The light of dawn crept over Konoha. Vendors were opening their shops, the smell of fresh bread and tea wafting through the streets. People jogged along the paths, some stretching, some lost in their morning routines. The soft hum of the village waking up filled the air.
"Wyaaaaaaanntup~"
In Konoha Hospital, Naruto groggily stirred, scratching his head as he blinked against the pale morning light filtering through the window.
"ArrrrGGGHHHh~ Maaaaan, that was a good sleep. It's been ages since I slept this well."
He stretched, arms over his head, back arching as he sat up on the hospital bed. His body felt light, loose, as if all the heaviness of yesterday had melted away.
For a moment, he imagined launching a volley of pranks on the villagers—but the memories of last night came crashing down, pouring cold water over his energetic morning.
"Man… I wonder if Iruka-Sensei is okay? He was hurt pretty badly…oh! Wait! He'll be fine… or not?"
Naruto's mind turned over the thought again and again. Sensei wasn't in danger of dying, but his legs… Naruto couldn't decide whether to feel relief or worry. His emotions tangled up inside him. Even though he knew his Sensei's gonna be back on his feet after a day or two but still.
One can't always trust everything fortune telling blindly. What if Iruka-Sensei got paralyzed? Naruto felt chills thinking about it. He would never be able to forgive himself if that happens.
But to prevent similar situation from happening in the future, he needed to get stronger.
He imagined himself in the future, facing challenges without enough power to protect the people he cared about. A tight knot formed in his chest.
Naruto didn't understand what people on the Internet meant when they said canon Naruto was one-dimensional, but… if he looked at himself on the surface, he could see it.
"Damn… people can't even live the way they want. Those online canon fodders have nothing better to do, huh? Hmph!"
He muttered to himself, already thinking ahead. Simply shouting "I wanna be Hokage" wasn't enough—he needed real power.
"Hmmmmmm~ power~ I need moare powarhhh~ hehe~ or whatever... doesn't matter. After I get home, I need a solid training plan! Something strong! With all my fanfic knowledge."
He slouched back on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. A thought of his empty apartment, his unknown parents, crept into his mind. A flash of memory struck him.
Naruto slowly sat up and turned toward the window. The first thing he saw was the Hokage Rock. The face of the Fourth Hokage stared down at the village like a silent guardian.
"Tou-Chan…"
He whispered, voice barely audible. Memories of his parents—the ones he had only seen in anime or read about in fanfics—washed over him.
He had always imagined many scenarios: parents who might hate him, parents who abandoned him because of the Fox Demon within. He never imagined this: they had loved him, truly. They had dreamed of him even before he was born. That night had changed everything.
He still didn't fully understand why his Tou-Chan had sealed the demon inside him. Maybe he did, deep down, but he wasn't ready to face it yet.
Naruto's eyes burned. Vision wobbled.
"Sniff~. Ahhhhh~ Daaaamnnn. Something got in my eyes!!"
He wiped furiously at the tears with his sleeve, the raw ache in his chest mingling with a swell of anger.
Then his thoughts turned outward. People that changed his life. Tobi was a matter that wasn't a priority as he wasn't near. And even if he was, Naruto won't be able to anything. But the one he needed to be most cautious about was in the village. The one that was responsible why his standing in the village was like this.
It wasn't supposed to be this way. This wasn't what his parents had dreamed for him when they sacrificed themselves.
"Danzo… you'll pay…"
Naruto growled, fists clenching, anger coiling like fire in his chest.
"Huff~ Damn it! I need to get my head straight! I can't stay here! After I talk to Jiji, I'm going home to make a proper plan. Yosh!"
He exhaled, chest rising and falling with new determination. Naruto sat cross legged on the bed after going through an emotional roller coster. The hospital room felt smaller now, as if the walls were closing in with urgency. He waited, eyes fixed on the door, for Jiji to arrive.
Time crawled by.
Naruto sat on the edge of the bed, tapping his fingers lightly against the sheets, imagining the training, the planning, the power he would gain. Then the door slid open. A nurse entered, trying to mask her expression. Naruto noticed immediately—normally she would show open dislike, but the elderly man behind her made her cautious.
"Jiji!! Good morning!!"
Naruto called out with a burst of energy, bouncing slightly on the bed.
The old Hokage smiled warmly.
"Haha, good morning, Naruto. I see you're as energetic as ever."
Hiruzen's voice was soft, kind, eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked at Naruto's bright blue eyes.
"Of course!! I will be the greatest Hokage!!"
Naruto's words shot out before he could think, cheeks burning slightly. His earlier plan to be more mature seemed to vanish instantly.
"Haha, alright, alright. So, Naruto. Are you feeling okay? Any discomfort?"
"Mm-umm…" Naruto shook his head.
"In fact, I feel like I could run ten laps around Konoha!"
He said it with a little exaggeration to show he was fine. Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Naruto considered correcting himself but didn't. Maybe he couldn't actually run ten laps now, but soon… with training, he could.
"Hmm, you want to be discharged?"
"Yes!"
The old Hokage nodded.
"Alright. I will see to it. You can go home."
"Really? Thanks, Jiji!!"
The moment Hiruzen spoke, Naruto bolted from the bed, his footsteps echoing down the quiet hallway of Konoha Hospital. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, brushing the walls and floor in golden streaks.
"Sigh~ That kid," Hiruzen murmured, shaking his head with a small, fond smile.
=====
Naruto walked through the morning streets of Konoha with a small smile on his face. As usual, everyone acted like he didn't exist. Naruto was used to it by now.
"Heh~ keep at it pathetic bunch. One day you will worship me as your god. Hehehe~"
Naruto murmured as he started humming an English song that came to mind. The crowd thinned as he moved towards his apartment.
The scenery changed as he arrived in the slum area of Konoha. He reached his apartment. He opened the door and a familiar sight of row of trash bags spread all over the place.
A familiar feeling washed over him as he closed the door behind him and entered. But he knew that he couldn't leave his apartment that way. To change and become more mature, tye first thing he needed to do was clean his small apartment.
"Yosh! Cleaning it is. Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
With a poof of smoke, ten more Naruto appeared.
"Alright Guys! We need to clean the room! Let's do it!"
Naruto said with his fist raised.
"Yes, boss!!"X10
Other Naruto's did the same as all 11 of them started to clean the room.