Let's Just Say Stuff happens
Chapter 1: The Fox and the Hunter
Konohagakure: The Village Hidden in The Leaves
The sun had long set over the village's horizon. With its myriad of colors, the blooming dusk sky had slowly dulled and retreated into a collection of dark blue and grey. The clouds had also left, perhaps to the Cloud Village, but that was beside the point. The village, however, was illuminated by electric lighting and a collection of traditional paper lanterns. For some reason, many areas bustled with life and revelry. Crowds upon crowds were partaking in feast after feast. What was the cause of this celebration? As far as the eye could say, many villages were overjoyed and smiles adorned their faces. That blanket statement was clearly not applicable to all, as some were deadlocked in the mourning period, which many partook in earlier that day. Specifically, one child was in a sour mood.
Hopefully, history will not repeat itself this year.
A young boy peered around the corner from an alleyway. His big, frantic eyes darted around the area. It seems like they won't notice me. He thought to himself as the adults continued to party. Sadly, this was his only method of reaching his destination. The continuous trek through alleyways was beginning to tire him, and a drunken villager almost vomited on him. It was better than nearly being stabbed, he supposed. His only other means of reaching his destination was by climbing a fence. Such a task would be extremely difficult for his body. Even if he got over the wall, he would be trespassing – which would give people another reason to hate him. It's now or never.
As the small boy slinked out of the alleyway, the light almost glistened on his spiky, bright scarlet red hair. It screamed 'moving target' to anyone who was paying attention. The adults were too preoccupied with being drunk to notice the brat that slipped out under their noses.
With everything uncharacteristically going his way, the boy's long-dead blue eyes gained a newfound life to them. The once drooping eyes gained an unseen vigor them. A slight smile appeared on his scuffed, dirty face. This was the first time in months that he felt happy. Nothing could go wrong.
Except for everything.
While running as fast as his stubby legs could take him, the immense sensation of unbridled joy made him sloppy. The expression of emotion made him careless. He would never make such a rookie mistake – especially with him being out in the open and such an easy target. That was something the masked person that always followed him knew. This time, it was different.
He weaved and darted through random crowds and outright avoided some others. Cries of "Was that who I think it is," and "That damn brat caused this!" as well as more explicit screams, slowly began to fill the air. Weirdly, they died down as people seemed to not care about him that much. Perhaps they were too drunk.
The boy had to turn one more corner, and he would be in the home stretch. Alas, the universe had other plans for him. As he turned, the boy tripped on a rock and flew face-first into an individual's back.
As a child, a runt at that, larger people are scary. Even if the people are barely older than you, they would be scary to look at directly. To be fair, twice his age was a bit more than slightly older, but six years was closer than thirty. The guy next to the person who he hit was of similar age.
"Watch were you're going brat!" The other guy said as his friend stood up. He quickly grabbed the boy by the stuff of his now dirtied white shirt and growled.
The boy started to sniffle.
The one who fell had a mean look on his face. This area, while close to the child's destination, was relatively devoid of adults and authority figures. They would get away with teaching this kid a harsh lesson – at least to their knowledge.
On a rooftop, a masked individual calmly looked at the proceedings and prepared to simply knock out the would-be attackers if necessary. Or, simply watch the show and say that rendezvous was enacted too late to stop a scuffle. That excuse worked a few times – it was a miracle reassignment had not occurred yet. Sure, no serious threats were made on the boy's life, as far as what was known. A potential knife to the chest could be an excellent way to grow character. Perhaps the boy would be less annoying if he had something to cry about instead of loneliness. So many people were alone because of him already.
The figure watched as the boys whispered something into the child's ear and pointed at his destination – a tacky Ramen Shop. This conversation came after a shocked look from the boy.
"We want you to take that man's sword, or at least try to. It looks cool." The one that got knocked down started calmly. He then pointed to his forehead. "We're Genin now, so we can't risk anything. A brat like you would not face much repercussion, especially if caught."
"Do this for us and we will forgive your accident there." The other one said the word 'accident' with unprecedented malice. "We may even become friends."
The boy slightly perked up when he heard that word, but he felt a small, localized eruption of killing intent from the two. It was not the most he had felt in his lifetime, but the threat of violence was enough for him to move to the Ramen Shop. He tried to keep a straight face as he felt the stares of the boys behind him.
"He is going to get caught." One laughed when the boy was supposedly out of earshot.
"Yeah, he is." The other one chuckled as well.
This would shape up to be the perfect ending to a special day.
"Oh, hello there Naruto!" The shop owner said with a smirk. "I've been expecting you."
"Hai Mr. Teuchi," Naruto's face hid away his true feelings. Nobody would know what he was coerced into. "Oh, you have?" he asked coyly.
The man chuckled and made his way into the back of the store.
This was his chance.
The man sitting across from him did not lift his head as his name was spoken. That was strange. Most people would get angry over his name.
"Whoops." Naruto pretended to drop a five Ryo coin and went looking for it. "Darn it."
As the boy kept searching for the lost money, he inched closer and closer to the massive scabbard that was placed next to the man. A thought shot through his mind as he reached out to touch the weapon. What would I do if I even got to take the sword? This man is clearly dangerous enough to have this with him. I did not think this through.
Centimeters away from the blade, the man spoke with his eyes still on his pork ramen bowl.
"Naruto, was it." The man spoke in a gruff voice. "Didn't your parents teach you not to covet others' possessions?"
"Um," Naruto stammered. "I'm an orphan."
The man coughed, "Even then, were you not taught anything by anyone?"
"No, not really."
The man slowly became agitated, but this agitation seemed to be different from rage or outright annoyance and abhorrence.
"Do you know that stealing is wrong?"
"I was not going to steal it. It's probably too heavy for me to lift."
"That's a fair point. What if it fell on you and you couldn't move?"
"You or Old Man Teuchi would help me, unless you hate me."
"Hate you? Kid I don't even know you and you seem too sincere to be a spy."
"A spy? Why would I be one?"
"Let's just say, I am not from around here."
Naruto got a good look at the man as he looked directly at him. In a daze, Naruto shot up and knocked his head on the counter, causing a slightly worried look to appear on the man's face. "You okay, brat?"
"Yeah, I'm okay." Naruto sat down and observed the man. To be honest, he stared at him.
"You're too obvious to be a Konoha spy."
The man appeared to be at least five feet, ten inches tall, but Naruto needed to improve with numbers. He wore a black forehead protector on his, umm, forehead. It did not have the classic leaf symbol but four squiggly lines. The man had a relatively sharp face and a light scar on his left cheek. The man wore a combination of an ink-black shirt and pants with a grey flak jacket over it. How did he not notice the flak jacket? The man also sported pinstriped braces and greaves as well as sandals. On his waist was a plain, black waist guard.
"What symbol is that?"
"It's the symbol of Kirigakure – The Village Hidden in The Mist." The man said calmly.
"Where is that."
"It's hidden, in the mist."
Naruto frowned, "Where is the mist?"
"It's mystifying and mysterious."
"Not funny."
"Debatable." The man chuckled. "You're asking a lot of questions."
"Do you still think I am a spy?"
"No, I just think you're uneducated."
"Hey!" Naruto frowned.
"I meant it in the nicest way possible." Naruto was further perplexed. "You're asking basic questions that you could get from reading a book."
"I'm enrolling in the academy soon."
"Oh, so you want to be a ninja, huh?" The man rubbed his chin. "How original."
Naruto caught onto the sarcasm, "I'm going to be Hokage, believe it!"
The man looked at Naruto blankly, "Go for it."
Naruto's face became angry, "You may say it's unrealistic and unagainable, but I – what."
"Unattainable, and yes, I believe that you can do it." The man chuckled. "I'm a foreign ninja. Who am I to crush the dreams of the youth? Just be prepared to sacrifice for your dream."
"Sacrifice what?"
"Time, effort, energy, money, friends and maybe even lives."
"Lives?"
"Ninjas kill."
Flat and straight to the point.
"The thought of first blood put off many, but it's something you'll deal with when you get there." The man smiled. "You're strong though."
"How so?"
"I mean, you're definitely weak physically and your stealth skills are severely lacking, but I can tell that deep inside you, there's a strength waiting to be unleashed." The man laughed. "I hear the people here call it 'The Flaming Will' or something along those lines. Kid, you proudly proclaimed that you'd be Hokage to a man that could kill you in an instant if he considered you annoying and escape without a second trace. A man that could very well become your enemy in a few years. Even if you're oblivious to the danger right next to you, I do think that takes some form of guts and a bit of stupidity. Let me clarify, I have no intention of doing you harm. For the record, it never crossed my mind."
"Thanks."
"Also, are you actually interested in my sword or did the boys over there force you to come over here and try to touch it?" Naruto paused. "I felt their killing intent, as pitiful as it was."
"They forced me to, but I do think it's cool." Naruto admitted.
A grin appeared on the man's face, "A rising swordsman, I see. Who am I not to impart knowledge upon this impressionable youth?"
"I mean, I only considered it today."
"And today is the day that will be the start of your new life as a swordsman." The man paused. "Give me a second."
The man at once exited the shop and focused the chakra in his body. He performed the hand seals, ram, then snake, and finally tiger. In a puff of smoke, two identical copies of him appeared and then vanished from sight.
"What was that jutsu?" Naruto opened his eyes widely.
"It's the Shadow Clone Jutsu – something you'll probably learn in the future." The man scratched his head. "Using a jutsu in public in front of a child was probably not the best idea, but whatever."
"Happy birthday Naruto!" Teuchi and a young girl burst forth with a massive bowl of ramen and placed it in front of Naruto.
"This one is on the house." The man spoke with a smile. "Six years is not a lot, but I am hoping for at least sixty-sixty more!"
"Thank you both." Naruto bowed his head, and tears started to stream from his face. "Really, thank you."
After letting the tears dry, the man said, "So it's your birthday. Nice."
Inside his head, cogs were turning.
"Happy birthday Naruto Uzumaki."
"Thanks, but how do you know I'm an Uzumaki?" Naruto asked concernedly.
"Your hair is a dead giveaway."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"You never told me what you were doing here, mist man." Naruto managed to say in-between slurps of his ramen.
"It's nothing too classified, but I hunted some people on the bingo book, and I needed my reward." The man spoke flatly. "I was granted passage, but I think using jutsu was kind of against some rules."
"I'll speak with Gramps then."
"Gramps?"
"The Old Man in the tower, Lord Third." Naruto spoke flatly.
Teuchi and Ayame looked at each other before cleaning dishes in the back.
The man nearly did a double-take, "Okay, this raises several questions."
"Like what?"
"None for you to answer. Do not worry about them." The man waved his hand. "I'll have you know that I am an SSSS ranked ninja, master Jōnin and Kage-candidate in my village, so my strength isn't to be taken lightly."
Naruto's eyes sparkled, "You must be as strong as Gramps then?"
The man coughed, "Well, uh, I was joking, but I am a very capable ninja."
"I believe you."
"Was that sarcasm?"
"I do not know what that word means."
"Right." The man did not believe it. "You know, if you had told me that it was your birthday earlier, I could have gotten you a better gift."
"You are a stranger." Naruto said plainly.
"Is what he said after all of this talking, but yes, I am a stranger. Kiri's relationship with the Leaf is strenuous at best, so it is probably best to keep me at arm's length. I don't want people to get the wrong impression – I said after all of this talking with you."
"Huh?"
"Oh look, your gift!" One of the clones appeared and walked towards Naruto, holding a wooden sword. The boy took it with a smile and at once felt off-balance as he held it. It was not due to the weight but the sheer unaccustomedness of the weapon in a child's hands.
"The path of Kenjutsu is a tedious one. However, it is rewarding in the long run. Young Naruto, with this blade, your path toward Kenjutsu begins. I hope you use it to the fullest. Also, to be Hokage, you must train your body and mind. As well as your emotions. There may be times when you are alone and feel like nobody understands you, but maybe a few people do. It's up to you to forge strong connections with the people around you so that you can support each other in your times of need. So, as I leave, Naruto Uzumaki, train your body. Practice your Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Learn about Genjutsu and even Fūinjutsu." He paused and placed his hand on the eating Naruto's shoulder. "Become strong, Naruto, and be the Hokage you were meant to be. We may never see each other again, but know that you have met me, Yozora Yuki."
"Thanks a lot, Yozora, but what is Kenjutsu?"
"You're kidding right?" Yozora looked incredulously at Naruto. "You couldn't piece it together?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Kenjutsu is the art of using a sword – in essence." The man explained calmly.
"Oh, that's cool."
Before the ninja could respond, he froze, and a grim expression appeared on his face. Instantly, he glanced at the two boys that were conspiring amongst themselves. A burst of killing intent was sent their way to scare them.
The genin felt the sheer animosity held by the man known as Yozora, and they ran off without a second thought.
After finishing his ramen, he slid more than enough Ryo under the bowl to cover his meal.
Finally, he turned to Naruto with a genuine smile on his face.
"Naruto Uzumaki," Yozora paused as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We may not see each other again. We may become enemies in the future, but I hope such an event does not have to come to pass. Even then, when you become a great ninja, do not hesitate to come at me with everything you have. If you remember me, that is. Hesitation can lead to the death of you or others, do not forget that. Sometimes even the best decisions are made from the heart. Me talking to you, instead of getting you in trouble or outright ignoring you, did not fully come from a place of logic. Look, kid, you can do something great. If you forget me, try to remember that at least someone out there, someone unknown, knows you can be something – even if others doubt you."
He abruptly looked away from the boy and walked outside the shop, drowning out any sounds. The far-off shouts of revelry and the close sounds from the boy became white noises to him. "Until we meet again."
The man quickly performed the 'Tiger' hand sign and vanished from sight in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto alone to ponder what occurred.
The man stopped his high-speed movement in an alleyway a couple hundred meters away. He sighed heavily and did not face the people behind him. Instead, he lifted his hands into the air as a show of surrender. "I guess you need me for questioning?" he did not obtain a response. "If not, I can just go."
He chuckled lightly as the cold steel of a kunai was lightly pressed against his Adam's apple.
Perhaps today was not the best day to get plastered.
After thanking the father-daughter duo for the ramen, Naruto hoisted the wooden blade onto his back. Luckily, the scabbard had a cloth-like material to hoist over himself. The blade was easily over half his height and was considered for an adult – not a child. If one was observant in the arts of swordcraft, the sword would be identified as a kodachi. This was something that a child with her hair in a bun picked up as she saw the stoic redhead from across the street.
Ignoring the world around him, the world seemed to ignore him for the first time. He managed to get home without someone insulting his hair, whiskers, or something else of the sort – and on his birthday, nonetheless.
He unlocked the door to the apartment Lord Third gave him, and he closed the door at once, dropped his sword, and fell on the futon. He looked at the ceiling and wondered.
"Why was he nice to me?" Naruto asked himself. "Why was he, a random ninja from another village, nice to me?"
He had tried not to let his emotions show too much at the ramen place. He did not want the old man and his daughter to see him crying again. This time, the surge of emotions was too much to release in his sleep when those dreams came again. He had to let them out now.
"The only people nice to me other than Gramps, the old man, his daughter and the black-haired lady are few, if nonexistent. They always say things beneath their breath, but I hear them. I can feel their dislike of me, even though I do not want to. The feeling of people disliking me when I look at them had haunted me for so long, that seeing someone without that... I do not know."
He did not realize that tears began flowing.
"He did not consider me a monster or a demon; he did not try to attack me even though I tried to steal his weapon. He even bought me a gift." Through the tears, the boy stared at the ceiling. He was like a doll, motionless yet full of emotion rather than locomotion. "Yozora Yuki, I will never forget you, and I know you will not forget me."
Naruto did not realize when he fell asleep but remembered glancing at his personal library. The thought formed that he should ask Gramps for more books – the vocabulary ones were almost all completed.
To be Continued...
Author's Notes
It has been a while since I have been on this site, so I decided to try my hand at something new while not completely disregarding the past.
Also, to be honest, I am not sure if I could call this fic a crack fic, but some crack elements MAY be at play here. BE WARNED
Either way, I hope you read, review, share and enjoy this story.
Thank you for reading
Next: The Hunted Hunter