Disclaimer: I do not profit from this story in any way. Unless otherwise noted, the characters and concepts used in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The series of events portrayed in this story are the products of my own imagination. Any similarities to other stories and events, fictional or non- fictional, are completely coincidental.

Author's Notes:

This is a dark/smart Naruto fan fic.

Naruto will not be paired with anyone romantically.

Romance and couple pairings will not be the focus of this particular piece of fiction.

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Thinking/thoughts(human)- "I wonder."

Thinking/thoughts(demon/non-human)- "I wonder"

Speech(human)- "I wonder."

Speech(demon/non-human)- "I wonder."

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Please read the notes at the end before asking questions about the information found in this chapter.

Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading the above notes and I hope you will enjoy reading my story (:

Decay: Chapter(4)

Theft with Lectures

Naruto couldn't stop the small smile forming on his otherwise neutral face. At first he was grinding his teeth together in frustration. Escaping the elite jounin, Ebisu, seemed like an impossible feat. He, however, would not only escape from the jounin, he would also improve his skills; and if all went according to plan he would also be rid of a few minor...pests.

"When adding integers with the same sign, like negative ten minus five for example, keep the negative sign and add the absolute value of both numbers."

Ebisu lectured him like this the entire morning. The man initially took things slow. Extremely slow. The bastard was patronizing him. He wouldn't stand for that. After ushering some disparaging remarks about his teaching, Ebisu set out to prove just how competent a teacher he was. His tutor sped things up, hoping to challenge Naruto.

With Kyuubi's gift, he quickly absorbed the principles and equations presented to him. With all the lecture information ingrained in his memory, application was made rather easy. He never had to re-read or search for examples. All of that information was already in his memory. He could quickly finish the fill in the blank and multiple choice worksheets Ebisu gave him. They were flying through every lesson. Naruto had completed two workbooks already, including the principles of basic math. They were now working on simple algebra.

"So Naruto...tell me the answer, negative ten minus five."

Naruto was beginning to regret goading his tutor. His almost instant grasp of the course material was sure to arouse suspicion; or maybe not. If the Hokage found out, he might just assume Naruto was always...gifted... and simply lacked the proper instruction. Even if his abnormal intelligence went unnoticed, Naruto still had regrets.

Ebisu seemed more enthusiastic now.

Instead of lecturing and giving him worksheets to finish in silence, he was now trying to engage him. The unnecessary conversation annoyed him. He liked the previous system. It kept the level of bullshit to a minimum. The constant questioning not only slowed the pace of his lessons, it also grated on his nerves. He proved he was capable. Why ask him questions he knew the answers to?

"Negative fifteen..."

"Excellent. I can see my instruction is actually getting through to you."

Each time he answered correctly, which was every time, Ebisu would praise him. Although there was always a hint of egotism accompanying each compliment, Ebisu was commending him. Although he wouldn't show it, this angered him greatly.

He was being toyed with.

Ebisu was overly zealous in handing out his compliments. Even if he couldn't detect the deception in his tutor's words, he knew this was just a game. That man...the Hokage probably ordered Ebisu to encourage him. If he never met the fox he would be soaking up any kind of praise he could gain. The situation was not so. He didn't need nor want praise from potential prey. It was degrading in his eyes;commending the accomplishment of the simplest tasks as if he was a needy child.

He was not to be treated as a child.

"You've made excellent progress Naruto. Since you've managed to complete most of the workbooks so quickly, i'll have to devise a new plan of study for you."

Naruto hardly cared. With Kyuubi's gift, he could memorize every book in the Konoha library within a few months. Whatever he learned in this classroom would be a mere footnote when compared to the vast amount of knowledge he would attain once free.

"I have other matters to attend to for now so you may leave for lunch early. Consider it a reward for surpassing my original expectations. Just make sure you return to class on time."

His tutor turned to sprint out of an open window, leaving Naruto alone in the classroom. A devilish grin made it's way onto Naruto's face.

"This is perfect! I can start right now!"

Naruto roamed the empty school yard. The other students weren't out for lunch yet.

"Good."

He would have plenty of time to set everything up. Naruto went about gathering rocks of all different shapes and sizes. Using some wire he acquired from a supply closet, he began hanging the rocks from trees. He went all across the yard, ensuring each tree had at least one large rock dangling from a few strong branches.

It was a bit tiresome.

He had to hang the largest rocks with four or five wires. In addition, he had to make sure the branches were strong enough to support the larger rocks. It simply wouldn't do to have the rocks falling ahead of schedule. Naruto looked at the final tree. He had a few grapefruit sized rocks held up by a few branches. There was one rock, roughly the size of a bowling ball, suspended from several wires that led to several different branches. When he finished, he had at least seven trees set up that way. Naruto then set out to tie each wire to the main tree. He made sure to conceal the invisible wires within the thick foliage of the trees.

After completing his task, Naruto stepped back to observe his work. Everything was perfect. The wires and rocks couldn't be seen. With everything in place, Naruto climbed his tree. At least sixty different wires all converged on a single branch. The branch Naruto was currently sitting on.

Soon, students began to pour into the school yard; books and lunches in hand. Naruto glanced around the yard quickly. To be a successful predator, he had to choose the right prey. He spotted several groups positioned beneath his traps. He would wait for the perfect alignment. He would be patient.

Good predators were always patient.

As he waited, Naruto couldn't keep himself from praising the Kyuubi. The fox was right to have him observe his surroundings. Thanks to his stake out earlier that morning , he knew where the popular spots in the yard were. It seemed shade was a huge plus when choosing territory. Naruto returned to his searching. He had to be vigilant if he wanted to spot the best target.

"Them! They're perfect. They're all in perfect positions too! This is just too good."

A group of five boys were sitting beneath a tree. They were happily discussing their classes and other inane shit. Naruto wasn't concerned with them. He was focused on what was next to them.

It was time.

With an inaudible snap, Naruto cut the wires leading to that particular tree.

The rocks hit their targets perfectly. One of the boys was struck quite hard, if the deep gash and blood was anything to go by. The other boys were frantic. They were running about screaming and crying. Naruto let out a soft chuckle.

It was all so funny.

After setting off the rest of his traps, Naruto fled the scene with his prizes in hand.

He took refuge in another tree on the empty side of the academy. Naruto felt a little greedy. As he struggled to get his prizes up the tree, he couldn't help but think he took too much.

"Pft... What am I thinking. I deserve a little variety."

Smiling in satisfaction, Naruto dug into the stolen lunches. As he ate, Naruto felt overwhelmed with glee. His plan was on the right track and he was eating real food. He initially planned to fully exploit the Kyuubi's gift and eat garbage. He scrapped that idea the moment he heard some little shit complaining about the lunch his parents packed. These little brats didn't deserve good food.

He, however, did.

The mighty fox demnaded the best, so he, as the Kyuubi incarnate would too.

He decided to do this everyday until his plan was completed in full. In two months he would be fully prepared to make his escape. By stalking and stealing from his peers, he would improve his senses and skills. He would also steal the supplies needed to repair his home and build a series of small hideouts. After all, escaping the academy would be pointless if he had no where to go once free. He would tell the fox his plan later in the day. If all went well, he would be training with the fox full time very soon.

With a sigh of contentment, Naruto rubbed his full stomach. He'd eaten four lunches and contemplated eating a fifth. Gazing at the shining sun, he decided against it. It was time to return to class. He carefully made his way down the tree. The time for class was fast approaching and he was now stuck with a vexing problem.

How would he dispose of the remaining evidence?

He couldn't just leave the lunch boxes there. They had his finger prints all over them. No one would be able to trace the rocks and wire back to him. He could always claim the scents and fibers found were from his morning stakeout. The lunches,however, could not be dismissed as evidence like his lingering smell. No one could prove he did anything and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Heh...looks like i'll get to test the fox's gift after all..."

With a mischievous smile, Naruto began shattering the the plastic containers. When they were broken into small pieces, Naruto began disposing of the them. He swallowed the bits of plastic one-by-one until nothing was left. Naruto scowled as he shifted his tongue around. Although the Kyuubi's gift ensured he could digest anything, it didn't ensure the plastic wouldn't cut the inside of his mouth. Naruto dismissed the pain. The cuts were already healing and it was time to get back to class.

He had been delighted. Ebisu arrived in his office bearing the news of Naruto's progress so far. He was a bit disturbed when he learned Naruto was meticulously watching the students and teachers that morning. He rid himself of his unsettling thoughts to embrace his newly forming pride. It seemed Naruto had the potential to become a genius. Ebisu produced the workbooks Naruto completed.

"His skill is rather impressive. I never imagined someone with his...background... to be on such a level."

Sarutobi flipped through the pages carefully. Every answer matched the answer key perfectly. It was amazing. In addition to the correct answers, the hand writing itself was superb. It was so neat and controlled. It looked as if the words were printed by a machine. Every answer fit each blank and bubble perfectly. The large and jumbled letters that usually signified a child's hand writing was no where to be found. In all his years as Hokage, Sarutobi had only seen such fine calligraphy from nobles and dignitaries.

"We flew through the grammar and elements of writing workbook within the first two hours. He finished the basic math work book so we've moved on to algebra. At this rate he may finish the entire set of workbooks by the end of next week."

Sarutobi looked the books over once more.

"This is...indeed impressive. I never expected the boy to hold such promise."

He couldn't be entirely happy about Naruto's rapid progression. The boy could barely write a month ago. Now it seemed he could write a simple short story; and with expert calligraphy too! Only after his two day slumber did Naruto show such a level of skill. He didn't want to automatically blame the fox. After all, Naruto also didn't have a tutor before his two day reprieve. There was a good chance the boy simply lacked the proper guidance before his intervention.

He decided to find out for himself.

He would observe Naruto. If Ebisu was correct, Naruto would be enjoying his lunch right now. Upon gazing into his crystal ball, Sarutobi spotted Naruto sitting silently in a tree. Naruto was watching his fellow students preparing for lunch. He was curious. What was Naruto doing? Sitting in a tree watching people was not how one usually enjoyed their lunch. His curious gaze morphed into wide eyed terror.

He had not been prepared for what he just saw.

Naruto cut some sort of wire, releasing a barrage of rocks upon a group of unsuspecting students. The results were instantaneous. A rock the size of a large fruit struck one boy in the face, successfully cutting his cheek open. The devastation from the largest rock was even more horrifying. It smashed into another boy's skull, leaving a huge gash on the boy's forehead. It seemed he was rendered unconscious by the heavy blow. While the other boys were frantically trying to get a grip on the situation, Naruto managed to sneak in and swipe their lunches. Naruto, the sweet, frail blonde Naruto, injured and stole from his fellow students. He could not be anymore horrified.

That proved to be a lie.

When Naruto set off his remaining traps to ensure himself a smooth get away, his horror increased. Trees all throughout the school yard unleashed rocks of all different sizes. One young girl received a devastating blow to the back of her head. Another child, who made the foolish mistake of looking upward, got a swollen eye. Cries of pain came from every direction, implying the damage was consistent throughout the entire yard.

He could barely grasp what he just witnessed.

"Naruto ...what has happened to you?"

Recovering from his silent stupor, Sarutobi stood and adjusted his hat. This was something he had to do himself. He could no longer leave things to chance.

With Ebisu in tow, Sarutobi set out to confront his suspicions.

He'd be lying if he said he was surprised. This just confirmed once again that he was under constant surveillance. He didn't care. He was practically invulnerable; or at least he would be very soon. This man couldn't take his punishments too far. Naruto had merely behaved like a maladjusted child. Locking him away or physically restraining him would be an extreme and highly inappropriate punishment for a normal boy that was merely misbehaving.

That would be this man's undoing.

This man couldn't take the required measures to thwart him without revealing the secret. The Hokage couldn't restrain or kill him. Whatever this fool decided to dish out as punishment could be dealt with.

"G-Greetings Naruto. I discussed your progress with Lord Hokage."

"Hmm..."

Ebisu only stuttered and fiddled with his shades when flustered. His tutor was standing perfectly still moments ago. Upon addressing Naruto, he seemed to fidget a bit more. While it was clear Ebisu was a kiss ass, one would think he would try to appear firm and confident in the presence of the one he ass kissed. Ebisu was made nervous by him. That led him to belive one thing.

Ebisu had seen his recent deeds.

"Ebisu was with the Hokage... Whatever the old man is using to watch me can be used or viewed by more than one person..."

"He'd like to have a word with you about your studies and a few...other things as well."

Naruto yawned lazily before taking a seat. With half lidded eyes and a firm frown, he made sure he appeared bored;bored with this man, bored with his tutor, and bored with all that would be said.

"Greetings my boy. How are you fairing so far?"

Naruto sat with one of his arms on his desk, letting one of his hands support his face. He slowly moved his dull blue gaze to the man sitting before him. After what seemed like hours of silence, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Things were so-so.

Sarutobi let out a tired sigh. The Naruto he remembered was eager to express himself. The boy in front of him held no such desire. Naruto seemed indifferent towards him. He wasn't being overly obnoxious or rude, but he no longer possessed his usual air of warmth and amicability.

"Ebisu tells me you are doing exceedingly well in your studies so far."

Naruto turned to look at him once more. This time he just blinked in rapid succession. Was this man going to drag this out? Naruto hoped not. He was not going to humor the man and his games of political niceness.

"I must commend you on your skill and dedication. I looked at some of your work. You certainly hold promise."

Again nothing. This man could be direct or he could be ignored. It was his choice.

"While i'm pleased by you academic achievement, i'm afraid I also have to address your recent misbehavior."

Finally. Naruto quickly shifted his gaze to the man. He was still three. He had to act surprised. He had to act like he had no idea he was being watched. Naruto decided to stop feigning complete stupidity. He simply could not tolerate being looked down upon. He wouldn't be a moron, but he wouldn't lay all of his cards on the table either.

In fact, he would ensure that his cards stayed well hidden from eyes that were not his own.

"It has come to my attention that during your lunch break you caused a great deal of trouble."

Naruto was getting increasingly annoyed by this old man. He just didn't seem capable of getting to the point.

"It seems that you injured and stole form several students. I must say that this behavior is very unlike you. I must ask if anyone told you what to do."

Naruto abandoned his mask of indifference to allow fury to grace his features. He tried, in vain, to maintain his calm facade. He couldn't stop the slight arching of his eyebrows and the grinding of his teeth.

He was absolutely livid.

This old fuck was insulting him. How dare that bastard insist he was so pitifully stupid that he would be manipulated and controlled . He was the culprit. He was the one to invoke confusion and pain. Every trap and scheme was his own. He was a cunning predator not a dimwitted moron!

This man knew that. He had said as much. He just chose not to acknowledge his intelligence and cunning. He chose to dismiss his existence.

And for that he would surely die.

Clenching his fists in anger, Naruto forced his face to regain it's normal passivity.

"I did everything myself. No one controls me."

Naruto struggled to get the words out calmly. He was still trying to reign in his passionate fury.

There it was. Naruto confessed to everything. While his theft and assault was unsettling, Naruto's current demeanor was even more alarming. He sounded appalled by the very thought of some one receiving credit for his deeds. There were no signs of guilt. He was not worried that an innocent would be punished in his stead. He was angry his misdeeds would not be counted as his own.

Sarutobi was so confused. The Naruto he remembered always tried to gain acknowledgment through positive achievements. This boy before him wanted to be associated with negative behavior. When had Naruto changed? Was the fox influencing the boy? Would he risk the secret to uncover the root of Naruto's sociopathic behavior?

No. He would get his answers another way.

This way would provide him with concrete evidence of the Kyuubi's possible involvement. Or it would merely prove the boy was developing... behavioral problems. In any event, this would assure him a little peace of mind.

"Naruto. You understand that several students were harmed by your actions."

Naruto was still fuming. He couldn't ignore his anger any longer. If this man continued to pretend he was a senseless child, he would force him out of his delusions.

"I honestly did not foresee the possible harm in pelting a few children with mere stones. It happens to me quite often in the streets of your village Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi felt his stomach turn. Where was the sweet energetic child he had high hopes for? This boy spoke with something akin to apathy. Although he spoke formally, one could see the condescension and malice present in his stoic gaze.

Ebisu was stricken with silent disbelief. This boy was mocking his lord, the Third Hokage. Recovering from his stupor, he set out to scold the boy. He would not tolerate this insolence!

"Naruto!You will not speak to our lord in such a manner! Apologize for your misconduct this instant!"

Naruto opted to flat out ignore his tutor. He barely tolerated being ordered around by this old man. His tutor needed to learn that he only listened to him because it coincided with what the old man demanded.

Ebisu felt his face heating up. How dare this child refuse and ignore him. How dare he insult the Third. Ebisu stepped forward, intent on punishing Naruto. Raising his hand, Sarutobi stopped Ebisu's advancement.

"Naruto. Regardless of your inability to accurately foresee the consequences of your actions, I must punish you."

Naruto regained his composure long ago and was content to look out the window as the old man continued speaking.

His tutor was pissed. Naruto didn't really care. Just because he licked the ground this old fart walked on by no means meant he would do the same.

"Because you do not seem to grasp the extent of harm you dealt your fellow students, you will visit and tend to them for the next three days. You will still be allowed to attend your lessons, but only during the mornings. Every afternoon will be spent at the hospital."

Nothing. Naruto seemed completely unconcerned with the punishments he just dealt. Perhaps this proved the fox was not involved. Kyuubi despised humans and would be adamantly against aiding them. Naruto had not spoken out in outrage so... perhaps he wasn't under the fox's influence.

"Ebisu will accompany you to the hospital each day and the hospital staff will instruct you on what to do."

This was the perfect solution. He could check up on the seal with Naruto being none the wiser. If it turned out the fox was not behind Naruto's behavior, then helping the injured would be a good starting point for his behavioral reform.

"You will start after your lessons tomorrow. I hope you will see this task through with enthusiasm. Farewell and good luck Naruto."

Naruto was still sitting with his gazed fixed on the classroom window. His head was once again in his hand as he looked beyond the glass. This new development could prove to be quite interesting. He would never tend to injured prey he injured. He would, however, use this opportunity to steal countless drugs from the hospital. With a full arsenal of potent drugs at his disposal, he could conjure up all sorts of traps and poisons to use when constructing his hideouts. In addition to a plethora of drugs at his finger tips, the next three days would provide him with an almost endless supply of test subjects.

This would aide his plans immensely.

He would construct the deadliest traps imaginable, but he had to take care of one minor detail first.

Some clarification and explanation for those that want it:

First: Naruto's progress.

Naruto is in a remedial course. I have taken remedial courses and I can honestly tell you they are structured the way advanced courses should be. They cover a wide range of topics in a very short amount of time. Their purpose is to bring students up to speed as quickly as possible.

The workbooks and things all cover basic and/or simple subjects and in most cases(that i've observed) the workbooks are only a few pages long(roughly twenty to forty pages of actual questions). In addition, with perfect memory, Naruto is spared from some of the more tedious aspects of learning. I can't tell you how many times I've had to re-read an entire short story to answer a single question. With perfect memory, Naruto doesn't have to review any paragraphs or equations. That gives him a little more time to actually focus on answering questions.

Therefore, I say, two and a half workbooks in one day is plausible.

Second: Trap Mechanics

I'm not a physics or science major. In fact, I miraculously scraped by with a C in physics. I only know a little bit about the whole force is proportional to height and weight stuff. The trees in the Narutoverse can become obscenely tall and large. Using multiple wires and hanging them high enough, the rocks can be held up and deal critical blows when dropped. So...I believe the trap is plausible.