A/N: This story is in a rough proofreading process. Be aware of that before attempting to read it.
11/12/2017: Big thanks to ZombifiedWulf for her help!
Prologue
Between the lines of the white mask glints keen blue eyes observing...
(A woman corpse falls)
... the whirlpool drawn on the belly of an unconscious kid.
X
The gigantic red eyes of the creature contemplated their surroundings. Its eyelids blinked slowly, as if their owner had just woken up from a long dream. A purple reflection, then several, crossed its irises in waves. Fireflies casting a blue glow emerged from the dark shroud above, slowly falling as though it was raining. The creature realized that this process had gone on for a while already. It felt... relaxed before such an ephemeral event.
Being at ease, the creature able to note that the downpour was coming to an end. It shook its muzzle and reminded its situation; why it was there in the first place. However, whereas it would formerly have felt anger, it now approached with a diametrical calm. Indeed, it had once again been imprisoned in this familiar sanctuary. Or at least, it said to itself, this one seemed to be familiar. All cages looked the same, after all. It felt restless but, in a sense, serene.
It was aware that this duality was not supposed to mesh so well.
The creature was jolted from its thoughts when it began to hear voices, then footsteps in its general direction. It turned around but saw nothing. Finally, it realized these fleeting sensations were not its own. Its long raspy tongue ran between its lips thoughtfully. Its host was already so old?
Not being able to keep up with the passage of time, it wondered how long this dream had lasted.
Or was it perhaps in another dream?
It then remembered its last outing, the time it had been controlled by the red-eyed man. It purred meditatively. So, those little insignificant beings were not so insignificant as they seemed. Something tickled its long whiskers, this time aromas rather than sounds. Dust, earth, sweat—the creature remained in awe before these exotic sensations.
Nevertheless, it was not the time to dwell on the present moment.
It raised its muzzle to the ceiling. The dark clouds above seemed immovable, as did the bars which kept it captive. But then, it noticed that the paper that usually served as the lock of its prison seemed different, somehow. It held out a paw through the iron pillars and realized with surprise that the lightning bolts that were usually supposed to keep it from crossing the barrier were shining in their absence.
Fascinating...
It experimented several times. One paw, then another. A smile spread across its muzzle. When it was about to move forward, realization hit it like a hammer on a nail. It felt really lucky and guessed such a chance would not present itself anytime soon. It shook its whole body, tearing itself away from its immaterial chains, which at once turned to dust, and then sitting on its behind. The shadow of nine tails clashed frantically.
The creature closed its eyes and smiled.
It knew what was left to do.
Naruto was not stupid. He let people think he was because he thought it would garner their pity. However, at best, what he received was their indifference.
The abuse he was victim to every day was of the psychological kind. He felt oppressed, isolated. People went out of their away to ignore him whenever he came close.
Naruto felt very lonely.
Even other children avoided him, though he saw in their eyes that they themselves didn't know why. It was no doubt because of their parents.
In the evening, when Naruto wanted to buy food, it happened that whatever grocery store he approached was always closed. When he snuck back ten minutes later, he saw that the very same stall had resumed its activities. He always wondered why. However, he obviously had no answer to this query.
It had been two years since the Leaf's High Lord, the Hokage, had adopted him. This memory was among the most wonderful for the boy. When he saw the old man approaching him with a smile for the very first time, he had not been able believe his eyes. His big white hat had teased Naruto's nose when he had scooped him up and wrapped him in his arms. Naruto had grabbed the hat and shaken it like a rattle, causing him to burst out with laugher. From that moment on, the Hokage took a prominent place in his life. Now, when Naruto saw him, he called him Grampa.
Nevertheless, although Naruto loved his Grampa, he knew he was very busy. The blond haired boy could count on his fingers the number of times his grandfather had met him in the last two years.
Since the moment the Leaf's High Lord adopted him and housed him in a centrally located apartment, Naruto had been harassed every day by his neighbors. They seemed to bear an immeasurable hate toward him.
Within first week there, he heard somebody knocking on his door at night. When he opened it, he received a fist to his eye, which had stayed swollen the rest of the evening. What he remembered best was that horrific laugh, that unforgettable, sadistic laugh that had preceded the violent act. Now, he never opened his door for anyone at night.
However, the bullies did not stop there. Regularly, when he left his house in the morning, Naruto saw insults and death threats graffitied on his door. When Naruto tried to talk about it, people just ignored him. They said he was begging for attention, as when he came back on his doorstep, the tags always disappeared. Naruto cried every night in bed. He did not understand this injustice.
The worst event was the night of the Festival, which celebrated the day the previous High Lord had sacrificed his life for his people. His Grampa warned him that he absolutely had to stay home during this event. And Naruto, who blindly listened to his Grampa, of course obeyed his injunction.
Despite this, on that night, Naruto experienced his worst nightmare.
Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc.
This repetitive sound echoed throughout the small home, knowing no end. He cried under a blanket on the couch, hoping for someone to free him from his fate. They would not dare, they never dared to force...
Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc.
Why was he alone? Why had his parents abandoned him? Was he so ugly that even his own parents rejected him?
Toc. Toc. Toc. Squash.
And then, there was silence.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
They had entered his room.
Naruto jumped out of bed, ignoring the shouts of hatred. As they had come through the door, Naruto had no choice but to head for the only window in his room. Naruto's apartment was on the second floor and below, only a huge void welcomed the boy. But he knew he had no other choice.
He jumped.
He caught himself in a roll, but his body ached horribly. It was as if thousands of disgusting insects were crawling under the surface of his skin, but Naruto tried to ignore this unpleasant sensation and began to run.
They were pursuing him, he knew, and that's why he did not turn around.
Left, then duck a sharp right. Like a rabbit fleeing from his predators, he rushed into the labyrinth of alleyways, but they hunted him down like a pack of wolves, encircling him from all sides.
He was trapped at a dead end.
Naruto slowly turned, only to see each and every one at the ready.
The torture began.
Naruto woke up in some kind of viscous orange liquid. Darkness encircled him from all sides. He was next to huge iron bars that reached the sky, where it disappeared into an impenetrable, yet floating, black mist. Naruto stood up and looked around. An endless stream of red brick walls continuously expelled this same disgusting liquid. A putrid odor was emerging from the floor, as if Naruto was in the middle of a sewer.
"It took you a long enough to arrive, child," said a sinister voice from above.
Naruto jumped and screamed when he saw an immense shadow moving above him. Two red eyes, cracked in the middle, suddenly revealed themselves.
"You came to eat me?" asked the boy, quaking in terror.
A gigantic mouth emerged from the obscurity, showing a series of equally terrifying teeth.
"And if I answer yes, what would you do?"
"Please, make it so I don't feel pain," Naruto begged, lowering his head.
The shadow stopped moving. "Hmm... all right. I'll do as you tell me."
Thank you, Naruto thought, waiting to be engulfed.
However, even after a minute, the boy didn't feel anything. He wondered if he was already in the belly of the gigantic beast. He opened his eyes slightly and realized the shadow had not moved from its place. The thing surprised him with a laugh.
"Well, was not that what you wanted?"
Naruto looked at the red eyes without understanding. The creature's smile widened as it casually added:
"Did you suffer from my treatment? It was you who told me that you did not want to suffer."
"Why didn't you eat me?" Naruto asked, a little pissed off.
"Why would I do that? Do you seriously think a tiny insect like you would be able to sate my hunger?"
"I'm not an insect!" Naruto shouted, flexing his right arm. "Look, I'm as tender and succulent as any ogre could ever hope for!"
The thing resumed its sneer, and Naruto believed he saw a paw moving closer to its gigantic mouth before returning to the dark haze.
"Really? If you are as succulent as you claim, I would not mind taking a bite."
Naruto felt his body being lifted. His feet took off from the ground as he approached the creature's jaws. Finally, his suffering was going to end. He closed his eyes as he felt its breath on him. Then, something rough and wet circled his head and legs before he stopped feeling again.
"Ah... you're indeed tasty. But... it would be a shame to eat you now. Why would I eat you today when you have the potential to become even more appetizing in the future?"
Naruto felt himself being lowered to the ground again, until his feet were once again set in liquid. Red eyes continued to scrutinize him.
"You're horrible, mean, and evil!" Naruto shouted.
"Oh, should I feel upset?" the creepy voice quipped. "If you don't mind, I'm going take a nap."
The shadows moved away from him, as if he did not exist. Naruto could not believe his eyes. How dare this monster ignore him when he had so kindly proposed to eat him? It was scandalous!
Naruto set off in pursuit of the huge shadow, but at that very moment it collapsed to the ground, causing a dark and immense wave that would have overtaken him had he not squatted. Five seconds later, he emerged, and looked around to see where the shadow had gone. It had put a lot of distance, but Naruto determinedly trailed after it, and after much huffing and puffing, managed to catch up.
The thing was at least fifty times his size, if not greater. Huge tails spotted with red fur fluttered up and down in swirly patterns. Naruto finally caught a glimpse of the paws, sporting claws twice as big as he was. Naruto realized that the shadow was in fact a gigantic fox.
Like the one in legends.
Naruto put his hands on its coarse fur and slid them all the way down its body, until he reached the whiskers.
"What do you want?" the fox asked, opening its eyes wide.
Naruto stepped back in fear, but forced himself not to go any farther. He mustered all his courage, and asked in a firm tone: "Why did you ignore me?"
"And why wouldn't I?" it retorted in the same tone. "What have you done to deserve my attention?"
Naruto flinched. He blinked before answering back vivaciously: "I'm the only one with you here!"
"So what?" the creature replied lazily.
"Don't you feel lonely?" Naruto asked.
The big pair of eyes blinked several times.
"What are you offering?"
Naruto lifted his hand to its red iris.
"Can I be your friend?" Naruto asked hopefully.
Two gigantic eyes narrowed.
"Why not," it said eventually, in a gruff tone.
And then, its giant form brightened suddenly and exploded in blinding light. Naruto jumped backward in surprise and would have fallen if it were not for a preventative hand to his back. As he lifted his eyes upward, he saw a human head—more precisely, a woman's head—attached to a beautiful, naked figure. She measured at least twice his height, and her eyes were red and slit in the middle like the fox's. He then felt his head resting on her bodacious chest. He felt a warm hand ruffling his hair, and then his ears.
"Do you enjoy this, child? I have heard that young human males like to be in the presence of an adult figure."
"But... Your voice does not fit your body."
She arched her eyebrows. "Oh yes, I forgot about that." There was a pause. "Done," she finishes, in a crystalline tone. She then hummed. "We may continue our conversation now that you are no longer scared of me."
Her voice was delightful, alluring. Naruto loved the sound of her voice. He felt like...
"Can I call you Onee-sama?" The woman looked at him, grinning like crazy. She lifted one hand, nails starting to look dangerously like claws.
"You can try, but I won't guarantee that you will escape unscathed from this, child."
Despite the fact that she told him he would no longer be scared, he found her new form even more... intimidating. He asked shyly: "What should I call you then?"
The woman smiled fondly.
"You can shorten my name if you wish, and call me Kura. My old brethren used to do that... sometimes." Her red eyes seemed to be lost somewhere in the clouds.
"Kura—" she put a finger to his mouth.
"But, that is a story for another time. You should wake up."
"Wh-what?" But when his eyes opened, he realized he was alone again, still on the street. Dawn had arrived, the sun illuminating the horizon.
He looked at his arms, legs, and body, but saw no wounds. He felt as if he had been asleep for an eternity. It was as if... everything had just been a dream.
And yet, in a corner of his mind, a voice chuckled. Do you like my present, child?
"What—how?"
He answered vocally, but the voice replied with an annoyed tone: Do not speak to yourself. Thinking is enough. I can hear you, child.
What time is it?"
Congratulations, child, you survived the night, but you are still late for the Academy. People may ask questions. Hurry.
"Damn, I forgot about that!" the eight-year-old exclaimed as he ran toward the main street.
And there behind him laid the blooded bodies of his previous aggressors, scattered on the floor.
The Fox grinned. Humans were truly fascinating.