Things we do for love

Prologue

A five-year-old Naruto was running from a bunch of Anbu and his teacher Iruka. After all, he had just painted the Anbu headquarters pink.

"The headquarters needed a fresh coat of paint," yelled Naruto, with tears of laughter flowing from his eyes.

"Stop right there you little demon!" yelled Iruka, causing Naruto to stop in his tracks.

When Iruka saw him, his heart sunk. Naruto was no longer laughing. There wasn't even a hint of a grin on his face. His eyes were shadowed by his hair as he looked down.

"So you too think so?" asked Naruto in a quiet tone. Iruka could sense it. Naruto's voice had nothing but sadness... and disappointment.

Iruka understood a moment too late what he had said. His own heart was filled with remorse.

"Naruto I didn't mean it like that," said Iruka, as he motioned the Anbu to go away.

"THEN WHAT DID YOU MEAN?" asked Naruto in an accusatory tone.

"Naruto..." said Iruka, unsure of what to say.

"Iruka sensei, why do they call me a monster? Why do they accuse me of murder? Did I do something?" asked Naruto, ashamed.

Iruka was at that moment feeling very sad. He felt that Naruto actually believed the villagers, and had started to despise himself.

The academy started when kids turned four and went on till they turned 12. Naruto was currently five and was considered dead last, the failure. This however was far from the truth. Iruka had known that Mizuki, a fellow teacher, had been constantly tampering with Naruto's papers, but he couldn't do anything without proof.

"Naruto, you did not do anything. I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You know I call any mischievous kid a demon," said Iruka with a coarse voice, as he tried to push back his tears and tried to smile.

"I am sorry sensei," said Naruto.

"No, I am sorry. I could see that you were alone, you were in pain, but I did nothing. I am sorry," said Iruka.

"But why do they hate me?" asked Naruto.

"I... I don't know," lied Iruka. He was feeling extremely guilty. The person everyone called a demon, monster, and what not was just a sweet little kid.

"Why? They must have a reason," said Naruto.

"Why do you think so?" asked Iruka.

"Because you only need a reason to hate. Not to love, but to hate," said Naruto.

"Oye! Shut up and come with me. Talking like a grown-up," said Iruka as he felt like breaking down. Naruto felt as if he had said something wrong.

"Come, let me treat you to a Ramen," said Iruka smiling as he bent to his level.

"WHAT! THANK YOU IRUKA SENSEI!" yelled Naruto as he hugged him.

"Come on, let's go," said Iruka.

"Yeah, but before that, I need to go somewhere else," said Naruto.

"Where?" asked Iruka.

"See for yourself," he said as he dragged Iruka with him.

'He has got a lot of strength for his age,' thought Iruka.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a weapons shop.

"Hey old man, have you got what I asked for?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto. And I am not an old man," the person said sweat-dropping.

"Daddy, mom... Iruka sensei!" yelled a six-year-old Tenten.

The owners of the shop were one of the few people who didn't hate him. The person gave him a few weights as Iruka talked to Tenten. But when he saw the number of weights Naruto had, his eyes were wide open.

"Naruto! Those are are a lot," said Iruka, dumbfounded.

Naruto took off his jacket and showed him the weights he was already wearing.

"Naruto! Do you always wear that?" asked Iruka.

Naruto nodded as he grinned widely. As Iruka recovered, he smiled and ruffled his hair.

After a few moments, they both were sitting at Ichiraku's.

"Naruto, why do you train so hard?" asked Iruka.

"Because I want to protect the old man and the village," said Naruto as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why do you want to protect the village that hates you?" asked Iruka, intrigrued.

"Because I don't have parents. As long as I can help, I will not let anyone suffer as I did. Even if it costs me my life," said Naruto casually as he slurped.

Iruka could feel his respect for Naruto growing. He felt relief, happiness... and pride.

"Oye! You are talking as if your life doesn't matter," said Iruka.

"Don't worry sensei, I won't die before I take the old man's hat from him," said Naruto cheerfully.

"Be respectful," said Iruka sternly.

"I bet he is a closet pervert," said Naruto, causing Teuchi to chuckle and his daughter Ayame to burst laughing. After a few moments, even Iruka joined in.

"What about a bet?" asked Naruto.

"What?" asked Iruka confused.

Naruto whispered something in his ears.

"Deal. If I win you will have to take double classes for the next week. If you win, I will pay for your ramen next week. But first, how can you do transformation Jutsu? You barely passed in the practical," said Iruka.

"Deception is the shinobi's greatest weapon," said Naruto with a smirk.

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Hello everyone, so this is my Naruto fanfic. Honestly, writing a fanfic better than the show itself is almost impossible, but well, I tried my best. Please vote and comment and share it with your Naruto, especially Naruhina fans.