So, some of you may or may have not noticed that I've taken down a few of my stories from my profile. The reason for this is simple, I have lost motivation for writing those particular stories that I've taken down, and I'm not necessarily sure on when I would be updating them. So, to cut my losses, I simply deleted them and am moving onto other story ideas, such as this one. Hopefully you all can try to understand why I did this, and will enjoy this new story.

-V

Where he was born, he was treated as a demon, an outcast and plague among the village. He housed the Nine Tailed Fox within him, and for that reason, 3/4 of the village hated a mere child. The boy with sun-kissed blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes and three identical whisker marks on each cheek. His name was Naruto Uzumaki, but he had gotten used to being called "demon," "freak," "loser," and so on. At the tender age of five, he didn't really have any friends, and he was kicked out of the orphanage, forced to fend for himself on the street. This is where we find him today, scavenging for food.

"C'mon, c'mon, there's gotta be somethin'." The child complained somewhat, digging further into the trash. "Yes!" He whispered, pulling out half eaten apple. He knew he was probably going to throw it up later, but he didn't exactly have a choice. He began to eat the apple, ignoring how soft the fruit was, signifying it was spoiled. He swallowed and continued to eat, before moving on toward the next alleyway. On his way, he bumped into a man who was dressed in a business suit, with a white button up shirt, a blood red tie, and black gloves. One thing that Naruto noted about the man, was that he was bald. "Oh, I'm sorry, mister." Naruto spoke up at him before quickly scurrying off.

The man in question merely watched with observant blue eyes before continuing on his way. He calmly strolled down the streets of Konoha, heading toward his target's house, on the civilian part of town. He knew that many a shinobi were out and about the village, but the man was no fool. He had studied chakra, and even picked up a few jutsu's along the way, only adding to his deadly skill set. Nearing the target's house, he took a quick look around his surroundings, mentally figuring out what he was going to do next. Nodding to himself, he silently approached the fence of the target and vaulted over, landing on the grass before he crouched. Sneaking over quickly, he climbed up the side and entered the bathroom window, mentally 'tsking' to himself.

"They should really learn to lock their windows and doors." He muttered, before reaching into his jacket and pulling out his fiber wire. Clutching it into his hand, he opened the bathroom door as quietly as he could and made his way downstairs to the living room. The target, a slightly heavier man who refused to pay back his debts to the man who employed the assassin, was sitting in his chair, watching TV. The calm assassin merely extended his fiber wire, pulling it taut and walking over. The target had no idea he was being hovered over, as he let out a laugh at the show. The bald killer merely watched and waited, and whenever a loud fight scene flashed on the screen, he struck. He wrapped the fiber wire around the target's neck, pulling and refused to give in as the target began to struggle, grasping at his neck. Within minutes, the target grew slack before the killer withdrew his weapon, stowing it away and heading out the front door.

He looked around to ensure no one was watching him leave the premises, but rose an eyebrow as he saw several people head toward the East side of town, from where he came from. He probably should just leave and not worry about it, but a small child's scream made him pause mid-step down the porch. He clenched his jaw and exhaled slightly before heading in the direction that the people were going toward. He picked up the pace somewhat, taking note of the small crowd that had formed in a nearby alleyway. He strolled forward and pushed his way through the crowd, only to see two men kicking on the small child from before. The one that had bumped into him. The bald man closed his eyes momentarily before stepping forward and pulling the two away from the child. The two child abusers fell into the crowd before they were helped back up. "What's the big idea, baldy? You're ruining our fun." One slurred out.

"Yeah, we gotta teach that- hic - demon a lesson." The other burped in reply, each sizing him up. However, it must have been something in the bald one's eyes that suddenly intimidated the two, for they frowned and began to shuffle away. However, one brave soul in the back, a freshly graduated Chunin of the Hidden Leaf rushed forward, kunai in hand.

"If you won't get out of our way, we'll have to kill you, too!" He cried out, the small crowd cheering behind him.

The male merely raised an eyebrow and struck out, blocking the kunai with his own knife, twisting his arm around so that the kunai was forced downward, and with his momentum, the killer lashed out with a straight right cross, followed by a kick to the teenager's stomach. The Chunin stumbled somewhat before regaining his footing, only for the man dressed in the business suit to slam the handle of his knife into his temple, sending the boy into unconsciousness. "So," the man spoke calmly, "does anyone else want a turn?" The crowd quickly dispersed, before the man turned his head back somewhat, gazing at the boy, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay, mister. I always am." The boy said with a bloody grin, before wincing in pain.

"Yes, well, let's get you to the hospital." The man extended his hand.

"No, no. They don't treat freaks like me at that place." The boy insisted, shaking his head, "Don't worry, I'll be okay in a few days."

"Let me rephrase that sentence," The man coughed slightly, "You're coming to the hospital to get checked out, and if anyone refuses to treat you, then they have me to deal with. Understand?" The boy nodded, as the man patiently held out his hand. "Very good, now let's go." The boy grasped the man's gloved hand hesitantly, before the two started to head into the direction of the hospital.

Arriving within ten minutes, the man entered with the small, bloody and bruised child and called out, "Get me a doctor, now."

The secretary behind the desk merely looked at the boy in question and wrinkled her nose in disgust, "I'm sorry sir, but all our doctors are busy right..." She was cut off as the man was suddenly in her face, his eyebrows furrowed and blue eyes narrowed. His expression was blank, but his eyes promised bad intentions.

"I said, get me a doctor. Now." The man repeated.

"R-right away." The secretary stuttered, before paging a doctor to the front.

"What seems to be the problem, Denise?" The doctor questioned after walking up to the them.

"The...the boy needs help, Dr. Richard." The secretary said, spitting out the word boy as if it were poison.

Dr. Richard was about to tell the kid to buzz off, but the man that was with the boy sent off mental alarms within his head. "Well, let's get you checked out, okay, buddy?" He said with forced kindness, all the while the bald man was watching with a critical eye. "If you'll just follow me." The man stood as well, "Oh, sir, you don't have to bother yourself, we can patch him up and he'll be fine in the morning."

"Be that as it may, Dr. Richard, I wish to accompany the boy. Just to ensure he's in the right hands." The man answered calmly, raising an eyebrow, "Unless you're denying me that right?"

Dr. Richard swallowed and shook his head, "Not at all, sir. Not at all." He turned on his heel and walked to a nearby room, as he picked up young Naruto and sat him on the table, "Let's see...busted lip, bruised cheeks, and bruised ribs. What on Earth happened?"

"Let's just say that a crowd of people decided to gang up on the boy, and that I intervened." The man answered, not missing the grimace on the doctor's face. The villagers all hated the boy, but why? "Dr. Richard, I suggest you go ahead and call the boy's guardian, if he has any."

"He doesn't, unfortunately." A voice answered from the doorway. The man looked over to lock eyes with the Hokage, the village leader, whom was escorted by an ANBU with a dog mask, and grey gravity defying hair. The wizened elder strolled forward, donned in his Hokage robes. He took off his hat and sat it atop of Naruto's head, the boy wrapping his arms around the older man. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get any ANBU there in time, Naruto. Luckily this man was able to safe you." Turning to the assassin, the Hokage nodded his head, "Thank you, Mr..?"

"47." The man replied easily, "My name is 47."

"Well, thank you, 47." The Hokage repeated himself, before turning to Dr. Richard, "If you would give us some privacy, doctor?"

"But of course, Lord Hokage." Dr. Richard practically sprinted out of the room, wanting to so desperately be away from the bald man.

"Inu, why don't you go take Naruto out for some ramen, while I talk to 47?" The Hokage suggested, although the three men in the room knew that it was an order.

"What an excellent idea, Lord Hokage. C'mon, Naruto, I'm sure you're starving." Inu said with a somewhat lazy tone, although 47 could detect that the ANBU cared for the boy.

"Sure am, Inu! Better than the paste they give here." The boy giggled, as he was put on Inu's back, the two leaving via the nearby window, jumping across the rooftops.

"So, 47, why are you in our village?" The Hokage turned serious, eyeing the assassin.

"If you must know, Lord Hokage, I had a particular target on the civilian part of town. I bumped into Naruto earlier, and as I was leaving from the completed job, I heard him scream. I went to investigate, and then came upon a small crowd. Two men were beating the boy, and I intervened. I also knocked out one of your shinobi, whom I thought were supposed to be protecting everyone in the village, not attacking a defenseless boy."

"Oh, I know what you were doing, 47. I saw it all through my crystal ball. While I should have you arrested, I'm letting you go due to your...target being one of the more unsavory villagers, and due to the fact that you saved Naruto." The Hokage responded, before he chewed on his bottom lip, "You obviously have extensive hand-to-hand combat, stealth capabilities and are well versed in weapons."

"That's right. Where I was born, we were trained and raised to be professional killers. We are to block out emotions such as fear, love, anger, and so on. We are known as agents. As you know, I'm Agent 47." 47 explained, as he shifted somewhat in his seat. "Tell me, why do the villagers hate Naruto?"

The Hokage frowned, "I wouldn't necessarily say they hate him..." However, Agent 47 interrupted.

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage, that's bullshit, and we both know it. How often is Naruto attacked? Glared at? The boy is starving and on the streets, for God's sake!" 47 merely drummed one gloved hand against the arm of the chair, watching the village leader.

"They hate him for something that's out of his control. They hate him for something that happened five years ago." The Hokage said, chewing on his lip again. He was hesitant to tell him, 47 observed. But why? He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what happened five years ago. 'The only thing of real significance was the Kyuubi attack on the village... Oh.' 47 thought to himself before speaking his mind.

"It was the Kyuubi attack, wasn't it?" Seeing the Hokage's eyes widen, only confirmed 47's thought, and the assassin continued forward, "From what I heard around the grapevine, is that you had given up the title of Hokage to Minato Namikaze, the renowned 'Yellow Flash', about a year before the Kyuubi attack. Tell me, why isn't he here now?"

The Hokage sighed and performed a privacy jutsu around the hospital room, "You understand that if you breathe a word of this to anyone while within the village walls, you will be executed?"

'They can try.' 47 thought to himself, before nodding, "Understood."

"As you have deduced, the Kyuubi, or Nine Tailed Fox did attack our village five years ago. And you are again, correct in the fact that I had given up the Hokage title to Minato a year prior to said attack. Whenever the Kyuubi attacked, we had lost a good portion of our forces, and Minato had no choice but to try to fight the beast. He succeeded in getting it away from the village, but there isn't a known way to defeat the tailed beast, except for sealing it into a human."

"Naruto." 47 surmised, the drumming of his fingers stopping. "So, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine Tailed Fox into his own child, did he?"

"Who said that Minato was Naruto's father?" The Hokage questioned sharply, boring his eyes into 47's.

"Would you really ask someone to sacrifice their child to house a tailed beast? It's illogical to think that the Fourth would do such a thing, and the only thing I can think of is that Naruto is his son." The Hokage was silent for a few minutes, while 47 smirked a bit, "And I am correct, aren't I?"

The Third let out a deep breath, sagging and looking older than ever, "Yes, it's true. I'm not sure how you could figure out any of this so quickly, but you mustn't breathe a word of this to anyone."

"I won't, Lord Hokage. And to answer your question as to how I figured it out so quickly, I was created superior to normal humans, to be the perfect killing machine. I'm faster, stronger, and more intelligent than the normal human being." 47 explained.

"Wait, created?" The Third questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right," 47 nodded, "I was created in a lab of sorts, complete with test tubes and other clones. I, however, am considered one of the better agents around." Normally he wouldn't be telling anyone this, but if the Hokage could tell him a secret, then 47 would show the same courtesy.

"I...see. Well, now what do you intend to do, 47?" The Hokage inquired.

"I intend to go back to doing what I do best." 47 answered, as he stood up, "But, I'll be bringing Naruto along with me."

"What? You think you're going to just take him out of the village?" The Hokage scoffed, "You're a trained killer, and you live a dangerous life. Why should I let Naruto go with you?"

"Would you really want Naruto to keep growing up on the streets, unable to defend himself? What if one day he ends up with his neck broken? I doubt anyone would really miss him, here. Besides, I can give him the skill set necessary to defend himself, and perhaps give the villagers years to adjust to life without Naruto, so whenever he returns, he can adapt to life here without any trouble. If anyone asks, you can simply say that Naruto ran away." 47 explained, watching the Hokage's reaction.

For a moment, the Hokage said nothing, and after a pregnant pause, he sighed, "You better be right about this, 47. I'm trusting you, even though I hardly know you."

"And I hardly know you, yet you trusted me with a highly classified village secret." 47 countered, "Don't worry, I'll protect Naruto until he's ready to come back to the village. Expect him back within five to ten years." He stood up and started to leave, "Oh, and Lord Hokage, before I leave, I have a question."

"What's that?" The Third questioned, curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't you all have laptops, cellphones or automobiles? The village could handle it, I imagine."

"To be honest, we never really had time for technological advances. Minato was thinking the same thing you were, but then the Kyuubi attack happened, and we've been recovering ever since. Perhaps, whenever you come back, things will be different." The Third said wistfully, before watching as 47 nodded and exited the hospital room. The assassin left the hospital, heading toward the only known ramen shop in town. Once there, he found Naruto and Inu the ANBU talking and laughing, while Naruto was inhaling an insane amount of the food.

"Naruto." 47 spoke, interrupting their conversation. Once he had the boy's attention, he spoke again, "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Going where?" Naruto questioned, his cerulean blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Away from the Leaf Village, and on to better things." 47 answered.

"Now wait just a minute, what makes you think that Naruto is going to go willingly? Or that I'll let you?" The ANBU questioned, glaring at 47.

"You don't have a choice, Inu." 47 retorted, "The Third has allowed me to do so. And Naruto, if you don't wish to leave, I won't force you. However, I could give you the means to defend yourself, and you could get away from all the constant glares, attacks and whispers that the village throws at you every day. You're strong for your age, but everything has their breaking point. Think of it like a vacation...we'll come back."

"Do you promise?" Naruto questioned.

"I promise, we'll come back to the village." 47 answered honestly, nodding his head again. He began to walk away, heading toward the village exits.

Naruto looked at Inu, before hugging him tightly around the waist, "Don't worry, Inu, this man will protect me, and I'll come back! I promise!" With that, the small boy began to run off, eventually catching up with 47 while Inu watched.

"I hope you're right, Naruto. I truly do." The ANBU let out a small sigh, suddenly not wanting to finish his ramen.

47 and Naruto left the village, under the moonlight, the giant planet and the stars to guide their way to the next small town or village that they came across. Soon, Naruto's training would begin in earnest, despite him being five. 47 would mold him to be better, stronger, faster, more intelligent. Sure, Naruto wouldn't be a clone of 47, but he would be 47's little protege, and that's gotta count for something, right?

Well, Chapter 1 is complete! Hopefully you all like! R&R, everyone! :D

-V