DISCLAIMER!: WE DON'T OWN NARUTO!...It'd be cool if we did though…
Bubla Fett: What up guys! It's time for chapter 2! We got such an amazing turnout for the first chapter, I'm so proud! XD
Anonymous Jonin: I wanna thank everybody for showing up, I'm glad you all found it all right. I almost didn't. I turned left instead of right one time, accidentally zigged when I should have zagged, but I digress. You guys are amazing, and don't forget to review, follow, and if you feel like it, hit that little favorite button. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside my tummy.
Bulba Fett:...dude...you are weird...but anyway! TO THE CHAPTER!
. . . .
Chapter 2: Trapped Within The Cage
. . . .
"Brand him."
. . . .
Naruto shook in horror as three new, similar, elderly men walked into his room. One of the men was holding a small paintbrush in his hand, while another was holding a jar of green ink between his palms. The third had his hands fixed in the Tiger seal, brows furrowing in concentration, as he started chanting something under his breath. The old man who had initially talked to Naruto stepped closer to him and painfully jabbed the blond in the forehead with his index finger. Immediately after, Naruto's body locked up, nothing moving except his eyes, which swept back and forth across the room frantically.
He tried to scream, but all that came out of him was a choked groan as he strained his voice against whatever was keeping him from moving. He tried to struggle and move away from the man with the paintbrush but his efforts were futile as the elderly man dipped the brush into the green ink and began to draw on Naruto's forehead.
The paint felt cold to his skin but the uncomfortable feeling of the ink stopped when the man finished painting on him. An unimaginable pain quickly replaced it as the man who was chanting shouted the last words of his verse and the seal on the blondes forehead began to glow. Naruto was finally able to find his voice, his screams echoing throughout the house. Tears fell freely down his cheeks as the pain just seemed to intensify with each subsequent second of agony.
After hearing the screams Hyuuga Mina hurried back to Naruto's room to find the poor boy all alone lying on the floor with blood running from his nose in a slow but steady stream as he occasionally twitched. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth when she saw the Caged Bird seal glowing softly with a menacing light on his previously unblemished forehead. She hurried over to him so she could roll him onto his side to keep him from drowning himself when he started to relieve himself of his stomach contents in violent spasms. The boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he finally lost consciousness.
Mina however, was racking her brain about what had just happened. "No, no, nonononono, please, no, not him. Oh Kami-sama. Why!? Why this child? This poor child doesn't deserve this curse…" she said as tears came to her eyes watching the boy's body convulse from the spontaneous seizures. It was at that moment Hizashi returned from informing his brother that he had found Naruto in the forest and brought him home with him to heal him.
He walked into the room to see his wife crying and the boy he had just saved writhe in pain next to her. He rushed over to check the boy and his eyes widened in shock. "What!? How in the hell did that damned seal get placed on him!?" he said in disbelief and looked to his wife for an answer. She just shook her head and tried to hold back a sob. "I-I-I...I just left the room for just one s-s-second t-to-to get him s-s-s-something t-to d-d-d-drink and...and I-I-I heard him screaming...I-I came back and…" she stopped talking to hold onto him like a lifeline and sob into chest. He stroked her hair speaking soft, comforting words to her in an attempt to calm down the slightly hysterical woman. He looked down to the poor child and grimaced when he thought of what his brother and the Hokage will think of what happened here.
. . . .
'Drip'
Naruto's eyes twitched but remained closed as he barely registered the sounds of dripping water.
'Drip'
The boy groaned in annoyance as the sound only continued and increase in volume.
'Drip'
Finally having enough with the sound his eyes shot open as he quickly sat up. But when he did he almost fell back down from the sudden pain he felt in his head. He looked around and noticed he was no longer in the small room he was in before. His eyes widened as he observed his surroundings.
He was in what appeared to be some sort of large, primarily red, sewer. The pipes were large and leaking at a consistent rate, causing the dripping noise as well as the sewer to be flooded with ankle deep water. The blonde slowly stood, fighting off the pain in his head. He put his hand on the damp wall to his right and began to walk through the sewer. The halls were dark and damp, and he had no idea where he was, much less where he might be going. But something seemed to call to him as he slowly made his way to a strange warmth in the cold, wet, and dark sewer.
After walking for what felt like hours, he finally came across a fork in the halls. One hall leading to the right, and another leading to the left. He looked down the path on the right and noticed that it had a gate blocking the way with a small piece of paper hanging from one of the bars. The paper looked like the one that was one the Ramen Container that Teuchi gave him, but it had some subtle differences. Naruto didn't investigate the seal any further however, as just looking at it caused the pain in his head to increase further with every second spent pondering it.
He then looked down the left path and noticed a dull orange light at the end of it, and reveled in the warmth seeping down the hall, and into his frigid bones as it beaconed for him to come towards it. The blonde slowly made his way to the hall, and continued at a cautious pace down the pathway.
It seemed the more he walked, the further away the light seemed to become. He walked until his legs ached and then some, until he was just about ready to collapse. But as soon as he was about to fall he found himself at the end of the tunnel.
He looked into the spacious room that had seemingly no ceiling and gaped in wonder. There were small torches that lit up the room along the walls as well as an ornate spiral pattern that wound its way across the walls. He slowly walked into the center of the room, the water level rising to knee depth, as he started at the massive construct in front of him. His eyes slowly widened as he took in the massive gate before him. He looked up to where the lock should have been, and instead noticed a much larger piece of paper on the lock that he recognized was inscribed with the kanji for 'Seal'.
He took a few more steps further until he heard a quiet growling noise. He stopped, tilting his head to the side to listen closer. It wasn't much of a growl really, it was more like a slow and gentle outward breath, similar to one people released when they were sleeping. He looked further behind the gate in curiosity and noticed that there were no torches inside to light up. The only thing he could see was about the first ten feet of water inside of the cage. He took one final step closer to the bars, causing the now hip deep water to slosh loudly from his sudden movement. Naruto froze as the methodical breathing halted abruptly as a lone, red eye with a slit pupil opened from inside the darkness of the cage. The eye seemed to almost glow red as it searched for the source of the noise before finally settling on Naruto.
The blonde heard a subtle growl as the slit pupil eye narrowed angrily at him. Then a deep and rumbling voice emanated throughout the large room, echoing off of the walls and seemingly shaking the cage bars despite being at a low volume.
"So, my jailer finally decides to grace me with his presence. What is it you want, human?" the voice growled menacingly at the blonde. Naruto gulped as he saw a flash of startlingly sharp, shiny, white teeth appear underneath the red eye that seemed to stare into his soul. Naruto tried to speak but his voice just caught in his throat as he finally felt the sheer presence of the being before him. It was overwhelming, as if someone had put a cinder block on his chest and then proceeded to stand on it. He was struggling for a single breath while openly gaping at the being before him.
The creature growled loudly at the boy. "Speak you insignificant human scum! Or has my presence caused your puny raisin sized brain to break? Well, what is it you want, you whelp!?" it roared at the blonde, creating a strong gust of wind that pass through the room, almost knocking the poor blonde over. Naruto looked up at the being trembling in fear. He was finally able to find his voice, stuttering, but still speaking. "W-W-W-W-W-W-who...Who a-are y-y-you?" he said barely louder than a whisper.
The being narrowed its eye dangerously at the boy and looked at him closely for a moment. Its eyes moving up and down his small frame, taking in every aspect of his person, till it rested on Naruto's eyes and growled. "So the idiotic humans decided to not even tell my jailer of my magnificent presence? What worthless scum you humans are…" the voice rumbled as the eyes seemed to move closer to the cage before entering the light.
Naruto's breath caught in his chest as he got his first glimpse at the enormous being behind the bars of the cage. The creature was massive, easily larger than any building he had ever seen, and the size of its head alone could be compared to the stone heads of the Hokage monument.
It was a massive fox with a burnt orange coat of fur and strange black markings covering its eyes and leading to its ears. The fox gave the blonde boy a feral grin filled with razor sharp teeth. "I am the Kyuubi no Yoko! Bask in my presence mortal! For when I am free of this prison you will be the first to feel my wrath as I rip you limb from limb and devour you!" the fox roared angrily at the boy, this time successfully sending the boy flying through the room. Naruto landed in a heap and slowly sunk in the shallow water. Before his head could go under he slowly caught himself and began to stand again. He looked back up at the fox in a mixture of awe, fear, and confusion. "H-How can y-you be here? I-I th-th-thought that the Y-Yondaime k-killed you?" he said to the fox in a frantic whisper. The creature growled again at the boy and narrowed its eyes. "Is that what you mortal filth believe is what happened?" it said to the blonde. It snorted at the very idea. "As if someone as weak as the Yondaime could possibly even hope to kill a being as powerful as I. Me, the most powerful of the Bijuu, killed by a mere mortal man? Spare me." it said with a evil chuckle. It lowered its head down to look at Naruto directly. "Tell me human, do you know why you are here before me?" it asked the scared child. Naruto shook his head in denial, not trusting his voice. The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed as it scoffed and turned away from him. "It figures you human scum would want to forget my very image. After all, I did do…'evil acts towards the Human race'..." it said in a mocking tone, almost seeming to curl it's lip in disdain. It snorted and shook its head. "Well, whelp. I am here because that weakling Yondaime was forced to use his cowardly Fuinjutsu on me to seal me within your pathetic body, or I would have destroyed that puny village of yours." it snarled as it laid its head down on its front two paws.
Naruto furrowed his brow in thought of what the Kyuubi just said. He looked down as he began to think. When he finally came up with the conclusion to what he was thinking of, he looked back up at the Kyuubi. "S-so...the...the reason no one likes me...is...is because they think I'm you?" he asked meekly as his eyes filled with tears. He sniffed and looked down again before another thought came to mind. "I...I guess they're right...I am a monster...I don't deserve a family…" he said as tears began to fall freely.
The Kyuubi's eyes widened as he saw that the boy began to cry. Its eyes narrowed when he heard the muffled words of the child. To think, humans who usually care for their Kits more than their own lives, would ostracize one of their own for being the Jailer of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko? The Demon scoffed at the thought. He looked back at the child. It let out an inward sigh as it closed its eyes. "Please child. As if a being as frail as you could ever hope to be like me." it said in an annoyed tone. Naruto looked up at the Kyuubi with a confused look on his face. The Kyuubi snorted again before it continued speaking. "You humans must be stupider than I thought was possible if they believed you were anything like me. I am an all powerful demon made of pure chakra. While you...you are nothing but a frail child that had the misfortune to be chosen to house a being such as myself." it said with its eyes still closed. Its right eye opened slightly before it sighed. "Leave me child. Your presence here is disturbing my slumber." it growled lightly at the boy.
Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. He didn't know why...but it was like the foxes words had consoled him somehow. He had stopped crying, and now he almost felt...relieved. Relieved that at least one...person?...saw him as a child, and not a demon or monster. The faintest hint of a smile crept onto Naruto's lips before his image began to fade. "Thank you...Kyuubi-san…" he whispered before he completely faded from the sewer-like area.
The Kyuubi scoffed one more time before its features softened. "You are...intriguing...for a human." it grumbled before it fell asleep once more.
. . . .
"Hokage-sama! You must do something about this! The Hyuuga can not be allowed to have custody of the Jinchuuriki!" Uchiha Fugaku roared, Sharingan ablaze, as he slammed fist on the table. Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, stood before the Uchiha clan head, piercing him with a furious scowl. "Fugaku-san. You will calm yourself this instant unless you wish to be forced to leave this chamber. This is neither the place, nor the forum for this kind of behaviour. Now. Sit. Down." he said in a calm tone while passively leaking killing intent to make the room feel ten degrees colder than it was before. Fugaku quickly deactivated his Sharingan and sat down, a cold sweat forming as he lightly shook under the pressure the aged Kage was exuding.
Once Hiruzen noticed Fugaku would no longer interrupt him he sighed and returned to his seat. He brought his hands up to his head and began to rub his temples, feeling his age creep up on him. He looked Hyuuga Hiashi, the Hyuuga Clan Head, in the eye and glowered at him. "So. Hiashi-san. Would you like to explain your actions concerning Naruto-kun?" he asked in a calm tone that hid his utter rage towards the man in front of him. How dare he just up and claim the boy Hiruzen saw as his grandson. And how DARE he, have that accursed seal placed upon his innocent body. That seal was nothing but a glorified slavery seal masquerading as a way to keep the Hyuuga bloodline safe.
They stared at each other for was seemed like minutes before Hiashi caved. "Hokage-sama...The boy agreed to joining the Hyuuga clan before the seal was applied." he said in a quiet, yet stern voice. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the Hyuuga and was about to speak when his Jonin Commander, Nara Shikaku, stepped in. "I mean no offence, Hiashi-san, but I find that very hard to believe. Even if he is young he would know what accepting that seal must mean? And no doubt know what it could do." Shikaku said leveling a calculating look at the Hyuuga. While the Hyuuga clan were famous for being able to seemingly be impassive in any situation, effectively hiding any and all emotion, a Nara could always find a way to get through their facade. The Nara clan was famous for their extremely high IQ's, even if they are all extremely lazy by nature. So while Hiashi sat there with not a trace of emotion appearing on his face, Shikaku was already running through possible reasons and reactions the man might have towards certain inputs and events.
Hiashi directed his gaze towards the Nara and proceeded to pull a few documents out of his kimono, presenting them to the council. "Naruto did in fact agree to joining the clan. These documents all have his signature as well as a thumbprint in his blood, all agreeing to becoming a part of the Branch Family and accepting the Caged Bird seal. Given these documents were all signed before the process of the sealing was commenced, Naruto is now a legal member of the Hyuuga clan and any further intrusion on our dealings with him will be seen as a breach in the Clan Privacy Act." he said calmly while the documents were passed around the council.
Hiruzen sighed as he took a long drag from his pipe. The Hyuuga's plan was foolproof and had no openings to argue. Even if Naruto was Konoha's Jinchuuriki, Hiruzen had no claim over him and it would be seen as favoritism for him to step in and take him from the Hyuuga. He'd also be breaking several laws in the process and undoubtedly cause the Hyuuga clan to revolt in retaliation.
The elderly Kage's age seemed to creep up on him when he found he had no way of getting Naruto out of this slavery to the Hyuuga's. He looked around the room and was suspicious as to why the Civilian Council were being so civil about all of this. Normally whenever it came down to Naruto they would be shouting ideas and cursing his name until Hiruzen was forced to quiet them or remove them. His eyes narrowed when he saw a few smug smiles flash on the faces of a few of the councilmen. Hiruzen took one final drag of his pipe before sighing as he slowly blew out the smoke.
"It appears there is nothing more we can do about Naruto-kun joining the Hyuuga Clan. This meeting no longer has a quorum and thus, is now dismissed." he announced, letting some of his age and a hint of his grief slip into his voice, startling several of the Shinobi Councilmen. Fugaku flared his Sharingan again and growled loudly, but said nothing. He too knew that the Hyuuga have planned everything out and could talk there way out of this in any way they wanted. The only way to get the Jinchuuriki away from them would be to rip him from their cold dead hands.
Fugaku huffed and left the chamber as the other councilmen began to leave. Shikaku looked to his old teammates, Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi. He nodded his head towards the door and all three of them stood to leave. After a few minutes the only people left in the room were Hiashi and Hiruzen.
The Kage held his head in his hands as he slowly rubbed his temples and fought off the tears he knew he would be shedding over the loss of his surrogate grandson the second he would be alone. Hiashi slowly stood while observing the Hokage. "I am sorry Hokage-sama...but this was out of my hands the moment Hizashi brought him to the compound…" he whispered, just loud enough for Hiruzen to hear. Hiashi turned and left the chamber to leave the Kage to his thoughts.
Hiruzen heard what Hiashi said and knew exactly what he meant. The Hyuuga Clan head was nothing more than a figurehead for the clan elders that had been a thorn in his side since he took up the position as Hokage forty years ago. He sighed deeply and signaled for his Anbu guards.
Three Anbu appeared from the shadows of the chamber and knelt before their Hokage.
Hiruzen stood and turned to face them. "Inu, Karasu, Neko. Your mission from here on out will be to silently observe Naruto-kun and give me weekly reports on his mental and physical health. Also, when they are given, I want you to deliver messages from myself to Naruto-kun. I doubt that he will be taught how to do the basics that a Shinobi must learn, so I will occasionally give him scrolls with instructions. You are to deliver these scrolls discretely and make sure you are not found. If you are captured by the Hyuuga I will not be able to do anything to help you, understand?" he ordered his loyal soldiers. They all nodded and the Hokage received a chorus of 'Hai Hokage-sama''s. He nodded to the three and turned to leave the chamber. "Good, follow me to my office, I need to make my first message to him before I send you all off." he said as he left the room.
Neko and Karasu followed instantly, but Inu hesitated. The dog masked man clenched his fist and his teeth could be heard lightly grinding. "The Hyuuga...I will never forgive them if they hurt Sensei's son…" he thought as he reluctantly followed after his squad.
. . . .
Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times when he was assaulted by a bright light that shone through the curtains of the room he was in. He slowly sat up as he clutched his still aching head and took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a very uncomfortable cot in a small room that looked like an abandoned shack. In one corner of the room there was a small sink, a toilet and a full body mirror. There was also a small dresser made of broken wood and a small closet without a door. He looked to the door of the room and noticed that it was nothing more than a sheet thrown over a rail to cover the opening of the room. The ground was bare, dry dirt. Naruto slowly stood from the cot and walked over to the sink. He breathed a sigh of relief when he turned the handle and had running water. He slowly limped his way over to the mirror to get a better look at himself and froze when he saw his reflection. He had bags under his eyes and the eyes themselves were bloodshot. Dried blood covered his face, and he looked like he definitely needed a shower. But that wasn't what caught his eyes. What did catch his attention was the odd light green painting on his forehead that almost seemed to be a tattoo. There were two lines leading towards the center of his forehead where they met a symbol that appeared to be a swastika tilted on it's side. He touched the symbol tentatively and felt the pain in his head increase slightly, so he lowered his hand, deciding to leave it alone. He looked around and noticed he didn't have a shower in his shack so he walked back to the sink and washed off his face.
When Naruto finished washing his face and hair of blood, he walked over to the drawer and opened it to see what was inside. There was three pairs of simple white shirts and grey trousers. Next to them were a worn out pair of black shinobi sandals. He looked at the clothes he was wearing, and noticed the dried blood, stains, and tears all over them and decided to change. Strangely enough the sandals and pants actually fit quite well and the shirt was only long in the sleeves, causing them to flare out over his hands. Once he was fully dressed, he walked over to the 'door' of his room, stepping out into the October morning cold.
When Naruto opened the curtain door and stepped outside he was met by the last voice he heard before he passed out. "Ah, so the Demon finally awakens." an elderly voice says, contempt and hatred heavy in his voice. Naruto spun around to look at the old man who had first spoken to him the night before. "I'm not a demon you old fart!" he yelled at the Elder. The man sneered at the blonde and held up a half tiger seal. Naruto suddenly felt a searing pain flow through his body as he doubled over clutching his head, letting out choked screams. "You will learn respect, filth. And you will address me as Kouen-sama." the elder snarled. He lowered his hand slowly and Naruto's pain ebbed, leaving only a dull ache behind. Naruto slowly stood back up from falling to his knees. He took a shaky breath and looked up to see the cruel and savage glare of Kouen. "W-Why am I here?" Naruto asked in a pained voice. Kouen smirked evilly at the boy and leaned down to look him in the eye. "Well, filth. You are now a part of the Branch Hyuuga Family. From this day forth you are to serve the Main House until your dying breath, or face a pain worse than any death you could hope for. Do you understand?" he told the boy as a sinister smiled spread across his face. Naruto shook his head. "N-no, I don't understand." he said to the elder, only to receive more pain as an answer. When the pain passed the elder held him up off the ground by the collar of his shirt and snarled at him. "You will follow my orders, and any other orders that come from the Main Family, do you hear me, filth!?" he growled at the boy. Naruto nodded quickly, trying hard to breath through the man's grip.
The Elder smiled wickedly and dropped him. "Good, now follow me filth. It's time we get you acquainted with the compound." he said as he turned and started to walk away. Naruto slowly stood and began to follow after the man. As they walked, Naruto several steps behind, Kouen explained Naruto's duties to the clan. "You are to follow any and all orders that you are given by any of the Main Family. You are to not speak unless spoken to, and you are to not seek out conversation with anyone else of the Branch Family. You are to not leave the house that you were provided, unless you are ordered to, or you are accompanied by a Main House member. And finally, it is your duty to protect the Main Family at all costs, even if it means putting your insignificant life in harms way. Do you understand me?" the man ordered to the small boy, without even turning to look at him. Naruto nodded quickly. "Y-yes Kouen-sama…" he said, meekly looking at the ground. Kouen looked at him with disgust and activated his seal. Naruto clutched his head in pain and fell to the ground, but it passed as quickly as it came. "Louder!" Kouen growled at the blonde. "Yes Kouen-sama!" Naruto said in a pained, albeit louder voice. Kouen smirked evilly and nodded. "Good. Now, your first task is to help care for the Main House's Garden and help the Branch members clean the Main Estate. Now get to work. And remember, you are not to speak unless spoken to." he ordered and waved the boy off to do his work. Naruto nodded and quickly went over to where a few Branch members were working in the large gardens.
Naruto's eyes widened when he saw all of the flowers and plants that were in the gardens. He had never known so many different colored plants existed. There were flowers that were purple, pink, blue, red, almost any color he could think of. But the most prominent of the plants to Naruto were the pure white lilies. Naruto walked over to one of the watering cans that were unattended and started watering the beautiful flowers. He couldn't help the slight smile he wore while he watered at trimmed the plants. This was simply the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. One of the other Branch members saw his reaction to the gardens and smiled at him. "You must really like those flowers, to smile like that." she asked the boy. Naruto turned to her and was about to respond, his mouth half open, until he remembered the rule Kouen told him about conversation. The Branch members quirked her eyebrow when the boy simply clamped his mouth shut and nodded vigorously in response. She just smiled when she saw the sparkle in his eyes as he looked at the plants around him. "You can talk to me, I was the one to start the conversation, after all. We all know the rules that surround you, whether we're Branch of Main Family." she said kindly to the boy as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "My name is Hiroki, it is nice to meet you Naruto-kun." she said to the blonde.
Hiroki had short bobbed brown hair and a kindly smile that made Naruto fidget slightly. "I-it's good to meet you too, Hiroki-san." he said to the older woman. He was half expecting for there to be pain after he spoke, or for Hiroki to insult him like all the other adults he had met, even before he was brought here, but she just smiled at him with so much warmth that Naruto was thrown for a loop. "Welcome to the family Naruto, although, I wish the Elders would be even just a bit more fair with you." she said sadly to the blonde. Naruto looked at her and then to the other two Branch members that were in the garden. They too had the sad, pitying look towards the blonde, which him a little nervous about asking his next question.
"W-what do you mean? The Branch members aren't treated like me?" he said nervously. Hiroki nodded sadly. "Yes, we have a lot more freedom than you do, sadly. It's just not right what the Elders have done to you, and the entire Branch Family has your back, even if we cannot directly voice our discretions to the Elders." she said, as she placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her. "Why can't you say what you want to?" he asked in curiosity, looking confused. Hiroki sighed and reached up for the bandage covering on her forehead. She removed it and Naruto gasped. "All of us in the Branch Family bear these accursed seals. They would cause the same pain to us that you felt earlier, if we try to do anything that they don't want us to." she said, frowning slightly in sadness. She slowly stood up, picking up her watering can and hedge shears. "Now come along little brother. We need to keep working so we can get to cleaning the Main Estate." she said with a kind smile and returned to tending the plants.
Naruto looked at her as a slight blush grew slowly on his cheeks. It was the first time someone other than the Hokage or the Ichiraku's had ever truly treated him kindly. And even in the situation he was currently in, he couldn't help but feel happy.
. . . .
Another two hours passed before Hiroki and the other Branch members brought Naruto with them to the Main Estate. Hiroki showed Naruto to the dojo that the Main Family would use for indoor training and exhibition matches between the select few members that the Main Family has. She handed Naruto a cloth rag and a bucket of water and directed him to start washing up the dojo for a demonstration that would be put on later that day. Naruto nodded and diligently got to work.
It took about an hour for Naruto to finish cleaning the dojo on his own but once he was finished, it was spotless. Hiroki came back, and told him he did a good job and to follow her so they could get to the next part of the house. This time, he was needed to help clean the outdoors dojo. He had to help them sweep the leaves that had gathered over the night before away, before the Main Family came out for their afternoon training. Once they were finished the sun was beginning to near the middle of the sky, indicating it was starting to noon. Hiroki told him that it was time for lunch and to directed him to follow her out of the house.
But while they were leaving the house they encountered another Branch Member leading a little girl, no older than Naruto, to the outdoors dojo. Hiroki smiled and bowed to the little girl and Naruto quirked an eyebrow at her before following her lead.
"Good afternoon Hinata-sama, I hope Ko-kun is treating you well." she said with a mischievous eye directed at the Branch Member who was escorting the little girl. Ko was a tall and lean man with long brown hair and a bandage covering over his forehead like all of the other Branch members.
Ko blushed at Hiroki and stood to attention. "O-of course I'm treating Hinata-sama well, Hiroki-chan." he said nervously. Hiroki giggled at the man and looked down to Hinata. The shy little girl had opted to hide behind Ko's leg while stealing glance towards Naruto. Hiroki smiled warmly and patted Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto looked up at her and she nodded.
He gulped and looked back at the two Hyuuga before him. He bowed again to the two of them. "H-hello, I am Na-" he started to introduce himself before he fell over in utter pain as he clenched his head tightly. Ko and Hiroki jumped back slightly and looked over to see Kouen standing on the other side of the hall, his ever present scowl plastered on his face. Hinata gasped and looked terrified as she hid behind Ko's leg. She looked to the poor boy on the ground writhing in pain letting out muffled screams. Tears came to her eyes and she turned to look at Kouen walking over to them. "How dare you even try to speak with Hinata-sama you filth! You are forbidden from ever even thinking of speaking with Hinata-sama!" he growled at the boy and increased the pain, causing Naruto to scrabble at his forehead frantically. A few seconds passed before Naruto fainted from the pain. Kouen spat on the boy before looking at Ko. "Get Hinata-sama to her lesson now. And you," he said looking sharply towards Hiroki with voice that almost seemed to drip with venom and anger. "Wake this filth up and have him back to his duties. He is to not have lunch today as punishment for his mistakes ." Kouen growled and stalked off.
Hiroki's hands clenched into fists, tensing the muscles in her arm, as she watched the man walk off from the group as Ko tried to calm Hinata down. As soon as Kouen was out of sight Hiroki kneeled down to Naruto's side. She checked his vitals quickly, and sighed happilly in relief. He was just unconscious, not dead. She was amazed, though, that he hadn't perished. The amount of chakra and force Koen put into the seal would have killed any other child his age, and likely could have killed many adults as well. She rolled Naruto over onto his back and gently shook him. "Come on Naruto-kun, wake up. We need to get you out of here." she said gently as she tried to shake him awake. Hinata came out from her hiding place behind Ko's leg and looked at the unconscious boy. Ko put a hand on her shoulder and started to lead her away from the two. "Come on Hinata-sama, we need to get to your lesson." he said in a sad tone. Hinata looked back as she was lead off before looking up and Ko. "Ko-san, w-who was that boy? And why did Kouen-sama h-hurt him like that?" she shakily asked, still in shock from what she saw. Ko sighed and tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulder slightly. "He's someone you need not concern yourself with, Hinata-sama." he said sternly to her. She looked back one more time. "B-but.." she tried to say before Ko interrupted her. "I'm sorry Hinata-sama, but it's for the best that you don't try to get close to him. It'll only cause him more pain, now, and in the long run."
. . . .
"Naruto-kun...Come on Naruto-kun wake up...Oh Kami-sama...Help! Please someone help! He won't wake up!" Hiroki yells as she shakes Naruto trying to get him to wake up. She activates her Byakugan and checks his vitals and notices something off in his chakra network. There was a small flare of Red chakra growing in his stomach as his own Blue chakra seemed to gather around the Red chakra. Hiroki shook her head and looked around to see where the nearest person was. When she spotted another Branch Member she quickly picked Naruto up and rushed him to them. "Hold on little brother. It's too early for you to leave us…"
. . . .
For the second time in his life, Naruto finds himself back in the sewer like area. He slowly opens his eyes and sits up, again fighting off the pounding pain in his head. He looks around and notices he is in the Kyuubi's chamber. He slowly starts to stand, only to have the pain in his head intensify and send him back into the water covered ground.
Upon hearing his Jailer splash around in his presence, the Kyuubi slowly opens his right eye. He looks down to see the little Blonde Whelp writhing in pain clutching his head. Normally, the Kyuubi would have been reveling in the pain of others, laughing at their misfortune and how weak they were. But this was his vessel. If his vessel was in pain it probably meant trouble for himself. He looked closer at the boy and noticed a strange green light glowing faintly on his head. His eyes narrowed as down the sewers hallway he noticed a similar green light at the other end of it. The Kyuubi growled lightly as he sent a flux of chakra towards the light to investigate, only to feel a massive pain flow through his body once his chakra touched the light. The Kyuubi snarled in pain and flinched away from the green light. He watched while growling as the light slowly dimmed until it finally disappeared. And as soon as the light left, the child in front of him finally stopped shaking in pain.
Naruto felt the pain finally leave him and decided to sit instead of stand this time. He slowly propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head lightly. He shakily looks up and sees the Kyuubi's eyes fixed on him. Naruto could see the foxes anger and hatred flow through his glowing red eyes and flinches back away from its gaze. "Why...why does everyone look at me like that…" he mumbles to himself, thinking he was unheard. However, with the Kyuubi's advanced senses, and massive ears, he was able to catch the child's words. He eased off on his glare as he was shocked by the boy's words. Tears pool into the boy's eyes as he brings his knees up to his chest. He begins to softly cry to himself barely over fifteen yards the mighty Demon sealed within him.
The Kyuubi, not knowing what to do, just looks at the blonde boy with a look of suspicion and curiosity. He leans his head down towards the boy and bends his ears back. "Why do you cry Human?" he growls to the boy. Naruto doesn't reply and just curls up even tighter. The Kyuubi looks at the boy for a few more moments before he bares his teeth at the boy. "I said! Why are you crying you pathetic Human scum!" the Kyuubi roared at the child. This time Naruto responded, almost violently. His head snaps up at the Demon as tears run down his face as his eyes harden. "BECAUSE MY LIFE IS A LIVING HELL! AND I DON'T KNOW WHY! EVERYONE LOOKS AT ME LIKE I'M A MONSTER! THEY HATE AND ABUSE ME FOR SOMETHING OUT OF MY CONTROL! I HAVE NO FAMILY AND I'M ALL ALONE! AND WHEN I DO GET A FAMILY I CAN'T EVEN TALK TO THEM WITHOUT BEING TORTURED! WHY DO YOU THINK I'M CRYING YOU BAKA KITSUNE!" he yells at the top of his lungs as his tears stream down his face even faster than before. After yelling to his heart's content, the boy slumps back into his knees as he holds himself and silently cries. The Kyuubi actually reared back when the child yelled at him. For the first time in the beast's extremely long life, someone had yelled at him, not with hatred or malice, but in a voice filled with pure sadness. The fox looked at the boy while he wept quietly to himself and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy run through him. He knew all too well what it felt like to be hated, to be utterly alone in a violent and cruel world. And for this world to be turned loose on a mere human child with nothing but his will and wit to defend himself with, shook the demon to his very core.
The Kyuubi lowered his head down to look closer at the boy. He sighed as his gaze softened. Naruto heard the beast sigh and looked back up to it. "You aren't alone Kit…" The Kyuubi said to the child before him. Naruto sniffed lightly and looked at the Kyuubi with confusion in his gaze. "W...What?" he asks innocently to the Demon before him. "I said, as long as I am here, you are not alone. I can sympathise with you child, and that is not something easily done. We are both hated for ludicrous reasons and now we are both bound to a cage, never to be free again. So, as long as I am here with you, you will never be alone." he said to Naruto in a calm, yet sad tone.
Naruto had no idea what was going on. Was the Kyuubi no Kitsune being...nice to him? He didn't know if what the Kyuubi was saying was true, or even meant to be comforting, but Naruto couldn't help but stop crying as a small smile crept onto his face. "T..Thank you..again, Kyuubi-san." he said to the fox. The Kyuubi merely closed his eyes again to return to his slumber, but before he went to sleep he opened his right eye slightly. "Call me Kurama, Kit. I may not be able to stop or remove that seal on your head. But I can and will fix anything that they do to you. You have earned my respect and sympathy human. Do not lose it."
And with that Naruto faded from the sewers and returned back to the harsh world of reality.
. . . .
When Naruto's eyes opened for a second time that day it was again in the same, run down shack that was designated to be his new home. He lay on his cot, covered with a woolen blanket and a damp cloth on his forehead. He let his eyes roam around the room, trying to figure out how he got there. The last thing he remembered before speaking to the Kyuubi...no, speaking with Kurama, was that he felt the sharp, driving, indescribable pain in his head again and passed out in the hallways of the Main Estate. His eyes traveled around the dimly lit shack until they finally fell on two people looking at him with concern.
"Thank Kami-sama you're awake!" Hiroki exclaimed in glee. She had a broad smile on her face as a few tears fell down her face. Next to her, Mina, the woman who had helped him with his leg, leaned forward and replaced the cloth on his forehead with a new one. "We had thought we lost you little one." She said with a sad smile. "No matter what we did you wouldn't wake up. And when we tried to use our Byakugan to see what was wrong, we were blinded by a crimson light. Do you know what was going on?" she asked in a kind tone.
Naruto hesitated for a moment. He didn't know what they would think of him if they knew about Kurama. He didn't want to see those kind faces, that held so much love in their eyes, turn into the faces he was so familiar with. Faces of malice, disgust, and fear, with nothing but hatred in their eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle it if they changed, because right now, he didn't know if anyone else would look at him like this anymore. But, he also didn't want to lie directly to their faces, either. It didn't feel right to him. He didn't want to deceive them when they had been so kind to him.
He was about to tell them the truth when Kurama's voice rumbled through his mind, stopping him in his tracks, "Do not tell them Kit, it will not turn out well…" Heeding Kurama's warning, Naruto said, decisively, "I...I don't know…" The two Hyuuga women didn't look all that convinced that he was actually telling them the truth, but they didn't press him for answers.
They already knew what he was...WHO he was. They knew full well that he was the Jinchuuriki if the Kyuubi no Yoko. But they were also decent enough people to know the difference between a scroll, and the kunai sealed inside of it. So they let his little lie go, confident that, when he was ready to tell them, he would. Mina smiled at him and gave his arm a little squeeze. "It's alright then, Naruto-kun. Why don't you get some more rest, I'll bring you some food in a minute so that you don't have to worry about getting up. Hiroki will be waiting here until I get back, and she might stay after. Is that okay with you?" she said to the little boy. Naruto nodded hesitantly, still a little weary of her because of the last time she had 'left' him to get something. After something so traumatic like that, he became just a little less trusting of people leaving to get him things.
Mina smiled and left the shack to get him something to eat. Naruto laid there in his cot for a few moments before his stomach growled loudly. "That's right...I haven't eaten anything yet today…" he thought to himself as Hiroki couldn't help but giggle at his embarrassed face, which was starting to grow slightly red from blush. She smiled at him and shook her head. "You know by the sound of that stomach of yours, it's like you haven't eaten in days." she giggled jokingly. He smile faded when she saw the grimace come across the boys face. "I haven't…" he mumbled to himself while pulling his blanket up slightly. Hiroki tilted her head a bit. "What?" she asked the boy. Naruto hesitated for moment but spoke up. "I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon." he said meekly. Hiroki's eyes widened as she gasped lightly. "Oh..uh...I-I'm sorry about laughing…" she said trying to to find a way to cheer the little blond up. And then she smirked. "Tell ya what, why don't I make you lunch from now on? I could bring it over here and eat with you everyday. Does that sound alright to you?" she asked with a bright smile.
Naruto's eyes widened and began to water. A light blush came across his six year old face and he nodded sheepishly in agreement. She smiled at his embarrassment and put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry Little Brother, Onee-chan is here to look after you."
. . . .
(A/N): To be continued...
Bulba Fett: MY FUCKING GOD! THIS IS THE LONGEST THING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN!
*falls over from fatigue*
Anonymous Jonin: I'm not moving him. Too much of a bother. Anyway! I hope you guys had fun, and don't forget to review, follow, and favorite, if you are so inclined. Thanks so much for showing up for chapter 2, you guys are the dankest! PEACE!
Bulba Fett: *Slowly leans head up* Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!