Disclaimer: I do not own any of Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.

This is an AU, so things will be different. I am also rating this M, since this will be dark. I will put up warning when the dark themes start. This will be through both series so it will be long, I don't know how long but be prepared for a lot of things to change.

I tried my very best to figure out all the right ages for the characters, however, for some I had to guess or give them ages, some have also changed to fit the purpose of my story. If something is glaringly wrong, please tell me. Smarter Naruto, but not OP Naruto.

Hell had begun again for the little blond-redhead boy named Uzumaki Naruto. It was his 7th birthday and he wanted to see the fireworks better so he left his rundown apartment in the red-light district. However, he didn't anticipate being cornered by a group of drunks.

"Fucking demon brat!" One of them yelled as he kicked the boy hard in the stomach. Anything that he had eaten had come up immediately as he vomited on himself and on the man's shoes that had kicked him.

"Trash! Pathetic, you shouldn't even be alive, you demon!"

"You killed the Yondaime you bastard!"

Then the blows rained down on the dual-haired boy. He curled into a tiny ball and tried to protect his tiny body, but he couldn't. Screaming in pain and fear for his life the beating went on and on. He didn't know if he was even alive at this point. His body was broken, plain and simple. Every movement that he made brought agony and small whimpers out of him. He slipped in and out of consciousness multiple times during the hell that was his beating.

He wanted to pain to end; he wanted those responsible to pay for hurting him. But he knew that would never happen. He was the demon brat, someone that should die just for existing. He closed his eyes, hoping it would be the last time that he had to see this cruel and unforgiving world.

However, he woke up, but not in a place he ever expected. He woke up in a sewer. "So they finally got rid of my body. Wonder where this sewer took me." Naruto said to himself.

He slowly and painfully pulled his body up and began walking with very small steps. He took the path that would cause him the least amount of damage, or at least the one that wouldn't make anything worse for him.

He arrived at a giant cage with the Kanji for 'seal' on the middle of the golden bars. Naruto didn't see anything in the cage, but he could definitely feel something in it. Before he could call out to the thing in the cage, an eye opened up. The eye was red with cat-like pupil. "Well now. You're here earlier than I expected." A giant orange-red fox with nine tails said.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Naruto asked the giant talking fox.

"You aren't scared of me." The fox stated, and Naruto nodded.

"Is there any reason why I should be scared of you? I think I know who, or at least what you are. Tell me if I'm wrong. You're the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked the village. I'm also guessing that you are partly the reason as to why I'm called a 'demon brat.' But I don't blame you." Naruto said.

"To answer your question, I could take over your body and kill you. Your guess as to who I am is correct, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox." The fox sighed and closed his red eyes. "And yes, I am the reason as to why you have been hated and almost killed on the day of your birth every year."

Naruto nodded in understanding, even though he was only 7, he still had common sense. "Am I dying?" Naruto asked the Kyuubi bluntly. Kyuubi choked and then gave the little boy a grim smile.

"No, at least not at the moment, you are not. I am slowly healing you while we have been talking. However, you need to get to safety. I know a place where we can go and you can heal fully, however because of your age, you will have scars. I will need to take some control over you to get you to that safe place, can I, kit?" The Kyuubi asked him.

"You're asking me for permission? Uh, sure. If it can save us, then yeah, do what you need to. Also what is your name? I don't think that Kyuubi is your name, but a title." Naruto said.

The Kyuubi smiled fully, showing off his white teeth and fangs. He liked Kushina's kit. "My name is Kurama. When you wake move slowly, and do not be scared of the one who will be watching over you. She is someone who you can trust." Naruto nods, closes his eyes and lets go of his consciousness fully to sleep as Kurama opens Naruto's eyes, showing the Tailed-Beast's red ones.

The fox's red eyes flicked to the sides to check if anyone was around. There was no one, just a lone ANBU; however he knew that the ANBU would not be able to see Kurama's red eyes so it was fine. Kurama, in control of Naruto's body moved slowly through the back alleys and darkened streets to get to the outskirts of Konohagakure, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

He had stopped in front of an old partially destroyed building. It was one of the only Uzumaki based buildings and one of the two protected lands in or around the village. It was the old Uzumaki Temple. He looked around again and then breathed in as much as he dared. Everything still hurt, for both him and Naruto.

Slowly getting his feet to move, he looked down and then stepped through the barrier seals that the second clan head of the Uzumaki Clan had placed on the Uzumaki lands and buildings that were around the area.

Using his enhanced night vision sight he quickly found that the healing rooms in the back of the temple were not damaged or destroyed. He picked the first one and entered it. He knew that once he stepped over the barrier seal that Uzumaki Kushina would be waiting for him and her son.

"Hello Kushina." Kurama said.

"Kyuubi, what the hell happened to my son?" She asked him.

"I'll tell you when I've healed the kit. For now just make him as comfortable as possible." The Kyuubi tells the worried mother. She nods and gets to work. The redhead brought out the futon that was rolled up in the corner of the small healing room. There were ten healing rooms in total in the temple. Five on each side wing of the temple. Each room can hold a small family of four comfortably.

Cleaning the futon and putting it on the ground she moved to her son. Picking him up in her arms she cried at how light he was. "Oh, Naruto. I'm so sorry." Kushina sobbed as she laid her son down on the futon and began cleaning off the blood on his skin with a wet dish towel that she found in the small kitchen. She had to use multiple small dish towels to clean off all of the blood. After that was done, she reset the broken bones he had.

Naruto didn't even make a sound as his mother was setting his broken bones. She used the Mystic Palm Jutsu she had learned from Tsunade-sama to heal his broken and cracked ribs. She healed all she could and then let him rest for the night. Kushina didn't expect her son to wake up any time soon.

The pervious Uzumaki clan head set about cleaning the temple a bit. The first place she cleaned up was the small kitchen on the left side of the temple. It was a small kitchen with just one countertop, a small portable stove table with two burners, a table that sat up to six people at a time, and a steel sink. That was it. She checked the cabinets underneath the countertop for some supplies she could use. She found some normal ones but saw that most were empty or leaking chemical fluid.

Kushina sighed and grabbed the bottles, throwing them all away in the trash bag that she had found. The only supplies she had were a half-used roll of trash bags, the dish towels that she had found to clean her son and water from the well that out in the back of the temple.

Going to the back entrance of the temple she went to the well and looked down. Picking up a small pebble and cleaning it as best she could, she let it fall from her hand to see if there was any water in the well. Once she heard a small splash she smiled slightly at her small victory. Using the crank to unroll the bucket that was attached to the rope she slowly lowered it down into the well. Once she cranked the spool of rope and bucket down she waited a few minutes and then pulled up the full bucket of water.

She unhooked the wooden bucket of water from the rope and carried it inside. She started cleaning the dish towels from her son's blood and setting them to dry on the outside on the back porch railing. As the night wore on into the morning Kushina had cleaned the kitchen, the rest of the nine healing rooms, and the two semi-large bath rooms in the temple.

The men's bathroom was on the left side of the temple, while the women's was on the right. Each bathroom had a bathtub that could hold up to five people, ten showerheads, with ten stools in the farthest corner from the door. The counter held five sinks in each bathroom, with a set of fifth-teen small cubby holes on the side wall to hold toiletries of the people bathing or showering.

However, Kushina would not call this place an Uzumaki Temple for long. No, it will be changed to the new Uzumaki compound if she had any say in it. Bringing back the bucket to the well she went back inside and checked on her dual-colored son. He was still unconscious and healing.

There was no food in the temple, and since she was dead she couldn't leave the temple or the grounds that were protected by the barrier seals. Even though she was dead, she was still able to use Jutsu since she had been summoned by the Kyuubi as he knew that she would want to know what happened to her only child.

She stayed by her son while he slept and healed. Two days later in the mid-morning he groaned as her blond-redheaded son woke up groggily. Naruto tried to sit up but his body was sore, he was healed according to Kurama, but he would be sore for the next week because of how bad the beating was. What he wasn't expecting was being helped to sit up on the soft futon he was currently laying on.

To his right side was a beautiful red haired woman, smiling gently at him as to not scare him. The woman wore black pants, blue ninja sandals, and a white blouse, on her forehead was a leaf headband. "Hello… Are you the woman that Kurama told me about? The one who I can trust?" Naruto asked the woman.

She nods. "Yes, I am. My name is Kushina. I'm… My full name is Uzumaki Kushina; I'm your mother, Naruto." She smiled at him as tears started streaming down his face.

"My… mom? But… I thought I was an orphan and my parents were dead." Naruto said, frowning.

"I am your mother, Naruto. But you are right, I am dead, both your father and I are dead. However, that does not mean that we don't love you." Kushina reassured her son.

"If you and Dad are dead… then how are you here?" Naruto asked, wanting to know if this was a trick or not. He didn't know what to believe.

"I am here because of two reasons. The Kyuubi, which I know you have met already, had summoned me. And the second reason is that this temple and the lands around it are protected by barrier seals that make it so that no one can enter without our express permission if they do not have Uzumaki blood within them. This place was an Uzumaki Temple; you can always come here for safety, Naruto."

"Kurama, summoned you? How? And what do you mean by this place is protected or about the Uzuamki blood?" Naruto asked his mother. It seemed more and more plausible that this redhead woman was actually his mother, even if she was dead.

"Well there is a Jutsu that the Tailed-Beasts and their Jinchuriki can use. It's called Jinchuriki Summoning Jutsu. It's a Jutsu that lets a current Jinchuriki or Tailed-Beast summon a previous Jinchuriki."

"What's a Jinchuriki?" the seven year old asked his mother.

"A Jinchuriki is what vessels or hosts of the Tailed-Beasts are called. I was the Kyuubi, or Kurama's second Jinchuriki, you are his third."

Naruto was about to ask you who the first Jinchuriki of Kurama but his stomach growled loudly, causing the woman, Kushina, his mother, to laugh. Naruto's cheeks burned in embarrassment as he held his hurting stomach.

"I will answer all of your questions later, Naru-kun. For now, I think you should head home and eat something, and then you can come back." His beautiful mother said.

Naruto nodded and was about to leave the room before he quickly turned to look at his mother, wide-eyed. "Did you just call me Naru-kun?"

Kushina smiled brightly at her son and ruffled his hair. "I did. I hope you don't mind the nickname. I… I wasn't able to see you grow up, at least for the first few years of your life. I want to change that now. Can I? Can I be the mother you deserve Naruto?" Kushina asked hesitantly, not knowing what her son would say.

"Of course, Dattebayo!" Naruto said, giving his mom a hug. Kushina started sobbing at hearing a variation of her verbal tick in her son. She laughed and hugged the dual-haired boy. She let him go and kissed his forehead.

"Alright, you. Go home and eat something, then you can come back here. However, be careful as to not be followed, okay? This place needs to be kept a secret since if people find out they will completely destroy this place." Naruto nodded seriously, giving his mother another bright smile and then looked around the woods that he had found himself in.

He went to his crappy apartment in the red-light district and hoped that it wasn't completely trashed like every year, but he didn't really believe that. So he just trudged to the place he called a home… No, that wasn't right. That place wasn't home; his mother was his home, his mother and the Uzumaki Temple that Kurama had taken him to.

Five people were in an ANBU black room. A place that if ever brought to, nothing will come out. If it somehow does, the person or persons will immediately be executed. One of the five was standing above the other four who were kneeling in front of him. Three of the four had masks on and ANBU gear on, one of which was wearing the clothing of an ANBU Captain, the other two younger members were wearing the standard ANBU gear. The other one that was kneeling to the standing mask wearing individual was dressed differently than the others in the room.

The blonde woman had her hair up in a high tight bun. On her forehead she had a headband with Konohagakure's emblem engraved into the metal plate. She had black skintight pants on, which were taped closed. Her shoes were black shinobi sandals that reached up to her mid-calf. The blonde also wore a dark grey short sleeve shirt, over that she wore a green thigh-length light jacket with the emblem of her clan on the back. On her waist were three pouches, two standard small shinobi pouches and a large pouch that contained her medical supplies for healing. Over her elbows were black elbow guards. Around her neck she had a choker with her clan emblem on it, and another necklace hung around her neck, it was a thin, green crystal that belonged to her grandfather, who was the previous clan head of the Senju. The necklace is only worn by the clan head of the Senju Clan. The woman was named Senju Tsunade, she was one of the current clan heads of Konohagakure, one of the Sanin, and named the Slug Sage.

The next person that was kneeling down on the cold concrete was a young boy of 12. He had black hair that was put into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was dressed in the standard ANBU gear, with black clothing, sliver arm guards, and grey vest. He was Uchiha Itachi, ANBU codename: Weasel. He was the Uchiha Clan heir; the older brother of a boy named Sasuke, a member of Team Ro, and named Itachi of the Sharingan.

The boy next to him was older than him. He was a teenager with short spiky dark blue hair. The teenager's age was 16. He was also dressed in the standard ANBU gear. He and his younger cousin were on the same team in ANBU, Team Ro. The teenager in question was Uchiha Shisui, ANBU codename: Crow. He was the best friend of one Uchiha Itachi, the younger brother of Uchiha Obito, and named Shisui of the Body Flicker.

The eldest of the three kneeling ANBU was next to Shisui. He had slightly long spiky silver hair. He wore the ANBU clothing of a Captain, all black and an arm band that signified his rank and status. His name was Hatake Kakashi, ANBU codename: Dog. He was the Captain of ANBU Team Ro, the son of Hatake Sakumo – also known as the White Fang of Konoha, former team member of Team Minato, and named the Copy Ninja Kakashi.

The ANBU Commander that was standing above them was wearing fully black clothing on him. He did not have any visible weapons or pouches on him. He was just wearing the black clothes. The only thing that any of them saw about him was his dark brown hair, which was tied into a tight braid behind his back. No one knew the identity of the ANBU Commander, only the Hokage knew, and he wasn't telling anyone. The Commander's ANBU codename was: Dragon.

The Commander spoke up for the first time since the five of them had come into the black room. "Tell me of Uzumaki Naruto." The youngest and newest member of Team Ro spoke up first. Since Dog, Weasel, and Crow were the three ANBU in charge of the young Uzumaki boy, they were the ones to report to either the Commander or the Hokage about the boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto had been beaten within an inch of his life yet again on the anniversary of the Kyuubi Attack that happened 7 years ago. As per Hokage-sama's orders I did not interfere and let things play out, only coming in when the villagers were close to killing him. When the villagers finished their beating on the boy he lay unconscious for 10 minutes, in which time he slowly got up and began heading somewhere in the village." Weasel stopped for a moment and lowered his head before he heard his Commander speak again.

"Continue your report, Weasel."

"At first I thought he was going back to his apartment, but I was wrong. He headed to the outskirts of the village. I followed him and the boy stopped in front of the abandoned and partially destroyed Uzumaki Temple. As he went into the temple he disappeared, I had tried to enter but there was a barrier preventing me from setting foot on the Uzumaki lands. He did not reappear until three days later. After he had healed fully from his injuries he went back to his apartment." The young Uchiha finished.

Crow was the next to speak up. "Weasel's account is true. After we switched our rotations I saw that Naruto-sama went back to the temple every day, not letting anyone close to him while he made his way to the temple. I do not know if he knows about his clan, his heritage, or about the Kyuubi sealed within him. About two weeks later he came back to the temple with a full backpack. I do not know what was in it." Crow says.

"A few weeks after Naruto-sama found the Uzumaki Temple, I had followed him to the memorial stone of those that had been killed in action. He just kneeled in front of the stone and cried for the better part of an hour. I do not know why, however I can only guess that he found Uzumaki Kushina's name on the stone, and connected her with himself. He stayed and talked to his mother, telling her about his day. Afterwards he went to his apartment and did not return to either the temple or the memorial stone for five days. At which time he did not leave his apartment and stayed curled up in bed alternating between crying, sleeping and meditating." The ANBU Captain finished his own report.

Dragon did not move as he heard the reports of his three ANBU agents. All he did was turn his attention to the Sanin and watched for her reaction to all that had been told in the room already. Tsunade was shaking with rage, but knew not to show anything to the ANBU Commander, even though she named a Sanin, the Commander could still kick her ass if he chose.

"Is there any way that you can convince Hiruzen-sensei to let Jiraiya and I adopt Naruto?" Tsunade asked the Commander.

"No. However, you may be able to seek him out when he becomes a Leaf Ninja." Dragon stated to the blonde woman.

"What can we do for him, now?" Tsunade asked Dragon.

"Keep helping and protecting him. That is all you can do for the time being. One day he will find you and embrace you as family, even if you believe that you do not deserve it." Dragon said.

Dragon turned back to the two Uchiha ANBU. "Tell me about the state of the Uchiha." The two Uchiha males tensed but knew they had to answer their Commander.

"All of the clan elders and the clan head are for the idea of overthrowing the Hokage. Many of the elders' families also support this plan." Weasel said slowly, not looking at anyone but the floor.

"Who are the Uchiha clansmen that are opposed to the idea of overthrowing Konoha's government?" Dragon asked.

Crow answered for his friend and clan heir. "Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Rin, Uchiha Izumi, Uchiha Naori, Uchiha Teyaki, Uchiha Uruchi, Uchiha Hanako, Uchiha Kenshiro, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui." Crow named them both as well.

"Those twelve Uchiha's will be protected by the law of Konohagakure then. In the coming weeks or months those ten Uchiha's will be shadowed and protected by the three of you. Captain Dog, you will protect Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uchiha Izumi. Crow, you will be protecting Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Rin, Uchiha Hanako, and Uchiha Kenshiro. Weasel, you will be protecting Uchiha Teyaki, Uchiha Uruchi, and Uchiha Naori.

"Yes, Commander Dragon." The three ANBU said in unison.

"Dismissed." Commander Dragon said.

The three ANBU left the black room.

The Sanin and Commander stayed in the room until he spoke again to the woman. "Bull will be protecting Uzumaki Naruto while his three regular ANBU guards are busy protecting their other charges. You will be responsible to keep the other clans and clan heads calm, as you are the clan head of the Senju and one of the three founding clans of the village. Your children and sister-in-law will be alternating with keeping an eye on the clan heirs of the major clans, the minor clans with few members and the heirs will be given shelter by the Senju, is that acceptable?"

"Yes, Commander. It will be done." Tsunade told him. Dragon dismissed her from the ANBU black room but stayed himself to look over a few files that had piqued his interest when his three ANBU had been reporting to him.

He pulled out the files of Uzumaki Kushina and her son, Uzumaki Naruto. Looking at the small pictures of the boy and his mother there were many similarities, not just in his speech patterns. "It seems like your son continues to surprise even me, Kushina-sama. You and Minato-sama should be proud of him." Dragon said as he put the files away and left the room, going about his duties, but heading to see the young Uzumaki heir.

Naruto was finally able to enter the academy. He was so excited, but was also nervous. Would the other children talk to him, or play with him? Or will they sneer and be mean to him? He decided to his safe place, the Uzumaki Temple. However before he left the village's main areas he saw something that made his blood boil.

A girl was crying and shielding someone smaller than her from the bullies around her. Naruto ran to get the two kids away from the bullies.

"Hey! Get away from them! Pick on someone your own size." The blonde-redhead shouted at the five older boys, all of which had Konoha headbands on, who were hitting and kicking at the little girl who was trying to make sure the little brown haired boy in her arms wouldn't be hurt.

"Oh yeah? And who are you to try and tell us what to do? You're nothing but a brat!" One of the boys sneered at Naruto.

Naruto pushed the boy away from the two little dark haired kids. "Leave them alone!" Three of the boys drew out a kunai each, stepping up to the younger boy. Naruto narrowed his eyes in fear, but didn't show anything on his face. The two other boys stood back and held Hyuga Hinata as she hugged the young toddler to her chest.

Four of the boys came forward with the kunai drawn. Naruto knew that he will be hurt, but he couldn't think about himself, he had to save this girl and the little baby boy in her arms. The four Genin pounced on Naruto. He didn't scream out when the kunai tore open his flesh, he grit his teeth and held in the pain. He beat the boys up, once he was done with four who had initially attacked him, he was bleeding, bruised, and probably concussed.

The last boy, the one that was holding onto Hinata's shoulder, stumbled back and ran away, leaving his friends on the ground behind Naruto. He went over to the girl and the little brown haired boy in her arms.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded and slowly stood up. Naruto saw that the boy in her arms was still crying and shaking with fear. "Hello, who are you?" Naruto asked, getting close to the boy's face. The boy turned his head into his cousin's chest, still scared to be hurt and attacked.

"Hinata-sama, Hikari. What-?" A slightly older boy came up to them, and as he saw Hinata, Hikari, and Naruto he stopped but then came up to them.

"Hinata-sama, Hikari, are you two alright? What happened?" The older boy asked.

"Hikari-kun and I are alright, Neji-nii-san. Naruto-kun saved us." Hinata-chan told the boy, her older brother, Neji.

Neji stared at Naruto and nodded. "Thank you for helping my brother and cousin." Neji bowed to him at the waist.

"I… You don't have to bow to me. I just don't like bullies or others that are hurt. I had to help. But you should get your brother and Hinata-chan to a Medic-Ninja. They are a little bit bruised before I got to them." Naruto told the first year academy student.

Neji nods and helped Hinata stand, taking his younger brother into his arms. "Thank you again, Naruto-san."

"No problem, Neji-san!" He said, as the three Hyuga children left to go back to their clan compound. Naruto left to his own destination, the Uzumaki Temple, or as his mother liked to call it, the new Uzumaki compound.

He made sure no one was following him as he went to the outskirts of the village. Stepping over the barrier seals he called out to his mother. "Mom? Are you here?"

"In here, Naru-kun!" An older female voice said from the open back door. He went to the back of the temple to see what his mother was doing.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Fixing the electricity and plumbing in this place. We kind of need that if we are going to live here, or at least you will need it, since I am dead and don't really need to eat, drink, sleep or bathe.

"Hey Mom, I have some news!" Naruto said to his redhead mother, she stopped what she was doing and cleaned her dirty hands.

"And what would that be, Naru-kun?" Kushina asked, poking her son on his nose.

"I can go to the academy now!" He jumped up and down, seeing how excited her son was she picked him up and spun him around.

"That's great! How about we tell Kurama-san the god news as well?" Kushina suggested. Naruto nodded, going back into the temple and heading to his room, he and his mom held hands and closed their eyes. When they opened them, they were in a sewer.

"Kushina-san, kit? Why are you two here?" A very deep male voice called out from the cage.

"Hello, Kurama-san. We have some news to tell you." Kushina told the fox.

The Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, waiting for either mother or son to speak. "Guess what, Kurama? I can go to the academy now! I can be a real Ninja like Mom and Dad! Can you believe it, Dattebayo?" Naruto jumped in excitement in front of the giant fox and his mom.

"Really now? The academy, the council and that old idiot of a Hokage will actually let you be a Shinobi?" Kurama asked his kit. Naruto frowned.

"Well… yeah. I'm the right age, according to Mom to go. Why can't I go?" Naruto asked the Tailed-Beast sealed within him.

"The reason I'm asking is because of your status. I did not think that the council or Hokage would let you because of your status as a Jinchuriki. Remember, I was sealed within you when you were born, kit. Kushina-san hated the idea of making you into a Jinchuriki; however, you were the only option. Only someone of Otsutsuki, Uzumaki, Senju or Uchiha blood can hold me." The Kyuubi said to the mother-son pair.

"They allowed me to go to the academy and become a Shinobi, why not Naruto as well?" Kushina asked the fox.

"You're status was kept a secret, only a select few knew of it. For Naruto, however, that didn't happen. That idiotic Hokage told the villagers that Naruto was the Jinchuriki, which screwed him over from the moment the words left that old fool's mouth. He thought that the villagers would hail him as a hero, just as the Yondaime wanted, but they didn't. They scorned him, they tried to kill him, they shunned him." He stopped for a few moments, gathering his thoughts.

The red-orange fox extended one of his clawed hands out of his cage and pointed to Naruto's heart. "You love with all your being. They say that the Uchiha are those that can call upon their emotions so strongly that it can change the course of the world. But that is not true. They are not the only clan to have emotions that have a greater impact on the world, the Uzumaki are also one such clan. Be proud of your clan and who your mother is."

Naruto's eyes widen as he smiles up at the fox. "Thank you, Kurama."

"Of course, kit. Now, do you know of your clan?" Kurama asked.

Naruto nodded, Kushina came and put a hand on his shoulder. "He knows of his clan and what happened during the Second Shinobi War. However, that is all." Kushina told the fox.

Kurama slapped his forehead in exasperation of the woman in front of him. "Kit, there are three main Jutsu of your clan. There is Fuinjutsu, their Sealing Jutsu, and also a variation of that, only known to Uzumaki's by blood, the Blood Seals. They are the most powerful of seals for they use the blood of the caster. However, those are also the most dangerous seals. The second of the three main Jutsu is their healing and life factors. The village they hailed from was once called the 'Village of Longevity' for their incredibly long lifespans. With their long lifespans, they can also heal people with a Jutsu called Heal Bite. It is also very dangerous, because it uses an Uzumaki's chakra to heal another individual. However, the most powerful of the three main Jutsu of the Uzumaki, are their Chakra Chains. I will not tell you about that, Kushina-san will have to tell you once you are older, about all of them, okay? I do not want you trying anyone of those Jutsu without your mother present and you on Uzumaki lands or here at the compound got it?" Kurama asked Naruto sternly.

Naruto nods and then the fox motions for him to come forward, closer to the cell that was keeping the Tailed-Beast trapped. "Kit. Come here."The fox said. Naruto did and as he stood in front of the cage, Kurama poked one of his claws at Naruto's forehead. "Close your eyes." Naruto did, he didn't know why but he felt a pull on his gut. Opening his eyes he saw that his mindscape had changed.

It was now a lush golden meadow with a white and blue sky. Naruto's eyes widen in shock at what he had just done and then turned back to the fox. "What did you do?"

"I didn't. That was all you. All I did was give you some of my chakra so you could concentrate on what you felt most comfortable in. And it was a meadow, oddly enough. But it is a good space. I am still sealed within you, but now I can help you whenever you call or whenever I see that you are in danger." Kurama said, looking at Kushina and seeing her happy nod.

"Thank you, Kurama-sama. You did not have to help my son or myself but you did. For that, thank you. I don't know what I can do to repay you." Kushina told the fox, he gave her a small head shake.

"I do not need you to repay me, Kushina-san. All I need you to do is make sure Naruto grows up to be the best person he can be." Kurama said, and then the two woke up on the floor of Naruto's room in the Uzumaki compound.

Kushina saw how happy her son was and gave him a big hug. "What was that for?" Naruto asked the redhead.

"What? Can't I hug my son?" Kushina asked playfully.

He laughed, "I have to go back to the apartment so people won't get suspicious." Naruto told his mother, and clan head, even though their clan was reduced to a few members.

"Right, well, you better go. Sleep as much as you can and try and make a good impression tomorrow. Try your best to make friends, and if you can't don't worry. Even if you are Kurama's Jinchuriki, you are not the 'demon brat' everyone sees you as, you are Uzumaki Naruto, my son, and the Uzumaki Clan heir, if the Sandaime ever tells you of the clan." Kushina huffed angrily at the old Hokage.

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone about you or the clan, I know that it has to stay a secret." Naruto said and gave his mom a hug and a smile before going to his apartment.

It was April 1st, the first day of spring and the first day of a new class at the academy. Naruto grinned as he looked himself over in the mirror. He was wearing black pants, blue ninja sandals, a mesh armor shirt, and over that was a black jacket with orange flames on the edges, which was halfway zipped up. On the back of the black and orange jacket was the red Uzumaki swirl that showed Naruto as loyal member of Konohagakure and as an Uzumaki. (He had literally just found out that he was the heir to the Uzumaki Clan yesterday. That had totally shocked him, when his mother and Kurama had told him.)

He looked at his hair one last time, wanting to make a good impression on his class. The spiky tips of his hair were a dark blood red, as was the hair color of most Uzumaki's. His bangs were also red and the rest of his hair was a sunny blond color.

"I'm ready!" He said to himself in the mirror as he turned and left his crappy apartment in the red-light district of the village. He sighed and closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. He still couldn't move into the new Uzumaki compound, which Kurama had taken him to all those months ago after his beating.

As he turned to leave the complex he saw an ANBU waiting for someone in the entrance of the apartment complex. He realized that the ANBU was waiting for him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, I will be taking you to the academy. Please follow me." Naruto nodded and walked behind the ANBU as they walked to the Ninja Academy.

The two walked together but Naruto saw the dark blue haired Hyuga heiress walking with her older cousin and a dirty blonde haired woman.

"Hinata-chan, Neji-san!" Naruto waved his arm as he jogged over to the two young children and the woman.

"Hello, Naruto-san. I have to thank you for helping Hinata-sama and my younger brother. Thank you very much." Neji told him, bowing to the blond-redhead.

"I told you, Neji-san, you don't have to thank me. I'm glad I couldn't help Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled at the blue haired girl. She blushed and looked between her older cousin, her aunt and her crush.

Naruto looked up at the blond woman and tensed, stepping away from the two Hyuga children. "Uh… we better go in. Don't want to be late." He said with his head down. The two children noticed the change in behavior and looked up at the woman with them. They saw that she was shocked and saddened by the child's behavior toward her.

"He's right. Go on, children. I will pick you up after class today, okay?" The woman said.

"Yes, Mother." Neji said.

"Yes, Aunt Rio." Hinata said as she took Naruto's hand and led him into the building.

Naruto was shocked at Hinata, but didn't pull away. "What class are you in this year, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked.

"Class 2-A. What about you?" Neji asked his cousin.

Hinata led the two boys to the roaster of names and looked for hers and Naruto's. "We are in the same class, Class 1-A." She said, looking at her cousin.

"Good, at least you will have a friend in class. I have to get going, go and find your guide. I'll see you at lunch, Hinata-sama." Neji waved goodbye to his younger cousin and the blond-redhead boy that was still holding his cousin's hand.

The duo found their guide in a classroom marked, 1-B. They went in and saw that there were already kids in the room. Hinata let go of Naruto's hand when she saw her friend and the other ward of Yuhi Kurenai, Kurama Yakumo.

"Yakumo-chan." Hinata said with a smile on her face. The brown haired girl looked up from where she was drawing and smiled at the blue haired heiress.

"Hello, Hinata-chan. How are you?" Yakumo asked.

"I'm good, excited about starting the academy. Oh, this is my friend, Naruto." Hinata introduced the blond-redhead next to her.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, it's nice to meet you." Yakumo smiled at him. He gave her a small smile of his own. Was he making friends? Neji-san did say that Naruto was Hinata's friend, but was this girl, who was Hinata-chan's friend, his friend as well? He didn't know, but he hoped so.

The three sat together and waited for the other kids in their class to come in and sit down. After all of the kids came in their sensei came in. His name was Umino Iruka. He introduced himself and then had the students in his class come up to the front one by one and introduce themselves.

Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Kurama Yakumo, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Hanako, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino. And other idiot wannabes playing at being a Shinobi.

When Naruto heard Yakumo's surname he jolted and immediately asked the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him whether or not the girl had any connection to him. "Kurama! Why does Yakumo-chan have your name as her surname?"

"Calm down, kit. No need to get all panicked. The girl is from a very powerful Genjutsu clan in Konohagakure. And as for why she has my name as a surname, it has nothing to do with me. The girl has no connection to me, kit. Don't worry." Kurama reassured his Jinchuriki.

Naruto sighed in relief and went back to listening to his new sensei. However, whenever the Iruka-sensei looked at him his faced changed to a look of hatred. Naruto looked down at his desk and closed his eyes, hard. His mom told him that people and the kids most likely would hate him since their parents hate him, but it was still hard to not let it affect him. He was a kid, he was 7, and it was hard to brush that kind of rejection away.

He shut out the lessons, and the switching of teachers until Hinata shook his arm. "Naruto-kun, its lunch." She told him. Naruto nodded but stayed in the classroom.

"Do you have lunch, Naruto-kun?" Yakumo-chan asked him.

"I usually eat later; I didn't get a lot of sleep last night so I'm going to sleep for the lunch break. Go out and eat together, I'm going to sleep." Naruto smiled at the two girls, his two friends.

His smile vanished as they left. The sensei, Iruka came up to him. "Why were you sleeping in class, Naruto?" He asked angrily.

"I wasn't, I paid attention to the lessons." Naruto told him. But Iruka-sensei was having none of it.

"No you weren't you were sleeping. You are going to stay after class and read history chapters that I had assigned for class and homework, do you understand? And you won't get to leave until you finished the chapters and summarized them." Iruka-sensei demanded.

Naruto knew it wouldn't do anything to argue so he just nodded. The tan skinned sensei left him alone and walked out of the room, presumably to eat his own lunch. Naruto slept for the remainder of lunch period. Hinata and Yakumo came back and sat next to him.

"Alright class, we are going to go outside and start practicing throwing shuriken and kunai." Iruka-sensei told the class. They all got up and went to the practice field in the back of the academy. Iruka-sensei demonstrated how to properly and safely throw a kunai and shuriken. "When I call your name you are going to take the five kunai and shuriken I give you and attempt to throw it at the targets. It's okay if you don't hit anything. This is just assessing what you can do."

Each person in the class went up and threw the kunai and shuriken in their hands. However when it was Naruto's turn Iruka-sensei reached down in the small bag he had brought out with him and handed him the rusty kunai and shuriken. "Sensei, I can't use these. These aren't balanced and they are all rusty." Naruto called out the teacher but the man just glared at him.

"Are you saying I am trying to sabotage you, Naruto? Those are serious accusations." Iruka said to the student. Naruto ducked his head.

"Just throw the kunai and shuriken, idiot." Sasuke called out to the blond-redhead. Almost the entire class around him laughed at Naruto's nickname that Sasuke came up with. Almost all of the class, the only ones that didn't laugh were Hinata, Yakumo, Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and the other Uchiha, Hanako.

He tightened his hold on the rusty and damaged weapons and spun around to the targets, throwing the five kunai and the shuriken outward in anger. What he didn't know was because he had changed his mindscape for Kurama, he could help him. Every rusted and damaged shuriken and kunai hit the target posts hilt deep.

Naruto turned back to his sensei and his class and spat, "Happy?" His eyes narrowed as Iruka-sensei gave him a glare and herded the class away to the sparing ring.

Another instructor came up to the class of new students and showed them the proper Taijutsu stance and kata. When he looked to Naruto, another look of hatred flashed in the man's eyes. Naruto flinched and had his head bowed and eyes looking to the ground as the lesson continued.

After that the class was able to go home for the day. Naruto had to stay behind and read the history chapters. Hours and hours later he finally finished. Iruka-sensei had to go home so another instructor came in and told him to do the work. So it was so late at night that he didn't even want to walk to the Uzumaki compound or his apartment.

He went to the one other place he would be able to stay. The memorial stone. As he tried to keep his eyes open and not listen to his empty stomach he heard Kurama start talking.

"Kit, you need to eat. Go home." Naruto shook his head, not noticing the white haired man and the platinum blond girl staring at him in shock, sadness and rage. He ignored the fox in his gut and collapsed on his knees in front of the stone.

Senju Jiraiya and his daughter followed the young Uzumaki boy to the memorial stone. They saw him on his knees; they heard his sobbing and couldn't help but feel like their hearts were breaking. Jiraiya had failed in his duty to his student and his wife. Minato was probably cursing his name in the afterlife.

As the little boy fell to the ground, exhausted and unconscious he was pulled out of his musings by his daughter gasping and running forward. He saw his godson on the grass. "Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled out, the ANBU tensed and dispelled. It was a clone, shit. "Yumi, go get Obito and Rin! Tell them to come with you and that it's an emergency!" Jiraiya yelled to his daughter, she paled and ran, heading to the Uchiha compound.

Jiraiya used Body Flicker to get to the Senju compound. He frantically shouted for his wife. "Tsunade!" Said blonde, her brother, their son, and their sister-in-law all ran to the entrance of the main house at Jiraiya's yell.

Tsunade paled as she saw Naruto in the Toad Sage's arms and quickly instructed him to bring him to the healing room. "Nawaki, go tell the Hokage that Naruto is in critical condition!" Tsunade yelled at her younger brother. He left in a hurry, fulfilling his orders.

Frantic knocks on the front door had Shizune running and opening it. Seeing that it was Obito, Rin, and Uchiha Mikoto she let them in.

"What happened?" Mikoto asked the younger woman.

"I don't know. Jiraiya-sama just yelled Tsunade-sama's name and then we saw Naruto-kun in his arms. Tsunade is in the healing room with Naruto-kun and Jiraiya-sama. If you'll come with me. Rin-san, you will be needed. Obito-san, you may be needed to make sure that the Kyuubi doesn't get out of the seal." Shizune said. Obito and Rin nod, going with the other medical-Ninja.

The door was almost blown off its hinges as the Sandaime Hokage, Senju Nawaki, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and Commander Dragon all burst into the room.

"Mikoto-sama, what is going on? Nawaki-san told me that Naruto-kun was in critical condition." The old Hokage said.

"Tsunade-sama, Rin, Shizune-san, Obito, and Jiraiya-sama are in the room with him." The matriarch of the Uchiha Clan said.

"Uchiha-sama, what's happening?" Senju Yumi asked the dark haired woman. The heir of the Senju grabbed hold of his sister and his cousin as he hugged them.

"It's okay, Yumi. Everything will be okay. Mother and Father won't let Naruto-kun get hurt. They won't let him down." The Genin reassured his sister.

After an hour of waiting, pacing and horrible thought after horrible thought, the door to the healing room finally opened.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Rin, Obito, and Shizune came out of the room exhausted.

The Sandaime Hokage asked, "Well?"

"Exhaustion, coupled with not eating. Naruto is malnourished. His body is slowly shutting down, Hiruzen-sensei. If that doesn't get fixed, his body will slowly but surely eat itself from the inside out. That's called prolonged starvation." Tsunade growled at her former teacher.

"Let us adopt him already! He needs a family! Mikoto, Tsuna and I were named Naruto's godparents for the Sage's sake! Let us let the son of Minato and Kushina!" Jiraiya screamed out to his former teacher and Hokage.

"Dragon, I want you to keep an eye on Naruto-kun for the night. The rest of you… go to sleep." The Hokage ordered.

The Uchiha's in the Senju compound bowed and left to go to their own homes, the only one that stayed was Uchiha Mikoto. The Senju family was scattered. Shizune took Shou, Yumi, and Nanami to bed. Nawaki also left to tend to his wife, daughter and his sister's children. Hatake Kakashi sighed and bowed his head to the Hokage, the two Senju's, and the Uchiha matriarch. Tsunade and Jiraiya just stayed in their living room staring and fuming at the old Hokage.

Commander Dragon left to carry out his orders.

"Let us adopt him, or at least let us tell him that he has someone looking out for him." Tsunade's body shook in anger, she could she Jiraiya about to summon one of his toads.

"No, I cannot-" Hokage-sama was cut off by Tsunade screaming at him and punching him out into the backyard. The doors shattered but neither cared much.

"Fuck this! Naruto deserves a family! The village hates him! He is beaten within an inch of his life every single year! Minato and Kushina had us and Mikoto be his godparents for the sole reason of taking care of him if they were to die! And guess what? They're dead! Let us do our jobs as his adopted parents, along with Mikoto!" Jiraiya yelled, tears streaming down his face. He was angry and pissed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was tired, he sighed. "I will give you a compromise. You may tell him of your role as his godparents when he becomes a Genin. You cannot tell him of his parents, but you may tell him that you three are his godparents per his parents' request. You will only be able to adopt him when he makes Chunin rank. That is the only compromise I will give."

The three adults looked at each other and nod to the Hokage. "Good." Sandaime-sama then left the broken Senju compound as the three clan heads went inside the house and collapsed into their beds, or Jiraiya and Tsunade did. Mikoto went to the guest room that was made.

"You can stay here for as long as you like, Mikoto-san." Tsunade told the younger woman. She smiled and nods, heading to the room she was given.