A small boy sat scrunched under a tree, sobbing. His blond hair was spiky and covered in dirt and his clothes were scruffy and torn up. He wore no shoes and his feet were raw from running. His tears were making tracks down his dirty cheeks as he mumbled softly to himself.
"Why does everyone hate me? Why do they glare at me with those eyes when I haven't done anything? What did I do to them? Am I bad in some way? Is there something wrong with me? All I want is a friend…Does no one like me because of my pranks? I just do that for attention…and it is pretty funny…and what about my parents? Do they hate me too…did they leave me as well? I just want to see my parents…and not be hated by everyone without knowing why…I thought maybe the academy would be different, maybe they'd respect me as a fellow ninja-in-training, but they all just laugh at me. I'm not even gonna be able to fulfill my dream, 'cause no one would want me as the Hokage, 'ttebayo. I just want it all to be different…"
The small boy sniffed and curled up tighter. Then he felt a warm presence around him, like a very bright fire. It seemed ominous and comforting at the same time. Unable to determine what it was, Naruto began to panic. Just then there was a bright flash of pure white light. Naruto's last thought before being sucked into unconsciousness was, "So warm…" and with that Naruto woke up in a different world, at the beginning of a different life.