DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Daneel Rush's work "Naruto Fuujinroku". I do not own his/her original characters.

I love much of what s/he did, so much that I wanted to share it with my little brother... However, I feel there are many parts too inappropriate for him.

And still I wanted to share so greatly the first Sasuke I ever liked, along with much of the great humor in the original. So, I decided my editing skills could get a good workout from it all.

The result is a truly T rated version of the original. However, some of the originals... more outlandish/mature content becomes critical to the author's story... and thus, for that reason, I must develop much of my own plot.

The result is that fans of the original story will enjoy this one anew and those who do not wish to read such... heavy... things that the original contains will have an alternative done in honor of Daneel Rush-sama. You will not need to have read the original, Mind you.

Also to note, swearing will also be minimal. There is no clear shipping yet (they're 7!) and there will eventually be a lot of tease.

Also of note, my specialty in writing is character interaction, so expect a little more of that and a little less of the character info-dump, train of thought style writing (please understand, I am not criticizing it, I just don't know how else to describe it.)

I pray that Daneel is not offended by this in any way, and understands that I am only being a fan of his/her work in the same way s/he is a fan of Naruto.

Another point of interest: I do not know Japanese enough to use their names for jutsus. Thus, even though I will use the honorifics like -kun, -chan and -sama as well as the Japanese versions of the hidden villages, I will be using English for the jutsus.

Now, on to the story!

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Chapter 1

Hyuuga Hiashi move briskly under his eldest daughters too small umbrella, almost grinding the rainwater into the street as he went – a minor spite back at the element that was so destroying his proper "clan leading" image. In every aspect he was supposed to remain immaculate. That's why it was below his station to be seen wearing a too-thin white top in a downpour.

That was why this night he and his daughter were returning home using a different path where no crowds would be witness. Normally however this street would not have been empty but for the day of mourning that was today: seven years ago the kyuubi brought disaster. So this night was an odd mix, both a night of mourning and a night of celebration.

Originally it was entirely mourning, but in the last two years more people joined in, letting go of their past to join together to honor the Yadamine. This year it had become the greatest celebration yet, that is, until the downpour.

Now only the drunks remained under the downpour and those to giddy to care otherwise.

Even with what little protection it offered, he was glad that the hurrying little girl next to him had had the foresight to bring an umbrella. She stumbled along, taking two steps for ever hurried one of his own, hand in hand.

Two things made keeping up a true feat for Hinata: First, she was unfamiliar with the area and wanted to look around with her wide-eyed innocence, drinking in all that she could of which was normally hidden from her in her sheltered life. Second, she would have normally been long asleep at this hour, curled up in her blankets, her ears comforted by the occasional snore that drifted her sister's nearby room.

All that, and the fact that she had taken in more unfamiliar sights and dealt with more unfamiliar situations than she could hardly imagine in a single night. It had being the first time she had attended a party outside the formal and staunch-y gatherings most common for the Hyuuga family. It was all on her mind, the smell of alcohol and the rambunctious crowed, the ridiculous variety of food she had been offered and stuffed with, the overwhelming fire art the Uchihas demonstrated to aid the in the celebrations. This all added up to one tired chibi tried to keep up with her father's hurried pace in the soaking rain.

In general it had been a healing process, or at least a counteractive to the pain, for all. All but one (or maybe thats two, technically).

The water continued to pour off the umbrella in solid streams as Hiashi adjusted it yet again to best cover them both. It now seemed like a ridiculous curtain, almost like they had to pull it back in order to see the next section of their shadowed path. It may have been a curtain they never wanted to pull.

For an instant the skyline stood in grand contrast to the flashing clouds as a great streak of lightning crossed the sky, never find earth. Fortunately for Hinata, the nearby thunder hid her shameful squeal. Hiashi dried to ignore her hand tightening around his, withholding a glare.

He turned back sharply to the bath before him, took a step, then faltered. She followed his eyes to a heap slung against the ally wall. Hinata glanced back at her father, seeing caution she had never before seen him show. He took steps forward that felt almost combat-ready. Hinata clung to his robes and followed.

The heap had to have been more than a stray, its size told that. It was absolutely drenched. It may have just been a drenched trash bag, but once closer Hinata realized it couldn't have: her father wouldn't have activated his Byakugon for a mere trash bag.

No, what she saw now was a person exhausted, completely soaked, leaning his back on the alley's side weakly hugging his knees, head hanging limply.

The sign nearly tore at her heart strings. She stepped in close, her father refusing to move past a certain point. Hinata could look nowhere else, however.

For a moment, she imagined herself in his place. Her spine fought the idea with a shake. She then became aware of the many rips and holes in his clothing.

This was the boy everybody left alone! In the parks where he wander, every one of the few times she had seen him he was alone and avoided. Anytime a Hyuuga saw them, there expressions tightened and she would be guided to the other side of the park, as far away, even if she was practically on the other side anyway.

She leaned in even closer, stretching the arm she still had holding her father to the limit as she literally leaned out over him.

He seemed to be her age. His hands occasionally shivered, as if they wanted to tremble like her own but couldn't find the energy. His golden hair was a mop stuck down, concealing his face – but not the blood flowing off his body and down the rainwater's path, not the two streaks of blood that traced from his chin down his neck.

Her eyes widened and mouth opened in fear. Hiashi took the step forward he had been avoiding and placed his hand on her shoulder, frowning down upon the scene.

o o o o o

Naruto was paying. This year he was hungry, this year he was trying to get some food before sneaking off into the forest for his birthday, to avoid his birthday stoning. He had tried, and maybe the fact that the villagers were as harsh as ever – glaring and throwing like they always did this day of the year – should have forewarned him. It hadn't.

…He was just so tired...

He didn't know, either, what had made him hope he could avoid the torments. He didn't know why he had to be born the day the Kyuubi attacked. He had hoped, and he didn't know it would be in vain.

All he knew was he was tired, deathly tired.

And in a world of pain. But as severe as that world was, it was overwhelmed by the tired. That's why he was there with his head slumped waiting for his death. What else could make tired actually worse than the pain of a stabbing than death itself?

He quit breathing for a time, too tired to try. And again he was forced to continue after a time. Too tired to breathe, to tired not to breathe, and pain burning it all. That was Naruto's world.

Naruto was dimly aware of a presence when he felt the warm steam of breath on his forearms. It was a very different sensation to the horrified pain of his breathing or the blazing headache made worse by the pounding of the rain. He could barely pick out the little breaths so close to him.

That's why he tensed as well as his depleted body would allow. Was he back to finish the job?

No, the whimper was not from a mans throat, but a girls.

That's why he fought. He fought to life his hand in greeting, but didn't get farther than moving his limp wrist level to the ground. He sighed his deepest breath yet and let the hand fall back limp. This brought a breathy squeak.

Naruto's mouth twitched to a frown before giving up on the effort. But he couldn't give up. It was all made so worse by the lethal level of blood loss. He wanted to cry tears but his body would not spare the effort.

Like lifting a house Naruto urged his neck to contract. They obeyed after a battle, raising his head to great the little girl with a smile... the weakest and yet most heart filled smile she had ever experienced among the Hyuuga clan.

"Its... okay," He managed to push past the knife wound in his throat, a little blood from his mouth joined the flow from his mutilated eyes. That's where it hurt the worst, and why his head hurt the worst. He let his head drop back down, with no plans to ever pick it up again.

o o o o o

Hiashi watch the blond raise his head, the speed of which was very, very slow. He could see and feel his daughters whole body tense when she saw where his eyes had been. They were replaced with a bloody mess.

Hiashi's heart caught in his throat. That was something he had not allowed to happened since a cut his grievances for his wife away two years ago. And she was one of the main reasons it happened again.

He was with the majority of Konoha when they demanded the demon boy's execution, but his wife would here none of it. It was strange to him to see her get so passionate about it, but in the end she moved the support of the prestigious Hyuuga clan to side with the third Hokage to let the boy live.

He had often wonder it a mistake, now more then ever. Not because of his original reasons on the matter, however. It was because no one, no child, should ever have their eyes stabbed out and throw on the street to die, alone, in an endless rain.

He resisted the urge to bite his tongue as a way of restraining that lump.

"Its... okay," that child croaked.

Wha- was he trying to comfort here? As a mutilated corpse?

Then he smiled.

It hit him with a smash. Hiashi could almost feel his wife around him now, whispering to him as his little girl hid behind his pant leg, peeping back out. He tipped his head down, letting the rain cover the fact he had almost lost his hold.

He looked back up, blinking, to find the boys head had gone slack again.

"Na... ru... ...to?" His little girl whispered. The other child tremored, and then brought his neck back up in a way that made Hiasha ache to watch.

The victim "stared" in the direction of the voice, the angle flawlessly picked out despite the rain. He blinked, causing flow of blood from his eyes to increase for a moment, then return to its not-so-trickle.

Two side of Hiashi demanded action, one side of which he had often ignored. It was now demanding the strongest. But the other side agreed, and mused that this might be very beneficial.

He made a swift hand gesture, calling the four Hyuuga who had been assigned to trail them that day.

"Yes sir," one signaled back.

"You," he pointed at the chuunin, "Take Hinata to the house immediately and do not leave her until she is in her room." He was intrigued to see Naruto followed his voice as he barked his orders. He was a fighter, Hiashi gave him that.

"Immediately." The shinobi turned to the girl, "Hinata," he said sweetly and lifted her before she could complain. He was off, bounding across the rooftops of the soaked city.

Hiashi examined the boy a moment longer. His eyes were drawn back to what was left of the boy's before declaring, "The Third will want to know of this."

The next man was off, clearing the space between he and his goal with excessive leaps.

Hiashi left to two rigid servants and lead close to the boy. Naruto tried to raise a defensive arm when he heard the approach, but the protection it offered was less than a joke.

"You will owe me if you survive this one, boy," The leader whispered. "Remember that."

Much to his surprise Naruto's face contorted into a smile before he once again fell slack without the strength to keep his head up any longer. Did the Hyuuga actually see some satisfaction in that smile?

So he wanted to live.

Carefully picking up the boy (and becoming awfully aware of his malnutrition), Hiashi sped to the rooftops himself, the two servants in tow.

o o o o o

Hinata lay in her bed, little fists clenching the blanket, trying to keep her stomach from emptying itself.

It was not fear, that had left her with the smile. Maybe it was pity? Maybe it was revulsion? No, it was not revulsion, at least not just revulsion. It was a mix of many things so hard for her little mind to sort. She did finally recognize some self loathing in the cacophony.

Self loathing about a lot of things was something she was used to, but this was self loathing at her personal pity parties, her own self loathing pure and simple.

She recalled that image, of his eyes so soulless and his mouth so soulful. She remember those light-grabbing blue eyes, and somehow she felt that loss to be a terrible tragedy.

Hinata rolled over onto her tummy and screwed her eyes shut. It didn't work... It didn't remove the guilt gnawing on her for all those times she gave up or even hid, and for all those times she failed her father.

And now her normal escape didn't even work! Now she couldn't drown in self pity without feeling this new wave of shame at her actions.

Something had to change.

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Author's Notes:

Well that's it, a really short 2600 word chapter 1. The thing is, I am going to start by posting the first three chapters at once so you won't care! ... :) smug ...

I have no beta and mourn the loss.

Psalm Of Fire