DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR THE CHARACTERS SO YOU CAN'T SUE ME. HA.
KYUBI (demon): boldface.
HUMAN THOUGHT: italics.
CHAPTER ONE: REALIZATION
His earliest memory was at five years old when the mob attacked his family. He remembered blood, his mother's screams, but mostly he remembered uncontrollable fear and running for his life through the forest while the villagers chased after him, yelling.
"Kyubi!" they cried. "Monster!"
He ran until he could run no more, crawling into a small cave to hide out. Gradually the villagers stopped looking for him and headed back to his former village.
Young Naruto Uzumaki sighed, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
That was eight years ago.
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"Die kyubi!"
"Yeah, die!"
"Filthy demon!"
The village boys laughed cruelly as they continued their assault on the bedraggled demon they happened across, scourging for food in the forest near they village.
Naruto groaned in pain as a foot connected with his stomach. He was starved, filthy and weak. Since that night eight years ago, he'd flitted from one forest and village to another, finding food or stealing some when it became necessary and staying out of the public eye.
Today he had made a mistake: falling asleep in broad daylight. The village boys had managed to ambush him and were now beating him mercilessly.
He closed his eyes, preparing to die.
"Hey! What are you guy's doing! Stop that!" a deep, male voice yelled.
They stopped, hurriedly bowing respectfully. "Anbu Kakashi," they chorused.
Naruto opened one eyes, staring at the white-haired man looming over his beaten body. This guy is Anbu?
"Hiro, Daisuke," Kakashi said sharply. "Help the kyubi to his feet and bring him to my home."
"But Anbu - " a freckled, gangly youth protested.
"That was not a request, Daisuke. Bring him."
The boy, Daisuke, gulped. "Y-Yes Master," he said bowing again. Naruto groaned, closing his eyes as hands touched him, helping instead of harming him.
Vaguely, he wondered what the strange white-haired Anbu would do to him.
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Kit, wake up. I must tell you something important.
You! You're the kyubi. You're the reason they hate me!
Silence Kit. They know you're just a vessel, that you have to choice to be like this. They will treat you like this regardless. You must become stronger and learn to protect yourself. Now go, I tire of you.
Naruto opened his eyes, wincing at the rays of sunshine in his eyes. He sat up, groaning from the sharp pain across his torso. Stiff, dirty fingers touched bright white bandages.
He frowned, thinking back to his conversation with his inner kyubi.
He made his decision.
He would join the Academy and become a ninja. And then they would pay.
They would all pay.