Chapter 1 - Nameless

Splash splash splash splash splash!

“Stop him!”

I’m innocent! Why won’t you believe me?!

The tears stained the ten year old’s face as he ran. Hot sweat and tears stung his eyes, forcing him to blink constantly.

Because I’m not like them. That’s why. They’re all ninja, and I’m…not.

The boy stopped running, trying to pick a direction. He could see a village to his right, but it was a long shot. Also his best and only shot. The boy took off at top speed.

The second he set foot in the village, he found himself surrounded. People were yelling at him, willing him to die.

“I mean you no harm, I really don’t!”

“Shut up! We know what you did! Out with it, boy!” the group that was chasing him cheered as one, throwing ‘get him’ and ‘die!’ in. To a young man, this was all too much. He felt his eyes tearing up again. This time, he shook the tears off.

“I won’t just die! Attack me, if you must!” the young boy’s hand found his sword’s hilt. He had his back to a bridge, so he backed onto it. The attackers could only come from two directions, rather than from all sides this way.

It was true that the boy was a curiosity. Dressed in sandals, a hakama, and a gi top, with a sword at his waist, he was dressed like a samurai. No problem, except that he was in a ninja village.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone! That’s why I ran!” the boy protested once more. His attackers still closed in. The boy drew his sword halfway out, waiting for an attacker to come close enough. The first one came, and the boy cut him.

“His sword’s blunt! It’s a training blade!” shouted the wounded one. That was before the blade smacked his fingers, knocking his kunai away.

“Too easy! Now you’re out of place! You can’t block OR attack!” declared the next attacker. This particular man wasn’t favored among his comrades- he was mean-spirited and attacked people needlessly. Now he was attacking a young boy from behind.

WHOCK!

The boy swung his case like it too was a sword. He stopped the arrogant Shinobi in his tracks by hitting him in the chest and arms in one strike. The group backed up, all of them making their own plans on how to take this boy out. The way the boy was crouched, he could attack in either direction. It was already apparent that he was fast and skilled. It was also clear that he didn’t want to kill; the training blade and his targets both showed that.

Two more tried, one from each direction. One used wire to trap the boy’s arms at his sides while the other attacked with a thrown kunai. The boy’s eyes narrowed, as if flashing back to some battlefield. He suddenly didn’t seem so young and scared anymore- he carried himself like a warrior. Using the thumb of his left hand, he shot his sword up out of his case, breaking the wires. But that wasn’t what the boy had planned- the blade flashed up in front of his face from the same move, knocking the kunai down. Free again, the boy’s foot sailed backward and caught the Shinobi with the wire hard in the stomach seconds before the sword’s case swung around and cracked his nose. The ninja in front of the boy froze, but that was his mistake. Some instinct to survive had kicked in now, and the boy swung his sword without hesitation. His sword was blunted, except for the tip and maybe two inches below it. That was what cut across the ninja’s chest, tearing his vest and sending his scrolls spinning to the ground. The scrolls in front of his heart split in two.

“I SAID I didn’t want to fight! Why can’t you just leave me alone? I haven’t killed anyone, and I’m not going to! I just want to be left alone!” the boy wailed, though he kept his guard up. He clearly had been through this before. The next two ninja attacked, but they were rattled now. None of them were thinking clearly- if they had been, one jutsu and the kid is toast. Instead, the boy thrust his case backward into one, throwing an elbow into the other. Using his footing well, he spun and kicked, taking out the same one he had elbowed with a kick to the side of the face. Once he landed, he jumped high in the air, aiming for the one he had stunned with his case. Another ninja blocked the strike with two kunai, also kicking the boy- hard. But the boy skidded backward, still up on his feet. Kicking off hard, he flew in with an attack that the ninja just barely blocked. Once again, that annoying case proved to be a difference maker when it smacked the Shinobi in the groin.

“What the hell?! That’s it, everyone off the bridge! Let’s see him block this! Fire Style: Flame Jutsu!”

The attack hit the boy, but he kept moving forward. While casting the attack, the Shinobi had jumped high in the air. That left him at the samurai’s mercy. SCHWING!- a cut across the arms, ending the jutsu but not seriously hurting the ninja. Next came a grab to the vest in which the samurai threw the Shinobi to the ground from five feet in the air. But jumping had proven to be the end of the fight, as the samurai was rushed. He kept fighting, throwing headbutts, knees, and elbows. The butt-end of a kunai hit him in the head hard enough to cross his eyes, while he was punched in the stomach with enough force to make him cough up blood. That left the boy face-down on the ground. A ninja group-stomp ensued.

“STOP THIS AT ONCE!” came a powerful voice. But the voice wasn’t threatening. The blade clattered from the boy’s hand, though he quickly picked up his long sword. Holding it at his waist, he looked around widly, not knowing where to look.

They’re going to kill me! What did I do?! Why won’t anyone believe me?! If I’m going to die, it’ll be with honor!

The crowd on the bridge parted as a bearded man in an official-looking uniform strode through them. Ryouko tensed up, ready to attack again. But this person was different- not threatening, though it was clear he was incredibly powerful.

“A boy with a sword has been giving my jonin the run-around? Haha, well, you must be quite the little escape artist. Do you have a name?”

The boy looked surprised to be addressed. “No sir…”

“Well then, why don’t you put your sword away, and you and I can talk. I promise, no one will hurt you here.”

“B-But I don’t even know where ‘here’ is!” the boy yelled, the confusion hitting him in waves now.

“ ‘Here’ is Konohagakure; the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But that can wait until you’ve been put at peace. Genma, Hayate- spread the word that this boy is not to be harmed or treated like a prisoner. He is to be treated as a welcome guest in our village. If any harm befalls him, the perpetrators will be dealt with by me personally, and the punishment will be stiff.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage!” the two said in unison, taking off with incredible speed.

--

When the samurai awoke next, he found himself in a room that was furnished plainly, but comfortably. He groaned and sat up.

Someone treated my burns. I leapt into that fire, but I was soaked with water from running so it wasn’t too bad. But then what? I fought, but I clearly lost. Why wasn’t I executed, or interrogated and tortured? Is it that old man’s doing? Lord Hokage…Fire Shadow…what on earth is this? These are ninja, but why would they take pity on me?

Someone was coming, so the boy laid back down, facing the wall.

“Come on now, we’re not going to hurt you. Won’t you at least face us? That’s proper manners. Unless you’re shy, of course! Come on, now.”

The voice was pleasing, and kind. Coaxing, not stern. For some reason, the boy reacted to it. He turned around and sat up.

“Ah, there we go! We’re making progress! Good, good! Now, how about you tell us your name?”

The woman asking had blonde hair, pulled into two pony tails. Her eyes were auburn in color.

“I…don’t have one anymore. When I ran, I forgot it.” The boy was suddenly ashamed, and he bowed his head. “I’m sorry to cause you all this trouble.”

“No trouble at all! Now then, let me see your face. I need to make sure my burn salve is working. The rest of you was fine, thanks to your wet clothes, but your cheek took quite a roasting,” the woman told him, applying a cold washcloth to his cheek. The cold water felt good on his suddenly-red skin. During the fight, the boy hadn’t noticed the burn. Now that he woke up for the first time, he really felt it. But he had felt worse pain, so he didn’t cry.

“The guy that did that to you got punished. I know you would have liked to get another hit in, but trust me- I did a bit more damage, haha!” a jolly voice exclaimed. This voice caused the boy to react, too. He looked up, a small smile on his face.

“Thank you for that. I didn’t…I mean…” the boy’s face was awash with horror. “I didn’t kill anyone, did I? The man I cut on the chest?!”

“No, they were all minor injuries. Stupid on their part to attack you. I could hear you from the hospital, saying you didn’t want to hurt anyone, or fight. I wish I had been their sooner to beat the crap out of those guys! Attacking an innocent boy like that! Then THIS clown goes and beats up the one that hit you so much I have MORE work!”

“Haha, sorry about that! But you know how I love to watch you work, Tsunade!” the man with the white hair was laughing again. “Working women are such a-”

Whatever they were would have to wait, since the white haired man was just doused with a bowl of water. It was the same water that the cold washcloth had been sitting in, so it hit the man in the face with a comical ‘shlap!’ sound.

“You pervert, Jiraiya! You’ve been like this since we were kids! When are you gonna grow up?!”

“I’m sorry, Tsunade. I was just trying to ease the tension. After the losses the past couple of years…I should be over that, but I’m not.”

Tsunade’s tone darkened, although she spoke apologetically. “Don’t worry about it, I understand. Let me finish healing this boy, then we can go get a drink. We’ve all got a need to forget.” Turning to the boy, she continued.

“Alright, let me see your arms and chest. Let’s get that gi top off you. Don’t move too much, you might be burned and not know. The skin pulling won’t be pleasant.”

“How come you never wanna take MY clothes off?” grumbled Jiraiya, crossing his arms mockingly.

“Not in front of the boy, you lecherous fool!” Tsunade snarled, giving Jiraiya a hard shove. The boy’s eyes were wide, and Tsunade quickly apologized. “No, no, don’t get scared, I won’t hurt you! Him and I are just playing, we’re friends. You know, just doing what friends do!”

I wouldn’t know; I don’t have friends, the boy thought, though he calmed down for the woman’s sake.

“Damn, it’s caked on by blood…Okay, now promise me you’ll hold still. This is going to be a little scary, but I promise I won’t hurt you. Just hold still…” Tsunade raised her hand, but now it was humming with blue energy. The boy had never seen anything like this and he scuttled backwards on the bed to the wall on all fours, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

“No no no, don’t be scared! I won’t hurt you, I promise. It’s just a Chakra Scalpel, see? It won’t hurt you.”

The boy, of course, had never seen anything like that before. All he knew was that it was dangerous, and he was unarmed. He DID know how to block a blade, though. He ripped his gi top off and wrapped it around his left arm. The idea behind that was to block with the cloth so you didn’t get cut too badly. You then counter-attacked with your right hand.

Tsunade laughed a little. “I forgot that you’d probably never seen this before. You must have a high tolerance for pain if you could rip that top off like that. No burns…okay, you’re fine.”

Jiraiya and Tsunade were on their way out of the room. Finally, the boy’s curiosity came through.

“Why?” he said in a barely audible whisper. “Why would you help me? I’m your enemy…aren’t I?”

Tsunade gave a friendly smile. “No, to me you’re a patient. And I will do anything to heal my patients. Besides, you didn’t attack, you only defended yourself.”

“…”

“Anyway. I’m Tsunade, and the white-haired goof ball is Jiraiya. I’ll be back to check on you later, okay? Try to get some rest. You’ve had a lot to take in, and not a lot of time to mentally process it. Try to eat something, too.”

-

The boy was alone again. He got his courage up to explore the room. Cautious, he looked everywhere, even going so far as to crawl around under the bed. While down there, he found a ball. He stared at it for a minute, unsure if he should touch it or not. Finally, he stuck a finger out and poked it. After that, he picked it up and rolled it across the room, watching it go. Cautiously, he followed it, walking past a window in the process. He hadn’t noticed it before in the darkened room. It, too, caught his curiosity, and he opened the curtains to look outside. His mouth dropped open.

What greeted the boy’s site was a mountain. On it were four faces, carved into the rock. All the men up there looked fierce and battle-hardened.

Below the faces were a group of children, about the boy’s age. All of them were punching, kicking, or throwing weapons. A couple had broken off to just play, kicking a ball around between them, or wrestling around. One boy had followed a girl around, his face red.

The boy’s eyes looked toward the ball he had found. He wandered over to it and kicked it. It bounced back to him.

“Are you having fun, little rodent?”

The boy dropped the ball in surprise. It rolled to the feet of a familiar ninja. The one that had bullied him! The boy pressed himself against the wall, staring quietly.

“I want an apology from you. You really hurt me, you know that? Hey, are you listening? What, too stupid to talk? Maybe I should just kill you.”

“Why are you bullying me?!” the boy demanded. His eyes had turned dark again, like a warrior. The older ninja didn’t seem to care. He simply picked the boy up by the collar, then slammed him against the wall, holding him there.

“I should wring your puny little neck! I think I will!”

“ENOUGH!”

It was that voice again. The strong voice. The boy turned his head to see the older man again. He wasn’t alone- next to him were the two ninja who had helped the boy yesterday.

“I thought the beating I gave you yesterday would have been enough to get it through your head to stop hurting him, but I guess not. You’re coming with me.”

“Lord Hokage! Sir, tell them! It wasn’t my fault! The little miscreant, uh…” the ninja’s eyes looked around, seeing the ball. “He threw his ball out the door. I came in to give it to him, and he attacked me!”

“That’s not true!” the boy yelled. “Let go of me, I haven’t done anything to you!” Fear was kicking in, and the man wasn’t letting go.

CHOMP!

“OWWW! HE BIT ME! I’LL KILL HIM! COME HERE, YOU LITTLE-!”

The boy had retreated to the safety of the healer from before. Tsunade, that was it. She gently pushed the boy behind her, bidding him to stay with the older man. The Fire Shadow, that’s right. Lord Hokage. The boy did, feeling a gentle hand on his head. What he saw scared him into hiding behind the older man.

Tsunade had punched maybe an inch next to the man’s head. The wall crumbled, and she didn’t seem hurt at all. This was too much for the confused little boy.

“You will understand all, in time,” Lord Hokage told the boy. “Just understand this: We mean you no harm. Forgive our fist meeting. We don’t get many samurai here. Just like you fear the unknown, so do we. Please calm yourself, and you and I will speak. And this man will be punished for hurting you.”

--

The next couple of days saw minor changes in the boy. It had taken a week to get him to talk- then that bastard came in and threatened him, and set his progress back nearly a month. He refused to take almost any food and water. It was because of his lack of nourishment that Tsunade came in again.

“C’mon, you have to eat something.”

“No, it’s poison,” the boy told her, curling up into a ball and facing the other way.

“Is THAT what you think? Kid, you’re in a village of ninja. I know you don’t trust us, but really! This door is unlocked, unless you lock it, so you’re not a prisoner. You can come and go as you want. If you tried to attack, we outnumber you. And, no offense, but you ARE still a young boy. Putting it another way, you don’t have to worry about poison. If he wanted to get rid of you, we could have done so when you were unconscious, asleep, or any other time. The food isn’t poisoned.”

That seemed to make sense to the boy because he sat up and reached for the food. He took a cautious bite of bread, then a cautious sip of water. When that didn’t kill him, he inhaled it.

Tsunade had noticed right away that the boy’s ribs were visible when he first came. He hadn’t been eating right for quite some time. He was pretty pitiful when he first came- until attacked.

When those doofuses attacked him, he changed. He fought like a seasoned warrior, not a scared child. He’ll grow up to be handsome, I’ll bet. He’s got a cute face, and those inquisitive eyes, too.
…
Dan…if you hadn’t died, maybe we could have adopted this child.
…
No, stop that, Tsunade! Think of your patient. Okay, he’s eight years old, and he’s starved for attention. Clearly he’s been trained in at least one martial art. One thing’s for sure- he’s a survivor.

Done with his food, the boy got up. To Tsunade’s surprise, he stood up straight, then bowed to her. His eyes faced the floor, showing that he was humbling himself.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

Tsunade was taken aback. The boy hadn’t spoke for days, but now he’s talking, eating, drinking, and bowing?

He really just needed some attention…

“You’re welcome. Lord Hokage is going to come see you soon. Before he comes, do you have any questions?”

The boy nodded shyly. “I just…want to know about those kids outside. Over there.” He walked to the window and pointed. “What are they doing? How can they do those amazing things?”

“Them? Oh, they’re in training to be ninjas. They’re learning how to survive using their chakra.”

“That’s what I don’t understand. I never heard of ‘chakra’ before. Seeing them do those amazing things…”

Tsunade swallowed her surprise. Never heard of charka? Then how did he fight before this? There’s more he’s not saying. Like why he was alone. And the way he keeps looking at those kids…it’s like he wants to make friends, but just can’t. That’s why he hasn’t left the room. His type, the survivor type, would definitely check that door. It was unlocked this whole time. So he’s chosen not to leave this room…

“Do you want to go outside and meet some of these kids? I’ll bet they’d like to get to know you.”

The boy frowned, looking like an adult again. “What about that boy? He’s always alone, like I was…Is there something wrong with him?”

Tsunade followed the boy’s finger to a blond child. The child was alone. Naruto? He’s seen the Uzumaki boy? I can’t even tell him the truth about this one. No one is supposed to know. Still, if I lie to him now, and he finds out later, that’ll destroy his trust. Better to leave that one to Lord Hokage.

“You should ask Lord Hokage that question. But the boy’s name is Naruto, if you’re curious.”

“Naruto…” the boy repeated. “That’s a strange name. Then again, at least he HAS one.”

--

SHOULD I CONTINUE THIS FIC? LET ME KNOW!

-NG

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