Warning: Religion in real life is not this brutal and if it does offend someone please accept my sincerest apology as I only want Naruto to have some hate towards the village without it being the villagers' complete fault. Also this is a slash means shounen-ai but I'm going to keep it subtle or at some point in future have some intimate moments between two males. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Prologue: I feared this would happen…
Breathe. Take in long deep breaths and calm yourself, Naruto! Think of happy moment, like that time when…
The comforting thought ended there as this mind lingered on the word 'happy'. Naruto's life was anything but happy, his body shuddered violently as masses of shadows gathered around his mangled bloody body. His hair once spiking out, blessed with the colour of the radiant sun, was housing dirt and dried crumbling blood, which smelt like garbage bins located around his village. His bright crystalline sky blues, which rivalled the vastness of the heavens above, once holding boundless happiness which made anyone and everyone jealous, dulled to express deep melancholy. A sea of lit candles waved around him, like in a funeral, but every frightening shadow droned into a chant swaying their candle in a cleansing gesture. Angels cried innocent tears as the hymns, sung with an undertone of smug and triumph, made them screech at such a blasphemy performed in tribute to their holy one- God.
Naruto's eyes widened remotely to get used to the dots of light watching helplessly on the side lines, his tan unblemished skin was now littered carelessly with cuts ranging to stabs. Some bleeding profusely leaking beautiful warm crimson liquid while others only broke skin driving his neuro-matrix numb having to deal with such unmeasurable torment. Ragged clothes left him undesirably exposed but sweating hot not because of the summer night but of deadly fright which could cause imminent thankful death. He wanted to go. He wanted to leave. He had nothing here.
The crowd of overlapping shadows giggled and laughed with white grins stabbing spears of cold fear into the near-dead boy. A part of the masses pulled apart to reveal a priest in his usual clerical robes with a pensive look with his lips curled into a disgusting thin line. His hand reached into his satin half-buttoned cassock to expose a silver dagger, sharp enough to cut when applying little to not pressure, the man approached Naruto, immediately invading his personal space. Moving his hand in the air to outline a crucifix- similar to the blade handle- to bless his later actions. The holy man hovered the blade over the golden tan skin covering Naruto's neck. Strings of incoherent words in an unknown language were spoken swiftly like a race against time.
The metal plunged into Naruto's throat mercilessly, going as far to harm his vocal cords, trachea and oesophagus, the victims eyes widened enough to see the porcelain white of this eyeball and his pupils dilated to leave a small rim of blue of his iris. His mouth open letting out a choking gurgle of suffocation leaving blood to be hacked out in soundless coughs and the wound sprayed out flicks of red along his warm body and taint the holy man's clothes- decorating white with red. Uncaring the man continues to chant as the shadows gather even closer around him taking pleasure in Naruto's pain. The blade moving in a slow trail but at moments being promptly flexed into a different direction meandering smoothly over Naruto's skin. Seconds became minutes to hours. But to Naruto it felt like it would last for eternity; the pain being burnt into his memory- so painful.
"The boy has sinned but is now we have labelled him my devotees, let us rejoice with a prayer for God will now recognise this boy as a demon and not be deceived with this fake appearance. The demon will be rightfully punished and exiled to the pits of Hell." The holy man silenced the crowd the moment he opened his mouth but let excitement and accomplishment dawn on them.
A sudden scream erupted in the crowd as a tall figure dressed in a simple navy blue no-sleeved shirt and similar coloured cargo pants, bandaged to his skin above his feet and on his right upper-thigh to hold a shuriken holster, with a grey flak jacket to cover his chest and back while his arms (fingers to elbows) were guarded with plated titanium slates ran towards them. The mystery man's hand flashes in the silvery rays of the moon to unveil a simple tanto as another shriek identified the man.
"ANBU!" Collective grasps erupted in the crowd as everyone dispersed charging away from the crime scene not wanting to be taken to the T&I (Torture and Interrogation) unit of questioning. The rescuer entered a frenzied trance as he sliced limbs and heads off so the perpetrators could be later recognised for interrogation- if they managed to survived the wrath of the man- to make a direct route to Naruto's current immobile position. The deafening silence was replaced by a chorus of wails which peculiarly made a ghostly smile flicker over Naruto's visage. In a space of no time the street became barren and lifeless except for the deep breathing of Naruto's saviour, showing life. The male sprinted, for his life over the now stew of limbs and blood, towards the blonde and gently touched his forehead. Naruto recoiled back violently fear dominating his visage, also rolling away desperately while soundlessly hissing as his cuts reopens to bleed bountifully.
"Uzumaki-san please let me help you. The Hokage has entrusted me to look after you!" Naruto paused having forgotten about his burning throat which had already sealed but was internally bleeding. He knew he was different. Every-time he cut himself his skin would knit together immediately, not allowing even a single drop of blood to go to waste. Even on the street in the back of his mind a growl would stop him in his tracks as his animalistic instincts kicked in to 'warn' him of prominent danger oozing off hostile people or places. Naruto tried hard to focus his eyes on the man's face, which was strangely white as a sheet, only to notice it was a mask painted with red outlines for his eyes and mouth and three red fangs coming into his face from both cheeks. The tone of his voice was urgent laced with concern, also an underlying tone of guilt and regret made Naruto immediately soften his guard, once again more cautiously the man dipped his arms under Naruto's petite body obviously lighter due to lose of blood.
Leaning into the man he took a sniff on impulse but started to inaudibly gag with a burning sensation spreading through his throat. The man gripped Naruto tighter hence his feet leaping over the roofs at a new height of speed, Naruto felt warmth seep into his skin from his liberator's skin making him shiver with unexplained delight. His sickly hand reached out to the rim of the flak jacket pulling it with the help if gravity which made Inu (dog)- the name of his liberator- to look at Naruto as he pulled slightly harder for the man to lean down. Inu hesitantly complied bringing their faces closer, feeling the shortening of Naruto's delicate breathe through his mask, the older man's spikey ashen hair felt unforeseen warm from Naruto's slender fingers firmly holding strands of silver as his pale purple lips twitched into a sincere smile. Opening his lips not a note escaped as he mouthed words normally.
'Thank you so much for watching over me. Will I ever rest in peace?' A last gush of air departed his lips only for his body to go limp like a corpse. Inu didn't pause as his heart contracted painfully as a shaky breathe left his lips cursing his damned life. He broke through the window, of the Hokage building, as a group if ANBU tried to intercept him but froze at the amount of killer intent leaking into the air only to give way to Inu. Skilfully zigzagging through the corridors, cutting close corners he burst through the infirmary. Exclaiming to the top of his lungs.
"Doctor! Naruto was attacked, his throat has deep cuts as well as the rest of his body." His voice hoarse he laid the boy gently onto the white sheets. A doctor came seconds later with first aid followed carefully by expert nurses who were already equipped with blood transfusion equipment and stitches while others applied quick pressure to his deeper cuts to stop extensive bleeding. The pale boy did not respond to the doctor's calls who later on sent worried looks to his medical team who nodded painfully. A hand from a nurse wanted to settle on Inu's shoulder was coldly deflected with a glare, anyone could sense from under his emotionless mask. The nurse shuffled nervously and gulped cursing her luck for being told to deliver the news.
"Ca-can you ple-please leave fo-for the operation to co-commence?" It sounded like a pleading request under the suffocating gaze of Inu's but the man grunted in reply distastefully leaving for the door but paused to look behind. More knives cutting the boy open to look for infection.
Such an agonising scene made his heart swell as he quickly stepped out to deny reality for delusional safety. Down the corridor he heard the patter of hurried footsteps revealed to be the Hokage, a strong witty leader of the proud village of Konohagakure; Inu leaned against the wall not wanting to face the man who kept him an ANBU, guilt-stricken beyond repair.
"Inu report!" The Hokage commanded at the lost man showed no respect or acknowledgement of the leader's presence.
"Returning from an assassination mission I took a route through the Red light district as I entered through the west side of the village. I sensed an unusually large amount of chakra clumped together on Tsumibukai Hana road and stumbled on a ritual. I killed a total of thirty people. Fatally injured twenty-nine including the priest- fucking bastard arranged it." All the ANBU's guarding the Hokage stiffened along with the ANBU who came to investigate the commotion. They all suddenly recognised the mask and the sheathed tanto on the back of Naruto's rescuer as the 'Bloody White Sabre' who was one of the youngest boy to join the ANBU's unit and launch himself into S-classes missions with ease coming out unscarred mostly. But the name was mainly related to his killer finishing move with the blade resulting in a steak of eerie white chakra to glow trailing after the movements of the tanto. The atmosphere instantly changed from tense to giddy anticipation for Inu.
"Let me go after them Hokage-sama." Inu, having finally snapped out his misery to recognise the Hokage's presence, practically begging the old man for a assassinate mission for the sake of Naruto. The man was dressed in white robes outlined in red while his tan skin once smooth was now shrivelled like a walnut into numerous folds of wrinkles. His dark brown eyes gleamed dangerously as he puffed rings of smoke passively calling someone else's name.
"Farukon (Falcon), prepare your team and group with Taka's (Hawk's) unit for a joint mission. Rendezvous at Tsumibukai Hana road to track down the culprits and capture them for Ibiki and Anko to set them straight." Ending with a dangerous tone, the Hokage carried on puffing looking at the operation theatre with deep longing, before Falcon left by shunshin of white feathers to gather the unsuspecting citizens.
"Why can't I go?" It would have been a selfish whine if the topic had not been about killing from Inu. The Hokage eyed him prudently as the ANBU trembled under the intense calculative gaze earning a relaxed chuckle from the old man.
"Inu you have been looking after Naruto with profound conviction. More than Chita (Cheetah) and Usagi (Rabbit) surprising." Inu could tell something was off like the Hokage was thinking about this for a while before these happenings. He continued after adding suspense with puffing a few more idle rings of smoke rising from his ancient pipe, in silence. "So you already are an ANBU guardian for him. But I want you to live with him temporarily, which means your identity will be at risk. So we will be placing an intricate henge on you and say you are adopting the boy legally. Any objections?" The man puffed his pipe more letting Inu's clogs work to process the information.
"Why didn't you let me take part in the retrieval mission?" Inu asked quizzically.
"I'm going to formally introduce you to Naruto." This reply made Inu's heart clench in excitement and pain. The resemblance between his first Sensi and Naruto was uncanny but it felt warm being in a similar presence. Inu in the middle of accepting heard the surgery doors open with a crash again the wall as the doctor rushed to the Hokage's side.
"He is alive Hokage-sama but is asleep. I advise against waking him." A flood of relief made Inu sigh heavily uncharacteristically. But the contemplate look in the doctor made him stiff of the incoming heart break. "But there was severe damage to his vocal chords, stressing them might lead to more damage. But not only that you might want to see this Hokage-sama." The man was tense and afraid.
Inu fell into step with the Hokage as the doors opened to reveal the moderately weak looking boy. He had regained some healthy colour but was still in a delicate state. The doctor led them to his dormant body until they were right next to the bed. The doctor's concerned hand reached out to the temporary plaster on Naruto's neck to pull it off carefully to divulge the two men with a horrific scene. Sprawled across Naruto's neck in elegant cursive handwriting was the word 'Demon' .