Summary: Naruto wanted nothing more than to be a ninja but his dreams are crushed when Sandaime denies his admittance to the ninja academy for his own protection. But we all know that Naruto never was one to follow the rules. Rated M for safety.

PAIRINGS: NaruTema, MinaKyuu, GaaYugi, IruAya

These are only the pairings I know 100 percent are going to be in the fic. Others, I may or may not have plans for but the pairings listed above are not up for debate.

Warning: Anyone who leaves a message asking for any one of the characters listed above to be in any pairing besides the one already given to them will get their eyes chewed out by a rant. GOT IT! In other words, these pairings aren't up for debate.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or make any money from this fic.

Sad blue eyes looked up at the equally dark blue sky. The gloomy weather matching the gloomy boy as he sat on his swing waiting for it to rain so that also could match the tears that were threatening to fall. 'It's not fair! It's never fair! I never get what I want!'

The six year old got up from his swing and shuffled out of the park. The parents that had originally been dragging their kids home to beat the rain quickened their pace when they saw the Kyuubi child coming their way. Of course, they had enough time to stop and glare before walking out of the gates but Naruto was too depressed to notice. Not that the glares was anything new, but still!

He continued down the streets until a shadow passed from up above. Looking up, he caught sight of a squad of ninja jumping from roof top to roof top, probably on their way back from some amazing mission to save a village from an imposing threat and once they beat the bad guys, the townspeople will cheer and throw parties in honor of their heroes and name that day as wonderful ninjas day so that they will always remember the awesomeness that is ninja... yeah. Being a ninja rocks. Too bad I'm not allowed to go to the academy to become one. Naruto lowered his head so that his bangs covered his face to hide the tear that finally spilled over.

For as long as he could remember he has wanted to be a shinobi. To be able to do all the cool things that they do and to help people. Be seen as someone important. To be a hero. The old man that has always checked up on him to make sure that he's still alive was the first person to ever acknowledge him. Sandaime-ojiisan is also the cause of his foul mood. His dream of becoming Hokage just like Sandaime-ojiisan has been shattered.

For the past two years, Naruto has begged the old man to allow him to start at the academy. Ever since he unlocked his chakra. You see, once a child unlocks his chakra they can be recommended for the academy early, and it's usually no problem if they want to attend. But not for Uzumaki Naruto. Of course, the council would want to make him as miserable as possible by denying him his one true dream (next to having a family).

When a child turns seven, they will have to choose what path to take for their future career. Seven is the age in which you choose between going to the ninja academy or the civilian's school. But for Naruto, it was the deadline for winning over the hearts of the old man and the faceless council (that seem to want to crush his spirit) and allow him to attend the ninja academy. Unfortunately, that time is up with his birthday being a month away. In one weeks time, Uzumaki Naruto will attend... (shudders) school.

As if responding to his sufferings the rain started to fall, washing away the one stray tear that had leaked over earlier. Naruto finally snapped out of his daze as the rain grew heavy and began to soak through his clothes. Cursing, he looked around for a dry place to find shelter only to find glares from shop owners, as if daring him to try to come into their stores.

A gust of wind caused a shiver to run down the back of the boy. He crossed his arms in an attempt to keep warm as he ran down the street looking for a place to get out of the rain. Running the rest of the way home was out of the question seeing as how his apartment was in the middle of town and he'd probably die of pneumonia before he got there.

He remembered an old, abandoned clan compound was somewhere near here and took a right turn that led him away from the market street and towards a forested area. Running past a couple of houses/ mansions that probably belonged to rich merchants or high ranking diplomats, Naruto finally made it to an ivy covered gate.

Naruto stopped and cursed again, falling to his knees in despair as it seemed the universe just loved to torture him.

A lock. He should have know that the condemned building was off limits, especially to civilians like him. He really hated being the under-privileged civilian even more now. Lowering his head in shame, he sat there for another couple of minutes as the rain pelted his already soaked and shivering frame.

The blond slowly got to his feet while the rain seemed to get heavier and the wind more harsh. With his hair plastered to his face, Naruto glared up at the gate with a fierce determination.

"I won't let them keep me down. No matter how many times the world pushes me down. I will just stand back up and keep marching forward. That's the promise of a lifetime." Nodding to himself, he marched and gripped the slippery metal bars that ran vertically. With all the strength in his little body, he lifted himself up and began to climb. Using both hands and feet, he climbed to the top of the ten foot gate. Every time he slipped he would just grit his teeth and grip the bars twice as hard.

Reaching out, his fingers grazed the top bar before he slipped back down a couple of inches. With a final growl and a burst of strength he made it to the top. Pulling himself over, he loosely gripped the bars and slid down on the other side of the gate.

He sighed in relief before letting out a laugh of triumph. Another chilling gust of wind reminded Naruto why he had come here in the first place. With a broad grin, he raced up to the front of the traditional styled mansion.

When he put his hand on the first door he paused, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Weird." His gut feelings told him that this wasn't the room he wanted. Deciding to humor his instincts, he turned to his left and walked further along the building. Reaching the end, he turned and continued past more rooms.

Naruto stopped at the room directly in front of the koi pond, complete with mini-waterfall that has long since dried up and filled with muck from lack of proper care. Another shiver went down his back so he wasted no more time in opening the sliding door, clambering inside, and slamming it shut behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes.

Time seemed frozen as he took in his surroundings. The walls were painted a light sky blue in this luxurious room and there were several paintings hanging from the walls. To the right was a king sized bed with navy blue sheets. Straight across was a door and window leading to the back yard/ training field. To the left was a closet that was open as well as a redwood dresser with dust covered picture frames on top and a bookshelf to the side. In the corner was more paintings leaned up against one another. The only thing that seemed out of place was the fact that this room seemed oddly familiar as if he has been here many times before.

Coming back to his senses, he stripped himself of his clothes and rushed to the closet in nothing but his birthday suit. Picking out a red, fuzzy sweater, he tugged it over his head and pulled his arms through the sleeves. Naruto was effectively swallowed by said sweater. Rolling up the much too long sleeves, the blond hugged the sweater to himself in appreciation and for warmth.

The boy looked outside and saw that the rain wasn't letting up at all.

Great.

He would be stuck here for the night it seems. With a wide yawn he climbed into the bed and curled up under the covers, the smell of dust invading his nostrils. Although, under the smell was the faint scent of musk and perfume. Burrowing deeper into the covers, Naruto fell fast asleep with a content smile on his whiskered face. He didn't even register that this was the first time he's felt perfectly safe in years.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sandaime looked out over his village as the rain grew heavier. He couldn't seem to get the completely heartbroken look out of his mind. The child he looks to as a grandson had his dreams broken and he was partly to blame. He took another swig of his tea and painstakingly lowered himself into his chair. 'Kami, I'm getting to old for this,' he thought to himself.

He started to do his paperwork automatically as his mind wander. 'It really was for the best. Naruto will be much safer if he stays out of the military. From both the outside and inside of this village. As a Jinchuuriki he will have many enemies searching for the power that he contains and it is better to keep him close to the village. And with the council pushing for him to be made into an ultimate weapon for the village, it is better that they don't get that extra control they need from him becoming a shinobi under their jurisdiction.' But no matter how many times he told himself this, he still couldn't forget the glazed blue eyes of the boy he crushed the dreams of.

I know its short but this is just the prologue.

All reviews are appreciated. Flames are fun. "U ROCK!!!"s are valued. Constructive criticism is helpful.

Detailed reviews on how great I am make me all giddy.