disclaimer: the title of the first president of the united states belongs to George Washington. in a way that is totally different from that, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
author's notes: yeah, so this is yet another one of those alternate universe fics that everyone seems to love so much. it should be known that a LOT of things will end up different from the original storyline. and... yeah... stuff.
The Road of Life
prologue 01 - birth and death
Life had been pretty harsh for the fourteen-year-old boy. Besides the fact that he already had silver hair, despite his age, when it came right down to it, his life seriously sucked. His parents were gone, he witnessed his own best friend die before his very eyes, and now this. The freezing autumn rain pummeled upon him, and it was impossible to tell if he had shed any tears that cold, harsh night. That night was another of the 'Worst Days of My Life' that had become such a constant for the young Jounin. The pain, sorrow, and anguish he felt in his soul was too much, and he wanted to just cry out all his feelings right then and there. But he knew better. He knew the rules of the Shinobi. To never show emotion, and never shed tears... bah. Such bull. He was human too, and being a Shinobi didn't change that fact. Yet the ways of being a Shinobi had stuck to him like glue, and quite frankly, it pissed him off.
Hatake Kakashi, Jounin-Rank Shinobi of the village of Konoha, ANBU leader, and infamous genius tactionary, didn't move from his position. Just an hour or so ago, he'd witnessed the Yondaime Hokage, his teacher and mentor, seal the legendary Kyuubi, and his own fate. It was very painful for him to watch, and, despite all his training, Kakashi couldn't help but scream out in anguish as he saw his beloved father-figure fall into the eternal abyss of death. He cursed himself, even though he very well knew it was not his fault. After that, he didn't move from that spot for hours, just staring at the ground. Again he couldn't do anything. Again he was helpless. Again he was unable to save a loved one. He sickened himself.
Well, he had to move sometime. It's not like anything would change if he just stood there like that. However, the thought to move never really entered his mind until he heard the loud cries of an infant. The child, he remembered quickly. Not forgetting his woes, he still dashed towards the Hokage Tower, past the corpses, the sobbing masses, and... the angry mob. Damn it, he thought. Just outside the tower was a small army of villagers and Shinobi, armed with torches, kunai, and what have you, yelling angrily for something or other.
"Hokage-sama!!" they cried, "bring it out!!" They roared like wild animals, pounding on the tower gates. "Bring it out so we can finish it!!" When he heard this, anger boiled in Kakashi's veins. "We want the demon! Bring him out, Hokage-sama!!" Kakashi stared at the small mob with something which seemed remarkably like hatred. Demon!? he thought angrily. He couldn't stand for this any longer. He made a mad rush towards them, knocking out several of them, being just careful enough not to kill them. The mob glared angrily at Kakashi, who glared back with an aura so fearsome, it could have murdered the lot of them ten times over.
"Leave," he said in a calm, yet icy tone. The mob failed to comply. However, they didn't dare to attack. To attack Hatake Kakashi would only end up in death, and every one of them knew that. One of them stepped up.
"We want the demon out. We can finish it off now! Why do you get in the way!?" he cried, hatefully. Kakashi looked at the man coldly.
"There is no demon anymore," he replied simply. "The demon was sealed. What you are looking for is not here." Kakashi clenched his fists tightly, glaring at them, as if daring them to say anything else. "Leave," he said once again. The mob didn't budge. The man who spoke before spoke again.
"We can kill it now in its weakened state," he tried to reason. Kakashi growled inwardly, glaring menacingly at this foolish man. "Either bring it out or let us through!" Kakashi put his hands together to form a seal, and closed his eyes. The man grew apprehensive.
"There will be no more killing tonight," Kakashi said simply. "There has been enough casualties." He slowly opened his eyes, the expression behind his mask invisible to all. "Now leave," he said for the final time, "or I will kill you instead." At this, the crown slowly, but reluctantly scattered. Like hell if they were going to mess with a Jounin, and Kakashi of all people. Despite his age, he was well acknowledged as one of the most powerful Shinobi in Konoha. Sighing, the silver-haired Jounin turned around. "Hokage-sama!" he called calmly. "It is me, will you please allow me entrance?" He waited for a moment, and in answer, the gates swung open, and he walked in casually, as if nothing happened.
"Kakashi... is the crowd gone?" asked a hopeful Hokage. The Sandaime Hokage, who was well past his prime, looked expectantly at Kakashi. The prodigy Ninja had to admit, he'd never seen him look so... old. Kakashi nodded in answer.
"Yes, Hokage-sama... it... took some convincing though..." He looked at the gates, which had closed as soon as he walked in. He then faced the Sandaime once again. "Hokage-sama... about the child... is he..." Sarutobi nodded before Kakashi could finish.
"The child is fine, and quite stable. However..." a look of sorrow and pity reached the old man's eyes. Kakashi, being the genius that he was, understood perfectly. The child would grow up alone, hated by the villagers. That part was evident by the earlier scene. Kakashi would have blanched in disgust, were it not for the fact that he was, as everyone including himself knew, Hatake Kakashi. Well, he wasted no time, and knew exactly what he wanted to do, even if it wasn't really such a major deal, technically.
"Hokage-sama... the child... can I..." Sarutobi knew exactly what the young Jounin wanted. He smiled.
"The child is in the lower chambers, and he hasn't stopped crying for quite a while," he said smiling sadly. Kakashi nodded, and bowed in respect. He then walked down the stairs to where the baby was supposed to be held. The old man took one last tired glance at the boy and walked up to his office. He had a lot to do, now that he was the Hokage once again.
The bawlings became louder and louder as Kakashi walked down to his destination. When he finally made it to the right room, he found a tall old man with long white hair, watching over a small bundle wrapped in blankets. The crying didn't seem like it would cease anytime soon, but Kakashi approached anyways.
"Jiraiya-sama," he greeted, as he bowed. Jiraiya smiled. He had always been fond of the boy, whose teacher had been his student. Jiraiya looked at the baby, and then back at Kakashi. He'd already suspected why he was here.
"Hey, brat..." the old man said. It was a tough night for all, and in all his thirty-eight year old life, he had never felt so old or tired. Not since the night that... that he left. Jiraiya picked up the screaming infant gently. "I couldn't get the crying to stop," he said simply, amidst the loud, almost unbearable bawling. "Maybe you'd have better luck?" He offered the infant to Kakashi, who awkwardly, yet gently accepted it. He was a cute little baby boy, newborn, and probably would have been cuter if he wasn't crying so much. Kakashi cradled the child gently in his arms. The crying suddenly stopped.
Kakashi and Jiraiya stared in amazement. No one was able to calm the poor child down, yet just be being held by and looking at Kakashi, the he stopped crying. Jiraiya chuckled to himself, almost not daring to believe it. The baby just looked up at Kakashi, his eyes full in inquisitiveness, so full of innocence. Kakashi's eyes softened, never blinking.
"What's his name?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the child. Jiraiya smiled.
"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto," he answered.
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*yawn* ...so tired... i will attempt to update tomorrow...
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