Disclamer: I do not own anything Naruto related.
He was running.
It always started like this, you see. The young boy would go to the festival, ready to celebrate the defeat of Konoha's greatest enemy (Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox) by the Yondaime Hokage's hand and ultimate sacrifice.
Yet still, he was running.
He did not know why, how many were chasing him, nor if the old man would come to his aid.
All he knew was that to survive, he had to run.
He ran down the darkened alleys of Konohagakure, knowing all of the twists and turns like the back of his hand. It is difficult, though, for a six year old child to run from a group of men and women.
As he looked behind him, Naruto caught a gleam of silver on one of the men's foreheads. It was then that he knew- he would be caught.
And so he ran.
It began to rain, and his clothing and hair were quickly dampened. He ran faster still, knowing that the rain would at least discourage some of the angered villagers. He had no idea what to do about the ninja, though.
x-x-x-x
An old man was shuffling down a hallway in the Hokage tower. The white and red hat with the kanji of Fire on the front was bobbing as he headed back to his office
I absolutely abhor those meetings, thought Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage they waste all of my time. I would much rather be spending time with Naruto, it is his birt… his eyes widened in realization
"No!"
x-x-x-x-x-x
He had run for so long. His legs felt like logs, and his feet had blistered, popped, and then blistered again from his lack of shoe wear. He had lost his sandals near the beginning of the chase.
But still, he ran, feet slapping wetly against the cold surface of the street.
He knew that there wasn't much time left before he wouldn't be able to run anymore. He knew a place where the buildings were closer together- the alley wouldn't let as many people get to him.
A kunai zipped past his head, and he stumbled.
Thunk!
He couldn't feel anything, and he silently wondered what had been hit; he'd been hearing that a lot more often. Shaking his head, he continued his sprint. Hearing another brace of kunai whizzing through the air, he slid underneath a street cart.
The street lights were dim here. The dark of the night was creeping in. As he looked at his surroundings, he could tell that he was nearing his destination. The houses were in disrepair, and the streets were lined in bumps and cracks from street brawls. He knew where he needed to go from here.
He lives a block away, after all.
So he ran down the dead end alley, eyes tearing up as he went; mixing with the torrential downpour of rain that was already covering his body. He used the last of his energy to run to the back of the dark alley, and curled up into a ball, protecting his head from any possible attacks.
Maybe they'll finish me off this time
As the people got closer, slowly walking, safe in the knowledge that they had cornered their quarry, a flash of lightning and a slap of thunder came from seemingly nowhere.
I hope so, then I won't have to go through this anymore
As they crowded around him, breath stinking with alcohol, eyes glinting with fiendish delight, a voice boomed over head.
"Great Fireball!"
A massive fireball soared over the alleyway, searing so hot that the rain stopped, before coming back in force a moment later. Seconds after the technique died, the old man- no. The Hokage of Konohagakure, also known as the Professor, or Shinobi no Kami appeared in front of the people. As the villagers turned to run, a great pressure came down onto them all. They all froze, ninja and civilian alike.
Masked figures appeared along the top and the entrance of the alleyway.
The Sandaime Hokage counted the people before him. Twenty villagers, five Chunin, six Genin and a Jonin trying to hide in the back…
He called to his Black Ops force, "Take these people and throw them in the prison, where they will then be interrogated by Ibiki-san and Anko-san."
A simultaneous "Hai!" answered him. He turned to face the boy behind him, and his eyes widened in shock.
He had no less than six shuriken in his back, with two kunai digging into his side and shoulder. Gathering him up, he immediately used Shunshin to the hospital, and rushed in.
"Get me Emi-san, quickly!" a nurse leaped to action, and soon the brunette doctor ran in.
"Bring him here, room 114!" Sarutobi brought the child into the room, and Emi began to remove the weapons embedded in the boy.
The Hokage, a man that fought in and survived all three of the Great Shinobi Wars, the leader of what is debatably the strongest of the Five Great shinobi villages, collapsed into a chair and silently let tears run down his cragged and tired face.
The morning was bright. There were white, fluffy clouds littering the sky, birds were singing, children were playing and laughing.
A six year old boy sat in a hospital bed, swathed in bandages. They had recently been changed.
Where am I? As the boy looked up to the white ceiling of the room, he realized that he was in a hospital room. Man, I hate this place!
He sat up, pulling out tubes and undoing equipment as he went. He knew, from experience, that this would bring Emi to the room. A few moments later, she opened the door, smiling at him.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun. How are you feeling?"
"Hello Emi-san. Do you know where Jiji-san is?"
Emi told him that Sarutobi would be there soon, and that Naruto should be in bed. You know, resting. So, after many complaints, he lay back down under the covers of the hospital bed. After a few minutes, a knock on the door was heard, and after acknowledgement from Naruto, it opened to reveal the Sandaime Hokage.
"Hello Naruto-kun. I hope you are feeling well?"
The silence in the room was resounding. Naruto looked up at the Hokage and asked him a question that Sarutobi had been dreading for six years. It was voiced in one word, by a little boy.
"Why?"
Hiruzen sighed. Should I tell him? He definitely has the right to know by now…
So the Shinobi no Kami prepared to answer one of the hardest questions of his life.
"Well…"