ARC 1: PraNCKS, Secret Club
Pain is unavoidable. It's just how much it it that can be tried to be avoided. Unfortunately, some can't avoid the pain no matter how hard they try.
"Move out of the way, demon brat!"
"Go away! Nobody likes you!"
"A monster. That's what you are."
"Just fall down and die!"
"Stop hiding behind that mask."
"Get out! Get out!"
The voices rampaged through Naruto's head like a beating drum, and the eight year old wiped away tears as he ran to the academy, pasting a grin on his face.
"Ha! They're just stupid." He said out loud to himself. "I'm totally awesome! Yeah!" And with a nod to himself, he bounced on his toes and ran forwards. He reached the Academy just in time, to his relief, and quickly sat down on the seat next to Kiba, who shook his head and pointed to the seat between himself and Chouji.
Nodding in understanding, the blond grinned and sat down.
Iruka-sensei walked in, and smiled at the students. "Hello everybody!" He said cheerfully. "Today's lecture is about the thing that terrorized the village only eight years ago, when you were all just born. The Kyuubi no Yoko."
Naruto yawned loudly. "Hey, Iruka-sensei!" He yelled out. "Isn't that the name of the fat old lady who sells bread down the street?"
Most of the students turned and glared at him.
"No, Naruto." Iruka-sensei said with a small, exasperated sigh. "That is not the name of a fat old lady. It is the name of what terrorized the village and caused the death of many Shinobi. The Kyuubi no Yoko is the nine tailed demon fox."
There were gasps of fear and shock, as well as some loud squealing from the girls.
"Hey, that actually sounds interesting for once..." Kiba muttered. "Not like that stupid lecture that we had on Jinchuuriki last time. Who needs to know about seals and human sacrifices? Now that's just stupid..."
"Mmmnfphnmemphumph." Chouji said, loudly snacking on some potato chips, every once in a while sharing it with the rest of the boys.
"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Ooh... are we making up a new language again?"
"Yeah, let's do that Kiba-kun! What do you think, Shikamaru?" The fat- ahem- big boned Akimichi asked, turning to his best friend.
His response was a loud, deep snore. Once again, Shikamaru had fallen fast asleep, and his head was moved to one side, laying on his folded arms, which were resting on the table.
Kiba snickered. "Sleepyhead." He said in his loud and boistrous voice, yet it was said quietly. "Eh, Akamaru?"
"Arf!" The small white dog replied.
Kiba grinned, not quite ferally yet, but it was a mischevious grin that only the Inuzuka could carry well, with his red Inuzuka prints on his cheeks, his spiky brown hair, and his black eyes. "Let's leave." He said.
"No, wait!" Naruto protested. "This lesson sounds not boring..."
Kiba looked shocked. "One hour." He said. "Chouji told me that he got some snacks, right Chouji?"
The chubby Akimichi nodded, spilling some potato chip crumbs onto his half green, half beige shirt. The swirls on his cheeks seemed to actually swirl as he chewed. He looked undeniably cute.
"ARE YOU LISTENING!?" Iruka roared.
"Yes, sensei." The three quickly chorused.
"And what about Shikamaru?" The brown haired chuunin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He's sleeping." Naruto informed him very seriously. "Shhhh." The boy rose a finger to his lips, and Kiba gave a snort of laughter.
"Yes Naruto." Iruka said with a sigh. "I know that he's sleeping. But why is he sleeping, pray tell?"
"Oh, he told me." The boy said seriously. "His mommy annoys him. She's a troublesome woman, that's what Shikamaru said."
Iruka sighed. "What was I talking about?"
"A fox named Kyuuko no Yobi who was not a fat old lady?" Kiba quizzed. "It sounded boring, but Naruto wanted to listen for some weird reason. Said it was interesting? What am I still doing here?" And with that, he stood up and ran out of the room.
"KIBA!" Iruka roared, and he quickly ran forwards.
Chouji quickly shook awake Shikamaru. "Now's our chance!" He said gleefully.
"Hmm? Troublesome..."
Naruto quickly slid a mahogany colored jacket over his black t-shirt, and smoothed out his mahogany pants over his sandals. Chouji did the same.
Shikamaru raised his hand. "I'm going to the bathroom." He called out loudly, stood up, and walked slowly at a shuffling pace to the 'washroom'.
It had all been planned. As he stepped towards Chouji, the boy was 'forced' to push his chair back and Shikamaru walked right in front of him for like ten seconds. Actually, it was twelve. By this point, he had lost everyone's interest, and they were instead watching Iruka trying in vain to catch both a dashing Kiba and a yipping Akamaru in the front of the class. Slipping under their chairs, Naruto and Chouji both crawled under their desks.
What Iruka-sensei didn't know was that they had taken great, laborous pains to draw a huge mural so that it looked like the desk's were just a board across some table legs. Actually, it was a huge brown box that they had carefully drawn on and painted. The part facing the chairs was hallow, as was the bottom and the inside. Quickly, Chouji and Naruto moved a specific part of the carpet, and then opened the trapdoor that they had spent months creating.
Both crawled down, and crawled in the tunnel, careful to close the trapdoor and move back the carpet.
Finally, they popped up the loose board and came to their hiding place. Naruto had come across this wondrous place while hiding from angry villagers who wanted to beat him up... not that he said such a thing.
It was the village dump.
The size of an estate, full of dumped trash, no one would look here for the boys. They had built up a wall to stop the garbage from coming in, and pretty soon they had taken more metal and thrown away, rotting wooden planks and built.
And built.
And built.
They had, in the end, created a big enough clubhouse. In fact, it was big enough for the four of them to sleep in, and still have plenty of room to move around. So, in one corner, then had put a long cardboard box upside down, which was the 'council meeting place'. They had gotten some thrown out clothes and stuff, and patched them together and had made a 'couch'.
And last but not least, was the 'club secrets'. They hid in a small, trap-door hidden hole under the couch, and under the fence separating the dump from a small alleyway between Icharuku Ramen and Mawi's Dango. In it were files about the four boys. Their secrets, their information... everything.
What wasn't in there, was how Naruto got beat up. Because none of the boys knew. And Naruto didn't want them to know.
"Get away, little demon brat!" The man yelled, and he shoved Naruto backwards.
The young blond most likely felt pain in his chest and his back probably hurt from being shoved so roughly on the ground. But his friend, Kiba, was shocked when Naruto just took this in quiet, silent defeat. He looked like he was almost... used to it or something.
"Yeah, get away." A woman muttered, glaring at him. "You're not wanted here."
"Mom, what's going on?" Kiba asked his mom.
The wild woman stared for a moment, before turning away. "Nothing, Kiba." She said, the Inuzuka women had... fear? in her voice.
"But those people are being mean to Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed.
"It's nothing, Kiba, really." Kiba loved his mom, and he could tell when she was lying. There was worry and guilt in Tsume's voice, and she refused to meet his eyes.
Kiba narrowed his eyes. "Mom, Naruto's my friend." He protested. "Tell me, what's wrong?"
"Kiba." His mom grabbed him by the shoulders and stared him in the eyes, love and earnest in her own. "Don't talk about this again. Never. Okay?"
"But..."
"Kiba! You are an Inuzuka! We don't meddle in affairs like old, prying woman, got it?"
"Yes ma'am." But he couldn't help the fact that there was something different about Naruto. But what was it? And why on earth would people call the smiling boy a demon brat? "Mom?" He asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Kiba?"
"Are you... do you like Naruto?"
The woman smiled. "Of course I do!" She said cheerfully with a loud guff. "He's got something wild in him."
Kiba grinned, a truly feral grin on the young boy's features. "That's what I like about him, mom." He agreed. "He's a sly old fox."
Instantly though, his mom clammed up. "No, he's not." She said sternly.
"But..."
"Kiba..."
"Right." Kiba remembered now. Fox was the f-word, especially since there was the Kyuubi no Yoko issue a few years ago. "Sorry mom. I forgot... one of your friends must have died in the Kyuubi attack, eh? I'm so sorry, mom."
"That's okay, Kiba." His mom replied quietly. "I just overreacted." But something flashed in her eyes.
Tired, Naruto trudged back to his apartment. Arriving at his apartment, he peeled off the long, thick graffiti covered translucent sticker on his door. "Need to replace it." He mumbled. He always put up some translucent sticker on his door, because for some reason people liked to graffiti his door. It happened just about every day.
He placed his hands to his chest, where it still hurt from the man's shove. "I wonder why people hate me so much." He whispered, and started to cry as he walked into his apartment.
Tired, the eight year old closed the door behind him. "I know what I need." He mumbled, changing into his pajama's then putting on his walrus cap. "Sleepy..." The boy yawned, and got onto his small bed, and slept, hoping for peace.
But as he slept that night, he had a horrible dream.
He was chained up and shackled to a wall, chains bearing heavy weight tying him to a wall, a tight, cold, spiked chain pressing against his neck, making it hard to breath.
A pale, white faced man with long black hair and golden eyes walked towards him. "Ah, Naruto-kun." He crooned. "How I wish for your blood... the son of that despised man."
"My father was a bad man?" Naruto asked, unable to move. He was paralyzed and chained. "Is that why everyone hates me?"
The golden eyed man examined a thin, slender sword, and then, in a sharp, quick movement, pressed the tip against Naruto's shoulder. "No." He replied with scorn, slowly pushing the blade into Naruto's shoulder.
It must have been poisoned or something because as it slowly went in, it was like lightening was crackling around it, like a fire was boiling his blood, and pain beyond pain shook his body. A scream filled the air. "Hurts." The young boy sobbed. "Hurts..."
Narrowing his eyes, the black haired man pushed it even further. "Your father was loved by all." He spat, his voice filled with scorn and hate. "Your precious village of Konoha chose him over me... how dare they? I thought that they had favored me. But no, they turned traitor and turned their back on me." Slowly, sadistically, he pushed the poisoned blade into the screaming boy's shoulder.
"Do you know why everybody hates you, demon?" He spat. "Do you know the reason that they fear your name?"
"N-n-no." The boy stuttered, and let out a moan as the sword went deeper and deeper, slowly and painfully.
"It's not because of who you are." The man said, cackling. "It's because of what you are. You're not a boy, you're a Jinchuuriki! You're the container of the nine tailed demon fox! And do you know what that makes you?"
His words and the burning pain in the young boy's shoulder made him want to cry out and scream at the same time. It hurt so badly, even worse than getting beat up by the villagers.
"YOU'RE THE KYUUBI NO YOKO!" The man shouted, and he stabbed the poisoned sword the entire way.
Screaming in pain, Naruto awoke, sweat trickling down his back.
"I am not the Kyuubi." He whispered. "I'm a Jinchuuriki... the demon's sealed inside of me... right? Right..." To put his mind at rest, he reviewed everything he knew. Jinchuuriki meant human sacrifice, and the demon was insideof him. But... if his friends found out... they would probably think that he was the Kyuubi as well, just like the villagers. And that wouldn't do. The boy shook his head.
"I just want friends." He whispered in a trembling voice. "I won't tell them. And they'll never find out."
Miles away, a pale skinned snake awoke. "You're awake!" A silver haired teenager exclaimed, running over quickly.
"I'm so glad that you're back from that brat's dream... Orochimaru-sama."
The man chuckled. "So am I, Kabuto. I will get my revenge on that brat...
I will destroy him."
A/N: I was feeling in a bit of a sadistic mood while I wrote this, so don't worry! There will be tons of fluff!