The year was 48 in the Hidden Leaf.
Without warning, the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared in the heart of the village, tearing through streets and buildings with overwhelming power. The air was filled with screams as terrified villagers scattered in panic. Countless lives were lost in moments, and many more were left injured.
Ninja after ninja rushed forward, their attacks flashing through the night sky. Yet against the immense size and terrifying might of the Nine-Tails, their efforts were meaningless, like raindrops striking a mountain. The beast's every roar shook the very earth.
At that desperate moment, the Third Hokage stepped into battle. Wielding his golden staff, he struck with all his strength, forcing the Nine-Tails out of the village and away from the people. His intervention spared the Leaf from total destruction.
Then came the Fourth Hokage. With no hesitation, he staked his life to seal the Nine-Tails once again.
No one but the Third Hokage and the Anbu at his side knew the truth that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside a newborn child.
Three years later, in the year 51, the Third Great Ninja War officially ended.
By the year 52, a rumor began to spread through the village.
The whispers claimed that the infant brought back by the Third Hokage that fateful night was not just any child but the very incarnation of the Nine-Tails itself.
The rumor grew quickly, seeping into every street, every household. For the villagers still haunted by the scars of that night those who had lost parents, children, and loved ones it did not matter whether the story was true. They needed someone to bear their hatred. They needed an outlet for their grief.
That child became their target.
Insults became part of his daily life. Cold glares followed him wherever he went. Some even tried to lay hands on him, though the Anbu were always there to intervene.
The Third Hokage worked tirelessly to dispel the lies. He announced publicly that no harm was to come to the boy. But words were weak against grief. For those who had lost family, or for those who had gone into debt to buy homes only to see them destroyed in the Nine-Tails' attack, the decree meant little. They could not strike the boy openly, but cruelty found other ways. Whispers. Glares. Mockery.
The Hokage could do nothing to silence their mouths or change their eyes. All he could do was assign Anbu to watch over the child day and night.
And so, under a heavy sky, the boy grew.
The horizon in the east began to split apart, the night sky slowly unraveling. The first light of dawn spilled across the heavens like threads of pale gold, touching the edges of drifting clouds.
Naruto's eyes snapped open.
He sat upright in bed, his breath quick, his sapphire-blue eyes shimmering with something strange an old weariness, a weight far beyond his years.
He had dreamed.
In that dream, he had lived an entire lifetime, or perhaps several. He couldn't quite remember the details now that he was awake, but fragments clung to him like lingering smoke.
Phrases remained, echoing in his mind.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Do not underestimate a youth in hardship.
He who chants my true name shall find eternal life within the cycle of reincarnation.
At the end of the immortal path, who stands at the peak? One glance, and all becomes void.
The words stirred something in him, even if he couldn't fully understand them. They sounded powerful, profound cool, even.
Naruto rubbed at his messy blond hair, trying to hold on to the fading dream. But the more he tried, the more it slipped away. Perhaps, one day, in certain moments, those memories would return to him.
"Alright! Time to get up!"
He leapt from bed with sudden energy, straightened his blanket clumsily, and rushed into the small bathroom to wash. Breakfast was simple: bread and milk.
He didn't actually like milk. The Hokage always made sure he had some in the house, but Naruto usually let it spoil. Still, the dream had left him with an odd sense of urgency. Somewhere in the haze of memory, he remembered that milk was good for growing children. He didn't want to end up short and stunted like the grumpy uncle who lived next door. So, even if he hated it, he forced it down.
With breakfast finished, Naruto pulled on his clothes and stepped outside.
The moment he walked down the street, the atmosphere shifted. People glanced at him, then quickly looked away, whispering to one another. Others didn't bother hiding their disdain. Their eyes were cold, sharp, as if his very existence offended them.
Once, Naruto would have shouted back, trying to argue, only to run away in tears after their ridicule cut him down.
But not today.
The dream had left him changed.
Instead of arguing, he shoved his hands in his pockets, let out a dismissive "Tch," and walked away with an air of defiance.
Thirty years east, thirty years west. Don't look down on me just because I'm small and weak now. Someday, you'll look up at me. Someday, when I'm Hokage, you won't dare sneer at me again.
Naruto repeated the words to himself, savoring them, as though they lent him strength.
Still, one thought nagged at him.
"But… how do I actually become Hokage?"
He wandered into a small park, plopping down on a bench to think.
Nearby, children his age were playing tag, laughing as they chased one another.
"Catch me if you can, Kenji!"
"Slow down, Kotaro, I'm gonna get you!"
Naruto glanced at them. Once, he would have wanted nothing more than to join in. But now, watching them, he felt only impatience.
They looked childish. Pointless.
If he wanted to be Hokage, he couldn't waste his time with games.
"Catch me? What, do you get a chicken leg for that? Pathetic," Naruto muttered.
He remembered telling the Hokage once that he wanted to become a ninja. The old man had smiled kindly, telling him to wait two more years until he could enter the academy.
But waiting felt unbearable.
An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, yet an inch of gold cannot buy back an inch of time.
If he wanted to change his destiny, then every moment mattered.
Naruto clenched his fists. "Alright, I'll start training myself. Even if I don't know any fancy moves, I can at least get stronger!"
He thought back to the dream again. In those half-remembered visions, he had read countless books. Heroes, warriors, legends each one had honed their body before anything else. Some even fought battles among the stars.
"Yeah! I'll start small. My goal… I'll fight in space one day!"
Naruto threw a fist toward the sky, shouting at the morning sun.
"Pfft! What an idiot!" someone nearby laughed.
"Did you hear him? He said he's going to space!"
Their laughter stung, but Naruto ignored it. He turned and began jogging out of the park.
He didn't know much about training, but he knew one thing: running would make him stronger.
"Today, I'll run three laps around the entire village!"
It sounded ambitious, but his spirit burned hot.
Half an hour later, he regretted it.
"Why is this village so huge?" he groaned, panting, his legs wobbling. His face had gone pale. He had wandered into parts of the Leaf he had never seen before.
At four years old, his world was usually small, limited to a few familiar streets. He had never realized just how vast the village really was.
And now, his body was giving out.
Most days, he ate instant noodles because they were cheap, saving ramen at Ichiraku for rare treats. Instant noodles filled his stomach, but they lacked nutrition, leaving him weaker and thinner than other children his age.
Still, a fire burned inside him.
He couldn't say what it was exactly pride, stubbornness, or maybe the faint echo of that strange dream.
Three laps was impossible, but one lap… one lap he could manage.
Gritting his teeth, he steadied his steps and pressed on.
"Ah, the power of youth!"
A booming voice rang out, startling Naruto. A man in a bright green jumpsuit sprinted past him, arms pumping, eyes blazing with passion.
Naruto blinked. He'd seen this strange man before three times, in fact. Always running. Always shouting about youth.
And each time, he had been running faster than Naruto could ever hope to match.
Could it be? Was this man also circling the village? If so, then he had already lapped Naruto several times.
The thought made Naruto's heart pound.
He wasn't alone in chasing impossible goals.
And maybe… just maybe… he could catch up one day.