Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor the fictional characters except my own. I do not own the pictures either, but I own the plot.
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October 10th, the day of tragedy. The day which ended lives and the day a small toddler was wronged for the sin he did not commit. For the sin, someone else had committed. Something so unforgivable that changed the life of the small child that hadn't even started, for the worst. The man who caused his miserable life was feared and thought to be well-known yet, no one knew of his existence, his giving name.
The child was running.
Running to a place where he was welcomed, to a place where he could be himself. The boy wasn't taken care of, causing him to be much thinner and smaller than the others his age. Small boy running away from the sorrow which he should not know of, at least not with that small digit of age. Beautiful blonde hair inherited from his father, three whiskers on each cheek caused by the existence living inside of him, and an eye-catching yet breathtaking smile.
He was beautiful.
The boy was more than that. Behind his appearance, he was clever, a genius even yet none of the villagers knew. How would they do if they kept their distance from him? From where were they supposed to have such knowledge? The boy kept running ignoring the people who were trying to catch him. Fighting for the mere thought of comfort and freedom he would have if he kept running. His legs were tiny, his arms were tiny. His whole existence was.
Was he still important?
Stunning blue eyes looked around. Blue eyes searched for a way to shorten the path to his safe place, while he kept his pace, never looking back at the one he feared yet adored the most. Where were his parents?
That was the question he used to ask the only person who was willing to take care of him. The answer made him sad. How could it be? The answer was clear; they were dead. No longer with him. No longer by his side but was there a moment they were?
Were they by his side? He knew the answer.
"Stop!"
His nightmare was growing louder and louder. They almost had him. The blonde was about to pass out but a small but still strong voice told him to keep running. He was almost safe. Just a few meters. Almost. The boy took the wrong path and ended up in a dead-end. He turned around and saw his nightmare.
These people called themselves revengers. Why was the world against him, he once asked the person who took care of him? The man was stunned. What was he supposed to say?
Taking steps back while searching for a way out of there. Away from the danger, he was in, away from his nightmare but there was none. They walked closer and closer towards him with these ugly smiles and smirks. The blonde's breath hitched as they glared down on him. It was all show. In truth, none of them was brave enough to hit the child. Not with that what he had inside of him.
It was terrible.
The thing inside him was the reason why they hated him. It was something everyone who had no power despised. Something they did not know of. That something wasn't the one who should bear the sin and the holder, the small blonde, neither. None of them caused the crime yet both of them were feared and hated for either something they had no control over, or for something they did not do.
After humiliating the child and making sure he knew that he was not very much welcomed in the village, in the world, they left him alone. There, he cried to himself. Some might ask themselves why he cried when all they did was an act, nothing real. These are the ones who failed to see the real problem with this. The real issue was people's behavior. Sitting there in the cold all alone the child cried and cried.
What else was he supposed to do? Fight them? He was kicked out of the orphanage today.
There was no place for him to attend to. Nowhere to feel or call home. No spot where somebody was waiting for him with a big smile. Nothing. Having no friends was the cherry on the top. The villagers made sure that their children wouldn't play with him.
Even making sure that they were making jokes about him and throwing small rocks at him. Children would get away with it for the reason of being just a small child and not knowing any better. However, the adults wouldn't.
The ones with children were the lucky ones. They were able to somewhat harm the poor blonde without truly laying a finger on him. "Do not cry, it doesn't suit you and your parents wouldn't be happy." The small boy started to sniffle, his cries dying down while he listened to the voice. "Kurama?" the child called out to the voice. The voice people fear. The one they never wanted to hear ever again. Not like they ever hear them talk.
"It's ok. You don't have to cry anymore. It's over," the voice comforted the child. No one had thought of the blonde ever meeting them, let alone being able to talk to them without any hint of fear. The voice was deep yet smooth and to be honest, it suited the owner if you count a huge fox full of chakra attractive.
The child stopped crying and was pulled inside of his mindscape. It was beautiful there. He designed it extra for these kinds of situations. The boy was very proud of himself for being so creative and the existence inside him told him his parents would be too!
"Kurama! I don't want to be here anymore. I am afraid and I have no one to rely on! They don't care about me, about you, about us! I can't do this," the blonde cried out. It was truly a dreadful thing to witness.
A child so small, yet so unhappy about life that it wanted all of this to stop. "Don't say such things, my boy! Aren't you the one who swore to be the best Hokage in history? The one who changes everything and anything. The greatest Hokage to ever walk on this planet. Uzumaki Naruto!" encouraged the voice.
The crying stopped permanently and Naruto looked at the ridiculously huge fox. Who in heaven's name decided to create such a large existence? "You know what? You are right, but let me change my vow. I am the best and most powerful ninja in this whole universe. I will make sure that everyone knows about my existence!" replied the child, but something was left unsaid.
Some might say he was never going to be the best but that's not what he said, that was not what he swore. He vowed he already was the best of the best. To not only change others but to be the change himself.
"All you need to do is search for people like you and to get stronger, of course. You cannot be the best if you can't fight properly. How are you going to change that, boy?" Kurama asked the child as he raised a brow. He looked down on the blonde. His presence should make the toddler shake and run for his dear life, yet here he was. Standing all tall and mighty for his small size and unimportance.
"I train, I look for family, I don't give up, and most importantly, I do not believe in failure."
The fox hid the smirk which was making its way to the surface as he noticed the child not mentioning that he will or is going to do something but is doing it without a compromise.
"Are you sure you will be able to do this? You are so weak and who do you think would want to help such a weak, tiny, and unimportant existence?" the fox questioned him. Why should he show mercy when not only his life but the life of his jailer depended on it?
"I am not sure. I will never be sure about it," he stated. To say the fox was disappointed was an understatement. He truly believed the child to be different from other people. No matter what his age had been. It wasn't important but this caught him off guard. There he was, thinking he could somehow be happy with where he was and what he had just for it to be ruined by the uncertainty of that human being in front of him.
"I know that I can do it, so I do it! I am the best and I can already tell that I have a bright future!" the child exclaimed proudly. Now, this took the fox off guard. What else did he expect? That child wasn't like others and Naruto was making sure Kurama knew.
A small chuckle escaped the fox's mouth. "Is that it?" he questioned again, and the blonde held his ground. He wasn't going to back down. Neither now nor ever! This is where he had to be. At the top of everything! Naruto Uzumaki was the name of the savior of this place we call earth.
"Then shall it be? I, the great Kyuubi no Youko, the strongest of all Bijuus shall lend you my powers to change this excuse of a planet! However, it all comes with a high price you have to pay!" stated the fox as he lowered himself to look in the eyes of the 4-year-old. "I crave my unlimited freedom. I shall not be caved anymore but if that does not occur, I swear on the name of Kami herself, that your life will be lived like a life in hell," Kurama warned.
The child didn't think about it. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. Nodding his head and conforming to the price, the deal was made. At that moment, Kurama put one of his nails on Naruto's chest where his heart was positioned. The fox led one percent of his power flow through Naruto. If the lad did not accomplish the deal, he would be destroyed.
A contract with the devil.
It took a while for the child to get used to the chakra he got. It was painful and something not many would like to relieve but it was worth it. "We need to talk to Jiji! I know that he will help me!" explained the child still refusing to hope to be the right cause of it; he knew he was right. The fox only chuckled and shook his head. He pulled the blonde back to the real world and sent him off to the only person who still cared for him.
"Jiji!" the child walked inside without batting an eye as he looked straight at the strongest man in that country. The man jolted up not expecting the child this early but who else could surprise him as he did? The older man smiled gently as he opened his arms to welcome the boy. "Hello, Naruto," he answered.
The man felt horrible because he was too busy to truly take care of the child that was left for him. "I want you to train me! I am the strongest!" exclaimed the child but Hiruzen could only raise a brow.
"You mean you are going to be, right?" the man asked but yet again the child shook his head and denied it. Naruto explained to him how he was going to reach his goal and the man listened carefully. Hiruzen nodded once the blonde was finished but raised another question. "Who is Kurama?" This was needed to be asked. Hiruzen had to know who that man was who lend Naruto power. The child tilted his head to the side looking at the man like he was crazy.
"Jiji you know him! Wait-. Okay, you may know him as Kyuubi no Youko!" replied Naruto stopping for a second to ask the giant existence of power what his Jiji knew him as. Hiruzen's breath hitched. The Kyuubi was talking to the child? And, was he... Was he looking after him or was he using him?
The man couldn't tell. "You can talk to the Kyuubi?" Hiruzen asked and Naruto swore he had never seen anyone as stupid as the Hokage who was sitting in front of him. "Yes! I met him a long time ago and we became partners!"
The third Hokage couldn't believe his ears. "Naruto my boy, I need you to tell me what he told you and what kind of power he gave you," demanded Hiruzen while getting serious. The child halted and looked the man in the eyes. It was rare for the older man to get all serious around him. "What? Didn't you listen to me as I spoke?" Naruto asked as he stepped back. Was the man even listening to him? No, he wasn't.
"I told you that he gave me his power in exchange for his freedom," the blue-eyed repeated. It wasn't like him to get all too defensive but he felt underestimated. He felt like the man wasn't trying to understand him! "Naruto! What did you think as you made such a deal? You have to break it! You cannot let the Kyuubi run around!" the man said getting a bit louder. Naruto grew angry.
Who was he to say what he could and could not do? Where was he when he needed him the most? He wasn't there!
"Listen Jiji, I cannot break that contract. I'm paying a high price for my goal. I am paying with my life! I want you to take me seriously, Jiji! Please, just this once. I want this as my birthday present. This will be the first and last time I demand something of you," pleaded the toddler. With such a demand you could only be taken seriously or taken for a fool but in this case, it was the first. The man sighed and lowered his head. Was he going to give in to a child?
"Fine! However, I want to be updated every hour, do you understand?" the man agreed, and the blonde nodded.
"Tell him to give you a reliable teacher. An Anbu at least," Kurama told him and the blonde nodded his head. With that said, he looked at the older man again and informed the man about Kuramas idea. Hiruzen sighed yet again and nodded his head.
Who should he send to train the small brat? He needed someone who would take him considerably and someone who would obey his every order. Hiruzen had a few candidates in mind. The first would be his son, Asuma, but was it clever to let that man smoke around the child? No, no it wasn't.
Then he had Guy, yet again. Would it be a good idea to have two Guy's and a Naruto walking around the streets? In heaven's name no! If that ever occurred it would be the early death of him! Kakashi. The man was strong and reliable but would he be able to take care of another child? The boy didn't seem to like Naruto one bit. The cause you may ask. He didn't know.
The last person on his list was also the youngest. Uchiha Itachi. The boy was strong and knew how to deal with children. He had a little brother himself who is the same age as Naruto. However, would it be a good idea to leave an Uchiha in control of Naruto who held the Kyuubi inside him? No. Yet he had no other option.
The council including Danzo wanted the Uchihas dead due to them being high risk. And Danzo that bastard, if Kami may say so, was planning to let the poor guy kill his own family.
That would be too painful and no one should go through this. Then that was how it was. The man nodded to himself as he prayed to whoever was listening to him. He hoped he had made the right choice.
"Ok, I decided who should train you. Would that be everything?" Hiruzen asked the child who seemed to be somewhere else. Naruto shook his head and raised a finger. "On my journey, I will collect other kids who are just like me. Who lost everything but are still willing to fight."
Hiruzen sighed. Again. Who allowed this toddler to walk around on earth? It surely wasn't him. "Would that be all? Wait- your journey?" the third asked the boy as he frowned. "Yes, my journey. You didn't think I would stay here, would you? I search for people like me who do not fear death but failure alone! Therefore, I need to leave," explained the blonde proudly.
Whose child was that? Who made that child? Who was he even asking? It was Satan herself along with her devil for a husband.
"Naruto! You are just a child! I cannot allow that!" the man explained but the toddler wasn't having it. It was a toddler after all. "Jiji, either you help me or I do it on my own and won't show any mercy," stated the child. It was like the Kyuubi was speaking out of him but it couldn't be. Naruto was just the child of Satan and a devil disguised in an angel costume.
There was no need to discuss something like that with a child. They wouldn't understand it either way. All the third could hope for was that Naruto would give up but then again, that was Naruto Uzumaki he was talking about.
"Go to the room next door. Use that door and only come out when I tell you to. I will summon your teacher just stay there, ok?" Hiruzen asked the blonde who nodded his head and exited the room to play next door. Hiruzen closed his eyes as he leaned back. "Dear Kami-sama, I beg of you to protect the child I failed to take care of and forgive him for the sins he committed," prayed Hiruzen. He wasn't someone who believed in God but maybe, just maybe, it changed.
Opening his eyes again Hiruzen called for Itachi to appear. The soon-to-be teenager stood in front of him. He looked tall but in truth, he was just a small gifted child. "You called for me Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked as he bowed with his mask on. He was on duty which meant that he had to make sure to look professional.
"Yes, I have. I need you to take, no, I need you to train someone for me," replied the third as he stood up. Itachi raised his head as he raised the following question. "Why me?"
Yes, why him? He was just another child but Hiruzen couldn't be helped. It was to make sure that both Naruto and Itachi would or rather could enjoy some kind of freedom. "You are my best option and I shall believe that it would benefit you," answered Hiruzen, and Itachi only nodded his head. Who was he to decline the Hokage's order?
"Stand up and tell your family goodbye. You will go on a journey. Please come on out," said Hiruzen as he looked towards the door. The door opened and Naruto walked in with a big grin almost blending Itachi if he hadn't had his mask on.
The now-standing Anbu member looked at the small toddler. Was Hokage-sama being thoughtful? Who was he to question his superior? "Naruto this will be your teacher for the next four years. I want you to come back and enroll in the Ninja Academy after that," explained the third and the small boy jumped up.
He ran towards Itachi and smiled at him then turned around to look at the Hokage before he spoke. "That's awesome! Kurama said he was super strong for his age and that he holds some amazing future though he cannot seem to get used to him," pouted the blonde.
"What is the meaning of that?" was what Hirzuen asked the blonde who attempted to roll his eyes. "Kurama doesn't like Uchihas but he is perfect! He helped me many times when I was still in that orphanage!" explained Naruto as he motioned his hands to Itachi.
Everything was fine but who told him the name of his teacher? Yet again, it could be the Kyuubi Hiruzen thought. "You will leave this evening. Any questions?" Hiruzen asked the two but none had any. The man nodded his head and dismissed the two.
Turning around and sitting down on his chair Hiruzen closed his eyes.
"What have I got myself into?" the man asked himself. What did he do to deserve this kind of punishment? The third could only hope he had done the right thing.
Night had come and Naruto met up with Itachi at the front of the gate both wearing masks not to be recognized. "Shall we?" asked Itachi as he looked at the tiny child. "We shall," was the answer he received together with a nod from the blonde.
They were traveling around the world with no clear goal in mind while collecting new members for Naruto's family. On their journey, both boys grew closer. The first year was hard and almost unbearable for both of them. They didn't get along at first and weren't the greatest of best companions but they learned how to get used to it. They grew closer and closer which caused the smaller blonde to feel something he had never felt before, for Itachi.
And Itachi? What was he feeling? What was he supposed to feel? Naruto was like a little brother to him. His little brother. One day, Naruto asked the boy how old he was. "I'm twelve years of age," answered the child, "how old are you now?" Naruto smiled to himself before he spoke. "I am almost six years old." Itachi only nodded.
It seemed like his little brother was older than Naruto. Cute.
Their journey continued from thereon. Sometimes Naruto would ask the strangest of questions and Kurama would yell at him and would tell him to ask the Uchiha by his side and that's what he did. "Itachi sensei, do you think it is a sin to love another man if you, yourself are a man?"
Naruto wanted to know, and Itachi almost fell from the branch he was standing on. While this happened Kurama laughed his ass off. "God, I love that kid!" the giant fox roared as he kept laughing. Itachi recovered quickly as he raised a brow.
"Why are you asking me such a question out of the blue?" the raven asked in return, and Naruto shrugged. However, it was truly a question to be asked but not from a small child to another child.
"Do you remember these guys we came across with? They told me that they were searching for a place to call home where they wouldn't be judged for loving each other. So, is it wrong to love another?" Naruto explained his question. Itachi just hummed and thought about it. What was he going to say? Kurama wanted to know it too.
"I do not have an answer for that. In life, especially in our ninja world, where many things are accepted but just as many if not, even more, are despised, I cannot tell you what is wrong and what is right. I have no control over such feelings. You know? Just as I cannot decide what hair color I want to be born with, you cannot decide who your heart longs for," Itachi answered honestly.
The blonde only nodded his head. "Who my heart longs for?" the blonde questioned himself in a whisper.
"But it doesn't matter as for now. All you need to do is concentrate on your voyage and the pieces will fall along," the boy added as he continued walking. All the pieces? Naruto made sure to ask Itachi another time.
Maybe, when he grew older, would he comprehend what Itachi meant by that. But for now, all he needed to do was to get stronger. The years went on and finally, all too suddenly, four years passed and Naruto and Itachi made it back home. However, could they honestly call that place home?
There, in the office of the Hokage stood seven children all of them wearing masks. "We have returned from our trip, Hokage-sama," said Naruto as he kneeled alongside the others. Hiruzen nodded his head and stood straight.
"As for now, I have another mission for you. As you all heard, the Uchiha clan was eliminated with only one person surviving. His name is Uchiha Sasuke. The one behind the association is thought to be Itachi. I demand of you to enroll in the academy and ensure the safety of Uchiha Sasuke. Is that clear?" the Hokage demanded and they nodded their heads.
"Good, you are all dismissed. Shall the next four years brandish a bright future?" And with that, the seven shinobi were dismissed and set free to enjoy themselves. "I had hoped to make the right decision. Did I make it?" Hiruzen asked himself. Could he truly be satisfied with what he had done? Probably not, but it was for the best.
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