Disclaimer: I own nothing and I don't think that'll change. -Sigh-

A/N: At the bottom.

Ending The Cycle

Chapter One

They Would be Proud

For fourteen years, the Nine-tailed Fox, Kurama, was trapped within the body of young boy. He, for he identified himself as a male in spite of the fact that being a construct of sentient chakra meant he had no true discernable gender, sat in silence and darkness as he either slept or glared at nothing through the bars of his cage. The eternally damp and dank sewers greeted him every time he awoke, shattering any and every notion of freedom he may have dreamed of. In truth, thanks to the work the sealing genius of a Yondaime Hokage, Kurama could truly do nothing until the boy himself adjusted the seal. While he could push miniscule amounts of his chakra through it during moments of extreme emotional stress, its effects wouldn't make too much of a difference.

Truthfully, Kurama couldn't bring himself to hate the boy for being his cage. Because that's all the boy was, a cage to Kurama's own self-admitted magnificence. While he couldn't see or hear everything through his host/cage, Kurama couldn't help but snort in amusement every time he caught a snippet from the boy's own senses. They'd call him Demon, Fox Brat, A Stain on the Yondaime's Sacrifice. That last one was his most favorite. Anything that would slight the bastard that locked him away was fine in his book. At the same time, Kurama couldn't find any spiteful satisfaction from indirectly causing the Yondaime's own son pain and torment; as a matter of fact, while it didn't enrage him, it irked him. After the years passed by, the fox-shaped chakra construct couldn't help but now feel just a bit insulted when the citizens of Konoha refer to the boy with the aforementioned titles/slurs. He was the magnificent Nine-Tailed Fox, not some inexperienced, neon-orange wearing brat!

At the same time, while being trapped with the aforementioned brat, Kurama was in no way alone within the mindscape/soul of the boy. No, the chakra construct shared it with another being, a being that very well surpassed him in potential power. However, like Kurama would be every so often, the being was resting, sleeping within its own pocket within the mindscape. It seemed in tune with the boy's emotional state more so than the Fox himself; during those rare moments where the boy's anger would get the better of him, it would stir, as though it was going to finally wake. Then it calmed. As someone with nothing to do and too much time to do it with, Kurama was mightily pissed and frustrated. While he considered himself a dignified individual, he did occasionally try to roar and 'rattle the cage' just to try and wake the slumbering being.

Kurama, around his fourteenth year being trapped within the boy, finally felt a 'ripple', if it could be referred as that, in the boy's normally serene state of mind, signifying the turmoil of the boy's emotions. He lifted his head and cocked it to the side; he could hear the being stir, a rumble originating from it. Lifting a paw, Kurama rested his head on his paw and allowed a small smirk to appear on his face.

"Iruka-sensei!" The boy's voice echoed throughout the entirety of the mindscape; a cacophonous roar followed soon after it, shaking everything present. Kurama's own cage shook dangerously, though the Fox's smile simply widened.

"It seems things are finally going to become interesting." Kurama's own rumbling bass came forth as he bared his numerous fangs in a satisfied grin. "Good thing too; I thought I was going to die of boredom."

Uzumaki Naruto wake up that morning in a daze. Eyes the color of a very deep cerulean blue stared at the ceiling as he waited for his alarm to go off. He blinked once, once more, then lifted a hand to rub his face to get the blood flowing. Then he yawned heavily, his eyes closing as he sucked in the breath. Turning to the side, Naruto slipped his legs off the bed and felt his feet hit the cold hardwood ground. He sucked in a breath as he felt something cut into his heel. Frowning, he looked down to see a splinter sticking out of the floor.

"I need to fix that soon." He said sleepily as he released another yawn.

Naruto looked over to his far wall, towards his calendar. His eyes tracked the days, seeing several of them crossed out, and when they finally stopped he found that he was looking at the circle day. His eyes widened and wide smile appeared on his face. "It's today! The final test is today! All the hard work I've done is finally going to pay off –ttebayo!" He jumped off his bed, standing in his light blue pajamas with a black cap with a pair of white eyes on top of it.

Naruto raced across the rooftops, heading towards the Academy. He was clad in a bright orange jumpsuit with black accents and a pair of goggles resting on his head. He had a mega-watt grin on his face as he raced to his objective. His sun-kissed blonde hair was as unruly as ever, spiking every which way. Three whisker-like birth marks decorated his cheeks as he grinned, giving a foxlike visage. "I'm going to pass, I just know it! I'll graduate and become a ninja."

He came to a stop on a rooftop and turned towards the mountain, where it was decorated with the faces of four individuals, Konohagakure no Sato's four greatest Shinobi, the four Hokage. Naruto pointed towards the fourth face. "Just you wait, Yondaime! I'll become the best damn ninja to ever come out of Konoha and I'll surpass you –ttebayo! I'll be the greatest Hokage that's ever been chosen!" Laughing to himself, Naruto grinned even wider and leapt off of the random rooftop, rocketing towards the Academy building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a man of many talents: scholar, soldier, politician, and, finally, a leader. Those barely crack the surface, but above all, Hiruzen is a man who just wanted to retire and watch his grandson, both surrogate and blood, grow and live his life to the fullest. Unfortunately, duty always came before personal desire, especially when it came to the burden of being Hokage. He took his old position back after his successor/predecessor sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-tailed Fox into his own son. Truly, Namikaze Minato was the epitome of what a Shinobi, a Hokage, must be in order to serve their village.

The only sacrifice he had to make was the happiness of his only son. Hiruzen knew that Minato loved his son, and would've loved him even more if he lived, but he had to have known that the life he was condemning his son to, the life of a Jinchuuriki, was one of hardship and sacrifice. Thanks to Minato's selfless decision, he cemented Naruto's path in life. He was to be a Shinobi and fight for Konoha.

The old man sighed heavily as he looked out his window, clad in the white robes and wearing what Naruto had dubbed 'The Hat'. Aged brown eyes gazed over the village as he pushed away the thought of continuing paperwork; he absently scratched through his whitish-grey beard and hummed as he thought over the potential teams from the graduating class.

As he thought that, his mind drifted towards young Naruto. Hiruzen was given progress reports on the boy's work directly from Iruka. The chuunin had made it clear that the boy was trying his hardest, yes, but there were aspects of his study that required work. At the same time, he couldn't help but frown at the village's reaction to Naruto himself. The boy, while a very proficient prankster, was for the most part harmless and very loyal to those who showed him kindness. While there were no violent outbursts towards him, save for the occasional drunk, it was obvious that Naruto wasn't the happiest person. Hiruzen sighed, "Minato, Kushina, sometimes I'm scared of what you both would do if you knew how the village your son." He grimaced lightly, but smiled pensively. "Especially of what Kushina would do…"

"You're damn right about that, Hiruzen." Hiruzen didn't react at all to the sudden voice. He had known that there was someone standing behind him, leaning against the far wall. "Kushina would've unleashed her signature Habanero rage on those unsuspected villagers." The man laughed softly.

Hiruzen turned and regarded the man, a small laugh escaping him. "You are very right, Azazel-dono. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The man had pitch black hair with golden bangs and regarded the Hokage with his violet gaze. He was dressed in a casual yukata and carried nothing on him. He shrugged lightly. "Can't I visit the home of an old friend?" Hiruzen gave him an empty stare. Azazel sighed softly and laughed, "Still can't slip anything pass you, huh."

"No. Otherwise I wouldn't be the Hokage." He gave a wry smirk.

Azazel laughed, "You got that right. It's because of that that I like you more than the other three." He released a breath and continued, "I have reason to believe that Minato's boy has a Sacred Gear and a powerful one at that."

Hiruzen's eyes widened at that; a Shinobi with a Sacred Gear was both a great boon for the village and the person specifically, but it also made them a target. Naruto being not only a Jinchuuriki and a Sacred Gear holder made him even more of a target. Then they narrowed, "Do you know what type it is?"

"From my observations, it has quite the… draconic feel to it. Though, it's hard to get a perfect read thanks to the furball locked in his gullet." Azazel replied flippantly, waving his hand as he spoke.

"I see…" The Hokage said softly. While he wouldn't have called the Nine-Tailed Fox a 'furball', Hiruzen understood that Azazel was one of the stronger beings currently in the world.

As a Kage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was one of the privileged few who knew of the 'supernatural existences' that resided outside of the Elemental Nations. The Underworld, a place where Devils and Fallen Angels resided, was a separate dimension, not unlike the world where Summoned Creatures inhabit. There were other dimensions, but the Underworld was the one that was referenced the most, and the only one where mortals had the ability to enter. Hiruzen knew of the existence of Devils, Fallen Angels and Angels, along with the fragile truce that prevented them from reigniting their own three way war. Upon learning that, the aged Hokage couldn't help but give rueful smile, remarking that it seemed that humanity isn't the only species that can't break out of its own cycle of hatred.

After the Hokage, the only people who knew of the existence of the supernatural were his Advisors and only his most experienced and trusted Jounin. Unfortunately, that included a certain warhawk.

"Should we tell him or allow him to discover it on his own?" Hiruzen asked the deceptively older gentleman in front of him.

Azazel massaged his chin in thought, humming softly. "It would be beneficial for him to learn of it on his own; unfortunately, it's not unlikely for Sacred Gear hosts to go crazy if the Gear stays dormant too long, since it may forcefully activate itself after a certain point."

Hiruzen nodded, already resolving to keep his old rival, Shimura Danzo, as far from young Naruto as he could. In some ways, Sacred Gear hosts were more valued than Kekkei Genkai holders; for the simple fact that Sacred Gear aren't passed on to descendants and go to an entirely different host after its current one dies.

"Today's Naruto's graduation day, isn't it?" Azazel asked as the Hokage thought to himself.

The old Kage nodded once. "Yes, it is."

Azazel hummed softly, "You do realize that he has too much chakra to use a normal bunshin, right? If you want him to pass, you'll have to let him use something different."

Hiruzen smiled lightly, "You're right about that; however, Naruto wouldn't want something like that given to him. That boy would prefer to figure out how to fix it by himself."

Azazel snorted and shook his head. "Just like that mother of his. I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that he looked like Minato, no one would doubt for a moment that he was the Habanero's son. Especially with that tic of his."

"You're right about that, Azazel; but everyone's blinded by their own fear and loss to see it. They're too blind to see that Naruto-kun is one of the few people who would never betray them; no matter the consequence." The Kage released breath and turned to his work. "Naruto-kun has his own test to pass to become a Shinobi; one that will test his resolve. It will be much more difficult than the others graduates, but with his attitude, it shouldn't prove too difficult for him."

"If I may, Hiruzen, what would this test entail? I may be able to offer my help. I have been rather bored lately."

The Hokage laughed lightly; then with a wave of a hand, he told his hidden Anbu to disperse, leaving him alone with the Fallen Angel. "You see, we have a traitor in the village and I'm trying to figure out who he's working for…"

Naruto swung with uncharacteristic dejection as he watched his, now former, classmates rejoicing with their families over passing their graduation test. They would be Shinobi; they would stand and fight for their village, Konoha; they could use the three simplest jutsu in existence: Kawarimi, Henge, and Bunshin. The young orphan's melancholy was twofold in that very instance. For one, he failed his test, all because of that thrice-damned Bunshin jutsu. He had practiced day-in and day-out for weeks and still he couldn't make them appear as anything other than lifelessly pale, white-washed, collapsed illusions of himself.

Secondly, he was watching his former classmates celebrating with their families; brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. There wasn't anything in the world that Naruto wanted more than to have a family, a group of people who cared about them unconditionally. Yes, even more than being Hokage, he wanted a family. He wanted people to walk home to, people who greeted him with a sincere smile, people who cared for him regardless of his circumstance.

"Ah, Naruto, you're still here? Good." Naruto looked to the source of the voice to see one of his chuunin teachers approaching him. Mizuki had medium length light-blue tinted white hair with dark green eyes. He was smiling widely at the boy, though he tried to look somewhat sympathetic to the boy. "I'm sorry you had to fail the test, but Iruka really does care about you. Being a Shinobi is a dangerous job, he just wanted you to be safe." Naruto said nothing, still looking to ground. Seeing this, a manipulative glint came to his eyes and he continued, "You know, there's a secret test for students like you?"

That caught Naruto's attention, a spark of hope appearing in his gaze. "Really?"

It took all of Mizuki's self-control not to sneer at the child. "Oh, yes. It's secret because of its difficulty. Even some Jounin fail it." Truthfully, the task that Mizuki had in mind did have a rather high difficulty. Stealing the Forbidden Scroll from the Hokage's office would definitely have be difficult, even for Jounin.

"Give it to me! I'll pass –ttebayo!" Naruto jumped from his seat excitedly.

"I will, but you can't tell anyone, otherwise the whole thing is null." Naruto nodded excitedly. "Here's what I want you to do…"

That night, Naruto raced into the forest, laughing himself silly as remembered the look on the Hokage's face when he used his own original jutsu. "Heh, Jiji, I can't believe you fell for my Oroike no Jutsu. You old perv." He ran along the forest floor, dodging and weaving through the trees to search for the clearing that Mizuki had told him of; after a few moments he found it and walked over to the center of it. "Alright, here I am…" He looked to the sky. "I guess I'm early…"

Looking at the scroll, Naruto allowed an excited smile to appear on his face. "Maybe I should find a jutsu to learn while I wait." Pulling the scroll off his back, he opened it and said, "The first jutsu I see is the one I'll learn –ttebayo!" Pulling it open quickly, his eyes landed on the first jutsu. Naruto frowned and groaned, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!? But the Bunshin is my worst jutsu!" He sighed and shook his head. "Whatever, I'll master this jutsu and prove everyone wrong! Uzumaki Naruto is a man who follows his word!"

He then plopped down and went about memorizing the hand signs.

Fourteen years.

That was how long the red western dragon slept inside soul of the hyperactive, orange wearing blonde. He was restless, for lack of a better word; he was a being that reveled in combat, a being that loved to show his strength to the world. For he was a Dragon, a being of Power and Authority. He was an Emperor, as was his host, through association.

He had slept for the majority of the boy's life, not stirring save for when he was in turmoil. Even during those moments, it did little to actually wake him. However, now, during the boy's graduation, he awoke; as if by some premonition, by some twist of Fate, the Red Dragon Emperor finally woke from his slumber and decided to view the life of his current host, his new partner. As a part of the boy's soul, a being that was within him since birth, he could experience the world through the boy's senses. He could see what the boy saw; hear what the boy heard; smell what the boy smelled; however, he rarely did so, as he had no need to. At that moment, the boy was nothing but a child, with no one strong enough in his life to cause his power to stir.

The Dragon silently peered through the boy's sight as he stole the scroll and stop in the forest. He watched as the boy pushed himself to learn a new technique; his dark green eyes peered with interest as he watched the boy fail time after time, not stopping for an instant. The boy continued to try and try, frustration evident in his demeanor, refusing to give an inch. When the boy finally made progress, the dragon couldn't help but feel a smidgen of pride for his newest host. He had seen him go back and forth between the scroll and his own attempts, repeatedly going through the gradual movement of hand signs until he could learn the technique.

The boy finally learned it, creating several solid copies of himself. However, the Dragon noted that his power was in none of them, only in the original. Even after learning the jutsu, the boy didn't feel satisfied, only driven to get better. Dispelling his clones, he continued to push himself, continued to perfect the technique. The Dragon watched with growing pride as his newest host continued to work the jutsu closer and closer to perfection.

It wasn't until two more hours had passed that the boy finally fell to the ground with a satisfied sigh, regarding the scroll with a wide grin. He had finally gotten the jutsu down to the point where he only needed one sign to use it! The boy regaled his success with nearly mastering what was said to be a B rank forbidden jutsu, though he didn't know what was so forbidden about it.

The Dragon was brimming with anticipation as he learned of this; he didn't know Shinobi arts that well, but he could tell that the higher the rank, the more difficult it was to learn. My host has potential, he thought with unconstrained pride, he'll surely give the White One a fight when the time comes. The Dragon watched as the boy was about to dive back into the scroll for another jutsu, but a newcomer dropped into the clearing.

The scar-faced man called out to him, to which his host replied with an enthusiastic, "Iruka-sensei!"

That name caused the Dragon to pause, he had heard that name several times before. Though he was asleep for the entirety of the boy's life, various instances had stirred him, the boy's memories slowly making themselves known to him.

He lazily watched and listened as the two spoke. Something about the scroll being important and how wrong it was to steal it. Confused, the boy remarked that it was his other teacher that told him it was a secret test to pass.

It was then that a third man appeared perched on top of the tree. More meaningless words were traded as he watched; the Dragon was getting antsy, he could tell the third man wanted to inflict harm and wanted the fighting to commence. The Dragon wasn't as intrigued by fighting, save when it came to his rival, but he could literally feel the tension in the air and was itching for a fight to break out.

Then something the third man said caught his attention.

"Naruto, the Yondaime Hokage did not kill the Nine-Tailed Fox. He sealed it inside of a baby. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox! That's why the village hates you so much!"

The Dragon felt its eyes widen ever so lightly. So, my current host is a…Jinchuuriki… He didn't feel anything about that; only realizing that his stay in the boy's soul wouldn't be as boring, since he'll probably have someone to talk with now.

The other man, Iruka-sensei, as the boy had called him, growled and lunged at the third man. The two of them fought. The Dragon watched them with disinterest, unlike his host, who was dumbstruck by the news told to him and drawn in the battle between the two chuunin. It wasn't until several moments passed when the white haired one kicked Iruka away.

"Even Iruka hates you, Naruto! The kindness he shows you is just to make you lower your guard so he can kill you the first chance he gets." He sneered down to the boy. "The Fox killed his parents. You are the Fox, Naruto. But don't worry, if you finally realize what a demon you are, then I'm more than willing to put you out of your misery."

The man threw one of his shuriken, aiming to kill the boy.

However, before either the boy or the Dragon could act, Iruka had thrown himself in front of it, getting impaled in the back for it.

"Iruka-sensei!" The boy, pulled out of his stupor, looked at his teacher with shock. The earlier despair he felt quickly gave way to concern for the man who had treated him like a person, an individual with feelings, rather than ignore him or treat him as less than human.

The ground in the mindscape shook as the Dragon got his feet.

Ddraig chuckled lightly as he looked through Naruto's sight. "You intrigue me, Uzumaki Naruto. I'm been awake for all of two hours and I already find myself liking you. Don't disappoint me; it's time for the world to know of my return." He lifted his head and unleashed a mighty roar. "Let's see if you awaken my power. I'd love to speak with my newest partner."

Naruto stared up to his injured teacher, "Why? I'm the Fox, sensei… Why would you save me…?"

"Run away, Naruto! Now!" Iruka cried out, not answering the boy's questions.

Naruto flinched at the words, grabbed the scroll and scrambled away.

Once he vanished from sight, Iruka forced his body to turn around as he faced Mizuki. Reaching to his side, he pulled the large shuriken out of his body and staggered back against the tree.

"Why?! Why would you protect the Demon!? I thought you hated the Fox!" Mizuki demanded of his former friend.

Iruka grimaced at the pain as he felt blood pouring from his side. "You're right, I hate the Fox." He lifted the shuriken and held it ready. "However, Uzumaki Naruto is not the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's a knucklehead, a prankster without a hateful bone in his body." Iruka chuckled lightly, but hacked out blood in pain. "It's a shame, really, how the others in the village disregard and ignore him. If they actually took the time to get to know him, they'd realize how wrong they really are."

Mizuki regarded him with undisguised disgust. "You're already delusional from blood loss. To defend the Demon?"

"He is no Demon, no Fox. Uzumaki Naruto is one of my best students." Iruka pushed himself off the tree, gritting his teeth as he looked to Mizuki defiantly. "He never gives up, always moving forward in spite of the obstacles. In spite of what the others think, Naruto is a not a Demon, but a Hero. He's my student and a citizen of Konohagakure no Sato." He lifted the shuriken and held it defensively. "If you want to harm my student, then you'll have to kill me first."

All while this was being said, Naruto had not left. A more curious side of him wanted to know exactly what the man he considered to be a brother in all but blood thought of him. He wanted, no needed, to know what his sensei thought of him.

It took all of his self-control and biting down on his sleeve to keep quiet as he felt the tears fall. He cares… Iruka-sensei cares about me… A sense of elation raced through him as he looked around the tree.

"I see…" Mizuki said simply, then he laughed darkly. "I guess I'll have to kill you then. It's only right, since you are a Demon-lover after all." He reared back his hand and threw his large shuriken.

The injured chuunin instructor readied himself, though he could his strength waning from the blood loss. Are these poisoned? However, he found that he wouldn't be able to retaliate fast enough. His body was too sluggish, too weak to move at a speed fast enough to block the shuriken. At least Naruto got away… He then waited for the weapon to reach him, glad that at least his surrogate little brother had escaped.

However the shuriken never reached him. A familiar orange blob leapt out from the trees and kicked it away, sending it careening to the side. Naruto planted himself between Iruka and Mizuki, glaring defiantly at the white haired chuunin.

"Naruto! What are you doing?! I told you to run!" Iruka growled out.

Naruto simply remained silent; after a few moments, he replied softly, "Iruka-sensei, I never paid much attention to your lectures and for that, I'm sorry. But there was one thing that I can't help but remember at this very moment." He gritted his teeth and clenched his left hand, chakra seemed to be collecting there. "The Will of Fire. 'Konoha's strength comes not from the individual, but from the teamwork of many'. That's what you said, right?"

Iruka stared at his student in shock. Naruto actually listened?

"I didn't understand what that meant, and I still don't right now. But…" He growled at the haughtily smirking Mizuki. "I feel my 'Will of Fire' telling me to protect my sensei, one of the few people who actually cared about me." Naruto growled and crouched, facing Mizuki menacingly. "If you come any closer to my sensei, Mizuki, I'll kill you!"

Unconsciously, Naruto's eyes flickered to a slitted red, before reverting back to blue. At the same time, chakra pulsated in his left hand.

Mizuki let out a condescending laugh. "Really now? You kill me? I highly dou-"

He was quickly interrupted by Naruto slamming his sandaled foot into Mizuki's face, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a tree. The Academy student stood and regarded his former teacher coldly. "A Shinobi takes any advantage available to him."

Iruka watched Naruto with wide eyes, now back to leaning against the tree. A part of him wanted to tell the boy to run, since Mizuki was a chuunin, but there was something…off about Naruto. It was subtle, but there seemed to be a completely different aura about him… An aura of Power.

Mizuki scrambled to his feet, a hand on his now bleeding nose. "You damn brat! Don't think you'll get lucky again!"

"Lucky?" Naruto said with a small chuckle. Lifting his hands, he crossed his fingers. "Here's my retest, Mizuki-teme. Let's see if I pass this time!" He flared his chakra and called out, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" There was a sudden burst of smoke that engulfed the entire clearing.

When the smoke finally cleared, there was a literal sea of orange surrounding the three Shinobi. Countless Naruto's stood either on the ground, in the branches of the trees or hanging onto the sides of the trees. They all called out in unison, "Do we pass this time?"

Mizuki stumbled back in surprise as he looked to each of them, then he grinned. "What are you going to do with illusion clones, Demon Fox? I'm still a chuunin and you're only a failure!"

Naruto smirked, "Illusions, huh? Get 'em!" It was like a tidal wave, the way Naruto's clones descended upon Mizuki. The boy smirked as he watched his clones assault his teacher with overwhelming numbers. However, poofs of smoke occurred continuously as the man began to gradually destroy Naruto's clones. The boy watched with a hint of fear as he flinched every time one of the clones were dispelled. Why was he able to vaguely feel where the clones were struck?

It was only a few moments later that Mizuki stood on his own, breathing heavily and extremely scuffed and bruised. He glared hatefully at Naruto. "Not bad, Demon, but I'm a chuunin for a reason." He pulled out a kunai and then lunged for Naruto.

The Academy dropout gritted his teeth; his plan didn't work! Naruto staggered back, evading a haphazard slash at his head. Mizuki, in the midst of a blind rage, simply slashed and stabbed at Naruto. The boy, being inexperienced in regards to combat, was unable to capitalize on the blatant openings in the traitorous chuunin's strikes. He grimaced as he felt another pulse of chakra pulse throughout his left hand and forearm. That lapse in focus was enough for Mizuki to catch Naruto across the right eyebrow with a slash of the kunai. The boy staggered back, letting out a cry of pain and shock.

"Naruto!" Iruka cried out in fear, unable to go after him due to his legs being too weak to move.

Naruto fell to the ground, placing a hand over his eye. Blood was already pouring freely from his wound, obscuring his vision. He was afraid, no doubt about it, but he refused to let it show. He refused to give an inch to the traitor in front of him! "Is that all you got?! Sakura-chan hits harder than you, Mizuki"

Mizuki released a growl of frustration as he lunged towards to the now prone Naruto, in the hopes he would finish the job. "I'll kill you and then Iruka, you damn Demon!" The kunai was stabbed forward, aiming for the boy's head.

Said boy's world slowed to a crawl as he watched the kunai gradual descent towards him.

He didn't want to die! He had a dream to fulfill; people he had to show that they were wrong about him! He had to be Hokage! He had to make Iruka and Hokage-jiji proud! He… He…

Naruto had to learn who his parents were. He had to learn if they actually loved him and didn't just abandon him. He had to know. He had to know. He had to know!

For that to happen, he couldn't die.

I don't want to die!

…

He heard something in the back of his mind; a nagging pull in his thoughts.

I have to live!

…Im-…

There it was again! That voice! Where did it come from?

Why do I have to be so weak!?

…Imagine...self…

What?

What?

…Imagine…your…strength…

Naruto felt his uncovered eye widen. That voice… He mentally shook his head, no time to think about that now. I need to…imagine strength, like the voice said.

Imagine is what Naruto did. The first thing that came to mind was the Hokage monument, the four faces on the mountain. He thought of the Sandaime, the man he thought of as a grandfather in all but blood. However, it wasn't enough; visualizing the God of Shinobi wasn't enough for the young Shinobi-to-be. He focused harder, imagining not the Sandaime, but his idol, the man he hoped to surpass, the Yondaime Hokage. He could picture the man's back, watching the white cloak, decorated with the red flames at the bottom and the kanji for 'Yondaime Hokage' down the back. He imagined the man standing before him, the sun-kissed blonde hair atop his head, the towering height. In his left hand was his infamous Hiraishin kunai, a three-pronged extended kunai with kanji inscribed along the hilt and in his right hand a spiraling blue orb.

Naruto felt his eyes widen. What? He knew of the kunai, as there was mention in the textbooks, but he did not recognize the orb. That's when he felt a…presence in the back of his mind, as if filling in the gaps of his image.

Standing next to the Yondaime's side was a woman with long fiery red hair, it fell down to her legs and swayed ever so lightly as if the wind was blowing. She was wearing a sleeveless green dress with a white apron over shirt. On her feet were a pair of Shinobi sandals; the woman simply stood at the Yondaime's side.

The two simply stood there, as if protectively covering Naruto as he perceived them. They stood like statues, watching over him.

Then they moved. It was gradual; it was slow, but the two figures moved. Their heads moved in unison as they moved inwards. Within moments, Naruto saw blue eyes, not unlike his own, and pair of violet eyes regarding him with…with…

There wasn't a hint of hatred or scorn. No distrust or loathing. The look in their eyes seemed so…alien to him. Yet, it filled his heart with warmth and comfort.

Love. Unconditional, unreserved love was present in their gazes as they looked to Naruto.

Naruto felt his eyes water in joy for the second time that day.

Then he blinked them away, focusing on the task at hand. Mizuki was trying to kill him and Iruka. Iruka, his favorite teacher and one of the few people that treated him like a person, a normal human being, was in danger and he had to protect him, to repay that priceless kindness the man had given him.

The pain in his left hand reached a painful peak as he pulled it from his face. Everything felt agonizingly slow as he resolved his next move. Gritting his teeth, Naruto growled and glared at Mizuki.

"You're not killing anybody –ttebayo!"

The moment Naruto made his declaration, a brilliant red light erupted from Naruto's left hand, the pain suddenly dispersing.

[Dragon Booster!]

A deep, booming voice reverberated through the clearing and the light quickly dispersed.

Mizuki's hand, the one that held the kunai, was held back a blood-red gauntlet. Its fingers resembled claws and the back of the gauntlet had a large green gem resting there. Along the arm connected to the hand there were what looked like dragon-like scales; At the end of the gauntlet, two red protrusions stuck outwards.

Mizuki stared in shock at the gauntlet, his eyes wide with sudden fear. "A Sacred Gear! The Demon has a Sacred Gear!?"

[Boost!]

The green flashed in unison with the proclaimed word.

While he was shocked at the new addition to his arm, Naruto was too focused on the battle before him. Energy flooded through his body as the gauntlet spoke. Clenching his free hand, he brought his hand back and growled out. "This is for Iruka-sensei –ttebayo…" There was no finesse behind the punch, no practiced skill, just a raw, straight-forward jab. It flew through the air and impacted with Mizuki's nose, ripping him from Naruto's grasp with the gauntlet.

Mizuki stumbled back, letting out a howl of pain as he covered his nose, blooding pouring heedlessly. "You damn brat! I'll kill you for that!"

"And you're a broken record, -ttebayo!" Naruto retorted and lunged forward, leading with his gauntlet.

[Boost!]

More power flooded through his body as he ducked under Mizuki's slash and punched him in the stomach. The traitor exhaled suddenly and staggered back from the blow, his eyes wide in shock and pain as he felt his two bottom ribs break. A breath wheezed out of him as he forced a crouch and leapt back, to create distance between him and Naruto. "Take this!" Mizuki reared back his hand and threw his last giant shuriken.

[Boost!]

Seeing it flying towards him, Naruto gritted his teeth and leaped forward, throwing his gauntleted fist at it. The shuriken shattered upon impact, sending lethal debris everywhere. Several pieces of the shuriken slashed the sleeves of his jumpsuit, cutting into his skin with ease. The Academy dropout ignored all of that, crossing his fingers as he called out his newest jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Several groups of solid clones, all without the red gauntlet, appeared around Naruto and raced ahead of him, charging towards Mizuki. They reached him within moments, attacking without care and abandon. The traitor held his own, despite the overwhelming numbers and his aching nose, but was being pushed back. He gritted his teeth and growled in frustration as he dispelled another set of clones.

Why couldn't he just lie down and die! When did get this go- His thoughts were cut off when his ears caught a familiar sound.

[Boost!]

Mizuki looked up to see Naruto falling downwards, heading directly towards him with the red gauntlet reared back for a punch. "This is for Iruka-sensei, you jackass!" The chuunin's eyes widened as he couldn't help but gulp in fear at the sheer amount of chakra compressed within the gauntlet. He was no sensor, but he was sure that every Shinobi in the entire damn village could feel the Power rolling off of the boy at this very moment. Then it hit it him, the Power he was feeling was nothing like the Fox, nothing like that fateful day fourteen years ago. No. This was all coming solely from the blonde Shinobi-to-be.

Before Naruto's punch impacted Mizuki's jaw with a resounding clap, eliciting a violent cracking sound and sending the traitor rag dolling through the air and through several trees, dispelling all of the clones from the shockwave, a single though went through Mizuki's head.

Shit.

Mizuki flew back and crashed into the final tree, denting it inwards heavily, nearly causing it to fall over from the impact. The traitor's eyes rolled to the back of his head as it lolled to the side, signifying his lack of consciousness.

Naruto breathed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with every breath, his eyes focusing solely on Mizuki. He stared at the man for several seconds, which felt more like hours in his head, then relaxed, unconsciously dispelling the gauntlet. The moment it disappeared, Naruto felt a frightening amount of energy leave him, forcing to drop to a knee and let out a heaving breath.

"Naruto!" Iruka called out to him in concern, bringing the boy's attention to him.

Grimacing, the blonde Jinchuuriki forced himself to his feet and stumbled towards Iruka. Reaching the tree after a few moments of staggering, Naruto let himself lean against it and slide down to a sitting position, right next to his favorite teacher. "Neh, Sensei, did I do good?" He asked with a mega-watt grin.

The injured chuunin stared at his student in awe. He was completely thrown for a loop by what Naruto had just done. He learned a B-rank Forbidden jutsu in a few hours, unlocked a powerful Sacred Gear, and defeated a chuunin. All in one night! The shock Iruka felt quickly gave way to pride. He knew deep in his heart that Naruto was a diamond in the rough, a boy with seemingly limitless potential that was disregarded because of a circumstance outside of his control.

"Yes, Naruto. You did well." He grunted in pain and continued, "Close your eyes for me; I have a surprise for you." Naruto quickly complied and it felt like Iruka removed his goggles. His head was jostled lightly and after a moment, Iruka spoke again. "Open them."

Naruto did so and noticed that his teacher was no longer wearing his headband. His eyes widened with realization as he lifted his normal hand and gently touched the steel that now rested over his forehead. "Iruka-sensei?"

The teacher smiled proudly at him. "Congratulations, Naruto. You pass."

Kurama smirked softly, resting his head on his paws. His tails flicked lazily behind him as he waited for the rest of the battle to unfold. Feeling the boy's emotions flare, the Tailed Beast decided to give him the slight push he needed to unlock some of the power within him. Granted, while he did want to be freed, he wanted to be entertained while he waited patiently.

"You must be the other being inside my new partner."

Kurama's gaze flickered to the outside of his cage, where a large Red western Dragon was standing, looking into it with a clinical disinterest. "Hmm, so this must be the legendary Sekiryuutei…" He muttered to himself.

"It seems we're sharing the same vessel."

"Indeed." Kurama said simply…

Ddraig chuckled lightly, "I have to say, this is the first time I've worked with a Tailed Beast, instead of fighting one."

Kurama simply gave him a tired look. "Make no mistake, Welsh Dragon, just because we share the boy's mindscape, does not mean that we are allies. The first chance I get, I am going to break out of here. I simply showed him the image of his parents was to make things…more interesting." He waved his tails lazily. "I've been bored for a long time."

Ddraig nodded to that, "I can understand, Nine Tails. However, since we're both stuck here, I think it'd best to support our host." He gave a toothy grin. "After all, I refuse to lose to the White One and I'm sure you'll feel the same about the other Tailed Beasts."

Kurama regarded the Dragon intently, unable to refute what was just said, but not showing he accepted it either.

In the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen looked through his crystal ball with a proud smile on his face. He had witnessed the entire battle between Naruto and Mizuki and had sent Anbu to deal with the aftermath; they were to only interfere if Naruto appeared to be overwhelmed. When Naruto had summoned his clones, a jutsu that he had been told repeatedly by the boy that he was horrible at, the Hokage felt pride for the boy. He was indeed like his parents.

When he had awakened his Sacred Gear, Hiruzen remembered what Azazel had told him.

"The Boosted Gear…" Hiruzen smiled softly and shook his head. "Dragon-like indeed." He examined the gauntlet closely, "So, young Naruto-kun is the next Red Dragon Emperor, the Sekiryuutei. Red. Just like that mother of his." He chuckled, "Kushina would be proud."

He recalled a faint '-ttebane!' in the back of his mind as he reminisced.

"Minato too. Ousting a traitor and defending his village. His very own son is already on his way to becoming Hokage." Hiruzen chuckled faintly, then his smile turned somber. "If you both could see him now, I'm sure you'd be glad to see he's grown so well." Then his attention turned to the gauntlet he saw Naruto wear.

The old Hokage then placed a hand on his chin contemplatively. "Maybe I should give Azazel-dono a call and ask him to help Naruto-kun with his new Gear…"

Feeling the pulse of power, Azazel looked up from his orange book with a faint smirk. "Well, well, well, it looks like Minato's boy finally managed awaken his Sacred Gear. I may have to pay him a visit, both to see what it is he carries and to see how that pretty boy's son is doing…"

He grinned and let out a soft, but maniacal, chuckle. "I may have not been able to corrupt Minato thanks to his prudishness and Kushina, but I'll be free to do same to Naruto. With myself and the sage, the boy will be converted to the way of the pervert in no time! Then he'll be more inclined to help Jiraiya continue this wonderful literature he's blessed the world with!"

With that, Azazel turned back to his book and grinned widely. "Oh, Minami-chan, you naughty, naughty little minx…"

"Mou, I'm bored! So-chan, entertain your nee-chan!" A deceptively appearing young woman sat on an elaborate armchair upside down, her cheeks puffed out as crossed her arms. Her hair, done in a pair of pigtails, was hanging down to the ground from her position.

Across from her sat a younger appearing girl, seemingly in her mid-teens, reading a book that should by all rights be too advanced for her age. Her black hair was in a bob cut and she wore a pair of purple rimmed glasses over her violet eyes. The girl regarded her elder sister a tired stare. "Serafall-onee-sama, I understand that you're bored, however, I am not your personal entertainment. Don't have Maoh work that needs to be done?"

"Oh, I already finished that ages ago." She waved her hand flippantly. "I'm just so bored. There's nothing to do." Serafall placed a hand on her chin. "Maybe I should play ninja?" Then she gasped, flipping off of her chair and landing on the ground in a single graceful motion. "Sona-chan! Play ninja with your nee-chan!"

Sona regarded her elder sister with a tired glance. "Onee-sama, you are an adult and a Maoh. You are entirely too old to 'play ninja'."

"But it's so fun! They go 'woosh', 'yah', and '-ttebane'!" She did exaggerated motions with every declaration she made; however, at the last one, she frowned sadly.

Sona furrowed her brow. "What ninja goes '-ttebane'? Is that even a word?" There was also a hint of worry in her expression, as she had never seen her normally hyperactive sister…well, not on a sugar high.

Serafall took her seat and crossed her arms. "A really nice person said that… She was a ninja and would always say that when she got excited…" She sighed at that. Serafall always liked Kushina.

Sona was about to speak when Serafall suddenly jumped up and looked around widely. "Onee-sama, what's wrong!?"

"Kushina-chan's old contract just went off! Where is it?!" She raced out of the room and towards her room. Serafall was confused as she ran through the halls of her family home. She had made the contract on a whim, as she had been rather taken with the fiery Uzumaki. It didn't give either side a thing, only a way to communicate if either wanted to see the other. The Leviathan learned of her favorite ninja's death through the seal and was distraught when it happened. The contract should've just dissolved upon death, but Kushina and Serafall got to know each other over the few short years they knew one another and adjusted the contract. It would remain active if, and only if, Kushina had a child.

It's not common knowledge, but the ever childish Serafall Leviathan is extremely protective of the people she cares about, Sona being the very top of the list. However, the Uzumaki charisma and attitude that Kushina held had ensnared the sole female Maoh, causing her to become fast friends with the Devil.

Serafall entered her room and tore into her desk, searching frantically until she finally found the contract. She examined the slip of paper, studying it intensely. It was active, as if reacting to the source. A part of her doubted the authenticity of the contract, but the more vocal optimistic side simply caused her to make a simple declaration. "I couldn't help you that time, Kushina-chan, but I can help your…son. I promise you." She spoke with uncharacteristic solemnity.

"Okaa-sama, where are we going now?" A young teen with a modest figure and golden blonde hair that fell to her lower back in waves regarded her mother with eyes of a similar shade. She was clad in a Shrine Maiden's uniform, though there was dirt along the hem of the hakama, denoting the frantic sprinting through the forestry.

Her mother, a woman with a more mature figure, stood alert and wary next to her, looking around carefully, golden irises scanning the tree line. "The places we can go are limited, Kunou." Yasaka pursed her lips as she turned her body around for a three sixty view of the area. Silently sniffing the air, she frowned. "We've lost our pursuers for now, but we cannot keep running." She looked to her only child and took in the well-concealed panting, her short of breath and frantic examinations of the surrounding area, not unlike an animal on the run. "Kunou, I believe we have time for a brief lesson. What are the Five Great Villages?"

Kunou scowled cutely, giving her mother a tired look, but complied nonetheless. "Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure and Iwagakure. I already know this well enough, Okaa-sama. What's with the pop quiz?"

Yasaka smiled faintly at her daughter's amusing expression, but quickly schooled her countenance. "Our home has been ambushed and destroyed by radicals. I know not why they did so, but we must find a new place to call home." She frowned and crossed her arms under her impressive bust. "As much as I hate to admit it, we'll have to find a home in one of the Five Great Villages."

"Why not a smaller one?" Her daughter gently pleaded. She never liked being surrounded by humans. Plus, there was the fact that they've gotten along with Yokai in general.

"Because they wouldn't be strong enough to act as a deterrent for our hunters, Kunou." Yasaka replied sternly, but kindly to her daughter. "The only places that could be safe for you would be one of the large villages." She paused and smiled lightly to Kunou. "I know you're not fond of humans, Kunou, but your father was one."

She crossed her arms and frowned severely, "Yes and he left the moment he learned we were Yokai."

Yasaka could only sigh softly at the resentful tone Kunou spoke with, but wasn't able to retort. "I understand, but we must go to one at least until our hunters are no longer pursuing us. Fine?" Seeing the girl's nod, the mother simply gave her a sad look before steeling herself. Now was not the time to placate her daughter, but to locate a place in which they could find safety. "Of the Five Great Villages, the one's we can immediately cross off as a place to stay would be Suna and Kiri. Suna, because the climate and the Kazekage is rumored to be unkind and vengeful." She decided to not mention the homicidal Jinchuuriki that resided within the village. "Kiri is currently going through a bloodline purge, so we should avoid it."

Kunou pursed her lips, "That leaves Konoha, Kumo and Iwa." She gave her mother a pleading look. "Can we not go anywhere that's too high up? You know how I am with heights."

Her mother smiled indulgently and nodded, "Of course. I too am not that fond of high altitudes. All that is left is Konoha and Iwa."

"Trees or Stones." Kunou said softly. Of the two, Konoha sounded much more preferable, especially since it was geographically closer between the two and it was in the midst of a forest, the natural home of the Fox. But… "Okaa-sama, wasn't Konoha attacked by…the Tailed Beast Nine-tailed Fox fourteen years ago?"

A pained look appeared on Yasaka's face when Kunou brought that up. As a Nine-tailed Fox herself, Yasaka once held it as a point of pride that the strongest Tailed Beast took the form of her own Yokai species. But after that event fourteen years ago…all respect she held for that particular Tailed Beast all but vanished. In her opinion, the power an individual held was meant to be used to help those less fortunate. To waste it by causing pain and death was not only a waste of effort, but also detrimental to all who happened to share a description in any way, shape or form.

"Indeed it was, Kunou." Yasaka answered softly, her eyes honing in on her daughter carefully. "Do you still want to go to Konoha? Even if it is surrounded by beautiful forests, it is still a ninja village and populated mainly humans. If we go there, we'll have to keep what we are secret from all save for the Hokage himself."

Kunou pursed her lips, looking down at the ground. Was staying near a place so similar to her old, destroyed home, worth the burden of hiding herself? She didn't know. All she knew was that she wanted to stop running, stop looking over shoulder everywhere she went. Was this desire worth being ousted as a Yokai and run out of a second village…?

"Okaa-sama, let's go to Konoha."

A/N: One more fic to add to my profile. Though, to be perfectly honest, I wrote this a few months ago on a whim and it's been sitting untouched until a few days ago. When I wrote this, it was my answer to all of the Naruto-DxD fics I've read. The first few I read were pretty good, but after a while, it all became the same thing. It was either Naruto happened to dimension hop to the DxD world and he'd either lose a substantial portion of his powers and join a Peerage, most likely Rias's, and it would play out like canon with only a few, shallow, changes; or, he'd have all of his powers and rofl-stomp everyone with the fic petering out before anything important really happened.

Granted, there's more than just that, but what I just explained is the majority. I'm not saying anything negative, hell, I've enjoyed some of the fics. However, it's all the same, in a sense. 99.9% of them are centered in the DxD verse, almost never in the Naruto verse. There's a frightening amount of potential in the reverse, if done right. Hopefully, I can do it right.

Yes, I gave canon Naruto the Boosted Gear. Yes, that is potentially OP; do I care? Not particularly. Will this power come easily to him? Nope. Since I'm adding both canon's villains to this fic, Naruto'll need the…boost, no pun intended.

Yes, I know this chapter jumped around a lot, a bit too much in my own opinion, but this was just setting the stage for the fic. The next chapter, whenever I get around to finishing it up, will be much more centralized on a single narrative. If it is too difficult to follow, then I apologize. Just see it as focusing on the thoughts of the more central characters in the fic. Plus, this'll stay in 3rd person, which is something I'm not used to.

As for ages, I'm making everyone around the fourteen year old mark. Why? Because I want to and it'll facilitate what I have planned.

High school DxD characters will play important roles in this. However, they'll mainly be the supernatural characters. Unless there's an overwhelming consensus for some human characters, I won't use them. Also, no Issei in this fic, for obvious reasons, no matter how much you demand or beg of me. He has no place in this fic.

Also there's the rivals. I'm keeping the Ashura/Indra shtick, so Naruto and Sasuke will be rivals, though not to the 'you're my brother so I'll ignore everything and everyone to bring you back' extent that canon Naruto had. Then there's Albion and the Hakuryuuko. I'm torn between keeping Vali, giving the Gear to another character or making an OC for it. The third is very unlikely and only a last resort. If I do give it to a different canon character, I'll keep it a secret and surprise you all, but I don't know yet. Feel free to put your suggestions in a review and whatnot.

There is a pairing, but it's only a single pairing. No harem. I've written, am writing, enough of those. Naruto gets only a single girl. For both his sanity and mine; for him, one girl is more than enough to drive any man crazy; for me, it's simpler to keep up with as few main characters as possible. Who's the lucky girl you may ask? It's a surprise. I'm keeping it to myself.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Hopefully you all like it.