Broken Seal

Chapter one: Tears

A smiling face beamed up at his father. Naruto Uzumaki felt pride blossom within his chest as he received praise for creating a great shoot. He had grown up in Leaves, a great land among many others hidden from the rest of the world. Yet though that was the truth, they were still influenced by the outside. In fact in their world they had advanced just a bit ahead of the rest of Earth. Uzumaki was a very likeable character. He always tried to please those around him. It was not in his nature to hate.

From the time he was born he had been faced with those snares and looks of hatred. An orphan who did not know who his parents were, he always pretended that the looks never hurt, yet with each snare thrown his way, he cried inside. He still remembered a time so long ago…

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The rain fell from the sky with zeal, a little boy sat beneath its pour, his tears seemed to have opened up a flood within the heavens. Unable to stop the downpour of emotions his little body shook from the cold and tears racking through him.

“Why wont anyone love me? I’ve been a good boy.” He sat up against the warm house of some unknown stranger, yet he had no where to go, no warm home to shelter his toddler body from the rain, no warm arms to hug him when he felt fear from the thunder and lightning booming so close over head. No one to sooth the screams of fear and frustration that escaped his lips. Surrounded by a blue world of water and cold he sat there wondering why he couldn’t have a family like all his “friends.” He did not understand anything and as his stomach grumbled he let out such a heart felt cry of sorrow wanting a family. He forgot all about the storm as he let his tears and sobbing out, rivalling the ferocity of the storm. Face upturned to the rain his whispered face scrunched up in his tears and sobbing, his mouth opened wide to let the pain out. No one would hear him anyway. No one ever heard him

Every time he saw the affection of parent and child on the streets he felt pain in his heart. He was but a child. Clothed in filthy rags, he did not have a home and he went so often without food that he hardly ever remembered a time when he was not suffering from hunger. But he did not want to die. In his world, there was always death. There was always pain. At the tender age of five, he had seen it so often. He knew things someone his age should never know. And so his heart was breaking as he huddled close to the ground, trying to warm his freezing body. The winters were always the worse and he knew that this winter was going to be bad. Freezing rain pelted his tiny crying body and he started to pray to whatever god lived out there for an escape, a refuge. He prayed that someone out there could love him. He prayed for a family. Someone to show him what it felt like to be embraced.

Silence lingered over the village. Everyone heard the cries of the innocent little boy and they all knew who he was. They all knew why he was crying. Yet the hatred had grown too deeply within their hearts that they could not find it in them to feel compassion for him. Many prayed that on that night he would perish from cold, many prayed that he would suffer longer. Their hatred was irrational yet it was so potent. It rotted their heart and souls as they gleefully enjoyed the cries of the young child who suffered in the rain. All but one…

With his head buried within his crossed arms, his legs pulled close to his body, the sobs had become whimpers of sorrow and hopelessness. No one cared and he could die and no one would care. And so he faced his fate. This is how it would always be, but he would make them love him one day. He would do it he knew. He would find a way to make them care about him

Trembling, his lips blue from the cold he closed his red-rimmed eyes looking for sleep. N sleep the pain always lessened. If he could escape it for a little that would be enough to sooth his aching heart. As he drifted into a restless sleep he did not see the man who came up to his trembling body. There was so much sorrow on the man’s face as his own tears mingled with the rain.

“He’s just a child!” he shouted at the citizens he knew were all listening. “You all sicken me!” and with that he lifted the sleeping boy into his arms wrapping a rain blanket over him he carried him to his car and buckled him into the seat.

“Don’t worry little Naruto, you will have at least one person here for you.” And with that he drove the boy to his house on the other side of town. He had seen Naruto last month. He knew the story of the boy but when he had met him that first time he had been shocked. He was so small, a little angel with messy golden hair and clear blue eyes that could see straight into a person’s soul. He had stared up at a toy store looking in with such longing on his face, his clothing in dirty rags around him. What had surprised the most s that the shop owner had rushed out and pushed the little boy roughly away. He’d fallen into a puddle of mud. But not uttering a sound he had picked himself up and walked off, hints of red visible upon his knee and elbow.

That image of the boy walking off had stayed in his mind. Such a tiny child being treated so poorly had stuck with him and he knew it in his heart that that young boy on this wet cold day would have no place to go. Something within him had beseeched him almost against his will he had found himself driving to the lower portion of the city and the sobbing that had met him had broken his heart. It was like an animal wounded so greatly that he begged for mercy. How could anyone ignore that cry? How could they leave a baby all alone in such terrible weather? All one had to do was open their doors to him… But it wouldn’t matter anymore. He would take care of Naruto, make him his son.

Opening his eyes to feelings of warmth like he had never experienced before, Naruto froze. Am I dead? he wondered. He did not want to die. He wanted to live and so he started to cry, huddling under the warmth of the covers that seemed to surround him like the love of a parent he wanted so badly. He fell back asleep unawares of the other within the room that he occupied. Sorrow lingered within the eyes of his saviour.

Getting up he went to prepare a meal for the young man. With a sigh he looked into his cupboard and was disappointed. As a horrible cook all he could make was ramen and all that occupied his shelves were years’ supplies of instant ramen. “That’s just can’t be good for a growing boy,” he sighed realising he had much to learn about being a father. “Well it will just have to do. He can tell me what he wants when he’s awake.” And so he went about making the meal.

Taking the tray of ramen and cocoa to his new song, he looked onto the sleeping boy with a wave of tenderness. Setting the tray down onto the side table, strong hands reached out to gently rouse the sleeping child.

“Wake up Naruto,” he said firmly. His heart ached as the boy began to rouse himself only to tense in expectancy of a blow. It’s all right Naruto wake up. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” Big blue eyes opened onto him and he felt lost. He knew he would love this child all his life.

“Who are you?” the little voice asked timidly, not accustomed to kind words. Pulling himself up into a sitting position he wrapped his arms around his knees, a defensive position in case the stranger would try to attack him as had happened many times before.

“I am your new daddy. We will be a family from now on.” He waited to see Naruto’s reaction. There was silence as Naruto’s eyes roved over his face wanting to know the truth of this. Could it be? Could god have answered his prayers? Tears welled up in his eyes and he launched himself into the arms of his new daddy. Sobs racking his little body he clung to the man like he was his only hope.

Rubbing soothing hands over the back of the sorrowful child he murmured words of comfort, aimed to sooth. Prying the boy off of him he placed him back onto the bed and retrieved the meal. “Here. Eat. It’s instant ramen. I’m sorry its all have right now. We will go get other things later.”

The look on Naruto’s face was the most precious that he had ever gotten. Never had Naruto gotten such kind treatment and he gladly wolfed it down. His first real meal. He swore that it was the best tasting thing he had ever had, but maybe that was because it was the first kind act that had ever been visited upon him. Tears continued to stream down his face as he savoured the taste of the first kind act he had ever felt.

“More please.” He said holding out the bowl. He did not know whether he would still be here or if it was a dream and so he would eat as much of it as possible for he didn’t know when again he would have such a wonderful meal. And so seven bowls later Naruto had fallen back into sleep, dreaming for the first time of warmth and love. There was no pain and unbeknownst to him, over the course of the night Kakashi stayed with him looking over him in case he needed a shoulder to cry on.

Chapter one complete now if you would be so nice as to click that "Review Broken" I'd be so happy