AN: Welcome! This is going to be a long, planned out fic, featuring mostly action and politics, but with some romance and drama sprinkled in between. Written here is a prologue to it. As for lemons and yaoi - no. Just no. They won't be anywhere in this story.

With that said, you may begin.

A four year old Naruto looked out the window at the full moon, the greatest light in the night sky. Naruto was lying in his bed, sleeping atop a rigid mattress and a rough blanket, and without a pillow. Other kids in the orphanage had better beds, but Naruto had to get the worst of everything. He wasn't sure why.

Naruto was fed up of everyone else's behavior towards him. With those feelings in mind, he looked around at the other beds in the room, noting the soft, yet consistent, rises and falls of the boys' stomachs. A determined glint in his eyes, Naruto opened the window. He winced as it creaked slightly.

None of the snores faltered.

Naruto stepped out of the window, landing onto the moist grassy field. He looked back up at the moon.

Sometimes, Naruto wondered what the other stars thought of the moon. That one bright light in the night sky, which no other star could dream of comparing itself to. However, even though the moon was clearly superior, it was the only moon. The only bright light.

Even though the moon was superior, it was alone. Was being like that truly preferable?

As Naruto thought of this, he heard steps from behind him. Turning around, expecting a boy to yell, 'I'm telling', Naruto was surprised to see the silhouette of a man. Under the moonlight, Naruto was barely able to make out a sly grin.

"The moon is beautiful tonight, wouldn't you agree?" The man said. His voice was slippery and leathery... almost inhumane.

Naruto wasn't sure how to respond. So he didn't. Instead, he took a step closer to the man, making out a pale complexion and strange purple lines near his eyes.

"I see, not the talkative type. We'll be changing that," the man said. "Naruto, there are many things I would like to teach you. Would you come with me?"

Naruto was confused. Why did this man want to take him away? What did he want to teach him? Instead of vocalizing these questions, Naruto asked, "who are you?"

The man's grin grew wider, revealing sharp, triangular teeth. That wasn't normal. "My name is Orochimaru. I'm a... scientist."

A few seconds of silence passed. "But I don't want to leave. I have the old man, for one..." Naruto said.

Orochimaru's grin faded. "But most people hate you here, don't they? If you come with me, everyone you see will treat you with greater respect than you've ever dreamed of."

Naruto hesitated. "Why me?"

"You are special, Naruto. The others hate you because you have a special power they don't. Come with me, and you can learn more about it."

Naruto found himself seriously considering the proposal. Why stay? The old man had always wanted Naruto to be happy, anyway. And Naruto believed he could be happy with this Orochimaru. However, there was something Naruto wanted to know first. "What will I be doing with you?"

Orochimaru's grin returned. "You will be learning the power of science, especially dark science. You will learn to be better than these filthy denizens of the Leaf Village."

"Dark science?"

"I'll explain once we reach my base. Are you willing to come?"

Naruto took a deep breath and turned to look back at the moon. Its light bathed him from head to toe, and for some reason, it seemed a little more familiar. "I am."

AN: Normal chapters will usually last 2000 to 3000 words. This is shorter as this is a prologue.

There is a CrobatFang fanfiction group on discord. If you are interested, information is on my profile.