Baby Naruto did not end up in the orphanage like all the other orphans. Entire lineages of shinobi had been wiped out at their roots and this lovely institution was the last nail in the coffin, leaving future generations to rebuild their legacy from nothing. With no elders to guide them, even civilians would stand a better chance of becoming genin than they ever would.
When disaster strikes one, it often becomes opportunity for another. Two of the four surviving ANBU squads were assigned to guard Naruto, effectively tying one of the Hokage's hands behind his back. Whether Naruto was alone or accompanied by childcare staff, at least three ANBU had to be present at all times—to ensure no one was tempted to strangle this "despicable demon baby." More importantly, to ensure that none of their colleagues would be tempted either.
The already overburdened Hokage had to take it upon himself to check regularly on the infant and verify the seal's integrity. To his surprise, the restrictions over the bijū seemed to grow stronger with time. Its chakra wasn't leaking at all. Occasionally, Hiruzen would feel a sharp pain in his chest as he mourned the lost brilliance of the Fourth Hokage.
Little by little, the baby began to look happy. His eyes gleamed with joy, and he giggled often. It was rare to hear him cry. Somehow, that joy unsettled the caretakers. The ANBU were always relieved to leave when the Hokage came to visit.
Time passed. The beast might have slept for years—but Elias was always awake, always watching. He sat through Mrs.Professor.Nyan's lessons, observing in silence, steadily working, learning with fervor. Naruto's cheerful demeanor made those around him begin to believe things were turning for the better. Eventually, he was even allowed to attend kindergarten.
Make no mistake: the villagers hated Naruto to the core, seeing him as a walking fox-demon. But no one believed that this kid—this smiling, silly toddler—could possibly be the real Naruto. They assumed the Hokage wouldn't be foolish enough to put other children at risk.
Then came the day it all nearly unraveled.
Naruto was three years old and had just started to speak. His teacher, inspired and enthusiastic, decided to teach the children about animal names and their sounds.
"What does the dog say?"
"Woof!" shouted the children, full of innocent joy.
"What about the cat?"
"Meow!"
Elias grew tense. They wouldn't… would they?
"And the bird?"
"Tweet!" chirped the class.
Then came a shift in the room. A serious expression crossed Naruto's tiny face, and a sharp awareness lit his eyes. He knew he had to stop the greatest secret in the world from leaking.
Suddenly, he stood and shouted in his toddler voice:
"You betto not say what foxy say, you know!"
Everyone turned toward him. The teacher blinked, uneasy. A kid named Naruto saying something like that? Definitely too much.
Elias, deep within the inner sanctum, cringed. It had been a good run, he thought, but it's over. He knew the kid better than anyone—and this one was on him.
"And would you tell us what the fox says, Naruto? Can you share the secret with us?"the teacher asked gently, assuming it was just a child's silly joke.
"Foxy Kyūbi said he was gonna masscacre anyone who knows the secret!"Naruto declared, with pure sincerity.
The children started pleading him to share the secret, they wanted, they needed to know now! On the other side the teacher's smile collapsed. Pale as a sheet, she dropped from her chair, then began to sob, screaming for help, adding something about a fox demon in the mix.
In a flash, an ANBU agent appeared and vanished with Naruto. Two more entered through the door. One distracted the targe... or rather started in a new position aiming to become the greatest teacher of all time. The other muffled the teacher's mouth with some tissue while gently asking her to shut the freak up, and escorted her "gently" to a quiet place: the Hokage's office.
By trying to protect the fox's secret, Naruto experienced his first real setback. Meanwhile, Elias was rolling and spinning with laughter in the inner sanctum. His long effort had finally borne fruit!
Naruto was never allowed back into kindergarten. By sheer luck, the other kids quickly forgot the whole "fox" incident. But the teacher? She was interrogated for hours and quietly disappeared—officially "promoted" to teach at the Fire Capital due to her exceptional talent.
Hiruzen nearly tore his hair out. How did Naruto know about the Kyūbi? Why would he say something so menacing out of nowhere? But the worst part of all of this was the possibility of a secret. Did the Kyūbi have a secret? What could it be?
He knew he had to bury the incident—fast—or Danzō would try to seize control of Naruto. Hiruzen ordered the ANBU to gather every classified scroll and ancient legend regarding the bijū, but after months of research and cross-checking, he found absolutely nothing.
He convinced himself that Naruto had simply overheard something. He instructed the ANBU to remain extra vigilant from now on.
If the actual Kyūbi had known, he would have been delighted. On the Hokage's next visit, the fox discovered all of this with great joy, surprise and restraint. He held his laughter in so hard he believed he could explode!
For years, he had refined control over his chakra, guided in secret by the enigmatic and charismatic pink-cat scholar, in class, at school, yeah! During the last inspection, he managed to attach an unnoticeable sentient sliver of chakra onto Hiruzen's palm.
Fatigued, underwater in paperwork, and down to one functional hand, the "teacher" failed to notice. And Elias? He knew just how stupid that lazy ass beast was. Even if it was given eons of additional time of existence, that beast would never achieve the basic level of chakra control he had now.
Yes, you heard that right. Mrs.Professor.Nyan graded the little cute fox's progress as a low B-.What a demanding teacher she is...