Have you heard of the witch?
The small pattering of worn sandals indented into the soft dirt road. The slow steady roar of the city was apparent all around him, a sweet tempo of laughs and yells and voices, colliding upon walls and alleyways and corners. It was a cacophony of sound, of city. It was as loud as it always was—this village of Konoha.
The one who lives on that hill?
Despite being late, night had fallen long ago; the city could illuminate itself well through the wee hours of the morning. Lamplights and stall lights, the soft glow of multiple candles from inside of a still-crowded establishment, and even the eerie rays of the moon did well to keep the roads bright. Dark, mysterious, fore-boding—but bright.
It's just a story! I tell it to my kids to keep them away from that edge of the Wall.
He passed the numerous bustling stores. He passed the homely crowded stalls. He passed the gardens of houses and rows of quietly happy families in their little buildings. Little, warm buildings. Buildings that were so small compared to his, but where the floors were warm. The air was laughing. The wood, the foundation, was inviting.
I've... actually heard differently. I heard, that a witch does live on That hill.
The road in the city was worn. It was trampled and dusted daily by the feet of the busy citizens of Konoha. Left. Right. Right. He knew where his feet were taking him. The road of the city became the road of the lesser traveled. The houses became wider and the stores became sparse. He was leaving the central metropolis of market and commerce and food and items. He was leaving the road of the homes and houses and people, the road of living.
Well it doesn't really matter, no one goes up there anyway. Not even our Shinobi. I heard not even Hokage-sama goes up there.
As the buildings grew darker, the moon rose high, and the light that he was used to seeing quickly faded away. All that he heard now, was the soft whisper of an old couple gazing at the stars on their porch or the short laughter of children from homes as their parents tucked them in at night. He hands gripped tighter. His sights grew darker.
But I heard . . . that she's not just any child's nightmare's witch.
It was dark. It was lonely. He knew he was alone, because he could feel it. There were no eyes on him tonight. Whether it was the crowd, or his small figure, the ducks into alleyways and through fences and through yards of trees, he was not followed this night. This very very, special night. This was not any night. Uzumaki Naruto had only begun to understand the significance of this night. The lonely cold first night of April.
She's a witch that can grant your one wish.
Soft, small hands gripped tighter on the soft fabric hem of his shirt. His hands and teeth were clamoring. He was cold, alone, and scared—but his feet wouldn't stop marching. His body would not allow him to falter. His will had anchored itself into him long before this night, and he knew, despite what horrors may come—this night will be the first of many where he may sleep soundly.
Why would any children's story's witch do that?
Where he can finally sleep warmly.
#dance each day and the next and the next. dance to the witch's house, my dear children.
He was just a child. A simple, small child in a world where men could breathe fire and women could walk on water. His father was a leader of his people and a symbol to his peers. His father was a great man with many troubles and many burdens—burdens that he couldn't even begin to understand just yet as a child. His mother was as busy, as difficult to reach, as each of her days is spent making sure, as she told him, "that he was as safe as he could be in this small village".
He was a lonely child. He knew as much when he was always told to stay indoors. He had no "brothers" or "sisters" that he sees his class-mates always mentioning. Their "troubling" ways to mess up a "nice and peaceful day" or their incessant rambling of non-important things—as annoyed as his class-mates always seemed, Naruto was sure he would have enjoyed another person like that… someone to spend his days with.
Never the less, Naruto was alone, but he understood. Something was wrong with this. He was but a child. He was only 7, but he understood that a child's life was not to be like this. Alone, and cold, always wondering when his parents were to come back to him. Where those fleeting tired smiles and waking early morning coughs were not to be the only memories Naruto had of his parents. He wanted more; his child-like mind wanted to be loved and cared for and the attention deserved or undeserved.
He's done bad things before—as bad as a child would think. He's spilled drinks, shouted at adults, cried, and thrown tantrums. No one cared, no one paid any attention. All that he heard were the soft whispers of the maids, the quiet voices of the old villagers. The watchful eyes of the men in masks and the unconcerned disarming smiles of those he had privilege to talk to were always parts his nightmares. Nightmares that began to look exactly like what his life was like awake.
He wanted attention. He wanted parents. Naruto wanted to be known to the world—not called on and doted for. He couldn't stand the fake smiles of the wealthy or the underserved praise for things he did not, could not, and had no idea of how to do. Naruto just wanted to be known as Naruto.
Naruto wanted parents that were there for him.
And if he couldn't have that—then he'd wish for it.
Many people would eventually understand that his childish wish was more than just a horrible misunderstanding, but eventually the grossly unbelievable ability for all children to be just as terrible as adults could ever be—whether innocent or not.
#your hearts wishes will be put to the test. each memory will always be different, my dear children.
The fence lay behind him. He was 7 but not stupid, and he knew full well what the journey to the hill would entail. He had looked at his path, the roads to the fence between the peaceful people of the city and the wild lush flora of the wilderness beyond Konoha's walls.
He had brought barely anything with him, other than that which he knew he had to carry—all for the sake of being light and nimble. He knew he would have little time to avoid his watchers—little breath to avoid the questioning glances of the villagers that saw him. He had a pair of wire cutters, and a simple flash-light to find his way.
Other than that, Naruto only needed himself—that was all he ever needed.
The fence was simple to break through, it was old and rusted and weary. The sky was dark; there were no lights in this area. It wasn't as guarded, as it was closer to the training grounds and visited nearly every day by various shinobi—it would be suicide for an enemy to invade through here. But at night, occasional patrols would wander the area, from which Naruto had to make sure he was hidden. Whether it was a snap of a twig or a brief call of an animal—Naruto made sure to duck into the ground and become as insignificant as he could be whenever any noise higher than silence was heard. Who would notice but a small dark bundle on a forest floor?
The ground was soft but wet and grassy. His sandal-covered feet could feel the edges of the tips of the blades of grass as it tickled him every other step. He had to be careful crossing the large roots of trees—as Konoha was known for its most old and majestic trees. The woods were dark and scary—any lesser child would have been frightened, but Naruto, as childish as he was, knew this land was his Father's and Mother's land, and that it would not hurt him so easily.
If only he was old enough to realize the other dangers, Naruto may have returned home a different person.
Tree after tree, he marched forward. The slow rumbling of the people of Konoha became less and less audible, fading away in the background; only to be replaced by the hoots of owls and the rustling of the leaves of the trees in the wind.
And there, behind yet another majestic tree, Naruto broke into a clearing. A wide expanse of lush forest grass open to a clear night-time sky lay before him. Naruto could see the stars stretching out, each sparkling dot littering a vast empty plain of space, a moon whose wide crescent smile shone to Earth with a vibrant soft glow. Though nearly midnight and tired and weary from the trip, Naruto, with all his child-like wonder, could appreciate the beauty of such a field.
He could see the flowers, dancing in the wind. The grass was tall and soft, just like the forest floor, but not wet and uninviting. He danced in it, fell in it and rolled, allowing himself the brief happiness of playing in a field of such lovely brilliance. Naruto was still just a child after all.
He allowed himself this one brief last glimpse of childhood.
Willing himself to get up, he began to trek up the singular hill in the middle of the field. No one could miss it, not its steep incline, nor the one lonely large encompassing tree at its top. This, was the the hill. That Hill.
Here, he heard, was the witch. The place she would often dance, and laugh at. Where she would make fun of children, and eat the hearts of men. Where she would erupt from the wood of the tree on a certain day in Spring , when the moon was at its smile and the people celebrated to prepare for a great hunt in the summer.
And so Naruto took his last step. He was at the base of the tree, the expanse he crossed behind him, yet all around him. The field was nearly circular, and he could see the tree line in the distance, spreading out the forest all around him. It was such a beautiful thing, no wonder a witch would hide here.
And so he waited. Naruto sat and waited the night; the moon was still a ways off from the center of the field- not that Naruto was waiting for that or even knew to in the first place. Being a child who often waited for his parents himself, Naruto knew the value of being able to be patient until the person he is waiting for is able to speak to him.
So Naruto waited. But he didn't have to wait long, for if he did, surely someone would have told his parents he was gone now, and surely someone would be looking for him. Naruto couldn't bear to think otherwise.
No, Naruto only had to wait 13 minutes and 43 seconds before his weight opened up the floor beneath him, the grass gave way to a hole and the dirt crumbled under him. The earth enveloped him whole, as Naruto felt the sky was leaving him.
#but do not fret and do not cry. do not try to wonder why, my dear children.
It was dark and cold and Naruto only had to fumble around for a brief instance before he pulled out his flashlight. He could feel a little dirt in his mouth and moistness under his fingers, dug into the ground beneath him.
A single ray of light came from above him, blinding him to anything else. Switching on the flashlight he waved it around only for a brief bit before the flashlight died out as well.
He didn't know where he was, other than a hole in the ground in a field far from Konoha's fence. He could see barely a few inches in front of him and could only taste the earth dirt he let in when he fell.
In other words, Naruto was stuck in a problem.
"Well this is great." He said allowed—whether because of the frustration or the creeping chill he felt.
"Now, just isn't it." A voice answered back.
Naruto stared, startled and afraid. He was sure there wasn't supposed to be a voice that answered back.
"Well you look like you're a tiny bit lost, boya." The voice said again. Naruto couldn't see anything and the voice was coming from everywhere. Was he in a circular room?
"Now, isn't it impolite to not answer a lady?" The voice teased.
And Naruto suddenly could see.
The room lit up, as if someone had turned on the sun. Naruto could see the dangling roots of the tree on top of the hill, the hole from whence he came. He could see the lines and circles and dots and dashes that were engraved on to the walls of the circular room, emitting a dark luminescent blue glow, making strange symbols and pictures and most likely a language that he could not even fathom. He could see the ground was only dirt on where he was sat; the rest was a smooth solid stone. He could see and would have continued to see if not for the eyes that were casted out of the shadows in the corner of the room. Eyes with brilliant and beautiful red warmth.
"Let's cut to the chase, boya. You're here for a wish, aren't you?" She spoke as she exited the shadows. His mouth fell open in shock as he gazed at the witch—he couldn't help to blurt out what he was thinking.
"You're the witch?!"
She grinned.
"What, expecting an old hag in a black costume and a broom?" Her laughter was like bell chimes. Her attire was anything but dark and gloomy—that which he and other children associated with witches.
She didn't wear black nor did she have an ugly marred face.
She was dainty, and soft—the smallest of stature. She was not even taller than his mom, and he knew his mom was short. She didn't wear black, but instead white, a simple, down-to-her-knees sundress. A sunflower was in her hair, and a smile was on her face. Her skin was pristine and pale; the moon glowed off of it like light. Her hair was vibrant red, long and flowing, tied into a pony-tail down to her back. Her eyes were almost like slits while she smiled, a mischievous pair of soft lips adorned her face. The look she gave his was warm. Too warm.
Naruto was just a child, but he couldn't help but think she was oddly pretty for a witch. He couldn't talk for the longest time.
"Now, let's cut to the chase." Her smile faded into something of a more serious nature.
"What is it that you're here for, boya?" She couldn't help but add that little inflection. He was but a child.
Naruto gripped his hands, his butt on the floor and his knees covered in dirt.
"I heard you . . . can grant wishes?" He hesitantly asked, as if asking was going to make her disappear and his chance to be with his parents once more would be lost.
"And if I can?" She asked in return, glee coming back to her face. Naruto would never have been able to tell if he was amusing her or not by coming here this day.
"What would you do in return for me?" She continued.
"What?" Naruto hadn't thought about that. What would he give to her in return for his parents? What would he give to her, in return for the thing he wanted the most? To be able to spend more time with the parents he never got to enjoy? The people who watched over him, the mother that fed him and the father that clothed him.
He wanted, Naruto, as a child wanted, and through this want a plan was born. Through this plan a meeting happened. And through this meeting, a question was asked. What would Naruto give up for his parents?
What would Naruto give up for something he wanted more than anything else in the world?
He paused.
The corner of her lips began to turn upwards.
She knew the answer but he said it anyway.
"The world."
And with that, she smiled, and the deal was done.
Naruto Uzumaki would give up the world for his parents.
That was a child's error and triumph.
"And so it will be. Make sure you treat me well . . . boya. And please, call me Kurama."
And the boy met a witch—a witch he promised the world to.
#because if you are lost, just stand and believe that the wonderful witch will save her dear children.
And Naruto loved her smile, the smile of his witch- the one who will dance all his troubles away.