"I should be going home now.", Naruto said reluctantly. He slowly came to an halt next to the adults and looked up to them expectantly. Tobirama just huffed and stared at the boy as if he wanted him to sink into the ground. "I think that's necessary now. But you have to follow one important rule:", Hashirama started and knelt down so he was on the same level as Naruto. "Never tell anybody about us." He gestured to himself and to the men behind him. "As soon as you're stepping foot into a public place, we will return into your body, or in other words into your seal." Naruto tilted his head to the left, seemingly thinking about something. Then he nodded.

"We can communicate so you do not need to speak out loud. We'll be able to read your thoughts." At this Naruto looked quite horrified. "All of them ?", he asked with a slightly trembling voice. Laughing Hashirama assured him. "Of course not ! Only the ones you want us to hear." The boy sighed in relief. He had already started imagining all the embarrassment he'd have to live through.

Naruto flopped down onto the grass and gazed at the sky, or what you could see. The branches blocked the sight of the sky. Slightly irritated he stood up again and began walking around. His gaze was locked onto the treetops. Now it was Madara's turn to get irritated. "What're you doing, brat ?", the Uchiha asked and followed Naruto's line of sight. "Trying to figure out what time it is.", came the prompt answer. That earned a hearty laugh from the man. "Probably past your curfew." Naruto's head snapped up. "It is ?", he asked scandalized.

And that's how Naruto found himself running back to the Namikaze-compound. The three legendary ninjas had retreated into his seal and he could hear them now laughing at him. The moon stood already high on the sky and the only real light source were the many bars and pubs that illuminated the street in a ghostly yellow. He tried to stay in the shadows to not attract any unwanted attention. And he had to run far: it was his luck, that his family mansion was in the last part of Konoha.

When he finally arrived in front of his house, he panted and tried to catch his breath. And after he calmed down, at least so that it didn't seem like he ran a whole marathon, he went to open the door. But before he could even touch the doorknob, the door was torn open. There, in the doorway, stood who could only be described as a real monstrosity. Right there stood Kushina Uzumaki. Her hair split into nine even braids and it made her look like she was possessed by a demon.

She grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him into the house. The force she used almost threw him into a wall. "Where were you, young man ?" Her eyes were shadowed and the KI radiating off of her made Naruto shiver. Opening his mouth to answer he found, that his voice had left him. His eyes widened noticeably. Then, lightning fast, she grabbed Naruto by the hair and pulled him up so they were on the same level. His feet hovering inches above the ground.

And it took all of his willpower not to scream. It felt like she was ripping his scalp off. But even though he didn't scream, he surely did cry. Kushina, seemingly agitated from the sight she had to bear, lifted her right hand and brought it back down to his face. The slap resonated throughout the whole house. And if he didn't scream before, now he did. The villagers put him through even more than that, but this right here was his mother. His loving and caring mother. It didn't even matter, that she ignored him for the most of his life. Alone the fact, that his own mom would hurt him. For her own pleasure at that.

"You're grounded. I don't want to see you for the next few weeks.", she said like she was telling him to go brush his teeth. In a casual tone that could be found in every other normal household. But this was indeed not a normal household. Neglect had it's strong grip around the whole family, centered around Naruto. And this moment was one of those, where he realised how little his family really cared.

His father was most definitely at home, probably finishing the last bits of paperwork for the day. He had heard his scream. Naruto was 100% sure. Yet he didn't come to check on him. His brother Menma was also at home. And he could imagine him sitting in his room grinning at the sound of his brother's screams. Yes, his family didn't care for him. And he came to terms with it. Now he's got a substitution, an even better one.

Kushina dropped him to the floor, but not without giving him a last look, that made him feel like he was some kind of garbage. He knew that look. He got it quite often, on his walks around the village or when the villagers thought it would be fun to beat up a child. Not saying another word, Naruto turned around and stalked up the stairs. His whole body ached, but he couldn't allow himself to show weakness in front of his mother. Not after what she'd done.

When he finally got all the way to the top of the stair, he felt like someone had used him as a punching-bag. He dragged himself to his room and pushed the door open. And as soon as it closed behind him again, he let himself fall onto the mattress. His 'room' was small, not bigger than a boxroom. And the space he had wasn't exactly fit for any furniture. The only thing besides the mattress was a small cabinet with two drawers.

Rolling onto his back, Naruto stared at the ceiling. He wasn't sure why he was the one getting all the blame, hate and pain. Since the day he was born it was always his brother in the spotlight. If life was a game of chess he would be nothing but a simple pawn, only used for sacrifices. His brother however was the king. Everyone acted on his words. A sad smile graced his lips. That was the way life worked. There would always be a predator. And there would always be pray. But it was impossible to become a predator, if someone was born as the prey.

"Are you okay ?", rang Hashirama's voice in his head. But Naruto didn't feel the need to answer. He tossed his blanket over himself and closed his eyes. Nevertheless the tears started rolling down his face, staining the bed sheet.