Adaptation (part 1)

The excitement in the air sounded more distinctly than the academy's call could ever sound, as countless first-year-olds ran around, trying to tell their parents, brothers and sisters what they had and what they would learn under the guidance of experienced Chunin instructors. Among this great mass, one boy stood out most markedly. His bright scarlet hair, reaching to his shoulders, was a strangeness in the village of Konohagakure, which was shared by only one other resident. The skin, paler than the luminous moon, carried an ethereal quality that hinted that he was more likely a lost spirit than a creature of flesh and blood. His eyes, however, were probably the most notable feature - the deep lakes of amethyst, which seemed to shine with the light of a million stars. He was well-known enough in this village, a reminder of the great Kyuubi-no-Kitsune and the attack eight years ago. He was one of two children born that day, and certainly the most unusual. There was no doubt that he was born as an omen or even that his birth caused the Kyuubi attack.

The wounds remained painfully fresh in all.

Unfortunately, the boy did not know about the memories and horrors that he evoked in his fellow villagers, and instead looked forward to the arrival of his mother and sister, the centers of his tiny universe. Uncertainty leaked into him when seconds passed without any sign of them. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into almost an hour. The field was long devastated, and he stood alone in the fading light of the evening sun.

"Naruto?"

He turned to the one who called his name, only to see his instructor - Umino Iruka. Chuunin was holding a small bundle of papers in his hands and, obviously, had just left the building to go home for the night. Frowning, the man looked anxiously at Naruto.

"Where is your mother?" Iruka asked. "Or Yuhi-san? Of course, Kushina-san would send her old student to pick you up if she couldn't ..."

"I ... I don't know. I thought they would be here." He said this in almost a whisper, but Iruka heard the last part clearly enough. "They promised."

The sun had already set, a full moon overthrew it and took control of the kingdom of heaven. Sitting on the midnight throne, she looked at a young man crossing the streets, washing him with her shining light.

What kind of boy could roam the streets of the clan area in the moonlight? Red hair easily answered - Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Kushina and possibly the son of the Fourth Hokage - Namikaze Minato. As he walked home, Iruka was so amiable that he called him to a bowl of ramen to make up for the fact that no one had come for him. Feeling a little better with a stomach full of hot noodles, he thanked his new sensei, said goodbye to him and went home.

Approaching the gate with the traditional Uzumaki spiral, he could not help but feel that something was wrong. Having dismissed the unpleasant sensation, he went up with his hand on the gate so that they could recognize his chakra.

That's what was wrong!

Ice formed in his chest - a horror that seeped into his entire being. He hoped that he was wrong after his hand received a small injection - a warning to those who did not have permission to enter the complex. So far, he has received only one warning. Just as the seal stores the signatures of those who were admitted to the property, it also kept the signatures of those who tried to gain access without permission. If the small impulse of the chakra, which she forcibly pushed back into your chakra system, was not a sufficiently restraining factor, she would have made much more effort in any subsequent attempts.

The greater impulse was not just a chakra. For many years, both Mito and Kushin pumped a small amount of Kyuubi chakra into the print matrix. At that moment, Naruto knew that there should be at least three full tails of the biju of the corrosive chakra waiting to pounce at the second when it was given the target.

The three tails of the Kyuubi chakra in your system would probably be equivalent to death. Fortunately for those like him who want to try their luck and hope that they will be recognized, the press did not release all at once. A tenth of the tail will be released. It was by no means safe, but it was not instant death, at least.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to try Uzumaki's luck. That was stupid. He knew that was stupid. But he really had no other choice. He had no friends to stay with them, he did not know where Kurenai lived, the lights in the complex went out - albeit suspiciously early, and he really did not want to sleep here. Finding determination, he once again touched the gate.

Pain flooded his mind.

Like the acid that spread, the predatory beast consumed everything it encountered while passing through its veins. He heard a scream - most likely his own - but he felt a strange echo that did not evoke any recognition in his heart. No, there was no time for such trivial things when he was busy, feeling his insides liquefy, and the weakened bones breaking under the unexpected tension of the molten muscles. The smell of burning flesh pierced his nose as his skin wrinkled and the taste of his own blood filled his mouth.

His head began to feel light as darkness took him away, drowning out the fiery agony and instead leaving a biting cold that wriggled in his beating heart and threatened to strangle his soul in oblivion. The last thing he realized before plunging into the cold waters of an embrace of nothing was a seal on his right hand, glowing angry red, and a lone voice filled with chagrin.

"Naruto!"

*****

"This is strange," he thought, looking at his right hand. "I only learn about their departure after I spent a week in the hospital."

Indeed, only yesterday, after seven days in the hospital, he found out that both his mother and sister left the village because of "clan affairs" for an indefinite period. He tried many times to distract himself from thoughts of their departure, but it was useless. In the end, his thoughts always went to them, the two suns that were at the center of his universe

No.

Were

Now, they are gone.

Either the sun had gone, or, spinning around them, he flew into the darkness of space, lost without their comforting light - he did not know what explanation he would prefer.