The villagers were slowly approaching. They were drunk; it was the Kyūbi Festival again. And they were looking for the "demon". Unfortunately for said "demon", his ANBU guards were down to two instead of the usual three-man squad, due to a sudden mission. The two present was busy trying to apprehend a group of drunk shinobi, chūnins mostly. That left him open to attacks. Uzumaki Naruto wove through the crowd and tried to find a dark corner to hide in. He found one at one of the more deserted areas of Konohagakure no Sato, but his doom came upon him when he realized that also meant that he had nowhere to escape. He tried climbing over the wall at the end of the alley, but it was too tall for the five-year-old. He backed away from the leering villagers and tried to tune out his assualters' cries of "Demon!", "You will die tonight!", "This is for my mother/father/brother/sister/cousin/son/daughter/et cetera!". He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He would be fine. He had always survived these attacks, whether it be that one of the masked people, the ANBU, came for him, or that he just dodged their blows so that they would be less painful and ran away. He would survive this attack. He had to, to make the village acknowledge him. But this time, he had nowhere to dodge. over and over they hit him, but Naruto just screwed his eyes shut and endured. Finally, when someone came at him with a knife, his panicked. He opened his eyes. A voice that was not really his own called out with the authority of a god, "Shinra Tensei."

Hatake Kakashi was scared shitless. Not that it could be seen through his mask, erm, masks. The cold feeling in his chest had gradually wound itself into a tight curl. He was now flitting across the rooftops, tracking the scent of his five-year-old charge. He would not let his sensei's child, and Uzumaki Naruto die. He stopped abruptly at the sight of a large dust cloud and several buildings collapsing slightly in front of him. 'The Kyūbi? No, there is no demonic chakra. A shinobi who decided to use some Doton no jutsu against a defenseless kid? Impossible. All shinobi, even the genins know to kill as easily as possible. Unless the standards have lowered? Oh, I guess there's only one way to find out,' Kakashi thought. He increased his speed.

Kakashi gaped at the sight in front of him. It looked as if Naruto had produced a chakra shockwave to push everything and everyone away from him, and then passed out from chakra exhaustion, but to do so without using Kyūbi's chakra would be impossible for his age. He decided to report the matter to Hokage-sama. It wasn't his job to wonder. The civilians were already taken away to T&I for aspiring T&I specialists, and they would die soon. The youngsters weren't careful. This brought a hate-filled smile onto Kakashi's face, behind his masks. They deserved to die by torture after attacking a mere child. He scooped the unconscious Naruto up and headed to the Hokage's office.

Kakashi frowned. This had to end. Every time it happened, he told himself the same thing. But he had never come up with a soluton, neither did it stop on its own. Even though he was more than willing to take care of Naruto, he was an ANBU captain. Which meant missions coming in one after another. He couldn't just stick Naruto into a clan, though. Most clans would not tolerate him. And the only way to ensure his safety was either assign the entire ANBU to watch him or place him with a large group of non-hostile shinobi. Wait... That's it! The entire ANBU and a large group of non-hostile shinobi! Oh, this once more proves him a genius. He would talk to Hokage-sama about this.

"Kakashi, er Inu, are you sure about this? Moving Naruto into ANBU HQ? Most in ANBU are a bit mad, you know. No offense, but you know it's true," the Hokage said.

"None taken, but yes, it is true. Still, it's better than leaving him on the streets. At least some are more or less sane and all can tell the difference between a sealing scroll and the object sealed inside. Besides, you said you recognize the eyes, we'll have to start training him if it's really the Rinnegan," Kakashi argued.

The Sandaime Hokage puffed on his pipe and sighed. "It is the Rinnegan. There is no doubt to that. Jiraiya gave me a description when one of his students in Ame unlocked the kekkei genkai. It fits the description exactly. Purple, ringed, eyes with no sclerae. Oh, well, I suppose the safest Naruto-kun can get is inside a secret base of powerful ninja. I grant your request, Inu," he said. 'More importantly, Danzō doesn't go there.'

Kakashi visibly relaxed, and said in a merry tone, "Well, I'll start moving his stuff over. We still have a few rooms, and since there's only one recruit this year, we should more than enough space. Goodbye, Hokage-sama.", and left via shunshin.

Kakashi appeared at the front desk of the orphanage, almost giving the poor receptionist a heart attack. He dictated in a monotone, "Please give me Uzumaki Naruto's things. He will no longer be residing here."

The civilian receptionist's shocked expression turned into one of joy, "Hokage-sama is finally going to execute him, eh? Serves the demon brat right! Here you go ANBU-san," she said, giving him a piece of paper covered in sealing script. He squinted at it as the receptionist went to collect the rest Naruto's stuff. The sealing script looked familiar, though it was the handwriting that he recognized. He could recognize it, even if it was sealing script. He smiled. Apparently his name and whatever other stuff Naruto had would not be his only inheritance. The footsteps of the receptionist echoed in the empty hallways as she came out of one of the rooms. Looking up, Kakashi saw a little orange fox and a green frog wallet dangling from the receptionist's hands. "Is that all?" Kakashi asked, eyeing the meagre belongings. The receptionist smiled and nodded. Kakashi took the two and shunshin-ed directly into Naruto's ward in the hospital. Seeing the boy sitting on the bed, fully clothed, he took the boy's hand and started walking out of the hospital.

"Hey, ANBU-san! Where are you taking me?" the boy's panicked voice cut through the air. "I mean, you haven't hurt me once yet, and you're always here to protect me, but I want to know where we are going!" Kakashi sighed internally. Hadn't Hokage-sama told him?!

"We're going to ANBU headquaters. You're moving in with me. Oh yeah, before you ask, Hokage-sama ordered this, so you can come safely," Kakashi said while still pulling the boy with him. The boy nodded, and his eyes lost the panicked look. After a while, he heard a small whisper next to him.

"I killed them, didn't I? Does that make me a monster?" Naruto whispered sadly.

"No, Naruto, it doesn't. In fact, most of us have killed more times than we can ever count. Most of us do it for a living, sometimes literally, sometimes not. But in ANBU it is always "kill-it-before-it-kills-you". This is the life of a shinobi, an ANBU, cruel, harsh, but straight-forward. But this does not justify killing for joy, as some do," Kakashi replied. Naruto nodded and, to his surprise, smiled a little.

"I want to be a shinobi, one day. Then I can make them acknowledge me," Naruto proclaimed. Kakashi laughed a little. Of course this was his dream.

"Okay, Naruto, this will be your room. My room is across the hallway, so if you need anything, just knock on my door. We're welcoming our new recruit tomorrow, so you'll get to meet most of us then. I'm sure they'll adore you," Kakashi said. "Now go to sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." Naruto nodded and stepped into his room carefully. It was bare, with just a single bed and a plain blanket folded at the foot of the bed.

There was another chest of drawers at the corner of the room, and door leading to what he guessed was the bathroom. He shrugged and set his fox on his bed, and placed the wallet on top of the chest of drawers. Feeling extremely tired, he collapsed on the bed.
Kakashi suddenly woke to sounds of a child tossing and turning in their bed. He immediately sat up and went to check on Naruto. Naruto was tossing around, though he did not seem too stressed, a typical sign of nightmares. He had enough of them himself to know. Instead, his facial expression was changing rapidly, from shock to anger and to confusion. He decided to watch the boy.

A dank sewer. The sound of dripping water. And the sound of growling. That was what Naruto woke to. He stepped forward tentatively, toward the sound of growling. A cage suddenly loomed out of the shadows. A huge cage, with a paper with the character "Fūin" on it. He stepped forward again and a pair of slitted red eyes appeared in the gloom past the bars.

A voice growled out, "We need to talk, gaki."

Naruto moved back and asked in a wavering voice, "Who are you?" He heard a sigh.

"I'm Kyūbi no Kitsune, and the Yondaime Hokage sealed me into you because being made of chakra cannot be destroyed. Got it? Now shut up and let me talk."

Naruto nodded hesitatingly, his young mind trying process the information. He heard Hokage-jiji talk about chakra before, and since Kyūbi is sealed inside him it would explain the hateful looks he got. What he could not understand, though, is why Kyūbi seemed so neutral about its sealing, as well as the moderate, if slightly impatient tone Kyūbi used. He always pictured Kyūbi to be mad, given the amount of people it killed during its attack on Konoha. This Kyūbi seemed quite sane. Kyūbi continued, "Now, I'm sure you're wondering how you killed those civillians. It is not you who killed them, but it wasn't me either. Well, I'm kind of responsible, since I gave you the thing that you used to kill them... Ah, well, anyway, tell you what, you have a dōjutsu, the most powerful of the Three Great Dōjutsu, the Rinnegan. The Eyes of the Rikudō Sennin, the creator of all jutsu and the ninja world. Basically, from here, I can sort of alter your body slightly. I wanted to give you the Eien Mangekyō Sharingan, but it turned out to be this..."

Kyūbi trailed off at Naruto's blank look. "Okay, I tried to give you a very powerful thing, but it turned out to be a more powerful thing, alright?" Kyūbi snapped. "Got it?"
Naruto stared at Kyūbi. There was just something he did not understand. "Why? You are the greatest of all demons. You should hate all humanity, and especially me, since I'm your jailor. So why did you give me the weird thingy?" he whispered.

Kyūbi snorted and said, "Of course. Should've known you'd ask that. All of you say that. I'm just a demon, a stupid being. Well, you know what? I am just your normal demon. I do hate you humans for imprisoning me and using me so many times, but I was under a genjutsu when I attacked Konoha. As to why I want to help you, well, I don't want to die, and I need a favor from you. When you have mastered your eyes, you should be able to do this for me. I want to kill someone for me. His name is Uchiha Madara, or so he says. He wears a mask, and has black hair. Oh, and one more thing before you wake up: try to make your mindscape more pleasant? My last mindscape was a forest, kind of like the forest surrounding Konoha. Maybe a flower-filled meadow? It would be more pleasant for you as well the next time I call you in. Well, until next time, kit."

Then, with a roar, Kyūbi expelled Naruto from his mindscape. 'He's an interesting kid; always getting back up after being beaten. I'd like to see how he will use that 'gift' of mine.'

Naruto sat up with a jolt. Kakashi watched him carefully by the side of his bed, measuring his expression. Naruto seemed shocked, but it seemed to be just information overload. Kakashi was about to ask him what was wrong when he plopped down and fell asleep again. Kakashi sighed quietly and left.

The next morning, Naruto was woken by the bustling sounds in the ANBU headquaters. True to Kakashi's word, most of the ANBU were back for the new recruit. It was a big event each year as not many join ANBU. Naruto peeked out of his door, and seeing many bloodied ANBU walking past, stuck his head back in immediately. It was an unpleasant sight, even if he was used to blood. He walked into the bathroom and saw it already stocked with the necessary toiletries. He grinned, and began washing up.
The mess hall was filled ANBU that could make it as they waited for their new recruit. Some chose to keep their masks on, and some did not. As they waited for their new recruit, Naruto was already taken an liking to by many of the female ANBU. After all, everyone had a motherly side. Kakashi was talking to one of them, Neko, who decided that she would have a hand in his studies, when the hall fell silent. Their new recruit arrived.

Everyone stared at the black-haired child. Naruto whispered quietly, "How old is he?" Kakashi answered, "Uh, ten, I think. Quite young, but still a chūnin." He stepped forward. "Welcome, Uchiha Itachi, to Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. You will be Karasu from now on. I am Inu, your buntaichō. You have been assigned a room as per protocol, but you are not required to occupy it. You may use it to recuperate or clean up after missions, though. I am aware you have a little brother. Your ANBU gear is in the room. Good luck, and in ANBU, everyone needs it." Itachi nodded and left silently, wordlessly. Kakashi turned to address the crowd of ANBU, "Hokage-sama has ordered someone to live here from now on. I would like all of you to be nice, don't freak him out, don't attack him, protect him, and if you have the time, try to start his shinobi training. He will be targeted for more than one reason, which Hokage-sama has not mentioned. Well, come on, Naruto." Naruto stepped forward, visibly shaking from the gazes of the trained killers concentrated on him. At his appearance, all of the ANBU gave a collective sound of understanding and pity, though many also raised questions about his eyes.

"Hey, Inu? You know what's wrong with his eyes?" Neko asked.

"It is the Rinnegan," a quiet voice answered her. Everyone whirled to see Itachi standing at the side, watching Naruto carefully.

"Are you sure, Karasu? I thought the Rinnegan was a myth?" Neko, or Uzuki Yūgao asked.

Itachi shook his head and said, "It is not. The Rinnegan's existence is documented in my clan's records." Everyone drew in a breath at this. Hokage-sama made a wise choice. No one noticed how Itachi's tone twisted at the mention of his clan.

Naruto tagged along behind Kakashi as he went to talk to Itachi. Knocking on his door, Itachi came out. "Yes, taichō?" he asked tonelessly.

"I want you tell Naruto here about the Rinnegan; it would make his training easier," Kakashi replied.

Itachi shook his head. "There is no description of its abilities, only that it was the eyes of the Rikudō Sennin, the creator of the ninja world. I'm sorry, taichō, but I can't help Naruto-kun with this. All I can do is train him in the shinobi arts," Itachi said.

"Then do so, training ground forty-seven is an ANBU-only training ground, and it isn't booked today." Kakashi said merrily, "See you around, there shouldn't be missons in these few days."

Itachi stared incredulously at the retreating back of his captain. He was expected to train the child. Shouldn't they, of all people, be most against early training? His attitude towards it was clear; he had asked his father not to train his otōto until Sasuke was older. Kakashi would be against it as well, given his past. To start killing from five had to be a bad experience. What was he trying to do. However, thinking over it, it was logical. Naruto-kun held the most powerful of the Bijū, and possessed what could be described as the most powerful kekkei genkai. This was to protect him. Also, if his theory that Yondaime-sama was Naruto-kun's father was correct, then he would have Iwa after him. Even if he wasn't, Iwa would still attempt to destroy him for being a Yondaime look-alike. All this, placing him in ANBU, training him, was to keep him and his secret safe. He walked over to what he knew was Naruto's room and knocked on the door.

Kakashi was asking Naruto about his dreams last night. He took note of what Naruto told him and decided to report it to Hokage-sama, and was about to leave when a knock sounded on his door. He opened it and Itachi said, "I'll train him, but I want others to help as well. It would be good if we found a kenjutsu master, since my kenjutsu is mediocre at best. I can teach him shurikenjutsu, genjutsu, and maybe a bit of nin and taijutsu. I'm sure you can teach him ninjutsu, but we'll have to find a taijutsu master and someone to teach him how to use his eyes."

Kakashi nodded and eye-smiled. "Uzuki Yūgao, Neko, can teach him kenjutsu; she is proficient and is also going out with the expert, Gekkō Hayate. I'll ask Naruto to ask Kyūbi if it knows anything about the eyes." He was rewarded by the look of shock on Itachi's face when he mentioned Kyūbi. "Kyūbi is a sentient being with thousands of years of information. Also, it was under a genjutsu when it attacked Konoha," Kakashi explained. Itachi nodded uncomfortably. 'Only the Sharingan could control Bijū. Was it really the clan?'

"Naruto-kun, from now on, I will be teaching you shurikenjutsu, genjutsu, and if you are a katon user, katon ninjutsu. Kakashi-sempai will teach you raiton and doton jutsu if you are a doton or raiton user. Neko-sempai, you've met her earlier, will teach you kenjutsu. Also, ask Kyūbi about your dōjutsu; we can't help you with that, even if we are both dōjutsu users," Itachi said.

Kakashi continued, "First, your chakra nature," holding out a piece of chakra paper, "You channel chakra into it, and we'll see what we can teach you." Naruto nodded, took the paper, and pushed energy into it. To his surprise, he could see the chakra flowing into the paper.

"I can see it," he whispered. The two ANBU was watching in fascination as the paper was sliced open into four parts.

"Well, you're a fūton-" Kakashi began and watched as the paper continued to change. One part of the paper turned to dirt. Another burnt up. Yet another turned soggy and fell to the floor. The last piece crinkled up. The two stared at Naruto.

"All five! This is mad!" Kakashi muttered. Itachi agreed silently, eyes wide.

"We'll have to report this to Hokage-sama," Itachi said. "Perhaps it is an effect of Rinnegan?"

The two ANBU sat Naruto down and asked him to meditate and call on Kyūbi.

Naruto, having successfully enetered his sewer, could not find Kyūbi. He decided to do the one thing to alert Kyūbi of his presence. He focused, and pictured his surrounding to be one of a flowered meadow, just as Kyūbi asked for. Almost immediately, he heard Kyūbi's chuckles rumble thriugh his meadow, and he ran towards it. It was nice, he decided, to have a beautiful meadow as his mindscape. The Fox's voice rang through his mindscape, 'Good work, kit. You sure got my attention now. Well, what is it?'

'Uh, I, uh, want to ask you if you know anything about the Rinnegan,' Naruto stammered.

'Oh. The eyes, eh? I'll teach you how to use them here, and since its your mindscape, we will be able to wrack up a few good training grounds. How about this, kit? I'll call you in whenever I want to teach you, but I'd prefer you tell me when your mealtimes are. I'll adjust my nap-times so. At other times, don't wake me up unless someone you can't handle is trying to kill you. You will refer to me as "sensei", by the way,' Kyūbi replied.

'Kyūbi-sensei?'

'No, that is merely what you humans call me. My name is Kurama, and Kurama-sensei to you.'

'Hai, Kurama-sensei. See you next time.'

'Thanks, kit, for the change of scenery. I like the smells.'

"Well?" Kakashi asked.

"Kurama-sensei has agreed to teach me how to use my eyes," Naruto answered.

"Kurama...Is Kyūbi, right? I've read records of the Bijū being given individual names. Some go by them, like Ichibi Shukaku, some, like Kyūbi, do not," Itachi commented.

Naruto nodded and smiled brightly, widely, like Gai's smile stripped of the "flames of youth" exclamation, and asked, "When can I start training?"

A/N:

So, that was the first chapter of this story. Thank you for reading, and I would like your feedback on anything concerning this story, from the title to perhaps translations for the Japanese terms.

Remember, review make me a happy author and happy authors update faster. :)