"Naru" Sarutobi says to the small girl sitting beside him at Ichiraku. "I think we should make people think you're a boy." He looks at the wall as he says this. He has been debating this the last two weeks.
"Why is that?" The little girl looks up at the old man with her big bright blue eyes.
"Well child." He turns to take in the little girl. She was dirty and there are bruises all over her. Also it looks like she has not had a real meal in a long time. She was just so skinny. "I know what people have been saying about you and kids have been picking on you. Not to mention what the adults are doing."
The blonde's smile falls and she turns back to her bowl of ramen away from the man. "Oh" she says in a small voice. Yes the Hokage had heard of what is going on and he has been trying to come up with an idea to protect the child of his late successor. They had kicked her out of the orphanage, but even there she was not safe.
"If we make them think you are a boy then they will not know who you really are, and won't pick on you." This was the only idea the man could come up with for the girl. He would do this and get her own place, make sure she has food that way she is safe.
"Do you think Daddy would have liked this plan?" She says breaking the man out of his thoughts.
Sarutobi pauses for a moment thinking of the goofy blonde man. All he would want is his daughter to be safe and happy. "Of course the Fourth would like this plan. He would want you to be happy, but the choice is yours."
Naru smiles at the man then returns to her ramen. "I'll do it." She says it in between bites.
"Well, we have to change many things."
"Like what?" Naru asks with a full mouth and a fishcake stuck to her cheek.
"Naru, you have a naruto stuck to your face." The man pauses for a moment as he pulls it off her face. She could keep her real name on file and when she reveals she is a girl say it was just a nickname. "Naru, you're going to be called Naruto, okay?" The old man smiles.
She tilts her head to the side like a puppy looking at the piece of food in the man's hand. Then has a huge smile on her face. "I like it." She laughs.
"Okay, hurry we need to go get your haircut." Sarutobi pulls gently on one of her pigtails.
It has been years since that day. The Hokage's plan had worked. Once everyone thought Naru was a boy and Naruto, she was no longer picked on or called a monster. She still gets picked on but like normal kid do. Also the adults just kind of ignore her instead of going out of their way to hurt her.
There has only been one to figure it out and that was Mizuki causing her to graduate in the most unusual ways. After she graduates the academy the Hokage says it's her choice when the village finds out. He does suggest that she waits a little longer, but it is up to her. She is so used to people thinking she is a boy. She does not know what to do, but she is fearful of how everyone will treat her after they find out. She doesn't want to go back to how things were before.