Here we go chapter 2 I hope you guys like it, it's a tad darker than I expected it to be but fear not there is madness to my method and it helps set up the world a bit.

As always thanks to Dulemina for being my awesome Beta and thanks to everyone who reviews as well.

To Joe: here you go continued already :D

To Whindwhistle: Yeah I've had the start of that chapter written down almost a year ago cause I was always thinking what if? Also as it would ruin the whole plot if the Kyuubi was totally gone, Akastuki need it after all, the kyuubu will reform one day. No idea when though

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Chapter 2: I Seek the Total Need, Obsession!

As a senior instructor at the Academy, Iruka had thought he'd seen it all. He had seen the unfortunate incidents when a highly stressed clan heir snapped and tried to kill their classmates, he had seen students who used their trap-making skills to devise some very ingenious pranks, he had even seen an incident when one of his former colleagues was in the middle of... relations with one of his summons. Iruka however did not think he would ever see that day when Uzumaki Naruto decided to voluntarily read something. Sure it was during class and had nothing to do with the material at all but Iruka was still very much surprised, there had been moments where he wondered if the young boy was illiterate.

"Naruto what do you think you are doing?" Iruka asked once the shock wore off.

Iruka was even more shocked when Naruto did not reply, did not even acknowledge him. All the young boy did was read his scroll over and over, mumbling something about 'numbers' and 'symbols' and 'different than chakra but the same.' Naruto's actions were a little disconcerting to the Chunin.

"Naruto you baka! Pay attention!" Sakura screamed from her place next to the blonde before viciously punching him down into the ground.

Iruka and the rest of the class winced at that act, Sakura had always been very clear about her dislike for the blonde. Making another note to have Sakura's parents get her an anger management therapist, Iruka decided to deal with the situation. "Thank you Sakura but I can handle the discipline in this class. Please do not attack your fellow students like that again," Iruka said warningly before bending down to Naruto's level to check on the boy. "Naruto are you okay?"

Naruto looked up at Iruka, his eyes unseeing before recognition dawned in them. "Oh hey Iruka-sensei," Naruto said with a grin "when did you get here?"

Iruka sighed, trying to think about the fact that Naruto hadn't noticed that class had been under way for almost half an hour. "Naruto please put your scroll away and stay behind after class," he told the blonde.

"Awww come on Iruka-sensei I didn't even do anything!" Naruto whined.

"Just do as you are told," Iruka said sternly before he continued on with his lesson.

Naruto tried to pay attention to Iruka-sensei's lesson, he really did but it was so hard. Normally all Iruka-sensei would have to do is mention the word ninja and Naruto would be giving him all of his attention. Today however was different.

The numbers and symbols of that Magyk jutsu ran through his mind endlessly. According to what was on his scroll it was a relatively simple jutsu and Naruto should have gotten it by now, if it wasn't for the fact that the energy source of the jutsu was not chakra. According to everything that Naruto knew, which he had to admit if only to himself wasn't that much, only chakra could cause the effects that the strange jutsu was supposed to be capable of doing. Going by that logic the jutsu in the scroll was obviously not real if it didn't use chakra, Naruto would have given up on it long ago, but the numbers said otherwise. Whenever Naruto saw a jutsu being used the numbers that informed him of the jutsu also informed him that the jutsu was unnatural, shouldn't be there and should not exist. Naruto couldn't understand why the numbers were telling him that, he only understood that they were telling him that. But when Naruto looked at all of the numbers and symbols on the scroll it didn't look unnatural like a jutsu did, it looked like a part of nature, like it belonged. Naruto knew that the strange jutsu belonged, he knew it was possible and he knew he would get it to work no matter what!

"..uto? Earth to Naruto," came Iruka-sensei's voice from far off.

Shaking his head to clear it of his thoughts about the numbers, Naruto saw Iruka-sensei standing in front of him with a worried expression on his face, Naruto's classmates were also long gone.

"Hey Sensei where did everyone go?" Naruto asked in confusion. Where was everyone? They were here just a second ago, maybe this was a genjutsu. "Kai!" Naruto called trying to disperse the genjutsu that was probably on him. Nothing happened.

"Just what are you doing Naruto?" Iruka-sensei asked, his look of worry deepening.

"... nothing?" Naruto asked hopefully, trying to ignore his embarrassment though he still couldn't understand where everyone else had gone.

Iruka-sensei's frown deepened "Are you okay Naruto?" he asked. "You seem to be spacing out a bit lately."

"I'm fine Iruka-sensei," Naruto said with his signature grin "just trying to work out a problem is all... Hey Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Do you know of something other than chakra that we could use for a jutsu?" Naruto asked hopefully his sensei would know the answer, Iruka-sensei did seem to know everything after all.

Iruka-sensei shook his head "No there's nothing. You can only use a jutsu with chakra, it's impossible otherwise."

Naruto frowned at that, he wanted to correct his sensei tell him that it wasn't impossible but he wouldn't believe him. It's not like Naruto could explain to his sensei about the numbers and symbols, he tried to do that when he first started to see them but Iruka-sensei just thought he was trying to pull a prank. Naruto knew there was something other than chakra to use, he just didn't know what it was, where to find it or even how to use it but he knew it existed. "Thanks Iruka-sensei," he said with a weak grin. "I guess I better get going now, later."

After saying his goodbye, Naruto quickly ran out of the class. He hoped to at least reach the Nara's clan compound before he let the numbers overtake his thoughts again.

Ayame was worried about Naruto, her honorary otouto. It had been almost a week since she had last seen him and not once in the time had she known him had he missed going to Ichiraku's for dinner, not once! So for him to not show up in almost a week was cause for concern for her and her father.

It was due to her worry that found Ayame outside Naruto's apartment with several containers of ramen.

Ayame had been to Naruto's place several times, usually when he forgot something at the store or when the teen just wanted to spend time with the boy she called her otouto. It was a grungy place, usually with a bit of mold everywhere, graffiti on the walls, holes, broken windows and the lot. To be honest Naruto's place was horrible and Ayame knew for a fact that it was not a result of the neighbourhood being bad or Naruto being a terrible tenant it was because of the hatred everyone showed him. Normally Naruto's place was bad, bordering on unliveable, now it was just unlivable. The door was long gone, the inside reeked off piss, shit and smoke, several animal carcasses had been laid out everywhere and there was currently a drunk standing on Naruto's bed with his pants pulled down. "Hey cutie," the drunk said while leering at Ayame, unmindful of the fact she could see everything, little as it was. "Let me just finish up here, then you can have your turn and then we can have some fun together," he finished giving Ayame a wink.

"Where's Naruto?" Ayame asked quietly, resisting the urge to vomit at the thought of being anywhere near the drunk.

The drunk gave a crazed grin "hasn't been here for the last few days, with any luck the demon-brat is suffering a slow death," the drunk said with a chuckle before walking towards Ayame, his pants still down. "Now how about we have some fun?"

Ayame was out of there faster than you could say ramen, she had to find her otouto.

Shikaku sighed deeply as he played shogi with his son that night. Despite the fact that he had already won game after game none of his thoughts were on shogi they were in fact on Uzumaki Naruto. The young boy was losing it and to be honest Shikaku had no idea what to do about the situation. Second after second, minute after minute, hour after hour and day after day Naruto's thoughts were slowly being consumed by the puzzle of the magic scrolls.

Shikaku couldn't understand it, Naruto was a boy who for the most part hated to study and hated to think yet here he was spending all of his waking thoughts thinking about a problem that by all rights should be impossible. Generation after generation of Nara clan heads had gone through those scrolls and each clan head knew for a fact that the techniques depicted inside were impossible to do, only the founder a man who was reported to have the same eyes as Naruto, the Alpha Stigma, was reported to have been able to use the techniques.

It was for his eyes that Shikaku had made Naruto a friend of the clan and manipulated bonds into play. If Naruto had the eyes then surely he could use the magic-jutsu. If Naruto was capable of using the techniques then Shikaku would help him learn them as long as Naruto used them for the betterment of the clan of course.

Shikaku however did not expect for Naruto to not only be incapable of using the magic-jutsu but for him to become consumed by his inability to get the special jutsu to work.

Truth be told Shikaku did not like the Uzumaki boy he was loud, brash, idiotic and could never calm down for a second, he was the complete opposite of a Nara. On the other hand the Nara clan owed their allegiance to the founder and was created with the specific purpose to assist anyone with the Alpha Stigma no matter what the cost. Despite these conflicting thoughts Shikaku knew without a doubt that he would have to fix this situation, he needed to fix Naruto whether it was for the founder, for the Hokage or for his wife Shikaku would never know. All he knew was that he would have to fix the situation or the founder would make his afterlife a hell right after Yoshino and the Hokage killed the Nara clan head.

He would have to ask his old team-mates for help.

"Checkmate," he said to his son before getting up to leave.

"I don't understand what's going on," Shikamaru said calmly causing his father to stop at the door "but you better fix Naruto old man. You better fix Naruto or I will make sure you suffer."

"Damn brat, too smart for your own good," Shikaku muttered as he left the clan compound, he wasn't sure if he should be proud or worried over that fact.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was for the first time in several years seriously contemplating the idea of a clan head's public execution. The aged leader was not sure exactly what Shikaku had done to Naruto but the recent report from Iruka was...disconcerting to say the least. From what little information Iruka had given him Hiruzen knew that Naruto was suffering from an obsession that was fast taking over his whole life. The boy was unaware of the passing of time, he barely ate, hardly registered pain and now could not even hold a proper conversation without his thoughts drifting off to be consumed by his obsession. It was very worrying.

Hiruzen would give Shikaku a few days to either fix the problem or come clean to him about it. If Shikaku did neither of these then what happened to the Uchiha would seem like a fond memory.

Hiruzen cared about Naruto as if he was his own grandson he would do anything for the boy's happiness and if the boy was not fixed soon then either his obsession would kill him, the Kyuubi would take over or Danzo would abduct the boy to help 'stabilise his psyche.' All three of which would result in the Naruto that Hiruzen knew and loved being gone forever.

Hiruzen was tempted to act but he would wait, he would give Shikaku a chance to fix his mistake. The Nara clan head better pray like hell that he fix it though as Konoha hadn't had a public execution in a long time, too long some would say.

Ryner lay in his cage as he lazily thought about his host. Ever since the boy had laid his eyes on that magic scroll the boy had been obsessed. What the boy did not know though was that it was his Alpha Stigma that was causing his obsession. They were called 'Magic Eyes' for a reason. They were born from magic and existed for magic. Magic also no longer existed in the world so when the eyes caught proof of magic they became desperate. They needed magic, their reason for existing was linked to the mysterious energy. Without ever seeing or feeling real magic the eyes would drive the boy insane until he was a mindless shell.

For the first time in a very long time Ryner was unsure what to do. If he fed the Alpha Stigma's hunger, so to speak, then he would save the boy from a fate of mindless insanity but doing so could strengthen the curse of the Alpha Stigma and Ryner knew better than anyone just how bad the curse was. Ryner would prefer death over ever letting the curse take hold of him again.

He would have to think on it, the boy would survive a few more days before his brain snapped.

"Such a troublesome host I have," Ryner sighed as he lay back on his pile of books.