Well, here it is. After a long and much anticipated wait the vote results are in and the old chapters have been deleted. This story finally has the fresh start it deserved and those who have followed it finally get the new chapters you have deserved all along. I hope you all find this chapter to be to your satisfaction and that I can finally finish this story off once and for all.

Enjoy

It was a dark and dreary day over Konoha; the sky filled with grey clouds near bursting threatened to rain down on the bustling hub of the Land of Fire.

Meanwhile, one would have found Naruto Uzumaki going about his daily routine of being glared at by the villagers. He couldn't pinpoint it but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Today it would seem he felt as though his luck was about to once again run out.

I should just get home before something bad happens, he thought as he began to pick up his pace.

As he got closer to his apartment the clouds finally erupted. Thunder and lightning roused as he rounded a corner.

He dreaded having to walk by the local bar on his way home. He consistently had bad luck with this particular establishment and to nobody's surprise a drunk man began to yell as he approached.

"You stupid mass murdering demon!" the drunk hollered. Naruto kept his eyes on the ground and tried to focus on the pitter patter of the puddles beginning to pool instead.

Don't answer that shit he's spewing. Don't even look at him. You'll just provoke him, Naruto firmly told himself. But to his ire the man stumbled to his feet and staggered after him as he walked by the front entrance.

"Do you understand what you did, you piece of trash? Why don't we all just kill you and be done with it?" he yelled as other patrons who had also been at this tavern for far too long began to rise. A few were chiding the drunk man for breaking some sort of rule but most were nodding along reverently to the man's words.

Fed up, Naruto stopped abruptly and glared tiredly back at the man initiating a staring match. Backdropped by the fierce downpour, drunken men and women crowded to watch the conflict.

Suddenly, just as quickly as it started, Naruto was ambushed from behind by several bar-goers who began beating him brutally. He tried to fight back and squirm away from the volley of fists and feet but the torrent of violence was too strong.

"Aim for his face! He won't even recognize himself tomorrow morning!" the drunken instigator howled encouraging the ever growing mob to continue their assault on him.

Time seemed to stop for the young boy as his world became a deluge of nothing but pain and savage screams from shadowy figures reeking of alcohol. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but in reality must've only been a few minutes, ANBU arrived on the scene to fend off the unruly mob of drunks.

It was more than a little too late for Naruto. He had managed to push himself onto his knees and a masked ninja offered a hand to help him up, but he ignored it. Something in the red tinted puddles had caught his attention: his reflection. Suddenly, bile rose up in his throat and Naruto snapped his eyes shut in horror. That man had not been not kidding when he said he wouldn't recognize himself.

With trembling fingers he pulled the drenched, sticky fabric of his shirt over his face to cover the horrifying sight and seemed to go into some kind of shock.

It would seem the years of neglect and abuse had cultivated into this single moment and come to a climax. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even think. His senses felt numbed and the world around him seemed distant.

The ANBU tried to no avail to get him to remove the shirt to work on his face understanding that was clearly the most damaged part of his body.

Naruto however would not remove the shirt desperate to keep his face hidden. A small part of his consciousness knew it was illogical, but louder thoughts like, dont look at me! Don't look at my face, drowned that little bit of common sense out.

The ANBU finally settled on trying to get him to change into clean clothing by offering a shirt with a neckline that could be pulled up and over half of the wearer's face, to which he responded by taking it from them and going into another room.

Red, Naruto noted absentmindedly as he stared blankly at the piece of clothing in his hands. This shirt is red. Like the puddles from earli- He frantically abandoned that train of thought. He didn't want to think about anything that could lead to thinking about his reflection.

He quickly emerged with the mask and shirt ensemble on seemingly calmed by its presence on his face.

But the evidence of the attack's results on him were still very prominent. The effects of this particular beating seemed to be more than just physical by the change in his body language and general attitude.

He was no longer a smiling child, dusting himself off and getting ready to face the next day.

He had a look about him that seemed to emit a feeling of being defeated and worn out by his life. It was almost a lost look as if he no longer knew what to do with himself any more.

The ANBU were reluctant to leave him as Naruto stood staring at the walls of his home trembling but they had a job to do. They had a report to give to the Hokage about this, a report they unanimously were not looking forward to giving.

"What happened? How badly has it affected Naruto? And when will he be able to go back to his classes?" The Hokage droned without looking up from his paperwork as the ANBU assembled in his office.

Receiving no instantaneous response he looked up questioningly to find the ANBU members looking sheepishly amongst each other with none of them wanting to speak up.

"Well out with it," Hiruzen commanded. There was a tense pause before one ANBU cleared his throat and stepped forward to deliver their report.

"While you know we have vehemently protested the lack of adult influence in Naruto's life we-"

"Do you think I wouldn't have done something by now if the council hasn't refused me every time I bring it up," the Hokage sighed sounding more defeated than they could ever remember.

"We have had many conversations about this and we all know where we stand on this issue, arguing about it will solve nothing" spoke an ANBU member from the back.

The ANBU member front and centre put up his hand in acknowledgement before continuing, "Fair enough. Anyway, Naruto face has been severely affected by this particular attack. Seeing his face in the condition it was in has prompted him to conceal it."

"We moved to work on his face medically but he resisted our every attempt to remove his shirt from his face to the point of screaming in what seemed to be pain as we tried."

"His facial wounds should heal rapidly without much medical assistance so we concluded that the best thing we could do for him was to get him to put on a proper ninja mask. It will keep the wounds sanitary and also prevent him from seeing most of the damage before it heals. What concerns us is that he seems particularly traumatized and it has changed his entire demeanour. His physical wounds may heal but we can't be certain about his emotional ones."

The fourth Hokage pursed his lips very displeased with this news. He knew now that he had completely failed to take care of an innocent child who should have been heralded as a hero but instead now would never be the same again.

"Thank you for doing your best to take care of him, this report is now over. Return to your prior duties" he spoke quietly and the ANBU left his office as quickly as they had come.

The Hokage stared out the window and found the weather terribly appropriate considering the events that had ensued that day. Thunder was crashing ominously all through the city and lightning illuminated his office with brief flashes of harsh light. He couldn't help but think of Naruto spending the night all alone by himself.

"How did we ever end up here? What would Minato have done? How should I have handled this?" he asked his empty office all the while staring emptily shaking his head at his failure.

He returned to his desk revolted by the idea of doing paperwork at this hour after the events that had occurred, snatched his coat up, and left for the night.

As the day began over Konoha the sky was grey but much more calmer than the prior evening. Naruto winced as he roused himself out of bed still exhausted and sore from all that had happened the night before.

Running on autopilot he went through his usual morning routine of eating and then getting dressed before heading to the bathroom to inspect himself before leaving.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, bringing a trembling hand up to touch his mask but moving it away quickly as though his fingers had been burned on contact.

Memories of the night before had flashed before his eyes and for a second it was as though he was back in the moment of feeling the very first hit that caused the skin on his face to split.

It wasn't just a bad dream, huh? he thought shakily.

Unable to endure thinking about it any longer, he turned to leave for the academy back on auto pilot.

He arrived late to class. As he made his way to his spot he avoided eye contact with his classmates and Iruka sensei as much as possible. Once he sat down he found his mind drifting off into another world and didn't even hear his classmate's whisper of "Why's Naruto wearing a mask today?" and the reply "Didn't you hear about what happened at the bar last night?" from the row of desks directly behind him.

Iruka had been debriefed before hand and decided to be a little easier on the boy today. "Naruto I'd appreciate it if you would listen like everyone else so that I don't have to tell you what's going on during the genin exams" he noted, breaking Naruto out of his trance.

"Sorry Iruka sensei," he mumbled. I forgot that the genin exams were today, he groaned inwardly. I didn't have enough time to prepare!"

Just as quickly as it started it was over. Naruto was unable to properly create a clone.

"I'm sorry Naruto I am unable to pass you through the exam today without you being able to create a proper clone" Iruka assessed clearly disappointed.

Mizuki, on the other hand, tried to speak up in Naruto's defense.

"Hey, you and I both know that he's not that bad of a ninja! He has a pretty good work ethic when it comes to training and-"

To the shock of everyone present, Naruto sadly interjected. "No. I understand. I'll be going home now."

Puzzled whispers filled the classroom as he hastily left the room and shuffled down the hallway. Even Iruka seemed mildly surprised that Naruto would accept failing with such little protest.

You failed AGAIN, Naruto scolded himself. You'll never be hokage.You'll never even be a real ninja! You'll never prove this village wrong and nobody will ever care about-

"Naruto! Wait up!" A voice broke him from his self depreciating reverie. Mizuki sensei's voice?

Naruto stopped to see Mizuki rushing over to his side. Mizuki put a hand on his shoulder. "Meet me up on the Hokage monument later today, alright kiddo?" he coaxed with a smile.

The unexpected attention made Naruto feel a little more like himself.

"Sure thing, Mizuki sensei," Naruto chirped with a thumbs up and a badly constructed smile from behind his cloth mask.

Mizuki flashed him another grin before hurrying back to the classroom. Naruto stepped out of the academy with a bit more pep in his step. Sure felt nice to be talked to every once in a while.

Instead of returning home, Naruto wandered the town aimlessly pondering what his sensei possibly had in store for him. He meandered about until it was around the time that class would be dismissed figuring Mizuki sensei wouldn't be able to meet him any earlier than that. Once he reached the Hokage monument he found Mizuki to be there already waiting for him.

"Ah, Naruto I was hoping you would arrive here sooner rather than later! It gives you more time to prepare" Mizuki said in a pleasant mood.

"Prepare?" Naruto repeated with a small head tilt. What do I have to prepare for?

"Yes, prepare," Mizuki chuckled jovially, "you see there is a second genin test that the academy offers for certain students and you qualify for it, so I'm here to tell you how to take the test."

Naruto eyes widened in shock. He hadn't felt this elated in what felt like ages. Finally things seemed to be looking up for him.

"Okay, how do I take the test?" he enquired breathlessly.

"Well, all you have to do is go and steal this scroll," Mizuki said handing him a note. It divulged the location of the scroll and how to identify it.

"If you can learn the jutsu on it and show it to your instructor he will pass you and present you with your genin headband, alright?" Mizuki went on.

"Yes sir! I'll steal it tonight," Naruto said with some colour coming back to his attitude.

"Excellent! Oh and Naruto? Don't tell anyone else because this is a secret mission," Mizuki said with a grin and a thumbs up.

"Okay. See you later," replied Naruto as he excitedly took off from the monument to prepare for his big night.

"Yeah, that's it you moron. Go and steal the scroll," Mizuki said under his breath with a dark chuckle. He sauntered off gleefully with his hands in his pockets. Things were going just as he planned.

Naruto had snuck into the scroll room without much difficulty. He had made sure to be soundless and the guard there seemed like he'd be too tired to notice anything even if Naruto hadn't been as careful.

He quickly located the correct scroll but made the mistake of trying to make a hasty getaway rather than a careful one and the aforementioned guard caught a glimpse of him just as he left. Horrified at his own negligence the guard rushed into the scroll room to find that the very important scroll in there had been stolen from right under his nose by the masked blond boy.

Immediately a meeting was held in the hokage's office after Hiruzen caught wind of the offence.

"We will find Naruto and we will find that scroll. I have absolutely no earthly idea what has provoked him to commit such an act but he will be stopped and his intentions will be found out. With the mental state I've been told he's in, it is unclear how he will react but we must do this carefully to avoid any possible tragedy. Am I understood? Good now begin the search!" He commanded. Immediately, the men and women called in dashed off to carry out the fourth Hokage's orders.

Naruto acted quickly by hiding deep into the forest. Upon opening the scroll he was annoyed by the fact that it was a clone technique he would be attempting to learn. At first he thought he would never pick it up because of his prior failure to do so in class, but he easily mastered the first jutsu on the scroll to his pleasant surprise.

However, before he was able to even look at any more of the scroll, Iruka Umino arrived on scene.

"You've found me pretty quickly Iruka sensei, but not before I learned the jutsu," Naruto told his sensei clearly pleased with himself. "Mizuki sensei told me that all I have to do now is show it to you and I can become a genin."

Mizuki told him to do this? Iruka was stunned into silence. Suddenly he shoved Naruto. Naruto looked up just in time to see his sensei take a barrage of ninja weapons.

"Mizuki why?" Iruka coughed out. He couldn't believe that his friend who had appeared to be so loyal would turn on the village so suddenly.

"Naruto, ignore him and give me the scroll. This is all an illusion and you'll pass when you hand over the scroll," Mizuki explained cooly.

"Naruto, don't listen to him. He's betraying the village. He's taking that valuable information for his own personal gain" Iruka countered whilst grimacing in pain.

"This is all part of the test. He's trying to convince you not to give it to me to test your resolve in tough situations. Now give me the scroll" Mizuki ordered, trying his best to patiently convince Naruto.

"He's lying! Don't listen to him," Iruka spluttered desperately.

"You're one to talk, Iruka. if I recall correctly it's this disgusting village that's been lying to him all along. I ought to tell him right now as a matter of fact," Mizuki sneered, pointing at Naruto.

"No, stop Mizuki! Please!" Iruka begged.

"Naruto, the reason everyone hates you so much is that you have the nine tailed demon sealed inside your body. Iruka's parents were killed by you so he probably hates you more than anyone else in the village. You're a savage evil being with a taste for torture and causing pain to everyone around you," Mizuki declared with a menacing grin.

Naruto couldn't stand the torture of being in this position. The confusion and stress from the night before was finally taking its toll. As a red cloak began to overtake his body, he absolutely lost it. All he could focus on was Mizuki speaking ill of him so he went after the man like a crazed animal.

Upon calming down Naruto found his clothes and body marred by blood that was not his own. His shirt, already red in colour, glistened a wet, darker red in patches. In his frenzied state Naruto had delivered a savage beating that left Mizuki laying unconscious and barely alive.

It was at this moment that Naruto realized that he had proven everything Mizuki had said to be true. He had appeared to have killed a man simply because he was insulted by him. He was a monster

Iruka, in a last ditch attempt to calm Naruto down, threw his forehead protector at Naruto. He watched him catch it then nervously stammered "Naruto, you did it. You passed. You're a genin now! Look, you have a forehead protector."

He watched anxiously for Naruto's response, but Naruto simply continued to stare at Mizuki's limp body.

Horrified at what he'd done, Naruto fled the scene with headband in hand. Leaving both the scroll, his injured senseis, and his village behind, he ran off into the forest blanketed by night.