Notes: *CH 2 HAS BEEN EXTENDED.* If you'd like a fuller, better Itachi section, then I highly recommend backtracking to read that first. Anyway, here is Naruto's second part. I've separated present timeline from flashback by hashlines again. The ellipses (...) simply mean elapsed time still in the flashback. I hope that you enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights to plot, referenced quotes, and characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


"So that's him, huh."

Buzzing voices coaxed Naruto back into consciousness. And that meant slamming into a wall of pain. Honestly, getting hit by a freight train would've been more merciful than this. His collection of aches, bruises and fractures made thinking straight impossible, but he tried to make sense of events anyway.

That's right – earlier that morning, Sakura had caught him trying to clean up the village and forced him to lay down. So here he was, propped on a bed under a makeshift cloth canopy. Now he had to sit by while everyone else helped. And it didn't help that villagers kept walking up to gawk and shake his hand. At first he'd tried to remember the distinct stories, but after forty people he gave up. How was he supposed to remember names after meeting a hundred of them in a day?

As he endured another villager's rambling, Naruto caught two familiar faces scowling at him from a distance. So there were still haters. On one hand, it was relieving to know that normal wasn't completely gone for him. A total overhaul of his old life would've been too much to handle. But on the other hand, this meant that he would still be walking that tightrope of public opinion. He may be the savior of the village today. But as soon as things went south, he'd be the first target on Konoha's hit list.

Still, he couldn't shake his suspicions about those shinobi men.

Naruto looked closer at the two shinobi shooting him daggers. They looked about ten years older than him. One man had a hood that obscured his features, and his friend had a curved scar on his jaw. Like a crescent moon. A crescent moon.

"Wait."

The villager speaking cut off and gave him a questioning look.

"Wait what? Hey, you don't look so good, kid."

And the memory came up with his ramen. Naruto turned to the edge of his bed and vomited into the dirt. Too much Ichiraku and mixed-up emotions made for some nasty heartburn. Immediately two medics ran up to quiz him about what was wrong.

All Naruto could do was laugh and say, "Milk."


"Gyuh! Not again!"

Naruto's stomach did a backflip. Something was up with the milk. He grabbed the carton and stared it down as if it would give him answers. Most kanji characters were a jumbled mess, but the numbers clearly read '8/23'. Wait, then how many days ago was that? Maybe it was better not to know.

"So it's spoiled, big whoop. I'll get more."

He glanced at the clock – he'd be right on time for class if he could shake a leg. Of course, he did need pants on those legs first. Scrounging up a clean-ish change of clothes from the pile on the bed, Naruto was ready to roll in two minutes flat. But with one foot out the door he realized he'd nearly forgotten his goggles. He bolted back in to grab them from the table. Boy, he'd have to run now, but it was totally worth it. After all, he couldn't let Sakura see him without his shinobi gear.

"Heheh, today's the day for sure. Everyone will finally realize how awesome I am!"

As he took off through town, Naruto got a funny feeling, like a tickle on the nape of his neck. Somehow the village was different today. Suddenly, two teenage boys appeared in his periphery.

Hey, they look like chunin. I gotta check em out – this is my chance to see em in action!

Wait, was that Konohamaru with them? He looked about ready to blow his top. The older boys had their backs turned, closing in around the small boy. This couldn't be good – and he was only four.

The fat one shoved Konohamaru into the dirt. He sat up raving and spluttering.

"Come on, I can take ya! Wait, where's my kunai?"

There he went again, putting on a brave face. Even as a four year old, that kid had guts.

Or a death wish.

"Hey guys, whatcha doing?"

Two heads shot up and the heavy one fumbled to conceal his equipment. Meanwhile the leader stepped forward, his legs cocked in a posture that made Naruto want to mop the floor with his face.

"Nothing that an Academy student should be worried about."

"Nice try, but I see your mission gear. And the kunai in your buddy's pocket."

The boy's smirk soured. In one swift movement, his partner took an elbow to the ribs. The poor guy nearly slumped to the ground. The leader regained his focus.

"Look kid, you're something else."

"'Bout time someone noticed! So you'll let me tag along on a mission?"

"I didn't mean it like that."

The steel edging into his voice made Naruto wish he were far away. What was with that?

"For one, you're not even a genin yet. I mean, how old are you, six? Our missions are way too tough for you, never mind this pipsqueak. Two, you're a – well, freaks like you have no right to be shinobi. You endanger everyone else, in the field and at home. I wish I could get my hands on whoever came up with the idea of jinchuriki. Clearly they made a mistake."

The older kid turned back to Konohamaru, gripping his kunai.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we had some target practice to catch up on."

"That's it! First you pick on a little kid, then you bad-mouth me. No one gets away with that. You're the one who messed up!"

Half-knowing he was biting off more than he could chew, Naruto went straight for a punch in the gut. The kid gasped before recovering himself, his lackey closing in as support. Naruto signaled Konohamaru to leave, but he just stood there frozen on the spot.

"Konohamaru, now's your chance! Get out!"

"But I can't let you – "

"Go, now!"

He took a blow to the chin and looked his friend in the eye. It felt like lightning in his voice as he said:

"We idiots gotta stick up for each other. You'll pay me back someday."

After a moment, understanding gleamed in Konohamaru's eyes. He gave a swift nod and bolted.

From there it spiraled into an eye-for-eye beat down. Even though he was outmatched, Naruto made them work for each hit with his speed. In the end, all four of them walked away with enough bruises to concern passers-by.

This ain't helping my freak image, he noted as a mother shooed her child down a backstreet.

A trick of the light morphed the pair into himself with his mother. He'd made an ongoing project of creating a picture of her in his mind. Her hair was long; a bright color suited her best. Lately he pictured it blond like his own. She was quirky and loud, but sweet most of all. And when she smiled, she hugged you with her eyes. Some people may think it was stupid, but that imaginary mom had gotten him through more nightmares than he could count.

Hey hey, no time for daydreamin'! I need to be hauling tail for school!

Naruto put on a boost of speed, but his spacing out caught up with him. He weaved through a dozen bodies only to knock square into a surly merchant. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned.

"Heheh, whoops."

This guy wasn't about to smile back.

"You've got eyes for a reason, kid. Use them!"

With that, he gave Naruto a shove and joined his shopkeep. Naruto continued his jog to class, but not soon enough to miss their exchange.

"Don't expect that one to have manners."

"Honestly, what possessed Lord Hokage to keep him in the village?"

A single hot tear streaked across his face as he pushed on. He scrubbed it with the back of his hand.

I got no time for losers like them.

...

"You idiot! Of course there's no class today. It's Saturday!"

"Sheesh, no need to bite my head off, Sakura!"

Just when he made it to the gate, here was Sakura with a daily reminder of his idiot status. Like he cared – in fact, she was kinda cute when she was ticked.

Even if it was the weekend, though, there was a buzz in the air. Something was up.

"Seriously, there are a ton of people out for a Saturday morning," he muttered.

"Of course."

"Whaddya mean?"

"You really don't know?"

Sakura's sassy front came down.

"Well, today is the anniversary of the end of the Second Great Shinobi War. You see…"

Oh no, he never signed up for a history lesson! Instead he zoned in on the Ichiraku stand behind her, hopping as usual with happy customers. Man, if only I had enough to grab a bowl this week…should I go with the kotteri ramen or the lighter assari next time?

Wait, was she still preaching?

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Sakura. It's something special. So what's going on today?"

"We're honoring the Third Hokage for his leadership with a ceremony, and it starts in – ah! Twenty minutes! I've got to get back to my parents."

With that, she took off in another direction, leaving Naruto to ponder this juicy tidbit. Twenty minutes, huh. That was enough time to pull off a plan. If he left for home now, he would make it back with just enough time to spare. This time, the village would have to notice him.

...

"We are gathered here today to honor our venerable Third Lord Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Thanks to his exemplary leadership – in times of peace as well as in times of war – the Land of Fire has thrived. Lord Third, would you please step forward?"

The Third Hokage strode through the administrative building's extended passageway, positively arresting every breath with his dignity. With each step he closed the distance between himself and the officiating elders at its end. The hearts of Konoha swelled with pride for the honor that this moment commanded. Kids were listening with as much attention as they could muster.

A splatter broke the spell. Officials and spectators watched helplessly as a stinking waterfall covered the Third Hokage. Confusion turned to disgust as the stench hit the air. The slight congealed state of the liquid removed all doubt: it was spoiled milk.

Just as it dawned on them, Naruto crowed from his perch on the roof of the arched structure. It had gotten their attention, all right.

"Should've known it would be that Nine-Tails trash!"

"So you have no respect for anyone in your village?"

Their murmurs took on a biting tone harsher than their usual scorn. Naruto could feel the hair on his neck rising, but he couldn't leave just yet.

He shinnied down a pole to meet them face to face.

"All of you treat the Hokage like he's some god! Don't you get it? He's human, just like the rest of us! So I don't get why we gotta do all this fancy stuff for him. It's not just him doing all the – "

A merchant with fight in his eyes spoke up.

"No, that's enough. You've taken it too far this time, kid. If no one's willing to teach you your place, then by Hashirama, I will!"

His threat drew grunts of agreement from onlookers. They thrummed with the heat of a boiling kettle. Any moment now they would reach a fever pitch.

That moment came when a tomato burst across Naruto's face. That one projectile triggered an onslaught of garbage.

"Finally you get treated like the trash you are!"

This guy stimulated the others. Anything from bottles to used napkins to banana peels pelted him. At one point the waste became more dangerous – a glass bottle hit the ground only a yard away. Someone shoved him down. Were they always so much bigger than me? No, he couldn't give in to panic. He couldn't, but how was he supposed to stay calm like this? Naruto curled into a ball and clenched his teeth.

The Hokage and a few villagers tried in vain to break up the mob.

"Stop this violence! He's only a child," they cried, but neither words nor yanks on the arm were stopping the incensed crowd.

Only with a show of force did the Third Hokage manage to make them disperse. Ignoring his aide, he strode without cane into the center of their anger. Hands folded over his chest, he challenged any opposition.

"Leave this place immediately, and we will all forget this awful incident. Do not make me state what will happen should you continue."

That seemed to break through the commotion – the square cleared in a matter of minutes.

Naruto looked up from beneath his arms, irritated. Honestly, which was worse: the villagers pelting him with trash or the Third Hokage being the one to defend him? One thing was for sure – that combo left a bitter taste in his mouth. He jammed his face back into his arms. Maybe they wouldn't see him if he scrunched up small enough.

A firm hand gripped his arm. He jumped.

"Hey, let's get out of here."

Iruka-sensei's smile flashed back at him, but somehow it looked different than usual. All sorts of things were mixed up inside.

Naruto launched into a 'play it cool' routine, standing up and wiping at the stains on his jacket.

"Thanks, sensei, but I gotta run. I had some things to do after this anyway."

"That's too bad – and here I was thinking that ramen would really hit the spot. Man, what was the name of that spot on the main drag again?"

"Ichiraku?!"

Dang, he got me.

...

"Listen, Naruto."

Here came the uncomfortable stuff. Whenever Iruka-sensei would offer dinner, it always had a catch. Usually he'd harp on Naruto's latest quiz score or his behavior.

"Aw, here it comes."

"You don't even know what I'm going to say. At least hear me out."

Iruka-sensei sighed.

"All right, I'll cut to the chase. You're a good kid, Naruto. Your heart's in the right place – I've seen it."

Naruto looked up in shock.

"No I'm not! What are you talking about?"

"I saw everything back there with Konohamaru."

This struck him speechless.

"You can't fool me. You have secret dreams and feelings just like everyone else. And as long as one shinobi can tell, that has to count for something."

Iruka-sensei leaned forward intently.

"So why do you do it, Naruto?"


Naruto glanced at the medic kunoichi cleaning up the vomit on the ground. She reached up to wipe his face. He flashed a smile of gratitude.

"It's fine, I can clean myself up."

Suddenly a courier rushed in, an Anbu member from the look of his solid black uniform. He handed Naruto a note.

"Excuse me - intelligence from Kakashi."

With a curt bow, he left as quickly as he came. Well, that got Naruto interested. He unfolded the note and read:

I discovered that two chunin were behind your nausea. They laced your ramen with pain medicine at the celebration last night. You're the sensation of Konoha, so be more careful now than ever. Meet with me at 7 tonight so we can cover techniques for poison detection.

- Kakashi

This was more like it. This was the world he knew.

All his life, Naruto had loved to believe in people. After all, it was in his nature to encourage others, to help them realize how awesome they were all along. And he would continue to believe. He would also continue to be hurt. Some would give back to Konoha as protectors of the next generation. But many others would fight to their last breath to destroy him and everything that he stood for.

So why dedicate his life to stamping out hatred if people would regress in the space of a moment?

Why do I do it?