Lethal Shinobi
Chapter 5
Time passed in the village. As it does for everyone. And things change.
Naruto watched as he and his friends grew into young preteens. He was there for them when they finally had to take the test to determine who had what it takes to join the shinobi curriculum. He cheered for everyone that tried and shouted out words of encouragement for those that could not make the cut.
The Hokage's son desperately wanted to at least try his hand at becoming a ninja of the village. But no matter how he tried to argue for it, Venom refused to allow it and would forcibly hold his host down if he thought the boy was going to try for it.
So, Naruto was destined to join the regular schooling of the village while his friends went off to learn how to be ninja. Admittedly, the boy was a little depressed after the ceremony and seeing his friends take one step closer to their dreams while he was left behind.
Venom, despite being a selfish hunger beast, encouraged his host with words of their combined greatness whenever he was feeling down about one thing or another.
It was never fun to have a moody host.
The monster did his part in their partnership; teaching the boy how to properly use their powers and abilities. As the years went by, Venom taught Naruto more and more until everything became like second nature.
The smiling faces of Naruto's mother and father upon seeing their child support his friends gave the boy the motivation needed to stick with the plan he and Venom had come up with.
The days became week. Weeks became months. And months gave way to years.
Things went about as normal as could be. Naruto still went to school and hung out with his friends right after every day he could. He made new friends that were both ninja in training and normal students alike.
Naruto still did not have much of an idea of what he wanted to do once he was finally out of school, but he still had a good long time to think about that and did not worry too much about it.
Naruto was at the young age of sixteen now. He had grown taller, at least a little bit, and had started to grow into the young man, he was going to be in the future.
A relatively normal kind of guy. With a relatively normal kind of life.
Or, at least the appearance of one.
'Wake up already! You are going to be late!' Venom groaned loudly, snapping Naruto out of whatever sweet dreams he may have been enjoying. 'You know what will happen the longer you wait.'
Naruto grumbled something unrecognizable before rolling over and tucking his head under the blanket. A desperate attempt to silence the nagging voice in his head.
Venom, not seeing a point in continuing to irritate his host just remained silent. Someone was already on their way to make Naruto get ready for school.
Before Naruto could even begin to get comfortable again, his bedroom door swung open and the lovely sound of his mother's voice reached his young ears.
"Get your ass out of bed right this minute and get ready for school!" She yelled loud enough to wake the dead. And it just so happened to be loud enough to Make Naruto physically jump out of his bed and fall face first into his carpet.
The boy simply stayed there for a solid minute before quickly jumping to his feet and bolting over to his closet. All the while, his mother glared at him from his bedroom doorway.
After grabbing his clothes, Naruto began to strip away his nightwear only to stop midway through and lock eyes with his mother.
The woman looked as beautiful as she always had. Same motherly face, bright red hear and slim figure. Except now, her normally slim and well trained stomach had a slight bulge to it. A clear sign of her third pregnancy.
If Kushina could say anything about her husband, he was nothing but determined to give his wife the family she deserved.
For a split moment, Naruto remembered the day his parents told him that he was going to be a big brother. He also happened to recall the terribly awkward talk that followed explaining just how a child was made.
Both he and his parents forgot in the heat of the moment that they already had given Naruto 'the talk' a long time before. Thus making the whole situation worse for everyone.
Both Naruto and his mother stared at each other for a moment.
"Move it!" Kushina shouted while gesturing violently. "I refuse to get another phone call from your teacher about you being late again!"
"Um," Naruto gestured to his half-dressed state. "A little privacy?" He continued to make eye contact with his mother, who was still not moving from her position. "Please?"
Kushina rolled her eyes before taking a step out of the room. "Please hurry it up." Were the last words out of her mouth before she closed the door and allowed her son to continue getting dressed. The mother had remind herself that her son was a growing boy and was entering that stage in his life where he did not think he needed his parents anymore.
She sighed heavily as she walked back downstairs and into the kitchen to finish the breakfast she was making for her beloved family. Ever since she had become pregnant once again, Kushina was forced to go on temporary leave from her duties as a shinobi of the village.
While happy beyond words with the prospect of adding a new member to the family, the fact that she was unable to do her job properly bothered her to no end.
She huffed as she finished putting breakfast on the table, but could not hide her smile as the familiar sound of her son stomping down the stairs. Knowing her son better than anyone else, Kushina made just a simple plate for her son, a fried egg on toast.
With a chuckle, the mother could help but think this looked like the begging of some cheesy romance story. Her daughter gave Kushina a glance before going back to eating her breakfast and reading a small book she had recently picked up.
The girl looked like a spitting image of her mother when she was at that age, a mere eight years in age, except for the color of her hair matching that of her father's. She had the temperament of neither whoever and was considered the oddball in the family if for no other reason than her calm and collected demeanor compared to the other family members.
"I'm going to be late!" Naruto shouted as he burst into the kitchen, his uniform jacket barely on and his shirt still untucked.
'I told you.' Venom commented offhandely. This was the norm for the monster now. A lazy and easy life with no conflict and a host that was more the happy to feed him? How could Venom ask for anything more?
"Then hurry it up!" Kushina yelled back as her son quickly shoved the offered toast into his mouth while he finally got his other arm in it's jacket sleeve.
"Hmph ou." Was his muffled reply before bolting out the front door just as his father was walking down the stairs, still in his nightwear.
Kushina sighed as she heard the front door slam shut. She mused for a moment about whatever could have happened to her beloved son to turn him into such a lazy young man.
Whenever Kushina would think about her son, the memory of his kidnapping so many years ago would always rear it's ugly head. She would have to take a moment to calm her motherly fears and force her own resolution to protect her family to the forefront.
She glanced at her husband, who had finally sat down and was giving just the biggest yawn possible. Kushina knew that he had the same resolve she did, but because of his political position, he was not in such a concerned state. He had trusted shinobi who were more than willing to watch over his family.
That is not to say that he still did not worry; he just had connections to insure their safety.
Back with Naruto, we can see him trying to shove his hasty breakfast down in his mouth while running as fast as he could down the road. His school bag barely hanging onto his finger as he stomped on the hard road.
Within record time, Naruto could see the entrance to the Village Academy. Both normal students and shinobi in training were to enter the school grounds properly, through the front entrance. Anyone that tried to be clever and enter any other way were immediately reprimanded and forced to stand at the back of the classroom while holding up two full pales of water.
Regardless if one was a soldier in training or just a normal student, nobody wanted to have to put up with that. Worse yet, the same punishment was administered for anybody that was late to school.
Naruto just barley made it through the front gate before the bell warning that classes would soon be starting went off. He continued to run until he finally made it to the civilian student entrance to the school and to his own shoe locker.
'We woudn't be late so often if you would just wake up on time.' Venom lectured his host. While he enjoyed the adrenaline that the feeling of being late brought up within his host, after a while, it just gets annoying.
"Well, if you would let me just use a little bit of power we would never have to worry about it in the first place." Naruto mumbled as he changed into his school shoes and made his way to class.
'And what, have people find out that you are a little bit more than you appear? Have your parents own our case again about doing something strange? Or did you forget about what happened after your mother found that shirt from our first outing?' Venom lectured. His host was just, so stupid sometimes.
Naruto paused for the briefest moment as he recalled when hi mother burst into the room, fear in her eyes, while holding his blood soaked shirt so many years ago.
The long conversation he had with her, trying to calm her down and assure her that he had not gotten hurt or anything like that. Having to come up with a cover story for that was probably one of the most difficult things he ever had to do in his life. After, Naruto was sure to hide his bloodied clothes a whole lot better.
Naruto, not wanting to admit to the truth behind Venom's words, just remained silent as he took his seat just as the bell signaling for classes to start rang.
The morning went about the same as it always did, Naruto hardly paying even the slightest bit of attention to whatever the teachers said and just barely passing the surprise test the class had right before lunch.
The very second that the bell rang, Naruto bolted out of his seat and made for the outdoor training area that the shinobi class often used. During the lunch period, all students were allowed access to any non-staff areas of the academy; this included both the shinobi and the civilian sides of the school.
He could already see one of his friends waiting for him underneath a nearby tree.
Kiba had grown to look basically the same he had as a kid, but with a more wild and feral appearance that tended to make the civilian girls see him as a bit scary. Something that really bothered Kiba and something that everyone else was more than happy to tease the boy about.
He also always had with him, his canine companion, Akamaru; a dog that was training alongside Kiba. While pets were normally not allowed at the academy, due to his clan's unique way of fighting as well as being the number one provider of the village's trained dogs, Kiba was except from that rule.
Even though his dog was as large as a small horse.
"Hey dog boy!" Naruto shouted right as he came to a skidding halt under the tree. "What's going on?"
Kiba was looking off into the distance at a group of the kunoichi-to-be. It was a small group of about five girls, all looked to be enjoying their lunch while chatting and laughing about some random nonsense.
A strangely sad image, both Naruto and Venom thought, knowing that these young girls would one day witness the terror of battle and the many hardships that lay before any who became shinobi.
"Look at them." Kiba said in a strangely satisfied manner; making Naruto raise a concerned eyebrow at his friend. "So full of youth and beauty." The canine using kid had a strangely serine smile on his face as he leaned back against the tree. "Only someone that has fought alongside such beauty would be able to witness the elegance and grace that a female shinobi possesses."
He finally tore his eyes away from the girls to look at Naruto. "I doubt it is something you will ever be able to truly appreciate."
Naruto just blankly stared back at his friend. "What?"
"You are just so simple." Kiba sighed, his voice had taken a superior tone. "You will never be a ninja and will never get the chance to fight side-by-side with these beauties. You will never feel what it is like to feel victorious after a hard fought battle with a beautiful warrior by your side." His face instantly became perverse. "And after the battle, as the sun sets, you share a passion filled night as the fear of this being your last day dies away."
"I should have known you would have ended up talking like that." Naruto said with a sigh as he sat down under the same tree. "I don't think I've seen you talk to even a single girl since we joined this school."
Kiba's expression shifted to one of annoyance. "Of course I have." He spread his arms out. "I mean, look at me. I'm the strongest student in the school. What girl wouldn't want to date me? Let alone talk to me?"
Not even his dog could give the boy a straight face as Naruto had to hold back his own fit of giggles.
"What's so funny?" Kiba glared at his sitting friend.
"A good number of things. Want me to start listing them down?" Naruto retorted quickly, still giggling at his friends angry face.
"I'd sock ya' if I wasn't afraid I'd kill you with one punch." Kiba huffed while crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh please." Naruto rolled his eyes as Akamaru gave a loud yawn. "You could be classed as a jonin and still be too big of a wimp to even bruise me."
"Hah." Kiba responded sharply. "I'm going to take your dad's place as Hokage some day; so taking down a civilian wimp like you would be nothing but a waste of my time."
"Scared to try?" It was clear Naruto enjoyed teasing his friends to no end. "Afraid that a little towns-boy might whup your ass?"
"I don't need to kick you up and down the street to prove how strong I am." Kiba snapped back.
'This entire conversation is pointless.'
"Like you even could hope to try." Naruto glanced over at the group of girls; none of which had noticed the loud boys. "Fine." Naruto pointed a finger in their direction. "If you are such a big strong man, then why don't you go over and talk to those girls? If what you said is true, then they should be all over you in an instant."
Kiba paused for a second as his brain tried to register what his buddy had just said. He honestly just expected Naruto to continue to try and egg him on or eventually give up, not actually give him a challenge of some kind.
Kiba risked a glance over tot he group of aforementioned girls and noticed that they had stopped talking amongst each other and were now looking at both he and Naruto.
One mumbled something to the other and Kiba could feel his face heating up real quick as every one of the girls' eyes focused on him. He tried to put on a brave face and wave over to them.
But the most that the boy could muster up was a scared smile and raising a shaking hand up in a terrible wave.
One of the girls said something and the group erupted into laughter, making Kiba's already bright red face get even more red until it was an almost complete purple. His face was nearly the same color as the tattoos he had on his cheeks. He instantly found the ground to be a whole lot more interesting and had to fight against the desire to bury himself as deep as he could underneath the tree.
Naruto did not bother to hide the knowing smirk on his face. He loved to get one over on his friends, and when it ended with his friends embarrassed or annoyed, then it was even better. It was taking all he could not to burst out into a fit of laughter.
He could hear the echoes of Venom's own vile chuckle from deep within his skull.
Without saying a word, and happening upon the two without making a sound, Sasuke had finally raven-haired boy looked down at the nearly doubled-over with laughter Naruto before risking a glance over at Kiba and finally to the group of giggling girls.
Without saying a word, Sasuke turned right back around and tried to escape whatever situation he was about to walk into.
"Where do you think you're going?" Naruto asked while suddenly latching an arm around the neck on to the retreating boy. "Kiba wanted to prove to me just how tough he was." He jabbed a finger an the still red faced, but now glaring Inuzuka. "Wanna' see if you're any tougher?"
Even without looking at his friend, Sasuke could feel the boy's massive grin.
"No." The Uchiha stated bluntly before wriggling free from Naruto's grip and sitting down under the tree, pulling out a box lunch and beginning to enjoy his lunch.
Without saying much else, the two other boys did the same. They talked among themselves about random goings on in the village and their lives. The boring classes Naruto had to go through and the epic training that the other two boys got to experience.
Was just another day for the three.
"What was that about?" One of the girls giggled to her friends.
Ino, a long blonde-haired kunoichi-to-be, sat with her closest friends. Her closest being the pink-headed Sakura sitting next to her. The two girls had been the closest of friends as far back as either could remember, though one would be hard pressed to tell from their looks.
Just by looking at the two, one would not be to amiss for thinking that the pinkette was some shy wallflower while the blond was always the life of the party. And you would not be completely wrong on that assumption either.
Sakura had always been self-conscious of her appearance and dressed in a modest combat dress. While the split up the side did shew off a bit of leg, it was nothing to the purple mini skirt and small top the Ino wore. Much more of the latter girl's legs as well as her flat stomach was exposed for all to see.
Both girls were beautiful in their own way and chose to express their own physical beauty in manners that showed off not just their own physical aspects, but their own psychology as well.
Ino could not hold her own giggles in as she saw the Inuzuka's face get brighter and brighter. It was clear from the boy's face that his blond haired friend had been egging him on, and Ino could think of a good few reasons why.
Both Ino and Sakura knew about both Sasuke and Kiba since all four were in the same class, and that was about it. They never talked beyond that of a polite greeting, so to say she could judge either based on what she was witnessing would be a strong falsehood on her part.
The two seemed kind enough since they appeared to still be friends with some civilian student.
It was a sad truth, but usually what would happen when friends became separated by classes; one going to the shinobi classes and the other civilian, they would drift apart quickly. Most of the time the shinobi-in-training would become very arrogant towards their civilian friends and end up ruining the friendship completely.
So it was very rare to see friends make it through that stage and even rarer for them to stay as such after a few years in separate parts of the academy.
That peaked the blonde girl's interested in the trio of boys now eating their respective lunches.
The Yamanaka family was famous for their understanding of the human mind. Their entire fighting style consisted around manipulating their opponents mind until they could be completely controlled.
Most that became shinobi went into either the Interrogation Department or were deployed as long-term informants. People learned quickly that you can never hide a secret from a Yamanaka.
If one was somehow strong enough to resist the abilities of the shinobi side of the family, then they would be brought to the few civilian family members. While the soldiers would implement mental attacks mixed in with their own physical, the civilians were all pure masters of mental manipulation.
Not a single soul that had ever had to deal with their own form of interrogation ever left as the same person they had once been. Worse, not a single soul that ever had to deal with them in such a way had ever revealed exactly how the Yamanaka went about their work.
With her family's specialty being the understanding of the human mind, and the years of training from both of her parents on the subject; the fact that those three boys were still buds peaked Ino's interest.
It clearly was not the Inuzuka if what she had just witnessed was anything to go by. The boy appeared to have too big of an ego as well as a quick temper to really allow anyone to stay around him longer than was necessary.
Considering the Uchiha had arrived later than the other two and had hardly said a word upon arriving, it was not very likely to be him as well. The fact that he seemed to not talk much in class only reinforced Ino's believe that he was not the glue holding these three friends together.
That just left the blond-haired civilian.
The boy appeared to be as normal as anybody else, at first glance. He smiled a lot and appeared to always be in a cheery mood; the kind of person that wanted everyone around him to smile as much as he did. A good person.
Ino observed the teenager as she ate her food. Her eyes studying every single movement his body made, and even the minor shifting and movements of his bright blue eyes. Every little twitch of his arms was noted by her keen mind. Ino was half-hoping that her friend Sakura was doing the same.
The pink-haired girl's mind was outclassed by no one within the village walls, and she was only a teenager. One could only imagine just how much smarter the girl would become in the future. So hopefully she was watching the group of boys as well and could see something Ino might miss.
So engrossed with her observation, Ino failed to notice that all of her friends had stopped talking and were now all doing the same as her; watching the blond boy and his friends.
There was something...strange about the kid. Everything he did, down to the very way his ate his lunch; felt a bit off to the young Yamanaka. It was like as if the boy was not completely sure how to properly act, or how to do things in a manner that is expected or accepted. At best, he looked like someone that had been taught how to be a normal person, but questioned himself constantly if every little thing he did was correct, or if he was sticking out like some sort of freak.
It was clear to the boy that his odd behavior was so to most normal people and thus, clearly tried his best to hide it. Unfortunately, being almost constantly surrounded by ninja trained to notice even the smallest hints of odd behavior really doesn't make it easy to his things.
"You know who that is, right?" Sakura finally whispered in her friend's ear.
Ino only slightly moved her head closer to the other girl show a desire to know; keeping her pale blue eyes glued on the way the blond boy laughed as his canine-using friend made a mess with his lunch and his large dog.
"That's Uzumaki Naruto, the first son of the Third Hokage." Sakura whispered a little louder so that the entire group could hear. This started a mass of whispering between all the girls.
None Ino paid any attention to, even though her natural urge to gossip was begging for her to do so.
The Hokage's son. The supposed black sheep of the family, if the whispers through the village were anything to go by. Not because of his behavior or anything really ill like that, but simply because he was the only one in his entire family that was completely unable to utilize chakra at all.
Even the weakest civilian was able to at least mold it to some degree. But, this boy had become famous if not for who his parents were, but the fact that he had no chakra; this also meant that if one lost sight of him, then finding him again would be a greater challenge than it would be for anyone else.
Unfortunately, what would make Naruto an unparalleled shinobi, was what also prevented him from being able to become one. A cursed blessing if there ever was one.
"I've heard that there have been attempts on his life ever since he was really small." One of the girls whispered just loud enough for Ino to hear properly.
Maybe that was it.
Years of being attacked by assassins, kidnappings and other hostile threats might have forced Naruto to constantly be on edge. The constant worry that he could be attacked at any minute was probably constantly wrecking his nerves; making the poor boy a permanently nervous mess. That would explain why he appeared to put just that little bit of extra effort into every little motion he made.
"That must be terrifying." Another of the girls pipped up. "I mean, I know we will have to live our lives like that; but he's just a normal guy. To have to keep on your toes always, just because of what you are." Her voice faded, leaving everyone to think about how such a life must be.
Ino found herself feeling pity towards the blond-haired boy. A feeling not unlike that of wanting to protect someone that can not protect themselves. The bright smile that graced Naruto's face looked to fit more on a person without a care in the world, as opposed to the son of an important military and political figure.
It took Ino a moment to notice that the boy's grin was aimed directly at her. It appeared that her long period of hard staring drew the boy's attention and, him being an apparently kind person, was giving Ino a toothy grin and a small wave.
Ino could feel the eyes of the other girls bore into her, anxiously waiting for what the blonde beauty was going to do. Her eyes flicked over to her dear friend, only to see Sakura staring directly at her with the same intense gaze as the other girls.
Uzumaki Naruto was not unattractive in the slightest, yet no girl had ever been bold enough to approach him. Hell, as far as he knew, not a single girl was even remotely interested in him.
What made the boy unapproachable, at least romantically, was a combination of his status as the Hokage's first born son as well as being the only one of that family without any chakra at all.
Fear of being a possible kidnapping or assassination target prevented most girls from getting too close to Naruto, while the parents of the rest were also concerned about the possibility of any grandchildren having the same disability and would warn against forming any kind of relationship with the boy.
Either way, not a single girl had approached the lad since joining the higher grade classes.
Ino took a short breath before returning the boy's smile and giving a small wave of her own, with her eating utensils still being held in that hand; a sign of easy acceptance while also showing that her intentions were nothing more than friendly.
Naruto's face faltered for a moment. He was not expecting the girl to give him a response, most would just look away or pretend he was not there in the first place.
His massive grin instantly reattached itself to his face and.
"That's Ino of the Yamanaka family." Kiba whispered in his ear. "She's one of the most popular girls in school. A real hoty, but I heard she ain't looking to hook up with anyone just yet. Trying to keep that 'clan princess' look going as much as she can, I guess."
"Hmph." Sasuke huffed loud enough for both boys to hear. "She's nothing compared to the girl I got." His chest swelling with pride. Sasuke tried to keep the calm and stoic expression the older Uchiha were famous for, but the prideful smirk betrayed his true intentions.
The boy just loved to show off his girlfriend whenever possible ever since she confessed to him. The problem though, was that she was never around for Sasuke to properly introduce to his friends. Something that both other boys were mre than happy to tease him about at any given opportunity.
"Ah yes." Kiba was quick to reply. "The ever so perfect woman of Sasuke Uchiha's. The girl that shines brighter than the moon and is stronger than all of the Lords combined." His tone was exceedingly mocking and, coupled with some exaggerated movements not unlike that coming from a grade school play, it was more than enough to rile Sasuke up and get Naruto rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Her presence in like that of a true goddess." Kiba continued his act. "How could any of us lowly peasants ever hope to be witness to such a legendary beauty?" He ended the faux-play with a deadpanned star right at Sasuke's irritated face.
"Don't give us that look." Naruto droned. "Until we see her face-to-face, we are going to continue to assume that your 'girlfriend' is just the name you've given to your favorite hand."
Sasuke' expression turned into a red-face glare; the embarrassment at the blond boy's words was poorly hidden by his blue shirt as he huffed loudly an went back to eating.
"How about we focus on what is real." Kiba hummed as he hooked an arm around Sasuke's neck, forcing the boy to reenter the conversation. "Like the fact the our little boy Naruto here just got the attention of Miss Ino over there?"
"Shut up." Now it was Naruto's turn to be embarrassed. "She was just being nice." He quickly defended not just his own embarrassment, but the girl's as well.
It was one thing for him to feel a little embarrassed and teased; but if being around his mother and little sister taught Naruto anything, it was that the social structure of the female side of the human species was the most brutal and terrifying thing every created.
The complete and total destruction of a girl's social life, mentality, and emotional control could easily all come to fruition just by having one of your idiot friends open his big mouth and spout out some dumb accusation.
"I don't know man." Kiba shrugged. "I've only seen Ino talk to the girls. Every single guy that's bothered to try and confess to her have ended up going home in tears." He quickly puffed out his chest. "Not like she'd be able to say no to me." He quickly stated matter-of-factually. "That is, if I even bothered to ask her."
Both Naruto and Sasuke rolled their eyes.
Not too long later, the bell rang for classes to continue and the friends parted for the afternoon.
'Finally.' Venom moaned. 'You all talk way too much.'
The afternoon went about as normal and eventually it was time for the students to leave and head home; or anywhere else that was not academy property. It was common for the students to hang out with friends and go do something together to help forge memories that they could one day look back on with a smile.
Naruto hung out with his friends like everyone else, until it started to get dark. The three friends said their farewells before going off towards the direction of their own respective homes.
Naruto only walked a small bit before sighing heavily and putting a hand on his stomach. He waited for the sounds of his friends walking away to vanish before finally stating...
"I'm feeling hungry."
'It is about time we had a little snack.' Venom chuckled as his host slinked away into a nearby alley. A few random corner turns later and Naruto could no longer feel the presence of the usual guards assigned to him for the day.
Naruto could practically feel the annoyance and irritation radiating off of the guards as they began a sweep to locate the boy, again. This had been going on for years and no matter who was employed to watch over the boy, Naruto would always find a way to sneak away. This had just become nothing more than an annoying routine since Naruto would always end up getting home later.
It did not stop his parents from worrying that he was hanging out with the wrong kind of crowd or was doing drugs or something along those lines. If only that were the case. Neither of Naruto's parents would ever have thought about what truly had happened to beloved baby boy so many years ago.
Night had finally fallen on the massive village, expanding the world's shadows and forcing the light of man to pierce the darkness and illuminate that which the world tried so desperately to hide.
Naruto walked through the streets while a frustrated expression etched onto his handsome face. Over the years, it had become more and more difficult for him to find a good amount of food. He had to slowly expand his feeding ground as well as expand his menu.
At first, the small birds and mammals that populated the wooded areas of the village were good enough. But, as he grew, so did his appetite; forcing Naruto to start going after larger and larger animals to sate the constant pain in his gut.
He eventually started to hunt down and consume whatever stray animal he could find within the village. He was able to restrain himself from going after owned pets however. But just barely.
Unfortunately, the number of strays was starting to dwindle and the number needed to keep his stomach calm was becoming too great for him to easily hunt down in just a few hours.
As much as he wanted to eat everything that dared to cross his path, Naruto simply could not bring himself to harm someone's cherished pet. Venom would always chastise his host for not taking an easy meal when the option arrived, but Naruto would refuse no mater what.
So, the pair had to come up with another source of food that was enough to sate their endless gluttony. Luckily, they had already found such relief a few days prior after overhearing a small conversation his parents were having.
Something about specially bred deer grown for their horns and meat. They were kept on a massive plot of land within the walls of the village and were guarded by the notoriously lazy Nara clan. A perfect combo if there ever was one for the predatory Naruto.
Making sure no one was really paying him any attention, Naruto made his way to were the Nara clan's main house was located. It was only on that specific plot of land that the best quality deer were bred and raised. And, while Naruto was willing to shove a flea-infested mutt straight into his stomach, that did not mean he would settle for anything less than the very best when given the chance.
It was easy to find where the Nara compound was since it was the only one too far away from everything else in the village to be seen. The road was nothing but dirt and gravel and the compound looked more like a large country home than the estate to a wealthy family.
There were a few guards posted around the entrance, but Naruto was sure to stay just outside of their range of site to sneak right around the main building. He snaked he way through the dense trees, past a few farm structures, until he reached the massive field that housed the free-range deer.
The field expanded almost too far for Naruto to see the other side and had only the most basic of wooden fencing present to keep the animals contained. There was not a single guard within sight.
Seeing no real opposition, Naruto easily hopped the fence and continued towards his goal; a small group of the famous Nara bred deer sleeping in the middle of the open field.
'I don't like this.' Venom's voice held a great deal of suspicion. 'If these deer are so highly prized, why is there not a soul watching over them?'
Naruto shrugged as he slowly walked closer and closer to the sleeping dear. "The Nara are super lazy." He explained. "They probably don't think anyone would bother wasting their time trying to steal a deer inside the most powerful village in the world."
Venom;s only response was a mild grumble before forcing Naruto to stop his slow stalking by sprouting out a few black tendrils and wrapping themselves around the boy's legs.
Naruto flailed his arms about for a bit trying to keep his balance before finally saying in a loud whisper. "What are you doing?! We're hungry!"
'I am aware.' Naruto could almost feel the monster roll it's eyes; if it had eyes that were capable of performing such an action. 'But we are trespassing on a powerful clan's property. A disguise would at least prevent us from getting into too much trouble.'
Before Naruto could respond a nest of small tendrils erupted out from his neck and quickly began to stretch and crawl their way up to and over his entire head. Quickly, the mass of writhing tentacles enveloped the boy's entire head. The tiny appendages melted and fused together into a a completely feature-less, black mask that hid any sign of what the person within it may look like.
Despite the organic mask having no holes for Naruto to see out of or breath through, he had no issue doing either. It was almost as if the mask was just his normal face; almost like how the tentacles he could control just felt like a normal body part to him.
'There,' Venom appreciated his handy work. 'Just in case some fool decides to come along and see us feeding.'
"Whatever." Naruto mumbled as he slowly crept closer and closer to the herd. As he moved, the young hunter eyed each individual deer until his bright blue orbs focused on a particularly large buck.
The mall was the only member of the herd still awake and standing around; clearly to keep an eye out for predators while his herd slept. Despite being born and raised within the haven of the Nara compound, some instincts simply could not be pushed down.
The antlers of the beast were massive and were a clear sign of the animal's strength and age. Couple that with the large muscles visible underneath it's thin coat and one could easily assume that this deer was a top-of-the-line breeder and was likely to even be the father of most of the deer at the Nara compound.
Naruto's movements slowed more and more the closer he got to his prey. He could feel the saliva pool in hos mouth and eventually drip from in between his starved lips. He could not help but lick his lips in pure anticipation of the grand meal standing so close.
The buck was clearly on high alert, moving his head every which way with even the slightest hint of a sound reached his sensitive ears. Every step that Naruto took forced the deer to jerk his head in the boy's direction.
The animal could clearly see the human approaching it. Sadly, it having been surrounded by humans all it's life had completely removed the natural fear that it should have felt. Still, it was wary of the boy's presence and was prepared to defend his herd of the strange two-legged animal decided to act in a hostile manner.
Naruto stopped his approach just a few feet away from the large buck; the animal having turned completely to face the hungry youth. The large deer gave a series of quick bows and grunts; a clear warning to Naruto that approaching any closer would not be a wise decision.
The two stared at each other for a moment. An understanding of what each was.
A predator acknowledging his prey and the resolve it had to stand its ground to protect not only itself, but its entire family. And prey, knowing that it must make the sacrifice of its own life to save the many others under its care.
Both knew that only one of them was going to survive the night and the other would be dead long before the first rays of the morning sun could touch the green fields they stood upon.
An indeterminate amount of time passed before one of them moved.
What one would expect to be an amazing display of power on both parties, ended with only a few simple motions.
Naruto quickly dashed towards the animal as his left arm shifted into the familiar tentacle he had come so used to controlling. He launched the stretchy appendage out towards the buck.
Said beast charged forward as well, head held down and ready to gore whatever may be foolish enough to stand before it. Sadly, what it met instead was a bizarre net formed from the end of the strange black tentacle Naruto was now sporting.
The beast quickly fell over and began to thrash about as Naruto continued running towards it. Several strands of the strange flesh-net moved their way around the creatures neck and quickly drew taught enough to draw blood. The buck tried to let out a warning cry so that the rest of the herd may flee, but the tendrils wrapped around its strong neck instantly shut out all airflow.
Naruto got closer and closer to his prey. The feeling of his endless hunger driving away anything else but the desire to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of his target. He could practically taste the warm blood on his tongue as he approached his meal.
Naruto finally reached his prey and gave a short leap onto the creature. He opened his drooling maw right as he began to pull violently with his monstrous limb. The sound of ripping flesh could be heard across the field as Naruto sank his teeth into the back of the buck's neck while pulling at the head with enough force to severe most everything but the spine. Luckily, a small slit appeared in the mask Naruto wore to allow for him to feed to his hearts content.
Flesh ripped away from itself as the muscle and tendons underneath were torn apart. The creature's own trachea was snapped in two from the sheer force that the mass of tendrils used to tear into their owner's next meal. The only thing keeping the head still attached was the spinal column, which too had snapped upon being violently torn away from bones encompassing it.
Blood spilled onto the dark grass from the massive wound. Naruto tore as much flesh as possible with his mouth as he used his remaining hand to hold down the fresh carcass.
He quickly switched hands; using his human appendage to tear out as much flesh as possible to shove into his starving mouth while the tentacle held the body down.
As with all of his meals, Naruto gorged himself on more than was humanly possible. Tearing away as much consumable meat as possible and tossing away the useless organs.
Over the years, Naruto had come to create a system with his meals; gorging himself on the delectable flesh before swallowing the most delicious organs. His favorites had to be the liver and brain, with the eyes, lungs and pancreas being close behind.
The kidneys were always the first thing to be eaten once an access way was chewed out. Naruto hated the taste of them, but they were still good for him. So he would swallow them whole as fast he could just to get them out of the way and enjoy the rest of his meal.
Naruto ate and ate. Tearing away all he could and leaving nothing but bone.
So enraptured with his meal that he failed to notice himself being slowly surrounded. Even when he would lean back to allow a particularly large chunk of chest meat to slide down his throat, he failed to notice the human-shaped figures standing all around him.
It was only when that strange tingling sensation in his skull became unbearably painful did Naruto finally leap backwards; out of the way of a few haphazardly tossed kunai knifes.
Naruto quickly looked around and noted that he was surrounded by about half a dozen shinobi of the Nara family.
'I knew this was too easy. But you didn't want to listen.' Venom was quick to jab at his host. 'Don't even think about asking me for help with this one. You got us into this, you are going to be the one to get us out.'
Naruto rolled his eyes behind his featureless mask as he slowly moved his tentacled arm back and forth. He could tell that the shinobi surrounding him were at the very least professionals with their tactical vests; but at the same time, their stances and minor movements showed great signs of hesitation. The minor movements of the life around him were just something Naruto noticed since becoming a proper hunter.
It was clear that despite their experience, these shinobi never had to deal with someone breaking into their field to devour their livestock. Sure, the occasional wolf or minor thief had shown up every now and then, but not a human outright eating a fresh and uncooked carcass.
Naruto knew he had to get away as fast as he could. It was bad enough that he was finally caught feeding, but while also still wearing his school uniform meant that it would not take anyone long to determine that he was still a student at the academy. But he should be fine as long as they did not see his face, or hair, or hear his voice.
"What are you?" One of the ninja finally spoke up. He along with his cohorts were all prepped and ready to fight this strange human-beast. The fact that it had a human body, but a faceless head and a tentacle for an arm was off-putting enough. They were not really sure what they would do if the creature somehow spoke to them.
Naruto's head jerked towards the man who spoke. The mask Naruto wore produced several dozen tiny tendrils that quickly stitched back together the mouth of the mask, preventing any possibility of anyone seeing any part of Naruto's face, despite the darkness that shrouded them all.
Naruto did not respond to the man's question and instead turned his gaze back to his partially finished meal. He desperately wanted to get right back to eating, and the pain he felt in his gut told him he was far from finished consuming enough to properly sustain himself.
"I asked you a question." The man responded, his words had become harsh and demanding.
Naruto ignored the man and instead switched focus to the sound of one of the shinobi taking a slow sliding step closer to him from behind. His had snapped back to the ninja's direction and his blank face stared hard into her stern visage.
His tentacle lazily waved through the air as Naruto ever so slowly got down into a low crouch; his one hand keeping him balanced as he got lower and lower to the ground.
"If you do not respond." The same shinobi that had spoken first said. "Then we will be forced to detain you in any way possible."
Naruto had to think fast. He initially thought about just jumping over the lot and bolting away as fast as possible. Unfortunately that idea was quickly pushed down since he was surrounded by highly trained shinobi that could easily keep up with him without breaking a sweat.
There had to be something amongst the many gifts his monster had given him that he could use to get out of this situation; hopefully none-violently.
Naruto glanced back over to his unfinished meal and began to think of at least a half-assed plan that should hopefully just barely work if he relied completely on shear luck.
The lad took one more look at the shinobi surrounding him before suddenly launching his tentacle-arm at the half-eaten deer carcass and quickly grabbing onto the still warm remains.
Half of the ninja reacted instantly to the sudden motion and quickly rushed the still low to the ground creature.
Naruto raised both of his feet just barely off the ground while pivoting with his one hand as fast as he could. The momentum dragged the course for a moment before launching it through the air. Using the arm that was gripping onto the body, Naruto slung the corpse around with enough force to knock away the attacking ninja.
With them knocked back, the remained went in with their own rush forward. They were prepared for the flying carcass however and easily ducked under the attack before all coming in with their own kunai drawn. Each was prepared to shove their blades as deep into the creature's exposed back as they possibly could.
The only thing stopping them from doing so, was the carcass still being swung around like some kind of blood spraying tether ball. Every time one of them would try to get close, the creature would just swing the body back and forth to try and knock them away.
"Why are we wasting our time with this?" One of the ninja grumbled while going through a series of hand motions. "Shadow Possession." The man mumbled under his breath has he focused on the creature in front of him.
Thanks to the bright moon, there was enough of a shadow to just barely have it speed across the ground and towards the tentacled freak. It easily weaved through the shadows of the man's cohorts to add to itself before nearly reaching its target.
That nearly painful tingling sensation tore through Naruto's skull and forced the boy to react, if for no other reason than to lesson the annoying feeling his brain made. He leapt backwards away from the creeping shadow before hurling the deer carcass at the one performing the technique.
Said ninja was forced to move out of the way or risk being bowled over by nearly a hundred pounds of deer meat and bone. This forced the man to cancel his technique.
The second Naruto let the carcass go, he was running right after it, using the opening it had allowed to get past the surrounding shinobi. Right as the corpse hit the ground, Naruto wrapped his tentacle around what little remained of it's neck and wretched the head clean off; all the while bolting in a straight line for the nearest bit of forest he could reach.
Almost instantly, the ninja were upon him on all sides. Each taking turns to attempt a direct strike against this bizarre thing. Every time they would, however, the thing would either slow down or jump over their attacks.
Sadly, the Nara were not known for their projectile based techniques and could only really depend on their own physical prowess to try and subdue this faceless entity.
Using all the strength he had, Naruto pushed himself harder than ever. His legs giving as much as they could as he somehow was able to start gaining speed on his enemies and even go faster than they.
He gave a short hop onto the fence surrounding the massive field before putting everything he had into his legs and pushing off with as much force as he could. This caused the fence to violently explode into a mass of splinters as Naruto launched himself as far as possible.
He instantly vanished into the woods and kept going as he could hear at least a few of the ninja still hot on his heels. Still holding onto the deer head, Naruto switched hands to free his tentacle and started swing the appendage around wildly. The limb smashed into the branches and trunks of nearly every tree he passed, showering the area in splinters and broken wood.
He was also sure to put as much force as possible in each of his leaps so as to break off whatever branch he landed on, just to make it that much harder for his pursuers.
Naruto pushed himself as hard as he possibly could. The fear of being captured and discovered driving him to give it his all. If that were to happen, then everyone would find out about the demon living inside of him. They would take them away from each other, leaving Naruto as nothing more than a regular weak human.
If that happened, then who would be able to keep his family safe? Both his mother and father were starting to get on in years and were not as spry as they used to be. He had to keep the monster contained within him just so that he could be strong enough to keep everyone safe since his parents were getting to the point where they might no longer be able to.
Eventually, Naruto could hear the ninja becoming further and further away. He slowed down to a slow stop all the while keeping as much attention as possible focused on his sense of hearing.
All Naruto could hear was the sounds of the forest at night. No sounds of rushing footsteps or heavy breathing. Not even the smallest sound of fabric moving in the wind.
The mask around his head slowly began to split back apart into the countless tendrils that had stitched it together as Naruto leaned his back against a nearby tree. A small sheen of sweat graced his brow, along with the drying deer blood around his mouth, he was a sight to see.
"That was way too close." Naruto mumbled as he slid down to the soft grass. He glanced over at what he was able to salvage of his meal. "At least I got this."
'Hardly worth the risk of it all.' Venom interjected suddenly. 'You risked everything just for so little. I keep telling you that we need to consume others. We are going to have to eventually; whether you like it or not!'
Naruto just gave a huff, ignoring his inner monster. The rush of fear and excitement slowly dying away as he pulled the deer head into his lap; shifting his tentacled arm back to normal. Placing both hands at the base of each of the buck's large antlers, Naruto let out a slight puff of air.
He adjusted his grip just a little bit before suddenly pulling with both hands. Using a lot more force than was necessary, the skull of broken in two while still allowing the brain to remain completely intact.
Naruto tossed aside the half that was empty before tilting the other half slightly and allowing the deer's brain to come spilling out into his waiting hand. He eyed the organ with hunger. Saliva beginning to drip from his lips.
This was his favorite part of every meal. The brain was always the best. The taste was beyond that of anything else he had ever tasted before in his life and was a constant delight upon his tongue no matter what kind of brain it was.
Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of biting into his first brain. Naruto could remember every detail as vividly as if it had just happened moments ago. Sure, he technically did eat the brain of the small mice and birds he ate so many years ago. But there was just nothing better than sinking his teeth into that soft tissue and tearing out a delectable chunk.
Licking his lips, Naruto opened his mouth wide and shoved the gray matter into his awaiting mouth. His teeth sank into the soft tissue as he bit down and tore a healthy piece of the matter right out of the entire mass. He savored the taste as he chewed on the gray matter, letting the delicious juices flow down his throat and sat the endless hunger constantly plaguing him.
In a matter of just a few seconds, Naruto had wolfed down the entirety of the organ in his hands. He quickly licked his hands clean of any residual juices before licking his mouth clean.
"At least it wasn't a total waste." Naruto sighed with a smile while leaning back against the tree. He always felt the most full after consuming the brain. The only thing that could compare to the feeling of complete satisfaction was when gorging himself on a big enough meal.
Naruto stared up at the bright moon before minute before getting back to his feet and walking in a random direction. He would eventually find his way out of the woods and back into the main village.
Quickly moving from alley to alley, making sure not to be seen, the boy finally made his way home. Carefully opening the door and rushing up to his room, Naruto was just barely able to close his bedroom door behind him before someone started knocking on the door.
"Are you alright, Naruto?" His mother's voice called from the other side of the door. She sounded concerned with her son's rush from the front entrance to his room. She did have an idea of what may be going on however. He was a boy at that age after all.
"Y-yeah." Naruto responded quickly. "I'm just really tired and want to get to bed." He tried to sound convincing from his side of the door and prayed to every deity that his mother would believe him.
"Aren't you hungry?" She asked while placing a hand on the door. This was a part of the growing up experience; having your mother walk in while you are doing something embarrassing. It was looking like it was Naruto's turn to have that same experience.
"Naw." Naruto responded almost instantly. "I already ate with the guys." He made a loud yawn that could not have sounded more poorly acted than if he was actually trying to perform in front of a crowd.
"Well, alright." Kushina moved away from the door and was about to walk back downstairs. "Don't forget to put your sheets in the wash." She said quickly before finally going away.
Naruto glanced at the door with a confused expression before shrugging off the strange words and stripping away the blood caked clothes he was still wearing. Luckily for him he had a spare set of school clothes in case something like this were to happen.
With a full belly, Naruto fell right onto his bed and promptly fell right to sleep.
An audible thump could be heard on the floor below, signalling that Naruto had fallen into bed. Something that the entire family was used to.
"I wonder what he does that could make him so tired." Naruto's little sister mused as she read her book on the couch. The true meaning behind her words was so thinly veiled that it was a wonder why she did not outright say what she meant to.
"I'm sure your brother is just doing what all boys his age do, Natsume." Kushina replied while putting away the left over food she had initially set out for her late son. "I do wish he would at least call before I'd set his place though."
"Probably out causing havoc and mayhem." Minato chuckled from his place at the kitchen table. A mess of documents and other paperwork were strewn across the table. Ever since his son was born, Minato started taking his work home with him as often as possible so that he could at least be home and spend some time with his family.
"Has he asked for more of his allowance?" Natsume asked her mother, finally taking her eyes off of her book; one eyebrow raised.
"No." Kushina was quick to respond. "And even if he did, what your brother does with his money is up to him. We should only intervene should we suspect something illicit is going on."
Minato gave a grunt of agreement as he shifted through several papers. There was always so much paperwork.
Natsume did not push the subject any further and went back to her book. As she read, however, her mind could only focus on her mysterious brother. Her parents were not convinced, but she just had a feeling that her older brother was up to something. She just was not sure what and since she began her ninja training, Natsume had learned to go with gut feelings; just don't publicly announce them.
Every time Naruto would return home late, he would claim he was just hanging out with his friends. But, at the same time, he would rush right to his room and go straight to bed. Or so he claimed. Why would he rush right to his room if he didn't have anything to hide?
Natsume was not sure if her parents had already snuck into his room to see if there was anything worth hiding; since she had doubts either would tell her one way or another. She would have to go in herself and discover exactly what it was her brother was hiding.
In all honesty, she knew he was hiding dirty magazines and him rushing to his room was most likely him rushing to rub one out after getting some new material from his friends. She just wanted to find out where his stash was so that she could use it for blackmail later.
She was going to find out exactly what her brother was hiding and there was nothing that he or their parents could do to stop her.
"Oh, that's right." Minato finally looked away from his paperwork. "We got a request for a possible marriage between our family and neighboring country." He pulled out a small scroll from one of his many coat pockets.
Kushina gave her husband a disapproving glare. "You know how I feel about those kind of things." She said while slowly sitting down on the living room couch. She was frustrated that her swelling stomach was starting to make common, every day activities hard; once again.
"I know, I know." Minato said while quickly bringing his hands up defensively. "I don't really want to go along with it too, but it would at least help the relationship between us and them."
"I'm still not saying yes to this." Kushina pushed as she turned on the TV. The screen lit up to the evening news. "Those kind of relationships never work out; and our kids deserve to find someone of their own without their parents or politicians trying to influence them."
"Says the mother trying to get her friend to bring over her daughter to hook up their two kids." Natsume said without missing a beat; her eyes never left her book.
Kushina's head snapped over to give her daughter a nasty glare.
"Well," Minato thought it wise to continue instead of letting the possible fight from igniting. "It would be rude and possibly devastating to our current relationships if we just decided to ignore the request." He finally peeled himself away from his work to face the female members of his family. "So why don't we just show that we are at least 'considering' their request by sending one of our children along?"
Kushina looked at her daughter, who was giving her father a weary eye.
"No, no, no." Minato chuckled. "We won't be sending little Natsume." His expression suddenly hardened and became just outright terrifying. "No one is taking away my daughter." His tone held no room for any kind of argument and was enough to even make Kushina's blood run cold.
"I guess we will be sending Naruto then?" Kushina inquired. She could already hear her son's voice goraning and complaining about the whole ordeal.
"Of course!" Minato shouted happily. "It'll be a great experience for him. He'll finally get a chance to see the world outside of the village walls and begin forging his own path forward. Just a little push from his loving parents, such as this, is all he needs to get going."
If only he knew. If only they all knew. Maybe, if they had hesitated for just a moment. Maybe, if they had just decided against the while marriage request, then so much tragedy could have been avoided.
Unbeknownst to everyone in that household, the loving parents of Naruto Uzumaki just signed his fate with such a minor conversation.