Konoha
The night before, the Nine-Tails had launched its devastating attack upon the village, bringing destruction and causing countless casualties in its wake. The village now lay in complete ruins, with buildings reduced to rubble and debris scattered throughout the streets. People had lost their families in the chaos and devastation. Fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers all cried out in anguish and grief.
Everyone in the village had lost someone dear to them in the attack. The Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked slowly through the village, carefully surveying and assessing the full extent of the damage that had been wrought upon their home.
As he passed by the grieving villagers, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming and heavy weight settling upon his heart. They had lost hundreds of lives in a single night—including the Fourth Hokage and his beloved wife, who had sacrificed themselves to protect the village.
Now Hiruzen had to come out of his early retirement, returning to the responsibilities he thought he had left behind. He had already sacrificed his youth and his best years for this village, and now as an old man well past his prime, he must step forward and do it all over again.
His resolve strengthened and solidified as he walked through the ruins and saw the full scope of the damage. He knew that he needed to step up and take charge of the situation. If he didn't take on this burden, who else would? He couldn't possibly trust Danzo with this enormous responsibility and the welfare of the village.
But as more time passed and he continued his survey, he started thinking about someone else—a small child, the only living legacy that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had left behind in this world.
He turned around and began walking with purpose toward the hospital. The closer he got to the medical facility, the more injured and wounded people he encountered along the way. Many of them greeted him with respect, and he made sure to greet each of them back warmly. In this solemn and somber moment, he understood that he must remain a pillar of hope and strength for his people. He could not allow himself to falter or show weakness.
Upon reaching the hospital, he made his way inside and entered one of the nursery rooms. There he saw Naruto, sleeping peacefully and silently in her crib.
"Minato was so absolutely sure and convinced that you were going to be a boy and named you Naruto before you were even born. But I guess fate has a way of surprising everyone and playing with our expectations." He smiled gently to himself as he gazed down at the infant.
In another room not far away lay another child, a different infant. He had been born less than a month ago and had already tragically lost both of his parents in the attack.
Yet despite his circumstances, he did not grieve or cry out. He had already mentally prepared himself for something like this in his previous life and had hardened his heart against such pain. He was none other than Sora. In this life and in the last one before it, he had carried the same name.
But his memories from his past life were jumbled and fragmented, scattered like pieces of a broken mirror. Some important pieces were missing entirely. He couldn't remember everything clearly—only flashes of the wars he had fought in and fragmented scenes from his childhood.
As the Hokage passed by his nursery room and glanced inside, their eyes suddenly met and locked. Hiruzen froze completely in place, staring intensely into the child's unusual eyes.
It was like staring directly into an endless abyss, a void that seemed to have no bottom. His battle-hardened body, which had faced countless enemies, shook involuntarily for a brief moment.
"Such cold and emotionless eyes," he muttered quietly under his breath, unsettled by what he had witnessed.
The child stayed completely silent and didn't make a single noise or sound. Then Sora slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once more.
His young child body couldn't fully function properly with his adult mind and memories inhabiting it, so it needed significantly more rest and sleep than a normal infant. Hiruzen stayed there a little while longer, observing the strange child, then finally turned and left the hospital.
Five years later
Sora, now five years old and more developed, sat completely alone in the village library. He had learned and absorbed a great deal of information about this world during his time here, and the more he learned and discovered, the more he grew to genuinely dislike it.
Children as young as ten years old being sent off to war and expected to kill—it was absolutely sickening and disturbing to him. But at least there was something potentially useful and interesting here in this world: chakra, the mysterious energy that flowed through all living things.
He didn't know the proper method or technique to awaken his own chakra and had decided not to attempt it on his own—it was far too dangerous without proper guidance. He also knew that he couldn't train his body too intensely or push himself too hard either, or it would potentially stunt his physical growth and development.
For now, he would simply bide his time patiently and gain as much knowledge and information as possible through study and observation. In just a few days, he would officially enter the ninja academy and figure out his path forward from there.
After finishing his reading session for the day, he stood up from his seat and left the quiet library. Though he couldn't train too extensively or intensely, he still made sure to do enough physical conditioning to stay sharp and maintain his skills without causing harm to himself.
This world was centered around and focused on ninjas and the use of chakra in combat. For someone like him who had spent his entire previous life killing and fighting, it was actually a perfect environment.
Arriving at one of the village training grounds, he took out multiple kunai from his pouch and began testing his accuracy and precision with the throwing weapons.
He twisted his wrist at just the right angle and threw with controlled force. The kunai sailed through the air and hit dead center on a wooden training pole. He nodded in satisfaction with the result, then immediately began his hand-to-hand combat training routine.
Using the shadow boxing technique he had mastered, he created an imaginary opponent in his mind and started fighting against this mental construct with full focus.
His movements and techniques were highly abnormal and unusual for a child his age—even by the standards of this world of ninjas. He jumped high into the air, spun his body with control, and flipped with a level of precision and grace that most children would find completely impossible to replicate.
He continued training diligently until he suddenly sensed someone's presence nearby, watching him. He immediately stopped his movements and turned around to face the direction of the observer.
"Hokage-sama," he greeted in a tone that was respectful in form but carried no genuine warmth or affection beneath it.
Hiruzen smiled down at the boy with a kindly and grandfatherly expression on his weathered face.
"I told you before, didn't I, that you should call me grandpa instead of using my title," he said with gentle insistence, his voice warm and encouraging.
The boy stayed completely silent in response, offering absolutely no reply whatsoever. Hiruzen let out a small sigh of resignation, recognizing that the child was not yet ready to open up to him.
"So tell me, how are you managing living all by yourself without any guardians or adults to look after you and take care of your needs?" he asked with genuine concern evident in his voice.
"It's fine," the boy answered curtly and simply, his response brief and offering little detail.
"Are you facing any particular difficulties or hardships in your daily life that I should know about?" Hiruzen asked, pressing further in an attempt to understand the boy's situation better.
Sora shook his head slowly from side to side in a clear gesture of negation.
"No," he answered simply and directly, offering no further elaboration or additional information about his circumstances.
"That's good to hear, I'm glad things are going well for you. How about coming to eat a meal with me? Would you like that?" He pointed to himself with a welcoming and inviting gesture, his expression hopeful.
Sora nodded his head in agreement and acceptance—though not because he was actively trying to get close to the Hokage or curry favor with the village leader, but simply and purely because it represented a free meal that he wouldn't have to pay for out of his own limited funds.
Hiruzen smiled warmly at the boy's acceptance and began leading him carefully through the winding village streets toward a noodle shop he had in mind. Sora looked up at the establishment they were approaching and carefully read the sign that was hanging prominently above the entrance.
—Ichiraku's—
Seeing Hiruzen push aside the fabric curtain and enter through the doorway, he followed close behind the older man. The interior of the shop was small and modest in size but had a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere that felt comfortable and inviting. He climbed up carefully onto the seat at the counter and sat down, settling himself in.
"Miso," he ordered clearly and directly to the chef working behind the counter.
"Miso coming right up for you," the old man behind the counter said cheerfully and enthusiastically, already beginning to prepare the order.
"Me too, I'll have the same," Hiruzen added his own order to the chef's queue.
"Another miso coming right up," the man confirmed with a nod, acknowledging the second order.
As they waited patiently for their orders to be prepared and served, someone else entered the small shop from outside, pushing through the curtain.
"Oh, if it isn't young Naruto? What a pleasant surprise to see you here," Hiruzen said with a genuine smile of recognition spreading across his face.
"Gigi," she said happily and brightly, using her personal nickname for him that reflected their close relationship.
Sora remained completely impassive and emotionless, his face blank, until he caught sight of her entering. He froze entirely in place, every muscle in his body going rigid, his heart suddenly racing and pounding hard against his ribcage as long-buried memories began slowly awakening and surfacing in his mind. A woman? And two children? The images were fragmented and unclear.
He continued to stare at her intently and unblinkingly, completely unable to look away or break his gaze. Naruto looked embarrassed and increasingly uncomfortable under his scrutiny—no one had ever looked at her with such overwhelming intensity like that before in her entire life, and certainly never for that long a duration without looking away.
"Uhm, are you okay? Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly and uncertainly, growing more self-conscious and awkward under his unwavering and penetrating gaze.
The two old men—Hiruzen and the shop owner—looked at Sora, who seemed completely frozen and transfixed in place, then looked at each other knowingly with understanding expressions. They nodded at each other in silent understanding and recognition, immediately recognizing something significant in the moment that was unfolding before them.
"Miso ready for you," the old man announced cheerfully and placed the steaming hot bowl directly in front of Sora with care. But Sora remained frozen completely in place, still staring fixedly at Naruto without moving a single muscle or even blinking.
Naruto, seeing the delicious-looking and aromatic miso ramen sitting there steaming on the counter, gulped audibly and drooled slightly in hungry anticipation, her stomach responding to the sight and smell. Sora noticed her immediate reaction and immediately grabbed his bowl without any hesitation whatsoever, pushing it smoothly across the counter directly toward her.
She froze completely in shock and surprise, her eyes widening. No one had ever done anything remotely like that for her before in her entire life. She pointed at herself questioningly with uncertainty, as if unable to believe the gesture was meant for her.
"It's for you, please take it," he confirmed with complete certainty and conviction in his voice.
Hiruzen's eyes widened considerably in genuine shock at the unexpected and generous gesture, clearly not having anticipated this development, while the old man behind the counter just nodded knowingly and sagely, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Young love blossoming right before our eyes," he muttered quietly to himself with clear amusement dancing in his eyes and continued with his cooking preparation.
Naruto smiled brightly with pure joy radiating from her expression and started eating the ramen eagerly and enthusiastically, clearly savoring every bite. As she ate with such obvious enjoyment and satisfaction, Sora kept staring at her continuously, watching and observing every single movement she made. Hiruzen, seeing this behavior continuing without any sign of stopping, tapped his shoulder gently to get his attention and break his concentration.
"Are you okay, Sora? You seem distracted," he asked with some genuine concern evident in his tone.
Sora waved him off dismissively with his hand without looking away from Naruto for even a moment.
"I'm busy right now," he said bluntly and directly, making it clear he didn't want to be interrupted.
Hiruzen's mouth twitched slightly in irritation and mild annoyance. He had never been so blatantly disrespected before in all his many years as Hokage and village leader. He let out a long sigh of resignation and acceptance and began eating his own bowl of ramen quietly.
After Naruto finished consuming the entire bowl down to the last noodle, she still seemed hungry and unsatisfied, her stomach clearly not yet full.
"Another miso, please," Sora ordered immediately and without being asked, anticipating her continued hunger.
A short moment later, the fresh and steaming bowl was placed carefully in front of him by the chef. He pushed it toward Naruto once again without any hesitation whatsoever, repeating his earlier generous gesture.
Naruto smiled even more brightly than before, her face lighting up with happiness, and continued eating with great enthusiasm and pleasure. As he watched her eat with such genuine happiness and contentment, he found himself remembering and recalling that woman from his fragmented and incomplete memories. Though he couldn't remember everything clearly and distinctly about her, couldn't see her face with perfect clarity, a specific name came slowly drifting to the forefront of his mind—Misaki.
After she finished the second bowl completely and thoroughly, she let out a small burp of satisfaction and contentment.
"Excuse me, pardon me," she said politely and properly, covering her mouth with her hand in an embarrassed gesture.
She turned her body to face Sora directly, looking at him with full attention.
"Thank you so much for the food," she said with genuine gratitude and warmth radiating from her words and expression.
Sora nodded in simple acknowledgment of her thanks.
"My name is Naruto. What's yours? I'd like to know," she asked with curiosity and interest evident in her voice and manner.
"Sora. My name is Sora," he answered clearly and distinctly, introducing himself properly.
Naruto smiled widely, her entire face completely full of joy and happiness. No child her age—in fact, no one at all in the entire village—had talked to her in such a friendly and kind way in so very long. And when people did actually speak to her, it was only ever to curse at her viciously and call her terrible and hurtful names that cut deep into her heart.
"Do you want to play together sometime? Would you like to be friends?" she asked excitedly, hope clear and unmistakable in her voice.
"Sure, I'd like that, but not today. It's getting late and the sun is setting," he said, glancing outside through the shop entrance at the darkening sky.
"Then do you want to have a sleepover at my place tonight? You could stay with me," she asked hopefully, her voice filled with anticipation.
He thought about it carefully for a long moment, weighing the decision seriously in his mind, then nodded in agreement and acceptance. He didn't see any particular reason not to accept her invitation—he felt a strong and undeniable sense of familiarity and connection with her that he couldn't quite explain. They both jumped off their seats at the counter together, and she grabbed his hand enthusiastically and eagerly, leading him out of the shop and toward her home with excitement.
Hiruzen stayed behind at the counter, remaining seated, still somewhat confused and bewildered about what had just happened before his very eyes and how quickly the situation had developed. Naruto and Sora arrived at their destination after walking through the village streets together. Naruto opened the door to her small apartment and let Sora enter first, gesturing for him to go ahead.
Sora entered the space and looked around carefully and thoroughly, taking in all his surroundings with a critical eye. To his immediate displeasure and considerable discomfort, the home was quite filthy and poorly maintained, with signs of neglect everywhere he looked. Because of his experiences and deeply ingrained habits from his past life, he had developed a strong and pronounced dislike for dirty and unkempt places and always made absolutely sure to keep things clean and tidy wherever he lived.
But he made a conscious decision to take care of the cleaning situation later, when there was more time. Right now, at this particular moment, he would focus entirely and exclusively on Naruto and getting to know her better as a person. She turned to face him with a bright and genuine smile and showed him the way through her apartment to her bedroom.
She jumped enthusiastically and energetically onto the bed and patted the space directly next to her invitingly, encouraging him to join her.
"I don't have another bed or extra blanket to offer you. Let's share this one together," she said matter-of-factly and without any embarrassment.
Sora nodded in acceptance of the arrangement and lay down beside her on the bed, settling in comfortably.
"Why are you so nice to me when nobody else is? What makes you different?" she suddenly asked, her voice becoming quieter and more vulnerable, revealing her deeper emotions.
Sora stayed silent for a long moment, processing the question. He didn't fully understand it himself, couldn't quite explain the feeling adequately with words. He was getting fragmented and incomplete memories and brief glimpses of a woman named Misaki from his past life. But Naruto didn't look anything like her physically, and she didn't even have the same name or voice.
Yet something deep within him, something fundamental and primal, told him insistently and repeatedly that Naruto was somehow intimately connected to Misaki in ways he couldn't yet comprehend. Something profound and undeniable existed deep in his very soul that recognized her.
"I feel a connection with you, something I can't fully explain," he said honestly and truthfully, speaking the truth he felt in his heart.
She turned to face him directly, meeting his eyes.
"Really? You really mean that?" she asked, hope and wonder evident in her voice and expression.
"Yes, I mean it," he answered with complete certainty and conviction.
Naruto turned back to staring up at the ceiling above them, a genuine and peaceful smile spreading slowly across her face.
"Thank you so much. You don't know what that means to me," she said softly with deep and heartfelt gratitude.
"Hm," he simply replied, not knowing what else to say or how to respond appropriately.
As they slowly fell asleep together side by side, their hands instinctively and unconsciously reached out across the space between them and intertwined with each other, fingers lacing together naturally.
The next morning
Naruto awoke slowly and looked around the room with sleepy eyes. Sora wasn't beside her anymore.
"Was it all just a dream? Did I imagine everything?" she muttered quietly to herself, disappointment beginning to creep in.
Suddenly the bedroom door opened with a creak and Sora walked in carrying something.
"Naruto, you're finally awake. Go brush your teeth and wash up—breakfast is ready and waiting for you," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
She got up excitedly and quickly, her spirits immediately lifting, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. After washing her face thoroughly with cold water and brushing her teeth carefully, she went directly to the living room where she could see food sitting on the table, steam still rising from it.
Seeing the fresh food laid out before her, she smiled with genuine happiness and appreciation.
"Where did you get all this? How did you manage to get breakfast?" she asked with curiosity.
"I bought it this morning after seeing the expired and spoiled food in the fridge that wasn't safe to eat," he answered simply and directly.
She froze completely at Sora's reply, processing what he had said.
"You bought it? But isn't food expensive? Don't you need money for yourself?"
He shook his head from side to side in negation.
"It's okay and not a problem. I have plenty of money saved up." He smiled reassuringly at her.
She smiled warmly in return and started eating the meal with appreciation. Though she'd been forced to grow up fast and mature beyond her years, reality hadn't hit her too hard yet—and Sora's comforting presence was helping to shield her from some of the harshness.
As they ate their breakfast together, an ANBU operative watched silently from afar, hidden and observing. Through his previous life of killing and espionage operations, Sora had already noticed the presence immediately but had decided to ignore them after quickly determining they weren't actually dangerous or hostile.
After they finished eating all the food completely, Sora collected the dishes and washed them thoroughly and carefully. Naruto looked around her home with fresh eyes. It was noticeably cleaner than it had been before—all her belongings were neatly folded and placed in an organized basket.
She looked at Sora working and couldn't help but feel genuinely happy and grateful for his presence.
"Sora, let's go play outside together," she said excitedly with enthusiasm.
Sora, who had just finished cleaning the last of the dishes and drying them, nodded in agreement and followed her lead. They walked together through the village streets. Naruto, who had been loud and happy and cheerful initially, slowly grew quiet and subdued when she saw and noticed the hostile stares the villagers were giving her, their eyes filled with hatred.
Sora had already noticed the stares as well and was growing increasingly upset and angry at their treatment of her. His killing intent rose steadily, and each person his gaze passed over and touched felt an immediate wave of dread and primal fear that forced them to look away quickly and shiver involuntarily.
In his last world, in his previous life, killing intent couldn't be released and projected outward like this as a tangible force, but in this world it was fundamentally different. His killing intent became tangible and physical and could be actively controlled and directed at will. And because he'd killed so many people over his lifetime, his accumulated killing intent was extraordinarily powerful and oppressive.
The normal villagers with no training couldn't handle the overwhelming pressure of it and didn't dare look at him directly for more than a moment. Soon they reached a playground area and started playing together on the equipment.
The adults in the area, seeing Naruto's arrival, had already left hurriedly with their children in tow, keeping them away from her. Only Naruto and Sora remained in the empty playground, but that was more than enough for her—she didn't need a crowd.
Just one friend was all she really needed in the world. As they played together on the swings and slides, Naruto laughed loudly in pure joy and delight. Sora smiled too, genuinely pleased to see her so happy.
"Sora, let's play tag together! You're it first," she said with a bright smile and playful energy.
Sora nodded in agreement and chased after her through the playground. Though he could very easily catch her with his superior speed and training, he deliberately let her escape each time so she could have fun and enjoy the game.
"Haha, I win again! You can't catch me," she laughed with triumphant joy.
By the time they finished playing all their games, it was already afternoon and the sun was high overhead. Sora looked up at the sun's position in the sky and turned to face her.
"We've played for quite a while now. I'll go buy some fruit for us to eat," he said, making the decision.
"I'll go with you too. I want to come along," she replied eagerly.
Sora nodded in acceptance and they walked together side by side toward the fruit shop in the village.
"Let's get watermelon. I want watermelon," she said with enthusiasm.
Sora nodded in agreement with her choice. After reaching the shop and approaching the entrance, he prepared to make the purchase when the shop owner looked up and saw Naruto standing there.
"GET OUT, DEMON BRAT! GET OUT OF MY SHOP NOW!" he shouted loudly and angrily, his face contorted with rage.
Everyone in the vicinity turned toward the commotion and started whispering amongst themselves when they noticed her presence there.
Naruto took a step back in shock and fear at the sudden aggression. The man, with anger clearly visible on his flushed face, grabbed a broom that was leaning nearby and ran directly at Naruto with clear hostile intent.
Sora instantly and without hesitation took out his kunai from his concealed sleeve and slashed the man's extended hand in one swift motion—several fingers were sliced clean off and fell to the ground.
"AGH! MY HAND!" the man yelled out in terrible pain and stepped back quickly, clutching his bleeding hand.
A ninja appeared suddenly and tried to intervene in the situation. But before he could take any action, Hiruzen appeared on the scene as well.
"What happened here? Explain the situation," he asked calmly but with authority.
"I-it's that demon child. She bewitched and manipulated the child to attack me without reason," he stuttered frantically in madness and pain, trying to shift blame.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed dangerously. He turned to look at Naruto first, then to Sora, who still held a kunai firmly in his hand. The weapon dripped fresh blood onto the ground.
"Sora, what is the meaning of—"
"Hokage-sama, it was purely self-defense. I was protecting her," Sora interrupted.
Hiruzen frowned with concern and disapproval.
"Sora, you are trained as a combatant and the villager is just—"
"The villager is a dog that needs to be put down permanently," he said coldly and without any emotion.
Hiruzen froze completely at his harsh and brutal words. Before he could say anything in response, Sora continued speaking.
"An adult who attacks a weak and defenseless child without provocation is no better than an animal. They need to be put down for the safety of others," he said with such profound coldness that even Hiruzen, who had seen countless battles, shuddered involuntarily at the tone.
He turned back casually to face the fruit stand and grabbed a large watermelon from the display.
"I'll take this as proper compensation for the assault," he said matter-of-factly and began walking off with it.
"Wait! You can't just take that!" the man shouted after him angrily despite his injury.
A huge and overwhelming wave of killing intent erupted explosively from Sora's body, washing over everyone present. His carefully contained fury was being released and projected outward. He was already being exceptionally kind and merciful by not killing the man outright.
If he kept pushing and testing his patience, Sora would actually kill him without hesitation or remorse. Hiruzen moved quickly to defuse the situation.
"Put it on my personal tab. I'll pay for it," he said firmly to the shop owner.
Seeing that everything had been resolved satisfactorily, Sora walked back over to where Naruto stood and grabbed her hand gently but firmly before walking away from the scene together.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble. This is my fault," she muttered quietly with guilt.
He turned to face her directly and looked into her eyes.
"There's absolutely no need to apologize for anything," he said firmly. "And besides, don't you want to eat this watermelon together?"
Her eyes brightened considerably as she smiled with renewed happiness. She nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, let's eat watermelon together. I'd really like that."
Note: This if purely for my enjoyment.