I do not own Naruto or any official Naruto content.

Good-day viewers, this is my second fanfic installation. Also I will no longer be continuing the Son of AFO what if. The writing starting off was bad and I don't believe that the fanfic as a whole was worthwhile. I am trying to write longer and more creative fanfics and I apologise for the wait.

Without further ado, unto the story.

He thought that he could change them. That once he became a ninja everything would finally start lining up. He'd become hokage, everyone would recognize and respect him not for the nearly 900 foot tall monstrosity that was sealed inside his stomach, but for him being himself.

Looking outside the hospital windows towards a now bleak village, Naruto Uzumaki has never felt more wrong in his life.

Nothing changed. Plain and simple. No one cared that he was a ninja, no one cared if he were to drop dead the very next second. His teammates? Not once did they see him as a comrade. His sensei didn't teach him a single thing outside from walking on a tree with chakra. And when he actually passed the second round, all the silver haired jonin said was

"If i'm being honest, I don't think that you have a chance against Neji, Naruto."

He made his sensei and everyone else eat those words when his uppercut landed the Hyuga flat on his back, but instead of the cheers and applause he expected, all he got was in the form of rotten fruits thrown from the stands, booing filling his ears as all he could do was walk off the stage. Gaara was next, someone even the last Uchiha couldn't defeat. But he managed to do it, still no recognition. He brought back the Slug Sannin, Tsunade Senju herself to be Hokage, even almost dying in the process, but no one even cared to look in his direction.

The Uchiha's defection was the final straw. Even though the raven haired brat left the village, he still decided to follow after him. To try and use the already fickle bond they had to get the bastard to come back to the leaf, a chidori through his chest was the answer to his pleading. Then when he managed to get the bastard back through a bloody battle that ravaged the valley, he got blamed for everything. That was when he finally realised, no matter what he did in this village, no matter how far he would go for his "home", he would never be accepted. All that he was and would ever be to them, is an unwanted piece of trash.

Well even trash can be recycled.

Was this how all Jinchuriki were treated? Judging from the state that Gaara was in, no one cared no matter what part of the world they were located in. Well if this was all that was set here for him. Then he'd find a place to accept him. And then he'd come back, but not just for the leaf.

They would pay, all of them, but he couldn't do that in the sorry state that he was. To leave would be treason, but as long as he was smart enough, getting out would be easy. Nothing is impossible for the prankster genius that he was of course.

"NARUTO!" Tsunade Senju yelled at the top of her voice. When she entered the Hokage's Office that morning, reports came from everywhere as somehow everyone had something about an orange clad menace ruining everything they had. Apparently the boy was just like his mother, pulling tricks and causing problems everywhere they went, unlike then though, this time it was over 200 different clones of the Uzumaki causing mayhem on the streets of the leaf. The library was ransacked, burning scrolls still alight as smoke permeated the air. Food stalls were trashed and trampled as everything lay a mess on the village's streets. Every restaurant except Ichiraku's of course. The boy would never harm that place. Chunin and even some Jonin were trying their best to fix the situation, but with every naruto dispatched, two more seemed to take its place. Even the fabled 'forever chunin' gate guards; Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, left their post and came to help in the capture of the nine tails jinchuriki. By noon, everyone wanted the boy's head on a silver platter and the Senju had no choice but to send her ANBU to go and retrieve the boy. The assault didn't end until the next day, and by the time it was finished, 320 shadow clones were caught and dispelled, but no-one managed to get the real one.

For another day, villagers swarmed his house with death threats and flaming weapons. While ninja searched all over in hopes of finding the boy before the civilians did, for both his safety and theirs. But as the second day finally came to an end, the report was given; Naruto Uzumaki was missing.

Tsunade then went to the boy's home. Busting the door down with no hesitation, she looked around to find the place empty. Not even a speck of dust was found as the boy's room seemed to be completely devoid of life. The only thing remaining was a green diamond necklace on the floor.

A green necklace.

The very necklace she gave to him.

With steeled eyes she turned towards the few ninja that had followed her to the boy's apartment. Her voice was crystal clear as she spoke: "I want a search party immediately, the genin known as Naruto Uzumaki is to be regarded as a missing nin. Tell Umino to get a tracking squad of ten chunin and meet me by the gates in 20 minutes." Silence filled the air as the entourage decided to await further instructions. "NOW!" the Godiame shouted as her aura cracked the walls around them. Without another moment of wait, the ANBU were off with but a flicker, not wanting to be on the bad side of an enraged Sannin.

At Wave Country, A boy with black hair and blue eyes slowly walked towards the only ship travelling to the village hidden in the mist. His whisker marks covered up by both an ungodly amount of makeup and a very chakra-taxing henge. He smiled as he could almost see the rage in the civilians' eyes as he gave them the prank of a lifetime. Not only did the plan work, but it got his chakra levels so low that he could walk out the gates like any normal person. He was still feeling a bit weak though, so he tried his best not to attract attention.

If anything that copy-cat ninja ever said to him was true, then Kiri should be in the midst of some type of war. Not to mention it being far enough from Konoha's borders, no ninja should be able to find him there.

As he sat in a small corner of the ship, he opened his bag to find numerous scrolls of jutsu, with a large one laying atop them all. It would take them at least a week to find out that their most prized possession was missing. The scroll of seals as well as the rest were going to help him become one of the strongest ninja ever known in the elemental countries, then he'd set out to free the rest of the jinchuriki and destroy the other villages for the injustice that was brought to them. He would be the judge, jury and executioner, and no-one would stand in his way. For now though, he would have to learn the basics. Taking out a chakra control scroll, the boy read to the steady rocking of the ship.

The council was in uproar as the news spread like wildfire. The Kyuubi Jinchuriki was nowhere to be found. The Hokage tried her best to calm the crowd, but ninja and civilian alike abandoned this notion to somehow pin the blame on anyone else.

"Shut up!" A fist drove its way through the table as a very angry Senju eyed her council.

"You're all acting like idiots! Let's get this meeting underway already dammit." The Hokage then turned towards her secretary with a simple question. "Shizune, any news on the search for Na-, the jinchuriki?" Tsunade corrected herself as she had to treat everyone impartially when in the confines of this room.

"I'm afraid not Hokage-sama." Shizune Kato stated as she stared at her leader. "Umino Iruka has sent a message stating that all traces they could find ended up as a dead end."

"So you're telling me that a thirteen year old genin managed to out-manoeuvre and out-smart an entire village?!" Danzo Shimura raised his voice, surprising not only Shizune, but making the entire civilian council shiver in their seats.

"Shimura-san, despite your anger, I suggest that you calm down and wait for your turn to speak. Remember that you are in the presence of the Hokage." A man stated as his stern demeanour did not go unnoticed by everyone in the room. The head of the Nara clan was barely heard during a meeting, but the times when he did, all attention was given because it meant that he was giving insightful or serious information.

A sigh escaped Tsunade's lips as she capitalised on the silence left by Shikaku's words. "As you may all know, Naruto Uzumaki was announced missing at 13:40 the previous day." A few murmurs rose as the Godaime continued to speak. "Not only was his apartment barren, but aside from the numerous….pranks," A few on the civilian council growled. "Nothing of the ordinary was reported."

"We warned you Tsunade. We told you to keep an eye on the boy, but look at the situation that we found ourselves in. The strongest asset of the leaf is gone, as well as a scroll containing every forbidden jutsu ever known in Konoha. If this is anyone's fault Senju, it is yours. " A gruff voice spoke out as murmurs of agreement filled the room with Danzo continuing his speech. He told Hiruzen to let him train the boy, look what sincerity and emotions bring, now the strongest bijuu was not only outside of the leaf, but with the events prior (Konoha Crush) as well as the Uchiha almost defecting, the village was in a state worse than it ever was.

"Don't you dare try to pin this on me Danzo. You were the ones who drove the boy out and made his life a living hell." Tsunade said as her glare fixated on the old war veteran. "Don't try and blame me because your sins finally caught up to you. I was here for only two weeks, but i could still see the way you treated him, if he was any other regular shinobi i would have let him leave without question."

"If your interests are not in the benefits of the village, I suggest you step down and let someone more worthy take possession of that hat." Danzo stated, his frame tensing slowly for a battle. The air grew thick as Tsunade returned with a comment of her own.

"Is that a threat, Shimura?"

"Only a mere suggestion, Lady Hokage."

As they both stood, a shadow surrounded the both of them as Shikaku Nara stood from his seat. "This is not the time to be arguing. Shimura-san, I suggest that you take the day off. This meeting is postponed until further notice." With that and a few more seconds of silence, everyone made their way towards the exit.

The weariness slowly started to make itself known on Tsunade's face. She looked at Shikaku with a thankful expression as the man made a huff and sat down "Troublesome." was all that escaped the man's lips as he looked towards the cup of sake his Hokage was handing to him.

"Did sensei always have it this bad?" Tsunade started a couple minutes after the first round of drinks were over. Shikaku wouldn't drink anymore, and Tsunade no longer felt the need to. The weight of the position that she held finally past her subconscious thoughts.

"The third was very wise, but also was a man of many regrets. Never once have I ever played a game of shogi with him. Do you know why?" The woman sat perplexed as she listened to what the clan head had to say. "It's because as smart and strong of a man everyone claimed him to be, the Sandaime was never fit to rule."

Tsunade's mood darkened, but Shikaku continued. "I stood beside that man for almost the entirety of the Third Great Ninja War, and during all that time, I watched him blunder on the greatest shogi board of all time. Then when victory was right in his grasp, I watched him give up everything. Do you understand exactly what i'm saying Tsunade-san?" As she calmed herself, Tsunade tried to understand just what the jonin commander was trying to say. The old man may not have been the best Hokage, but to say that he had never been fit to rule? This was the same man that stopped Orochimaru from destroying the village, so what exactly did the man mean?

"His emotions Tsunade-san." Shikaku clarified as he continued. "As strong as the man was, his emotions were always in the way. It was his emotions that made Orochimaru able to leave the village so casually, that made Danzo Shimura have an army of emotionless troops until he disbanded them, that you were able to go on a drunken stupor for almost fifteen years, that the civilian council is able to have such precedence in shinobi matters, and the reason that Naruto Uzumaki has left the village now." Tsunade couldn't find a way to argue against the man because in a way, he was right. She was sure that even Jiraiya would have dragged her back to the village, whether she wanted to or not. Minato would have killed Orochimaru the minute he found the experiments. Danzo would never have founded Root if her sensei had put a stop to it from the beginning, and the civilians could never harm a defenceless child if he had been taken in by the aged Hokage or some other shinobi clan. Hiruzen wore his heart on his sleeves, and as a shinobi, a person who walked the shadows as if it were their home, that was something one just could not do in this world.

"Make no mistake Tsunade-san, I respected Sandaime and would never try to go against his judgement." Shikaku said as he pulled a shogi board from thin air. "But I am telling you his failures as you are his successor, his…..second one at that." As he set up the pieces on the Hokage's desk, he continued as he pointed towards the board.

"What do you see, Tsunade-san?"

"A shogi board, what else is there?" The Godaime responded, gaining a chuckle, an actual chuckle from the usually stern Nara.

"While you see a normal shogi board Tsunade-san, I see the Elemental Nations." Tsunade's eyes widened as she realised just what the man meant. The greatest shogi board, the one that her sensei failed at so miserably, was the Third Great Ninja War itself. The Nara offered a smile as he found his words finally sinking into the woman's mind. Gesturing again to the board, the man spoke again.

" Every piece on this board represents a part of the village, and your goal is to either defend your king until the end, or destroy those who would oppose it. Do you know what the King represents Lady Hokage?" Shikaku asked as he looked towards his leader.

"The children. The ones who carry the hopes and dreams of the village on their shoulders." The woman finalised, gaining a smirk from the Nara head.

"Exactly. And that is why the Sandaime failed. Jinchuriki or not, the minute he made a child endure such a burden alone was the minute he failed in my eyes." He said as he got up and made his way to the door.

"Wait." Tsunade said as she looked at the shogi board once again, making Shikaku stop to hear what she had to say.

"Would you mind….teaching me how to play?"

"Troublesome." The man said as he shook his head and closed the door. He had time for a game.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks on this sorry excuse of a ship and Naruto was already bored. He read all the scrolls on basics and the elemental ones were too hard to figure out. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he opened the Scrolls of Seals and looked over its contents. His eyes drifted toward the kage bunshin technique. The very same jutsu that sent him on his journey as a ninja. Back then he didn't have time to read it, all he did was pick the one with the easiest hand signs and brute forced his way through it. Now, he didn't miss the section that stated the memory of clones would come back to the user.

Immediately getting up, Naruto formed two clones. One stood behind the other as the clone closest to him held two fingers behind his back. Seeing this, clone number two dispelled as the information came back to the original. As the word was spoken, the two raven haired boys had grins plastered on their faces. With the shout of 'Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu', the whole area became covered as Naruto started to read copious amounts of scrolls with renewed vigour.

This was just starting to get interesting.

Pages- 6

Words- 2886

Verdict- Nowhere the length that I want it to be, but it can do just fine as a prologue.

This section was not centred around Naruto or any of the Rookie 9. It was ensuring that Tsunade had the proper reassurance and guidance to become the Hokage that she does in canon, maybe even a better one. Only time will tell.

Naruto is going to get a lot stronger in the upcoming chapters, he will need to in order to survive being in the midst of a civil war.

I don't know if the civilian council is a group of civilians or just the three advisors (Homura, Danzo and Koharu). I will decide on that later.

Shikaku is smart. The fact that he wasn't an advisor (or not mentioned as one) in the canon story seems off to me. Also this is not a Tsun/Shiku, They are co-workers and friends at best.

Also does anyone have a good suggestion for a name? I don't want to be changing the name every time a birthday passes or something else happening.

That's all for now.