Nine years ago, on this very day today. Tragedy struck Konoha in the form of a mountainous fox with nine massive tails. The Kyuubi no Kitsune, or nine-tailed fox. It appeared inside the village without warning and wreaked havoc, the chaos that ensued caused many deaths and even more injuries. Luckily, though, it was stopped. Not by a natural disaster. Not by some divine intervention. No. The Great Kyuubi No Kitsune, The strongest of all tailed beasts,

was stopped by a man.

This man was known as the fourth Hokage, the strongest of all Hokages. He was called the strongest because of his speed. He was the fastest man alive. He moved faster than light itself. And while this immense speed helped him in his fight against the Kyuubi, it wasn't enough. He knew he couldn't beat the Kyuubi, so he did the next best thing. He sealed it away. He sealed it into one Naruto Uzumaki. He wished for the child to be seen as a hero, to be treated with respect for keeping the Kyuubi contained. Sadly, it didn't turn out that way. The people so overcome with their grief needed to lash out at something. And when they learned that poor Naruto was the container of the Kyuubi. They transferred their hatred and fear of the fox onto the poor child. At first, when he was younger, they simply glared at him or whispered behind his back when he walked by. As he grew older, they got bolder. They started to throw him out of stores. Charging him double even triple the cost of regular food. His birthdays were the worst, though. For it was the anniversary of the Kyuubi's attack and a painful reminder of everything the people had lost. It is on one of these anniversaries, particularly the ninth, that this story starts.

Fear.

It's a fantastic tool. Some use it to control people; others can only blossom under it. Fear keeps people sharp; it keeps them focused. Fear is like a catalyst, a catalyst for greatness. It allows people to hear things they couldn't or notice things they didn't. Fear can make us the sharpest tool in the shed. But there is one thing that everyone who has experienced fear knows. One thing everyone can agree on.

'run'

It is an excellent motivator.

"There it is, GET IT!"

'RUN, YOU IDIOT. RUN!'

And with that thought, the young boy known as Naruto Uzumaki started running. He had been mindlessly wandering the streets trying not to remember that it was his birthday, and once again, no one seemed to like him. This thought was emphasized by the rogue kitchen knife that went sailing past his cheek. "Fuck" He swore and started sprinting faster. He had no destination in mind, just to get away from the people chasing him. He ran, and he ran, and he ran. He ran until he almost couldn't, just as his legs were about to give out. He saw an open window in one of the alleys. He sprinted into the alleyway with renewed vigor and expertly dove into the window just before the mob got there.

"Where did that little shit go. C'mon everyone, help me look," The supposed leader spoke. Naruto scurried away from the window into the shadows to hide from the pair of eyes that looked through the window. After a couple of minutes, they left, but not before they issued a couple of people to stand to watch if the 'demon' came back. When Naruto heard this, he sighed quietly. "Looks like I won't get to go home tonight," He said to himself as he got off the ground and dusted himself off. "Might as well go see where I am going to spend the night,".

As he walked through the room, he was in. He soon came to realize that he was in a library, which actually excited him. He wanted to learn more about being a ninja, but the librarian always kicked him out. The stuff that they were teaching at the academy was useless to him. Like seriously, how is writing a two-page essay on whether or not the first Hokage used Mokuton to make the trees around Konoha or not, gonna help him be a better ninja. That's not to say that all of the stuff taught there was useless. The stuff like Kunai throwing theory and inter-village workings was actually helpful, but sitting down and learning was not how Naruto operated. If he could get someone to help him with actually throwing a Kunai, he could get his Kunai throwing theory down on paper too. Same with all the other things he was having trouble in. If anyone took the time out of their day to actually help him, he wouldn't be failing so badly.

He shook himself of those thoughts. If no one wanted to help him, he would do it himself. So he went to the shinobi section and was disappointed to see that you needed a chunin ID card to get in. 'Damn seals'. He sighed and looked around for something else shinobi related material. As he was walking around, he saw a book that looked out of place with the cookbooks and books about dinosaurs. It didn't have any fancy letters on it or an ornate cover. No, it was just a simple dark green cover with a red symbol on the front. Curious, Naruto went over to it and picked the book up off the shelf. He examined the cover, and his eyes widened in excitement. This was the same symbol on the Chunin and Jonin vests! Maybe it held some super awesome jutsu or, even better, a super cool way of getting ridiculously strong super quick. Quickly he opened the book up and went to the table of contents. He wanted to find where all the cool stuff was. But his brain shut down and stubbornly refused to work, when he saw the words at the top of the page.

The History of the Uzumaki Clan

He couldn't think. He could barely breathe. He had a clan? He had a FUCKING CLAN? He had... a family? If so, why didn't the old man tell him about it? Before his mind could start running in circles, he pushed through those thoughts. 'I'm not going to get answers by thinking about it,' he thought to himself as he opened the first page.

An Overview of the Uzumaki Clan and Its History

Naruto hungrily started reading. Desperate to learn about his clan and why he wasn't with them.

The Uzumaki Clan was one of the most feared and respected clans of its time. They were unmatched in the arts of sealing, sword, and lesser-known to the world, bo staffs. There was almost no seal an Uzumaki couldn't crack and almost nothing an Uzumaki couldn't seal away. And their skill with a sword or bo staff was impeccable. They were true masters of their chosen fields. Perhaps though, the greatest power of the Uzumaki clan was their bloodline. Unlike every other clan in the world. The Uzumaki Clan bloodline wasn't a singular trait. It wasn't a pair of eyes or the ability to wield lava as an element. It was mutations in chakra. The Uzumaki bloodline gave mutations in the users' chakra, allowing them to have sometimes multiple unique abilities. These abilities ranged from powerful sensing abilities to chains made of chakra that could seal away an enemy's movement and chakra. The Uzumaki clan's bloodline, coupled with their innate talent with sealing. It made them one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful, clan to have ever existed. It doesn't end there. The Uzumaki Clan special chakra had one more effect. Because of the special properties of their chakra, the Uzumaki had very long lives and a more durable body. This is what gave them and their village the title of 'The Village of Longevity,' The Uzumaki were very respected and, in certain places, feared. The Uzumaki clan founded their own village on an archipelago off of the land of hot springs and what is now known as the land of waves. As a cousin clan to the mighty Senju clan, the Uzumaki had close ties with the leaf village, providing them with seals and sword techniques, in return for the leaf village's alliance. It was because of these reasons that they were destroyed.

Naruto's blood ran cold, and his heart started to ache. He could barely believe it; he had just gotten a family, an entire super cool ass-kicking clan. And they were already gone. His sadness quickly turned to rage. Was he destined never to have a family? Did the universe hate him so fucking much that they would take away every good Kami damned thing that happens to him? He finally understood how Sasuke always felt. He never even knew his clan, and he already wants to rip the throats out of every single one of the bastards that dared to hurt his family. He turned his eyes back to the book. He needed to know what happened to them. To his clan. To his family.

The villages of Kumo, Kiri, Iwa, and Kusa all banded together, calling a truce during the ongoing war, and led a joint attack on Uzushiogakure. They all thought that the Uzumaki clan was too powerful to be kept alive. So they all gathered their troops and attacked with a combined attack force of 10,000, outnumbering the Uzumaki clan 24 to 1.

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. He had read that they were strong, but that was ridiculous! It took 10,000 ninjas, to take one village numbering less than 500 ninjas?

The thought behind the attack plan was to swarm the Uzumaki before they had time to plan. Using their superior numbers to avoid casualties. But it was not to be. The Uzumaki clan were seal masters and knew that they were going to be attacked beforehand. They were not caught off guard and were indeed prepared to face off against the overwhelming invading force. In the end, though. The Uzumaki clan was destroyed. Their village burned to the ground, and their secrets were buried beneath the rubble, with only a few Uzumaki managing to escape, including the heir.

Naruto's face lit up. They survived! He really did have a family! He really did! He just needed to find them. He continued to read on, hoping to gain more information about his ancestors.

The Uzumaki clan didn't go down without a fight, though. Even outnumbered 24 to 1, they destroyed the invaders. During the invasion, the Uzumaki clan killed almost 94% of the invading forces. Crippling the Military and Economy of the attacking nations. The Uzukage took on an entire battalion of 500 men and the second Mizu and Rai-kage alone and won before succumbing to his injuries. Sadly it wasn't enough. The help that the Uzumaki clan had asked for never came. The leaf village never sent backup because they were not yet involved in the war. The leaf village didn't want to enter the war and tried to stay out of it as long as possible. But when they heard of Uzushiogakure's destruction, they joined the war effort and beat the weakened nations, putting the fighting to an end. In honor of Uzu's sacrifice, the Leaf village sewed the Uzumaki clan symbol onto their chunin and Jounin vest. And have kept it there since. And so ends the magnificent tale of the Uzumaki clan.

Naruto couldn't believe what he was reading. The leaf village. The village he had grown up in. The village he had sworn to protect when he entered the academy. The village he wanted to become Kage of. Had sat by, twiddling their thumbs as his clan, his family, was slaughtered. They didn't lift a finger to help them out but instead turned around and reaped the benefits of his clans' last stand. And then had the audacity to sew his clan symbol onto their flak jackets. Parading them around like it was some sort of fucking trophy. Naruto was far beyond livid; because of this village, he didn't have a family. It was this village's fault that he couldn't walk the street without being spat on or called a demon. He walked home to a dilapidated wooden apartment in the red lights district with no family to greet him every day. Because the leaf village thought his family wasn't worth the effort. That they were... expendable.

At that moment. Any dreams he had about rising through the ranks of this village. Becoming a respected, liked member of the village died. Gone was his far-fetched dream of becoming the Hokage. He refused to serve a village that discarded his clan like the mud under their boot. No, he refused.

As He sat there thinking over what this meant, he glanced at a sentence from the book.

The Uzukage took on an entire battalion of 500 men and the second Mizu and Raikage alone and won before succumbing to his injuries.

That sentence sent a warm feeling of pride and awe through him. His ancestor was strong enough to take on 500 ninja and two Kages and WIN. That was the epitome of awesome. He looked at it again before staring at the word Uzukage. 'Uzukage. Hmm, I kind of like the sound of that. It's got a nice ring to it,' He thought. 'I wouldn't mind being an Uzukage,' He thought absentmindedly. Before widening his eyes and straightening up. 'Maybe I could be,' He thought excitedly before flipping through the book to find what he wanted. When he found something he thought could help, he started to read it.

The Uzumaki Secret Vault

It is said that the Uzumaki had an impenetrable vault hidden to all but the Clan head and his family. This vault held all the secrets, techniques, wealth, and everything else the Uzumaki clan could ever need. It's also said that this vault held enough supplies to build a small village and was a failsafe if the village was ever destroyed, but no one has ever been able to locate this vault, much less open it. It's said only to be able to be opened by a member of the Uzumaki clan.

Naruto developed an absolutely vulpine grin. No, no, he would not be the Hokage far from it. He was going to be the next Uzukage.

He was going to rebuild Uzushiogakure.

As he sat there trying to figure out what this new goal meant, he almost didn't hear the door to the library open. Quickly pocketing the book, he silently crept to the window and peeked out. When he saw that the coast was clear, he leaped out and ran through the shadows to his house. He managed to get all the way into his house without being spotted by anybody and hurriedly, but quietly, shut the door. He immediately opened the book again and started to read. His thirst for information about his family was almost unquenchable.

After almost 3 hours, he had read the entire book, and he had never felt better. He actually felt tears of joy go down his face. He was wanted! He had an amazing family with super-cool abilities that would have loved him! He knew that they would have loved him because he had read that the Uzumaki clan had Family as the first priority of anything. They put their family before everything else; It was a sentiment Naruto now carried as well. He would find ALL the remaining Uzumaki, and he would protect them with his life. But first, He needed to get strong. But how? All the teachers hated him and would never teach him. he had no books to study, no jutsus to practice. Really he didn't even want to be in this village, and even if he could get strong, the council and villagers would do everything in their power to stop him. While he was pondering this, he heard Iruka sensei's voice float through his head.

"Deception is a ninjas Greatest weapon."

Slowly, a plan started to form in Naruto's head, if deception was a ninja's greatest tool. Then god damn it, he was gonna use it. This god-forsaken village might be riding off the coattails of his Clan's last stand, but it was still one of the greatest hidden villages around. He could use that to his advantage. A smirk found its way onto his face. 'Hmmm... yes, I think this works. I can use this disgusting village to my advantage. Use its teachers, its resources. I'll learn everything I can from here and when the time is right. I'll leave and rebuild MY village. As the next Uzukage' He thought. He may be a nine-year-old boy, but his hard life has forced him to mature far more than he lets on. He had the mind of someone far older than him, and he is going to use it.

Naruto spent the rest of the night thinking through his developing plan. He had to make it flexible so that when he came across new information, he could integrate it into his plan. He also had to add in creating a false persona. If the villagers saw him acting serious all of a sudden, they would get suspitious. He decided on being an idiot with a louder bark than bite. If he kept this mask on till after he graduated, he would be good. After graduation, when he became a ninja, the council couldn't touch him. He became a village asset, and those were under the direct control of the Hokage. Speaking of the Hokage, Naruto had decided that the old man couldn't be trusted anymore. He didn't tell him of his heritage and lied straight to his face about it instead. There was no way Naruto was ever going to trust him again. Now that's not to say that he wouldn't cut off his relationship with the old man. Having a grandfather-grandson relationship with the Hokage was a boon. He was gonna use that to his advantage.

He also decided that he needed to get into shape. His academy 'instruction' wasn't cutting it. He needed skills, Shinobi, and life. He wanted to learn all the fields the Uzumaki were good in and a couple they weren't. He couldn't be Uzukage without being strong. He also decided, on a whim, that he wanted his own taijutsu style. Something he would be remembered by.

By the time he was finished with all of his schemings and planning, it was 4:52 in the morning, and Naruto was dead tired. He decided just to skip the academy today and sleep in. He had a lot to process.

Naruto was awoken by the midday sun beaming through the window and right into his eye. He grumbled and rolled to see his alarm clock read 12:57. With a groan of disappointment, he got out of bed and went to do his morning rituals.

After finishing up, he mentally prepared himself. Today marks the beginning of his plan. Today, he needed to go exactly as he wanted it to, so his plan had a strong foundation. The Hokage had promised Naruto that he would have lunch with him the day after his birthday and give him his presents. Naruto knew that this was a golden opportunity to get training techniques or even better. A card to get into the shinobi section of the library. If he could get regular access to the library, it would be a massive help in his newfound goal. So he needed to play his part perfectly today, or it would put things behind schedule. With a sigh and a determined look in his eyes, Naruto set out towards the Hokage tower.

"JIJI!" Naruto Yelled with a bright smile on his face as he barreled into the old Hokage, ignoring the twinge of betrayal he got when looking at the old man. "Naruto, my boy. How was your birthday yesterday?" Hiruzen asked with a warm smile, happy to see his surrogate grandson. "It was great Jiji, Even though I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with, it was still really good," He Said, making sure to add just the right amount of sadness to his voice to make Hiruzen feel guilty. It worked! He saw the slightly pained look that went across his face before a warm smile replaced it. "Well, let's go down to Ichiraku's, and I can give you your present," He said with a warm smile as he walked to the door. Naruto Quickly followed behind, honestly curious as to what Hiruzen had gotten him.

While they walked there, Naruto made sure to keep up the mindless, obnoxious facade he had going on to keep the Hokage unaware. When they arrived, Naruto, for once, didn't have to act as he leaped into the stall. It was, without a doubt, his favorite place on earth. "Good afternoon Ayame! Old-man Teuchi!" He said brightly. "Good morning Naruto-Kun" They replied warmly, happy to have their favorite customer back at the stand. When they caught sight of the Hokage, they Immediately bowed; he chuckled before sitting down and turning to Naruto. "So, Naruto, what would you like to eat?" Naruto grinned mischievously before slamming his hand down on the table. "I want ten Miso Pork super ramens to start with. Extra everything," He declared as loud as can be. The two ramen chefs nodded happily and got to work on his order while the Hokage just sighed despondently. It seems like he would not be getting out of here with a full wallet.

Naruto and the old man conversed for a while, mostly meaningless blabber from Naruto while the Hokage listened with a warm smile plastered onto his face. After a pause in one of Naruto's rants, Hiruzen cut him off. "Naruto-Kun, I think it's time to give you your birthday present." Naruto immediately stopped eating and didn't even try to hide his curiosity. He was honestly wondering what the old man got him. Hiruzen chuckled when he saw the open curiosity on Naruto's face and pulled out a small book before handing it to Naruto. Naruto's face lit up when he saw the book and practically wrenched it out of the old man's grasp. His suspicions were confirmed true but pleasantly surprised at the title of the book.

Sealing Level One: A Beginners Guide To Sealing

Naruto could almost scream in joy. This was even better than he expected. The old man had given him a book on something his clan excelled at. The things he could learn, the things he could do. If he got the old man to continue to give him these books... His newfound dream would be a lot closer than it was previously. He honestly couldn't think of a better gift than the one he received right now. He leaped into the Hokage's arms and started to thank him profusely, just barely remembering to make it sound overly obnoxious.

Hiruzen just smiled warmly at the boy before sitting down back in his seat and explaining what seals were. Naruto just half-heartedly listened, already knowing what Hiruzen was saying. When Hiruzen was finished explaining, Naruto decided it was time to put his plan into motion. Speaking in a perfectly played fake nervous tone. Naruto asked the old man. "Umm... Old man?" Hiruzen lost the warm smile on his face a bit but answered the question anyway. "Yes, Naruto-Kun?" 'This is it. The whole thing relies on this moment' "Umm... Old man? I was wondering if. If you could give me access to the shinobi part on the library," He said with just the right amount of emotions for the Hokage to consider it.

The old man's eyes widened slightly at hearing that come out of the boy's mouth. He thought it would be another attempt to learn something about his parents, not gaining access to a restricted area. "And pray tell, why you would want to go into there alone, Naruto?" "Well, it's just that... I'm having a hard time learning at the academy. I can't learn what they are trying to teach me, and they are always too busy to help me, but if I could go to the library, then maybe I could get better at what they are trying to teach me," He said with just enough innocence to make it believable.

Hiruzen sat back in his chair and stroked his beard in thought. He was honestly torn on what to do. He knew it would be wrong for him to give special privileges to one kid in the academy, but on the other hand, this kid was Naruto. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki and the heir to the Fourth Hokage's inheritance. He Knew that Naruto would have a harder time at the academy than others but did that warrant special treatment? He mulled it over for a couple of minutes, causing Naruto to sweat internally, before nodding his head and looking at Naruto.

"Okay, I'll give you access to the shinobi section of the Library, but you must promise me that you will only read what you are already learning in the academy." Naruto only paused for a split second. "I promise, old man," He lied. Hiruzen had lied to him about his entire clan. He wouldn't feel guilty about lying to him about this at all.

The elder Hokage smiled at the bright smile on his pseudo grandson's face. It warmed his old heart when he saw that smile, and it only reassured his decision on the matter. Meanwhile, Naruto was fighting back a malicious grin. He had access to the shinobi section of the library—a Kage stamp. A world of possibilities just opened up for him. He had to bite back another grin at that thought.

Step one of his plan... Success!