"Forgive, but not forget."

The first thing Naruto heard upon waking up was the sound of dripping water.

Why the heck do I keep waking up away from my bed?

And why the heck did I wake up on my feet?

Looking down, he, at first, believed someone else to be in his place.

Then he realized that it, in fact, was his reflection.

Black hair with white ends, muscles where he once had only a few, and flowing wine-wait, wine?

Indeed they were. And right in the center of his eyes, he spotted something extraordinary.

An ornate rose, of which the petals seemed to be turning of their own volition. It reminded him of a kaleidoscope.

A flowing ocean of wine, surrounding a shifting rose. His own eyes had turned into pieces of abstract art.

Which just so happened to be one of his favorite kinds.

Cool.

Getting up and looking around, he saw he was in some sort of sewer. One with water up to just below his knees, plain brick walls, and pipes running along a brick ceiling. The place seemed remarkably well maintained, for a sewer.

Did the villagers dump me in here after having their way with me? How heartbreaking.

Oh well. At least it's a nice sewer.

Seeing nothing better to do with his time, he picked a direction, and began to walk.

Something he found strange (then promptly ignored) was that the water didn't restrict his movement or chill his feet at all. In fact, it almost seemed to be pushing him along with a pleasantly warm current.

He lost track of time, walking through the sewer. No sunlight, no real difference in his surroundings. Just when he was about to stop for nap, however, was when he encountered it.

It was a big room. High ceilings, far walls, and it was given an ominous feeling by the candles that casted way more light than should be possible for mere candles.

It was made even more ominous by the bars at the end.

"Cool."

Not that Naruto minded. He had always had a certain fondness for creepy stuff.

Walking forward, he saw two eyes flash in the darkness. Two blood red slitted eyes.

Then she spoke.

"Hello, kit."

He didn't waste a moment.

"Hello!" He greeted.

He saw her eyes blink in surprise.

"You seem awfully cheery for someone who was just roasted alive."

"Yup! After all, they didn't even bother to eat me after giving me such a good cooking. I mean, really, I'm pretty sure even my bones were melting!"

At this, he let out a chuckle.

"All in all, today could have been a lot worse."

Seeing the bright smile on his face, she could tell he wasn't lying.

Interesting. Did they break his mind after all?

". . . and here I thought I'd attempt to befriend you while you were feeling down. (1)"

Here, he simply shook his head and gave her a bright smile.

"Thanks for the thought, but I'll be fine. You know what they say, don't get mad, get even."

Inter- Wait, what?

"I figure that if I ask Dad to forgive them, being the bleeding heart he is, he will. Then they have to live, and watch me grow up to be the biggest, baddest hero alive! It'll be a real . . . uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Bloodbath! Wait, that's not quite right."

He then put a hand under his chin, and began to think.

Judging by the manic grin on his face, he was having a hard time keeping himself on track.

Wow, even I would have been hard pressed to think of such a thoroughly spiteful plan. He let's them live, taking advantage of his father's nature and prolonging their suffering, than he makes them watch as he, the one they hate, raises himself to the top. Smart. I get the feeling we're gonna get along just fine.

"Anyways, what's your name?"

Surprised by the sudden change in topic, it took her a second to respond.

"I'm Kyo, your 'tenant', of sorts."

"Tenant? Then that must make you the kyuubi! I'm Naruto, and you know what? I get the feeling we're gonna get along just fine!"

She hadn't been planning on things going this way, but judging by the expression on his face, she guessed that any plans she made involving him would quickly fall apart.

After all, no one could predict the moves of the insane.

Plus, she had a good feeling about this friendship, and unlike her brother, she wasn't weighed down by centuries of negative emotions to bias her decision.

The choice was, in her mind, easy.

"Sure." She replied.

With a brilliant smile, Naruto then made a show of strolling into her cage, and took a seat against her side. Where he promptly settled down and relaxed, asking her about her likes and hobbies.

How he could bounce from being hyperactive one second to overly relaxed the next was a mystery, even to her, but she imagined it would, if nothing else, keep things from getting boring.

Waking up again (which is just as jarring as you would think), he heard his parents discussing something.

"Explain to me again why you thought it would be a good idea to lock someone as mischievous as Naruto in his room, and then not check up on him?" Minato asked.

Before Kushina could respond, he decided to intervene.

"Would you guys mind keeping it down? People are trying to sleep here."

Their heads snapped towards him so fast, he was surprised their necks didn't break.

Minato was the first to recover.

"Naruto, glad to see you awake. How do you feel?" Minato asked.

Naruto gave him a smile.

"Pretty good, considering the villagers just attempted to turn me into fried chicken. What did I miss?"

Minato and Kushina quickly turned pale.

Cocking his head at them when they didn't answer, he turned towards the room's third occupant. One who was shadowed on either side by ANBU.

"Rosa-san, what are you doing here?"

Quickly getting over the shock of being addressed, by name no less, she responded.

"I turned myself in, Namikaze-sama."

At this, Naruto frowned.

"Would you quit it with the honorifics? Just call me Naruto, everyone else does." Just like that, he waved it off. Everything she had done, and he could care less.

She wasn't sure what to think.

Before she could respond, however, he continued.

"Well, besides the villagers, anyways. I wonder if demon could be considered a respectful title?" At this, he quickly put his hand to his chin, imitating a thinking pose. It looked rather ridiculous, considering he was still laying down.

At his casual admission of the way the villagers treated him, she couldn't help but frown.

Naruto then clapped his hands together.

"At any rate," he addressed them.

"Is anyone going to answer my question, or am I going to have to go and find out for myself?"

Once he had awoken, Naruto's recovery only seemed to get faster.

He was out of the hospital by the end of the week, three days since the villagers had made like he was a witch on their front lawn.

For one who had nearly died through one of the most painful forms of execution known to man, he bounced back fast. Something that had his family, and anyone who knew what happened, reeling.

Suffice to say, Naruto was glad to have finally gotten out of the hospital. It had been overly boring, and his parents were always arguing whenever they visited. Something Aris really didn't seem to know what to think. Probably didn't get the full story about what had happened to him.

Looking into the mirror in his bathroom, he lazily watched the tomoe in his wine colored eyes spin back and forth.

The Sharingan, huh?

Like I said, it's the only thing it could be. Enhanced perception, the ability to see chakra flows, plus other various effects that could only result from it being the Sharingan. Admittedly, yours is somewhat different from the norm, but-

That suits me just fine.

Being normal was something he no longer cared for.

As for the rest of his situation, he still had to stay at home and rest for a little while before he was cleared for anything really strenuous, such as training, but at least now he could spend some real time outside.

He only had to wait two more days before he was finally considered back to full health, and then he would begin attending the academy in two weeks time, alongside his sister. He couldn't wait!

But for now . . .

Let's go outside and enjoy the weather, shall we?

Having been rarely allowed outside before now, the world outside felt . . . refreshing.

It was a rather novel experience for Naruto, to say the least.

One he was all too glad to partake in.

The gentle breeze across his face, the smell of freshly blooming flowers, and the sounds of an active forest.

It felt like freedom.

It would have felt even more like freedom is his retainer hadn't been watching him like a hawk.

His father, in his typical fashion, decided that the best way to give her a new lease on life would be to stick her with babysitting him.

Something she seemed all too happy to do, much to his ire.

Kyo decided it was as good a time as any to ask her questions.

So what's the plan, Naruto?

Plan?

How do you plan to train?

Hmm. . .

. . . You don't have any idea, do you?

I figured I'd just start with the basics. Calisthenics and whatnot. After that . . . swords? Swords! And I know just the type to train with!

Oh? Care to enlighten me?

The katana! Specifically, a double-edged one. Non-curved, of course.

A double-edged katana? It suits you, I think. So you have a weapon, and at least an idea for a workout plan. Now you just need to come up with a real fighting style.

Hmm . . .

Before he could continue his conversation with his favorite tenant (not that he had more than one), however, he was interrupted by a rather familiar voice.

"Nii-chan, can I talk to you?"

Turning to look at her, he was surprised by what he saw.

Aris Uzumaki-Namikaze was bright. Really bright. Blonde hair tied into twin tails that didn't quite reach her shoulders, pink-colored eyes, and a outgoing personality led to a person that just about everybody loved. There were even rumors that the Uchihas liked her, and they were damn near incestuous with who they liked.

It was hard see the sun that she usually was now, however.

Bags under her eyes, mussed hair, and swollen eyes told a sad story.

So he did what he did best.

Follow his instincts.

He quickly grabbed her hand, and then pulled her into his lap.

Letting out a cute squeak, she landed on his crossed legs.

Looking down at her blushing face, he was glad he had grown as much as he had. He wouldn't have been able to do this comfortably otherwise.

Not that it would have stopped him.

"What's up, sis?"

Her face quickly darkened again.

"Um . . . do you know why Mom and Dad are fighting?"

Naruto gave her a guilty smile.

"I think that's my bad. I left the house a few days ago and nearly got burnt to a crisp. Dad's angry because Mom didn't notice until way later, and Mom . . . well, you know how she is around me."

Aris processed this, then nodded.

"So that's what it is . . ."

Aris frowned.

Looking up at him, she quickly asked another question.

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

Looking down at her eyes, he answered honestly.

"Honestly, I don't know for sure, but I get the feeling it's more of a symptom than a disease, if you catch my drift."

Aris merely gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe?"

Letting out a chuckle, he simply pet her hair.

After a while of this, she then proceeded to burrow her head into his chest, and a short while later, she was fast asleep.

Looks like she needs the rest.

. . .

Dearest mother, you still haven't gotten over those nightmares, have you?

The only thing Kushina remembered from the night of the kyuubi attack was a man, a man with medium-length midnight-black hair. Typical of an Uchiha.

Also just like Naruto's was, until recently.

Minato remembered more of that night than Kushina, but even he didn't remember for sure who unleashed the kyuubi.

Kushina fancied she did, what with the nightmares and all.

Naruto had only found out about the nightmares when he woke up in the middle of the night and heard his parents talking about it through their door.

He quickly pieced together the reason why his Mom had trouble with him.

Feeling Aris begin to twitch against his chest, he took a glance at her.

Seeing red wisps of chakra begin to float from her skin, he frowned.

That must be Kyo's other half causing a ruckus.

Petting Aris's head, he addressed Kyo.

Kyo, would you mind absorbing that excess chakra? I'd rather the two weren't interrupted.

. . . Sure.

The first thing Aris did upon awakening was attempt to panic.

Naruto quickly took hold of her.

"Shh. I'm here. You can relax."

Upon hearing his voice, she relaxed into his grip.

"Nii-chan . . . can I talk to you?" She whispered.

He gave out a light chuckle.

"What's with this asking permission business? You're never this shy. Say what you want to say."

At his admonishment, she began to pout.

Letting out a sigh, he continued.

"At any rate, is this about your tenant?"

At this, she let out a hesitant nod.

Seeing that she didn't know where to start, he took the lead.

"Want some advice?"

Upon seeing her nod her head, he began.

"Your tenant has a good reason to hate the world, even if he doesn't have a good reason to direct that hatred towards you. He's had to deal with literal centuries of mostly misdirected hate. That's something that'd make anyone at least a little bitter."

Seeing he still had her attention, he continued.

"That just makes it all the more important you keep trying."

Seeing the look of surprise on her face, he smiled.

"We're supposed to be the good guys, sis. That means that we have to do the right thing, even if the right thing is just following your instincts."

Letting out a slight chuckle, he continued.

"Plus, there's something to be said about having a companion that's always with you. There are lots of people in this world who would kill for such an opportunity."

Here, he put on a grin.

"Even if that companion is a little fuzzier than most."

Feeling her let out a light giggle against his chest, his smile grew.

Feeling her fully relax into his chest, he realized she had fallen asleep again.

Oh well.

Not like I have anything better to do with my time.

Walking through the Uchiha district, he was pleasantly surprised by the glances he was getting.

They were glances of curiosity, instead of outright mistrust.

Every once in a while, he would even get a friendly wave, of which he gladly returned.

He supposed he had his appearance to thank for the relatively warm welcome.

A black shirt, black pants, and his hair in it's typical near shoulder length fashion. He looked like he belonged in the Uchiha district.

Looking down at the paper in his hands, he stopped and looked forward.

So this is it, huh? The home of Mikoto Uchiha.

Mikoto was, as far as he was aware, a longtime friend of his mother's.

He had come here on a whim, curious about the type of Uchiha who could be friends with his oddball of a mother, especially now that she had developed something of a phobia of black hair.

Knocking on the door, it wasn't long before he heard the scuffling of feat.

Opening the door, the person on the other side looked surprised to see him there.

Hair worn down to her shoulders, with a bang between her black eyes, she had a black shirt, and white shorts. She was his age, and only a few inches shorter.

"Yo." He greeted.

She quickly shut the door in his face.

At this, the curiosity of the stares around him intensified.

Scratching his head, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Was it something I said?"

After being let in, Naruto followed Mikoto to their living room, all the while listening to her speak.

"Sorry about Sasuke, this is around the time her brother usually returns home, and . . . well, anyways. What brings you here Naruto-kun?"

At this, he gave her a bright smile.

"A whim."

Both Sasuke (who had been giving a curious stare up 'til this point) and Mikoto gave him a surprised glance.

"A . . . whim?" Sasuke asked.

"Yup! Most Uchiha have their heads too far up their asses to even consider dealing with someone as whimsical as my mother, so I wanted to meet the person who didn't mind being the exception."

Mikoto's expression quickly turned nostalgic. He probably reminded her of his mother.

Before she could respond, however, Naruto quickly continued on, turning to Sasuke.

"So, your name is Sasuke, eh?"

Sasuke stifled a squeak of surprise at being addressed.

"Y-Yes?"

Naruto quickly grabbed her hand and shook it.

"A pleasure to meet you, cuz."

"Cuz?"

Her question was quickly answered when she looked into his eyes.

Three tomoe surrounded his pupil, swimming in a sea of wine.

"Yup. Cuz."

The Uchiha massacre had been a long time coming.

With the tensions the way they were, it was that, or civil war.

Didn't mean it wasn't sad though.

That was the thought pervading Naruto's mind, as he walked through the Uchiha district. With his sense of smell, he could smell a fresh kill in the forest outside the village from his newly installed window.

Smelling the spilled blood in the Uchiha district was all too easy.

And with how good he had gotten at evading Rosa, sneaking out had been rather easy.

Walking along the streets, he was torn.

The smell of blood was lovely, but . . .

He couldn't help the feeling of melancholy the pervaded his being when he saw the bodies surrounding him.

Not all of them were nice people, or even neutral, but . . .

They had begun to feel like family.

It was times like these that he thought he might understand why his father strove for peace.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a familiar mane.

Sprinting forward it took him less than a second to reach her side.

Feeling her neck for a pulse, he let out a sigh of relief.

"At least Sasuke's fine. Now, let's see here . . ."

A blink was all it took for him to activate his Mangekyo, Uteki, and it's unique ability.

At this point, time seemed to stop.

On instinct, Naruto turned to his left, and watched as blood flew in from his surroundings to form a lens in front of his eyes.

Through said lens, he saw Itachi.

And while he could not hear him, reading his lips was all too easy.

Shaking his read to release the jutsu, the blood splattered back onto the ground.

Turning his once again blue eyes onto Sasuke, he lifted her onto his shoulder.

Walking towards the door to his favorite Uchiha household, he couldn't help but wonder.

He hadn't known Itachi for long, but even he could tell.

This wasn't Itachi's style. He was loyal to the village to a fault, and a pacifist as well.

Murdering the Uchiha clan for the sake of testing his power was a lie. He knew it was.

So that left two possibilities.

Either he did it on his own initiative, to stop the civil war . . .

Or he had been ordered to do it.

Either way . . .

Naruto felt a little bit of vengeance was in order.

Walking through the household, the first body he came across was Fugaku's. While he was the ringleader behind the Uchiha insurrection, he was proud, but surprisingly fair. As far as Uchihas went, he could've been far worse. Not to mention that he was willing to teach Naruto, who was basically an outsider, what he needed to know to make use of the Mangekyo.

But he wasn't who Naruto was looking for.

Checking his neck for a pulse, he quickly moved on when he found nothing.

He found who he was looking for further in.

Mikoto laid sprawled on the bedroom floor, leaking blood onto the floor.

Kneeling down, he checked her neck for a pulse.

And found something.

Letting out a whoop, he quickly threw her onto his other shoulder, and hopped out the nearby window.

His next stop?

The hospital.

Naruto couldn't help but let out a yawn as he woke up.

Taking stock of his surrounds, he realized he was still in the hospital. Sitting in a bedside chair.

Oh yeah, I was waiting for Sasuke to wake up. Still, how the hell did I manage to fall asleep?

Call it a talent.

Well, I guess it is.

Looking down at the bed, he was surprised to Sasuke stirring.

"Yo."

At the sound of his, she quickly tried to spring forward.

Only for him to push her back down.

"Woah now, take it slow. I wouldn't know what to do if you started panicking."

Sasuke simply gave him a blank look.

" . . . Cuz."

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Am I . . . the only . . . ?"

He shook his head.

"You and Mikoto both survived, though she had to go through surgery. One of her lungs had been punctured beyond repair. Doctors said it was a miracle she survived."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"So she's . . . ?"

At this, Naruto rolled his eyes.

"She's going to be fine. Not exactly gonna come home in one piece, but, eh, what can you do?"

Sasuke merely gave him a weak glare, used to his antics at this point.

But then she turned her gaze away.

"So . . ."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her.

"So . . . what?"

"Why are you here, instead of with Mom?"

At this, Naruto gave a shrug.

"Eh, call it a whim."

Sasuke couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"You sure seem to have a lot of those."

Naruto nodded.

"They follow me wherever I go." He agreed.

At this, his grin turned a bit manic.

"Not that I mind."

Here it was. The academy. He had been waiting for this day.

Not that he hadn't gotten anything done while he had been waiting.

Sasuke had recovered fully, and while Mikoto was still in the hospital, it seemed she would be fine.

His training hadn't been progressing all that well, he felt. The few times he sparred with her, Rosa assured him he was doing unnaturally well, but since no matter what he did, she could deflect or dodge it, he wasn't entirely inclined it believe it. Though he had gotten pretty close that one time he threw dirt in her eyes. The look on her face had been priceless.

Oh well.

Focusing on the bad stuff just so wasn't his style. It'd make him old and wrinkly, and while he may have liked his new salt-and-pepper hair, he didn't care to add any ammo to his classmates insult stash.

Walking into his class, he saw he was the first student there. Something he found relatively surprising.

Looking up to the front of the class, he saw the woman who would be his teacher for the next six years. If anyone asked, he was only slightly smitten. Slightly.

"Ah, you must be Naruto-kun. My name is Umino Iruka, it's a pleasure to meet you." Said teacher addressed him.

She looked like a stickler for rules. Which kinda sucked, 'cause she was a beautiful woman. Long flowing brown hair, a scar across her nose that, in his eyes, gave her curved face a bit of personality, lips that he was sure would have his classmates, male and female, drooling in a few years, and curves women would and have killed to have. Dressed in fairly typical chunin wear, it added a tomboyish look to her otherwise professional persona.

He'd just have to brighten her days with some pranks! Everybody loved pranks, after all.

Man, but was it going to be a fun six years.

(1) The being known as the kyuubi was split in half. Under normal circumstances, as a chakra monster, this wouldn't mean much of anything to anyone. However, thanks to the unique nature of the seal used, both sides maintained their memories, but over time, became different beings. Kyo, the yin side, was only the mind, and she lacked the negative feelings that Kurama still possessed. Negative feelings which Kurama had very little mind to keep under control.

A whole 'nother rewrite, and this chapter is still a damned mess.

At any rate, Minato just gave the criminals everything from life in prison to a virtual slap on the wrist, due to a convincing argument from Naruto and his own relatively peaceful nature.

Rosa had been assigned to be Naruto's personal retained until ordered otherwise, leaving her a whole lot of time with which to train Naruto.

And yes, Naruto is still going to be both S and M.