Okay, this is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. I don't really know exactly where I going with this, but I do have a plot. So, just read and review. My fate rests in your hands. Flames will be used for warmth, because my house is freezing cold this time of year. Finally, here is the disclaimer that's going to keep me out of court:

I don't own Naruto. Someone else that isn't me owns him.

The Chains That Bind Us

Chapter One

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A young boy about six years old is sitting in a tree on the outskirts of the proud village of Konoha. Staring towards said village, his eyes were fixed on a magnificent fireworks display. Ignoring his somewhat grubby clothes, the boy had bright blue eyes, spiky yellow hair, and a set of whisker-like marks on his cheeks. Altogether, he had a pretty nice face. It was made even nicer by the large grin nearly splitting his head.

Today seemed to be going rather well for the young Naruto Uzumaki. Today was the annual festival that celebrated the defeat of the monstrous Kyuubi no Kitsune at the hands of the Fifth Hokage. Of course, Naruto wasn't actually at the festival; last time he attended, he ended up with some very nasty bruises and cuts. Thankfully, he seemed to heal very fast, otherwise he probably would have had to go to the hospital. And Naruto hated doctors, with their pointy needles and disinfectant-scented rooms.

But that is beside the point. This boy was happy because it seemed that the villagers weren't going to bother him today. Normally, a mob would seek him out on the day of the festival, and he would spend his entire day on the run and out of breath. If they caught him, he would usually be in the hospital by the end of the day. However, today seemed different. He hadn't seen so much as a single person today, and he was hoping it would stay that way.

But Kami isn't always nice.

"Hey brat! Wha' are you doin'?" Looking down from his perch, Naruto sees a villager. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, probably. "You shtupid demon! I shayed "wha' are you doin"!" And drunk too, from the slur to his speak.

"I'm watching the fireworks! Aren't they pretty?" said Naruto, glancing back up as another large firework explodes. "Yeah, they shcertainly are. I bet you wish you could shee them up closhe, don' ya?" Naruto grins and nods his head, before frowning at the memory of what happened the last time he tried to do that. "I do, but the villagers might attack me if I get too close…"

"I know, how about I take you to shee the fireworksh? I can show ya a close place where no one will bother ya…" The villager's smirk goes unnoticed by Naruto, as does the broken bottle hidden behind his back. "Would you really!?" Naruto's face lights up at the chance, and he hops down from his perch.

"Yesh, it'sh jusht over there." said the man, as he pointed towards some bushes near the a small apartment. "In the bushes? How can I see the fireworks from there?" "Jush trush me…" said the villager. Still looking confused, Naruto makes his way toward the bushes.

Figuring it must hide some secret passage or something, Naruto begins to search the bushes, as the man walks toward him. He stands behind the boy, and pulls the broken bottle out from behind his back. Smirking, the villager raises it in the air, before swiftly bringing it down on young Naruto's head. With a thud, the boy drops to the ground, unconscious.

A dull throb of pain in the back of his skull awakens Naruto. Wincing, Naruto gets up and looks at his surroundings. He seemed to be in a sewer, if the leaky pipes overhead were any indication. "A sewer? How did I get here?" Standing knee-deep in the flowing sewer water, Naruto shivered. It was cold; not just the water, but the air too. Holding himself for warmth, he takes a glance around.

It was dark, and he could only see a few feet in any direction. But, seeing as he only had two ways to go, forwards or backwards, Naruto begins walking.

After what felt like at least an hour of walking with nothing to occupy him except the sloshing of his feet through the water, Naruto notices he isn't shivering anymore. "It feels warmer. But…" Sniffing the air, Naruto catches a whiff of a foul odor. "But it smells really bad! Ugh!" Letting go of his shoulders, Naruto ops for holding his nose instead.

However, even such a stench doesn't deter him from his path. Naruto feels drawn to the corridor, as if someone were calling him. "It's getting warmer and warmer." he notes, as it was getting close to being unpleasantly hot. Suddenly, the corridor opens into a large chamber, so large he can't see the ceiling.

What he can see is a cage. A very, very large cage, with a piece of paper placed over the lock. Taking a close look at the paper, Naruto sees a symbol of some sort on it. It appears to be a kanji, not that Naruto knows that. He still can't read.

Looking closely at the symbol, Naruto is suddenly gripped by an sense of fear. His eyes widen, and his breathing becomes labored. The air around him begins to feel heavy, like it is pressing down, trying to crush him. Backing away from the cages slowly, Naruto spins around and dashes back the way he came.

"Where do you think you are going?" spouts a sinister-sounding disembodied voice.

At these words, Naruto's body seems to freeze. His legs stop responding to whatever commands his fear-driven mind gives, and he finds himself turning around. Eyes widening, Naruto finds himself face-to-face with… Well, a face. He could make out a giant set of sharp teeth and a pair of equally large blood-shot red eyes through the darkness, but nothing more.

At this point, the young boy's mind is consumed by fear and panic. A bit more fear and panic than he can handle, it seems, as he once more collapses to the ground unconscious.

"Wretched boy… He can't even stand my presence long enough for me to warn him." The teeth form what could be called a grin. "Looks like he'll just learn the hard way." It speaks, eyeing a chain the was attached to the boy's back, and went all the way up to the darkness above. "It seems he can't even see his own Chain…"

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"You shouldn't be sleeping here."

Stirring, Naruto opens his eyes at the sound of a voice. "What?"

"It is unwise to be sleeping there. You may become ill."

Getting up, Naruto looks around to see the same bushes he was looking through before. Still a little shaken from his nightmare, Naruto jumps at the touch of a hand tapping his shoulder. Turning around, Naruto sees another boy, about his height. The boy is wearing a coat and sunglasses. "Um… Sorry, I didn't catch your name." says Naruto.

"I never gave it. However, you may call me Shino." Noticing that the sun is high in the sky, Naruto figures it must be around noon. "Well Shino, I wasn't sleeping there!" said Naruto, not wanting to lose what little pride he had. "Then what were you doing?" said Shino, his voice carrying none of the usual hateful tone Naruto was use to.

"Um…I was looking for bugs!" shouted Naruto, beaming at what he thought to be a perfectly believable excuse. "Well, perhaps I could help you?" inquired Shino. "Uh, okay. Ya, why not?" "Very well then. I suggest we search the trees, however. We won't find many insects in the bushes during this time of year. Cicadas are more common."

Making his way toward some trees, Naruto grins and looks at Shino from over his shoulder. "By the way Shino, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the next Hokage!" he loudly declares as he walks. "Is that so?" said Shino, as he joins Naruto in his search.

"So, what does a chicady look like?" asks Naruto, as he searches the branches of a tree. Ignoring his mistake in naming, Shino speaks up. "Cicada look like this." he says, as he pulls a small book from his pocket and opens it. Looking at the page, Naruto sees a picture of his target. "Got it! We'll find one in no time!"

Climbing up another tree, Naruto resumes his search through the branches as Shino inspects the trunks. "Shino, I found one!" yelled Naruto, as he drops from the branches, his hands clasped around something. "Let me see it, if you would."

Opening his hands, Naruto reveals the insect. "Naruto, that looks nothing like a cicada." Pulling his book back out, Shino shows Naruto the picture again. Looking between the page and his prize, Naruto huffs. "They look the same to me…"

"I assure you they are not. That is a cricket." Frowning, Naruto again looks back and froth from the cricket and the book. "You're too picky, Shino." "Perhaps I should explain the difference." The two boys sit down in the shade of the trees, and Shino hands the book to Naruto. He then begins a long-winded explanation about the various kinds of bugs and their names, as Naruto begins to fall asleep.

And so, Naruto makes his first friend.

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Tell me what you think. Remember this, is only my first attempt at writing a fanfic! Also, if you don't see anything resembling a plot in this story, that's okay. It will become a more clear in the next chapter or two.