The rain fell down silently, the droplets splashing into the puddles with soft sounds. It was quiet on the streets, the cold air brushing against one's lips, making them shiver and cringe. A young boy sat behind a window, watching the storm work its way around Konoha. Blond hair swept across his eyes while the expressionless face stared out the window.

Naruto Uzumaki was eight. He lived alone in a run down apartment on the less wealthy side of Konoha. Unlike all the other children with their mothers and fathers, Naruto was orphaned, left alone in a cold merciless world.

"Ten 'o'clock…" he whispered softly as a tear rolled down his cheek. Today had been the longest day he had ever encountered by himself. It would be nice if he had someone to share it with.

The blue crystal eyes turned towards the door of his room. The lights were off, the glare of the orange street lights cast shadows along his walls. He got up and brushed his hair out of his eyes as he stumbled off his bed. His stomach growled, telling him that it was time to eat. "Mn…if only there was food" he said sarcastically as he padded into the hallway.

Something inside of him told him to stay where he was, something inside of him screamed at him to not take another step. If he did, it would probably be his last one. He shook his head, trying to loosen the grip of fear. 'Someone's inside –don't go another step you fool, or it will be your last one you'll ever take' said a voice in the back of his mind.

Naruto glanced around cautiously, ignoring the voice as much as his efforts could. The feeling was still there as he shuffled his weight onto his other foot. 'No one's here, I'm just being stupid…like always' he added as he stepped into the dark kitchen.

He fumbled around for the switch, he didn't like the dark, and it scared him. The light flickered on, the rectangular shape of the kitchen light pulsed in a strobe like way, playing tricks on the walls and the boy's mind.

'See no one's even here' he thought with slight relief. Sometimes the feeling of being watched would randomly jump out and dig its claws into the back of his neck, making his mind work harder and more intensely then before. 'You're a fool! Just because you can't see someone doesn't mean they're gone!' the voice called out warningly.

Suddenly Naruto felt cold all over. His hair stood on end as shivers ran up his spine. His eyes stopped roaming around the untidy kitchen and he was rigid. The light was still flickering, his eye sight was going in and out of vision. The voice laughed and cackled, it's raspy laugh drumming against Naruto's eardrums, making them cringe in fear. "stop it!!" Naruto cried out as scenes of people running around frantically, screaming as they were ripped in half. His eyes widened as he held his hands to his head. He gripped his corn silk colored hair tightly in his hands, pulling them violently. "STOP SHOWING ME THIS!" he screamed as tears rolled down his cheeks.

What was his kitchen had now turned into a field of lush grass, but the grass was not green, but it was a crimson red. Bodies lay everywhere, ripped into many pieces or simply in half. This was one of the worst images the voice had shown him since it appeared. His sharp blue eyes shone in the flickering kitchen light, tears running down his cheeks frantically.

His knees buckled and he collapsed onto the kitchen floor, his knees tucked into his chest as he held his head, shutting his eyes tightly to try and shake away the scenes. Slowly, the image of his kitchen was washed away from his memory, everything was turning black, even the horrible images. He felt himself succumb into yet another illusion.

He lay in the center of the kitchen floor, his mouth slightly agape as a trail of saliva ran down his lips and onto the tiled floor, his eyes glazed over as they stared blankly across the white floor.

-00-

"Minato, look! He's awake" said a soft female voice. Soft hands caressed Naruto's cheek, love flowing into his heart. He looked up at a pretty red headed woman, whose eyes were a soft green. Naruto smiled as wonderful squeak of joy and happiness escaped his small lips.

A strong face with a rigid jaw smiled proudly down at the small baby, Naruto. "eh, he looks like me!" said the man as he let a heart felt chuckle escape his throat. The red haired woman turned and kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, and he'll be strong and handsome just like you too! But I think he has my personality, don't you?" she said softly with a smile.

The man smiled back at her and kissed her forehead. "yes, I'm sure he does. He'll be Hokage just like me. Believe it, he'll be a great Shinobi" the man said proudly. Naruto's eyes shone up at them, he tried to speak but all that came out was squeaks and gurgles. They smiled down at him and stroked his soft silky blonde hair. "He's a strong boy, I'm proud to call him my son" The blonde haired man spoke with a booming voice, it was deep and smooth, it suited him well. The woman laughed and pushed him playfully. "Yes, but remember, he's our son Minato" she said cheerfully.

Naruto laughed, he felt warm and relieved. Suddenly the smiling faces stopped talking and a static like sound entered Naruto's ears. Naruto looked around skittishly and wondered why this moment had been stopped. He looked up at his smiling parents' faces, they looked so happy and at peace.

Soon an eruption of flames engulfed them, burning the image from Naruto's mind. "No!! No stop! Dad?! Mom?!" he cried out as his hands tried to grab at them. The picture was a flaming inferno, Naruto felt sick to his stomach. "Come back…please don't leave me again..I don't want to be alone! I hate being alone! Please don't leave me!" he cried as tears rolled down his cheeks as the image burned from his memory, letting him return to reality.

-00-

It was cold, his hair prickled against his skin as his lashes brushed against his cheeks. He had been lying on the kitchen floor for over an hour, staring blankly at the bottom of the fridge. His eyes felt dry, his throat and mouth were sticky. He lifted his head from the floor and looked down at it. A puddle of saliva surrounded his mouth and face. "ew…" he mumbled as he pushed himself off the ground. "Ugh, I hate those black outs." He said quietly as he stumbled towards the light switch. His hands fumbled shakily as he turned it off, quickly leaving the dark room and forgetting that he was ever hungry.

He walked into the dim room, the window letting in the only portion of light from the street lamps. He sighed as he flopped down onto his bed and sunk his sticky face into the pillow. He let out a deep breath and pulled the covers above his head and curled up against the wall.

-00-

Naruto awoke to the buzzing sound of his alarm clock. He bolted out of bed and grabbed the clock violently. His eyes were not adjusted to the sunny room; it was eight 'o' clock. "SHUT UP!" he said as he whipped the clock at the wall. It smashed into tiny pieces, sending bolts, screws, and springs onto the floor.

"Ugh…I'll be late again" he said grumpily as he stumbled into his orange jumpsuit and rolled into the hallway. He ran down and skidded around the corner and into the tiny kitchen. His mind was racing; he flung the refrigerator door open and grabbed the carton of milk and a box of bran flakes.

"Good morning to me" he said as he clumsily poured the cereal into a bowl that he had pulled from the cupboards. The milk went in second, spilling over the counters and floor as he shoved it back against the wall. He grabbed a spoon and started to shovel his meal into his mouth, barely chewing or even tasting his food.

"Itadakimasu!" he said cheerfully as he brushed his uncombed hair out of his eyes. He grinned widely; this was his first day at the academy. His heart beat wildly as he grabbed a pair of mismatching socks and pulled them up, half on. He threw his shoes on and opened the door.

"Outta here!" he exclaimed as he slammed his door and locked it with his key. He grinned as he raced down the long spiral stairs and into the lobby of his apartment building. He couldn't wait to start school, all the new kids he would meet. "Get outta my way!" he said as he shoved a boy aside. He ran around the corner, not paying any attention to the villagers staring at him with hard glares and unfriendly faces.

The academy wasn't far from his apartment but it would take him at least ten minutes on foot if he had walked. But Naruto never even bothered to walk; he simply sprinted his way towards the academy, hoping to be the first one there.

'I'll make a lot of friends and I'll be the top student!' he thought determinedly as he stumbled down the hill towards the school. Soon he saw the rooftop of the academy; his eyes glittered with sheer excitement. "There it is!" he gave a big whoop and punched the air. It was the only thing he had ever looked forward to.

-00-

Iruka sat against the wall of the academy, waiting for the students to show. It was the very first day, which meant new students and a lot of trouble for him. His dark eyes watched the ground tiredly, he wasn't quite awake yet. He remembered the night before, when Kakashi had stopped by and badgered him into giving him his copy of 'pich pich paradise'. "'No, you'll never give it back! Where are my other to books that I leant you? Seriously- you're the worst ninja I know Kakashi"' he had said. Kakashi had rolled his eyes and grabbed the book while Iruka wasn't looking.

Iruka lifted his head up, his eyes searching for the loud yells. He looked up at the hill and saw only a big cloud of dust. His eyes widened, "who could that be?" he asked himself as the cloud rumbled down the hill. It wasn't even five seconds when the big cloud had rammed into a nearby tree that had a single swing tied to it.

Iruka's eyes widened and he trotted towards the fallen boy. The boy had corn silk colored hair and whiskers growing from his cheeks, they were faint but Iruka could still make them out.

"Uh, are you okay?" Iruka asked uncertainly as he held his hand out to the fallen boy. The boy looked up at him with a confused expression. "Uh…yeah I'm okay don't worry about me!" he said as he suddenly hopped onto his feet. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he said loudly with a toothy grin. Iruka rubbed his neck and let out a hearty chuckle. "That's your name is it? I'm Iruka Umino- do you go to the academy this year?" he asked as he looked down at the young boy.

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah and I'm going to be the best in the class" he replied with a cocky grin as he thumped himself on the chest, trying to appear more masculine. Iruka laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be one of the best students" he said with an encouraging smile.

The boy lit up, his eyes gleamed with pride. "Thanks!" he gave Iruka the thumbs up sign as he pounced off towards the academy. Iruka shook his head, his smile still in place. "He looks like a handful doesn't he?" asked a voice from behind him.

Iruka felt his body shudder with startle. "DON'T DO THAT!" he said loudly as he turned to face his friend Kakashi. The grey haired man laughed lightly. "Sorry about that" he said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Iruka nodded grudgingly. "Yeah…right" he said as he sent a hazy glance towards Kakashi. Iruka looked back at the academy; the orange suited boy was staring at it in awe, bouncing from one place to another. "Yeah, he seems…energetic" he said distantly as he watched the hyperactive behavior.

Kakashi laughed. "You know…he's the Jinchuuriki" his nonchalant tone of voice kind of bothered Iruka. The reminder about Kyuubi never appealed to Iruka, for he had lost both parents when the Fox demon had attacked with its nine tails.

"Oh…is he?" he asked with slight unease. He didn't wan to be awkward around his new student, but his parents were something precious to him, they should be to every child. Iruka shook those thoughts away, it had been eight years now that he had lost his parents. But He was proud of them, his pride was towards his parents, who put their lives on the line for the village of Konoha.

"Yeah, he has it pretty rough though, not many of the villagers who were around for the attack really appeal to him. Despite what Yondaime told them, they don't look at him as the "hero" of Konoha. They look at him as more of a…well more of a hazard waiting to happen" Kakashi said as he glanced at Iruka.

Iruka didn't like how casual Kakashi had said that about the attack and how the boy was a hazard. 'He couldn't be that bad of a kid…they probably don't even know him' he thought to himself as he raised his hand to scratch the back of his ear.

"Well yeah, but then again he's a handful. Did you see what he did to the carved stones the other day? Drew graffiti all over 'em. The Hokage was pretty shaken up but he was still calm towards him" Kakashi looked at Iruka, trying to read his expressionless face. Iruka thought that Kakashi was deliberately trying to make Iruka uncertain and uneasy, but that was Iruka's personal thoughts, he wasn't sure if that was the real purpose of Kakashi telling him all of this.

"Oh, well kids get into trouble…" he said lamely. There was nothing else he could think of. He looked at his grey haired friend and gave him a crooked smile. "Well I better get back to the academy, any minute now and there'll be a horde of kids running around" he smiled and combed his fingers through his hair.

His hair was up in a ponytail, keeping it out of his face. His dark hair was always troublesome but he didn't want to cut it, it had been the way it was for a long time and he didn't want to change it. "Well I'll see you around kid" said kakashi8 as he randomly disappeared. Iruka shook his head, slightly annoyed.

"He always disappears on me" he said irritably as he walked back to the academy. Kakashi was only three years older then Iruka but they remained close friends throughout the years. Iruka used to follow Kakashi like a lost puppy until he finally grew out of it at the age of thirteen, about the time his parents had died.

"Hey! Uhm- uh….Umino sensei?" called the blonde haired boy. Iruka looked up, the academy was a few yards away but the blue eyed boy was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, his eyes set into a concentrated expression. "Where are you?" he called out, looking around curiously.

Suddenly he was on his bottom and the orange suited boy was on top. "Haha, I thought you were a ninja Umino-sensei!" the boy laughed loudly, his grin gleaming in the warm morning sunlight. Iruka looked up at him and stared for a few moments before the boy's voice could reach his ears.

"You- you're…get off of me Naruto!" Iruka said as he gently pushed Naruto off and sat up. He looked at he blonde strands of hair with fascination, the boy was actually really different then most students he has had over the years. His eyes were a darker blue then anyone's and he had whiskers…

"Sorry sir. Haha but you should've seen your face!" he laughed as he scratched the back of his neck. Once he was finished laughing, Iruka grabbed him by the shoulder and held him there. "Okay, Naruto, I know it's your first day at the academy but you have to keep your energy down, you got it?" he said firmly but offered a friendly assuring smile towards the boy.

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Okay I'll try Umino-sensei" He said with a slight smile. One arm was in his pocket and the other behind his back, his two fingers crossed together. Iruka was satisfied and let the boy go. "And please, just call me Iruka- it's so formal when people say 'Umino' okay kid?" he said with a slight chuckle.

Naruto nodded and bounded towards the playground, running off on Iruka once again. Iruka shook his head and his eyes averted to the ground. What had he got himself into when he signed up to be the academy teacher? This student as much different from the many others he had taught, very different indeed.