Disclaimer – Nothing is mine. NOTHING!
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Chapter 1Blood.
That was the only thing that the boy standing there knew. That's all he had been raised in. And that was what he was drenched in. The boy stood in an arena setting, bodies all around him, blood everywhere. It sank into his clothes and stained his skin. His hair was dyed red with the color of human life. Every single inch of his body was soaked in blood. The blood of all the dead bodies around him.
Dawn.
Akatsuki was the name that every person in the world knew. It was the name that was imprinted forever on the mind of the boy. Akatsuki, the organization in control over all the elemental countries. The name that the blond boy despised from every syllable to every letter. They were the ones that supposedly "took the boy in" as they said and he should be grateful. They never gave the boy a name; they only called him a monster, a demon. He was nameless. He had only seen one of those Akatsuki, and that was the man who experimented on him, who cut him open and messed around with his body structure. He remembered everything about the man…the man dressed in a long black robe with red clouds scattered on the robe.
Red.
The color red ruled the boy's world. From the blood that he was drenched in to the red clouds of the Akatsuki cloak. The bodies surrounding the boy were all red. Everything. Even the boy seemed to glow red, his once blue eyes changing into a hue of dark red.
The arena was filled with hundreds of corpses, each with an expression of pure agony on their faces. The entire world seemed to be red for the only living soul standing in the middle of the spacious room.
A single boy. A boy no more than 6 years of age, drowned in the stench of dead bodies and the suffocating aura of horror and pain. The boy stood calmly, or as calmly as one could stand in this situation. It would take the most observant of people to see the shaking of the boy's shoulders and his hands.
This might suggest anger, or sadness, and one would expect tears to start falling from the face of the boy. But there was no such expression on the boy's face.
He was smiling.
A perpetual grin, one that had never faded from his face from the early age of 4. That's what he'd been taught, to never stop smiling and look forward to the next day. Surely the next day would be better. But the days never got better. They only worsened until the boy's smile was stuck on his face and became unremovable. There was nothing left to smile for, the next day never brought better days.
Yet the nameless boy continued to smile.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Freedom was a word that few minds could ever think of in this world. The world that had been ruled by Akatsuki since the fall of Konoha. It had always been that way, when the world had lost to an organization of 9 power-hungry ninja.
From the beginning of time, there had been the oppressors and the oppressed. It was a never-ending cycle, no matter how many idealists thought of ways to change it. There would never be a stop to the cycle, despite the best efforts of the people who wanted to stop it.
There would always be the oppressors and there would always be the oppressed. It was human nature itself that decided this, not the views of idealists who wanted an ideal world full of happiness and empty of hatred. Akatsuki were the oppressors, never stopping to oppress the citizens of the world beneath them.
But that would change one day.
The boy, still drenched in blood, ran. He had broken out when the guards were careless. They failed to keep a close watch on him and he took that chance to run. He ran like he never had before. He didn't know where he was running to, or why, but he just knew that he had to run or he would be brought back to that place.
He knew nothing of the world outside of the underground tunnels that he lived in. He didn't know a single thing about the world, except that it was ruled by Akatsuki, the word that he had to bow down to everyday.
But he didn't think of anything at the moment. All he cared about was running, escaping from the place that was his home yet not his home at the same time.
Screams were heard through the underground tunnels. Alarms sounded and many footsteps thundered on the ground. The boy didn't care about the sounds that echoed on the wall, he only ran without stopping.
There was a collar around his neck, but he tore it off easily. He was chained at the feet, but he broke them off easily. There were people guarding the tunnels but he slaughtered them easily and without a moment's hesitation.
He didn't care what he had to do, as long as he escaped from this living hell that he was in. Everyday, for the 6 years of his short life, the boy had been spent in torture and experimentation. He didn't know why he was there, or why he was being experimented and tortured on, but he knew that he had to escape or else he would die.
Die like those many people whom he had killed. His upbringing had taught him no humanity. He was a mere animal, living by his basic instincts of suvival. He had to kill to live. That's what the snake-man had told him. Kill them and survive, or let them kill you and die.
And the boy killed them. He used the non-human powers that the experiments had given him and killed them without pity. It was his survival, and he would do anything to live. He would kill them as long as it allowed him to survive. He would do anything to survive. And that was why he could kill hundreds and still have that perpetual grin on his face.
Finally, the exit. He would finally leave this place. He would be free. He would have something that no one else had in the short reign of the Akatsuki. Freedom.
10 steps away now…
9 steps away now…
8 steps away…
7 steps away…
He remembered it all in those steps he ran. The torture, the experiments. They seemed to experiment on his stomach the most, always going on about a seal. They did things to his body; they changed his normal human biology into something else…
Into a monster.
3 steps away…
2 steps away…
1 step away…
And he took that last step into freedom. Finally, he was free. Finally, he was no longer doomed to be tortured for the rest of his life. Shining light was everywhere, bathing the area in its warm glow.
For the first time in his life, the boy took a breath of fresh air. Of real air. He would remember that moment for the rest of his life. It was his first breath of freedom.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"The boy has escaped, Orochimaru-sama." A man reported. The person he was reporting to was a pale man with long dark hair. Everything about him seemed snakelike, from his white pasty skin to his long tongue and his slitted eyes.
He was dressed in a long black cloak with a red cloud design scattered throughout the cloak. There was a single ring on his finger, with the kanji sign for "Sky"
He simply laughed in his dark evil way and spoke in a sinister formal female tone. "I see…" he killed the messenger with a swiftly thrown kunai with no hesitation. "Well then, Naruto-kun, I wonder how well you can survive in the real world?" He cackled evilly before he formed a quick handseal. He muttered to himself, as if talking to no one, while still forming the handseal.
"Leader, The Kyuubi Container has escaped…"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The boy had run non-stop for 10 hours. He was tired, hungry and thirsty. His muscles were tearing and his leg felt like it was about to fall off from his body. But he didn't care. He only noticed the sights of the outside world for a moment, and did not bother to breath it all in.
No, not when there could be Akatsuki after him. He couldn't just sit there to observe the outside world of nature. He couldn't, for there was a feeling that he couldn't shake off controlling his actions. A feeling that the boy had felt nearly every day of his horrible miserable life.
Fear.
The thing that had kept him running for so long was fear. Fear of being caught again. Fear of having to be cut open and experimented on. Fear was deeply inscribed in the boy's mind and it would always remain, but it would never truly disappear.
The only thing that kept fear from overrunning his mind was a single memory. The memory that had told the boy that there was a better world outside of his never-ending hell in the snake lair.
A memory of a woman, a beautiful kind woman. He remembered her. He could remember her holding him in his arms and spoke in soothing tones. That was when he truly felt peace. That was the only good memory he had in his short life. It was the memory that had kept him going. It was that memory that had told him that there was something good in the world, some humanity, something that wasn't just the dark sides of the human race.
That memory was the last shred of humanity he had. That and him still being able to feel fear was his last shred of humanity, and separated him from a true monster.
So the boy continued to run, the fear driving him. He ran for what seemed to be all night until at last, his body gave up on him and he fell to the ground unconscious.
His ever-present grin was still on his face as he slept, but for the first time in over 2 years, the smile was no longer a fake mask. It was a genuine smile.
It was his luck that an old man, who looked similar to a monkey with white hair, found the boy, unconscious. He just seemed to stare with pity until he saw the 3 whisker marks that adorned the boy's cheeks as well as the fake grin that he still wore on his face.
"Is that…the boy?" the man asked confusedly, and picked the boy up, to bring him back to his home.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The boy woke up to smell something he hadn't smelled in several long years. Real food. The food that Akatsuki had given to the boy could hardly count as muck.
The boy just couldn't describe the wonderful feelings that ran through his body, as he smelt food that actually smelled good. He immediately jumped out of the bed he was sleeping on a moment before, and without even taking care to check out his surroundings, he followed his nose to wherever the trail of wonderful scents led.
He didn't care where it would lead, as long as he got whatever the scent was coming from. The boy found himself in a kitchen, a wonderfully furnished kitchen. The smell was coming from the stove, where an old man dressed in an apron was cooking breakfast.
The boy just stared, his perpetual grin making his face seem rather…perverted…
"May I help you with anything?" the old man asked, from his cooking. He didn't turn around to face the boy at all; he just knew he was there.
The boy seemed confused and opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. What could he say to the man?
The old man finished cooking and set the plates on the table. The boy couldn't help but open his mouth and salivate. There was food. Delicious looking food that smelled good. He had never seen such foods before.
"Well, go ahead." The old man stood back and let the young boy eat his meal. The boy dived at his food like a ravenous wolf and within 10 seconds, the entire plate was cleaned off completely. Not even a crumb of a crumb was left.
"…" The man just stayed quiet as he stared at the boy with his jaw on the ground. "You must be really hungry. Though I'm afraid you'll have to wait for lunch for more food."
The boy just nodded and looked around his surroundings for the first time. The home was small and modest, perfect for someone who wanted to live a comfortable life alone.
"Well then, what is your name boy?" the man asked politely while the boy just stared at him in confusion. He had never been given a name. They never talked to him directly, unless they wanted to torture him or called him for more experiments.
"I see…where do you come from? Do you have a family?" the man asked once more, his expression much more serious. The boy shook his head. He had no memories of a home and the word family was a mystery to him.
The old man just stayed quiet after this and the two sat in silence before the old man stood up from his seat.
"I have much work to do. Please make yourself at home. Unless you want to lend this old man a hand?" the boy stared at the old man for a while, nodded, and then stood up as well. The old man and the boy walked outside.
The man lived in a secluded area, far from any form of civilization. He grew his own food from the garden he had outside. The boy stared for a while, not knowing how to do any gardening work at all until the old man explained to him what he did.
His fake smile never faltered, and he never spoke a single word.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The boy laid in a bed, inside a guest room pondering over the day he just had. For the first time since the boy could remember, he had gone through a day without some sort of beating or "test" that the snake man gave him. The tests were in reality ways of testing if his experiments on the boy's body worked.
The day had been long and hard, but rather simple. The boy had just worked in the garden, ate, worked some more, ate, rested and then ate once more. He couldn't have known if this was a normal life. Was normal life that simple and easy?
The boy shook his head to clear it off all thoughts. The old man had tried to communicate with the boy, but he stayed silent. He couldn't trust this old man yet; he could just turn against him and send him back down to the underground tunnels again.
No, he wouldn't allow it. He would never go back to that place.
He would fight for his freedom, no matter what it took. Akatsuki had attempted to kill his humanity, but they had failed. He still had that feeling of freedom, the need for happiness. Akatsuki may have taken most of his human side and his body, but he would still retain the deep human desire for freedom.
The days passed by, and the boy continued to live with the old man, who had no problem with keeping the boy whatsoever. Though the boy refrained from speaking at all, the old man would always talk to the silent boy despite his silence.
The boy didn't do much; he just worked for the old man. The boy helped him grow the food and with the daily chores around the house away from all society, away from the rule of Akatsuki.
Life was surprisingly simple, and yet quite satisfying. The boy had never felt such simplicity and peace in his life. It wasn't interesting or fun, but at least he could live in peace without pain or fear.
The old man never gave up in his attempts to communicate with the boy. He only nodded or shook his head or gave the occasional grunt. The first time the boy spoke to the old man was when he finally accepted that the old man was no spy for Akatsuki or no one that would try to hurt him.
It was a normal morning, but a day that would be fixed in the boy's mind.
"G-g-good morning…" the boy almost whispered, his voice shaking with clear nervousness. The old man looked up from the book he was reading, and his mouth opened in shock and absolute surprise.
"Good morning." The man replied joyously, after a moment's consideration in shock. The boy stood there and said once more in his shaky tone.
"W-w-what are y-y-you r-reading?" the boy stammered out. His voice was clearly childish and high-pitched.
"Me? Why this book is about a fox trapped in a hunter's trap. So in order to escape and live, he bit off his own leg for freedom." The man said, eager to keep the conversation going with the boy.
"I see…why would he bite off his own leg to flee? Surely, he wouldn't live in the wild without a leg?" The boy asked, his voice no longer stuttering. He actually seemed genuinely interested.
The old man smiled "True, but if the fox was trapped within a cage, how would he fare any better? Wouldn't it be better to live with the illusion of freedom and die rather than live and die trapped and helpless?"
The boy just stood, fully understanding what it meant to be trapped and what it meant to be free. He himself had been so desperate to escape towards freedom.
"My name is Sarutobi." The man said, offering his hand towards the boy. The boy hesitated before reaching out and grabbing the man's hand and shaking it slowly.
"You don't have a name?" the boy shook his head no. The old man looked slightly sad at this.
"Everyone should have a name. No one should walk through life without a name, without being noticed by anyone in the world. How about…I give you a name?" The boy looked on in confusion. The old man smiled gently and said
"I've already thought of a perfect name. Uzumaki Naruto. How does it sound?"
The boy pondered over the name in his mind, saying it to himself to remember the sound of the name "Uzumaki…Naruto…" He didn't know why, but that name seemed to stick onto him, as if it was his natural name. The name just stuck on to him. And try as he might, he couldn't think of any other more fitting name.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Sounds…good." The newly named boy said. The old man smiled and said, "I thought so."
From that day forward, the always-smiling nameless boy had received his first name. That name would be a name that would go down in history. But the boy didn't know that yet, he just knew that he finally received his first name.
The nameless boy had been reborn that day as Uzumaki Naruto.
- - - - - - - -3 Years Later - - - - - - - -
Sarutobi relaxed in his comfortable rocking chair, reading a book. It had been 3 years since he found a certain ever-smiling blonde haired boy. Within those 3 years, Naruto and the old man lived together, farming for food and just living life.
The two had a relationship akin to grandfather and grandson or even father and son, though they were much closer than most among families.
The years that followed Naruto's escape had been kind and peaceful to the boy. Soon his memories of the hell he had lived in disappeared and was replaced by the happy memories he had with Sarutobi. Every bit of his life was simple and easy, but full of happiness and joy.
No longer was he forced to test his abilities from the experiments that the snake Akatsuki performed on him. He didn't have to kill anymore and he didn't have anything to fear besides the winter, where food was scarcer.
Strange how someone who lived his life so roughly could suddenly adapt to such an easy life. But Naruto had been bored with the ability to adapt. Most would have been broken mentally from all the hardships and be insane for the rest of his life, but Naruto had too much of a grip on life. He would never give up and he would never break, it was how he was born. Despite the way he was raised, Naruto was never broken by his tormenter's whispers. For those early years was when he would be molded to whatever he would grow into, and despite his environment, they failed to mold him to the image that they wanted of a submissive broken man who had no hopes or dreams.
They failed at that.
Naruto, now the young age of 9, had no special dreams or desires, only the desire to live peacefully with his adoptive grandfather. Work and live peacefully, that was his life and he liked it. Slowly, the grin on Naruto's face was no longer forced and faked but actually genuine.
While Sarutobi was reading, Naruto walked into the house, carrying a bag of something and his ever-present grin still there. Sarutobi looked up and greeted Naruto who greeted back.
"Yo old man, I finished."
"Good job Naruto. I'm sorry to push this on you, but do you mind going to the town and pick up some things?"
"Sure."
"Thank you. Please get the things on this list." The old man handed Naruto a shopping list full of items that they needed to use.
Naruto examined the list carefully before he waved "I'll be back, old man, Bye!" he ran out the door from Sarutobi, who shouted his own farewells. It was one of Naruto's tasks to go to the nearby town to pick up some things that they required.
The old man chuckled and returned to his book. The nearest town was nearly 20 miles away, but with Naruto's speed and stamina, he would get there quite quickly. Naruto had grown into a strong young child, both physically and mentally healthy, despite the horrible torture he went through as a child.
The old man shook his fist in anger as he thought of what the boy had to go through. Your own experiment will one day destroy you, Akatsuki.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -
Naruto quickly jumped from tree branch to tree branch, shinobi style. Though he knew nothing of ninja or what they did.
Naruto grinned as he thought of going into town. That was probably the best parts of his life, seeing other people and going into civilization. Sure, life with the old man was peaceful and simple; it just wasn't the same as interacting with other people. Naruto didn't know why, but the old man didn't like to go out in public.
As he thought of the many things he was going to do while in town, a certain group of people made their way towards the house he just left from. Leading the group was a man dressed in a long black cloak with red clouds on them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sarutobi was still reading his book when he felt that chakra pattern. There was only one person who had that chakra, so full of malice and hatred. There was only one person who could be that evil, that emotionless and that grotesque.
Orochimaru! The old man threw his book away and immediately ran upstairs to his room where he opened a hidden door revealing a set of ninja clothes and equipment. There were several scrolls that he had written there.
This was the room he hoped he would never use or go into. Sarutobi closed his eyes for a moment before he donned the clothes and took a scroll, placing it on the main table. It was addressed to Naruto.
After a moment's pause, the old man quickly ran outside where Orochimaru and his group of men finally arrived.
"Heh…So you've been prepared for this day…" the leader said while Sarutobi just glared at him.
"It's been a while, Sarutobi-sensei." The pale snake-like man smirked "I finally found you." This man was one of the most dangerous people in the world. Along with 8 of his companions, this man was Akatsuki. He was also Orochimaru, one of the 3 legendary Sannin, former ninja of Konoha.
"Orochimaru." Sarutobi said darkly. Orochimaru laughed. "Is that how you treat your old student? My, I feel so unwanted. I'm sure you know why I'm here."
One of Orochimaru's men stepped forward. He was a silver haired man with a purple vest. This man was Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man.
"Is this were you have been hiding out, Sandaime Hokage-sama? It's such a shame to see such a strong ninja living like a hermit." Kabuto hinted, an annoying smirk on his face that seemed to say he was superior to all.
"It's a shame to see someone like you be nothing more than a dog to this man." Sarutobi shot back. Kabuto chuckled but did nothing else.
"Before I kill you, sensei, I wish to ask you. I had a little science experiment that sort of…slipped through my hands. Tell me, have you seen a demon run a round here?" Orochimaru asked, his hands reaching back to grab a kunai.
He must mean Naruto "No I haven't, Orochimaru. But if I do, I'll be sure to tell him that you were looking for him before you died."
Orochimaru laughed in a high-pitched voice "Sure Sarutobi-sensei. Do you wish to rectify the mistakes that you made? It's too late for that. These men around me are the strongest in the Sound village. You have no chance, sensei, just accept your death."
"I wasn't aware that Akatsuki would let their members go out by themselves to fulfill their vendettas."
"A vendetta? Why no, I'm here to kill the leader of that old weak resistance group." Orochimaru smirked darkly "I'm sure Akatsuki will have no problem with that."
"The resistance group was destroyed many years ago." Sarutobi said, his expression now full of hatred and disgust. To think that he had let this snake go.
"Oh? We both know that you're lying. The resistance group is still existent, though a little weak. You can't possibly hope to match against the power of Akatsuki. We have control of all ninja villages you know. Oh well, enough with the chat, sensei." Orochimaru got into a battle position, as well as the rest of his men. The former Hokage got into his own fighting stance.
"Let's end this now, Orochimaru! I will not let you go this time!"
"Still trying to hide your mistake, sensei? Oh well, I'll end your miserable old life today."
Orochimaru and Sarutobi charged at each other, clashing against each other with their kunai. Orochimaru's men soon followed. Soon the battle was on.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After shopping for the many things that the old man had asked for, Naruto strolled around town, enjoying the scenery. There were families strolling along having fun, kids playing in the streets, food stands giving off wonderful aromas.
"Naruto-oniisan!" a group of 3 children yelled out and jumped at Naruto, tackling him into the ground. Naruto had met this particular group of children on his last visit in the town. It was the first time that he interacted with people of the town other than chatting every now and then with storeowners. His ever-present grin had somehow caught the attention of most people.
"Hello…" Naruto replied back unsure of what else to say. He was never that good at talking with people.
"Naruto-niichan! How come you haven't come and played with us in so long?" one boy called out. This boy was named Udon and wore a pair of glasses with a nose that seemed to always have stuff dribbling off.
"Well, I've been busy." Naruto flatly said.
"Can you come play with us now?" a girl asked. She was named Moegi, and was a cute young little girl with her hair tied into two red pigtails. Beside her was a short blue haired girl named Kaede.
"Umm…sure I guess." Naruto replied back as he was dragged away by the group of children off to somewhere.
By the time Naruto had finished playing around and said his goodbyes, it was already sundown.
"I better hurry! The old man hates it when I'm late!" Naruto shouted and quickly ran off. It was nearly nightfall by the time he finally arrived back home. Just as he arrived he knew something was wrong.
There were no lights coming from the house. It was completely dark and the home seemed empty and soulless. The aura was very foreboding, and Naruto deep down knew something was wrong.
He quickly ran into the house, fear caught up in his throat.
He quickly ran through the house and found it empty. Naruto didn't notice the scroll on the kitchen table.
Naruto made his way outside and searched the surrounding forest, calling out the old man's name. Suddenly, he heard someone weakly call out his name and he quickly ran to the source.
Naruto found the old man lying in a meadow where a battle had clearly taken place. There were still many smoking holes and huge mounds of dirt. Naruto looked around the battlefield before finding an old man slumped against a tree, blood running down his face.
"Oji-san!" Naruto yelled and dashed towards him, kneeling down next to him inspecting his many wounds.
"N-n-Naruto-kun…" the old man sputtered and gasped.
"Oji-chan! Please don't say anything! Save your strength! You're going to make it!" Naruto yelled franticly and tore off his shirt and began bandaging the wounds.
"D-d-don't bother…I-I won't survive…Naruto…the scroll…on table…read it…and get out, away from A-Akatsuki." The old man struggled to say, and had a coughing fit. Blood came out every time he opened his mouth.
"Oji-chan! I won't let you die!" Naruto panicked and tried his best to bandage the many wounds but the old man was losing too much blood too fast.
"N-n-naruto-kun…you…are like a son to me…" Naruto's tears ran down his face as he stared into the face of the old man once more. The man, who had taken him in, took care of him, gave him a house, and taught him that there was a good side to the world too.
"P-please…please hold on…" Naruto almost whimpered as his voice cracked. The kindest man that Naruto had ever met was dying and there was nothing he could do. The man who had taken care of Naruto and gave him so much, even his name. Yet, he couldn't do anything.
Despite all of the abilities gained from the experiments, he was powerless right now. And that feeling, unable to do anything, was something that the boy had never felt and never wanted to feel again.
"Be good…my son…Naruto…" and with his last breathe, the great Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, last of the Hokages, died.
"Oji-chan…Oji-chan…wake up…please wake up…no…" Naruto pitifully whimpered to the old man, whose eyes were glazed over as the final submission to death. Naruto continued to cry to the old man until his subconscious mind finally accepted it.
He was dead.
Naruto cried and screamed his anguish into the dark night sky. Tears fell unabridged and he held his hands up in pure anguish, still covered in the old man's blond. And the boy continued to cry into the night.
When he finally finished, morning had come and the sun rose from its hiding place. Life resumed as if nothing had happened, as if no one had died. Naruto stood there, his eyes on the ground, trying to stop the feeling inside his heart.
Pain.
Not the pain that Akatsuki inflicted on him during their experiments on the boy. Not the pain from the many beatings he received. This pain was a thousand times more painful than any punishment that Akatsuki could inflict. This was the pain of losing someone precious to you right in front of your eyes.
It was the feeling of loss.
No more tears fell from Naruto's eyes. His grin had long since disappeared. The blood had stained into his hands and had turned his hands red.
Naruto slowly reached down and closed the old man's glazed eyes with his hand and picked up the body. He carried it slowly through the forest into the home that he shared with the former Hokage. After he gently laid the body down on the table, he covered it up with a sheet, in one last respect for the man.
Naruto's tears once again started flowing as he stumbled to the kitchen and saw the scroll that the old man had wanted him to read. Naruto moved a shaky hand and opened up the scroll and read everything carefully.
Naruto, If you are reading this, than I am already dead. I am sorry to not have telling you about this, but there are many men after me, Akatsuki being one of them. I was the former Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, and I had many great enemies. My student Orochimaru has a personal vendetta against me, and he is a member of Akatsuki. I am writing this scroll because I believe he will attempt to assassinate me soon.I know that you don't know why Akatsuki was so interested in you and why you were the subject of their experiments. The truth is, you are the jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi, the great 9-tailed demon fox bijuu. Akatsuki, prior to their dominance, collected the bijuu and stored them within a special statue for later use in wars. Back when Konoha was the greatest opposition to the Akatsuki, the Yondaime fought against all 9 members of Akatsuki and all of their armies equally.
The reason why you have the Kyuubi contained within you is that Akatsuki, as a last desperate attack, unleashed the power of the bijuu against Konoha and her allies. The effects were horrifying. All of Konoha and their allied villages were defeated within a single instant by the tailed bijuu. The Yondaime used his last resort to stop the Kyuubi and sealed it within you, taking his own life as payment.
The seal he used, the Seal of the Death God, was so powerful that not even Akatsuki could unseal the Kyuubi within you. That is why they took you as a baby and experimented many ways in an attempt to extract the Kyuubi and regain their weapon.
I am sorry that I could not have saved you earlier. I'm afraid that Orochimaru, the main experimenter and my former student, attempted to use you as a test for his own sick experiments more than attempting to remove the seal.
I also wish to confess, the reason why I was so reclusive was because I was the former leader of the Rebel Group that attempted to overthrow Akatsuki earlier in the years. We failed to do so, but there should be remnants of the Rebellion left. I hope that you can find refuge amongst the Rebels, but if not, I wish you good luck in your life.
Naruto, know that your real mother and father truly loved you, as much as I do now. When I found you a little more than 3 years ago, I truly rejoiced that you were alive. As time went on, I considered you my son. You have made my life much more wonderful and full of happiness before my death. You have given me much joy and fulfillment. That is your gift, and yours only, one that you should spread amongst the people and give them hope. Know that Akatsuki will never be able to stop this gift. Use it and give hope to the people.
Thank you my son, for the joy you have given me. Live your life well and true. Always protect your precious people.
Sarutobi Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.
PS – Burn it all.
Naruto rolled up the scroll and put it away in his pocket, his thoughts on the new information he just digested. He lowered his head and his hair covered his eyes, as well as any expression he would have wore on his face.
After finally thinking over everything that happened, the boy stood up and tended to the tasks he knew he would have to do. He would listen to the old man's last words, and he knew what he meant by burn it all.
A few minutes later, Naruto was standing in front of a house, flames destroying the once humble home. Smoke covered the entire area and the hot flames ate the entire house up. Within moments, the house that was so painstakingly built and taken care of by the old Hokage was now nothing more than a mass of steadily burning black logs.
Naruto stood watching the scene, carrying a backpack full of clothes and food as well as a few possessions. He combed through the house carefully and packed all that he could or needed, including the many things he found in the old man's room, like all of his scrolls and letters. He hadn't read them just yet, but he was sure that the old man left important things in those scrolls.
Now, Naruto stared at the house burning, his memories along with it.
Flashback"Naruto-kun, you've never had ramen before? Why don't you try some now?" The old man passed Naruto a bowl of cup ramen that he just cooked up a moment ago. Naruto looked at the bowl quizzically and took a quick bite of the food.
Within a few moments, hundreds of bowls of ramen littered the old man's house.
From that day forward, ramen became Naruto's favorite food, one that he would eat every day if he could.
Flashback"You don't know how to read? Oh my, that's bad…how about I teach how to read Naruto-kun?" The old man offered a book to Naruto, who opened it upside down. The old man laughed and began to speak.
"Let's just start with your name in hiragana… the symbols for "Na" "Ru" and "To" are written like this…"
And from what the old man had taught him, reading became one of his favorite pastimes, to get lost in a book and waste away an entire afternoon. It was Naruto's escape from a world oppressed by Akatsuki into a world full of happiness, peace and its own brand of life.
Flashback"Old man, what's a shinobi?"
"A shinobi? Why Naruto, why would you want to know that?"
"I read about it in a book. What are shinobi?"
"Hmmm…Shinobi do jobs and missions for other people, protect people and fight."
"Really? My book says that shinobi are tools."
The old man smiled at this "Tools? Yes, shinobi are tools. People hire shinobi to do jobs and tasks. But shinobi are also human. They have feelings, family, and lives of their own. Shinobi are people who fight to protect others above their own duties. A true shinobi places the lives of others and their precious people far above their own or their mission."
"Ehhh…I don't get it…that's contradictory. Shinobi are tools for missions but they place lives of others above their own mission?" Naruto asked back in confusion, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the former Hokage's words.
"Ha, I didn't expect you to understand. Being a shinobi is a way of life and the only way to understand what a shinobi is or what they do is to be a shinobi yourself."
"Ah I see…"
The conversation sprung up in his mind, a conversation that would change him forever. It had always been his dream to be a shinobi after that, he respected them, idolized them, and most importantly wanted to be one.
Finally, the flames died out from the lack of fuel and a smoldering black ruin was all that was left of the home that Naruto had lived in for his 3 years. With it, his memories burned away and his last shackles to an illusion of peaceful life gone. Naruto knew Akatsuki would not let him have a peaceful life, not with their weapon inside him. They would be after him once more.
And then, he would fight once more, for that life.
Naruto cleared away the remaining rubble, which was not much. All there was left at the spot was a blackened spot of dirt. Naruto walked to a quite clearing that he and the old man often walked around. This place was the old man's favorite spot; Sarutobi would often stroll here, pondering over something or the other. A small rivulet cut across the plain; the clearing itself surrounded by trees.
It was peaceful here, and there were only the quiet sounds of nature. This was where he made the grave for Sarutobi. He had placed a small tombstone there, over a mound of dirt.
Naruto stood there, looking at the stone for a while before turning around to leave. He didn't know where he would go, maybe just wander around until he found the remnants of the rebel group that the old man mentioned.
At the edge of the clearing, he turned around to look at the small stone before turning around to leave.
I promise, old man, that I will one day return here and give you a proper tombstone, one that would be fitting for someone as kind as you. I'll come back, father.
Without looking back, Naruto left, taking away his memories of the place where he could truly call home for the first time. He left the old memories of an old man who had took him in, saved his soul, given him a reason to live.
They stole most of his humanity, his mind, his soul, his body, and now his happiness. But he wouldn't let them take anymore. He didn't want revenge. He didn't want to just destroy them.
He would exterminate them, all of the bad memories they left behind, and all evidence of them so that the name of Akatsuki would be wiped away from the world forever. He would never let a tragedy like this happen again before his eyes. He swore it.
He would never let this happen again.
"Old man! Why doesn't someone do anything about Akatsuki? Why don't someone fight back?" Naruto asked the old man, releasing the many thoughts that he had when he learned of how cruel Akatsuki was.
"Ohh? Naruto, it seems like you want to be the one to do it?" the old man asked with a slight grin.
"If no one else does! Why don't they fight back? Don't they want freedom?"
"Yes, Naruto, we all do. But there are those that are afraid to die. Those that are afraid to lose their lives. They want freedom and their dreams, but they don't want to sacrifice anything."
"How can they achieve anything without sacrificing anything?"
"They are weak, Naruto. That is why."
"Than…how do they become strong?" Naruto asked, the old man smiling as it was his favorite question.
"They become strong by protecting those that are precious to them. They will truly become strong and fight back once they have someone precious to them in danger. That is when they become strong and fight back. And that is how you can become strong as well, Naruto, to have someone precious to you that you would protect with your life."
"Someone…precious to me?" Naruto looked on mystified, as he never experienced anything like that before.
"Yes, Naruto." The old man smiled as the young blonde boy before him started to ponder it over before he jumped in the air.
"Then I got it! I'll become strong and protect everyone from Akatsuki! I'll find my precious people and protect them with my life?"
"Really Naruto? Do I have your word?"
"You bet! That is gonna be the way of my ninja! I'll never go back on my words! Never!"
On that day, a legend was born, the legend of Uzumaki Naruto. With the death of the Sandaime Hokage, Akatsuki created their greatest enemy, one that they forged and gave the very weapons that would aid him in their demise.
But for now, the young boy would wander the world, following wherever his heart and feet would lead him
"I'll come back, old man." Naruto started his long journey, and walked away from the place that he once called home.
A/N This is a story that I thought up while I read a typical "Akatsuki trains Naruto and they become a huge happy family! Yay! And Akatsuki is destroyed and then Naruto starts his own village etc. etc…" those stories are messed up…since when was Akatsuki the good guy? And since when was Akatsuki a close happy family with everyone living in the same compound...where there's always a kitchen and Kisame always gets picked on despite being one of the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist, having the highest chakra amongst the entire Akatsuki AND has a huge ass sword. Jeez.
Well anyways, some of you might have lots of questions… Such as what those experiments on Naruto were. Well, I'll answer that in later chapters ok? Everything will be answered later.
Oh well, more action will come later. I decided to take a more different approach in writing this fic, and I made it a tad bit more serious. Lots of action will come later.
I tried my best to write this fic as well as possible, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please tell me. Or criticism and complaints, I'll accept those as well, albeit with a little less enthusaism.
So anyways, this is the first Naruto fic that I seriously consider finishing and I made an effort to write this chapter as well as possible. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.