All Naruto could hear were screams of terror.
He opened his heavy eyes, but all he could see was red.
His tongue was coated with the taste of iron.
A sudden crash rattled his brain in his skull and he was consumed by the chilling darkness.
Where was he? What was happening to him?
"Minato, you know that we can't seal the Fox into him," a feminine voice argued in defiance. "There has to be another way!" she demanded.
"There isn't another way," a man softly retorted. "Now that the Nine-Tails has been removed, you're going to die, and he's the only person in the village with a strong enough chakra network to contain the Kyūbi," he finished, barely mouthing the words through the shakes in his voice.
Naruto tried to focus his eyes on the arguing duo, but his vision was too hazy to make out who they were.
"At least this way he will be regarded as a hero for helping us to defeat the Beast," the man reasoned. "Our son will be instrumental in saving the village."
'The village…'
Naruto heard those words and recoiled. He ground his teeth together. A searing hot rage rapidly consumed him. His eyes shot open, directing their piercing anger at the duo – a blond man in a white cloak and a redheaded woman wrought with fatigue. They stood over an altar with a newborn resting on top of it.
"He's our only hope, Kushina," the man concluded, his tone not betraying the sadness on his face.
The woman turned away from her husband. She closed her eyes and looked down in defeat, beginning to sob into her hands. The blond placed his arm around her and put her head against his chest. She began to cry uncontrollably into his flak vest.
Naruto had no clue about who these people were but his blood boiled underneath his skin. It didn't matter that he didn't know why he hated them, what mattered was that he needed to kill them.
"I–I know you're right," she whimpered. She wiped her eyes and calmed her nerves. "How do you want to get rid of the Fox?" she said through barely held together tones.
"We'll use the Eight Trigrams, then I will wrestle the Kyūbi's chakra into the seal."
'These people are trying to get rid of me,' was all that Naruto understood. 'Just like the other villagers.'
He didn't know why, but he felt so slow, so encumbered. If he didn't act now he believed he was going to die.
These two strangers barely acknowledged him. They were too focused on the baby that laid on the altar. He could hear their whispers but they didn't concern him anymore.
They threatened his existence, so Naruto needed to defend himself. He summoned all of his strength and managed to draw his arm back over his head to attack.
'If this kid is the only thing that can take me out, I'll just get rid of him!' he thought as he swiped down at the baby with all the speed he could muster.
"Kushina–!" the blond man blurted out.
The cloaked man dashed in front of the assault, followed by the redheaded woman. The attack was mere feet away from the baby, but it was unsuccessful. Stopped by the bodies of the duo.
Naruto saw the rosey-red blood gush from their wounds and was frozen stiff. He had failed to ensure his existence.
He grit his teeth in anguish. 'Why…?' he thought. 'Why do the villagers want me gone?'
"Minato…" a new, aged voice muttered.
Naruto averted his attention to the newcomer. It was a familiar face – the Third Hokage.
What was he doing here?
"Minato, what are you doing?!" the old man protested through clenched teeth.
Naruto quietly observed the interaction while the blond and the redhead bled out from his attack.
"He's the only person who can contain the Fox," Minato retorted with a stern expression.
"He's just a baby!" Hiruzen spat back.
"It doesn't matter," Minato replied, "Naruto doesn't have a say in it, he must become the new host of the Nine-Tails."
Naruto's ears perked up. He replayed Minato's words in his mind. The child shares his name. It didn't sit right with the blond. No one in Konoha would ever burden their child with the same name as him.
Naruto couldn't put it together, but something about all of this made him feel uneasy. The whole situation flashed through his mind. None of it made sense and yet all of it felt real – his hatred for these people felt genuine.
His breath hollowed and his heart started to race. All the hair on his body stiffened. He was on the verge of a grand realization – it was right in front of him. He could outstretch his hand and his fingertips would just grace the very surface of the truth… but it was just beyond his grasp.
The boy's eyes flew wide open as he shot up into a sitting position. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He panted hastily, unable to control his breathing. Sweat beads rolled down his forehead and into his eyes. He wiped the sweat away with his forearm.
The yellow-headed youth balled his fists and closed his eyes shut to regain composure. His bearings flooded back to him after the quiet started to set in.
'That nightmare again,' he thought indignantly.
Naruto turned to look at the clock on top of his nightstand. He lazily pushed the empty cups of ramen stacked into a tower out of the way of the clock. It read seven in the morning.
'At least I got a couple hours of sleep this time,' Naruto acknowledged, trying to see the bright side.
He threw his blanket off of him and sluggishly stepped down from his bed. His body was heavy with fatigue. He scratched the backside of his neck and sighed. It was time to get ready.
He sauntered through the trash-laden floor and into his bathroom and brushed his teeth. He glanced at the shower with consideration before dismissing it. Naruto cared too little to shower this morning, plus he had showered three days ago anyway.
Finished with the toiletries, he made his way to a pile of clothes that were half sprawled out on the floor. Rummaging through the pile, he selected a simple black t-shirt and a pair of orange cargo pants to wear.
The blond was ready to get something to eat and made his way to the small kitchen at the end of his apartment. The dishes were haphazardly stacked onto one another in the sink. He skipped the refrigerator because his apartment had no electricity again the whole month and any food inside had long gone bad. The pantry was his only bet. He held it open before him and gave its contents a once over. Empty. He was going to the academy hungry today.
On the nightstand next to his bed he reached for his frog wallet. He opened it and wondered how much money he had left. Five ryō. Maybe he can heckle Old Man Ichiraku for another half bowl of ramen. Anything to avoid scrounging through the trash for scraps again. He stuffed the wallet deep into his cargo pants.
Also on the nightstand was a rustic switchblade. It was horribly worn around the handle and holding it brought discomfort. He flicked the knife open to examine it further. The morning sun slid down the metal with a flashing light. The blade had a few nicks in it here and there. In a weird way, the weapon managed to be charming. It was still the difference between getting mugged and keeping your belongings, and it wasn't so bad considering Naruto found it in the trash. He placed the weapon neatly into his back pocket.
Naruto snatched his apartment keys from the nightstand, they twirled around his finger, ringing out as they clanged into each other. He made his way to the apartment window and tried his hardest to part the curtains the slightest amount to see what – or rather, who could be outside his apartment that he didn't want to run into.
Using just his one blue eye the boy could make out a few thugs waiting in the shadows of the alleyways below to prey on the next passerby.
"I should probably avoid the street," he mumbled under his breath. He paired his keys with his wallet and turned to the window next to his bed. Beyond it were the murky alleyways which were perfect for avoiding confrontation.
Unlocking it, he gently lifted the window open to avoid as much of the squeaking in the frame as possible.
He threaded one leg outside and then the next, before falling through and landing on his feet with a splash below. The window fell closed with a thud.
Looking to his left and right, he made sure no one was around to spot him. The sun's light fought against the apartment complex which shielded the alleyway with shadows to make haste in.
Naruto trudged through the puddles, keen on every noise he made. He was careful not to bring attention to himself, at least not until he got to the academy.
Unfortunately, the blanket of stealth that he enjoyed in the alleyways of the slums was fleeting. No matter what route he took he'd end up in the urban sprawl of the village center eventually.
He lowered his gaze to the dirt and cobblestone path. Looking up brought risk, something he'd learned many times over. Villagers tended to ignore those who didn't make eye contact.
Your average friendly banter was swiftly reduced to whispers when the people saw him out. He couldn't hear the words they mumbled to each other behind his back but he knew what they were saying anyway.
They were warning their fellow villagers that the Demon was out again and they needed to be on guard. It didn't bother him anymore though. Not like it used to, anyway. Naruto learned to just keep moving despite how much it tore him up inside.
Every time Naruto brushed past another stranger his heart would jump in his chest. He had to fight the oxygen down his throat to keep from hyperventilating in front of others. But he had become accustomed to hiding that anxiety deep within.
Any behavior that made him anything more than invisible was always misconstrued to be a nefarious act of a demon. When you panicked and flipped out you got berated, beaten, or both. But luck was with him today and how grateful he was for it. He made his trek to the academy without any interaction with anyone. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he stepped over the threshold that marked the academy grounds.
However, he was taken aback by an unsightly crowd of people forming around one point in the middle of the academy training field in a neat fashion. He approached with caution. At a closer glance, Naruto saw that the crowd was ordered by grade from second- to fifth-year academy students.
He poked and prodded his way through to his group – the fourth-years. Trying his hardest not to make his presence known, he unwittingly bumped into a fellow member of his class who immediately shoved him onto the ground in disdain.
"Don't touch me, punk!" Kiba threatened through his bared fangs.
Naruto frowned and gritted his teeth bitterly. He wanted to snap back at the Inuzuka but knew better and bit his tongue. The youth picked himself up before dusting himself off.
"Kiba," a voice sliced through the surrounding chatter of the crowd. Naruto looked for its source and saw it was his new sensei named Iruka with his arms crossed, a stern gaze plastered onto his face. "Act your age and don't cause trouble," he instructed.
"Hmph," the Inuzuka scoffed with a resentful aura.
"Naruto," Iruka's voice boomed in his ears, "Take your spot over there," he pointed out a free spot between two other classmates – Hinata Hyūga and Sasuke Uchiha.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, kept his head down, and made his way to his spot in the crowd. He walked into the space between the Hyūga and the Uchiha. Both of them were quiet.
The Hyūga appeared nervous, like she was shrinking under someone's stare. She always twiddled her thumbs and tapped her index fingers together over and over. He didn't have much of an opinion of her besides she never treated him wrongly.
The Uchiha held a more aloof air about him. He stuck to himself and was good at it. Naruto could relate in a way. They were opposites otherwise though. Sasuke aced every test, won every spar, knew every answer. He was respected by his peers and seemed like he was treated well.
Naruto couldn't help but be envious of him. Those were luxuries that Naruto simply didn't have. But something about the Uchiha infuriated Naruto. It wasn't that he possessed everything Naruto wanted. It was that the Uchiha didn't seem to be grateful for any of it in the slightest.
He made friends with no one and was indifferent to everything. He acknowledged none around him no matter what they did. He possessed all of this amazing talent but never tried to share his secrets.
He was just an all-around uptight, selfish, arrogant bastard.
What was even more infuriating to Naruto was the fellow classmates who fell before his feet and ogled him constantly. They vie for his attention like a circus of clowns, never understanding that he wants absolutely nothing to do with them. It was pathetic to watch.
But because of Sasuke's inherent greatness and all the positive attention it accrued, Naruto knew one thing for certain: he just had to prove that he was better than Sasuke if he wanted to enjoy all of his privileges.
Naruto tried and tried to one-up the Uchiha the last couple of years any way he could. He can't outscore him on written tests because he still hasn't been taught to read. But that didn't necessarily hinder him. He knew that the best way to win people over was with direct competition. So, Naruto always tried to fight the Uchiha during taijutsu training or the shinobi spars.
Naruto always lost. Brutally. He was never taught any of the traditional taijutsu katas that were taught to all the other students. The teachers just never paid him any mind. What little taijutsu techniques he did know were self-taught or his best copy of what techniques he watched others do. He didn't need anyone to tell him that he was very sloppy, though.
He knew he was terrible because he had never landed a single blow on Sasuke during any of their countless spars.
Naruto never ceased trying to win. Using new tricks, new moves, new strategies… it didn't matter. He could never close the distance between himself and the Uchiha.
Sasuke probably didn't see it like him, but to Naruto, they were rivals.
He scanned the rest of the training grounds. All the first-year and sixth-year academy students stood at attention, facing the rest of the attendees. In front of them, examining the students closely with an air of admiration was the robed Old Man himself.
"This is a very important day for all of you," Hiruzen said to the new and senior students as he paced before them.
"Today you start your final year at the Konoha Academy before you will begin your lives as freshly minted genin," he said to the seniors.
"And you all are just embarking on the path of the ninja," the many beginning youths stared at their leader in awe.
Naruto had again failed to remember that at the start of each year the Hokage likes to come to inspire the new senior students and give the fresh blood a warm welcome into the academy.
"I remember when I started in the academy the first year of its creation when Lord Tobirama had just established the ranking system," he smirked.
"And I remember when I graduated at age 12 and became a full-fledged genin under the Second as well," he reached into his white robe and held out his hand, "I even still have the headband."
He held it high for everyone to see. The metal protector had gashes and cuts scattered about it, and the black cloth that held it together was all but tattered with tears.
"Not quite in the shape it used to be after all the battles it saw, but this headband is still older than all of your parents," he jokingly revealed. Every student, barring a few like Sasuke, ooh'd and ah'd at the ancient relic.
"Each of us understood that we were integral to the future of our home," Hiruzen said. "We were the next generation of defenders against all of the Land of Fire's enemies. It was essential that we all knew that and that we became capable ninja because of that."
His wooden cane tapped against the ground as he circled back around to continue his spiel.
"To protect your nation, your people, and your loved ones from those who seek to destroy them is one of the most noble goals that exist. There is evil in this world and it will stop at nothing to eradicate what is good. The shinobi world is dark and hellish and crashes down on you like the neverending waves of the ocean. Not a single one of you will achieve the rank of chūnin without being washed in it," the veteran said with a full amount of assuredness in his voice.
"But don't let that hinder you. As a shinobi, you will be equipped with all of the tools to battle the darkness and protect the warm, graceful flames of the fire that keeps our village and our people alive. A shinobi knows how to endure and will stop at nothing to do what is necessary to achieve their goal," his confidence irradiated from him and infected each and every child in the vicinity.
"You will create bonds with your peers that no other career could ever replicate, a trust that only unforgiving conditions and hardship could mold." Naruto perked up at this point in particular.
"You will learn discipline that is second to none and will have access to all the resources and specialized training programs of the greatest armed force in the Shinobi World," he touted.
"The Konoha Ninja Academy is the most prestigious in the Land of Fire. Being accepted into it is an honor and graduating from it is a great achievement," the Third boasted with a matter-of-fact tone.
"The staff of this establishment – your teachers – were handpicked by me and my advisors because we were confident in their ability to bring out the best in you. They will make you understand and prepare you for the life of the ninja," the aged man said with a stern edge.
'Yeah right,' Naruto bitterly remarked. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and scoff at Hiruzen's words. 'I've hardly been taught a thing by these hand-picked idiots.'
"Each of your journeys down this road will mold you into some of the finest shinobi our country has ever seen and I admire every one of you for taking it upon yourselves to become the defenders and leaders of our country." The old man then concluded with a respectful bow toward the kids.
Nearly all students, new and old broke out into a miasma of whispered tones, wows, and admiration.
Naruto was also a victim of the Third's inspiring speech. His face was lit up with excitement, thinking of the day that he'd be able to say he was a ninja. His smile stretched ear to ear and his blue eyes were wide with wonder.
"What are you smiling for, brat?" a fresh voice sounded over the whispers of the crowds.
Naruto whirled to his right at the sound of the voice. Three boys at the end of the fifth-year group were glaring at him with scornful, disgusted faces.
"Surely you don't think Lord Hiruzen was saying any of that to you?" one of the boys spat.
The area went silent save for the wind's cutting breeze through the trees.
Naruto clenched his teeth in his mouth and frowned at them with anger in his stare.
"You're never going to become a ninja. You're as smart as a sack of rocks and everyone hates you!" the last boy exclaimed.
Naruto's stomach folded on itself hearing the snickers and hushed laughs of his peers. Red flushed his cheeks from embarrassment.
"Haha, good one Goji," one of the boys commended the other.
"Cut it out, you three. Or you're gonna be punished," Iruka warned.
"Don't defend this trash, Iruka-sensei!" the boy to Goji's right who started the ordeal declared with a hint of disgust.
"Mako–!" Iruka blurted but was interrupted.
"I'm not trash," Naruto protested firmly. "And I'm gonna become an even greater ninja than all three of you clowns combined!" he declared assuredly.
He ignored Iruka's disappointed expression.
"Can you even spell 'ninja' yet?" the boy right of Mako asked rhetorically. Multiple kids burst into a flurry of laughs at the boy's insult. "A deadlast like you isn't going anywhere in the academy, much less becoming a shinobi," he spat back.
"Kira–!" Iruka shouted with a scathing tone.
Naruto's face was searing hot. "I don't need to spell anything to kick your asses!" Naruto proclaimed with broad shoulders.
Ooh's of surprise erupted from the crowds at his bold words and he had to dismiss a few snickers that sounded around him.
"Is that a threat, punk?" Mako asked through gritted teeth as he and his two friends stepped out of their group and next to Naruto's.
"Find out," Naruto sternly retorted.
"Why you little–!" Each of the boys sprinted through the crowd to Naruto.
The classmates nearest to Naruto retreated from the scene.
Goji drew his fist back for a devastating strike.
Naruto positioned himself to slip the punch and started to pull his fist back. Before he could punch Goji in the face something had changed.
In an instant, the Hokage had stepped between Naruto and the rushing boys, stopping them in their tracks.
Naruto's fuming anger starved under the scornful gaze of the old man who eyed him and his adversaries from just under the brim of his Hokage cap.
"You four are coming with me to have a talk," Hiruzen stated through a stern expression. "That's all from me, you can handle them from here," he said to the instructors about the students and walked off with the troubled youths in tow.
The four boys were separated into their opposing sides down the middle by the irritated, robed man who quickly marched them through the academy doors and into an empty classroom.
"All of you take a seat," he instructed them with fire in his throat.
Naruto took his seat on the first row of desks, and the older boys did similarly with a seat set apart between them.
Naruto couldn't quite tell but he swore that Hiruzen eyed each of them with a tinge of thoughtfulness and sorrow.
The aged man focused his scornful attention on Mako, who had spoken out to belittle Naruto first.
"Tell me, Mako, what about Naruto was so important to you that you felt the need to speak out during a celebration of your fellow students?" the old Kage asked.
Mako's face was flushed with surprise at being put on the spot. The fact that he was being called out by one of the greatest shinobi to ever live probably didn't help his composure either.
"Well… I, uh–", Mako mumbled.
"You felt like tearing down a fellow student who you saw as lesser than you," Hiruzen answered matter-of-factly.
Naruto watched with glee at Mako's dumbfounded face filled with red-hot embarrassment.
"And that goes for you both as well," he called out to Goji and Kira, who shuddered beneath his berating look.
"All three of you were so caught up in your own selfishness that you had to belittle another person and simultaneously sour an important event for your fellow students." The old man laid out the truth before the trio, much to Naruto's pleasure.
Naruto grinned triumphantly. "Hehe, yeah, that's right! Eat that, you clowns!" he laughed at his bullies who looked at him with indignation.
Hiruzen sighed. "And then there's you, Naruto," he continued.
"Huh–?" Naruto gasped in bewilderment.
"You may not have started the altercation but you certainly had your fair end of the participation," Hiruzen pointed out to the youth. "You egged them on to resort to violence and a fight would've broken out if not for someone stepping in." Naruto's triumph was swiftly squashed under the boot of Hiruzen's criticisms. "All of you are supposed to look out for one another, befriend one another. You're up and coming ninja, and you're comrades," the aged Kage rattled off to each boy.
The four of them shared bitter looks.
"This insolence cannot be tolerated. Wait here, I'm going to notify your parents and then you're coming with me Naruto," the Hokage revealed as he walked out of the door and closed it behind him.
"Wait what–!" Mako exclaimed.
"This stupid brat got us in trouble with the Hokage and now our parents are gonna get involved," Kira scoffed in disdain.
Naruto's expression soured. "What's the problem? Your parents will probably understand anyway," he retorted. The adults were often more cruel to him than the children were.
"You would never understand," Goji spat bitterly. "You don't even have any parents," his hot tongue quipped.
Naruto's mouth seized. He wanted to retort but Goji was right. He wouldn't understand their situation.
"If I didn't know that Lord Third would be coming back I'd beat the hell out of you right here," Kira threatened through his teeth.
"Someone like you shouldn't be able to breathe the same air as us normal people anyway," Goji spat bitterly.
The trio were silent, waiting for Naruto to say something back to them, but it never came. Naruto simply did not feel the need to respond to any of their threats.
"Watch your back, Demon Brat," Mako threatened with a sinister stare.
A few silent moments passed and the door creaked open to reveal the Hokage who was accompanied by a trio of women. Presumably the mothers of the boys. They each shared irritated and disapproving looks with their children before gasping at the unsightly demon. Naruto shuddered under their gazes and gave his best attempt to avoid eye contact.
Hiruzen entered the room, closely followed by each mother. "Here you are." He pointed to a collection of seats convenient for them to talk to their children. They saddled into their chairs and things were now in motion.
"I apologize for summoning you ladies on such short notice but I figured it would be appropriate for you to get the chance to discipline your sons accordingly," the old man said much to the misfortune of the bullies.
The whole discipline process was grueling. Naruto couldn't help but notice every dirty look he got from the women and every indignant stare that the other boys gave him. But it eventually ended and the bullies left one by one with their disgruntled mothers.
"So can I go now or what?" Naruto asked the Sandaime.
Hiruzen scrutinized him from his chair for a moment. A thoughtful demeanor flowed from him and he could tell the Hokage was in deep thought.
"You can't let them get to you, you know," the old man's words cut through the silence.
"Huh?"
"You have to let their words roll off you or else you just prove them right."
"They shouldn't call me trash," Naruto shot back bitterly.
"You're right," Hiruzen agreed. "But they are the ones that are being trashy by acting out like that," the Sarutobi noted. "When you play their game, you act out just like they expect you to and give them a reason to be hostile to you."
"Everyone is hostile to me! It doesn't matter how I act," Naruto protested with balled fists.
"It does matter if you're just as guilty as they are," the man calmly pointed out to him.
A sigh escaped his clenched teeth.
"Tell me about what's going on for you," the Sandaime requested, moving on to a new subject.
Naruto looked at his feet in contemplation. "Nothing."
"I'm still trying to find you a personal trainer. It's been tough but you won't be doing nothing for long, I promise," the old man assured him.
Naruto didn't respond. He knew why not even the Hokage could coerce anyone to train him. Getting caught teaching the Demon Brat is social and career suicide. No one was ever going to take him in and teach him. Even if the Hokage asked them to do it.
"Are you still having that nightmare that keeps you up the last few months?" Hiruzen curiously inquired after the long-winded silence.
Naruto glanced at him. The memories of the nightmare flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Yeah," he said plainly. "But now I can remember the entire dream," he revealed, which made the Sarutobi lean up in his chair.
"Tell me about it then," the Hokage instructed the whiskered boy.
"In the nightmare, I can hear people screaming. I can't really see them, but I feel angry and hateful," Naruto began, trying to retell the events of the nightmare in order.
"I try and try but I can't move. I'm too weak, too hurt, I don't really know. I hear two people talking, some lady and her boyfriend or something," he explained. Hiruzen watched him carefully.
"I can't make out what they look like yet but they are talking about me, talking about sealing me away into their son," Naruto reveals. He wasn't sure but he thought he had seen something in Hiruzen, a slight change in demeanor.
"They mention the village, and that enraged me to no end. I was able to focus on them. Some redheaded woman and a blond guy. I don't know why, but in the moment I just felt pure hatred for them," he said. Naruto carefully noted how Hiruzen adjusted the grip on his cane.
"I don't want to be sealed away, so I try to kill their son, but they jump in the way and I hit them in the process. Stab them both clean through the stomach," he explained. "Their names were Minato and Kushina, I remember that." He watched the Sandaime for any developments in response.
"Then you showed up. Said it was a bad idea to seal me away into the kid. And the dream basically ended," Naruto looked down to his feet. "But something about all of it was so wrong. In the end, the man, Minato, called his son Naruto," he shakily revealed.
He faced the Hokage for some form of reassurance. The old man was silent for a moment. He appeared in deep thought about what Naruto had revealed to him.
Naruto grew impatient. His nerves got the best of him and he felt that he just needed to hear the Hokage say what he was withholding from him. "What do you think it means, Old Man?" Naruto beckoned with concern.
Hiruzen sighed and pursed his lips. He met Naruto's gaze with his own tired eyes. "Your seal is loosening and the Nine-Tails' chakra is leaking out of it," he explained. "When you're sleeping, its evil chakra mixing in with your own is making you see its memories," the aged man explained matter-of-factly.
Naruto gulped down a lump in his throat. "Am I going to be alright?"
"Oh yes, of course, child. The seal is meant to loosen over time to allow your two chakras to mix. Very soon, you'll be ready to start training to control the Fox's power," the Hokage tried to quell his worries.
"So, if I'm seeing the Kyūbi's memories, that means that the baby in the dream is actually… me…?" Naruto felt his heart race again. This huge realization at the forefront of his mind was rearing its head once more. Cold bullets of sweat sped down his forehead, he was petrified by the puzzle he was putting together.
The crow's feet under Hiruzen's eyes became more pronounced. He looked longingly at Naruto.
"I hadn't planned to tell you until you became older, when you'd be able to understand easier," Hiruzen explained somberly.
Naruto could feel the air get thicker and more humid. The entire atmosphere of the room had changed with the direction of the conversation. The whiskered blond felt the hairs on his arms stand up as a tense sense of panic set in.
"Understand what easier?" Naruto inquired. Though he was unsure if he even wanted to hear the answer to his question.
"This is an S-rank government secret, Naruto, so you can't let what I'm about to tell you get out to anyone else," the old man cryptically warned. "Trust me, it's in everyone's best interest that this stays a secret, otherwise you could be in severe danger. You need to give me your word that you won't tell anyone," Naruto could feel the severity of the weight of the Hokage's words get heavier with every sentence.
"Y-you have my word," Naruto promised, barely sure of himself.
Hiruzen closed his aged eyes and let out a labored breath. He looked into Naruto's blue eyes with sincerity and something else. Naruto focused his full attention on the old man's voice.
"The redheaded woman in your dream was named Kushina Uzumaki. The blond man was named Minato Namikaze," the Hokage began. Naruto nodded along in understanding at the old man.
"They were both Konoha Shinobi. Minato was the Fourth Hokage. They were your mother and father," the Sandaime explained to him.
Naruto froze in place. He felt a ringing in his ears grow louder and louder until he felt deafened. His heart began to beat vigorously into his own rib cage so badly it caused his head to start throbbing.
'My parents…' he thought with a hint of happiness at finally receiving a name for them.
The moment of reprieve was narrow. Naruto's genuine smile was replaced with a dark realization. His face was lathered with unyielding hopelessness. 'They're dead,' he realized. 'I'll never meet them,' he somberly thought. The feeling of hopelessness weighed down on his heart and grew into a crushing ocean of sadness.
He replayed the nightmare over and over in his mind. It was all he could think about to understand what they looked like. What they sounded like. He watched their faces grow wide with horror over and over again every single time the Nine-Tails tried to attack their child – him. 'How loving they were,' he thought, feeling robbed of his parents.
His face flashed with an awful look of terror. It hadn't occurred to him until then that he had been dreaming about slaughtering his beloved parents for months on end. All that hatred he felt for them, all the times he cursed himself because he couldn't kill his mother, father, and himself. 'All of this was the influence of the Nine-Tails? How can anything be so evil…?' He trembled under the disturbing malice that permeated within himself.
'But wait,' he thought in realization. 'If the nightmare is accurate then that means that they sealed the Nine-Tails into me.'
The surface underneath Naruto fell through as if the entire planet just crumbled away and left him careening into the infinite blackness. A million different emotions crashed over him like tsunami waves. They swallowed him, beating against him relentlessly until he was drowning. He remained completely still, preserved in a layer of shock.
'My father was the Fourth Hokage,' he repeated over and over in his mind hundreds of times. He tried desperately to make sense of it. The Hero of the Leaf put the Demon Fox into his own child. That couldn't be. It doesn't add up. What sort of parent, especially a hero, would burden their newborn child with such a fate? He lied, certainly the Old Man lied to him.
But the Old Man wouldn't do such a thing. Naruto knew that. Naruto knew that Hiruzen spoke honestly about this. There was no doubting that. His mind overloaded into incoherent nonsense. He sucked air deep into his lungs, forgetting that he hadn't been breathing. He threw his hand up to his chest as he panted uncontrollably and fell onto his knees.
His head was being rushed full of only loosely logical thoughts. Each one was more impossible than the next. Breath escaped in ragged gasps, and bile rose in his throat. It wasn't until several moments passed that he realized his cheeks were stained with tears. He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his chest with both hands.
'I'm supposed to be a hero for containing the Kyūbi inside,' he thought. 'And yet I am the most hated person in the village?' The bitter disgust for the villagers and for the truth grew stronger within him.
'Did they not love me?' Naruto pondered. 'Did they simply not care? They must have been evil! But he was the Hokage! What mother doesn't love her child?!'
"Naruto!"
The booming voice startled him back to the present and stilled the jumbled mess that was his mind.
He looked up. Hiruzen was knelt down over him with a somber expression. Naruto hadn't realized that the Hokage had rested his hand over his shoulder. Whether to comfort or to get his attention, Naruto didn't know.
"They did it because they had no other choice," Hiruzen quietly explained to Naruto, as if answering the thousands of questions that echoed inside Naruto's mind at once. "You helped them save Konoha and they trusted you to control the Beast's power," the Third revealed. "It will be difficult to understand right now, you're just ten years old, but don't hate them over it."
Naruto was silent. Staring at the aged Kage with his bulging blue eyes. "I-If it were your son," Naruto mouthed out between sniffles, "Would you do the same?" It was something Naruto needed to know. He needed to see if all Hokage were willing to do something so horrible to their own children or if it was just his father.
The Third didn't hesitate to give his answer. "I wouldn't have done a single thing different from Minato or Kushina if I were in the same situation," he firmly stated with a stern expression.
Naruto turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling in contemplation. 'I can't accept that,' he thought. 'The Hokage are heroes, why would they do something so horrible? I can't accept it!'
Out of the hundreds of rampant thoughts in his head, one stood out. One kept repeating and rose to the tumultuous surface. And in the chaos, clarity came. Naruto made his decision.
"I'm going to become the Hokage…" He said aloud. "I'll prove that a great Hokage will never need to do something so horrible!" he exclaimed to the Third.
Hiruzen just looked somberly at him, but it was too late for it all to be made right. "Sometimes being the Hokage means being able to make the hard decisions, Naruto," the old man reasoned to him with dejection.
Naruto peered into his tired eyes with a stern, determined expression that overshadowed the painful glare in his eyes. "Then I'll create a world where no one will need to be forced to make those decisions ever again."
Naruto sauntered down the street. His hands interlocked around his neck, he stared into the sky in deep thought. The sun was setting behind the Hokage Monument. Something about his father's monument was different than he remembered, but Naruto saw them all a little differently now.
It had been a few hours since his talk with Hiruzen. He was on his way home. He felt drained and empty. His body was heavy with fatigue and each step was laborious.
His stomach cried out. He still hadn't eaten all day. He scanned the area to get a better idea of where he was. Naruto realized that Ichiraku's was only around the street.
He reached the ramen stand.
"Ah, Naruto," Teuchi said. "You've looked better. Is everything alright?" the man asked with a hint of concern.
"Yeah," Naruto said stone-faced. "I only have enough for half a bowl, so can I get some miso ramen?" Naruto asked while he retrieved his frog wallet from his back pocket.
"Of course," Teuchi assured him with a smile which Naruto was thankful for. "It'll be done momentarily."
Momentarily came and went and Naruto was now finishing a savory bowl of miso ramen. He masterfully maneuvered his pair of chopsticks to get the final few strands of ramen noodles in the bowl.
"Tank you sho much for de meal, Mishter Ishiraku," Naruto babbled through a mouth full of noodles.
"It's my pleasure, Naruto," he replied in kind.
As Naruto gulped down the delicious broth of his ramen, the white curtains of Ichiraku Ramen parted.
"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen," the owner said.
Naruto peered over to his side as he finished his dish and set the bowl down. His blue eyes hardened on the new party. Goji, Mako, and Kira all stared back at him with inquisitive looks.
"I'll be seeing you then, Old Man Ichiraku," Naruto calmly said as he passed the last five ryō to the man and stepped off the stool.
"Come again, Naruto," Teuchi insisted as a goodbye.
Naruto briskly distanced himself from the ramen stand and rounded the corner to the street that led to his apartment complex. He turned his head to watch for his back, making sure that the three bullies weren't tailing him home. He found no sign of them and relaxed a bit.
He had entered the slums and turned into the alleyways. He used the cover of darkness all the way back to his apartment. He climbed the stairway and scanned the area for anyone lurking to take advantage of him. He then used his keys to open the door to his home.
The door squeaked open and he slipped inside. Pure darkness consumed the apartment as Naruto locked the door closed behind him. He had no electricity so he needed to blindly feel around for the matches on his nightstand that he used to light the oil lamps around his apartment.
Lamplight flooded his apartment enough for him to adequately see and he waved the lit match out in his hand.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Naruto turned to face his apartment door. His heart instantly pounded inside him. He never received kind visitors unless it was the Old Man. A thought ran through his mind at the sudden arrival of company.
'Watch your back, Demon Brat.' The threat that the boy made didn't fall on deaf ears. Naruto realized that he was indeed followed by the trio from Ichiraku's. Now they were here to make up for all the trouble Naruto dragged them into.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Naruto's hands shook from the nerves. Each tap against the door drew out a stronger feeling of anxiety.
"Come on out, punk, you knew it was coming one way or another," Kira said through the door.
Naruto quietly made his way to the front door. Uncertainty swelled in his chest and made it hard to control his breathing. 'Do I open the door or not?'
"If you let us in, I promise that we'll only smash all your shit into a million pieces," Mako tried to reason. "We'll take anything valuable too but I doubt a poor piece of trash like you has anything worth taking," Mako clarified.
"Open up, shithead, we wanna see your face," Goji exclaimed. He sounded like he was right against the door. "If you don't let us in you're gonna get your head beat in," the boy warned with a menacing sneer.
Naruto closed his fists to stop the shaking. They were so tight that his knuckles turned white. 'Fighting them all at the same time is asking to get knocked out,' Naruto reasoned. 'Maybe I can talk them down from destroying my apartment,' he thought a little naively.
He gulped down the saliva that flooded his mouth and sighed. He reached into his back right pocket and pushed his wallet aside for his switchblade. Naruto wanted to be a bit prepared to defend himself if the boys decided to rush inside the moment the door wasn't locked.
The blade was whisked open, and he held it from plain sight behind the door. Naruto then unlocked the door and cracked it open just enough to see face-to-face.
The warm orange lamplight seeped out from his apartment and into the darkness. The trio of visitors were doused in orange light, their wicked grins clearly visible on their faces.
"What do you want?" he beckoned the trio.
"You're not going to make us go away," Mako instantly clarified.
"Are you gonna take it like a man or do you wanna fight?" Goji asked with an amused expression.
"I'd rather not do either," Naruto half-seriously admitted.
"That's too bad, you should've thought about that before you got us all in trouble," Kira said.
Naruto looked between his visitors in silence for a moment. "Guys, do we really have to do this?" he inquired with a pleading tone.
"You brought it on yourself," Mako spat.
"Yeah." Naruto was too emotionally drained to feel anger, to feel fed up. He just took their threats with indifference and an emotionless glare.
Naruto sighed. He knew what was coming next. He was exhausted and didn't want to do this but they were forcing it out of him. He can't just roll over and let them beat him half to death and ruin his home.
He slammed the door shut and locked it.
"Hey!" Goji yelled in agitated surprise.
"You chose this!" Mako exclaimed through the door.
BANG!
The door was nearly forced open. One of them was trying to bust in.
BANG!
Naruto stepped back to make some distance and got ready with his knife. 'Maybe if they see that I'm armed they'll leave?' Naruto thought. 'Just for them to try and catch me when I'm not armed or asleep,' he realized.
BANG!
He knew that if things weren't settled here then these kids would keep coming back to start trouble. Naruto knew that he had to defend himself from them even if it meant that someone got hurt.
BANG!
The doorway flew off its hinges, followed closely by a body soaring into the room shoulder first.
Naruto was overcome with fight or flight. He swung the knife up at his intruder. The feeling of the sharp blade dragging through the parting skin of his enemy's face was surreal and almost sickening.
The intruding boy tumbled onto the ground and buried his face beneath his hands. Naruto became caked in sweat at the sight of crimson blood crawling through the boy's fingers and seeping down his wrists. His breathing picked up rapidly with the level of adrenaline running through him.
"M-My eye!" Goji cried from the floor.
"Goji!" Kira and Mako shouted together as they rushed into the apartment.
Naruto backed away from the intruders. Mako swiftly took to aiding his injured friend while Kira looked on in horror.
Naruto knew that he had to take advantage of the situation now and pounced at Kira, plunging his switchblade deep into the boy's upper hip.
"Ah!" Kira yelled in agony. Naruto's wrist was seized by the boy to stop him from forcing the knife in further. His features were overcome with anger and sweat. Kira drew his free arm back. "Hnng!" His fist rocketed toward Naruto's face, who had no time to react.
The fist crashed into Naruto's left cheek like a hammer. His jaw creaked from the force and his head snapped back from the blow. Naruto was consumed by darkness and a piercing noise rang out in his ears.
When Naruto came to his senses, he was on all fours. The taste of iron blanketed his taste buds. That punch made his teeth snap down on his own tongue.
"Kira, are you okay?!" he heard Mako shout.
Naruto powered through his daze and looked at his enemies. Kira had fallen onto the floor, writhing around while his hands pressed down on his wound. The warm lamplight caused the pooling blood on the floor to glisten and gleam orange.
"No, I'm not," Kira winced in pain. "You gotta get the knife away from that bastard!" he instructed with indignation.
Naruto and Mako shared gazes. Naruto's face was one of surprise, but Mako's was painted with anger.
"You're dead now," Mako threatened as he stood up and rushed toward Naruto.
Naruto no longer had the element of surprise and these boys were far bigger than him, he knew he couldn't take Mako head-to-head in a fight. He tried to rush to his feet and leap out of the way of his lumbering enemy but he wasn't fast enough.
Mako tackled him into the kitchen of his apartment. They rolled around on the ground as Naruto tried to free himself from the overwhelming strength of the boy.
Naruto tried to wriggle out from underneath Mako but it was to no avail. He slipped his knife out from under the boy and instantly thrust it at his chest.
Mako was quicker though and snatched Naruto's hand out of the air and pinned the knife to the floor. Twisting Naruto's wrist and slamming his hand into the floor, he winced in pain. Naruto had no choice but to let go of the weapon which was flung across the apartment.
Naruto clenched his teeth. He got his other hand free and socked Mako in the nose which made the sweat fly off of his face.
"Bastard!" Mako yelled with rage and hooked his other hand down to the wooden surface.
The struggling duo shared fiery stares. A streak of blood trailed down Mako's right nostril and dripped onto Naruto's black shirt. Naruto got an idea. He tilted his head back and summoned all of his strength, then slammed his head into Mako's nose.
Red poured from Mako's nostrils like rain onto Naruto. He watched the tears stream down Mako's cheeks and cup his hands around his nose.
Naruto used his free hands to swing on Mako from underneath him. He wailed on the teary-eyed boy, bouncing his head around. Naruto was able to writhe out from underneath Mako and hopped to his feet.
Naruto unleashed a barrage of attacks. Mako desperately tried to crawl away. When Mako got to the kitchen sink he tried to stand up, but Naruto would not permit him.
Mako tried his best to defend himself from Naruto's assault but it didn't matter. Naruto weaved his fist through Mako's feeble block and drilled him in the chin. He could hear the boy's teeth snap together and saw his eyes roll into the back of their sockets.
Mako's head crashed into the kitchen sink and rattled the towering dishes above until they toppled down over the top of him. Pots, pans, and plates crashed over him and hammered into his skull. He was unable to recover and fell onto the floor face-first.
Dirty dishes littered the floor. Naruto planted one foot over each side of Mako's figure and turned him over onto his back. His arms lay sprawled out on the ground. The entire room quaked as Naruto plummeted onto Mako, pinning his arms down with his knees.
The boy was hardly conscious. He couldn't defend himself even if he willed it so. Naruto regarded his emotionless face. It angered him. Or maybe he was just angry about his circumstances. Today was tough. All Naruto wanted to do now was take it out on Mako.
And so he did. He bashed the boy's face in and his head bounced off the wooden floor after every single strike. The bruises on his knuckles were covered with splatters of blood.
'This is for calling me trash,' he thought as he unleashed another blow into the boy's face. 'This is for picking on me,' followed up with another blow. 'This is for underestimating me,' on and on it went. He took out each and every frustration that plagued his young mind on Mako with brutal violence.
Naruto clenched his teeth in anger and unleashed everything he had on the intruder. Attack succeeded attack until Naruto totally gassed out on top of Mako. He choked down what oxygen he could and wiped the stinging sweat from his pink eyes.
Pausing to rest, he hadn't considered the state of Mako's face. His left eye was swollen shut along with his cheeks. His nose was bashed in, Naruto was certain that it was broken. Blood continued to pour from his caved-in nose and seeped into his mouth staining his teeth red. He couldn't tell for sure, but Naruto thought he saw a gap in his mouth where a tooth used to be as well.
Naruto relaxed his shoulders and forced a labored inhale and exhale through his nose. The adrenaline had worn off. His eye hurt like hell and he could barely open it. It was swollen shut from that overhand Kira rocked him with.
A wave of guilt overcame him, he felt sorry for hurting Mako so brutally. But on the other hand, he realized that Mako wouldn't feel sorry for him if the roles were swapped. He was conflicted within. On one hand, he knew what he had done was wrong but he equally knew that it felt great to beat the hell out of a bully.
Naruto's inward reflection was interrupted by a powerful kick to his face that rattled his brain in his skull. Blood propelled from Naruto's nose as he was knocked from the top of Mako's body and onto the floor.
"You will never be forgiven," Goji said as he loomed over him. Naruto saw the long horizontal cut that ran from Goji's cheek and through his left eye. Blood ran down his face and neck.
The blond tried to get up onto his hands and knees but Goji drove his foot deep into Naruto's gut and forced all the breath from his lungs. He winced at the sound of his ribs cracking.
Naruto tried to get up again but was met with a crushing kick to the face which liberated a tooth from its place. Naruto felt Goji lift him up onto his feet and then seize his throat. Goji locked his hands into a chokehold and held Naruto in place.
"Kira," Goji called to his friend. Naruto watched fear-stricken as Kira slowly struggled to get onto his feet and wobbled over to Naruto who could hardly breathe or speak.
Panic set in, Naruto knew that if he didn't do something he was going to suffer greatly. He thrashed wildly, trying to break free of Goji's grip with all of his might. He pried at the stronger boy's hands and scratched and clawed at his face, trying to dig his fingers into the boy's split eye, but it was futile.
Kira drilled his fist deep into Naruto's stomach. If his throat wasn't closed he would've vomited on the spot. Kira unleashed a volley of hooks on Naruto's sides. Tears pricked at his eyes.
"You have to pay for everything you've done," Kira said as he looked down at Naruto with disdain. He drove his powerful fists into Naruto's face. Blood streamed down his nose and his teeth tore into the sides of his cheeks with each strike he ate.
A few more strikes and the ringing in his ears was too loud for him to make out what Kira was saying as he beat his head in. Naruto's brain was being thrashed inside his head so much that consciousness became fleeting.
After a couple more blows, he was only barely conscious. He didn't know where he was or that he was still getting ruthlessly beaten. His tense arms fell to their sides and his legs went limp, only moving when they'd jiggle after his face had to eat another brutal attack.
Naruto could see the blackness closing in around him. He felt content with the idea of dying here. At least he wouldn't need to wrestle with being hated or dealing with the loneliness anymore. He never asked for any of this, he didn't even get to choose to join the Ninja Academy. In that moment, he understood that he never had any say. He realized that this life was chosen for him. Whether it was by his parents or the village didn't matter.
Naruto could faintly feel Goji drop him onto the ground face-first. His squinted blue eyes were dim but they latched onto Kira who towered over him with a revulsed look. He lifted his foot high over Naruto's head and slammed it down over him.
'Please let it end,' was all Naruto managed to think at that moment and the brutal curb stomp crashed down on top of his skull, careening him into a valley of infinite darkness. In a weird way, he found it comforting.
END
Author's Note
Hey guys. I hope this chapter finds you well.
It was awesome to see all the support for the first chapter. I'm very grateful for that.
It's key to keep in mind that this is an AU, so if you do see something that doesn't match up with canon, odds are that its an intentional change like 98% of the time.
I also wanted to give some credit to another person who has been very integral in putting this all together. Their name is carnage1699, that's also their gmail username. He is the guy who got me to start writing all this in the first place and has planned this entire storyline out with me. He has some of his own projects that he's working on and he's willing to pay. I know he is in need of some illustrators as well so if you wanna make some easy money just send him a quick email.
But anyways, yea that's about all for now. Chapter 3 will be dropping on the Saturday of September 16th. Favorite, follow, review, all that nice stuff.
Godspeed,
Salt.
