DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

'What is a shinobi?'

Naruto was truly stumped by the question. In the Academy, they had been told that a ninja protects the village and everyone in it, the Will of Fire. They had been regaled with tales of glory and power of all the previous Hokages.

Naruto's favourite was of course, the Yondaime Hokage. He was a hero. Plain and simple. And the whole village agreed on this fact. He saved the entire village by defeating the Kyuubi and giving up his life in the process. In fact, he may have been the one to defeat the Kyuubi, but he wasn't the only one to die. Many had that terrible night.

So, Naruto was convinced he would a super awesome ninja saving Princesses from evil monsters and save the day.

Team 7's most recent mission was instrumental in showing Naruto that he wasn't as godlike as he had previously believed. Hell, it had been such a shock that it had shook Naruto's whole perception of what a shinobi even was?

Sure, in the heat of the moment and at seeing Zabuza dismiss Haku's sacrifice so easily, he had given him a well-deserved speech about a ninja protecting those precious to him and doing the right thing?

At first, he had believed himself the hero and Zabuza the evil, bad guy. But now, having been through the mission, the sun-kissed blonde ninja in the orange jumpsuit can safely admit – though he hated being wrong – that his belief had been terribly childish.

Why had he thought himself the good guy and Zabuza the bad guy? Just because he was from Konoha, does that mean he was the good guy? After all, wasn't Zabuza just taking the mission like team 7 for money? And unlike Team 7, Zabuza had more noble intentions. To free his country and village from the tyranny of the Mizukage?

Again, Zabuza's words about being a shinobi rang in his head. 'When you've hovered between life and death that it doesn't faze you, then you can be called a Ninja. When you've become so deadly that you profile has been entered into my bingo book, then you may have earned the title ninja.'

He had believed himself godlike. It had only taken one him one look at the likes of Zabuza and Haku, even his own sensei fighting to know that how terribly outclassed he really was. That only meant one thing, he was nowhere near ready or worthy to call himself a ninja.

Additionally, even Kakashi-sensei hadn't objected when Zabuza had told them that shinobi are just tools for the village. To use and to be used. Is that really what he was? A mere tool? No, that can't be it.

The Yondaime was no tool! He was a hero!

All this deep thinking was driving Naruto's head in.

'Ugghhhh!' Naruto grumbled to himself, grabbing his head. 'I hate this,' he said, walking without thinking through the park he usually walks in.

As usual, the team training today had been fairly useless. All Kakashi had told them was to focus on their basics whilst he sparred with Sasuke!

Che! What was so special about him anyway? And what's with that creepy, Sharingan eye? So, what that Sasuke has it? Naruto deserved training too. Granted, he wasn't as godlike as he had first thought but he was still better than the teme, hands down!

Granted, Naruto didn't know how he had kicked Haku's ass when the older girl-looking boy was so faster and better than him. But still, he had done it.

He should be the one being rewarded with training. Not stuck up duck-butt hair. He didn't even know why so many girls liked Sasuke! What Naruto wouldn't do for that kind of attention. To be fair, there was only one girl he liked but every time he even asked her out, it proved to be a painful mistake!

Sakura might not look strong but damn, her punches hurt like hell. And if he was being honest, he was getting a little tired of being her punching bag. He didn't even know why she hit him like that everytime! Did she hate him that much? Or was he really that annoying?

Ever since he could remember, the villagers had treated him like utter crap. True, the beatings at their hands had decreased over the years since he had gotten much faster and can outrun the mobs who organise the fox hunt.

That was another thing he couldn't figure out. No matter how much he tried to reason it, he couldn't see a reason for the villagers' hatred. Sure, Mizuiki-teme knew it but before he could even say it, Iruka-sensei had stabbed him and nearly killed him. And then he was arrested by those mask-wearing ANBU ninja.

They looked so cool. He had to admit. With their matching uniforms, cloaks and masks, they looked super awesome.

And every time, he even asked the Sandaime, the old man replied with the same twinkling eyes and the answer, 'People hate what they don't understand Naruto-kun. Someday, they will come to see you for what you are.'

What help was that? Sure, the old man sometimes hung out with him, eating ramen and fish they caught from the rivers but that was when he was young. Even that had become less and less over the years.

Haku had told him that to become strong, he needed to fight to protect something precious? But then, what did Naruto have that is precious to him. The wave mission had opened his eyes in ways than one.

Naruto had thought that his team was coming to accept him. But even after defeating Zabuza and Haku and then Zabuza killing Gato, all Sakura was worried about was teme. Even Kakashi sensei had berated Naruto a lot on not thinking properly before acting and not working properly with Sasuke.

Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Everything just had to be about him! Ugh, it drove him insane. Team building exercises. That's what they waste time on every training session they have. And it's not like they work anyway.

Their teamwork was worse than before they went on the mission to Wave. And everyone was convinced that it was his fault somehow. What is he supposed to do when Sasuke is still a big jerk, and that Sakura fawns over him instead of trying to work with Naruto?

What was he trying to protect that was so precious to him? A team that dislikes him? A sensei that doesn't train him? The villagers that despise him for some unknown reason? Naruto was well aware that he now moping and sulking, rather like Sasuke but right now, his perceptions of the village and his beliefs about what it meant to be a shinobi were going through a major setback.

He was lucky he wasn't freaking out. Or shouting at the top of his lungs. Naruto could admit that he had a tendency to do that. But that is usually when someone puts him down or ridicules his own super-awesome dream of being Hokage.

He just couldn't stand for being ridiculed like that. At first, he thought the girl Hinata was cool. That she could be his friend. And for a while, it looked like it was true as well. Kakashi sensei had sent his dog, Pakun to get reinforcements from Konoha when it looked like Zabuza was still alive.

As a result, the Sandaime had sent Team 8 under Kurenai-sensei. She was one hot woman! Naruto had to keep his eyes off of her multiple times lest he get distracted by those weird thoughts.

But he had been beaten up by Sakura too many times to know looking at an older woman, a Jounin, no matter how beautiful would end up with him in pain. Regardless, after the battle on the bridge, Hinata had even rubbed healing salve on his wounds.

That was the first time Naruto had anyone worry about him. And it had warmed his heart. And like the fool he was, he had entertained thoughts of being Hinata's friend. They had even trained a couple of times whilst Kakashi-sensei was recovering.

But then, he and Kiba had gotten into an argument about which of them was stronger. Naruto had held such high hopes that after all his training, tree climbing and even defeating Haku, Hinata would see that he had improved since his time in the Academy.

Granted, she had been knocked out during his fight with Haku but she had still agreed with Kiba. Even though she had apologised to Naruto, she had said that Kiba was stronger of the two. Maybe she was just being loyal to her teammate. Who knows? But in the end, she had turned out like the rest of them. Just like his own teammates. What a disappointment!

So, who was precious to him? All of a sudden, Naruto was falling like something had tripped him, nose first into the ground. 'Ow, ow, ow,' Naruto grumbled, holding his bruised face as he looked up and there was nothing in front of him that could have tripped him.

'Are you a shinobi?' someone said, making Naruto turn around.