Breaking the Illusion

Hey all! Orph here!

This story was a bit unexpected, honestly. One of my friends here on this site and fellow author, Uzumaki-Son Naruto gave me an interesting challenge I decided to take. This is the resulting prologue to it. I hope it interests some of you readers.

In this story, Naruto will have a few abilities, though genjutsu will be a main offense as well as support to the rest of them. Eventually he will be god powerful, but he's gonna have to work for that power.

Oh, and he'll be dark. That's kinda obvious given that I'm writing this though.

Anyways, let's get on with it.

Prologue

[Konohagakure no Sato - Hokage Office]

The Hokage Office was generally only occupied by one individual - discounting the ANBU guard which only the normal occupant himself knew the precise positions of. That individual didn't look like much. If one wasn't aware of his power and intelligence, they might mistake him for a random old man, a grandfather and nothing more.

With age comes great wisdom though and wisdom only increases power.

He was the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He was the student of the Nidaime Hokage, sensei to the Densatsu no Sannin and a man known as the "Professor" for his intellect and strategic ingenuity. This was the man loved by his people and feared by his enemies despite his old age. He was not alone though.

Standing before him was one of Konohagakure's jounin-level ninja as well as their strongest genjutsu user actively serving under his command. Black hair and crimson eyes, pale skin and a strange dress composed of bandages described Yuuhi Kurenai rather well. The woman glanced between Hiruzen and the final member of the room every so often. That final, third member was the reason she was here, after all.

"Kurenai-chan, do you know who that is?" He asked and she nodded. "Tell me."

"Uzumaki Naruto... our jinchuuriki." She replied. It was not a fearful tone, though it was cautious. There were few reasons she would be called by the Hokage in relation to the container of the Kyuubi no Yoko and most of them were not good for him in the slightest.

"And tell me, please, what form his bijuu takes?" Hiruzen questioned. There was no fear of Naruto hearing. He was deeply unconscious and the two were wrapped in a particular genjutsu by Kurenai which blocked all sound from escaping between them.

"A kitsune, Hokage-sama." She replied. Hiruzen nodded and placed something on the desk, some sort of crystalline orb. "Did something happen concerning the Kyuubi?"

Hiruzen wore a rather content smile. "Something did indeed happen, Kurenai-chan. Something marvelous. Tell me, if you would, what two abilities the yoko are known for above all others?" The crimson-eyed genjutsu mistress eyed him strangely before answering.

"The yoko are able to use a variation of hellfire called foxfire as well as are the greatest masters of illusions of all the demonic races." She explained. Her eyes widened. "D-did he use hellfire?" She asked in a tone that spoke volumes of terror. Hiruzen shook his head.

"No, Naruto-kun did not. He did do something else though." Kurenai watched as an image in the crystal ball formed. "Today, as you know, is the fifth anniversary of the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. Naruto-kun was... attacked. Alcohol and memories resurfacing combined to cause a few men to chase him earlier this day."

Kurenai watched as just what Hiruzen described appeared in the globe atop the Hokage's desk. A group of four men holding sake bottles caught sight of Naruto and began yelling at Naruto. She assumed they were yelling anyways, since there was no sound coming from the ball. A soundless recording with perfect picture quality.

"Is this... a recording?" She asked. The Sandaime Hokage nodded.

"This is a special object created by the Shodaime Hokage's wife which allows me watch certain parts of Konoha to better send out ANBU within the village. I can also replay anything which I have ever seen in my life through it. Fuinjutsu truly is a magnificient art." He shook his head wistfully before allowing the recording to continue. "I won't let the audio out as it would do no good."

"No good, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai wondered as the scene played out further and showed one of the men throw a sake bottle at the blonde birthday boy. Upon seeing such an act of needless, horrifying violence at a defenseless child - even if it did miss by a few centimeters - caused the cold woman to widen her eyes before they filled with fury.

"Dampen your killer intent or you'll awaken Naruto-kun." Hiruzen chided lightly. Kurenai nodded and took control of her emotions, seeing Hiruzen had stopped the memory. "Had you heard the words they used - and will use - you would demand blood penance before you left - and probably get it if not for... well, you'll see."

The globe's still frame of Naruto's frightened expression unfroze to show him suddenly take off running and the quartet grin before giving chase. Kurenai noted how one at a time would grab things from the ground - sticks, rocks and discarded objects - and use them as projectiles. If not for their inebriation, they surely would have actually hit the boy or caught up to him.

"I almost don't want to..." She mumbled and glanced at the blonde boy in the room. He was deep asleep on a chair in the room, curled up like a dog... or a fox. Those whisker marks didn't help either. She truly felt sorry for the boy... but what could she do for him?

By the time she focused on the ball again, she saw him turn a corner and covered her mouth as he realized it was a dead end. Naruto quickly turned but the quartet of drunks were there, one brandishing a broken sake bottle, one with a large stick and the other two punching their fists into their open palms rsther menacingly. All four wore large, satisfied smirks on their faces. Faces Kurenai made sure to memorize then and there.

"This is why I brought you, Kurenai-chan." Hiruzen commented, making Kurenai focus on the ball raptly and unconditionally. One stepped forward and Naruto stepped back, shutting his eyes and moving his lips. If she had to guess, she'd say he was mumbling something about not wanting to be there or for the four to leave him alone.

She was extremely shocked - though not unpleasantly so - when his form shimmered and disappeared from sight. It was not unlike the various invisibility genjutsu she knew, actually. Wait... invisible, but...

"Hokage-sama, that shouldn't be possible! He disappeared from our sight. That would require for you have been injected with his chakra from however far from the Tower this took place. This is definitely a genjutsu, though I'm unsure how he learned it, and all genjutsu require the target to be infected with another's chakra." The Sandaime Hokage smirked and nodded, pausing the scene.

"No one taught him. I have been keeping an eye on Naruto-kun or had ANBU do so and no one has taught him any ninja skills, even how to access chakra. He did this instinctually, Kurenai-chan. The only things ninja can do instinctually without training is a bloodline. Do you see now?" The ravenette wore wide eyes as big as ramen bowls.

"My Kami... a... genjutsu bloodline? Only one other clan has one like that without a doujutsu. Is he related to the Kurama in any way?" Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk a few moments before replying.

"I don't believe so. I sent a blood sample to the ANBU Research and Development Headquarters to find out, but we'll see." He grabbed the ball and opened a drawer, placing it inside before locking it with a seal. "I have two theories on my... 'Infection' with his chakra. The first is that through the seals in that alley which I could view the events my eyes and brain were tricked into seeing what the other four also saw, he infected them and thereby infected the crystal ball since they are connected."

Kurenai nodded. "That is possible, I suppose. What's the other theory?"

Hiruzen paused before looking at him. "Like the Kurama's full bloodline, Naruto's illusions affect reality; though instead of tricking reality, they bend reality to cause them to come true. Only experimentation will come up with the truth."

"Experimentation, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked in curiosity. Hiruzen nodded and smirked, a smirk that meant he was about to put in motion a genius plan.

"I am accepting your motion to make one Kurama Yakumo, heiress to the Kurama clan of Konihagakure no Sato your apprentice on one condition. You must take on Uzumaki Naruto as a second apprentice and teach both of them at once. Is this term of the agreement acceptable to you, Jounin Yuuhi Kurenai?" The genjutsu mistress of Konohagkure no Sato looked at the blonde boy sleeping and steeled her nerves before turning to Hiruzen, crimson eyes absolutely cold as winter's heart.

"I will, Hokage-sama. They will become the greatest genjutsu users this village, nay, that the entire Elemental Nations has ever seen. That I promise to you, on my honor as the last living Yuuhi in existence and the genjutsu mistress of this village, the greatest village in the Nations."

Hiruzen smiled. "Your first lesson begins tomorrow, Kurenai-chan."

There you go! Chapter end!

Well, what do you guys think? Any good? Really bad? Somewhere in between? Tell me so I can make it better.

Just a few things about the story.

The pairing is final. NarutoxYakumo, no harem. Not in the usual sense, anyways.

There will be no bashing.

All OCs will be property of either SleepArypsure, Uzumaki-Son Naruto or myself.

All Reviews are welcome, even those idiotic, unhelpful flames from people jealous of my talent and trying to bring me down (even though it will never work! Mwahahaha!).

Orpheus out! Ja ne!