Far to the north, nestled within the often-overlooked edges of the North Blue, lay the island of Fuyujima … known to passing sailors as Winter's Rest.
It was not a place of warmth or laughter. The winds here were sharp, cutting down from snow-dusted mountain peaks that loomed like silent guardians over the jagged coastline. Grey stone cliffs ringed much of the island, battered day and night by dark, churning waves that seldom knew peace. Forests of gnarled, frost-hardened trees stretched inland, their twisted branches forever bowed under the weight of ice.
Yet at its heart, atop a carefully cultivated hill rising above the largest settlement stood the manor of the Namikaze family. Nobles whose wealth flowed from control of the island's limited but prized exports of rare minerals and finely crafted ice glass said to fetch fortunes in the markets of other Blues.
To the common folk below, the Namikaze estate was a world apart. A cold castle perched above their struggles, its walls pristine, its windows glowing faintly with the light of things never meant for them.
And within those walls... Naruto Uzumaki neither fully peasant nor fully noble awaited whatever fate the blood in his veins would bring him.
The morning was cold. Colder than usual.
Naruto Uzumaki, a boy with messy, untamed red hair that clung to his brow like the last remnants of a forgotten fire slept soundly beneath thin, patched blankets that barely kept the chill away. The stone walls of his room were bare and damp, his bed nothing more than an old cot tucked into the corner of a room far from the warmth of the manor's hearths.
For a fleeting moment, there was peace.
Then… SPLASH.
Freezing cold water dumped straight over his face, shocking him awake.
"Gah….!" Naruto flailed wildly, tangled in soaked blankets as his limbs scrambled for balance only to topple off the edge of the bed and slam face-first onto the hard, uncaring floor with a dull thud.
"Ow… damn it…!" he hissed, pounding his fist against the cold stone beneath him.
The faint echo of his anger faded into the silence — save for the slight drip-drip of water trailing from his soaked hair down his cheek.
Looming over him, framed in the pale morning light seeping through his window, stood one of the household servants, a tall, older man clad in the simple black uniform of the estate's staff. He held an empty bucket in one hand... and wore a flat, emotionless look upon his face.
Naruto barely had time to snarl before another voice, sharp and brimming with that smug, pampered tone he had come to loathe, cut through the air.
"You see, sister... those with peasant blood in their veins can't help but resort to barbarism," said a boy's voice from the doorway.
Naruto twisted his head, glaring toward the intruders.
There stood his younger siblings, twins in both appearance and cruelty. Blond hair, perfectly combed. Immaculate clothing tailored in the latest fashion of high-bred nobility. Faces carved with that sneering superiority only children raised in luxury could wear so effortlessly.
The boy smirked, arms crossed. The girl giggled behind gloved fingers, already enjoying the sight of Naruto's dripping misery.
"Yes, brother," she chimed in sweetly, "It's good that father came to his senses eventually and did away with her."
Her.
Naruto's fists clenched tight. His mother, Kushina, the only warmth he'd ever known in this frozen mausoleum of marble and gold... gone. They spoke of her like one might speak of a stray dog put down for dirtying their pristine home.
He was ready to yell, ready to curse them out in that fiery way only his mother ever encouraged but a soft voice from behind the twins interrupted the moment.
"Young master and mistress," came the even tone of another servant — a woman dressed in the same black uniform "Your mother is expecting you in the library. You know how she feels about lingering near... him. "
The twins didn't even flinch. They cast one last mocking glance toward Naruto, their smiles razor-sharp.
"Happy birthday, big brother," they said in unison, their words as hollow as the smiles that accompanied them.
Then they turned, walking away with that same sickening grace that only further twisted Naruto's gut with resentment.
For a moment, all was quiet again.
Naruto exhaled slowly, his soaked hair clinging to his face, dripping down onto the stone floor. The older servant, the one with the bucket lingered a little longer.
His cold mask cracked just slightly a faint trace of regret in his eyes.
Setting the bucket aside, he stepped forward and extended a hand.
"Apologies, young master," the man said quietly as Naruto took his hand and rose to his feet. His voice was rough… tired. Not cruel like the others.
Naruto shook his head, brushing the water from his face.
"It's not your fault..." he muttered.
The servant nodded the smallest ghost of a respectful bow given before retrieving the bucket. But just as he reached the doorway, he paused.
Turning back slightly, his voice dropped even lower conspiratorial, but not unkind.
"You may not believe it, young master," he said, "but your father has a great gift for you today."
The man's lips twitched — the faintest ghost of a smile.
"I have seen it myself. And I think... you will like it."
Without another word, he stepped into the hall — his footsteps fading into the distance, leaving Naruto alone in the cold once more.
The cold was still clinging to Naruto's skin as he dried his hair with a rough old towel, the bucket incident already settling like a sour stone in his stomach. It was his birthday not that it ever meant much in this household but this year was different. Important guests were coming tonight for a formal dinner. His stepmother had been preparing the estate for weeks, barking orders at the servants and ensuring everything gleamed like polished gold.
Naruto had long since learned how to stay out of her way.
He moved around his small room, pulling open the worn chest at the foot of his bed where he kept the few clothes that hadn't been discarded or given to the servants for cleaning rags. For tonight, he had already laid out a clean dress shirt and a dark vest the best he could manage to meet the bare minimum of noble presentation.
But for now, he dressed in something simpler… a fitted, long-sleeve shirt of navy blue with faint white trim at the sleeves, paired with dark slacks that clung just enough to show he had grown since they were last properly fitted. It wasn't anything grand but it was clean, proper, and would avoid the scorn of any passing noble eyes until the evening.
He took one last look at himself in the cracked mirror by his bedside. The red hair, his mother's gift, always felt like both a curse and a comfort. In this house of pale gold and blond perfection, it marked him as different. As lesser. But he refused to hate it.
Naruto stepped into the hall, his boots clicking quietly against the polished stone as he made his way toward the looming doors of his father's study.
He paused for a moment in front of them.
It wasn't that he feared his father… not exactly. It was the distance. The man who once ruffled his hair or carried him on broad shoulders through the manor gardens had vanished after Kushina's death. What remained was a cold, measured noble who cared more for deals and displays of power than his first born child.
Still... curiosity gnawed at him.
Naruto raised his hand and knocked firmly.
After a beat, the door creaked open revealing Hisashi Namikaze.
Tall, handsome in that textbook noble way, with shoulder-length blond hair tied back neatly and a perfectly tailored suit that practically shimmered with wealth. His sharp blue eyes softened only slightly as he smiled at the sight of his son.
"Naruto," his father greeted in a surprisingly warm tone. "Come in, come in."
Naruto hesitated but the open smile, rare as it was, tugged at the part of him still desperate for approval. He stepped inside.
The study was as immaculate as ever lined with dark wood bookshelves, fine maps of the North Blue spread across the walls, and an ornate desk carved from rich mahogany sitting at its center.
Hisashi moved behind the desk, his movements smooth and practiced. From beneath it, he produced a small, well-crafted box wrapped carefully in deep blue cloth, sealed with a silver ribbon.
Without a word, he placed it on the desk and slid it across toward Naruto.
Naruto blinked while standing frozen for a moment. His breath caught in his throat.
A gift... from his father?
Hisashi chuckled lightly, gesturing with a nod. "Well, go on. Open it."
That childlike spark of hope flared inside Naruto's chest before he could stop it. His hands moved quickly, untying the ribbon and peeling back the cloth with a building sense of excitement.
Inside...
A fruit.
But not like any he had ever seen.
Its surface was knotted and twisted, bulbous in some places with strange curling patterns like jagged waves etched into its skin. The base color was a deep crimson — but vibrant orange streaks ran in spiraling lines up its length, almost like veins of flame frozen in place. Two pointed ear-like nubs curled at the top, and small bumps along its sides vaguely mimicked stubby limbs.
It was... weird.
But fascinating.
Naruto reached in and pulled the fruit out carefully, feeling its bizarre texture beneath his fingers. The weight was oddly light — and it smelled faintly of something sweet mixed with metal.
His eyes widened.
His heart was pounding now as he looked up at his father, mouth slightly agape, his voice hopeful.
"A Devil Fruit...?"
Hisashi's smile grew wide.
Naruto was so excited he nearly sank his teeth into it right then, hunger for power, for belonging, for something … rising like a wave inside him.
But... he hesitated.
"What... what kind of fruit is it?" he asked, looking up with childlike wonder.
Hisashi's eyes gleamed — a glint of something sharp and mad flickering in their depths.
"I don't know," he replied smoothly.
Naruto's heart skipped.
"You... don't know?"
His father chuckled in a way that made the hairs on Naruto's neck stand on end.
"It's an artificial Devil Fruit," Hisashi explained, voice practically dripping with excitement. "Created in a lab by a scientist working far from the prying eyes of the World Government."
Naruto's brows furrowed, concern creeping into his voice. "Anything could happen..."
"And that," Hisashi interrupted, leaning forward with a strange, feverish grin, "is what makes it fun. You know how much I enjoy the black market, my son. So many rare and exciting treasures... when I heard about these artificial fruits? I had to see the results myself."
Naruto stared down at the fruit again — its strange, twisting form now feeling a little heavier in his hands.
Hisashi waved a hand dismissively.
"Go on. Eat. It's your birthday, after all."
Naruto hesitated only a moment longer before he forced himself to start eating.
The fruit was disgusting.
Bitter... slimy... and the texture was even worse. It was like biting into cold wax mixed with half-ripened melon, leaving behind a sticky, almost oily residue on his tongue that made him want to gag. But with every sickening chew, he could feel his father's sharp blue eyes locked onto him — unblinking, burning with anticipation.
Naruto grimaced, forcing down bite after bite until the last of the strange fruit was gone. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his face contorting in disgust as the taste clung stubbornly to the back of his throat.
He didn't even have time to complain before Hisashi was already moving.
His father stepped forward with quick, precise movements — guiding Naruto by the shoulder to the center of the study's spacious floor.
"Stand there," Hisashi instructed, his grin wide and sharp, "and tell me if you feel anything... anything at all."
Naruto shifted awkwardly.
At first... nothing.
He glanced down at his hands, flexed his fingers.
His father's eager grin twitched beginning to sour at the edges as the seconds stretched on without result.
"Tch..." Hisashi clicked his tongue quietly, the beginnings of a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Then it hit.
Naruto's stomach twisted not painfully but with an unnatural gurgling sensation that made him clutch his gut in confusion.
"H-Huh...?"
It felt... weird.
Warmth bubbled up from within him a tingling that made his nerves buzz faintly. But stranger still... a laugh escaped him. A small chuckle bubbled up from his throat, involuntary, cracking through his confusion.
"Heh... haha... what the...?" Naruto muttered, glancing down at himself with a bewildered expression, the sound rising from him like he couldn't help it.
Hisashi's eyes narrowed sharply confused now, his grin faltering into a suspicious glare.
The chuckling didn't last.
Naruto's body suddenly buckled his knees giving way as he collapsed onto his hands and knees, the warm sensation in his stomach rising sharply into his chest like an overflowing wave of energy.
"Agh—!"
A faint glow began to radiate from his body, soft at first, then growing brighter. His arms quivered beneath him as the glow enveloped his skin, his form beginning to blur and shift.
Hisashi took a single step back, shielding his eyes with a raised arm as the transformation overtook the boy completely.
Bones shifted limbs compressed his entire frame folding inward as his body shrank and contorted with unnatural fluidity. His arms became stubbier rounded paws forming where his hands once were. His legs shortened drastically, toes fusing together into padded, rabbit-like feet. From the top of his head, long floppy ears unfurled with a dramatic bounce twitching faintly with new sensitivity.
The red glow faded slowly... leaving the transformed Naruto panting lightly on the floor of his father's study.
Hisashi lowered his arm... eyes wide with manic anticipation.
But the sight before him froze him cold.
There... standing barely taller than a toddler... was a creature neither fearsome nor regal.
A small, rabbit-like being stood awkwardly on its two small feet covered in short cream-colored fur with bold red stripes curling along its long floppy ears and down its sides like tribal markings. Its round head bore a tiny horn sprouting from the center of its forehead, while its oversized ears dragged slightly along the floor behind it.
Where once stood Naruto ... there was now something utterly bizarre.
Hisashi's eye twitched.
"...Naruto?" he asked slowly, uncertainty creeping into his voice like poison.
Naruto blinked, still dazed, everything around him feeling impossibly big. His limbs moved weird stubby paws barely giving him balance.
"N...N-Naruto... is that you?" Hisashi repeated more forcefully now, suspicion hardening in his gaze.
Naruto shook his fuzzy head, floppy ears slapping against his cheeks clumsily. His large green eyes snapped upward, staring at his father in growing frustration.
"Of course I am!" Naruto barked, his voice cracking slightly with an odd high-pitched edge. "What do I look like!?"
Hisashi didn't answer.
Instead, he extended a gloved hand pointing wordlessly toward the large, ornate mirror hanging near the corner of the study. Naruto turned, stumbling clumsily on his new feet, flailing awkwardly for balance before sprawling onto his belly with a small grunt.
His paws scraped against the polished floor as he scrambled up shuffling quickly toward the mirror.
And then...
He saw it.
The ears... the tiny body... the ridiculous round face and crimson markings that clashed horribly with what little pride he had left.
His own wide green eyes stared back at him in utter horror.
"AaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
The scream hadn't even finished echoing when the heavy door to the study burst open with a thunderous slam.
Steel-toed boots pounded against the polished stone floor as a small squad of armed guards stormed into the room, rifles already raised, eyes sharp and scanning for any sign of danger.
"Lord Hisashi!" one of them barked, urgency thick in his voice. "We heard screaming—are you—"
The words died in his throat.
All of them stopped dead in their tracks.
Hisashi Namikaze — once the picture of composed nobility — was sitting halfway perched on the edge of his grand desk, his hands gripping the polished wood as though it were the only thing keeping him grounded in reality. His normally sharp blue eyes were open wide filled with something alien... fear.
The guards followed his line of sight their gazes falling upon the creature frantically scrambling near the large mirror.
Naruto.
The small, rabbit-like figure was desperately tugging at his long, floppy ears shaking his tiny head, slapping at his cheeks, struggling wildly to undo the impossible transformation that had just warped his body into this humiliating shape.
"Come on... come on... turn back... turn back...!" he muttered breathlessly, panic clawing at his throat.
But nothing happened.
No matter how hard he focused, no matter how he screamed in his mind for the change to reverse he remained small, fuzzy, and completely alien to everything he once was.
The guards, however, didn't see a terrified boy.
They saw a strange creature.
An unknown intruder.
They raised their rifles as the tension in the room snapped like a pulled wire.
"Halt!" one of them barked, aiming directly at Naruto's small form. "Identify yourself! What are you? How did you get in here?!"
Naruto froze, spinning on his small feet, his wide green eyes meeting the barrel of a rifle for the first time in his young life.
"W-What...?" his voice cracked with a small, confused heart hammering like a war drum inside his chest.
His arms instinctively raised small paws trembling as the red stripes along his body began to glow faintly.
It wasn't intentional.
It was raw panic.
Fear bled out of him like waves of heat — the markings along his cream-colored fur pulsing with a deep crimson light that made the guards tense instantly.
"He's charging up some kind of attack!" one of them yelled.
Crack!
The first gunshot echoed like thunder in the enclosed space.
Naruto barely dodged stumbling clumsily, ears whipping behind him as he threw himself to the side.
Crack! Crack!
More shots rang out small explosions of lead zipping past his body, tearing small craters into the study floor where he had stood mere moments ago.
His heart raced breath coming in ragged, panicked bursts.
"DAD!" Naruto cried his voice shrill, desperately turning toward Hisashi's frozen form.
But Hisashi remained silent.
Still seated on the edge of the desk... watching.
Waiting.
Another bullet whizzed by — so close it grazed his ear, making the long appendage sting sharply.
Something inside Naruto snapped.
Anger. Fear. Survival.
Without thinking, Naruto charged his small frame darting forward with a surprising burst of speed granted by his light frame and panic-fueled reflexes.
The first guard barely had time to adjust.
Naruto twisted his body mid-air small, nimble before snapping one of his long, reinforced ears straight into the guard's face like a whipcrack.
CRACK!
The blow struck the man directly across the jaw, twisting his head sharply as he collapsed backward with a heavy thud, sliding lifelessly into the hallway beyond.
But the second guard was smarter.
He steadied himself aiming lower as Naruto landed, preparing to fire at the small moving target.
Naruto's sharp eyes caught the movement.
Thinking fast he kicked off the ground with his small feet, propelling himself low and fast around the guard's line of fire.
He slid across the smooth floor, his stubby body spinning before grabbing the fallen rifle from the first guard in passing.
With all the strength his small arms could muster, Naruto rammed the butt of the rifle directly into the second guard's knee.
CRACK!
The man shouted in pain, dropping slightly as Naruto twisted around and used both of his long ears like ropes, hooking them behind the guard's legs.
With a sharp pull and a burst of movement, Naruto yanked the man's footing out from under him, sending him crashing backwards into Hisashi's desk with a thunderous bang.
Papers scattered, the desk shook.
Naruto stumbled back, panting sweat beading along his fur chest heaving from exertion.
He turned slowly, locking eyes with his father.
Hisashi was backing away, his eyes no longer wide with awe or curiosity.
No.
Now they were cold.
Fearful.
Disgusted.
The man who had once called him son... was looking at him like a beast.
Naruto's small frame trembled, arms slowly raising, paws outstretched, stepping forward with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Dad..." his voice was soft, cracking like ice underfoot. "It's me... it's still me..."
But Hisashi did not move.
From the hallway, the sound of boots thundered again with more guards pouring into the study, weapons raised, eyes locking onto the strange creature that had bested their comrades.
One of them glanced at Hisashi waiting.
Waiting for the order.
The noble's face was pale.
His hands trembled as he shakily raised an accusatory finger… pointing directly at the small red-striped figure standing in the wreckage of his study.
"M-M...Monster..." Hisashi stammered.
Naruto's heart shattered.
His green eyes went wide in disbelief, flooding every inch of his tiny body.
"W-What...?"
Naruto stood frozen... his small paws shaking... his wide green eyes locked onto the man who should have been his salvation.
But Hisashi Namikaze never moved.
Not a word of comfort... not a whisper of recognition.
Just that trembling hand... that damning finger... calling him a monster.
The world snapped into motion all at once.
Gunfire cracked through the air... bullets slamming into the stone floor around him... fragments bursting like shrapnel.
Naruto flinched the first couple of shots barely missing him as he stumbled back still raw with disbelief... still clinging to the foolish hope that maybe... just maybe... his father would stop this.
But there was nothing.
No mercy.
No saving grace.
Just the sharp sting of betrayal gnawing at his heart.
Something inside him shifted.
His vision sharpened... his muscles tensed. The small terrified boy was slipping away — replaced by something far older... something buried in instinct.
Naruto's stripes flared to life — pulsing with a vibrant red glow that shimmered along his small body.
He gritted his teeth — his floppy ears twitching as heat began to rise deep in his chest... filling his lungs.
Without thinking... without even knowing how... Naruto's small mouth opened wide.
A massive pull of air filled him... rushing down his throat... burning faintly as it compressed... swirled... gathered like a storm ready to break.
The guards shouted.
Too late.
Naruto exhaled.
A concentrated blast of superheated wind roared from his mouth — spiraling forward like a shockwave of raw pressure and force.
The study exploded into chaos.
The group of guards were ripped off their feet — the sheer force of the blast slamming into them like a cannonball. Rifles were torn from their hands... bodies sent crashing into walls and scattering across the room like broken dolls.
The sound of bodies hitting stone echoed like thunder.
Naruto stumbled panting heavily... the red glow of his stripes fading as the last wisps of heated air drifted from his small mouth.
It wasn't clean.
It wasn't pretty.
But it worked.
His wide eyes snapped toward the doorway as the sound of pounding boots filled the hall.
"More are coming..." he whispered to himself, fear gnawing at the edges of his growing instinct.
No time.
He turned running on small, unsure feet darting out of the ruined study and into the long stone hallway of the manor.
Every heartbeat sounded like a drum in his ears.
He had no plan.
No path.
Just get out.
Anywhere but here.
His small body moved as fast as it could but adjusting to his awkward limbs wasn't easy. His tiny feet skidded against the polished floor... and as he went to round a sharp corner, his momentum betrayed him.
WHAM!
Naruto slammed shoulder-first into the wall with a startled huff — his long ears bouncing wildly as he gritted his teeth.
"There it is!" a voice barked behind him.
Gunfire erupted again, bullets ripping through the air... sparking against the stone around him.
Naruto scrambled forcing his sore body upright... paws pounding against the ground as he sprinted faster... heart racing.
He dodged through servant halls... over overturned furniture... past shattered decorations that blurred in his frantic vision.
More guards appeared, shouts filling the manor like a rising storm.
Every turn brought another obstacle... another near miss... another wild escape.
Until finally...
The grand entrance of the Namikaze estate loomed before him.
Massive double doors gilded in gold and finely carved wood stood between him and freedom.
But a line of guards blocked his path.
Rifles raised.
Cold eyes ready.
Naruto didn't slow down.
The glow returned fierce... instinctual... wild.
His small body launched into the air ears trailing behind him like twin banners of defiance.
Mid-air... Naruto twisted.
His long ears began to spin faster... faster... until they blurred together in a spiraling cyclone of red energy.
Wind kicked up around him loose stones, dust, and debris swirling wildly as the force of his rotation formed a raging tornado trailing crimson streaks of energy along its edges.
The guards fired their bullets swallowed by the howling vortex... deflected harmlessly as the tornado roared closer.
Naruto hit like a battering ram.
The spinning force of wind and energy tore through the line of guards, their bodies flung aside like leaves in a storm.
The grand doors buckled under the impact.
CRASH!
Wood splintered.
Metal hinges groaned.
The doors shattered outward and blasted from their frame as Naruto shot through... the roaring wind scattering fragments of his gilded prison across the cold courtyard outside.
Finally... The storm began to slow.
Naruto's spinning ears faltered... his small body stumbling to a halt just beyond the ruined entrance.
His knees wobbled.
His arms flailed weakly.
His green eyes were spinning wildly small spirals replacing his pupils as dizziness overwhelmed him.
"Uuuuugh..." Naruto groaned, swaying dangerously.
His head was spinning... stomach churning from the wild tornado technique he barely knew how to control. For a few precious seconds... there was only the sound of the cold wind brushing past the hilltop.
But reality came crashing back far too soon.
Crack... Crack...
Bullets ripped through the air stone and dirt bursted just inches from him.
Naruto's eyes went wide in panic shooting through his veins like lightning.
There was no time.
He forced his small body upright, legs wobbling beneath him and bolted for the far edge of the courtyard. His small feet pounded against the stone as more shots rang out behind him... guards pouring from the shattered manor... their shouts growing louder.
Ahead of him loomed the estate's outer gate, a tall iron barrier that marked the final line between the noble grounds and the path down to the town.
Naruto's heart dropped.
The gate was closing.
Guards slammed it shut from the other side, locking it down even as more soldiers took aim from behind its cover.
Crack... Crack... Crack...
Bullets screamed past him, some close enough that he could feel the heat of the metal cutting through the air beside his fur.
Desperation clawed at his throat.
He wasn't going to make it.
But then...
A strange sensation prickled in his ears, a subtle pull of the wind... like it was brushing along his fur with purpose.
His instincts roared to life.
Naruto gritted his teeth, his small body pushing harder.
As he reached the last stretch before the closed gate, he flung himself forward, his long ears unfurling like twin sails.
A wild gust of wind swept through the courtyard swirling beneath him just as his ears caught the flow.
Naruto soared.
Lifted by the wind, his small body arched up and over the iron gate just barely clearing the spikes along its top.
Crack!
A bullet tore past him, nicking the edge of his foot with a sharp sting.
"Agh!" Naruto winced, gritting through the pain but he didn't slow.
The wind carried him forward higher than he expected until he collided hard with the rough bark of a tall tree just beyond the estate grounds.
Thump!
He hit with a sharp grunt, sliding down awkwardly along the trunk before collapsing onto the frozen forested path leading down toward the town.
For a second... he didn't move.
But the sound of shouting voices... the distant clang of the gate being forced open... and the unmistakable bark of dogs snapped him back to life.
Naruto shook his head fiercely, staggering upright with more stability now... his body adjusting little by little to this strange new form.
He didn't think.
He didn't plan.
He ran.
Down the narrow path over snow and ice past weathered markers that separated the estate from the outer world.
Behind him... guards flooded the path.
The sharp cries of hunting dogs echoed in the cold night air growing closer with every step.
Naruto's small feet pounded against the earth heart hammering in his chest... every ounce of energy pulled from the pure instinct to survive.
As the path curved and opened up, the lights of the town came into view.
It was his only chance.
But even from a distance... he could see movement.
The town guard alerted by the chaos above were already gathering. Men with pistols and rifles stood at the ready, scanning the path for whatever threat was coming down from the estate.
Naruto's ears twitched sharply, catching the shift in the wind again.
Without hesitation, he jumped his long ears unfurling once more to catch the gusting wind that swept through the hillside.
His small frame lifted carried roughly through the cold night air — soaring over the rooftops of the nearest homes.
Below him... gasps and shouts erupted.
"W-What is that?!"
"Some kind of animal?!"
He didn't have time to hear them.
His landing was rough not graceful like a bird but a wild tumble as his light body hit the cobblestone street near the heart of the town.
He rolled... ears flopping wildly... until he skidded to a stop panting hard, his fur stained with dust and grime.
All around him... silence broke into chaos.
Screams filled the streets.
Doors slammed shut.
Windows were bolted.
Terrified townsfolk scrambled away clutching children, overturning market stalls in their haste to escape.
Naruto slowly pushed himself up heart, still racing and his wide eyes darted around him.
But everywhere he looked... there was fear.
People didn't see a boy.
They didn't see Naruto.
They saw a monster.
The town guard had already moved rifles raised surrounding him in a tightening circle as the barking of the hunting dogs grew louder from the path behind him.
Naruto turned in place small arms raised instinctively, his body trembling from exhaustion and panic.
Everywhere he looked... faces stared back at him.
Fear.
Disgust.
Men he recognized from his childhood — town guards he had seen chatting near the docks... or laughing in the taverns during the quieter nights — now stood with cold steel in their hands, pistols raised... rifles aimed dead center on his tiny, trembling chest.
"W-Wait...!" Naruto cried — voice cracking as his throat burned with desperation. "It's me... it's Naruto.. You know me!"
His wide green eyes searched for anything human in their stares for even a flicker of recognition.
But none came.
Whispers echoed from the crowds of townsfolk hiding behind crates and market stalls.
"That thing came from the manor..."
Naruto's heart sank deeper... his legs wobbling beneath him.
His small voice rose again, pleading tears stinging at the edges of his eyes.
"Please... I'm not... I'm not a monster... it's me..."
But the glow returned.
That unnatural light pulsed along his red-striped fur rising in intensity with every sharp, terrified beat of his heart.
And in their panic... the guards fired.
Crack! Crack!
The first bullet grazed past his shoulder not hitting flesh, but snapping him fully out of his hesitation.
He gasped the shock rippling through him.
But then... something deeper took hold.
A heat.
A wild, uncontrollable surge of energy clawed its way up from within… spreading through every limb... every nerve... until he thought his body might tear apart.
His vision blurred... the world twisting around him.
The glow spread red light radiating from every line of his small form brighter... hotter... until the guards cursed and shielded their eyes.
"What the hell is it doing?!"
"It's changing!!"
Naruto didn't understand what was happening.
His body moved on its own.
Limbs stretched... bones groaned under the pressure... his tiny body growing taller — his arms thickening — fur darkening into deeper tones with sharp red lines streaking across it like veins of fire.
His ears shifted shortening slightly but his head bore the same small horn atop his brow.
Most of all... his hands... no...
His arms.
They were no longer soft paws.
They were heavy... metal-plated gun barrels, fused to his arms like some monstrous weapon grafted onto his very body.
His breath came out ragged... steam rolling from his lips.
The light finally faded.
The guards lowered their arms, eyes widening in horror at the sight before them.
There stood the creature... no longer small... no longer helpless.
A beast clad in fur and metal — standing around six feet tall, taller than any man in the street red markings glowing faintly across his muscular form.
He looked down — staring at the gun-arms that were now an extension of himself.
For a moment... There was silence.
And then...
Naruto laughed.
It was sharp , raw an ugly sound born of pent-up fear, betrayal... and rage.
"Heh... hehehe... hahaha!"
He spun the barrels of his gun-arms with an almost childish glee letting them click and hum with mechanical weight.
The guards shouted while scrambling for cover but he gave them no time.
With a manic shout, Naruto opened fire.
The deafening roar of his guns shook the streets, bullets flying in wild arcs as he let loose every ounce of anger... sadness... and frustration that had been bottled inside him since this nightmare began.
Shots peppered the street tearing through crates, splintering the wooden edges of market stalls ricocheting off the stone walls of buildings.
Guards dove for cover, some unlucky enough to catch grazing shots along their arms or legs, crying out as they dropped their weapons and scrambled to safety.
Naruto spun slowly lost in the madness of the moment firing into the air... into the fountain that once served as the centerpiece of the market square... into anything that reminded him of the prison he'd just escaped.
Water erupted from shattered stone.
Wood burst apart.
The metallic scent of gunfire and dust choked the air.
And then... slowly... the firing stopped.
Naruto stood in the center of the ruined square, his broad chest heaving with ragged breath, his gun-arms smoking faintly from the heat of his assault.
Reality bled back in.
He blinked... the red glow along his stripes dimming.
All around him... devastation.
Stalls overturned... buildings scarred with bullet holes... townsfolk cowering behind whatever cover they could find... guards, men he once saw as untouchable… now huddling in fear... bleeding from shallow wounds... too afraid to approach.
His heart dropped.
These weren't monsters.
These weren't enemies.
These were people.
His people.
Naruto's head hung low shame gnawing at the edge of his thoughts.
And then he heard her.
"...Please..."
He turned.
A girl.
Small... brown-haired... someone he knew. Someone he had played with in the quiet fields outside the town when they were young.
She stood behind her parents, tears in her eyes trembling.
"Please..." she whispered, clutching her hands together tightly. "Just leave us alone... we don't have much..."
Naruto froze.
The weight of what he had become settling like a stone in his gut.
His gun-arms lowered.
For a long, heavy moment... Naruto didn't move.
He stood there in the sun-drenched town square... surrounded by the wreckage of what he'd done... by the broken pieces of his old life.
The girl's words echoed in his mind.
Please... just leave us alone... we don't have much...
Slowly, shakily... Naruto looked down at himself.
He was huge.
Where once he had been a small, unassuming boy — now he towered over the world around him.
His broad, furred chest rose and fell with each slow, ragged breath. Across his torso, a thick, weathered ammo belt stretched diagonally from shoulder to waist — heavy metal cartridges clinking faintly as he shifted.
Below that... jeans. Torn at the cuffs... worn and stained... stretched tightly over muscular legs that no longer felt like his own.
And his arms...
Heavy, mechanical gun-arms... solid metal fused seamlessly into his flesh. The barrels still smoked faintly from his earlier rampage.
He looked... terrifying.
A monster.
Naruto's gut twisted with shame and confusion... but survival instinct clawed its way back to the surface.
From the corner of his eye, he caught movement of more guards pouring into the square... those who had cowered now were emboldened by the sight of him standing still.
The time for hesitation was over.
With a low grunt, Naruto bent his knees and leapt.
The ground beneath him cracked from the force, stone chipping away as his powerful legs propelled him skyward.
Gasps erupted from the townsfolk as Naruto soared over their heads landing heavily atop a nearby building with a loud crunch of splintering roof tiles beneath his weight.
He didn't stop.
Without looking back, he ran heavy footfalls slamming onto rooftop after rooftop each leap sending fragments of wood and tile cascading down onto the empty streets below.
His emotions raged wildly inside him anger... fear... regret... a chaotic storm that matched the destruction he left in his wake.
But he didn't slow.
The docks.
He needed to reach the docks.
Naruto's body moved on pure adrenaline, each jump more reckless than the last, each landing shaking loose chunks of roof that tumbled down like falling debris.
Guards shouted from below pointing firing pistols that barely grazed his thick furred hide.
But none of them dared follow him across the rooftops.
Not now.
Not after what they had seen.
Finally... the sea came into view.
The scent of saltwater filled his lungs, the sharp tang of the ocean cutting through the dust and gunpowder that clung to him.
Naruto's wild eyes locked onto an old fishing boat tied loosely to the edge of the docks — small... rickety... barely seaworthy.
But it was freedom.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the final rooftop, the wooden beams cracking beneath him as he pushed off soaring through the air before landing heavily onto the deck of the boat with a bone-rattling thud.
The boat rocked violently beneath his weight, creaking dangerously but it held.
Naruto staggered briefly, still clumsy in his oversized body before turning toward the dock.
More guards were rushing toward him now shouting, leveling rifles.
Naruto's breath came out in a long, heated sigh.
He raised one of his gun-arms aimed at the thick rope tethering the boat to the dock and fired.
The sharp burst of gunfire echoed across the harbor, the rope snapping cleanly apart with a violent jolt.
The boat drifted slow at first but gained speed as the tide began to pull it away from the dock.
For a moment... the only sound was the wind rolling off the sea... tugging at the tattered sail of the small fishing vessel.
But it didn't last.
Boots thundered down the dock the sharp bark of orders from the guards slicing through the harbor air.
"There he is!"
"Fire! Bring him down before he gets away!"
Naruto's head snapped toward them, his sharp green eyes narrowing.
Panic clawed at his chest... but something colder pushed it aside.
Instinct.
His clawed foot stomped forward shaking the small deck as he raised one of his heavy gun-arms.
Without hesitation without mercy he fired.
The thunderous roar of gunfire exploded from his arm a wave of bullets ripping into the wooden pier just ahead of the charging guards.
The dock splintered shards of wood flying into the air as the shots rained down in tight, controlled bursts.
The guards cursed their bravery faltering as the line of bullets chased toward them chewing through the boards beneath their feet.
"Jump! Jump!" one of them shouted panic now fully taking over.
Without thinking... The front line of guards threw themselves sideways crashing into the cold harbor water with sharp splashes... their weapons forgotten as the bullets cut too close for comfort.
Naruto's sharp-toothed grin twitched for only a heartbeat grim and wild.
He turned, swinging his second gun-arm toward the nearest patrol boats.
His barrels spun red lines of energy glowing faintly as he opened fire.
Bullets ripped through the hulls wooden planks shattering sails tearing loose from their rigging.
Water surged into the small vessels dragging them down into the dark harbor depths before they ever had a chance to give chase.
Naruto exhaled steam curling from his lips in the cool air.
The boat beneath him drifted slow at first... then steadily pulled him away from the pier, the town, the nightmare of everything he had known.
The guards who hadn't leapt into the water, stared helplessly from the dock, their soaked comrades scrambling for purchase... coughing... pulling themselves onto the ruined pier.
Naruto stood tall at the stern of the fishing boat wind tugging at the loose belt of ammunition across his broad chest... ears fluttering faintly in the sea breeze.
He didn't say a word.
He didn't need to.
His guns still smoked faintly... a wordless promise that if they fired again... if they dared to come after him...
They'd face the monster they helped create.
As the boat drifted further into the open blue the sharp scent of gunpowder fading Naruto finally lowered his arms.
His heart was still racing.
His mind still clouded.
But he was free.
For now.
-Namikaze Estate-
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Only the faint whistle of the wind drifting through the cracked window panes disturbed the heavy silence.
Hisashi Namikaze stood alone tall... composed... the picture of noble perfection, his pristine white gloves clasping a crystal glass of dark amber liquor that caught the light of the afternoon sun.
From this high vantage point atop the Namikaze Estate... the town below lay sprawled out like a fractured painting.
Smoke still drifted from the market square.
Guards scrambled along the docks.
The faintest echo of fear still clung to the streets like mist.
Behind him... heavy boots came to a stop.
The lead guard, a broad-shouldered man clad in the black and silver uniform of Namikaze's estate forces, stood stiffly at attention.
"...The damage is... extensive, my Lord," the captain reported, voice low but steady. "The market square has been heavily damaged with several buildings hit by stray fire. At least four guard boats have been rendered inoperable. No civilian fatalities reported... but several injuries... mostly from panic and stampedes. We've confirmed that the creature escaped heading east by sea."
Hisashi said nothing.
He raised the glass to his lips taking a slow, measured sip as the captain shifted uncomfortably his jaw tightening beneath his helm.
"My Lord," the captain ventured again, clearing his throat, "With your permission... I will contact the local Marine outpost. I will have them spread word of this creature... ensure the bounty is issued swiftly. If it shows its face again... they will know to act."
For a long moment... silence reigned.
Then... Hisashi chuckled faintly.
It wasn't warm.
It was the laugh of a man who knew exactly how the world worked.
Turning slowly from the window, Hisashi fixed the captain with an icy blue stare sharp as a blade... utterly devoid of remorse.
"That won't be necessary."
The captain blinked, a surprise flickering across his stern face.
"My Lord...?"
Hisashi took another drink, draining the last of his glass before setting it down with a faint clink upon the polished table beside him.
"We will not report this incident," Hisashi stated coolly. "Not to the Marines... not to the World Government... not to anyone."
The captain stiffened a flicker of disbelief passing through his hardened features.
"My Lord... with respect... The creature came from inside this estate. If we do not report—"
"It will make us look weak," Hisashi interrupted, his voice never rising... but cutting through the air like ice. "It will make me look weak. It will make you look incompetent."
The weight of his words settled heavily in the room.
"This was not an attack," Hisashi continued … stepping away from the window, pacing slowly toward the captain. "This was a tragedy... a disaster."
He let that hang in the air.
"An earthquake."
The captain's lips pressed into a thin line.
There was no questioning a man like Hisashi Namikaze…not openly.
Still... he hesitated.
Just for a heartbeat.
And that was all it took.
Hisashi's sharp eyes never left him.
"You and your men will be properly compensated for your bravery during this unfortunate... natural disaster," Hisashi stated smoothly. "The town will be told the same. No monster. No creature. No scandal."
The noble's voice dropped slightly.
"If the Marines ask questions... we will tell them the same."
For a moment longer... the captain stood rigid.
Then slowly he bowed his head.
"As you command, Lord Namikaze."
He turned on his heel boots echoing against the polished floor as he strode back toward the door.
"We will assist the town in recovery efforts... from the earthquake."
As the captain's footsteps faded down the hall, Hisashi stood alone once more as he poured himself a new drink.
For a moment... just a moment... his sharp features tightened.
Not from grief.
Not from loss.
But from disappointment.
"Hmph... artificial Devil Fruits..." he muttered under his breath, swirling the liquid slowly in his glass. "Expensive... unpredictable... disappointing."
His gaze drifted back toward the window to the distant sea where Naruto had vanished beyond the horizon.
"I won't be making that mistake again."
He raised the glass to his lips taking a slow, bitter sip.
-End of Chapter 1-
Notes: Welcome to the first chapter of my new Naruto/One Piece story! I hope you enjoyed it. I know I kind of rushed through some parts … funny enough, I don't usually start stories at the beginning, so this was a bit different for me. Please feel free to let me know what you think!
Just to clarify... Naruto's family won't have much, if any, involvement in his future adventures. This opening was mainly to set him up in the world and give him a reason to move forward on his own. Kushina might come up later, but for the most part, his story will be focused on what comes next, far away from his noble family.