Sup!

In the last moments of twilight, Naruto sat on the grainy sand watching as the swirls of pink and lavender transform the sun into a perishing ball of burnt orange. He clung onto his shorts and shirt for warmth against the ocean's cool breeze. The dark blue waves crept up towards him, grabbing onto the little creatures and colorful shells hidden in the beach. The soothing sound of the currents in the distance whispered secrets into his ears.

"Abandon your fears boy and step into the darkness."

After spending countless nights in trapped in this dream, he had finally worked up the courage to explore what was lurking below. The blonde rose from his spot in the sand, approaching the water with a surge of anxiety tingling in his spine. Is this a smart idea? He thought before stepping into the white bubbling sea foam. Scrunching his toes in the warm grains, he felt the damp sand grab onto his skin. He glanced back at the shoreline once more before diving into the cold water.

His body smashed against the steady waves with rhythmic kicks and strokes assisting his descent. Eventually, the light above grew weaker and weaker just before everything around him was surrounded in darkness. He kept swimming until the darkness was washed away by a diffused white light. The ocean water had suddenly disappeared, allowing him to freefall in the illuminated emptiness.

What a strange place. He thought as suddenly his body collided with a cold, metal surface. The blonde lifted his head up to see that he was lying in a sewer shrouded in a pale green hue with the dingy walls covered in filth. The entire hallway was eerily composed of ruins from marble, stone, and brick houses. How did I end up here? There wasn't any noticeable hole from the ceiling, or other visible entrance into this mysterious place. He cautiously wandered down the hall until he reached a wide opening with a huge gate on the other side.

The gargantuan, black iron gate looked like it had been forged centuries ago. Naruto could see that it was sealed tight by nine magatama on a spiral lock. The most striking features of the room were huge claw marks on the floor and walls on the outside of the gate. He approached it cautiously with his eyes focused on the thick darkness beyond the gate.

As the boy inched halfway across the room, he could hear the sounds of chains dragging across the shallow water. The steps of the beast caused mini tremors to flow throughout the room. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight up. His body urged him to run away from the imminent danger approaching.

Once in front of the cage, Naruto was greeted with the sight of two garnet colored eyes with black vertical slits in the middle. A long row of ferocious, canine teeth in a malicious grin appeared below the eyes. The boy's face grew sweaty as the intense heat from its breathe brushed pass his skin.

"After all these years," it welcomed, "we finally meet face to face."

He frowned upon its oppressive presence pressing down on him. "T-this ...is...is…. must be…. another nightmare." Naruto stammered as he fell back onto the floor. "Who...are...you?."

"It is I, the one you call Kyūbi no Yōko!"

At first, Naruto's mind went blank for a few moments upon hearing its name. This was the same creature that had been the subject of numerous dreams. "Why...umm... are you here," asked the frightened blonde.

"It would seem that fate has made our paths cross," it snarled.

"Huh?" Naruto said. "I don't understand what you mean."

"I am bounded to you by that seal on your stomach."

"This weird thing? Jiji said it was just a birthmark." Naruto mentioned as he lifted up his shirt to look at the unique pattern. "But, I thought the Yondaime Hokage sealed you away in that pot?"

"The sacred pot that the old one refers to is merely a fake. The yellow fool did not possess such a sacred item at the time. The entire festival was just a lie to prevent the villagers from discovering the truth about you."

"I think you are just trying to fool me!" Naruto shouted. "This is all happening probably from just me training so hard!"

The demon's mighty laughter shook the room, causing the boy's confidence to vanish. "You are as naive as I thought. Haven't you ever wondered about the meaning of your dreams or the markings?"

"I've sort of thought about it." Naruto whispered.

"But did you really ever figure out why there are special rules that only apply to you, " it questioned. "Don't you think it's weird that every time you describe these dreams to the old one that he tells you to never anyone else. Also, you can never show anyone the markings on your gut."

Naruto could only stand there with a shocked look on his face. These were only just some of the rules that he had to obey without question. The boy knew it would be impossible to disagree with the fox. "But why?"

"Do you think you would be wanted in this village if they knew I was sealed inside of you? Do you really expect them to be as nice as they are now if they knew?" The creature waited a moment to see if the defeated blonde had valid answer. "These humans would ridicule and reject your very existence. You would be beaten and abused everyday within an inch of your life."

"But..but..we are two different beings," Naruto said. "The villagers wouldn't see me as the monster. It wasn't like I asked you to be sealed inside of me."

"Don't be foolish child!" It exclaimed, causing Naruto to flinch. "Humans are slaves to their desires and emotions. If they knew the truth, then they would never accept you."

"But, my parents were heroes like the others that died that night," Naruto stated. "And if everything you said is true, then they made one of the biggest sacrifices by allowing the Yondaime Hokage to seal you inside their child."

"Their choice to die by my hands wouldn't be enough to save you from the wrath of these weak, idiotic humans. In their eyes, you would be seen as the reincarnation of a powerful evil."

"I don't believe you!" Naruto shouted with tears welling up in his eyes."I know that one day they would eventually accept me regardless of knowing the truth!"

"Believe what you want child," it grunted. "One day, you will come to see what I have spoke is only the truth." The Kyūbi moved closer to the bars, stretching its grin even further. "Before I return to my slumber, I wanna give you a gift."

"W-what if….if… I refused…...umm…. to accept?" Naruto nervously asked as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I never said there was a choice." A sea of red chakra poured out of the gate, binding the boy's body. "Consider this as my welcoming gift."

"I don't want this!" Naruto shouted as he struggled to squirm out of its grip.

"If you die then I die. I can't hang my life in the hands of a weakling." It chuckled as its eyes and teeth disappeared into the shadows.

Naruto felt everything growing dark as the blood red chakra poured into his body. His heart was pounding at his chest as the chakra began covering his face. A single tear drop ran down his cheek before fading.

"It is in your nature to crave power. I know you will eventually return for more. Until then, I will be here waiting and watching."

The moon above had waned to a slim crescent, a sliver of glowing white in an otherwise inky sky. A deep silence fell over the village as majority of its citizens were resting for the next day. The few that were awake had roamed throughout the streets and outer wall to ensure that everyone was safe.

Naruto sat atop the Hokage Monument, silently reflecting on all of the things he had learned. His current situation was still difficult for him to understand with his current knowledge. He wanted to believe that everything he had heard tonight was simply a figment of his imagination. All the questions he had bouncing around in his head could only be answered by only one person in this village.

"Are you planning something suspicious for tomorrow morning, Naruto?"

"Oh!" Naruto turned around to see that the source of the gruff voice. "Jiji, why are you up so late?"

"I was just about to ask you the same," Hiruzen mentioned as he took a seat next to the boy. The old man had noticed that something was up with Naruto. It was very rare for anyone to ever see the boy showing any signs of distress. "What has brought you up to the top of the monument?"

Should I tell him that I know some of the truth? Naruto gazed at the concerned man. I mean he is the one that came up with the lie about the fox. I don't wanna believe that the Kyūbi was right, but I can't debunk any of its arguments at the moment."

"You appear to be lost in a very deep thought," Hiruzen stated. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto managed to snap out of his trance. "I wanted to ask you again about my parents."

Hiruzen remained quiet for a moment to think about what to say to the child. There is something off about Naruto this time. He had planned to tell Naruto when he believed the boy was mature enough to understand their sacrifice. The information at this time would be far too dangerous for someone as young as him to know. "What would you like to know?"

"What were my parents like?"

"I remember that your father was a prodigy in the eyes of many in this village. He was very perceptive and collected, which gained him the attention of many enemy ninja throughout his life. He was willing to risk everything to protect his village and loved ones. Whenever he fought in battle, he had a fierce ambition that drove him to never back down even when things got tough."

"What about my mom?"

"She was a great kunoichi that had an identical personality to you," Hiruzen responded, ruffling the blonde's hair."She was very rambunctious and headstrong that often ended her up in trouble. But, she was a good leader and kind-hearted with a temper that was a force to be reckoned with. She also cared very deeply for this village and its people."

"They sounded like they were great shinobi," Naruto whispered with a sniffle. "Hopefully I can be as great as they were."

"Eventually you will be just like them, Naruto!" Hiruzen decided to let the boy recollect himself before continuing. "I see their greatness has passed onto you. I am sure they couldn't be more proud of you now."

"I am gonna be just like them one day when I become Hokage," he said, turning away from the old man to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Then, I have a few questions for the future Hokage," Hiruzen teased. "What do you see when you look out at the village?"

"That's easy!" Naruto answered. "I can see buildings and trees,"

"What are inside the buildings?" The old man asked.

"Things."

I guess I give him a little too much credit. The man thought as he took a puff from his pipe. "And?"

"Villagers."

"My next question is why do we choose to become shinobi," Hiruzen asked.

Naruto paused for a moment to think of a good answer. "It's because the shinobi protect the village from anyone that is trying to harm it." After his answer, the blonde got nervous at the way that the old man was staring at him.

"Very good Naruto! You are indeed correct," Hiruzen congratulated. "As a shinobi, you must do everything in your power to love and protect the village and its people. Do you know what is the most important part about being Hokage?"

"Oh, I think I know!" Naruto shouted excitedly. "Is it being recognized by everyone that you are the greatest with super cool and powerful jutsu?!"

I should've seen that coming. I sometimes forget who I am talking to. Hiruzen thought, hesitating to face palm at the comment."The most important thing isn't being recognized by everyone with powerful jutsu."

"Then what is it, Jiji?"

"The most important thing about being Hokage is building friendships with the people of the village as well as fight and die for those friendships. This is imbued in the Will of Fire. Everyone is a family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them."

"So are there any secrets to becoming Hokage?" Naruto questioned.

Hiruzen answered by shaking his head no. "There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage. There will be a lot of things in this world that may cause you to abandon this path."

"There's no way that's happening!" Naruto exclaimed. "I will never back down to whatever comes my way!"

"That's good to hear!" Hiruzen giggled at the boy's ambition. Suddenly, the man was engulfed in a hug by the young boy. A smile grew around his wrinkled lips as he continued. "If you truly wish to become Hokage then always remember. It is not a title given once you have surpassed all of the other ninja ranks. It is ultimately one who is acknowledged by his peers and village that make someone Hokage."

Naruto tried to digest the wisdom that was just imparted to him. It scared him that he would be responsible for so much, but reaching his goal wasn't an easy feat. He stepped out towards the edge of Shodaime Hokage's head to stare at village and all of its glory. "I'll have to make sure to try harder and harder each day until that happens!"

The two silently stared out at the village with a smile on their face about the future.

Chapter 5 is finally finished.

I am sorry about the really long wait! I had this written months ago, but I never got around to finishing it out.

Next chapter will skip about three years into the future.