Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to the series.


"I hate this stupid village!" the eleven year old shouted at the top of his lungs as he punched one of the trees with his bare fists. He winced as the bark shredded his skin, but he refused to cry as the pain assaulted him. He nursed his bleeding knuckles and sat down, watching as the sun began to sink in the horizon. He had finally found a place where those villagers couldn't find him, and for the first time in his short life, no one glared at him. The one reason he didn't like to be alone was because that meant he would think and when he thought, only bad things would filter in his mind. Thoughts about his life, the treatment he received, and how alone he felt. A cold rush of wind blew through the forest, and he shivered a little. The sounds of birds lulled him to sleep, and as he closed his eyes, he thought about how different it would be if his life could be peaceful like this all the time.


Riku placed his hands behind his back as he walked down the streets of Konoha. He had just moved to the peaceful village, though he knew that beneath its supposed façade, there was danger lurking behind the corner. His seventy years in the Elemental Nations taught him that lesson, and sometimes he learned it the hard way. He had pure white hair that was in a braid that went down his back, wore a grey kimono styled shirt with black pants. Though he was old, he walked without the aid of a cane, something he was rather proud of. As his geta sandals clacked against the dirt, he decided to walk away from the busy streets. He enjoyed the soft colours that sunset brought, and as he looked up at the blue sky, he smiled wistfully. His wife would've loved the village. As he made his way towards the forest that encased the village, he stopped as he saw a little boy, no older than eleven, lying under a large tree. "Shouldn't he be home with his parents?" he asked himself as he walked closer to the boy. However when he saw wild blonde hair and whisker marks, he knew exactly who the boy was. A frown marred his wrinkled face. He had seen how the other villagers treated the boy, and frankly, he wasn't pleased with them. From what he deduced, the boy had the Kyuubi sealed into him, and the stupid people thought he was the demon fox that attacked the village years ago. He shook his head in distaste and kicked the boy a little on his foot to wake him up. He noticed how the boy tensed when he saw him, and how he went on the defense. "You shouldn't be lying there, gaki. You'll get the cold" he said and the boy eyed him suspiciously.

"Ah. Okay" he replied and moved to get up, when Riku noticed his knuckles. Riku grabbed his hands, and Naruto pulled away.

"Just what were you doing out here, gaki?" he asked with concern in his voice. Naruto looked away but didn't respond. Riku ripped his shirt, something that made the boy's eyes widen. He was going to take the boy's knuckles into his once more, but Naruto shied away. "Come on gaki. I'm just going to treat you, that's it" he added and forcefully took the boy's hand.

"Why?" Naruto whispered and Riku almost didn't hear him. When Riku didn't respond, Naruto shouted his question again, only to receive a bop on the head. "That hurt old geezer!" he added and that brought a smile to Riku's face.

"Shut up gaki and wait until I'm finished" he said and focused on his task at hand. When he was finished, he sat down beside Naruto who scooted away from him. "You remind me of my son" he added and Naruto didn't look at him. "He's dead if you're wondering" he added and Naruto turned to him.

"What?!" he asked, almost shouted at the casual way the old man said something so sad. "What happened to him?" he added. He had recognized the old man as the new dango shop holder that just moved to Konoha.

"He died when he was just thirteen years old from an incurable disease" Riku replied as he watched the fluffy white clouds. Naruto looked at his bandaged hands with a frown on his face. "He was just as noisy as you are" he added and Naruto's couldn't help the smile on his face.

"So that means he was just as awesome as I am!" Naruto declared and Riku couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's antics.

"Yes, you could say that" Riku said, folding his hands on his lap. "He loved to pull pranks too" he added.

"Wow, he sounds just like me" Naruto murmured and Riku nodded. "I think that your son was great, old man" he added, with a strangely, soft tone.

"He would've wanted to meet you, young Uzumaki" Riku said as he sighed at the pinkish sky. "He loved it when others joined him in pulling his pranks and you seem like the perfect person" he added.

"What was his name, old man?" Naruto asked and Riku ruffled his hair. He watched how the young blonde flinched at the contact and just retracted his hand.

"His name was Hikaru" Riku said and Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I think it's time for you to go home, youngling" he added and Naruto pouted.

"I hate going to that village" Naruto confessed and Riku studied the boy in front of him. It was so heartbreaking to see such a young boy to feel that way, Riku thought.

"Well then, come on" Riku said as he got up. Naruto looked at him with uncertainty in his eyes. "Since I just opened up my store, I have yet to receive a customer. I think that you should be the first, and for that, the first dango is free" he added.

"Ano, old man, I don't really like dango. I think ramen's better" Naruto said and that earned him a bop on the head. "What was that for?" he shouted and got to his feet.

"That's for saying something silly" Riku replied as he walked away. He couldn't help the smile on his face as Naruto started to rant about how ramen was the food of the Gods. "Oh, shut up, gaki" he added, and Naruto just smiled at the man, happy that someone didn't hate him for something beyond his comprehension.

"Ya know something, old man. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship" Naruto said and Riku threw his head back before he started to laugh.