Chapter 1. I hate you

He hasn't had this dream for ages. Long ago, when he was little, he dreamed about it almost every night. And every night when he awoke, his chest ached with loneliness.

He is running down a big hill towards the village of Konoha, towards his house. He's happy, but he doesn't know why. The sun is shining, and the weather is perfect. Everything is perfect. It is the type of perfect that can only be achieved in a dream. He sprints towards his house faster and faster. He's expecting something , something that will change his life forever. He can hear voices from inside the door.

"Naruto, you're home! Daddy, and me have a surprise for you. We are so glad to see you honey!" He aches to stay by the door, and listen to their voices forever. The first voice is soft and gentle, the other one strong and courageous.

"Naruto, you didn't get hurt during your mission, did you? Scars don't suit the future Hokage."

He smiles. His mom, his dad, his family…

"Come hear, honey!"

Every time he can't stand it. He opens the door, only to find an empty room. Even the voices are no longer there – they've disappeared forever. He sits down on the floor, and cries.He cries for his mom and dad that he had never known, and he cries for himself.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. It was as pale as snow, and looked nothing like the ceiling in his house. So…

"Where am I?" his voice was creepy as if he hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Sleep," a voice gently ordered him. The owner placed their hand on his forehead.

"Shizune?" Naruto looked at Hokage's assistant with amusement. "Where am I?" he repeated his question and started to sit up.

"Don't,' she ordered. "You're not strong enough yet. It's strange that you're even alive after all that. It's thanks to Kyuubi regeneration that you survived. Tsunade-sama stayed with you day and all night trying to heal you."

"Heal… what happened?" Naruto asked himself. "How did I get all of these wounds?"

Realization came a second later. He began to remember, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and the Yondaime…

"Sakura," he asked trying not to look nervous. "How is she?"

"She is all right, Shizune smiled to herself. 'Always worrying about others. That's our Naruto.'

"She's hurt her legs, but it's nothing serious. She comes here every day."

Actually she wasn't the only person who came to visit. If Naruto had been awake during the daytime he'd have found his room very crowded indeed. Shikamaru, Lee, Hinata, Iruka. Everyone who knew Naruto had come. People had come and gone, but there was one person who had always stayed here. It was the young man with hair and eyes so very similar to Naruto's that it was almost frightening. The Yondaime Hokage.

Now he was standing near the door with relief apparent on his face. His blond hair was a mess, and he could hardly sleep while Naruto was unconscious.

"Was it because he felt guilt for almost killing Naruto?" Shizune wondered. "Or maybe there's something more between him and the boy? Such as…"

She looked at Yondaime and then at Naruto. Blond hair, blue eyes. Was it only a coincidence?

Then Yondaime looked at Naruto, cocked his head, and a familiar grin appeared on his tired face.

"No. Apparently it's something more," Shizune concluded.

Would it be all right to leave them alone to talk? After all, Yondaime had tried to kill Naruto, but that was because of Orochimaru's jutsu wasn't it? What if it had other effects that they didn't know about yet?

"Shizune," The Hokage's voice was low and uncertain. "You can stay. I understand that after all of this, you can't trust me completely."

She blushed. After seeing her face, he could read her like an open book. Was it one of his powers?

After hearing his voice, Naruto moved closer to the wall. He was doing his best to avoid being sighted by the Hokage.

Yondaime came closer and sat near the bed.

"Naruto," he said in a soft voice. "Gomen… I didn't want to cause you all this pain. Orochimaru was controlling me completely. I couldn't remember anything. All that I knew was to fight, and kill you at all costs.

"That's nothing," Naruto turned and stared into the ceiling. "I can understand that." A small smile appeared on the Hokage's lips. Naruto continued.

"But I can't understand why you had to ruin my life 13 years ago. You were a great shinobi, you could have killed it. Why did you seal it in me? I can't understand why."

"Naruto," the yondaime began.

"Shut up!" Naruto cried. "I don't want to hear it! I don't need anymore apologizes! Did you know that villagers would call me monster? Did you know that they would hate me? Did you know that I would be all alone with this pain?"

"Naruto," The yondaime voice was shocked.

"I hate you," snapped the boy turning to the wall. "Please go away."

Yondaime's look was unreadable. He turned his head to see Tsunade standing near the door, listening to their conversation.

"Arashi," she began. The blond Hokage stood up and stormed from the room without saying a word.

The Godaime sat down silently near Naruto. She looked at him attentively.

"Such a display," she finally said. "Do you really hate him that much?"

Naruto didn't answer.

"You're stubborn," she sighed. "He's Konoha's Hokage after all. He'll give you missions. If one day it comes to your promotion to chunin he'll be one of those who'll decide if you get it. Don't you think it's foolish to make a man like him your enemy?"

Naruto closed his eyes.

"I don't care," he said finally.

Thunade sighed again. She hadn't seen him like this since… well she couldn't even think of a time when she had seen Naruto so impassive. Maybe after his fight with Sasuke… when he felt completely lost in the world? Yes, it was the same.

"Naruto," She started, but he was already asleep.

"Shouting one minute and sleeping the next, some things never change," she smiled and silently left the room.

He was standing at the village wall looking up into the night sky. So many stars!

"Umi," he whispered. "What should I do?"

His thoughts wandered somewhere into the past.

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"Do you see that star?" she asked. But he couldn't look at the sky. All that he could look at was her, the raven-haired beauty with bright blue eyes and lips that made roses look dull in comparison.

"Star?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah. They say that it's two shinobi who loved each other, but couldn't be together. So they turned into stars to be with one another forever."

"Turned into stars?" he asked. "That's a strange story. What jutsu could do that?"

Her laugh was like a bell.

"Arashi baka," she smiled. "It's fairytale. Don't tell me you seriously considered the possibility of turning into a star?

"For you," he looked at her. "I'd became a star, a sun, a moon – anything that would make you happy."

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"Trying to find the answers in the sky?" Tsunade asked.

"Answers to what?" he asked. "How to live in a world where your wife is dead and your only son hates you?"

"Naruto didn't mean…" she began.

"He meant it," Yondaime said solemnly. "Tell me, was it really that bad? Does everybody in the village really hate him?"

"Not anymore," she answered. "But…"

"But..?" he made her to continue.

"The children don't know anything," she explained. "But their parents… They remember the Kyuubi all too well, and they look at Naruto as a living representation of him."

The 4th shook his head trying to deny it.

"I thought they would think of him as a hero…" he told her, his voice barely above a whisper. "If only I could have know what would happen…"

"Arashi, you did what you had to do as a Hokage. Not as a father, or a husband."

He smiled sadly.

"I know. Actually it's the only excuse I can think of. But…"

She looked at him and was surprised to see how quickly he hides his feelings somewhere inside himself and turns from a grieving boy into the Hokage everybody knew and loved.

"I won't give up," he promised. "One day he'll understand me. And he'll recognize me as his father."

"There won't be any easy way," Tsunade warned.

"Of course not," his grin perked up, and became a real smile.

"I'll warn Kakashi and Jiraiya when I see them, and you tell the others. Naruto shouldn't know the truth about who his father is yet. I don't want him to like me just because he feels obliged to because we share the same blood. I want to become his friend so when the day comes, and he learns the truth, it won't be painful for him."

"And how are you going to do that?" Tsunade asked feeling intrigue in the air.

"I have a plan," he answered simply.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"You always have a plan," she concluded.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto was really happy. Hospital food was nothing compared to ramen. Shizune kept him in the hospital for as long as possible, but finally gave up.

"You'll sneak away anyway," she resigned. "Thanks to the Kyuubi chakra you've already healed. So get out of here!"

Naruto smiled as he remembered the conversation. Now he was ready to eat a hundred bowls of ramen.

"One more bowl of miso ramen please," asked the person sitting next to him at the counter.

Naruto blinked. The voice was familiar.

"AAh!" he shouted a minute later when he finally realized who it was. "What are you doing here?"

The blond Hokage turned towards him lazily.

"I'm eating. Isn't it obvious?" he growled.

For a moment Naruto was at a loss for words. Finally he exploded.

"Why are you eating ramen here? Of all the places in Konoha!"

Arashi shrugged.

"Because Ichiraku's ramen has always been the best in the village. Right, Ichiraku?"

"Of course, Yondaime-Sama!" came the instantaneous reply.

"I don't want to see you here," Naruto whispered.

"Oh?" asked Arashi sarcastically. "Sorry kid but I like this place and I don't think that you're powerful enough to make me get out of here. So I'll eat ramen here for as long as I want thank you," he replied.

Naruto sighed. He was right – they had already decided who is stronger. There it was impossible for him to beat a Hokage.

"Well I see that you like ramen a lot," smiled Yondaime.

"Don't try being nice to me, it won't work," Naruto snapped.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Arashi's took on a sinister side. "Actually I've been thinking about a challenge."

"Challenge?" Naruto tried to look like he wasn't interested, but his attempts failed.

"Yeah, a ramen challenge," the Hokage smiled. "How about this, the one who can eat more ramen in an hour will be declared the winner."

"And what will happen to loser?" Naruto asked. This guy was completely crazy if he thought that he could compete with him when it came to eating ramen.

"The loser will have to fulfill one request that the winner asks." Arashi offered.

Naruto's grin was becoming wider and wider by the moment. This was a perfect chance for revenge.

"I'll make it impossible for him to come to Ichiraku's anymore," he decided. Yeah, that's perfect. It seems like this guy likes this ramen a lot. He'll never be able to eat it again.

"Don't tell me you're scared," Yondaime teased.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Naruto shouted. "I accept your challenge!"

An hour later Ichiraku had become very crowded. Customers and people who were just walking by stopped to stare in awe at number of bowls stacking up near the challengers.

"Time's up!" the owner exclaimed.

"What so soon?" Yondaime asked disappointed. "I've only just started to satisfy my appetite!"

Naruto didn't look as good as his opponent. For an hour he had been doing his best to win the competition, but now he was pretty sure that he didn't even like ramen anymore.

'I'm going to be sick,' he thought.

"Well…" Ichiraku quickly counted Naruto's bowls, and then started to count Arashi's.

"It seems as if Yondaime-sama has won," he concluded. "He's ahead of you, Naruto, by five whole bowls!"

"Five bowls! Oh no!' Naruto groaned. He had tried his best, but this blond disaster had done better.

He sighed, looked at the grinning Hokage and wondered what he would ask him to do. "What if…" His imagination started to run off on him.

"My request is…" Yondaime smiled. "That you clean the entire meeting room."

"No," Naruto shook his head. "It should be something worse, like…"

"My request is…" the yondaime in his imagination smiled. "that you quit being shinobi. You're my gardener starting tomorrow."

"Or," another awful scene came to mind.

"My request is…" Yondaime was as serious as ever "That you never eat at Ichiraku's again. I forbid it."

"No!" Naruto smacked his fist on the bar. "Stop laughing you… Blondaime! "

The crowd chocked in awe. This Kyuubi kid had just offended a Hokage!

But Naruto didn't stop.

"Spill it already!" he shouted. "What do I have to do?"

The Hokage's eyes became clouded for a moment as if he were thinking about something. He didn't as if he were paying much attention to the loud shouting boy.

"I'll tell you my request." He said calmly. "But not today. See you around, kid." With these words he stood up and walked away.

For thirty long seconds Naruto couldn't find an answer. He just stared dumbly at the blond man's back as he disappeared from the boy's sight.

"Hey, you forgot to pay," were the only words that Uzumaki Naruto could manage.