I wanted to do a Naruto story. Just plain Naruto, nothing else. I also want to try and be serious…or at least as serious as can be expected…I mean come on, what's drama and angst with no humor? Don't answer that now, but anywhoo…I don't own anything. Peace and Love and one more thing….

Please give me some criticism. I get tired of the 'You're so awesome!!' shtick. I want to get better at writing, not be stuck in a void of 'let me not hurt her feelings'. If I was that sensitive, I would have killed my self a long, long time ago.

-Dream Hime

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There was once a boy named Naruto Uzumaki. He lived in a great village of ninja. He wanted to be a ninja, the greatest of them all. Naruto Uzumaki wanted to be Hokage.

There was once a demon named Kyuubi. It lived in a world all of its own. It hated everything and wished to be the most powerful of them all. Kyuubi no Youko wanted to be a god.

There was once a man whose name no one knew, or they simply forgot. He was the greatest legend of all time. A hero without a doubt, a man of power. He lived on a path of power, he was said to be a god.

There once was a serpent, his name both feared and despised. He sought revenge on another for stealing what he thought was his. He was an evil, cruel man who deserved death by any means, but had found a way to live forever at an expensive cost.

What do these people have in common? What could possibly link four different cases such as these?

There once was a terrible night in Konoha's history. The dreaded Kyuubi attacked the village, seeking to kill the man who was said to be a god. He had been directed to the village by a man fleeing from the wrath of his sensei. He had chosen to leave the human alive and chase a new prey. That was his first mistake.

The Kyuubi's next mistakes came in the form of deadly sins. Proud he was, and envious as well. He let wrath control him and glutted himself on the blood of innocent villagers.

His final mistake came in the form of a flash of light. Kyuubi had allowed the petty 'god' to call up his power, resulting in his sealing.

There was once a story of a great man who was a legend for sealing a beast of lore. They both became true gods in the sense of immortality. Never would they be forgotten by a village of men. One would forever be revered by the people, the other forever hated.

But there was one problem in this whole equation. One problem with blonde hair and blue eyes. One problem with an innocent child.

You see, this child couldn't love the man who was a god. He couldn't hate the beast everyone else did. He was simply alone in a world of his own, a world that others had created him and forced him to stay.

He was both a monster and a hero. He was both revered and hated. He was both loved and feared. This is his story. This is the story of Uzumaki Naruto, and the life he led.

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"Naruto Uzuamki." Iruka stood in front of his class. He was calling roll. Iruka looked up when he was given no reply. "Uzumaki?" There was no reply. With a snort, he moved on. The boy would show up, eventually. Until then, he would enjoy his peaceful class. "Yayoi Valentine?"

"Here!" Iruka nodded. "Ino Yamanaka?"

"Here!" Iruka smiled at the bright seven year old as he placed his roster onto his desk.

"Great. Today, we start on legends of Leaf. Can anyone tell me one?" He smiled when hands shot up. "Hmmm, who should I pick?" A chorus of pick me's echoed back. Iruka grinned and looked around, seeking the perfect victim. The door creaked open. Interrupting his musings.

"S'rry I'm late." A tow-headed boy walked into class. His white blond hair was sticking up in random places.

"Sit down and shut up. Think of a legend to tell to the class." Iruka didn't turn to see the boy. He knew who it was.

"Bye Old Man."

"Goodbye Naruto. Iruka, I need to speak to you." Iruka flinched at the tempered steel in the voice.

"Yes Hokage-sama." Iruka smiled to his class. "Now, think on those legends. When I come back, I want to hear each and every one of them. And we'll start with you Ayeko." The brown haired girl shrieked in joy. Iruka chuckled when the other students turned to glare at her. He walked out of the room, passing the boy by.

"What was that?"

"What was what Hokage-sama?"

"Sit down and shut up? Is that how you are taught to treat your students?" Iruka avoided looking at his leader.

"No."

"Only him." There was a soft sound of disappointment. "I wanted to speak to him this morning. I apologize for making him late." Iruka flinched when a hand came down on his shoulder. "Give the child a chance." He nodded at the older man and bowed when he left. Iruka frowned at the floor as the Hokage left. Why should I give him a chance? He walked back into his class.

"Can I start now Iruka-sensei!?"

"Of course you can Ayeko." The girl cheered, throwing her tiny arms into the air.

"My legend is on a man who single handedly killed a monster. Seven years ago…" Iruka tuned the girl out, nodding at the pauses she gave, a smile on his face. His brown eyes fell on the white blonde hair seated at the window. The boy's eyes were on something outside the room. A small smile curved the child's lips as he waved to someone outside, Iruka shivered; he knew it was the Hokage. "And that's how the Yondiame saved Konoha!"

"Wonderful Ayeko!" Iruka grinned. His gaze landed on the small blonde boy. He was still staring out the window. "Naruto!"

"Huh? What s'matter?"

"We'd like to hear your legend." Iruka smiled encouragingly, a sharp edge to the friendly expression. The boy's eyes hardened.

"I don't know any."

"Tell the one on the Yondiame again then." Iruka offered the boy a way out.

"Don't wanna." Iruka's friendly smile vanished.

"This is an assignment Naruto. I am assessing the little knowledge you may have on legends." Blue eye's flashed mischievously.

"Really then?" The tow headed boy stood, an angelic smile on his face. "This is a story. It is most commonly referred to as a fable. This one has a moral. It is called The Dog and the Shadow. It goes like this. It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more. The moral of this story is as follows; beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." The seven year old smiled brightly. "Would you like another? Here. It is called The Laborer and the Nightingale. A Laborer lay listening to a Nightingale's song throughout the summer night. So pleased was he with it that the next night he set a trap for it and captured it. "Now that I have caught thee," he cried, "thou shall always sing to me."

"We Nightingales never sing in a cage." said the bird.

"Then I'll eat thee." said the Laborer. "I have always heard say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel."

"Nay, kill me not," said the Nightingale; "but let me free, and I'll tell thee three things far better worth than my poor body." The Laborer let him loose, and he flew up to a branch of a tree and said: "Never believe a captive's promise; that's one thing. Then again: Keep what you have. And third piece of advice is: Sorrow not over what is lost forever." Then the song-bird flew away." Naruto grinned. "Interesting no?"

"No. I asked for a legend, not a fable with a moral."

"Aww, shucks." The boy turned back to the window. "I won't tell that legend again. I have no reason to." If Iruka was surprised at the perfect diction, he didn't show it. He chose on another student. What did he mean by those? He glanced at the boy again and found that the child was staring at him. Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. Could he mean something? Like he is substance, and Kyuubi is shadow?Iruka shook his head. He doesn't know. So that isn't possible.

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't say anything! Isn't the Yondiame the greatest?"

"Yes Tsume. He is." The boy grinned widely. At noon, the class was dismissed for break. Iruka sat in his desk as he mulled over the morals of the blonde's fables. He looked up when he heard a soft scuffing noise. The blonde was sitting in his desk, fidgeting nervously.

"What is it?" Iruka almost laughed when the boy jumped.

"N-nothing." Blue eyes went suspiciously empty. "I don't want anything. Am I bothering you? I'll go." Iruka sighed.

"Stay if you want. Eat your lunch."

"Mmm." Iruka looked up at the noncommittal sound. He found the boy staring out the window again.

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing." Naruto smiled, a bright thing that almost invoked a reaction from his teacher.

"Well then, eat." Iruka watched the boy fidget in his seat again.

"I'm not hungry sensei."

"You're stomach is loud enough for me to hear."

"I'm not hungry." The boy spoke the words firmly. Iruka shrugged. He went back to his thoughts. He was uncomfortable with the boy sitting there quietly, almost never moving. His thoughts suddenly clicked together.

"You don't have lunch, do you?" He got no reply from the boy. "Naruto?"

"My caretaker woke up late this morning. She was unable to fix something for me." Iruka frowned. In a village of ninja, meals on the fly were a necessity. He thought of his own lunch, waiting for him in his desk.

"Would you like something to eat?" The tiny boy snorted contemptuously.

"The last time I ate something someone offered me so kindly, I ended up in the hospital throwing up blood every ten minutes while my stomach tried to eat itself out of my body. Forgive me if I don't accept." Iruka flinched. Someone poisoned him?

"I'll eat along with you if it helps you feel better."

"The person did the exact same thing. Somehow, only I ate something bad." Iruka flinched at the harsh reproof. "Weird huh?" Blue eyes drilled into the man.

"I didn't do anything to my food. Why would I?"

"Iruka-sensei, you don't like me. Why offer to feed me? It's inconsistent and suspicious. I'm not as stupid as I seem."

"I noticed. Big words for someone your age."

"I learn." Naruto sighed and stood. He adjusted his white shirt smoothly, pulling the long sleeve over a mark before it could completely show itself.

"What was that?"

"My arm sensei. Even I know that."

"The mark on it." Blue eyes shuttered.

"Nothing." Naruto walked down to his teacher's desk.

"Liar." Iruka prodded, hoping for a reaction. The boy merely shrugged.

"I'm going outside sensei. Enjoy your lunch." The boy's white blonde head disappeared out the door. Iruka frowned as he pulled his lunch out of the drawer.

"I'm going outside sensei, enjoy your lunch. Even I know what it sis. I'm not as stupid as I seem." Iruka mocked Naruto. "Who does he think he is?" He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed angrily. The last time I ate something someone offered me so kindly, I ended up in the hospital throwing up blood every ten minutes while my stomach tried to eat itself out of my body. Forgive me if I don't accept. Iruka gagged on his sandwich and plopped it back into its container. He spent the rest of two hours staring at his food in disgust, trying to understand why he even felt guilty. Because, you know he's only a boy. He looked up when his student's began to return. Brown met blue as Naruto walked in. The child glanced at the uneaten food and smiled sadly. For some reason, Iruka wanted to explain that he hadn't poisoned his food; he just hadn't felt like eating it.

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Three years later, Iruka stood in front of his class once more.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Here."

"Ino Yamanaka."

"Here!" Iruka nodded and set his roster down on his desk.

"Good morning class."

"Good morning sensei!" Iruka smiled under the chorus. His eyes searched for a child that had captured his heart. He found the blonde staring out the window. Iruka chuckled softly. The boy was obsessed with the window.

"Naruto? Join the class."

"S'boring." Iruka twitched.

"Brat!" An eraser flew across the room, slamming into the boy's head. Or it should have, if said boy hadn't bent to tie his shoe at that time, leaving the eraser to land in the face of Sakura.

"EEEKKKK!!!" Naruto spun around.

"Wow Sakura, it hit you right in the center of your giant forehead!! Iruka-sensei's so cool!!!" Naruto cooed loudly, almost deafening in his volume.

"Shut up you idiot!" Sakura slapped the blonde. She blushed suddenly. "I'm so sorry!!" Iruka rolled his eyes. The pink haired girl was lying…again. "Naruto? Are you okay?" Iruka figured the boy would be alright when the girl stopped covertly crushing his hand under her foot.

"Sakura! Sit down. Naruto…errr…pull yourself together." Naruto grinned dazedly from the floor.

"Suure sensei…" He slurred as he dragged himself back into his seat. He grinned widely before toppling over to the side. Iruka frowned. Naruto never took more than a couple of seconds to recover from Sakura's beatings.

"Naruto?" The class blinked in surprise. That was different. A low keening sound suddenly erupted from where Naruto lay curled on the ground. "Naruto?" The sound got higher in pitch. Iruka leapt from his spot, nimbly using the tables in his class to appear over his student. When he landed, he wished he hadn't.

"Naruto you idiot! Stop making those noises!" Sakura shrieked from over the blonde. Iruka was quick to shove her aside and scoop up the fallen boy.

"Class dismissed." He quickly leapt out of the window, grateful for the fact that his favorite student sat so near a point of escape. He glanced down at Naruto. The boy's eyes were pitch black and he seemed to be staring at something over Iruka's shoulder. Iruka rushed to the Hokage's tower. He didn't dare bring the boy to the hospital when he looked so blatantly demonic.

"Hokage-sama!" He burst through the secretary's office, ignoring her cries. Seconds later, he was outside the Hokage's chambers. He was quickly admitted into the office. "Hokage-sama! There's something wrong with Naruto!" The old man moved quickly, dropping his pipe in favor of looking over one his most treasured peoples.

"What happened to him?" Iruka was quick in relaying what happened to Naruto for the morning. He set the small ten year old on the couch as he spoke, hurriedly checking his vitals. He was surprised when the blonde reached up sudelny.

"Naruto!" Iruka gasped in delight. He was pulled away from the blonde by the Hokage. "What?"

"Look." Naruto seemed to be pulling something out of the air. His lips were moving and yet the duo could hear nothing.

"Naruto?" The item the boy was holding was materializing slowly. Iruka shivered as the room's temperature dropped noticeably. Right before the last part of the item materialized, Iruka saw the sleeve of a dirty white shirt and a pale hand; and then Naruto's hand dropped backwards. The Hokage let go of Iruka and moved to the blonde's side. Iruak saw that his leader's lips had turned blue and that he was shivering. It was only then that he realized just how cold the room was.

"Naruto?" The boy was shivering softly and his eyes were fading back to blue. Iruka shivered. It was…creepy. Finally the boy's eyes were back to normal and he blinked. "Naruto?" The boy blinked again.

"Old man? Why am I in your office?"

"You got sick. Iruka brought you here. What is that in your hands?" Naruto blinked up at the Hokage, not even glancing down.

"Huh?" Sarutobi sighed softly and reached trembling hands down to the book, a split second before he touched it, the boy recoiled. "No!" Naruto clutched the book to his chest. "It was real. Oh my god, it was real."

"What was real?" Iruka questioned, faintly sick at what the thought of what could come from the boy's mouth. He reached towards Naruto comfortingly.

"Don't touch the book sensei." Naruto's eyes met his before he glanced away to meet the Hokage's eyes.

"What happened child?" Naruto set the book on his lap with trembling hands. He gingerly opened the cover.

"What if I told you Death had visited? And that he had left me the Book of Knowledge? What if I told you the Book was mine? What if I told you that Death was something I could summon with no cost to my life?"

"I'd say you were dreaming child." Naruto made a noncommittal sound as he stared down at the book he held open. Curious, Iruka looked at the title of the book and recoiled instantly. He remembered the pale hand he had seen.

"Death was here!" Iruka looked to his Hokage. "I saw it." A grunting laugh came from Naruto.

"How precious is this?" The blonde was staring down at the book in his lap. "The Yondiame gave his life to the Death god to seal a monster away. Never will you have to do such a thing. You are my master, and I shall make you a god." He chuckled softly. "It isn't true. So I must be dreaming. Death never visited me." The Hokage frowned.

"Ah, Naruto."

"What?"

"That's actually true." Naruto's eyes went wide. And then, he knew no more. Iruka reached down as the Book called him. Seconds before his fingers made contact with the spine of the Book, the Third Hokage threw his robe over it. "Don't touch it Iruka."

"Huh?"

"If the Death god himself gave that book to the boy, do you think he'll let anyone else touch it?"

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-Hallooo…one more thing. I borrowed Aesop's Fables for Naruto's ever brilliant conversation skills. You will be seeing more and in case I forget, I don't own those either. I'm no where near as wise as that. Please review…criticism included…even if its to tell me I suck and should kill myself with the nearest plastic spoon. I want some critiscim in my life. It's too boring without. Peace and Love

-Dream Hime