Konohagakure... The jewel of the Land of Fire. One of the five great shinobi villages, next to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure and Sunagakure... Konoha was founded many years ago by the famous Senju and Uchiha clans. Both of which wanted peace and a strong alliance against the other nations. But just as the founder of Konoha, Uchiha Madara, betrayed that peace and attacked the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju, so too do the people of Konoha no longer value peace... kindness... forgiveness...
Running... always running...
Thats the only thing that he knows. Running away from the hateful stares. The harsh words of "demon" and "demon brat"... The injuries they gave him always healed quickly. But the words and looks remained. A constant reminder that he`s not welcome...
He ducked under a fence that had a hole in its side. Just enough for him to make it. But halfway through he got stuck.
He dug his hands furiously into the cold dirt, desperately trying to escape before the unruly mob behind him caught up.
He didn`t even know what he did this time. He was just walking down the street, trying to get to Ichiraku`s without being yelled at but then a young boy spotted him.
The kid didn`t know better. He saw the hateful stares that were always directed at him. All he knew was that nobody liked that Uzumaki kid. So he did what they all did. He yelled at him to get away and go bother someone else. But that was the spark that lit the fire. All of a sudden a mob had formed intent on making the demon brat know his place.
He could hear them just around the corner, their makeshift weapons clanging as they moved. His fingers were bleeding slightly as he kept clawing at the cold hard earth to release him until with a final heave he slid through the fence, just in time to see the mob round the corner.
He ran across the alley and turning right then left and right. Trying to rid himself of pursuers but only managing to lose his sense of direction. But what can he do? He`s just six years old. Not even that... His birthday isn`t until tomorrow and yet...
"There he is! The Kyuubi brat`s getting away!"
He turns and sees a man brandishing a broken bottle in his right hand. The stains on his attire clearly showed that the sake did not go wasted as the drunk lumbered after him, the mob hot on his tail.
Letting out a whimper he ran. Ran faster than he had ever ran in his life. But it wasn`t enough. He was a six year old boy and the mob was huge. There must have been 4 dozen people at least.
He quickly ducked into a tight alley turned right again and stopped dead in his tracks... It was a dead end.
His eyes widened in fear as he turned only to hear the mob advancing towards him... As silently as possible he ran to the side and hid behind a dumpster. He listened above the thunderous sound of his heartbeat as the first people stepped into the alley.
"Where did the Kyuubi brat go?" he hears a man say. Strangely enough the others from the mob shush him warning him not to speak out loud.
It made the young boy wonder. He often heard the mobs calling him Kyuubi or Kyuubi brat... Why did the give him that name...? Was there a reason...?
He was torn from his thoughts as suddenly the drunk from before moved towards his hiding place and grabbed him by the collar of his black shirt. He cried out as the man threw him at the brick wall on the other side. Loud jeering reached his ears as the mob gathered round him. The drunk quickly kicked him in the stomach, making him roll over in pain.
Throughout his beating he heard the calls of "Thats what he gets, the demon!" and "Kick him again, that`ll teach him for what he`s done!"...
But the boy didn`t understand. Why... why are they doing this? How did he wrong them, what did he do?
Suddenly the boy felt a cool sense of anger erupt in him. The kicks to his stomach kept him quiet as he gasped for air. The sounds of the mob escaped him as all went silent... He felt a strong feeling of fury rise inside of him. He wanted to kill them... to crush them for doing this. But suddenly, the drunk that lead the mob at him, gripped his arm in pain.
Using all his strength the boy looked up to see a kunai pin the man`s arm into the wall. The crowd suddenly moved back from them as a figure wearing dark shinobi gear and an ANBU mask shaped like a weasel appeared between them and the boy.
The crowd stared quietly as the ANBU proceeded to rip out the kunai and punch the drunkard. The blow sent him flying towards the mob where he struggled to pick himself up, whimpering from his relatively small injury.
"I would suggest you all depart. Or does the Hokage need to be notified of this?" The ANBU spoke in a deep cold voice that was however quite young. He couldn`t be mroe than 13 years old and yet he was not only an ANBU but had the markings of a captain on his vest.
The mob looked at him briefly before turning back and running. The drunk finally managed to stand and ran away from the place but not before shooting a hateful glare at the bruised boy on the ground.
The ANBU slowly turned around and kneeled next to the boy and helped him stand up.
"Are you badly hurt?" The boy was surprised. The ANBU`s voice, first downright cruel and cold had turned into something akin to the voice of an elder brother. The boy sniffled as the Anbu`s kindness touched him. He could count the people that were nice to him on one hand... His Jiji the Hokage, Ayame and Teuchi the owners of his favorite restaurant and...
"No... But thank you ANBU-sama..." His voice came out slightly slurred since his face hurt from a kick in the cheek. All in all he wasn`t too badly injured. He had several brusies and even a couple of cuts on his hands and back from where he was thrown at the wall and tried to protect himself. But at least he wasn`t openly bleeding... this time. On his 5th birthday just one year ago, he had nearly died. He was forced to go to the hospital to stay there for a week. While the nurses and doctors weren`t overly nice to him either, they were still better than the mobs. He still didn`t know how he healed so quickly but more likely than not his brusies would be gone by tomorrow...
The ANBU sighed before pulling back his mask to reveal a pair of startling red eyes. Around his black pupil there were three tomoe spinning slightly before they came to a stop and his eyes turned to a calming gray color.
"My name is Itachi. You`re Naruto, right?" the boy Itachi asked... Naruto was shaken at first. But then he realised that the ANBU were sent to protect him sometimes when the villagers were serious enough to kill him. Usually that was on his birthday.
"Hai, I`m Naruto Uzumaki... Thank you for saving me Itachi-sama..." The Uchiha cringed as Naruto continued to use the honorific but decided to ignore it for now. His eyes drifted to the cuts on the blonde`s arms. Slowly but surely he could see that they were healing. The Kyuubi`s power indeed.
Ironically that was on the blonde`s mind as well...
"Itachi-sama... What is the Kyuubi?" The ANBU captain froze. There was a death penalty for anyone who mentioned this... But looking at the young blonde in front of him... The same age as his brother... Beaten mercilessly for something he doesnt even know about...
"Naruto... Tell me... Would you sacrifice?" Naruto stared dumbly at the ANBU in front of him. Itachi then elaborated as he saw the confused look on the blonde`s face.
"Would you sacrifice all the people you hold dear... All those you cared for, if it meant saving this village?" The question hung in the air as Itachi awaited a response... Naruto didn`t know why Itachi, an ANBU would care for his opininon. But he had just saved him from a beating and he wasn`t going to lie to him now...
"Would you kill them yourself, if it meant saving Konoha despite noone knowing what you did?" Naruto contemplated... He was no stranger to the shinobi way of life. It was his dream after all. He knew that shinobi killed and died in the name of their village... But that wasn`t their only purpose. Would he have been able to kill those people closest to him...? Ayame, Teuchi, Jiji?...
"Yes... But only for a good reason..." Naruto`s response was quiet, barely above a whisper but Itachi heard him anyway. Itachi was taken aback at the blonde`s answer.
"Because that`s what a shinobi does isn`t it? He sacrifices for his village?" Itachi nodded slowly. That was his reasoning as well. For the good of the village and as his duty dictated... He closed his eyes but opened them slowly as Naruto continued...
"But I would still try to kill as little as possible... Everybody deserves a second chance..." Itachi looked at him impassively as the boy returned his gaze with a fire in his ocean blue eyes...
"You realise that the sole purpose of a shinobi is to kill for his village and protect it, don`t you?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he thought about his words but then quickly shook his head saying...
"No, a shinobi`s duty is to protect people. Even if he sometimes has to kill that doesn`t mean its the only thing they`re good for. That`s why I want to become a shinobi, so one day people like them" as he said this he turned to the way out of the alley and gave it a cold stare "will one day know that they were wrong..."
Itachi closed his eyes again... He knew that his loyalty to the village would never waver. But perhaps... Perhaps he didn`t need to do what he believed was neccesary. Some people deserve a second chance. Most don`t... But if only a few... His thoughts briefly turned to his family, his mother, father... his brother... Shaking his head he looked down at the boy before him. Somehow he had managed to shake his belief in what must be done. And perhaps he just saved him from a darker fate than needed...
"Thank you Naruto-san..." The boy just smiled before frowning again and asking... "What about the Kyuubi? Can you tell me... please?"
Itachi looked off towards the alley as he contemplated. In his opinion, leaving the boy in the dark, was not a good choice... It was understandable that others of his age did not need to know. But the boy himself deserved the closure... If only some.
"Naruto... The Kyuubi is a demon. A being of pure demonic chakra that attacked Konoha six years ago, taking countless lives with it... The Yondaime Hokage was one of those victims... He gave his life to seal the demon into a young child... A child born that same day..." Itachi watched as the boy`s eyes slowly widened. His hands trembled as the fire in his eyes died down, leaving them empty. Two tears flowed down his cheek as he shook from this revelation. He was not the brightest but he knew how to put one and one together...
Kneeling down Itachi wiped away the boys tears and said... "Naruto, despite what I said, despite what the villagers think... You are not the Kyuubi." The blonde`s eyes widened and a quiet sob shook his frame as more tears flowed down, replacing the ones Itachi had wiped away.
"How can you say... that I`m not?... I... I killed...-" Before Naruto could finish Itachi had interrupted him saying... "Naruto, the Kyuubi was sealed inside you because the Yondaime believed you could use it`s power to protect people. He believed in you and I know the Hokage believes in you as well. The difference between you and the Kyuubi is that in truth, you are the only thing keeping it from destroying Konoha. You are it`s container... It`s jailor and you are the reason we are alive. The Yondaime wanted you to become a shinobi who would use it`s power to protect Konoha. And I believe you will..." Itachi of course knew no such thing about the Yondaime. For all he knew the Yondaime grabbed the closest human being he could to seal the fox. But Naruto needed the truth and it would be better to give him hope rather than just tell him he held a demon inside of him.
Silence reined as the two stared at each other. Gray eyes filled with conviction and truth staring into lifeless blue eyes filled with sadness. But then the blue eyes brightened as Naruto stopped crying. He wiped away the rest of his tears and laughed slightly. The Yondaime believed in me? It was enough. He now knew why and he was determined to prove them wrong. He smiled up at Itachi who smiled back before standing and pulling down his weasel mask. Surprising Naruto the ANBU captain bowed to him before he shunshined away in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto only stayed in the alley for another minute briefly looking down at his hands to see the cuts almost completely healed before running off through the village. He kept to the alleys trying to get to the Hokage tower without being noticed. It only took him 5 minutes before he was close enough to see its topmost windows still alight.
But before he could leave the safety of the alleys and move on, he heard a whimper. Trying to be stealthy, the boy moved down into a side alley that connected to the main street. There, hidden from the streetview by a wooden fence, he saw a young girl maybe 11 years old, being harrassed by a couple of drunks.
Upon closer inspection he saw that one of them was the same drunk that had beat on him not even half an hour ago. Apparently all it took for him to regain his "composure" was a bottle of sake and a few bandages wrapped around his injured hand.
The girl standing between them was whimpering silently as tears streamed down her face. The drunks were trying to get her to drink some of the sake, promising to have a good time with her if she was a good girl. She was begging them to stop and let her go but they merely laughed at her, until hearing a growl behind them.
"Hey, leave her alone!" Naruto had run up towards the drunks throwing a rock at them. He missed only managing to break the bottle of sake held in the drunks bandaged hand.
"What the hell? What do you want demon brat?! You want some more of that, ey? Didn`t get enough last time?" The man laughed at him as they both turned to face him. However both were surprised when Naruto ran at them managing to kick one in the leg as they scrambled drunkenly to catch him.
Using this as a distraction the girl turned and tried to run away towards the alley Naruto came from. But to the boy`s horror the other man who was closer to her suddenly pulled out a long rusty knife which was hidden in his sleeve. Letting out a disgusting snarl the man grabbed the girl by the hair and plunged the knife in her back.
The girl screamed silently as her eyes widened. The knife was pulled out of her with a squelching sound and then pulled across her throat. The blood flew freely down the man`s hands as he let the girl fall. She lay there whimpering silently as the life left her. Naruto quickly ran to her, the other man simply laughing with his comrade as the boy knelt next to the dying girl.
She looked up at him, her wide eyes staring emptily. He noticed her irises were orange, his favorite color... But then something left them. The eyes stopped moving as he heard her breathe a final time. Her face frozen in that look of agony as she died alone in a dark alley with noone but a boy at her side... A boy who was the cause of her death...
"That`s what happens when you try to help people you demon brat! You only ever make things worse! Now look at `er! She`s dead cuzz of you!" The drunk didn`t see Naruto shake with fury. He didn`t see anything as he laughed with his friend, their eyes closed tight from the "humorous" situation... He did however know something was wrong when his hand went slack, the rusty blade falling to the ground. However he did not hear it fall... He was dead long before it reached the ground.
Drip...
Naruto opened his eyes, seeing only darkness...
Drip...
Where am I? Why is it so dark?
Drip...
Thats annoying... He thought as he tried to stand. Only then did he realise he was lying up to his elbows in water... Looking around all he could see were pipes under an endless black ceiling. Water leaking from them and flowing very slowly almost imperceptibly towards him.
Drip...
The pipes were all slightly rusty but relatively big. And there were quite a few of them as well. But above him near the ceiling was a huge pipe. It seemed brand new made from the same dark green metal as the others...
Drip...
Looking closely at it, he saw that despite being new the large pipe was leaking as well. But it wasn`t leaking normal water... The drop of dark red liquid fell down through the air and Naruto followed it with his eyes, turning around on the ground to see it splash in front of a huge cage...
Drip...
The cage was made of dark green metal just as the pipes around it were... Looking into the chasm behind the bars Naruto could see nothing. But he felt something... He felt like he was watched...
Drip...
Suddenly just beyong the bars a huge eye opened. The blood red iris flowed around a slit vertical pupil. Naruto trembled in fear. The water around him suddenly began to glow a deep red as the drops of dark red chakra continued to fall from above him.
Drip...
The creature regarded him silently and as the red glow spread beyond the bars Naruto could see just to who or rather what the eye belonged to... First he saw huge white teeth bared in a sneering grin. Next he saw the dark orange fur lining the head, body and hands of the creature which ended in several long sharp claws. Finally as the glow spread to the very bars themselves which turned into a dark red he saw them... Nine tails swaying ominously above the creature`s head. Each tail seemed to move on it`s own as if each had it`s own mind... The fox narrowed its eye at him as it growled darkly...
Drip...
"What are you doing here Orokana?" The fox`s deep voice reverbarated around the sewer and seemed to bounce back at him from all sides. Despite being insulted even Naruto knew when not to challenge someone. Fearfully he asked... "W-Who are you?"
Drip...
The fox regarded him silently it`s tails seemingly agitated as they swirled slightly faster... It snorted at him in silent amusement as it`s sneer became more prominent. Turning so he could see both it`s dark scarlet eyes it moved as close to him as it could saying... "I am the reason you are a monster..."Drip...
Naruto suddenly feelt himself thrown back as if a line had been tied around him and the person on the other side was pulling him through the air. In just a moment he found himself back in the alley... But it wasn`t as he left it...
The world seemed to shift as Naruto gazed at it. His sight seemed magnified to the point where he could see every ant in the alley move away from him in fear. He could hear every conversation on the other side of the fence as he stared down at the blood on his hands. In front of him lay three bodies. He didn`t know who they were... He didn`t know why they were there. He only knew that their blood was on his hands. The first two seemed like old men. He briefly noted how their innards lay across the alley strewn about and painting its walls red. Their chests were torn apart by claws and burned at the same time, giving off the smell of burnt flesh making him hold back his lunch as his enhanced senses quadrupled the stench...
But it was the last body that made him freeze in fear. The body of a small girl only a few years older than him. She lay facing away from him. Blood pooled all around her as he tried to hear her heartbeat... His own beat faster when he realised that she too was dead... Her body still warm...
In horror he thought to himself... Did I... kill them? W-What happened? What did I do?!But noone could answer him or so he thought... His spine stiffened and his body shivered as he heard the deep dark voice of the Kyuubi resonate in his mind... You killed her Ningen... You murdered her in cold blood... You really are the monster they thought you were... You just proved them right and it felt good, didn`t it?Naruto stumbled back as he continued to look at the girl in shock... He didn`t do this... He wasn`t a monster... Y-Youre lying! But the fox merely laughed and its laughter was even worse than its voice. It was a cold heartless laugh. The laugh of someone who enjoyed the pain he was feeling. You cannot lie to me Ningen... I know your heart. You wanted to show tham just how powerful you are. You wanted them to respect you and when they didn`t you killed them to show them how wrong they were... And you loved it... Can you not feel the blood? How it warms you as you rip out their hearts? The fox kept laughing as Naruto shook... He couldn`t deny the fox... He didn`t know what happened... He was a monster...
The pain... the confusion... the anger... it all spilled as Naruto let out a scream that turned into a roar which shattered the ground beneath him leaving a crater. The alley walls cracked and the wooden fence behind him shook as the fox`s fury boiled within him. The chakra cloak convulsed until a single tail of bubbling chakra formed behind him.
In the street outside two shinobi of the Uchiha clan quickly jumped over to see what`s wrong while the other people, which were all civilians either ran or looked towards the alley in curiosity.
Their curiosity would be their grave as with a mighty roar the transformed Naruto tore apart the fence and the buildings next to him. The two Uchiha had tried to attack him once they saw him and he retaliated. And now his fury was left unchecked as he tore apart the street and destroyed the buildings around him. Men and women fled as the crazed blonde tore past them.
Another pair of Uchiha stood in his way. They drew their kunai and shot fireballs at him... Pathetic... The boy merely pushed through the flames his chakra cloak protecting him. The kunai sailed through the air only to be grabbed and thrown back at them. One managed to duck and jump away while the other was hit in the leg.
Wasting no time, the crazed boy tore the man apart making it a point to tear apart his eyes... Those hateful eyes... The other one yelled in anger as his clansman was killed. Summoning up a wall of fire the Uchiha threw several paper bombs at the boy only for them to be caught and incinerated by the Kyuubi`s vile chakra... Jumping through the flames once again Naruto slammed his fist into the Uchiha and sent him flying into the store behind him. Moving quickly Naruto picked up one of the fallen kunai and threw it at his enemy with enough strength for it to break his skull and stick in his head.
Blood poured from the Uchiha`s eyes as the Kyuubi delighted in killing their clan specifically... But Naruto wasn`t paying attention to the Uchiha. Instead he was looking into the window of the store...
The blood from the dead shinobi ran slowly down the glass from where he was thrown into the store. But it was his reflection that made Naruto stop... He saw there a young boy, covered in blood and surrounded by a malicious dark chakra... And his face... His whisker marks had become more prominent, his teeth elongated and sharp. And his eyes... Were no longer his eyes... All he saw was the Kyuubi staring back at him. Those merciless scarlet eyes that held no pity, no remorse...
He looked at the street, the broken buildings the blood from his four victims... And it all came crashing down... All the Kyuubi knew was that, suddenly, it had no control. It`s chakra remained but Naruto was beyond him.
It irked the fox to no end but then it felt... sadness? Looking through the blonde`s eyes the Kyuubi realised he was crying... Suddenly he jumped and took off... The boy ran towards the mountain behind the Hokage tower, the mountain that bore the faces of those he so very much despised... Hashirama Senju, the man that imprisoned him, his no good brother that helped him, the old geezer that dared to fight him and keep him imprisoned and finally... The Yondaime... The Kyuubi had no words to describe his hatred for that man. So it was with pleasure and annoyance both that he realised the boy had jumped onto the monument and began clawing his way to the top of the mountain. He particularly enjoyed the large tear that the boy made below the Yondaime`s eye but once he had made it to the top the boy looked back to the Hokage tower...
Sure enough the Kyuubi had felt it too... From the topmost window, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage looked on. Their eyes met. The soft brown filled with sorrow and regret as they stared into the scarlet red of the Kyuubi`s... But all the Sandaime saw was his surrogate grandson... Corrupted by the Kyuubi no Kitsune...
The moment was brief and ended when Naruto turned and jumped off into the forests beyond Konohagakure... It was the start of his journey and his redemption... But even so it was the most painful night he had ever faced... Six years old, Naruto Uzumaki was forced to run from Konoha as the escaped Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox...