disclaimer: if i owned naruto would i really be writing fan fiction? well anyway i don and have never owned or shall own naruto or anything associated with it.

A/NOTE:(Set three years after naruto became a genin but does not follow original plot)

Kyuubi speech

'Kyuubi thought'

normal narration

human thoughts

No one knew.

It had alsways been like this.

He would put on the mask of the village idiot and try to draw recognition to himself the only way he knew.

By acting the fool.

The others would never know how much it cost him to keep this mask in place.

Sure it had slipped afew times, like when he thought of the plan to get kakashi-sensei out of the water prison but the others put it down to sheer luck.

So he became known as the lucky dobe.

Even though he had been in the same team for the past three years the others had yet to see through naruto's mask.

His peers didn't know that he was the container of the Kyuubi.

The villagers old enough to know who he was didn't know that the kyuubi had been protecting him from them from the moment that she was bonded with the kit.

They wouldn't understand that she (yes, she) had taken the little human on as her own kit when she saw how the villagers were looking at him.

She had been instructing him in the ways of the ninja ever since he was old enough to understand.

She was the one tha encouraged him to play stupid and not let the others see what he was truly capable of lest the village turn against him.

She knew a few things that could help her kit but would most probably cause him to loose faith which was why she never told him that he was the son of the yondaime.

She just kept teaching him everything she knew, from history to ninjutsu to politics etc.

By the time he entered the ninja academy he could have already graduated as chuunin and been very close to becoming a jounin, she never told her kit any of this so that he would always keep trying to improve himself no matter, come what may.

When naruto started going to ninja academy he was bored out of wis and to help amuse her kit the kyuubi would teach him more theory and history and it would often look like he was day dreaming, falling asleep or just plain not paying attention.

Thus came her idea of the mask, if her kit could convince the rest of the world that he was just a hopeless dobe than he would be safe.

It didn't keep them from glaring at her kit or the once a month attempt on his life, but it did stop it from happening more often however

over the past few years it had been growing worse as naruto had to show some progress to satisfy his sensei and the villagers were afraid the the "kyuubi" was getting to strong. Ha. If they knew the truth.

Naruto continued steadily growing over the next few years, by using just his own strength he was easily athte level of the legendary sannin if not better and if you added the kyuubi's power he was unbeatable.

By the time he reached his 15th birthday he had learnt and mastered most of the human ninja style though still had some ways to go in mastering the demons ninja style.

This is where we find him on his 15th birthday just waking up.

Oh man, shit its THAT day again.

Happy birthday kit.

Thanks kyuubi, do i really have to go that festival?

Yes , otherwise they will be more suspicious than ever.

'I worry sometimes that such a clever mind can come up with something soooo stupid.'

"NARUTO" was heard through out his apartment as sakura tried knocking down his door.

"I'm coming, no need to get so impatient."

"Well hurry up or you will miss the biggest festival of the year."

What about my birthday isn't that important as well?

'Guess i better tell the kid today so that he at least has a surprise. But if it is a pleasant one i do not know yet'

Hey kit do as she tells you. I have something important to tell you when you get back.

OK, But only if you promise to spend the rest of the day with me.

Sure kit. 'I know how much it means to you.'