Author's note: I do not own Naruto.
this is my first story so please go easy on me. also please review. any suggestions are welcome as my current knowledge in some matters are still limited.
please point out any mistakes (I did double check several times, but I am an airhead)
warning: this story might prove a bit violent at some point so if u're squeamish or underage, don't read it
1. Prologue
He hates the world, he really does.
He struggles; one day he is happy to be alive, but on the other he wishes he could be dead. Perhaps in death he would find more happiness.
Ever since that night when his life ended in flames, he has never been able to smile again, to trust anyone only seeing hate and deceit in every person out there. And thus each day his soul became darker.
So many times he wished to die and so many times he couldn't do it. His mother's wish has been like a curse to him, driving him on, giving him a reason to not give up. His life was no longer his to take. It now belonged to his mother who sacrificed herself to keep him alive. And it became the most precious memory of her, the most precious gift and his ultimate duty to keep her wish fulfilled.
But he was alone, with nobody to comfort him and left to fend for himself at the age of eight.
"I'm sorry" was the most common phrase he heard whenever someone approached him. His father has been a brave officer and his mother a good detective, but now that they were suddenly gone, nobody stepped forward to care for him. Who would put their house and family in danger when there was the possibility of someone still out there that might come for his neck?
Thus he learnt to hate this world where everything was so fake.
Months later there was still no answer and the culprits were never caught. He was given a rundown apartment and a monthly pension to keep him fed for the sake of his parents services to the state.
"Go to school, be a good boy and let the adults solve this. We will catch the criminals soon."
But they never did and as time passed the chances to do so were even lower, despite the fact that the criminals were right there, in town. He saw them every day as by now he knew what his parent were investigating ad the reason of their death. Evidence was lost and with no real proof, nothing could be solved. Their death became another tragic "accident" for which the authorities felt sorry.
And while the lawyers handed him papers to sign with money accounts, property handling and so on, more interested in money then in his well being, nobody took notice of the fact that he was still alone, scared, hurt and unprotected.
Every night, the nightmares of flames returned and his mother's voice could be heard over the roar of the flames, "Go, Naruto, get out of here, get as far away as possible, baby and stay alive!" He could still see her trapped as everything came down. Nothing remained but ashes.
Her voice was like a reminder, constantly telling him of her sufferance and a reminder that the person who made her suffer was still not caught.
What use was his soul if it was eaten away by pain and regret every day? He refused to forgive and accept his parents' death, because forgiving meant forgetting and he couldn't forget what happened, every day being a reminder of his tragedy. Pain taught him to stand on his own and not be afraid anymore until he swore he would get his revenge.
A year later he applied for a school transfer and signed the sheets to going to a school abroad, then in the last minute cancelled the entrance to the other school and just disappeared, his previous school thinking he left and the other one thinking he returned.
Thus he stopped going to school. He changed his name reasoning that he had no guardians to look for him and it was for security reasons.
Then later on, he picked all his money and put them in a bank account with his previous name and left them there for later. He didn't need anything that would remind him of the past to the place he was going.
He died his hair and bought two pairs of contact lenses those he wore with him locked in a necklace that he never let out of his sight.
He was nine, just a lonely miserable skinny child, but one with a broken heart and with a fierce determination. He knew what he was facing when he turned the corner to a rundown warehouse with thugs smoking whatever, playing dice and making bets, comparing their muscles or talking whatever the hell they were talking at that time: money, women, drugs, killings.
He knew that place from his dad's reports, for this was the area he was investigating before his death. And he knew why they never caught the criminals. Corruption and money were the greatest sins for a man of law. But he was just a kid and couldn't change anything.
He picked his bag and walked down the road, locking his emotion inside and praying. If there was a God up there then he would get alive out of this and get his revenge. The sun was setting and as he looked at the bloody red orb, he knew it would be a long time before he would see it again.
He was stopped several meters before even getting close.
"What's the rush kid? Where are you going?"
He looked up with what he hoped were his most hateful eyes.
"Take me to your boss" he ordered.
