I got this new idea the other day, so I'll probably be ditching my other stories for now. Hopefully the first chapter isn't too bad...
Anyways, please read!

Ch 1

Cold winds burst through the village, howling in their wake. Jagged icicles were formed all over and everything was coated in a light winter frost. The chilly darkness of the night did nothing to help, with a pale moon barely glowing through the heavy clouds.
The winds picked up their speed and tore at everything in their path, which included a small unfortunate boy who was stumbling enough already in his shaky steps. Scarlet drops trickled along his body and left a messy trail as he hobbled along.
*pant**huff*
He eventually reached a run-down apartment that looked like it would collapse any moment. Approaching the door, he could see that someone had painted a message across it in bright, bold colors:
GO AWAY AND DIE, DEMON!
With a painful sigh, he unlocked the door and managed to take a few steps inside. He gave a small cry as his leg gave out beneath him while he was closing it.
" Why-?" he broke off abruptly as he coughed up some blood.
Wiping his mouth, he staggered to his feet, gritting his teeth at a new surge of pain.
" Ugh..."
The blond seven year-old stumbled over to his bed in the corner, not bothering to clean himself, and sank into it face-first. Home sweet home.
That afternoon, as he was walking back to his apartment from school, a gang of adults who were drunk spotted him. They'd started beating him up, and soon attracted a whole crowd of others, most of them joining them in this activity as well. Eventually, a couple chuunins passed by, and decided to have some fun on this as well.
Needless to say, he was not a pretty sight.
He'd blacked out, regained consciousness, blacked out again, etc., etc., throughout the entire torture. It was deep into the night when he finally woke up alone, and started limping the long way home.
" Mmmf-hm?"

Naruto discovered something on his pillow as he pulled it over to rest his head on. Lifting his head as much as he could, he found himself gazing at a white envelope.
A letter?
After a few moments of staring at it, he finally found the strength to open it with trembling hands. Unfolding the paper inside, he soon became thunderstruck at the words:

Dear Naruto,
Don't despair because of what happened to you today (and before). I know that you're much stronger than that. Hopefully, you'll be a good boy and follow my words to stay inside for three days. Only three. I will clean up the mess for you, so don't worry. After all, it was a pretty big crowd who did that.
I know that you may not trust me, and rightly so. You have never seen me before, and probably never will. But know that I am your friend. I am your friend and always will be; that will never change. You can trust in me if you choose to do so, and I will be there help you from the shadows.
Stay strong, and don't forget the three days.
Grow up to be the great ninja you've always wanted to be.

Even though the words were simple, and held a chance of being false, Naruto was moved to tears. Those who had tried to hurt him before only made vague promises, such as 'I'll keep you safe' and 'I'll be your friend'. Notice the fact they never mentioned how long. But in this letter...
I am your friend and always will be; that will never change.
Naruto blinked as he finally noticed the tears staining the pillow, and most of the letter. Gingerly, he placed the precious sheet of paper onto the ground next to the bed. The three days didn't matter anyways, even if the letter was fake, since he wouldn't be moving again for a week or so. That he was sure of.

-9 days later-

Naruto was finally able to move around now. That beating had been even more vicious than he thought. He winced at the fragments of that painful memory.
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was roughly around three in the afternoon. It was a Sunday anyways, and he decided to go for some ramen to cheer himself up from the depressing thoughts and dreary confine to his home.
Stepping outside, he was hit roughly by a blast of cold air. Shivering and wishing for something warmer than the thin, blindingly orange, jumpsuit, he resigned himself to the miserable fact that he was going to turn into an ice cube by the time he reached Ichiraku's.
" Brrr!" After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the familiar ramen stand. Naruto licked his lips hungrily as he smelled the tantalizing aromas wafting from it.
" One miso and two pork ramens!" he announced as he rushed in.
Ayame looked up from cleaning the counter, her face brightening as she saw the #1 customer of Ichiraku's.
" Naruto! Where were you these last few days!" she scolded him gently as she began making his noodles.
The blond scratched his head sheepishly, covering his true feelings with what he would usually have replied.
" Sorry... but I had to stay home 'cuz I got hurt."
Ayame shook her head at him before sliding a bowl of miso ramen in front of him, " Be more careful next time. Now, eat up!"
Naruto dug into his ramen eagerly, savoring the taste and devouring at an inhuman pace at the same time. It seemed as if he'd become oblivious to the world around him.
Key word: seemed.
A few other civilians threw distasteful looks at him as they ate their respective bowls.
" Vengeful demon..." one muttered as he slurped up a noodle.
Naruto's ear twitched.
" What do you mean, Hideki?" the woman sitting next to the man asked.
He made a distasteful sound in his throat, which did not go unnoticed by said blond, " The attack on the demon around a week ago... you know about that, right?"
She nodded, " Of course I do. I watched in a little as well."
At those words, Naruto felt something plummet in his stomach, and he was pretty sure that it wasn't the ramen.
" Well. After it happened... something terrible happened to everyone who had joined in on the beating."
The woman's eyes widened, " W-... what happened?"
" Three days. In three days, all of them became raving mad. They went babbling on and on about random things no one understood, and were all terrified about something. Let me tell you, their minds snapped entirely. There was nothing even the Yamanaka could do to repair that. From what I heard, Ibiki couldn't have done so thorough a job."
Only three days.
" Since the demon brat stayed in his place for around a week, we can't get our council to blame it on him, though we've tried god knows how many times." Hideki crossed his arms.
... stay inside for three days. I will clean up the mess for you.
" Naruto, are you alright?" Ayame's voice finally registered in his mind.
His eyes focused on her, and he saw that she was concerned for him.
" You stopped mid-bite on your second bowl of pork ramen." she said worriedly, " Are you alright?"
" I... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto set down his chopsticks, a quiet look on his face.
" Naruto-"
In a flash, he'd bolted out of there, money for his meal hastily thrown on the counter.
I know that you may not trust me, and rightly so.
Naruto forced his feet to run faster.
You have never seen me before, and probably never will.
The feeling was swelling in his chest, and he was acutely aware of everything around him, every single detail.
But know that I am your friend. I am your friend and always will be; that will never change.
He was finally there. Naruto plopped down near the head of one of the Hokages on the large mountain, breathless and head spinning.
You can trust in me if you choose to do so, and I will be there help you from the shadows.
Naruto finally started to breathe easier, and no longer felt that his head was swimming.
Grow up to be the great ninja you've always wanted to be
He finally noticed that his entire face was streaked with tears. But he smiled despite the oncoming tide, because he finally knew what the feeling was. He was finally acknowledged by someone, even if they didn't show up to tell him in person.
For once, he was happy and at peace, knowing someone actually cared for him.

That night, a dark shadow slipped next to his window and paused, seeing an envelope balanced at the head of the mattress. Carefully opening the window and taking the envelope, the person saw a couple words written in the shaky handwriting of a child.

Thank you very much.
Who are you?

A small smile graced the pale features, though it was hidden by the hood on the black cloak. Taking a pen out of a small pouch, the figure quickly scrawled a few words before placing the paper back into the envelope and returning it to its former position.

You're welcome, Naruto. I'm glad that I could help you. You can call me... Insanity.

Glancing at Naruto before leaving, the person gently pulled the blankets over the small boy, as he had kicked them away and was now shivering from the winter cold.
Then, the person slipped out the window and into the bitter cold and darkness once more.

End of first chapter! By the way, just to clear up any confusion, "Insanity" is going to be an OC. Yeah, big shocker. The story won't revolve around the OC, though, since it's mainly going to be on Naruto. There will still be mentions later on, but I thought that it would be good to clear it up right now. Also, there will be a time skip in the next chapter.

Please review and tell me what you think! It would be good to have some feedback and thoughts on this. :)