Prologue
Everything starts somewhere. The device you're using to read this was once nothing more than a pipe dream; funnily enough this tale is also just that: a pipe dream. An improbability. Some would even venture to say an impossibility. Yet, here I am, your relatively good looking narrator preparing myself to tell you otherwise. Have no worries, this is no OP self insert. This is no edgy ultra powerful protagonist. This is what I believe to be what life would actually be like in a world where things as mystical as ninja live. Realism is key here. Please, sit back, maybe grab some food, maybe get a drink; I hope you enjoy this pipe dream of mine: The Power to Move Forward.
Chapter 1: A Start
The man wakes up. Quiet, and not alone. He sits in the dark room, quietly. He always loved the silence of his apartment in the early morning, it allowed him a small reprieve from the relatively loud sounds of daily life in a hub such as a Hidden Village. Perhaps he should think about moving out to the country like that hermit? Yeah, right. His Kage would sooner let him become a Nuke-nin. Heh, he already tried that once, not his taste. The man hears the sound of a rooster starting the day, and decides to do the same. He quietly leaves the room, shutting the door behind him with the utmost silence; lest he wake up his sleeping companion. Lord knows she'd have his ass otherwise. Heh, not that he would mind, of course. With his back to the door, the man looks over his quaint apartment. His couch and kitchen are connected both with western style furnishes, and a hallway connects his room with both. He's owned this one for a couple of months ever since the last one got destroyed during that incident. Shaking his head to clear the memory, the man walks down the hallway before coming to a door, the bathroom. The man opens the door, and moves to stand in front of the mirror. Violet eyes stare at him. He always did love that he had his mother's eyes. Purple was a favorite of his. The man brings his hand to head and pats his scarlet red hair. Geez, sometimes he thinks someone just copied his mom and put a penis on he-
"You get up too early, you know that?" A voice notes from the doorway.
Damn, he had got lost in his thoughts again.
"Mou, shouldn't you be used to this already?"
A chuckle is his response, damn he loved her laugh.
The man playfully pouts in response.
She just smiles at him, having seen his pout for years now it has little effect.
"Hurry up, babe. I gotta head out. Jiji keeps pestering me about my kage training."
"Hai. Hai. Just one minute."
The man looks back at the mirror and does one last look over before nodding. He decides to let his girlfriend take the first shower since she has to head out. Once she's done, he gets in there and takes his own. When he comes out, she is already gone. But, not before cooking him a nice delicious breakfast. God, he loved her. Since today he has no missions, he has no real plans. Thus, a part of him really wanted to laze about. However, he knows he can't. The man puts on his signature gear. Gray pants, left leg tied to tightness with bandages around the thigh. A black muscle shirt, with no logos, and a red overcoat with the Kanji for Prince on the back. His Hitai-ate is tied around his right thigh. He nods to himself, thinking his set is complete. He walks towards the door with a smile on his face. He opens the door, and then the entire house explodes.
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The boy wakes up. Quiet, alone. He hated that dream. The dream of happiness that he'll never obtain. It was always so close he could feel it, yet so far he could never hope to reach it. He hated the quiet. It reminded him exactly where he was, and how much he hated what drove him here. Every ounce of him hated those people for what they did. If only they were better, maybe he wouldn't have been so useless. He keeps telling himself that, as he tries, and fails, to go back to sleep.
"Great." He mutters, now he won't go back to sleep. He has training in four hours. Danzo is going to kick his ass seven ways to Sunday. And by kick his ass, the boy really meant try to mentally condition him again. Some days a part of him wishes it would work, but judging by the last three failed attempts that was unlikely. A rooster starts its day in the distance, and judging by the footsteps, so was his assigned trainer.
Damn, four hours pass quickly when you're sulking.
The iron door that leads to his spartan room opens with a foreboding creak.
"Come, Naruto."
And so he went.
Like a good little soldier.
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The girl wakes up. Quiet, alone. Excitedly, she hops out of bed and sprints to the bathroom. Today starts the academy, and she wanted to make her family proud! She had begged her beloved Father to let her start early, but alas he wanted her to have a normal childhood. Really, sometimes her daddy was just so silly. How could any child of a Kage have a normal childhood? After finishing getting ready, the girl's soft footsteps echo in the quiet home. That's odd. Was her mommy not going to walk her?
Great! Finally people started treating her like a grown up!
The girl does a small victory dance at the thought. A soft chuckle interrupts her however, and she blushes in embarrasment.
"Someone's excited."
"Mou! Of course Mommy! I get to start being a ninja like you and Otou-chan!"
Kushina smiles at her baby and scoops her up in her arms.
"Of course! With an amazing mom like me you're guaranteed to be the best!"
Another chuckle goes through the house.
"Who's more excited here, dear?"
Kushina pouts at her husband.
Minato, used to that pout by now, grins at his two girls.
"C'mon now you two, let's go to the academy. Wouldn't want the princess to be late."
The door quietly opens, and just as quietly closes.
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Separate, but intertwined. Light, but dark. Happy, but sad. Peaceful, but chaotic. Two stories yet one path. Can they walk it? Do they have the power to move forward? Can't wait to see.