Midnight Facade
By: xxlostdreamerxz
Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto.
A/N: I am trying my best to keep the characters' personalities in character; however, I have not written in the Naruto fandom for a LONG time so I might make a few mistakes. Oh and after this chapter, the story will steadily get darker and darker. Even though there's definately going to moments of levity, it's going to get more serious.
Chapter 2: Twists of Fate
"What need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurances double sure, and take a bond of fate: though shalt not live. That I may tell pale hearted fear it lies; and sleep in spite of thunder." - Shakespeare
With a deep sigh, Naruto slowly trudged across the courtyard of the Ninja Academy, making his way towards his classmates who sat, staring at Marko-sensei with wide starry eyes, as the old idiot wove some bloody tales about the Great Shinobi Wars.
"Yondamaine-sama was in trouble you see. The Rock shinobis had him cornered nine to one and he was already low on chakra..." Marko paused, allowing the suspense to build. A pleased smirk crossed his face as his students leaned forward as one with anticipation.
Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes; instead, plastering a stupid smile upon his face as he prepared himself to confront his idiot of a sensei.
"It seemed like all was lost. But then, alas, it happened! I arrived just in time leading a squad of ANBU," Marko continued, reveling in the limelight. "And like the heroic, powerful, smart ninja that I am, I single-handedly managed to save the Fourth from an early death..."
"Sugoi!!" a young girl squealed. "You're so cool sensei!"
Naruto bounded over, catching the class's attention; he forced himself to blush and stare down at the ground. "Gomen sensei," he said scratching his head apologetically. "Gama-chan was sick yesterday and I had to stay up taking care of it. And my alarm clock didn't go off this morning..."
"Uzumaki," the teacher ground out, his eyes flashing with hate. "What are you doing here?"
Naruto paused, staring at his sensei in confusion.
"Are you so inept that you couldn't even read something as simple as, 'You're Expelled?!" the man hissed furiously, causing his class to erupt into whispers. Marko took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure.
The blonde boy's eyes flashed in fury before he quickly masked it with a lighthearted smile. "Ano, I thought it was a prank!" he said brightly. "I am, after all, the great Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage..."
"Hokage?" Marko snarled, his face purpling in anger. That demon wanted the most coveted position in the entire village even after what it'd done? "Preposterous."
Naruto's mask slipped as a unbidden glint of hurt flashed across his face.
"Our village shall never fall to such a degree that," Marko sneer darkly," dead-last of all people would actually be nominated for, none the less, be considered for Hokage. No one will never acknowledge you here."
Never.
"I'm not dead-last!" Naruto erupted furiously, shaking his fist at his instructor, all pretense shattering."You're all wrong! I will becomes Hokage someday! It is my dream and I never go back on my word. It's my ninja way!" he proclaimed, his shoulders set with determination and his fists trembling in fury.
The entire class burst out laughing at those words.
Marko's eyes widened momentarily when he heard the demon brat raise his voice for the first time against authority, before narrowing them in satisfaction. So...the demon brat had finally shown his true colors.
"And you know what?" he continued, ignoring the taunts and jeers of his classmates. "I don't need your help! I'll achieve my dreams without you and your stupid academy! Just you wait! I'll..."
Naruto grunted in pain as he was suddenly slammed against the wall.
Marko's mouth twisted into a cold smirk, as he pinned the demon by the throat. "You're dreams are worthless fox," he snarled, tightening his hold on the boy. "We all know what you really want. What you'd really do if you had the power. If we hadn't trapped you inside that -" Marko suddenly froze, realizing that he was about to break the Third's law...
"It shall be done," the Third snapped furiously, his voice rising above the protests of his fellow ninjas. "We shall honor the Yondamaine last request. Uzumaki Naruto is a hero. He is not the Kyuubi; he is a child, an innocent." At this point, the Third allowed his killing intent to surface. "As decreed, no one shall speak of this incident upon the threat of pain of torture and death. Understood?"
"You're a monster," Marko hissed softly, leaning forward so that only Naruto could hear his words. "You don't deserve to live after what you've done. The Hokage's a fool..." The sensei tightened his hold on Naruto's throat, ignoring the boy's whimpers and struggles. "...but I'm not. No one else is. Fox. One of these day's you'll pay..." With that said, Marko easily tossed the boy aside, taking sadistic pleasure as the boy crashed painfully against the barbed wired fence.
So stay out Kyuubi.
Go rot.
The older man returned his attention back to his students, noticing that some looking hesitant and worried while others appeared rather impressed. He cleared his throat and announced, "I apologize for frightening you," he said calmly, giving the class a warm smile. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength."
"But sensei, should we hel-"
"No no," he interrupted, shaking his head at the girl's feeble question. "Uzumaki had committed numerous acts against our school. He has cheated; he has lied; he has beaten up innocent students. He is a bully. And he deserves everything that he got." Marko-sensei gave the girl a small smile. "While I commend you on your kindness, you should know better than to waste it on the likes of him. Some...people...just shouldn't be bothered with."
A few students exchanged uncomfortable glances, while the majority of them nodded and agreed, "Hai sensei."
Marko-sensei's smile grew larger as his eyes flickered towards the demon brat's crumbled and shaking form. "I suppose we're done for now, class," he said quietly, beckoning his students back into the building. "We're going to go over ninja tactics next."
"Hai," the students chorused, slowly lining up and filing into the classroom.
And once he made sure the last of his students had entered the building and out of earshot, Marko yelled, "And Uzumaki! Since you're no longer a student, you have an hour to vacate the premise before the ANBU arrive. So scram!" before slamming the wooden door shut loudly behind him.
ANBU Guard
Hidden atop the school roof, a slim darkly cloaked figure, watched the proceedings below with mild indifference. His mission was simple - record and analyze the fox-boy's movements and skills. After all, the village could not afford to have Uzumaki stray from his supposed path. The council had plans for the Kyuubi boy...plans that the Hokage had yet to be informed of. And during the last council meeting, the clan heads concluded that the Third was blinded by his affection for the fox boy to see the demon's true identity; thus, someone had to take a stand...
Namely the Konoha Council.
And while he, as a ninja, did not hold anything against the boy. 'The Demon,' his mind hissed. His task was simple; obey the council and be prepared to take...drastic measures should things...get out of hand. It mattered not what he as doing. For he was a ninja. A tool...
"We bought your services," the council head snapped. "Buckle down. You are ours to wield. Our tool. Not the Hokage's, not Konoha's. Ours."
The man sighed softly as he stared off into the distance, memories of his past, of his loved ones' laughter, of Kyuubi's attack, and then of silence. The painful unending silence that tore him ragged each and every day. He just couldn't escape it no matter how hard he tried...
"Watch him," the Council had ordered. "Learn his weakness, learn his strengths..." The old man, the leader of the Council, paused briefly before continuing. "For you will need the information when the time is right."
He had not yet asked what they wished for him to do afterwards. Murder perhaps? Torture? He shook his head roughly. Perhaps it was best this way. Uncertainty. He was a tool after all and tools don't feel. They obey.
And that's all he had left now.
He was a tool.
A double edged tool sold to the highest bidder. It mattered not who or what he was betraying. For they're all dead. It mattered not that he could be killed on this mission. For death would be a blessing. The man eyes darkened as they glared down at the trembling form below him...
'I hate you.'
Training Courtyard
The blonde child leaned painfully against the barbed wire fence, the cold hard steel biting against his flesh. His sapphire blue eyes, stared blankly ahead, ignoring the stinging pain in his abdomen; ignoring the blood that seeped out from a particularly deep slash on his shoulder...
'What is wrong with me?'
He just didn't understand...He was always been hated wherever he went. No matter how hard he tried to obtain their acknowledgement, he was always shot down. Always pushed aside.
Always...
Even in his earliest memories he remembered hatred. He saw a woman...blonde like him, throwing him to the ground. There had been fear...so much fear in her eyes. And then the screaming began. Naruto's childish face darkened in pain.
'Why did my parents desert me? Was I truly that detestable?'
When he had asked the Sandime, the old man had given him an undecipherable look, before sighing sadly. The Third had told him that once the time was right, he'd reveal to him the truth...
...the truth that they deserted me?
Could Marko-sensei be right? Was he never going to obtain anyone's acknowledgement? Was he fated to wither away, unknown and forgotten, hated by everyone he'd ever met? Two traitorous tears fell from his eyes.
"You're a monster. You don't deserve to live after what you've done..."
But he wasn't a monster. He had never harmed anyone. While yes, he had committed the occasional prank...but it was nothing dangerous. Nothing to deserve such blatant hostility, such hatred. Naruto's shoulders slumped in defeat, as a traitorous tear trickled down his face...
"I'm so worthless," he muttered softly, unaware that he had spoken aloud. "Perhaps they're right...i'll never accomplish anything. Perhaps I..." Naruto paused suddenly, as he heard a distictively strange noise before him and looked up, only to flinch in fright.
What in the world?!
Naruto resisted the urge to cry out, instead shuffling back as far as possible from these two maniacs before him. This was insane. Why would anyone ever wish to wear...that? Naruto's eyes glazed over with disbelief...
"Oh Gai-sensei! We mustn't allow the flames of youth to dissipate in one so young!" a loud voice cried out from beside Naruto, causing said boy to jump up in fright. "He has passion! He has strength! Oh sensei, we must do something!"
The taller man fitted with a bright green leotard and green jounin vest flashed a smile and boomed, "Of course we will, my lovely student! I shall take him under my wing just like I have for you!"
"Oh Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Naruto stared up in pure horror as the two men continuously hugged each other, streams of tears flowing down their face. His fingers tightened painfully against barbed wire fence. He needed to get out of here...The slash on his shoulder throbbed painfully, Naruto hissed softly as a few silent traitorous tears fell from his eyes.
The two men paused at the sound.
"Gai-sensei!" the smaller figure (Lee obviously) in green suddenly shrieked, when spotted Naruto's injury. "He's hurt! We must fan his flames before it goes out!"
The older man nodded. "Yosh! Lee, go to our apartment and feach my walet," he ordered, smiling brightly as his student gave him a one handed salute before blasting away. "And now..." he said, focusing on Naruto, ignoring the boy's fright. "I'll take you to the hospital."
The blonde paled in fright.
"Fear not! We shall protect you! After all, no one dares hurt one from our pack," Gai said proudly, as he scooped up the child and ran.
"Pack?" Naruto said nervously. Surely these aren't the ANBU that Marko was talking about?
"Oh yes! We, the green beasts of Konoha, burn brightly," Gai boomed, tossing his head back and smiling. "Our flames are stronger, more powerful, and lasting than any others within Konoha!"
'Helphelphelphelp...help me!' Naruto thought helplessly, tears in his eyes as he was towed away by a maniac.
Gai looked down at the pitiful blonde child in his arms. "And you're one of us now!" he yelled brightly, ignoring the pained expression on Naruto's face. He paused, misinterpreting the frightened glaze in Naruto's eyes for awe. "Oh don't fret! The flames of youth burn brightly in you! You'll see! One of these days you'll become just like us."
Naruto shook his head violently. No. No. Noooo...
'I don't want this...save me Oji-san!'
Hokage Tower
A chuckling old man leaned back against his chair, his free hand stroking the crystal ball before him. A cloudy misty shape, that looked suspiciously like a familiar blonde, was crying streams of tears as a frantic Gai tried rocking the unresponsive child in his arms.
"Ahh don't look so grim Naruto," he murmured in amusement. "This will be useful for your mission, no?"
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To Be Continued