Eight-year old Naruto juggled his library scrolls, thinking back to all that had happened over the last two years. Finding three more people who cared about him had been amazing, and only got better as he got to know them. The librarian, Ms. Taiga, was a kind woman willing to help him satisfy his curiosities about anything and everything. The blond had lost track of evenings spent in her company, sorting through books together in good humor. She even knew about his heritage, and had promised to never tell a soul, becoming the mother-figure in his life.
Kakashi was like the cool uncle, training his reflexes and giving little hints towards beating a stronger enemy. He even put up with his 'rival,' Maito Gai, just to find a fighting style to suit the blond. Other boys might laugh if they found out, but flexibility training and gymnastic-type flips suited him perfectly. Conventional weapons weren't for him, but Kakashi also located a whip for Naruto after the two discovered that Kurama had left Naruto his signature Rose Whip. Turns out, Icha Icha wasn't that perverted. It had a decent plot and character development, so long as you skipped the various sex scenes. Most of the author's research was actually on human interactions, not just anatomy.
Ibiki was more like a big brother, and a bit more involved with Naruto than Kakashi was. The scarred man had taught Naruto tactics, and how to get inside someone's head, almost literally. Who needed the sharingan when you could read someone by body language alone? It was a generally unknown fact that the man viewed Anko as his little sister, and was looking for a Hyuuga to train as a successor.
But of course, the man closest to Naruto was Iruka. The thin dolphin taught Naruto etiquette and history, as well as improving the boy's already-strong senses. He played shoji and go with the blond, even got him a battle simulator, a device that can re-enact any battle and uses chakra as an energy source. Iruka loved gardening, and could name many of the plants in any of the four greenhouses, the black one of which Naruto was forbidden to step foot in.
Of course, his grandfather's heritage showed in more than his senses and interests. Finding a curious old scroll with Ms Taiga, Naruto delved into a world that shinobi had long forsaken. The ancient art of picking locks. Of course Naruto never used this skill to steal anything.
His relationship with the village had also improved, as a leak had revealed his paternal parentage. Nowadays, Naruto was showered with all the attention he could want. Even so, he still worked his ass off to improve, pulling a prank or two from the shadows. His stealth increased dramatically, and he was starting to feel the energy that his mother and grandfather had used, which was a nudge different from chakra. The blond was developing his own Reiki.
Naruto hummed happily as some adults waved at him from their window ledge, continuing on his way to the Hokage Monument. Tomorrow was his first day at the Academy.
The clean, fresh morning air filtering through the greenhouse rustled his shoulder-length blond hair, the soft spikes brushing his face as he got up from his crouch. By his estimation of the sun's position, it was about time to be heading off for his first day. The house was silent, the occupants gone their own ways as Naruto stretched, brushing his brown silk sleeves as he did so. A long dark orange over-tunic complemented his tanned complexion, dark brown trim and loose, hakama style pants added color variety. Battle slippers padded with barely a sound as the deeper water under his chakra-covered feet rippled gently.
The sliding doors opened with a throaty swoosh as Naruto padded into the room. All conversation fell silent as the room's occupants stared at the boy, gossiping whispers starting up as he got to the first step.
"Wow. So that's-"
"He's pretty cute. Think he-"
"I heard he's some kind of prodigy. Do you-"
"Nah. I've actually heard dad say he works for everything he gets. Why does-"
"He's definitely cute! I think I-"
"He's cute, but he's no Sasuke-kun! I wonder-"
"Sasuke? Who cares! Naruto-sama's way better than any old Sasuke!"
"Ha! I bet I could beat both of them in a fight! Why do girls like the pretty boys, anyways!?"
"H-hush, Kiba-kun!"
Naruto ignored the whispers, making his way to the center of the class, sliding in next to a quiet, nervous little boy with an odd hairstyle, much like a chicken's butt.
"O-ohiyo, Naruto-sama. I'm Uchiha Sasuke. N-nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too, Sasuke-san. And just Naruto is fine."
Naruto reciprocated the Uchiha's smile, glad to have found someone who didn't look like they'd squeak if he asked to train with them. Just as the blond got settled, the door opened, revealing their two sensei until the age of twelve.
"Ohiyo class. I'm Iruka-sensei-"
"And I'm Mizuki-sensei! It's nice to see such bright, eager faces first thing in the morning."
"But they won't be so bright by the end of class! Even though it's the first day, we've got a lot to do in these four years."
"As you may know, it used to be six years in training, but the council thought that was too long to hold your attention,"
"So they refined it, condensing six years of studies and training into four."
"Let's get moving! Some of you may already know the area, but we're going for a tour of the grounds and building anyways."
"Keep it at a jog, and don't stop moving. If even one of you stops moving, we'll set all of you to doing pushups!"
"Now, let's keep role-call snappy, so we have more time to work with!"
"Hai Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei!"
"Why, aniki, why?"
"Humph. Baka outoto. If you want to kill me, despise me, hate me, and live in an unsightly way... Run, and cling to life, and then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me."
"W-What is going on here?"
Itachi turned his focus away from his little brother, the only one to escape his genocide. There stood Konoha's most recent golden boy, Uzumaki Naruto. The green clad blond seemed to be in shock at the site of the Uchiha District. Blood was splattered everywhere, as bodies had been hacked apart in the streets, limbs hanging out of windows and doors. A cold wind blew, enough to send shivers up all but the hardiest spines as the decorations and signs of everyday life of pause fluttered despairingly. Itachi took a step closer to both boys, making them flinch slightly.
"I-Itachi-san?"
"I apologize, Naruto-sama but I can not let the two of you leave here alive, or at the very least, sane."
"Wh-what?"
Naruto took another step back, terrified when Sasuke started screaming bloody murder after a second of glancing in the murderer's eyes.
Frightened cerulean orbs met cold red-and-black orbs, and the world was black and white, with a blood-drenched sky. Itachi disappeared, only to be replaced by…
"Jiji?"
"Don't ever call me that. You're a disgrace to the family name."
"Wh-what?"
"It's true. I regret ever bringing you into this world!"
"O-Okaasan-"
"No, the fault is mine. I should have used his soul for the sealing of the beast, instead of my own."
"O-Otousan-"
Naruto looked between the three figures of his family. It couldn't be true, could it? No. It couldn't be. Jiji loved him. He heard the stories of how his parents were looking forward to his birth. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't! He felt a looming presence behind him, the hot breath of a huge beast, and the tiny feeling of being prey in the presence of a predator.
"See, little half-breed kit? No one wants you. No one loves you. No one needs you. Only me. I'm the only one that needs you. So fulfill my need and FEED MY STOMACH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO! NO! GET AWAY! JIJI! HOKAGE-SAMA! SOMEBODY! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"Naruto! NARUTO!! Snap out of it! Nothing's going to happen to you! Please! It's alright, you're safe now. Shhh. Shhh. It's alright. Everything's going to be okay."
"H-Hokage-jiji? Hokage-jiji! I was so- so-"
"Shhh. It's alright. Sleep now, alright? Sleep."
The following darkness was a relief as his mind couldn't help but follow the calm command.
It's been one week since the so-called Uchiha Massacre, and Naruto and Sasuke were allowed to return to the Academy, providing they showed up for regular psychiatric tests. The class was numbly silent as Naruto padded into the room. He looked around, relieved to find Sasuke in their usual spot.
"Ohiyo, Sasuke-san."
The raven ignored his typical greeting, doing nothing but staring straight ahead and ignoring the whole world. Classes that day passed as if in a dream, and Sasuke had disappeared during lunch, much to Naruto's dismay. The blond's luck caught up, however, when Naruto found Sasuke after school and approached him with his usual smile.
"Sasuke-san? What's wrong?"
"Leave me alone, Uzumaki." The smile left his face in a flash, face contorting into a worried frown.
"Hey, don't be like that! I thought we were friends."
"Hn. If that incident a week ago taught me something, it's that I don't need something like friends to hold me back. Go stagnate in your happy little world, while I get stronger, and make him pay for the things he did."
"Sasuke-san…"
TBC
Oreo; Damn. I just can't get enough of this story! Expect another update relatively soon, and this is probably going to be my primary story. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on the others though. Now, I want reviews that are constructive. And if they're helpful, I'll give a special tidbit in my next update, on any story. One final bit of business;
When will the Dark Tournament be held?
Jaa!