"Talking"

'Thinking'

"pharaoh talking"

'pharaoh thinking'

"Kyuubi talking"

'Kyuubi thinking'

"Godly beings talking"

'Godly beings thinking'

jutsus

(need to know info,A/N,B/N)

~letters,scrolls,writing~

Naruto the master of the cards

prologue: the day it all began

(Konoha 5 years after Kyuubi attack)

Naruto is running as fast as he can to get away from the drunken mob following him to beat him. He ran into a back alley and jumped into a dumpster and didn't come out until he was sure that they didn't know where he was. After about 3 minutes since he heard them move on he decided to get out and look for a place to stay for the rest of the day and the night.

He searched around the area he was until he found door. Knowing it was locked he was going to go check somewhere else, but he heard the mob coming back so he rushed to the door and hope it wasn't locked like he thought.

When his hand touched the door nob he felt like it had shocked him. And when he turned the nob it was locked, but knowing what the mob was going to do to him he tried again, turning the nob with all of his strength and hope the door clicked open as soon as he started to turn it. Rushing inside of it when he was inside he hurriedly shut and locked the door.

Breathing a sigh of relief he started to look around the room that he was in. It was a room full of tables and chairs, but moving around them he could see other things as well, such as boxes, and what looked like card packets, and little booklets with pictures of monsters on them. Going over to the card packets and booklets he picks one of each up and looks at them he puts the card packet down and starts to leaf through the booklet mumbling sadly to himself,

"Man I wish I could read this it looks fun"

Putting the booklet into his pocket he started to move over to the boxes. Looking through them he finds an open one he opening it more he finds more of those card packets and some more of the booklets. Shrugging at the content of the box he goes behind the counter where the booklets and the card packets are and lays down. Unknown to Naruto a man was watching the entire thing.

"Yugi what do you think we should do with him?" the pharaoh asks his host

"I'm not sure pharaoh I cant really report him to the police he hasn't stolen anything and he only broke in here to be able to sleep safely if that mob was after him." Yugi said to his partner

"Well he was interested in the duel monsters rule booklet, and he said that he couldn't read. So how about we teach him?" pharaoh asked

"Yeah that could work, but what about his parents. What would they say about that?"

"Well if they are letting a mob chase around their child then they don't deserve to be parent, because we both know that Tei would let our kid get chased by a mob no matter what the child did."

"Yeah your right, but to be sure lets take him up to the Hokage's office in the morning."

"Yeah that will work. Now Yugi go to sleep I will wake you if the child awakens"

"Thank you my friend"

And with that Yugi goes upstairs to his house that he has with is wife Tei to get some sleep. While the pharaoh is still down stairs watching over the sleeping Naruto.

(deep in Naruto's mind)

"Well it seems the kit has found another place of non-ignorants. And from what I read in the kit's memories it would seem that his seal-master heritage will come into play in a very special way." (no rhyme intended) as it said that the Kyuubi retreated back into its cage until it is needed.

(morning Yugi's card shop)

Naruto woke up to the sounds of an argument.

"What do you mean I cant go down into my own business?!" a feminine voice yelled

"What I mean is that somebody is down there and I want to talk to them. Alone." a male responds

"How would you know if someone is down there seeing as you haven't even been down there this morning either?" she asks

"Because I had seen them come in last night and then I came back up here and went to sleep after pharaoh told me that he would watch over them and come and get me if they left." he responds softly

"Who was it?"

"I don't know his name but I do know that he cant be more that a few years old. He was nothing more than a child."

"So you are telling me that a child broke in, looked around the shop, and then fell asleep?"

At this point the pharaoh has came up to them and said "Actually I think instead of looking around I think he was looking to see if it was safe for him here, because after he went to sleep I overheard one of the people from the mob chasing him last night saying that "if they found him they were going to beat him until he was dead". Oh and by the way he is awake."

As the couple ran down the stairs to see him. What they saw wasn't what a little kid should look like. Matted blonde hair covered in rusty red splotches, a white shirt that had holes and tears in it some exposing his skin and stomach and the shirt also covered in the rust red stains, and some cargo shorts that were just barely being held together by its waistband, and then the worst part was his skin was pale and sickly and was so thin it practically showed his bones themselves.

When Tei saw this she gasped and started to tear up for the little kid. But the opposite could be said for Yugi he started to have to manage his anger, and was currently doing poorly at it.

But when young Naruto heard the gasp he turned towards the sound and got even more scared and he started to run to the back door of the shop, but right before he could open it and go out of it he was grabbed from behind by strong hands and pulled back away from the door. He started to struggle and cry from fear.

Pleading Naruto asks them "please don't hurt me like the others do if you let me go I wont even come back, I wont even look at the store again. Just let me go. Please?"

Before he knew it he was being hugged by Tei and comforted by Yugi until he stopped crying.

"Hurt you? Why would we hurt you little boy?" asks Tei

"I don't know why they do it. They say that I am a murderer and that I killed their friends and family. I always asks them why they hurt me, but hey always say the same thing that demons like me shouldn't be allowed to live or that they are finishing the yondaime's work."

"Doesn't anybody stop it?" asks Yugi

"Most of the time jiji comes and makes them go away but other times no, no one does." Naruto answers

"Do you have any parents or guardians to take care of you?" Tei asks

When Naruto hears that he starts to cry again "No I don't, I am an orphan. I was a the orphanage until a couple of months ago."

"What happened? And who is your jiji if you don't have parents?" Tei asks

"The mean orphanage lady kicked me out saying that there wasn't enough room for me anymore even though there were another dozen older kids to pick from and even more beds that were empty every night. And my jiji is the old man that works up at the big red building at the base of the mountain."

"You mean the Hokage?" Yugi asks

"Yup that is my jiji."

"Could you excuse us for a minute kid?" seeing Naruto nod his head yes, Yugi and Tei get up and walk a little bit away "What do you think of him?" asks Yugi

"I think that he is a good kid if a bit malnourished."

"Not what I wanted but that is good to, what I wanted was do you think that he is telling the truth about the beatings and being kicked out of the orphanage?"

"Well he doesn't seem like the kind of kid to lie to get things and the state of him does signify that he doesn't get enough or any food at all. And I would have to say yes on the beatings because I don't think that the red on him is paint."

As they talked, Naruto was active moving around and looking at the card packets, the play-mats on the tables, and the duel disks hanging up on the walls.

When Yugi and Tei came back what they saw was Naruto looking at the booklet that he had in his pocket when he went to sleep and trying to read it. He was so engrossed in the book that he didn't notice that Yugi and Tei sat down next to him until Yugi asked

"Hey kid I hope you don't mind but what is your name?"

After calming his racing heart he responds "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. That is the name that he told me my last name was. So what is your names?"

Embarrassed that they forgot to tell him their names they quickly remembered to tell him "My name is Yugi Moto and this is my wife Tei."

"Well nice to meet you Yugi and Tei." says Naruto with a smile

"Naruto do you like what you are reading?" asks Tei

"Ah um Tei I cant read I was trying to piece it together myself but I cant read nor write." his smile turning into a frown.

"Well how about this after the three of us go and talk to the Hokage about something important, I will teach you to read when we get back. How does that sound?"

"What time is it?" asks Naruto

"It is about 7:30, why?" answers Tei

"Because jiji's office doesn't open until about 9, so we have about an hour and a half till it opens to the public."

"Ok then how about we start on teaching you how to read then Naruto?"

"That sounds nice Tei"

(hour and a half later)

"Well it is about time to go see the Hokage Naruto so lets start to pack up." Tei says motioning for Naruto to stand up.

"Yes Tei. Oh ah Yugi can I keep the book?" Naruto asks as he was getting up.

"Sure you can just come by every once in a while so we can see you ok?"

"Ok I sure will." with a smile on his face Naruto starts following the Moto couple through the village towards the Hokage building to speak with him.

When the three people got there the two adults went to the counter and asked to see the Hokage Unknown to them, Naruto followed them to the counter staying just behind them to not be seen by the receptionist. The receptionist said that there was a slot of about 10 minutes free for him in about 2 minutes wait.

After the 2 minutes were up they were waved right in, or would have been if the receptionist hadn't seen Naruto behind them when they started to move to the door.

"You damn monster I told you that the Hokage doesn't have time for brats like you!" she shouted at Naruto

"Excuse me lady but he is with us and the business that we have with the Hokage is concerning him so either you let him through or you get fired by the Hokage because of a complaint of ours." Tei says with anger lacing her voice

"This is the one time and only one time will you ever see the Hokage while I am around." the receptionist says with annoyance clearly heard in her voice

Then an elderly voice speaks up, "Well then I guess that it is good then that you will never be around anymore"

As everyone looks to the source of the voice they see an old man looking about his late 60's with smile lines around his eyes, but what is the most important part about him is the robes that he is wearing the robes of the Hokage

"Jiji" yells Naruto as he tackles the Hokage in a hug.

"Hello Naruto-kun how are you? I was getting worried since you haven't visited me in awhile. Have the orphanage ladies taken care of you?"

"Hokage-sama that is part of the reason that we are here. It would be better if we talked in private." motioning to the room itself

"Ah yes that would be better wouldn't it? Come along I will take you to my office" as he walks to his office with Naruto in tow.

When they finally got to the office Naruto noticed something strange about the room when he looked around he notices a slight glowing behind a couple of things in the room. He walks up to one that glows the brightest and it is a picture of the yondaime in his Hokage robes

Asking the sandaime "Hey jiji what is behind this picture?" pointing to the picture that he is in front of.

"Nothing that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"I can see a slight glow coming from behind it. Could you move it for me to see what it is?"

"Sure I can I would love to see what it is as well." going over to the picture and picking it up off the wall and moving it so that all of the people in the room can see it.

Yugi asks "What is it"

And before the sandaime can answer Naruto says "It is a blood seal." scratching his head "Ah jiji how did I know that?"

"Well then it seems that your bloodline has awakened."

Naruto is in awe of the revelation 'If I have a bloodline that means that I have a family.'

"What is a bloodline?" Tei asks

Yugi says "A bloodline is a type of genetic mutation that allows people with it to be able to do things that would normally be hard to do especially in the ninja world."

"Jiji who did I get my bloodline from?"

"You mother had it as well I didn't know your father so it could be from both." going over to his desk and pulling out an envelope from a drawer and giving it to Naruto "that was from your mother she told me to give it to you when you activated you bloodline or when you became a gennin, whichever came first."

As Naruto opens the card and begins to read, a range of emotions goes through his face ending with sadness,content and anger all at the end. When he finally looks up from the letter he looks at the Hokage and says

"Hokage-sama we have to talk."