LordDimir: Hello there folks. I do apologize for my absence. Real life has been hectic for me recently. But I'm finally back to writing.
Naruto: Finally! Jeez, I thought that you had forgotten about us.
LordDimir: Never! I could never forget about my readers. I appreciate every single one of them. It's just I found myself struggling for ideas I wanted for my other stories. But, I've decided on this new one until I can get new and better ideas for the old ones.
Naruto: Yeah, yeah. Just don't abandon us again.
LordDimir: I won't. I'm back for good. I may not have a set release schedule, but I'm going to try to have new chapters at least every week or so.
Naruto: I'll believe it when I see it.
LordDimir: Alright dude, what's up with you?
Naruto: You made me four again this chapter!
LordDimir: Seriously? That's why you're upset?
Naruto: Yeah, I'm a kid again. Do you know what I have to go through AGAIN now? Puberty!
LordDimir: -eyes widen- Oh, I didn't quite think about that. I'm sorry man. Don't worry though, I'll make sure you're good through it! So, can I ask you to do the disclaimer for me?
Naruto/Disclaimer: Fine. But I better be awesome in this story! -sighs- LordDimir does not own me or anything from my universe.
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The human mind can be a wonderful and terrible thing. It can bring about new inventions and revolutionize the world, but, it can also bring about destruction and chaos. The thing is, to the owners of both of these minds, they are convinced that they are doing the right thing. Thus bringing us to the scene currently being witnessed in Konohagakure.
A young boy, no more than four years old, was laying in an alley. Now, this normally wouldn't be something one would see everyday, and to most people, it would bring about a protective feeling to help the boy, but, of course, it wasn't this feeling that was in the minds of the mob surrounding him. No, the feelings in them varied from anger to slight nausea from the amount of liquor they had consumed beforehand. But the overall feeling in each and every one of them was the righteous justification of their actions to avenge their beloved Fourth Hokage, who this monster killed four years ago this very day.
Now normally, the act of beating a four year old child was appalling to all of them, and they would be the first to step in, should they see someone committing this terrible, terrible crime. But what they were doing now was no crime, oh no, what they were doing now should earn all of them a medal for their heroic actions. But, of course, they were humble. Every bone broken, every cut, bruise, and welt, every drop of blood spilt by this demon was a reward in and of itself. They were avenging their lost loved ones and ridding their village of its demonic plague, what better reward could there be?
As the mob was continuing their righteous beating of the child and the pool of blood slowly continued to grow around them, not one noticed the air starting to get thicker and more repugnant. That is, until a red aura started surrounding their target. Then they noticed.
The hands filled with weapons ranging from broken beer bottles to kunai halted their assault. The drawn back feet slowly made their way back to the ground and were frozen there. The eyes of every person there widened as they saw their target slowly being lifted up from its fetal position. They saw the bones that were sticking out of the skin slowly being set back into place and every cut, bruise and welt left healed itself right before their eyes. The blood that had been pouring out of so many different points was slowing down to a drip and then stopped all together. But what terrified them most was the cloak of red surrounding the boy, who was still unconscious, and the unmistakable ears, muzzle, and 9 tails that were swishing behind it. Well, that was what terrified them most, until it began to speak.
"Why hello there, it is so nice to meet you all, an honor really. I mean, who wouldn't be honored to meet such a fine group of, for lack of a better term, "people" such as yourselves who think it justified to beat an innocent child who has done nothing to you, nor anyone for that matter. Not even defending himself from the pain and torture you oh so happily bestowed upon him. So, congratulations, after all of your beatings, you have successfully cracked the dam and unleashed the tidal wave behind it. Here is your reward..."
Suddenly, everyone in and around the Village Hidden in the Leaves could hear nothing but blood-curdling screams. Then as suddenly as it had began, it stopped, leaving an eerie silence throughout Konoha.
Every shinobi and kunoichi in the village ran toward the epicenter of the all-too-familiar demonic presence they felt. The Third Hokage and every ANBU agent arrived at the scene first. They discovered not a towering nine-tailed fox demon like they had expected, but the scene of a massacre not seen by many, other than veterans of the last Great Shinobi War. Random body parts were strewn about the alley as the blood flooded out onto the street. It would make any normal person throw up, but to the well-trained shinobi who still had a heart, it just made them nauseous.
"Crow, get a clean-up crew down here immediately. Bear, Raven, you will set up a perimeter, no one gets in except them, Crow will join you when they arrive. Cat, go and get the Inuzuka Trackers. Everyone else, we will begin the search for Naruto. Go!" The Hokage said with a voice that commanded authority. After they all disappeared to do their respective tasks, the Hokage let out a quiet sigh.
"Naruto, what happened here?" he whispered to himself before Shunshin'd away as well, all the while praying to Kami that they find his adopted grandson.
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(Naruto's Mindscape)
Naruto opened his eyes slightly when he no longer heard the sneers and jeers of the angry mob. He hoped that they had given up like they normally did after a while and left him to rot in whatever alley they had pinned him in. But when his eyes adjusted themselves, he noticed that he was no longer in the alley, rather he was in what looked like a sewer. The funny thing was, this was no sewer in Konoha, for he had been in every single part of them when he was hiding from the mobs before. He looked around for an exit, but found none.
"Well, I guess I'll just explore the scary tunnel, it's not like I'm scared." he said to himself to boost his courage, for he was, in fact, scared out of his mind. (AN: Well, sort of...) After that he began his trek forward into the unknown.
After a few minutes of walking, he began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. He instantly ran for it, for he knew that light meant an exit. However his hopes were demolished when he came to a huge room filled with torches and an equally huge gate.
"Whoa..." Naruto said in awe, "What is this place?"
"This is your mind Naruto." came a booming voice from behind the gate.
Naruto jumped in surprise at the voice and got ready to run.
"Do not be afraid kit, for I will not hurt you. I have seen you hurt too many times to count, and I do not wish to add to that number." the voice spoke, this time in a softer tone.
Even though he couldn't see who was talking, Naruto, for some reason, did not feel the fear he normally felt when being face-to-face with the hatred of the villagers. However, that did not stop him from being cautious of whoever this was, for he had learned all too often not to trust people.
"Who are you and where are you? Please let me see you, if you don't want me to be scared."
"Very well kit. I will warn you though, I may, in fact, look scary to you." the voice said as an orange and furry mass began to be seen beyond the bars. It took a few seconds for the mass to be seen entirely, and when it could, Naruto's eyes widened.
"Whoa, you're huge!" Naruto exclaimed as he saw the giant fox for the first time, "Cool!"
This caused the fox to laugh and say, "Yes, I know, I look very cool, don't I?"
Naruto could only nod as he grinned.
"Now, for introductions. My name is Kurama, but most humans normally refer to me as the Kyuubi."
Naruto looked confused for a second before saying, "Sorry, but you can't be. Everyone says that I'm the Kyuubi, that's why they beat me up..." Naruto then hung his head as he remembered the cruel beatings he had been dealt.
"No! You are not me! You are a purely innocent child who has done nothing wrong in his life but try to live. You are not a demon, a monster, or anything those wretched villagers have called you. You are Naruto Uzumaki, nothing more, nothing less." Kurama said with pride in his voice for his container. He had watched every wound dealt to this child with pain in his heart, but no more. No longer would he have to sit idly by and witness the horrendous acts done to this boy.
"R-Really?" Naruto said with tears in his eyes. No one except the Hokage and the Ichirakus had ever treated him like a normal person, and here was the real Kyuubi, who he had known for less than a few minutes, telling him that he was, in fact, a normal person and not a demon.
"Really kit, the ones who have beat you, those are the real demons. I've lived for thousands of years and have rarely met actual demons who were worse than those people."
"Thanks Kurama, you don't know how much that means to me..." Naruto said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, then a realization dawned on him, "Wait, if this is my mind, then why are you here Kurama?"
The Kyuubi sighed as he knew this would come up eventually, "Well, Naruto, you've heard all about how the Fourth Hokage died right?
"Yeah, well, I was told that he died while killing you, but then how are you still alive?"
"Well, I am not a living, breathing creature like humans or animals. We Bijuu are nothing but masses of chakra bunched together that formed bodies. As such, we cannot be killed by normal methods. The only way for us to be "killed" is by having our chakra absorbed fully into a human. The Fourth Hokage knew this and knew that I was too powerful to be sealed into an object, as the object would just break and I'd be freed, or an animal, where my mind would overtake theirs and I'd be freed. So he sacrificed himself by using a forbidden sealing technique and sealed me into you. The seal is very well done and allows you to be able to access my chakra if need be, but limits the control I would have over your mind when you do. But do not worry, I vow to never try to control you, no matter how much of my power you use, for I am not the bloodthirsty demon everyone believes me to be. In all actuality, I am one of the more docile of the 9 Bijuu. I never even wanted to attack Konoha, but someone with a Sharingan took control of my mind and forced me into a rage and sent me on a warpath toward Konoha."
Naruto just stood there, shocked by what he had just heard. He had the Kyuubi, the most powerful of the Bijuu, sealed inside of him. He didn't know what to say.
"I understand this is a lot to process, young one. Please, take your time to adjust to it."
Naruto just nodded, and after a few minutes he spoke, "So, what you're saying is that all of this, the beatings, the insults, the glares, everything, is all because some guy took control of your mind?"
Kurama nodded and looked ashamed at letting himself be control by such a person, "Yes Naruto, and I am sorry."
"Dude, cheer up, it ain't your fault. I'm more pissed at whoever that guy was. Besides, you weren't yourself. Trust me, I know how it feels to be punished for something you had no control over..." Naruto said with a grin, "So, let's start over, huh? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meetcha."
Kurama just smirked at the young boy and his pure heart.
"Alright, my name is Kurama, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well Naruto."
"So, would you like to be friends Kurama? I have a feeling that neither of us have many of those right about now."
Kurama let out a snort and said, "Yeah, let's be friends, kit."
Both Naruto and Kurama laughed and smiled. They spent the next hour talking about some of the things Kurama had done in his life, much to Naruto's amusement. After Kurama had finished tell him stories, Naruto had gotten up and said, "Well, I have to get back, the Old Man will be worried if I'm not awake soon."
"Um...about that..."
"What?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"Well, when you lost consciousness, your body was pushed way past it's limits from the beating. I'm sorry Naruto, but I cannot allow my friend to stay in a village where he is hated by almost everyone."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, while we were talking, I surrounded your body in a chakra cloak to heal, but the wounds were too severe for me as you can't handle too much of my chakra yet. I needed to get you somewhere safe, and the only ones I could think to trust were my brother and sister. They were sealed into humans too, but I knew where they were. I'm sorry, but you are no longer in Konoha."
"So, where am I?"
"Kumogakure."
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(Konoha Outskirts – Before Naruto and Kurama's conversation)
'Okay, I have to get the kit away from this village and fast, but where do I go? Shukaku? No, that guy is just crazy, no way he'd be of any help. Isobu? No, last I heard that civil war in Kiri was still going on. Son Goku and Kokuo? No, this kit looks too much like his father, that village would kill him just because of his looks. Wait, that's it, Matatabi and Gyuki. They will help, and they aren't bat-shit crazy, maybe Mata's a little horny, but she's still nice. Alright, Kumo, here I come.'Kurama thought to himself as he was running away.
Kurama took off like a bat out of Hell, but then realized that once they couldn't find Naruto anywhere, they'd send trackers out after his scent. Even in the chakra cloak he was in, his scent still permeated onto the surroundings. So he did the only thing he could think of, he jumped into a river and let it carry them downstream. His scent was effectively masked and because of the cloak, Naruto wouldn't drown even while unconscious.
'Good, if my memory is correct, which it normally is, then this river flows all the way through Fire Country and then splits into three different rivers, each going to a different country. Even if they tried to track us, searching throughout four different countries for one boy would take years even with a continuous search.' Kurama thought as he began swimming underwater. He knew that even with the river's flow, he needed to put as much distance between himself and Konoha as possible.
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(A few hours later – Lightning Country)
Kurama had finally surfaced from the water. He knew that Kumogakure was not too far now, but he knew that a tailed beast just showing up in the middle of a village would not be very welcomed. He had already been in that situation once and it had ended up with him getting sealed inside Naruto.
He took off toward the village, making sure that the chakra he put out was just enough to send a team to respond to it, he made sure that the demonic chakra was evident enough for at least one of his siblings and the Raikage himself to be in the response team. He wasn't disappointed. About five minutes after he had exited the river, he was surrounded by Kumo shinobi with the Raikage right in front of him.
"Halt, or we will be forced to stop you!" the Raikage said, pumping his chakra out, showing that he meant business.
"Please, I bear no ill will toward you or your village. I actually come seeking assistance." Kurama said, making sure to not make any moves that might be considered hostile.
"What assistance could Kumo give to a Bijuu such as yourself?" A said, still ready to fight the Kyuubi.
"Well, as you can see, and no doubt know already, I have been sealed into this young boy. This may come to a shock to you, but I'm not as bloodthirsty as I am made out to be. As such, I've watched in horror at the terrible attacks that were aimed at this boy. I have had to heal him almost everyday of his short life due to the villagers of Konoha not knowing a sheath from the sword it holds. As it is, right now, the boy's body cannot handle the chakra I would need to make sure that he lives through this. I know that the doctors in Konoha would not heal the boy enough to save his life, that is why we have left Konoha to find help elsewhere. I knew not where I could go, other than to my family, that is the reason I have come here. I humbly beg for your help, not as the Nine-tailed Fox demon, but as a brother seeking help from his siblings."
This stunned every ninja there. Never had any of them thought that they would see one of the most powerful beings in the world beg for help from them. Two of the group stirred a little as a small chakra cloak covered them.
"Kurama, you do realize that if that boy dies, then you would be free, right?" came a voice from the blond female surrounded by a blue cloak.
"Alas, that is not how it would go down Mata. The seal that holds me within was done by a master of fuinjutsu, if the boy were to die, it would kill me as well. That is also a reason why I want this boy to be helped, but the main reason is that he has come to gain my respect. He has been through things that would make even the strongest demon lose his sanity. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be a great ninja someday, and an even greater man." Kurama stated with pride in his voice.
"I didn't think I would ever hear those words from you. This boy has really earned your respect? Something that most demons don't even have?" said a voice from the man standing next to the Raikage. He was surrounded in a cloak similar to the female's, but his was colored brown.
"Yes, I had never thought I would utter such words myself, but this boy has proved me wrong. That is why I am here, I come to ask to join your village, because the boy is not old enough to become a shinobi, no laws can dictate him to stay in Konoha. Also, I know that if he is trained well, then he will become a great asset to any village."
The Raikage had a neutral look on his face as he mulled things over in his head. He could see the benefit in helping this child, for if he would grow up in Kumo and grow loyal to the village, he would, indeed, become a great asset. However, another part of him had already decided his answer on something a little less professional. He knew what it used to be like for B and to a lesser extent Yugito when they were young, before they had earned the respect they now had. He cared for both as family, and he could see himself caring about the young blonde boy just as much if he was as the Kyuubi had said.
"Okay, we will give the boy aid. But, until we are sure that this is not some trick, you will be under the watch of two of our best Jounin. B, Yugito, since you have common ground with the boy, you will be the ones watching him. Get him to the hospital as soon as possible!" A shouted, the two Jounin, who's chakra cloaks had dissipated, nodded and walked toward the young blonde.
"Right now he is in a comatose state to avoid him dying before further healing can take place. I have done all that I can to start the healing process, but as I said, it is limited. I thank you Raikage-sama, for helping us." Kurama said as he bowed respectfully. The chakra cloak then began to dissipate and Naruto began to drop to the ground, only to be caught and held by the blonde Jounin. After she had him, the two Jinchuriki Shunshin'd away to the village hospital.
"Raikage-sama, do you really think it wise to bring that boy into the village?" asked one of shinobi left with A.
"We shall find out, although I did not detect any hint of deception in the Kyuubi's words. But rest assured, if it comes to it, I will deal with the threat without any hesitation." the Raikage answered back. After he spoke, the huge man Shunshin'd back to his office, while the other ninjas went back to the village and to their duties.
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(Around the same time – Konohagakure)
A worried Hokage paced his office. He had just received word back from the Inuzuka trackers. They had been able to follow the scent up until it disappeared when it came to a river. They had made sure that it didn't continue on the other side or a little downriver. They had found no scent in the surrounding area.
Sarutobi knew that this river had a pretty strong current and went all the way through Fire Country and then split. He feared that if Naruto had fell into the river, there was no way that he would be able to survive long before he drowned. He felt his heart drop as he imagined that the boy he saw as a grandson had drowned, all because of the villagers who were supposed to see him as a hero.
'Minato, Kushina, I'm sorry. I have failed you both and most importantly, I have failed Naruto.' he thought to himself as he looked in disgust as a firework had been set off. He stared out the window of his office in sadness as the rest of the Village Hidden in the Leaves celebrated at the disappearance of the "demon" that had lived four years too long.
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LordDimir: There, that wasn't so bad was it?
Naruto: I guess, but when are you gonna make me awesome?
LordDimir: You're four years old, just wait a few years, or a couple of timeskips. You'll be a BAMF before you know it.
Naruto: I had better be. So who are you setting me up with this time?
LordDimir: That...I'm not too sure of as of right now. It's more than likely going to be multiple women. As to who is in your little harem, the jury is still out.
LordDimir: To my readers, if you have a suggestion about who should be in the harem, either comment or private message me. But I'd like to have a reason for adding them included. I don't think anyone from Konoha or Yugito are going to be added, just saying that now. For the ideas I have for this, neither would work out.
Naruto: Man, I can't wait to see who I'll be with.
LordDimir: You seem a little eager there buddy.
Naruto: Wouldn't you?
LordDimir: Touche. Alright everybody, this is where I'll leave you. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.