Hey guys! Thanks so much for reviewing! It made me happy ::grins::

Note: I thought I'd explain the bit about Naruto not ripping Tsunade apart. He has two reasons: 1.) Although he may not be the brightest sometimes, he understands that the Examiners are strict, and there are harsh penalties for anyone who second-guesses their placements (meaning that Sakura would be in trouble, too), and 2.) He truly believes that he'll be able to protect Sakura while he's there with her, so he didn't want to make an issue of it (plus, he was excited to have gotten in at all, and we know how Naruto gets when he's excited...) Anyway, I hope that clears it up a bit.

Oh, and yes, there shall be Naru/Saku and Shika/Ino goodness, I promise. I'm a rabid fan of both pairings, so naturally I have to write about them ::grins again:: Okay, no more babble. On we go!

Chapter 2: Roots

He was four years old again, a small, helpless child with no future, and no past. The streets in which he moved were hostile, cruel, unwilling. He did not understand why people looked at him the way that they did, with eyes full of fear, a fear that would later breed hatred, scorn. Only one person showed him any kindness, though in the beginning, it was out of a sense of duty.

The Kyuubi that resided in this child was responsible for the deaths of Iruka's mother and father, and the resentment he harbored was hard put to be dissipated. Granted, he did understand that Naruto himself wasn't at fault, but with some things, it is difficult to make the heart acknowledge what the mind can see clearly.

Iruka could not say what drew him to the blonde boy. He visited Naruto every day at his hut, and made sure that he had enough food and clothing. The Chuunin told himself that he did it because his own hut was close to Naruto's, and it was no burden on him to drop by. The reality of the matter was quite different, however.

It was the eyes.

He was haunted by them, haunted by the emptiness that he saw there, the loneliness, the desire to be loved by someone, to have a family. When he looked into those eyes, he saw the reflection of himself, of what he had lost.

That was the reason he could not relinquish Naruto to the suffering he would endure. If he were to abandon the child as everyone else did, what would that make him? In a sense, he would be abandoning himself, for Naruto was the same as he.

An orphan.

Naruto was glad to have a friend, though the stares of the villagers sliced through him like a dagger to his heart. He never did mention that to his lone companion, and kept his feelings bottled up inside where no one could find them. He became numb, going through the motions day after day, putting on a happy, smiling face, because he knew that was what children his age were supposed to be doing. Always cheerful, always laughing, not a care in the world. The only time he allowed himself to cry was when he was alone, at night, the stars bright in the vast canopy of the sky.

The sky where the Ravens flew.

He often thought about the mysterious beings that were spoken of with as much fear as the Kyuubi. To him, they were nothing more than myths, the same as Nine-Tails. He remembered the storybook that Iruka had given him for his birthday, one filled with illustrations that seemed to move as his eyes beheld them. The Ravens all had the same faces, faces that appeared to have been carved out of marble, devoid of any expression. They were tall, standing nearly seven feet high—though not in the book, of course—and all but their heads were covered with sleek, black feathers that blended so well as to seem like skin.

They did not look like beasts in the pictures, but there was something about them that unnerved the four-year-old, made him shudder. The expressions on their faces never changed, whether they were covered in the blood of a kill, or lounging on a divan in an opulent palace. He could see why people would be afraid of them, and why The Edge was such an important part of their lives. He did not know any other Konoha than the one that coexisted with The Edge, and the idea of a world without the colony was unfathomable.

He knew, even at this age, that he wanted to go to The Edge, knew that there, he would make a name for himself. He would not be scorned in such a place, but accepted, because he would get in by passing the Test like all those before him, and prove his worth. There, he would be one step closer to earning the highest rank that the village had to offer: Hokage. That was his dream, and he would stop at nothing to make it happen.

But...

Something lurked beneath his skin, something sinister. He felt it as a faint whisper then, hardly the insistent thrumming in his veins of the present, yet his senses were still able to hone in and make him aware of this other presence. It was always there, lurking in the shadows of his mind, the one thing that held him back, and filled him with doubt. Why did he feel like his body was home to another?

--Kyuubi, why am I remembering this again?—

Naruto was confused, dazed, lost. Too much was happening so quickly...

--Be quiet, boy. Let the memories come. They are resurfacing for a reason.—

He was in his hut with Master Iruka, and darkness had fallen. The two sat cross-legged on the floor, an oil lamp as the only source of light between them. He was frightened. He had heard a voice in his head, a dry, grating voice that made his skull feel as if it were splitting.

"What did it say?" Iruka inquired gently, his tone not betraying his true emotions. It's too soon, he thought. The demon has only been sealed for four years...why did he speak?

Naruto watched the flame of the lamp dance and flicker. "I'm going to sleep."

Iruka's brow furrowed. "I'm going to sleep?" He repeated.

"Yeah. That's all it said. But it hurt," he tapped one of his temples, "in here." The boy tore his eyes from the flame. "Am I a monster? Is that why everyone hates me?"

The question was blunt, and Iruka could tell that Naruto expected an honest answer. However, he did not know how to answer such a question. An edict had been passed when the Kyuubi was sealed that forbid any person to speak of it to the child. Naruto, if all went accordingly, would remain ignorant until the day he died. Iruka was faced with a rather difficult predicament. If any on the Council were to discover that he'd broken trust, he would be banished from Konoha forever.

But can I lie to him? Would I be able to live with myself after that?

"No, Naruto, you aren't a monster," Iruka said slowly. He reached out and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're familiar with the story of the Kyuubi, correct?"

Naruto nodded gravely. "Nine-tails. The demon that almost destroyed the village."

Iruka hesitated, gathering his thoughts. He forgot about the Council, forgot about the law...none of that mattered anymore. The truth was what mattered, all of it, not some of it. The hand on Naruto's shoulder moved to his chest, directly over his heart, and Iruka spoke.

"Kyuubi lives there."

Naruto was silent. He breathed in and out, his eyes unfocused. He wished that he could say he did not understand Master Iruka, but that terrible voice still rang in his ears.

I am going to sleep...

How could such a voice belong to anything but Nine-Tails?

"You said I'm not a monster," he whispered, his throat raw.

"You are not the monster, Naruto. Kyuubi is."

"Why?" Naruto asked, bowing his head. "Why is he inside me?"

"The Fourth had to seal him. It was the only way to stop him..."

Despite his age, the boy realized what Iruka was hinting at, and he did not need to hear any more. For whatever reason, he had been chosen as the chalice in which the Kyuubi's essence was poured, and nothing could be done to change that now.

"So that's why," he murmured. The flame from the lamp flickered again, fading...

I am going to sleep...

"That's why," Iruka said, his voice quiet.

The flame died.

Naruto blinked once, then twice. A fog that had settled over his eyes like a translucent curtain dissipated, and he was back in the corridor, facing the Kyuubi. His mouth opened, but his voice was snared in a tangle of thorns, and no sound came out.

Well, boy? Do not tell me you are at a loss for words! That mouth of yours has never failed to run itself before.

"What?" Naruto snapped. The Kyuubi's attempt at humor was lost on him. As soon as he was ejected from the scene out of his past, an alarming sense of rage broiled in his blood, a rage directed at the thing behind the metal bars.

"What do you want me to say?" His eyes narrowed, and he got up close to the cell. "That I believe your story?" His lips curled back into a sneer. "Well I don't. You're defiling the Yondaime with that line of crap. He was a good man. He gave his life to save the village from you." Drawing back his arm, he slammed his fist against the cell. Crimson dripped from his mangled knuckles, tiny droplets spattering to the ground.

Was that really necessary? Now look what you've done. Your hand will be bleeding in the mortal plane as well, you know.

"My parents died by the Ravens' hands" Naruto said between clenched teeth, ignoring Kyuubi's last remark. "Master Iruka told me when I was little. He would never lie to me, never."

Kyuubi's level eyes met with Naruto's, and he sighed, dropping to his haunches and resting his head between his front paws.

Shut up and sit down, he ordered. You are giving me a headache with all this nonsense. I expected much more from you, too.

Against his will, Naruto's legs gave out beneath him, and he crumpled to the ground, swearing. Of course, the demon was not having that, and in an instant, Naruto's mouth clamped shut as if an expert weaver had stitched his lips together with invisible thread. He flailed for a few moments, but soon gave up when he realized his attempts were futile, glaring at Kyuubi instead.

Stop that, you idiot. Now, you will listen to everything I have to say, and then you may judge for yourself. Only a fool jumps to conclusions before he has heard both sides of a story.

In his mind, Naruto called Nine-Tails every vile name that he could think of and then some. Kyuubi snorted, and his expression became thoughtful.

Perhaps it would be better to show you instead...

An onslaught of images came unbidden to Naruto's head then, so many that he could not separate where one began and another ended.

Relax and look, boy.

That was another command, so he did as he was told, and looked.

"My darling, it is time for you to wake. I have need of you."

Kyuubi lifted his eyelids slowly, the light that he had not glimpsed for nearly one thousand years driving into his skull. He squinted as his mistress ran a hand through his fur, trying to make out her face, the last face he saw before the darkness enveloped him so long ago.

Her features were as he remembered them: cold, hard eyes set in an exquisitely carved face, lips the color of fresh blood, dark hair that cascaded down her back like an obsidian waterfall. She was the most beautiful of her kind, the Queen, and he was filled with the same desire to serve her as the one that had spurned him to denounce his own kind when he was little more than a pup. He had become her tool then, allowing her to use him as she would, and he was her tool still.

She had bound him in sleep as a precaution when the time for him to experience the Change drew closer, a time in which his body and mind would no longer be under his control. That time had since passed, however, and he could feel the difference in his chakra: it was more powerful, more precise. It was as if he had been reborn.

"What do you wish of me, mistress?" He inquired, his voice sounding strange in his ears.

Her lips turned up at the corners as she continued to stroke him.

"You have the ability to put on the skin of a human. In any other circumstance, I would not ask you to corrupt yourself in such a way, but it must be done, my darling. It is the only way to destroy the insects that dwell in the village of Konoha," she said the name as if it were poison.

"They are powerful, more powerful than humans should be. If we let them continue on the path that they travel, their power may even outstrip my own. That cannot happen. I will not allow it to happen."

Placing her hands on either side of his head, the Queen stared into the eyes of her servant.

"Will you do this for me?"

Kyuubi answered without a pause. "Yes, mistress."

She smiled. "The Ravens shall fly, Kyuubi. Look to the sky, and when you see us, you will know that your exile has ended."

The scene changed. A young man with spiked blonde hair and crystal blue eyes that sparkled in the light of the sun crested a hill overlooking Konoha. As he made his way down to the entrance of the village, his legs wobbled a bit beneath him. He was not used to this form, having become accustomed to moving about on all fours as Kyuubi.

The Queen had given him a new identity before he departed. He was now Uzumaki Arashi, age nineteen, a traveling sennin from the west. No one would question his motives for coming to Konoha, since it was the custom for sennin to leave their place of origin in search of ways to perfect their techniques, and he could easily prove his strength if it came to that.

Villagers turned their heads in curiosity when he passed through the gates, and he smiled impishly back at them, which earned him smiles in return. He decided to try whistling as he strolled through the streets, and was quite proud when he managed to produce a steady string of notes that rose and fell with each step he took. His legs were a bit sturdier now, and he found that he enjoyed standing upright. The perspective was different in this position.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a woman struggling with a wicker basket full of potatoes. He knew that if he were to accomplish his task, he would have to earn the trust of those who lived here, and so made his way over to the woman.

"Here, miss. Let me," he said, taking the basket out of her hands. It was heavy, even for his standards.

"Oh, thank you," the woman replied, genuine relief on her face. "I don't know how I'd have gotten that thing home..."

He grinned. "Not a problem."

The woman noticed his attire, a blue long sleeved shirt with matching breeches, and a red sleeveless kimono that he wore over top. Her eyebrows shot skyward.

"Are you a sennin?" She asked in awe.

"Yes, ma'am. Pardon my rudeness. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Uzumaki Arashi." He extended the hand not holding the basket. "And you?"

"Ayaname Kotori," she said, gripping his hand warmly. "Have you been to see the Hokage yet? I'm sure he'd be delighted to meet you. He was a sennin before he settled here."

"Is that so? Well, well! A fellow wanderer!" He grinned. "I just arrived myself, so I haven't had the chance to get acquainted, I'm afraid."

The woman Kotori smiled. "And what do you think of the village?"

"Beautiful," he answered honestly. It was fall, and the leaves of the trees were beginning to change color, gold and red and orange, and the effect was marvelous to behold. "I've never seen a place quite like this one."

"It is pretty, isn't it?" She smiled again as a small house set in among the trees came into view. "That one's mine," she said, and reached out her hands for the basket. Arashi gave it to her. "Thank you so much for helping me. I hope to see you again some time," she added, a twinkle in her emerald eyes.

Arashi took the time to examine her face closely. She was young, he realized, perhaps the same 'age' as he, and lovely. He saw humor behind her eyes, and determination in the curve of her lips. The most fascinating thing, however, was the way her hair shifted from blue to black when she moved.

Comely, for a human, he thought. But she does not hold a candle to my Queen.

"I'm sure you will," he said, and inclined his head. "Are you positive you can carry that?"

Kotori shifted the basket so that it rested against one hip, one brow raised. "I'm a shinobi. I could have done this alone, but I couldn't turn down a handsome young man, and a sennin, no less, who offered to help me," she said, and gave him a little wink before turning away.

Interesting. Very interesting...

The scene changed again. Arashi sat in a large plush chair facing a mahogany desk. The man behind the desk wore a white robe and a triangular hat was perched atop his head, which he lifted a bit in front to get a better look at his visitor.

"Uzumaki Arashi, is it? Well met, youngster, well met! The sennin are a dying breed these days, unfortunately."

"They are indeed, Hokage-sama." Youngster, hmm? How ironic. He smiled. "I hear that you were once one of us, though I can see why you wouldn't want to leave a place like this."

The Hokage nodded. "Once I stepped through the gate twenty years ago, I never turned back. I feel like I've been here my whole life. The villagers will welcome you as they welcomed me, I' m sure. Do you plan to stay for a time?"

Arashi tapped his chin. "Yes, I think so. I know a few fire-element jutsus, but I'd like to learn more. I've heard quite a bit about Konoha in my travels. Your ninja are reputed for their skill." Which is why you must all be eliminated.

"They work hard," Sandaime replied simply. "Well, I won't keep you, youngster. "There's far better company to be had than mine."

"Is that a polite way to tell me to buzz off because you're busy?" Arashi's sarcastic attitude was becoming easier for Kyuubi to affect now, and he did not have to pause and think about the words before they left his mouth.

The Hokage snorted. "Perceptive one, aren't you?"

"I wasn't given this rank for nothing." Arashi retorted, and got to his feet. "Good day, Hokage-sama."

"Good day, youngster." Sandaime said, and watched the sennin as he exited, his hands clasped beneath his chin. "Uzumaki Arashi, eh? I believe I like you."

The scenes were coming faster now as they moved through the years. Night was when Kyuubi shed his human skin, pacing back and forth, resisting his urges to spill the blood of the villagers who slept peacefully in their beds, unaware that a monster was in their midst. The Queen told him not to kill until the time for the attack drew closer, but his bloodlust was becoming harder and harder to contain. He forced himself to eat deer and cattle to abate the gnawing hunger, though the meat left him unsatisfied.

During the day, he was Uzumaki Arashi, the man whom the villagers were quite fond of. In truth, he was fond of them, as well. People waved to him on the streets when he walked by, and he often stopped to chat with them about their lives and their families. He shared some of his foreign jutsus with those who wished to learn, and learned a few new ones in return. Within two years, he was elected to the Council. Five years after the day he arrived in Konoha, the Third had chosen the blonde sennin to be his successor. No one objected to Sandaime's decision. The people trusted Arashi with their lives, and they believed that he would protect them no matter what the circumstances. But they did not know Arashi's dreadful secret. They did not know his true identity, or his real purpose. They would never know.

But Kyuubi knew. He knew that he would have to slaughter them, knew that he would be responsible for the destruction of the Leaf, and it made him sick. Something was happening to him, to the heart that had once been black. The more time he spent with these brave people, the more human his heart became. Demonic blood still flowed through his veins, and that would always remain the same. Now, he fought a battle in his mind, one that was driving him into madness. He could feel the time coming ever closer after he was named Yondaime, the Fourth Hokage of the Village of the Hidden Leaf, the time to kill. Only one person kept him sane during the day, while he wore his human flesh, one who invaded his senses even at night while he prowled as Kyuubi.

Kotori.

As fate would have it, he did see her again soon after that first day, and many meetings followed. She was like a drug that left him intoxicated, yearning for more, and more, and more. It was not long before he succumbed to his human desires and took her as his wife. The only child she bore him was a male, with the same blond hair and blue eyes as his father. They called him Naruto. Whenever he came close to cracking, he remembered his wife and the child, and, for a brief spell, that was enough.

Until he heard the call.

More images...

Blood.

Destruction.

Death.

Kyuubi had been unleashed, and Arashi could no longer hold him back. Nights were now rivers of crimson.

And still, the people did not know. They fought and died, falling victim one by one to the Kyuubi's jaws.

One final scene materialized.

The Ravens were flying. Arashi felt his eyes move towards the sky, and he saw them with their wings aloft, glittering scythes, their weapons of choice, strapped to their backs. His breathing became ragged, and his eyes began to change. With his last ounce of willpower, he remembered his family. He remembered his people.

And he made the choice that would alter history forever.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A perfect, solid replica of himself appeared. "Do not fail me," he told it before the fox took hold. "Find my son! Quickly!"

Kyuubi wrested Arashi's awareness aside, and began the hunt. The replica moved with a singular purpose. He knew what he had to do, and time was of the essence.

The Ravens landed. Metal sliced through bone, and cries of agony filled the air. The Queen herself advanced upon an armed shinobi who fought with the ferocity of a berserker. Kotori sensed the presence behind her, and spun, her eyes black.

"Come to me," the Queen beckoned.

Steel clashed with steel in a heated battle.

The clone had reached his destination. The baby gave his father a level gaze, as if he could sense what was about to happen. Taking a deep breath, Arashi's double began the seal.

Kotori was dead.

"Pathetic," said the Queen as she ripped her scythe from the limp body. Another of the Ravens who held a bundle in his arms stood next to her. The bundle cooed.

"He can smell the blood," the male said as his Queen took her son and cradled him.

"Yes," she smiled. "He is a Raven to his core, aren't you Sasuke?"

The child cooed again.

Suddenly, the agonized cries were replaced with awed gasps.

The Queen looked up. The massive form of Kyuubi loomed before them, but something was wrong. He was not moving, and his chakra was fading. She felt a surge of power beyond anything that she had ever experienced before, and then Kyuubi was no more.

Nearby, a baby with a seal surrounding his bellybutton wailed. The clone vanished. The man called Yondaime had made the final sacrifice, and all around, his people sensed that his life was spent.

But instead of despair, they were filled with hope, a hope that gave them strength when there should have been none. Together, the shinobi of the Leaf drove the Ravens back and away from their village.

It was the Queen who despaired.

Wounded, heartbroken from the loss of her beloved tool, she ordered her kin to retreat. The battle was over. They had lost. Her eyes fell to her son. He was unharmed, and stared back up at his mother, his face sober.

The child in her arms was the last hope of the Ravens.

The dust cleared. The people of the village mourned their losses even as they strove to rebuild their lives. A fear had settled over them, however, fear that the Ravens would return someday. Because of that fear, the Council created The Edge. Sandaime would have taken up his old mantle again had he not died of his injuries, so a new Hokage rose in his place.

Tsunade.

It was her decision to pass the edict that would keep Naruto unaware of the demon that lived inside of him, but even she did not know the real truth.

Kyuubi lifted his head from his paws. His eyes met with his son's, and he saw tears pooled in them like tiny diamonds. With a flick of his paw, he released the bind that held Naruto's mouth shut.

Do you believe, boy?

The images were still playing through his mind. Naruto saw his mother as she died, the Queen standing ruthless before her corpse, his father...

Kyuubi.

"Yes," he whispered, the tears falling. "I believe."

Kyuubi tilted his head to the side.

You do not deny that I am your father?

Naruto closed his eyes.

"No."

That seemed to satisfy Kyuubi.

Good. Your acceptance will make this much easier for both of us. I must explain something to you...the reason why I have awoken again.

"I'm listening."

The Queen left her son here sixteen years ago to be raised as one of the Leaf shinobi. I did not think anything of it, but that is only because the effort in using the seal drained me. I would have roused sooner had I known she would act soon. I believe you are acquainted with Uchiha Sasuke?

"More than acquainted," Naruto spat, the mere mention of the name getting his blood boiling. "We're rivals." He paused when a part of the vision returned to him. "Wait...the Queen...she called that baby...Sasuke." His eyes went wide. "Oh you've got to be shitting me! He can't be the same kid!"

He is. Uchiha Sasuke is the son of the Raven Queen Maya. And she has decided it is time for him to return home. She sent out one of her minions to brand him with a seal that will draw him to her. You must watch him, Naruto. If he tries to leave, do whatever it takes to stop him. But remember this: no one else knows of his heritage, just as no one knows of yours. It must stay that way. Everything hangs in the balance. Do not forget.

Kyuubi moved forward in the cell until his nose was practically touching Naruto's.

If the Queen gets her hands on her son, all shall be lost. The Ravens must never fly a second time, because that time will be the last.

Sakura lay in her mother's arms, the tears cascading down her cheeks. She tried to remain strong and accept her fate, but her emotions finally gave way, and she cried as if her heart would break. This was not what she wanted, to be only as good as her genes. Yes, she had been accepted to The Edge, but at such a cost!

"Shh, it's all right," her mother whispered as she stroked her daughter's hair, though she would have given anything to spare her child this torment. "It's all right."

"What will I do, Mama?" Sakura sobbed. "I don't want to give myself away to someone I don't love!"

"I know, sweetheart," her mother continued stroking her hair as the chilling call of a wolf echoed in the night.

"I know."

Pain.

Pain was searing through every inch of his body, and it all radiated from the two small punctures on the side of his neck. He writhed on the floor as the seal took root, burning bright for a few moments and then fading as if it never was. No trace would be left behind for others to see.

The Queen's subordinate kneeled next to the Prince, and placed his hands on either side of his head.

"When you wake, you will not remember any of this. The seal shall activate when the time is right, but not yet. Sleep, now."

His eyelids grew heavy, the pain dulled, and he passed into unconsciousness.

The subordinate took one last look at the Prince, and vanished, reappearing in the chamber of his Queen.

"Well?" She demanded. "Did you see him?"

"Yes. He resembles you."

Maya smiled. "Of course he does. And is he strong?"

"He is the greatest of us, I can feel it."

The Queen's smile grew, and she reached out her hand for the male to kiss. "You have done well, Orochimaru. I will not forget."

To be continued...