Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, sadly, else I wouldn't be writing this.

"Naruto": Human dialogue

'Naruto': Human thought

"Naruto": Bijuu dialogue

'Naruto': Bijuu thought

This is the first story I've ever written so it would be great to hear people's opinions to make it better.

It was a calm, clear night over Hi no Kuni, one would think that such a night would bring with it peace and tranquillity. However, if you were to be present in the village hidden in the leaves: Konohagakure, you would find a small boy, no older than six, running through the streets as if the Shinigami were on his heels.

He was rather small for his age, with blond spikey hair and six whisker marks upon his face. He was wearing a white t-shirt with the symbol of a flame on the front and black track pants with orange strips on the side. Ha had a wild look in eyes, one that could be likened to a caged animal, looking left and right for a possible escape route where none existed. He knew that he was tiring, his legs were burning from overuse, the little energy he had left, dissipating far quicker than he had hoped.

Running behind him was the reason of his distress: a mob, not one of the biggest that he had seen but most definitely one of the most determined. As he tried to turn a corner, a few loose stones beneath his foot gave way and caused him, to his great horror, to lose his balance and stumble. It wasn't much but it was long enough for the vengeful crowd to fall on him like a pack of wolves.

And that's when it began….

The child had grown used to beatings, along with the glares, the overpriced shops and the loneliness, it was a constant in his life that had not changed in his living memory. What he still couldn't understand was why? Why was he always hurt? Why did no-one ever help him other than the ANBU? Why was he the subject of so much hatred? He had been tortured for so long by these questions that no one would ever answer, they would just turn away with a sneer and a mutter about some kind of law from the Hokage.

The blows kept coming, fists, feet, knees, even a few heads. All with the intent to cause him as much pain as possible. He cried out again and again, but they wouldn't stop. If anything it encouraged them even more. As he felt the by then familiar bliss of unconsciousness descending upon him, you could hear him sing quietly to himself

"Happy Birthday to me…."

Hokage's Office

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. I had kept nagging at him for the whole evening, he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Suddenly, an ANBU appeared behind him

"Hokage-Sama, you must come quickly, it's the Jinchurikii"

And it came to him

'Naruto, I completely forgot what day it was with all the paperwork. He was probably coming to see me.'

As he jumped out of the window with his ANBU guard, he travelled with such speed he started to distance himself from them. As he ran, he noticed that there was a large crowd shouting and jeering at something on the ground…. Or someone.

His heart ached as he approached them and the state child on the ground became clearer.

'Kami-Sama, what have they done to you?' He thought.

As they saw him approach, the crowd began to disperse and flee, they knew how attached their leader was to the demon brat.

When the Hokage reached the child, he knelt next to him and cradled him in his arms. As tears started spilling from his eyes, he ordered with a voice so broken it surprised even the most experienced ANBU,

"Bring those that did this to Ibiki, all of them, he has free reign to make them pay but keep them alive."

As the ANBU dispersed to carry out his orders, he picked up the blond-haired child and made his way to Konoha Hospital. As he entered the main hall, he noticed all the doctors that were present do everything they could to avoid looking at his charge and merely pass him by. But then heard a panicked voice behind him.

"Hokage-Sama, let me look at him, this looks very serious!"

He turned around to an elderly senior surgeon that he remembered had always seemed kind the bundle in his arms in the past. So, he gave him the child to look after. He followed him (Takumi as he heard from the other doctors) to a room away from many the rest, as if it were quarantined.

Takumi laid the child down on the bed and checked all his wounds, only to notice that they were already starting to heal, thanks to his 'tenant' no doubt. He turned to his Hokage and stated

"He'll be fine, but it was extremely close this time, we'll keep him here tonight, and as it's him, he should be good to leave by tomorrow morning."

He turned around to give his patient on last look

"I'll give you some time with him".

Sarutobi approached the bed and laid a hand on the child's arm.

"I want a guard that can be trusted placed on watch, if anyone wanting to harm him gets in, he'll be sent to Ibiki along with the intruder."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama"

replied the ANBU captain that had accompanied the Hokage on the way. The elderly leader turned away from the bed and walked to the door, stopping at the entrance, he turned around.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto"

And with that, he closed the door behind him. He didn't notice the seal that was on Naruto's stomach become visible and give a minuscule pulse of Chakra.

In a dark, damp sewer where one could practically feel the weight of energy that rolled off a gigantic fox behind some giant bars, a singular crimson eye opened.