A young, blond-haired boy slowly kicked his feet back and forth as he sat on a swing. His ever present toothy grin was strangely absent, though, no one was around to notice the difference.

This out of character behavior was becoming more and more common lately. The reason being; the villagers.

They treated him like the plague. Streets full of pedestrians gave a wide berth when he entered them. Sneers and snide remarks pierced him like kunai. He had been able to simply grin and bear it once, but even his patience had long since dried up.

His feet stopped their oscillations and dragged in the gravel beneath him as his mind conjured up a rather unpleasant memory. He gripped the chains to the swing so hard his knuckles turned white.

—Flashback—

The blond haired boy peeked through the crack in the door. He stood on his tip toes and cupped his ear as he tried to decipher what his caretaker was saying to her coworker.

"I told you Sanako, Naruto is a demon!" yelled a middle aged woman.

Sanako adjusted her glasses, "If you say so, Saki."

Naruto fell on his bottom at the information. 'I-I'm a demon? Is that why I'm treated differently?'

His feet took him back to his room where he lay on the shoddy bed with several springs poking out.

The middle aged woman huffed, "Hmph. Well, since you still seem unsure, I'll just tell the boss that you sympathize with the demon. Your reputation will be destroyed."

Sanako sputtered in shock, "Wait, Saki. I'll do anything! Please, don't tell him, I need this job!"

Saki's face wrinkled into a disgusting smirk. She pulled out a steaming bowl of oatmeal and discreetly poured something in it.

She took out a carton of orange juice. As she filled a glass, she spoke, "Fine, all you have to do is deliver this dinner to the de-ahem. To Naruto."

Sanako snatched the glass and bowl of tainted nutrients and marched towards Naruto's room.

Upon reaching his room, she brought her fist up and knocked sharply on the door.

"Naruto! Dinner time." she said apathetically.

The doorknob twisted slowly and cerulean eyes peered through a narrow crack.

"Mrs. Sanako.. It's you." Naruto said softly as he opened the door fully.

"Yes, Naruto, it's me. Here, oatmeal and orange juice," she handed him the steaming bowl and cold glass.

Naruto took the bowl quickly and began scarfing down the meal like it was going to disappear in the next five seconds.

Just as he was about to start on his glass of orange juice, a sharp pain emanated from his stomach. He grabbed his abdomen and moaned in discomfort.

Sanako simply watched the prone form of Naruto as he writhed on the floor.

"Mrs. S-Sanako.. What is h-happening to me? This feeling.. I-I hate it!"

The woman adjusted her glasses as she deflected the question, "What you are feeling right now is pain, Naruto. Physical discomfort that ranges in intensity from things like illness or injury."

Even with the intense sharpness akin to a kunai being plunged repeatedly into him, Naruto could tell that she wasn't telling the whole story. Why was he feeling this pain just from eating oatmeal?

"B-But why? I'm not injured.. I don't think I have an illness.." Naruto said as he checked over his body for any blood.

Sanako simply waved her hand, "Maybe it's just a stomach ache, you'll be fine."

Naruto's body then felt hot, as if a foreign energy coursed through his veins. Just as quickly as the heat spread, it vanished along with the pain.

"Actually.. The pain is gone now. I think you were right, Mrs. Sanako." he said, rubbing his belly.

The emotionless mask that was constantly displayed on Sanako's face gave way to a myriad of different emotions for a moment. First shock, then resolution. Finally, anger mixed with contempt.

"You really are the demon fox that everyone hates.. I denied it until now, giving you the benefit of the doubt," she muttered, "But now I know it's true! The rate at which your body neutralized the poison isn't human! How about a larger dose?!"

Naruto simply stared into space. Sanako had always been neutral towards him. In an environment in which everyone is hostile, neutral is all he could ask for. To hear her say those works broke him.

Sanako grabbed Naruto's arm and yanked him off of the floor, dragging him to some unknown room that he had never seen. He tried to resist, but his small body was no match for the strength of an adult.

Before he knew it, he was strapped to a rather uncomfortable bed and injected with several needles.

The pain that ensued caused his memory from this point to be foggy.

The only thing that would repeat throughout his mind even years later was, 'Is this it? Is this really all that life has to offer me? Lies and pain. How.. pointless.'

–Flashback End—

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