Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did, the Akatsuki would have more screen time
Chapter 1: Descent
A young child was running down the street, pursued by a mob of the other members of his village. The boy was five years old, wearing worn out shorts and and torn shirt with a spiral on the front and back. The boy had blue eyes and bright blond hair. His cheeks held unique whisker marks. The child's painful past led the boy to have a pained expression crossing his face, a pained expression of confusion and fear, as he continued to run through the village streets. The group ran by several villagers. Everyone knew the identity of the boy, his past, and the reasons behind it. As such, none of the villagers attempted to aid the boy. They allowed the villagers to continue their chase. Some of the villagers joined in, grabbing whatever weapons they could find.
"Die, demon!" shouted one of the men leading the group. This man, along with many others leading the crowd, had red eyes with a three part tomoe seal. The group continued running on, being led by the child through the streets of their village, Konohagakure no Sato. The boy made a wrong turn, and ended up leading the crowd down a dead end.
"We have him cornered now!" shouted one of the villagers.
"Let's get him before the ANBU show themselves again!" shouted another one of the villagers.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)" shouted one of the leaders of the group. This man was an older person, wearing the standard jonin outfit of Konoha, with one difference. Instead of the red spiral on his shoulders, there was a fan embedded within a blue star.
The boy cowered in fear, staring at the fireball roaring towards him. The boy could do nothing but cry out as the fireball struck. The boy screamed out in pain as he felt his skin being burned. The fire started to die down. The boy was still alive, though he was badly burned. His already torn shirt was burned away, exposing the boys stomach. A strange symbol appeared on the boys stomach. Another member of the group pulled out a kunai, and threw it at the child, aiming to hit the spiral-like seal as if it was some kind of target. The boy winced as the weapon hit its mark.
"Aw, I missed the center," spoke the man who threw the weapon.
"Heh heh, let me try," spoke a kunoichi, as she pulled out three shuriken. She threw all three at once. One bounced off the kunai the other man threw. One hit above the seal, while the other hit the seal dead center.
"Hah! I got him! See, that's how you do it!" shouted the kunoichi.
"Oh come on, we try to hit that every time. Let's make a new target!" shouted one of the men with red eyes. He walked up to the boy, while channeling his chakra into his finger. The child pulled out the kunai embedded within his stomach, and lashed out against the man, barely missing the man's leg.
"You little bastard!" shouted the man, as he slapped the child across the face. The man placed his finger on the boys chest and etched 魔 (demon, evil spirit) on his body. The man picked up the kunai, and walked back to join the others.
"How fitting. I'm first!" shouted one man, as he threw a kunai. His blade missed and hit the boy in his shoulder.
"Bah, you're aim is miserable," spoke the kunoichi from before.
"I made the mark, let me try to hit it," spoke the man who marked the child. The man hit his mark with the kunai he took from the child. At this point, the child was a bloody mess. Blood trickled out of his mouth to join the blood staining his body. The child pulled the weapons out of his body, and attempted to throw them at those attacking him. Unfortunately, the child's strength had already been taken from him from his injuries, leaving him unable to throw the weapons very far. The farthest any of the weapons went was at the feet of the leader of the group. The man looked down and picked up the weapon.
"It seems the demon still has some fight left in him. Let's go. We'll resume tomorrow night," spoke the man, as he threw the weapon at the boys right shoulder. The group started walking off, with the exception of one man.
"Heh heh, Fugaku may be done with you, but I've just begun," spoke the man, as he pulled out a small dagger. He approached the child, and pulled out the shuriken before the boy could use it against him.
"I'm going to have some fun with you," spoke the man, as he slid the edge of the dagger across the child's face, drawing blood.
"St... stop..." muttered the child.
"Shut up!!" shouted the man, as he punched the child in the face, giving the child a black eye. The man smiled a devilish grin as he bent down. He unzipped his pants, and motioned towards the boy.
"You better do what I tell you, or I'll carve out your throat!" shouted the man, as he pulled out his member, and thrust it in the boys face.
"If you try to bite, I'll send this straight into your skull! Now open your mouth!" shouted the man.
The child began to shake in fear. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life many times before, but the villagers always stopped shy of killing him. There would be people who would take him to the hospital, if only to get him out of the street, so they no longer had to look at the child. The people at the hospital would treat the child only to the point where his life was in no danger, then they would throw him out to the streets he came from. No one had gone this far before, directly threatening his life, motioning to rape him. The boy trembled more, clamping his mouth shut.
"I said open your mouth!" shouted the man, as he punched the child in the gut, near one of his earlier wounds. The child refused to scream out in pain, knowing what would happen if he were to open his mouth. The child knew the man would try to kill him if he kept up his resistance. At this point, the child would rather die than continue to put up with such treatment from his village. The child had no idea why he had to suffer as he did. He didn't recall committing any crime demanding such treatment. All he knew was that he was treated like this repeatedly. The worst of these beatings always came on his birthday, this day. The child wondered why he didn't have parents to protect him, always hoping that they could one day come back from some long mission. Now, however, the child felt as though this day would never come. He closed his eyes as he felt the man plunge his dagger into his shoulder. The boy could feel himself getting faint from blood loss, and passed out.
It was then the boy opened his eyes to a strange sewer system. It appeared dank and dark, like the sewers of his village he used to hide in. The boy felt a tugging on his body, like someone or something was drawing him towards it. The child decided to give into it, and followed this feeling. He walked along through the sewer corridor until he ran into a cage. The cage had a slip of paper on it that appeared to act as a kind of lock. 封 (seal) was written on the slip of paper. The child stared at the cage, wondering what lie within. As if answering his question, a pair of gigantic, red slitted eyes appeared before the young child.
"Child, you feel great pain, do you not?" asked the creature before the child.
"I... I... do..." stuttered the child, "W-who are y-you?"
"Who am I? I am known as Kyuubi no Youko," replied the creature.
"W-where am... I?" asked the child.
"We are within your mind scape, child. This is a representation of your chakra pathways. This is where the seal holding me is located," replied the creature.
"H-how did you g-get here?"
"The man known to you as the Yondaime Hokage placed me here."
The boy stepped back, aware of the reality of his situation. He knew of the story of the kyuubi's attack on Konoha, and was frightened of the fox.
"You fear me, child?" asked the creature.
The boy could only nod in response.
"Very well, how about this?" asked the demon. The demon glowed a bright red before shrinking in form. When the demon ceased glowing, a beautiful woman stood in place of the demon. This woman was in an elegant red dress. Her bust was fairly large. She had long, red hair, with fox ears instead of human ears. Behind the woman, nine fox tails covered in red fur flowed freely. The woman had the same red slit eyes as the fox, as well as the same whisker marks the child had.
"Does this suit you better, child?" asked the demon.
The child nodded, and walked closer to the cage. He tried to get closer to this woman before him, but felt blocked.
"The seal keeps us separate, child," spoke the demon.
The child nodded in response.
"You're still scared, are you?" asked the demon.
The child nodded again.
"You need not fear me. I couldn't kill you even if I wanted to. If you die, I die. This is something I cannot allow. It is why I have appeared before you now. Now that you have found yourself in a life threatening situation, I have found a way to weaken this seal. Enough so that my power may be able to aid you. You wish to stop those attacking you, do you not?" asked the demon.
"H-hai..." replied the child.
"Good. I will give you the chance. Use my power, child, use my power," spoke the demon.
"O-okay."
"Good, now, one more thing. Child, tell me your name."
"U-Uzumaki Naruto."
"Ah, Naruto-kun. I shall take care of you. I shall take very good care of you," spoke the demon, while bearing a foxy grin.
"Leave this part to me. Watch," spoke the kyuubi.
What seemed like several minutes within Naruto's mind was only a few moments in the real world. The man attacking Naruto had his dagger embedded in Naruto's rib cage. The man smiled as he saw the boy passing out. The man pulled out his weapon and placed it back in his pocket. The man placed his hands on the child's mouth, and forced it open. Moments before the man could complete his atrocious act, the child before him snapped back to life.
"Enough..." muttered the child.
"Huh?" muttered the man.
Naruto's eyes snapped open. Instead of their normal blue, they were now red with slits.
"Enough!!" shouted Naruto, with a mature, feminine voice. A red aura appeared around the boy. Naruto looked down, and saw a shuriken lying on the ground. He picked it up, surrounded it with his chakra, and made a quick swinging motion. The man looked on in horror as that which made him a man was separated from his body.
"Ah!! You little bastard!!" shouted the man.
"Little bastard?" replied Naruto with the kyuubi's voice, "Do you know who you speak to? I am the Kyuubi no Youko. You're crimes against Uzumaki Naruto will end tonight!"
Kyuubi-Naruto saw the dagger from before, and pulled it out. He surrounded it with the red chakra leaking out of his body, and swung the blade through the man. The chakra he surrounded it with extended the range of the blade. The man fell into two bloody halves. The man desperately tried to pull himself back together before dying.
"Now, for the rest," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto. The red chakra surrounding Naruto increased and began to take the form of a one-tailed fox. Naruto's whisker marks deepened, while his teeth and finger nails became pointed. His incisors grew into fangs. The boy sniffed the air.
"I know where most of them went," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, as he took to the roof tops. The chakra surrounding him healed his injuries as he took off through the village.
The leaders of the mob returned to the place they came from, the Uchiha Compound.
"Fugaku, why do you never allow us to kill him. We should finish him off, not allow him to continue," spoke one of the men.
"There is good reason. I don't want to kill the demon while he is defenseless. I don't want to kill him until he can fight back. There's no challenge in killing one as defenseless as he was. With the ability he has to heal, it's only a matter of time before he'll be able to fight us back to some degree. The day he manages to land a blow on me is the day I'll kill him for good," explained Fugaku.
"Hey, has anyone seen where Kitasu went?" asked one of the men.
"I haven't seen him since we were with the demon," replied another of the men.
"He better not be trying to kill him," spoke Fugaku.
"Hey, Fugaku, you notice anything strange?" asked a kunoichi behind him.
"What do you mean?" asked Fugaku.
"Well, I know that our houses would be dark, since we were out. But it looks like every home in the compound is dark. I doubt everyone would turn in this early," replied the kunoichi.
"She's right. This is rather unusual," spoke one of the men.
At that moment, screaming could be heard coming from one of the buildings nearby.
"What the Hell what that!?" shouted the kunoichi.
"I don't know. Let's check it out. Come!" shouted Fugaku, as he led the group towards the building. More screams could be heard coming from inside. Fugaku broke the door down, and took a quick look around the entryway. A bloodied corpse lay on the floor to his left, while a trail of blood started going off towards his right.
"What the Hell is going on!?" shouted one of the men.
More screams could be heard coming from the back of the building. The group drew their weapons and charged towards the back of the building. What they saw upon entering the back room struck horror into the hearts of all those in the group. A man in an ANBU outfit, without his mask, stood at the center of a pile of corpses. The man had a katana in the throat of the woman before him. The woman was coughing up blood in her last moments. Her bloodied, broken face looking on with tears.
"Why..." muttered the woman.
"Because I desire to test my abilities against the strongest opponent possible. What better opponent could there be for a Uchiha, but another Uchiha?" asked the man as the woman's eyes closed. The man slid the woman off his sword, and looked on at the group.
"Oh, tou-san? You're here now, are you?" asked the man.
"Itachi!? What the Hell are you doing!?" shouted Fugaku.
"As I said to her, I am testing my skills against the best opponents I could find," replied Itachi in a cold, monotonous tone.
"You monster! You didn't even give her a chance. She was a civilian! She was defenseless!" shouted a kunoichi.
"Monster? This coming from a group of individuals who devote time to beating a five year old to within an inch of his life? I am no monster. From my perspective, it is you who are the monsters," replied Itachi.
"You've helped us before. You're a hypocrite for calling us monsters! At least we're attacking a demon. There was nothing she could have done to bring harm to anyone," spoke one of the men with Fugaku.
"Oh? It is true I've joined you in the past on your hunts against the child Naruto. However, of all the times I have been with you, did you once see me bring harm to the child?" asked Itachi.
The members of the group thought about what Itachi said. They slowly came to realize that Itachi always stayed in the back of the group, never once striking out against Naruto.
"You remember, don't you? I was merely there to observe. I wasn't convinced I had reason enough to take action against you as of yet. This clan is rotting. What was once one of the most powerful clans of the land now seeks its thrill by beating a harmless child. You may be able to convince yourselves your actions are just by saying he's a 'demon,' but in the end, you're no greater than a band of thugs, praying on the weak. You go looking for fights in the wrong places," explained Itachi.
"You're forgetting one point. You just killed a group of civilians without remorse. You said you were looking for the best opponents to challenge you, but these people presented no such challenge," spoke Fugaku.
"Ah, yes. I was about to give my reason. You're right in that these people, this woman could do no harm to me or most others. At least, not on her own. Not necessarily by her personal actions. One day, these people may have brought a child into the world with such skills that could become a threat to others. Perhaps someone who could provide a challenge that I may find myself unable to overcome. I can't allow such a person to be brought into the world. I have no desire to meet my end; I must perpetuate my existence, you see. That is the threat these people gave. As for you and the other Uchiha shinobi, it is you who will provide me with the challenge I seek. I've been looking for you. I didn't think you would be out chasing Naruto at this time. I suppose you would take advantage of so many ANBU being out on missions, just as I am. Now then, prepare yourselves," spoke Itachi, as he took a kenjutsu stance. Two of the men with Fugaku charged towards Itachi, throwing several kunai and shuriken as they charged forward. Itachi deflected the weapons thrown at him, and cut both of the men down. One lost his right arm, while the other lost his head. The man who lost his arm attempted to get out of the range of Itachi's strikes, not wishing to join his partner in death.
"Too slow," spoke Itachi, as he threw a kunai at the man. The kunai went straight through the man's right eye and out the back of his head. His body fell back in a pool of its own blood.
"I hope the rest of you provide a greater challenge than these two," spoke Itachi.
"I have just one question for you, Itachi. Did you kill Shisui?" asked Fugaku.
"He was the most difficult. The greatest challenge I've had so far," replied Itachi.
"You bastard!!" shouted a kunoichi from within the group.
"Shisui's girlfriend? Attempting to avenge him?" asked Itachi, as he held up his katana to block the attacking kunoichi's strikes.
"I will have your head for his!" shouted the kunoichi.
"You shouldn't act out of emotions as you are right now. Many have already. They were the weakest of my opponents. You should calm down before your emotions get you killed," spoke Itachi, as he knocked the woman back with a swing of his sword. The kunoichi's anger only increased at Itachi's remarks as she charged forward again, this time while making hand seals.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" shouted the woman, as she sent a large fireball towards Itachi. Itachi was forced to dodge the attack as it blew out half of the room the group was in. The kunoichi anticipated Itachi's actions, knowing there was only one way for Itachi to move, due to the wall he was up against. The woman held her katana forward, and attempted to catch Itachi off guard. Itachi realized what the kunoichi was up to before he moved out of the way of her attack, and swung his katana forward. The force he put in his swing knocked the katana out of the hands of the kunoichi. The woman had a look of fear on her face as Itachi drew close to her. The woman pulled out a kunai in an attempt to block Itachi's strikes. She was able to avoid a fatal blow, though Itachi's katana left a cut on her forehead, removing her hitai-ate. The woman's Sharingan was blazing, as was Itachi's.
"Impressive, but still not good enough," spoke Itachi, as he pulled back his katana, and engaged the woman again. The other people in the group decided to join the woman fighting Itachi, and began making hand seals.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu! (Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique)" shouted two of the shinobi with Fugaku.
Several small fireballs were launched in the direction of Itachi. He knew the attackers were attempting to draw his attention from his opponent. Itachi decided to oblige them, though not in the way they were anticipating.
"Very well, if others wish to join, I'll have to start taking this fight more seriously," spoke Itachi, as he increased his speed and strength, and slashed open the chest of the woman he was fighting. Blood sprayed out onto Itachi's katana as he jumped back from the woman to avoid the fireballs. The woman coughed up blood as a result of Itachi's attack. Due to the injury brought onto her, she was unable to avoid being hit by the fireballs meant for Itachi. The woman received several burns to her body as she fell to the ground.
"Damn it!" shouted one of the people who attacked.
"It's okay Osamu, this just means we don't have to worry about hitting anyone else this time," spoke a kunoichi.
"Ah, you're right, Onoko," replied Osamu.
"Osamu and Onoko? The 'Erai Hi Gokyoudai, (Great Fire Siblings)' hm?" spoke Itachi.
"That's right, Itachi. You haven't been on the council for too long, so you don't know us all that well," spoke Osamu.
"And since you've never been on a mission with us before, you know little of how we fight," spoke Onoko.
"I know of your style. Combinations of Katon no Jutsu (Fire Release Techniques)," replied Itachi, "I've encountered such fighting styles before. Do not think you're abilities will surprise me."
"Ah, but how many of those you fought in the past were Uchiha? Prepare yourself, Itachi," spoke Osamu.
"Help... me..." stuttered the woman from before, as she was slowly crawling back to the protection of the others. Blood splashed up as Itachi finished her off.
"I'm ready," spoke Itachi.
"Katon: Kaenhoushaki no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Flamethrower Technique)" shouted Onoko. A stream of fire erupted of the woman's mouth.
"Katon: Bouka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Spinning Fire Technique)" shouted Osamu. A stream of fire erupted from Osamu's mouth, while being bent to flow in a spiral by chakra being released from Osamu's hands. His jutsu was aimed to meet Onoko's jutsu.
"Katon: Naraku no Tatsumaki! (Fire Release: Hell's Tornado)" shouted Onoko and Osamu in unison. The two jutsu combined into a fiery tornado with enough heat to ignite the debris around it. Itachi backed out of the earlier hole made in the wall to get some distance from the attack. However, the jutsu started to travel at great speed once it was fully formed. Itachi was quickly enveloped in the heated fires of the jutsu. Screams of pain could be heard coming from where Itachi was standing. The group watched at Itachi's body appeared to be torn apart by flame. When the jutsu dissipated, all that remained was a heavily burnt form that vaguely resembled Itachi.
"Too easy," spoke Osamu.
At that moment, the form before them disappeared.
"Kage bunshin!? (Shadow Clone)" shouted Osamu.
"Katon: Joushou Houou no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Rising Phoenix Technique)" shouted Itachi.
A bird made of fire tore out of the ground below Osamu. The scream of a bird could be heard as the form ripped through Osamu's body. Osamu could only scream out in pain as the fiery form set his body ablaze. As the flames from the attack died down, Itachi emerged from the ground behind Osamu, sending his katana through Osamu's burnt body. Blood streamed out of Osamu's body as Itachi stood behind the Uchiha Council member. Some of the blood was black from being burned by Itachi's attack.
"I'm not impressed," spoke Itachi, as he watched Osamu's body hit the ground. Osamu's Sharingan disappeared as life left his body.
"Die!!" shouted Onoko, "Katon: Kaenhoushaki!"
Itachi saw the attack coming, and ran around it to plunge his katana through Onoko's heart.
"I told the other one to be careful of letting one's emotions run their actions. If you refuse to learn from the mistakes of others, you will only share their fate," spoke Itachi.
"Fuck... you..." spoke Onoko, as she spit blood on Itachi's chest. Itachi pulled out a kunai and slit Onoko's throat. As she coughed up and gurgled blood, Itachi allowed her form to slide off of his katana. She struggled to hold onto life as blood poured out of her body. Her eyes looked upon Itachi, full of hate for the man who took the life of both her and her brother.
"I'll... see... you... in... Hell..." muttered Onoko. She let out one last cough before passing from the world, the disappearance of her Sharingan being evidence she had left this world.
"Everyone, attack him at once!" shouted Fugaku, as the remaining members of the group pulled out weapons, while some began making hand seals.
"Too slow," spoke Itachi, as he made hand seals faster than anyone could see.
"Katon: Bakukashouha! (Fire Release: Exploding Fire Shock Wave)" shouted Itachi. Fire chakra surrounded Itachi, before exploding outwards. The remains of the building the group of Uchiha were in burst into flaming debris. Those who were too close to Itachi as he performed the jutsu were torn apart into fiery chunks of flesh. Others were burned. Fugaku and some of the others were able to avoid being injured from the jutsu.
"What the Hell was that!? Where did he learn such a powerful jutsu from!?" shouted one of the shinobi in Fugaku's group.
"I have no idea. I never taught him such a jutsu," spoke Fugaku.
Fugaku and those near him watched as Itachi emerged from the flames of the building they were in before. Itachi mercilessly attacked those who were injured by his attack. His first target could barely throw a kunai before his gut was torn open, spilling organs and blood before Itachi. The next threw several shuriken, only to have them deflected by Itachi's strikes. Itachi bisected the man. The top half of the man's body fell before the bloody stump of his lower half fell on top, spilling blood on the man as his life left his body. A kunoichi attempted to get behind Itachi and stab him with a dagger. The woman ended up with Itachi's katana going through her heart. Itachi ripped his katana out of the woman's body to cut the head of the woman before him in half. Blood and the remains of her mind spilled onto the pavement at Itachi's feet. Three others attempted to gang up on Itachi, hoping their combined efforts would be enough to stop Itachi. They were all cut apart by Itachi's blade. Blood sprayed on Itachi's outfit as he went through the rest of those near him. At that point, an explosion occurred near the entrance to the Uchiha Compound.
"What the Hell was that!?" shouted one of the men next to Fugaku.
"It might be someone helping Itachi. Half of you go to the main entrance. I'll take care of Itachi!" shouted Fugaku.
Several of those with Fugaku bolted, running under the assumption that the second attacker was weaker than Itachi.
"Who could that be?" Itachi thought to himself, "He's at the other end of the compound."
Fugaku and the others noticed Itachi's look of surprise at the attack near the compound entrance, and attempted to catch him off guard.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" shouted Fugaku.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" shouted several of the others near Fugaku.
Others in Fugaku's group threw several weapons with ninja wire attached to them at the ground near Itachi.
"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)" shouted the men who threw the weapons with ninja wire. Fire streamed towards Itachi from multiple directions. With the ninja wire down around him, Itachi had little room to move.
"Attempting to overwhelm me? A good approach, but it's still not enough," spoke Itachi, as he made a quick set of hand seals.
"Katon: Bakukashouha!" shouted Itachi. Fire chakra surrounded Itachi once again, and burst forth, deflecting the jutsu thrown at him. This time, his shock wave wasn't as powerful. Those before Itachi breathed a sigh of relief, believing Itachi to be low on chakra.
"Now's our chance," shouted those closest to Itachi, as they charged forward. Itachi looked on at those rushing him. Itachi held his katana down, not moving to block their strikes. As the men drew closer, Itachi looked both in the eye. The two before him were quickly paralyzed. They dropped their weapons and screamed out in pain, even though it appeared as though nothing was being done to them.
"It is unwise to charge recklessly at your opponent in such a manner," spoke Itachi, as he chopped off the heads of the shinobi before him.
"That's enough!" shouted another of the men. The man was angered by seeing Itachi kill one of his best friends, and also charged forward. Itachi removed both of the man's arms before impaling his heart.
"It seems you never learn. Acting on your emotions and charging in recklessly against me will get you killed," spoke Itachi. He slid the mans body off is sword, and looked on at the few who remained before him.
"I grow tired of this. So few of you have proven capable of being a challenge. This further proves my point of how this clan has been rotting. If one man can take down the entire clan, than how strong could the clan possibly be?" asked Itachi.
A civilian, observing the fight, attempted to sneak up behind Itachi, and stab a dagger into the back of Itachi's neck. Itachi quickly turned around, spilling the innards of the bulky man onto the ground behind him.
"If you wish to die faster, you need only ask. No need to come rushing in," spoke Itachi to the man. The man coughed up blood before falling to the ground. Those with Fugaku knew it would be unwise to attempt to catch Itachi off guard due to a "distraction" appearing.
"There's no one behind me this time. It seems you have learned something, or maybe the smartest are the ones left before me. There's only one way to find out," spoke Itachi, as he took an offensive stance. Itachi charged towards those remaining in the group. Fear motivated those in front. Those closest to Itachi struggled to get out of his path, rather than trying to take the Uchiha head on. Those who attempted to flee received several kunai in various parts of their bodies. Itachi made sure to aim for vital organs. Those who still moved were struck in the head with kunai. Man after man charged at Itachi in response, only to join those he already struck down. Within the next several minutes, Itachi and Fugaku were the last ones standing.
"It seems you are not named the leader of the clan without reason," spoke Itachi.
"You will pay for your crimes, Itachi," replied Fugaku, as he took a kenjutsu stance, pulling out his own katana.
Near the entryway to the Uchiha Compound, those who were fighting Itachi had arrived to see several of the buildings on fire. An ominous chakra was in the air surrounding the group.
"What happened here, and what is that chakra!?" shouted one of the men.
"I don't know, I've never felt a chakra like this before!!" shouted another.
"Wait... I know this chakra... it feels like the Kyuubi no Youko!!" shouted a kunoichi.
Another explosion erupted near the group. Those looking on could swear they heard the roar of the demon coming from the flames. A couple of bodies were thrown at the group. Both were severely burnt and brutalized. It appeared as though they were beaten before finally being burned. Out of the flames, Naruto emerged, covered in blood and red chakra.
"It's the demon!!" shouted one of the men, as he desperately threw a kunai at the blond. The child caught the blade, covered it in his chakra, and threw it through the man's head.
"You were the ones from earlier," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
"How... you never fought us back before!?" shouted another one of the Uchiha.
"After fighting the weak over and over again, it is only natural they become stronger. You pushed this child to within an inch of his life, forcing me out. You see, I can't allow this child to die. It's my end if it's his end. If you would have left well enough alone, this would have never happened. Now, the one you called demon has become a demon. You will now suffer the consequences of your actions!!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto.
"Overwhelm him!!" shouted one of the men, as he began making hand seals.
"Yeah, he's just a brat! Let's get him!" shouted another.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" shouted some of the men.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" shouted others among the group.
Naruto was confronted with several fireballs being sent at him at once. As he was a young child, he had yet to be trained in any form of ninjutsu, not knowing a single jutsu. Kyuubi didn't know any jutsu, but she didn't need to. She knew just how to handle the situation. Naruto went on all fours, as a demon chakra fueled roar erupted from the child, deflecting the fireballs launched at the young child. Some of the men were knocked back from the shock wave generated. Naruto pulled back his arm, and thrust it forward. A chakra form in the shape of a claw was sent out. Those in the path of the claw attempted to block it with kunai and katana. The claw hammered through those before it, forcing many of those before Naruto to be impaled by their own weapons. Those using the smaller weapons were the only ones who survived being hit by the chakra form. The claw came back to Naruto, as if being pulled back by some kind of cable. Those who were still up were shocked at what they saw. This child was defeating shinobi like it was nothing. Naruto bolted towards the remaining Uchiha before him. The first man in his path had his face ripped off of his head. Blood splattered onto Naruto's clothes, not that it could be seen, as his clothes were already stained in blood from when he had been attacked earlier. The other men ran in fear, not wanting to take on the "demon child," now that he had the abilities of his demon. Naruto ripped apart the next pair he caught up to, ripping their limbs off their bodies before finally decapitating them. The blood spraying off of the bodies before him began to coat the chakra form surrounding Naruto. As he was bathed in blood, there was a moment when a red, bloody fox appeared to those looking on at Naruto. The remaining Uchiha were paralyzed in fear at the sight. As the blood was burned away by the chakra surrounding Naruto, the young blond bolted towards the clansmen before him. He slammed them into the remains of a shop. Glass and debris flew everywhere. Few were left without injury. Naruto pulled back both of his arms, and thrust them forward, sending out two chakra claws. The remaining Uchiha were skewered one by one, their fear leaving them unable to avoid being hit. There was one Uchiha left, a kunoichi. She knew there was no way she would be able to kill Naruto as he was, so she hoped she could use her charm to calm the child down.
"Young child, there's no more need for violence. You don't have to kill anymore. You've proven yourself. No one will try to harm you anymore. You don't have to fight," spoke the kunoichi.
Naruto appeared to be listening to her, so she decided to continue.
"I'll take care of you myself. I'll make sure no one hurts you. I'll be like the mother you never had," spoke the kunoichi, motioning to embrace Naruto. The young blond brought back his claws, and slowly walked towards the kunoichi.
"Yes! It's working! All I have to do is stab him in the head when he gets close, and it'll be over!" thought the kunoichi, as Naruto got closer to her. Naruto motioned to hug the woman, but did so with his chakra claws, burning the weapon, and causing her to scream out in pain. The two claws picked up the woman, holding onto her tightly, leaving her unable to move.
"You think that will work on me? You go from trying to kill me one minute to wanting to be my mother the next? You act under a false assumption. That may have worked on Naruto, but Naruto isn't the one in control right now. I am. It's unfortunate that I've stained the hands of this child in blood, but it can't be helped. You and your clan brought this upon yourself," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
At the moment, the woman brought her Sharingan eyes to bear on Naruto's slitted eyes. Kyuubi-Naruto was quickly placed in a genjutsu. The child was in a world where he was trapped within a cage. The skies above were crimson as the cage began to shrink. Before Naruto stood the woman who created the illusion.
"Die!!" shouted the woman.
In response, Kyuubi-Naruto let out a surge of chakra, overwhelming the kunoichi, and ending the illusion. Naruto looked up to see the woman was still in his grasp.
"I'm sorry, but your eyes are not nearly powerful enough to control me. In the thousands of years I've lived, I've only ever met one person with such an ability. I shall bring upon you the same fate that lies ahead of him!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto.
The chakra claws around the woman began to tighten, slowly crushing the woman to death. She screamed out in pain as she felt her bones being crushed.
"Please!! Don't kill me!! I was only trying to protect my village from the demon! I'm sorry!!" shouted the woman.
"You only brutalized a child! The 'demon,' as you put it, was put away by your Yondaime Hokage! Now, die!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto.
The woman continued to scream out apologies between her pain. Blood came out of her mouth as her rib cage was crushed. Before long, blood spurt out of the womans body as her broken bones popped out of her body. Blood soaked her clothes as life left her body. Upon seeing her Sharingan disappear, Naruto dropped the woman, and looked down at her body. A single tear fell from Naruto's eyes upon seeing the body of the woman.
"Child, I understand your feelings, seeing as you've never killed before, but remember, this woman did not, and would not give you the same chance you wish you could have given to her. It's kill or be killed, now grow up!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto. All signs of sorrow left Naruto's eyes and the young child bolted through the rest of the compound, killing off any who were left alive. As Naruto got deeper into the compound, he noticed that most were already killed.
"Did someone else have a grudge against this clan? It works out well for me, either way. I suppose I should thank the one responsible," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, as he continued tearing through the Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Itachi! Stop this pointless violence!" shouted Fugaku. At this point, his body was scared from multiple strikes. His outfit was torn and blood soaked. His shoulder was burned, scarring the clan symbol on his shoulder.
"Tou-san, one of us will not survive the night. I don't plan on it being myself," spoke Itachi, as he drew his katana again. At this point, Fugaku had been driven back into his house. Itachi's mother was woken by the noise coming from the living area. She ran into the room to see Itachi delivering a slash across her husband's chest.
"Itachi!!" shouted the woman.
"No! Mikoto, stand back!!" shouted Fugaku.
"You shouldn't ignore your opponent, if even for a moment," spoke Itachi, as he coldly thrust his katana into his father's throat. Fugaku coughed up blood as he turned to face Itachi.
"For... the clan... Itachi... I did everything..." muttered Fugaku, between coughing up blood, as Itachi removed his blade.
"Your actions, as well as those of the council did nothing but bring this clan down. And now you will join in the fate of the rest of the clan," spoke Itachi, as he slammed the end of his katana onto the back of his father's head. Fugaku's skull was cracked from the force of the blow, knocking him out.
"I'll show him mercy. He'll die while he's unconscious," spoke Itachi, as he looked at his mother, pulling up his katana.
"No, Itachi... please... don't do it!!" shouted Mikoto. Itachi moved forward strike, but found himself unable to. Despite everything that had taken place, Itachi found he could not kill his own mother. He tried to swing at her again, only to hold back.
"Itachi..." muttered Mikoto.
An explosion came from the direction of the door. Itachi and Mikoto turned around to see Naruto bursting through the door. Mikoto grabbed a kitchen knife, and attempted to drive it into Itachi's back. Itachi knew what was coming, but couldn't act in time to prevent it. Naruto saw this, and sent a chakra claw into Mikoto's body. Itachi turned around to see blood flowing out of his mother's mouth. She dropped the knife she had, and stumbled forward. Her bloodied body slumped on Itachi. Mikoto moved to hug her elder child.
"Sorry... Itachi..." spoke Mikoto. Naruto ripped the chakra claw out of Mikoto's body, and looked on as her body fell to the ground.
"You hesitate, you die," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, as he looked over at Itachi.
"You... you were the one who was always in the back, never attacking, never striking. You were always there, but you never attacked. Why?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"I don't attack children, and I was under orders," replied Itachi.
"Orders? From who?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
At that moment, a young Sasuke emerged, being woken up by the sound of Naruto storming in. The young child looked on in shock at the demon and his elder brother over the bodies of his parents. A blood soaked katana in Itachi's hand, and blood spattered clothes seemed to answer the unasked question.
"W-what is going on!?" shouted Sasuke.
"Oh, a young Uchiha. I should put him out of his misery," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, as he prepared to deliver a lethal blow to Sasuke.
"NO!!" shouted Itachi, as he grabbed onto Naruto's arm. His hand was burnt by the chakra surrounding it.
"He's my otouto, I'll take care of him," spoke Itachi.
"Very well," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
"No... nii-san..." stuttered Sasuke. Itachi looked into the eyes of Sasuke, and made him relive the murder of the members of the Uchiha Clan. He drew out the scene where he killed Fugaku and Naruto killed Mikoto. Sasuke couldn't take it, and fell to the floor. Sasuke screamed out and tried to pick himself up. After stumbling a couple times, he finally got to his feet, and ran out the back.
"Genjutsu, huh? You're just as bad as me," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, "You're not letting him get away, are you?"
Itachi pursued Sasuke, leaving Naruto and Kyuubi to ponder what had taken place.
"Interesting... he killed off everyone else without hesitation, or so it would seem, and yet he couldn't kill his mother, who almost killed him, or harm his younger brother. He should bury his emotions before they get him into trouble," Kyuubi-Naruto said out loud, before joining Itachi. Naruto found Itachi speaking to Sasuke about hate and fighting him again when he was strong enough. Sasuke ran away as Itachi looked on.
"So you couldn't kill him, could you? You may live to regret this, you know," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
"From how you talk, I assume you are Kyuubi, correct?" asked Itachi.
"Very perceptive. I took over this child's body for the sake of protecting him from death. Now, who gave you these 'orders' you brought up before?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"I did," came a voice from behind the pair. A man stepped towards the pair. The man had somewhat long black hair that was shoulder length and somewhat messy. He wore a mask with striped markings that seemed to direct one to the hole over the man's right eye.
"That voice... I know that voice..." muttered Kyuubi-Naruto.
"Hello Kyuubi," spoke the man.
"You!!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto, as his chakra flared. He attempted to ram a chakra claw through the man, and smiled when it appeared he had succeeded. Instead of reeling in pain, the man only turned to look at Naruto.
"Are you done?" asked the man.
"Die Madara!!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto. His chakra flared again. What appeared to be a second tail began to form out of the chakra. Before it could form, it receded. All of the chakra around Naruto receded abruptly, forcing Naruto to his knees. His slit eyes and pronounced whisker marks remained in place, but his strength left him.
"It seems that's quite the seal in place, holding back your power. I should know. That seal ripped you out of my control," spoke Madara.
"What's with the dumb mask... can't show your face anymore..." spoke Kyuubi-Naruto. He started breathing heavily from the strain of having the demon chakra forcefully pulled out of his body.
"That damned Yondaime Hokage didn't just seal you. Since I bound myself to you in order to control you..." spoke Madara, as he slowly removed his mask, revealing his wrinkled face, one Sharingan eye, and a rotted eye. It appeared as though his left eye had rotted away. Madara replaced his mask, and looked on at Naruto.
"...my eye was sealed away as well, you see," spoke Madara.
"Oh? Isn't that a shame. Too bad for you. I'm actually thankful for the Yondaime. He took me out of your control after you betrayed me," replied Kyuubi-Naruto.
"Bah, I could care less. I may be unable to control you, but you will help me again," spoke Madara.
"Why would I?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"You have no choice. You're weak from fighting that seal for so long. Attempting to pull too much of your chakra out at once has left you as you are right now. Anytime, you could slip into your prison once again, leaving that five year old in charge. How much of a fight do you think he could put up?" asked Madara.
Kyuubi-Naruto had no answer for Madara.
"What did you plan on doing?" asked Itachi.
"What do you mean?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"You killed members of my clan. Did you think over the ramifications of such an action? The villagers hated you before. They'll all try to kill you now," replied Itachi.
"Shit... I didn't give it much thought. It was always Uchiha who led the attacks. I figured the attacks would cease if I killed off your clan," replied Kyuubi-Naruto.
"You'll be placed in an ANBU cell under heavy guard. Your life is over if you try to stay here," replied Itachi.
"He's right. What are you going to do?" asked Madara.
Kyuubi-Naruto thought it over, and concluded there was no answer to be given.
"You could join us," spoke Itachi.
"Who do you mean by 'us,'" asked Kyuubi-Naruto, "If it's just you two, you can forget it. I will never work with that man!"
"Akatsuki," replied Itachi.
"Akatsuki? What is that?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"An organization of S-class missing-nin from the various shinobi villages. An organization I founded," replied Madara.
"Just what do you plan to achieve?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"We plan to take over this world," replied Madara.
"Take over the world? Ha! Don't make me laugh. You could never fulfill such a goal," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto, "Your organization is a joke!"
"It's not a joke. We do have a way to do this. That's where you come in. You and all the bijuu," replied Madara.
"Eh?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"We plan on gathering all the bijuu and using their powers to crush the shinobi nations. That's why I was instructed not to kill you," replied Itachi.
"Oh? And you plan on us happily joining you, no questions asked? Oh, and good luck with those who have jinchuuriki," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
"We didn't plan on you willingly joining us. We can capture the jinchuuriki anytime. The problem is in extracting you from your hosts," replied Madara.
"Not so easy to pull us out, especially with seals such as these. It took most of my strength just to emerge this much for a couple hours," spoke Kyuubi-Naruto.
"We're working on that. We'll likely have to kill all the jinchuuriki, though," replied Madara.
"What!? I won't allow it! This child has suffered enough!!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto.
"Oh, so the great kyuubi does have some sense of compassion? I figured you'd seal your feelings after I broke your heart," spoke Madara.
"You say it so casually. I'd kill you right now if I could!" shouted Kyuubi-Naruto.
"I'll offer you a compromise. You willingly offer us your strength, and maybe, just maybe, we'll look into finding a way to use your strength without having to kill the child," spoke Madara.
"Oh? Why should I believe you?" asked Kyuubi-Naruto.
"You have no choice. We'll take you with us, whether you agree to join us or not. So which is it?" asked Itachi.
"Grr... fine. A chance at life is better than a guarantee of death," replied Kyuubi-Naruto.
"Good, now let's get going before the ANBU make it here. I doubt they'll be away for too much longer," spoke Madara.
"Did you kill those in the north block?" asked Itachi.
"Hai, they're gone. I see that you and the kid have taken care of the rest, except that child. I'll chide you about leaving him to survive later. Let's go, Itachi!" shouted Madara, as he rushed off.
"Can you move?" asked Itachi.
"No... you'll have to carry me. I can't stay out any longer..." muttered Kyuubi-Naruto. Naruto's eyes and cheeks returned to normal. The child fell to the ground unconscious. Itachi picked him up, and fled the village with Madara.
The trio was gone long before anyone could arrive. ANBU charged through the compound, looking to find any sign of those who killed the Uchiha Clan. The only survivor found was Sasuke. He was taken to a hospital while the ANBU continued their search. All they could find were bodies. Madara and Itachi made sure to cover their tracks as they fled.
In his office, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, could only frown at the report before him.
"Members of the Uchiha Clan attacked Naruto, beating him to the point where the kyuubi emerged... and then he disappeared. I wouldn't be surprised if the demon ran amok in the Uchiha Compound, aiding Itachi. I can only hope Itachi hasn't lost sight of his mission in what he has done," muttered the old hokage. He looked over at Mt. Hokage as the sun started to rise. He knew there would be much to deal with on this day.
"We can slow down now," spoke Madara.
"I agree. They won't be able to pursue us, now that we left Hi no Kuni," replied Itachi.
The pair were in Kawa no Kuni, walking along an old path that appeared to have been worn away over time.
"The fact that we're along a road such as this should make it more difficult to track us," spoke Madara.
"So, what are we going to do about him?" asked Itachi.
"I can't say how long the fox will agree to remain with us. It would seem to be a mistake to train him... but... he would make a powerful ally, especially if he learned to control the power of the fox," replied Madara.
"So train him? Very well," replied Itachi.
"W-where am I..." muttered Naruto, as he began to stir.
"Seems this child is awake," spoke Madara.
"I saw... everything... I even helped kill those people... but I don't care... I have to become stronger," spoke Naruto.
"We'll train you, then. You just have to keep the fox in check," spoke Madara.
"Be wary, Madara. This boy thinks as I. He's just as cautious, too," spoke Kyuubi, through Naruto.
"I would listen to her, if I were you... she's scary..." muttered Naruto.
"Child, you need to rest. We'll talk later when you awake," spoke Itachi.
Naruto nodded and drifted back into sleep.
"This should be interesting. I have to wonder how this turn of events will run," spoke Madara.
"I can't say. This is rather unexpected," replied Itachi.
"Indeed. Let's go. Pein is waiting for us," spoke Madara.
A/N: There you have it, the first chapter of my new story. I'm going to try to drop my habit of making a "happy ending" for this one. I'll continue my tradition in explaining the meanings behind names. Kitasu can be spelled as 懐, which is the first character in 懐剣, which means dagger, Kitasu's primary weapon. For those who haven't read "Warriors of the Leaf," Osamu was a member of Akatsuki in Itachi's place, and had a more prominent role. Details can be found on my profile page. Thank you for reading, and please review.