Chapter 2

Dark beginnings

It was a few years after the Kyuubi attacked Konahagakure, the damage had been repaired... mostly. There were still areas around the village closed off to the public because of the Kyuubi's poisonous chakra having contaminated the area. They weren't difficult to locate, signs stating that the area was unsafe for human beings. A more physical sign was the dozens of dead trees dotting the contaminated areas, there were even what appeared to be charred skeletons strewn about the landscape as well, so corroded they were now almost entirely unrecognizable.

But the village itself was thankfully left untouched by the toxic energy, only the surrounding forests were affected. The populace was not so lucky unfortunately. Expecting mothers were horrified to see their children born with a multitude of deformities, or were outright stillborn. Young children suffered from debilitating conditions, like chronic arthritis, sclerosis, and their immune systems were crippled from the fox's chakra permeating their developing bodies, rendering them far more vulnerable to disease and infection.

The amount of villagers and shinobi killed in the initial attack paled in comparison to the death toll not a few months later. Nearly 25% of the civilian population either died, or left permanently disabled. 5% of the shinobi forces were left permanently disabled. It was the singular worst tragedy to strike the village since it's founding. Combine a spike in suicides, and nearly 7% of the over 50,000 people living in Konoha died in the following year.

In an effort to calm the civilians, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spoke to the entire village in a monumental speech, stating that the fact that Konoha still stood was a testament to the strength of the village as a whole, and eventually life returned to at least a semblance of normal. And then the information about the Kyuubi's true fate was leaked to the public. The leaker was never found, however a man presumed to be the leaker was found dead in his apartment within the wealthy district of Konoha, with a suicide note beside him, making mentions of the "demon child" and how the people of Konoha needed to band together to eliminate the Kyuubi once and for all, by killing it's "reincarnation", Naruto Uzumaki.

However, fear overruled the civilian's fury, and people were far too afraid to attack Naruto en masse. A few brave individuals would attempt to take his life, but they would mysteriously disappear. No body would be found, just a copious amount of blood, roughly equating to the total amount of blood within the human body. These disappearances stank heavily of foul play, but no suspect would ever be found.

Naruto was now four and a half years old.

(Konohagakure, Red light district)

Naruto never knew happiness. Not in his short life. Almost everyone in the village hated him. And those who became violent, he...ate them. He didn't know how else to describe it. He would somehow shove his tiny arms through their chest or merely make contact with them, and then...tendrils would emerge from the point of contact, penetrate the skin, and begin to break down the cells that made up the body, until they were reduced to simple organic molecules, and the tendrils, now fattened would return to his body. He would feel strangely satiated, and then came the memories. Memories that weren't his. Memories that belonged to the people he killed. It was how he was so intelligent. How he managed to avoid any further attempts on his life. He had gained a complete understanding of human psychology as well. He could predict a person's actions and thoughts very easily. He had first killed a half year ago. His body count numbered somewhere in the 30s by now. And he knew why he was hated so. Apparently he was the Kyuubi reincarnate, the fox that had attacked the village the day he was born. He knew this was not true, but he had a theory as to what connected him to the fox.

He was it's Jinchuuriki. A human sacrifice. The Kyuubi was sealed into his body, his very soul, by the former leader of the village. Minato Namikaze. Just thinking of the man was enough to spark a horrid rage within himself, a desire to destroy, to kill. And it scared him. What if he lost control? He didn't care much about human life, callously ending those who threatened him. But he killed them because they were a threat. Could he really kill an innocent person in cold blood? He already knew the answer to that question. YES. And it was as horrifying a thought as it was also attractive. He knew that with the more people he killed, and consumed, the stronger he became. The more intelligent he became.

But he did more than kill didn't he? Yes, he did more than consume the body. The very soul was prey as well. He had a glimpse of this when he discovered the odd ability to see the souls of the living, and the spirits of the dead. Ah, yes... another ability afforded to him. He postulated it was due to his status as a border being. Something not quite alive, nor dead. He had glimpsed the man's soul, a bright blue light, with a pinprick of darkness in it's core. He witnessed how, what he believed to be his own soul, entirely black, had actually reached out and absorbed the man's soul.

And that opened up an entirely new can of worms. What had happened to his soul? Was it twisted by the presence of the Kyuubi? Or was it changed by the very nature of his body? He didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure he wanted one.

'At least people are too afraid of me to attack me now...' Naruto thought, 'It was annoying how they never seemed to learn to leave me alone.'

He had gained an apartment, graciously given to him by the Sandaime, he never knew why the old man was so kind to him... was it all a ruse? An attempt to get him to trust the old monkey, so he may have access to the nigh-infinite strength of the Kyuubi? He hoped not. The old man was frankly the only reason he hadn't outright left the village entirely. If he was deceiving him... he feared for the old man.

He idly glanced around his surroundings, the apartment was rundown, paint flaking off the walls. Occasionally a cockroach or some other vermin would make itself known. They were good snacks. There was a little kitchen area off in the corner, a stove, refrigerator, and a few cupboards. All had seen better days, what with the rust, grime, and overall disrepair they were in. It wasn't like he needed or used them though.

He never got hungry, or physically tired. He didn't need to breath, nor did he require warmth. His skin was cold to the touch, and very pale. Almost like a corpse. It helped intimidate potential threats. He idly ran a hand through his hair, knocking a few bright blond strands in front of his eyes. He headed towards the bathroom then, and pushed the door open, the knob was missing entirely. He stepped in and looked towards the mirror. Blue-silver eyes stared back. Devoid of recognizable emotion. He did feel, just not in the same way a human would. The processes behind emotion were like night and day in that respect.

He wore a simple white hooded jacket, adjusted for his young age, as well a black bubble vest. (Beta Alex Mercer) his lower attire consisted of black jeans, as well as simple black urban loafers. He turned, back facing the mirror, his head was oriented towards the mirror. A strange symbol decorated the space on his jacket, spreading from shoulder to shoulder. It was a pair of vaguely wing like shapes, that glowed a sinister red.

Having admired himself long enough, he stepped out of the bathroom. He had a meeting with the Hokage today... The old man tried so very hard to keep him innocent. To preserve his childhood. It failed, of course. But at least the elderly kage tried. That was a hell of a lot better than most people he knew.

He moved towards the door that would lead to the hallway, and eventually descended down the stairs. He lived on the top floor, the center room. The entire complex was abandoned, ever since he moved in, it's former residents all signed out once they found out they were sharing living space with the demon child. Naruto often fantasized about hanging them with their still warm intestines.

He exited the apartment building. And immediately headed towards a manhole. He opened it, the heavy cast iron disk weighed nothing to him. He dropped down, and summoned a few tendrils to close the manhole.

The sewers were like a second home to him. No one ever dared to descend here. The smell was nauseating, and it all too easy to slip and take an unwilling bath in at least a few feet of human waste. And it was dark, there was no artificial lighting, leaving the tunnels practically pitch black. The smell didn't affect him in the least. And he see beyond the spectrum of visible light. He felt the structure of his eyes change, and the darkness was soon replaced by a vision of blue and red. Infrared. He thrived in environments like this, where his prey had no hope of ever seeing him coming. A few red blobs darted in and out of sight in the distance. Rats. It took less than five minutes to get to his destination. He climbed the ladder, lifted the manhole cover, and crawled out. He replaced the cover.

He could see the Hokage Tower now. He had a preferred method of entry...

(Hokage's Office)

Hiruzen Sarutobi was currently battling his most tenacious foe. Something more powerful than all the Bijuu combined. Something more intelligent than the entirety of the Nara Clan. Something more resilient than all the mountains in the world. This eldritch foe's name? Paperwork. He signed and stamped at a blistering pace, little more than a blur to the average human's eyes. Yet no matter how he tried, no matter how valiantly he fought, the stack grew and grew in size. He wouldn't last for much longer. An idea came to mind.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Four identical copies of the Sandaime poofed into existence in a cloud of white smoke, together they would defeat this enemy of all kages! In less than a few minutes all the paperwork was vanquished. The clones disappeared, and Hiruzen raised a hand to his forehead momentarily, in an effort to alleviate the slight headache produced by the memory feedback.

And then he realized, with a horrified and dumbstruck expression, That more paperwork was on his desk. 'HOW!?' his elderly mind screamed. How had that damn paperwork sneak up on him?!

He was torn from his misery by a sudden thud near the window. He immediately leaped into action, taking a taijutsu stance before the intruder could surprise him. He never noticed Naruto until it was too late.

"Boo."

A girlish scream tore it's way from Hiruzen's throat, as he whirled behind him. Naruto's ever stoic face was there to greet him. He screamed again. And proceeded to trip on his feet. His head roughly bounced off the hardwood floor.

Naruto's face made itself known again, he was kneeling over his fallen body.

"Are you alright old man?"

"Owwwww..."

"Should I get a medic-nin?"

"Urrrrrggggghhhh..."

"Damn. How am I going to get him up?"

"Oh wait, there is that weird orange book he hides in his desk."

Naruto picked up the strange book, and read the cover.

"Icha-Icha Paradise? Co-Ed loving?"

Curiosity overtook him, and he opened the book up. He was not pleased at what he saw. Far from it.

'Who the hell reads this crap? It's just pure smut. Where's the story? Where's the romance, the drama, the tragedy? Wait, who the hell wrote this anyway?'

He turned the book around, and glanced at where the writer's name was.

"Jiraiya?"

At that Hiruzen stirred. Naruto looked back at him. He had managed to get back on his feet, though he was now nursing a bump on the back of his head. He looked towards Naruto and his face twisted into a rather comical expression of anger.

"NARUTO, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO SNEAK UP ON ME?!"

The shout was powerful enough to actually shake the Tower. Many secretaries and chunin were convinced that an earthquake had just happened.

Naruto idly stuck his pinky finger into his ear, wiggled it around, and eventually took it back out, wiping it off on his jacket.

"Let's see, to date... around 468 times."

"I didn't mean literally!"

"You know how bad I am with sayings."

"That's not the point!"

"Meh. 'Sides it was funny seeing such a great and powerful shinobi scream like a pre-pubescent school girl."

Hiruzen's cheeks flushed then.

"Anyway, I believe you called me here?"

Hiruzen blinked. The blush died down. He sat down, steepled his fingers together, and adopted a serious expression on his face.

"Yes, I did Naruto. I want to discuss the possibility of you joining the shinobi forces."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched once.

"Again with this? Wouldn't I be unfit for service, what with my sociopathy, violent tendencies, and overall low sanity?"

Hiruzen sighed then.

"Naruto, your not insane, your just troubled."

Naruto frowned.

"Yes, of course. Because butchering and eating people only counts as 'troubled.'"

Hiruzen adopted a sad expression then. He had failed in keeping Naruto a child. And what a failure it was indeed. Here was a child, with all the issues a war veteran suffering from PTSD would have. It wasn't right. The guilt often kept him up at night.

"Naruto..."

Naruto sighed.

"Old man, I can't be fixed. You know that. And I don't blame you. You tried your very best. Even risked your position once. I can't ever thank you enough for at least trying. I'll join."

Hiruzen's eyes widened.

"W-What? Just like that?"

Naruto's eyes suddenly narrowed then. His faintly glowing blue eyes rooted Hiruzen in place.

"On one condition. You tell me everything about my past. My parents, why everyone hates me, everything."

Hiruzen's eyes widened even further. They resembled two sake saucers.

"Naruto... are you sure? I kept your past secret from you, so I could protect you. So I could prevent any more damage to you. The truth... it may very well scar you for life."

He was obviously worried. He was willing to tell Naruto.

Naruto's gaze hardened.

"How can I be scarred any further? I'm made of scars now."

Hiruzen winced none too subtly.

"Okay... I'll tell you. But not now.."

Naruto gained an expression of slight anger.

"When?"

"Once you graduate."

Naruto calmed.

"Alright. I can deal with that. How long will Academy last?"

"You'll be sixteen when you graduate. Assuming you don't fail."

"Okay. I'll wait until then. But you are going to tell me everything."

Naruto turned on his heel, and walked towards the window. Opening it, and leaping towards his apartment.

"I'm getting far too old for this shit."

Hiruzen grumbled once, then proceeded to grab the Icha-Icha book. He opened it, having dog-eared a page. Perverted giggling filled the office.

"Hohohoho... Aya... your a naughty girl."