I didn't understand it and I didn't think I could control it, yet. So I did the only thing I could. I waited. I waited for so long… and during all that waiting, I was fighting inside. Fighting to control the biological mayhem that was my genetic make up. I'm still not sure what I am but I am sure of who I am.

I am Alex Mercer and this is

Metamorphosis

Chapter One: Introducing Change

Naruto

"Remember class, stick to the shadows! Be as quite as you can, this is essential for your future survival as a ninja!" Tanezakura Kijiro, lead of Konoha academy class 3 droned on to his students.

"Yeah, yeah stealth and all that, Kijiro-sensei, why do we have to do this…" complained a loud and brash ten year old student.

"Well Naruto, if you want to live past twenty-" Kijiro stated, leaning to the boy in question. "- you'll stop being an idiot and do the activity! Kijiro finished, smiling darkly as the other children around snickered at Naruto's plight.

Naruto was not phased in the least however, "Whatever Kijiro-sensei, nobody here can catch me anyways, I'm like a ghost."

"Say's the one whose afraid of ghosts…" A student named Sasuke deadpanned as the other children laughed uncontrollably at the boy.

Naruto now blushing and embarrassed beyond belief, turned away from Sasuke and waited for the exercise to begin. He would show them, in his own way.

About a minute later the class lead initiated the start of class by sound of whistle and the children to be ninja were off in a blur of motion.

Mercer

For a being that is supposed to be all powerful(at least to me) I sure had a terrible sense of time and direction. I was in a jungle of some sort, no immense skyscrapers, flying cars, nothing… in fact I don't even think I'm corporal at the moment.

What was I, vapor? Well that needed to change. I looked deep into my being, finding the individual particles of my being and if I had eyes at the moment they would have fallen out of their sockets.

My 'body' seemed to be scattered throughout the world, a world that I could feel was drastically different, even it's people. As that thought passed through me I got to wondering, my body was infinitely divided into particles, at a weight similar to that of the oxygen atom, so they would float in air. People could be breathing me in!

I focused, and pulled at my 'body', and while doing this I could fell several large concentrations of, well me, in different parts of the world all packed into small areas. Near each of these concentrations were even larger areas where my particles seemed to rotate around. I tried tugging of the closest mass of my particles, it was also the biggest.

I found myself surprised as the particles would not rejoin me, startled and confused I willed myself to move towards the offending mass, forcing the free floating particles in the environment around me to bond to me, and eventually give me shape, longest three hours of my life

I chose to form into a familiar bird of prey, the hawk if I recall right and flew at a faster rate towards my objective.

Naruto

"This is waaay to easy. I mean come on a stealth exercise? We should be learning some cool new jutsu or some thing" Young Naruto thought as he hid from the chunin level ninja that were the proctors to the exercise he was in.

Naruto knew how to be stealthy, years of hiding from random drunken villagers has that effect. He had dug a hole in the ground and covered it up with a layer of grass he cut and rolled off over another layer of dirt, held up by a mesh shirt and several thick branches.

As he laid in his hole he let his thoughts wander, thinking of everything and anything with the exception of the one question he could never get answers to. Thoughts of passing the academy and becoming a ninja, saving princesses, nations, and even the whole world! He thought of the only person to acknowledge him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, his Jiji. He almost laughed in glee when he thought of finally becoming the next Hokage, then having a big family… then he'd make sure…

He was pulled from his thoughts as a man landed directly above him, the man looked around confusedly for a few seconds. Before dropping to his knee and fingered the ground.

Naruto held his breath and willed himself to be as silent as possible as he listened for the man to leave.

" I was sure…" The man began to mutter but was interrupted by another man jumping down beside him.

At this point Naruto was worried if his quickly made hole would hold up, which would have sucked 'cause he just finished it.

"Iruka-senpai, what are you doing here? We still have about 35 students to find." By the voice Naruto guessed it was Kijiro-sensei.

"I had felt a student around here with my ability…" The man now identified as Iruka said.

"And, where are they… nothing can get pass your Kekkei Genkai."

"Well, that's the problem, the signature I was tracking went cold. Like it was never there in the first place."

"Well Iruka-senpai, seems your days out of ANBU have made you rusty" Kijiro laughed out.

"Kijiro?" Iruka called out

"Yea, what?"

"Fuck you." Iruka said as he jumped away from the clearing. Kijiro chuckled again as he jumped away after him.

Naruto, after he was sure the two were gone released his breath and relaxed before smirking to himself. 'I. Am. Freaking. AWESOME!' Was all he could think to himself.

A couple of hours had passed into the test and Naruto was just about to fall asleep in the little hole he had dug when he first felt it. A little pull at first but as the minutes went by the feeling got stronger and stronger.

"What the… hell… is this!" Naruto thought in agony as he blacked out. All alone in the forest in a hole he had dug, where no ninja would look. And as the hours passed on Naruto's stealth skills were no longer in question.

The lead of class 3, Tanezakura Kijiro and the lead of class 4, the man by the name of Umino Iruka whose class had joined in on the activity had called for the village ANBU to find the boy.

They may not have liked the boy, but the container of the worlds most fearsome demon being captured by a rivaling nation was a security risk few would wish to take.

Mercer

I tracked down my particles to a small patch a forest inside of a small city, the city itself I couldn't speak for, there was hardly any technology, there were no skyscrapers to speak for and the only impressive things were four faces carved into a mountainside that reminded me of something similar from my past. Couldn't recall what though.

As I flew closer and closer to the conjunction of particles, identifiable mine I felt a pull, a weak pull that I could have ignored. But as intrigued as I was I gave myself to the feeling. I mentally cringed as I felt my current form be ripped apart, forcing me into my particle/vapor form.

Had I been a lesser being and unable to focus through unimaginable pain, I would have surely blacked out. Fortunately, I am not a lesser being, and my awareness stayed intact through the harrowing experience.

I felt myself being forced through what felt like an incredibly narrow space, twisting and contorting me any and in every manner. My form churned in this funnel-like spiral at every angle possible at the highest speeds imaginable. However, at the same time I felt as if this event had taken place over the span of a few decades. In retrospect, I realize it had only transpired in a matter of seconds.

Just as quickly as it had begun, this rollercoaster from hell chose to abruptly end. It felt as if the combined mass of two stars had crashed into me at once. And as I thought this I calculated just how large of a mass and the force that would inflict upon me. If I could laugh, I would've. Two average sized stars have a combined mass of 100 or so solar masses and at the speed I think I was moving at… I may as well be immortal.

But I knew better, I may be damn near indestructible and have a potential life span double that of your average neuron star, but everything dies eventually. The same goes for me, whether it be by another's hand or old age, it'll happen.

A fact made painfully obvious by my blacking out for several moments…

Training Ground 87 - Forest of the Child

The night sky was beginning to consume the sky as several figures stood silently awaiting further orders from their leader, The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The wizened Kage eyes hardened at his subordinates as he took in what the ex-Anbu captain, now academy teacher reported to him.

The stock still chunin were taken aback by the sudden coldness in their beloved Kage's warm brown/grey eyes. Even more so when they heard his voice.

"So, not only did you fools lose Naruto, our resident Jinchuruki. You've also failed to find the Uchiha. Who might I add is the last loyal Uchiha alive." The angered Kage all but seethed out.

Umino Iruka stepped forward and kneeled before the man, head bowed deeply before speaking up.

"Hokage-sama, please forgive my subordinates for their… lackluster performance tonight. The issue with the Uchiha brat has already been resolved, a kage-bunshin of mine has traced the boys heat signature at his home, asleep in his bed." Iruka said respectfully.

"And pray tell, Iruka-kun, was he at his home instead of the Academy." The Kage ordered.

"When questioned of his absence, the boy informed me that a sensei here dismissed him from the remainder of the training camp." Iruka informed.

"And which instructor gave this order?"

"Orosume-san, Hokage-sama."

"I did no such thing!" Misa Orosume; a pale faced chunin with dark brown shoulder-length hair and light green eyes; roared in rage, earning the glare of the Sandaime for her interruption.

Misa froze in place as the old man raised his eyes to meet hers, all her senses screaming at her to run but her body would not move. Such was the extent of her fear of the elderly Kage.

The Kage turned his gaze back to the man kneeling in front of him and gave a whole hearted laugh as if amused by the whole situation before resting his hands upon Iruka's shoulders.

"Iruka-kun, your Dakajigan [Fire Catcher Eye ] has again and again proven its inert worth in Konoha's forces. It pains me to this day that your family had to have perished in the Battle of Kyubi." The Kage said with a small smirk.

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Rise, Iruka-kun, rise," the Kage started as Iruka stood. "Now my dear boy," Hiruzen leaned closer to Iruka as if to whisper in his ear and yet spoke loudly enough that all in the clearing could hear him speak.

"You know what we do to ninja who fail to follow orders… don't you Iruka-kun." The Kage didn't ask Iruka as much as he ordered him, and from the stiffening of Iruka's shoulders and the strain in his voice, he knew as well.

Misa, in all her fear could do little to speak her case, she knew she hadn't done the deed. She presumed Iruka knew as well, so it came to set in her mind that the Kage knew she had done no wrong, and would still…

"…Yes, Hokage-sama…" Iruka managed through clenched teeth that threatened to chip one another once the Kage tightened his grip on the man.

"Is that hesitance I hear… Iruka." The Kage said in a almost singsong manner, his voice having no trace of the coldness before. Only the warmth of a grandfathers voice.

Iruka knew better however, as apparent by his body stiffing even more under the Kage's grip.

"No, Hokage-sama, it is not." He replied

"Then what is it? " The man asked

"Anticipation sir," Iruka grounded out.

"Good, now you have my orders"

"Hai."

The Kage released his grip on the ex-ANBU who immediately spun around and, faster than the human eye, charged forward and ran his arm through Orosume Misa's chest before she could utter a word.

The man stood there for a moment with Misa, slouched on his arm, a arm which was on fire.

"You see Orosume," The Kage began, spreading his arms wide for emphasis, "Whether or not you actually dismissed our young Uchiha from the exercise matters little in my eyes, in the eyes of Konoha. What does matter is that a message is conveyed to the people whose best interests would be to heed it."

Misa, through half lidded eyes and a blood filled mouth, managed to ask the question all shinobi present had on their minds.

"And…that would be…Hokage-sama" she ground out, not hiding the hate in her voice.

The Kage smirked before continuing his explanation

"That Konoha is not at all weak…Konoha and by extension, me, are not to be messed with."

The dying shinobi's eyes widened at his words before coughs wracked her body, blood splattering onto Iruka's face as she died on his arm. Iruka, who had long ago deactivated his Kekkei Genkai ability let the heated corpse fall from his arm in a gruesome display, leaving charred chunks of flesh on his blackened arm.

"You better find Naruto-kun too, Iruka-kun. We wouldn't want more blood spilt at your hands would we." The Hokage said in Iruka's ear before using shunshin to disappear from sight.

The ninja all stood there, most staring at Iruka in barely concealed pity or staring at Misa's smoldering corpse slowly turning to ash before their eyes. Iruka's gaze however remained on his arm. An arm blacked by Misa's burned blood and flesh, an arm blackened by sin, a sin so incorrigibly it haunted him to this day.

Despite all this Iruka ordered the remaining chunin.

"Find him…"

Mercer

As I regained consciousness I was instantly aware of the fact that I was in my human form. As I gazed upon my naked form I noticed red steaks running across my left fist and blue across my right. Chalking the oddity up to having to do with what happened to me earlier. Concentrating, I altered the molecules of my skin to change appearance and shape. My new apparel was something I felt more suited for. I now appeared to be in a pair of black slacks with white lining at the creases. Above it I wore a white muscle shirt covered by a dark grey dress shirt that was open at the top. I chose not to alter my feet because it appeared I was ankle deep in murky water.

After staring into the immeasurable darkness for a minute or so I started treading my way deep into the inky darkness. As I advanced the area around me lit up in array of colors causing me to pause. As soon as I stopped the colors seemed to retreat back into the darkness as if urging me to continue walking.

I complied and continued walking into the now illuminated darkness, watching as the rainbow of colors twisted and morphed before my eyes. The moment would have been beautiful if not for the oppressive yet familiar aura emanating from deeper in the darkness. So I pressed forward, ignoring the colors and focusing on the aura. Eventually I found myself in front of a large broken gate. The colors from earlier raised in anticipation over the hole in the gate, shimmering and pulsating as if it was alive.

Inspecting my surroundings, I saw that closer to the gate there was a raised alter wrapped in gold cloth with red trimmings. There was something laying on top of the alter that, from my distance, I couldn't readily make out. I walked to the alter, morphing my feet to look as if I was wearing a pair of black high top sneakers that I remembered from my human life to accommodate to the hard concrete like floor.

On the alter was a boy, barely 11 years old, wrapped in more of that gold cloth, that upon further inspection was made of silk. The boy was pale, incredibly so. I checked the boy for a pulse and frowned when I didn't feel one. As I removed my hand a whisper of white light circled around the boy franticly. More and more of these white lights circled him until a loud growl was heard past the cage, causing the whole area to shudder. The wisps scattered back to the darkness before circling around each other for a few seconds. Then in a burst of speed the lights shoot over towards the barrier of colors.

I narrowed my eyes as I felt the malicious aura approach the gate at a rapid speed before crashing into said barrier. My eyes widened despite myself at the massive creature that was before me. A massive nine tailed fox had crashed into the equally huge black gate and destroyed it with not a scratch on itself, only to be stopped by the barrier of light which blew the giant fox back on its backside. The beast roared in aggravation, shaking the area violently.

The beast got sat on its hind legs, tails sweeping around violently before taking in the guests in its prison.

I saw the beasts crimson eyes widen in shock before it got to all fours and sauntered back in front of the gate, tails swishing happily in the air.

I was further shocked by the beast opening its maw and speaking to me.

"Master! You… you've returned! Are you here to free me from this lowly human!" The beast spoke.

I decided to go about this calmly, to figure out who exactly this beast thought I was.

"Who and what are you creature?" I spoke out to the fox.

"Master! It is you! Free me now I ask of you!" The fox said hurriedly, rambling on about its master returning.

At this point I was annoyed at the being basically ignoring me so I voiced it.

"Silence beast!" I shouted out. "What are you creature!"

The fox looked at me confusedly before speaking out. "But Master, you are me and I am you. Aren't you here to absorb me into your being once more? Its been centuries since you split us up protect you from the humans and their weapons!"

I looked at the being confusedly before recognition crossed my face. The fox noticed this too if the widening of its eyes was anything to go by.

"Master! No!" The fox roared out.

I was about to wonder why before a sharp pain in my head brought me to my knees. I gasped as memories crossed my vision. I could scarcely hear the fox banging against the color barrier trying to get to me as I blacked out once more.

End of Chapter One

Alright that's the end of this chapter of Metamorphosis. I hope you guys like this new story I am writing and hope that you will comment and review. This will be my first real story, and I'm not planning on giving up on it. As you've read, it's a Naruto-Prototype cross and believe me, its nothing like you've read before so stick with me guys. I want at least 15 reviews for the first chapter! So do your jobs readers and review!

On a more serious note I'll have polls open for some major/minor decisions throughout the story! I might do a pairing poll as I haven't decided which female character will work for the Naruto I'm trying to build as well as work for the Konoha I'm trying to build. As you can see Hiruzen is a much different Kage in this fiction than in others. I gave him the ruthlessness of Onoki and the cunning of Danzo add to that his own abilities of manipulation and the fact that he's stronger than both those individuals I believe I've made a great tyrant out of Hiruzen. Just wait until you figure out why.

Alright I'm XxHeroxXxKillerxX and this is sayonara!