Chapter One – Believe it!
Disclaimer: The rookie 9 are going to be a bunch of baby badasses. Naruto will be smarter and more…thoughtful in this fic. Wait, one more thing…. Oh yeah, I don't own Naruto.
Author's Note – So I know I stopped writing PJO fanfics but that is mostly because I lost my inspiration. I may continue MM and LV or I may not. Also, as for this story, do not expect much in the way of updates because my exams are right around the corner and I'm up to my neck in studies till May. Other than that…..I hope you guys enjoy! Ooh also, this story is MAJORLY inspired by 'Of Harrowed Hearts' by Sable_Scribe so go check it out.
"Here's to the nights that turned into mornings with the friends that turned into family."
He's heard it before…. scratch that, he's never stopped hearing it. A voice, no, rumble in the back of his head, the howl that promises agony and death, and, just between you and me the occasional keening whine that speaks of suffering and solitude.
Naruto Uzumaki may just be a kid, but when you're hated by what feels like the entire world, each person with their different brand of hatred, you develop a sense for discerning emotions.
For example, he knows that the owner of Itamae-Sushi that threw him out for breathing too loud looks at him with a mixture of 40% fear, 30% blind rage, 15% derision and strangely enough 15% pain when, as far as he knows, he's never done anything to Wakanabe-san.
Not that he knows the whole percentage part. Five year old kids don't exactly make pie charts detailing the breakdown of data groups.
So when he actually starts to listen to the voice in his head and can do something other than gurgle and point at stuff without comprehending it, he's pretty damn sure that the rage covers loneliness so intense it puts his own to shame.
The first time he tries to talk to it, he's seven years old. He doesn't think he will succeed. No one else can hear voices in their heads and it isn't a part of the Academy syllabus. He's checked.
He doesn't think he'll succeed. Why would he? He's only been in the Academy for two months now and already he knows he has no aptitude for the shinobi arts. "Dobe", "Loser", "Dead Last", the words flash into his mind.
Imagine his surprise then, when on the first try, his mind practically pulls his awareness inside and suddenly he finds himself standing in a cavern so huge it seems endless.
Then he notices the knee deep, thick, murky water that somehow doesn't drench him. And the fact that he can see perfectly despite there being virtually no form of illumination sets off alarm bells ringing. Did someone kidnap him? Is this a dream?
That's when he notices huge, and I mean gigantic, Godzilla sized metal bars with a paper longer than he is tall with the word 'seal' written on it.
His pseudo-vision is apparently not good enough to look past the gate because as best as he can make out, there's something big there, in the shadows, and that's it.
"Hello?" he asks tentatively.
No reply.
"Hello" he repeats, a tad more forcefully this time.
No reply, except for the faint silhouette moving closer to the bars.
"I can see you, ya know!"
"Why are you here?" A simple question, short and to the point, but filled with so much force that he instinctively knows that whoever is behind the bars doesn't expect much from him.
And Naruto understands. He knows what its like to place your faith in others time and time again only to be disappointed and betrayed till eventually you come to the conclusion that trust is meaningless, that no one is worth it at all.
"I think I just wanted to talk to you." And its mostly true, he does want to talk, if only because he's sure that whoever it is behind the bars is the only one that would listen to him. It would be kinda cool to have another friend. Shikamaru usually just watches clouds and says everything is too troublesome and Chouji is more Shikamaru's friend than his anyway.
Then, the darkness recedes as the fox, because its clearly a fox, nine tails or no, rises up to his full height and looks at him with annoyance and disdain that clearly scream you're not worth my time puny human. A look that he recognizes all too well from practically everybody else.
"Still want to talk to me pathetic ningen?" Well damn if this isn't the coolest thing he's ever seen.
"Hell yeah dattebayo! You're a huge freaking talking fox, why wouldn't I wanna talk to you?"
Well…...that definitely wasn't what the fox was expecting, and its thrown him for such a loop that he stares at the child, no, jailer he reminds himself.
"Get out of here foolish little ant. I do not have anything to say to the likes of you." And then a wave of red-orange chakra blasts out from him and knocks him right out of wherever he was. When he opens his eyes, he finds himself near the lake where he had planned to catch fish for dinner and maybe prepare a mushroom broth. Ramen may be the food of the gods but even he had limits.
After catching three fish and roasting them over a small campfire that he lit using an E-rank camping jutsu, he forages for some of the mushrooms and spices he knows are common to the area.
"Oh, what are you doing Naruto-kun?" a voice interrupts him as he gets ready to eat.
"Jiji!" Naruto exclaims in obvious delight, for here was one person out of three in all of Konoha who treats him well.
Hiruzen Sarutobi has had many titles throughout his long and illustrious life – Sandaime hokage, Kami no Shinobi, the Professor, Sensei, and yet he's pretty sure that his favourite is jiji, because never before has he seen someone so strong of will that can overcome the hatred of an entire village and still be happy, and to him, it is an honour to be called grandfather by one such as Naruto.
"Ah, hello Naruto kun. What are you doing here?"
"Really old man, is your sight going as you get older?"
"I'm not that old dammit! Stop saying stuff like that."
"Would you like to stay for some fish and broth?"
And here is one of the reasons why he loves Naruto. When the hat hangs heavy, and when he finds himself doubting if he can continue to bear the burden of being hokage, he reminds himself that this is the village that has birthed someone like him, someone who would willingly share what little food he had and only ask for companionship in exchange.
"You sure you can spare an old man some food Naruto-kun?"
Of course he is, when he says something, his words carry gravitas, because he knows that for one such as him, who has no overwhelming wealth or power or even connections on his side, his words are all he has and he isn't inclined to use them so frivolously as they lose their weight.
Hiruzen picks up on his thoughts for he wordlessly sits down next to him and picks up a skewer of fish.
"Old man, are you hokage because everybody respects you or does everyone respect you because you are hokage?" Naruto asks.
"Hmmm ", he ponders, "I'd say that when I became hokage it was because I was respected, and now because of all I've done as hokage, people afford me more respect." He answers.
"Then…...can I ask you something Jiji?"
"Of course you can my boy, you always know that."
"Why did you become hokage? Why did you want to become hokage?"
"I suppose it was because I saw Konoha in all her majestic beauty and all her people and decided that yes, this was something I would die to protect, this was something I would live to protect."
"To…. protect, Jiji? I do not understand."
"The whole village, Naruto, is my family. I look outside the Hokage Tower and every day I see a village filled with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and I, their caretaker do everything I can to help them grow, to help Konoha itself thrive and bloom, for that is the Will of Fire."
"The…. Will of Fire?"
"The will to protect what one holds precious, the will to stare death itself in the face and spit on its face to go that extra mile for those you love, the will to never give up and to always hold true to your ideals, that, Naruto is the Hi no Ishi – The Will of Fire."
"Do you think I have it Jiji?" Such a simple question, loaded with the innocent curiosity of a child who, while may not have understood everything, knew enough that it was a trait only the best of people can have.
"Where most are embers dying in the night, Naruto-kun, I think you are a torch that shines into the night, illuminating the path for others behind you. That is a trait only Hokages have Naruto-kun."
Naruto flushed red, incredibly pleased at the compliment, even though he kinda thought that Jiji could've said it in a simpler manner, without all the fancy meta-whatsits and the big words.
The rest of the meal passed in companionable silence, and while they were eating, Naruto thought about the fox who was supposedly inside him and who probably didn't have anybody like Jiji or Ayame nee-chan or Teuchi ojisan, and he resolved to talk to him, because everybody deserved a friend, specially someone who was hurting like the fox so clearly was.
After all was said and done, and the hokage had gone, and the stars had come out, dotting the sky like so many diamonds on a sea of black, Naruto whispered a promise to himself, one heard only by himself, the fox, and the wind, yet no less true – "I will become Hokage…believe it!"
Aaaaannnnd cut! That's it for chapter 1 folks! Obviously, naruto is a little bit different coz honestly I reeeaaalllyyy didn't like pre-shippuden Naruto who literally only knew how to annoy people and scream about becoming hokage. He will eventually befriend Kurama and Sasuke and Sakura and this will be a proper team as family fic coz I get warm fuzzy feelings thinking about what team 7 COULD have been instead of the train wreck that it actually was. I will probably make this a NaruSaku fic (no clue about who gets with Sasuke, lets see.) but you can always tell me what you think in a review!
On that note, I would LOVE it if you guys reviewed, followed, or marked the story as your favourite!