One Can Only Go Up

Naruto truly didn't know how long she had been in this dark, sewer-like space. Perhaps it had only been seconds back in the real world. Or perhaps she had been lying here for years.

The murky water that had been here at first had slowly been drained. Not that she knew why. But as it drained, she felt herself being cleansed, like a great weight had been lifted off her back. But even without the vast amounts of murky water, the sewer wasn't any more comfortable than before.

Naruto looked at one of the two long corridors in front of her for what seemed to be the millionth time. One of them had an exceptionally evil presence radiating from it, daring her to even take a step towards it.

Her self-preservation instincts screamed not to, and she obviously wanted to stay alive, so she avoided that one.

This corridor had also been where most of the murky water had come from, and it was filled with grime and other disgusting things, so she didn't want to go towards it even without the evil presence.

Another one was, quite literally, empty. It just appeared as a large room with nothing in it. It did have a couple of odd markings inside of it, though. And Naruto had the vague feeling that she was being watched from this room, just like the other, dirty corridor, but the gazes from this room were full of love, and odd feelings directed towards her, making it even weirder and unapproachable than the malicious entity occupying the dirty hallway.

Finally, on the other two walls of her was a door occupying each. One door was chained down tightly, having many locks and seemingly unapproachable and unopenable. While the other door had no locks, and nothing preventing her from trying to open it.

She had long ago figured out this unblocked door was her ticket out, but no matter how hard she tried, it never opened. But if there was one thing Naruto never did, it was giving up. So she walked up to the door for the thousandth time, praying that this time she would finally leave this prison.

Twisting the knob and praying, she finally heard the satisfying creak of the door sliding open. And as soon as it was open, she felt her body being dragged along by some powerful tug. She felt all control of her body give way as she ragdolled through some odd space. It felt like she was both awake and asleep at the same time like she could see something, but there was nothing there. Her senses were completely out of control, and she panicked for this split second. Before it seemed like this never happened and she was left gasping for breath.

The room was dark, only illuminated from the full moon occupying the night sky, giving way to rays of light that shone through the slightly open curtains.

As she finally opened her eyes, she heard the soft whirring of machines attached to her. As she laid there confused, she realized that she couldn't move at all. After a little while in this state, she suddenly heard the soft creaking of a door opening. And the next thing she knew was that she was surrounded by many people, some hovering over her with a green glow on their hands, slowly sweeping their hands throughout her body.

Naruto realized that her hands and ankles had been bound by some type of material. And had she any energy, she probably would have lashed out at these people. But being locked inside of that dark space for so long, she didn't care anymore. Just glad to have finally gotten out. And with these thoughts, she blissfully fell asleep once again.

The next time she woke up, she was still inside of the hospital, but this time it seemed she could finally move her limbs. Exerting herself, Naruto sat up on the bed. Glancing down at her arm, she realized that it looked much healthier than the last time she had seen it. Her previously gaunt skin that seemed to stick to her bones was now fleshy and full of vitality.

As she was trying to figure out what happened, she heard the door to her hospital room open. Glancing over, she saw an aged man. He had sharp eyes and a head full of spiky white hair hidden under a hat emblazoned with the kanji for 'fire' on it. His face held many wrinkles, and yet his eyes shone with a grandfatherly light, that seemed to make his character give off a kind-elderly like an aura.

Naruto had recognized him, as he had visited the orphanage many times in the past. And each time he was there he had always seemed to look directly at her. But not with the hatred that she was used to. His eyes had always seemed to shine with emotions unfamiliar to Naruto, and that was perhaps because all she had known was hatred.

As soon as the elderly male had seen her sitting up in bed, his eyes widened in surprise, before narrowing with suspicion.

"Coma patients are usually unable to move well. Along with your young age and underdeveloped muscles, and your previously malnourished state, I don't believe you should be able to move." His previously grandfatherly presence had immediately switched, his cold voice threatening to pierce through her. He locked her down with a ferocious gaze. His domineering aura pinning her down so that she couldn't move.

Naruto could feel her cold sweat slowly rolling down her skin, as the hospital gown stuck closely to her back that had been drenched in sweat. She felt like she was looking at the face of a lion, one that wouldn't back down and was merely observing their prey in a passive-aggressive state.

She tried to respond, but her lips could only tremble as her mouth failed to form words. She watched blankly as the man slowly approached her shaking figure. His hand stretching slowly towards her. Naruto felt like death itself was staring her down, and the temperature in the room had dropped significantly.

His hand landed lightly on her stomach before she felt a force similar to being sucker-punched come straight from her stomach. It rocketed through her body and running through every cell. As she was squirming in pain, the man's eyes widened in realization.

"It seems that the dreaded beast does have some uses. To be able to stimulate its host's muscles, even in a state of vegetation, how amazing. And to think a five-year-old could even be capable of holding this much chakra is unheard of." He murmured under his breath, before stepping back and restraining his overbearing presence.

Naruto could finally breathe again as the suffocating feeling felt the room, like the invisible hand clenched around her throat trying to choke her had finally disappeared. She also felt the surging pain finally leave, and in its tracks, she suddenly felt something in her body that she always had, yet had never felt before. It was like an intricate circuit board that ran through every part of her body and had intertwined with each cell, and yet this was the first time she felt it. She could also feel the overwhelming energy that seemed to just lay in her stomach and threatened to explode outward if she didn't use it. It was terrifying yet amazing at the same time.

She hacked for breath, greedily inhaling large amounts of air and looking towards the old man, in a way a cornered animal towards its predator. Even though she recognized that he had never looked at her with hate, that was probably what made it even more daunting. To think he could threaten her that much without even an ounce of hatred made her even warier of him than anyone she had ever met.

The elderly man merely met this gaze with his own, filled with amusement. "I guess I should introduce myself." He stated. The previously dangerously chilling voice was replaced by a kind, amiable tone that seemed to automatically calm Naruto down. Her tense figure slowly unwinding as her shoulders drooped and her hand uncurling from fists and laying flat against her thighs. "I'm the Hokage of this village. Sarutobi Hiruzen, or as some call me, the God of Shinobi." Hiruzen said like he was merely remarking on the weather.

But for Naruto, this sentence carried far more meaning. To think she had met the Hokage, a figure that was considered legendary for a clan-less orphan like her. And to think he would even bother to show up and meet her personally. Perhaps her luck had finally turned towards the better.

"Perhaps I should also explain your situation, too. Although, most people that suddenly wake up in a hospital panic more." The Hokage explained, amusement lacing his tone. Naruto had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at this remark. "A few months ago, you were kicked out of the orphanage due to poor management and bias reasons. You were found malnourished and on the verge of death in an abandoned building. Do not worry about this anymore, as I have set up a place for you to live once this conversation is over, and you will now be given a stipend of money because of your admission as an academy student. You had been in a coma for around six months, you had turned six during your coma and were admitted as an academy student even though you were in a vegetative state. Currently, you have only missed around a quarter of the first-year academy course, and can easily join in with the class once you finish the makeup work that has been placed in your new apartment. Once you have completed it, you will be able to seamlessly blend into the student body." The man explained. Naruto was shocked, six months! Although, thinking about the time she had spent just laying in that dark room, she supposed that six months could be accurate. "I have already personally checked your condition, so you will have no problems leaving even and will also be able to skip the mandatory physical therapy given for recovering patients. I will also assign one of my ANBU guards to guide you to your new residence. I will also visit you every once in a while to make sure you have appropriate living conditions. This is also to make sure you are not slacking off in your studies. Any questions?" Hiruzen asked as he finally ended his explanation of her current situation.

Of course, the question Naruto wanted to ask the most was why an orphan like her even warranted this much attention. But she knows this question would get her nowhere, and she would most likely only be given an ambiguous answer that led her to more questions. So she opted for asking about something that interested her almost as much. "What happened to the Matron of the orphanage?" She asked, dreading the answer. Because as much as she hated the Matron, she knew of the many kids who loved her as the only parental figure they had. The Hokage's gaze seemed to gain an almost savage gleam before it was gone just as quickly.

"She was... dealt with. I see this whole village as my family. And to see one bullying and sabotaging one other gives me great pain. She had done terrible things, Naruto, and she deserved her fate. Do not think more into this matter." He explained to her. She merely nodded her head sadly as she thought of all the orphanage's children's depressed faces. Because for as mean as they had been, they had all once been friends.

Naruto felt a light pressure on her head, and she looked up to see the Hokage lightly patting her head, his gentle aura destroying the depressing waves that had seemed to sweep off her small figure. As he removed his hand from her head, Naruto watched as he finally turned away and exited the door, his footsteps quiet all the way there, not even giving way to the lightest of noises. His presence was already gone from her senses before he had left her vision, leaving her in a state of awe.

The darkness that occupied one of the corners on the far side of the room suddenly seemed to distort, before revealing a tall man with a slim figure. His armor grey with and black in color, with a katana that lacked a gaurd on his back and a holster strapped to his thigh. He had long silver hair that poked out above his dog-like mask and gave off a feeling of melancholy like he had lost everything in life and was just slowly trudging onwards.

The man didn't say anything, but his one eye visible through the mask shone with relief and happiness, like her mere presence meant the world to him. Naruto was confused by the mysterious emotion in his eyes, but it didn't stop the warm feeling in her stomach as she met them. Perhaps this was what it felt like when someone looked at you with happiness like you actually mattered to them. Naruto like this feeling, but it was too bad that she had only met one person so far capable of letting her experience it, and she couldn't even see his face.

The man approached her and put his arm on her shoulder as she suddenly felt the world around her shift. Naruto's surroundings blurred as she felt herself move rapidly while being held in the man's arms.

When they finally stopped, Naruto immediately kneeled and grabbed the ground, trying to regain her balance. She felt like her organs had been rapidly scrambled, and her head pounded from a head-splitting headache.

She stayed like this for a moment, before standing up and examining her surroundings. She was in a place similar to the residential district she had seen while on that trip with the children of the orphanage. But this place seemed much less modernized than what she had previously seen.

She looked at the tall building in front of her, it was an odd color, being a odd yellow mixed with a swamp green. The roof was a marigold orange and the whole thing seemed to be made by a blind painter. Naruto was sure she could've painted it better than whatever this dumpster fire of colors was.

"The Hokage has gifted you this whole apartment complex. Mainly because the second you move in, no one else will, for reasons I can not disclose to you. He expects it to be well maintained and has already furnished it. I will now report back to the Hokage, your work for the academy is already located in the dining room table on the first floor." The ANBU agent stated, his voice emotionless. Naruto merely nodded dumbly, not getting over her shock from the last couple of events, and watched the agent disappear in a flurry of leaves with a blank look in her eyes.

Naruto approached the apartment and opened the front door, before stepping into the building. The inside was humble, with a lot of open space and only furniture. She went to the dining room, where a table sat in the middle with a stack of papers piled high on top of it.

Naruto sighed as she sat down in one of the dining room chairs, before she felt something odd from her body. The odd phone-like object that she had briefly seen before falling into a coma had suddenly materialized into her hand, causing her to panic and toss it away from her, in fear that it would cause the pain it had like when she had first picked it up.

A couple seconds later, Naruto slowly approached the object, as it had no detrimental effects so far. She saw a message plainly written on the screen once again. [Integration of host 'Naruto Uzumaki' has been completed. Updating of body has been completed. While user was away, system made sure to excert muscles to prevent muscle atrophy, system also used excess energy generated from the 'Chakra' generated in user to provide necessary nutrients to achieve the optimal body and muscle weight. Please tap the screen to continue.] The screen stated. And with that, Naruto finally approached the machine, gingerly picking it up. And with it now in her hands, she glared at the screen, that seemed to give off an ethereal feeling that seemed to not belong to this planet. It intimidated her, but mustering past her fear, she finally lightly tapped her screen, awaiting what would happen next as tension filled the air of the dining room.