The rain cascaded along the rooftops of the village the pounding of the droplets on the roof top the silence that followed each and every single one haunted him and constant reminder of how alone he was. His blonde spiky hair all disorganized and unruly just as much as he was. He stared out at the crack window only to be greeted by the broken reflection of himself staring right back at him. The afternoon stayed like this with sky pouring rain over the village hidden in the leaves. He could not stay in the tiny apartment any longer he need to get out he felt as though he was being surround by the walls. He put on his orange jumpsuit and placed his green goggles on his head and made his way to the door. The street was empty with everyone inside taking shelter from the rain inside their homes.

Naruto gazed up at the Hokage mountainside and looked at the craved image of the fourth Hokage.

"Yea that seems like a good place to think"

It took him a while to reach the summit by the time he got there the rain had begun to stop and the sun began pierce through the clouds. He gazed out towards the village and he smelled the crisp invigorating air. The people coming out of their homes greeted one another with smiles and began to go about their normal business. Why could they not look at him like that? He closed his eyes and tried to see himself as one of the villagers yet when he tired all he saw was their glares. He felt so alone he went into the woods and grabbed one of the branches on the trees and tired to lift himself up he needed to get stronger maybe if he was stronger maybe it was because it was because he was weak.

He collapsed after a while only able to muster thirty pull ups and then start to feel his arms begin to burn.

"Why? Maybe if I become as strong as the forth they would look at me as the look at the him?"

He flipped onto his stomach and spread his arms apart and began to lift himself off the ground and the lower himself back down over and over. He needed to get stronger he needed to know that someone cared.

"They will never care"

His body stopped and felt a chill crawl up his spine he heard someone speak to him he looked up only to find nothing but the trees rustling in the wind.

"I know that I heard that it may have been a whisper but…I heard it"

Someone spoke to him but what was said hurt just as much as it comforted and finally a fear started to grip his heart what if what he heard was right.

"No… please.. it is all I have left what's the point of being strong if no one will care!"

Everything seemed to move on by second by second, minute by minute until nothing mattered. Tears starting to welling in his eyes streaming down his face and landing on the ground mixing with rain that was absorbed by the ground.

"Naruto?"

A familiar voice called to him he looked up and saw the Third Hokage staring down at him. Naruto dried the last few tears on his shelves and stood up and stared down at his own feet and bowed his head.

"Lord Hokage Good afternoon"

"Naruto, stop that you don't have to do that, please something is wrong talk to me"

Naruto gazed at the elder Hokage and saw the kindness he so longed from the others yet he remembered the voice "They will never care".

"No Lord Hokage nothing is wrong I will take my leave take care sir".

With that Naruto walked away leaving the old Hokage there watching as he left more defeated than the Hoakge had ever seen him. He went down the stairs replaying what he had heard over and over in his head.

"So if they will not care then why become strong?"

He went through the wooded areas so he could avoid the other villagers when he heard a small voice coming from behind some bushes there he saw three boys with a girl her lavender eyes staring at the ice cream cone on the ground.

"I am sorry I did not mean to have you drop your ice cream cone"

"WHAT DO I CARE ABOUT YOU MEAN'T TO DO HOW ARE YO GOING TO MAKE UP FOR THIS!"

"Hey isn't she the heir to the Hyuuga Clan?"

"Let me see… Yup she is I can tell cause of her eyes see"

"Yea your right maybe we should teach her a lesson"

Naruto felt his arm stiffen up his fingers curling into fists as he stepped through the bushes to meet these boys.

"HEY! What do you think your doing"

"Huh? Who are you?"

"It's the kid that none of the other adults like"

"I think she has already said sorry for causing you to drop your cone".

"Oh yea well she will be when I am done"

Naruto charged the kid whose cone fell and tackled him to the ground and started hitting him only to feel someone hit him on the side of his face. The other boys began pummeling him to then be joined by the other. This last for a good two minutes the sound of fists hitting his body. He could hear some rustling coming from the brush next to them.

"HINATA-SAMA WHAT IS GOING HERE!"

"LOOK IT'S A HYUUGA RUN!"

The children ran away as the Hyuuga clan member ran over to Hinata to check on her condition.

"Hinata-sama did those children hurt you in any way?"

She proceeded to shake her head to say that she wasn't hurt as her eyes look over at Naruto's body.

"But it was thanks to him that I am safe"

The man looked over at the body that was laying on the ground and saw the spiky blonde hair and he felt his blood begin to chill. He picked Hinata off the ground and start to lead her out of the woods.

"Hinata-sama we must leave now"

"But what about the boy"

The man said only walked faster when Hinata turn back to look at him. Naruto could hear the girl leaving the woods only seconds before he passed out his mind sending him into blackness. He could feel the water around him first then came the dripping sound on pipes. His eyes began to open up as he looked around his body not hurting as it did before only to be greeted with what appeared as a sewer system. Then he heard a voice coming down the sewer and what appeared a bright light. There stood figures only their outlines visible from the distance the shape of a man and woman was the only thing that could be garnered.

"Mom? Dad?"

The figures waved at Naruto beckoning him to come closer he felt himself standing up and moving slowly at first then a dead sprint.

"MOM! DAD!"

Naruto did not feel tired as he ran towards them he could almost see them now just as he moved to grasp at their outstretched hands he fell face first into the water only to realize that what he saw was not real. He looked around him only to see a massive gate with a note with the Kangi for seal on it.

"But I thought it was for real this time"

"Hehe I found it funny it that counts for anything"

Naruto quickly looked up furious after all he had suffered if someone had done that to him it was the cruelest prank ever play on him and now they would suffer just like he had suffered. When he looked up however, no one was there but the cage. Naruto stood up his orange jumpsuit not soaked even after he had fallen down into the water. He heard nothing after the last comment and crept slowly towards the cage his heartbeat pounding inside his head something felt off yet it seemed as though he could not resist whatever was in there.

"Hehe got you"

Suddenly massive claws reached out from inside the cage and where stopped only an inch away from Naruto barely even able to touch them. Naruto stumbled back as he saw the claws retract back into the cage and back into the darkness. After seeing this he was not even deterred and moved closer to the bars seeing a swirling red mist start to condense into what appeared into a human form. The figure was male his red hair left loose as it cascaded down his back he wore a black kimono with a red design covering the left and right side of his kimono with what appeared like flames.

"Damn I almost had you oh well it is not like I can do anything to you while I am in here".

Naruto gazed at the man trying to get a better look at his face and see how that one man could have created a claw out of nothing. Suddenly he saw the man eyes red with slits for pupils and felt as though he has seen those eyes before. Slowly he realized who the person before him was and felt a tinge of fear and excitement in his voice as he whispered the entity's name.

"Kyuubi"

"The one and same and you must be Naruto can't say I have much respect for someone who gets kicked around all over this shitty village"

"How are you here I thought the fourth killed you"

"Hehe yea a mere human kill that which born by the hate of humans we have a real smart one don't we"

"Fine stay here it's not like you did anything for me now that I know why the villagers hate me I think I can understand"

"Oh you think you understand why you were forced to suffer the beatings, the scolds, and being all alone"

"They think I am you what else could it possibility be they blame me for the deaths you caused"

"You would think they would be smart not to mess with thing that killed their loved ones eh"

"What is wrong with you have you never even cared about anyone other than yourself have you ever known what love is?"

"Why bother with that anyways have you never felt the strength that you get when you hate someone or say when you will kill someone"

"No and I never would ever want to feel that power I would prefer to be weak"

"Why none of these villagers even care about you… I know why don't we make a bet"

"A bet?"

"Yea here is what I propose you prove to me that you can find one person in this village that even cares and can express any form of love to you and I will help you out by teaching you how to harness my power but if you lose…"

"If I lose?"

"Then I get to call the shots as in I get to take over permanently is it a deal?"

The Kyuubi left his arm out stretched Naruto gazed at it thinking about the power he could gain maybe then if he could command the Kyuubi then he might be accepted. Naruto stretched his arm and placed his hand into the Kyuubi's hand and then he felt his body be pull close to the bars.

"By the way you have until the end of today to find the person better hurry tick tock"

Naruto felt himself be shot out of the tunnel as he sat up awake back in the woods with all the cuts and bruises he got from the boys.

"Did that really happen or was that a dream"

"Naruto…Tick…Tock"

Naruto heard the voice and quickly ran out of the woods he looked around and only saw adults look at him with a bit of a confused look on his face. He started a dead sprint towards the Hokage tower maybe the old man could be enough to prove the Fox wrong. He rushed up to the secretary at the front desk her distaste for Naruto on her face as he looked her dead in the eye.

"Hey I need to see the Hokage"

"I am sorry but the Hokage is in a meeting with the civilian council they will be working far into the evening and are not to be disturbed".

"Come on this is an emergency!"

"Look you brat beat it the Hokage has no time for scum like you!"

"Tick Tock Tick Tock"

Naruto felt a cold chill crawl up his back if he could not use the old man then…Who? Naruto bolted out of the main office of the Hokage and ran it felt as though he ran through out the entire village he looked at everyone and saw the same eyes the same cruel eyes judging him. The day pass much like this he went back to the Hokage's Tower hoping that the meeting finished early, but to no avail. The sun was getting lower and slowly the fox was slowing down the constant reminders drawing out each tick and tock. He could not bring himself to move any further his legs burned no one in the village seemed to look at him with any kindness only the ninja families looked at him with indifference. The people were already going in their homes getting for their dinners Naruto fell to his knees tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why? *sniff* is there really no one?"

"would you like to call it quits no shame in bowing out grace-"

"Hey kid are you okay?"

Naruto rubbed the tears from his eyes at looked to see a young teenage girl carrying her groceries. She kneeled down and looked at Naruto her eyes looking into his.

"Come on don't worry kid here come with me I help my dad with his ramen stand so let me get you some food and we can talk how about it?"

"Yea*sniff* sure"

"All right come on it's not that far here take my hand. Don't want us to get separated"

Naruto felt the warmth of her hand as he looked up at her and her warm smile and for once felt like he was welcomed. They walked down a bit until they stopped by a stand which read Ichiraku Ramen.

"Dad I am back with the groceries and I brought a guest"

Naruto looked at the stand as the girl went around the counter and started to put on a apron along with a bandana.

"Ayame did you remember to get enough flour last time we had to close early because I did not have enough noodles".

A man in his fifties walked out what appeared to be a backroom with a white hat on along with his sleeves rolled up.

"Jeez you would think I did not know any better and to answer your question yes I bought enough flour to make enough noodles to last us for three days"

Naruto watched as the man began to pull the flour out and start to make noodles until the man noticed the blonde hair boy sitting at the counter.

"Oh you must the guest Ayame must have talking about name's Teuchi"

"But you can call him gramps everybody else does hehe"

"I AM NOT THAT OLD!…I am just a bit delicate"

"So that is why you threw your back out the last time you tired to lift the water jug cause you are delicate?"

Naruto watched this antic go back and forth and smiled a bit at what was happening in the little stand.

"Well I knew you would smile eventually I just wish it was not because of this old clown"

"AGAIN I AM NOT THAT OLD!"

"Yea, we heard you don't worry anyways keep yelling and you will scare the customers away".

Teuchi went back to making noodles for that evening as Naruto took a seat by the counter and watched him make the noodles. After a while Teuchi placed a bowl in front of him the tasty aroma coming off the hot soup. Naruto gazed down and saw his reflection coming off the soup his stomach growling at the aromas entering his nose.

"I am sorry but I don't have any money"

"Haha Don't worry about it's on the house this one at least"

Naruto looked at the soup and grabbed one of the chopsticks and started eating until all the soup was gone Naruto never felt this full and looked up to see the smiling faces of Teuchi and Ayame.

"Hey kid is something wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry but I never felt this accepted before"

Ayame walked around the counter and placed her arms around Naruto his sobs echoing throughout the stand.

"Shh shh it's okay don't worry you just let it out okay"

Naruto looked at the old man his eyes filled with pity not hate and the girl her face calm almost with a caring nature about it. He did not want that moment to end he looked out to see the last bit of the sun fade away under the horizon. Naruto closed his eyes and found himself back before the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

"Time's up kid this time you will know what it's like to be put into a cage"

He watched as the red chakra moved over through the bars and start to surround Naruto and slowly start to envelope him. He could feel the anger in the Kyuubi's chakra start to enter his body yet all he could think about was of old man Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. Naruto could still feel the warmth of her hug it clung to him tightly when all of a sudden he returned back to the stand with Ayame and Teuchi looking at him just like had a few seconds ago.

"See all better"

"What the hell! We had a deal kid don't go back on your word"

Naruto wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and looked back at Ayame.

"Excuse me but do you guys have a restroom that I can use?"

"Yea it's in the back on the right you can't miss it"

"Thanks"

Naruto went to the back and found the restroom and he stared into the mirror and saw only his reflection.

"We had a deal and if I am correct you were not able to get to the Hokage now were you"

"Yea we had a deal but the thing is I think I found someone who actually cares besides old man Hokage".

"What you mean the girl and the old man? Ha your funny kid".

"Maybe you might find it foolish but, I am willing to risk everything because of them".

Slowly the voice of the Kyuubi recede back into his mind and he looked into the mirror and saw his eyes change into the Kyuubi's then back into the blue that made his eyes. A smile stretched out across his face and for once he felt strong truly strong maybe because he outwit the fox or because someone else besides the Hokage saw him for once as a person. CRASH.

"HEY IF YOU BREAK ANYTHING ELSE I AM TOSSING YOU ALL OUT!"