"Why does no one in the village call me by name?"
A six year old stared up at a dull ceiling dirtied by stains and cracks. Clothes and trash were littered all around the floor. He would need to wash it at some point or else the room would stink up and make it hard to sleep.
He felt something is his glaringly yellow blonde hair and shook his hands through it to get out whatever it was. Grass, dirt, and leaves fell out on his bed. It all must have gotten caught in there during his spar at the academy.
The boy grumbled to himself. The popular bastard shoved his head to the ground again, not letting him land a single punch. That was after showing him up at shuriken practice, hitting the bullseye with every throw compared to himself only hitting a few in the ring.
Yup, he was definitely gonna kick that bastard's ass...
His stomach grumbled at him. Rolling off the bed, he headed over to his small fridge and swung the door open, making the hinges rattle and creak. The cold contents were disappointingly empty. He was always forgetting what groceries he did and didn't have. His food money felt like it was just disappearing into thin air. All that was there was a boring carton of milk.
Sniffing the pale liquid, he wrinkled his nose and tipped it over into his mouth anyways. If he didn't drink milk, he wouldn't grow tall. Everyone knew that.
There wasn't much funny smelling milk left in there either.
When he opened the cupboards looking for any leftover instant ramen packets, his fingers only ending up catching cobwebs. He saw his reflection in the mirror. Blue eyes and whisker marks reflected back at him.
The six year old boy scowled at his reflection with a jutted out chin and peeled back lips, the face of a thug. "When I'm rich, I'm buying ramen with extra chashu for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Believe it!"
Though right now... he wasn't rich. He only had the monthly stipends the old man gave him every month.
And there wasn't anything left to eat now so...
He'd have to go out into the village to buy food. His green toad-shaped wallet looked hungry, but at least it still had some coins bumping around his belly.
"Sorry," the boy apologized when he grabbed the cute wallet. "I promise to feed you tons when I become a shinobi, ya know?"
Konoha, named because it was the village hidden in the leaves, was one of the five great shinobi countries, residing deep within a forest at the base of a mountain. It was a powerful nation with powerful clans, powerful allies, and many resources at its disposal.
The many streets and alleys were filled with every sort of shop a person could wish for, a shop for food, a shop for ramen, a shop for sweets, a shop for masks, a shop for clothes, a shop for weapons, a shop for custom weapons, and shops for toys, probably a bunch of other shops too.
"Milk, eggs, instant ramen... Milk, eggs, instant ramen... Milk, eggs, instant ramen... Milk, eggs, instant ramen... Milk, eggs, instant ramen... Milk, eggs, instant ramen..." The boy muttered the list of items he would stick to. Milk because it was cheap and would help him grow. Eggs because they were cheap and had protein. Instant ramen because it was cheap and tastier than anything in the world. Well, not tastier than Ichiraku ramen, but that was special.
In his mutterings, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and bumped into a man.
He was a Konoha shinobi. A dark blue shirt with matching pants and bandages wrapped around his legs, kunai and shuriken were concealed and stuffed in his pockets.
The shinobi glared at him with unsuppressed anger, "Watch it, you little brat."
Frowning, the boy frowned back and stuck his tongue at him, but the man had already turned away and continued with his day, not sparing him a second thought.
The boy passed by many other villagers on his way to a grocery store. None of them spoke to him, nor did they smile at him. They wanted to ignore him. They hardly did that properly.
"Look, that kid is out again..."
"-the kid is still here. I don't care what the Hokage says. How can he-"
"Can't believe the academy lets that kid-"
Clenching his fist and jaw, "the kid" looked around at the sources of the whispers and talks, but nobody would meet his eyes. The few that did just snorted disdainfully and looked away, as if to pretend he didn't exist.
'That kid, the kid... I have a name, ya know! It's Naruto Uzumaki!'
Naruto reached the market and wandered up the aisles, looking at expensive cuts of meat and pricey desserts. He got the milk, eggs, and instant ramen like he planned. Err, he also got some limited edition instant ramens as well. They were golden umami flavored. He didn't know what that was, but he didn't want to miss out on it. He even got an extra packet for free if he would buy five.
He paid the clerk and waited for the change.
He kept waiting with a smile on his face and hands full with groceries.
Looking down at him, the clerk finally spat some words at him, "What do you want?"
"You still need to give me change..." Naruto reminded him. "And my name is Naruto Uzumaki, ya know!"
"Didn't ask." The clerk dropped the change on the counter and went back to his magazine. "Now get lost. You're holding up the line."
There was no one behind him.
Naruto walked over to the academy grounds. The academy was where all the children of Konoha desiring to become shinobi went to learn. There, they were taught ninjutsu, taijutsu, and the basics of genjutsu. He was mainly interested in the ninjutsu, how to manipulate chakra using hand seals and performing the techniques only shinobi could use.
Most started at the academy at the age of six, kids his age.
Right now, there were other kids at the academy grounds. The bastard who got lucky in their fight today didn't seem to still be here, though.
"Hmph, just you wait Sasuke. I'll be ten times stronger than you in no time!"
The kids there laughed at him, overhearing his words to himself. "Did you hear that? The village loser said he's going to be stronger than Sasuke!"
"Pfft, no way. Sasuke's a genius."
"What else do you expect a fool to say?"
"He couldn't even land a single hit on him. Bet I could kick him around if I wanted to."
"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "I meant what I said! I'll get stronger than Sasuke, and every other shinobi in the village, then I'll be Hokage!"
"Whatever."
The kids rolled their eyes and turned away.
Messing with the green goggles on his head, Naruto lifted his chin up and waved. "Anyways, what'ya guys doing?"
A kid with a beanie hat scoffed, "Huh? forget it. No way are you joining in today's test of courage."
"A test of courage!" Naruto repeated excitedly. He was brave! He could prove it too!
"Why'd you tell him!?" Another kid from the group punched beanie kid over the head.
"Ow ow!"
He turned to Naruto. "Listen to this! Only real academy students can come. Someone like you will just slow everyone down." Gesturing to his group to get up, they left hands in pocket with an arrogant gait.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Trying to catch up to them, the blonde child was only tripped over for his efforts. His forehead smacked against the dirt as the other kids ran away laughing. Pushing himself back up, Naruto rubbed his nose. "Jerks. I'll show them."
A sinister, no good smile full of mischief spread across his face.
Naruto carefully crept over the roofs of the buildings, doing his best to keep out of anyone's line of sight. A bucket filled with water balloons was attached to his hip. It took all he had to stifle his giggles.
He made sure to fill the balloons with the coldest water her could find, as cold as ice.
The wind blew through his spiky hair. He nearly slipped off the tile. Tumbling down now would've been the worse.
Before the sun set all the way, all of those kids from before went into the forests to mark an old giant withered tree with their kunai. Apparently, in the woods long before the Forest of Death, there was a violent spirit that would devour anyone it comes across.
If they made it all the way to the withered tree and back, then they could brag about it however they wished. The ones who chickened out would have to pay for all the snacks next day.
Of course, they'd be in for a surprise when they come out.
Naruto waited...
And he waited...
And then he waited some more...
While the sun started to disappear under the horizon, Naruto was still waiting a little longer...
"Gaaaah! Did they all chicken out already!? Where are they!?" He banged his fist against the rails. This was definitely the place they talked about. Naruto slumped over and fell to his back with an angry huff, crossing his arms.
Staring at the blue sky, he dwelled on his day a little, "Just wanted to have a bit of fun..."
There were times when a ball would roll by near him and he'd happily pick it up, times when somebody would drop something and he'd gladly try to catch it for them, times when he'd do something kind of cool he should be able to brag about. These were all times he should've finally been able to be... included.
"Oi, don't play with that kid."
"Don't go near him."
"He isn't like you. You'll be cursed if he's around."
"The kid's name doesn't matter. Just don't speak to him."
"Try not to look at him if you can."
In kind, he'd also see and overhear people with their own kids, kids with their own parents, a mom and a dad.
"You did so well there! I'm so proud!"
"Here, you almost forgot your lunch. I packed sweets. Share them with your brother."
"Come on, don't cry. All you have to do is to do your best. That's enough for us."
. . .
Why couldn't he have that? A mom and a dad? Or even just an older brother would be good enough.
Why couldn't anyone acknowledge him? Was it because he didn't have parents?
Did he need more talent? He'd be more talented in the future.
At the very least, couldn't someone call him by his name? He had a name after all. That's what it was for, to be remembered by.
Naruto snapped to attention when he heard screaming. He tried to get up too fast and ended up falling over. "Ow!" But he didn't let that stop him. Pushing off the ground at full force, he threw himself up and twisted over his ankle. "Again!?"
Ok, this time, he got up as quickly and carefully as he could. Most of the kids from the academy that had taken part in the test of courage had already run out. Many of them were screaming something in a panic. The words varied, but they all carried the same meaning.
"Akuma!" "Akuma!" "Demon!"
They were tripping and scrambling over themselves to get away from the woods. Some of them were even crying.
Naruto smirked. 'Ha ha! Those chicken got afraid and ran. Bet it was from their own shadows! Test of courage my ass! Ha!'
Now was the time to strike. There was a rustling in the woods. He didn't see the beanie kid or the ringleader come out yet. It must've been them! Naruto hefted the bucket filled with the devastating projectiles over his shoulder and prepared to throw the entire lot.
"This'll show em for sure, ya know!"
A figure came out from the dark woods and Naruto threw the bucket with the full swing of his body. Dozens and dozens of full water balloons filled to bursting with icy water exploded on impact. Naruto could tell Lady Luck was shining on him. Nearly all the balloons hit their mark.
He could see the beanie kid and the cocky ringleader...
The two were being dragged forth by their collars, bodies frozen and limp with sweat inducing, spine chilling fear.
Naruto took a step back when he saw a person he had never seen before drenched from head to toe.
They were all in the village outskirts. Thinking about it now, he had never been here before. Kids were told not to get lost or even go near these woods. That's why it was picked as the location of a test of courage.
Wind blew strongly into his face and through his hair making him blink.
When he opened his eyes, he was swallowed by the other's shadow. The sun in the horizon line was blocked from his vision. He saw sharp inhuman teeth like fangs.
"AAaAahhhHhHHh!" Naruto turned tail and ran as fast as he could. He had run plenty of times before. He'd run from drunken old men he had insulted to their faces. He had run from upset store owners whose stores he graffitied with whatever paint he could get his hands on. He had run from pissed off-duty shinobi he had pranked in pretty clever if he said so himself ways.
Now he was running from what could only be a violent spirit.
"Why me! I didn't even go inside your stupid forest!" Naruto screamed while he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. The six year old could still feel a chill down his spine. He thought he could maybe hear footsteps behind him. Darting in a zig zag pattern like the academy taught them to throw off pursuers and make it harder to be caught, Naruto jumped in an alley way.
'Cloak of Invisibility Technique!' Naruto hastily threw a sheet the same color as the concrete wall over himself and stayed still.
The academy learned technique was one where the user covers themselves with a cloak that has a color and pattern matching the nearby surroundings, concealing their presence by seamlessly blending in. The user can then gather intel from their position or wait for an opportunity to stage an ambush on unsuspecting targets. Naruto had three different cloaks for blending in the city and two different cloaks for blending in the woods.
All he had to do now was wait. Naruto counted to ten again and again until he had counted ten times. Only then, did he lower the crumpled cloak over himself.
The "akuma" was standing on the wall above him, feet buried deep in as if the concrete was mud.
Naruto was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged out of the alley.
"Wait! No! Help!" Naruto tried punching the hand and thrashing out of the grip, but nothing was working. Nobody came to help him. His legs only continued to dangle over the ground helplessly.
Before he realized what was going on, the boy was flying through the air. His body plunged into the river. He gasped and ended up choking on the water. Thankfully. he was close enough to the riverbank to frantically paddle over to dry land. Now he was completely soaked from head to toe.
"Cold!"
"Karma is what it's called, runty." The shadow stepped forward to loom over him again.
Naruto angrily looked up and saw the face of violence. Her wild hair was spiky, long, and untamed, enshrouding her like a burning halo. Deeply rosy in color, it nearly reached the ground. She didn't look all that old, but she was still taller than him. Her face had sharp features, entirely lacking in any feminine delicacy. Her devouring black eyes were sharp, and her teeth were even sharper. The black top decorated with dull golden scales and grey pants going down to her bandaged feet contrasted with her lightly tanned skin.
A white scarf like scales wrapped around her neck, and a dark cloak was secured around her shoulders.
Rather than a girl, she really did resemble a devil more.
Naruto Uzumaki growled at her. 'Who does this girl think she is!?'
"You threw me into the river!"
"You put cold water on me!" she accused right back. Her voice was striking and flooded with arrogance. "Be thankful I didn't drown you in an ocean, runty!"
"Hey! I'm not runty!" Naruto stood up and tried to face her down, a difficult feat when the top of his head could only brush against her chin.
In response, she rudely and aggressively knocked her finger against his forehead. "Runty, runty, runty~" she sang aloud.
"That does it! You asked for it!" Naruto charged her only for her to step to the side and trip him over.
"Haa? You're challenging me?"
Naruto swung his fist at the girl's head, and she easily dodged the clumsy attack. He didn't stop and continued to throw his fists forward.
She just kept on taking small steps back, slightly weaving away from the strikes with a smug smile on her face. "Is that all?"
Jumping up, Naruto kicked at her chin. With a stroke of luck, he was able to get the right angle and path.
By stepping forward, she made the kick ineffective. By pushing his back down, she sent him to the floor. Then she kicked him away like an empty can. "Boooring~"
Not even Sasuke ever humiliated him in a fight like this. Their eyes bothered him too, but in different ways. The popular bastard's eyes were filled with… but the girl's eyes were filled with devouring hunger.
Growling louder, Naruto yelled out at her, "I'm not gonna lose. No way!"
"Course you are, I'm stronger!"
His small fist slammed into her cheek. He winced in pain.
She didn't flinch. Her eyes tracked the punch as if it were a lethargic butterfly. The fist was still squishing her cheek. Taking a breath, she swung her head against his, knocking him to the ground with a violent headbutt.
Naruto couldn't get up before the heavier girl straddled him and pinned his elbows to the ground.
"You lose, runty." The fanged smirk on her face was infuriating.
Gritting his teeth, the boy struggled uselessly to break out and keep fighting even when his body felt like it was beat around by a family of hungry bears. "My name's not runty! It's Naruto Uzumaki, ya know! I'll become Hokage, so remember it!"
The girl laughed on top of him. She released one of his elbows for a moment and held up her hand. "Naruto Uzumaki? Fine then, Naruto Uzumaki! My name is Ryujin Natsumi. I'll be the strongest." A beautiful flame flickered in the palm of her hand. "That means my dream is greater than yours. I win again!"
The sky reflected against his eyes while the sun was shining against her face.
"That's a load of bull! Get off me bastard!" Naruto shouted, futilely trying to buck her off.
Natsumi only tightened her hold and pinned his elbow again. "Only when you admit that I won." Her smile and voice only became more and more grounded in pride and arrogance.
'I think I hate this girl.'
It was something he didn't realize at the time. He didn't realize because he was so frustrated.
He wouldn't realize this today or tomorrow. He wouldn't realize this for a long time.
But this was the first time someone really called him by his name like it was something special.
Author's note:
Gonna be honest with y'all. Thought this up while I was feeling pretty feverish. Still fairly sick right now. Although, despite that, I kinda like the story I've thought up.
Leave a review and tell me what you think.
