Flash Blade

T for teen, for violence, language, and for things teen like, may be rated M later.

Summary: At a young age, our favorite underappreciated Jinchuuriki was driven from his Konoha home by a mob set up for revenge. The young boy didn't know where he was running, but he had one goal in mind, safety. That goal led him straight into the camp of the demon of the mist and his young tool. What will happen now with a young Naruto growing up with Zabuza? Swordsman Naruto, NaruxHaku

Legend:

Talking: I'm going to be the best swordsman in the world, Databayo!

Thoughts: "This killer intent, I can't even move my arms…'

Jutsu: "Hidden mist Jutsu"

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I happen to own any Oc's that appear in my fan fiction, but that's about it. Wish my Original Characters brought me some income

-X-

Chapter one: Stumbling upon a demon

-X-

Compared to other villages, one would never see the village hidden in the leaves as cruel. Quite the contrary, in comparison many would see the village as soft and weak, treating it's ninja as people instead of tools and trying for peace instead of outright taking what they think they deserve.

What many people don't know is how Konoha treats one of its own, specifically one Uzumaki Naruto, who could now be found running from yet another mob. One would think the villagers would be done for the day, seeing as a mob similar to the one now chasing the blonde through the streets had earlier beaten the poor seven year old to a pulp and then decided to parade his beaten body around the streets by tying him up and bodily dragging him, with a sign around his neck saying demon scum. It seems they were going for an evening repeat now, though of course it wasn't the same villagers. No, the other villagers had been arrested; this was a brand new mob. This new mob was taking advantage of a major crime going on across town, which the Anbu usually assigned to guard the young Uzumaki were dealing with. Here is where our story starts, as to where the story goes from this point; we'll all have to see for ourselves.

A young seven year old Naruto had seen better days, you could tell that just from a glance at him. Wearing a dirty, what used to be blue but had by now turned black from many nights of not being washed, Torn shirt with cuts in many places that contrasted the much too big for him baggy and cut up black pants, not to mention the series of bruises and cuts on the skin you could see on him. Through the unfitting shirt you could see he had been underfed, with a physichal condition like his it was anyone's guess how the blonde was standing, let alone running from the group chasing him.

The blonde hazarded a look behind him, seeing the mob gaining if anything and he had no hiding areas around here he could use. In a desperate act the five year old tried to push over a trashcan but all that seemed to do was make the villagers behind him even angrier. Running as fast as his little legs would allow, the boy turned towards the one thing that might save him. The village gate, it was a boundary he had never dared crossed before, knowing that with everything, he wouldn't die here, Jiji wouldn't let him, but outside the Hokage had no power, and it would just be him and whatever fate decided. Well this Uzumaki had never believed in foolish luck or fate, and this was the best opportunity to escape pain.

So with a mental apology to hid adopted grandfather, the Jinchuuriki took the turn and sprinted right out the gates, down the path, and then into the trees, soon outpacing the furious cries as he got away from the villagers. Not looking anywhere aside from straight ahead, the boy ran, not once did he look back, he just ran. Even when the yells were long gone, he still ran, he ran until he could physically run no longer, and by that time he had made it a long ways, farther than he had ever run before.

Only then did it set in that he wasn't home, no longer in familiar territory. It was then he began to wonder what he was supposed to do now. This was a situation that was slightly familiar to the blonde, but not out here in the wild. Since he was three and until he was six, the young boy had lived on Konoha's streets, living off what he could get out of garbage cans. He knew how it was to not sleep indoors, or eat anything but moldy bread, hell, he still did it since the villagers refused to serve him anything but that when they were forced to allow him to shop there. Soon survival instincts began to kick in then and slowly the blonde decided first and foremost, he needed food and a safe place to stay. So then began the search for a safe resting place, that was essential. If he didn't have a good base of operations, he'd be defensless against what ever was out here. Before he had a small box, now he would settle for a small cave, anything, before he got food. he'd gone without food before and he'd do so again.

Moving through some bushes, the blonde tried his best to find a cave or somewhere to sleep, but was starting to find he could barely see his own hand, let alone a place to rest. That was until he saw a faint light farther down from where he was. Squinting he tried to make out what it was, before his now sleepy and sluggish mind decided light was sometimes good, so it might be okay to investigate. Light usually meant a warm place to stand by for a little bit at least, and he was starting to get chilled from this night.

Moving forward he got close and started to smell the scent of cooking meat. Mouth watering he snuck as quietly as he could forward, peering through some bushes at a seemingly deserted camp. He peered around, before his eyes caught the sight of three birds cooking over a fire. Looking around quickly, he noticed no one was around and darted out; assuming who ever started to make these was gone now.

Unfortunately as soon as he got into grabbing reach of his prize, he felt something sharp against his neck and stopped mid lunge. Sliding his eyes down he saw one of the biggest blades he'd ever imagined. It was literally bigger and wider than he was. Slowly he slid his eyes up the length of the blade and spotted its wielder, glaring down at him behind a mask of bandages with no eyebrows or shirt. The man was well muscled, that much was sure. He also had plenty of scars from battles as far as Naruto could guess, and wore one of those metal head bands he had seen Ninja in his village wearing, except this one was different looking and had a slash going through it.

Now starting to sweat, the young blonde slowly backed up, or at least started to only to come to a stop when the blade slid closer as he moved. Catching on that moving was bad, the blonde kept his frightened gaze on the masked man. Finally after what seemed a life time, the man said in a tone of voice that spelled saying the wrong thing would get him killed.

"Were you trying to steal my dinner?"

The blonde started sweating more, trying to figure out the best answer before deciding on. "I wasn't s-stealing, I was surviving, and these birds looked a lot better than eating leaves." Lying was too hard for his mind in this situation, frightened and very tired made every thought seem to come from a long way off. Like a whisper of someone twenty feet away.

Now the blonde was silently praying his head wasn't going to be chopped off right here when the man looked out of sight to where Naruto couldn't see due to the blade and nodded. Suddenly there was another set of hands on him, grabbing his arms and legs and tying them together. With a shout of protest the blonde fell to the side. Looking up, Naruto saw a girl a little older than him, but noticed only one thing about her. The one thing she voiced out loud.

"Zabuza-sama, this boy… he has eyes like mine." The girl said quietly, looking up at the bigger man.

"He does, does he? Well then let's see what we have here." The large man, apparently named Zabuza, glared down at the petrified blonde and said. "You've got one chance kid, even that's only because Haku seems to be interested in you. I'm going to ask two questions, answer correctly, and you live, incorrectly and your heads mine. We understand each other?"

Slowly the last Uzumaki nodded and gulped, hoping that these were really easy questions. If they wanted him to count numbers or something, he was definetly in trouble here.

"Good, what's your worst memory?" The man asked, completely serious.

"W-worst memory? I d-don't have one…" The blonde shakily muttered, looking down. Relieved on one part that it wasn't math, but entirely saddened on a whole different aspect, as he looked back on his so far short life.

"What do you mean not have one, everyone has a bad memory. Hell, even a stubbed toe is a bad memory and judging from the way your dressed, I can tell your mommy didn't dress you." The demon of the mist growled.

Naruto looked down a little more at the mention of having no mother. Boy didn't he know that, he couldn't count how many times he wondered where his Mother was, wondering why she wasn't there to hug him like the other kid's moms he had spied form the park, comforting them on the slightest cut. "I don't have a mom, besides, all my memories are kind of the same… waking up, getting those cold looks, wondering what I can find in a trash can and wondering how bad the next beating will be.. The only good thing I had going was Jii-san, but he was always to busy to play with me much." Naruto said sulkily.

Zabuza looked down at the blonde and nodded slowly and then asked his final question. "Are you willing to be my tool?"

Naruto blinked and then swallowed, glaring up at the large man. "No."

"No? Remember, I have your life in my hands." Zabuza growled out.

"I ran from the village so I would have my own freedom, my own will, and wouldn't have to worry about those damn villagers. I'll be damned if I ran all this way just to surrender to someone else! I'll die free!" Naruto yelled, a fire burning in his eyes as he glared at the man.

Staring some more, Zabuza slowly raised his blade and Naruto shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly a whistling noise passed him and the boy blinked, looking around and noticing he could move again. Suddenly a stick was thrust in front of his face, holding a tasty looking piece of meat.

"Eat; you'll need your strength to withstand the hell I have in store for your training." Zabuza said, not even looking at the boy anymore.

"Training? What do you mean?"Naruto asked in a very confused tone, already working on devouring his meal. It was a free meal and he knew better than to pass this up.

"I mean, your going to become my student. I'll need someone to take my place in the seven, and you might do. If not, I can always kill you later." Turning from looking at the fire he barked out. "Haku, you got first shift. Watch the new Gaki and see if you can analyze him like I've been trying to teach you. Do it correctly and you might get breakfast."

The girl who had silently watched until now nodded and turned to the blonde, waiting for her master to head to his tent. "I'm Haku, tool to Zabuza-sama."

The blonde simply blinked and offered a fake smile. "Uzumaki Naruto, tool to no one."

Suddenly their introductions were cut off when from the tent a kunai flew, severing a few pieces of the Uzumaki hair. "Shut up or I'll decapitate both of you!"

Haku giggled slightly at the blonde's frightened look and said "Welcome to your new home."

"Y-yeah, still not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

His only reply to that statement was a small giggle from the girl as she walked towards the fire.

-x-

Meanwhile in Konoha, an aged Hokage was staring at his crystal ball dully as he watched the picture fuzzily, having traced the blonde since he left, the picture getting dimmer and dimmer an requiring more and more chakra as the blond got farther away from the village.

In truth the aged man had wanted to go and fetch the boy himself, to protect him from the village, but knew he couldn't. The council had already cut off all his attempts to save the child and if he tried to do so now he jus might be put in a position as to where he could never help the blonde.

Instead the aged professor looked down in contemplation before smiling to himself, a plan devising in his mind. He may not be able to help the blonde now, at least physically, but he could ensure Naruto had a place to come back to.

Seeing as Naruto was not a Shinobi when he left, the blonde would indeed have a place to return to. So instead of sending out anbu to retrieve the boy, he would give Naruto a chance to live outside of Konoha, and if he so wished it, he could always come back to this village and be welcomed, at least by the Hokage.

With a quiet sigh, the third pulled his hat down and sent one last prayer. 'Be safe Naruto-kun, and please come back to us.'

-x-

Well, that's it. I know, horrible, but I'll try and make it better, I swear! To any who came to this from my other story, no, I have not forgotten. I just have some major writer's block, so I figured a new project would help.

Anyway, Reviews please! Constructive criticize me to your hearts content, I love hearing from you all.

Edit: This chapter was revised! I know I messed up in a few places, such as the age error in the beginning. I hope this makes up for it. I added some to it, but only about five hundred words, enjoy!

This has been another Digital Flame chapter, burning you out.