"Naruto: Master of Alchemy"

By Quick-n-Popular

Disclaimer: "Naruto" and "Fullmetal Alchemist, along with their characters, are not mine.

Chapter Four: The Fox that fell into the Cuckoo's nest: The musings of demons and madmen

The "treatments" of Dr. Okakura have been going on for several weeks. During this course, Naruto has changed from the quiet, yet cheerful, boy to a quivering, stuttering, mess. After each session performed by the doctor, once he's been escorted back to his room, he immediately takes refuge and shelters himself by clutching the book that he's hold on for so long to his shaking chest. At nights, he delves deep in the contents of the book, desperately trying to separate himself from the hellish reality that he was now in.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, someone else had taken an interest in what he was reading. That person, or rather being, was the Kyuubi no Kitsune that was sealed deep within the recesses of Naruto's mind and soul.

At first, the proud Bijuu concerned itself little in the affairs of its jailor, Naruto being the third of which it had been sealed inside; it kept to itself and spent its waking moments in boredom by watching through Naruto's eyes of his rather mundane life. However, all of that changed when the boy was given that book.

The subject of Alchemy fascinated the demon fox and the people who used them caught its interest instantly. People like the Ishvalan, Scar, whose ability to deconstruct anything that he touched and the number of people he killed by using it, titillated the Kyuubi. Other people like the Crimson Alchemist, Kimbley Solf, who's specialty revolved around exploding people with just a single touch. Others caught its interest as well, such as Roy Mustang who's snapped fingers could set fire or detonate anything flammable.

Yes, Alchemy was an interesting path, and much more intricate than ninjutsus that this world had to offer, with reason.

The Kyuubi schemed more and more as time went on and its host was becoming more fragile by the minute from the torments that these doctors were giving him.

A weak vessel was something the nine-tailed Bijuu would not allow. Nor would it allow to become "second fiddle" and stand behind someone infinitely stronger like his last two jailors were. No, things were going to change and it was about time that he and young Naruto Uzumaki meet.

For the most part, Naruto hated the place he was now in much more than the cruel orphanage where he was before. If given the chance, he'd gladly go back. After all, the harsh words and glares he could tolerate but the insufferable pain and practices he endured from the doctor and his treatments, he could not.

One thing that hadn't changed, in the orphanage and here was the bitter loneliness. That still hurt and its been there for as long as he could remember. His book was the only thing that sort of covered that wound. Without it...he didn't even want to think of what that would be like.

The days passed slowly in the hospital. Other than the doctor and his men, Sayuri was the one he saw most on a daily basis. However, her quiet mutterings never told him anything about her other than that something awful had happened to her and that she was apologizing to a lot of people for what she did, whatever that was. Naruto had seen other patients in the hospital when it came to "pill hour".

Where he, Sayuri, and the others would stand in line to get their daily vitamins or medication. These people looked to him like ghosts. They looked like they float around, moaning about this and that. Some looked at him, some didn't. The ones that did, muttered things like Sayuri does, one even started yelling at him, only to be hauled away by the men in the white coats.

Everyone was an adult here. Naruto had yet to see a person his age or close to it, so far none. All he had was his book and a woman named Sayuri, who seemed even scared of her own shadow.

Naruto wanted out, he didn't care if he was sick like the doctor says he is. However, Naruto wasn't sure where "out" was in this place. That and all the doors had locks on them and the windows had bars. So how was he going to get out?

Naruto was scared. Would anybody care if he came out at all? Was anybody really missing him in the world outside this hospital? The kind ramen stand owners, the man with the funny hat who called himself the Hokage? Were any of them missing him?

"Uzumaki, it's time for your treatment with Dr. Okakura." Said one of the white-coated men who came into his room.

Naruto nodded, despondently. Putting down his book and hopping off the bed, he made his quick goodbye to Sayuri, who, as usual, said nothing in return.

Nobuhiro was feeling pretty good for himself. It had been rather quiet in the village since the little "mission" was made to rid themselves of the Kyuubi-brat. A month and half has gone by and already a lot of people are moving on without any problems.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. When word spread about the boy making his mad escape into the Forest of Death, the Sandaime had issued some Shinobi to go inside and track him down. A week later they came back with nothing.

Nobuhiro smirked, his plan went without a hitch. Now the boy was safely inside the Institution and was being tormented by the mad doctors hands. Nobuhiro was upset, at first, that the doctor told him that he couldn't tell his friends inside that the boy was there, for fear of a riot that would alert the Hokage and the Council and thus would jeopardize all of their careful planing.

However, Nobuhiro Yamagata was NOT a patient man. Sure torturing the brat was fine all but he wanted more. Nobuhiro remembers vividly how a friend of his was vivisected by one of the Kyuubi's paws during that night. He wanted that demon to suffer like no other. Today, he would pay the institution a visit and see how well the doctor was doing on his end of the deal.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood and looked out over the village he loved with all his heart as said heart was particularly weighed with guilt.

It has been over a month since anyone has seen a particular blond haired boy who once resided at the local orphanage. The Sandaime Hokage had sent many men out to find him, only for tracks to remain cold and not a thing has been heard of since. The Council had divided itself between either searching for young Naruto or to have him listed as dead. Danzo suggested that the boy had been brainwashed into leaving by an agent from another country like Iwa or Kumo and suggested heavily that this was a sign of an imposing attack. Back and forth they went and, even a month and a half after, they remained divided.

The old man sighed as he sucked on the end of his pipe, which was the only thing to give him any sort of comfort nowadays. His eyes turned to the left and peered at the portraits of the Hokages recorded in the village, his view stopping at the last one. A man with bright blond hair, a kind visage, an determined eyes looked back at him.

'I've failed you, Minato. Both you and Kushina. A younger, more intelligent man, than myself, could have prevented what has happened to your son.'

His moment of sad reflection was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Sighing heavily, he called out, "Enter."

The door opened and inside stepped Genma Shurei who shifted the senbon needle he had in his mouth as he saluted to his superior.

Sarutobi nodded back, "At ease."

Genma relaxed as he gave his report, "Sir, a report came in that I thought you might want to hear. With eyewitness accounts that we took of the night of Uzumaki's departure we found nothing."

Sarutobi nodded in affirmation, hope rising in him that there was something new.

Genma continued, "Well just this morning a mother and her son came in, hoping for a reward, with news that her son had been out late that night and saw Uzumaki with two men."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed and nodded his head for Genma to continue.

"Unfortunately, sir, the boy didn't hear what was said nor can he give an adequate description of what the two looked like due to how dark it was."

Sarutobi took his pipe out of his mouth and knocked a few strands of ash out as he turned around and thought about this new, important, piece of information.

"Is there anything else, Genma?"

Genma sighed, "Well from what the boy told us about Uzumaki's body language that night, was that he was scared and obviously didn't recognize either of the two men."

Sarutobi closed his eyes and nodded his head, "Very well, thank you for your hard work, Genma. You're dismissed."

Genma saluted sharply once more before turning and left the office.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi was wrestling with his thoughts.

'So it looks like a third or fourth party was involved with you, Naruto. But who and why?'

"Alright, Uzumaki, back in you go." Said the man in the white coat as he pushed Naruto back into his room before closing the door.

Naruto collapsed to the floor, twitching. He lay there for a minute until he shakily got off the floor and dragged himself to his bed. Clutching his book, he fingered the spine of the book as he continued to shake.

"I hate this place." He whispered to himself. He would like to say that he wanted to go home, but what home could he go back to? Certainly not the orphanage, as it was made abundantly clear that he was not welcomed back there.

He had no where to go. No one who was waiting for him.

All that he could expect was to get more pain from that doctor and to come back to this room with a person who acted like he wasn't even there. All in all he was alone.

'You aren't alone.' Said a voice, whispering.

Naruto frantically looked around and even turned to Sayuri only to see she hadn't moved her head.

"W-Who said th-that?" He asked, shakily.

'Someone whose been with you for a very long time...' Replied the voice that was as soothing as a cold wind.

Naruto eyes darted around the room, hoping that he might see who might be speaking. In the end he was still alone with Sayuri.

"Wh-Where are you?"

'Like I said, I am with you. When the time is right, I'll let you see me. But for now, you and I need to talk.'

"T-Talk?"

Eerily enough, he could feel a nod from somebody, somewhere.

Trying to get comfortable, relaxing the built-up tension he had from the latest of Dr. Okakura's treatments, Naruto sat the book on his lap and took a breath.

"Wh-What did you want to talk about."

There was a pause before he heard the voice again.

'Naruto. You want to be free from this place? You want to be free from the pain from that doctor?'

Naruto nodded as began to cry, replying in a choked, but desperate, voice, "Y-Yes."

'I know you do. The solution to your problems is very simple.'

"It is?"

'Yes.'

"Wh-What do I h-have to do? P-Please tell me!" He cried out.

There was another pregnant-pause and then one word was uttered.

'Alchemy.'

Naruto's eyes were wide and his hands, seemingly, out of a mind of their own; fingered the book that lay on his lap.

"How...How will Al-Alchemy help?"

'The same way it helped people like Scar, Kimbley, and Roy from anyone hurting them.'

Naruto knew those names. They were in his book. However, something wasn't right. Two of the people's names it mentioned were people who killed and hurt many people.

Was the voice...saying that he needed to hurt people in order to escape?

"I-I Don't understand..." He said slowly, "What do you mean?"

'Naruto...Do you want to be free?'

"Yes! But, I-I don't want to hurt a-anyone..." If he did, then he was sure what the Matron had been calling him would be true. After all monsters hurt people, didn't they?

As if reading his thoughts, the voice spoke again, 'Everyone needs to protect themselves, Naruto. Some people won't listen. Only until you hurt them do they understand what you are saying. Does that doctor listens when you tell him the things he does hurt? Did the Matron, Miss Yoshida, listen when you told her that you didn't push that boy Kai? No, Naruto. People don't listen and when they don't listen, you must hurt them."

Naruto didn't know what to say back to the voice. It was right, in a way, that no one listened to him when he tried to defend himself nor did the doctor listen when he first complained on how much his treatments hurt. But was hurting people the only way to get through to them on how you feel?

"Then...what should I do?"

Once more there was a short pause.

'You can either continue to let them hurt you and hope that someday they'll decide to let you go free. Or you can MAKE them stop hurting you and free yourself. The choice is yours, Naruto...'

"But, I don't want to hurt anyone!"

The "Voice" however did not reply.

"Hey are you there!" He shouted.

"Who...are you...talking to?" Came a whisper.

Naruto stiffened. That didn't belong to the "Voice". It actually came from inside the room and not too far away, either.

Naruto turned slowly to see Sayuri turned in his direction and looking directly at him through the tangled mess of her long hair.

Nobuhiro sat in the chair besides the bed of a friend of his in the institution as the man took a shaky drink of his water.

"How you doing, Shiro?"

The man, bald with a scar running down the corner of his mouth, shrugged.

"The new meds they have me on give me the shakes, but the nightmares are still there..."

Nobuhiro nodded, "Have you seen that boy I was telling you about?"

The man nodded, still shaking. "I see him at "medication time"." He then clutched the plastic cup, crushing it, "I...I want to strangle him so badly. But the problem is I can never get close to him..."

Nobuhiro nodded and then grabbed a kunai from a secret pouch that he hid from the orderlies who stripped him of his weapons at the entrance. He smirked.

"You had the best aim out of all of us and made that Iwa Nin pour his guts everywhere. Tell me your talents haven't rusted in here?"

Shiro smirked, "No, I doubt they have."

To be Continued...

AN:Sorry it took so long to update but I'm filling to brim with new ideas so I'll try to update as much as I can.

Preview of Next Chapter: "The Fox that fell into the Cuckoo's Nest: Escape!"

Sayuri's Story...

A Fight for Freedom...

A Village Shaken...

A/N: Please Review.