Her father was an idiot.

While the Fire Daimyo, as he was called, was the strongest of all the feudal lords in Hi no Kuni, Ayako knew it wasn't so much as he who was leading, but rather his advisors.

Tonight was no different. Kichi and Kin, the twin advisors, were hurling arguments at each other. As the other advisors uncomfortably shifted in their seats, the Fire Daimyo, stared blankly into the night, not a single thought in his head.

"What do you mean mobilize our forces?" Kichi roared, the hulking man slamming his fists against the wooden table, sending a shudder up Ayako's arms.

"What I'm saying means just what it sounds like—" Kin fired back, unwavering at his brother's outburst. "—we need to raise troops, before it's too late!"

"Except no Fire Daimyo has ever needed to raise an army since the founding of Konohagakure. Not Lord Toshi, nor his father, or even his father. Not to mention the tremendous economic strain of training and feeding thousands of soldiers!"

Kin jumped from his seat, face flustered bright pink. The man scurried to the edge of the room, gesturing outside the window at the sea of lights against the dark night. "Lord Toshi is supposed to protect those people out there. So, then, what do you suppose we do about the feudal lords currently mustering their own soldiers?"

"No feudal lords are raising their own—"

"Fushinogari Province. The lord there has raised at least a thousand of his own samurai. Samurai not from Tsuchi no Kuni—from Hi no Kuni," jumped in one of the advisors, a bright-haired woman named Umi. Kin nodded a thanks to her. "Then there's Mohari Province, where there are a few hundred shinobi."

"Oh, so we should be worried about a few personal retinues?"

And yet, everyone, including Kichi, was well aware of the military build-up of many of the feudal lords in Hi no Kuni, ever since the kyuubi attack on Konohagakure. While Umi had only mentioned two, Ayako knew they could have started counting on her fingers all the daimyo with growing power, and still needed more hands.

"Lord Toshi, I appeal to you as your humble advisor that we must begin building up our own military, before it's too late," Kin said to the Fire Daimyo, who just pursed his lips at the man's words.

"It seems you forget that the entire shinobi village of Konohagakure supports us," Kichi added.

"And do you remember what happened the last time we relied on that village? My son was a child when the last Shinobi World War ended, and now he's getting married next month. Yet, Hi no Kuni still bleeds from the memories of that conflict!"

Ayako couldn't remember much about the war, having only been a child when the treaties were signed. Still, from the stories she'd been told growing up, her lessons, and even just observing her people, she truly believed there had been a time when Hi no Kuni had bled and her rivers had run red.

Almost a decade later, the land had only scarred over, rendering most of the north-western provinces of Hi no Kuni inhabitable. Unusable. Undesirable.

What a damn blow it had been to the industry. Despite all the words the girl had to say about Tsuchi no Kuni and Iwagakure, 'ignorant' certainly wasn't one of them. Apparently, those same provinces had once been the bread-basket of Hi no Kuni, producing nearly three-quarters of the nation's entire crop supply. Without that land, the country had plunged into an endless pit of debt and hunger and continued to free-fall ever since.

Hi no Kuni could have done nothing, either. The Fire Daimyo's military consisted of nothing except for a few small bands of rogue shinobi and ronin from Tetsu no Kuni. So, all they did was sit and watch, as the Iwagakure shinobi slaughtered their people, burning their homes to the ground.

Under the table, Ayako clenched her fists.

Unlike her father, her and many in Hi no Kuni knew it was that damn Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen's fault the people were starving. In the later years of the war, Konohagakure was winning, pressing deep into Tsuchi no Kuni, and yet, for some reason, he decided to sign the treatise that would eventually mark the end of the Third Shinobi World War in nothing other than a white peace.

A damn white peace.

Hundreds of thousands, both innocent and not, were dead, with nothing to show for it.

In the end, Ayako didn't care what the shinobi did. If they wanted to continue fighting, killing each other for the sport of it, she wouldn't stop them. However, when that fighting—that killing—spilled over into their land, and harmed the innocent, that was the last straw.

"We should move to abandon Konoha," Ayako said, pressing her palms into the table. She could feel the burn of the advisors' eyes on her, though it didn't really bother her. She knew she was right.

She always was.

"Lady Ayako, with all due respect, I don't believe you're hardly old enough to understand these matters," Kichi said, reigning his tone low. "The only purpose you're here in the meeting today is—"

"—so I can learn rule one day, I understand," the girl said. "However, that in itself is all the reason why I should have a say: I would rather actually have a country to lead, rather than my clan be some forgotten name."

Ayako eyed Kichi intently, forcing herself to meet his gaze. The man's mouth stretched into a small line.

While it was true she was young—twelve years, to be exact—Ayako found herself to be just as capable as any other adult, if not better. It wasn't as if she was a simple arrogant swine, either, but rather, as long as she could remember, she had excelled at nearly everything she had put herself to. The girl had to be cold at times. She had to be calculating. She had to be smart.

And she was all those things.

"Yes, but just the economic burden alone should cause us to pause," Kichi said. "Our people suffer so much already as it is, and I fear that if we..."

The man's voice subsided into a muddled hush, like a whisper in the background.

Our people suffer so much?

With one glance around the table, she doubted any of the people seated had suffered a single moment in their perfect lives. Pure whites and vibrant pinks glimmered in the low light, clan emblems sewn onto their pristine clothing. From Umi's neck hung an enchanting necklace, possibly costing millions of Ryo alone. Both Kichi's and Kin's midsection protruded.

What did he know about suffering?

No, it wasn't their people who were suffering. It was her people.

That was something else the war had caused: greed. Refugees fleeing from the frontline to the population centers, along with the severe production hit had caused a massive shift in the mindset in the people of Hi no Kuni, especially the upper class. It had made them selfish, uncaring of those suffering. They hoarded their food, medicine, water, fearing that there would not be enough to go around.

Perhaps, there really wasn't enough resources for everybody, not after the war.

But that was all on the damn Hokage and his white peace. Even now, it would be better if he was dead.

The one time he actually decides to visit the kid and this happens. If he survived this, he definitely was going to ask for a vacation.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey... it's... okay..." Genma seethed through clenched teeth, trying to keep his voice even.

He couldn't believe it. Despite how many people complained, how many people voiced their concerns about the monster within Naruto, never once had there been an incident that had been notably concerning. Sure, the kid played pranks, got into the odd scrap here and there—he was just a kid being a kid, and that was the extent of it. In all seven years since the attack, the seal containing the kyuubi had been a dam, unfaltering against the bijuu's chakra.

That dam had seemingly shattered.

Naruto roared, bellowing into the night sky.

Genma could feel the searing heat of the kyuubi's chakra scorching his skin. Burning so intense, the chakra, itself, was visible, a fiery cloak of red consuming the boy's body. Naruto's hands were claws with fingernails like knives. His face distorted in anger, hot red glowering from Naruto's eyes, jagged slits carved down his irises, like that of an animal.

Like a fox.

Sure, while Naruto looked almost the exact same, albeit with the aforementioned changes, one didn't exactly have to be a sensory type ninja to realize the boy was becoming more demon every passing moment. It didn't even feel like he was even there, anymore. No, this wasn't the same kid he'd fought with and made a bet with a few minutes ago. This was something darker. Intense. Stronger.

Strong enough to have killed the Yondaime.

The boy roared once more, shooting his piercing eyes to Genma. Shivers tremored up the man's arms, down his spine, and into the rest of his body. The edges of his vision began to blacken. Cold sweat dripped to the snow at his feet. Crushing pressure squeezed against the insides of his chest, followed by the hollow thumping of his beating heart.

Slowly, Genma raised his hand in front of him defensively, the way someone did when approaching a cornered animal.

"Hey, kid... I'm not going to hurt you," he said, eyeing Naruto through slits. Carefully, he slid his other hand down his leg, until he felt the familiar cold metal of his kunai against his fingertips. "Listen, why don't we—"

Without warning, Naruto blitzed forward, throwing up a cloud of snow in his wake. In a blink, the boy closed the distance between the two, hammering his fist into Genma's face, sending the shinobi hurtling across the roof. For a moment, the world was a spinning mass of colors. Then gravity tore him downwards, slamming him against the ground.

Ignoring the burning pain in his body, Genma flipped to his feet, ducking just in time to dodge a bulleting fist. As Naruto shot past him, the Tokubetsu Jonin threw his arm into the boy's torso, ramming his palm against Naruto's throat. An exasperated breath escaped Naruto's lips, before Genma tightened his grip and slammed him to the ground. Beneath the two, the roof trembled. Not missing a beat, the older man stomped his heel against the boy's stomach.

"Stay down!" Genma screamed, his words like fire in his mouth.

Naruto only roared, sinking his claws into the Tokubetsu Jonin's leg. Instinctively, the man began pulled away, staggering backwards. Jumping to his feet, Naruto lunged forward, swiping towards Genma. The man leaned away, narrowly dodging the assault, before another fist barreled into view. In a breath, Genma raised his arm upwards in a guard, blocking the attack.

A sharp pain shot up his arm. He staggered backwards, breath ragged through grit teeth.

Shit, he hits hard.

Up until now, the man had been trying to keep himself from using any jutsu against the boy, in case he somehow harmed him. Except, Genma wasn't even sure if he could hurt him. It was probably the other way around, judging by the throbbing pain in Genma's arm.

Really, if he wanted to get out of this relatively unscathed, he was going to have to give it his all.

Genma's hands began to move in a blur, weaving together a combination of handsigns.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A burning heat began to build up in the man's chest. Raising two fingers to his mouth, he blew outwards, expelling all the built-up chakra from within him. Suddenly, his vision was blinding white, then yellow and orange, as a massive fireball erupted from his mouth towards Naruto. The air between the two scorched, vaporizing the snow beneath them into wispy steam. The wall of flame slammed headfirst into Naruto, sending him skidding backwards against the ground. Genma didn't let up, firing another fire jutsu at the boy.

Naruto dug his claws into the tiles, throwing himself to the side, narrowly dodging the approaching inferno.

Shit.

Heart racing, Genma scrambled to weave another set of handsigns. The hare sign. Ox. Boar.

But, before he could finish, a flash of red streamed in his vision, before a sharp pain rammed into the man's gut. Genma wheezed, his lungs seizing and chest squeezing. His knees began to buckle, tremoring under his weight. Gritting his teeth, Genma blocked a wild haymaker, grunting from the impact. He quickly answered back, spinning on his foot and driving his knee into the boy's chin.

He knew Naruto wanted a close fight—wanted to brawl. Admittedly, it was a smart move. Sure, the Tokubetsu Jonin was bigger, and with much better technique. The kyuubi chakra was nothing to scoff at, though. The boy was way faster and much stronger than he'd been before, to the point that Genma's arms were beginning to redden and swell from the impact of Naruto's attacks.

As they continued to exchange blows, they began to settle into a pattern. The younger of the two would wildly swing at the older, who would narrowly dodge, only to return with an attack of his own. While most of Genma's strikes were hitting, as time went on, the man couldn't help but notice the growing heaviness in his limbs, whereas Naruto only seemed to be getting faster. Perhaps it was the boy's incredible stamina kicking in, or maybe he was drawing from the kyuubi's energy, itself. Probably both.

This is bad.

And it was. Each breath felt like he was trying to swallow gravel, the air scratching his throat every time he inhaled. His arms were on fire. A sharp pain pressed into his stomach whenever he moved. He prayed it wasn't a broken rib, but at this point, he'd be surprised if it wasn't.

Yet, he couldn't just run. He couldn't just leave the boy alone, to wreak havoc on the village. Not only because Naruto would have hurt a lot of people, but because Genma couldn't do that to Minato. He couldn't let this kid go down that path.

"Dammit," Genma seethed.

Before he could say anything else, though, he felt Naruto's claws tear through his flak jacket. The boy lifted Genma up, pummeling him against the floor—

—and through the roof, in a shower of snow and plaster. The two smashed into the top of a wooden table, a splintering crack exploding throughout the room. Genma felt his stomach lurch, landing on the floor with a thud. The man groaned, trying his best to ignore the thousands of paper bombs exploding in his head. With each breath, he could feel something powdery in his throat, followed by the metallic tang of blood on his lip.

The Tokubetsu Jonin stumbled to his feet, his legs beginning to quiver under his own weight.

Despite the little moonlight shining through the gaping hole in the ceiling, Genma could tell he was in a kitchen. Ignoring the shattered blocks of wood strewn about and the thin layer of plaster and snow covering the ground, he could make out the blocky silhouette of a fridge in the corner. To his other side sat a sink flanked by kitchen counters. A trash bin sat beside, filled to the brim with a mountain of instant ramen cups.

It wasn't the grandest place he'd ever seen, but the fact that a kid lived here all by himself boggled his mind.

"You gotta eat healthier," Genma said with a dry laugh. As he did, a sharp pain cut through his side, causing him to double over.

Definitely a broken rib.

Genma had definitely had his fair shares of fights before, especially having been one of the Yondaime's bodyguards when he had still been alive. The life of the shinobi was filled with violence—killing and death. If a ninja wasn't brawling one day, one could have been certain he was preparing for one. That's just how it worked. Their entire livelihood was based around bloodshed.

But damn, despite Genma's usual cool demeanor, he would have been lying if there weren't some fights that put a lump in his throat. This was definitely one of them.

Across the room, a clawed hand slammed against the wall. Slowly, Naruto pulled himself from the floor and turned to face the man, fangs bared. The suffocating air burned hot and dry, as the red chakra surrounding the boy raged around him. Aside from a few scratches, he seemed completely unharmed. In fact, Genma felt like he'd just made Naruto more pissed.

The apartment was filled with a guttural roar, as Naruto blitzed forward. Genma dodged sideways—almost too quickly—ramming into one of the kitchen counters, as the boy sped past. A rack of pans jarred loose, falling to the wooden floor with a chorus of banging.

Pain scorched his legs. His lungs burned. His vision spun. Without pausing to look back, Genma sprinted for the front door.

Before the man could clasp his fingers around the handle, he felt the collar of his jacket catch, and he was ripped backwards. His back slammed onto the ground. On impact, the breath fled from his body, leaving him gasping for air. A fist darted into view, narrowly grazing the Tokubetsu Jonin's face. Right beside his ear, he heard the floor splinter. Another punch flew his way. Then another.

Genma continued to dodge, weaving his head away from each blow. The man reached upwards and clutched the boy's orange jacket in his hand. He strained to push the boy off him, except it felt as if he was trying to lift an entire building off his chest.

Naruto slammed another fist into the ground beneath them. The entire ground shuddered and creaked, before suddenly they were sent falling through the floor—yet again. Genma tightened his grip on the boy's jacket and twisted his body, flipping Naruto beneath him. The boy smashed back-first against the carpet below.

A scream filled the room. Turning his gaze for a brief moment, the Tokubetsu Jonin's heart nearly skipped a beat when he found himself staring at a young woman, head full of blonde. In her arms she clutched a little bundle of blankets, covering what must have been a baby—no more than a year old, at that.

Genma's first instinct was to curse aloud.

"Go! Get out of here!" he yelled. With an exasperated heave, Genma clenched his hands around the boy's wrists and jammed them against the floor. The woman stared, mouth agape, for a moment, before a wail escaped her mouth, and she took off running into one of the bedrooms.

"Kid, stop," Genma seethed. Suddenly, one of the boy's fists pried themselves free, slamming into Genma's jaw with a sickening crack. A sharp pain spiked upwards into the man's skull. There was a bright flash of white, followed by an incessant ringing in his ears. The Tokubetsu Jonin toppled sideways off the boy, collapsing to the floor.

Everything swarmed to black.

"It's okay," the woman whispered through choked breaths, pressing her face against the infant's. In her trembling hands, the child wriggled, though, fortunately, remained silent. "We're going to be okay."

That shinobi was going to save them. He was going to save them from the demon.

Yet, the wetness streaking down her cheek said something else.

Another sob caught in her chest, this one filling her throat with a gagged cry. Cold ice trickled its way down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck and her arms and legs stood. Her gut churned and twisted deep in the pit of her stomach. It bubbled and growled. Groaned, even, as her insides threatened to come out.

Of all places to live, of all apartments in Konohagakure, for some reason she'd chosen to settle here, right under the nose of the kyuubi. It wasn't as if she didn't know, either. The landlord and several of the other tenants and even the citizens outside had been very clear as to who was just above—many of them had explained in very explicit detail. But she had just brushed them off as stories, tales from a tragedy that had occurred seven years prior. He was just a harmless kid with bad circumstances. It wasn't as if he was actually the demon, itself.

Or so she thought, until that very demon came crashing through her ceiling.

Perhaps it was rotten luck. Maybe it was Kami punishing her for all the people she had wronged. It could have even been the ghost of her dead mother pulling the strings of fate itself. There were countless of reasons, endless of possibilities why this was the hand life had dealt here, yet in the end, none of it really mattered. Whatever the case was, she deserved it. Her sweet baby boy did not.

Behind her was the sound of something—or someone—slamming into the wall. The woman jumped with a yelp.

On the other side of the wall came a strange noise.

Thump.

Slowly, she crept away from the door, clutching her child tight against her beating chest. Her lungs burned. With each breath, the heavy air lodged itself in her throat.

Thump.

The woman turned and crossed over to the pale moonlight streaming through the window. Lifting a hand from her baby, she placed her bare palm against the freezing glass, before pulling away when she looked outside.

Thump.

Red. Red everywhere. The streets were red. The buildings were red. Stands and carts and wooden poles were red. People were red.

Thump.

Did that demon really do all of this?

Thump.

Was he going to do this to her?

Thump. Thump.

Would he do this to her baby?

Thump. THUMP.

The woman fumbled for the latches, shoving the window open with an earsplitting creak. Immediately a blast of icy wind slammed into her, freezing the tears on her face. She peered over the edge at the ground below. Her blood froze.

THUMP.THUMP.

She would die if she jumped—

THUMP.THUMP. THUMP.

—her legs would shatter first—

THUMP.THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

—followed by the rest of her.

THUMP.THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Suddenly, the noise stopped. There was drowning silence, filled only with her blood pounding against her skull. The woman whipped her head back around towards the wall. She strained to listen, to hear something—anything.

There was the wild howling of the wind against her back. The small breaths of her baby in her arms. Her hammering heart. But those were nothing. She couldn't hear the shinobi who had been fighting the demon. She couldn't hear the demon, itself.

There was nothing.

Then the wall exploded in a blast of plaster and wood, a blur of movement streaking towards her. Without even looking, the woman leaned backwards and let gravity tear her from the room, sending her and her child plummeting towards death.

Hiruzen could not believe his eyes when he saw Naruto standing over the broken corpse of a woman, clutching something eerily small to her chest.

Naruto, that boy he'd raised since he was a baby. Naruto, who was like a grandson to the old man. The kid whose dream was to become the Hokage, just like him. The boy who'd so long ago been a beacon of hope in the storm of despair. The fragile child the Hokage so clearly remembered clawing from the piles of rubble and held in his arms, as he wept over all of his fallen loved ones: Minato. Kushina.

Biwako.

That boy was now a monster. He was a beast. He was—

—that kid, the demon fox.

Author's Note:

Alright, so here it is! I'm going to have to admit, this chapter was a pretty hard one to write. I had some pretty tough writer's block on this, but eventually I was able to finish this, so here you all go! I just wanted again to say thank you for reading and giving me feedback. I love reading each and every one of your reviews, so please continue to do so if you have something to say!

While that first scene with Ayako and the Fire Daimyo's meeting may not seem like much, it's very significant in the way the world of Naruto will develop. Something I think the series in canon could have done better was establish better politics, including intrigue and backstabbing allies and stuff—you know, a bunch of ninja stuff! So that's something this series will focus a lot on.

Just to explain myself, to those who aren't aware, the nations in the world of Naruto are ruled by these people called 'daimyo.' The main thing to know about them, is that the nations themselves do NOT have a military. Instead, the daimyo have to rely on the hidden shinobi villages within their lands for military power. So here, I wanted the story to have a realistic take on the resentment and aftermath of the Third Shinobi World War, in which the nations aren't happy that they were the ones suffering from shinobi conflict. Hmmm... I wonder where that will lead us?

And PHEW! That was a fight, HUH? Hopefully you guys enjoyed the faster-paced, more grounded style of the fight scenes, because that's what a lot of this chapter was (if you didn't let me know, and I can slow down the pace a little for following fights). Now, in the next 1-3 chapters we're going to finish up this arc, and then we're hopefully going to get to happier times.

Anyways, I have some great news! I've managed to get an awesome beta-reader by the name of asthane, who is also currently writing a story. It's not out as of yet, but when it is, definitely go check it out! It's pretty good! Nonetheless, this means that hopefully the writing quality of this fic will get better!

As always, I hoped you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!