Naruto: Road to Death

Chapter 1: The Boy Without Destiny

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In the dark and violent world of Kirigakure, where the fog not only hides the paths but also the intentions of those who live there, an orphan boy fights day after day to survive. Kirigakure, also known as "The Village Hidden in the Fog", has gained fame for its ruthless practices and bloody era, where the life of a shinobi has a low price and betrayals are common.

Yuta, a young ninja, had lost everything. His parents died in one of the many internal battles between clans, leaving him alone from an early age. His home was the orphanage, a gloomy place in the depths of the village, surrounded by ruins. The building barely stood, with crumbling walls and roofs that filtered the constant humidity of the fog. There, life was hard, and hope seemed like a luxury that all children lacked. Yuta, in particular, had learned from a young age not to depend on anyone. Survival in Kirigakure depended on strength, and weakness was the sure passage to an early death.

The Kirigakure Academy, where future shinobi were trained, was even more ruthless. Unlike other villages, training sought not only to develop ninja skills, but also to eradicate any vestige of compassion. Students were forced to fight each other, and only the strongest were given the chance to advance. The weak were eliminated, disappearing without a trace, as if they had never existed.

Every day, training at the academy was brutal. Yuta attended, watching silently, always on the sidelines, always distant. The other students avoided him; there was something about his cold gaze, his solitary determination, that intimidated others. His talent was undeniable, but his lack of empathy made him seem even more dangerous. He trusted no one and did his best to stay in the shadows. Distrust reigned in the academy; everyone knew that, eventually, they would have to face each other.

Yuta knew that the only way to survive in this world was through strength and cunning. The exams and trainings, designed to sow chaos and fear, tested the students' mental and physical endurance. In class, the instructors spoke of the glory of sacrifice and the need to eliminate the weakest to strengthen the village. Each lesson, each fight, left a mark on the students, physically or emotionally.

Everything changed one day, during one of those brutal trainings. The students were sent to a combat test in a field of thick fog. The objective was simple: locate the enemy and eliminate it. However, as always in Kirigakure, things did not go as expected. The fog grew thicker than usual, and the instructors' grip on the test weakened. Screams and sounds of combat began to fill the air, and chaos erupted.

Yuta moved through the shadows, his survival instinct guiding him. He knew his goal was to eliminate the others, but something stopped him. A soft scream, barely audible in the dense fog, reached his ears. It was a girl, caught between two older students who were attacking her mercilessly. There was nothing to gain from saving her. In Kirigakure, interfering in someone else's battle could only bring trouble. But for some reason, Yuta couldn't ignore his instinct. He leapt forward, striking the two aggressors with a swiftness that took them by surprise.

The older students backed away, surprised by the intervention, but didn't hesitate to attack him. The fight was short and brutal. Yuta, with precise and lethal movements, defeated them without much effort. His training had paid off, but what surprised those present the most was not his skill, but his decision to save the girl.

When it was all over, the girl looked at Yuta with eyes filled with wonder and fear. She trembled, clearly hurt and exhausted, but also relieved to be alive. No one had ever stepped in to save her before. In Kirigakure, compassion was seen as a weakness, something children learned to suppress. Yet Yuta had acted without thinking of the consequences, an impulse that even he himself did not fully understand.

"Why?" she asked, her voice shaking, as she struggled to stand up.

Yuta did not answer immediately. He kept his cold gaze, but internally he felt confused. Why had he done it? He had no clear answer. Finally, he simply muttered,

"Survive. No matter what it takes.

The girl, whose name was Naruko, followed him from that day on, grateful and admiring. Although Yuta tried to keep his distance, his action had set off a chain of events that would change his life forever. Naruko not only saw him as her savior, but also as a possible hope in a world world where survival depended on betrayal and brutality.

Over time, Naruko began to break down the barriers that Yuta had built around her. Her constant presence and unwavering gratitude defied the logic of the world they lived in. Slowly, Yuta began to realize something important: strength was not only measured in the ability to defeat enemies, but also in the ability to protect others. Something in him had changed, and although he tried to ignore it, he could no longer continue living just to survive.

Thus, while Kirigakure remained a place of shadows and betrayal, Yuta began to wonder if his fate was meant to be different.

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Author's Note: This is not some love at first sight story!