The boogeymen
Namikaze Minato is five years old when he realizes that the child snatchers are coming for him.
In hindsight, it’s probably not as big of a revelation as it should have been. As it is, five year old Namikaze Minato sits straight up in his small bed under the leaky pipe in the orphanage and says with all the paranoia and terror he can muster.
“Fuck.”
He is then promptly told to shut the fuck up by his bunk mate as she is trying (key word trying) to fucking sleep.
He stumbles through his apologies and is told again! To shut the fuck up. He does.
The next day Minato is seen with dark circles under his eyes moving his soggy breakfast to his mouth mechanically. He’s in crisis okay?? It’s not everyday that you realize that the child snatchers, boogeyman of Konoha, terror in the night, ghost stories told by the older kids to frighten the new kids are coming to take you away.
Everyone in the orphanage knows about the child snatchers. It’s not exactly common knowledge but it’s not uncommon knowledge either. Everyone knows that if you're too smart, strong, fast or talented you disappear. Some kids get a flimsy excuse, a thin cover up and some just disappear without another word.
Sadly, everyone in the orphanage also knows that Namikaze Minato is smart. He had tried to keep it under wraps but he just had to help that one academy student with their homework and then someone asked him to correct their kunai throwing stance and how could he say no?? He really regrets not saying no.
Minato knows that he’s smart. Therefore he reaches the conclusion that he must have a plan. That is after all what the Nara do and the Nara are so smart they pretend not to be. He must make a plan.
His plan consists of 4 crucial steps:
- Enter the academy
- Stick out
- Graduate top of his class
- Make sure everyone and their dog knows that he wants to be hokage
Entering the academy is a no brainer. If the child snatchers are coming for him he needs to know how to make enough of a commotion to let people know that he was—well—being snatched.
Sticking out was just as important. To be quiet and inconspicuous was certain death too. Just because you entered the academy doesn’t mean you're safe. He’s heard enough horror stories of people disappearing because they had let themselves fade into obscurity.
Graduate top of his class. That was a requirement to sticking out. The other alternative was the class dummy and well—Minato still had his pride okay?? Just because he might be kidnapped by the boogeymen does not mean that he is going to present himself as dumb. Furthermore to be dumb was suicide and he would be written off as a lost cause and stuffed into Genin corps. Minato was not going to Genin corps.
Making sure everyone knew he wanted to be hokage. This last step was honestly just a safety net. Minato knew that he was smart and maybe talented enough to one day be hokage. To proclaim his dream and suitable ambition would also have a lot of higher ups keeping an eye on him both as a hokage candidate and as a threat. He would have to make sure that he would be careful. Minato would have to walk a fine line between a candidate and a threat.
And-ah crap. Minato could literally hit himself. He was actually fucking stupid. He was five years old. The academy started when you were six. He was, as they say, completely and utterly fucked.
Could civilian orphans apply for early entry into the academy?
Probably not.
…he should probably check before he got spirited away for the child snatchers to like—well—he doesn’t really know what they do after they get the kids. Cut them open and sell their organs and blood to rich clan people because no one cares about parentless civilian scum?
He really hoped he wasn’t committing treason by like refusing to be snatched. That wouldn’t be a good way to kick off his connection making to rich clan kids.
Minato hopped off the rickety old chair carefully landing on the only non-squeaky floorboard and snuck over to the only window that actually opened.
You weren’t exactly not allowed to go outside but there were certain times and areas that were discouraged. A place that was one of the most discouraged was the “clan” park. Usually important clan people took their children to mingle there and orphans and civilians usually avoided it. It was where all the important people went and where people like Minato were looked down on, and glared at. The perfect place to make connections!
Minato shimmied the window up and cleanly dove out onto the grass outside. He carefully closed the window back up to erase any signs of sneaking out. He wondered which he should do first. Attempt to make connections or see if he could apply for early entry.
On one hand seeing if he was eligible being a clanless orphan for the academy was very important to his near future. Literally all of his plans would crumble if he wasn’t eligible.
On the other hand, Minato was lonely. He wanted friends, in the orphanage nobody had time for you and he didn’t really know how to talk to people. Whenever he tried, anxiety sort of climbed up from his belly into his chest and clawed his throat. One memorable time he had actually forgotten how to speak words.
He should be responsible and see if he could enter the academy early. He was five years old already, practically a grown up. He didn’t need friends, he needed connections. Namikaze Minato was perfectly fine and a responsible five year old.
He went to the park.