Little explanation on my plans.
1. I will be keeping as close to canon as I can with this, therefore no majot character changes if I can help it (Naruto excluded) and therefore Satsuki (Fem Sasuke) will still be an arrogant Uchiha.
2. The Harem is NOT up for discussion and I don't intend to post who is on it. It will be a mild surprise for you, though I believe you will guess. I will say there will be only 4.
3. I don't know how good my grammar is so don't hesitate to comment.
4. If anyone has an idea on what I could or should do with an idea I would like to hear it as it may enforce my own conclusions or create new ones for me.
5. Obviously no flamming. I appreciate good comments which are constructive.
6. I intend to make several branching sagas with this one being the base, i.e. why it's called origin. My first Plan is to do a Naruto Avenger Sekirei. I would also like to suggest other authors to do something similar, multi universe crossovers, as it is unique.
Chapter 1: A lonely boy.
Naruto was sat alone in the orphanage grounds on one of the swings. His eyes, sad and pained, stared dispassionately at the orphanage that he lived in. He didn't know why, or what he did to deserve it but there was one thing he was sure of. The village hated him.
It was nothing obvious or dangerous like beatings or anything like that but more subtle, like they wanted to hurt him but were constricted in what they could do. Their displeasure of his existence was, thankfully, contained to: hateful glares, whispers of 'that' or 'it' or, on their more generous days, 'that boy'; as well as actions which include dumping his food or laundry(assuming they deigned to wash his clothes) at their earliest convenience, as if ridding themselves of something disgusting, or corralling the other children away from him, claiming he was dangerous or someone they shouldn't get involved with.
Nothing overt. But maybe more scarring. He was not a full grown man with years of experience and fortitude to support him. He was a kid. 4 years old this day who had never known the love of a parent or even the constant support of a friend.
All he felt was cold and empty as his second birthday within memory went by, ignored by all those around him, on the same day the glares intensified. He wanted to cry. But knew there was no point. No one would come to comfort him. No one would care or even glance in his direction. He was alone and unwant-
"Happy Birthday Naruto-kun." Said an aged voice.
Naruto's head swivelled round at an almost dangerous speeds towards the direction of the voice. What greeted his sore eyes was an old man wearing a white and red robe with a similarly coloured hat with some sort of Kanji on it (He has yet to learn how to read).
In said old man's hands was a small package wrapped in colourful paper with a little ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a bow. But what caught his attention the most was the smile which lay upon the wrinkled face and the kind and caring eyes which look upon him with no strain of repressed emotion or shadow of a hidden agenda. It was, for the eyes of the love deprived child, the most beautiful thing the young child had ever seen.
The old man's smile widened as he saw that the young boy was looking at him before slowly, but deliberately, walked up to birthday boy before kneeling down to his level in front of the swing. Naruto could only stare at the elderly person with unconcealed shock as he came close to him and kneeled in front of him.
The man's face continued to smile, but his eyes were now slightly sad at seeing the boy so shocked to have someone interact with him. Not missing a beat the old man presented the package to the child before him.
"Sorry I couldn't come to your previous birthdays Naruto-kun, I was busy with work and didn't have enough time to visit you." The old man said in an apologetic tone, "But I'm here now so: Happy Birthday!" He said in a more jovial manner. Naruto was still dumbstruck by this old Grampa figure.
He truly had no idea what to say or do in this situation. He had never experience a Birthday, his own or anyone else's; he had not even experienced such friendly interaction with another human being before. As such he could do little but look from the old man's face to the present and back again. The old man, seeing his confusion and feeling a sharper pang of guilt, prompted the boy by jerking the present ever so slightly towards him.
Snapping out of his daze slightly he reached out towards the gift gently grabbing hold of it, as if it would disappear if he were to hold it too tightly. Once he was assured the child had a firm enough grip on the gift not to drop it the old man let go of the present and retracted his hand. This however did not mean that Naruto had accepted the present yet.
He continued to hold the present in the exact same spot that he received it with a look of confusion and even a slight fear which showed the terror he felt that this was all a cruel prank to get him to lower his guard that the old man might hurt him. It had happened before with several of the older kids in the orphanage. He looked steadily at the old man. Watching for any cue, any indication of what to do or what his intentions were in doing this.
The gramps had realised that the boy might be like this and was already waiting for him to ask. Seeing the gaze the old man smile grew bigger and warmer before he gave a nod in affirmation. Seeing the nod Naruto slowly brought the gift towards his chest, his eyes never leaving the colourful package to even blink, as if it would be gone when he opened his eyes again.
When its path finally reached its end Naruto stared at his first present ever with a mix of shock and trepidation. It was only then, at that moment that he actually realised what was happening to him. What the old man had given to him and what it all meant for young Naruto. He also realised that this present, this colourfully wrapped object with a little ribbon wrapped around it and tied into a bow, was not in the least bit important.
In a flash Naruto jumped off of the swing in a burst of instinctual need for physical contact with the sole person who ever so much as looked upon him with kindness. Before the old man could comprehend what was happening he felt the air forced out of him as the small child barrelled into his stomach and wrapped his small, skinny arms as far and as tightly as he could and wept tears of pure unadulterated joy.
Now the one in shock the man could not help but let out a small tear at the child's reaction to a birthday present he had yet to even open. His grandfatherly instinct kicking in Konoha's grandfather figure wrapped his arms around the small child who was clinging to him and crying into his robes without shame or care.
The Hokage knew he was needed back at the office fairly soon however he resolved to make up for lost time later. He owed Minato and Kushina, not to mention this poor child, at least that much. It was an hour or two before the child in his arms cried himself to sleep, during which he had on several occasions thanked him and increased the strength of his hugs to an almost unbearable and heartbreaking level. By the end of it the Hiruzen felt like trash.
Konoha had failed their Yondaime.
"Tenzo" Hiruzen called.
"Hai" A man wearing an animal mask of some sort replied. His normally crisp reply followed by a 'Hokage-sama' was forgotten in the wake of that child's pain. The Sandaime hardly blamed him.
"You are hereby tasked with watching over Naruto for the Forseeable future as a long running mission. I want to know everything that happens to him and everything that he does. You may still be assigned regular missions and be called away on other duties within the village however for any other time while on duty you are to be watching over him." The Professor ordered, now standing while cradling the sleeping Naruto.
With more enthusiasm, unusual for a now literal babysitting duty, the young ANBU member acknowledged the order with a once again crisp and formal "Hai, Hokage-sama" before once again disappearing.
Hiruzen sighed in disgust at both himself and the villagers for making him so void of love and care and for not noticing it and allowing it to happen. As well as what he, as Hokage, had to do now. Taking the child to his room in the orphanage he place Naruto into his bead under the sheets before placing the package and a note before hiding it under a small Genjutsu which Only Naruto would be able to see though. With a heavy heart and a newly lit fire Hiruzen Sarutobi left Naruto under the watchful eye of Tenzo.
... The Following Morning...
Naruto woke to the morning sun and the chirping of Birds. He groaned and struggled to avoid weeping as he realised that all that he saw, the kind eyes, the warm smile, the genuine present on his birthday was nothing but a dream. He felt more empty than ever that the only way to feel joy was to dream it. After several minutes of lying in his bed forcing composure upon himself he finally gained the force of will to get out of bed. Then he saw it.
On his night stand, next to his lamp, was a small package wrapped in colourful paper with a little ribbon around it and tied into a bow. In a moment of hope and scepticism Naruto tentivly reached out to touch the object of possibly hallucinogenic origin. He touched it. He could feel it. IT WAS REAL!
He instantly grabbed it and brought it close, temporarily ignoring the note he grabbed with it, and hugged it tightly while making happy squeals. Feeling the rush of emotion abate he debated whether to open it or preserve it forever in dedication of what happened yesterday. That was when the note fell on his lap. He looked at it for several seconds not understanding a single word that was written.
Most children his age were already able to read to some extent however none of the staff in the orphanage opted to teach him how to read and write and when he had noticed others learning and had asked they merely sneered at him before going back to whatever they were doing.
Tenzo, thankfully noticed his confused and eventually anguished expressions and realized the potential problem. Both he and the Hokage should have realised it much sooner. Maybe they thought they would at least teach him how to read, as was their duty, but apparently not. Reading between the lines of his orders Tenzo opted to make himself known and appeared just outside his window before making his presence known by knocking on the frame.
To say Naruto was startled was an understatement. In fact it may also have been the wrong word. He was startled by the noise, terrified by the implication and horrified to see someone was looking at him. This was evident from how he jumped at the sound before frantically hiding the present and note under his pillow and then went to staring at the ANBU who he did not see until it was too late.
Tenzo felt extremely uncomfortable by the boy's reaction to him and his attempt to hide the present from him, or more accurately from those in the orphanage. His attempt to not startle the child had ended badly but thankfully he fully believed he could fix this. Raising his hands in a peaceful gesture, which actually did little to ease the child's fear, Tenzo slowly and carefully entered the room making sure to watch the child closely for his limit.
Getting to within two metres of the young Jinchuriki the ANBU decided to not push his luck and came to a standstill. Summoning every ounce of bedside manner and acting skill he had the newly appointed psuedo-guardian initiated the conversation.
"My name is Tenzo. I am a member of the Hokage's ANBU." He began. Seeing the Blonde had at least some understanding of how the village worked he forged on. "The Hokage, the man you met yesterday,-" the boy's eyes widened "-left the note under the assumption you would have been taught how to read it."
While he didn't know how much the note said or if the Hokage had informed the child of his status as Hokage or just assumed he knew he felt the child would figure it out eventually and it was better to tell him now.
"If you wish I would read the letter for you so that you may hear what he has to say." The boy looked torn at that. His eyes revealed everything and stated quite clearly he wanted more than anything to read the note. But he was also afraid that he might take it and destroy it.
Eventually the urge to know what the stranger, who he now knew was the leader if this village, had written to him and the fact he was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to this unknown ANBU won out and he hesitantly reached under his pillow to pull the note out, though he was careful to keep the present hidden.
Tenzo patiently waited for the child to present the note to him and when he finally received it he handled it with the same care the child showed, using the tips of his fingers to hold it.
"It says:" he starts "Dear Naruto, I am sorry I am unable to stay until you wake up however my position requires that I do a lot of paperwork and meetings. I hope you enjoy your present however and will be looking forward to seeing you again as soon as I have a moment free." Tenzo Paused for a moment before finishing. "P.S. Don't keep the wrapped gift. Open it."
Tenzo raised an eyebrow in confusion until he saw the sheepish look Naruto was giving which told him all he needed to know. Handing back the note to the boy, who seemed more at ease now, he was about to leave when he noticed the boy had taken out his present and begun unwrapping it, being extra careful with the paper so as not to tear any of it. Deciding to stay and add a more detailed reaction to the report he had the immense pleasure and joy to see something only a select few people would see for years to come.
Upon opening the present saw his first gift. It was a wallet which looked like a small deflated toad. It was actually quite cute in his opinion and he could already imagine how cute it would be after he filled it up, if he filled it up. His face hadn't had one since before he could remember but thankfully muscle instinct prevailed and in an instant a beautiful, radiant smile blossomed on his face as he beamed in sheer happiness and excitement at what could, and always would, be described as the second best present of his life.
Tenzo was almost in a daze at the stark change in his appearance. Gone was the black of night and now the sun reigned across the sky sending life and spreading joy to all who could see it (assuming you are a morning person. (Sorry for ruining the moment :/ )).
How the child could smile like that after everything he had suffered was a mystery but there was one thing Tenzo knew and that was that he would treasure this moment, and that smile till his dying days. He stayed in the room long enough for the child's smile to die down a bit from solar to merely bright before he coughed and announced his intention to leave. Before he could however a small weight suddenly clung to his leg. When he looked down he saw the blonde hugging his leg with a still bright smile.
"Thank you Tenzo-san! You're awesome!" The boy said in a cheery voice. It was also the first time he had heard the boy talk, he realised, and he must say it was a brilliant introduction to a voice.
"You're welcome Naruto" Tenzo replied with a smile. He managed to realise that he still had a mask on so also nodded in acknowledgement of his words before patting the boy on the head and Shunshinning out of room and heading to the Hokage's office to report on the child's wake up, something he knew the Hokage would want to know.
Naruto stood in his room in a small daze as his hand drifted to his recetly patted head. He didn't like the idea of someone 'patting' you on the head as it reminded him of a pet however he felt slightly happy at the intended affectionate act.
... Hokage Office...
Sarutobi had spent the last three minutes just staring at his Rival. No matter what he did the bastard would always show up, regardless of him feelings or previous actions. Every time his Rival appeared he always was left thinking, and in this case saying, the same thing.
"Fucking paperwork." The old man growled. He had tried time and again to subjugate his long time Rival but the bastard was slippery and cunning which meant it was never truly gone and was merely waiting to strike whenever you were tired and emotionally weary (NOTE: 'Weary' means tired. Not cautious which is 'wary').
Hiruzen was for the umpteenth time wondering if using a Katon Jutsu would be an effective method of removing this thorn in his side for AT LEAST a day. But again for the umpteenth time he realised that not only would more eventually come as soon as it finished burning but the next batch after that would be a replacement of all the papers he had just burnt, as well as the swearing and glares from the people who had had to file reports, etc, twice. Being Hokage SUCKED. Who would want to be Hokage? You would have to be a complete idiot with a terrible fashion sense, like a kid who wears a kill-me-orange jumpsuit or something, to actually WANT to be a Kage.
As Sarutobi lamented his choices in life, his increasingly depressed features severely worrying and freaking out his hidden ANBU, he noticed someone shunsining into his office. Jerking his head up and smiling a half real smile, real because he now had an excuse for postponing paperwork, he was met with the kneeling form of one Tenzo. The Sandaime's face became very real now as he now looked forward to hearing about Naruto.
"Reporting Hokage-sama." Declared Tenzo.
"Ah, Tenzo, how was Naruto-kuns morning?" Sarutobi asked. He did not expect his ANBU agent to report so soon, seeing as it had only been a couple hours since the young Jinchuriki would have awoken, but he was grateful none the less as it had been a point of worry for the old Hokage ever since he left.
"After watching Naruto for several hours after sundown I went to barracks to rest for six hours before returning to my post. Naruto woke up two hours later, approximatly an hour ago. From his reaction to the present on his night stand I think he believed, until that point, the previous night was a dream." The effectively turned Hiruzen's smile upside down. However he remained silent as the Tenzo continued his report.
"After he grabbed the present he noticed the note you left. When he tried to read it his face became confused and forlorn. I quickly realised that he had yet to learn how to read." Hiruzens eyes widened at that before he scowled.
While he did not expect Naruto to be able to read Medical scrolls the note was not that complicated and Naruto should have been able to read it (I am assuming Shinobi develop faster). Assuming he had actually been properly taught. He again remained silent as the ANBU continued, though he was also trying to avoid glaring at the messenger of this bad news.
"At this point, seeing as you did not tell me to be hidden from him, I opted to reveal myself so as to offer my assistance." Hiruzen smiled at his ANBU, happy that he had read between the lines and acted in a way that fulfilled the spirit of his task to the fullest.
"At which point he frantically tried to hide the gift and showed a terrified expression when he noticed I had already seen everything." Hiruzen was now looking shocked. His mouth was hung open and he seemed to be in a bit of a daze. None the less Tenzo chose to continue as if nothing happened.
"When I entered the room he became very defensive of the gift as he continued to keep himself between the package and I, despite the fact there was nothing he could have done to stop me." Sarutobi was both heartbroken and happy about this. Happy because Naruto was willing to protect his gift, heartbroken because the child felt he had to.
"After calming him down and informing him who I was and why I was there he reluctantly hand the note over to me to read. By the way it seems you were correct that he was going to keep the wrapped present as a memento Hokage-sama." The Sandaime sighed sadly at that, feeling increasingly exasperated and angry with the Village and Orphanage as this whole fiasco went on.
"When he opened the present his... features lit up. He... smiled what could only be called a true genuine smile and his eyes widened and... sparkled with Joy." The Sandaime noted the momentary trance his ANBU was in as he recounted the child's reaction to a mere Gama wallet. If his smile could affect his ANBU, this one in particular, this much then it must have been a sight to behold.
"Afterward I believed it best to report to you what had transpired and was about to leave when Naruto Uzumaki thanked me for reading the note for him. After I assured him it was nothing I left and came straight here." The ANBU finished.
Hiruzen didn't really know what to say after all that. He was happy that Naruto found his gift, and hopefully by extension him, precious and that he could still smile like that and be happy, regardless of why he was so, as it meant that he had not lost to hate.
However the fact remained was possibly near a breaking point when he found him. He should have known better. No he DID know better. But the turmoil and desperation after the Kyuubi attack due to damages and a weakening of Konohagakure's military force had made the Sandaimes job difficult and stressful, in every sense of the word. If he were young, hell is he were even 10 years younger, it would have been bearable however for the first year he literally slept in the office and for the second he usually went to bad at his house full dressed because he was too tired to do otherwise.
His age really made even the task of sitting in his chair uncomfortable and tiring. It was a flimsy excuse to say the least however he was not actually tasked with caring for him. It was not really his responsibility! It was Jiriya's and - GAH! Shut up you should have made Jiriya stay around longer to look after him or atleast assigned an ANBU to keep tabs on the child.
Sarutobi sighed again. If one where to look, and Tenzo did, the Sandaime seemed to age a decade as he put his face in his hands to calm himself down and think. This was not how things should have gone. It was not really his fault as the villagers were entrusted with treating the Yondaime's son, not that they knew that bit, well as the Fourth's dying request and they had spat on it and, in every way, him because of their own selfish hate and fear. Taking deep breathes now Sarutobi managed to compose himself sufficiently to face his ANBU.
"Tenzo. Upon returning you are to speak with the Orphanage and are to inform them that they are to correct their mistakes with Naruto post haste and anything they have neglected to give or teach him is to be fixed. Aside from that your mission still stands Tenzo. I expect weekly updates at least." He commanded while presenting a scroll of paper with official order.
"Tell me at once if you become tired of the task and I will assign someone else." He did not want the ANBU neglecting his watch over the boy because he got bored. Loyal and dedicated or not babysitting was the least favourite aspect of any Ninja.
"Hai Hokage-sama." The ANBU stated before dissapearing in the standard leaf shunshin.
The Sandaime gave a tired sigh before looking back towards his paperwork pile before giving an even more tired and considerable exasperated sigh as a tears welled up in his eyes. Then a fresh determination filled him as he straightened his back and prepared himself to once again face his worse enemy.
'I won't be beaten by you. I won't succumb to despair. I will win this battle between us my old Arch Nemesis, even if it kills me!' The Professor declared in his mind as he once again faced the greatest enemy in human history.
...Tenzo...
Tenzo moved rapidly through Konoha, ignoring the morning bustle as people went about their business. Despite being a babysitting mission he was quite pleased about it. While most ANBU wouldn't be happy about being sent to watch over a kid inside Konoha, especially one that contained the Kyuubi, his glimpse into the life and state of the four year old was disconcerting and painful.
It also reminded his, mostly, of his what had been done to him by Orochimaru, without the experimentations and deaths. Atleast he had come out of the darkness and been given a chance to serve Konoha, which had welcomed him. The boy however was without respite or hope as the entire village looked at him with hateful eyes. Tenzo could only hope that the Sandaime and/or himself could change things for him if possible.
There was hope as he had acted positively towards both the Hokage and himself. He couldn't help but smile at the sudden turnaround from Naruto after he had opened that present and hoped the Sandaime would be able to see it as well.
He finally reached the orphanage only to see Jinchuriki surounded by several boys in what was obviously a bullying session while the carers stood by and pretended not to notice. This lit a fury in the ANBU and was about to intervene, and break a few of those so called caretaker's bones, when he saw an extraordinary sight.
...Naruto...
After the ANBU, as he apparently was called(He knew what the Hokage was but didn't know about the ANBU), left Naruto was on cloud nine. He was sad that he was left alone again but that he had not one but two people that noticed him in less than two days sent the Blonde into a happy, jumping, smiling mess for several minutes.
After he had calmed down somewhat he realised he would be late for breakfast. And he was. By one minute. This however was all it took for the faculty to deny him breakfast for the day. It was not an uncommon occurrence for him to miss a meal because of a minor infraction. But he didn't mind so much today. Because it would take a lot more than a missed meal to dampen his mood. Something a number of people in the orphanage noticed.
He smiled most of the time regardless of how he was feeling however now it was a bit brighter and more genuine than before. This was enough to get him in trouble with five of the other boys. After breakfast they went up to him and to question him about what he was all happy about.
"What's up with you bug? You're acting awfully happy today." asked the bigger of them, the leader of their little band of bullies which terrorised the younger children.
"Yeah. A disgusting bug like you doesn't deserve to feel happy, let alone act it." taunted one of the other kids.
"What would fat ugly slugs like you know?" Naruto retorted. It was a common song and dance. They would mock him, he would take offence and then they would proceed to beat him to a pulp under the watchful eye of the carers.
"Woah this bug is getting a bit uppity ain't it? I think we need to teach this bug its place." The leader said dangerously. Two of the other boys grabbed Naruto before he could do anything, preventing his arms from doing anything.
This however did not stop his feet which he used to kick the other kids. That was promptly stopped as the kids holding him continued to punch him in the sides giving the other three a chance to move in and start punching his body and face with abandon.
Normally Naruto would have been force to just take it but he refused to now. He was not alone anymore. There were people who cared about him and he was NOT going to allow himself to be a mere victim anymore!
He would prove himself to them and to everyone that he was worth something and then they would respect him! With this Oath in mind he begins to kick bite and claw at the other boys. Using every bit of strength and ounce of energy to scratch, bruise and send them flyin- Nani?
Naruto Looked in shock as the boy he had just kicked was sent flying a dozen feet before he smashed into the orphanage wall with a loud and sickening crack. The boys around him were in greater shock and were now a little afraid.
Naruto, being on the giving end and being in the compromising situation reacted quickly and proceeded to kick the other two boys in a similar fashion, although the effect was less prominent for some reason, before turning his attention to the other two boys, head putting one and then using his now free hand to punch the other. All the while he had been getting less and less dramatic effects from his attacks until he was the last one standing.
He could not help but look at the scene in awe as the other boys groaned, cried or remained worryingly unconscious, depending upon when in the order of events they were hit. It was then that the adults finally intervened. By blaming and shouting at Naruto.
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE YOU BRAT!" One caretaker yelled. Naruto knew there was no point to complaining so he settled for a glare. Which the adults ignored in favour of shouting, caring for the defeated bullies and glaring at him.
"LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO THESE BOYS YOU MONSTER! GET OUT OF THIS ORPHANGE RIGHT NOW OR I WILL-"
"do what?"
The Caretaker stopped in her screeching as a sudden cold fell upon her and the others. The feeling and images of dying over and over again filled her mind as she turned around to face a visibly shaking in, what everyone could tell, was anger as a dark aura surrounded his visage. All the carers gulped audibly as they were now faced with a very angry ANBU agent who they had little doubt had seen the whole thing.
"I... We... He att-" She began in a shaky voice which ended abruptly when she tried to accuse Naruto of attacking the bullies as the killing intent increased and she, more so than the others, began to struggle to breath.
"I saw the whole thing. He defended himself from bullies which you could, and should, have done for him. He was well within his right to do so and even if what you said is true you do NOT have the authority to throw a child out of the Orphanage, even with the Hokage's approval." Tenzo countered.
It was true. It was one of the central laws that unless he had a habitable, as dictated by the Konoha housing standards laws, secondary form of residence to go to; he had to remain, under any circumstances, in the orphanage until he was sixteen, or a Ninja, and anyone under sixteen and not a ninja went to the orphanage. Not even the Hokage was allowed to simply cast a child out.
Now they were looking as if their hands had been caught in the cookie jar, except they looked a lot less sheepish and a lot more terrified. This was near on physical child abuse, which could land them in jail, and considering how the ANBU was acting they would have to be extremely lucky to get away with being fired and black listed.
They were saved, at least from the KI, by the exuberant voice of the demon container.
"Tenzo onii-chan!" cried the oddly happy and unaffected boy who proceeded to run up to and glomp the ANBU. The carers sighed in relief as the ANBU Tenzo stopped releasing killing intent in favour of keeping the boy from slipping and then picking him up.
"Did you see that? Did you see? I made a decision to fight back with all I had then POW they were sent flying! Did I do good? Did it look cool? Does this make me a badass? What do you think? Onii-chan answer me!"
The ANBU didn't know what to think. One minute he was picking up the child that had glomped him the next he was being barraged by endless and sometimes repetitive questions. Choosing to answer only three from the still increasing number of questions Tenzo made to interrupt.
"I did and you looked very cool, I'm proud of you." And he was. To see him take a stand like that and then be all cheerful despite being on the receiving end of a beating which had left his face swollen and bleeding was something which made him very happy.
But he was also feeling wary and confused. What the boy had just done was weird as he seemed to use Chakra to fight them. This was weird for a four year old as they usually are unable to use chakra at this point and if they can it is rarely enough to do anything with it.
But Naruto's chakra was not only used to enhance his muscles but it, for a mere second, manifested around into a visible form! For a second he though the kyuubi was getting loose but it when then he noticed the second weird and shocking thing. The chakra was green.
Not Blue or Red but GREEN! As in medical Jutsu green. Tenzo had absolutely no clue what was going on. What had happened and how any of this was possible. One thing he did know was that he was not going to be having a normal life after this. Not that such a life could be considered normal anyway.
Once again Tenzo looked at the unjustly relieved carers before releasing his KI and Aura again which caused them to snap back their attention to him and the now smiling and bouncing blonde child.
"The Hokage shall hear of this." Tenzo stated ominously before disappearing in a shunshin, leaving the carers sweating and terrified.
The ANBU stopped at the hospitable on the way to the Hokage's office in order to inform the medics that there is was injured at the orphanage which required immediate medical attention. He would have normally transported the injured children himself but after what they tried and what the carers tried he didn't want to leave Naruto behind with his supposed caretakers to save trash.
Naruto was in a state of excited awe when the ANBU Shunshinned from place to place to the point his movements, i.e. bouncing upon Tenzo's arm, caused the ANBU to have a very sore arm by the time he reached the Hokage's office for the second time that morning.
When the duo arrived in the Hokage's office they were geeted by the sight of Hiruzen sribbling madly through the a paper before moving onto the next. Anime flames were flaring wildly in his eyes. It was kinda comical. Though what happened next made Naruto giggle.
"Hokage-sama." Said Tenzo. The Hokage was in the process of placing the recently finished piece of paper on the 'finished pile' when he heard his ANBU. Suddenly dividing his attention he ended up putting more force into placing the paper on the pile. Effectively toppling it.
There was silence as the paper fell to the floor, spreading everywhere and falling COMPLETELY out of order. The look of shock on the Hokage's face as it fell and the horror afterward was hilarious, and if they were not ANBU more would have been joining Naruto in his giggle fit.
After the Hokage recovered from the latest counter attack by his nemesis he ordered the hidden ANBU to pick up and order the paper, which they obeyed with smiled concealed under their masks.
"Naruto-kun. I must admit I was expecting to see you at a much later date." Said the old man with a confused smile on his face.
"JIJI!" shouted the little blonde boy as he jumped out of Tenzo's arms and proceeded to run around the tidy side of the desk and hug his new grandfather figure. The ANBU gave a reproachful, as much as they could with a mask on, look but immediately accepted it when the Hokage admitted he didn't mind. Placing the boy on his lap Hiruzen then turned his attention to his ANBU who had been standing expectantly as the Hokage attended to Naruto.
"What happened?" the Hokage asked in a concerned tone. Tenzo recounted what he had seen when he arrived, namely the beating and lack of care by the carers, followed by the turn around and the method by which he did it.
Needless to say Hiruzen was also surprised by his abilities. A mere Shinobi being able to create an aura of Chakra and that it was not the traditional blue was extraordinary.
'This could be a Kekkai Genkai, though I know for a fact neither of his parents had this ability.'
Sarutobi had no clue what to think about it let alone how Naruto had such Chakra. That however didn't matter as much as what had to be done about it.
"Tenzo. I assume you have no problem babysitting Naruto." Naruto scowled a little at that while Tenzo looked a little confused at the statement, assuming you had the Byakugan.
"Hai. I have no issues with this assignment." stated the ANBU, who kept his feelings out of his voice.
"Very well. As someone who has had to teach himself how to use his Kekkai Genkai you are now assigned to train Naruto-kun to control his powers and to become a Shinobi as well as rectify the mistakes his former carers have committed." Commanded the Hokage in a stately voice.
"He will be assigned an apartment near the centre of the village and it will be your task to feed and clothe his from the stipend he will be given; as well as guide him to and from training field number 32 which you will be assigned until stated otherwise. If you are assigned a mission or are given personal time you must ensure Naruto is taken care of until you next see him." Taking a breath the Hokage finished,
"While you are caring for him you may take off your mask and go under the codename Yamato. Do so now." Surprised but obedient the newly codenamed Yamato removed his mask to reveal a man with short brown hair and black, almond-shaped eyes.
"Hai Hokage-sama." Both men turned the oddly silent four year old who now had a dazed expression on his face and he slowly and thoroughly computer what his Jiji just said.
"Do you mean it Jiji? Tenzo onii-chan is going to teach and look after me?" Naruto asked hopefully. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the 'onii-chan' bit, but smiled and nodded in confirmation and was rewarded with that genuine smile his ANBU had told him about. He had to say his words did not do it justice.
"THANK YOU JIJI !" shouted the young child on his lap who once again gave the Hokage a tight hug which the old man returned with a chuckle.
"Tenzo onii-chan when do we start? What will you teach me? Will-" seeing where this was going Yamato interrupted quickly before the barrage became too severe.
"We start next week once you are settled and set up and I will tell you what we will learn when we start. Ah and you will call me Yamato-sensei from now on." clarified Yamato.
"Hai Yamato onii-chan" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. This caused Hiruzen to chuckle as Yamato sweat dropped before giving in to the eccentric and energetic child. Turning towards the amused visage of the Hokage the now part time ANBU began to clarify as to where exactly he would be living and how much authority he would have over the boy's life. After several minutes he left with Naruto, feeling safe and daunted in the knowledge that Naruto was housed and his entire future was in his hands.
...one week later...
The last week had been the best in Naruto's life so far. Meeting his surrogate grandfather, meeting his onii-chan and finally being taken out of the orphanage and cared for by his new mentor and guardian, Yamato onii-chan. It was heartening to have someone show an interest in you. Few children realised how lucky they were to have a parental figure fuss over their diet and state of dress or cleanliness. He didn't even mind when Yamato told him off for doing something wrong as he could feel that he was doing it because he cared and wanted to help him improve and stay healthy.
Over the last week Yamato had been ensuring his Apartment was in order and ensuring meals were prepared and eaten. Naruto was still too young to cook and clean up after himself so Yamato had to do it for him until he was big enough to do it himself. Clothe shopping was a trying event for both of them as most of the shop owners would glare at Naruto and try to charge extra for his clothes.
That was always stopped abruptly when Yamato used his ghoul-eyes jutsu to corral the shop owners into giving them a discount. Yamato found the whole thing aggravating however the fact it was easily resolved made things easy to bear in comparison to what Naruto was going through. But it was still trying for him. How so? Because of Naruto's obsession with orange.
Every shop they went to he immediately would pick out the only orange items of clothing in the entire store, and considering they were all in the back of the store and kept out of sight was a true testament to how obsessed he was with the colour.
It was an uphill battle for Yamato and it often reached the point where Naruto's obsession and stubbornness rivalled his fear of Yamato's ghoul-eyes. In the end Yamato had to compromise by allowing him to possess orange tops and jumpers but only allowed blue and black trousers and sandals. It was delicate but it tempered Naruto's love of the colour enough for Yamato to put the fear of god into him and force acceptance.
He was not going to spend the next eight years or so looking at a boy who was always dressed from head to toe in kill-me-orange. He's rather die.
Thankfully for Naruto the children he fought were not critically injured, which was odd considering the force he hit them with should have left some of them on death's door. Or in his house. The doctors didn't know how they were still fine as the damage would normally have been significant however it seemed as if the children were already partially healed when they found them.
Hiruzen and Yamato both agreed that it had something to do with the hue of his Chakra. Naruto did not feel worried about the whole thing as he did not comprehend he had hit them all that hard, which Yamato believed would be best kept under wraps for now.
Anyway, now was the day Yamato would teach Naruto how to be a Ninja and how to use cool Jutsus!
Yamato had taken him to the assigned Training Ground at seven in the morning. He would have taken him there at six however Yamoto had quickly learnt that Naruto was NOT a morning person, which he had learnt the hard way when he tried to wake him up at five and had his hand bitten by an angry and drowsy Naruto. Also, despite his surprising levels of stamina, he was still a four year old boy who needed plenty of rest in order to grow.
Once they were there and Naruto was paying close attention Yamato began.
"Alright Naruto this will be you're lessons for the following month. Whether it will be the same for the following month will depend on how well you complete the tasks given." He waited for Naruto to give a nod of understanding, indicating that he understood and was still paying rapt attention.
"We will begin in the morning with two hours of physical exercise to burn excess energy. Followed instructions in how to mold one's chakra by use of Hand seals and later in the month we will work on Chakra control." He paused a moment to again gain confirmation that Naruto was paying attention, which he was, before he continued.
"We will continue to do so for three hours until you can do them on instinct." Naruto's enthusiasm dropped slightly however you would have to know him rather well to tell. "We will have lunch and then the afternoons will be dedicated to reading and writing." Yamato finished. Any enthusiasm lost at the lack of cool Jutsus was regained tenfold when he heard about being taught to read and write.
It had been a point of embarrassment for him that he had not been able to read, whether it was his fault or not, as the other kids would pick on him because of it and because it had caused trouble for Yamato onii-chan throughout the week, as well as almost depriving him of the chance to know what his Jiji's note said (Note he is illiterate and he doesn't know how boring books can be at this point but has already been taught the importance of being able to read).
"Let's go Yamato onii-chan!" With unnatural exuberance at the prospect of a hard day's work.
Yamato considered trying to get Naruto to call him sensei before he remembered how stubborn he can be and decided not to waste the day trying.
"Alright Naruto-kun. Let's start with half an hour jog around the training ground."