A/N: I do not own Naruto, or any of the recognisable material. None of this is for profit.

Warning: Homelessness, abuse, theft.

Five year old Naruto was curled in a bruised and battered ball, blood slowly oozing from cuts and scraps as he sat in his corner of the shared dorm room of the orphanage the night of his birthday. He had hoped that maybe this year would be better than the last and the older children would forget about him today, rejoicing over the death of the Kyuubi with the festival. It was in vain, the beating was worse then those he received on a weekly basis.

All the other children, along with the matron, Sasaki Hiroko, were out for the night to celebrate at the festival with the rest of the village - through the thin walls he could hear the crowd getting rowdy, undoubtedly from all the alcohol they had managed to consume in the hours since it's beginning. Glad to not be outside, instead staying in the minimal safety the orphanage offered, Naruto hugged his arms tighter around his knees.

Whilst Naruto wasn't invited, he also wasn't overly concerned by the obvious disfavour, as he didn't particularly want to attend anyway. Other then that, today always seemed to be when the village was most antagonistic towards him. Although, his treatment had become more a fact of life than anything to be worked up over.

He had managed to fall into a pained, light doze, his injuries from the other children not allowing him true rest. The sound of the door opening downstairs and children's laughter could be heard coming through the floor as the Matron corralled the orphanage residents inside and towards their beds. The door to Naruto's dorm opened and light split the darkness so his three roommates - slightly older kids who liked to pick on him - could enter to go to sleep. Naruto glanced up and his and Sasaki's eyes met through the still open door. He saw hers widen first, then narrow in anger. The slight wobble in her steps proved that she had also indulged in at least some sake during the celebrations.

Quickly she advanced on the young boy and grabbed him roughly around the arm, giving him no choice but to get up and hurry after her - half tripping over in his haste to uncurl and stand - lest she simply drag him across the floor.

"I'm done, had enough. No more in my orphanage there isn't enough money and food to provide for this thing anymore." Naruto heard the matron slur under her breath as they proceeded to the front door.

"I'll have no more demons in my orphanage!" With that final declaration the blond was tossed onto the stoop as the door was shut behind him, the lock making a finalizing click almost reinforcing the fate of the young boy.

Naruto quickly realised that he had to get hidden if he wanted to remain safe - despite his young age he had experienced the attitude of the villagers enough to have learned by this point that if he wanted to avoid their scorn than he had to avoid them altogether. A glance around proved that for the moment the street was fairly clear, and he took the opportunity to duck into an alley next to the building he previously called home.

Stumbling down it as fast as his short and injured body could take him the blond took a few more turns to avoid the villagers, searching for a suitably abandoned spot to hide. Many days of being sent outside on the pretence of playing had given Naruto both reason and opportunity to learn the alleys and side streets of his immediate area.

Eventually coming to a dead end alley with only the back doors to houses in it he crouched in a shadowed corner to conserve warmth and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

The sun in his eyes and indistinct yelling was what awoke the blonde the next morning, soon accompanied by the rumbling of his stomach.

Small hope had the boy quietly exiting the alley in hope of finding someone who may be kind enough to give him something to eat. A few turns later and Naruto was heading to a street that primarily held food vendors before it branched off further into the shopping district. The few people that were up sneered as he passed, none sparing a glance for his wide eyed hopeful looks for food.

A whole street of sneers, curses, iterations of demon and at least three different tossed objects convinced Naruto that no, he wouldn't be getting any free food this morning. The pattern continued for the next hour getting progressively more hostile and violent until he was chased by one particularly vicious villager and gave up on the venture for the day. Better to stick to areas he knew - he may be five but necessity had already born in him a greater intelligence.

By night he had a further number of bruises - as hard as he tried he couldn't avoid people indefinitely nor their stones, fists and feet - and was hungrier then he could ever remember being. The smell of a small restaurant had not helped matters in the least and he was getting progressively more desperate despite his flagging energy and caution of other people.

Luck was on Naruto's side for one small moment as at this time a worker exited the building to toss the night scraps into the bin. The bag was poorly sealed, though, and some of the soba noodles inside spilt onto the street. Cursing, he quickly grabbed at least the larger bits to drop into the bin before returning to finish the night's clean-up.

That one moment though, the singular glance was enough for Naruto to jump at the new discovery in his desperation and as soon as the alley was again clear he made his way to the bin to see what could be salvaged.

Thus, the blond had found the first steps for his survival on the streets.

By the end of the month Naruto had begun to get an understanding of the streets. He'd learned the easiest way to avoid people - and their swinging fists - during the day by hiding out wherever he could find near where he wanted to be. He found his preference to be up in the high branches of Konoha's many trees.

The best time to go searching through dumpsters being an hour after closing time of the different restaurants and street vendors. Naruto would spend the rest of the night wandering and memorising the many streets of the village, there were fewer people around at such hours and he could freely travel. When morning came the blond would climb a tree, observe his surrounding to ensure his safety before falling asleep. With this quickly developing routine the blond was living on a nocturnal clock.

It was mid November, when the boy was observing the morning crowd from his perch. His blue gaze caught on an older boy whose appearance was near as scruffy as his own was. Curious, he watched the brunette as he repeatedly bumped into people, ignoring the looks and sneers that were directed his way. Now truly intrigued - why would someone subject themselves to such looks when they were fairly easy to avoid? - he slipped from his tree and darted into the alley he'd seen the other enter.

A glance behind showed that he thankfully hadn't been followed as he himself trailed after the other boy. Once in a much more secluded area he watched as the boy pulled wallets, pouches and purses from all of his pockets and begin to pull out anything of value.

"A-ano, where did y-you get those?" Naruto spoke up nervously, his curiosity overriding his caution. A derisive sneer and a shake of the head was the immediate response to the soft enquiry. "Stole 'em, where the fuck else would 'ah get 'em?" His voice was as rough as he looked and conveyed in it all the condescension he felt towards to blonde's naivete.

Bolstered from getting an answer from the other - no matter the manner it was delivered - Naruto tried for another question. "Who from? And how?" Awaiting the answer he shuffled closer to better see what was being done with the pilfered items.

Semi-annoyed and semi-curious at the interruption the other kid glanced from what he was doing to see the other before answering the question. "Well y'see, from them ou' there on the street. An' ah' filched 'em. Grabbed the money right outta their pockets." A proud smirk had made its way onto the boy's face as he spoke of his achievement.

Now getting rather excited about the idea of having money - and thus easier access to food - the whiskered boy forgot his nerves and practically bounced over to the older child. "Will you teach me?" Moral or not Naruto no longer cared, he got nothing from them but their hate and unwillingly given scraps, he needed to survive more than they needed their money. He'd also been chased off or beaten for rooting around in bins, although he didn't understand why it made them so angry - they don't want what's in it.

"An' why should 'ah do tha'? What's in it for me?" At this question Naruto tilted his head in thought, already aware that he would never get something for nothing the question didn't really surprise him. What had surprised him was that the boy had actually agreed. "Um, you could have some of what I get?" The next part was practically mumbled into his shoes but the brunette still caught what was said. "They never sell to me anyway, just try beat me again and chase me off." At this point the blond had shrunk into himself as if in preparation for the remembered blows to strike him again.

"Maki Takumi, an' you 'ave yourself a deal." The brunette held his hand out for a shake, soon met with a smaller hand and a wide grin.

"Uzumaki Naruto"

Learning from Takumi was rough for the young boy but Naruto was looking forward to when he could implement the skills he was being taught. Naruto still spent most of his hours awake at night or hidden in trees - as he wanted to avoid the villagers as much as he could before that was no longer possible - but there was now more focus to his actions. "Know your escape routes," Takumi had said, "an' be fast enough to use 'em."

Naruto took this to heart so he ran. He begun to learn the side streets and back alleys of the village, where there was a fence he could hop or a corner he could dart around to lose anyone who might catch him. He would be caught, Takumi had assured him of that. "You won' be good to begin with, people will catch you 'til you get more experience." Running as much as he could increased his speed and stamina for easier escapes. It also meant he could check more bins before what food was in them went bad or got eaten by some animal first.

The two of them would split what was found before Takumi went to sleep and Naruto would continue his exploration. By sunrise, Naruto would return to where his companion had slept, where he would have to practice trying to pickpocket the other. The skill saw steady improvement as every time he was caught his hand would receive a sharp slap - the pain drilled into him the best method fastest. When the village woke up some more they'd choose an area of the village distant from where they were yesterday, Naruto would climb a tree and the brunette would join the crowd.

At nightfall they'd seclude themselves back in an alley nearer some restaurants, where they'd sort the wallets and discuss where they might hit tomorrow. When the village around them started closing down Naruto would split off and begin running in his search of thrown food, bringing it back to share.

While he did that Takumi would go store the money in one of several boxes he'd placed around the village, bringing back some food also. All the money the pair could spare to save was, and on mornings where they were still hungry Naruto was taught how to filch dumplings and such from vendors first by observation then putting it into practice - as oppose to buying something.

A month passed in this fashion but as the slightly cooler weather of winter came the threadbare clothes they both wore were no longer sufficient. The blond was often shivering by the time Takumi woke despite having taken to run further and harder in order to try keep warm, ignoring the exhaustion he was left with afterwards. It was this that prompted a sigh from the brunette as he watched the sun try pierce the for once cloudy morning.

"Looks like we're gonna 'ave to grab us some clothes. Should be interesting, 'aven't done this in a while." A grin split his face as he begun their morning trek to the new area, gesturing the five year old along behind him. Naruto followed like an obedient puppy, waiting to see what else he was to learn from the other boy.

"Now, y'see, 'ah don't like paying for anything 'ah can just as easily steal. Same for these clothes we need so come night, 'ah'm gonna show you how to break into one of these shops 'ere. As always, the important thing is to not get caught and get away if you do." They'd each had enough food last night so to pass the morning until there was enough of a crowd Takumi improved on what few reading skills Naruto had. By pointing out signs on shops they passed he picked up a few of the characters, it wasn't perfect but it was a start and there was little else they could do when the brunette knew little more than that himself.

That day it was only exhaustion from his running through the night that got the blond to sleep, and when night came he was near bouncing with excitement under the streetlights as he was told what they were going to do.

"So, we 'ave a few different ways to break in depending on the place, an' until we pick one later tonight we don't know which will be best. So, ah'm gonna tell you all of 'em.

"First, roof. Many buildings 'ere 'ave a roof entrance for easy access for all these ninja you see jumping around. Usually, they have a padlock on 'em somewhere and we'd 'ave to either pick or break that lock.

"Second, windows. These are locked on the inside and with this, we may be able to move the latch an' unlock it with this." At this point Takumi unsheathed a small knife Naruto knew he always kept strapped to his forearm beneath his long sleeves. Naruto was also nodding along with rapt attention as he memorised and tried to think about the difficulty of each method he'd been told so far. "Although that can be a bit fiddly.

"Third, front or back door. Both are gonna be locked, an' we gotta be careful to make sure the one we pick is only a key lock we can pick. If it has a deadbolt or some other method such as a latch the difficulty increases. You got all tha'?" Naruto nodded in confirmation as he thought over what he had learned and what that might mean for their self appointed mission.

"Right, then 'elp me sor' this, then we'll have a look for a place and practice your pickpocket skills - 'ah reckon you're jus' about ready - before you do your food run." Sorting the money was a quick job, stashing any other valuables they found before dumping the wallets in a bin as they passed on their way to a civilian shopping area nearby.

"Shinobi are paranoid bastards, especially if they lived long enough to retire and start a shop, so we're gonna stick with civilian stuff. Breaking into a shinobi place is a one way ticket to the Uchiha's prison - stuck up assholes. What place do you reckon of these ones 'ere?" Takumi suddenly changed conversation and he stopped in a street behind a few stores, asking Naruto's opinion for how to proceed.

The whiskered boy jogged to the front of the shops from the side street he was in, while knowing they'd have to break in from the back to be safe he needed to know which shops might have what they were after. He found after some window shopping that the fifth, sixth and eighth stores had what might be acceptable so it became a matter of which would be the easiest to get into. Running back round to his companion and teacher he told him of what he had seen before looking at the back of them.

The fifth store didn't have any windows that were large enough for even Naruto, small as he was, to squeeze through. Both the sixth and eighth did so they would have to wait until later when they were actually breaking in to determine which would be easier. Since that was concluded the pair walked off a couple of blocks, Naruto all the while trying to nick some of the money from his friend as they walked, with marginal success. A couple hours passed in that vein before they agreed to meet where they were before they split for food and money stash respectively.

They met back together when it was just around ten-thirty and dug into their pilfered meal. The hour after that while they awaited midnight was spent talking between them, and Naruto practised walking on his hands in an attempt to keep active and stave off the encroaching chill.

When midnight came the boys gathered the containers that was left and dropped them in the bin before heading towards their chosen store, sticking to the shadows to avoid attention. Reaching the block they walked to the sixth store-back and Takumi studied the window while Naruto kept lookout in case someone came.

"'Ah think this window latch can be jiggled open, you wanna have a shot? 'Ah already know how to do it an' you gotta learn." Naruto nodded an affirmative before coming closer and hoisting himself up to sit on the sill studying the lock and accepting the knife. Takumi took over his role of lookout. Sliding the thin blade between the side of the window and its holding he carefully tried to angle it around to catch the top of the latch. Some careful manoeuvring and five minutes later he had succeeded, pushing the window open a crack.

"I got it." The blond whispered softly handing the knife back and adjusting into a crouch so he could drop in once he pushed the window open all the way. Doing so as silently as he could - surprisingly quietly, after all the trees he dropped out of - with Takumi following after, they quickly shut the window to hide and avoid notice.

Creeping to the back of the store from the office the pair found themselves in, they browsed as much as they could for some appropriate clothing. Naruto eventually settled on some thick black pants that were a bit too long - rolling them up was good enough and he knew he'd grow into them some. Besides being cold his old clothes were getting too small anyway. Additionally he took a forest green shirt with long sleeves and a hood to hide his blond hair under. He didn't own shoes, and decided that he'd continue to forgo them for the added climbing ability bare feet granted him.

When Takumi had chosen his own outfit - long pants, beige shirt but with a brown jacket over-top, a basic pair of runners - the two of them changed, rolled up their old clothes in preparation of binning them and slipped back to the office and the opened window.

Climbing up onto the sill again in preparation to drop down Naruto glanced around the street. He froze, eyes meeting those of a drunk stumbling around at the mouth of the alley, and watched with growing dread as recognition appeared to light in the man's eyes.

"Kuso" He whispered, although the word bordered on a snarl. "We've been spotted, a drunk to the right." He informed his friend, dropping from the window and preparing to bolt. By that point the drunk was already staggering towards them, and Naruto could clearly see the hate and disdain the man held him in, slurring that he was a demon and he'd kill him to rid the village of the 'beast.'

Naruto bolted. Knowing his friend would be right behind him he ran, through the twisting alleys he'd spent months memorising, over short fences, parks, trees, streets and more streets. At some point the whiskered boy glanced to the side to see Takumi keeping up, and adrenaline mixed with the realisation of what they'd done. Giddiness built in his chest, along with mild hysteria and a wide grin formed on his face. When the grin was matched by the brunette, the blond broke and began laughing, soon joined by the other boy's voice in the cold night air.

Their laughter built up till they had to stop to prevent falling over as a result of their hysterics. It took a good five minutes for the pair to calm down, and they laid flopped on the ground recovering from their dead sprint across the village. Eventually though their joy subsided and Naruto's thoughts returned to that of the man they'd encountered. The man's attitude towards him was fairly standard but it had been months since Naruto had truly interacted with people and paid them any attention.

With this event the question came back full force, why was he hated so much? What did he do, could he have done to deserve the name demon? To be thrown out of the orphanage, kicked and beaten and tossed out of stores.

The blonds mood quickly plummeted with his thoughts and his eyes dulled from their previous glee. Takumi rolled onto his side to see why his friend had gone quiet and saw the state he was in. "Ne, wha's wrong with you? 'Ah ain't seen you in such a mood for weeks." Naruto shrugged at the question and turned his gaze to the only friend he'd ever had. Hope came to him, maybe his friend would know? The others in the orphanage his age had known. At the same time though, fear joined with his tumultuous emotions. What if he did know? What if he didn't? Naruto was unsure which of the options he preferred.

A nudge to his ribs once more brought him from his troubled thoughts and he refocused on Takumi's face. A brunette eyebrow quirked up in silent prompt. Naruto sighed heavily and looked away so he wouldn't have to see the answer to his question before he spoke - wanting to know but not at the same time.

"Why do they hate me, Takumi-kun? I've never done anything to them." His voice trailed off at the end as he fell back into his thought and the silence stretched between them. Takumi watched his young companion as he thought of what to say. He knew, like most others of his age remembered, but wasn't sure if he wanted to take the risk of breaking the Sandaime's law. Another look at the blue eyes of the other, he thought of the situation and came to a decision.

A life on the streets is not a good one for anyone, let alone a five year old child, and he deserved to know the reason for his suffering. Taking a deep breath he sat, and Naruto heard the shift of his clothes as he did so, keeping his gaze fixed on the stars.

"'Ah know why, and it's illegal to speak of by the Sandaime's rule. 'Ah personally think that if anyone deserves to know it's you, so 'ah'm gonna tell you. Do you know the story of the Kyuubi?" At this Naruto's eyes met brown and he nodded uncertainly, he knew the story, remembered being sneered at through the telling every time. The hesitation was because of that attitude he always received, and the connotations that the story now had due to the hatred.

"It's wrong." The statement was blunt coming from Takumi and the force of it jolted Naruto from his remembrance.

"So, the Kyuubi attacked, y'see, and the Yondaime Hokage fought to defeat it to protect the village, as did many others. What they don' tell you anymore is tha' you can't kill a bijuu. The creatures are masses of pure chakra - 'ah'm not clear on what tha' is, but everything apparently 'as it. Ninja thing too, supposedly. The point is, they can't be killed. The only way to stop the fox was to seal it, at the cost of his own life. Do you know what sealing is?" Naruto at this point was full of nerves and trepidation but shook his head no.

Takumi grimaced at the response but continued. "Sealing is another ninja thing. 'Ah don't remember exactly but the general idea was you seal something into another. Ano... like water in a cup, only this is anything in a scroll with some fancy lines. You follow?" Naruto nodded, not quite sure but figured it'd make more sense later.

"So the Yondaime sealed the fox, only no scroll could hold tha' much chakra, no object would ever be capable. Instead, the Yondaime took a newborn and put the Kyuubi in him. Naruto, you're the cup in this, and the Kyuubi is the water." Naruto's eyes were wide with fear at this, his mind not keeping up with the information and emotional shock. Stuck somewhere between denial of what he was told and remembering every time he'd been called demon. He curled in on himself and unknowingly begun muttering 'no no no's' and 'demon, they're right I'm a demon.'

The brunette shook his head and tugged the boy over to him. "You're not the Kyuubi 'ah told you that. All the villagers are wrong for what they do to you, but they're blinded by grief and are using you as a scapegoat."

"Scapegoat?" Naruto repeated, reassured by the brunette's words. "Scapegoat. Ano, they want someone to blame for their pain. They blame you, because they don't know about seals and, as 'ah said, want someone to blame. Y'see?" He asked watching Naruto nod, he knew the boy didn't entirely understand but that'd come with time.

Takumi ruffled Naruto's blond locks before standing, pulling the other boy with him. "What do you say we find a tree to sleep? In the morning 'ah'll let you try your hand at pick-pocketing , an' if you don't get caught by the end of the day you can do so by yourself everyday after?" Naruto nodded in agreement and the two went to find a suitable place to sleep.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review - you guy are gonna be my motivation to continue. I'll update weekly with what I've written so far, then it'll be an 'as I produce' basis. Constructive criticism will be appreciated.