aSTRAY - Chapter 1: Cold Blue Eyes
"If your life has no purpose, then you're already dead," -Kiba [Wolf's Rain]
I
Let's start from the beginning, shall we? I guess when that sign fell, that's when things started. I could never resist my stupid hero complex. It just felt natural, I guess. Even now, years later, I still have such a noble head, and won't refuse any kind of call for help. It's one of the only things, really, that I share with my dobe persona. You might be thinking, what am I talking about? What dobe persona? I'm not the stupid dead last you've always known. I'm not loud, I'm not obnoxious, I'm not like anything you've always thought of me. The mask was a shield, and yet, as Kano said, it attracted people. It was one of my hidden abilites, people naturally flocked to me. Well, once they got over the oversized rabbit living in my head.
But why a mask? What the hell would make me need one in the first place? To truly understand, you would have to be Gaara, the one-tailed Tanuki, from Suna. You would have to be Yugito, the two-tailed Demon Cat, from Kumo. You would have to be me, the nine-tailed Kyuubi no Kitsune. We are jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice. We are powerful. We are cursed. We are feared. And you'll never understand that.
I used to be confused by all these events. But at 7 years old, this was the age of acceptance, when I finally decided to accept everything that would happen to me. I guess that's why I could get over things quickly.
But there are still some things I'll always deny.
- Naruto
~xXx~
A small 7 year old boy was running clumsily down the alley, his dirty sandals stepping over large puddles, the splashes numbing his feet to the bone. Heavy raindrops drilled onto his normally spiky blonde hair, the ends weighed down with water, dripping from his bangs into his eyes. Those large, brilliant blue eyes darted from side to side, searching endlessly for a shortcut, a pathway, anything to get them off his trial.
He was being tailed. It was a normal occurrence for him, but this time, he might not be able to get away. Since they happened a lot, he used to have a bodyguard, he called him Idiot-san because he, to put it bluntly, really sucked at his job. The boy suspected that he was doing it on purpose, and learned never to depend on him.
Usually, he was able to hide until they left, but now… There were chunin and jounin following him too. All of his tactics, and hiding spots were quickly discovered and there was only one place left to go to. The Hokage tower….
Would he make it?
Naruto, for that was the boy's name, ran faster, spurred on by desperation. Suddenly, he slipped on the slick, muddy grass, falling heavily onto the ground. He lay there, his breathe ragged, thinking of what happened to led up to this.
It just… didn't make sense….
FLASHBACK:
Naruto was walking down the road, his gama-chan in his pocket. Whispers followed him, as even now he was drawing in attention.
A large, slightly fat man purposely shoved into his shoulder, the force knocking him to the ground. "WATCH IT, BRAT!" he growled. Naruto plastered a huge grin on his face, which only seemed to annoy him further.
"Sorry, sorry," Naruto piped up, with politeness. "I wasn't watching where I was going." The conversation seemed to attract people, who kept shooting glances at the pair. The man gave him one last dark look, before stomping past him, managing to step painfully on his foot on the way. Naruto kept smiling at him, seemingly not bothered in the least by the pain.
Suddenly, two small blurs bumped into him, and they all crashed into the ground. Bemused, Naruto rubbed his head gingerly before looking at the person, no, two kids, in front of him. They were only around 4 years old, and were wearing bright red beanie hats over their brown hair.
They scowled at him for interrupting what was probably a game of tag, before running off again. Rolling his eyes at their rudeness, Naruto picked himself off the ground before walking off.
"AAAAAH!!!"
Eyes widening, Naruto snapped his head towards the scream, his smile immediately disappearing. Above the Konoha bookstore, a enormous wooden sign, bearing the words, 'Blue Serein,' had broken off from the rooftop, falling at a breakneck speed towards the two kids he had bumped into. The villagers around him, mostly only the elderly, and kids, screamed warnings at them, who were too engrossed in their game to pay attention.
The world seemed to go in slow motion, as Naruto raced over there. His hero complexion took in the facts: 1. There were no ninja around the marketplace in the mornings, meaning no one else was going to save them. And 2. With only small stubby legs, he wasn't going to make it in time.
Naruto stubbornly denied the facts, he had to save them!! Blue eyes stared desperately at the falling sign. Why couldn't it just go away!!? Pushing aside shocked people, he screamed.
"STOOOPP!!"
The sign disappeared in a swirl of black threads, before Naruto fell into unconsciousness.
~xXx~
"I think he's waking up…."
Naruto groaned. Why was he feeling a pounding headache? He reluctantly opened bleary eyes, staring up at a nearby blurry object obscuring most of his vision. Slowly, his vision cleared, revealing the worried face of the Sandaime.
The Sandime shooed away the nurse, before turning back to Naruto.
"Naruto? How are you feeling?" The Hokage asked in a worried tone.
Naruto blinked, before glancing at the surroundings. He was in fluffy white bed, and the room smelt of antiseptic. He was in a hospital.
Naruto turned back to the Sandaime. "Ow," he piped up bluntly. He was rewarded when Sarutobi chuckled, his face visibly relaxing.
"Do you remember what happened, Naruto?" he asked.
Naruto shook his head, immediately regretting it as it sent new waves of pain into his head. Seeing Naruto's grimace, Sarutobi continued in a gentler tone.
"You suddenly collapsed in the middle of the street… The doctors said it was severe chakra exhaustion…" he continued in a more serious tone. "Do you know why?"
"Chakra…?" Naruto asked slowly in confusion.
"It's the energy source of our bodies," Sarutobi explained.
Naruto nodded his head, slowly this time, in understanding. Slowly, the memories came back to him. The sign…. What exactly happened? His mind raced over the possibilities, although none of them made much sense. He glanced up to see Sarutobi's expected face, and realized he was suppose to say something.
"Are the lil' people okay?" Naruto asked suddenly, waving his arms in a panic.
'Lil' people?' Sarutobi echoed in amusement. "Do you mean the two little boys who told me that you were lying down in the middle of the street? Why wouldn't they be?"
"Huh…? What happened to… ah never mind," Naruto faltered, looking up at his only parental figure in his life. His eye threatened to twitch uncontrollably. How could they NOT be? They were almost hit by a frikin' 10 metre long sign!!!
Sarutobi sighed worryingly, and Naruto felt a pang of guilt for making oji-san come all the way to the hospital to visit him, forgetting for a moment what he was going to ask. The feeling felt really odd though, like it was a foreign feeling. Before he could ponder that, Sarutobi stood up slowly, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"I have to go now, Naruto, come visit me when you feel better, okay?" he said with a small smile, before leaving out the door.
Naruto stared at his retreating back before snuggling into the bed, trying to ignore the steady pounding in his head. Chakra exhaustion sucked. Soon, only the pitter patter of the rain hitting the window was heard, and Naruto fell into a light slumber.
~xXx~
"Get. UP!"
Naruto opened his eyes, as he was roughly awakened by a pair of hands forcibly shaking him in consciousness. Looking up with groggy eyes, he saw the nurse that was here earlier with oji-san, sneering down at him with utter disgust.
Nodding obediently, he quickly got off the bed, changed, and was practically shoved out of the room. Still slightly sleepy, he walked clumsily down the empty hall. Naruto, with a panicked jolt, realized the time, it was around midnight and pouring outside.
Naruto felt a ping of dread rise up in him. The nurses had released him at this time for a reason, the drunken villagers. For some reason, the villagers always thought of him as dangerous at night time, and every night, Naruto had to avoid going outside at this time because if he got caught by them…. Well, it would be really unpleasant.
But it wasn't like he was evil, it wasn't like he was a demon or anything.
….Right?
Sure enough, as he took only 5 steps out of the hospital, he heard shouts coming in his direction.
"THERE HE IS!!"
"OVER HERE PEOPLE!!"
Swearing profusely, a trait that he had gotten from many drunken people, he ran the opposite direction, taking random turns in hopes of losing them.
Running down the deserted street, he found himself in the same place where he lost consciousness. Suddenly, he skidded to a halt, eyes looking in disbelief above the Konoha bookstore. The sign wasn't there, it didn't even look like it was placed there in the first place. Like it didn't even exist….
In fact, Sandaime didn't look like he knew that the sign had miraculously disappeared… The two kids had told Oji-san that he had only collapsed, and not that he was racing over there to save them… What the heck was going on??!
Angry voices reached his ears again, and Naruto broke out of his thoughts, and ran off again.
xXxXxXxXxXx FLASHBACK OVER xXxXxXxXxXx
He was surrounded. They were all shinobi, their forehead protectors proudly bearing the Konoha symbol. Their breathe stank of alcohol and their expressions were twisted into triumphant sneers. In short, stereotypical drunken men.
"We all heard of what happened, demon-spawn…" one of them sneered menacingly, slowly licking the blade of a kunai grasped in his hand.
Naruto's eyes widened a little. The man was a chunin, with the common brown hair and brown eyes of most of the villagers. But most importantly, were his blood shot eyes, his hair tied into a messy loose ponytail, and the fact that he recognized him. It was his bodyguard, Taichi, also known as Idiot-san.
"My kids saw it… Your cursed eyes were turning red as you were glaring at them!!" One screamed down at me in a panicked voice.
"We shouldn't have put so much trust in Hokage-sama!! It's time… YOU DIE!!" Five men charged at the small boy, his eyes shut tightly.
~xXx~
Jiraiya sighed in contentment. It was the time. After many years, he had finally finished his newest novel, 'Icha Icha Paradise,' He had a feeling that this one would launch him to stardom. Why, even the pouring rain wouldn't crush his spirits right no-
CRASH
A small kid bumped straight into him. He looked scared, and was breathing harshly. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. Where were this brat's parents and why would he be let out as such an hour? And besides, what kind of a kid bumps into someone on a deserted street?!
The kid looked up at him, his red eyes widening in recognition under the blue cap he wore. From the Yuhi clan? Jiraiya mused silently.
"Jiraiya-sama!!" the kid exclaimed in awe. Jiraiya felt a large grin form on his face. Ah, so even the brats of Konoha has heard of the great toad sannin?
"Jiraiya-sama…. Boy… blood…. Screaming….." the kid babbled in a panicked voice. The grin faltered a bit as Jiraiya took an actual look at him. The kid was probably around 5 years old, and wearing a blue cap over black hair and red eyes. With his wide eyes, and ragged breathe, he looked like a genin after his first kill.
"Speak up, gaki," Jiraiya said firmly, placing his hands over the kid's trembling shoulders.
"There's…" the kid said, his voice shaky. "B-back near the marketplace alleys… There was a boy my age… He was getting b-beat up by drunken villagers!!! Blood… everywhere…" Jiraiya felt the beginnings of unease in him. Drunken villagers? A boy…?
"What was his hair color?! Tell me!!!!" Jiraiya demanded, looking straight into the kid's large eyes.
"I-I'm not sure… But I think it was a bright yellow.."
The kid yelped in shock as Jiraiya disappeared in a sudden gust of wind. His tearful red eyes followed the quickly retreating figure. After a few seconds, the kid straightened up, his breathe suddenly becoming normal again. His once frightened eyes were shadowed in the cap he wore. It was like he was an entirely different person.
With a sudden rush of speed impossible for one his age, he slammed a fist into the wall next to him, the stone crumbling easily under the assault, leaving a bare hole. He disappeared.
~xXx~
Fear. Dread. Panic. Pain. Hopelessness. Anxiety. Pain. Despair. Pain.
But most of all, there was pain.
He wasn't very fond of the color red. It reminded him of many things during his childhood. Memories of the agonizing sound of blades ripping through flesh, sadistic smirks seen through hazy eyes, lonely minutes, days, nights, years…
No, he did not like the color red. Yet it defined him. It covered him.
If there was a list of memories he could never forget, numbering 1 to 5, this one would be number 5.
Naruto coughed out blood from his mouth. They surrounded him, their eyes full of satisfaction. It used to be ignorance, hidden contempt, but now…. They really wanted to kill him.
He was strung up on his hands onto the wall by kunai, the blade so sharp, it dug into his hands with his every movement. A cruel parody of the crucifix. Bruises littered his small body, and his hair was matted with so much blood, it was hard to distinguish the yellow from the red. The once white shirt was tattered, revealing shiny raw burns on his shoulders, and arms.
A single deep slash went through his ribs, deep enough to show the white bones gleaming in the moonlight. Some of the broken ends and flesh were blackened black and burnt, so that he wouldn't bleed to death. Naruto was breathing shallowly, his life leaving him with every exhale.
"This. Is. For. My. SISTER!!" Drawing a katana, the man advanced on the hanged Naruto, and slowly began peeling the skin off his fingers, one by one, a grimy hand muffling his screams.
"Not so powerful, now, AREN'T YOU?!" Spit hit his face, mingling with the blood.
"Hahahahaha, look at the abomination bleed!"
Naruto looked up, his brilliant blue eyes, the only color other than red on the child, staring unblinking at them. A shiver went through the drunken men, sobering them for a moment. Those eyes were full of pain, and despair, a sin to have on a child.
"You know what…?" Naruto said slowly, as if realizing something. Abomination…. Demon spawn…. A near nonexistent crack appeared in his cheerful mask. For the first time, despair wrecked through him like wildfire, the hated looks, the agony of every word, every whisper…. A quiet but heartbreaking, hysterical laugh bubbled up in him, startling the men.
Blue…
"If everybody hated me…. Loathed me.. Rejected me…."
He was only 7 years old. Did other children his age have a life like his? No, a kid his age wasn't suppose to live alone, taking care of himself. A kid his age wasn't suppose to have 17 murder attempts on his life for the past year. Why the secrecy? Why the hatred?
What the hell was he, anyway?
Red…
"…Why….. Why did I even exist in the first place?!"
Black.
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Sickening. That was the first word that came to Jiraiya. No, it wasn't a war zone, no, it wasn't a torture chamber… But it might've just as well been one. In actuality, the scene in front of him was a fucking typical night out for the Konoha villagers.
"NARUTO!" Jiraiya screamed in horror. Anger. And Guilt. Just what did he leave here in Konoha? Just what kind of a life did Minato leave his son to? Killer intent drove out of him in one vicious course, leaving the drunken men frozen in fear, some pissing their pants. Good. With a speed known only to a sannin, Jiraiya viciously attacked them, rasengan in each hand, mercifully only at half power, launching them into the walls with a sickening crunch.
Tears came unbidden in his eyes, as he glared with fury at the fallen drunks.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL DOING?!" Jiraiya screamed, losing his composure completely. "YOU FUCKI-" Jiraiya stopped, gritting his teeth, chakra pulsing out of him in waves, most likely alerting the Hokage. He turned his head, fearful of what he was going to see.
Naruto… Naruto was still pinned to the wall, the blood dripping down the wall like rain. His head was leaning into his chest, and it looked like as if….
"Narut-" Jiraiya started in panic, racing over there.
Naruto's face snapped upward, and Jiraiya saw dark red, almost black eyes staring back at him. They were deep voids, eyes of the dead. Suddenly, red slits appeared in those dark pupils.
"GET. AWAY. HUMAN." said a menacing deep voice not belonging to Naruto. A burst of red chakra pulsed through the alley, the deep evil and sickening feeling of it warning him to stay back. For a brief heartbeat, Jiraiya stood there, staring with unease at those strange eyes.
Pain exploded on Jiraiya's body as cuts slashed through his arms and body. He got knocked off his feet, as something or some things attacked him. Landing hard against a wall with a pained grunt, he was starting to get up again when a cool metallic something hovered close to his jugular, the sharp edge pressed so hard that it drew blood.
Something like fear swelled up inside Jiraiya as he made a startling realization. Whatever pressed against his neck, and those other things that attacked him… He couldn't see them.
Was it the kyuubi? Or was it Naruto himself?
He slowly puts up his hands as a gesture of peace, and the eyes continued staring at him warily but then they widened slightly in recognition.
"…Jiraiya," the voice murmured before the dark reddish black colour faded from his eyes, replaced with a deep blue. Then Naruto fell unconscious.
~xXx~
Sandaime was at his office, trying to concentrate on the paperwork to no avail. His thoughts were on Naruto, who was lying in the hospital. Jiraiya, covered in cuts and blood, had barged into the office, dispatching all the ANBU guards on the way, and said bluntly,
"Naruto's in the hospital. Villagers were attacking him, hanging him to the wall…." here he gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. "by kunai dug into his hands. He's in a comatose state." Jiraiya's face turned stony as he glared hatefully at his sensei, who had long dropped his cigar pipe in shock. "We'll talk later, but right now.. I'm going to see my godson."
With one last look, he turned around, and left, slamming the door so hard, cracks appeared in the corners.
Sandaime buried his face in his hands. Naruto. He had underestimated the hatred of the villagers. What exactly had Naruto been through his life? What could he do to help him? Right now, nothing. No one was willing to adopt Naruto, except maybe for Kakashi, but he was in ANBU and was a teenager. With missions, and his inexperience, he wasn't suitable for parenthood. The counsel was already demanding a death sentence over the kyuubi's chakra pulse nearly felt through the entire village. He had already pressed charges for assault against the drunken villagers, who were handed over to Ibiki. But for Naruto… Sandaime's head rose up quickly as he got an idea.
Sandaime raised his left hand, and two ANBU immediately popped into his office, giving him a respectful bow. "Find Karasu and bring him here. Tell him he is needed on a solo S-rank mission."
The two ANBU nodded but one, Wolf, stayed behind. He appeared to be struggling for what to do, before finally collapsing onto a chair. Wolf slowly took off his mask, a gesture meaning that he was serious enough to break the ANBU code of never showing your identity. The blank face of Hatake Kakashi was revealed as he adjusted it to the side of his head.
"How's Naruto, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi said, the despair evident through his voice and how tight his grip was on the armrest.
Sandaime sighed, lighting his pipe again. "He's in the hospital right now, Jiraiya should be there with him." Kakashi nodded slowly, still not quite believing what has happened. "He'll live. But if it weren't for the kyuubi's chakra, I doubt that he would've survived this." he added.
Kakashi just nodded again, pausing as he considered the Sandaime's weary expression, before bowing and leaving through the window, the only evidence of his anger were the burn marks on the armrests of the chair he sat on, still smoking from the chakra he had accidentally released.
Sandaime stared out of the window, looking down at his village. Naruto is only 7 years old. They were blinded by hate and their loss. It was a wonder how Naruto was able to keep smiling despite the loneliness. Naruto's life and his future rested with Karasu.
"Hokage-sama. Karasu reporting for the S-rank mission." said a voice behind him.
Sandaime turned slowly. Karasu was an ANBU, still fresh as he had only taken 3 missions so far. His pale emotionless mask had black painted on it to look like a grotesque crow, intimidating and cold, yet it had an elegant air to it. He was only around 5'3, as he was still in his adolescent age.
"Take off your mask, Itachi-kun, this is an undercover mission. You must tell nobody about this, I am trusting you with my life…."
"Hokage-sama?" Itachi said in slight shock, adjusting his mask to the side of his head, revealing a young face with long hair tide in a short ponytail, and long ebony bangs covering his black eyes.
"What do you think of Uzumaki Naruto, Itachi-kun?"
"The jinchuuriki boy?" Itachi questioned politely. "Other than that mild chakra surge from before, which has a sound reason behind it, I don't see how Uzumaki-san could be considered a 'demon'." he finished before looking up at the Sandaime blankly, although anyone who knew the Uchiha prodigy would see the puzzlement in his eyes.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Sarutobi said with a small chuckle.
Itachi widened his eyes a fraction. Somehow, that small chuckle was more intimidating than even Kaa-san's glare.
What has he gotten himself into?
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Taichi shivered in the cold, limping towards his apartment. It wasn't fair. What did he do to deserve an interrogation with Ibiki, of all people?! Another shiver wrecked his body, this time in fear. The man wasn't human, that was for sure. He could still feel the effects from his last technique, his limping leg sending him waves of pain.
A 10,000 ryo fine. This was preposterous. Ibiki had looked like he wanted to give more, but thank kami for the council. They said that his actions were justified, and wasn't much of a major offence.
He only wanted to kill the demon. It was high time, after all. The demon had always called him, Idiot-san, and mocked him at every chance he got. Plus, the brat had finally shown his real self, a fatal mistake. Why did Hokage-sama let him live, even when he did reveal those cursed red eyes of his? The seal was slipping, that was for sure, yet was he still alive? Yondaime was a powerful Hokage, but he knew he shouldn't have put so much trust in the seal. Maybe he shouldn't have toyed with him for so long.
And Jiraiya-sama had to stop him too? The man must've gone mental after those long years away from Konoha. I mean, his team mate was that missing nin, Orochimaru, he had to have rubbed off of him.
After nearly tripping over his own feet from the pain for nearly the twelfth time, Taichi sighed, before heading towards the hospital for some painkillers.
The sight of the hospital made him widen his eyes in surprise. For above the roof, was a man with a guitar. Cliché? Maybe. But why he would be near the hospital made him wonder. Usually, he would be at the roof on top of the demon's apartment, and he would chat with him.
At first, he thought the man came to that particular roof because he had sympathy for him, the unfortunate bodyguard of the demon spawn, but then why would be at the hospital and not there instead?
Overcome by curiosity, the chunin walked up there, and approached the man. The mysterious man was wearing that all black outfit he always wore when he saw him, complete with a black cloak completely obscuring his face.
When he talked, he had the deep voice customary of ANBU. You see, ANBU members had voice changing chips on their masks to protect their identity. It was suspicious, but he really didn't care. If he wanted to kill the demon, he wouldn't object.
The only time he would actually show his real voice was when he sang. And sing he did, nearly every night, accompanied by his acoustic guitar. The man was talented, that was for sure, and practically the only distraction he had during the nights guarding the brat.
Taichi sat next to the man, who gave no movements of noticing his presence, too focused on playing a song. It was a lullaby, soft yet melancholic, and he was humming to it. Taichi smiled a bit, his angry rants about the demon in his head fading away as he calmed down. Even during the times he was playing above the rooftops of the demon's apartment, he always played lullabies for some reason.
The music ended, and the man tilted his head in Taichi's direction.
"Good evening," he greeted, absentmindedly plucking a few notes. Taichi nodded, waving a lazy gesture back at him. "Any reason you're here?"
"I'd say the same to you," Taichi shot back, leaning back against the hospital rooftops, inclining his head towards his companion.
The man fully turned his head towards Taichi. "I change places, sometimes," he answered quietly, still plucking a few strings.
"Needed painkillers," Taichi answered as well, and winced as a fresh wave of pain alerted him to his real reason of being here. He ignored it, he never missed a chat with the man, he was a very intriguing guy. "I was in a….. interrogation with Ibiki, don't ask." He sighed. "You wouldn't mind playing a song, wouldn't ya?"
The man whipped up his head at the mention of Ibiki, but cracked his knuckles at the question. "Hmmm…. Why not?"
Soon, the low but echoing sounds of him strumming his guitar filled the night, his sweet, low, but quiet tenor voice somehow managing to be heard above the guitar.
Change…. Everything you are
Everything you were
Your number has been called…..
Fights and battles have begun
……Revenge will surely come
Your hard times are ahead
Best… You got to be the best
You got to change the world
And use this chance to be heard
Your time is now…..
The music suddenly stopped, and Taichi felt a small amount of disappointment. Muse was one of his favourite bands, and when sung by that man, well, it was pure genius. If that man ever quit ANBU, he would've made a very rich musician.
"Gotta go," the man grunted, adjusting his guitar to his back. "Busy and all," Taichi grunted in agreement.
"I know what you mean, guarding that demon spawn is as frustrating as it can get." Taichi grumbled. "The pay was practically the only reason I did it."
"…ly come,"
"What was that?" Taichi called out to the retreating figure on the rooftops. The man didn't pause, but kept walking away.
"Revenge will surely come," he said quietly. For some reason, that sentence sent a chill down his spine. A little bit intimidated, Taichi made the mistake of looking up at him, and the sight made his blood run cold.
The mysterious man and Taichi kept meeting at night times. Taichi was fired as the bodyguard, replaced by an ANBU, but did stop to visit every once in a while, as he loved his songs. But he never did look him in the eye again, for they were cold as ice and simply unforgettable. He wondered how eyes could become like that, like as if the entire world had turned against it. He never dared to ask him though, the mere thought of them sent shivers down his spine.
Frighteningly cold blue eyes.
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TBC
