Chapter 1
Sixteen Years Later
Eyes opened and blurriness wavered. A young man sat up in his bed and turned his head to face a nearby window. The image was that of a sunny day, sunlight glinting off of a landscape portrait engraved in the side of a nearby mountain. Four gigantic heads, symbols of this village's former protectors, the strongest ninja in their days. The hokage. A look of anger crossed the boy's face and he stood from his bed. He gathered two sets of clothes, and put on the first pair he grabbed. Just as he finished the door to his room swung open. Another teen peered into the room and glanced around for its occupant. He saw nothing in the room but a bed. He raised an eyebrow as he questioned his senses. Shrugging his shoulders he left closing the door behind him.
Gripping his clothes in his left arm, he ran across the giant wall which segregated his home, Area 294. A place of living designed and supported by the Konoha housing authority. It was two large buildings in which rooms where tightly packed together. It was seven stories high and most rooms had no view except for the top floor. The occupants view was sacrificed when regular citizens kept throwing rocks at the building shattering windows. The tension between Konoha and Area 294 were very high. The people of Area 294 were the poorest of the poor in Konoha. Most were Orphans or kids who had been abandoned. After the attack of the nine tales kyuubi many homes and parents were killed. Konoha had made a decision to accommodate the people who were left behind. But the other people who had families and profitable lives looked upon the others with hatred, because they were poor or it reminded them of the nine tales incident. Konoha also hasn't gone out of its way to help the people of Area 294. The people had public toilets and showers unlike the rest of the village. They also weren't granted certain things like the ability to choose to go to ninja school, or the option of living outside the sectioned area. The children of Area 294 were mostly thieves and vagrants, always recognized as such by the main populace.
The ground rushed toward him as he leapt from the wall. Upon landing he continued his dash through Konoha's merchant district and exited past the village's main gates. Soon he came to his secluded spot, away from anyone and everyone. A small waterfall and pond surrounded by tall trees and bushes. He walked to the edge of the falls and disrobed. He preferred this way of bathing versus the way they told him to. It just felt better in addition to feeling cleaner. He cleaned his body under the falls for about twenty minutes. He was thinking about this day, the day when he would prove himself to Konoha. To show them that the people of Area 294 are just as equal as they are in every aspect. The Chunin Exam. It was a test that pits you against your fellow peers to see who elevates from genin to chunin. Those who take place in the exam are from many different countries and viewed by thousands of people in a large arena. Normally those who participate are graduates of ninja academies, but his only friend, Xon (One), found and forced Konoha to accept its own minor law. It states that anyone who currently lived in the village could participate as long as they were from an organization as large as two hundred people. Well Xon found his way around that pretty quickly and founded his own. Konoha put him through the paperwork motions and hoped that he would give up after a while and change his mind. After three years they reluctantly agreed to the proposal. They had to. It was the law, even if it was a very old and no longer respected one. If Konoha had said no, their rivals would see that as untrustworthy. Konoha had a reputation of being noble and understanding. And since their income came from people who hire their services, this could hurt their profits.
Fully clothed he left the pond and headed back to the village. Glancing upward, looking at the sun he determined he had a little more time left. He came upon a beef bowl shop and sat down. Xon had told him about this place a while ago. It's the best in town he said. He remembered Xon's facial expressions when he told him. The owner came and asked for his order and he gave the businessman his request. After a few minutes his meal came and he paid as he received it. Carrying a hot bowl and steaming tea he went to a table in the corner of the establishment. He sat down and began to eat his meal. Two other patrons glanced at him and he noticed their spite toward him. It happened everywhere. People instantly knew that he was from Area 294 and disliked him for it. He set his chopsticks down finishing his bowl and grabbed his tea firmly.
-- I want to be the greatest Hokage ever
Without knowing so, he crushed the clay glass in his hand. His hand shaking, the broken pieces of clay clenched tightly in a fist. Everyone watched as he stood and put money on the table with his free hand. As he left he glanced at the person who said the ridiculous notion. The speaker was a small yellow-haired boy wearing an orange outfit. But what stood out to him was the Konoha leaf symbol on his forehead protector. With the beef bowl stand behind him he continued toward the arena. Feeling wetness in his hand he raised it. He hadn't realized that clay from the broken glass was embedded in his hand. Stopping at the arena entrance he looked at his hand as he picked the glass from it.
-- Soulless.
He glanced upward when he heard his name.
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