Naruto and all the characters of the Narutoverse are creations of Kishimoto who retains rights to them.
A/N - Shinobi of the Elemental Universe are more akin to Knights of Chivalry than Ninja assassins. The code of Ninja in Japan is more strictly secret than envisioned in Kishimoto's portrayal of the Narutoverse. Secrecy of identity and actual cadre of trained schools of ninja are far different than what is seen in the manga. This story of fiction follows that chivalric tendency with a look at life more representative of our main protaganist might have truly experienced.
I've always felt:
1) Hiruzen had more power to influence Naruto's life and would have because of who the boy's parents were.
2) Naruto as a spastic knucklehead is too much a creation for effect than the reality any reader likely experienced in their own lives and people around them. Therefore I will be trying to introduce a dose of reality vs canon.
Life -
I will not bore you with the mundane details of my life as a child except as follows.
I'm was an orphan and I lived in a Shinobi Village called Konohagakure or Village Hidden in the Leaves. My first five years of life were typical for an orphan raised in an orphanage. I was less than loved by most, I was treated as a second class member of society, and I learned to fend for myself, whether it was for food, toys, or peace and quiet away from the other children.
My story diverges from most orphans though, because on the day of my fifth birthday I was removed from the orphanage and began a wholly new life, as a trainee for becoming a shinobi.
The reason for the divergence? A simple test given in the orphanage to see if any of us could call forth chakra from our systems. I could, while apparently none of the others tested were able to do so.
Naruto's Notebook: I didn't know what the fuss was about, but apparently the ability to call forth chakra is an uncommon trait among most people of the elemental nations. This in itself gave rise to clans of families who had similar abilities to call up chakra. Over time and after much fighting a system of villages was established where these clans could flourish together. Each village is bound to a greater land and it's ruler, called a Daimyo. Secretly I was glad I had chakra, because it meant whoever my parents were, they weren't commoners, but special in some way. This knowledge was a boon to my heart when I learned about chakra.