/ In no way do I own "Naruto", the story or concept of "Next", nor any other character herein except those of my own devising that may or may not feature. "Naruto" is the property of Misashi Kishimoto, and "Next" is that of the companies listed here: /title/tt0435705/companycredits - IMDB

Prologue

Uzumaki Naruto ran through the darkened alleyways of Konoha, closely followed by three villagers brandishing knives. The young boy was only six.

Naruto panicked more as they gained on him. He had tried hiding like Iruka-sensei had taught him, but the angered villagers found him again within mere moments, forcing him to flee again. He hadn't ran so far or fast in his life, but still they were getting closer and closer with every passing minute. He took a left, a right, another right, and slammed his shoulder into the sharp edge of a wall as he took another corner too quickly. He stumbled, and fell into a metal bin before regaining his footing and pushing himself harder to make up for the lost seconds.

He suddenly felt a cold numbness spread throughout his right shoulder, and his eyes widened as he fell to the ground, face-first. His shoulder started to burn in pain, and he scuffed his chin against the hard pavement. He screwed his eyes up in pain at the double wounding, and the tears that had threatened to fall since the beginning of the chase finally began. They wouldn't help, he knew, but he couldn't stop them. The pain in his shoulder intensified, and he felt an odd pulling sensation as the knife that had been thrown by one of his three pursuers was twisted and slid from his skin. Warmth spread down his arm as his blood poured freely from the wound.

Two of the villagers grabbed him under his arms, and hoisted him upright. The third grasped his knife tightly, and nodded once. The two holding Naruto pinned him against a wooden fence, his feet a clear foot above the floor. Each grasped their knives in their free hands, and held his hands above his head before driving the sharp implements through his palms, effectively nailing the young child to the wall.

Naruto whimpered in pain, and yelled as the villagers let go, leaving his full body weight to pull terribly upon the blades. He felt the skin of his hands rip, the muscles pull, twist and tear, and bit his lip as more tears fell from his eyes.

"The Demon of Konoha… May you rest in hell for what you did…" Muttered the third villager, toying with his bloodied knife, before driving it into Naruto's stomach, up to the hilt.

Naruto's eyes flew open wide, goggling at the pain. Blood fell from his mouth as it jerked open in a silent scream, and his lower lip was finally freed from between his teeth. The three villagers made themselves scarce, and Naruto was left hanging til late morning. He was found surrounded by a pool of his own blood five feet across, still wet, all three knives still pinning him to the wooden fence, and his eyes still pouring with tears. The ANBU who located him was shocked to see him still alive, and stood dumbly staring at the scene until Naruto managed to mumble a simple "please…" before un-pinning him and rushing him to the hospital.

Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, stood by the window of the hospital room and held his pipe in his mouth. He had already cracked it between his teeth once after hearing of Naruto's fate, and after hearing about the fearsome gut wound had immediately travelled to the hospital to make sure nothing untoward had happened to the Yondaime's seal. His worst fears were confirmed when, unlike the wounds in his hands, or the countless wounds Naruto had suffered previously, the wound on his stomach had left a ragged scar. Sarutobi prayed everything was okay with the young boy, but only when Naruto awoke would any damage become clear.

Naruto had healed well, his internal organs unaffected by the knife wound. The only reminder of what had happened other than the scene of the attack (which was being cleaned) was the scar that broached two lines of the seal on Naruto's stomach.

Naruto trudged wearily through the centre of Konoha towards his home. The scar on his stomach itched constantly, which grated on his nerves. He was tired, cold, and hungry after having bled enough for three bodies, constantly being healed by the power of the Kyuubi no Yoko contained within him.

He froze, his eyes going wide as he was hit in the back of the head by a large stone, and fell to the ground.

Naruto jumped, falling onto his behind. He grabbed the back of his head, feeling no wound or lump, and glanced around him for a stone. There was none. The villagers around him ignored this strange behaviour, and carried on their ways. Naruto was shocked. He had FELT, he had SEEN a large rock hit him in the back of the head, and he had fallen to the ground face-first, not landed on his backside. What was that?

Naruto stood unsteadily, walked five steps, and was hit in the back of the head by a stone. His eyes went wide, and he fell to the ground in a dead faint.

Naruto yelled. He was still sat on the floor, staring wild-eyed at his own body lying just five steps away from him. What really confused him was how villagers simply stepped through the body, but over it as well, their feet in two or even three places at once. He saw it happen twice more before his 'next self' shifted its head to the left, and the stone sailed past 'his' right ear. He carried on walking, and disappeared around a corner.

Naruto was confused. He didn't know what was going on, and the villagers were starting to sneer at him. He rose unsteadily, and walked forward. He shifted his head to the left, and watched in abject fear as the stone whistled past his head over his right shoulder. He swung his head around quickly, and saw a villager wearing a look of surprise at his dodge. The villager sneered, and ran, leaving Naruto wondering precisely what was going on.

This happened another twelve times on the way home. Each time, he saw what happened, what he did, and escaped unscathed from each attempt at annoying or injuring him. He couldn't understand it. He entered his home, and fell to his bed without a glance back. Maybe sleeping would help him solve the problem?

Deep inside the Yondaime's seal, Kyuubi no Yoko paced restlessly behind his bars, before displaying his sharpened fangs and chuckling ominously.