"Hello" - (Normal talking)

"What now?" - (Thoughts)

["Oh come on!"] - (Demonic Talking)

["How is this possible?"] - (Demonic Thought)

"How did that happen?" - (Flashback)

"Lightning Strike" - (Techniques /Words of Power)

{"Hello, how are you?"} - (Communication)

Chapter 1- A Dragon Rises

(Night of The Kyuubi Attack)

"Minato, you can't do this to Naruto. I don't want him to carry such a burden. Just seal the Kyuubi into me and let me take it down with me." spoke a red haired woman with light skin and tired violet eyes. Coming out of her back were huge golden chains. Next to her was a blonde haired man with light skin and blue eyes. And in front of them was a newborn baby with blond hair, shut eyes and whiskers. On his stomach was an intricate seal of his father's design. This was Naruto Uzumaki and his parents, Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. Towering above them was a giant orange fox with nine tails. This is Kyuubi no Yoko, the strongest of the Nine Bijuu.

"Kushina, if I don't do this then the fake Madara could get his hands on the Kyuubi. Then me fighting him will have been for nothing." said Minato with a serious tone. "Besides, I've been convinced of two things today. That fake Madara who attacked you will bring catastrophe to the world. And the one who will stop him is this child, who will open up the future as a Jinchuriki. I mean, he's our son after all." He gave his wife his usual goofy grin, as he weaved hand signs and called out:

"Reaper Death Seal!"

Suddenly a ghostly apparition with purple skin, sharp teeth and horns appeared. This was Shinigami. It grabbed onto Minato's soul, signifying it's hold on him. Minato then turned to his wife, saying "I'm gonna seal your chakra inside Naruto too, so you won't have much time. I want you to help him control the Nine Tails power as a Jinchuriki."

"You idiot! Why use the Reaper Death Seal!? If it's just so I meet Naruto when he's older, then I'd rather you stay with him and watch over him." said Kushina with blood starting to fall from her mouth. She grabbed onto him with tears in her eyes. "I just don't understand why it has to be this way. Why do you have to sacrifice yourself at all just for me please!?"

"To forsake one's nation and one's village, is exactly the same as forsaking one's own child. A harsh life awaits those without a land to call their home." said Minato with a sigh. "Finally, even if I were to live, I could never be a substitute for you. But there is something only you can tell Naruto, something that I just can't. I'm doing it for Naruto." He picks up his newborn child. "I will die for my son."

With that said, Minato willed the Shinigami to grab the Kyuubi, causing the beast to scream in pain. He shouted "SEAL!" as half of the Kyuubi was ripped out and sealed into Minato. He felt like his whole body was on fire. "My body's going numb. I can believe how heavy Kyuubi's chakra is." He fought through the pain as he summoned a ritual platform and placed Naruto on it.

The Kyuubi saw this, thinking "A ritual platform!? He plans on sealing me in that child! I won't lose my freedom!" He raised his paw, bringing it down in hopes of crushing the child.

Minato and Kushina saw this and jumped in front of Naruto, getting impaled by Kyuubi's claw as Kushina forced more chains out to hold Kyuubi down. Minato coughed up blood, saying "Why did you do that, Kushina? Dying for him was my job."

"It's because I'm his mother and I'm supposed to protect him no matter what." said Kushina with a bloody smile.

"Why you!" growled Kyuubi.

"Now's the time, Summoning Jutsu!" said Minato, weaving hand signs and summoning a toad with a scroll as its body. This is Gerotora, the Scroll Toad.

"Huh, what is going on here!?" he exclaimed, seeing one of his summoners impaled by the Kyuubi.

"Gerotora, I'm sealing the Kyuubi within my son. I'm leaving you the key to the seal, for in the future my son will need Kyuubi's power. Do you understand?" said Minato, getting a nod from the toad. Gerotora unfurled the scroll, revealing a blank page. Minato's hand glowed blue as the key seal appeared on his arm, before touching the blank page and transferring the seal.

"I confirm that I have received the key. Alright, I'm off now." said Gerotora, closing the scroll and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Kushina, do you have some words for our son?" said Minato, wanting her to get things off her chest.

"Naruto, Don't be picky. Eat lots and grow strong. Make sure that you bathe every day and stay warm. Also, don't stay up late, you need lots of sleep. And make friends, you don't need a lot of friends just a few. Ones you can really, really trust. I wasn't very good at it, but keep up with your studies and practice your ninjutsu hard." said Kushina as more tears began to fall. "Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so don't get too depressed if you can't do something well. Respect your teachers and upperclassmen at the Academy. Oh, and this is important, it's about the Three Prohibitions for a shinobi. Be extra careful about lending and borrowing money, put your mission wages into your savings account. No alcohol until you're twenty, too much can ruin your health, so drink in moderation. Another Prohibition is women. I'm a woman, so I don't know too much about this but all you need to remember is that this world is made up of men and women. So it's only natural to take an interest in girls. But just don't get hooked on bad women and find someone just like me. Speaking of the Three Prohibitions, be wary of Jiraiya Sensei, you know. Naruto, from now on, you're going to face lots of pain and hardship. Be true to yourself and have a dream and have the confidence to make that dream come 's so much, oh so much more that I want to pass on to you. I wish I could stay with you longer..I love you. Sorry Minato, looks like I took up all your time."

"Well Naruto, your talkative mom said it all," said Minato, weaving some hand signs. "Eight Trigrams Seal!" The Kyuubi roared as it was dragged towards Naruto's seal. There was a flash of light that lasted for a while, before the Kyuubi disappeared..

"Minato Kushina!" screamed a middle aged man with grey hair and clad in black battle armor. This is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 3rd Hokage.

"Hiruzen," Minato coughed out, gesturing to his son. "This is my son Naruto. I just finished sealing the Kyuubi in him, making him a Jinchuuriki. Make sure the people know that he is a hero for keeping the Kyuubi at bay." With that Minato passed on, leaving Naruto crying.

"I understand Minato," said Hiruzen in sorrow at the loss of his successor. "ANBU followed me to the village. I have an announcement to make to the people." He scooped up the baby Naruto, making his way towards the village to inform the people of the village's new Jinchuriki. Little did he and everyone else know that someone interfered with the sealing.

(Mysterious Void)

"Alright you trolling bloodsucker, why did you save me from being sealed?" asked Kyuubi, glaring at the being in front of him. He was a different size though, about the size of a puppy. In front of him was an old man with pale skin, red eyes and grey hair with a beard. He was clad in a black outfit with a purple cape and a cane. This is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, Master of The Second True Magic Kaleidoscope: The Operation of Parallel Worlds.

"Oh come now Kurama, I can't just do something out of the goodness of my heart?" said Zelretch with a grin.

"Oh don't give me that crap! And you're lucky my father found you amusing or else I'd tear you to shreds for speaking my true name." said the now named Kurama.

"Alright alright you got me. You see that boy you tried to kill is actually gonna be quite important in the future." said Zelretch with a look of intrigue.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kurama with a raised eyebrow.

"Well first off he's the reincarnation of your brother Ashura," said Zelretch, getting wide eyes from Kurama. "In addition, he's the one who will unite the Bijuu like your father said. Trust me, I've seen the kid's alternates and one way or another he does unite you guys while bringing peace to the Elemental Nations. Either through love, power or both. Anyway, I gave the boy a power that will be more suitable for him. Plus we both know you would have tried to kill the boy to break free."

"You're not wrong. Though a part of me feels bad for almost trying to kill the kid. A really small part," said Kurama with a shrug. "Anyway, what are you going to do with me?"

"Oh I have a nice place for you to live. You'll have to join a faction, but you won't be imprisoned anymore." said Zelretch, gaining a fierce grin from Kurama. "You up for it?"

"Hell yeah!" replied Kurama, excited at the concept of freedom.

"Well okay then. Let's be on our way." said Zelretch with a fierce grin, as he and Kurama began to disappear in a rainbow light. "I wonder if Azazel found out yet that I took his completed sacred gear."

(Grigori Headquarters)

We find a middle aged looking man with tan skin, violet eyes black hair with blond tips walking through the halls of the Grigori. This is Azazel the Governor of the Fallen Angels. Reaching the door to his office, he goes in and sits at his desk.

"Alrighty, let's check on old Fafnir." said Azazel, opening a secret compartment in his desk. But he's shocked to find a letter addressed to him, instead of the object he was looking for. Opening up the letter, he reads:

Dear Azazel,

I noticed that you actually managed to make a complete sacred gear. I must say the Downfall Dragon Spear is quite a marvel. You managed to make a sacred gear that could potentially rival Divine Dividing and the Booster Gear. And using Fafnir was genius as well. So I decided to get you someone who could give it a test run, although they aren't in your dimension. Hope you don't mind. =)

Sincerely,

K. Zelretch S. (¬‿¬)

Azazel sat there with his eye fidgeting and tick marks appearing on his head. His face grew redder and redder until he finally shouted out "DAAAAMMMMNNNN YYYOOOUUU ZELRETCH!" His scream echoed throughout the entire Grigori base.

(Konoha, 11 Years Later)

It had been eleven years since the Kyuubi attack and things went horribly wrong. Hiruzen decided against revealing Naruto's Jinchuriki status, but was forced to relay Minato's message to the villagers when his old teammate Danzo, was able to piece things together and called Hiruzen out in public about Naruto's secret. Only a select few people respected Minato's wishes, while a majority of the village saw Naruto as the Kyuubi itself and called for the boy's head. Hiruzen immediately put a stop to that, declaring Naruto's Jinchuriki status a S-Rank secret and promised death to anyone who told the younger generation about the Kyuubi.

That didn't stop them from isolating Naruto and telling their kids to either tease him or avoid him. Thankfully there were some villagers, like Shikamaru Nara, Choji Amikichi, Kiba Inuzuka and the Ichiraku's, who saw the good in Naruto and befriended the boy. Hiruzen had put Naruto in an orphanage since no one wanted to adopt the village pariah, but was forced to give Naruto an apartment when he was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of five. Naruto spent most of his life living alone on a stipend from Hiruzen. The boy had asked about his parents and why the villagers hated him, but Hiruzen would always shoot the question down, saying that he didn't know and that knowing who his parents were won't bring them back.

He hated being so harsh to the boy, but he felt that Naruto wasn't mature enough to learn about his parents or his burden yet. He had tried to get the boy's godfather Jiraiya to come visit him, but the man would always have an excuse that he was busy with his spy network or that he had 'research' to do. He dreaded the time when Naruto found out about his godfather.

Due to the isolation, the boy resorted to acting loud and rash, wearing a bright orange outfit and pranks to get the attention he craved, even if it was negative attention. This caused the boy to slack off in his academic studies and he ended up failing the graduation exam two times already. He had only one more chance before he was dropped from the program entirely. He had tried inspiring the boy with becoming Hokage, to earn the villagers affection. But the boy still didn't really improve that much. He really hoped things changed for the better for Naruto.

(Konoha Village, Afternoon)

"GET BACK YOU BRAT!" yelled some shinobi as they chased a blonde haired boy with violet eyes, light skin and whiskers. He was clad in an orange outfit with blue and red accents, along with blue shinobi sandals and goggles. This is 11 year old Naruto Uzumaki, the alleged Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He had just finished vandalizing the Hokage Monument and was now avoiding some shinobi.

"HAHAHAHAHA! You'll have to catch me!." he yelled, hopping around the village with surprising speed.

(30 Minutes Later)

"Damn it, where'd he go?" asked a random shinobi, looking around.

"He must have gone somewhere deeper into the village. Come on!" exclaimed another shinobi, gaining a nod from his comrade. As soon as they left, a sheet blending in with the wall fell, revealing a laughing Naruto.

"Hehe, those suckers could never catch me. That was too easy." he said with a goofy smile.

"Oh really?" said a voice behind him. Turning around, Naruto saw his teacher, Iruka Sensei giving him a glare.

"Oh hey Iruka Sensei, hehe. How are you doing?" said Naruto with a nervous smile. He began to slowly back away, before Iruka grabbed him.

"Oh no you don't! You're coming with me to clean the Hokage Rock right now." said Iruka, pulling Naruto along with him.

"Ow, ow! Come on Iruka Sensei, slow down." complained Naruto as he was dragged by his arm.

(Hokage Monument, 1 Hour Later)

"This sucks. Loser." mumbled Naruto, was he washed off the paint he left of the Hokage Monument.

"You better make sure it is properly cleaned. You're not going home until you do." said Iruka in a stern tone.

"So what, it's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me." Naruto shot back, causing Iruka to flinch.

After an awkward silence, Iruka speaks up "Naruto, I was thinking. Maybe after you're done cleaning up, I could treat you to ramen. The good stuff, what do you think?"

"Hah!? Now that's some serious motivation. I'll have this clean in no time!" exclaimed Naruto in excitement as he increased his pace.

(Ichiraku Ramen, 30 Minutes Later)

We find Naruto and Iruka happily slurping bowls of ramen, though it sees that Naruto had multiple bowls. Naruto had made sure to get his fill of ramen out of the rare opportunity.

"Naruto, why would you do that to the Hokage Monument?" asked Iruka, curious. "I mean you know who the Hokage are, don't you?"

"Of course I do," replied Naruto, still slurping his ramen. "Everybody knows they were the greatest shinobi of their time, right. The best of the best, undefeated ninja champs. And the fourth Hokage was the one to save the village from the Kyuubi. He was the most amazing."

"Then why did you do it?" repeated Iruka.

"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them. Me, Naruto, the next Hokage, a ninja legend." said Naruto, clenching his fist in determination. "Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me and look up to me, dattebayo!" Naruto blushed in embarrassment at his verbal tic. "Uh, by the way. I kinda wanna ask a little favor, Sensei."

"What, you want another bowl of ramen?" asked Iruka, gaining a shake of the head from Naruto.

"Nah, I wanna try on your headband. Come on, please!" asked Naruto, clapping his hands together as if begging.

"Uh, oh this?" Iruka replied, gesturing to his forehead protector. "No way. You can only wear the Leaf headband when you finally graduate from the academy and become a ninja. You've gotta pass the test tomorrow." Naruto huffed at this.

"That is so uncool!" he exclaimed while Iruka laughed at him.

"Hey, is that why you took off your goggles?" he asked in amusement.

"Uh, I want another bowl!" exclaimed Naruto in embarrassment, while Iruka continued to laugh at him.

(Academy Classroom, The Next Afternoon)

"We will now start the Final Exam. When your name is called, proceed to the testing room." spoke Iruka to Naruto's class. "The Final will be on the academy three."

"Ugh! This is bad. I can do the substitution and the transformation, but I'm garbage at the clone jutsu." though Naruto is dreadful.

(Testing Room, 20 Minutes Later)

It was finally Naruto's turn to take the exam and he was really nervous. In front of him was Iruka Sensei and a man with grey hair, clad in the same outfit as Iruka. This is Mizuki Sensei.

"Alright, get it together Naruto. You can do this dattebayo!" Naruto thought, encouraging himself. He first did a transformation, turning into Iruka.

"Nicely done, Naruto. Next I need you to do the substitution." said Iruka with a smile, as Mizuki checked off the transformation on Naruto's exam list. Naruto nodded and made a hand sign, causing him to switch places with Iruka, before switching back. "Nicely done. Now for the clone jutsu."

"Alright, the moment of truth." thought Naruto, making one last hand sign and shouting "Clone Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke, that revealed one dead looking clone with its tongue hanging out.

"YOU FAIL!" screeched Iruka, causing Naruto to slump in disappointment.

"Awe man!" he complained.

"Now hold on Iruka, he's off but his moves weren't bad. He also hung in there and cloned himself," said Mizuki. "This is his third try, so you know he really wants to become a ninja. We could cut him a break and pass him." Naruto grew starry eyes at that.

"Mizuki, the other students created at least three effective clones. But Naruto could only create one and look at it, it's pitiful. I can't pass him." said Iruka, getting a frustrated sigh from Naruto.

(1 Hour Later)

We now find Naruto sitting on a swing outside the Academy, moping about his failure. He saw all the other kids laughing with each other and being congratulated by their parents. A little distance away, there were two women having a conversation.

"There, you see him." said the first woman, giving Naruto a look of disdain.

"It's that boy. I heard he's the only only one who failed." said the second woman, while the first scoffed.

"Hmph, well it serves him right." remarked the first woman.

"Just imagine what would happen if he became a ninja," said the second woman. "I mean he's the boy who..."

"Shhh~, were not allowed to talk about that." said the first woman.

Little did they know that Naruto heard them. It was always like this since he was a kid. People would give him looks of hate and ignore him, all while calling him demon behind his back. Kids would bully him and exclude him from activities, and make fun of him when he did bad in class. Most of the teachers wouldn't give him the time of day or explain the things he didn't understand. But he never knew why the village treated him like this. He asked his Jiji if the man knew and Jiji would always say that they couldn't look past their pain. Jiji directed him towards his goal of becoming Hokage to earn the village's respect.

Suddenly Mizuki appeared next to him, waving and saying "Hey there Naruto. Lemme just say that Iruka is tough, but he's not against you."

"Then why? Why is it only me that he gets at?" asked Naruto with a sad look.

"He wants you to be strong with all his heart. But that won't happen if he goes easy on you," started Mizuki. "He's like you, ya know. No parents, no family."

"But, this time I really wanted to graduate." said Naruto with his head down.

"That's actually why I'm here. You see, there's a little secret we instructors keep from you students."

"Really? What's that?" Naruto asked, now paying close attention.

"There's a certain category of jutsus that take a lot of skill and potential to learn," the instructor informed him. "If you could learn one of those, it would be so impressive that Iruka would have no choice but to let you pass. Maybe even right on the spot." He paused. "You do know that he only failed you because the rules said he had to?"

"I know, I know," Naruto sighed. "Can't bend the rules for me, I know. He's told me that himself over and over again." He paused, turning to face Mizuki with an excited grin on his face. "Enough about that. How do I learn the techniques?"

"Wow. Eager to jump right in, aren't we?" Mizuki noted light-heartedly. "Alright, listen up. In the Hokage's office, you'll find the Scroll of Sealing. It's really big, so you can't miss it. Now, you have to sneak in and get it without anyone noticing."

"Really?" Naruto asked confused.

"Yeah. I mean, I'll tell them you'll be giving it a shot, so they're not surprised that it's gone. But if you can't even make off with the scroll, you're not ready," the white-haired instructor explained. "Now, afterwards, find some place where you can practice in peace, choose whatever technique suits your fancy and then master it. Do you have a place like that?"

"Yeah," the blond youth replied eagerly. "There's this shed out in the woods, a little east of the wall. Ninjas on patrol occasionally stop by, but most of the time it's really quiet."

"Say no more. I know the place," he replied. "Anyway, once that is done, I'll bring in Iruka and then you can show him. And just like that, you'll be a ninja."

"Awesome," Naruto said. "I'll get started right away. Thank you, Mizuki."

"No problem," the instructor replied, giving a sadistic grin as the blond ran off. "No problem at all."

(Iruka's Apartment, Evening)

We find Iruka lying in bed, thinking of a memory of his talk with the 3rd Hokage earlier. The man had confronted about his feelings on Naruto, explaining how Iruka felt similar to Naruto since they both had lost their parents at a young age. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Opening it up, he saw Mizuki with a worried look.

"Iruka, you need to come to Lord Hokage's right now. It's Naruto, he stole the sacred scroll." said Mizuki, causing Iruka's eyes to widen.

"You mean the Scroll of Sealing. NO!" exclaimed Iruka, as he took off with Mizuki following him.

(Hokage's Residence, 30 Minutes Later)

"Lord Hokage, this isn't a prank. This is a serious crime." said a random shinobi.

"That scroll contains secrets that were sealed by the first Hokage. Secrets known only to our village." said another shinobi.

"If it falls into the wrong hands, it could destroy our entire way of life." spoke a third shinobi, as Iruka and Mizuki arrived.

"Alright, bring Naruto here at once." spoke Hiruzen, sending his shinobi off.

"SIR!" they all exclaimed, getting to work.

"Where would he go?" thought Iruka, looking around.

"Now that I told everyone what Naruto did, I can eliminate him. They'll be glad he's gone and I can deliver the scroll to Lord Orochimaru!" thought Mizuki with glee.

(Konoha Forest, 1 Hour Later)

We find Naruto on the ground, panting heavily. He has been spending the past few hours mastering a new jutsu from the scroll, which wasn't easy. Now he just had to wait for Iruka and Mizuki to get here. Suddenly he heard footsteps, turning and seeing Iruka standing there.

"It's all over, hehehe." he said, taking a breather.

"Hehehe, got me already, not bad. You're quick Sensei, I only had time to learn one technique." said Naruto with a goofy grin.

"He's been out here all this time practicing. I can tell how hard he's been working." thought Iruka, observing how messed up his clothes were.

"Listen Iruka Sensei, I'm gonna show you this amazing jutsu. Then you're gonna let me graduate and everything is gonna be okay," said Naruto enthusiastically. "That's how it works right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes."

"Huh? Where'd you get that idea?" asked Iruka, confused.

"Mizuki Sensei told me about it, dattebayo! He told me where to find the scroll and this place." said Naruto, gesturing to the area around them.

"Huh? Mizuki told him this? Oh no!" thought Iruka with dread. He suddenly heard a throwing sound, pushing Naruto out of the way as he was impaled in the leg by shuriken.

"I see you found our little hideaway." said a voice above them. Up in the trees was Mizuki, with some shrunken in his hands and a demon wind shuriken on his back.

"So this is your true intention. I should've known." said Iruka, pulling the shuriken out of his leg.

"Naruto, give me the scroll now." said Mizuki, but Naruto was just confused.

"Wait a minute, what's going on here?" asked Naruto, looking between Iruka and Mizuki.

"Naruto, don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that could put the village in grave danger. Mizuki used you to get the scroll for his own evil purposes." exclaimed Iruka, causing Naruto to back away.

"Naruto, Iruka is just trying to scare you cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll." said Mizuki with a smile showing fake concern.

"Stop lying, Mizuki! Don't fall for his lies Naruto." said Iruka, but Mizuki just laughed.

"Oh I'll tell you who's really lying." he said, causing Iruka to freeze.

"No Mizuki!" he shouted.

"They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto. Since the decree about you eleven years ago." said Mizuki with a vile smirk.

"What's this decree and why don't I know if it's about me?" asked Naruto, curious.

"Don't tell him, Mizuki! You know it's forbidden!" screamed Iruka.

"The decree is that no one tell you that the Kyuubi is sealed inside you by the Fourth Hokage," said Mizuki, gaining a look of shock from Naruto. "The Bijuu that killed Iruka's parents and terrorized our village has taken over your body. You are the Kyuubi!"

"Damn it, NO!" screamed Iruka in dread as the secret was revealed.

"Everyone has been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life." continued Mizuki, dropping more facts on the boy. "Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt, like they hated you for just being alive!"

"No, no no no no no!...But then it makes so much sense." thought Naruto, denying it at first before actually thinking about it. The stares and jeers, being called 'demon' or 'fox brat', getting kicked out of stores and the adults telling their kids to avoid him. The isolation and hatred he felt when they looked at him, it all made sense now.

"That's why you will never be accepted in the Leaf! Even Iruka hates you!" said Mizuki, dropping the cruel facts. He then whips out the demon wind shuriken, throwing it at the boy. "Die NARUTO!"

"Naruto look out!" shouted Iruka, running towards the boy. Naruto stood there in shock as the shuriken got closer and closer.

~SQUELCH~

Opening his eyes, Naruto saw Iruka hovering over him with the shuriken in his back and tears coming from his eyes. "W-Why?" the boy asked.

"Because we're the same. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me," said Iruka, as tears flowed freely from his eyes. "They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped and I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me and know my name. My school work didn't get their attention, so I did crazy things that I had to pay for. It was hard for me." He coughed a bit of blood. "I know that's how you feel, Naruto. You feel lonely and it hurts inside. And I could've been there for you more. I let you down and I'm sorry for that, Naruto. No one should have to suffer and be alone like that."

Mizuki started laughing and said "Don't make me laugh! Iruka is always you since Kyuubi killed his parents. And now that wretched beast is inside you! He'd say anything to get the scroll." Naruto felt his emotions were a mess and did the only thing he could think of: run. He ran away from Iruka and Mizuki.

"Naruto, NARUTO!" screamed Iruka, watching as the boy left. Mizuki jumped down, laughing.

"Heh, don't worry Iruka. After I'm done with Naruto, I'll come back to finish you." he said as he took off after the Jinchuriki.

Iruka grunted, pulling the shuriken out his back and said "I won't let that happen, You won't touch a hair on Naruto's head." He took off, intent on finding Naruto before Mizuki.

(20 Minutes Later)

'Iruka' had finally caught up to 'Naruto', calling out "Naruto, you gotta hand me the scroll. Mizuki is gonna kill you for it!" But he was shocked when 'Naruto' landed a heavy blow, sending the man crashing down. "How did you know?" 'Iruka' disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing it was Mizuki all along.

"Hehehehe!" 'Naruto' laughed as he exploded in a puff of smoke, revealing it was Iruka. "Because I'm Iruka."

"You're a fool, protecting that freak. Don't you see that Naruto is just like me. He wants that scroll for his own power and vengeance. That's how beasts are," said Mizuki, with a condescending smirk. "He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything."

"You're right, that is how beasts are." started Iruka, as Naruto listened from his hiding spot behind some trees.

"So it's true, he does hate me. He never believed in me. He thinks I'm a beast, a freak." thought Naruto in sadness.

(Insert OST: Naruto Main Theme)

"But that's not who Naruto is. He's nothing like that," continued Iruka, getting Naruto's attention. "Naruto is one of a kind. He works hard and puts his whole heart into things. Sure he fails sometimes and people get on him about it, but his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from the beast. So you're wrong, he's nothing like the Nine Tails." Naruto cried as he heard his Sensei vouch for him. "He's Naruto Uzumaki of the Village Hidden In The Leaves."

"Heh, you really believe that nonsense? Honestly Iruka, it looks like I'm gonna have to kill you first." said Mizuki, as he prepared to throw a second large shuriken.

Suddenly, he was stopped by Naruto, who kicked Mizuki in the face and sent the man flying. He gave Mizuki a death glare, saying "If you ever lay a hand on my Sensei, I'll kill you."

"Such big words. I could kill you with a single move!" exclaimed Mizuki, trying to sound tough.

"Take your best shot, Mizuki. I pay it back to you a hundred fold, dattebayo!" shot back Naruto, putting his fingers in a cross hand sign..

"Let's see you try! Show me what you can do, Kyuubi." Mizuki retorted, readying himself.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" exclaimed Naruto, as a hundred copies of him appeared and surrounded Mizuki.

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu!? He mastered such a high level technique!?" thought Iruka in amazement.

Mizuki's attitude changed real quick as he looked at his surroundings, saying "Huh, wah!? What is this? No stay back, don't come any closer."

"Well if you aren't gonna come to us, then we'll come to you!" shouted all the clones, as they charged at Mizuki.

"AHHHHHHHH!" screamed Mizuki as the clones laid a smackdown that he would never forget.

(OST End)

(20 Minutes Later)

"Hehe, sorry I kinda went overboard. Are you okay, Iruka Sensei?" said Naruto in embarrassment. On the ground was Mizuki with a ton of bruises from all the punishment Naruto and his clones dished out.

"Uh, yeah." replied Iruka, dumbfounded. "He's amazing. He wants to surpass all the Hokage and I'm starting to believe he has the potential. To master the Shadow Clone technique in a few hours is quite a starting feat." He shifted a bit from his spot, his back still hurting from his injuries. "Naruto come over here and close your eyes."

Naruto listened to this request, standing still with his eyes closed. He felt Iruka doing something with his head and after a few moments, he asked "Sensei are you almost done?"

"Yeah I'm done. You can open your eyes, Naruto." said Iruka with a smile. Naruto opened his eyes and noticed that Iruka's headband was missing. "Congratulations, you graduate Naruto. And to celebrate I have a surprise. I'm going to treat you some ramen tomorrow." He looked at Naruto's face, noticing that the boy was making a weird expression. "What's wrong?"

"Iruka Sensei, do you really mean it?" asked Naruto in a quiet voice. Iruka nodded and Naruto grew a huge smile on his face, grabbing the man into a tight hug. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

"Ouch! Hey now, I'm still injured." said Iruka, flinching a bit.

"Oh, sorry," Naruto apologized, as he backed off. His broad smile still lit up his face. "Thanks."

"Hey, you deserve it," the young teacher insisted.

"Heh. Well, maybe we should go home,. the blond suggested.

"Yeah. Plus, everyone is probably still searching for you. I wouldn't be surprised if ANBU has been called in," Iruka agreed. "Come on, let's go." They paused, as Mizuki groaned in pain again. "Right, we should probably haul him in while we're at it."

(Naruto's Apartment, 2 Hours Later)

After turning in Mizuki, Iruka had dropped Naruto home and told him to come to the Hokage's Office tomorrow to speak with Jiji. Naruto felt that Jiji had a lot to answer for, wanting to know if the old man hid anything else from him. Seeing that it was getting late, he got in his pajamas and got into bed. Soon enough he fell asleep, though little did Naruto know that he would have an interesting encounter tonight.

(Naruto's Subconscious)

Naruto soon opened his eyes, finding himself in a yellow hallway with water up to his ankles. There are pipes on the walls and ceiling, making this place reminiscent of a sewer. Walking down the hall, he eventually comes up to an open room with a dark space further back.

"Where the heck am I?" he asked, a little weirded out.

"This is the representation of your mind, hatchling. Quite depressing, but it's to be expected with the way you grew up," spoke a deep voice, causing Naruto to snap his head up.

"Who said that!? Come out so I can see you!" said Naruto, getting into a makeshift stance. There was rumbling as Naruto heard loud footsteps.

STOMP

STOMP

STOMP

STOMP

Out of the dark corner emerged a giant golden dragon with purple eyes. It towered over Naruto and spoke in a deep tone, "Greetings, partner. It's nice to finally meet you. I am Fafnir, the Gigantis Dragon and Strongest of The Dragon Kings. And you Naruto Uzumaki, are my first host."

"What!? Dragon King? And what do you mean first host?" asked Naruto, curious.

Understanding his host confusion, Fafnir went into a detailed explanation of his world. He listed all the supernatural species that existed and the different factions that were present. He then went into Sacred Gears, artifacts of the Biblical God of his world created to give humanity an edge. Fafnir's Sacred Gear, the Down Fall Dragon Spear, was actually the first sacred gear that wasn't created by the biblical God, but his son Azazel.

"So I'm the host for your sacred gear? That's cool I guess, but where's the Kyuubi?" asked Naruto in confusion, causing Fafnir to flinch.

"Partner, I'm sorry to say this, but you were never Kyuubi's host." said Fafnir, fearing for how his partner would react.

(Play OST: Sadness And Sorrow: Naruto)

"What?...WHAT!?" exclaimed Naruto, trembling. "What do you mean I was never Kyuubi's host!? Are you saying that I suffered my whole life for basically nothing!" The boy began to break down, tears falling from his eyes as he fell on the ground. All the memories of the villagers' treatment started to come back to him.

"Fox Brat!"

"Demon!"

"Thank goodness he failed. Imagine what would happen if he became a ninja."

"Why does the Hokage even let him walk among us. He should be locked in a cage."

"He's just a nuisance. A failure."

"Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT! " he cried out, beating his fist against the water. "It's not fair! Why did this have to happen to me!?"

"Please don't despair, partner. While it is true that you were treated horribly and isolated, don't forget there are people who still care about you." spoke Fafnir, causing Naruto to remember.

"Hey do you wanna hang with us? I'm Shikamaru Nara and I like to watch the clouds and play shogi. Maybe we can have a match sometime."

"Name's Choji Akimichi. I've seen you around the Ichiraku's a lot, so you must really love their food. Personally I like meat, but maybe we could go out for a bite to eat together sometime."

"The name's Kiba Inuzuka. I saw you here by your lonesome and decided to say hi. This is my partner Akamaru. He's pretty nice to everyone. Say wanna join my pack of friends?"

"Don't worry about money, kid. You can pay me back when you're rich and famous, so enjoy your ramen for now."

"Aww, you're so cute with those whiskers! It's official, you're my new little brother. Call me Ayame nee-chan or just Ayame if you want!"

"He's Naruto Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf, a shinobi and not the Kyuubi!"

"You're right, Fafnir. I still have people who care about me, even if the other villagers hate me for no reason." said Naruto, restoring his resolve. "I'll live for them and myself. The villagers don't matter."

"That's the Naruto Uzumaki I've known from your memories. Don't worry about unimportant stuff, and focus on what matters." said Fafnir in agreement. "Now before we talk about anything else, there are two special people who wanna talk to you. Oi, Minato, Kushina! You can come out now!"

"Woohoo! I can talk to my baby boy!" shouted a female voice behind Naruto.

"Kushina, calm down." said a male voice behind Naruto.

Turning around, Naruto saw a man with similar features as him except for the eyes and woman with red hair with violet eyes like his. They looked at him with wide smiles, though Naruto froze at what the woman said.

"Baby boy?" thought Naruto, before coming to a realization. "Mom? Dad?" They nodded their heads as tears appeared in their eyes. "I actually have parents? And here they are right in front of me." Naruto made it no secret that his parents' identity was one of the most important things he wanted to know.

"Hello Naruto, I'm Kushina Uzumaki, your mother. And this is your father, Minato Namikaze." said Kushina, gesturing to her husband.

"Hey son, you've grown big." said Minato with a cheeky smile.

"Minato Namikaze. As in the Fourth Hokage? The one who planned to seal the Kyuubi into me is my dad!?" thought Naruto in anger. He dashed forward, punching Minato in the stomach and sending the man crashing into the ground. Naruto pounced on the man, raining down blows as Minato took them all. "That's for thinking it was a good idea to seal the Kyuubi inside your own son! Did you know how the villagers treated me!? I WAS KICKED OUT OF STORES!" PUNCH!,"MOCKED LEFT AND RIGHT!" PUNCH!, "COULD BARELY MAKE FRIENDS!" PUNCH! "I WAS ISOLATED AND TREATED LIKE A FREAK, DEMON OR SOMME DISEASE. AND IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!" PUNCH! Naruto made to continue pummeling his Dad, but his Mom stopped him pulling him into another hug.

"Naruto please, I know you're mad at your father, but calm down." said Kushina, trying to soothe her child. After a few moments, Naruto calmed down and Kushina looked at Minato. "And now that I think about it, how do they even know? I'm pretty sure his Jinchuriki status is something that should have been kept a secret."

"Hehehe. I may have told Hiruzen to tell the village and have them regard you as a hero." said Minato, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He suddenly flinched, as he felt killing intent from Naruto, Kushina and Fafnir.

"AND YOU THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA!? Look how things turned out. How could you be so naive!?" screamed Naruto in anger.

"I think my baka of a husband needs some punishment," said Kushina, as her hair waved in the air, mimicking the appearance of nine tails. Her, Naruto and Fafnir

"Hey now, let's not do anything reckless… Umm where did you get that frying pan?... Stay back, stay back, stay ba-AAHHH!" he screamed as they pounced on him, delivering a beat-down on the naive Hokage.

(10 Minutes Later)

"Owie." groaned out Minato with bruises on him.

"Idiot." scoffed Fafnir.

"Alright, I admit I made a naive decision." said Minato, prostrating himself in front of Naruto. "Please forgive your foolish father."

"I can't say I forgive you right now, cause it hurts that you did this to me. But, I know I will eventually get over it. Now stand up." said Naruto, taking his father's hand and pulling him up.

"But i'm still mad that Hiruzen didn't even tell you about us. You deserved to know. And where the heck was Jiraiya and Kakashi!?" asked Kushina in disappointment.

"Kakashi and Jiraiya?" asked Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"Kakashi was my old student and knew Kushina was pregnant with you. Jiraiya was my sensei and the person we chose to be your godfather, but it seems we chose wrong." said Minato in disappointment.

"A godfather and one of your students who could have at least talked to me, huh? I guess I have more to confront the Hokage about." said Naruto, not sure if he could call the man Jiji anymore.

"Indeed, but now i think it's time you learned about what happened on the night of your birth." said Minato, with Kushina nodding at that sentiment.

They started with the moment Kushina was giving birth to Naruto, while Minato was monitoring the seal to prevent Kurama from getting out, a masked Uchiha claiming to be Madara threatened Naruto's safety. While Minato secured Naruto, the assailant kidnapped Kushina and released Kurama from her. He used his Sharingan to control Kyuubi and set him loose in the Village.

Minato engaged the fake Madara and eventually released his control over Kurama and teleported him away from the village. He decided it was best to seal Kyuubi into Naruto, but Kushina disagreed. He eventually changed her mind, so Kushina restrained Kyuubi with her chains while Minato prepared for the sealing. Kyuubi, in an attempt to keep his freedom, aimed his claws at baby Naruto. Only for Kushina and Minato to take a claw to the gut protecting him. Minato then used the Reaper Death Seal, splitting Kyuubi, and supposedly sealing his Yang half into Naruto and sealing the Yin half into himself. Giving their last words to Naruto, the two parents then passed on while sealing imprints of their chakra into the seal.

"I wanted to give you the Kyuubi so you have the power to combat the masked man, since I know he'd come back for you." said Minato.

"But you had no guarantee that I could master it's power, or even get Kyuubi to cooperate." retorted Naruto.

"I trusted that you could handle it, cause you're our son." said Minato with a smile.

"Yeah well, thanks for believing in me I guess." said Naruto, blushing in embarrassment and scratching the back of his head a bit. He then noticed that his parents were starting to turn transparent. "What's going on!?"

"We're only imprints of chakra and that chakra is running out." said Kushina, causing Naruto's face to become downtrodden. "But before we go, we wanna pass on two things to you." She walked forward and kissed Naruto on the forehead. He blushed a bit, before being assaulted with some memories.

"Wha-what was that?" he said, shaking his head a bit.

"That was me transferring some memories on my special chakra chains so you could learn how to use them. Also if you ever get the chance, visit the Uzumaki Clan ruins. We were renowned for our Kenjutsu and our Fuinjutsu, something you'll definitely take to." said Kushina, shocking Naruto.

"There's an Uzumaki Clan! That's another thing I gotta grill the old man about." said Naruto, frustrated.

"And you will. Now it's time for my gift." said Minato, as he walked up and placed a hand on Naruto's head. The boy felt another set of memories enter his head, this time about a spinning blue ball."That was the knowledge on how to learn my signature technique, the Rasengan. Learning it will be a little difficult, but it's a great lesson in chakra control and shape manipulation. Also it's not complete. I wanted to add an elemental Nature to it, so that's something for you to work on as well."

"Man I got a lot of catching up to do if I want to match my peers. I kinda regret slacking off in the academy." said Naruto, slumping his shoulders.

"Oh you'll be able to catch up in no time with the Shadow Clone Jutsu" said Kushina, getting a confused look from Naruto. The woman sweat dropped at her child's expression. "You didn't read the description properly, didn't you?"

"Hehehe, yeah. Sorry, I was just in a hurry to learn it so I skimmed over some parts." said Naruto, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Anyway, when a shadow clone dispels, it transfers it's memories back to the original. It's the perfect tool to catch up on the things you missed in school." said Kushina. "Plus it can be used for training chakra control, ninjutsu and other aspects. Though you'll have to do the physical training on your own." Her and Minato started to become more transparent.

"Well Naruto, it looks like our time is up. We just have one thing left to say." started Minato, as he held onto his wife.

"We love you and wish the best for you." said both parents as they disappeared.

Naruto had tears falling from his eyes as he said "Damn it. I'm supposed to be mad at you, dad. But yeah, I love the both of you too. Don't worry, I'll become one of the strongest, if not the strongest shinobi around."

"And I'll be with you every step of the way, partner." said Fafnir, putting his fist in front of Naruto. Understanding the gesture, Naruto bumped his fist with Fafnir, signifying the start of their partnership.

(OST End)

END

Author's Note #1

Hey everyone, Giblenator here with a new story. Before we get to that, Let's talk about my other stories, Naruto: Scion of The Salamander and The Gold Heart and A Sparda Emerges. I'll be blatantly honest: I lost interest in writing those stories. Simple as that. I read over them and realized that I wrote some things that I was trying to avoid. I honestly couldn't feel the flow of those stories and decided to drop them. I know some of you may be unhappy with my decision and I understand if you decide to stop following my writing. I don't plan on dropping any more stories though, since I'm actually enthusiastic about writing the stories I have now, since they flow better in my mind.

Now for this story, I decided to replace Kurama with Fafnir and reveal Naruto's heritage early on. I'm also gonna change up Naruto's relationship with certain people, for example Hiruzen. In canon, I felt like Naruto's reaction to Hiruzen lying to him was kinda downplayed. So I plan for Hiruzen's choices to have consequences, which is the loss of Naruto's trust. As for the DxD world, Naruto won't get there for a while, but it will come eventually. Also Issei will still be relevant, though his personality will change a bit due to what I have planned for him. As for the pairing, I know DxD is a harem genre anime, but I wanna keep it limited to two girls maximum. I still haven't decided on who to choose though.

And that's all readers. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for the next one. Also be sure to check out my other works. This is Giblenator signing off.