A/N: Hello everybody. This will be my first story on this site and, while this chapter will start out quite a bit darker than the rest of the story, I ask you to bear with me. This chapter is essentially a prologue and the situations involved are to set the scene up for how I had originally planned. So keep in mind the whole series will not be anything like this. On another note, I shall be writing another story simultaneously once I hammer out the finer details. I have yet to decide 100% on a pairing for the other story so if there's something you'd like to see more of, let me know. But keep in mind that I will not be writing stories with mainstream pairings so don't go recommending any NaruHina or NaruSaku. I also apologize in advance if my updates get delayed a bit. I don't have a whole lot of time for writing and I'm a bit of a perfectionist so if something isn't up to my standards, I completely toss it. Other than that, let me know what you think. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 1

"He's over here! Get him!" a heavyset man calls back to a crowd of civilians as they chase a young blond boy down the narrow alleyway. The boy was running as fast as his legs could carry him from the swirling mass of hatred closing in on him. 'Why? Why does everyone hate me so much? I thought my birthday would be different this year. Gramps promised we could go out for ramen, but as soon as he left for that council meeting…it's not fair!' the boy thought to himself as he fought back the tears threatening to leak from the corners of his eyes. He panted for breath as he rounded a corner, then suddenly found himself face down on the wet pavement. He rubbed his sore jaw as he looked up to see what had struck him.

Standing above him, with a malicious grin on his face, was what appeared to be a rather large farmer judging from the callused hands and dark tan that stood out as a testament to long hours working in the fields. The grin remained on his face as bouts of laughter and praise came from the pursuing villagers that had caught up to them. Without so much as a word, the farmer grabbed the boys arm and started to drag him into a nearby warehouse. A few other men followed soon after while the rest gave out shouts of "teach the demon a lesson," or "give the brat a few good hits for me," before they all left the vicinity with smiles on their faces and retreated to the festivities in celebration of the anniversary of the nine-tailed demon fox's demise.

The young boy was unceremoniously tossed face-down onto a nearby table with a majority of his body broken, beat, and bloodied as four civilians surrounded him, including the farmer from before. Three of them went to hold his limbs down, while the other tied them to the individual legs of the cold, metal table. One of them pulled out a knife as the others set about tearing his clothes off or giving him heavy blows to the side of his face. The man with the knife stepped forward with a chuckle as the others backed off. He began carving the character for "demon" into center of the boys back as he cried out in pain. The smile on his face widened as he saw the marks disappear slowly and he spoke up. "It's a real shame that you heal so quickly brat. Cause now I'm gonna have to carve you up until no amount of healing will hide what you are."

And with that said, he was true to his word as he repeatedly carved the symbol into his back while the others picked up shards of glass from below a nearby broken window and began to mercilessly and continuously make random slashes across his back. By the time they had stopped, the boy was completely broken. The formerly exuberant life within his eyes was completely gone as he waited for his tormentors to either kill him or get bored with their little game. Three of them seemed satisfied with their handiwork and prepared to leave the boy to bleed out on the table, but the farmer that started it all was intent on having a bit more fun before finishing things.

He readjusted the boy so that he was halfway off the table, the rough edge of the cold metal biting into his waist. The others stared at him in confusion until their eyes widened in recognition at the sound of a zipper being undone. Their looks changed from that of confusion to one somewhere between apprehension and disgust, though they remained silent nonetheless.

The boy was clueless as to what was going on and didn't understand the significance of the sound of spitting before callused hands gripped his waist. The last thing he could recall was something poking him, before a white-hot pain shot through him from his rectum and everything went black.

The first thing he took notice of when he regained his senses was the moisture enveloping his feet. Paying no mind to the water or surrounding darkness, he marched forward with an empty look on his face. He kept walking with no signs of interest until he came upon a large cage. A pair of large eyes made their presence known as a low growl resounded throughout the area. The boy continued to approach the cage, seemingly unaffected by the menacing growl, until he was standing just beyond the bars of the creature's prison.

The creature narrowed his eyes in mild interest as the boy approached. "What's your name, brat?" At the sound of the menacing voice, the boy seemed to finally show some form of recognition that he wasn't alone. "Naruto Uzumaki. Who are you?" he replied monotonously as he stared into the large eyes before him. The beast chuckled at the question as the lighting seemingly improved and his form was revealed. There, beyond the bars, was the very embodiment of fear. The creature that nearly wiped out Konoha completely. The nine-tailed fox, the most powerful being to ever exist.

"I, brat, am the Kyuubi. I was sealed inside of you the day you were born by that damned fourth hokage of yours." Naruto's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "You…so it's YOUR fault! The last 8 years..everything..IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU!" Naruto shouted as his fists clenched tightly and he walked into the cage without a second thought. The killing intent leaking off of him was so thick it seemed almost palpable. The Kyuubi was mildly impressed by the boys lack of fear and the aura he radiated was something no child of his age should possess. Despite his hatred for the man who sealed him and the slight resentment he felt towards the boy for being his container, he couldn't help but feel a slight kinship with the boy. It may have simply been a result of being under that seal for all these years, but something about the sorrow, hate and loneliness in his eyes, made him feel a sort of connection. Thus, an interesting thought came to mind.

"How would you like to make a deal that would put an end to everything, brat?" The Kyuubi asked as he lowered his head to look the boy directly in the eyes. The look of hatred in Naruto's eyes slowly turned to one of curiosity. "I'm listening," he stated plainly as he kept his eyes firmly fixated on the ones in front of him. The giant fox allowed to large grin to spread across his face at the blond's response.

"What would you say if I offered to lend you some of my chakra so you wouldn't have to be afraid of anyone ever again?" Naruto took in his words and thought carefully. "I'd say, what's in it for you?" The Kyuubi let out a bit of a chuckle before replying. "You're smarter than you let on, brat. I'm offering a trade. You get chakra, and I get out of this damn cage once in a while." Naruto crossed his arms under his chest and thought for a few moments before coming to a decision.

"You've got a deal. However, I'm changing the terms a bit." The Kyuubi gave a confused look, but motioned for him to continue. "I'll let you out, depending on the method of course, but I want ALL of your chakra. Permanently!" The Kyuubi growled and narrowed his eyes at the idea, but thought about his options. If he agreed, he would be permanently weakening himself. However, if he declined, he would be stuck in his cage until the kid dies. Which would also mean he would cease to exist as well so it really came down to which he valued more. Having power that he can't even use, or ensuring his survival. The kid had him at an impasse, but 2 can play at the haggling game.

"To answer your question about the method, it would be a simple summoning contract. Your terms are rather steep though, brat. How about we meet halfway and I give you half of my chakra permanently? That's still more than any other human could possibly possess and about as much as the other 8 bijuu combined." Naruto let a small smile grace his lips. "You've got a deal fox."

"Excellent. There are a few things you need to know first before you leave. First off, you won't be able to have it all just yet so don't get your hopes up. If I gave it all to you now your body wouldn't be able to handle it and we'd both die. I'll have to gradually seep it into your chakra coils at a slow rate until you can handle it, which won't be for several years. Secondly, the summoning scroll will have to wait a few years as well. Your chakra pools may be abnormally large, but your control is terrible and summoning is just out of your league right now. And lastly, I'm really not sure what this will do to your body. This is demon chakra we're talking about and you're a human, so don't blame me if your body goes through some…changes," the Kyuubi said as he stood up and began leaking a small amount of his chakra out of the cage.

"Thanks, fox. I'm gonna go squash some bugs," Naruto called back with a twisted grin as he walked out of his tenant's cage.

"The name is Kurama, brat. Don't call me fox," Kurama growled out as the blond left. Naruto gave a small wave as he disappeared.

Naruto was unsure how much time had passed since he blacked out, but the farmer was lying on top of him panting when he regained his senses. His senses seemed to heighten as he felt the overwhelming chakra spread through him. He could feel his canines elongate as sharp claws began to form on his hands. The man above him suddenly went wide-eyed and jumped back as an ominous red chakra seemed to leak out of his pores until it covered his entire body in a cloak that seemed to radiate heat, yet filled the entire room with a cold dread. The 4 men stared in horror as he ripped his arms free and turned around to come face to face with them. Their bodies froze completely as they took in the sight before them. His face took on a more feral appearance as the 3 whisker-like scars on each of his cheeks seemed to be more pronounced and his fangs were clearly visible. The claws on each of his finger seemed razor-sharp as well, but that's not what froze them in terror. It was his eyes. The usually deep cerulean pools were replaced by an angry blood red that seemed like they were actually glowing with pure unbridled rage and hate. The usual pupils having been replaced by slits.

Naruto glared at the men in front of him as if they were merely insects that needed to be squashed before they could spread their filth. Which, to him, was essentially what they were. Naruto could feel nothing, but the hatred for the men in front of him. Under normal circumstances he would want to examine himself and learn more about the power that consumed him. But the only thoughts in his head, were of which order they would die in. Having decided on a suitable order, the man nearest him fell to the floor dead without the others even seeing what happened. The answer came a moment later as they were horrified by the sight of the boy in front of them…holding a still-beating heart. As soon as the heart made its final beat, 2 of them spat up blood as one of them had a hand buried in his stomach, while the other seemed to be missing his throat. As they fell to the ground, Naruto approached the last man standing while licking blood from his claws. It was the farmer who had started it all. It started with him, and it would end with him.

A few minutes later, a group of ANBU appeared with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third hokage, coming in shortly after them. The sight that awaited them was beyond gruesome. One of them actually left the room before the sounds of vomiting could be heard. The first 3 bodies were nothing spectacular. They'd all seen similar deaths plenty of times…but the final victim, what was left of him at least…was a sight that none of them would ever be able to clear from their mind. His torso had clearly been ripped completely open as his intestines were apparently ripped to shreds and tossed about the area. Every extremity had been ripped off and also littered the room, including a specific part of the anatomy generally belonging only to males. And the head…the face, or what was left of it, looked like someone had scraped it against a cheese grater for an extended period of time until no flesh remained before severing the head and crushing the skull.

All eyes fell on the form of an 8-year-old boy that stood in the center of the room drenched in blood and gore. His features seemed to have all returned to normal, until he opened his eyes. The ANBU members fought back their gasps while Sarutobi clenched his teeth and tried not to think about what must've happened to cause this. He could see beyond the hatred in those eyes to the broken soul beneath them. There was seemingly nothing of his pseudo-grandson left in them. He fought back tears as he ordered all the ANBU members to leave and ordered them not to speak a word of this to anyone. They each nodded before disappearing; having no intention of ever talking about the horror they had seen.

A silent tear rolled down Sarutobi's cheek as he nodded to a man who had suddenly appeared next to him. The man had long white hair that reached down to his lower back and wore a green kimono with a red vest over it. Instead of the normal leaf headband, his was thicker with the kanji for oil. The man slowly walked up to Naruto with his hands away from his body. Naruto watched him move carefully until he was standing right in front of him. Suddenly Naruto's eyes seemed to widen as the man suddenly knelt down and threw his arms around Naruto and held him tightly. His mind couldn't seem to understand what was going on until he felt a drop of something wet fall onto his neck. His eyes returned to their usual color, though still seemingly devoid of life, as he registered the sound of choked back sobs. He recognized what was happening, but he couldn't understand why it was happening. He had never experienced someone trying to comfort him with a hug like this. He didn't even realize he had started crying until he pressed his face into the man's chest. He held tightly to the man as he continued to cry into his chest until he fell asleep. The man carefully picked the sleeping boy up and carried him over to Sarutobi.

"What should we do now, Sarutobi-sensei?" He asked as they left the warehouse. "I'm not certain. I need you to keep a close eye on him from now on, Jiraiya. Just keep a low profile until he graduates and-" Jiraiya interrupted him as he had thought of something.

"I've got a better idea sensei. Let me take him with me. Judging from his file, I'd say he's not exactly learning anything in the academy anyway. I'm sure the council would be thrilled with the idea as well and you can finally get them off your back about him for a while." Sarutobi thought about it in silence until they reached Naruto's apartment. "All right, Jiraiya. The boy will be your apprentice. When do you intend to leave?" Sarutobi asked as he opened the door for them and waited as Jiraiya set Naruto on the bed gently then pulled his blanket over him. Once they were back outside with the door locked Jiraiya responded.

"We'll leave in 2 weeks. That'll give me time to get a few things worked out. The boy can continue to go to the academy until then."

The next day, Naruto went to the academy just as he always did. Except, he no longer wore the mask of the happy-go-lucky knucklehead that everyone knew him as. Most in his class were either happy or just didn't care, but some took notice of this and wondered what was going on. They had assumed it was just a temporary thing, but after a few days, his eyes were still just as cold and lifeless as that first day. The fangirls were too busy fawning over the last Uchiha to notice, but the Uchiha had noticed. He didn't know why they did it, but he had noticed the intense glares the blond received from everyone around town. The blond had always held some interest to him because, unlike the rest of their class, he could understand his loneliness. The mask the blond wore never fooled the Uchiha. He knew he was more intelligent than he let on and the curiosity drove him to act. Growing sick of pondering the cause of Naruto's change in behavior, Sasuke approached him and went for the direct approach.

"What's up with you lately, moron?" Sasuke asked as he stood across the table from Naruto with his arms crossed. Naruto lifted his head to glance at the last Uchiha for a moment then went back to staring at nothing. He felt something strike the back of his head before his ears were assaulted by the shrieks of a banshee. "Sasuke-kun asked you a question idiot! How dare you ignore him?!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he tried to regain his hearing in his left ear. The room suddenly went cold as Naruto turned his head to glare at Sakura. The look in his eyes made her heart miss a bit as she froze on the spot. The rest of the class couldn't understand why the air felt so cold and heavy, but 2 people did. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to move as he stared into those cold lifeless eyes until their Chuunin instructor, Iruka, entered the fray and told Naruto to stop. Sasuke remembered those eyes from the night that haunted his dreams. The eyes of a killer. It almost immediately became easier to breathe as Naruto turned his head to stare off into space once again. Sasuke once again brought Naruto's attention to himself.

"Fight me," he demanded. Naruto was getting irritated and finally decided to speak. "I have no desire to fight you, nor do I wish to associate myself with anybody here in any way." Naruto stood up and headed for the door.

"So, what? You're just gonna sit there for the next 4 years doing nothing? Just admit you're afraid," Sasuke replied with a smirk. Naruto just stared at him like he had grown a second head for a moment before opening the door and walking out. Sasuke was about to go after him when Iruka grabbed his arm and shook his head slowly. "You're wrong about something, Sasuke. He'll only be sitting there for about another week before he leaves the village." Iruka said with a slight frown on his face as he stared at where his student had been standing a moment ago. Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment before he shook free of his teacher's grasp and walked away.

After that, the days went by uneventfully. A few people still kept an eye on Naruto, but fewer seemed to care as the days went by. Finally, the day he was leaving came. Sarutobi and a few ANBU members were at the gate to see him off. Jiraiya was there waiting for him as he walked up with his backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Ready to go, kid? This is your last chance to back out. This won't be like some academy field trip." Jiraiya walked up to him with an expectant look. Naruto nodded once and replied "I'm sure," before walking past him towards the gate. Jiraiya said his goodbyes and followed after Naruto. Sarutobi let out a sigh as they disappeared from sight.

"Take care of him, Jiraiya."