Rebirth and Death

Baptism of the Wicked Snake

You've heard of it I suppose. The great disaster that left the Five Great Shinobi Nations in ruins. It's an old tale that is still being told to this day. In fact, I was a part of it.

Ten years ago, the results of a forbidden experiment conducted by a man named Orochimaru got loose. In a sense, this whole mess was his fault. A genius of his time. Perhaps too brilliant for his own good. Trifling with any means of achieving immortality, the former Sannin had doomed us all.

Three equally brilliant minds were gathered under Orochimaru's leadership to pursuit the quest for eternal life and power. Calling themselves the Ishin Shishi of the Sound, their methods were of the utmost extreme. Countless lives were sacrificed for the cause that probably would never have ended. However, a unpredicted factor appeared that blew the never ending cycle away.

A young boy named Uzumaki Naruto. Or rather, I should say Namikaze Naruto. Being the fated hero who had been chosen to house the lord of demons, his discovery by Orochimaru's ever searching eyes had been a stroke of dumb luck. The Kyuubi vessel was precisely what the Snake Sannin required and the ultimate cause of our ruin…

Why?

This one question had far too many meanings and way too many answers. However, for one child, this meaning was limited to the experiences that came with pain, cruelty, bloodlust and spite. Since the day this child had first been able to walk and speak coherent sentences, he had experienced more pain and spite than most would've known in a lifetime. Day in and day out, never being allowed to experience even a single glimmer of joy.

His family name, Uzumaki. His surname, Naruto. He would never experience happiness even once throughout four years of his existence. Perhaps never at all if the citizens of Konoha could help it. Not even his birthdays, thought to be some of the happiest days of one's life, could change that. On the contrary, his day of birth was the time were he was most unhappy due to the relentless torment he would suffer year after year.

For Uzumaki Naruto, there was no such thing as happiness. No, for this outcast had been labeled and hated since the day he was conceived. Nobody cared what his name was nor did anybody care that he was but an innocent, if neglected, four year old soon to turn five within seven days time. In the Hidden Village of Konoha, everyone was content with calling him a demon child and would sooner piss and spit on him while he laid beaten on the hard ground than ever call him otherwise.

Naturally it came as no surprise that due to his poor lifestyle, Naruto was forced to look the part. Appearing as little more than a lanky and scruffy looking blond haired child with eyes of the brightest blue, forced to wander the streets in rags and sandals that were practically falling apart. Oddly, three vulpine 'whisker' marks on each cheek decorated his face. The marks being a byproduct of a special Jutsu used on him by the Fourth Hokage mere hours after his umbilical cord had been severed.

Such was the life of a Jinchuuriki for you see sealed within so small a child was the legendary king of demons, Kyuubi no Kitsune. The blond youth was none the wiser of his unwilling tenant and so could not understand why he was hated so. The only people in the whole godforsaken village who ever treated him with any kind of compassion or kindness were a cute young girl named Ayame, who ran a famous ramen stand with her father, Teuchi. As well as a very well respected man who went by the title of Sandaime Hokage.

As great a man as Hokage was, there was only so much he could do to protect Naruto from his daily batch of cruelties and sharp stones that were chucked at him. Because of the kind actions of Sandaime no Sarutobi, Naruto had been allowed to live in an orphanage. The gesture had all but saved Naruto from surely dying somewhere in the streets or being killed as a helpless baby. Regardless, his new home had not been a pleasant one.

Starting from the age of two, the bigger and meaner orphans begun beating Naruto each day in large groups until he passed out from the haze that was pain. Several times, the nuns running the shelter for homeless children had witnessed this and each time they wouldn't do a damn thing. Opting instead to turn a blind eye to the scene of senseless violence and then punish Naruto for it in their stead if he so much as opened his mouth to try and complain. Naruto never once did.

Naruto was also chased and beaten by mobs and real demons who had the nerves to call themselves adults if he even so much as left the orphanage to go to Ichiraku's. No store would wait on him or if they did, it would be to sell crappy third rate or overpriced goods that most of the time were useless. Unwanted Naruto was and so long as the villager's could help it, that was the way he was going to stay.

Once his daily beating came to an end, Naruto would tearfully pick himself up and wordlessly go to sit alone on a worn out swing set. Naruto had no friends and nobody with even the smallest bit of kindness would dare to approach the village's pariah. Those who did were either ushered away by their parents or else threatened by the other kids into staying away from him.

Were it not for the Hokage, Ayame and Teuchi, Naruto was sure he would already have gone dark or hell even ran away from this hellhole he was forced to live in. Little by little, Naruto begun accepting his growing dislike of the people who shun him. Soon, his daily beating with his fellow orphans begun turning into everyday street fights. Naruto would never win, giving how dirty the jerks fought not to mention that they always outnumbered him, but Naruto was no longer just going to run and take the hits anymore.

Tonight, barely ten minutes after a pleasant meal at Ichiraku's, was no exception either…

"Hold on to him!" ordered a big fat bloke with meaty arms.

Two skinny punks and the overweight ringleader of this little gang tussle had Naruto surrounded with his back to a wall. The blond had a feral glare in his eyes as he lashed out with wild and feeble kicks to keep the bullies away. It didn't do him much good though. The skinny bastards managed to slip through his attacks and take hold of his arms in iron grips. The remaining slime ball sneered and cracked his knuckles while moving in. Naruto still threw kicks but they did little more than slow the walking ball of meat down somewhat. Once in range, the beefy fists begun to fly and once again Naruto found himself being beaten.

"No! No more!" thought Naruto, fully fed up with it all.

Eyes hazed over with more than four years worth of rage and resentment, Naruto screamed and sank his teeth into the arm of one of his captors. The idiot screamed in teary pain as Naruto's teeth dug deeper and deeper into his flesh. Finally, Naruto yanked away as hard as he could taking the boy's copper fluid covered meat with him with a ripping sound. Blood freely squirted from the gaping hole in his arm as the jerk dropped whimpering to his knees. Naruto spat out the glob of flesh in his mouth while tasting the repulsive blood on his tongue.

The other two brats were good and scared now but it was far too late. Naruto was already pissed and had no intention of stopping just yet. By now, folks were sensing the blond child's murderous intent and were rushing to the scene. Hell let them come, then they would all see just how much of a monster they had forced him to become. Jerking his arm away from the second idiot, Naruto pounced and threw as much of his weight and strength as he could into it.

The overweight boy groaned as Naruto surprised him with the full strength of his tiny body and dragged him to the floor. Without thinking about it, Naruto withdrew a small kunai that he had found in somebody's trash one day. The edge of the ninja tool was cracked and broken in places making the blade jagged and even more dangerous than a traditional kunai. Raising it overhead, Naruto brought the weapon crashing down into the ever hollering older boy's guts just as the usual mob of adults arrived on the scene!

Naruto didn't care. Yanking the blade out, the kid overtaken by rage made two more stabs before being backhanded away by an adult. The minute Naruto hit the ground, the boy pushed himself to his feet and bolted in the direction of the village's entrance. Cries of outrage soon followed quite loudly in Naruto's ears.

"He's dead! The Demon Brat has killed him!"

"Catch him! Make him pay!"

"Kill the Demon! Kill the Demon!"

Naruto ignored them. Shadows hiding his teary eyes and his teeth gritted as his arms and legs pumped at full speed. Naruto knew that he would be killed for sure if he stopped now. For the first time in his life, the child had made a kill. Blood covered his hands and shirt, announcing to everyone who had saw him his terrible crime. And yet, Naruto felt only emptiness and something even darker deep down. The thrill of a predator…

Naruto was by no means a Shinobi, having had no ninja training just yet. Still, the boy had talent. Due to the riot, the usual patrol around the village had lessened enough for the blond to make good use of the shadows of the night and his small size to remain unnoticed. It was in this manner that Naruto managed to slip outside of the village into the much less stifling air of the night.

Naruto continued to run with impressive stamina for one his age until he collapsed on his hands and knees upon a lonely hill with an aged tree deep within Konohagakure's woodlands. There Naruto finally broke and hugged his knees while sobbing with his back resting against the tree. This was it, there was no way Naruto could go back without risking his life again. And while he wasn't exactly a missing nin and had limited knowledge of Shinobi techniques, Naruto was still in a heap load of shit for sneaking out of the village in the first place.

Naturally, the scared four year old emerged free from all that anger and suffering and filled Naruto's head with frightening, if exaggerated, pictures of what would happen to him. Naruto was just about to roll over and try sleeping, planning on returning to the village early the next morning to see the Third, when creepy laughter sounded from some indiscernible location.

"Kukuku…I saw what you did, child. You have the potential to become something great."

Naruto sat bolt upright and seized a stone.

"Who's there!?" whimpered the boy fearfully.

Naruto had no sooner asked when a pasty pale man rose up out of the ground as if it were water. The man's eyes were indeed startling to behold. Both irises shone a pale gold with slits for pupils than bore a striking resemblance to that of an actual snake. Pale purple markings outlined his slightly tilted and angular eyes, making them seem even sharper in appearance on his bone pale features. Long hair, as black as the night, hung loosely and in perfect straightness around his face, shoulders and mid-back. All of this was complemented by a single earring dangling from his left ear. A blue accessory composed of a rather unusual design.

The man's smirked was both calculating and very evil all at once. The truly creepy man wore an expensive looking white silk kimono that hid his hands from sight in its' long sleeves. Orochimaru, perhaps the most twisted and dangerous S class criminal alive was standing directly in front of Naruto.

"I'm a friend. What is your name, boy?"

"U-Uzumaki Naruto," replied the blond with a nervous swallow.

The child was no expert on the subject, but he could tell that the man standing in front of him was frighteningly powerful. The pasty pale lover of snakes approached with an air of calm and prideful confidence matched by a serpentine grace not unlike that of the beasts he summoned that made Naruto forget himself. Only after Orochimaru kneeled in front of Naruto and cupped his cheek did Naruto automatically cringe due to a conditioned defensive reflex caused by constant beatings. The man's calculating smile became just a touch more understanding at the sight.

"Your eyes tell me much. Are you tired of being hated? Day after day, being treated like scum of the worse kind?"

The question caught Naruto off guard but nonetheless brought the boy's resentful frown to the surface. The man's eyes twinkled with unspoken delight at the darkness of Naruto's expression.

"I could take you away from all of that, Naruto-kun. All I ask in return is that you grant me your eternal loyalty."

Naruto stiffened at the unexpected proposal. The man held no kindness behind his offer and Naruto, being quite adept at reading body language, knew very well that this man cared nothing for him. Nonetheless nobody, his age anyway, would've been able to downright turn the offer down without at least thinking about it first. To just start over was the answer to one of the many wishes Naruto had and yet, the blond was not fully prepared to just leave the Third behind. The old man had been good to him after all.

"What is your name, sir?" asked Naruto timidly.

Orochimaru's smile curved into a slight smirk. The fish was eyeballing the bait, all he had to do was hook and reel it in.

"I am called Orochimaru. Trust me when I say I understand your despair and desire to gain respect. Such things will be easily obtained if you come with me."

Needless to say, the silk tongue of Orochimaru had a very powerful lure. Wiping his teary eyes clean, Naruto met Orochimaru's scary gaze before quickly lowering them again.

"I don't know," answered Naruto quietly.

Orochimaru chuckled. The fish was a stubborn and indecisive one. Fortunately, Orochimaru also happened to have the net in his arsenal as well.

"Then answer this, Naruto-kun. Do you hate this place?"

Naruto nodded that he very much did hate the village, more specifically the villagers who treated him like dirt. The answer wasn't all that surprising.

"Then I shall tell you why those fools detest and fear your very presence."

This more than anything drew Naruto's interest.

"Four years ago, something happened that nearly destroyed this pathetic waste of a village. To protect it, the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to seal something inside of you. Naruto-kun, you are the container for the King of Bijuu. The magnificent Nine Tailed Fox."

Naruto gasped while Orochimaru took a moment to let this fact sink in. Orochimaru then gestured towards the village.

"Look at that place, Naruto-kun. All those insignificant fools waste their time trying to find and kill their savior, the one person who jailed away the very beast that would've destroyed them. Such ingrates hardly know that the strongest potential Shinobi is right under their very noses," spat Orochimaru venomously in the direction of Konoha.

Naruto could feel his resentment swelling up within once more. Orochimaru was right, had anyone gave a damn they would've seen it as well. His rapid rates of healing, his stamina, his chakra levels. Naruto was the ideal Shinobi and only Sarutobi would acknowledge that. Naruto could see the villagers in their arrogance, masquerading around with their torches and pitchforks as if they were the judges of his fate. The very thought was sickening. And yet…

"Hokage-sama…" murmured Naruto sadly.

Orochimaru's pale hand fondly rubbed Naruto's cheek again. This time, Naruto didn't flinch.

"Come with me, Naruto-kun. Back in the Sound Village, you will grow strong. I will personally see to it that you obtain respect and power. Your very name shall strike fear into the hearts of everyone who dares to oppose you. Konoha will regret the way you were treated soon enough and will humbly beg for your forgiveness."

Orochimaru then stood up to his full height and offered his hand while probing Naruto's gaze with his hypnotic green orbs.

"What is your answer?"

Whether it was due to Orochimaru's hypnotic stare or his wish for a companion, Naruto never knew. Whatever the reason, Naruto's eyes became blank and he allowed the Snake Sannin to help him up and nodded.

"Please," responded Naruto in a hallow sounding voice.

"Kukuku…hahahahaha!!" crackled Orochimaru.

Naruto had just been brainwashed…

Sarutobi buried his face tearfully into his hands. The Fire Shadow had been watching the events unfold within his crystal ball and was not happy with what he had seen. His former student's mental stress and hypnotist techniques had not lost the slightest bit of power over the years. Had the Third acted sooner, perhaps he could've stopped Orochimaru right then. Sarutobi was no fool however, knowing full well that defeating Orochimaru was too great of a feat even for him. Simply put, the Third wasn't as young as he used to be.

After a moment, Sarutobi wiped his tears away and sighed. Perhaps it would all work out for the best. Naruto would surely grow much stronger with Orochimaru, moral-less monster he may be, than he would in Konoha. The villagers were also sure to celebrate the disappearance of their hated 'Demon Child.' The Third's only pride in Naruto came from the thought that he had not willingly chosen to go with Orochimaru, who had sensed that his tongue wasn't having much effect and resorted to a more solid method.

Naruto would never be the same innocent child again when Orochimaru was through with him. Sarutobi just hoped that the young lad would never become like his sadist instructor. Sighing, Sarutobi rose to inform the village that Uzumaki Naruto had died. The least the old man could do was make sure that the council didn't try to send the hunter nins after him…

Naruto found himself roughly shoved into a cage on his hands and knees. The door slammed shut behind him and was promptly padlocked. Only then did the hypnotic trance placed on Naruto end. The spiky blond haired boy glanced around in total confusion before noticing Orochimaru kneeling in front of his cage and leering inside.

"Where…!?" begun Naruto.

"Be silent!" snapped Orochimaru while leaking out a strong wave of killing intent.

Naruto screamed in horror as an image of him being ripped to pieces invaded his mind. Poor Naruto grasped his head and weakly slumped over with bits of drool leaking from his mouth. The four year old laid there on the steel ground of the cage panting and trembling with tears sliding down his face.

Orochimaru was no longer smiling when Naruto weakly locked eyes with the fearsome man. Hell taking a beating by a villager was a relief compared to his terrifying killing intent. Orochimaru brushed his hair out of his eyes but didn't break eye contact with the blond.

"I'm disappointed in you, Naruto-kun. You have too strong of a connection with the one thing that was holding you back. You also lack true loyalty to me," drawled the snake user coldly.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" murmured Naruto.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you had potential, Naruto-kun. With the proper training, you could easily become the most powerful ninja ever produced. Such power is wasted and will never be allowed to grow in so quaint a village as Konoha. First thing first, I'm going to make you mine, Naruto-kun. One by one, I will break every bond and attachment you have to Konoha. Then you will loyally serve as my tool. My own personal Shinigami."

"No, I don't want this. Please let me out!" pleaded Naruto tearfully.

"I cannot do that, Naruto-kun. Don't worry, you won't have to suffer alone," sneered Orochimaru before snapping his fingers.

A Otogakure ninja dressed in a sliver and gray camo uniform with a black mask covering his face and a Sound Hitai-ite entered the room with an adorable puppy on a lease. The alien Shinobi opened the cage and ushered the dog inside before locking it shut again. Orochimaru's underling then left the room, leaving Orochimaru to 'chat' with his latest pet project some more.

"Kukuku, I wonder how long you'll last? This should prove entertaining. Hm, lets think of a name for your new friend," teased Orochimaru in a clearly mocking tone.

Naruto's trembling worsened as the boy begun to cry. Orochimaru didn't think very much of it. In time, he would break the boy completely and rob him of such useless emotions. Pausing only to scratch the happy go lucky puppy behind the ears, Orochimaru stood up.

"Well then, I'll visit you again shortly, gaki. We'll see if any progress had been made then."

Orochimaru turned to leave. Without eye contact, the trembling from Orochimaru's killing intent faded somewhat allowing Naruto to raise a pleading arm into the air.

"Please, don't go," begged Naruto, not wanting to be left alone to the point where he could at least tolerate the walking mass of snakes for a while longer.

Orochimaru ignored him and shut the door behind him, blanketing the mostly empty room in darkness…

For three long days and nights, Naruto was kept locked up in that small cage with only his puppy for company. During that time, Naruto had cried more and harder than he ever had in his whole miserable existence. There were no windows, so Naruto could never tell what time of day it was. Were it not for the presence of the puppy, who was always ready to curl up next to Naruto and cover his face with wet doggie kisses, the boy would've went mad.

The only time Naruto ever saw people was once a day when a Sound ninja would bring Naruto a cup of water while the unnamed puppy received a water dish and dry dog food. Naruto was never fed at all, causing his body to gradually weaken from hunger until it reached the point where the boy could only weakly lay on his side. All Naruto had to sustain him was his one and only thought that Orochimaru wouldn't leave him to die if he had as much potential as he kept boasting about.

Finally, on the morning of the fourth day, Orochimaru showed his pasty pale face. A face Naruto had come to associate with Akuma himself. Orochimaru squatted down and leered at Naruto's predicament with clear amusement written on his features.

"Kukuku…it has been three days without food. How do you feel, Naruto-kun?" mocked the snake bastard.

"P-please…let me out," gasped Naruto thought a parched throat and dry cracked lips.

The boy even looked paler now that he was bathed in light. Orochimaru smiled and chuckled.

"Fine."

Naruto's eyes immediately grew hopeful again.

"But, before I do, I need you to do something for me," pressed Orochimaru.

Naruto's hopes were dashed. Orochimaru was never one to do anything without a price being paid first, as Naruto was going to find out the hard way.

"What do I have to do?" gasped Naruto.

Orochimaru's twisted smile widened. The boy was finally starting to crack.

"Simple. Kill the dog."

For once, Naruto had the strength to gave a start and sit upright as his mind registered what Orochimaru was asking of him. The Snake Sannin's smirk did not change. It also didn't help when the puppy chose that moment to lick Naruto's face and cock its' head slightly as if asking 'are you okay?' Naruto gazed at his unnamed friend before hurriedly looking away and wasting his small precious bit of body water to shed more useless hot tears. Orochimaru brushed his hair aside and smirked knowingly. He had not really been expecting Naruto to comply in the first place.

"Why are you hesitating, boy? You've only known the dog for three days. Could it be that you've troubled yourself with yet another useless bond?"

"Why do I have to do this!? I don't wanna do it!" shouted Naruto with his voice coming out hoarse and cracking from dehydration.

"Hm, well that's okay. If you don't do it, you'll die," callously said Orochimaru with a careless shrug.

Those simple words, crushed Naruto. The snake freak didn't care in the slightest whether Naruto lived or not. Just like that, the boy's one thought that had sustained his sanity for the past three days were robbed from him. Seeing that he had gotten his point across, Orochimaru snapped his fingers again. Another ninja was summoned, this one being a teenaged girl with messy purple hair dressed in a black T-shirt with tan shorts.

Orochimaru held out his palm and waited for Anko to place a dog dish filled with puppy biscuits in his hand. Young Anko shot Naruto one last curious look before exiting the room. Orochimaru's smile continued to mock Naruto as he set the dish in front of the cage.

"Here doggie. Come and get it, boy," chided the cruel snake.

Naruto couldn't help but feel both betrayal and resentment when his puppy friend left him to gorge himself on the treats. Satisfied with the hurt and starved expression on Naruto's face, Orochimaru rose to leave again.

"Hopefully the next time I visit will show some improvement," commented the snake lazily before closing the door and shrouding the room in darkness once more…

Three more lonely days had passed before Orochimaru came back again. When he did, a evil sneer appeared on his face. Naruto was laying in a sort of stupor on his side with a bloodthirsty grin on his face. More interestingly, the dog had been gutted and ripped apart limb from limb. The gory, bloody mess stained the silvery steel of the cage a crimson red. Naruto's hands and his mouth were drenched in blood, as were his clothes and hair.

Orochimaru approached the cage and grinned at Naruto cruelly. Judging from the way the pool of lifeblood rapidly continued to spread, the pup had been killed just a few hours ago. Orochimaru's amusement grew upon noting Naruto's teeth were stained in nectar filled blood as well.

It was quite obvious that Naruto had eaten part of the dog to survive. The snake user tingled as he imagined the geysers of blood that had surely gushed out of the mutt during it last feeble bawls and howls.

"Who are you loyal to? Who will you obey?" asked Orochimaru testily.

Naruto didn't move save to tilt his head slightly.

"I serve, fight for and will die only for you, Orochimaru-sama," was Naruto's automatic response.

Orochimaru chuckled. At long last, the fox had been tamed and on his birthday no less…

From that day forward, Naruto did whatever Orochimaru commanded without question or complaint. For the blond haired boy, Orochimaru's dog baptism had awakened within Naruto a deep seated need to kill and spill blood. This was just what Orochimaru craved in his servants and Naruto was no exception, period.

After being cleaned and outfitted in a training uniform consisting of silvery gray camo shorts and a black T-shirt, Naruto was immediately placed in a highly difficult training regimen that had killed many a Shinobi in the past on occasion. But no matter what the challenge or obstacle, Naruto was able to handle it with style and ease owning in part to his regenerative abilities and incredible stamina. Naruto could care less, only wanting to see blood and the pleased expression on the face of his master.

For the next two years, Naruto would personally be taught ninja arts from the Snake Sannin himself. In relatively little time at all, Naruto would showcase the makings of a natural genius capable of learning all of the common Jounin level Jutsu and basic ninja arts with little difficulty. Acts that would've taken much longer had he stayed in Konoha.

Naruto would definitely obtain power. And when he did, his very name would be one to be feared…

Author's Note:

Ya, Aninene-san here. This is by far the shortest chapter I have ever written as a Fanfiction Author. Of course there's a reason for this. This being the first chapter of my second fic ever written, is basically an introduction chapter. The story will pick up the pace starting on chapter two. As you may have guessed, I'm trying my hands at writing a Dark Naruto fic. Hopefully it'll turn out okay by the time the fic is done.

Okay, I'm going to answer the usual common questions of fandom right now. Don't expect to really see a pairing here though I may just change my mind if enough reviewers request one. Even then, it won't kick in until late in the story. Roughly around chapter twenty or so. Yes, at some point, Naruto would be going back to Konoha but it won't be for awhile.

The next big one is Naruto's team. For the next three or four chapter's, Naruto will be working with original characters of my own design. A bit later on, there will be a strong possibility of him temporarily working alongside a Konoha team in order to accomplish a common goal. Which specific team is beyond my knowledge this early in the fic.

Now for the major question. I intend to fully branch the story into one of two possible directions that, depending on which way I go, could alter Naruto's final personality. The first is either Naruto is given a personal instructor to temporarily train under until he is official credited the Genin rank before allowing him to work with Orochimaru. This is the one I'm strongly thinking of doing. Or, for the second option, I'll take a leaf out of the Hidden Mist Village's book and use their old method of deciding on Genin via a fight to the death with people who bonded, laughed, cried, share their dreams and ate together. A startling contrast to what Orochimaru just convinced Naruto never to do.

Neither path will have any canon on it aside from the Chuunin Selection Exam and maybe one or two major events. This fic is intended to be all original from start to finish so please bare with me during my periods of writers block.

Okay then, that's about it so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a nice long review of what you thought of it. Thanks for reading and have yourself a great day.

Mata ne!