Chapter 1: The Beginning
Naruto spent another day again waking up and not feeling like getting out of bed. Trash littered around his room.
He checks the time and realizes he's running late to the academy, but he could care less no one cared if he was there or not.
He put on his goggles and left, avoiding crowded streets was his number one priority. He entered the academy late and sat down without any greeting or anyone batting an eye.
Iruka sat at the front of the class talking about shuriken jutsu and other things deemed below his intelligence.
Naruto thought sleep was more important than these repetitive lessons. Looks like Kiba and Shikamaru agreed with him with their actions. Iruka had motioned the class to join him outside for their new jutsu.
Once outside, Sasuke Uchiha was volunteered to go by his classmates.
"Oh my god Sasuke is so cool," screeched Sasuke's number one fan-girl Sakura Haruno
"Don't even look in his direction FOREHEAD!" screamed the blonde Yamanaka clan heiress Ino
Naruto couldn't understand why everything was about the Uchiha all the time, but from previous experiences in the past Naruto didn't feel like challenging him right now. Using Shikamaru's strategy of evading and calling it troublesome was probably his best move. If only they knew what he was capable of. His façade of the class idiot was dragging the life essence out of him.
Glancing over at the blonde haired boy leaving, Shikamaru nudged Choji who was stuffing his face and said, "What's up with Naruto, knowing him he'd challenge Sasuke in a heartbeat, what a drag."
He spent the night alone. Visiting Ichiraku became second nature, buying ramen with the last of his allowance and contemplated a decision.
Flashback:
Six years before, the night of the Uchiha massacre.
Naruto poured the boiling water into his ramen cup and let it sit. Waiting the three minutes really got on his nerves, impatient as he was. He felt a presence behind him that was familiar, yet he didn't want to get a lecture about vandalizing the Hokage's face.
"Naruto, how are you doing today, are you well?" said the concerned man. Naruto didn't respond but knew that the figure would not leave unless he was to give a response. "Itachi, I already told the old man that I was sorr-."
The figure now stood directly behind him and turned Naruto around. Itachi had been dressed in his ANBU gear with his mask now placed on his hip. He reached for Naruto's shoulder hesitantly like he was struggling to find the right thing to say.
"I do not care about the stone faces little brother." said Itachi and Naruto now teary eyed looking up at Itachi who had been around most of his life looking after him. Although Naruto wasn't the best at depicting feelings from Itachi, he could see the chaos in his eyes and the bags protruding underneath them, signaling long sleepless nights. "I came to say goodbye to you," still monotone since he began speaking, "I will be gone for a long time."
"Itachi, what are you saying?" Naruto sniffled. "When are you coming back."
Naruto's shoulders tensed as Itachi now bent over to meet him at eye-level. "Listen to me carefully Naruto." Naruto wiped his eyes and stood strong in front of Itachi. "Tomorrow will be a day in which you won't forget...you will question reality...you will be left with many questions." Itachi still stared him dead in the eyes, 'What is Itachi talking about' Naruto thought internally.
"You know better than anyone what it feels like to be ostracized and labelled by preconceptions without knowing the truth." Naruto's eyes widened and continued listening as if the words would change his life. "One day you will return to me little brother, when the time is right."
"What does that mean elder brother, I don't understand." Naruto frightened by the words Itachi spoke to him.
"Seek me out when you are strong, otherwise you will not find what you are looking for."
"Also I am going to free you from the curse placed upon you. Memories and knowledge shall return to you, but do not reveal this to anyone, act as if nothing had happened." Itachi added, "This façade to act as if you were too delirious and oblivious, will become your best weapon."
Itachi stood now and ruffled his hair, before turning slightly towards the window he came in from. He pointed his fingers at Naruto and prodded his forehead, before disappearing. Naruto felt light, like a burden had been lifted from his mind, memories began to flood back in. His intelligence and recent knowledge returned to him that had been stolen. Along with the memory of the third Hokage placing a seal upon him that adhered to his intelligence. The seal crippled his knowledge, as well as the ability to be easily swayed and controlled by others.
Flashback End:
Time skip.
Naruto received his headband after stealing the secret jutsu scroll of the Second Hokage. He spent hours copying down everything Lord Second had put into that masterpiece of his best jutsu. He passed the exams. It was so surprising to everyone that Naruto had passed, he did better than others in aspect of clones as he was able to make not just two but 10 of them without problem or mildly retarded clones like before.
The next day for the first time in a long time Naruto felt accomplished and seeing the shock on his classmates' faces as they saw the blonde haired deadlast sitting in with them with his headband grinning from ear-to-ear. Although excited, a sadistic smile he never felt before silently crept upon his face leaving Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba who glanced over at him, star struck and a tad terrified at how he looked aimlessly, yet with horrifying conviction and determination.
Hinata noticed the joyful Naruto and blushed, nearly fainting by him looking in her direction for a second. 'What a weirdo' thought Naruto. Shino sat quietly next to her and well did what Shino was best at...staying quiet.
Sakura and Ino sprinted into the classroom, Sakura just far enough ahead to throw her body over Naruto and into Sasuke's lap. Sasuke backhanded her forehead, relinquishing her back into the seat next to him. She turned around and stuck her tongue out at Ino. 'What a damn slut, of course her fat forehead would want to leap all over my man' Ino raged in her mind before sitting a row behind them.
"Wait, Naruto, you can't be here, only ninja who passed the exam can be here, you bum." Sakura thought Naruto would turn to her and ask to go on a date, but his face stayed peeled to the front of the class deep in thought as if he didn't recognize her beautiful figure a foot away from her. Usually something like this would cause a reaction of the blonde haired fool. 'Oh wow,' she thought to herself, 'Him ignoring me is kind of cute.'
Iruka came into the classroom, and followed by him was the Jounin ready to take on the responsibility of teaching the new generation of ninja.
"Team 7. Now you will have to wait for your Sensei as he is normally late to...everything," said Iruka with a sigh.
"Stay seated when your name is called...Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto menacingly glared at the floor, not revealing his emotions. 'Normally Naruto would blurt a 'believe it' and that he wants to be Hokage' thought Iruka extremely surprised. A couple of the Jounin behind him glaring at the Demon brat, the village menace, and Naruto felt their stares but stayed potent in discarding the looks thrown in his direction.
"...Sakura Haruno...and Sasuke Uchiha." This left an audible sigh from both kids as they did not want to be put with the deadlast. But, something in Naruto had made them feel uneasy, as he had no reaction and sat there unmoved but having his 'crush' and 'rival' put on the same team as him. The Jounin could feel the tension in the room. They quietly stared at each other until their teams were called.
After waiting for nearly three hours, a ninja with silver hair and a mask over his nose and mouth said to meet him on the roof. All three genin made their way up to the roof, all thinking 'what the hell is up with this dude that would make him so late.'
"Yo," the man said, "I am going to be your sensei. Say some stuff about yourselves, but first, I will introduce myself." The tall silver haired man with his hitai-ate over his left eye and a mask covering half of his face sighed and began again. "I am Kakashi Hatake, and that is all you need to know."
The kids now looking at each other with obvious displeasure, sat silently. Sakura decided to go first and said, "Hi...I am Sakura Haruno, I like...*blush and chuckles while looking at Naruto and Sasuke*...and my goal is to...*giggles*..."
"Okay..." Kakashi continued visibly confused, "You go now," pointing towards Naruto.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki, and I will become strong to fulfill my destiny." said Naruto as the other two looked at him like he had been possessed by an opposite entity of his personality.
'What is up with these kids? ' Kakashi thought before staring at Sasuke to go.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha, I don't like a lot of things, and for my future I will restore my clan and destroy a certain someone as it is not a goal, but an inevitable promise." Sasuke glared at Kakashi before Kakashi took the hint to carry on.
'Itachi's brother, his arrogance makes me want strangle him,' Naruto gritted his teeth before relaxing again.
'I want to shoot myself, another year of failures' Kakashi thought before talking again, "Before we start training tomorrow meet me later at the dango shop on Hashirama road so we can get to know each other."
Naruto was walking towards the meeting spot later in the afternoon to meet his team. He was in deep thought. He could start getting stronger, but can the Leaf Shinobi teach him anything that he didn't already learn from the scroll. He had trained on his own for many years. He was more than accustomed to working by his lonesome. Although, he continued to weigh his options considering he was assigned Kakashi Hatake as his sensei. Maybe now he could have people in his life that cared for him and he could also become stronger because of those bonds.
Because of his daydreaming he didn't realize he walked down one of the most packed streets in the entire village without covering himself up. Crowded streets always placed him in a uncomfortable situation.
He felt the eyes piercing his skin. All this hate, I just became a shinobi to protect this village, I thought I would be more respected putting my life on the line now. 'What a pathetic dream,' Naruto started to pick up his pace, 'How could I believe that worthless lie to myself that these people could actually look at me like a human being one day.'
People gathered around him and stopped him in his tracks. "Hey demon, I think you're lost." He was shoved to the ground, he knew what was to ensue.
Letting them vent there anger, while he sat ideally by, had always given him more leeway then fighting back. Across the street from where Naruto sat surrounded by civilians and ninja alike, was Team 7 sitting at the meetup spot.
"What is going on over there," Kakashi curiosity now spiked as the small crowd got larger by the second. It seemed like they were forcing someone into the middle. People were berating whoever was over there. Kakashi stood up and ran over to the crowd, followed by Sasuke then Sakura. He and the others pushed themselves through the pile only to find Naruto sitting in the middle with his head in between his legs getting things thrown at him and an occasional kick or slap at his body.
'Why me, why is it always me,' he asked himself.
He noticed familiar gear and footwear to his right and looked up in the direction of the familiarity. He saw Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura looking down at him. 'Those eyes, they look at me just like everybody else, how naïve could I have been to think this village as a ninja is where my future lies.'
Sasuke looked down at Naruto and just smirked, staring into his eyes. But, he couldn't help but feel a lying undertone feeling of rage and deep sadness, and understanding of having the public eye be on you at all times.
Sakura wanted so badly to go over to the blonde haired boy, with dust clouding his gypsy blue eyes. But...she just couldn't get herself to move. She cursed herself to cowering and giving into the crowd. Even someone like the deadlast loser didn't deserve this, even if he did bother her in every way possible, this was beyond forgivable.
Kakashi, struck with fear, freezing in place. 'Dad?' he thought before snapping himself out of it.
His father was belittled the same exact way when he given that ultimatum so many years ago that brought him to ending himself. 'I can't let this happen again, never again, even if I barely know this kid.' Kakashi was the first person to break the circle around Naruto. Naruto saw Kakashi come over and offer his hand to Naruto before pulling him to his feet.
Naruto thought, 'Why would he do this for me, he barely knew me, does he know what will happen to him since he was now caught helping the village demon.' Naruto holding onto the back of Kakashi's vest was escorted away from the crowd, before leaping to the rooftops in an evasive escape.
Naruto led Kakashi to his apartment. He looked up at a Kakashi and asked, "Why would you do this for me?"
"Naruto...because...look, just meet at the training grounds tomorrow." Kakashi knew what came out of his mouth was harsh, yet he leapt away still without even turning to talk to the mentally broken kid.
Naruto walked inside his apartment shutting the door behind him and took his shoes off. He slumped over to the bathroom and stripped his battered clothes off. Now covered in filth, he looked at himself in the mirror.
The rage built up inside of him, like a sudden burst of animosity. His eyes pulsed red and he bashed the mirror in front of him to pieces leaving little glass shards in his knuckle. "I've had enough," his screams now bellowing, "This wretched life, I've had enough of this place." He couldn't stay still, his pulled chunks of hair out of his head pacing back and forth ripping the pictures off the walls, knocking over chairs, punching and kicking aimlessly, all night long.
As morning came, Naruto laid in a pool of tears and faint blood. He couldn't sleep.
"You have finally come to your senses boy," growled an internal voice.
'What was that,' Naruto frightened by this ominous voice. He shrugged it off like it was just another voice in his head he'd heard before.
Sitting up, he looked around his apartment at all the destruction he had caused. Recollection of the night past was only a blur in blind rage and agony. Yesterday had been the final straw as a shinobi of the Leaf Village.
His tears now dry on skin, will be the only ones he'd cry for a long while.
He pulled himself up to his feet with a sorrowful growl. It was no mistake, his path was clear to him now. The Leaf Village no longer could offer him what he truly desired in life.
Night now fell upon him, similar to the light leaving his battered and broken heart. Walking slowly, but staying hidden, he recollected his memories of the people that had tied him to this place no longer holding effect over his torn mind. Itachi...Iruka...although Jiji lied to him, and sealed his mind, he couldn't help but feel minor affections for the past with him. Maybe even Kakashi would come after him and stop him from making such a brash decision...but to no surprise...no one came.
Protruding from the bag he carried was copied scrolls from the one's he'd stolen and returned recently. All encased in the Second Hokage's ninjutsu abilities, along with Taijutsu and Fuinjutsu, forbidden and not. In the past he had trained with these scrolls as his focal point, mastering only the first technique, the Shadow Clone jutsu. These other jutsu were extremely difficult with his current chakra control, but the time he'd now have in the future was going to be seemingly devoted to these techniques.
Multiple times before, he had seen Kiba leave through a small hole leading to the other side of the wall. Kiba's fetish for night walks with Akamaru could help him slip away unnoticed.
With the help of the darkness, he quickly darted for the hole, and made a quick escape. 'There is no turning back now,' he smirked menacingly.
The road ahead would be dark and lonesome, but this was necessary if he was to reunite with Itachi wherever he was. The one true person in his life, vanishing leaving behind a bloody trail which Naruto believed he could not follow...until now.
I'll be updating chapters every day or so considering how college treats me. It will only get juicier from here.
If you want pairings just say so, I'm open to anything.
After the first couple of chapters, Naruto will become pretty dark. So gore will be seen in the future.
If you like the story so far hit that star. It will only encourage me to get more stuff out on the regular.