DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING RELATED

KITSUNE OF THE SNAKE

CHAPTER 1: UNHOLY SAVIOR

Night falls in the village of Konoha. It's dark and quiet. Not a soul is found on the village streets, save for one person. Not an adult, but rather a child, a small girl, no older than six. She walks along the dirt roads of the village, finding somewhere, anywhere to sleep. Her blonde hair, hanging in two pigtails, just passed the base of her neck. She has golden-tan skin, from being exposed to the sun and outdoors all the time. A pair of dark blue, almost bluer than the ocean, glance around in the darkness. The most standout feature on the child however, are the three whisker-like marks on each cheek, the bushy tail coming out of the lower half of the dress, and a pair of fox-like ears poking out of her hair. The child's name is Uzumaki Sora, otherwise known as the vessel for the Kyuubi, otherwise known as the nine-tailed fox demon.

As Sora walked along the deserted streets, she clutches her only procession, a ratty, beaten teddy bear, close to her chest as she turns another corner. A cold wind blows, sending a shiver up her spine. Her body is tired, trying to stay moving, and not collapse on the open streets. That's the worst place anyone could pass out, at least in Sora's mind. If Sora was to fall into sleep here, then they would find her. If they found her, the beatings would begin again. The small girl shivered at the thought of the last one. The attackers, all of them adults, spared no energy in hurting her, and to make matters worse, the people in charge of protecting her, shinobi of the village no less, seemed to take their time in stopping the attack. And though they denied it, Sora could have sworn she saw some Shinobi, Chunin and Genin in particular, in the mob. The girl shook the thought out of her head. Such things were not pleasant to think about, especially this close to sleep.

Her eyes shifted to a look of relief as she spotted a space in an alley. A narrow opening, surrounded by a few trashcans. Most would call this gross, disgusting, and just plain awful. However, Sora saw this as the safest place in the village. She got down on her hands and knees, her tattered orange sundress with a faded dandelion on the front, dragging across a small puddle of mud as she wedged herself in.

"This place looks cozy, Kuma-chan…" Sora told her bear as she curled up in a ball. "Maybe, we'll have a safe, and cozy sleep for once…"

As the small child drifted off to sleep, a man jumped off of the rooftop. He was wearing the standard attire of a Konoha shinobi: a blue jumpsuit, green flack vest with the Konoha symbol in the back, and blue shinobi sandals. Around his head, was a bandana with the hitai-ate of Konoha attached to the front. Silver bangs hung out of the bandana, falling into his eyes.

"So… The little brat sleeps…" he whispered as he looked at the cans.

He began to walk forward, pulling a kunai out of a pouch. Grinning, he held the small blade into the moonlight, emitting a small shimmer. Not far off from his position, another person saw the shine. He smirked as he hopped out of his hiding spot, and ran into the nearest bar, where several people were gathered. They all looked back at the man who entered, one who was rather large, chunky, bald man.

"Found it." he announced. "Mizuki has the demon cornered now. There's no escape, no where to hide. She's completely trapped."

"Finally!" a black haired girl shouted, drawing a blade. She appeared to be no older than eighteen. "It's time to finally kill that monster once and for all."

The small crowd began to gather various objects and storm out of the bar. Quickly, they made their way to the alley where Sora slept. The girl hadn't stirred once since she fell asleep, and the presence of a gathering crowd did little to wake her either. The black haired woman smirked as she looked the girl over.

"So this is her?" she asked Mizuki. "The Kyuubi gaki?

"Yes…" Mizuki replied. He suddenly reached down and tossed the cans to the sides of the alley, stirring the small girl. Her eyes fluttered open quickly, and then widened at the sight of all the people surrounding her. Mizuki grinned as he slammed the girl into the wall, causing her to drop her bear in the process. "We finally have you right were we want you, demon…"

"Wh-what?" Sora asked. "What's going on?!"

"Nothing much, really…" the fat, bald man answered. "We're just finally giving you the death you deserve!" Sora began to shake in fear. The people gathered around her began to laugh. The fat man laughing harder than the others. "This is so good… I can hardly keep myself from dancing in joy!"

"Calm yourself, Kenn." Mizuki replied. "Let's save the celebrations for after we kill her!"

"Wh-why?!" Sora asked. "Why are you doing this?! What did I ever do to you?!"

"Like you need to ask!!!" an older woman shouted. "You filthy demon! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!"

The crowd began to rise in an uproar. Soon, the monster of Konoha would be gone, and no one would be able to do a thing about it. Mizuki smiled as she pressed the kunai close to Sora's neck, before turning around, looking at his fellow mob members.

"Would anyone like to make the first blow before I kill the demon bitch?" he asked.

"I will…" the black haired girl said as she walked forward. Sora's eyes fixated on her in fear. The girl's hair was in a messy bun, with bangs falling into her chocolate brown eyes. She wore a black t-shirt with a matching pair of black shorts. A necklace hung around her neck. "I've been waiting a long time for this…" she whispered as she faced Sora.

Slowly the girl pulled a kunai out of a pouch around her waist. She held it up to the moonlight, bringing it down slowly towards Sora. She stopped as it reached the younger girl's face, and held it there for a moment.

"What are you waiting for, girl?!" Mizuki asked. "Kill the thing already!"

The girl smirked.

"As you wish…" she replied.

The painful sound of a scream echoed through the alley. Eyes widened as blood was splattered through the air. A body crumpled to the ground with a loud thud. Everyone gazed at the girl, and then back at the corpse… Of Mizuki. Needless to say, Sora was completely confused, while scared at the same time. The mob was speechless, until Kenn managed to speak up.

"Wh-what… What the hell?!" he asked. He pointed at the teenage girl. "This bitch, she's a supporter of the demon!"

"Kill her!" another person shouted. "Kill them both!"

The teen smiled as she put herself between the mob and Sora. The mob's shouts began to build back up, anger radiating from all of them. The teen looked down as Sora cowered in fear.

"R-Run!" the small child cried. "They're going to kill us!"

"Heh… Not today…" the teenager replied. She raised her hand and pointed to the darkness of the alley. A pair of yellow eyes, glowing in the darkness. "There's no reason to be afraid now…"

"Indeed…" the yellow eyes replied as they began to walk forward. "You did quite well in helping me locate the child, Anko-chan."

Everyone in the mob turned to see the owner of the eyes, only to shake in fear. He had pale, white skin. His eyes were literally yellow, with long black hair going down past his shoulder blades. He wore a pair of gray pants, an off white robe, and a purple belt was tied around his waist.

"Thank you for your kind words, Orochimaru-sama…" Anko replied as she bowed on one knee.

"O-Orochimaru?!" a terrified man asked. "W-what the hell is he doing here?!"

"Who cares?!" a woman replied in fear. "Let's just get the hell out of here!"

The crowd began to panic as the Snake Sannin walked closer to the crowd. He began to make several hand signs, pausing as he looked down at Anko and Sora. He smiled gently at the small girl.

"It's alright, Sora-chan…" Orochimaru said. "They want hurt you anymore." He then looked over at Anko. "If you would, Anko-chan… I don't think Sora-chan needs to see this."

Anko nodded and picked up the small girl in her arms. She quickly ran up the wall, and away from the alley, holding her closely, stopping only after she hopped across a few rooftops. Orochimaru smiled as he watched them, before turning away and facing the mob. His smile soon faded into a look of pure hate.

"Pathetic village…" Orochimaru spat as he finished making hand signs. "You don't realize what that child truly is… None of you strong enough to see within… It will be a pleasure killing you all…"

A mass of screams radiated through the alley. Sora seemed to instantly grab hold of Anko tighter, her fox ears dropping shut, her tail wrapping around her. Anko patted her head affectionately.

"It's alright…" she whispered to Sora. "Orochimaru-sama will teach them not to hurt you…"

Within an instant, the screaming stopped. Anko and Sora both looked up to see Orochimaru land in front of them. The man looked both girls over and smiled again.

"Is she alright, Anko-chan?" he asked.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama…" Anko replied. "A little shaken, but she's ok."

"Good…" Orochimaru responded. He got down on one knee, and looked Sora over. "The ears… the tail… No doubt about it… This is indeed the Kyuubi vessel…" he thought.

"P-Please… P-Please don't hurt me…" Sora mumbled.

Orochimaru smiled.

"Of course not, Sora-chan." the man replied sweetly. "I am not like those villagers. I came here to find and save you…"

"S-Save me?" Sora asked.

"Yes, Sora-chan." Orochimaru put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "I know how it feels to be hated, a victim… Because I too have been hated and hurt by this village."

"So have I, Sora." Anko chimed in.

"Indeed… So, I came here to help you." Orochimaru announced. "To take you away from the hate and despair of Konoha. To a place where you can live peacefully, and happily… A place you can live without having the fear of being killed."

"Take me away? To a place like that?" Sora asked. "Is th-there a place really like that?"

"Of course, Sora-chan…" Orochimaru told the small six year old. "Anko-chan and myself both live there, as well as countless others who were different, hated… For no real reason."

Sora looked down, and then back up.

"Could… Could I go to such a place?" she asked Orochimaru. "P-Please? I d-don't want to stay here anymore…"

Orochimaru smiled as he petted Sora on the head. Sora looked up sadly, but then smiled at the smile on his face. Her tail began to sway more. Her ears raised slightly.

"Of course, Sora-chan…" he replied. "You are more than welcome to come with us to the village of Otogakure."

Sora looked back at Anko, who gave a friendly smile. She then looked back at Orochimaru, who held his hand out for the small girl to take. Sora looked at it nervously, but reached out and took it in her own. Orochimaru's smile widened.

"I promise you, Sora-chan… This will be the beginning of a new chapter in your life…" the Snake Sannin said.

Sora nodded slowly. That night, three shadows could be seen running from the village of Konoha. That night, history as we know it, would change forever.

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A side project I'm working on while trying to kick some writer's block I have with Naruto on Team Ten. Hopefully, I'll be able to clear it out and finish the chapter I'm in the middle of soon! Please stay patient!