Hello every one. My name is Yooso and though I am definitely not new to the fanfiction scene this is my first Naruto fanfic. I hope you all enjoy reading this piece as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Feed back is always appreciated but not needed, the only thing they will really do is speed up my updates.

I admit I got this idea from another fanfic that to my knowledge was never completed. I read it along time ago and can't remember it very well so I can only hope that my fic is different enough not to anger anyone. I apologize greatly if my story offends anyone and I wish I could remember the name of the author so that I could give them the credit they deserve.

Human Contact

Uzumaki Naruto. It was a name that carried much weight in the village hidden in the leaves, Konoha. It was not respected, but feared, spoken as if it belonged to some particularly evil person or vile disease. An outsider would have been shocked to see that the owner of said name was merely a child.

He was small for his age with sunshine blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. A huge smile was always seen plastered across his whisker marked face as he paraded through town on his way to the ninja academy. At first glance he seemed like a simple happy go lucky child, not a care in the world. But if someone actually stopped to pay attention they would see that this particular child had lived through pure hell.

On the day of Naruto's birth the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been "killed" by the Yondaime Hokage. In actuality it had been sealed into the stomach of the helpless new born. His second day of life had brought the first attempt on his life. The Sandaime had been very hard pressed to keep him alive in those first few weeks, which caused him to create the law that no one was allowed to speak of the demon fox being sealed inside the infant on pain of death.

When it had finally been deemed safe enough to place him in an orphanage, he was treated with the love and care one might give a cock roach. Given little more than table scraps to eat and beaten daily. He found respite from the constant agony only when he was allowed to curl up in his corner of the dark basement under a moth eaten blanket to sleep.

Despite the Sandaime's law that the children not be told of his condition Naruto had no friends. The other orphans saw the way he was treated and immediately knew that there was something wrong with the blond. Even if the caretakers had allowed him near enough to the other children to play it only would have resulted in them all running away screaming.

On his third birthday Naruto received an additional present to the exceptionally harsh beating that always came on October 10th. He was kicked out of the orphanage. It was a miracle that he managed to survive the year he spent on the streets of Konoha. In that year he scrounged through garbage cans for food and learned to sleep in any form of shelter he could find. He also learned to avoid people as much as possible, for every time he ran into someone he would get beaten in some way. The worst by far was the young ninja who decided to try out his new katon jutsu on him. The third degree burns that covered his body went untouched by the medics at the hospital, just like every other affliction that affected him. Were it not for unspeakably fast healing he would have either died or been covered in horrible scars.

It was safe to say that he owed his survival that year to three things. First and fore most to the stubbornness of the demon residing in his stomach. Second to the fact that temperatures in fire country almost never got down to freezing. And last but not least to the intervention of the Sandaime when he had been chased down by an extremely violent mob on the day of his fourth birthday. Yet another wonderful birthday present.

After a few days in the hospital, where the doctors and nurses where literally forced to care for him. Naruto had found himself in the Hokage's office where the old man had been astonished by the four year old boy's incredibly colorful language, no doubt learned from his attackers, and his malnourished form. That was the first day Naruto would ever be able to remember someone being kind to him, and it threw the young boy for a loop.

After that day Naruto was given his own apartment and living allowance. That was also the day that the attacks severely decreased. Naruto was now only beaten a few times a month whether people saw him or not. Although the cold stares of the villagers remained fixed on the boy wherever he went, the lack of open hostility was a welcome change. This miracle was of course thanks to the Anbu the newly dubbed ojii san had assigned to guard him.

During this time Naruto learned how to read and, despite the librarian's objections, spent hours in the public library learning as much as he could. This was also the time that he developed his mask. The large grin and goofy attitude that made so many think he was carefree was perfect for hiding the pain he felt, not only from others but from himself. It was the first defense mechanism he ever came up with. Smile and no one will know.

When he was six, although still very young, Naruto was allowed to join the ninja academy. At first he had been hopeful that this would allow him to make friends. But it was not to be, all the children had been warned by their parents to stay away from "that Uzumaki kid". This of course did not make him look on the village any better. Which caused him to come up with defense mechanism number two. When the villagers get you down don't get mad, get even, with a good prank revenge can be a humorous thing.

As if being shunned by his class mates wasn't bad enough, Naruto quickly discovered that the teachers were trying to make him fail. They all seemed to be much harder on him during practical lessons than the other students. They would also erase some of his answers on tests so that they could give him lower marks. Thus the birth of, defense mechanism number three. Trying to excel in class is pointless, act stupid and people will leave you in relative peace.

These three principles were rules that Uzumaki Naruto lived by. He became so good at his act that the real him practically disappeared, until his tenth birthday, when it all came crashing down on him, with the birth of defense mechanism four.

Naruto had learned by then that the best thing to do on October 10th was to hide away in his apartment. He sat in his small bedroom listening to the festival going on outside. The festival celebrating Kyuubi's demise that he would never be able to attend. On that particular night the Anbu that was assigned to guard him had been rather careless in his duties. Choosing to instead partake in some sake and, after getting rather tipsy, enjoy the fireworks display.

No one noticed the man who snuck into the jinchuriki's apartment. Nor would anyone have cared if they had seen. Naruto was completely shocked when he felt the kunai tear into his flesh. Once again he was thrown into a world of pain and torment as the man called for the death of the demon. Anyone who did hear the screams of agony coming from the apartment complex didn't care, for they knew who lived there.

It was when the man was holding the barely living boy against the wall by his throat, and plunging a kunai deep into his stomach, that the Kyuubi decided to give the boy a most terrible gift. Defense mechanism four, touch me and feel my pain.

The next morning, when an Anbu came to start his shift, it was to find Naruto curled up in a corner covered in dried blood. His attacker lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes muttering incoherently.

The dog masked Anbu had never seen anything like the man on the floor. It was as if he had been placed in some terrible and powerful genjutsu. But there was no way the child cowering in the corner could be capable of such a feet. He stepped towards the young boy. "Naruto, what happened here?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The Anbu was shocked by the normally cheerful boy's outburst. He reached out towards him. "Give me your hand and I'll take you to see the Hokage."

The boy shrank even further into the corner. "Stay back!"

"Naruto, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you too!"

Well that's it for chapter one. I don't usually like to post as I go, but I really wanted some feedback. I'm quite proud of my story so far. This style is new for me and I'm not sure if I like it yet. I think it adds a bit more maturity to my work. Please give me some feed back. I love to hear what you think and really appreciate critiques as I don't have a beta. I read through this chapter three times but I probably missed something.

Anyways as always R and R.

Ja ne.

Yooso