Chapter Text
Naruto doesn't understand a lot of things.
He doesn't understand why he doesn't have a mommy and daddy, why he's not allowed around the other kids at the orphanage, or why he got kicked out.
He doesn't understand why the villagers hate him, looking upon him with venomous gazes and spewing vitriol when they actually speak to him. Even the villagers that don't actively hate him tend to ignore him.
Slowly, over the course of four years, he finally understands.
After a particularly brutal attack from two drunken villagers, he awoke in a puddle of dark, murky water. Peering around curiously, he finds a dimly lit hallway, cautiously travelling down the corridor to a torch lit room. The stone walls are weathered by age, the jagged cracks growing deeper towards the shadowed part of the room.
He could see metal bars glinting dully in the light, a large dark shape shifting behind them. As he moved to get closer, he stumbled back with a yelp.
A pair of glowing, malicious red eyes were staring back at him.
The creature moved closer to the bars, the light highlighting the reddish orange fur of a giant fox. They stared at each other for a moment, the fox seemingly sizing him up. The creatures red eyes soften almost indecipherably, taking in the sorry state of the small child.
“So….it would seem that my warden has finally decided to visit. What is your name, kit?” The fox asked, laying down as far as it could to reach the boys level.
“....I'm Uzumaki Naruto, who are you? And where exactly are we?” Naruto asked, voice cautious but eyes sparkling with awe at the giant beast. The boy, Naruto, moved closer to the great beast's cage, standing a safe distance away.
The fox considered him for a moment, before huffing, “I go by many names. The Kyūbi no Yōko, Kyūbi, Bakegitsune. But ...you may call me by my given name, Kurama. As for where we are, we’re in your headspace. Has no one truly explained to you what you are?”
Naruto froze for a minute, his brain trying to process this information. Once he recovered he asked, “What do you mean, what I am? I mean, the villagers call me a monster or a demon, but I'm not, I swear!” His voice took a pleading tone, blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Kurama growled lowly, pacing in his small cage, “Of course you're not a monster, you're a jinchuriki! A human sacrifice! When you were a newborn child, the Yondaime Hokage sealed me inside you, protecting your little village at the cost of his life and your livelihood.” The demon fox’s barely contained rage bleed into his voice, startling Naruto.
“So…I'm a jinchuriki. A human sacrifice. The holder of the Nine-Tails.... but why did the Yondaime choose me!? If he didn't.... maybe the villagers wouldn't hate me so much!” The red headed boy cried, tears prickling his eyes as his shoulders shake in rage.
Kurama sighed, reaching a paw out to drag Naruto to the cage, settling the boy in between the bars to lay against his fur.
“Namikaze Minato chose you because you're his son. His wife, Uzumaki Kushina, was my previous warden. When your mother went into labor, her seal weakened, allowing me to escape. I was controlled with that damn Uchiha's sharingan and forced to rampage through Konohagakure. I'm not fond of humans but I don't actively wish for their destruction either. To protect the village, your father sacrificed his life to seal me inside of you. From what I understand, your father wished for you to be lauded as the village savior, not as the incarnation of myself.”
The Nine-Tails finished his lengthy explanation before pausing, casting another cursory glance at the battered child, before asking, “What happened that sent you down here anyway? Usually either I would have to summon you, or you would have to have prior knowledge of your status.”
Naruto flinched, eyes focusing on his small hands and bruised wrists, “It’s October 10th, my ....eighth birthday. The villagers have a .....tradition called Fox Hunting. I never understood the name....but I guess it makes sense now. Anyways, they got even angrier this year, ‘cause I’ve been doing these awesome pranks, y’know? They…they hurt me. Really bad. They’ve never hurt me this badly before. I passed out and woke up here.”
Kurama exploded with rage, infuriated that those despicable mortals would harm a human kit. Even among the chakra beasts, children are to be cherished and treasured, not beaten within an inch of their lives. He snarled out expletives that would've had ANBU operatives blushing, ranting and raving inside his cage.
He suddenly stopped, ears laying flat against his head as he looked upwards. He looked at Naruto before nosing at his arm, breaking him from his thoughts.
“Alright kit, it looks like you're starting to wake up. I'll be sending a bit of my chakra through to help you heal faster, and if you ever need me, just think what you want to say and I'll hear you.”
Before Naruto could get a word in, his surroundings started to melt and blur together before he fell into nothingness.
Naruto blearily blinked his eyes open, only go immediately shut them again from the harsh light.
Letting his eyes adjust, he looked around, finding himself still laying on the dirty floor of the alley. He grimaced as he forced himself up, carefully taking stock of his injuries. True to Kurama's word, most of his cuts and bruises healed, leaving only the non-life-threatening ones. His wrist was still tender, but felt sprained instead of broken, and his ribs were only bruised. Kurama couldn't, however, get rid of the blood and grime coating his body and matting his long red hair.
He wandered the streets of Konoha for a while, avoiding the more hostile spots, trying to avoid his cold, lonely apartment for a bit longer. Barely anyone spares him a second glance, and those that did responded with either glares full of scorn, or winces of sympathy.
That is, until he literally ran into another kid. The boy was taller than Naruto, with dark hair pulled into a ponytail and a bored expression on his face. When the other boy looked up, his face morphed into one of shock and concern.
"Hey, are you okay?" The boy asked, then, "Where's your parents? I can help you get home if you need me to."
Naruto winced a bit, appreciating the concern but waiting for the other shoe to drop. He glanced at the boy warily, weighing the risks, before saying, "I'm alright, most of this is old. As for my parents, I'm an orphan."
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry. Uhm, my names Nara Shikamaru, if you want you can come home with me? My mom's a retired medic-nin, she can help you." Shikanaru offered, a tentative, genuine smile on his face.
Naruto knows that he's genuine, but he's also concerned about the boys parents. Kids are usually nice until their parents call him a monster.
Naruto, taking note of the pain he's in, decided to throw caution to the wind. Worst case scenario, he's pretty fast, so he can escape if needed. "Okay, my name's Uzumaki Naruto by the way." And with that, the two boys hobbled their way to the Nara compound, unaware of the ripples they were already causing.