Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 1: Demon Child Origins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail. They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Hiro Mashima respectively. Please support the official release.

"Talking/Thinking'

Attack

"Demon Talking/ Thinking'

########Hunter########

*Drip*Drip*Drip*

That was the sound he had grown accustomed to. The only constant thing in his short life that never changed.

Every day, coming back to this small, damp cell. After every mission or session the masked men took him to, if those were even a good enough cover-up to give them.

He had only been alive for three years. Naturally, his mind was not fully developed yet and he only remembered bits and pieces.

And it was a living hell.

Whenever he was out of his cell, he knew that it was time for another 'mission'. Thrown out with some strange other men on the small field, clad in only stain covered rags, he knew what happened next like a ritual. He would feel a strange, horrible pain pierce throughout his whole body, causing him to scream; hoping that it would stop soon after. Then a burning sensation would move through his body, increasing the pain a dozen times more. And then, it all went black.

When he would wake up, he would already be back in his cell. But there were new rips and stains on his clothes from what he had done on those 'missions'. What did the masked men call this stuff again? Blood?

Every time he awoke his body was in agony and there were new wounds all over him. But after a few moments, they would vanish from sight. What made them leave? Do even his wounds run away from him? He must not be liked very much because all the masked men yell at him when he doesn't respond to their words.

Even though he was locked away in this cell, he had still gained some knowledge. He would repeat the words and sentences that the men he met would say to him. Like 'Fuck' or 'Shit', or 'P-Please god. No'.

And if he was hungry, then men would bring him food and place it on the floor in front of him. But he had to get it fast or else the rats would take it or the water would ruin it. And when he was thirsty, he would either drink the water that dripped from the ceiling or the glass the men would give him.

He would lay on the floor, not reacting, not moving to anything that passed by his cell. The shadows of the men would roll over him as they walked by, illuminated by the small torches on the walls and mutter about how he would be used for another mission.

His cell door opened up and two masked men in grey armor and metal arm-guards picked him up. They grabbed under his arms and dragged him along.

"Danzō-sama told us to bring the demon for another execution." The man on his right stated to his counterpart.

"But it is just another captured Jōnin, right? We can handle things like this ourselves. We don't need to bring this thing out every time we find one of them. Why does Danzō-sama always use the monster to kill those we capture?" The left man questioned, voicing his curiosity.

"He wants to use as many opportunities as he can find to control this thing better. And he said that he 'doesn't want any evidence of struggle' to ruin our base." As they came closer to a locked door, they left him standing there on his feet. And like a mirage, they suddenly disappeared in a rain of leaves.

Monster, demon, that thing, and it. That was what they called him whenever he was brought to this door or left outside. But despite all those names, that wasn't what he was called. What was he really called again? That man with the wrapped face said it sometimes?

Oh, right. Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki was his real name.

His name, his life and his loneliness was all that he had. This red stuff, the rats, and the men in masks were all that he knew. That, and the water that dripped from the walls.

'Drip, drip, drip'.

########Hunter########

A tall man stood with a cane in his hand, one arm wrapped with bandages while the other was free from its sleeve. He was wearing a black and grey robe that covered his right arm and went down to his feet. The right side of his face was covered in bandages that wrapped around his forehead. And on his wrinkled chin was an X-shaped scar.

He stood on a leveled stand which circled over a small training field they had in Root. Covered in uprooted dirt and grass with two doors on adjacent walls facing each other. It was used for the new recruits and trainees to test their abilities in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. It was leveled so that the more experienced ninja and elders could look down and see the new recruits' efforts.

But lately, over the last year, it had not been used to train the new recruits. Alternatively, they were brought out into the woods or trained out there in the battlefield. Instead, this place was used to gain any last minute information captured spies had before they were silenced. In his experience, people in their last moments tend to reveal everything they could to survive.

Lately, more and more foreign ninja had appeared in the village. Some would sneak in from Kumogakure, and others would come from Kirigakure. He had found no evidence of insurgents from Sunagakure, yet. They had to have all their forces in the village, lest their Jinchūriki lost his temper and start a massacre.

It had appeared that each hidden village was sending a team of ninja to infiltrate the land. It had started when the Fourth Mizukage sent a team to check for weak points in the security of the village. There was something wrong with that boy. He was the Jinchūriki of the Sanbi, and lately he was holding the state of the village like it was a yo-yo. Sending that crazed shark man to kill his own team so that there was no evidence of their work to be found. That was the last resort in a situation like that, especially when the whole team was still capable of fighting. It was unsettling, like the decisions he was making were not his own.

Then a team from Kumogakure was sent to charge and attack any ninja they could find. Of course, lighting village ninja were never very subtle. They always preferred to attack rather than to sneak. Perhaps they were only ninja because of the ninjutsu they practiced. The only times he remembered Kumogakure sneaking around was the Hyūga incident only a few weeks ago, and the incident with the Jinchūriki girl almost twenty years earlier. These were both attempts to increase their military and strategic abilities for the better. It wasn't enough that they had a Raikage that could take down armies. Or the most attuned Jinchūriki out of all the Elemental Nations.

And now Iwagakure was joining in the fray. Sending a team for reconnaissance on the noble families and the Jinchūriki. Danzō never understood the methods of Ōnoki. He would always watch the chaos from the outside, never directly joining the battle. He just let his men do their job and never interfered. Which he should have, with the growing rumors of a blond youngster blowing up buildings for the hell of it. Always using explosive clay and yelling out 'Katsu'. He would never allow the people of Konoha to revolt or betray him like that.

And he had a great plan for any ninja or civilian that was against him. He had taken the Jinchūriki boy into his ranks and made him a weapon. Due to the boy being no more than a toddler, he couldn't expect any conscious contact or agreement with the fox demon, so the members of Roots' research team came up with a solution. The discovery that the demon's chakra activates when the boy experiences pain. If they could make a seal that caused agonizing pain to go through the boy's body and control him through that pain, they had a walking weapon in their hands.

It took a few tries to get the fox's chakra moving, but when the boy was covered in the vile energy, it proved to work. The first time the cloak appeared, the boy dove at his controller through pure instinct. Danzō only raised his fingers in a seal and the boy stopped, a bloodcurdling scream of pain from his throat. When he did, a kanji appeared on his stomach at the center of the seal. The boy would not attack anyone Danzō did not see fit to kill. And when he was done, he would lower his hand and the boy would stop. The chakra would dissipate and then he would fall unconscious. It was useful to tie up loose ends when you were tired of doing the work.

An Anbu ninja appeared behind Danzō, kneeling before his master. "Danzō-sama, they are both ready. Should we release them?" The masked ninja asked his leader.

'Ah, speaking of tying up loose ends.'

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"Yes, let the Iwa-Ninja out first and keep Naruto-kun locked, I wish to see if we can gain any more answers." The robed ninja elder said to the younger shinobi. The Anbu nodded and made a motion with his hand. One door opened in the area beneath them, and a man was thrown out.

He appeared beaten and battered, tortured for any information that he had. But like a true jōnin, he had kept his mouth shut. He stood up and looked around, noticing that several new ninja had appeared around the clearing.

The man was dressed in a red outfit with a brown flak jacket. Around his head was a standard forehead protector of the ninja villages. Etched into the metal was the image of dented rocks overlapping, the mark of an Iwa-ninja. His weapon pack was gone, taken when he was brought in.

The man looked up at those surrounding him and yelled, "Where are we, you fuckers? What am I doing here?"

The robed man tapped his cane on the floor, causing an echo that followed eith silence. He looked down at the Iwa-ninja with a narrowed eye, "You have infiltrated my village and killed my men. You have refused to give us the reason why you are here? I will give you one last chance to tell us your intentions. Who sent you?" The robed man finished as he lowered his tone, his voice not losing its calm edge.

The Iwa-nin scoffed at the elder man. "Heh, you're a fool to think I will talk! Come on, send down all your men! I'll kill them all!" The man exclaimed as he stood in a defensive stance.

Danzō looked at the young man, then turned his head and gave a nod to his follower.

The Root ninja appeared in the arena, opposite the foreign ninja. The intruder changed his stance to follow the new arrival. But before they could start fighting, the Konoha Anbu opened the door behind him and shunshined away.

The insurgent only looked puzzled, like he was expecting more. Was he supposed to leave through there? Were they letting him go?

Just as he was about to question their motives, a presence made itself known. Expecting an animal or enemy ninja to appear, he did not expect a child to come into the light.

The boy in question was small, possibly only 3 or 4 years old. His pale blond hair was unruly and unkempt. His arms and legs were thin, like bones with skin. His stomach and cheeks were coming in, showing he was malnourished. And on each cheek were three scar-like whiskers, defining his face. He wore torn cloth-like rags, remnants of a shirt and pants he wore. The sandals he wore were stained, dark red from dried blood.

But his most defining characteristic were his empty, blue eyes. Like pools of water, but dirtied and unclear. Faded eyes that conveyed no emotions, no life.

If he was not standing on his feet, he could have been mistaken for a corpse.

The boy lifted his head, seeing the new man that stood before him. The man cringed when he saw his eyes, like they were looking into his soul.

"You..." The child said in a dried, cracked little voice. Tilting his head, the boy continued to stare at the man. "You...new...kill?"

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Danzō stared down as the two met face to face. A faint smile appeared on his scarred face.

Now, it was time to show what his weapon could do.

He held up his left hand, brought it into a half-tiger seal and pumped it with his chakra.

"Grah!" The little boy yelled in agonizing pain, falling to his knees. The Iwa-nin looked in sheer fright at what was happening to the child. His hair was changing, becoming spikier and sharp. His whiskers becoming rougher and more scar-like. His nails grew, digging into his head as he held it in pain.

Through the rags, the Iwa-nin saw a pattern appear on his stomach. A sun like formation made of runes and kanji phasing onto his stomach. And in the center on the formation was the character for control. The kanji used by Danzō to make him his own personal play toy.

The boy fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He lifted his head towards the man, revealing crimson eyes and slit pupils that made him appear feral.

The ninja froze in fear. This was what the red cloud had sent him to find. Locating and identifying the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi was his mission. Given to him and his team by the men of the red cloud. If they could find its location, they were promised high positions in the new world.

They had expected a noble of Konoha, with security that made the Daimyō green with envy. But instead, it was just a broken child hidden in the shadows.

The possessed boy dived at the man, aiming to rip him apart. The ninja evaded the strikes and jumped over the demon. The boy turned around and went for a second attempt as the Iwa-Nin landed on the floor. His hands moved through a flurry of seals as he screamed his technique, "Earth Style: Pierced Hell Spike Yard!"

Everywhere in front of him was covered in rock spikes. The boy, mid-jump, was screwed in his stomach. He hung there, limp, as blood flowed down the spike.

The ninja smirked and laughed. He had killed Konoha's secret weapon. Now this village was nothing but a sitting duck. He turned around, prepared to kill the robed man above him, but stopped when he felt a sensation in his chest.

He looked down and saw a diminutive clawed hand, clean through his chest. He turned his head, blood pooling down his chin in the process. Behind him was the previously believed dead boy, blood leaking from his stomach. He looked furious, his rage evident in his twisted, exhausted face.

"Grrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" He ripped his hand out sideways of the man chest, leaving a giant orifice through his lungs and ribs. Blood jetted out of the wound and he fell to his knees, dying instantly. The blood made a puddle that stained the boy's feet and sandals.

The boy took deep breaths, blood spilling out of him. Danzō smiled at his subject's result. He brought his hands down and stopped the flow of chakra.

"Gaaaaah!" The vile energy dissipated from the boy's body, causing him to pass out in his own blood. The elder nodded his head towards his subordinates and they followed his order. One Anbu grabbed the boy and lifted him up, another taking the new corpse to add to the pile.

The gathered ninja dispersed, the demonstration finished, the show was done.

########Hunter########

Another ninja, very young in comparison, appeared in a kneeling position behind Danzō. "Danzō-sama, should we take Naruto to the medics? If we leave that wound as it is, he may die." The man sounded worried for the poor boy.

"No," Danzō said with a commanding voice. "We do not need to worry about Naruto-kun's medical state. It will take care of itself."

Danzō walked past the kneeling young man, "Our concerns rest with finding the reason all these intrusions are happening. Every major village is sending their forces to-"

"Sir, if we don't heal him, he may die." The masked man stood up to address the elder. But as he turned around, the elder was leaking killer intent over his entire form.

"No, he will not. Those are not the first injuries he has suffered, and they will not be his last. His injuries are taken care of by the fox; it will not let its container die." The elder turned back around. "That boy has proved more than amazing in the field. He has killed every insurgent team we have intercepted. His presence has fortified itself as a horrifying force in the world. We have even stopped the idea of an Uchiha rebellion."

"But sir, he is only a boy. There has to be a better solution for our power struggles. Naruto does not have to be that solution." The masked man tried to reason with the old man.

"We are ninja, lad. We will use any and all methods to survive and keep our people alive. Even our children have a duty to help our village." Danzō started to walk away. "I will do anything I must to help Konoha strive."

The masked man looked down. "Oh by the way," Danzō turned his head to address the young man, "What is your name? You don't call him monster or demon, so are you familiar with him?"

The masked man looked up at the elder. He brought his hand up and took his animal mask off his face. It revealed a young man with gravity-defying grey hair. His lower face was covered by a face mask, and his left eye had a vertical scar. His left eye was different from his other, red with three tomoe circling around the pupil.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, Danzō-sama. I requested to join your ranks as chance to learn your style. Please show me how, Danzō-sama." This was both a truth and a lie. He was here for one reason, and one reason only.

Find a way to save Naruto.

"Oh. Copy-Ninja Kakashi-kun. It is an honor to have you in our humble ranks."

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Naruto was on the floor of his cell, close to losing consciousness. The hole in his stomach was slowly closing, cutting off the flow of blood. His eyes became heavy and he could not stay awake.

But almost instantaneously, he found that he was no longer in his cell. He was lying in a foot tall pool of water. The walls were further across and the bars were no longer there. Pipes spread and twisted together on the wall, leading to something Down the black abyss.

Naruto lifted himself up, looking from left and right to find something notable. He got to his feet and started to walk in one direction. He had walked for what had seemed like hours.

Then, after awhile, he finally reached something. Bars that raised all the way to the ceiling, and spread over the wall. He walked to the bars and went to touch them, and then...

"GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA HHHHHHHHHHH!"

The boy fell to his bottom in surprise, wondering what could have caused the bestial roar. Before he looked up in surprise at what was behind the bars.

Behind the bars was a fox of titanic size. Its had orange-red fur and was lying on its belly. On the kitsune's back was 9 flailing, massive tails that caused the water to ripple.

The creature bared its teeth and gums at the three year-old boy. A growl echoed out through the hall.

"Human, what are you doing here?" The fox looked at the boy, flaring its killer intent at him. "If you do not open this cage now, THEN I WILL DESTROY YOU WITH MY OWN PAWS!" The fox exclaimed in fury and anger.

"Who...be...you...thing?" The boy looked at the fox with his lifeless eyes. He was unaffected by the beast's horrifying power.

"ME? I AM THE GREAT KYŪBI-SAMA! I AM THE DEMON WHO CRUSHES MOUNTAINS AND LEVELS SEAS WITH THE MOVEMENT OF MY TAILS!" The fox yelled, pride brimming in its voice.

The boy only stared at the fox, his mouth open in a small, comedic fashion. As if he was as amazed as he could be looking at the creature in front of him.

"Kyūbi-sama...what...are...doing...here? Where...this...is?" He said in a disjointed, grammatically incorrect fashion. He had hoped that the fox could shine some light on the subject.

"Boy, address me as that always. I am your superior in every way, so listen closely." The fox lowered itself to almost eye level with the boy. "You have been using my chakra almost every day for what those men want. And although I have no quarrel with the killings, you have no right to use my power for these pathetic humans needs."

"Cat-tra?" The boy asked, tilting his head I confusion.

"No foolish meat-bag, I said chakra."

"Oh...sorry. I...heard...bad."

"Why do you talk like that child? Do you not know how to speak?"

"Sorry...Kyūbi-sama. I...learn...from...masks."

The fox narrowed his eyes. 'So this child learned from his captors. He doesn't know anything else about this world, huh?' The fox wondered if he could teach this child to rule for his sake. And in his experience, the best way to teach was through fear. Then he decided to plant a threat into the boy's head. "Child, you should run, no one can stand before my greatness for too long. Before they are driven to madness or I kill them. So watch your step, or you may die." The fox ended his speech with a devilish smirk.

The boy only stared at the fox in wonder. Then he walked through the bars and up to the fox's paws. The fox looked down in shock at the boy's actions. He looked down and saw the boy just stare back at him. And then saw it for the first time.

The lifelessness that was held in his eyes. Like a dead soul in a moving body. That was not the look the child of Kushina and Minato should have.

He could not believe that the humans had done this to a child. "Why do you not run? I am evil incarnate, the demon of the Elemental Nations. I could kill you in an instant." He expected the child to come to his senses and run away in terror.

But the child continued to stare, and after several tense moments, he answered. "If...you...kill...then...you...would...when...came." The fox was shocked to a new level at the nerve this child had shown to him. He turned in his cage and faced away from the child.

"Leave boy, I am feeling merciful. Run now, before I slaughter you." The boy only stood for a few moments before running out of the bars. He turned around and bowed.

"Goodbye...Kyūbi-sama...See...soon...you?"

"Yes, I will bring you back here to teach you how to talk to me properly." As the child was about to run off, he said one last thing. "And don't call me Kyūbi-sama, that won't do until you learn the proper respect in my presence. Just Kyūbi will do for now."

########Hunter########

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood overlooking all of Konoha. This was such a peaceful village, despite all the turmoil around the world. But it was not the result of his work. Could he even call himself the Hokage anymore?

He was a puppet, a shadow of his former self. The night Minato died, he had been prepared to take that child under his care. But the council had decided against keeping the child safe.

In their eyes, he was nothing more than the fox that attacked their home. He had hoped that he could appeal to the other elders of the village, but no such luck. Homura and Koharu had both agreed that he should be placed in more capable hands.

And in came Danzō.

His old friend had told the council members of his plan to use Naruto as a weapon. Hiruzen was against it, saying that it was inhumane. But the council had won, even bringing in the Daimyo for the decision.

And as such, the village had prospered. No one would challenge a super power that had a monster at their fingertips. The other countries Jinchūriki never complied with the wishes of the people. So as a result they took the choice of free will from the boy before he could have any.

It had horrified him that he just let this happen. He felt like a puppet that Danzō used to keep up appearances.

The only influence he could make anymore was convincing Kakashi of his plan to try and liberate Naruto from Danzō's control. But even that was a long-shot to make.

Ah, he just wished for simple times again. When children could laugh, and play all together. But no matter the leader, the need for fighting and power grabbing was just too strong.

He wished he could go the way Jiraiya and Minato had with their ideals. That we should aim for no killing, and peace between the people.

But no matter how many times he thought of it, he could only imagine a war coming forth.

Danzō had kept sending the bodies as a message to their respective villages. The Kages would storm in anger, saying they never sent their men to infiltrate. That they were the ones that had crossed the border and killing other soldiers. And all this hatred had led to a gridlock between the villages.

They were waiting for war; they only had to wait for the first shot to be made.

...

Hiruzen looked back to his younger days. Being taught by the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages. The fun and hope he had experienced back then.

But when the Nidaime had lost his life to the Gin & Kin brothers of Kumo, he remembered what the Shodai did next.

He had spent years of time working on a brand new Jutsu. A genius ninja and leader, nothing was impossible for that man. He had said that, 'If there is no peace in this world, then maybe we can find some in another.' It was a fool's dream, even for someone like Hashirama.

To travel to different dimensions, and create new societies. Hiruzen believed that his sensei was only living out his last days in wonder and fantasy. Until one day, they worked, and a portal was opened.

Only the top class of Konoha could even be allowed to know this secret. When enough time had passed for preparation, an expedition had been formed. Hashirama was the leader, being the strongest of the bunch.

His daughter followed him into the new world, proms isn't to bring him back no matter what. She even asked that Hiruzen take care of Tsunade and Nawaki while she was gone. Along with them, they brought skilled ninja, scientists, and medics to accompany in case something went wrong.

After 1 week, they had no Intel from the expedition except for 1 word they sent back.

They had been presumed KIA, and any knowledge of the portal Jutsu was destroyed.

Each day, Hiruzen wondered what was on the other side. Were there enemies even they could not defeat? Or was life so good, that they had left the nations for a new utopia.

Was it better than the situations playing out in front of him now?

He would go back at times, and look at the message sent back to them through the Jutsu:

FIORE

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Done

Okay, that was a long build up for not a lot of pay off. But that was just how I saw this chapter play out. As I was writing, I realized how long this was and just had to cut off at some point.

I will try to release the second chapter quickly. It will end all the ninja business before we start the actual Fairy Tail journey.

The pairing will be NarutoxErza... Yeah, I know, most used pairing in this section. But damn it all, I just love the idea of these two together.

I will probably add lemons and Omakes into the story, but further in. Along with polls on ideas and paths I should take further down the road.

Okay, I hope this goes well, because this idea has been haunting me for quite a while now.

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