Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I won't give away too much about where I plan on going with the story. Kurama will be a bit out of character and the shinobi might be a tad darker but other than that the world should be about 90% cannon compliant.

"Speech"

'Thought'

Oh and I don't own Naruto. That should be obvious I hope.

Final Warning: This story is rated Mature for a reason. If certain things like death, rape, torture and bad things happening to good people aren't your cup of tea please don't read.

**Chapter 1: Tragedy and Death **

Naruto Uzumaki hated the looks of scorn he received every day. He could practically feel the hate as they glared at him as he went about his day. Those that didn't glare at him ignored him completely as if his existence was something they wished they could ignore.

At the age of 11 he had one more year in the academy. He had hoped that he would have friends but it wasn't meant to be. At least he wasn't ignored. Some of the other kids weren't too bad but none of them were what he considered a friend. The girl of his dreams was in class but she hit him more often they she actually spoke to him.

Iruka-sensei wasn't bad, he was awfully strict but he did sometimes buy ramen for him. Ramen Ichiraku was the best place in the world and he loved to eat there every chance he got. The old man Teuchi actually treated him nice and Ayame-chan always smiled at him.

Sadly he didn't get to eat there too often. He didn't have a lot of money and he felt guilty eating for free. But he did go as often as he could and jiji treated him sometimes too. Right now as he walked back from his day at the academy he could feel those angry glares.

Sometimes he worried that they would take it further then glaring and making snide remarks. It had happened once, a drunken man had tried to attack him one evening but in a flash the man was gone and Naruto was unharmed. Naruto figured having ANBU watching him to curtail his pranks had an added bonus of dealing with any violent individuals.

What Naruto didn't know is that the ANBU protectors had saved his life on numerous occasions. If possible Naruto would have been tortured and kill many times over but the ANBU served the Hokage and regardless of their personal feelings they would fulfill their mission. This frustrated many of the citizens of Konoha who longed to lash out at the demon container.

Some had tried poison, others explosives or hurled weaponry but the ANBU guardians were a shield like no other. Most of the time the young jinchuuriki never even realized his life was in danger. It had gotten to the point that most of the shinobi and civilians who hated the 'demon brat' had given up on doing bodily injury.

That didn't deter them from making Naruto's life miserable. Shops sold him overpriced goods or spoiled food. Some refused to even take his business. The places that had originally tolerated his business were soon pressured to follow suit. All except the small ramen stand of Ramen Ichiraku.

This did not set well with those that hated Naruto and business had suffered. It wasn't until well into his last year at the academy that someone decided to arrange a more permanent solution to the demon loving father and daughter shop owners.

*****BREAK*****

Naruto was happily eating a bowl of miso ramen chatting away happily with the Teuchi and Ayame.

"I almost had Sasuke-teme in our spar. Well maybe not almost but next time I'm going to get him, believe it!"

Ayame laughed, "Why do you dislike him so much?"

"He's a bastard! All the girls are like 'Sasuke-kun this' and 'Sasuke-kun that.' I don't see what's so special about him anyway!"

Teuchi served another fresh bowl of ramen for Naruto. Naruto hesitated a moment but the kindly man said, "It's all right Naruto. We enjoy hearing your stories about the ninja academy."

Naruto gratefully helped himself to another bowl. He hadn't had breakfast or lunch since his pantry was empty. Naruto continued to chatter on until another man entered the ramen stand.

The man wore a chunin vest and had a burn scar across the lower part of his face. He glared at Naruto who ignored him and continued eating the food of the gods.

Teuchi frowned, "What can I get you shinobi-san?"

"Why do you let this wretch eat here?"

Teuchi narrowed his eyes, "Naruto is welcome any time. If you don't like it you can leave."

Naruto felt a warm glow radiate from his gut that had nothing to do with the food he was consuming.

"You're a disgrace to Konoha. How can you serve this demon spawn? If you keep doing this you'll go out of business… or worse."

Teuchi was angry now. The poor boy did nothing wrong. He hadn't asked to be given this curse and it was cruel how the village treated him.

"Get out now. You aren't welcome in my shop ever again."

The chunin smirked, "You're making a mistake Teuchi. A big mistake. I'll be seeing you."

The man left the ramen stand. Naruto was nervous, "Hey old man he isn't going to make trouble for you is he?"

Teuchi shook his head, "No Naruto some people just like to act big. There isn't anything to worry about just eat your supper."

Naruto did just that and soon he was lost in the comfort of a full belly surrounded by the few people he cared about. The young Uzumaki had never known what it was like to have a family but he figured this is how it would have felt like.

*****BREAK*****

Three days later Teuchi and Ayame were closing shop. They made their way home without incident but as soon as they stepped foot inside they were assaulted. There were three assailants and they struck with brutal efficiency for they were shinobi.

After they were tied and gagged them, the scarred chunin from the other day smiled wickedly at the pair. "I told you old man. You had plenty of warnings."

Teuchi yelled in his gag. The chunin took out a blade and pressed it against Ayame's throat. "So was it worth it ramen man? Was it worth feeding the demon?"

Teuchi was terrified. He loved his daughter more than anything. He vainly struggled in his bonds desperation giving him strength however it was futile.

Their captor pushed the blade down slightly drawing blood. Ayame had tears in her eyes; she had never been as frightened in her life.

One of the other captors said, "It sure would be a waste to just off her now. Can't we have some fun with her first?"

The chunin shrugged, "Fine but I'm not touching the demon loving whore. She might be infected with the fox's taint."

The lecherous grin on his companion made it clear he had no concerns. Teuchi screamed himself hoarse and struggled like a man men trying to free himself. The chunin laughed at kicked the helpless ramen chef. The chunin's kicks were designed to be painful but not outright kill the man.

Soon he was a crippled and broken man, forced to watch his only daughter be raped.

When they were done the chunin said. "All right let's kill them get out of here."

They simply slit their captive's throats and watched as they died. At that point in time both Ayame and Teuchi welcome death in order to escape the depravity of their captors.

*****BREAK*****

Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious. Word had reached him about Teuchi and his daughter. That they were targeted by those who hated Naruto was obvious. The killing intent from the Hokage tower reminded the village that he more than earned the title _Shinobi no Kami._

"I want them found and made an example of. They tortured and murdered two innocent citizens of the leaf!"

The Sandaime barked out orders and a full investigation was launched. Hiruzen vowed that he would have every single shinobi interrogated under Inoichi's supervision until he found the culprit.

'Oh Naruto how can I explain what has happened?'

His orders given Hiruzen sat at his desk, his head was bowed under the weight of responsibility. How could it have come to this? The Yondaime had wished for Naruto to be viewed as a hero and now the village had gone so far in the opposite direction that they had murdered a family just for associating with Naruto.

An ANBU entered into the office. "Hokage-sama, Naruto has been taken to the hospital."

Fear clutched the old Hokage's chest, "What happened?"

"Naruto saw the ramen shop had been closed down. He asked a villager what happened and… they told him."

Sarutobi sighed, "What is his condition?"

"Catatonic. He is completely unresponsive."

'The poor boy must be in shock. He needs to be around people he knows.'

"Tell Iruka to cancel class today and go to the hospital. I will go there now."

"Hai Hokage-sama."

*****BREAK*****

Naruto had learned of Teuchi and Ayame's fate. He had learned that it was because of him that they had died a horrible death. He had withdrawn into himself completely. He refused to face a world that could do this.

Inside Naruto's mindscape the Kyubi sensed something was different. He was still behind the accursed seal but it felt weaker somehow. Kurama pressed one of his claws against the bars and to his shock it passed right through. The seal was still there but he could move out of the cage!

Kurama was delighted. He could finally be free. He could wreck vengeance on all. But he did not. Not yet at least. Kurama was many things but he also possessed wisdom gathered from long years of life. He had been aware of the world through the eyes of the jinchuuriki that had imprisoned him.

One shinobi had enslaved him with the hated Sharingan. Another shinobi had sealed him. That shinobi's teacher was still alive and could probably seal him again. The current Hokage was also one who could do use that accursed seal. No, if he burst free now from his host he would thoroughly enjoy punishing the village for imprisoning him but he would soon be confined once more.

'But there is another way.'

Kurama tried to speak with Naruto in his mindscape but there was no sign of the boy. No response. It was like the boy was brain dead. With no one to interfere within the body of Naruto he took over. He looked out into the world with Naruto's eyes. He took control of Naruto's body and raised his hand.

'I can't use any of my own chakra or they will suspect something. For the time being I'll have to learn how to use Naruto's chakra.'

A nurse said something and he listened, "The patient has regained consciousness, bring the doctor in."

The doctor came in and asked some questions.

Kurama knew he had to pretend to be Naruto but he refused to be the ball of sunshine that Naruto showed the world. The death of two of his precious people would be perfect cover to become more serious and less idiotic. His response to the doctor's questions was minimal and listless.

After a few minutes the Hokage came in. Kurama had to force a vicious smirk from manifesting on his features. How he enjoyed the pained expression on the Hokage's face.

"Naruto I'm glad to see you awake."

"Jiji, is it true? Did they hurt them because of me?" Kurama was careful to use Naruto's speech mannerisms.

Hiruzen's face was absolute priceless. Such sorrow and remorse!

"We are still investigating the incident but I know we will find those responsible."

'Hmm clever old man. Let's up the ante a bit shall we?'

"Jiji I'm scared! What if they go after Iruka-sensei or you next? It's all my fault, it would have been better if I was never born."

The stricken look on Sandaime's face caused Kurama to cackle internally.

"None of that Naruto. What happened was a tragedy but it was not your fault. As for Iruka he is a shinobi and I am the Hokage. No one will harm us."

'And now I need to start forging a new identify.'

Kurama forced tears into the eyes of his host. "Even if I was there all I would have done was get in the way. I'm useless."

Hiruzen sighed, "Naruto you are still young. You aren't useless, I'm sure you will be a great shinobi."

"No you're wrong. I'm the dead last of the class. I barely understand the things Iruka-sensei talks about. I'm just a burden to you and everyone else." Kurama was enjoying himself but he had to be careful not to lay it on too thick.

'I hope this village hasn't scarred him for life. Kami please let Naruto recover from this tragedy.'

The Hokage tried again, "Naruto I know you feel useless after a tragedy but you will get past this. You will be a shinobi and everyone will come to see that in time. I believe it Naruto and deep down I know you do to."

Kurama internally rolled his eyes. The Hokages heartfelt garbage was starting to nauseate him. He debated with himself on where to take the conversation from here. If he was to use Naruto's body as his own to learn how to get around so many shinobi who had the use of fuinjutsu that could seal him again he would need to actually have this body become a shinobi. Based on his current skill set it was a dismal possibility. Something had to change and he needed a catalyst for it.

"Jiji… I want to believe but after today I don't know if I can. Is there some way I could get extra lessons? Just to catch up with the other kids?"

The Hokage in his guilt ridden state was anxious to grant such a request. He smiled at the boy and said, "Of course Naruto. I'll make sure you get extra training. I promise I'll do whatever I can to make sure you become a fine shinobi."

Kurama thought it was better just to cry and hug the old man that to actually thank the decrepit bastard. Surely those words would have stuck in his throat.

Shortly thereafter Iruka arrived on the scene.

"Naruto I heard you had collapsed. I'm glad you're awake now."

Kurama looked at Iruka saw the resemblance to one of the many villagers he killed while under the genjutsu. It was interesting that the instructor could see past the hatred for the Kyubi when so many other people couldn't. Kurama chuckled internally at the irony that the other villagers were now right and Iruka was the foolish one.

Naruto's normally shining cerulean eyes seemed so dull now. Iruka forced tears away from his eyes. Naruto had it bad enough and then to suffer this tragedy? It was too depressing for words.

He looked up and allowed his host's eyes to harden a bit with apparent determination. Iruka-sensei, jiji said I'm going to get extra training so I can catch up. I'm not going to let what happened to the old man and Ayame-chan happen to anyone again. I'm going to be a shinobi and protect the whole village." He looked down and said, "I'll even start paying attention in class."

Oddly enough the nine tailed fox had paid attention during academy instruction. Being behind a cage he had only his own thoughts for company. A window to the outside world was a blessing. The seal on the previous jinchuuriki had muted out all sight and sound could only pass through muffled. He would have to fake ignorance about a lot of things but to a being of his intellect it should be child's play.

Iruka forced a smile to his face and drove away the lump in his throat so he could speak. "Good Naruto. That's a promise that I think they would have respected."

Iruka and the Hokage stayed with Naruto awhile and Kurama became irritated with their presence. It was beyond aggravating to have to pretend to be a weak grieving little boy when he was the most powerful bijuu.

But for his freedom he would endure it. He would endure anything to avoid being trapped and caged like he had been for almost three lifetimes. He would master this shinobi art they call fuinjutsu and make sure he was never trapped again.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama was becoming more used to operating Naruto's body. Being a chakra construct he had no problems controlling his own abilities but the boy had atrocious charka control. In a real fight he would be dead until he used his own chakra and if that occurred he would be sealed again. He had to get stronger, not as the Kyubi but as Naruto.

He had been forced to spend time in the hospital under observation before he was allowed to return home. The boy's apartment was confining and he disliked it immensely but again he would endure. Kurama had been anxious to get started on making his host's body stronger but was keenly aware of the ANBU shadows that followed him everywhere.

His home provided some privacy. He knew that a certain clan could see through walls. There was a girl in his class from that clan and he did not feel a similar chakra signature among the ANBU outside of his apartment. Through his attention in the Academy classes Kurama knew about chakra control exercises as well as what was essential to taking care of a shinobi body.

He began by attempting the leaf exercise. He substituted paper in place of a leaf. It was slow going. Trying to use someone else's chakra made it difficult in the extreme. It would take time and patience to master Naruto's chakra network. All of the time trapped within his hosts had given the demon fox patience. He thought nothing of sitting there for hours trying to manipulate the piece of paper on his forehead with pure chakra.

The second thing he knew that was critical was the physical body itself. He needed appropriate exercise and nutrition. The exercise part was easy and in a desire for efficiency he began to use the leaf exercise while doing a variety of calisthenics. He also did pushups, sit-ups and lifted his Academy text books in repetition.

Nutrition would also be important. All of his hosts had been blessed with rapid healing due to his unjust confinement within them. Naruto would not die without proper food but his growth would be stunted and his body would be slower and weaker than it otherwise should have been.

The solution to this was obvious. Simply tell the Hokage that he didn't have food and that the store owners wouldn't let him purchase their food. And Kurama did just that. He walked to the Hokage tower and waited until he could see his 'jiji' and told him how hungry he was. He tearfully told the Hokage that it was only because of the ramen stand that he got regular meals and that he was terribly hungry.

Kurama couldn't help but laugh every time the Hokage had another look of utter sorrow plastered on his face.

'This is never going to get old.'

Naturally Hiruzen who was, still filled with guilt acted immediately. He took Naruto personally to get groceries and scared the owners out of their wits with a blast of killing intent promising retribution if he ever heard that they were overcharging or selling bad food to Naruto again. Kurama had to suppress laugher when he sniffed out the scent of urine. The terrified shop owner had wet himself under the Sandaime's wrath.

Kurama was careful to avoid acting out of character. Naruto didn't eat much beside ramen and cereal. He made certain to avoid picking any vegetables or fruit which made the Hokage comment on it.

"I never eat that stuff! It's gross!"

And thus another lecture about how if he wanted to be a shinobi he would need to fuel his body with appropriate foods. Kurama played the old man like a fiddle and solemnly agreed to do better and to eat well balanced meals in the memory of poor Teuchi and Ayame.

After their shopping trip the Hokage announced he would be back in the Academy the next day and his tutor would be waiting for him immediately after. When they parted company Kurama kept Naruto's expression locked. The ANBU were always watching and he refused to give them any reason to be suspicious.

It was a good start. His diet improved he had begun chakra control exercise and he was working on molding his host's body to that of a real shinobi. Keeping the mask up while dealing with pre-teens would tax even his patience.

'Hopefully the little brats won't be too irritating. Having my plans ruined because I ripped the arrogant Uchiha brat's face off would be pathetic.'

**AN: ** I hope you like the first chapter. My intention is to work primarily on my other story so updates may not occur very quickly. This is a fun side project though and I'm really enjoying writing Kurama. Feedback and reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: ** Enjoy!

**Chapter 2:** Academy

Kurama arrived at the Academy on time. He decided to stay quiet and withdrawn. If he was questioned about it by Iruka or the Hokage he would respond that he preferred not to have friends until he was powerful enough to protect them. Naturally Naruto didn't have any friends anyway but he couldn't see a possible conversation where they would bring up that point to him.

He chose a seat in the back of the class and waited for it to begin. The boisterous youth all around him set his teeth on edge but he allowed none of his inner frustration to show on his host's physiology. Particularly irritating was the rather loud argument that was going on by Sakura and Ino about who got to sit next to their precious Sasuke.

Kurama hated Sasuke like he hated every wielder of the Sharingan. Madara Uchiha had robbed him of free will and turned him into a slave to be used in battle. To this day it remained the worst of the injustices the greatest of the bijuu felt that he had suffered. Even the years of imprisonment were better than having his intellect and will stripped from him.

The class began and Iruka lectured on the nature of chakra. Kurama was only half paying attention as the discussion was designed for children. As Iruka continued to lecture Kurama enjoyed a nice day dream of ripping the raven haired Uchiha's head off. When Iruka called on him it was a surprise. Kurama replied back what had just been said and answered the question accurately but not fully.

"Yes that's correct Naruto; can you tell me why that matters?"

"Because it's going to be on a stupid test?" It would be something Naruto would have said. It was important to not make too many deviations from the personality those around Naruto were familiar with. The deaths of the few positive acquaintances that he had could be milked for a bit but a too sudden change without any of Naruto's personality shining through could rouse suspicion.

The class laughed as Iruka scowled and explained the full and correct answer.

Kurama inwardly snorted. The sensei would normally have yelled at Naruto but apparently he didn't want to upset the traumatized boy. The bijuu idly wondered if he should needle him until he did lecture Naruto only for Kurama to go into a near cationic state in response. It would be amusing to see guilt mar Iruka's scarred face.

'While amusing it could complicate training.'

The rest of the lesson was completed and it was time for physical training outside. Being children they were mostly excited about this, few liked sitting all day in a classroom. Outside they were made to do simple exercises and then it was time to practice kunai throwing.

The shinobi Academy marked every student's scores at practice. It would surprise many children to know the volumes of data the Academy instructors had on them. Already they were considering where to best place students and on what teams. Kurama wasn't aware of the extent of the data collection but he knew Iruka was recording results.

Several students struggled with hitting the targets accurately. Most of these students were born from civilian families. Kurama saw civilian after civilian score lower than pretty much every shinobi clan scion. Shikamaru Nara was the only one who failed that particularly exam and it was obvious to all he had failed to even try.

When it was Kurama's turn he threw the first kunai relying on Naruto's muscle memory. Off the mark. Kurama instantly knew what the problem was but did not bother correcting it on the second throw. Naruto's body was too excited and he had always pushed too much force in the throw instead of making sure it was accurate. On the third and final throw Kurama made the adjustment in power and the kunai struck the target a few inches off dead center.

'I'll need to get better than that.'

Kurama was unhappy that even when he had tried to hit dead center it wasn't perfectly accurate. The nine tailed fox was actually quite competitive. He had always liked taunting his fellow bijuu with the fact that he had more tails and thus more power. To know that he had tried to be perfect but come up short was galling but something that would be remedied soon.

In Iruka's eyes it was a vast improvement. Naruto typically grew more and more frustrated as he missed and only rarely turned his scores around after an initial failure.

"Good aim Naruto," he congratulated.

Kurama growled with disgust from inside Naruto's body as he made it ape the expected response.

"I will be the strongest shinobi Iruka-sensei, believe it! How else can I protect you and jiji?"

The Uchiha was up next and proceeded to hit the bull's-eye three times in rapid succession. Kurama saw Sasuke's eyes drift toward Naruto and the boy's lips curled slightly in a smirk.

The urge to kill the pompous Uchiha was quickly beaten down but it remained lingering under the surface. Kurama thought about arranging an accident for Konoha's precious 'last Uchiha.' Surely many rival villages wanted the boy dead. No that would be unwise. Kurama had a contingent of ANBU guards on him at all times. And likely Sasuke was also watched by the Hokage's elite black ops.

'But one day I will rid the world of that foul bloodline. I will not be chained again!'

His Hyuga classmate was playing with her fingers when Kurama walked past her toward the next station. She squeaked out a, "Good throw Naruto." Her voice was barely audible, he suspected that if it wasn't for the extra human senses that being a jinchuuriki had graced his host's body with he would not have heard the remark. Kurama chose to ignore the comment.

He thought about the shy Hyuga girl. She was a clan heir that had some strange desire for Naruto. Looking back at the memories at one point Naruto had helped her against some child bullies. A fragile connection but one that seemed to have made an impact on her. If Kurama desired to he could probably have Hinata do almost anything for him.

'Pity that she is so sickeningly weak.'

The Academy students were then put through an Academy based kata that they had previously memorized. Kurama knew that Naruto had memorized it wrong and had not been corrected by Iruka's assistant instructor Mizuki. Kurama could care less about receiving praise for doing such a basic fighting style kata correctly so he did not correct the incorrect blocks and movements he made through Naruto's body.

Like with the kunai accuracy practice it was clear that the civilian students were behind their clan counterparts. Their forms were sloppy and they lacked the crisp movements. Kurama was interested to see that Mizuki and Iruka didn't seem to put much effort in correcting more than one or two of them.

'It seems they have already written off half of the class as too incompetent for training. They will probably wash out of training even before the formal exams.'

Then it was lunch time. Kurama ate the well balanced meal efficiently. Before Kurama had taken over Naruto would often bother the pink haired weakling however Kurama would not follow that pattern. It would be within the character he was trying to portray. He would still act like Naruto did in some ways however on a grander scale he would be more withdrawn and cease attempting to befriend Sakura.

After lunch it was back to the class room for more theory. Learning about velocity and explosion radiuses was tiresome for most of the class but Kurama believed that fuinjutsu might be related to upper mathematics. He hid his interest by making Naruto's body fidgety. He looked around and several times shook himself and then looked at Iruka and the board. Kurama didn't write any notes, he was a bijuu and while his memory wasn't one hundred percent perfect, it was close enough. He would not forget what was said in the classroom and his more advanced mind was able to grasp the concepts easily enough.

The class was distracted when Kiba threw a paper ball at Ino's head. Ino snarled and turned around and shouted, "Naruto stop throwing things at me!"

Kurama eyed the blond haired girl and protested, "I didn't throw anything at you!"

Iruka turned around he had not seen who had thrown it. He looked at Naruto who was glaring at Ino and then he observed other students laughing in the back. Iruka was young but had already had experience teaching in the Academy and based on the expression on Kiba's face he was guilty.

"Kiba come up here and explain how to calculate the maximum distance of a thrown kunai using these variables."

Kiba let out a moan, "I don't know how to do that crap."

"THEN PAY ATTENTION!" Iruka shouted. Suitably chastised Kiba lowered his eyes and behaved the rest of the class.

Kurama chuckled internally. The mutt's embarrassment was far more enjoyable now that he was free and in control of Naruto's body. It surprised the nine tailed fox how much more interesting everything was now that he could interact with the outside world.

*****BREAK*****

"You want me to do what?"

The question was startlingly rude coming from a tokubetsu jonin as she addressed her supreme military leader.

The Sandaime puffed on his pipe and took no offense to the disrespectful query. Unlike other villages he tolerated his subordinates arguing with him. He was secure enough in his position and wisdom not to take such things as an affront.

"Anko I'm not asking for a great deal from you. Simply provide a few hours of supplemental training to Naruto."

Anko still had a hard time wrapping her mind around this.

"You want me to work with _children_? I don't have time to play babysitter!"

The old man smiled, "Hmm is that so? I could have sworn I heard you earlier say that there wasn't enough work to keep you entertained and that you would be eager to take on an extra mission."

"That was before I learned what it was!"

Anko grimaced and stared at the Shinobi no Kami. A point had been scored but the game wasn't over.

"Fine I do have the time but I'm completely unsuited for the task. I'm skilled at infiltration, assassination, interrogation and torture. I have never taught anyone anything!"

Hiruzen shifted his body and his voice changed into what many jonin called 'lecture mode.' He was known as the professor due to his vast knowledge of jutsu and for the habit of explaining the whys behind his decisions.

"Anko you are the perfect instructor. One, you don't have any animosity toward Naruto. In fact if I am reading you correctly you actually empathize with the boy as his circumstances are similar to your own. Two, you are a highly competent shinobi well versed in taijutsu. Three, due to your curse mark you have learned to become highly aware of your own charka and your control is similar to that of a genjutsu specialist or a medical nin. Four, I trust you. Five…"

Anko put her hands up. "All right, enough. I'll do it."

On the surface Anko looked put out but inside she was quite pleased. Not about training Naruto. That was going to be pain. No she was happy that her Hokage trusted her. Distrustful looks and angry comments was the norm for her life. Only a few got along with her. Ibiki was a hard ass but he also trusted her. Gai was always friendly but he annoyed her. Kurenai was her only true friend and confidant. To have the Hokage voice the trust he had in her did much for her morale.

He gave her his best grandfatherly smile, "Thank you Anko. Remember he is still in the academy and his psyche may be fragile. Go easy on him at least for now."

Anko nodded. She had her sadistic tendencies but Sarutobi had read her correctly she did have a small soft spot in her heart for Naruto. If their training partnership lasted long enough she would show a bit of her sadistic side but for now he was still a kid who had been royally screwed by the village he served… just like her.

*****BREAK*****

After more classroom instruction the final part of the day was ahead of them. Sparring.

Many in the class enjoyed it. The shinobi arts drew competitive spirits. The two loudest tended to be Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki. Others kept silent but were just as eager, Sasuke being chief among them. It was obvious to Kurama the boy yearned to prove himself.

Not everyone was as eager. Kurama observed Hinata looking even more nervous than normal. Choji never enjoyed sparring, always afraid of hurting someone. Shikamaru was just lazy and didn't care.

This time Naruto was not his normal boisterous self. Instead Kurama showed the world a studious and determined Naruto who had a fire in his eye. This didn't go unnoticed.

Ino smirked at the boy, "Finally realize you aren't good enough?"

Kurama considered a few different ways he could kill the girl. Squeezing her neck as she slowly suffocated could be fun. Burning with fire had always been a favorite though. Though really, if she upset him enough to throw away his plan and kill indiscriminately she would be dead in a moment as he ripped her head off.

Luckily for the young Yamanaka he did not lose his temper.

Instead he responded steadily, "I'm not good enough. Not yet. But I will be."

Ino snorted, "Yeah right."

Further conversation was cut off as the first bout began. Each student would fight one on one with a randomly chosen student. Kurama doubted it was truly random but there wasn't an obvious rhyme or reason. He watched impassively as Sasuke demolished Hinata. Each fight would last for two minutes or three successful blows were struck. Sasuke's match had only taken 10 seconds.

Naruto's pink haired obsession managed to eke out a win against a civilian boy. And then it was Naruto's turn. He was to face Shino.

Shino tilted his head politely and the match was on. Kurama predicted the boy's first blow and brought up his arms win a sloppy block. A more precise block would have allowed a devastating counterattack but instead Shino followed it up with a combination of kicks to the mid section. Kurama saw the attack coming and stepped into Shino's space and delivered a punch that looked more at home in a civilian tavern then in a shinobi school.

The boy was in an awkward position as his kick was now useless and a punch was screaming toward his face. Shino was not phased and brought his hand up sharply deflecting the punch. He brought his leg down behind Naruto's and pushed forward. It wasn't the most elegant attack but it was effective as Naruto fell backwards from the push and the leg behind him.

Kurama had expected that but what he hadn't expected was to feel pain.

'I have never felt my host's pain as my own? What is going on?'

He lay on the ground and thought it through. Never before had a host's personality and mind completely dissipated. By controlling the host without his own chakra driving it he could actually feel what the hosts felt, not as an intellectual concept but as a physical one!

As his mind rapidly considered the pros and cons of this the crowd of kids was getting restless. Kiba shouted, "Get up loser!"

Kurama got to his feet. One point had been awarded to Shino. Kurama decided to give them a bit of classic Naruto. He sprinted forward at Shino and launched himself in the air in a flying kick. The kick could have worked if his opponent was bad. Or maybe if he hadn't launched himself so early. As it was Shino had no difficulties in side stepping the attack and punching Naruto solidly in the ribs as he flew past.

Kurama managed a graceful enough landing but another point had been scored. Kurama continued the act. He pointed at Shino and said, "I'm going to win, believe it!" Kurama couldn't wait to end the little charade but for now a few words and a few idiotic gestures would prevent suspicion.

Shino remain stoic and kept his guard up. Kurama glided forward and used a basic set of Academy kicks that were near enough on point that prevented Shino from ending it immediately. Shino's blocks were textbook and provided no openings. Kurama attempted a leg sweep that Shino narrowly avoided. As Shino was on his back foot from the dodge Kurama decided to see if he could actually score a point.

The body was Naruto's. The recent change in diet and exercise wasn't going to make much of a difference yet. The muscle memory was Naruto's as well. But the intellect was far different. Kurama knew what he had to work with and while it wasn't much it was enough for a minor victory.

Kurama exploded forward propelling himself from the ground. Unlike his earlier ill timed flying kick this was a surprise. To his credit Shino still had his guard up but dodging wasn't possible. Naruto led with his forearms and slammed into Shino's guard. Shino was surprised by the sudden collision and hit the ground hard while Kurama was able to roll over Shino and come back up standing.

The attack wasn't elegant and in a real battle all it would take was the enemy to lash out with a kunai to make it a bad idea but it had worked. Naruto had a point and the crowd was surprised. Naruto nearly always lost.

Shino wasn't distressed and simply got up and went on the offensive. A few sloppy blocks lead to a kick to a knife hand to the mid section and the match was over Shino had won with about 30 seconds to spare.

Kurama paid attention to the next bouts but little of interest occurred. The day was coming to a close and Kurama was pleased with his actions. He hadn't murdered any the vermin and had maintained his cover. He would slowly change the perceptions everyone had of the boy. He would not tolerate being dead last. He would need to rise through the shinobi ranks at a decent clip. Kurama desired to find the jutsu and knowledge needed to never again be trapped with fuinjutsu or enslaved by the Sharingan. Once he had that… well then he could truly balance the scales and vent his fury.

**AN: **I did warn you updates would be very slow! I'd love to hear any thoughts and comments you have about chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3: Anko

**AN: **Warning this story does have a M rating for a reason. If you are squeamish about torture scenes this might make you a bit uncomfortable.

**Chapter 3: Anko **

Anko was easily able to spot Naruto when the Academy students were dismissed. He wasn't much to look at. He was shorter than most of the rest of his class with messy hair and a hideous orange jumpsuit. He moved slowly and looked around searching for his new instructor.

She let him look for a bit while the crowd of kids dispersed and then she approached him.

"You must be Naruto. I am Anko Mitarashi your new trainer!"

Kurama looked up at the instructor the old man had found for Naruto. Her slightly too loud and enthusiastic voice annoyed him immediately. He studied her without making it obvious and his second impression was slightly better. The woman's muscles were lean and well honed. She carried herself with an easy grace that spoke of her abilities. There were a shocking number of weapons hidden on her person. The Sandaime had found a competent instructor. That was good; it meant it would be less surprising when he began to improve rapidly.

"Hey Anko I hope you are strong."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because if you aren't strong someone will kill you because you are training me."

Anko laughed, "Kid you don't have to worry about that. Didn't I already tell you my name is Anko Mitarashi?"

Kurama honestly couldn't recall the name. Torture and Interrogation specialists didn't hang around the academy and it wasn't like villagers gossiped with Naruto.

"Um… so I guess you're strong?"

Anko stared at him for a few seconds and then slumped, "Wow I guess you really haven't heard of me."

Kurama wasn't certain if kunoichi was seriously dejected or if she was play acting.

Mitarashi remained that way for a few moments but then smiled.

"I am the beautiful, deadly and amazing Anko Mitarashi! You don't have to worry about anyone harming me because I'm training you. I am a tokubetsu jonin and a damned scary one too. I eat A rank missions for breakfast and no one dares mess with me. Now follow me."

Anko broke out into a light run that Kurama followed after a moment. The run didn't last long, in about 10 minutes they were in one of the training fields that wasn't currently being used.

"You got some stamina, good."

Kurama smirked internally. Naruto's body had stamina only because a bijū was inside of him. If it wasn't for that the malnourished child probably would have been panting and wheezing. But that would soon change; the steady diet and conditioning would make his host's body strong.

"All right kid let's see what you got. Try to hit me."

Kurama considered how Naruto would react and decided that he probably would have accepted the offer and attacked. And so he did just that. He led off with a Naruto style punch, essentially an academy punch but with far too much force and weight behind it as he threw his entire body into it. Anko easily slipped away from the punch.

Before Kurama could continue Anko ordered him to stop.

"What the hell was that? Are you training to be a shinobi or a drunken civilian in a bar?"

Kurama inwardly chuckled at her comment.

"What are you talking about? I'm going to be a strong shinobi, if that punch would have hit you would have gone down."

Anko suppressed a sigh and maintained her jocular façade. Honestly trying not to smack the ignorant kid was getting hard. That punch was useless and he was trying to defend it!

"All the power in the world isn't going to help if you can't actually make contact. And a punch like that could be dodged easy. Do you know why?"

Kurama shook his head though he knew full well that the attack was too obviously telegraphed.

"Because your arm said it was going to punch. Your shoulder said it was going to punch. Your entire body told me before your fist was even on its way that it was going to punch."

Kurama stared blankly at his trainer.

Only her infiltration and covert training prevented Anko from grinding her teeth.

"I am telling you that you made it obvious. And since you made it obvious I could avoid it."

"Oh why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Anko forced her facial muscles to relax and calmed the urge to strangle the runt.

"Let's just move on. Your next problem is that because you brought your arm backwards the blow was too slow. When you punch you never pull back, the extra power isn't worth the loss of time. Here I'll show you."

Anko punched the air swiftly; she kept the speed slow enough so the pre-genin's eyes could see it. Her shoulder had barely moved but there was obvious power behind the blow.

"Yeah but I bet you would have more power if you pulled your arm back like I did."

Kurama laughed as the jonin tried to hide her anger. Kurama was amused how irritated he was making her. In fairness if he wasn't a bijū and was actually an Academy student he would never have been able to tell. She was quite good at controlling her facial muscles and her eyes.

"Unless you're Tsunade of the Sannin or an Akimichi forget about brute force. A shinobi strikes with precision. A fast punch that connects is worth a 1,000 of your punches that will never hit."

Kurama continued to bait her.

"Yeah but if did hit it would be awesome."

Anko stared at him for a few moments before finally saying, "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way Naruto. You wanted extra training and I am going to give it to you. Try my way and I guarantee you that your Academy spars will go better."

Kurama decided he had enough amusement for now and nodded his head.

Anko smiled brightly and began having Naruto practice punches that were focused more on speed than on power. After about 20 minutes she was pleased with his progress and moved on to working with his kicks. They finished their first hour together going over basic combinations with his new repertoire of punches and kicks.

"Using these types of attacks will improve your taijutsu and they make up the basic building blocks for the rest of the moves I'll be showing you. Time to see how well you can mold chakra. Make a Bunshin for me."

Kurama actually couldn't make a regular Bunshin even if he wanted to. The minuscule amount of chakra required to perform it was too small to measure out. Other jutsu could be overloaded with chakra with minimal implications. If he overloaded a Kawarimi for example it would just created an excess amount of smoke and noise. But if you overloaded a Bunshin it produced clones that couldn't hold themselves together.

Kurama did as was asked and slowly formed the ram, snake and then tiger seal. The clone appeared next to him about 10 shades paler then it was supposed to and immediately dropped to the ground and then like a deflated balloon began to shrink in on itself and then dissipate.

The violet haired woman quirked an eyebrow, "Try that again."

Kurama did so with no better results.

"Again."

Failure.

"Again."

Failure.

"Again."

Failure.

Kurama was starting to grow annoyed with the woman. Couldn't she tell that this wasn't working?

After a dozen attempts she finally said, "You are using way too much chakra. Did Iruka go over the leaf exercise with you yet?"

Kurama thought back into Naruto's memories. Yes he had though Naruto hadn't paid much attention.

"I think so but I don't remember it too well."

"That's fine. We are going to use a variation of it that might be a bit easier anyway."

Anko took a leaf from a nearby tree and had Naruto hold his palm out. She placed the leaf on his hand and said, "The easiest place to channel chakra is your hands. They are the most tactile part of your body; they are your primary means of interacting with the world. I want you to focus your chakra on your hand so that the leaf gently rises up."

In the last few days Kurama had been practicing the standard leaf concentration exercise. He hadn't made much progress and that was reflected here as the leaf suddenly launched into the air.

Anko laughed, "You have some power there kid but like your punch we need you to learn control."

Kurama copied Naruto's mannerism and rubbed the back of his head with his hand in faux embarrassment.

His instructor grabbed a handful of leaves and handed them to Naruto. "Practice with these at least an hour a day. Once you've mastered that we'll move on to channeling chakra into other parts of your body like your forehead and eventually your feet."

"OK I can do that."

"We'll meet tomorrow after your classes. See you then kid."

Anko disappeared in a whirl of leaves leaving Kurama alone. Well not exactly. Kurama knew that four ANBU still trailed him everywhere he went. Since the murders of the ramen stand owners more skill ANBU stalked him. He knew there were four but one of them would sometimes be completely gone from his enhanced senses. And so Kurama dutifully practiced for about 30 minutes and then stopped working on his chakra control and began working on his punches and kicks. Naruto grew bored easily and this was perfectly in character in Kurama's mind. Once he returned to the dingy apartment he would make up for lost time with chakra control.

*****BREAK*****

Anko stormed into the Torture and Interrogation compound. Her colleagues saw that she was in one of her moods and wisely kept their distance.

"Ibiki, tell me we have someone to torture today!"

Ibiki Morino the head of Konoha Intelligence Division was the only one in the building not intimidated.

"Yeah we have a couple of small timers that need to be roughed up a bit. Not important though, they'll crack in a few days anyway."

"Do you need them alive afterwards?"

Ibiki shook his head. Spies, even incompetent and relatively harmless ones were rarely allowed to live.

"Good, I'll be out in a few hours."

Ibiki nodded. He didn't take pleasure in his work like Anko did. Some would find her joy in the breaking of another person as disturbing but he knew individuals performed better when they did something they loved.

She took the key to the cell and glanced at the file. Ibiki allowed her to do what she wanted as long as she got results. She would need to be sure to get the information while she had her fun.

Anko opened the door of the cell revealing a petite female. The girl was relatively attractive though she didn't have many curves. She had been sleeping with a chūnin and trying to ferret out information. When her questions started to rouse suspicion the chūnin informed the T&I division and they came and picked her up.

The initial questioning revealed little except that the little mole was a bad liar.

She entered the cell that held the girl who went by the name Margi. The girl wasn't a shinobi so her hands had not even been restrained.

Anko wasted little time and grabbed the terrified girl by the hair. She shoved her face first into the wall. She hissed in her ear, "Tell me who sent you."

The panicked woman lied, "N-no one. I m-moved here and wanted to find a good shinobi who could provide for me. My family is poor and…"

Anko took out a kunai and placed it against her captive's cheek. She let it bite into her skin. The girl tried to jerk away but Anko's grip was firm. The cut wasn't terribly deep but it hurt and it would hurt worse as Anko put more force behind it pushing the kunai up hard against the cheek bone.

The girl sobbed in terror and Anko licked her lips. It wouldn't take much more to break her. Too easy.

"Tell me who sent you."

"Oh Kami I swear no one did. I just moved here to find a good shinobi who could provide…"

The kunai ripped down her face a couple of inches scarring the once pretty girl.

She shrieked with pain and her legs tried to collapse but the torture specialist easily held her up by her hair.

"Tell me who sent you."

"STOP I'll tell you please just stop."

Anko grinned.

'What a weakling.'

"Talk," she snarled.

Margi informed her that she had been approached by a man with money. She knew he was from another village but didn't wear a forehead protector. He wanted to know information about the village. Margi told Anko that the man specifically wanted to know about any missions that involved shinobi going to **Kaze no Kuni** (Land of Wind). The man had given her a cover story, that of a woman looking to settle down with a shinobi. After she got as much information as she could in three months she would be contacted and could leave with enough money to avoid working or be dependent on anyone.

Once Anko had gotten all of the information that she needed she hoisted the girl back up by the hair.

"I told you everything, no more please!"

Anko smirked. "I believe you."

Screams echoed through the cell and down the hallway for the next thirty minutes.

"I suppose I better go make the report."

Anko left the girl sobbing. It was always amusing causing pain after her victims had confessed all they knew. Occasionally she liked to pretend that she didn't believe them. The frantic pleadings were so fervent because they still had hope she would stop if only they could get her to believe. But most of the time she just enjoyed seeing the horrified realization that had been etched onto Margi's face. The hopelessness of knowing that there was nothing in the world that could make the pain stop against the evil bitch who was carrying it out.

After she left the cell she reported in to Ibiki.

"We have a description of the person who sent her but it was likely a shinobi under a Henge. The little shit didn't know anything else including why they were interested in learning about missions to Suna territory."

Ibiki knew that the Wind Daimyo had sent business to Konoha that normally would have gone Sunagakure. Agents from Suna could be doing anything from trying to understand the scope of the mission they were losing to actively trying to ambush Konoha shinobi undertaking those missions. Hell it could even be a false flag operation by one of Suna's enemies. They just didn't have enough information to work on.

"Good to know. What's with your mood today?"

Anko sighed, "Babysitting duty on orders from the Hokage. I have to train the kyubi container. I feel for the little guy but his mouth makes me want to knock his teeth out."

Ibiki chuckled, "I see so you decided to come in even though you weren't on shift to relieve some stress?"

Anko winked, "Got it in one boss man. It's almost as if you're good at reading people or something."

Ibiki waved off her playful banter. "All right I'll have the prisoner executed. Why don't you go blow off steam doing something normal."

She shook her head, "Not my style. I'll go back and finish the prisoner. I'll deliver her body in about five or six hours."

Ibiki simply nodded but Shinobu Mibu stood up. "What is wrong with you? You have all of the information you need, give her a clean death."

Shinobu was a chūnin who had recently joined the Intelligence Division. He was brave and still slightly naïve despite having been in the shinobi world for a few years doing missions. He still thought that Konoha was as pure and decent as their propaganda said they were.

Anko looked at him incredulously, "Ibiki are you seeing what I'm seeing? Did this little chūnin just try to defend a known spy? Do you think he might be in cahoots?"

Shinobu took a heavy swallow, "That's insane. I've severed Konoha for years I would never betray the will of fire!"

Anko sashayed towards him and Shinobu flinched slightly as her hand touched his face. "Did she seduce you too? Are you weak to that form of persuasion? Should I interrogate you next?"

The chūnin was growing more and more alarmed. He kept sending nervous glances at Ibiki's impassive face.

Ibiki finally interrupted saying, "Enough Anko. Stick to terrorizing our actual enemies."

"No fun at all Ibiki, I wasn't going to hurt him… much."

Shinobu sat back down and didn't say another word as Anko merrily whistle down the hall to Margi's cell.

Margi looked up and saw her tormentor.

"I don't know anything more. I swear. I swear. Please just let me go."

She laughed at her prisoner, "How stupid are you? You attempted to spy on our village your sentence is death."

Margi collapsed into sobs. Anko simply watched her. After a few minutes the girl finally stopped crying and she looked up.

"OK… do it. I won't fight, just please make it quick."

Anko struggled to keep a straight face.

"Make it quick? Oh you stupid little girl. I don't plan on leaving this cell for a long time."

Margi's eyes widened and Anko could see the whites clearly. She stumbled away from Anko. Utter terror in her eyes. Anko drank it in and Margi saw the shimmers of insanity in Anko's brown eyes.

Margi began to scream as Anko approached.

When Anko began the screams grew shriller and echoed the halls and into Shinobu's ears. But that wasn't what disturbed him most. What scared the chūnin was Anko's laughter.

*****BREAK*****

Kurama practiced his chakra control while he thought about the day. He had felt pain. His host's pain not his own. He was no stranger to pain. The previous binding while within Kushina had been hellish. But he had never felt his host's pain before why would he feel it now?

After more thought Kurama eventually decided that it was a symptom of his unique situation. He had never actually lived as a jinchuriki before. While he was a passive observer he felt none of Naruto's pain or pleasure. While he was in control Naruto's senses now became his senses. He could feel pain as well as comfort. It was unsettling but interesting. It was unique and with as long as Kurama had been alive he found that unique experiences were appealing.

Kurama had no desire to live out the life of Naruto any longer than necessary but perhaps it wouldn't be as aggravating as he first thought. After his chakra control exercises and daily conditioning within the safe confines of his apartment he ate his nutritious meal. Taste was something he had never noticed but now the flavors made him smile.

'As much as I am finding delight in this I know that it is a double edged sword. Will I encounter food that I find distasteful?'

Kurama wasn't sure but opted to see if he could mask the sense of taste. He could not. He shrugged, compared to the torturous bindings he had suffered through the occasional pain, malodorous smell or foul tasting food would not be a concern.

What was a concern was getting stronger. Private tutoring, a renewed desire to get stronger in order to protect people and a better diet would all allow him to rapidly gain strength and ability without suspicion. Kurama smiled as he practiced the kicks and punches Anko had shown him. Everything was going according to plan.

*****BREAK*****

The next day at the Academy was much the same as the previous one. Kurama play acting Naruto attempting to pay attention. He ignored most of the other children's barbs and fondly thought of ripping them to pieces. He fondly fantasized about murdering them in ever increasingly painful ways.

It wasn't just the ones that taunted him that aggravated the bijū. Choji's chip eating was incessant and drove him to distraction. But beyond the petty annoyances and barbs the one person the nine tailed fox wanted to kill was the Uchiha. Oh the arrogance and smug confidence was irritating but that didn't truly gall Kurama. No what galled him were those eyes that held the potential to enslave him. He, the greatest of all the bijū could have his mind subjected to a mortal's whim.

As his fury grew so did his resolve not to break cover. He would keep up the charade. After class his personal tutor met him for practice.

"All right gaki did you work on your chakra exercises."

Kurama gave nodded and said, "I did. Can I learn some really strong jutsu now?"

Naruto had paid little attention in class until it came time to discuss jutsu. Naruto had always been disappointed by the type jutsu he was taught in the academy. He wanted flashy powerful jutsu. Kurama would keep up the act.

Anko rolled her eyes, "You kids think a powerful jutsu is all you need to be a shinobi."

"Well yeah."

Kurama could tell his Naruto acting was annoying Mitarashi despite how effectively she was hiding it. It was fast becoming his favorite game. Could he get his tutor riled up enough to lose it?

The young torture specialist was getting annoyed but would have been shocked to learn that anyone could have sensed it.

Anko's hand moved in a blur and a senbon flew straight into Naruto's shoulder. Kurama had seen the attack coming but could have done little to stop it without pulling on his own chakra. The separation in speed and power between an Academy student and an experienced shinobi was vast.

"Ow that hurt!"

She smiled at him, "Don't be a baby it's not any worse than a needle."

'When the brat slumps down unconscious I'll give him the antidote and he'll be revived and see just how deadly a simple needle can be. Stupid brat carrying on about jutsu when he would be dead in a second against a real shinobi.'

It was a lesson she had planned, though it had come up sooner than today than she had expected. It might shake up the boy a bit but the Sandaime wouldn't be too annoyed. After all it wasn't like she was using an actual lethal poison.

The problem was that Naruto wasn't falling down. Kurama chuckled inside as he felt the knockout drug attempt to work. Not even the real Naruto would have fallen down from it – the chakra flowing through his body powerful enough to prevent the venom for working. He wasn't immune to all poison but it would take more than that to lay him low.

"So are we going to train or what?"

Anko blinked and mumbled something under her breath that made the fox demon snicker from inside his host.

The kunoichi knew that jinchuriki had superior vitally but didn't think it would negate the knockout drug. Her plan foiled she decided it was time for petty revenge.

'All right you stupid brat this will show you…'

"I think it's time I tested the knowledge you learned in the Academy."

Kurama couldn't help but be amused at Anko's reaction. He was fairly certain that she hadn't planned on lecturing Naruto for the next couple of hours. But since she had been thwarted earlier she was now attempting to irritate and torment Naruto with even more 'boring' training. His esteem of her actually went up, she was quite amusing really.

"What? You're supposed to train me and make me strong! Don't turn into Iruka-sensei nooo!"

She laughed at the boy's tantrum.

"Knowledge is the route of all power so I'm going to make sure you have all the knowledge you need!"

And so two hours passed with Anko picking the most boring subjects to review. How was chakra paper made? Well it was made by special trees that had to be carefully cultivated. There were two camps on the best way to care for those trees. One school of thought said that the trees should be pruned regularly to better conserve the chakra at the core and they were opposed by traditionalists who believed it should grow as naturally as possible. Anko discussed the pros and cons of each method and… on and on she droned.

Kurama couldn't help but be impressed. You really had to work to be that boring and somehow she was content in boring herself just to watch the frustration Kurama allowed to appear on Naruto's face.

'Of all the pathetic villagers here I think I hate her the least.'

**AN: **Anko works for the T&I department and loves her job. So yeah – she's a sadist. Orochimaru really screwed her up. I worked a bit on the torture scene. I wanted to make people discomforted but I also didn't want it to be gratuitous. I ended up rewriting most of what I had put down originally. I'm open to making minor modifications based on feedback.

As always please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Getting Stronger

**AN: **Thank you for the reviews – I appreciate them!

**Chapter 4: **Getting Stronger

The next day brought with it another painful day at the Academy. The classroom was full of little annoyances. The clan children each had some characteristic that aggravated him. But it wasn't they alone who were the issue. In fact in some ways the civilians were a good deal more annoying.

One civilian boy was the Uchiha wannabe. The waste of space styled his hair like Sasuke, he watched Sasuke and mimicked his taijutsu and even tried to throw shuriken and kunai like Sasuke. It was well and truly pathetic. The boy's name was Noburu and Kurama decided that he would consider him an honorary Uchiha when he eventually exterminated the filthy bloodline. If he wanted to act like an Uchiha he could die like one.

Even though it had only been a couple of days his sparring match against the Uchiha wannabe went fairly well. Kurama held back in the fight. While his strength and speed were inferior his superior senses could compensate for that. His fighting stances and forms were deliberately sloppy compared to the absolute precision that his superior mind would have let him perform at. Instead he got in a solid kick to the boy's ribs and a punch to the shoulder before getting hit by the boy for the third time. He lost but knew he could have won.

Noburu took his win silently just like Sasuke typically did. He even walked away in the same arrogant fashion. Kurama vowed that next time he would beat the little shit bloody. As the pretend Naruto took his place with the other kids the Hyuga girl fumbled with her hands and finally shyly looked at him.

"Y-you d-did a good j-job Naruto!"

Kurama looked at the weak girl and wondered what Naruto would have said. It was quite rare for him to be complimented by his peers. No, not just rare, it never happened. He decided to go with sullen but determined.

"No I didn't, I lost."

The young heiress looked taken aback until Naruto continued.

"But I will win. I'm going to get stronger and then I'll make sure no one will be able to harm my friends again."

Kurama rolled his eyes internally, Naruto didn't have any friends. But it sounded good and fit with the overarching view he wanted Konoha to have of Uzumaki.

Finally the Academy day was over and it was time for Kurama to have his daily training with his tutor.

Anko was munching on some dango when Kurama made it to the training ground.

"All right shrimp now that I filled your head with knowledge let's do some more work on your fighting stance."

Kurama did as instructed and the session was productive. While Kurama could learn on his own perfectly fine it was helpful to have a 2nd set of eyes. Anko knew her business and the attacks she was showing Naruto were not from the Academy style. They were focused more on striking fast and at vital points or nerve clusters.

"These attacks are all weird like. None of the Academy sensei does it like this."

And the day had started so nice Anko thought. The little brat was actually being cooperative and then he had to open his big mouth.

"Well gaki the attacks are different because I'm teaching you a different fighting style. Has the Academy taught you about different fighting styles yet?"

Kurama did recall some talk about it. The Academy taught the Academy fighting style which was primarily basics that were aimed at incapacitation instead of killing. There were other styles Iruka had mentioned. The **Juken** (Gentle Fist) was what Hyuga clan used. The **Goken** (Strong Fist) was another fighting style and the other fighting style he could recall learning about was the **Saru no Ken **(Monkey's Fist) that the Hokage specialized in.

The Gentle Fist style was graceful and focused on using chakra to disrupt an opponent's chakra network as well as cause internal damage. The Strong Fist style was about hard and fast attacks. It was primarily an offensive style that took advantage of speed and power to deliver devastating attacks that could break bones. The Monkey's Fist was focused on grappling attacks. Kurama knew all of this but it wouldn't fit Naruto's profile to remember all of that.

"Um yes. Some styles are about kicking and others are about punching."

Anko struggled not to twitch. She kept a calm and peaceful façade that didn't fool Kurama for a moment.

"I guess I'll have to explain the major fighting styles to you…"

Anko basically said the same thing that Kurama had been thinking except she also added in the style she used.

"I use the **Hebi** (Snake) style. The focus of the style is to strike quickly and lethally. It is about precision rather than brute force."

"So it's like the **Juken** (Gentle Fist) but without the cool chakra blocking thing."

Anko shook her head.

"Not the same at all. The Hebi style is so much more. It is about blocking and attacking slightly slower than your precision attack. It is about using your eyes and body to send false signals to the enemy. It is about using your whole body and making it as limber as possible. We've barely scratched the surface kid!"

Anko saw Naruto looked doubtful, "I think Goken might be better because it has the word strong in it."

'Must not kill my student. Must not kill my student.'

She forced a smile and replied, "I don't teach that style so you'll just have to take my training and you can always change styles in the future."

Kurama laughed from deep within his hosts psyche. She was practically quivering with rage. Most shinobi could tell but it still remained doubtful an Academy student would pick it up.

"Fine but you still need to teach me a good jutsu!"

"And by good jutsu I assume you mean a ninjutsu?"

"Yeah! Like how to breathe fire like Sasuke-teme!"

"Most shinobi don't learn their chakra affinity until they are chūnin and you aren't even a genin yet."

"Chakra affinity?"

Anko rubbed her forehead, "I know by now they would have taught you about chakra affinity! It's part of the theory in the 2nd year."

Kurama scratched his head embarrassingly. "I must have forgot."

Kurama hadn't forgotten but the actual Naruto had fallen asleep.

Anko sighed, "You need to go back through your Academy texts and learn about it. And no I won't be teaching you elemental ninjutsu. When you have become proficient on the basics of the Hebi style and you have better chakra control I might, maybe, just possibly teach you a ninjutsu. But it won't be how to breathe fire!"

Kurama kicked the ground dejectedly pantomiming what the real Naruto would have done. Kurama was curious to see what Naruto's affinities would be. Katon jutsu was most common in **Hi no Kuni** (Fire Country) but that didn't guarantee anything. With the amount of chakra in Naruto's body ninjutsu would be a strong weapon. Many shinobi could only use a few ninjutsu before becoming exhausted. That would not be a problem for Kurama.

For the rest of the day they worked on chakra control and then they split their separate ways. Kurama returned to the apartment and continued his conditioning and chakra control exercises. Chakra control was a daunting task as very little of his experience in his natural form carried over. He was determined however and his mind was very focused. Progress was slow but incrementally he was gaining greater control.

*****BREAK*****

For the rest of the week Anko continued to work on the basics of his taijutsu style. Kurama respected the fighting style and could see how it would flummox the other Academy students easily enough. Chakra control continued damnably slow.

Academy lessons were six days a week with one day off. That day Kurama had no lessons with Anko or in the Academy. Instead there was a knock on the door, when Kurama opened it he saw the smiling face of the Sandaime Hokage.

"Jiji!"

"Ah Naruto-kun how was your first week back at the Academy?"

Kurama shrugged, "It was all right. I learned a lot more with Anko though."

"Wonderful I'm happy to hear that. Would you like to get something to eat?"

Kurama allowed a dark look to cross Naruto's visage that was followed with a short nod.

"Sure jiji. Let me do this first though."

Kurama carefully made the dog, boar and ram seals needed to use Henge no Jutsu. Naruto disappeared and in his place was a slightly taller boy with brownish hair and gray eyes.

Hiruzen instantly knew why Naruto was doing this. Considering the amount of discrimination the boy faced it was a logical move. It was a shinobi move. He just hated the fact that he felt it necessary.

Kurama thoroughly enjoyed the sad look in the elderly man's eyes. Neither said anything for a few moments as they walked toward one of Konoha's restaurants.

The Hokage decided to take him to a casual diner where ramen was one of the options but there were other choices as well. He did not want to make Naruto think he was trying to find a replacement for Ramen Ichiraku.

He thought that it was a good idea when Naruto didn't order ramen; instead he ordered sushi with a tray of greens.

"I'm glad to see you eating healthier Naruto-kun."

Kurama smiled weakly and twisted the knife, "I need to be strong. I like having friends but I won't allow myself to make any until I've gotten really strong. You said vegetables will make me strong so I eat them all the time."

Hiruzen couldn't help but feel an ache of sadness every time he talked with the boy. The deaths of Teuchi and his daughter had obviously made their mark on the boy. The silver lining in the clouds was that he was taking his ninja training seriously now. It had been less than two weeks and already Naruto seemed to have a healthier glow about him.

"So what has Anko-san been teaching you?"

Kurama ate another big mouthful of fish and then replied, "Lots of stuff. She is teaching me to fight differently. I can tell my kicks and punches are getting faster. She also does boring stuff like Iruka-sensei."

Sarutobi chuckled; Naruto was still Naruto behind his serious shinobi training mask.

"Say jiji can you teach me a really cool ninjutsu? Anko says I'm not ready and I have to do a lot of stuff before she says she'll even think about it."

The Hokage smiled patiently, "Naruto, Anko is your part time sensei now. If she thinks it best you wait then you should wait."

Kurama sullenly nodded. He debated about starting to shed tears about how he really need a new jutsu to get stronger but he felt it would be a bit over the top. Best not to rub it in too thick, even the senile old fool might catch on after awhile.

"Aw jiji that's not fair! I really want to learn how to breathe fire like Sasuke-teme!"

The two discussed it back and forth for a time and soon enough their meal was over and it was time for the Hokage to get back to work.

"Naruto I want you to keep practicing with Anko-san. And keep eating your vegetables and paying attention in class. I know you will be a great shinobi. I believe in you."

Kurama howled with laughter. Their Naruto was dead. It was only him the nine tailed fox. Hopefully the old man wouldn't croak before it was time to reveal to him that Naruto was long gone. That pleasant thought was with him all the way back to the apartment where he continued his training.

*****BREAK*****

"Today we are going to learn about poison," Anko told her student.

Another week of training had passed and Naruto continued to improve with his taijutsu. He had even beaten one of the civilian kids in the Academy spars. She knew he had a long way to go but his improvement had impressed her.

Kurama wasn't incredibly curious about poison. While he roamed around as the kyubi he preferred direct confrontation.

"If you're strong you don't need to use poison!"

The torture expert wanted to take back all the nice things she had just thought about her student. Yes the kid was starting to grasp the Hebi style but he still had an obnoxious mouth on him. He said what popped into his head without any forethought. In a way Anko liked the kid's unpredictability but part of being a shinobi was misdirection and she feared he would never learn it.

"Are you always going to be the strongest?"

"I will be one day! Believe it!"

Anko tried a different tack. "Are you the strongest now?"

"Well no."

"Will you be the strongest tomorrow?"

He shook his head.

"What about next week or next month?"

"No," he kicked the ground.

"So until you are the strongest you will learn how to use poison. It can be an edge you need to win a fight against a stronger shinobi. Also sometimes your missions as a shinobi will call on you killing something without violence. Poison slipped into a rebellious noble that makes it look like he died of natural causes is far better than slitting his throat and making him a martyr."

Kurama allowed Naruto's eyes to grow wide. Once more he was impressed by the kunoichi in front of him. She knew her craft and was an excellent sensei.

That didn't mean he was going to stop needling her.

"OK OK I'll learn how to use poison."

She went on to explain some of the milder toxins she would be working with him on.

"One general use poison is what we like to call the knock out drug. It is quite safe to use against almost all targets and it simply knocks them unconscious for a short period of time."

"So is it a poison or a drug?"

Anko shrugged, "I'm not a medical nin so I don't know the practical difference. Really if it does something to interfere with your enemy's body then I call it a poison. I use drug, poison and toxin interchangeably."

They discussed the placement of the poison on various weapons. Putting it on a kunai wasn't ideal since a kunai could leave a large wound. Instead the ideal weapon was a senbon.

"Needles? Those seem like girly weapons."

Without thinking Anko backhanded Naruto hard. Kurama tasted blood and pain but internally was crowing at his victory. He had made her loose her temper, it was glorious.

He caught a flash of panic on Anko's face before she carefully hid it and grinned down at the fallen Academy student.

"What did I tell you about keeping your guard up? If I was an enemy in a Henge you could be dead by now."

Kurama chuckled internally at this. She was going to play it off like it was a training exercise instead of an angry attack at an insubordinate student. Fine with him he didn't actually want to lose out on the training. It would allow him to become a better shinobi so in the field he would not have to reveal his identify by tapping into his own chakra.

Kurama got to his feet and wiped the blood from Naruto's mouth and looked at his tutor.

Anko moved on, "Have you ever used a senbon before?"

Kurama shook his head.

They finished their training that day practicing with senbon and learning about various poisons and toxins that could be used. Anko was going to provide Naruto with several doses of the knock out drug as well as a mild poison that acted as a blood thinner that made wounds bleed more easily. Neither was dangerous if he used it on others.

"The knock out drug is a common tool so many shinobi have learned to use chakra to neutralize it. It is almost mandatory training for chūnin in Konoha but not all hidden villages are as familiar with it."

The final thing Anko did was give him a botany book on various plants that could be harvested to create poisons.

"I hate reading!"

The urge to hit him came back but this time she suppressed it.

"Finish it by the end of the week unless you want another lecture on where chakra paper comes from."

Kurama grumbled and agreed to the task and they parted ways. Secretly Kurama actually found the use of poison fascinating. He devoured the book upon his return to the apartment. Simple plants could be harvested and parts of them used to create substances that could easily kill any shinobi. Why didn't more shinobi use them? The sheer variety and lethality of poison made it almost impossible to have antidotes for all of them on hand.

*****BREAK*****

The next day at the Academy Kurama's ears were once again assaulted with a loud argument about who would get to sit next to Sasuke-kun. Ino and Sakura had this argument daily and Kurama wondered if the arrogant bastard deliberately picked a seat at the end of a row just so that argument could take place. Kurama seriously considered going out and finding a belladonna root and cramming it into their loud mouths. Hardly subtle but it would forever silence the banshees.

Iruka entered the class and angrily told the two would be kunoichi to sit in the back.

'Great they are going to be next to me now.'

Kurama saw Noburu take the seat next to Sasuke.

Sakura sat down and said, "Ugh I have to sit next to Naruto-baka."

"I do too billboard brow!"

"But it was your fault Ino-pig! I was the one who saw the seat first."

Kurama sat there in between the two pre teen girls as they argued about who saw the seat next to Sasuke first.

'The seal that held me within Kushina was the worst torture I had ever experienced in my existence.'

'Until now.'

Iruka saved him from his torment by yelling at the pair to be quiet. The lesson was now able to progress. The lesson today was about shinobi rank classification in bingo books. They weren't given bingo books themselves but watched Iruka write things down on the board.

"There are four threat level classifications we give shinobi. Can anyone tell me what they are?"

Sakura raised her hand and promptly answered, "The ranks are C, B, A and S."

"Very good now someone else explain why we don't have a D rank?"

Ino didn't want to be trumped by her rival answered immediately, "If someone is a D rank then they aren't going to be part of a bingo book."

Iruka nodded, "Exactly. Now remember the rank in a bingo book doesn't mean someone is a genin or a chūnin**. **Some shinobi may graduate from the Academy already quite skilled but have not yet had time to take the chūnin exams. In other cases a very strong shinobi could have suffered an illness or injury that greatly reduced their ability to fight. They would keep their rank in their village be it chūnin or jōnin but might get downgraded in the bingo books."

Kurama found this discussion to be incredibly basic and unimportant. He could have gotten the same information with a few minutes of reading. Nonetheless it did spark his curiosity. What was Anko ranked as?

After the lecture part of the day was finished it was time for more accuracy practice with kunai and shuriken. And then it was time for sparring. This time Naruto was up against Ino.

'I'll bruise her larynx, just for the peace and quiet.'

Kurama assumed the Academy style stance while Ino did likewise. The Hebi style didn't require a specific stance. The Yamanaka clan did not have their own personalized taijutsu style since their clan teachings were more mentally focused.

Ino had beaten Naruto often in fights and was looking forward to doing it again. She was the top kunoichi in the class when it came to taijutsu and she could hold her own against most of the boys as well. Not her Sasuke-kun of course but no one could beat him.

Ino confidently delivered a snap kick that missed Naruto by an inch as he slid to the side. Ino was surprised when Naruto delivered a sharp punch that she was only barely able to block. Naruto pushed in close and delivered an elbow to the head that forced Ino to back up or take a hard blow.

Ino's footing was less sure and her ability to attack was lowered when she had to back up. Naruto crowded her and didn't allow her time to regain momentum. The punches came light and fast zooming in at slightly different angles then she was used to.

After 30 seconds she finally saw an opening and lashed out with her own attack. Kurama had anticipated the attack and was already moving perpendicular to the strike. For the first time in the match he performed a kick and it caught Ino in the throat.

The blow brought her hands to her neck and she rubbed her neck. Iruka hastily ran over and checked to make sure there wasn't a serious injury. There was none though she coughed a few times and it sounded painful.

The crowd of students was surprised by Naruto's aggressiveness. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes; this wasn't the Academy style at all. And based on what he had seen the attack to her neck was deliberate. He found Ino troublesome but their families were close.

Kurama smirked at the idea of the blond not being able to speak well for the next few days. The match continued and Ino had a determined look in her eyes. She sprang forward and started with some rapid fire kicks.

The nine tailed fox backed away from the kicks letting Ino tire herself out. A kick could have more power and range than a punch but it was more exhausting. It also was difficult to follow up the attack unless your opponent stood and blocked the attack. As Ino grew frustrated she charged forward.

The class saw Naruto back up a step and then thrust forward instantly with a sharp jab to Ino's mid section. Ino was surprised by the speed of the attack and missed her block. She doubled over in pain and Kurama backed up, the 2nd point was his.

Kiba looked on, "Hey when did the dobe get so good?"

Kurama was actually surprised by how easily he was beating Ino.

'She is unused to this style. Let's see how far I have progressed without it.'

Kurama decided to fight only using the moves taught in the Academy. Ino changed up her tactics again and led with a light punch to the face. The kyubi blocked the block with a text book block and attempted to sweep her legs. Ino did a slight hop and delivered a strong kick to Naruto as he was rising up from the sweep.

Kurama put his arms up blocking the blow. He was pushed back a couple of feet but no point was scored. They both came back together trading punches and kicks. Kurama was much better in just a couple of weeks but was unable to score a point quickly. Instead Ino actually surprised him by feinting a punch to the midsection and turning it into a grab of his jumpsuit when he responded with the appropriate block. She pulled him forward and pushed him off balance so he was not in position to block the second punch from her other arm.

The class cheered. They didn't like Naruto much and the world was made right when he started to lose against his opponent. The fox decided to quell those cheers by reverting back to the Hebi style. Ino had her confidence again and she started off with a blistering barrage of taijutsu punches interspersed with kicks.

Kurama drifted in and out of the dance at odd angles and used circular blocks as opposed to the more direct and forceful blocks the Academy taught. Ino soon found her hands not where she wanted them and unable to defend herself from a sharp elbow to her ribs that connected with some force.

Iruka called the match, Naruto had won his second spar and this time it was against a clan heir. Their teacher was very curious about the fighting style that was used.

"Congratulations Naruto, Ino isn't an easy opponent. After the rest of the spars I'd like to talk to you."

Kurama gave Iruka one of the happy go lucky Naruto smiles and replied, "Sure Iruka-sensei!"

**AN: **I created an OC due to possible team changes. Naruto (err Kurama) won't be dead last by the end of the Academy year so he won't be put on the team with Sasuke and Sakura. I'm not certain if I want to break up the other clan teams or put him completely on an OC team.


End file.
