Chapter 2: Gifts can make me cry?
Konoha Orphanage. October 12, Year 73.
Uzumaki Naruto knew who he was. He was a 5-year-old kid with bright sun-kissed yellow hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was a bit taller than kids his age, he was more athletic after all he all ate his greens. He loved Ramen, like he really loved it, Although he had only had it a few times. He loved to read a lot, and never wanted to stop learning.
Yes, he was different from most kids, but he had no idea what warranted those looks he got. What was with them? They looked at him as if the very idea of his existence was wrong. They scared and confused him at the same time.
He thought of the people who didn't look at him that way and only 2 came to mind, Ms.Tsukimi and The Hokage. He had no idea why their leader came to meet him or even hired Ms. Tsukimi to teach him how to read, write and do calligraphy but he was not going to deny the only help he ever got.
Mr. Sarutobi hadn't been able to make it to his birthday to wish him due to some work, but he had sent a card and a very tasty cake. He had also sent a promise via his words in the card that he would take him somewhere to give him his actual gift on Saturday, which was today.
He was clearly excited. He had gotten up an extra hour early, he had bathed and scrubbed every inch of his body and he wore the best set of clothes he had, he was wearing a full-sleeved plain orange t-shirt, over which he wore a white half-sleeved t-shirt. He wore beige three-fourths. He had his blue sandals sitting by the common shoe rack at the orphanage, they were perfectly cleaned.
The wind chime chimed and naruto threw himself off his bed and dashed out. As soon as he reached, he saw the Aged leader standing there in his robes. He felt his heart beating and his tummy got ticklish.
'He actually came!' Thought Naruto.
"You look excited, my boy" Sarutobi stated the obvious. 'I'm sorry for what's coming' He thought. "Come on, let's go eat something first." Sarutobi said as he stretched his hand forward, which the young boy clasped instantly.
"Where are we going Mr. Sarutobi?" Naruto knew he could call him grandpa or something along similar lines but at the same time didn't want people to think the Hokage could be called that publicly. The old man was doing a lot for him already.
"Why, to Ichiraku's of course!" Exclaimed the Aged Leader.
"Yoshaa! Let's go faster!" Yelled Naruto as he ran towards the ramen shop. Sarutobi could only chuckle at that.
As soon as they reached naruto hopped on a stool and yelled out a greeting, "What's up pop's, how's the shop running!?" He asked the ramen shop owner, Ichiraku Teuchi.
"If it isn't my favorite customers, Welcome Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama! The shop's running well kiddo. What'd you like today? The usual?" He asked to which naruto nodded eagerly while Sarutobi had a much calmer response.
"So, Tonkotsu ramen with extra chashu and naruto for young naruto, And extra spicy Miso ramen for Lord Third. Coming up in a few minutes." Said teuchi.
After finishing up their food and chatting each other's ears away, they left the bar with a hefty tip. They stopped to get some ice cream and continued on their walk. They could be seen walking together, naruto holding the older man's hand while holding his ice cream in the other.
"Naruto, there are 2 more things left for us to do. Let's take a left here." Sarutobi said, Naruto nodded while noticing the orphanage was on the right from here. They stopped in front of a rather nice apartment complex, seeing which a knot formed in naruto's stomach.
"Um, Mr. Sarutobi, why are we here?" He asked hesitantly.
"I'll tell you upstairs Naruto." He said as he lead the boy up the stairs. There went up to the top floor, where sarutobi opened one of the apartments, he held the door for his young friend. He could see the fear on naruto's face.
"Well, ah, this is where you will be living from now on, naruto." Sarutobi hated being the bringer of such news but he always was, it's why he was Hokage.
He saw the boy drop his ice cream on the floor and stand there frozen for a few seconds.
"Ahh, what did I- Um, I'm sorry Mr. Sarutobi, I dropped it. You even bought a place for me, Thank you so much. Don't worry, I'll clean this up quickly!" The boy crouched down to hide his face from his leader. Sarutobi moved around and crouched in front of him. He moved his hand forward and wiped the boy's tears away.
"Hah, Why am I crying? Shouldn't I be happy?" The words broke the Aged leader's heart.
'I'm sorry, I really tried son' Thought Sarutobi.
"It's okay naruto, It's okay to be sad." Hiruzen said as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"The-They don't want me there d-do they?" His voice broke as more tears flowed down his whiskered cheeks.
"No, they don't. I tried my boy, I really-" Sarutobi was cut off by naruto as the boy looked at him with anger.
"That's the issue, it's only you. No one else cares, why do you even try? Aren't you their leader? Shouldn't you help them? I heard some of them, Why don't you help them and kill me as-" Naruto was stopped as Sarutobi pulled him in a tight hug.
"Don't ever finish such a sentence. I will not let you die! You deserve much better, I try because I care, It's because you are a part of the leaf village, It's because I am your leader. It's because of the love I have for you, that I try." The words broke all barriers as the blonde sobbed in sarutobi's chest.
'There is also the promise I made to your late parents.' Sarutobi thought sadly.
It took a while, but naruto calmed down. After which Sarutobi showed him his new home and tried to make him laugh, succeeding a few times.
"There is one more thing left for me to give you." Said Sarutobi
"What is it?" Asked naruto, wiping some of his remaining tears.
"What I am about to give you, I want you to use it carefully." Sarutobi said seriously, there was a deafening silence between both of them as Hiruzen reached under his robes to pull something out. Naruto leaned closer.
Sarutobi brought it in front of him it was a white card with Konoha library written on top of it, Any other kid would've thrown a tantrum but naruto threw his arms around the old man as he snatched the card. It had his picture and name on it, it was stamped by the old man as well.
"Huh, but how can I use this dangerously?" Naruto asked with visible confusion on his face.
"Knowledge is the strongest weapon a man has, His heart being the second, His tongue the third, and finally his physical skills." Sarutobi said sagely. Naruto made an 'Oh, I see' expression.
"Now, the Konoha library is a heaven for any shinobi seeking knowledge but you are a civilian, not even an academy student. So you only get to enter the ground floor. It does not have many shinobi techniques but has plenty of knowledge. Master it all kiddo." Sarutobi said ruffling the young boy's hair.
"So, All I have to do is show this card?" Asked Naruto.
"Yes, That is all. Wanna give it a try?" He asked his young charge. Who eagerly nodded and dashed out the door. Sarutobi could only laugh at his, it didn't take long to reach the huge building.
It had 4 floors. Naruto wondered if he could speed-run them.
"Go on." Sarutobi said as he gave him a push, "I'll wait here. If you aren't stopped, explore a bit." He told the boy.
"Okay." Naruto said as he walked in, he looked around, and he saw a receptionist or was she the librarian, whatever she was he didn't look at her, instead kept walking. She looked scary.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Konoha Library. October 12, Year 73
I was doing my job, checking through the returned books as I heard the door open, I arranged the books back and looked up to welcome whoever it was, Only to see a small kid walking away from me, he quickened his steps as I got up. I raised an eyebrow as I called out for him.
"You, blonde kid, stop right there." She said as she walked closer to him.
"Um, are you talking to me miss?" He asked, she stopped and looked around, not even crickets were chirping. It was just them here.
"Who else kiddo." She said as she stopped in front of him and crouched. "Library card." She said while putting her hand ahead. 'I see, it's you. No wonder you looked scared, poor thing.' She said as another tiny blonde kid came into her mind, she had just gotten the job. 'Hmm, will I get to see 2 SS ranked shinobi in my life?' She thought a bit amusingly as she looked over his card, 'Stamped by Lord Hokage himself.'
"Go on blondie. Remember you have to show me this card every time you enter, borrow, or return a book. My eyes are everywhere, so floor 1 only." She said, the last part quite sternly.
"O-okay miss, thank you!" He said as he bowed to the lady.
"Ms. Sato Yua. That's my name." She said as she got back up.
"Uzumaki Naruto! Nice to meet you." Naruto said, giving a light bow before rushing into the library.
Yua looked out the window to see the Hokage give her a wave before disappearing.
'I wonder how far you'll go, Uzumaki-Kun.' Yua thought as she got back to her work.
-With Naruto-
He couldn't believe his eyes, the place was huge. How was he even supposed to read all this?
'It does not have much shinobi techniques but has plenty of knowledge. Master it all son.' The Hokage's words wrung in the mind.
'To master all this. To take in all this information. It's gonna be exciting y'know.' He said using his generational verbal tick for the first time
-x-x-x-x-x-
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone