Naruto surveyed the dusty table wedged in the corner at the far end of the room.
It was an isolated table, and it was obscured by the large shelves filled with books and scrolls. It was the perfect spot to spend his time away from prying and curious onlookers.
Naruto occupied Konoha's General Library.
The building was vast and expansive. It had many tiers and floors. The lower floors were archive floors and were heavily guarded by active shinobi. They were accessible with a high-level clearance.
There were few occupants manning the shelves on the third floor.
It was early in the morning, and the library had just opened its doors to the general public.
Naruto began his studies with the history section.
He stacked books after another, using the stool and ladder to reach the higher shelves.
Naruto gathered books and scrolls on The Shinobi Wars, The Art of Being A Shinobi, Military Tactics, Clans of Konohagakure, the establishment of the village, geography, medicine, the landscape of the Elemental Nations, economy, and works of fiction.
He eyed the children's section curiously and grabbed a few books.
The hours passed in silence as he read quickly, absorbing the dry information with difficulty.
The texts were dry and tedious.
The weeks passed and he became a regular patron in the library. The shinobis manning the front desks gazed at him with carefully blank faces as he walked past them to his designated corner.
He read on for months, covering a substantial amount of topics. He noticed a pattern in the history books and children's literature.
Konohagakure used a high level of propaganda and their narrative was one-sided.
They were portrayed as heroes and they undermined and vilified other villages such as Iwagakure, Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
Children books galvanized the Senju line as founders of the village, negating the contributions of the Uchiha line as part of the foundation of Konohagakure.
The occupation of being a shinobi was romanticized as the most honourable path.
The Will of Fire - Hi no Ishi - was held on a pedestal and the village served as a large family unit.
Naruto pulled his head from the book.
"Family?"
He tapped his finger on the letters as his eyebrows furrowed in thought.
The village's offer of home was conditioned upon his conscription.
It was conditional.
To be loved by the village, one must serve and give up their life and freedom for the village.
Naruto delved into a heroic tale of brothers, courageous and honorary Konoha-nin.
The hours passed by and he drank in every word.
The exploits of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama.
It was a hero story with martyrdom, service and sacrifice.
Naruto lowered the book, reaching the end, and he blinked rapidly. It was a wonderful story and he felt an echo of a little boy yearning for adventure.
As a child he wanted to emulate the Scouts, wanting to be a hero like Humanity's Strongest.
Naruto's eyes widened in realization and he stared at the book in shock. He had lost daylight hours reading the storybook.
He picked it up and stared at the cover. The leaders stood in front of a platoon of enemies, depicted as winners. The boy lowered the book on the table and he pushed it away.
He continued to read.
Naruto frowned deeply at his newest discovery.
Permanency.
A shinobi served for life and was not allowed to leave the village outside a mission.
Those who left the village were hunted down and labeled as missing-nin, defectors to the village.
To be a shinobi was to be shackled to the village for life. It was a life-sentence to serve until death. Naruto's stomach dropped at the information.
He hid his face in the book as a nauseous feeling overtook him. He reread the words again and scowled.
To become a shinobi was to sign his life away entirely. He had spent a life in servitude as Humanity's Last Hope, fighting for everyone around him.
He had only gained his freedom for a short period before his timely death.
Ore wa jiyuu da.
I am free.
Naruto shook his head.
He did not want to be a shinobi.
Konoha was inhospitable to him.
He was chased out of shops regularly. Restaurants refused to serve him.
Adults pulled their children away from him and drunkards aimed an occasional swing at him. The grocery clerks gave him expired produce and charged him double the price.
Naruto stared at the large map displayed on the wall, gazing at different regions curiously.
A loud caw cut through his thoughts and he looked out the open window.
A flock of birds took off noisily, flying off into the horizon. Naruto watched them and he felt a yearning open in his chest.
He wanted to fly.
_____________________
A/N- Eren must be feeling pretty shitty considering his circumstances. He might not want to serve the village but there will be problems, after all, he's not just Eren anymore... He's also Naruto Uzumaki.
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