Oh dear...starting yet another story...yikes. Well, I've had this one swimming around in my head for awhile, and I needed to get it out...This is quite unlike anything I've ever written, so I hope I don't disappoint! (this is an alternate universe, by the way)

Details: Sixteen years ago, there was a devastating attack on the village of Konoha, one that was initiated by the Ravens, an elusive sect of divine beings. The Ravens were defeated, though just barely. Since that day, the villagers have feared that another attack is on the horizon. Because of this, the yearly Test was issued. If one were to pass the Test, one would be granted admittance to The Edge, a colony in which the brightest and most skilled of the villagers receive advanced training in their area of expertise.

Sixteen years ago, two boys were brought into the world, destined from the start to become rivals, though how deep that rivalry went, neither could begin to imagine.

Sixteen years ago, a Queen left her heir to be raised by another.

Sixteen years ago, a demon sacrificed himself for the future of his child.

For sixteen years, two young men have remained in ignorance of their lineage.

The time has come for the curtain to be lifted.

Chapter 1: Awakening

Look to the sky, when night is darkest.

Look to the sky, when night is longest.

Look to the sky, when night has fallen.

If the Raven flies, all shall be forsaken.

He was asleep. Dreaming of things that he did not know, things that he could barely touch. Some images were clear as crystal, others blurred and muddy. He floundered in this place, trying to get his bearings. Deeper and deeper he traveled, until he stumbled upon a spot where the mist parted. He saw a man, one who looked very much like himself, with blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Those eyes pierced him, held him, would not release him. It was as if they spoke to him without truly speaking, for the words were burned into his very mind.

It is time, my son, time for you to remember who you are, what you are. Your human flesh is but an illusion, a temporary house for the being within. I tell you, humanity was never yours. In your heart, you know it is true. You have always been different, destined for something far greater than this. It is time, my son. Do not be afraid.

The eyes changed then, going from blue to blood red. The pupils were no longer round, but slit like a cat. The face elongated to form a muzzle full of razor sharp teeth. His skin fell away, his body grew, and one by one, each of his nine tails took shape.

I have awakened after years of sleep. The pieces are beginning to move.

I will speak with you again soon.

Do not be afraid.

Naruto woke, gasping for breath, his head reeling with dizziness. He clutched at his chest, where his heart drummed beneath his hand. When he looked around in the darkness, he realized that he was in his hut, the same place that he had been before he went to sleep. He began to calm a little as he felt the familiar toughness of the straw mattress under him, heard the whisper of the wind through his window.

It was just a dream. A stupid, trippy dream. It must be my nerves getting to me. I'm finding out the results of the Test in a few hours, after all.

But if it was only a dream, why was he afraid?

Squeezing his eyes shut, Naruto made out the image of the demon that haunted him, the demon that turned him into an outcast among his own people, the demon who had been sealed away inside of his body by the Fourth to save the village.

Kyuubi.

He's awake...he's awake, and he's inside me.

He called me his son.

"I'm being ridiculous," he said out loud to himself. "I mean, come on! Oh, 'it's time for you to see who you really are.' I know who I am! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of the Village of the Hidden Leaf! And I'm going to be accepted into The Edge today, damn it! They can't turn me down again! I totally owned the Test this year!" Naruto scoffed, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I did much better than Sasuke, the bastard. I'm gonna laugh when I get to go on ahead and he has to stay here."

The image of his archenemy groveling before him on the ground was enough to erase any sense of foreboding that Naruto felt due to the dream. He smiled in contentment, stretched, and got up. The sun was just beginning to poke over the clouds as he did a round of morning exercises to get his blood flowing, and the birds chirped in the background. He did not waste any time to ready himself, as he was anxious to set out for the Main Hall. The results would be read when the sun rose to its fullest, and they would not be paused for latecomers.

This was Naruto's third time taking the Test: out of all of his yearmates, the only one to pass on the first go was Shikamaru. Neji and Lee were accepted to The Edge after two tries, leaving the rest to hope and pray that the third time proved to be the winner. Though it all, Naruto and Sasuke were neck-in-neck with each other, to the surprise of the examiners and spectators. Many believed that Sasuke had the most potential out of any of the hopefuls, writing Naruto off as a lost cause. However, all had been mistaken. Naruto and Sasuke were evenly matched, and the blond boy began to earn more respect now than he'd ever had in childhood.

"Today's the day," he said as he walked. "I'm not going to be a nobody anymore."

"Naruto!" A girl with petal-pink hair ran to catch up with him. "Have you seen Sasuke?" She asked when she reached his side. "I stopped by his house, but nobody answered."

It's always Sasuke with her, Naruto fumed. What's he got that I don't? He's always...brooding about something, and it's irritating!

"I have no idea where that idiot is," Naruto said, trying to keep the glumness from his voice. "Hopefully face-down in a pile of crap," he added under his breath.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that my ears don't work?" She grinned, and linked her arm through Naruto's. "I was just asking, no need to get snappy."

Though she put up an effort to appear calm, Naruto could feel her arm tremble, and his expression softened. He'd always loved Sakura, even if she didn't show any interest, and he was very sensitive to her emotions.

"Nervous?" He inquired gently.

Sakura bit her lip. "Yeah. Oh, Naruto, what if I really am useless? What if the examiners saw nothing in me but another mouth to feed?" A few traitorous tears spilled from her emerald eyes, and she swiped them away with the pads of her fingers.

Naruto understood her feelings, as he'd thought the same things nearly every day of his young life. He maneuvered the arm linked through hers around her waist, and pulled her against him. Sakura did not resist, as she normally would have, and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You're not useless, Sakura. You're a quick thinker, and you can see through illusions and spells better than anyone else." His arm tightened. "Trust me, everything will be fine."

By the time they reached the Hall, a crowd had gathered near the front steps. Naruto glimpsed Sasuke's black hair among the mass of bodies, and his brow furrowed. Of course, Sakura began tugging Naruto in the other boy's direction, and he had no choice but to follow her.

"Sasuke-kun! Why didn't you wait for us?" She demanded, hands on hips.

"You were slow," he replied with a shrug, which reminded Naruto of why he detested Sasuke so much.

"Acting all high and mighty, as usual," Naruto said. He jammed his finger against Sasuke's chest. "You won't be singing that song after this is over."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Here we go again...

The tossing of insults back and forth that accompanied a meeting between rivals began, and it showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

An arm was slung over her shoulders, and Sakura turned to see her best friend Ino.

"Looks like they're having fun," she said, motioning to Naruto and Sasuke.

"It's so juvenile," Sakura muttered, and forced herself to look away. "I think they were born hating each other or something."

Ino grinned. "Boys will be boys, I suppose. How're you holding up?"

"About ready to fall to pieces," Sakura answered, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground.

"Me too. I almost puked when I woke up."

Sakura laughed. Her friend's bluntness was always amusing.

"All right, listen up!" A sharp voice cut through all the nervous chatter (and insults, on Naruto and Sasuke's part).

Heads turned, silence fell.

Master Iruka, the Head Examiner, leaned up against the railing near one side of the steps. Once he was sure he had everyone's attention, he continued.

"Most of you have been through the drill, but I'll repeat it anyway. When your name is called, you may enter and hear your results. If you failed, you will be permitted to take the Test again next year. The proctors have information regarding dates and times, so see one of them on your way out. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master Iruka," came the reply of all.

"Good," he nodded. "Now, let's get started..."

Among Naruto's friends, Sakura was the first to be called.

"Haruno Sakura!"

She exchanged glances with those around her. "Well...here goes." Squaring her shoulders, the pink-haired girl marched up the steps and went through the double doors, determined to accept whatever was dealt her. It seemed like she was gone forever, but when she finally emerged, her face was drawn and pale.

"Well?" Naruto asked.

"Breeder," she spat, her voice cracking. "I'm to be the whore to whomever The Edge assigns me. This is an honor, they told me. I should be proud that my genes are desirable..." she could not say any more, for her emotions threatened to get the better of her.

Wordlessly, Ino folded Sakura into a hug, her own hands trembling.

I would rather fail than have to give myself away like that, she thought, and was filled with rage for her friend, fear for herself. But it might be my fate, too...

Naruto wanted to break down the doors and tear off the head of whoever came up with that verdict for his Sakura. He shook with anger at the injustice of it, and would have flown up the stairs had Sasuke not restrained him.

"It's done," he whispered into Naruto's ear. "And there's nothing we can do. I don't like it any more than you, but that's the way things are."

As much as he hated it, Naruto knew that Sasuke was correct. The Examiners decisions were final in regards to where a person was suited in The Edge, and no amount of protesting would change their minds. Naruto slumped, and Sasuke let go of him.

As the two boys were towards the end of the alphabet, they had quite a while to wait before their names came up. A few more of their yearmates were passed, including Kiba, as a tracker, and Shino, a sword master.

Iruka came out on the steps again.

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Without a backward glance, Sasuke went.

"Stealth," he said when he returned. He could not suppress his smirk. "Who's singing, huh?"

Though he was still indignant over Sakura, that didn't stop Naruto from retorting, "If you got in, then anyone can."

"Whatever. The pressure's on you now, runt."

Iruka cut him off before he could reply.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

Oh good lord...okay, you can do this, just put one foot in front of the other...go on...

Sasuke made a point. The pressure was on him, and he felt it like a dead weight. If he failed, then he would be the one to look like an idiot yet again.

No! That's not gonna happen! I worked too hard to fail!

The Examiners all turned to him when he entered the common room of the Hall, and sweat began to bead on the back of Naruto's neck. He gulped.

"Well, we meet again, whipper-snapper," said a cheerful voice. Godaime smiled at him, her dimples showing. "This is your third time, is it not?"

"Yes," Naruto croaked. He cleared his throat, and repeated, "Yes, Godaime-sama."

Her smile grew wider. "Oh, none of that. You've never been polite with me before, so why start now?"

Naruto could not even manage a laugh.

"Anyway," Tsunade waved her hand, "I don't feel like dragging this out, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. You're in, kiddo. Be at the Border tomorrow morning at eight sharp."

Woah...what just happened? That was...fast!

He was not aware that he was staring until Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"I figured you'd be ecstatic, Naruto. What's the problem?"

"Er..." The realization set in that he was going to The Edge, and he wanted to say a million things at one time. "Problem? There's no problem! I'm in! Thanks, granny!" Naruto's face fell suddenly. "Wait...the others all got specific positions, like stealth and stuff. What about me?"

Tsunade tapped her fingers together. "Well...you're a first, Naruto. We don't know where to put you, to be honest. So, we decided that you'll be a floater."

He did not like the sound of that.

"A floater?"

"Yes," Tsunade grinned. "You get to be special and hang out with all the groups until someone claims you. No one else has that privilege."

Much better.

"Sweet!" Yes! That's so much better than Sasuke! Stealth...bah! And maybe I can watch out for Sakura, too...

"As much as I love to chat, we still have a few people left, so you'd better book it." Tsunade pointed out. "You're making the delay longer."

At his folly, Naruto blushed, said a hasty goodbye, and backed out of the room, feeling as if he could burst.

Of course, he made a fuss about his new status to his friends (and his rival, in particular), and told Sakura that he'd stick to her like glue. She smiled for him, though on the inside, she knew that such a promise could not be kept.

Unless...unless I get assigned to him...

The thought made her uncomfortable, so she banished it.

The rest of the results did not take long after that, the last person being Ino. She, too, became a Breeder.

"At least we'll be in the same boat," she said shakily when she rejoined Sakura. "We can give each other moral support..."

Sakura nodded, and gave Ino a hug. The life that had been chosen for them would not be easy, but in this world, nothing ever was.

Later that night, Naruto dreamed again.

He was facing a dark cell, one of many in this corridor. The Kyuubi paced behind the metal bars, his hackles raised. It was obvious that he was agitated.

It has happened. I should have foreseen this, but I was foolish. The Queen has made her move, she has sent one of her subordinates. She is calling her son home. He has been branded with the seal, Naruto.

That was the first time Kyuubi called him by name.

I must tell you now what I could not before. I must tell you who I am.

I must tell you who you are.

"What do you mean?" The dream Naruto asked. "I know who I am!"

No, you do not. I must tell you. Will you listen?

He pondered telling the fox to screw off and let him sleep, but he thought the better of it.

"Fine."

Sixteen years ago, something went wrong. A fox that was meant to slay a village could not do such a thing. He had taken a human shape to satisfy the desires of his master, but in the time that he spent in the village, be became human. He fell in love with a human woman, and she gave him a half-human son. He loved the people of this village, and he did not want to see them perish. When the Ravens flew across the sky, he knew that the time had come to make a choice: to be loyal to his master, or loyal to his people.

He thought of his son, his wife, those who trusted him.

In the end, he chose to seal himself into the body of a child to give the people hope, for they did not know of his true identity.

Kyuubi paused, and his eyes met with Naruto's.

I am the man who was called Yondaime.

I sealed myself inside my son.

So there's the first chapter! Intrigue galore, I know. ::grins::