-Prologue

Konoha at dusk was quite lively in its own way. Shopkeepers and stall owners alike moved faster to keep up with the orders from villagers who had just got off work and were preparing to return to their homes. These were the hardworking men and women that kept the hidden village on its feet alongside the shinobi charged with their protection.

This was what set Konoha apart from most other ninja villages. The civilians lived and interacted with the ninja to a certain extent, promoting the crucial interrelationship that was needed to run things smoothly. Unlike in Iwa and Kiri, the ninja of Konoha did not discriminate or oppress the civilians to the point of being hated and feared by fellow villagers. The Tsuchikage and Mizukage often preached against this policy and insisted that it made Konoha weak, regardless of the fact that they were currently the strongest hidden village among the elemental nations.

Near the edge of the market district, a grey haired youth paid for his purchases and hefted his bag of groceries. Just before going on his way, the boy smiled at the pretty brunette managing the stall and waved goodbye, earning a blush in return from the girl.

Inwardly, Kabuto scoffed at how easy it was to infiltrate the place. These people were so trusting that, to him who had had to struggle and live in suspicion for nearly all his life, it was downright sickening. Not that his opinion mattered in any way, he was here to do his job and no more or less.

Sasori-sama gave him a mission as a spy in Orochimaru's ranks, who in turn ordered him to play the role of one Yakushi Kabuto, a well-established gennin and medic in training. His great interest in the art- yes, art, of medicine along with his unnatural talent in the field was what had first appealed to the Sannin and convinced him that Kabuto would be a great asset in the near future, securing his place among Orochimaru's men.

Kabuto contemplated his precarious position as he walked slowly back to his one-room apartment. Sasori-sama's training was partly why he had survived for so long uncovered in the snake-man's service. That and the shady man's control seal which flared up whenever thoughts of defecting or crossing to the other side presented themselves… Even now the thing pulsed in its dormant state at the base of his neck, reminding him where his loyalties should lie if he wanted to keep his life. What his master didn't realize or chose to ignore though, was that while the seal kept him from turning traitor, it still allowed the ability to dream, to have ambition. And boy, did he dream…

It was quite a close gamble for him. Kabuto had his own interests that were on par with Sasori's for the time being. At the moment he wished to use the resources that Orochimaru had at his disposal to further his own research that may benefit both him and Sasori. For this reason alone, the control seal had yet to label him as a traitor and blow up his spine. Otherwise, he was counting on Orochimaru to notice the seal at some point and break it for him since he lacked the skill to do it himself. After that, he would play double-agent for a while, and should Orochimaru prove worth it, stick with the Hebi Sannin for a while.

At this wandering thought the seal burned shortly then settled back down to its normal throb.

'Damn thing. So annoying-' Kabuto snorted at the crude piece of fuinjutsu.

The mark would only kill him if he actively betrayed Sasori, still allowing his thoughts free reign as he wished. A ghost of a smile showed on Kabuto's face. It wasn't like he was in any hurry anyway.

He would bide his time while getting stronger- all the better to throw the yoke off his neck when the time came. Besides, Orochimaru would do away with him, deeming him worthless, if he failed to keep up his current rate of growth. The snake man did not tolerate any signs of weakness or slowing down among his forces.

xxx

A small blond kid, barely seven years of age, scurried across the semi-lit alley, hugging close to the walls and making sure to stay out of view of the wrathful villagers who were trying to keep up with the daily evening rush. He warily poked his head out from the narrow passageway and eyed one particular shop which sold fresh fruits that were displayed out on its verandah. If he timed it just right, he would be able to make off with something to sufficiently fill his little aching tummy.

Naruto's mouth watered at the thought of stuffing himself full with those juicy, ripe grapes that were dangling off the edge of the pile.

It wasn't that he didn't have the money to pay for it, far from it actually. Naruto's dilemma sprang from the fact that those crummy villagers wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, and they would outright refuse him service whenever he tried to honestly buy things. He could live with that, yeah, as long as the few who served him kept doing so… but it was decidedly worse at these places. There, they glared at him with a fury that left him quivering in his tiny sandals, all the while charging him outrageous rates for their wares.

It was the glaring that stung Naruto worse than anything else, even worse than being ignored. When he was ignored, he could at least pretend to be part of the crowd. He could blend in with everyone else for a time, but when they turned to face him with those angry stares… It was like flashing a big sign over him declaring how much he was a thing to them; like he was an awful disease plaguing them and was not worth shit in any way. To Naruto, that hurt harder than a kick to the gut, which he often got from some of the other street-rats.

All of this was the reason why he made it his life's mission to force these people to acknowledge him. Whether it be through fear, intimidation, or adoration, he would MAKE them notice him. The old man who sometimes visited him was proof enough that it was possible, judging by the way the villagers groveled before him it would be all too easy to make them see him if he were in that position. Ojisan had told him once that he was the Hokage, a title bestowed to the strongest ninja in the village. That piece of information made Naruto aware that in a ninja village, only ninja gain any form of respect, and of those, the strongest was the most reputed; the most acknowledged.

If that's what it took, to realize his goal, then that's exactly what he would become!

Grrrn…!

But first, he really needed to eat.

Young Naruto continued watching the fruit stand, patiently waiting for his chance despite the small impatient growls being given off by his stomach. (Sometimes he swore the thing was a living entity on its own!)

'There!'

The short boy ran/walked into the gap in the criss-crossing line of customers, squeezing his way between legs and under skirts (mind out of the gutter you pervs!) to reach his prize- those oh, so delicious looking grapes! He knew needed to be careful, which was why he didn't just run dash there and snatch the damn things. If he moved too fast he would draw attention to himself, which was the last thing he wanted… right now at least.

It was too late that Naruto noticed the pair of legs heading his way, and he ran straight into them.

CRASH!

The purple garbed ninja and the ragged child tripped and fell over each other in an unceremonious heap in the middle of the market street.

Kabuto cursed his lack of awareness and fumbled for his fallen glasses, hoping they hadn't gotten smashed in the fall. Once he retrieved them he took a look at what, or who, had gotten in his way. Sensing movement before his eyes had focused completely, his hand flashed out just in time to grab the offender before he scrambled away into the crowd, but a ripping sound and the feel of loose fabric clenched in his fist told him that whoever it was had gotten away.

'Hm, what was that about?' He regarded the dirty white cloth in his hand. Kabuto shifted from where he was on the ground and turned to look at the commotion that arose in the nearby crowd.

"What was that? Did you see what happened?"

"It's the brat again!"

"Why can't that monster just leave us alone!"

"Which way did he go? I oughta give him a piece of my mind!"

"HE STOLE MY GRAPES, THAT HOOLIGAN!"

Amidst the angry shouts and calls, Kabuto picked himself up and dusted himself off. A quick stoop later and he'd collected his spilt goods from the ground, saving them from being crushed. He was just about to turn and leave when a flitting thought occurred to him.

On a whim, he walked away in the direction the kid had taken off, easily following the boy's tracks. He didn't know what it was that compelled him to take an interest but followed his gut instinct anyway.

'Besides, I might find something interesting…'

xxx

Kabuto's glasses reflected the meager evening light in the alley as he took slow steps towards the easily sensible chakra signature hiding behind the dumpster at the far end.

'Surprising amount for someone so young. I wonder if he's consciously emitting it or it's the spill from his normal reserves?'

Sounds of munching and slurping filled the vicinity as he got closer.

"Oh yeah, those grapes sure hit the spot!" *BURP*

The silver haired gennin's nose wrinkled in mild disgust but he continued walking towards the loud voice.

"KUSO! These were my best clothes, now I have to go digging around again!"

Kabuto smirked and moved into view of the small kid. "You know, little boys like you shouldn't be wandering alone in the streets."

Naruto yelped loudly and scurried back from the figure who had seemingly walked out of the shadows to address him.

"H-hey! Who the hell are you!" he stammered, glancing around wildly to see if there were more people waiting to ambush him. Why didn't he sense this guy coming? What if it was a trap from some of the gangs? Oh, boy… Naruto had paid before for his lack of awareness of his surroundings, and this one looked easily bigger and stronger than him.

Kabuto noticed this wary nature but didn't think much of it. He was, however, interested in the marks running across both of the boy's cheeks.

'Clan markings? No, not unless it's a dead clan I haven't heard of...'

He shook his head and upon closer inspection recognized the village pariah. He'd heard about him only a week after moving to Konoha. If he remembered right, the exact words told to him were, 'You're a foreigner, so I'll give you a heads-up; if you see that hellspawn make sure you give it what's for! Don't let it fool you into thinking it's human, because it isn't!'

Silly villagers and their superstitions… He was a scientist and didn't take garbage at face value without studying it himself.

"I believe this is yours." He held out the torn piece of the shirt to Naruto who was still eyeing him and looking out for an ambush. It wasn't the first time people had approached him with kind gestures only to give him a painful thrashing the moment his back was turned. It wasn't anything too serious that would cripple him for life, but, thankfully, he'd gotten more streetwise and knew not to take candy from strangers now.

A wiry hand flashed out and grabbed the fabric from Kabuto's outstretched grip but the boy kept his distance. The big piece from his t-shirt was too valuable to lose since he could always stitch it back on and avoid scavenging for a replacement. At least until the old man took him shopping again.

Kabuto smirked and lowered his gaze to fully take in his slightly shaking form. Naruto really felt uncomfortable under the older boy's creepy stare.

"Quit looking at me like that!" he snapped when he couldn't take it anymore.

Kabuto didn't respond, other than smiling a bit and adjusting the glasses on his nose once he was done with his examination.

"Well now," he started. "A little far from home aren't you?"

"Why do you care! And you didn't answer me, who the hell are you?"

Kabuto found he liked this kid's spunky attitude, even if he was a tad arrogant. All mouth and no skill, it sort of reminded him of… him. "Actually, I don't care. I merely find you interesting and possibly worth a little of my time."

Naruto didn't know what to make of this guy. Usually, by now they would have tried to chase him away (off their territory) or rough him up a little, not make conversation. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You're not with any gang, are you?"

Kabuto chuckled lightly. "Oh? I suppose not… As for who I am, it's none of your concern."

Naruto didn't ask any more personal questions. Just like this guy, he didn't care, or even want to for that matter.

"Uh huh… Are you gonna let me go now or do you wanna beat me up first?" He took a VERY shaky academy stance. It never failed to help somewhat even the odds against superior numbers. He just wished he had better instruction to use it to the fullest whenever he needed to.

Kabuto realized he was blocking the exit of the alley with the other side being a dead end. Still, he gave no indication that he was about to move.

"Do you go to the Ninja Academy?"

"Yeah, so?"

Ah. It made sense. No civilian urchin could have gotten away from him so fast like he did, it was actually quite the accomplishment on the young boy's part. He must have some knowledge on how to use chakra to augment his speed, subconscious or otherwise. Kabuto could almost see a ghost of his former self overlapping the kid, reflecting the desire to live and be above everyone else.

"Oy, mister! You keep staring at me like that and I'm gonna think you're out for me or somethin'!"

Hmm. Maybe he'd toss the gaki a bone to set him right. Might be interesting to watch what he did with the information he was willing to give him.

"It's really quite fascinating isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Chakra." Kabuto stated simply.

"Eh? What the hell is that?"

Kabuto would have face-faulted if he had less of a handle on his emotions. As it was, he merely quirked an eyebrow, "You don't know what chakra is? I thought you said you went to the ninja academy…"

"Oy, are you calling me stupid!"

"You called yourself that." Kabuto pointed out. "And, honestly, the more I see, the more I'm inclined to agree." He remarked in an off-handed manner, like he just realized he was wasting his time.

To his delight, Naruto's face was heating up in anger and the boy was just one step away from pouncing. 'I suppose there's something to this 'manipulating others' thing.' No wonder Sasori-sama never seemed to get tired of meeting with his subordinates. He was dangling them all on strings just like his puppets.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I'll kick your ass, Teme!" shouted Naruto.

Chakra flared slightly in the alley, causing dust and small paper scraps to rise in the small wind whipping around him. Kabuto inwardly clucked in disappointment. So much potential wasted, the brat barely had a grip on his chakra. That flare should easily have been ten times larger with the kind of reserves this kid had. And Kabuto so disliked seeing potential run into waste- unless he was the one ending it, of course.

Naruto was a bit surprised that the guy confronting him didn't seem even the slightest bit intimidated by the little dust and leaves show he put on. That trick always shook up his other attackers, but this one didn't even look like he'd noticed anything!

"Hey, aren't you even afraid or somethin'?" he asked, stopping his little display.

Kabuto looked insulted, "Why would I be afraid of an idiot like you?"

That was the last straw. Giving a throaty yell, Naruto jumped and swiped at the other boy's face, hoping to disorient him, and abandoned all attempts at using any kind of formal taijutsu.

It was too easy for Kabuto. He only had to raise his foot without moving from his position, and Naruto slammed right into it, driven by his earlier momentum. The blond tasted the underside of Kabuto's sandal just before it somehow stuck to his face and rammed the back of his head on the ground when Kabuto let his foot drop.

"What, you don't like hearing the truth?" Kabuto's eyes widened maniacally as he entered 'freak-mode'. "You don't like being told you're worthless? Well, get used to it, because that's exactly what you are-"

Naruto struggled helplessly under the weight of the foot on his face. Blood was now running from his nostrils and down the back of his throat, courtesy of his crushed nose.

"You're absolutely worthless," Kabuto continued. "Because you have a chance to make your life something more, and you're wasting it doing mediocre things as if you were normal!"

Naruto whimpered. It wasn't his fault he was the way he was. No one ever let him be something; no one gave him the chance to be more. It wasn't his fault!

Kabuto finally let up and released Naruto from under his sandal. The boy scuttled backwards, cradling his mutilated nose with one hand, the other balancing him from behind.

"Are you waiting to be handed everything, like some spoiled little prince? Oh, woe is me! I have a hard life so I'll just get through everything by sheer luck, and maybe someday, they'll even make me hokage!" Kabuto mocked. He suddenly became serious. "You should wake up from your little dream world. The REAL world doesn't work that way. If you wait your whole life for a chance to avail itself, you will never get it. You have to go out there with no excuses and grab it for yourself- even steal it from others if you have to."

Finished with his tirade, Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose and brushed the fringes of his hair out of his face. It was starting to grow long, maybe he should tie it into a ponytail?

A sickening squelch brought his thoughts back to the alley just in time for him to see Naruto forcing his nose back into its natural position. The running blood had already stopped flowing and the angry red around the facial wounds was slowly lightening to a shade of pink. Kabuto's mouth hung open for a moment due to his shock at seeing Naruto's incredible rate of healing but he quickly schooled his features. There was more to this boy than meets the eye, but that was food for thought for another time.

"What am I supposed to do, huh?" Naruto spoke at last after hacking up a bloody loogie from the blood that went down his throat. "Nobody likes me, and those shit-for-head teachers at the academy won't teach me worth jack…"

"Are you serious?"

Naruto looked up inquisitively from where he was staring at the ground.

"You have more chakra than a gennin should, yet you don't even know what chakra is."

"Hey!"

"You obviously have a lot more free time than anyone else does, so why don't you actually do something constructive with it? Don't start crying about how the academy teachers won't show you anything. This is a ninja village and even an idiot like you can find something useful to work with if you look hard enough. Listen in on others' conversations, steal books and scrolls, experiment every once in a while. You want ninjutsu? Create your own. Taijutsu? Even the greatest ninja rely more on their reflexes and experience than a particular style. Genjutsu is worthless if you know how to see through it, and even easier to learn if you can. Weapons can be found littering any training ground and even the faultiest can be mastered given enough time, which you're clearly not short of."

Naruto's head was swimming with all the information this guy was throwing at him. He could really do all that? Why didn't anyone ever tell him so? For that matter, why was it like everyone was out to get him? Something hard struck his forehead causing him to drop his thoughts and glare at the grey-head. In his lap landed an apple which Kabuto had taken out of his bag of groceries.

Naruto held the fruit in a dirty palm as if unsure what to do with it. Kabuto just turned away from him to look at the amber glow of the sunset slowly recede into blue, and finally, a dark blue behind one of the shorter buildings visible from the opening of the alley.

"No one is born an idiot, not even retards. The sooner you learn to use your brain, Naruto-kun, the sooner you will break free from this world of the ordinary."

Naruto's head snapped up when he heard his name called but the weird guy was already gone, seemingly vanished into thin air. He shivered slightly when a draught brushed him from the uncovered side of his body where his t-shirt had been ripped. Naruto took his small gift, looking at the small highlight on the smooth red surface as he thought over everything that had happened in the past half hour. Another cool breeze hit him and he decided to think over the rest at his apartment.

'It's going to be a long night…' thought Naruto as he made his way home, his day having come to an end.

A/N: Kabuto is about fourteen years old, I think. He wears a purple polo sweater that has vertical black stripes running from the armpits to the hem. His pants are the standard navy-blue but they are free around the shins and ankles and not wrapped. Sandals are the ordinary blue (I still don't get why the entire community wears one type of footwear). Naruto has the normal stuff you see him wearing in the anime as a kid, white t-shirt, blue shorts, but in this story they are close to being rags.