Eternal Rivals: Yin and Yang

by Zipzapdoowoop

For millennia, 2 lineages have controlled the history of the continent. The world is kept in constant war. Death, suffering, and anguish are mixed in with instability. However, the birth of the last 2 of the bloodlines will transform the crowded continent of today into the barren wasteland of tomorrow. *Split-Personality Naruto*, *Byakugan Naruto*.

5. Prologue, Part 4: Enter, Uzumaki Naruto!

Well, guess I was wrong. Belgium and Switzerland were both eliminated. Good thing I didn't bet anything. I knew England would choke, and I am so happy that Lionel Messi finally won a championship with his country. I'm going to put some references to the real world to help progress things a bit. Also, I admitted my most recent update since a reviewer gave me some advice, and I felt like I had to follow it. Got nothing to address really, other than to get the backstory out of the way, so that way motivations and future events don't take so long to explain. I just write action, and won't have to take breaks to explain something. Also, the fanfiction trope that I HATE the most is this idea that Naruto wears a mask. It's a half-truth. Naruto does mask his emotions, that is canon, but he only ever masks his negative thoughts and emotions with his REAL personality. I despise stories where Naruto's entire personality and existence are a falsity. Like, what? How the fuck does that make sense? Also, mobs beating him? Why the hell would he ever appreciate a village that abuses him in such a manner? Although mobbing him was something that really did happen in canon, there is no evidence to say mobs beat him. If anything, people mobbed around him to berate him, insult him, or glare at him. Ok, well that's it. Now, onto the story.

General narration

"Talking"

Flashbacks

'Thinking'

"Yami Speaking"

Narration

Bijuu talking

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OC's.

---

It's been 3 years since that night on October 10th. The night the demon fox rampaged through Konohagakure no Sato. That was a night of suffering, and the one who suffers most from that night was a blue-eyed, blonde-spiky-haired boy. His name is Uzumaki Naruto. The first 3 years of his were lonely. He was smaller than most kids his age, so he was an easy target for bullying in the orphanage. No one ever really took his side. No one ever believed him when he complained that someone was picking on him and he was a constant scapegoat for any sort of trouble in the orphanage. No one outright mistreated him, but they tried to constantly ostracize him. The only unique thing about him is his hair as far as he knows. Maybe the kids just don't like blondes? There is only one person in the whole world who is ever nice to him.

That person is named Junko. She is the matron at the orphanage. Junko treats him very nicely. She is the only one who ever listens to him, and she is the only person to pay attention to him. Naruto doesn't understand much, but what he does know is Junko is very special to him, and because of her, he has never actually felt very lonely. Junko would always take her time to explain things to him and help him understand. She would speak to him, even if it's to hear his idle rambling, and she always made sure he was content. What always confused him however is that Junko never really let him go out. He doesn't remember too well, but something happened when he last went out, something about his whiskers triggering STPD? PTDS? He isn't too sure, but she has refused to let him out since. Anyways, today when Miss Junko came into the orphanage today, she looked nervous and solemn, which is weird that she was out of the orphanage at all. She lives here with him. Naruto being the closest person to old lady Junko noticed it immediately. Naruto ran up to Junko, worried, and felt like it was his turn to comfort her.

"Umm, Junko-san?" Junko finally aware of Naruto's presence looked down at him, and flinched seeing him. Her skin turned pale as if seeing a ghost. Naruto was confused by this reaction, but he felt saddened that she would react in such a way.

"Oh, h-hey there brat." Naruto now knew something was wrong. Junko never stuttered, and rarely called him a brat. He doesn't know why, but Naruto had always been sensitive to the emotions of others. He knew she was nervous and slightly afraid. Of what, he doesn't know, but he still feels like he needs to help her.

"Umm, Junko-san? Are you alright? You seem scared." Junko looks at Naruto as if trying to solve a puzzle only visible to her.

"Oh, no, it's nothing sweetie." Naruto blushes. He always feels strange when she calls him that, and he knows she knows but she does it anyway. Junko just giggles at his reaction. All anxiety washes away from her body. Naruto smiles and decides to start helping her.

"So, what do you need help with today?" Junko smiles at him. He really is such a sweet boy.

"Hmph. If I were only a decade or 2 younger, I would ignore such a question, but seeing as I'm an old bat, I suppose you could help me with a thing or 2. Let's see…" Knowing that Naruto wouldn't want to help with actual chores, she decides to appease his ego. "I need a big, strong boy to help me carry the dirty clothes to the laundry." Hearing this, Naruto becomes contemplative. Laundry sucks. All the clothes smell really bad, but he is big and strong no matter what the big kids say.

" I can help! I'm big and strong, dattebayo!" Junko smiles in victory.

"Oh really? You are such a sweetheart. What else?" Junko thinks about the schedule for the day. "You can find me the ingredients and I can show you how to cook while I prepare lunch and dinner." Naruto smiles. He likes learning, and he likes food even more, so learning how to cook might be fun.

Junko then thinks further. Maybe one more thing, and she can do the rest. "I need to feed the infants, so you can help me with that. You can even play with them when we are done." Naruto starts to tremble in excitement. He loves playing with the babies. Sure they are loud and dumb, but they are cute, soft, cute, happy, non-judgmental, and did he mention cute? He loves babies. Junko then thinks about how she can reward Naruto.

After a few moments, she decides how to best reward him. "How about after dinner, and curfew, you can stay in my room, and we can talk about whatever you want. We can even continue with learning to read and write. And if not, we can just play for a bit." Naruto looks straight up at Junko and his eyes start gleaming. His smile grows into a grin and reaches his eyes. He starts jumping up and down.

"Yatta!" Seeing his reaction Junko's smile reaches her eyes. Her first sincere smile since she came into the orphanage after her outing. Maybe? This boy… there's something about him.

---

That night, after dinner, and curfew, Naruto sneaks out of his dormitory to go to Miss Junko's room. He knocks on her door in a pattern only he does. After a few moments, Junko opens the door wearing a conservative nightgown and her graying silver hair tied in a ponytail. Junko gives him a warm smile.

"Come in sweetie." Naruto scowls in an effort to force down his blush, but it only makes him look more cute than intimidating. Junko puts a hand on her mouth to stifle a giggle. Naruto walks in and sits on Junko's bed. Junko closes the door and walks towards her closet. In there she pulls out a large box. In it, it's filled with children's books. She pulls out an alphabet book first, and a pen with a pad to have Naruto go over his Kanji, and practice his calligraphy. Naruto doesn't like to read, but he likes practicing his calligraphy because it's fun. It's fun because it's always been easy for him for some reason. What he likes most however is when Junko pats his head when he writes out a Kanji well or gets the definition for one right. It makes him feel warm and fuzzy in his chest whenever he feels a head pat. Whenever he does a mistake, she doesn't reprimand him. She shows him his mistake, explains it to him, and he makes sure to not make the same mistake again. After an hour of practice, Junko and he start talking. About everything and nothing at all, and stories about their daily adventures in the orphanage. Finally, Naruto starts feeling tired. Junko hugs him and has him lay on her chest as she rocks him slowly. Before he can fall asleep, however, she asks him a question.

"Hey, Naruto?" Naruto knows this is serious because Junko never calls him by name only unless he is in trouble, or it's important.

"Yes, Junko-san?" Junko looks contemplative. How should she word this?

"What would you do if someone were to tell you stories about me? As in you find out a bad secret about my past, or everyone was to turn against me? How would you feel?" Naruto is stunned to hear this question. There is a foreboding feeling attached to the question, and he isn't sure exactly how to answer mostly because it confuses him. He remains silent for a moment thinking on how to best answer this question.

"Well, if there was a bad secret about you, I probably wouldn't even understand it, but if I did, like if you used to steal extra food from other people, or you took away all the toys from other kids when you were little, I'd be very surprised since that sounds nothing like you at all, dattebayo! But if it was true, it wouldn't really matter, would it? Because that was old Junko-san, and not now Junko-san. No, what I mean to say is, now Junko-san isn't past Junko-san, right? I don't really understand very well. I can't find the right words." He pouts and blushes in embarrassment. Still, Naruto tries to persevere to get his point across.

"Oh! And if everyone hated you for that, then it still wouldn't matter, because you would still have me! I would still be your friend, just like you are my friend, dattebayo!" Junko is stunned. He seems so sure with his answer, and although he couldn't explain himself very well, Junko could still understand what Naruto was trying to say. Now, she is sure of it. This kid is special, and she will do what she can for as long as she can to help him. She decided that she would start by giving him something as special as him since she isn't allowed to tell secrets. Besides, his birthday is coming soon, and she will be at the hospital then. She won't be able to give him anything then. This is an early birthday present.

"Hey Naruto-chan, Do you know the story of the Yondaime Hokage?" Naruto is now even more confused, but still thinks it'd be polite to respond.

"Umm, no. What is it about?" He asks while furrowing his brows. Junko notices that this is a tick of sorts for when he is confused. He really is just too cute!

"Firstly, the Hokage is usually the most powerful Shinobi in Konohagakure no Sato. There have been a total of 4 Hokage. The Hokage is the most respected person in the village. Everyone adores him, and enemies fear him. It's argued all the time, but it is pretty much the consensus that the Shodaime and Yondaime are the 2 most powerful Hokage.

Anyway, the Yondaime was the one who defeated the Kyuubi no Yoko and saved the village. 3 years ago, the Kyuubi no Yoko, a giant 9-tailed fox appeared in the middle of the village and started destroying everything in sight. Over a third of the village was destroyed, and half on fire. Many people were killed and many more hurt. It seemed as if there was no hope until the Yondaime Hokage appeared. The Yondaime gave his life to save the village. Both you and I wouldn't be alive without the sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage. His name was Namikaze Minato." Naruto looks awestruck. This Minato guy seems so cool. He feels happy just hearing his name.

"In fact, Minato was raised in this orphanage as well. I was also his matron." This takes Naruto by surprise.

"Really? That's so cool, dattebayo! What was he like?"

"Minato was a shy boy. He was small for his age and very scrawny. He was often bullied when he was younger, but he was also very smart-"

"-Wait wait wait wait wait. The Yondaime was shy? And he was weak and small just like me?" Now Naruto is fascinated by the tale of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Yes, now don't interrupt me! He was also very smart. He would ask questions about everything and anything. He would ask things just to get another answer even if he already knew what the answer was in order to learn more about what he knew instead of something new. He was such a sweet boy. In fact, he had spiky-yellow-blonde-hair just like you Naruto-chan." Naruto can't believe it. He has so much in common with such a cool hero like the Yondaime Hokage. 'Suck on that big kids! The Yondaime had hair like mine, so it is cool you losers, dattebayo!' Mentally screams Naruto.

"So his hair was like mines! That means my hair is cool, dattebayo! So… Junko-san, what questions did Yondaime-sama ask?" Junko remembers when Minato asked her about love.

"He once asked me what was love." There is a feeling of Nostalgia mixed with a hint of shame in that statement.

"Love? What is love Junko-san?" History really likes to repeat itself.

"Love… is difficult to explain Naru-chan. To make it simple, do you know the times when you feel happy? Things that make you happy are warm clothes, delicious food, compliments, and comfort. You always want the best for yourself, because that makes you happy. When you love someone, seeing that person happy makes you happy. Making sure they have the best even over yourself becomes the priority. They make you happy, and you make them happy. That is love Naruto-chan. This is exactly what I told Minato." Naruto is spellbound. Love seems so cool! Maybe he has love, or someone loves him?

"Hey, Junko-san? Does someone love me?" Junko decides to be blunt with him.

"For an adult love comes from a significant other and their friends as well as any kids they have. For a child, usually love comes from friends and their parents." Naruto starts tearing up. He doesn't have friends. All the big kids make fun of him and he is an orphan!

"So… no one loves me?" Naruto's voice cracks.

"Oh, sweetie. I said usually. You may not have any friends, nor parents, but that doesn't mean you don't have love. Let me tell you a story. This time, it's about me. When I was young, I always dreamed of being a mother. I always loved children, My husband and I tried to have kids for many years, but it just wouldn't happen. Turns out, the problem was me. You are too young to understand so I'll only say that. My husband and I used to fight a lot, until suddenly by some miracle, I got pregnant! I was so happy! It was a magical day, and after years of trying, my baby was finally coming. I bought and stored so much stuff. From clothes to products, diapers, and even stuff for the future. Like clothes for when my child was older and reading books. Well, once it was time to give birth, there were complications, but I got through it."

"What are complications?" That's a new word for Naruto.

"It means when something goes wrong sweetie." Junko doesn't like being interrupted, but she can always forgive him for not understanding something. It'd help him understand better anyways if she explains a word he doesn't know.

"Ok." Naruto was very engrossed in the story, so his blush was only a faint, rosy hue. She needs to stop calling him that!

"So, I was so excited to meet my baby. When it was born, the doctors congratulated me on a boy. But the doctors never gave me my baby. There was something wrong. The baby wasn't breathing, nor was his heart beating. He was stillborn. " A tear escapes Junko's eye.

"What does stillborn mean?" Junko flinches a bit.

"It means my baby died before he was born late in my pregnancy." Now it's Naruto's turn to flinch.

"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't know." Naruto looked on the verge of tears.

"No, don't be. It was a long time ago and you didn't know. The doctors confirmed that the labor complications caused damage that made it impossible for me to have another baby. My husband was desperate for a baby, so he left.

Well, that was the worst time of my life. I had no one for a long time. It took a while, but I learned to love myself enough to move on from my husband. And one day, I saw a job opening at the Konoha Orphanage. It was here that I found the love I've always looked for. The love of a child and mother, but instead with all of the children I've cared for.

So Naruto, even if you don't have love, you can always find it in others later in life. And guess what?" Naruto was in awe at Junko's story. He was so enraptured that he almost missed her question.

"What?"

"You already have love Naruto. You called me your friend, but I am afraid that you are mistaken. I am not your friend Naruto, nor am I your caretaker. I am too old to be your mother as well." At first, Naruto was happy to learn someone loves him but his heart broke hearing those last statements. He starts tearing up once more, but this time he thinks Junko hates him.

"I am more than that Naru-chan. I am sure now. From now on, you need to stop calling me 'Junko-san'. From now on, I would like for you to call me 'Baa-chan'." Naruto is stunned silent. He finally understands what she means.

"What!? Really?" His voice cracks.

"Yes, sweetie. You can call me Baa-chan, but only in private okay?" Junko gives him a motherly smile.

"O-okay… Baa-chan." It felt good to say that. His heart feels so light now!

"See, I told you that you have love in your life Naru-chan. I believe that your parents whoever they are loved you so much more than they did the world itself. I am so sure because I love you Naru-chan, and if I love you that much, then there is no doubt in my mind that your parents loved you even more than I do." The dams break and Naruto starts crying. Finally! Someone loves him! And if Baa-chan tells him his parents love him, then it must be true!

Junko smiles. She sings him a lullaby and rocks him. Naruto's sobs slowly morph into silent sniffles, and his eyes start drooping. At last, Naruto falls asleep with a calm smile on his face. 'Minato, because of our interaction all those years ago, I vowed to make sure that no kid under my care would ever suffer because of me ever again. I've brought peace to your son's heart Minato, so I hope you can forgive me. I love him too. I don't have much time left, so once I'm gone, please watch over your son for me, okay?'

Narrator: This is Naruto's first-ever bond. His Baa-chan, Junko. Naruto's interactions with Junko helped him survive his early suffering. These interactions also gave him hope for a better future for himself. This is where the ideology of future Naruto was born.

---

On his 4th birthday, Naruto decides to sneak out into the village. The matron isn't at the orphanage this morning, so he has a large window to work with. October 10th is his birthday but is also the day the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyuubi no Yoko. Naruto wanted to celebrate at the festival tonight, but knows he can't stay out for so long, so he decides to just wander the village. It takes him a while since the Orphanage is in the village outskirts, but immediately once he is in the village proper, he notices the looks people give him. They look at him weirdly like he has horns on his head or something. Naruto looks around to see if it is just him or someone else. He sees that no, It is just him that the villagers are looking at that way. It hurts him.

'Why am I being looked at like that? Did I do something wrong?' Naruto decides to walk further. His stomach growls. He smacks his head. He skipped breakfast. Thankfully he remembered to bring some money with him. He decides to go to a shop selling dumplings. Once he walks in, the owner looks at him and becomes pale. Then, his look of horror morphs into anger.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing here fox!?" hisses the store owner.

"Huh? I just want some food, sir." Replies Naruto.

"What? Do you think I'll just give out some dumplings to something like you? I have a business to run here!" Yells out the shop owner in growing rage.

"Umm, I can pay." Naruto pulls out some money from his pocket.

"Who the hell would want your filthy money fox? Get the hell out of my shop! Your stench makes me ill." Naruto runs out of his shop. His eyes water, but he refuses to cry. He won't give him the satisfaction. His words hurt. He doesn't know why he called him those things. Why was he so rude? He was willing to pay, so why didn't he want to serve him?

Naruto eventually runs off to another street. There he finds more food shops. He goes into them one by one, and they all refuse him service. Some of the bolder owners would forcefully rid him from the shop. The more meek ones would simply claim they ran out of food while he can clearly see their fully stocked inventory. They do little effort to hide it anyways. 'It hurts. Why? Why? Why is everyone treating me this way? Why is it only me, dattebayo?'

After a few hours, he finally gave up, Naruto runs off away from the market district to the recreational area of the village. There he finds a park. He gets excited and goes into the park hoping for enough fun to distract him. He finds a group of kids and he decides to try his luck with them. "Hey, can I play with you guys?" The kids turn to look at him. They look at him weirdly. Now up close, he can see that they are older kids. One girl studies him.

"A boy, blonde spiky hair, blue eyes, whisker marks. Hey, it's you. Hey guys, it's that kid. You know, our parents told us to stay away from anyone who matches his description!"

"Ohh. So he is that kid. Yeah, no. Staw away from us loser." Naruto is downtrodden. He decides to test his luck with another group of kids.

"So, can I play with you?" He sees that these kids are younger, around his age.

The kids look at him. He seems normal enough. "Yeah, you can-"

"-Hey, Maki!" The girl, Maki is interrupted by her mother.

"Stay away from that kid He is nothing but bad news." Another parent shows up.

"Yeah, he is a bad kid. Say away from him." The kids follow their parents, and everyone in the vicinity is glaring at him.

'Those eyes. They hurt. They burn. Why are they looking at me with so much… hate?' Naruto runs away with tears threatening to pour out of his eyes.

Naruto runs around for an hour, not paying attention to where he is going. Finally, he arrives in the impoverished area of the village, the one most and still affected by the Kyuubi incident. Once he arrives there, he can physically feel the change in the atmosphere. Whereas the other places were hostile, this place just stinks with dread and despair. It is enough to make him feel like he is suffocating. Then, everyone looks at him, and those emotions are multiplied. He can't breathe. There are a few drunks, and they glare at him with the utmost hostility. Everyone sort of mobs around him. They all glare at him.

"It-It's you. You damned demon!" Yells one of the women. She looks like she has been suffering.

"You-You killed my sister! You were the one who took my home!" A drunk man yells.

"You freak! You don't belong here!" Says another person.

"No one wants you! No one loves you. You dare walk around breathing, mocking us when you have taken everything from us!" This was told by a young woman who resembles Baa-chan. Hearing that from someone who looks so much like her was especially damaging.

Everyone surrounds Naruto. They berate him and call him names. They tell him awful things, and they blame him for things he is unaware of. It's all too much. The droplets on the corner of his eyes can't be contained. He runs off in the direction of the orphanage. He isn't sure exactly where it is, but as long as he can escape the outside world, he is fine.

He can tell by the sunset that it is nearing nighttime. Junko-baa-chan should be at the orphanage by now. She will scold him, but he couldn't care less. Naruto sees the orphanage in the distance and runs his hardest. His eyesight becomes blurry with tears. Finally, he arrives at the steps. He slams the door open and barges in. Junko is there waiting for him with a stern glare.

"Where have you been the entire day!?" Naruto ignores her and slams into her to hug her. His sobs are fully audible now, and she can feel her blouse become wet with Naruto's tears. Her stern visage disappears and concern becomes apparent on her face. Junko carries Naruto into her arms and hugs him. She rocks him and whispers a lullaby to him while she rocks him.

[Night Mantra: by Renee and Jeremy, on /watch?v=dc2ygv4dWRw]

"I will be your home. I will be your guide.

I will be your friend, always by your side.

Sleep now in your room, quiet of the night

Surrounded by the moon, 'til you see the light.

I will be your home. I will be your guide.

I will be your friend, always by your side.

Sleep now in your room, quiet of the night

Surrounded by the moon, 'til you see the light.

I will be your home. I will be your guide.

I will be your friend, always by your side.

Sleep now in your room, quiet of the night

Surrounded by the moon, 'til you see the light."

Naruto's sobs slowly turn to whimpers and sniffles. His stream of tears slowly turns to trickles.

"I will be your home. I will be your guide.

I will be your friend, always by your side.

Sleep now in your room, quiet of the night

Surrounded by the moon, 'til you see the light."

Naruto's eyes start to droop, and his breathing evens out. Slowly, his eyes close, and he falls asleep. Junko brings him into her room to lay him down. She kisses him on his forehead and walks out.

Narrator: Naruto's first interaction with the villagers that he can remember. The abuse he received and unjust treatment all leave deep, heavy scars in his heart. This sets the tone for the rest of his childhood.

---

A week later, Naruto is still traumatized about his birthday outing. He has stuck by Junko like he was glued to her. Naruto has promised himself that he will never go out again. This week while helping his Baa-chan, Naruto has noticed that Junko started needing his help with more chores, and for longer. Baa-chan often needs to take breaks after, during, or in-between chores. This worries Naruto. Why does Baa-chan need so much help and rest? She is old now, but is that really enough reason?

These last few days, however, were worse than ever. Baa-chan started coughing a lot when she overexerted, and there was one time where she coughed up blood? He isn't too sure. Maybe the lights were playing tricks on him? But whatever the reason, something is wrong with Baa-chan. Tonight, however, something weird happened. While she was teaching him in her room, Junko all of a sudden became very quiet. Looking at her in confusion Naruto then turned shocked when she fell onto the bed.

"Baa-chan? Junko-baa-chan!" Naruto ran over to her to shake her. She isn't waking up! "Baa-chan! Baa-chan! Please, wake up!" Suddenly, Junko groans, and her eyes open.

"Naru-chan?" Why does he look so panicked?

"Baa-chan! Are you okay?! We were studying like normal and you just fell over, dattebayo!" Junko's eyes widen. She's in worse condition than she thought.

"Oh my! I guess I must've worked myself too hard today. I all of a sudden felt dizzy and fainted. Don't worry though. Just a little bit of lemon water should help." Naruto dashes to the kitchen to get his Baa-chan a glass of water with lemon. He comes back and gives it to her. Junko takes slow, shallow sips of the lemon water. Some color comes back to her pale skin.

"Thank you, sweetie." Naruto blushes.

"I told you to stop calling me that, dattebayo..! But you're welcome." Junko stifles a chuckle at his reaction. He is just too cute sometimes! She then thinks a little bit.

"Hey, Naru-chan? I think it's time I give you a special present." Naruto's eyes start gleaming in excitement.

"Really? What are you going to give me?" Junko becomes melancholy.

"Do you remember what I told you about my son? How I bought him so much stuff to make sure there was nothing he lacked such as clothes and toys? Well, the same books that I bought for him are the ones I use to teach you how to read and write. I even gave you some of the clothes that I bought for him. So, it's safe to say that you are important to me." Naruto blushes after hearing this. He didn't realize he was so special to his Baa-chan! "I've given you a lot of things of my son to you Naruto. But I've done so with many kids as well. That doesn't mean much, but I will do something to you that I have never done with anyone else."

Junko walks over to her closet. She removes a tile from the floor and there is a secret compartment underneath. She pulls out a small, wooden box. She opens the box, and inside is… "What is that?" Asks Naruto. All he can see is a wrapping of sorts.

"All the things that I have given you and the other kids are things that I bought for my son. No matter how close to my heart they were, or cheap or expensive, I've given everything I bought for my child away to you kids. But this right here is special. This-" she unwrapped what was underneath. It's a red scarf.

"-scarf right here is the only thing I have ever made for my child. This red scarf I knitted with my own hands. It took me months just to learn how to knit at all, and even more to finish this project. It was the only thing I have ever done for myself. Although my son isn't here to enjoy this symbol of my love, I've decided to give my show of love, effort, and dedication to you Naru-chan. Whenever you feel sad, just keep this scarf close to you, and you will feel my hugs there. And I would trust no one better than you to protect this scarf. Do you think you can do it?" Naruto is stunned. He doesn't know what to say. He feels like crying and screaming out to the heavens in glee. He feels warm and special, but he is also cold because he feels inadequate. He thinks he might not deserve such a gift.

"Are you sure? Am I really good enough, -ttebayo?" Junko just walks up to him and kisses him on his forehead.

"I couldn't think of anyone better for my gift." Naruto starts tearing up but wills his tears to recede.

"Okay! You got it! I will protect this scarf with my life Baa-chan!" Junko wraps the scarf around his neck and a somber smile appears on her face.

"Thank you. Goodbye Naru-chan. I love you."

"I love you too Baa-chan." Naruto walks out to go to his dormitory. He stops in his stride.

'Goodbye? She usually tells me goodnight, so what did she mean by that?'

Narrator: This was the last time Naruto would ever see his Baa-chan again. Soon Naruto will learn that any happiness he gets is temporary as the world itself won't allow for him to have peace.

---

The next day, Junko wasn't anywhere to be seen. She had to go to the hospital again. This time, however, she left behind an interim matron so no one can sneak out. This new matron however looks very familiar and she is super mean! She keeps looking at him like he is a pest. She keeps glaring at him, and today for breakfast, she didn't let him eat with everyone else. She only let him eat when everyone else was done. By the time that happened, there were only a few scraps left because some kids even asked for seconds! He doesn't like her at all!

'When Baa-chan comes back, I will tell her about this stupid other matron. She might even fire her, dattebayo! Today during our free time, she didn't let me play with the toys. She didn't even let me play with the other kids. Whenever kids would tattle on me, she would always believe them too. At the orphanage, the normal punishment for constant bad behavior is a spanking. She keeps spanking me whenever anyone blames me for anything! It hurts to sit now! And when the big kids went outside, they would all look at me weird. The other kids from outside told them that I was bad. That's a lie! I'm not bad! I hate it here. I miss Baa-chan! When will she be back? She's been gone all day now, -ttebayo!' This continued on for days. Then after a week, some of the big kids decided to trash his stuff.

'They got into my dormitory and stole my things! They ripped my sheets and I can't even find my favorite foxy pushy either! At least I managed to hide my scarf. When I complained to the matron, she ignored me, and when I kept bugging her, the big kids all claim what I said was a lie. They say they saw a cat do it. She believed them because my window was open! I saw them do it, -ttebayo! They even beat me up, and she still won't take my side. She even spanked me for lying. It's been a week now Baa-chan! Where are you?'

After a month, things have only gotten worse. The matron won't let him eat with everyone. He has to eat in a corner somewhere else. He can't talk to anyone else, and the little kids are following the example of the big kids and start treating him bad too. The matron won't even let him see the infants anymore. He hates it here worse than before! Where is his Baa-chan?

"Hey, matron, where is Junko-san?" The matron gives him the stink eye.

"What do you care brat?"

"Just tell me, -ttebayo!" The matron glares at him.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to fox! Keep up that attitude and I'll spank you!" Naruto flinched but doesn't back down.

"I don't care! Tell me where is Junko-san!" The matron decides to punish him later. Right now, she just wants him away from her.

"She is at the hospital. Now leave me alone." She is nearing her limit on her patience for this damned thing!

"Still? Is she alright then? Can I see her? Isn't it bad if she is at the hospital for too long? Maybe she is missing!?"

"Listen up you damned fox brat! I will count to 3! If you don't leave my presence by then, I will spank you!

"What? That's not-"

"One…" She uncrosses her arms.

"Hey, wait! I just want to-"

"TWO…" she lifts up her right hand.

"Okay, Okay! Fine!" Naruto runs off to avoid another spanking.

It's been 3 months now. Baa-chan still hasn't come back. He is conceived now that she is missing. He is done now. He demands answers whether the matron wants to give them to him or not.

"Hey, where is Junko-san!?" He will stop at nothing until he has an answer.

"Listen brat! Stop asking! Nothing good will come out of it!"

"I don't care! Where is my Baa-chan!?" The matron flinches.

"Baa-chan?! Don't you say such things about Junko-oba-chan!" Huh? Oba-chan?

"No! Where is my Baa-chan, dattebayo!?" The matron gets a look of fury.

"I'm warning you. If you don't stop saying such things about my Oba-chan, you'll be sorry." The look the matron gives him tells him that she means business, but no matter what version of himself he is, Naruto is stubborn. Even if he were to have nothing, at least he has that.

"WHERE! IS! MY! BAA-CHAN!" The matron has had it! There is no way she will let this damned thing talk about Junko like that!

"YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES TO PACK YOUR SHIT! YOU WILL NO LONGER LIVE IN THE ORPHANAGE!"

"What! That's not fair!"

"Fair my ass you little shit. Get the fuck out!"

"Where will I live then?"

"You can rot in hell for all I care you filthy demon!" He remembers her now! She is the lady from that day! She was a part of the mob that was berating him. She was the lady that looked like Baa-chan! He can't help but listen to her, if only because she resembles Junko baa-chan.

"Fine!" Naruto storms off into his room. He packs as much as he can into a backpack. He goes into his hiding spot and takes his red scarf. He hides it in the bottom of his backpack so no one can steal it. Tears start prickling around his eyes. This place has been home for his entire life and everyone outside is so mean, but now that Baa-chan is gone, the orphanage feels like hell.

Baa-chan? That's it! His Baa-chan IS his home. So if he finds her, they can live together forever. He doesn't care about the awful people outside anymore. His Baa-chan is all he needs. His tears dry up now. He walks out of his room, taking one last look around his first home. No, he is going to find his home, since she is no longer here. He walks by the exit of the orphanage. The matron gives him a nasty glare. He walks out of the door.

"Where is Junko-baa-chan?" Rage fills the matron's face once more along with tears.

"MY Oba-chan is dead you little shit! Some terminal illness you probably cursed her with! You damned her to hell you damned demon! Get out!" The matron slams the door on his face. He stumbles and falls off the steps onto the unforgiving ground. Naruto, however, doesn't stand up. 'Baa-chan… Dead? No, she's lying! She must be!' Naruto gets up. He runs around the village. He asks the people one by one about his Baa-chan. Most ignore him, but the few that don't tell him she is dead. A funeral was held for her a few weeks ago. 'No! The people outside are all mean! They must be lying if only to make me sad! I will find my Baa-chan, dattebayo!'

Naruto asks for directions to the hospital. There he asks a nurse about Junko. She is the only person in the village named Junko, so it won't be too hard to identify her. The nurses all say that she is dead as well. 'They are lying! They must be!' Tears start prickling in Naruto's eyes. He decides to confirm it or not.

He goes to the cemetery again after asking for directions. Most people gave him venomous glares after asking for direction to the cemetery. Once he is there, he sees how massive it is. He doesn't know much. He can't read well yet, but Baa-chan taught him enough to read simple words and how to spell his and her name. She even taught him how to sound out his word to figure out what they say. He walks until he can see names he recognizes. He stumbles upon one which he somewhat recognizes. He sounds it out. "J-Ju-Jun-ko. Junko!" He runs up to the headstone. He struggles to read since he is still young, but he sounded it out to understand better.

"H-H-He-re L-Lies Ju-Junko, no s-sur-name. 'Surname?' What is that? Junko nev-never had chil-child-ren and was o-nce div-div-orced. Alth-atlhoug? Although! Although she never had child-ren she was a be-loved aunt. She was an impo-rtant member of the co-mmu-nity by ser-ving at the Kono-Konoha or-or-orphan-orphanage as a ma-matron for thirty-five years." Naruto slowly reads and sounds out the words. Once he is sure, he reads it straight through. This is the same method baa-chan taught him.

"Okay, let's read it at once. Here lies Junko, no surname. Junko never had children and was once divorced. Although she never had children, she was a beloved aunt. She was an important member of the community by serving at the Konoha Orphanage as a matron for thirty-five years. Huh. Pretty short. Must've had a boring life…

Wait… Baa-chan is named Junko, and she served at the orphanage as a matron, so this is… Baa-chan! She-She's dead."

Realization strikes Naruto, and his heart clenches. What is this feeling? He doesn't understand it, but it hurts so much. He can't breathe. He starts crying, finally realizing that he is finally truly alone in the world. He is surrounded by people who hate him as well. The pain is unbearable. His right eye starts to be filled by a black miasma covering his sclera. Burning rage and endless sorrow fill his heart. The miasma spreads. It starts to fill his left eye.

All of a sudden, Naruto notices a red scarf slip out of his bag. He pulls it out and hugs it. He can feel his Baa-chan's warmth in it. He can still smell her. He has to be strong to honor her. Naruto wipes the tears from his eyes, and smiles, the black miasma in his eyes recedes to turn his sclera back to white. 'I need to be strong. A weakling can't protect Baa-chan's scarf. This has all of her love in it, so I have to be the one to protect all that love.' Naruto's resolve was discovered that day.

---

Naruto lived on the streets for a few weeks. One day in the rain, the man from the ramen stand invited him inside to eat a free meal! He is a cool dude in his book now! That was the highlight of his time on the streets. Eventually, a strange ninja with a dog mask found him and brought him to an apartment.

"You live here now. Someone will come by every first of the month to give you money for your expenses. That is about it. Ja ne!" The man in the dog mask disappeared in a flash. All Naruto can remember about him was his gravity-defying, spiky-silver-hair.

"Who the hell was that?"

---

A 5-year-old boy is sitting on top of the Yondaime Hokage's head. He has spiky blonde hair, and bright, sapphire blue eyes. His most striking features are the 6 whisker marks on his face. 3 on each cheek. He's looking towards the sun and has to squint since the glare hurts his eyes. He blocks the rays with his tiny, pudgy hand, and starts gripping, trying to grab the sun. He isn't really doing anything.

All of a sudden, he sees a hawk flying in the sky, and he beams. It's so cool! The hawk can fly free and see the entire world from there. What intrigues him the most is that the hawk is free. Free to go anywhere it wants, eat anything it wants, or just be as far away from everything as it wants. Naruto likes hawks. They are not his favorite animal. His favorites are foxes and toads. Too bad that no one else agrees.

His beaming smile is then wiped away from his face when he sees the hawk be accompanied by its mate. They then fly together off to the great yonder. He becomes crestfallen when he realizes that even hawks have someone. 'Baa-chan…'

Later that day, Naruto is strolling through the village center aimlessly. Not really going anywhere, but finding no reason to stop. A few meters away, 2 women see him and start gossiping.

"I hear it's true."

"So it's that boy huh?" Naruto hears them but just walks on by. Suddenly he stops when he feels something bump his legs. He glances down and sees a red ball. He gets excited because he doesn't have a ball, and he wishes to play with anyone who comes to claim the ball. He gets a large, uneasy smile on his face, filled with excitement and anxiousness once he sees a young girl approaching to claim her ball. As soon as he tries to pick up the ball, he hears more gossip.

"Look, isn't that the boy?"

"Ugh, he gives me the creeps." The girl's father holds her back from approaching him and tells her off.

"Hey, don't play with him. You have no idea what he'll do." Naruto becomes upset. He lets go of the ball and starts to stroll aimlessly like before. The villagers start crowding around him. They don't ever do anything barring an incident or two. They just look at him and whisper things about him and hide their children from him like he's some exhibit in a zoo or a circus act, not that he has any idea as to why. It wasn't always like this.

He was just a kid for the first 3 years of his life, then all of a sudden, everyone turned on him. It got really bad when he turned 4. He was kicked out of the orphanage shortly after. It wouldn't be so bad if he still had his Baa-chan with him. He told her that he would never turn his back on her, so he doubts that she would abandon him. He has an apartment now, so maybe she would've lived with him. Since the day he was given his apartment, an old man would show up leaving him money to pay for his apartment.

After a while, he eventually stumbles upon a food stand. He sees a couple of Chunin eating some noodles with meat, eggs, and a soup of sorts. It's ramen if he remembers correctly. One of them has a scar across his nose. He reads the sign the way Baa-chan taught him to.

"I-Ichi-raku Ra-men". He remembers this stand. This was where the old dude fed him for free. So that's the name of the stand. He doesn't think he can do that again though. Naruto's stomach growls, and he starts digging in his pocket. He pulls out 2 golden-looking rings and 2 dull silver coins. He then remembers the reason for his stroll. He does this whenever he wants to dull the hunger pains. He is hungry and doesn't have enough money for even a piece of fruit.

In the distance, a familiar black-eyed boy with duck-butt-shaped raven hair looks towards Naruto. Sasuke at Naruto in pure curiosity, nothing more.

"He's that kid. Did you hear the rumors that the Yondaime died because of him?" This piques Sasuke's interest.

Naruto eventually goes back to his lonely apartment, located in a lonely building, in a lonely street corner. He lies down on his bed and stares at the ceiling. His stomach growls angrily at him, and his eyes start to glisten, and water. Eventually, he starts crying but still tries to stifle his sniffles. After a few minutes, he turns to look at the corner of his room. On a coat hanger is a red scarf. This gives Naruto some resolve.

He then leaves his home and dashes off towards the forest. He runs specifically towards his secret playing area. He picks up some pebbles along the way, and once he arrives at his destination, he starts throwing the rocks at his improvised target made out of a disk-shaped log, and it is held up by an old, rotting rope. He runs around, throwing pebbles at it, pretending that he is a shinobi. At that moment, he forgets all about his troubles, and he is accompanied by what has been his best friend for his entire life and many years to come. His imagination. He finishes with his pebbles, so he starts trying those cool ninja flips he sees shinobi do sometimes. He does them while running at a speed that surpasses an adult civilian. Then his stomach growls, and he remembers his hunger pains. It distracts him, and he falls off a tree. When he starts to get up, he sees mushrooms.

"Wow!" That is when an idea strikes him. He'll find and cook his own food. Baa-chan taught him enough, so he can probably do it. He picks up any mushrooms he can find in a bowl. He collects multiple types of mushrooms. Most are ok to eat, but the large, spotted red one is highly poisonous, but how would he know that anyways. He starts giggling regardless, excited about eating.

He builds his own improvised fishing rod. It's just a stick with a string attached to it, and a hook attached to the string. He starts fishing in a nearby stream, waiting, and hoping for a few fish. When he gets a tug, he pulls with all his might and successfully gets a fish. He tries a few more times and ends up with 4 fish total. He then builds a fire and gets some water. He puts water in a pot, and the mushrooms boil with the water over the fire puts the fish on sticks, and has them cooked over the fire. He isn't sure when they are considered cooked, but when he sees the mushrooms start to break apart from constant boiling, and the fish start drying up, he assumes it's ok. He immediately goes for the fish and bites into it with vicious ferocity. He doesn't care to even worry about the spines in the fish because he is finally easing his hunger pains. Then, he feels a presence by his side and then hears a sniff. It scares the hell out of him, and he falls off his log.

"Wh-Who are you dattebayo?" he asks on edge after seeing an unknown old man. He roughly recognizes him, but he can't put his finger on it.

"Just an old man passing through." the mysterious old man gives him a kind smile. He looks at the fish.

"That's some good-looking fish." just then, the old man's stomach growled. Naruto was shocked at the change in atmosphere, so he couldn't help but chuckle, and then start giggling. The old man then joined him to share a laugh in this short, humorous reprieve. Naruto then took one of the fish by the fire and handed it to the old man.

"Here jii-chan. Eat this." Naruto himself was still hungry, but he felt like sharing anyway. He doesn't like feeling hungry, so he is sure the old man wouldn't like the feeling either.

"Ohh. Thank you." The old man observes the fish. "Ohh. This looks so good."The old man is salivating at this point.

"Well, I caught it. So, of course, it's gonna taste good, dattebayo!"

"Is that so?" The old man takes a bite. "H-Hot!" The 2 eat and bask in each other's presence.

Suddenly, the old man speaks to Naruto. "Look at those stars. Each one of those stars is like our world's sun. Most bigger than our sun, actually. Yes, this world is boundless." Young Naruto is awed by this. He can't believe how big the world is, but he is more astonished by how the old man knows this stuff. He finally recognizes that he is the man that gives him his monthly stipend but doesn't say anything about it.

"Yeah? Wow, you sure know a lot, jii-chan, dattebayo." the old man chuckles, but keeps going.

"Compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant." the old man concludes.

"No kidding. The world is big huh? It goes on and on…" the old man nods in satisfaction. All of a sudden, both of their stomachs growl. Both of them grow flustered and blush in embarrassment. They then hear the other's stomach growl, and they look at one another, realizing that they are sharing this moment of embarrassment. Suddenly, it's not so bad. They start to laugh together, and it makes it all that much funnier.

"Hahahahahahaa-hehehe!"

Naruto hears the pot on the fire start boiling. It's the mushrooms he was cooking.

"Do you want some mushroom soup, Jii-chan?"

"Are you sure you can spare me some?"

"Sure! You tell great stories jii-chan!" That was the day Naruto made his first long-term friend.

---

A few weeks later, early in the morning, Naruto is on top of the Yonaime's head again. He is looking up at the sky, He is swinging his right index finger around. A dragonfly lands on it.

"He is right… Compared to the world, I'm just… I'm so small, whatever I do… it's not enough… Turns out the old man is the Hokage. That is why he is so respected. Maybe if I become Hokage, the people will notice me and respect me? The Hokage is the strongest in the village. I have no idea how I'll get there. But I'm me! I work twice as hard as everybody else just to get the same results and to be noticed. That's just who I am, dattebayo!" Naruto leaps off of the Hokage head and charges into the village.

One of the shop owners is opening up for the day and sees something that sends him into bewilderment.

"Wha-What is this?!" the buildings around his shop, roofs, walls, doors, especially his shop are vandalized with blue, red, and yellow paint. The entire block is vandalized. On top of a building, a tanned, blue-eyed kid with spiky yellow-blond hair and 3 whisker marks on each cheek is covered in paint of the respective colors.

"Uzumaki Naruto at your service. I'm going to become Hokage no matter what." Naruto then flees from the scene with an obscene amount of speed and agility.

"Damn it! It was him again!" yells the shop owner in frustration.

"It's not like he has any parents we can complain to! What'll we do? Who's going to pay for all this?!" Yells a young woman in exasperation. A man groans as he walks into the street.

"Was it him again?" A middle-aged woman answers him"

"Yes, the boy whose name is taboo."

"What a nuisance."

"His presence is so unpleasant."

"I'll say."

"What a royal pain in the ass."

Naruto hears these things, and for a moment, a beaming smile appears on his face. It might not be good things he hears, but for the first time in a long tie, everyone is acknowledging his existence. The fact he is there at all, but then, his running slows to a jog, then a walk, and then a full stop. A pained expression appears on his face.

The black miasma appears, which slowly fills his right eye, temporarily turning the sclera black, but he scrunches up his face to hold in his wince and grimace as he finally pushes down his emotions at what everyone is saying. He opens his eyes, and they are normal. He is unaware of what was happening. He wasn't the first time. On his left, he hears a kid's voice.

"I'm leaving!" It's a kid leaving for school.

"Wait! You forgot something!" yells a woman holding 2 wrapped Bentos. Another kid, an older one runs towards the woman and little boy.

"Oops. What did you make us for lunch?" The younger kid hugs the older one, presumably his brother.

"I wanna know too! Did kaa-san make omelets?"

"Woah. Careful now." Naruto sees the interaction between the mother and her 2 children. Just seeing this hurts him deeply, and he sprints back home to avoid remembering his Baa-chan and his own loneliness.

---

Once he is home, he gets himself cleaned, and changes clothes. He then lays on his bed and stares at the ceiling, looking at nothing, or searching for what isn't there, who's to say, but mostly thinking about the interaction between the children and their mother. It used to be like that for him too, but on a lesser scale with Baa-chan. It's been so long now. He doesn't remember much about her now besides her vague appearance and the emotions he felt with her. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and he is thrown out of his thoughts.

"Can I come in?" Not waiting for a response, in walks Hiruzen. Naruto sits up to look for the aging Hokage. He walks out of his room to enter the living room. Hiruzen is there in his Hokage attire. Naruto ignores the old man and hops up on the sink and sits on the edge of it with a frown. Hiruzen sighs, but continues on. He digs in his pockets and pulls out an envelope. He slides it on the table.

"Here. This is for this month's living expenses." Naruto still doesn't say anything, but now he has a strange look on his face. A mix between sadness and guilt.

"Spend it wisely now." Still nothing from Naruto. Hiruzen turns to walk out of the apartment, but then Naruto finally addresses him.

"Hey… Why don't I have a Tou-chan and Kaa-chan?" Hiruzen gets sudden flashbacks of witnessing the death of Minato and Kushina but masks it with the efficiency of a veteran. He will not tell the truth to Naruto, regardless of it being the right thing to do or not. The kid is too young and wouldn't understand.

"Hmm. Didn't I tell you before? Although it was quite some time ago-"

"-That's not what I want to hear!" Yells Naruto.

"You are talking about when that beast the Kyuubi no Yoko ran amuck right? And that a lot of people in the village were killed, including my Tou-chan and Kaa-chan." Hiruzen remains silent.

"Well, that's not what I'm asking about! I just want to know, who were my parents? What kind of people were they, dattebayo!?"

Hiruzen remembers the interactions between Minato and Kushina and could give a vague response to the child, but he doubts it would appease him. If he gives him something now while he is young, he may be satisfied for the moment but will demand more and more, and if he denies Naruto information, then he will lose his trust. It would ruin all the effort he has made up to that point. If he denies him information now, then it will strain their relationship, but not irredeemably, and the kid will eventually rationalize for himself that the information would be given to him when he is older. It gives him more time to plan and wait. It's unfortunate, but no matter if he likes it or not, Hiruzen is a master manipulator. He doesn't like that he has this ability, and he likes it even less that he is manipulating an impressionable child, but it's for the greater good.

'I wonder if Naruto knew that an unwritten requirement of being Hokage is being a master manipulator and that he would have to prioritize everything, even his happiness second to the village, would he still want the job? Or would he naively believe that the Hokage's power is absolute and would try to force the world and people to change? Maybe even stick to his naivete and convince others to follow him? Kami-sama forbid! That is a path of true suffering and one that is futile. Well, hopefully, he figures it out on his own before it is too late.' Hiruzen puts on a mask of cold indifference.

"There's no use asking about that. It won't bring back the dead." Hiruzen then starts walking toward the door.

"Wait!" Naruto runs to catch up with Hiruzen, but the old man closes the door on his face. Naruto is stunned. He doesn't know how to feel, nor what to do. He stares at the door as if it was an unsolvable puzzle. He then runs outside of his apartment and stands by the railings on the platform for his floor. He looks out into the street and watches as Hiruzen walks off without hesitation. The complex emotions in his heart finally get sorted out, and it hits him all at once.

Suddenly, a wave of crushing despair hits him. It's so intense it suffocates him. He can't breathe, and he starts hyperventilating. His throat tightens so much that he feels like vomiting. His chest hurts, and he grapes at it with his small hands. Naruto then heels a prickling in his eyes. He knows this feeling. He hates it so much. Tears are forming in his eyes. A sniffle is heard, then 2, and then a third. Naruto starts quietly sobbing.

This has been the worst day of his life. He feels like screaming, but his throat and chest are so tight that not a sound comes out. All of the buried, negative emotions he always hides flood out. A black miasma starts filling the sclera of his eyes. It starts with his right eye, and as it fully gets consumed, his pupil is irises and pupils follow. His once sapphire blue eyes are now a pupilless crimson.

His left eye then starts to be affected. The miasma spreads, and his left eye suffers the same effects. As this is happening, deep in Naruto's subconsciousness, in a murky sewer-like prison, a large, crimson-slitted eye opens. Accompanying this eye is a massive body 100 meters from head to toe, and 9 tails swing behind this body.

"I can feel something happening with my container. His emotions are a mess. They make me dizzy. What a nuisance! Well, at least this human's pathetic lack of emotional control presents me with an opportunity."

As the Kyuubi inside Naruto prepares to commence his plan, another thing happens with Naruto. His eyes start burning. They hurt, and it causes a headache to start. He's over-stimulated. Something insane could happen at any moment.

Narrator: These intense emotions force multiple things to happen at once.

First, this was the birth and awakening of Naruto's other half. His hidden dark side, or "Yami" as he prefers to be called. All of Naruto's hatred, anguish, and negative thoughts are suppressed and become isolated in one entity. Yami is all that Naruto ignores, and Naruto is all that Yami isn't. They are one and the same, but exact opposites. Their merging is inevitable, and in time, neither will be left. What will remain from their merging is a new Naruto. In layman's terms, Yami is the forceful creation of Naruto's split personality.

Secondly, the Kyuubi is finally given access to Naruto's chakra system albeit to an extremely limited degree. Intense emotions stimulate the chakra system, so Naruto at the moment has an overabundance of chakra circulating throughout his body.

Lastly, the overabundance of highly dense and special chakras force another thing to occur.

As Yami is being supplied chakra from the Kyuubi, Naruto's mind is both literally and metaphorically being split in 2. Yami's birth and the overabundance of chakra being produced, provided, and circulating in Naruto's body awakens something hidden deep in Naruto's DNA. His eyes burn, and they hurt. Chakra is being forcefully supplied to his eyes. The pain is unbearable. Veins start protruding around his eyes extending to his temples. His skull starts throbbing, and veins continue to protrude around his entire head, around his skull, temple, face, and a few by his neck. A headache of otherworldly proportions caused by the splitting of his mind and the forceful awakening of his abilities causes Naruto to scream in agony. His nose starts bleeding in an effort to release pressure from his skull. His body can no longer handle this torture, and he falls to the ground.

The veins every slowly start receding with those around his eyes taking longer to relax. The miasma recedes and his sclera is back to white, but his pupils are different. They are gray and pupilless. The veins around his eyes fully recede and his eyes turn back to their natural sapphire blue with pupils. The sudden loss of chakra causes Naruto to go into shock and fully blackout.

The scream from earlier alerts ANBU nearby, and they find him passed out outside. The first one to find him was the same silver-haired ANBU from so long ago. 'Veins around the eyes? The only thing I know that can cause that is Byakugan, but Naruto isn't a Hyuuga! So, what could have caused this? Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me? No, impossible. My Sharingan can't be fooled. I couldn't see his eyes, so I can't confirm whether or not it was Byakugan or caused by something else.'

"Neko-san! Alert Hokage-sama immediately! I'll take Naruto to the hospital! Go!"

"Roger that Inu-senpai!" The cat-masked ANBU kunoichi goes to report to the Hokage as the dog-masked ANBU takes Naruto to the hospital.

In his mind, Naruto is in a state of hibernation. There are 2 of him floating in the waters of his mindscape. His light half is floating in the blue water in the shallow parts of his mindscape. Deeper inside, however, in the deep, red waters of his mindscape in front of the Kyuubi's cage, Naruto's dark half, Yami is also in slumber. The Kyuubi observes Yami.

"Yes." He says in a hiss while looking at Yami.

"You will be my ticket to freedom from this accursed prison. And once I'm free, I will turn the village that imprisoned me TO ASH! Damn you Minato! Damn you and your filthy spawn! Though I am surprised that there was something so special in the brat's lineage. Byakugan eh? I don't know much about Hamura's bloodline, so I guess I'll learn with the brat. Very interesting indeed." The Kyuubi feels out the mindscape and senses that Naruto's light side fades out of it, presumably into the real world.

---

In the outside world, Naruto is in a hospital bed with an IV attached to his arm. The heart monitor is beeping at a steady rate. Naruto starts to stir. Slowly he opens his eyes. He flinches. His eyes hurt, but the light added a burning effect. Now his eyes feel unbearable. Everything looks so blurry, and he can't make out any colors. He can feel the light in his eyes, but he can barely register anything. He has to focus on his surrounding using his hearing now that his vision is impaired.

In the room, a nurse was doing a regular, routine check-up on Naruto. She may not like the kid, but she is a professional, so she is capable of putting all of that aside to help the kid. Hippocratic Oath and such. Anyway, as she was checking up on the kid, she heard the ruffle of bed sheets. She saw Naruto stirring. This was a shock considering that it should take a week of recovery before someone can wake up from what the kid went through, not a day, but then she remembered about his 'condition'. The fox, right. She witnessed Naruto open up his eyes and wince at the lights. She isn't sure what happened, but whatever occurred to him damaged his eyes.

"Wh-whe-" Naruto's question was halted by a cough that racked his body. God that hurts! His entire chest feels like it's caving in from that cough alone. Seeing what's happening, the nurse gives him a glass of water.

"Take slow, shallow sips." Naruto sips the water slowly and makes sure to coat his entire throat. He feels better now. He can talk well enough to where he won't force a cough.

"Wh-Where am I? What happened to me?" Naruto just wants to know what brought him to wherever he is since he can't see very well, but based on the smell, he has a suspicion he is at the hospital. It better not be the hospital because-

"-You are at the Konoha Hospital."

"Kuso! Damn it a-" he is interrupted by another series of painful coughs. Right. Can't be too forceful with his speech.

"Calm down kid. Take some water." Naruto drinks some more water.

"Yes, you are in the hospital. You have been here for a day. We don't know what happened to you. Some ANBU found you passed out in your apartment complex and brought you here since you were in terrible condition. Usually, we take the first day to stabilize someone in the state you came in and find out the damage and symptoms they have. Then we perform tests on them afterward. I was prepping you for testing, but you recovered remarkably fast and took me by surprise. You might even have recovered enough for you to be released today." This surprises Naruto. What happened to him to bring him here? He can't remember. All he can recall is feeling really… bad and a lot of pain. Nothing else comes to mind.

"Oh." That is all that can be said.

"I will advise Hokage-sama of this latest development. I bet you'd like to see him as soon as possible right? He was very worried about you." Naruto becomes excited. His jii-chan is worried about him! He wants to see him as well.

"Yatta! I want to see jii-chan!" Naruto then winces. He got a headache after hearing that, and he also felt… angry? But why would he feel angry about meeting jii-chan?

"I'll notify him right away." The nurse walks out of the room. Naruto san see that she is talking to a shinobi with… an animal mask? He nods and just disappears from the hospital altogether. How weird.

Eventually, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen came into the room in full Hokage gear. When Naruto heard his signature walking pattern, a beaming smile was plastered on his face, but when he smiled, he felt another slight headache and another tinge of anger. Maybe he is still sick?

"Oh Naruto, my boy! Are you ok? What happened to you? I left, and all of a sudden you suffered an attack of sorts. Tell me what you can remember!" Jii-chan left and then he had an attack? He can't remember very well, but jii-chan said some things that made him feel bad. That much he knows.

"I can't remember jii-chan! All I know is that you said something that made me feel bad, and I felt a lot of pain and blacked out. That's it." Strange.

"Sounds like some sort of emotional turmoil triggered a type of mental attack. That can explain the damage done to his brain." States Hiruzen. But this can't be all that this was.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, that is a possibility we thought of, but that can't be it. It may be a part of what happened, but that isn't the full story. That would explain some of the surface-level damage to his brain, but that is nowhere near enough to cause the sort of brain damage he suffered! We should call someone like Inoichi to find the cause! And it does nothing to explain the damage done to his eyes and the insane amounts of chakra flowing through his body! He isn't even in the Academy yet so he hasn't even fully unlocked his chakra yet, so for him to have such high levels without awakening his chakra system is-"

"-Enough! Nurse, finish treating your patient! At the rate he is recovering, he should be able to be released by this afternoon. Make sure he is well enough by then. I've gathered all I needed to learn from this." Hiruzen walks out of the room Naruto hearing this feels very sad, but another tinge of rage tickles his heart. He barely even registers it, but it's annoying. Maybe he should just ignore it from now on.

"Alright. You heard him brat. I'll call the head doctor. You should be fit enough to go home after lunchtime. Maybe a bit later, but you will be able to sleep in your own bed tonight." The nurse leaves. Naruto is left alone. His eyes still hurt, but his vision is slowly coming back to him. He can see colors again, and things aren't as blurry as before, but he can't help feeling like he is forgetting something important.

---

An hour later in the Hokage office, Hiruzen is looking out the window into the village. He can't help but let out a deep sigh. He can feel heated daggers digging holes into his skull. Another sigh.

"You are free to speak your mind Inu-san." Out of the shadows appears a dog-masked ANBU. He has gravity-defying silver hair and he has a tall yet slim figure.

"You were far too quick to disregard the nurse there Hokage-sama.-" He hissed "-Do you not care about Naruto as much as you tell him you do?" Hiruzen flinches.

"You were incredibly harsh with him yesterday. I heard the words you told him back there. All he asked for was some sort of comfort about his parents and instead of telling him something vague to give him comfort, you completely ignore him as if his issues don't matter! You completely ignored my testimony on what I saw when I got there, and you gave the nurse treating him little attention. You basically only went there to see if he was alive and left. That is not the behavior of a grandfather. If anything, you only care for him to a superficial degree. Do you really care for Uzumaki Naruto, or do you only care about the stability of the Jinchuriki?" A fierce glare settles on Hiruzen's face.

"Inu-san! Remove your mask!" The ANBU removes his dog mask. Underneath is a young man with slightly tanned pale skin, and a dark gray right eye. His left eye has a vertical scar running through its center and the eye itself is crimson with 3 tomoes spinning around the pupil. The rest of his face from his nose towards his neck is covered by a dull navy-blue mask.

"For this conversation, I won't refer to you as Inu-san. This is no longer a conversation between a Hokage and his shinobi. This is a conversation between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi, don't you dare speak about me like that! First of all, what I told Naruto in his apartment was all true." An incredulous look arrives on Kakashi's eyes.

"What are you talking about? You know who his parents are! They are some of the greatest heroes of Konohagakure no Sato!"

"I told him that there is no point in telling him. It wouldn't matter as it wouldn't bring back the dead."

"You don't tell that to an orphan Hokage-sama! That will do much more harm than good! Seems like a bad way to keep the Jinchuriki emotionally stable if that is your plan."

"I told you already. For this conversation, we aren't leader and subordinate. It is Hiruzen and Kakashi, but to answer your question, my job isn't to keep him happy and coddle him. I am the Hokage Kakashi! My priority is the village." Kakashi looks as if slapped.

"Aren't you supposed to be his "Jii-chan"? Is that all a lie? You have been and are still manipulating him. That isn't how a grandfather treats his grandchildren, Hiruzen!" Hiruzen glares at Kakashi.

"No, it isn't. I care for the kid like if he were my own grandson, that isn't a lie. However, my priority is the village. My goals for Naruto are for the good of Konoha. Regardless of my feeling, I need the Jinchuriki to be loyal to Konoha even despite his emotional wellbeing." Kakashi is furious hearing this. He feels like he needs to call Hiruzen out on his hypocrisy.

"So you are completely disregarding my Sensei's legacy so that he can be loyal to the village he died to protect even if he isn't happy? That sounds an awful lot like what Danzo had planned for him. Didn't you want him to have a normal childhood? Weren't you supposed to do things differently from Danzo?" Hiruzen is not happy hearing his words being twisted like that.

"I am not like Danzo! Danzo wanted him in ROOT, but I stopped that because I wanted him to have a normal childhood, but when his status was leaked, that was impossible! I tried, I really did, but now I need to do as much damage control as I can because regardless of what I feel, I am the Hokage. To sacrifice everything, even your comrades, friends, loved ones, your happiness, and that of those around you for the good of the village, that is what it means to be a shinobi. To be one who endures. And as Hokage, I have to be an example to shinobi. I have to live by this every day for the survival and peace of the village. That is what it means to be Hokage, and I swore to take on this duty all those years ago even at the cost of myself."

Kakashi can't believe it. He hates the title of Hokage and this is why. He hates what is happening to his Sensei's son and doesn't want to be a part of this, but he is. He has his orders and he performs them even at the cost of his own happiness, and once he realizes that, he understands that he has no right to judge Hiruzen since he has done the exact same thing that he has. Hiruzen is right and that brings another shock to Kakashi. No matter his complaints, it won't change that this is the best possible course of action. So, with great shame and guilt, Kakashi takes his mask and places it back on his face.

"I apologize for my words Hokage-sama. Please pardon my ignorance." Kakashi gets on a knee and prostrates himself.

"All is forgiven Inu-san. Please return to your post." And with his orders, Kakashi goes back to perform his duty.

Narrator: Everyone in this world is a hypocrite. Nobody can cast blame on anyone. In the World of the Outers, their most popular religion has a figure who spoke about something similar. His name is Jesus, and Jesus once was put in a situation where he was asked to execute an adulterous woman by a mob of people. Executions were usually done by stoning during that time. He told the crowd, "Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

I think that this perfectly summarizes everyone who lives in this world. They all cast blame on one another. Person to person. Village to village. Nation to nation, and never take a look at themselves. They ridicule others for their sins and crimes while they themselves are guilty of the same exact crimes. It is a backward world after all, and Shinobi are the ones who are the biggest hypocrites of all.

---

One winter afternoon, Naruto is outside on a swing outside the Academy. It's snowing outside and Naruto is wearing his scarf for the first time today. It's been a few months since the incident that got him hospitalized. He remembers the conversation he had with Jii-chan that day. Remembering that hurts, but he still can't remember what happened to him to have him hospitalized. Anyways, he is on a swing alone. He has a sad look on his face, but there is a bit of warmth and happiness in it still. A melancholy smile per se. This is because although he feels lonely, it's alright because his scarf makes him feel Junko's hugs. In the distance, he hears the interactions between a group of boys and a girl with midnight blue hair in a Hime-style cut.

"If you are really a Hyuuga then show us your Byakugan." Mocks one of the boys.

"Yeah, but if you're not gonna, then don't even look at us you freak." The girl frowns.

"You're eyes are creepy. I bet you are some kind of monster aren't you?" The girl starts tearing up. She does her best to hold it in.

"Yeah, a Byakugan monster!" They all laugh. The girl starts crying. Why are they being so mean?

Naruto sees this and he is enraged. He hates bullies. They make him feel bad, and now they are making someone else feel bad because they think it is… fun!? They will pay! He'll teach them a lesson!

Naruto runs toward them.

"Hey, knock it off!"

"Hey, look at the shrimp!" Mocks the leader.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I will be the future Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Oh, the future Hokage huh? C'mon, what are you stupid?"

"I'll show you all!" Naruto thinks back to the time he saw 2 shinobi sparring in one of the training grounds. He saw the one with the gravity-defying silver-hair do this Jutsu. He thought it was cool, so he memorized it.

He puts his hands into the seal he saw him do.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 2 puffs of smoke appear in front of Naruto. The bullies get scared. Does this kid know Ninjutsu?

The smoke clears and then appear 2 miniature Naruto clones. The clones speak in a high-pitched voice.

"I'm gonna beat you up!" Says one.

"Dattebayo!" Finishes the other one. The bullies laugh. Naruto is stunned. He can't believe it! When the Jonin did it, the clones didn't come out like this!

His attention being away from them gave the bullies the chance to blindside Naruto. The largest one punches Naruto in the nose and another on his head. This knocks him out, but the bullies persist.

The girl can't bear to watch. Her savior is being hurt all because of her weakness. She closes her eyes and makes herself small.

"Hehehe! We took him down easy. Now let's have some fun!" The kids take Naruto's scarf. They all start pulling on it in different directions.

"Future Hokage. What a joke!" Seeing that the scarf isn't tearing and is only stretching, the 2 heaviest bullies decide to lug the scarf up a branch and hang off of it on both sides. The scarf tears. After that, they clear out a section of the snow to stomp on the scarf and dig it into the ground.

"This is what you get for being so cocky with us… and for wearing such an ugly red scarf." Once the scarf is fully ruined, The bullies run away.

Naruto stirs and starts to wake up. He immediately springs up.

"I'm not done yet! This time, I'll make a strong clone for sure!" He sets up the hand seal but sees no one around.

"Huh!?" He then looks down. He sees his ruined scarf. Naruto slumps to the ground and a hopeless smile sets on his face. He tries his hardest to hold back tears. He won't let the bullies defeat him mentally as well. He then remembers his promise.

Flashback

"Although my son isn't here to enjoy this symbol of my love, I've decided to give my show of love, effort, and dedication to you Naru-chan. Whenever you feel sad, just keep this scarf close to you, and you will feel my hugs there. And I would trust no one better than you to protect this scarf. Do you think you can do it?"

End Flashback

Naruto remembers Junko's words. His heart breaks. He broke his promise to Baa-chan! He told her that he would protect the scarf with his life. She said she trusted him to do it. Now, it lays ruined all because of him! He can't remember what Baa-chan's face looked like. He only remembers her hair color, her words, and the way she made him feel. The scarf was all he has of her. The scarf is what helps him remember Ba-chan and the scarf reminds him to visit her grave and now, because of his weakness, Baa-chan will inevitably be forgotten. With nothing left to remind him, not one memory of her will remain, and in time, she too will die in his mind. When that happens, no one will be left to take care of her grave and to visit her. She will just be another person lost to the wheels of time.

When Naruto realizes this, despair fills his heart. It hurts! Black miasma fills his right eye turning his sclera black. The veins around his eyes start protruding. His left eye becomes gray and pupilless. His eyes match with the only difference being that his left eye has normal white sclera. The miasma spreads to his left eye.

"Hey, a-are you okay?" This startles Naruto. He forgot all about the girl! The miasma recedes once more and his veins go along with it. His eyes return to their original sapphire blue.

"Yeah, it's nothing I'm used to it." He massages the lump on his cheek. The girl now becomes startled.

'What does he mean by used to it?"

The girl crouches down to his level. She picks up his scarf.

"They… ruined your scarf." She looks remorseful. Naruto flinches hearing that but tries to put on a brave front. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. He waves her off.

"I'm really sorry." Naruto forces a smile. The girl sees through it but says nothing.

"Nah, forget it. It's a piece of junk anyway." He tells her to reassure her, but he can't help but feel incredible guilt for calling Baa-chan's scarf a 'piece of junk'. Naruto then gets up and runs off, but before he is fully out of range, he hears the girl speak.

"Um, e-excuse me!" Naruto turns to look at her.

"I-I just w-wanted to say thank you very much." This puts a smile on Naruto's face. At least he made someone happy today. He waves her goodbye. He runs off home. The girl watches him leave with a small smile on her face. She clutches onto his ruined scarf. She decides to take it home with her. Maybe she can get it fixed for him?

---

3 years later, the rest of the soon-to-be Konoha 12 join the Ninja Academy at 7 years old, 2 years after Naruto joined. It's been a long time since Baa-chan died. Naruto forgot almost everything about her. He forgot her word, her hugs, her smile, her face, and even her features. He even forgot her name. All he has left of her is a title and the emotions he felt so long ago. He has no one to attach the title of Baa-chan to, but he knows that person existed.

One day, a familiar girl is in the forest by the Academy. Around her are 3 boys. Another group of bullies, but a different one from that day she met the kind, blonde boy.

"I-I'm sorry." She states in a meek manner.

"Hold on, she's that Hyuuga girl isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's got those eyes."

"She must be Neji's cousin then."

'And she's probably stuck up like him too."

"Yeah. I bet she thinks she's better than us because of her family and talent!"

"No. I'm not like that at all, I swear!" Even with effort, the poor girl still sounds meek.

She runs off taking the bullies by surprise.

"Huh? Come back here!" The boys grab her and forcefully prostate her.

"Trying to run off without saying you're sorry? That's not cool."

"That's right!" They push her head lower into a position more like a bow.

"Go on. Apologize."

"And be nice about it too." Mocks the fat one.

"Do it. Now!"

"I'm so-rry." Her voice cracks a bit.

"Not good enough. Say it like you mean it!"

"Apologize!" The fat kid pushes her forehead into the ground. The girl starts tearing up.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so-rry." She starts crying.

"Knock it off!" Yells a familiar whiskered blonde.

"And what the hell do you want?"

"Hey wait! He's that kid. The kid that nobody likes. That kid who's always getting into trouble. That kid everyone hates!"

"Ohhh! That kid!"

"That kid huh?" The kids laugh at him.

"Hey! I'm not that kid! I have a name! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to become Hokage one day! Remember that, dattebayo!" Naruto glares sternly at them.

"Hokage? Hahahahahaha!" The boys say and laugh in unison.

"Some idiot kid like you could never become Hokage!" The leader punches him and then the fat kid punches him. Naruto pushes himself off of the ground and wipes the blood from his mouth. He grins.

"You wanna fight?" Naruto's grin widens.

"You better not or you'll regret it!" Naruto does a ram seal.

"Wh-What's that sign?" Asks the bullies in unified fear.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Yells out Naruto. Smoke is summoned.

"No way!" Yell the bullies. Once the smoke clears a pale, malnourished and weirdly jiggly version of Naruto is summoned. The bullies watch the clone fall to the ground.

They laugh in incredulous shock. What the hell are they looking at anyway? While they are distracted, Naruto's body slams the leader to the ground. He starts punching him as many times as he can as hard as he can.

"I caught you off guard, didn't I? You just watch! I will become Hokage, dattebayo. I'll show all of you. I'll prove you all wrong." Naruto feels the most powerful he's ever felt in his life. He feels like he can take on the world. He feels a mixture between burning determination and anger. Little does he know that his light and dark half are slightly working together for this battle.

The other kids come behind Naruto to sneak attack him.

"Get him! Don't mess with us kid!" The boys team up to beat up Naruto. While all this has happened, the girl has watched all this happen from a distance. In the distance, large footsteps are heard and then a yell.

"Hinata-sama!" An adult Hyuuga male runs towards the scene. The boys run away to avoid being in trouble. The man stops in front of the girl.

"Hinata-sama. Are you alright?" He then sees Naruto on the ground passed out.

"It's that boy. Come along Hinata-sama." The man grabs her hand.

"No, wait! He came to help me. He-"

"-You mustn't get involved with him. Let's go." He drags her along.

"No, wait! We need to help him!" The man drags her along and they leave Naruto behind, passed out and alone in a forest.

---

2 years later, a 10-year-old Naruto is in the market district. He looks into a shop and sees many masks for sale. He sees a fox mask that looks really cool. He can't help but gasp and smile when he sees it. The shop owner sees Naruto. He walks over to him.

"Hey, you little brat. Get out of here!" He shoves Naruto violently. Naruto falls out of the stand and onto the ground. His breath was knocked out of him. People stop walking and just observe what is happening.

"Hey, what's the big idea pal?!" Naruto is angry, but he's more shocked than angry. Sure the villagers mistreat him, but no one has actually put their hands on him as far as he can remember.

"I don't want you here. You are nothing but a pest! You're gonna stink up my shop!" Naruto's anger grows.

"But I wasn't even doing anything! I mean, I was just looking at the masks you have" He ended in a meeker tone than usual.

In the crowd, 2 boys stop to observe what is happening. One is a plump boy with spiky brown hair and swirls on his cheeks. The other is a boy with spiky-black hair tied to resemble a pineapple. These boys are some of Naruto's classmates.

"That… That's Naruto!" Says the black-haired one wide-eyed. The villagers start talking.

"That kid's such a troublemaker." A woman corrects him.

"Nothing but trouble!"

"Nothing but a bad seed" The shop owner goes to his assortment of masks. He picks out the fox mask. The same one Naruto was eyeing. He glares at Naruto.

"Here. Is this what you want?!" He throws the mask at Naruto. The edge of the mask hits his forehead.

"Now just take it and get lost. Don't come back!" The shop owner retreats back into his shop. Naruto looks down and glares. He grits his teeth to hold in his anger. He then clicks his tongue.

"Fine." He gets up and picks up the mask. He looks around, he sees that the villagers are looking at him with fear. Some are looking at him with burning rage, but most in fear. He can't stand those looks. He looks at the crowd.

"And what's your problem huh?! Stop alright! Stop looking at me like that!" Naruto takes the mask and runs away.

He runs into a forest near his home. His head hurts. He takes a hand to touch where the mask hit. There's blood. The wound is healing fast though. He grits his teeth to hold in the tears. Why? Why doesn't he have anyone?

A pang of something comes to his heart. He feels like there might have been someone, but he can't remember. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he feels like there was once someone in his life. He remembers the looks the villagers gave him. It hurts. Why? Why?!

Naruto takes a long way home to avoid the villagers. On his way, he stumbles upon the cemetery. He takes a quick look inside and sees something that makes him feel… something. There is an unkept gravestone in the center that has the name 'Junko' on it. He doesn't understand, but something about reading that name strikes a chord in him. Does he know someone by that name?

Just as he takes a step to go inside, he hesitates. His right eye flashes black sclera and dull, pupilless crimson. His left eye remains in its normal state. He stares at the gravestone. He turns around to look at his path home. He decides the best course of action. Naruto fully turns to walk back home. He blinks and his right eye returns to its normal white and sapphire blue. He made his decision. Junko would remain forgotten. A figment of the past lost through the channels of time.

---

2 years later, laughter is heard throughout the village. It is the laugh of a familiar blonde.

"Grr, come back here! When I get my hands on you!" screams 2 Chunin chasing after Naruto.

"You've crossed the line this time!" In the distance, the Hokage monument is vandalized with paint of many different colors. Many profanities and crude drawings are staining the great faces of the Hokage. If you look close enough, you can see a childish painting of a penis on the Yondaime Hokage's face and a turd on the Nidaime Hokage's cheek.

"Give it up. You're just bent because you don't have the guts to do what I do! Do you? Losers! Wannabes! You'll never catch me!" Naruto runs off with the Chunin following.

"Hokage-sama! It's an emergency!" Hiruzen was interrupted from his painting.

"I hope you're not bothering me with something trivial. And don't tell me it's Naruto again."

"It is Naruto! He climbed up to the great stone faces and graffitied the Hokage!" All Hiruzen can do is sigh. He loves the kid, but Naruto is too much to handle.

Back in the streets, the Chunin are still chasing Naruto. Naruto uses a camouflage trick to fool the Chunin. He successfully gets away.

"Hahahaha! That was too easy!" Behind him, another Chunin yells at him.

"Oh yeah, Naruto!" Naruto falls to the ground in shock.

"I-Iruka-sensei! Where'd you come from anyway? What are you doing here?" A tick mark appears on Iruka's face.

"No! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in class!" Iruka glares at Naruto.

Back at the Academy, Naruto is tied to a log in the middle of the classroom.

"I'm at the end of my rope here Naruto. You failed the Graduation test last time, and the time before that. Tomorrow you've got another chance, and you're messing up again!" Naruto decides to be petty.

"Hmph!" This pisses off Iruka.

"Fine! Since you missed it, everyone will have to review the Transformation Jutsu!" The entire class groans.

"Alright. Sakura here. Let's do this. Transform!" a pink-haired girl starts off. She turns into a near-perfect replica of Iruka.

"You transformed into me. Good." Iruka makes sure to give her extra credit for that.

"Yes! I did it! Sasuke, did you see that!?" She asks a familiar boy with raven-colored hair in the shape of a duck's butt. He completely ignores her.

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke walks up with nonchalant confidence. He doesn't say anything. He does the hand seal and transforms. In his place is an exact copy of Iruka.

"Great as always. Next, Uzumaki Naruto." The class glares at Naruto.

"This is a total waste of time, Naruto. This is such a drag." Says a boy with black pineapple-shaped hair.

"We always pay for your screw-ups!" Yells a pale girl with platinum-blonde hair and pupilless baby-blue eyes. Naruto glares ahead of him.

"Like I care!" Naruto walks up.

In the distance, another familiar face, this time a girl with pale, pupilless lavender eyes and short, midnight-blue hair blushes and twiddles her fingers while looking at Naruto. 'Naruto. Do your best!' She encourages mentally.

"Transform!" Naruto does the hand seal. An incredible amount of chakra is released to the point that visible wisps of it circulate around him. No one is paying attention to him and Iruka was focused on his grading so no one actually saw this besides Sasuke. He furrows his brow in confusion and annoyance. A puff of smoke is heard and seen.

"Ooh. Hehehe!" a girly giggle is heard. Once the smoke clears, an adult, female version of Naruto with her hair in twin tails appears. She has DD-cup beasts and a very curvy figure that looks both soft and firm at the same time. She is also fully naked, except clouds cover her breasts and her… more private region. Iruka gapes and gasps seeing this. He slightly gags and is shot back by a powerful nosebleed.

"Hahahaha! You fell for it! That's my Oiroke no Jutsu! Or Sexy Jutsu if you prefer!" Iruka gets up.

"Cut the stupid tricks! This is your last warning!" Yells Iruka.

---

Later that day at the Hokage Monument, 2 people can be seen on top of it. It's Naruto and Iruka. Naruto is cleaning his graffiti.

"This sucks. Loser." Naruto complains.

"You're not going home until you've cleaned off every last drop of paint." Naruto then stops.

"So what?! It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me!" Naruto goes back to cleaning. There is a long moment of silence to help recover from that awkward moment.

"Naruto?"

Naruto gives Iruka the stink eye. "What do you want now Sensei?"

"Well, I was just thinking. Maybe after you've cleaned all this up, I could take you out for some ramen. The good stuff. What do you think?" Iruka observes Naruto start cleaning with more vigor.

"Now that's some serious motivation! I'll have this cleaned up in no time!"

That night at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Naruto and Iruka are eating a bowl of ramen each. Iruka takes this as an opportunity to speak with Naruto.

"Naruto. Why would you do that to the Hokage faces?" I mean, you know who the Hokage are, don't you?" Naruto rushes eating his ramen to answer quickly.

"'Course I do. Everybody knows. They were the greatest shinobi of their time right? The best of the best. Undefeated ninja champions. And the Yondaime Hokage was the one who saved the village from the Kyuubi no Yoko. He was the most amazing." He finishes with admiration. This confuses Iruka.

"Then why did you-"

"-Because I'm going to be greater than any of them! Me! Uzumaki Naruto. The future Hokage! A ninja legend! Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me, and will look up to me, dattebayo!" Iruka is stunned. "Uh, by the way, I'd like to ask a little favor from you Sensei. I want to try on your headband. Come on, please?" Iruka looks incredulous.

"Huh? No way! You can only wear the Konoha headband when you finally graduate from the Academy and become a ninja. You've got to pass the test tomorrow." Naruto pouts.

"Oh. That's so uncool!"

"Hehehe. Is that why you took off your goggles?" Naruto growls.

"I want another bowl!" He is going to rinse Iruka dry for teasing him!

---

It is now the next day and the final day of the Academy.

"We will now start the final exam. When I call your name, please proceed to the testing area. The final test will be on Bunshin no Jutsu."

'Clone Jutsu! That's my worst technique! Great. I'm never gonna pass' Complains Naruto in his mind.

Once it is Naruto's turn, he walks into the room with a determined face. 'Alright. Get it together Naruto. You can do this, dattebayo!' He does the hand seal. Enormous surges of chakra are poured into the technique. The amount of chakra sends slight shockwaves around the room and is clearly visible.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" A clone appears next to Naruto. It is pale, sickly looking, and looks more dead than alive. It barely resembles a person. Looking at it, at this point, even Naruto, who has the bravado of 20 raging bulls, is shitting himself.

"You fail!"

"Iruka-sensei. He's off, but his moves weren't bad, and he did hang in there and replicate. This is his third try, so you know he really wants to become a ninja. We could cut him a break and pass him."

"Mizuki-sensei. The other students created at least 3 effective replications. But Naruto could only create one, and look at it. It looks like it needs to be put out of its misery. It's pitiful. I can't pass him." Naruto grits his teeth in anger. Why is it only ever him?

Outside after school is dismissed, all the kids are celebrating becoming Genin with their families. Their parents are congratulating them, and people have an aura of happiness among them, well, all except one. In the distance on the swing by the Academy is a lonely boy looking at this scene with pain. Some of the gossips among the parents start talking.

"There, you see him?"

"It's that boy. I heard that he was the only one who failed."

"Hmph! Well, it serves him right."

"Just imagine what could happen if he became a shinobi. I mean, he's the boy who-"

"-Shhh! We're not allowed to talk about that. Hokage's decree, remember?" Naruto hears every bit of it. Next to him though, he hears footsteps. It's Mizuki-sensei. What could he want?

It's around sunset, and Mizuki and Naruto are speaking in a secluded place.

"Iruka is tough, but he is not against you."

"Then why? Why only me?"

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart, but that will never happen if he goes easy on you. He's like you, ya know? No parents, no family."

"But… This time I really wanted to graduate." Hearing this, a dark smirk appears on Mizuki's face. He chuckles.

"Heh. Then I guess I have to tell you. It's a secret, but I'm going to let you in on it."

That night, Iruka lays awake in bed, thinking about his conversation with the Hokage. All of a sudden, there's a knock on his door. Iruka goes to open it. It's Mizuki.

"What is it?"

"You need to come to Hokage-sama's office right away! It's Naruto. He stole the Sacred Scroll!"

"You mean the Scroll of Sealing?! No!" Iruka hurries to gather his equipment.

---

Meanwhile, in a forest, Naruto opens a large scroll and reads it.

"Let's see. The first one is… Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Clones? Not this again. That's my worst Jutsu! Well, if I want to be Hokage, then I guess I need to master this." Naruto gets to work on practicing the Jutsu.

A manhunt is started in the village. Mizuki goes to a location away from everyone else. He is in full combat gear. 'Now that I've told everyone what Naruto did, I can eliminate him. They'll be glad he's gone. And of course, I can keep the scroll for myself.'

An hour later, Iruka walks up to Naruto. He can see that he is panting.

"It's all over." Iruka looks pissed, but Naruto just smiles.

"Got me already huh? Not bad. You're quick, sensei. I only had time to learn one Jutsu."

He observes Naruto, dirt-covered pants, and ripped-up jacket. 'He's been out here practicing. I can tell how hard he's been working.'

"Listen Iruka-sensei. I'm going to show you this amazing Jutsu, and you're going to let me graduate, right? Then everything will be okay! That's the way this works right? Anyone who learns a Jutsu from this scroll passes." Iruka is baffled by what he was hearing.

"Huh? Where'd you get that idea from?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me about it, dattebayo! He told me where to find this scroll and this place…" Naruto stops as he sees Iruka is frozen. He isn't reacting.

Iruka then hears Kunai being thrown. He pushes Naruto out of the way. Most of the Kunai miss Iruka, but one stabs him on his thigh.

"So that's the way it is huh? I should've known."

"Naruto! Give me the scroll, now?"

"Wait a minute, wh-what's going on here?" A scared and confused Naruto asks.

"Naruto, don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden Jutsu that could put this village in great danger. Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself, for his own power!"

"Naruto. Iruka is just trying to scare you because he doesn't want you to have the scroll."

"Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you Naruto!" Mizuki chuckles.

"Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying."

"No, Mizuki, don't!"

"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto, since the decree 9 years ago. Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up." Naruto has to ask now.

"What is this decree. Why does everyone else know about it?"

"Don't tell him! It's forbidden!"

"The decree is no one can tell you the Kyuubi no Yoko is inside you! The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village all those years ago has now taken over your body. You are responsible for the death of Yondaime-sama! You ARE the Nine-tailed fox! They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life.

Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt! Like they hated you for just being alive!"

"No! No, no no no no!" Naruto tries to force back his tears. Chakra is circulating around him in a frenzy.

"That's why you will never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!" Mizuki pulls out a Fuma Shuriken.

"Die, Naruto!" He throws it at Naruto. Iruka jumps into action and shields Naruto from the attack with his body. Naruto looks up. He sees the Fuma Shuriken sticking out of Iruka's back. He can't believe it.

"Wh-Why?" Blood drips on Naruto's face.

"Because… We're the same. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped. I became the class clown because I just wanted them to see me. I wanted them to know my name. My schoolwork wasn't good enough to get their attention, so I did crazy things, and then I had to pay for it. It was hard. I know that's how you feel Naruto. You're lonely and it hurts inside, and I could've been there for you more. I let you down. I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer so much. No one should be alone like that." Iruka's tears drop and hit Naruto's face. They mix with Iruka's blood.

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka always hated you! He was orphaned because the Kyuubi no Yoko killed his parents, and that beast is now inside you! He'd say anything to get the scroll from you." Naruto doesn't trust any of them. He runs off into the forest.

"You know, once he makes up his mind, nothing can change it. He's going to use the scroll to take revenge on the village. You saw that look in his eye, didn't you? Those are the eyes of a beast."

"No. Naruto isn't like that!" Iruka yanks the shuriken from his back and throws it back to Mizuki. Mizuki moves to the side.

"Hn. You're a joke. As soon as I eliminate Naruto and get the scroll, I'll be back for you."

In the woods, Naruto is running in the way only he does. On all fours. Iruka appears behind him.

"Naruto! Everything Mizuki said was a lie! Give me the scroll. Hurry! He's coming after you to take it away!" Naruto jumps to the side and kicks Iruka in the groin. Iruka falls off the tree and holds his testicles. He puffs in a plume of smoke and there appears Mizuki.

"It can't be. How did you know? Naruto, how did you know that it was me and not Iruka?" Naruto smirks.

"Because-" Naruto is covered in a plume of smoke. There appears Iruka.

"-I'm Iruka!" Naruto is in the distance, listening to them. He is out of sight, but close enough to hear every word.

"You are a fool. Why are you protecting that freak? He's the one who wiped out your family."

"I don't care what you say. You're not getting your hands on that scroll."

"As if you could stop me. Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me. He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything!" Iruka takes a moment to ponder.

"You're right. That is how beasts are." Naruto gasps.

'So it's true. Iruka sensei never believed in me. He thinks I'm some beast. Some kind of freak!' The pupil in his right eye disappears. His sclera becomes black and his irises a dull crimson. The effect spread to his left eye. The pupil disappears. There's a voice.

'Destroy everything. Take all of our anger out on them. Hate them. Consume them as sustenance. Don't worry about a thing. Just let me take the lead. Sleep all the pain away. I'll make all that hurts us disappear. Let me take over, and there will be no more Konoha to make us suffer. With nothing to keep us down, you and I can have peace.' His iris becomes red. The black is consuming his sclera. It's almost all black now. Just a bit more, and the switch happens.

"That is how beasts are. But that's not who Naruto is." The black miasma stops spreading. It doesn't recede either. Naruto keeps listening.

"Naruto is nothing like that. Naruto is one of a kind, works hard, puts his whole heart into it." The darkness recedes and his left eye returns to its original state His right eye can still see the darkness, however.

"Sure he messes up sometimes and everyone jumps on him. But his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from a beast. So you're wrong. He's nothing like the Kyuubi no Yoko. He's Uzumaki Naruto, of Konohagakure no Sato!" Naruto heard it all. He is crying now. Tears of relief, and tears of happiness. Someone believes in him. Someone cares about him. His precious sensei. Unlike before, the darkness in his right eye doesn't recede. Instead, it fades back into the eye. More of a dormant state than not there at all.

Mizuki is rendered speechless.

"You really believe that drivel? Iruka, I was going to save you for later, but I changed my mind. You're finished!" Mizuki pulls out a second Fuma Shuriken. He throws it at Iruka who is defenseless at the moment. Right before the Shuriken hits Iruka, it is kicked away. Mizuki is stunned. This distraction allows the perpetrator to kick Mizuki in the face. The Shuriken flies to the trees and cuts every branch in its way. It's Naruto. Mizuki looks up at him. He clicks his tongue.

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll KILL you!" Mizuki is insulted.

"Such big words. I can completely destroy you with a single move." Naruto does a strange hand seal and glares hard at Mizuki.

"Take your best shot, fool. I'll give it back to you a thousand-fold. Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 20 Naruto clones appear. Mizuki and Iruka are stunned. Shadow clones, and this many at his age. At any age, it'd be ridiculous. Mizuki is terrified and falls on his ass.

"If you're not coming, then we're coming after you.'' The clones gang up on Mizuki and beat him into a bloody, battered pulp. After the beating, Naruto sees the state Mizuki is left in. He feels slightly guilty and very sheepish, but he also feels a slight tinge of sadistic satisfaction. He barely registers it though.

"Sorry. I kind of got carried away. You ok Iruka-sensei?"

"Uh, yeah." 'He's amazing. He wants to surpass all of the Hokage, and I'm starting to believe he might be able to.' Iruka smiles at Naruto. "Naruto, come here for a bit and close your eyes." Naruto is confused, but he follows his sensei's orders.

After a few minutes though, he becomes frustrated, "Sensei, how much longer?" Iruka does the finishing touches.

"Ok. You can open your eyes now." Naruto opens his eyes and sees Iruka wearing his goggles and smiling at him.

"Congratulations. You graduate." Naruto touches his forehead. It is a headband with a metal plate. The plate has a carving of a leaf.

"And to celebrate, we're going out for ramen tonight.'

When realization strikes, Naruto tears up. He slams into Iruka to hug him and they both fall to the ground.

"Iruka-sensei! Thank you thank you thank you!" Iruka winces in pain but hugs him back.

'Naruto, this is only the beginning. Now that you are a ninja, the going only gets tougher from here. But if I told you that, I guess it'd ruin the moment, so I'll tell you later, over ramen.'

Narrator: This is the greatest achievement of Naruto's life to date. He doesn't know it, but this doesn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg for all his future feats and achievements. But shinobi life isn't all Naruto needs to worry about.

In Naruto's mindscape.

An exact copy of Naruto, down to the horrendous orange jumpsuit, is in the red chakra waters near the Kyuubi's cage. He is observing the scene with major annoyance, and a tinge of happiness.

"You may have found someone, but that won't change the inevitable. I have always been here, and I always will be, but one day, I'll be free. I'll be in control, and you will cease to exist, Hikari. And if that can't happen, then I'll be the dominant personality one day. Just you wait. In due time, you WILL need my power. After all, I am your other half. Just like there can't be light without darkness, you cannot exist without me." The Kyuubi watches in glee hearing Yami's words. Yes. All is going as planned.

---

That's the chapter. Holy shit. Long ass thing. It was a motherfucker to write, but I enjoyed it. Forget what I said about updates every Saturday. That might not happen, but I will only update on Saturdays. Anyway, I am back at my sister's. Her water broke all of a sudden, so regardless of how I feel about her at the moment, I still love her and her kids still need to be taken care of while she recovers. The labor was hard on her.

I always read reviews, so if you have any requests or advice, I will hear you out. Once more, please review, and thank you for reading. This is Zippy, out.