The time of change – from the ashes…
Naruto was panting as his breath caught, he was running from a mob of people trying to catch and hurt him. Why? It was the tenth of October and apparently that was all the reason needed. Feeling himself tire Naruto took a chance. Waning of from the main road Naruto ran for one of the smaller alleys, either no one would notice he had disappeared – he had rounded a corner recently after all – or his pursuers would notice and catch him in the alley, he knew it ended in an impasse. If however, no one noticed, maybe he could have a chance of surviving the night.
Suddenly an arm wrapped around his waist and a hand kept his scream from ringing out in the night, as he was pulled into a steadfast hold. His back hitting something hard, frantically Naruto began fighting the arms holding him inn place thinking it was one of the villagers who had somehow anticipated the idée of taking cover in an alley.
"Quiet, little one, or they will find us." The words were hissed into his ear by a deep voice, not loud enough for anyone but Naruto to hear. Stiffing, as Naruto suddenly remembered the villagers often got more agitated if he didn't do as they told him, Naruto closed his eyes wanting nothing more than getting back to the safety of his apartment. Then the four year old realized there was nothing left of the apartment, it had gone up in flames many hours ago. That was, Naruto recalled, what had driven him out of it in the first place. The scorching heat of alcohol induced flames.
Soon the sound of feet running through the streets could be heard and Naruto couldn't help the tightening of his muscles as he waited for the blows to begin raining. When that didn't happen Naruto carefully opened his eyes and sagged in relief. He hadn't been found. Looking around carefully he took a few steps before pausing. A dark cloak rested on his small frame, turning Naruto looked for the person he knew was the reason for his safe escape. The cloak had kept him, his hair and bright clothing, from being seen but there was no sign of the person who had worn it. Carefully, vary of everything, and everyone, he encountered during this day of the year, Naruto shifted through the pockets of the cloak.
His eyes widened as he discovered food. Dried fruits, nuts and some candy in one pocket, a water bottle and carefully wrapped Onigiri in another along with some dried meat. Naruto looked around vide eyed. No one gave him food, not even Sandaime-jiji, but then again no one ever helped him escape from the mobs either.
Looking around once more Naruto gathered the cloak around himself and began cautiously making his way out of the alley. Knowing he would be much safer in the outskirts of Konoha Naruto slowly made his way towards the walls making sure to stay in smaller alleys and backstreets as much as possible.
Half an hour later Naruto had hid in one of the many trees positioned along the walls, knowing that while it was closer to the Shinobi, which he tended to avoid as they usually were a greater threat than the civilians, Naruto knew that on this date there usually were a larger possibility of being left alone.
Sniffing the Onigiri cautiously, Naruto couldn't help but be thankful for his god sense of smell. As some, if not most, of the people who sold him food tried to poison him, Naruto knew most poisons by smell, or when that wasn't enough, taste.
Both the water and the Onigiri smelled fine thought and Naruto slowly took a small bite. Flavor exploded in his mouth and Naruto could feel tears gathering in his eyes, surely this food hadn't been made with him in mind, but the four year old orphan couldn't help but hope that was the case. Falling asleep that night came easier than most nights, covered in the dark cloak and breathing in the scent of ancient parchment, ink, feathers and cinnamon.
From that day on whenever Naruto found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, on his birthday only thought, the same man always seemed to help him out. Naruto hadn't always seen the man, but he had memorized the scent that shrouded the man like a cloak; ancient parchment, ink, feathers and cinnamon. Sometimes the boy found food in the pockets of the cloak, sometimes he found a present as well. Once, he had found a small book on how to cook. Another time, when he was older, Naruto had found a small scroll with an in depth description on a taijutsu style, only a few katas simple and easy, but enough for him to avoid getting pummeled to the ground during spars at the academy. The content of the presents had varied over the years, and, though it always tasted as good as the first time, the food had as well.
When Naruto had beaten Mizuki and saved Iruka-sensei, the thing making Naruto gather his courage had not in fact been Iruka-sensei's speech, but the fact that for a moment Naruto believed he had scented a scrap of The Man's scent, and it was enough to bring order to Naruto's mind. Later the boy would dismiss the scent as an image of his imagination, a sliver of memory in times of need, and that had, coped with the fact any residue of the scent on the jumpsuit he had worn was gone, convinced Naruto The Man had not in fact been there.
The time after that there had been a meeting between the two was on the wave mission, after Zabuza and Haku had died and Naruto woke from his exhaustion the day after the room had been flooded with The Man's scent and there had been a gentle hand carding through his hair. The man had spoken softly to Naruto, told him not to regret their deaths, but honor them and live on with the memory of the two in their full glory and power. He had told Naruto 'do not pity the dead, pity the living' and Naruto had, as with everything else The Man said, taken the words to heart. All too soon The Man had left and Kakashi-sensei had entered the room, looking confused and… worried (?), why Kakashi-sensei would be worried he had no clue, The Man was no threat after all.
On the trip with Jiraiya Naruto had been bestowed with presents as well. The first time, when Naruto had been to chocked to do anything but stare at the neatly wrapped present sitting innocently at his bed, Jiraiya had picked up the present and began examination it. That had broken Naruto out of his stupor and almost sent him into a Kyuubi induced rage. Jiraiya had obviously noticed this, by chakra leakage if nothing else, and quickly finished examining the packed before he more or less threw the present at Naruto. Inside there had innocently laid one of the Yondaime's special kunai and a small innocent scroll containing a detailed description of the seal used to create it. Jiraiya had lost the ability to speak for several moments, staring at the present, while Naruto had simply sat on the floor, breathing in deeply and enjoying the scent of The Man.
Then he had gingerly placed the package on the ground before reaching into a pocket, withdrawing a scroll from which Naruto had unsealed a small handwritten book on cooking. The kanji was small and even, and thought the book was worn and battered it was well taken care of. It didn't take more than a glace to realize the book and the scroll was written by the same person.
Jiraiya, of course, was unable to let it go and had prodded Naruto about the sender of the gifts. Naruto thought had refused to tell the man anything, even after the man had threatened to drop Naruto as an apprentice. Jiraiya had given up after a while, but kept teasing Naruto about his "secret admirer" which Naruto stoically ignored.
More and more The Man with the ancient scent had appeared in Naruto's life, only small things, a gift here, a note or clue there, a hand carding through his hair when waking up after a tough mission disappearing as Naruto opened his eyes. Still Naruto treasured every moment, and he never told anyone about The Man. So came the times of war, village after village burned to the ground, ninja after ninja dying one afterwards like flies, while the ones who survived got just a little bit stronger and a little more scarred and battered.
When finally it was over Naruto was the only one to be alive, his enemy was dead, but so was his friends and village. 'A hollow victory, indeed.' Then there was a sound of feet, trading lightly on the soil of the battleground. 'Let them come.' Naruto thought 'I have nothing more left to lose.' The feet stopped directly behind him and Naruto, not doing anything, was drawn into an embrace. His shoulders were broader this time as they collided with hard abs, his body more muscled and taller; still he couldn't help feel like a child in a fathers embrace at the moment. Once more the soft, deep voice of The Man with a scent of ancient scrolls, ink, feather and cinnamon descended on his nose and he felt strangely at ease.
"Child." The man said. "I know you are feeling hopeless, and I know the sadness of your heart. I have come now that the prophecy is completed. Thought I wish I could have intervened earlier, I could not." Naruto relaxed into the arms of The Man, someone whose face he had never seen, but still someone he trusted without thought. Tears trailed his cheeks as he soaked up the others presence, letting it calm him in a way nothing else had ever been able to.
"What good is it that I alone survived?" the whispered question was all Naruto could think of asking, knowing that even if no one really could have an answer the most probable person to have it would be the man in whose arms Naruto now rested. "Not even Kurama, a being of energy, and with the p-power to destroy the world is left, w-what g-good would me s-surviving do?" Naruto had closed his eyes as his frame was wrecked by his sobs which were getting progressively louder.
"Hush now… it'll be ok, child, I'll help you, I promise." Slowly Naruto calmed down as The Man gently rocked the boy. Carding a hand through soft blond strands of hair The Man waited for Naruto to calm down. "Child, if you want to change what happened I can help you." Naruto was quiet for a long while.
"How?" The Man however gently grabbed Naruto's chin and turned the boy towards himself.
"I'll send you back through time." A small, but honest smile was lighting up The Man's face. "First thought; I want to teach you some things. Oh, and call me Hari." Naruto nodded as he looked at his saving grace for the first time. The Man had soft, feathered and ruffled waist long raven hair. A kind face, a few lines in his forehead marking The Man as someone who hadn't lived a sheltered or peaceful life. Yet there was something about the man that screamed to Naruto about safety and peace. "Sleep child, tomorrow everything will be different." Nodding; tiered from crying and the emotional stress, Naruto closed his eyes. Faintly he heard soft chuckles and felt a gentle kiss at his brow. For the first time in what felt like ages Naruto slept peacefully.
An. Soooo… my first good Naruto-verse story… yeah… I can work with this. Anyway; tell me what you like/ dislike and I will post the next chapter the day (or as soon as I see) the first review. See Ya'!
DominaNocte
An#2. Some people told me I had misspelled cook and written cock instead, hopefully I have corrected that now. If not: TELL ME! It is really appreciated! ^.^
Have a good read!