A loud scream reverberated off concrete walls far underground. Choked sobs accompanied it immediately after. Inside a small, enclosed room lay a young boy, no older than five, who was strapped to a metal table; his hands and feet bound. Around him were eight adults, all wearing surgical masks, lab coats, and gloves that were spattered with blood, crusted and brown, glistening red and new. Under those cursed, blood spattered masks lay smiles worthy of lunatic. One of them called out a command; a glass bottle with skull and crossbones across the label was put into his waiting hand. Popping off the lid he put a drop into each of the clear sapphire hues that seemed to scream for him to stop as loud as the hoarse voice did. A few more drops and the boy was permanently blind. Suddenly the metal door burst open and in came the ANBU. The man started shaking. The boy below him was looking at him with unseeing eyes, the acid turning them a lighter blue than they already were—almost white. With one last tremor and a horrific laugh, he dumped the rest of the acid onto the boy's face; horrible burn marks accompanying the splashes as the smell of burning skin filled the room.

The snapping of necks was heard; a silent scream escaped the youth's lips—then, nothing. The masked men carried the young boy out, his body weighing next to nothing as they ferried him towards the hospital where the doctors nursed his many wounds, most infected and oozing puss, while some where healed to the point that a silver scar was all that was left. The acid had done much damage to the pale skin of the child; his skin was blistered and ripped, but already healing. The doctors bandaged up those horrible, frosty eyes and left him.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Two years later

Blue-white hues gazed unseeingly upon the village he once loved. The sun was setting causing an array of colors to blend together, all unseen by those haunting eyes. A rustle of wind stirred soft blonde hair, making it flow around the boy like a golden cape. Naruto was no normal boy, he looked feminine for his age and the high cheek bones, slightly pointed ears, and whisker marks contributed to that fact. His waist long golden hair was let loose, flowing around his body and making him look angelic. He wore a loose, tattered black-and-white yukata that hung on his malnourished form like a blanket. Around his blind eyes were burns of unimaginable pain, the scars looking almost like the Hyuuga's Byakugan, only more prominent and gruesome. A rustle sounded from a nearby tree and down jumped a weasel masked ANBU. The blonde turned towards the sound and smiled sadly at the newcomer. "Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama wishes to see you. I am to accompany you to his office," stated the man, his voice emotionless. Naruto nodded, and walked towards the ANBU, not once tripping over anything. Over the years the youth had developed a way to see without actually seeing. By pushing some of his chakra—although he didn't know what it was at the time—into his eyes he could make out shapes, details, and other chakra signatures; although he could never see colors, everything appeared blue and black.

"Hai, Weasel-san," he said, smiling up at the man. The older boy held out his hand for the child to take, and when he did proceeded to walk at a leisurely pace towards the Hokage Tower in the center of the village. Along the way hateful glares were thrown towards the young child, although no insults accompanied them like they usually did, for the ANBU was there. Once, someone dared to mutter something about the boy and the next day he was found skinned in his bedroom, rusty nails through each one of his fingers. When the reached the Tower, the guards bowed towards the masked man and stayed down, none dared to glare at the child by his side. Reaching the top floor the man knocked on the door at the far end of the hall, only to be answered by a mumbled "Enter". As soon as they slipped in the room, a wide smile stretched across the blonde's face, his whisker scars making him look feral and innocent at the same time. "Oji-san!" Naruto exclaimed before running towards the Hokage and jumping onto him, nearly knocking the old man out of his chair. "Naruto, I have a surprise for you," laughed the Hokage, ruffling the blonde's mane of hair before setting him on the floor in front of him.

"A present? What kind? Is it ramen?" questioned the boy, his face seeming to light up even more. In the corner the ANBU smiled beneath his mask, something he almost never did except in the presence of the boy. "You are going to the ninja academy to be trained, would you like that?" said the old man, his face smiling even though he knew the boy couldn't see. Naruto's face was blank for a moment, the shock taking over; then suddenly a wide grin spread across his small face. "Yes! Thank you Ji-Ji!" he exclaimed before jumping up and hugging the old Hokage as tight as his little arms could manage. "When do I start?"

"Next week, Weasel-san here will teach you the basics until then. You will be put into a third year class," explained the Hokage, the smile still etched in his wrinkled face. The boy nodded and smiled, first at him then at the ANBU before getting up and bowing politely to the masked man. Suddenly he turned back around, not looking at the Hokage but in the space by his head. "Ne, ne, Ji-Ji, what about my eyes?" he asked, his voice becoming small and frightened. The man's smile waned for a second before a thoughtful look appeared upon his wrinkled face. "We'll place a sheer blindfold over them so no one can tell."

Another, smaller smile spread across the youth's face as he hugged the old man one last time and ran out of the room, his presence leaving behind a warm feeling. "Well, now that that's over I have a mission for you," sighed the old Hokage. The masked ANBU walked forward and straightened his posture. "Yes Hokage-sama?" he voiced. "Uchiha Itachi, you are to watch over Uzumaki Naruto for the remainder of his life at the Academy."