Hi everyone, be welcomed. So, this story is based on Naruto's world, it's not an AU. Although things are different, I thought to give a more "mature" and raw touch to the story. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are somewhat different from their manga counterparts; Naruto is unfriendly and pessimistic, Sasuke is not that unfriendly, and Sakura is more focused and determined to be a ninja. I tried to portray a more realistic and not so idealized Konoha. I hope you give it a chance! Warning for moderate language (it's going to be abundant), and eventual bloody and/or mature scenes (May change to M eventually). This is part 1 of chapter one. I decided to split it because a long chapter may discourage the reading, so without further interruption…

PD: This means P.O.V

This means flashback

Never had there been such a tragedy in all of Konoha's history. Wars were always horrible but the village survived. Though many lives were lost, what were the shinobi if not the raw material of their village's power? Wars were fought on the battlefields, it is others who pay the price for those clashes. In the end, the great Villages stabilize and their forces increase.

But this was different, no one expected that in the middle of the night a living mountain would appear wrecking havoc. The gigantic creature known as the Nine-Tailed Fox unleashed its wrath upon the quiet night, and Konoha bled. The village was shattered, corpses numbered in the thousands, entire families destroyed, children orphaned, wives widowed, parents who would never see their children again. The shinobi forces were decimated and could barely contain the monster's wrath. In the end the Fourth Hokage, the powerful and respected leader paid the ultimate price for victory, the creature was defeated in exchange for his life. That is the official story...

But, every truth is a half-truth. And the beast could only be contained, locked inside a baby as soon as he took its first breath in the world. The child was baptized with the blood of the innocent, and welcomed with the burden of a curse. Naruto became a demon as soon as his eyes had the strength to open.

Hatred spreads as fast as the most lethal of viruses, and inhabits the hearts of men for years, sometimes forever. The beast had opened a wound that would never close, but the monster was gone, in its place was the boy. The young boy, with tousled blond hair and blue eyes, who roamed the village unpunished. Where did the monster end and the boy begin? Only hatred had the answer to that question, and for those who had suffered the loss of their love, their families, or are simply afraid, the simplest option is to punish someone else for their own pain. Naruto, the Fox, both were the same in the eyes of the villagers. The young man was a wolf in sheep's clothing, but he would not fool anyone.

And the boy grew up, breathing an air he did not deserve. He walked the streets his claws had torn apart years before, his eyes wandered over the faces his maw had tried to tear apart. And those same faces let him know his place, stared at him like ghosts of an unseen vengeance, one he did not understand. They condemned every step he took. Rejected his very existence. Most hated him, many preferred to avoid any contact with him, the result was the same, the child was shunned, rejected. Everywhere he went he was reminded that he did not deserve to be there...

"One, two... ten. That idiot didn't have much with him, cheap bastard"

On top a pile of garbage sat our protagonist, while carefully counting a bundle of papers. The western part of the village was where the lower-income inhabitants lived. The least colorful part of the village, to put it kindly. Every strong economy needs those willing to work hard for little, and in a Village as large and powerful as Konoha this rule was no exception. Of course, it was a haven for crooks and other outcasts, and these small criminal networks were informally established, as long as they didn't go too far. The affairs of civilians were of little interest to the shinobi. And they could prove useful when the time came. Every thriving economy needs those extra "incentives," and Konoha was no exception.

The trade contacts in the underworld could prove to be very advantageous, metal was necessary for ninja weaponry, ANBU armor could be manufactured at low costs if the right people were known, and many times you could hear very interesting rumors from other villages by asking the right ones, sometimes the most interesting things were whispered... of course, none of this appeared in the reports, there was no paperwork on the matter.

"Only twelve Ryo, what a dipshit" The boy threw the wallet next to the rest of the trash and put the money in his pocket with a bored gesture "I'll barely fill my stomach with this. Well" He stood up and shook his hands "I guess it's class time, Iruka's gonna kick my ass this time. I shoulda been there like an hour ago" He laughed.

"Well, if it isn't none other than my good friend Naruto" Two young men, one about the blond's age and the other a few years older appeared. The garbage dump was a place frequented by rascals who used it as an operations base.

"Well, if it isn't you and what's-his-name" Replied the blond with apathy.

"Counting profits?" asked the older one, ignoring the provocation.

"If you can call 12 miserable Ryo profit"

"Hehe, that's all you're going to get if you keep on picking wallets Naruto. You should visit once in a while, you'd know what the good life is for once" The elder spoke calmly and in a friendly tone, but provoking him at the same time. He was a leader, and he knew how to get what he wanted from others.

The blond put his hands behind his head "You? That guy couldn't take the cane away from a blind old lady" He mocked the other young man with indifference.

"What'd you say, asshole?" replied the offended one

The elder laughed, calming his companion "Relax Kai; Naruto is one of us."

"You wish, Kenshi" Naruto calmly climbed down from the pile. Lately, Kenshi was trying to recruit him for his little band of criminals, he was up to something for sure.

The aforementioned man laughed "Well, just remember that my offer still stands, I'm sure you'll get on board. There's a good chance soon, ya know? If you join, you'll count your Ryo by hundreds, more than you'll earn robbing the wallets of the whole western area" He assured

Naruto couldn't deny that the offer piqued his interest, but he knew for a fact that trusting others was off the table. And Kenshi was one of the most manipulative and clever vermin he had the displeasure of knowing "I'll think about it" He replied calmly as he walked away.

Iruka was in the middle of his lesson about the history of the village when a light knock sounded at the door. He took a deep breath, knowing perfectly well who it was "Enter, Naruto" He ordered.

"I should've used the window" Naruto complained to himself, standing on the threshold "How'd you know it was me sensei?" He exclaimed, smiling with his arms behind his head, with an attitude that showed he didn't give a damn.

The rest of the class laughed at him. He was not the most popular, it would be more accurate to say that popularity took a dump on him. He was the laughing stock of his class, the worst student. A title he held with pride, and which he honored regularly.

"Naruto, late again" Iruka scolded him with a frown.

"Well, maybe, but look-"

"I don't want to listen to you" The teacher interrupted him before he had the chance to embark on yet another of his nonsensical and implausible excuses "Take a seat, then we'll talk."

"You're the boss" He shrugged and went to his seat at the back of the room.

A few reproachful glances followed him on his way, and some muttered under their breath. "He must have woken up a few minutes ago," "he must have been stealing," "he probably forgot the way", "he's a fool." Among the advantages of having an immortal creature of unimaginable power locked inside you is an acute development of the senses, his hearing for example. Naruto could hear all the jokes and insults whispered by those losers, but he didn't really care.

If someone had the courage to tell him straight up, he'd just have to do a few repairs to their face... with his fists.

The class had reached recess, followed by lunch break before the practical exercises. Naruto was leaving along with the rest, but Iruka asked him to stay for a moment.

"Naruto, you were late, AGAIN" He remarked with emphasis.

"Yes?" The blond pretended disbelief "My alarm clock must've been broken, I don't have money to buy another one" He falsely lamented lowering his eyes, trying to look sad.

"Enough of that Naruto, you know I won't fall for that... again" Iruka cleared his throat" Look, the graduation exam is in two days. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but could you please come in on time these next few days? I'm really counting on you Naruto, I don't want you to be left out because of nonsense like this" He told him sternly, but with a visible concern. After all, if Naruto stepped too far out of line he knew the consequences wouldn't be light.

The blond shook his head uneasily and finally sighed "Alright, but it'll cost you a nice bowl of Ramen'' The blond demanded firmly.

"If you pass the test I'll treat you to all the Ramen you can eat, on me" Iruka replied with a smile.

"It's a promise!" Naruto exclaimed before running out of the classroom.

Iruka sat down, dropping his head on the desk. "I have faith in you, Naruto."

At the academy's training grounds the young shinobi candidates were scattered, eating their lunches. When they saw him arrive many gave him an unfriendly look. Over the years more than one had mysteriously lost their lunch, only to see the blond devouring it. And worst of all, Naruto never apologized, but rather made fun of them.

For his part, the blond didn't bother to approach anyone, since he knew the trauma he had caused. It was then that he realized that in his haste he forgot to buy (or steal) something to eat, and his stomach was beginning to take a toll on him. What could he do? Approaching any of the groups was out of the question, as it would only result in him being chased around the building. And the majority ate in groups, only a few did not. If he insisted enough to Sakura he knew he would manage to convince her, but at that moment she was surrounded by other girls, including Ino, president of the "I hate Naruto" club. No, he already knew what to do, and grinned mischievously.

Stealthily he made his way to the rooftop of the building, he knew that's where he went to eat his lunch. If he was quick enough he could snatch it from him and get away unscathed, but he was not to make any mistakes. He peeked around the entrance carefully and took cover behind a wall, then he saw him. He began to sneak closer, he was getting closer and closer...

"Don't even think about it," Said the boy who was eating calmly.

"Awwww, I was just coming to see how my good pal Sasuke was doing" The blond came closer with his arms behind his head, feigning innocence.

"Sure" The boy ate without even looking at him.

"But now that you mention it Sasuke, I happened to forget my lunch. Well actually, I happen to be so poor that I don't even have enough to eat" He lowered his face, simulating pain "But don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to share your food with me, I wouldn't want to take away the pleasure of eating it all by yourself."

"Good" Sasuke continued eating without paying attention to him.

"Aw come on Sasuke, at least give me some. Otherwise I have to go ask Hinata, and she always brings that weird rice that tastes like air. I swear, rich people are so uptight" He complained, sticking out his tongue in rejection. Sasuke still said nothing "Really, you'll let your partner starve to death? That's cruel Sasuke, very cruel, I thought you were different, I thought we had something special! But you just-"

"Take it and leave" Sasuke threw him a small box with some snacks in it without making eye contact.

The blond smiled mischievously "It's a pleasure doing business with you Uchiha" He exclaimed with satisfaction "Although I still don't like you, ya know?" He said goodbye. Naruto was certainly a person without decency or shame.

After 15 minutes recess was over. Iruka gathered the kids on the training field to begin the exercises. The classes usually consisted of a theoretical period, followed by physical training. After all, shinobi were weapons that needed to be honed and sharpened, conditioning for battle had to begin at an early age.

Peace had taken its toll on the village. How to make these children understand the true purpose they would serve as shinobi, when they had grown up surrounded by security and tranquility? For many it was a game where they believed they could measure themselves, others recognized the seriousness it represented but could not truly embrace the meaning of being ninja. They had not grown up in a time of war, they did not understand the true horror of battle, the threat of death. Many wanted to graduate and become ninjas, to make their families proud, to be heroes... but those ideas tend to seem naive when you tear an opponent's flesh with a kunai, or when the blood of a dead comrade stains your clothes.

"Alright guys, we'll divide into five groups for shuriken throwing practice. Whoever scores the most points will be the winner" Iruka divided the young kids into groups. Of course he could simply put all the students into a competition to determine the winner, but it was the Konoha way to encourage teamwork, it was considered vital for a ninja's career.

Naruto was left in their group along with a couple of mouthy girls who disliked him, a pedant boy named Kashi who thought he was a big deal, and Sakura Haruno, a most curious girl. As a rule, Naruto got along horribly with his classmates, although there were a few, and they could be counted with the fingers of one hand, with whom he didn't get along so... horribly. Sakura was one of them, for one thing the girl had pink hair, something that always picked his curiosity. She was one of the most outstanding students, and always passed her exams with an A+, in that sense she was the class number's one. In addition they had something in common, many of the students were members of recognized clans, and others came from families with a lasting shinobi heritage, but Sakura was the daughter of civilians, she was the first in her family to follow the path of the shinobi. Her parents had not bequeathed her ninja tools or secret techniques, they had no scrolls at home, they hadn't taught her how to fight or how to shape her chakra, her parents had a bakery. In that way they were alike, both were different from the rest, outcasts; of course Sakura tried her best to prove that she was worth as much as the others and longed to be a great kunoichi, while Naruto did not make the slightest effort and had no big dreams or goals.

But still, they didn't get along so horribly. The girl was kind of strict and uptight, but Naruto didn't bother her more than necessary and had respect for her, and she well... she was quite patient with him. She didn't hate him per se, but their personalities were strongly opposites.

"Hey loser, you better not make us look bad," Kashi warned Naruto.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and brought his hands behind his head "And that's supposed to be a threat? trust me you suck at this" Naruto replied bored. Telling Naruto not to do something was the easiest way to make sure he would do it.

"Naruto please, just do the best you can" Sakura intervened this time to calm the mood

"Whatever" The blond stepped aside apathetically.

The throwing practice ended after twenty minutes. Naruto's team had scored a total of 40 points, of which only 4 corresponded to our protagonist. It's not as if he had tried too hard, or at all, in fact.

His teammates complained and insulted him, but he just flipped the bird at them. Sakura knew there was no point in getting mad at him, so she passed on reprimanding him. She knew that Naruto would answer her with an insult, or a joke, if he paid her attention at all, the pink haired girl used to wonder how he could be so inconsiderate and uncommitted.

The winning team of course was Sasuke's, the young man had scored a perfect score getting his team 15 points. Not for nothing he was considered the student of the year and named a genius. Undoubtedly, he was the one who showed the most talent among his teammates, excelling in all ninja skills.

"Well done boys, the results have been very satisfying. Now, how about a series of friendly matches? Since the graduation exam is just around the corner it would be good for you to practice as much as you can, you need to improve the points in which you might fail. Remember, being shinobi is not a game, your life is at risk in every mission, so you can't neglect your skills and should always try to improve" Iruka gave them another of his speeches about the future. As a teacher it was his job, but that didn't mean he didn't feel his words "Well, you know the rules. No ninjutsu, it is only a taijutsu fight, the use of weapons and lethal force is forbidden, it is only to measure your combat capabilities. The time limit is 4 minutes, if you do not defeat your opponent in that time I will declare a winner" Having explained the rules, the exercise began. Everyone cleared a space around the fighting arena.

The first fight was between two boys, nothing very remarkable, both fought well but without any boldness. Finally Iruka declared it a draw - What a pair of losers - Naruto mused. Sasuke who was next to him responded with a "hmpf", something that could be interpreted as a sign of agreement or a small laugh in his language. Next were two girls, one of them Ino, or as Naruto called her the "pedantic sack of hormones". Ino defeated her opponent in almost 4 minutes. The fights continued until it was Sakura's turn, who fought against a boy, the victory was for the pink headed girl around the 4th minute thanks to a direct hit to the face.

The next match was preceded by a wave of exclamations and a chorus of female praise. Indeed, it was Sasuke's turn, the coolest guy, with the blackest hair, the most handsome face, the most penetrating look and the most mysterious aura, according to the girls. His opponent was Kiba Inuzuka or "dog breath" as Naruto called him, a loud mouthed young man. He was determined not to lose, but everyone knew the outcome. Indeed, after a minute Kiba was on the ground, while Sasuke calmly left the arena. Iruka shook his head with a slight smile, he knew that Sasuke would win without a trace of doubt "Well, the winner is Sasuke. Next let's see... Naruto and Kashi go to the center, please" Before they fought he asked Naruto to see him "Naruto control yourself please, I don't want any accidents" He warned him seriously.

"Fine, but if he asks for it I won't be responsible" He replied indifferently taking his place.

The warning wasn't in vain. The taijutsu style of the academy was quite standard and the students learned it compulsorily, of course many learned from their parents new styles and trained on their own. But still, in the academy the matches were practice, the purpose was not to harm the opponent lethally. But when Naruto fought he did it seriously, without contemplation, without holding back. That's how he had learned, to survive he had to hit harder, move faster, endure more blows. In the streets the fights had no rules, it was about hitting your opponent until he couldn't fight back. And Naruto had been honed that way, not to mention the fact that his body was more resistant due to the tiny detail of imprisoning a demon capable of destroying entire villages. Due to the pressure of containing the creature, his body had become stronger than normal for a boy his age.

"Now I'll make you pay for earlier, loser" Kashi challenged him, to which Naruto looked back at him with complete indifference "I wish I've been put against Sasuke, that would have been a good fight" That started to annoy the blond "I'm going to teach you what a real ninja is."

"Ninja? You sound like a little bitch; don't worry, I'll get you a date with Sasuke later if that's what you wanted" Naruto put his hands behind his head, the rest of the students couldn't hold back their laughter at his insults.

Kashi was boiling with fury so when Iruka gave the signal for them to begin he wildly lunged at Naruto. The blond blocked the kick with his forearm and immediately returned the favor by planting his foot on the boy's chest with such force that Kashi collided harshly against the ground with a wince of pain.

"Some Ninja" Naruto mocked

Kashi instantly stood up, enraged he attacked again. This time he threw several punches against Naruto, the blond was able to dodge them, although a kick knocked him off balance and then a punch connected with his face. Kashi smiled satisfied and threw another punch, but Naruto grabbed him by the wrist and began to squeeze hard making him groan in pain, then crashed his head hard against the boy's face leaving him completely stunned, then it followed a strong knee to his stomach making him fall to his knees, but before he touched the ground Naruto threw him harsh making his body hit hard against the ground, ending the fight.

"Another day we'll continue the lesson bitch" Naruto mocked contemptuously, spitting on the ground.

"That's enough Naruto" Iruka stopped him before the thing continued, Kashi was completely disoriented and couldn't stand up "I told you not to overdo it, this is a fight between partners"

"It's not my fault he's a wimp, ninjas are supposed to fight till death right? I'd say he got it easy" Naruto shrugged his shoulders and turned his back looking at the clock "Wow, 54 seconds. Looks like I beat you genius" He exclaimed pointing at Sasuke.

"Your luck is about to run out" Sasuke accepted the challenge, confidently stepping forward while everyone started to cheer.

"Enough, both of you!" Iruka used his secret technique: the giant head jutsu, to instill order "Naruto, your fight is over, get out of the arena immediately."

"Fine" The blond replied in annoyance walking away, Sasuke returned to his place to the disappointment of the rest. Naruto could be the worst student in his grades, but few doubted that in terms of raw strength he was one of the top, and few wanted to have him as an opponent.

"Let's continue" continued Iruka, observing Naruto with concern. Iruka knew that it had not been entirely right to reprimand him. But the truth was he worried that the incident could have a negative impact on the blond, after all the boy's actions were carefully controlled and monitored. Kashi was removed with the help of other students, his nose was a bleeding mess and apparently his wrist had been dislocated. Luckily it wasn't broken, but he knew he would face many complaints for exposing the boy to the "demon".

The fighting continued for another while, but the blond had already lost interest. He spotted a girl sitting in the shade of a tree and decided to join her since he was bored. "What's up Hinata?"

"Hi Naruto" The young girl looked up to him and gave him a weak smile. Hinata got along relatively well with Naruto, although she was a strange girl who always seemed to be depressed for some reason. She was not very talkative, but she always treated him with kindness.

"You fought really neat before" He said as he put her hands to his head with a bored gesture.

"T-thank you, you did...well too" She returned the compliment, but didn't sound too confident. The truth was that the young girl didn't enjoy brutality in the least, and Naruto's way of fighting could only be described that way.

"Yeah, it was good hehe, although I think I held back a bit" He agreed with satisfaction "You too, you could've easily kicked that weakling's ass."

"I think so... but sensei said it was a friendly match" She answered, a little uncomfortable. Hinata appreciated Naruto, but she didn't like to see him acting so aggressively. Still, he was one of the few people who treated her with amiability, the rest of the class didn't appreciate her much. She was a shy and awkward girl after all, and rumors were that her clan deemed her unworthy. Both were outcasts in different ways, and that made them understand each other.

"Yeah well, when you'll be a ninja you'll have to get used to some blood ya know?" Naruto sat close to her "All these losers think they're the shit, they think they're gonna be heroes, rescue princesses and crap. But you saw it, they're not even capable of taking a fight seriously, if their lives depended on it more than half of them would die instantly, don't ya think?" Naruto reflected seriously

"Well…" What Naruto was saying made Hinata feel a little disturbed, but she couldn't deny that he was right "I don't think I'm the right person to judge that"

"Hehe, you're one of the good ones Hinata. You could defeat almost everyone here ya know? I've seen you fight and I know you hold back a lot, but if someone threatened your life you could defend yourself, believe me I can say for real" Naruto said with a strange gleam in his eyes, although his words were deviously kind, his bloodlust made her nervous.

The blue-haired girl nodded weakly. She hoped things wouldn't come to that, she didn't think she had the stomach...

Meanwhile, in another part of the village two people were talking on a rooftop. One of them was an eccentric fellow with spiky gray hair, a mask covering his face almost completely, leaving only his right eye visible. The other one was a beautiful woman about his age, with short brown hair, dark eyes and two curious purple marks on her face.

He wore the typical uniform of the village ninja, the woman simply wore a black vest over a casual white dress.

"You'll be quite busy from now on Kakashi" The woman said in a mocking tone, although with affection.

The aforementioned man sighed heavily "So it seems, honestly the Hokage went overboard this time" He expressed with resignation, thinking about the hard task ahead of him.

The woman patted his back comfortingly while smiling, clearly amused with her companion's suffering "Come on, you know you're the right one" She told him sincerely, trying to encourage him "Besides, I know deep down you're happy to take them under your charge" It was true, and she knew it.

Kakashi didn't deny it, but still spoke without much confidence "They are complicated kids. Sasuke has a lot of potential, but Naruto... is complicated. You know as well as I do Rin, the boy is a complete sociopath."

"Things haven't been easy for him, you know that" Her mind threatened to take her to places she'd rather not go back to "But I know his heart is in the right place" Her gaze was lost for a few seconds in the horizon "You know... many times I regret not taking him with me"

"It wasn't possible Rin" Kakashi assured her like so many times before "They wouldn't have let him leave the village"

"I know...but I should have been with him, I could have done more" She reproached herself with regret, she never managed to forgive herself for that

"I don't know, we only did what we could do. Sometimes I feel the same way... but I don't plan on having any more regrets."

"If you do your part everything will be alright" Rin was offering comfort "You'll be a good sensei."

"I hope so... I really hope so"

"So, scared 'bout the genin exam?" Naruto asked casually with his hands behind his head.

"Hm? Why are you here?" Sasuke didn't even glance at him and continued walking

"We're walking in the same direction; tsk, you're quite the bastard aren't you?" Complained the blond

Sasuke sighed and mentally counted to three "No, I'm not" Answering the previous question

"Sure, you're the great and only Sasuke after all."

"If you say so…" Sasuke continued indifferently. Naruto was one to put him in a bad mood naturally. But deep down, he was the only person Sasuke saw as a peer, though he would never admit it. The rest of his academy mates were innocent children lost in silly fantasies, they didn't know reality.

"Hasn't Kakashi shown up to give you the speech?" Asked the blond with an arched eyebrow.

"No, but soon he surely will" Sasuke summarized looking ahead, he knew it would happen.

"Hehe, he's quite a pain in the ass," Naruto laughed "Naruto, this headband is a symbol that you will be part ... blabla... teamwork" He mocked the man.

"It's quite accurate" Agreed Sasuke smiling slightly "And what about you, do you think you'll pass?"

"Pfff, piece of cake my friend" Naruto exclaimed haughtily "Maybe I'll skip it though, ya know?"

"You're kidding" This time Sasuke looked at him surprised.

"Nah, truth is the whole ninja thing doesn't suit me. Anyway I'm planning a change of angle, so why take the damn test?" Naruto confessed, although this time his tone was more serious and his gaze fixed on the sky for a moment. There was much more behind his words

"Why try anyway? Nothing will change... I'll leave this dump behind" He had already decided he would leave the village soon and look for a new home. Rather, he would look for a home at last, Konoha was never a home for him.

"What a loser" Sasuke walked forward in annoyance leaving him behind. Really, what else could he expect from that idiot?

"Yeah, I love you too Sasu, see ya!" The blond replied sarcastically, changing his direction.

He decided to head for his place, he didn't like that area of the village not one bit. Ironically, he felt better among the piles of garbage and huts than in the quiet residential area. It wasn't hard to imagine why, as all along the way people turned to look at him, exuding rancor and hostility, whispering behind his back.

Naruto ignored them, he would not give them the privilege of looking back. He just walked calmly until all that was behind him. He had entered his "home" now, a skinny, mean looking dog ran quickly in front of him chasing a cat as a greeting. He kicked a can off the ground and went on his way quietly. It was still late afternoon, but the streets received no light as the wall loomed imposingly to one side blocking out the sun. At its base, several houses were stacked together, forming a cordon that stretched as far as the eye could see. The buildings almost closed in on each other, making the streets extremely narrow, not to mention the pits and puddles. The air was thick, thick with humidity and dust, and often smelled of rottenness and garbage.

Naruto lived in a run-down apartment, with just enough space for one person and no more than that. He had a living room where he could not move much and a small room that could pass for a closet, and a bathroom that never wanted to play along. The walls were cracked and had barely been plastered.

"Oh, if it isn't Naruto," A familiar voice spoke next to him.

"Kenshi. What's up?" Replied the blond without much encouragement.

"Just collecting some payments" Said the boy with his typical, despicable smile "It's been a good season ya know?" He showed him a wad of bills

Naruto couldn't help but be surprised, there must be at least 10,000 ryo in there "I guess you earned it through honest work."

"Oh, of course. You know me, I'm a tireless working man. Here, have some" The boy held out a small amount "From one friend to another."

The blond counted 1000 ryo "Yeah right, how much will this cost me?" He was no fool, he knew Kenshi wouldn't give anything without taking something in return

"No charge dude, we go back a long way right? But ya know, if you wanna see more of it you should join the cause sometime" He said saving the rest of the money "There's a good tip for tomorrow. If you get in, you'll get your share, believe me. Insane cash, you can go on a nice vacation with that."

Naruto thought about it for a moment. He needed money if he was really going to leave the village, "insane cash" would be a good backup, and it would be a one time deal

"Spill" He replied after a moment of silence

Kenshi smiled mischievously. "We'll discuss details tonight, it'll be crazy dude."

Just a few moments to sunset. Naruto was sitting on top of his building overlooking the village. From there he could see how it stretched as far as the eye could see. So many houses, so many people, and he could safely say that at least 95% of them despised him. He didn't even know their faces, didn't know who they were, what they did with their lives, so many lives, so many different stories and they all had one thing in common, their rejection of him, that was the only thing he knew for sure. He was cursed after all.

"What's with that attitude, is Naruto thinking?"Said a female voice behind him jokingly.

The blond smiled genuinely cheerful "Yes... I was thinking about a girl I know... " He said still with his back turned

"She sounds cool"

"Yeah... although she's a bit bossy and can be a real pain in the ass" The blond complained

Naruto got hit in the head "You overstepped" Said the woman as she sat next to him

"And can hit hard too" Naruto rubbed his head. "It's been a while since you showed up Rin, what's up?"

"I decided to stop by to visit my favorite troublesome knucklehead." The woman rubbed his hair affectionately" Before he became a ninja that is."

"Yeah…"

"Is something wrong?" Rin asked worriedly

"Nah, just a lil tired" The blond excused himself "Today I kicked a show-off's ass, you know? He was like 'I'll show you what a ninja is' and I wiped the floor with him" The blond exclaimed satisfied.

Rin couldn't help but laugh "Then you won't have problems with your exam, I can tell you are already a great ninja"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders "Piece of cake"

"Good, I have a lot of faith in you" He smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Of course…"

So, that's it for now. As you may have guessed already, I'm not a native english speaker so writing this has proved to be a real challenge. On that matter, any correction or advice about grammar errors, mispronunciations, etc. will be deeply welcomed. I hope you like it so far, and left eager for the next part. As you may have noticed, Naruto's last name hasn't been mentioned. That's on purpose, because no one knows it.