Sage of Hearts

Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affliated properties.If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?

"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)

'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought

The Sage of Hearts

Unnamed Kingdom, Middle of the Winter

It was the height of winter; everything in the kingdom was covered in a thick blanket of snow. Normally, the streets would be filled with people going about their daily lives and children excitedly frolicking in the snowy streets as they prepared themselves for the winter festivities. However, this winter was like no other – the cold bit deep into the flesh of the people, chilling the very souls of even the most boisterous men. Everyone was taking shelter in their homes or the local inn, warming themselves up with a mug of ale or a cup of hot tea with a blazing hearth not too far off. However, not everyone was so lucky – like all of life's events, there are always exceptions for some exceptional people. And so, our story begins with one solitary child dressed in ratty trousers, boots and a coat two sizes too big for him slowly making his way through the snow towards a local inn, doggedly pulling a dead doe behind him.

Life as a peasant was hard but at least they could band together in their little villages to placate the demands of their local feudal lord. Of course, if they were lucky (or unlucky depending on who you asked) enough to live in the territory of the local king, they would enjoy 'security' from the castle guards while simultaneously carrying the onus of providing for a monarch who in most cases would be detached from the reality of life in his kingdom (you couldn't blame the king in this case as he had his hands full with his new wife, Queen Grimhilde after his first wife died). Now, if you were a street urchin with no family or wealth to speak of, life was almost impossible without some form of providence. As a street urchin himself, Naruto (he was sure that was his name at least – even in his earliest memories, that name felt like it was branded on his very soul) had a tough time ekeing out a living – between the various odd jobs he would do and the occasional pickpocketing spree, the money he got allowed him to sleep in the inn stables and get a meal a day. Life was quite hard indeed but if you asked Naruto what he thought of it, he'd call it living on the edge – at least he was strong enough to do the work people gave him and fast enough to evade the local constable when he was caught pickpocketing (but it really was only one time…how was he supposed to know that that perfume merchant had rolls of fat big enough to look like pockets?!).

"Unbelievable…I know that this is the coldest winter this kingdom but to think that I would be forced to lug this deer all the way to the inn all by lonesome is crazy!" Naruto huffed in exasperation as he wiped some sweat off of his ruddy face before it could freeze on it (that was a painful discovery for four year old Naruto – frozen sweat actually hurts you when you move your face). Now, one might ask, just how could Naruto survive alone for his whole life (7 years – not a whole lot of time, but try telling that to him…)? Well, Naruto was a special little boy – ever since he could walk, he could see and talk with all sorts of magical creatures- fairies, forest spirits, and the list goes on. Apparently, he possessed a strange energy, not quite like magic but just vibrant enough to attract these types of creatures. When he was a toddler, they took care of him when they found him in the forest, in the hollow of a huge dead oak tree, wrapped in a thick layer of moss. As he got older, the fairies (three of them in particular, calling themselves the 'Good Fairies') taught him how to talk and understand human customs before leaving him in this kingdom to make something of himself(he tried to stay with them but they said they had to return to their home, a kingdom far from the one he was found in).

Fitting in with the townspeople was a little rough at first – little Naruto( he was about 6 years old then) didn't know the difference between a noble and a peasant – while this endeared him to the commonfolk, the city guards, soldiers and visiting nobles found him irritating, especially when he pestered them for work. Nevertheless, his indefatigable vitality and stamina won him the respect of some people (like the innkeeper, the blacksmith and Humbert, the castle stablemaster and huntsman). This allowed him to make a living taking on the odd errand to make ends meet. This time, the innkeeper wanted Naruto to bring him some rabbits and other small animals for provisions but Naruto had gotten impatient stalking the empty woods for the tiny critters and decided to enter the kings personally stocked hunting grounds.

"But then again, it's good that no one's around to see me carry this deer – I know Humbert wouldn't make too much of a fuss but the castle guards would have me in the dungeons for less…" Naruto grumbled as he finally reached the inn and gave the door a firm rap.

"Ah Naruto! You're back- you were taking so long with the rabbits that we had to break out almost all of our ale for the castle guards…wait a minute…i-i-is that a doe?! Where did you find one – more importantly, how did you kill it?!" The innkeeper gasped out as he looked Naruto over with in surprise – the lad had incredible speed and strength but to bring down a doe without a mount or a weapon, the kid had to be magical or something similar.

"Don't worry about it – now as payment I would like a warm bowl of venison stew and a warm cot, I'm colder than a witch's tits here!" Naruto said as the innkeeper then boxed the kid's ears as Naruto yelped in indignation.

"Quite the mouth on you there lad. I will have none of that here though-guttermouths don't get any venison just so you know." He said as Naruto mumbled his assent.

"Stingy~ Fine, I won't say stuff like that anymore. Can I get some food and a bed today though? It's freezing outside…" Naruto said as he dragged the doe to the pantry with the innkeeper following close behind(he liked the kid and all but no kid could resist a pantry full of food, particularly desserts…).

Unfortunately for Naruto, he forgot two main things- the first was that he came in the front door when he should have taken the back so now the entire inn could see a child dragging an animal twice his size to the back of the establishment. The second was that the innkeeper mentioned that the castle guards were in the inn making merry with drink – even in their inebriated state, they would surely notice the quality of the doe and put together the clues and figure out that he raided the king's personal woods.

"Hey brat! Where did you get that doe there?! The local woods have been bare of any game this season!" One guard (who shall remain unnamed, given his generic appearance and attitude) shouted as he staggered out of his seat and made his way to a wide-eyed Naruto. His compatriots(and Humbert surprisingly) also turned in his direction, the huntsman's eyes widening as he recognized the type of game the kid had and where he probably got it from.

'Damn it all Naruto! You just had to raid the king's personal hunting grounds didn't you? Now you have a fortnight in the castle dungeons to look forward to…Queen Grimhilde won't care if you're a child and the king probably will not interfere as he is still grieving over his last wife.' Humbert thought as he got up and also approached Naruto.

"Err...well, I was looking for some rabbits and couldn't find any so I took a different trail and sorta came across this doe here..heh heh…" Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The guard and Humbert then crouched down and inspected the doe as Humbert heaved a heavy sigh.

"Naruto."

"Y-yeah?"

"Did this different trail lead to the castle by any chance?"

"N-no! Why would you say such a thing? How could I even approach the castle grounds as a common street urchin?!"

"Well, I know for a fact that the king's woods are stocked with game every month and as the queen's huntsman, I can tell you that this doe belongs to the king. I'm sorry Naruto, but you'll have to come with me to the castle to be sentenced for poaching." Humbert said as the other guards also approached the wide eyed Naruto just in case the kid tried to make a run for it.

"And don't try to run away – I'd hate for my buzz to wear off just because some brat decided to make my day 'interesting'." The first guard said as he made to grab Naruto as his fearful eyes suddenly twinkled mischievously as he grabbed the guard's gauntlet and in a remarkable show of strength threw a fully grown man into in his compatriots, knocking them down like bowling pins. Humbert then looked at Naruto, aghast as he saw the kid rolling up the sleeves of his heavy coat with a playful mien.

"Naruto!! What have you done?! Just come quietly – a fortnight in the dungeons isn't as bad you think…especially since as a kid, you will have a private cell." Humbert said as Naruto scoffed.

"Oh I know I'm going to the dungeons… I just want to get a few licks in on these blockheads before they jeer at me when I'm behind bars." Naruto said as he bounced on the balls of his feet, getting ready to rumble with the guards who had just gotten to their feet, looking positively ticked off.

What then followed was later talked about in the inn as a cacophony of yells, manic laughter and the anguished wails of a poor innkeeper as his quaint little inn turned into a veritable bed of chaos.

...…..

Some time…and bruises later,

Throne room

"Sorry to bother you at such a late hour your Majesties, but we had a situation at the local inn that requires your attention." Humbert said as he kneeled before the King and Queen Grimhilde with the young princess Snow White sitting on her father's lap(four years old and the apple of her father's eye) looking curiously at the funny looking boy her father's guards brought in.

"Ah, Humbert. You have always been the serious sort – you serve my lady wife dutifully so I will listen to what you have to say." The king said as he stroked his beard thoughtfully as he noticed that while Humbert and the guards with him looked like they had a tumble with a bear(without the mauling of course), the child they brought with them looked as fresh as a daisy, looking at the throne room and Snow white with shiny eyes.

"Thank you your Majesty. Earlier this evening, my compatriots and I were engaging in revelry at the inn when we caught this young rascal dragging a doe into the establishment. Understandably curious, a guard asked where he came upon it-upon further investigation, the doe was discovered to be part of your personal game that we stock the castle woods with. When he was accused of poaching, the child resisted arrest-" Humbert was then interrupted as Queen Grimhilde scoffed derisively as she glanced at Humbert and Naruto disbelievingly.

"Surely you would not have us believe this mere child would be capable of manhandling six or seven men after supposedly bringing a doe down with no weapons visible on his form? Please refrain from insulting our intelligence." She said in a smooth, icy tone as her flinty gaze locked onto Humbert who gulped in apprehension. As she was about to continue however, she was interrupted in turn by Naruto who wanted to get a word in edgewise(he wasn't going to take this belittlement from this uppity lady, no sir!).

"Believe it lady! Naruto doesn't do anything half-cocked! Besides, your so called guards couldn't contain my amazing and bombastic self!" Naruto said as he easily shrugged off the firm hands of the guardon his shoulders as he grinned cockily at the King and Queen. The King went wide eyed at the child's apparent strength before he looked contemplatively at his daughter, who looked positively entertained with this new boy's antics as she hid a shy giggle behind her hands. Queen Grimhilde on the other hand, went wide eyed but for entirely different reason.

'This boy-his life force is vast, bigger than my magical reserves even with my demon pacts…if I wasn't sure that he was human, I'd say he was a forest spirit as well. Perhaps, I could make use of that vitality, especially since he doesn't seem to have any magical knowledge, for my experiments…' Queen Grimhilde thought as she could feel the boy's warm and bountiful energy wash over her, her own energy greedily lapping it up to bolster itself.

As Humbert was about to speak once more, the King then decided to interject before things could escalate.

"My boy, Naruto was it? While poaching would normally land you a fortnight in the dungeons, I feel as though that would be a waste with a strapping lad such as yourself. You are an orphan if I am not mistaken – why don't you rise above the life of a street urchin and become part of my castle guard? You are still young, so you would also be the perfect bodyguard and playmate for my daughter as well." 

"Y-your Majesty?!" Humbert and the guards gasped in surprise as the Queen hummed in assent, her mind elsewhere.

Naruto was preening at the praise from the king himself before he caught the last part of what the king said.

"You want to hire me?! Sure! Beats scrounging around for meals every day and your daughter looks like she'd be a great friend!" Naruto grinned with a thumbs up as he looked at the king and the princess as the king smiled in amusement as the girl eeped in surprise and burrowed her face into her father's robes.

"Then it is settled. My lady wife and I shall retire for the evening and Humbert shall prepare your quarters. Take this time to get to know your future charge." The king said as everyone left, leaving Naruto and Snow in the throne room. The poor girl was too shy to look at the boy in the eye as she tugged at the hem of her dress so Naruto decided to break the ice as he smiled at her.

"Hey there! Don't worry, I won't bite – I know I may seem mean with how I beat up your Papa's guards but I am really a nice guy!" Naruto said as he crouched down to the princess's height as she looked at him with a small but sweet smile.

"Truly? You will be my friend and protector?"

"Sure! Just one problem though…" Naruto said he scratched his head in consternation.

"W-what is it?" She asked as she saw him looking confused all of a sudden.

"I still don't know your name! Some friend I am…" Naruto said as he blushed in embarrassment (street urchins have no formal education and so knowing the monarchs beyond their titles was beyond him).

*Giggle*"My name? It's Snow White – don't worry, you look like you'd be a great friend." She said as she took his cheeks in her hands and smushed them together with another sweet giggle as she saw Naruto started blushing at the contact.

And so, the journey of the Sage of Hearts began an odyssey through time and space with one blustering boy and his charge (the first of many to be sure).

 This wraps up chapter 2. Don't worry, Naruto won't be collecting princesses like Pokemon and discarding them- they will remain relevant throughout the story. To the reviewer who said this reminds them of Mumei Mu's fanfic, thanks! Mu's fics are masterpieces and are an inspiration to me since they are such fresh reads. Naruto has started his journey with Snow White (first Disney movie, back in 1937) and will revamp this classic tale. If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link: p#at#re#on.com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hashtags).

Reviews and comments are always welcome!