Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Kuenai no kitsune
Chapter 1
The Boy
Slowly, the sun rose, much to the chagrin of the sluggish dawn sky. As though mocking the coming morning, the light from the giant star slowly crept across the land, leisurely finding its way past the village gates, over the many streets and houses, until it finally climbed in the window of one particular apartment. Said dwelling’s occupant groaned at the intrusion, trying to will the vile attacker away.
Without much luck.
With a sigh of defeat, two sky blue orbs opened to greet the day. The young boy, no more then six years old, tossed off the threadbare blanket and scooted off the lumpy mattress. Shivering as his bare feet touch the cold, hard floor, he ran a small hand through his wild blond locks before yawning, showing off his larger-than-average canine teeth. The small boy, for he was small for his age in every sense of the word, made his way to the bathroom for his morning routine.
A glance at the dingy calendar made him pause in his tracks and do a double take. And then he mumbled several words no self-respecting six year old should know. Young Naruto Uzumaki went about his morning in utmost silence, careful to bring no attention to the fact he was awake or even existing. On the calendar behind him, in a marker so red it resembled the color of blood, was the date October tenth circled with a line through it. His birthday.
Just as many occupants of the village of Konohagakure no Sato were waking, the blonde boy quietly raced out of his apartment, taking to the less traveled roads of the large village in hopes of avoiding people in general. Deciding that running was much more effective then walking, he launched into a very fast sprint as soon as his destination came into view.
The Hokage tower did just that, tower over the buildings around it, the kanji for Fire standing out as a beacon to guide others to it. Naruto quickly raced around the side of the building and up a series of stairs that led to the top of the structure. Taking a pause to catch his breath on one of the platforms, his sharp hearing picked up the noise of someone walking towards him. Making no move to find out who it was, the boy flattened himself into a slight indentation in the outer wall, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.
A man, obviously a ninja from his attire, walked into view carrying several scrolls. The Uzumaki boy cringed, recognizing the shinobi as one that had never been kind to him. A lot of people seemed to fall under that category, but his thoughts were broken off by the hate-filled glare sent his way. Keeping his head low and his eyes averted, he didn’t see the swift kick that sent him back down one of the flights of stairs. With a soft moan, he picked himself back up, scrambling to get out of the man’s sight before more injury could occur. It wasn’t until Naruto was sure he was gone did he race back up, just about throwing himself through the door at the top. He didn’t stop until he reached another door farther into the building, which he promptly threw open and dived for cover behind a very large, rounded desk.
“Naruto? Is everything alright?” The elderly man behind said desk glanced down at the small boy that sat huddled near his feet, clutching the very bottom of his white and red robes.
“It’s…that day Ojisan (grandfather/old man)…” Naruto whispered, though the boy relaxed a little now that he was safe with one of the few people that never did him any harm. In fact, the old man had gone out of his way to protect the boy on more then one occasion, so Naruto felt himself safe enough to rest from his encounter with the chunnin and his wild sprint here. The Saidame Hokage’s eyes visibly saddened for a moment, but sharpened as a knock was heard at the door.
“I suppose you would wish to stay here for the majority of the day then,” the man chuckled. At the boy’s guarded and wary expression, which only served to sadden the old man more, the Hokage waved a hand and offered a comforting smile.
“You are always welcome to, of course. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you here.” Accepting the words, Naruto made himself a bit comfier, nestling into the Hokage robes before allowing himself to drift off. He had started spending this day hidden in the old man’s office last year, after a mob of villagers and a few shinobi had raided his house around mid-morning, and savagely beat him that afternoon when he tried to buy a bento, sold to him at double the price. He had found refuge here, after he had gotten fixed up by the ANBU medic the Hokage had called for, resting in the office lounge where no one could get in without the Hokage or ANBU seeing them first.
The day progressed, with the Hokage handing out missions to the elite shinobi. Every once in a while, Naruto would be encouraged by the Hokage to greet those ninja that looked kindly on him, many leaving with a sadness knowing exactly why the boy only peeked around the very bottom of the desk before scooting back for cover. One particular visitor appeared in a puff of smoke, causing the boy to squeal and jump out at the arrival.
“INU-SAN!” was the newcomer’s greeting.
The Dog-Masked ANBU tried to suppress his surprise and smile as the small child attempted to crush his ribs in a well-meaning hug.
“Hello, Uzumaki-san. I hope you are doing well,” the ANBU drawled, setting the boy back on his feet.
“YEP! Ojisan let me stay here today so nobody could get me! LOOK!” the child proudly held up a drawing he had been working on to pass the time. Crudely drawn in black and blue pen (as that was the only things the Saidame had on hand for the child) was Naruto himself standing next to what appeared to be the Saidame, The ANBU, and a bowl of Raman. The dog-masked ninja stifled a chuckle at the barely recognizable images, settling for ruffling the boy’s hair. Said boy quickly swatted him away and slipped back behind the desk, sticking his tongue out mockingly.
“Very good, Uzumaki-san.”
“NARUTO! My name is NA-RU-TO!” the blue-eyed boy cried for the umpteenth time at the stoic teenager in ANBU dress.
“Hehe, here is your mission Inu-kun,” the Saidame added, tossing a scroll to the teen.
“Hai, Hokage-sama. Goodbye, Uzumaki-san,” he added with a hidden smirk before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
“NARUTO!” Chuckling at the boy’s expense, the old man watched the six-year-old crawl back under the desk with new found energy. Watching, amused, as Naruto began a new drawing that looked suspiciously like the boy banging a certain ANBU on the head with an oversized pan while yelling his name. He allowed himself to release a sigh before going back to battling the ultimate evil….paperwork.
All too quickly, at least to the boy for the Saidame was somewhat thankful the task of paperwork was over for the day, the sun began to lower and the festivities of the night were beginning to get underway.
“Pleeeeease Ojisan! Can’t I stay here! I promise I’ll be good and not break anything or annoy anyone or be any trouble! Please!”
“I’m sorry Naruto, but the tower is too close to the festival and many already know you’re here. Don’t worry; the Anbu assigned will make sure you get home safe. Try to get some rest,” the Hokage tried to detach the boy who clung to his leg, finally able to fling him off and into the hands of the two Anbu waiting. They quickly put the boy down and bowed to their Hokage. With one last glance, the boy signed and waved to the man he had come to view as his grandfather and turned down the street towards his apartment. He wouldn’t tell the old man that people knew where his apartment was too, it would make him worry and then maybe he wouldn’t care for the boy anymore.
He could smell the Anbu following behind him, making sure he got there, but he was cautious all the same. The two men behind him were not a part of his tiny fan club, so Naruto was fairly sure that if anyone were to find him he wouldn’t find protection in the form of those two.
With that in mind, the little blonde stuck to the shadows, taking back roads and hiding whenever someone passed by that might do him harm. This ended up making the trip home a long and stressful one. As soon as he raced inside the apartment building, the two Anbu glanced at each other, sharing a cruel smile before disappearing. They figured the demon brat’s neighbors should know he was home in case of…emergency.
Naruto moved slowly, not turning any lights on in case someone should see, making his way towards the safest room in the house. His bedroom. The window was small, the glass already broken from numerous rocks and bottles that had smashed through it. The six year old curled himself up on his bed and closed his eyes, hoping against hope that they weren’t coming, that none of it was real.
His wishes weren’t granted.
His first clue that they were there was the shouts. Full of curses and slurred words as the crowed worked themselves up into a near riot.
“Kill the Demon!”
“We should have ended him a long time ago!”
“Burn him out!”
The latter brought the boy plummeting back to reality, but he could do little when a bottle of flames and alcohol crashed through one of his windows follow by others as well as empty bottles and trash the villagers had managed to get their hands on. Thankfully or not, depending on the view, it didn’t land in his bedroom. Rushing out to the small space that could be considered his living room, he gasped as he watched his couch and rag-curtains catch fire. He shouted, not caring if they heard him or not, and rushed over. He grabbed the closest thing, his shirt, and tried to pat out the flames. His eyes were burning with the smoke as he tried to concentrate long enough to stop coughing. The shirt, instead of putting out the flames, only served to spread the alcohol and in turn the fire.
Naruto could feel his mind begin to get dizzy and couldn’t see straight, not that he could see through the smoke anyway, but now everything just seemed out of place. Stumbling away, he only made it to the kitchen before his body gave out from smoke inhalation. His head smacked against the stained linoleum and he was lost to the world.
Outside, the villagers ignorant to the child’s distress, continued to rain down trash and weapons on the little apartment. That is until a booming voice echoed around the area.
“Just what do you think you are doing!” The crowed looked up as ten fully armed Anbu members landed around them. The crowed was relatively quiet for a minute before one brave, or stupid, soul spoke up.
“We are ridding this village from the Demon like we should have done the day it was created!” Emboldened by the statement, others in the crowed loudly voiced their agreements and add-on’s.
“ENOUGH! This boy is NOT the demon you idio-“
“Inu-san! Hold your place, no matter how right you are. Anbu! Detain all villagers and take each to a trip to Ibiki. Restrain any shinobi within the mob and take them straight to the Hokage. These are his orders! Move!”
“Captain!” The commanding officer looked over to see his medic rushing over with a bundle in her arms.
“It’s the boy! He’s gone into shock from the smoke inhalation. We have to get him to the hospital.” she cried, her hands already glowing green with healing chakra. The Captain had to hold back a flinch at the sight of the boy. The young blonde had what looked to be second and third degree burns on different parts of his body, he was covered in ash and soot, as well as blood from the numerous cuts and gashes the broken glass from the bottles thrown into his home.
“Go, Inu go with her and make sure all doctors who refuse treatment are sent to Ibiki.”
“HAI!”
The two sped off, leaving the angered Anbu captain to take out his well-suppressed feelings on the villagers. Deciding scaring the living crap out of them for a little while would greatly raise his spirits, he let loose a small bit of his Ki (killer intent) and enjoyed the reactions while he could.
The Inu-masked Nin quickly opened the door to the Konoha Hospital as his partner rushed inside.
“Doctor! We have an injured child in need of immediate assistance!”
“Let me see the child,” one doctor rushed over, a few nurses coming to help. “What’s the patient’s name and status?” one of the nurses questioned.
“Uzumaki, Naruto. He has…is there a problem?”
The doctor had pulled away as though Naruto was a deadly toxin, and all but two of the nurses hurriedly walked away before they could be questioned. The two young ones looked around confused, glancing up at the doctor to see what was wrong. Everyone in the emergency room froze when an ungodly amount of Ki was released. The nurse at the desk forced herself to grip the counter to keep her legs from giving out. Inu stepped forward, exuding lethal intent, towering over the relatively short doctor.
“Sir, I believe that this boy is a citizen of Konoha. If any medic or doctor in this hospital… denies him treatment,” a sickening sound of a blade being drawn as the kantana left its sheath and found its way to the doctor’s neck, “they will find themselves in a…troubling…position. With me or with Ibiki-sama.”
He let the threat hang in the air, not once making a move to remove blade.
“Wait! Don’t! I’ll take the boy, quickly!” A doctor with soft brown eyes and a
concerned aura rushed into the room, a slightly confused but worried look on his face. The Anbu medic nodded, but kept a firm grip on the child in her care. She’d followed the boy before and was not about to let some high and mighty ignorant doctor harm him. Moving quickly, they followed the doctor into a room, the boy in their arms still dead to the world.
As all this went on, another set of eyes watched.
‘Humans…truly they are a walking contradiction. And yet…perhaps not as useless as one. Hmmm…’ Two large, crimson eyes narrowed as they took in the scene. ‘I believe it’s time we met.’ A deep chuckle crept through the stark corridors, adding to the ominous atmosphere.
Two cerulean eyes opened, fully expecting to see the dark end of a back alley or the ceiling of his apartment. The sad truth was that the former was the most likely in his mind, so one could understand his slight but not overwhelming surprise at finding himself laying in a sewer, the murky water bleak. ‘Great, where did they throw me now’
Breaking off those thoughts, he realized something was…off. He had pulled himself to stand but yet his clothes were perfectly dry and he didn’t feel any pain. The latter the strangest since he was fairly certain he was in a bad way before waking up. ‘That’s right! My apartment!’
He groaned and looked dejectedly at the floor. His home was probably burned down by now. The home Ojisan had given him on his fifth birthday so that he might get away from the cruelty at the orphanage was gone.
“Why…?” he heard his voice echo around the area. With a sigh, he began walking through the strange water that didn’t get him wet. A faint, red glow was coming from one of the halls, and figuring it might be a way out, he headed in that direction.
He felt like he had been walking forever, and to keep himself busy he took in his surroundings. It was something he had gotten quite good at, living in a large place where 95% of the population was out to get you did that to a person. The walls around him were half in shadow, but what he could see was troubling. Cracks and dents littered the surface, and the whole place just seemed…dusty. As though it had seen very little use since its construction. All in all, it just hit Naruto as odd, but any thoughts of the sewer being normal were quickly and efficiently dispatched…with an explosive note…the moment he reached the end of the corridor.
The room was big, there was very little else the six year old could use to describe it. The main, and only, defining feature other than its size was the equally massive gate that he stood opposite of. Far up on the bars was what looked like a scrap of paper, the word ‘seal’ written on it.
“Wh-where am I? The hell?”
“Manners, boy.”
“Huh? Who said that!” The young boy took a subconscious step back in fright as two giant, leering eyes appeared on the other side of the massive steel bars. The eyes, crimson with a black-slit pupil, gazed unblinking down at the child who stood shaking in terror and unable to move. Finally, the boy found his voice.
“Please, please. Whatever I did, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please! Please, don’t hurt me, please, please, I’m sorry.” Now, the beast had expected a few different responses, but begging for forgiveness was not one of them.
“Silence!” Naruto instantly fell silent, hoping beyond hope that whatever this was, it would let him go. “I am not going to harm you. Yet.”
“Y-you’re not?” the blonde whispered, not daring to believe the beast, but half wanting to. The creature’s eyes narrowed at the boy.
“W-who are you?” Now that question the beast was prepared for.
“I am Lord Kyuubi no Kitsune. Welcome to your mind, miserable human.”
The Boy
Slowly, the sun rose, much to the chagrin of the sluggish dawn sky. As though mocking the coming morning, the light from the giant star slowly crept across the land, leisurely finding its way past the village gates, over the many streets and houses, until it finally climbed in the window of one particular apartment. Said dwelling’s occupant groaned at the intrusion, trying to will the vile attacker away.
Without much luck.
With a sigh of defeat, two sky blue orbs opened to greet the day. The young boy, no more then six years old, tossed off the threadbare blanket and scooted off the lumpy mattress. Shivering as his bare feet touch the cold, hard floor, he ran a small hand through his wild blond locks before yawning, showing off his larger-than-average canine teeth. The small boy, for he was small for his age in every sense of the word, made his way to the bathroom for his morning routine.
A glance at the dingy calendar made him pause in his tracks and do a double take. And then he mumbled several words no self-respecting six year old should know. Young Naruto Uzumaki went about his morning in utmost silence, careful to bring no attention to the fact he was awake or even existing. On the calendar behind him, in a marker so red it resembled the color of blood, was the date October tenth circled with a line through it. His birthday.
Just as many occupants of the village of Konohagakure no Sato were waking, the blonde boy quietly raced out of his apartment, taking to the less traveled roads of the large village in hopes of avoiding people in general. Deciding that running was much more effective then walking, he launched into a very fast sprint as soon as his destination came into view.
The Hokage tower did just that, tower over the buildings around it, the kanji for Fire standing out as a beacon to guide others to it. Naruto quickly raced around the side of the building and up a series of stairs that led to the top of the structure. Taking a pause to catch his breath on one of the platforms, his sharp hearing picked up the noise of someone walking towards him. Making no move to find out who it was, the boy flattened himself into a slight indentation in the outer wall, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.
A man, obviously a ninja from his attire, walked into view carrying several scrolls. The Uzumaki boy cringed, recognizing the shinobi as one that had never been kind to him. A lot of people seemed to fall under that category, but his thoughts were broken off by the hate-filled glare sent his way. Keeping his head low and his eyes averted, he didn’t see the swift kick that sent him back down one of the flights of stairs. With a soft moan, he picked himself back up, scrambling to get out of the man’s sight before more injury could occur. It wasn’t until Naruto was sure he was gone did he race back up, just about throwing himself through the door at the top. He didn’t stop until he reached another door farther into the building, which he promptly threw open and dived for cover behind a very large, rounded desk.
“Naruto? Is everything alright?” The elderly man behind said desk glanced down at the small boy that sat huddled near his feet, clutching the very bottom of his white and red robes.
“It’s…that day Ojisan (grandfather/old man)…” Naruto whispered, though the boy relaxed a little now that he was safe with one of the few people that never did him any harm. In fact, the old man had gone out of his way to protect the boy on more then one occasion, so Naruto felt himself safe enough to rest from his encounter with the chunnin and his wild sprint here. The Saidame Hokage’s eyes visibly saddened for a moment, but sharpened as a knock was heard at the door.
“I suppose you would wish to stay here for the majority of the day then,” the man chuckled. At the boy’s guarded and wary expression, which only served to sadden the old man more, the Hokage waved a hand and offered a comforting smile.
“You are always welcome to, of course. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you here.” Accepting the words, Naruto made himself a bit comfier, nestling into the Hokage robes before allowing himself to drift off. He had started spending this day hidden in the old man’s office last year, after a mob of villagers and a few shinobi had raided his house around mid-morning, and savagely beat him that afternoon when he tried to buy a bento, sold to him at double the price. He had found refuge here, after he had gotten fixed up by the ANBU medic the Hokage had called for, resting in the office lounge where no one could get in without the Hokage or ANBU seeing them first.
The day progressed, with the Hokage handing out missions to the elite shinobi. Every once in a while, Naruto would be encouraged by the Hokage to greet those ninja that looked kindly on him, many leaving with a sadness knowing exactly why the boy only peeked around the very bottom of the desk before scooting back for cover. One particular visitor appeared in a puff of smoke, causing the boy to squeal and jump out at the arrival.
“INU-SAN!” was the newcomer’s greeting.
The Dog-Masked ANBU tried to suppress his surprise and smile as the small child attempted to crush his ribs in a well-meaning hug.
“Hello, Uzumaki-san. I hope you are doing well,” the ANBU drawled, setting the boy back on his feet.
“YEP! Ojisan let me stay here today so nobody could get me! LOOK!” the child proudly held up a drawing he had been working on to pass the time. Crudely drawn in black and blue pen (as that was the only things the Saidame had on hand for the child) was Naruto himself standing next to what appeared to be the Saidame, The ANBU, and a bowl of Raman. The dog-masked ninja stifled a chuckle at the barely recognizable images, settling for ruffling the boy’s hair. Said boy quickly swatted him away and slipped back behind the desk, sticking his tongue out mockingly.
“Very good, Uzumaki-san.”
“NARUTO! My name is NA-RU-TO!” the blue-eyed boy cried for the umpteenth time at the stoic teenager in ANBU dress.
“Hehe, here is your mission Inu-kun,” the Saidame added, tossing a scroll to the teen.
“Hai, Hokage-sama. Goodbye, Uzumaki-san,” he added with a hidden smirk before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
“NARUTO!” Chuckling at the boy’s expense, the old man watched the six-year-old crawl back under the desk with new found energy. Watching, amused, as Naruto began a new drawing that looked suspiciously like the boy banging a certain ANBU on the head with an oversized pan while yelling his name. He allowed himself to release a sigh before going back to battling the ultimate evil….paperwork.
All too quickly, at least to the boy for the Saidame was somewhat thankful the task of paperwork was over for the day, the sun began to lower and the festivities of the night were beginning to get underway.
“Pleeeeease Ojisan! Can’t I stay here! I promise I’ll be good and not break anything or annoy anyone or be any trouble! Please!”
“I’m sorry Naruto, but the tower is too close to the festival and many already know you’re here. Don’t worry; the Anbu assigned will make sure you get home safe. Try to get some rest,” the Hokage tried to detach the boy who clung to his leg, finally able to fling him off and into the hands of the two Anbu waiting. They quickly put the boy down and bowed to their Hokage. With one last glance, the boy signed and waved to the man he had come to view as his grandfather and turned down the street towards his apartment. He wouldn’t tell the old man that people knew where his apartment was too, it would make him worry and then maybe he wouldn’t care for the boy anymore.
He could smell the Anbu following behind him, making sure he got there, but he was cautious all the same. The two men behind him were not a part of his tiny fan club, so Naruto was fairly sure that if anyone were to find him he wouldn’t find protection in the form of those two.
With that in mind, the little blonde stuck to the shadows, taking back roads and hiding whenever someone passed by that might do him harm. This ended up making the trip home a long and stressful one. As soon as he raced inside the apartment building, the two Anbu glanced at each other, sharing a cruel smile before disappearing. They figured the demon brat’s neighbors should know he was home in case of…emergency.
Naruto moved slowly, not turning any lights on in case someone should see, making his way towards the safest room in the house. His bedroom. The window was small, the glass already broken from numerous rocks and bottles that had smashed through it. The six year old curled himself up on his bed and closed his eyes, hoping against hope that they weren’t coming, that none of it was real.
His wishes weren’t granted.
His first clue that they were there was the shouts. Full of curses and slurred words as the crowed worked themselves up into a near riot.
“Kill the Demon!”
“We should have ended him a long time ago!”
“Burn him out!”
The latter brought the boy plummeting back to reality, but he could do little when a bottle of flames and alcohol crashed through one of his windows follow by others as well as empty bottles and trash the villagers had managed to get their hands on. Thankfully or not, depending on the view, it didn’t land in his bedroom. Rushing out to the small space that could be considered his living room, he gasped as he watched his couch and rag-curtains catch fire. He shouted, not caring if they heard him or not, and rushed over. He grabbed the closest thing, his shirt, and tried to pat out the flames. His eyes were burning with the smoke as he tried to concentrate long enough to stop coughing. The shirt, instead of putting out the flames, only served to spread the alcohol and in turn the fire.
Naruto could feel his mind begin to get dizzy and couldn’t see straight, not that he could see through the smoke anyway, but now everything just seemed out of place. Stumbling away, he only made it to the kitchen before his body gave out from smoke inhalation. His head smacked against the stained linoleum and he was lost to the world.
Outside, the villagers ignorant to the child’s distress, continued to rain down trash and weapons on the little apartment. That is until a booming voice echoed around the area.
“Just what do you think you are doing!” The crowed looked up as ten fully armed Anbu members landed around them. The crowed was relatively quiet for a minute before one brave, or stupid, soul spoke up.
“We are ridding this village from the Demon like we should have done the day it was created!” Emboldened by the statement, others in the crowed loudly voiced their agreements and add-on’s.
“ENOUGH! This boy is NOT the demon you idio-“
“Inu-san! Hold your place, no matter how right you are. Anbu! Detain all villagers and take each to a trip to Ibiki. Restrain any shinobi within the mob and take them straight to the Hokage. These are his orders! Move!”
“Captain!” The commanding officer looked over to see his medic rushing over with a bundle in her arms.
“It’s the boy! He’s gone into shock from the smoke inhalation. We have to get him to the hospital.” she cried, her hands already glowing green with healing chakra. The Captain had to hold back a flinch at the sight of the boy. The young blonde had what looked to be second and third degree burns on different parts of his body, he was covered in ash and soot, as well as blood from the numerous cuts and gashes the broken glass from the bottles thrown into his home.
“Go, Inu go with her and make sure all doctors who refuse treatment are sent to Ibiki.”
“HAI!”
The two sped off, leaving the angered Anbu captain to take out his well-suppressed feelings on the villagers. Deciding scaring the living crap out of them for a little while would greatly raise his spirits, he let loose a small bit of his Ki (killer intent) and enjoyed the reactions while he could.
The Inu-masked Nin quickly opened the door to the Konoha Hospital as his partner rushed inside.
“Doctor! We have an injured child in need of immediate assistance!”
“Let me see the child,” one doctor rushed over, a few nurses coming to help. “What’s the patient’s name and status?” one of the nurses questioned.
“Uzumaki, Naruto. He has…is there a problem?”
The doctor had pulled away as though Naruto was a deadly toxin, and all but two of the nurses hurriedly walked away before they could be questioned. The two young ones looked around confused, glancing up at the doctor to see what was wrong. Everyone in the emergency room froze when an ungodly amount of Ki was released. The nurse at the desk forced herself to grip the counter to keep her legs from giving out. Inu stepped forward, exuding lethal intent, towering over the relatively short doctor.
“Sir, I believe that this boy is a citizen of Konoha. If any medic or doctor in this hospital… denies him treatment,” a sickening sound of a blade being drawn as the kantana left its sheath and found its way to the doctor’s neck, “they will find themselves in a…troubling…position. With me or with Ibiki-sama.”
He let the threat hang in the air, not once making a move to remove blade.
“Wait! Don’t! I’ll take the boy, quickly!” A doctor with soft brown eyes and a
concerned aura rushed into the room, a slightly confused but worried look on his face. The Anbu medic nodded, but kept a firm grip on the child in her care. She’d followed the boy before and was not about to let some high and mighty ignorant doctor harm him. Moving quickly, they followed the doctor into a room, the boy in their arms still dead to the world.
As all this went on, another set of eyes watched.
‘Humans…truly they are a walking contradiction. And yet…perhaps not as useless as one. Hmmm…’ Two large, crimson eyes narrowed as they took in the scene. ‘I believe it’s time we met.’ A deep chuckle crept through the stark corridors, adding to the ominous atmosphere.
Two cerulean eyes opened, fully expecting to see the dark end of a back alley or the ceiling of his apartment. The sad truth was that the former was the most likely in his mind, so one could understand his slight but not overwhelming surprise at finding himself laying in a sewer, the murky water bleak. ‘Great, where did they throw me now’
Breaking off those thoughts, he realized something was…off. He had pulled himself to stand but yet his clothes were perfectly dry and he didn’t feel any pain. The latter the strangest since he was fairly certain he was in a bad way before waking up. ‘That’s right! My apartment!’
He groaned and looked dejectedly at the floor. His home was probably burned down by now. The home Ojisan had given him on his fifth birthday so that he might get away from the cruelty at the orphanage was gone.
“Why…?” he heard his voice echo around the area. With a sigh, he began walking through the strange water that didn’t get him wet. A faint, red glow was coming from one of the halls, and figuring it might be a way out, he headed in that direction.
He felt like he had been walking forever, and to keep himself busy he took in his surroundings. It was something he had gotten quite good at, living in a large place where 95% of the population was out to get you did that to a person. The walls around him were half in shadow, but what he could see was troubling. Cracks and dents littered the surface, and the whole place just seemed…dusty. As though it had seen very little use since its construction. All in all, it just hit Naruto as odd, but any thoughts of the sewer being normal were quickly and efficiently dispatched…with an explosive note…the moment he reached the end of the corridor.
The room was big, there was very little else the six year old could use to describe it. The main, and only, defining feature other than its size was the equally massive gate that he stood opposite of. Far up on the bars was what looked like a scrap of paper, the word ‘seal’ written on it.
“Wh-where am I? The hell?”
“Manners, boy.”
“Huh? Who said that!” The young boy took a subconscious step back in fright as two giant, leering eyes appeared on the other side of the massive steel bars. The eyes, crimson with a black-slit pupil, gazed unblinking down at the child who stood shaking in terror and unable to move. Finally, the boy found his voice.
“Please, please. Whatever I did, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please! Please, don’t hurt me, please, please, I’m sorry.” Now, the beast had expected a few different responses, but begging for forgiveness was not one of them.
“Silence!” Naruto instantly fell silent, hoping beyond hope that whatever this was, it would let him go. “I am not going to harm you. Yet.”
“Y-you’re not?” the blonde whispered, not daring to believe the beast, but half wanting to. The creature’s eyes narrowed at the boy.
“W-who are you?” Now that question the beast was prepared for.
“I am Lord Kyuubi no Kitsune. Welcome to your mind, miserable human.”
Sign up to rate and review this story