Naruto: Warrior of the Blade

Chapter 2

A Hatred Rises

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third hokage of the hidden leaf village, sat at his desk going through the paperwork that had piled up from last night's activities. The Haruno family was devastated that Arato was killed and demanded that Naruto be killed for murdering him. Sarutobi however would not let that happen, seeing as how Naruto killed him in self defense. The aged Kage had gone over to see the boy earlier that morning to check on him only to find him crying his eyes out holding a new sword.

-(Flashback)-

Sarutobi walked to Naruto's apartment as he does from time to time. He checks on the boy and makes sure that he is doing ok. He was shocked to find that the door had been destroyed, along with a window having a hole in the glass. Seeing a crying Naruto in the corner Sarutobi ran to the boy's side.

"Naruto what happened? Are you alright? Who did this?" he asked frantically.

"T-They are right old man. I-I am a d-demon." Naruto sobbed.

"Don't talk like that Naruto, tell me what happened." Sarutobi said calmly as he rubbed Naruto's back.

"A-after you left, some o-of the villagers came and tried to beat me up again. I-I ran away into the alleys like usual b-but I hit a d-dead end. T-they caught up to me and o-one charged at me." He said through his sobs and held up the sword he still had in his grasp. "I-I found this sword in a t-trash pile and s-swung hoping to scare them away b-but I-I killed him old man." He said as he sobbed harder burying his head in the old man's chest.

Sarutobi held the boy close and tried to calm him down. He needed Naruto to tell him at least who or how he killed them. "Naruto, I know this is hard for you. The first kill usually is, but I need you to tell me who it was that you accidentally killed." He said to the boy.

"H-He had g-green eyes a-and red hair, he wore a red s-shirt and b-blue pants t-that's all I can remember." Naruto said shaking.

Sarutobi sighed. 'Arato Haruno, his family will be devastated.' He thought to himself. "It's ok Naruto, I know you didn't mean to kill him, you were just protecting yourself."

"B-but old man I k-killed him." Naruto said. "On accident, Naruto listen to me please it is never easy for anyone to kill for the first time. The man you killed was going to kill you if he got to you first. It was a matter of survival." Sarutobi said as he tried to calm the boy down. "Now please stop crying, I will take care of everything ok?" Sarutobi said.

"O-ok, thanks old man." Naruto said as he dried his eyes looking at the sword. "What about this sword?" he asked.

Sarutobi just stood up and smiled at the boy. "Finders keepers Naruto, finders keepers."

Naruto smiled at the old man's words and slowly stood up. "Thank you old man, I'm going to practice!" he said excitedly as he ran out the doorway to where ever it was that he trained in his free time.

Sarutobi stared at the door, broken on the floor. 'I will have to get him another new door.' He thought to himself with a sigh.

-(Flashback end)-

He was brought out of his memories by a knock at his door, and just as he was about to light his pipe too. He sighed as he set the pipe in a drawer of his desk. "Come in." he said. As the door slid open it showed a man wearing white robes with a black overcoat covering his right side. This man was Danzo, former teammate of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "What is it Danzo?" Sarutobi said with a heavy sigh.

"I think Naruto should be brought in for punishment for the murder of Arato Haruno." Danzo said. "Well I don't care what you think, Naruto defended himself from a murder attempt, lead by Arato himself!" Sarutobi said angrily. "Danzo I am not in the best of moods so I suggest that you leave."

Danzo was a smart man; you don't survive long in the ninja world by being dumb. "Understood hokage-sama." He said with a deep bow as he left the office. He would push this issue at the next council meeting; the council would defiantly be on his side. After all, none of them liked the boy.

Sarutobi sighed heavily, that was all he had been hearing today, people calling for Naruto's death because he killed Arato Haruno. He was getting sick of it but he also had to find someone who was a good Kenjutsu user to teach Naruto before he started the academy. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door again. "Come in." He said as he slowly started getting a headache.

As the door opened it showed a man with bags under his eyes, dressed in a standard Jonin outfit. This was Gekko Hayate, possibly the best swordsman in all of Konoha. "You . . . Wanted to see me. . . Hokage-sama?" He asked coughing violently in his speech.

"Yes, recently one future genin acquired a sword and I was hoping you would train him." Sarutobi said.

"And who . . . would it be sir?"

"Naruto Uzumaki please Hayate, he needs to learn how to use a sword effectively." Sarutobi said.

"I will train . . . him, besides I . . . don't have any ill will towards him." Hayate said with a smile.

Sarutobi smiled back at the man and waved him off. Naruto was going to need a crash course if he was going to be ready for the academy. 'No doubt the villagers and others would try and keep the boy from entering or graduating the academy but with people like Hayate around.' The man thought to himself as his smile grew. 'Well maybe this village can be saved after all.'