Greetings fellow FanFiction readers! I am The Biblioklept and I will be your writer!

During your reading if you would be so kind and drop a review for me I would greatly appreciate it. If this first chapter evokes a feeling of disgust and repulsion within the deepest parts of your soul, my deepest apologies. Go ahead and tell me what made you physically gag, and I will attempt to improve my writing. If this chapter blows your mind, please pick up the pieces, glue them back into your skull, and let me know how I managed to explode your cranial cavity through song and dan-I MEAN-writing. If you just happen to like it and want me to write more so you can read it, let me know!

Important Note: After 5 years, revised and improved again… Let's see if I can stick with it this time.

Thank you for your patience!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Any similarities between this story and other stories or real-life events is purely coincidental. I mean, shit… I'm writing on . If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be here.

Enjoy!

⸎—⸎

Yasui Ki had a pretty good life.

She was a 19-year-old kunoichi of Konohagakure. She had been a chūnin for 3 years and had arrived at the pivotal time in her life where she could decide: take the risky path of the jōnin or stay the "relaxed" life of a chūnin. She had two loving parents. Her father was a carpenter and her mother, an herbalist. Yasui was also engaged to the love of her life! He happened to be a shinobi as well and went by the name of Hiko Shikon. She and her fiancé lived together in a standard two-person apartment and were going to be married in 8 months.

Overall a simple but rewarding life.

⸎—⸎

An earth-shattering explosion rocked the room, nearly sending Hiko and Yasui tumbling to the floor.

"What the hell?!" Shouted a newly awoken Yasui, almost smacking her fiancé in the face as she flailed her arms and surprise. Despite the utter shock they both righted themselves and ran to the window. Off in the distance, a massive beast stood in the middle of the moonlit village. The visage of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, the great nine-tailed fox, rending the earth and buildings around it terrified the couple to their very souls.

Both ninjas paled. "God…" Hiko gasped as they both stood rooted in place. Then the Kyūbi reared its head and roared, rattling the windows of their home. This shockwave broke them both out of their stupor, "That looks like it's near our parents' homes! We've got to go help!" the kunoichi exclaimed.

Dressing quickly into their ninja gear they ran out of their apartment and towards a residential district in the direction of the Kyūbi. As they ran along the rooftops, they could hear the screams of the people in the streets. Steeling their resolve, they pressed onwards closer towards their first destination. After 2 minutes they reached Hiko's father's house.

"Father!" Hiko barged into the home. "Father, we have to get you out of here!"

"What the hell is going on?!" came a voice from down the hall.

Yasui was starting to panic. 'My parent's house is closer to the Kyūbi! We have to go!' "Hurry! Get out here!" she shouted.

"Alright! I'm coming!" All three left the house and saw a stream of people running down the street. On the road, there were a few genin directing the flow.

"Listen to those genin father, they will take you to the bunkers. We have to go help get others out." After Mr. Shikon left with the others, the two chūnin took off towards the Ki household.

From a distance, the block that Yasui knew her parents' house was on, looked to be on fire. And it sounded like there were some people trapped inside their homes, screaming their lungs out for help. What was worse, the Ki household appeared to be completely engulfed in flames.

"NO!" screamed Yasui.

Hiko went through some hand seals and yelled. "Water Release: Exploding Wave!" Sadly, neither ninja had been very proficient in water release, and the resulting wave was not enough to even put out the flames that were around the front door.

Another earthquake shook the area, and this one was so violent that both Hiko and Yasui were hard pressed to not fall flat on their backs. The home creaked and groaned, and before they could react the roof collapsed and created a cascade of debris that knocked down most of the enflamed building. The pair had to shield their faces as the dust cloud overtook them. When they could see again, the fire that had briefly died down almost immediately exploded out again, hungrily eating into the home.

Yasui had never seen true war and loss, and at that moment she couldn't comprehend life without her two loving parents. "NO!" she screamed in agony.

"Yasui!" Hiko wrapped his hands around her shoulders, a forcing her to look at him. "I'm sorry... we were too late, but we have to go help the village drive this thing out! We need to leave!" Yasui's ninja training kicked in and she set her visage as best she could. They quickly approached a still-standing building, and both jumped to the roof. Looking about, they could see the village was no longer blue from the glow of the moon, but a deep orange from the fires that burned within it. The devastation was nothing either of them had seen before, and if not for the soot that burned at their eyes and the ground that shook beneath their feet, one might have believed this was all a dream.

Despite the smoke and debris in the air, they were able to spot a group of ninjas that appeared to be coordinating long range attacks on the Kyūbi. The rooftop that the group had chosen was on a five-story building a few streets away from the enormous right leg of the beast. It seemed too close for either Hiko or Yasui's liking, but it was not their decision to make so they made haste to join the group.

After hopping onto the roof, they approached the only apparent ANBU member of the group. "Reporting!" Yasui shouted above the noise, a slight wobble in her voice.

The bear masked ninja didn't even turn to face them. "When I tell you to, send your strongest long range jutsu at the mid-section of the Kyūbi!"

"Hai!" Chorused the entire group.

Unfortunately for them, the towering monstrosity had other plans. Without even shifting its weight, two of the tails came soaring forward and began to descend upon them. As quickly as possible the ninjas dispersed as the rooftop was obliterated.

As Yasui dodged a sure death, she saw her partner's body tumble onto a nearby street. Once on the ground she avoided falling debris and quickly jumped to find Hiko, but what Yasui saw when the dust cleared completely broke her.

Hiko's descent had been followed by a wooden beam, and it was now impaling him through the chest. He lay face up on the street with a vacant stare, and blood was pooling around his body. The chūnin could not take any more and fell to her knees beside him. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around his chest and slowly rocked back and forth. The world was lost to her.

Nothing else mattered anymore.

⸎—⸎

The days marched on unknowing and uncaring of the tragedy that had befallen Konohagakure. The residents had no idea how the nine-tailed fox had shown up in their village, but those that survived did their best to rebuild their homes and hearts. Rumors began to circulate that the fox had been defeated by the Yondaime Hokage turning it into a small child. It was said that the child had whiskers on its cheek, just like a fox.

⸎—⸎

Over the years, the Hokage attempted to befriend the little blond boy, visiting him at the orphanage and taking him out to the park or to eat. The boy seemed receptive of the friendship, but as he grew older he began to ask questions that the Hokage was not willing to answer. This seemed to create a rift between the two, and Naruto seemed to get more upset rather than excited each time the Hokage visited. Eventually the duties of his title became all-encompassing and the aged Hokage was reduced to using this ANBU to regularly check up on the boy. He regretted it, but it was the best he could do for the time being.

⸎—⸎

"We have agents in place to monitor him and ensure there is no interference." A figure droned.

An eye peered at the kneeling form. "Good. Remain discrete. When possible limit his bonding, we need him malleable."

⸎—⸎

A small 7-year-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, whiskered-marked boy wandered around the poorer districts of Konoha. It had been a full year since he was thrown out of the orphanage, and he had been living on the street ever since. Stealing what he had to, he lived a difficult life of a street urchin. It was a hard, but that was the only option Naruto now, as the grandpa-like figure of the Hokage hadn't visited him in at least two years.

He had on a tattered grey shirt and small blue shorts. As he walked along, people would glare at him, sneer at him, and sometimes throw rotten food or rocks at his head. 'I don't get it, what did I do wrong?' He questioned mentally.

His stomach decided it was at that moment that it couldn't take it anymore and growled. Frowning, he looked around at the shops and restaurants. 'I'm really hungry.'

Then, he picked up a heavenly smell wafting his way. Looking over to his left, he noticed a small cart with what looked like pastries sitting on top in little stacks. They looked fresh if the steam rolling off them was any indication, and his stomach growled even louder as if calling out to the delicacies. Now normally Naruto would have been able to assess the situation a little better and come up with a plan of action to steal the pastry, but not eating for days overrode his logical thinking. Drooling slightly, he made his way over to the cart and turned his head left and right to see if anyone was looking. Seeing no-one he quickly grabbed one and ran off.

"Hey! That little monster stole one of my pastries!" Shouted the angry cart owner as he gave chase.

While Naruto ran, he turned around to see how close the cart owner was and was happy to observe that the man was fat and old. It was at that moment that he ran head first into someone.

Yasui Ki looked startled for a moment, then she looked down and realized who ran into her. This little rat had whiskers on his face, unmistakable. She glared daggers at the boy and attempted to grab him. The boy dodged and took off running again.

"Come back here you cretin!"

'Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!' Mind rapidly churning through that mantra, he rounded another corner and dashed off.

One would think that a chūnin would be able to easily catch and subdue a small 7-year-old boy, but Yasui had been discharged relatively soon after the Kyūbi incident. Ever since the loss of her fiancé and parents, it was deemed that she was not stable enough to be a ninja. These days she didn't really keep up with her cardio.

As Naruto ran, he angled towards what looked like a large chain link gate. Above the gate a sign with kanji for TRAINING GROUND 44 - FOREST OF DEATH written on it. Unfortunately for Naruto, his reading was sub-par. None of that mattered to Naruto at the moment though, as he rapidly approached his new escape route.

Normally this gate would be closed, but at that moment a 14-year-old Anko Mitarashi was opening said gate to head home. She hadn't always lived in the forest, but ever since Orochimaru betrayed Konoha, she decided it was the safest place in Konoha for herself. The irony of that fact was not lost on her either. The Hokage had let her stay in a side-building of the ground's central tower, as long as she kept it clean and in good repair. For Anko though, it just meant that she didn't have to deal with people bothering her at home, as they were too afraid of the forest to follow her inside.

Quickly passing the kunoichi, Naruto ran into the huge forest.

'What the hell?' Wondered a stunned Anko and was startled again when someone screamed behind her.

"Good! Go in there and die you monster!" Yasui then slowly turned around and appeared to be attempting to melt the ground with her gaze. 'I hope he dies impaled through the fucking chest!' she swore mentally.

Now Anko was furious. 'How dare she chase a kid into this forest! What the hell is wrong with this village?' She hurried through the chain gate and then locked it on the other side and ran after the blonde-haired child.

⸎—⸎

Cold and tired, that was how Naruto was feeling at that moment. His hunger forgotten, he was still running for his life, hoping to put as much distance between him and the angry woman that might still be behind him. Heart beating in his ears, he did not hear the shouts of Anko behind him.

"Gaki! Gaki wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" Anko raced up behind him and went to grab his shoulder but missed, which resulted in Naruto losing his concentration and tripping on a root.

Crashing head first into the ground, Naruto's world faded to black.

"Well that could have gone better I suppose. Guess I'll take him home and wait for him to wake up..." Grabbing the unconscious lad and throwing him over her shoulder, she took off towards her house.

⸎—⸎

The slow plink of water droplets echoed through the chamber.

"Ugh..." Naruto rubbed his head as he slowly rose to his feet and observed his surroundings. "They threw me into a sewer, that's nice..."

"Come here boy." rumbled a deep voice off in the distance making Naruto's eyes widen.

"W-w-what? W-who's there?" Looking around and seeing no-one Naruto timidly began to search for the source of the mysterious voice.

Standing in knee high water, he took note of the odd pipes lining the concrete walls. There were sets of pipes that seemed to be glowing blue, and others a soft tinge of red. Deciding to follow the peculiar looking pipes he sloshed through the water towards his unknown destination.

A few minutes later he saw what looked like massive cage bars looming off at the end of the hallway. Naruto slowly approached the bars, looked inside and was greeted by a pair of giant red eyes with black slit-pupils. They loomed down on the now shaking boy.

"Ah yes, my jailor has finally come to greet me." The giant eyes narrowed and lowered down closer to ground level. "And he's so small, even by human standards. Shame really, not much to do with you just yet. I'll just rest some more then..."

"W-who a-are you?"

The beast let loose a deep rumbling chuckle. A moment later its full set of fangs were brought to bear, glistening in the light. "I am a terror to you pitiful beings known as humans." It spat out like the word was poison on its tongue. "I am the Kyūbi no Kitsune! The embodiment of hatred! The greatest of the tailed beasts! A monster so great that merely speaking my name invokes fear and despair in the hearts of puny mortals! …" It was then a massive sigh was released from its mouth. "And here I sit, in this damn cage…"

You could almost hear the gears in Naruto's mind beginning to turn (in fact, if you look to your left, you really do see some turning gears... odd really, I wonder what those are for...).

"I remember Jiji told me about the Kyūbi, but he said the Yon… Yondami killed it. You mean that you're not really dead?"

The beast growled. "Do I look DEAD to you!? No clearly I'm not. I was locked inside of you."

"Um... we're inside me right now?" At that the beast scoffed. The gears continued turning. "So, you're the reason that I'm hated? The looks and glares, that crazy lady that chased me, they all think you're me?"

"In a way, yes. They believe that you are not the cage, but the beast within. Silly really, if I was you, I would not stand for those puny flesh-bags glaring and throwing things at me! I would make them cower and beg before me." Showing its big pointed teeth, the Kyūbi grinned again.

Naruto looked puzzled for a moment. "Wait, there's a way to stop them from hurting me? From glaring at me?"

"Of course! All you need to do is make them fear you! Make them realize any transgression will be punished severely! Force them to quake in terror when you pass bye in the streets!" At that, it paused for a moment. "Once you learn to do that, maybe you will be worthy of a deal with me."

"A deal?"

"Yes, a deal. But that is not important right now. It seems someone is trying to wake you up. I was getting sick of your idiotic questions anyways." The giant beast glared as Naruto faded from his mindscape.

⸎—⸎

"There you go. Welcome back to the land of the living." Staring down at the awakening boy, was a teenage girl with purple hair in a ponytail that was fanned out in the back. Her eyes were brown and quite pretty. She had on a brown trench coat, fishnet bodysuit, and a short leather skirt.

Naruto stuttered out a response. "U-u-uh, who are you?"

"I am the Super, Sexy and Single Anko Mitarashi!" She exclaimed, grinning down at the boy. "And you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. Um, Anko-san, where are we? What happened to that crazy lady?"

At that Anko scowled. 'Stupid villager' she thought. Then she forced her expression to soften a bit. "That's Anko-chan to you, cutie patootie. And we are currently in my living room, since I carried you to my house after you fell and knocked yourself out. And that lady didn't chase you after you ran in the forest." Anko rubbed her chin and shrugged. "It makes sense really, none of those idiots would last ten seconds in here."

Observing his puzzled expression, she questioned him. "You know, the Forest of Death? Ever heard of it?"

"Um, no." He said sheepishly, while scratching the back of his head. "What are you talking about?"

"You not see the sign? It's called the Forest of Death, and for good reason gaki. You dumb or something?" That insult roused Naruto out of his confusion enough for him to indignantly stick out his tongue, which surprisingly (or not, if you know Anko) she did in return. "People are afraid of this forest, it's filled with all manner of creepy crawlies and huge beasties. There are even plants in here that will eat people!"

'The people fear this forest, so they leave it alone...' Naruto pondered for a moment, and the grinning visage of the Kyūbi invaded his mind for a moment. He then looked around the room. He observed that the space was a small living room, with tan walls, a few wooden chairs, a green couch (which he was currently on) and a small window on the far side of the room. There was a doorway that led to a small hall to his right. The ceiling was white, and the floor was wooden. All in all, a very cozy little room. "You live here?" He questioned.

She chuckled briefly. "Yup! Home sweet home for lil' ol' me. Since the villagers don't happen to like me… either... I live here. Speaking of home, it's about time I take you back to yours, kiddo."

Frowning, he replied. "I have no home, ever since those mean orphanage ladies kicked me out a year ago."

"Ah, well then... that is a problem." Pondering their options, she came to a conclusion relatively easily. "Well then, would you like to live here with me?" Adding to the effect, she spread out her arms and stepped back to allow him to see the rest of the room he was in. "But! Don't expect to get a free ride!" She smiled sadistically. "You will be doing chores around the house every day! And, I don't want you to be a bum all your life, so you will be learning to become a ninja!"

Tears began welling in Naruto's eyes, and his shoulders began to shake.

Concerned, Anko frowned. "Oi! Don't be like that, it will be difficult sure, and living with someone as totally awesome as me may make you feel inadequate, but you'll survive."

Naruto giggled slightly. "No, that's not it. It's just," he sniffed. "no one has ever wanted me around before, I've always been alone. A-and, you are offering your h-home to me."

Anko sighed, she was never good with kids, but she figured he could use a little support at this moment. So, she slowly wrapped him in a hug allowing him to cry into her chest. After a few minutes, he cried himself back into dreamland, and she put him back down on the couch. 'Don't worry gaki, I know what that feels like. It'll be okay.'

⸎—⸎

Waking up to a wonderous smell, Naruto groggily got up from his position on the couch.

'Where?... Oh yeah, I'm in Anko's house.' Slowly he made his way out of the room, and turning right at another doorway in the hall, he found himself in a small kitchen. This room, like the one he was in a moment ago, was relatively small, but contained all the necessary fixtures. With a white wallpaper and tile floor, it was somewhat austere but nice overall.

"Good morning." Anko smiled from her position in front of the stove.

"G' morning." Came the soft reply from Naruto. Noticing two places set at the table in the next room, he shuffled over and sat down.

"Hey! Who told you that you could sit down?"

"Wha?" Came his intelligent reply. Anko snorted and took off her apron (with "Pay the cook. Do I look like a charity to you?" written on it) and hung it on a hook on the wall. She turned and brought over the delicious looking breakfast and gave him his portion.

She took a moment to watch as he tore into the food like a hungry wolf into an unfortunate deer. His vigor while attacking the food made her consider just how hungry he was, because if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't much of a cook. He didn't seem to care, as he didn't even stop to breathe between bites.

"You doing ok?" she smiled incredulously. He nodded vigorously but didn't stop shoving food into his face. "How about you slow down before you choke." He didn't seem to hear her until she bopped him on the head. After waiting for him to calm down, she started eating her own food.

Taking a bite out of some toast, she spoke between mouthfuls. "Alright gaki, now today was special, consider this a one-time thing. I will not be cooking breakfast for you... probably ever again." Reaching over she tapped a scroll that was sitting on the table. Naruto sent a perplexed look at her. "That is a scroll containing your duties around the house. Read through it and it will tell you all you need to know about keeping this house and the attached tower in working order."

Smiling awkwardly at Anko, Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Um, I would, but no one has ever taught me how to read. I can puzzle together words most of the time, but other than that..."

Anko grimaced. "Really?" Naruto nodded, embarrassed. Anko closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well… This is going to be interesting. You better be a fast learner because I don't have time to teach you every day, and now that I have to support you also, I will probably have to take on more missions too." Anko sighed and finished off the last piece of bacon on her plate.

Grinning at the kid across the table she gestured to her empty plate. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"I said you would be doing chores, so one of your responsibilities will be to do the dishes."

Naruto contemplated retorting, but just resigned to his fate and after popping the last piece of egg into his mouth, he picked up their dishes and went over to the sink, beginning to wash them.

"I've got an hour until I have to head to my super-secret job. So, we will be using that time to start teaching you how to read. Hurry up and get those dishes done, and then come back into the living room and we'll start."

⸎—⸎

Anko was surprised, Naruto knew more than he thought he did, and turned out to be an incredibly quick learner. They had just spent a little under an hour going over reading and he took to it like a fish to water. A few more days of help and he would be at an acceptable reading level for his age.

"Okay gaki, go through as much of that history scroll as you can, and when I get back later today, I will help you with what you are stuck on, and we will continue your reading and writing lessons."

"'Kay, thank you so much Anko-chan!" The boy then wrapped the older girl in a tight hug, attempting to express his gratitude through squeezing her as hard as he could. She patted him on the head and smiled softly down at him.

"Sure-thing kid." With that she turned and opened the door and left him to his studying.

⸎—⸎

Anko had just closed the gate to the forest and had turned around when an ANBU jumped down in front of her. "Anko Mitarashi, you are wanted by the Hokage as soon as possible. Please make your way towards his office." Not waiting for a reply, he jumped away towards other duties.

'Hmm, I wonder what he wants.' Jumping on top of a rooftop, she made her way to the Hokage Tower.

She entered the building and walked up the steps towards the Hokage's office. Knocking twice and hearing a muffled "Enter" she stepped through the wooden door.

"Ah, Ms. Mitarashi, thank you for coming." Greeted the aged Hokage. He was sitting at his desk and had been conversing with a few jōnin, which he waved away.

Anko bowed slightly. "Hokage-sama."

Smiling at her, he replied. "So, I bet you're wondering why I brought you here." Seeing her nod, he continued. "Well, this meeting concerns a little blond-haired child that ran into the Forest of Death yesterday. My ANBU reported that he was fine, but I want to hear from you; is Naruto okay?" Again, she nodded. "Good, good. Well, Anko, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping him safe for the time being at least. If you have time, I wanted to explain a bit of the situation to you."

"The situation?" she questioned.

"Yes, as you probably know, Naruto Uzumaki is the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. The beast was sealed by the Yondaime, who sacrificed his life for the sealing process." Sarutobi looked at the chūnin to make sure she was following along. "Ever since that day, the villagers could not get past their loss and hatred to see a little boy for who he is: a hero. Back when he was younger, I used to take him out to ramen and hang out with him, to at least show him not everyone hated him, but... recently some events have caused my time to be entirely taken up. I cannot visit him as often as I would like, and fear that he is losing any connections he has to this village. He is under ANBU surveillance, but I would prefer… friendlier faces keeping him company. This is where you come in." Sarutobi put his pipe into his mouth and lit it. Sucking in some smoke, his aged face smiled at her. "If you would be willing, I would be eternally grateful."

Anko looked puzzled. "Sir?"

"I am prepared to pay you the sum of an ongoing B-rank mission to take care of him, and teach him to become a ninja, so that he can eventually defend himself. He can start the academy next year, and with your help, he would be more than ready. I will help wherever I can, such as getting you materials for him. I would also add this assignment into your consideration for promotion if you accept this role."

Mulling it over in her mind, she came upon her answer relatively easily. "Well Hokage-sama, I had already told him that he could stay with me, so I am more than willing to accept this mission."

Smiling even wider, Sarutobi pointed to a storage scroll currently rolled up at the edge of his desk. "That has your first payment, and some basic scrolls from the library for Naruto, they contain information on subjects such as the Five Great Nations, different types of jutsu, and other material for a young budding shinobi. They are all written for young readers and as such contain simple language. I assume he doesn't know how to read yet?" The chūnin flipped her hand back and forth, indicating "more-or-less". "Very well, those scrolls will help him with the basics."

Taking the scroll, Anko bowed towards the leader of the village. "Thank you Hokage-sama, I will not let you down." She then turned to leave and opened the door.

"I know you won't, thank you again Anko." The Hokage smiled at her. 'I think this situation will help heal both of them.'

⸎—⸎

"I'm home!" yelled Anko. Looking down the hall, she noticed Naruto sitting on the couch, reading through the scroll she gave him. "Heya squirt!" She grinned as Naruto scowled at her. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"The Hokage gave me some scrolls for you and said you could enter the academy in a year! And, he gave me some more money to help take care of your sorry behind!"

"Hey!" Naruto shouted indignantly at her. "Wait, really? He did that for me?"

"Yup! First things first, new clothes for you! Time to go shopping!" Anko cheered and ran over, grabbing his hand, and performing a shunshin, appeared just outside the forest of death.

Naruto felt dizzy and leaned over putting his hands on his knees. "Woah, what the heck?"

"A shunshin, one of the many abilities of a ninja. No, I won't explain it more; you are years away from it squirt."

The rest of the day was spent roaming around Konoha, looking for a new set of clothes for the lad. At first shop owners glared at the boy and attempted to refuse him service, but with some... convincing from Anko, they caved. Eventually they settled on some black, short-sleeve shirts, with a few sets cargo pants and a pair of black boots. The clothes weren't exactly strong enough for a ninja, but it was cheaper, and Naruto wasn't a ninja just yet. Buying some training kunai and shuriken, they made their way over towards Anko's favorite dango shop for some lunch. Sitting down inside the shop, they made small talk while waiting for their food to arrive.

"Anko, you said that the villagers didn't like you either, but how come they don't try to attack you like they did me?"

Anko looked annoyed briefly at the sore subject but brushed it off. "Well gaki, a couple of reasons actually. First off, I'm an amazing ninja, so I have the skills to fend off any attacks from the local idiots, and they know this. Secondly, I have a bit of a reputation around here, especially since I work in the T&I, so people don't like to mess with me."

"So…" The gears continued to ratchet forward. "They leave you alone, because you are strong, and because they fear you?" Naruto asked.

She paused for a moment. "Yes, I guess you could say that." Little did she know, she had just further cemented what the Kyūbi had told the boy. It wasn't her intention, but she was changing Naruto forever.

⸎—⸎

Over the course of the next few weeks, Naruto and Anko got acquainted with each other. They talked about their likes, dislikes, dreams, goals, etc. And figured out they had quite a bit in common. Finding a new kindred spirit in each other, they discovered the other's company usually quite enjoyable. Anko also found out that Naruto's learning ability was through the roof, as he had already finished learning how to read and write proficiently after about a month he'd also eaten through a good chunk of the storage scroll worth of material Anko brought from the Hokage. And, he had been doing virtually all the chores around the tower.

The kunoichi was currently on her way to the Hokage Tower, to request a new scroll to give to Naruto when he finished his current one. Passing the secretary, she went up to the door and knocked twice.

Sarutobi looked at the door for a moment. "Enter." Anko walked in, surprising the Hokage.

"Hello Hokage-sama, I came back to request new material for the whiskered one."

He looked at her completely taken aback. "You don't say? Well that is... good. Yes, that is very good. He is a very intelligent child. Very well." Rummaging around in his desk, he found the next storage scroll for Naruto. "Tell me Anko, how is he doing overall?"

"Really well sir, he is taking all of the information and absorbing it like a sponge. Not only that, but my house has never been cleaner!" She then started to do a victory pose, then realized who she was in front of and sheepishly smiled and put her arms down.

"Ah, well yes, that's nice. And no more incidents with any villagers or unwanted guests?" The Hokage always had ANBU tracking the jinchūriki, but he liked to hear it from Anko as well.

"No sir! Naruto hasn't had to leave the tower yet besides a few shopping trips and those wimps are too scared of the forest go inside, so he's all safe and cozy."

Sarutobi smiled as he pictured Naruto and Anko snuggled in blankets by a fire, enjoying the quiet of the night. "That's excellent Anko." He extended his hand, holding out another large scroll. "Here is the next set of material for the boy." He smiled as he handed her the scroll and stuck his pipe into his mouth.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Anko bowed and left the office.

⸎—⸎

The sound of metal snapping against metal filled the clearing.

"Raise your elbow more, if you don't, I could just slide my kunai down yours and along your arm." Anko chided her student. "If you're trying to block you want to stop my momentum completely, otherwise you allow me to shift and continue my swing."

"Well yeah, but it would only be a scratch, and I heal pretty fast anyways." he retorted.

The kunoichi stepped back. "When fighting some opponents, a scratch can still kill you gaki." Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Some people, such as yours truly, poison their blades. That way, all it takes is a nick and I can have you writhing on the floor in minutes!"

Naruto looked spellbound. "Woah! What do you mean? "

"Just think about what an animal needs to paralyze or kill prey or predators. Now imagine weaponizing those abilities! Harnessing venoms and poisons means that you can win almost any fight if you so much as nick the enemy!"

"..."

Looking at her student she realized she may be getting carried away, especially if the drool coming out of his mouth was any indication. "Um, we can discuss more at a later date, today we need to work on that ugly thing you call a stance! Now, again!" She leapt at him and swung her kunai down at him, hoping to catch him off guard.

Once more, the ring of metal filled the air.

⸎—⸎

For the next 9 months it went pretty much the same. Naruto would read through the scrolls from the Hokage at an incredible rate, train with Anko on things such as chakra control and taijutsu, and do most of the chores around the tower. Not only that, but Naruto had managed to pester the girl enough to get her to reveal some of what she did at her job in the Torture & Interrogation. In fact, just about any time Naruto took interest in a subject, he could get Anko to cave and teach him about it. Perhaps she was experiencing the joys of teaching, or more likely it was the fact that she enjoyed the idea that she was creating a "mini-me". Regardless of her reasoning, Naruto loved his burgeoning knowledge of poisons as well as how to mess with your opponent's mind.

"So Anko, can you give me a report of Naruto's overall progress?"

"Hokage-sama, I have to say that the kid will make a truly astounding ninja." She thought for a moment. "I believe he will lean towards being a medium, long range shinobi. His taijutsu preference seems to be mostly about dodging and putting distance between him and his opponent. Chakra control has been something that I have been drilling into his head and I can say that he is improving, but it is still below average. He is getting better at recognizing basic illusions and can dispel them when he does notice them. I believe his ninjutsu will be pretty powerful because of his chakra capacity." She tapped her chin briefly. "The only jutsu I've let him practice so far is henge. I gave him a scroll on the Henge a month ago and he was able to perform it within days! And, not only that, but he figured out the Physical Henge by himself."

The Hokage looked impressed. "Astounding, he took an E rank technique and figured out the B rank equivalent. That indicates an inherent knowledge of chakra manipulation way beyond his years. Can he perform both reliably?"

Anko shook her head negative. "Not yet Hokage-sama. But overall... I would put him at 2nd year academy student level. If only lacking the experience and teamwork aspects." She summarized.

"Impressive Anko, I am very happy with his progress." His expression turned more serious. "Now I've had some reports of Naruto... scaring shop owners and some civilians. Care to explain?"

She looked incredulous. "It is my professional opinion that those civilians are just over-reacting. Basically, he just enjoys messing with their heads a little. Not a big deal, I would think."

The Hokage considered her for a moment, then nodded. "If you think he is okay, then I will take your word for it."

After reviewing the effort put in by both student and teacher and noting that the Academy would be starting in a couple months, the Hokage decided it was time to give them both a vacation and allow them to leave the village for two weeks to enjoy themselves. He would be sending agents along to monitor the village jinchūriki, of course, but he had complete faith in his ninja.

⸎—⸎

"The asset is leaving the village for two weeks."

"Very well. Ensure his safety. Send squad's 3 and 4."

"Hai."

⸎—⸎

"Hurry up and finish packing your stuff gaki, we're heading out in ten minutes!" Called Anko.

"I'm coming, sheesh." retorted Naruto from down the hall. After sealing all his clothes and other necessities into a scroll, he walked towards the front door where Anko was currently waiting. "So where are we going anyways?"

"We're heading north-west, there is a town along the way towards Amegakure that is renowned for its bathhouses and other fun activities. We are going to be making the most out of this little vacation of ours!"

Heading out, they left the village behind and began walking towards their destination.

⸎—⸎

They were able to make decent time, but for Anko it was painfully slow comparing her normal chūnin speeds to that of an 8-year-old ninja-in-training. Ecstatic that they finally made it, she picked up her pace and practically ran away from Naruto.

"Finally made it!" Her retreating form shouted at her companion. "Go check into the hotel called the Amari Inn. And I'm going to go find the nearest bath house and soak. Don't get into any trouble!" Waving at him, Anko disappeared around a corner.

'Ok I guess… leave the child to fend for himself.' Naruto heckled in his mind.

For the next week and a half, the pair lazed about. Anko spent a lot of her time either at bath houses or walking around with Naruto visiting the various shops and restaurants. Both were thoroughly enjoying their time away from Konoha.

⸎—⸎

Naruto coughed as he shakily got to his feet and realized he couldn't see at all. 'What the...?'

Flashback

Naruto was currently walking by himself to head back to the hotel for the night. Enjoying looking around at the foreign faces that weren't glaring and sneering at him, he made his way through the streets. It was then that someone going the opposite direction bumped into him. Instead of apologizing or even acknowledging the contact, the figure kept walking.

'Well, excuse you.' Naruto frowned to himself. 'Wait a second...Gama-chan!' Checking his pocket, he realized that the person he just bumped into stole his gift from the Hokage, which held all his money. Whipping around, he spotted the perpetrator and took off in pursuit. The thief realized he had been spotted and broke into a run. After a few seconds he took a right into an alley.

Giving chase, Naruto used his training and pumped chakra into his legs. Feeling that slight tingling in his muscles, he knew he could go even faster now, and ran up to the alley and darted down it. Coming up to an intersection with another alley, he swiveled his head around to find the thief.

'Where are you... Aha!' Spotting the fleeing perpetrator, he ran off towards it. 'I know! I'll climb the walls and use the roofs to keep track of him!'

Nodding to himself, he ran towards the nearest wall and started to channel his chakra into his feet with the intent to jump up, off the wall, and onto the roof above. Unfortunately for Naruto, this particular section of the wall was a genjutsu, hiding a mysterious shaft that went straight into the ground. As soon as he jumped and put his foot against the "wall" he went straight through it and plummeted towards the bottom of the hole.

Flashback end

'Oh yeah, well this is just great... he stole Gama-chan.' He coughed briefly into his elbow. 'I wonder how long I've been out.' Blindly groping around for some source of light, he bumped into a table and after a moment, managed to grab a candle from it. Using a minor katon jutsu, he lit the candle and tried to make out his surroundings. From what he could tell, he was in some sort of underground house, probably a safe house of some kind. It had a few bedrooms, a washroom and what looked like a small study.

Taking note that everything was slightly dusty, he concluded that whoever had been here last probably vacated several months ago, so he decided to take a look around.

Naruto spotted a small book on one of the nightstands. 'What's this?' Flipping open the book, he read the inside cover.

Journal of Keshi Mayonaka

He flipped towards the end of the journal.

October 5

Something is happening to everyone. Ever since Hanzo was killed by that Pein character, people have started disappearing! Hanzo's friends, his family, people he did business with, they're all vanishing! I've got to get out of the country, so I'm taking Hisaki and Arai with me. Hopefully we'll be able leave before we all disappear too!

October 7

I've convinced the academy teachers to release Hisaki and Arai for a 'short training period' with me, so hopefully this won't arouse suspicion before we are long gone. I've also started collecting as many jutsu scrolls and supplies as I can. If we are going to be on the run, I want those kids to be able to defend themselves. Not to mention I've gotten a bit rusty over the years, merely being a caretaker of a couple of Hanzo's nephews.

October 15

We finally made it out of the country. I've been covering our tracks as best I could, but I'm still worried. Before we left, I heard that someone was able to take out Saikoro. If that's true I'm not sure how much hope we have. That man was a spymaster! He was as slippery as a snake, and as tangible as a shadow! But apparently, they found his corpse a few days ago in one of Hanzo's estates. But I will not give up, if only for the kids' sakes.

October 28

We finally made it to the safe house. I think this is far enough into the Fire Country that not even Pein will be able to find us, so tomorrow I'm going to take the kids out and relax for a day. They have been real troopers, not even complaining during the long runs and short nights. After relaxing for a day, I think we can begin their training again.

After that entry, the journal stopped. 'Huh, guess I know what happened to them.' Naruto thought grimly. Closing the journal and beginning to look around again, he took note of the jutsu scrolls on the tables. 'We wouldn't want all of these scrolls to go to waste, now would we? Maybe I can turn getting my wallet stolen into a positive thing.'

With that thought, he began to collect everything he could find and store them in his own scrolls. Among many of the intriguing items, he came upon a few sets of clothes that thoroughly fascinated him. They consisted of baggy camo jackets, with many pockets lining the inside and outside, along with a large hood. The pants were the same camo pattern and had the same style of pockets for things such as scrolls and kunai. But the most interesting aspect was a few full-face gas masks, with two round pieces of glass for the eyes, that were laying lined up next to a jacket.

"This is so cool!" Naruto chuckled softly to himself.

After finishing sealing up everything that he could find, he made his way back towards the ladder and out of the safe house.

⸎—⸎

"Where is he?!" Anko was pacing furiously around the room. It was now 5 am and Naruto had yet to show up. She had periodically scoured the surrounding area but was worried she would miss him if he tried to get back in, and so at the moment she was back in the hotel. "I swear if he got himself hurt I'm going to beat the crap out of him." She paused briefly, thinking on the strange sentence she had just uttered. Throwing her arms up in the air in frustration she continued pacing. It was then there was a click at the door and it opened. She let the intruder open the door and then saw the object of her frustration walk in. Running over and hugging (see: flying tackle) him, she started to berate him.

"Don't you ever do that again! Where the hell were you?! It's five in the morning! Fuck I'm tired… What the hell dude?"

"Hold on Anko-chan, I'll explain everything." Naruto tried to appease the angry kunoichi.

"You better!"

So, he went on to tell about how he got his wallet stolen, the brief chase, and then finally landing into the safe house. Showing her the journal he picked up to corroborate his story, he let her read through it and went into the bathroom to clean up.

⸎—⸎

And there you have it! The first chapter of my soon to be famous Naruto of the Acid Rain! Muhahaha...haha..heh... um yeah well... Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed reading it! Yeah I know I didn't offer up any amazing abilities or fight scenes yet, but this is only the first chapter and he is but a young padawan.

I've attempted to fix a lot of the grammar mistakes that 19-year-old me decided it would be OK to leave in… As well, I will be going through the chapters and balancing some things and changing some interactions to attempt to better fit the characters.

Here are the new techniques in this chapter:

Henge (E-rank): (Taken from the Naruto Wiki) It is used to change into people other than oneself, but one also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons. (I've added) This technique is merely an illusion, and will be dispelled with the slightest punch or pressure, making it impractical in some instances.

Solid Henge (B-rank): (My own explanation/technique) This is a 'solid' variation of the Henge technique. This means that the user can transform himself into an object, and then takes on the properties of said object. Such as, one person can Solid Henge into a kunai, then be used by another person as an actual kunai.

Shunshin (D-rank): (Taken from the Naruto Wiki) By using the Body Flicker Technique, a ninja can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed.[2] To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalize the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination.

Cya later!