Chapter One
Naruto stood and looked into the lake.
He was a boy, no more than seven years.
A curious whorl emanated from
His stomach, still plump from youth. More strange were
The symbols, markings everyone spoke of
To others, not to the one marked with them.
But he did not dwell on this fact longer.
He was a child, and such things didn't matter.
He gazed at his reflection a while, then
Picked a brush and smoothed his messy hair.
The clothes that he wore had been carelessly
Dumped. They were too big, and little more than
Rags. The brush, found in a dumpster one day,
Was missing most of its bristles, but
Naruto was used to this. All his things
Were secondhand, things that no one wanted.
Items that reminded him of himself.
With a tattered gray rag, he washed his face
With the lake water, clean and pure. Then he
Made his way into town to look for food.
None of the people paid him attention.
The only time they looked at him was to glare with hate.
The young children even threw stones at him.
They all hated Naruto for reasons
A boy of his age could not understand.
They blamed him for things he did not do, and
Shunned him for things he could not change. And this
Was the life Naruto had known since birth.
So it would be for many years of life
Until one man, a ninja, a teacher,
Took poor Naruto under his wing, and
Showed him kindness, which he had never known.
That man was Umuino Iruka,
A Chuunin, who taught Naruto the ways
Of the ninja, so he could protect what
He loved, and earn the respect of his land.
But Naruto, a prankster at heart, strayed
From his path and goals for a while until
He met someone he unknowingly liked.
A Genin like him, a rival to beat.
A boy who had known loneliness in life.
Uchiha Sasuke, a teammate, a friend,
An enemy, most like him in the end.