A/N: I'm sorry to start a new fic like this, but I'm stuck with my others unless I do a big time skip, like a year or so to cut out the really boring bits no one wants to read. In the case of the Bijuu series, skip their year of training and shove them straight into the Chuunin Exams, or in the case of Living Behind a Mask, kind of allude to the training and meetings with other Nukenins and then get to the point where they're ready for Akatsuki… I'm still going on Rubies & Sapphires, but I'm getting an urge to write a new one. I really should stop reading fics for inspiration, because then I find a good rare pairing that's never completed and decide to do it the way I think it should work. The only regret is that I may have completed fics, but I've never once completed a story. If anyone has any ideas on what to do besides what I've mentioned above, I'd like to hear them.

Apart from that, this is going to be a Naruto x Tayuya fic, so naturally, that fact alone upgrades the rating of this fic to M. Also, to save space, I'm going to respond to all reviews via Review Reply. However, if a lot of people ask me a particular question, I'll answer it in the A/N of the next chapter to save saying the same thing again and again. I kind of think the title for this story is appropriate… Konoha had their chance to raise a super weapon, but they threw it away, hence Chances Missed. Also, I'm not entirely sure, but the fic Sounding in the Dark by A True Radical Dreamer seems to have somewhat of a minor… Plot error in it. In the first chapter, Kabuto 'saves' Naruto at a young age. I'm not sure what that age is, but if it's anywhere near 7 or below, he shouldn't have met with Ino/Sakura/Sasuke and the rest. The fact that he failed the academy finals 3 years in a row means he would have graduated 2 years before Team Gai if he had done it first try. Anyways, in my fic, he's leaving Konoha at the age of four, just as he's about to start at the academy.

I've got a Beta now, so please stop asking. Especially 3 times per person like some people...

Without further ado, I'll get on with it.

Note: Do I own Naruto? Let's see... 'checks through stacks of patents he owns' Plans for a universe destroying weapon, a towel that never gets wet, a remote control that freezes time... Nope, I don't own Naruto, unfortunately... Might have to change that... Could be profitable...

Legend:

'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'

'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Chances Missed:

Chapter One:

The Defection:

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Konoha, 4 Years After the Kyuubi Attacked:

Today was an unusual day in Konoha. It was officially a day of mourning, but it was also the birthday of one particularly unusual boy. The boy in question had been born on the evening of the Kyuubi attack and was the reason that humans still roamed the earth. However, people made an incorrect assumption due to their need of a scapegoat for the loss of their loved ones that the child was the demon reborn, and not the one who kept it at bay. The villagers took particular relish on beating this child on the 10th of October, his birthday. This year was no different. The child stumbled through the streets, cut and bleeding profusely from wounds made by broken bottles and other sharp implements. He looked over his shoulder to see the regular mob charging after him, drunken grins on their faces. Naruto stumbled down a side alley, his mind no longer able to work. Unfortunately the alley was a dead end. Naruto backed himself up against the wall as the mob blocked off the entrance with a smile of someone who knows for sure they have won a fight. The man in front stepped forward, gloating over his target.

"I think it's about time we finished what Yondaime started, eh boys?"

The drunks either cheered their approval or smirked. They moved in and began beating the child with a sick sense of pleasure gained from getting revenge on the thing closest to what caused them so much grief.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

On Top of That Building:

A man with brown hair and black shades stared down at the scene. He was supposed to meet up with his team, but this was something you don't see every day. Akadou Yoroi glared at the men.

"What could they possibly have against a four year old child?"

Yoroi may not be the most… Caring person, but this went too far for even him. He was about to jump down there and disperse them when his team mates, Yakushi Kabuto and Tsurugi Misumi came up on either side of him.

"Yoroi, where the hell-"

They both noticed the scene below them and their eyes narrowed. Kabuto smiled and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Shall we?"

They both nodded and jumped down with their leader. The drunks may not be ninja, but they didn't need training to know when the sun was suddenly blocked that meant something was overhead. They looked up to see three figures jumping down. Most of them got out of the way, but one of them wasn't quick enough and they landed on him. Yoroi activated his chakra drainer while Kabuto activated his dual chakra scalpels. Kabuto smiled sweetly at them.

"Mind explaining what you're doing attacking this child? Surely you don't need a mob this size to take care of a four year old child?"

The leader of the mob sneered.

"Do you even know what that thing is?"

Kabuto looked at the boy and then back at the man.

"Yes, I do actually. He's human. The fact that he can't use chakra to defend himself would also indicate that. Now, unless you want to be charged with attacking Shinobi of the village as well, I suggest you remove yourselves from the general vicinity before we decide to call for ANBU reinforcements."

The group mumbled but began to shuffle off. The second they began to disperse, Kabuto turned around to inspect the boy with a slight smile touching his lips.

'Orochimaru-Sama may find a use for this boy…'

Kabuto felt for a pulse. It was erratic, but it was present. He began healing the more major wounds and his eyes narrowed as the wounds began healing faster than they should.

'Must be the demonic chakra… Interesting…'

In the end, Kabuto only had to use half the chakra he thought he would and the boy looked weakly up at him. Kabuto smiled at him in his regular cheesy fashion.

"Are you alright?"

The boy nodded slightly. Naruto vaguely recognised two people stepping up beside him and a conversation began.

"Is the kid alright?"

Kabuto nodded.

"His wounds were healing twice as fast as they should have."

The other two nodded and looked at the kid. Kabuto took out a soldier pill and a blood replenishment pill and gave them to Naruto.

"Eat these. They're bitter, but they'll help a lot."

Naruto nodded and bit down on them. They were indeed bitter, but he swallowed them and was amazed to find strength returning to him instantly. He slowly sat up and looked at his three saviours.

"Why did you save me? All the villagers hate me…"

Kabuto smiled as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"We're not your... Average villagers."

Naruto nodded slowly and Kabuto sighed.

"You look like you haven't been fed in days…"

To illustrate his point, Naruto's stomach growled. Naruto blushed in embarrassment while Kabuto stood up and held a hand out to Naruto.

"How about we go get you something to eat? Want anything in particular?"

Naruto's eyes lit up at the mention of food.

"Ramen!"

Kabuto chuckled while the other two smirked. Kabuto looked at the other two.

"Can you go and tell Sensei I've got something to do and I'll be there soon?"

They both nodded and leapt up and out of the alleyway. Naruto looked at them in shock.

"How did they do that?"

Kabuto smiled as Naruto took his hand and followed him out of the alleyway towards the nearest Ramen Stand.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

5 Minutes Later:

Kabuto spotted a rather run down Ramen Stand and decided it was good enough. He stepped inside and the man in his mid 40s behind the counter looked at them.

"Can I help you?"

Kabuto smiled mentally. No wonder he didn't have much business with that attitude.

"Could I get a bowl of Miso Pork Ramen please?"

The man nodded as Kabuto turned to Naruto.

"Which one would you like?"

Naruto looked dumbfounded for a second. No one had ever given him a choice in anything before.

"Ano… The same thing as you, please…"

The man nodded and started preparing the Ramen while Kabuto turned to Naruto. He secretly cast a small Genjutsu around them that made them look like they were chatting about various things to others to mask their true talk. Naruto, not having any skill in Genjutsu was none the wiser.

"Naruto, does anyone in this village even care for you?"

Naruto thought about it. Did anyone? Well, apart from that old man in the white robes, no.

"Well, there's that old man in the white robes with the funny hat…"

Kabuto sighed.

"The Sandaime Hokage. Are you sure he really cares about you? Or is he just doing it out of pity?"

The question struck Naruto. Why would he care but no one else? Kabuto sighed at the look on Naruto's face.

"Naruto, I doubt he actually feels anything for you. A Hokage is ideally supposed to 'love' every single person in a village. It almost seems like he's doing it because he has to…"

Naruto's eyes widened as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Kabuto smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. Time to move in for the kill.

"I know a place where you would be accepted as normal, where you wouldn't be hunted for any reason and where you could have real friends your own age."

Naruto's eyes widened. That place was the place of his dreams. A place he thought couldn't possibly exist.

"It's full of kids who've lived just like you. They know what it's like, so they don't pick on each other."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Where?"

Kabuto smirked slightly. Hook, line and sinker.

"It's not too far from here, about 5 days walk, three days if we move fast."

Naruto's brain may be gullible, but he knew when something was up. At that point, the man served their Ramen and Kabuto warped the Genjutsu so that both of them thanked the man, which they actually did, but the Genjutsu would have prevented them from saying it.

"Naruto-Kun, ninja have to leave their villages from time to time, even if it's only for a few weeks to complete a mission. However, there are some of them who leave because they don't like the way their village treats them. The place I'm talking about is run by one of those people, and he was from Konoha too. Konoha has and will continue to produce a number of very powerful people who dislike the way the village is run."

Kabuto was of corse referring to people such as Orochimaru and the Uchiha Clan, whose situation was reaching boiling point. It wouldn't be long before the clan entered civil war and destroyed itself. Naruto looked up as he finished the last lot of noodles in the bowl and began drinking the soup.

"So these people were treated badly as well?"

Kabuto smiled and nodded.

"Yes. However, they were treated poorly for a reason different than you. Most of they were so powerful and smart that people began to fear them and eventually started accusing them of things they didn't do. The man I work for was one of the first to leave."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"So you're not from this village?"

Kabuto smiled and nodded.

"No, I'm what's called a spy. I was originally from this village, however, I left after something similar to what's happening to you happened to me. If it makes you feel better, Konoha has more spies in other countries than all of them combined."

Naruto's eyes widened as Kabuto continued explaining.

"Konoha isn't such a great place. It is if your average, but for people like us who aren't normal, it's the worst place we could possibly live. The place I'm talking about, everyone's unusual, so they won't think less of you."

Naruto's eyes widened. He'd made up his mind.

"I want to go there."

Kabuto smiled.

'You had your chance to raise a weapon that no one could defeat, Konoha. You threw it aside like trash. You'll regret that.'

Kabuto paid for their meal and stood up, dispelling the Genjutsu when the old man wasn't looking.

"Do you have any personal possessions, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto shook his head. Everything he'd tried to keep, the kids or the workers of the orphanage had taken it away. Kabuto smiled.

"Let's get going then."

Naruto nodded and followed Kabuto towards the West Gate. Once they were almost there, Kabuto did a small area sleeping Genjutsu on the guards to put them to sleep. They walked out of gate and into the surrounding bush, heading almost directly north.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Four Days Later:

Kabuto led a very weary Naruto up to a set of stairs that led underground in the middle of nowhere. Above the doorway, there was a pair of engraved snakes entwined around each other, both of them staring out at anyone who dared to enter. Kabuto led Naruto down the stairs and through the door, heading down a long spiral staircase lit only by candles. They arrived at a junction with three paths to choose from, however, Kabuto took none of them. He walked up to the left side of the wall and touched a nondescript part of the wall, which moved back under his touch. The section of the wall slid down into the floor and Kabuto motioned Naruto to follow him inside. Naruto looked at the other doors and then back at Kabuto.

"Kabuto-San, why didn't we take those doors?"

Kabuto smiled at Naruto.

"You'll find out some day."

Naruto nodded as Kabuto led him into an area that had people in it. Naruto had not seen another person since they left Konoha. Naruto tried to get closer to Kabuto. However, most people gave him a short glance of mild interest and then went about whatever they were doing. No one tried to attack him, and no one glared at him and no one called him names. Kabuto had been telling the truth. Kabuto turned to Naruto.

"The man you are about to meet has a short temper and is quick to lash out at people. It would be wise to address him as Orochimaru-Sama."

Naruto nodded as he was led through doorways to a room that was guarded by two Nins who wore what looked to be full face masks that only revealed their eyes. Both of them bowed slightly to Kabuto.

"Kabuto-San, Orochimaru-Sama was not expecting you back for quite some time…"

Kabuto smiled at the man and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"I found someone he will definitely want to meet."

The man nodded and looked at Naruto before knocking on the door. Naruto heard a faint rasping voice from within.

"What?"

The man was obviously nervous as he spoke.

"Orochimaru-Sama, Kabuto-San is requesting audience."

Naruto could have sworn he heard a slight chuckle from inside.

"Come in."

The man nodded to Kabuto who pushed open the door and led Naruto into a very dark room lit by a single candle. Naruto saw there were jars filled with liquids and all descriptions of animals, most of them being snakes. However, the light from the candle caught something in the middle of the room which caught Naruto's attention. It was a man with pure white skin, long black hair and piercing golden eyes. The man smiled at Kabuto.

"Kabuto, what is the meaning of this?"

Kabuto smiled at Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-Sama, I came back with something that I believe would benefit you greatly."

Orochimaru looked at Naruto and his eyes widened in recognition before he smiled sinisterly.

"Ah, if it isn't Naruto-Kun… Tell me, Naruto-Kun, what did you hope to gain by coming here?"

Naruto gulped. He could tell that there was a lot riding on this question.

"Ano… I want to be accepted and get strong… Orochimaru-Sama…"

Orochimaru smirked.

"Couldn't you get that back in Konoha?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed for a second as he remembered all of the memories of the beatings before he regained his senses. Orochimaru smiled. Kabuto had indeed brought him a powerful weapon.

"No, Orochimaru-Sama… They beat me up and called me names…"

Orochimaru beckoned Naruto to come over to him, which he did with uncertainty.

"If you serve me, I can give you power beyond your imagination. If you serve me well, I will recognise you. What is your answer?"

Naruto's eyes lit up at the prospect. Hell, he'd practically be willing to dance naked in public for recognition and power. All he had to do was serve this man and not fail him? This was too good to be true.

"I'll do it, Orochimaru-Sama…"

Orochimaru smiled and chuckled darkly. He turned to Kabuto.

"Kabuto, get Naruto-Kun some decent clothes and introduce him to the others."

Kabuto nodded.

"Hai, Orochimaru-Sama."

Naruto bowed deeply to Orochimaru and then left to follow Kabuto. A figure stepped out of the darkness behind Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru-Sama… I sensed a great evil coming from that boy…"

Orochimaru smiled darkly.

"He does contain a great evil, Kimimaro. He is the most powerful Jinchuriki, the container for the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

The boy behind him eyes' widened dramatically. Orochimaru smiled.

"However, Akatsuki will eventually find out about him… It will be troublesome when they do…"

Kimimaro nodded and stepped back into the shadows, leaving his master to ponder about what to do with this boy.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

5 Minutes Later:

Kabuto led Naruto to a small room and opened the door. Inside were stacks and stacks of clothes, towels, sheets and other types of cloth goods. Kabuto walked up to a particular one and picked off the one on top. It was a mainly white cloth robe that had a Yin and Yang symbol on the front. Kabuto handed it to Naruto. It looked incredibly corny, but if this is what he needed to wear to get recognition and power, it was a small price to pay. Kabuto looked at Naruto as he handed him a towel.

"Don't put it on yet. You need to get cleaned up."

Naruto looked at himself. He'd have to admit, he did look pretty dirty.

Kabuto led Naruto out of the room and down what to him seemed like endless dark corridors before stopping outside a room. Kabuto opened it to reveal an empty room with a bed, a chest of draws, a bedside table and a small writing table. Kabuto looked at Naruto.

"This will be your room. You will have to stay here unless you are required to be somewhere else. I'll let the others explain the rules to you."

Naruto nodded slowly as Kabuto closed the door. Kabuto smiled at the worried look on Naruto's face.

"The other four live right next to you. They know the way, so just ask them."

Naruto looked at Kabuto questioningly as they walked down the barely lit hall.

"Other four?"

Kabuto nodded and smiled as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"There are four other people your age which Orochimaru-Sama has special plans for."

Naruto nodded. Special plans sounded promising. Kabuto led Naruto to a pair of doors that had a stick figure of a male on one and a female on the other. Kabuto indicated to the male room.

"Go inside and get cleaned up. Once you finish, put your new clothes on. I'll wait here for you."

Naruto nodded and pushed open the door to reveal a completely white room that had part of one wall covered in a urinal, about 6 stalls for toilets, a row of basins and then at the back was a block. Naruto went up to the back wall and dumped his stuff on a bench. Looking inside the block, he saw what appeared to be individual stalls. He went inside and opened one to reveal a shower. He shrugged and stripped before dumping his rather tatty clothes back with his other stuff. He took his towel and went into a shower stall, turning the taps on until he found the right temperature. It was kind of hard to turn the taps properly, due to his rather short stature. However, he eventually achieved it and washed himself with the bar of soap and the small bottle of shampoo there. He had a 3 minute shower, scared that if he took any longer, Kabuto would get angry with him. Once he had finished, he turned off the water and took his towel from the door handle and began drying himself. Naruto walked out of the stall and put his new robes on. Naruto took his old clothes with him and his towel and exited the room. Kabuto smiled at him.

"That was rather quick, Naruto-Kun. Are you sure you were able to wash yourself properly?"

Naruto stared at Kabuto in blank incomprehension. He thought he didn't have a long enough shower? Back at the orphanage, he was lucky to get a 1 minute shower… Kabuto sighed and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Naruto-Kun, we do things very differently here. Everyone was shunned by their villages, so we understand what it's like. Some are the last of their clans, some of them never had a family, and some families kicked them out a young age. We've all lived hard lives."

Naruto nodded slowly. Kabuto pushed himself off the wall and motioned Naruto to follow him. Kabuto led Naruto down a few more corridors before he opened what to Naruto seemed like a random door. When the door opened, Naruto saw that the room had children his own age in it. However, some of the children were not exactly… Normal. There were four children in this room. One was a hulking boy for his age; another had two heads while another had six arms. Kabuto walked over to the man who was obviously in charge and exchanged a few quick words with him. The man nodded several times and then looked at Naruto.

"I understand."

Kabuto pushed his glasses back up his nose and smiled.

"I'll leave him with you then."

The man nodded and Kabuto turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto-Kun, you will be training here for the next few years. If you need anything, just ask that man there."

Naruto nodded and Kabuto left the room. The man in charge looked at Naruto.

"Ok, I need to know why Orochimaru-Sama has upgraded you straight to the elite class. What can you do?"

Naruto thought about it. What could he do? The instructor raised an eyebrow.

"He wouldn't have upgraded you here for no reason."

Naruto thought back to the past.

"Well… Whenever I get hurt, it heals really quickly by itself…"

The man's eyes narrowed as did the others in the room. The man looked at Naruto, or more specifically, his cheeks.

"When was your birthday?"

Naruto's head lowered.

"October 10th…"

The man's eyes widened.

"I see. No wonder he sent you here."

The red head in the class called out to him.

"He looks like an ordinary kid. What's his birthday got to do with anything?"

The man looked up at the red head.

"He's a Jinchuriki, or more correctly, the most powerful one."

The other four's eyes widened before they smiled. The one with six arms came up to him and extended a hand.

"I've always wanted to meet a Jinchuriki. I'm Kidoumaru."

Naruto gingerly took his hand and shook it.

"Naruto… What's a Jinchuriki?"

Everyone in the room face faulted. The red head recovered first and went into a verbal lashing.

"What the hell do you mean, 'what's a Jinchuriki'? You've lived for how long and you don't know what you are? You're a complete idiot."

Naruto shrunk back while Kidoumaru smirked.

"Don't mind Tayuya. She swears a lot."

Naruto looked up at the red head in disbelief.

"That's a girl? I thought it was a guy…"

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees before Tayuya launched herself at Naruto.

"What did you say, you piece of shit? I'm going to break your god damn neck for that!"

Tayuya bowled Naruto over, whose arms shot out for the nearest things to stabilise himself. Unfortunately, that happened to be Tayuya's robes and she went tumbling to the ground with him. When they stopped, the others in the room smirked at their position. Tayuya was practically straddling Naruto who looked up at her in fear. The boy with two heads spoke for the others.

"He's only just walked in and you're already getting intimate with him, Tayuya?"

The others laughed as Tayuya and Naruto blushed. Tayuya quickly jumped off Naruto and stared at Sakon.

"What did you say, you two headed freak?"

Sakon laughed as Tayuya rushed him and they both engaged in a scuffle, Tayuya swearing enough to make even the instructor cringe. Naruto got back up and looked at them.

'I suppose I could get used to this…'

The others introduced themselves quick enough. Tayuya was the only one who was still cold to him, but them again, she seemed cold to everyone. The instructor got them back into form quickly and continued the lecture on whatever it was he was talking about. Naruto vaguely understood it had something to do with 'Genjutsu', whatever that was. Beyond that, he had no clue. By the middle of the day, he dismissed them and walked out. The others grabbed the few things they had and left. The larger boy looked at Naruto.

"You coming? We're getting something to eat."

"You don't need anything to eat, fatass."

Jiroubou looked at Tayuya in an annoyed fashion.

"Tayuya, women shouldn't talk like that…"

Tayuya ignored it and kept walking as Naruto pulled up besides Jiroubou.

"Why does she swear so much?"

Jiroubou sighed.

"Apparently, she's had a really hard past. More than the three of us. She just swears to cover her weaknesses-"

Jiroubou didn't get to finish the sentence as something stuck him in the head. Tayuya stared at him.

"I do not, fatass."

Sakon smirked.

"Then why do you swear, eh?"

Tayuya stared at Sakon.

"What's it to you, piece of shit?"

Sakon smirked and continued walking. Naruto walked up to Tayuya and looked at the ground.

"Um… Sorry about before…"

Tayuya raised an eyebrow.

"What's with you? I thought being a demon container would give you some balls."

Naruto visibly flinched at the mention of the word demon, which was noticed by the other three. Kidoumaru looked at Tayuya.

"That was insensitive, even for you. I'd be willing to bet he had a worse life than you did."

Tayuya stared at Kidoumaru and then back at Naruto. Her stare softened a bit before she mumbled something and turned around to head to the cafeteria. The other three watched her retreating back. Jiroubou looked the most shocked.

"Wow, I think that's the first time she ever apologised…"

The other two nodded in agreement. Naruto looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion. All three of them noticed it and shrugged. Kidoumaru put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"You'll get used to that. Anyway, let's get something to eat…"

Naruto nodded and followed them down several corridors to a set of doors that people seemed to be constantly going in and out of. They pushed open the doors to reveal the cafeteria. There were people of all ages sitting at long benches eating food from trays. Naruto followed the three boys to find Tayuya swearing at the chef serving her food. Naruto and the other three lined up and eventually they were given a tray each. On it was some sort of soup, some pastries and some vegetables. They moved to the table Tayuya had sat at and began eating. No one said anything as they ate. After they had finished, they stood up and dumped their trays in the stack with the others, leaving to go for their afternoon lesson, according to the others. Naruto quickened his pace to walk beside Sakon. Sakon looked at him in slight interest.

"Ano… I have no idea what they're talking about in class…"

Sakon, Tayuya, Jiroubou and Kidoumaru sweat dropped. Tayuya spun around and glared at Naruto.

"Do you have any training at all?"

Naruto shook his head.

"The old man was about to put me into first year academy when Kabuto-San brought me here…"

Jiroubou looked at Naruto quizzically.

"Old man?"

Naruto looked at him as he explained.

"People called him Hokage-Sama…"

The others scoffed. Naruto looked at them.

"What's wrong?"

Sakon smiled with a glint in his eye.

"Orochimaru-Sama was the 'old man's' student, apparently. Just some advice, but don't talk about him in front of others… Orochimaru-Sama doesn't exactly like him…"

Tayuya smirked.

"No kidding."

Kidoumaru sighed as he pulled out a book and handed it to Naruto, which he took.

"Read that. Most of us only just started lessons here, but we've known each other for about half a year. At the start, all of us were given that. It'll teach you the basics on chakra and chakra control."

Naruto nodded and pocketed the book. Out of the four here, Jiroubou and Kidoumaru seemed to be the friendliest of the four. Sakon seemed to try and exert dominance over the group while Tayuya seemed to lash out at others at the first sign of an argument. It was an odd group, but Naruto could get used to it. Hell, they didn't beat the crap out of him for being a demon container, whatever that was, so it was a start. They entered the classroom to find another instructor there and they began their lesson.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

3 Weeks Later:

Naruto had opened the book the moment he got back to his room. After some slight trouble with some jargon like 'mental energy' and 'chakra pathways', the book was actually fairly easy to understand. Naruto had never been allowed into the library, let alone borrow a book, so he absorbed the information hungrily. By the end of the first week with the others, he was able to understand some lessons. The others looked shocked at this. Most of them had taken a month or so to get to the level they were at now, while Naruto was able to understand about half of the lessons in a week. Naruto's submissive attitude soon turned to one of friendliness and trust in the others. The others had immediately taken to Naruto. Tayuya was still rather brash, but like Kidoumaru had said, he'd gotten used to it. They soon found he was an excellent sparing partner as he tended to be able to make up strategies that shouldn't work but did on the spot. Naruto's tactics tended more towards fooling the opponent and giving them a few fast, powerful strikes when they weren't expecting it. By the end of the third week, Naruto had practically caught up to the others. It was on the third week that a Jounin interrupted their class and had a few quick words with the instructor. He nodded and looked up at Jiroubou.

"Jiroubou, Orochimaru-Sama requests your presence."

Jiroubou nodded and got up. The others thought nothing of it as Jiroubou left with the man who had interrupted and the other four continued their studies. By the end of the lesson, Jiroubou had not come back, so the others were getting worried.

"What is that fat piece of shit doing?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Who knows?"

They walked past Jiroubou's room when they felt a rather evil spike of chakra coming from within. They opened the door to see Jiroubou lying on his bed, sweating and hyperventilating. What was most worrying though was the aura of purple chakra exploding off him. Jiroubou slowly got up and the others looked at him in shock. His face and arms were covered in lines of black triangles he looked at them with a grin on his face.

"Don't worry guys, I'm fine. Better yet…"

Jiroubou cracked his knuckles and playfully punched the wall, making it buckle and shatter under his palm.

"I feel great."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Jiroubou… What happened to you?"

Jiroubou looked at Naruto.

"Orochimaru-Sama gave me a rather interesting gift. I'm not sure how it works, but it takes my chakra and multiplies it 10 fold…"

The lines on Jiroubou's body flashed red/orange and retreated back to what appeared to be three triangles on the base of his neck. Jiroubou wobbled unsteadily before falling back on his bed. Tayuya smirked.

"What kind of a gift makes you that tired after a burst of chakra like that, fatass?"

Jiroubou clearly didn't have the energy to correct his female companion on her choice of words as he just lay there, panting. Naruto smiled.

"At least you're ok. Get some rest, we'll see you tomorrow."

Jiroubou sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"Sure…"

They closed the door to his room and left for their own. All of them were happy that Jiroubou was ok, even if they didn't show it. Naruto walked beside Tayuya. Their rooms were the closest to the end. Naruto smiled at Tayuya.

"I know you care about Jiroubou too-"

That earnt him a whack over the head with a book.

"Shut it, fox boy."

Naruto smiled as Tayuya opened the door to her room and stepped inside. Although most people would think she was just a foul mouthed girl who hated everyone, Naruto had quickly learnt that she had adopted a version of the 'kill before you're killed' attitude. Naruto had once seen what was under her strange headpiece when Kidoumaru had made a ball out of the golden substance he could produce from his body and lobbed it at her from behind, knocking it off. She had what appeared to be a bunch of small horns that were barely visible in her fiery red hair. She had obviously been tormented about them as a child, most likely being called 'demon' and the like. It seemed she had adopted the motto she had now and enjoyed hurting regular people who decided to gang up on her. She also seemed to have a surprising knack for Genjutsu even as a child, managing to make the mobs clutch their heads in agony with a simple whistle. However, those she cared about she gave a single nickname and never used her Genjutsu on. Jiroubou was always referred to a 'fatass', Sakon as 'two headed freak', Kidoumaru as 'octopus' and Naruto as 'fox boy'. Naruto went into his own room and stripped down before getting a change of boxer shorts and getting into bed. Tayuya wasn't that bad a person. In fact he thought more of girls who didn't spend their time mooning over a single guy like some of the few female ninjas here did instead of doing what they were supposed to do. With that thought, Naruto rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A Year Later:

Over the course of the next year, their lessons had steered towards barriers and Fuuinjutsu. All of them picked it up readily, but Naruto lapped it up. Out of all of them, he seemed to have more potential for Fuuinjutsu than any of them. At various times through out the year, they were called one by one to see Orochimaru. The next day, each of them was found in their rooms with some form of 'gift' from Orochimaru. Near the end of Naruto's first year at the Sound, he was the only one who still hadn't been called. In a way, he felt despondent. The others had said that Orochimaru had bitten them and the pain had been horrible, but that only lasted until they fell unconscious. When they woke up, they felt great. At the end of the first year, Naruto was finally called. He was both excited and worried at the same time. When he was brought before Orochimaru, he found out why.

"Naruto-Kun, finding a seal that would work best for you was extremely… Troublesome… But I believe I have one that would suit you perfectly."

Naruto nodded, ready for anything, or so he thought. Orochimaru let of an aura of killing intent that paralysed Naruto while Orochimaru formed a Hebi seal and his neck extended, snaking its way towards Naruto and bit down on the base of his neck. Pain flooded through Naruto's body as he felt an injection of some form of fluid and his vision blanked out in pain. He fell to his knees, grasping his neck, trying desperately not to cry out in pain. His neck burnt like it was literally on fire. Naruto was not able to see, but around his navel, three black commas that looked like flames were appearing on his skin in much the same way as ink would appear on a sheet of paper if the other side was saturated in it. Naruto fell to the floor, still gritting his teeth from the pain. He was reaching his limits as he rolled around several times and then curled up into a foetal position and passed out from the pain. Orochimaru's eyebrows rose.

"My my, what a strong will… He didn't cry out in pain once… The effects of the Demon Seal will be interesting indeed…"

Orochimaru snapped his fingers and an Oto Jounin came in, seeing the boy on the floor, he nodded and bowed before picking him up and taking him to the medical facility for inspection by Kabuto.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Next Day:

The other four were walking back from their class when they felt a massive spike of chakra coming from somewhere near their rooms. They ran around the corner just in time to see the door to Naruto's room fly off its hinges and an explosion of jet black chakra fly out of it. The others shrank back as the chakra washed over them. It died down slightly and they looked to see a clawed hand with lines of black flames along it grip the doorframe. The owner of the hand revealed themselves and they saw Naruto. Or what could have been Naruto. His eyes were now blood red and slitted. He also had fangs and his whisker marks had elongated. His hair was now unruly. Naruto grinned in an extremely feral manner at them.

"Hey guys."

They raised an eyebrow at Naruto's voice. It held an extremely guttural sound to it, much like a beast would have if it could talk. Naruto opened and closed his hand before he smiled and threw a punch up the hall. Chakra exploded off his hand and rocketed down the hall, creating a miniature gale. Naruto grinned.

"This is great… I've never had so much… POWER!"

Naruto did another wind powered punch and then disappeared, reappearing behind them, much to the shock of the four.

"Or speed."

The others had only been able to keep their cursed seals active for about a minute at most once they had gotten used to it, however, Naruto had surpassed the time that the other four had when they first woke up. Naruto had more speed than Sakon and more power than Jiroubou. Apart from the obvious patterns of the seals, they had no other changes to their physical appearances. Orochimaru took that time to walk around the corner. He chuckled as he surveyed the damage.

"My my, I didn't expect the effects of the Demon Seal on the Kyuubi's chakra to be this… Apparent…"

Orochimaru looked at the door that Naruto had blown off his hinges to indicate his point. Naruto's body, being as young as it was, was unable to use more of the Kyuubi's converted chakra without seriously damaging itself. As such, the black chakra died down and the black flame tattoos across his body retreated back to his stomach. Naruto fell unceremoniously onto his rear end and looked somewhat surprised. Jiroubou and Kidoumaru checked up on Naruto to see that he was fine. Orochimaru walked up to Naruto and smiled.

"How was it, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto smiled widely.

"It was great Orochimaru-Sama! I don't remember much of it, but I do remember feeling really powerful!"

Orochimaru snickered.

"Is that so?"

Orochimaru turned to all five of them.

"I have high expectations for the five of you. Don't let me down."

The five of them nodded.

"Hai, Orochimaru-Sama."

Orochimaru smirked and turned to leave the five of them standing there in awe of what had just transpired.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: Yay! Chapter one done. I really should get back to my other fics…. Thanks to the people who've given me ideas. Some of them are quite good. Now it's just a matter of picking the best parts out of all of them and combining them. Yes, I realise that this fic started out very much like sounding in the dark, however, there are few believable ways that Naruto can defect to the sound at the age of four that don't involve Kabuto. Some pairings in Naruto have to start from one of several places. Such as I explained with my Rubies & Sapphires story, the only way to get a story started like that is have Naruto meet Kurenai at a young age or have him join team eight at graduation. A Naruto x Tayuya fic is the same. Have him defect at a young age or rescue Tayuya after the Sasuke retrieval arc. Both have limited ways of dealing with the initial meeting, but once that's over, I can go 'all original' from there.

Ja na,

Specula.