"If you two keep progressing at this rate I might teach you guys the rasengan when you graduate the academy!" Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha no Sato spoke happily looking down at his two children. Narumi Namikaze, the lone sister of the two. She had Minato's bright blue eyes, generating warmth and happiness. She had a head of brightly colored red hair, matching her mother's almost perfectly. Minato gave a wide grin as he switched his eyes over to his other child, Natsu Namikaze, his spiky red hair already falling into his eyes. He was more like his mother, with his hot headed attitude, while Narumi was more playful, but calm and collective when the need arises. Natsu was the first born, taking the place as the clan heir of the Namikaze name. Both children looked up at their father, their seven year old eyes shining with pride and happiness at being praised by their father.

"Really tou-san, you mean it!?" Narumi said happily her body jumping up and down in excitement. Natsu's smile threatened to split his face, his eyes shining "Just watch tou-san! We will pass you soon just you watch!"

Minato barked out a laugh, smiling wide as his eyes closed due to his laughter. "Don't think it'll be that easy! I'm still the Hokage after all!"

"I don't know Minato-kun, after they master the Kyuubi's chakra they might be stronger than us both."

Kushina Namikaze, the wife of Minato, known by her allies Red Death. She came out into her backyard to see her smiling family. She was filled with joy. They all broke out into laughter again, their hearts filled happiness.

Unknown to them was the sad blue eyes looking down at them. This was Naruto Namikaze, the 3rd born child of both Minato and Kushina. He had his blonde spikey hair, and his bright cerulean blue eyes. Looking so much like his father. His lips came down into a frown, looking at his family made his heart hurt. It wasn't until his fourth birthday that his siblings have started to get special treatment. They got extra training, early lessons at the academy, presents for doing just about anything. Naruto wanted nothing more than to join them, be part of the family he desperately needed. It was always the same excuse;

"Sorry Naruto maybe next time."

"Don't make a scene Naruto, your embarrassing your siblings."

"They need to learn how to handle the Kyuubi's chakra."

"That damned chakra." Naruto thought, his anger getting the better of him. Since birth Natsu and Narumi were given part of the Kyuubi's chakra that Minato sealed within them. Getting split in half, and shared between. While Naruto got nothing, only having the regular chakra reserves of an normal Uzumaki. (While still a lot, nothing like his siblings)

"I guess I'm just not special enough…" Naruto whispered, letting it echo in his tiny room. He turned his head away from his family. His heart hurting just from the mere sight of their smiles. He walked over to his window, opening it allowing a nice cool breeze to flow in. One foot after another he stepped outside, slowly making his way down to his front yard. He gave a small frown back to his house, his eyes wanting to glisten. He turned away, shoving his hands into his black shorts and started walking down the streets of Konoha.

Shops were flourishing with life, and the streets were very crowded. Laughing and talking echoed down the streets as people walked, in no hurry to get to their destination. Naruto gave a sad sigh, it wasn't the first time that he walked these streets, and it wasn't the first time he got utterly ignored. No one spared him a second glance, even with his family he was left to the side, forgotten. While he sometimes enjoyed the alone time, it hurt seeing his siblings get pampered while he got nothing. Sure they had the Kyuubi's chakra, but there are plenty of famous shinobi that aren't Jinchūriki. Ie: Minato Namikaze, his tou-san.

He didn't have an ego, far from it. He just wanted to be seen as the son of the Yondaime, to be acknowledged. Not just a random child walking the streets. Naruto continued his walk with his mood turning more sour by the minute. He finally made it to his favorite spot in the village, training ground 99, hidden just next to the Hokage monument past the head of Hashirama Senju; The Shodai Hokage.

Naruto walked into the center of the training field, close to his left was a small little pond forming from a small little waterfall in a small stone structure. He closed his eyes adopting a thinking pose, raising his hand up forming a hand seal. After a few long minutes a small blue aura surrounded Naruto, it was weak, about the size of an average civilian using chakra. And after a couple seconds it vanished. Naruto gave out a frustrated cry, his hands rummaging through his blonde hair.

"Dammit! Why can't I do it!"

"Your not letting it flow, your forcing your chakra through."

Naruto spun around at the new voice, a small amount of fear creeping up inside him. He looked over and from a small forest clearing walked out a man. He was wearing a short black shirt with a very wide collar, with black shinobi pants to match. He had bandages going from his feet to his lower legs, with blue sandals. He had a small over the shoulder brown strap, holding his sword in place on his back. He had his Konoha headband wrapped proudly around his forehead. The man smiled down at Naruto, his onyx eyes shining with mirth.

"Your not letting your chakra flow. Instead of forcing it through your coils, try and control the amount of chakra you admit."

Naruto was still a little defensive, but it did make sense what the man was saying. Taking a few steps back he raised his hand forming the familiar hand seal. He closed his eyes, he felt his chakra pool start to sway, slowly but surely he released a small amount into his coils. The small blue aura returned like before. Lasting much longer as it now started to lift small pebbles from the ground. About five minutes went by and Naruto fell to the ground exhausted, he tried to catch his breath as he looked back over his shoulder. The man was still there, a big smile on his face as he clapped his hands together.

"Great job! That was a huge improvement."

Naruto silently beamed at the praise, making his insides flutter with joy. "Thanks mister! Your awesome!"

The man waved his hand, his smile never leaving his face "Don't worry about it, always glad to help young shinobi in training." Naruto's face lit up at the idea of being a shinobi making him practically shine. He pumped his fists together, now sitting on the floor looking up at the man. "Yeah! One day I'll be the strongest shinobi ever!"

The man let out a loud laugh, making Naruto frown at him. His eyes narrowed as he pointed at the man "Hey mister what's so funny!" the man wiped a tear away from one of his eyes, his laughter having died down. "Just you have a long way to go kid. But you remind me of myself when I was young, it brought back a lot of memories." the man took a seat across from the blonde, crossing his legs in the process. "And please enough with calling me mister, I'm only 17 after all, you can call me Shisui. Uchiha Shisui."

Naruto felt his eyes go wide, an Uchiha! They were one of the most prestigious clans to walk on Konoha soils! No, through the Elemental Nations! Naruto looked up at the not identified Shisui in awe. "Sugoi! So do you have one of those red eye things?!" The older Male nodded, a smile gracing his lips. He pointed up to his eyes. "It's called the sharingan. And yes all Uchiha are born with the doujutsu, it's our bloodline."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, a long blonde lock falling in between his eyes. He narrowed his eyes in concentration "A bloodline? What's that?"

Shisui raised an eyebrow in shock, not letting it leak through into his expression. Shisui knew who the boy was, Naruto Namikaze son of the beloved Yondaime. From his time of working for the Anbu, he heard that the Hokage's children were already getting special treatment through early lessons from the academy before they enroll. Shouldn't Naruto understand the basics of being a shinobi by now? "Well a bloodline is a unique trait or abilities passed on genetically. You know the Hyuga Clan right?" Naruto nodded "Well they have a bloodline, it's called the byakugan. It gives them the ability to see far distances, through objects, and can even see around them in 360 degrees."

Shisui looked on to see Naruto listening intently, his small bright blue eyes wider than saucers. "Sugoi...so what does yours do Shisui-san." Shisui smiled wide "Our bloodline is called the Sharingan. It allows us to track our opponents moves, counter attack, cast a genjutsu with just a simple glance, and even copy other jutsus."

"Wow! The Sharingan sounds so strong! Are you strong to Shisui-san?" the taller male smiled awkwardly, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Well I would say I'm about an average shinobi. No stronger than our villages average jounin." he said with a chuckle. While he was one of the top rated Anbu that have enlisted in the past 10 years he tried to keep things more on the humble side. Unlike his Uchiha brethren who have taken a piece of the arrogance cake. He was grateful for his Sharingan, he understood the weight it held as a shinobi tool. Naruto's loud tone broke him out of his thoughts. The blonde continued talking while Shisui sat and listened, throwing in his two cents whenever it was needed. He looked up to the sky, it was already dark, maybe somewhere around 8PM.

"Hey Naruto don't you need to get home? It's already past 8, your parents must be worried."

Naruto gave a low frown. His shoulders lowering down and his head staying stationary. Upon seeing this Shisui casted a worried glance in Naruto's direction. "Hey Naruto what's wrong?"

Naruto refused to look into Shisui's eyes. He didn't want the same ignorant glance he would receive whenever he spoke about his family. "Tou-san and kaa-san probably don't even realize that I'm gone. There to busy with Narumi and Natsu-ni to pay much attention to me…" Naruto spoke, his words shocking Shisui. Shisui adopted a gaze of worry, why would the son of the Yondaime say something that sounded so, untrue?

"What do you mean Naruto? Are you saying your parents don't notice you."

Naruto nodded, his tiny hands clenched into fists "Hai. They already started training Narumi and Natsu-ni. I haven't got anything since my fourth birthday, just after they started training them."

Shisui felt his eyes go wide, he couldn't believe what he just heard. He felt a sudden spark of anger course though him, and an even smaller layer of disappointment. "I cant believe Yondaime-sama and Kushina-sama would do this to Naruto! Why would they...of course. Narumi-sama and Natsu-sama are Jinchūriki." the Uchiha thought with disdain. That explains why the boy was out on his own, and how he didnt know what a bloodline was, and by his struggle to maintain his chakra. "He's probably feeling like he doesn't belong in that family. And tomorrow, October 10th."

"Hey Naruto. Come over here."

Naruto did as he was told, taking a few hesitant steps over to the Uchiha, refusing to look up. Naruto felt his blonde hair get pushed up. He felt a strong hand tangle itself within. He looked up to see Shisui's hand on his head. His eyes shining with warmth, giving him an affectionate ruffle of his hair. Shisui smiled down at Naruto, "How about I meet you back here tomorrow at around noon? And I can help you with the basics of being a shinobi."

Naruto looked up wide eyed. His stomach fluttering at the warm look gazing at him. It felt so foreign to him to receive anything other than the cold shoulder. "Why would you do that for me?"

"I've taking a liking to you kid, and I can see your potential to become a powerful shinobi."

Naruto felt his eyes start to water, his stomach doing flips as he felt happiness touch his very core. He went so long, so long without a mere smile. He crashed his small body against Shisui's torso for a tight hug. The Uchiha was slightly surprised, but realized the situation rather quickly and offered a small reassuring pat on the back. Naruto let out a quiet sob, "Arigato Shisui-san" his voice was muffled as he talked into the mans black shirt. Shisui chuckled.

"Of course Naruto."

Morning came quick to Naruto. After meeting Shisui at training ground 99 last night, and the promise to see each other the next day was fresh on his mind when he got home. Like he told the Uchiha, when he got home no one batted an eyelash. When he walked through the front door he could still see his family in the backyard, in the middle of a full on picnic. He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt seeing his family laugh without him. But his mood was significantly better than it has been for the past three years, so he raced upstairs and quickly got to bed.

He woke up at about 7 AM, unable to hold his excitement any longer. He never left his room, he knew he wouldn't get called down to breakfast, he ignored the stinging pain in his heart as he opened one of the four textbooks he had in his small room, and he started reading. Learning all about the beginning stages of chakra, and how it affects your body, and the five major chakra types. Fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning.

His contuiend his reading for what seemed like days. Finally glancing over to his clock, looking for the time. "11:45!"

He jumped out of bed, quickly grabbing a new set of clothes and leaving his room in a hurry. His footsteps echoed throughout his house as he ran down the stairs rather loudly. When he got to the bottom of the staircase he was greeted to a few familiar faces in his living room. His parents were talking to a shinobi who wore a mask covering half his face, his headband covering one of his eyes. He didn't quite remember his name tho…

He saw his brother and sister talking to Jiraiya-oji, and Tsunade-baa. Two of the remaining Legendary Sennin who have been there since the beginning of his birth. He looked upwards, his mouth dropping agape as he read the giant sign hanging in the wall.

Happy Birthday Narumi and Natsu!

Naruto felt his heart drop in his stomach. A feeling of pure sadness pumped in his veins as he read the large banner. "They...they forgot to put my name...my birthday…" he couldn't stop the sudden cascade of tears that started to breakthrough. He was so caught up in his time with Shisui he forgot about his birthday the very next day, and it seemed like that all did as well.

Without waiting another moment he ran full sprint to his front door, opening it wide and slamming it shut behind him. Knowing full well that no one would question it, or question where he was. He ran to the training ground, running as fast as his legs could. Like usual the onlookers paid him no mind. The pain was sudden, all the built up grief he stored away for the past few years breaking through its cage, griping at his heart. Making his stomach feel heavy. He arrived at the training ground in record time, he fell to his knees the second he reached the center, his hand covering his mouth swallowing a sob.

"N-naruto are you okay!?"

Naruto looked up to see Shisui running at him, the older Uchiha having arrived about 10 minutes early only to see Naruto run inside the clearing crying. Naruto wasted no time and propelled himself into Shisui for another hug, his small hands gripping the older males black shirt desperately, giving out a loud cry of pain. "They forgot me Shisui-san! They forgot me again on my own birthday!"

Shisui felt his anger from last night return tenfold. He tightened the hug around the blonde, quietly asking him to explain what exactly happened today. Naruto then sadly told him of his experience in full detail, not missing out a single detail. His sudden hiccups interrupting his words, but Shisui understood everything perfectly.

Shisui waited until Naruto's crying came to a halt, after a few moments he pushed himself away, with Naruto rubbing his eyes with his hand."Hey Naruto-kun." the boy looked up to see Shisui's outstretched arm, all he saw was a semi-large wrapped box, with an orange bow on the top. Naruto sniffled and looked up at Shisui in confusion, his guess tilted. Shisui rubbed his neck, "I was going to wait to give this to you later. But I want to give it to you now."

Naruto hesitantly grabbed the box from his hands. Making sure his vision was clear, he slowly started to open the box. He removed the top part and his eyes shined with surprise, reflecting off his drying tears. Inside the box was a an old Konoha no Sato headband. The metal plate was slightly damaged, and the cloth around it was a solid green, showing the age. Naruto looked up at Shisui. The later already knowing what Naruto was gonna say. He reached his arm out and ruffled Naruto's hair once again "It's my birthday gift to you. That's my old headband when I graduated the academy. I want you to have it."

Naruto felt a fresh batch of tears forming around his eyes. He took the headband out of the box and held it close to his chest, the first real gift he ever received, and one he will treasure until the day he died. He hugged the headband tightly to his heart, his previous pain momentarily gone as he looked up, seeing the warm gaze of Shisui. "Shisui-niisan. Thank you so much." the Uchiha ruffled his hair one last time before getting to his feet, his hands resting bending his head "Now let's get to it! You aren't gonna get stronger by sitting there doing nothing!"

Naruto quickly got to his feet, following Shisui wiping his eyes for any sign of crying.

"Hai Shisui-niisan!"

Shisui chuckled, and proceeded to teach Naruto the basics of chakra control, and how to properly admit how much chakra to use. He looked at Naruto fondly, getting attached to the boy rather quickly. Breaking out into a goofy smile at his new nickname.

"Nissan huh? That doesn't so bad."