"In this world, it's either play or get played. Unfortunately, In this life you only get one option."
- Naruto
Konohagakure no Sato, The hidden village of leaves.
The village of legends, where many of the world's greatest shinobi were born and raised. With famed clans and notable figures.
The founders: Hashirama Senju and his Senju clan of the Mokuton bloodline where he controls the woodlands and elements of wood, and known to control the tailed beasts as well as the strongest of them: The Nine-Tailed Fox.
The Uchiha Clan, proud and vengeful. The greatest of them and the most infamous of them: Madara Uchiha. Their bloodline, a dojutsu known as the Sharingan where they can copy any known jutsu they see, as well as many awesome and terrifying abilities such as Tsukoyomi, Izanagi, and Kotoamatsukami.
The Hyuuga Clan, Stoic and traditional. Their Bloodline, the dojutsu Byakugan allows them near perfect eyesight, along with near limitless distance farsight, and near 360 vision as well as visual accuracy of Chakra tenketsu.
Along with other lesser but well known and famed clans such as Sarutobi, Uzumaki, Shimura, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Yuuhi, Yakumo, and a few others. Konoha had produced some of the greatest shinobi the world has ever seen.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the "Kami no Shinobi."
Hatake Sakumo, The "White Fang."
Danzo Shimura, The 'Nami no Shinobi."
The Three Sannin: The Toad Sage Jiraiya, The Slug Princess Senju Tsunade, and the Snake Summoner Orochimaru.
Itachi Uchiha, The youngest ANBU member and prodigy.
Uzumaki Kushina, the Chishio no Hanabero.
And Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash and the Fourth Hokage.
These are some of the names of the most well known shinobi in the Elemental Nations. Many of whom belong to Konoha.
But we're here not to talk about them, we're not here to talk about one of the famed shinobi...
We're here to talk about one person, one who's luck is both a blessing and a curse.
Such is he despised for his existence, but also was given a sense of belonging to a group of outcasts such as himself.
Where he'll grow up early in the world, to become perhaps the greatest shinobi in history...
But as glorious is his story, his story begins in a sad and unforgiving world...
Naruto Uzumaki had just had one of his worst days.
It was raining, the apartment he's living currently is in a state of disrepair.
There are holes in the roof, the ceiling is leaking water from the storm outside. the walls lose thier color due to torn wallpaper, the rooms were messy.
It was bedlam.
But for the six year old orphan, it was home for the most part.
It was two years since he was kicked out of the orphanage. The old man, the Sandaime Hokage had given him a home to stay and the Hokage would visit his place once a month.
While he was grateful for the Sandaime, unfortunately his problems didn't go away.
Ever since he was a baby, his life was in danger from the people of Konoha that people would come by and...
Well, let's say that he was left with some bruises and cuts that hurt a lot, and some bones broken.
This has been going on for two years, occuring frequently that Naruto lost count.
The Sandaime tried everything he could to stop the attack, but it never stopped.
Besides the beatings and torture, there was the isolation.
The people would stay away from him, kids wouldn't play with him, shopkeepers wouldn't sell him anything and if they did they would give him rotten expired food that's unconsumable.
All in all, life was hell for Naruto.
However, this night was different.
No one was here to see him, thank Kami for that...
But unfortunately, that's because of a large storm hitting Konoha, the place is in such a mess.
Most of the people stayed indoors, but Naruto's apartment was in a such a state of disrepair that the storm just went inside and caused such a downpour that everything was wet.
Heavy winds and rain damage the room, while the lights in his apartment went out.
For a few minutes Naruto just stood there, the rain and wind just battering inside.
And in just a moment of clarity, he finally realized.
"..."
"..."
"... This place stinks."
The wet and miserable Naruto had just realized that his living conditions had been miserable, and in that moment he did something that would forever alter the course of his life.
Quickly taking a few valuables, such as a few dry clothes that isn't affected by the rain, his toad wallet given to him by the Hokage, some packets of ramen and a few toiletries. He placed them in a makeshift knapsack and left the apartment.
He looked back at his decrepit apartment, a moment of reminiscing which he merely grimaced.
The only memories he had of the place is just people breaking into his apartment and the numerous beatings, the isolation, and the loneliness. A hellhole.
He wanted a new place to stay, but he knew that most of Konoha wouldn't accept him.
Besides, in this moment of independent thought, he realized that the only place that isn't openly hostile to him is in the abandoned Projects, a group of tenement houses that is largely ignored by the Civilian Council and by extension the Hokage himself.
The Projects was the only place where Naruto can't feel threatened, due to the reason that the people living in the projects, were social outcasts, undesirables, and the lower classes, and the Projects was the least damaged during the Kyuubi attack. And that the people there didn't act hostile towards him.
Finally making up his mind, he decided to leave.
Exopsition:
The Projects.
A group of housing tenements that was once a project by the Shodaime Hokage as a way to expand Konoha's ever growing population at that time.
However, after Hashirama's death the construction of these houses were discontinued and left about 50 percent of them unfinished.
Now, the area now known simply as "The Projects." was now occupied by Konoha's poor and social outcasts, with the majority of Konoha ignoring their existence, The Projects became a small village on it's own, a village within a village.
The Projects had only one form of government: The Bakudai Organization.
The Bakudai Organization is a small criminal organization based on Fire Country with substantial connections to the black market and criminal underworld.
Their rackets were: smuggling, illegal gambling, protection, loan sharking and money laundering.
The Bakudai basically ruled the Projects, where the area of smuggled goods are stashed, moved, and distributed.
Their leader, a man known simply as "AB", is in charge of executive decisions in the organization and as the project's head honcho, along with his right hand man "SB" who is the enforcer and supervisor of the organization's operations within Fire Country and Water Country.
It was a hard stormy night for the organization that's for sure, the winds blow much stronger than usual.
But that didn't deter AB from stopping operations within his turf. Some of the goods he needs to smuggle are in high demand.
In his HQ from his office he sat down on his leather chair looking from his window at the streets. AB wore a simple black polo shirt with baggy pants and leather shoes, along with a suit jacket and gold watch. And his dark complexion also tells his origins in Cloud Country.
"Busy night?"
A turned around and sees SB enter his room, the man wore a plain neat black suit and tie while holding a file, giving him the look of a clean cut businessman. Also from Cloud Country due to his complexion
"Yeah, the storm hit hard but we're alright." AB answered back.
"...The Deal?" He asked.
"We managed to successfully secured the deal with the Genro Group in Tea Country, along with a 40 percent cut of every Moonshade tea shipment sold here in Fire Country."
"That's good, how about that other thing?"
"It's bad, Our boys in Wave Country got reports that Gato and his company have managed to successfully take over the Wave Daimyo's court and placed the entire country hostage with the debt they acquired from him."
"...Fuck."
AB silently cursed at the Fat Merchant. Gato had drowned Wave in such a huge monetary debt that basically plunged the country to near bankruptcy which was bad for AB's business, since he had investments there which are now under threat by Gato's minions.
"SB, what are the chances for us in negotiating a deal with Gato?"
SB looked at AB and shook his head.
"... Zero, The fat fuck would rather have us dead and take over our business than have a 'sit-down.' SC reported that Gato would hire missing-nin as bodyguards and hired assassins then backstab them when they are considered useless or badly injured."
"Fucking snake." AB cursed, if there's one thing he hated more than anything, it's disloyalty.
"Alright, have our boys in Wave to come on home and cut our losses, can't do business in Wave as long as Gato's in town. Hopefully when that Civil War in Mist is over, we'll hire some Kiri-nin to take care of Gato... If there are any Kiri-nin left from that village... Crazy bastard."
AB thought of the Mizukage Yagura, who went mad all of the sudden and started the Bloodline Purges, causing AB to lose a few small but important investments in Kiri due to the chaos and bloodshed.
"I just hope that the rebels would win, too much money and supplies I've invested on the line." AB hoped.
"Yagura had lost a lot of his shinobi forces, and many of them joined at the rebel side. But the problem of course was the remaining Seven Swordsmen on Yagura's side, then again the rebels have also members of the Seven Swordsmen."
"But still, we'll lose a lot if the rebels..."
"AB."
The conversation was interrupted when a man entered the room.
"What is it, SC?"
The man SC, was a tall, lanky person with braids but had a calm and cool expression on his face.
"You might want to come and see for yourself."
The two men then went with SC and there they are standing in AB's living room.
"Alright then, so what's this you want to show me?" AB said to SC.
Then all of a sudden, a small blonde young boy with whisker marks appeared behind SC and stepped out.
SB was surprised, but AB instantly recognized him.
"What the...?" SB said in a surprised expression.
"SC, do you know who you just brought here?" AB asked calmly.
"Yeah I do, It's your call." SC replied just as calm as AB.
AB then looked at the kid, the kid looked scared but AB can easily make out something from the kid's eyes.
'He's broken.'
Then a flash of sympathy was on AB's face.
'He must've been through hell, no surprise as to how this village treats him.'
AB knew the kid alright, Naruto Uzumaki.
The 'Demon Brat' as well as many derogatory names the kid was called, but AB knew...
'I guess being the demon container of the Kyubi can be a cursed existence, and being the Hanabero and the Yondaime's son, there's no mistaking about the kid's blonde spiky hair and blue eyes.'
AB, before he was a criminal kingpin, he was a shinobi of Kumo.
A veteran of the Third Shinobi World War, he was a frontline soldier, and a survivor. He saw firsthand experience on what is like to fight the infamous Yellow Flash and The Chishio Hanabero.
He had tremendous respect for the two despite being his enemies at that time, especially since AB is the estranged cousin of the Raikage.
"Hey kid, what are you doing here?" AB asked.
Naruto shuffled awkwardly and with a bit of fear.
"Uhh..."
A FEW MOMENTS AGO:
Naruto arrived at the projects, all wet and miserable.
But despite that, managed to find what looks like an empty house which is much better than his apartment.
Deciding to stay there, he went around the backdoor of the house looking for a way inside since the house looked locked tight.
Finally he finds a small window fitting his small stature, he climbs the window and went inside.
Luckily when he stepped in, he landed on the floor and not on a table. He looked around and finds the place nearly empty save for a few furniture such as a couch, a cupboard, a small cabinet and a few other things.
Happy, Naruto looked around for a bit and was very satisfied when he finds a bed that despite being busted up it looked more comfortable and soft than his old moldy bed.
Wasting no time, he jumped into the bed and began to dozed off to sweet slumber.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, someone had opened the front door.
Two men entered inside the house, two men entered the front gate.
"Did you drop off the package like I told you?"
"Yeah, stayed even to make sure that the we got the right person... It's our guy."
"Nice, keep this up and you'll be moving up the ranks."
But then something was off, one of them noticed.
"D?"
"Someone's here."
The two men now alerted, they searched around the house, they find no signs of a break in, but they do find that the kitchen window was left open and wet footprints leading up to the bedroom.
"Upstairs, you take point." D ordered.
The two men then went upstairs following the trail, there they end up at the bedroom the door slightly ajar.
Carefully, D peeked inside and finds the room empty with the blanket unfolded, he enters inside
As D's man entered second however...
"Agh!"
He was then hit from behind as someone jumped him from the back. D reacted quick and saw the attacker.
It was a boy, but couldn't make out his appeaeance as the boy ran.
"W, get your ass up and get him!" D shouted.
The boy, Naruto, in a panic he ran downstairs and attempted to run for the exit.
"Not so fast boy."
But was now blocked by SC, in front of the doorway.
Naruto then attempted to escape from the nearest window...
"No use kid, we got this place surrounded."
Naruto looked out and saw a group of ten to fifteen men armed with swords and kunais surrounding the place.
Then in a rare sign of resignation, Naruto surrendered.
BACK TO THE PRESENT;
"So that's it huh?"
AB looked at the blonde kid.
"I'm surprised that you didn't even put up a fight, why's that?" AB questioned, curious as to why the kid didn't resist, as someone like Naruto, a Jinchuriki, he thought that the boy would fight back due to the hostile enviornment towards him.
Naruto was surprised by the question, he thought deeply for a while and concluded.
"I-I was scared at first, I th-thought you're going to h-h-hit me or ki-kick me or something..."
The words disgusted AB and the other men in the room, the fact that someone would hurt a defenseless boy deliberately is repulsive even for cold-hearted criminals like themselves.
"B-but you look like nice people, the guy" Naruto pointed at SC, "Did not look at me scary, and he didn't even hurt me, even the men outside didn't look at me badly"
AB looked at SC and nodded, approving the action.
"Okay kid, I belive you." AB said, "But before I ask, why are you here in the projects?"
Naruto then explained to AB about the place Naruto was staying had been virtually destroyed by the storm and that he'd want a new place to stay, away from people and unwanted visitors.
AB, in a rare moment, sympathized with Naruto, knowing full well how Jinchurikis like Naruto were treated , and only viewed as merely weapons. The only exception is AB's cousin Killer B, the brother of A, who is treated like a hero, and never treated like dirt.
'Hiruzen, you have no idea just how much you've damaged this boy's life.' AB mentally shook his head at the Sandaime's decision.
AB knew through his informants that Hiruzen Sarutobi had announced to the Village about Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki, which in AB's opinion was a very, very, bad move considering that the Nine Tails had just finished his rampage through Konoha and left many dead and injured, by announcing that Naruto had the Nine Tailed Fox contained in him is a horribly timed maneuver which backfired spectacularly, and people began seeing Naruto and the Nine Tails as the same thing.
'And the fact, that you've kept his parentage away from him just made the damage even worse.'
Despite being a former shinobi, being from Kumo and related to Killer B and the Yondaime Raikage. He had tremendous respect for the Yondaime Hokage and the Chishio No Hanabero, for their skill and power in battle. By removing any traces of them to Naruto is to dishonor and digrace the deceased heroes of the Third Shinobi World War.
Then, an idea hatched into AB's head
It's risky but in the long term would be proved valuable to him and his business.
"Alright, you can stay here, We could use another helper." AB said, surprising everyone.
"You can't be serious AB! this kid is a walking beacon for trouble from the locals, we can't let this kid stay!" SB reasoned.
"And if we don't let him in, the Hokage will hold us responsible for not taking him in, you should know that the Sandaime is very close to the boy, and if we didn't take him in he would either be dead or missing, and we're going to be Hiruzen's target of his wrath. Besides, this kid is important enough that if we train him on certain things he'll be a valuable asset in the future." AB countered.
SB tried to disagree, but realized AB's right. Naruto and the Sandaime's relationship is known to be that of a grandfather-grandson type, any attempt to hurt the kid is met with extreme brutality or in some cases, death, Reluctantly SB concedes.
"I just hope you know what you're doing man." SB then left the room, leaving AB, SC, and Naruto.
"So, How about it kid? I can help find you a new house here, however you'll have to earn and work for me in the next few years. I can see potential in you kid, you can be a great person someday."
The last words that AB said might be pure bullshit, but he had a feeling that this kid might become just as great if not greater than his parents.
"Really? You can teach me to be a ninja?!" Naruto said excited. "Can you teach me on how to do jutsus and stuff?!"
"No, not yet at least for now." AB reasoned, which disappointed Naruto a bit.
"But I can teach you certain things that could help you on your path to becoming a ninja. If you can learn these things, you can not only just become a ninja, you might become the Hokage someday."
The last sentence might sound bullshit as well, but AB knew that Naruto is the son of Minato and Kushina (he can tell through Naruto's physical features), which is a leverage, and he can sense untapped potential within him.
"Really!?" Naruto's enthusiasm returns full swing.
"Yeah, but only if you work with me, trust me I'm a shinobi as well." 'Former shinobi that is.' AB thought to himself.
"Yatta!!" Naruto then jumped around in joy, finally realizing his dream of becoming a Hokage starting now.
After the initial excitement, Naruto asked the man's name.
"Me? People here call me AB, I'm the leader of this neighborhood. But you can call me Abe."
"Then I'll be in your care, Abe-ojisan." Naruto bowed while smiling.
"Very well, we'll start your training tomorrow, you can stay at SC's place for now, but one thing you should know before training: Never speak unless given permission from the superior, always show respect to the higher-ups, and finally: never, ever betray or snitch on your brother or sister. Got it?"
"Yes, sir." Naruto saluted playfully.
"Good, get some rest cause the next few years will be rough on you."
PROLOGUE END
End of Prologue.
Here are some Info about my OCs, and the characters and personalities and traits they are based on.
AB will be loosely based on:
1. James "Ghost" St. Patrick, from the Starz TV show "Power."
2. Avon Barksdale, from the HBO show "The Wire."
3. Thomas Shelby, from the BBC show "Peaky Blinders."
SB will be loosely based on:
1. Stringer Bell, from "The Wire."
2. Joe Proctor, from "Power."
3. Mike McLusky, from "Mayor of Kingstown."
SC will be loosely based on:
1. Slim Charles, from "The Wire."
2. Tommy Egan, from "Power."
Naruto will be the Michael Lee (The Wire), Omar Little, (The Wire), and Shawn Stark (Power) of this story but Naruto's path will be similar but not the same as these two.
Shawn Stark was not cut out of that life which ended tragically with Kanan killing him (imo the coldest murder in TV Show history), Omar Little's "Invincibility" was admirable but his breaking of his "Code" is what lost his invincibility and ended up killed unexpectedly by Kenard, and Michael would end up being the next Generation Omar.
Naruto would inherit the traits and qualites of these three characters, but with little of their weaknesses.
WARNING: This Fanfic might feature Drug use.