'borrow' it without permission.
Author Note: This is an AU fic based off of Kishimoto-sensei's pilot version of the Naruto manga. Take the time to look folk's,
and I'm sure you can find your own copy of the pilot manga.
A Demons Kindness
By: CrystalinElf
Ch 01 - Demon's Cry
Almost.
Had those kits been fully-grown, I doubt those events would have occurred. The vixen wouldn't have killed the
Had the vixen not been killed, Kyuubi would not have been enraged enough to attack. That hellish day became a
That HE is a shinobi of this village is all the proof I need to prove that fact, and all the reassurance I have that I kept
The demon had obviously been living in the quiet Fire country for awhile, long enough for its mate to gestate and give
birth, and then for its spawn to grow ALMOST independent of their parents.
children who were tormenting her kits, because her kits would have been able to defend themselves properly. Had the
vixen not killed those children, then the ANBU wouldn't have killed the vixen and her kits.
stereotypical series of unfortunate events that led to a bloodbath, all of which, in hindsight, could have been avoided.
my promise.
He woke to a quiet morning, hungry and cold.
So he was scared.
He was usually hungry when he woke, so that wasn't the problem. But being cold? That meant the Mother
wasn't there, and the quiet meant that the Mother and Father were both gone, along with his two littermates.
And he had never, even once, been left alone like this.
Flame bright, blue eyes opened to the pale morning light, to stare around in confusion. The den was empty,
and from what his little bit of life experience taught him, his home had been empty of all occupants but himself
for several hours.
And yet… the scents in the air were heavy, making his nose twitch in both hunger and disgust. There were
certainly a lot of freshly killed animals about, but the air also held an extra tang to it that he associated
with human blood.
He would have liked to contemplate the smell for a while longer from the safety and comfort of the den, but
he was still onlythree months old, and hungry. (His littermates would have teased him for continuing to rely on their parents
for food, but he liked the company and attention).
So he slowly stood up, legs steadying after a few seconds, and crept out of his home, ears forward and eyes
searching. Within a few minutes he had found a fresh juicy rabbit, recently deceased, and had caught
several grasshoppers. He swiftly carried his meal back home, and commenced with breakfast.
Maybe the Mother and Father would be back with his siblings by the time he had finished cleaning up after his meal.
= = = =
He stood atop the Hokage monument, watching as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. A slight breeze
ruffled his spiky blond hair, making him look more powerful than usual. Beside him, a gray haired man, obviously his elder,
stood patiently.
His voice was quietly respectful as he addressed the older man. "Have the ANBU confirmed the number of kits yet?"
"They have. There are three, total," came the equally quiet and respectful voice of the older man.
"Unfortunately, only two have been found. And they were… disposed of before the ANBU learned you wanted them alive."
The younger man's shoulder slumped slightly, obviously disappointed. "If they had been more careful,
the bloodshed of last night would never have happened. I only hope, Sarutobi-san, that a minimum of life is lost today."
He was quiet for a moment as he prayed for both the kits, and the children their mother had killed, then
sighed and turned fully to Sarutobi. "Have the other seven arrived yet?"
"Yes, Yondaime. They will be joining us here shortly, as we're all sure the demon will strike soon," answered the older man.
"Very well then," murmured the fourth hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. "I can feel kyuubi's power from
here… the battle will begin again soon."
Solemn blue eyes met those of the former third hokage. "Promise me, Sarutobi, that once the third kit is found,
it will be raised here and taken care of."
Sarutobi started slightly at the conviction in his friend's voice. He sounded as though he was going to die…
But, "why?" was all he asked.
"Because," murmured the Fourth, as he turned back to look over the village, "however indirect, this massacre
was our fault."
= = = =
The day had begun in full he noted, as he once more poked his nose out of the den. Nervous bird song filled the
air, underlying the basic feeling that something big was going to happen today. Breakfast was finished, so he
had decided to look for his family.
And by a breeze that came from the north, he was allowed to smell the scent of his Father.
He would have been happy, if his nose wasn't so damned discerning. Because he knew, though Father was
miles away from him now, that Father was covered in death. The blood of humans, the blood of Mother.
Mother's blood meant she was dead. If she wasn't, Father would have brought her back to the den to rest and
recover, and sent the kits about to help hunt for her. And if Mother was dead, then his siblings must be as well. Mother
would only have died if she were trying to protect them from something…
Shaking with the sudden fear of really being alone, he climbed up the great trees that surrounded his home,
blessing the encounter with a cousin that had taught him how to climb so high. With his child's intuition, he knew
Father was still alive, but he couldn't feel happy.
The human scent meant that humans had attacked his siblings, and Mother had died protecting them, and then
Father had killed those humans in retaliation. He wasn't ignorant enough of his Father's temper to think that having one child
still alive would stop his Father from taking revenge…
Which also meant that Father would attack the humans again, in a full-blown killing rage, and would most likely
be killed in the process.
Saddened and feeling terribly lonely, the kit carefully crawled along the highest and longest branch he could find,
and proceeded to jump from tree to tree.
Maybe, if he reached the humans in time, Father would stop and they could continue to live in this peaceful forest.
Maybe… a chance…
Then his hope shattered as he heard his Father's anguished and angry cries.
He was to late.
= = = =
In the light of day, the Kyuubi was far bigger than any of the Leaf had given it credit for. He towered far above the trees, all nine tails lashing about, highlighted by an angry red chakra.
The villagers that were awakened by his haunting cries were chilled, and then left confused and fearing for their
lives. Anyone who looked out their windows could see the tails swishing as it watched the Hokage monument,
obviously waiting for someone.
All wondered where such a large demon had come from, and a few wondered how the rest could have
slept through the cries that had been issued the night before…
Then, as nine figures leapt from the Hokage monument, there was no more room for thought in the minds
of the villagers, who watched with horrified fascination as the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf were deployed to assist the
Hokage and his allies.
More than just the forest of death would be saturated in blood this day.
= = = =
En masse, the brave shinobi of the hidden leaf died defending their village from a demon seeking
Then, one by one eight of the nine most powerful shinobi in all the Country fell to the demons rage,
Once more, the third Hokage would lead the village hidden among the leaves.
revenge. Hundreds of civilians died, homes to close to the forest and destroyed by the Kyuubi's tails or claws.
Dozens of names would soon find themselves scribed on the monument of the dead,
now heroes.
until the monster was destroyed and one man remained upon the battlefield, battered and bloody.
To Be Continued:
I hope you enjoyed the first installment of A Demon's Kindness, and will leave me some nice reviews =) If not, well... I wrote
this for me and not you, so it's ok if no one likes. I'm not exactly sure yet where things will go, or if I'll cover stuff that
happened in the real series, so let me know if you think I should, k?
Thanks for reading =)