The Beauty of Chance
Imagine a die. A fair die of one hundred trillion faces. To roll a one is the objective. So, you roll. The die rolls and rolls and rolls, but alas, the chance of getting a one is too small. But with determination and a bit of luck, after rolling the die for an eternity, chance finally pulls through. And it's beautiful.
Chapter 1: The Foundations of Friendships
Fear.
This is something which drives most people. Fear of the past, present or future can change people in remarkable ways. Whether those be positive or negative changes are very circumstantial, and it depends on the person or group. Fear affects everyone in the world, no matter how hard people tried to block it out. And the people of Konohagakure were no exception. Every village had its skeletons and bad apples, hidden beneath the rock and earth and stone.
The date was the 10th of October, and it was a very important day to the people in Konoha. It was the Kyuubi Festival. A day where most people celebrate survival and perseverance. The day the people survived the rampage of the demon fox. At the price of their beloved Hokage of course. But still, they survived. The people of Konoha thought themselves to be the greatest survivors the world has ever seen, and they celebrated that with their loved ones. Shinobi thought of their fallen comrades, most wishing their friends a peaceful time in the afterlife. The civilians were a different matter.
Ignorance was a disease among the common populace, and it spread like wildfire. It seeped into the brains of many, in conjunction with fear, and caused them to do things they would not normally do. They did not know all the details of the matter, and they could not discuss it either. Such was the law in Konoha. But that did not stop them lashing out at what they perceived to be evil. And on the 10th of October, the memories were especially too much to bare. Normally, it was just a small group of people venting once every couple of days. A terrible act to be sure, but it was nothing compared to what happened today. Today, was a mob. And they were out for blood.
Naruto Uzumaki's blood. The Fourth Hokage sealed the fox into Naruto. And as Hiruzen rushed back to the Hokage Tower with the boy in his arms on that fateful day, he prayed no one would see. The burning seal on his stomach, the whiskers and the absence of the fox would turn many eyes to the boy if the Hokage slowed down, even for a second. But, someone did see. A Chuunin with sharp eyes and dead comrades noticed the boy, and he saw everything. And before the Hokage could talk to the elders and Councils, word had spread. Of the fox taking human form. Crowds formed, demanding the boy's head in response to the destruction and death they thought he caused. The Hokage had to act quickly. But he had to be reinstated that night, and he had already begun to run down the clock. Hiruzen made a law the next day to forbid people from speaking of it, to end the hate with that generation. The punishment was death, but people didn't care. They needed retribution.
And no-one could help him. The Civilian Council pushed as many boundaries as they could on this day, stepping on the Hokage's toes as much as possible. The Civilian Council served the people, and there was nothing more the people wanted today than blood. Hiruzen was called for meetings about taxes and international relations and clans with said council, and all of the meetings coincided within this one day. The first time Hiruzen realised what the council had pulled after seeing the aftermath, he wanted all their heads on a spike. But the council insisted and the elders quelled the fire in his heart. Hiruzen argued with them for months, nearly approaching them every day to reschedule the important meetings, but they would not budge. While he was in charge of the village to the highest degree, the Civilian Council had lots of influence, and could cause organised damage to Naruto behind the scenes if he refused. So, he sent his ANBU to watch the boy every day, and they did their job to the best of their ability. But there was only so much 4 ANBU could do. Civilians slipped through their radar, or organised trouble elsewhere to make them back off. Of course, the ANBU always caught them in the end and they were punished severely, but the damage kept on being done.
But today? The ANBU had convenient missions, or were dealing with potential threats to the boy elsewhere in the village. Many mobs were put down by the ANBU on this day, but there were just too many. The ANBU could not just go killing the civilians without a good excuse to the Hokage and Shinobi Council, and the Civilian Council mind you; so, putting mobs down took time. And time was all the mob needed to get what they wanted.
As the crowd dissipated and everyone got the worst out of their systems, a blood trail could be seen leading into an alleyway, and sobs could be heard from inside.
There were obvious signs of a fight. There were bins pushed over, blood all over the walls and many sharp objects littered about. The blood trail led further into the alleyway, where a small body lay. With wounds all over his body; two black eyes, a busted lip, cuts that looked like tallies of 5 littered on his arms and legs, and a broken bottle in his stomach; Naruto was in a horrific amount of pain. The boy couldn't even think straight; he could only feel the pain. Each year it got worse, and each year Naruto recovered faster, which made them increase the punishments. Ironic. His body's desperation for survival was its own undoing.
As the boy opened his eyes and looked up at the sky, he could feel the bottle begin to push out his stomach, albeit agonisingly slow. It would take at least ten minutes for it to pop out. He didn't know why it was doing it on its own, but the slowness of it all was killing him. He could not endure this for one more second, let alone 10 minutes. The squelching sounds certainly weren't pleasant either, as steam began to emanate from some of the wounds on his body. Biting his tongue and taking a deep breath in, the boy yanked out the bottle in one swift manoeuvre, throwing it at the wall on his left and shattering it with ease. As he bit his tongue in pain, and blood filled his mouth, the boy quickly started to pass out in shock. His breathing becoming lighter with every beat of his heart. But hey, at least it didn't hurt as much anymore. As he drifted into unconsciousness, he could only think one thing.
'Why?'
The time for unconsciousness was over for Naruto in a flash, as he felt water up to the back of his ears. The dripping of water and the sound of knocking pipes were enough to rouse him from his painful slumber, and he shot up with a gasp. He immediately looked at his body, not particularly caring for his surroundings or how he got to this new area. All his wounds were gone and he didn't feel any pain, making the boy wonder how long he was asleep for such a thing to happen.
"What is this creepy place?" Naruto thought with a sense of dread welling up inside of him, the water splashing as he stood up, "Why is it so dark?"
He was in some sort of circular corridor, and there were broken bars lining the tunnels every 10 metres or so. Before he could contemplate how he even got in a sewer like this one, he heard a loud breathing coming from the corridor on his right. The boy jumped up in fear, shivers travelling up his spine as he stared in the direction of the breathing that was getting increasingly louder. The pipes that lined the walls glowed with a dull red, clearly flowing somewhere down the corridor.
'A monster!' Naruto thought in horror, his eyes widening in fear, 'Everyone always says that monsters live in dark places like this! I didn't believe a word of it but now? And the breathing is so loud! What is it?'
Naruto wanted to turn and run the other way. Away from the scary breathing and sewer. He was alone. He hated being alone. It was all he had ever known. He wanted to see Jiji again. He wanted to see Old Man Teuchi and Big Sis Ayame again. And, not for the first time, he wanted his parents. He wanted to hold them, and for them to reassure him that everything was alright. He wanted to talk to them, eat with them, play with them, cry with them. But, he never will. Naruto walked into the wall behind him and slid down it, bringing his knees up to his chest.
"I'm so alone," Naruto said with a sniffle, lowering his head to his knees and wrapping his arms around his shins.
But all Naruto could hear was the sound of water, and his own cries. How many times had he heard his cries, through day and night. Looking up above his knees at the wall in front of him, Naruto was just glad the breathing had stopped. Maybe he just imagined it, and he was alone with his thoughts and tears.
"Alone?" a loud, deep voice called out through the tunnels, making the ground shake and Naruto's heart freeze, "Don't be a fool…"
Naruto shot up from his sitting position, his breathing becoming frantic and his legs wobbling. Who the hell was that? It was so… terrifying. Naruto tried to steady himself with a hand on his chest, taking a couple of steps back, the water sloshing as he did so. He couldn't have imagined that, could he?
"Come," the voice said, "See how alone you truly are."
Naruto's eyes flashed red, and his curiosity overcame his fear. He slowly walked towards the voice, rounding a corner as he did so. By the time he reached the end of the tunnel, he noticed bins and knives and bottles all over the floor. Towards the end of the tunnel was a small gate that lined the threshold, and it appeared to have been broken open. The bars bent outwards, and the small piece of paper that lined it was soaked on the floor. Hundreds of tallies of 5 lined the walls, as they dripped with blood. Unsettled by the sight of blood leaking from the walls, Naruto rushed through the broken gate and into a large room, with two massive gates in front of him.
The breathing was quite loud here, and seemed to be coming from inside what Naruto deduced to be a cage. Between the two doors of the cage was a piece of parchment, which had the kanji for 'Seal' on it. Naruto stared at the cage with wide eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. As Naruto's eyes adjusted to the new room, he began to see a figure behind the large doors. Naruto could see it was very large and orange for starters, with its mouth on its two large paws. Its red eyes glared at Naruto, and it had its teeth bared, snarling at Naruto. Come to think about it, Naruto thought it looked like a fox. And the more he looked at it, the more he noticed it had nine tails swishing behind its body, all acting independently as if they had a mind of their own.
'Wait…' Naruto thought with an increasing sense of dread, as the fox grinned when he noticed the boy's slow mind realise what he was, 'A fox with Nine Tails…'
"Boo," Kyuubi said with a sadistic grin, making the boy jump out of his skin and on his ass.
"Y-y-you're the…" Naruto stuttered in fear, his mind reeling at the mere presence of the Bijuu.
"The Kyuubi no Kitsune! That's right brat!" the Kyuubi said with a snarl, eying his container with anger.
"But you're dead!" Naruto said with assurance and shock. He knew everything about the 10th of October. How could he not? It was one of the few things he could actually put his mind to, seeing as it caused him so much pain. The day the Fourth Hokage killed the fox demon, the day the villagers got angry and happy at the same time, the day the Fourth Hokage died, and last of all, Naruto's birthday. Although no one celebrated it. Jiji would see him the day before and the day after when Naruto was typically in the hospital, but Jiji never saw him on the day. It hurt Naruto, though he tried to ignore it. Jiji could never seem to see him, no matter how much Naruto begged.
"Do I look dead to you?" the beast roared in anger, making Naruto jump up in shock once more, but with much less fear than before. It was strange, Naruto began to think. It was as if he was used to the fox's presence, but that was impossible! He had only just met the thing!
"The Fourth didn't kill you then? He sealed you away?" Naruto asked, his infamous but unknown Namikaze curiosity getting the better of him. Naruto stared at the seal in wonder, thinking about how the Fourth had time to put the fox away in this cage. Naruto quickly dismissed the thought. The Fourth was his hero and the greatest ninja of all time! Of course he found a way!
"Actually, I'm free to go," Kyuubi said with a snort, making the boy raise an eyebrow in confusion, which the fox noticed easily with his sharp eyes, "Of course he sealed me away, you dumb kid!"
"But how do the people not know the Kyuubi lives underneath the city? You're like, super big!" Naruto chirped, not realising how much he enjoyed talking to people who gave him the time of day. It was both one of his worst yet most endearing habits.
The fox stared at Naruto in shock, before its upper lip twitched. It looked like it was struggling to breath, and its eyes screamed it was about to have the time of its life. Naruto was about to ask what the dumb fox was looking at him like that for, but he was cut off by a booming laughter. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as the room shook, dust falling from the ceiling. The pipes began to glow slightly more red as the laughter continued to echo through the room. Naruto thought about the fox's laugh. It wasn't the most angry or evil one he'd heard before, but he sure as hell heard nicer ones in his life.
"Oi oi, what's so funny?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes, and a pout on his lips. He hated when people laughed at him, but he still preferred it to glares or ignorance. Laughing meant they at least noticed him, right?
The laughter slowly began to die down, and the fox sported a savage grin, clearly eager to let out some of the anger that had been stewing for five years.
"You don't know?" the fox said mockingly, edging his eye close to the bars to get a closer look at the boy.
"No," Naruto muttered, confused as to what the fox was alluding to.
"I'm not sealed under the village brat," Kyuubi began to say, and Naruto began to feel sick, "I'm sealed inside YOU!"
Kyuubi roared the last part angrily, slamming his hands against the bars in a rage. He wanted to feel the breeze against his fur, the ground beneath his claws, and the sun on his body. But he was denied this right! By a boy no less!
'The next time I see an Uchiha, I'll rip their heart out with my bare claws!' Kyuubi thought in a rage, slightly shaking in his infernal anger, 'And if the Fourth Hokage wasn't there, maybe I would be free right now! I mean, he did release me from the Uchiha's prison, but only to trap me in this…child! I swear, Minato Namikaze, I'll break away from this brat and murder every last Uchiha on the planet. You may have earnt my respect; even I couldn't keep up with your speed, but I will break out of here! And your brat is the key! And what can you do? Trapped in the Shinigami's stomach! But now… it's time to lay the framework of my plan!'
Naruto fell to his knees. He may be five, and he may be one of the most reckless, held back geniuses in Konoha; but even he understood what this meant. He had the Nine Tails sealed inside of him! By his hero, the Fourth Hokage no less! Why pick him? He was a nobody, and even more so due to this curse! His fists clenched underneath the waterline. The pipers began to glow even more red, as Naruto felt the urge to break something. What about his family? Why had they agreed to allow him to be... used as a cage for a demon! How could anyone give someone else their son to be nothing but a prison! What kind of parent did you have to be to knowingly give away your child for a fate that was worse than death? Naruto's thoughts shifted from anger to sorrow. From day one, no one wanted him. He was so very alone, in the darkness which surrounded him. He just wanted someone to be there for him! He'd do anything for that! Maybe even give up his dream to be Hokage. Just to relieve him of the pain now, as opposed to years in the future.
Tears started to leak from his eyes and he started to sob, making the fox stop his rage. Maybe he hated humans for their blasted attitude towards him for the last 900 years or so but Kyuubi still had ideals which he held on to. Internally, Kyuubi was also annoyed about the treatment towards his siblings, but you would never catch him saying it out loud. But, in front of him was a child, and while Kyuubi was willing to sacrifice him for his goals without a shadow of a doubt; he still had enough compassion to feel empathy for the boy. Not to mention, Kyuubi detested the treatment the little brat received. Kyuubi decided that he would at least try to be moderately nice to the brat for the time being, seeing as he would die when Kyuubi would break free. Besides, the Bijuu thought with a grin, manipulating the brat would be much easier if Kyuubi helped him out and played nice.
"OI!" the fox said loudly, making the boy look up at him with tearful eyes, "Listen brat, there's no need to cry, right? My container should be much stronger than this! How will you be Hokage if you keep crying?"
Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with wide eyes, which began brimming with more tears. This fox, how did he know? Maybe… he wasn't so bad? Naruto thought back to the most important night of his young life so far, one year ago.
It was a cold night in Konoha, and the moon was shining its reflective light on the Earth, making the trees surrounding the village almost glow. Naruto and Hiruzen sat on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, which the old man knew was Naruto's favourite spot to sit in. The old man appreciated the symbolism of the situation; and as he took a drag from his pipe, he thought fondly of Minato and Kushina.
"Hey Jiji," Naruto suddenly said, as the two had been sitting in a comfortable silence beforehand, "Why do the villagers hate me so much?"
Hiruzen sighed with a furrowed brow. The old man had many, many regrets. But few were greater than the failure at protecting Minato's son better than he could have done. One day, he'll move Naruto into Minato's old compound and tell the whole village about his heritage, if the boy wanted him to do so. Then, maybe the villagers would treat him like the hero he actually was. And looking down at the boy, Hiruzen smiled a fond smile few in the world received from the God of Shinobi.
"You know I can't tell you that until you are older, Naruto"
Naruto looked sadly at the Fourth Hokage's head, and an idea brimmed in the back of the boy's mind. He just wanted the respect of the village, and to receive smiles instead of glares. And he knew no one who was more respected than Jiji. People always said great things about Jiji, no matter what he did.
"Why do people respect you so much Jiji?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, before looking towards the rest of Konoha with a frown.
"Because I am the Hokage, Naruto. Everyone respects the Hokage because they uphold the Will of Fire, and they protect the village and treat everyone like their family."
Naruto's eyes seemed to have a new life in them as he contemplated what the Hokage said, as he began to smile as if he never knew how to smile in the first place. Perhaps that is what he needed all along. A purpose.
"Hey Jiji!" Naruto yelled, standing up and pointing towards the Hokage, making the man look towards the boy with curious eyes, "I've decided something! I'm going to be the greatest Hokage the world has ever seen. Better than you! And even better than the Fourth Hokage! The villagers will respect me, and I will show Konoha I have the greatest Will of Fire they've ever seen y'know!"
Hiruzen stared at the boy with wide eyes, and he could swear he could see Minato standing behind the boy, ruffling his hair with that happy smile of his. Hiruzen began to smile himself, and already his Hokage hat began to itch, as if the man needed to take it off. And honestly, he couldn't wait for that day to come.
"Then I'll be waiting…Naruto!"
Naruto remembered the day with fondness. He truly loved Jiji with all his heart. And the fox was right, he swore to Jiji he would be Hokage! Otherwise, his name wasn't Naruto Uzumaki!
"Hey, Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted, making the fox stare at him after having lied back down, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the future Hokage! I don't know why the Fourth sealed you inside of me specifically, but he did y'know! So, I've got the make the best of it, otherwise I could never become Hokage! I want to protect my precious people y'know!"
"People?" Kyuubi asked with curiosity, wondering if he had missed someone that wasn't the Third or those ramen shop owners.
"Of course!" Naruto said with a grin and a thumbs up, making the Kyuubi stand up on all fours, and stare down at the boy with his tails swishing from side to side, "You know, you're not so bad! So…I've decided you're one of my special people!"
Kyuubi stared at the boy in abject horror and confusion, a foreign feeling welling up inside of him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He couldn't quite place it though. Years of torment and hatred of humans had built up such an evil presence, he had forgotten what a certain feeling felt like. Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock, his brain finally processing what the boy had said. The sheer audacity of that statement was unfathomable!
"OI! You can't just decide that for yourself!" the Bijuu said with a clenched fist and a tick mark on his head, making the boy just laugh with glee. The Bijuu's eyes widened, and his fist unclenched slowly. The feeling sprung up even more now, and the angry fox crushed it in anger. He hated being out of the loop! He was the most cunning and powerful of the Bijuu, with the most tails and intelligence! He hated the unknown with a passion, "Just get out of the mindscape you brat! Just imagine where you were last, and it should pull you out of here! I'll talk to you later, so hurry up and leave before I reach my hand through these bars and tear you in two!"
Naruto just smiled at the fox, before walking away towards where he had come from. The boy then stopped, and turned to the fox with a foxy grin on his face. One very similar to one the fox would sport hundreds of years ago, when his mind wasn't clouded with hatred.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" the boy began, and Kyuubi prepared himself for another Hokage speech with an eye roll. It seemed like it could be one of the boy's stupid ninja arts or something!
"What's yours?"
If Kyuubi had a heart, it would've stopped beating there and then. This brat! He was different to Mito and Kushina! He actually asked for his name! No one ever assumed the Bijuu had names, at least not from what he had seen and heard. Kyuubi began to breathe again, although he was perfectly aware he didn't need to. Kyuubi's feeling came back stronger than ever, and the fox actually managed to crack a small smile without realising. A second later, however, his defence mechanism kicked in and annoyance seeped into his heart. This brat didn't nearly have enough of his respect yet to know his name!
"As if I'd tell a human that!" the fox said, flopping back down with a frown, making the boy look at him with inquisitive eyes, "Just get out of here Kit! Before I get really angry!"
Naruto looked at the fox with a pout, silently vowing to himself that he was going to find out Kyuubi's name, no matter what! He'll definitely think of a nickname for the fox before he talked to him next! He began to walk down the tunnel with a snicker, just happy he made a new friend. Maybe even one of those best friends Naruto had always heard about.
As Kyuubi stared at Naruto's back, he grinned with an almost calculative look on his face. So began the manipulation of Naruto Uzumaki, and the destruction of the Uchiha clan! And his freedom. As the fox went to sleep with a softer smile on his face, recalling the moment his just spent with his Jinchuuriki, he hadn't quite realised how things work with Konoha's future Number One Unpredictable Ninja! Soon, the fox would realise who was truly being manipulated. The old Bijuu didn't even realise he had given the boy an affectionate nickname, it just seemed to roll off his tongue. As Kyuubi went to sleep peacefully for the first time in a while, he had one thought drifting through his head.
'It's Kurama'
Naruto blinked his eyes open, grunting at the light shining through the window. Sitting up in a bed, Naruto began to take in his surroundings. With blue curtains and white walls, Naruto immediately knew he was in the hospital. After all, he had been here numerous times and knew this particular room quite well. This was essentially his hospital room, being the most secure room in the building. It was made for patients who may be targeted while they were there, and as such it was quite a hard room to break into. Naruto wondered how he even got there however, as the hospital would only let him in if he was with Jiji.
"Jiji!" Naruto said in realisation, his head snapping to the left of him to see the Hokage, "You're here!"
Naruto shot out of the bed and tackled the old man out of his chair, wrapping his arms around his neck as his eyes began to well up.
"Jiji, I was so scared!" Naruto began to sob, relieved to see the old man, "They were angrier this year and they all got out knives and then…"
Naruto was cut off by the Hokage patting his head softly, before slowly lowering the boy back onto the bed. The Hokage sat back down in the chair Naruto pushed him out of, and proceeded to stare at Naruto with a soft, relieved smile. Naruto smiled back happily, feeling safe when he was with the old man. From the very beginning, Jiji had always been there for him. And Naruto would always make sure he would be there for him, no matter what!
"It's okay now Naruto," Hiruzen said reassuringly, his mood being lifted by the smile the boy was sporting, having been extremely on edge since his ANBU found the boy, "I'm just very happy you are safe. And those who hurt you have been punished accordingly, so don't worry about seeing them again."
Naruto let out a sigh of relief, glad that those mean people couldn't hurt him anymore. He knew there would be more, but one less was enough for Naruto. As he watched the Hokage begin to ramble about how Naruto should stay indoors on his birthday and that he should know better, the boy's thoughts drifted to the encounter he had earlier. Was it a dream? The boy hoped not, as he greatly enjoyed having a new friend, even if it was a fox demon. He had to know if his friend was still there.
'Kyuubi?' Naruto thought loudly in his head, unnerved by the silence in his head that followed, 'Are you there? Kyuubi?'
"What do you want?" the voice boomed in his head, nearly making Naruto jump through the ceiling, "I was trying to sleep Kit! Just because we finally met, doesn't mean you can disturb my rest!"
Naruto just smiled to himself, rocking back and forth on the edge of the bed. He was so relieved to know the fox was real, his mind focusing on the positives of what he learned as opposed to the negatives. He had one more precious person now, and it made Naruto extremely giddy.
'Look Kyuu! We're in the hospital! And we're okay!' Naruto thought happily, feeling the fox stir in the back on his mind as if he had finally woken up properly. Kurama begun to realise that Naruto was the worst kind of alarm clock. He couldn't even throw him into the wall for heaven's sake! Maybe, the fox thought, he had a snooze function on the alarm? Kurama's thoughts came to a halt as he processed the boy's sentence.
"What did you call me?" the fox said with dread, picking up on Naruto's new nickname for him.
'Kyuu! You won't tell me your real name, and Kyuubi isn't a proper name at all! So, I made you a new name!'
"But I have a name!" the fox thought with a childish frown, not realising he had talked more to Naruto in a day then he had with his whole time with Mito and Kushina.
'But you won't tell me you overgrown fuzzball!' Naruto quickly pointed out in outrage. It was like talking to a brick wall. A fuzzy, angry brick wall that destroyed the village but a brick wall all the same.
"Oi! Just because I didn't tell you my name, doesn't mean you can make a new one for me brat!" the Nine Tails responded in frustration, starting to feel a little annoyed that the torment the boy received had broken open the Mind Contact Seal, "I am the Kyuubi, the greatest of the Bijuu! I can crush you without a second thought, destroy mountains with my tremendous power! People fear me all across the world, my name makes peo-"
'So, can I tell Jiji about you then?' Naruto thought innocently, wanting to let the old man know that he had made a new friend. Jiji couldn't possibly know about the fox, right?
"DON'T CUT ME OFF!" Kyuubi whined, before registering the boy's words in his head, "And no! Trust me kid, I'll never be able to talk to you again if you tell him now!"
Naruto felt a sense of horror well up inside of him. He had just made a new friend, someone who would always be with him from what he could gather. There was no way he was going to lose that, otherwise he would be alone again! Also, he was really fluffy, Naruto concluded. His new friend had everything a person could ask for!
'Okay Kyuu!'
Kurama let out a sigh, knowing he was stuck with that nickname now. He might as well make the best of it. Laying his chin on his paws, the fox could easily say that this was the best Jinchuuriki he'd ever had, not that the bar was that high anyway. While he couldn't wait to get out, it wasn't like this experience was terrible now that he had someone to talk to. He had been very lonely for a while, though he would never admit it, and Naruto was certainly a positive change compared to being staked through all his tails. Now that hurt like a bitch, Kurama remembered with a frown.
"Whatever Kit. I'm going back to bed," Kurama said with a snort, closing its eyes as it went silent for a moment.
'You shouldn't be sleeping like a tanuki y'know!' Naruto pointed out, annoyed the fox was feigning sleep to ignore him. He wanted to do so much with his friend now that they had met, but he couldn't do that if he was being lazy!
Kurama's eyes twitched at the mention of being like a tanuki, and was going to scold Naruto before deciding against it, trying to actually sleep this time. Naruto chuckled to himself and began to look at the Hokage, who seemed to be finishing his talk.
"Did you get all that Naruto?" the Hokage prompted, making the boy nod his head almost too fast, "There's something I forgot to tell you Naruto. Happy Birthday! I haven't got you your present yet. But I want you to come see me tomorrow and ask for anything, within reason of course!"
Naruto's face lit up at the mention of a present and the Hokage's birthday wish, causing Hiruzen to sigh, before ruffling the boy's hair and walking out the room. Naruto jumped out of his bed immediately, threw on the new clothes the Hokage had got for him, and moved towards the window. He hated this hospital with a passion despite all the good it did for him, and he wanted nothing more than to leave it immediately.
Naruto threw open the window and jumped out of it, landing on a nearby roof. Already knowing where he was headed, he jumped onto the street, his knees buckling as he did so. He began to run down the street, laughing all the way to Icharaku Ramen. He finally had a friend, his first friend! Albeit, a giant demon fox that attacked the village and killed many people. But nonetheless, a friend! Naruto's thoughts kept on coming back to this very idea. He couldn't quite wrap his head around it, due to it being such a foreign concept.
The small boy was definitely curious to know more about his precious person, and he sported a grin that seemed to almost glow. He couldn't seem to stop smiling! Kyuu was super cool and super friendly! Not to mention, he acted really funny as well. Naruto giggled as he rounded a corner with a laugh, ignoring the glares from the villagers. He had a friend, and soon, everyone in the village would be his friend too! He's started small with Kyuu, although the fox was very big Naruto had to admit. He wanted to talk to his new friend all the time, to the point his jaw would fall off! Although, the cage was a grim reminder of why the fox was sealed away. For attacking the village. But his friend was so nice, Naruto argued, so why would he do such a thing?
'Hey Kyuu,' Naruto thought to the fox, making him crack open one eye, 'Why did you attack the village?'
"I was forced," the fox simply supplied. He may hate humans, but he'd rather have left to the forest immediately and not looked back on that fateful day. Especially if he knew how fast that annoying Fourth Hokage was. Kurama's mind was still reeling at the sheer speed the man had displayed, and yet he still fell to the mighty demon. Upon remembering that fact, Kurama began to feel a familiar feeling. One that Kurama had felt all his life. The one that reared its head when his mind drifted to his father or siblings. The one that reminded him of his failure to everyone. The one that was guilt.
'Forced?' Naruto thought shocked, making him nearly bump into a person due to his absent mind.
"Watch where you're going!" Kurama said quickly, making the boy laugh obnoxiously in response. Kurama had seen the boy's attitude ever since he could speak, but experiencing it in person was another matter entirely.
'Aren't you like, super powerful? How can someone force you to do that?' Naruto asked inquisitively, trying to figure out the answer. Kurama's chest puffed at that statement, however, memories of the night 5 years ago reeled him back in. Everything came back to that night, no matter how much Kurama tried to forget about it.
"It was a blasted Uchiha!" Kurama said with a snarl, his rage peaking at the mere mention of the clan, "What do you know of the Uchiha, boy?"
'Nothing?' Naruto thought with an embarrassed blush. He didn't want his first friend to think he was an idiot.
"They are a clan that belongs to Konoha. They have an insufferable Dōjutsu called the Sharingan. It has many abilities, but the worst one is 'The Eye of Hypnotism'," Kurama explained, as Naruto listened intently to the explanation as he approached the Icharaku Ramen shop, "This allows them to take control of me or any of my siblings. We have no freedom over our actions. It is…unpleasant."
Naruto frowned at the thought of this. Kyuu had his freedom taken away by so many people, and now he was taking it away from him as well. But, what if someone tried to control him again? It would probably be safer for everyone in the village if Kyuu stayed with him. But still, Naruto thought with sadness as he entered the shop, he wished he could alleviate Kyuu's pain. Naruto's thoughts lingered on his as he burst into Icharaku's with a smile, his sensitive nose already smelling the ramen.
"Hey!" Naruto said, leaping on one of the chairs in a single jump, smiling at Teuchi with happiness. The old man was one of the better things in Naruto's life, that much was for certain.
"Naruto!" Teuchi said, making Ayame poke her head through the door with a smile, "How have you been?"
"Good!" Naruto said, rocking in his chair and holding up his hand with all his fingers open, "I'm five now!"
"Five years old! Well, happy birthday Naruto!" Teuchi said with a fond smile, happy to see his favourite customer happy. The boy really was something special, he concluded, and he definitely seemed to make the store have a certain glow.
Naruto just laughed to himself, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. He was very glad he had met Teuchi and Ayame, when Jiji had taken him there every month for a special meal. No matter what, Jiji always showed up and ate with him. Up until now, this one building has held most of Naruto's good memories, and that was a debt the boy believed he could never repay. Naruto watched as Teuchi leaned in towards him with a grin on his face.
"What do you say, as a secret birthday gift, you can have ramen on the house today?" Teuchi said with a chuckle, making Naruto's eyes widen in happiness. He couldn't believe it! This day might be the best one he's ever had!
"OF COURSE!" Naruto shouted in joy, making Teuchi laugh boisterously, "6 Pork Miso Ramen please!"
Teuchi walked over to the kitchen with a smile, ready to cook up the boy's order with Ayame. He didn't need payment, not today. Seeing Naruto bounce on his chair with the biggest grin on his face was all he needed.
Naruto watched as Teuchi walked into the kitchen, and proceeded to enter his mindscape. He wanted to tell Kyuu all about the free ramen he just got. Naruto imagined himself in front of Kyuu's cage, and there he was. Ankle-deep in water, staring at the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts.
"HEY KYUU!" Naruto shouted, making the fox crack open an eye lazily. He seemed to do that a lot, Naruto realised. Maybe it was a fox thing?
"What do you want?" Kurama asked curiously. He was going to scold the boy for leaving the conversation about the Uchiha so suddenly, but seeing the smile on the Kit's face, he couldn't stay that angry at him. The boy was easy to get along with, at least more so than any other humans he had close contact with in the past. Also, it was hard to manipulate the boy if he was angry at him. Besides, he said what he needed to say about those insufferable Uchiha.
"Well, I went into Icharaku's Ramen to get some ramen, right? And you just told me about those mean Uchi-guys or whatever!" Naruto began to babble to his friend, and the fox continued to stare at the boy with a neutral expression.
"And then I told Teuchi about my birthday! I'm five now! You know that right? Of course you do! Wait, does that make you five? Actually, how old are you? Are you actually a grumpy old man? That would be funny right? Anyways, I was thinking about what ramen I wanted! There were just so many choices to pick from y'know! I know so many different kinds of ramen that my head hurts anytime I think about which one I want!"
". . ."
"But I mean, I'll eat any kind of ramen! Champon ramen, Tonkotsu ramen, Turkey Paitan ramen, Kimchi ramen…"
". . ."
"Of course none of those are my favourites! I mean, I have one I'll order every time, no matter what! You see, I personally like-"
"Pork Miso Ramen, right?" Kyuubi supplied naturally and casually, noticing that that's what the boy always ordered. But, Kurama thought quickly, he only remembered that now because he needed it to secure the boy's friendship. Kurama seemed happy with this explanation he gave himself, and turned his attention to the boy.
"Hey! You did know! You're awesome Kyuu!"
The fox grinned, ready to sink his claws further into the boy. That was the end goal no matter what, Kurama thought determinedly. But, his mind quickly supplied, surely the road they took to get there was less important, right? If Kurama enjoyed talking to the boy and made him happy, well that was just convenient of course.
The end goal was all that mattered, Kurama thought; but surely if he made the boy smile by paying attention to him and making sure he was okay, it wouldn't harm his plans. Yeah, Kurama justified in his head; as a grin made its way onto his face, similar to Naruto's one. It definitely didn't matter if he smiled with the boy along the way.
"We're friends, right?" Kurama asked, watching as the boy's face lit up like a forest fire, "Of course I would know!"
"You're the best Kyuu!" Naruto cheered, throwing his fist in the air with a cute smile. Naruto seemed to stop for a moment, as if he had just remembered something.
"Hey Kyuu!" Naruto asked, and the fox raised his head off his paws to look at him, "Is there any way for you to walk around in the real world?"
"Of course not!" Kurama replied with an edge of sadness to his voice, "Not without breaking open the seal entirely, which I know you won't do! Stop asking stupid questions Kit!"
"Oh yeah," Naruto said with a frown, his mind racing to help his friend, "Hang on…I once saw Jiji summon a talking monkey-thing after biting his thumb and touching the ground! You're a talking animal too! You think I could do something like that for you? So, you stay in here and part of you walks about. Would that work?"
Kurama's eyes widened in shock. Never would he have expected that idea to be presented to him. He didn't even know if the boy could figure it out, let alone if it was actually possible. The Kit was willing to go to such great lengths to bring the fox any sort of freedom. Kurama's mind started to work. How could they even go about doing this? Kurama knew enough about fūinjutsu to know how to break the Eight Trigrams Seal. You don't spend nearly 100 years with the Uzumaki Clan and not pick up fūinjutsu. But still, to bypass the seal in such a way as to allow him to walk freely without escaping; that would require a master to figure it out.
"What makes you think you can figure something like that out?" Kurama pointed out, dying to hear the kids answer. Perhaps, the fox had underestimated him after all.
"Because I'm making a promise! That's my Ninja Way! I will figure it out, even if I have to practise less as a ninja to do it!" Naruto said, looking determinedly at the fox.
Kurama couldn't formulate any words. This kid was willing to go further for him than anyone had in his whole life! Who the hell was this brat anyway! Memories of a time long past hit Kurama like a wave, and the Tailed Beast forgot about his need to escape for that brief moment.
'Could he be…the one the Old Man talked about?' Kurama thought in shock, looking at a smiling Naruto. He had to figure this Kit out, before it was too late.
"Why would you help me? I'm a Tailed Beast, a demon! I destroyed this village and murdered hundreds, whether I was in control or not!" Kurama said quickly, wanting to prove that Naruto was just trying to use him like the rest of the humans he had encountered.
Naruto tilted his head and proceeded to look at Kurama with one of his signature looks. The look that screamed Kurama had said something entirely obvious and was acting like an idiot. Naruto did have a funny way of looking at the world, but it was the one that would lay the pathway to peace.
"Because," Naruto began, making Kyuubi nearly press his head into the bars in an attempt to listen, "You're my friend!"
Kurama stopped. Everything about him stopped. He had never met a human like this, and he doubted he ever would again. Without him realising, Naruto began worming his way into his heart. Kurama's trust in the Sage that someone would appear to reunite the Tailed Beasts was absolute, and when he saw Naruto, he couldn't help but be an idealistic fool. Immediately, that part of Kurama sank into the back of his mind. It was much more prominent, but only talking to the boy for a day could not vanquish hundreds of years of hatred.
'He's serious!' Kurama thought, a smile etching its way onto his face, 'But actions speak far louder than words! He hasn't proven himself yet, that's for sure. We will see…'
"Anyway!" Naruto said with a smile, "I'd be a terrible Hokage if I couldn't help my first friend right? So, I'm gonna finish my ramen and then go to the library! Then, I'm gonna study fūinjutsu and help you see the world for yourself! I'll be a seal master y'know! The best one ever, along with the best Hokage!"
Naruto left the mindscape with a cheer, immediately digging into the ramen that was in front of him. He was determined to help Kyuu, no matter what! Besides, fūinjutsu was a ninja art right? That means that if he wanted to be Hokage, he would have to be the best at it anyway. His blood seemed to stir at the thought of learning sealing. It was as if he was made to do it. Pretty convenient, the boy thought with a grin, that he liked the idea of learning it so much.
Naruto finished his ramen quickly, beating his speed record for eating 6 Miso Ramen bowls by 1 minute. The boy shot out from his chair like a spring. This day somehow kept on getting more awesome, no matter how little he tried. Naruto ran through the door of the ramen shop, before shooting down the street towards the library.
"You idiot. Forgetting something?" Kurama asked with an exasperated sigh, and Naruto froze, sliding down the street a couple metres. Kicking up dust and making lots of noise, the whole street glared at the young boy in fury. Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh, before running back and popping his head through Icharaku's doorway.
"Thanks so much, Teuchi and Ayame!" Naruto shouted, making the two look at Naruto with a smile, "It's been the best birthday gift this year!"
The two smiled happily at the boy, before waving him off with grins and asking him to come back soon. Naruto ran back into the street, but this time, the glares seemed to be a lot worse and the villagers were whispering to each other. As if they were plotting something. Naruto, being a master prankster, knew when people were plotting. He knew they weren't scheming. Scheming looked much different to plotting. So, he decided it would be best if he avoided the street entirely.
Naruto jumped onto a nearby roof with all his might, catching the ledge and slowly heaving himself up. Naruto just turned five, and while his parents were legendary shinobi and the fox had influence on his physical prowess as well, Naruto struggled to pull himself up. With a grunt, he shot up, scraping his knees against the rough ledge as he did so. The boy ignored the pain and started running over the rooftops, jumping between the small gaps in the buildings. He couldn't wait to get into the library and study fūinjutsu!
"So, we're just not going to tell them that their present was the only one they gave us and therefore, it is the best?"
'I would argue the villagers gave me a pretty bad one actually Kyuu,' Naruto thought with a grin, making the fox snort in amusement.
"No wonder I hate humans! You guys give the shittiest presents!" Kyuubi barked, making Naruto frown as he leaped over a particularly large gap between two buildings. While the statement held amusement, he could feel the underlying hatred in the fox's tone.
'One day, I'm going to get rid of the hatred in your heart Kyuu!' Naruto thought with determination, not realising he was well on his way to doing so.
"Not likely!" Kyuubi replied, seeing the world though Naruto's eyes currently, "Watch your left foot Kit!"
Naruto pulled his left foot off the roof he was running along. He hadn't noticed the hole that would've tripped him up had Kyuu not pointed it out. Naruto grinned in happiness. Having a friend to look out for you sure was great!
Naruto looked towards the horizon as he saw a particularly large building with three large towers, in the shape of a fork. Each tower was at least 20m in diameter, and they were painted white with fire curling around each one. Between each tower was a wooden bridge that was 3m wide, and Naruto could see people crossing or standing to get fresh air. This was the Konoha Shinobi Library, one of the oldest buildings on the entire continent as far as shinobi buildings went. Inside this building were Shinobi scrolls and notes and guides; with some that predated the time of Hashirama Senju and Konoha itself.
Naruto noticed a large gap between the building he was standing on and the next set of buildings that would get him to the library. Naruto took several steps back and took a deep breath in, hopping between each foot. His mind began to fill with determination, as his eyes seemed to light up like a fire.
"I can do this! I CAN DO THIS!" the boy encouraged himself, seemingly getting more energetic with each hop.
"You can't do this…"
"Thanks Kyuu! Great inspirational speech there," Naruto grumbled under his breath, thankfully not alerting the ANBU shadowing him that he talked to someone named 'Kyuu' who they could not see, "I've got this y'know!"
Naruto sprinted to the edge of the building and leaped off it, cheering as he did so. Is this what it felt like to be a ninja? Jumping great distances with ease, looking super cool as he did so. Naruto however, quickly lost altitude and started falling towards the ground. Which part of being a ninja was this again?
"What is it you humans say? I told you so was it?" Kurama said teasingly, making Naruto's eyes narrow in annoyance.
'Kyuu, you can be so mean sometimes!' Naruto thought with a mental frown, making the fox laugh as he had done earlier. Naruto turned his eyes to the street, only just noticing that he was about to crash into a girl holding her mother's hand.
"HEY!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the girl's attention who seemed to look in every direction for the source of the voice, before looking upwards and seeing what seemed to be a flying boy, "GET OUT THE WAY!"
The girl's face paled as she let go of her mother's hand in shock, as Naruto crashed into her and the two proceeded to roll to the edge of the street and into a large patch of grass, which was on the edge of the Konoha Library Park. The mother gasped in shock as she ran towards the two, wanting to see if both children were okay.
Naruto quickly burst through the small dust cloud the two kicked up with a growl, looking towards the girl with slightly guilty eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt anyone. He was just excited, that was all!
"Sorry about that y'know…" Naruto said with a frown, as the girl's mother approached the two with worried eyes. She didn't seem to be angry at the boy at all, who's guilt was easily seen in his posture.
"Satsuki! Are you okay?" she asked, as she watched her daughter brush her skirt with a sigh before looking up at the boy who just crashed into her with slightly narrowed eyes.
Naruto's eyes widened. She had long black hair that reached down to her shoulders, which seemed to almost shine in the sun. She had a small, cute nose which rested on her beautiful face. Her dark, coal black eyes seemed to suck Naruto in, like they were black holes pulling in all the light they could get. Naruto was shocked. This was one of the first times he had seen a girl his age up close, as most ran away from him immediately as soon as they recognised him.
'She's really pretty…' Naruto thought, making Kurama grin fondly, 'Is she some kind of angel or something? Are all girls like this?'
"Oh? Does the little Kit have a crush?" Kurama asked mockingly, only to get no response from the boy who kept looking at the girl called Satsuki in shock, "I've never seen you this captured before. I always thought nothing could take your annoying voice away! If she can do this to you, I'm starting to like her already!"
Naruto quickly scanned the girl's body, as if looking for injuries that he may have caused her. He didn't want to feel guiltier than he already did, let alone with someone who didn't run away from him!
Mikoto, the girl's mother, smiled as she watched the boy's gobsmacked face when looking at her daughter. No one really gave Satsuki the time of day, as she was from a royal clan and as such, boys were too scared to approach her. To be honest, Satsuki had few friends inside the clan, and next to none outside the clan. She was only a title to most people, never a person. But this boy, he was different. And the grin he was sporting gave Mikoto the strangest feeling of nostalgia, although she had no idea why.
"I didn't hurt you, right?" Naruto asked quickly, looking even more guilty than before. The girl smiled brightly at Naruto, who was even more captured by her bright smile. Smiles were an easy way to get Naruto to like you, as the boy hadn't received many in his life so far.
"No," Satsuki quickly supplied, her voice light-hearted and almost happy in a way, "You didn't hurt me at all. Are you okay?"
"Of course!" Naruto said boisterously, making Satsuki smile at him happily. The boy was different to the the others, and it was easy to smile when he did, "I'm super tough!"
"Really?" Satsuki said curiously, grinning up at the boy who was slightly taller than her. Her blood screamed at her to fight a worthy opponent, but she fought back the feeling quickly, "Why were you jumping from the roof anyway?"
"I was heading to the Shinobi Library," Naruto explained, hearing Kyuu laugh at him in his head, making the boy pout internally, "I kinda didn't look before I leaped, y'know! I tend to do that a lot!"
Naruto proceeded to laugh, making Satsuki stare at him with wide eyes. It was a happy laugh, she concluded, which fitted well with his happy face. Most of her family didn't smile a lot, and the villagers always had fake smiles around her. His piercing blue eyes reminded Satsuki of the ocean, and how deep and cool it was. His blond hair was eye-catching, and the girl was in awe at the way it stuck up in several directions. How did he manage to get it to do that, she thought. Also, Satsuki was curious about his whisker marks. They were pretty amazing, she thought, but why did he have them? Was it a clan trait, similar to the Inuzuka?
As Naruto continued to laugh more, Satsuki proceeded to join with him, making Mikoto smile at the two fondly. Her daughter tended to only laugh around Itachi or herself, so this was a pleasant change for the woman.
"We were heading there as well!" Satsuki suppled after having stopped laughing, making Naruto look at the girl with a raised eyebrow, "You can come with us if you like!"
Naruto regarded her statement with wide eyes, before a grin began to make its way onto his face. He had maybe made a new friend, one who was his age! This was great! His life was really turning around for the better!
Satsuki watched as the boy continued to grin, but then, as if the boy was scolded, the grin quickly vanished into something more sad. The boy looked up at her mother in fear, as if he was dreading something.
"As long as that's fine with your mum," Naruto mumbled, kicking the dirt with his foot lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Mikoto stared down at the boy sadly, wondering why the boy was so sad. She seemed to have forgotten why, but she knew she had learnt it at some point. Mikoto shook those thoughts away, regarding the boy with a soft smile. Satsuki looked up at her with a happy smile, looking at her mother expectedly.
"Of course!" she said, making Satsuki jump up with a cheer and for Naruto to look at her with a massive smile with an edge of shock in his eyes, "My name's Mikoto by the way. What's your name?"
Mikoto held out her hand for the boy to shake, which he did vigorously with a laugh. Mikoto smiled with her eyes closed. This boy was too cute!
"My name," Naruto began, making Mikoto open her eyes to look at him, "is Naruto Uzumaki!"
Time stopped for Mikoto and it was if someone had punched her in the stomach hard. The two children didn't notice at all, too engrossed in their conversations to pay attention to Mikoto. This kid, how could she have been so blind? He was her late best friend Kushina's son. And not only that, but that also means that he was-! Mikoto gasped quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.
'That poor child! Kushina, I'm so sorry!' Mikoto thought in agony, once again mourning the loss of her best friend. When she had found out, it was devastating for the woman. She locked herself in her room for a week and barely ate. Only little Satsuki and Itachi managed to rouse her from her slump. Not only that, but she knew Minato quite well as well. His loss from a personal and village standpoint, also ached her heart to this day. And here in front of her was the only thing left in the world to carry on their hopes and dreams. Mikoto decided that she would try to look after the boy to the best of her ability, for Kushina and Minato's sake.
"I've introduced myself," Naruto said confidently, making the girl smile at him, "Can you tell me your name?"
"Of course I can," she said with a giggle, smiling with her eyes closed in happiness, "My name is Satsuki Uchiha!"
And inside his head, Kyuubi roared in pure, unbridled anger.
Yo!
I decided to write a Naruto fic, cause why not? I strayed away from writing a Naruto story for a while for several reasons to be honest. Firstly, it's hard to make an original story for this fandom (or maybe I'm a bad writer XD). I started with a mob scene, Naruto makes friends with Kyuubi, etc. But that's the way it turned out in the end. I mean, I'm going to deviate from the canon and stuff, but I would hardly be surprised if this story was already on the site, word for word. Secondly, I'm not as familiar with Naruto as I am with One Piece, so it's harder for me to do good story planning if I'm not 100% familiar with all the lore. I kinda have gaps between the Gaara rescue mission and when Naruto fights the resurrected Jinchuuriki.
Moving swiftly on however, for those few who already know me, good to see you. For those of you who are new, welcome! I hope you enjoyed reading this first chapter. Please feel free to leave reviews or PMs about this story and my writing style! I love criticism and honesty. So, if it's a flame, that's welcome as well!
For those before mentioned few who already know me, chapters of Changing One's World and Revisionist Destiny are being made, and will be released after my exams are over!
Also, you have no idea how hard it was for me to pick a name for fem!Sasuke. In the end, I went with the one that is used in the story called Uzumaki, which I highly recommend you read if you haven't. It's far better than my shitty attempt at a Naruto story I assure you!
I hope you enjoyed reading this story, and I hope you stick around for more!
This is, TheHumulisScriptor, signing out!