The Beauty of Chance

Imagine a die. A fair die of one hundred trillion faces. To roll a one is the objective. So, you roll. The die rolls and rolls and rolls, but alas, the chance of getting a one is too small. But with determination and a bit of luck, after rolling the die for an eternity, chance finally pulls through. And it's beautiful.

Chapter 1: The Foundations of Friendships

Fear.

This is something which drives most people. Fear of the past, present or future can change people in remarkable ways. Whether those be positive or negative changes are very circumstantial, and it depends on the person or the group. Fear affects everyone in the world, no matter how hard people try to block it out. And the people of Konohagakure were no exception. Every village had its skeletons and bad apples, hidden beneath the rock and earth and stone.

The date was the 10th of October, and it was a very important day to the people in Konoha. It was the Kyuubi Festival. A day where most people celebrate survival and perseverance. The day the people survived the rampage of the demon fox. At the price of their beloved Hokage of course. But still, they survived. The people of Konoha thought themselves to be the greatest survivors the world has ever seen, and they celebrated that with their loved ones. Shinobi thought of their fallen comrades, most wishing their friends a peaceful time in the afterlife. The civilians were a different matter.

In a world of elemental manipulation, demons, individuals who could bend and warp the mind with the very same organs that reside in any human skull; it must be terrifying to imagine what it means to be the very minimum of human potential. To be a regular combination of flesh and bone and water. The only venom one could shoot from their mouth are the words they speak, not a combination of chemicals which could melt the muscle off the very bones they cling to. One must wonder what thoughts plague those minds, with fears that drill into the very subconscious itself.

It is hard to imagine, is it not? To be at the top of the food chain, the creators of structures and philosophies; only to feel as if they are powerless, trapped in their own bubble of self-loathing and paralysing terror. To be prey to their own kind. The very nature of Chakra and the ability to utilise it must not even be comprehensible to the average human, to fundamentally not understand a concept that seems to be integrated into the superstructure of the world's political web.

How do you think they feel? Do you think they see them as gods? Or a quirk of evolutionary science? Or do you think they see them as monsters, so alien to normal human culture that they despise each Chakra users very existence? To feel such inadequacy can crush even the gods themselves, and the burden of despising your own biology inevitably twists the mind. Until, one looks into the mirror and cannot recognise the person they have become. How far they have fallen.

And the mind will lie and deceive to hide the truth of their broken existence, coping with these alien concepts with such negative responses that seem almost exaggerated to one who has not experienced the phenomenon themselves. It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it.

Perhaps, it is the shinobi themselves who lack understanding. Chakra is second nature to them, something as fundamental as to smell, touch, taste and think. How arrogant must they be. To judge these normal people for their treatment of an orphan or even their fellow comrades, when they conceptually cannot understand his condition.

What must the Kyuubi have been to them? It must have been like a wave of unstoppable hatred. Their brains must have been screaming to understand what was happening to them. Surrounded by the dead and such malice, perhaps their treatment of the young blond which resided in his village could be understood. The pitiful reality they ignored by twisting their minds shattered in an instant by a nine-tailed monster, leaving only death in its wake.

The shinobi have no such excuses however. They had the resources and background to understand the nature of the boy's situation. And he treated their treatment of Minato's legacy with the upmost prejudice.

But perhaps, Hiruzen thought as he smoked from his pipe and stared at the village below from his tower of symbolistic power, it was his fault. His laws prevented the villagers from understanding, from being educated about Naruto. And as he stared at the last face on the mountain, it seemed to look down on him with a snarl. Who else could judge a god such as him, then a man who, if he lived longer and reached his potential, could have shown him the true meaning of divinity.

And as the ghosts of his mistakes screamed at him, wailing in the room where decisions that still kept him up at night were made, Sarutobi wondered how many would gaze upon him with hatred in the afterlife.

What does it mean to be alive?

Naruto wondered why a near five-year old such as himself was allowed to ponder such things. As he stared at the decrepit ceiling above his bed, the boy could feel the pressure of loneliness crash upon his head. Tears started to brim in the boys eyes, creating a window of self-loathing and failure into his mind. His head started to throb once again, certainly not helping the state of mind that has been consumed by grief in the previous weeks.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Naruto shook his head rapidly, trying to dispel the sound for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Once the annoyance vanished from his mind, the boy turned over on his side and forced his eyes shut, closing himself off from the world.

What does it mean to be alive? The question reared its ugly face once more, and the boy decided to entertain it. Usually he did not answer the call of such queries, deciding to focus on the good things in life and his ambitions. But what he was feeling right now was not the usual. Not the usual indeed...

Recalling his existence so far, Naruto wondered if he had ever been alive. Or had he always been some kind of ghoul, wondering the streets as the glares from the villagers felt like thousands of stones weighing him down. Making the simple act of moving forward seem impossible, with every step being a reminder of the solitude forced upon him by the masses.

Naruto had decided long ago that friends made the foundation of one's self. That they reflected the better parts of who he was, and of who he could be. He had a couple of precious people, Naruto thought, but he did not have friends. A friend did not have to be a precious person, and a precious person did not have to be a friend.

A precious person, to Naruto, was someone who was a constant. Someone who made Naruto what he was, defined his ideologies and the very path he walked down. They were a fact of his existence, almost like the cogs that if not present, would not allow the machine to keep going. If the boy had to explain it in his own words, he would tell you that they just 'were'. They were present and they would always be present. The idea of them being anything but what he envisioned them to be did not seem to click for him. This was a childish ideology that did not take the beauty of watching people grow into account, but whatever it was, it stemmed from his desire for meaning and stability in his chaotic, unexplainable life. Jiji, Teuchi and Ayame were precious people. They made him who he was, and he would rip the whole world apart to ensure their safety. To see those people smile was all that mattered to him, above all else.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Naruto scowled and drowned the noise out once more, his anger rising as he cast his thoughts back to where they once were.

A friend was different. They were the people who made Naruto smile. The one's who evaporated his loneliness and made his day shine. While they might not have the importance of a precious person, they made him happy. Something he didn't get to feel often. He hadn't had a friend before, 'LIAR' a voice in the back of his head screamed, and he sure as shit hadn't met someone who was both a precious person and a friend. He was still waiting for that one to appear.

His brain decided to torment him once again, as Naruto imagined his non-existent mother scolding him for swearing, and he almost smiled. Before reality fell back into place and his scowl reappeared, more furious than before. He hadn't had a friend before, 'LIAR!', nor did he have parents.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The noise was getting louder as he shot up from his bed, his feet planted on the floor while his toes curled in fury and other emotions he hadn't felt since that fated day a couple of weeks ago.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Naruto started shaking in anger as his mind started to recall memories he was trying to repress. He almost started to snarl as he dug his nails into his palms, burying into them as if to remove the memories from the hands that used to throw balls in the park and put food in the bowl and-

Drip. Drip. Drip.

His breathing was becoming uneven and he tried clenching his eyes shut, desperately trying to forget that stupid, smiling idiot. Tried to forget it hobbling towards him with a soggy ball trapped between its decaying teeth. But he couldn't close his eyes. He couldn't trap himself in the darkness of his own mind, where he could just forget. His breathing stopped as his eyes cast themselves to the blanket covered in fur, haphazardly placed in the corner of the room and folded in random directions due to the adorable scrambling to lick his face in the morning.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed, finally snapping as he yanked a picture frame off the bedside table and threw it at the wall at such force that it left a slight dent. The sound of shattered glass seemed to snap the boy out of it, as his eyes widened in horror as the frame tumbled onto the floor, until it lied flat on the floor. Lifeless. 'It wasn't breathing. No... he couldn't breathe...', Naruto thought in a daze before snapping back to reality.

Naruto scrambled towards the frame, desperately picking up wooden object with trembling hands. Ignoring the glass shards that found their new home on his palm, the boy gazed at the photo which in his mind seemed to be from a lifetime ago.

The photo had a fold in the middle, clearly showing that the owner had folded it up in their pocket more times than they should have done. The moment it seemed to have captured was evidently a joyous one, shown by the smiling faces of the subjects in it. Naruto could remember the day like it was yesterday, as tears starting to cascade from his blue eyes onto the memory he could hold in his hands. The Hokage stood with Naruto in front of his apartment door, a hand ruffling the boy's hair. The Hokage's eyes showed a joy that he did not show to many. Naruto was happy to see the old man smiling at the camera, as it made him look years younger than he was. A foolish façade, he told himself as his hands started to tremble. A fleeting thought to reassure him that the man had many more years left, despite the increasing strain Naruto could see on him as each day went by.

In Naruto's arms, the cause of both his and the old man's joy: an old dog. It had a clouded right eye, reminding Naruto of some of those strange, pompous people he saw when playing Detective Ninja with Jiji.

Detective Ninja was a fun game the Hokage designed to focus the boy's energy into something productive. The two would look at and observe an object or person, and try to determine that person's characteristics and traits. It was interesting to see what he could come up with, and though he did not say it out loud, the Hokage seemed to agree with his assessment on those white-eyed people.

But as Naruto's eyes focused on the dog in the photo, his mind couldn't help playing a little bit of the game itself.

Naruto had found him one night, not too long after he had gotten his own apartment. Lying next to a rubbish skip in an alley, shivering in the cold, alone. Just like him... exactly like him. He could almost see it play in real time before his eyes. He had stolen a steak from the butcher's free samples; the man had repeatedly kept pretending like he didn't exist as soon as he saw blond hair and whiskers open the door to his shop. Not an uncommon thing to happen to him, but he was starving and Icharaku was closed. Not to mention, the very questioning of a person's existence and worth would upset anyone, let alone a four-year-old. So, when the man went into the back room, he stole a steak. He didn't regret it, but he did regret the disappointment the Hokage would have felt had the man found out.

Despite the rumbling of his stomach at the time, and despite the satisfaction he would have felt had the "demon" eaten his precious free samples, Naruto shuffled over to the dog. Upon getting close, the animal's eyes snapped open. Despite being blind in one eye, his old boy had ears sharper than a bat. The dog stared at him, glaring to be sure, but there was something else. Something sad. So very sad, and so very tired.

Naruto eyes softened, in contrast to the glare he had initially sent the dog, and he held out his steak to the suffering animal. Upon some thought, as much thought as a dog could have, it seemed to take the gamble and snatched the steak from his fingers. Turning its back to the young blond, the dog dug in with gusto. It took a while due to the dog's old age, it's teeth had obviously worn down with time and a lack of care. Naruto giggled and started to walk away once it turned around to face him once more; the dog keeping the powerful, singular gaze trailed on his back.

Naruto, once reaching the street once again, turned to the dog and gestured for it to follow. Waving his hand like a loon, Naruto smiled as bright as he could, his eyes full of trust and promises.

The dog, gazing once more at the place it had been calling home for so long, turned to Naruto in happiness. Deciding that being alone was far worse than anything life could throw at it. And the fact the boy probably had more food was a large factor as well. Hobbling after him with his three legs, Naruto gazed at the missing appendage. Naruto, with all the intelligence a child could manage when it came to designating names, pondered the act of naming for several moments. Eventually, he just smashed the words 'tri' and 'leg' together, and thus, Trileg was born. Once hearing of this name, the dog seemed to scowl at the blond, but the comfort of walking side-by-side with someone else overrode that.

Neither of them were alone anymore.

And from that day on, the two were essentially inseparable. Naruto took to the responsibilities of owning a pet with vigour, while finally having a friend who would listen to him, play with him, comfort him and make him smile. The two gave each other a much-needed happiness that made each day a little more colourful, each glare a little less hurtful, each strain from age a little easier to ignore.

Naruto remembered the happiness of lying in bed with Trileg, telling the dog stories of epic ninja. His favourite one to tell was the story of the Fourth Hokage, and how he could vanish and reappear in a flash. He remembered the amusement he felt when giving the old mutt a bath, and how despite having three legs, Trileg managed to escape the confides of the bathroom and track water everywhere. Naruto was laughing for what felt like hours, pure joy echoing off the walls when he did so.

With Trileg, Naruto thought, it opened a new possibility. That maybe, in fact, he could allow himself to be happy. He didn't have to watch as his precious people were happy without him. Now he too could truly immerse himself in the wonders that came with a happy heart, all the while sharing that experience with those people he desperately tried to make smile.

Until, it all stopped a couple of weeks ago. It happened so suddenly, like turning on the lights to allow Trileg to navigate himself across a room. He was there, and then, he wasn't. Those other kids, he thought with a vengeful snarl, those bullies. He should've seen it coming, he should've been strong enough to protect something as small as a dog. But he wasn't. And that was his failure to bear alone. Alone, in this cold, dark apartment. All alone.

He thought of the park, that stupid patch of greenery where it all went wrong. It wasn't a large park, there were much larger ones spread throughout the Leaf Village, but it seemed that chance was playing against him that day. He didn't mean for his tennis ball to hit that boy's head, honestly. He wasn't distracted or anything, that was a fool's excuse. It was a simple slip of the hand, a simple role of the dice of fate. And when those boys came marching towards him and Trileg, they recognised him immediately.

They argued, pushed and shouted. Until one of the boys lashed out with a kick towards Trileg, clearly intending on riling Naruto up. Naruto knew he hadn't meant to hurt the dog too badly, but it seemed Trileg was just too old, too tired, too broken. The kick impacted the dog, and ribs were shattered. Trileg keeled over with a yelp, as the shards of bone pierced his lungs. Naruto screamed his name, as the dog's whimpers were interrupted by gasps of air escaping the lungs of the old mutt.

And as Naruto kneeled next to him, crying and panicking, he couldn't even look his friend in the eye. On his left side, with a blind right eye, Naruto couldn't even see him off. He just went, alone like the day he found him. How scared must he have been? And Naruto felt the same fear due to the separation. Naruto was alone, with no Trileg to lick his fingers when he was down. No support structure, no scaffolding, no strength. The building collapsed, and Naruto's rage was like an ocean, an unstoppable storm that ripped through anything to get its vengeance. But before the rage, at the storm's centre, was calm. Pure agonising calm that seemed to echo in the soul, reverberating off the walls of the mind and while giving an unnatural feeling of insight. The eye of the storm held many things: prophecy, omens or just a hint of what was to come. The calm provided clarity, with a laughing echo that Naruto was going to be alone forever. And then the eye passed with a spring in its step, a jovial skip knowing what was now the contents of Naruto's mind.

The storm. The storm provided justice, a personal justice that could not be sated until it consumed you. And Naruto snapped. With red eyes and sharp teeth that Naruto didn't realise were present, too immersed in the moment, he turned to the boys and snarled. They ran and the storm passed, leaving the agonising wreckage in its wake.

Naruto cried, even when the Hokage appeared along with several other shinobi in masks. Even their blank faces seemed to hold a pity in them, or maybe that was just the imagination of an anguished mind. How he got there so quickly, Naruto still didn't know, but he did. And for that, Naruto would be forever grateful. The crying died out with a whimper, and the joy left his eyes with a melancholy goodbye.

And the dice of fate, that infinite sided die landed, and the world would never be the same again. A secondary seal that was meant to naturally decay had been forced open, and now, Naruto's mind was a bit more open to buried voices than it was before.

Naruto stared down at his clenched fist, glass producing bloody tears from the burrow they had produced in his flesh.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Naruto couldn't care less about the noise, not when everything was getting so very quiet. Not when everything was getting darker with every passing thought, not when he collapsed onto the floor.

Exhausted, tear-stricken, and alone.

The time for unconsciousness was over for Naruto in a flash, as he felt water up to the back of his ears. The dripping of water, much more tangible and real than before, and the sound of knocking pipes were enough to rouse him from his painful slumber. He shot up with a gasp, his body almost feeling displaced. He immediately looked at his hand, not particularly caring for his surroundings or how he got to this new area. All the glass shards were gone and he didn't feel any physical pain, making the boy wonder how long he was asleep for such a thing to happen.

"What is this creepy place?" Naruto thought with a sense of dread welling up inside of him, the water splashing as he stood up, "Why is it so dark?"

He was in some sort of circular corridor, and there were broken bars lining the tunnels every 10 metres or so. Before he could contemplate how he even got in a sewer like this one, he heard a loud breathing coming from the corridor on his right. The boy jumped up in fear, shivers travelling up his spine as he stared in the direction of the breathing that was getting increasingly louder. The pipes that lined the walls glowed with a dull red, clearly flowing somewhere down the corridor.

'A monster!' Naruto thought in horror, his eyes widening in fear, 'Everyone always says that monsters live in dark places like this! I didn't believe a word of it but now? And the breathing is so loud! What is it?'

Naruto wanted to turn and run the other way. Away from the scary breathing and sewer. He was alone. He hated being alone. It was all he had ever known. And his salvation from that had just been taken from him. He wanted to see Jiji again. He wanted to see Old Man Teuchi and Big Sis Ayame again. Almost reaching his hand down, expecting a tongue to lick at his fingertips, he remembered the event that had transpired weeks ago. The boy, in a surprising amount of maturity, decided that having his mind distracted by his old friend was probably not for the best with potential monsters about. And as the panic began to build in his throat and made it difficult to breathe, he desperately wanted his parents. He wanted to hold them, and for them to reassure him that everything was alright. He wanted to talk to them, eat with them, play with them, cry with them. But, he never will. The maturity he displayed earlier broke, and the full force of his situation hit him.

Naruto walked into the wall behind him and slid down it, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"I'm so alone," Naruto said with a sniffle, lowering his head to his knees and wrapping his arms around his shins.

But all Naruto could hear was the sound of water, and his own cries. How many times had he heard his cries, through day and night. Looking up above his knees at the wall in front of him, Naruto was just glad the breathing had stopped. Maybe he just imagined it, and he was alone with his thoughts and tears.

"Alone?" a loud, deep voice called out through the tunnels, making the ground shake and Naruto's heart freeze, "Don't be a fool…"

Naruto shot up from his sitting position, his breathing becoming frantic and his legs wobbling. Who the hell was that? It was so… terrifying. Naruto tried to steady himself with a hand on his chest, taking a couple of steps back, the water sloshing as he did so. He couldn't have imagined that, could he?

"Come," the voice said, "See how alone you truly are."

Naruto's eyes flashed red, and his curiosity overcame his fear. He slowly walked towards the voice, rounding a corner as he did so. By the time he reached the end of the tunnel, he noticed a bloodied tennis ball, floating on the water like a boat. Towards the end of the tunnel was a small gate that lined the threshold, and it appeared to have been broken open. The bars bent outwards, and the small piece of paper that lined it was soaked on the floor. Hundreds of tallies of 3 lined the walls, as they dripped with blood. Unsettled by the sight of blood leaking from the walls of that painful number, Naruto rushed through the broken gate and into a large room, with two massive gates in front of him.

The breathing was quite loud here, and seemed to be coming from inside what Naruto deduced to be a cage. Between the two doors of the cage was a piece of parchment, which had the kanji for 'Seal' on it. Naruto stared at the cage with wide eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. As Naruto's eyes adjusted to the new room, he began to see a figure behind the large doors. Naruto could see it was very large and orange for starters, with its mouth on its two large paws. Its red eyes glared at Naruto, and it had its teeth bared, snarling at Naruto. Come to think about it, Naruto thought it looked like a fox. And the more he looked at it, the more he noticed it had nine tails swishing behind its body, all acting independently as if they had a mind of their own.

'Wait…' Naruto thought with an increasing sense of dread, as the fox grinned when he noticed the boy's slow mind realise what he was, 'A fox with Nine Tails…'

"Boo," Kyuubi said with a sadistic grin, making the boy jump out of his skin and on his ass.

"Y-y-you're the…" Naruto stuttered in fear, his mind reeling at the mere presence of the Bijuu.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune! That's right brat!" the Kyuubi said with a snarl, eying his container with anger.

"But you're dead!" Naruto said with assurance and shock. He knew everything about the 10th of October. How could he not? It was one of the few things he could actually put his mind to, seeing as it caused him so much pain. The day the Fourth Hokage killed the fox demon, the day the villagers got angry and happy at the same time, the day the Fourth Hokage died, and last of all, Naruto's birthday. Although no one celebrated it. Jiji would always take him for ramen, but always walk him home.

"Do I look dead to you?" the beast roared in anger, making Naruto jump up in shock once more, but with much less fear than before. It was strange, Naruto began to think. It was as if he was used to the fox's presence, but that was impossible! He had only just met the thing!

"The Fourth didn't kill you then? He sealed you away?" Naruto asked, his infamous but unknown Namikaze curiosity getting the better of him. Naruto stared at the seal in wonder, thinking about how the Fourth had time to put the fox away in this cage. Naruto quickly dismissed the thought. The Fourth was his hero and the greatest ninja of all time! Of course he found a way! As he told Trileg many times: 'The Fourth Hokage could visit every country in the world and be home in time for tea!'

"Actually, I'm free to go," Kyuubi said with a snort, making the boy raise an eyebrow in confusion, which the fox noticed easily with his sharp eyes, "Of course he sealed me away, you dumb kid!"

"But how do the people not know the Kyuubi lives underneath the city? You're like, super big!" Naruto chirped, not realising how much he enjoyed talking to people who gave him the time of day. It was both one of his worst yet most endearing habits.

The fox stared at Naruto in shock, before its upper lip twitched. It looked like it was struggling to breath, and its eyes screamed it was about to have the time of its life. Naruto was about to ask what the dumb fox was looking at him like that for, but he was cut off by a booming laughter. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as the room shook, dust falling from the ceiling. The pipes began to glow slightly more red as the laughter continued to echo through the room. Naruto thought about the fox's laugh. It wasn't the most angry or evil one he'd heard before, but he sure as hell heard nicer ones in his life.

"Oi oi, what's so funny?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes, and a pout on his lips. He hated when people laughed at him, but he still preferred it to glares or ignorance. Laughing meant they at least noticed him, right?

The laughter slowly began to die down, and the fox sported a savage grin, clearly eager to let out some of the anger that had been stewing for five years.

"You don't know?" the fox said mockingly, edging his eye close to the bars to get a closer look at the boy.

"No," Naruto muttered, confused as to what the fox was alluding to.

"I'm not sealed under the village brat," Kyuubi began to say, and Naruto began to feel sick, "I'm sealed inside YOU!"

Kyuubi roared the last part angrily, slamming his hands against the bars in a rage. He wanted to feel the breeze against his fur, the ground beneath his claws, and the sun on his body. But he was denied this right! By a boy no less!

'The next time I see an Uchiha, I'll rip their heart out with my bare claws!' Kyuubi thought in a rage, slightly shaking in his infernal anger, 'And if the Fourth Hokage wasn't there, maybe I would be free right now! I mean, he did release me from the Uchiha's prison, but only to trap me in this…child! I swear, Minato Namikaze, I'll break away from this brat and murder every last Uchiha on the planet. You may have earnt my respect; even I couldn't keep up with your speed, but I will break out of here! And your brat is the key! And what can you do? Trapped in the Shinigami's stomach! But now… it's time to lay the framework of my plan!'

Naruto fell to his knees. He may be five, and he may be one of the most reckless, held back geniuses in Konoha; but even he understood what this meant. He had the Nine Tails sealed inside of him! By his hero, the Fourth Hokage no less! Why pick him? He was a nobody, and even more so due to this curse! His fists clenched underneath the waterline. The pipers began to glow even more red, as Naruto felt the urge to break something. What about his family? Why had they agreed to allow him to be... used as a cage for a demon! How could anyone give someone else their son to be nothing but a prison! What kind of parent did you have to be to knowingly give away your child for a fate that was worse than death? Naruto's thoughts shifted from anger to sorrow. From day one, no one wanted him. He was so very alone, in the darkness which surrounded him. He just wanted someone to be there for him again! He'd do anything for that! Maybe even give up his dream to be Hokage. Just to relieve him of the pain now, as opposed to years in the future.

Tears started to leak from his eyes and he started to sob, making the fox stop his rage. Maybe he hated humans for their blasted attitude towards him for the last 900 years or so but Kyuubi still had ideals which he held on to. Internally, Kyuubi was also annoyed about the treatment towards his siblings, but you would never catch him saying it out loud. But, in front of him was a child, and while Kyuubi was willing to sacrifice him for his goals without a shadow of a doubt; he still had enough compassion to feel empathy for the boy. Not to mention, Kyuubi detested the treatment the little brat received. Kyuubi decided that he would at least try to be moderately nice to the brat for the time being, seeing as he would die when Kyuubi would break free. Besides, the Bijuu thought with a grin, manipulating the brat would be much easier if Kyuubi helped him out and played nice.

"OI!" the fox said loudly, making the boy look up at him with tearful eyes, "Listen brat, there's no need to cry, right? My container should be much stronger than this! How will you be Hokage if you keep crying?"

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with wide eyes, which began brimming with more tears. This fox, how did he know? Maybe… he wasn't so bad? Naruto thought back to the most important night of his young life so far, one year ago.

It was a cold night in Konoha, and the moon was shining its reflective light on the Earth, making the trees surrounding the village almost glow. Naruto and Hiruzen sat on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, which the old man knew was Naruto's favourite spot to sit in. The old man appreciated the symbolism of the situation; and as he took a drag from his pipe, he thought fondly of Minato and Kushina.

"Hey Jiji," Naruto suddenly said, as the two had been sitting in a comfortable silence beforehand, "Why do the villagers hate me so much?"

Hiruzen sighed with a furrowed brow. The old man had many, many regrets. But few were greater than the failure at protecting Minato's son better than he could have done. One day, he'll move Naruto into Minato's old compound and tell the whole village about his heritage, if the boy wanted him to do so. Then, maybe the villagers would treat him like the hero he actually was. And looking down at the boy, Hiruzen smiled a fond smile few in the world received from the God of Shinobi.

"You know I can't tell you that until you are older, Naruto"

Naruto looked sadly at the Fourth Hokage's head, and an idea brimmed in the back of the boy's mind. He just wanted the respect of the village, and to receive smiles instead of glares. And he knew no one who was more respected than Jiji. People always said great things about Jiji, no matter what he did.

"Why do people respect you so much Jiji?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, before looking towards the rest of Konoha with a frown.

"Because I am the Hokage, Naruto. Everyone respects the Hokage because they uphold the Will of Fire, and they protect the village and treat everyone like their family."

Naruto's eyes seemed to have a new life in them as he contemplated what the Hokage said, as he began to smile as if he never knew how to smile in the first place. Perhaps that is what he needed all along. A purpose.

"Hey Jiji!" Naruto yelled, standing up and pointing towards the Hokage, making the man look towards the boy with curious eyes, "I've decided something! I'm going to be the greatest Hokage the world has ever seen. Better than you! And even better than the Fourth Hokage! The villagers will respect me, and I will show Konoha I have the greatest Will of Fire they've ever seen y'know!"

Hiruzen stared at the boy with wide eyes, and he could swear he could see Minato standing behind the boy, ruffling his hair with that happy smile of his. Hiruzen began to smile himself, and already his Hokage hat began to itch, as if the man needed to take it off. And honestly, he couldn't wait for that day to come.

"Then I'll be waiting…Naruto!"

Naruto remembered the day with fondness. He truly loved Jiji with all his heart. And the fox was right, he swore to Jiji he would be Hokage! Otherwise, his name wasn't Naruto Uzumaki!

"Hey, Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted, making the fox stare at him after having lied back down, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the future Hokage! I don't know why the Fourth sealed you inside of me specifically, but he did y'know! So, I've got the make the best of it, otherwise I could never become Hokage! I want to protect my precious people y'know!"

"People?" Kyuubi asked with curiosity, wondering if he had missed someone that wasn't the Third or those ramen shop owners.

"Of course!" Naruto said with a grin and a thumbs up, making the Kyuubi stand up on all fours, and stare down at the boy with his tails swishing from side to side, "You know, you're not so bad! And you and me, we're both stuck with each other, right? You've been with me since day one and I haven't shown the slightest bit of gratitude! So…I've decided you're one of my special people!"

Kyuubi stared at the boy in abject horror and confusion, a foreign feeling welling up inside of him that he hadn't felt in a long time. He couldn't quite place it though. Years of torment and hatred of humans had built up such an evil presence, he had forgotten what a certain feeling felt like. Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock, his brain finally processing what the boy had said. The sheer audacity of that statement was unfathomable! The… naivety of it all!

"OI! You can't just decide that for yourself!" the Bijuu said with a clenched fist and a tick mark on his head, making the boy just laugh with glee. The Bijuu's eyes widened, and his fist unclenched slowly. The feeling sprung up even more now, and the angry fox crushed it in anger. He hated being out of the loop! He was the most cunning and powerful of the Bijuu, with the most tails and intelligence! He hated the unknown with a passion, "Just get out of the mindscape you brat! Just imagine where you were last, and it should pull you out of here! I'll talk to you later, so hurry up and leave before I reach my hand through these bars and tear you in two!"

Naruto just smiled at the fox, before walking away towards where he had come from. The boy then stopped, and turned to the fox with confidence. A boy who was ready to accept what happened to his friend, and was ready to live his life with a new passion that was never there before.

Weeks spent in his apartment, doing the bare minimum to live and grow. And, with an insightful, soft smile on his face, he knew Trileg would want him to help this overgrown fuzzball like they had done for each other.

With a foxy grin on his face, one very similar to one the fox would sport hundreds of years ago when his mind wasn't clouded with hatred, Naruto stared at the violent demon that had been with him since he'd been born.

And as the fox stared at him with a vengeful look, glaring to be sure; there was something else. Something sad. So very sad, and so very tired.

'Just like Trileg…' Naruto thought with the ache of fondness in his heart, as he knew he would never forget his first friend, 'Exactly like Trileg. This one's for you, ya smelly mutt…'

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" the boy began, and Kyuubi prepared himself for another Hokage speech with an eye roll. It seemed like it could be one of the boy's stupid ninja arts or something!

"What's yours?"

If Kyuubi had a heart, it would've stopped beating there and then. This brat! He was different to Mito and Kushina! He actually asked for his name! No one ever assumed the Bijuu had names, at least not from what he had seen and heard. Kyuubi began to breathe again, although he was perfectly aware he didn't need to. Kyuubi's feeling came back stronger than ever, and the fox actually managed to crack a small smile without realising. A second later, however, his defence mechanism kicked in and annoyance seeped into his heart. This brat didn't nearly have enough of his respect yet to know his name!

"As if I'd tell a human that!" the fox said, flopping back down with a frown, making the boy look at him with inquisitive eyes, "Just get out of here Kit! Before I get really angry!"

Naruto looked at the fox with a pout, silently vowing to himself that he was going to find out Kyuubi's name, no matter what! He'll definitely think of a nickname for the fox before he talked to him next! He'll try to avoid a number related name this time… probably. He began to walk down the tunnel with a snicker, just happy he made a new friend. Maybe even one of those best friends Naruto had always heard so much about.

As Kyuubi stared at Naruto's back, he grinned with an almost calculative look on his face. So began the manipulation of Naruto Uzumaki, and the destruction of the Uchiha clan! And his freedom. As the fox went to sleep with a softer smile on his face, recalling the moment he just spent with his Jinchuuriki, he hadn't quite realised how things work with Konoha's future Number One Unpredictable Ninja! Soon, the fox would realise who was truly being manipulated. The old Bijuu didn't even realise he had given the boy an affectionate nickname, it just seemed to roll off his tongue. As Kyuubi went to sleep peacefully for the first time in a while, he had one thought drifting through his head.

'It's Kurama'

Naruto blinked his eyes open, grunting at the light shining through the window. He slowly pushed himself off the floor, noticing that his hands seemed to be free of injury. Naruto took a deep breath, taking in the room around him. Not including the broken portrait, the room clearly had suffered due to weeks of skulking about on Naruto's end. In his grief, he had done nothing about the clothes strewn all over the floor or the cups of ramen lying in huge piles. Taken a whiff through his nose, the boy nearly gagged at the smell of it all.

Naruto cast his eyes to the corner of the room, where Trileg's blanket resided. Sighing softly, the boy opened his cupboard and pulled out a large trunk while scraping it along the floor. Upon opening the large box, one could easily tell it was filled with instant ramen cups. Carefully placing the ramen onto the floor, Naruto grabbed the blanket and folded it up into a neat square. Carefully placing it like one would a newborn, the blonde smiled in satisfaction before moving around the apartment to scavenge for any other objects he could place in the memory box. Naruto immediately went for the photo, pocketing it for later.

Moving to the kitchen, Naruto easily identified two dog bowls. One was for food, while the other was for water. Quickly grabbing both, he went to place them side-by-side in the trunk, trying to ignore the fact they would never be filled again. Moving swiftly onwards, the boy moved towards what appeared to be a cuddly toy the size of his head, one which looked like a cat. Or at least the remains of a cuddly toy, Naruto observed, as he picked up what was essentially just cotton at his point. Naruto chuckled to himself, before placing it in the trunk after he walked back into his room.

It hurt when he placed the photo in there. But the boy decided it was a good kind of hurt. It meant that even now, he did love that three-legged animal with all his heart. Slamming the trunk and locking it, the boy strained as he slid the box back into the cupboard. He closed the cupboard with a heavy heart, but as he spent the next half-hour cleaning the huge mess he had made over the last couple of weeks, he felt lighter and happier than ever. Maybe it was because he had finally moved on, or maybe it was because of his new friend that resided in his stomach.

Nevertheless, as he opened his apartment's back window and perched on the windowsill, he felt the true makings of a good day. After it, it was his birthday, he thought with a grin.

Casting his eyes to the blinking sunlight, the rays routinely blocked by the sway of the leaves from the trees nearby; he felt a familiar feeling of happiness again. Finally, he thought, a friend he could talk to!

As he jumped down onto a stairwell that was the building's fire escape, the boy's thoughts drifted to the encounter he had earlier. Was it a dream?

He hoped not, as he greatly enjoyed having a new friend, even if it was a fox demon. He had to know if his friend was still there.

'Kyuubi?' Naruto thought loudly in his head as he began to climb the ladder to the roof, unnerved by the silence in his head that followed, 'Are you there? Kyuubi?'

"What do you want?" the voice boomed in his head, nearly making Naruto lose his footing on the next step, "I was trying to sleep Kit! Just because we finally met, doesn't mean you can disturb my rest!"

Naruto just smiled to himself, climbing up the next ladder with enough energy to start skipping a step, almost leaping from bar to bar. He was so relieved to know the fox was real, his mind focusing on the positives of what he learned as opposed to the negatives. He had one more precious person now, and it made Naruto extremely giddy. His life almost made sense now, the fear of the unknown dissipating in its near entirety.

'Look Kyuu! We're going on an adventure! And my hand is feeling better than ever!' Naruto thought happily, feeling the fox stir in the back on his mind as if he had finally woken up properly. Naruto gripped the ladder with his right hand extremely tightly for emphasis, however, this made his whole body jolt at the sudden change in speed. His knee crashed into the step above it, and the boy let out an almost girl-ish scream in his head. Kurama began to realise that Naruto was the worst kind of alarm clock, wincing at the sounds of the boys screams. Normally, he would take delight in such suffering, but he was too tired to find enjoyment in even such a simple thing. He couldn't even throw him into the wall like most alarm clocks for heaven's sake! Maybe, the fox thought, he had a snooze function somewhere? Kurama's thoughts came to a halt as he processed the boy's sentence.

"What did you call me?" the fox said with dread, picking up on Naruto's new nickname for him.

'Kyuu! You won't tell me your real name, and Kyuubi isn't a proper name at all! So, I made you a new name!'

"But I have a name!" the fox thought with a childish frown, not realising he had already talked more to Naruto in a day then he had with his whole time with Mito and Kushina.

'But you won't tell me you overgrown fuzzball!' Naruto quickly pointed out in outrage. It was like talking to a brick wall. A fuzzy, angry brick wall that destroyed the village but a brick wall all the same.

"Oi! Just because I didn't tell you my name, doesn't mean you can make a new one for me brat!" the Nine Tails responded in frustration, starting to feel a little annoyed that the anger of losing something as stupid as a dog dying had broken open the Mind Contact Seal, "I am the Kyuubi, the greatest of the Bijuu! I can crush you without a second thought, destroy mountains with my tremendous power! People fear me all across the world, my name makes peo-"

'So, can I tell Jiji about you then?' Naruto thought innocently, wanting to let the old man know that he had made a new friend. Jiji couldn't possibly know about the fox, right? He couldn't see inside Naruto, no matter how smart he was. Naruto broke open the hatch at the top of the fire escape. The wear and tear on the hinges were easily visible due to the blonde's casual use of the fire escape to leave his apartment.

"DON'T CUT ME OFF!" Kyuubi whined, before registering the boy's words in his head, "And no! Trust me kid, I'll never be able to talk to you again if you tell him now!"

Naruto felt a sense of horror well up inside of him as he began to run towards the rooftop of the building connected to his one. He had just made a new friend, someone who would always be with him from what he could gather. Jumping down due to the different height of the buildings, there was no way he was going to lose that, otherwise he would be alone again! Also, he was really fluffy, Naruto concluded. His new friend had everything a person could ask for, he thought passionately, with his foot nearly slipping on the tiles of the hipped roof. Naruto sweat-dropped at his clumsiness and continued on, seemingly without a destination in mind.

'Okay Kyuu!'

Kurama let out a sigh, knowing he was stuck with that nickname now. He might as well make the best of it. Laying his chin on his paws, the fox could easily say that this was the best Jinchuuriki he'd ever had, not that the bar was that high anyway. While he couldn't wait to get out, it wasn't like this experience was terrible now that he had someone to talk to. He had been very lonely for a while, though he would never admit it, and Naruto was certainly a positive change compared to being staked through all his tails. Now that hurt like a bitch, Kurama remembered with a frown.

"Whatever Kit. I'm going back to bed," Kurama said with a snort, closing its eyes as it went silent for a moment.

'You shouldn't be sleeping like a tanuki y'know!' Naruto pointed out, annoyed the fox was feigning sleep to ignore him. He wanted to do so much with his friend now that they had met, but he couldn't do that if he was being lazy!

Kurama's eyes twitched at the mention of being like a tanuki, and was going to scold Naruto before deciding against it, trying to actually sleep this time. Naruto chuckled to himself and began to jump from rooftop to rooftop, the gaps between each building small enough for him to leap across.

Jumping to the next roof, Naruto had decided what his next destination would be. He jumped onto the street after landing on someone's balcony, his knees buckling as he did so. He began to run down the path he set before him, laughing all the way to Icharaku Ramen. He finally had a friend, a friend who could actually talk back to him! Albeit, a giant demon fox that attacked the village and killed many people. But nonetheless, a friend! Naruto's thoughts kept on coming back to this very idea. He couldn't quite wrap his head around it, due to it being such a foreign concept. His only friend so far had been an old dog, so a huge monster was understandably a huge step.

The small boy was definitely curious to know more about his precious person, and he sported a grin that seemed to almost glow. He couldn't seem to stop smiling! Kyuu was super cool and super friendly! Not to mention, he acted really funny as well. Naruto stumbled as he rounded a corner with a laugh, ignoring the glares from the villagers. He had a friend again, and soon, everyone in the village would be his friend too! He's started small with Kyuu, although the fox was very big Naruto had to admit. He wanted to talk to his new friend all the time, to the point his jaw would fall off! Although, the cage was a grim reminder of why the fox was sealed away. For attacking the village. But his friend was so nice, Naruto argued, so why would he do such a thing?

'Hey Kyuu,' Naruto thought to the fox, making him crack open one eye, 'Why did you attack the village?'

"I was forced," the fox simply supplied. He may hate humans, but he'd rather have left to the forest immediately and not looked back on that fateful day. Especially if he knew how fast that annoying Fourth Hokage was. Kurama's mind was still reeling at the sheer speed the man had displayed, and yet he still fell to the mighty demon. Upon remembering that fact, Kurama began to feel a familiar feeling. One that Kurama had felt all his life. The one that reared its head when his mind drifted to his father or siblings. The one that reminded him of his failure to everyone. The one that was guilt.

'Forced?' Naruto thought shocked, making him nearly bump into a person due to his absent mind. He murmured an apology, before he continued to stay the course.

"Watch where you're going!" Kurama said quickly, making the boy laugh obnoxiously in response. Kurama had seen the boy's attitude ever since he could speak, but experiencing it in person was another matter entirely.

'Aren't you like, super powerful? How can someone force you to do that?' Naruto asked inquisitively, trying to figure out the answer. Kurama's chest puffed at that statement, however, memories of the night 5 years ago reeled him back in. Everything came back to that night, no matter how much Kurama tried to forget about it.

"It was a blasted Uchiha!" Kurama said with a snarl, his rage peaking at the mere mention of the clan, "What do you know of the Uchiha, boy?"

'Nothing?' Naruto thought with an embarrassed blush. He didn't want his only friend to think he was an idiot.

"They are a clan that belongs to Konoha. They have an insufferable Dōjutsu called the Sharingan. It has many abilities, but the worst one is 'The Eye of Hypnotism'," Kurama explained, as Naruto listened intently to the explanation as he approached the Icharaku Ramen shop, "This allows them to take control of me or any of my siblings. We have no freedom over our actions. It is…unpleasant."

Naruto frowned at the thought of this. Kyuu had his freedom taken away by so many people, and now he was taking it away from him as well. But, what if someone tried to control him again? It would probably be safer for everyone in the village if Kyuu stayed with him. But still, Naruto thought with sadness as he entered the shop, he wished he could alleviate Kyuu's pain. Naruto's thoughts lingered on this as he burst into Icharaku's with a smile, his sensitive nose already smelling the ramen.

"Hey!" Naruto said, leaping onto one of the chairs in a single jump, smiling at Teuchi with happiness. The old man was one of the better things in Naruto's life, that much was for certain.

"Naruto!" Teuchi said, making Ayame poke her head through the door with a smile, "How have you been?"

"Good!" Naruto said, rocking in his chair and holding up his hand with all his fingers open, "I'm five now!"

"Five years old! Well, happy birthday Naruto!" Teuchi said with a fond smile, happy to see his favourite customer happy. The boy really was something special, he concluded, and he definitely seemed to make the store have a certain glow.

Naruto just laughed to himself, rubbing the back of his head as he did so. He was very glad he had met Teuchi and Ayame, when Jiji had taken him there every month for a special meal. No matter what, Jiji always showed up and ate with him. Up until now, this one building has held most of Naruto's good memories, and that was a debt the boy believed he could never repay. Naruto watched as Teuchi leaned in towards him with a grin on his face.

"What do you say, as a secret birthday gift, you can have ramen on the house today?" Teuchi said with a chuckle, making Naruto's eyes widen in happiness. He couldn't believe it! This day might be the best one he's ever had!

"OF COURSE!" Naruto shouted in joy, making Teuchi laugh boisterously, "6 Pork Miso Ramen please!"

Teuchi walked over to the kitchen with a smile, ready to cook up the boy's order with Ayame. He didn't need payment, not today. Seeing Naruto bounce on his chair with the biggest grin on his face was all he needed.

Naruto watched as Teuchi walked into the kitchen, and proceeded to enter his mindscape. He wanted to tell Kyuu all about the free ramen he just got. Naruto imagined himself in front of Kyuu's cage, and there he was. Ankle-deep in water, staring at the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts.

"HEY KYUU!" Naruto shouted, making the fox crack open an eye lazily. He seemed to do that a lot, Naruto realised. Maybe it was a fox thing?

"What do you want?" Kurama asked curiously. He was going to scold the boy for leaving the conversation about the Uchiha so suddenly, but seeing the smile on the Kit's face, he logically couldn't stay that angry at him. The boy was easy to get along with, at least more so than any other humans he had close contact with in the past. Also, it was hard to manipulate the boy if he was angry at him. Besides, he said what he needed to say about those insufferable Uchiha.

"Well, I went into Icharaku's Ramen to get some ramen, right? And you just told me about those mean Uchi-guys or whatever!" Naruto began to babble to his friend, and the fox continued to stare at the boy with a neutral expression.

"And then I told Teuchi about my birthday! I'm five now! You know that right? Of course you do! Wait, does that make you five? Actually, how old are you? Are you actually a grumpy old man? That would be funny right? Anyways, I was thinking about what ramen I wanted! There were just so many choices to pick from y'know! I know so many different kinds of ramen that my head hurts anytime I think about which one I want!"

". . ."

"But I mean, I'll eat any kind of ramen! Champon ramen, Tonkotsu ramen, Turkey Paitan ramen, Kimchi ramen…"

". . ."

"Of course none of those are my favourites! I mean, I have one I'll order every time, no matter what! You see, I personally like-"

"Pork Miso Ramen, right?" Kyuubi supplied naturally and casually, having noticed that is what the boy always ordered. But, Kurama thought quickly, he only remembered that now because he needed it to secure the boy's friendship. Kurama seemed happy with this explanation he gave himself, and turned his attention to the boy.

"Hey! You did know! You're awesome Kyuu!"

The fox grinned, ready to sink his claws further into the boy. That was the end goal no matter what, Kurama thought determinedly. But, his mind quickly supplied, surely the road they took to get there was less important, right? If Kurama enjoyed talking to the boy and made him happy, well that was just convenient of course.

The end goal was all that mattered, Kurama thought; but surely if he made the boy smile by paying attention to him and making sure he was okay, it wouldn't harm his plans. Yeah, Kurama justified in his head; as a grin made its way onto his face, similar to Naruto's one. It definitely didn't matter if he smiled with the boy along the way.

"We're friends, right?" Kurama asked, watching as the boy's face lit up like a forest fire, "Of course I would know!"

"You're the best Kyuu!" Naruto cheered, throwing his fist in the air with a cute smile. Naruto seemed to stop for a moment, as if he had just remembered something.

"Hey Kyuu!" Naruto asked, and the fox raised his head off his paws to look at him, "Is there any way for you to walk around in the real world?"

"Of course not!" Kurama replied with an edge of sadness to his voice, "Not without breaking open the seal entirely, which I know you won't do! Stop asking stupid questions Kit!"

"Oh yeah," Naruto said with a frown, his mind racing to help his friend, "Hang on…I once saw Jiji summon a talking monkey-thing after biting his thumb and touching the ground! You're a talking animal too! You think I could do something like that for you? So, you stay in here and part of you walks about. Would that work?"

Kurama's eyes widened in shock. Never would he have expected that idea to be presented to him. He didn't even know if the boy could figure it out, let alone if it was actually possible. The Kit was willing to go to such great lengths to bring the fox any sort of freedom. Kurama's mind started to work. How could they even go about doing this? Kurama knew enough about fūinjutsu to know how to break the Eight Trigrams Seal. You don't spend over 50 years with the Uzumaki Clan and not pick up fūinjutsu. But still, to bypass the seal in such a way as to allow him to walk freely without escaping; that would require a master to figure it out.

"What makes you think you can figure something like that out?" Kurama pointed out, dying to hear the kids answer. Perhaps, the fox had underestimated him after all.

"Because I'm making a promise! That's my Ninja Way! I will figure it out, even if I have to practise less as a ninja to do it!" Naruto said, looking determinedly at the fox.

Kurama couldn't formulate any words. This kid was willing to go further for him than anyone had in his whole life! Who the hell was this brat anyway! Memories of a time long past hit Kurama like a wave, and the Tailed Beast forgot about his need to escape for that brief moment.

'Could he be…the one the Old Man talked about?' Kurama thought in shock, looking at a smiling Naruto. He had to figure this Kit out, before it was too late.

"Why would you help me? I'm a Tailed Beast, a demon! I destroyed this village and murdered hundreds, whether I was in control or not!" Kurama said quickly, wanting to prove that Naruto was just trying to use him like the rest of the humans he had encountered.

Naruto tilted his head and proceeded to look at Kurama with one of his signature looks. The look that screamed Kurama had said something entirely obvious and was acting like an idiot. Naruto did have a funny way of looking at the world, but it was the one that would lay the pathway to peace.

"Because," Naruto began, making Kyuubi nearly press his head into the bars in an attempt to listen, "You're my friend!"

Kurama stopped. Everything about him stopped. He had never met a human like this, and he doubted he ever would again. Without him realising, Naruto began worming his way into his heart. Kurama's trust in the Sage that someone would appear to reunite the Tailed Beasts was absolute, and when he saw Naruto, he couldn't help but be an idealistic fool. Immediately, that part of Kurama sank into the back of his mind. It was much more prominent, but only talking to the boy for a day could not vanquish hundreds of years of hatred.

'He's serious!' Kurama thought, a smile etching its way onto his face, 'But actions speak far louder than words! He hasn't proven himself yet, that's for sure. We will see…'

"Anyway!" Naruto said with a smile, "I'd be a terrible Hokage if I couldn't help my friend right? So, I'm gonna finish my ramen and then go to the library! Then, I'm gonna study fūinjutsu and help you see the world for yourself! I'll be a seal master y'know! The best one ever, along with the best Hokage!"

Naruto left the mindscape with a cheer, immediately digging into the ramen that was in front of him. He was determined to help Kyuu, no matter what! Besides, fūinjutsu was a ninja art right? That means that if he wanted to be Hokage, he would have to be the best at it anyway. His blood seemed to stir at the thought of learning sealing. It was as if he was made to do it. Pretty convenient, the boy thought with a grin, that he liked the idea of learning it so much.

Naruto finished his ramen quickly, beating his speed record for eating 6 Miso Ramen bowls by 1 minute. The boy shot out from his chair like a spring. This day somehow kept on getting more awesome, no matter how little he tried. Naruto ran through the door of the ramen shop, before shooting down the street towards the library.

"You idiot. Forgetting something?" Kurama asked with an exasperated sigh, and Naruto froze, sliding down the street a couple metres. Kicking up dust and making lots of noise, the whole street glared at the young boy in fury. Naruto rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh, before running back and popping his head through Icharaku's doorway.

"Thanks so much, Teuchi and Ayame!" Naruto shouted, making the two look at Naruto with a smile, "It's been the best birthday gift this year!"

The two smiled happily at the boy, before waving him off with grins and asking him to come back soon. Naruto ran back into the street, but this time, the glares seemed to be a lot worse and the villagers were whispering to each other. As if they were plotting something. Naruto, being a master prankster, knew when people were plotting. He knew they weren't scheming. Scheming looked much different to plotting. So, he decided it would be best if he avoided the street entirely.

Naruto jumped onto a nearby roof with all his might, catching the ledge and slowly heaving himself up. Naruto just turned five, and while his parents were legendary shinobi and the fox had influence on his physical prowess as well, Naruto struggled to pull himself up. With a grunt, he shot up, scraping his knees against the rough ledge as he did so. The boy ignored the pain and started running over the rooftops, jumping between the small gaps in the buildings. He couldn't wait to get into the library and study fūinjutsu!

"So, we're just not going to tell them that their present was the only one they gave us and therefore, it is the best?"

'I would argue the villagers gave me a pretty bad one actually Kyuu. Those glares weren't exactly gift wrapped...' Naruto thought with a grin, making the fox snort in amusement.

"No wonder I hate humans! You guys give the shittiest presents!" Kyuubi barked, making Naruto frown as he leaped over a particularly large gap between two buildings. While the statement held amusement, he could feel the underlying hatred in the fox's tone.

'One day, I'm going to get rid of the hatred in your heart Kyuu!' Naruto thought with determination, not realising he was well on his way to doing so. Because what was being evil? Was it something genetic, or was it a construct built upon the experiences of our pasts? The morality of man has many layers upon layers of complexity, Naruto would come to learn, and not all people who say they are evil actually are.

He would also come to learn that not all who say they are good have such a state of morality either.

"Not likely!" Kyuubi replied, seeing the world though Naruto's eyes currently, "Watch your left foot Kit!"

Naruto pulled his left foot off the roof he was running along. He hadn't noticed the hole that would've tripped him up had Kyuu not pointed it out. Naruto grinned in happiness. Having a friend who was smart to look out for you sure was great!

Naruto looked towards the horizon as he saw a particularly large building with three large towers, in the shape of a fork. Each tower was at least 20m in diameter, and they were painted white with fire curling around each one. Between each tower was a wooden bridge that was 3m wide, and Naruto could see people crossing or standing to get fresh air. This was the Konoha Shinobi Library, one of the oldest buildings on the entire continent as far as shinobi buildings went. Inside this building were Shinobi scrolls and notes and guides; with some that predated the time of Hashirama Senju and Konoha itself.

Naruto noticed a large gap between the building he was standing on and the next set of buildings that would get him to the library. Naruto took several steps back and took a deep breath in, hopping between each foot. His mind began to fill with determination, as his eyes seemed to light up like a fire.

"I can do this! I CAN DO THIS!" the boy encouraged himself, seemingly getting more energetic with each hop.

"You can't do this…"

"Thanks Kyuu! Great inspirational speech there," Naruto grumbled under his breath, thankfully not alerting the ANBU shadowing him that he talked to someone named 'Kyuu' who they could not see, "I've got this y'know!"

Naruto sprinted to the edge of the building and leaped off it, cheering as he did so. Is this what it felt like to be a ninja? Jumping great distances with ease, looking super cool as he did so. Naruto however, quickly lost altitude and started falling towards the ground. Which part of being a ninja was this again?

"What is it you humans say? 'I told you so', was it?" Kurama said teasingly, making Naruto's eyes narrow in annoyance.

'Kyuu, you can be so mean sometimes!' Naruto thought with a mental frown, making the fox laugh as he had done earlier. Naruto turned his eyes to the street, only just noticing that he was about to crash into a girl holding her mother's hand.

"HEY!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the girl's attention who seemed to look in every direction for the source of the voice, before looking upwards and seeing what seemed to be a flying boy, "GET OUT THE WAY!"

The girl's face paled as she let go of her mother's hand in shock, as Naruto crashed into her and the two proceeded to roll to the edge of the street and into a large patch of grass, which was on the edge of the Konoha Library Park. The mother gasped in shock as she ran towards the two, wanting to see if both children were okay.

Naruto quickly burst through the small dust cloud the two kicked up with a growl, looking towards the girl with slightly guilty eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt anyone. He was just excited, that was all!

"Sorry about that y'know…" Naruto said with a frown, as the girl's mother approached the two with worried eyes. She didn't seem to be angry at the boy at all, who's guilt was easily seen in his posture.

"Satsuki! Are you okay?" she asked, as she watched her daughter brush her skirt with a sigh before looking up at the boy who just crashed into her with slightly narrowed eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened. She had long black hair that reached down to her shoulders, which seemed to almost shine in the sun. Her hair seemed to stick out at the back of her head, in all sorts of directions actually. It reminded Naruto of a duck, particularly it's behind. But her hair also flowed down, in many different strands and directions. Naruto had never seen hair that looked so messy and neat at the same time. She had a small, cute nose which rested on her face and her dark, coal black eyes seemed to pull Naruto in, like they were black holes pulling in all the light they could get. Naruto was shocked. This was one of the first times he had seen a girl his age up close, as most ran away from him immediately as soon as they recognised him.

'She's really pretty…' Naruto thought, making Kurama grin with a knowing smirk, 'Is she some kind of angel or something? Are all girls like this?'

"Oh? Does the little Kit have a crush?" Kurama asked mockingly, only to get no response from the boy who kept looking at the girl called Satsuki in shock, "I've never seen you this captured before. I always thought nothing could take your annoying voice away! If she can do this to you, I'm starting to like her already!"

Naruto quickly scanned the girl's body, looking for injuries that he may have caused her. He didn't want to feel guiltier than he already did, let alone with someone who didn't run away from him!

Mikoto, the girl's mother, smiled as she watched the boy's gobsmacked face when looking at her daughter. No one really gave Satsuki the time of day, as she was from a royal clan and as such, boys were too scared to approach her. To be honest, Satsuki had friends inside the clan, nut next to none outside the clan. While Mikoto could admit that was partially because her daughter liked to ride a slightly high horse when it came to most strangers outside the clan, she was only a title to most people, never a person. But this boy, he was different. And the grin he was sporting gave Mikoto the strangest feeling of nostalgia, although she had no idea why.

"I didn't hurt you, right?" Naruto asked quickly, looking even more guilty than before. The girl smiled brightly at Naruto, who was even more captured by her bright smile. Smiles were an easy way to get Naruto to like you, as the boy hadn't received many in his life so far.

"No," Satsuki quickly supplied, her voice light-hearted and almost happy in a way, "You didn't hurt me at all. Are you okay?"

"Of course!" Naruto said boisterously, making Satsuki smile at him happily. The boy was different to the others, and it was easy to smile when he did, "I'm super tough!"

"Really?" Satsuki said curiously, grinning up at the boy who was slightly shorter than her. He was awfully short for a boy, she noted with amusement. Her blood screamed at her to fight a worthy opponent, but she fought back the feeling quickly, "Why were you jumping from the roof anyway?"

"I was heading to the Shinobi Library," Naruto explained, hearing Kyuu laugh at him in his head, making the boy pout internally, "I kinda didn't look before I leaped, y'know! I tend to do that a lot!"

Naruto proceeded to laugh, making Satsuki stare at him with wide eyes. It was a happy laugh, she concluded, which fitted well with his happy face. Most of her family didn't smile a lot, and the villagers always had fake smiles around her. His piercing blue eyes reminded Satsuki of the ocean, and how deep and cool it was. His blond hair was eye-catching, and the girl was in awe at the way it stuck up in several directions. How did he manage to get it to do that, she thought. Also, Satsuki was curious about his whisker marks. They were pretty amazing, she thought, but why did he have them? Was it a clan trait, similar to the Inuzuka?

As Naruto continued to laugh more, Satsuki proceeded to join with him, making Mikoto smile at the two fondly. Her daughter tended to only laugh around Itachi or herself, so this was a pleasant change for the woman.

"We were heading there as well!" Satsuki supplied after having stopped laughing, making Naruto look at the girl with a raised eyebrow, "You can come with us if you like!"

Naruto regarded her statement with wide eyes, before a grin began to make its way onto his face. He had maybe made a new friend, one who was his age! This was great! His life was really turning around for the better!

'Seriously, this day has gone ridiculously well!' Naruto thought in suspicion, making the large fox snort in amusement. He could see him breaking out of the seal in the future, so he definitely seconded that statement.

Satsuki watched as the boy continued to grin, but then, as if the boy was scolded, the grin quickly vanished into something more sad. The boy looked up at her mother in fear, as if he was dreading something.

"As long as that's fine with your mum," Naruto mumbled, kicking the dirt with his foot lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. Foiled once again by the adults, Naruto thought with a scowl.

Mikoto stared down at the boy sadly, wondering why the boy was so sad. She seemed to have forgotten why, but she knew she had learnt it at some point. Mikoto shook those thoughts away, regarding the boy with a soft smile. Satsuki looked up at her with a happy smile, looking at her mother expectedly.

"Of course!" she said, making Satsuki jump up with a cheer and for Naruto to look at her with a massive smile with an edge of shock in his eyes, "My name's Mikoto by the way. What's your name?"

Mikoto held out her hand for the boy to shake, which he did vigorously with a laugh. Mikoto smiled with her eyes closed. This boy was too cute!

"My name," Naruto began, making Mikoto open her eyes to look at him, "is Naruto Uzumaki!"

Time stopped for Mikoto and it was if someone had punched her in the stomach, hard. The two children didn't notice at all, too engrossed in their conversations to pay attention to Mikoto. This child, how could she have been so blind? He was her late friend Kushina's son. And not only that, but that also means that he was-! Mikoto gasped quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.

'That poor child! Kushina, I'm so sorry!' Mikoto thought in agony, once again mourning the loss of her friend. When she had found out, it was devastating for the woman. She locked herself in her room for a week and barely ate. Only little Satsuki and Itachi managed to rouse her from her slump. Not only that, but she knew Minato quite well as well. His loss from a personal and village standpoint, also ached her heart to this day. Not to mention, the clan was finally opening to the village thanks to the Fourth and his kind heart. And here in front of her was the only thing left in the world to carry on their hopes and dreams. Mikoto decided that she would try to look after the boy to the best of her ability, for Kushina and Minato's sake.

"I've introduced myself," Naruto said confidently, making the girl smile at him, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Of course I can," she said with a giggle, smiling with her eyes closed in happiness, "My name is Satsuki Uchiha!"

And inside his head, Kyuubi roared in pure, unbridled anger.

Here's a rewritten version of the first chapter. If there are any inconsistencies with chapter two because of this, don't worry! That one will be updated soon enough.

As to why I rewrote it, well after reading several comments I realised that I did use clichés for this chapter. And, it is disappointing. I took the easy way out, and I want to apologise for that. If I kept it, it would have continued to bring down the rest of the story. And if you hated this one as well, I would love the constructive criticism, honestly!

As to why someone would kick the shit out of a dog, don't forget that time Inari's dog from the Wave arc got yoted into a river for Kaiza to save. Speaking of dogs, the name is pronounced: (tri as in trip) and (leg as in leg).

Hope you guys have a lovely Easter, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Original Authors Note:

Yo!

I decided to write a Naruto fic, cause why not? I strayed away from writing a Naruto story for a while for several reasons to be honest. Firstly, it's hard to make an original story for this fandom (or maybe I'm a bad writer XD). I started with a mob scene, Naruto makes friends with Kyuubi, etc. But that's the way it turned out in the end. I mean, I'm going to deviate from the canon and stuff, but I would hardly be surprised if this story was already on the site, word for word. Secondly, I'm not as familiar with Naruto as I am with One Piece, so it's harder for me to do good story planning if I'm not 100% familiar with all the lore. I kinda have gaps between the Gaara rescue mission and when Naruto fights the resurrected Jinchuuriki.

Moving swiftly on however, for those few who already know me, good to see you. For those of you who are new, welcome! I hope you enjoyed reading this first chapter. Please feel free to leave reviews or PMs about this story and my writing style! I love criticism and honesty. So, if it's a flame, that's welcome as well!

For those before mentioned few who already know me, chapters of Changing One's World and Revisionist Destiny are being made, and will be released after my exams are over!

Also, you have no idea how hard it was for me to pick a name for fem!Sasuke. In the end, I went with the one that is used in the story called Uzumaki, which I highly recommend you read if you haven't. It's far better than my shitty attempt at a Naruto story I assure you!

I hope you enjoyed reading this story, and I hope you stick around for more!

This is, TheHumulisScriptor, signing out!

Omake: Good Soldiers Follow Orders

"Sit!" Naruto commanded, as Trileg stared at him with a tilt of his head. The dog's one eye almost looked to be mocking him, the blonde thought, as he repeated the command for the 50th time that day. Once again, he was ignored.

After having the old mutt for 2 weeks now, Naruto thought teaching him would make for a pretty good showcase of their bond. Only, it didn't seem to be going that well.

"Come onnnnnnn," Naruto whined, his frustration beginning to build. Perhaps a more hands on approach was required, the Jinchuuriki mischievously thought as he grabbed the bag of dog treats. Trileg now seemed far more invested in whatever his owner was doing than he was before, his sensitive ears picking up on the familiar sound of treats.

"Like this," Naruto said condescendingly, seemingly adding a touch of dramatic flair to his upcoming presentation, almost as if he were performing some kind of show.

"Sit!" Naruto said as he plopped down on the ground, and then ate of dog treat.

Trileg's head titled with a whine, as Naruto gagged at the taste of the crunchy 'treat'.

"GOD!" Naruto said, spluttering and spitting on the floor, "How can you stand that stuff?"

Trileg plodded over to the mess, licking up at the mess of saliva and dog treat that was on the wooden floor. Naruto balked at the sight of action, gagging on bile at the thought of doing something like that. The boy, had seemingly forgotten he had eaten spilled ramen off the floor just yesterday.

The front door opened, and Naruto and Trileg both looked at the opening entryway with a tilt to their heads from their vantage points on the floor. A familiar face entered the premises, and both residents of the apartment shot up in glee at the sight of who it was.

"JIJI!" "WOOF!"

The dog ran in an uncoordinated fashion towards the Hokage, resting it's two front paws on the man's knees. Laughing with mirth, the Hokage squatted down to pet the dog behind the ears, as it rested it's front legs on the floor once more when it saw him begin to move.

"How are you both?" the Hokage asked with a kind smile, quickly noticing the bag of treats in the boy's hand.

"Eh," Naruto simply said, a frown on his face, "I've been trying to teach Trileg to sit, but he seems to be having the time of his life doing anything but that…"

The dog's tail started to wag when it noticed both human's attention on it.

"I see. Well, maybe the phrase about old dogs is true." Sarutobi said, standing up at this full height, "Trileg! SIT!"

The dog immediately plopped down on its rear, staring happily at the Hokage with its one, joyful gaze.

Naruto's brain short-circuited, trying to comprehend what just happened before his eyes.

The Hokage ruffled the dog's head, as its tail started to wag rapidly from side-to-side. The whole joyful experience of coming to this apartment allowed him to briefly forget the burdens of his work. The Raikage had been up his ass lately about caravan trading routs in the land of Hot Water; not to mention the Diamyo had been pressuring him to seize an old abandoned fort near Takigakure before Iwa got their dirty mitts on it. Coming here allowed him to nearly alleviate all of the stress that had built up, he thought with a pleasant sigh.

"We'll make a Hokage of you yet," the Hokage said in a mischievous tone, casting his eyes to the grinning face of the young blonde, "Trileg"

"OI!"