It was early afternoon in the leaf village of Konahagakure. People were going about their normal day merchants peddling their wares to passing by civilians, leaf shinobi jumping over head. However it was not like this for a certain young boy. Naruto Uzumaki is a four year old boy with bright sunny blonde hair. He wears a black t-shirt with a red spiral in the middle that is covered in mud alongside a pair of short that was once white. What was unique about this boy is the three whisker marks adorning each of his cheeks. The blonde Uzumaki boy is currently running from a mob of villagers after being caught rummaging through the trash behind a local restaurant for food.
Cries of "Die demon", and "Go to hell you filthy fox," rang out among the gathered mob armed with an assortment of improvised weapons ranging from broken beer bottles to kitchen knives.
In an attempt to get away from the mob the whiskered boy ducked down an alley with a large wooden fence at the end of it. Naruto slid through a small gap in the fence big enough for him to fit through, but too small for the villagers chasing him. Naruto out of fear of being caught by the mob when they found him again continued running not paying attention to where he was going. In doing so he ran into someone tackling them to the ground. After crashing to the ground Naruto in a panic quickly curled up into a ball pulling his legs to his chest and covering his head with his hand.
"I'm sorry. Please just don't hurt me," he shouted with fear evident in his voice.
"Why would I hurt you it was only an accident," came kind feminine voice, "and beside you already apologized for it."
Hesitantly Naruto lifted his head as people in the past have used this move to make him lower his guard before beating him within an inch of his life before the ninja with the weird animal masks come and save him if they do not assist in the beating. However when the whiskered blonde looked up he did not see the normal smile with malicious intent hidden behind it, but a genuinely kind smile on the face of a woman with fair skin and long dark purple hair reaching slightly past her waist with two bangs framing her face reaching to her shoulders that appeared to be in her late twenties early thirties. Her eyes were pure white with no pupil at all. She was wearing a lavender kimono with sleeves reaching down to her mid forearm. Behind her was a young girl with the same color hair as he older woman only in a hime-cut. She was wearing tan kimono and her pupil less had a lavender tint to them. A few small patches of dirt and dust adorned her cloths and the little patches on her face did nothing to hide the small growing blush she had. When the whiskered blonde's gaze met her eyes the small blush grew to a deeper shade of red.
"Y you really a aren't g going to hurt m me," stammered the young boy.
"No not at all," replied the woman, "What were you running from?"
"There's the stupid demon get it," came a shout from down the road. The trio turned to face the voice only to see an anger mob. Upon seeing the mob the young Uzumaki's eyes widened as he quickly scrambled to his feet before bolting off away from the crowd down the road.
"Oh Kushina, if only you or Minato were still here," whispered the older woman as the mob chased after the boy.
"Mommy, who was that?" asked the young girl.
"Don't worry about it Hinata," responded the young girl's mother.
-Half an hour later-
Naruto is in the middle of one of the many forest that are scattered across Konaha sitting at the base of a large tree with his legs held close to his chest as he sobs uncontrollably. Suddenly he hears a dripping noise as it echoes around him. Looking up the whiskered blonde sees that he is no longer in the woods but instead a damp dark sewer.
"Where am I?" he questioned.
He sees one of the pipes lining the ceiling begin to glow with an ominous red aura. Slowly the aura begins to travel down the pipe and around the corner. Deciding to try and find a way out he follows the glow down the tunnel. After a few minute of walking the young blonde turns another corner only to end up in front of a massive cage with two large gates held together with a single piece of paper with the kanji for seal written on it. The cage was in complete darkness.
"So my jailer decided to visit me at such a young age to what do I owe this pleasure," came a demonic voice brimming with distaste.
"W who said that?" asked a frightened Naruto.
A single red orb with a vertical black slit appeared in the darkness as a deep reverberating growl sounded out. Startled by this the blonde child stumbled backward. The darkness vanished to reveal an orange fox the size of a large building with black markings around its slitted red eyes that stretch up its ears; its torso was oddly humanoid with the front paws resembling clawed hand more than paws. Nine large tails wave behind the fox.
"I guess you are too young to have heard the stories. Never the less you have good reason to be scared. I, am Kyuubi the nine tailed fox that attacked this village four years ago. On that accursed day I was sealed inside you," the towering fox growled out.
"Wait, I thought the Yondaime hokage killed the Kyuubi," the blonde questioned losing all fear in every sense of the word.
"Jeez talk about a one eighty in personality," thought the fox. "While I will admit that your Yondaime was strong for your weak little race not even he could defeat me," said the Kyuubi begrudgingly.
Don't insult the Yondaime fuzz butt," shouted Naruto as a tick mark appeared on his forehead.
"For the love of kami you look like him but you act like her," said the fox as a proverbial rain cloud appeared over its head.
"What do you mean I look like him but act like her?" questioned the blonde boy.
"I mean you look like Yondaime but you act like my previous container oh sweet mother of I got sealed into their kid," the fox said with a look of realization on its face.
"Wait what do you mean I look like the Yondaime?" the young Naruto inquired.
"You have got to be kidding me you look exactly like a younger Yondaime not to mention before I was sealed inside you I was sealed inside someone who I believe was your mother and she was always with the Yondaime," the large fox said with a groan.
"Wait, are you saying my dad was the Yondaime?" Asked Naruto with a slight bit of hope in his voice.
"Yes I am saying you are the son of the Yondaime and my previous host," the fox said with an unamused look on its face.
"Cool I am the son of my idol. Wait you said that my mother was your previous host what was she like?" wondered the young blonde.
"To put it simply a fiery red head with a temper shorter than you," said the fox with a bit of amusement in the jab he was able to get at the young boys height.
"Hey it's easy to call someone short when you're the size of a mountain," Naruto yelled as the tick mark reappeared on his forehead only twice the size as before.
"Well you defiantly have her temper I am curious what else you inherited from Kushina," said Kyuubi with a hint of mirth in his voice as he gazed at one of his claws.
"You seem upset all of a sudden. Are you okay K-. I'm sorry do I just call you Kyuubi or do you have an actual name that I can call you?" question the young Uzumaki.
"You can call me Kurama. You know you are the first of my three hosts to actually ask me my name, and I am fine just thinking of some things that I regret?" Said the now named Kurama still gazing at his claw.
"Well I got time to spare so why don't you tell me," said Naruto as a rare genuine smile crossed his face.
"Why not," responded Kurama, "The night you were born I was ripped out of your mother as her seal was at its weakest do to child birth. The moment that I was removed from your mother I was put under a Genjutsu and force to attack the village. While under control your Yondaime tried to seal me but the man controlling me in trying to prevent me from being sealed force me to attack your crying form but ended up causing me to impale your parents on one of my claws when they jumped in front of the attack. Shortly after that the justu your father was using to seal me finished and my Yang half was sealed away with him my yin half is what you see before you."
"It sounds like you are just miss understood," said the child in front of the towering beast, "it also sounds like you could use a friend. Will you be mine?" To say the Kyuubi was surprised would be like saying it was just big.
"You would want be friends with me despite knowing all that I have done to your family and village?" asked Kurama with more than a hint of disbelief in his voice. In all its year of existence the fox has yet to find a human as forgiving as this one.
"Of course like I said your just miss understood and you said it yourself you were under someone else's control when you did all of that," said the blonde as he reached out his fist toward the fox.
"You're a unique one that's for sure. Why not?" responded the fox as it reached one of its paws through the bars to bump fist with the young blonde.
"So, why does my mindscape look like a sewer, and how do I leave?" questioned Naruto as he looked around the room he was in.
"To leave just imagine yourself a way out, as for the sewer your mind scape is a representation of your mental state. My guess is it might be because of loneliness and slight depression," answered Kurama.
"Well hopefully it will get better after today." Naruto then began to fade from his mindscape. Waking up in the real world Naruto saw that the sun had begun to get low in the sky. "I wonder if old man Ichiraku is still open," thought the blonde absent mindedly after his stomach growled for attention.
"What is it with your clan and ramen?" groaned Kurama.
"Kurama, was that you?" asked the blonde aloud.
"Yes, I created a mental link between us before you left your mind so think what you want to say instead of letting people think you are insane because you talk to yourself," droned the fox.
"Okay. Wait did you say clan?" asked Naruto mentally."
"Yes, you are one of the last Uzumaki, and all three of you that I have been sealed in have been obsessed with those noodles," answered the fox.
"Can you tell me about them?" questioned the blonde boy.
"Another time there's a lot to tell. If you want to know more right now go to the library and read a book. Now I'm going to sleep so, don't bug me unless it's important," said the fox before lying down.
"Fine don't be helpful," said Naruto with a huff while somehow projecting the image of a chibi Naruto sticking his tongue out at the fox, "Well guess I am going to the library." Before he could continue his thoughts Naruto was cut off by a growl from his stomach and it wasn't from the Kyuubi, "After I get some ramen."
On his way out of the forest Naruto came across a young fox about the size of a small cat that resembled a mini one tailed Kyuubi without the black marking around the eyes stretching up its ears. It was caught in a hunter's snare trap by its hind leg. Naruto being the kind person he is, bent over and undid the snare.
Caught off guard by the sudden lack of restraint, the fox that was previously trying to flee despite the restraint tumbled over before looking up at the receding form of the blonde who freed him. After getting his fill at Ichiraku (that being about twenty bowls), Naruto snuck his way into the library having learned that the librarian hates him although now he knows that it is due to the fox and not his pranks. He made his way to the section for shinobi and found a book on clans. Flipping to the Us Naruto found that almost everything on the Uzumaki clan had been torn out or is too illegible to read.
"Dam it!" shouted the blonde before realization dawned on him and he quickly covered his mouth. Looking around to make sure he was not heard only to hear the sound of footsteps getting closer. Not wanting to get a beating after the one he got earlier Naruto ran diving out an open window before booking it away from the library in the direction of a life changing event.
After a while Naruto found himself outside the ally where he managed to temporarily escape the mob earlier. By this time the sun had long set past the horizon, the moon being high in the sky by now. Suddenly a pain filled scream pierced though the air coming from the other side of the fence. Naruto quickly ran and slid through the same gap from earlier made his way out of the other end of the ally to see a man jumping through a window with a sack over his shoulder. Muffled screaming could be heard coming from the sack. Naruto was dumb in many ways, but it is not hard to tell when someone is obviously being kidnapped.
Wanting to help Naruto mentally screamed, "Kurama do you think you could give me a hand here?" The fox opened one eye and through Naruto's eyes saw the kidnapping in progress before answering, "I can but every ninja of at least Chunin rank will know."
"I think that's a good thing," responded the blonde.
Kurama then push a little bit of his chakra through the seal putting Naruto in the initial jinchuriki stage giving him a more feral look by turning his nails into claws and elongating his canines to resemble fangs and deepening his whisker mark as whisps of red chakra swirled around him. Not knowing how to fight properly Naruto just charged head first fists swinging. Managing to land a hit due to his speed due to his height Naruto hit him in a place no man wants to be hit. The man hunched over covering his crotch dropping the sack with his hostage inside. Naruto quickly grabbed the bag and moved away with it. The kidnapper having regained himself after the hit to his manhood turned around glaring daggers at the blonde child that hit him. On his forehead was a Ninja's headband engraved with the symbol of the hidden cloud village Kumogakure. The now identified kumo ninja attempted to attack Naruto but was stopped when something pierced his arm looking over at his arm there biting down on his arm was the fox that Naruto had saved from the hunter's trap early.
Angered the man attempted to attack the fox but was again this time by a voice, "Eight trigrams sixty four palms." A piercing pain shot through his body as the kumo Shinobi barely managed to turn his head toward his attacker only to see a man appearing to be in his mid-thirties with long Black-ish brown hair reaching his upper back. He was wearing traditional, loose fitting robes with a long-sleeved, brown haori. Featureless pail eyes bore into the cloud ninja as the veins around the eyes of the new arrival bulged before the cloud nin fell limply to the ground dead After the fox attacked the cloud nin Naruto turned to free the man hostage. Untying the opening of the bag it fell reveling the you girl that Naruto tackled earlier wearing a purple nightgown. The girl looked up to see the same boy that ran into her early, only now his calm cerulean blue eyes were now a fierce and fiery crimson red with slit pupils. The thin whisker marks were now thicker, and even without her dojutsu she could see chakra swirling around him.
"Eight trigrams sixty four palms," upon hearing this Naruto and the now freed girl turned to see a man kill the kumo nin. Out of fear in seeing the kidnapper kill and being falsely believed to be an accomplice Naruto subconsciously channeling chakra to his legs ran for the hills. Unbeknownst to the fleeing blonde the silhouette of a small fox was following him it disappeared into a shadow and emerged was the silhouette of a young child flying across the moon. While passing by an alley way Naruto was grabbed by the Armand pulled into the darkness of the alley before falling into unconscious. When he came to he was in a cave and across from him was a boy who looked no older than he did tending to a small fire. The boy had orange hair with two tuffs resembling the ears of an animal he wore an orange T-shirt alongside a pair of shorts of the same color.
Upon seeing Naruto waking up he gaze upon him with eyes that looked like a the Kyuubi's only without the slit pupils, "Your awake about time."
"Who are you and where are we?" asked a still groggy Naruto.
"Call me Kitsudo, and we are in a cave near the forest that you saved me in," answered the mystery boy.
"What do you mean saved you? I have never seen you before," questioned the blonde.
"Not while I look like this you haven't," said the boy with a smirk. Just then the boy in front of Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke. When it disappeared in his place was the same fox from earlier. At the sight of an animal preforming what is in Naruto's eyes a kick ass justsu, said blonde did an impersonation of a catfish as his jaw hell to the floor.
"Impressed?" asked the fox.
"How did you do that?" questioned the blonde completely ignoring the fact that a fox other than the Kyuubi just spoke.
The small animal made the motion of raising a nonexistent eyebrow, "You question how I can do ninjustu, but not how I can talk?"
Realization dawning on him Naruto ask, "Wait how are you talking?"
"The same reason I can do justsu. I am a summon," said Kitsudo with a foxy grin on his face.
"What is a summon?" asked Naruto.
"It is an animal that a Shinobi can call upon via a special contract in the summoning realm, in my case foxes," explained Kitsudo.
"So what you're saying is if I sign a summoning contract with the foxes I could summon one of you," asked Naruto for clarification.
"Yes," answered Kitsudo simply. Naruto then got a wicked smile on his face, "Can I sign the fox contract?"
"Well part of the reason I brought you here is to see if you were willing to sign it," answered the small fox.
"Cool where is it?" asked Naruto. "Follow me," said Kitsudo before retreating farther into the cave.