Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Plain and simple.

Claimer: I do, however, own the idea for this story. Just not the characters.

This is something of a prologue for the idea I've been pondering, in the form of a one-shot anyway. Hopefully, you'll like it. Whether I'll turn it into a full length story or not is undecided. Keep in mind, this is an AU. Things will be different, but I'll be sure to try and keep characters in character.


Konoha of the hidden leaf, a village that was kept in secret from the rest of the world, held secrets that were beyond normal human thought. This particular village held warriors who were as powerful as knights, had the magic of a sorcerer, yet the speed and dexterity of a skilled thief all in one.

These honored warriors were known as ninjas.

Surrounded by high mountains and powerful illusions known as genjutsu, this village had prevented outsiders from discovering them, and in return, have locked themselves in seclusion. The village was a peaceful one, tranquil and lush with vegetation and wildlife. Streets and markets were filled with villagers enjoying their blissful lives, free of outside interference. The outer world was always thought to be barbaric, filled with people who knew nothing more than fighting and killing. Safe with the help of ancient ninja techniques, everything was secured tightly and routinely. The village would live forever in prosperity and peace.

However, 'forever' ended today with the arrival of one creature.

Within the next few hours upon the beast's explosive entrance, the once peaceful land was thrown into a world of pain and chaos. Fire and death spreading quickly as the creature began destroying the village. The village's best warriors fell prey to the might of this beast, who took the form of a gigantic fox with nine tails.

It was a battle against the world's most fearsome demon, the nine-tailed fox named Kyuubi.

"Perish, human scum!" The fox howled, swiping down several houses, crushing the pathetic resistance in the process. With this village gone, he would able to sweep the world by storm, nothing able to stop his rampage. There was no one to stop him, and the world would soon be at his mercy.

No one except one person.

"Hey you stupid fox! Stop destroying my village or I'll kick your ass!" A young voice roared.

"Hmm…?" Kyuubi narrowed his eyes, focusing on a rather puny human with spiky blonde hair. The 14 year old wore an orange jump suit with blue sandals. On his forehead was a blue bandanna brandishing a steel plate with Konoha's symbol carved on it, a leaf. The boy's blue eyes glared fiercely at the demon's frightening red ones. "Are you stupid or something, you pesk? Cry for mercy while you can, and maybe I'll give you a swift death!"

The young boy pointed at Kyuubi. "You're the stupid one, thinking you can just waltz in here and kill everybody! Maybe if you beg, I'll give you a small ass-kicking!"

One of the villagers who spotted the boy stared in horror. What was that foolish kid thinking? "NARUTO! DON'T BE A HERO! RUN WHILE YOU CAN!" A man shouted, having a scar cut across the bridge of his nose.

Naruto glanced down and smiled at the tanned man. "Hey, Iruka-sensei! Watch me kick this guy's ass!"

"NO, WAIT—" Iruka's pleas were cut off by the sound of booming laughter.

"You, kick MY ass? I would like to see you even reach it, you insect! What can you do?"

"I can beat your ass with my super special awesome new jutsu I developed! You can't win, Kyuubi!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Super special awesome new jutsu…?" Both Kyuubi and Iruka pondered. Safe to say, no one knew what he was talking about.

"That's right! I created it this morning!"

Iruka almost fell over in surprise, dumbfounded. He always knew Naruto for being a little dumb, but this was overkill. "YOU DUMB ASS! YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND CREATING JUTSUS!!"

"HAHAHA! You're a weird one!" Kyuubi howled with laughter. "I'll tell you what: I'll let you humor me. You have 30 seconds to do your jutsu. However, if you can't beat me, I will destroy your village with MY ultimate technique! Care to wager the fate of your village with your super special awesome jutsu?"

'There's no way that kid is stupid enough to fall for that!' Some of the villagers thought, watching Naruto beam with excitement.

"Hell yeah! It'll be a battle of the ultimate techniques!" Naruto agreed.

'….We're screwed.' The villagers groaned, seeing their end quickly approaching.

"Begin!" Kyuubi growled, standing on its two hind legs. The fox demon placed its front paws close together, its nine tails sticking out in several directions. The tip of each tail started forming balls of condensed energy, which transferred through his body. This in turn started forming energy into the space between its front paws.

Meanwhile, with Naruto, his hands started forming different seals and poses. 'Inu, Tori, Saru, Nezumi, Usagi…uh….' Naruto started sweating as his hand stopped, fixed on the Usagi seal.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Iruka asked, worried.

"Uh…" Naruto gave Iruka a nervous smile. "The funny thing is…I totally forgot the seals for the jutsu…"

"YOU WHAT!?" Iruka was seconds from having a heart attack.

"You only got 15 seconds kid, before you and this village are turned to ash! Better say your prayer's while you still can!" Kyuubi warned, having fun toying with the humans. There was no way a kid, a foolish one at that, could ever hope to defeat him. This would be the end for the ninja village of Konoha.

'Damn! Come on…what were those freaking seals…? This is starting to look bad...!' Naruto started rapidly performing random seals; randomly picking signs from the top of his head in hopes of activating the jutsu on luck.

"Times up! DIE!" Kyuubi held the beam together while aiming at Naruto.

Demon Art: Havoc Render!

A wave of red demon energy rushed at Naruto, dissolving anything that was even remotely near it. Once the blast killed Naruto, it would explode, taking Konoha along with it.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still attempting to create seals for his so-called new jutsu, hoping to pull off a win out of nowhere. '…O-ushi, Ryu…what the!?' Naruto suddenly started feeling something he never had before. His chakra flow increased dramatically, almost spiraling out of control. His body was enveloped in blue light. The brightest part of his body was his hands. Though he badly wanted to know what he did, this was no time for pondering. If that Havoc Render hit him, it was over.

Uzumaki Naruto…

'What the…? Is the jutsu….talking to me…?' Naruto wondered, obliteration nearing. The sagely voice was deep, somehow talking from within Naruto's mind.

Hurry, use your hands. If you wish to save your village, you must absorb the attack. I will do the rest…

"Alright! It's all or nothing!" With a battle cry, Naruto slammed his hands against the Havoc Render. Just like the voice in his head told him, the attack was actually absorbing the attack.

'WHAT!?' Kyuubi was astounded by this, his most powerful attack being drawn in by such a small kid. He suddenly noticed the color of his attack being changed to light blue, and soon enough, his body. 'What is happening!? What did that brat do!?'

Now, Uzumaki Naruto…call out the name of this jutsu, and put every ounce of energy into this attack…

"Here I go!" Naruto yelled out the name of his new jutsu, which caused Kyuubi's eyes to widen in horror and disbelief.

Ninja Art: Demon Seal!

A flash of light was the last thing Kyuubi and Naruto saw before everything went black.

Sometime later…

Naruto found himself in a black space, floating in some type of limbo. He looked around for anything, absolutely anything, but found the opposite. Without anything to even hold, Naruto ended up floating in midair, helpless to do anything. 'What is this place…? Am I…dead?'

Uzumaki Naruto…your time to leave the physical world is not now. You still have much to accomplish. Awaken from your slumber, and set your sights north…

"But I can't leave my village! No one is allowed to leave this village!"

You shall soon see...

"See what? Stop speaking in riddles, dammit! You're worse than Iruka-sensei!" Naruto pouted, confused.

Destiny is unavoidable, but the future isn't. Only destiny is set in stone, and yours is to save everyone else's destiny. You now control a power which knew only to destroy. Do with it what your heart desires, whether it is destruction, protection, or something more…

Your destiny…starts now…

"Naruto! Speak to me!" A voice pleaded, filled with grief.

With his eyes closed, Naruto recognized that voice. "Iruka…-sensei?" Naruto found himself lying on a makeshift bed inside a raggedy and decayed house. The windows were broken, and the walls were falling apart. He gasped once he found a picture sitting on a shabby looking shelf. It had a picture of a young Naruto and Iruka. "Iruka-sensei! Your house, it's…"

"It's okay Naruto. I'm just glad you're still alive." Iruka ruffled Naruto's head, watching over him. "You gave us one hell of a scare last night. Promise me you'll never, ever scare me like that again."

'Last night…' Naruto gasped upon realizing what happened. "What happened last night? Did we defeat the fox?"

Iruka closed his eyes. "We didn't do anything. You, however, defeated the fox. But…"

Naruto, who would've normally been excited about gaining such a victory, felt worried about Iruka's unfinished sentence. "But…what?"

"How should I put this…?" Iruka scratched his chin, trying to think up a good explanation. "That jutsu you used…it's not your normal, run-in-the-mill jutsu, but an ancient technique created by one of the most powerful ninjas in history, Yondaime. The thing is, you didn't really defeat the fox, but at the same time, you did. It's actually kind of hard to explain."

"Tell me about it. That doesn't make any sense. How could you not defeat something, but defeat something at the same time?" Naruto asked, purely confused.

Iruka sighed. If anything, Naruto would find out eventually. He might as well tell him before someone else had to. "You see Naruto, the demon fox is actually—"

"Iruka-san, we know that kid is in there! Bring him out this instant!" An angered villager's voice yelled, banging on the door.

"Damn, they're on to me already." Iruka turned to the confused Naruto. "Look, there's no time to explain. I've filled your backpack with everything you'll need. You have to leave the village, now!"

The sudden news caused Naruto to jolt out of bed, panicked. "Leave the village!? Why, what happened? Did I do something wrong?"

Iruka shook his head, albeit sadly. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. You'll probably understand when you grow older. You can't stay here any longer. Can you move?"

Naruto was confused and alarmed, but trusted his mentor. "Yeah."

"Good, follow me." After Naruto equipped the backpack, Iruka gestured Naruto to leapt out the window and follow.

With the village in rubble, there were many hiding spots and crawl spaces for Naruto to pass through. This didn't make any sense to Naruto. Why did he have to hide from the villagers? When he asked, Iruka didn't answer, but wore a grim look on his face. While crawling under a collapsed house, he heard one of the villagers speaking to another. "Search high and low for that boy! We can't let him escape!"

"That's right! If he escapes and that demon gets out, it'll come back and finish us off!"

"We have to kill him before he escapes! Let's hurry!" The two villagers split apart, searching high and low for their target.

'Let the demon get out…? But Iruka-sensei said I defeated it. Nothing's making sense.' Once the two successfully got through the first half, Naruto was able to take a good glimpse at Konoha, or rather, what was left of it. The intersection that was the middle of the city was in shambles. Buildings were torn to shreds, their remains scattered all across the street. Most of the rocks were caked in dried blood. The area was void of life and hope, which was buried along with the bodies. It was despairing how under a few hours, Konoha could fall to one demon.

"Looks like this village will take awhile to recover from the attack…" Iruka murmured to himself. "Let's hurry. We're close to the exit." He started dashing for the place he had in mind, making sure Naruto was close behind him. They leapt on top and over broken buildings and fallen debris, making sure to hide behind cover when needed.

While running, Naruto happened to have heard another group of villagers passing by. "Get the demon child! We can't let him escape!"

'Demon child…?' Naruto had no idea who the demon child was, but it seemed as though he was someone connected to this person they were after. Naruto started putting pieces together.

"You have to leave the village, now!"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. You'll probably understand when you grow older. You can't stay here any longer."

"That's right! If he escapes, and that demon gets out, it'll come back for us and finish us off!"

"If he escapes and that demon gets out, it'll come back and finish us off!"

"Get the demon child! We can't let him escape!"

Everything was suddenly getting clearer as he started recapping on what he heard. Naruto's expression grew dark as his suspicions about what happened started to increase. "Iruka-sensei…about the Kyuubi…did I somehow—"

"Here we are! This is the exit!" Iruka ushered, purposely dodging the question. The 'exit' was nothing more than the back forest of Konoha, a spacious field that revealed the rocky wall of an enormous mountain.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing here. This better not be some sort of trick." Naruto crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"It may look like a wall, but this is actually an exit. Thanks to the use of genjutsu this path is made to look like a wall." Iruka formed his hands into several seals, performing it for a few moments before activating the release jutsu. "Release!" At the call, a section of the wall faded away, revealing a path through a cave. "This will take you straight outside."

"Iruka-sensei…"

"After going through, you'll reach a forest. Try not to get lost on your way through—"

"Iruka-sensei! Just what the hell is going on!?" Naruto shouted, frustrated with his mentor.

Iruka sighed, knowing he couldn't hold the truth from Naruto for too long. His eyes bore into the wall for what felt like an eternity, trying to find the words to convey what he needed to Naruto. The boy had a right to know. "Naruto…when you used that jutsu against Kyuubi, it didn't kill him, but sealed him. In order for that jutsu to work, it needs a 'container', something to seal the demon spirit in. However, the container has to be a human body, namely, the user."

"So…" Naruto's heartbeat quickened as the realization started sinking in. "Kyuubi's…inside me…?" His anxiety only increased with Iruka's silence. "Y-y-your kidding, right Iruka-sensei? I mean, there's no way that's real." The truth was a huge burden on his psyche. The same demon that killed many of his village folk and destroyed his home would inhabit his body. His face was filled with confusion, anger, and depression all in one. 'If the demon is sealed within me, then does that mean it could be free? Is that why everyone suddenly wants to kill me?'

Naruto made a silent gasp when Iruka knelt in front of him, embracing the demon carrier. "Please…don't hate the villagers here. Many have lost friends, families, and even loved ones to the fox. They are merely looking for someone to blame for the tragedy. In time, they will hopefully come back to their senses and end this madness. However, you aren't safe here. You must go."

"Come with me, sensei!" Naruto pleaded, tears brimming under his eyelids. "Won't they hunt you down too?"

"I'll be fine. I will help some of those who are on your side make sense of this chaos while you take the time to escape to somewhere safe." Iruka made a wide smile, wanting to encourage the boy rather than put him down. "Go out there and have some fun! Meet some friends, and someday, when you return, tell me about all of the adventures you've had!"

"S-sensei…!" Iruka would have laughed at Naruto's childish, snot-hanging, teary-eyed face, had the moment not been serious. The young 14 year old hugged his teacher back, who patted him on the back. "I-I will go, but I'll be back! I'll return as the best ninja in the world and watch over Konoha as the hokage! I'll get stronger and help my village!"

"That's the spirit." Iruka grinned. The hokage was the title reserved for only the strongest ninjas in the world, who watched over their respective ninja villages. He remembered all of the rants the bratty boy made about becoming the hokage ever since the old days. The dream never faltered, but only increased over time, as did his passion for being a strong ninja. As clumsy and foolish the boy was, Iruka had a feeling that Naruto would one day be worthy of being hokage. "Now go. I'll close up the gate and head back to find our hokage.

"Ah, I almost forgot about the old fart." Naruto gasped with a start. Sarutobi Sandaime , the current hokage of Konoha, was a powerful and noble village leader who loved his people dearly. Naruto respected him deeply, treated him as though he was his own grandfather. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know. While fighting the demon fox Kyuubi, he was thrown into a building which collapsed over him. Some of us are trying to find him under the rubble. Though he may be old, he IS our hokage. He should be alright, probably just unconscious." Iruka heard the sound of shouting and rapid walking heading towards his direction. "Damn, they're here. Naruto, hurry! I'll close it up when you're through!"

"Okay!" Naruto ran into the cavern tunnel. He stopped to turn around, waving a final farewell to his father figure. "Be careful Iruka-sensei! Take care!"

"You too Naruto! Live strong and be a proud ninja! We're all counting on you!" Iruka did the hand seals required to seal up the cave, successfully saving Naruto from the angry villager's fury. He decided to make himself scarce, disappearing in a puff of smoke just in time as the villagers arrived at the spot, confused as to why no one was there. After some searching, they left the area and returned to the village, figuring that not even Naruto would be stupid enough to leave the village, or even know how to in the first place.

Little did they know, a legend that would sweep the world by storm would soon take place…


So yeah, this is something of a prologue. Whether I continue this story or not depends on how much I plan on doing it. If anything, it won't be nearly as long as FD or BL will be, but it should prove sufficiently long. Trust me when I say I hardly planned out this story yet, but I have enough of a solid base to start off from. Who knows? Maybe this could span into an epic that would rock even my on socks. What do you guys think of it so far? Be sure to lemme know, and maybe (possibly if I get enough reviews), I'll continue this. Until next time!