Naruto was sprinting through the thick forest floor of the northern forest surrounding the Leaf village with his black shirt torn and painful expression on his face as his eight year old body was falling apart as he was bleeding from the multiple cuts along his body. However, those cuts were the last things on his mind as the overwhelming rain storm overhead was soaking him to the bone causing the blood from the wounds continually flow as it refused to clot seeing as Naruto was moving as fast as he could to get away.
Getting away from what? Better question would be what would he stay for? As he grew up he faced terrible conditions from the abuse of the village from the overpriced food which was nothing but scraps fit more for homeless dogs than humans. Or should he stay for the sights? To drink in the glares and hate from the villagers as he walked down the streets they shared? To feel ostracized for something he could never grasp and could never change because all he knew he never did anything wrong.
Locked away in his tiny room in the dusty attic of the orphanage as potential parents came by because he was "a monster who should never be loved". Beaten by the same caretakers that fussed over another child if he or she got a scrape on their knees. Eventually the sight of celebration for someone else's birthday did not even stir a feeling of jealousy within him. All he felt was a disconcerting numbness, he didn't feel anything, at times he couldnt fathom emotions, how could he go from intense sadness, to simply nothing? How can the people around him be so two-faced? The same mouth that sings out in joy for another spits and curses him. The same hands that push children on the swings push him to the ground only to beat him for living. The same eyes that behold the beauty of the world surrounding them open in amazement only to close as others ignore his broken form. The same ears that listen to the rustling of the leaves in the still mornings become deaf to his cries in a nearby alley.
Too lost in his thoughts he failed to notice the large root sticking out of the ground and he fell in the middle of a clearing in the forest allowing the undying rain relentlessly poured down on his small frame as if they were the physical embodiment of his painful memories. He grabbed two handfuls of the grass beneath him as he struggled to continue on. Just a little more just keep going! Too where? A small voice in his head replied it was that same voice that just wanted him to give in just to accept what was going on in his life.
That was the final straw as the sensations of rapidly passing memories of pain flew by, the storm roaring over him, hazy outlines of past abusers in the rain approached him as his mind was breaking. He gripped his overwhelmed head with his hands and roared out to the storm in pure anguish. The whispering was back, and it was back in full force, it told him of how noone cared for him, it told him of how only the darkness would be his friend.
Naruto's eyes flickered between blue and yellow as he fought a battle within his mind for his sanity. He had always known that people didn't like him, but to actually hunt him down, just so they could sleep at night? Disgusting.
Trash that doesn't know they are trash deserves to fall into the abyss.
Naruto looked up with mismatched eyes wide with horror as the civilians came closer and closer.
The attackers were gaining on him, slowly closing the distance between them and the "demon brat" the crowd was pumped to deliver some sort of retribution on the boy who they believed was the Kyuubi reincarnated.
"STOP"
Naruto was knocked out his stupor to see who had yelled, he looked up to come face to face with a weasel masked ANBU, with long flowing black hair, and a clearly feminine figure under the armor. The crowd disbanded at the sight of the ANBU operative, not willing to risk their lives just to beat around the demon brat for awhile.
Naruto looked up at her, shock written in his eyes, no one has ever stood up for him when the villagers hunted him down.
He was snapped out of his musings when he came face to face with a regal looking face, dark coal eyes, pale pink lips and porcelain skin. This was Izumi Uchiha, the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, the famed ANBU captain. She tenderly checked him over for injuries, while Naruto looked at her in shock.
Never had an ANBU stood up for him, most of the time they would lead him into traps, but to see that one had helped him, filled his heart with some sort of hope; that perhaps some day, perhaps some day he would change the villages opinions of him.
"Are you okay Naruto-chan."
Naruto looked up at her, his blue eyes widening at the nickname, a term of endearment added to his name was something he had never heard.
"Arigatou nee-chan!"
The ANBU captain looked down, and for a second she didnt see the blonde pariah, rather she saw in his stead the form of her younger brother; Uchiha Sasuke.
Smiling, she reached down to ruffle those golden locks,
"Be careful Naruto-chan."
Before Naruto could say thank you, she was gone in swirl of falling leaves.
The Academy was supposed to be the place where everything changed, he was supposed to make friends here, but all that happened was he was ostracized further. He only had one friend, Uchiha Sasuke, the one who would always look over at him with worried eyes and asked him if he was okay.
All of the other kids picked on him, Kiba Inuzuka would pick fights with him, or ask to spar against him. Kiba would thoroughly kick his ass every time, he had clan training while Naruto did not. All of the girls would laugh at him, and all of the boys would too, too make sure they didn't become Kiba's new target. There was only one girl that never joined in on the laughing; Hinata Hyuuga.
She would always ask him if he was doing fine, and would give him a small, shy smile.
For Naruto, that was the happiest day of his life, someone besides Sasuke had shown an interest in his well being.
When he is around those two he forgets about the troubles of everyday life, he forgets he is the pariah of a village, an outcast. For when he is around those two, he feels normal.
Everything changed when the Namikaze triplets joined their class. They were the children of the current Hokage; Minato Namikaze, and his wife; Kushina Uzumaki.
They were rumored to be prodigies that would surpass even them two.
They too, treated Naruto like less than dirt, looking for excuses to fight him, and then beating him with ruthless efficiency. They were even harsher than the other kids, they would track him down even after school.
When the day of the graduation test came, Naruto was finally happy that he would be separated from them, hopefully he would be placed on a team with Hinata and Sasuke.
The final team pairings were horribly skewed, Naruto wondered if the Hokage hated him just like the other villagers.
Team 7- Naruto Uzumaki, Memna Namikaze, Ayala Namikaze, Okokyo Namikaze. Their sensei was none other than Kushina Namikaze, the Hokages wife. Hopefully he would be able to make Chuunin soon, his sanity rode upon it.