Disclaimer: Naruto and Touhou project belong to their respective owners, and I will delete this story if requested.

Chance Meeting

It was a dreary autumn noon when a village rascal ran from villagers. He held fast his basket, which contained fruits that he'd bought from a merchant. He'd paid the full price, but the merchant had cried, 'thief!', attracting the attention of villagers who were chasing him.

Naruto Uzumaki was the rascal's name. He'd been starved of human interaction, and his only interactions, in the form of random mischiefs, resonated with the villagers' belief that his mere existence was a slumbering disaster. Naruto could not understand why the villagers hated him, but he knew they had been hating him since forever.

Naruto turned hard into a narrow path between two walls. The villagers followed suit, but they had to witness Naruto stopping to throw an apple at the foremost villager, causing him to stagger, and the rest to crash and pile onto him. Naruto resumed his flee, but another horde plugged the other end of the path. Naruto backtracked. When the first horde was coming for him, Naruto threw his basket at the foremost, causing him to stagger, and the rest to crash and pile onto him again. Naruto then ran over their backs. The second horde did the same, only for the first horde to suddenly rise and start clubbing the second horde for its audacity.

Naruto laughed at the scene, but he knew he must hurry to escape them. He ran to the other side of the village, to a swathe of land that housed plays and trees. He knew what it was. Park, a path of land dedicated for games and recreation. This park was dedicated for children, so he knew he had a right to use it. But he had never stepped inside it; villagers would always chase him whenever he came close. Thus, Naruto decided to try stepping inside for the first time.

He walked without a care to the park; the children fled the unwitting rascal. But one of the children remained—a boy whose spiky, black hair was tied, making it look like a pineapple. Naruto had nothing but a smile as he introduced himself, ignoring the total lack of enthusiasm in his speaking partner. 'So,' said Naruto, 'who are you?'

'I'm Shikamaru Nara. Why are they afraid of you?'

'I don't know,' said Naruto, finding the dusty ground more interesting than Shikamaru was, 'They've always been like this, hating me for no reason. I don't even have a friend.'

Shikamaru, contrary to Naruto, found the sky most interesting. He said, 'Not sure my old man's gonna approve of me being your friend but… let's be friend. Things won't get—'

'Sweet!'

The new friends thus played together, although they were only playing shogi instead of using the park facilities, ignoring the fact they had absolute reign to use whatever they wanted to play, as they were the only ones present. In the end, both of them gave up trying to teach Naruto the rules. Instead, they chose to lay down on a path of grass, looking at the sky while Naruto kept running his mouth.

Alas, it did not last for long. Shikamaru's father came and told his son to go home, before telling Naruto not to get near his son again.

'Why?' asked Naruto while rubbing his teary left eye, 'what did I do wrong?' Tell me… please… I just want a friend to talk. Why can't I get one?'

'I'd tell you if I won't die doing it.'

'Why would it kill you?' Naruto's blue eyes, which were gleaming with tears, met Shikamaru's father's. 'Am I really a monster… destroying everything just by living?'

'It's not what you did. It's what someone has done to you.

'Who? My parents?'

The man flinched, although not so much that Naruto noticed it. 'You'll understand when the time comes, kid.'

The man disappeared in a flutter of leaves.

Naruto forced a smile. It was always like this. People hated him, and those who didn't were told to. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong, but he knew breaking down would only give them satisfaction. Naruto erased his tears and went home to an apartment in the abandoned corner of the village.

He'd moved in here at five, after the orphanage had evicted him for breaking a bowl. He lived on the streets for a week after the eviction, enduring both mental and physical abuses from the villagers until finally finding an abandoned apartment. He then cleaned it and made it suitable for him to live in. However, he was too afraid to go to the village proper again; he spent three days without food, and only mice and mosquitoes as companions. On the fourth day, he left, thinking the villagers had forgotten about him. He was wrong; the villagers had become more ferocious.

Naruto entered his living quarter in the apartment, a unit on the uppermost floor. The entire apartment was his, and he was free to do as he pleases, but he only used this one unit to live. Naruto saw an old man, the leader of the village, waiting by the door. 'Old man!' Naruto greeted, rushing to meet the old man. 'What are you doing here, old man?'

The old man gave Naruto an envelope. 'This is your allowance for this week.'

'And the foods?'

'The foods will come later. See you next time, my boy.'

The old man's name was Hiruzen Sarutobi—he had introduced himself to Naruto when Naruto caught him trying to break into his unit years ago. According to Hiruzen, the old man had been trying to see the occupant of the abandoned building. Since then, Hiruzen had been visiting Naruto each week, either to deliver food or money for the boy. For this reason, Naruto had promised to be Hiruzen's successor and to be the hero of the village of Konoha and the Land of Fire as a whole. And Naruto did his best to pursue the fulfilment of his promise, for that was his way of life. For the moment, however, Naruto cast his promise aside. He went inside, burying the envelope in a basket of nuts. He then went to the unit adjacent to his, picked a basket and a catapult, and went for the forest.

By a stream, with his catapult extended, Naruto scanned the muddy water for disturbances. Upon finding one, he released his catapult, launching a projectile into the water. He jumped into the water after it had calmed down, grabbing the floor where the water was bloody. Feeling something familiar, Naruto then pulled it out of the water and cheered. He'd killed a catfish big enough to last days.

On his way home, he saw an extravagantly dressed woman between the trees. She carried with her a closed umbrella, and her blonde hair cascaded over her back. She had an odd headdress—a white piece of cloth fastened to her head with a red ribbon that tied in a simple tie above her forehead. She's a foreigner, thought Naruto. 'Hey, lady!' yelled Naruto, 'Are you lost?!'

Receiving no answer, Naruto headed home, unaware the woman was observing him as he ran. Naruto later met her again, the latter sitting on a fallen tree that obstructed the former's way. 'My,' said the woman, 'why did you run? I was there looking for something when you called out to me. To think that you left me hanging like that. How rude.'

'Er, what are you looking for?'

'I am looking for a kitsune. I feel its presence somewhere around here.'

Naruto pointed behind her. 'There!'

The woman spun; Naruto ran for home.

'Kitsune' was Naruto's nickname among the villagers. Why the villagers called him such was beyond him, and he never believed the villagers when they told him their reasons. However, with a foreigner saying she felt the presence of a kitsune when Naruto was around, Naruto felt his confidence crumbling. Was I a kitsune? thought Naruto.

Naruto stopped on his track, for the woman was waiting for him in his path. It was at this moment Naruto realised how small he was to her. Asked the woman, 'Why run? All I did was ask a question.'

Naruto's answer was to fish a piece of broken kunai in his pouch and shoot the projectile at the woman, who tilted her head to dodge it. Regardless, it was enough to distract her. Naruto ran as fast as he could to the edge of the forest, only to feel a hand tapping his right shoulder. Naruto drew another piece of broken kunai. Naruto looked to his behind, a little to the right. And he saw the woman from earlier. Naruto shot her before running again, unaware he'd left a deep scar on her cheek.

The woman held her bleeding cheek as Naruto ran, observing him until he disappeared behind the trees. Something about Naruto was interesting to the woman. What it was was unknown, but she noticed a trace of divine presence and an abundance of a kitsune's presence. But she knew that he was a purebred human, and that his humanity was still intact. A black nothingness that sported unblinking eyes appeared beside the woman, and the latter disappeared into it.

The woman reappeared somewhere close to Naruto, and she repeated this action each time Naruto disappeared until she saw him enter a dirty apartment building.

Naruto kicked his door open and locked it from inside. The encounter had been creepy, and his fish had dropped while running earlier. Naruto headed for the kitchen and opened every cabinet there. 'Only enough for two days. Guess I won't have dinner tonight.' Naruto sat by the table, lying his head on its rough surface. He drifted to sleep, ignoring his churning stomach and the unfamiliar presence in his kitchen. When he awakened, he smelled the scent of a dead fish. He opened his eyes, seeing a big fish sitting on the table. Naruto screamed, screaming a terrified scream that reached the Hokage Residence.

Naruto went for the Hokage Residence the next morning, wearing a striking orange tracksuit. On the flight of stair leading to the building, the guards ridiculed Naruto for his choice of attire, causing a commotion that drove people from the vicinity. When the commotion stopped, Naruto ran to the Hokage Office, kicking the door open instead of requesting entry.

'That will get you killed, my boy,' said the village leader, smoke raising from his pipe.

'I can't die. People say I always come back to life no matter how battered, so it must be true!'

'It doesn't work like that. But why are you here? I was about to give you your supplies.'

'I wanna join the academy.'

'How old are you?'

'Eleven.'

The village leader inhaled his pipe. 'Wait for the next year. The minimum age is twelve years.'

'I'm older than what I look.'

'What do you mean?'

'I'm the freaking kyūbi no kitsune!' declared Naruto, thrusting his right fist towards the village leader.

The village leader touched his pipe, and two masked individuals appeared out of thin air, one restraining Naruto while the other holding Naruto's forehead. Naruto slumped unconscious, and one of the pair brought Naruto to his home. Asked the village leader, 'The usual?'

'No, sir. It was an illusion. I think it's time to teach him chakra control. I'm willing to teach him.'

'No, I have someone for that.'

'Understood, sir.'

Meanwhile, the woman Naruto had encountered was bathing in a hot spring, accompanied by a female kyūbi no kitsune. The latter wore a headdress with two points, which was apparently worn to hide something. The kitsune said to her companion, 'Your wound's still there, Lady Yukari.'

'Is it?' Yukari rubbed her cheek. 'You're right. Did it get infected?'

'Perhaps. How did you get wounded like that?'

'I was travelling across worlds. The usual, really. I met someone in one of those worlds, a purebred human boy with a unique presence. He felt divine, and he bore heavy presence of a kitsune. When I hinted to the presence of a kitsune, he shot me with rusty irons and escaped.'

'Are you sure he was a human? What if he was a servant of Lord Inari?'

'Don't question me, Ran, I know he's a pure-bred human. Do you think people will accept him?'

'Well, his existence as you described makes no sense for humans. He'll mix right in with other residence of this place.'

'I agree, but I have to observe him further; I need to ensure they are compatible. And I want to see if he has something interesting for me.'

Glossary:

Kitsune: literally fox in Japanese. In Japanese, this word means both yōkai fox and normal fox, while in English, it refers only to the yōkai. The yōkai has two variants: servants of the kami Inari, who act as messenger of the gods and grant protection and blessing, and wild kitsune, who love mischief and pranks. Those in the latter category are somewhat evil, but they greatly value promises and friendship. Kitsune are also known to marry humans out of trickery. (I've also read stories where a kitsune marries a human out of love, however.) Kitsune can have up to nine tails, with more tails generally meaning more power and wisdom.

Kyūbi no kitsune: nine-tailed yōkai fox.

Yōkai: commonly translated as 'demon', this translation is only half-correct under the Christian-influenced, modern use of the word, which means evil spirits. The classical meaning of the word 'demon', which is spiritual being of any kind, is closer to yōkai in meaning. However, even the classical use of the word 'demon' doesn't fully encompass yōkai, as yōkai includes supernatural phenomenon as well. Moreover, 'yōkai' is used as an umbrella term, meaning depending on who you ask, you may get different answer whether something is a yōkai or not. Will be left untranslated to prevent confusion.

Kami: commonly translated as 'god' or 'spirit' but actually are much more complicated. I'm not sure you'd want to learn about this complicated concept, so I will translate it as 'god'.