A New Type of Sound
Chapter 1: Subtle Vibrations

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Naruto, no matter how many ritual sacrifices I perform.

The world has many times before been remade, boundaries built and destroyed, treaties constructed to be torn and burnt. Peaceful negotiations have fallen into bloodbaths, a swath of carnage and sin, secrets expunged for the world to see and those who they ascertain to turned to dust. Only now, has a recent period surfaced where borders and names have stayed static.

It was the year 1014, 48 years after the Wandering Clans period for the Shinobi Clans, and the start of the settlement of Hidden Villages, the first being Konohagakure, within Hi no Kuni. Soon after, the major nations of Tsuchi no Kuni, Kaminari no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, and Kaze no Kuni followed suit. They became the most powerful and prestigious of the hidden villages, the major powers of Shinobi. Other hidden villages of Shinobi came into creation in the smaller nations of the world.

But peace never lasts. In these 48 years, the Shinobi Villages went through three great wars, all vicious and bloody, yet silent and unnoticed to the outside world. For all the power of destruction and death they possessed, they were never seen by those who were without training or experience, even to the great Samurai of the nation's Daimyo's armies.

Things seemed to have settled peacefully once again, the end of the last Shinobi war leaving Konohagakure the apparent winner. It was a time of invention and innovation, a time of reconstruction and expansion. With the creation of gunpowder, many other inventions had skyrocketed forward as well, such as the firearm. Those used were only able to fire once before having to be reloaded, which took significant time. No, they were a weapon used to supplement infantry, only being dangerous to Samurai and others who wielded them, Shinobi and their ilk untouchable by them.

Alongside this weapon, the common use of railroads was starting to grow, the prim example being the connectivity of Yuki no Kuni, where they were the spearhead of technological innovation. Ships and boats became sturdier and faster, with the start and addition of steam engines, and with basic electricity streets were lit finely, though homes were not yet included into this.

All was at peace, though that was soon to change, for everyone, as winds shifted and dust settles...

The Hokage's Office...

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He was looking out through his office window, firelight flickering in the distance. The sound of cries, shouts, and screams echoed through the village, the thumping of Shinobi and Kunoichi alike traversing the rooftops, dashing to help those in need, and take stock of the area.

Konoha had been ravaged, many buildings completely demolished, hundreds, possibly thousands dead. "But, it could have been worse..." The Third mused, as he looked down at a cloth bundle. "If not for the brave actions of the Fourth, and his tremendous sacrifice, both of his life... and his son." His brows furrowed in concern as the bundle squirmed, the blankets shifting, showing the small form of a newborn.

The child had silver tufts of hair, an unnatural color for others, yet its shining radiance completely normal on the head of this child. Again, the child shifted, and opened his eyes. Sarutobi slightly flinched at the child's eyes, once again displaying the color silver, as he silently gazed upon the wizened Hokage. The child had yet to make a sound, yet he seemed to twitch, as he moved his head, staring around the room to identify something."Curious..." Sarutobi thought, as he observed the newborn.

"Well, I should be grateful that he doesn't share any similarities in appearance to Minato, though perhaps he will look like him in the future. Though we don't have to worry about him being identified due to sharing his hair color." Hiruzen gently picked up the boy, shifting him into his arms as the child's gaze moved to him again. "It is strange that he doesn't have Kushina's hair color at least... perhaps?... No, it couldn't be..."

Hiruzen slowly walked to the door of his office, taking care of the newborn boy who once again was observing the room intently, trying to find something. He smiled at the small newborn in his arms, "Well then, what shall I call you... your parents did plan to name you after the main character of my pupil's book, but what of your surname?" His hand grasped the door handle to leave his office, his gaze on the boy, who once again intently and quietly looked at him.

"Hmmm... Chinmoku... Naruto Chinmoku... a perfect fit I think..." Hiruzen mused, as he left the office.

As he passed his secretary's desk, who was a flurry of activity, he called over his shoulder "Convene the Shinobi Council, call all the Clan Heads, and every Shinobi of Tokubetsu Jonin Rank and above." The secretary could only let the question on her lips as the Hokage strode out of the room...

The Council Room...

All of the Heads of the Clans of Konoha were gathered in here, along with all of the Tokubetsu and Regular Jonin of the village. Many people glanced at the boy in his arms questioningly, but remained silent.

"It was great sorrow and regret, that I have to inform you of the death of the Fourth Hokage. In his last moments, he transported the Kyuubi no Kitsune outside of the village, saving many lives from its destructive rampage." he slowly shifted his gaze from person to person, taking in their saddened and shocked expressions at the news.

The third continued on. " After battling the Kyuubi, and finding no other alternative to its defeat, the Fourth sealed the beast. As you all well know, the only way to imprison and seal such a powerful being as the Kyuubi, it requires a human container, specifically a newborn."

At the revelation of this news, almost all eyes settled on the silent child in Hiruzen's arms, understanding dawning on their faces. Quite a few of the assembled Jonin's faces started to show anger and hate at the child, and also one or two of the Clan Heads.

"This child here, an orphan by the attack, was used by the Fourth Hokage to seal the Beast. His words were to honor the child, for the service he has done and the burden he has to bear." Hiruzen continued on, raising the Naruto in his arms to better light, as the by looked upon each face in quiet contemplation. "Recognize the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, Naruto Chinmoku."

At this quite a few voices started to raise out, calling for the death of the child, in irrational fear and hate due loss. The Third sighed, and raised his hand, silencing everyone.

"I can assure you that the seal keeping the Kyuubi imprisoned completely separates him and the child. It is a seal far more powerful than those used on the previous on previous Jinchuuriki." Naruto's gaze shifted to Hiruzen once again, almost in askance of what he was to do.

"As of now though, I am making the identity of Naruto Chinmoku as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki an S-Class Secret, punishable by death, and death of those told. I cannot tell you the importance of this, and hope you all do not betray my trust." he gave a piercing look to all of his Shinobi, no one able to hold his gaze. "With this, I adjourn the Council meeting." With this final word, the Shinobi started to slowly file out of the room.

The third sighed again, and looked down at Naruto once more. "Now what to do with you, hmmm?" He smiled at the silent newborn as he walked out of the council room...

5 Years Later...

Naruto leaned his head on his head, as he read by candlelight. He was sitting at a table inside the small library in the orphanage in which he lived. He was currently reading a general history of the world, with the development of the current nations and Shinobi Villages. Beside him were two piles of books, the one on his right being those he had read already was considerably larger than the other pile of those he had not.

Naruto was a very strange child it would appear, as he preferred solitude and silence to playing and the company of others. He would complain of noise when there would be too many people, and he would seem unsteady at the sight of a crowd. Most people would overlook his presence, as he rarely would speak unless spoken to, and even then very softly, as if the sound of his own voice would hurt his ears.

Naruto was a very respectful child, with impeccable manners. His caretakers were always impressed with how he would act around others, and even more impressed with his vocabulary, far exceeding that of a child twice his age. He had a sharp mind, picking up skills and retaining knowledge at an extraordinary rate. And to match this, he had a wit just as sharp, used in defense when another child thought to try to make fun of him, often leading to said child's great embarrassment. He remembered the first time someone tried to bully him...

Flashback...

Naruto was sitting under the shade of a tree in the small courtyard in front of the orphanage. He was reading a book while distancing himself from the other children, though the caretakers had led them outside with the goal of having them play together. He was trying to block out the cacophonous noises to his hearing, with minimal success. He could slightly adjust his hearing, and he was certain he could adjust it to manageable levels if he focused and practiced enough. As he was thinking of a theory, of perhaps if he intently focused on the nearest source of sound to him, the others would dull in comparison, and therefore be of an acceptable level to him, he was interrupted from his musings.

He heard the sound of several figures walking towards him, and when he looked up he spotted several older children from the orphanage make their way to stand over him. "You think you're some kind of smart guy, huh, with all of your reading? Think you're some kind of cool guy being all quiet?" Naruto quietly responded. "...No... please leave me be, i'm trying to accomplish something..." The bully seemed offput by the clear response to him, put scoffed and continued. "I bet you're just a pushover, and i'll prove it." At this all the other boys sneered and laughed at Naruto. Naruto only remained silent, suppressing his grimace of pain at the loud noise in such close proximity. He merely stayed where he was as the self-proclaimed ringleader took his book from his hands and threw it onto the lower roof.

"Hah! Guess I was right, i mean look - he didn't even try to resist!" The leader sneered. "Come on guys, lets leave, he's not worth it now." With that they left...

3 Days Later...

Naruto was once again sitting under the same tree, with a different book in his hands, as other children played around him. After going over in depth of his hypothesis on how to reduce the sound coming to him, he was trying to put it into practice, and he was having more success, but still needed an extremely large amount of improvement. He once again looked up at the sound of several people walking towards him, their sounds being familiar to him. Looking up, he spotted the very same group who had bullied him last time.

"Well lookie what we have here, the same little boy trying to be all cool. Didn'tcha learn your lesson last time, hmm?" He evilly laughed, his group of friends chuckling with. "Well I guess you have to be taught until you learn". As he grabbed the book from Naruto's, he failed to notice the devilish grin alight his features. As the boy raised it over his head to throw it, he felt a light tug and heard an audible click. Looking back he saw a trailing thread from the book going through the trees and resting on a lever, connected to a switch. Immediately the book was pulled strongly from his grip, and paint cans suspended on a platform rotated on it, spilling their contents on the group of bullies below. Immediately after a net was released from a switch, and they were hauled up into the tree screaming.

Naruto merely untied his book from the thread, sat down, and started to read, ignoring the belligerent paint covered bullies, waiting for a caretaker to come with a devilish smile on his face...

Flashback End...

Physically, Naruto was average for a boy his age, though perhaps a small bit shorter than others. He was very skinny, almost looking underweight, and he had a very pale complexion. Paired along with his silver hair and eyes, he was often said to be a gentle beauty, an many girls had a crush on him, though none approached him.

Naruto was currently blissfully wrapped up in his book, currently reading an extremely interesting part about about the clashing of Shinobi and samurai in a coup in Yuki no Kuni, before he heard a change in the air around him. He could hear the footsteps echoing through the orphanage as the matron made her way through the building, traversing from the fourth story where her office is down to the second, where the library was located.

For all of his life, Naruto could hear the lightest change in sound. He could tell what direction someone was facing, even with his eyes closed. He could follow someone for a mile with hearing alone. He could tell what they were feeling, the emotion they were experiencing by the subtle tones to their voice. This was his world, his domain.

Naruto sighed quietly as he marked his page before closing the book, and turning in his seat to look at the doorway. He could see a slight distortion in the door-frame, it seeming slightly hazy, as if it were vibrating. The vibrations increased in speed until the matron appeared in the frame of the door.

Not appearing surprised at seeing him already looking at her as if knowing she was coming, she spoke. "Naruto-kun, you do know that all the other children are outside, yes?" Naruto nodded in response, eyes questioningly looking at her. She sighed, before speaking once again. "Well, that doesn't matter. Come along, we have a few visitors today, and the other caretakers are gathering up the other children."

"Hai, Ushio-san." Naruto said, as he gracefully exited his seat. As he passed through the doorway, Ushio laid a hand on his shoulder, guiding him as they walked. "Also, Naruto-kun?" she asked with mirth in her voice.

"Hai, Ushio-san?" he asked demurely. "Please refrain from including the caretakers in any more of your pranks. The water, while funny, was completely unnecessary." At this, Naruto stayed silent, but a smile could be seen hinting his face...

The Afternoon

Naruto sadly lay in his room as he thought about what happened earlier in the day. He had lined up with the other children as they waited patiently. A few couples came in, and went along the line, before talking to a child or two. One such couple had taken an interest in him, and he was certain he was going to be adopted. But once they came back from talking to themselves alone outside, they completely ignored him for some reason, choosing another child and leaving.

He sighed, as this was had happened several times in the past before. A couple would seem on the very verge of adopting him, giving him a home, before they would choose another. He didn't understand, what was wrong with him? Was it his quiet nature? The way he spoke? He teared up, thinking he would never find a home, people to love him. "No, don't think like that! You have Hokage-jiji, and soon you'll be joining the Academy! You'll make friends there with others like you!"

Naruto perked up at this, as he thought about the many stories he had read about Shinobi, general history, such as about the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages, the Clans of Konoha, even basic instruction about some of the arts of the Shinobi. He was, in a way, obsessed with them. For some reason, imagining himself as a Shinobi felt right.

Sighing one last time, he looked up at his calendar, where the day he would join the Academy was circled. " Two more weeks... just two more weeks and I can start a new chapter in my life..." he muttered to himself, as he slowly fell asleep...

Author's Note:Hey guys, thanks for reading the first chapter in my very first Fanfiction! I tried my best, so please tell me what you think! I am aiming to have as much of the Japanese terms, such as the names of jutsu and elements, stay true to it. So please tell me if I am miss-using a word or term, or what would be a more appropriate one in place, as I am not fluent at all in the language. I've been hinting at the type of Kekkei Genkai Naruto will have, both in name and a small glimpse of ability. My goal is to try to update this at least monthly, if not more, but real life is a harsh mistress, and I am but only a High School student. So, see ya next chapter, and thanks for any reviews and other such stuff. Chao! ^.^