AN: Hi everyone! My name is Yogami, and I will be your author during our time together!

All joking aside, this is my very first story. After 9 years of reading, I finally decided to try my own hand. I've always wanted to see how it would turn out if I wrote my own version of Naruto, and I always thought that "I'm getting treated like scum by everyone in the village but hey, never give up! Believe it!" was kinda bullshit. My version of Naruto will have trust issues and will not be a ball of happiness and sunshine. With that being said he will not be evil or cold-hearted either.

Before we start, I would like to warn people that I will not shy away from gore, and other mature content for the sake of the story's progression, so this story will be rated M.

If you are not put off by any of that, then welcome! I hope you'll enjoy the story.

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1

"Report."

"Sir!" The ANBU with the crude markings of a bear stood at attention in front of his leader. "All evacuated civilians have been moved to temporary locations. Tenzō is working overtime to provide shelters with the help of several proficient doton wielders. ANBU squad Beta and Delta are patrolling the borders in case opposing villages are trying to infiltrate during the confusion. We have also received word from Jiraiya-sama that said his ETA should be about a week. Nothing yet from Tsunade-sama."

"Thank you Bear, you may return to your squad." Bear saluted once more before vanishing in a burst of speed. Turning his head to his window, Hiruzen Sarutobi cast weary eyes to his ruined village. More than 60% of Konoha had been turned to rubble during the mysterious attack of the nine tailed fox. Peering down at the hospital chart, over 100 Jōnin had perished, along with 243 Chūnin and 436 Genin. He cringed when his eyes landed on the four-digit number that displayed the civilian casualties.

Truly, this was a disastrous day for Konoha. Two days had passed, and the village was still in a state of chaos. He'd been doing his best to keep everything as quiet as possible to not alert the other villages of their vulnerable position, but news would eventually break out. Konoha will need to be on its feet by then. Sometimes it was hard to believe that their existed creatures powerful enough to reduce a strong and proud village to ashes.

A high-pitched wail startled him out of his thoughts and drew his eyes to the chair in his office that now held a small cradle. Getting up from his seat and ignoring the creaking of his aged bones, the third Hokage hurried over to said cradle and carefully picked up the newborn from within.

"Hush now, Naruto, everything is alright." He gently rocked the blond baby back and forth as he kept crying. "What's the matter, are you hungry?" Reaching into the cradle, he pulled out a baby bottle and began feeding Naruto, who was only too happy to drink from it. Hiruzen sadly watched the baby that looked so much like Minato.

Kushina and Minato would have been the best parents for this baby, he was sure. They both looked absolutely giddy at the prospect of raising this child, so much so that they'd already started buying toys and clothes for him. But instead of being a day for celebration, it was now a day for grieving.

"You've been dealt a pretty bad hand, haven't you…" Now finished with his meal Naruto giggled softly before soon falling back asleep under Hiruzen's gentle rocking. God, he was bad at this. He never was any good at taking care of toddlers. His wife, Biwako, was the maternal one. 'Biwako…' His heart clenched painfully as he closed his eyes at the thought of his now late wife. Her body had been found at the remote location that Kushina gave birth in with mysterious stab wounds.

Truly a sad day for Konoha.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality. "Enter" he said softly, trying not to jostle the babe in his arms.

The door opened and a familiar mop of lopsided grey hair walked in, with the face of a snarling dog that usually came with the hair. "Ah, Dog." Hiruzen gently set Naruto into his cradle and walked over to his desk, grunting softly as he sat back down. "I've been expecting you."

Dog's masked face seemed to linger on the cradle for a moment before he focused on his leader, saluting by force of habit. "Hokage-sama."

"Please, Kakashi. Remove your mask." Kakashi reached up and unclipped his mask from his face revealing the single bloodshot eye that wasn't covered by his village's headband. It seemed Hiruzen wasn't the only one to not have been getting any sleep. Kakashi once more looked back at the cradle. Reaching into his drawer, he searched around in it for a few seconds before taking out his pipe, filling it with tobacco as he let the young teen gather his thoughts.

"So…This is sensei's child, huh?" He walked a bit closer to the cradle. "He already looks so much like him."

"Indeed." All was silent save for the noise of tobacco being stuffed inside the wooden pipe. With a snap of his fingers, the pipe was lit and brought to the lips of the old Hokage.

"What will happen to him?" The young prodigy asked without taking his eyes off the whiskered baby.

Hiruzen inhaled deeply before blowing out a small cloud of smoke. "He will be placed in the orphanage until he is of age to take care of himself."

Kakashi finally tore his eyes away from Naruto. "Hokage-sama, if I may-"

"I know what you are about to ask Kakashi, and the answer is no." He puffed once more on his pipe to settle his nerves and continued, ignoring the teen's irritated eye. "You are much too young to be taking care of a child, and are not in the right state of mind. As you are now, you would not be fit to be taking care of a baby. Not only that, Konoha needs you now more than ever. You are the squad captain of ANBU's primary team. We need you to take missions to acquire funds that this village so desperately needs right now.

Kakashi clenched his fists in frustration. "Do you really believe that he will be well treated in an orphanage? You and I both know what he is, what he contains. You know how people will react once they learn of it as well." Kakashi wasn't wrong, Hiruzen knew that. Mere moments after his birth, little Naruto had the greatest burden placed upon him. The massive monstrosity that ravaged the village was now sealed away into the belly of the baby.

"It's true, he will most likely be mistreated. The life of a Jinchuriki is never an easy one, BUT" he raised his voice slightly when he saw Kakashi about to interject. "Rest assured that I will have my most trusted people taking care of him."

Kakashi once more turned his gaze to the sleeping baby. He was only 14 years old himself. He knew better than anyone that he was no father material for a baby. But still, this did not feel right. "And what of Jiraiya-sama?"

"On his way." Was the short reply. "Though he will not be able to take care of Naruto either, Kakashi. Much like you, Jiraiya has his spy network to take care of. Please trust me when I tell you that Naruto will remain safe. I will make sure of it."

The young teen stood unmoving for a few moments before slowly reaching into his ANBU pants pocket and pulling out a small object. Leaning down, he placed the object in the cradle next to the sleeping baby and stood back up, turning back around to face his leader who was now looking at him questioningly.

"It's a toy that sensei bought for Naruto a few weeks ago." The Hokage's eyes turned sad as he was reminded of Minato's eagerness to be a father. "I see." Kakashi observed the old Sarutobi. Shoulders tense, posture stiff, vacant eyes, index finger repeatedly tapping on his desk. The trail of smoke coming from his pipe was being gently guided out to the open window, most likely from a small Fūton manipulation so as not to disturb the sleeping baby. Reaching down to his belt, he took his mask and clipped it back onto his face.

"At your command, Hokage-sama." The aged Hokage stood up once more and turned to face his window, watching his ninja running about to take care of errands. The afternoon sunlight bathed the village in a warm orange glow. He would've smiled at the sight were it not for the ruins everywhere. "You are dismissed, Dog." Dog saluted and disappeared in barely a whisper. Hiruzen observed his village for a few more seconds before looking once more at the sleeping baby, who was now clutching onto the wooden toy.

"Life won't be easy, Naruto." He closed his eyes as he could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders once more. He really was getting too old for this position. "But I believe that you will be able to rise at the face of adversity."

The Sandaime Hokage sat back down at his desk and began the long and tedious task of sorting through his paperwork.

"The…The li-little….dog….fooollowed….his…mast…uh….mast-ter…" Blue eyes squinted in slight frustration as they tried to read the words written in the children's book. Why was this so hard!? All the other kids in the orphanage knew how to read this segment. But this page featured a few words that the young boy didn't recognize. He didn't mind too much, though. This was his favorite spot in the orphanage, behind one of the pillars that supported the housing for him and all the other orphans. Sitting down on the cool grass, fresh from morning dew and away from everyone else, listening to the sound of nature as the morning sun warmed up his body, it almost made him forget about everything else in the world.

Frowning down at the book, the four-year-old attempted to read the page once more. One more try! He knew he could do it. Hopefully he could finish this by lunch time.

"Hey, brat!" The blond looked up, blinking a few times when the sunlight hit his eyeballs as two older kids walked up to him. It seemed he'd been found again. He'd have to find a new spot now. The taller of the two, Keta, smiled down mockingly at the shorter boy. "So this is where you've been hiding this whole time, huh?" Glancing down at the object in the whiskered boy's hands, Keta's smile turned smug. "You're still not done with this page? We've all finished this one yesterday. You're pretty hopeless you know that?"

Those words hurt. He knew it was taking him longer than the others. But it's not like it was his fault or anything. Despite that, he tried his best to smile at the older boy. He'd heard the caretaker tell one of the other kids that smiling was a good way of cheering yourself up if you ever felt sad, plus, it made people like you more. "It's not my fault…The matron didn't help me at all."

"Suzu-san says it's because you're a little nuisance!" The other boy, 'Tori', if he recalled correctly, shot back. Suzu was the orphanage's nurse, and like every other adult in this place, their eyes held nothing but contempt for him. "She says that she wishes that you weren't in this orphanage because you're nothing but trouble. If you ask me, they must of made a mistake bringing you here."

"It's 'must have'."

Tori narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Naruto kept smiling politely. "It's 'must have', not 'must of'."

Tori grit his teeth together in anger and took a step forward. "You think you're clever you little monster?"

The smile on Naruto's face dropped. "I'm not a monster…"

"The hell you aren't!" Tori slapped the book out of Naruto's hand and grabbed onto his collar. "I'll show you!"

"What's going on here!?" All heads turned towards the new voice as Kimi, the matron of the orphanage rounded on them. She must've heard Keta and Tori's yelling. No one usually ventures around this area so far away from everyone else.

"Matron!" Keta exclaimed and pointed an accusatory finger at the shorter blond. "Naruto insulted Tori just because he wanted to help him with his reading!"

The Matron turned furious eyes towards a now scared Naruto. "You!" she marched towards Naruto and roughly grabbed him by the wrist. "What have I told you about bothering the other kids!?"

"But I didn't-"

"Quiet! I don't want to hear anything out of you!" She dragged him out of the courtyard and back into the hallway that led into his room. "You stay in there and think about what you've done. I don't want to see your face again for the rest of the day!" She shoved Naruto into his room and slammed the door closed as the small child stumbled in. Hearing the sound of a lock being turned from the outside, Naruto knew he could do nothing but comply.

The matron was wrong. Smiling hadn't worked that time.

Sighing as he flopped down onto his old mattress, Naruto felt around under his pillow and pulled out his treasure. A small wooden drum on a handle with two little beads attached on either side. He couldn't remember where he got it from, though it's been with him since the very beginning. He used his index and thumb to spin it back and forth from side to side and let the quiet drumming noise sooth him down. Shutting his eyes, he did his best to ignore his rumbling stomach.

This was nothing new. Things had been like this ever since he's been here. The adults would look at him coldly and punish him for no reason and the kids would follow along, blindly mimicking the grown-ups. No one told him why that was the case though. Where were his parents? Why was he treated so differently? What could he have possibly done that the adult thought was so horrible that they'd treat him like an outcast? So many questions, and so little answers.

He wanted to see the outside world. Explore what was beyond the brick walls that made up the perimeter of the building. He wanted to explore the trees that he could see in the distance. He wanted to see the markets that he could hear during the day when everything was quiet. He wanted a place where he could feel safe. Away from those cold eyes and harsh words.

"This place sucks."

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Turns out he didn't have to wait that long.

It hadn't taken much for the matron to finally snap. He was once more unfairly judged, and this time, Naruto hadn't wanted to take it quietly. He was so sick of smiling and pretending that everything was alright. For the first time, he'd had yelled back at her, shouting out his innocence and trying to make her understand. He thought that maybe if he tried to stand up for himself, they would finally leave him be.

They didn't.

The whiskered boy stared back in the distance at the closed gates of the orphanage. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that they would throw him out to take care of himself. He was just glad that he'd kept his precious toy in his pocket that day.

Turning his eyes towards the dirt road ahead of him, he frowned in uncertainty at the village that was laid out with twists and turns like some kind of rural maze.

"Now what?"

His feet began to take him forward, step by short step. He considered that question for a few moments. He obviously couldn't go back to the orphanage, and he didn't have any money. He could forage his own food, but he had no idea how to do that. Perhaps he could find a book on it? His reading skills had improved, so it shouldn't be a problem anymore. He was free now after all.

That sudden thought made him stop short. He was free! A toothy grin made its way to his face as he began to laugh softly to himself, which soon turned into a full-blown laugh of joy. His feet began to move again before he was even aware of it. Only this time it was much faster. He was running! And there were no pesky walls in his way that forced him to slow down, no angry looks that made him shy away. He kept running, the wind whipping at his face in a way he'd never felt before. He could feel his heart pumping as he sprinted down the dirt road and into the village.

This was great. This was awesome! He was finally free from this orphanage, and he hoped that he would never see it again. He was tired of seeing the faces of those old caretakers. The faces of new people would be a refreshing change. He was sure of it.

The villagers sucked!

He didn't know why that was, but people glared at him here as well, and whispers followed him around wherever he went. At first, people were curious at the sight of a blond child running around with clothes that were obviously several sizes too big for him. But one look at the whisker marks made them realise just who that blond child was.

"Hey, isn't that…?"

"Yeah, it's that boy."

"I was wondering where he'd been all this time."

"Maybe he was hiding?"

"Tch, he should've just stayed hidden if you ask me."

"Why does Sandaime-sama even let him stay here…I mean, he contains the-"

"Quiet! We're not allowed to talk about that."

The young Jinchūriki clenched his little fists and did his best to ignore the people around him. 'Right now, I need to focus on getting something to eat…'

If only it were that easy.

He waited. Holding his breath and eyes focused on his prize, like a hawk eyeing its prey. He'd been waiting for far too long for this to fail. He had one shot, and he had to make it count. Narrowing his eyes, he saw the guardian of his interest move away slightly as they tended to another customer. 'Now!'

A blond blur suddenly shot forward and snatched the red apple right off the fruit rack before quickly rounding the corner and disappearing.

"What the- Hey! Get back here!" The portly merchant attempted to run after the little boy but he was just too fast for him. Bending down and resting his hands on his knee in an attempt to catch his breath. The merchant raised his fist angrily at the disappearing blur in the distance. "You better not come back here!"

'Hehehe, sucker.' Naruto thought to himself victoriously as he clutched the apple close to his chest, making his way through the winding roads of the shopping district. Finally reaching his destination, he sat down against the wall of a back alley, where he usually stayed and slept.

He grinned as he brushed the strands of hair out of his eyes. It had gotten pretty long during those 4 months of living in the streets, reaching nearly up to his shoulders. The now-5-year-old looked down at his hand holding the apple and promptly devoured it in mere seconds.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" He smiled and patted his stomach in satisfaction. Standing up, the blond boy peeked over the corner, looking left and right for any signs of anyone. After finding nothing and pocketing his wooden toy, Naruto made his way out of his alley and onto the main streets of Konoha. This was his routine. In the morning he'd steal whatever food he could find, and after he was done enjoying his spoils, he would step out of hiding and explore the village.

A drop of cold water landing on his nose startled him. Looking up, he saw that the scorching hot midday sun had quickly been hidden behind a sea of gray clouds. Another drop fell on his face, followed by another, and another, until the downpour increased in intensity, the rain bucketing down onto the unsuspecting villagers and merchants.

Naruto smiled and looked at the sky through squinted eyes as he let the heavy rainfall wash his face. He didn't move from his position, even when the villagers around him shrieked and ran for cover, choosing to stretch his arms out on either side of him as if welcoming back an old friend.

He didn't mind the rain.

Dog nodded as the new recruit, Weasel, body flickered out of ANBU headquarters once their mission was finally complete. They had finally come home after a 5 month long mission in the borders of Iwa. The Hokage suspected that that old fool Ōnoki would attempt to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state and send a battalion into the hidden leaves. Thankfully it seemed that Iwa was still weary of Konoha after so many great wars. The land of fire may have been weakened, but it was still one of one of the mightiest great nations.

Sighing, his thoughts drifted back to their new recruits, weasel. His fighting style and use of Genjutsu led him to believe that he was an Uchiha. And if his size was anything to go by, a very young Uchiha. He didn't have anything against the boy, quite the opposite in fact. His skills were nothing to scoff at, and he was extremely mature for his age, following orders and being polite to everyone. But he was just too damn young, dammit. They weren't in war times anymore, just what was Hokage-sama thinking?

Sealing his ANBU gear away, Kakashi decided to step out for a walk, heedless of the pouring rain outside. He was ANBU, no amount of rain was about to scare him off.

The rain was a nice change from the harsh heat of Iwa, the sun beating down onto the earth until it turned red. He debated taking his favourite novel out, but decided against it. He wouldn't want the risk of his precious book getting soaked.

His ears perked up as he could hear the humming of a young boy. Strange, children would normally run for cover when it was raining so hard. Looking ahead, he saw a small mop of shaggy blond hair easily making his way through the rain. It seemed that this child didn't care about it either.

'That hair colour…Almost looks like sensei's.' Kakashi chuckled to himself. There weren't a lot of people wearing this shade of blond around here. Actually, the last time he saw this shade was when he visited sensei's offspring in his cradle a few years ago.

'But that can't be Naruto, because Naruto is at…' He trailed off when said boy finally raised his head and brushed wet locks to the side, revealing his whisker marks.

'SON OF A-'

BANG!

"HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY INSANE!?"

The Sandaime Hokage didn't even bother looking up from his paperwork. "Good evening Kakashi, how nice of you to visit, you may enter." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Kakashi seethed. "You promised me that you would keep Naruto safe in the orphanage!"

The Hokage raised his head and observed the ANBU commander for a few moments. "And I did," He started slowly. "Naruto is being taken care of by my best people."

"Then who the hell was that blond homeless kid with whisker marks that I just saw, Sandaime?"

The temperature in the office seemed to drop several degrees. "…I beg your pardon?"

"Naruto isn't in the orphanage." Kakashi narrowed his eye at the older man. "He's all by himself near the meat market in the main square. You mean to tell me that you didn't know that?"

The Professor stood up, face full of fury and eyes frigid. "Bear!" The bulky man that was known as Bear appeared, kneeling in front of his lord in an instant. "Bring Kimi Saze to my office. Make sure she is restrained!" The ANBU nodded and disappeared. "Kakashi, take me to Naruto right now." Kakashi frowned. He wasn't done chewing out the Third, not even close. But right now, getting to Naruto was more important. "Right."

The Third followed Kakashi through the rooftops at breakneck speed, each step they took sending splashes from the force of their jumps. It seemed that while he wasn't looking, the young Hatake had chosen to don his ANBU mask once more.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived in the shopping market, which was empty save for a small figure that was currently facing away from them, wearing nothing but a simple t-shirt and shorts under the pouring rain. The boy was walking along the edge of a food stand, arms out on either side of him for balance and humming a soft melody to himself.

Dog remained silent as Hiruzen stepped forward and called out to the boy. "Naruto!"

The small figure stopped humming and turned his head around. Pushing his wet hair out of his face, he observed the two newcomers that had just disturbed his peace.

"…Who are you, old man?"

AN: Please leave me reviews if you have any constructive criticism! I know I am not the best at writing and would love to improve. Or if you enjoyed the story and have nothing to say, then drop a review saying you liked it! I would appreciate the feedback. Thank you!