Someone asked about how I would be handling Naruto's growth regarding his powers and whether there would be a shift in his abilities or if he would remain unchanged for the most part. As you may find in this chapter, things will be different for the larger portion of it and certain events will be sped up. Enjoy

~•••~

Something was wrong.

Himika realized this the moment her eyes snapped open. She found herself staring into the darkness of her room, coated in shadows and silence. Lavender eyes struggled to adjust to the scene, and she rubbed her weary eyes slowly, gently, but that only served to blur her vision.

The scenery changed abruptly, and the darkness of her quiet room was replaced by hues of blue and white. Transparent and light. There seemed to be no divide between the rooms anymore. Something was not quite right. She blinked once. Then twice for good measure. Still nothing changed.

"What's going...on?"

Himika brought her hands up to touch herself, but what she saw only served to frighten her. Her hands, once perfectly solid and pale in complexion, had turned a ghostly white, with traces of blue outlining the transparent limbs.

She screamed.

Her hands trembled, as though possessed, and her entire body shook. She did not understand and when she tried to move, she found herself tumbling off the bed and onto the cold, hard wooden floor. She did not fall through, as she had imagined she would; instead, the pain she felt served to remove any lingering doubts she had that she was dreaming. She very much wished she was.

For a couple of seconds, she did not move; she simply lay face down and soaked in the situation. She did not understand. What was happening? What was wrong with her?

She dragged her face up so that she was staring at the closed door that connected her to the rest of the apartment. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and her head was aching. It had never hurt so bad before.

"What...is this?"

She flexed her fingers, trying to grasp what she was looking at. The pattern within her hand was intricate, like a system of veins interconnected within her body. She could tell they were endless and she could not trace where they started or where they ended. A delicate mix of white and blue.

The pain left her as her muscles relaxed and the annoying buzzing in her head ceased. Her breathing evened out, and she was able to fully focus on her surroundings once more. The sensation no longer hurt, and whatever was flowing through her system felt good. Intoxicating, even.

She dragged herself up into a sitting position, still on her knees partly because she leaned against the wall for support. One hand clutched half her face, sweeping part of her messy hair out of her eye. The sight in front of her had not changed. The door remained upright and see-through, still shut.

There was something else though, something moving. It was humanoid in form, hunched over and slow. Frail as much as she could tell, and it immediately reminded her of all the caretakers within the orphanage.

"It's a person,"

Then it dawned on her. Like a bucket of cold water, the truth hit her. The realization was like a punch to the gut; a truth that had been hiding in plain sight, staring her right in the face. Chakra.

It was chakra that she could see, that had become visible to her eyes in the dead of night, and she allowed herself to exhale. There was nothing wrong with her after all.

She turned her head a bit, looking off to her left to another area of the orphanage. Everyone else was fast asleep, lulled away by the comfort and warmth provided by their beds. Each with a chakra signature. Dormant in most of the children, yet still present nonetheless. Within the adults, she could detect traces of use, whether small or large. The source was still present.

She found herself probing throughout the building, her eyes closed now. It made no difference, she realized; it didn't matter if her eyes were open or not. She could still sense and feel all the chakra around her. It was better in a way.

She searched, as though trying to find something. What that was, she knew not. Her reach was nearly all-encompassing; her range limited only by her inexperience. Then she found it. The source that had been calling out to her.

It was bright and hot, red coils that seemed to spin and spin upon themselves endlessly. Familiar, rich and intoxicating. She found herself reaching out with her hand involuntarily before it dropped down to her side. There was no doubt. That mixture of red and blue she was making out. That burning chakra. It was him.

"Naruto." The name was on her lips before she could stop it. There was a shift in what she was seeing. The boy's body suddenly moved, jerking up into a sitting position on his bed. His chakra turned vile, that large source darkening as she felt the waves of malice and hatred roll off him. It was overpowering, and the sheer force was pushing her back. It was useless to fight back, and Himika soon found herself overwhelmed by what she could feel. The room spun around her, blackening once more as her world faded.

~•••~

The air was thick and heavy, weighing down on him like the heat in the desert. His body burned up, and he felt like he had a fever now. The temperature was becoming unbearable, suffocating. He could not take it. His fists clenched as he gripped his bed sheets, now thoroughly soaked by his sweat. This had been going on for a while, nonstop.

Naruto shifted in his bed, tossing from side to side as he tried to get comfortable. His feet disposed of the bed covers, and for a moment, the air blowing across them cooled him off. The effect did not last very long before the heat got to him once more. Almost as though it were worsening all over again. A cycle he had no control over.

Eventually, he could sleep no more; his body jerked forward as he sat up. His breathing was hard, a labored effort that took so much more out of him than he had expected. His lungs, constricted as they were, strained to give him the air he so desperately needed. Yet even the air felt dry, as though all the moisture was being sucked out of it.

"Water...,"

It was the only coherent thought going through his mind at that moment, and he forced himself to get up, dragging himself along the bed as he went. His vision was blurry, his feet shaky as he tried to get to the door. At his current pace, it felt too great a task. It did not take long for the heat to bring him to his knees; his eyes teared up from the fire burning within him. It hurt, like a furnace had been set off inside him.

Sweat rolled off him in waves, and each drop that hit the floor seemed to burn through it, like acid corroding over the surface of the wood before it all evaporated. His skin was beginning to crack, steam coming off him as he clenched his teeth.

"Am I in hell?"

He did not know, but this was as close as he had ever come. Red lines pulsed over his skin, becoming visible as his body lit up in flames, beautiful golden hues that soon turned a dangerous shade of red that sought to burn everything in sight. His eyes closed as he fell face forward.

"So that's it...huh,"

His eyes snapped open once again as he found himself in unfamiliar territory. He was surrounded by darkness, his path slowly being lit by lanterns on either side of him. There was only one path before him, which left him with little choice but to follow that path. Either that, or let the darkness lead him. The blonde knew what he preferred when push came to shove.

His feet carried him forward, propelling him along that same unknown path he had chosen to walk. It stretched on for what seemed like miles for his short legs, an endless expanse. There was no end in sight.

There was something telling about his situation though. The further he walked along that path, the hotter it seemed to become, reminding him of what had happened earlier.

'...Wait... am I dead?'

The thought had not occured to him up until that point and a sense of panic rushed over him, soon overcome by the heat that worsened before him.He floor cracked under his feet, like lava had been sitting just underneath the surface. The red and gold streaks that lit up the floor only served to confirm his suspicions.

'Where am I?'

The floor separated, leaving him standing on a fragment of it. The rest sank into the lava, leaving him standing on the lone platter. His eyes rose and he found himself staring up at an enormous gate like edifice. Golden and ominous, with a black landscape that seemed endless.

He stared for a while, simply gaping into the darkness. The area arpund him boiled, steam rising up once more as his clothes burned partially. Still, this heat was much better. Then, something lit up beyond the cage, a faint red glow emanating from within.

He would have prefered to have stayed in one position, but the piece of ground he fpund himself on was floating over to the gate, closer and closer. The lanterns had been long forgotten at this point.

Slit-like eyes peered out at him, and he staggered back, falling down in his sudden fright. Large and foxy in nature, deep red irises stared at him, clear malice radiating off them. Naruto gulped, his mouth hanging agape as the flames lit up, finally revealing the rest of the figure to him.

'That's...but...'

"Uzumaki,"

The word was said with great distaste, with a deepseated hatred that could not be born of nothing. The full force directed at the seven year old. He struggled to get back onto his feet as the temperature seemed to reach boiling point. He was nolonger sure if he was beginning to hallucinate or not.

'Kyuubi no Kitsune,'

The beast bared its fangs, and the boy took an involuntary step back. It did not male sense. This thing was not meant to be here. The fox had been killed years ago, slaughtered by the Hokage in a bid to save the village. It could not be here. Not unless he was dead too.

"Come here...come here so I can rip you to shreds!"

The roar it produced was deafening and it lashed out at him, but was held down. It was then he noticed the rest of the landscape beyond the gate. Nine tails, each held down tightly by golden chains linked to the lava that poured out from every crack that was present. The legs and arms were tied down as well, with a noose wrapped around the fox's neck.

The scene was painful, but he knew it was better that way. Either him or the fox. Still, he struggled to wrap his mind around what was happening. Why was the fox here? Where was here?

His heart was pounding in his chest, the buzzing in his head loud enough to block out everything else. His eyes were trained on the large predator and his fists clenched.

"How are you even here?" he was surprised by how sturdy his voice came out, by the strength he managed to produce, but the fox looked unimpressed. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Clearly I'm not. You were sorely mistaken,"

The boy stared down the creature, unsure what to say. One of his eyes closed, sweat pouring off in waves. The heat was worsening now.

"Chakra is not something that can be killed, that is the law of conservation. Energy itself cannot be destroyed or created out of nothing, not without equivalent exchange. The fourth Hokage realised this in his efforts to protect his precious village and so gave his insignificant life in a futile attempt to seal me...pathetic,"

Seal?

That was the one word that rattled throughout Naruto's mind as he tried to slowly process all the details. The fourth had failed. He had not killed his enemy that night. The Nine Tails was still very much alive and mad, ready to tear him limb from limb.

Sealed...inside him.

His grip on reality loosened and his clenched fists fell open at his sides. Soon, he had tumbled to his knees in disbelief, those blue irises shrinking as he tried his best to calm down.

'Monster!'

'Demon!'

'Get that thing away from here!'

All those comments came back, loud amd clear in his mind. This time, he understood so much better than he did before. How the people felt. Yet it was not fair. How could they know something concerning him when he himself knew nothing about it. It simply was not right.

There were tears now, and the Nine Tails was silent as the being watched his vessel collapse. The mental break down was easy to see.

"It hurts, doesn't it. Those feelings of anguish, of hatred and mistrust. Why you? Why you of all people? Hehe...give into that despair and wallow in misery. Let me kill them for you...just let me out and I'll rip them all to shreds for you!"

It was the first time Naruto noticed the seal that stood at the centre of the gate. He did not know what it said, but he could tell it had one purpose. To keep the fox in. He staggered up to his feet, slow and apprehensive.

"Yes, that's it, come over here. You and I are both the same. Both wronged by those that sought to contain us. Let me take revenge for you,"

He did not move as the platform floated over to the gate , and even near it the structure towered over him greatly. He held his hand out and the Nine Tails strained to do the same, to let out just one finger at the very least.

"Let me free you of your pain, let me help you by ridding this world of all those that lied to you. Starting with the Hokage,"

'Hokage?'

He stopped, his hand out stretched in midair, his mind tracing back a conversation from a time gone by.

'I've decided, that dream of yours, I would like to see it off till the end. Till you're Hokage,"

"Himika,"

He stopped moving as the lava shot out and engulfed his left arm, then both his legs. He strained, but there was no point. The platform collapsed, breaking apart as the blonde fell in.

"No!"

The lava consumed him. There was no pain, no hurt, but the Nine Tails' suspicions only grew. Something was amiss. Only hours before, when that promise had been made, something had shifted within his body as his chakra was unlocked.

~•••~

Her vision was blurry, small specks of orange and yellow. She was moving, that much she could tell, but she did not know how or why. Himika groaned and tried to shift, but it was useless. Her limbs felt too heavy and the buzz in her head had yet to fully die down.

Throughout all the noise, she heard something flicker, licking at the surface of the floors and walls. Fire, potent and deadly. She could smell the smoke now, fully waking her up. Her eyes widened as she finally got a good look at her situation.

The building was on fire, the roofing falling apart piece by piece. The temperature was rising, and she could feel the exhaustion of whoever was holding her as they ran. Their breathing was a bit labored and she knew they had been at it for a while now. She was not the first to have been helped.

She turned to get a good look at her saviour, but she was met by a dark mask and grey hair that covered his face. All she could tell was that he was male. Himika looked back at the path they had left, wooden beams falling and closing off the path they had just taken.

Had all the kids been saved?

She closed her eyes, feeling for them once more. She did not know how it worked, yet she had the strangest sense that she knew by heart. That it was not something of great difficulty for her. So she tried. She probed and searched the complex, though this time it did not come naturally. She felt strained, as though it was harder all of a sudden.

The darkness encompassed her as she looked, trying to make sense of the lack of light. Was everyone gone? Had they all managed to escape? All she could feel was emptiness.

Then it lit up, a source so bright it almost blinded her inner mind.

Like a flame, Naruto's chakra came to life. Powerful, rare, out of control. She could feel it raging on. He was still there with them on one of the lower floors. If they continued on their current course, they would soon find themselves just above him. She tugged on the collar of her saviour's jacket, causing him to turn slightly.

"Hmm?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was too dry and she coughed and hacked, desperately trying to wet her throat. The smoke was still present, her eyes tearing now. Himika raised a hand, outstretched as she pointed towards the floor they were approaching.

"Na...ruto," She rasped out. The jounin stopped in his tracks, looking over to whatever she was pointing at. There was nothing there but the flickering flames that threatened to consume the building. He walked over briskly, stopping where her finger was.

"There...someone,"

The words were hardly coherent, but he understood well enough. He raised his foot, slamming it down onto the already rotting wood, allowing them to fall through.

The floor caved in, and the two found themselves on the lowest floor of the building, in the very room the fire had begun. The smoke was worse here. Suffocating and black. It was impossible to see, but there was something glowing in the dark.

It was Naruto, his body on the floor as the flames circled him. They licked at his skin, not burning him, but he had likely been scarred by the initial burst. Was this where it had started from.

She felt the arms holding her tense, then light whispering next to her.

"Sorry about this, but it'll be easier once you're asleep," he said, and with a quick chop to the back of her head, she was out cold.

Kakashi turned his attention to the blonde in front of him, who still lay prone on the floor.

"Shoulda just stayed home tonight,"

~•••~

Sunrise

Calamity had once more struck the village of Konohagakure no Sato. In one night, much had been lost. Another major setback once more suffered in their pursuit of rebuilding.

Hiruzen was weary, his old bones tired from the exertion of the situation. The gears in his head were turning, trying by all means to find a way to best handle the situation. Truly, he was at a loss.

The lives lost that night had far exceeded his expectations and those of the elders that provided him with council. As he walked through the once bustling streets of the Uchiha compound, his mouth set into a grimace. The place reeked of death, of a lack of life and sorrow. Dead bodies littered the place, both the young and old. The innocent and the guilty.

This was not what he had wanted. The widespread extermination of the Uchiha clan was not his only issue. That same night, Konoha's Eastern orphange had been burned down. He had read Kakashi's report of the incident. It had been pure luck he had even stumbled upon the scene and reacted quickly enough. Only two survivors. The rest burned beyond recognition, yet those two were relatively unscathed.

Hiruzen did not make it a habit of picking favorites, but he was rather glad that of all those that had survived, it was those two. One child left to him by those he held dear, another named by his very own student. One she clearly held a certain interest in. The words of Kakashi hung in his head.

"By the time I got there, I didn't expect to find much of anything...or anyone for that matter, just a routine check to make sure that it hadn't been a planned arson. But I could tell something was amiss the moment I stepped in. And to make matters worse, there was nothing remotely normal about the two I managed to find. Honestly, something is worrying me about the whole thing,"

He shook his head. He could dwell on that later. He rounded the corner, community ng up to a tent that stood at the centre of an open space. Dark green and old, but quite effective. The Anbu stood guard at all four corners of the edifice, each bowing as he passed by into the entrance.

There were only two people present in the room. Danzo Shimura and Shikaku Nara. Hiruzen's eyes bore into them, silently asking for an update on the situation.

"Lord Hokage," Shikaku started. It's a bit unfortunate, but the clean up of the district is still incomplete. We've made head way in our campaign, but there's still much to be done. It has been confirmed however, that Sasuke is lone survivor of this ordeal. All the other children were wiped out,"

"How unfortunate. In any case, it would be best if we kept this under wraps. I have already issued the order that this area will be off limits to the majority of the village's populace. We can not have the people panic over this. Word will spread fast enough on its own."

"That is not our only concern." Danzo piped up.

"Hmm."

"You are right in your assumption regarding those of the village and that a sound state within the organization is a necessity, but the issue of foreign diplomacy now comes into play. Surely you understand the position this puts us in."

"Lord Danzo is right. It won't be long before word reaches the ends of the elemental nations, and in our current state, that could spell disaster for us. A large chunk of our forces were eradicated in one night and considering how we are still recovering from the incident years ago..." Shikaku agreed with Danzo's assessment.

"Still, you can admit that while this a disaster, it's come at the correct time has it not. To our East, Kiri is still far too concerned with her own internal affairs to cast us any notice. And should she choose to, fighting fronts both at home and in foreign territory would be her undoing. I have no fears on that front. To our West, our alliance with Suna was recently renewed. Those two factors are more than enough."

The argument, as expected of the Hokage, was sound and tactful. Danzo had nothing to say, knowing that his former teammate would not be moved regarding his stance. Only if his had was forced would he shift his position, but as things were, that would not be happening. Konoha would be remaining focused on her internal affairs alone.

Still...

"And what of the Aisle?" Danzo questioned.

The Aisle.

A consequence born of the Nine Tails attack those seven years ago. It served as Konoha's fortified war line. A military mechanism designed solely to absorb attack and deal with a seige on Konoha's Western borders. A guarantee of sorts. It had raised many questions regarding the reasoning behind its creation, causing more than enough panic to the villagers. It had also caused foreign villages to grow suspicious and weary of the situation. A necessity with many significances.

"What of it?"

"Have you begun the program?"

"I see no need for that as of yet. The kind of man power required for that is not something we can afford as of now." Hiruzen answered. He turned, motioning for Shikaku to come with him as well. He was ready to leave, but Danzo spoke once more.

"I could offer you the necessary resources for this cause. It is, after all, a project a intend to see through to the end."

"Perhaps this warrants a discussion with the whole of the council present. We can reconvene and discuss this issue of yours then if you still wish to go forward with it."

The Holage did not wait, moving forward and having the Nara clan leader follow. It was silent for a walk, even in a place with no shortage of dead people. However, once they were a considerable distance away, Hiruzen spoke.

"I'm certain you've heard of the incident that occurred last night near the South of the village regarding one of our main orphanages."

"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, that's the one Naruto resides in right?"

"Hmm, Used to reside in. The place collapsed in on itself. A fire."

"Foulplay?"

"No," Hiruzen stated, "Kakashi was at the scene. He didn't report seeing or sensing anything. Still, his report was disheartening."

"Oh. Since he was present, I take it the damage was minimized?"

"I wish that were the case, but unfortunately, he did not make it in time to do much. The flame was too fast spreading, too unnatural, and by the time he got there, he only managed to save two of the children."

"A heavy loss in life considering all the people that been in that place."

"Still, something is rather concerning about the situation."

Shikaku stared ahead as Hiruzen fell silent. He needed no affirmation to know that Naruto had survived. Had he not, Hiruzen likely would have looked more drained and tired.

"What do you intend to do about the situation then, going forward that is?"

"For now, we can safely remove ourselves from all external affairs apart from those that require the utmost necessary intervention. Other than that, I would like us to focus entirely on the village and nothing else. Konoha will need to enter an intensive rebuild. I see that now."

And so, there began Hiruzen's shift in international policy, withdrawing the Leaf from its role as peacekeeper and balancer, and welcoming the era of centralized isolation. Thus began humankind's darkest catalog in human history.