Today was a day that a particular whiskered blonde would call a bad day.
Although he studied hard and trained like there was no tomorrow, he wasn't able to graduate the academy earlier than his classmates. He didn't become a ninja because of his worst technique, the stupid Bunshin no Jutsu.
He managed to get the lowest passing score required for kunai and shuriken throwing. He was graded average in taijutsu, below average in genjutsu ("I finally managed to perform a decent henge to look like the Hokage, dattebayo!"), and startlingly above average in the written potion, given that intelligence was one of his worst points ("Ninjas are not bookworms! As soon as I become Hokage I will suppress the written part of the exams, dattebayo!").
Surprisingly, he was ranked as the second-best in the stealth test. It seems that the time that he spent pranking was not wasted being able to redecorate the Hokage Monument without being caught (in an orange tracksuit no less!) and evading several ninjas was proof of it. Speaking of the orange outfit, he needed to find out who kept giving him things for his birthday without his knowledge.
Going back to the defiling the mountain, he didn't do anything wrong! He only added some words on the side of the Yondaime's head: "SPACE RESERVED FOR UZUMAKI NARUTO." He was going to be on that mountain someday so he had every right to do that!
...what was he thinking about before that? Oh yeah, the stupid Bunshin no Jutsu that messed up his chances to become a ninja! Iruka-sensei said that it was too soon for him to take the test and that he should wait to take it with his class mates and work on his book knowledge.
Then came the time after the exams, when the students exited the academy to meet their families. Those who graduated were being congratulated, while the four, aside from him, who failed the exam, were encouraged by their parents to try again another time. He didn't have anybody to cheer him up and tell him to try again next year. He only had the cold looks of the adults and children staying away from him.
Not everyone shunned him though. The parents of Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba didn't scold them for being with him so they were the closest thing that he had to friends. However, he could not avoid feeling envious when he saw them with their parents.
He was so busy thinking about how awful his life was, while hanging on the swing in front of the academy, that he didn't notice that everybody had left, save for a man who was slowly walking towards him.
Naruto noticed the shadow nearing him and he turned to see who it could be.
A black hooded cloak covered the man almost entirely. Naruto could see that the man wore what appeared to be a semi-open jacket showing half of his chest, black pants and sandals. A lock of spiky yellow hair escaped the hood, drawing his eyes to the black mask covering half of the man's face, and a pair of blue eyes almost identical to his own. Looking back at the cloak, he noticed that its clasps had the leaf symbol, showing his alignment to Konoha.
Unlike most of the adults he had encountered, the man's eyes didn't have a look of scorn and indifference. Instead they had a contradicting combination of joy and sorrow.
"Hello, what are you doing?" said the man with kindness, something that Naruto had only experienced with the Sandaime.
"Uh...nothing important." replied the boy nervously. He was not used to a stranger talking to him politely.
"You don't look too well. Do you want me to push the swing?" asked the man. "Maybe it will put you in a better mood." he added in a somewhat hopeful way.
"Um, okay." This was the first time that somebody wanted to play with him! For the first time in a long time, Naruto was honestly speechless.
The man then pushed the swing for fifteen minutes. It didn't take long for Naruto to enjoy his new situation until the stranger abruptly stopped moving.
"How about we play other games that we can do together?" asked the man happily.
Naruto was excited, not only did he meet an adult who didn't disrespect him, but the man wanted to play with him too!
The next few hours were spent playing ball, hide and seek, and other games, until they noticed that the sun was setting.
"Well," the man said, "you should go back home or your family will get worried about you."
"Oh, that's not a problem," said Naruto with a forced smile. "I live on my own, so I can go back home whenever I like."
Suddenly, the man radiated a killer intent that made Naruto almost pissed his pants.
"Ungrateful bastards..." he mumbled with hate while staring at the village. "...you'll dearly regret this." He stopped when he noticed Naruto slowly backing away from him. "Oh, did I scare you? Sorry! I'm not angry at you; I'm mad at a group of traitors," the man said with an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Ehh...you didn't scare me." lied Naruto as he calmed down. "By the way, what's your name? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha; believe it!"
Instead of mocking him, the man put a look of melancholy and seemed to smile underneath his mask. "Future Hokage?" he asked as he removed his hood and mask, showing a face of a rather young man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. "I could give you some tips and help you reach that position. As for my name, I have many, but my real name would be...Minato Namikaze." said the man with a sad smile.
Naruto was speechless. He looked at the man, then at the Hokage Monument, then back at the man, then back at the mountain and finally back at the man, trying to process the idea that his hero was alive.