Chapter 1
Sasuke's entire life had been surrounded by humans who, for better or worse, cared about his continuous well-being.
His family, though demanding, truly cared about him achieving things, about him being successful.
And yet, he found himself tormented by never being as good as his older brother, Itachi.
Then came what came, and Sasuke knew true loneliness: the weight of having to return, day after day, alone to the now empty family residence after the massacre, where silence gnawed at his bones and loneliness, pushed him closer and closer to the edge of the abyss.
One day, while Sasuke was wandering like a dead man walking through the streets of Konoha, a blonde child collided with him at an impressive speed, only to keep running while being chased by several ninjas.
Sasuke then felt as if a breath of fresh air entered his lungs when he heard a genuine laugh, coming from that clumsy and careless child.
For the first time in a long while, he dared to dream of something more, to long for someday feeling that same happiness.
Then, the enchantment broke, and Sasuke became aware of something else... the pure hatred-filled glares directed at the boy whose laughter had awakened him from his depressive stupor.
He sharpened his ear and stood still as he overheard villagers referring to "that damn demon child," followed by reprimands from others to urging them to silence themselves.
Now, Sasuke may not have been as brilliant as his brother Itachi, but that didn't mean, by any means, that he wasn't smart. And he was smart enough to put two and two together.
At that moment, Sasuke understood that, indeed, there was something worse than living in solitude like him, where no one noticed him and, when they did, whispered about the mysterious murder of his family...
Because, at least, he was respected. While he was pitied (a pity that made him feel as if something crawled uncomfortably beneath his skin), at least he wasn't treated with hatred and contempt.
Sasuke decided that, after all, it was none of his business and continued walking with a clear purpose: to get food.
Much later, back at the Uchiha residence, the boy found himself entering the house to prepare dinner with his limited culinary knowledge and skills.
And although he hated all he had ever managed to cook, he had to survive somehow, after all, he still had unfinished business with his damn brother.
While stirring the food in the pot, an unexpected sound crossed his mind again. It wasn't the sound of the knife hitting the chopping board. Nor the bubbling of the broth boiling on the stove. Not even his brother's voice, which tormented him in all his nightmares. No, it was a laugh. Light, fleeting, so different from the deathly silence that filled his home, and for a moment, it had allowed him to dare to dream of something more... something more. Sasuke shook his head as if to scare away a bothersome insect. It didn't matter. He only had one goal: revenge against his brother.
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The Hokage, on the other hand, observed Naruto exasperatedly as the boy struggled to free himself from his ninjas, making a ruckus all the while.
He would never admit it to anyone but himself, but Naruto's situation worried him deeply. Yes, he was given a weekly allowance to survive, but... a child needed much more to live.
Sadly, since the day Naruto had come into the world, that boy had only known survival.
Sarutobi was worried about what would become of him in the future, a jinchuriki despised by his village from day one... he just hoped to hide the truth of his birth at least until Naruto was old enough to understand the story.
Meanwhile, it seemed unnecessary to hurt the boy with the uncomfortable truth about who his parents were and, most importantly... who he was.
He didn't want him to grow up hated and despised by everyone, but if he couldn't do anything about it, the least he could do was prevent the boy from thinking there was a reason why people treated him like that.
The Hokage sighed heavily... the whole situation was so complex. Ninja villages were always filled with orphans, and they really didn't have the human resources to take care of them... Sure, they had the money to ensure they had food, but they lacked willing hands to adopt a child, at least not without expecting something in return, like secret jutsus from their families.
It wasn't fair. Not for Naruto, not for Sasuke, not for so many other orphans of war. But in Konoha, justice had never been stronger than convenience. After all, they were still a ninja village, and one of the most powerful in its era.
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Naruto lay on the cold floor of his house, trying to cool himself in the infernal heat when his stomach growled with hunger, forcing him to get up.
He opened the fridge and pulled out some ramen, and while preparing it, his mind wandered to his current situation.
The truth was, although he had been mistreated at the orphanage, he would have preferred to stay there because at least someone was forced to interact with him... But he knew that there were always casualties in the village, and that's why they only allowed children to stay until they were six years old. After that, they were expected to take care of themselves.
And although pulling pranks was fun... the truth was, Naruto didn't care as much about that as he did about feeling seen and reminding himself every now and then that he existed and was real.
Even if it was just to make an inconvenience of himself, it was better than feeling invisible.
But all that would change one day. The most respectable and beloved person in his village was the Hokage, and that's why Naruto had decided that one day, he would become Hokage himself. And then, the people would have no choice but to like him and accept him.
No more shouting and insults, no more being sold expired milk at the worst price, no more pretending to be deaf every time he spoke to someone. No. They would depend on him and seek his help, and then they would finally love him.
Naruto nodded to himself, satisfied with that idea that comforted his lonely heart. He wasn't invisible. Not today. Not when his dream made him real.
His gaze slid across the table where the ramen had just reached the perfect consistency, as he thought about what awaited him in the future. He thought that, maybe, ramen wasn't the only thing keeping him alive.
"One day... one day I'll be Hokage. And then, no one will be able to ignore me."
His heart beat strongly. Determination burned inside him.
It didn't matter what happened. He would give it all. Because in his chest, there was finally something more than emptiness. There was hope. And with it, a purpose.