Author's Note: The story starts off from the moment where Naruto initially saved Hinata from those three bullies in the snow at the start of The Last Naruto The Movie, at the cost of him getting beaten up. However, it's here that Naruto doesn't run into Hinata, but someone else.

NARUTO

Black Sun

Prologue

"Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other."

-Eric Burdon

Cold.

That was what Naruto was feeling the most right now.

Cold. Frigid. Icy. But above all miserable. The tiny flakes of snow cascading down around him only seemed to emphasize just how biting the winter in Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves) really was. It was almost felt like the blond had been snatched up from the warm, temperate paradise of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) and thrust into the bleak, unforgiving landscapes of the countries to the far north. Though Naruto had never actually been to places like Yuki no Kuni (Land of Snow) and Kaminari no Kuni (Land of Lightning) before, the youngster could only imagine that the weather in those nations was exactly like this one… but probably a lot worse.

The most irritating part about all of this though wasn't just the feeling of cold, wet drops grazing against his skin or the needle chill brought on by the light breeze drifting over the area, but the hollow sensation of complete and utter isolation gripping his chest.

As Naruto dragged his feet through the many lumps and mounds of snow covering the footpath in front of him, the child was made keenly aware of just how empty the park around him was. Able to count every single tree and bush standing in his line of sight- their trunks greyed and iced over from the many days of frost that'd already passed- the six-year-old in the white and orange jacket and blue pants glanced over his shoulder, where he spotted the familiar building of Konoha's Ninja Academy standing at the other end of the tunnel of foliage.

Noticing all the other kids from his class playing in the yard just beneath the academy's famous red sign hanging over the main entrance, the spiky haired blond let out a long, dejected sigh.

"Man… and I thought I'd be able to get to play with someone today," Naruto thought, turning around and kicking at the ground again as he continued to slog forward. "Guess I was wrong."

And his day had been going so well too. Since this morning, he was able to make a good impression on Iruka-sensei by answering a few of the questions he was able to pose to the class, he did the work set for the students and finished on time, and he even did a pretty cool drawing during free study too. However, when it came time for the lunch play-period and Naruto attempted to ask several of the kids if he could play with them, they all turned him down and told him to go away.

Even after all of the effort he'd put into doing his work for the day and hoping that it would result in some good karma for him, all the child got back were a bunch of cold shoulders and disgusted expressions from the boys and girls. Needless to say, it'd been a very disheartening turn of events.

This led to the youngster going on yet another solitary walk through the academy's local reserve, an area that encompassed the entire property the school was built on. After managing to walk through the tunnel leading away from the building, Naruto eventually happened upon the wooden swing hanging next to the path. It was the place he usually went to whenever he was upset, needed to clear his head, or didn't have anything else to do.

However, instead of deciding to play and sulk on this piece of equipment like he had countless times before, the blond instead adjusted his red scarf, fixed the goggles he had over his forehead, and kept on walking.

Stepping off the frozen path and into the slumbering forest surrounding this part of the school, Naruto tried to find something else to occupy himself with. At first, he spent his time playing amongst the trunks, running between them, and hopping over a fallen log by pretending it was on fire. He even gathered up some snow to throw it at a low-hanging branch to see if he could dislodge the mound that'd gathered on top of it. These acts of self-play occupied him for a short while, before once again leaving him with next to nothing to do.

It was one of the many burdens he had to live with being completely and utterly alone. No family. No parents. No friends.

Honestly, no matter how many times he was reminded of his state of existence, Naruto knew he would never get used to it.

Hearing the sound of kids laughing and playing in the background as he marched through the cold snow had the boy click his tongue in annoyance while pocketing his hands. "This sucks. I hate it," he thought, pushing his shoulders up as he felt his feet starting to get affected by walking through the snow. "I just… want this all to change."

Around the time the blond thought his day was just going to keep going downhill, a new commotion nearby suddenly caught his attention. The distinct sounds of cackling reaching his ears and causing his head to perk up, Naruto quickly tracked the disturbance to a clearing nearby. When he looked past the tree, he saw three boys surrounding a girl- all of whom were looking at her with rather foul and unpleasant grins on their faces.

Quickly moving over to get a closer look, the whiskered blond immediately recognized the young men as boys from a class two years above his own- a typical, bland-looking trio with average skills and average test scores. It was a group that the blond had had a couple of encounters with in the past, both of which had not ended well for him.

Though Naruto had no idea what the three boys' names were, he certainly knew what kind of crowd they ran with. They were the kind that were too proud and too smart for their own good, who made a living looking down on him and picking on others for either being weird or being weak. In other words, they were a mob made up of the kind that Naruto hated and despised the most.

As soon as the blond laid eyes on them and saw what they were up to, a frown quickly graced his lips and his hands clenched into fists. His grip only seemed to tighten even more when he heard their exasperating squawking transform into words, all of which were being directed to the small girl standing between them.

"Hey! We know you!" one of the boys exclaimed.

"You're that puny shrimp who fell off the monkey bars on the obstacle course that one time!" another of the youngsters laughed. "The one that didn't even make it halfway across!"

"Yeah! You fell flat in the mud and went crying to the nurse's office," the boss of the trio- a kid wearing a green jacket, striped scarf and a backwards facing red cap- shouted again while leaning forward and grinning meanly. "My friends and I saw what happened from the second floor of the school. The sound you made when you hit the floor was great."

"Ha-ha! Yeah! It was hilarious!" the fattest, shortest boy of the group wearing a beanie chuckled.

Observing from where he stood behind the tree, Naruto saw that the three older boys were pestering a young girl he couldn't remember ever seeing before. Figuring that she was new to the school, the blonde saw the youngster they were antagonizing was a young female of six years of age, with light ivory skin, light brown eyes, and long brown hair that was braided into a ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. Unlike the other girls in the school, who liked to wear a lot of casual clothes during the seasons, this one was dressed very elegantly- sporting a purple kimono that was cut just below the knees, a pink obi wrapped around her torso, a thick white scarf around her neck, and wooden sandals with white socks underneath for the cold.

She was much shorter compared to the three boys, making the sight reminiscent of a kitten being preyed upon by three older cats. Judging from her posture as well, she appeared to be very scared and upset- as evident by how her arms were folded in front of her to protect the folder she was carrying, and the way her face was cast downwards and twisted- as if attempting to hold back tears.

The sight was enough to draw a low growl from Naruto's throat. His disapproval was only further elevated when he saw the boys continue to pick on her.

"You're really funny looking for a girl. All dressed up and colourful- like a flower," the boss of the trio exclaimed, at the same time getting his face right up in front of the girl's and causing her to lurch back in a distressed manner. "This is a school for ninjas. Not flowers."

"Ha-ha! Look at her! She's scared," the rotund youngster laughed, at the same time reaching forward and giving her a good shove, causing the girl to whimper fearfully. The sight also caused a watching Naruto's teeth to clench and fists to ball even tighter- indicating his patience was finally reaching its limits. "Are you frightened, little flower?"

"Why would the teachers let such a weak little chicken into our school?" the third, tallest boy asked, drawing another round of laughs from his companions.

Naruto, figuring he'd seen enough of this nonsense, prepared to storm forward and confront the bullies. However, upon taking a step forward, the blonde's shoulder hit the trunk of the tree that he was standing next to, which stopped him in his tracks. This in turn gave him pause for thought.

"There's three of them," Naruto thought.

Three against one.

Yeah. He remembered being in this situation before- all alone, outnumbered, and with no backup or help to speak of. The worst thing about these kinds of bullies was that they were only a threat when they were in a place where no one could see them and in groups, which allowed them to gang up on whoever they had as their target and overwhelm them with brute force.

Looking back on all his previous encounters, Naruto realized that while confronting them head on was bold, admirable, and allowed him to flex his valour in a big way, it was also incredibly risky and stupid. His numerous trips to the nurse's office and days spent in bed recovering were big proof of this, which quickly had him back down on his initial charge. If he tried going in half-cocked the way he was, he knew right away that he was going to get his ass-handed to him.

With his clumsy, impromptu impact with the tree trunk helping him to restart his brain, the boy quickly began thinking up a different strategy. Looking down at the ground, the boy spied a pile of snow resting alongside some half-buried rocks and sticks, along with some foliage that was slowly decomposing due to the harsh conditions surrounding them.

After looking at this stuff and then glancing up at the tree next to him, Naruto was then hit with an idea. A determined grin spreading across his lips, the blonde then ducked down and began stuffing his pockets with rocks.

As for the bullies, they were really starting to get their jollies picking on the girl, which prompted them to start ramping up their efforts.

"You should just go home. Stop coming to this school and wasting everybody's time," the fat boy said while puffing his chest out.

"Only strong, brave people are able to become ninjas. Not timid little flower girls like you," the boss remarked afterwards, causing the girl to flinch.

"Think about becoming something else," the taller boy concluded with a nod, his thin mouth grinning broadly while his earmuffs slid up his head slightly. "Something that the weak, boring villagers can do."

Glancing up at the lead boy from under her fringe, the well-dressed youngster sniffed before speaking in a soft voice. "I… I…"

The trio's leader stepped even closer to her, to the point his grinning mug was right up in front of her. "Huh? What's that? Speak up. I can't hear you."

Clenching her teeth, the shivering, tearful child then lifted her head and barked as loudly as she dared at the three boys. "I… I want to become a ninja! Nothing else, you jerks!"

Her shout, which was broken by the sound of her voice squeaking part way through, had the three youngsters pause for a moment, before they then started guffawing hysterically once again. Clutching their sides and throwing their heads back, the pack of hyenas continued to revel in the sight of the girl's defiant, tearful face glaring back at them, before the leader swung his head back down and scoffed at her.

"In your dreams, dummy!"

"A useless girl like you will never become a ninja!" the fat one shouted.

"What's this?" the tall one shouted, at the same time attempting to snatch the folder the girl was carrying out of her hands. Managing to get his fingers on it, he then yanked it to him, only to meet immediate resistance when the younger girl's hands snapped around the book and pulled it back. The boy grunted when he attempted to pull it from her but ended up struggling when the youngster fought back. "Ragh! Give it here!"

"NO!" the girl shouted, growling as she wrestled with the clearly stronger boy as she felt her grip starting to falter. "L-Let go! Let go!"

"Ha! Like hell I'll-GAAH!" A shout of pain left the boy's lips when his head was unexpectedly knocked to the side by something small and hard hitting him square in the temple.

His friends stood surprised, as did the girl when she felt the tall bully release his hold on her folder, allowing her to backpedal out of harm's way. By the time the taller boy regained his balance, he and his companions realized he'd been hit in the head with a small stone, which then had them look around in alarm.

"Hey! Who threw that?!" the boss shouted, only to give a yelp of his own when he was struck in the face by a thick ball of snow, which cracked against his cheek and splattered all over him.

"Up here, you morons!" a voice called out, drawing the boys' attention upwards.

When all eyes in the area fixed upon the top of a nearby tree, they saw the smirking form of Naruto standing there and looking down at them. Not expecting to get attacked by another kid from out of the blue, the three bullies were unable to say or do anything when the whiskered-youngster, tossing a ball of snow up and down in his hand, then cranked back said hand and pitched the ball down at them.

"Take this!" Naruto shouted, hitting the rotund kid right on the top of the head.

"Ow!" the boy shouted when the ball of snow exploded against his skull and splattered down his neck and jumper. "What in the-"

The boss, growling through clenched teeth, then waved a fist up at the blonde. "HEY! Just who the hell do you think you-AAH!" He was effectively cut off by another object hitting him in the face- this time a rock. Clutching the spot where the tiny rock had hit, the youngster stumbled backwards in alarm- while at the same time the brown-haired girl watched the scene with a look of utter surprise and intrigue. "Ow-ow-OW! That freakin' hurt!"

Grinning at seeing the boy's rank broken, Naruto then grabbed a handful of rocks from his pocket, loaded his other hand with one, and inhaled deeply. "BOMBARDMEEEEEENT!" Upon giving his gutsy battle cry, the blonde then began chucking rock after rock down at the three boys in the clearing, using devilishly spot-on aim to hit each of them one after the other at random.

Quickly shielding themselves with their arms, the three boys braced themselves as they suddenly came under fire by the clever little monkey up in the tree. While a couple of them attempted to pick up some rocks and return fire, thanks to the position he'd chosen and the high angle Naruto was elevated at, none of the boys' shots were able to make their mark. So, with counterattacking being useless and with no effective cover to speak of, all the bullies could do was stand there and flail their arms uselessly as they were subjected to the relentlessly rain of attacks being thrown at them by the whiskered youngster.

Naruto's assault was relentless. Due to the high volume of rocks and sticks he'd collected, the blond was able to spam the shit out of his ammunition as he threw not only large rocks, but entire fistfuls of gravel. Not letting up for even a moment, he kept on hocking rocks even when the one of the boys got cut above the eye and another one started crying.

When several of the rocks clipped their ears, legs and other weak spots, sending sharp bolts of pain shooting through them, the alarmed and disorientated bullies made the wise and unanimous decision to retreat. The boss went first, turning heel and running, while his two friends sprinted after him.

"W-We'll get you for this, you twerp! You hear me?!" the older boy's voice cried out, followed immediately by a comical 'OW' when he ended up hit in the butt cheek by another rock thrown by Naruto.

Taking aim with another big one, the blond prepared to throw it. But when he saw the three boys vanish, the youngster lowered his round stone and nodded victoriously, before then dropping down from the tree to touch down in the snow. Jogging forward, he then shouted after them.

"AND DON'T COME BACK, DATTEBAYO!" Naruto barked, kicking at the snow in a sign of dominance. His heart still pounding in his ears, the whiskered youngster huffed and smiled happily, as for the first time in his life he'd finally managed to win a fight.

Allowing his triumph to marinate for a little while, the child then left out a sharp breath of air, before spinning around to face the girl he'd helped save. Seeing her standing beside a tree a few yards away, the youngster quickly trotted over to her. When he stopped and saw the youngster stiffen up, Naruto then gave her a look of concern.

"Are… Are you okay?" he asked.

Feeling her breath catch in her throat, the brown-haired girl initially had no idea how to respond.

At first finding herself backed into a corner and pressed into a situation where she had no chance of evading her antagonists, the newcomer to the academy soon found herself playing the part of a witness to the most spectacular display of heroism she could ever remember seeing. A boy with blond hair, whiskers, and a red scarf, taking the high ground against a group of older bullies and chasing them off, all by his lonesome.

And most surprising of all, he looked to be about the same age as she was.

Swallowing nervously at the sincere smile she saw her spiky haired hero give her, the girl in the purple kimono and white scarf nodded meekly. "Y-Yes… I'm fine. Thank you." When she saw the child brighten up at her expression of gratitude, the brunette felt her own sense of self perk up. "That was… That was amazing. I can't believe you managed to chase those awful boys away."

Naruto, feeling his chest swell slightly at the girl's remark, chuckled while rubbing his nose in a bashful manner. "Well… to be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to pull it off. Most of the time I try to fight off whole groups of idiots, I always end up getting ganged up on and having the stuffing kicked out of me." He then clenched his fist and held it in front of him tightly. "But I showed them. This time, I'm the one giving the smackdown. Not them!"

Heartbeat racing, the girl beamed as she stepped closer to the whiskered child. "You were so brave." Upon getting a good look at his face and seeing him smile back at her, the girl suddenly blinked in realization. "Oh. Hang on. Y-You're from Iruka-sensei's class…"

Naruto blinked in surprise and lowered his arm. "Yeah. I am." He then leaned forward slightly. "Have we… Have we met?"

The girl shook her head. "No. But I remember seeing you out on the quad a few times during fitness and shinobi training."

"You did, huh?" Naruto murmured, not sure whether her seeing him was a good thing or a bad thing- especially when he couldn't ever remember spotting her amongst a crowd. Surely a well-dressed girl like her would be easy to make out. Guess he was still as dense as ever. Relaxing a little, the blond smiled. "I… guess that must mean you're from Suzume-sensei's class. From room 2A?"

The girl nodded her head briskly before smiling warmly at the blond, her cheeks reddening as she looked back at him. "I'm Yakumo… Yakumo Kurama." She then became somewhat embarrassed as she straightened her arms in front of her over her folder and rocked nervously on the spot. "What's your name?"

The blond youngster cracked a smile. "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: This was a concept I was interested in trying out. A Naruto who runs into Yakumo Kurama, in which both of them aid each other in developing their strengths and fixing their weaknesses. I think this one has a lot of potential.

Naruto is bold, physically strong, and capable in ninjutsu, but lacks strategy, intelligence or a mind for genjutsu.

Yakumo is absurdly talented in genjutsu and intelligent, but lacks stamina, physical strength, and any skills in ninjutsu and taijutsu.

What they both have in common however is passion and drive- both striving to be the best that they can be. They also both have inner demons, with Naruto having Kurama and Yakumo having Ido, so when both of them come into play I bet it will make for some interesting Chaotic Good or maybe later Chaotic Evil characters down the line.

Ever since I introduced Yakumo into my Maoyu story, I always wondered how she and Naruto would react in a story that more or less follows canon. While I will make alterations to the timeline here and there, any and all OCs I include are minor. I'm going to try avoid using them when I can. What I want to focus on is building a world around Naruto and Yakumo that fits their natures.

I want to see how the timeline alters when Naruto's fate is changed and interwoven with a different girl in his life- one that can perhaps help elevate him to become a different person. Whether this person will end up the same in the original canon, good or evil, we'll have to wait and see.