The boy knew something was wrong with how he was treated compared to the other orphans. He pretended not to notice the glares and didn't question the whispers that followed him as he walked through the village. He learned that at the age of two, screaming and crying would change nothing. That left the boy to ponder whether or not something was wrong with him. So when he wasn't given gifts like the other children and fed the scraps of others, he didn't complain. He recalled asking the Matron once why he wasn't allowed to eat with the other children.
"Demons don't get to eat at the table with humans."
He was called Demon. He had a name he was told once, but it was so long ago he had forgotten it; the boy was never referred to by a name.
The others were allowed to learn how to read and write. He wasn't, and he never questioned why. He once attempted to learn but was locked in the closet when one of the other children told the Matron.
He saw a Dog mask. He was quiet, but sometimes he left candy for the boy. Animal shadows followed him. Sometimes, he could hear them complaining about watching him. They were called ANBU, but he didn't know what they did. But he knew they weren't openly hostile to him, or at least the dog wasn't
He asked once for information on his parents. Had they died fighting like shinobi? Were they heroes who helped stop the fox like many others, or did they... He was struck by the hand of the Matrion for the first time and denied food for the first time that night. He healed faster than others, and he later learned that he could survive without food for several days.
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The Dog mask was missing, and the others stopped coming as well. At the age of five, the boy was thrown out of the orphanage on his birthday. Maybe he really was a demon. It was the day the nine-tails destroyed the village.
Was his father that fox? He had whiskers. Everyone seemed to dislike him after they saw them on his face. Every year, on his birthday, a festival was held to remember the lives lost during the attack. He was never allowed to close; if he was seen, he would have to run away as others screamed promises of death at him.
"Demon Brat, you should have died instead."
"Sharing air, it is a mistake Lord Third should have rectified. Maybe we can help him."
"Why are you even alive? You're here tonight so that I can send you to the afterlife. Lord Third said they died in vain."
He ran until he no longer could. If he listened too long, their words would leave him feeling empty. He was hungry, but he couldn't do anything about it tonight. Too many people were out on the street. For the first time, the boy realized he didn't know where to sleep that night or when he would next eat. But oddly, he felt safer in his solitude, unbothered, no longer needing to remain in the eyes of the people constantly searching for a fault in him.
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He knew he was smart even if he was never taught how to read or write. He picked up on some letters on his own. He wasn't allowed outside often when he stayed at the orphanage, but now he lived outside. There are so many things to look at. The sky is always changing colors, clouds move, and there are so many different living things besides people. He can feel all of the animals. He learned how to remain out of sight when he felt people come too close. He was able to learn more words that way. As he got closer to the parks, he could pretend that he was playing with the other children.
The ANBU were trying to find him, but he hid from them; he could always tell when they were coming. They held a presence that he could feel, unlike the softness of the villagers, they felt much sharper. Like the people, he would sometimes see with fans on their backs or the ones with pale eyes he learned it was something called chakra.
Having freedom he discovered, was unlike anything he had before. No screaming, no beating, no pain. Sometimes, he felt lonely, but that was nothing new to him. He could finally be himself without other people around.
He slept in the woods and kept to himself. The animals were always nicer to him than the people were. He learned that talking with animals meant less words and more body language Boss Dog taught him how. He was one of the few strays that could talk because his father was apparently a summon he was stronger than the others and had a large territory. He liked the deer Leader Buck was confused to see a small fawn without supervision but he allowed him to play with his offspring the boy didn't hang out with them often, though. They tended to live near the pineapple-haired people. There were often cats and crows near the homes of the fan-people Head Cat frequented that area. Some dogs lived near the fanged people they called themselves a clan Boss dog called them"Servants," he didn't seem to like them. The cloak people even lived near some cool-looking beetles but they couldn't talk. He learned many things from the animals, what and where he could eat, where all of the "good water" was, and also what to avoid.
They taught him what friends are like and what a family is.
"Family means people who protect you, and you protect in return."
The boss dog told him that, but Head Cat said the
"Family is those who favor you most."
Leader Buck said something about
"Wives and children"
The boy couldn't quite understand, but he was happy to talk to them. He decided that when he was older, he would have a family that would make him feel happy, and when he did, he would introduce them to the animals. The look Head Cat gave him when he said that was strange. She looked like she had eaten something too sweet. And Boss dog laughed, only Leader Buck seemed to believe his words.
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It was colder outside now than when he was first thrown out. He didn't know that outside could be like this. He had seen snow before, but that was from a distance. Soon, there would be no leaves on the trees anymore. Head Cat told him to "grow a thick undercoat quickly like the other kits." He was beginning to think that he wasn't able to. The boy shivered under his frequented tree, and the snow continued falling. There were no more berry bushes to eat from, and fewer people went out on the streets to get food, fewer scraps to go around. He was getting tired faster without any food to eat, and he was told by Boss Dog that the water could stop if it did something called "Freezing." Leader Buck said he could use something called a "Fire," but he didn't know how to make one of those. He decided he didn't like the cold.
He wondered if he should let the ANBU find him. But he didn't want to go back to people, yet he wanted to remain free for a little longer. Outside of rooms, he could see and feel whatever he wanted. He still liked it more than when he was in the orphanage, even if he couldn't feel his hands any longer. It was getting harder to feel people as he was distracted by the cold, but he decided not to stop avoiding them yet.
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He was sick. It had happened before, but it was so long ago he forgot what it felt like. He didn't have the energy to keep looking for food, and somehow, he felt hot and cold at the same time; he couldn't feel the others around him anymore. He had no food or water. He could only wait until he felt well enough to move again. Head Cat promised to bring him some food to eat later. He didn't want to worry her. She had found out she was expecting a litter soon. Boss Dog was taken by the fanged people, or so he was told it scared most of the other dogs away from his streets. And Leader Buck wouldn't return until spring, "Migration," it was called. The boy was too young to go with them. Breathing was getting harder his throat felt itchy. His lungs burned, and his eyes felt heavy. The boy drifted off to sleep.
Someone found him; it was one of the villagers, not an ANBU like he had hoped. They had food for him under his tree. He waited for them to leave before he went to get it. It was soup, he cried because, for the first time in his memory, he would be eating a warm meal made just for him. He ate it eagerly and wondered how he would thank the person if he saw them again. He went to sleep, happy that someone cared enough to remember him.
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The boy woke with a start, shivering. His stomach felt... something was wrong. The contents of his stomach erupted out of him in several sudden convulsions, the soup unrecognizable mixed with bile and stomach acid. His arms felt weak as he shivered in the snow next to the puddle of sick. He couldn't breathe properly, and he felt more coming up his throat. He was choking, and he couldn't stop, he couldn't breathe, he was so cold. He felt hot tears sliding down his face; they were red his eyes were bleeding. He realized this as he fell into the snow he desperately tried to inhale.
He saw a grey blur approaching him as it got closer, he realized it was Head Cat.
"Foolish child, why would you eat that?! No! No! No! No! No!"She was screaming at him she was scared.
He wanted to apologize to her for making her worry.... but he felt his eyes beginning to close.
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He woke in a sewer of some sort. Boss Dog had shown him one before, but he was confused about how he got there. The boy walked around aimlessly until he reached a giant cage. He could feel a strong anger but also something else, something the boy didn't recognize. He had never felt it before. The feeling was so overpowering, but oddly, he felt that the animal inside the cage was sad to see him.
"Hello," It's weird to talk after so long without doing so.
"Brat, I'm sorry." His voice was deeper than anyone else's I've ever heard before.
"Why?" What could he be sorry for? I had never met him before. Maybe?
"Are you my Father?" Maybe that's why no one has ever apologized to me for anything is he sorry he left me?
"No." Oh. So I was wrong then. He is just a nice person the animals tell me about them; I have never met one who was nice to me, though, besides the Dog mask. Then I wonder then if I ask?
"Can you be? I've never had one, and I want one before..."
"Only If you want me to." He didn't reject me immediately I allowed myself to feel hopeful.
"Yes, please." I can have a dad like the other children I can't wait to tell the animals. Head cat will be so excited she always wanted me to find a guardian.
"Ok then, I'm happy I have a family now. I've always wanted one." I smile. My dad has big red eyes and a orange-furred body. I love the color.
"Dad." Maybe this means that...
"Yes, Brat"
"I'm tired."
"I know you are, I'm sorry."
"It's scary outside. I think I'm dying." I shouldn't cry. It won't help anyone, but I can't help either.
The boy doesn't register the tail wrapped around him as he cries, "You will be fine."
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Kakashi was looking for the boy who his teacher left in the care of Lord Third. He had been missing from the orphanage for months now. He had his summons help him track the child down into the woods near the civilian park.
He froze at the sight of the thin young boy dead and frozen in the snow, eyes wide open in fear. The smell was heavy in the air. A cat lay curled tightly beside the body, not wanting anyone near the child. The boy was alive the last time he saw him, curious about everything and smiling widely whenever he discovered a candy he left behind. And now he was gone like everyone else around Kakashi.
"~Meow Meow~"
(He's just sleeping. I need to be here when he wakes up.)
Pakkun's deep voice broke the solemn atmosphere. "She won't accept he is gone."
Kakashi had to deal with another loss in his life, this time to a child who he wasn't able to properly meet. He was supposed to train this child and tell him about the family that would have loved him dearly. He failed his sensei again like with Rin, Obito, Kushina, and now his son.
"Naruto, I'm so sorry"
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The body was discovered by Hound, an ANBU operative who recently returned from a long-term mission. The boy's body had been lying there for two days, apparently guarded by a Uchiha clan cat. Illness combined with the poison proved to be too much for his malnourished body. He choked on his own vomit, his blue eyes still open wide in fear blood surrounding them. The seal was empty, and the Nine Tails was gone. The Third Hokage was arguing with the elder council about what to do with the Demon, who was missing and presumed loose in the land of fire, not giving a second thought to the dead Jinchūriki. Donzo wanted to blame the Uchiha for the incident.
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Spring came again. A deer, dog, and cat wept over the unfairness of it all a life too young gone. Their friend had gone to a place where they couldn't reach him.