Hey all... yup I know. I have no idea what I'm gonna do with my other stories but here's this.
11:27 PM August 12
It was dark. Not stormy. Actually, it was a warm August night. Leaves clung to the countless trees, forming a blanket over the primary public park of the aptly named Village Hidden in the Leaves. The moon cast its light down in gentle rays that completed the serenity of the atmosphere. However, for some it was not so peaceful.
Quick, sharp breaths and the rustling of foliage were the only sounds heard near where the trees of the park ended and the market of the village began. An unruly mop of blonde hair was the first thing that broke the treeline.
It belonged to a young boy, looking to be about four, with his head down, running with all his might. He was moving a great deal faster than the average four year old could manage, but based on the look on his face, it wasn't going to be enough. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, coming out in pitiful sobs. His cheeks were marked by three lines that looked like whiskers and his clothes were nothing more than rags at this point.
Fear-filled cerulean eyes desperately combed the lines of shops for any possible escape route. The street upon which he was now standing was illuminated by streetlights that were placed every hundred feet or so.
Shouts coming from the trees behind him forced him to decide. And just like that, he was off again down an alley between a couple of three-story buildings.
Seconds later his pursuers burst through the line of trees and bushes. It was clearly a lynch mob. Men and women stood, huffing slightly, holding all manner of weapons. They ranged from kitchen knives to torches. The crowd stopped in search of their prey.
"There!" shouted one of the first men to reach the street, having caught sight of a pair of bare feet disappearing down an alley. Without hesitation they were chasing him down.
For our young blonde, today was not a good day. Not only had he been kicked out of the orphanage (not that they provided him with more than rotten food and a pile of straw to sleep on) but now he was being hunted down by another mob.
No, this was sadly not the first group of vigilantes to try to rid the world of this particular "abomination." Some of the time he got away. Most of the time he did not.
It seemed he was not very lucky this time.
In his haste, he turned a corner only to be met with a brick wall, which stretched up to the roof of a factory, four stories above.
He quickly realized that he could not turn back. They were too close. The utter terror truly began to sink in, even as he tried to climb the wall using a trashcan as a stepping-stool. A small amount of hope arose in his chest as he grabbed onto a window.
That's when a hand grabbed his small ankle and tore him from his lifeline. He let out a pitiful scream that could bring even the most emotionless man to tears. However, that only applied of said man did not know of the status of the boy. He was the killer of fathers, reaper of brothers, thief of sons.
He was Naruto Uzumaki, demon brat of the Leaf Village.
8:07 AM, August 14, Leaf Hospital
A wrinkled old man, dressed in ceremonial-looking robes of red and white, sat in a chair next to a hospital bed. A lifetime of retaining an emotionless mask was the only thing that kept his eyes dry. The steady beeping of the heart monitor was chipping away at the mask with each monotonous beep.
Slowly, the proud man was brought to tears. He was the leader of the village, and here he was, head in his hands, weeping at his failure. he was supposed to protect every member of the Leaf Village, but how was he expected to protect one boy from the masses? That's where he had failed. Miserably.
"Gramps?" a small voice whispered from the bed. It brought him out of his musings. He steeled himself and dried his eyes.
"Yes, Naruto?" he responded softly.
"I can't go back to the orphanage," Naruto replied groggily. He began to sit up but a hand gently held him down. "Come on Gramps, I'm fine-"
"Just rest here. You won't have to go back there ever again. I'll return in an hour or two," the Hokage replied while heading for the door.
"Please don't leave me alone," the pitiful child pleaded. The tone of his voice was nearly too much for the aged man, and he knew if he turned to see those pitiful and lost eyes he'd be done for.
"Wolf will stay here and watch over you," his voice was calm, yet held deep undertones of sorrow and one of even greater magnitude: rage.
As he spoke, a man appeared. He had silver hair that seemed to deny gravity. His clothes were geared for practicality: black cargo pants, a sleeveless shirt, body armor, and a pair of black combat boots. But what caught Naruto's attention was his mask. It was porcelain and designed to look like a wolf. This signified him as ANBU, the elite of the Leaf's ninja.
He stood wordlessly looking down at the young blonde lying on the bed.
'Sensei… I'm Sorry' Wolf thought.
Naruto was understandably intimidated by his mask and lack of speech. That and the fact that appeared to be staring at him, although he couldn't be sure due to the blackened eyeholes of the mask. So he just stared back.
Confident that Naruto was in good hands, the hokage did his best to hide his emotions as he left.
Naruto recognized the emotions emanating from his "gramps." They were not good feelings. He was quite sure his life would soon change.
'Meh… Might as well start now,' he thought with a smile. This amazed Wolf. Naruto had just suffered a beating that would kill full grown men. Yet here he was, smiling.
"Oy, Wolf," Naruto called out, successfully dragging Wolf from his thoughts. "Teach me to be a ninja."