The scorching heat of summer hit him like a lick of fire as he strode from his house to the mountain behind the village. It's a short journey - approximately around 40 minutes to reach the foot of Mount Salwi where hundreds of herbs and wild plants grew untouched. Humans rarely went there because of the thickness and eerie atmosphere surrounding the only mountain in Konoha but Naruto liked the place, instead, it had become his second home whenever it took him days to collect the things he needs.
His sun-kissed skin gleamed with sweat and the faded color shirt was already drenched although there is another half an hour before he reaches the mountain. Huffing, he wiped his face and pushed the blonde fringe away from his cerulean eyes. As he walked further, Naruto couldn't help but winced as his feet throbbed painfully. The straw shoes he wore for a year now torn, but because he hadn't had money to buy a new one, he planned to learn how to make the shoes. However, no one wanted to teach him so he had to let his feet suffer until the end of this month. He hopes with the money from elixirs and herbs' sales will last him longer than usual. Naruto had learned a few new recipes from a second-hand book he bought after fighting tooth and nail with the shopkeeper. It cost him 20 pennies, which was unreasonable to him since the pages were already worn out, the binder torn into two, and the letters were smudged with faded ink but the shopkeeper refused to lower the price.
Damn him.
Naruto had to eat ramen for two weeks, tied his stomach which causes him to lose weight. He recalled the recipes he learned from the books and hope it was worth the money he spends. No human with a brain will fall for the shopkeeper's scheme except him because no one wanted to deal with him.
Uzumaki Naruto. An orphan not worth living. A bad omen and should be killed once he cried his first scream.
And yet, he had lived 17 years of his life though not flowery as he imagined when he learned no one had wanted him. He has no parents, no siblings to be cuddle and bickering with, and no friends to play with. Just himself alone in an old cottage far away from the main village.
Still, his determination is hard as steel. No one can deter his resolve and stubbornness even if they refused to sell or buy his items although sometimes the physical abuse wears his mental strength. Still, Naruto never fights back. All because he hoped his passive, his sincerity, and his kindness will reach their hearts one day. That he also one of them, not a dangerous threat to whatever they feared for. Nevertheless, looking at nowadays circumstances, he couldn't dare to hope. It will be other long years before they acknowledge him and Naruto's gonna wait.
Because Konoha is everything he got. His house, the only remains of his mother for him, the village head who was so kind to him, and Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame who had been so nice to treat him food. Konoha is his home, despite the harsh treatment and verbal abuse. He will tolerate it as long as he can, that's the least he can do.
Sighing, Naruto continued his walk through the ground path with low grass around. As the view of the mountain become huge before his eyes, the temperature slightly dropped and the surrounding turned into a greenery scene much to his liking. The smell of the forest and earth calm his nerves and somewhere at the back of his mind, he feels like it was where he belongs. With nature.
Probably because of what he is.
But Naruto doesn't want to be that. He is a human, like everybody else. The whiskers on his cheeks and the flurry ears hidden under the messy hair mean nothing except to add misery to his life. He hated that part of him that made him apart from anyone else. Because of that, people loathed him.
And Naruto, in turn, hated the unknown Darkling who'd left his mother upon knowing she bears his child.
Truthfully, Naruto doesn't know anything about either his parents though the head village always told him how kind his mother was, how his spirit resembled her, and how beautiful she was when she smiled. When Naruto asked about her appearance, he couldn't help but chagrin and disappointment. Instantly, he knew he will despise the bright blue eyes and blond strands when he grew up. There's nothing on him that reminded him of his mother except his personality. That's why he wanted to be what his mother might be if she's alive.
A lively, kind-hearted, and strong spirit.
At that thought, Naruto smiled. He heaved a sigh and continued to find his way to the deeper part of the forest where he knew the plants he needed to grow. He at least needed 10 types of herbs and plants before attempting to create the elixir he learned. Even though he was not that excel and talented, it's the only thing he knew.
Pushing the grass and bushes aside, Naruto crouched, checking and picking the right herbs before plucking them and tossing them into his basket. He figured it will take him at least three days to collect the thing he needs so he had packed an extra shirt and pants to change on the next day. However as time goes by, the shirt he wore was already wet and drenched with sweat, enough causing his skin to sticky and uncomfortable. It was unbelievable how the heat from the sun could penetrate the thick forest.
The weather seems to get worse. Plopping down to the dirty ground, Naruto let out a sigh and wiped his face using the end of his shirt's sleeve. It's the only part of the cloth still dry. Pushing the basket off his shoulder, he rummaged through the plants and found the can full of water. In one gulp, he swallowed it whole, leaving a groan of satisfaction. The energy returned as the liquid quenched his thirst and after a few minutes of resting, he decided to continue his searching. He could no longer waste his time judging by the unexpected turn of events. He never thought the ray could reach deep into the huge mountain, sucking all his stamina faster than usual. After the drought-hit the land three days ago, this was the first time Naruto had stepped out of his house. Although reluctant, he had to because he needs money and also he needs ingredients to cook.
As he focused on his task, a sudden movement caught the tail of his eyes. Naruto's brow arched and he immediately stopped his current activity. Before he could turn his body, a hard object hit his head, forcing a scream out of his lungs. It hurts like hell. He could feel his eyes spin as he tried to open them despite the warm liquid flowing down, smearing the whiskered cheeks.
Staggering, he saw five men surrounding him, each holding their weapon consisting of farming tools. Fear crept into his heart and Naruto pushed his body backward until his back touched a trunk, prisoning him under the hateful scrutiny.
"What are you doing?" he asked, watching with horror and confusion. He knew them. Remember their faces as the villagers who despise him and always pick on fights when they were kids. But ever since they grow up into adulthood, Naruto rarely got bad treatments which he thought was a positive sign of the villagers starting to accept him as one of them. But looking at their enraged faces, Naruto doubts that.
"You should have died when you're born!" One of them said with loathing and rage.
Naruto didn't have time to feel hurt with those words when a kick hit his leg, earning them another scream. He blinked, shaking his head as his sight went blur for a moment. "I- I don't understand. Why are you guys ganging on me?"
"You don't know what you did wrong?" The other one who Naruto knew his name as Koto since he's the leader of the gang, asked him as he had lost his memory. Truly, he doesn't know what he had done wrong this time. They rarely crossed paths and if he even took a glimpse of the gang, Naruto will quickly disappear from their line of sight. After the incident where they have beaten him into pulp five years ago which caused the Head Village to punish them, they never dared to touch even a strand of his hair. So when they suddenly gang up on him, Naruto was lost of words.
"I never crossed any of your guys' paths. I stayed away and didn't cause any trouble. So what the heck did I do to your guys this time? I-"
His words died in this throat as Koto kicked his chin hard, causing blood to spill as he accidentally bit his lips. Eyes watered involuntarily, Naruto shield his face, scrunching his body like a prawn just like he was when he was a kid - trembling in fear, hopeless and lonely. Except for that time, there was Iruka to save his ass, but now, far away from the village and so deep in the mountain, Naruto was all alone with his bully. He only hopes they didn't kill him.
"You're such an idiot!" Koto spat, spitting on Naruto's shirt with disguise. "Because of you, because of the bad luck you brought, our village had to suffer! Can't you see the weather? It's hot, so hot the crops died, the well dried and we couldn't do anything in this state. This land never experience draught before but you brought the wrath of the god to us! We shouldn't let you live."
"It's not my fault!" Naruto screamed through his tears. He was 17 years old, for God's sake. He was stronger than this. "I've been here all my life but nothing happened to the village. This was a recent disaster, it has nothing to do with me!" He retorted fiercely, wiping the strand of tears on his cheek. His eyes blazed angrily at the accusation. How come the drought happened because of him? If anything, it was because God was angry with humans. It's one way to punish them.
"H-how dare you!" The younger man spluttered at Naruto's rebuttal. He didn't expect the halfling to dare defy his words. Surely he had lived leisurely enough to have the guts to oppose him. Nodding his head to his other companions, his grip on the wooden weapon tighten.
"Hold him tight," he commanded, watching with a triumphant smile as Naruto struggle to push the other from touching him. But what could the weak body do? "The villagers will thank me later for getting rid of you."
With Naruto tightly hold against the tree, both his hands were gripped by his friends, he let the fear dancing in the blue eyes entertained him before a scream erupted as a blunt weapon hit the knee. Ah, how he loves the sound. The high-pitched voice. The strangled moan escaped from the pale lips. The crimson liquid seeped through the clothes. Koto smiled triumphantly, the resentment feeling towards Naruto seems to wash slightly but it still bubbled underneath it. He couldn't forget how the Head Village and some of the villagers defended the halfling although he was not one of them.
But today, they will surely thank him for the deed.
Koto throw the rod to the ground, the condition of his prey before his eyes was absolutely enjoyable. Blood smeared on the whiskered face, the once beautiful golden strand looks dirty and smelly with the scent of copper and dirt, the tan and strong build figure helplessly hunched under his goon's hold. His eyes trailed up from the red spot on the knee to the fierce, angry gaze and he frowned.
"You know, I always hate some part of you that is so different from us," he calmly said, his hand reaching the back of his pants. Slowly, as if wanted to antagonize Naruto, he pulled a small knife and playfully swing it in front of the wide eyes.
"Why do you get those eyes when you're unworthy of it?" He faked a sigh but spoke with a bitter truth. He took a long stare, admiring the blue irises that reflected the sea, the sky, and the most beautiful diamond in the world. It was the first time he ever saw the blue eyes among the villagers of Konoha. The typical eyes colors were always brown, and if one lucky enough to have parents from the east landers, their eyes would be a pale brown, almost like hazel or honey.
But blue. And the halfling's blue eyes were extraordinary. Koto had heard blue eyes belonged to the noble of the Holy City. He has never seen it though, but from the rumors, he heard their blues were different - a dark, melancholy one - suited themselves as the well-known family of witches.
Koto wanted Naruto's eyes. He always wanted it since he was a kid. And now, he's gonna have it. A memento that will float in his favorite jar on the table beside his bed where he will stare at it every night, just like his other things.
"I will crave it out," he said nonchalantly, causing the cerulean eyes to widen in shock and fear. "I'll crave it, preserve it and then put it in my jar. It's a high-value thing, you know. I'm sure it'll cost a thousand pennies if I ever wanted to sell it on the black market. But I love it too much to give it away."
"You're sick," Naruto gritted his teeth, using all his power to wriggle away from the steel grips. "You won't get away from this. If the head villager know about this-"
Koto scoffed. "What can the old fool do after he saw your corpse? Punish me? Kill me?" He laughed maniacally as if the action was absurd. "I'm the son of the wealthiest family in the village. We support his ass, held his pitiful status for years, and because of you, he dared to scold me when my parents never did. He dared threaten me, embarrassed me in front of others, and then with thick skin asked my parents for financial support. Ha! You and him, the idiot Iruka are all the same. There won't be a second time. No ones gonna help you here and no one's gonna mourn your death either."
Naruto swallowed hard, he couldn't help when his pupils trembled in fear as the glint of the metal weapon caught his eyes. "W-wait, I told you before. This has nothing to do with me! It's a natural disaster, every place has its own. You can't place the blame on me!"
"Oh, I know. I didn't blame you."
Naruto frowned. "Then why-"
"It's an excuse for the revenge I sought after all these years."
That's the only thing he heard before the knife plunged deep into his stomach, blood spurting from the cut, drenching his shirt. A silent scream tore from his lungs, his eyes wide opened in shock as Koto tore the knife away forcefully. An evil laugh echoed in the background, too far away to his liking. Naruto realized his senses had grown hazy but he still struggle to keep awake.
"Hey, don't die yet. The fun just started," Koto mocked, slapping the whiskered cheeks hard to make sure his victim stay awake to his torture. But when Naruto's eyelids grew heavier, Koto instructed his friends to rummage the blond's bag.
"I'm sure he brought water. Throw it on his face."
Without caring about the herbs and plants Naruto had picked carefully in his three hours journey to the mountain, one of the men turned the basket upside down and sure enough, found the can of water. He gave it to Koto who leisurely took his time opening it and then splashed the cold liquid on Naruto's pale face.
Gasping at the sudden coldness on his face, Naruto tried to open his eyes which he didn't realize has been closed. Guess the loss of blood impacted his body more than he could imagine. He shook his head lightly, dizzying overcoming him as he stared at the blurred figure in front of him. Blinking, he slowly makes up the image and with a groan, finally, remember he was in the mountain forest with Koto and his goon.
"W- what do you want? Couldn't you let me be?"
Naruto was so tired. Sometimes his thought wandered to the sea not far away from his house, imagining how it felt to let the water drown his lungs, washing away the eternal loneliness and pain. He will meet his mother sooner. They will live happily ever after in the afterlife and no one would dare hurt him anymore. However, it was only a fleeting thought. Deep inside, he knew that's not what his mother wanted for him. She was a courageous person and Naruto hate to taint the image. If he only has one dream, it is to retain the image of his mother within him.
"Oh, why would I when your mere presence irk me so much? The head village made the mistake of letting you live. Not only you are sore in the eyes, but you are also a piece of bad luck and useless. Even if you are gone, nothing will change in this village. Do you think they will mourn you? Dream of, halfling!" he mocked, disgust laced in his tone.
A stab of pain hit his heart hard, squeezing out every bit of hope he had held to this village. Every day he refused to succumb to the loneliness and kept telling himself they will one day accept him as one of them, but to hear the bitter truth that no one will remember him after his death is like a punch to his guts. The energy left his eyes as he stared at the ground, head hanging with spit mixed with blood trickled down to his chin. It only took him a second to pass by to determine his fate.
He doesn't want to live anymore.
"Kill me..."
Koto tilted his head, the knife spinning between his fingers. The words were uttered half-whisper and he doesn't hear it loud enough. "What?"
"I said kill me!" Naruto barked with unleashed rage, tears shamelessly flowing down as he stared with unperturbed brave and resignation. The world doesn't need him so there's no need to waste another space on the earth for the like of him. It's better to die now than later. Regardless, it won't make any difference.
Koto's eyebrow shot at the outburst, taken by a surprise of the halfling's angry voice and hatred expression. The usual smiley and happy emotion on the whiskered face had long gone ever since they hold him against the tree and in a split of moment Koto was contemplated to release the blonde but as soon as he caught the daring gaze that scream 'You won't dare to kill me because you are a coward!', his mouth harden in a line and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
No one messed with Takani Koto and live to tell the tales about it. Seeing the bravo expression, he felt death was too easy for the halfling. It's not even fun to watch the willing soul ready to lay his life. No. He needs something extreme. Let the sapphire eyes bloom in fear and rage. He wanted the beautiful irises to alive with emotions as he claim them.
"Ah, I remember -" he suddenly said, pretending to recall something so far away in his memory as he tapped his chin. "You alone is not enough to quench my revenge."
Naruto frowned, confused by the sudden change of conversation. He was about to kill him, so just get over with it.
"I remember someone by the name of Umino-"
At the mention of the farmer's name, Naruto's feet shot up from the ground with eyes that grew panicked and wild. He realized his mistake when he looked at the astonished expression on Koto's face as if his reaction was somehow a joke to him. Cursing himself, Naruto pushed his body forward despite the painful grip.
"Don't you dare-" he gritted but Koto just laughed him off.
"You'll be dead by the time I deal with him. No one would dare embarrass me again in the future. This will show who's the one holding the power in this village."
"I'll kill you if you touch him! He's got nothing to do with this! Just deal with me only," Naruto yelled in almost a pleading tone which spurred excitement in his bullies.
Koto laughed at the change of tone. He knew Naruto was kind and have a soft heart despite the intimidating appearance with the whiskered marks and ears behind those golden turfs and that's the reason he took advantage of it. The one-second pity quickly vanished, turned into a sadistic enjoyment at his victim's suffering.
"You know I can't do that. Ah, how should I do this? Hanging him upside down on this same tree? Or burying him deep in the ground -"
The sound of the man's voice was like a wheezing buzz - noisy and disturbing. His words were incoherent and Naruto couldn't fathom what he was saying except killing Iruka. Something dark swirled in his mind, evoked the deepest part of his soul where he kept hidden and locked away from others. He tried to repress the urge to bite the man's throat, itching to claw the sweaty chest and tear his limbs. The dark, sultry voice which rarely made its appearance despite his tumultuous emotions now finds its way to climb out from the haven shell.
Shutting his eyes tightly, Naruto tried to control the dark part of him which he always hate and also fear. Ever since he was a kid, before he learned the truth of his birth, he already knew he was different than the others. Not because of the whiskered mark or ears, but because there's something within him, lurking at the corner of his heart. It was an incessant voice that always tried to talk to him but he always refused. It's a deep, rumble voice that made his hair stands whenever it spoke.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating. He had confronted Iruka but the farmer doesn't know anything about a halfling. It's common knowledge that bearing a child of a darkling is a crime worthy of dying so whenever they found a woman giving birth to a halfling, the kingdom will take the baby away and kill them. As for the mother, she had a low percent chance of living because her body couldn't withhold the pain from labor. Thus no alive mother had been seen after they gave birth to their child.
That's why the halfling was called a murderer, a stroke of bad luck, and an abomination.
And yet, surprisingly and shockingly, the villagers let him live despite the law and allowed him to grow like a normal child. How the head villager could hide his existence, Naruto was amazed. Even Koto's family abide by this one rule to keep their mouth shut. And Naruto for all his years was grateful to the old man.
Now, he was tired. Tired, angry, and disappointed. And those negative emotions had cracked the closed door of his soul, gradually letting out the monster who was always eager to crawl out.
"Stop..." he hissed through clenched teeth, his head shaking violently to control the monster from taking over his mind. His body wriggled away from the grasp and he cursed at the stubbornness of his captors.
"Go... away..."
He meant to reprimand his monster but Koto seems to have mistaken his words. Rage at his resilient demeanor, the man struck him on his face, splitting his lips.
"Don't you dare order me around," he spat, kicking his stomach. He expected Naruto to relent but the halfling continued to mutter nonsensical words which fanned his anger.
"I'm done with you. After I throw your limbs in the river and cut out your eyes, I will deal with the filthy farmer. That will show them who's the boss." At that, Koto instructed his men to push Naruto down to the ground, pinning his arms and legs with their strength. Looking at the hapless halfling from above does give him a satisfying feeling of being powerful and stronger than said being.
All his life, Koto refused to believe the dark creature was above them in terms of everything. Humans are far superior, in his opinion. It is why the darkling could only become a familiar to the witches - a slave to do their bidding. Though they lack strength and ability unlike those night creatures, humans have mana and talent in spellcraft. That makes up for their lack of physical strength. And with the right spells, they could force the darkling to their bidding. After he finish with the halfling, Koto decided he wanted to be a witch. He couldn't wait to enslave all those creatures and have fun with them.
As he snickered, drowning in his evil thought, he didn't see the red aura seeping from the body beneath his feet. He was too engrossed in imagining his future that he didn't realize something had happened. Something dangerous had awakened because of him. When he looked down to continue his assault, he was taken aback by the appearance before him.
A red eyes. The elongated canines. The dark whiskered marks and the sudden appearance of swishing tails.
Before he could react, a scream tore from his lungs and he saw red.
• •
Naruto woke up with his body lying on the ground, eyes staring dazedly at the umbrella of trees that covered Mount Salwi. Before, he swore light could penetrate from the thick leaves, heating the ambiance to where he had to sweat profusely while picking up the herbs. But now the trees seem to create a shelter above him - the branches, twigs, and leaves intertwined with each other to cover the sun's ray from hitting him. And instead of hot, he felt cold and damp against the dry ground.
Groaning, Naruto tried to recall how he had ended up lying on his back. His hand grabbed the right side of his head as the pain hit it like turbulence. After the pain subsided, he lifted his hand but the sight on the particular limb made his eyes widen in horror.
It was stained with blood.
"Wha-"
Naruto shot his body up, noticing something odd as he moved. There was no pain, no sign of injured, and worse no cuts at all on his body. Frowning, he checked the torn fabrics where there's a brownish stain on his stomach and leg, expected to see the long and deep cut from the knife's jab but found none. Dissatisfied, he roughly pulled up his shirt to check his abdomen. Also, clean and clear like condition before he encountered the bullies.
The bullying. Koto.
His memory slammed in full force and Naruto quickly sat up, dirt and dry leaves fall down as his upper body twirled around, taking the surrounding with pounding heart. What'd happened when he faint? Did someone save him? Who -
His eyes caught a small figure kneeling beside him and he yelled in shock, scrambling away as if he had been electrocuted at the mere sight of the sudden presence. His back hit a tree, not once breaking the eye contact with the boy who now pushed his body to stand up and then slowly take a step towards him.
"What the-" Naruto almost cursed but remembered quickly he was in a presence of a kid. "How on earth did you get in here?"
The boy - with eyes so dark and deep like the night itself stopped in front of him, observing Naruto like he was a weird and an abnormal man while the reality was they both were different. He never saw a human with dark eyes and hair in Konoha, just like he never met anyone with blonde and blue eyes in his entire life. The villagers usually have brown hair and warm honey eyes hence any different physical trait than that meant one thing.
An outsider from the Holy City.
"Where's your mom? Are you lost?"
The boy only blinked, seemingly trying to understand his words but couldn't find a way to convey them. Naruto took pity on him, giving him a warm smile to ease the fear on the cute face. As he predicted, the boy's eyes soften and his shoulders droop at Naruto's friendly demeanor. He slowly stand up before kneeling in front of the boy so that his eyes were level, grinning as he patted the soft dark turfs.
"I'm Naruto. What's yours?"
The boy opened his mouth and then closed it before opening it again. Shyly, he lowered his head as he mumbled "Sasu..."
"Hm?
"Sas... my ...name."
Naruto chuckled, elated and jovial at the cuteness shown by the quiet boy. "Now Sas, should we look for your parent?"
The dark-haired boy slowly nodded and when Naruto offered his hand, he quickly grabbed it, tightening his hold as Naruto lead them out of the forest. He totally had forgotten what happened before he passed out. The only thing he wanted to do now is find the boy's parents and the first step he had in his mind was meeting the head village.
