Chapter 1 - Suffering

He was alone… hungry, hurting, and scared… With a whimper Naruto pulled himself from the ally he had hid in. All he'd wanted was something to eat… why did they have to throw things at him. Didn't he pay enough money?

Sniffling he rubbed his cold arms, it was raining and he wanted to get back to his home. The glares of the few that still lingered in the street followed him, and finely he couldn't take it any more.

'What did I do-What did I do?' his mind screamed as he ran, feeling he was at his breaking point. They hated him and he never understood why-what had he done that made everyone so mad? Why did they all reject him?

He didn't know. All he knew was their hated glares. He splashed through the muddy street glad for the poring rain. It was all he had to hide his tears.

Naruto was at the academy… he'd failed his first Genin exam. He knew he was just a kid-barely seven years old. Even Uchiha Sasuke didn't pass. But he'd wanted it so bad…

'Just wait-someday I'll show them all-I'll show 'em that I'm the strongest Shinobi in the village and then they'll have to look at me with respect!' he glared back at some of the mothers and fathers who were boring there gaze into him. Finely he stuck his tongue out at them childishly, while really he felt a burning anger in his heart. 'I hate…'

"I just can't believe he's still alive…" Sakura said as the Hokage examined her most resent patient. When she'd seen the boy, her first thought was that the only damage was minor injures and Chakra exhaustion. She saw a cut across the front of his cloths, (the dry blood turned brown,) but by the time they had gotten back to the Leaf, Kyuubi had already healed the wound.

"It wasn't a lethal Jutsu… or at least I don't think it was meant to be."

"A Justu-but that sword went right through his head-"

"Precisely. A normal sword would never have been able to handle that kid of attack… Not as smoothly as you all described."

"It was a chakra blade." Sasuke said coldly. He was seated by the window in his usual stance; fingers steepled with his chin resting on them. His black eyes stared coldly out the window, as if he could turn the spring to winter.

"…yes…" The Hokage looked puzzled, as she let the fact slip. She needed to lay off the sake during the day...

"I want to meet this so called assassin. Kakashi!" she ordered spinning to face the Jonin, her long hair snapping. "You're going to accompany me. Let's go."

Sasuke stood with a, "Hmph." Ready to follow.

"And where do you think you're going?" Tsunade asked as he stepped after her.

"What do you think? I'm coming too."

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but judging from Kakashi's report you're in no stable condition be near this man."

"I won't do anything, I just want to know what he did to the dobe." His voice was stone cold as he looked away. "I won't kill him."

Tsunade sighed, and then turned to Kakashi who shrugged.

"Fine, but you are going to be silent the entire time. Make any wrong moves and I will throw you out."

"Alright Kosher, this is your chance to make things a little easier on yourself." The Hokage addressed the man behind the bars. He glared up at her with cold eyes, even worse then Sasuke's greatest Uchiha stare.

"I didn't know the Hidden Leaf was so ready to bargain with criminals."

Tsunade had to suck in a breath to keep her cool, and Sasuke wondered why she had worried so much about him lashing out. She hadn't been here five minutes, and it looked like she was ready to tear his head off.

"This is about the boy you tried to murder, a small blond Genin."

"Hee, oh the kid, is he still alive?" he snickered and Tsunade's fist slammed into a bar bending it in.

"What Jutsu did you use on him?"

"Huh, it's a mixture of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. The little brats stronger then I thought if he's still breathing. Don't worry he's not going to last long."

Tsunade grabbed the man through the bars and pulled his face up to hers.

"You are a wanted S-Class criminal Kosher. If you happen to die in this ceil today, nobody is going to miss you."

"As opposed to tomorrow?"

The woman's hand glowed green with chakra, prepared to cut off his airways. Finely he spoke again.

"The Justu I used on that kid will slowly eat at his mind. He will suffer the worse memories form his past. Eventually the victim of the technique will be in so much mental pain that they will loose the will to live… I'm sure you can guess what happens after that."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed and she threw him back sending him crashing into the wall.

"Huh, have a soft spot for the brat Hokage-sama?" he drawled sickly. "I got a glimpse of the suffering that boy has been through already. Looks like his life was a real hell… I'd be surprised if he's not dead by morning."

"You don't know Naruto." Tsunade said, her back turned to the man as they began to exit. Sasuke's eyes moved from the killer in the ceil too her. "That boy may have suffered in the past, but that has never stopped him from looking toward the future. He is stronger then your Jutsu."

"You little brat!"

"Stay away from me!"

"Don't look at him…"

"…He's nothing but a monster."

'…What did I do…?'

"Why don't you just die!"

"Good riddance… could you imagine if that thing became a Shinobi?"

"My parent's said I couldn't play with you… because you're a demon."

'…Why…'

"We don't want him here at the orphanage anymore Hokage-sama. Send him somewhere else."

'I'm all alone…'

"No one wants you because your nothing but a burden-a cruel reminder of the past-a monster!" one man had said, his voice was slurred but he wasn't full out drunk yet. He could have stopped himself from thrashing him-but they never did…

'I'm sorry-I'm sorry!'

Sakura had her head bent over on her arms next to Naruto's bed. The Hokage was still gone with Kakashi and Sasuke, and she didn't want to leave him alone. When she heard a faint muttering she looked up.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"Naruto?" She breathed catching his hand, but his head just turned back and forth. She had never seen her teammate cry and as the tears slipped down his usually bright smiling face, it unnerved her.

"You're fine Naruto, you don't have to apologies-you didn't do anything wrong." Of course he had, by jumping in and almost getting himself killed! But even she couldn't lay into him when he was like this.

"Why… why do they all look… at me…"

"Who's looking at you Naruto? Just wake up…"

"What did I do…? Did I do something bad? Is that why you hate me…?"

"No one hates you… your team cares about you. Please come back."

"Do you want to know the truth Naruto?"

"Shut up Mizuki!"

"You're the Demon Fox that came and attacked Konoha tweleve years ago!"

"Is it... because I'm a demon…"

Sakura felt tears run down her face, although she wasn't making any noise. What was going on inside his head? Was this some repercussion of the Jutsu Tsunade had been talking about. She was just about to call for a nurse, when the next words he said made her freeze.

"Is it because… I'm the Kyuubi…?"

'Did I really do that… did I really kill all those people?' a small Naruto was sobbing in a dark corner of his mind. 'Was it really all my fault?' The floor was wet here almost as if his tears had become a sloshing mess in some kind of sewer. He felt so alone… so small and pathetic.

'Come, why are you crying?'

A voice guttural voice behind him said softly.

'I killed them-I'm bad-everyone hates me.'

Something smooth and fluffy rapped around the little boys waist and he turned. Staring at him from behind mettle bars was an enormous fox. He cringed back.

'Who… who are you?'

'I am called Kyuubi no Kitsune.'

'But I thought I-'

'You thought wrong kit.' He pulled him past the bars and the boy was blanketed by nine giant tails. 'The villagers are fools. You are no monster.'

'I'm-' sniff. '-not.'

"No… you are much more then that my little kit…"

"I'm… I'm your kit…?"

The fox brought the tiny being up to his blood red eye. 'This is an order little one… you are not allowed to die this day, or any other.'

The little mess of blond hair bobbed as the child nodded his head, wiping his eyes. 'O-okay.'

'I will help you back to your body… but the life you new will soon be gone.'

'…will they hate me…?'

'…in time it will not matter… You will be stronger then all of them.'

The boy snuggled in closer to the great demon and gripped his fur.

'T-thank you Kyuubi-sama…'

"Is it because… I'm the Kyuubi…"

Sakuras hand stiffened at the door handle and she turned around. What had he just said?

"Naruto-this isn't a joke-stop kidding around!" she suddenly felt very hot and her body was shaking. But the boy's state never changed. He just lay there trembling even more then she was.

Not a moment later did he let out a piercing scream, and she had to hold her ears.

"Somebody help-there's something wrong with him!" Sakura shouted as the doors burst open, revealing Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sasuke. What they saw on the hospital bed set them all stunned. Red chakra was poring out of Naruto twisting around him like the tails of some great beast.

'Nine tails.' Thought Sasuke and Sakura at about the same moment. Naruto wouldn't stop screaming and his back arched. His eye's snapped open to show nothing but red.

Tsunade cursed going across the room to try and steady him, her arms and hands getting burned by the demons chakra as she tried to force the boy back down. Was the demon breaking free of the seal? Then, just as suddenly as it began, he stopped falling back on the bed with a thud. The room went dead silent.

"I didn't do anything-I didn't do anything…" Naruto mumbled into his pillow tears streaming down his face. "I didn't hurt anyone… make them stop… make them stop staring like that…'

"Shuu, Naruto… Everything is going to be all right…" Tsunade brushed his hair back and he tensed a moment before his entire body loosened. He was at peace and a smile drew across his face. Tsunade had to bend down close to hear what he was mumbling now.

"I'm your kit…? T-thank you… Kyuubi-sama."

Her heart stopped beating at that moment and she knew Kakashi had caught it also.

"Sasuke, Sakura, leave." She ordered.

"But-" Sasuke was the one to protest and this time Kakashi stepped in.

"That's an order from the Hokage Sasuke."

He bowed his head and scoffed when there was a slight tug on his wrist. Sakura was trying to make him leave. He pulled his hand away roughly, but she just grabbed it again.

"Come on Sasuke-kun." The way she said it, it even made him feel like he had to comply. Soon both Genin were in the hall, and then out of the hospital all together. Neither stop until Sasuke grabbed the girls arm and said,

"What's going on Sakura?"

"I trust you heard it too, Kakashi?" Tsunade turned on the sensei with a serious look in her eyes. He nodded his head, any sign of his usual easy going disposition vanished. He was looking at Naruto with a new look in his eyes. It wasn't of hate… but pity.

"Do you suppose Kyuubi is trying to help him?"

Tsunade put a hand to her chin and bit her lip. "…It's possible… but the way he referred to him. Naruto doesn't even give me that kind of respect."

"It was almost like listening to a child. One who was being comforted by a parent." Kakashi gave his smallest student a sidelong look. "What should I tell Sasuke and Sakura?"

The Hokage shook her head, still deep in thought. "What ever you have to… use your imagination, but I doubt the this secret is going to last long. You're Genin are a little to smart for their own good."

With that said the Jonin had his eye smile back on, though it wasn't in full force. "I think you may be right about that, Hokage-sama. I'll handle Sasuke and Sakura." He left her and Naruto alone, and once again the older woman brushed the boys hair back.

'What has he suffered… and is he suffering now…?'

There was still that small innocent smile on his face…

'He is stronger then your Jutsu!'

'Yes… but is he stronger then Kyuubi…?'

She didn't have an answer to that. All she could do is kiss the top of his forehead and wait. For what, she didn't know.