Chapter 2 The People's Leader

Naruto was chopping logs, or trees rather, when Abe came up behind him.

"Naruto. The village noble wants to meet with you. Something about your strength.", he said. "Damnit.", Naruto sighed exasperatedly. He knew the noble would eventually catch on but he thought he'd been careful.

"Ah, I've heard a lot about you!", the man said with a happy smile. Naruto stared at him with glassy eyes, extremely uninterested with whatever he was to say next.

The man cleared his throat, "So, I have heard that you have strength that rivals five men.", he said looking at Naruto to see any kind of positive confirmation.

"Some say that. I simply don't see it.", Naruto answered. He really did not want to be bothered with the problems and issues of the nobles.

The man lost his smile and gained an annoyed look.

"Look, why don't you sign up to be one of my soldiers? The pay is good and there'll be plenty female prisoners in time of war!", he threw up his hands to emphasize his point.

Naruto gained a disgusted look, "I refuse.", he said and turned to leave.

"You and your precious people will regret this." Is all the nobleman said as Naruto walked out the door.

"Woah! You're telling me Kurensachi himself asked you to join his army and you said no?!", Abe said, dumbfounded by his friends stupidity. Naruto only nodded.

"If I'd had said yes, he would've had me leave Tasero. Plus, my days of fighting for others' beliefs are over.", he explained.

Uchyo pursed her lips at the thought of him leaving Tasero and agreed that it was for the best that he'd said no.

As the group of them sat in a tavern for a few hours, a bloodied man that looked as though he'd been running for hours burst in through the doors.

"They're coming! The people of Star village are coming to kill you all!", was he all managed to say before collapsing and dying on the spot.

Murmurs were heard all around the village for hours on end about whether or not what the dead man said could've been true.

"Star village? We've never had issues with them."

"Why would the people of Bear country attack us?"

"He was just crazy, nothing's going to happen."

Everyone had their own opinions on the matter, but nobody knew how soon they'd all realize the true reality of their situation.

A few days after the bloodied man came, chaos broke out. The shinobi arrived.

"RUN", Naruto screamed a warning to seven unknowing people that were unlucky enough to have a ninja on their tail. The trained killer unsheathed a kunai and slit each of their throats faster than they knew what was happening.

He grimaced. They didn't have to die. Why was this happening? He turned a corner to see a woman being pulled away from her nine year old child. His eyes widened as the killers stabbed the woman in her heart and broke the child's neck.

"You bastards!", a man yelled with an axe, charging the murderers. He, too, was cut down.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)", a shinobi called out before setting the tavern Naruto and his friends had just been on fire.

'Uchyo!' He had a singular thought before dashing towards her house and arriving after only a few seconds as he didn't hold back any chakra while running. He saw many bodies of people he'd just talked to hours ago.

As he entered Uchyo's parents house, he heard her scream, "No! Get off me!". He was enraged. They dare touch his beloved Uchyo? He blitzed up the stairs with speeds rivaling the fourth hokage.

"You fuckers.", he said as he entered the room Uchyo was in. His voice distorted from the kyubi's chakra.

"Get the fuck off of her!", as he finished his words, he was already over to where the first man stood.

"What the-", the shinobi was cut off when Naruto's claws went through his throat. He took his other hand and lifted the shinobi off the floor, grasping his head. He then grabbed a hold of the spine and partially removed the skull of the man.

"Kami! What the fuck!" The other ninja screamed in terror. He'd never seen such a gruesome sight despite his being a shinobi.

Naruto turned his sights to the other man and blitzed towards him, grabbing his face and squeezing until the man's eyes popped out his sockets. While this happened, the third man ran as fast as he could.

Once he was done with the two that couldn't get away, he looked at Uchyo.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?! Did they-", he was cut off when she jumped into his arms and began weeping.

"No. No, I'm fine. But.. my parents. They killed my parents.", she said in between tears.

Naruto closed his eyes and embraced Uchyo tightly. Osai and his wife had always been good to him. They would be missed.

"Please don't leave me..", Uchyo pleaded as she cried even more into Naruto's chest.

"I won't, Uchyo. I promise. I'll be here until the ninjas leave. I promise."

The Star village shinobi had only been in Tasero for an hour at most but had caused such irreversible damage. Out of the roughly 3000 people that had lived there, only 900 remained.

Most of the village was gathered in the village center, crying and weeping.

Isuro, Abe and Uchyo were the only people Naruto recognized at the town center.

"Isuro, Abe, are you both okay?!", he asked as he held Uchyo close. Isuro had a distant look in her eyes, as if she wasn't really there. Abe's eyes were darting around, most likely trying to find Tora.

'Oh Kami no..Don't tell me.. Fuck!' Naruto cursed to himself.

When Abe finally noticed Naruto and Uchyo, he gave them a pleading look.

"Hey, tell me, have you seen her?! Have you seen Tora??!", his voice broke during his sentence and he began to cry. Naruto closed his eyes in grief. Isuro, on the other hand, was extremely distant.

Later, the four of them were sitting at a fire.

"I saw him die y'know." Isuro finally said. It had been hours of silently mourning with the occasional weeping. The entire village, or whatever remained, had been weeping.

"He jumped in front of knives that a ninja threw at me.", she said, almost crying.

"He gave his life for me and I was just helpless. Never again. I will never be weak again."

Isuro's declaration had an odd amount of resolve. Naruto believed her. He also believed something had to be done to save the lives of those who remained.

Later, Naruto and two other men started organizing the remaining villagers to rebuild and clean up.

After many somber days of cleaning, rebuilding, and a small amount of fortifying,

The village was beginning to clear the ash of all the burnt buildings.

"Hey Naruto,", called a now familiar voice. It was Curin. One of the two that had helped Naruto begin to get Tasero back on its feet. Why Naruto had suddenly taken a point of leadership was unknown even to him. Perhaps it was his undying wish to be Hokage, perhaps it was his love for the people of Tasero. Whatever it was, it was needed.

As Naruto turned to look at Curin, he saw him carrying a chest full of kunai.

"Look what the guys have collected around the village. Used knives the ninja had.", he said with a glance down to the weapons.

Naruto blinked at the amount of kunai there were. He'd never seen so many in his time of being a shinobi.

"They're called kunai.", he said simply, turning back to the shadow clones he was giving orders to before.

"Ah I see. What do you want us to do with them?", Curin asked, looking down at the heavy chest he was carrying.

Naruto stopped for a moment. 'Why is he asking me? I know the noble was killed in the attack but does that really make ME their leader now?'

He decided to ask the question he was wondering in his mind aloud.

"Curin." Curin looked up from the chest he was admiring, "Yeah?", he responded.

"Why are you asking me? You're a man of free will are you not?", he said, giving him a glance with a raised eyebrow.

Curin genuinely thought for a moment, then said, "Well yeah, but you're obviously the strongest and smartest here, seeing as you're not just a simple villager. Most of us have accepted you as our new unofficial leader simply for that fact alone. Not to mention your vow that you said in front of everyone."

"Ah yes." Naruto said with a sigh. The vow Curin was talking about, Naruto had pledged to protect everyone in Tasero for as long as he could. He'd also revealed to everyone that he was an ex shinobi.

"Well, we should begin to establish some sort of armory. I unfortunately suspect this isn't the last time Tasero will be attacked.", Naruto reasoned. Curin looked at him and gave a nod.

"Yes, that makes sense. I'll get to work on collecting all the weapons and putting them in one spot and I'll let you know when it's done."

Naruto nodded and Curin turned and left the area, leaving the chest of kunai there.

"How the hell did I suddenly assume a spot of power." Was the last thing he said to himself.