Naruto had been wandering for several days, hungry and exhausted. He thought he would die alone on a dusty road... when a masked figure appeared before him.
The man wore an orange spiral mask. "Your eyes are filled with hatred... You too were rejected, weren't you?" said the cold voice.
Naruto stepped back, suspicious. "Who are you?!"
The man raised his hand. "I am Obito. And I know who you are, Naruto Uzumaki. I know what you carry inside... Kurama, the Demon Fox."
Naruto's eyes widened. "How... how do you know that?!"
Obito approached slowly. "Because I too have known the pain of rejection... I too have lost everything I loved. And I found a new family... The Akatsuki."
He extended a hand toward the boy. "Come with me, Naruto." Together, we will change this rotten world.
Naruto felt his heart pound. The word "family" resonated with him like an impossible promise. He hesitated... then squeezed Obito's hand.
His destiny had just changed.