In the shadows.
Author note: This is my first attempt at a story, it probably won't be very good at least for a while. I'm planning on making it pretty long (at least 100k words) but again first story, reviews with constructive criticism are appreciated. Hope at least some of you like it.
Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1. A change of heart.
The roars of an angry mob echoed through the night. The pitchforks and makeshift weapons wielded by the mob cast nightmarish and elongated shadows through the alley as they were illuminated in the light of hundreds of flickering torches. As the shadows flicked across the face of a small 12 year old boy who cowered in fear at the mercy of the angry mob. He had been careless. And now he was backed into the corner with no chance of escape. They would hurt him. Badly. And he could do nothing to stop them. Hate for the villagers and village that had made his life hell for his entire life was the only thing going through the boys mind as the crowd descended upon him and the beating began. Closing his eyes and shielding his face as best he could he just waited for it to end, and the chance to start plotting his revenge.
"Die you filthy demon" was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness, the phrase puzzling him greatly.
-The following morning-
As the early morning sun gently rose above the Konoha skyline, it bathed the sleeping city in its soothing light. Lighting up the faces on the Hokage rock and illuminating the Hokage tower in all of its glory. Light filtered in through the window of the elderly Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "God of Shinobi" and current Hokage of the leaf bathed in the warmth of the suns rays. Cracking a wry smile and sighing, the Hokage turned back to the seemingly never-ending mound of paperwork sitting on his large desk. Sighing once more he reluctantly began his daily task of attempting to make a dent in the mountain of paperwork once again.
-elsewhere in Konoha-
The warmth of the morning sun was slowly beginning to wake the sleeping village, its civilians and Ninja alike stirred from the realm of sleep to begin the daily life of a hidden village. Shinobi began filing in to the Hokage office and taking missions, bakers were baking, children were laughing and playing in the streets on the way to school and the day was promising to be pleasantly peaceful and warm.
Iruka Umino, one of the instructors at the Konoha ninja academy had just arrived at his classroom. Taking the roll he had already noticed a notable difference in the class. The students were unusually silent, well at least for a class of young children they had been. But no, the absence of an attempted prank of some kind and lack of noise was a clear indicator to Iruka of the absence of one Naruto Uzumaki. While this was not necessarily a bad thing in terms of his plan to actually teach the class today, he feared there had to be a significant reason for the eager to learn, yet fairly hopeless class clown to actually miss a lesson.
Iruka had not always liked Naruto. The other instructors had warned him of the child, and he had at first been unable to control, or even like the boy. His constant pranks and acting up had been a large thorn in Iruka's side during the early days of Naruto's education. However eventually the similarities between the two lead to a fairly strange teacher-student relationship. Iruka had lost his parents during the attack on the Leaf made by the Nine Tails. And growing up an orphan had been hard on the man, driving him to be the class clown. Just like Naruto now was for the same reason. The similarities between the two were high in number and yet, because of the different ways in which the Nine tails had affected the two, it had taken a long time for Iruka to accept Naruto. He knew what growing up an orphan was like, and knew he could have done more to help the young boy in his early life. But the fear and hate of the boy that had been instilled upon him by the council and hordes of angry civilians had clouded his judgement in those early days.
He had known about the constant torment the boy had been subject to from the civilians. Hell he had even taken part in the "punishment" dealt by the angry mobs to the small child. That kind of mob mentality had been hard to break for Iruka. He had hated Naruto immensely for a long time, and becoming his teacher didn't really change that hate. However once he had come to know and understand the boy, he realised how similar the two were, and understood the boys need for attention.
This mutual understanding between the two had lead to the strange relationship the two now shared.
Naruto still pranked Iruka constantly, and Iruka still yelled and got mad. And yet it was different to how it was before. Now although nothing had seemed to change, the two had a close bond that grew closer with every new prank or screaming fit. Iruka had convinced Naruto to take his schooling seriously, seeing the potential the boy held, and he allowed Naruto to keep up his pranks and guise as the class clown, as he now knew that it was the boys own method of coping with the unbearable pain and loneliness of growing up alone without parents. He understood the boys need for attention, and knew that the pranks were his way of getting the attention he craved, and as such did not stop the boy from his pranking. And because of this, he could now only assume that the boys absence from the class was because of some elaborate prank that he was attempting to pull. Realising that the class had been waiting for him to address them for some time while he had been thinking so hard, he sighed and turned back to the class to begin the lessons for today. Wondering what Naruto was planning now.
The boy in question was certainly planning something. But nothing along the lines of a simple "prank". He was out for revenge. And he would have it. His "fellow villagers" had crossed the line this time. He had never understood the hatred that almost the entire village felt for him. But now he vowed to himself that he would find out why they hated him so much. As far as he could tell he had done nothing to anger the whole village collectively. Sure he liked to pull pranks on people, but they were never harmful, all he wanted was for them to notice him, and for someone, anyone to be his friend.
The sun had now been up for an hour or so. But it was only now managing to reach into the dark alleyway that Naruto now lay in. And as the warm rays finally illuminated it enough for Naruto to look at the extent of the damage his hatred grew. His left leg was most definitely broken. It was bent at an unnatural angle, he couldn't move it and it had been throbbing since he was regained consciousness. His right looked to be in almost as bad shape, it was probably broken too just not to the gruesome extent of his left. Both were covered in bruises and covered in his own dried blood. It looked like he wouldn't be going to class today, or moving for that matter.
His arms were torn to shreds and covered in even more blood than his legs, they hung limply by his side but had served their purpose nonetheless. His head was still intact, which was a good sign, and his face was the least damaged part of his body at the sacrifice of his arms. He could move none of his limbs, and so he lay there plotting his revenge on the village that cared so little for him and had caused him so much pain.
Boy, you are pathetic. The voice came from nowhere. No one else was in the alleyway. Or anywhere in the vicinity. But it had still been there. He had heard it before. Many times in his dreams, but still couldn't figure out its origins and normally just ignored it. But this time it continued and he could do nothing to stop it.
Why do you simply let those weaklings do that to you. I know you are pathetic, but still. Even someone as weak as you could decimate those weaklings. The voice was deep and full of cunning and malice. And it was inside his head. How it got there and who it came from was a mystery to the boy. "Who are you and what do you want" was his immediate response. It seemed to have fallen on deaf ears however as the voice did not return for a long while.
I am the one who can grant you the power to destroy this village and everyone in it with the flick of your wrist. I can heal your wounds in a matter of seconds and give you enough power to crush them all like the insignificant bugs they are.
"How could you give me that much power?" the boy asked in awe. His mind racing at the prospect of what he could do with as much power as the voice hinted at.
I am the reason for their hate boy. It is because of me that they have always hated you. I am the all powerful Nine Tails. And I will grant you the power to crush this village in its entirety on one condition.
"Wait a second the fuck do they hate me because of you? The Fourth Hokage killed you before I was even born, why would they hate me because of you?" growled the boy angrily.
Menacing and maniacal laughter was the only response from the "Nine tails".
No one "kills" me boy. I am invincible and even that pathetic man knew that. Unfortunately for you he knew how to stop me. And thats why they all hate you so much. The day I was defeated was the day you were born boy. And I was defeated at the cost of that pathetic humans life and at yours. The laughter began once again.
"What do you mean at the cost of my life, I'm still alive here asshole" The boy was getting more and more angry as the conversation progressed.
"Tell me everything you know. Now" Commanded the boy in his most assertive tone.
You do not tell me what to do you pathetic human. However I am going to tell you why the villagers hate you, only because it will drive you to hate them more, and then with my power you will crush them all.
Your precious 4th Hokage was a fool. He knew he could not kill me, only seal me away. Which is where you come in. In order to save his precious village that fool sealed me away at the cost of his own life. Into his pathetic son. Into you. Thats right boy, your own father is the reason this village hates you so much. He sealed a demon into you and did nothing to stop the villagers from trying to kill the demon after his death. The Third Hokage never told you he was your father did he? He certainly didn't tell you that you have a demon inside of you. And yet he did nothing to stop the villagers from trying to kill you because of the demon inside of you. You have grown up an orphan because your idiot father killed himself trapping me inside of YOU. And your precious "grandpa Hokage" has done nothing to stop the villagers beating and despising you.
"Why the fuck did the old man never tell me" screamed the boy.
"He should have fucking told me why they hated me, thats it this place is going down." The boy was filled with hatred at the village that had hated him his whole life for something his asshole of a father had done when he had just been born. "Give me your power you stupid fox. I want to destroy this place"
Naruto Uzumaki, you are too weak to destroy this village. I will grant you a portion of my power until your hatred is strong enough. Bide your time. Hide your power and pretend to not have changed. Train in the shadows and never reveal your full strength. And when the time comes I will grant you my full power and together we will crush this pathetic village and everyone in it.
"Good idea. They wont suspect a thing if I hide my power and get stronger without their knowledge. Alright Nine Tails. Give me your power so that I can become stronger. I want to start now."
Alright boy, I will grant you one quarter of my power and heal you. Then you must follow my instructions to find a lair hidden in the village for you to train in secret.
"Just give me your power already".
Fine. You insolent boy. Now listen closely and I will tell you how to find your new lair.
End of Chapter 1.
Authors note: That probably wasn't the best introduction to the story I ca come up with, I will go back and edit it soon to make it better, but at the moment I'll continue with the story and get a few chapters out.