Throughout all that is are many universes, dimensions, and galaxies filled with endless possibility. The paths that fate takes are myriad and nearly infinate. All that having the best possible outcome in one fork of the path of life really does as far as fate is concerned... is seal the other nearly identical realities where roughly the same events happen to less than optimal forks in that same path.

Say for example... A ninja. Tired, stressed beyond endurance, his family attacked and his village with all his beloved people in danger. Riding off on a faithful if unorthodox mount in order to die by handing a death god his soul in order to seal a most powerful demon. A tale familiar to many, at least in it's perfect form. But for every time the tale of the ninja ends here, for every time the path of choice and chance gives that perfect outcome, far more have different outcomes. Many different diffuse outcomes which combine to form the large yet simple question - what if? In this case, what if he failed?

Oh we aren't going to look at a big failure here; those are obvious. The village a bloody paste, destuction dejour in large swathes finally culminating in the rather catastrophic end of an age some 20 years later. where would the fun in that be? Perhaps later. No, we're going to look at an all too common error made by people awake, alert, and not dealing with horrific 50 foot tall demons.

Poor penmanship.

It's a well known fact that Fuuinjutsu, or the art of sealing, began as exercises in calligraphy. Proper ink and form allowing for what some might call magical effects. Effects such as summoning creatures and mythical beasts from other realities... or sealing demons. It is also known that the more complex a drawing or design made, the more chance tiny imperfections in ink or brush stroke have to appear. Especially when writing such on the stomach of a moving, squalling child.

This is of course is an age different from the age of spellcheck.

So was it any wonder that when Minato Namikaze rushed off with his son Naruto in his arms on the back of mighty Gamabunta, already mentally resigning himself to his grim fate and wondering just what existence as the Shinigami's chew toy would be like, he happened to miss the tiny fault in chakra suppression seal number 27? It's the little things on which fate turns.

The demon awoke behind a cage. He expected this. He did not expect the cage to be in the malformed mind of an infant primate. For a moment he saluted the courage, determination, and ingenuity of the lower life form that could seal him. Alone, with no back up, with nearly no preparation time and into his own son no less. But only for a moment.

He had no idea how long he had been 'unconscious' while sealed (after all, he was energy in one of it's purest forms, he only needed to coalesce to regain thought) but the disgusting brat was barely able to walk and gibber in that disgusting language humans used, so it couldn't have been long. He watched behind the child's eyes as it interacted with various people in it's life. It lived alone, at a young age. It lived in a run down apartment with vermin infestations and other dregs of it's species.

The looks given his jail were interesting. Anger, hate, and fear. It wasn't surprising he supposed... even if it was insulting. Treating his jail like it was him, ostracizing it as if it were a demon itself implied that he was a weak child. Such an insult would not be forgiven. The important things to note were the constant visits made to the head of the village of primates, and the watchers.

Evidently the head fire-monkey wasn't quite stupid enough to leave such a potential danger alone. While the child couldn't see them, there was always a team of three watching them, and the demon could sense the gnats easily, even with most of his chakra sealed. However he could also tell that the teams that watched were getting bored... complacent. Human attention spans are not geared to remain vigilant for 5 years after all.

Speaking of the seal... Kurama cast his senses throughout the inside of his cage, seeking any flaw. He didn't really expect one, the monkey that beat him had been a master of sealing, even better than the previous two. But he had nothing but time, and he was thorough. Oddly enough it took him less than a week of slowly and delicately tracing the sealwork from the inside before he found it. One of the seals managing the flow of his chakra into the brat-monkey was flawed. Not a big flaw, oh no...nothing dangerous if left alone.

But well it was more than enough for him to work with. It wouldn't even be particularly hard for him. but how best to use this to get his revenge on that cursed eye monkey that dared think he could be controlled. Not to mention his brood of cursed eye monkeys. But how best to do it? Any forced exit he could attempt with just this one flaw would kill the host, which the seal would then use in turn as a power source to obliterate him before he could reach full strength.

An early death caused by external causes might do the same; but the flaw in the seal gave him a chance there. So how best to handle this? There was no doubt if he managed the chakra release correctly a mere 20 years would render him immune to such a death. Watching the interactions among the monkeys to the child of their supposed greatest hero gave him an idea...

Naruto Uzumaki walked boldly down the street, his little eight year old legs propelling him down his own private path. He didn't know why so few people would approach him, but after the stares he was kind of glad they didn't. The villagers all had such cold eyes. Oh they all treated him well, if he walked up to one they would paste a smile on their face and talk to him, and the shopkeepers would never refuse service... but he could tell even at his young age, that it was all fake. What he did not know, was why.

But such thoughts were far too distant for his wonderful day so far. He had just met the old man at Ichiraku's and ate till his stomach creaked, chatting and laughing with one of the few people that did not give him any hint of coldness. Even though his eyes were brimming with unspoken anguish whenever he looked at Naruto. Again, one day he'd ask why. But for now, it was getting dark. Which meant it was time to sleep off the ramen high. He carefully unlocked his door (he didn't want to break the key again) and strode inside. The small apartment had seen better days, but it was clean.

Tomorrow he would get to work on training. He had told the old man that he wanted to be a ninja, and he would work on his own to become a good one. Ninjas were loved in this village after all. When he was protecting the villagers, it would be hard for them to look down on him. But in order to start it correctly, even with just body conditioning, he would have to go to the library and read. Reading sucked. With thoughts of boredom dancing, he changed to his bedclothes and flopped onto the bed. Poor kid. He had no idea what hit him.

He had fallen asleep and should be dreaming. So why was he lying in a sewer, almost floating in foul water? Had one of those people he had taken to task for rudeness pranked him back? Not that he was admitting anything. But if that were the case, wouldn't there be someone or something here to gloat? To mark the achievement that the budding village prankster had been pranked? All he saw was darkness, the lighting struggling to give rise to features like the large pipes set in both sides of the hall he was in.

That and the breeze. It would hit his face one moment, a hot gust which gave a smell he couldn't recognize, and a few seconds later more air would hit him from the back at the same time as a sound would hit his ears. A fan? A vacuum cleaner like the one he had seen once in that shop? Something large breathing? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good, and yet... he was curious.

He wasn't a cat after all, and if it was something bad he could surely just run away, right? Right. So he crept along, trying to keep the splashing sounds to a minimum. He even tried walking on top of the pipes once, but it was too curved and he slid off. Might be a result of him still in his bed clothes, complete with a nightcap. After what felt like hours of walking our intrepid explorer stumbled upon the end of his quest; the airflow was coming from a cage. Of course calling this structure a cage was much like confusing an ant with an elephant.

It was huge, a construct with both upper reaches and inner reach lost to darkness, with iron bars as thick as his arm and spaces between that he could walk through. On the gate of it was a slip of paper with the kanji for seal. He couldn't see what was inside; it was simply too dark. But whatever it was, it had to be big. Well he couldn't see it. Which meant only one thing of course. He had to get closer. Well that or find a torch or something.

Then he looked up...and saw the large glowing red eyes staring at him. Something picked him up and deposited him just in front of the cage itself.

"Hello gaki. We meet at last."

The face to match the eyes came out of the shadows; resolving itself into an extremely large fox. He knew what this was. Which was why he stuck his finger almost into the things mouth and proclaimed.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE KYUBI! Wait, aren't you supposed to be dead?! Am I dead?!"

The fearsome apparition wiggled a claw tip in his ear; kid had an impressive set of lungs. Then he sighed. Why were all his hosts such idiots?

"I'm not dead little fool, we are in your mind. All your kind together could not destroy me."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Your last head monkey... the one that you worship as a hero; sealed me in you. He..."

Now this of course was much to process; is it any wonder that the small child sat down right then and there and zoned out for awhile? Is it any wonder this pissed off a certain demon who had already waited more than a few years to hold this meeting?

"GAKI!"

That presence that moved him before slapped him again, knocking him over.

"Sorry sorry, you were saying?"

"Your hero condemned you to a life of loneliness amongst your fellow primates. The reason they avoid you now is that they fear you, thinking you are somehow me or under my influence."

"Well that's just stupid. I've never met you before!"

"Of course it's stupid brat. however, it is not completely unfounded. You see, not only did your hero seal me into you he made a mistake."

"A m-m-mis-mistake?"

It was hard to look nonchalant while scooting on your butt away from a giant demon fox. At least Naruto had managed the second part, before what he now recognized as the chakra of the giant beast intensified around him, pinning him in place. The demon's smile reminded him of something out of a fairy tale he had heard once, before he left the orphanage. Usually the monsters that made smiles like those ate children.

"Yes gaki... he made a mistake. It happens to be a small one, as such mistakes go. It doesn't mean I can simply kill you and leave... but I can use it to affect you easily. And I have decided to. I'm going to be giving you a gift; something to make you a strong ninja."

"But I don't want a gift!"

The creature grinned again, showing every one of it's gleaming teeth.

"Too bad. you're getting one anyway. Don't worry, you'll enjoy it. Oh and in case you don't, just remember how they feel about you. If they don't like you now, after my gift they really won't like you. They may even kill you and set me free... if they don't do worse. Please me like a good minion and you won't need to deal with any unfortunate... consequences. See you soon."

And just like that he was out again, expelled somehow from his own mind. Naruto wasn't sure he liked what that could imply. So where was he and what did he do now? He was in blackness. Pure nothing as far as the eye could possibly see. Then suddenly all at once, he was a room; a traditional affair with lacquered wood and rice paper. There were two doors on either side from each other so he tried one.

It led to a balcony overlooking a wooded area, gentle in it's slope but just as obviously part of the mountain range in the distance. He would have expected such mountains to be snow capped, but they weren't. Of course the more obvious things attention grabbers were the long snake like things with fox faces floating around in the errant breeze outside. He shut the door quickly and wasted no time trying the other. It led to a hallway. He crept along as best he could, taking the left path.

He liked the look of left, it led deeper into the place, away from those... things. The silence was deafening. He's almost suspect he was deaf if not for the wind outside. There did not seem to be another soul here. He started carefully checking rooms and found the place empty yet clean. The place was a palace; rich if understated furnishings, wonderful art, and interesting items of unknown origin and purpose. He would normally explore a bit more, but this didn't seem like the place to be caught.

Then he found the stairs, and faint snatches of offkey singing wafted up; the first sounds made by someone else since he arrived here (however that happened). With nothing else to do he followed the noise downstairs. The idea that he had just done something similar moments ago with rather disastrous results flashed through his mind briefly and was just as quickly discarded. Surely this sort of lightning didn't strike twice, right?

Now close to the door he could smell pipe smoke, similar to what the old man smoked. It seemed to be strongest behind what had to be the doorway out. He slowly and with uncommon care (for him) opened the door an inch. What he saw looking out, was the very picture of an indolent ronin. A stained grey hakama matched with a stained white gi. The Katana and Wakizashi off to the side looked well cared for, and the pipe he smelled was currently being puffed with abandon by the to all appearances bored person. The long brown hair, yellow eyes, rugged good looks, pointed ears and four fox tails were almost an afterthought.

Almost.

He did not so much as turn around but spoke.

"Well well well, someone in the boss's castle? Not a very smart rat, that's for sure. Come on out please."

Even Naruto could see this guy wasn't exactly normal. He had a friendly air about him too, but the swords at his side looked well used. Of course, there are only two choices when confronting such a situation; discretion or valor. And of course this is Naruto.

"I'm not a rat you jerk!"

He boldly opened the door the entire way and stared down the puffing man (which actually involved staring right at him, even while he sat...Naruto is a bit short).

"Well so you aren't. Care to tell me how you got into the bosses' home, chibi?"

"I don't know. One minute I was talking to a demon fox in my head then I was here. And I'm not a chibi! I'm Naruto!"

The man stood slowly and with exaggerated care tied his swords at hip.

"In your head you say? A demonic fox? Giant, with nine tails?"

Naruto's frenzied nods were enough answer it seemed.

"Seems to me I've heard legends about that. Got killed stomping on a ninja village."

More frenzied nodding.

"But not dead...interesting. Hey wait kid, come back!"

But Naruto had already started fading away... and since he wasn't doing it, there was no way he could reverse it. He was drawn back into a flash of pain so intense he almost thought he imagined it; there and just as quickly as it was registered, gone. Just like that he could feel his ancient, comfy bed under him. It was dark, with a hint of moonlight through the window.

An attempt to simply rise up as he usually did was met with failure; his balance was all wrong. Rolling over brought him to the floor in a heap, but it got him sort of mobile. He had to crawl a bit before he could stagger up. His legs just did not seem to want to work right, and oddly enough his head felt weighed down.

He ran into a few walls but finally made it to his destination; the bathroom, with it's mirror. The same mirror he brushed his teeth in front of every morning, with its slight crack down the right corner. The face staring back at him wasn't his however.

Rich red hair framed a face more fine boned and pixie like than his, one without his familiar whisker mark scars before falling in a crimson cascade to the small of his back. Two ears poked up from this river of red, pointy furred ones capped by silver. There behind him he saw a similar flash of silver... and reached out to grab a silver tipped fox tail which matched the new hair. Deep booming laughter inside his head stirred his anger.

"Baka fox! what did you do!?"

Isn't it obvious gaki? I reached out and fed you more chakra then the seal was designed to handle, and I remade you. You're now a hanyou; tougher, faster, and stronger than any mere human. And of course, now you will have to do as I say or risk death at the hands of the stupid primates of this village. After all, do you know how to disguise yourself? What do you think will happen when the ninja find you?

Naruto didn't have to think of it long before his bowels wanted to release; rumors abounded of the horrid state of ninja prisons, and that was for the lucky criminals who escaped execution. So many had died eight years ago that there wouldn't even be a trial; no chance for him to plead his case that the stupid fox had just done it and he hadn't done anything wrong.

Even if he could plead it, would anyone care? After all they treated him so coldly now even though they knew he wasn't the fox. Blending their features together even a little bit was more than enough for the kyubi to get him killed. This also led to another revelation, as Naruto decided he didn't want to make a mess on his bathroom floor, and pulled his pants down.

"AAGGHHHH! IT'S GONE! ALL THAT'S LEFT IS A HOLE! THE KYUUBI ATE IT!"

Yes the fearsome nine tails had to explain the difference between boys and girls to the poor social outcast; the fearsome beast chickened out when time came to explain the simple fact that most kitsune are born female, hanyou or full blooded. Of course, the fact that the social outcast was gibbering and fondling herself in the bathroom might have had something to do with it. With a mental sigh, he knocked the pathetic host out.