DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. If I did...well...let's just say things would be different.

Author's Note: Well, this is my first fanfic (actually, my first story) that I've ever written. I just wanted to explore new traits I had one night, so I sat down on my computer, pounded out the first five chapters in a few hours and realized that this is really fun to do! So I continued doing it.

This story takes place somewhere in between when Naruto leaves to train with Jirayah (leading into Shipudden), and when Sasuke leaves to Orochimaru. It's kind of in that filler episode area.

Feel free to leave comments and reviews at any time, as long as they are meaningful. If you just bash this story ruthlessly and meaninglessly, I'll probably just delete your review or comment. Constructive criticism is always accepted and appreciated.

This is still a work in progress, so I don't know exactly what's going to happen next. I have a vague idea of the main outline of the story, but my memory stores no details. This stuff is mostly made up off a whim. If you see a plothole that doesn't make sense or something like that, PLEASE tell me so I can correct it!

Yes, this is a self-insertion story. I know, it's not the most creative thing in the world that I could've done, but I was curious to try it and it's a lot of fun, so I don't really care.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One: No Sanctuary

I stumbled on my feet and collapsed face first on the grass out of hunger, thirst and pain. I don't remember how long I'd been wandering this forest in search of some sort of civilization, but it felt like forever now. I was exhausted, and I almost forgot about my last relative that I was searching for.

My last relative…he was not even a blood relative of mine. His family and mine were close, and though we were from completely different bloodlines and had no relation to each other whatsoever, almost everyone from both of our families knew people from the other family. No clue as to how the friendship between two clans began, but at this stage of the game, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that Torenkai was my last hope for any chance of survival…and my odds of finding him before dying of thirst or exhaustion were quickly slipping away from my favor.

I'd set out on this journey with plenty of rations, tools and the sort, and I should've been fine. I would've been fine…if I hadn't let go of my map and let it blow away in the harsh winds. Now the map's gone forever, and I had to rely on my compass and the position of the sun to even have a slight idea of where I was going. Too bad I really didn't know how to use them, since I didn't bother to memorize any of the landmarks on the map other than the ones that would lead me straight to The Land of Volcanoes. That's why I brought the map in the first place. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

It's been a few days since I lost my map, and I knew that there were other villages on the map that I didn't bother to memorize. I hadn't come prepared for this at all, and I was cursing myself for not doing more beforehand.

Now I was lost in some forest that apparently has no water source whatsoever, without any food, water or shelt-

Wait a sec…I thought I heard…holy shit, I'm saved!!! I picked myself up from the ground and ran to the water that I heard rushing somewhere. I eventually came upon a canal, and I immediately crouched down and began to drink out of it, careful not to slip in.

Then I began to think, where there's irrigated water means that there must be some kind of civilization up ahead!!! I immediately stood up and followed the canal's flow. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted to go far, and I soon began to lose my footing, leading to me falling flat on my face. I was done. Burnt out, no gas, zero energy left. I just lay there, wondering for a little while whether or not I was going to survive. I tried to pick myself up for a few minutes, but my body did little to cooperate with me. I was literally starving, and I thought that I was going to die out of exhaustion right there on the spot.

I eventually fell there, right on the dirt near the canal, and lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was nowhere near where I fell asleep at.