Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Naruto.

Legend:

"A Human/Summon is talking."

'A Human/Summon is thinking.'

"Technique being used."

-Konohagakure no Sato:

As he watched over the target of his A-Ranked mission, the man known as Kigiri Kemuri laughed to himself. That six year-old child with spiky, blonde hair and blue-colored eyes hardly looked like one that his master, Orochimaru, would want. However, that child had a chakra reserve that was superior to most Chunin.

A small, sad smile appeared on Kigiri's face as he continued to watch the blonde his master sought. The majority of Konoha's populace were practically pushing the child into his master's grasp. He knew this because he had watched the boy for four years.

He had watched as the blonde's anger, hatred, and misery continued to grow, with too few people trying to kinder the child's negative emotions. These emotions would soon reach their peak and once that happened, Kigiri would finally make his move. He would approach the blonde and, hopefully, complete his mission.

Kigiri's reverie was cut short as he sensed someone land behind him, using chakra to muffle the sound normally caused by such an action. He didn't turn around to view the shinobi behind him, knowing that the man would soon speak up.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"

"It is simply amazing to see how strong a child's will i. That child has dealt with outright resentment, anger, and hatred from a majority of this village… for a burden he isn't even aware of." Kigiri answered, smiling sadly. "Knowing nothing about either of his parents, or their untimely deaths… Do you believe that is fair? He holds the Kyūbi prisoner with every single breath he takes… It is truly sad to see how a village treats their hero."

Kigiri heard the shinobi behind him unsheathe his weapon, a tanto if Kigiri wasn't mistaken. That meant he was dealing with a member of Konoha's ANBU, which would've worried him had he not known this ANBU.

"You're in violation of the Sandaime Hokage's decree. I'm afraid that you will now have to accompany me for questioning civilian-san." The ANBU stated.

Kigiri rolled his eyes.

"I would love to visit the ANBU's Torture and Interrogation Branch but… I'm afraid that I'm on a tight schedule." Kigiri stated, gathering an appropriate amount of chakra. "Goodbye… Raitachi Koga."

XXXXXX

-Konohagakure no Sato-

"It's a shame that Raitachi wasn't as skilled as his files made him appear… Tch. With him missing the Sandaime will be alerted and an investigation will be started. That means that the Hunter-nin will be after me soon enough." Kigiri thought aloud, before he smiled. "I guess my mission will end sooner than I expected…"

Hearing something from the nearby park, Kigiri turned in time to see his target running away. As he ran, the villagers nearby started to whisper to each other, sending hateful glances in the direction of the retreating blonde.

'I'm truly sorry for all the suffering you've been through Naruto-kun… But, in a short amount of time, you won't have to deal with their ignorance or this accursed hellhole any longer.'

With that thought, Kigiri vanished within a column of gray smoke. The wind blew across the roof a second later, blowing all of the smoke away, showing that Kigiri had vanished completely.

XXXXXX

-Konohagakure no Sato: Naruto Uzumaki's Apartment-

One would currently find Naruto Uzumaki lying on the bed in his bedroom as he tried to wipe away his tears with the backs of his hands. There were no people around to comfort him. There was no one around to watch over him. There was nobody to care for him.

When the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had found Naruto living on the streets, he had bought the blonde an apartment near the outskirts of the village. The Sandaime had then started to hire caretakers for him, but none of them had ever shown up. What kind of person would want to? He was Konoha's "Demon", the "Monster in Human's Clothing".

Naruto himself loathed his fellow villagers, both shinobi and civilians alike, with a burning passion that none could surpass. While no one was actually able to harm him, the treatment he received from them was far worse than any physical wound.

Most of the civilians would "whisper" harsh comments behind his back, swindle him for common goods, and turn their children away from him, claiming that he was a "bad influence". While the shinobi protected him from harm, they always seemed to have a cold, hard gleam in their eyes when they were near him.

In all actuality, there were only three people that actually treated him like any other child. However, even their kindness could not make up for the village's treatment of him. It wasn't even enough for Naruto to care for their "precious" Konoha.

While Naruto did want to become a shinobi, and a strong one at that, he did realize something. If he was to become a shinobi, he would have to swear to protect the village with his life. He would rather die before he made that kind of oath for the ones who treated him like dirt.

The blonde had tried to run away from Konoha, to find a place where he could be accepted, but each of his attempts had failed. Each time he attempted to leave, he was thwarted by shinobi who wore white animal-masks. The Sandaime Hokage had called them the ANBU.

"My poor, little Naruto-kun… You've been through a lot, haven't you?" A soft, but masculine, voice questioned.

Naruto's head snapped up at the sound, his body tensing as he saw someone stepped out of the shadows. It was a man with jaw-length silver hair, and purple-colored eyes. He was wearing an ankle-length black cloak with red lining, skin-tight black pants, black sandals, and a breathing mask.

"W-who are y-you?" Naruto shouted.

"It's okay Naruto-kun… calm down. My name is Kigiri Kemuri. If I had wanted to harm you I would've attacked you before you became aware of my presence." Kigiri stated, smiling underneath his gas-mask. "Besides, I have a proposition for you. I think that it is an offer you will appreciate."

"Riiiiiight." Naruto said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Like I haven't heard that one before!"

"I saw what happened to you at the playground today Naruto-kun. You're fellow villagers treat you poorly for a reason that you aren't even aware of… I can give you the information… the reason why the villager's hate you, if you will listen to my offer." Kigiri offered.

"I will… after you tell me the reason!" The six year-old boy countered.

'I think I'm beginning to like this kid. He has the tact to ask for information concerning himself before listening to an stranger's offer.' Kigiri thought. 'He knows that if I tell him my offer first, I could hold the information against him. You are such a smart brat Naruto-kun.'

"If you lift up your t-shirt, I can use my chakra to reveal the reason why everyone hates you. To do this, I will have to coat your stomach in a thin layer of chakra." Kigiri said.

While Naruto didn't trust Kigiri one bit, the chance to know why everyone hated him was an offer he couldn't refuse. After moments of hesitation, he lifted up his white t-shirt up to his chin and waited. He then watched as Kigiri's fingertips gloved with blue-colored energy before the silver-haired man placed them on his stomach.

Naruto felt a cold, almost abnormal sensation run through his body as Kigiri's chakra touched his body, before something happened. He watched, in part awe and part fear, as a complex drawing slowly appeared on his stomach.

"W-what is t-that?" Naruto questioned, slightly freaked out.

"That my dear Naruto-kun is the Shiki Fūjin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal). The Yondaime Hokage used this seal to seal away a power that far surpasses any of the five Kage. Shinobi and civilians alike fear this enormous power within you. However… my master, Orochimaru-sama, does not." Kigiri stated, removing his finger's from Naruto's stomach. "Orochimaru-sama sent me here to escort you to Otogakure no Sato. In Oto, Orochimaru-sama could train you to use your power… All you would have to do is forsake Konoha and come with me to a place where you could become one of the most powerful, and respected, shinobi in the world."

"One of… the most powerful shinobi?" Naruto whispered.

"Yes, Naruto-kun. If you come with me Orochimaru-sama can train you so you could become anything that you wish to be." The silver-haired man said. "So, Naruto-kun… What do you say?"

Hundreds of memories flashed before Naruto's eyes, as his right hand slowly drifted closer to Kigiri's outstretched palm. He remembered all of the good times he had with the Sandaime Hokage and the ramen vendors, Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku, but he shook his head to clear the memories from his mind.

"Deal." Naruto stated.

Naruto's small hand clasped Kigiri's before both of them vanished within a column of gray smoke. It was minutes before a small team of ANBU arrived, burst into the house, only to find that Naruto was gone.

XXXXXX

-Konohagakure no Sato: Hokage's Office-

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk with his head lowered, his hands folded on top of his desk. He hadn't wanted to hear the news that his ANBU Captain had just delivered to him, having only just have been informed of a recent murder.

"How could this has happened?" Hiruzen questioned, looking up.

"Agent Ox was inexperienced, Sandaime Hokage-sama." The purple haired ANBU Captain responded, kneeling. "In truth, Agent Ox only gained entry into the ANB because of his connections. It wouldn't have been too hard for an elite Jonin to defeat him, at the level he was at."

Hiruzen frowned.

"Do you have any leads on this shinobi?" The Sandaime Hokage questioned.

"While my squad did find evidence of forced entry into Uzumaki-kun's apartment… there were no signs of a struggle. Hokage-sama, Uzumaki-kun..." The purple-haired woman paused here, not wanting to believe the cold, hard truth of the situation.

"It means that Naruto-kun left of his own free will." Hiruzen finished, frowning.

"Yes… If you add this to the fact that this shinobi murdered Agent Ox leads me to believe an outside force was responsible for this mess. It is clear that someone had managed to infiltrate us and went after Uzumaki-kun." The purple-haired ANBU said. "Judging by the skill required to kill an ANBU, even at Daitachi's level, and bypass the sealing arrays around Uzumaki-kun's apartment… I would assume that our mysterious shinobi is already 20 miles outside of the village. The odds of catching him/her at this point are low."

"If Naruto-kun if inside of our borders, then I want him found at once! Organize a squad of our finest Tracker and Sensor-type Shinobi and pursue this mysterious shinobi! This has just become an S-Rank priority!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Of course, Sandaime Hokage-sama." The purple-haired woman stated, vanishing within a column of swirling leaves.

Even as his ANBU Captain left to follow her orders, Hiruzen knew that he was already too late. He began to think, wondering about what could've lead up to this scenario. He wondered that if he had done things differently, if he had suppressed the knowledge of Naruto's role in the Kyubi's defeat, would things have turned out differently. Could Naruto have experienced the childhood that was ripped from him the day he had been born?

Hiruzen sighed heavily, as there was not much he could do at this point. He knew that he could berate himself for the rest of his life, but nothing would really change. Naruto Uzumaki, son of Minato and Kushina Namikaze, was gone. All that he could do about it was pray.

He would pray to every single god and goddess out there, pray that Naruto would remain safe and happy.