The big man with white hair had come and he brought a friend. A lot of people would have thought the friend was a frog but he knew it was a toad. The books told him the difference. Frogs usually had smooth and slimy skin while toads had bumpy and rough skin.
All toads were poisonous too.
That toad was definitely poisonous. It didn't say anything but it helped the big man hurt him. The toad had a scroll and whatever was in the scroll made the voice in his head a lot louder. A whole lot angrier.
His day to day routine had changed too. He spent most of his time alone. Well, he was never really alone because of the voice. He was alone in the way that nobody else was around him.
His room had changed too. He used to have a comfy bed and books to read. Now, he had nothing but floors and walls. They were covered in strange black designs. Whenever the voice got too angry or his head started to hurt, the designs would light up and the voice would go quiet.
It never lasted for too long but he appreciated the effort.
When he was not alone, he was surrounded. At first, he was usually surrounded by 'friends'. The old man told him they were his friends but they never talked to him. They always made him run for a long time. He didn't mind it. He liked running.
Whenever they got to their location, things would go bad. It was always the same. They would point at a group of people. The people would usually be dressed differently than his 'friends'. His 'friends' would tell him that those people wanted to hurt him and he needed to protect himself.
He never wanted to fight. He knew how to. Before the toad and the tall man had come, the masked men taught him how to defend himself. He never liked it. He just wanted to read his books.
He tried telling this to his 'friends'. They never listened to him. He would try with all his might and they always ignored it. In the end, the same thing would happen. One of his 'friends' would make a hand sign and the voice inside his head would get angry. The last thing he would remember would be launching himself at the different dressed people.
Then, he would wake up. Back in the room with the weird writing. His head would hurt and the voice would be so loud.
He just wanted to read.
"The Land of Earth's latest attack has been successfully repelled. The latest excursion with the jinchuriki marked the lowest casualty count at this point in the war."
The words flew over his head. He couldn't even feign an attempt at passive listening. Ever since he made the decision to activate Naruto into active duty, his mind and heart had been a mess.
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he was not a virtuous man. His youth had been full of sin, enough to earn him a spot in Shinigami's lowest rings of hell. When he had been elevated into the position of Sandaime Hokage, he had hoped he would finally have the power to rectify some of the mistakes of his past.
Then Orochimaru came. Then Danzo came. Itachi and the Uchihas, Sakumo's death, Kurama clan. His mistakes began to pile up more and more. His small hill had transformed into a mountain.
No mountain would ever compare to the colossal failure that was his handling of Naruto Uzumaki. The young child was meant to be the ultimate product of two of the greatest ninja that this village had ever produced. Minato and Kushina would have raised that child to be the most loving and care, yet deadliest shinobi to ever exist. Their death had thrown a massive wrench into that plan but still, the boy should have had a chance. As the child of two of the more beloved shinobi in this village's history, he should have been safe. He should've been protected. He should have been cared for.
But then, Tsunade left. Then Jiraiya. Kakashi fell into a pit of depression due to his father's death. Then the Uchiha situation began to eat away at his own limited free time. Suddenly, the child had no source of familiar comfort. Yet still, he should have been safe.
Then the bombings came.
He cursed Iwa to this very day. That bombing had thrown not only Naruto's life into disarray but every single person in existence within the Elemental Nation. He had always known his Rock counterpart held a grudge towards his village for past transgressions but a sudden bombing attack? The consequences of their actions were unspeakable and still evolving to this very day.
"Master Hokage." His attention was forced back outward at the sound of his title. He gave a few rapid blinks and met eyes with his official wartime de briefer, an older shinobi that went by the name of Soshimi.
"I apologize. I haven't gotten much sleep in the past few weeks." He offered up the best smile he could muster to the younger man. "Could you repeat that last statement?"
"No apologies necessary. Reports from our spy tells us that Iwa plans to unleash their own jinchuriki to the next major border battle in a week's time. With Tenzo occupied with Kumo and your own planned appearance in Kiri at the time, Master Danzo wants permission to deploy the jinchuriki to Iwa's border."
The machine was started, and despite his own position, he was yet another cog in it. As much as his morals screamed for him to act, he had to ignore them. He had an entire village to care for and the well-being of a single child, no matter how innocent they may be, was of no worth to him.
"Tell Danzo he has my approval."
He knew the Shinigami would have joy taking his soul.
AN: Longer chapters for this story on the way. Taking more steps outside of Naruto's perspective. Cool. Enjoy the rest of your day. Discord code as always KmWcBkDmWY. Peace