Chapter 2: Revelations and Ramen.
Disclaimer: I could have owned Naruto, but Kishimoto got there first. A shame, really, but probably for the best.
'Wow, this is cool!' Thoughts
'Don't talk so much, brat!' Kyuubi thoughts
"Shut up, damn fox!" Regular talking
"You asking for a beatdown, kit?" Kyuubi Talking
Naruto awoke slowly, feeling groggy and tired. He felt like he had been sleeping forever, but he didn't care. He turned over and curled himself into a ball, snuggling against the warm mattress. This was definitely a… Wait a minute. Mattress? He hadn't slept on a mattress in two years, and even back in the orphanage, he had mostly slept on a blanket spread on the floor. But he was in one know, a coverlet over him, warming his entire body. Despite his confusion, he relaxed into it, loving the feel of comfort it gave him. But, his curiosity couldn't wait very long; time to figure out where he was.
He opened his eyes, glancing around him, trying to absorb every detail at once. He was in a moderately sized room, with bare, unadorned walls and a large sliding door directly in front of him. He looked behind him, and recoiled in sudden shock. There, emblazoned boldly on the wall behind the pallet, was the red and white fan of the Uchiha clan. His mind whirled, wondering why it was there. Then, he remembered Itachi picking him up. Of course, this must be Itachi-san's room.
He abandoned his comfortable position, raiding himself up on one arm to get a better view of his surroundings. There was hardly any furniture besides the mattress on the floor, merely a small dresser against one wall and a couple of cushions laid upon the floor. Against a corner of the wall lay a large beanbag, which was the typical black and red of the Uchiha family. Shoving aside the comforter that covered him, he stood up, wondering what he should do know. He could leave the room, and try to find Itachi-san, but that didn't seem like such a great idea. Wandering around by himself in the Uchiha family house was probably a short step from suicide, seeing as how some of their members had gone out of their way to harass him. He cradled his chin in his hand, still clueless as to his next course of action.
Then someone slid open the door and Naruto prepared to run. If it was anyone other than Itachi, it was probably a good idea to get as far away as possible, consequences be damned. When the door slid all the way open, he saw, much to his relief, that it was Itachi. He relaxed, and watched the older boy step inside and carefully shut the door. Itachi turned around, black eyes looking deep into Naruto's own. Naruto, as always, let his curiosity go before his caution.
"Hey, Itachi-san. Why am I here? I was gonna sleep in the shed last night." Itachi merely shook his head and walked across the room, flopping himself down on the beanbag in the corner.
"I think, Uzumaki-kun, that you will find that shed of yours no longer in existence. It was burned to the ground last night." Naruto gasped, wondering how it could have happened. The last thing he remembered was… his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Did you do it?" Itachi waved a hand airily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Of course. I thought it quite apparent. It was the wisest course of action, especially considering your guest." Naruto got angry at Itachi's presumption to burn down his second favorite sleeping spot, but then mentally reviewed the second sentence.
"Guest? What do you mean, 'guest'? There was nobody there except me." Itachi growled a little under his breath, remembering the despicable actions of the Jounin the night before.
"Again, you are mistaken. You did indeed have a guest, and a very nasty one. He bore you a personal grudge, it seemed. I… dispatched him." Naruto stared at the young teen in front of him, who was so calmly talking about killing someone.
"You… killed him? How could you kill him? That's just…" He brought a hand to his mouth, feeling sick and queasy. Across the room, Itachi's head had snapped up and he glared at Naruto with a ferocious intensity, his eyes blazing with the Sharingan.
"Yes. Yes, I killed him. Or would you rather I have let him cut your throat as you slept?" Naruto was shocked, and tried to interrupt Itachi, but Itachi couldn't have cared less, and continued talking unperturbed. "I am a ninja. It is what I am trained to do. I will kill, I will steal, I will deceive, I will torture, I will destroy, and I will not be stopped. That is my way, and I follow it. If I had not followed the path I had chosen, you would be a corpse right now, your poisoned blood still flowing onto the floor of that shed. Remember that, brat. You owe your life to a ninja." Throughout his entire speech, Itachi maintained a frigid tone and calm posture, his voice calm and emotionless.
"Ano… Sorry, Itachi. I wasn't trying to get you mad." Naruto was almost cowering now, trying to move away from the source of the red hot glare. Itachi maintained his gaze for a second longer, and then looked away. He was disappointed in his loss of control, wondering why he had let himself get worked up over this boy. Shaking it off, he turned back towards Naruto while getting into a more comfortable position on the beanbag.
"No, it's not your fault, Uzumaki. It's mine. After I eliminated the man, I grabbed you and carried you back here; setting the shed afire to remove most of the traces we left behind. It shouldn't arouse much suspicion, but it's possible they can link the fire back to me." Naruto's eyes widened.
"How could they tell that you set the fire? I mean, everything should be all burned up, right?" Itachi shook his head solemnly.
"Yes, most everything should have burned away. However, they can test the ashes for chakra residue. I had used a basic Goukyakyuu no Jutsu to set the shed ablaze, and they can identify the use of chakra if they look close enough. They can also tell that a body had been inside, since the ash of wood and the ash of bone are quite different to those who know." He glanced at Naruto, trying to ascertain how much of that the boy had actually understood. To his surprise, Naruto was nodding in understanding, having apparently got down the gist of his statement.
"Ok, then what are we gonna do now? Am I going to stay here?" Itachi again shook his head, not even bothering to ponder that question.
"No, that is out of the question. I'm afraid my… clansmen don't have much of a liking for you at the present. However, there is an alternative solution." Naruto's nose wrinkled, obviously considering Itachi's view of the disposition of the Uchihas as being absolutely accurate.
"Okay, what do you want me to do?" Itachi leaned forward on his beanbag, his hands idly flexing.
"Simply this: nothing." Naruto's mouth dropped open, and he was about to ask Itachi what the hell he was talking about, when Itachi held up a hand, forestalling his interruption. "I wasn't finished. You will continue doing whatever you did before, simply with more caution and more vigilance. Constant vigilance will keep you safe, and little else. In the time when I am not on missions, I will do what I can to teach you survival skills. You have already shown yourself something of a natural genius in that so far, being able to survive on the streets at such a young age. But the fact remains that were it not for the Kyuubi, you would not be alive. We shall have to remedy that situation." He stood up from his beanbag and began pacing around the room, counting off ideas as he went.
"Because you play host to Kyuubi, your chakra will no doubt be incredibly high, and should grow even higher as time passes. Therefore, we must begin basic chakra control exercises immediately, and constantly, so that you do not fall behind in your control. The more chakra one has, the harder it is to maintain control. You have some natural stealth abilities, as well as your uncanny ability to become unnoticed. That is not something that can be trained, per se, but it can be practiced. Your hand-eye coordination is incredible for a child your age, and your vision is perfect." Naruto was watching him in awe, not really understanding most of the things he was saying. Whatever it was, it sounded cool! Naruto gave a foxy grin and settled down for the long haul. It looked like Itachi was going to take a while.
"You are short now, but your body type will undoubtedly be built for power, rather than speed. So I must begin teaching you the fundamental offensive capabilities of Taijutsu. A weapon I cannot give you, for there will be trouble if a five year old is found with a kunai. But, what I can give you is wooden shuriken, which you will use to practice with. I expect you to practice with them daily. I shall start you on a basic jutsu, but not one of those they will teach you at the academy. No, I think something far more chakra consuming would be to your benefit, seeing as you have so much to spare. I will have to teach you the three basic jutsu as well, but I do not know if you will have the control for it. Hopefully, within a few months, you will have progressed far enough that we can begin the tree walking." Itachi took a deep breath, and was showing every sign of wanting to continue, but was distracted from it by Naruto's strange expression. "Uzumaki? What is it?"
Naruto stared at him, a mix of confusion, fear, and hope mingling in his eyes. "Ano… You said you would teach me… Does that mean… you'll be my friend?" He looked up with the hope shining from his eyes, but behind it lurked a fear. Fear that he would be rejected, just like all those other times. Itachi looked the boy straight in the eyes, then instantly regretted it. The boy's gaze was like an arrow, piercing his heart, making him nearly weep in sympathy for the lad. He saw how alone Naruto was, and how he so badly wanted a friend. Itachi steeled himself; it had to be done. He walked up to Naruto, squatting down before the blonde and looked the boy straight in the eye.
"No." he saw the hope drain away, being replaced by an awful sadness that tore at the heartstrings. But before Naruto could shed any tears, he reached out and touched the boy's shoulder. "I'll be your teacher. I do not lightly give away my friendship. But I will allow you the chance to earn it." Slowly, hope began to dawn once more in the boy's eyes and Itachi give him a rare grin. Not a smirk, not a sneer; a cheerful grin. This provoked a foxy smile from the blond, who wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, rubbing his tears away.
"Arigato… Itachi-sensei. I won't let you down." Itachi smiled at the boy. He had no doubt that he would not let him down. And if he did… well, there would be hell to pay.
"Naruto." The boy looked up at him, eyes wide. "I will not go easy on you. I am expecting you to train in every spare moment you have. Unless you want the next assassination attempt to succeed, you will work as hard as you can. When I am gone on missions, you will practice on your own. If you do not display sufficient improvement by my return, your lessons stop permanently. There will be no second chances, for your enemies will give you none either. Are we clear?" Naruto, understanding the rules that Itachi had laid down, nodded emphatically. Itachi rose from his squat. "Excellent. We begin your training tomorrow. Take today and rest, but be ready for work tomorrow." Naruto nodded and stood up, brushing dust off the knees of his threadbare pants.
Itachi looked him over, and briefly resolved to get the boy new clothes. It would look bad if he let his students dress in rags, and he didn't want his reputation tarnished by a filthy pupil. He led the lad to the window of the room, opening it wide. He motioned the lad to go through it, and he did, Itachi following at his heels. They climbed up to the top of the house, and Itachi looked at Naruto once more.
"Naruto." The blonde turned his gaze towards him, tilting his head in query. "Time for your first test. I'm putting a Genjutsu on you, which will make you relatively invisible. However, it only lasts ninety seconds. You will have to get out of the Uchiha district before time is out, or you fail or die, possibly both. Understood?" Naruto gulped and nodded. Itachi hadn't been kidding when he told Naruto how serious he was. Itachi brought his hands together into a simple seal, gathering chakra around Naruto. In the blink of an eye, the Genjutsu had taken effect, removing Naruto from sight. Itachi could still see a rough outline of the boy, though, black against the blue of the sky. And the air within the outline was strangely textured, constantly swirling and moving. He nodded in acceptance of the Genjutsu's effect, and stood back, pointing towards the farthest exit from the Uchiha district. After all, why make this easy on the lad? He was sure Naruto would thank him later.
Naruto set off in the chosen direction, small legs pumping as he ran across the rooftops. Quickly, he discovered Itachi's reason behind this test. Not only was it testing his speed with the time limit, but it was testing his balance. Some of the roof tiles were slippery, some were loose, and all were slanted and rounded. It was hard to run across them quickly while maintaining his balance at the same time. Several times he almost fell off the roofs entirely, and once he found himself at a dead end. He had to double back and take a different route, this time making sure he didn't run out of roof.
He finally made it to the gate, panting and wheezing as he tried to breathe. He was out of the Uchiha district, and he had thirteen seconds to spare. He hadn't failed Itachi-sensei's test. He rolled the word around in his mouth, thinking about it carefully. Itachi-sensei. It felt strange, calling someone his sensei, but if he could call anyone that, he would call Itachi that. It was almost like the feeling he got when he called Ayame 'nee-san'. It felt good, but a little strange too. He hoped the strangeness of it would fade with time, but he wasn't sure about that. After all, he'd always been alone; maybe he would never get used to having people.
He cleared his mind of those thoughts and began walking down the road, towards downtown Konoha. He knew of a few good alleys along the way he could go to, get some more sleep. Or, he could go ahead and grab his lunch. Wait, lunch? Or supper? He looked at the sky and noticed that the sun had gone down, not up, since the last time he'd seen it. He had gone to sleep at about… what, something like midnight last night. And, since the sun was going down again… He calculated it in his head, and decided that he had slept a good sixteen hours. This surprised him a great deal, because normally he never slept more than five or six hours. He couldn't afford to sleep longer than that.
He decided to wait a bit on his food, and instead he turned his mind towards his clothes. He'd been wearing this same set of clothes for a little over a year, and he had just about worn them out. Which meant it was time for another store raid. He sighed, shoving his hands into his threadbare pockets, and turned down an alley. He needed some clothes that he could train in, because Itachi had promised to teach him to be a ninja. A thrill ran through him as he thought of that, thinking of joining the ranks of those black-clad fighters. He remembered a sparring match he had seen once, between a couple of ANBU members. He had watched them exchange blow after blow, counter after counter, both seeming to be able to attack and defend instantly. He had been floored by the sheer amount of skill and power they had displayed, and was entranced by their swift motions and seamless fighting style.
He wanted to be a ninja. He realized that know. But, he had never thought it possible. After all, almost everyone in the village seemed to hate him, and he didn't think anyone would be willing to help him become a ninja. But now Itachi-sensei was going to teach him, and he could tell that Itachi was a good ninja. He grinned as he thought of himself wearing the hitai-ate that graced the foreheads of so many shinobi, and hoped one day to wear the leaf symbol proudly, as a ninja of Konoha. Plus, Kyuubi was gonna help him.
He frowned for a moment as he thought of Kyuubi. The fox had been completely silent since the previous night, and he wondered why he wasn't talking to him, like they had done the previous night. 'Hey, bake kitsune. You there?' he yelled within the depths of his head. He heard nothing but the echoes of his cry. He tried again, this time even louder, but there was still no reply. He sighed a little in frustration. He hoped that the fox had good intentions. One thing was for sure, he didn't want to get on a giant fox demon's bad side. Besides, it's not like the demon was going anywhere, that was for sure.
He found a cardboard box in an alley. He looked at it critically, then decided that it would do for now. He dragged a nearby bag of fresh trash over to it and put it inside, making himself a cushion chair. Admittedly, a nasty smelling, dirty and disgusting one, but cushioned nonetheless. He sat down, getting himself comfortable. He had a lot to think about, and wanted to be alone for a while.
A few hours passed, and the sun had dropped behind the great wall that surrounded Konoha. Naruto looked out of the two ends of his little alley, pleased to see the flow of people going to and from downtown was dying down. The perfect time to find himself some new clothes would be soon, just after the stores are closed, but just before the night-time prowlers come out to play. He got up off his makeshift chair, not caring about the foul smells coming from it. He'd smelled worse, and had learned to just ignore it.
He walked slowly to one end of the alley, looking carefully down the street. It was mostly empty; there were a few vendors who were still packing up their carts, and a few stragglers from the tourist crowd. He thought for a moment, and then decided to take his chances leaving now. It would be better than going too late, and getting caught by one of the local gangs. They wouldn't just beat him; they would kill him.
He left the alley, sticking close to the shadows as best as he could. This was where his natural talents came into play; over years he had developed a knack for disappearing from sight, to becoming part of the scenery. People would look at him and not even see him, because their minds simply didn't register him. He wasn't sure why, but it worked for him, and allowed him to go on these excursions with quite a bit more safety than he would have had otherwise. But however good at being inconspicuous he was, that wouldn't hold out unless he was careful to not be seen in the first place.
Stalking quietly down the darkening streets, he reached the area he was looking for. This was a popular part of town, where some of the famous Fire Country tailors had their shops. They specialized in embroidery and fancy designs, but their ninja wear was some of the finest in the five villages, second only to the Mizugakure battle gear. There was one shop in particular that dealt in only ninja gear, and it was that shop that drew Naruto's interest that night. If he could get inside, find some decent gear, and then get out safely, then he could go and meet Ayame-neesan before she closed her stall.
Ignoring the sudden growling in his stomach at the thought of ramen, he carefully snuck to the side of the store, peering cautiously into one of its windows. There was no one there, and the lights were off; that meant that he could strike now with relative safety. He prowled quietly over to the door, looking anxiously left and right. Seeing no one, he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small piece of tough wire. He carefully inserted this into the lock, getting a feel for the position of its tumblers. He suppressed a smirk; such a basic lock on such a fancy place. He thought it was his lucky day, but then sobered quickly as a thought struck him. This place sold ninja gear, so maybe it was booby-trapped. He wouldn't put it past the shop owner to do something like that.
He walked over to the window, looking carefully inside. Nope, no good, he couldn't see anything. He turned away from the window, thinking hard. He didn't have a flashlight, and it almost certainly was a bad idea to force the lock on a ninja shop. Well, not until he had made sure there were no nasty surprises. There wasn't anything on the lock itself, and the shop keeper definitely wouldn't use anything explosive. Poison gas, maybe? Or some kind of knockout gas. Either way, it would probably be a tripwire setup, strung along the floor or next to the door. No, probably on the floor, putting it on the door was just not practical. Well, assuming he was correct, that meant he would have to have some sort of light, so he could see what he was doing.
He pondered the dilemma for a bit longer, the sun finally setting over the horizon. As the twilight slowly gave way to darkness, the street lamps came on, glowing orange. He looked up at the nearest one, and was struck with a sudden inspiration. The nearest lamp was very near the shop, which meant that the light was shining through the shop windows. He rushed to the large window, peering intently into the shop. The light was just enough that he could see the floor, and he thought he saw the glint of wire. He grimaced slightly; he hated it when he was right.
Moving away from the window, he looked around hurriedly for something with which he could reflect the light, which would let him see where all the wires were. He found a fragment of a mirror in an alley near the shop, probably the remnants of one of those full length mirrors they use to see how well the clothes fit. Holding it gingerly, so as not to cut himself from the sharp edges, he moved over to the window once more. He held it at an angle, so that the light from the lamp struck the mirror and reflected, providing him with a makeshift flashlight.
Tilting the reflective fragment, he shone the beam of light across the floor, looking for more tripwires. He found four, three of which were strung along the floor. There was a complex looking seal on the cash register, presumably some kind of advanced locking seal. He didn't really care, though, since he wasn't interested in taking cash; he may be a thief, but he didn't feel comfortable with stealing money. He was hesitant to take that final step.
Finishing his examination of the innards of the shop, he set the fragment on the ground next to the window. Walking back over to the door, he pulled out his wire again. He stuck it in once more, perusing the innards until he knew it like he knew his name. He withdrew the wire and began twisting and shaping it, molding it into the rough shape he would need to get the door open. He inserted his makeshift lock pick into the hole once more, wiggling it around in an attempt to slip the tumblers into position. He failed, and let out a quiet curse.
He tried again and again, finally getting it on his fifth try. Pocketing his wire once more, he slid the door open and quickly went inside, shutting the door behind him. He looked around at the dark shop; the light from the street lamp was not shining enough through the windows, and he couldn't see the tripwires. He closed his eyes, envisioning where he had seen them. Cautiously, he stepped forward, very slowly and carefully. He didn't want to trip them off, after all the effort he did to discover them. He came to the spot where he remembered the first one lay, strung across the walkway at ankle height. Six or seven inches past it, and slightly higher, should be a second one, set so that if one managed to step over it on accident, they would hit the second one. He lifted his leg up, and carried it over the taut wires. When he felt nothing give way, he sighed in relief, and brought his other leg over the wires as well.
He stood straight, breathing hard. He was nervous, and he was letting it get to him. He tried to calm down, and managed to slow his breathing and bring his thoughts under control. But his hands were still shaking uncontrollably, and he still had that nameless fear one has when doing something risky or dangerous. Swallowing his senseless fear, he stepped forward once more, searching his memory for the location of the third ground level wire. He remembered that the third and fourth wires were strung along the same lengths, but at different heights, so he would have to crouch as he went between them. He searched his memory diligently, hoping he could remember. He finally found what he sought, and knew that the wires were no more than two feet in front of him. One of them was strung along the floor, coming to the middle of his shin. The second one was strung were a normal mans chest would be, but in this case it was at Naruto's head.
Carefully, now, he stepped forward, anxious to not hit these wires. He ducked his head down, effectively removing the threat of the top wire. But there was still the bottom one to be contended with. Bringing his leg up and over it, he began to set it on the other side. Suddenly, he heard a bark in his head. 'NO! Don't step there, kit!' He jerked back, almost hitting the wires as he stumbled away from them. He was shocked; he hadn't been expecting the fox, and in truth he had almost forgot him entirely.
'What the hell? I was over the wire! And why did you have to interrupt me? I was in the mid-'he was cut off from his indignant tirade by a loud roar, which caused him to cower, even though it was only in his head.
'Shut your mouth, brat. You show yourself no more than a mere brat! Now, be silent and listen to my words.' Naruto shut his mouth, deciding it was probably a good idea to not infuriate a millennia old fox demon, even if it lived in his stomach. There was a grunt of approval from within the depths of his mind. 'Good. At least you show some restraint. As for your nearly fatal mistake… Perhaps it is better to show you.' Naruto wondered what the fox meant by that, but then felt a burning sensation in his belly. He clutched at it through the threadbare fabric of his t-shirt, wondering what the fox was up to.
The fiery feeling began spreading, going up along his back. He shuddered as he felt it crawling along his spine, and was getting quite scared. When it reached his head, it seemed to gather, swirling and coiling around within his skull. Then, with the suddenness of an explosion, it all was poured into his eyes. He nearly screamed, biting his lip instead, screwing his eyes shut as he felt them burn in their sockets. He felt like the heat was slamming into the back of his eyes, which throbbed and ached with immense pain. His eyes began tearing up in an effort to cool it, but the tears which fell from them were steaming hot. He gasped aloud in fresh pain as he felt the boiling tears scorch the surface of his skin, leaving trails of small burns down his face.
He pressed his eyes into the palms of his hands, willing the pain to leave. Almost immediately, it did, the feeling subsiding, returning to its former place within his belly. There was a dull throbbing in his eyes, but he could withstand that. He felt the pain from the burns on his face begin to fade as well, as well as the pain in his lip. Despite the relief that flooded him now, he was still frightened by the whole thing, and wanted explanations badly. And he knew of one person who could give him those explanations… 'What the hell was that, damn fox? That really hurt! Why'd-'There was a feral snarl, which again shut Naruto up.
'In Enma's name, be silent! I will not tolerate another outburst! Understand?' Naruto couldn't bring himself to say anything, but merely nodded meekly. A sigh came from within the caverns of his mind. 'Better. You may be a young pup still, but you will not be a foolish one; I will not allow it. Open your eyes, kit. Open them now.' Naruto hesitated for a moment, afraid that the pain would come back if he opened his eyes. The Kyuubi noticed this hesitation. 'Kit, I gave you an order. Either carry it out, or suffer the consequences.' Naruto gulped, not liking the way the fox had said 'consequences'. He opened his eyes warily, still afraid of the return of that burning feeling. Nothing happened, though, and he sighed in relief. That was something he never wanted to go through again.
He glanced around the store, glad to see that he hadn't accidentally tripped one of the wires. Wait a second… how could he see? It was pitch dark inside… And why was everything black and white? He grabbed his t-shirt, looking at the red spiral on the front of it. Somehow, the spiral was just a shade of grey. He let go of his shirt, now thoroughly confused. 'Hey, fox. How come everything is black and white? I feel like I'm in some old movie or something.' He looked around again, realizing something else was amiss. Then he realized. 'And how can I see in the dark? That doesn't make any sense! What's going on?' Kyuubi sighed, exasperated at always having to explain things to this kid.
'It's simple, boy. I'm a fox. Not only a fox, but a demon fox. Did you expect that you would be normal, despite the fact you are my vessel? Kit, you gave up your normality when you agreed to accept my power.' Naruto's eyes widened; he remembered now. He had agreed to accept Kyuubi's power. In essence, he had surrendered his body to the fox, with no strings attached. He gasped as he realized the precarious position he had placed himself in. He had given a demon permission to alter and change him, in any way that thing saw fit. He had even helped him by changing the seal on the gates. What if the fox was planning to escape? Or to kill Naruto?
Of course, the Kyuubi was listening in on these thoughts. One aspect of the seal he had replaced the Shiki Fuujin with was that he had full access to the boy's conscious thought. 'Ah, understanding dawns at last, I see. Kit, if you ever make such a stupid deal as last night again, I will kill you myself.' There was a sigh from the fox. 'Well, even though I would indeed do whatever I could to break free under normal conditions, I cannot break my oath. Consider yourself lucky, kit, to have such a mighty guardian as that one was watching over you.' Naruto was puzzled, and he furrowed his brow in thought. What guardian was he talking about? He didn't quite understand what the fox was trying to say.
'Ano, what do you mean? I've never had a guardian; the nearest thing to that was Sandaime-ojisan. And I haven't even seen him in two years.' The fox muttered something under his breath that Naruto couldn't quite catch, and then proceeded to explain.
'The guardian I spoke of was the Yondaime Hokage-donor. The only man to ever defeat me in face to face combat. Were he not a mortal, he would have earned my title as the Lord of the East, and allowed to lead the Kitsune clan.' There was a deep, throaty sigh. 'It was he who sealed me into you. In the final moments of his life, he spoke to me, threatened me to an eternity of void, of nothing. He offered to prevent that, to seal me in such a fashion that I would be granted a quick death. I, more than any other, know the pains that can come from eternal life. To be trapped in that black pit the rest of my life… Such a thing was abhorrent to me. I chose to accept his terms, and be bound to a Jinchuuriki, a vessel. Inside my container, I would live my days, and eventually be absorbed completely into my vessel. I would die when my vessel died.' He paused for a moment, mulling things over in his head.
'I accepted those terms, but then he propositioned a few more, which I found strange. One of these was to swear never to harm my vessel, and never try to impede his progress in any way. This was, of course, easily done; I was no more anxious to die than he was. He also commanded me to offer you this choice; either to grow powerful with my aid, or on your own. This was a strange request, but I agreed to it readily enough.' There was a chuckle. 'So very human of him, I must say. He did an excellent job of wording his commands, so I could find no loophole. Over time, I discovered a few and contemplated using them, but then decided it was best not to; if something were to go wrong, both of us would die. Indeed, it was quite fortunate for you, kit, that Itachi decided to show you to me. That boy understands what true power is.'
Naruto had been sitting on the floor of the shop, just listening with rapt attention to all that the Kitsune had said. Some of it he found hard to believe, and others he didn't want to believe. But, throughout it all, a sense of awe had permeated him. The Yondaime Hokage had given him this burden. He had been cursed with this demon by the very man he had the greatest respect for. He felt a throbbing in his heart, and he saw his 'hero' in a different light than he always had. But, then he thought of the last wishes of that famous ninja. Why would he care whether or not Naruto grew in strength? Why did he offer Kyuubi the chance for death, when he could have sent the demon to eternal imprisonment? And why wasn't Naruto told about any of this? So many thoughts were whirling through his head that he was dazed, and felt faint from the pressure.
Kyuubi was observing his container, looking through the various emotions that swept through him and reading some of his thoughts. The boy was most certainly interesting, and he was glad that the Yondaime had sealed him into a container with such raw potential. Yes, the boy was dull and slow, but beneath sluggish motions of his normal thoughts lay an intricate network of instinctive reactions and logical thought. This boy would be intelligent one day, and he was a born shinobi. He had explored the boy's body the previous day, when he had gripped the lad in his chakra. His muscles were already strong, if a bit malnourished, and he showed every signs of being exceptionally strong and fast as he grew. It might be worth his time to not only give the brat power, but teach him some things as well. After all, with such an incredible store of knowledge that the Kyuubi had, he could easily instruct the lad in any number of things. But the kit would have to earn such treatment. He hadn't lived this long by simply dishing out his secrets left and right. The boy must show that he was worthy.
Naruto interrupted the line of Kyuubi's thought with a question. 'What does this have to do with my eyes? How come I can see like this?' Kyuubi sighed, realizing that he hadn't really explained what was happening, only telling the boy why.
'You are a vessel to a greater demon, boy. I'm merely making your body worthy of holding me. I spent quite a bit of the day considering what changes should be made, and exactly when it will happen. Allow me to explain it in terms you will understand. The seal we inserted in place of the old one is constructed so that my chakra is given to you slowly, over a period of time. It can be taken sooner, but that is dangerous for both of us. If one of us tries to force it open, it will break apart, releasing all the chakra held within. Therefore, to ensure relative safety in that area, I have installed into it a series of chakra gates, which each contain one years worth of chakra. The amount within that specific gate will be given to you gradually throughout the year. That means that each year, you will gain a set amount and no more.' Naruto nodded, a little confused but managing to understand the gist of it. Kyuubi continued his explanations, knowing that it had to be done, but not liking it much.
'This first year will contain most of the changes I'm making to your body, kit. I want you to get used to them as quickly as possible, so that you can learn to use the modifications instinctively. I don't feel like explaining that right now, so you'll find out what they are as you earn them. The first modification was to your eyesight. Congratulations, boy; you possess my eyes.' Naruto was startled, not quite understanding what he meant. 'Don't worry, Kit. You'll see what I mean soon enough. For now, look again at that wire that you were going to step over. Get what you came for and get out.' The presence of the fox faded back into the corners of his mind, watching Naruto. It felt a little creepy, but he would get used to it.
Using his new vision, he looked down at the wire like Kyuubi had ordered him to. He looked at it, grey against a lighter shade of the floor. His eyes widened as he saw something else. Between the two wires was a third one, shaded black. He realized what had happened; the shopkeeper had set up the first and second traps in preparation for this third trap. By using four regular wires, it tricked the people into thinking that he would only use regular wire in his traps, not non-reflective wire. And it was set so that anyone walking away from the second trap would definitely hit it. Naruto's eyes traced the line, following it to a corner of the wall. There was a nasty kunai launcher there, and the black blade had traces of grey liquid. He was positive it was a poison of some kind, and was particularly glad that Kyuubi had seen fit to warn him.
Carefully, he went through the second trap just as he had done before. Except that this time, he ducked his head even lower, getting underneath the camouflaged tripwire. He was past it, and apparently was home free. He walked quickly to a section of the store where they kept ninja gear, looking through it until he found a section with small clothes. They were probably for Genin, but there were a few that were close enough to Naruto's size. He selected a pair of black shinobi pants, with a few slots on them for kunai or other weapons. They had cargo pockets as well, and could be sealed with chakra to make the pockets water-tight. Of course, he didn't even really know what chakra was, much less how to control it. The pants were a size too big for him, but he would grow into it. He selected a set of underarmor, which was a little big for him, but not too much so.
He looked around for a shirt, wanting to replace the shabby one that he wore. He finally found one that was almost his size, but a size and a half too big. He would wear it anyways, and hope that he would grow into that as well. It was just a basic black shirt, but expensive; it was made of silk. The handy thing about silk is that it was a quiet material, and if someone stabbed you through a silk shirt, the silk would bunch up around the blade. This made it a lot easier to pull out the blade. Of course, he didn't know this, but he thought it looked pretty cool. He changed into the clothes quickly, wanting to see how they fit. To his disappointment, the sleeves on his shirt came down past his hands, and his pants gathered around his knees. The pants were quite loose, and he had to hold them up with his hands. The underarmor was all right, despite it being a little loose instead of tight against the skin.
He changed back into his old clothes, and decided to take his haul to Itachi. If anyone could help him with those clothes, it was probably him. Naruto quickly made his way out of the store once more, careful to avoid all the traps as he went. He made sure to lock the door, so that the shop owner would hopefully not notice anything. Holding his new clothes under his arm, he ran swiftly away from the store, the sky dark overhead. It was now night and it was at least past nine. He ducked into an alley near the store, hoping that no one saw him. Once he was there, he panted a little bit, the adrenaline still pumping from excitement.
His eyes, which were still monochromatic, began aching more. It made him wince, but it faded quickly. When it faded completely, he saw his vision revert from his previous night vision to his original normal sight. He sighed in relief, happy to once more see in colors, but missing the night vision the other pair gave him. He was a little disappointed he couldn't have both, but at least he could choose between the two visions. One thing was for sure, he didn't want to see in white and black permanently. His adrenaline rush started to fade. After a short time, he began feeling tired and hungry. Hungry… Food… Food!
He remembered that Ayame-neesan wanted to see him tonight, and it was about the same time as he saw her last time. He closed his eyes and pulled up his mental map of Konoha, which he had spent the last two years developing. He knew where he was, but where was that ramen stand… Ah, there. Not too far away, only a couple of blocks. He turned and ran down the alley, careful not to drop his cargo of clothes. He stopped at the mouth of the alley, looking for people. Seeing none, he turned and sprinted down the street, thinking of ramen.
Very shortly, he arrived, led by the smell of ramen. The same spicy aroma danced about his nostrils, setting him drooling in anticipation. He dropped his load of clothes onto the street and kicked them inside the ramen stand. He shoved the flaps of the small shop aside, hearing the bell ring to announce his arrival. He didn't see anyone at the counter, but the lights were still on, which meant that someone was still there. And there was a bowl of ramen sitting on the counter, with a little sign on it. It had some Kanji scribbled on it, but Naruto couldn't read it. He didn't want to, either, as the ramen commanded total and absolute attention. He snuck towards it, hands outstretched, absolutely entranced by its sheer glory and majesty. A shaking hand stretched out, fingers twitched in eagerness, his nostrils flared in appreciation of the delicious aroma.
Then he felt something hit his hand hard, making a thwack sound as it struck his flesh. He cried out and packed away, rubbing his stinging hand. He looked at his assailant, who was glaring at him. It was an old man, spatula in hand, wearing a white hat and a white apron. The man was quivering with righteous indignation, and his eyes were cold. Naruto shivered and turned away, sad that he didn't get to see Ayame-chan. He would have looked for her, except he didn't want to have to deal with another angry villager. As he was walking out of the building, he heard a female voice shout something from the back room. He couldn't quite make out what she said, though. He hoped that it was Ayame-neesan, and he turned back towards the counter.
Behind the counter, the old man had turned to face the kitchen, from which a sleepy looking Ayame was coming. Naruto's heart leaped, happy to see his neesan once more. She was talking to the geezer, apparently not noticing Naruto. Naruto assumed that this must be someone related to her. Probably her grandfather, since the guy looked so old. Besides, they were both wearing white aprons, so they were at least both cooks or something. Ayame, turning away from the old guy, saw Naruto, and clapped her hands to her mouth.
"Oh, Kami! I forgot all about it!" She ran around the counter, sprinting towards Naruto. Once she got there, she scooped him up, hugging him tightly. He squirmed a little bit, because she hadn't given him time to move his arms, so his arms were being pressed against his sides. She didn't notice, though. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Naruto! I forgot that I asked you to come! Oh, Kami, I'm so sorry, I even made you a bowl of ramen, but then I got distracted, and then I had to do the dishes, and then the water spilled, and then my dad came, and then-" Naruto cut off her seemingly endless tirade, wheezing loudly.
"Oi, neesan… I can't… breathe…" Ayame turned beet-red and quickly let go. He dropped onto his knees on the ground, hugging his sides and gasping for air. As soon as he was able he flashed her a thumbs up. "Thanks! I'm happy to see you too, Ayame-neesan!" Ayame gave him a smile in return, happy to see her new brother again. She squatted down next to him, a slightly apologetic look in her eyes.
"Sorry about that, Naruto. Wanna try again?" Naruto nodded, and glomped her in a hug. She wrapped her arms about him, slightly in awe of the strength in his tiny arms. She knew a few kids near his age, and none of them were this strong. She patted his dirty blond locks, thinking about how she would have to get him to take a bath soon. She sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. Ok, maybe very soon; there was only so much her sensitive nose could take.
Suddenly, she noticed something strange piled by the doorway. It was some small dark clothing, all huddled together, as if they had just been dropped. Her gaze went back and forth between the boy in her arms and the clothes in the corner, a grin coming to her face. She pulled out of the lad's embrace, looking him in the eye.
"Are those new clothes, Naruto?" He grinned, and nodded. But the grin shortly left his face, and he stared at the ground with a downcast look.
"Yeah, but they're too big. So I'm stuck with these for a while." He grabbed his shirt and pants, looking at them in distaste. Ayame grinned at that; there was hope for the boy's fashion sense, after all. She grabbed his arms away from his ragged clothes and held his hands in her own, drawing his gaze up to meet hers.
"Ok, then how about I fix them for you? I know enough sewing; I can hem the pants and shorten the sleeves on the shirt. Does that sound good?" Naruto looked at her in disbelief, before his face creased in a wide grin. He gave her a vigorous nod before wrenching his hands free of her and hugging her again. She tried to get him off her, but he was as firmly attached as a leech, and just as stubborn. She sighed, and decided to just relax and wait until he was done. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before he let go, wiping some tears from his eyes. She frowned when she saw him do that, and reached into her apron pocket, fishing around for something. Finding it, she withdrew a small handkerchief, which she applied to Naruto's grubby and tear-streaked face. He tried to get away, but she was too quick; with the practiced ease of a born ramen chef, she outmaneuvered him at every point. Soon, Naruto was rubbing at his freshly rubbed face, glaring at her. She simply stuck her tongue out at him and stood up, brushing dust off her apron.
"Ayame… Care to explain to me just what's going on?" She turned and let out a small squeak of dismay. Her father, old man Ichiraku himself, was standing behind her, arms folded and foot tapping in anger. His squinted eyes were glaring at her in anger, and he held a ladle in his right hand, as if in preparation for battle. She swallowed down her embarrassment and ran to her father, grabbing his arm. She pointed at Naruto, her eyes turned to her dad.
"Daddy, that's my new little brother. His name's Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, this is my dad. Say hello." Naruto, overcoming his nervousness with a supreme effort, lifted a hand and waved a little at the old man. Ichiraku's eyebrows had shot up when Naruto's name was mentioned, and his eyes became more speculative and wary. He stepped forward and knelt to the dusty ground by Naruto, his gaze boring into the boy. Naruto was scared now, and afraid that the old man would try to beat him, but he stood his ground nevertheless. Something told him that the damn fox would never let him live it down if he ran from an old ramen man, even if he was a ramen chef. The old man simply sat there, looking at him, as if he could see through to Naruto's soul, and was judging him based on what he saw there.
After a long moment, the old man gave a grunt and stood, walking back behind the counter. As he went into the kitchen, he turned his head and gave an approving nod to Ayame. She sighed in relief, glad to see that her father had approved of the lad. Naruto was also relieved, but because the creepy old guy had stopped staring at him. Ayame turned to Naruto and reached towards him with a pale hand, offering to help him up. He accepted, clasping her hand tightly with his. She hoisted him up, amazed by his lightness. He brushed dust off his clothes, and turned back to the entrance of the store. Naruto scooped up his new clothes and carefully cleaned them; not wanting to get his new clothes all messed up. He brought them to Ayame, who took them from him and examined them critically, comparing them to Naruto.
"Hmm… This is too big, but I can hem that… If I tuck that there… I hate to cut them… Oh, wow! Silk! Mmm… Feels nice." Naruto watched her examine the clothing, coming to the silk shirt. This she was currently rubbing against her cheek, sighing as the material brushed against her skin. She turned an envious look towards Naruto. "Lucky! I wish I had a silk shirt!" she sighed semi-despondently, and turned back to the dark shirt she held in her hands, all business once more. At last, she turned back towards Naruto, grinning widely. "Good news. I can make these fit you. It won't be great, but it'll have to do. How does that sound?" Naruto grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
Taking the clothes, she set them on the counter, intending to fix them up sometime during the next day. She heard her father call out "Ayame! I'm going home. Close up here, alright?" She shouted back her acknowledgement, and the back door slammed shut. She sighed, wishing she knew what was bugging her father. He had had the strangest look on his face when he was 'examining' Naruto. Making a mental note to bug her dad about it later, she turned back to Naruto. Who was no longer there. She gasped in dismay, afraid that Naruto had run off on her, and ran to the entrance, brushing the flaps aside and searching the dark street. She couldn't see him, and she turned away from the entrance, feeling very depressed. She liked the kid, and she loved the look on his face when she was nice to him. Stepping to the counter, she began stroking the silk shirt, once again in awe of the material.
But, before long, she heard a strange noise coming from behind the counter. She stiffened immediately, afraid that someone might have broken in. She grabbed the ladle her father had left on the counter and edged slowly around the corner of the table, holding it tightly in her hands. She heard the sound coming from just in front of her, right behind this edge of the counter. She tensed, and prepared to strike, bringing her ladle up behind her bed. Then, quickly stepping behind the counter, she struck, the ladle whistling through the air like some might battle-axe. It came down with a thump on a blonde head, which promptly keeled over onto the floor. She stared, dazed, denying the possibility of what had just happened. But, it was true. She had just hit Naruto with her father's ladle.
She stared down at the boy, seeing the empty ramen bowl on the floor next to his prone form. She relaxed, releasing the ladle from her viselike hold on it. Well, that explained the strange sounds; Naruto had a way of simply sucking up the ramen, instead of eating it like normal people. She knelt down beside her little brother, looking at his head and hoping that she hadn't done any permanent damage. She gasped, bringing her head to her mouth in horror. There was a large gash on Naruto's head, and she saw blood staining his blonde locks a dull red. Tears filled her eyes, and she rushed to get a bandage, hoping that she hadn't killed the boy. She grabbed a strip of bandages from the kitchen, and then sprinted back to Naruto's side. She knelt down beside him, unrolling the bandages as she did so. But, before she put the bandages on, she saw something strange. Before her eyes, the wound was closing, the flesh of his scalp knitting itself together to become whole once more. Soon, it was gone entirely, without so much as a scar left behind.
She slumped back onto the floor, stunned at what she had just seen. Just then, Naruto came to, a little stunned and dazed. His eyes focused on Ayame, and for a moment they were slitted, and a deep crimson in color. But it lasted for only a moment, and when he blinked, they had returned to their normal shape and hue. Ayame was shocked, and tried to convince herself that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Naruto, now fully recovered, wondered why she was staring at him like that.
"Oi, Ayame-neesan, what's up? You're looking at me weird…" He trailed off as she didn't react, wondering why she was acting so weird. She leaned forward and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him closer. She stared deeply into his eyes, searching them. He tried to get away, but her grip was like iron. He decided to just let her get it over with, so she would stop acting weird. She sat there for nearly a full minute, just looking into his eyes, never blinking. Then, she stood up, brushing dust off her clothes. Ignoring Naruto's questioning stare, she walked over to the counter, where some of the ramen ingredients were still sitting out. She began making another batch of the soup, her hands working mechanically with the skill of years of practice. Her mind was not on the job, but her body carried on regardless, confident in its ability.
Naruto decided not to say anything, mainly because he didn't know what was going on. He got up off the floor, not bothering to get the dust off his clothes, and walked over to the other side of the counter. He selected a tall stool and sat in it, simply watching Ayame cook. She never even glanced at him, and just kept staring at nothing. He laid his head in his arms, with his neck at an angle so that he could continue watching her. After a short time, the ramen was complete; a basic batch of miso ramen, nothing fancy. She dumped the contents into two bowls, filling both to the brim. Silently, she picked up the bowls, balancing them in her hands, and walked around the counter. She set a bowl in front of Naruto, and then pulled up another stool so that she could sit next to him. She seated herself in the stool and set her bowl down in front of her, reaching into her apron pocket as she did so. After a moments fumbling, she withdrew two pairs of chopsticks, still in their sealed package. She handed one to Naruto, who took it with muttered thanks, and opened the other herself. Taking the utensils out, she deftly snapped them apart and clapped her hands together.
"Itadakimasu." Then she turned her head to look at Naruto, her face creasing in a smile. Naruto met her gaze, curiosity shining in his eyes. She ignored his curious stare, her eyes pointed instead at the packaged chopsticks in the boy's hand. "Do you know how to open those?" Naruto, feeling sheepish, admitted that he didn't. Her smile grew, and she took the package from the boy, opened it, and showed him how to separate the chopsticks. Ayame handed them back with a flourish, and he grinned and took them. She held up a warning finger. "Now, Naruto-kun, it's polite to say thank you." He scratched the back of his head, the picture of sheepishness.
"Oh, uh, Arigato Gozaimasu. Is that it?" She giggled a little and patted his head lovingly.
"Close enough. I know you're hungry, so chow down, huh?" Naruto nodded eagerly, and turned to his bowl with a ravenous expression. He was still curious about Ayame's weird attitude, but he was willing to let it go in exchange for ramen. He abandoned the usual method of picking up the noodles with his chopsticks, deciding to just pour the damn thing into his mouth. He was in the process of doing so, when Ayame asked him something he did not expect. "Ano… Naruto-kun… why do people call you a demon?"
Naruto spewed his ramen out of his mouth, reaching the far wall. He was too distracted to really notice, and was instead staring widely at his 'sister'. She was pointedly not looking at him now, her face once more resuming the peculiar neutral expression from before. He looked down at his bowl, not really knowing what to say. Images of his beating yesterday flashed through his mind, accompanied by many others from his past. He didn't want Ayame to beat him too, and he was positive that she would hate him for telling her about the demon. But, she had asked, and she was his sister… If he couldn't tell her this, then he couldn't tell anyone… Well, except Itachi, who had found out on his own. Gathering his courage, he steeled himself and turned to Ayame, which prompted her to look at him in return.
"I'm… It's… Well, do you remember when the Kyuubi attacked the village?" He expected an angry affirmative, but was surprised when she meekly shook her head.
"I moved to this village about two years ago. I've heard a lot of stories from people who've eaten here, though, and…" she hesitated, not wanting to meet Naruto's gaze. "Well, one time you walked by, and one of them pointed at you and said 'Demon' real loud. I didn't understand, but what do you have to do with the Kyuubi no Yoko?" Naruto sighed and looked down, not wanting to see her expression when he told her this.
"Ano… You see, they called me that because… I am the Kyuubi. Or, actually, he's inside of me." He paused for a second, swallowing his fear once more. "I don't really understand it, but somehow the fox is inside me, ever since his attack five years ago." He kept his eyes firmly fixed on his ramen bowl, not daring to look up and see her look of hatred. Then, he heard a strange muffled sound. He peeked at her sideways, and was surprised to see her sniffing, trying to hold back tears. With an effort, she managed to hold them in.
"Well?" she said in a teary, hoarse voice. "Tell me how it happened." Naruto, realizing that she didn't hate him yet, told her everything. He didn't even leave out his discussion with the Kyuubi, even though he knew she would be frightened. This was his one chance to come clean, and be totally honest with his sister. If it didn't happen now, then when it did happen it would be far more painful. Despite his young age, he knew that much about human nature; people tend to hold grudges.
"…And that's when I left the district. Itachi-sensei is kind of a creepy guy, but he's ok when you get to know him." He looked up at her, and found her with her head buried in her hands, sobbing long and hard. He tentatively reached out to her, touching her shoulder lightly. Just as he touched her, she reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into a close embrace as she continued weeping in utter sorrow. He started to cry with her; he didn't know why, but the tears just kept coming. For a long time they cried together, her for his terrible life and horrible circumstances, and he for his sorrow for making his sister cry.
After quite a bit of time had passed, they eventually pulled apart, their eyes bloodshot and voices hoarse. Ayame stood up, gathering up her untouched ramen and Naruto's half-finished ramen bowl. Neither of them was in much of a mood to eat anymore. With a motion of her head, she beckoned Naruto to follow her into the kitchen. Once they were there, she dumped out the cold remains of the ramen and began washing the bowls. He stood there, watching her wash the bowls, until they were both cleaned and dried. Then she grabbed a sponge and a towel, and he followed her back to the counter. She applied the towel to the wall which had suffered from Naruto's ramen projectile, washing its surface clean of the remnants. While she scrubbed with the sponge and dried with the towel, she began asking Naruto some questions.
"Naruto-kun. Do you… hate the villagers? For what they did to you?" Naruto looked down at the floor, twiddling his fingers as he thought. He hadn't given it a lot of thought, and he honestly didn't know how he felt towards the village. Well, he knew he was afraid, but that was all.
"I… don't really know, Ayame-neesan." She threw him a glance questioning glance, before turning back to her cleaning. "I don't think I do. But… they haven't been very nice to me." He shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. "No, I don't hate them. I don't like them very much, but I don't hate them." Ayame let out a sigh as well, reaching out to him and ruffling his blonde locks.
"So… what will you do? You can't keep living in an alley all your life. It's good that… what's his name?" She scratched her head with a soapy finger, trying to remember the name of Naruto's new teacher. Naruto cocked his head sideways in confusion, and then figured out what she meant.
"Oh, you mean Itachi-sensei!" She nodded, and then continued from where she left off.
"Yeah, him. Anyways, it's good that he's teaching you how to survive, but that doesn't help you with your career. Well, unless you wanted to be a shinobi, but I don't think that the village will let you." He nodded glumly; well aware of what the village would think of him being a Konoha ninja.
"Well… Maybe I should be a ninja anyways!" She threw him a puzzled glance, wondering if he had even listened to her at all.
"But, I just told you that the village would probably not let you! How can you be a ninja if they hate you?" Naruto just winked at her, throwing in a foxy grin for good measure.
"Simple! I'll make them like me! They'll like me so much, that they'll have to let me be a ninja! If I try hard enough, I can do anything! Right?" He looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes. She grinned at him, doing an excellent imitation of his own patented grin.
"Definitely! They'll love you, and then you could be a ninja! Maybe you could even be the Hokage one day. Wouldn't that be cool?" His eyes opened wide, and he jumped to his feet.
"YEAH!" He shouted, clenching his tiny fists in determination, his eyes sparking with resolve. "I WILL be the Hokage, and you better believe it!" This drew a giggle from Ayame, which deflated the boy's bubble. "Hey, why are you laughing? I'm serious here!" She waved a hand at him disarmingly, stifling her laughter as well as she could.
"No, it's not that." She managed to choke out, voice shaking in suppressed laughter. "It was when you said 'You better believe it'! It was sooo cute!" She couldn't hold it in anymore, and began rolling on the floor in laughter, crying from the sheer force of it. Naruto looked at her, wide-eyed, not sure what to feel about all this. Eventually she stopped laughing, getting up off the floor. She stood up straight and walked over to Naruto, squatting next to him. Without any warning, she reached out and grabbed his whiskered cheeks, pulling and tugging on them. He let out a squeak of protest, but was ignored.
"Hey, stop that!" She giggled and continued tugging, not listening to his pleas for mercy. When she finally stopped, Naruto's cheeks were bright red, and he rubbed them gently with the palms of his hands. "Ow… that hurt! Don't do that anymore!" He turned on her, his eyes blazing in indignant anger. She held up her hands submissively, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes. Sure enough, he melted before them like butter in a supernova, and he gave her a big hug, no longer caring about his still stinging cheeks. She hugged him back, throwing a little victory sign behind his back. Once more, Ayame, the greatest ramen chef in the five villages, reigns supreme!
"Hey, Naruto." Naruto lifted his head and stepped back, wondering what was up this time. "Since Itachi is teaching you to survive, why don't you ask him to teach you how to be a ninja? From what I've heard, he's incredibly good." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "In fact, I heard that he was nominated to join the ANBU!" Naruto let out a small noise of admiration, thinking of the twelve year old Chuunin. He knew that Itachi had to be good, but not that good.
"Wow… Itachi-sensei must be strong." Ayame nodded enthusiastically, gathering up her cleaning utensils. She had just finished cleaning the ramen off the wall, and was going back to the kitchen to clean her stuff and put it all away. Naruto followed her, his mind filled with grand ideas of how cool a ninja he would be when he grew up. "Oi, neesan, do you really think I can be the Hokage one day?" She turned around and knelt, reaching out with a finger. He watched the finger get closer and closer, before it came to a stop right in front of his head. He wondered what she was doing, but then the finger flashed forward and hit him square in the head, making his recoil in shock. She giggled and stood up, shaking her finger at him.
"We'll see. But you won't ever be Hokage if you can't dodge a finger!" She turned and disappeared into the kitchen. He was going to follow her, but a shout from her dissuaded him. "You need to go get some sleep; I have a feeling you're going to need all the energy you can get tomorrow." He grimaced as he thought of how animated Itachi had been when he was discussing new training ideas for Naruto. Somehow, he just knew that she was right.
"Yeah, ok. I'll see you tomorrow, ok, neesan?" There was an acknowledging shout, which was drowned out by the sound of running water. He looked over at the clothes which were still sitting on the counter, and decided to leave them with Ayame. After all, she had promised to fix them up for him so he could wear them. Turning, he walked to the entrance of the ramen shop, pushing the flaps aside. He stuck his head out onto the street, looking both ways, before stepping out of the stand. For a moment, he just looked up at the moon, which was waxing to full. There was only a small sliver of black left on the moon, and he grinned as he thought of something. Tomorrow would be a full moon. Maybe it was an omen of some kind; a good one or a bad one, he couldn't say. But, either way, things were going to get interesting.
He grinned and turned left, running down the street. He knew a good cellar that was easy to sneak into, and the house there had been abandoned for several months now. It would be a good place to sleep tonight. He didn't normally sleep there because he was still afraid of the dark. But, as soon as he thought that, his eyes started throbbing again. He stopped his run, slowing to a stop as he rubbed his eyes with his palms. It was the same feeling as before, and he figured that his vision must be going back to its monochromatic mode. Sure enough, he opened his eyes, and viewed the world in black and white. From within his mind, there was a demonic chuckle.
'Well, how do you like seeing the world through my eyes, kit? A fascinating sensation, is it not?' Naruto, starting to feel tired, just moaned sleepily in reply. This prompted a retort from the fox. 'What's this? I, the Kyuubi no Yoko, give you one of the greatest gifts that a mortal can receive, and you stand there and fall asleep? Brat, were you anyone else, I would rip you to bloody shreds for your insolence.' Naruto, who was getting more and more tired by the second, began getting grumpy.
'Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just be quiet, damn fox. I didn't ask for your 'gifts', so shut up.' He continued on in this strain for some time, saying whatever came to mind. As he talked, his stomach began hurting, and after a time it felt almost like it was burning. Finally he fell silent, grasping at his stomach as the pain overrode his fatigue, burning away any trace of sleepiness that remained.
'Silence.' That one word seemed to rip through Naruto, setting his mind aflame, devouring his body, setting his blood boiling. He tried to scream, but his throat was being licked by tongues of fire. He tried to move, to find water, but his body was bound by flaming ropes, that burned and scorched even as they bound him. This went on for a time, with his pain mounting and climbing, growing ever higher. Then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished. He fell onto his face on the ground, shaking in the aftereffects of the pain.
'That was but a taste of my power, human. NEVER presume to speak to me in that fashion. I have tolerated it thus far, due to your age and inherent stupidity, but no longer! You said you wish to be a ninja, even daring to become the Hokage! Brat, I would set the world aflame, and die myself, rather than let a fool use my power. You WILL prove your worthiness, and you will begin NOW.' Naruto, barely enduring the mental tirade, noticed something very odd indeed. Just a moment ago, he had been on fire, but his clothes were not even singed, nor was his flesh burned. Before he could ask the demon, he was answered.
'Wondering how I did that? Simple. I am a demon, and I control your mind. I can make you see what I want you to see, do what I want you to do. Understand?' Naruto swallowed in fear, realizing how bad it was to have a demon in charge. 'I will not wrest the reigns of control from your mind unless absolutely necessary. But, I can and will punish any signs of disobedience and insolence. Am I clear enough for your dull mortal mind, or must I repeat myself?' Naruto gritted his teeth, hating to bow down to anyone. The demon read his mind, and decided to lay the boy's doubts to rest. 'I do not require you to bow to me, only to hear my words and acknowledge my power. Remember, I am not human, and thus I do not have your limitations. When I speak, I expect you to listen. Understood?'
'Hai… I understand, Kyuubi-dono.' This brought a grunt of approval from the fox.
'Excellent. You are learning. Do not disappoint me, Uzumaki.' And without another word, he was gone. Naruto waited for a moment, in case Kyuubi was still there, then rose to his feet, trembling all over his body. He felt very dizzy, and very weak; he could barely stand. With a struggle, he managed to stumble his way over to a nearby alley, where he leaned against the cold stone wall. With a sigh of relief, he slid slowly down the wall, hitting the ground with a small thump.
He laid there, his eyes still monochromatic, examining the stone wall of the alley. He noticed the tiny differences in shade which told of different colors, and grinned feebly. His eyes slowly slid shut, and as he fell into the abyss of unconsciousness, one last thought crossed his mind. 'Wow… Kyuubi's pretty cool…'
He lay there, his breathing evening out and become the steady rhythm of sleep. But, little did he know that he was being watched over. On the roof of one of the buildings the alley ran through, there was a black haired teenager. He sat on the edge of the building, looking down at his blonde-haired student. A smile graced his lips for a moment, before it was chased away by his normal dire frown. He reached behind his back, making sure that his katana was still affixed to his back, and then settled down for the long wait until morning. The moon came out from behind a cloud, shining down on his back. Its rays illuminated a red and white fan, and threw his face into profile. Uchiha Itachi was on guard, and nothing would touch his protégé. His eyes blazed with the arrogant fire of the Sharingan, and he became one with the night; a watchful weasel protecting the sleeping fox. Then the moon went behind the clouds once more, and he disappeared from sight.
AN: Ok, that took me a little longer than I thought it would take to write, but at least I got it done, right? Well, I made a little change to Itachi's age: normally, he'd only be ten or so, but I'm making him twelve. Trust me, it's for the best. I had originally to get a lot further than this in this chapter, but it developed into all this. I just couldn't have fit it all into this one chapter without hitting 20,000 words easy. So, it'll be a bit longer before I get to my favorite parts… sighs
I do have some bad news for a few of you. Ayame won't be around much longer. So, enjoy her while you can. Just so you know, NO, she's not gonna die. You'd be surprised how many people reviewed, asking about that. As for Itachi, pretty soon he'll take a long sabbatical, and not come back until the last leg of the story or so. A few other characters will be coming in instead. There will be a pair, and a highly unusual pair too, but the story will not be centralized around it. So sorry, you romantic types; maybe I'll write a romance later. But not today.
Well, I hope to get the next chapter out within a week or so. In the meantime, I have a challenge for all my readers; read, and review! And, in your oh so wonderful reviews, try to guess where you think this story is going. I'll reply and let you know how close you were. Those who were right get their names in the next chapter! So, review, and take a guess! 'Till next time!
Gaereth
