Naruto woke up in a hospital. It wasn't anything unusual since, for the last few years, he would always end up there after the October 10th. That day was his birthday or, what more people saw, the day the Kyūbi attacked. The crowds would get all drunk and they would usually just beat him unconscious followed by threats and curses.
He knew why it happened or at least, suspected. He wasn't stupid as most people thought, he was actually pretty smart. Ever since he learned how to transform, he would sneak into the library and just read so he eventually wound up reading about the Bijū. Comparing what he knew of them and what he had learned about the Kyūbi attack, he got the conclusion that he was a Jinchūriki. Not a good thing, but at least he knew that he wasn't a demon everyone thought he was.
He looked around and noticed that he was alone in the room. His vision was blurry and he felt dizzy, probably because of sedatives he received. It was probably another attack, but he couldn't really remember anything specific about it. He felt his forehead getting sweaty so he raised his right arm to wipe it off. There was only one problem with that action. His right arm was missing.
Naruto looked in shock as his right side was void of his arm. Everything that happened on that night came back to him. He remembered how they attacked him, tied him up and then, with one swift chop, relieved him of his arm. His face grimaced as the memories returned and his mouth opened to let out a scream filled with anguish. It wasn't so much because of the pain, but more that of his dreams getting crushed. How could he be a ninja with only one functioning arm?
He didn't know how long he screamed or when had he started to trash around. He didn't even notice the medics that entered and tried to calm him down. In the end, they shot him with another sedative to put him out so he wouldn't hurt himself even more. He fell into a restless sleep, filled with scenes of his torture.
Xxxx
Sarutobi sat in his office with a sad look on his face. When the ANBU came bearing the news of Naruto's demise, he was beyond angry. He wanted to run into the streets, killing anybody and everybody to avenge the eight year old boy currently lying in the hospital. In the end, he calmed down enough to send some of his men to track Jiraiya to see if there was anything they could do for the boy.
He knew that calling Tsunade would be a waste of time. Without Naruto's real arm, there wasn't any way to heal him and she probably wouldn't come back anyway. Jiraiya maybe knew of something in the world that could help the boy and, as his godfather, he deserved to be the first one to know.
His tobacco burned lightly as he sat solemnly, when a medic entered his office.
"Hokage-sama, the boy woke up few minutes ago," the medic said with a ragged breath. He ran without stopping for full ten minutes.
The Hokage's eyes widened and he stood up. "Take me to him, now!"
The medic nodded and they both ran back to the hospital. In front of the room, medic stopped to give the Hokage one last piece of information.
"Try not to wake him up again. When he saw the missing limb, he fell into shock and we barely restrained him," the medic said quietly.
"Thank you," Sarutobi said with a nod before entering the room in which the boy resided.
As soon as his eyes fell on the boy, his eyes filled with tears. He walked to the side of the bed and fell on his knees while his head rested on the bed.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I couldn't protect you well enough," Sarutobi spoke between sobs.
He really hated himself for not making the boy's life any easier. Shame filled him as his eyes traveled to the wrapped up stump that used to be his arm. He knew that only a miracle could make the boy a ninja.
He sat there for few more minutes, sobs escaping him quietly before standing up and leaving the room. He waved his hand and his two personal ANBU guards appeared.
"Tori, you will be stationed outside of the room and let no one but myself and the medics inside. Inu, you will be inside the room and if you see any of the medics planning to take the boy's life in his state, you have permission to use lethal force," Sarutobi said with an ordering voice.
The two ANBU guards saluted and went to their posts. Sarutobi knew that he could trust them and one of them was even the student of the boy's father. The two ANBU remained hidden in the shadows, both determined to keep the boy as safe as possible and ready to cut down any threat that may arise. They wouldn't fail their leader no matter what.
Xxxx
Sarutobi returned to his office and realized that someone was already occupying it. A small smile graced his face as he recognized the chakra signature of his student. He sat in his chair and sighed, beckoning his student to come out of the shadows.
"Hey, Old man. How are things?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.
"Hello, Jiraiya. The tings are… not so well," Sarutobi replied sadly. "It's about Naruto."
Jiraiya's smile faded and his face got more serious. "What happened?"
"He was attacked again, only this time, it is more serious," Sarutobi said with a frown. "His… arm was cut off."
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock before his face contorted in rage. "Those damn idiots! I will kill them!" he shouted angrily.
"Calm down, Jiraiya. It wouldn't be good for you to lose your head and do something stupid," the Hokage said calmly, even though he shared Jiraiya's viewpoint.
Jiraiya growled angrily. "Did you catch the attackers?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "We don't know who did it. The ANBU found him in the forest already armless. He was lucky that the Kyūbi stopped the bleeding so he wouldn't die from blood loss."
Jiraiya snorted. "Yeah, if you want to call it like that. If it weren't for the beast, he wouldn't be in this mess," he said before frowning sadly. "Sometimes I think that Minato should've let the fox continue the rampage. I don't think he would've done the same after what these bigots have done to his son."
"I agree," Sarutobi said quietly. "But what is done, is done. I haven't called you here to discuss what Minato should've done. I've called you here to ask you if you know any way to help Naruto. I know that he could use a puppet arm, but that thing is very risky to use for an active ninja. It would break apart even in sparring."
Jiraiya nodded. "I do know something, but it is very expensive and painful."
Sarutobi perked up. "Let me hear it."
"There is a small village on the other side of the south-eastern mountains of the Fire Country. I've heard there is someone very proficient in mechanics and technology who can create artificial arms better than any puppet arms in the world. If you want, I can take Naruto there and after that I can train him before returning for his graduation in few years."
"What's the name of the village?" Sarutobi asked hopefully.
"Resembool."
Sarutobi nodded. "Very well, take him there after he wakes up and regains a healthy state of mind. From what I've heard, he went into shock after he saw that he was missing his arm."
"Call me when he wakes up," Jiraiya said and leapt out of the window, leaving the old Kage to his musings.
Xxxx
Naruto's eyes opened and immediately darted to his stump. He felt tears well in his eyes and a sob escaped him. He continued to cry silently for a while, not noticing when the door opened and the Hokage entered.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said quietly.
Naruto was startled for a moment, but quickly got his bearings and wiped the tears from his eyes. His gaze went to the window in an effort to hide his pain and despair from the old Kage.
Sarutobi walked over to the boy's side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto stiffened at the contact, but soon his shoulders started to shake as his sobs came again. Sarutobi hugged him gently, showing him that he's not alone. The boy cried for a while before settling down with one last whimper.
"Are you okay now, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked softly to which Naruto nodded weakly. Sarutobi released the boy and sat on a chair by the bed. "Naruto-kun, I am so sorry."
Naruto chuckled, but it was a hollow chuckle, completely without hope for the future. "It's not your fault, Jiji, it's the villagers'. You can't make them see the difference between the demon and its container."
Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"
"I've read books about the Bijū and combined the facts with my date of birth and how the villagers refer to me," Naruto replied. "I'm not stupid as many would think."
Hokage let a small smile grace his lips, although he still felt ashamed about not telling the boy about it. "I'm sorry about not telling you, Naruto-kun."
"It's okay," Naruto said and waved his arm dismissively, only to realize that his arm wasn't there. Tears again threatened to fall, but he held them in. He let out another mirthless chuckle. "I can't take the hat from you anymore, Jiji."
Sarutobi realized what the boy was referring to and smiled. "Don't count that out yet, Naruto-kun," he saw the boy's eyes widen in hope and he continued. "You will travel with my student, Jiraiya, to a small village called Resembool. There you will contact a mechanic who will create a mechanical prosthesis which is almost as good as the real arm. After you get it, Jiraiya will train you before you return to take your graduation exam."
Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw slackened. "Y-you mean, I'm going to be a ninja?" he asked with hope dripping in his every word.
"Yes, Naruto-kun, I will make sure of that," Sarutobi said with a smile before the young boy mustered up all power he had at the moment to grab him in a tight, one-armed hug.
"Thank you," Naruto said between sobs of happiness. "Thank you, Jiji. Thank you so much."
Sarutobi smiled and hugged the boy back. "You don't have to thank me."
"When do we leave?" Naruto asked abruptly, making the old Kage chuckle at his eagerness.
"After you eat and I get you some new clothes, we can meet up with Jiraiya at the gates," Sarutobi said.
"Well then let's eat!" the boy said with a big grin on his face and both he and the old Kage shared a laugh before getting something to eat.
Xxxx
Sarutobi walked toward the gates of the village with Naruto walking right by his side. The old Kage could see the looks on everyone's faces as their gazes fell on the boy. Many had hatred in their eyes and the fact they were pleased that the boy lost his arm was written all over their faces. Sarutobi snarled in anger at the sight. It disgusted him to no end how the people in this village could be so ignorant.
It wasn't only hatred that he saw, though. He also saw some people having the looks of pity and sadness and, in some rare cases, even shame. A small smile graced his lips at the thought of people finally accepting the boy as human and not the beast he contained. He looked at the boy who held his head low and he could see that the boy was afraid. His whole body trembled slightly, fearing that an attack would just come out of nowhere. The old Kage put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, making him calm down.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. We are almost there," the Hokage said and Naruto relaxed a little.
"Thanks, Jiji," Naruto replied and smiled at the old man.
The two arrived at the gate and spotted Jiraiya who was smiling at them. He approached them and extended his arm. "Hey, kid. I'm Jiraiya."
Naruto extended his left and the two shook hands. "I'm Naruto, nice to meet you."
Jiraiya grinned at the boy before nodding to the Hokage. "We better get going, old man."
Sarutobi nodded and hugged the boy one last time. "I will see you later, Naruto-kun."
"Yeah," Naruto said and returned the hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Jiji."
"I'm going to miss you too, Naruto-kun," the Kage said and released the boy. "Train hard, Naruto-kun."
Naruto gave one last grin. "I sure will! See ya!"
With one last wave, Naruto and Jiraiya walked through the gate and left the village.
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