1 To The Stars!

Naruko Uzumaki was far more intelligent than other children. This was not a subjective statement, but instead fact. A fact that Naruko sometimes wished was not true. After all, ignorance was bliss.

Naruko was an orphan, one of the many that were taken into the Konoha orphanage after the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack. She stuck out in a crowd, with adorably large eyes and chubby cheeks that practically screamed 'pinch me,' they even had whisker-like marks that made her look like a cute, small animal. But her most unique feature was her hair, it was a beautiful marigold orange that blended into a dandelion yellow at the tips.

She progressed much faster than others, something that would usually earn her the title of prodigy. But she could feel the terrified stares, the way the caretakers in the orphanage avoided her as much as possible. She wished she could just ignore it, claim she was ignorant, but she couldn't.

And the faster she went, the more she was avoided. Isolation caused by her prodigious mind, other kids making fun of her out of jealousy of her abilities. It was overwhelming, and little did she know at the time caused her to never truly be able to understand the emotions and social cues of those around her.

Naruko was three when she made her first friend. Well, she considered him a friend, he probably thought of her more like a clingy granddaughter. Not that she minded though, he would come by every couple of weeks to check up on her. He was also the one to introduce her to the divine food of the gods. Ramen was humanity's blessing from hallowed beings, Naruko was convinced that this was a truth, much to the old Hokage's chagrin.

Naruko was four when she was forced to fend for herself. Apparently, the matron of the orphanage finally worked up the courage to kick her out. Naruko sat on the curb of the orphanage for a while, processing what had just happened. She finally shrugged it off, not much was different now. No money, no parents, no food, no shelter, and only a single friend who only visited once only a couple of weeks. The solution to this equation in her mind came out to one simple solution, her life kinda sucked.

She didn't give up, though, her blue eyes shone with determination. This was just another obstacle in her life, and she would never give up.

Naruko quickly picked up on the street life. Pickpocketing wasn't hard at all, and she was used to sleeping in uncomfortable places, the orphanage never did offer a blanket to her, stingy bastards.

It had been about a week now, and Naruko was lazing under a tree on the outskirts of Konoha near the stone faces, her pockets were stuffed with Ryo from today's earnings, a lot more people and vendor stands had been out today compared to other days, almost like the village was preparing for something. She was currently munching on an apple from a very disrespectful street stall owner. She had offered to pay for it, but the owner took one look at her, sneered, and turned away. So she stole it instead.

Naruko laughed as the image of his ugly mug appeared in her head again, he was an overweight man with a large balding spot, chubby face, small eyes, and unappealing nose. When he turned around to her gone and a missing apple, his face had puffed up like a balloon, before turning a beautiful tomato red.

Naruko continued giggling to herself before she heard the retching of someone's throat behind her. Startled, she dropped her apple and twisted around to face the person. She saw the old man, Hiruzen, that often visited her standing in the clearing near her.

"Hey, you old fart, you made me drop my apple!" She exclaimed towards him before bending over and picking it up, lightly rubbing it with her shirt to try and clean it. Not that it did much, her shirt was probably just as dirty as the ground. The old man gave her a bland look at that statement.

"Saying it's your apple would imply that you bought it." Her face gained a blush of embarrassment from being called out red-handed like that.

"It's not my fault they don't sell me anything." She grumbled, and judging from the slightly guilty look that crossed the old man's face, he heard it. Not that Naruko knew what that emotion was, nor was she paying attention to him. She found the ground more interesting so he couldn't see her embarrassed face.

"And what about all that money you have, last time I checked you were a little too young for a job." He inquired. Naruko sputtered a bit as she racked her brain for an excuse.

"My great-grandma twice removed recently died, she was really rich and included me in her will," Naruko explained, a proud look plastered across her face. The old man just gave her a dry look.

"Naruko, you're an orphan." He reminded her. It felt like an arrow pierced her heart as she dropped to the floor in despair.

"Grrr, you dumb old fogy. I earned this money fair and square. Maybe those dumbasses on the street should watch their wallets better, besides, you have no clue how hard it is to pickpocket dattebana!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. Then realizing she let out her verbal tick in anger she covered her mouth in embarrassment. In return, she was shot an unimpressed look.

"I would say I am pretty good at that kind of thing, after all, I did become Hokage. Stealth is in the job description of ninja" He shot back. Naruko's eyes widened in surprise before she scrutinized him.

"And the village is still standing, I'm amazed." She said in mock astonishment. As she saw his eyebrow start to twitch a smug grin crossed her face. He gave her a very annoyed look at that.

Naruko pondered for a second before she realized something. "Doesn't that mean you're the leader of the people with the stupid animal masks always trying to follow me?" She questioned.

The Hokage ignored her slight against the ANBU unit, before nodding his head. "Yes, I do Naruko. But how did you know I had ANBU following you?" He questioned the young child.

Naruko scrunched her nose up in disgust. "They smell bad, like metal, and they stick out in a crowd." She claimed.

"What do you mean 'stick out in a crowd.'" The old Hokage asked Naruko.

Her nose scrunched up once more in concentration, probably trying to put the feeling into words. "Their presence is much larger than other people. Like the villagers are kinda like bugs, but the stupid mask people feel more like a lion. In fact, there's one over there." She pointed to a tree, where a man wearing a dog mask and reading an orange book was spying. If they could see the expression behind his dog mask, and then the mask underneath that one, both the Hokage and Naruko would have seen the man's embarrassed face.

'That's what he gets for being arrogant, he should've suppressed his chakra even if it is a child.' The Hokage though, before turning his thoughts back to Naruko. He hesitantly reached out his own sensing ability to see Naruko's own chakra pool, and what he saw amazed him. The amount was inhuman, even for an Uzumaki child. The amount of chakra Naruko had at such a young age could only be described as unnatural. But the Hokage also knew that she would have a fair share of problems in the future because of this. 'How amazing, to subconsciously be able to sense chakra in her surroundings. And besides that, her inhuman sense of smell that puts even the Inuzuka clan to shame, and that amazingly large chakra pool. Along with how fast her body is developing her muscles" The Hokage thought in barely contained amazement.

'Is this what Minato meant when he mentioned in the scroll detailing the special fuin he used to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. He truly created a system that would allow the seal to slowly siphon some of the Bijuu chakras and purify them, afterward injecting it straight into the core of Naruko's chakra pathway. It seems even on his death bed, Minato was able to do something truly amazing.' Hiruzen thought, keeping in a mirthless chuckle.

"Well, Naruko, I came to you today with gifts. After all, it is your birthday today. It's also the celebration of the defeat of the Nine-Tailed Fox. So how about you visit the festival with me, and then I'll give you your presents." He observed as Naruko's eyes sparkled in excitement.

"Of course, you old man, but you're gonna have to keep up with me!" She exclaimed before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the festival.

A couple of hours had passed, and Naruko was laying under the same tree again, the Hokage next to her. The large amount of Ryo from earlier today all gone from buying sweets and playing carnival games. She didn't even get glared at, either because the Hokage was next to her or because everyone was in a festive mood. Not that it mattered to her.

"Hey old man." She called towards him. He turned towards her and saw her pointing to the sky. "What are those shiny things that are hanging in the sky." And once again, Hiruzen was reminded that for as intelligent as she was, Naruko was still a four-year-old child.

"Those are stars, Naruko. You see that group of starts towards the north, it looks like a square with three lines extending off of it?" He saw her nod. "That's Pegasus, doesn't it look like a horse with wings." He saw her eyes squint before they opened in wonder and shined with childish wonder.

"Hey, grandpa." He heard her say softly. Turning towards her, Hiruzen saw her staring at her, the determination behind her eyes barely concealed. "Do you think, I can ever reach them?" She asked.

"Reach what, Naruko." He said back, even though he knew quite well what she meant.

"The stars, grandpa, I want to be the one who goes to the stars!" Naruko exclaimed as she reached outwards, in a grasping motion.

"Well then, I guess I should give you your presents, they might help you one your conquest," Hiruzen said. Naruko turned towards him, before scratching the back of her head.

"I kinda forgot it was my birthday, I had so much fun at the festival." Naruko laughed sheepishly, the Hokage joining in laughing with her.

"Well then," he pulled out two books, " these are a beginning guide to unlocking your Chakra and the art of fuinjutsu." He had checked her chakra amount earlier and believed that she was ready even though she was quite young.

"Wahh! You mean the stuff to be a ninja-like you, gramps! So I can be super strong and reach the stars!" She exclaimed, and Hirzuen belly-laughed at that before patting her head.

"I have one more gift, Naruko." He said before standing up and gesturing for her to follow. Naruko nodded and plodded along behind, her tiny legs slightly struggling to keep up with his long strides.

They eventually reached a secluded clearing, where a house could be seen. It appeared to be a simple cottage home, but the inside was decked out with all kinds of things a ninja could need. Including a training room, library, and other essentials.

This had been one of Naruko's father's, Minato, many safehouses that he had throughout the village, besides the main home he lived in. Unfortunately, two of them had been destroyed in the Demon-Fox's attack, but Minato had plenty. He had prepared for, quite literally, everything.

"A house... Thank you, thank you so much, grandpa." Naruko whispered before her eyes teared up and she clutched the Hokage, hugging him tightly. As much as she had quickly adapted to living on the streets, it was also painful. Painful because she didn't know what to do next, she didn't want to live off of leftovers and stolen money. She had been bottling up all these emotions, and the sadness of being abruptly kicked out, the unfair treatment of the orphanage, and the glares of almost every person as they denied her essentials.

So she cried it out to the Hokage, and he patiently waited, cradling her head and stroking her hair. She finally separated from him, slightly sniffling and wiping her nose.

"Is all this mine." She asked, and the Hokage chuckled at that.

"Yes, but I'll come to check in on you frequently, and also send an ANBU each week to check and make sure your okay, along with giving you a weekly allowance of money and making sure you have food and other essentials." He explained and Naruko nodded gratefully at that.

"Don't worry, gramps, I'll train and study a lot, so we can both go and touch the stars together." And with those parting words, Hiruzen watched Naruko runoff.

He smiled lightly at that, before turning his back to the house and walking back to his office. "I hope we one day visit the stars too, Naruko." He said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

It was on this night that a dream was set in place, one that would be followed with unmatched determination from a little girl. And it was that large dream that would cause events that affect the world to its core.