Don't own Naruto.
Speech
Thought.
xxxxxxxx
"I don't remember any caves around Konoha."The blonde mused to himself as he ran a hand along the edge of the cavern entrance. As long as he could remember, the villagers had hated him, calling him 'demon' and 'monster', chasing him from stores or outright attacking him. However, no one would tell him why. Because of this, he had started staying in the woods, away from the people, as much as he could. His explorations now found him in an area he was unfamiliar with.
He tenitivly stepped inside, ready to hightail it out if anything felt off. He'd seen pictures of caves in a few books, but this one didn't seem to fit the usual look. It was about the same size as a normal bedroom, but what struck him as odd was how empty it was. Caves tended to have odd rock formations in them...this one was completly empty. It was like someone had come and just cleared everything out. The walls and cave floor were barren of anything, save for a small pedestal in the back. However, what what his attention was what was resting on it.
"Sugoi...that's the biggest pearl I've ever seen.." He breathed as he stared at the orb resting on the pedestal. Its surface glistened with a swirling mix of black and white that seemed to move as he got closer. "I wonder if the old man's ever seen anything like this."
Had an older person been there, they would have erred on the side of caution and gone to tell the Hokage about the discovery. In nine-year-old Naruto Uzumaki's case, however, the response was to bring it with him.
Little did he know, as soon as he took hold on the 'pearl', his life would never be the same.
xxxxxxxx
I know this isn't a true chapter, more like a prologue/teaser. Gonna try to work the Venom and Nariko meetings into one chapter.
In case you're wondering, it looks like 'Sugar' wins: Nariko, Hinata and Haku. Like I said, I might consider adding one if you can give me a good reason why for your choice.