Naruto was a wanderer. Always has been. He spent most of his time, when he was not pranking people, running away from people, or eating ramen, in the forest. This was for two reasons. Firstly, no one ever really entered the woods past a dozen feet or so if it was beyond the normal Shinobi pathing. The second reason is that he felt at home here, for some reason. There was something about the deep woods that made him feel at peace. The musk of the dirt, the scent of Pine and Oak and other great trees, just the clean feel of the air. This place was home. Naruto smiled as he walked, the crunch of leaves under his feet caused some nervous squirrels to scamper away.

Naruto came across a small cliff, less than 20 feet tall, in a cluster of bamboo trees. But what was most interesting was the abandoned shrine built into the dirt and stone cliff. Scaling down the stone with a youthful energy that only Naruto seemed to have in spades, he came to the entrance of the forgotten temple. Someone had not stepped foot here for at least several decades, at least. Naruto looked around the decrepit shrine. He remembered that these were important to people, and that it was respectful to bow before entering places like this. The blonde gave a short bow before entering. The first room was an open courtyard that had plants growing between the cobblestone. An upright stone on a wooden pedestal sat in the middle of a wall in the back, an open hall on each side. The stone had the kanji for fox carved onto it, and a stone sculpture of a fox curled around the small obelisk. Naruto looked around for anyone that might yell at him, or really any signs of life at all. "Nope. no one here." the small boy said. The eleven year old turned his head to the right hallway, and then the left. Deciding on going right, he strode down the hall. It led to an underground section with two rooms flanking the hall, one on the left and right. At the back it led to a carved out stream and pool. The pool was a circle tangent to the stream, cutting off about a yards worth from the circle. To the left, a hallway led to a large open room. That room had a hallway that led back to the courtyard.

All in all, the complex made a square, with the pool room and open room taking up the two underground corners. Eight rooms, four per hallway, flanked the rooms. Those, of course, led to the courtyard. Naruto assumed that the small side rooms were sleeping quarters. The blonde glanced up at the sky. It must be about two in the afternoon at the moment. That ment that he had to get back to class before it got too late. With a sigh, Naruto mentally marked the place and headed back to the outside. As he walked past the cliff to a place he knew he could get to, he stuck a Kuni into a nearby tree, pointing to the shrine.

I really have to get going. The Jinjuriki thought as he sprinted out of the forest. He came quickly upon the academy building. He could see Iruka teaching his class though a window. Damn, i'm late.

Naruto did his best to sneak into the classroom without being noticed. That failed instantly as Iruka noticed the door open. "Cutting class again, Naruto?" Iruka said with an irked sigh. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry Iruka Sensei, I just found something that I would like to show you after school, Dattebayo!" Iruka just sighed, rubbing his scar.

"Take a seat Naruto. We're going over the warring states period. You have your notes I trust?" The teacher said as Naruto took a seat. He, in true Naruto fashion, failed to produce notes from the last class. Iruka just sighed. Of course, Naruto. Why am I not surprised?

"So, what's this thing you wanted to show me?" Iruka asked as he was dragged though the forest. This is unnervingly close to the Forest of Death. The Sensei thought as he passed a tree. A single Kuni stuck in it, which seemed to direct naruto. "This had not be another prank, Naruto."

"Nah, I only prank people i don't like, or the whole village." naruto laughed as they came across the cliff. "It's down here, Iruka Sensei!" naruto said as he scaled down the cliff with ease. Iruka looked down and opted to go the long way around. That was just hopping onto a bamboo shoot and climbing down. What Naruto showed him was an old decrept shrine. Iruka raised an eyebrow at the proud looking boy.

"It's a shrine?"

"Yup." Naruto said, still beaming at his find.

"That...cool. I'm assuming that you've already explored the place?"

"Uhuh. I can show you the inside if you want."

Iruka considered that. Naruto had done similar things before, taking iruka to somewhere to show him whatever oddity he found. The most noticeable was when he and Iruka unknowingly broke into the Inuzuka compound to pet dogs. That was a very interesting explanation to give to Tsune Inzuka, who was somewhere between anger that someone had even managed to break into the Inuzuka complex, shock that it was a seven year old that did that, and hysterical laughter as said child had turned the blood hungry, large and powerful wolves of the Inzuka clan, that had killed people for even standing within ten feet, into a bunch of cuddly, playful pet loving docile hounds. Naruto did get a stern talking to from the clan heir about the concept of property and fences. Naruto thought that it was just a dog park or something.

"Yeah sure. No traps or anything, right?" The teacher asked hesitantly.

Naruto nodded with a smile, before turning to run in. Stopping suddenly at the entrance arch, he gave a bow before entering. Iruke raised an eyebrow, unaware that naruto knew of such customs. To entertain the boy, at the very least, Iruka bowed before entering. Naruto led him to the stone in the courtyard.

"You found a fox shrine naruto. I'm impressed that one of these still exists in Kohangakure." Iruka said with a smile as Naruto peaked his head out from the right hallway.

"Whaddaya mean?" The boy asked. Iruka closed his eyes. Of course Naruto would forget that lesson.

With a sigh, Iruka explained that Fox Shrines were shrines to the spirit world during the Warring States Period. They believed at the time that Foxes were the guides and guardian to the spirit world. Naruto nodded, before stopping to think. "Do you think I should bring offerings? Like the priests back then?"

"Why would you?"

"I dunno. To appease the spirits and bring me good luck, right?" Naruto said with a shrug. "Kami knows I could use it." He muttered to himself. Shaking a positive smile back onto his face, he led iruka through the compound. After a full tour, he offered Iruka dinner in the form of fireroast fish. "Just give me a moment! I'll get the fish in no time!" The boy smiled. Iruka watched him as he scampered off to a nearby river. Snapping a straight bamboo pole and sharpening it into a point, he waded into the river. Standing completely still, the blonde expertly lined up the spear.

Splash! Like a spring trap, Naruto exploded into action, spearing a decently sized fish. He tossed this one to Iruka, who's eyes had widened at how effortlessly the boy had caught food. The action was repeated, gaining the Jinjuriki another fish.

A camp fire was burning brightly as the fish cooked. "You know, Naruto, you never told me that you could fish like that."

Naruto shrugged. "It never came up I guess. But there's plenty of food here in the forest, if you know where to look. And there's no one here to bother you, Dattebayo." Naruto said, turning his fish. "I like it here." The blonde leaned back, looking up at the sky. The smoke drafted upward into the orange painted sky, the bits of stars just barely shining though. Iruka looked at the boy, then back up at the sky.

"You should probably head home soon, naruto. It's getting dark." Iruka said, taking his fish off the heat of the fire.

"Yeah… I should." Naruto sighed, peeling himself off the ground. Taking his own campfire food, he walked with Iruka back to the village.

"Ya know, I think i'll be spending a lot of time there, Dattebayo." Naruto said softly. Iruka raised an eyebrow, but understood. It was so out of the way that most people would never find it. It was paradoxically close to town however, having only a thirty minute walk from taking the slow route. Iruka did not want Naruto taking the fast route, as that led him directly through the Forest of death. Kami forbid naruto ever go in there for a long time.

Iruka made sure that Naruto made it to his apartment and that the door shut. With a sigh, Iruka turned to walk into the night. Leaning on a building was a silver haired ANBU, looking up at the apartment.
"Dog." Iruka said, not using the shinobi's real name.

"Iruka. I see Naruto took you into the forest today. He pull a prank on you?" The ANBU asked. Iruka shook his head. "Nah, he found an old Fox Shrine in the middle of nowhere."

Iruka could not see what facial expression Dog made, but if he had to bet, it was one of uninterested surprise.

"I'm surprised one of those still exists so close to the village."

"I am too. I think he intends to make it his new hiding place. I can try to show you it's location later."

Dog nodded before vanishing in a small cloud of smoke. Iruka walked home, hoping that the odd feeling in his gut was just that. An odd feeling.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, looking at the vandalized building. The hateful messages could only be aimed at one person, after all. Sarubtobi opened the door cautiously, looking at the raided apartment hall.

"I had hoped we were better than this." The Hogake frowned, picking up what was a cheap decorative wall scroll, now in tatters. There was no sign of the small blonde boy who lived here.

"Dog. Find Naruto." The Sandaime said, the hidden silver haired ANBU nodding. He then disappeared, off into the distance. Hiruzen sat down on a simple folding chair, next to a small table. He had sat here many times before, when a small blonde boy sat across from him, offering him instant ramen. He hoped the red splatter stain was ketchup and not blood on the corner of the table. He also hoped that the burn marks on the wall was from some freak instant ramen accident.

He knew both of those hopes to be unfruitful.

Why do people hate? Is it in nature? Is it in sin? Hiruzen sighed, pondering this thought. He left the small apartment with a heavy step, as he always did recently, it seemed.

"Dog." Hiruzen said sharply, the silver haired ANBU poofing into sight.

"Yes, Lord Third?"

"Find Naruto, ensure that he is safe." The third hokage said, his hand leaving an imprint of his grip on the counter.

The anbu looked in the usual spots in the village, even ducking behind Ichiraku's to look for the boy. Dog was almost panicking at this point, before the realization struck him in the face. I'm an idiot. I'll bet he's at the shrine. With a seishun, the ANBU disappeared in a blink.

Naruto was crying. He wasn't sure what else he could do. His house and home had been invaded. He had ran with nothing but Gama-chan and whatever ninja tools he had to his name. It was not much. After the adrenaline had worn off, Naruto collapsed into a small ball, crying. He had instinctively ran to the fox shrine he had discovered about over a week ago. Clutching the frog wallet tightly, the boy cried as quietly as possible for a while. A small chirping squeak drew the boy out of his sobbing. There was a fox sitting in the courtyard, partially hidden under an outgrowth in the courtyard.

"Huh? What are you doing here, foxy?" Naruto hiccuped, hoping to distract himself from the tears.

"Why don't you come here, fox?" Naruto beckoned. The fox tilted it's head, before disappearing back into the underbrush. Naruto's face fell as he looked at where the fox disappeared to. Looking back down at the ground, he rocked himself slowly for a couple minutes, but it felt like hours. He was suddenly pulled out of it when there was a tugging at his sleeve. Looking at it, the fox he had seen had taken the boy's cuff in it's mouth, pulling on it like a toy. The fox had brought friends, as there were two others that circled the boy, giving small yips and laughs. The fox tugging on Naruto's sleeve stopped now that the boy was no longer looking at the ground. It gave that signature squinty fox smile. Naruto smiled back at it before turning to watch the foxes play. He looked up to see a silver haired ANBU with a dog mask in the trees, watching him carefully. Giving the ANBU a small smile and a wave, the blonde returned to watching the foxes. Dog nodded, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.