Disclaimer: I in no way own Naruto or The Croods. One belongs too Disney and the other belongs Kishimoto Masashi. I'm just a guy who thought it would be fun to mix them together.

(A.N) Just a warning if you haven't read my story The True Rinnegan. Then some of the skills Naruto shows might confuse you. So I will go ahead and tell you that the Rinnegan that Naruto has, is vastly different then the one Pain had. It has both Rinnegan and Sharingan powers and I mean ALL Sharingan powers. If you want to know why, just ask and I will tell.

If someday they say of me that in my work I have contributed something to the welfare and happiness of my fellow man, I shall be satisfied. - George Westinghouse.

Follow the Light: Chapter 1 – The Wandering Ninja Meets A Friend.

It was just his luck. He had finally achieved peace in his life, just to wake up in a whole different world to once again have to fight to survive. How long had he been here? Six, Seven months? Had it really been that long? That long since he had seen his Village. Since he had seen his friends, since he had seen her? Or hell since he had seen ANYONE?! He was beginning to think this world was completely devoid of human life.

Six months and not a soul to be seen. If he was honest with himself he was becoming increasingly lonely. Not that Kurama wasn't great company, it's just...he tends to sleep a lot. Still what he wouldn't give for some human contact. Hell he would take Guy and Lee at this point. Stopping to check that sun's position in the sky, Naruto estimated that he had about four hours left of day light.

Which meant he needed to find food and shelter. He had learned fast that first night here, that the dark was not where you wanted to be.

ROARHHHHH!

Turning around Naruto saw a huge bear charging right at him. This bear stood as tall as he himself, on all fours. He hated to think how tall the thing would be on its hind legs. Waiting to the last second Naruto jumped into air flipping over the bear, while throwing a Wind Chakra enhanced Kunai into the back of it's skull. The bear fell, dead before it even finished hitting the ground.

"Well, that's the food issue taken care of." Thought Naruto out loud. A habit he had started to get into with the lack of human companionship. Naruto summoned five clones to skin the bear and strip the meat from it.

"Now to find shelter." But before he could begin his search, Naruto heard something that made him freeze in his tracks. It was a sound he had not heard in over six months. A human crying. Rushing in the direction of the sound, Naruto soon came upon a boy of a bout thirteen years old. He was kneeling by a Tar Pit, with tears pouring out of his eyes. The boy was mumbling words in a language Naruto had never heard before.

Naruto walked up to the boy slowly, before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy jumped too his feet quickly before loosing his balance, and started to fall toward the Tar Pit. With the lighting fast reflexes that made him one the deadliest shinobi alive, Naruto caught him and pulled him back too his feet. The boy jerked away from Naruto and started to look around frenetically, as if searching for an avenue for escape. Naruto held up his hands in a position of surrender.

"Easy there. I'm not going to hurt you." Spoke Naruto in a soft and calm manner. Hoping to sooth the boy of his fear.

"EAKA OUTO BA'AILA!"

There was that strange language again. This was getting them nowhere! Naruto knew a way to learn the boy's language, but he couldn't use it with the boy so worked up. Deciding the best thing he could do for the kid at the moment was put him to sleep. Naruto stared deep into the boy's eyes before activating his Rinnegan. The boy gave a startled yelp, before his eyes grew heavy and he started to fall toward the ground.

Naruto caught the boy before he could hit the ground. Throwing the boy over his shoulder Naruto used the Body Flicker Jutsu to get back to his clones and the dead bear. The clones had already finished stripping the bear and was merely waiting for their boss to return before dispersing. Naruto figured here was as good as spot as any to make camp for the night. Using Creation of All Things to make a house. Naruto went inside and laid the kid down by the fireplace, Before heading back out side to Finnish making camp.

Naruto proceeded to use a Water Jutsu to make a stream as well as place barrier seals around the camp to keep out unwanted guest. Heading back into the house, Naruto once again used Creation of All Things to make two beds, as well as pillows and blankets. With that done, Naruto retrieved the boy and laid him in one of the beds. Naruto lifted the boy's eyelids and looked deep into his eyes. Using his Rinnegan, Naruto entered the kid's consciousness. Using this ability Naruto absorbed the kids Language.

Had the boy been awake, he would have known of Naruto's invasion of his mind. And more then likely freaked out. Which was why Naruto put the kid to sleep. Still Naruto was careful to avoid the boy's memories, not wanting to invade his privacy more then was necessary.

After absorbing the language Naruto unsealed a cooking pot out of a scroll, and proceeded to make bear meat stew. It was shortly after the stew was done that the boy started to wake up.

"Ugh! What hit me?" Said the boy.

"I did." Answered Naruto. Startling the boy.

"W-Who Are-" The boy stuttered frighted.

"My name is Naruto." Said Naruto with a small smile.

"N-Naruuu Naruuuuutoe Nuruutoo." The boy tried several time to say Naruto's name never quite getting it right.

"We'll work on that latter. Here have some stew while it's still hot." Said Naruto handing the boy a bowl.

The boy tasted the stew experimentally as if expecting it to be poison. Naruto grabbed his own bowl and made a show of eating it to show of eating it, to let the kid know it was safe. Finally taking a bite, the boy's eyes grew large before he started to tear into the stew with a vengeance. Three full bowls later and the boy was finally full.

"Feel better?" Asked Naruto amused.

The boy looked up sheepishly. "Yes, thank you."

"No problem. So do you feel like talking?" Asked Naruto getting serious. The boy nodded his head.

"Good. Now, what is your name kid?" Asked Naruto kindly.

"It's Guy." Said the boy, only to jump as Naruto burst out laughing.

"W-What's so funny?" Asked the boy timidly.

"N-Nothing. Just a thought that I had earlier today." Said Naruto after he calmed his laughter. Another Guy, what was the odds of that. Well at lest this Guy didn't have a liking to green jumpsuits and shouting about youth.

"So where are your parents Guy?" Asked Naruto. Guy got a sad look on his face before looking down at his feet with tears beginning to leak from his eyes. Naruto quickly got the picture.

"The Tar pit?" Naruto asked softly. Guy nodded. Naruto looked at the ground. Another orphan, did any kids get to keep their parents anymore?

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Said Naruto. Again Guy just nodded.

"Tell you what, it's getting late. So why don't we finish talking in the morning?" At this Guy started looking around, just now taking notice of his surroundings. A look of total awe crossed his face as he did so.

"W-What is this place?" Asked Guy totally amazed at what he saw.

"It's called a House, And we'll be safe here for the night. You can sleep in that bed since you are already in it. At that the boy jump to his feet and turned around look at the bed. Timidly he poked it before jumping back as if expecting it to bite him.

"Don't worry, it's not alive. You lay in it like this." Said Naruto, as he laid in his own bed. "See it's completely safe."

Guy crawled nervously it to the bed just as Naruto had. Then once figuring out just how soft and warm it was, let out an excited yelp. Before burrowing into the covers.

"This is amazing!" Guy exclaimed.

"Hehe, Good night Guy." Naruto laughed.

The next morning after a breakfast of reheated stew. Naruto and Guy continued there talk. Naruto asked guy if he had any other family, which he did not. Naruto asked where he was headed, which was some place called "tomorrow". Guy asked Naruto where his family was, Naruto gave him an honest answer. That they had died.

Through out the conversation Naruto was debating what he should do with Guy. Since Guy had no other family, The choices were leave him to die on his own or take him with him. Since Naruto was not a cold hearted person, that left only one choice really. Naruto would have to look after the kid.

"Alright Guy, I'm not leaving a kid alone to die. So you can travel with me if you want, at lest until you're old enough to survive on your own." Said Naruto.

"You want me to go with you?" Asked Guy.

"Unless you don't want to. You are of course free to go your own way." Answered Naruto.

"NO! I mean, no I'll go with you." The thought of being on his own didn't sound appealing to Guy at all. Naruto just gave him a smile.

A few hours later saw Naruto and Guy walking, the Camp House well behind them. Naruto was walking in front with Guy trailing behind him.

"Um... Narooto?" Spoke Guy softly.

"It's Naruto, and yes?" Said Naruto, trying to get the kid to say his name right.

"I have to go." Said Guy.

"Go where?" Asked Naruto.

"No I have to GO!" Said Guy putting emphasis on the word go. Naruto turned around to look at him, only to see the boy's cheeks were red.

"Oh! Okay just don't wander off too far, and be careful!" Guy nodded his his head before running over a hill and out of sight. A few minutes later Naruto was about to go check on him when a sound chilled him to the bone.

ROAAAARRRRR!

What frightened him wasn't the roar, it was the fact that it came from where Guy had disappeared to. Naruto took off in a dead sprint, clearing the hill in no time. Only to see Guy running away from a huge Sabertooth Tiger.

"AHHH! NARUTO, HELLP!" Guy screamed, as he ran toward Naruto. Sure now he gets his name right.

"OVER HERE, YOU OVER GROWN FUR BALL!" Shouted Naruto getting the tiger to change course and start running at him. Naruto started to fly through hand seals. Horse, Tiger. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. Guy having passed Naruto turned and looked only to see something that would change the course of his life, forever.

"Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Yelled Naruto, before he shot a huge Fireball out of his mouth that flew at the Tiger. Turning it into a huge pile of burning meat. Guy could only stare in wonder, as he watched his new friend do the impossible. After Naruto made sure that there were no other threats in the area, he turned around to face his new ward. Naruto saw that Guy was on his hands and knees bowing before him.

"A-Are you a g-god?" Stuttered Guy nervously. Naruto burst out laughing once again.

"A god? While I've been called that before, no. I'm as human as you are." Said Naruto after getting his laughter under control.

"B-But how? I mean you just- just..." Guy couldn't even talk right after what he had just seen.

"I just breathed fire?" Naruto Finnish Guy's sentence for him. Guy nodded mutely.

"And you want to know how I done it?" Guessed Naruto. He once again received only a nod.

"Well it is kind of hard to explain. I was taught from a young age how to do things like that." Said Naruto. Trying to keep his memories of home at bay, as he spoke.

"Can- Can you teach me?" Asked Guy. Naruto stopped to give it some though, Before finally answering.

"I suppose it might be possible to teach you. But I have to warn you the training is tough and often times painful. Are you sure you still wish to learn?" Asked Naruto dead serious.

Guy stood too his feet and looked Naruto in his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I want to learn."

"Alright. I'll teach you. But first we really need to keep moving." Said Naruto as he began walking, Guy once again follow his new teacher.

"I suppose if I going to teach you jutsu, I'll need to teach you to read and write first." Said Naruto, again thinking out loud. Guy just looked at Naruto confusedly before asking.

"What's read and write?" Naruto face palmed. This was going to be , in the words of Shikamaru 'Troublesome!' After a few hours of walking, they came upon a huge thick forest.

"This spot will be perfect!" Said Naruto, looking at the forest.

"Perfect for what?" Asked Guy.

"For your training." Said Naruto simply. Guy looked at him like he was crazy.

"You're joking right? I mean that forest is probably full of giant predators!" Exclaimed Guy nervously. Naruto gave him an evil grin.

"Exactly!"

(A.N) Well that's it for chapter one. As you can see Naruto has made a new friend, and in the next chapter we will see the bond of that friendship deepen into that of a student and teacher. Anyways if you have any questions feel free to ask. I hope you liked my story, and please feel free to review. See you next time!