Disclaimer: Don’t own it.

Meanings of the Word
By legacyZero

He sat silently, on the fifth row, to the extreme right, next to an overly-obnoxious boy of his age with a worn out book placed in front of him. He didn’t know why he was sitting here at all, not when he found the familiar look of barely concealed disgust heading his way every so often. The adults hated him, he knew that much. He didn’t know why they hated him and he cried when he couldn’t find anything to placate the burning question lurking within his inquisitive mind. He had cried for a long time, and before long, he had found it useless to cry. If anything, crying only seemed to emphasize the unfairness of his plight.

He stopped crying since then.

Now six years old, he had found himself coaxed into joining the Academy for Shinobi by the old man who visited him every week on Thursday without fail for as long as he remembered. He seemed nice enough, Naruto thought, much better than the rest anyway, who either cursed or spat at him with every opportunity. The oddly dressed man, wrinkled by age and other things, had brought him food this time around, ramen, the old man said. At first he was hesitant, having only tasted porridge throughout his whole life, but the old man managed to persuade him to give the steaming bowl of noodles a try. After the first taste, Naruto quickly decided he liked it very much and voiced it to the elder.

The man said that he would have all the ramen he wanted if he attended Ninja school.

He did not know what a ninja was, nor did he want to. All that concerned him was the promise of even more ramen and if he had to go to this Ninja school to get it, then so be it. With that, he readily agreed, digging into his hot meal with fervor, savoring the taste as long as possible. The old man, upon seeing this laughed, his gaunt hands ruffling the boy’s blonde hair fondly as he ate.

But those fond thoughts were forgotten as he felt a sharp pain on his head caused by a flying piece of chalk. He looked up defiantly, his eyes meeting the hate-filled eyes of his teacher whose face was currently twisted into a ugly sneer. Everyone swiveled their heads towards him, watching him with fear in their eyes and hoping that the weird boy wouldn’t do anything that their parents had cautioned them of.

“Uzumaki! Pay attention or I will personally see you out of this class permanently!”

He almost stood up, before remembering his promise to the nice old man, and immediately sat still. He didn’t have anything to lose nor did he wish to be here. Only the promise he made mattered, and he would not be so quick to betray the trust of the one who had befriended him. But that didn’t stop him from wondering why the old man insisted that he must be here in the first place.

Even here, the adults detested and scorned him without reason or provocation. His peers were almost the same, but instead of open hostility he received hidden glances and murmured gossip. Both were equally hurtful to him. He was a pariah, that much he could ascertain. And he wondered with a great deal of frustration that if they hated him so much, shouldn’t they have driven him out from here like they did so many times whenever he entered the grocery shops just to buy what little he needed to eat?

He pondered whether there was a purpose for him to be here at all.

He done many things in the goal of trying to be acknowledged, he was polite to those who despised him, smiling when he was angry at everyone. But as time wore on, with little or no change at all, he found it harder to call up that foxy smile, harder to wear that mask of politeness. And soon, on one sunny afternoon, he questioned himself, asking whether there was a purpose to all of this in the end. He realized there wasn’t anything at all, and he stopped pretending from then on. Reality, he found out, was much easier to endure through imposed ignorance.

Now, he didn’t care, but that didn’t stop him from wishing that it would stop them all from looking at him with loathing. He found out the hard way that some things never changed, not now, not ever. Hence the mask of nonchalance.

“Uzumaki!” The instructor barked at him once more, his eyes beady with malice. “What is the rank that academy students will obtain once they graduate?”

He frowned; he hadn’t been paying attention to whatever the teacher was saying. He turned to the boy next to him, hoping to get the answer while avoiding the ire of the teacher. Fortunately for him, the boy in question was waving his hand wildly, hoping to get the attention of the instructor, while mumbling the answer which the blonde managed to hear.

“Genin.” He said aloud, his answer short and crisp. The instructor nodded once but continued to let his glare linger for a few moments before he turned to face the class in general. He glanced at his disappointed savior, who he promptly thanked. The boy, realizing who had thanked him, promptly stayed mute, either in fear or arrogance, Naruto did not know. He was disheartened but he tried not to despair.

Sneaking at look at the boy’s page number, he turned to his own, still closed and untouched. He flipped to the page 45. Figured he might as well learn while he was stuck here.

On the page, listed in black flowing script were the various ranks one could obtain as a shinobi, along with explanations which came after each underlined title.

Genin - Genins are the lowest rank of ninja. Once an academy student becomes a genin, they are assigned a Jounin instructor with two of their classmates. This group is taught by their Jounin and perform basic jobs commissioned by the village. This typically means that they are required to do remedial, labor-intensive jobs that require little or no combat. Two good examples of genin-ranked missions are finding lost pets, and weeding gardens. A genin's life consists of these missions and training, all to prepare for the Chuunin Selection Exam begins. At this point, Genins are put through a three part exam that proves their knowledge, survival skills, and combat ability. During the final combat part of the exam, the Genins are evaluated on whether or not they have the needed skills to be promoted to Chuunin. However, it is not uncommon to have a very small number of genins selected...

Boring, he yawned as he read what constituted for daily life for a Genin. Nothing else could describe it.

Chuunin - Upon achieving the rank of Chuunin, a great deal of responsibility is placed upon the ninja. A Chuunin is no longer an apprentice, but a leader. They can command a small group and are actively involved in combat situations. A Chuunin not only holds their own life in the balance, but those of ninja assigned under them. Chuunin's responsibilities do not only extend to battle, however. They are also teachers of academy students, imparting their experience and abilities onto the next generation. They are in charge of teaching the students all they need to know to begin their journey of becoming ninja, and basic physical training. Becoming a Chuunin is a sign of skill of dependence, and is not something easily obtained...

He made a face. If his instructor was any example of what a Chuunin would be like, he rather skip the rank altogether and remain a Genin for the rest of his life.

Jounin - Even as achieving Chuunin demonstrates proficiency and skill, achieving Jounin is a sign of mastery. Jounins are exceptional fighters who operate on a completely different level than their lower ranked counterparts. Because of this, they are given the most dangerous missions. Jounins also are not limited to battle. While Chuunins are in charge of teaching academy students, Jounins are responsible for trios of Genins. A Jounin leads the groups through their initial missions and prepares them for the Chuunin Selection Exam...

That sounded cool, he thought, though he was a bit put off by the fact that he had to teach should he be given the rank. He came to the last one, and he felt that it was somewhat different from the rest. He could feel it.

Hokage.

He read the word, mouthing it as if to test how it would sound like.

“Ho-ka-ge.” He said softly, pronouncing each syllable to get a feel of it.

He liked the word, Naruto decided, just like ramen. The way it sounded, the power and authority he knew that was associated with it even though he didn’t exactly know, he just felt it. He liked everything about the word. Then, Naruto began to read the considerably short paragraph about what the word ‘Hokage’ meant.

Hokage - Out of the many shinobi in the world today, only five can have the right to be called Kage. To be a Kage not only required one to be the strongest out of all the shinobi in a village, but also demands proficiency in more than a thousand ninjutsu. Any other requirements differ from village to village. For example, in Konohagakure, the Hokages of the past and present were compassionate and kind to all those who fell under his dominion, risking everything to protect their village. To be considered for the position of Hokage, one must not only possess great strength of body but also the strength of morality. And it is because of this, that no matter who held the title of Hokage, he or she would be loved by the village, knowing that they’re under the guide of a benevolent leader, one that will protect their village to the best of their ability. The current Hokage is none other than Sarutobi Kaheima, the Sandaime of the Leaf...

He stopped reading. A brilliant idea suddenly sprung in his mind. If what the book said was true, then he, if he became Hokage…

The clogs of his adolescent mind began to turn and the beginnings of a smile began to creep up to his lips as he realized he could obtain the one thing he craved the most if he did this one spectacular thing. He knew the road would be hard, but it didn’t matter, he would persevere even if it killed him. Intoxicated with joy which began welling up in his chest, he decided to tell the old man about his dream when he visited tomorrow with the ramen he was promised. Intoxicated with joy which began welling up in his chest, he decided to tell the old man about his dream when he visited tomorrow with the ramen he was promised. He was the first person he was going to tell after all, since he was the first person to be his friend. Lost within in a fantasy of smiles and friendly faces, he ignored the vindictive screams of his instructor as he ranted at him and the bemused stares of a dozen or so children.

And that was the start of a long and difficult journey for one Uzumaki Naruto in his quest to become the Rokudaime of the Leaf.

-Owari

A/N: (dwindle thumbs nervously) Well? Was it good? Or was it bad? Credit to for the ninja rank description. I was wondering whether anybody knew the full name for the good’ol Third, because I can’t seem to find it anywhere. On a short note, I wrote this under four hours as I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind. No beta for this one, if anyone was wondering. R&R