Chapter Text
Naruto turns five today. He is not opening presents or playing with friends, he is running for his life. Today, October 10th, is the day in which every year a group of villagers enjoy playing a game with Naruto. This game has no name and consists of a group of villagers hunting down the "fox" and punishing him for his crimes against the village. Naruto is always the fox. Each year that passes the punishments become worse and worse and no matter how hard he hides the village townsfolk and ninjas find him. Last year the villagers found him lying in a hole he dug at the base of a large oak and dragged him back to the village. There they stabbed, carved and burned Naruto until he was at the brink of death and left him in a nearby trash bin.
Now, Naruto runs quietly through the forest masking his scent with a coat he took from a nearby park. He had been running for thirty minutes now. The villagers had found him quickly and had lunged towards the small boy, Naruto quickly ran as fast as he could into the dark depths of the forest. Here the moss grew almost anywhere you looked and an owl hooted quietly to itself. He began to slow, realizing no one was chasing him anymore. The small blond found a nearby ledge and sank to his knees beneath it trembling. Naruto cried quietly to himself as he lay against the cold stone
"Why... why do they have to do this?! Why only me?", Naruto sobbed. But Naruto knew why, he was a monster to the village. Although he didn't know what he did, he still believed none the less. Why else would the kind villagers of Konoha attack him?
At that moment a hand grabbed him by the shoulder roughly and dragged him backwards. Naruto looked up towards him captor. It was the villagers.
-Time skip to next day-
Naruto limped back to his apartment letting his mind wander as he went. He opened the door slowly knowing what awaited him. His room was a mess to say the least. The windows were shattered and debris lay over the floor consisting of the remnants of his bedframe and dresser. Naruto's eyes scanned the rest of the room, they landed on the wall across from him. The villagers had sprayed threats and warning all across it including: Monster, JUST DIE ALREADY, and GET OUT OF OUR TOWN, DEMON!! These notes covered two walls entirely and some of his cieling. He slowly sat on the small chunk of mattress left and began to clean and bandage the cuts and bruises that now decorated his body.
After he was done he looked back at the messsage on his wall. That was the moment when something clicked in Naruto's brain. His face became serious yet his eyes were empty. "If me leaving is what the village wants I won't be a burden any longer", Naruto said quietly. He began to gather his things -what was left of them- and headed off to the village gate, hiding in the shadows so as not to be spotted by the bloodthirsty villagers.
When he arrived he gazed back at the solemn faces of the hokages one last time before running running down the path before him. Naruto vowed to himself never to return to the village so as not to hurt those he loved.