Disclaimer: I do not own anything within.
AN/ if anyone is interested in making your own story that are similar and wants to take things from this story, please do so.
Chapter 1.
Naruto was a lonely child, before the old man Hokage gave him a puppet as a birthday present. He could not self understand it, why anyone hate him, despise him. Was it something he did? Something he did not?
He tried to figure out why the adults pulled all the other kids away from him, away from the playground he walked into, even if they were in the middle playing something. He picked some words out "unstable, demon, fox, law" and other things.
Was it his whisker marks?
No, one day he really wished they were gone, and somehow after he woke up one morning the whiskers marks was gone. It only made them more hostile toward him, for reasons he could not understand.
Even at the orphanage he was avoided by the other children, they were told he different from them. While the adults ignored him and his needs, they made sure none of the other children come near, if they did the where punished harshly. The caretakers also made sure he was the last to get anything, be it food or clothes, they made sure he got the things on the worst condition if he got something that did not disappear before he got it.
He never got really physical abused, sure that were the drunks that would want to prove something, they were dealt with before it got too painful for the boy.
But the loneliness was crushing for the young child. He was not stupid, he could see the hate, distrust and fear the adults gave off when they looked upon him. He even taught himself to read, with the help of an open class window and the library.
That was his salivation reading, a poor substitute perhaps, but it saved Naruto from a breakdown of despair over his lonely existences.
When other childen was playing outside with their friends, Naruto was in the library surrounded books, reading from old tomes of history to fantasy children stories.
It was not much for a child, but at last it was enough to make Naruto not give into despair, and become a emotionless monster.
He was living in his own apartment after the orphanage threw him out, something about no one would adopt someone that had been in the presence of him, by the old Hokage.
One day a traveller was in Konoha, he made his food with selling what he make on the road and the performance he do for the children in the towns. He had a puppet, not a great puppet, but he could made it move so lifelike, like it was alive, moving and playing, like a companion... to keep the traveller company on the long roads.
Naruto was utterly fascinated by the moving doll, so when the traveller said he sold puppets he ignored the glares, and bought three.
The puppets was 15 cm high, basic crude ones that it was only just human like, with some normal treads.
It was hard, crude and disheartening in the beginning, but Naruto did nothing with his time if it was not reading or puppet related. He was fast productising results.
As he grow he began to learn woodwork to make the puppets himself, learned sewing to make clothes to his puppets and sealing, something he picked up doing reading.
His puppets had golden hair and blue eyes, they wore a beautiful blue victorian dress.
So his puppets began to be more and more lifelike, people distanced themselves even more from him, but he hardly even noticed as he made his puppets dance and play with him, sometimes quite literally as he was getting that good.
He had the small puppets with him everywhere he when, they looked cute when they floated around Naruto, looking around in childlike interest, searching things and poking things. The puppets even had faces that can shift from one emotion to another, to make them realistic.
It gave him relief to see them float and play around, even of it was him that made them do it.
He had them out when he was forced to go to the ninja school, he did not want to be ninja, all to dangerous for his taste, he much prefer to stay alive, thank you very much! But it was a request from the old Hokage, so he when to school to learn to kill people.
Or so Naruto thought before he went there.
In reality, they did. But it was disguised! The teachers carefully avoided to say their students would have to kill, they did say a lot of stories of the Will of Fire and the greatness of it, how the heroes protect it with their life. It brain-washing. When the innocent student turned ninja kill for the first time, he will most likely think about his own life, remember the legends, to chose what he would do now, thus remember the deeds of past heroes, and work harder as a ninja for Konoha, with the Will of Fire.
Brain-washing...
Naruto found it slightly amusing. Konoha had all way prided itself on it's heroes, persons of extraordinary ability. So much the ninja school is designed to produces them. Who ever said heroes are born and not made has never been in Konoha.
so now his class and him out side learning to cast a ninja weapon named Kunai, it is a dagger with a ring at the end of the handle. His class teacher made some very impressive tricks by putting a finger through the ring and spin it around to get the children interested.
Naruto's puppets had fun trying to lift the kunai's and give it to Naruto, they made all sorts of cute expressions when pulled the kunais out of the wooden target, the targets was shaped like a log in order to not scaring the kids away if they put a human shaped targets in, well the kids would love it, their parents not so much.
The ninjas even had propaganda, for some reason the civilians believe that Konoha's ninjas are good persons that would never kill someone that did not deserve it, and push their children to become members of the highly respected ninjas.
The other kids liked Naruto's puppets, and the girls from even played with them, but the made sure not to make contact with Naruto, as their parents demanded. They thought that the puppets were not Naruto, even if they could see the loose treads that come from the lifelike puppets to Naruto's hand. Naruto was reading while controlling the puppets, he is just that good!
Sure he was town out of some of the classes by people that did not want me to be ninja, use my puppets as an excuse to throw my out of the classroom.
It didn't matter.
His big project is nearing complication.
In two years he had gathered the best material he could get, he had to get the best, it demanded nothing less.
It was a new puppet, this time it was adult sized, formed like a beautiful blond woman, with light blue eyes. It was still missing some of both it's legs and arms, but the beauty of it's face was undeniable.
She should be his guardian and proctor, and hopefully a companion for his life.
He had not been in school for a week working tireless on this, not that it would matter, no one of them would miss him. He had not eating anything or drinking anything doing that time. He had also pushed chakra into the puppet while he was piecing it together non stop.
Now it was almost finished.
Just the arm left, he focused his attention to it's limit for this last part.
"done" he smiled.
He took a minute to look the puppet over, right now it was coved in seals from the head to it's feet, even around it was seals, check if anything was out of place, anything was as it should be.
"very well"
he took a deep breath, before putting his hand just outside the seals, that formed a circle around the puppet, gathered chakra and yelled.
"SEAL!"
the seals glowed brightly before they disappeared, leaving behind the now unmarked puppet and a tired, but happy Naruto.
"Rise Alice!" he ordered at the puppet he named Alice, as treads made contract from his fingers to the puppet.
The naked puppet moved to rise, it was tall, taller than most male. Long blond hair, that reached down it's back. Alice's eyes were light blue before, but now they grained an unnatural blue shine to them. It face was breathtakingly flawless and lifelike. Perfect as only a doll could be.
Alice stood towering over him as it was standing in front of Naruto, before she keeled in front of him. They made a strange sight if any was looking. Alice tall as she was knelling if front of a child that could not be more than 11.
"Master" Alice voice was sounding like it was coming out of a person that had nothing to drink for a year, but it was said confident.
Naruto smiled. The seal worked, the seal that could give his puppets voice, sure, it was his voice and words that he changed and make come from the puppets mouth. But he could pretend easier now that he could make them talk back.
"it is good to have you"
"ah, it is good to be here" the puppet smiled back.
"now, please dress yourself Alice" Naruto was a bit embarrassed to point it out.
"yes master" Alice walked over to where the clothes were. The clothes where an old-style western maid uniform.
Another seal that Naruto had made allowed him to see through his puppets eyes, so he could control them even when he could not see them.
Sure it was hard to concentrate and gave him a big headache a first, but he got used to it, a side effect of the seal was his eyes changed colour to a yellow/orange, and for some reason made people avoid him even more. Not that he cared, he had his puppets.
When Alice had taking the clothes Naruto made on, they heard a knock on the door.
"I go get that, Alice can you please make some food? I'm very hungry" and added as an afterthought "and prepare tea for our guest please"
"yes master" then she walked out to do the things he asked.
Naruto walked out of the room he made his puppets in, and locked the door after him.
Whoever was outside knocked on the door again.
"I'm on my way!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside Naruto's door stood the Hokage of Konoha, he had finality found out Naruto had not been in school for a week, and was worried for Naruto's safety.
He was always busy to self check on the blonde child, so he did rarely see, much less speak to the boy.
He was still worried about Naruto's hobby of puppets, it was like he stopped seeking human contract to be with the puppets. If Naruto tried he could probably make a friend, but he was not trying any more.
It is bad for Naruto's health not to have any friends but he could not just order people to be friends with Naruto, and Naruto would see right through it.
He also hoped that Naruto would try more in the ninja school, Naruto is ranked somewhere in the middle of his class. It was a selfish wish of his, to see Naruto grow up to be the proud Konoha ninja like his father. But the only thing Naruto made the effort of was for his puppets. Not that the Hokage could blame the young Naruto for turning away from human contract, he probably did not even know what human contract feels like any more.
As he stood and thought over the blonde, the blonde himself opened the door.
The blond looked surprised at him with his orange eyes.
He was also worried about the sudden change in eye colour when it first happened, but after a while of intense observation of Naruto, the Hokage was sure it had nothing to do with Kyuubi.
"Hokage-sama?"
"ah, hello Naruto-kun" he looked at Naruto, he looked tired. "are you okay?"
"I'm fine Hokage-sama, just a little tried" Naruto answered dismissing "would you like to come in?"
Naruto ever polite, not at all like his father and mother, who were cheerful and full of energy.
"yes please"
they walked inside, and the Hokage looked as a small puppet closed the door after them.
The Hokage could now get a good look at Naruto.
He was small for his age and looks like a girl. He had a very girlish face, with big soulful eyes, and neutral red mouth. Naruto had blond hair that was to mid back, and never brothered to cut it. Flawless skin too. Naruto looked like a very beautiful girl.
Naruto had normal civilian clothes on, plain blue pants and blue shirt on. The only thing interesting Naruto had was the belt, and what the belt had. The belt wide and was made of leather, not too much extraordinary with that, of the the way it don't match with the rest of the clothes he had on. From the leather belt was two short chain with a book at the end, that was something you do not see often, if at all on normal persons.
The Hokage had asked what was in the books of the rare time he spoke to Nauto, the answer he got was that that one of them held all the knowledge he had discovered about anything.
The book tittle was written ^Sadozon^. What that meant the Hokage did not know.
The other was named ^Beslehna^ and held the description and design of all his puppets.
The Hokage had a bad feeling that was not all they held, but could not prove anything and the blond never let them out of his sight. For some reason not even the Hyuuga clan with their eyes could see what these books held of secrets.
Naruto's house itself was very clean, the only thing that was out of place was the books that was everywhere in the house.
"has you read any good books lately Naruto-kun?"
"yes Hokage-sama, it is a book on the old save the maiden from the dragon book with the name ^Srinepez^. You should read it, it is full of interesting twists" it was an interesting book, the author had the whole drama going good, and you could feel the despair the hero felt when he first saw the dragon up close.
"maybe I will have a look at it" mused the Hokage.
They arrived in the living room, that was made in western style, with high table and chairs, something the old Hokage was happy for, as his back was getting old.
"please take a seat, the tee will be here soon"
"thank you Naruto-kun"
Naruto was pulling some serious puppet control of, making Alice make tea and food while he talked with the Hokage, and making her talk to herself to use her voice right. Not to mention that Ailce is a new puppet. But did not show the effort on his face.
"any reason you are here Hokage-sama?"
"ahh, yes. I was here because you had been away from school in more than a week now and become worried" the Hokage admits.
"it has already been a week?" Naruto asked himself "I am sorry for the worry Hokage-sama but I lost track of time"
"ahh, that can happen for even the best" the Hokage said understandable, he had also lost track of time when reading Icha-icha.
"but naruto-kun, what made you miss a whole week?"
"it was a new puppet that took all my time"
Alice was done making the tee, and was making her way from the kitchen to the living room.
"a puppet you say?"
"yes, it is my current master piece, I am very proud of her"
Alice walked though the door with the tray with tea.
When the Hokage saw the person that walked into the room he was surprised as he knew no one that would be in the same house as naruto, much less serve as a maid.
"may I present Alice, my first human sized puppet" Naruto had indeed a proud tone.
Even if the Hokage looked closer he could hardly see anything that could give away the woman with the tray was not human.
When Alice reached the table, she to the Hokage's big surprise spoke "the tea is ready master" as she put down the tray and started to take the tea off it.
"Thank you Alice"
Alice bowed to her master and to the speechless Hokage "if you would excuse me?" she left at Naruto's nod.
"what do think Hokage-sama? Of my new puppet"
"...She is very well made..." somewhere within the Hokage, the disappointment of the fact the beautiful puppet was not a real woman hampered his thoughts, she was a serious piece of eye candy.
"yes she is" just talking about his puppet made Naruto happier. "tea?"
"ah, yes please"
Naruto poured a cup of tea to the Hokage.
The Hokage took the offered cup, and sipped it.
"a good tea this is" and it was, the Hokage relaxed just a bit.
"thank you, it was Alice who made it" Naruto sipped of his own cup, and relaxed after a week's hard work.
"Naruto-kun i also come to find out why you are do not make an effort in class"
"I am hardly the only one that do not make a effort, at last half the class are making less effort than me"
"but those are from a civil families, and do not understand the world of ninjas"
"so am I"
"you are?"
"yes, an orphan who's family is not know is considered from a civil family"
That hurt the old Hokage, Naruto consisted his family dead and gone and that is that. Naruto did not care for long dead people, no matter who they are. Not that the Hokage told the young boy the name of his parents, as he consisted it too dangerous for Naruto to know.
"is something the matter Hokage-sama? You look tired" asked Naruto somewhat worried.
"it is nothing Naruto-kun, I had just hoped you would make an effort in school"
Naruto shrugged "I do not see why, as I don't what to be a ninja"
that was something the Hokage had not even considered. Naruto's parents was very good ninjas and thought Naruto would follow their rather big footsteps.
"why would you not want to be a ninja?"
"it is very dangerous for ones, I do not have a death wish"
what could the Hokage say to that that did not make seem like he is out to get Naruto killed?
"why are you so set on me being a ninja Hokage-sama?" as far as Naruto knew the Hokage did not visit the other orphan's to guide them to be ninja.
The old Hokage come with the truth "your parents was good ninja, that did great things for Konoha, even if I did not knew them well, I do miss them"
"names?"
"I'm sorry, I can not tell you that, as they were high profile targets. I know the risk is small that someone is spying here, but I can not take the chance"
"they are dead?" Naruto did not seem to care if he just asked if his parents was dead.
"sadly, yes they are"
"good"
"good?" asked the Hokage in disbelief, to hear a child say it was good their parents are dead you would do the same.
"yes, if the were alive, than that would mean they abandoned me, and than I would have to kill them"
"ah, that makes sense"
"of course it do Hokage-sama" Naruto smiled at the old man.
"is there no way to convince you to make an effort?"
"I do not think so, when I am done reading the books in Konoha than I would be old enough to travel alone to the Fire country's capital to look at their library"
The Hokage was running out of options, there was not way to manipulate Naruto into being a ninja without Naruto knowing. There was only the truth back to play.
"I am sorry Naruto-kun. But you have to be a ninja"
Naruto did not react aggressive on the Hokages word "why?" he needed answers first.
"there is no way the council would let you get away from Konoha's control"
"what would the council what with me Hokage-sama? I have not shown anything they would be so interested in" at last he hoped not.
"again I can not tell you before you are adult, meaning genin"
"oh? You have to do better than that Hokage-sama, one would think you are lying to me" said Naruto calmly as he shipped his tea.
"you think I am lying?"
"you are the leader of an village that deals in lies Hokage-sama"
that could the old man not denial. "very will. The secret is the reason you are avoided by other people Naruto-kun"
that had the young boy's attention, he had wondered about that, but he had no answer. Except the word ^Law^. Grated he did not seek the answer very hard, because he had more important things to do than figurer out peoples weird behaver.
"...I see..."
"I am sorry I can not tell you more right now" the Hokage did look sorry.
"very well, I will make a more of an effort as long it do not interfere with my reading and other more important interests than ninja things"
"that is all I ask" said the Hokage, that was slightly amused at Naruto's words, reading are more important than ninja things to you Naruto-kun?
"is that all Hokage-sama?"
"yes that is it, I have to get back to the paperwork now, take care Naruto-kun, and thanks for tea"
"goodbye to you Hokage-sama" Naruto told the old man as he walked out.
"..."
after some silence Alice walked in with a food tray.
"why I am avoided" he asked no one "I have a good idea already why that is"
"master?"
"nothing Alice"
"the food is ready master"
"thank you Alice"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
the day after the talk with the Hokage Naruto walked to school like usual, with mini puppets floating around him, however this time he had a woman walking a little behind him to the side, like a servant to her master.
This confused both the civilians and the ninjas of Konoha, they all knew that Naruto was alone all the time. So seeing a beautiful woman walking like a servant to the boy. A lot of the men was trying to find a way to get the woman away from the brat so they could date her, they decided to wait for a time when she was not in the proximity of the Uzumaki to try something. The females was feeling less lacking looking at the servant woman of the Uzumaki, but also awe for the beauty of her, and wanted to talk to her about how she got so beautiful.
Naruto and Alice were the talk of Konoha before the even reached the ninja school, there was wild rumors around, from the woman is the servant of Kyuubi that have come to serve it's container, and the demon had corrupted a woman and made her it's slave, those rumors almost started a riot. To the young Uzumaki saving the woman from certain death, and she swore to serve him for the rest of her life.
Naruto as usual ignored them with practiced ease, he walked into the class room with Alice. As usual he was early, so there was no one in the classroom. He sat himself in the back of the class, making Alice take the seat besides her. Then she took out a book to read while the mini puppets played with Alice's and his hair.
Aburame Shino was the first to arrive of his classmates. He had a big coat that hide the lower part of his face, and big sunglasses. Shino walked in and did not even stop to look at Alice, though Naruto was sure he could see some confusion in his body-language at her presence.
"Naruto-san" called Shino.
Shino is a logical ninja student, and as such hate not knowing something in his presence.
Naruto looked up from his book, it was rare someone talked to him, much less Shino who talk as little as humane possible, a trait his whole family share, with them being ninjas for generations.
"yes Shino-san?"
"may I ask who that is?"
"you may, she is my newest puppet, and my masterpiece. I have named her Alice"
"i see, she is really well made"
"thank you Shino-san"
then they fell silent as Naruto went back to reading and Shino did nothing but stare at nothing from behind dark sunglasses.
The next to arrive is Hyuga Hinata, a girl that is almost painfully sly, she as usual had her big jacket on that hide her growing womanly figure.
She immediately blushed when she laid her eyes on Naruto, having a not so secret crush on the puppet boy. Anybody knew Hinata liked the boy, except the boy himself that are too busy reading to notice.
She took a seat just below Naruto's, too sly to ask who the woman at his side was.
Naruto as usual made a puppet float down to Hinata to play with, he had done that since he notice she seemed to be happier when she was playing with his puppets.
The next was Uchiha Sasuke, the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, and walked around in angst since. His biggest desirer is to be stronger, and is disgusted by weakness in any form. He often mocks Naruto because of his 'weak' puppets, and is ignored by the blond puppeteer much to his anger.
"hey puppet boy" Sasuke called out to Naruto, which Naruto ignored and kept reading.
"..."
seeing Naruto ignore him, he decide to ask the source of his confusion "you" he pointed at Alice "what are you doing in here?"
"I am here because master is here" Alice answered politely.
"who are your master?" Sasuke demanded, even he could tell that that the beauty before him is one of a kind, and convince her master to give her to him.
"Naruto-sama is my master" she answered, much to Hinata's sadness.
"why would you be slave to the puppet boy?" sure she sat beside Naruto, but Sasuke dismissed him to be important enough to have slaves.
"I am a servant. I am a servant to Master because I owe my whole existences to him" she was emotionless like only a puppet could be.
"hey puppet boy, give her to me" Sasuke demanded of Naruto
"could you please use my masters name, unknown-san" Alice requested.
Sasuke was surprised, not at her request, but that she did not know his name. He was Uchiha Sasuke, of the great clan Uchiha! So how could someone not know of him, impossible.
"how could you not know who I am?" Demanded Sasuke to know. Everybody knew who he is.
"because you are not important to my job unknown-san" Alice was calm as ever.
Sasuke was hurt in his, rather big, ego over that.
"Sasuke, his name is Sasuke" Naruto spoke up, looking from his books to the noisy Sasuke.
"understood Master"
Naruto nodded at her, before looking at Sasuke. "do you have to be so loud in the morning?"
"Doll boy" said Sasuke in anger
"Emo kid" said Naruto dismissing, like he heard this so many times before.
"your servant, I want her" Said Sasuke bluntly, not even asking.
"sure you do, you can't have her, she's mine" Naruto used a voice commonly used by shopkeepers to denial annoying kids, that demand an expensive toy without any money.
To be honest it is not the first time Naruto and Sasuke argue, or more like Sasuke argue and Naruto dismissing all the points Sasuke made. For an outsider it was like listening to a kid trying to argue with an adult.
"I want her!"
"so?"
"give her to me!"
"no"
it was really starting to get pitiful for the on viewers to observe, but it continyed that way for sometime, before Sasuke walk back to his seat with a threat about how she would be his.
By now his classmates was beginning to arrive.
Akimichi Choji come in eating a bag of chips, with his best friend Nara Shikamaru, that looked more asleep than awoke.
Inuzuka Kiba arrived yelling something, with a huge grin on his face, and his nin-dog Akamaru right behind him.
Yamanaka Ino and Sakura Haruno arrived last, almost late, they were apparently holding a contest about who would sit beside their love interest Sasuke. They where very noisy for students that wanted to become a ninja.
Sure there was more more students, but they were so uninteresting that Naruto had decided to pretend they didn't exist.
Then the teacher Umino Iruka, and the assistant teacher Mizuki.
Iruka is at best neutral to Naruto, while Mizuki is hostile.
When they had made a name roll call, Iruka discovered a woman beside the Kyuubi's container
"who are you?" Iruka asked her, and blushed at her like a kid with his first crush at the sight of her. Mizuki began shameless to stare lustfully at her.
"my name is Alice"
"and what are you doing in here?"
"it is my duty to be at my master's side at all times"
"who are your master?" asked a surprised Iruka, he had seen weird things in his short life as active ninja, but having a servant attending class because her master did was new.
"Naruto-sama is my master"
the whole class that did not know about it was dumbfounded. After some time Iruka found his voice again.
"I see. I am afraid that you can not attend this class, it is against the rules you see"
"I am afraid not teacher-san, if it was against the rules then that boy's dog would also have to leave" Alice nodded toward Kiba.
"A nin-dog is consisted a ninja weapon and so is allowed to stay" Iruka explained
"I too am a weapon for my master" Alice countered.
Silence...
anyone in the class was starring at her for a reason Alice and her master could not get.
"Iruka-sensi" Shino called out "Alice is a puppet"
Silence...
"what!"
"no way"
and other similar comments come from the students. They was disappointed, the boys in particular, as they wanted to have a go at Alice. Sasuke was angry. Hinata was relived.
Mizuki spoke up "how are you able to speak puppet?"
"master made it so"
"Be as it may, I still have to ask you to leave" said Iruka
"why?"
"because you can not be here" explained Iruka, or tried to.
"no, you have no reason to make me leave, at last without making the nin-dog leave to. If you do not stop asking me to leave without a good enough reason, my master would have to take it up with those of higher rank, like the Hokage" Alice told Iruka in no uncertain way.
Iruka was shocked at the badly hidden threat. Before Naruto would just leave with his puppets.
Mizuki was still starring lustfully at Alice, together with a lot of the boys in the class.
Iruka was throughout the class trying to find a reason to force Alice and Naruto to leave, together with some of the girls, who saw the beautiful puppet as an enemy to Sasuke's love.
Naruto just thought 'I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I am not sure I can take this class seriously'