The air was cool and damp. It seemed inappropriate that human life existed in such a place. Far below the ground, in a convoluted maze of tunnels, was a facility few had had the privilege of visiting, and even fewer had done so willingly. The moans and cries of the cursed prisoners echoed softly throughout the corridors and created a hellish atmosphere – one could not help but feel the death god himself dwelled in this place. The sound of voices and the quiet shuffling of footsteps dampened the sounds as two figures slipped into the flickering torchlight that lit this specific hallway; one look at the master of this lair, however, revealed the earlier sentiment to be incorrect : it was quite clear that what lived here could not necessarily be considered human anymore.

Orochimaru was in a good mood. His spies reported that there had, thus far, been no adverse reactions in his experiment on Naruto. He was slightly disappointed that he had to conceal the changes he made to the child, but if he had not it was likely the council would have forced the boy to go armless once again; after all, no village wants an unknown experiment, produced by its greatest missing nin, running around town unchecked. In hiding his tinkering he had assured that his kind hearted sensei would, with no apparent reason to do otherwise, fight unrelentingly for the boy's dream of becoming a ninja.

This, however, was only slightly responsible for the Snake's current glee. Orochimaru had been incredibly fortunate to find the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan during his journey to the Land of Water; that the boy was a child easily susceptible to the man's influences and had an active bloodline was icing on the cake. Such a gift in the present easily outweighed his hopes for his awakening experiment. Turning down a tight corridor, he pointed out a room to the young boy in his company, "You will stay here, Kimimaro. Someone will come and get you shortly; in the meantime, be sure to make yourself at home here. You are likely destined to become my greatest disciple!"

Smirking at the effect his words had on the young child, he glided further down the hallway until he arrived at the door to his private study, 'Once I complete my jutsu I am sure that boy will throw down his life for my ambitions. Let us hope he's capable of surviving the Curse Seal.'

He opened the door and slid inside. As he moved to light a torch to illuminate his research, the wind was knocked out of him and he was slammed into the concrete wall, blood dripping from the large gash that he now sported, already causing his hair to mat. He quickly began to fly through the necessary hand seals to make his escape from the powerful hand that was now choking the life out of him, but he was interrupted as his attacker impaled the Snake's stomach with a black rod, interfering with Orochimaru's chakra and movement, leaving the Sannin at the mercy of his opponent.

"Orochimaru," an emotionless voice began, "perhaps you can explain to us why the Nine-tails has two arms. Our previous information made it quite clear that he only had one."

Looking into the rippled eyes of the man in front of him, the Snake Sannin knew he was in trouble. "Leader-sama," he wheezed out, "you shouldn't worry about such things. I have only made him easier to capture when the time comes." Quivering from the terrifying power that was holding his body in place, the ex-Konoha ninja continued, "he will be helpless to stop me."

Releasing his hold upon the Akatsuki member, 'Leader' offered some parting words, "Do not forget where your loyalties lie. Should you become a liability I will not hesitate to have you removed."

Orochimaru watched as the man disappeared in a puff of smoke, inwardly seething at the humiliation the powerful ninja had caused him. With both hands he slowly pulled out the rod holding him in place and let it fall to the floor with a loud clang; he cursed as blood began to leak out of the now open wound in his stomach and dribbled onto the floor. Even though his regenerative powers would prevent any long term damage from the attack, the Snake Sannin would not be eating any time soon.

'Go ahead and play god, boy. Death itself will soon be meaningless to me.'

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto woke slowly to the soft pattering of water falling to the floor of the cave; the resulting echoes, however, served only to confuse him as he realized he had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there. He picked himself off of the floor, shivering from the dampness his clothes had stolen from the rocks, and attempted to look around the cave. His eyes strained in the darkness, incapable of illuminating him to his surroundings, let alone his location.

"Hello?" he shouted out, unsurprised when the only response he received was his own voice. "Where am I…"

The sound of sliding rocks caused the blonde boy to spin around frantically, vainly searching for the source of the noise. "Who's there?" His voice came out as an unintimidating squeak as unease wormed itself further into his heart.

He was about to open his mouth once more when he noticed a small, hazy image in the center of his vision. As it grew larger, his ears perked up to the splashing sounds of light footsteps in puddles. Gripped by a sudden impatience, the boy rushed forward towards whoever was approaching only to halt shortly after upon realizing that his distance between the individual remained static. Confusion and wonder took hold of Naruto, who was growing increasingly concerned about this strange world he woke up in. Keeping his eyes focused, he waited patiently for whoever was here to make their presence known. The details of the approaching figure were growing sharper – they were wearing some sort of orange outfit, had bright blonde hair, and… Naruto recoiled in horror upon noticing the whisker marks and realizing that he was looking at a strangely quiet version of himself who, by this time, was only a few feet away and no longer moving.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, "what's going on! Who are you! Where am I?"

His doppelganger continued to stare off into space with a blank expression on his face, showing no acknowledgement that he had heard the boy.

Naruto grumbled as frustration welled up inside him. He began waving his hands in front of his guest, growing angry as his antics were still failing to gather the attention of the other. Realizing that no other options were left, the boy reached his hand out toward the other 's shoulder, intending to shake him awake; however, he watched in horror as his touch turned his doppelganger into what appeared to be a statue, until it began to melt into the floor. Fingers slowly took the form of small white snakes as the body stretched and lost its rigor; soon the other boy was nothing more than a mass of writhing serpents, hissing as they dissolved into the floor of the cave.

Naruto shuddered as he watched the last one disappear into the ground. "What the hell was that?" he wondered aloud.

"Why it was you, of course!" hissed an amused voice, incredibly close to his right. The boy turned to look at the newcomer only to be gripped in complete terror upon noticing that his right arm had been replaced with a large white snake wearing a smirk, its body seamlessly attached to his shoulder. Before Naruto had any chance to respond, the serpent bolted forward, growing longer and thicker as it wrapped about the child's neck, causing him to gasp for breaths that wouldn't come.

All Naruto saw as consciousness left him were the cold yellow eyes of his assailant, drowning him in their malice.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto bolted upright, gasping for air in his bedroom. He was covered in a cold sweat, and his bedsheets were tangled around his legs and neck, restricting his movement and likely the cause of his dream. Slowly unraveling himself from their oppressive grip, he took a glance at the clock on his nightstand, wincing when he saw it was only six in the morning.

'There's no way I'm getting any more sleep after that.' With this thought, the boy crawled off of his bed and began to turn on all the lights in his apartment, drowning out the morning light that was drifting through his blinds. Putting some water on the stove in preparation for a hearty breakfast of ramen, Naruto then replaced his sleepwear with one of the orange jumpsuits that was littering his floor and began to pace in an attempt to take his mind off of his nightmare. Adrenaline was still rushing through his body and demanding movement – the entire experience had felt undeniably real, despite its impossibilities. Deciding that the water would be warm enough, he poured it into a cup of ramen and began to wolf it down while continuing to pace around his apartment. He had just finished his meal when a knock at the door nearly caused him to jump out of his clothes.

Naruto warily turned the handle to greet the stranger at his doorstep, an attractive, black-haired young woman with piercing red eyes sporting a leaf forehead protector. Gathering himself, the boy pondered aloud, "Eh? Who are you?"

Confused at the nonchalance the boy was exhibiting which, from her information, was contrary to his usual behavior, the woman answered the boy's question while wearing a curious expression, "My name is Kurenai Yuhi, and I'm here to escort you to the Academy. Didn't Hokage-sama mention that you would be shown to the grounds on your first day?"

Naruto's mouth opened wide as he realized he had completely forgotten that today was the first day of class. Without his nightmare he would not have been awake right now! His previous troubles now forgotten, Naruto began to shout while jumping up and down frantically, "That's today! Argh! I completely forgot! Are we going to be late? Do I need anything?"

His concerns were forgotten in a deep blush as Kurenai put her finger to his lips and spoke to him softly, "Shhh. We won't be late and you just need yourself. Now if you're ready, we can head out?"

Naruto began to scratch the back of his head nervously, "Hehehe, of course I'm ready, onee-chan!" With that he left a blinking Kurenai as he bolted out of his apartment, only to fall in a heap as he collided with a strange creature that had been hiding behind the woman's leg. He opened his eyes, wondering what happened and began to blush again when he came face to face with a panicked looking purpleaired girl with the strangest white eyes.

Hinata made an "Eep!" noise and scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off from the collision Naruto's excitement had caused. She once again hid herself behind the jounin, barely willing to let her head peak around the woman's leg.

Naruto was back on his feet and scratching his head once more. "Ehhhhehe sorry about that! I didn't see you there!" His nervousness quickly left and was replaced by excitement and meeting someone new. "My name's Naruto! What's yours?"

Hinata stammered out a response, put off by the boy's enthusiasm "My… my name is Hinata. It's ni-nice to meet you, Na-naruto."

Kurenai watched the exchange with an amused expression on her face. "Well, if you two are done getting to know one another we should head off to the Academy. You don't want to be late on your first day!"

Two pairs of eyes turned her way and nodded. The group began to trot off in the direction of the school, and, with that, Naruto's career as a ninja was finally starting.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto resisted the urge to join Hinata behind Kurenai's leg as they traversed the sea of students and their parents; the looks he received from some of the adults as they began whispering to their children would make any young boy anxious. Taking in glimpses of the school grounds amongst the forest of legs, the boy steeled himself and plastered a smile on his face before turning to his companion, attempting to drown his nervousness in conversation. "Hinata-chan, what powerful ninja skills do you think we'll learn today?"

"I'm n-not sure N-Naruto. I heard the Academy will place e-emphasis on the village's h-history and ideals for the first few y-years," Hinata replied, failing to exude the stoic façade of a Hyuuga child.

"What?" Clenching his fist, Naruto continued, "The old man promised I would get to become a ninja and he sends me off for some dumb history lessons? When I have his job I won't make students learn about useless things like that!"

Hinata was unsure how to reply and began to fumble over words in her head, only to feel a great sense of relief as Kurenai interjected as they reached what appeared to be their classroom. "Naruto, I hope you won't cause any trouble for your sensei. I would think you would be quite interested to learn all about the Hokages, seeing as you want to inherit the position someday. How can you expect to be a good leader if you don't understand the village's history?" Naruto had the good sense to look bashful as his escort deflated his outrage. "Now then, this is the classroom you will have for the next year. I hear your sensei is a kind man by the name of Daikoku Funeno."

Kurenai paused to glance at Hinata, who was shuffling her feet nervously. "Hinata, I will pick you up this afternoon in order to escort you back to the Hyuuga estate.

"H-hai Kurenai-san."

As Kurenai turned to leave, she was stopped by the much quieter voice of Naruto, "Onee-chan… can I walk back with you too?" Naruto had noticed that most of the villagers had ignored him on the way over to the school grounds, and was hoping that her presence would make his journey back just as easy.

The beautiful woman gave a quick pause before replying. "I don't see any reason why you can't. You're welcome to join us as long as Hinata is okay with it."

"Of course he can!" Hinata all but shouted out, before squeaking and turning into a tomato.

Kurenai grinned, "Well I guess that settles it then. Be good for your sensei and I'm sure you can each graduate as very strong ninja." With that, she walked down the creaky wooden hallway and disappeared around the corner, leaving the two children to their own devices.

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other, before the blonde pushed open the door to the classroom and stepped inside. They were surprised to find that despite the overcrowding in the courtyard, almost every seat was already occupied.

Naruto quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged the blushing girl to a pair of seats, not wanting to be alone in this new environment. As the blue-eyed boy began to sit down, he was interrupted by a deep voice from the front of the classroom. "Uzumaki-san, a ninja should pay attention to his surroundings. Why don't you read the nametag in front of you?"

Naruto turned towards the stout teacher, a man with a rounded face and a good natured expression. He was dressed in the standard chuunin uniform and wore his forehead protector as a bandana. The only thing that stood out about the ninja was the small patch of brown hair that made up his goatee. Scratching the back of his head, Naruto mumbled out the name written on the desk, "Sakura.. Haruno." Adopting a troubled expression, Naruto continued to think out loud as the rest of the class chuckled at him, "Eh? We have to sit alphabetically!"

Grinning, Daikoku pointed towards the far back corner of the room, "It seems you're fortunate enough to get a window seat. But don't let me catch you slacking off back there!"

Naruto trudged up the stairs to his row, taking note of the black-haired, onyx-eyed boy occupying the seat next to his own. Taking his seat, he turned to the Uchiha with a smile and tried to make a good impression. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! What's your name?"

Sasuke smirked at the new arrival before pointing at his own nametag, "What's wrong, haven't learned to read yet? I believe that's a prerequisite for becoming Hokage."

Naruto's face began to grow hot as he gritted his teeth and barely resisted the urge to punch the rude-mannered child. "I'll show you!" he yelled out, "I'll be the best ninja in the village by the end of this year!"

The Uchiha adopted an uninterested expression and turned away from Naruto with a muttered "Hn."

Realizing that his deskmate was not going to provide any form of entertainment, the blonde academy student began to take in his surroundings. The classroom seemed to be completely composed of sandy wooden planks with the exception of the large blackboard in the front of the room and the numerous large windows adorning Naruto's side of the classroom. He sighed as he took in the few inspirational posters that decorated the otherwise sparse walls, one of which proudly proclaimed that "the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life." The sapphire-eyed boy hoped he never had to meet that boring Plato guy. Resigning himself to an uneventful day, his attention was quickly recovered by a bright flash of pink at the doorway. The girl smiled in his direction and began to wave excitedly as she adopted a blush.

Naruto grinned and began to wave back. 'So pretty…' His action immediately caused the girl to cast a glare at him as she spun around to take the seat he had tried to occupy earlier. He took on a whimsical expression, continuing to glance in her direction as he committed her dazzling features to memory. 'Sakura –'

His thoughts were interrupted by Daikoku's booming voice. "Alright, now that everyone is here we can get started. I'm glad that all of you have decided to enroll in the Leaf Village's Ninja Academy; the career of a ninja lets you serve the village and take care of the people you love." A grimace flashed across the teacher's face as his eyes wandered over Naruto.

"I'm sure that we will all have a good time getting to know each other. We will spend most of the day studying history, math, reading, and working on your writing skills. After our lunch break, we will play a lot of outdoor games before you all get to go home for the day. Now, how about we go around the room and introduce ourselves…"

Daikoku's voice was quickly tuned out by Naruto has he stared out the window, paying no attention to the chuunin's instructions. His eyes latched onto a pale blue bird, and he briefly regretted being stuck inside on such a day before settling in to endure the grueling machine of Academia.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kurenai waited patiently for her charges to appear. It was now fifteen minutes after school had let out, and neither Naruto nor Hinata were anywhere to be seen. Many of the other students had already gone home, and the red-eyed woman was curious as to the reason for the delay. Unconcerned, but deciding it was her duty to make sure nothing had happened, she walked down the hallway, stopping next to Hinata outside of the classroom.

"Hinata, I thought you were going to come out to meet me?"

Hinata jumped up, startled, not having noticed the approach of her escort. "G-gomen Kurenai-san. Naruto has to stay after to clean the e-erasers and w-wanted m-me to w-wait for him." Her cheeks lit up as she reached the end of her explanation.

Kurenai was unsurprised. She had had a feeling that Naruto would not be able to make it through the day without getting into some form of trouble. She turned the handle of the door and pushed it open just in time for an eraser to end its flight on the bridge of her nose, the white dust obscuring her view of the blonde academy student whose eyes were on the verge of popping out of his skull.

"Onee-chan! I'm so sorry please don't hate me I didn't mean to I'll never do it again please don't be mad at me it was an accident I'm so sorry I didn't want to hit you it just slipped and I didn't know you were there and –"

"NARUTO!" The boy's rapid apology was interrupted by Daikoku's shouting. "Just for that you're going to clean the erasers tomorrow as well! Until you can do it without assaulting a jounin!" The normally calm man had a completely red face. Naruto had fallen asleep before the students had even finished introducing themselves, and because of it had been forced to stay after. What should have been a two minute job turned into a much longer one when the boy began to argue with his instructor, the results of which led to his current predicament: two very upset ninja.

Turning to the woman who was standing in the doorway, Daikoku began to apologize for the boy only to be shocked as Kurenai began to laugh. Cutting off his attempts to reconcile the situation, she entered the classroom and grabbed Naruto by the hand while trying to keep a smile off of her face. Filling the role of his older sister perfectly, she apologized for the blonde. "I'm sorry for the trouble this one has caused you," The child began to sweat at her choice of words, wondering what his soon to be cut short future would hold. Kurenai continued, with a mock-glare thrown at the boy for good measure, "it seems I'll have to talk to him about respecting his elders. Come on Naruto, it's time to go."

The trio quickly exited the school building, leaving behind an annoyed instructor. Daikoku put his palm into his face and exhaled, cursing whatever god had saddled him with the blonde troublemaker.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N:

Sorry about the tremendous amount of time it took for me to update this. And for how shitty the second half of the chapter is. I hope the Orochimaru and Pein moment didn't seem strange, I was trying to add a little bit of action since it doesn't seem like that part of the story is going to get rolling for a bit longer. There are good reasons why Pein let him off with his life as well :-)

Also, since I'm sure all the Hinata-Naruto interaction will have it crossing your mind… I don't intend to pair them together in any sort of romantic way. I'm not sure I will write any romance at all in this story, but if it happens it happens; if I do, however, it will be with women that have some more fire in them. After all, it's kind of necessary to keep that boy in line, and being attracted to that kind of woman myself it'd be easier to write.

As always I appreciate your comments, concerns, questions, etc. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please be gentle, I'm still a novice as far as writing goes.