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- P A R T  O N E -

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"When you know what a man wants, you know who he is, and how to move him."

― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

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1

FIRE, SMOKE, AND ASHES EVERYWHERE.

“Hiruzen, give me the boy. I’ll raise him to be the edge that Konoha needs. We’re weak, and we lost more than 40% of our Shinobi forces,” A bandaged old man with cane stated.

“The answer is no, Danzo. I’m not going to give you the boy,” he said while leaning back in his chair. They were having this conversation in the Council chambers then in the hallways and finally here in his office. Danzo was persistent on having the boy under his care, insisting it was for the good of the village.

“Konoha needs a weapon to survive. I can provide that weapon. The boy will be a great asset. We cannot waste it.”

“He is not a weapon, Danzo. He is a child of this village,” he replied unfazed, pushing any thoughts about Danzo’s lack of morale.

“Then it is his duty to protect his village,” Danzo countered.

“No, Danzo. I’m not going to give you Minato and Kushina’s Legacy so you can turn him into a mindless puppet. We do not know much about Jinchurikis to risk undergoing your ROOT program. It may backfire. We didn’t risk asking Uzushio for Kushina to be the new vessel after Mito-sama before, for you to mess it all up now with Naruto. While Minato was a genius fūinjutsu, my argument still stands,” Hiruzed said, glaring at Danzo before continuing.

“We know that only an Uzumaki can hold the Kyuubi, nobody else could. And if a mishap happens during one of your training session, we won’t have an Uzumaki to seal it in. I might as well sign Konoha to its doom.”

“Hiru—”

“Shimura, you’re treading on thin ice. You’re forgetting who you are talking to. I may be lenient on you because we’ve been comrades in the past but I don’t like you undermining my authority as Hokage,” he said, letting an icy tone creep into his voice, shutting up Danzo. “Understood?”

“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama.”

“This discussion is over,” he said with finality.

“Hokage-sama,” Danzo mutter as he bowed and quickly left. Hiruzen could hear the tapping sound of Danzo’s walking cane as it faded away. He vowed that he would have the boy under his care by hook or by crook.

The Sandaime Hokage stood up from his desk and make his way to the window overlooking village. He could not help but feel deflated at the sight. The damage was massive from infrastructure to casualties. The economic and political backlash because of the Kyuubi would be felt for years to come, more so with Minato's recent death. He knew that Konoha could not afford to appear weak. Yet that was not enough to risk an emotional conditioning of a ticking time-bomb. And in the event that Danzo succeeded, the boy’s loyalty wouldn’t be with Konoha but with the old war hawk.

He took a drag on his pipe. Nights like this make him feel his creaking old bones, and weight on his shoulder for wearing the hat again. Even though he was already past his prime, his reputation would be the armor Konoha needs right now. So, he did what he was supposed to do; he tightened his armor.

The God of Shinobi was back to protect his throne.

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 “Man cannot be freed by the same injustice that enslaved it.”

― Pierce Brown, Red Rising

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2

SNOW WAS FALLING FROM THE SKY.

A five-year-old Naruto watched the snowflakes drift through the air. He held his hand out of the window as the snow gently, and leisurely landed on his palm. The puffs of ice fell like a blanket, descending upon Konohagakure. They drifted, uncaring where they would land, allowing the wind to guide them to their destination. They seemed so free.

What would that be like?

Naruto sat quietly in the orphanage’s attic — it was dusty, dirty and falling apart. In spite of that, it was one of the few places he could find solitude. And Naruto liked solitude.

When you’re alone, no one can hurt you.

Uzumaki Naruto had been born a happy child, but that had changed after spending several years in the orphanage. Ever since he could remember, the caretakers would treat him like garbage and would trample anything that can cause him happiness. They even raised and instructed some children to do the same. They didn’t do anything directly that cause physical injury, but they would ignore and glare at him.

He had no idea why he would deserve such treatment. As far as he could remember, he had never done anything to make them angry. He had been good, quiet and obeyed everything that was asked of him.

Yet he had been the receiver of ridicule and scorn whenever he showed up. But sometimes ‘accidents’ happen, and it was always around him. He tried his best not to cry, especially when the other children were present because if he complains the kids would laugh and mock him even more. Though it was a frequent event, it still hurts a lot. So, he always hid in the attic.

Naruto let out a deep sighed.

The snow continued to fall. Looking at the snow, Naruto cannot help but imagine he was like the snow or the wind. A thing incapable of feelings, pain, loneliness, or. . . hurt. He could be free.

Feeling a little chill, he adjusted the red scarf wrapped around his neck. He was told that this scarf was found wrapped around him when he was given to the orphanage. The small piece of clothing was the only piece of connection he has to his parents. As the warmth of fabric fought the biting coldness in the air, he couldn't help but embrace it, the only witness of the love he would never experience.

A shuffling sound echoed near the door while Naruto tried to ignore the incoming footsteps behind him. He already heard her when she accidentally tripped to some mess lying around the floor. The solemnity of his thoughts was interrupted as the young girl navigated through the boxes and various obstacles with the grace of brute.

Reaching her intended destination, the girl uttered his name and settled for a seat beside him. "Naruto, it's time for dinner. We need to get some food."

Naruto turned his head and met her gaze. Two bento boxes were noticeably tucked between her arms. With a roughish smile, his fingers pointed at the boxes almost touching it, sprinkling every bit of his charisma in delivering his line. "…Then can you tell me why are you holding that? Unless they're empty,"

She blinked, already immune to his antics, and looked at the boxes at her hands. Holding the boxes in the query in the air, "These," she shook them. "…are our combat rations. We would need to eat them now while they're still hot. The fire in them would bring out our youthfulness for our next mission."

Ignoring her peculiar language, he deftly snatched the bento from her hands. The sight succeeded on putting a smile on his lips. A brutish nudged of an elbow to his ribs encourage him to open it along with a warning.

"You better eat now. We don't much time to spare wondering the mystery of food," she proclaimed while shoving rice balls after rice balls.

He snorted and matched her relentless pace. Halfway through his bento, he ceased his assault. “What is the mission again?”

“What else, to steal food.”

“Pray tell me, what is this?” He motioned mockingly to his bento.

“Food,” she blandly replied.

Naruto rolled his eyes at her answer with another hand gesture. “Obviously. So, why do we have to steal more?”

“You can never have too much food… And if you noticed, you just ate half of my portion.”

“But that’s for two persons. Two bentos, two persons. One bento, one person. You know, you need to work on your math,” he teasingly rebuked, using his fingers to teach her basic math.

“You don’t think I know that? And I know how to count! Are you going to help me or not?” she screeched, clearly agitated by his joking.

Of course, he knew why they need to do this ‘mission.’ She was a hardworking girl that dreamed of being an exceptional kunoichi, practicing throwing projectiles during her free time, and treating games as battle simulations, a professionalism rarely found in person so young. Because of these, she was burning more calories compared to other children, hence her need for more food. He could also use a rainy-day food stock for himself.

Naruto gave a weak snigger, at which she rose an annoyed eyebrow at. With a final bite, he finished his food. He stood up and did a mock salute.

“Kunoichi-taichou, Uzumaki Naruto reporting for duty!” Naruto declared with conviction. Evidently pleased, she stood up and put her hands behind her back as she relayed her orders.

“Kohai, we move at 2200 hours (twenty-two hundred hours). We move fast. Our first target is the kitchen to look for any leftovers. Pack all of them, make sure you take everything. Then, we hit the pantry. There’s a fresh delivery of bread. We’ll each take a week worth of bread. Make sure to clean our food chest before we head out,” she firmly ordered as she turned around heading for the door.

A beautiful smile stretched across his face. Despite all he’d been through trying to keep a positive attitude, once in a while a respite gives him the courage to hold on. He swore that he would always try his hardest to smile against all the odds. His musing was interrupted as the girl stuck her head back in the room, and looked at him straight into the eyes.

“Are you coming?”

“Hai!” Naruto replied as he followed her out. As he approached her from behind, his playfulness slipped out of control since he gently tugged one of her hair buns to annoy her. “You know, I think you’re getting fat, Tenten,” he blurted out an accompanying lie further infuriating his friend.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Tenten flushed, taking out a handful of rubber shuriken. She chased him, vowing to bring the red-head in a world full of pain. Naruto ran laughing. She would get a lucky shot or two, but that was all she was going to get. There was a reason they don’t get caught stealing; he was extremely fast and agile. He decided to take another shot at her.

“Come on, Tenten! Are those fat legs slowing you down?” Naruto stopped and pointed a finger at her legs.

"... You didn't," Tenten was rooted on her spot. She glared hard, promising a reckoning, an inquisition, a manhunt, and everything else to kill him the worst way possible.

"I didn't?" Naruto wore that cheeky grin of his. That woke her up; she would make do with her promise, she ran.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Tenten aimed her shuriken at him and threw, seeking vengeance.

Naruto briskly dodged her shuriken. He weaved, jumped, and twisted at her feeble assault. He taunted her with his knowing smirk and exasperating laughter that echoed in the backyard, fueling her rage. Like a slippery eel, he was untouchable to her.

“It seems that I need to teach you more than just counting! Are you sure you’re actually aiming? You won’t hit me with that accuracy.”

“I won’t miss this time!”

“I’ve heard that before.”

"Argh! Stay. Still," she shouted, frustrated at her failure to inflict physical pain. Tenten threw shuriken upon shuriken during their chase. As she finally run out of ammunition, a helplessness washed over her. Repeating her vows to never miss again in her head, a promise was made that day— the promise of a budding weapon mistress.

“And why would I do that?”

"I will get you, Uzumaki! If I can't hit you, I will catch you and pound you with my fist," she sprinted, feminine righteous fury glowing in her eyes.

"Uh-hn, is that a goal I hear?" Naruto sounded amused. “You said you won’t miss but you did,” he looked back. "— and miss a lot. Yup, missed all of them. Now, you want to catch me?” It was time for the finishing blow, the chambers were locked and fully loaded, he fired.

Bang!

"Better get to it, Fat Bun-chan!"

“That’s it!”

That’s it! He understood that under no circumstance he would allow himself to be captured by the raging panda, not unless he was secretly attracted to pain. With that amount of goading, he would be lucky to get away with just a broken bone and... maybe a bloody face. A quick glance behind him told a different story. Yup, a painful death.

After half hour of fierce pursuit and failed capture attempt of Tenten, both of them were panting and heavily breathing sitting on the floor. Well, Tenten was unceremoniously sprawled all over the ground. This, fortunately, evaporated all of Tenten's wrath. Actually, she just couldn’t move yet; her murderous aura was projected through those round brown orbs that were oddly turning to a shade similar to his hair.

If looks could kill, thankful it doesn’t.

Naruto smiled to himself for the chance to see another day and for taking home another point for the Uzumaki Play club. He stood up and faced the breathless panda. "I'll see you later, Taichou."

The young thief hastily retreated to the backyard with a lazy wave, moving out onto a dark, unused passage, back towards the attic— his attic. Naruto kept his head down and pulled his hood against the still falling snowflakes, a smile plastered on the corner of his lips.

This wasn't so bad.

But he longed for something else.

Free. Just a couple of years more. Endure.

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“There you are!” Tenten narrowed her eyes dangerous, pulled him into a squat and pointed a finger toward his face. “Where were you? You’re late.”

Naruto didn’t respond and shrugged her comments. He simply sent her an apologetic nod, giving Tenten what she expected to see. There was still fifteen minutes to spare, but he wouldn’t voice it out. He was stubborn and headstrong; however, he knew this was a battle he wouldn’t win. Doing what every smart male would do, he quietly looked down looking sorry.

Tenten growled slightly at his nonchalant attitude, then raised her hand and hit him on his biceps. The force of the blow wasn’t much; it was more of a playful jab more than anything. But Naruto bore his punishment silently and caressed his thoughts.

See? Can’t win. Argue, she would be angry. Don’t argue; she would still be angry.

“Listen,” Tenten hissed. “This is an important mission. It’s worth risking our youth. I won’t have you screwing this up. Understand?”

Again with that strange language.

Naruto nodded.

Tenten studied him for a moment, satisfied, she calmly nodded back. Naruto knew there was something wrong. She was annoyed about something— something more than his tardiness. In spite of that, he noticed the signal and asserted himself. “What’s our situation? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Tenten sighed. “Remember when Makoto and his gang accidentally broke the front door? It during one of their stupid escapades,” searching his memory, he nodded. “Mother Matron had it fixed this afternoon while you were brooding in the attic.”

His brows rose at her obvious prod on his behavior but kept his tongue tied.

She was looking for someone to punish, Naruto thought. But it doesn’t make sense how it was my fault.

The accused late comer looked up at Tenten to meet her gaze, with a small gulp and subtle intake of air, he decided to bite the bullet.

“What does fixing the front door have to do with all of this?”

“Everything! Mother Matron didn’t just fix the front door. She noticed that the locks on most doors have already rusted, some are even close to falling off. She said that it was reasonable to have them change as they’ve already served the orphanage for a long time. The handyman finished all of them in record time,” Tenten snapped, explaining her dilemma to her dimwitted red-head fellow, convicting him of a crime he didn’t do.

“I don’t see why that would be a problem for us. The kitchen and pantry were just changed four months ago,” Naruto stated, extending his bail to the court.

Agitated, the judge venomously spat out. “Well, lucky for us. Mother Matron negotiated a terrific deal that covered for every door except private quarters. The handyman changed all of them and repeating what I said earlier, ‘finished all of them in record time.’ Now, tell me why this isn’t our problem? Hmm?”

His bail denied, the accused-late-comer-turned-convict plopped down and rubbed his head as he prepared for his upcoming trial. “This could be a problem,” shaking his head. “A huge problem.”

“Ya think?!” Tenten angrily retorted.

“Of course,” he bit back, eyes glimmering seemingly enjoying the unanticipated scenario. “Is there anything we could have done to prevent this?” Naruto resumed his monologue; he loved his theatrics evident by his playful side.

Tenten was used to the scarlet-haired's quirks, but now wasn’t the time, she was fuming due to that unforeseen incident. Seriously, how could he stay calm? This wasn’t a game. She was about to reprimand her subordinate when—

“That is, of course, a problem, if,” Naruto wagged a finger at her, letting his words simmer a bit, clearly enjoying the moment of domination specifically her irritation. “If… If we don’t have these. Yes, hmm, these poor souls would be in trouble. Very, very much,”

Naruto held the keys and jiggled it in front of her face, dangling the bait for mama bear; a most worthy bribe for the jury.

Tenten’s eyes flashed with glee. A-A g-glutton! She grabbed his hands and plucked the keys away from him, forceful prying it through his clutches. The bouncing started as Tenten excitedly launched away at the owner of the red locks; the inmate could feel that he was close to being acquited. “You’re a lifesaver! You’ve saved our mission tonight, and our missions in the near future. How? When? Can you—”

Naruto cut her off before she could bombard him more, reining her excitement before her explosive voice woke up everybody. Did the court just rule in his favor? Freedom!

“I’ve sto — ahem, borrowed it before coming here. I already overhead Mother’s conversation with the handyman even prior to him working with the orphanage. Luckily for us, he gave the spares and original first. I guess they already reached a deal before coming here.”

“Overheard?”

“Yup overheard.”

Tenten knew her accomplice doesn’t do anything with a purpose. Confident that he was spying on them, she let the issue slide and focused on the task at hand. They got the keys; they would proceed according to plan.

Wasting no time, she nodded and used a two-finger signal pointing to their direction as well as the start of their mission. The two-wannabe shinobi, nicknamed the Felon and the Brutish Panda, walked carefully, utilizing their light footsteps to carry them to their destination. Reaching the kitchen doors, Tenten was rummaging on the keys as Naruto hid behind a wall, to act as the sentry, overlooking the hallways, looking out for any patrol. As the doors open with a soft clink, they hurriedly scurried inside.

The kitchen itself wasn’t impressive except for its size. From the number of orphans eating, the size was adequate for its needs. Naruto looked at Tenten awaiting her command.

“Good, Naruto. Check the pantry and collect one of our objectives. Be sure to take anything that might not be noticeable, alright? I’m going to start packing bentos now. Leave me one of your sack,” Tenten threw the keys to Naruto.

Without a word, he went to the pantry and started filling his sack, adding drinks, snacks and some fruits to his haul. Completing his goal, he discreetly rearranged it, like a landscaper making art, he reshaped the terrain. Satisfied, he made his way back to the kitchen and met up with Tenten. Announcing his arrival and job completion, he uttered a short, concise declaration. 

“Done.”

“Alright, just hold on. I’m almost done here,” she replied, putting packed bentos in the sack. Two empty bento boxes left, she reached out to the food tray placed at the center table. The moment she grasped the lid, Naruto caught her hand straight away, seizing her motion.

“What are you doing?” he asked with an irritable tone.

“I’m filling these two empty bento boxes,” she told him, confused by what was transpiring, struggling to free her outstretched hand. Tenten tugged again, telling him to let go. It was upsetting to be handled like this particularly without reason, but before she could retaliate, he heard him speak.

“Don’t touch that.”

“Huh? What?”

“I said don’t touch that.”

“Why?”

Tightening his hold, he pointed with his free fingers towards the tray in question. Clarifying his action, he began lecturing her. “Those are Mother’s favorite food. She orders them from those foreign caravans that visit Konoha once every third week of the month. You cannot find them anywhere on Konoha. Trust me; she would notice if you put your hands anywhere near that stuff. Unless you want a hunt, you’ll follow my words.”

His words quenched her brewing temper. Calming down, she nodded in appreciation; Naruto finally let her hand go. This puzzling piece of information needed to be solved.

“How did you know? We’ve raided this kitchen more than a hundred times. It’s the first time we have this kind of problem,” she requested, still baffled because of the hundred times, not even encountering it once was confusing.

 “Most of the time, Mother receives the delivery of her favorite food or she would be the one to buy it, storing it in her room afterward. Today, Megu-san was the one to receive her food because Mother was called for a meeting. It would seem that she also ordered an extra, clearly noticeable with the size of the tray. It’s the first time we’ve seen the food here in the kitchen because Mother hasn’t come back yet from her meeting. It was odd for her to take this long. Normally, she’ll be bulldozing halfway through that tray by now. If that’s the case, it makes you wonder what she’s up to,” he stated, expanding on his previous statement. Tenten could hear a faint babbling of ‘pig’ and ‘flat nose’ as Naruto began drifting off.

Not satisfied with his incomplete explanation, she demanded. “Right. But you didn’t answer my question. How did you know?”

“I asked.”

“You asked? Did you really think I would believe that?”

“Yes, I asked. How else would I know about it then?” Naruto raised his eyebrows telling her to come at him. Tenten countered with a glare of her own, he relented and put his hand up in defeat. Naruto unwillingly responded with a groan.

“Right, so I’ve asked politely. There, happy now?”

“Yeah, and I’m Tsunade’s apprentice.”

“You’ll be surprised how charming I can be,” he proclaimed with a wide toothy grin. Tenten and her fascination with Tsunade. No wonder she as driven as she was.

“Enough of this. Finished your job. We need to get out of here as soon as possible,” Naruto said with finality, ending any and all queries Tenten may have, as he turned around to watch the doors.

Tenten looked at him, frustrated that she wouldn’t get her answers, he was as annoying as he was reliable. With a growl, she resumed packing the boxes to finished her part of the job. Standing up, she confirmed her success, ushering the mission’s end.

“Let’s go. Mission accomplished.”

They left with another success added to their impeccable mission record.

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Within the shade of the mighty tree lurked the roots under its foundation. In here, names were thrown, the past was left behind, and history was forgotten. Nothing matters here except the mission.

“How’s the boy?” Came a voice from the shadows.

“Miserable, sir. A little bit skinny but completely healthy. The matrons ignore him as you’ve suggested. They don’t even feed him, but the boy turned to stealing during the night. He exhibits traits of a lone wolf, keeping everything to himself most of the time,” his kneeling subordinate answered with no inflection in his voice.

“Any guards?”

“None, sir. The last I’ve spotted was three years ago.”

Yes, he thought. It was three years ago when the young Naruto was almost assassinated by a drunk shinobi from the regular corps. It was when the fear within the populace was at its peak.

He would’ve taken advantage of the situation if Konoha wasn’t so depleted and weaken by the Nine-Tails’ rampage. Yet, it wasn’t meant to be. But he had other plans; he was gradually deteriorating the boy’s mental health to the point of insanity. At that point, Hiruzen wouldn’t have any other choice but to let him have the unstable container.

Until then, he would prowl in the darks.

“Continue your tasks.”

“Sir.”

The man showed a rare smile as the tapping of a cane joined into the never-ending blackness.