Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything else I may refer to. If I did, it wouldn't really be for children, like it is now.

The Ring

Prologue - Findings, pt. 1

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A small blonde-haired boy with amazingly blue eyes and three whisker-like scratches on each cheek walked down an almost deserted street, his head down in sadness. Those who were still out on the street shot the small child a glare full of hate and anger, but the boy didn't seem to notice, either that or he was just ignoring them.

The boy, Uzumaki Naruto, turned down a truly deserted alleyway and looked for something he could make into a temporary sleeping place. He finally found some cardboard and a thin and torn blanket and transformed it into a makeshift bed; it was greatly better than yesterdays ground and old and soggy scroll, not like it had anything cool in it anyway.

Naruto put his hands under his head to make a soft surface to lie his head on and sighed as he stared up at the stars. Sometimes he wished he could've been born as a star, not only because it was an easy thing to do, but more importantly, people liked stars, actually revered them, and accepted them for what they were. That's what his dream was; to be accepted by the people of Konohagakure no Sato.

A sudden noise broke little Naruto out of his reverie. It sounded sort of like metal hitting the ground. He quickly covered his small, malnourished body under the thin blanket, hiding from whoever was there.

After a moment or so, he heard some footsteps walk by him and with them a voice of a man. "Damn it all, the little motherfucker got away." Naruto heard the footsteps come nearer to his hiding spot and had to hold his breath as not to give himself away. "Oi, kobun (Henchman), do ya see it around here, I could've sworn I heard that rat bastard drop it on his way out."

A second set of footsteps entered the alleyway and with it another voice of a man. "Na, oyabun (Boss), he must've taken it with him, the little shit."

The first voice seemed to chuckle. "Yeah, he might've. Come on I got guests and I don't disappoint, unlike that dipshit of a scientist." The man started to walk away with the other and left the alleyway.

Naruto waited for five minutes, or what he assumed was five minutes before he poked his head out from under his blanket. He saw no one in the dark alley and sighed, thanking whatever god was watching over him that the thugs didn't notice him.

He lay back down and looked to the far wall of the two that closed him in. He was going to stare at it until he fell to sleep but that plan was ruined as something shined in the light cast by the full moon that caught his eye, something metal...

Naruto took the blanket off and carefully scooted over to the shiny object. He placed his hand on the ground and moved it to the object until it didn't shine anymore. He picked up the metal object and observed it closely.

It was a ring made of what looked like black steel that held his reflection, even in the dark. Naruto found that it was cold to the touch and had tribal prints on its band that were colored silver-gray and were not as reflective as the ring itself.

Naruto, in his infinite six year old curiosity, wanted to try the ring on, not knowing the effect that it would have on the outcome of the world or more importantly, his life. As he slipped the ring on he found it was too small for his little finger. Just as he was going to take the ring off and throw it back to the ground, the ring clasped down, fitting onto his finger like it was solely meant for him and him alone.

Just as Naruto was going to jump for joy that he had something other kids most likely didn't have, something happened, something that Naruto wouldn't understand until he was older.

A wave of inky blackness shot down his fingers from the ring, turning his fingernails in to sharp, black claws. The same wave then shot up his arm and all throughout his body. The blackness then shot from his body creating a dark figure around his form, the image of a horned creature with wings, claws and a tail.

Naruto himself saw things, millions of things. Information, knowledge of almost everything there was to know. His small mind not being able to comprehend what was taking place nor being able to understand all of the information being downloaded into it shut down. And then everything went black...

Deep inside Naruto's mind, a great barred door stood. Inside the room the door barred access, lay the greatest beast to walk the Earth; the Kyuubi no Kitsune in all of its red fur glory. The Kyuubi, as it were, was in a deep slumber, recuperating from its humiliating defeat at the annoying, impertinent blond ningen (human).

One of its long ears twitched, indicating it heard something, but paid no heed to it and continued with its hibernation. This move in itself would in the future come to haunt the Kyuubi a great deal. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it, the great fox kept dreaming of chasing rabbits and killing worthless ningen.

If one were to look closely, they would find a small blot of inky blackness starting to grow on the outside of the great cell, covering the floor, and Naruto's mind, with its darkness...

AN: Well I'm back from the rock I crawled under with a new story. I'm in the process of something big, something that'll change my life, hopefully for the better. I'll most likely update with the rest of the prologue by tonight or tomorrow. But this'll really get started after that, I guarantee it. Now review and tell me if I should really continue or not. Anonymous reviews are welcomed.

Oh and The Demon's Blade may not be updated for awhile, my muse for it kinda committed a selfish act and went into a coma. Damn you, you over-active imagination, damn you to the deepest pits of Hell.

Next Time on The Ring: That would be telling, now wouldn't it. You'll just have to see for your self. Gosh aren't I mean?

Until next time, RisenInfection, out