren't assholes too are you? Because as you can see I don't like assholes too much, and you've now seen what I do to them. Especially if they attack me or someone without a valid reason. Now, Answer ME!" Shintaro shouted at them slowly leaking a very dangerous aura that shook both sides to their core.
"N-n-n-no" a villager said visibly shaking along with the others who were thinking that maybe they shouldn't mess with the kid who most likely was a ninja in training and a damn good one at that.
"No, what?" the small boy said taking a step forward towards the group "N-no I'm not an asshole." said the villager fearing for his life
"Does that apply to the rest of you as well?" Shintaro said to the group as a whole taking another step towards them making them take on back as a whole. As if in unison the group said
"No, were not assholes!" as if to please him so he wouldn't do the same to them that is until one of them thought of something while the others coward in fear and his name was Toshio.
Toshio was an average man, with an average build, plain face, brown hair, and typical clothing a civilian would wear. He was actually a retired genin due to an injury in the leg that made him unable to perform his ninja duties said injury was given the night the Kyuubi attacked given him a reason to join this group to release some payback on the kid.
"Hey wait a minute I just realized something, there's like 15 of us and only of him. So if we all gang up on him he can't do nothing to us I mean he's still just a kid." Toshio thought to himself. As he decided to step up in front of everyone else pointing a finger at the blue haired kid looking right at him dead in the eyes until he finally spoke.
"Hey kid do you realize that we outnumber to 15 to 1? Meaning that if we all gang up on you we could take you down easily!" said Toshio with a smug like grin across his face.
Hearing this the group found a newfound confidence within themselves started walking with Toshio closer and closer to the boy fearing him less and less who just stood there looking at them with bored eyes hands in the side pockets of his hoodie. Snickering to themselves now with crooked smiles, and crazed eyes looking at both kids hoping to release their anger upon both of them for reasons of their own that is until they noticed the small attacker took his hands out and made one hand sign that most ninjas knew, but many civilians didn't have a clue what it meant that included the group in front of Shintaro. All of them except Toshio who only saw that hand sign performed twice in his ninja life: once in his academy days in a book of ninjutsu (that only described what it did not showing the hand signs for safety reasons) and the second was performed by his Jounin-sensei in a fight that would've ended badly for them if said sensei didn't ambush the enemy from behind with this jutsu. Toshio was sweating hoping the 5 words that he were thinking weren't going to come out the boys mouth, but the only problem with that was as he was thinking Shintaro spoke those words he feared "Ninja Art: Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The second Shintaro said those 5 words Toshio felt a pit form in his stomach putting his head down while closing his eyes thinking to himself how could this kid know a high level jutsu much less perform it.
"Ok, ok calm down even if this kid somehow knew how to use this jutsu he could only make maybe 1 at most 2 without killing himself. Besides we'll still outnumber him plus we only need to hit the clone's once then poof! Yeah, yeah that's what's gonna happen besides he's probably faking it anyways probably making a regular clone. He actually thinks that I'll be tricked easily not a chance now let's see what this kid thinks what he could do."
As Toshio started to open his eyes and lift his head he noticed the various screams of people and the sound of feet running getting farther and farther from him it wasn't long till he looked behind him only to see multitudes of people that were in the group no longer beside him leaving him by himself only with his thoughts.
"What...the...HELL! Where do those cowards think they're running off too? I mean are they really scared of one little clone?! I mean what could possibly make them run for their lives?" Toshio thought to himself angrily. However, as he turned to see what could drive 15 adults to run away from two kids one being virtually harmless he began to understand why they abandoned him.
As he felt the pit in his stomach growing deeper, and deeper from the sight that made his eyes grow big as dinner plates practically popping out of his head. What stood in front of him was something he wouldn't have believed even if his sensei told him was possible which to be honest he was starting to think that his sensei would also have trouble believing what was in front of him as well. What stood before him was not one, not two but at least 50 clones of the boy who cast the jutsu all of which were looking at him with kunai and shuriken in hand ready to be unleashed upon whoever was in their way and right now that was Toshio standing all by himself in a street empty like a ghost town with 50 clones capable of killing him even if he didn't have his injury.
"What was that you said about being outnumbered 15 to 1? Because it looks like your outnumbered 1 to 50 to me, and you're the only one left here standing so I have only one thing to say to you…..run." Shintaro said in a deadly voice.
And run he did screaming his head off wondering what he did to deserve such cruelty that deprived him of revenge on that kid that he thought he rightfully deserved. Instead he was running away from said kid being protected from a total stranger that really had no reason to but in that something that didn't involve him in the slightest it didn't help that this stranger was apparently despite his size and age a dangerous person not to be messed with.
"Heh, works every time." he said with cockiness, and pride.
Seeing the last of the angry mob members turn tail running like cowards Shintaro decided to turn around, and face the kid who seemed to be start of all his trouble from his headache that's still going strong; which didn't go away thanks to all the screaming idiots. Actually they were the reason he was so grumpy when usually he tried to talk things out, but when you get hit in the head from a full-speed kid that came out of nowhere, land on said head, and trying to recover from a fall only to wake up to constant screaming that wouldn't shut up about their nonsense….yeah, he was pissed. He really needed to vent out his frustration, and vent he did on the poor saps that made his suffering longer than it had to be; plus as a bonus thanks to skills he gained over the years he "liberated" their pockets from their heavy burdens of money and earthly possessions while they were running away thanks to his clones, and it turns out that the still passed out tub of lard named Jun had some deep pockets all of them full of…. compensation for the mess he had created in the first place.
Counting his new friends he decided to finally talk to the small boy "Hey kid now are you going to tell me why you were running away so fast? You don't seem to be the trouble child type; so what's the deal?" Shintaro said as he was putting his new findings in his pack.
Naruto jumped back to reality still trying to process all that's happened in the last 15 min, but decided to put that on hold and answer the boy that saved him from a life of hurt "Uh…I really don't know they came after me after the orphanage kicked me out of this morning just for turning 5 today thinking that I'm now capable to take care of myself. I was just looking for a place to stay all day with no luck until those people came up to me wanting to beat me up. Then I ran and ran until I bumped into you, sorry for that by the way, and you know what happened after that." Naruto said trying to recall everything that happened.
"Wait-wait-wait-wait, they kicked you out of an orphanage when you literally just turned 5 today? What kind of place are they running over there? Oh, and don't worry about it kid just look next time ok?" Shintaro interjected Naruto from explaining everything.
"Not a good one. I mean everyone was being a jerk to me. From the adults that came to adopt, the staff, and even the kids were jerks to me. I was barely fed as a baby only to keep me alive really, but other than that they ignored me completely like I was invisible or something. I was alone all the time no one wanted to play with me, eat with me or even talk to me! I-I don't know what I did to make them so mad at me, and whenever I ask they just keep saying things like "It doesn't matter, You were born, or we don't need to explain ourselves to a monster" mean things are all everyone says to me. I sniff just want one friend or someone who'll just notice me for who I am." Naruto said holding back tears
"That's why one day I'm going to be Hokage that way everyone will acknowledge me. That day…. that day will be the day where everyone will know the name Naruto Uzumaki!" he said with tears falling down his face trying to wipe them away not wanting to look like a baby to his savior.
Moments of silence went by as Shintaro thought about what to do. Then finally deciding to break the silence Shintaro did his best to keep his anger from showing from all the thinking he did; as calmly as he could manage he spoke to Naruto.
"Well you certainly have been through a lot haven't you...sigh. Alright how about this, why don't you live with me from now? I'm sure Hiromi wants another playmate her age that'll play nice anyways, and what's one more mouth to feed? I'm sure the others won't mind some new company so what do you say?" Shintaro said rubbing Naruto's hair lightly chuckling a bit smiling under his mask.
Naruto's head jerked up so fast Shintaro had to pull back his hand to keep from injuring himself or Naruto from the recoil. Naruto couldn't believe it he thought it was too good to be true I mean how could it not be? A place to stay? Food? Possible chance of friends? All because he just randomly bumped into a stranger who really had no reason to help him at all? Yet here he was offering everything he ever dreamed of.
"Y-you really m-mean it? I mean we just met what reason do you have for helping me? I mean-I just-it's all happening so fast."
"Then think about on the way." Shintaro said interrupting Naruto from having a mental breakdown.
"On the way to where?" Naruto asked still trying to stop the tears from falling from his face. "At the Hokage Tower, I have some business to attend there anyways considering my current…. situation concerning me, and all my friends. We'll talk about it with the Hokage when we get there till then like I said think about it. If not then I'll still at least find you a place to stay till you get settled in because there's no way in hell I'm leaving you to fend for yourself. Now come on before tubby wakes up and makes a racket." Shintaro said pointing at said "tubby" groaning on the ground.
"Oh, and to answer your previous questions: 1. Yes I do mean it; I wouldn't have said it otherwise. 2. You look like someone who needs help and I'm not one for ignoring people when they need help." Shintaro answered now walking ahead of Naruto.
"Well, are you coming or what?" Shintaro said not looking back still walking. "Y-yes wait for me!" Yelled Naruto trying to catch up with him as he still was walking towards the Hokage Tower.
After a long walk Shintaro and Naruto finally made it up to the Hokage Tower to talk to the 3rd about what transpired a while ago. Although the trip was more or less pleasant due to tons of other villagers giving Naruto more dirty looks, and gossiping who was the boy walking next to him, but they avoided making contact mainly because when they tried all they got was a blast of KI (Killer Intent) to ward off the villagers…pleasantries.
"Finally we made it! After all that walking and no-….now we gotta climb stairs greaat….sigh. Why couldn't this old geezer live on the bottom of this tower or at least have a lift or something to get us to the top? Let's just get this over with." Shintaro groaned as he continued his journey to see the Hokage to complete what he needed to do and dammit he was going to see the old bastard even if he had to climb a mountain to do so!
Upon reaching the door Shintaro knocked to let the Hokage know someone was there "Come in!" an old voice said through the door notifying the two youths to enter.
As Shintaro opened the door with Naruto entering first greeting the old ninja with his usual cheery smile "Hey old man how's it going!?" Naruto said with glee in his voice.
Normally this would be the point where Hiruzen would sigh and ask Naruto to stop calling him that, but he noticed something different about the small blonde. Sure he was energetic as his usual self only this time he seemed….nervous and excited about something which seemed odd, and it may have something to do with the boy that came in with him.
"Who is that boy? I haven't seen him around here in this village before now, and I usually know almost everyone here….Ugh did he drag Naruto in here to complain about something or worse did they both get into trouble and think I'm going to get them out of it. Sigh I'm too old for this job oh well might as well find out." Hiruzen thought to himself as he examined the two boys taking a smoke from his pipe.
"Well Naruto it seems you have brought a guest with you or at least I hope that's what he is." The old ninja said with a tired voice preparing himself for whatever mayhem will surely come his way. For whenever there's mayhem his arch nemesis is always lurking closely behind: paperwork.
"Actually Hokage-sama we have a lot to discuss in regards to Naruto's….entire life, and also to determine his fate for the future. As well as my needs that I'm hoping to finish sooner than later so please let me explain everything. Naruto, that ok with you?" Shintaro asked Naruto while Hiruzen was studying Shintaro, and his words.
"Ok" the small blonde responded.
Truth be told the old Hokage was shocked not only at the mature way this boy spoke for his age, but the fact that he managed to quiet Naruto down something he hasn't been able to accomplish ever since Naruto could speak.
"Alright please begin err…."
"Shintaro sir, Shintaro Senpu." the blue haired boy said,
'Senpu? Isn't that the name of...I need to keep an eye on this boy.' "Alright Shintaro, please tell me everything that you feel like you need to." Hiruzen said calmly despite hearing Shintaro's full name.
"Whew, alright let's see it all started when I was walking towards this very place when all of a sudden something hit me…." Shintaro said as he was explaining first what happened between him and Naruto.
Time Skip 20 Min
"... and that's how we ended up here Hokage-sama. That was one of the things I wanted to talk about, but I also wanted to let you know what happened first before the others." Shintaro finished explaining from what happened until now.
Hiruzen couldn't believe what he just heard. He definitely needed to pay a visit to the orphanage to….discuss what their punishments would be for their unorthodox treatment to the child even though really he should've expected this from them given who Naruto is.
"I swear something will be done about this….Minato, Kushina how I have failed you. If either of you were here you wouldn't have none of this, but since that day when Minato died to protect the village, and Kushina you're…..sigh. At least this way Naruto can have someone to look after him indefinitely. The boy seems honest in his words, and has proven to be able to take care of himself along with Naruto. From what I understand he's not alone meaning giving Naruto a chance to make some friends. Now, I need to find a place for Naruto to live in, and I need to find out how many are with this Shintaro." Hiruzen thought to himself thinking of what to say next.
"Well first things first if I allow you to take Naruto in. Does Naruto even want to-"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! I do old man! I do want to go with him! Shintaro said to think about it first, and I reaaaally did. I don't care where I am as long as I'm with him; I'll be happy because he's the only person who seems to give a crap about me. Pleaaaase old man can I stay with him I really want to!" Naruto said with pleading eyes on the verge of tears.
"Well you got your answer Hokage-san now what do you say?" Shintaro said plainly to the old man sitting in front of them.
Rubbing his forehead thinking of what to do Hiruzen spoke again this time to Shintaro only "Shintaro you said you're in a group who came to this village not too long ago." Hiruzen stated
"Yes, I did." Shintaro replied
"Let me ask you a few questions if I'm to allow Naruto in your care." Hiruzen said
"By all means ask away." Shintaro replied receiving a nod from the Hokage
"How big is your group? Where are you currently staying at? Are there any adults in your group? Why do you want to live in Konohagakure? Do you plan to live here for an extended period of time if you do? Where are you from? How long have you've been travelling? Also, what are you planning to do for your financial needs including your living, food and educational needs? Lastly do you or your friends plan on being ninja for our village?" Hiruzen said as he bombarded Shintaro with questions. He then quickly realized that it may be a bit much for the boy asking him all these things at once forgetting who he was talking to. But that train of thought was put down the minute Shintaro replied.
"I will answer your questions in order to make this easier, but I wish for Naruto to wait outside for this part partly because I don't want to bore him; and mainly I want to discuss these things in private with you." Shintaro said replying to Hiruzen's questions.
"Very well then, Naruto can you please wait outside for a bit please?" Hiruzen said to Naruto protesting already.
"Aww but why? I wanna be here too you know!"
"Naruto there are things you don't need to be here for. Also it's going to be really boring for you anyways, plus if you behave and go out I'll take you to that ramen shop you were raving on about on the way here." Shintaro said to the blonde stopped dead in his tracks with a raging stomach commanding him to do so.
"Really!? All right! Ok, I'll go wait for you there, but don't take too long! Ramen, ramen gonna get me some ramen!" the last words they heard as Naruto sprinted out of the office now on his way to get his favorite meal of all time.
"Wait! I meant to...get...her…. sigh dammit." Shintaro said as he face palmed himself
"Alright let's get this over with fast if you don't mind. As you just saw I have other things to attend to." Shintaro said watching the trail of dust left behind from the child that was once there.
"Not at all please shut the door so I can apply a silencing seal so we can have some real privacy" Hiruzen said
"That would be preferable" Shintaro said already closing it.
After Hiruzen placed the seal the two began their discussion.
"Ok, to answer your first question to last in that order we currently have about 24 or so in our group more or less." Shintaro said thinking about it.
"Quite a large group you have." Hiruzen noted
"Indeed." Shintaro simply replied. 'Used to be bigger' he thought solemnly
"We are currently staying in a motel well the entire motel since yesterday at this point seeing as we just arrived here yesterday, but we do intend to find a better place to stay in that we'll pay for, which I've already done now I just need to pay the landlord and with my….recent findings I can do just that, so that's where we are if you need to find us."
"May I ask the name of this motel you're currently taking residence in?" Hiruzen asked politely
"It's a rundown place called the Broken Heart. The owner Madam Loveless was kind enough to let us stay in return for some "company" as he…she put it, which was mainly talking about us, and helped with the cleaning a bit. Madame Loveless is a…unique individual if you catch my drift." Shintaro said a little uncomfortable
"I understand, but what about the adults in your group? Surely they would've found a more…suitable environment for young ones such as yourself." Hiruzen questioned
"That's the thing. There aren't any adults with us, been that way from the very start actually. The oldest in our group is not even that much older than me, which is saying something considering I'm 10 turning 11 in December." Shintaro said surprising Hiruzen
"Only children!? How did you survive?" Hiruzen asked dumbfounded
"It wasn't easy that's for sure, and that's not to say we've had our fair share of troubles. The only reason we survived this long was because of my extensive knowledge on survival. If I hadn't come along the rest would've have died within months if they were lucky."
"Where'd you learn such survival techniques? Surely this did not come to you naturally." Hiruzen stated
'Obviously' "I learned from psycho-sensei who taught me everything." Shintaro simply said
"Psycho-sensei?"
"Yes, now may we continue with your original questions please Hokage-sama? You're driving us off course." Shintaro asked politely.
"My apologies, please continue." 'He ignored on who this psycho-sensei is, and seems uncomfortable asking questions other than the ones I previously mentioned. Time to see what else I can find out about him.'
"Thank you. Now, as to why we're here let me tell you it's not our first choice on the list the only reason were here was because your village happened to be the only one not ready to kill on sight a group of "suspecting" kids looking for a place a stay; you also happened to be closer to us when we made our final decision. Plus we thought that this village would be safe enough for us anyways to keep those bastards from hunting us all the damn time." He said bitterly
"Oh, and if you're going to ask who's hunting us and why: 1. various ninjas from rogue ninjas to hidden village ninjas mainly from Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, and even Taki. 2. I don't know why they're hunting us all I know is they want someone or something in our group and I have a pretty good idea on who and what they want, but other than that I honestly don't know." Shintaro said thinking about it
"You've gathered quite the attention if you have 3 of the 5 Great Nations after you." Hiruzen commented
"Yeah, don't remind me. All the more reason why we needed to find a more permanent place to live in that's more…safe than the outdoor woods. If I was on my own I wouldn't bother coming 5 miles of this place, but I have people to take care of so their needs come before mine. Aw crap, I hope I didn't offend you Hokage-sama it's just that I have a personal…grudge against the 5 Great Nations, and even the small ninja villages as well. It's a personal matter for me, and one that I won't discuss so please allow me to continue." Shintaro said humbly
"I won't ask of you of your past Shintaro. It actually speaks volumes that someone of your age to act in the best interest of others despite your personal feelings. I don't take it as an offense so please, continue." Hiruzen said calmly.
"Thank you Hokage-sama. Now, as for how long we stay here it depends if we think this place is safe enough. Oh! But, I'm not saying it is or isn't I just want to be sure that's all!" Shintaro said nervously
"It's perfectly fine Shintaro. There's nothing wrong in securing knowledge that your friends are safe. I would be dishonored to call my self Hokage if my village could not protect the children that reside within." Hiruzen said with a grandfather like smile
'Heh, fooled him good. But yeah, protect them from external threats maybe. Internal is a whole other matter.' Shintaro thought to himself
"Well, I can say with certainty that you're the nicest Kage I've met. The TsuchiKage was a crotchety old man suspicious as all hell when we came in. It was a nightmare to get out of there, but somehow we escaped. To be honest I think we're the only ones to escape Iwa by accusing the male Anbu spying on the female Anbu at the bathtub. Thank Kami they share a bathhouse together or shared by this point." Shintaro muttered as Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the escape method
"You escaped a highly secured ninja village, one of the more paranoid ones as that, by using the female Anbu to your advantage?" Hiruzen asked dumbfounded
"It helped that the TsuchiKage's granddaughter was visiting that day." Shintaro mentioned
"Ah."
"Back to the subject at hand, we'll hang around here for about 9 years approximately then leave. Before you ask why that specific amount of time let me tell you. Our village, a small village mind you heck not even a ninja village, got hit with a chakra based disease a while ago, and were the only survivors to leave unscathed. Well, originally there were about 15 of us but we've lost a few of our friends along the way." Shintaro said sadly looking at the floor for a minute then brought it back up with a neutral look in his eyes.
"We do intend to back one day, but who knows maybe we'll visit sometime sooner than expected. Not because of sentimentality mind you, but…. other reasons why. I'll leave it at that if you don't mind I really don't want to talk about it. As for how long we've been on the road…. well we really have been moving from place to place not staying in one position for no more than a few months due to various reasons, but we've been at it for 5 years now. Oh, and don't worry about our basic needs we know how to survive, find jobs, and all that crap we've been doing it our whole lives at this point."
"You seemed well established for a 10 year old. I find it rare to discover a group of children to know the value of hard work, and survive on their own. I can gladly say this new generation is in good hands."
"Thank you Hokage-sama, and to finally answer your last question; I'm afraid none of us, us being the original group, plan on being a ninja for yours or any other village because I highly doubt any village will want a "temporary" ninja that'll leave when they want to. We do intend to stay here for 9 years maybe 10 or 12 max if I did the math right which in all likeliness is probably off." Shintaro said as groaned thinking about the boring calculations he'd endured.
After Shintaro finished what he had to the Hokage he fell flat on his butt. Turns out speaking in front an authority figure trying to not look suspicious takes a lot out of a ten year old boy…even though he was faking it Shintaro made it look like he was out of breath.
"Whew! Man that took a lot out of me; alright you got your answers. So is that all you need because I got a few to ask you, but I'll give you some time to process what I just told you." Shintaro said giving the answers in detail so the old man in front of him.
'Hopefully the old man won't go into any more details, and buy my story. Even though I'm telling the truth for the most part I just left a tiny bit of info out of that story to make our story seem a little more….normal hopefully. After all the best lies have a bit of truth in them.' Shintaro thought to himself
Hiruzen was baffled at the amount of detailed info he just received from the child, but something in his aching old bones were telling him that something doesn't feel right even though what he said sounds like the truth. However that seemed to be the problem with the whole thing like it was….rehearsed. Almost like he practiced this little speech to convince him his story was true. Deciding to keep tabs on this group of kids he thought to let things play out…. and that's the other thing he couldn't get his head around they're just kids a whole lot of them to boot all looking for a place to stay safe from someone who was hunting these kids for years at this point for one reason or another. For now he'd have to leave this matter to discuss at another time, right now this boy had questions for him to answer and he was curious to what he was going to ask him.
"Given all that's happened I'll have to think about all of this later for the moment, but as of right now I'm going to listen to your questions and answer them as best as I can since you did the same to me. After all you did the courtesy of answering my questions it's only fair that I answer yours." Hiruzen said
"Thank you Hokage-sama. Ok, first question. Where is….
