Chapter 1- Naruto

It was a snowy day in the hidden shinobi village, Konohagakure no Sato, Most of the inhabitants felt it would be better to stay indoors, curled up under their blankets and sipping hot drinks, than to venture outside for any unnecessary reasons.

Uzumaki Naruto wasn't among them. He never had was, and if the villagers continued to have their way, he never would be.

Naruto was shorter than average for his eight years of age, the result of poor dietary habits enforced by the tendency of most shopkeepers and merchants to throw him out of their stores or market stalls.

He wasn't properly dressed for the winter, which wasn't all that surprising given that snow was something of a rarity for most here in the village

he donned blue short pants and black shoes, a cream-colored jacket with brown sleeves worn over a green T-shirt with a white version of the Uzumaki crest printed on the front, a lengthy red scarf around his neck, and green goggles over his forehead that he wore to protect his blue eyes whenever he was getting back at one of the aforementioned shopkeepers/merchants with one of his pranks.

Those blue eyes, along with his spiky blond hair, were traits that were rarely seen in Konoha outside of the Yamanaka Clan, and they already gave Naruto somewhat of a distinctive look, but it was the birthmarks he bore, three whisker marks on each cheek, that really stood out.

Unless it was to sleep, Naruto had no reason to stay at home, no matter the weather. Because no one was there for him. He was an orphan, but unlike other orphans he had not spent his first years in the village's orphanage, instead being raised by various elders, and the only thing he knew about his parents was that they had died shortly after he was born.

Even the system the Third Hokage had set up had eventually fallen apart last October: Naruto was deemed old enough to take care of himself, and with other recent losses suffered by the village, they could not afford to spare any personnel to care for him any longer.

That October, for his eighth birthday, Naruto had been set up with a small attic-like apartment and a monthly pension that would allow him to purchase his own food, clothing and other necessities. The apartment itself was not a bad place to live. It was just that it was so empty and lonely all the time, so Naruto went out of his way to avoid staying there whenever he could get out.

Currently, he was seated on the swing just outside the Konoha Ninja Academy, where he would be officially enrolled starting in the spring. The Third Hokage was one of only three people who had ever shown Naruto any real kindness, and that made him the closest thing to a friend Naruto had,

but since his duties to the rest of the village made it difficult for him to visit Naruto more than once each month, Naruto could not be sure that the Hokage was actually a friend.

But Naruto had learned quickly that the position of Hokage was one that commanded the admiration of the rest of the villagers and instilled inspiration in them.

He saw how everyone else who interacted with the Hokage would only show him the utmost respect, a respect that even Naruto's caretakers had denied him.

Even at such a young age, Naruto knew that the only reason his previous caretakers had taken him in was because the Hokage had ordered them to, not out of any genuine act of compassion.

He was an outcast, after all, even if he didn't understand why. But seeing the old man hold such influence over the rest of the village made Naruto determined to gain that influence himself.

Naruto reasoned that if he were to become Hokage, everyone else would have to stop treating him like he doesn't exist. They would have to start treating him like he was important, like he was someone who mattered.

"Those three boys, they…they ruined your scarf because you helped me…"

A blue haired girl lamented, beating herself up over how her own weakness had caused this really nice kid to suffer.

"I'm really sorry…"

Naruto waved off her apology.

"Nah, forget it," he said,

pushing down on both knees with his hands to push himself back to his feet. This drew out a protest from the girl, who couldn't just do as he said and let the incident go.

"B-But they wouldn't bothered you if you hadn't tried to stand up for me! besides, we don't even know each other! Why would you help me?"

This girl was part of one of the largest, most prestigious clans in Konoha,

but she was despised by her clan for her failure to meet any of the standards they imposed on their members.

They all scorned her to the point that she was convinced she would remain a failure forever. It felt so much colder to her inside her clan's estate than it did being outside in the snow.

The absence of warmth at home planted many troubling thoughts inside her head, and she was seriously questioning whether it was worth it to keep going on…to keep living, if that was all her existence would ever mean.

So when Naruto smiled at her, the feeling of warmth she felt from him already deeply affected her.

The innocence in his expression made her heart throb madly. his answer to her desperate question would leave her changed forever:

"Do I need a reason to help someone?"

...

A/N: That was it, byr