Chapter 0: A Prelude
His legs felt like jelly. Threatening to give up at any moment. He looked at the dead body of the man who had once been his teacher.
A thin trail of blood ran from his lip down to his chin, where droplets fell and hit the grass, making a rhythmic plop noise. His once green vest was now the color of crimson, getting darker when going further into the stain. His eyes,once full of life, were devoid of anything. Now staring up blankly at the tree covered sky. Iruka Umino, one of the academy's up and coming professors lay there, dead. A kunai standing upright, embedded in the nape of his neck. A chunin. He wasn't especially strong, he wasn't especially swift or a fast thinker in combat. He had done lackluster in the academy and had barely made chunin. A grunt, but a chunin nonetheless.
He had taken a position in the academy 6 years ago early into his ninja career. After a nasty encounter with illegally immigrated shinobis, in which he had gained a 3 inch scar across the bridge of his nose, he decided to take an open position at the academy.
The academy was the best school for shinobis in Konoha. Funded by the city government, every ninja you could come across from Konoha had trained at the academy. That's what made it an honor to teach there.
You mostly saw older retired ninjas teaching at the academy. Long past their fighting days. It was an old one that died which left the spot open in the academy for a teacher.
The teacher, Mr. Tensial, had a bad habit of smoking. By the word of one teacher, the moment you stepped into his office, you would be assaulted with the smell of nicotine. Almost to the point of being able to taste it.
There would be multiple ashtrays along his desk at all times. One would have to think he replaced those multiple times a day. Though he lived long into his 90s, despite his nicotine addiction.
Iruka has been looking for a way out serving military time. He hated fighting so when he heard about applications for being an Academy teacher, he sprung on the chance.
He was much more comfortable in teaching the next generation of soldiers than fighting on the front lines or doing dangerous missions where death was always around the corner. He had wanted to eventually start a family one day. So losing a limb, or something more important, like his life, was not on his to do list. He also fully enjoyed teaching children.
He thought it a prideful job to train future Jonins, chunins, maybe future Anbu, or hokage's maybe. Though in his six years of training, that never happened, neither would he get a chance too.
Most students he got were amazing. There were bright, exceptionally good at all subjects. Passing with flying colors, and becoming a high ranking jonin. Iruka had even met some years later in a coffee shop. But there were also bad apples. Maybe it was a child who tried his best yet still couldn't pass, maybe it was the lazy one who didn't care much for becoming a shinobi. Or maybe it was one who just simply was bad at everything.
Iruka was loved by all of his students. He could be harsh at times to slackers, but everyone that came out of the academy enjoyed their time with him.
So it was to Naruto, one of the worst students he ever had, shocking, and terrifying to see a man he looked up to for years, limpless in the hands of his killer.
The blue haired assistant to Mr. Umino, Mr Mizuki. He (Most if not all of the students didn't know his last name) held Mr. Umino's lifeless corpse, stained with blood in his arms. Naruto had a soft spot for Mr. Mizuki. He always went easy on him. Never getting on him about past due or not completing homework, letting him sleep in class and letting him miss lessons. He even vouched for him when he failed exams or tests.
Mr. Umino was always harder on him. Though he now understood why Mr. Mizuki had gone easy on him. Mr. Mizuki had a wide grin on his face. His teeth a perfect shining white, his pale skin shining in the sparse moonlight. It was that smug face that caused anger to burst through him.
Naruto hated that face, no… despised it even. Mr. Mizuki was a trickster, a liar, and a traitor. He had killed Mr. Umino, he had started all of this.
Naruto wasn't the best student. Far from it. He regularly slept in class and ignored everything he could. He said he wanted to be a shinobi, but training, and learning things was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt it easier to just become a genin, and learn from experience. Mr. Umino thought differently.
Naruto's dream was to become the Hokage, the leader of Konoha. He imagined it day to day. His face on Hokage mountain, looking down from Hokage tower, waving to thousands of people below, all of them shouting his name.
It was an unlikely reality for an orphan. Especially one like Naruto. He hadn't ever been adopted since he was so full of energy. An old couple had considered adopting him once, but after Naruto had dumped a bowl of gravy on the old woman's head, they rushed out of the orphanage. Screaming obscenities and vowing to sue the orphanage.
He was kicked out a little while later. That was the opinion of most people who met him. A rowdy, energetic prankster who couldn't be controlled.
Mr. Umino tried his best with Naruto. He wanted him to succeed so he had been extra hard on him. He made sure to always wake Naruto up when he was sleeping. Give him extra punishments when he threw pranks in order to make him more disciplined. Sometimes he gave him extra homework to do that Naruto would begrudgingly accept, usually with some whispered comments and a dirty look. It would rarely come back finished.
Naruto knew now it was out of sympathy and a yearning to see Naruto succeed, but Naruto was too blindsided then. Naruto threw many pranks, mostly on people he disliked. Like the old half blind teacher across the hall. When Mr. Umino was absent, either Mr. Mizuki or that old Guy, (Mr. Orio, Naruto remembered) would sub. Mr. Orio was even harder on Naruto than Mr. Umino.
He remembered once he had sprang a trap on Mr. Orio that entailed splashing at least 10 cups of Microwave Ramen(Naruto's favorite snack) on his head. He couldn't stop laughing even after Mr. Orio was attacking him with all the strength of a half blind 95 year old man.
Though Naruto couldn't laugh now. The thought of those days where nothing bothered him created a yearning in his heart. Right now, his life was so far down the gutter, he couldn't see a way out.
He could now hear distant and far off shouts from other shinobi, searching for him. They were looking for the special scroll he had stolen. Though he didn't have it now. It was off to Mr. Mizuki's side. This all started when he had failed the Final Test in the academy. He remembered looking at all the smiling families congratulating their child on passing. While Naruto sat on a swing in the corner of the Academy Field, sulking. He remembered the looks of silent distaste on the parent's faces, whenever they glanced at him. Some even had the gall to whisper about him to other parents.
That was when Mr. Mizuki approached him, offering him a chance to become a shinobi. At the time, Mr. Mizuki had seemed like an angel coming down from heaven, giving him a second chance at life. Though now, he knew he was the devil disguising himself as a savior. He played on his emotions, on his dream of becoming Hokage to manipulate him. He said that by being able to steal a very special scroll from Lord Hiruzen, he would be able to pass.
Naruto accepted this without hesitation. Any chance at passing and becoming a shinobi had seemed like gold then.
"Naruto" Mr. Mizuki began, with a quick nod backwards, towards the sounds of shouting. His left hand was on the Forbidden Scroll. It was a large scroll, at least 4 feet long and a foot wide. Filled with techniques and abilities restricted and forbidden. Naruto had briskly glanced at one of them, though he barely got it.
"You better start running, they're after you." Mr. Mizuki said, looking at Naruto with his yellow rimmed eyes.
"The jonin will find us, and they'll know it was you who killed him, not me" Naruto shouted back.
Mr. Mizuki chuckled. "You really think they'll take the word of a failed student with a bloody kunai in his hands, standing over the dead body of the academy instructor who failed you? No less after stealing something so valuable they sent multiple jonin to hunt you down?"
Mr. Mizuki was right. Naruto was the prime suspect. Who would think the TA was the killer? They probably suspected Naruto to have stolen the scroll out of spite and envy. A trouble-maker who failed the test and decided to get back at the village. It all made sense.
Mr. Mizuki had picked him out of a crowd to get the scroll. From the very beginning he had stepped into the class, he had picked Naruto. He picked the loser with no friends who everybody hated. The guy who got bad grades and failed every test. It was all falling into place for him. Mr. Mizuki never had sympathy for him. It was all just a ploy to use it. And it had all worked until Mr. Umino had gotten in the way. He guessed that's why Mr. Umino is dead now.
Though he couldn't let his hatred obstruct his reasoning. Mr. Mizuki was right. Those ninjas would surely get here eventually, and they would piece together the story Mr. Mizuki had constructed it. Naruto could already see it happening.
If caught, he would be beaten within in each of his life, than brought down to the Torture and Interrogation branch of the military. Once he had the unlucky chance of passing by their building one day. He could still remember the vivid screams of a condemned man, and the buff men with scars over their faces standing guard outside.
He would probably be tortured as well, using methods Naruto didn't want to think of. Of course they wouldn't believe him even if he did tell the truth. Even after being tortured, Naruto could be screaming the truth as loudly as he could and no one would still believe him. Naruto doesn't know what happens after but it was definitely nothing good.
The distant shouts and calls grew closer. Mizuki chuckled once more, relishing the moment. The way his eyes moved creeped Naruto out. It was unnatural. Too smooth at one point and then they would snap back to look at someone or something. Not to mention one was lazy.
The face of a man who thought he had it all set out for him. The face of a man who knew he was getting away with it. That was what Naruto hated the most. It was like the face of those parents at the academy. One or two of them looked at him with a smug grin when they're children weren't looking. That face said "I just knew that brat would fail".
Mizuki's voice broke Naruto out of his thoughts. "So Naruto, you pick. Get executed for killing a man in cold blood, or run away and never return. Maybe you'll get picked up by a circus. They surely will have room for an idiot like you" Mizuki burst into cackling, tossing his head back. Naruto felt anger rise up inside of him again. Almost consuming him. He clenched his fists.
Mizuki tried covering his mouth but the laughter kept coming. Naruto couldn't think of anything else. The only way out of this was fleeing. There was no explaining this to anyone.
"I mean, I had already planned this out, but to see you fall left and center into my trap was so entertaining. The look on your face when I told you about the scroll. Itr took all my will not to burst out laughing right then!" Mizuki said, still cackling.
Mizuki was milking it. He obviously enjoyed this more than he should have.
Naruto's anger grew stronger. Building higher and higher. Naruto stuttered, trying to make words come out but couldn't.
Mizuki's laughter eventually died down, but that smug grin was still plastered across his face. He cleared his throat. Naruto took a few small steps back. He watched closely for what Mizuki would do next.
Mizuki turned his attention away from Naruto towards his pocket. He dug a hand in and started digging around for something.
It only took a moment or two before Mizuki pulled out a Kunai. Its dark metallic tip shone in the moonlight. A weapon solely made for killing. Naruto took a few cautious steps back.
Instead of throwing it at Naruto, in a final step of his plan, or gloating, Mizuki oriented the knife towards himself. Naruto started blankly, his mind searching for an answer towards Mizuki's actions. Mizuki had a sick grin on his face. Certainly not one of a man who's pointing a knife at himself.
Mizuki held the kunai in an iron grip. Naruto could see veins bulging in Mizuki's hands. With one final shout, Mizuki screamed, almost with pleasure "For Lord Orochimaru!" His voice was filled with pleased accomplishment.
Mizuki pulled the kunai back and into his chest. The kunai made a squelching sound as it penetrated Mizuki's skin. Mizuki's expression turned to one of pain, but then went back to a smile. Blood slicked the kunai. It spread around Mizuki's shirt, staining it a crimson red instead of the normal pale blue. Mizuki's eyes bulged, becoming bloodshot. His entire body shuddered and seized as Mizuki's heart finally stopped beating.
Blood began dripping out of Mizuki's mouth, his throat already filled with blood. Mizuki's hand, slicked with his own blood, fell limp and slipped off the kunai. It dropped to his side. The other hand which used to have a steady hand on the Forbidden Scroll fell off, making the Scroll fall to the ground. Mizuki then fell backward, and thudded against the soft grass floor. Naruto wanted to scream, he wanted to scream as loud as he could. The horror of what he had just seen shocked Naruto to his core.
There was no answer for this. Naruto put his hands to his ears and scrunched his eyes. He whispered over and over it was just a dream, that he was dreaming this. But it was no dream.
The voices had drawn closer. He could make out words now. They were hunting him. Naruto shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself. His heart thudded in his ears, his breaths growing closer and faster. This was insane. More than insane.
Mizuki's body started to squirm. Which caught Naruto's attention. A small snake, around a foot long, slid off of Mizuki's right arm and into the grass. It was almost like it had been camouflaged there, but it left a large chunk out of Mizuki's arms. It was a pure white snake. The scales glinted back and forth along its body. It had purple eyes.
Naruto suspected to see blood, blood or muscles. Some bodily parts that were probably taught in class. But there were only more snakes. All squirming, trying to escape the shape of Mizuki's body. Eventually more and more snakes started slithering away, leaving more and more chunks in Mizuki's pale body.
They slithered out of Mizuki's face, his hair turned to hundreds of miniature snakes and they slithered away. Out of his now vacant shoes, snakes slithered and crawled. Snakes even crawled out below Mr. Umino's body. Naruto looked on, entranced as Mizuki eventually disappeared leaving only blood stained clothes.
Snakes slithered out of Mizuki's body until there was no Mizuki left. Only hundreds of small snakes coating the ground.
The snakes reached a meeting point, all gathered around the Forbidden Scroll. Some slithering around it, some climbing up it and others going around it. The snakes eventually started dragging it away. The Forbidden Scroll faded out of sight as it went deeper into the forest, out of the out-cropping all this had occurred in.
Naruto's shock was interrupted by the sound of two feet covered in a pair of sandals landing lightly on the ground. A jonin had arrived in the outcropping, ahead of his comrades.
He wore the jonin green vest, and had a blue headband. The metal plate had various scrapes and cuts on it, showing that the jonin had lots of experience in the field.
He had brown spiky hair, and brown eyes. A strong jaw. His nose was small and his lips were closed.
He saw Mr. Umino's body and his eyes widened. Naruto stumbled back, and landed on his buttocks. Usually Naruto would look up at a jonin and see someone to be admired, a goal perhaps. He used to imagine himself as a jonin, going on top secret missions, saving princesses.
Now all he saw was a threat, an executioner, the author of his death. Naruto let out a frightened cry before he scrambled. Shuffling backward on his butt. His head bumped a tree.
The jonin quickly whipped out a kunai from his kunai pouch which was strapped on his hip. He quickly stepped over Mr. Umino's body and strided forward towards Naruto. His stride had a power to it, an energized power after seeing Mr. Umino's body. He now knew he wasn't dealing with a stupid boy who somehow stole a heavily guarded scroll. He was now dealing with a killer. A cowardly boy who had murdered an academy teacher who had got in his way.
Naruto turned his back towards the jonin, standing up quickly. He glanced back at Mr. Umino's body once more, tears threatening to fall.
But he had no time to dwell. He burst out into a full sprint, racing past the few trees in the outcropping and fleeing into the darkness of the forests surrounding Konoha.
The jonin raced after Naruto in pursuit. He was around 15 feet behind Naruto, but it would be pretty easy to catch him. Naruto knew he couldn't keep up with a fully grown Jonin.
Naruto knew the only way he would get past the walls surrounding Konoha was to get to the little hole he had found under the west wall of Konoha. He had found it when he was much younger while exploring.
When he was younger, he enjoyed exploring the forests around Konoha. Onc old Man Hiruzen found out, he made sure to tell Naruto to never leave the outer walls of Konoha. He explained how there were many dangerous things outside the walls, and the forests of Fire Country could go on for miles without an end in sight. He could easily get lost in a forest that vast.
He found it on a Friday. It was a long hot day at the academy in late June. He had spent much of the day actually learning. Naruto was not able to doze off so he had got some work done. Though it thoroughly bored him. Naruto decided he would enjoy the shaded coolness of the forests. He had enjoyed coming here all his life. It was a retreat area, a way to get away from life. Once he got there he decided to sleep for a little. He sat under a little oak tree, and dozed off. Eventually he woke back up 30 minutes later. He ventured forth. Eventually coming across many recognizable landmarks.
The little fox nest, which lay in bushels of brush and bramble. There was a family of foxes that lived there. A mother and two baby foxes. Then there was the one scary looking tree with a gaping maw which was really just a hollowed in portion of the tree. The grave with the letters Rebecca" written in the dirt. The deadfall which Naruto avoided, and the stream.
Eventually he got so far out that he didn't recognize where he was. After a while of aimless exploring he came across a big stone wall. Around 20 feet in height.
Naruto accepted this to be the borders of the village. It was quite tall and only an experienced ninja could climb it. From the Academy Naruto knew that whoever came in or came out was recorded onto a scroll using a special jutsu. And also the walls were coated with something that made it impossible to climb up using chakra.
After a while of wandering around the wall, his foot fell into a hole. He stumbled and fell on his face awkwardly. His hands immediately reached up to his nose. He let out a few moans of pain before ripping his foot out of the hole. It lead directly under the wall and over. Easiest way to get out of the village without being found. Naruto didn't use it, for fear of the wall crumbling and killing him.
Though now, Naruto didn't have any choice, it was his only way out of Konoha. His only way to not be killed or captured.
He picked up speed. He could hear the Jonin above him, jumping from tree to tree, easily keeping up with him. The other jonin were fast approaching. Naruto recognized the fox den. Though he couldn't see the foxes, they were long gone.
Naruto ran past it without a forethought. A weird burning rose up in his lungs and feet. It spread throughout his toes, his feet, his calves, his knees, and his hips. It infected his muscles. It was something Naruto had never felt before, even when he was running away from angry adults after he pranked them. His lungs burned like hell, yet it felt good.
It was like a burst of speed had been given to him. He could feel the wind hitting him sharply, making his unruly hair move wildly. His tracksuit also rippled widely in the wind. The surroundings went by faster. The tree with the gaping maw, the grave, the deadfall, the stream. His spirits lifted as he caught sight of the wall, heavily obscured by foliage and vines. He felt hopeful. Maybe he would be able to escape.
Though his hopes were quickly crushed as he felt a stabbing pain in his left shoulder. Pain exploded into his shoulder. He let out a cry of pain and stumbled to the ground, scraping his shins on the dirt. His cheek land temple slammed on the ground, sending a blume of dirt into the air. Pain echoed throughout his head.
Naruto laid there, gasping for breath. After a moment he two he looked at his shoulder. A kunai had embedded itself 1-2 inches into his shoulder. It was standing upright through his tracksuit. He let out a sharp breath. He could feel cold blood trickling down his back. His orange jumpsuit had been stained red with blood. He glanced further back and saw the jonin sprinting toward him. He knew he didn't have enough time to sit here and whine about the pain.
Naruto, already drained of energy, put a shaky hand around the kunai's metal handle and grip it tight. His fingers turned white as the blood left them. He gritted his teeth as he pulled hard and ripped the kunai out of his shoulder. A gargled cry of pain left his lips before he tossed the kunai aside. He breathed in and out for a few moments before looking back once more. The Jonin were even closer. He lifted himself up with his hands, ignoring the reverbing pain in his shoulder.
The wall was closer now. Its 20 foot peak grew taller. However, Jonin grew closer.
He kept running, though slower now. His feet fell in a rhythmic pattern. The sound reverberated in his ears, echoing in and out and causing pain. His ears ringed so much he could barely hear himself think. Eventually he reached the Border War.
The wall, covered in moss, vines, and foliage was much different than the last time he saw it, those many years ago. The moss had grown, not just in the grooves between the stones, but across the stones. Vines went up and down the wall, snaking around. Naruto would've climbed it if he could. Bush and shrubbery covered several parts of the wall.
Naruto frantically searched for the hole, looking back and forth along the wall for the little 5 foot wide divot in the ground. The silence was penetrated by a wheezing sound in the air. Naruto spinned his head around. A kunai zoomed through the air. It whizzed past him, striking the moss covered wall and sending sparks flying through the air. Momentarily lighting the dark area.
Naruto kept searching, even after multiple shurikens and kunais kept coming. Naruto was about ready to give up, when his foot gave through. Naruto looked down. His leg was covered up to his calf in dirt and roots. He had found it. Naruto's heart rate spiked. It was the home finish.
He took his foot out and quickly got to his knees. He plunged his hands deep in the dirt, and started to throw dirt out. The hole had somewhat caved in over the years. Though there were still spaces missing. He could make it. But before Naruto could open the space, a hand grabbed the hem of his shirt. Naruto was roughly pulled back.
He was sent sprawling on his back. Naruto groaned as his back hit the root of a tree. The Jonin stood up, a kunai in his hands. Naruto looked at it. The Jonin had the intent to kill. Seeing Mr. Umino, lying there dead, had enraged the Jonin. Hate seeped out of him.
"Fuck the rules, your dying you rat" The Jonin yelled sharply. Naruto frantically thought of something to use, anything to gain leverage. Naruto could only think of one thing.
He grabbedNaruto by the chin, squeezing him roughly. The jonin held the kunai flush against Naruto's throat. Pressing it roughly. Naruto looked into the eyes of the man. He was about to kill a child yet no hesitation appeared in his eyes, no remorse. He was a true soldier.
Naruto opened his mouth as loud as he could, and bit down on the Jonin's fingers as hard as he could. Blood seeped into Naruto's mouth. He could taste the coppery taste. Jonin grunted and picked Naruto up with his fingers. He tossed Naruto behind him. Naruto landed on the dirt again.
Jonin held his fingers, looking at the teeth imprint Naruto had left. Blood was slowly oozing out of the wound. Naruto army crawled towards the hole. Once he arrived at the 4 foot wide hole, he abandoned caution and grabbed the sizes of the wall. There could've been a snake nest down there. Naruto waited for a snake to appear and bite him on the nose, spitting poison into Naruto's blood stream. Though it never came.
He pulled himself down, shoving his face into dirt. He could smell the moist soil. He wiggled his way forward, his vision rapidly deteriorating. It was darker down here. To the point Naruto didn't even know what he was doing.
Naruto felt a hand grip his ankle. It was the Jonin.
"Get back here you fucker!" The Jonin roared. He ripped Naruto's leg backward. Naruto's face was dragged in roots and dirt. He spit dirt out of his teeth and started kicking as hard as he could blindly. After a few missed kicks, his foot finally collided with something. The grip on Naruto's ankle disappeared, and Naruto continued dragging himself forward.
He got about a foot further in the hole before the Jonin grabbed Naruto's ankle, now with both hands. He pulled even harder this time. Naruto felt like his foot was going to be taken off.
Naruto cocked back his leg again, in another attempt to kick the Jonin. The weird burning appeared in his leg again. Naruto launched his leg back, and connected solidly with the Jonin's nose. Blood spurted out of it. The Jonin let go of Naruto's foot, and he fell back, holding his nose.
Naruto finally got himself fully into the hole. He kept pulling and dragging. Ignoring the burning in his eyes from the dirt that got in there. Ignoring the pain in his head and in his shoulder. He got around 2 feet further until he hit a wall. Roots were coming out of the wall. He looked up. He started digging upwards, closing his eyes so as to not get dirt in them.
After an agonizing minute or two, he felt the cool sensation of the night sky. He breathed in deeply, relishing the moment. He awkwardly pulled himself out. Once he got his torso out, he tilted backwards, so he was facing the wall. He lifted his legs out of the hole.
Naruto sat there panting, utterly exhausted from the chase. He can't believe he just did that, escaped a fully fledged jonin. All he wanted to do was go to sleep in his bed with the hard mattress, look up at the peeling wallpaper and at the pipe covered ceiling. Or take a cold shower, and wash all the dirt off. Have Mr. Umino buy him ramen after a long day at the Academy at Ichiraku Ramen.
At the thought of these memories, fresh tears built in his eyes. They streamed down his cheeks. Making trails in his dirt coated cheeks. He wiped his eyes, and sniffed his nose.
He heard voices from beyond the wall. Three of them. Jonin and two others, both male. They were talking about finding him.
"How could you let him go?" One of the other Jonin shouted. Anger was present in his voice.
"The little bastard was sneaky, he dived into a hole in the wall!" The Jonin yelled back.
"The only way we can get over that wall is to climb the vines, so let's get going." The jonin who chased him shouted back at his comrade.
Naruto didn't wait for them to climb the walls. Even though he was exhausted, he hauled himself up, and started running. He didn't know where he was going, didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't think about the life he had left behind here. His dream of becoming Hokage. His dreams of dating Sakura and beating Sasuke. He didn't think about being a shinobi, or sleeping in his bed, or eating ramen. He just ran.
He didn't think about what Mizuki said, or what happened to him after death. He didn't remember the words Mr. Umino had said to him before he died, he didn't think about his ruined clothes, and the pain in his shoulder or his head, he didn't think about how he probably was never going to eat ramen again. Frankly, he wasn't thinking of anything, but of escaping.
Tears ran down his cheeks as he ran. His feet thudded against the grass. The full moon high in the sky, bringing light to the darkness of night. The trees waving in the wind, leaves fluttering back and forth. It was September, on the verge of Fall.
As Sasuke Uchiha sat in his empty mansion, looking at his headband, as Sakura Haruno celebrated with her family, as Shikamaru Nara sat in his room eating, as Ino Yamanaka slept, as Choji ate at his family's favorite barbecue restaurant, as Hinata Hyuga thought in her room, as Kiba Inuzuka played with his dogs, as Shino Aburame tended to his flies, and as Mr. Umino sat in a pool of his blood, prematurely killed by a traitor serving an unknown master, Naruto ran. He ran fast and ran far.
Naruto couldn't recall how far he ran, how much he ran, but all he knew was that he ran. Eventually he stopped, exhausted of all energy. He fell on his face, the cool grass tickling him. As cool tears streamed down his cheeks, he fell asleep. In an unknown field, in an unknown forest, in an unknown area, far away from home, as a fugitive, as a murderer, and as a rogue failed shinobi.