Piercing the Shroud
A pair of blue eyes slowly opened, eyes adjusting to the room. The crescent moon hung silently overhead, directing beams of light through the open window, illuminating the darkness of the night. The room was messy, littered with clothes and empty cups of ramen; the stench permeated and latched onto clothes and sheets alike. Nothing new. Same room, same smell, same feel.
The silence was broken by a light creak from the cold floorboards. A footstep so silent that if it weren't for the faulty nailing and bent wood, a sound would have never been heard. Blue eyes turned sharply towards the source of the sound: a man dressed in a black, hood pulled over his head, covering his face. The corpuscular glow of the moon reflected off of his glowing red irises and cascaded on the bottom half of his face, revealing a sharp grin.
Drip.
Was it the sound of water slowly dripping down a faucet and landing into the sink?
Drip.
The man took another step forward, floorboards creaking as they sank from his weight. His body moved closer towards the window and the light from the sky illuminated all of his body, yet upon closer inspection, one would easily find that the source of the drip was not the faucet. Another droplet of blood hit the floor.
"Who are you?" The blue eyed child locked his joints in fear. Blue eyes staring into red ones. There was no response, only that terrorizing white grin.
And the world tumbled into darkness as the cerulean blues closed.
-Uchiha Military Police Force Compound-
"Uchiha-sama, this is the third murder in a row this week and the investigators have brought back their reports. A team of ANBU raided a missing-nin encampment with protocol six; he was one of them." A blonde woman brought a folder up to her face, and read the contents to a man whose Sharingan eyes were locked onto the folder. Protocol six meant large scale artillery ninjutsu was fired onto the compound. Highly destructive and extremely efficient.
"The group of nuke-nins had captured a few civilians from the Land of Fire. We were unaware when the ANBU were called in for the assault. His mother and sister were part of the casualties. He was later deemed mentally unstable after failing the next three ANBU psychological tests. He was discharged from the corps a week ago. It seems like his personal vendetta against the ANBU have caused him to go on a murderous rampage, and it is likely he will strike again tonight."
"His target?"
"There are currently six ANBU members on active patrol tonight. They are the most vulnerable targets at the moment."
"Very well. Tell the Hokage to recall his ANBU tonight. I don't want any more casualties than we currently have. If we move quickly, we can investigate this further. Souza will be brought to justice."
-Hokage's Tower-
"Dog and Bird have yet to report in, Hokage-sama. They should have received the message a minute ago."
"What! They're the ones stationed at Uzumaki Naruto's home!"
"Yes sir."
"Come with me! We're going to Naruto's apartment complex. I will not have a civilian directly under my jurisdiction come onto any harm. Mobilize the ANBU! I will lead this mission myself."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage and two squadrons of ANBU arrived at the apartment complex. Usually, both Bird and Dog would have appeared, saluted and returned to their positions before allowing the Hokage to continue on his nightly stroll. Their lack of presence was disturbing. Perhaps Souza had gotten them after all. The Hokage motioned for one squad to stay back while the other follow behind him. The Third knocked on the door.
Silence.
He knocked again and in return, received complete silence. The Hokage motioned for the squad behind him to follow into the house. He reeled his fist back and punched the door, ripping it off of its hinges and sending splinters of wood flying across the apartment. The ANBU silently fell into the room, one by one, supporting the Hokage. And when they entered the room, everybody grimaced.
Blood.
It was everywhere. On the walls and on the table; on the floor and the furniture. The corpses of both Bird and Dog lay on the floor, their necks slit and puncture wounds running from their chest to their feet.
"You know what to do." Four ANBU members dragged the bodies outside to be cremated. It was a standing order; when an ANBU died, his or her body would be destroyed to keep the secrets of Konoha safe.
The Hokage approached a door, a door that would either bring him relief or wretch his heart out. He slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. Clothes were littered on the floor alongside cups of ramen. The familiar scent hung strongly on the fabrics in the room, drowning out the smell of blood only a few steps away. The window allowed the silent moon to reflect beams of light through, illuminating the empty bed.
Blue eyes once again, opened to scan their surroundings. The once familiar alcove filled with clothes and ramen was now replaced by an enormous cave with a ceiling so high it disappeared into the darkness. All along the side of the cave, bright torches were lit, reflecting off of rocks and boulders. His arms and legs were bound so that it was difficult to turn his head behind him. The dark figure sat upon a monolith, towering towards the top of the cave, twirling a kunai in his hand.
"So you're now awake." The man jumped down, landing softly at the base of the rock, crouching. "How are you feeling, boy?"
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" The child eyed the man's arm. What was once covered in liquid blood had now dried, forming a crusted layer of red. "You killed them, didn't you? The ANBU in my house."
"Hehe, yes. Yes I did." The man's glowing red irises turned to look at the dried blood on his hands. And just like in the room, the light from the torches reflected off of his bright white teeth, showing a menacing grin. "I was wondering, you know. Who was so important in that tiny little apartment and needed two ANBU soldiers as guards? Who knew it would be the Kyuubi jinchuriki? Are you afraid?"
"No. I thought this would happen. I've dreamed of it. People have tried to take me away before." The boy stared directly into the red eyes, yet despite his words, there was still a hint of terror in those bright blue eyes.
"What's a jinchuriki?" The blue eyed boy looked directly into red.
"Oops. Seems like I might have said a little too much. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyways. I'll probably be dead if they found me whether I said it or not." The man let out a maniacal laugh. "Only 6 years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked this village of ours. It destroyed the village, crushing buildings and killing everything in its path. The Yondaime Hokage was forced to seal the monster into a little baby boy. That child was you. You are the Kyuubi incarnate, walking among us humans."
The boy froze. The Kyuubi no Kitsune? That name alone struck fear into the hearts of the Konoha civilians. How could it be possible? It was a lie. It must have been.
"Liar! That's impossible! You must be wrong! I'm not the Kyuubi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Silence you ungrateful little worm! Your screeching is impeccably annoying! Haven't the villagers ever looked at you with those hateful eyes? Haven't they ever kept away from you? Haven't they ever blocked you from their kids for reasons you don't know? They have, haven't they? You know this to be true."
And a truer statement could not be heard. Memories of villagers spiting in front of him with eyes lit with a deep resentment that could not be understood resurfaced; stores and facilities would reject him, saying 'his kind' was not allowed; children would try to play with him only to be scolded by their parents, and only to come back the next day with the same eyes as their parents. And when reality came crashing down on the child's mind, he could do nothing but sit in silence.
"Were you sent here to kill me?" The boy asked minutes later. Death seemed like an impeding shadow, looming ever so closely to the boy's heart. Killing the demon would rid the village of its infestation.
"You? Please, I came to claim revenge on the ANBU stationed at your house. You were just another casualty in the way, and in battles, there are always casualties. Innocent little bystanders who never deserved the death that was brought onto them; then again, you're not very innocent are you? You can tell the rest of my victims that Souza has sent you to greet them!" He threw the kunai at the boy's chest where it landed with a resounding thump. Naruto let out a bloodcurdling scream, blood seeping from the edges of the wound on his chest.
"Scream! It doesn't matter who or what you scream to. Just scream! Try to let them know that somebody else is dying for their failures! I couldn't hear my mother's and sister's cries and neither shall anyone hear yours." Souza pulled out the metal blade embedded in the child's chest, giving it a quick tug. Blood quickly seeped through the clothing, staining in red – the same color as Souza's hand. "Goodbye little demon. I'll s-"The last few words could not be heard over the next one.
"Pathetic."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared silently at the bed. He had failed. He had failed to protect Naruto, failed to respect Minato's legacy and failed to keep the Will of Fire alive. Minato must be turning in the shinigami's stomach. The Third Hokage had hoped the boy would grow up like a normal child. Perhaps he could live a life of peace and prosperity, rather than experiencing the cruel side of the world. He has suffered enough as it was.
And even when the boy came up to him, only a month ago, begging to be inducted into the Shinobi academy, Hiruzen had high hopes. With his eyes set on the Hokage's hat, it was evident the boy had the determination to succeed. Given a few years, perhaps the boy would have made a fine addition to the Shinobi forces. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Where the ambitious boy once slept now lay cold blankets.
A pulse of chakra ran over the room. It was a foul and dark energy, full of hatred and violence.
The Hokage recognized it all too well: the same feeling in the air when the village was almost destroyed six years ago. It came as no surprise when the rest of the ANBU members felt it, swiftly appearing in front of their Hokage, awaiting answers and orders. The memory, forever burned in their hearts.
"Find him. Now."
The squads dispersed, searching for the source, and all across Konoha, families held each other in fear, remembering the events that transpired not too long ago.
For the third time, blue eyes opened to see the world. What was once a cave of boulders and rocks now lay flat, the stones crushed into dust. In front of him lay a pile of ashes, blackened as if they were the remnants of a great bonfire.
He moved to stand, noticing his hands that were previously bound were now free to move as they please. Despite the lack of rope, his movements were limited as pain shot from his muscles all across his body. He let a groan of pain before stumbling onto his knees with his palms on the ground, staring at the ground.
He moved to stand again, and this time, the pain had not been so sudden. His anticipation caused the pain to dull into an extreme soreness rather than sharp stabbing pain. Stabbing. He managed to get back onto his two feet and looked at his chest. His clothes were ripped, chunks of it were falling off and it was blackened just like the ash. Yet where he expected to see a fatal wound, he only saw his smooth skin, unblemished and unscarred. Whoever healed him had done an excellent job.
He took a step forward, his legs barely lifting off the ground before aching once more.
"Where's Souza?" He asked nobody in particular. He never expected a response.
"Look down." It was the same voice he had heard before Souza had thrust his blade into his chest. He turned his head, bewildered at the random voice he had heard. Seeing nobody, he looked down, only to see the pile of ash he had noticed before. Is this what became of Souza? A pile of ash?
"Yes."
"Who are you?"
"You know the answer." The memories of the brief conversation with Souza was fresh in his mind. The Kyuubi.
"Correct." Fear struck the blonde. Souza had not been lying. All the glares he got from the villagers, all of the friends he had lost and all the hate he experienced was because he was Kyuubi incarnate.
"Fool! Do not even try to associate yourself with me. You are not me in human form. You are but a tiny mortal capable of being killed by anybody. You are this wretched steel cage."
The sound of metal bars ringing reverberated in his mind, as if a prisoner was banging on his cell door. So he wasn't a demon. He was not responsible for the deaths of the hundreds of Konoha shinobi, nor was he capable of destroying mountains and leveling villages. It brought relief to his shoulders.
"Why haven't I talked to you before?" It was quite strange actually. For the past six years of his life, Naruto had never encountered the Kyuubi before. Why this day?
"Never had to until now. I had to step in before you died."
"What happens? You know…if I died."
"You die. I reincarnate after decades if not centuries."
"Then why are you here?" Why was the fox sealed? Perhaps the stupidity of the child was not worth saving.
"Because I was sealed by your Yondaime Hokage. Did you hear nothing from that man?"
"No, I knew that. I meant if you would just come back, why didn't you let me die?"
"Do you regret living?" The boy shook his head. "Then do not question my decision." It would take the Kyuubi much too long to reincarnate if Naruto had died. At least with the boy alive, the fox could bargain for his freedom in time.
"Did you kill Souza?" Naruto looked back down at the pile of ashes. What was once a deranged psychotic killer was now reduced to mere dust on the ground.
"Who else?" Despite the mockery, Naruto was satisfied with the response. It came as no surprise when the fox took credit for the killing.
Naruto took another step, leaving the pile of ash behind and followed the torches. With every step his body groaned in protest yet he continued his trudge onwards, eventually reaching the entrance to the cave. Situated on a high cliff, the mouth of the cavern overlooked the vast forests of the Land of Fire. The moon hung brightly overhead, reminding him of his old bedroom back in Konoha. That's right. What was he supposed to do now? He could see the village in the distance, quite the distance yet manageable. Yet would it be the best decision to go home? Evidently, the people despised him and lived in fear each and every day. And while their hatred was now understandable, Naruto could not help but feel guilt. Without his knowledge, he terrorized the families and created a growing tension in the village. He looked at the village far in the distance to the right. He briefly turned left and followed a dirt path down into the forests.
"Interesting...Why?" Kyuubi was referring to his leave. It was best for the good of the village. He doubted they would miss him anyways. Maybe then, there might be peace since the end of the second great shinobi war.
"Is it a problem?"
"No."
"Then don't question my decision." He could hear the Kyuubi roar with laughter in the confines of his mind as he disappeared into the dark foliage of the forest.
"Souza was right. You are an annoying little brat."
Hey FF, OptikalIllusion here with my first fanfic ever written. Leave a review and tell me how you liked it! Any comments or criticism is much appreciated.