Yo, this is a little piece; tell me if you enjoy.
It's basically just my take on a realistic way of Naruto becoming a missing nin, without all the half-arsed bullshit like "I dont like Konoha any more, lets watch it butn" or "Kill the demon" and some guy just has to respond "Sure, i'll grant your illogical request cus I'm god". And this is it.
Constructive criticism is very much appreciated.
And lastly, Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Naruto, those rights fall to the creator. The only things I own are of my own creation. And my T.v, Pc, six pack of coke, and comfy arse chair.
Naruto ran his hand through the blonde mop that was his hair; it felt sticky and wet, obviously from a hard days training, drenching him in sweat. He didn't really care that he looked as tired and ragged as he did, it showed he had worked hard, something to be proud of.
He had always strove to be better than he was, to be better than the best. This could only be achieved by those who worked harder than anyone else, who strove for nothing but to be the best. He had done well in that pursuit, pushing his very limits; but, alas, it had not made his terrible life any better – in fact, it had made it worse.
Looking out across the village, he scowled; this was the village that had wronged him so. Throughout the years, all the ones that consisted of his short life, it had treated him like nothing more than dirt – worse, even.
At first it had been the orphanage – his parents had died the night of the Kyuubi Incident, leaving him alone – where they had neglected him in so may ways: not feeding him, beating him, poisoning him, not letting him near other kids (which also stunted his social development), not clothing him properly and not even cleaning him properly. And, with these forms of neglect, he had developed cases of illnesses – although, they had usually disappeared very quickly. Social retardation, general retardation, deprivation dwarfism (the lack of physical height caused by lack of emotional care), malnutrition and a large desire for attention that lead him to doing unsavory or even criminal actions to gain attention.
All in all they had fucked him up something rotten. Yet he hadn't truly suffered until he had been kicked out of the orphanage – yes, kicked out of a council funded institute by those 'magnanimous care workers.' Worst thing was he was only four.
So, at age four he had set off into the big wide world – or village, really. At first he hadn't known what to do (who would've when they were only four years old and retarded?), but he had quickly gotten into a routine of scavenging and stealing, developing a way to stay alive.
For two years he had lived on the streets, fending for himself from local gangs, eating the dirtiest of foods, sleeping outside on the most wet and cold of nights, and having absolutely no contact with people (unless you counted the ends of their fists or feet). Thus, he had gotten even worse intellectually, socially and by ways of physical health.
He had eventually found a piece of light amongst the darkness; the Sandaime Hokage had found him wobbling down the streets in tattered and torn clothes, smelling worse than the dumps and with the latest bloody lip.
"What happened to you, child?" he had asked in a worried tone, a concerned frown marring his features as he bent down to inspect him. Naturally he had flinched from human contact, too used to pain and suffering that usually accompanied it.
The old man must have realised then that he was scared of him. "Shh, don't worry; I will not hurt you, I swear," he had promised, voice soothing and low. "Tell me, what is your name? I will take you back to your parents."
Startled by his sudden warmth and kindness, he had no idea what do do other than comply. "N-N-Naru-ruto," he had stuttered, both still in fear and because he still did not know how to talk at the age of six, "Uzuu-m-mazi". He hadn't even realised he had said his own last name wrong - but the old man had.
He had watched as the Hokage's face distorted between so many emotions: shock, rage, kindness, sympathy. At first Naruto thought he was angry with him and had attempted to flee, but his strong hand had clasped Naruto's shoulder, not letting him run. "Wait, ma boy; I will not hurt you," he had swore again, voice so soft and kind it had enveloped him.
This one man, this one human being had offered him kindness. For the first time in his life, he felt the soft touch of a caring hand, and not the clenched fist of rage.
He had found hope amongst the darkness.
It had taken a while after that, but he had finally managed to piece together a sentence that resembled what he meant when the old man had asked him why he wasn't in the orphanage: "I was told not to come back; evil has no home."
That day Naruto had found himself in the care of many masked men, who he would later find out were Anbu Black ops. For weeks he stayed there, learning how to speak, clean himself, cook, wash - all the things a normal person needed.
He had then been moved into an apartment, an old, run down complex that looked like it might collapse tomorrow. He hadn't complained, though; instead he had cried and thanked the old man with tears and sincerity that only a child could produce – a damaged one, but a child nonetheless.
And so, for the time being at least, he had lived happily, content in his peace. The Hokage visited regularly, dropping off his stipend, teaching him about social functions, more on how to speak and other things. Other days he would take Naruto out, to the park, Hokage Monument, Hokage tower, anywhere Naruto had wanted. It had been wonderful, having someone care for him.
He had gained more loved ones, aswell. The Ichiraku's, a small family of father and daughter who ran a small ramen stand, had accepted him and treated him with nothing but kindness. Most days he would go down there and order bowls and bowls full of ramen, just to stay and chat with them. Sometimes they even let him eat for free.
God, he hoped they were in a better place right now. They deserved Elysium.
He had joined the Academy for Ninja a year later, one year earlier than normal. It had been fun and boring at first, making new friends and learning crappy facts – knowledge was never his favourite thing, unless it pertained to physical prowess such as jutsu. Eventually, though, parents had sowed the seeds of hate within their children, starting from subtle warnings, a clever play on the pranks he did as a way of validation, and eventually just blunt demands that they no longer went near Naruto.
He was alone again... and bored. Very bored.
The days after that had been spent in immature stupidity and naivety. He started by trying to gain attention achieved through his horrendous, orange jump-suit and his childish pranks that had earned him the moniker of "Konoha's Prankster King From Hell."
Suffice to say, it had worked – just not the way he planned.
The beatings had come thick and fast from that point on. He could get beaten up by villagers or bullies at least once a week, sometimes twice or even thrice a week. It had been horrible, especially as he had not fully understood why it happened... but he had carried on. He could solve anything he wanted by just believing he could, believe it!
What a foolish notion.
Everything still had time to get worse, though. After this he had been determined to prove he was the best, even if the instructors neglected and sabotaged him. He grew to hate knowledge, for how could knowing that the Shodaime Hokage particularly hated tea even begin to help him win a fight? How foolish could he have been?
Very. He started hindering himself, making it easier for the civilians to get him, all because of his own arrogance. Knowledge was power, not physical prowess. Shinobi operated to different rules, but he had failed to understand. Failed to even see reality until it was too late.
His stupidity had eventually lead to the harm of others: the Ichiraku family. Because they had served and fed Naruto, when all other stores refused to, the civilians had taken it upon themselves to teach these "fools" a lesson. They had taken the two, Teuchi-oji-san and Ayeme-neechan, and had done things too them that no civilian should have ever had to face.
Afterwards, some people had handed themselves in, too ashamed of the crimes they had committed. Apparently, they were only supposed to scare the chefs, but their leader had made things take a much... darker turn.
They had 'asked' the family to stop serving the "Demon Child," but the family had stood steadfastly by their loyalty to Naruto – he wished they hadn't. From the odd pieces of what he had heard had happened to them, he swore he would never let the men who did that die a peaceful death. He never thought the two would go through torture for him and eventually die at the hands of those men.
That day Naruto had finally given in to the nagging voice at the back of his mind. "Revile them! Hate them!" it had whispered in his head, and so he had. He decided he would no longer love this village, no longer trust it; he would now move forward for himself, trust only himself and those who proved themselves, love only himself and those he chose to; no longer would he be the villages personal punching bag. One day, he had promised, I will leave you all behind, I will seek my own freedom.
He had changed shortly after - no longer did he prank, no longer did he wear that awful jump-suit, no longer did he refuse to learn. He was now the model student: silent, listened to every word, revised, practiced constantly, done all extra curriculum activities, and most of all, he learnt why.
He remembered that day perfectly...
"Who are you?" Naruto had asked calmly, coldly. He certainly wasn't as calm as he pretended to be.
The man in question looked at Naruto impassively, his features schooled to perfect stoicism. His unemotional expression, matched with the way he held himself, told Naruto a few things as he looked him up and down: he was an experienced Ninja, the way he walked looked more like the stalking prowl of a deadly hunter, silent and deadly; his posture was noble and regal, making it look as though everything else was below him; his red eyes with three tomoe marked the Sharingan, making him an Uchiha; lastly, the blood stained clothes showed he had recently killed.
"I am Itachi Uchiha. To answer your next question: I am here to tell you the reason behind your suffering all these years," he replied, ever so calmly; the blood that dripped from the ends of his clothes and sword did nothing to break said calmness.
Naruto kept his hand on the Kunai that was hidden amongst his clothes, but listened nonetheless. He didn't trust him, but he was intrigued by his last statement. "What would that reason be, and why would you tell me?" he asked skeptically. "You look more like my executioner, and someone else's, covered in blood."
Itachi chuckled, it was dry and held no mirth. "You seem more calm than what you used to be like," he idly commented. "But, to answer your questions, I wish to tell you because we are the same".
Raising an eyebrow, Naruto chuckled this time. "Really? So you fear to walk the streets because you may be killed in broad daylight; you are shunned and hated; you wish for nothing but an escape?" he asked darkly.
He watched as Itachi looked at him, sizing him up, looking through him and his innermost workings; he would not admit it, but that look unnerved him more than the ones of hate and spite did. This look was far more dangerous than those. After a few moments Itachi seemed like he had seen enough, and so he threw down a scroll onto Naruto's lap.
"I meant we are the same in the fact that we bare a dark burden to protect Konoha, one that no-one else can; we are – or, in my case, will be – hated for; the way in which neither of us have the love that we want, but cannot attain," he replied ever so calmly, again – it seemed nothing could break his serenity, even talking about something that clearly had, or did, sadden him.
This time, though, it was Naruto who appraised Itachi in a different light. This man was far more complex than he thought. He had spoken of burdens, protecting Konoha, unattainable love and the ever present hate. Some of those things didn't even make sense, like how he was protecting Konoha?
"What do you mean by that, and what's the scroll for?" he asked pointedly.
Itachi turned around then and started walking of, sinking into that prowling step as he glided along the floor like a ghost, without a sound. "That scroll will tell you everything, and help you along. Goodbye, Naruto; I will see you again someday."
And like that he was gone, nothing but leaves in the wind as he disappeared.
For days Naruto had tried to build up the nerve to open up the scroll, he was scared about what he would find inside. Did he really want to find out why a village full of people hated him? He hadn't known, he especially hadn't liked the possibility that the villagers may have been vindicated by their vindictive nature. But he had no choice, he just couldn't not know why, it would kill him if he never knew why. So, after days of trepidation, he opened the scroll.
What he found inside of Itachi's scroll had solidified his utter hate for Konoha's older generation, he felt the urge to kill the people who had made his life so difficult. For weeks that feeling of rage would remain, never failing to leave his side like a faithful shadow. How could human beings be so shallow, so full of hate, so vindictive?
He had schooled himself, though, no reason to lose himself to rage and make things worse.
Reading the rest of the scroll he had found several seals. Apparently, Itachi had known that the Academy had been sabotaging him, or at least tried to. So, with that in mind, he had left compilations of basic knowledge.
These subjects had been difficult and easy in many ways: The Art of Stealth, which focused on techniques for reducing sound made with movements, how to 'blend in' with the environment, and how to leave as little of a trace behind as possible; throwing weapon techniques, motions for faster throws, places to aim for when throwing, how to create a diversion with thrown weapons; Academy Taijutsu, aswell as a unique version of Taijutsu called Kuiken (Fast Fist) a variant of Goken and Juyken that focused on fast and precise strikes that targeted the weak points of the body; and a large variety of other small, but helpful things.
The real topping on the cake, though, had been the three Chakra control exercises: tree climbing, water walking, and an exercise that focused on using chakra to make a solid object levitate off of the user's body by about an inch. For someone who had a vast amount of chakra and little control, it was worth more to him than any S-rank technique.
There had also been the basic elemental techniques that had been within the scroll: a water technique that converted large amounts of chakra into water within one's body, good for the fact that he could never die of thirst, but couldn't produce enough water for a water technique to be effective; a fire technique that could start a fire, useful for cooking food and starting fires to conserve heat; a wind technique that would disperse his sent, so no-one was able to follow him via smell; and lastly there was Shunshin, to help him learn how to send chakra to certain parts of the body.
All in all, Itachi had gifted him with useful knowledge that would one day save his life, and not just some flashy jutsu to make him feel cool. He doubted he would have been as good as he was now, had he not received this knowledge.
With the firm grounding in the Shinobi Arts that Itachi had gifted him, he soon claimed the spot at the top of the class, Rookie Of The Year. At first, most were surprised by this sudden turn of events, especially his new class that was the same age as him. Others were angry, like Sasuke who refused to lose to him and constantly challenged him.
Taijutsu spars were won with ease, his quick understanding of Kuiken allowing him to pick Sasuke apart. Ninjutsu was were he lost, but only just as he was unable to create a Bunshin due to his monstrous chakra reserves; Sasuke didn't feel as good about that victory when he had told him he was simply too powerful to do the Bunshin (In-fact, he clearly remembered he Sasuke had been a little... enraged). Shurikenjutsu and Kunaijutsu were a tie as both boys hit absolutely perfect - that didn't comfort Sasuke, though. And lastly was academics, Naruto got one-hundred percent on all written tests due to the only thing he did outside of school was revision and training.
Over the years Sasuke had continued to push him harder and harder, furthering his skills to the point that he would have been a Genin two years before the norm, had he been able to do the Bunshin. But, alas, it constantly evaded him, always slipping through his fingers at the last moments. Even now.
Yes, now, this present day, even as he found himself sitting atop the Fourth Hokage's head, looking out across Konohagakure no Sato, the village of the four most powerful Shinobi to ever live, and renown founders of the current Shinobi World. Through the dark night, he could see the lights of homes coming on as families arrived home, lights turning off as stores closed. It was beautiful, he had to admit, the calm serenity and warm glow the village gave off as it lit up.
But, through all his observations, one thing stood out above the rest; on the highest floor of the Hokage Tower, the lights to the Hokage's office went out as Hiruzen Sarutobi went home. It was now time for him to steal the 'Test Scroll', as Mizuki-teme had called it - he knew it was really the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. He did not let it show, though, as who was he to not trust his sensei?
He hadn't been fooled in the slightest as Mizuki-teme lied to him about the second test to pass for amazing students who couldn't do Bunshin, reserved for those who were exceptional but 'unlucky.' He knew that greedy and stupid teacher was planning on framing him, killing him and making his own escape. Little did Mizuki realise that he was the puppet and scapegoat that Naruto would use to get what he liked, The Forbidden Scroll of Seals, and afterwards he could just blame Mizuki and say he believed his teacher. How could the old man not believe him, as sentimental as he was. Hell, the Hokage would let Naruto off with anything.
So, with a grin plastering his face, Naruto set off to steal something back from the village that had wronged him so, and he felt vindicated. Tonight would only be the start of the plans for his freedom, as he would soon escape this accursed nightmare that was his life, this corner of hell he called home. Soon, so soon he could taste it, he would break free from his shackles.
"Watch out world, soon you'll be meeting Naruto Uzumaki -dattebayo!"
Well, there you have it.
I have tried to write a little differently to normal by recounting past events and adding as little speech as possible.
Furthermore, I hope that my showing of Naruto's changes and meeting with Itachi were realistic, and easy to understand. I find far too many fic's were Naruto just suddenly decides to hate Konoha and decides to go galavanting across the elemental nations with absolutely no plan.
Last but not least, I would like opinions on what possible jutsu could be within the forbidden scroll of seals: Rasengan, Chidori, shadow clone, are the things i thought to add as they are forbidden (chidori for its tunnel vision and rasengan for it being a Yondaime special (all kage's add their own jutsu to the scroll aswell)). But i'd like some fan creations if possible and any other jutsu that may be forbidden for any reason.
Bye, and see you soon.