At the Fire Capital in the Land of Fire, a man could be seen walking to the Daimyo's office. He stood at about 6'2 and had shoulder length spiky black hair, and onyx black eyes.
He had tan skin and wore a black long sleeved shirt with matching black pants. Uchiha Naruto was his name. He'd been tasked with guarding the Fire Daimyo for about a year because of the dismantling of the 12 Guardian shinobi.
He was a middle aged man. In his mid forties to be exact. He didn't see the need for him to guard such an important figure considering his clan was not even trustworthy in their own village.
The Uchiha had been pushed to the outskirts of the village shortly after the Kyubi attack. They had been suspected of controlling the Kyubi of the night of the attack but no other evidence was brought forward to take further action.
The police force were stripped of some power and could only arrest criminals within their jurisdiction, which wasn't many if any at all considering they were essentially isolated. Knowing the nature of the Uchiha, he couldn't really blame Konoha entirely for the unfair treatment.
Most of his clan were arrogant and hot heads. And they had a history of straying down the wrong path. He would know this of course because his father did the same thing before his eventual death. He didn't hate the man but he sure as hell didn't like him.
He died when he was 7 and left him to fend for himself. He never knew of his mother personally, only that she died shortly after he was born. He had a few cousins that he liked but a majority of them were stuck in their prideful ways and despised him due to the actions of his father.
Which was understandable. Having undoubtedly the strongest Uchiha in history who just so happened to be the clan head turn his back on you and abandon the village would warrant such hate. And then for him to return and attack the village only made the hate stronger.
That was the reason he did not become clan head, instead giving up the opportunity just like his brother did. His brother Uchiha Kagami, who was older than him by 10 years had first turned down the proposal shortly after his father abandoned the village.
He was a 16 year old who had been pressured with succeeding his father up until that point. He was the teammate of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Professor and the student of The 2nd Hokage in Tobirama Senju.
He was indifferent towards Tobirama, the man just seemed to take more of an interest in his older brother. He died during the First Great Shinobi War, sacrificing himself for his team to escape, while naming Hiruzen as his successor.
Even if Tobirama had a slight dislike for some members of the Uchiha, he would never hold the man in a bad light due to his sacrifice to save his team that included his brother. He himself was taught by a The 1st Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
The man has a soft spot for Naruto, obviously due to the relationship he had with his father but the man practically took him in after his father died and his clan labeled him and his brother outcasts.
The man would tell him stories of him and his father when they were kids, the battles they had and their dreams of creating peace. Quite ironic considering he was the man who killed him.
The final battle of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. He remembered the night Hashirama left to battle. He felt the tremors throughout the night and didn't need to know which men caused it.
Only 2 men could cause such devastating damage. A few nights later he came back but he was never the same after the battle, both physically and emotionally. A man who was hailed as invincible seemingly died due to his own healing factor.
From what his wife Mito told him, his regeneration ability would slowly kill off his cells overtime but the battle with his father took so much out of him that it essentially sped up the process.
After the death of Hashirama, he was placed on a team with Sakumo Hatake and Might Dai. Him and Sakumo had clicked instantly. Getting promoted to chunin within months of becoming genin and then later jonin.
Dai would sadly never get promoted, the village even labeled him the eternal genin. The man was Naruto's best friend and he was made fun of for something that wasn't in his control.
He could not use chakra like normal shinobi but he was a first hand witness to the amount of hard work Dai put in. He was there to witness Dai's first battle at the chunin exams and he was there to witness his last when he sacrificed himself for his son.
Both of his only true friends died by their own doing but in vastly different circumstances. He knew of their children and looked after them, even taking part in their outrageous challenges on occasion but that was until he suffered another loss.
His brother, Kagami died a few years ago leaving a son. Uchiha Shisui, hailed as a prodigy among prodigies. He made a name for himself out in the world and even mastered the body flicker that he taught him.
He also unlocked one of, if not the strongest sharingan in history. Kotoamatsukami, the ability to control the mind of a person without them even knowing. He made sure to warn Shuisui about the ability, having witnessed the damage that the eyes could cause courtesy of his brother.
He loved the boy like his own and made sure that he didn't end up like his ancestors. There was also Itachi, the eldest son of the clan leader. He was also a prodigy, having a fully matured sharingan and and becoming an anbu captain at the ripe age of 13.
He would see him on occasion whenever they had clan meetings and he couldn't really read the boy. He just went off of what Shisui told him. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he barely registered his arrival towards the office.
He knocked and was given permission to enter and he immediately noticed the somber mood in the room but he didn't think too much of it. He walked up to the desk and stood in front of the Daimyo. "You requested me Daimyo-Sama?" he asked respectfully.
The man took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes Naruto, I have some unfortunate news to give you."
In Konoha, a meeting was being held. It was composed of all of the major clan leaders and the village elders. The village was currently in an uproar due to what transpired the night before.
They were all silent as the Hokage entered the room. They could see the tiredness and stress in the man's face. He made his way to the head of the table and sat down. Nobody said a word.
"I'm sure as all of you know, The Uchiha clan was massacred last night. It was carried out by none other than Itachi Uchiha. For unknown reasons, he left only his brother alive. Sasuke is currently in the hospital recovering after he was attacked by Itachi.
I will look further into the situation as to why he did it but as off now, Itachi will be labeled as an S ranked missing nin" Hiruzen said. "And what's going to happen to the Uchiha?" Shikaku lazily asked.
Koharu intervened and spoke up. "He should be trained to one day get revenge on Itachi. I'm sure he's going to want to find him." Hiruzen looked at the woman and gave a bitter, yet lifeless chuckle. "You fail to realize the seriousness of this situation.
Itachi killed all of the members within the village aside from Sasuke. Have you forgotten about the man we went to protect the Daimyo?"he asked. Everyone paled at that. Naruto Uchiha was still alive and his reputation was nothing short of legendary.
The man rivaled Tobirama Senju himself when the man was in his prime. And for him to find out that his clan was massacred in one single night by one man who just so happened to be an Uchiha as well, things did not look good.
"What will we do about him when he returns?"asked a slightly shaken Homura. "He will unfortunately have to take up the title of clan head until Sasuke is old enough. He will also be tasked with taking care of Sasuke" replied Hiruzen.
"Do you think it is wise to leave Sasuke in the care of someone who is that powerful and untrustworthy?"asked Danzo. The Hokage glared at the man. "You do realize that that man you are talking about is one of the reasons Konoha is still standing today?
Or has your hatred for his father blinded you?" "I hold no ill will towards him but he obviously will seek vengeance as well. If he is anything like his father, which he has shown to be, he should be supervised when he returns" replied Danzo. Shikaku snorted.
"We all know who his sensei was and what his beliefs were. We shouldn't fear him. For he has not done anything to make us distrust him"he said. "I will personally talk to him when he returns.
I sent out a letter this morning requesting he'd do so. I warn all of you to stay out of his way, I don't know how he'll react but if he's anything like how he once was then it's better to be safe than sorry" said Hiruzen.
Nobody said anything else as the meeting was called to an end. As everyone left, Danzo turned to Hiruzen, "I hope you know you're making a mistake. He's just like Madara. We shouldn't let him return."
Hiruzen didn't say anything as the man left. He sighed and sunk into his chair as he felt another presence enter the room. "So you've heard as well Jiraiya"he stated.
Said man nodded. "I'm just as shocked as everyone else is. I never saw this coming, especially from someone like Itachi" the man stated. Hiruzen nodded sadly. "I too thought he was one for peace such as myself but it appears I was wrong" he said.
"And what's going to happen when he returns? You know all hell will break loose" said Jiraiya. "He will most certainly not be happy but he won't do anything that would harm the village.
You know him well enough, as do I. But I will have to let Gai and Kakashi know of his return. I'm sure they'd want to speak with him." Jiraiya just nodded. He and Naruto were never the best of friends.
Hell they weren't even friends to begin with. But they often did missions together and Jiraiya respected the man for his unrivaled strength. Hiruzen decided to change the topic.
"Did you find anything on Orochimaru?"he asked. "No, not yet. He's still in hiding and I don't know exactly where. He's always been a slippery bastard"replied the Toad sage. "And of Tsunade?"the third inquired.
"She still doesn't want to come back"he replied sadly. Hiruzen shook his head in disappointment, not at his students but at himself. He failed them.
He let Orochimaru stray down the wrong path and he allowed Tsunade to just leave. He then turned back to his only student in the village with a sad smile. "I'm getting too old for this shit"he said. Jiraiya just laughed.
"You'll be fine sensei, just make sure you hand that hat over to Menma when you're done." Hiruzen smiled at the mention of the boy. "He's quite the handful, you should go ahead and introduce yourself to him"he said.
Jiraiya shook his head. "I'm not ready. He looks too much like them and I'm not ready to take on another student yet."
"You know, one day you're going to have to meet your godchild and avoiding him now will come back to bite you in the ass"he said.
"I know, I'll continue to send him money and gifts until I'm ready to train him."
"Very well Jiraiya, but on to other things. When are you releasing your next book?"he asked in a hopeful tone. Jiraiya just grinned.
The following day Naruto could be seen in a dark, candle lit room reading the uchiha tablet. He dawned his black Shinobi armor that had white fur on the back of his collar.
He had activated his mangekyo and they were spinning wildly. His pattern was unique. It was essentially a spiral pattern which made looking into his eyes hypnotic.
The bodies were all cleared but the blood stains remained. He examined every body that was recovered. Every single one.
Fugaku, Mikoto, the children, the elderly. But he didn't find his nephew. Which made him think that he wasn't dead and helped Itachi but the letter stated that Itachi did it alone.
Where was he and did he play a part in it? He knew of his clans restlessness and they were growing tired of being discriminated.
He didn't attend enough meetings to know what their motives were but he's been around long enough to make a guess as to what they were.
He knew the third would play dumb and faint ignorance but he would have none of it. He would speak with Danzo as well. But the person he wanted to speak with the most was Itachi.
He wanted to know why he did it?. He wanted to know where was Shisui? Why he left Sasuke alive? There was so many questions he'd ask the kid before he took action.
He would find him or Itachi would seek him out. The young Uchiha knew he couldn't hide from him forever.
He deactivated his dojutsu and disappeared in a body flicker. Hiruzen sat in his office, he knew Naruto was in the village. That chakra he wielded was too potent to miss and he wasn't suppressing it.
He knew Naruto would come to his office eventually. So he just waited. He instructed all of his anbu guards to leave. He didn't have to wait long because the man appeared before him.
His face held little emotion and he did not look pleased. Hiruzen gave a warm smile. "I'm glad that you made it back safe under these unfortunate circumstances" he said.
Naruto just stared at the man. Many thoughts went through his head and most of them were not pleasant. "Why did Itachi do it?"he suddenly asked.
Hiruzen gave a tired sigh. "I wish I knew the answer to that question myself"he said. Naruto knew the man was lying but chose not to press any further.
"Care to tell me why you have Kakashi trying to hide his chakra from me?"he asked. Hiruzen chuckled, "so you haven't been slacking off"he replied off handily.
Naruto did not respond and continued to look at the spot he felt Kakashi's chakra. Hiruzen motioned for him to come out and he did.
Naruto got a good look at the man. He hadn't grown much since the last time seen him. He still had the sharingan too. But he was still Kakashi all right.
Kakashi gazed at his fathers friend and waved casually. "Yo" he said. Naruto gave him a deadpan look. "To think that you would've at least matured since becoming an anbu captain"he said as he sighed.
"And you're still as grumpy as the day you left"he replied. Naruto ignored the man and turned back to Hiruzen. "I assume I'm in charge of Sasuke now. I already know where he is, I'm just waiting for him to recover."
Hiruzen nodded and spoke. "You are but I do fear for his mental health. Itachi placed him under a strong genjutsu and he's yet to wake up." He expected a reaction out of Naruto but got nothing.
"I will visit him later today. There's other matters i must attend to first"he said. "Why not check on the child now? He's in the hospital?" Hiruzen asked a bit sternly.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "As I said I have other matters to attend to. And secondly, he's the brother of the man who killed my entire clan!"he said venomously.
But before Hiruzen could respond, Kakashi spoke up. "Lord Hokage, I think it's best to leave him to his own devices." Hiruzen glanced at Kakashi but nodded.
"Fine, but do check on Sasuke. He will need you. You're his only family member left." Naruto nodded and without another word, vanished.
Kakashi's posture seemed to relax once again. "He seems to have taken it well" he said. Hiruzen nodded. "Yes but he is still an Uchiha. They love family over everything and to have one member kill everyone else is something catastrophic."
Kakashi knew the man well. He'd been around him all his life. He helped bring him out of his darkness when he lost everything. Naruto was there.
"I'll have Gai talk to him"he said. Hiruzen knew that was probably for the best. If there was one person who could get through to Naruto, it was his godson.
At the park, a boy with blonde hair and purple eyes could be seen playing with a few kids. The first one had a hairstyle that looked like a black pineapple, the next boy was chubby and had red hair and the last boy had spiky black hair with red lines going down his cheeks.
"Menma, you cheated!" yelled an angry Kiba. "I don't know what you're talking about"he replied innocently. Shikamaru sighed. "You both are such a drag. Why didn't we just lay down and watch clouds again?"
"Because not everybody is lazy like you" replied a grinning Chouji. The Nara just sighed. That's when their parents decided to show up and they all left, leaving Menma all alone.
The boy looked around sadly and started to make his way back to his apartment. That was the scene that Naruto came upon. He knew exactly who the boy was and what he held.
The 4th Hokage sealed the beast into the boy for obvious reasons but he also died, along with his wife leaving their child at the mercy of the village.
If there was one thing Naruto hated above all else, it was parents abandoning their children. He of course went through the same thing with his father and that's the main reason he was indifferent toward him.
He decided to observe the child to make sure no harm came to him. There were the occasional glares but no one dared to touch him.
The act itself was punishable by death and people would rather live. As the boy made his way into his apartment, he decided to acknowledge the presence he felt.
"Jiraiya I assume you use that invisibility jutsu to peep on women" he said. Just then Jiraiya appeared with a grin. "I told you it's research! And it's very useful" he said with a huff. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"What do you think Minato and Kushina would think if they saw how Menma was being treated?" Jiraiya gazed at the sky sadly. "They would probably destroy the village" he said.
Naruto nodded. "And what do you think would happen if Menma finally lost it?"he asked. "The Kyubi would rampage on the village once again but you would be the only one who could effectively stop it" replied Jiraiya.
"And I wouldn't"he said flatly. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the man. "And why not?"he asked. Naruto snorted. "That boy is the sole reason the village isn't in shambles right now.
I find it hilarious how he is mistreated and shunned but simply ignores it. He's practically royalty but yet he's treated like trash. And on top of that, you being the only ties to family aside from Kakashi and the Senju, but yet you won't introduce yourself to him. A pity"he said.
"You know why I can't do that. I have to protect the village from the outside!"he said defensively. "Minato entrusted his son to you and you still use that bullshit excuse" Naruto replied.
"You have no right to talk. I still remember what you did all of those years ago. You're no better than me!" Jiraiya yelled. Naruto sent a heated glare toward the Sannin but the man did not falter.
He closed his eyes and sighed. Turning to the man, he spoke again. "Just don't make the same mistake I did. You still have a bridge to walk across while mine has burned."
Jiraiya just nodded. "I'll try to talk to him one of these days." As he said that, Naruto's after image faded away.
At the hospital in Sasuke's room, the boy was unmoving. Unconscious and vulnerable. Naruto was half tempted to just eliminate the Uchiha and put him out of his misery.
But just looking at him made Naruto falter. He was the only family he had left aside from the traitor. He was innocent, he remembered Sasuke always being around Itachi and Shisui.
He loved his brother more than anything else in the world. He spoke to him on a few occasions but Sasuke would always get nervous around him due to his appearance.
He couldn't imagine the trauma the boy was put through. To watch your brother massacre your entire clan would've given even the strongest man nightmares.
He sighed as he made his way to the bedside. He ruffled the boys hair softly as he glanced outside. He had to make this right. If he had accepted the title of clan head all those years ago, none of this would've ever happened.
He would make the boy a strong shinobi. That's the least he could do.
It was about a week later when Sasuke woke up. The Hokage had just finished speaking with him about the events that transpired. His face remained emotionless throughout the whole conversation.
He was told that Naruto was back in the village but he could care less. His mind was just focusing on one thing and one thing only ...revenge.
As the third left, he sat back in his hospital bed and clenched his fists. "You know, you look very constipated when you do that?" a voice spoke.
He snapped his head in the direction he heard it and saw a man he hadn't seen in months. Coal black eyes met onyx one's but neither of them said a thing.
Naruto decided to break the silence. " I'm going to be looking after you from now on. I will-" but he was cut off by the boy. "I don't need your help. Why are you here?"he asked.
Naruto gave an exasperated sigh. This was going to be difficult. "Due to unfortunate circumstances, I will be training you. I don't care how you feel at the moment because quite frankly, I'm a little angry myself."
"You have no right to be angry! Where were you when all of this happened!? You weren't there! You're hailed to be all powerful but yet you weren't there to stop him!" Sasuke yelled furiously.
Naruto pulled a chair up to the bed and sat next to the boy. "I was sent on a long term mission by the Hokage. I was tasked to protect the Fire Lord because of the dismembering of the 12 Guardian Shinobi.
Now that is no excuse but I, like you did not see this coming. Especially from someone like Itachi." He saw the look on Sasuke's face and instantly got flashbacks of his father.
The look of hate on the boys face made even him concerned. "I will kill him, even if it's the last thing I do!" Sasuke said venomously.
"Revenge is not the way boy. And even-" "You have no right to tell me what to do. My parents are dead!" Sasuke said.
That seemed to irk the man a bit. "Listen here, I'm an Uchiha just like you. You don't think I'm hurt? I want nothing more than to beat the hell out of your brother for what he did.
But he's not here and you're still too weak to fight him on even ground. Now as I said, I'm going to train you so one day you can seek answers to questions you may have.
You will not go down the path of revenge as long as I'm breathing. I've seen what that can lead to. You're the only family I have left and I refuse to let our clan completely perish due to your fickle desires for revenge" he said.
Sasuke glared at the man but remained silent. He needed power and this man had it. Naruto spoke once again. "When you are cleared to leave, I will pick you up and take you back to the compound.
Forget about revenge boy. It will only lead to your demise. And it may be meaningless to you but for what it's worth, I'm sorry Sasuke" he said in a sincere way.
He vanished as the boy was left alone. He cried silently as he just laid motionless.
Naruto was just walking through the village aimlessly. He paid a visit to Gai and the man hadn't changed a bit. Still annoyingly loud but Naruto was used to it by now.
Kakashi and him were still at it just as they were when they were younger too. Civilians and shinobi alike just stared at him with pity and he honestly hated it.
He was an Uchiha. And he did not need their pity. He sensed a presence on top of the Hokage mountain and knew who it was. He vanished.
Menma was on top of the 4th Hokage's head with tears in his eyes. He was just shopping for food when the owner kicked him out. 'What did I do wrong? Why do they all hate me so much?' he thought sadly. He jumped when he felt someone appear from behind him.
Turning around, he saw a man he's never seen before. He was on guard. ' maybe he was here to attack him' he thought.
Seeing the child's reaction, made Naruto frown. "I'm not here to hurt you child. I just wish to know why you're all the way up here alone?" Naruto asked.
"It's my favorite place to come when I need time alone" he said. Naruto feigned ignorance and continued. "Why would you need time alone? Do you not have any friends?" The boy gained a sad smile.
"I have a few friends but not many. I come here when I'm sad and when I need to think. I talk to the 4th Hokage because he's my hero and I feel like he listens to me."
'The irony' thought an amused Naruto. He stuck his hand out to the boy with a smile. "I'm Naruto Uchiha, it's a pleasure to meet you Menma." The boy raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"he asked curiously.
Naruto gained an amused expression. "You're well known throughout the village do to your pranks. And you're the only person I know of that would wear such a hideous color such as that" he said teasingly.
"Hey! Orange is awesome. It's much better than the stupid black you wear" the boy retorted. "I like to think that I look quite fashionable, while you look like a highlighter" the man said in a wise voice.
Menma huffed but then realized something. "Wait! You said you were an Uchiha. How are you not dead? And is Sasuke okay?" the boy asked.
Naruto chuckled. "I'm not dead because I'm alive" he said. Menma gave a deadpan expression. Naruto sweat dropped and grunted.
"I am alive because I wasn't in the village when the massacre occurred. And Sasuke is fine, but if I may ask, why do you care about him? Is he your friend?" he asked genuinely curious.
"No he's not my friend. He's a teme and he's stuck up. But his clan was just massacred and I wanted to see if he was okay" he replied.
That made Naruto laugh. "What's so funny?" Menma asked. "It's nothing. It's just the fact that I do agree with you in him being stuck up. Most of our clan was that way anyway" he said.
"You don't seem like that. You seem nice" the boy said. "Thank you. Brooding was never in my nature" Naruto replied.
Menma's stomach grumbled and he blushed in embarrassment. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Have you not eaten?" he asked.
Menma looked down. "No. I was going to buy groceries but the store owner kicked me out " he said. Naruto did not ask why because he already knew and it pissed him off to no end.
"Well why don't you come with me. I haven't eaten yet either and I'll get you groceries after that"he offered. "Really?" Menma asked in surprise.
Naruto nodded as the boy jumped in the air and celebrated. He dashed off to kami knows where and Naruto made his way to the first Hokage's head.
"Your village has slowly fallen from grace sensei" was all he said as he took off after Menma.
He found the boy at a ramen stand scarfing down bowls of ramen and it shocked him. 'Where did all of that food go!?'he thought.
He sat next to the boy and a woman came from behind the counter. "Menma-kun I told you to slow down while you eat. Your food isn't going anywhere" she said.
She then noticed Naruto and blushed. "Uh hi. How may I help you?"she asked. Naruto gave a soft smile. "Hello I would like a bowl of miso ramen please" he said. She took his order as Menma turned to the 2.
"Oi Ayame-Chan this is fishcake" he said. Naruto's eyebrow ticked as Ayame chuckled. "My name is Naruto Uchiha, not fishcake you midget" he replied.
Menma growled. "I'm not a midget, I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet" he defended. "Keep telling yourself that" Naruto retorted.
"Menma-Kun, you know this man?" she asked a little cautiously. Menma nodded but she was still on guard. Naruto seeing this decided to deescalate the situation.
"I mean him no harm. I met him today while we both went to the Hokage mountain. He told me he was kicked out of the grocery store. Would you happen to know why?"he asked.
She gained a sad expression and shook her head. "No, I don't know why they would do such a thing. Menma is a great kid" she said.
Her response was genuine and Naruto could tell she wasn't lying. "Well I promised to take him grocery shopping after we finished eating here" he said.
"There will be no need Naruto. I'll take Menma off of your hands" came a new voice. "Jiji!" yelled an excited Menma.
He ran an hugged the Hokage. Naruto and Ayame smiled at the scene.
"Thank you so much. I try to tell him to eat other things besides ramen but it looks like that'll be taken care of "she said. Menma just laughed sheepishly.
Naruto payed for the food and left as the trio continued to talk a little more.
In an unknown location, a masked man could be seen. He was staring into the darkness that surrounded him while his lone sharingan eye was spinning.
A plant like creature emerged from the ground next to him and spoke.
"It seems that Naruto Uchiha has returned. You cannot be anywhere near him or your cover will be blown."
"Yes. While that may be, I could always persuade him and Sasuke to join us. Our clan is essentially wiped out and they don't owe anything to the leaf" he said.
"And what of Itachi? They will no doubt want his head" the thing spoke.
"And they will have it. And then I will tell them the truth behind the massacre and they'll have no choice but to join me" the masked man said confidently.
"You know he won't be easy to persuade" Zetsu retorted. "That's why I will tell him that this is all of his fathers doing" he responded.
Zetsu said nothing more as he sunk back into the ground. The man would create peace, whether Naruto was in his way or not.