The Night of the Nine-Tails
Above Konoha, a blood-red moon glowed ominously, its light barely piercing the thick smoke billowing from the burning village. Screams filled the air. The Nine-Tailed Fox's grotesque shape raged, its eyes burning with destruction and fury, and shadows danced wildly. For all their courageous efforts, the Konoha shinobi were no match for the beast's sheer power.
A man in a white cloak whose design looked like flames stood resolutely upon the Hokage Monument. His heart heavy from the choice he had just made, Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze cradled his newborn son in his arms. By his side, his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, weakly lay, her scarlet hair sprawling over the frozen stone.
"Minato… you have to protect Naruto," she said in a tired whisper.
Minato's hands curled into fists. There was no other option. Sealing it in—within their child—was the only means to end the Nine-Tails.
They performed the sealing jutsu with what was left of their strength. Their child's small body held the Nine-Tails' massive chakra, split. As she died, Kushina told her love for Naruto by kissing her forehead. Shortly after, Minato came and left their son an orphan saddled with a burden he did not ask for.
Naruto was alone the moment he was able to walk.
He never felt the warm arms of his parents and their loving words. He spent his life in a cold village where people considered him to be less than human. He encountered glares everywhere he went. He was constantly called "monster" and "demon," but he did not know the reason.
He used to try very hard as a child to please people. Even with the hurt, he did not let his face fall, and he used to play tricks to attract attention. At least they were noticing him, even if they scolded him. But the villagers' resentment did not subside even with his efforts.
It was painfully lonely. He would spend nights in his small, run-down flat staring at the ceiling and asking why he was not loved. His heart ached with loneliness, and his belly ached with hunger. Still, he endured. He had to.
"I'll become the Hokage someday! They will then have to credit me."
The lone dream that kept him going was this one.
Naruto grew even more rebellious with each passing year. He never lost hope despite his struggles in the Ninja Academy. Even after training on his own and putting himself through extreme tests, he repeated the graduation test three times.
Then came the night of destiny.
A chunin who had silver-colored hair approached Naruto and made him an offer. "You'll pass if you steal the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office! It's a stealth test."
Naruto complied because he was so eager to prove himself. Holding the gigantic scroll, he ran into the woods and slipped by the guards with surprising ease. Tired but exhilarated, he gasped. "All right! Time to learn some incredible jutsu."
He saw something strange as he unrolled the scroll.
Jutsu in Pokémon?
"The strength of monsters from another realm, locked up in this scroll," the writing read. Such jutsu may be used by those who master it.
Naruto's eyes shone. "Hey, that sounds great! Let's try it out."
But a voice cut through the shadows before he could begin.
"Naruto! What did you do?"
His teacher, Iruka Umino, ran up to him, breathless.
Another person stood in front of Naruto before he could answer. Mizuki.
"Well done, brat. Hand it over now."
Naruto was stunned. Iruka's eyes opened in understanding. "He lied to you, Naruto! "That scroll is forbidden!"
Mizuki's smile grew cold. "Oh well, let's be honest with him. Do you know why the village hates you, Naruto? His voice was venomous. "You're the Nine-Tails Fox! "The demon who destroyed Konoha!"
Naruto's world collapsed.
His heart pounded. He drew in a deep breath. Why was that? Was that the reason he was unloved? Because of something he did not choose, instead of who he was?
Naruto barely registered Iruka's desperate shout as Mizuki's kunai rushed straight at him. His body reacted automatically.
"Protect!"
He was surrounded by a glistening wall of energy that knocked the kunai aside in a burst of light. Mizuki and Iruka stood paralyzed.
Naruto's mind was on overdrive. It wasn't an ordinary jutsu.
The first to regain consciousness was Mizuki. "Well, it looks like you actually learned something. Let's see if you can survive this."
He attacked. Naruto's hands moved once more, with something that burned within him.
"Thunderbolt!"
Electricity crackled around him before bursting outward in a brilliant arc of lightning. Mizuki's scream echoed through the clearing as the attack sent him flying, crashing into a tree with a burnt sizzle.
Then there was silence.
Naruto blinked at his hands. "Whoa… that was awesome!"
Iruka took a slow step forward. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and his eyes softened. "You saved me, Naruto."
Naruto was hit harder by the words than by any punch. No one had ever told him that before.
His chest started to heat up. He was acknowledged for the first time as a hero, and not as a nuisance or a demon.
Naruto gazed back at the Forbidden Scroll as the guards came to lead Mizuki away. Even though he had only just started to delve into its secrets, one thing was clear.
This was an actual power.
He'd catch on. He would prove all of them wrong. He would create his own destiny.
No longer merely Naruto Uzumaki…
But the Pokémon Jutsu Sage.