Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze was the secret third child of Minato Namikaze and his esteemed wife, Kushina Uzumaki. On the birthday of the triplets, the seal on the stomach of Kushina shattered, causing Nine-Tails to break free. In fear for his newborn children, Minato Namikaze was ready to perform the infamous Reaper Death Seal to lock it away again. The previous hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, took his place instead, sealing the fox into Minato's eldest triplet, Naruto. After that painful night, Minato and Kushina took extra care to ensure that word of their jinchuuriki son never got out. For his own safety, he was kept hidden away from most people. This unfortunate decision left their eldest son emotionally and socially stunted, lonely, and yearning for more. His siblings Noriko and Menma, on the other hand, received any leftover attention his parent's had. Kushina spent time aiding her hokage husband with menial tasks and paperwork, while he was in charge of strengthening Konoha. And Naruto was kept away in his room, isolated yet safe from the world.

So what happens when the lonely, naive Naruto meets Danzo Shimura?
How does induction into ROOT change the boy, and how did it change him so drastically?

Naruto had known something about him wasn't right.

His parent's had made that quite clear, despite it being a sore topic for his parents. Unfortunately or not, the boy had quickly realized what about him was different. Or rather, it did not take him long to discern which of his differences was the problem. It was not his hair, which was not the soft red of Kushina or the electric yellow of his father. Unlike his siblings, his hair was a blend of the two colors, landing in a distinctive bright orange. It was not the whisker marks on his cheeks, which neither of his siblings possessed. It was certainly not his lack of social skills, the solace he took from reading, or his desire to be a powerful ninja. No, it was that seal on his stomach. The eight year old knew that inky black mark held the reason for his mistreatment. He had badgered his parents with questions regarding the strange shape. And yet, everytime, he would get similar answers.
"I'll explain it all when you're older."

"It's a very important seal."

"It's there to protect you, and us."

"Just wait until you're twelve, then we will tell you everything."

But the most telling part of his family's reaction, was the look in their blue and lavender eyes, respectively. His father's blue eyes always seemed to glaze over, just slightly. Those sapphire irises seemed to fill with a flurry of emotions, and Naruto could only place a few. Guilt, knowledge, consideration, hesitance, and sadness.
His mother's eyes were the same, but the guilt he always saw lingering was much stronger. He saw something in her eyes akin to failure, bubbling just below the surface. Whatever the secret behind the seal was, it was something big.
And he managed to crack it, all on his own.
Naruto had never considered himself the smartest boy, he certainly was no Shikaku or even Minato, but his constant reading lended him a hand. He started with researching seals, which his mother excitedly allowed. She seemed happy he wanted to learn the Uzumaki art of fuuinjutsu, so she lended him scrolls behind the back of his father.
Both of them knew his father was adamant that Naruto could not learn any of the shinobi art's until he was twelve. He gave many reasons, citing maturity, readiness, safety, and more.
But Naruto knew it was the seal causing his hesitancy, the other reasons were just silly. For whatever reason, his mother didn't agree with Minato in regards to his reasons either. They had many spats regarding it, which Naruto always.. Overheard.

Yes, he overheard them. He certainly did not eavesdrop…

He threw himself into his secret study of seals, learning the types and their differences. The ginger boy even began practicing his calligraphy in anticipation of one day practicing them. After all, the only other things he had to do were self-defense training and his required reading. It only took a few mere months for Naruto to discover the specifics of the seal on his abdomen.
For one thing, it was a containment seal. And whatever it held, it was strong. This kind of seal required so much chakra, it would certainly kill whoever cast it. It was intricate, yet clearly rushed. It had certain, openings..? No, that wasn't the right word.. More like, the seal allowed for something to flow. He could also see that these openings were closely connected to his chakra systems. So, the seal held back something and tied it to his chakra, but what?
Then he began more research, he had to find out what required such a strong seal. He found a textbook in his father's private library, which detailed the existence of creatures called Bijuu. Bijuu are demons made of chakra, which can be sealed into strong-blooded people. His fingers traced the edges of the aged paper, flipping it and moving on. He couldn't help the sickly feeling that rose in his stomach as his eyes took in every word. Bijuu. There are nine of them, each one stronger than the last. Their strength is shown in the amount of tails each beast possesses. Naruto felt his blood run ice-cold, his indigo eyes wide in fear. He flipped another page, there wasn't much more information to be found on these beasts, besides one major fact.

"Jinchuuriki, the containers of Bijuu, are often made jailors of these demons while young. If the jinchuuriki is a newborn, the bijuu will often leave a physical imprint on their jailer." Naruto slammed the book shut, shoving it back into its place on the shelf.
It had to be true.

He had something within him, he was certain. He'd always wondered about the slight points on his ears, the claw-like shape of his nails, the whisker marks on his cheeks.. His siblings, his parent's friends, none of them had marks like him. And to his knowledge, none of them had an eight-trigram seal on their stomach. Eight-trigram seals were not trivial, it would not be there without a purpose. He needed more answers. Why? Why is there a beast within him? Who put it there?! Why didn't his parents tell him? This had to be the reason. The reason his parent's trained his siblings and not him. The reason he was kept away from the village, from everyone besides his parent's friends. The reason his siblings would be entering the academy in two years at least, but he had to wait four. His fists balled up at his sides, clenched in rage.

Jinchuuriki. It was a word he had just learned today, and he was one. Jinchuuriki are weapons, according to his book.
They were a force to be reckoned with. But him? Naruto was neither of those things, though he always longed to be. He wished he were strong, he wished he was a force. Instead, he was the lonely, longing, secluded boy. He was made a jinchuuriki, but he did not fit the part. He didn't know much regarding his stamina, or his chakra reserves. He certainly was not a weapon. Naruto realized then that he was always the exception.

Always. The. Exception.