I know some of you think Naruto dies from the summary. It's a metaphor. It's his personality that dies. Just wanted to make that clear.
Chapter 2
An old man was walking through the forest at a slow pace, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze. A little red fox followed, its eyes twitching with every sound that come from deep in the forest.
"It's a beautiful day!" He exclaimed, breathing in the fresh smell of the forest. He notice his friend looking around, cautious of his surroundings. "Come on Okibi, we're a more than a match for anything in this forest. Try to relax and enjoy it."
The little fox nodded, but still looked around every now and then. As they neared the river, Okibi ran forward, barking.
"Wait up! I'm not as young as I once was!" He said, hurrying after him. He caught up with him at the river's edge, he was panting heavily. "I-I'm o-out of s-shape." He caught his breathe after a while. "What is it Okibi?" He asked, seeing nothing.
Okibi whined, pawing something in the muddy shore.
"What's this? A boy!" He dug him out of the mud. Placing a finger on his neck to try to find a pluse. "He's alive! Barely." He hauled him over his shoulder. "Let's go Okibi, he's in bad shape."
XXX
Naruto walked down a familiar sewer, knowing what was at the end. The red light at the end told him that the fox was anger, but he didn't care. "What do you want!" He demanded.
Claws scratched the gate and the fox growled savagely. "You think this is a game!" The fox tried again to break through the gate. "You almost got us killed!" It roared.
Naruto was confused. "I thought I was dead..."
The fox chuckled at his cluelessness. "You are right, we were dead. But someone brought us back."
"Who? Baachan?"
The fox shook its head. "No, someone else. I can't recognize his scent...besides, I don't think any of your precious people care about you."
Naruto glared at the fox. "What are you talking about? Of course they do!"
The fox laughed, angering Naruto. "If that was true, why didn't they try to find you? They could have at least tried, instead they declared you were dead they moment you disappeared."
Naruto attempted to say something back, but nothing came. He looked down at the watery floor. Maybe the fox is right...
"Of course I am."
XXX
Naruto woke with a start, drenched in sweat. "Easy." He heard someone say. "Don't try to move too much, you caught a terrible cold." The room was dim, but he could still see. An old man with white hair held out a cup to him. "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."
Despite his instict, Naruto took the cup and gulped down its contents, grimancing at the bitter taste.
The old man chuckled. "Well, not everything that is good for you will taste good." He took back the cup. "So where are you from?"
Naruto thought, but everything was foggy. "I-I don't r-remember..." Where am I from? Fox? Expect no help from me! It growled.
"Hm..." The old man thought for a moment. "You must have hit your head on a rock."
Naruto touched the back of his head and sure enough, there was blood and a bump. "Ow..." He winched when his finger touched the source of the blood.
The old man got up and went to a small chest. "Here, get dress." He tossed a simple white shirt and black pants. "The clothes you were wearing were damaged so I threw them away." He explained. So much orange, he's a weird kid. "Come out side once you're ready." He left.
Naruto nodded in understanding, even if he couldn't remember what he was wearing.
XXX
Once he was dressed, he went outside. Squinting his eyes against the sunlight. Even though he couldn't see, he heard a whooshing sound. Acting on instinct, be jumped backwards.
"It's as I expected, you're a ninja."
"Hey, what was that for!" Naruto shouted, clearly seeing that the old man attacked him.
The old man beckon him. "I was acting on suspicion. I am sorry." He held a plate of metal in his hand. "Do you know what this is?"
Naruto shook his head.
"I see...This is a symbol of those you become a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato." He pocket the headband. "I believe you will find your memories there."
Naruto was puzzled. "So do I just go back there?"
"Yes." He took out another headband, one with a scratch across it. "One more thing though, how did you get two?"
Naruto stared at it for a moment. A face of another boy, red eyes, flashes of lighting, fire, and water, cold, cold water appeared in his head. Suddenly he fell to the ground, his hand over his chest. "S-something is f-familiar about t-that!" He said through gritted teeth.
The old man helped him back up and placed a hand over the wound. "It seems whoever wore this, inflicted this wound." A gentle green glow covered his hand. "Unfortunately, I can not heal this." He sighed, removing his hand.
The pain was a dull ache now. "T-thanks." Naruto muttered. "What do I do now? Do I go back to this Konoha?"
"No." The old man walked deeper into the forest, motioning him to follow. They stopped in a clearing, at that instint, the old man spun around and threw a kick.
Naruto put up his arms to block. The force of the blow made him stumble back.
"Not until I train you."