Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you're all having a great day. The last chapter was kinda short, capping at around 3k words, so I tried my best to make this one longer. As always, please feel free to leave a review so I can know what you think of my writing!
Disclaimer: I do not, by any means, own or claim to own the Naruto franchise. That right belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I am simply a guy who wishes to improve his writing. With that, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2: Misery
Naruto woke up to find nothing. He wasn't sure where he was, nor what was happening, he only knew that he existed. He couldn't see anything but black. It was so dark, that he couldn't see his own body. He knew that his limbs existed, of course. He could feel them moving around in the murky darkness, searching for solid material.
With a jarring thud, his feet landed on something hard. It felt so smooth, like ice, under his feet, yet it also felt uneven, as if there were cracks and blemishes all over the ground. The shock knocked the young boy over, and Naruto landed on the hard ground with a grunt. He cried out, yet no sound escaped his mouth.
He had never felt so isolated, so lonely. He couldn't see, nor could he make any sound. He couldn't smell, he could only feel and think. Shaking, he curled up into a ball, blocking out the world around him. He didn't care. There was no one around to witness his tears anyway, nor would anyone ever see him cry. They would just mock him for it, ridicule his sadness as if that would help the discontent fade away.
Naruto clenched his eyes and his fists, letting his uneven nails cut into his palm. To his surprise, he felt no pain in his hands. He felt no trickle of blood, no sign on injury besides the lingering sting that his nails had left behind.
"Tch. Pathetic humans." A deep voice sounded out in front of the crying child. Or was it behind him? To the left? The right? He couldn't tell. The darkness obscured everything, giving Naruto no sense of direction.
"W-Who's there?" Naruto said shakily, wiping a stray tear off his face. He straightened up, blinking his eyes to rid themselves of the tears that rendered his vision blurry. Silence answered him, and he got to his feet, eyes narrowed.
"Who's there?" He repeated, slightly louder than last time. "Where are we? Hello?" He exclaimed, cupping his hands to his mouth.
"You mean, you don't recognize me from voice alone? Truly ignorant, human, considering I have been sealed inside you since birth." Two massive red eyes opened up right before Naruto's eyes. He gasped, taking a step back in surprise. Suddenly, light existed. The overwhelming darkness disappeared, leaving Naruto standing in front of a giant cage. It was ornately decorated with swirls of some sort, and on one of the bars of the cage, there lay a strange slip of paper with kanji written on it.
However, what Naruto was focused on was not the cage, nor the slip of paper. No, he was more invested in looking at what the cage contained. A gargantuan orange fox lay curled up behind the bars, its slitted eyes focused on its jinchuriki. A massive wave of pressure slammed onto Naruto, forcing the young boy down onto his knees. In that instant, he felt hatred. He felt anger. He felt sadness, and regret. Negative emotions gushed from the boy like blood, slicing through the room and gouging the bars of the cage.
One of the bars looked like it was about to fall, but another presence made itself known before that happened. The monstrous fox widened its eyes and snarled. A freezing calm fell on the murky room, swamping Naruto in an icy cold wave. In an instant, his anger was extinguished, and the wreckage of the room ceased. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he came back to reality. What happened there? He wondered. All he remembered was seeing that fox in that cage before something ripped through his mind with the force of a Katon Jutsu.
"Damn that Shinigami. I was almost free as well..." The fox grumbled. It turned its attention towards Naruto and he gulped. He felt sweat run down his forehead as he locked eyes with the anomaly. For what seemed like an eternity, he kept his eyes still, not daring to blink, nor daring to look away. The fox let out a chuckle, startling Naruto.
"For your previous question, you're not worthy enough to know my name. However, my title, I'm sure you'll recognize. I am the Kyuubi no Youko. the Ninth Tailed Beast and the strongest of the Bijuu." As the Kyuubi introduced himself, it rose to its full height and let its nine tails swing freely behind it. Naruto was shocked. Hadn't the Yondaime Hokage killed the Kyuubi when it had attacked the Leaf Village a few years ago? What was going on?
As if the Kyuubi had read his thoughts, it chuckled ominously. It curled its black lips upward in a semblance of a smile, showing off its sharp teeth. Naruto gulped, swallowing audibly.
"Who told you that I died? That old, feeble Hokage? You certainly have no one else that would be willing to spend time with you in the village of yours." The Kyuubi shifted closer to the edge of the gate.
"N-No one told me that!" Even as he said it, he knew that the Bijuu wasn't buying it. Even he could hear that it was a blatant lie.
"Are you sure about that, pathetic human?" The Kyuubi asked slyly, dragging a large pink tongue over its teeth. Naruto stayed silent, having no response to the construct of chakra. The Kyuubi's smile grew wider and Naruto flinched.
"The truth is, human, that the Yondaime did not, in fact, kill me. After all, how could someone kill a construct of chakra? Even if they were able to destroy my body and scatter my essence far and wide, I would reform eventually, and their efforts would be put to waste," Naruto's mind spun with this new revelation.
"The Yondaime Hokage did not kill me. He sealed me, the mighty Kyuubi no Youko, into a mere human container. He sealed me, into you!" Naruto's eyes widened in shock. The man that he had the utmost respect for, the man that he had always looked up to, had sealed the nine-tailed demon fox into him? So that was why everyone hated him.
He let his small head hang, his chin almost touching his chest. He reached up with a trembling hand and touched the red lily that was pinned to his jumpsuit. He let the soft touch of the memento soothe him and relax his nerves, like a mother that was whispering sweet nothings into his ear.
"Ah, yes. That flower," The words were spat out with such contempt that the Kyuubi's anger was almost palpable. "That disgusting-"
"Hey! Don't insult what my parents gave me! I won't let you tarnish their memory!" He stood up straight, defiance burning in his blue orbs. Naruto didn't know what foreign spirit possessed him and filled him with such courage, but he didn't care. He wouldn't let anyone speak poorly of his parents, no matter who they were! The Kyuubi's eyes were focused back on the blonde boy, and Naruto immediately felt that short burst of adrenaline drain out of his body, making him feel powerless.
"Tell me, little human. Do you truly believe that your parents left you a spider lily for you to remember them? A symbol of death, the flower of hell? Or, if they actually did, they must've hated you more than I realized!" Naruto's breath caught in his throat. The slight at his parents escaped his senses.
"B-But, Sarutobi-jiji told me that this flower was supposed to represent joy and happiness. I thought, I thought..." Naruto stuttered, unsure as of what was going on. The Kyuubi howled in amusement, its gaping maw parting as it laughed.
"Your grandfather lied to you." Those five words echoed around Naruto's brain, effectively putting a stop to any other thoughts that would have made their debut in his head. He couldn't wrap his head around those five words. Those five, impossible words. Oji-san lied to me? That's not possible though, is it? The Kyuubi seemed to find great amusement in watching Naruto try to comprehend what he had told him, howling in laughter from behind his cage.
Naruto felt his strength slip away, his vision growing blurrier as his brain struggled to comprehend and store all the information that had been dumped on his already feeble mind. He felt himself crumple to his knees, and his face impacted on the hard surface of the floor that he had once been standing on. Yet there was no pain? The ground slowly dissolved into inky darkness, leaving him stranded in that familiar sea of black. As his eyelids closed, the last thing he heard was the Kyuubi.
"Oh, before you go. Don't tell anyone about this, okay? I'm sure that you wouldn't want to be treated any worse than you already are."
The men were still beating on the unconscious body of the little boy, too drunk to realize that he had already succumbed to the earlier blow to the head. They had already shattered his goggles, leaving glass shards embed into the young boy's face. Naruto's body was coated in so much blood that he was no longer recognizable. However, what frustrated the three assailants the most was that no matter what wound they inflicted upon him, they would eventually heal and vanish, like they hadn't been there in the first place.
The three men chalked it down to "demon" powers. The man with the knife smile wickedly and got on his knees, uncaring of the bloodstains on the floor. He rolled the senseless boy over and with his knife, he cut open the back of the jumpsuit that the boy wore.
Feeling his smile grow wider, the man proceeded to slowly etch the words "Demon" into the tender flesh of Naruto's back, while his comrades stood back and watched, cruel sparks alight in their cold eyes. No mercy would be shown tonight. Demons didn't deserve a shred of mercy, after all. Not after what this one had done to their families and friends.
Feeling satisfied with his work, the man with the knife sat back on his haunches and admired the crude carvings. Finally, he had given the demon a piece of his mind! His euphoria didn't last long. The Kyuubi's chakra came to life once more that night, healing the boy, yet leaving a scar on his back. His wide smile flipped upside down, turning into a frown as he witnessed the flesh slowly but surely close up, leaving naught but a scar for all his troubles.
He wanted to leave an everlasting impression of his handiwork upon the demon. He wanted it to remember what he had inflicted upon it. As long as he thought, through his drunken state, he couldn't come up with something. Nor could his comrades, as inebriated as they were. He decided to toss caution to the wind, choosing instead to try to kill the demon instead, forgetting about the law that the Third had put into action after the Kyuubi attack.
Reversing his grip on his knife, he plunged it towards the prone body of the unconscious boy on the bloodstained boy. Time seemed to slow down as the blade approached the body of the boy. Time stopped in its everlasting run, to herald the coming of a new presence. The power of a deity. The power of the end, of the fate that every living thing will meet one day. The knife, a mere centimeter away from delivering a fatal blow, was blown away and out of the man's hand, landing with a clatter near the door of the apartment room. The man's once hungry gaze was now filled with confusion and shock as he switched his gaze from the unmoving form of the boy to his empty hand. Well, the stump of a hand. It took a slight moment for the pain to register in his brain.
When it did, he collapsed to the floor screaming in pain, clutching his newfound stub.
"Damn you demon!" One of the other men shouted. "How dare you harm Hideko! I'll kill you for that!" And as one, the two men charged forward like sheep to the slaughter, their eyes bloodshot and tunnel-visioned.
"Stop." And stop, they did. They froze in their tracks as a disembodied voice echoed around the room. Even the man screaming in pain was silenced. He was still rolling on the floor, his face contorted in pain, his mouth open in mid-scream, yet he couldn't seem to make a sound. A chill seeped into their very pores as if winter had arrived in that small space. "Listen." The chill spread throughout their entire bodies, racing through their veins and cooling their blood to ice. One of the men, a brown-haired fellow stuttered out.
"W-Who are you-" He was abruptly cut off by the same ominous voice.
"Did I permit you to speak, mortal? You are filth, you are vermin of the highest order. To treat a child like this." Unbeknownst to the three men, a faint blue mist was seeping out of the spider lily that Naruto carried around. The same man opened his mouth again to protest against calling the demon a child, but the blue mist shot out and touched his skin.
The man immediately collapsed to the ground, his skin paling as if all the blood had just drained out of his skin. The other civilian, a dark-haired man, dropped to his knees, and scrambled for his friend's neck, trying to find a pulse. Finding none, he turned to the motionless body of the boy. This, this, demon was responsible for the death of his friend! He would pay. He never even got a word out before the blue mist shot out again, wrapping itself around his throat. He would collapse to the ground on top of his dead friend, having suffered the same chilling fate.
The only man that was alive was now sitting up holding himself upright with his good hand, all previous pain was forgotten as he watched an impossible spectacle occur in front of his eyes. Two of his friends, killed in the blink of an eye. He shivered in fright as the blue mist surged around his body, but not touching his body just yet.
"As for you, you have committed crimes worse than any of your friends. The judges of the dead have judged you accordingly." A flutter was heard near the window of the apartment, and the man scrabbled back, trailing blood over the wooden floor of the apartment. What the man saw next made him think he was dreaming. A raven landed on the windowsill of the apartment and slipped right through the glass like it was water. It preened its feathers and locked eyes with the terrified man.
"Your sentence, Hideko Tanaka, is death." As those dreaded words registered themselves within the man's mind, he immediately scrambled back towards the door where the knife lay forgotten. Picking it up with a trembling left hand, he aimed it at the boy.
"S-Stay away!" He squeaked, clenched the knife.
"The evening bell has tolled thy name. The feathers overshadow your death, and may you find peace or strife in the next life. Begone, Youkoku!" With that, the blue mist surged forward and engulfed the shrieking man, silencing him. The man collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, his skin pale and devoid of life. The mist receded into the flower that was pinned to Naruto's jumpsuit, and the raven melted back outside of the glass window, leaving only a singular black feather where it once stood.
Suddenly, footsteps rang out and shinobi flooded the room, Sarutobi Hiruzen among them. He scanned the room, and his face contorted with horror as he saw the contents of the dark apartment. The bodies of three dead men, one of which was missing a hand, and an unconscious, bloody Naruto. Medic nin rushed in and covered the dead bodies with white cloths, and others rushed Naruto towards the hospital. Sarutobi could only hope to find out what had happened this night.
Naruto woke up to the familiar white ceiling of the hospital. He was no stranger to this setting, considering his position in the village. He had been to the hospital so many times that he was surprised that they hadn't made a permanent ward just for his use. The first time he'd been hospitalized was when he was around three years ago when he'd been just a mere 4 years old. He had been caught unawares on the street and had been mobbed by furious villagers. Incidents similar to that one had occurred over the years, always at random times.
Sighing, he banished those thoughts from his mind and made to sit up in his bed. The door to his left opened up and a nurse came in, followed by Sarutobi. The old Hokage usually possessed a warm smile, but today, that was replaced with a grim frown. Naruto's heart thudded around in his chest as he remembered his conversation with the Kyuubi.
"Your grandfather lied to you. Don't tell anyone about this. I'm sure that you don't want to be treated any worse than you already are." The Kyuubi's words echoed around in his head. The nurse guided the old Hokage to a bedside chair and walked out after a curt bow. When the nurse had gone, Sarutobi placed a wrinkled hand on Naruto's shoulder, shaking him slightly to gain his attention.
On reflex, Naruto flinched back, hugging the back of the bed frame, fear evident in his eyes. It was clear that he not yet recovered from the ordeals of last night. Even though he was physically fine, due to the Kyuubi, his mentality had not yet recovered. It was a miracle that he had stayed sane as long as he did. Years of near-solitude, along with the occasional beating would have broken any child's mind by now. He was thankful to Sarutobi for doing his best to keep him sane.
"Good morning Naruto." Sarutobi bent down and retrieved a package from the floor.
"Morning old man," Naruto mumbled quietly. Sarutobi picked up on this and frowned, even more, creating the wrinkles in his aged visage. He quietly pondered about what was the best decision to make in this scenario. On one hand, he wanted to comfort the boy about what had occurred last night, yet on the other, he was curious about what the boy had done to kill three fully grown adult men.
"Naruto. What exactly happened in that apartment last night?" Sarutobi asked softly, not wanting to scare the boy. "You can trust me. I can assure you that you won't be getting into any trouble." Naruto shot a quick glance at the door that led into the room. Sarutobi caught on to what Naruto was thinking. "Don't worry, Naruto. We're alone here. You can tell me what happened last night." Naruto flinched, remembering the men breaking into his apartment, the harsh beating, and the visit to the Kyuubi. What the Kyuubi had told him. Your grandfather lied to you.
He was unsure whether that was the truth or not, yet something in the back of his mind told him that telling his grandfather the full truth would not be overly beneficial for his health in the future. Call it instinct, a warning. He settled for a half-truth.
"Uhm...t-those men broke into my room smelling all weird. Then one of them pinned me to a wall and they started b-beating me. Everything went black for a while until I woke up here..." Naruto mumbled quietly, looking down at his lap, where his little hands rested. "I don't remember anything else, sorry Oji-san..."
Sarutobi sat there, giving Naruto a scrutinizing look. Does he know that I lied to him? Naruto worried. It seemed like an eternity before Sarutobi dropped his gaze and replaced it with his usual smile.
"Thank you for being honest with me Naruto. I appreciate the information." Naruto mentally sighed, glad that the elderly Hokage had accepted what he had said. "Also," Sarutobi continued. Naruto perked up, wanting to hear what the Hokage had to say. "I know how you liked your old pair of goggles, so I got a new pair for you after they broke." Sarutobi placed the package into Naruto's lap.
Naruto was shocked for a moment. Sarutobi's previous statement took a moment to register in Naruto's mind. By the time that it did, Sarutobi was already at the door, a hand on the knob.
"Wait!" Naruto exclaimed, some of his former vigor regained. Sarutobi stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I just wanna say thank you, old man!" Sarutobi chuckled softly.
"No problem, Naruto. By the way, I'll be treating you to ramen once I get this mess sorted out with the council. Can't expect there to be no consequences after those men died after all." Sarutobi sighed, a slightly frustrated look on his face. A small smile stretched across Naruto's whiskered face.
"Ok, Oji-san! Thanks again for the new goggles! I'll look forward to the ramen!" Naruto waved, smiling at the Hokage. Sarutobi chuckled again and walked out of the hospital room, waving farewell to his ward.
Time Skip
Naruto yawned as he leisurely strolled down towards the Ninja Academy. He was extremely excited for today. Today, were the graduation exams for the ninja academy! This was his chance to prove himself a worthy candidate for genin. If he passed, he'd be one more step closer to his dream of Hokage. The weather reflected his mood well, he thought as he jogged. The sun was out, and there wasn't a single cloud in the bright blue sky, leaving the sun to blanket everything in its warmth. As he passed by, civilians turned away, not daring to look at him. Ever since that attack a year ago, when men had broken into his apartment and lost their lives subsequently, everyone had become warier of him, no longer choosing to confront him face to face.
Instead, they shot him under-handed looks when they thought he wasn't looking. They still thought he was a demon. That hadn't changed for the past eight years. Truthfully, he was fine with it. He had grown used to those looks by now, he had too if he wanted to take the hat from the old man. He still didn't trust him entirely, based on what the Kyuubi had imparted to him that night, yet he still cherished and believed in the elderly Hokage. The old man had treated him with nothing but kindness ever since he was born.
Naruto looked down at his lapel. The same spider lily hung from his orange jumpsuit, swaying with the slight breeze that accompanied the warm day. He poked at it. The bright red color had slightly dulled from that incident a few years ago, and a part of the flower had fallen off. It still looked pleasing to the eye though, and he was glad that he still had this reminder of his parents, no matter how it looked. As he walked down the road, he caught a flash of pink hair. He quickened his pace, jogging over to where he had seen the uniquely colored hair.
"Morning Sakura-chan!" Sakura, a female with green eyes and hair that looked like what she was named after, was his former crush. Sadly, she only had eyes for the resident emo of Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke. Saying that she had a crush on him was an understatement. She was borderline obsessed with him. He had once asked her out on a date, and she had rejected him instantly, saying that he was a loser and a freak. However, that never stopped him from being friendly towards her, and anyone else in his class.
Sakura turned to the familiar noise and groaned.
"Ugh, it's you again. What do you want? You aren't here to ask me out on a date again, are you? Because if you are-" She was interrupted by Naruto who grinned.
"Nope! I just wanted to greet you! How are you today Sakura-chan?" Sakura frowned, her brows furrowing. As much as she didn't like the boy, she didn't hate him either. He got on her nerves sometimes, but other than that, he was really nice to her.
"Why are you cheerful today, Naruto-san?" Sakura asked curiously, not bothering to correct Naruto on the proper use of the suffix that he had given her. She had tried enough times to know that Naruto wouldn't budge.
"Well, today is the day that the graduation exams happen, isn't it?" Naruto chuckled, readjusting his goggles. Sakura never understood why he wore those ugly things on his head, instead chalking it down to Naruto's general eccentric nature.
"Oh, in that case, I wish you good luck, Naruto-san," Sakura muttered. Naruto smiled widely, stretching his whiskered cheeks. Sakura glanced at him and barely suppressed a squeal. His whiskers were adorable! She just wanted to squeeze his cheeks and-
She flushed as she gained control of her thoughts once more. Naruto instigated another conversation, and she let her thoughts fly away, choosing instead to converse with Naruto while they walked to the academy.
As the pair reached the doors, Naruto grinned in excitement. Today, was the day that he began his new life, and today, it would be the day where he could start working towards his dream. Unbeknownst to both of them, the spider lily on Naruto's chest glowed a soft black as if it was in agreement with what its owner was thinking.