Author's Note: I do not own Naruto, if I did, well, let's not go on about how Madara wouldn't be so well... Hitting them for a... wait for it... six? Yes I had to go there!

This is my first Naruto based fanfiction, and I'm going with putting this prologue up to get a feel for how you guys like it so far and for some suggestions on plot, etc. This is relatively unedited, so fire away with corrections!

11/2/14: Edited to include paragraph spacing, and to alter the last paragraph.

Konoha: Red Light District

Follow the dimly lit, cobbled alleyway, down to the left, cross the intersection with dusty half-light intersecting to give a brief reprieve; then into the darkness again, as sanity disappears, as fleeting as the half-light of a temporary decision a few scant moments ago.

Crimson red hair, obscured by dirt, grime and the filth of abuse flew in the hurried wind created by its owner, a young street urchin, homeless and desperate at the tender age of six.
The boy ran for all that his unshaped, directionless life was worth. Feet scrabbling for precious purchase on the cold, slippery stone beneath him, as caring as the elderly bystanders that glared, wishing death with their gazes, as he urgently scanned ahead with his own violet eyes.

The reason, you ask? The cause of the sudden rush for life? Our dear boy was fleeing frantically from his certain death by a collection of the lowest of the low: the perpetual drunks, the deranged, the simple and capable alike, however joined by the most vexing of them all: shinobi. It was from this cluster of scum and villainy that the young redhead scrabbled around the corner, however this time his feet did not find purchase, but instead found thin air as his small body found the unforgiving cobble.

Suddenly, on the wavering edges of his consciousness, he felt a presence coming towards him, nay, not the collective hive that threatened to overwhelm his own tiny spark, but a roar, powerful and strong like the fire from an open forge, bellowing in complete rage.
"Katon: Karyū Endan!" (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet) The voice bellowed, echoing endlessly, however drowned out completely by the crushing roar that the fire technique created, as the dragon-like flame hungrily surged forth, cremating the mob live, in an instant.

The darkness waxed again, leaving the boy to sweet, beautiful unconsciousness.

Konoha: Hospital

The smell came first. Devoid of feeling, caring, race or creed. It smelled of a sterile desire.
'Great.' The redhead thought. 'What did I- Oh.' He didn't need to remember what happened in order for him to arrive at the hospital once more, this time with less bandages and scrapes, he idly noted.
As if at the edges of his mind, he felt an odd buzzing, and then as time passed, he felt a strong presence, and the more he tried to follow it, the more it felt familiar, as if-

The door abruptly opened, causing the boy to sit bolt upright, fists clutching the sheets, so hard his knuckles were white, refusing to face the man who had reduced his attackers to ashes, lest he do the same to him, as well. Who knew, he might've been on the wrong end of one of the various retaliatory pranks he'd pulled.
"Are you feeling better, young man?" The voice queried, not unkindly, though hesitant. It carried none of the rage from the previous night. This caused the redhead to turn, albeit slowly.
"You're the man from last night." He thought out loud.
In response, a soft, hearty chuckle came from the man, whom he now turned fully to scrutinise. Below average height, around 5" 8' or so, with spiky, short grey hair that included the respectable goatee, however wearing a full red kimono, tied with a white sash, and covered with a white haori. It was these things that slowly made the boy's eyes widen in recognition.

"What're you doing here?" He demanded in shock. What would the Hokage want with him? Was it the prank against the grocery store that kicked him out?
"Now, no need for that." He said, slowly walking over. "May I join you?" He requested, indicating the end of the bed.
The redhead numbly nodded, still unsure of where this was going, fearing a disciplinary talk from the Hokage, who simply looked him in his violet eyes, and asked, "Naruto-kun, do you know who I am?"

The now named Naruto furrowed his brows at the man. "How do you know my name? All I have is that name, the name the orphanage hag threw at me along with others as she kicked me out. You're the Hokage, of course I know who you are."
The man's eyes steeled over briefly, before kindly looking at Naruto.
"My name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the Yondaime Hokage entrusted me to look after you, but it's a fine job I've done so far, isn't it? Now while I can't do much, as I'm running an entire village, I can do a fair few things to make your life easier. You'll now be living in an apartment of your very own, where someone will take care of your basic needs. And although you're far too young to learn, well, I have no choice. Naruto-kun, do you want to become a shinobi?"
Naruto's violet eyes widened in shock, but slowly calm, then determination, and lastly a fiery passion crossed his features.

"Yes, I want to prove that I'm better than I'm seen as. That I'm my own person. Eventually, I want to find my family, if they're around anymore. Actually…" Naruto trailed off. "Do you know who my parents are, Hokage-sama?" He queried, his eyes watching the Hokage intently, unconsciously leaking some chakra.
Hiruzen's eyes widened, although this was for a different reason. This chakra, it's almost pure Uzumaki!
"Naruto-kun, there's something I must deal with, however I'll be back shortly. Just please remain here until I get back, okay? I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." The Sandaime reassured the young boy, and upon getting a timid nod, he whirled around on the balls of his feet and vanished in a silent, seal-less shunshin.

Konoha: Gates

Meanwhile, a tenacious youth was wreaking havoc at the gates of Konoha, restraining some shinobi, sending others flying, unleashing fire, water and wind jutsu everywhere. The trouble was, all of this he was accomplishing with efficient ease, often whipping through handseals at a blur, and other times slapping his hands on the ground, only to imprison groups of shinobi within the black spidery fuuinjutsu that spewed forth from the contact points.

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen landed before the youth, and levelled his full KI at him, accompanied with a glare that could send armies quivering back to whence they came.
This young man instead returned his glare with a doujutsu he hadn't seen since the time of the Shodai Hokage, and accompanied with other traits that he was sure had died out.

Shoulder-length, relatively unruly dark crimson red hair bound back in a leather tie, with two jaw-length bangs framed his rather angular, unmarked face, however it was the shining green eyes with a pattern eerily similar, yet crucially different to the Sharingan that unnerved him so. The pupil was slitted, and the tomoe were inverted, however as there were three, he assumed it to be fully matured, as it would be in an Uchiha counterpart. The Ryuuringan, predecessor to the modern doujutsu we have today.

Clearing his throat and straightening his posture, Hiruzen assessed the boy further. He can form seal matrixes flawlessly with just his chakra and extremely quickly too. His fuuinjutsu skills must be far above even Jiraiya's abilities for him to even use them properly with that method. He's avoided the projectiles of an entire squadron of shinobi ranging from chuunin to jounin rather easily, but that could be because of his doujutsu. Although his chakra levels, damn, they're close to mine! I'm immediately assuming him to be a high A-rank threat. However, why is he even here? Could he really be-?

"I am the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure. Who are you, and why are you attacking our village? Answer, on pain of death!" He ordered tersely.
The young man seemed to assess him in kind. Sandaime Hokage. Said to have known all Fire and Earth ninjutsu in the village, known as 'the Professor' and the second 'God of Shinobi', uses Fire and Earth elements in conjunction, capable of solo performing collaboration ninjutsu. Wielder of the monkey summoning contract; high S-rank threat.

"My name is Uzumaki Rikuto. I am a travelling warrior monk from the far northern Fire temple. I demand to know why I was immediately attacked upon nearing the village and attempted to be brought into subjugation!" The now identified Rikuto snapped, his eyes blazing.
Upon hearing of Rikuto's surname, however, Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Ah, so you really are an Uzumaki then, if that show of chakra abuse and fuuinjutsu wasn't to be believed. I wasn't informed either of your existence nor coming here, although if that messenger bird that just arrived is anything to go by, I'll soon get my answers. Stand down and come with me, young man." Hiruzen said, turning his back and walking back into the village.

Rikuto, however, took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, and deactivated his doujutsu, leaving clear violet eyes in place of the piercing green.
Clapping his hands together and emitting a short, staccato series of chakra pulses, he walked away, not bothering to witness his seal arrays breaking down and fading as a result.