The air was thick with tension as Naruto Uzumaki ran through the dark forest, the Forbidden Scroll clutched tightly in his arms. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He knew he shouldn't have stolen it, but Mizuki had promised that this was his chance to prove himself—to show everyone that he was more than just the village troublemaker.
"All I have to do is learn one jutsu from this stupid scroll," Naruto muttered to himself, skidding to a stop in a small clearing. "Then everyone will have to respect me."
But even as he unrolled the massive scroll, a knot of unease twisted in his stomach. There was something wrong about all of this. The way Mizuki had looked at him, the way he had spoken… It didn't feel right.
Pushing the thought aside, Naruto focused on the scroll in front of him, his eyes scanning the complex symbols and seals. His heart raced with a mix of fear and excitement. He had always struggled in the Academy, always been at the bottom of the class, but this was his chance to change that. To show everyone that he wasn't just a failure.
As he read, his mind wandered, unbidden memories rising to the surface. The whispers behind his back, the cold, disdainful looks from the villagers, the cruel taunts from his classmates. He had never understood why they hated him, why they treated him like he was something dangerous, something to be feared.
"Monster."
"Demon."
"Stay away from him."
The words echoed in his mind, each one a dagger to his heart. He had spent his entire life trying to prove them wrong, trying to show them that he was more than the monster they saw. But no matter how hard he tried, it was never enough.
He had no family, no friends. Just an empty apartment and the bitter, aching loneliness that gnawed at him day and night. The only person who had ever shown him kindness was Iruka-sensei, the one teacher who seemed to believe in him, who treated him like a person, not a monster.
"I'm going to prove them wrong, Iruka-sensei," Naruto whispered, his voice trembling with determination. "I'm going to become Hokage. I'm going to make them all see me."
But as he struggled to decipher the scroll, a rustling sound caught his attention. He looked up, his heart skipping a beat as he saw Iruka standing at the edge of the clearing, his face pale and tense.
"Naruto! What are you doing?" Iruka's voice was filled with a mix of fear and anger. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Naruto's heart sank, guilt and panic twisting in his chest. "I—Mizuki-sensei said—"
"Mizuki?" Iruka's eyes widened with shock and horror. "Naruto, Mizuki lied to you! He's using you to get the Forbidden Scroll!"
Naruto's blood ran cold. "No… that can't be true…"
But even as he spoke, a cruel, mocking laugh echoed through the clearing. Naruto and Iruka turned to see Mizuki stepping out from the shadows, a twisted smile on his face.
"Well, well, it seems the demon brat isn't as stupid as I thought," Mizuki sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice. "But it's too late now. Hand over the scroll, Naruto."
Naruto shook his head, his hands trembling as he clutched the scroll tighter. "No! You lied to me! You said—"
"I said what you needed to hear, brat." Mizuki's voice was cold and cruel. "Did you really think anyone in this village would ever accept you? You're nothing but a monster. The Nine-Tailed Fox that destroyed our village."
Naruto's heart stopped, the world around him spinning. "What… what are you talking about?"
Iruka's face was filled with horror. "Mizuki, don't—"
But Mizuki continued, his voice filled with venom. "You really don't know, do you? You're the Nine-Tails, the demon that killed so many people twelve years ago. The Fourth Hokage sealed it inside you. That's why everyone hates you. That's why you'll always be alone."
Naruto felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him. The words didn't make sense. They couldn't be true. But deep down, something inside him knew. He had always known, in some small, dark corner of his mind.
"No…" he whispered, his voice breaking. "No, that's not true…"
Iruka stepped forward, his eyes filled with desperation. "Naruto, don't listen to him! You're not the Nine-Tails! You're—"
But before he could finish, Mizuki moved, faster than Naruto could follow. He drew a massive shuriken from his back and hurled it at Naruto with a vicious snarl.
"Die, demon!"
Everything seemed to slow down. Naruto watched, frozen, as the shuriken spun toward him. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. And then, with a shout, Iruka threw himself in front of Naruto, the shuriken burying itself in his back with a sickening thud.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto screamed, his heart shattering as Iruka collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the wound.
Iruka gasped, his body trembling with pain. "Naruto… run… get away…"
But Naruto couldn't move, couldn't think. All he could see was Iruka's blood, pooling on the ground, soaking into the earth. All he could hear was the faint, ragged gasps of his teacher, his only friend.
"No… no, no, no…" Naruto's voice broke, tears streaming down his face. "This can't be happening…"
Mizuki laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed through the clearing. "This is what happens to those who protect a monster. Now, give me the scroll, and I might let you live."
But Naruto wasn't listening. His mind was a storm of grief and rage, his heart aching with a pain so deep it felt like it was tearing him apart.
And then, deep inside him, something snapped.
A surge of energy, dark and powerful, flooded through him. His body trembled, his vision blurring as he felt something inside him awaken—a terrible, primal force that clawed at the edges of his mind.
"You…" Naruto's voice was low, filled with a rage he had never known. "You killed him…"
Mizuki sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice. "What are you going to do about it, demon brat?"
Naruto's body moved on its own, his hands forming a series of seals. He didn't know where the knowledge came from, didn't know how he was doing it, but he didn't care. All he knew was the rage, the need to destroy.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he roared, his voice echoing through the clearing.
In an instant, the forest was filled with hundreds of Narutos, their eyes blazing with fury. Mizuki's sneer faltered, his eyes widening in shock.
"What the—"
But before he could react, the clones were upon him, their fists and feet flying in a relentless onslaught. Mizuki screamed, his body buckling under the sheer force of the attack.
Naruto's vision blurred, his heart pounding with a wild, uncontrollable rage. He could feel the dark energy surging through him, could feel the terrible power of it consuming him.
And then, with a final, desperate cry, he struck Mizuki with a blow that sent the man crashing to the ground. For a moment, everything was still, the only sound the ragged, gasping breaths of the clones as they surrounded Mizuki's broken body.
But then, a strange, choking sound filled the air. Naruto watched, his heart pounding, as Mizuki's body convulsed, his mouth opening wide in a grotesque, unnatural way.
And then, to Naruto's horror, a figure began to emerge from Mizuki's mouth—a pale, snake-like man with eyes that gleamed with a terrible, predatory hunger.
"Orochimaru…" Iruka gasped, his voice filled with fear.
Naruto's heart pounded, his body trembling with exhaustion and fear. He didn't know who this man was, didn't understand what was happening, but he could feel the darkness radiating from him, could feel the terrible power that seemed to fill the air.
The man—Orochimaru—smiled, a cold, cruel smile that sent chills down Naruto's spine. "Well, well, what an interesting development. I didn't expect to find something so… fascinating inside you, little fox."
Naruto's breath caught, his heart racing. He tried to move, tried to summon his clones again, but his body was drained, his chakra spent.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed as he reached out, his hand glowing with a strange, sickly light. "Let's see what makes you so special, shall we?"
And then, pain.
A blinding, searing pain that tore through Naruto's body, burning and freezing and tearing all at once. He screamed, his vision going white, his mind filled with a terrible, agonizing light.
He felt something inside him shift, felt a door open somewhere deep in his mind. And then, a voice—a dark, rumbling voice that seemed to echo from the very depths of his soul.
"Finally… I can reach you…"
And then, everything went black.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he was lying on the ground, his body trembling with pain. He could see Iruka, his face pale, his eyes staring off into eternity. He was gone.
Naruto tried to move, tried to stand, but his body wouldn't respond. He felt weak, empty, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Orochimaru stood over him, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Interesting… very interesting… But it seems you're not quite ready yet, little fox."
Naruto's heart pounded, his body trembling with fear and pain. He wanted to fight, wanted to protect Iruka's lifeless body, but he was so weak, so tired…
Orochimaru's smile widened, his eyes glinting with a terrible hunger. "Don't worry, little one. We'll meet again soon. And next time, I'll take everything from you."
And then, with a final, mocking laugh, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Naruto lying broken and bleeding on the ground.
Naruto's vision blurred, his heart aching with a pain that went beyond the physical. He could feel the darkness inside him, could feel the terrible, overwhelming power that had been unleashed.
And then, in the corner of his vision, a strange, translucent screen appeared—a grid of numbers and symbols that seemed to hover in the air, glowing faintly in the darkness.
[Welcome, Player Naruto Uzumaki.]
[Gamer System Activated.]
Naruto stared at the screen, his mind numb with shock and exhaustion. He didn't understand what was happening, didn't know what any of it meant. All he knew was the pain, the emptiness, the terrible, aching loneliness that filled him.
And then, slowly, he closed his eyes, the world fading into darkness once more.
