### **Year 55 of the Hidden Leaf Village**
A young boy, about three years old, stood on the riverbank with a fishing rod made of wood and thread. He was small and wiry, with messy blond hair that stuck out in every direction, like sunbeams refusing to be tamed. His cheeks were round and marked with three faint whisker-like lines on each side, giving him a fox-like charm even at such a young age. His wide, sky-blue eyes shimmered with curiosity—yet there was a quiet emptiness in them that no child should ever have to carry.
"Yay! I finally caught the fish! I don't have to starve today, dattebayo!" the blond boy exclaimed with joy, carrying his catch to a small bonfire he had made.
**Rustle... Rustle...**
From behind him came the rustling of bushes. An old man with a wrinkled face peeked through and met eyes with the blonde child.
**Grumble...**
A low growl came from the old man's stomach as he stepped out of the bushes and stood in front of the boy.
"Third Gramps, are you hungry?" asked the child.
"Yes, Naruto," said the old man softly.
The name of the child was **Naruto Uzumaki**. He was the pariah of the village—ignored, hurt, and treated like an insect by the villagers. But he didn't hate them for it. In truth, he didn't understand any of it. All he wanted was to know what it felt like to be loved… to truly belong in this village.
"Then you can eat with me. I caught some fish and made some mushroom soup by picking wild mushrooms," Naruto offered kindly.
The old man accepted, and the two sat down to eat their modest meal, chatting and laughing under the starry night sky.
"**Naruto**," the old man said after a pause, his voice lowering slightly, "do you know why you live alone?"
Naruto paused mid-chew. He looked at the fish, then back at the old man. He slowly shook his head.
"Is it… because I did something bad?"
Hiruzen's eyes softened with sadness. "No. You have done nothing wrong. Sometimes… adults make choices to protect others. But those choices aren't always fair to the people they affect."
Naruto didn't really understand, but he heard the kindness in the old man's voice, and that was enough.
"Will I always be alone?" he asked.
The Third Hokage looked at the small boy—the child of **Minato Namikaze** and **Kushina Uzumaki**—and his heart ached.
"No," he said gently. "Someday, you'll have many people around you. Friends. Bonds. People who believe in you. You just have to keep moving forward."
Naruto smiled and took another bite of his fish, this time with a little more confidence.
"I'm going to be Hokage someday," he said proudly.
Hiruzen smiled, though behind his eyes was a quiet guilt.
"I believe you will be, Naruto."
---
Then, the boy and the old man parted ways. Naruto walked alone toward his house, hands behind his head, staring at the starry sky and imagining the bonds and friends the Hokage had told him about.
As he neared his house, he saw a white trail of light streaking across the sky, heading straight toward his home. Bewildered by its beauty, he hurried ahead. When he entered his small room, he saw a **jade pendant** lying on the floor. It had a black face and glowing eyes. Curious, he picked it up and kept it with him.
Little did he know, his fate was about to change completely.
That night, little Naruto tied the pendant around his neck and lay down to sleep.
---
### **Five Years Later...**
An eight-year-old Naruto was sprinting through the streets, paint smeared across his face and clothes. Behind him, a group of shinobi in uniform chased after him.
Standing atop a building, Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs,
"I, Naruto Uzumaki, am going to be Hokage! Dattebayo!"
He laughed boldly—until a man with a scar on his nose grabbed his ear.
"Naruto! You have to clean up the mess you made!" yelled **Iruka**, dragging him back toward the Hokage Monument.
After cleaning the rock, Naruto walked home. People whispered behind his back—"demon fox," "plague"—their words suffocating him like thick fog. Their eyes pierced him with malice. He hurried into his home, where he collapsed on his bed, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
As he drifted into sleep, the **pendant** around his neck began to pulse faintly.
In his dream, a tall, imposing, and handsome man appeared before him. He had the aura of a powerful warrior, and Naruto stared up at him, speechless.
"Child, do not panic. Tell me your name," the man said gently.
"Uncle… isn't it rude to ask someone's name before giving yours?" Naruto replied cheekily.
**Chuckle.**
The man chuckled before replying,
"You're right, child. Let me introduce myself. My name is **Yin Long**, a cultivator of immortality, master of five Daos, and expert in the Dao of Refinement."
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto replied. "Uncle, who are you really?
What is a cultivator?
What is immortality?
What is Dao?
And what are you doing in my dream?"
Naruto blurted out all the questions in a single breath.
Yin Long smiled. "Easy there, child. I'll answer all your questions one by one.
A **cultivator** is someone who cultivates physical strength, spiritual energy, and internal power to achieve immortality.
**Dao** means 'the path'—it is the way we walk to achieve harmony with heaven and earth.
As for why I'm in your dream, it's because of the jade pendant you wear. My consciousness is sealed inside it."
Naruto looked at his pendant and then back at the man. "Uncle, why did your pendant fall from the sky and come to me?" he asked with innocent eyes.
Yin Long smiled kindly.
"In my final moments, I sealed my consciousness into that pendant and cast it into the void, hoping it would find a worthy disciple to inherit my knowledge and legacy."
He knelt and looked Naruto in the eyes.
"So, Naruto Uzumaki, I—Yin Long—ask you: Will you become my disciple?"
Naruto thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Uncle, thank you… but I want to be a strong ninja and become Hokage. I can't become your disciple."
Yin Long chuckled.
"Child, you don't have to choose. You can still be a ninja, still become Hokage. A cultivator has more time than anyone… and that time can be your greatest strength."
Naruto considered it, then smiled brightly.
"Okay, I accept you as my Master!"
---
### **To Be Continued…**