Summary: Orphaned at birth then kicked out to the streets sat the tender age of four, nothing seems to be going right for young Naruto. That is, until, a winter storm comes, forcing Naruto to seek Shelter in one of the many training grounds. Just as Luck would have it, another man was also seeking refuge in the same training ground. What happens when that man finds an underweight, undersized, and over all pitiable looking five year old sleeping under a large oak tree? Will the two finally find happiness, or is it all just another façade?
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto. Though I do own this plot line and my OC Ryuu…
After their agreement on traveling together, Ryuu took out what looked to be a plain scroll. Seeing Naruto's questioning gaze shifting from him to the scroll, Ryuu explained it while unrolling it.
"Tell me Naruto, do you know what ninja are?" At the child's 'Oh-course-I-do-idiot', Ryuu looked a bit sheepish, putting a hand behind his head.
"Ah, of course you do. You did after all use to live in the number one ninja producing village."
Naruto rolled his eyes at the man before him, though there was a slight smile on his face from the past tense that Ryuu used. He motioned for Ryuu to continue talking.
"Well, as I was saying, and as you already know, I use to be a ninja for Suna. This scroll that I have here is what ninja use to seal cloths, tools, extra weapons, food, anything that we might need. The possibilities are endless."
At the thought of food, Naruto's stomach growled quite loudly, demanding food. The child's face turned a light shade of red from embarrassment.
Ryuu smiled down at the young child.
"I take it that you're hungry. How about this; I'll find you some clean and dry cloths, real cloths to wear, then we'll eat. How does that sound, hmm?" He spoke in a happy voice, still grinning down at Naruto.
Just the thought of clean and dry cloths that didn't have any rips and tears in them alone made him happy, but add food to the equation, and the child felt like jumping up and down a few times, then running over and hugging Ryuu as tightly as he could while yelling out his thanks to the man. But, instead, he simply smiled lightly and said a simple, 'Sounds good'.
Ryuu was silently feeling a bit downcast since the young child barely showed any emotions. Though, he did have to admit that the child was quite good at hiding them, above all someone for his age who would be no doubt jumping up and down in excitement, or at the very least grinning like a mad man. But, no, not Naruto. And Ryuu was not sure if that fact scared him, angered him towards that old so called village of his, or happy that he was able to do it so well.
If Ryuu really wanted to be honest with himself, he was positive that if he was not brought up to simple see/feel what other people were really feeling, he most likely never would have know that the child in front of him was, in fact, rather happy.
Shaking his head to get off that train of thought, Ryuu went back to talking.
"Okay, now watch closely to what I'm going to do with this scroll. Since I'm going to be teaching and training you to become a ninja, you might as well learn how to summon and seal from a scroll here and now." Seeing the pure look of shock mixed with slight hope on the child's face, Ryuu couldn't help but smirk. He waited for the question that he knew was coming.
"Y-you want to train m-me to become a ni-ninja? Why…?" Naruto asked slowly, stuttering at certain parts. His face was still speaking his shock.
Now it was Ryuu's turn to give Naruto the 'Yes-I-really-want-to-train-you' look. Naruto got the meaning, though slowly, he got it. Turning a deep shade of red, he stared down at the ground, finding it more interesting all of a sudden. Ryuu smiled at the cuteness of the image.
"Well, of course I do. I mean, if you really are going to be staying with me, then that means that you'll have to know how to defend your self for when I'm not there to help you with something. After all, I am an S Class Missing-Nin." Both Ryuu and Naruto rolled their eyes at this. Yeah, right….. "So that means that there will always be hunter-nins after me, or people that want to collect the bounty that's over my head. Which, might I add is pretty high the last time I checked." The man winked at the young child with a wide grin on his face.
"Did you know that I apparently tried to kill the Kazekage but failed, but I was able to kill a sum total of fifteen other ninja? Why, I must have been really out of it to not remember that part." Ryuu started to chuckle, and Naruto could not help but to grin with him.
"Why no, I didn't know. And you say you don't remember?"
Ryuu rolled his eyes at Naruto, though he was still grinning.
"Okay, moving on… Tomorrow after a good nights rest we'll talk about your training. But first, let's get you changed and fed, eh?"
Finally understand Ryuu's logic for him becoming a ninja, Naruto complied with the man's change of subject.
Naruto nodded enthusiastically, and then tilted his head to the side in a rather cute way, his eyes sparkling. It would have been the face of an angel if it wasn't for the grim that was still cling to his body and hair. Though in time when Naruto was finally able to finally wash, Ryuu was going to learn to hate the face that Naruto was making at the moment because of his inability to say no to it. In the mean time though, Ryuu showed the eager Naruto how one went through sealing then unsealing objects from a scroll.
After Naruto changed (Ryuu was horrified and angered at the state of his body) into one of Ryuu's tightest shirts (Which was still rather big and loose on Naruto) and a pair of his shortest black pants (Which had to be rolled up and have a homemade belt made from ninja wire to keep up), Naruto was ready for bed. Though before he slept, Ryuu gave Naruto five chocolate power bars (Which, to the child's displeasure, did NOT taste what he though he thought it was spouse to taste like based on what other kids said about it).
Ryuu explained that that was all he had left at the moment, though he promised that as soon as the storm passed, he would sneak the two of them out of the village's walls, by-passing the village's ninja and civilians, they would head to the nearest town for food and cloths for Naruto.
After Ryuu was done explaining, he asked if Naruto wanted to tell his background or not.
Little by little and bit by bit, Naruto began telling Ryuu how he never met his parents. From what the lady at the orphanage said, he was simply left at the door step. Clearly, he was a bastard child that his parents didn't want. Or so he was told.
He told Ryuu that when he turned four, he was forced to leave the orphanage, not aloud back inside it. He said that when the Hokage found out, he was given a small place of his own, though not long after, he was once again forced to leave, though this time it was because of the landlord and the angry villagers that he gathered. After a nights beating (Here Ryuu fumed with rage), Naruto decided it was best to simply live on the streets.
Sure, he still got money once a month from the Hokage (He told Ryuu were he stashed all of it so they could use it), though even with it, the shop owners would not allow him to buy anything. He was forced to either go through the trash of other people and hope for food, or starve.
After a while, Naruto became use to living on the streets, knowing where to go on what days to find food, where to hide out from the angry villagers that sometimes spotted him, shelter when it was raining like it was this night, basically how to survive on his own for a little over a year.
Naruto explained that after a few months, the Hokage stopped trying to find him, so his supply of money stopped coming, though it didn't matter since he couldn't use it.
Finally, Naruto told him of how all of the villagers seemed to hate him no matter what he did, as well as the ninja. He told Ryuu that on every birthday that he could ever remember, (Which wasn't many) how he was beaten and cursed to the blink of death, though it seemed that no matter what they did to him, he wouldn't die. He told Ryuu how many times that he wished that he would just die, so that all the pain and hurt would go away, so that he didn't have to feel the hate of the village.
When Naruto was done talking, Ryuu felt a great mixture of emotions.
For one, he felt that his heart was being crushed with sadness and sorrow. Another was complete and utter fury towards the villagers, all of them. He had to resist unsealing his favorite and most prized sword and kill them all where they stood. Then there was the feeling of simply wanting to reach over and grab the child in his arms, hugging him and telling him over and over that he would never have to go through any of that again.
Finally, he complied with the last one of his feelings.
Standing up, he took three large steeps around the fire and towards the small child. Kneeling down in beside him, he took him in his arms, pressing him against his chest to where the child was sitting on his lap. With tears in his eyes and a few falling down his cheeks, he began rocking them both, letting the child cry into his chest, his small hands gripping onto his shirt for dear life, as if he was afraid to let go and Ryuu would leave him.
The two of them stayed like that for some time, Naruto crying all of the tears that he had been holding in, and Ryuu telling him sweet nothings, promising him that he was okay now and that he was safe. That nothing was going to happen to him anymore. Ryuu, too, cried. He cried for the child, for the pain that a five year old was forced to go thought, feeling unwanted and hated. He cried to let Naruto know that it was okay to do so as well, that he wouldn't hate him for it. How could anyone hate such a child?
Finally, after a few more minutes, Ryuu stopped his rocking. Naruto slowed his crying to hiccups and snuffles. Setting Naruto down onto the ground slowly, he quickly went over and grabbed the two pillows and two blankets and went back over to Naruto.
Laying down a blanket on the floor besides the still burning fire, but at a safe distance, he laid the two pillows down on top of the blanket. Leaving the last blanket to the side, he carefully picked up Naruto then laid him on the blanket and pillows, pulling the last blanket over the young child for extra warmth.
Running his fingers through the child's hair, he began singing a short song that his own mother sang to him at night.
"Cover my eyes
Cover my ears
Tell me these words are a lie
It cant be true
That I'm losing you
The sun cannot fall from the sky
Can you hear heaven cry
Tears of an angel
Tears of aaaaaaaa...
Tears of an angel
Tears of an angel.
Stop every clock
Stars are in shock
The river will flow to the sea
I wont let you fly
I wont say goodbye
I wont let you slip away from me
Can you hear heaven cry
Tears of an angel
Tears of aaaaaaaa...
Tears of an angel
Tears of an angel.
So hold on
Be strong
Everyday on we'll go
I'm here, don't you fear
Little one don't let go
(ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)
Don't let go
(ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)
Don't let go
(ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)
Cover my eyes
Cover my ears
Tell me these words are a lie"
Ryuu smiled a sad smile down at the now sleeping Naruto. Still running his fingers through the child's hair, he spoke softly to him.
"Sleep well young Naruto. Gods know you deserve it." Still smiling, he bent down and lightly kissed his forehead.
"I vow to you young one, from this day forward, I will protect you from any and all…"
If Ryuu were to have looked closely, he would have seen a ghost of a smile.
When Naruto finally woke the next day, it was to the sound of soft rain hitting the ground outside of the cave. Opening his eyes, he started up at the moss that was growing on the rocky ceiling.
His first instinct was to panic and find out why he was inside a cave, so that was what he did.
Panic, check. Reason….
'Is this one of the villager's sick attempts to get rid of me again?' He asked himself, his panic level rising.
Looking around wildly, his panic filled eyes landed on a sleeping man who was leaning against the cave's wall that was closest to the small child. Naruto took in the man's long, straight, light brown hair and black outfit. Then something clicked in his mind.
The events of last night ran through his head at a fast pace, making the child slightly dizzy. Shaking his head, he took notice of his new outfit.
'So all that must have really happen then, if I'm wearing this.' A small smile appeared on his lips as his fingers gripped the shirts soft material, admiring it.
Finally noticing the blanket that was sitting on his lap and the one he was sitting on, shortly fallowed by the pillow behind him, his small smile grew.
A small noise brought his attention back to the man. What was his name again…?
'Ryuu, that's his name I believe' The young child nodded, recalling that part of the man's, Ryuu's, introduction.
Ryuu gave a large yawned before he opened his eyes in a sleepy manner. His eyes drifted over and met Naruto's.
"Good morning." He grinned at the young child, who smiled back lightly, not quite use to having people smile at him instead of the normal sneer or glare. And it made him happy.
"Good morning…"
Ryuu twisted his back to the left far enough to where it cracked, then did it to the right. Naruto winced at the noise, but besides that, said nothing else. He didn't want to bring up what happened last night, rather self-conscious that he cried in front of a man that he barely knew.
Once Ryuu was done stretching, he changed his sitting position to a crossed legged one. Luckily, Ryuu didn't wish to bring it up either, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by it.
"So here's how I see it; we have two choices for the day. One, we can stay here and wait out the rain until it stops, or Two, we can just leave now since the rain is only a light drizzle. You get to choose. Then which ever choice you do choose, we'll talk about your training schedule. How does that sound to you?" Ryuu propped his elbow up on his knee, resting his chin on his palm, giving Naruto a questioning look.
Naruto blinked a few times, before he looked outside of the cave's mouth. Giving the outside a long stare, he looked back at Ryuu and answered him slowly.
"Well, if it's really up to me…then I say we leave as soon as possible." Truth be told, Naruto just wanted to get as far away from his past village, away from the people in it, the bad memory's that it held for him, everything that concerned his old life.
Ryuu simply gave a sad smile, guessing Naruto's reason for wanting to leave right away. Nodding, Ryuu jumped up, startling Naruto slightly.
"Well then, shall we get everything packed and leave?" He began his full body stretches.
Naruto could only nod dumbly, not quite sure what to say at the moment to Ryuu.
Getting up himself, he picket up one of the blankets and began to fold it neatly.
After a few minutes, both the blankets and two pillows were sealed away (Naruto watched closely as Ryuu did this) and all of the traced of a fire was taken care of by Ryuu. Ryuu put his now dry cloak around Naruto, ignoring his gaze for the moment.
Ryuu squatted down besides Naruto, his arms held out behind him. Naruto gave him questioning look, asking through his eyes if Ryuu was sane or not. Ryuu simply sighed.
"Are you going to get on or not? That is, unless, you want to walk barefoot the entire time…" He trailed off, giving a pointed look at the kid.
Naruto glanced down at his bare feet and scowled. Looking back up at Ryuu and his curious look, Naruto rolled his eyes and mumbled out a 'fine'.
Ryuu smiled. "Besides, now that cloak of mine will protect both our bodies."
Nodding and understand the man's logic, he started climbing onto the man's back. Naruto wrapped his arms around his neck lightly and legs around his waist a little tighter, just to the point where he would not fall back.
Ryuu stood up, making it so that the small child was secure and would not fall off from his back. Naruto helped him get his arms through the cloaks long sleeves, seeing as he could not really do it himself.
Finally, the two were off, leaving the cave that gave them shelter for the night, leaving from the village that provided Naruto with hate, leaving for both of their new lives with each other.