'What's going on? Where am I?'

A pale woman arose from the darkness.

"Son"

'Who's that? Why is this lady calling me?.'

She spoke again.

"Can you hear me?"

'Of course I can hear you. Why wouldn't I?"

Turning towards him, she began reaching out.

"Come here"

"No! Stay away."

She got closer.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe with me"

'I don't know who you are!'

She grabbed him.

"For-"

Her entire body began to glow.

"Ever."

A blinding light filled Naruto's eyes, before fading to black.

He woke up from the dream in a cold sweat.

'What happened to me?'

Quickly standing up, he immediately regretted that decision, doubling over in pain.

'Argh, my head! Where am I? Why aren't I home!?"

Taking a moment to properly orient himself, he pushed through the pain and tried to find anything familiar.

'Why am I in a cave? Was I kidnapped? Who would do that? I wasn't plotting anything last night so who would have -'

He remembered.

'The old man!'

With the memories of last night flooding back into him, he recalled the series of events that lead him here.

'Shit! Is he planning on getting revenge?! Did he drag me here to torture me for threatening to turn him in?"

Making up his mind, he decided to escape from wherever he was being held.

'I need something to protect myself. Where's my kunai pack?'

A brief search of his body revealed nothing. Looking around the inky darkness of the cave, he could find no sign of his missing weapons.

'Crap, he took those as well. They were a gift from the old man too. I can't go out there empty-handed though, the geezer lured me into the dangerous part of the forest."

Quietly, he moved around the small cave in search for anything he could forge into a makeshift weapon

*Thump*

Tripping on a rock, Naruto face-vaulted onto the cold ground.

'Damn, as if things couldn't get any worse.'

Turning, he picked up the culprit of his now dirty face.

'A bit dull, but it'll do. Now let's find a way out of here.'

Wary of any more rocks, Naruto crawled on the stone floor in search of a way out.

The cave, as it turned out, was just a straight path into the earth. Within the first ten minutes Naruto could already see the light of day.

"Alright! I'll be out of here in no time, then that weirdo will get what's coming to him for daring to kidnap Naruto Uzumaki!" He silently whispered to himself.

His sudden bravado was unexpectedly cut short when the ground beneath him opened up.

Wide-eyed, Naruto watched hopelessly as he fell into a spiked pitfall trap. Searing pain filled his last moments of existence.

He woke with a start.

'What the!? I was just falling to my death!'

Frantically checking his body for puncture holes, he found none. Breathing a sigh of relief, he fell onto his back.

"Rise and shine sleepy head."

Turning to his left, Naruto came face to face with the cloaked figure from the night before.

It was an older man, with the signs of age beginning to settle in. One of his arms was missing. Streaks of white clashed with his brown hair. With a cheeky smile and a missing tooth, he was dressed in a standard business suit.

Leaping to his feet, Naruto made a mad dash towards the nearest exit, before being pinned down by his captor.

"What? Not even a 'Good Morning'? You kids are becoming an awful lot ruder. Back in my day we would respond to our elders with 'Good Morning Sir!'."

He pumped his chest for emphasis.

"I don't care what you did, just let me go!"

"You didn't say please. Honestly, what is today's youth coming to." he exasperatedly threw his hands into the air whilst remaining seated on the boys back.

"I'm not begging! A real ninja never admits defeat!"

Peering down curiously at the boy, he pondered.

'So this is the lad that will succeed me, eh. I almost feel bad for him.'

Ignoring his guilt, he spoke.

"So a real ninja would charge into battle against an army that is both fed and rested, while he is starving and tired?"

He tried to anger the boy.

"Of course he would. A real ninja wins against all odds."

He failed.

"So are you a real ninja?"

"Not yet, but when I graduate this week I will be! Just you wait, you'll be the first villain I takedown." Declared Naruto with a fire in his eyes.

The old man barely looked interested.

"Well I sincerely hope your exam wasn't anytime soon. You've been out for four days"

The boy's look of shock almost made his earlier disrespect forgivable.

Almost.

Getting off Naruto, the old man spoke.

"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Mr. Adams. No first name. And you are?"

Reaching out to shake Naruto's hand, he had his arm rudely slapped away.

"None of your business" Naruto angrily retorted before once again fleeing.

Sighing, Adam watched the blonde run, allowing him to escape.

'It's going to be a long day.'

Running as fast as his legs would carry him, Naruto hastily made his way through the lush overgrowth.

Darting behind a large tree, he looked back to see if he was being followed.

"What are we looking at?"

Before his mind even registered that Adam was there his body was already retreating.

'Dammit, I've gotta lose him somehow!'

Opting to flee from the treetops, Naruto leaped onto the closest branch and continued his escape.

After a few minutes of dodging and weaving the treacherous wilds, Naruto finally made it out of the forest.

"Alright! I'm home free now!" Loudly cheered Naruto.

Taking a respite on a nearby roof, it wasn't long before a figure broke out of the trees.

"Shit! He found me!" Running in the opposite direction of his apartment, Naruto had hoped to lead him as far away as possible.

Glancing around his shoulder, he noticed his pursuer was slowly catching up to him,

'C'mon, I've outrun Jonin before! Why can't I lose this crazy old man!?'

Narrowly dodging an incoming arm, Naruto dived off the building into a nearby alleyway.

"Got you now!" Naruto declared before performing the substitution jutsu.

Swapping places with a random pedestrian, a quick Henge allowed him to blend in with the midday rush.

'Yes! Take that you one-armed weirdo.' Maintaining his Henge, he quickly made his way back home.

Entering his apartment, Naruto hastily began to bolt up the door. After using all of the locks at his disposal, he resorted to barricading the front entrance with furniture.

Chairs. A couch. The kitchen sink. None of his appliances were spared.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto sat down on his barren floor.

"Yeah, that'll keep him out."

Snapping his head around, Naruto saw Adam lazily lounging about on a chair.

"You know you really took your time getting here."

Preparing to scream, he was cut off by a sudden hand covering his mouth.

"Look, as much as I would love to deal with your plan to cry wolf, we have work to do."

Glancing around the room as if in search of someone, he hastily whispered to Naruto.

"You have a responsibility now, one that's far greater than you will ever be! The two of us. We're special. Ever heard of Hypnos? Morpheus? The Sandman!?"

Frightened by the insane ramblings of Adam, Naruto shook his head in denial.

"I didn't expect you to, that was a test. I bear the title of The Sandman, the others have been long lost to time."

As if to emphasize his point, he raised the hand covering Naruto's mouth. Turning into bright golden dust, it dissolved into a pile beneath him.

Disregarding Naruto's shock, he continued.

"I expected you to die that night, but you didn't. Instead you did the same thing I did all those centuries ago. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little guilty about what's going to become of you, so that's why I'm here."

The faint sound of a window opening echoed through the empty room.

"I'll train you. I'll teach you your new responsibility like Morpheus did to me, and Hypnos before him."

'Hell, maybe you'll be able to do what we couldn't and stop -'

"Ahem! Naruto Uzumaki."

Simultaneously turning, they saw an Anbu donning a boar mask.

Regaining his voice, Naruto screamed.

"Help me! This old man kidnapped me and keeps trying to push me into taking responsibility!"

Pulling out a kunai, the Anbu released a burst of chakra.

It effortlessly passed through Adam.

"Wow. I'm a little hurt he thinks I am using a mere genjutsu."

Lowering his weapon, the Anbu spoke.

"There's no one here beside us, Naruto."

"What!? Are you blind? Take off that mask and look. He's standing right there!"

Angrily gesturing at Adam, the Anbu brushed him off.

Yeah, sure he is. But that's not why I'm here. My Lord has summoned you."

"What are you saying!? He's right there," he said, once again pointing at Adam.

The Anbu threw a kunai at the area in question.

With a mighty THUD, it lodged itself into the wall next to Adam.

"See, there's nothing there. If you're still worried I'll take you to our headquarters. You'll be safe there."

Naruto didn't respond, watching in horror as the kunai effortlessly passed through Adam's chest. Sand flowed freely from the wound.

"Is that a yes? I have orders to bring you in at all costs."

The Anbu was beginning to express his sense of urgency.

Opting to flee the insane scene, Naruto wordlessly nodded.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Naturally you will be wearing a blindfold during our travels."

"Wow. You'd rather go with the man who openly said he would kidnap you than stay here with me? I'm hurt."

And with that, darkness overtook Naruto as he was whisked away.

"Report."

"Yes Lord Hokage. None of our operatives were able to locate or find any leads towards Naruto Uzumaki. The only trail we could find spanned from the Kage monument towards the forest of death. It ran cold soon after."

"What of the sensors or the barrier team? Did they not sense his chakra or his presence anywhere in the village?"

"No Lord Hokage, he's gone."

Frustrated, he dismissed the messenger.

'Dammit Naruto! Where could you be?'

A knock on his door was his only warning before an old man and women walked in.

"Any luck on finding our missing Jinchūriki, Hiruzen?" Asked the man.

"You know if you let us take care of him, none of this would have happened. Children can be cruel. He would have been much better off in a controlled environment." Added the women standing right next to him.

"Koharu, Humura. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"

"Enough with your meaningless words Hiruzen, you sound like a fool." Remarked Koharu.

Frowning, Hiruzen continued.

"Then I'll spare you the pleasantries. What do you two war mongrels want?"

"It's not too late to convert the boy. We can recall Itachi at any time and have him instill loyalty into the boy once he is found. Face it Hiruzen. Any attempt at a normal childhood has been long gone, we must act now before any more time is lost!" Declared Koharu.

"Enough! I've heard this pointless speech far too many times. Naruto's power as a Jinchūriki is irrelevant to our current problems. We don't need to resort to that!"

"And there lies the problem, Hiruzen. Suna has the first and seventh tails, Kiri has the third and sixth, Iwa has the fourth and fifth, and Kuma has the second and eighth. All of them are trained to S rank, Konoha alone possesses the only Jinchūriki NOT being used as a weapon of war."

"That's your excuse to rid Naruto of his future!? We are the Leaf. The original village. We are not like them."

"You're being a fool Hiruzen. We are old. YOU are old. The legends of the past will not help us, and the Sannin are gone. Don't forget it was Jiraya that put us in this mess with the hidden cloud. I'd be surprised if he were 'Gallant' enough to show his face around here again."

"Jiraya's sins are his to bear. The Leaf has other methods of defending herself."

"You would sacrifice your people to our enemies just to preserve the tattered remains of an orphan's life? A war without his power would ruin us. Ruin the Leaf. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario!"

Sighing, Hiruzen slumped onto his chair.

"I just need more time. I'll come up with something."

"We're all out of time Hiruzen. In a few months the chunin exams will begin. If the boy fights, the world will see how weak he is. If he doesn't, spies will flood the village, looking to gauge his strength. Once the others realize his weakness, they'll band together in order to take us down. Face it. We either began to prepare for a fight or get what's coming to us lying face down"

"And throw more fuel into our feud with Kumo? They'll think we're gearing for war. And I know you two would love the chance to elevate our recent fiasco. No. I'll train the boy my own way if need be, but anything is better than allowing you to use him as a weapon of war."

"That is if you're the one to get to him first" refuted Koharu.

The Hokage leaned forward to assess her.

"You seem awfully confident that Naruto will be found, Koharu."

"Call it womanly intuition." She rebutted.

Massaging his forehead, the aging Hokage spoke.

"Two months. In two months I'll find a way to fix this mess."

"What can you possibly hope to accomplish in two months?"

"More than either of you could imagine."

"We shall see Hiruzen. Your refusal to act will be the thing that will destroy this village. I just hope you'll regain enough trust in us to let us take the reigns."

Turning to leave, the elders were stopped by two Anbu, each holding blades to their throats.

"I've made that mistake before, I'm not in any rush to do it again. Besides, you two are beginning to forget yourselves. I am Hokage, and as long as I remain seated I'll do what's best for this village. Not your selfish desires."

"Is it selfish to want to see your home rule above the rest of the world, Hiruzen?"

"It is when you wage pointless war. None of us are long for this world, why should we burden our heirs with our hatred."

"If that is what you believe, Lord Hokage."

Attempting to leave once again, they felt the full force of Hiruzen's chakra.

"Oh, and if I find out either one of you two had a hand in pushing the Leaf towards war, they'll be hell to pay. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness."

"Duly noted, Lord Hokage."

"Good. You're both dismissed."

The first thing that told Naruto he was almost there was the smell. It was an awful smell. Damp and tear-inducing, he always wondered how the Anbu managed to stand it, wearing those stuffy masks all the time.

At least the Anbu carrying him this time had the decency of taking him through the slightly longer yet much dryer route. He didn't know what was flowing around these parts but judging by the smells it couldn't be good.

Arriving shortly, he was dropped down onto a chair, and the blindfold was removed.

Confined within a small empty room occupied by a small coffee table and two chairs, Naruto waited.

A loud thud echoed behind him. Turning, he cautiously scanned the room, silently praying he wouldn't find the 'Sandman' or whatever he called himself. Finding his search to be fruitless, he turned back.

And sitting before him was none other than Danzo Shimura.

"Are you done glaring at my wall, Naruto?"

"Hey old man, long time no see!" Cheerfully exclaimed Naruto, knowing he was safe near him.

"Good afternoon Naruto. You know you gave me and my men quite the scare. Tell me, what were you up to these past few days?"

"It's a crazy story old man! Saturday night I was chasing this weird man around the village before ending up in the forest. Then before I knew it he attacked me, knocking me out. According to him I haven't woken up since. I managed to escape but he followed me home. Thank the Log your Anbu came when he did or who knows what he would have done to me!"

Motioning towards Naruto's waist, Danzo responded.

"What about the kunai I gave you, my boy? Did you not try to fight against your kidnapper?"

Frantically waving his arms, Naruto spoke.

"I tried to but he was too fast! When I woke up I found out that he stole my stuff."

Reaching his hand out toward the anbu next to him, Danzo received a small case.

"Well here are you kunai, Naruto."

Taking the box, Naruto opened it to find all 12 kunai perfectly aligned.

"Wow! They're all here. Thanks old man! Where did ya find them?"

"One of my men found it by chance. But enough of that, can you describe your abductor?"

"Yeah, it was an oldish man. He had brown hair with some gray in it. He was missing his left arm. Oh! Also he wore one of those fancy suits the rich villagers are always wearing!"

"Anything else?"

"Uhh. . . Yeah! He had brown eyes and one of his teeth was missing! Plus he bleeds sand and not blood." Naruto confidently stated.

Danzo raised an eyebrow.

"He bleeds . . . sand? Is he made of sand?"

"Ask him."

Naruto pointed at the Anbu who remained off to the side.

"He should have seen it. He was the one who threw the kunai at him."

Turning, Danzo questioned the soldier.

"You saw an unknown man who Naruto claimed to be his kidnapper and left him?"

The Anbu spoke.

"I saw no one, Lord Danzo. When I arrived, Naruto had barricaded himself into his house. When he noticed me he screamed out for help against an unknown aggressor. I didn't see or sense anyone, so I assured him that we were alone. That didn't convince him so I threw a kunai where his assailant was supposed to be in hopes that would calm him down."

"Have Fū check your memory. Go find him and tell him to report to me when he is finished. Dismissed."

Bowing, the Anbu took off.

Returning to naruto, Danzo began to interrogate him.

"Are you positive that someone was there with you?"

"YES! He was covering my mouth with his hand, rambling about his teacher and responsibility and how the two of us were special."

Narrowing his eyes, Danzo asked.

"Special how? Did he mention anything about your stomach?"

"No, he talked about some dude named Hypnosis or something. Said he felt bad about what would happen to me so he would train me."

Making a mental note to do some research on any figures known as 'Hypnosis', he continued.

"Train you in what?"

"I don't know, the only thing he did after that was change his hand into dirt. I can bring it to you if you want. It's probably still on my apartment floor."

Deep in thought, Danzo responded after a minute.

"No, it's unnecessary. I'm sorry for your recent misfortune, I'll send one of my men to look after you for a while."

Smiling, Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks old man, you're the best!"

Smiling back, Danzo asked him one final question.

"What will you do now Naruto? Graduation is almost here, have you thought about your future as a ninja?"

"Of course! As soon as I get my hands on a powerful jutsu, I'll become the strongest there ever was!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!"

"Well if that's the case, I have a proposition that I think you might like."

"Is it another gift old man?"

"Close. How about I train you myself, Naruto? I was quite the ninja back in my day. Fūjin, they called me. If it's power you want, I can show you powerful wind techniques able to shred even the strongest of defenses."

"You're going to be my Jonin instructor!?"

"Even better, you'll become my sole apprentice. But there is one problem."

"What is it?"

"You'll have to help me convince Hiruzen. As long as he refuses, I'm afraid I won't be able to teach you."

"Convince Lord Hokage? I'm sure he'll listen if I'm the one who asks him. Leave it to me, I'll get it done in no time."

"Splendid Naruto. I'll have one of my men take you back home. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

"Can I see one of your jutsus old man?"

Chuckling, Danzo ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Not now, I wouldn't want to tear holes into my home away from home."

An anbu entered the room and motioned for Naruto to join him.

"I guess this is goodbye old man. I'll see you after graduation. Lord Hokage always makes an appearance during the ceremony so I'll make sure to talk to him then!"

Waiving, Naruto was covered by the familiar blindfold before being taken back.

As if on cue, an orange-haired man landed behind Danzo.

"Fū reporting in, Lord Danzo."

"How did it go."

"It was just as he said it. Naruto was distraught over nothing. I could find any evidence that there was anyone besides those two at the time."

"How strange."

Weighing his next moves, Danzo decided to focus his efforts on Naruto.

"Fū, your next mission begins now. Take a Kumo anbu mask from the armory and check Naruto. I want you to verify whether or not someone was there today. Make sure to be spotted by some Anbu, we need tensions to be as high as possible for our next move to work."

"Yes my Lord!"