A/N: Alright it's time for the first chapter! I only have a vague idea at the moment for where this story will go, but I promise it won't be some pointless story in the end. I'll also willingly accept ideas and recommendations for what you all would like to happen and I promise to respond to all reviews concerning such. Alright I've blabbered enough for now so let's get rolling.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I ain't saying it again!
Chapter 1: Fateful Encounters
Pain, unimaginably terrible pain; that's all the small, blonde headed boy, Uzumaki Naruto, could remember before he fell unconscious. As he stirred, he felt water all over his back, and that the air was heavy, think, and damp. He slowly and painstakingly stood up and looked around, only to find that he wasn't in the alley where he was mercilessly beaten, or the Sandaime Hokage's office, but in a dark, cold sewer.
"We-were in the world am I?" the small boy thought nervously. Naruto then looked at his left arm, and saw not a broken limb with bone pierced flesh, but a normal, uninjured arm. The young blonde then realized that he didn't have a scratch on him; that he looked like the beating had never happened.
"Kit…" a dark yet somewhat caring voice said from the darkness of the sewer. "Follow my voice Kit; I have much I need to speak to you about."
To say that Naruto was nervous at the sound of an unknown voice calling out to him from the darkness of the sewer would've been an understatement. The blue-eyed youth was downright terrified. However, the frail boy gathered up what little courage he could muster and step by step, he trudged forward into the damp unknown.
Naruto felt as if he'd been walking for hours, though he instinctively knew it had only been a few minutes, when he entered a gigantic room. Even with the faint lighting, the young boy couldn't see either wall to his left or right, but in front of him he could see an enormous cage. In the center of one of cage's bars, was a slightly worn talisman with the kanji, "fuin." A light red mist was also present and seemed to be emitting from the other side of the cage.
The blue-eyed boy began to walk closer to the cage when he heard the dark voice again, "So you're finally here, eh Kit?" A dim light appeared on the side of the cage from where the voice came, revealing a large, fire-red fox with nine tails that was about the size of a small house. He sat there staring at Naruto, his blood red eyes never blinking.
The sight of the giant fox scared the poor child out of his mind, as he started to shake violently. He opened his mouth to ask a question but the words never came. That's when in a slight nurturing voice, the great fox said, "There's no reason to be scared, Kit; I can't hurt you. By the look in your eyes, I can tell you'd like to know who I am and where we are exactly. To answer the first question, I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the demon that attacked that village you call home, four years ago. As for the second, we are inside your mind."
It took a few minutes for this all to register with the terrified child. His trembling slowly subsided, as did most of his fear, and finally he found his voice. "If were in-inside my mind, Kyuubi-san, th-then w-why are you here?"
"Drop the formalities Kit, there's no reason for them; and as for why I am inside your mind, or rather, your body, is because of the Yondaime Hokage, he sealed me inside you to save that shithole of a village."
"Sealed… inside me?" the blonde asked.
"Yes, and he wanted you treated as the village's savior, yet you're treated as if you were me. I do… apologize, for the way you've been treated due to my presence."
"So that's why everyone hates me and calls me a monster and a demon," Naruto said to himself quietly. He then looked at Kyuubi and asked, "Kyuubi, do you know what's happening to me now, outside of here?"
"For the time being Kit, you're safe. That purple-haired female who's always eating dango has us in her apartment. She seems to be treating your injuries, most specifically, that broken arm of yours," the demon fox replied.
"But, why would anyone help me? The only person who's ever cared for me is the Sandaime Hokage," the blue-eyed boy questioned.
"It would seem Kit," Kyuubi began, "That your village as more than one redeemable soul among its populace. It would be wise to thank her once you wake up again." The fox then noticed that the small boy opposite him had started to cry. "Oi, Kit, what's with the waterworks all of a sudden?"
Between small sobs, Naruto managed to say, "I'm just happy, that I've got someone who cares for me other than the Hokage." He then looked at Kyuubi and said, "Actually I think I have two new precious people, this kind lady, and you, Kyuubi."
Out of anything the blonde in front of him could've said, this is Kyuubi and never even thought of. This frail boy who was regularly beaten because of something he didn't even know about until a few moments ago, had just claimed an unknown woman who had rescued him from the edge of death, and him, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest of all the Biju as two of his "precious people."
Kyuubi had only one thought on his mind as he contemplated all of this, "This kid, he's something else, to go trusting a complete stranger and a demon; but I can see why, poor kid's been alone all his life. I'll have to help him out some way in the near future." The demon fox then looked at the boy in front of him and said, "Eh, Kit; get to sleep, we don't know what tomorrow will bring for us and your other precious person."
Naruto smiled warmly and nodded, and as he prepared to lie down on the waterlogged floor, one of Kyuubi's tails slithered through the bars of the cage, and then under the boy. The blonde snuggled into the fire-red fur and before long was sleeping in a dreamless sleep. "Sleep tight, Kit, you really deserve it," Kyuubi thought as he watched over the small blue-eyed boy that was his container.
Anko had been up all night keeping an eye on Naruto, the young boy had come down with a cold most likely due to blood loss, fatigue, and various other circumstances. She figured it was around nine when she noticed the blonde start to stir. As his eyes slowly fluttered open, Anko said, "Good morning Naruto, how are you feeling?" A heavy cough was the only response she got.
The young boy then tried to sit up, but immediately felt pain in his chest and left arm. A small frown came to Anko's face as she saw the boy whimper in pain. Soothingly, the snake mistress petted the blonde's lightly bruised forehead and pushed a few stray locks of hair out of his face. Softly she said, "I wouldn't try to move kid, your arm was badly broken and so were all but two or three of your ribs." The young boy nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
Naruto watched as for the next hour, Anko went about changing the many bandages the covered him, being most careful when unwrapping and rewrapping his arm and torso. When the purple-haired kunoichi finished, she walked over to a large, black pack that was set against a tree, and began to dig through it. A moment later, Anko walked back towards the boy, with his stuffed red fox in hand. She was happy to see the boy's eyes light up at the sight of the toy. She gently set it down beside him and smiled as he pet his one and only possession lightly.
As she walked off to start fixing breakfast, she heard a soft, yet very harsh and raspy voice say, "Thank you, nee-chan." Anko turned and saw Naruto struggling to stay sitting up while using only his right arm for support. Pain was written all over his face; Anko ran to him and quickly supported him with her left arm, while placing her right hand lightly on the blonde's lap. Naruto then said, "Thank you for saving me last night nee-chan, you saved my life."
Anko immediately saw tears welling up in the boy's eyes, but soon realized that they were tears of joy and not of pain, as the small, blue-eyed boy pulled her into a one armed hug and lightly sobbed into her shoulder. Anko smiled as she brushed Naruto's spiky, golden blonde hair and said, "My name's Mitarashi Anko, Naruto, but you can call me your Nee-chan if you want." This only made Naruto cry harder, as Anko continued to brush his hair lightly, until before long he was asleep once again.
Around the same time that morning, Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage was reading a letter he had found on his office door when he walked in. As he finished reading the letter, the old man took a puff on his pipe and sighed heavily, thinking to himself, "I always wondered when she would leave the village, but I never imagined she'd take Naruto with her. I can only hope that she can take care of the boy and herself and that one day, both of them will come back and forgive the village, or at least forgive me for failing them."
Sarutobi was broken from his thoughts when Shiranui Genma, one of his many assistants, burst into the room, extremely short of breath. "What's the matter Genma, has something happened?" the Sandaime asks calmly.
Catching his breath, Genma quickly replies, "Hokage-sama, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, Hinata-san, is missing; it appears that Hiashi-sama got angry at her yesterday during a training exercise and expelled her from the compound. One member of the ANBU reported that she was picked up by a blond female in a green jacket that read 'gamble' on the back. She hasn't been seen since."
Sarutobi's pipe immediately feel to the ground, after which he replied, "Have all available ANBU and Jounin begin a search for Hinata as well as," the Professor paused as he reached into a draw in his desk and pulled out several pictures of a blonde female, but at varying ages. "This woman, my former student and one for the three Sannin, Tsunade," he finished as calmly as possible. Genma quickly saluted Sarutobi and dashed out the door.
The old Hokage, picked his pipe up off the floor and took a long drag on it, before thinking, "First Naruto and Anko run off, now Tsunade's kidnapped Hyuuga Hinata for unknown reasons almost immediately after Hiashi lost his cool with the child. I'm going to have to speak with Hiashi about this and hopefully Tsunade will return with the girl soon."
Naruto had finally woken up again sometime after noon, only to find Anko sleeping soundlessly next to him. The young fox-boy, not wanting to wake the snake mistress or cause her any trouble, just lay there quietly watching the clouds drift by and mindlessly petting his stuffed fox. Naruto looked down at the bandages that were wrapped around his left forearm, along with two sticks that acted as a splint and smiled, not the usual fake smile he wore as a mask when he wasn't being beaten, but a true genuine smile.
The blue-eyed boy thought, "Anko-nee-chan must have spent a long time fixing my arm; it doesn't hurt at all." That's when he heard rustling in some nearby bushes. Not knowing what it could be, the blonde youth quickly did the only thing his mind could think of: wake up his nee-chan. "Anko-nee-chan!" he whispered roughly, his throat feeling extremely dry and rough.
The teenage kunoichi stirred quickly when she heard Naruto's voice and asked, "What's the matter kid?" Naruto pointed towards the bushes and said quietly, "I heard something from over there, but I don't know what it is though." Anko sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Is that all kid? I thought you might be in pain or something like-" Anko stopped abruptly as she picked up a faint chakra signal that she didn't recognize.
She thought to herself, "I thought I told the old man not to send anyone after us! Does he think that the kid would really be better off in Konoha?!" She pulled out a kunai and stood between Naruto and whatever was behind the bush. The snake mistress turned her head towards the blue-eyed boy and said, "Just sit tight Naruto whoever came after us isn't going to hurt you, and I promise I'll never let anyone take you back to that living hell!"
"And what hell would that be?" asked a rather perky, feminine voice. Anko turned and saw a blond haired woman with her hair tied back in two ponytails, wearing grey robes and a very large green jacket. Behind her, was a woman with short black hair dressed in black and white robes, and on her back, she was carrying a small dark blue haired girl.
"That hell would happen to be Konohagakure, where me and this kid have been treated like shit for as long as we can remember! Who the hell's asking anyway?!" Anko spat at the mysterious blonde.
"It's only common courtesy to state your name before asking someone theirs," the busty woman replied. "But, I guess I'll let it slide since I snuck up on you like I did. My name's Tsunade and this is my assistant Shizune. The girl resting on her back is-"
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried out, recognizing the young girl sleeping on the apprentice medic's back. Anko looked at the blonde who was now wincing in pain from having sat up so suddenly and asks, "How the hell do you know the Hyuuga heiress, Naruto?" The fox boy lightly smiles and says, "I played with her a few times at the playground in Konoha; she was the only kid who ever played with me, but the few times I did, I got beat up by these guys with scary white eyes."
"I see…" Tsunade said thoughtfully. The blonde medic then turned to her apprentice and said, "Shizune, wake Hinata-chan while I look at Naruto-kun's injuries." Shizune did just as her sensei asked after setting the ex-Hyuuga heiress down on the ground and lightly shaking her shoulder.
Tsunade meanwhile was examining Naruto's wounds, most specifically, his fractured arm. After completing a quick yet through examination, the slug mistress turned to Anko and asked, "Were you the one who patched this kid up?" Anko nodded slightly in response. "I have to say that you did a damn good job for someone your age, though it's nowhere near my level of skill, it's still good work."
That's when Shizune walked over with Hinata, who appeared to be half asleep, until she saw Naruto. The shy Hyuuga's eyes widened at the sight of one of her only close friends wrapped up like a mummy. With tears forming in her eyes she ran over to the fox-boy and hugged him tightly asking, "Are y-you ok, N-Naruto-kun?" She was replied with a heavy cough and Naruto choking out, "Ye-Yea Hinata-chan, but I kinda need to br-breathe." The white-eyed girl quickly let her friend go, allowing him to breathe normally. The two then began to talk about what had happened to each of them in the past twenty four hours or so, while Tsunade, Shizune, and Anko stepped off to the side to talk on their own.
Tsunade started, "So he's the Kyuubi's container, then." The snake mistress replied with a soft, "Hai…" and allowed the blonde medic to continue. "I heard that the Yondaime wanted the boy treated as a hero of the village, but just by looking at him it's pretty obvious that the villagers didn't get the message."
Anko laughed lightly and said, "Oh they got the message alright, but the asses only see the poor kid as the Kyuubi and not as its container. They almost killed him last night, too. I promised that we aren't going back until he feels ready, but I don't know if he'll ever want to go back to that place."
"So what are planning on doing, Anko-san? You can't take him to far in his current condition and it's going to be hard for you to cross the boarders with you being a Konoha-nin," the black haired medic asked.
"I plan on going to either the Land of Waves or Wind Country, for now anyway," Anko explained before asking, "But I'm curious as to why you two have the Hyuuga heiress with you."
This brought an angry scowl to Tsunade's face, as she looked over at Hinata who was far more joyful then she had been the day before. Looking back at Anko, the slug mistress explained, "I was planning on speaking to Sarutobi-sensei when I found her crying not too far from the Hyuuga compound. Most of her chakra points had been blocked and she had a few bruises on her arms and torso. My guess is that Hiashi got angry at her for not performing well during a training exercise. For as long as I live I doubt I'll ever understand the Hyuuga's ways." Both Shizune and Anko nod in agreement.
Anko's stomach then growled angrily, shattering the seriousness of the situation and earning a small chuckle from both Tsunade and her apprentice, along with a pig in a red vest at Shizune's feet that Anko only now just noticed. Collecting herself, Anko said, "Let's go eat I'm sure both Naruto and Hinata could use some food." The three kunoichi walked over towards the two children and started to prepare a late lunch.
A/N: Well there's the first chapter, I think now that it's done I have a pretty clear idea of where I'll be bringing the story. And like I said before I'm willing to accept any and all recommendations. So R&R and I'll see you in chapter two!
