Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nope not me. I do own any characters that are unique to this story however.

"Where… where am I…?"

A young boy found himself standing alone in an unknown village. As he looked around, he noticed something peculiar. Looking around he saw people. Or their bodies' anyway…

They lay about in the streets, as if they had suddenly been struck dead in the midst of their daily routines. He saw women laying amongst dropped groceries, men slumped over tables. Children lay in the street, a small ball still lightly rolling about in the wind.

They bore no marks, no signs of a struggle. Their faces were calm and peaceful. They almost looked as if they were sleeping…

If not for their eyes…

Each of their eyes were wide and blank, as if the life had simply been stolen from them. The village was utterly silent but for the wind through the streets.

Naruto looked about, his stomach clenching nervously at the sight before him.

"W-w-what's goin' on!" He asked. The wind answered him, a small gust suddenly picking up in response. And with it, the sound of crying.

Immediately following the noise, he took off through the village as fast as his small legs could carry him. Maybe there was someone alive; maybe they could tell him what had happened.

It took him a little while, a five year old boy could only move so fast after all.

He stopped in front of a small playground. As with every where else, there lay bodies, children's bodies, this time more grouped together, as if they had all been involved in a large group activity. Others lay limp on the swings, swinging still swung lightly, hauntingly, as if their occupants still propelled them. Yet they lay slumped against the chains, their eyes just as blank as all the others. Then where was the crying coming from…

He continued, walking through the eerily silent playground. Every now and then the creak of the swings would set his nerves on edge. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon, casting a deep orange glow upon the entire scene. As he came around the rather large slide, he found a young girl.

She looked to be no older than him, her pale blond, almost white hair, cascaded down her back to her waist. She was wearing a simple, child sized kimono and sandals.

She sat hunched, her face buried in her hands as she continued to weep. Slowly, Naruto approached her, hoping that maybe she could give him any idea as to just what the hell was going on here.

As he got within a few feet of her, she stopped crying, her small body tensed. Slowly she looked up.

Naruto gasped involuntarily as he found himself looking into a pair of deep, amber eyes.

"W-who are you?" She hiccupped. She wiped at her eyes pitifully, trying desperately to dry them enough. Naruto merely stared her, struck completely speechless.

For long moments they simply stared at one another.

Naruto finally found his voice. Scratching the back of his head, a habit he had developed just recently, he extended his other hand, his face splitting into a wide grin, "Hey, my name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

The girl simply looked at him, her gold eyes shinning with tears. After a moment she reached up her own hand, grasping his lightly. He felt an odd surge of energy flow from her hand into his, warmth which seemed to originate from their point of contact. Her lips broke into a small smile.

"My name is Kana…"

Dreams and Destiny

Chapter 1: Dreams and the beginning of a new life.

Naruto woke slowly as he became aware of himself once again. Remembering the dream, he shot forward upright, slamming his head into the bottom of the bunk above him.

"ITAI!"

He looked about nervously, hoping that none of the other kids heard him. There weren't that many in the orphanage, and those who did come were found good homes quickly enough.

All except for him however.

After nursing his poor head and making sure that the others were still sound asleep, Naruto quietly made his way out from under his rather meager covers. Though he knew better (from previous punishments) to voice his complaints out loud, he knew for a fact that the bed covers which he was provided were far less comfortable or warm than the others. Concluding that everything was indeed in order, he quietly began to tip-toe out the door, making his way down the small hallway of the orphanage towards the entrance.

To be honest, he did not really need to bother sneaking out at night. He had discovered some time ago that the orphanage did not really care, and had even overheard several of them mention how it would make everything easier if he simply managed to get himself lost one day. He snuck out anyway, his attempt at stealth helping to convince him, at least to some degree, that he was doing something rebellious. It created the illusion in his mind that maybe, just maybe, they might come in the room while he was gone, and that they would panic and go out searching for him. They would find him, yell at him for sneaking away, and then tell him how frightened they were for his safety…

As he made his way out into the dimly lit streets of Konoha, he began to wonder at the odd dream that he had had before waking up. It remained strong in his mind, the details remaining clear and fresh despite the onset of reality. His hand still felt warm, and he clenched it tightly hoping to keep that warmth trapped there. Despite the foreboding nature of the dream, for some reason it left him feeling… warm.

For the first time in his life he no longer felt so alone.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, a worried frown creasing his features as he considered what he had seen just a few minutes ago. It had happened again. There was no mistaking that energy that he had felt while Naruto lay dreaming in his bed. Kyuubi's chakra had begun to react to something. That in itself was worrisome, but what distressed him even more was that, just shortly after he had witnessed the Kyuubi chakra resonate, his scrying orb had gone completely dark.

The first of these odd occurrences had happened five years ago following a report stating that the population of an entire village, the Hidden Spirit Village, had been utterly wiped out over night. There were no signs of an attack, nothing. It was as if they had simply ceased to live. His scouts had searched the village, but were unable to find any survivors. It was during this time that these strange and disturbing phenomenon began, often while he had been keeping a discreet watch over the Naruto, and they had been occurring regularly since. What really disturbed him was that, like with Naruto last night, any attempts to scry on the village were met with nothing. The scrying orb simply would not activate.

There were few forces in this world that could actually block his scrying orb. Only powerful wards used by other Kage were capable of thwarting his divination, and even then he could generally see something. But what had happened just now had been a complete black out, as if some powerful energy had briefly blanketed the entire area, nullifying all attempts at scrying. In mere minutes the strange force had left and he was once again able to see Naruto clearly once more as he snuck his way out of the orphanage, something which the poor young boy did nearly every night.

He could not shake the sinking feeling that someone had in fact survived the destruction of the village. And he knew that, in some way, this was tied to Naruto as well.

Forcing himself to let go of his troubled thoughts, Sarutobi turned his mind back to more important matters. Tomorrow would be the last day for Naruto in the orphanage, and there were arrangements that he would have to make for him. They were not the best accommodations, but unfortunately they would have to do. He had also personally made sure that Naruto would have his chance in the academy starting the day after tomorrow as well, and he could only hope that he would find more acceptance there than he had now.

As he sat there in contemplation, his attention turned out towards the village outside his window, towards the monument which sat like a figure head overlooking the village. He focused his old eyes on the great carved face on the far right, sighing deeply.

"How did this all go so wrong?" He asked softly. The great stone face merely retained its eternally silent vigil. Sighing again, he sat there for a few more moments to watch the sun rise over the top of the Hokage monument, spreading its glow across the waking village below.

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted.

Clearing his throat, the ninja standing before him once again reiterated "You are to come with me to a new place of lodging. Starting tomorrow you will also be sent to the ninja academy to study the ways of the shinobi. This is the Sandaime's will." The scowl on his face made it perfectly clear that he was none too pleased with the decision to allow this 'demon' into the academy at all. The Hokage's decision was final however.

Naruto's whole body began to shake as he nearly began to burst with excitement. To be sent to the ninja academy, he never thought that he would even be allowed. Now he would be able to prove himself to everyone! Pumping his fist into the air, Naruto began to run around the main room of the orphanage, back and forth across the room. The messenger merely stood there, a large sweat drop forming as he considered the energy of the little brat in front of him. Maybe the Hokage really was getting senile? He couldn't imagine any truly sane person allowing such a bundle of energy and noise to become a ninja. And that was not even taking into consideration that which he carried inside of him.

After running off a bit of his excitement, Naruto dashed back to his room, nearly knocking over several other kids and even an adult as he zipped past. Coming to his bunk, he began to pack away his meager belongings into a small sack, hefting it over his shoulder as he proceeded back into the common area. After filling out the necessary paper work, the blond haired youth and the older ninja made their way towards Naruto's new home.

Looking down at the young boy walking so cheerfully next to him, the older man could not help but feel a little of his resentment melt away. Was this really the creature who had destroyed their village, he certainly didn't seem like it. In fact, in many ways, he reminded him of himself all those years ago after the 'incident'.

"Ne mister!"

He was shook from his thoughts as the young boy shouted at him. Letting out a small puff of air, he turned to look down at him, trying his best to put on a stern expression "What?"

"What's your name? Or should I just call you mister?" Naruto grinned.

Idly scratching his nose around the scar that ran across the bridge, he decided to answer his question. It wouldn't really matter since he wouldn't be dealing with him for much longer anyways.

"Iruka."

"Okay then Iruka-san!" Naruto chirped before turning his head back to the road.

Iruka considered him for a moment more before he turned back as well. He had to remind himself that the kid was a demon, no matter how innocent his appearance might be.

It had taken nearly an hour to cross town towards the new apartment. Normally it should not have taken so long, but after a few minutes the boy had started jabbering non-stop about how hungry he was. He just wouldn't shut up.

Finally giving in, Iruka decided to make a quick stop at a local ramen stand, the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, hoping that a quick bowl might soothe him enough so that they could walk the rest of the way in some degree of silence.

Upon making the stop, he had immediately ordered his usual of simple beef ramen. Naruto, never really having anything other than the rather poor fare provided by the orphanage, was at a complete loss as to what to get. He also seemed quite shocked that anyone was actually willing to treat him to a meal. After some rather difficult consideration, which included a bombardment of questions, Iruka simply took the initiative and ordered a simple beef ramen for Naruto as well. With his stomach full, he hoped that they would continue on their way. He had classes that he had to teach after all.

Oh how wrong he was…

After his first bite, Naruto got kind of a glazed look to his eyes which, frankly, Iruka found quite disturbing and a little foreboding. The blond haired demon boy then proceeded to literally attack the bowl of noodles with a savagery that made the demons attack on the village seem tame by comparison. After the bowl had been thoroughly consumed, Iruka brought out some yen as he paid for their meal. Before he could pay however, Naruto had already ordered a second bowl…

Now, almost 45 minutes later, Naruto was still going at it! What the hell had he gotten himself into, and how the hell was he supposed to know that boy would become addicted to the stuff? Who the hell becomes addicted to ramen? These thoughts rampaged through his mind as he watched with a mixture of complete awe and utter revulsion as the nine-year old boy currently slurped down the last few noodles of his eighth bowl. HIS EIGHTH BOWL!

Finally satisfied, Naruto slumped back in his chair, belching loudly, as he patted his stomach several times before turning a large grin back to the older man.

Tears flowing down his cheeks, Iruka set a large wad of cash on the counter, which was quickly scooped up by the VERY happy ramen chef.

"THANK YOU MISTER RAMEN MAN!"

He merely grinned back in return.

Iruka's tears continued unabated as they left the stand. Thank god he would never have to go through that again…

Sarutobi could not help but chuckle as he watched the two of them at the ramen stand, wincing sympathetically every now and then for Iruka's plight. He had been worried at first regarding Iruka's reaction to the boy, but it seemed as though he was warming up a bit to him already. They shared similar childhoods and it would be good for the both of them. Besides, Iruka would be teaching Naruto starting tomorrow, so it was best that they at least become acquainted with each other before hand.

Iruka and Naruto stood looking at the building before them. It was somewhat large, though considerably run down, with planks of wood hanging off of it haphazardly. The whole neighborhood around it was not much better.

And what was that smell?

"…"

Iruka looked down at the boy standing next to him. Naruto stood there with a blank look on his face, no emotion whatsoever. A cold wind blew past.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He yelled suddenly.

Taking a moment to recover from the ringing in his ears, Iruka felt himself wondering the same thing. These were the accommodations the Hokage had made for Naruto? Though he tried to convince himself that this is what the boy deserved, this just seemed criminal.

"Don't worry; I'm sure this was all just a mistake and that…"

"THIS IS GREAT! YOU MEAN THIS MY PLACE NOW, MY PLACE!" Naruto shouted.

Good god the kid was actually overjoyed about this…

"Well yeah I guess this is but we really should… Naruto?" Iruka trailed off as he found himself looking at the empty space the hyperactive boy had occupied just a second ago. A crashing sound from inside the apartment answered his silent question, and he chuckled slightly despite himself.

"Looks like he's making himself right at home."

Naruto wasted no time getting the place set up. Which of course meant wreaking random destruction all about before he was finally satisfied that everything was in order. He still couldn't believe his luck; he finally had his own place! A place where he could go and escape the glares, the cold looks.

Well, that guy Iruka was not too bad; he was actually nice enough to treat him to some ramen. He began to salivate 'Mmmmmmmmm, ramen'. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he remembered the small envelope that Iruka had given to him before he left. Opening it he found a small wad of yen, as well as a note from some guy named Sarutobi.

Dear Naruto.

I apologize for the sub-par accommodations, but unfortunately it was the best that even I could arrange for you given the situation. Contained in this envelope is enough money to get you started on the necessities; Food, clothes, and other general needs. I will continue to send money every week.

I would also like to take this time to offer my best wishes for you when you enter the academy. It is my fondest wish that you be able to find a place where you can belong and grow, and I can only hope that things will turn out for the best. There is much that lies ahead of you, challenges which you will be faced with…

Best wishes.

Sarutobi.

After reading over the note, Naruto wondered at the contents for the moment before shrugging it off. Whoever this Sarutobi was, he seemed cool enough, but his letter was a bit weird, all this talk of challenges and what-not.

Oh well.

Looking back at the money in his hand, he figured that he would have to go out and buy some new clothes. His plain black t-shirt and dusty brown pants simply would not do. He had also seen a supermarket on his way here, and he found out from Iruka that they actually had microwaveable ramen! He would have to stock up on that!

With that thought burning in his mind, he raced out the door.

As he left Naruto at his apartment, Iruka's mind was churning with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He could still feel the resentment, the hatred that he had held for the nine-tailed fox. He felt it just as strongly as he ever had. The great demon fox, whose rampage stole his family from him, still played a staring role in his nightmares as he relived that horrible day over and over in his sleep. And like many of the villagers, he had grown up despising the legacy of that horrible night, that boy to whom the demon had been bound.

Yet upon meeting Naruto, he could not bring himself to feel that hatred, that loathing that he had felt for so long. There was no way that that boy could possibly be the demon fox. Naruto had been irritatingly cheerful, full of life and mischief. About the only thing that boy could slaughter (which he had just discovered, at the expense of his wallet) was a bowl of ramen.

He made it a point to treat the young boy with more civility if he saw him in the future.

The next day:

Iruka's eye twitched as he saw just who entered his class room. There was certainly no mistaking him; those bright blue eyes, whisker marks, that insufferable grin. But what really irritated him was the outfit.

Naruto stood there decked out in one of the most gaudy, bright orange outfits he had ever seen. Is this what the kid bought with the money that Hokage-sama had provided! What kind of ninja, even a potential ninja in training, would wear such a thing? Dressed like that he wouldn't even be able to sneak past a deaf/blind man in a completely dark room, much less trained guards and certainly other ninja. He just hoped that his fashion sense would mature a bit as time went on.

The rest of the class erupted into chaos at the newcomer, their eyes locked on the blond boy standing there before them. An odd comment along the lines of 'how troublesome' somehow managed to make itself heard above the general clamor.

"HEY, MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO!" He yelled, his voice carrying easily over the voices through the room.

"Ok then, that's good Naruto. Now go take your seat." Iruka stated, pointing in the general direction. Naruto immediately took off at full speed, looking about for a good place. Eventually he came across a row where there sat young girl with rather interesting pink hair. He tired smiling at her, though his expression faltered a bit when she did not even pay any attention to him, her gaze currently locked on another student sitting a few seats away. Looking over, he figured he might as well get to know that guy.

"HEY, I'M NARUTO" He yelled again. The young boy turned towards him, his red eyes regarding him without any real interest. Grunting in response, he turned back to his apparently eternal scowl.

'Geeze what was with everyone?' He thought to himself. As if he didn't have to deal with the cold shoulder enough on the street, he at least hoped that he could make some friends here.

"Just sit down Naruto!" Iruka yelled up at him. Naruto 'humphed' then plopped himself down between the rude (but rather cute) pink haired girl and the rude bastard.

"There, well now that we are all seated maybe we can finally start the day off. First off I want to welcome all you first years to the ninja academny and I hope that all of you will be able to grow into fine ninjas and protectors of Konoh…" He was cut off by a rather loud noise as he sat in his chair.

'ppppptttttttthhhhhhhh!'

Iruka's face darkened as the class went utterly silent before erupting into laughter.

"AHA HA HA HA HA! Iruka-sensei farted!" Naruto jeered as he stood up, basking in the glory of his awesome prank. On one side Sakura tried her best to look mortified, even as her inner self was congratulating him on a job well done, currently standing in salute. Sasuke merely closed his eyes, a tired, irritable sigh escaping his mouth.

Iruka's eye twitched spasmodically, the large vein in his forehead pulsed angrily. Shooting up, he jammed a trembling finger at the blond as he was currently bowing in front of the class, the skin of his hand just as red as his face.

"N-NARUTO, C-C-CORNER!" He managed to sputter.

Naruto proceeded to the corner, still chuckling hysterically. Trying to control the pounding in his head, Iruka rubbed at his temples, wondering what god he had possibly offended to be saddled with such a horrid fate.

It was going to be a long school year.

Making his way home, Naruto's head hung dejectedly, his eyes downcast and shadowed. Today had not been the best of days. Though his whoopee cushion prank at the beginning of class had been a riot, and the hiding of the chalk when the class had taken their break, and the slanderous note which Iruka confiscated and read, only to be humiliated by the fact that the note had been about him…

Despite that, despite the attention that he received from the rest of the class, he was nonetheless filled with an overwhelming feeling of loneliness when the day came to a close. He had left the academy, only to see a small crowd of parents gathered outside. They congratulated their children for the completion of their first day, many of them watching proudly as their children displayed what they had learned. Thus Naruto was forced to head back home by himself.

As he neared his small apartment, night had already fallen, the electric lights along the street just beginning to light up. Walking through his front door, his melancholy began to fade as he prepared for bed. For the past five years he had been having recurring dreams nearly every night, dreams which, at least for the night, helped to dispel the loneliness which was such a common theme in his day to day existence. It was because of these dreams that he had found himself able to maintain a cheerful attitude despite the coldness and cruelty that he was subjected to day after day after day.

He was looking forward to sleep.

AN: So how was it? This is a pilot chapter for a new idea that I am brewing, and thus far I think that it is going rather well. This story is going to be quite large as I am planning on having this take place from the very beginning of the series.

I have also been dying to write a scene depicting Naruto's first taste of ramen and frankly I think it turned out very well.

For those of you who might be wondering why Naruto was able to shrug off the horrifying sight he encountered in the dream, bare in mind that he was very young when he had it, not to mention that before he met Iruka he was not one of the most cheerful individuals around. That's my justification at least.

I will hopefully have the next chapter up soon, though I am also currently working on my other story Through Crimson Eyes as well