If this is your first time clicking on this fic, welcome! I want to give you a fair warning that these first few chapters were originally published with very little of a plot in mind, and as such serve as a kind of set up for the larger story that begins to unfold at the end of Chapter 3.

As for tags, this story contains Naruto with no memories (obviously), a slow build of NaruIno, a good Itachi, a protective Kurama, a Hokage Danzo, and two Side Character OCs. Once the story gets going you'll also find heavy doses of an insane Hidan and a different take on Pain than in canon, and of course answers to the mysteries that have been set up in these early chapters.

Finally, in case it's not clear, this story is for the most part Naruto-centric, and because of that and the premise, it's kind of a slow burn. That being said I've been told the pacing is good, and I really try not to drag things out, so...give it a go!

If it's not your cup of tea, that's totally cool; but if you decide to read, thank you very much, and I hope you enjoy!

P.S. I've gone back and removed some of my author's notes from the early chapters cause they were kind of just rambling and unimportant. And they were pretty cringe, too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any claims to it.

"These woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

- I -

The Boy from Nowhere

The rain came down hard in the forest, and the trees did nothing to cover the young boy, no older than 10, beaten and battered, dirty and tired, trudging through the mud.

The road from nowhere was a long and lonely one.

His eyes were heavy, as were his legs. His right hand, moving from tree to tree as a way to steady himself, shook with fatigue. His spiky blonde hair was flat and nearly brown from the rain and the dirt. His face was soaked. He didn't know if it was from the rain or from the tears. He didn't know anything.

The path ahead of him was nothing but an endless forest. The grey clouds above did nothing to tell him which direction he was heading in. Which way to go? Did it matter?

He might have been alright if he just could have seen through the clouds. If he just could have seen the sun.

But it was impossible, and all the boy did was walk onward. It felt like a lifetime; surely it was longer than that. Cold, hungry, and wanting nothing more than to sleep, he moved forward, praying for someone, something, to save him.

Finally, the end of the forest. Through the clearing in the trees the boy saw a metal door. It was enormous, at least 10 stories high. It was a gate of some sort, and in its centre was a large red and black insignia: the mark of the flame.

He knew was that there would be people here. And at that thought, he collapsed. He fell to the ground with a thud and a splash in the puddle below him. All he remembered from before losing consciousness was hearing people shouting from above and his own mind repeating the same question over and over again:

Where am I?

- I -

The boy awoke in a white room. The first thing he realized was that it was warm. Nothing was wet, either. There was a window to his right that showed him a sunny blue sky. It was open, and a warm breeze came in. As he sat himself up, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. Upon looking at it he realized it was in a sling and that he was in what looked to be a hospital gown. For a moment he sat in disbelief.

Soon he rose and went to the window, and more confusion came over him. He was in a village; a big one. The buildings were a mixture of old and new and there were some of every colour, though many stuck with the standard red, yellow, orange, and green. Somehow it looked almost familiar. But not quite.

To his left he noticed a mountain. The cliffside that faced the village was broad and tall, but easily its most distinguishable feature was the three faces carved into the rock that watched over the people below. The boy thought that they all looked majestic and powerful, and yet his own sense of confusion left him a little fearful of it all.

A moment later the door of his room opened. Two men walked in, one young and one old. The younger one was dressed in black, loose-fitting clothes with a green flak jacket overtop. His brown hair was covered by a bandana tied in the front and he bit on a toothpick that hung out of his mouth. The old man had olive skin, wrinkled from age, and a thin grey beard. His eyes were small but deep and dark, and he was dressed in white and red robes and a hat of the same colour. His walking cane made the boy a little less fearful, but still—the two of them were strangers.

"Hello," the old man said.

The boy swallowed nervously and watched the old man with careful eyes.

The old man smiled warmly and continued. "I hear you were in very rough shape when the guards found you at the front gates."

Guards. Front gates. The boy realized that he was inside the big metal doors he saw earlier.

"How are you feeling?"

After a moment of deliberation the boy finally spoke.

"F-fine." His voice was hoarse.

"Good, good…"

"Lord Hokage," the younger man prompted.

"Yes, yes…" He turned back to the boy. "Would you be able to tell me your name?"

"My…my name?" The boy thought about it for a moment. Why wasn't it coming to him? Finally he remembered.

"N-Naruto."

"Naruto? I see…" The old man nodded. "And do you know where you are, Naruto?"

Naruto looked around himself, suddenly growing nervous. "N-no…"

"I thought so. You're in Konohagakure. The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Have you heard of it?"

"I…I don't know…"

"Mmm…" The old man, not getting enough out of the boy named Naruto to piece anything together, simply weighed his options.

Naruto, for the first time, spoke for himself. He looked between the two men. "Who…who are you?"

The two men now looked between themselves.

"Yes, of course," the old man said. "How rude. My name is Hiruzen. Hiruzen Sarutobi. I am the Hokage, the leader of this village. This is my assistant, Genma."

"Yo," Genma said with a wave and a cool smile.

It did not put Naruto at ease. In fact, the feeling of confusion inside of him was only getting stronger. It didn't help that he now knew he was speaking to someone so important.

"And you, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked. "Who are you?"

"I…I…"

Suddenly, the dam inside of Naruto burst and chaos flooded forward. His eyes flashed images of fire. His ears filled with the sound of screaming. Worst of all, an awful fear, a deep-seeded terror, gripped his heart tightly and squeezed.

Naruto's hands rose slowly to his head as it nearly exploded from pain.

"Naruto?" the old man asked, concerned. "What is it?"

"Agh…Agh!"

"Hey, kid," Genma said. "It's alright!"

"Naruto, calm down!" Hiruzen yelled.

A nurse burst into the room.

"What's going on?" She ran to Naruto and put her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, it's okay, just—"

But it was not okay. All at once Naruto was transported into a whirlpool of chaos and fear and darkness, and he screamed.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

"Naruto! Naruto!" But the calls of the people around him didn't reach.

Soon he blacked out once again.

- I -

Naruto awoke the same way he did last time. It was the same white room. It was the same bed. It was the same window that was open beside him. And it was the same strange place that he saw outside.

This time, though, the nurse was there with him.

"Naruto?" He sat up groggily, but she came over to him and lay him back down. "Don't get up yet. It's okay. Lord Hokage said to take your time. You can talk later."

Naruto, still reeling from the shock of blacking out, soon began to remember what had happened. It was such a terrible feeling he felt. But why? The Third Hokage only asked him who he was. And yet…

As Naruto lay in his bed, a sinking feeling began to take him over. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung agape. This feeling was not like the chaos he felt earlier. This was pure pain; the pain of realizing that something was not right.

It was an hour later the man named Genma returned to his room.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "Feeling better?"

Naruto didn't say anything but nodded slightly.

"Good. Do you think you'd be okay to talk?"

Another small nod.

"Right. Come on, then."

- I -

Genma led Naruto through the dirt streets of the village, and for the first time Naruto got a good look at it. He saw shops of all sorts, some restaurants, and bars, and of course many homes. The buildings looked far bigger from down on the ground, and he stared in awe. The people of the village, though foreign to him, felt familiar in a way. Yet, to them, he was the odd one. The curious glances they threw his way told him as much. Soon Naruto was left watching the ground as he followed alongside Genma.

"Don't worry about them," Genma said. "It's not every day we get outsiders in the village walls."

Outsider. That's right, Naruto thought. I'm an outsider. I don't belong here.

But then…

As he slowed to a pace a few steps behind Genma, Naruto finally saw what was on the other side of his headband. It was a small metal plate with a carving in it that had the shape of a leaf. Naruto thought for a moment that it looked familiar, but once again he could not place it.

After a while the two finally arrived at their destination. It was a large red building at the head of the village, just under the Hokage Rock. Naruto saw a black and red emblem on the front: the symbol for fire. It was the same one as on the Hokage's hat.

They walked up the stairs and through the winding hallways, Naruto watching everything with a close eye. He was finally led to the biggest door in the building. Genma knocked twice.

"Lord Hokage? We're here."

The two of them entered and Naruto saw the Third Hokage sitting at his desk talking to a young woman who was wearing the same uniform as Genma, though she had a headband on her head rather than a bandana, and the metal plate faced forward. He thought that it must have been some village dress code. Yet, most of the villagers weren't wearing the green vests or the headbands. So what did it mean?

"Ah, Naruto," Hiruzen said with a smile. He turned to the woman. "Sorry, let's finish this later."

"Of course, Lord Hokage." The woman took her leave. She watched Naruto for a second with curiosity, but soon broke into a smile and gave him a courteous nod. He looked away, embarrassed.

When she was gone, Naruto turned to Genma for a sign to move forward, and Genma nodded. The Third Hokage marvelled at the innocence of the young boy.

"I have to apologize, Naruto." Naruto's head lifted and he looked wide-eyed at the Hokage. "I didn't mean to cause you distress before. I'm sorry."

Naruto swallowed hard and shook his head. "N-no…it's okay. I was just confused."

"Of course," Hiruzen said. "Anyone would be. But I hope you understand that we mean you no harm. We just want to know more about you."

Naruto felt the urge to cry.

"So…if you don't mind my asking again: who are you?"

The tears flowed from Naruto's eyes. Hiruzen and Genma were thankful that it was not the screaming from before, but it was still not the reaction they were expecting.

Genma approached Naruto and put a hand on his back. "It's alright, Naruto. Take your time."

Naruto nodded through his sobs as he wiped the tears from his eyes. The Hokage's question played in his mind one more time:

Who are you?

"I…I don't know…"

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Thanks for reading!