Seeing the Darkness

Disclaimer: Let me check. *pulls out cellphone* Hey Kishi, have you thought about it? You have? And? *sighs and hangs up* Nope, I still don't own Naruto.

Hey guys! Orpheus here! To those of you voting in my journal, thanks! I've taken the three most popular entries and making them stories. Today is Seeing the Darkness with Chapter I coming tomorrow. Monday will be Susanoo Reborn and Tuesday is Vengeance. Got that? Good.

Prologue: The Pale-Eyed Uzumaki

One Hyuuga Hiashi was having a midmorning stroll on the day of the Kyuubi festival and thought nothing would happen today. He didn't believe today, the sixth anniversary of the Kyuubi attack, would be anything special. He didn't have even the smallest idea that today would forever change his life, his clan, and Konoha.

He was completely wrong and in for a surprise.

As he made his way through the streets of Konoha, idly noticing different stands with Kyuubi and Yondaime-themed games, treats, and the people setting up said stands, he heard a mob gathering and became curious. Usually, he wouldn't care, but he heard the name Uzumaki, and so he checked it out.

Uzumaki… that was a name he hadn't heard since his wife's best friend, Kushina. Hitomi, Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto were inseparable, until, of course, Kushina died six years ago, and then Hitomi three. While he wouldn't usually care about the Uzumaki, his uncle and the eldest of the Hyuuga Elders, Hyuuga Hido, his former lover was an Uzumaki, Uzumaki Miko, granddaughter of Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodaime Hokage.

Hido had always said that there was a chance of Miko being pregnant during the Uzu Massacre, and if she had somehow escaped and given birth… well, that would be great. A Hyuuga descended from the Uzumaki and Senju? That would definitely help his clan. So he discreetly followed the mob, wondering why so many people would hate an Uzumaki. Didn't they realize how important that clan had been for Konoha? Stupid civilians.

The Uzumaki had done so much for this village. They had given the Shodaime Hokage the seal arrays needed to create jinchuuriki, designed the defense seals on the walls that absorbed chakra to defend against jutsu and keep people from walking up them, they had helped much in the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, before their near extinction during said war. The Uzumaki were also the original holders of the five most famous Contracts of Konoha… they gifted the Snake, Toad, Slug, Ape, and Dog Contracts to Konoha as part of the alliance, and they went out to clans, the Sarutobi gained the Ape and Toad (which was later gifted to Jiraiya by Hiruzen), the Senju got the Slug, the Hatake got the Dog, and the Hebi got the Snake. That clan sure were slippery as snakes and with their Dokuton (Poison Release) as well as immunity to poison, it was no wonder they received it. Too bad Orochimaru had to take it after their near destruction during the Third Shinobi World War, the few left weren't so bad.

But those were only the tip of the iceberg of the Uzumaki's influence in Konoha.

Hiashi was broke from his thoughts when he saw the mob had surrounded a boy, a blonde-haired, blue eyed boy with three whiskers on each cheek wearing a black shirt with the Uzumaki spiral on its back and black shorts. They were throwing things at him from all sides, stones, glass shards, shuriken, kunai, anything they could get their hands on really, even trash on the floor. IT was just…

He was dodging all of them, even ones that should be out of his range of sight, rather easily. Everywhere except… 'The Byakugan's blind spot!' He mentally yelled. From his vantage point, Hiashi activated his Byakugan and suddenly, the boy 'Uzumaki Naruto… the jinchuuriki.' His eyes lost their azure tint. Replacing them was a pair of very pale eyes rimmed red on the outermost edge of the iris and rimmed purple on the innermost edge. The only thing was... the vein bulges of the Byakugan were absent. Besides that though, it was obvious to Hiashi that he had the Hyuuga's eyes.

'Could this be? IS he really… I must find out who put a Genjutsu on the boy's eyes… only one person would do that.' Hiashi finished his thoughts as he saw one of the civilians take out a rather rusty tanto and rush the six year old, ready to strike. In a swirl of leaves and dust, suddenly Hiashi was there, the blade caught in two of his fingers. The crowd was silent as they stared at one of the most powerful men in all of Konoha. "H-hiashi-sama…" One of them spoke, almost inaudibly.

"Leave, all of you. Before I punish you for the Third's Law." He commanded, and like cockroaches in light, they suddenly scattered, leaving Hiashi with the barely conscious boy. The Hyuuga Clan Head picked him up and soon, in another shunshin, was in front of the Hokage's secretary.

"Is Hokage-sama busy?" Hiashi asked her. She shook her head, not noticing Naruto in his arms, and signaled he could go. The Hyuuga sneered at her lack of respect and lack of vigilance for enemies. 'Idiot civilians.' He thought with disdain as he knocked on Hiruzen's office door.

"Come in!" The cheery voice of the aged Hokage spoke from within.

Hiashi didn't need anything else to tell him, and he walked in, setting Naruto down in a vacant chair where he fell asleep, before looking at the Hokage. Hiruzen looked surprised at Hiashi's arrival with his grandson-figure. "Hokage-sama… why does Uzumaki Naruto have the Byakugan?"

Hyuuga Compound

One Hyuuga Hido, an elder of the clan, sat in meditation within his quarters. He looked the very definition of regal. Hido wore the custom-fitted robes of light blue that was the unofficial uniform of the Hyuuga Elders with the Hyuuga Flame on its right shoulder and the Uzumaki Spiral on its left. His unactivated Byakugan had a light violet tint to them and his regal and only slightly wrinkled face was framed by his shoulder-length black hair. If one were to look at his right hand they would notice a ring of black gold with a ruby in the shape of the Uzumaki Clan's Spiral on his index finger, a gift from his former lover, Uzumaki Miko.

Oddly enough, that's where his thoughts were at the moment. That was far from a surprise to anyone who knew the aged veteran of the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars though. No matter what he was doing, Hido generally had this look of sadness behind his eyes, the kind of sadness only losing your soulmate can produce. He wore a mask of cold indifference to hide this sadness, but it nevertheless showed up. Every single Hyuuga older than sixteen knew the reason for his pain.

It all happened on a mission near the end of the Second Shinobi World War, back when Hido was still Commander of the ANBU under his Tiger mask and the codename Tora. Iwa had captured one of Konoha's bases and held all the shinobi and kunoichi there as POW's, so the Nidaime Hokage requested aid from the Nidaime Uzukage, Uzumaki Arashi. He granted it, sending his best ANBU to help in the joint mission.

The leader was Uzumaki Miko. Hido could still remember her… every single day. She had the brightest red hair he'd ever seen and eyes of the deepest violet. Her skin was always flawless from her Uzumaki healing and her strikingly curvaceous figure was somehow fitted into a tight ANBU uniform, which he could see every curve, every part of her through. Her personality was very rough as well. She was stubborn, dominating and never backed down when she knew she was right. It infuriated him to no end!

That of course meant that he was destined to fall for her. And fall he did.

The entirety of the mission lasted… three months. The Iwa nin had the whole place locked up tight and never lost vigilance, not to mention they outnumbered the ANBU 5 to 1 with just their own ANBU, that didn't even count Iwa's Jounin and Chuunin. So they waited for the perfect moment to strike when those shinobi had to go elsewhere to reinforce other areas of the country. In those three months… well the first was rather dull. Hido and Miko would constantly argue all the time over what they should do, when to strike, where to strike, how to strike…

Then they cooled down after Miko forced him into a drink in their camp. The sake was good… but her company was better. They talked all evening and from that moment on, Hido was under the spell of the Uzumaki, the skill they had to make anyone their friend. That didn't last long though, as two short weeks later, after they both got drunk, Hido woke up to Miko in his bed. Naked.

He was utterly perplexed, but not totally disagreeable with his predicament.

It took them only two seconds of looking at each other before the dominating Uzumaki smashed her lips on his and they began another round. And another.

Hido smiled as he remembered how he had told her once that the silencing seals she etched on every part of the camp were the only thing that allowed the other ANBU to sleep. She had retorted by saying betting that he couldn't make her break through them… he lost the bet, but he sure enjoyed what happened.

In those short six weeks of being lovers, the two were inseparable… but all good things must come to an end, as they say.

So when the mission ended successfully, Hido and Miko parted very reluctantly. She gave him his Uzumaki ring, and he gifted to her a ring of silver with a black diamond on it in the shape of the Hyuuga flame that had been in his family's possession for generations, passed down from father to son. It was a promise.

Hido had told Miko that he would request resignation after the war was over and move to Uzushio, as she couldn't leave her home being clan heiress and a probable candidate for Sandaime Uzukage.

It was not to be, though. A mere three days after Hido got back, news traveled to Konoha of Uzushio's defeat at the hands of Iwa, Kumo and Kiri… and he never heard from her again.

Hido feared the worst, and he withdrew into himself, immersing himself in training and suicide missions. He became cold and logical, even being offered a spot as Hiruzen's Elder Council, a position in ROOT by Danzou and he was begged to reconsider his resignation from the shinobi program… but he couldn't do it anymore.

For the last fifteen years, he's been one of the Elders of the Hyuuga Clan, the Voice of Reason that saw every possible result of a decision.

Hido's meditation was interrupted as a knocking sounded from his door. Hido opened his eyes. "Come in." He allowed and in walked Hyuuga Hiashi as well as…

"Hido… this is Uzumaki Naruto." Hiashi introduced the young boy. He had sun-kissed spikes of golden hair, three whisker marks, tanned skin, wore a black shirt with the Uzumaki spiral on the back and black shorts. His most striking feature though was his eyes… they were pale violet, with a dark violet ring around his pupil and rimmed crimson on the outer edge of his iris. "Son of Uzumaki Kushina…" Hiashi continued and Hido noticed the similarities in the two's facial structure and that hair… if he had azure eyes… he could almost be the son of the Yondaime… "Who the Hokage has informed me was the daughter of one Uzumaki…" Hido studied the boy a bit more and noticed something else… he held himself confidently, staring him down challengingly… almost like…

"Miko…" Hido whispered.

"Hai, Hido. That is not all. The Hokage has reason to believe his grandfather on his mother's side is… you." Hido looked upon the young boy, a boy he knew was a jinchuuriki… and tears welled up in his eyes…

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked in a tone that so screamed of challenge… just like his Miko-chan used to…

Hido's eyes shed tears of happiness for the first time in over almost four decades… "Because I'm finally seeing my grandson for the first time…" Hido said with a sad smile and Naruto's mouth opened. He began trembling immediately.

"Y-you're m-my J-jiji?" He asked as tears threatened to spill from the lonely jinchuuriki's eyes. With only a slight nod from Hido, he was suddenly tackled by the small, yet strong and swift, body of his six year old grandson. It was a manner most unbefitting of a Hyuuga, but Hido could care less about protocol. He thought that his lover was dead, when she had apparently given birth to his daughter… he never even would've guessed Kushina, all the times she came over, was his own blood. He never did anything for her a father should've done. He did do everything he could for her simply because she was an Uzumaki, like his dear Miko-chan…

He would not make the same mistake with his grandson. Naruto would be given the training he deserved, the love he deserved, the protection of Hido.

Demon or no demon, Hido would love Naruto with the last of his years, however long that may be.

And that's it for the Prologue!

Just so you know, this will not be a Good!Naruto story… this will be excessively dark, character death abound, despair, revenge, hatred… all the makings of a good Dark!Naruto story will exist, I promise.

I know that this beginning is different than my usual work, but that's because this idea has been floating in my head for a while and I need to try it out. I think you all will like this take on a Hyuuga!Naruto story, and for what I have planned.

Orpheus out! Ja ne!