"What good is my sanity, if all I'm seen as is a demon?" ~Naruto

Naruto exhaled deeply as he turned the corner, hiding behind a trashcan which was tipped over. He heard someone coming quickly, and decided to hide inside the trashcan, ironic considering he was commonly referred to as trash by the civilians and some shinobi of his home village of Konoha. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he heard rapid footsteps go by.

After a few moments of silence, he exhaled, thanking Kami that he got away from the mobs. For as long as he could remember, they always gathered together on this day, Naruto's birthday, to hunt him down and try and 'kill the demon' as they called it. Today happened to be his eighth birthday, which he had spent in relative solitude, with the exception of his Jiji taking him out for a bowl of ramen at Teuchi's ramen stand, who had practically become his second family, although he didn't really have a first family.

This year for his birthday, he had asked Jiji if he could enroll in the Academy, which was where every shinobi hopeful enrolled for four years to learn everything they would need to know for life as a shinobi.

"I don't really think you'd fit that life, Naruto-kun." Jiji had said, and Naruto had run off in anger, only to run into a drunken group of people, who yelled at him and began chasing him down in the streets like a common piece of trash. This was how he got stuck in his current predicament.

Naruto peaked around the side of the trashcan, only for a rogue civilian to be passing by who saw him and called out to the gathering mob of would-be vigilantes. Before Naruto could react, a man picked up the trashcan, throwing it down the alley as it clattered against the stones. Naruto was thrown out of the metal deathtrap which crashed into his frail body, his arm giving a sickening 'crrk' as it hit the wall, followed by his head. Naruto slumped to the ground as his vision flickered black, and he fell unconscious.

Naruto blinked his eyes open, expecting to find death staring him in the face. While he wasn't correct, it was a different view than he expected. Leaky pipes dripping water that set ripples in the dingy water he was sitting in, moldy walls and surfaces that sent Naruto's nose crinkling at the slightest provocation, and a giant set of bars which joined together as a gate in the center which a piece of paper that read 'Seal'.

All this and more was what met Naruto's first glance around what would become known as his mindscape. And tying it all together as the massive fox on the other side of the bars, crouching low, with a low growl coming from his throat that set Naruto's nerves on edge.

"He-hello." Naruto said; waving fearfully as the fox's growl grew louder. "My name is Naruto. What's yours, and do you know where we are?" Naruto asked innocently, averting direct line of sight with the fox, who simply glared at him, baring his teeth.

"I know your name, boy! Now if you would be so kind as to remove this annoying piece of paper, or come closer, you look very cold in that water." The fox offered up, like bait as Naruto inched closer until the fox pounced, his claw barely missing Naruto's little body as it split his shirt in two. Naruto fell backwards, crawling through the water as he tried to escape the fox.

"Ohh, so close. Your idiocy leaves much to be desired, but I suppose it does serve its purpose." The fox said as he returned to crouching as a tail came forwards, inching across the watery floor, followed by another tail, and another, until nine tails were inching ever closer to Naruto, who started to cry out and try and run, before he realized that he felt more at ease with dying to this giant demon than the villagers of Konoha.

The fox seemed to notice his sudden change of heart as the tails converged, all touching Naruto's chest, just above his heart. The fox could feel his pitiful heartbeat through the thin layers of skin. He had planned to kill the boy, but now that he could see just how pitiful, and ready to die Naruto was, he had second thoughts.

"Why do you not run, boy, do you no longer fear me? Is the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko not a thing to haunt the nightmares of the young any longer?" The fox, now self-identified as the Kyuubi asked, his voice a growl which Naruto almost wet himself at.

"The-the Kyuubi, but I thought th-that you were…" Naruto trailed off as he looked down, realizing that he was looking right into the Kyuubi's eyes, which were a strange wine-red, surprisingly regal compared to the paintings of the village.

"You thought what, that I was… dead?" Kyuubi finished, his tails pulling away one by one as they curled around his snout until only his eyes were visible through the fur. "As if that sorry excuse of a human could kill me, the powerful Kyuubi. That's not to say that he didn't seal me into a newborn youth; such a weak and squishy vessel for one such as myself." Kyuubi said as he sent a minor amount of KI at Naruto, just enough to make him quiver like a leaf as he tried desperately to stand.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said, looking downcast at his reflection in the water. He wanted to be a great and powerful shinobi, like Jiji, or his hero the Yondaime, but how could he inspire others to believe in him, when he didn't even believe in himself. This took the Kyuubi by surprise, something that happened maybe once in a lifetime.

"Sorry. That must be one of your pathetic human words like regret. Demons never have regrets, when we do something; we have every intention of following things through with no regards to what others think." Kyuubi said, his own vanity coming into play as he lifted his head minorly, as if looking down his nose at the most noble of humans.

"No, I'm sorry that you got stuck in a weak vessel, something outside of your control." Naruto said, walking up to the Kyuubi's cell as he stood just outside of the bar. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, lifting a claw to Naruto's chest as he placed the tip against the blonde's skin. Naruto's gaze didn't waver, nor did he hesitate as he took another step forwards, and a drop of blood tinged Kyuubi's claw tip.

"Pity, another one of your pathetic human emotions. Though I suppose your statement, and demonstration, does bear some merit. It is nothing for a lion to kill a mouse, not enough a thousand mice, but for a single lion to take down an elephant, it is revered by its pack." Kyuubi said, standing on his haunches as he dragged his bloody claw through the water as he carved out something in the stone.

"I will help you, boy. I will give you access to a lost power, and give you permission to use my youki whenever, however, I will not give it over freely. If you want it, you must temper and weather my influences when using it, just as the best blade must be forged by one's own hands. I will assist you until you achieve that horrendous title of 'Hokage' and then we will fight each other, to the death, and when my power consumes your weak human body, I will be revered across the Elemental Nations as ruler supreme!" Kyuubi said, allowing the single blood drop to drip into the carved seal on the floor, before he bit his lip, allowing the blood to intermingle with Naruto's in the seal as Naruto felt his body awakening.

As Naruto awakened, Kyuubi huffed, going back to sleep, mumbling under his breath, "Good luck, Kit."

Naruto opened his eyes, only to see a steak knife descending towards his head, he crossed his arms, trying to fend off the attack only for a ring of fire to sprout from the ground around him, shooting into the air around him, enveloping the wielder of the knife as he screamed in pain, his body twisting and contorting in the throws of death as the watching civilians stood still with shock and fear while Naruto cried, the screams echoing in his ears.

Naruto kept crying, even when he felt himself being lifted up, and his body tingle, the sensations of the Shushin as he felt a hand rub his back, and a gentle voice whisper to him.

"It's okay now, Naruto-kun, don't worry, the villagers won't bother you any more. I promise you, on my title as Hokage, they won't harm you ever again." The Sandaime whispered as he rocked Naruto, until the blonde's tears stopped, and his body went slack with sleep, although he still tightly clutched to the Hokage's robes, anchoring himself to the world and his dream while he slept.

The Hokage looked down on him, smiling faintly as he looked to a picture, praying for forgiveness for letting the villagers do this year after year. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out an envelope, which contained Naruto's enrollment letter to The Academy, his first semester starting in one week.

A/N: Well, I finished it guys. Now I know what you're thinking, because I'm psychic, duh. Naruto has one of my personal two favorite kenkai genkai, the Scorch Release, or at least my take on it. Naruto is able to start fires with his mind, provided its within his sphere of control, which is currently at about a foot away. By Graduation, it'll be about 5 feet, and 10 feet by Chunnin Finals. Also, Naruto will have some interactions with the Kyuubi, but they won't be buddy-buddy, more like how Sasuke and Naruto interact in canon. Kyuubi is only helping Naruto to get more power so it'll make him look better when he beats him so utterly. Now this is a NaruHina story, my personal favorite pairing, so expect some non-Sakura worship. Have a good day guys.

P.S.- I wanted to add this before posting. TIL that foxes are very loyal pets, but absolutely detest all reptiles, snakes especially, which they bear an intense hatred for. The hatred goes so far that if you smell like a snake, a fox will never trust you, even one you've raised since its birth. The whole Naruto-Orochimaru thing finally makes sense guys!