AN: This story is going to be a bit different. Naruto is not going to be in this story. I am replacing him with a character of my own creation. I will try to keep the rest of the story canon to the best of my ability, but keep in mind that it will be fairly difficult without the boy. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I just wanted to try something new that I have never seen done on this site before. Let me know what you think. This is just a trial run for now, but I hope that you guys enjoy.

The Ketsueki clan was strange, to say the least. For one, the entire clan was nocturnal, only leaving their homes, a small city beneath Konoha. Everyone in the clan was an adult, as well, no children being born within it. They saw blood as sacred, and had the kekkai genkai to show it. They lived in the open space beneath the village

If you were to try and describe them today, the best way one could would be vampire. No member was born into the clan, rather they were turned into a member through some ritual. They had a mastery of blood, there's and other's if it was exposed. They drank blood to grow in power and gain the abilities of those whose blood was drunk.

They were the police force of Konoha at night, the first line of defense or offense in battle under the moon, and had been since the village's founding. To all other villages, they were monsters of myth. A horror story that was not to be taken lightly. To Konoha, they were guardians and protectors. To the Uchiha, they were enemies that must be taken out as soon as possible.

At least until that night.

The night the fox attacked was a night of celebration for the clan, so they were not there to fight the beast in time. When they had arrived the Kyuubi had already destroyed much of the surrounding area. All ninjas fought valiantly, few coming out of the fight alive.

The most devistating deaths were Minato, Kushina, and Naruto Namikaze. They died while the fox was being sealed away, the fourth from the jutsu, his wife died trying to defend her son, and Naruto died because of his inablility to control the massive amount of chakra that was put in him, killing the infant almost immediately after his parents died.

Now, Sorin Ketsueki, the clan leader of the Ketsueki clan kneeled before Sarutobi on that very same night. He had failed his mission, his duty, and he knew the penalty.

"Lord Sarutobi, I apologize greatly for my error. If it had not been for my stupidity, this would not be nearly as horrible as it is now."

"That is correct, and you know the penalty for failure, do you not?"
"Execution, my lord. I am ready for the chopping block."

"Very well. The execution will be held tomorrow. You and your entire clan will pay the penalty."

"All?" Sorin exclaimed. "Even those who had no part in this? Hiruzen, you must not be serious!"

"You dare question Lord Hokage?" Fugaku questioned the head of the rival clan.

"Stay out of this, Uchiha!" Sorin yelled at his rival. "This does not concern you."

"As a matter of fact it does," Sarutobi said emotionlessly. "Upon your clan's execution, his will become the new lead defense of our village."

"Lord Hokage, I beg of you. Please do not do this."

"My decision has been made and is final."

Sorin bowed his head in defeat, long black hair falling in front of his face, a stark contrast to his pale white skin. "Very well, Lord Hiruzen. But may I ask for one favor, in private? Excluding your anbu whom you trust most, of course."

Sarutobi nodded and waved his hand. Fugaku, Hiashi, and all of the other clan heads present vanished with a nod of their heads. Only three anbu remained with the two ninja.

"What is your final demand?" Sarutobi asked.

"The reason why we were late tonight was because of a celebration that we were having."

"And?" the hokage asked, patience thinning.

"We were celebrating the birth of my son. I'm sure you understand the importance of such an event."

The shocked gasp from the hokage was all the answer he needed.

"Decades ago, I swore to appease any wish of the hokage of this village, and all of the members of my clan have since agreed to such a vow. They will all accept your punishment without question, but my son has yet to take such vows. I ask that he please be spared the execution."

"This boy," Hiruzen whispered. "He is the first child to be born into your clan, isn't he?"
Sorin nodded. "Yes, my lord. All other members have joined through blood ritual. He is the first to be born."

"I see... well, I will acqueise to your last request, as payment for the decades of loyal service that you and your clan have given this village."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage. That is all I could ask." Sorin said, tears of crimson red falling from eyes of the same color.

"Gather your clan. Your execution is only a few hours from now."

With that, the Sandaime left, his anbu flanking him. Sorin sighed. His anger knew no bounds at that exact moment. He served this village, he and his family, his clan, for generations. And now they were to be cast aside like sand in the wind. No. His son would survive, even if Sorin had to break his oath and let the newborn escape.

He sank into the shadows, appearing again in the caverns beneath the village where the home of his clan was located. He quickly ran to his wife who held his son in her arms gracefully. He took the baby from her, face set into a scowl.

"My dear, is something wrong?" his wife asked of the clan head.

"Much..."

He explained the situation to her, watching as she grew terrified. He hated seeing her like that.

"But, what of Nyros? What will become of him without the guidance of his kind?"

"He will be like those above us, or at least as much like them as possible. I managed to convince the hokage to spare him."

"But why? Why did you have to? Why is Hiruzen doing this? You've known him since he was a boy. He saw you as a mentor. Why does he do this?"
"I wish I knew. But we are not to question the one we've sworn ourselves to. He has ordered it, and so it shall be."

"Something is terribly wrong with all of this. He would not do this."

The baby yawned in his father's arms, just waking. He smiled at the man, giggling as he reached up for the man. The man smiled, warmth seeping into his usually cold body. He pet the boys head where black hair, just as dark as his, was already present.

"He will grow to be a great man," Sorin said. "I just wish that I could be there to see it."

"As do I."

The small family sat together, enjoying eachother's company as long as possible. Sadly, they knew that they could not stay together forever and made their way up to the surface, the rest of the clan in tow. Sorin covered the infant in his cloak as he made his way to the Hokage's building.

"Here he is," the clan head said as he handed Hiruzen the infant.

"The first born of the Kestueki clan. A pity that he had to be born at such a time."

"His name is Nyros. Do not let him forget it."

"Of course."

With that they made their way to the location of the execution. The day was known as the Red Morning, both as a tribute to the many lives lost to the fox and to the extinction of one of Konoha's most powerful clans.

All but one.

Thirteen Years Later

Nyros sat in his seat in the ninja academy. Today, like most other days, he was struggling to keep his eyes open. No one understood why, but for some reason he could not stay awake in his class no matter what. Luckily, his grades didn't suffer for it.

He was one of the top of his class, tied with Sasuke Uchiha, something that bugged him more than he felt it should have. They were matched in almost everything, but Nyros was undoubtedly the better fighter when it came to hand-to-hand combat, at least when he was awake.

Today was important, though. He could not fall asleep here. It was the day of the ninja exam, the test that determined whether or not he would become a genin. He could not fail now.

And he wouldn't after this nap.

He shot up as a book was slammed loudly right next to him, jolting him out of his dreams. He looked up to see a very aggravated Iruka scowling down at him. His onyx eyes met with Iruka's brown as they made eye contact for a few brief moments.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?"

"You missed it."

"What?"

"Your portion of the exam! You missed it. Slept right through it. We called multiple times for you, but you just kept on sleeping. Honestly, what the hell do you do at night that takes away your sleep?"

"I-I don't know, sir. Is it really too late for me to take it?"

"I'm afraid so." Iruka looked down at the boy, his already pale skin somehow becoming a shade lighter. "I'm sorry Nyros, but if you can't stay awake, maybe it's for the best."

"Like hell it is!" Nyros yelled. He ran from the building as fast as his legs could take him, running into the forest that surrounded the village. He climbed a tree and sat on one of the branches until he watched the sun sink below the horizon, leaving only the light of the moon and the stars to illuminate his surroundings. But that was enough for him. To Nyros, it was still as bright as day outside.

Crouching on the branch that he was sitting on, he shot off to his home, flying through the trees. He was on high alert, the drowsiness from earlier completely gone. As he moved, with each kick off a branch, he felt something heavy slap his chest. Pausing, he reached into his shirt, a red t-shirt covered covered by a black leather trench coat.

Pulling on the chain that he had worn for as long as he could remember, he lifted a stone with the color and shape of a burning leaf on it. It had been one of the few gifts he had ever received, this one from the Hokage himself. He had said that it resembled the will of fire within each person of the village.

Pulling at the necklace sharply, he snapped the chain around his neck and hurled the gem into the forest. As he watched it fly through the trees, he heard a soft whack followed by a curse and a thump. Curious, he ran over to where the noise had come from.

He found Kiba Inuzuka, a class mate of his with a massive scroll a few feet away from him.

"Kiba?" Nyros asked the canine-looking man.

"Nyros? What the hell? Did you throw that thing at me?" Kiba asked, pointing to the necklace.

"I threw it, but not at you," Nyros said, picking the piece of jewelery up and putting it in a pocket of his coat. "What are you doing with that scroll?" He watched as Kiba quickly stiffened.

"Nothing."

"Really? Nothing?"

"Yes. Nothing. And why should I tell you anyway? You slept through your test. Makes sense that you're wide awake now."

Nyros quickly scowled at the dog man. "Tell me what you're doing now, or I will put you through a world of pain." He threatened.

"Alright, fine. He said that he would give me Akamaru back if I got him this scroll."

"Who?"

"Me," an all too familiar voice said to the left of the boys.

"Mizuki," Nyros said as he saw the man who was his sensei. He turned to Kiba. "Go get help. I'll hold him off."

"What? No way. If I go back now, I'll be in a ton of trouble."

"I don't care. Just go."

"But..."

"NOW KIBA!"

Kiba bounced up and immediately ran back to the village.

"Oh no you don't," Mizuki said as he began to run at the retreating ninja, only to be stopped by a swift kick to the side by Nyros.

"I could say the same thing to you," Nyros remarked with a smirk.

Mizuki growled at the boy. "I guess I'll just have to kill you first."

He unclasped one of the large shruiken from his back, hurling it in Nyros's direction. Nyros managed to dodge the attack, but not the follow up where Mizuki kicked him in the side.

"Smarts, doesn't it."

They continued their fight for several minutes, both beginning to grow tired by the end.

"You're good. A pity you didn't make the cut. Gotta love sound cancelling seals, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?"
"Simple. I placed a few seals around you that cancelled out sound, allowing you to sleep like a baby through the exams. No one could wake you up. It was funny."

"You're the reason why I didn't wake up?"
"You got it. But then again, what more could I expect from a Kestueki."

"...What?" Nyros said, eyes wide in shock. "What do you mean?"

"You are the last of the Kestueki clan. They're not a myth. They did exist, and each story that you heard about them is true. They were monsters. And you're the only one still alive. Tell me, how does that make you feel?"

"You're lying. You've got to be lying!"
"Just look in the scroll yourself then," Mizuki offered. "In the mean time, I need to go with this, so I'll see you later."

Mizuki, in a blur, grabbed the scroll on the ground and ran off with it.

"WAIT!" Nyros said, giving chase.

As soon as he started chasing he knew that it was pointless. There was no way he would be able to find him. Stopping at a tree, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to catch his breath.

"I'm not a monster," He mumbled to himself. "I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'M NOT A MONSTER!" He yelled out at the end, a blast of wind shooting from all around him.

His eyes snapped open again, this time a crimson red. To him the world had not changed, except for the red glow in the distance that was moving away from him. Acting on instinct, he chased the light as fast as he could.

As he got closer, he heard a steady 'th-thump, th-thump, th-thump' that seemed to crescendo as he approached his target. Soon he was right above the light, which he now noticed to be streams that all connected to a bright light that pulsed in time with the thumbing.

He shot down at the target, tackling it to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut to avoid dirt getting in them and when he opened them again, he saw none other than Mizuki in his grasp.

He jumped away from the man as Mizuki kicked at him. Curious, he shut his eyes again, opening them to show the pulsing red light again, the thumping returning as well.

"You're heartbeat," Nyros said in a moment of realization. "I'm seeing your heartbeat."

"Told you you were a monster," Mizuki said smugly, clutching his side. "You even have the eyes of one."

"I am NOT a monster. I am Nyros."

"Keep telling yourself that, freak."

Mizuki quickly grabbed the second of his shruiken and threw it at Nyros. This time he didn't dodge. Something told him that he didn't have to.

Calmly, he watched as the blade made its way towards him. Right before it struck, however, he felt his body... transform. It was a feeling that could not be described without seeing it, and it terrified Mizuki.

He watched as Nyros's body transformed into a swarm of bats and zoom over to him, a hand forming first with a kunai readied, stabbing him in the chest, the rest of his body reforming afterwards, red eyes glowing in the moonlight.

"I'm tired of you," Nyros said as he removed the kunai from his chest. Mizuki coughed up blood as he felt it pool in his lungs. "Begone."

Those were the last words that he heard before Nyros sliced the man's throat open, letting blood spray out all over the young ninja, his face a look of boredom and impassiveness as he watched the life leave the chunin's eyes. When it was over, Nyros immediately fell to his knees and vomited everything that was in his stomach.

Luckily for him, the other jonin arrived, with Kiba leading them. They took one look at the gruesome scene and immediately had Iruka take the two boys back to the village.

Now they stood in front of the Hokage, who was more than a little aggravated.

"Inuzuka, do you have any idea how many rules that you have broken tonight?"

"Yes sir."

"You broke into my home, stole a forbidden scroll, and attacked me. That is more than enough to remove your status as a ninja."

"B-but sir."

"I will not do so, seeing as how these were extraordinary circumstances and you are still green, but know that I will be watching you very carefully. Understand?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage. Thank you."

"Good, you may leave." Kiba bowed and left the room, a huge grin on his face.

"Now, Nyros-"

"Is it true?" Nyros interrupted.

"What? Is what true?"

"What Mizuki said. About me being a monster. Is it true?"

"And why would you think that?"
"He said that I was the last of the Kestueki clan and that all the legends about them were true, that they were all monsters who fed on the blood of the innocent and hunted humans for sport. Is that true?"

Hiruzen sat for a moment, contemplating and smoking on his pipe.

"Not all of it," He said thoughtfully. "You might want to take a seat, m'boy." He sat in the chair closest to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"To start, yes, you are the last of the Kestueki clan. You are the son of Sorin Kestueki, head of the clan. And a personal friend of mine. But you are not a monster. And neither were the Kestueki's.

"The Kestueki clan were our defenders. Ninja of this village, but with seperate beliefs than most of those outside their clan. They worshipped blood, the essence of all life. To them, blood was the most precious thing in the world and the spilling of theirs was sacriellege. So they developed a way to control their blood to an extreme degree."

"But didn't they drink blood as well? They kidnapped people and brought them to their lair to feast on."

"They did drink blood, but only rarely did they drink directly from a person. They did not kidnap anyone, rather drank donations or drank from their enemies. They were capable of many feats- being able to meld into shadows, transform their bodies into bats, had enhanced strength and speed, could see the heart beats of those around them, and could charm people with a genjutsu easily.

"But they were nocturnal. They slept in their homes during the day, coming out at night to defend our village from attackers. The sun, while not painful, drained them of their energy and weakened them greatly, while water could put any of them down for the count if used correctly."

"And I am one of them?"

"You are the last of them. The rest all died out years ago. You were the only one to survive, but you are special."

"How?"

"No member of the Kestueki clan are born into the clan. Rather, it is a ritual that they go through that transforms them into one. This allowed the clan to have many members to have other kekkai genkai, or blood gifts. They were the most diverse clan in the seven nations. But, the reason why no members had been born into it was because no woman in the clan was able to bear children. Save your mother.

"The night the fox attacked, you were born and the entire Kestueki clan was celebrating the first born of their clan. That night, the fox killed all of the clan, except you. Your mother protected you to the last."

Nyros was crying, tears of blood falling from his onyx eyes.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Nyros said as he wiped the crimson tears away.

"It was nothing. It was something that I should have told you about before. By the way, do you still have that necklace that I gave you?"

He nodded and reached into his pocket, presenting it to the hokage.

"I might as well explain this to you," he said as he took the jewelery. "This was to be used to seal away your power until you were a genin. But now, I don't think that it's needed anymore. Unless you still want it."

"But sir, I'm not a genin yet. I missed the exam."

"Don't worry about it. Judging by your grades, even if you failed the exam, you still would've passed and become a ninja. Now, do you want it or not?"

"If it could be possible, I would like to keep it."

"Very well. I'll remove the seals on it and return it to you tomorrow. Have a good night's rest. I expect to see you in a headband next time I see you, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

AN: So, what did you guys think (assuming you made it this far). If there's anything you want me to do or add in please let me know in the comments. Love it, hate it, I don't care, just let me know. For now this is only a trial, something to test the waters about how good this idea is, so again, let me know in the comments. Have a nice day/night/morning/evening/whatever floats your boat.

Oh, and just so you know, Ketsueki means blood.