AN:

This will be my first ever story. I've read many fanfictions and decided I'd give it a try. This will be a story about Naruto on his way to the top. But after this story is over it shall be continued in another anime universe. And this will be a harem story but don't expect any lemons for a long time or none at all. So let's get this story started.

Chapter 1: He opens his eyes

A boy around the age of 13 lay in a hospital bed with his eyes open, staring at the dull and white ceiling above him. The ocean blue eyes that once were full with nothing but happiness were now lifeless and filled with sadness. What could have caused his eyes to loose all hope? The answer was simple, his failure.

The Sasuke retrieval mission had ended with utter failure and he was to blame. It was his job to fight and defeat Sasuke at the Final Valley but he had failed. His body was now covered in bandages and he had a scar on his chest. The scar that Sasuke gave him when he shoved his chidori through his chest, almost killing him in the process.

There was another man in the room. This man had long and spiky white hair and was known as the gama sennin. Jiraiya had been staring at his student with concern for a couple of hours now. He knew something within the boy had changed simply by looking at his eyes.

He himself had gone through the same situation when he had failed to stop Orochimaru from going rogue. Now his student would feel the same pain as him. It seemed that history was always destined to repeat itself.

"How you doing kid?"asked Jiraiya. He honestly didn't know how to start a conversation with the boy. He had gone through the same pain but he had to deal with it by himself. No words from another's mouth could help Naruto at the moment.

After a minute of waiting, Jiraiya addressed the elephant in the room. "Look kid, there's nothing you could have done to stop him. People like Sasuke only seek revenge and follow the darkness. Bringing him back would've changed nothing."

Naruto already knew this. And that is how he came to his final decision. "I…", if the bond with his best friend meant so little to Sasuke then he would brake it as well,"…understand Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he heard his student speak for the first time since his return. He expected to have to forcibly convince Naruto that Sasuke was a lost cause. He never expected for Naruto to simply accept his words as his own. And let's not forget how he addressed him. He had always called him Ero-sennin. To hear him use his real name and call him sensei was shocking.

Naruto slowly raised his upper body until he was in a sitting position. He took a long look at his bandaged body before he spoke once again. "Sasuke chose to break the bond we had. And using all my time on trying to get him back would only be a waste. I think it's time I open my eyes." He turned his head and looked at Jiraiya straight in the eyes. "I think it's time to take my training seriously and work towards my true goal."

Jiraiya had planned to take Naruto on a training trip the moment he came back. But with the mission and his injuries, he had postponed their departure. But now it seemed like Naruto was ready. He had experienced the truth about the shinobi world and his biggest obstacle was now out of his way.

Sasuke was Naruto's motivation when it came to training. But if Naruto ever wanted to reach his goal of becoming Hokage, then he'd have to stop trying to match Sasuke. He had to focus on his training alone and not compare himself to someone else.

"Alright kid, how about this. I'll be leaving the village in a couple of days but I could get Tsunadae to let you come with me," proposed Jiraiya. "I'll train you to be the very best shinobi you can be for 3 years."

Naruto only nodded to Jiraiya's proposition. He needed to get stronger. He was considered the weakest of his graduation class because he had blown off his studies. It wasn't all his fault but he had a hand in his failure. Most teachers in the academy had sabotaged his teaching by giving him wrong information. But now he had a chance to change that. There was someone willing to teach him and he'd be damned if he didn't take it.

"We'll leave tomorrow once the hospital has cleared you," said Jaraiya. He had to get all the supplies ready for the training trip. But that didn't matter now. Something else had caught his attention. Something had changed in his student. He didn't know what had changed but he had a feeling it was for the best. But time would unravel the mystery that was brought forth to him that day.

Little did Jaraiya know that on that day the fate of the shinobi world had shifted. A new legend had been born that would transcend through time and space and his name was…

Naruto Uzumaki…

End of Chapter 1

AN:

So that was the first chapter of this new story. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. I now the general direction of where I want this story to go but getting there is going to be a blind run. That's why I'm asking you as readers to give me some ideas if you wish. Bare in mind that I may not always incorporate all of your ideas but I'd appreciate them.

And about the pairing. Well to all you NaruSaku fans out there, this is not, I repeat, NOT going to be NaruSaku. I never liked that pairing considering how Sakura is crushing so hard on Sasuke. Plus I hate how she always hits Naruto for almost no reason at all. And honestly I think she only uses him. Bringing Sasuke back? Using him. Crying for his help instead of helping him in the Pain fight? Using him. And to all you haters, I only got one thing to say to you: meh. But anyway back to the pairing. I'm open to suggestions but I already have a few in mind. If you want the list then you'll have to wait but here's a few: Konan, Yugao, Koyuki and Shion. Like I said that's only a few of them so your pairing might still be in here. There will also be a character from another anime that I will incorporate even though she has nothing to do with powers and fighting. But I'll give her some so she can fit in.

Well that was a long AN but it's time to wrap this up. Review or PM me if you have any suggestions, questions or some feedback. I'll see you guys in chapter 2!