Hello everyone!

Here it is, finally, the prologue to Crimson Eyes. One of my first fanfictions, which sadly got deleted (for reasons I'm still unclear of :/) I'm hopefully not going to put this story on the back-burner, since I want to get this done as soon as possible so that it can finally return to its proper home!

For those of you who have read, and/or completed, Crimson Eyes before, I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer with the storyline. I'm trying to write this as close to the original as possible, but my memory is admittedly a bit fuzzy. And for those of you who have no idea what's going on, basically, the "original" Crimson Eyes, the prequel to Crimson Tears, got deleted somehow, and now I'm trying to rewrite it.

Like I said, I'll be trying to get this all as close as possible to the original, as well as try to get this out at as even of a pace as I can! Now with that all out of the way, let us begin :)

-Astridelta 2/22/2014

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's the Hokage Tower."

"The report said the scroll is in there."

"No shit. Come on, we don't want those Konoha rats discovering us."

Three figures leapt from the tree branches they crouched on, landing in perfect unison on the ground before running through the small forest, towards the large dirt plain in front of them. Shrouded in shadow, it would be impossible to make out their features, aided by the black clothing wrapped around their heads all the way down to their feet. Swiftly, they broke from the treeline and ran across the dirt expanse at the top of the mountain, their footsteps the only sound that could be heard.

However, all three soon skidded to a halt as something landed in front of them. A low, animal-like growl came from the shadowy figure crouched on all fours in front of the three shinobi. One man shivered as blood red eyes stared at him...

"Oi," someone murmured, the "shing" of a blade being pulled from a holster resonating in the air with a cold, lasting ring. The shinobi stood in a triangle formation; the figure on the left stepped forward, his footsteps crunching on the ground as he held a kunai in front of his chest, pointed at the disturbance in front of them. "What, does Konoha have guard dogs now?" The man taunted. A small snarl responded him as the creature shifted slightly. Three, reddish-black tails whipped through the air behind its back.

"Are we not good enough for your precious ANBU?" The man with the kunai pressed on, sneering and chuckling to himself. The man who had been standing at the front of the formation turned his eyes to their enemy. "Konno," he warned quietly. "Enough. We must complete the mission." The man, Konno, sighed. "Fine," he muttered.

He had barely returned his attention to the creature before it leapt at him.

A sharp yell left one man's mouth as clawed fingers connected with his chest, slashing downward and leaving trails of blood in its wake. The two other shinobi beside him drew their weapons as the creature turned on them.

Lunging with a snarl, the creature latched its teeth onto one's arm, who groaned in pain before baring his teeth under the mask that covered his face and attempted to stab a kunai into the...the thing's pulsing red and black flesh. The point of the weapon had barely sunk into its neck before it roared, the sound vibrating his very flesh and bone before the creature shook its head and, with an agonized scream and blood arcing through the air, his arm was ripped from its socket. Blood sizzled, warm and thick, on the dirt ground.

The man continued to scream as he brought his remaining hand up to grasp at the wound, collapsing to the side and curling in on himself. The creature growled, then flung the useless appendage to the side. The man's teammates, sickened, rushed to aid their comrade. Konno, who had blood dripping from his torso, glared at the monster. "You son of a bitch," he shouted, then ran forward.

If one were to look closely, they would see a smirk lift the corner's of the creature's mouth.

As Konno ran at the thing, it leapt to the left with animal-like grace and successfully dodged the incoming attack. Rearing up on its hind legs, it brought its front paw crashing down on Konno's head. He barely had time to scream before his skull shattered, shards of bone and brain matter splattering the ground like a disgusting version of a child's splatter paint project.

The man who had just lost an arm called out Konno's name while the one assisting him in standing as they stared at Konno's limp, headless form. The creature leaned over the body, seeming to be sniffing, inspecting the blood and the gore before its head whipped to the side, blank white eyes locking in on the two remaining shinobi.

Thankfully, for the last two, their deaths were relatively quick.

Faster than the eye could follow, the thing turned and ran on all fours at them. The uninjured man futilely attempted to cast a jutsu as the creature's hand (paw?) latched onto his throat. A gurgled groan worked past his lips as he stared into the thing's fathomless white eyes, filled with bloodlust and malice, as it crushed his throat as easily as one would crumple a piece of paper in their palm.

Dropping his body, the thing then kicked the limp mound of flesh away, the force of the strike ripping muscle and bone alike, tearing the man's torso in half as the remain's legs and upper torso arced over the tree-line of the forest beyond. A whimper of distress sounded from the last standing shinobi, who was clutching his right hand over the bloody stump of his shoulder, blood pooling through the gaps of his fingers and tinging the air with an iron-like scent.

The creature turned slowly, as if to taunt him, to mock his fear. With the light of the moon shining down on the crimson-stained ground, the shinobi could barely see the creature's eyes flicker from white, to bloody red, to sky blue as it launched towards him, a snarl building in its throat. With a yell, the man scrambled back and turned, pushing his legs as hard as they could, running back to the forest.

His attempt was futile, for just as he was nearing the tree-line, a heavy weight slammed into his back and sent him flying forward, onto his chest. He screamed as the impact on his wound intensified the dull ache to a raging, burning pain that lanced through his very bones. Growls from behind signaled him that he was not alone.

Turning onto his back, the sight of the creature looming over him blocked even the moon from view.

"...Please..." he attempted to plea, to reason with this animal. "Please don't kill me. Please...GAHHHHH!"

A gurgled scream ripped from his throat as the creature gripped his heart in its palm.

Agonizing fire was pouring through his veins as the organ pumped, depserately clinging to a life that was to end very shortly. The creature growled once more and, through hazy eyes, he saw more than felt it rip the skin of his chest away, distantly aware of cool wind brushing over muscles that were never meant to feel the outside air.

With sickening crunching and squishing noises, his heart was torn from the tubes that connected it to his veins, and the light faded from his eyes.

"..."

The pulsing red that had covered Naruto's eyes faded. Everything, which had previously been tinted crimson, sharpened in clarity. His nose twitched as his senses began to register where he was and what had transpired. A breeze brushed over his tan skin, and he registered something warm, sticky and drying, on his hands. His gaze travelled slowly from staring at the trees in front of him, before landing on the figure underneath him.

Bile rose in his throat as he saw half-lidded brown eyes staring at him, glazed over with the remnants of fear still evident in his expression. A black cloth that had been previously been wrapped around his skull was ripped, revealing his lips, which were cracked and had blood leaking from the corners. Naruto's attention was drawn to the man's arms, one of which was missing and, where the appendage should have been, a bloody mass of muscle and bone greeted his sight.

Looking down even further, Naruto lowered his hands and slowly stepped off of the man's corpse, taking in the shreds of skin and muscle that had formerly been his chest. His ribcage, shattered with shards sticking out of the muscle, gleamed a sickeningly pale pink color in the moonlight that shone through the leaves above. Blood oozed lazily from torn vessels and arteries, already starting to turn from crimson to a dull black as it solidified and crusted over. Where the man's heart should have been according to human anatomy, was a gaping hole where blood, instead of oozing, spurted in uneven intervals from large tubes.

Disgust ran through Naruto, and he turned away before looking at his hands. Despite his horror, the sight of the crimson blood on his skin enthralled him, urging him to inspect further as he brought his palms to his face, turning them as he stared at the light that reflected off of the liquid. Then he shook his head, as if waking from a trance, and the painful truth crashed on him.

Memories that were not his rushed through his head; the smell of sweat and fear, the sight of terrified faces and the taunting sneer of a man holding a blade at him. The feeling of flesh tearing under his fingertips and bone shattering under the force of his blows. The blonde's head whipped up before his legs lurched forward, propelling him out of the forest and into the clearing that sat atop the Hokage Mountain, wind brushing his face.

When his eyes landed on the headless corpse in front of him, the vomit that he had been trying to hold back exploded from his mouth as he collapsed his knees, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the dirt. Coughing, Naruto closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth, shoulders heaving with the shaking sighs he released as he dug his fingers into the pliable dirt.

The only sounds that reached the blonde's ears were those of the city far below him, the village unaware of the monstrosity that had taken place atop the mountain that loomed over them all. Naruto shivered despite the warm March air and pushed himself into a kneeling position, taking in the goo and shards that littered the ground in front of him. The urge to vomit hit him again, but he repressed it as he assessed the situation.

This is the fourth time this month the Kyuubi has done this...as if in response to the unspoken thought, the nine-tailed demon fox inside of Naruto growled. The blonde was unable to tell if the hot air filling his lungs was his imagination, or the demon breathing inside of him. ...But it's the first time he's killed anyone, Naruto finished in his head, swallowing nervously as he stared at the still figure in front of him.

Another memory triggered inside of him as he made to stand, the scent of blood so real to Naruto that he brought his hands up to cover his nose before he remembered those, too, were slick with crimson liquid. A wavering sense of bloodthirsty glee crashed on Naruto, and for a mere moment he wondered what it would be like to taste the flesh of another human before he realized what had just processed in his mind.

Reeling backwards, Naruto's breath hitched, feeling as though someone had punched him in the gut. "...I'm too dangerous," he managed to wheeze to himself. Then, he turned and sprinted away from the bloody scene, tears streaking down his cheeks as the full realization of what he had done came to him.

He had murdered three innocent people. Well, perhaps not innocent; they were after Konoha's documents after all, but all the same, Naruto had obliterated them. Ripped them to shreds. And it was all because of the demon inside of him. Because he was too weak. Because he was a danger to those he cared about.

Naruto's paranoid mind conjured disturbing scenes as he ran over the rooftops of Konoha. Sakura, laying lifeless in a pool of blood, her stomach ripped open and her eyes wide and glazed over. Sai with his throat slashed in a red crescent, a grim smile that in Naruto's mind, mocked him. Kakashi, Tsunade, Konohamaru, he imagined each and every person he ever cared about dying, at his very hands.

The bloody train of thought was broken, however, when Naruto reached the balcony of his apartment. Breathlessly, Naruto landed and kneeled for a few moments before standing, gazing over the city of Konoha with all its twinkling lights, people milling around the streets even in this late hour of the night; all of them blissfully unaware of what had transpired on the mountaintop.

For now.

Naruto shivered and wrapped his arms around his orange and black covered torso. The memory of ripping his hands through warm skin made him cringe as his eyes traced up to the Hokage Mountain. "What do I do," the blonde whispered, brokenly, his words carrying onto the wind. Five passive stone faces stared back at Naruto, unresponsive. Naruto's cerulean eyes travelled over each and every carving, from the First Hokage's confident expression to the Second's authoritative glare, the Third's kind yet blank stare, the Fourth's youthful face, and the Fifth's proud expression.

Naruto's eyes trailed back to the Fourth's carving, eyes roaming over the massive spikes of hair that he knew to be bright blonde, the eyes that were sky blue; traits that Naruto had inherited from him. The blonde sighed and leaned his arms against the railing of the balcony, resting his weight on the iron bars under him as he continued to stare at his father's face. "What do I do, Dad," Naruto whispered once more.

A strong blast of chakra erupted in Naruto as soon as he finished, and with a gasp he clutched at his jacket with his fingers, hurriedly unzipping and throwing the coat off and bringing up the black t-shirt and the fishnet tank-top he wore underneath to gaze at the glowing orange, spiraling seal of the Shiki Fuujin on his skin.

Pain radiated from the blonde's middle, and he was forced to grit his teeth to keep from screaming at the intense heat ripping through his torso. Stepping back, Naruto fought back a groan when he felt chakra bubbling inside of hin against his will, pushing at his consciousness and fighting to render him useless. "...Go away," he grit past his tightly clenched teeth. The demon did not reply; instead a sharper, more painful burst of chakra hit Naruto and physically pushed him against the wooden door set into the wall at his side.

Naruto grit his teeth; he hated feeling so weak and useless. This lack of control over the thing inside of his body was something he loathed more than anything. Aside from Ichiraku's Ramen being closed on Mondays. That always managed to ruin Naruto's life. Well, in the moment, anyways. Naruto momentarily smiled through the pain before closing his eyes when another wave of chakra hit him, sending him falling to the floor of the balcony outside of his apartment. Along with an unexplainable urge to...

The next time Naruto woke up, his hand felt as though it were on fire. Drowsy, he rose and ran his left hand through the blonde locks atop his head, while his still fuzzy gaze drifted to his right. His eyebrows rose slightly when he saw drying blood, on top of the brown gunk from the night before, covering his fingertips and his palm. The blonde lowered his head to gaze at the appendage as a sharp twinge shot through his torso.

Groaning, Naruto flopped back onto his mattress as bile rose in his throat.

He was miserable. He felt sick to his stomach. He felt dangerous; he felt alive.

That sickened him more than anything.

With what could only be compared to the feeling of claws tearing his skin, Naruto suddenly screamed as his head ripped apart; burning and aching slashes being drawn across his closed eyelids in deep red and orange colors. It reminded him of a child's splatter paint project.

Still screaming, Naruto's back arched off of the bed as if a string were pulling his torso, his body defying gravity as the most painful sensation he had ever experienced flashed through his stomach and oh God why can't I just die-

Naruto opened his eyes to a world painted red.

Panting, he sat up, feeling warm blood oozing down his hands. Glancing, he saw that his fingernails had dug into his palms. Immediately, the wounds healed over. His nose twitched; why could he smell onigiri?

He realized he was not in control of his body when he crashed through the bedroom window.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to move his arms, twitch his fingers, do something; but he had no control over his movements as his body landed in a crouch, his hands digging into the dirt below as harsh breaths left his mouth in animalistic pants. His nose twitched again and he could smell numerous scents, some recognizable, others not. The darkness of the sky and the heavy tint in the air suggested it was late into the night. Perhaps he hadn't even slept through to the next day.

Naruto hadn't realized his body was rushing towards the Hokage Tower until the red-roofed building loomed in front of him; he sensed, then, what it was the Kyuubi truly wished to do.

Baa-chan!

Naruto screamed in his mind, fighting for control of his body as images of Tsunade flashed in front of his eyelids as he blinked, hazel eyes lifeless and blood drenching her torso.

An image of Sakura came next; her arms detached from her body and a thick gash in her neck, an upside down crescent that grinned maliciously red against her pale skin.

Kakashi and Sai, the Jonin's eyes ripped from their sockets and cuts across his legs. Sai, his pale skin covered in thick wounds and his neck slightly detached from his torso.

A slow building yowl built in Naruto's throat as feeling returned to his fingers, which he attempted to clench tight into fists. The screech became louder, a low growling tone as Naruto suddenly regained feeling in his left arm, which he immediately reached out with to grip an electrical pole that jutted out of a rooftop next to him. A sickening jolt passed through his body as his momentum was suddenly stopped, all of the force being pushed through his arm and almost breaking his grip on the metal cylinder.

In his mind, he could hear the Kyuubi screaming in rage as his will pushed the great demon away. Yelling again, Naruto forced the Kyuubi back once more, feeling the fox's exhales of breath in his own lungs; hot, steamy air as he himself swung his body around, feeling coming to his legs and the rest of his body, giving him full control over himself once more.

Naruto could only comprehend one thought as he sprinted over the rooftops back to his apartment, the spiring metal tower set against the silky black backdrop of the night sky; that thought was terror. He could have hurt the people he loved. He could have killed them.

Sakura, Tsunade, Kakashi, Iruka, Sai. Hinata, Neji, Lee, TenTen; Kiba, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji. All of them could have died tonight if Naruto hadn't pulled himself together. His breath came in labored gasps as he leapt through his broken window, landing on his mattress, the blankets that laid atop of which were soaked in blood.

His chest felt tight, his eyes watering and he collapsed to his knees, hands knotted into his hair as his mouth opened in a silent scream. He couldn't do this anymore! Naruto bent low, curling into himself as his silent plea raised to a soft yell.

I'm too dangerous.

He could have severely hurt someone.

Someone tell me what to do...someone help me...

Naruto was scared. Hell, he was fucking terrified. He didn't know what to do...but he knew, he fucking knew he couldn't stay here anymore.

I could have killed them.

He grabbed bags at will, throwing the essentials inside; clothes, food, leaving dark red handprints in his wake as he tore his apartment apart, eyes wide in fear as he continuously repeated one thought to himself:

I'm. Too. Dangerous.

He left his apartment utterly destroyed, leaping from the window he had broken previously and taking to the rooftops; he would be noticed in the streets otherwise.

A sickening pulse in his palms left his fingernails elongated and sharpened into claws, bright orange chakra bubbling around his hands as he grit his teeth, feeling his canines growing and biting into his tongue. His right hand scraped a window as he ran, a gross, shrill sound that grated on his ears and lingering as he propelled himself into the air, launching over Konoha's protective walls; walls that would now protect his home from himself as he vanished into the cover of the night.