Greetings all, this story is a work in progress, I am unsure of its destination, but I do hope you enjoy it. Please do let me know your thoughts.

Chapter 1: A Newborn Phoenix

I awoke with a start, the hazy feeling of just after waking up shaken off due to the enormous pressure I was feeling… maybe pressure wasn't the right word, this felt thicker, darker, like someone was projecting all the negative emotions of a small city on me directly. I couldn't ever remember feeling this before, nothing I thought of even came close.

I opened my eyes and struggled to focus, everything was blurry, misshapen, and out of focus. Like I was trying to really look at something too far away to really make it out. But these were items in my room, something I should have been able to see even the smallest detail on, especially this close up.

I tried to get up, and get my bearings, but that enormous pressure quite literally kept me pinned to my bed. I could scarcely move a muscle, let alone get up and move around to see what was going on. Thankfully, my bed was seated right next to a window, giving me a good view of the outside. I couldn't make anything out due to eyesight still not being able to focus on anything, but I could make out colors and various shapes and the like.

I could see what looked like mountains, or at least I noticed a large amount of brown, so I assume it was mountains. I could make out various reds and grays, with a mix of other colors, that seemed to be other houses and structures. None of this was familiar to me though, I never lived in a place such as this, or at least I thought I never did, I couldn't be sure with everything going on around me that this wasn't some kind of bad dream or nightmare that wasn't playing tricks on my mind.

Then I noticed movement out the corner of the window, it seemed miniscule to my eyes, maybe nothing more than someone walking by on a balcony, or maybe a bug. I couldn't be sure in my current situation. Then I saw it again but this time closer, and I could vaguely make out the color… orange? Maybe not completely orange like a ripe fruit, but it was certainly orange to an extent, maybe like a burnt orange or like a dying flame.

Once more I saw it, but this time it was much, much closer. It almost seemed like it was just outside my window threatening to break though and envelop me, to wake me up from this bizarre situation I was in. I could also hear…something, but I couldn't make it out for sure. It sounded feral, like a wolf or a bear, some kind of angry wild animal, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Whatever it was, it was angry, and not to be messed with under any circumstance.

I could see a little better now, maybe my eyes were adjusting to the dark room or I was finally awake enough, it didn't matter. I saw what looked like multiple tails swinging around, attached to a large orange body, but I couldn't make out a number, I only knew they were massive, far larger than any tail ever should be. Then the large animal jumped. It completely left my vision, left the window even, jumping straight up as if it were trying to reach the stars.

I didn't hear the glass break, or see the animal come back down to the ground, all I remember is staring at the beast as I was now suddenly outside atop a pile of rubble, as what was once my room and house were now nothing more than kindling. I couldn't even speak, whatever was happening left me absolutely terrified, I could only hope I would wake from this overwhelming nightmare soon enough and put this all behind me. It was at this moment I noticed other people gathered around me, all looking like they just went through hell.

Some were running away from the beast, nothing but sheer terror all over their faces, running for their very lives. Others were running towards the cause of the damage, all wearing a strange uniform of greens and blues, but the determination I could see from them all spoke volumes. They very well knew something of this magnitude would most likely be the death of them, but they valiantly stood their ground and did the best that they could against such odds. All the others were in various states of chaos. Some people were in their nightwear, seeming to have just been woken up to this monstrosity, much as I had. Others could only stare, transfixed upon the instrument of destruction laid before them. Finally some were either on the ground not moving at all, or were vigorously digging through rubble trying to save what I could only assume were friends and family.

It was only then that I realized I was still on the ground myself, still unable to move, and try as I might, I could only manage to wiggle my arms and legs, but could not do anything of value in this situation with them. Someone next to me stopped digging though the rubble as he saw my movement, and immediately rushed over to see if I was unhurt and conscious. I did not recognize him, but he had a strange headband around his forehead, made of metal with an odd insignia I didn't recognize etched into the center. He vigorously looked me over, checking to see if anything was broken, torn, or otherwise out of place. He sighed and had the faintest smile on his face, I could only assume this was the first piece of something good he has had happen to him all evening.

The man didn't see the giant tail fly towards him, and I couldn't speak in order to warn him but his last moments were of misery, that much I could know. I managed to just be out of the way as the giant orange tail left a visible crater in the ground in front of me, anyone who was caught in its path was now nothing more than a bloody smear on the ground, anyone who had half a mind about themselves opted to run and regroup or find higher ground, not that I could blame them, I would have done the same if I had any say in the matter.

A sudden wind picked up, seemingly out of nowhere, and I felt a presence behind me appear as if out of nowhere. I couldn't turn to see who it was, but what I did see was the enormous beast turn and look directly in my direction, most likely at the person behind me. Whatever pressure I felt before keeping me immobile, was now increased and focused completely on me. I couldn't breathe, and could barely think, whatever this was I wanted to be anywhere but here. I wanted to wake up but nothing seemed to let me do so.

It was then that I saw the face of the beast, now moved so close I could smell the breath on its lips, and I could see bits of flesh, bone and blood slowly oozing out of its mouth. I wanted nothing more than to vomit, gag, do something, anything to get away from the smell coming onto me. I could almost taste the remains of people. The stench was so strong, and I don't think I will ever forget that, even when I finally leave this hell.

Whatever the breath smelled like, the eyes of the creature were so much worse than anything else. It had two giant eyes, both larger than that of a man in their entirety, but the slits in the middle, I doubt even the darkest void could come close to how lost you felt if you stared into them. Around the slits were the colors of fire; reds, oranges, blacks, yellows, all seemingly mixed together, as if they were exploding and imploding together in a never ending clash that would span the length of time. It almost felt like I was about to burst into flames just being so close to them, but apparently fate had other plans.

The man who up until now had stayed silent behind me, now spoke, his voice not one I recognized, but one I surely would not forget. "Well, it seems my plan is going well so far, I wonder if Minato-sensei will be able to come save the village while I go and inflict more suffering onto those he holds dear." The beast, now staring directly at the man as he spoke, suddenly jerked, as if it was being torn away, but quickly stilled. Still transfixed at the form in front of me, I noticed the eyes of the demon slowly morph. What was once the primordial fires of the universe, were now pure red with a dark dot at the center. Surrounding the dot were what looked like 3 tomoe, slowly spinning until finally stopping. The pressure finally left me and I could finally breathe again, slowly choking and sputtering as new life finally filled me. The beast before me stayed perfectly still, as if waiting for something or someone to tell it what to do and be granted the freedom to move. "Good, it seems my Sharingan can indeed control a Tailed Beast, just as I was told. I am unsure of the extent of my power while controlling you, so perhaps a test first." The man slowly walked closer towards me, my body still unwilling to move, regardless of my pleas.

"Hm, a child, not exactly the test I was hoping for, but maybe this will be sufficient all the same." Suddenly I was picked up by the man, and was now flipped to face him instead of the beast, instantly praying to whatever deity or force controlled this world to mercifully allow me to wake up and be rid of this torment. The man had on a dark robe, gloves and strangely enough, an orange mask with a giant swirl converging on the face of it. But what was most striking was his eye, the same eye I just saw on the beast moments ago. Its red hue seemed to penetrate any and all thought I had, instantly calming me, and making me as docile as the beast, but still fully aware of my surroundings. The man then looked back at what I assume was the beast, still obediently sitting there as if it was waiting for its master to allow it to do anything.

I was violently jerked around and made to face the monster once more, still docile due to whatever that man had done to me, but doing anything I could to break free. "Kyuubi, I want you to mark this child, scar him, make him suffer but do not kill him, he shall be a living reminder of what has been done here tonight." I was then unceremoniously dumped onto the ground, finally able to move about again, but still could not make use of my arms or my legs, regardless of how much I wanted to be anywhere else. 'Please, let me wake up, I can't stand this torcher anymore' I thought as I saw the beast, now known as Kyuubi slowly approach me. It didn't open its mouth like I thought it would, so I seemingly wouldn't be eaten, which I wasn't sure was a good thing since that meant that my suffering would be prolonged instead. Laying its massive head on the ground, it slowly but deliberately raised a giant paw towards me revealing its massive claws, each one easily capable of cleaving anyone or anything into pieces without any real challenge.

I was able to finally turn my head, ever so slightly, looking back towards the man who had dumped me on the ground like a piece of trash. He wasn't there anymore. My eyes instantly shot back towards the Kyuubi, as its massive claw was now just inches above me. Whatever it was about to do, I hope it was at least quick.

My hopes were quickly shattered as Kyuubi's claw touched my form. Pain I didn't even think possible erupted onto my being, as if I was being lowered into liquid fire over and over again. I couldn't even scream, my mouth just merely opened in a silent scream. Any control I had over my body was lost at that point, and my mind followed soon after. I knew nothing past that moment other than the worst pain I could imagine. Even having my limbs slowly cut off would have been a paradise compared to this.

I don't know how long my torture lasted, only that it was too long by any comparison. I managed to look back at the face of the Kyuubi, and I don't know when it precisely happened, but its eyes had reverted back to their original form, that of the demon born into fire. Eventually, and mercifully it pulled its claw away, frantically looking around for what I assume was the masked man, who had reappeared next to me, as if he had never moved in the first place. The Kyuubi's head shot back to where the man was standing and opened its mouth in an attempt to eat the man whole before he could do anything again.

The Kyuubi was a second too slow, as it froze and its eyes proceeded to adopt the three tomoe appearance once more. Immediately stopping its attempt, it withdrew back to a seated position and awaited another command. Then the man knelt next to me, his clothing slightly disheveled, and panting just enough to be noticeable. "Hm, it seems I must remain next to the Kyuubi to maintain control, but no matter, I think that test went rather well don't you child?" I could only stare at the man, my body still refusing to do anything other than scream in pain. Looking me over the man then flipped me over onto my stomach, causing another wave of pure pain to erupt into me. "Well, it seems that my request to mark you was at least carried out well enough, I don't think anyone will ever forget this night, especially you." He flipped me back over ignoring my pained cries, and placed his mask mere inches from my face, as if his eye was staring into my very soul.

"I'm not done with you yet either, if you thought that was all you would be suffering, you are mistaken. You still have a large part to play, my boy, but don't worry, I won't kill you, that would be far too easy, now, let's go and see Sensei." After that I can only recall fragments, as I most likely lapsed in and out of consciousness, the pain of everything finally too much for me to handle. I recall someone named Minato fighting the masked man and managing to force him to retreat. I recall the same yellow haired man fighting the Kyuubi but not before being mortally injured in the process. I saw what I assume was his wife, holding a small infant, a small thing with blonde hair and crying his eyes out, their child I could only assume. The last thing I remember before finally blacking out completely was the yellow haired man standing before myself and his son, doing some odd movements with his hands and what I could only assume was Death itself appearing behind him and lashing out towards the Kyuubi. Once the pain started once more it was too much for me to handle, and I promptly blacked out, hoping that my nightmare was finally over and done with.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old man, and he certainly felt that age tonight of all nights. What was supposed to be a happy and joyous occasion, had instead become the night of blood, death and nightmares. His village had been attacked by an unknown assailant and the damned Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine Tailed Fox itself. Nobody knows where it came from, all anyone can remember is the beast appearing and suddenly destroying everything in sight. He was happily awaiting the return of his wife, Biwako, who had happily offered to be the midwife to the Yondaime and his wife during the birth of their child, when he felt the greatest killing intent he had ever experienced. Lesser men would have been unable to breathe, much less move. But he was not just a man, he was the Third Hokage, arguably the greatest ninja since Hashirama Senju, and a man who had led his village through multiple wars and catastrophes.

But he was no lesser man, he instantly recognized the threat and sprung into action. Donning his battle gear he lept out into battle once more. He had been trying to distract the Kyuubi and help anyone he could find for what seemed like hours. Though he was a Hokage, he was old, that was the reason he retired in the first place. Of course there was also spending time with his family, his eventual grandchildren, being able to finally sleep in, and enjoy the occasional Icha Icha novel, but mainly it was his age that was the deciding factor. He had picked a splendid successor in Minato Namikaze, The Yellow Flash, hero of the Third Ninja War, and his reign seemed to be the most peaceful one out of any Hokage since the village was founded.

Now he was standing next to a man he considered to be one of his children, lying dying next to his already deceased wife, their child on a small altar crying his head off. Next to their son was the corpse of another child, horribly scarred, with what looked like burns all over his body, his flesh most likely melted by some higher powered fire jutsu, but for whatever reason he could not guess. Though it was a horrible sight, at least now the child would be at pea- The child moved slightly, but still not waking, much to the horror of Hiruzen. His breath caught and could only imagine the pain the child must have been feeling, to be burned to such an extent and still be alive would be one of the worst pains he could imagine. The child would forever be scarred, unable to do anything of value due to the extent of his injuries. He would never be able to-

Minato coughed, shaking whatever train of thought Hiruzen had away, and he was instantly at his side, doing his best to comfort his successor, however meaningless it was. "Minato, what happened here, please tell me, tell me what I can do." Hiruzen was on the verge of tears, this was not how his legacy was supposed to go, it was supposed to be a happy ending for everyone involved. Minato half looked at Hiruzen and half looked at Kushina, her broken form causing tears to well in his eyes. He knew that he would shortly be leaving as well, destined to spend eternity in the Reaper's stomach. "Hiruzen, I don't know who attacked us, he wore an orange mask with a swirl on it, he was controlling the Kyuubi, I don't know how." Hiruzen was frantic now, if that man had been able to do so much, he could still be running havoc across the village. "Anbu!" An instant later there were multiple individuals kneeling before him, their heads bowed as a sign of respect and devotion, but also as a sign of mourning to their beloved Fourth Hokage. "Search the village for anyone wearing an orange mask with a swirl on it, if you find him kill him at all costs, otherwise you are to help any and all villagers and other shinobi mount rescue operations. Go!"

All but one individual left, still kneeling and unflinching. "Dog, remove your mask and approach." Hiruzen ordered, now was not the time to dance around the subject. The Anbu Dog approached and removed his mask as ordered, gently kneeling beside the two Hokage, his face covered in tears, his mask down not caring who saw. Minato smiled to the best of his ability, and looked at the man with nothing short of pure love. "Kakashi, I am sorry about all of this, but can a dying man ask you a couple of favors?" He slightly chuckled before spasming and letting loose a pained wretch. Kakashi could only stare at his sensei, the man who had been with him for years, now a husk of his former self, ready to pass from this world at a moment's notice.

"My son over there is named Naruto, named after the character in Jiraiya sensei's book, the first one." Taking a deep breath he continued "I was hoping you could keep an eye on him until he knows what it means to be a man, I'm not asking you to adopt him, but just make sure he brushes his teeth, eats his vegetables, and knows how to read and write. That shouldn't be too hard for someone of your caliber huh?" Kakashi could only fix his eyes on the small crying form a few feet away, managing to tear his eyes away from his sensei and his beloved wife. He could only nod his head and looked back to the older Hokage, silently asking for permission, before giving his permission as well.

Hiruzen had a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, at least that would solve the issue of Naruto for the time being, but he still had many questions. "Minato, who is that child next to your son, I don't recognize him at all." His eyes darting back to the child who still remained motionless next to Naruto, he needed to know what was going on. Minato looked down and maybe even ashamed? Why would he be feeling that at this time? "

The man did that to the child, he said he wanted the whole village to remember the pain it felt tonight, and for the child to be a walking reminder of what the Kyuubi did to us all." Tears were now freely flowing from Minato's eyes, and choking back sobs he continued. "He controlled the Kyuubi and made it do horrible things to that child, it made it use its chakra to essentially torcher the child for nothing other than to prove he could." Hiruzen was disgusted, not only had that man unleashed the Kyuubi, he had tortured and permanently scarred an innocent child for nothing more than a confirmation of his skills. When he got his hands on that man, the pain he would inflict upon him-

"Hiruzen, I used the Shiki Fujin on the Nine Tails, it's not coming back." Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity, until Minato continued. "I separated the Kyuubi into two halves, one half, the Yang half I sealed into Naruto, the other other Yin half I gave to that child, I couldn't take the chance that my power could hold onto the Nine Tails before I could seal it inside myself with the Shiki Fujin. I'm so sorry that I had to do this to someone else's child, I hope that they can forgive me someday."

Minato's breathing was slowing, knowing that he had little time he had to get the final orders of his life out and be heard. "Hiruzen, as Hokage I order you to find this child's parents, I don't want him growing up lonely because of all this. Should they be dead, please put him with next of kin, if he has any. If all else fails, there is a scroll on my person with more information and orders. These are my final orders, I hope I will see you both again in the future under better times."

And with that Minato Namikaze was no more. The tears Hiruzen had been holding onto finally came free and he silently wept. Kakashi on the other hand had long since dried his face, and was blankly staring at his sensei's corpse, unmoving. Steeling himself, Hiruzen stood on his feet and looked back at Kakashi, who was still transfixed on his sensei. "Kakashi, rise, I have need you." With only a slight delay he rose, now fixed upon his Lord Third, bowing his head, awaiting orders. " You will take these two children to the hospital, and get them checked. I believe Naruto is fine, but the other child will need some serious help if he is to make it through the night, you will not leave them unless I directly summon you, and no one is to be alone with them regardless of the excuses they level at you, am I clear?" Kakashi knew that as much as he was hurting at the moment, those children needed him now, and he would not fail his sensei anymore than he already had. With a salute he gingerly picked up the children and ran at full speed towards Konoha General.

Signing to himself, Hiruzen once more looked upon the scene before him, before finding his resolve and adopting his Hokage persona once more. "Hawk!" Without delay, the Anbu known as Hawk was kneeling before him, the same stance as the ones before. "Your orders, Lord Hokage?" His voice was soft spoken, if one did not know any better they would say he was nervous, but that title did not fit Hawk, he was one of the best his Anbu had to offer, and he very rarely disappointed.

"Summon the Council, all of them, a meeting will be called as soon as everyone is present, there will be no absences, unless they were victims of the Nine Tails. Otherwise bring me progress reports on how the rescue operations and what our casualty numbers are at… and once those objectives are done, I need you to find some people for me, they are of the utmost importance. Dismissed." And with that Hawk vanished to complete his tasks.

I awoke not with a start, but with the hope that whatever I had endured was finally over and done with and I could move on with my life. As I opened my eyes, I was immediately greeted with the sight and smells of a sewer of all things. As I gazed into the vast nothingness that was around me, I noticed what looked like a giant set of prison bars. Willing myself closer, I approached the impressive wall, and noticed a piece of paper in the center, where the lock would go. Upon the paper was only one word 'SEAL'. Unsure of myself and what was happening I moved out to touch the piece of paper, when I noticed some movement. Movement that came from behind the bars.

"And now Kami seeks to torment me further, by sending a fucking child to make my existence even more miserable!" The voice coming from inside was attached to a large mass, something with many tails, and was...orange? Well, this was confirmation enough I was still dreaming, because only in this state would I still be stuck with such a malevolent force. My hand drifted away from the piece of paper, and hung limply at my side, and it was during that I took notice of the burns covering my arm in its entirety. It didn't hurt, at least nearly as bad as when I was first exposed to whatever it was outside. Sure, it still stung alot, but I was slowly losing the feeling altogether, being replaced by a sense of warmth, oddly enough. 'What is going on with me?' I thought to myself, since my mouth still seemed to not want to move at all.

"You…" The beast growled "You are the one that the masked man made me torment with my chakra." Looking me over with those damned eyes the beast only took me in for a moment before continuing. "Listen well child, I will say this only once, if I had any say in the matter I would have just eaten you or crushed you under my paw, but since you were made to suffer by my hands without any control… I apologize." And with that the Kyuubi ever so slightly inclined its enormous head towards me, a sign of understanding and remorse, however small that amount might be. 'Wow, even such a beast can be understanding when it wants to be' I vaguely thought to myself "I am no mere beast you pathetic human, I am the great Kyuubi no Kitsune, greatest of all the Nine Bijuu, and favorite among our father!" He roared, thrashing around the cage and rattling the bars.

'Sorry, I didn't think anyone could hear my thoughts in this situation, I apologize for the insult Kyuubi' I tried to think aloud, which was an odd feeling to say the least, bowing at the waist, hoping to convey my feelings towards Kyuubi. The fox merely stared at me intently, as if trying to see if my action was genuine or merely a ruse to anger it once more. After a few moments the Kyuubi huffed and looked past me into the empty void of wherever we were at. 'I'm sorry to ask this of you, but do you know where we are and why I'm still dreaming?' I had hoped to see if maybe talking would wake me up, since nothing else seemed to work, plus maybe I could find out what caused this situation in the first place.

"What do you mean where are we, we are in your mind you worthless ant, this is your mindscape, the inner workings of your mind, a place for my seal and my half of chakra to inhabit while you get to go free and live a carefree life." The fox huffed at me, and mercifully gone was the smell of dead people from its teeth. Then without warning, its head whipped back towards mine, its eyes staring into mine as if to learn every secret of the world "And what do you mean about 'still' dreaming, this place isn't real at all, but the world we were just in is as real as you and me."

'It can't be real, I only awoke when you first appeared in my dream, before that I haven't been here or seen you or anyone else before in my life, so I have to be dreaming, I just don't know why I can't wake up.'

The stare that the Kyuubi leveled at me was not one of hatred, but one of deep curiosity, as if he just found a puzzle that needed to be solved. "Then if you are so sure this is only a dream, tell me your name." Raising an eyebrow to the gargantuan fox I began 'If you insist, my name is… I mean my name is… I'm called…' My eyes were darting back and forth, not really looking at anything, as I was frantically thinking of my name. How the hell could I not know my own name, it should come to me as easy as breathing?! The Kyuubi noticed my reaction and pressed further, "Nevermind your name then, what is the world you come from, the one you would return to when this 'dream' ended."

I wasn't sure if he was trying to be sarcastic or not at this point, but I didn't care. I delved deep into my mind, hoping, praying I could find anything of substance that would tell me this was indeed all a dream, because if not… 'I know there are trees, buildings, roads, people, my family, friends, and countless other things in my world that aren't a part of this one' I practically shouted in my mind, desperate to convey some form of understanding between us.

"There are those things here as well, in plenty I might add, tell me then, what are the names of your family or friends?" He was upright now, on all four of his legs, this conversation apparently now quite interesting to him. 'They are… I...I...I... don't know' I let my eyes wander to the ground, blankly staring at the water below, slowly rippling with the minor movements I made.

'How come I can't remember even the smallest thing from my world, it's like everything has been burned away, and replaced with nothing. I should be able to remember something, anything from my world, but I can't! Why is this happening Kurama?! Why can't I focus on anything, why can't I speak, why am I a child, what the fuck is happening to me?! I sank to my knees, now openly weeping. I didn't want to be here, I wanted to just go home.

"What did you call me human?" I looked up and the Kyuubi's eyes were now bearing all their hatred and malice upon me, and only me. I would have been intimidated, if I could feel any of his anger towards me, but I just felt numb at that point. 'What do you mean, I only called you Kyuubi earlier?' The Kyuubi roared at me, shaking the bars, sending water flying everywhere, but somehow I managed to stay in place. "Do not lie to me, you sorry excuse for a gnat, you said my name! How did you know the name Kurama?!"

Truth be told, I didn't know exactly, it just appeared in my head, when nothing else would, no matter what I tried. 'I don't know really, it was just there. I tried focusing on anything I could from my world, and your name just appeared and I let it slip, I apologize if I have offended you Kyuubi. I bowed once more at the waist, now able to see my face in the water.

I looked like I had just been through a meat grinder, my face and neck were all scared and red, it looked like I had been branded by a hot iron at random, the only place left untouched was my hair since that was most likely covering any of the scarring there, and my right eye. My left eye was undamaged as far as I could tell, but the rest of my face was not going to be winning any awards anytime soon. Wait. I bowed at the waist, have a full head of hair, and could move around. Not only that, my reflection seemed familiar in a sense. Was this me in my world, I couldn't be sure anymore. 'Why do I have an adult body in here, but out there I was nothing more than an infant?' The Kyuubi continued staring at me, taking in my form, most likely still processing that himself, along with my newest apology.

"I cannot be certain, but it is most likely your preferred form, as this is your mind, it is most likely taking the shape you are most accustomed to, or the one you want most. Try changing something about yourself to see if you can do so, maybe it will explain some other things." Doing as instructed, I looked at myself in the water once more and willed something, anything about my appearance to change. As if on queue, my hair went from a dark brown to a bright red, shocking even myself that I could do so. "Change your hair back, I have seen enough red hair to last me until the end of time itself. Damn Uzumaki." The Kyuubi huffed and I quickly changed my hair back to its original color.

"Better, now try changing something about this place itself, I doubt either one of us would miss the current setting." He was right, I didn't particularly enjoy the sewer scenery, so I would do as requested. Closing my eyes, this time I focused not on myself, but everything else. I didn't really care what the scenery changed into, as long as it was more pleasing. "Incredible." I opened my eyes at the Kyuubi's statement, and before I could speak, my eyes went wide. Gone was the old sewer look, and instead it was replaced with a lush green field, various plants and trees were about, seemingly enjoying the sunlight that was being given. Behind the Kyuubi was now rolling green hills, devoid of trees, but absolutely covered with a large array of flowers. Smelling something odd, I turned around and was greeted by what looked like a sandy beach and the ocean itself.

Turning back to the Kyuubi, I noticed he was as impressed as I was, it was only at the clearing of my throat did he break himself from his stupor and refocused his attention back on me. "Even though your current form is deceiving, I remember you from the real world. You seemed to be an infant of recent birth, but to have this much control over one's mind is astounding at the very least. Just what exactly are you human?" 'I am not sure, last I remember I was as human as anyone else, there wasn't anything special about me, at least I think so.' The Kyuubi's eyes stayed focused on my form as he emitted a sound that sounded like he was thinking. I decided he was in the same boat as I was, so I left him to his thoughts.

I began to wander around my mindscape, that seemed like the correct word, at least to me. I started to walk along the beach, and it sure felt real, at least to me. Same with the water, slightly cold, and smelling heavily of salt, I could almost taste it. Suddenly an idea hit me, and I turned back towards the Kyuubi in his cell, still thinking intently. Closing my eyes once more, I willed the bars to leave, and the piece of paper with 'SEAL' written on it to leave as well. The bars I could feel slowly melt away, but the lock with the paper on it remained, regardless of how much I tried to will it away. Opening my eyes, the only thing remaining of the old cell was now a large pillar with the paper seal on it, nothing else remained keeping the Kyuubi inside.

"I take it back, you are not a human, you are something special. Why would you remove the only thing that could prevent me from devouring you and taking over your form?" Truth be told I didn't know if he could do that or not, but the thought of being eaten really didn't terrify me as much as it should have anymore. This time instead of thinking out loud, I tried to will myself to speak, since I could do so much here, why couldn't I do that? After trying for a minute to adjust and try some words out I managed to finally find my voice. The Kyuubi merely looked at me and waited for me to find myself before doing anything. "I just thought that nobody deserves to be caged like an animal, even one such as yourself. You did torcher me but that was under someone else's control. And even though you killed alot of people tonight, it still doesn't mean that I can't treat you as I would want to be treated in the same situation. So I will let you move around here as you see fit, I can't get rid of the paper seal for some reason, so I think that as long as that is here, you can't get out."

The Kyuubi must have sensed my hesitation and swung one of his massive tails at me. It came much faster than I could have even reacted, but before I could do anything, the Kyuubi roared in pain and instantly retracted his tail. I noticed that where it would have flattened me, there was a sizable chunk of burned fur. I didn't do that. Did I? "Damn you mortal, it seems even here you continue to be a menace to me, my apology earlier was not enough, so now you try and burn me and I did to you?!" I decided it was best to be truthful, as I had nothing to lose, especially if he couldn't hurt me in here. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anything would happen to you, I couldn't even react you moved so fast, whatever I did to you, just...happened?" I was rather unsure of myself given that I had no idea what just happened.

The Kyuubi merely stared at me, his tail already healed, showing no signs that anything had happened to it. "Fine, then let me try something else, just to prove you aren't lying." I merely nodded, maybe he wouldn't try and crush me again.

Well this time I was right, instead he slowly moved a giant claw closer towards me, slow enough I could easily move out of the way, but I stayed where I was, maybe I would learn something about what happened before. Before his claw could reach me however, he paused about a foot from my form, withdrawing his paw towards himself. "And you felt nothing just now?" He asked, what I can assume was an eyebrow slightly raised. "I felt nothing, why did I burn you again, I'm sorry if I did." At this point apologizing was becoming a habit, not that I wanted to cause him harm or anything.

"No, you didn't burn me this time, but the closer my claw got to you, I noticed it was substantially warmer than over here, if I moved closer I very well would have been burned again." That was interesting, I had no idea that whatever was around me was actually doing something, it just seemed like empty space to me, much like how you never notice the air in front of you. I would have to figure out what was going on with me when I left and got back to wherever I was going. "I still don't know what the place outside is, or who anyone is, and I don't know what to do at this point." I couldn't keep going the way that I was, something needed to change so that I had a path to go towards, at least until I could figure out what everything was in relation to me. The Kyuubi once again kept his attention on me and after a few moments spoke once more. "You are not a normal human that I can be certain of. Not only can you change the inner workings of your mind at will, you are able to do so in the body of a child, something that should have virtually no chakra at this time. Not only that, but you have a bizarre power that I have never heard of or felt before, it is as if you are surrounded by invisible fire that protects you like a shield. I will have to think more on this, I will reach out to you when I can get a better idea of what is going on." With that the giant fox laid down next to the beach I was currently standing next to, and tilted his head to look at mine. "In the meantime you should focus on anything you can from your world, and see if anything comes back to you. Also try not to use your power next to anyone, it would do neither of us good if you ended up getting killed by a fool who is too jumpy." With that he laid down, and I was content to stare at the beach for a passing minute, until the Kyuubi spoke again, shaking me free of my thoughts. "To leave you need merely focus on leaving, much as you focused on changing this land for me. As a gift for that, I will allow you to use my name. Do not mistreat this gift, I can easily take it back. Now leave, I want to sleep."

With that Kurama shut his eyes and promptly was snoring within moments. I took one final look at his massive form and closed my eyes myself, focusing on leaving. I am not sure when it happened, but when I next opened my eyes, I was back in what looked like a hospital room with a man with a mask over his face, and his gray gravity defying hair poking out the top of it. I must have made a noise because he was instantly alert and looking directly at me.

Suddenly with a quick use of his hands, an exact copy of him appeared out of thin air next to him. "Tell Lord Hokage the child has awoken, he will want to see him right away." Without a word, the clone left, and I was left with the man who was now hovering over me. He removed his mask, and underneath it was another mask covering all but one eye, a simple sash covering his other one.

My first thought was what kind of fool wears two masks, one under the other, isn't that redundant? Suddenly somewhere in my mind, I heard a voice. "Maybe he has personal issues, or a fucked up face like yours kid." I would let the insult slide, I didn't really have the spirit to fight right now, plus I needed information. 'How is it that you are able to talk to me, Kurama?' I projected my own voice inside my mind, apparently a little too loudly as Kurama immediately responded. "Hey you little shit, you don't need to yell, use your inside voice dammit, you're going to give me a headache if you keep that up!" Whoops, guess I need to use my inside mind voice? "Now, since I am sealed inside of you and you have opened a connection between the two of us, and since I am such a generous being, I am able and willing to talk to you. I won't be able to do it all the time, just times where we both want to speak, I can't hear your inner thoughts or anything, just as you can't hear mine. But if you have questions or have some information for me, you just need to speak to me."

Seemed simple enough, kind of like talking to yourself in a sense then I suppose. "Do you know how long I was out, I know it's daytime, but it feels much later than that." I was still extremely tired, but I needed some information first before going back to sleep. "Hm, you're not wrong, by my estimates it has been about 4 days since you were last awake, a mere second for me, but for you time should have passed normally. You didn't see me until about five minutes ago, which was when you first woke up in that sewer, otherwise it seems like you have just been asleep." That didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but who am I to argue with a giant fox inside my head, especially one that was trying to help me out a little.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I suddenly felt something coming towards the room I was staying in. I turned my head towards the door, awaiting whatever it was, since in my current state that was all that I could do. The poufy haired man noticed what I was doing and looked at me for a moment before pulling out what looked like an oddly shaped knife. "That's a kunai you idiot, it's a common weapon in this world." Well, okay then, he pulled out a kunai and eyed the door warily. Putting his mask back on and firmly adjusting it so it looked in place.

Opening it was an old man, who looked to be in his sixties or seventies. He had on a white and red robe, with a large hat on that had a weird symbol on the front of it. "That is Kanji, the language of this world, that symbol means Fire." Well, Kurama was proving to be the most helpful person so far in this world, even though he did do some very questionable things to me. "Oi, you little shit I already said that I was under that man's control! As for that man, he is the leader of this village, the Hokage."

Okay, I needed to find out how to separate my thoughts from Kurama, I didn't need him to hear my every thought. The Hokage meanwhile was looking at me with a pained smile. I knew enough to read that he knew at least something that happened to me, not that I would blame him for acting that way towards me. "Well, it seems our little guest has finally awoken, you had us worried child, we feared you wouldn't wake up at all, nothing we did seemed to even disturb you." The Hokage casually walked around the room, taking great interest at the window, and peering outside.

It was then that another man knocked and entered the room, wearing a white coat and carrying a clipboard. I could only assume it was the doctor who had been looking after me. I immediately noticed the sharp glare he gave me, but was quick to conceal it and approached the foot of the crib I was resting in. Damn it, back to being an infant I guess, at least if I wanted I could spend time with Kurama and use my adult form.

"Lord Hokage, we are honored by your presence. Maybe you can speak to the guard you had placed with the child and let him know that his constant attention is not needed. Even he has to sleep sometime." The masked man caught the verbal slip up and was quick to address it. "Nonsense, I can stay awake for days at a time, besides I already slept, I am merely doing my duty." It almost sounded like the man was smiling under his mask, but I couldn't be certain.

The doctor wisely decided it was best to move onto the reason he was here. "Yes, well, I wanted to update you on the boy's status, Lord Hokage. He is in good health, well fed, and there are no signs of any internal issues." The Hokage motioned for him to continue. "Externally we have attempted to fix the scarring present all over his body, but have been unable to fix it. We are unsure of the cause, but it seems like he was exposed either to a massive fire related attack or was subjected to intense chakra burns, we are unsure of which. Other than that, his senses are strangely unaffected, it's almost like whatever afflicted him was just done to only serve as a visual reminder of what happened. Most likely as a form of emotional trauma than anything else."

The Hokage was silently nodding throughout the doctor's prognosis, carefully examining his expression when he reached the subject about my scarring. "I see, thank you for your hard work doctor, we will take it from here." With that the doctor bowed and left, leaving only the three of us in the room. No, wait that isn't right, there was a fourth person here, but for whatever reason I could only vaguely feel him, like he was hiding his presence. I started scanning the room when I looked over in the corner, towards the window the Hokage was next too. I could feel him there, as if waiting for something.

"Hawk, report." Suddenly the hidden man moved and appeared next to the Hokage. I could only vaguely follow the movement, but at least I could follow it, which was an odd feeling, being able to see people who weren't there, by some invisible force. I would have to find more about that later if possible. "Lord Hokage, I have completed the search for the boy's parents and next of kin as requested." The man known as Hawk spoke, his voice quiet and no nonsense. "Good, when can we inform his family of his return, with our sincere thanks?" The Hokage had a small smile on his face, my only guess is that this was some of the only good news he has had in the last few days. "My Lord, I regret to inform you that the boy's family was killed in the Kyuubi attack, and as they were merchants, we only have a record of them entering the village, and have no idea of their true origins or next of kin." Well, scratch that, that was definitely bad news. Now I had no family, no point of reference to go on, and nobody who could even tell me who I was.

"What were their names Hawk?" The Hokage had resumed his gaze out the window out towards the disheveled village, his voice tight. "Sir, the mother was called Kyoko Nakata, and his father was Tetsuya Yori. As far as we can trace, they had no clan relations or shinobi status, they were by all accounts humble merchants, arriving about one week ago, it seems the mother was heavily pregnant at the time and gave birth a day or so before the attack began." The Hokage managed a brief look at Hawk, before resuming his stare out the window. "Thank you for your hard work Hawk, get some rest, Kami knows we can all use it." With that Hawk vanished, my eyes following the trail he took until he was out of my range. I looked back at the masked man, who up until now had been silent. He was staring quite hard at me. Maybe there was something on my face?

"Lord Hokage, can you summon Weasel, I have a theory I would like to test about this boy." The Hokage merely turned to face him and raised a brow, his gesture to continue his thought. "Dog, you know Weasel just got back from a long mission, is this matter important, or can it wait?" Dog merely turned to the Hokage and removed his mask, and stowed it off to his side. "I believe this child may be a sensor, and has already unlocked his chakra. If you would allow me a moment of Weasel's time I can verify my claim." The Hokage adopted a hard expression, and merely stood still as I felt a pulse of something leave him. A moment later the familiar feeling returned, and my eyes instinctively looked out the window towards the oncoming presence. After a couple more moments a small man, or maybe it was a boy, appeared before the Hokage kneeling. "You summoned my Lord Hokage?" He asked, and I could catch a faint hint of fatigue from his voice.

The Hokage looked back to Dog, and merely shrugged before announcing, "Weasel, Kakashi has a theory he would like to test with this boy, if you would be so kind as to assist." Weasel merely stood next to the man identified as Kakashi with what I could assume was an inquisitive look under his mask. Then Kakashi leaned over and whispered something in Weasel's ear. Whatever it was, Weasel delayed merely a moment before vanishing in a swirl of leaves, my eyes still following his presence until it stopped down the hall, before staying put. I was still trained on what I was feeling, when suddenly he began moving. Not a fast pace either, he was walking as far as I could tell, before he abruptly went outside and over to the balcony in the next room over.

I followed his every movement, eager to see what the whole idea behind this was, when suddenly Weasel appeared outside the window, opening it up and coming back inside. "Well Kakashi, care to explain what that was all about?" The Hokage began and gestured for Kakashi to speak his mind. "As you saw, I had Itachi Shunshin out of the room and down the hall, the boy following his every movement, as a natural sensor would. I am sure you felt the same." The Hokage merely nodded. "Interesting as the boy being a sensor is, I fail to see why this is so urgent." As if on command Kakashi curled his one visible eye into a sort of...smile? "How in Kami's name can he get his eye to work that way, that isn't natural." Kakashi merely chuckled "Because Lord Hokage, when Itachi returned he completely muted his chakra presence and even used a suppression tag to completely erase his chakra. No sensor alive could have found him like that."

And with that the Hokage's attention was now fully on me, eyeing me very, very, carefully. "Explain how you found this out, Kakashi." The Hokage's eyes never leaving my small form. "When I sent my clone to go and bring you here, before you entered the room, he was already looking at the door. Since I am not a sensor myself, I didn't know if it was you or someone else. Now that alone isn't so impressive, but I wanted to see how powerful his ability was, so I asked Itachi to leave via a technique that can be somewhat tricky to track depending on the sensor who is tracking. This kid followed him like he was just walking across the room, and that's not the best part. With Itachi's chakra completely muted, he then came back into the room in a way that you would either have to know where he was going, or were still able to track him in some way. My guess is the second, so most likely this child is not only a very powerful sensor, but has a deeper skill that can allow him to find people regardless of chakra. I would even go so far as to say he can find someone with no chakra."

The gaze the Hokage was leveling at me made me uncomfortable to say the least. I couldn't tell what his thought process was and it was a couple minutes before he next spoke. " Kakashi, Itachi, what you have seen here today will be spoken with no other soul besides myself. Since the boy has no family, he will unfortunately have to be raised in the village with the local orphanage along with young Naruto. As we have no record of him being born or his family's true name we will have to name him and hope for the best. Do either of you have ideas?" The Hokage turned to both Itachi and Kakashi, the second already deep in thought over the question.

Surprisingly it was Itachi who spoke first, turning his head from the Hokage towards me. "While I haven't had much time to think it over, I have always been partial to the name Kasai personally." I didn't particularly care for the name, and for the first time since waking, managed to finally use my words. What I wanted to say was ' I don't really care for the name' but what ended up coming out was nothing more than a gurgle. The Hokage smiled and let out a small chuckle, "I don't think he cares for that one Itachi, but a good try.

How about you Kakashi, do you have anything?" Kakashi was broken from his train of thinking and merely shrugged his shoulders. He didn't seem like the parenting type anyways. With a sign, the Hokage turned back to me and held a small smile on his face. "Well then I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, do hereby name you Kenji. We can figure out the family name at a later time, maybe we will find some record to go off of."

Hiruzen approached and gently brushed my cheek, earning a soft giggle from me. "Welcome to Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, your new home."

My first story, please let me know how you received it, any questions or feedback is quite welcome. Pleas and I will see you next time with a new chapter!