Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 1: Never Meant To Belong
-5 years later-
Jin ran through the forest, trying to hide from the Konoha Anbu trying to find him. He had just ran away from Oto. He was so tired of his father's high expectations. His constant phrase 'You could have done better'. And he was tired of his favoritism of the Uchiha. He had not taken the Uchiha's body because, when he made an alliance with the Akatsuki, he agreed not to take Sasuke's body. Now he tried to teach Sasuke everything he knew in the event that his 'heir' was a failure.
Jin tripped and rolled down a hill, his white kimono getting dirty. Jin finally rolled to a stop when he reached the bottom. He held his breath as he heard the Konoha Anbu passed by. He stayed there for what seemed like forever before he tried standing. And fell down with a cry, pain flashing through his ankle. He poked his ankle, hissing as pain like a thousand needles assaulted his ankle. He had just twisted it luckily. But if he tried walking he could make it worse.
He sighed and dragged himself to lean back against a tree, falling to sleep. He wondered idly if Izuna was okay.
-Flashback-
"Jin." Izuna whispered as they meditated. Madara and Orochimaru had left them alone to meditate, going to discuss business.
"What?" Jin hissed. He was surprised that Izuna had bothered calling him by name but that didn't mean he was willing to get in trouble with his father.
"Have you ever thought of running away?"
Jin's eyes flew open and he stared at Izuna sitting across from him. Izuna looked completely serious.
"What do you mean?" Jin asked cautiously. This could be some kind of test to test his loyalty. Izuna was Madara's son after all and though he preferred being straight forward, he was devious.
"I mean, do you ever tire of our father's pressure, 'You should have learned this by now', 'I expected more from you', 'You could have done better'." Jin's fist curled at the last statement. "If you could, would you run away, so that you could get a better life?"
"Even if I did run away, where would I go? Everyone knows that I am my father's son and if they don't I look so much like him that they will assume that anyway."
Izuna sighed and looked Jin straight in the eye. "I plan on running away. I was thinking of going to Kiri."
Jin's eyes widened. "Are you insane?"
Izuna's jet black eyes hardened. "I've never been surer of anything in my life. I know that Kiri's civil war is over and they have a new Mizukage. So are you in?"
Jin bit his lip. "We'll meet in Kiri?"
Izuna nodded. "We'll meet in Kiri."
-Flashback end-
Jin had sneaked out of Oto using his high stealth skills. What he lacked in combat skills, he excelled in stealth.
Jin closed his eyes and decided to sleep for now.
-POV change-
Naruto leaped from branch to branch silently. He had just completed an assassination mission. He traveled from village taking high ranked missions that the shinobi villages wouldn't take. No one knew his real name so he wasn't in the bingo book. And this was what he wanted.
He stopped as he saw a small form curled against the tree. He leaped down from the tree and landed in front of the sleeping figure. It was a child. He had pale white skin, long black hair, long black lashes, and he wore a kimono with pants underneath. He also wore sandals. The kimono was dirty and ripped and he seemed to be favoring his ankle.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'Orochimaru's son? My informant told me that Madara and Orochimaru had decided to have heirs. But even though he looks so much like his father, there's something different about him.' The boy had an innocence that Naruto would have expected to be extinguished by now.
Naruto placed a hand on his weapon's pouch. 'The smart decision would be to kill him.' Naruto dug through the pouch. 'But...' Naruto sighed and withdrew his hand. Instead he knelt, channeled healing chakra to his hand, and healed the boy's twisted ankle.
He stood and thought 'Should I leave him here? He could be killed if I do. If I take him with me and he decides to go back to his father, Orochimaru and Madara would know that I'm still alive.'
Naruto made a campfire and sent a Kage Bushin to go catch a few rabbits. He sat down and crossed his legs on the other side of the clearing. 'I will wait here until he wakes and when I'm sure he's alright, I'll leave.'
-POV Change, next morning-
Jin opened his eyes to see that the sky was orange from the sun rising in the east. But there was a campfire blazing a few feet away from him. He gasped as a rabbit on a spit was held in front of him. "You should eat."
The man wore a white short sleeved haori, white arm protectors, a white cloth tied around his neck, white pants, and white ninja sandals with white shin guards. He also wore a necklace that had a fang on it. His hair was tied back with a white cloth in a braid that went to his mid back. His eyes were pale icy blue and dead. His face was apathetic. His sword, which was worn on his back, had a white sheath with sapphires adorning it. A ninja pouch was on his right leg.
Jin took the spit hesitantly "Thank you."
The man sat back against the tree on the other side of the clearing, watching him carefully.
'This man...he's a ninja. Does he know who I am?' Jin thought almost in a panic.
Jin ate his rabbit, ready to flee at the slightest indication that the man was planning to capture him. 'Though he's not wearing a headband. Who is he?'
The man stood and handed him a bottle of water. To Jin's shock, the man was about to leave. "Wait, where are you going?"
The man glanced over his shoulder, almost making Jin's breath catch with his lifeless orbs. "I'm leaving to go to my next destination."
Jin scrambled to his feet, surprised when he didn't feel any pain in his ankle. "Thank you, sir."
"Hn."
Jin ran after the man. "Can I come with you?"
The man raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Jin bit his lip. 'He didn't refuse and he didn't mention my father so that has to mean something.'
Jin followed the blond determinately. The man never slowed down or made any indication to acknowledge Jin's presence.
"What's your name, sir?"
When the blond made no sign of answering, Jin continued "My name is Jin. Yeah, it's a bit strange considering my father, but my mother named me Jin before she died. I'm ten years old. I like learning, training, and natto. I dislike my father pressuring me, being beaten by my rival, and people judging me because of my father. My dream is to become stronger than my father and become Otokage."
"Admirable dream." the blond commented. Jin beamed.
"What about you mister?"
"My name...is Naruto Uzumaki. My parents died when I was born. I am twenty three. I like training, ramen, and my adopted tou-san(Kyuubi, duh). My dislikes are my old village and not keeping promises. I have no dream."
Jin blinked at him innocently. "What's your old village?"
Naruto didn't answer so Jin just kept talking about his escape from Otogakure.
"-so then the ANBU from Konoha chased me and made me roll down the hill. I wonder if Izuna is okay. He's pretty stubborn and even if I hate to admit it, he can take care of himself pretty well, but someone may recognize him and capture or kill him."
"Hn."
Jin smiled. Even though Naruto's grunts reminded him of Sasuke, he could tell that unlike Sasuke, even though he acted emotionless, he cared. Naruto just seemed lost. Almost like his father's servants that he decided to abandon. They seemed like their whole world had collapsed because they had no purpose. But unlike them, Naruto survived, he became stronger.
Jin followed Naruto happily. He had escaped his father and now he was going on a new adventure.
