1 Naruto Uzumaki - 1 (REWRITE)

There are five great villages in Elemental Nations, and Konohagakure no Sato was undoubtedly the strongest among them, with rich fertile land and a stable climate.

On a bright sunny day in Konoha, you can see a young boy lying down, sweating hard.

At five years old, he was adorable, with vibrant red hair and stunning red eyes, mistaken for a Sharingan. However, he is not popular in the village, and many villagers hated him; though he never received a beating or scolding, he did receive harsh glares or eyes filled with pity.

He is none other than our Naruto Uzumaki. Ever since he was born, he always felt something missing, like a hole in his heart. He has a nagging feeling that soon he will be 'full.' He never trusted anyone since he was conscious, as he could 'feel' emotions and the chakra of others around him.

…

[A/N: Naruto's picture, Just imagine with red eyes like Sharingan without the tomoe.]

…

Never knowing his birthday and constantly getting bullied by kids because of his hair and eyes, he thought the billies stopped when he started fighting back. Unlike others his age, Naruto knew he was more intelligent, his reflex and speed were faster, and with his stamina, he could compete with older kids.

Naruto was called a tomato or bastard from Uchiha; he doesn't know what it means but knows it's a bad word. When he went to the public library, he was always kicked out with a harsh glare from the librarian.

The matron doesn't teach him and always tells him to leave, but he occasionally finds books under his pillow. Weirdly, the emotions he sensed in the matron were always sad, guilty, and powerless. Sometimes he hears her mumble "Minato" and "it's for the greater good or for my children."

Born with high comprehension, he picked up things fast and words from others. He spent time looking through the trash around the library to find better books. He found many things such as 'Chakra Leaf Exercise' or 'The Theory of Chakra 'and many philosophy books.

He was finally kicked from the orphanage and was told to live by himself. However, when he checked his pocket for all the thrown clothes, he found a note saying "sorry" and money.

Since that day, he has grown to question everything around him and found many suspicious things happening to him.

He realized that the matron was not bad but was forced to do this, making him feel puzzled and angry at the situation. So he started living in a forest by making a little camp by the river.

While he fought with animals, he made friends with many animals, especially foxes. He even saved a lion cub, feeling it was special. Since then, the cub started living with him; he discovered 'it' was a 'he.'

…

⪼ NARUTO – PRESENT DAY ⪻

The anniversary of the Kyuubi attack is tomorrow, so many shops will close or close early since many villagers stay at home or go to the graveyard to pray for lost souls.

Naruto knew that tomorrow was also memorable for something else. The villagers can get violent. Deciding not to take a risk, he went fishing.

While making his way, he stopped, spotting an old man sitting at his fishing spot. Remembering the old man was not an ordinary old man, he carefully tried to sneak away.

Seeing him many times around the orphanage, children call him "Grandpa Hokage."

Sensing his emotion, he noticed that the Hokage was observing him. Many wouldn't see, but Naruto could feel things around him (Kagura Mind Eye; he doesn't know the name) from his Third Eye. He always felt watched every day. Sometimes it's easy to spot them; other times, he could barely sense them even when in his range.

There was one person who was hard to perceive and was found luckily by sensing his emotions: sadness, happiness, lust, and anger; lust and anger weren't directed at me. His gravity-defying hair, with one eye covered with a face mask resembling a dog with red stripes on his eyes and cheeks.

He always found reading a book and giggles. So Naruto named him 'Inu.' Inu always leaves with new books and food for Naruto. One day he left a new food that Naruto had never eaten before. It was heavenly, knowing it was ramen since Naruto had seen instant ramen in many shops. He thought Inu was busy, so he gave me instant ramen, but when Naruto ate, he had known that this was his favorite dish since that day.

Besides Inu and some people, Naruto also sensed a weird group of people; they wore the standard cloak and mask and didn't have an actual standardized uniform like the others. He has felt no emotions from them; they are like empty husks. Without seeing the chakra, they could have been mistaken for a ghost.

Naruto had mistaken them for spies at first but later knew that they were a special division/department; when they interacted with Inu and chased them away.

(MC never went to Ichiraku Ramen)

…

┏ NARUTO POV ┓

This was my secret spot since I didn't want to be spotted by other animals while I was fishing. I even made an unusual net that can automatically catch fish from memory in my dream.

There are many fishes here because I come here once a year, and whenever I am close by, I leave a lot of food for the fish.

As I was trying to sneak away, I was stopped by the 'Old man' who said

"I don't mean any harm, child. You have found a really nice place, peaceful and quiet."

Hearing the 'Old man,' I couldn't help but have a fuzzy feeling in my stomach. A peculiar scene played in my mind, of an oversized man selling candy to kids in a sketchy white box with wheels.

There was a weird, awkward silence between us, and the Hokage decided to break it by saying, "Come here".

Feeling that I couldn't do anything since this 'Old man' is the strongest person in the village. Remembering a quote from a book, "With age comes experience", I couldn't help but compare the 'Old man' to other older people. This old man is Hokage, which means he has experience and power, so I have to be careful not to offend him.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama. I was curious since this was my secret spot where I fish. And…" I was hesitant to say anything further since I didn't want to offend the Hokage.

Hearing my hesitation, he chuckled and said, "Speak up. I don't really mind."

I nodded my head. "If you don't mind, what are you doing here?" I said as respectfully as possible.

The Hokage got interested in hearing a kid my age speaking politely and quite well.

"Well, Naruto… Even though I never interacted with you, you probably don't know me other than being the Hokage. I was friends with your father. So I thought of coming by since tomorrow is your birthday and leaving you a gift."

It's not surprising finding out that my birthday is tomorrow since I never knew the importance of celebrating being born in this cursed world. However, what actually surprised me was the mention of my father.

"I am honored, Hokage-sama. I don't really need a gift. But can you tell me about my parents?" I could control my urge and asked who my parents were.

Thinking Naruto would get excited hearing about his parents, the Hokage couldn't help but feel sour. He wanted to see Naruto's face smile and see him act like other kids.

"Oh! You are quite polite for your age. Let's see… Your mother was a beautiful woman. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, and she came from the Uzumaki Clan. They are famous for having red hair and are talented in Fuinjutsu, basically applying equations with Kanji. So you probably wouldn't understand what I'm saying… She died from a weak heart when you were born. So you got your hair from your mother." Hokage said.

Though I never interacted with my mother, hearing her die because of me caused me pain in my chest.

Wanting to hear about my father, and with hope, I asked, "W-what about my f-father?" My voice cracked. I realized as I was saying that my father might have abandoned me after killing his wife.

A voice in my mind said, ' You might really be an Uchiha bastard.' However, my negative thought was swept away after hearing what the Hokage said about my father.

"Your father was a talented man. He firmly believed in the village and the Will of Fire. But unfortunately, he tragically died in the Kyuubi tragedy. He genuinely loved you. When you were born, he bragged to everyone… I am sorry I can't say his name. He had many enemies, and they couldn't wait to show their anger at his only son."

I don't know what to feel. Should I feel happy that I am not a bastard and wasn't thrown away like a waste, or sad that they both are killed? Suddenly, I was hit with a cool sensation that went through my mind. Although it was refreshing and made me think 'properly', I couldn't think of a word on how to describe it.

Even with the incredible sensation, I was sad, and Hokage, seeing my face twist with sadness, signaled me to sit next to him.

"*sigh* Do not blame yourself. The hospital was understaffed and under-equipped because of the Kyuubi incident. Which sadly caused your mother to pass away. Your father bravely died protecting the village and left the will of fire to you. I was told by your father to reveal everything when you became a chunin."

'LIES LIES!! The whole thing he said now is a lie. Since I can sense emotions, I have sensed that he was lying. Remembering that the person who lied to me is the Hokage of the village. I have no way of either questioning him or going against him.

Showing a fake smile, "Thank you for telling me, Hokage-sama. Can I have some time alone?… I have a lot on my mind, hearing from you."

Hokage didn't say anything, seeing my weird smile and behavior. Instead, he just shrugged it off, thinking I was trying to be strong in front of him.

"Please call me Jiji when we are alone. Since you don't want anything, I decided to give you a place to stay with a monthly income. So please come to my office to let me know your decision, and I will let my secretary know that you are visiting. Also, I heard that you liked ramen from Ichiraku… So here, I'll give you a free all-you-can-eat buffet for a week."

I thanked him, and we talked for some time, and he left shortly after I said, "Thank you, Hokage-sa… Jiji, I will come this week and tell you my decision."