A Fox's Deception

Hi! Thanks for wanting to read this fanfic. Below is the legend, sometimes it won't as the following, most of the time it will. I hope you like this story.

PS: This is a joint story with OokamiTsume, so we both have it in our account.

Author notes

'Thinking'

"Jinchuuriki speaking with thoughts"

"Bijuu speaking in Jinchuuriki's mind"

'Bijuu thinking'

"Bijuu speaking / transformed Jinchuuriki"

Inner speaking

Flashback/Dream/Letter

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Chapter 1 The Beginning

"Bakemono!"

"Youkai!"

"Hitokiri!"

A monster, a demon, a manslayer; along with other names harsher than the last, that's what they called him; nothing but a monster… for the simple fact that he existed.

One single man had stood his ground as everyone else retreated. They retreated on his orders. It was Yondaime Hokage. He stood tall and proud on top of his summon, Gamabunta – the boss of the Toad Summons. Unflinchingly, he faced the demon, Kyuubi.

Uzumaki Naruto, just turned four, ran through the streets of Konoha. No one bothered to lend a hand to him as he desperately searched for a haven in which he could escape from the horrible villagers. Doors and windows closed as he ran by, for the mothers didn't want their children to see such a bloodied sight… even though the mothers wanted to join it themselves. He ran with tears streaming unchecked down his bloody and dirty face. They hurled rocks and jagged objects his way, not even hesitating before throwing another. No one would help him, for who would ever help a monster?

Its nine tails whipped through the air destroying whatever they touched. Bloodshot and crazed red eyes stared at its blonde prey. Foam frothed out of its mouth as it howled towards the beautiful night sky, hauntingly serene despite the terror reining beneath the stars.

"You deserve to die for the hell you've caused!"

The sky and the ground trembled under its terrible might, all but one single man. His blue eyes held a steely determination as he stared the demon down. There was no tint of fear in his features, much to the demon's frustration. It howled once more hoping to see fear from its prey, but it failed.

Perhaps they were right, but he doesn't know for he doesn't remember what he had done to deserve such hatred. They screamed and yelled curses at him, but for the most part, they fell upon deaf ears. So many times he had heard the same things over and over again. He ran for his life, just like every birthday, knowing that there was no where safe for him. He had no home to return to and no family to protect him. He was nothing more than an orphan, a demon and a monster.

Yondaime Hokage, ignoring the raging beast, performed a set of very complicated hand seals before muttering the name of the ominous jutsu. A bright light blinded the whole sky before, after a few minutes, it faded, leaving the stars still shining overhead as if nothing had happened… Finally, it was over.

Crying out, he fell and scraped his knees harshly, before tripping and stumbling to his feet once more. He couldn't see clearly from the tears pooling in cerulean eyes.

'What did I do?' He thought as he stumbled again, asking the villagers the silent questions he had long ago given up on voicing aloud. 'What did I ever do to you to deserve such treatment? It's not fair! I should at least know what did wrong!'

No one gave him an answer, they never did... No matter how many times he asked, they just threw glares, names and things his way… never answering, no matter how many times he pleaded with them to stop or tell him what he had done wrong… They never answered and they never stopped… and he knew that they never will.

He quickly ran for the cover of the forest up ahead. Sobbing, he dived into the darkest parts of the woods, wishing with all his might that he could get away unseen. He heard one or two of the villagers dive into the forest after him, hot on his tail. He could hear his ragged breath as he ran as fast as his small legs could carry him. His heart was pounding in his ears. He didn't know what to do or where to go. He was just a scared little kid all alone in the forest, being chased by some really terrible villagers. But he was safe there, safer than he ever was in the village… The village in which every where he went, every corner he turned, there would be another hateful villager waiting just for him. In here, there were many places to hide, many places to get away from the villagers, so that he could live to see another day.

Suddenly, he gave a startled cry as he tripped and fell down a steep drop, which was hidden from his sight by the thick undergrowth below. He tumbled head over heels, his arms flailing out helplessly. He screamed as his arm snagged against a rock. Dimly, he heard something snap. Everything was a blur to him. Just as suddenly, he stopped, his body colliding with a tree, his head smashing against the bark. Vaguely, he could hear the men over head. Fortunately, he was hidden from their sight by the very undergrowth he missed before he succumbed to the inky blackness surging from the corners of his vision. His last thoughts were hoping that the thin piece of undergrowth could save his life.

Drip

Drip

Drip

Drops of water were falling down onto his face, waking him up. Naruto opened his eyes only to have another drop of water splash into his sapphire blue eyes. He sat up and rubbed his small hand across them before looking around. It was dim and dark with water pooled across the floor as far as his eyes can see. He was sitting in a sewer-like place from what he could tell. 'Where am I? How did I get here? I thought I was in the forest. Perhaps someone did find me and threw me in here. Imust find a way out!' The blonde stood up and looked around, hopelessly lost.

However, just a moment later, the pipes in the corridor caught his eye. It was almost pitch black; they were mounted on the wall, fading into the darkness. 'Perhaps I can find my way out!' Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Naruto slowly stood up and put his hand on the pipes, which were about half his size, and bravely followed them along the wall. Soon, an enormous door entered into his vision from the dank darkness surrounding him. The door was made of some very hard, firm wood. It was taller than him by at least ten times. Following his instincts, which had never guided him wrong before, Naruto opened the door.

On the other side of the strange door, was a gigantic room. It was even larger then the door! At the very end of the room, was a vast cage. Naruto made his slow and cautious way towards it; curious despite himself. Just as he was about five meters from said cage, he saw two giant red eyes gazing intently at him. He stumbled back in shook and tumbled to the floor.

For an age he just sat there, trembling slightly, under the scrutinizing gaze. Intimidated by the sight, he said not a word, until, surprisingly, there came a puzzling rumbling sound. He soon realized that it was coming from the shadows of the cage, from the creature to which the piercing eyes belonged.

"A-Are you..." Naruto stuttered as his tiny voice echoed in the now silent cage. It seemed that its focus was entirely on the blonde. Getting annoyed, he gathered up all his courage and glared the creature right in its crimson eyes. "Are you laughing at me?-!" The small boy demanded, quite angrily.

The beast's rumbling grew louder until it could be clearly perceived as laughter. From the shadows, the eyes blinked and moved forwards as the creature moved from the darkness and into the light. Naruto's eyes widened in fright until they were ready to pop out of his head and he fell backwards once more, all courage gone in an instant, to be replaced with stunned awe.

"W-Who are you?" Naruto gasped. The beast stood at the bars, taller than anything Naruto could ever imagine. He stood – Naruto imagined – with a smile upon his fox features. The beast chuckled again.

"Who am I?" The red furred monster repeated. "How can you not know who I am?" His nine tails swung gracefully in the back ground as he spoke. Naruto would be mesmerized by their hypnotic motion, had his gaze not been draw to the creature's face. "I, kit, am the most feared demon of all." In the back of his mind, Naruto realized that he was a very proud demon, so he should probably treat him with utter respect if he valued his life, which he really did.

"Gomen nasai," Naruto started apprehensively, "But… I don't know any demons living in Konoha…"

The demons laughter returned. 'This boy amuses me to no end.'

"I'm not living in Konoha, kit, not technically at least…"

"Demo, then… Where am I? And who are you?"

"I, little kit, am the Kyuubi no Youko... You may call me Sekimusha"

Naruto stepped back with fear written clearly on his face, "But– but Yondaime killed you!" Suddenly he realized something and stood there, frozen as a statue, "You're not dead, are you? He didn't kill you… He sealed you!"

'This boy's really smart, especially at his age… I doubt any humans with the childhood that he has would've figured it out so soon… Heck, I don't even think any normal teenage humans would've figured it out…'

Meanwhile, Naruto realized some other things. He wasted no time in voicing them aloud.

"And that must be why there's a seal on the cage! Demo… It can't just be anywhere, right? I mean, what kind of paper seal can withstand a great beast like you?"

The Kyuubi's ego swelled at that comment. He could almost see the cogs turning in the young boy's mind and for a moment he wondered if the kit would grow up to become a genius… All the while, Naruto kept right on thinking.

"Ano… Wouldn't there have to be a much stronger seal somewhere? I mean… it's just a slip of paper and… matte…"

"This little seal, kit, is just a representation… Think… What do you expect a seal to look like? A seal so powerful that it binds me here… Day in and day out for the past four years…" The Kyuubi's voice turned to a growling bitter note, however all the while nudging the boy in the right direction… He figured he'd let the kit figure it out on his own.

Naruto thought hard. 'A seal… a seal that powerful would have to be written out a lot… Ink… Over…Over something that held the demon… So that the demon could not escape...' An image suddenly flashed through his mind. His head shot up to look the beast –somewhat fearfully– in the eye.

"On my stomach… there has always been a strange tattoo on my stomach… I noticed that whenever I tried to practice being a ninja... It would appear…" Naruto swallowed in apprehension. "Is it possible that… Is it possible you…-?" The young boy trailed off and he could've sworn that for a single split second, something akin to pity flashed through the eyes of the great kitsune.

"Yes, kit." was all that he said.

"Then, I'm right…-? You are sealed in me?"

The beast nodded at his question, taking note of the sad, somber expression suddenly spreading over the boy's features as Naruto sat down in shock.

"…That's why everyone hates me, isn't it? But– …it doesn't make sense. I'm not you. I'm just your jailor, the only thing between you and them. Why would they hate me?"

Kyuubi chuckled despite the boy's obvious distress, "You're very smart, aren't you kit? Yes, you are correct. You are my jailor and this is your mind. The close-minded, puny little humans failed to realize what a four year old could! How rich! They use the excuse that you are me, which you currently are not… –after all, I am the strongest Bijuu there is and I would've killed them all for actually looking at me in the wrong way – just to vent their anger and hostility onto you."

"Demo…" Naruto protested, looking up at the Kyuubi with an almost pleading look. "Why won't they see that I'm not you?"

The Bijuu looked upon the child's face with sympathy in his usually demonic eyes.

"Maybe, Kit, it's not because they won't see… Maybe it's because they don't want to see…"

"Huh?" The four year old gazed up at him, confused and anxious.

"Think about it, Kit. Humans are naturally selfish and hateful creatures. They lost a lot on the day that I came to Konoha. Those puny humans needed a scapegoat; someone to vent their anger on… and you were there… they placed all the blame on you…"

Naruto seemed surprised that the Demon Lord was offering comfort through his words. Maybe, just maybe, the demon wasn't as bad as everyone thought.

"Oh…" After a pause, the blonde continued, "Then why did you attack Konoha?"

Kyuubi looked at him, "I was me, yet it wasn't me, on that day. A human, that smelt and looked very much like a snake, came one day and placed a very seal on me. I went berserk and filled with blood lust. Konoha was just a village in my way. After I got sealed, the Snake's seal started to wear off. Little by little, I got my mind back and today I finally regained myself, so I called you."

"So… can you teach me to become stronger?" Naruto looked up with determination burning in his eyes, "I need to become stronger to prove the villagers wrong! I'll show them that even someone like me can become the best ninja ever! Then they'll have to say sorry… I don't think I can truly forgive them… but that's another story…" The four year old boy looked up with unwavering courage as he stared into the eyes of the Bijuu Lord. "Please, Kyuubi, can you teach me?"

The demon surveyed the boy for a long time, looking him up and down; little Uzumaki Naruto, just four years old… a very smart four year old… a prodigy trained by a Bijuu…

"Yes, Kit… I will teach you."

"So, can I call you Musha?"

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Seven years later…

It was four a.m.

Who the hell got up at four a.m.?

Well, a shinobi did, but at eleven years old, Naruto wasn't a shinobi… yet. He was in the academy, training to become the 'world's greatest Hokage'… or so he led people to believe. The truth is he just wanted to make a better place for the outcasts of this cruel world. As he jogged around Konoha, he reflected upon that fact.

He didn't have to aim to be strong, for his training with Kyuubi had made him a better –future– shinobi than he liked to let people know… If he showed anyone how capable he really was, he was afraid they would beat him harder than they already did… or in the worst case scenario… slaughter him. Until he was strong enough and can find other outcasts to protect, he would keep his mask on – no matter what.

It wasn't as bad as it had been at first, though. The first thing Sekimusha had taught him was how to avoid the villagers… basically, upping his six senses – sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste and sensing –, along with charka control. Things had been better from that day forward… apart from the fact that the Bijuu was being a real slave driver to the poor boy.

That was why Naruto was doing his usual daily run with his usual weights – both charka weights and gravity weights – strapped to each limb. After that he had to do 100 push ups and equally as tiring sit ups… and that was just the daily warm up. As he ran, Naruto went through his timetable for that day.

As he had gotten older, Naruto had grown accustom to not having anyone to rely on, except for himself and Sekimusha – well, not that Sekimusha really helps him besides the intense training. He learnt stealth, so he could steal the equipment and necessities he needed. He started to pull pranks, to practice his ninja abilities and to fool the villagers.

Naruto's stealth farther increased as ninja chased him all around Konoha for the pranks pulled. First it was the Genin, then the Chuunin, then the Jounin and, last but not least, the ANBU. As soon as he got the ANBU involved and after he tested himself against them, he started to slow down enough that the other ninja won't get suspicious. After a while, the ANBU and the Jounin stayed out of it. It was usually the Chuunin who chased him now. Of course, he let's Iruka – the one Chuunin that he liked – capture him on purpose.

To the outside world, he was a hyperactive, annoying, loud, boisterous wannabe-ninja… a dead last in the academy with the lowest passing scores you could get. However, this wasn't him at all. Uzumaki Naruto was in fact smart, not as talkative, kept himself to himself and was probably better than most, if not all, in his class… The best thing was that no one had a clue… The villagers hated him, but he was no threat to them at all; or so they thought. He kept his mask in place whenever he sensed someone within a two mile radius of him… he didn't show anyone just what he could really do.

Pausing, only slightly out of breath, Naruto began to ready himself for his charka control exercises. Sekimusha had already had him master tree walking, water walking – both calm water and rough – and air walking. He'd also pretty much got the hang of walking up waterfalls, seeing as he'd been trying that since he was five.

Finally, the sun started to rise and Naruto arrived back at his apartment in time to get ready for another day at the academy. As he splashed water on his face from the bathroom sink, he realized he'd already 'failed' the Genin exam twice… seeing as Sekimusha had told him to. Next time, he decided, he would pass.

Pausing on his way out of the bathroom, he turned towards the mirror. He saw that he had bags under his eyes… he hadn't slept well the night before. He'd had a dream… no… more like a memory of the past. In his dreams, he practically relived the most horrible moments of his life… and this dream had been no different. He remembered years ago when someone – though he could remember no face – beat him in a dark alley within an inch of his life.

"What d-did I do…-?"

For once, he had gotten an answer… the first and the last before his meeting of Kyuubi. Even Sandaime Hokage never told him and nor did Naruto ask him after the first five times.

"You were… you."

Then they had disappeared, leaving the boy to fall unconscious in the dirt and grim.

From that day on, Uzumaki Naruto was not what he seemed. He turned himself into a joke, a dunce and an idiot of Konoha. He liked to be foolish and play pranks… But at that moment, he stood, silent and unmoving, in front of the mirror and just reminisced… he grinned an I-know-something-that-you-don't grin. What everyone did not know, was that they had fell trap to his greatest prank of all… his lie; his puzzle; his game… his mask.

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What do you think of our first chapter? Read and Review. I just love you reviewers.

Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize form the Naruto Series aren't ours, they are Kishimoto Masashi's. Only the plot, etc... are oursPlease ask for permission and getting it before taking our things.

PS There's a reason I said'etc' people.

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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra