Chapter 1

The urban environment of Konohagakure, the village hidden in the leaves, is a place where anyone could get lost. Orphans, common in a village of shinobi, are still largely ignored unless they do something to draw attention. An orphan, not trying to draw anyone's attention, can get lost easier than most.

Naruto wandered the streets, taking in the diversity of it all. He was only five years old, but he was sick and tired of the orphanage. He would get an apartment as soon as school started, but he was stuck with many other children and only one caretaker until then. Many of the children in the village were orphans, a result of many wars and various natural disasters, and the system was strained to bursting.

Naruto's simple t-shirt with an orange swirl on the front contrasted with the green shorts he wore. They were hand-me-downs, but not ratty or ragged. Most street vendors ignored children, but one old man saw Naruto's expression of inquiry and wonder as Naruto was walking.

"Hello there, young man! Why don't you come over here and see what I've got for sale?" the old man called out.

Naruto looked around for someone else that the man could be calling to, but saw no one. He pointed at his chest and mouthed the word, "me?"

"Yes, you! Come on over! I'm sure you'll love what I've got," the old man said, his smile deepening the wrinkles around his eyes.

Naruto carefully walked over to the strange man. He was sure he hadn't done anything and yet this old man was paying attention to him.

"That's an interesting shirt you've got there, young man. Where did you get it?" the old man asked as Naruto walked up.

"Oh. I dunno. At the orphanage," Naruto replied.

"Ah. I see. So you don't have any family then?" the old man asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"I'm not gonna sugar-coat it, kid: that sucks," the old man said. "But! I've got something that should take your mind off it for a while."

Naruto looked quizzically at the man. "Whaddya mean?"

"Books," the old man said.

"Awwwww," Naruto groaned. "I HATE books!"

The old man opened his eyes wide and grabbed his chest dramatically. "You HATE books?!" he exclaimed in shock and horror.

"Yeah. They're stupid!" Naruto yelled.

"But… why?" the old man asked, his voice trembling.

"Don'tcha listen? They're stupid!" Naruto said.

"What kind of books have you been reading that are stupid?" the old man asked.

"Reading books. They have them at the orphanage," Naruto replied.

"What are they about?" the old man pressed further.

"I dunno. Stupid stuff," Naruto replied.

"Oh. I see. Well not all books are about stupid stuff, you know," the old man said. "I bet I can pick a book that you'll like."

"I don't think so," Naruto answered.

"Let me guess: you like adventure and action, right?" the old man said knowingly.

"Yeah…" Naruto replied tenuously. "How did you know?"

"I was your age once, you know. And when I was your age, I liked action and adventure," the old man said as he began rifling through a shallow box of books.

"I still think books are stupid," Naruto stubbornly said.

"I'll make you a deal, how about that?" the man said as he moved one pile of books around and dug into another pile.

"What kinda deal?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going to give you a book for free, but you have to promise to read it. And if you like it, you have to give it back to me," the old man said.

"I dunno…" Naruto replied.

"If you don't like it, just come back and tell me what you didn't like," the old man said. "It's a free book and you don't have to share it with anybody. It's all yours." The old man pulled a small, green book out of the piles he'd created in his search. "Found it."

Naruto looked on as the old man extended the book to him. His face was crumpled up in deep thought, but the old man seemed very serious. Suddenly, his hand shot out and grabbed the book. "Deal!" he said as he ran away.

Once he got to a secluded area between buildings, he looked down at the tiny treasure that was all his. "Tales of a Gutsy Ninja by Jiraiya" the cover read. He opened the cover and saw someone had written inside. There was kanji that read, "To my favorite student," followed by a scrawl of romanji that Naruto couldn't read.

Naruto sat in the alley and slowly read the book until the sun set. The old man was right: he loved the book. He hid it as he quickly ran back to the orphanage and didn't let it go even when he slept. He normally vied for attention during the day, but the next morning he slunk off alone to read the book.

Two days later, Naruto was back at the used bookseller's cart. The old man had a smug grin as Naruto approached. "So, young man, did you like it?" the old man said.

"Yeah! It was awesome! And the book is about someone with my name!" Naruto said.

"Really? I've never heard of someone named, 'Naruto,' outside of that book," the old man replied, genuinely surprised.

"Well now you have! My name's Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna grow up to be just like the Naruto in this book!" Naruto shouted.

"Uzumaki, you say?" the old man muttered. "I'm sure you'll do whatever you set your mind to."

"Believe it!" Naruto said.

"I believe we had a deal though," the man said, extending his hand down to the boy.

Naruto looked crestfallen, but he would stay true to his word, just like the Naruto in the book. He handed the tiny green treasure back to the old man.

"Not many copies like this, you know," the old man said.

"Yeah, I figured it was special cause it had an autograph inside," Naruto replied.

"Oh. Well, yes. That too. But this particular copy once belonged to the Fourth Hokage," the old man said casually as he put the book back into the bin.

Naruto stopped cold. "T-that…" he stuttered as he looked at his dirty hands. "I'm sorry! My hands were dirty! I didn't know!" Naruto said, clearly upset as he grabbed the old man's pant leg. "Please don't be mad!"

The old man laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. Books are meant to be read!"

Naruto sniffed and pulled away, but didn't leave.

"Was there something else that you wanted, young Naruto?" the old man asked.

"Yeah. Ummm… you see… I was wondering…" Naruto started.

"Come on. Spit it out. I won't bite," the old man said.

"Can you tell me some other books to read?" Naruto asked. "Maybe another one by Jiraiya."

The old man laughed and replied, "I don't have any other books by Jiraiya, but I'm sure we can find something for you to read."

"But I don't have any money," Naruto blurted.

The old man turned and looked very serious as he said, "I see."

Naruto started to sweat, thinking that the old man would make him leave.

"You've already shown that you're a man of your word and I'm in need of good conversation, so how about a new deal?" the old man said.

"Sure!" Naruto said.

"Don't you want to hear what it is before you agree?" the old man asked.

"Oh. Yeah. A' course," Naruto said. "What's the new deal?"

"I'll lend you a book to read. You have to read it then bring it back in good condition," the man explained.

"Okay!" Naruto quickly agreed.

"I'm not finished," the old man said.

"Oh," Naruto said sheepishly.

"You have to bring it back in good condition and discuss it with me," the old man said.

When Naruto didn't speak for several long seconds, the old man added, "I'm finished now."

"Old man, you've got yourself a deal!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"Excellent!" the old man replied. "Now let's get you a new book to read, eh?"