Author Note: I have noticed from all of your reviews That you take issue with Naruto being able to hold the Kyuubi when he is not an Uzumaki. First of all, let me say that it has never been said that only Uzumakis can hold the Kyuubi's Chakra. That was only an assumption made, as no one had ever even tried to seal the Kyuubi in someone else. Apart from that, he is going to have problems with Kurama's Chakra later on, when more of it starts leaking into his system. And the only reason why it is even possible for the Fourth to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto is because he is the Minato Namikaze. If there was anyone in Konoha who would find a way to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto, it would be him or Kushina. Besides that, it is clearly possible for civilians to hold at least some of the Kyuubi's Chakra in their coils, as Naruto was able to distribute his throughout the alliance, which did consist of many civilian-born shinobi. Of course, in this case, Kurama willingly gave the Chakra, but it is his Chakra none the less.

So, let's get on with the story then.

"Human Speech"

'Human Thoughts'

"Summons/Bijuu/Jutsu Speech"

'Summons/Bijuu/Jutsu Thoughts'

Most Jutsu names are in English (Except the ones for which most of us know the Japanese translations)

WARNING: If any of you suffer from trauma related to the loss of a child, death of a relative after they gave birth, or any similar situation, I suggest you stop reading this book. It is M-rated for a reason, and there are going to be mature themes.

Chapter 2: Childhood Struggles

When Jiraiya and Tsunade had arrived a week later, Hiruzen called them to his Office. They were welcomed into the Office by the ANBU guarding the door.

"Ah, Jiraiya-kun, Tsunade, it has been too long.", Hiruzen said with a genial smile, as he smoked his pipe.

"Cut the crap, sensei. Why are we here?", Tsunade shouted frustratedly.

"Yes, sensei, let us not engage in small talk. We are all busy here.", Jiraiya said.

Hiruzen sighed. "I presume you both have learned of the Yondaime Hokage's death?", he asked.

"I have, sensei. Him, along with Kushina and their child. News of such importance tends to travel quickly. I have failed another student.", Jiraiya said in shame, as he had not been there to help Minato out.

"So, the brat's already dead, huh? It seems the only thing you Hokage are good for is dying. However, Minato has probably set the record of the Kage who died the soonest after taking Office.", Tsunade sneered.

However, she did not receive a verbal response for her slandering comments. For the first time, Jiraiya manned up and gave Tsunade a hard punch to the face, sending her flying into the wall.

"How dare you slander my student! The next time you are this insolent, I will kill you, Tsunade. Right now, you are almost a Nukenin, as you have refused to serve the village for the last few years. It is only out of sensei's kindness that you are not being hunted down, and are being allowed to waste away gambling and getting sloshed. You have no right to mock the position of Hokage, as you are nothing but a coward.", Jiraiya said venomously.

"Now, now, Jiraiya – no need to be so rash –", Hiruzen started to say, but Jiraiya cut him off.

"Shut up, sensei. You have been too soft with her, just because of her heritage as your sensei's granddaughter. Now, look at what she has become – a failure…a coward…a spoiled little brat. Look at her – wallowing in grief and refusing to serve Konoha, just because two of the people close to her died.

Loss is a normal thing that we shinobi experience. I lost my students in Amegakure, my best friend, and now, my apprentice. However, this pathetic excuse of a kunoichi broke because of her inability to accept the deaths of her brother and lover.", Jiraiya said venomously. He could not imagine how he loved this woman for the majority of his life.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was having a mental breakdown. Was she really being so shallow, like Jiraiya was saying? Was she actually acting like a spoiled brat? How had things gotten so extreme that even Jiraiya, the boy that would simp for her throughout his life, was standing up to her?

Tsunade decided not to badmouth Jiraiya's students again, and his wrath really scared her. As powerful as she was, she was not blind to the fact that Jiraiya was far stronger. If they fought no holds barred, he would wipe the floor with her. If she used her Byakugou Seal, he would simply use his Sennin Mode.

She was broken out of her thoughts as the Sandaime sighed and spoke. "Moving on, I want either one of you to act as Konoha's Godaime Hokage, to replace Minato.", Hiruzen said.

"Not a chance, sensei. I have a spy network to run and we have discovered a few leads that I feel are important to investigate.", Jiraiya said.

"Hmph! I am not looking to die any time soon. I refuse as well.", Tsunade, who had recovered herself by now, said before huffing and exiting the Office. However, her tone was much less confident than before, and her demeanor showed that she was not as sure of herself as she was before.

Jiraiya snarled before he left as well. Hiruzen sighed in his seat. "Where did I go wrong with you three…Jiraiya…Tsunade…Orochimaru?", he asked himself before he realized that he forgot something.

"SHIT! I didn't preorder Jiraiya's new Icha Icha: Shores of Lust book!", the Sandaime wailed. The ANBU in the room sweat-dropped at the Sandaime's behavior, but didn't say anything.

Hiruzen quickly calmed down, as he thought about Naruto. It was rather strange that a civilian boy was able to hold the mighty Kyuubi. Some of the lesser Bijuu could be sealed inside civilians, although there was a process done in each village to select the appropriate candidate. Hiruzen wondered if anyone had tried sealing the Kyuubi into a non-Uzumaki before, and if the claim that only an Uzumaki could hold such a beast was actually true. Clearly, Naruto was not facing any issues so far.

Speaking of the boy, for the first few months of his life, Naruto was living happily, with the matron and the other caretakers at the orphanage tending to his needs, engaging with him in fun activities, and so on. The Uchiha family would also visit every few days to spend time with Naruto. Mikoto Uchiha would even breastfeed him, knowing that he needs the nutrients from natural mother's milk to grow properly.

Other than that, Naruto and Sasuke would play with each other, while Itachi would sit next to them and make sure they did not put anything dangerous in their mouths. Itachi had come to love Naruto as brother, and would often carry him around and hug him.

Fugaku had also grown to care for the child, despite the fact that he only pushed for the Hokage to allow this for his wife's sake. Fugaku kept his family's meetings with Naruto a secret from the Uchiha Clan Council and the other Clan members, knowing that they would try to have him influence the boy as he grew older to gain his loyalty to the Uchiha Clan.

However, after the word had spread about Naruto being the Kyuubi's container, the matron and the caretakers became a little distant. They would still take care of his needs, but they would be scared to play with him or have him spend time with the other kids.

Soon, only the Uchiha family would take care of Naruto. The matron and the caretakers would only provide him with food, water, and diaper changes, and they would always do these as quickly as possible.

Time Skip to when Naruto is 3 years old:

Naruto was walking around the orphanage in a depressed mood. The Uchiha Clan Leader, Fugaku, had been becoming busier and busier. The family would still visit him once a week, and that was what kept him sane. It gave him something to look forward to.

Other than the Uchiha family, who taught him how to walk, talk, eat, drink, and use the toilet, no one would acknowledge his existence. It felt as if he was simply a ghost roaming the world. If he tried to approach someone, they would simply move away. And Naruto was smart enough to know when he was not wanted.

When he tried to join the other kids for meals, the caretakers would lock the door to the dining room. He would have to find the remaining scraps of food once everyone was finished with theirs. When he tried to get water, the other kids would move away from the filter. When he tried to talk to someone who was not in the position to move away, they would simply ignore him, acting as if they can't hear him.

It was as if his life was pointless…purposeless…invisible. An old, grandfatherly man had come to visit him once a few months earlier. The man had talked to Naruto, saying he wanted to understand him better. However, his intents were thinly veiled.

Hiruzen counted on Naruto being stupid and desperate for acknowledgement, but Naruto was easily understanding the intents behind his questions. Of course, he had dumbed down the questions so that a toddler could understand them, but he had not expected Naruto to be so…cunning. He was only three, for Kami's sake.

Naruto obviously did know a lot about the Uchiha Clan from spending time with Fugaku's family, and Fugaku had warned him a while before Hiruzen's visit that the Sandaime might ask him if the Uchiha Clan was manipulating him in any way, and he told Naruto to watch what he said, as he did not want to increase suspicions on the Uchiha Clan.

Hiruzen, not finding any reason to suspect the Uchiha Clan, left that day. Naruto asked him when he would return, as even though the old man did not have the purest intentions when he saw him, Hiruzen did acknowledge him and Naruto was craving for more interactions with him.

Hiruzen said that he would visit the next week, but Naruto had never seen him again since that day. However, Naruto was happy that at least the Uchiha family did visit him.

Time Skip to when Naruto is 4 years old:

As Naruto bided his time at the orphanage, until one of the caretakers finally snapped and kicked him out, saying he was a danger to the other kids, caretakers, and the matron. Naruto ran away to a secluded alley and cried his eyes out. He knew this would happen sooner or later, as he was not blind to the fact that he was being treated a lot differently, compared to the other kids.

Naruto fell asleep in the alley after hours of crying – not because he would miss the orphanage, but because he did not know if he would ever see the Uchiha family again. How would they find him if he was kicked out of the orphanage?

However, Naruto woke up in a place he did not remember falling asleep in. It was a house he had never been in before. He also woke up in an upright position, which confused the groggy boy. He tried to move his leg, but something was stopping his movement. He looked down to see his legs were chained to anchors on a wall. He looked up to see that his hands were tied as well.

Naruto did not understand why he was in this place. He had enough common sense to understand that he was captured, but what could someone want from a four-year-old?

Naruto was broken out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps approaching the room. A rotund man with a bushy mustache had walked into the room. Judging from his physique and clothing, he was a civilian. He could not be an Akimichi, as Akimichis tend to grow into their bulk as they reach maturity.

The man sneered as he approached Naruto. "What are you looking at, demon? Trying to find a way to hurt me more than you already have, huh?", the man demanded, enraged at Naruto's calm demeanor. However, his question took Naruto by surprise.

'Huh, demon? What does he mean by that? It obviously wasn't an endearing nickname from the way he said it.', Naruto thought. His confusion must have showed on his face.

"What are you so confused about? How dare you try to make me believe you don't know what I am talking about when you took so much from me?! My beloved son…gone because of you! I will kill you today!", the man yelled.

This confused Naruto even more. What was this man talking about? He had been in the orphanage for as long as he remembered. He never killed anyone. He was only four, after all. "Why do you call me a demon? I never killed anyone either. I think you got the wrong person.", Naruto said.

"Shut up, brat! Akari-chan, bring that knife we were saving for that special occasion.", the man called, to someone Naruto assumed was his wife. The woman in question entered the room a few seconds later.

She had a face that would look kind, if she was not snarling at Naruto right now. She had a modest figure and wore civilian clothes, meaning she was also a civilian. However, Naruto saw her holding a knife – if he could call it one – that made him gulp in fear.

The knife had a very strange shape. It was long and thin, like a paring knife, but it was extremely serrated. It was clearly not meant for cutting vegetables in the kitchen. It looked like something a torturer would use to inflict the maximum pain possible per cut. Naruto couldn't help but wonder how these civilians managed to procure such a thing.

"Now, now, demon. No need to be so worried. We are simply paying you back for all the pain you caused us. We wouldn't want to be in your debt, after all.", the woman said, with a mocking expression on her face. She rotated the knife in her hands as she and her husband slowly walked closer.

Naruto was terrified. Hoping that someone would save him, he let out an eardrum-shattering scream. The couple flinched at the volume, but steady smirks grew on their faces. "No one is going to hear you, demon. We are in our underground basement right now. Sounds that you make will not be audible above ground.", the man said malevolently.

Naruto's eyes widened in panic. He was sad, but he wanted to live. He did not want to die at such a young age. But the couple wasn't done talking. "However, for good measure, why don't you put a sock in it.", Akari said, stuffing the nastiest looking sock that Naruto had ever seen into his mouth. Naruto didn't dare swallow any saliva, or he would probably get some sort of disease, but the taste of the sock was beyond foul.

Akari brought the knife closer to Naruto, who thought she would stab him. However, Akari turned the knife so that its serrations were touching Naruto's skin, before she dug the teeth into his flesh and scraped. Naruto screamed, obviously not used to this level of pain. She did this several more times on multiple places on his body, before passing the knife to her husband. Naruto was in tears and praying that someone would save him.

"Make sure he begs for his death, Haru-kun. And don't touch the eyes. I want him to watch as we mutilate him.", Akari said coldly. Haru, her husband, gained a sick smile on his face as he rammed the knife into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto screamed again, but his throat was becoming dry from the intensity of his screams. Haru slowly pulled the knife out, watching as blood and tissue squelched out of the wound. After a few more stabs, the pain was too much for Naruto and he fell unconscious.

Naruto woke up in a strange place…again. There was a faint, yellow light that was present throughout the place, weakly reflecting off the water that Naruto was standing in and the walls of the place. "Am I…dead or something?", Naruto muttered to himself as he started to walk.

The place was a labyrinthine system of tunnels, almost lie a sewer, but not as dirty. Naruto walked and walked, trying to reach something that seemed to draw him towards it. Naruto took a right turn as he came upon a massive cage with the kanji for 'seal' written on a paper that was stuck to the lock.

Naruto wondered if this was some kind of gateway for souls to reach…whatever comes after death, but he still walked towards it, curious of its significance. As Naruto stood in front of the gate, he saw a massive eye – with a pale-yellow sclera, a red iris, and a slitted black pupil – open. This eye was several times larger than even him.

Truthfully, Naruto was scared that a being could possess eyes that large, but he put on a brave face and steeled his resolve. He was unnerved when the eye seemed to follow him as he walked towards the cage, but he did not stop.

"I can feel the waves of fear that are rolling off of you, brat.", the being said. However, Naruto's response surprised him. He expected the little brat to whine out that he was brave, or demand to know who he was, but he did not expect the response he received:

"So what?", Naruto said.

"You don't care that I can sense your fear?", the beast asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Will you stop sensing my fear, or will my fear reduce if I care that you sense it?", Naruto responded, countering with a question of his own.

"Hmm…you're right. I suppose it wouldn't matter if you care or not. But you actually admit that you fear me?", the beast asked, surprised that a prideful human can be this way.

"Of course. Fear is what keeps people safe, and I won't ignore mine just for the sake of idiotic pride.", Naruto said.

"How profound…for a human. And a brat at that. You entertain me, brat. Luckily, I did not get sealed into some useless idiot who keeps running around and saying some 'datteba' version all the time.", the beast said.

"I am not sure I follow. And pardon me for not introducing myself. I am Naruto. Who, or what, are you? The only being that could possibly resemble you is the Kyuubi that Fugaku-ojisan told me about.", Naruto said.

"I'll explain what I said some other time. And yes, I am the mighty Kyuubi, strongest of the Bijuu. Mountains are crushed and Tsunamis are made with a swish of my tails. I am so powerful that my mere movement is a natural disaster!", the ever so humble Kyuubi said flamboyantly, as he got up and puffed his chest out pridefully.

"I see. And what are you doing here? I believe you used the term 'sealed' before. What exactly do you mean by that?", Naruto asked.

"'I see'? That's the best reaction you can give me for everything I told you? Remember, mountains are crushed and Tsunamis are made with a swish of my tails. I am so –", the Kyuubi started to say before Naruto interrupted him.

"I heard you the first time. Please answer my question.", Naruto said.

"Pah, go fuck yourself, brat! Such an amazing introduction and all you have to say is 'I see'. Anyways, I was sealed in you by that bastard Yondaime Hokage. When I attacked Konoha on the day you were born, he 'defeated' me by sealing me into you.", the Kyuubi said.

"Why me, though? Why not someone else?", Naruto asked.

"He needed a newborn infant, whose Chakra Coils were not very well-developed. His and his wife Kushina's brat had died that day, so you were the only other option to be made my jinchuriki.", the Kyuubi said.

"Jinchuriki…power of the human sacrifice?", Naruto muttered, thinking why he was classified as such.

"That is what containers of Bijuu are called. Sacrifices to protect the village they are from.", the Kyuubi said.

"Hmm…so you were sealed in me to protect the village. Hahaha! The irony is hilarious!", Naruto laughed mirthlessly.

"You seem to be taking this rather well. I expected you to start kicking and screaming or something.", the Kyuubi said.

"What reason do I have to 'kick or scream about it', as you put it? I have already learned to look at the positives of everything. If we are stuck with each other, we might as well make the best out of it.", Naruto said.

"So, you would say there is a positive side to everything?", the Kyuubi asked curiously.

"Not everything, but majority of things do have some positive elements to them that I just have to look for.", Naruto said.

"Was there a positive side to you getting to you getting tortured today?", the Kyuubi asked.

"Certainly, if I am still alive. Today's experience has built my pain tolerance. When I become a shinobi, I wouldn't want my fighting ability to worsen because of small injuries.", Naruto said.

"You are interesting, brat. I am going to keep you alive today to see just how far this mentality of yours takes you. It's impressive that you have gained such maturity at an age when most kids play in sandboxes.", the Kyuubi said.

"I am mature because I was forced to grow up quickly. My loneliness gives me time to think more about these things. Anyways, how will you keep me alive?", Naruto asked.

The Kyuubi smirked. "Like this.", he said as he forced Chakra through the cage into Naruto's body.

Naruto's eyes opened in the real world, but they were red, with slitted pupils, instead of blue. Vermillion Chakra surrounded his body, as his nails turned into claws and his canines extended and sharpened.

With a mighty roar, he ripped through the chains binding him, as he slashed his claws through the throats of the shocked civilians that were about to stab him once more. The civilians died instantly, as the vermillion Chakra receded and Naruto fell unconscious.

"Shit! The Kyuubi's Chakra! I can feel it! Inu, Hebi! Locate the place from which the Kyuubi's Chakra was being emitted immediately, and bring anyone you find there to my Office!", Hiruzen ordered.

The dog and snake masked ANBU vanished with a Shunshin and appeared five minutes later in the Hokage's Office holding an unconscious Naruto and two civilians that looked like they had been savagely mauled by a wild animal.

"Incinerate the bodies. I will take Naruto to the hospital and have him checked.", Hiruzen said. The ANBU nodded and vanished with a Shunshin, as Hiruzen quickly took Naruto to the hospital.

As Hiruzen entered the hospital, the nurses and medics bowed to him, and he heard murmurs of "Hokage-sama" from many of them. However, their behavior became strained when they noticed who Hiruzen was holding. Their smiles were faker, and their movements were stiffer. This would be dismissed by most civilians, but a man who had been a shinobi for more than half a century easily picked up on these changes. However, he chose not to say anything yet.

Hiruzen approached the receptionist, and requested a checkup on Naruto, and the receptionist agreed, but only because the Hokage was asking him. However, as he took a seat to wait, the chief medic saw who he was holding and marched up to him.

"Hokage-sama, we don't treat his kind here.", she said sternly. Hiruzen knew why she was saying this, but he still asked her.

"Oh, and why is that?", Hiruzen asked.

"The Kyuubi –", the chief medic started to say, but Hiruzen's Killing Intent spiked.

"H-Hokage-sama!", the chief medic called, collapsing to her knees because of the Killing Intent.

"How many times do I have to tell you idiots that Naruto is not the Kyuubi?! Naruto is holding back the Kyuubi from destroying the village! If he is harmed, or Kami forbid, dies, then the Kyuubi will be released again! Is that what you want?!", Hiruzen reprimanded.

"N-No, Hokage-sama.", the chief medic said weakly.

"Then you will treat this boy whenever he requires it. And remember the oath you all took as medics. I will revoke the licenses of those who refuse to treat a patient and have them executed. Am I understood?", Hiruzen said seriously.

"H-Hai Hokage-sama.", the chief medic said.

"Good, now I want a checkup on this boy.", Hiruzen said.

"Follow me, Hokage-sama.", the chief medic said. Hiruzen followed the chief medic into the room, laying Naruto down on the cot.

After the tests had been run, the medics had compiled the data they collected and informed the Sandaime of what they found.

"Hokage-sama, he shows signs of someone who has very recently healed from several injuries. We observed fresh tissue on several areas of his skin, as well as his muscles and bones. Some of his internal organs have been injured in the past as well. It also seems that he suffers from malnutrition, but the symptoms indicate that this has not been occurring for a long time – only two to three months. It can easily be rectified if he takes the supplements we prescribed, and follows the meal plan we formulated for him on the prescription.",

"I see. I will have a word with the orphanage he was living in. However, first I need to talk to him. Is he awake?", Hiruzen asked with a sigh.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. He is just resting on the bed.", the chief medic said.

Hiruzen walked into the room and saw Naruto, he rushed to him. "Naruto-kun, what happened? You were found unconscious in a house next to two dead civilians.

Naruto wondered if he should down play what happened or say it like it was. He thought about it and knew that if he showed the Hokage how painful and traumatizing this experience was for him, he would be able to guilt-trip him and gain a favor for him, and there was no way he would miss out on a favor from the Hokage. Imagine the possible things he could ask for.

Even though he had come to accept what happened, the emotions were still there, and he would only be accentuating them. The Hokage was an expert in detecting lies, especially from an untrained person like him, but his own emotions were the truth, were they not?

"I-I got kicked out of the orphanage, ojisan. They s-said I was a d-danger to the others.", Naruto started to say, thickening his throat to sound sadder than he was. "I c-cried so much! I d-didn't know if I would ever s-see the Uchihas again! However, I s-started to fall asleep in the alley.", Naruto continued, with tears starting to drip down his eyes.

"Then what happened, Naruto-kun?", Hiruzen asked sadly, as Naruto inwardly gave himself a pat on the back. 'It's working!', he thought excitedly. "I woke up all t-tied up in chains…and those two civilians…they – sob – started stabbing me with this weird knife thing! It h-hurt so much! I was so scared!", Naruto said, as he started to cry harder.

"I am so sorry that happened, Naruto-kun, but how did they die?", Hiruzen asked softly. "D-Died? I k-killed them? How could this happen? The last thing I r-remember was that weird reddish-orange stuff c-coming out of me! I really am a d-demon just like they said.", Naruto said tearfully.

He actually already knew that the civilians were dead from before he started giving his answer, but a four-year-old can't be suspected for not catching that little detail, right?

"No, no! My boy…don't ever think like that! You are not a demon! You are an innocent little child. I will explain everything to you in my Office, where we can have some privacy.", Hiruzen said. However, Naruto had a feeling that he would hide some things from him, so he decided to drive the final nail in the coffin.

"How am I supposed to trust you?! You w-weren't there when I needed you. I w-was alone for so l-long, and you said you w-would visit every week, but you n-never returned!", Naruto shouted, with angry tears making their way out of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Naruto. I was so busy with my work as the Hokage, that I did not have the time to visit you. But please, I beg you to at least hear me out.", Hiruzen begged.

"A-Alright. Fine. But please, ojisan, d-don't hide things from me. You're all I have, other than the Uchiha family. I don't want my trust in you to break completely.", Naruto said softly, causing Hiruzen's heart to clench. Naruto inwardly smirked at this. 'Mission accomplished.', he thought.

"Alright, Naruto, I promise to tell you most of what you are allowed you to know. However, I will hide the things you cannot know yet, but I will tell you that I am hiding something rather than dodging a question you ask about it. Is that fair?", Hiruzen asked, and Naruto wiped his tears and nodded.

Hiruzen smiled as he took Naruto and used Shunshin to get back to the Office. He dismissed all his ANBU who were present in the room, before speaking to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, what I am about to tell you today cannot be told to anyone. It is an S-ranked secret, and talking about it is punishable by death. Do you understand?", Hiruzen asked seriously.

"I promise, ojisan. Now tell me!", Naruto said petulantly, as he rubbed his eyes. He actually knew about him being the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi already, but he wanted to know any other details that were important and squeeze out a favor from this meeting.

"Alright, my child, alright. You remember when Fugaku-san told you about the Kyuubi attacking the village on the day you were born, right?", Hiruzen asked. Naruto nodded, now stopping his crying and pretending to be curious about what Hiruzen was going to say.

"Well, Naruto-kun, the Yondaime Hokage had to seal the Kyuubi inside you as it is a being that cannot be killed. This made you the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko.", Hiruzen said.

Naruto's head drooped. "So, I am the Kyuubi?", he asked dejectedly.

"No, no, my boy! You are only its container. If water is poured in a glass, you are the glass and the Kyuubi is the water.", Hiruzen said.

"Oh…ok then, but why was it sealed in me?", Naruto asked.

Hiruzen gave the same answer as the Kyuubi did when Naruto conversed with it.

"But clearly, the villagers don't understand what you said! They call me a demon, and think I am the Kyuubi! How am I supposed to protect myself from them?!", Naruto yelled angrily.

"You have no need to worry, Naruto-kun. My ANBU and I will be there to protect you.", Hiruzen said.

"Like how you all protected me today?", Naruto said accusingly.

"I am so sorry that happened to you, Naruto-kun, but it won't happen again.", Hiruzen said resolutely.

"After today, I can't trust you to watch my back, ojisan. What if you become busy with your Hokage work again? Like you have been in the past few months when you didn't visit me?", Naruto said angrily.

He actually knew that the Hokage had not stationed ANBU to protect him before, probably because he thought Naruto was well-protected in the orphanage, but if he made Hiruzen feel guilty enough, he might be able to get what he actually wanted: training.

"I'm actually very sorry Naruto-kun, I – no I have already not been there for you as much as I should. What do you want me to do?", Hiruzen asked.

Naruto inwardly smirked. 'Worked like a charm.', he thought.

"I need to learn to protect myself. I should be able to defend myself and not rely on others for this, ojisan. I want to be trained.", Naruto said, determination coursing through his voice.

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun? Why not join the academy at the age of seven like the other kids your age?", Hiruzen asked, unsure whether he should allow Naruto to undertake shinobi training.

"The other kids don't have to deal with the situations I have to, ojisan. People are not out to kill them, like they are with me. What happened today was a reality check, ojisan. I need to train.", Naruto said resolutely.

'Oh, how much he reminds me of you, Kushina. I think if your child survived that fateful day, he would be just like this. Stubborn and determined.', Hiruzen thought with a nostalgic look on his face.

"Alright Naruto-kun. I shall arrange training for you, then.", Hiruzen said, before sending for the only Jounin that he was sure would not have a bias against Naruto.

"Saru…call Maito Gai to my office immediately.", Hiruzen said. Oh, how sorry he felt for doing this to Naruto, but it couldn't be helped.

(A/N: Remember, Naruto is not Minato's kid in this fic, so Hiruzen was still unsure of whether or not Kakashi would discriminate against Naruto. He went for Gai to be on the safe side)

A few minutes later, a man with a bowl-shaped haircut and a green spandex jumpsuit rushed throught the door into the Hokage's office.

"What do you require of me on this youthful day, Hokage-sama?", he asked enthusiastically.

Naruto sweat-dropped as this man looked like everything a shinobi shouldn't be – from his attire, to his haircut, to his attitude – but Naruto decided to reserve his judgement on him. He saw the speed at which the man entered the office, and knew that there was more to this man than what he saw.

"Gai, this young man here has been tortured by some of the civilian villagers because of his…circumstances.", Hiruzen said, as Gai gained an angry look on his face.

"How unyouthful! Such an action deserves no mercy. How can they torture a toddler?! Are you alright now, my boy?", he questioned rapidly, as he invaded Naruto's personal space and started fiddling with his arms and legs to check for injuries.

"He has already been healed, Gai, but he, for obvious reasons, does not want a repeat of this. Naruto wants to learn to protect himself to avoid going through such a thing in future.", Hiruzen said.

Gai returned to his position in front of the Hokage's desk in an instant, a rare expression of seriousness on his visage.

"So, you would like me to train him?", Gai asked.

"Yes, Gai, please teach him to defend himself. Just don't go too far, okay? He is only a child, after all.", Hiruzen said. However, the last two sentences of what he said went completely over Gai's head, as the Taijutsu expert ran and picked up Naruto, spinning him in a circle.

"Yes! Naruto-kun shall become my first student! How youthful! I shall ensure that the flames of youth burn brightly in his heart, Hokage-sama!", Guy shouted excitedly, as anime tears gushed out of his eyes.

'Who was I kidding with the "don't go to far" comment? This is Maito Gai after all.', Hiruzen thought with a face-palm.

Hiruzen could only hope that after a couple of years, Naruto wouldn't be running around in that hideous green spandex jumpsuit. There was never a banal moment around Maito Gai.

END of Chapter 2