Disclaimer: I Don't Own Naruto

"Talking"

"Thinking, Flashback"

"Demon Talking"

"Demon Thinking"

"GET HIM"

"GET THE DEMON"

"THAT DEMON TOOK AWAY MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER, SEND IT BACK TO HELL WHERE IT BELONGS"

"LET'S FINISH WHAT THE FOURTH STARTED"

Angry shouts like these could be heard coming from the usually peaceful and quite village of Konoha. Why these shouts could be heard is because tonight is October 10 and fourth anniversary of the night that the legendary nine tailed demon fox Kyuubi attacked the village. The Kyuubi had killing hundreds of shinobi and villagers including the fourth Hokage who had managed to defeat the demon by sealing it in a baby boy just an hour old, but died as a result of performing such a task. Everyone old enough to understand what happened know that, but most were so full grief that they believed that the poor boy was the demon itself.

When the reinstated third Hokage saw this he passed a law stating that anyone whom spoke of the demon would be instantly put to death in hope that the boy would live a peaceful life and be able to make friends his age. He even wrote that the beast had been killed by the Fourth in the official report, but his actions were not enough the stop the hatred against the boy for what he had inside him. The villagers told their children to avoid contact with him, they encouraged them to pick on him, and the adults did the same. People had even stopped adopting orphans from the orphanage he stayed at until the owners quite forcefully kicked him out at age three.

When the Third heard this he gave the boy an apartment and a monthly allowance so the boy could buy the necessities like food and water, but for the villagers this provided another way to show their hatred to the boy. The shop keepers only sold the boy expired food at three times the normal price, the teacher either taught him wrong or not at all, the clothing stores refused him and the one that let him in only sold him a bright orange KILL ME jump suit, and all the restaurants refused to give him anything even the scraps. The only restaurant that let the boy eat is a little ramen stand called "Ichiraku" owned by a man named Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. Both like the boy and would adopt him but the council would not allow it, so they are as nice and friendly to the boy as they can.

But all that neglect and abuse is not enough to vent off the villagers angers of the demon. That vent is provided on the same day as the monster's attack. On the tenth of October the entire village would celebrate the defeat of the Kyuubi, but when night can around and the people left the bars in various states of drunkenness the civilians and even some shinobi would form mobs and go "Demon Hunting" which consist of finding, chasing, and beating the boy within an inch of his life. The Third would be too busy with all the paperwork the festival caused that by the time he realizes what was happening it would be too late. The planned mob started last year, started again a year later, and is planned to continue for years to come.

The Third gave a sigh; he had grown attached to the boy even thinking him to be his grandson. "I'm sorry Minato," grieved the Third looking up from his paperwork to stare at a picture of his predecessor. "I've failed to achieve your last wish, the villager's hatred for the beast that the boy protects us from every day is directed at said boy and they do not see him as the hero as you had wanted," said the Third adding this fact to his ever growing list of failures (oblivious That the boy is now running for his life…again). He looked at a smaller picture on his desk that had a picture of the boy smiling which put a smile on the old man's face. No matter what happened to the boy he always had a smile on his face.

What the Hokage didn't know was that the smile was just a defensive mask to hide the pain he felt. The pain of not having parents who loved him or even knowing who they were was bad. The pain of having everyone he meets avoid, or mistreat him was bad. The pain of all the glares of pure hatred and harsh whispers people say when they think he can't hear them like "There goes that monster, we should have killed it long before now", "You see that thing don't go near it. It is dangerous", and "Why did the Hokage let that thing live? Does he not care about our safety?" was bad. But the pain of being alone hurt him the most. To the boy the physical beating were nothing compared to being alone. (But they still hurt like hell)

This boy's name is Naruto Uzumaki.

(Location: Somewhere in Konoha)

Naruto Uzumaki was running for his life from a mob for reasons he did not know.

"Why do they all hate me so much?" Is what Naruto thought as he turned right on a T-street, but quickly went the other way when he saw a group of people ( smaller than the one already chasing him) with weapons from beer bottles to a rusted katana.

Naruto thought back to earlier that day.

(Flashback)

Naruto was on his way to the Hokage's Office to celebrate his birthday with his surrogated grandfather.

"I wonder what jiji got me this year. Whatever it is I don't think it would be better than the apartment I got last year," he thought,(A/N: He is a four year old boy where before he was abused and had to share everything he got getting the smaller to non-existing piece of it at the orphanage. So getting an apartment that was only his was gold) "Maybe he will even tell me who my parents are."

Every time he asked the Hokage about his parents he said that he didn't know them but they had died from their injuries after the Fourth killed the Kyuubi. But something about the way he says it makes Naruto think that he is lying.

He hoped that if he was a lying it was about not knowing them and not about them dying. If they hadn't died than maybe they never showed themselves because they didn't wa-.

"NO!" he practically yelled in his head (waking up a certain someone) "I will not think like. This is my Birthday, and I will not let bad thoughts and ruin my good day," he thought turning into restaurant filled street.

His entire day had been one big festival. There were all different types of booths selling food and sweets, anti-Kyuubi stuff, or things to honor those who had died. Not that Naruto was allowed near any of these, but he did take some food from some stands when the owners weren't looking (he left correct change).

Naruto had enjoyed the day very much. Everywhere he looked he saw people with smiles on their faces. The people who could only scowl were, happy. The entire crowd, no, the entire village was happy. Hell even the air seemed happy.

Naruto had gone home when the festival ended with a smile on his face, a true smile.

What Naruto didn't know was that the people of Konoha went to the bars for 3-5 hours after the festival to drink their sorrows away, and that the street that he turned on was the one with the most popular bars, and it was closing time.

"Maybe me and Jiji will go to Ichiraku's and eat some ramen," thought Naruto, "aaaaawwwww….ramen." Naruto started to drool at the thought of what he considers the food of Kami, and did not pay attention to where he was going and bumped into a man.

"Hey…. W-watch…it," the man slurred out.

"Sorry. I didn't see you," Naruto apologize as the man turned around.

"Hey I k-know y-you. You're that d-damn Ky-Kyuubi brat who killed my son." The man said as his anger started to build.

"Wha?" was all Naruto could say. "Why does this old drunk think I killed his son? I don't even know him. Wait did he just call me the Kyuubi," was going through his mind.

"And now you want to finish me off, do ya, well think again." The man then walked into one of the bars and yelled, "Hey everybody that damn demon just attacked me in the street. I will not have the monster that killed my son and attack me go unpunished. WHO'S WITH ME!?"

"Man that guy was drunker than I thought, first he thinks I'm a demon that died twelve years ago, then he thinks I killed his son, now he's trying to get other people to hurt me. I know most people don't like me (why, he did not know) but this guy is nuts," Naruto muttered as he turned to find the Hokage Tower, but stopped when he heard…

"I'M IN. THAT DEMON KILLED MY WIFE!" he heard someone shout.

"THAT MONSTER KILLED MY BEST FRIEND AND CRIPPLED MY DAUGHTER!" he heard another yell.

"MY BABY STILL IS AFRAID TO SLEEP BECAUSE OF WHAT IT DID THAT NIGHT!" he heard a woman.

"I SAY WE FINISH WHAT THE YONDAIME STARTED AND KILL THE KYUUBI. WHO'S WITH ME!?"

Naruto heard a collective "YA!" as more and more people started crowding the streets. Naruto was getting worried as the get closer yell how he damaged this, and killed that. "Why… w-why are they saying I did such bad thing. I didn't do all those things, did I? This many people couldn't be wrong, could they?"

Naruto felt a sharp pain in his cheek as a kunai blurred passed. (A/N: Think of what Anko did)

"Hey look at that, the beast can bleed!" shouted a guy in a chunnin vest.

"If that monster can bleed than it can be killed!" yelled a civilian in his mid-thirties

(A/N: Got that from a movie… forgot which)

Now Naruto was really scared. He slow started to back away as the mob grew.

The mob itself was like a pot of boiling water. Every time someone said, "We should kill it now," "We most avenge the ones that thing murdered," etc… it was just more water and heat being added to the pot, until finally…

"LET'S KILL HIM. FOR THE YONDAIME!" some person in the back shouted.

"FOR THE YONDAIME!" the mob yelled in one voice and charged.

The pot boiled over.

(End Flashback)

When the chase started Naruto's goal to get to the Hokage tower had all but tripled, but it ended when a smaller mob cut him off. Now lost and hunted in his own city all Naruto could do was run.

Naruto looked behind him to see that he had lost the mob, for now. He took this time to rest and looked at himself in a building window with a diamond on it. To put in simple he looked terrible. His jumpsuit had so many tears in it that it looked like it went through a shredder. He had many cuts, bruises, and swells all over his body. He'd been running for so long that his hair was no longer in the usual spikes, but clung to his head and tinted red with his blood. (coughcoughspoilercoughcough) And there was a large bump on his forehead.

Naruto had gotten caught by the mob four times, but they didn't catch him, no, he was faster than the average chunnin, Naruto had turned the corner and ran into one of the mob patrols. After the mob had him restrained, they proceeded to beat him. The only reason he escaped was because 1-4 ninja showed up and the villagers quickly abandoned him allowing Naruto to make his getaway, only to have the ninja join the mob starting the chase over again. This has happened 3 of the 4 times. The fourth time he got caught the mob had started to beat him with everything but the kitchen sink, oh wait… the villager that lived in the house they were in front of threw that very thing out of the third story window (screeching about how the demon woke her up from her nap) missing Naruto by a mere two inches. (providing a good distraction because the mob started to yell at the woman for almost killing them, then for letting the demon get away)

He looked up at the sky. It was a cloudless night, all the stars were in the sky as well as the moon. It was a truly beautiful, peaceful, and perfect night (besides the fact that he might die tonight, most of the village called for his death, there were mob patrols looking, and different part of the were on fire, yup, aside from that perfect)

Naruto anger and confusion rose and started to shift his feet hard in the dirt road trying to quietly vent his anger. "Why me? What had I ever done to all those people? What could I have done to them? I'm only four." His thoughts started to take a turn, "But those people, they all said I was the Kyuubi. There has to be at least a thousand of them and they all believe it. Could that many people be wrong?" He looked in the window for any fox-like features about him. The first things he noticed were his whisker-marks "Well my birthmarks sort of look like whiskers, but that has nothing to do with the fox, does it, na." Naruto grinned at the thought, but disappeared when he remembered Ayame what said once.

(Flashback)

"You know Naruto, I've never seen anyone eat more than one bowl of ramen at you age," said Teuchi as naruto worked on his ninth.

"But old man your ramen is Kami's food so I have to eat as much as I can before he takes it back," said Naruto as he finished his bowl, leaned back in his seat, patted his bulging stomach, and sighed with a huge grin on his face.

This commit caused Teuchi to start laughing a mad man.

This was the scene that Ayame in on. "Hi Naruto-kun, just finished lunch I see," she said with a giggle at Naruto's content look, she was amazed with how much ramen he could eat. Turning to her father, "Tou-son if you keep that up than I will be forced to call the shinobi to take you to a mental home," her arms across her chest.

"Ayame-nee-chan!" said Naruto as he got out of his seat to hug the one he considered a sister.

"It's good to see you too Naruto-kun," she said pushing out if the hug and ruffling his hair. (Teuchi gave her a two week vacation)

"Hey Naruto-kun."

"What nee-chan?"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have the grin of an intelligent fox?" Ayame asked

Naruto didn't answer. He just gave his nee-chan one of his rare true smiles at being compared to something intelligent.

Through their conversation, Teuchi was still laughing. When he settled down he ended up paying for Naruto's meal for getting him in his good mood and a good laugh, but quickly told him that it was not going to be an every time thing.

Naruto pouted for a little before leaving the duo promising to be back soon.

(End Flashback)

"Maybe it was a coincidence that she said 'fox'" he thought. "Maybe I'll ask the Hokage about this 'if I survive' oh no, The Hokage!" "What if he thinks I'm the Kyuubi?" "What if he gets mad if he thinks I'm trying to trick?" "What if… (Naruto gulps) what if he is sent to Ibiki?" He didn't know him but he had heard that if you do something really bad you go to him.

"No, if I was the Kyuubi than the Hokage would've done something by now."

Now that he was somewhat rested he decided that it was way past time to leave the open street. As he was turning to leave a glint from the spot he had been standing caught his eye. Where his feet had rubbed against the ground a red thing was now. As he bent down to pick it up a kunai flew were his head had just been breaking the window.

"Damn it stupid demon just stay still," yelled a genin in his twenties

Naruto, once he got his bearing together, picked up the red thing and ran.

The yells of the genin had alerted many of the patrol mobs to what had just happened and they started closing in on Naruto's position.

Naruto could hear the mobs getting closer to him. His body had not fully recovered from the last couple of hours, and was losing energy fast.

"Someone please help me," Naruto's thoughts begged as he close his eyes to send his thoughts to Kami. His body started to slow down and the mob started too caught up to the fastest four year old they know of.

"Oomph," came the voices of two children.

Naruto, not looking where he was going, ran into some one…again.

Naruto look up at the person he ran into hoping that it was not another mobster. Sitting in front of him was a girl around his age with dark blue hair and strange white eyes that had a hint of lavender. She was pretty and for some reason somewhat familiar and for a second he thought Kami had answered him and sent him an angle.

That second ended when he saw the fear clearly visible on her face.

"I guess I don't look to great, I wonder why," Naruto thought with crud sarcasm.

"I THINK THE DEMON IS UP AHEAD," came a voice in the closing distance, waking Naruto from his stupor.

Panicking, he frantically looked for some place to hide because his body was too exhausted to run anymore. He saw a dead-end ally and quickly hid behind a dumpster. Once he was hidden from the street, he held himself in a tight ball and held the thing that had previously saved his live tightly in his hands. Hoping that the mob would not find him, and if they did (which was more than likely) than he would have a quick death. (Which was not so likely)

It all depended on the girl with the white lavender tinted eyes. (Naruto's hopes were not high)

(Hinata)

Hinata Hyuuga had had a wonder full time at the festival. It was the first time that she could have fun in public.

Hinata is from the Hyuuga Clan that is famous for their eyes that contain the Byakugan, second to only the Uchiha Clan in terms of power and popularity. The Hyuuga is a Clan that have a strong belief in tradition and manners.

The clan is divides by birth into two houses, The Main and The Branch House. The Main House is supposed to have the powerful and important members, while The Branch House is supposed to serve and protect the Main House. (Hinata did not understand or like that rule)

The Hyuuga Clan members are also really good at reading emotion and body movements. So everyone as a static face showing no emotion at all times inside the compound, so that no one will know what they are thinking.

This is how Hinata is raised so she love to be outside the compound… it's too depressing in there for her.

So when it was time for the festival she couldn't have been happier. She had switched her normal black training shirt and pants for a pretty white kimono that was tinted pink and waited for her chunnin protector, Kurenai. Kurenai had been her guardian whenever she was away from the compound since her failed kidnaping the year earlier.

Kurenai is one of the most recognized kunoichi in the village, because of her looks and her cloths. She was of average hieght with shoulder leigth wild black hair and red eyes, in her rose thorn style dress she was one that most of the male population wanted for a girlfriend. Now she wore a purple dress with scattered yellow flowers and a red ribbon around her waist, her hair was the same though (A/N: the one in the season two song opening) not that it didn't increase the males feelings.

When she arrived Hinata instantly started to envy her because she thought she would never be as pretty as her, but that didn't ruin her day. She played games, saw a funny puppet show about the Kyuubi's defeat, and eat some of the food. At one of the booths she saw a blond kid steal some food, she was about to tell someone but he put money on the stand so she didn't. "Why did the boy look familiar?"

After the festival, Kurenai took her to a friend's house (one with purple hair) to have dinner before taking her home. The lady was nice and was a really good cook, she wanted to cook like that. (caugh) After dinner the two adults told stories of their adventures, before they had to leave.

"Hinata, I forgot to tell Yugao something. Stay here okay." Kurenai said as they were about to exist the door.

"Hai Kurenai-san," said Hinata as she left

After about two minutes the girl's four year-old mind began to wander. She quickly scanned the content of the room to see if she had missed anything in her earlier looks, to her disappointment she hadn't. Her attention turned to the street and saw nothing of interest.

She was about to go look for Kurenai but stopped, "Why is it so bright outside? I thought the sun had set?" Her glaze rose to the sky, "Wow, I never know that the moon was so bright," she thought as she drifted into the middle of the street, bathing in the moon light. It was a cloudless night all the stars were in the sky as well as the moon. It was a truly beautiful, peaceful, and perfect night, until a moving mass crashed into her.

"Oomph," came the voices of two children.

Hinata looked up at the thing that ran into her and saw a sweaty, orange, bloody thing lying there. Fear petrified her so that she couldn't move. Then the thing looked up and she saw that it was just a boy, her age in fact.

The boy had blond hair but it looked more red because of the blood. (cough) He had three whisker marks on each cheek. He wore a "KILL ME" orange jumpsuit that was all cut up, it looked recent. And he had multiple injuries.

Fear and disgust spread to her face, "What happened to him?!" she thought.

She guessed that she didn't hide her emotions well because when he looked at her face, his expression turned thoughtful.

"I know you," Hinata suddenly thought, "but where?" She looked at his face, "You were the one that took food at the festival! But it was before that, right?" She started to study his appearance, "His hair, it was a little less red. … His cloths, they weren't these but they were still cut. … He-h-he was hurt?" She thought deep, "Were do I know you?!" Then it came to her, "You s-s-saved me" she said barely above a whisper.

"I THINK THE DEMON IS UP AHEAD," came a voice in the closing distance.

"What, demon? Where?" she thought frantically, but stopped when she saw the panicked look on the boy's face. He looked around and hobbled in an alley behind a trash can.

As soon as the boy was out of sight, a large group of people with different weapons stopped in front of her.

"Hey, isn't that a Hyuuga? Maybe she can see the dem-(hey that hurt) boy."

"No she's too young, but she must've seen him."

"Ya your right, someone ask her where the dem- (stop with the elbow) boy went."

Hinata was scared (who wouldn't be scared if a mob with weapon saying stuff about demons wanted to talk to you plus she's four) as a man in his mid-forty's with a katana walked up to her.

"Miss Hyuuga-sama," the man said with much sweetness and respect, "We are looking for something that has severely wronged us in the past so that it will never do so again. Would you be so kind as to show us where it went," the man asked with an evil look in his eyes.

Hinata looked at the man "Are they talking about the boy?" she thought. "These people hurt the boy that saved me."

Hinata slowly nodded and pointed to a street opposite to the alley.

"She said he went that way. Let's get him!" "YA!" with that the mob proceeded to charge down the street, all but one. A genin with white hair looked suspiciously at the alley.

"Oh no, they're going to find the boy!" Thought a panicking Hinata.

"Hey Mizuki, what are you doing you're going to miss your chance to get the dem-(damnit I think you're enjoying this) boy.

The newly named Mizuki looked at alley again then at Hinata, alley, Hinata. "Ya I'm coming" and left

Hinata let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and fell on her butt.

"Hinata," said Kurenai as she walk towards her, "what are you doing out here, I thought I told you to stay by the door."

"S-s-sorry Kurenai-san," Hinata said still nervous

Kurenai nodded and turned to leave when she saw the form of the retreating mob. She turned and gave the girl a serious look, "A bunch of people didn't come by this way did they?"

Hinata gave a timid nod

"They didn't hurt you did they?" Kurenai asked worried something happened to her charge

"No ma'am, they asked where a boy went that came by before," she replied

"Did you tell them where he went?" Kurenai asked

Hinata slowly shook her head hoping she did not do anything bad and glanced at the ally.

Kurenai-san (missing the glance) gave a sigh. "okay Hinata let's get you home."

"Um… Kurenai-san?"

"Yes"

"Did the boy do those bad things"

"No Hinata, he did nothing wrong."

(Naruto)

Naruto just got into hiding when the mob asked the girl (who apparently was a Hyuuga) for his location.

"This is it," he though.

"She said he went that way. Let's get him!" "YA!"

Naruto braced himself for his end but to his surprise the mob was getting quieter until it was non-existent.

Naruto couldn't believe it, he was safe. That girl had saved him. Why did she save him? He didn't know her and she had shown him kindness. No one ever showed him that, almost nobody, so why did she?

Naruto thought hard about this, he just could not figure out why some random girl, who he ran into, was nice to him. He didn't move from that spot searching deep in his mind for that one answer and in time he fell asleep.