NARUTO

Maoyū

Prologue

(Five years after Kyuubi attack)

It was another warm weekend in Konohagakure and all across the town the people were enjoying a nice quiet day of rest and relaxation. While those who were on call for the morning were working the handful of shops and stalls that were open, the villagers who had time off for the day were spending it either at home, lazing about and catching up on some chores, or out on the streets, hanging out with their friends and families.

Because it was such a nice day out, a few of the households had decided to head out to the reserves to get some much needed fresh air and exercise. It was here in one of the local parks inside the residential area on the west side of the village that the parents were able to watch their children run around and play on the open grass and playground, while the mothers and fathers spent time catching up with the other parents, who they hadn't seen in quite a while.

With the adults watching and chatting with each other in the background, the children were having a blast, running around the open field and chasing each other across the playground. The sound of their laughter filled the air and brought a cheerful atmosphere to the area, as one group of boys and girls were kicking a ball between each other on the grass, while many others were clambering over the monkey bars and obstacles. There was also a few young girls sitting in a circle on the grass, playing with hair buns, doing up their pony tails and trying to act like adults.

On the playground by the castle spider net, a group of three boys were playing pretend ninja with each other, all of them armed with rubber kunai and trying their "opponents". With the way they were hanging off of the ropes and chasing each other through and around the entire structure, all of them looked like they were having a great deal of fun, as they were all laughing and making sword noises every time they tried to stab their friends.

"Take this! And this!" the brown haired five year old in the singlet and shorts shouted, at the same time attempting to stab his friend. After a few tries, he eventually nailed him in the chest. "Ha! I got you!"

"No you didn't!" the black haired kid with freckles and wearing a blue jacket protested, at the same time swinging off of the rope. "I've got a shield! You can't get through my shield!"

"Nah-uh! That's not fair! You can't have a shield!" the youngster shouted back with a frown. "You got hit! That means you're out!"

While the two children started bickering with each other and arguing who got who, the third kid in the bandana, wearing a red jumper and green shorts, came up beneath the youngster with brown hair and stabbed him in the bottom of his sandal with his kunai. He then laughed when he heard his friend yelp and glare down at him. "Ha! I got you, Shota!"

"Hey! You can't attack me like that! It doesn't count if you hit me in the foot!" the irate victim shot back.

"Yeah it does! My daddy said so!" the adolescent in the bandana shouted as he hung off of the spider web with a grin. "If you attack a person's foot, you can really hurt them. That means you've been weakened." He then jumped off of the spider web to avoid his other friend from swinging down and slashing at him. While his landing on the bark was clumsy, the child was able to find his balance and strike a superman pose. "Yes! And I get away! What do you think of that?!"

As he grinned up at his two friends, he noticed that both of them had stopped moving, as their expressions had suddenly become fearful and nervous. Confused by what was going on, the boy in the bandana then jumped when he heard a voice behind him and spun around.

"Hey there."

When the child looked to see who it was, his eyes instantly landed upon another boy around his age, with blond spiky hair, wearing a white shirt with an orange swirl mark on it, a long-sleeved green under shirt, a string necklace with a small orange pendant around his neck, and green khaki shorts. He also had a very distinctive birthmark on his face; three whiskers drawn horizontally on both his cheeks, giving him a very foxlike appearance.

Though he didn't seem threatening or scary in the least, the boy he was speaking with immediately took a few steps back, as a look of dread and uncertainty pulled across his face, just as it did his friends.

Despite this, the boy with the whiskers smiled pleasantly and waved meekly, "C-Can I play with you guys?"

Glancing between each other nervously, the three boys at first said nothing. However, when the blond took a couple steps towards them, he suddenly saw the three boys drop the rubber kunai they were playing with and run away, with the two boys scrambling down the spider net and across the grass. Before the child with the whiskers couple even process what was going on or speak, he suddenly saw all the children on the playground get up and run.

Leaving whatever equipment they were playing on, the children returned to their parents, who they immediately hid behind. When the adults asked them what was going on and saw the problem for themselves, they too thought it best to leave.

Within only a few seconds the blond child found himself standing in the middle of the playground all by himself.

Looking around the empty playground and the now deserted park, the confused Naruto soon felt the familiar sensation of loneliness and abandonment fall over him. Hearing a breeze rustle over the trees and a cold grip his skin, the now noticeably disheartened blond rubbed his arm and, with a sad look on his face, trudged his way over to the swing sets.

Getting over to the swing in the middle, the youngster struggled to get up on the seat. When he finally managed to get on it, he then sat there, swinging his legs back and forth while the metal of the hinges creaked under his weight.

As much as he wanted to run after the children and ask them what was going on, he didn't. The kids obviously weren't going to play with him, and even if he approached their parents he knew they would just walk away or tell him to leave them alone.

By this point he already knew the drill and what was going on. It was the same thing that happened to him no matter where he went, whether it was the reserve, the market, or the orphanage. Everyone just avoided him.

While he sat there on the swing, moving back and forth at a dejected pace, the boy sighed. "I guess… I can always try again tomorrow…" he thought optimistically, though in his heart he knew exactly what was going to happen anyway.

OOO

(Three months later)

(Academy)

"Look at all these pretty flowers," a young blonde girl in an orange shirt with her hair tied into a high pony-tail exclaimed as she showed off the bunch of daisies she'd picked to the two other girls sitting on either side of her. "My mum showed me how to put them together last night. What do you think?"

Glancing down at the makeshift bouquet, the girl with brown hair and wearing the purple kimono gawked, "Wow. They're so nice."

"Yeah. How did you do it?"

"It's a secret," Ino giggled with a wink.

It was another day out at the academy and another recess break for the students. Those who'd felt like they were being cooped up in the class for too long had gone outside to get some fresh air and to spend time playing with their friends. While the children scattered into their respective play groups, the Chunin instructors Suzume and the burly yet friendly Daikoku could be seen standing and watching from the footpath nearby. They made sure that all of the children were playing safely with one another and weren't causing too much mischief, so as to avoid any major incidents.

So far their recess had been pretty good, and everyone was enjoying their time out in the sun; the young ones especially. After the long first period that they had in their foundation level classroom, it was a welcome relief for all of them to be able to go outside and explore their surroundings.

While a group of boys were kicking a ball between each other, Ino and her friends were indulging in some more girlie, hands-on activities. By comparison they wanted to seem like the more mature and responsible ones, even if they did look adorable.

"Be careful of the bees though. They will sting you if you bother them too much," the girl with purple hair and wearing a red shirt and blue overalls warned when she saw Ino pick some more flowers.

"Oh, don't worry. The bees here are friendly. They won't bite," the blonde youngsters replied cheerfully. It was then she and her two friends were cut short when they spotted one of the abovementioned insects fly off from the patch of grass they were sitting around.

Following it with their eyes, the group of girls then saw the tiny bee land on the extended hand of a boy standing several feet away from them, wearing a green hooded jacket and sunglasses. He was sharing the same spot with a tough-looking kid with brown spiky hair, red markings on his cheeks, and a purple jumper over his shoulders, which gave him the appearance of a delinquent.

After getting a good look at the pollinating critter perching on his finger, the child in the square sunglasses held it out and waved it on. "Go on." He then let the bee fly off on its own accord and disappear into the clearing, which the scruffy boy standing alongside him observed with a cautious gaze.

"Why didn't you squash it?" the kid with the canines asked curiously.

"It would've been incredibly unkind and cruel," the child in the hooded jacket replied. "Why you ask? Because like you, the insects in this garden are our neighbors too."

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the stoic adolescent's response, "You're weird, man."

Past the two boys standing on the other side of the playground, a couple more youngsters could be seen hanging around the bottom of the slippery dip and watching the commotion unfold around them. Unlike the rest of the boisterous ankle biters who were running around and tackling each other, the two of them, a tired looking kid with long dark hair tied into a spiky ponytail, and an orange-haired, rather tubby child wearing a green top, and eating vigorously from a packet of chips, were contently enjoying the view and the breeze drifting over the scenery. These two seemed to be spending their recess break together, not really saying much, and quietly enjoying the pleasure of one another's company.

Aside from these two quartering themselves off from the main herd, playtime for the class went on as per the usual routine and the instructors didn't have to worry one bit about any of the kids quarreling senselessly with each other. At least not yet.

Meanwhile, a little further away from the main group of children playing out in the open, over by one of the old peach trees where a tire swing had been hung up, one of the students had chosen to isolate himself from the rest of the class. Sitting inside the ring-shaped, plastic seat, the young orphan Naruto was currently swinging back and forth on the makeshift equipment, clutching the rope with both hands and watching with a sad glimmer in his eyes as the rest of his cohort played with one another across the oval.

Ever since he began attending school at the behest of the orphanage a few weeks ago, the blond youngster had found himself struggling to fit in with the rest of the students. Initially Naruto had hoped to start out this part of his life fresh, using his anonymity to try and connect with some of the local kids and make new friends with the faces he met. Since there was no shortage of children or play time during the school period, the boy was confident he could make something positive happen over his tenure here, and entered the system with a big smile on his face. But after the first few days had come and gone, and after what he felt was a good start to his education, the blond quickly found himself slipping back to his original state.

Every time Naruto tried to approach the kids and ask if he could play with them, they would either ignore him, tell him to go away, run off, or be dragged away by their teachers, parents or friends in the area, pushing the blond further and further away and, for all intents and purposes, stranding him out in the cold. At first Naruto thought this was just another passing phase, as he was briefly able to find what he thought was a fast friendship with the boys Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji. But almost as soon as he'd met them the child was then told that their parents didn't want the three of them hanging around with him, and was essentially kicked out of their circle.

This not only dampened Naruto's spirits during his free periods, but also made his time at the academy all the more disheartening. Now not only was he alone at the orphanage, but he also found himself alone in school; the most kid-populated area in Konoha.

Frankly he felt even worse than he previously had and, after several attempts to try and get back in with the groups, resigned himself to his usual routine.

For the next several minutes the depressed youngster remained where he was, watching quietly as the rest of his classmates kicked the ball around and tackled each other on the green. It was then in the midst of his observations Naruto suddenly heard the sound of feet shuffling behind him and looked over his shoulder. There he quickly spotted one of the girls from his class, the pink haired one in the red button-up top and black skirt, Sakura Haruno, hiding behind the trunk and looking out at the other kids on the playground.

Blinking when his eyes fell on her, he saw the girl was making furtive glances at the other children from behind her long bangs of hair, which she was using to cover her face. While this initially appeared strange to the adolescent Naruto, the youngster quickly figured that she was probably shy and had trouble interacting with others, and was the reason why she was concealing herself from the rest of the cliques.

Deciding to take a chance, the originally detached and upset Naruto hopped off of his swing and poked his head around. "Hi there. Are you okay?" Almost as soon as he asked that question he saw the girl gasp and move further behind the trunk. "Hey. It's alright. I'm not going to bite, dattebayo." When he saw her edge out a little more and look him in the face, the blonde beamed, "Your name is Sakura, right?"

The pinkette nodded, "Uh-huh."

"I'm Naruto," the blonde chirped back with a pleasant grin. He then slowly eased towards her, keeping his cheerful disposition up. So far she hadn't turned tail and run, which the boy immediately took as a good sign. "What are you doing hiding over here?"

Glancing to and from the orphan a couple of times, the nervous Sakura gulped, "N-Nothing. I'm… I'm just-"

"You don't want to go out and play with the others?" Naruto asked rather bluntly, earning a small nod from said girl. "How come?"

Hesitant, the girl replied in a quiet voice, "E-Every time I go outside to play, the girls keep making fun of me."

"Really?" Was Naruto's innocent response as he quickly looked her over, "Why would they do that? You look perfectly fine to me." His words earning a surprised look from Sakura, the bold youngster then moved in a little closer and, leaning over, tentatively brushed his hands over her bangs.

"Maybe it's because all of your hair is hanging over your face."

Sakura backed away, a little bit frightened. "D-Don't," the girl stammered, causing Naruto to stop. "I… I have an ugly forehead."

Smiling, the kid moved forward again and, using his thumbs and fingers, shifted her locks out of her face. When he got a clear look at the scared profile beneath the veil, Naruto beamed warmly at her. "No you don't."

Sakura stared at him in shock, "Huh? Y-You think so?"

A big nod was her answer, "I think it looks very pretty." His comment earning a light blush from the child, Naruto then reached down and picked up a couple of cherry blossoms, which had fallen to the base of the peach tree they were hiding behind. "You'll look even prettier if we put some flowers in your hair." What followed from that point was the blond doing his very best artistic attempt to comb Sakura's bangs behind her ears so that everyone could see her face.

After a couple of minutes of muttering and careful adjusting, with Naruto using the girl's scrunchy to adjust her ponytail so that it took most of the strands into a single area, the boy then withdrew his hands and held them out into a makeshift frame. Upon which he then grinned triumphantly.

"There. Much better."

Bringing her hands up to run through her hair, Sakura noticed that Naruto had slipped a cherry blossom into the locks he'd nudged behind her ear and one next to her newly adjusted scrunchy, which was shifted into a traditional bun-style on top of her head. After feeling around with her fingers and familiarizing herself with her new look, Sakura then gave the blond a friendly smile of appreciation.

"Th-Thank you."

Naruto felt his heart flutter at her words of gratitude. "You're welcome."

"Hey!"

The pair suddenly had their attention pulled away from each other and towards the play area, where they spotted Ino and her two friends from the flower patch standing a few feet away and glaring at them. Initially caught off guard, it took the youngsters several seconds to realize that the trio were glaring at only one and not both of them, and that the person they had their attention on happened to be Naruto.

Her expression stern and angry, Ino kept a steady and unflinching gaze upon the blond troublemaker, "What are you doing to her?"

Naruto stuttered nervously, "Nothing. I… I was just helping her with her hair."

Ino's frown deepened as she glanced between the boy and Sakura. After which she then gave the orphan a firm glare, "Mum and dad said we shouldn't talk to you. Go away."

"B-But…" Naruto tried to reply.

"Yeah! Buzz off!" the girl with the brown hair shouted.

"Leave her alone!" the one with purple hair butted in. "Scram! Get lost!"

Finding himself being ganged up on by the girls, the startled and upset Naruto quickly straightened up and ran off. Ino and the others made sure to watch him leave, whereas Sakura followed after the kind boy with a confused gaze. She even attempted to call out and go after the blond, but she was stopped when the lead girl of the trio placed a hand on her shoulder and drew her attention towards her.

"It's okay. He's gone," Ino chirped, appearing pleased at having gotten rid of the 'dangerous kid' her parents had warned her about. Though she didn't see anything wrong with him and she wondered why everyone said he was trouble, she did what her mum and dad told her to do, so she felt she was doing the right thing. "My name's Ino. What's your name?"

While Ino introduced herself to the shy and nervous Sakura, Naruto, who'd managed to escape to another row of trees, looked back at the group forlornly, particularly towards the girl he'd helped. When he saw the four of them move off, a sad look appeared on his face again and, lowering his head, the blond walked behind the oaks standing by the school's main building.

Once there, the orphan stood quietly for a moment looking at the ground. Biting his bottom lip, it didn't take long for a series of whimpers to leave him before Naruto clenched his eyes shut and attempted to stop tears from running down his cheeks. But it was no use.

"Wh-What did I do?" he whispered to himself, confused, scared, and not knowing what was wrong with him. "Why do people keep pushing me away?"

He just didn't understand.

OOO

(Three months later)

It was school out at the shinobi academy once again and, as the sun started to set over the horizon, the older children in the upper year levels went off on their own, while the younger ones were picked up by their parents and taken home. Those youngsters who'd had a good day were practically gabbing to their mothers or fathers about how their teachers loved their work and that they were going to go far as shinobi or kunoichi. They were literally hanging off of their arms as they were walked off the property and down the street. For them it'd been another terrific day.

For Naruto on the other hand, it'd been another long and slow one, filled with the same hard goings and misery that he experienced outside of school. Even after all these months of attending classes, hanging out with the teachers and learning how to interact with other people, he hadn't made a single friend. What's more, even though he was trying his best to get in with some of the other groups, it seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere with them.

In fact it felt like his isolation was just getting even worse.

And so, after another rotten and unsuccessful day of trying to fit in, the child was now trudging back home to the orphanage with his hands in his pockets and a downtrodden look on his face. Along the way he tried to think about what he should get for dinner on the way back home.

As he passed through town, walking by various stores, bars, vendors, cafes and stalls, he couldn't help but notice how all the people around him were giving him an extra wide berth. Every time he walked towards a group or a family, he would see them move over to the side of the road or stop at a safe distance to let him pass. All the while they gave him either the cold shoulder or a very cautious, hate filled glare. It was like everyone was looking at him like he was something sick and disgusting that they wanted to stay away from, a thought that had Naruto's face turn sour, his skin go clammy, and his body run cold.

This sense of feeling completely unwelcomed and unwanted that he was getting from the villagers, day in and day out… it was horrible. He hated it.

Wanting to do something about this sensation, the young Naruto decided to make a small detour from the main road and into the side streets. Trekking to a more isolated area dotted with apartments, small homes, and surrounded by lush gardens and picket fences, the blonde took his brooding stint to a less conspicuous part of the neighborhood, away from prying eyes. When he finally reached an empty reserve sitting adjacent to a group of houses, the youngster felt himself starting to get a little wet around the eyes and, stopping in his tracks, wiped his face against his forearm.

"Damn it. This sucks,"the boy mumbled miserably to himself. Noticing the open field next to the footpath and seeing how empty and spacious it was, the orphan then decided to wander around a bit towards the forest sitting on the other side.

Ambling into the woods a couple minutes later with his expression reflecting a mild sense of curiosity, the child soon stumbled upon a thick bamboo grove inside of the collection of oaks and birches. Tilting his head at the tall pillars and trunks standing high before him, all of which were lit by the glow of the still present sun, Naruto walked over to the trees and placed a hand against one of the stalks nearest to him. He then blinked as he looked at how tall the bamboo palm was.

"Wow." Looking back down at where his hand was pressed, the kid then curled his fingers into a fist and pressed his knuckles against the green wood. Putting his weight against it, he was able to get a measure of how sturdy and flexible it was, which had him smile a little.

It was then he blinked and thought back to one of the classes he had earlier today. "Some ninja use logs and training dummies to practice taijutsu by hitting them, right?" His teacher Suzume had started showing the students some of the basic katas that they used in combat from a picture book; a subject that greatly fascinated and captured Naruto's interest. But whenever he tried to ask questions about it, the teacher either nervously dodged him or ignored him entirely.

As irksome as it had been, the blond had still managed to learn a great deal from simply listening to the woman's lecture. He learned about how some ninja trained, what they used, and the areas where they had the most practice. There was even some exercises the Chunin showed the class that they could do at home, which had been a great deal help.

It was at that moment Naruto looked at the bamboo pillar in front of him a little more thoughtfully. After a moment of staring, he was suddenly struck by an idea. "Suzume-sensei didn't say anything about practicing on bamboo."

Since it was a lot stronger than wood and almost comparable to steel, it made using it as part of martial arts practice very risky. From what Naruto already knew, people only used the planet as part of their building materials or as a construction resource; ideal for setting up frames and holding up buildings.

But had they ever considered it for practicing combat on a regular basis?

Curious as to where he could go with this idea and wanting to let off some steam from the terrible day he'd just had, Naruto frowned determinedly and set himself into one of the fighting stances he remembered from his lesson. Holding a hand out and drawing his fist back into a loaded position, he then concentrated hard before throwing a hard left seiken.

"Ha!" Naruto shouted, his corkscrew punch slamming into the bamboo trunk with a loud 'klok'. He then pulled it away a second later with a pained yelp and shook his hand. "Ow!" Looking to see the red bruise that'd formed in his knuckles, the orphan then took a deep breath and forced down the pain. Glancing back up, Naruto then put on another brave face and, reassuming his horse riding stance, brought both hands back and started again. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

The silence of the reserve was soon filled with the sound of Naruto's yells and wood clacking echoing throughout the area, as he repeatedly started hitting the wood over, and over, and over.

It wouldn't be until nightfall that Naruto stopped practicing his punching and kicking techniques on the bamboo, by which point in time both his knuckles and shins had been cut open and were bleeding all over the place. Managing to bite back the pain, the child limped home to the orphanage to go bandage himself up, so that by tomorrow he would be able to go at it again.

It wasn't like the people at the orphanage were worried he didn't come home when he was supposed to. Heck, he figured they were glad that he wasn't around.

OOO

(Two years later)

"Huh? Who the heck are you?" a young boy wearing a blue jumper and bandana asked as he looked over his shoulder at the blonde haired kid in the white shirt, green pants, and orange vest standing behind him.

The delinquent's two friends, a chubby boy with short hair, scarf and a singlet, and a skinny one wearing an orange/brown top and gloves, also turned to face the newcomer, who was glaring them down from the entrance of the alleyway they were gathered in. Their scowls intensified when they recognized who it was, which immediately began drawing a lot of scorn from them.

Following the leader's question, the blond boy replied. "You heard me. I said knock it off!"

At first frowning at the kid's gutsy retort, the first minion's expression then changed to one reflecting a moment of sudden realization. "Hey… isn't he that kid?" the rotund bully asked.

"The one who keeps painting the walls and pulling pranks on all the adults?" the skinny one continued before grinning. "Yeah. That's him."

"What the hell are you doing here, shrimp?" the older, taller kid in the bandana asked while turning to face the interloper, his companions also joining him in his stand-off. Stepping closer to the gatecrasher, the trio then leered menacingly at the spiky haired hero. "Well? Come on. Speak up."

The now noticeably older Naruto glared back at the three delinquents, moments before his eyes dropped down to a fourth individual lying directly behind them.

Having just been passing by on the street, the seven year old had caught wind of a commotion taking place inside the causeway. After poking his head in to investigate, he discovered these three boys harassing a young girl around his age with short blue hair and wearing a standard grey martial arts gi. It'd only taken him a second of looking to recognize the girl as one of his classmates; the quiet one that sat all the way up in the back row next to Shino and a couple of the other boys.

If he remembered her right, her name was Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga.

Apparently she'd somehow managed to upset these three delinquents, who then felt the need to drag her into this back alleyway and push her around a little. He didn't know why they decided to do that or what reason they had for ganging up on her, but all Naruto knew was that their actions were completely uncalled for. So, upon dropping his initial plan of going off to Ichiraku's Ramen, he decided to jump in and do something about their little activity.

The blond clenched his fists bravely and smirked. "You guys think you're so tough, huh? Picking on a little girl who can't even fight back. Why don't you try messing with somebody your own size?"

"What? You mean you?" the leader asked while his friends behind him snickered.

"You heard me, dumbass," Naruto retorted, earning simultaneous balks from the bullies as he held his ground. "Do you need me to spell it out for you? Or are you three so stupid that simple sentences go right over your heads?"

"What?" the skinny kid barked in outrage.

"Why you…" the leader growled while stepping forward and raising his fist, "Say that again and I'll smash your face in, punk!"

"Okay," Naruto said as a cheeky smile formed across his lips, "Then I'll say something else that you probably won't understand… a little slower this time." He then leaned forward and spoke in the lowest and most idiotic-sounding voice he could make. "You're a shit-bag."

By this point in time the three boys were completely riled up. As they stomped towards the blond runt with the intent of brutalizing him in the most gangbanger fashion imaginable, the girl lying on the floor behind them, her uniform all a mess and fresh tear stains still present on her cheeks, gazed up at the boy standing valiantly against her attackers in awe. Even though he was smaller than them, younger than them by about two years, and out-numbered three to one, he still had the courage to stand up to their group and draw their attention away from her. What's more, he didn't appear scared or worried in the slightest.

Hinata had heard about this boy; who he was and what he did around the village. Apparently this Naruto had a reputation for causing trouble for the people around him and wreaking havoc across multiple neighborhoods, making life incredibly difficult for the rest of the community. She even remembered seeing him in class, from training at the academy, and also passing him by on the streets with one of her guardians.

Many times she'd asked about the mysterious blond and his nature, wanting to find out who he was and why everybody hated him so. But her guardians had always either kept quiet, dismissed her questions entirely, or gave her explicit instructions never to associate with him, because he was dangerous, foul, and generally a bad influence. It was a different reason every second day.

Originally she heeded their warnings and trusted her parents' and caretakers' judgements. But as she knelt there on the ground, looking up at said boy and watching him lure the bullies away from her, she could only wonder why a boy who was supposedly so mean and dangerous, was rescuing her.

"H-He's so brave," Hinata whispered, unable to believe what she was witnessing.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you little shit?" the rotund kid snapped at the blond pest. His smile was starting to piss him off.

Bringing a thumb up to his chest and poking at himself, the orphan grinned broadly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of Konohagakure!"

"A brat like you will never become Hokage!" the leader shouted, stepping forward and cocking back his fist for a punch, his eyes burning with rage. "Buzz off!" He then dove in with a wild haymaker.

Timing it, Naruto quickly slipped his head to the side and avoided the punch, before stepping forward and treading on the delinquent leader's foot. The moment he did and had the boy pinned, the blond then decked the kid in the face with a sickening 'crunch' and sent him toppling to the ground. As soon as the head bully was down, his hands clutching his broken nose and screams of agony filling the air, Naruto then dove at the next boy and shoved him into the alley wall.

Pinning the large, rotund child against the barrier, Naruto began laying into him with punches and kicks, hitting him in the chest, stomach and face repeatedly. However, after managing to land several rather painful blows, he was suddenly punched across the face by the skinny kid and sent stumbling into the wall. Upon which he was set upon by the taller boy and assaulted. After managing to bring his arms up to protect his face and fend off most of the punches, the blond saw the boy throw a haymaker at him and ducked at the last second, causing the boy to punch the wall instead.

A loud crack was followed by a scream when the bully staggered away with a broken wrist, upon which Naruto then lifted his foot and teeped him in the gut, sending him crashing into the wall and trashcan on the other side of the aisle. Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Naruto then grinned excitedly and turned back to the portly kid in the scarf, who ran up to him with a punch. Catching the blow, the blond then yanked him forward and kneed the kid in the gut, causing him to throw up. Upon which Naruto then dropped him with an elbow to the back of the head.

"Is that all you got?" the blond orphan asked while looking around at the two kids he'd managed to beat, before then looking up to see their leader stagger back to his feet and holding his nose.

"Y-You… runt!" the bully in the bandana growled before rushing forward. "I'm not done yet!" He then threw a hook at the spiky haired kid, only to watch it get blocked before he was nailed in the chin by a swift uppercut. The blow caused the kid to drop to his knees and sway on the spot in a daze. That was until Naruto grabbed him by the front of his jacket and forced to look up at him.

Sporting a noticeable bruise on his cheek as well as a bleeding lip, the victorious Naruto frowned, "Now you are." He then raised a fist, causing the older bully to raise his hands and cower in fear, as he thought the kid was going to finish him off right then and there. But instead of knocking him out, the blond showed mercy and, after a moment of consideration, released him. Upon which he then lowered his fist. "Don't gang up on anyone ever again. If you do… I'll be coming after you."

Letting the kid collapse on his own to join his two friends on the ground, Naruto then turned around and approached the fallen Hinata, who he could see was still gaping at him in awe. When he reached her, the young boy leaned over and offered her a hand.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, with a genuine and sincere smile on his face.

Gulping nervously as her eyes shimmered with amazement, Hinata nodded and, reaching forward, was helped to her feet. "Y-Yes… I am." Once she was up, she faced the blond orphan with a small smile on her face. "You saved me… thank you."

"Don't mention it," the whisker-marked youngster replied with a smirk. Upon which he then nodded behind him. "I was just passing by and saw them picking on you… so I decided to step in."

Nodding in understanding, Hinata looked around at the three bullies whom her savior had beaten. Seeing just how easily the much younger and smaller kid had been able to beat them, the Hyuuga then looked back at Naruto with a curious stare. "H-How did you do that?"

"Hm? Do what?"

"How did… you manage to stand up to all three of them by yourself?" Hinata asked, wanting to know where this boy was able to gather up the courage to take on all of those delinquents singlehandedly. "W-Weren't you scared?"

It was then Naruto smiled and shook his head. "If I was really scared, do you think I would've been able to do that?" He then thumbed back at his previous opponents, the leader of whom had now crawled over to the side wall to check on his injured friends. When he saw Hinata shake her head, the orphan then brought his hand around and placed his fist against his chest, causing the pendant he was wearing to jump. "I did it because I knew that I could do it, by standing up for myself and being tough, dattebayo. All I had to do was be brave, hold my ground, and gave them everything I had." Seeing the admiring gaze the girl was giving him prompted the blond to smile, reach forward and pat her on the head. "You can do it to if you train hard and get strong enough. If you do… I'm sure you'll be able to do the same thing that I just did."

Hearing his words loud and clear caused Hinata's chest to swell somewhat, as she then smiled and nodded to the boy standing in front of her. "Y-Yeah."

"Hinata-sama!" The two youngsters were promptly interrupted from their talk when a man, a guardian from the Hyuuga clan, came running up to them from the nearby street.

Upon seeing the adult approaching, Naruto remained where he was while the young heiress Hinata stepped forward to meet her caretaker.

"Are you okay?" the Chunin Ko asked the blue-haired girl when he stopped in front of her, the look on his face showing just how worried he'd been.

Hinata nodded affirmatively, "Yes. I am."

It was then the newly arrived protector's eyes turned towards the blond kid standing a few feet behind her, a curious look on his face. Ko recoiled when he immediately recognized who he was. "He's the-" Frowning deeply, he then took Hinata by the hand and pulled her away from the blond, upon which he started dragging her away. "Come, Hinata-sama. This is no place for you."

The Hyuuga heiress looked at the man in bewilderment. "B-But wait," the young girl spoke up before glancing back at Naruto, "He came to my rescue! The least we can do is thank him-"

"He is none of our concern," the Chunin in the Hyuuga style gi replied firmly, earning a shocked glance from Hinata. "You are not to associate with that boy here or anywhere. Now come." He then started moving again, wanting to get the girl as far away from the scene and the blond orphan as quickly as possible.

Hinata was confused. Why was she being taken away from the person who saved her? Why wasn't she allowed to talk to him? The moment she felt her body start to move and her feet start skidding along the floor as she deliberately attempted to slow her pace, dozens of questions began racing through her mind.

For a brief moment, she looked back at the brave boy who'd saved her. When she did she saw the momentary expression of hurt and dejection fall over him. However, a few seconds later, Hinata saw the young Naruto smile and wave after her meekly, which prompted her to wave as well as a final farewell and thank you. Moments later she and her handler disappeared round the corner, leaving the alley and the mess behind.

Dropping his hand to his side, the bruised Naruto breathed a heavy sigh and turned around. When he saw the lead bully's friends eventually regain consciousness and run away after seeing him glaring at them, the blond youngster then had a long think about the fight that'd just unfolded. Realizing that it was the hard training that he'd done that had gotten him here and allowed him to overcome the three bullies, the youngster then cracked a wide grin and reached up to wipe the blood away from his lip.

"That was fun," he chirped, having not felt so excited and driven before in his entire life. This little fist fight, the physical contact he experienced with another opponent, the interaction with other children through confrontation, the act of saving someone who could also become a potential friend and speaking with them, and facing off against a challenge… he enjoyed it.

No... he loved it.

This revelation of thought had Naruto clench his fist enthusiastically and slam it into his open palm in a guts pose, at the same time a determined glint flickered through his eye. "I need to get stronger… faster… better…"

And to do that, not only would he need to up his training regimen, he would also have to get his nose a little bit dirty. If he was going to have more fun like this, then he was going to have to up the ante…

TO BE CONTINUED…