Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Trust me; you don't want me with that much power in my hands.

Finally got another movement completed. I'm sorry for the delay, but lets just say my computer needs some major corrective surgery. Hopefully I wont' have to go through this nightmare ever again. Anyways, please enjoy...

Movement 3 – Hatred

Many say that its love that is the human race's greatest triumph. They say that this is the emotion that can overcome all. They say that love is what makes us humans truly unique.

I think that's a load of shit...

Why would I think that? Mostly because of my upbringing, however biased or prejudicial it might be. No, love is powerful, but I've seen first hand and for my entire life the true power of the human race.

And that is hatred...

I don't have a doubt in my mind of this. Hate corrupts, and corrupts fully. And despite what some people might try to say to me, hate can never be truly removed: it lingers in the human heart, much like a cancer, waiting to grow yet again.

And it doesn't stop with infecting one person. Given the chance, hate will spread, even to those with no reason to have it. That's why Hate is so powerful, because we all have it.

Even me, I have it myself. I hate this village, and yet at the same time I love it. I despise most of the people, and yet I would give my life for any of them. I wish I never was born, and yet I am so grateful for what I've been able to do up to now. Life's funny that way, isn't it?

But there's one thing I had yet to understand: the reason I was despised so much. I'm not completely in the dark. I am the Jinchuuriki: container of the King of the Tailed Demons.

This king goes by the name of Kiyubi. Yet for what little information I had, I was nowhere near finding out how or even more important: why?

Seems like you find help in all the unusual places...

Sakura could be seen taking her short training break walking through the park to calm her mind, knowing when she got back Tsunade would be ten times harder on her. Frankly though she brought it on herself...

Earlier that Morning...

Tsunade had a vein in her forehead that looked like if it popped, she would die from blood loss. Did she just hear what she thought she heard from her apprentice!

"What...did you just ask of me?" she said rather irritant, but mostly out of shock.
"I asked if you know anything about Naruto's demonology. Anything about how the Kitsune affects his body."
"Why the hell would you want to learn that! Do you even realize what you're asking!" the kage shouted, her palms slapping on the top of her 10th desk that year, causing it to break.

Sakura was rather taken back: why would her sensei act like this over a medical request? If anything, she assumed her sensei would be delighted to see her ask about something most likely advanced medical training.

The part of Tsunade that rubbed off on Sakura, decided to step in and take some initiative.

"I know damn well what I'm asking! Why don't you calm down and talk to me in a normal tone, instead of blasting out at me sensei!" shouted back the kunoichi.

Tsunade paused, and then grumbled a bit under her breath. She walked over to one of the many bookshelves adorning her office, peering through the shelves.

"Listen Sakura," she said, considerably more calm then before. "This isn't an easy subject to study. Along with the usual difficulties of demons having different anatomies, one must also take into account their powers, abilities, life spans, diet, and their chakra which is entirely different from yours or mine. Plus as far as research goes, it's rare for anyone with knowledge to find a demon's body to study, and all the main countries forbid such research altogether on punishment of death."

"I'm not asking you to teach me Tsunade-shishou, but if you have any information at all, I'm humbly asking for you to let me see it," said Sakura, and bowed to signify her sincerity.

After a few minutes Tsunade seemed to have found what she was looking for, she pulled from one of the shelves a dusty tome, and tossed it to Sakura, who caught it and found it to be pretty hefty.

"If there's anything at all useful to a medical student, it would be in there. You may keep that book as long as you wish, but I do expect it to return, and for it to remain put away when I train you."

Sakura nodded at her sensei's words, prepared for her basic morning spar with the Kage. Hopefully after her work shift she could take a peek at the book.

Present Time...

Imagine her surprise to find her team-mate meditating in the park. From what she knew of the boy, Sakura imagined Naruto never getting up until noon unless he had to. Still, she thought, now would be a good time to get some insight on her new study.

Many people look at me and think 'no fucking way that kid does meditation. I'd sooner be a lottery winner.' Well, best get yourself a stub while ya can jerk! Ero-sennin taught me a few basics (or as much as he could remember from his younger days, seeing as he never used them), and he told me to try it out for a week and see if I can't feel the difference. I was skeptical at him: I mean, anything Ero-sennin suggests carries the risk of becoming more like him. Still, he was right, there was a difference. I could focus and mold chakra so fast, I was able to pull out jutsu at now twice the speed.

One downside was that when I do this, I completely lose track of the outside world. A downside I learned by getting a swift, hard, punch to the temple...

"Yeow!" yelped Naruto, as he felt a sharp pain on his head. He rubbed the spot rigorously as he looked up to see his assailant: Sakura-chan.

"Finally, I was yelling at you for about 4 minutes now. This is no way to treat a friend, Naruto-kun," said Sakura, punctuating her annoyance with a 'hmph.'

She had been calling me that for about a month now, and even then it was like I was dreaming. Ah well, if I am asleep, the person who wakes me better be in for a very angry Naruto.

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly, and smiled goofily at his friend. "Sorry Sakura-chan, I'm not very perceptive when I'm meditating."

Sakura just sighed and plopped down next to Naruto on his meditation spot in the park grass.

"Actually, I was hoping to run into you Naruto-kun, I had a question buzzing around in my head for a while."
"Shoot!" said Naruto, giving his wide smile to the girl.
"Naruto-kun, what do you know about the Kitsune?"

Well that came out of left field, so to speak. When she asked me, my first instinctive reaction was to panic and try to figure out how Sakura found out. Then after I calmed down a bit, I remembered that she was told by that old hag we met during a mission to the Sand. I remember her asking how one quits being a jinchuriki, and how the hag just simply told her: die.

My second reaction was what the hell to say to the girl. Frankly, from what little contact I had with the beast, I didn't know much about Kiyubi. Anything I said to it was short, often demanding talks to it, to which Kiyubi reluctantly obeyed.

Still, I couldn't lie to her. I never could...

"Well," started Naruto, leaning back on the grass with his elbows, "besides that he's a demon, not entirely much. I know what it's like to talk to though. The first thing that hits you is the cold steel room, devoid of any human emotion or depth. The second thing is the smell, which is like burning blood and flesh. It's enough to make a lesser person vomit. When I walked up to Kiyubi's cage the first time and saw those blood red eyes of hatred, and those giant fangs as large as trees, I was scared, even though I promised myself to never run away again," he said, pausing to look at his right hand, remembering his oath.

"Anyways, it's everything you would expect from a demon: proud, rude, angry, stubborn, antagonizing. To see it once Sakura-chan, is to know everything it did that one night in Konoha," he said, looking at the kunoichi with a solemn smile.

Sakura sat there, taking in his tale. After a few moments she looked at Naruto.

"You said you know what he did?" she asked Naruto, as if trying to clarify his statement.
"Well, not in detail, but I could feel all the people he killed radiating from his eyes. Other than that, I don't know what happened, and I doubt we ever will, seeing as the Chidaime ordered the record sealed."
"Well, why don't you just ask Kiyubi?" she asked him.
"What do ya mean?" he asked her, confused.

"Well, it was there, so it has to know what transpired. Besides, demon or no demon, it had to have had a reason to attack the village."

She had a point there. Everyday I asked myself why I was given this burden. Only after hearing Sakura did I realize I had someone who had the answers. It was decided then: I was going to meet Kiyubi again, and get to the bottom of that day.

I said goodbye to Sakura a little after that, and headed home to be alone. After all, I had no idea what would happen when I talked to Kiyubi, and I didn't want to risk someone nearby getting hurt. After getting to my flat and locking the door, I cleared what would be called the living room and sat on the floor to meditate.

Naruto opened his eyes to the familiar corridor of his soul. After taking a few breaths, he proceeded down the dank and dark steel hall and took the left he was all too familiar with. After a few moments, he once again stood in the giant room, with that omnipresent cage standing before him.

The soul-piercing eyes of the King of Tailed Demons greeted the young man.

"Boy, what brings you here to annoy me now? I don't sense any danger near you, so you can't possibly need to make another request of my generosity."

Naruto just scoffed; he learned a long time ago how to handle the kitsune's ego. Nowadays, it was all a matter of wearing the beast down.

"Actually, believe it or not, I wanted to see you today, fox," he smirked, getting the usual growl from Kiyubi. Naruto always knew that name got under its arrogant skin.

Naruto though, wasn't here to annoy the beast, as it would probably make him less talkative.

"Actually, Kiyubi" spoke Naruto in a serious tone, getting the attention of said fox, "I was looking for some answers, and you're the only one who would have any accurate information."

This got a dead stare from Kiyubi's blood-red eyes, and then something Naruto had yet to hear his entire life.

Kiyubi's eyes slinked shut, and the sound of maniacal laughter could be heard echoing throughout the chamber.

After a minute, to Naruto's relief, Kiyubi settled down and began to speak.

"Ah, to be immortal truly has its benefits. To hear you act so humble towards me, like you rightly should! Alright boy, you've amused my interest, give me a moment and I'll listen to your pitiful problem."

The giant face disappeared into the blackness of Naruto's soul, and after a few moments, a faint tapping could be heard, as if something was approaching. Naruto peered into the cage to see Kiyubi in the form of a human being. Its nine tails became nice long, thick tendrils of chestnut hair. It wore a white silk hakama, with a long blue bottom-half and a black obi around the waist. Its face kept it triangular shape, and its silted eyes went from blood red to muti-colored.

"Why the hell would you change forms?" asked an utterly confused Naruto.

"Because I can Boy, that's why. Also, if you came here for what I sense you do, then it will be all the more pleasing meeting your face at your level."

"Always the generous sort, I see," said Naruto, shaking his head at his own words. "I want you to talk to me about that day."

"Heheheh. I had a feeling that sooner or later, you'd actually think beyond the present. Yes, what did you want to know about that day?"

"Why did you come to the village to attack us?"

"Well actually kid, that fated night began several miles outside the village…"

"Don't avoid the question fox! Why is it that I'm your container in the first place!"

The King upon hearing the boy's question just grinned quite…darkly.

"I attacked the village of Konoha boy, because I can. I am a demon, and that's all the reason I need."

They say evil is redeemable. That no matter how bad a person may be, the tiniest shred of humanity still lives, waiting for the spark it needs to come to life.

Apparently the same doesn't apply to demons…

The boy was left exasperated. "Y-you're saying that's all there is to it?"

"That's all there was to it. I was wondering the material planes, and I found myself in your forests. Apparently, the Chidaime and his associates decided that I was a risk to the people they weren't willing to let slip by. That night, they tried to subdue me. Now I wasn't thinking about slaughtering the villagers per say, but since they so kindly offered me the opportunity I accepted."

Naruto had his head held down at this point, his fist trembling.

"You….you!"

"You demon? Of course boy, that's the point! I come from a different world than you. I am not bound to the morals of human society. To a demon, to exist is enough, and whether that existence is lived in solitude or bloodthirsty slaughter, it is the same to us for eternity. Naturally, you humans took my actions entirely out of context."

"Context! You talk about our context, and yet you do such a horrible thing without a thought about such things! Do you even care what they do to me! Do you understand I've been fighting for my right to be recognized all because of your 'context'?"

"Oh I understand just fine boy. I understand that you and I have a common fight."

Naruto was taken back at that. Did Kiyubi just show empathy to him?

"And what fight is that?"

"Our fight of hatred. I've tried to hate you boy, and yet, every time you come down here to talk, and I look into that defiant face of yours, I can't do it. It's funny, the one thing that would ever change me, and that is a stupid seal from a lucky human."

"What do you mean?"

"Boy, this seal has me here forever, and eventually, I will become one with you. Whether for good or ill, you and I are now linked on the same chain of fate, the same chain of hatred. And believe it or not, there are more chains to find. I can't fight it, and I'm not stupid enough to fight a battle that's impossible to win."

Kiyubi turned his back to Naruto and walked himself back into the blackness of the cage.

"I have said enough to you boy. You know the answer now. What you decide to do with it is up to you."

It was at this point; I left my state of meditation, and came back almost distressed to the point of insanity. I needed to do something. I needed to get my mind off of this ordeal.

I needed something to drink…

So there I was, swirling a small glass of some cheap-ass rum. As a shinobi, as long as I was not on duty, and I had reached at least 16, I was allowed to drink. As I swirled the ice in my brown liquid, I tried to think about what Kiyubi meant by his last comment. What the hell am I supposed to do with this answer? Can I do anything with it? Could be the fox was trying to just jerk around with me.

Then I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and turned around to see a bunch of my fellow rookies. There was Shikamaru, Neji, Lee, Shino, and Kiba. Apparently they were doing these 'guys night out' for a while, something to keep the boys of the rookie 9 together even after they all graduated and got promoted.

So we found ourselves a table and mingled. It was quite nice actually. I never did anything like this before, and it made me feel like part of a click.

And as part of the click, it was only a matter of time before someone wanted to know what was up with me.

"Yo, Naruto," said Shikamaru, his voice a little blurred from drinking, "not that I'm complaining about the quiet, but you're almost as mute as Shino. What's up?"

Naruto peered over to Shikamaru, and noticed the others now with their attention to him. Sighed, he swirled his drink some more.

"I spoke to the fox today; I wanted to get some answers from him about why I am the way I am," he said solemnly.

"And? Did he tell you why he was sealed?" asked Neji, now interested in the man he respected.

Naruto laughed quite darkly at that. "He told me he attacked because he's a demon, and that was the only reason he needs."

A loud slam occurred and the group turned to see Lee, with Kiba's glass of scotch in his hand. "Tha's horrible! How dar he be so morary corrupt! I shal kil him wit ma bare hans!"

Thankfully before Lee started his Drunken Boxing, Kiba took the opportunity to knock Lee out by smacking him on the back of the head.

"Well, that certainly is a demon for ya," spoke Kiba, "anything else?"

"He said that what I do with the answer is up to me. I don't get what he was implying by that. Is there something I can do with knowing the reason's why?"

"Think about it for a moment Naruto," said Shino, grabbing the attention of the 4 remaining conscious boys. "How did you feel before you knew why?"

"Well," said Naruto, rubbing his head in thought, "I was hurt, but determined to continue pursuing my life's dream."

"And after?" continued Shino.

"Not different really, to be honest," replied the blond man.

"I think that's the point."

"What?"

"Ugh, you really are troublesome Naruto," spoke up Shikamaru. "What Shino's trying to tell you is that the Kiyubi meant no matter whether you knew why or not, it wouldn't change a thing about who you are."

Naruto stood silent for a moment, but after the words sunk in, he smiled and chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right guys. It doesn't matter, I am who I am, and that's never going to change," he said. And with that, he stood up, threw some money on the table, and exited the bar.

I slept quite well that night. Not just because of the advice, but whom it came from. I never would have thought that of all the people I would be helped by, it would be the person who for I'm hated in this village. He's right though, we're one and the same for good or ill.

I intend to use it for the better. They can hate Kiyubi for all the villagers or I care. One day, I swear to make them stop hating me though.

Ok, that's the 3rd movement. Kind of a change of pace, like any good opus, the next few will be more upbeat. I hope I can put them out without any bullshit from my computer this time.

"Thank You!" To the following:

neosildrake
You're not the only one to just peek at it, so don't feel bad. I'll admit it was a little slow at the begining, but now I'm starting to get my spark back, and I can keep lengthening the movements out. Thanks for the review!

Reiko no Tori
I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! Still, I'm glad you liked the last movement that much. It makes me feel proud if I can actually move people that way. Thanks for the review!

KPAAF and See Ya Next Time!