Chapter Text
October 10th was a grim reminder of loss for many. Several districts remained damaged and abandoned even four years after that night. Each year there is a festival that spans the entire week, and yet not a single person celebrates. Instead of the usual joyful emotions one might expect during such an event, people walk the streets with their heads down. There are games, sure, but those are not focused on bringing happiness, rather on letting all the bottled anger out. However, no matter how much one screams and yells at a stuffed animal – the dead remain dead.
There was, however, a much better victim. One that was directly responsible for all their suffering. One that they could hurt. The only thing that could offer revenge and respite from the pain.That vile monster, the thing left after the Fourth defeated the beast. It sounded insane the first time that shinobi told them, but now it was a common fact. The evidence was undeniable. Those whisker marks, that fake smile, it had no parents, the brat was born on that same night! It all made too much sense to be a coincidence.
The Fourth never killed the monster, just managed to weaken it. The demon was forced to hide, to wear a mask of a cursed child and cover its face with a deceptive smile. Everyone could see behind that pitiful attempt at guile – they knew foxes were cunning.
If the Hokage wasn’t going to do anything – they would. They were doing the village a service. What if it decided to attack again? They couldn’t just wait and let the event of that night repeat! And that thing deserved to die.
Naruto lay in his bed, quietly clutching his bedsheets to keep the cold air of the orphanage at bay. Usually, the bedrooms were shared between many children, since the orphanage couldn’t provide everyone with their own. However, Naruto was one of the few lucky enough to have that privilege. He often boasted about it proudly, unaware of the true reason he was separated from the rest.
And yet, even though he was used to being alone, today was different. He hadn’t met almost anyone since he woke up, not his favourite caretaker or even the few friends he had. He wasn’t certain what the reason for that was, but the matron told him she had something important to attend to, so – as a good child – he didn’t bother her, or question where the rest of his fellow orphans had gone. Her voice was weird in the morning though, like she wasn’t telling him something. It was the same voice Naruto used when he lied about not eating any sweets before lunch.
After an hour – or what felt like an eternity to the energetic child – Naruto climbed onto the windowsill and looked outside. His gaze wandered over all the beautiful colours that filled the streets. Stalls filled with what Naruto could only assume to be delicious treats, and so many toys. He had never gone before, but Saniko promised him that they would attend this year. He really wanted to see the fireworks from somewhere, anywhere, with a better view than this place.
Naruto impatiently tapped his foot against the window. Today wasn’t just any ordinary day, and Naruto was looking forward to it. It was his birthday after all! Although he hadn’t really celebrated it much, mainly because he was an orphan and partly for a reason the caretakers were too tight-lipped to disclose openly, this time was to be different. Saniko promised him. It will be amazing! He would get all the sweets and toys he wanted; it almost sounded too perfect.
Yet he was in his room, alone. It wasn’t too uncommon for the blond to be locked unsupervised for hours on end, he got used to it. Although it was less common now with Saniko around.
All the other children went. Somewhere. The tapping sound on the glass paused. They probably all went to the festival, without him. No. A sharp voice in his mind stopped such traitorous thoughts. They wouldn’t do that. Naruto was the most excited one to go, they wouldn’t do that to him. Saniko knew that. Surely, she would come back at any moment. Maybe they are preparing a secret party!
Naruto watched a particular stall, a young boy – not much older than him – was holding a bat, and swung wildly at some sort of orange creature. When the stuffed toy broke, sweets fell down, the boy’s parent patted the child on his back and he eagerly collected them, some being lost in the mud.
Naruto watched that and imagined himself standing there with Saniko patting his back. Surely, she would be here any moment now.
That moment stretched, and Naruto didn’t even realize he had been looking out over the village for another hour. His thoughts only interrupted when the door opened. He didn’t even hear the key turn in the lock. An older woman entered, Naruto noted that she had even more wrinkles than earlier that day.
The boy didn’t wait and ran right at her. “Saniko! Finally! We going to see the firew- fireworks?” He was fiddling with his fingers; his mind was already at the festival.
The older woman stopped Naruto as he attempted to give her a hug, gently – or perhaps with restraint – holding out her hand to stop the approaching child. “You are old enough now. You can go see the fireworks if you wish.”
Naruto beamed at that, a large smile forming on his face, jumping slightly before he could calm himself down. “Really? Can we go right now?”
She didn’t return the smile. “I won’t be going with you, Naruto.”
“What? I can go alone? That is so awesome!” The rejection stung, a cold stabbing pain deep inside his body, somewhere below the ribs to be more precise, but before he could retort, he swallowed his pride – Saniko had more responsibilities than just taking care of him. Before the woman was able to say anything, Naruto was already imagining everything he wanted to see as they walked together to the main doors. “I won’t be long, believe it!”
Before Naruto could leave, she called out to him, “Wait. Naruto. I said you are old enough. We- we can’t care for you here anymore. Do not return.” Those words came out surprisingly easily. At first Saniko believed she would have trouble telling him the truth, but in the end, it came out naturally. He wasn’t that sweet blond-haired child she had known for the last few months she had been assigned to take care of him. That boy never existed – he had only been a masterful lie played by a monster. She had already cried for Naruto; this wasn’t Naruto. This was a monster. She hated him.
Suddenly the smile – that so naturally belonged to his face – wavered. “I- I don’t understand.”
Naruto had always been treated differently from the rest of the children. The boy hardly noticed it anymore, having been raised in the world where everyone saw him as something rather than someone. He grew too accustomed to the mistreatment to think of it anything less than punishment for his antics. It was then that much more surprising when Saniko came to his life. And those were the best parts of his life; he had never been happier. It was the first time he felt love and offered it in turn.
And this was then that much more difficult to hear. Especially from her.
“I think you do. We don’t allow demons to stay among our children. Do not come here again.” Her face showed surprisingly little emotion, but Naruto could clearly see the disdain in her eyes.
Demon? What even is that? “I am sorry Saniko, please, I’ll be good. I promise!” Did- did I do something wrong? “I’ll eat the green stuff; I won’t complain again about-”
“Stop. I spoke clearly, leave, monster!” She was already turning around to leave. Naruto stood in front of the orphanage without words. He didn’t understand anything. I am not a monster, right?
The door slammed in his face, before the boy could say another word. Not that his mind came up with anything to say. This time he did hear the key lock the door.
Naruto didn’t cry. He was going to be a shinobi one day, and they do not cry. The child walked away from the orphanage, after waiting a while longer – or just around two hours – when it became obvious the doors weren’t opening anytime soon.
The night was surprisingly cold, he felt it when he was still indoors, but it was something else out here in the wild. He had never been allowed to wander the village on his own, let alone this late. The moon shone brightly over dark, chilly streets.
Naruto clutched his hands, wanting so much anyone or anything to hold on to, yet he had no one and he had nothing. He was sent out with the clothes he was wearing at that moment, and that was all. He didn’t have any other possessions anyway. He just really wished he could have said goodbye to his friends. Perhaps he would get to see them again, just not in their home.
Sadly, Naruto didn’t know what the word friends truly meant. If he did, he would never have called those children that. They wouldn’t miss him. That option hadn’t occurred to the naïve trusting child.
Naruto wasn’t especially perceptive, but he could already feel the glances aimed at him. He had never felt anything this cold before. He was always looked at with a glint of something he hadn’t ever understood, but nobody acted on it. What changed so suddenly?
Unbeknownst to the boy, the secret that only a handful of people should have kept had been revealed to the world. And the world wasn’t waiting for him to understand.
He was just an orphan yesterday, treated harshly but that was normal, wasn’t it? The matron did always berate him more than his peers, he did usually get the last piece of cake, and his clothes were often the wrong size… but why should he deem that to be anything more than what he deserved?
What warranted this new behaviour, the ‘ordinary’ orphan had no idea. Sure, he didn’t have parents, but he had Saniko and his trusty friends. Where are they now?
A man, perhaps in his late thirties, looked at him, “See that one? That’s the demon!”
That word again. Demon. What does it mean? I didn’t do anything bad! Naruto clutched at the empty air, his eyes remained low, not daring to see those looks the people gave him. He didn’t concern himself with the fireworks lighting up the skies.
“Hey there little monster!” Naruto flinched as a pair of hands tried to catch him, quickly darting away from the group that had started to form, “Catch him!”
Naruto was never this afraid. Shinobi shouldn’t be afraid! Still, he ran. His small body allowed him to slip in between the several hands reaching out for him. There were suddenly so many of them. They were all adults. Weren’t adults supposed to be nice?
Squeezing through a small hole in a fence between the buildings, he glanced back at his pursuers. Their anger would follow him long after they lost interest. His clothes gained several new holes as he scraped them on the metal fence, but he didn’t notice.
He ran for a long time. No matter where he arrived – it was the same. Everyone looked at him the same way. As if they all decided to make fun of him at the same time. This isn’t funny! Stop it, please! Naruto’s mind raced as he ran and he let it. He might have said some of those things aloud, though it didn’t seem anyone heard them. Or cared enough to hear them.
He wasn’t sure how he managed to escape. Although he had some close calls, which left him with several black-and-blue bruises that would normally take their time healing, he was glad to still be standing. He knew the bruises would be gone tomorrow anyway, they never stayed longer than that; well, only if he was especially naughty.
That pain however was the last thing Naruto was thinking about. Those words left a much deeper mark already. What did he do? He tried to be as good as he could be. Saniko told him if he was good, then he would get adopted. And Naruto tried, he tried so much. Yes, he was a little late for bed yesterday, but she didn’t seem to be angry about it. Perhaps it was that broken vase last month? He had apologized for that…
Naruto finally found a place quiet enough to block the sounds of the village, in a small alley on the outskirts. Wishing for that warm blanket, for the kind hand Saniko ruffled his hair with and for so many things he had taken for granted until now, he sat on the cold ground and with all his might hoped that he would wake up in his bed tomorrow surrounded by the people he loved so much. His mind overflowing with memories which felt already decades old, he had forgotten that today was his birthday. Too tired to think, the world faded to black without his agreement.
He didn’t wake up from this nightmare. The morning came unannounced, with nobody to wake him up. The small blob of blond messy hair was lying down, huddling by a concrete wall. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked around, still hoping deep down that none of this was real.
Sadly, reality doesn’t concern itself with the hopes of four-year-olds.
He just sat there, his thoughts the only thing keeping him company. And they sure weren’t nice. Why me? Why don’t they tell me what I did wrong? I really must have done something…
The alley was eerily quiet – Naruto hated this absence of sound, but it was still preferable to those cruel words. The stillness was broken only by the grumbling stomach of a hungry child. Naruto quickly realized he had nothing to eat, and worse he had no money to buy anything. Still, he stood up.
He wouldn’t let hunger beat him, believe it! And with steady steps, the boy walked to find something to eat.
It was a quick realization that yesterday’s anger was still present. The villagers looked at him as something unwanted, as a nuisance, yet Naruto clearly felt they were much calmer than the day before. The not-so-discreet looks were hurtful, yes, but they paled in comparison with the events of last night. Naruto wasn’t sure what was so special about his birthday that it would lead an angry mob to attack him but had no energy to ponder it.
The boy approached a stand with fruits and vegetables. Normally, Naruto would distance himself from something so overtly healthy (and green), but he couldn’t cook anything even if he had the tools for it. So, the fruits it was.
“Hello there, what would you- Oh, it’s you…” The clerk said with annoyance rather than hatred. Naruto considered that better.
“‘Scuse me, do you have anything for free?” His voice came out in bursts of air rather than as a sentence; he wasn’t sure what the reaction could be to such a question.
“Free? Do I look like a charity to you brat?”
“No, I- I‘m sorry…”
“Scram if you have no money, there are paying customers waiting.” There were only the two of them in the vicinity.
Naruto didn’t argue any further.
It took him most of the day to find something edible. Near a dumpster he found stale bread a restaurant had thrown out. At first, he was unsure if it was stealing or not – but his hunger was pretty convincing – it was not. Naruto made sure to wait until no one was around and then quickly snatched a few loaves. Nothing ever felt that good…
It was only late in the afternoon that he finally realized the extent of his situation. No one was coming. Why would they? He was an orphan. A hated orphan – whatever the reason may be. And it was at this time, in the same cold alleyway – the closest thing Naruto had to a home – he let it all out. His shoulders dropped, all the tension he was feeling suddenly too much for the child to bear. And what if Shinobi don’t cry? His will didn’t stop the tears. I just can’t… Making sure his cries wouldn’t attract unwanted attention, he made such noises that he already felt ashamed. “What did I do? I am so sorry…” He muttered to no one in particular. “Please, I will be good again- just please-” He muttered to everyone, yet no one heard it.
Except someone did.
Naruto closed his eyes again. Knowing he would remain in that same cold alley, which had sadly become the place he felt safest in – yet he didn’t feel safe at all.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sounds of the somewhat-distant bustling village were replaced with the flow of water. Is it raining? I can’t get wet!
However, as his eyes fluttered open, he wasn’t sitting on the cold earth. He wasn’t even sitting. He was standing in what appeared to be some sort of liquid. It looked like water, yet it was something else entirely. Something much more viscous. The thick liquid almost resembled honey at first, but as Naruto began to stir in this place the water moved with ease. Where am I?
Dark brown bricks surrounded him as he examined his surroundings. He appeared to be standing in the middle of some outstretched corridor, with several branching pathways, all leading to who knows where. How did I get here? What even is this place? He chose a random direction, with the hope that it would lead him out of here. No matter where ‘here’ even was, it sure as hell wasn’t a good place to be – considering the shivers that ran down Naruto’s spine.
The water swirled as Naruto took his steps, and- Huh, that’s weird. His legs weren’t wet. They did feel wet, but as he lifted them up, the moisture didn’t stick at all, almost as if it were never there.
It didn’t take long for Naruto’s eyes to acclimate enough for him to notice the rusty pipes running along the walls and the ceiling. Great, somebody threw me in a sewer. He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. The air was unpleasant, sulfuric and rotten, but it was not as bad as Naruto had imagined a sewer smelled.
The labyrinth – in which Naruto definitely didn’t get lost – suddenly opened, the hallway leading to a massive room. He walked forward and saw gigantic metallic columns spanning the width of the hallway. His small figure resembled an ant compared to those enormous beams. The expanse of the other side was so large Naruto couldn’t even see the ceiling. How did they build this under the village? How can it even fit there? And in the middle of the columns was… a gate? Why would someone build a gate between columns?
Unless… Those weren’t columns – but bars. If those gigantic rods were part of an even larger cage, then only one question remained. What could be kept behind them?
An answer came in the form of a mocking voice. “So, the little jailer has finally shown its pitiful face?” Naruto quickly started searching for the source of the earth-shaking noise. It was more of a tremor than spoken words. “Who’s there?” In comparison with the earlier sound, it was almost a whisper, although Naruto was sure he was shouting.
Two massive crimson-red eyes were gazing back straight into Naruto’s. “Pathetic. I have seen many humans but never noticed any that were this weak.”
“I am not weak!” Naruto snapped, even as the words felt hollow. He had no idea where to aim his remarks at, as he still couldn’t make out the shape of the creature he was speaking with. “Who are you?”
“You don’t even know who I am? Just how stupid are you really brat?”
“I am not-”
“Oh, but you are.” The interruption angered Naruto but he had no chance of shouting over the voice. That didn’t mean he didn’t try. “I know exactly what you are. A worthless monster. Not even the orphanage would keep you.” The something moved an inch closer, “A child that nobody wants.”
This time Naruto was quiet. He stopped, the sewer water faintly washing over his dry legs.
“Hit a nerve, did I?” The thing laughed behind the cage, “I have seen how they look at you. How much they hate you.”
“That- That’s not true! Saniko doesn’t hate me!”
“Doesn’t she? Wasn’t she the one who threw you out?” If Naruto could see through the darkness, he might have seen a wicked grin forming on the beast’s muzzle, “You think there is anyone left for you? There isn’t.”
“No! You are lying! What do you know? You are just some monster in a sewer. How do you even know about me anyway?”
Another terrifying laugh, “You really don’t know, do you?” It took a moment to think, then it continued, “Well, I won’t be the one to spoil that for you, at least not yet... If you really are as smart as you think, you will figure it out. But listen to this, little jailer, I am many things, but I am not a liar – and when I tell you that you are alone, I mean it.” Naruto could practically hear the satisfaction in those vile words.
“They will soon come back, and then you will see! Believe it!” Naruto said, determined, trying to ignore how his voice faltered for just a moment. He truly hoped the monster didn’t hear it.
“Oh? I am looking forward to that then.”
Soon after that, Naruto woke up, back in that cold empty alley. Was that a dream? It felt so real. He was glad it was just another nightmare; he had one yesterday, but it wasn’t nearly this disturbing. Thankfully he wouldn’t be hearing that monster again.
But no matter how much Naruto tried to forget, those words stayed in the forefront of his mind. Weren’t dreams supposed to be forgotten soon after waking up?! It didn’t matter, even if the monster was made up – he would show it that he wasn’t alone! Believe it!