Chapter 1
Once upon a time in the world of mighty kings, terrifying dragons and stories older than time itself, there was a country that was called Land of Fire. In this land was the kingdom Hidden in the Leaves. This kingdom was ruled by a very powerful but good King Minato with his wife Kushina.
They had two sons together. The older son had long, dark orange hair, which he wore tied in a ponytail. Distinctive red eyes and three marks on each face that resembled whiskers. He was tall with an athletic figure, and since he was the firstborn, he was another successor to the throne.
The younger son seemed to fall out of his father's eye. He had short tousled blond hair that shone golden in the sun. His eyes were bluer than the sky itself, and of course, he had the same "whiskers" as his brother. He was a head shorter than his brother, but by nature, he was much happier and more lively, even though they both loved jokes and fun.
Now Naruto, the king's younger son, was sitting by a beautiful pond, the surface of which was so clear that the stones at the bottom and the passing koi carps could be seen. This lake forms an invisible border between the royal garden and the deciduous forest, which stretched over most of the territory. That is why this kingdom was nicknamed Hidden in the Leaves. The prince sat on the shore wondering what to do. He doesn't want to marry someone he doesn't even know. He wants to marry someone he will love. He sighed sadly and pulled a small medallion from under his shirt, which gleamed beautifully in the setting sun. He began to hum a dragon song that his mother had once sung to him like a lullaby. He was comfortable there, so he switched from humming to singing. He had a pleasant melodic voice like his mother.
Suddenly a strong cold wind blew in and everything around him died down. The birds stopped singing and the murmur of the wind slightly frightened him.
closely. He was relieved when a familiar face came out of the bush.
„Kurama, what are you doing here?” he asked.
„I followed you. After that fiasco, I thought I'd find you here,” and he offered him a kind smile.
„If you're going to persuade me, you can leave right away. I won't change my mind, dattebayo.”
„I know…” he replied, stepping closer. „... d o you want to know, why did I choose such a difficult task?”
„So that everyone can see how strong and brave you are? ” Naruto smirked .
„No, but to delay what your parents want from you. But at least you still have a choice. I'm not so lucky.”
„What do you mean? "He asked blankly, playing with the medallion. The wind picked up strength and an inhuman roar came from behind the forest. „What was that?” h e exclaimed in horror.
„I don't know, but it didn't sound very good,” Kurama replied quietly and began preparing his crossbow.
A huge dragon flew over the forest, its scales gleaming in the bright red and heading for them. Kurama fired at him, but the arrow only bounced off his body. That wasn't good.
„Run, Naruto! And don't stop anywhere!” h e shouted at his brother and fired again. Naruto stood there like in a trance. A real dragon. He was so amazed that he didn't even notice what was his brother saying.
„Naruto!” Kurama shouted, but in vain. The dragon already had his brother in its claws. Naruto didn't even dare to scream. From all of that, he felt sick and passed out.
But let's first say what happened before.
*-*-*-*-*
Earlier that day
„And what about Princess Hinata from the kingdom of Hyuga? She seems nice.”
„Yeah, but she hardly get closer to me, she is constantly hiding, and when I look at her or talk to her, she faints. Plus, I'm pretty sick from her cousin, dattebayo”
„Neji may not be the successor to the throne, but because of his great abilities, the king appointed him to be the princess's bodyguard,” his mother added as information. The mere thought that the arrogant, about the fate talking idiot who would keep an eye on him, disgusted him.
„And what about the Uchiha kingdom. You got along quite well with Sasuke last time he was there,” his father tossed.
„He? Never!” shouted the prince, crossing his arms over his chest.
„Why not?” his parents asked.
„He is constantly playing something extra, bragging about how great he is, how strong his kingdom is, and constantly cursing at his brother, who is much more bearable,” he snapped.
„Naruto, you know you don't make it much easier for us,” King sighed.
„So what's up! I don't want any of them and I won't marry any of them!” Naruto shouted at the entire castle.
„Come on, Naruto, calm down, please,” his mother tried to reassure him.
„And you know the law. You have to marry someone of royal blood, and these are all your age and noble blood,” his father tried to convince him.
„Hmm, I'm not marrying any of them anyway. Why can't I choose a task like Kurama?”
„Because Kurama took it as a task worthy of a king who proves he is worthy of the throne.!
„Damn it,” he sighed.
„At least let it go through your head,” both parents suggested when they saw their son's stubborn expression.
„Not gonna happen, "he muttered to himself. He took one last look at the pictures of princesses and princes before leaving the room. Either they're terrible snobs, or they have their noses up until it rains in it. Just no one he might be interested in.
He knew the law well, but there was too much pressure. On the way to his room, he met Shikamaru and his father, who was a royal counsellor and tactician, as they went to the throne room. He got along well with Shikamaru, and sometimes they did some pranks together, but at the moment he wasn't in the mood. When he passed him, he just smiled sadly at him.
He wasn't too long in his room. He only took the locket under his pillow and left through the secret entrance. He stretched around the kitchen and then through a small underpass guarded by two guards. It was not a problem for the prince to sneak around them unnoticed. He made similar trips from the castle almost all the time. All he had to do was hide behind a corner and throw a stone on the opposite side. The idiots always jumped on it and went to check it out. So he had a free entrance. And we all already know where he was going.
*-*-*-*-*
Back in present
The prince slowly regained consciousness. He was lying on his stomach, on something very hard and cold. It pushed him everywhere. He opened his blue eyes slowly, and what he thought was a dream seemed more than real. He blinked in disbelief and tried to sit up. He leaned on his hands, but they slipped on gold coins, and Naruto fell directly to his face.
„Ow,” he groaned and tried to sit up once more. This time much more carefully. Eventually, he succeeded, and the prince looked around in amazement.
He was in a large cave full of gold. Gold covered the whole, whole floor, and there were so many of them that it formed golden hills full of coins, jewellery, and other valuables, which were complemented by the coloured reflections of precious stones.
„Wow, there's not that much gold in Dad's treasury, dattebayo” he joked in astonishment and tried to get up. It was difficult because his feet were falling into the golden ground, so he had to try not to slip. He didn't see much around him, so he decided to climb the golden hill in front of him. He didn't do well after two, so he climbed to the top after four. It took him a while, and he slipped to the ground several times, and it took him a lot of effort and concentration to keep from exploding.
But the view was worth it. He rejoiced at what he saw. He saw the corridor leading from this room. Fresh, cool air came from the corridor. He took a deep breath. He was only a few steps away from freedom. Maybe it was just a prank from his crazy friends.
But he immediately dismissed the idea when he noticed a giant winged lizard lying right in front of his path to freedom. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he were asleep.
The dragon had sand-coloured scales that cast red reflections. He looked stunning but scary at the same time. He was so much bigger, and it certainly wouldn't be a problem for it to catch him. He could swallow him like a raspberry. The throat tightened at the memory of the flight, and a chill ran down his spine.
Naruto leaned so far out of the pile of gold so he could see better until he fell over and went down the golden hill. He stopped close to the dragon's head. He hoped he hadn't woken him. The prince studied him for a moment. The dragon's head was down to his waist. Only this fact terrified him. He was so busy exploring the lizard when the dragon suddenly opened its eye. His white was black and his iris was as golden as the surrounding floor. His pupil was formed into a cross with four dots around.
The prince was frightened by the unexpected movement and immediately backed away, crashing into the golden mountain. The dragon kept his eye on him. Naruto took a step to the side and the lizard growled as if to warn him not to try anything. At least that's how the prince interpreted it and didn't even dare move. He was just standing there. After a moment that seemed like an eternity to Naruto, the dragon finally closed his eye and seemed to fall asleep again.
The prince took two steps to the test toward the exit, waiting for the lizard's reaction. Nothing happened. He took a few more small steps to rehearse, and when nothing was still happening, he left as quietly and carefully as possible. He was alert and hurried to the exit as fast as he could. He stopped at the very end.
He stood on a ledge a few feet above the ground. It was night and the moon was illuminating the surrounding forest. The prince did not intend to wait for a second and immediately climbed off the ledge. When he reached solid ground, he fled. He didn't know where, but he didn't care. Mainly to get away from the dragon.
After a few tens of meters behind him, he heard a roar. Fear and adrenaline filled him, and he accelerated even more. He didn't stop until something flew over his head. He stopped and immediately pressed as close to the tree as possible so that he could not be seen.
Something flew over his head again. Naruto started sprinting again. He jumped over the branches and made his way forward. Unfortunately for him, he tripped over a branch and descended a small hill under which there was a small hollow into which he could hide. Which, of course, he did. He hid just in time as it rumbled over him. A dragon landed there. Naruto didn't even dare to breathe, so he won't catch dragon's attention. He sat there for a moment until he was sure the dragon had left or departed. He jumped to his feet and ran. He was so far away that he even saw the end of the forest. He was approaching the meadow. It was a risk, but he didn't care at the time.
He ran into a green meadow and ran without looking back. Suddenly he heard a familiar roar behind him and a chill ran down his spine. After a few seconds, he was grabbed by two powerful scaly paws and he was no longer on solid ground. The dragon carried him back to the cave. During the flight, he looked below him and his stomach ached from the view. Or rather, he could imagine how he could fall and how there won't be even a greasy stain from him. Although he didn't like to admit it, he held on to the dragon's paws like a tick. Out of curiosity, he ran the scales over the dragon, and to his surprise, they were smooth and soft.
When they reached the cave, the dragon threw him on a pile of gold and growled at him. The prince shot him an angry and offended look. The dragon growled under his nose, left the cave, and blocked the entrance to the cave with a sand wall. This prevented anyone from entering the cave or out. However, it was very thin, so the moonlight shone slightly from it.