When he was four, he was content. Content to walk hand in hand with the hokage down the city streets, and certainly content to take lunch trips to the local ramen man.

"Hey, hey Hokage-jii!" Uzumaki Naruto tugged on Sarutobi's Hiruzen's coat a few times while pulling his hand out of his gnarled, old ones. "You gotta let me go so I can be a big boy. Big boys don't gotta hold hands."

"Hm." Sarutobi held his chin in silent thought, "Glad to hear you're a big boy. I was going to buy a little boy who's been very good some ramen. But big boys don't get free ramen, you know."

Naruto pouted, and played with his shirt, then his fingers in twisting, winding motions. "Okay… okay maybe I'm not that big."

The Hokage grinned lightly at that, rested his hand on the boy's messy blonde hair.

"I can work with a not-so-big-boy."

The two walked in companionable silence after that.

The world didn't quite make sense, but that was okay. Naruto was okay. It didn't matter that people always stared at him funny or called him funny names, because he was okay… as far as he knew, the world was every bit the way it should have been. It wasn't the best, but it was okay.

"Hey, Naruto-kun! Sarutobi-sama! You two come for some ramen?" The ramen chef Teuchi greeted them both with a wide smile.

"Ramen-jii!" Naruto cheered, breaking away from his older companion to sit at the booth. With some effort, the boy managed to struggle onto a stool, and finally settled in. He huffed, and crossed his hands, "Hi! Uhm... Gimme one small miso ramen, pleas-" He turned back to the Hokage, "May I have one small miso ramen please?"

"Ha! So polite!" Teuchi turned to the hokage with a grin, "Same beef with noodles, hokage-sama?"

The older man smiled, and rested a hand on Naruto's head, "No. I'm just getting Naruto a bowl before I have to be off. Bureaucracy never sleeps, I'm afraid."

Teuchi grinned at that, "Almost makes you wish for a more exciting time, doesn't it?" The older men shared a laugh.

Naruto tilted his head like he'd heard something curious, and turned to look back at the street. And then he laughed lightly, thinking of war and the days when ninja ran in warbands. It did seem more exciting.

Sarutobi glanced at Naruto curiously, then back to Teuchi. "How are you, Teuchi?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Every day gets a little bit easier, you know." He toyed with his apron in silent contemplation, "You know, he would do well being taught as a butcher."

"Oh, for kami's sake, Teuchi." Exasperated, Sarutobi dragged a hand over his face, "We do this every time and my answer is always the same. We needed butchers when we needed to throw genin and civilians at the enemy and scare them off, but to teach a child like that now? It's too much, it's too cruel. He deserves to be taught like the rest and experience something of a normal life."

At first, Naruto had no idea why his grandpa was so angry about a guy that chopped up meat for a living… it was just a whisper… a purr in the back of his mind… and then he understood.

"All due respect, he's not like the rest and he never will be." Teuchi's eyes met Sarutobi's, and his eyes ignited, "Face it, this is the best chance for him. No one here will teach him fairly, and the council is biting at your heels to send him to Danzo. I can train him while keeping his best interests at he-"

The hokage, the greatest ninja in the village slammed his fist down on the counter.

Teuchi flinched.

Naruto didn't. Instead, the boy just tilted his head at him while staring up at his Hokage-jii with big blue eyes.

Sarutobi noticed that as well.

"Teuchi." The old Hokage snapped, "Old friend, I don't doubt that you have his best interests at heart, and I would trust no one else on the matter. But hear me well, I cannot and will not let his son be made into a weapon."

"Bahhh." Teuchi threw his hands into the air and set to chopping vegetables. "There's no talking to you over this, Hokage-sama."

"Hey! I can…-" Naruto halted in his speech suddenly, rolling his eyes and hiding his face in his arms. Idly, he just looked between Teuchi and Sarutobi before sighing, mumbling something that suspiciously sounded like 'I can pick if I wanna.'

Both men just stared at the child for a long while before Sarutobi rested his hand on Naruto's head. "Consider this discussion closed, Teuchi. Be good Naruto."

Naruto gave a nod while still buried in his arms, mumbling a good bye. With that, the hokage vanished in a flurry of leaves, leaving the pouting boy to his myriad thoughts.

"Hey, ramen-jii," He lifted his head slightly, "I woulda said yes. I wanna learn how'ta fight."

Teuchi froze.

"What… what are you talking about, Naruto-kun?"

"Whatcha mean? Butchers sound cool." His mind was filled with hazy images of frightening visages that haunted the battlefields with hooks and heavy gauntlets for hands; chains instead of arms. They were the terror that kept the superstitious and weak quelled. They were men and women and children trained to have a fighting chance against ninja. Against a nine tailed demon fox though? Not so much.

Teuchi watched as the boy's eyes went blank, huffed, and walked a bowl of ramen over to the boy.

"Yay, thanks!" Naruto chirped, greedily taking the bowl with both hands and hugging it, before grabbing his chopsticks. He started to slurp noisily, only to freeze. The boy cringed in on himself and looked around like he was being scolded, then smiled and nodded.

And then like magic, Teuchi watched as Naruto suddenly learned manners. The boy tried to eat as carefully as possible, still spilling broth, but nowhere near as much as he often did.

Teuchi sighed and settled into a chair, watching Naruto with a dubious eye as the boy devoured his meal. He'd turned out so well mannered for being an orphan.

"Hey..."

Naruto peered up at Teuchi.

"You're a real good kid, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah!" He devoured the compliment as readily as he did his ramen.

"So… Naruto-kun, how'd you know what me and the old man were talking about? I mean, you're smart but..."

The boy perked up, "My friend told me."

For the second time that day, Teuchi froze. Naruto was patting his belly, and he couldn't tell if he'd just finished a delicious meal… or if it was because the boy was referring to the legendary Kitsune no Kyuubi that was sealed there. The same beast that nearly destroyed his wife and child and life. He shook it off quickly, and tried not to think of it.

"Ah… I see."

Naruto's ears perked, "Oh! But you can't tell anyone! It's a secret, okay?"

"It's… a secret that your friend talks to you?" Teuchi responded slowly, dreading every word that came out of the boy's mouth.

Naruto's head tilted, "...Are you okay? You feel…-" Once again, the boy cut himself off, "Oh shoot! I gotta go, Ramen-jii! Thank you for the ramen!" Like always, the little boy ran around the counter to give the ramen chef a quick hug, crashing into his legs before turning away. "Oh, don't forget, it's a secret!"

And with that, Naruto was running off towards the orphanage, leaving a completely dumbfounded Teuchi standing there.

"What in the nine hells?"

By the time Naruto made it back to the orphanage, which wasn't quite cross town but far enough that by the time he spotted the old wooden and gnarled building, the sun was already setting and the matron was standing outside; a tall stern woman that was otherwise unremarkable save for the scowl that was marring her aging face.

"Uh… S-sorry I'm late! I was with hokage-jii and ramen-jii and I-"

When the matron hit Naruto, it was with all the force she could manage. She backhanded the boy with her one good hand, tilting her head up and sneering as she watched him stumble backwards and onto his butt.

"You know better than to be so late." She stated, just above a whisper.

Naruto didn't respond, he simply sat there, nursing his red and bruised cheek, fighting back tears that really wanted to fall. He also fought the angry, red emotion bubbling deep inside of his chest.

"S-sorry!" He covered his head with both hands, "It's okay… it's okay… shhh..."

The matron tilted her head. "Brat," she hissed the word out as hatefully as she could. "Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to?" the angry woman snarled, stepping forward drunkenly, and snatching his wrist from his head. Being so close to her, as she had her nails dig into his skin, Naruto would be able to smell the alcohol that wafted from her as she tugged at him. "Just go inside, I can't deal with you right now. Go straight to your room, no dinner. If I see you at all, I'll put you out onto the streets."

That feeling, that angry, burning feeling surged inside of him. Raw, surging rage that tried to push its way to the surface. Its whispers reached his ears, a snarling and vicious voice that begged to be unleashed on that woman.

He couldn't do that. His eyes burned with tears, and he struggled to pull away from the woman. She shook him once and then, with a rough push and a nasty curse she released him from her grasp.

Naruto didn't hesitate. He ran as quickly as he could, hands covering his head, protecting him from anything that she might have been thrown at him on the way to his room. The hallway was mercifully empty and no one caught the way his shadow swelled and bubbled under his feet, threatening to tear away from him. "It's okay! It's okay!" He yelled, trying to keep the monster inside quelled.

The boy tore into the room, surprisingly neat for being occupied by a four year old. Naruto slammed the door shut, and immediately threw his hands up and over his face as his shadow pulled out from under him. It manifested, swelling and growing in size until it easily stood the height of the room.

Naruto fell onto his butt, tears still falling from his eyes, his cheek still burning from the impact of the slap… and now a single paw pressed down, and pinned him to the floor.

It spoke in shadows and growls and whispers.

Hello, little one.