I woke up suddenly not the bleary pain of someone who had just been tortured into unconsciousness no, it was sudden as if a shot of adrenalin had been put straight it my heart I was awake alert and feeling totally healthy, which in and of itself was the weirdest part.
Had I not just been tortured presumably to death by a large group of angry Konoha shinobi? Either that was an odd dream or this is, or alternatively the afterlife is a gigantic sewer.
I suppose this could always be some kind of hell, odd i distinctly remember when I was a small child the very first thing that was told to me that I can remember was that one day someone would come along and put me out of everyone's misery and then I would burn in hell. Presumably then she was wrong about hell or I'm not there. Although I do have a feeling I'm not dead just for no reason I can understand, odd.
Thinking on that the closest thing to an answer that is mildly plausible is that Anko found my shredded body and noticed I was barely alive and out of guilt she healed me then proceeded to through me into the sewer.
Okay so that's retarded but its all I can come up with, whatever happened I assume its a long story.
Down one of the corridors I noticed a faint red glow and what sounds like a low rumbling noise, normally at this point a child would be warring two arguments in their mind the first would be mummy told me not to go down corridors with ominous red glows and low rumbling sounds, or whatever it is people tell their kids these days some sort of variation on dont talk to strangers generally followed by or him and I look up to find a finger pointed at me vs I wonder whats down there? Kids are an inquisitive lot.
Me? I thought fuck it whats the worst that can happen? Ill get brutally tortured to death? Ha that just happened, fuck it, down that corridor is where the action is, and away I go.
Actually along that line while I wander, I wonder if there is any silver lining to this cloud?
Talking to myself I muse well at least from now on Ill know that nobody can be trusted I suppose that's an important lesson for a ninja to learn, That and naivity will get me killed.
That was the moment I first adopted my motto my nindo if you will, Trust no-one , it wasn't long or pretty like some people it didn't have the deep honour association that something like the old man's Will of Fire had, nor did it have the simple minded innocence of the Yondaime's never abandon your comrades but that was fine for me because I didn't have any comrades I had people who hadn't tried to kill me yet, people who had tried to kill me and failed and potentially depending on where I am I had people who had tried to kill me and hadn't failed.
It was a simple nindo a realistic nindo and it was all I had.
Turning the last corner I saw something I was not expecting, and let me tell you I was waling into this with an open mind but seriously would you expect to find a 10 foot growling glowing red fox behind a cage? And then I saw its tail and by tail I mean tails nine tails to be exact, on the plus side this vindicates me of all those thoughts I had had that I may in fact be the Nine Tailed fox stuck in a human body with amnesia.
It was one of my more outlandish ideas but with the amount of people calling me "Demon" "Fox Bastard" or my personal favourite "You bloody demon fox bastard" however a certain amount of their suspicion had to be true.
I mean points against me being the demon fox its standing in front of me.
Points against me I'm clearly connected to it in some way I mean why else
My train of thought was interrupted by the Demon speaking in its odd rumbling way so loud as to nearly deafen me just by standing near it, "Ahh so I see my warden has found me" I stopped for a second to think about what it just said.
First I have an unseemly amount of chakra, Second I had a seal on my stomach when I channel chakra that is so complicated as to be unbelievable and Third everyone calls me a demon and tries to kill me or at the very least goes out of their way to make my day just that little bit more miserable, okay conclusion time I have a lot of chakra in a seal in me, the Kyuubi is made of chakra, everyone calls me a demon...
The Kyuubi is sealed in me... FUCK!
"Okay fox why have you brought me here?"
"How dare you speak to me in such an insolent tone? I will destroy you mortal scum"
"But you can't can you? I can see clear as day that you are locked in that cage" The only answer received in turn was a low growl, "Dispense with the theatrics fox you obviosly brought me here for a reason, answer my why did you bring me here and where exactly are we?"
"Oh but I didn't bring you here mortal scum you were sent here by your precious friend, Don't you remember? And as for where we are we are in your mind"
"I see, we are here because I am dying correct? Well if you are in me and I die I can only assume that I am going to drag you along with me."
"Yes, the only way you can possibly survive is if you tear a small piece of the seal off and allow my youki to flood into your system"
"Okay" I said my to myself than anyone, didn't I just decide not even an hour ago that my nindo would be Trust no-one? And now a giant demon fox wants me to trust it, I suppose that's more of a something than a someone but the underlying moral of my nindo stands.
"NO I don't believe that tearing the seal off is the only way to help me heal me or die"
"Ignorant mortal what would you know of seals ripping a portion off is the only way to save yourself"
"I don't believe you fox, you are in my mind you know i'm not going to tear the seal, you know I am not bluffing, Heal me fox or die"
"Fine but know this scum next time you come to me begging for help I shall not be as receptive"
As I turned to retort I soon found myself no longer in a sewer and instead in a white, my eyes bleary and my body aching, I snorted to myself this is more life what I was expecting the first time, I closed my eyes weary from what had been both a physically exhausting and mentally exhausting day.
When I next woke I noticed I was chained to wherever I was but as far as silver lining goes at least I'm on a bed. I heard a nurse talking in hushed tones saying that it had just woken up and if you could please get it out of the hospital before it went on a rampage and killed some more people because she say what it looked like when it came in drenched in blood. I looked up and found both the old man and the traitorous bitch standing over me she even had the audacity to wear the fucking necklace I gave her, looking at them with cool disregard I calmly ask "Are you here to finish the job?" "Because if you are do you think you could take that necklace off? It meant a lot to me when I gave it because I gave it to my only friend, and I don't think I want my friend to kill me even when she hates me." Sighing in resignation I close my eyes "Please, make it quick"
"We aren't here to kill you Naruto" the old man says. "No?" I ask "I suppose I wouldn't have woken in a hospital if that were the case, I expected to way in a rubbish bin somewhere, this does make for a rather pleasant change I suppose."
"So" I say "Why are you here old man? What is to be done with the demon scum?"
"Naruto we need to talk"
"Do we old man? I'm quite sure I said all I needed to say to you when last we talked. And what is little miss birthday girl doing here with you? Shouldn't she be entertaining a prison guard somewhere? Last I checked attempted murder was illegal. Though I suppose I am the exception. Tell me Anko did you at least get your promotion?"
Her eyes widened in shock and she looked towards the ground. "I'm not an idiot Bitch no matter how often people call me one. I knew I shouldn't have gone to your house everything about smelled like a set-up but you played the one card someone in my position would just about anything to get, a friend. So tell me Snake-Whore did you laugh as they chopped me to pieces? Hmm Did you? Did it get you hot and bothered Anko? Did it get you off? Was them chopping me up a present for you or them?"
"Stop it!" the old man said his voice dripping with barely contained anger "You will be civil to Mitarashi-san she saved your life"
I couldn't stop it I laughed and laughed at the idea that she saved my life "So" I said amid chuckles "What about everyone else who decided to chop me up? Would I be foolish to assume they are in Jail?
" I have one of my top ANBU Kakashi working on it" "Furthermore it has been decided by me and my top advisors that due to the demonic chakra that was being emitted from you, you will spend the next two years under observation in a detention center" You will be released in time to complete your last year of training at the shinobi academy where upon after you will join the ninja forces."
"I see... allow me to get this straight I was brutally attacked and in compensation for daring to survive such an attack I am being thrown in jail? And " I said feigning ignorance "What is this you have been saying about demonic chakra? Hey isn't it illegal to throw a civilian in jail for nothing?
"The shinobi council have decided that you are too dangerous to be allowed to roam free you will be under observation and then you will join the ninja forces, no other answer is acceptable. As for demonic chakra you are not yet ready to hear that answer to that question."
Narrowing my eyes I replied "Well it looks like that's all decided what is the traitorous bitch here for? Am I to be roughed up on the way to the prison? Did she not get enough whenever it was that she had her birthday. Presuming of course that was her birthday."
"Mitarashi-san works in the torture and interrogation department of ANBU as you will need to be interrogated before you can go under observation. Mitarashi-san volunteered to take you down to the T&I department. Now I must be off, behave for Mitarashi-san."
And with that he disappeared in a swirl of leaves and smoke.
My mind was running through exactly what he had just told me. I'm to be tortured then thrown in jail for two years presumably with periodic torture sessions thrown in, after which I'm supposed to be a loyal servant of Konoha?
My face blanks but my eyes still seethe with unrivaled hatred. Looking up "Very well Mitarashi-san lets get this torture show on the road im sure you will be impressed with my healing abilities it will allow you to perfect torture methods on me that would kill others" I twist my face into a horrible parody of a smile "Well Mitarashi-san aren't you just looking forward to this? What fun we shall have" I say with with impressive false cheer and a bounce in my step.
She looks like she wants to say something but ive decided something I no longer care for the words of people instead from this day forward I shall listen for their screams. I shall learn everything that there is to learn about her craft and I shall use it against her, no more shall I care for anything but the screaming, pleading, begging, helpless and blood-filled cries of my enemies.
And even as I made that descision I could hear a low rumbling laughter at the back of my mind.
Today was the day that I lost my humanity, today was the day that I truly became a monster, today was the day that the legacy of my rise through the blood of my enemies started, Today Uzumaki Naruto died and in his place something new shall rise, something horrible.