"Never thought I'd be homeless after five years," Kiba murmured.
He walked through the town, people passing by without a glance. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the unfamiliar streets. With every step, regret weighed heavier on him, his own words, spoken too boldly, had led him here.
'Maybe I can live by Naka River. I could catch fish there, maybe even earn some money,' he thought. 'Seems I've fallen even lower than my past life.'
Kiba sighed, then stopped a passerby to ask for directions. After a long walk, he finally reached the riverbank. Setting down his bag, he allowed himself a small smile as he watched the water flow, its steady rhythm easing his tension.
"Home sweet home," he said quietly.
Turning away from the river, he picked up his bag and moved toward a cluster of trees, their thick canopy offering shelter. After placing his bag aside, he stepped to the left and began forming hand signs, a simplified version of Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth Wall).
One wall rose, just slightly taller than himself. Then another, connecting to the first. He worked methodically, conserving his chakra, ensuring each structure was only as large as necessary, just enough space to lie down. Finally, he sealed the makeshift shelter with a fourth wall above, linking all three sides together.
As soon as he finished, his legs gave out. He dropped to the ground, breathing heavily, exhaustion overtaking him.
"Food… I need to find food," Kiba muttered, staring at the river. 'A net would help catch fish for meals and maybe even sell some. And I'll need drinkable water too.'
"If I had Fire Nature, this would be easy," he grumbled.
Right now, fire was all he needed to survive. A pot could be made from clay, but warmth and cooked food required flames.
Too exhausted to move, he lay down and closed his eyes.
'I'll wake up in 20 minutes.'
It was a lie he told himself.
When he finally stirred, the sky had darkened. No fire meant no warmth, if this continued, the cold would kill him. His stomach growled in protest.
He scrambled to gather branches, luckily finding plenty scattered on the ground. Once he had enough, he hurried back to his shelter and built a small bonfire at its entrance.
A surge of chakra sped up the burning process.
"Still hungry," he sighed.
'Tomorrow. I'll deal with it tomorrow.'
Using his bag as a makeshift pillow, he crawled into his shelter and let sleep take him.
. . . .
An old man sat by the window in the Hokage building, smoking his cigar as he gazed out over Konoha.
Then, in a flicker of movement, a masked figure appeared in the room, an ANBU, one of the many employed by the old man himself. And this old man was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He turned slowly to face the newly arrived operative.
"It's about Inuzuka Tsume's youngest son," the ANBU reported.
"Go ahead," Hiruzen said.
"He has settled comfortably by the Naka River," the ANBU replied.
"Really? That's… surprising," Hiruzen murmured, pausing in thought for a moment.
The ANBU spoke again. "There's one more thing, the child shows surprising skill in Earth Nature ninjutsu."
Hiruzen's eyebrows rose. A five-year-old capable of such a feat was unusual, even for Konoha.
"Keep his existence hidden from Danzo," Hiruzen ordered.
"Understood," the ANBU replied.
With a nod, Hiruzen dismissed him. "You may go."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." With that, the ANBU vanished as swiftly as he had arrived.
Hiruzen knew of the situation because Tsume had asked for his help in looking after her son, something she couldn't do herself.
. . . .
Very early in the morning, Kiba woke up with a growling stomach. As he opened his eyes, he spotted a bento box placed neatly near the bonfire.
He got up from the floor and walked over to the dying fire, glancing around cautiously before stomping out the remaining embers.
"Who left this here?" Kiba muttered as he picked up the box.
When he opened it, he found a well-prepared meal with a generous portion of meat.
'Must be from the Hokage,' Kiba decided, choosing not to consider more troubling possibilities.
With a shrug, he reached into his bag for his toothbrush and toothpaste to clean his mouth before eating.
'Not bad,' he thought as he finished the meal.
Not wanting to waste the container, he washed it carefully with the soap his family had given him.
After a deep exhale, he announced to himself, "Time to make a net for fishing. Maybe I can sell some too."
He gathered flexible reeds and thin branches from the nearby riverbank. Carefully, he twisted them into rough ropes by braiding the strands together, then wove them into a crude but functional net.
To reinforce it, he molded earth-natured chakra into mud and pressed it onto the ropes, hardening them as they dried.
The entire process took hours of painstaking work. By the time he finished, the sun hung high in the sky.
While waiting for the mud to fully harden, Kiba decided to train. He kicked off his shoes first, they always got in the way anyway.
Kiba began his training routine, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups on the sturdy tree branches. To finish his workout, he formed an earth-style boulder just heavy enough to challenge him, lifting and dropping it repeatedly.
As he trained, completely focused on his exercises, he failed to notice the arrival of an observer. The Third Hokage stood quietly at the edge of the clearing, impressed by both the functional net Kiba had created and the boy's disciplined training regimen.
After completing his final set, Kiba wiped the sweat from his brow during his 45-second rest period. When he turned around, he startled slightly at the sight of the Hokage casually seated on a stone.
"Hokage-sama," Kiba said, offering a respectful nod.
"Ah, my disguise has been discovered," Hiruzen chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement.
"Thank you for the food," Kiba added directly.
'He's sharper than I expected,' Hiruzen thought, his smile warming.
Rising from his seat, the Hokage explained, "Since you've recognized me, I should tell you - your mother sent me to check on you."
"I'm doing fine. Please tell her not to worry," Kiba replied.
"You don't want my help?" Hiruzen asked, genuinely surprised.
"You're going to put me in an orphanage, aren't you?" Kiba countered.
"Yes, where you could make many friends," Hiruzen offered kindly.
"I'd rather stay here alone," Kiba said firmly.
Hiruzen studied the determined young face before him. "If that's your choice, I won't force you," he conceded, understanding the pride of a child dealing with exile.
"Until next time, Kiba," the Hokage said as he turned to leave.
"Goodbye, Hokage-sama," Kiba responded.
— — — — —
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