Chapter 1: The Beginning

On a moonlit night, a six-year-old boy runs through a dark alley, trying his best not to get caught by a group of pursuers. The darkness of the night hides him as he ventures through the back alleys of the crowded festival.

As he ran, cutting through one corner and to the next, he decided to hide behind a big dumpster. His heartbeat skyrocketed as each step brought his pursuers closer and closer.

Tonight, a celebration is being held to commemorate the calamity that struck the village six years ago. Food stalls and mini-games are scattered along the village's main street.

A performance was held on the stage, making it the main attraction for the eyes of people. Mainly because it shows their hero, the fourth Hokage, fighting the nine-tailed fox 'Kyuubi' that causes havoc across the village. The pain and memories still linger in their heads.

"That fucking piece of shit ran so fast!" cursed one of his pursuers, clutching an empty bottle of liquor.

"Tch! Let's go that way!" Luckily, one of the pursuers holding a steel pipe led them in the opposite direction from where the little boy was currently located.

The boy's name is Naruto Uzumaki.

A child without a father or a mother. An orphan from the nine-tailed fox attack that took place exactly six years ago. A great number of people were killed that night, both ninjas and civilians. While the attack of the nine-tailed fox left many orphans, in Naruto's case it's… special in a way.

He was born on the same day as when the nine-tailed fox attacked the village.

The angry and grieving populace marked him as bad luck. His birthmark, a set of whiskers on his face which mimics the ninetail, didn't help his situation at all. Some of the populace even believed he was the reincarnation of the nine-tailed fox. Naming him "demon child" made him the perfect outlet for their hatred.

The boy is hated, despised, shunned, condemned, and cursed - all words on the opposite side of 'loved'.

When he felt that his pursuers were far enough away, he left his hiding spot and continued on his way to his home. He was quite perceptive, but never realized that his sensing ability was unique; it was like he could sense malicious intent around him. As he walked, avoiding the main streets, a glimpse of a food stall and a faint smell of food stopped him in his tracks.

He stood there, stuck in place.

Naruto was alright money-wise. The third Hokage, the village head, happened to give him some money every month. The reason for this was unknown to him, but at least he had money, right? Well, what's the use of money if no one wants to sell you anything?

The only people willing to take his money are price-gouging merchants, some bullies, and adults who just enjoy robbing money from a cursed child.

No matter how harmless he was as a child, some still saw him as an evil being. He received glares and cold shoulders wherever he went. He was bullied by a child the same age as him, got kicked to the dark alleys by an angry adult, was spat on his face, and was thrown out of stores.

The countless abuses he suffered all these years ultimately helped to shape him into the person he is today.

Suddenly, he shifted to a pair of eyes that observed him from the crowd at the festival. Unlike the previous encounter he had, there was no hint of malice or hatred he could sense.

The festival lights illuminate the figure from behind. A pair of soft black eyes curiously stare at him.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of wooden sandals echoes through the alley.

As the distance lessened between them, Naruto realized the figure in front of him was a girl around his age. Clad in a black and dark blue kimono, she had her black hair tied into a short ponytail. A part of it turned into a bang, covering the side of her face.

With a pack of cotton candy in one hand and a stick of grilled meat in the other, the girl eyed him curiously. "Are you lost?" The girl's calm voice got the boy's attention in front of her.

"…N-not really" he answered in a low voice almost mumbling, which made the girl raise her eyebrows.

"Are you sure? My father is the head of the police force. I'm sure he can help." She assured.

"I-I said I'm fine" stammered he threw his gaze to his side. But the smell of the food caught his attention, hesitantly his eyes moved to the grilled meat in the girl's hand.

The obvious glance he gave, of course, the girl took notice of it. Naruto mustered up the courage "…What is that?" in a low voice.

"Hmm? oh this? It's grilled meat, it's called yakitori." The girl pushed her right hand to the boy in front of her and asked, "Do you want it?"

"N-No... it's okay..."

"You can have it" She took a step forward.

"…Are you sure?" Naruto eyed the hand suspiciously, taking one step back without him realizing it.

Growing up, Naruto developed some issues from an early age, mostly starting after he was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of four. As far as he can remember, he has been living in the orphanage.

Living in the orphanage, at least for Naruto is already hard on its own way. Getting picked on by older orphans, getting less food ration than the others, sleeping without a blanket, you name it. No adult was willing to talk to him or teach him anything, that includes reading, writing, and even basic human knowledge.

In their eyes, he is just dirt they want to get rid of as soon as possible.

But that hell is still better than another hell waiting for him on the street. After getting kicked out of the orphanage, the young blond roamed around the streets with barely any food for months. After noticing who he was, no one was willing to give him food, and no one cared about his well-being.

Asking for food or even just standing in front of a restaurant often results in being kicked, spat at, or worse, having hot water thrown on him.

Hungry and tired. He was dying, but something was keeping him alive, healing him of any wounds, scars, or burn marks he got. But the hunger remained, the pain carved into his memories, and the suffering continued.

"I bought it for my big brother, but he just went ahead with his girlfriend," she said sadly, "It's yours if you want".

Although hesitant, the delicious smell made it hard for him to decline. Naruto sheepishly took the yakitori from her hand. The hot steam from the food combined with the delicious smell filled his nose "T-thanks"

Living on the streets has taught him the value of money and food. That's why the thought of wasting food never crossed his mind.

Food. He needs it; his body needs it. Sure, drinking water from a nearby river helped him regain some strength to walk, but the hunger still tormented him.

Naruto had tried to find some leftovers in the trash bin, but that only provoked some anger from the people nearby. He would be lucky to catch a fish from the nearby river and grill it, or eat some random mushrooms in the forest which most of the time made him sick.

With hunger and a lack of energy, the blond-haired boy wandered aimlessly in hopelessness. These torturous months have opened his eyes to more than just people in the orphanage; the whole village despises him. The reason is unknown to him, only glares, kicks, punches, and curses fill his torturous days with words like "monster" and "demon".

So much for a kid his age.

Rain has poured and the cold only adds to his suffering. But he didn't care, letting rainwater do its job of making his body wet.

Stumbling to one small stall, the smell coming from inside piqued his interest. Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man recognized him as the boy who everyone hated, but he didn't care. There was a cold, hungry child at his door. So, he invited young Naruto into the warmth of his stall, dried him off, and gave him a big bowl of warm ramen.

Stared at the bowl in front of him, Naruto's small lips tried to say 'I can't accept this… I don't have any money' yet those words stuck on his throat, too scared to talk to the older man. He eyed the man behind the counter.

"Eat it, about the money, you can pay me later when you have the money" giving him a warm smile "So, tell me kid, what happened to you?" he asked trying to get Naruto to open up to him and listen to his story.

The crowd in the distance can be heard from where the two kids currently stand. Her black eyes meet his blue ones. Her lips curled into a small smile when she heard his shy thanks. "Don't mention it," she said, turning around. "Oh, I need to go. My parents might get worried if I'm gone for too long." With her back turned to him, she strolled toward the bright lights of the festival.

The boy noticed a small symbol drawn on the back of her kimono. It was a simple round fan with its colors divided in the middle. Red was on top and white was on the bottom.

She stopped her stroll for a second "By the way, what's your name?" she asked, glancing back at the boy.

"N-Naruto… Naruto Uzumaki" he replied in a low voice.

"Nice to meet you, my name is- "

"-Honey! Where are you?" before she can finish, a voice catches her attention. From the tone alone Naruto can distinguish it as an adult male.

From the experiences he had all these years, Naruto had trouble facing adults. He takes some steps back earning a confused look from the girl in front of him

"Oh, that must be my father. I better get going now. See you around" waving her hand and starts to jog towards the bright side of the festival. Leaving the boy in the darkness of the back alley.

Father, family… those are things he never experienced in his life. Naruto shrugged; he turned his back and continued on his way. The encounter with the girl was a new experience for him. Even though he didn't get her name, he believes they will meet again someday.

Eating the grilled meat he got from her, it tastes good. With the money he has, he can buy some more. But the question is, will they even sell him any? Well, Naruto knows the answer... A beating, curses, or hot water.

Either one of them or even all of them could be his answer.

Still can't beat ramen, Naruto murmured to himself while finishing his grilled meat.

Naruto's love for ramen is not just about the taste of the food, but also about the experience he had for the first time.

Someone actually cares about him.

The old man, Teuchi, not only gave him food but made him opened up and listened to his story. At first, Naruto is suspicious of Teuchi, but later Naruto can feel the genuine feeling Teuchi gives off. Teuchi, after listening to the blond kid's story goes out of the ramen stall, leaving it to his daughter who is currently accompanying young Naruto.

A moment later, Teuchi brought young Naruto to one of the apartment rooms on the outskirts of the village. Inside, two other adult figures were waiting for their arrival.

Sitting on one of the chairs in the kitchen Surprising Naruto, the new figure in the room was none other than their village leader, the third Hokage. Beside him stands another person with a white dog-shaped mask covering his face. The third Hokage gestured his hand for Naruto to take a seat, so he did.

"Good evening, Naruto-kun" he smiled warmly, his old yet stern voice echoing in the small kitchen.

The Hokage has been informed by Teuchi of the current condition of Naruto. The third Hokage knew who Naruto's parents were. But as much as he wanted to tell him, it would only bring the kid danger. So, the only thing he could do was to protect him from the sidelines.

Being the son of the fourth Hokage himself already gets a bounty on his head if his existence is made public. A lot of people hate the fourth Hokage nicknamed 'yellow flash'. His prowess able to kill hundreds of enemies in a matter of seconds had cast a permanent fear on the enemy's side. And Naruto being a Jinchuriki 'a human sacrifice' to seal the nine-tailed fox only adds more weight to ensure his secret and safety.

"I've heard of your situation, and as a leader of the village, I ask for your forgiveness" Bowing his head to the kid in front of him, Naruto can only stare. Puzzled at first, but he wasn't an idiot, he racked his brain and instantly realized what the old man in front of him meant

"Why… why does everyone hate me?" a small voice almost missed by everyone in the room "I... haven't done anything wrong..." his tears started to run down his face.

"Please forgive them, they are just confused by the circumstances," the Hokage said weakly.

"But why? Tell me the reason!" he replied, raising his voice and clenching his fist under the table.

"That, I'm afraid I can't tell you, you are not old enough."

"So, I'm old enough to get beaten around, starved to death, and cursed but not old enough to know the reason" cried the current four-year-old boy.

The third Hokage can only let the silence answer his question.

"You fucking adults are a selfish bunch!" foul language was not fit for a kid his age, but that's by normal standards. Naruto used to this language for as long as he could remember, those words were mainly directed at him.

"Enough!" the Hokage hit the table loud enough to stop the blond kid further. Only to get him to sob harder

"I hope I can make it up to you in the future," Hokage said weakly "But for now all I can do for you is this…"

He hands out a key and an envelope to the boy "It's the key to this apartment and enough money for you to eat, don't waste it" The Hokage gets up and proceeds to leave the apartment with his bodyguard and Teuchi. Leaving Naruto alone in his new apartment.

The trio walks through a dirt road filled with puddles.

"Hokage-Sama isn't that a bit harsh," said Teuchi glancing toward the third Hokage.

"For now... This is for the best, I have my own reasons. I can't risk being seen near him. There are eyes everywhere" walking through the empty road "It's for the peace of our village. I hope you understand".

Although that's bugging him, Teuchi chooses to keep his silence. The uncomfortable silence continues until Teuchi excuses himself and goes his own way. Bowing his head to the Hokage then leaves.

"Inu" called Hokage, earning attention from the bodyguard behind him.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama?" The dog-masked bodyguard tilted.

"I know that the fourth Hokage ordered you to guard his pregnant wife back then, I'll have you continue that mission. I'll leave his son, Naruto, in your care. teach him basic things, and also protect him from a distance if necessary. Until further order, you will remain on his side"

"Yes sir!"

For the next few months, Inu teaches all the necessary stuff Naruto needs, from reading, writing, and basic human etiquette, and trying to get rid of his harsh words.

But nothing ever goes as planned.

Naruto for the first few months, didn't even listen to Inu, thinking that the masked man was just there because of his mission. He ignores all the masked man's advice.

But as time goes on, and thanks to Inu's persistence, they started to become closer.

Naruto began to see the white-haired masked man as his big brother. He started to become less tense, as shown by the change in his demeanor and how he started controlling his language and becoming polite even if just a little. This development is more than welcomed. Inu who has been observing Naruto, always reports any development to the third Hokage. This, of course, made the third Hokage happy.

But only 1 year since Inu teaches Naruto, the third Hokage orders him to go on another mission and leave Naruto alone. But Inu didn't object, it was an order after all.

He had taught Naruto all basic knowledge from reading, writing, basic human etiquette, and even some ninja knowledge like Shurikenjutsu and Taijutsu. Inu believes that Naruto can defend himself if necessary. the current Naruto still has issues, but he believes that he will grow into a better person, and time will be the witness.

Walking through the back alley away from the festival, Naruto finished the grilled meat in his hand. Suddenly from the corner of his eyes, he saw the old man that pursued him from before, with a drunk look and an empty bottle of liquor in his hand.

Naruto sighed, he carelessly let his guard down.

"Finally! Found you, you piece of shit!" the man roared and started charging towards Naruto.

Inu had taught him Taijutsu for self-defense, although only the basics. Something that a kid can practice. But he later found out the talent that the blond kid had under his teaching. While Naruto is still troubled by social interaction. His brain on the other hand is downright surprising.

After learning how to read and write, Naruto has consumed books every day. Reading has become one of his prominent hobbies, but the bookstore and library had prohibited him from even entering, so in his stead, Inu had gone out every day to get some books for Naruto to read.

On the other hand, his physique is in the worst condition given his bad diet and lack of training. But looking at his base physique and seemingly high amount of stamina, his potential is very high. Given his limited time teaching him, Inu can only strengthen his body through some physical training routines and some basic Taijutsu.

While only limited to basic Taijutsu, Naruto can improvise in all kinds of conditions Inu put him in while they spar. His adaptivity and fast thinking are commendable.

He is just like his parents, Inu thought, hiding his smile under his mask.

Coming closer to Naruto, the drunk man charged at him with empty bottle in his right hand trying to land some hit on the blond kid. Naruto was used to this, even though he can slip through thanks to his sense, sometimes he is forced to face them head-on because of his carelessness.

The six-year-old boy just skillfully ducks and avoids all the incoming attacks aimed at him. Before he took an opportunity to stab the drunk man's right leg with a wooden stick that he still holds in his hand.

He leaves the stick and lets it stay in the drunk man's leg, producing a loud scream of pain.

"Argh! you fucker, you will pay for this!" He smashes his bottle to a nearby electricity pole resulting in his bottle breaking to pieces, the drunk man now has a lethal weapon. Without saying any more words, the drunk man charged at Naruto with the sharp edge of the bottle. Of course, with how agile Naruto is, he can easily dodge all incoming attacks.

In Naruto's own justification, if his attacker is dead set on killing him, Naruto will try to eliminate that threat without more consideration. It happens more than once, he had 'accidentally' killed some of his attackers. Consumed by hate, the villager tried to kill him, coming with a weapon in hand.

Naruto just let his survival instinct take over. And for the first time, slit his attacker's neck, resulting in their deaths.

Of course, such action will not go unnoticed by the third Hokage and resulted in him getting severe punishment, only a 'self-defense' excuse let him get away.

The third Hokage had ordered ANBU to take care of his mess and to cook up some excuses for the relatives left behind. Luckily or unluckily, most of them already live in solitude after the nine-tailed attack, and most of their family has already been wiped out by the incident.

So, in the end, it is aggression fueled by revenge again.

Naruto doesn't want to get scolded and punished by the third Hokage anymore. He always said to the Hokage that it was legit self-defense. Some Scolding and punishment later, Naruto learns from it, He realizes his mistake, not to let his emotion get ahead of himself and not to take life easily mainly his fellow villagers.

Still, they can hurt and try to kill him, yet he is not allowed to return their gesture? that doesn't sit well with him.

That's a load of bullshit, he thought.

but he shrugged it off. people called him a monster, if he continued down that path, he only solidified their point. So, he will refrain for now and prove them wrong. now, what should he do to immobilize his attacker?

A six-year-old could not possibly overpower a fully grown-up man, even with his good physique.

Somewhere else.

Two adults and one little girl walk through the street toward their home.

One of the adults had short, brown hair that reached to his shoulders and onyx-colored eyes, with visible creases below them which produce a stern look on his face, while the female linking her arm with his, is a fair-skinned woman with long, straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face too roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes that have a softer and calm demeanor.

All three of them have the same design kimono with the same symbol behind their back.

"Satsuki… where were you? We were worried about you," said the woman.

"Kaa-san, I'm just going to the food stall to buy food for me and Nii-san". She holds out her hand which holds the cotton candy she bought "But Nii-san had gone with Izumi-nee-san," she walks in front of her mother pouting. "But I met this boy in the alley, I thought he was separated from his parents. But he insisted that he was okay. He looks hungry so I give him Nii-san's yakitori."

"That is very nice of you, but don't go to the back alley at night time, also with this festival on the way, lots of drunk people roaming around, it's dangerous" the man warned her.

"Now. Now… everything is okay so we can leave it at that" the mother waves trying to calm his husband, "but the boy interests me, is he someone we know?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him before" the girl answered.

"It might be a kid from the orphanage, how does he look?" the father said. Considering his job as the head of the police force, he can figure out most of the faces in this village

"I'm not sure, it was dark back there, but I guess he is the same age as me," the girl said throwing a glance at her father "Oh, I think his name is Naruto"

"Naruto?" the mother abruptly stops, which forces the man in her arm to stop as well.

"Yeah, Naruto if I'm not Mista-" her mother's eyes wide open "Honey, we have to go back!" the mother face turned to panic, yelled and pulled the arm of her husband.

Three figure jogs through the crowd of the festival. The street of Konoha was crowded, bustling with the festival-goer. But as the time comes closer to midnight it begins to disperse as the crowd retires to their respective home.

Into the dark back alley. "This is the place," said the smallest figure between the three. It wasn't that long since they started looking for the boy.

But the boy is nowhere to be seen.

Charging with a broken bottle, the drunk man thrust into the little boy's torso. But Naruto pulls his torso aside, easily dodging the attack. Recovering his stance, the drunk man stands wobbly and tried to once again hit the boy, now he works his leg trying to kick the boy.

Bad choice, Naruto marked.

Naruto sidestepped from the drunk man's attack and when the kick misses Naruto, he exploits the kick's momentum to his advantage. Grabbing the drunk man's leg with both of his hands and yanking them to his side.

The drunk man already has balance issues, from the liquor and wooden stick that stabbed into his legs, so that resulting in him falling down on his back. His head hit the ground pretty hard and unconsciously let his weapon go. Naruto quickly charges into the fallen drunk man, stepping on his stomach before he sits on his chest. Now his head is within Naruto's reach, he starts to send relentless punches to his face and finishing punch to knock the man unconscious.

As the body falls unconscious, bruises have found their way painting the drunk man's face blue.

Naruto wipes the sweat running down his face, panting heavily. He throws the broken bottle from the side of the drunk man into the nearby trash can.

Fighting people twice almost thrice his size is not easy. But he managed like he always had. hit and parry, until the drunk man stumbled and gave him the opportunity to fight back.

Luckily it's a one-on-one situation if more coming, Naruto will choose to run away instead.

The man didn't hurt that much, aside from the stick that stabbed his leg, bruises, and bloodied nose. Naruto wiped some blood on his hand on the unconscious drunk man's clothes and left the man, cautiously proceeding to his apartment. It's almost midnight and his body is crying for a good night's sleep for tomorrow's activity.

In a matter of minutes, he arrived at his destination.

The apartment is on the outskirts of the village, with minimum crowd activity even on a busy day. The place is perfect for hiding and as far as he notices, no one knows his apartment. That gives him assurance that no one will break in to just rob or destroy his apartment.

His apartment is nothing fancy, one bedroom, kitchen, toilet, and bathtub are all he needs to survive, anything else is just a luxury. As he lays down on his bed, he realizes that he would enter the academy next spring. Nervous but he cast that feeling aside as his drowsiness started to take him to sleep.