Scars

There is emptiness in the human heart. It is an unavoidable factor that lies within every person's life and cannot be undone. Examples lie in childhood fears that haunt one for his whole life. It is evident in the fact that some people hate spiders, bugs, are fearful of water or of the darkness, cannot stand blood or even hate/fear certain characteristics another human might have.

Such scars do not occur during childhood only, but may become embed on older ages as well.

It was for that reason that the Kyuubi no Yoko was feared, hated, and eventually loathed by every living being that had come in contact with the malice of its chakra during that fateful day. One would hate to see even pictures of that monster, let alone its incarnation. For that sole reason, because the human heart is too frail to accept darkness, it resents and pushes it away.

Naruto was the scapegoat. The darkness the heart of the village feared.

And whom would ever seek comfort in the darkness…?

XxxxX

"It hurts… Damnit it hurts…!" stones, sticks, anything that could cause harm but not kill was used to torment the young boy's body. He was hit, again, and again, and again, relentlessly, the humans around him taking pleasure in his pain, grinning like mad and yelling words of hatred.

They hit him harder.

An ANBU silently sat on a nearby rooftop, observing the situation. He could help the boy, or the people hitting him. But the child was under the Hokages' protection. And as much as he hated the boy, or rather what he held inside him, he had his duty to his leader.

It was the greatest shame to betray those that put their trust in you.

As the Anbu prepared to decent on the group of spiteful villagers, something stopped him. A glimmer of light, or rather, a shine of malevolent darkness and hate that he had felt only once before.

Abruptly halting his movements, the Anbu gazed intently among the small crowd. A radiant, reddish light was shining among the startled humans.

Fearful, the Anbu was torn with the decision he had to make. Try to stop the kid, at which action either he could save everyone or die along with them, or inform the Hokage, a much stronger and wise shinobi much better versed than him in sealing?

He didn't waste another moment as he vanished, for should he be late, the whole village would be in danger…

XxxxX

"Why… why me…? What have I ever done…? Because I was born? Maybe they hate me for being born?"

"Foolish little brat, how could anyone ever be afraid of your pathetic frame?"

"Then why… why are my thoughts double? What is this voice…?

What… am I?"

"You're a frail human, a weak child. You are nothing. And yet you dare be my jailor."

Amidst the pain and the darkness of his vision, Naruto's mind flashed with images. Bars, iron bars high as the tallest building, a prison.

Tall walls and a sewer like environment, where water dripped and nothing but the sound of the ripples it made to the small, muddy puddles remained.

It was an empty, hollow space.

Much like his heart.

"Who are you…?" the little boy asked as he stepped towards the cage. The malevolent creature behind the bars drew closer, staring down at the little kid. Despite the appearances, Naruto was not scared of those eyes. They seemed… familiar. Like that time that he stared at himself in a mirror.

Sadness. Rage.

Hate.

"I… am you. The incarnation of your feelings. The darkness of your heart." The creature bellowed and Narutos' still young mind couldn't help but be awed.

Even so the boy tumbled over in pain, clutching at his stomach. "What t…" his words couldn't even be finished as another sharp pain in the head forced screams rather than words out of his mouth.

"They hate you. They want to kill you. They wish to steal your life, blunt your body to death! Will you let them? Will you allow them to distribute punishment they have no right over?"the great being questioned and Narutos' pain eased for a moment as he concentrated away from the outward blows.

His breathing was labored. Tears filled his eyes. "Why? What have I done…? Why do they hate me…?" the creature behind the bars smirked, a large, fanged grin. It's eyes glistened with joy.

"Here, boy, take this power. Take it and butcher them! Slay all those that did you wrong! Avenge yourself… Avenge me!" red mist seeped out of the cage and encircled the young lad, who, kneeling to the ground in agony and sadness, couldn't care less.

"All I ever wanted…" memories of his time in the orphanage, the stares of the adults, the bullying of the children, the beatings, the starvation, the pain, it all shot within his mind as he was enveloped in the strange power.

"Was for someone to love me…"

XxxxX

"What… what is this?" one of the villagers, an old man with a white beard framing his face, questioned as he stepped away, the broken, edgy bottled falling from his hand in disbelief. His companions were also frozen in fear as the sight before them overwhelmed them.

Naruto slowly rose, the bruises and the cuts that were inflicted on him closing rapidly. The cloak of red energy around his body was but a mist, but it gave off the feelings of hatred the boys' heart bore.

Deep crimson eyes rose to meet the terrified crowd. Sharp claws extended and leg muscles tensed, ready for the pounce.

"R… RUN!" One of the many yelled, but it was to little avail.

Naruto would give no room for running.

XxxxX

When the ANBU arrived at the scene again, his heart fell, hitting rock bottom, as he realized that he was indeed too late.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene with barely contained sadness. Not only for the loss of life, but also for the loss of Naruto's innocence, if he was indeed the proprietor of this atrocity.

Blood, limbs, and guts were sprayed all over the area. The Hokage, having taken part in shinobi wars, was less affected from such a scene than the ANBU was. There where whole battlefields that once looked like this. He had done his share of vomiting.

What worried Sarutobi above all was the expressions of pure horror that where written on the faces of any head that was still intact with the body. He dared not jump down there, less he involuntarily stepped on someone, or someone's organs.

In a corner where the carnage was lighter, Sarutobi saw a shadow twitch. A vain hope ignited within him that it would be Naruto, lost and maybe unconscious. As he neared with the Anbu in tow, he was secretly disappointed.

"What happened here? Please, we need to find him before it's too late!" He urged but the villager was still going through a phase of shock.

"The Hokage asked you something! Answer!" the Anbu, agitated and unnerved, snapped, scaring the fellow. Sarutobi motioned him to sit back.

After a few more moments, the man found his voice again.

"We… we were just passing by when he suddenly… he attacked us, killed everybody, gutted them, tore them apart, nothing left… nothing left…" Sarutobi was more than sure that these people had been abusing Naruto again. This man would answer to a trial and at worse spend a month in jail.

But what would be of Naruto?

Had Sarutobi miscalculated? Had he been too naïve to the childs' pain?

"Take this man to Ibiki. Make sure he speaks the truth before imprisoning him." The villager, still in his own revere, didn't hear any of this. The Anbu nodded, not looking behind him, as he helped the man rise and half-carried him away.

Meanwhile, the Hokage turned the other way, where he could still feel the remnants of Kyuubi's chakra. Sighing one last time in sadness and disbelief, he run off following that one small trail.

XxxxX

He ran. That was one of the few things he was best at in this age. There were many times that he had to run, hide, escape. Tears fell from his eyes and his breathing was labored, but he still ran.

"I did all these? Those corpses… those people… God… God… no… aww…" more tears, sobs, hiccups, pain. His legs hurt, his eyes stung, his heart ached.

He had just killed somebody. Or rather, a whole group of people.

The voice within him sounded delighted.

"Here, boy, take more, take more of my power. It will make the pain, the sadness go away. It will wash over all of your worries…" Naruto, being still young and naïve, trusted in that voice. When he had taken that power earlier he didn't feel any pain. But when it faded tears began to drop.

He wanted that power.

Soon he was again enveloped in red mist and sure enough, all the sadness that he was feeling began to fade like a bad dream. Primal instincts took over and his senses sharpened. Smells became far stronger and his sight could see the night as if it was daylight. His hearing also strengthened and footsteps could be heard. Rapid footsteps. The world around him was rapidly changing along with his empowered body.

Naruto turned around to face his assailant, murderous intent in his glare.

Sarutobi landed a few meters away from the boy, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Naruto…?" he questioned, as if testing, and sure enough the boy's heart complied to the familiar warm voice. His posture softened. The boy looked down at his hands, seeing their clawed form. Tears welled in his eyes.

"What have I done…?" he whispered to himself. Sarutobi stepped forward.

Naruto's eyes, filled with tears, shot up to gaze at the old man.

"No… no… stay away! Jii-san, stay away!" he yelled and rushed to escape. In a vain attempt to grasp him Hiruzen extended one hand in the air, yet his words of halt died in his throat.

Naruto was moving away at a very high speed. Cursing himself one more time for being naïve, he rushed forward to the boy.

XxxxX

No more sunlight streamed from the heavens and all Sarutobi could rely on to track the boy down was instinct, experience, and a whole lot of luck. The Kyuubi's presence in Naruto's chakra had weakened and he couldn't feel the malice anymore, but he knew that should something agitate the boy and further, there would be large, tailed problems rampaging.

Naruto took wild turns as if demons from hell where after his soul. Which wasn't very far from the truth, though the demon was inside him.

He didn't feel tired in the slightest and he himself, at some sane point, was amazed at the speed his feet carried him. He always thought himself to be slow, having seen how fast real shinobi could be.

He was still six years old. Not even in the academy.

Deciding on yet another turn, he found himself within an alley that was supposed to be a dead end. The wall seemed as high as a mountain and in a childish attempt to defy logic he jumped, trying to overcome it. He succeeded.

With his body boosted by the demonic chakra Naruto jumped even higher than the wall, finding himself stumbling on the other side, not having expected this result himself. He looked at his clawed hands in disbelief, not believing that this body was his. Shaking his head, he pressed on.

Lights were beginning to pop up around him. Konoha's night life wasn't a very active one but many men would be going out drinking and many shinobi would patrol at that time. He couldn't be spotted. Not in this form.

"Monster… that's what they'll call me…" he whispered to himself as his chest tightened. He himself found their words to be true at this moment. Clawed hands, monstrous strength…

Murder…

As if a defense mechanism had activated the thoughts of what had transpired half an hour ago vanished from his mind. He didn't try to recollect.

Continuing through dark alleys, Naruto abruptly halted as he came to see the back of a man. He was tall, but then again, every adult looked tall to him, and his attire was black and dark blue. He didn't wear the same vest most shinobi of Konoha did and that troubled the kid. Was he a foreigner? But then again he could belong to a special team.

That's when Naruto noticed something that made his breath catch in his throat. The man was hauling what seemed to be a body. The body of a girl.

Cautiously the ninja looked around and continued on his run, careful not to be spotted.

Naruto, with eyes glimmering a murderous red in the darkness, followed after the man, like a demon after his prey…

XxxxX

"Damn it! I'm lost again! Where the fuck was the exit anyhow?" he thought as he kept peaking at the streets through the darkness. The girl squirmed. He tightened his hold and she gasped for breath. He stopped, seeing that the annoying kid was shut up.

"I swear they sent me on a suicide mission. For the good of my country and all that shit! Yeah, just great, like a measly one thousand yen are enough for what I'm doing…" He didn't like kidnapping kids. In all actuality, he loved kids. But it was the harsh reality that forced him to be a professional, and do his job. And that was, to obey his orders.

A growl erupted from behind him and he turned wildly, scared but still sure that it was just a wild dog.

Then again, he thought, wild dogs don't have bright red eyes and look like they are about to murder you.

Most of the time.

"It's… like that time…" There was once, a few years past, that a man had secretly tried, and nearly succeeded, in killing him. Naruto was placed within a bag and tied shut, then thrown into the river. All that saved him that day was a small pocket knife he had found in the trash.

"No more… I can't stand these people… no more…" His mind was raging as he saw a piece of himself in the predicament of that kid.

"Kill him then… murder him… for all the pain that you went through… MURDER HIM!" the beast roared in his mind and all coherent thought went blank as Naruto leapt from the shadows towards the man. The shinobi, already expectant of the charge, jumped away to avoid the attack. For only a split second, the time it took for Naruto to land and turn to look at him, the man could clearly see now the boy's eyes.

Red eyes with slit irises, fangs and deep black whisker marks, claws and a seething aura of hatred. The freeze he experienced due to his surprise and terror was what ended his life.

Naruto didn't waste a moment to charge again and, with a clawed hand, to decapitate the man in one swift strike. Which part was decapitated and how exactly the man died Naruto never remembered. It was too much of a shock for his young soul to take.

Breathing heavily, Naruto dropped to his knees. What had he done? What was he doing? What was happening to him? What was this shit…? All this shit… all his life… just one big piece of nothing.

His hands were stained with blood. A child's hands.

A movement stimulated his senses and he was immediately on feral alert again, instinct taking over emotional and rational thought. The bag the man was holding on was squirming.

Carefully, Naruto closed in, growling lowly in alarm. With one claw he cut the ropes and the bag opened.

A small girl with white eyes the color of the moon and a round unblemished face stared at him for a long time. Her hair, short and dark blue in color, waved around her as she shifted in the bag in a more comfortable position. She looked enchanted by something, and Naruto couldn't understand what that could be.

He had dropped his offensive posture and took a more calm approach to the girl. He had nearly forgotten how his body looked at the moment.

"… Kimi no nome…" Naruto froze. His eyes…? The girl reached out one small hand and stroked his cheek with affection. Naruto's heart jumped and all anger dissipated like vapor. No one had ever touched him gently…

"Kire… your eyes are a very pretty red!" she said with a sweet smile and the boy's heart stopped. Was she… complementing him…? He didn't know how to feel, how to react about it. No one had ever complemented him. Hell, no one had ever touched him. Only hit him.

Even the beast in the cage seemed to be calmer. His hateful aura had dissipated.

"This isn't good… I merged my senses too much with the boy's. I'm getting affected by the girl too." Kyuubi thought but, even though he said that, he didn't either want to stir away from that warmth. It was a silent, warm satisfaction that bloodlust and gore didn't tend to give him. It was a nice change.

Naruto smiled slightly himself.

"How… how can you say that… after all I've done…" the girl didn't seem to listen to him and kept staring at his eyes with a small smile. She slowly got out of the bag, neatly sat down on her knees and kept stroking his cheek while looking at him.

Naruto was enchanted by the touch. It was something that he had missed his entire life.

The girl didn't seem to mean anything deeper than simple enjoyment over the contact. His whisker-scars were slightly uneven with the skin and it was fun to touch them, while his eyes shone, even in the darkness, a brilliant red color that she found pleasant to watch.

She'd never seen someone with red eyes anyhow. She was kind of jealous.

"How did your eyes become red? Did you cry a lot?" she asked with innocent curiosity. Naruto was taken aback for a moment. His heart clenched, remembering all the moments that he felt lonely, that he just wished that someone would just come and hold him, tell him that it was alright. At least, that's what he had seen other people do to someone who cried.

But no one ever came. No matter how much he cried.

"Nah! I'm a man, so I shouldn't cry! At least, that's what jii-san told me… to be strong! Heh!" he grinned widely and the girl smiled back warmly. But then her face turned in an expression of worry.

She could see tears well up at the edge of his eyes. She pouted her lips out. Naruto looked at her questioningly, not aware of his condition.

"Do you… Do you feel sad right now?" she questioned and Naruto decided to put on a brave face once again, if only to thank her for her kindness. He had completely forgotten even why he was there in the first place.

"I'm okay! I've always been alone, so don't worry about me!" he grinned, thinking that he said something clever and would appease her. Sadly, her worry only seemed to grow.

"But… isn't being alone… sad?" she looked up at him questioningly and reached out one small hand to touch his cheek, a gesture she was getting familiar with, and which Naruto still enjoyed.

Her words stirred within him and an emotion of loneliness overtook him. All the times that he had to sit in a corner and watch the other kids play, the way everyone avoided him, the vanished meaning of his existence…

Naruto then became the child he was… and tears streamed down his eyes.

The girl knew only one way, taught from her mother, to make someone who was crying feel better. In all the innocence that the gesture could imply, she pulled Naruto in and hugged him tightly, while he cried for the first time in a long while on her shoulder. She stroke his back and soothed him, while Naruto let the dam of his feelings open and they all rushed out in the form of tears and sobs, at the same time relishing the feeling of what people called a 'hug'.

It was so nice… to feel another person close to you. Their warmth, their kindness…

He would cherish this moment for the rest of his life, he knew.

Sarutobi had caught up a while ago but decided to not intervene. It was such a rare chance for Naruto to finally communicate with one of his age, a Hyuuga no less! He had quickly concealed the dead body with a minor genjutsu, as for the children to not be disturbed by it. What interested him most though, was that the little girl had appeased his rampage.

Maybe Hiruzen was right. Maybe all that this hateful aura and rage was for was a child's broken heart, the need for human communication and the pain of being deprived of it. Naruto was no mindless killing machine, he was a hurt kid.

And all it took was one warm hug to fix it all. It was also the first time that Hiruzen saw the boy genuinely cry.

He could hear rumble and shouts behind him. Villagers? It couldn't be his Anbu, for above all else, the Anbu where shadows, silent. From the direction the ruckus came from, Hiruzen concluded that they were probably Hyuugas, hasting to apprehend the kidnapper. One of them landed beside him.

"What are you doing here, Hokage-sama?" Sarutobi rose a finger in motion for the man to silence. The man, being a Hyuuga, didn't need to even turn his head to look at the direction the Hokage was looking at, yet he did so out of habit anyway.

He squinted, but then again, barging in against the Hokage's wish was considered rude, and he didn't deem any immediate danger.

"What is my daughter doing down there?" he didn't need to ask for the kidnapper. He could see the corpse easily, through the weak genjutsu.

"Relax, Hiashi. Your daughter is in no danger, I assure you of that." He soothed him and continued to observe the children. A nostalgic look crossed his features.

"I can feel demonic energy pulsing from the boy but… it's calm. Was that over there his deed?" he asked, not peeling his eyes off the duo.

The Hokage nodded, taking his pipe seemingly out of nowhere and lighting it. He inhaled greedily. As he exhaled, Hiashi spared him a moment's glance.

"Naruto's life up until now was sad and brutal. Just an hour ago he murdered a group of villagers in self-defense. Kyuubi's power helped him." He took the pipe out of his mouth and held it in one hand.

"Then what are you doing here?" Hiashi asked with some tremble in his voice. So… the corpses he had seen on the edge of his Byakugan where this child's doing…?

"As you many have noticed, he didn't harm your daughter. His rage wasn't irrational, nor random. While grievous it is what he did, I cannot bring him to court or judge him." Sarutobi bent down, making himself comfortable on the rooftop. Hiashi's eyes could always keep watch, while he concentrated on the discussion at hand. Why should he let Naruto live?

"The men that attacked him violated the Yondaime's last wish and an S-rank secret, by yelling the words 'demon' and 'monster' all the time around the boy. Normally I should have executed them myself."

"We both know that you'd never do that. You love this village and it's people too much." Hiashi countered and Hiruzen sighed. It was true.

"Indeed. That is why I hope that my next judgment won't prove false. I sincerely hope that one day this village will view him as what he really is. A human." He took another breath of his pipe. Hiashi glanced at him again.

"I doubt you yourself will have that opinion for much longer, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi looked at Hiashi questioningly. The Hyuuga had to remind himself at times that not all people could see chakra systems.

"It seems that Kyuubi keeps seeping chakra into the boy. In a matter of hours Naruto's chakra will be completely replaced by the demonic one. He's own reserves are too weak to keep such latent energies at bay." Now the Hokage's face grew a little paler.

"What do you think will happen?" he asked, worried. Hiashi sighed.

"There are multiple options. My best guess is that the boy's body won't hold out, and he'll die, taking the demon with him to eternity. The other most likely option is that the seal will help Naruto's body adapt. But some of his features won't change. The kitsune's power affects him physically as well. Those claws and red eyes will probably stay with him forever."

"Why don't you simply go down there and seal the chakra paths off? Won't that keep him a normal human?"

"It is a risk to do so. I could try to cut off the red chakra and it could blow up in my face. It's much more volatile right now due to the transition. If, by any chance, it was seeping more rapidly and was already exploding around the boy, it would be easier to contain it, considering I get close. If it was less it wouldn't matter." Hiashi's eyes squinted.

"Yet, Hokage-sama, it seems that the Kyuubi and Naruto are more like merging rather than the red chakra devouring the human one. I can feel no hatred… it's as if the demon himself wants to lose itself into the boy." Hiruzen took another long breath.

"What will happen when they merge? This was not supposed to happen due to the seal." He pointed out. Hiashi nodded.

"Indeed. But with both of them willing, after this is over the seal will be nothing more than an empty cage. Kyuubi's soul will merge with Naruto and they'll become one. That means that the boy will either go insane, or handle it better than we can expect." The breath the Hyuuga let out was trembling. His daughter was right now hugging a bomb that was ready to explode. His heartbeat couldn't calm down for the hell of it.

They both stayed in silence for a few moments. Naruto's sobbing could still be heard, but it was calmer than before. They had to decide soon, for the rest of the Hyuuga clan was closing in fast.

Sarutobi exhaled another hale of smoke.

"Here's the plan, Hiashi. You're the only one that can as of right now understand the situation and act rationally about it. I have a mission for you." He said.

"A mission for me, Hokage-sama?" Hiashi questioned.

"You may be a clan head, but you are still a shinobi of Konoha, Hyuuga Hiashi." And all Shinobi of Konoha bowed to the Hokage and his orders. It was convenient most of the time.

XxxxX

"Here, here… everything's gonna be just fine!" the girl said cheerfully. Naruto's already red eyes seemed even more crimson now. She giggled.

"You… you think so?" he asked reluctantly. The girl, for the first time, grinned slightly.

"I know so! If you think of good things, good things are bound to happen!... or so mama told me…" she put a finger on her lips as if seriously trying to remember. Naruto laughed, heartily, sincerely happy.

"You're a really strange girl!" and he kept on laughing. She pouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked and he contained his laughter, enough to ask her a question.

"What's your name?" he asked. The girl blushed, a cute scarlet color splashing across her face as she was embarrassed for forgetting basic manners.

"H-Hyuuga Hinata…" she said, pushing her pointer fingers together in a nervous fashion. Naruto pointed a thumb at himself.

"I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! And it's decided!" he said, standing up. Hinata looked at him questioningly. "What is?" she asked. He grinned widely in response.

"I'm not gonna be lonely anymore! I'll make everyone acknowledge me one day! Soooo…" he took on what he deemed to be a heroic posture.

"I'll become the Hokage!" he declared and Hinata smiled, giggling at his antics. It was the first time in a long while that she was having this much fun with someone. Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a nervous grin.

"Well… do you promise? That'll you become strong enough to protect me? To become the Hokage?" she asked and took a step away from him, smiling wildly, unreasonably proud of her declaration. It was childish, but she was a child.

Naruto grinned widely. "It's a promise!" he stuck his fist out "I'll become the Hokage one day! It's the promise of a lifetime!" he said proudly. Hinata laughed.

"Meaning you'll stop being Hokage one day?" Naruto understood that as if she meant that he was going to die some day. He had read in a book he had scavenged once that all living things died one day. He grinned.

"I'm going to be the Hokage! It's a promise of an after-lifetime!" he declared once more and they both laughed in the bond that was just created between them, and only for them.

XxxxX

"Don't you hate to barge in such a scene?" Hiruzen laughed and Hiashi couldn't help but smile.

He nodded "My clansmen are nearing though. I'll do as you wish, Hokage-sama. Please inform HIzashi that I leave the management of the clan to his hands for as long as I'm gone."

Hiruzen grinned "Well, it'll only be one week. Enough time for you to miss your daughter and come back running, no?" Hiashi couldn't deny it, but he could roll his eyes. So he did.

He didn't have time to explain things to his daughter, so he simply cast a genjutsu over himself and leapt down, knowing that he would be invisible to the children's eyes.

XxxxX

Naruto's posture suddenly perked. His enhanced hearing had long ago picked up the oncoming mob, but he wasn't sure they were coming this way. Now he was. And he didn't want this girl to get tangled up in this. Reluctantly, he turned towards a smiling Hinata.

"I… I have to go now. Someone's chasing me and I can't stay." He said, dragging one foot in a circle on the ground. Hinata did seem disappointed.

"Will… will I see you again?" she asked with all the courage she could muster. Naruto smiled sadly.

"I… don't know. I'm probably leaving this village tonight…" He didn't expect her next move. The girl rushed in to hug him. Tightly.

"Do you really have to go? You're my first friend! I don't want to lose you!" she said and Naruto awkwardly tried to hug her back. He didn't have much success.

Hinata pulled away from him first.

"I promised I'll be Hokage someday, right? So I'll definitely return! Just wait for me!" he said, grinning. Then, a small blush came over his features as he looked away. "And… You're my first and most important friend too so… yeah… umm…" out of words, he couldn't see Hinata smile.

She leaned in and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Something slipped in his pocket but Naruto had no time to check what it was as her captivating eyes looked fondly, softly at him.

"A good luck charm." She said smiling. Naruto nodded and then, awkwardly again, leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek himself. Hinata laughed, finding it strange that he wasn't accustomed to kisses.

"I can see her! Over there, quickly!" they heard a voice and Naruto was once again in full alert.

"Oh crap!" he said and began to leave, feeling the red energy once again empowering his body.

He stopped for just a moment, looking back at Hinata. She… for just a moment there, she was astonished. At all the sadness, the pain, and the hopes of a young boy thrown into despair that where mirrored in his eyes, the mirrors of his soul. She was speechless, not only because she saw them, but because she recognized those feelings. She had seen sad people before, but Naruto…

"I promised that I'll return! To become Hokage and to protect you! Hehe!" he laughed and, wary of the oncoming group, rushed away. Hiashi and Hiruzen were amazed at the speed the kid took off. He would make a splendid ninja in the years to come.

It was at that time that Hiashi decided to uncloak himself.

"Daughter, I'm glad to see that you are alright. My heart is lightened." He said with a small smile. Hinata returned from her trance and stared at her father as if not believing that he was there. She didn't question his existence there.

"Tou-san, I just met a really good boy! His name was Naruto!" she said "… and he's my friend!" she added proudly and Hiashi couldn't help but smile. It seemed that, in the few minutes that the two kids had exchanged, a strong bond had already formed. Hinata seemed to have completely forgotten about the kidnapping as well, her mind completely focused on her rescuer and new friend.

"Hinata, my daughter, I have some urgent business to attend to. Some of our clansmen are here. Follow them back to the mansion." He said in as fatherly a tone as he could.

"Where are you going daddy?" she asked, using the 'cuter' name she had for him.

"I'll be going on a trip sweetheart. Take care of yourself and your mother while I'm gone. I'll be away for a few days. Do not worry. Everything will be fine." He reassured her and as his men approached, Hiashi took off towards the direction Naruto went. It was Hiruzen's call to inform the Hyuugas from here on out.

Hinat simply hopefully stared off in the distance, not caring much about her surroundings as she thought of the boy she had just met and befriended.

XxxxX

"I have to get away… they can't know what I've done… they can't know that I… killed people… they're gonna be even meaner with me!" the boy thought as he kept running. He easily passed like a blur out of the front gate of Konoha, and strangely he did feel a tad bit safer after being outside of those walls, where the hateful glares where.

He would have thought that after leaving the light-filled village darkness would come. But to his surprise the dark road was only a dull gray color and what could be considered pitch-black was no problem for him. He could see as clearly as if it was daylight out here.

Running between the trees, feeling and smelling the forest of the night, the sounds of the insects and the occasional bark of a wild dog, it all felt so new and alien to him, like hidden possibilities and pleasures he had long ignored, or rather, things that his human senses couldn't feel back then.

But why could he do these now? Hear so well and see in the dark? Was he not human anymore?

He stopped to ponder on that thought. Coincidentally to miraculously be nearby and the moon was full. He slowly stepped towards the water's surface and stood at the edge, watching himself in the mirror of the still lake.

Red, or rather crimson, eyes, claws at his hands and deep whisker marks. Was this him? Had he always been like that? Why did he remember that his eyes were blue?

At that moment his knees suddenly buckled. He fell to the ground, only his hands for support, and cold sweat run down his brow. A massive headache assaulted him.

A voice whispered within his "Our souls are becoming one… Hehe… arigato, kozou… now that my chakra has overtaken yours, it is only natural that I take over your body too. Now… wield yourself to me… wield yourself and be lost in oblivion!" the beast within him whispered and Naruto trembled. Images of his painful life flashed before him. Wouldn't he be better like that? But what did oblivion mean?

Across the lake's waters she saw reflections of his past. Children playing cheerfully without him, adults pulling away from him, hateful glares, always treated like a thief when he had done nothing to provoke them. The world didn't want him. Wouldn't it be better then… if he didn't exist?

"Exactly, boy. You mustn't exist for the sake of the world. Yield thyself to me and I shall cleanse it, cleanse everything! The world that hates you! The people that hate you! Those who hurt you! I shall erase them all!" Yes, that sounded so good, sweet, sweet vengeance upon everything and anything that had ever hurt him.

"Give me your body… and I shall kill. Them. All!" the beast roared and Naruto's body then froze. Yes… that sounded so appealing… to let them taste the pain they had given him, to let them feel the horror they had yielded on him…

Kyuubi laughed and roared in his cage. The seal on his prison began to fade as Naruto's will faded along with it. The cage slowly opened and the demon howled in laughter as he stepped outside, stretching and preparing for some glorious slaughter. His body then melted within the ground as he became one with Naruto's mind, and all that resonated was the bitter, dark chuckles of a bloodthirsty demon…

XxxxX

Hiashi arrived just in time to see Naruto bending over the lake. He could hear the boy speak but it was not his own voice. It was much deeper and much darker. Hiashi had feared this… and he had to strike now, before it was all too late.

Naruto's chakra was completely taken over and the Kyuubi seemed to have nearly fully molded itself in the boy's body. The chakra was flailing wildly, but the circuits around the brain seemed to have a silent wildness about them, the same way a predator thought as he sized up his pray.

Was the Kyuubi taking over the boy's body? That would be plausible, seeing with the chakra fusion and whatnot. The seal… the seal had disappeared! The demon was free!

That was all the motive Hiashi needed. He was sorry that he wouldn't be able to carry out his Hokage's wishes, but this was for the good of the village, no, of the whole world. If the demon was loose again…

Naruto turned to face him, or rather, Kyuubi did and Hiashi in that brief moment saw malice, hatred, a contorted face that did not belong to a child. The beast clawed at him and he had to momentarily fall back. The eyes of the demon peered at his very soul and the man couldn't help but shudder. This was his only chance to take down the beast, while it was still adapting to the new body, while it was still weak.

He charged in for a killing blow, aiming for the chakra points directly around the heart and the brain.

Kyuubi, meanwhile, could clearly see the attack coming as if the man moved in slow motion. Sadly though, even though he could see the attack, it didn't mean that this weak body could evade it in time. He cursed his luck, knowing that he would lose one arm in this charge. He thought of something more interesting.

It is said that the human brain can transmit trillions of information in milliseconds, so fast indeed that the blink of an eye would be like a garage door slowly closing.

"Look, look kid! This man wants to kill you. You want to hurt him, no? Hurt him! Kill him! He will cause you even more pain if you don't!" the beast persuaded, since Naruto had yet to give him complete control over him. But a child's will was weak. It was flexible, easily breakable.

Naruto looked, and when he did, Kyuubi found himself unable to move anymore Surprised, the demon wondered wildly what was going on, he began to panic. Images flashed through the child's mind.

"It's a promise of a lifetime!..."

"I'll become the Hokage! It's a promise!..."

"…I'll protect you…"

"Come back safe…"

"Heh, don't worry! I definitely will come back! I've got a promise to fulfill!"

The lavender eyes of the man had reminded him so vividly of those of the girl he had just met today. Her warm hug and her kind touch, her soft eyes and her cute laughter, it all came to him and hit him like a storm. He had promised her, and yet he was willing, he had been willing, to falter! He had been willing to vanish!

At that moment, Naruto decided. He would never break a promise. Even if it cost him his life, he wouldn't break his promises. His word was his life.

Kyuubi, on the other hand, had not expected this. Damn him for letting himself be nice and petty at that girl's touch! He should have forced the kid to kill that child where it stood before this could happen!

Naïve, he had been foolishly naïve.

Naruto wrestled to take control back. He fought with every ounce of his willpower to suppress the demon.

But it would not be so easy. The ferocious beast fought back, hitting him hard with all the hatred of his soul, all the darkness he could manifest.

But Naruto had only one thought in his mind. The kind, warm heart of the angel he met this day. He had given her a promise. He would one day come to return her kindness, and be the Hokage, the strongest, the mightiest! He could not fall here! He would not give in here!

Outside of his mind, Hiashi had stopped his attack a millisecond before it hit, for Kyuubi had not evaded. He looked and he saw that the boy's eyes were staring into space, into nothingness. The chakra in his brain, no, in his whole body, was running a-mock.

Was he rejecting the demonic energy…? That would kill him! It was too late to turn Kyuubi's power away now! It had already fused with his chakra coils!

Hiashi had two choices, and this choice would either kill him, or be his salvation. Within Naruto's mind, two sides of similar crimson chakra battled for domination, flaying wildly against each other. One was probably Naruto wrestling for control, and the other was Kyuubi doing the same.

The problem was, Hiashi couldn't know which part of the brain whom inhabited at the moment. If he closed of the chakra side of Naruto, the Kyuubi would prevail, but vise versa, and the kid would live.

He took his chances. Debating on a matter that would be pure luck would help not. So he quickly decided and hit the back of Naruto's head with two fingers, shutting off the chakra there for just a moment. This would give the advantage to one side, to overcome the other, and take over it completely while it was in shock. Thankfully, the brain was not damaged but, if Naruto was the one prevailing right now, the kid would be out of it for a few days, recovering.

The body stood still and Hiashi prepared his fingers to shut off the heart, just in case.

"Minato… if it comes to this, I am truly sorry…" he waited a few moments and nothing happened, but Naruto's body stood rigid, still. He didn't know what to make of it. Even though the chakra was now flowing normally, nothing else changed.

Naruto's eyes took life once again and Hiashi gathered chakra in his hand, ready to finish this. But then the boy looked up at him, with innocent, childish eyes, as if he didn't know what he was doing there.

"I am… Uzumaki Naruto… you stupid fox…" he mumbled to himself and stumbled, unconscious. Hiashi caught him before he would hit the ground. Sighing to himself and with a large weight off his heart, he placed the child on his shoulder and began walking. It would take him quite some time to reach his destination, but if he run it would be easier.

Everything had gone smoothly… for now. Yet Hiashi, for some reason feared, that the next part would be much harder to handle than the demon he had just faced, and from whom Naruto had saved his life from, for if the boy's will had not miraculously intervened, either he or the child would lie cold on the ground right now.

XxxxX

Some hours later…

Slightly winded from all the carrying he had to do, and with a stiff shoulder, Hiashi knocked on the door, balancing Naruto on his back. It was a small, graphical house in the countryside, with a chimney and a wheat roof. The house was made out of wood and stone, a fine workmanship, despite looking poor at first glance.

The door opened and a woman appeared, standing tall and proud before him. He inwardly sighed. What if he was an assassin?

Well, to be honest, he would feel more sorry for the assassin in that case.

"Hyuuga Hiashi? Well that is one rare sight! What the fuck are you doing out here?" she said with a big grin and laughed. Brash, as ever. She had her deep red hair tied in a high pony-tail, her short blouse exposed her firm abdomen quite alluringly, and the jeans she wore seemed quite uncomfortable for combat. He sometimes wondered how this woman could be a kunoichi.

"Well, will you step inside or do I have to kick your ass in?" she said, then noticed the boy on his back

"What's that? A snack for the road?" she grinned and Hiashi didn't react at all at her lame jokes. Like an iceberg. The woman understood then that he was serious.

He stepped inside, looking straight into her hazel eyes, until he was past her.

"Pardon the intrusion."

XxxxX

Thoughts and wishes are welcome dishes for me! I'll be happy to hear what you think of this new baby =) There was an inspiration bunny humping my leg a few days ago, and I couldn't help but write this. Dark, chilly, dramatic and romantic is how I like it. Prepare yourself!