Blood. It defined her. It defined her people. It defined her world. She didn't think it was a stretch to say that it defined everything. This world of shinobi was tainted by blood. It took a perverse revelry in the act of shedding it. Of course no one admits it, but she knew it was no less true. It was what lurked within her peoples blood that lead them to persecution and then rebellion. It was the spilled blood of her comrades that drove her forward, to finish their war. It was the hope of spilling the Mizukage's blood that allowed her to retain her sanity.

The thought made her laugh. She wasn't sane, no one was in this world. She was leading a rebellion in the hopes of stopping her peoples persecution, so they could go and continue to oppress those that lacked power. Where was the sanity in that? Justice was already out of the question, it had left the moment the shinobi system was founded. Justice belonged to the strong. In this world there were only two options. Suppress the weak, or be suppressed. She supposed that wasn't entirely true, she was struggling to end her suppression, she was lashing out against the strong. So she supposed that was the third option. She was certain there's nothing more than that.

"Will you help us, Hokage-sama?" She had come here to ask for help, their forces weren't losing. The truth was she was at a stalemate, and the forces of Konoha could change that. It was the only village that might even consider helping her. Suna had entered a downward economic spiral and would likely be bankrupt in the coming years, there was no way they would be able to help her. Kumo and Iwa were more likely to turn on her the moment the Mizukage was dead. She wasn't hopeful.

She was not one to fall for the illusion of serenity that Konoha projected. They didn't actively militarize like the other villages, so most thought them peaceful. But she knew their history, when push comes to shove Konoha was far more ruthless than any of the other villages. They only showed it while at war, but it was there. It was obvious enough when they had abandoned their oldest allies to be destroyed by the combined might of Kiri, Iwa, and Kumo. They were the primary reason for Suna's steady decline too, of course they would deny such a claim but the fact that even the Wind Daimyo was hiring Konoha over Suna was proof enough. There was also the fact that Konoha produced more unstable shinobi than any other village.

She had said earlier no one was truly sane in this world, but Konoha shinobi took it to another level. She wasn't sure why but something about their system just seemed to send their ninja to madness as they grew in power. The village boasted the highest rate rogue ninja as well as the most vile.

"And what do you need help with, Terumi-san?"

"We wish for you to help us end the conflict with the Kiri loyalists."

"That is a mighty tall order, what would you offer Konoha in return for such a dangerous mission?"

"Anything within our power."

"Even your bloodlines?" It always came back to blood, didn't it? He knew that was the one thing she could not offer him. He took her hesitation to be a negative. "I thought as much. Have a good day Terumi-san." He hadn't been rude or rough, but she knew the negotiations would fail if he asked.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

She was swiftly escorted out of the Hokage tower. The ANBU would continue to tail her, but she was free to at least look around before she left. Konoha did have to keep their image as a tourist hub, and she had technically come as a civilian. As long as she was peaceful and didn't let curiosity get the best of her they would allow her this much. It ultimately meant that she would be allowed to visit the markets and public parks.

She spent some time aimlessly wandering around, looking at what the village had to offer. It certainly seemed like a friendly place, but she could tell it's dark underbelly was barely constrained beneath the surface.

A cool Autumn wind blew in from the south. She couldn't help but turn her head the other way (so as to keep the wind out of her eyes), drawing her gaze to the Hokage monument. These four men were the ones who had made Konoha what it was today. It had been founded as a powerhouse and it had only grown as such. She couldn't help but wonder if the Yondaime Hokage would have turned her away in the same manner. Supposedly the man was quite the idealist. He might have been willing to help, but the man had died roughly five years ago. She didn't remember the exact date, his death didn't concern her much at the time. Of course back then she had just been a chunin trying her hardest to carry on the legacy of her dying clan. Funny how in five years she could go from a nobody to the only hope for the rebels that should have never had to rebel. The Mizukage who had once seemed so compassionate had slowly turned into the demon she now knew him as.

She suspected he was always evil. He had only managed to get the position of Kage with the help of the bloodline users in the village, and the demon had returned their generosity by branding them monsters and trying to exterminate them. The betrayal hadn't happened immediately, it had been a slow cancer. Before anyone the realized the once loyal Kaguya clan was rebelling and they helped to wipe them out, then the Yuki were next. And so it went with their clans slowly rebelling for seemingly no reason. By the time they had realized what had gone wrong it was nearly too late. He had been inciting the retaliation, without letting anyone else realize. Perhaps if they realized sooner then they would have already won this war. If they had realized sooner they could have prevented the smaller rebellions from reinforcing the idea that the bloodline users are monsters. But there was no use dwelling on it. She couldn't change her past, she could only move forward.

She looked around, she had been wandering around and didn't know where she was. It would appear she got too distracted with her thoughts. The sun had slowly begun to set, in doing so it highlighted a fact she had neglected to think much of earlier. The village was adorned in decorations. Shops were opening again this time with novelty goods. She stopped a random civilian and asked. "Excuse me, was today some kind of festival?"

"You must be a foreigner." He was not wrong, it seemed this was something everyone in Konoha knew of. She nodded her head, hoping for him to continue. "Today is the remembrance festival, we honor those who fell in the attack five years ago today."

"So today is the exact five year anniversary?" He nodded. "I see, I'm sorry for your loss then."

"Well, time heals all wounds. So are you gonna stick around for the festival, I could show you around." She could see his motives clearly, he had long stopped making eye contact with her after all. She wasn't happy about it, but as a Kunoichi she knew seduction was a useful skill, so knowing it was working even when she wasn't trying was at least useful knowledge to have (if a bit redundant by this point in her life). But he was a civilian and she would rather not waste her time trying to seduce him for what little he could offer.

"I'm afraid not, I have other engagements tonight." It wasn't true, but he didn't need to know that, it was likely he would never see her again after this chance encounter. The man shrugged, taking the rejection easy.

"Well alright then, have a nice night miss. If you get the free time you should look around the festival."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She once again decided to let her feet guide her as she wandered aimlessly. The sun soon set and people slowly started to come out and enjoy the festivities. She quickly tired of the crowd and decided to rest at a nearby park she had seen in her wandering for a bit. It wasn't like she couldn't stand crowds, but the happy cries of children and the sorrowful adults only reminded her of what her own village lacked. She hoped one day her own people could be so happy. Perhaps when they won the war they could enact their own remembrance festival.

The subtle creak of a swing alerted her to the fact she's not alone. A young boy sat on the swing, looking bored. But she noticed something more, the boy was thin, too thin. Guess he was one of those people that Konoha liked to pretend didn't exist. The kids that couldn't fit in their orphanage as a result of their unending war machine. The boy looked up and smiled at her. It was an honest smile, but she wasn't sure why he smiled so happily, all she had done was stare at him. She raised an eyebrow at him. The boy seemed to take it as an invitation and ran up to her.

"Hi! I'm Naruto!"

"Did no one ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"

"No?" The boy seemed fundamentally confused by the statement, she was unsure why. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her ANBU tail signing something as another dashed off. "I told you my name, it's only fair that you tell me yours!" She couldn't help but smile, despite him being malnourished the boy seemed cheerful, it was good that the child got to retain that innocence. She often felt like this world she was in would be better if left only to the children. At least then the cancer that is shinobi would disappear.

"Hmm nope." She said popping the 'p' as she did. The boy seemed to get upset at that and started pouting. She reached a hand to ruffle his hair but stopped as she felt killing intent. It seemed the Hokage needed to retrain his ANBU if they leaked out their killing intent so easily. Of course she knew they were doing it intentionally, for whatever reason they didn't want her touching the boy, Naruto. He was important to someone in the village then. Either he had something rare, like a bloodline, or he was related to someone important. Perhaps both.

"That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair." She thought for a moment before asking, "So why did you approach me?"

"You looked at me."

"So you approach everyone who looks at you."

"Well, not everyone, but you didn't give me that look."

"What is 'that' look?"

"When people want me to go away."

"So when you annoy them," Like he is doing to her right now.

"No, just when I'm around."

"They want you to go away just for being around?"

"Yep, I exist so I should go away. You didn't give me a look that says that, so I talked to you." She didn't know how to feel about that. She knew the look he meant now, she had seen it herself when battling the the hardcore loyalists, and the one time she had seen the Mizukage in person.

"So do you have something about you that make people look at you like that?"

"Dunno, it's always been like that."

"I see, well it was nice talking with you Naruto-kun, but I have places to be."

"Okay, bye pretty Nee-chan." She was a bit surprised by the Nee-chan title, but she supposed she hadn't given him her name. That was fine, he didn't need to know her. Plus she had a feeling that her ANBU would attack soon if she didn't leave. She wasn't afraid of them, but the message was clear, step away from the boy. She was sure the ANBU that left were going to go get someone who could deal with her.

She turned and left without looking back. She wasn't here to cause an incident and the last thing she wants is Konoha deciding that siding with the loyalists to protect this child. As she walked she noticed that the ANBU that had been following her seemed more numerous now. They were on alert because of her. Well she at least wasn't feeling their killing intent anymore, so she assumed that they were going to let her leave without issue.

Of course she should have known better, nearly as soon as she was out of sight of the child she was stopped by an ANBU with silver hair in a single large spike. "What can I do for you?" She said lightly.

"I'm here to escort you out of the village, you've overstayed your welcome." His tone was harsh.

"I see. Lead the way then." She said gesturing with her hands. The ANBU made a hand sign and she was quickly flanked by the rest of his squad. Clearly they don't want her to try anything. The trip out of the village was short. She traveled in silence as the ANBU lead her out into the forest well past the walls of Konoha proper. It was only after an hour of travel like that did the ANBU disappear. She let out a sigh and began to make her way towards the coast. Unfortunately she was still too close to Konoha to be able to set camp without trouble.

As she traveled her thoughts turned back to that child, Naruto. For ANBU to be that protective of him he had to have strong blood ties. Everything always came back to blood after all.

She didn't know how long she had been traveling for before she decided it was finally an acceptable distance from Konoha, but the moon hung high over head as she made camp in a clearing. She wouldn't be sleeping until she was back in Mizu no Kuni. But she could at least rest her legs and give herself some time to think.

She had a rebellion to win and it was rare to get breaks these days. She somehow doubted she would get many more in her future. If she won then she would become Mizukage, and if she lost she'd be dead. Either way she'd likely have even less free time. The young woman of 19 sighed. At least her people will be free if they win.

She knew it would be worth sacrificing her free time if it meant Kiri could look like Konoha.

That village had a darkness that certainly seemed to bubble beneath the surface. Every hidden village did, but at least the regular ninja and civilians seemed happy. That was far more than her people had at the moment. For now, all she could do was hope and plan.

She gazed up at the night sky and wondered if anyone else looked up at it and shared her doubts and worries. Surely someone must, but they would never meet. It was lonely, leading her people. Did the Kage feel this? Or did their successors feel as alone as she does? Did the blood of greatness run through their veins or were some of them destined to be cut down before their time? She had no answer to the question. Only self doubts.

Naruto watched the nee-chan leave a small smile on his face. He hadn't detected her until she looked at him. It was only when he felt a brief blip of worry, followed by several much more pronounced feelings of hostility, that he noticed her. The fact that he hadn't detected her told him a lot about her. She was a good person, though she was more than a little. . . He didn't know the word, bored perhaps. But not bored in the sense that she was unhappy, more like she just didn't care. He would have to ask Jiji what word described that.

He focused on the village and felt the sadness and anger and fear and unhappiness radiating from the village. There were surely more emotions within the village, that much he was sure of, but he had learned he could only feel emotions tied to negative thoughts. It's why he hadn't realized the nee-chan was there. She wasn't having any negative thoughts at that moment. It wasn't until she looked at him and the smallest spike in worry came from her that he noticed her.

He had been lying when he said he talked to her because she looked at him. But Jiji said he isn't supposed to tell people he can feel their emotions. So he settled for a half truth. Their conversation was short but he could tell she was a good person. Perhaps she didn't know what everyone else seemed to know. Otherwise she might have felt fear and anger and sadness towards him like most everyone else.

He was aware of the villages feelings towards him, though he was unsure why. Jiji said they were just afraid, but Naruto could feel it was so much more than that.

But despite all of the negative feelings sent towards him it never made him angry. Sad, yes. Frightened, bet on it. Lonely, more than anyone could ever know. But never angry. He didn't know why but people were hurting, and he either caused it or reminds them of it. Such was the case with the dog masked person who guarded him a lot. The guy was always sad when looking at him, but Naruto didn't know why.

The same could be said for Jiji, but it was different in a way Naruto was incapable of explaining. Speaking of Jiji Naruto was supposed to go visit him in the tower tonight. He always stayed with the old man on his birthday, and typically the day after too.

Naruto was able to make it to the tower out of sight fairly easily. Crowds were always easy to detect and, by extension, avoid simply because the more people that gathered in one place the more centralized negative emotions became. He was let into the tower without much hassle. The guards that used to feel negative emotions towards him had long been replaced. These ones rarely appeared in his senses so they must feel either something positive or neutral to him.

He quickly made his way into the office of Jiji. The man smiled at him and greeted him. "Ah Naruto-kun I'm glad to see you. How has your day been?"

"I spent most of the day wandering around. It was fun seeing everyone prepare for the festival." That was true. People rarely noticed what they didn't wish to see, so it often allowed him to view things like the festival without much trouble. He wondered if the people were happy. He wondered how happy felt. Did it feel the opposite of unhappy? He often wondered why he could only detect bad emotions, and why he felt others as if they were his own.

"I see, if you'd like we can go out and enjoy the festivities." Naruto shook his head and said.

"No, it will just upset everyone else." He could feel the sadness from Jiji, but the man said nothing in response. "Plus I'm happy to stay here with you!" He smiled at the old man. It was the truth, the old man was one of the only people he trusted completely.

The man smiled at that and then asked. "Well how about I tell you a story. Do you still want to learn of the Hokage?" Naruto nodded eagerly. He looked up to the men carved in stone. They were strong, but more than that they seemed to call to him. Their faces made him think of his future, and all it has to offer. It gave him room to dream, and that more than anything pushed him forward. It made bearing the immense weight of the negative emotions directed at him just a bit better. Konoha was apparently founded on moving past hatred and towards peace, maybe it could do the same for him?

That was what the Hokage meant to him. A chance for a brighter future. One where he never feels anything from his sixth sense again.

"Well then I suppose I should start with out first Hokage, shouldn't I?" Jiji said as he picked Naruto up and sat him on his lap. Naruto leaned back enjoying the warmth of his grandfather figure. The two looked out at the village. It was lit up with lanterns from head to toe. It looked like the stars came down to rest in the village for just a single night. Naruto loved his birthday, for all the negative emotions the people may feel today, this sight always left him in awe.

"He founded the village right? With that one guy. Um. Madala?"

"Uchiha Madara." The old man corrected. "But you're right. The clans the two men lead came together to form the village."

"Then how come Madara wasn't made Hokage?"

"Truth be told it came to a vote. Hashirama had more votes and so he one. Since then the seat has been passed down from one Hokage to the next directly. In fact to this day Hashirama is the only Hokage that has been elected."

"How come the uh, what's the word. Uh the way it happens, changed?"

"The method."

"Oh yeah method." The old man smiled for a moment before continuing.

"The position of Hokage is incredibly hard to manage so not just anyone is up for the task. In the case of Madara and Hashirama we needed a starting point and those two had both been proven as excellent leaders, so it was a matter of picking between two good options."

"So then who did Hashiorma. . . Hachirama. . . The first Hokage, train to be next?" Jiji laughed and tussled his hair.

"I was. Unfortunately Hashirama didn't get much time to teach me before his untimely death. And with Madara gone it fell to his younger brother Tobirama." Jiji had a strange smile on his face. It was strange because Naruto could feel the sadness and another emotion he didn't know how to identify other than something akin to want and loneliness. "Tobirama-sensei was the one who trained me to be a ninja and he ultimately died for my and my fellow ninjas sake."

"So did you train the Fourth Hokage?"
The elder shook his head, "No, but I trained the man who trained him. So you can see how we Hokage prepare our successors."

"So are you training a new successor then?"

The old man smiled and said. "I suppose you could say so."

Naruto couldn't help the excitement as he thought about it. "Who is it?!"

"Hmm, you'll find out when you're older." Naruto deflated quickly and the old man laughed. It soon turned infectious and Naruto started laughing too.

After a while the laughter died down and the old man said with a yawn. "It's getting late, lets get you to bed." Naruto yawned and nodded sleepily. It wasn't late in the day,Barely 9pm, but he had spent much of the day moving around so he was tired.

The old man gently set him down and offered his hand. Naruto took it and the two started walking. The old mans hand was rough, but it was much larger than his and felt like a protective shell. The man slowly lead him to the guest room he had prepared for Naruto and put him to bed.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun. And Happy Birthday."

"Goodnight Jiji."

Naruto stirred at some point during the night he climbed out of bed and made his way to the window. He stared at the lanterns for a while before slowly, one by one, they went out and Konoha went to sleep. He turned his attention towards the sky and the stars that hung above him. He wondered if others looked up at the night sky with him. Did they share a night sky? Do they too feel the connection to other peoples negative emotions? He didn't know.

Do they share his dreams? His fears? His curiosities? Would he even get a chance to find out?

The world seemed to offer so much, but all it would show him was this tiny slice. What would it take for him to see all the world has to offer? Strength? Smarts? Jutsu? Or something more? He didn't know. He wanted to be Hokage, but would the hat let him see the world? Would the rest of the world share Konoha's negative emotions? Or would they have their own?

He looked up at the night sky one last time before yawning and climbing back into bed. He had a dreamless sleep.

A/N Well this got written on a whim. I was looking through my writing folder in boredom and found the Mei scene and nothing else. I had no idea what I was planning when I wrote that about half a year ago but I decided might as well make a first chapter/one shot. So ugh here we are. Let me know your thoughts, do you want more of this? The genre will probably change as will the rating if there is more. For now it's general because it takes place when Naruto is 5 and there's no romance but it would be NarutoxMei or NarutoxHarem story if there is more.

Admittedly I'm not entirely satisfied with this, but I figure at the very least it's better to publish it and get some amount of feedback. But Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time.