Chapter 3
A full-blown smirk adorned her face as Ranma Saotome, formerly of the Nerima ward in Tokyo, Japan, and now Konoha's newly instated Special Jounin, leapt from branch to branch. While not exactly a wild ride, tree-hopping with Jiraiya and Naruto was on a wholly different level than roof-hopping in Nerima, and she had to admit to herself that she was having a lot of fun going almost all out to keep up with the brutal pace the Toad Sannin Jiraiya had set.
The redhead's smirk only widened as she caught up to the Sannin, leaving Naruto—even if only temporarily—as the rear, her thoughts circling around all the things she'd be able to learn once she got the hang of moulding chakra. Having to do hand seals seemed to be something she'd unfortunately have to live with, but the pros far outweighed the cons. Just thinking about unleashing all those devastating elemental attacks she had heard about made her giddy.
It had been a good decision to pledge her loyalty to Konoha, which she'd likely have done sooner or later anyway in lieu of alternatives. Her having literally been thrown onto her bum by Kakashi Hatake had been a stroke of luck, seeing as it had led to her meeting the leader of the village. The whole chain of events that had followed had been completely haphazard, but she had seemingly been favoured by fortune for a change.
She had known virtually nothing about this world she had been hurled into, and her lack of knowledge could have easily been her undoing in a world where fighters existed that largely outclassed her.
Now she knew that her random choice of direction seemed to have been inspired as well. A frown briefly marred her features as she remembered Shizune's depiction of the fate that might have befallen her had she ended up in Iwa or Otogakure. Being used as breeding stock due to her being a powerful hanyou was not very high on her list.
Even though Shizune's portrayal of Konoha might have been nothing more than propaganda—or maybe not, considering she had left Konoha with Tsunade for several years and had only recently returned—Ranma thought herself a good enough judge of character to determine that the older woman had told her the truth as she knew it, and Ranma was quite content with her choice of allegiances.
The nin of Konoha seemed to be an okay bunch, at least those she had met, and from what she had learned from Shizune the Hidden Village of the Leaf was one of the more civilised Shinobi villages. To think that the other major shinobi villages executed their nin for failing a mission was... disquieting, and Konoha not enforcing this questionable practice put them firmly in her good books. Yet as with most things in life, only time would tell if her choice to join the forces of Konoha had been wise.
-.-
Two hours later the trio had reached the first stop on their training trip, that being River country, the small country separating the lands of Fire and Wind. Jiraiya had decided that its forested area with it's many mountains, rivers and groves would serve them well in their training efforts, and they'd stay in the area for a few weeks to get used to each other as well as to develop a training routine before moving on to Sunagakure.
Guided by the light of the full moon hanging above them the trio continued to travel for about one hour until finally they found a spot that would make an acceptable camp, and Jiraiya issued the order to set up said camp. Duties were quickly divided, and while Naruto and Jiraiya went off to hunt the local wildlife Ranma was tasked with setting up.
Due to her experience in living on the road Ranma finished her designated task in no time, the two tents they had carried in their backpacks pitched and waiting. After making sure that no living being tried to sneak up on her, the redhead collected some firewood and started a campfire in anticipation of the food the other two would hopefully bring.
The campfire's flame being her only illumination, Ranma busied herself with trying to feel out the imbalance in her ki and chi, noticing not for the first time that her pool of ki was much larger than her pool of chi, the latter almost being only one third of the former.
"Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san were right," the redhead muttered disgruntled. "It'll take some time to get my chi up to par. Che, that'll teach you how stupid it is to limit your focus, Ranma.
"Hmm, having less chi than ki doesn't mean I can't try to mix it if I just use equal amounts, does it? Just hafta be careful," she muttered to herself, extending her senses briefly to feel if anyone or anything was in the area to assure the perimeters' safety, and upon finding that no ki-signature aside from those of Naruto and Jiraiya were within the reach, Ranma closed her eyes, her brows furrowing in concentration as she began to regulate her chi and ki flows.
After about ten minutes of carefully adjusting her chi and ki Ranma began to slowly and carefully mix it so as to create chakra, the initial reaction of said process being like an 'aha' experience to her. It filled her with an unprecedented feeling of power, and unbeknownst to her yellow lightning had begun to course throughout and around her body, that being the manifestation of the power she had inherited.
Equally unknown to her was the fact that while the Raiju's power had begun to settle and stabilise, it was far from being entirely balanced, a fact that Ranma suddenly painfully became aware of when a sudden influx of ki disrupted the equilibrium of chakra the redhead had so painstakingly maintained.
The result was nothing short of explosive, the sudden outward blast caused by Ranma's power spiralling out of control resulting in a resounding BOOOM! that threw a charred and smoking redhead onto her back.
"Ouchie," the heiress of Raiju protested feebly, blowing a cloud of smoke from her mouth. "Now that didn't work as advertised," she grumbled, and brought her hands to her face to clean it, muttering curses that’d have made hardened sailors blush all the while.
Ranma blowing herself up coincided with Jiraiya's and Naruto's return as per Murphy's law, and both Konoha nin stared at the redhead in bewilderment. The Toad Sannin stared at Ranma for a few moments before looking at Naruto, the corners of his mouth twitching. Naruto, who had mirrored his sensei's behaviour, stared back at the redhead in unison with Jiraiya, both bursting out into gales of laughter.
"Hardy bloody har, laugh it up," Ranma groused, barely managing to keep in the undignified pout that wanted to escape her.
The singed redhead then propped herself up on her arms and brought herself into a sitting position with a groan, and seeing as the males continued to laugh themselves to tears Ranma's patience eroded fast. "I suggest you stop laughing, or were your first attempts at moulding chakra an instant success?" she growled pointedly, the campfire reflected in her yellow eyes giving her a truly demonic look.
"First attempt?" Jiraiya queried in surprise, his eyes widening, "Just why did mune-chan send you with us if you can't mould chakra?" he added, incredulity filling his voice.
"Hey Ero-sennin, what's that mean? Look at Lee, he ain't able to mould chakra either, but he kicks ass!" Naruto spoke up, coming to the defence of his sensei and friend.
"That's true, but..."
"I suggest you open the scroll Tsunade-sama gave you and read it," Ranma interrupted impatiently. "While we're at it, stop referring to her and me with the usage of endearments consisting of references to our anatomy. It's disgusting," she remarked, letting some of her killer intent spike.
Jiraiya just raised a brow, retrieved the scroll wordlessly from his gi and opened it. "Gaki," he said, looking at Naruto, "make yourself useful and prepare the food. It doesn't do to think on an empty stomach."
"He's lucky I'm hungry myself. Baka Ero-sennin, too lazy to do anythin' but spying on girls," Naruto complained loudly, but complied nonetheless.
While the spiky-haired blonde worked to prepare the catches they had made Jiraiya skimmed over the scroll, his brows shooting into the hairline on occasion. "So, you're not from this dimension, and you're a powerful hanyou who has pledged her loyalty to Konoha, and now you want to learn how to mould chakra while you will be teaching my student in Taijutsu?" the old man summed up, his brows furrowed.
"That's it in a nutshell, yeah. What you just witnessed was my first attempt at mixing my ki and chi, but my having much more ki than chi complicates things," Ranma elaborated, her expression calmly neutral.
"I see," Jiraiya muttered thoughtfully, thinking that if that display of power had been unintentional there might just be something to Tsunade's opinion that Ranma was very powerful. "I'll be honest, Konoha needs powerful ninja, especially after recent happenings,"
"The Oto/Suna invasion, for example," Ranma interjected, nodding. "Yeah, Shizune-san gave me a crash-course in recent history."
"Good. We need strong and loyal nin, and despite my reservations I will teach you," the Sannin said, his tone conveying the message 'you may have proven yourself to Tsunade, but not to me, yet'.
"That's all I can ask," the redhead replied with a minute inclination of her head, her tone communicating that she would prove herself.
"I see we understand each other. Good," Jiraiya exclaimed and clapped his hands. "I will teach you how to properly mould chakra, starting at 0800, and Naruto will be taught as many jutsu as he can stomach."
Naruto, who had listened intently while gutting and propping the fish on wooden sticks, let out a whoop of joy. "Awesome! I can't wait to learn them all so I can better protect my precious people!" the blonde exclaimed with shining eyes.
Jiraiya chuckled, "He may be a bit over-enthusiastic, but his heart is in the right spot," he muttered. "Anyway, to ensure an optimal training regimen you'll both start wearing weight seals, starting in," he consulted his watch, the flames from the camp-fire only enhancing the gleeful look in his eyes, "five and a half hours. I suggest you eat up and we call it a night."
That suggestion was met with acquiescence by the teens, and the surprisingly good meal was consumed in amicable silence interspersed with friendly small talk.
-.-
Four weeks later the trio had fully settled into the demanding training regiment devised by Jiraiya, the use of the weight seals the Sannin had mentioned going a long way in helping Naruto and Ranma to go from strength to strength.
The three were steadily on the move, not staying in one place for longer than twenty-four hours as far as villages were concerned, yet stays in the wilderness could last for several days at a stretch. This served to train their speed—particularly Naruto's, who was the slowest out of the three by far—and served to cover their tracks as well.
Naruto was literally wrung through the grinder as Jiraiya hammered jutsu after jutsu into the blonde's head, yet the jinchuuriki took to the techniques like a fish to water, literally soaking them up like a sponge. The theory behind the jutsus mostly remained out of the blonde's grasp—be it due to his lack of schooling, the quality of the schooling he had had, his lack of interest for anything even resembling 'boring school stuff' or a combination of the aforementioned—thus Jiraiya proceeded to give a brief explanation of the jutsus effects as well as ways—ergo jutsus—to counter it before showing the blonde the hand seals. Jiraiya would then have Naruto perform the learned jutsu and correct possible mistakes.
This jutsu drill would commence daily from eight a.m. to twelve p.m. as well as five to nine p.m., the only break being allocated from noon until twelve-thirty p.m. Taijutsu training would then commence from one to around about five p.m., and needless to say, this demanding training—which was only made possible due to Naruto's stamina and healing factor being Kyuubi's vessel granted him—left the blonde jinchuuriki quite exhausted.
Ranma for her part found the training both challenging and refreshing. While her success rate at properly moulding chakra had drastically improved, limiting the involuntary blow-ups to once in a while, she wasn't as of yet able to create a chakra-flow stable enough to perform jutsus.
While this was undoubtedly annoying as it still left her at a severe disadvantage, the redhead opted to make the most of the situation and memorised the hand seals for the jutsus Naruto learned while she increased her pool of chi by raising her strength through physical exertion, which, unsurprisingly, involved performing the many katas of the Anything Goes style exacerbated by the weight seals, amongst other things.
The arrangement of schedules had proven to work out well, and even Jiraiya was happy as hell, seeing as he used the time allocated to Ranma teaching Naruto taijutsu for 'research purposes'.
-.-
It was in their sixth week of training that the three had to seek refuge from a vicious thunderstorm, and Jiraiya, being the most knowledgeable in regards of the surrounding area, made a beeline for a small cave he had once found and then hidden as one of his bases. The cave itself would provide them with a living space of about fifty square metres according to the Gama Sennin, and hidden due to a special array of seals the Toad Sannin had used it served as the ideal place to crash for a short while.
Aside from being protected by seals the cave was also hidden by a large, natural—and thus inconspicuous—looking boulder that could only be moved by a special unsealing sequence the Toad Sannin had implemented, and once he had hastily done so the trio quickly made themselves at home.
Due to the fact that Jiraiya had stored firewood a warming camp-fire was crackling merrily in no time, thunder growling and lightning flashing outside as well as rain pouring down in sheets making the three glad to have a roof above their heads. Each of the three reached into their respective vests and pulled out a ration bar with similar looks of disgruntlement, the fact that they all had done the same and had reacted in the same way eliciting chuckles of amusement.
Ranma had been wised up to the suckiness of ration bars two days into their training trip when a whiff of hunger had befallen her, and she had regretted her decision not to listen to her companions when they had warned her that it tasted really, really bad.
How right they had been. The bar hadn't been tasteless as she had expected, no, it had literally raped her taste buds much in the same way sewage sludge likely would have. Thus Ranma had arrived at the conclusion that the consumption of ninja ration bars was to be limited to absolute emergencies. It was just too bad that Jiraiya not having stashed food rendered this situation one such emergency.
Scrunching up her face when the feeling of hunger finally overwhelmed the disgust, Ranma took a tentative bite, chewed carefully and swallowed. "Eugh. Wonder what they put inta that stuff. Rat asses or snake tails, per chance? Too bad we ain't in my dimension. I'd sue the producer's ass to Kingdom Come and then some," she grumbled, taking another, this time smaller bite before muttering about this food product being something that could have easily arisen from a certain tomboy’s cooking attempts.
"Gotta be rats' asses," Naruto groused, glaring at the seemingly innocent ration bar in his right hand. "Even snake tastes better than that."
"Right on the money, gaki. Snakes have more dignity than to end up like that anyway," Jiraiya commented, glaring at his own ration bar, "And the worst is, these things have always been this bad. It is rumoured that these... ration bars," he spat the designation like a particularly foul epithet, "have been around since the first great Shinobi war, and they serve only one purpose in my mind: to keep us Shinobi in a bad mood."
"Sound theory, Jiraiya-san," Ranma mused, comparing this theory to what she knew from her dimension. "There's an old saying in my dimension: the worse the food, the better the army. Whoever developed this shit must have been a citizen of a very powerful nation or just plain delusional."
"Plain delusional," all three exclaimed in stereo after a moment's thought.
After the ensuing chuckles had dissolved the trio consumed their 'meal' in silence, Ranma finishing first probably due to her high tolerance for atrocious food. "Naruto, why don't you pay your tenant a visit and discuss the situation with him? You said you can talk to him, so why not get his input?" she suggested, looking at the blonde who slowly nodded.
"Not a bad idea, Ranma. The fox said I could 'visit' him by meditating and concentrating on the seal. Maybe he has something useful to say for once," Naruto mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I'd be very careful, gaki. You just can't trust that fox, and I don't just say that because he killed hundreds of comrades and nearly flattened Konoha. The Kyuubi is a fox demon and thus cunning by nature, he'll likely try to trick you into setting him free," Jiraiya warned.
"Gotcha, Ero-sennin. But I think the fox has gotta be on his best behaviour, it's his hide the cloak freaks are after as well," Naruto replied, causing the Toad Sannin to nod.
"He's right," Ranma agreed as well, "It's in the fox's best interest to give his view on things, maybe he'll even try to negotiate. Raiju, the demon I held in me, was much the same when worst came to worst.
"But Jiraiya-san is right, Naruto, be careful. And keep in mind, a demon's word is binding. Get him to give his word, and you have him by the balls," the redhead advised, her analogy causing Naruto and Jiraiya to wince.
"I'll keep that in mind, Ranma. 'Scuse me, gonna annoy a freakin' big demon fox now," the blonde genin exclaimed, switched into an Indian style sitting position and closed his eyes.
Moments later Naruto had fallen into a rhythmic breathing pattern, indicating that he had successfully reached the proper state of body and mind. Now all Ranma and Jiraiya could do was wait and hope for a favourable outcome. The rest was solely up to Konoha's number one surprising ninja.
-.-
Naruto felt the familiar feeling of appearing in the mindscape designated as the 'seal', and as soon as he felt his feet standing on terra firma the stinking smell of the sewer that constituted Kyuubi's 'residence' assaulted his senses, causing him to briefly scrunch up his nose before setting out to the nine tail's cage.
Even though he had said it was a good idea, Naruto didn't really know how he should feel about Ranma's suggestion of talking over the situation with Kyuubi, a being who had—even if inadvertedly and not by conscious decision—brought nothing but pain and misery to him.
His feet made soft splish-sploshing noises in the ever-present water that stood at least two to three centimetres high in the corridor that led to the fox's cage, and as he approached the said cage Naruto's eyes took in the desolate conditions of the 'living room' the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune called his own. Water was dribbling down the ceiling and the derelict walls relentlessly, the foul smell emanating from the stale water that had collected on the floor being nearly overwhelming.
Seemingly immune to it all a unmoving hulking figure watched every step the blonde haired Genin took with unnatural intensity, burning crimson orbs not missing a single detail, only the swishing sound of nine tails betraying movement.
"Look who has strayed into my humble abode," the booming voice of the Kyuubi rumbled sarcastically. "Have you come to chat, brat? If so, get it over with, I was just busy counting water drops to ease my boredom."
Naruto ignored the cynism in Kyuubi's voice, "Wow, what an interestin' activity. Not," he replied in the same cynic tone. "Eh, what the hell. Yeah, I'm here to talk, fox, 'n' you better give me the answers I wanna hear," he demanded.
"Or what?" the demon fox queried in a decidedly amused tone. "You'll bore me to death with your incessant babbling? Too late, my physical body died fourteen years ago."
"Shaddup, bastard fox!" Naruto yelled indignantly, taking objection to being implicitly called a blabbermouth. "I'm here 'cause Ranma said you might have something to say about our situation. So here I am to get your 'input', ta use her words," he exclaimed after having taken a calming breath.
"Ranma… She's a feisty one, you should try to get her in the sack," Kyuubi opined, a lecherous grin playing on his furry face.
"I'm surrounded by perverts," Naruto moaned and shook his head in dismay, "Anyway, Ranma's a friend and my sensei, nothing more."
"Feh, your loss, fleshbag. That redhead is one attractive vixen I would have no qualms about banging," the Kyuubi retorted amusedly. "Anyway, you want to know what I, the great Kyuubi no Kitsune, can contribute to the situation, eh?"
"His ego is so huge, it's a small miracle my head hasn't exploded yet," Naruto muttered, saying "Yeah," in a louder tone.
"To be honest with you, monkey, our options are very limited. Anyway," the fox made a face as if he was contemplating if he should reveal certain information to Naruto or not, finally deciding to do so. "I had hoped the red-haired vixen would indulge you in this intricate matter, but it seems that this 'honour' is reserved for me," Kyuubi grumbled grumpily, making audible air quotes that conveyed his annoyance.
"Honour? Which 'honour'?" Naruto queried, making air quotes as well.
"The 'honour' of telling you about fusions between demons and humans," the demon fox replied, dropping the bomb in Naruto's lap.
-.-
"F-Fusion? B-Between demons and humans?" Naruto gasped out after he had gathered his bearings. "There ain't no way I'm even gonna consider fusing with you!" he yelled moments later, his tone suggesting he thought Kyuubi had gone crazy.
The demon fox seemed to sigh, "All I ask is that you hear me out, for the big-breasted vixens were correct when they said it is in my best interest to cooperate."
"In your best interest?" Naruto echoed, finding something that was in the fox's best interest quite worrying. "Why's that?"
Kyuubi showed two razor-sharp rows of huge teeth as he barred said teeth in a grin that'd have made a T-Rex envious. "Because it will give me a chance to leave a more lasting legacy on this world than what my present choices would allow. But more to that at a later date.
"For you to understand our options you must comprehend how the seal works that the damnable yellow-haired rat placed upon you when he sealed me in you," the nine tails continued.
"The Yondaime was no 'rat'!" Naruto yelled angrily and passionately, glaring at the huge fox, "He was a hero who gave his all to stop you! So stop insulting him!"
"Meh, that apeling used a dirty trick to defeat me," the Kyuubi groused, crimson eyes flashing in anger and annoyance. "Yet I have to admit he was a worthy opponent. Not many would have come up with summoning the Shinigami and creating seals that'd allow the greatest of the Bijuu to be sealed inside a puny human. But just because he stuck me with you don't believe for a second I will accede to your demands just because you wish so."
Naruto glared for a few more seconds before realising that the fox would not budge one inch. "Fine! Don't you think for a second I'll stop yelling atcha whenever ya do insult Yondaime!" he shot back in a 'so there!' tone.
"Troublesome apeling," Kyuubi groused in a good imitation of a certain lazy leaf Shinobi. "Returning to matters at hand, the seal the said rat," "Bastard fox, stop insulting Yondaime!" "placed upon you was designed with more in mind than just the purpose of holding me in until you die of old age, brat.
"It has a much more sinister feature," the nine tails continued sourly, Naruto's spellbound expression revealing that the Kyuubi had the blonde's complete attention. "That being that my essence and chakra, everything that defined me outside of my physical body, will be absorbed by you over the course of the next sixty to seventy years," he concluded, dropping the mother of all surprises in Naruto's lap.
Kyuubi would have laughed at the youth's utterly dumbfounded expression, yet the incredibly loud yell of "WHAT!" emanating from said youth's mouth hurt his sensitive ears so much that it took all the fun out of it, an undignified whine escaping the mighty Kitsune that sounded almost comical.
"Must you always react so exaggeratedly?" Kyuubi complained. "I tell you that you will eventually inherit my powers and knowledge courtesy of that diabolic seal devised by that apeling, and you torment my eardrums? Be glad I have no way of truly being a danger to you, brat."
Naruto, being so out of it due to the shock of learning that he'd absorb the fox's powers, didn't even react to the insult to Yondaime let alone the threat, his only action being to stare off into space. "Well I never… Fuck, I'll be damned. What the fuck was Yondaime thinking? Was he outta his mind or somethin'?" he uttered finally after a semblance of normal thought patterns had been re-established, "That'd make me exactly what the villagers always accuse me of! A demon!"
Kyuubi's sharp, barking laughter caused Naruto to turn his head sharply, a burning glare being sent the fox's way, "What's so damn funny, fox? Not having ruined my life enough?" he spat harshly, blue eyes narrowed to slits.
"The contrary, stupid youngling," Kyuubi retorted in a superior tone, "I must admit the fleshbag's seal is rather ingenious. It would not and could not turn you into a full demon, rather it would—and will—adapt your body so that it will be able to handle my power, eventually. If you consider this ruining your life further you have utterly ridiculous ideas of a ruined life. Why-"
"Got it, baka fox, spare me with the stories of all the poor souls you tortured in hell," Naruto retorted testily, still feeling that the fox had ruined his life almost beyond repair due to the happenings he had set in motion round about thirteen years ago when he had attacked Konoha.
"Feh, how little you know, fleshbag," the demon fox rumbled with a shake of his head, turning his powerful gaze on Naruto a few moments later. "You will become a hanyou, a half-demon, eventually, but it is my estimation that you will keep an overall human appearance. You might even gain a hybrid form or an almost full demon form you can take, much like the long extinct were-creatures, but that is pure speculation at this point," the tailed beast stated.
Naruto, having calmed down throughout the fox's monologue exhaled a drawn-out breath. "So I won't turn demon, then. That's at least something, I s'pose," he muttered, his spirits rising to some degree.
"Whatever. Full absorption of my chakra, essence and knowledge will not happen for at least seven decades, yet I urge you to consider speeding up the process through a premature fusion," the Kyuubi suggested, his red eyes staring intently at Naruto.
"And why the hell should I agree to this, much less even consider it, baka fox?" Naruto growled out with eyes narrowed to slits.
The huge crimson orbs of Kyuubi stared right back at him from behind the bars. "For a couple of reasons, fleshbag," he rumbled. "This annoying organisation by the name of Akatsuki won't let up on trying to capture you so that they can extract me, which would be your end."
Naruto sat down in front of the bars Indian style in a relatively dry spot, an expression that was a mixture of worry and suspiciousness showing on his face. "My end? Why?"
A snort could be heard from behind the bars, and the soft padding of paws suggested Kyuubi had begun to pace, "The seal, brat. It is designed to absorb my spirit and chakra over time as I already explained, but if someone were to design a jutsu to break the seal and siphon off my essence you would die seeing as the Fuin seal ties us together: chakra, essence, the works.
"The moment the seal were to break you'd be dying a slow death seeing that my chakra is constantly intermixing with yours. In a nutshell, your chakra would be sucked out of your body alongside me, and without chakra, no life," the demon explained in simpler terms, never stopping his pacing.
"I-I see," Naruto replied several moments later once the severity of this statement had sunken in. Then his eyes suddenly narrowed. "One sec... Why should I trust you, furball?" he queried, suspicion fairly dribbling from every syllable.
"You're not as stupid as you look, brat," Kyuubi commented amusedly, his snout showing two glinting rows of huge, razor-sharp teeth.
"Thanks," Naruto replied automatically, before frowning and shouting an indignant "Hey!" of protest.
Kyuubi chuckled in bemusement, only to narrow his eyes few moments later, their expression deadly serious. "Your suspicion is well-founded, brat, but consider this: should these foolish humans manage to extract me it stands to reason there's a good chance I would perish. Can you guess why?"
Naruto cocked his head to the side in contemplation, his gaze not leaving the fox who had stopped his pacing and was staring intently at him. "'Em... Akatsuki are collecting all Bijuu," he thought out loud, "that means they have a way to extract 'em, including you."
"But what could they want so much Bijuu chakra for?" he queried, looking straight at the fox as he voiced this question.
"The essences and chakra of all nine of us would be far too much for any human being to handle, regardless of how strong they are. You need not worry about one human amassing this much power, brat," Kyuubi explained. "It would not matter if the human absorbed us consecutively or at once, in ascending or descending order, the total amount of chakra would far exceed any mortal beings' tolerances.
"My assumption is that they either want to bind us to themselves to enhance their power, and considering they have managed to find a way to break a Fuin seal and siphon off our chakra and essence without killing us Bijuu in the process raises the probability they might have developed a seal to bind us to their ranks.
"Seeing that this yellow-haired rat Yondaime managed to design a seal that'd allow you to absorb my essence and chakra over time it's safe to assume they have something similar or better," the nine tails mused. "I would cease to exist sooner rather than later at any rate, my powers being wielded by a lowly apeling with delusions of grandeur."
Naruto uttered a string of expletives that summed up the outcome of this scenario nicely. "With that kind of power they could... They could... Dunno, rule the world or something! Fuck, that's bad!"
"You think?" Kyuubi queried dryly, ignoring the glare Naruto sent his way, "Be that as it may, that I am telling you this should clue you in that I'm telling the truth. Our mutual survival is at stake, and I swear on my honour as the mightiest of the Bijuu and a demon lord that I do not and will not speak lies," Kyuubi concluded solemnly.
Naruto groaned. "Yeah, yeah, don't be so melodramatic, fox," he complained impatiently.
"You think I'm being melodramatic?" the demon fox inquired dryly, "Then I assume you don't want to hear the other possibility my great mind has discerned?" he queried in a smug tone.
"Don't stall so much 'n' spit it out already, fox," Naruto muttered, adding, "Stupid, self-righteous furball thinks he's soooo high 'n' mighty. Why couldn't I be stuck with someone nice instead? Would a nice hamster demon have been too much to ask for?" in a low mutter.
"I heard that, insolent brat!" Kyuubi rumbled indignantly. "But enough of this idle banter. You see, brat, there are beings in existence even greater than me, the great Kyuubi no Kitsune-"
"Yadda yadda yadda, I'm the mighty Kyuubi, all mortals tremble in fear. Yadda yadda," Naruto sing-songed in a bored tone.
"Pay attention, insolent flea," Kyuubi bellowed, causing Naruto to arch a brow in boredom, knowing all too well that the fox couldn't harm him, yet the spiky-haired blonde chose to humour the fox and pasted an expression of curiosity on his face. "Better. As I said, there are beings in existence even greater than me, beings we call Ancients, and the Akatsuki might plan to summon such a being using the Bijuu's essence and chakra," he explained, and Naruto thought he saw a mixture of anger and worry in Kyuubi's eyes.
"What would happen to you and the other Bijuu? And what would the Akatsuki gain by summoning such a being?" Naruto queried with a frown, silently agreeing with the fox's earlier assessment that he wouldn't like the other alternative.
Kyuubi seemed to sigh, "We would perish, our chakra and essences being used up by the summoning ritual," he spat disgustedly, "Eons of gathering strength and might, of greatness achieved and knowledge gained, of experiences beyond the scope of your wildest imagination," Naruto was surprised to hear sadness and wistfulness reverberating within Kyuubi's voice, "all would be lost, soon to be forgotten. All just so that some pathetic monkeys can gain the aid of an Ancient so that they can conquer this unimportant world. Bah.
"Do you now understand why I am offering you what no greater demon has ever offered a mortal?" the nine tails virtually sighed, disgust underlining his tone. "Because I don't want to be forgotten, because I want to leave a legacy in this world other than my attacking mortal settlements before I cease to exist one way or the other," Kyuubi said, resting his massive head on his forepaws.
Naruto, his surprise only having grown during Kyuubi's 'spilling of his heart', couldn't help but feel that Kyuubi had just told him the truth regarding his motives, "Okay, I believe you, but that in no way mean I'll jump for joy and give my okay to this plan. I still haven't given up on the notion that I could grow strong enough on my own to hold my own against Akatsuki," he replied, chin thrust forward challengingly.
Kyuubi gave a sharp bark of laughter and raised his head, his malevolent crimson eyes boring into Naruto. "Stop deluding yourself, brat. You were lucky you escaped the weasel and the shark when you were on that mission to convince the big-breasted healer to become leader of your pathetic excuse for a village."
"Shut up, stupid fox!" Naruto yelled and jumped to his feet, glaring at the nine tails, "I'll train till I drop, day in day out if need be, and I'll grow strong enough to kick their asses!"
Kyuubi rumbled impatiently, "Stop making a fool of yourself and SIT DOWN!" the fox bellowed, lacing his words with enough authority that the blonde sat. "Good. So you will train, grow stronger and defeat them all, yes? Just like that?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded, eyes flashing indignantly, chin thrust out stubbornly yet again. "You just wait and see; give me a few years 'n' new jutsu, 'n' I'll wipe the floor with 'em," he uttered.
"Naive fool," Kyuubi snarled, shaking his massive head in what appeared to be dismay, which caused Naruto to grumble indignantly. "If things weren't so serious I'd laugh at your hubris. But seeing that things are serious I'll indulge you, apeling. Now listen, and listen good without interrupting me," he growled threateningly.
"Yeah, yeah, fox. Get on with it," Naruto replied, casually dismissing the threat due to being so used to threats of all kinds.
Kyuubi snorted, foregoing the notion of berating his vessel for his insolence. "Despite your beliefs to the contrary, it is downright impossible for you to catch up to the strongest among the Akatsuki. Take the weasel for example," his eyes glowed in a way that was eerily similar to the Sharingan. "He is so far ahead of you in terms of skill, power, tactics and knowledge of jutsu due to him being admittedly brilliant for an ape as well as the way he chose to live his life, joining the strongest ninja there are-"
"But-"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" Kyuubi hissed menacingly, "This is not just my opinion, these are facts I derived from observation. Every single Akatsuki member is stronger than you by several magnitudes, or don't you remember the big-breasted healer telling you them comprising solely of S-class ninja?"
Naruto thought for a moment, his facial expression changing from annoyed to thoughtful. Moments later he nodded instead of answering verbally, intent on foregoing the earache he'd inevitably get from being yelled at.
"Good, there's hope for you yet," Kyuubi commented, his serious gaze still boring into Naruto. "Now consider this, the weasel possesses a nearly unbeatable tool, the Mangekyo Sharingan. You'd have to train for years to master the art of fighting blind, years we do not have.
"So regardless how strong you are, all the weasel needs to do is to lock eyes with you and you are at his mercy, game over. Considering his threat level he could wipe the floor with you in under five seconds and force you to look at him. We were incredibly lucky the pervert came to our rescue back then, it could all have ended there and then. And they were only two opponents. What would have happened had all nine of the Akatsuki set their sights on you at this point in time?"
Naruto had to grudgingly admit that the nine tails was onto something, and took the time to make a honest self-assessment instead of believing his own boasts. He himself was a Genin with downright lacking taijutsu, very lacking genjutsu and overall average to good ninjutsu. His jutsu library was abysmally small, and the only things going for him were his Jounin level chakra levels, his determination to never give up and his iron will.
All in all not very much if you wanted to hold your own against seasoned and ridiculously skilled opponents who wanted to capture and use you in one of their crazy rituals. He sighed, inclining his head in silent assent.
"But it didn't end there and then, and that gives us a chance to be better prepared next time," Kyuubi continued, his red eyes glinting maliciously.
"Huh?" Naruto spoke up, not managing to keep his silence, "You said yourself the Mangekyo thingie was damn near unbeatable. How could I be better prepared?"
Kyuubi grinned inwardly, having expected this question, "By evening the odds, brat, and getting the Sharingan yourself," he said smugly, playing his trump card which hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.
-.-
Naruto stared at the demon fox with eyes as wide as saucers, and to say that he was completely thrown for a loop would have been an understatement, "S-Sharingan? Y-You could give me the Sharingan?" he finally asked, disbelief tinting his voice.
"Yes," Kyuubi simply replied, his tone filled with complete confidence.
"How?" Naruto queried after a few moments of considering the possibilities, his face now as neutral as possible.
"You will surely remember the time you fought this weird boy-girl Haku and the brow-less kenjutsu master Zabusa. While inside the demonic ice mirrors your traitorous friend was wounded, and some of his blood flowed into a gash I was healing. Imagine my surprise at discovering that I was able to integrate the genes that govern the Sharingan into your genetic matrix," Kyuubi crowed smugly.
"You did what!" Naruto yelled wide-eyed, eyes so big it seemed they'd pop any second.
"I integrated the genes for the Sharingan into your genetic matrix, your genetic makeup, in other words," Kyuubi repeated slowly as if speaking to a particularly slow child.
"Damn fox, I got it the first time! I ain't that stupid, ya know," Naruto yelled indignantly, glaring at said fox, who muttered "Could have fooled me," which caused Naruto to turn up the intensity of his glare several notches. "So if you did what you said, why didn't the Sharingan ever activate?" he asked after having stopped trying to glare an unblinking nine tails down.
'If I told him because I assured the genes dormancy to have a trump card up my sleeve should I ever need it he'd complain I held out on him and the deal will go up in smoke,' Kyuubi thought wryly to himself, 'so I tell him this half-truth instead. Technically, it is no lie.'
"Because it took this long for your body to get fully used to the genes. Without that process you'd have gained an inferior version at best and something resembling a binocular at worst, and I assumed you wanted to use the Sharingan to its fullest potential, don't you?" the demon fox queried in a tone that suggested the answer was obvious.
But the answer wasn't that obvious to Naruto, who rubbed his chin thoughtfully, an unconvinced look on his face. "I ain't sure I wanna have the stupid Sharingan at all," he said after minutes of careful consideration. "I mean, you look at someone doin' a jutsu, activate your Sharingan, and bam, you can do the jutsu, too. Just peachy, but where's the work that has to be invested? Where's the feeling of finally having succeeded after long hours, days or months of hard work? I don't really like that part," he concluded, looking decidedly unhappy.
Kyuubi, not even having considered the possibility that his vessel would be anything but as keen as mustard to get something as useful and powerful as the Sharingan, was stumped for a few seconds, yet his quick wit, having been honed to perfection for millennia came up with a counter lightning fast. "Do you really think the Sharingan is all about copying? Ignorant brat," the fox rumbled, making Naruto's teeth rattle.
"Huh? Whycha calling me names? And whatcha mean, 'course the Sharingan is 'bout copying jutsu. Take Kakashi-sensei for example, he ain't called The Copy Ninja for nothin'," Naruto shot back.
"I wish you'd use that grey lump of pudding between your ears once in a while, you yellow-haired ape," Kyuubi sighed, his red gaze suddenly flashing. "Think, brat. Was the Sharingan useful for the snakeling teme right after he activated it for the first time?"
"No," Naruto admitted, a grin spreading on his face both at the memory and Kyuubi's nickname for Sasuke. "The teme got his ass handed to him but good. But what's the punch-line, fox?"
A long-suffering sigh escaped the mighty fox. "I presume it's indeed better to tell you now instead of waiting a few hours of you failing to deduce the correct answer," he muttered, his comment causing an indignant "Hey!" which was ignored.
"You want the punch-line, apeling, I will give you the punch-line. The Sharingan is, like any other doujutsu or bloodline, a tool. It's an in-built aid backing you up, but even with it you need to train to be able to use it optimally. You—"
"Damn, you're right!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he jumped to his feet and began to pace, "Sasuke-teme was too slow to use the Sharingan properly in the fight against Haku and got his ass kicked," he smirked for a second in fond reminiscence of how the Uchiha had sulked afterwards. "Then Kakashi-sensei subjected him to speed-drills-"
"Subjected? My vessel knows a big word? A true miracle," Kyuubi interjected sardonically.
"Shaddup, fox!" Naruto fired back, waving a hand dismissively at the cage, "I'm thinking here."
"Then be sure not to hurt yourself. I don't feel like regenerating that blob of pudding you carry in your mostly empty skull cavity," Kyuubi retorted, his crimson eyes exuding smugness.
"Har har, and that from a fox who can't even do that," Naruto replied, turning his hands so that both thumbs were opposed to each other, "Who's de sucker now?" he asked smugly.
"That was pretty lame, even for you," Kyuubi retorted unfazed, his gaze conveying his unfazedness. "What would I need opposable thumbs for if a single tail of mine can create a Tsunami fifty metres high? For holding a pen to scribble down how many victims I killed? Bah. Opposable thumbs are a random mutation in an inferior species, nothing more," he concluded in a superior tone.
"Meh, whatever," Naruto exclaimed, having too much on his mind to summon the will to continue the newest round of trading insults. "So Sasuke-teme trained his speed, 'n' before he left the village he focussed on physical exercises as well ta raise his strength.
"I see whatcha mean, ya must still train yer body in order to be able to use the Sharingan properly," Naruto concluded, "The better trained the body, the more effective the eyes."
"He got it in under a day. Will wonders ever cease," Kyuubi snorted, revelling in his vessel's annoyance for a few moments while grinning broadly. "Yes, you are correct, brat. The Sharingan is a good tool for acquiring jutsu, and the abilities the Mangekyo triggers are admittedly very impressive. But the doujutsu is only as effective as the wielder is strong and skilled.
"Then there's the fact that you have to train in the jutsu you have copied," the fox stated.
"Eh? Why's that?" Naruto queried, brows raised in curiosity.
"To determine the optimum amount of chakra to maximise its effectiveness in its 'basic mode' so that you don't waste energy. And if you were to use too much chakra you might endanger your allies when you use a more destructive area attack, if you use too little it wouldn't work. The Sharingan does not remove the necessity of training, it just ensures you improve a lot faster through said training," the fox explained.
"That fits with the facts, yeah," Naruto admitted after thinking it over and comparing it with what he knew about Sasuke and Kakashi.
"There is also another reason why the Sharingan would be in your best interest," Kyuubi said as if pondering.
Naturally Naruto's curiosity was piqued, "Yeah? And why's that?"
"Because it would remove the advantage the snakeling holds over you, the one advantage you can not alleviate with training," Kyuubi continued in the same seemingly pondering tone. "Which in turn would make the fulfilment of that 'promise of a life-time' you gave that pink-haired wench a lot easier.
"With both of you having the Sharingan the outcome of your inevitable fight with the snakeling would be determined by your strength, speed, skill and other factors, and not by you having to compensate for your lack of a bloodline," the fox concluded.
"Making it easier to fulfil my promise..." Naruto mused out loud, a hard, determined expression appearing on his face, which nearly prompted the fox to grin ear to ear. "I never go back on my word, that's my nindo. Takin' the teme's advantage away would make it easier,"
'Line and sinker,' the Kyuubi thought gleefully. 'Even someone as stubborn as him should be swayed by my skilful manipulations now.'
"Fox," he suddenly yelled a minute later, "can't you give me the Sharingan without us fusing? I-I don't wanna be even more of an outcast," he muttered, his head drooping.
Kyuubi seemed to ponder this for a few moments, "No," he finally said, locking gazes with Naruto, who had looked up to meet the fox's gaze, "Not that I wouldn't prefer the status quo of us remaining separate beings seeing that there still might be a chance for me to regain my freedom," he growled in a grumbling tone. "But the chance to be apprehended and used by Akatsuki is many times higher, sadly.
"There is also another reason why we should join up soon. Were we to join as a last ditch effort we'd likely be defeated with ease. I am certain you can discern why?" the fox demanded.
Naruto, a bit put off by Kyuubi's tone, frowned briefly before switching into his thinker-pose, "Hmm, the new me, us, whatever should be pretty awesome, eh? So why would we, I, be defeated? I should kick ass!," he shouted.
"I'll give you a hint," Kyuubi rumbled, "What is the major disadvantage new powers bring with them? And before you blurt out what pops into your disorganised mind, take into consideration the time you learned the Rasengan."
Naruto, having frowned due to the reprimand, was taken aback by the second part of what Kyuubi had said and stopped to think about the fox's words. "It-It takes time and practice to learn and get used to new powers and techniques," he muttered to himself after a full five minutes of thought. "Is that what you meant?"
"Yessss," Kyuubi affirmed, crimson eyes alight, "that's it exactly. What good is immeasurable power if you have no idea on how to wield it? We would be taken down with ease."
"I-I see," Naruto nodded, realising the validity of the point raised by the Kyuubi, and he had to admit, he did like the idea of still having to push himself to his limits to gain power despite gaining the Sharingan. "So what 'bout the Sharingan? Will I have the same cool abilities as Itachi?" he queried, eyes shining with anticipation.
"You and your descendants, yes," the fox confirmed.
"Cool," Naruto whispered. "Wait, my, umm, kids as well?" he queried after the information had sunken in.
"And their kits as well," the nine tails said. "The genes that govern the Sharingan are dominant, or how else do you think was it possible for the now almost extinct Uchiha clan to grow so big? When I attacked Konoha my senses told me there were about two-hundred Uchiha, and you don't get this number of Sharingan users with the genes being recessive. So yes, your offspring will inherit the Sharingan," he explained.
Naruto nodded as he absorbed the information, his forehead crinkling with worry lines, "But what about that Mangekyo thingie? Sasuke-teme said he had to kill me to gain it. Does that mean my kids will have to kill as well to get it?" he queried, worry tinting his voice.
"I will expand on the killing part in general at a later date in favour of getting down to the important business. Brat, it is not that your children would have to kill a random person to gain the Mangekyo, no, they'd have to kill their best friend," Kyuubi elaborated, answering a question that had long since plagued Naruto.
"Their best friend," Naruto whispered softly, shock, anger and betrayal flashing over his face. "The bastard really wanted to kill me then, and all so he could get the power to kill his brother."
An expression of profound disappointment settled on his face, and his eyes acquired an icy quality. "It's that damned cursed seal, it's gotta be," he muttered, and Kyuubi, who overheard him, chose not to correct him. "So if I kill that snake bastard Orochimaru it'd free the teme," he thought out loud.
"That is a possibility," Kyuubi allowed, "Killing the originator of the cursed seal might render its existence void."
"First time we agree on something, fox," Naruto chuckled. "I guess there really is a first time for everything."
"I surely hope not," the fox rumbled. "I shudder to imagine that your ridiculous addiction to this useless food product called 'Ramen'—which has to be the food product with the least nutrients in existence—might be contagious," he muttered, causing Naruto to sputter indignantly.
"Anyway, so what if I wanted to get the Mangekyo? Would I have to kill Sasuke or what?" Naruto asked with a frown after he had defended the 'best and tastiest heavenly food in the world' to his satisfaction, eyes narrowed in distaste.
"Normally, yes," Kyuubi replied, crimson eyes glinting malevolently, "but if you were to agree to the fusion there might be something I could do," the fox purred slyly.
Naruto, distinctly feeling like he was about to seal a deal with the devil, gulped, and finally queried with a huge sense of foreboding, "Meaning what?"
-.-
Kyuubi would have loved nothing more than to perform a victory dance as he was about to play his final trump card, yet his station as the demon lord and greatest of the Bijuu simply forbade such undignified behaviour, "For you to understand the significance of what I am offering you I have to speak verbosely-"
"Huh?" Naruto asked, questioning eyes wide with incomprehension.
Kyuubi suppressed a sigh with great difficulty. "In simple terms, I will give you the details on how bloodline limits came into existence so that you understand what I'm offering you, which will better make you come to appreciate it," he rumbled regally.
"Oh. Why didn'tcha say so in the first place?" Naruto demanded.
The nine tails resisted the urge to give in to his first, violent impulse of trying to skewer the blonde due to his knowledge that said attempt would be futile, and just shook his head in dismay. "Anyway," he said after taking a deep breath, "do you have a guess on how bloodline limits came into existence?"
"Dunno. 'Em Bloodline limits have been in existence for a damn long time, I think. Maybe some crazy guys decided to experiment around like that snake bastard?" Naruto queried, his face scrunching up in anger as his mind produced images of Orochimaru and the vile experiments the Snake Sannin had conducted and was still conducting.
"Not even close, but a good try for you," the fox allowed, his condescending tone causing Naruto to scrunch up his face in annoyance. "The bloodline limits as you know them were brought into this world by members of my species, demons, by any other name," the nine tails stated, his maw showing off two rows of razor sharp teeth that glinted in the darkness, his malicious smile stemming from the fact that his vessel was staring at him in open-mouthed bafflement.
"What!" came the loud and completely expected bellow from the spiky-haired youth, Naruto having jumped to his feet. "Do you really wanna tell me Hinata's freaky eyes, Sasuke-teme's Sharingan 'n' what that freak Kimimaro could do is 'cause of demons? You shitting me, fox?"
"Don't forget whom you're speaking to, brat, or I might just decide to give you a gigantic headache," Kyuubi's booming voice reprimanded, crimson eyes flashing challengingly. "Now listen, and listen good.
"The bloodline limits came into existence in the first place due to humans summoning us demons. We took pleasure in giving your species tools to destroy, mutilate, torture and whatever cruelty you humans chose to inflict upon yourselves in exchange for summoning us," Kyuubi's voice boomed in a malevolent tone. "To reiterate, what you know as bloodline limits are gifts granted by different tribes of demons."
"W-What? Y-You're serious?" Naruto whispered disbelievingly, his eyes wide, a numbness overcoming him as he realised it had to be true seeing that Kyuubi had sworn on his honour to tell the truth, honour seemingly being something that meant a lot to the Bijuu. "Well fuck! And 'em assholes have the audacity to call me a demon!" he spat angrily, remembering all the ridiculing and suffering he had endured at the hands of the villagers, the same said villagers who had practically worshiped the bloodline users and were still doing so.
"Gaining the Sharingan would be like a kick in the teeth to 'em," Naruto mused, a gleeful expression slowly crawling onto his face, something that made Kyuubi hopeful, "and it'd give me a better chance to make those who count recognise me.
"Yeah," he yelled, his eyes shining with the exuberance he was famous for, "I will show them!
"So," he looked at the sweat-dropping fox after he had come down from his high, "what else can ya tell me 'bout the bloodlines? You said there might be somethin' you could do," the spiky haired blonde exclaimed, eyes focussed sharply on the Kyuubi.
"Yes, I did say that," the demon fox purred, smugness clearly audible in his voice, "It just happens to be that the Sharingan was granted to the Uchiha clan by one of my kin, an eight-tailed fox by the name of Celesta. She thought it funny to test how far the Uchiha were willing to go for power, arranging it thusly that an Uchiha would have to kill his or her best friend to gain the fourth and last level of the Sharingan, the Mangekyo."
"That… That's so evil!" Naruto finally yelled, struggling to put his disgust in words and failing, opting to glare at the Kyuubi instead, who just gazed back at his vessel calmly, a small smirk showing off his huge teeth.
"How was it evil to leave the choice to the Uchiha? No Uchiha was ever forced to kill his or her best friend," the fox stated slyly, "it was and is all up to them."
Seeing that Naruto had no immediate comeback the nine tails continued, voicing his thoughts on the matter. "My guess is my great-aunt wanted to see how far humans are willing to go for power, and several examples throughout the Uchiha clan history have proven that men are capable of deeds just as vile and horrendous as us demons, Itachi Uchiha only being the most recent example," he said in a contemplative tone.
"Your great-aunt? She gave the Uchiha the Sharingan? Yeah, I can just see how the emos must have thought only they'd be deserving of such a gift," Naruto growled. "Without 'em realising just what it'd do to 'em. 'S as the saying goes, power corrupts, and that's why I renew my vow here 'n' now: I will only ever use my powers to protect, my precious people 'specially, that's my ninja way!"
"To each their own," Kyuubi commented with an audible shrug in his voice. "But I have to admit that Celesta is bound to have taken pleasure in their arrogant behaviour. She'll likely have had kits due to amusement when the weasel almost wiped out the Uchiha clan.
"Anyway," he said after shrugging off the bout of melancholy, "due to the fact that my great-aunt granted the Sharingan it is within the scope of my abilities to make changes to the bloodline.
"If you agree to us fusing I will change the circumstances of how the Mangekyo can be gained from the Uchiha setting to battle-induced stress similar to the circumstances of the Sharingan's initial activation, but I need your word of honour up front in lieu of a written contract that you assent to the fusion," Kyuubi said in utter seriousness. "Do you understand?"
"Yes," Naruto replied after replaying the words in his mind.
"Good. What is your decision?"
-.-
Naruto Uzumaki, Genin ninja of Konoha, being in the unfortunate situation of being faced with the hardest decision of his life bar none, looked up into the crimson orbs of Kyuubi, no immediate answer coming to him. Seeing as this was a truly life-altering decision he felt that a snap decision was solely inappropriate, and going against his nature he sat down to weigh the pros and cons. His head drooped, his bangs concealing his eyes, and for the first time in long while he took the time to think things through.
"First question," he muttered out loud, repeating the words he had heard Iruka-sensei say once during one of his lectures that he had not slept through, "are the Akatsuki truly as dangerous as the fox thinks? Oh bloody yeah," he exclaimed with a low whistle, "the meeting with Itachi and shark-face made that clear. 'N' there're six others waiting in the shadows according to Ero-sennin, each fuckin' strong 'n' deadly, plus the leader Ero-sennin mentioned, who's rumoured to be insanely strong, according to Ero-sennin," he mused, pausing for breath while the fox listened in silence.
"Secondly, there's the question if I'd die should 'em bastards manage to capture me and extract the fox," he murmured, a worried frown crinkling his forehead. "Kyuubi said that we were tied together by the seal, that I'd absorb his chakra 'n' essence over the next sixty to seventy years, so he has no reason to lie. He'll perish anyway, and he thinks that fusing with me now instead of having it happen naturally over the next few decades will give him, us, a better chance at survival. Damn, can't help but to agree with the bastard fox," he groused, missing the fox's smirk.
"Then there's the matter of the Sharingan. It would be cool gettin' it," he mused, nodding to himself, eyes shining appreciatively. "What the fox said makes sense as well. One still has to train and work hard despite the Sharingan, it's a tool just as much as a kunai, only way, way better.
"That brings me back to the problem of time 'n' not having enough," he ruminated, the said thought popping into his mind due to him thinking about training, "The fox is onto somethin' when he says I wouldn't be able to wield our combined powers should we decide to fuse spontaneously durin' a big battle.
"Damn," he grumbled finally after thinking things over a dozen times, "I fuckin' hate it, but the fox is right. Fusin' with him is my best shot at gettin' enough power to survive this, 'n' to protect my precious people.
"But ain't there really no other way? What would the Yondaime have done in a situation like this?" Naruto pondered, bowing his head as he thought hard.
"Don't overexert yourself, monkey. I don't feel like having to regrow your brain." Kyuubi mocked.
"Hah hah, furball, the joke wasn't funny the first time, you know?" Naruto groused, getting a far away look a few moments later, "Exert... Exertion... Training!" he exclaimed and jumped to his feet, an excited gleam in his eyes.
"Kyuubi! I'll make you a deal! You give me the Sharingan and three years time, which is about the time this training trip will last, to get as strong as possible! Then we will test my strength, and if it's satisfactory there ain't no need to fuse!" the spiky-haired blonde exclaimed excitedly.
"No." the nine tails immediately retorted, employing a tone that brooked no argument.
Naruto, not being the most knuckle-headed ninja of Konoha for nothing, growled out, "And why not? We'd remain separate beings for a while longer, which is something you should damn well prefer. With the Sharingan and kick-ass training I would be able to hold my own against the Akatsuki, and if worst comes to worst we'd still be able to fuse, fox! I know I can get that strong in three years, especially with the Sharingan!"
"Why should I agree, little fleshbag? You'll absorb me in sixty to seventy years anyway, or has this little fact slipped your feeble mortal mind? There's no reason for me to agree to this idiotic plan." Kyuubi retorted.
"But there is! Maybe we can find a way to undo the effects of the Shiki Fuujin and send you back to the underworld before I have absorbed too much of your power or something!
"And more importantly, what if I need your advice or knowledge of jutsu, or something else that could save us in a situation when we are between a rock 'n' a hard place? You can't tell me I'm gonna 'remember' even a fraction of your knowledge in a snap, even if we were to fuse tomorrow!" Naruto exclaimed heatedly, his gaze drilling into the nine tails' crimson eyes.
"Hmm," the Kyuubi rumbled as he considered Naruto's arguments, which were surprisingly accurate, "maybe you're not as stupid as you seem. But still, I am not convinced."
"Fox, with you healing me constantly I can improve much faster than a normal nin, and add the Sharingan to that with which I can copy and learn jutsu easily and I'll be able to be a match for Akatsuki in no time! I can get strong enough on my own!" Naruto downright roared, laying all his energy and determination into his fierce almost-plea.
A thoughtful glint appeared in Kyuubi's red eyes, fact that gave Naruto hope, "It is true, my healing you constantly renders muscle atrophy meaningless, allowing you to keep going for eighteen hours a day, at my estimation. That coupled with the jutsu acquiring capabilities of the Sharingan might give you the edge you need. Still-"
"Kyuubi-sama," Naruto inwardly scrunched up his face in disgust at addressing the bane of Konoha with respect, "we could still fuse if the need arose. With me as strong as I’m gonna get and your added power I'm sure we could beat anyone. But please, let me grow on my own, first!" he exclaimed, his voice as pleading as his dignity allowed.
Kyuubi's red-eyed gaze scrutinised the blonde-haired Genin for a long time, finally nodding his massive head, "I am positive I will regret this decision, but your plan has my approval, fleshbag. May the Ancients smile down on us and bless us with their favour, for we will need it."
"Yeah, that. And if they don't I'll kick their asses!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking a fist.
"Why did I have to be cursed with such an obnoxious vessel, and what possessed me to agree to this 'plan'? Meh, I'm losing my touch," the mighty fox grumbled, "But what's done is done. Brat, I will awaken the Sharingan in your genetic code right after altering its properties pertaining to the Mangekyo. You should avoid strenuous activities for the better part of what remains of today, that should give your body enough time to rest and the white haired pervert enough time to prepare a decent training schedule. And once you have the Sharingan I expect some real progress." the fox growled at Naruto.
The Uzumaki youth nodded, "Yeah, and real progress you're gonna see. But there's one thing that came to mind, fox," he said in a thoughtful tone, making the fox cock his ears. "If we ever fuse I want your word of honour that you won't try to take over my body. This fusion would be a last resort, and nothing but an acc… what's that word… oh yeah, accelerated absorption of your essence 'n' chakra, not to mention knowledge 'n' the fruck knows what. The same thing that'd happen in sixty to seventy years anyway, in your words," he concluded, his rock-hard gaze boring into the demon-fox.
Kyuubi sighed as his balloons were neatly pricked by Naruto, the secret plan of taking over the pre-teen's body now shot to hell. "Damn you, brat, you weren't supposed to catch on to that," the fox growled in utter anger, a gust of breath hitting Naruto as the giant fox exhaled in an attempt to calm himself.
Righting himself up a full minute later the Bijuu began to speak, his voice sounding as if he was being dragged through nettles, "I promise as the leader of the Bijuu and the demon lord Kyuubi that I will not try to take over your body. The fusion, should it ever come to pass, will commence as you described. And, the same terms we agreed upon for the fusion do apply to my giving you the Sharingan as well. Understood?"
"Yeah, yeah, understood," Naruto replied absently, glee filling him that he had managed to talk the greatest of the Bijuu into going along with his plan.
"What other choice do I have anyway but to strengthen you, fleshbag?" the demon fox spat bitterly. "That stupid yellow-haired rat, having the audacity to seal me away, me the great Kyuubi, mightiest of the Bijuu!," he griped.
Naruto just shook his head at the fox's antics, a satisfied smile playing on his face at having the fox's honour promise, "Guess the both of us were at the wrong place at the wrong time," he mused, scratching the back of his head.
"Just how much so you might find out sooner or later, brat," Kyuubi retorted ominously, his red eyes gazing at Naruto almost amusedly, the blonde gazing back with a puzzled frown. "Now leave me be so that I can begin the process of giving you the Sharingan."
"Yeah, yeah, fox," Naruto replied, waving a hand dismissively, "No need to get your boxers in a twist. See ya!"
The last words Naruto heard before he left the mindscape were, "I hope this process is as painful as I think it will be," spoken in Kyuubi's malice filled voice. "We will talk again after the procedure, fleshbag."
-.-
The fox's ominous words still echoed in his mind when Naruto found himself back in his body after having literally been kicked out of the seal by Kyuubi, the blonde young man finding himself lying on a cot with a futon Jiraiya had provided him with.
Listening to the still vividly crackling camp fire told him that likely not much time had passed, and opening his eyes slowly validated his assumption. "Stupid fox, that the baka Kitsune kicked me outta the seal like that gave me a screamin' headache," he complained in a low mutter.
Soft chuckling emanated from his left, and he swivelled his head to look at the source of said merriment, his blue eyes meeting the amused-looking, equally blue orbs of Ranma, who sat across from him on the other side of the fire on her cot. "If that's the only thing your demon did count yourself lucky. Mine always tried to attract cats to complete its possession," she commented nonchalantly.
"A headache is by far the better alternative, then," Naruto said with a shudder as he moved his body into an Indian style sitting position, remembering the stories the redhead had told. "Hey, where's Ero-sennin?"
"The official answer? He's out hunting," Ranma replied, her answer an obvious attempt to keep her voice neutral.
"And the unofficial version?" Naruto queried with a knowing grin.
"The old pervert had to vacate the premises to avoid being skewered by yours truly," Ranma grumbled with a dark look of annoyance. "He had the utter gall to not just stare at my chest, no, he asked me if I'd strip so he could get new, exciting research material," she exclaimed indignantly, her blue eyes turning yellow. "It'd be easy kicking his imagination into high gear with a body as gorgeous as mine, he said. Guess he didn't like my answer," she added with a dark, satisfied grin.
"That's Ero-sennin to the life, to a T. He'll never learn," Naruto commented with a shake of his head, 'Fox, you hear that? Better wait with awakening my Sharingan till Ero-sennin returns. Ranma's too new to around here 'n'-'
'Too late, brat. Enjoy the pain,' Kyuubi replied in what Naruto thought of as a smug tone, and his vision exploded in pain of a sudden.
-.-
A tornado of agony raged through Naruto Uzumaki's being, and the young man felt himself falling to the side—which side, he couldn't discern—and curling into a foetal ball. He didn't even register the worried exclamation Ranma made nor her jumping to her feet and sprinting towards his position to reach him, all he knew and perceived was all-encompassing, mind-numbing pain. He had shut his eyes so tightly that they were leaking tears from the corners, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms, drawing blood.
Naruto's jaw was clenched so tightly that Ranma thought his teeth would break, and whatever attack he was suffering from, she couldn't do more than observe and stay close to him to give him the assurance that he wasn't alone in his suffering, but she knew he'd have to pull through on his own.
The redhead watched in grim empathy how Naruto endured the pain without crying out even once, not leaving him out of her sight even as she positioned herself thusly that she could keep an eye on the sole entrance. Ranma was impressed by his ability to hold in the pain despite it obviously being excruciating, and she mused that his pain tolerance had to be at least as high as hers. He bore his pain like a true warrior, which was something she could relate to, could respect.
Naruto was also honourable to a fault, Ranma mused as she continued to watch him suffer in silence, something else she could relate to, and from what she had witnessed he'd do everything in his power to keep his word once he had given it, come hell or high water. The short-sighted and in her opinion unthinking act of giving his word to this girl Sakura Haruno was a prime example for this, and despite of what had happened between them, Naruto would likely see to the fulfilment of his word or die trying.
Add to that that he was strong, caring and compassionate—and that despite how most of the folks in his village treated him—and you had a trusted ally and friend.
The way he had grown up, hated, ridiculed, abused, treated like trash and worse, but at the same time starved for human affection was a million times worse than her own childhood which was—despite everything—a walk in the park in comparison, yet instead of growing up into something twisted and hateful that lashed out at those that treated him this way he went out of his way to protect everyone, to prove himself to everyone.
Naruto was a remarkable person, and she was proud to call him her 'little brother'.
-.-
All this had run through Ranma's mind while the redhead had watched her 'little brother' like a hawk, her blue eyes set in a worried face. The heiress of Raiju didn't bat a lash though when Jiraiya entered the cave with several fish on an ad-lib spear which he was carrying over his left shoulder nor did she change her position beside Naruto one inch as the white-haired Sannin dropped said fish and sprinted to his apprentice's side, a look of utter worry on his face.
"Can't I leave you alone for even a second, brat?," Jiraiya mumbled as he knelt down at Naruto's right side to feel for his chakra flow, the expression of worry increasing. "All jumbled up. Here I thought you'd start something with this Kami-sent girl," Ranma narrowed her eyes at him and growled, "but no, you decide to spazz out on us. Whatever am I gonna do with you?"
"Nothing," Ranma said forcefully, causing the Sannin to look at her with a frown. "Whatever is going on is tied to the Kyuubi. Interrupting the process might kill him, so we will do nothing."
"The seal," Jiraiya began, starting to lift up Naruto's shirt.
"Is still intact. I'd have felt it if it began to unravel as I'm sufficiently attuned to this dimension now to feel out Youkai," Ranma retorted, dismissing his concerns. "I've got the feeling Kyuubi is doing something to his body, be it repairs or something else. Regardless of what his Bijuu is doing, it is not detrimental to anyone but Naruto, and his affliction is obviously limited to pain," she opined.
"Affliction my ass. For this level of pain to be caused it would have to be something drastic," Jiraiya muttered, sounding unconvinced. "But I hope you're right, for all our sake."
"Naruto would die before he'd let the nine tails lose. You know that, I know that," Ranma commented with complete certainty, looking into the crackling fire. "I'm certain he negotiated favourable terms with the nine tails," she assured and turned her head to look at the Sannin, locking gazes with him.
"We certainly prepared him well enough," Jiraiya agreed with a sigh. "But as long as I don't know what's going on I'm not gonna stop worrying."
"Me neither," Ranma admitted, thin worry lines briefly showing on her forehead as her gaze returned to the struggling Naruto. "But-
"Hey look, his breathing's getting easier and he looks more relaxed," Ranma interrupted herself, allowing herself to feel relief.
"Yeah. He- What now?" Jiraiya queried in surprise, his bafflement mixed with audible anxiety caused by the huge intake of breath Naruto suddenly took, the body of said youth going completely still of a sudden.
"I have no idea," Ranma admitted as worriedly, not feeling so confident anymore that the fox hadn't taken Naruto for a ride despite her not having felt any change in Kyuubi's youkai. "And I don't like it one bit."
-.-
Naruto felt completely disoriented for a moment as he came to, but his ninja training kicked in immediately and with one smooth movement the Kyuubi vessel jumped easily to his feet, his blue eyes taking in his surroundings in a snap.
Said eyes widened in surprise however as he identified the area he was in, that assuredly not being the cave he had used as a hiding place with Jiraiya and Ranma. If the change in location—which prompted him to consider the possibility of having been thrown back in time—hadn't been enough, a well-known sneering voice threw him completely for a loop.
"So you have come to stop me from reaching my goals, dobe?" Sasuke Uchiha queried from his immediate right, causing Naruto to swivel his head towards the 'avenger' so fast that his vision blurred. "Your feeble attempts will be in vain."
Naruto felt his jaw impact the ground in absolute surprise as he gazed from the black-clad Uchiha to his surroundings. "T-The valley of the end," he muttered to himself, eyes impossibly wide as he looked at the majestic statues of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage that were eternally divided by a huge waterfall. "Even the air tastes the same, everything looks real," he kicked a pebble, sending it flying. "Damn, that felt very, very real. H-How? How did I get here?"
"Che, I assume you covered the distance by running, dobe," Sasuke sneered, the Uchiha standing on top of the Shodaime's monument about twenty metres away with his hands in his pockets, his Sharingan boring into Naruto. "But if you're so incompetent you can't even get this fact straight you're even more hopeless than I thought." he sneered and jumped easily to the ground where he landed in a low crouch, righting himself up and crossing his arms across his chest arrogantly as his almost bored gaze continued to fixate the blonde.
"Shaddup, teme!" Naruto growled reflexively, his mind still puzzling over how he had gotten here, seemingly a few weeks in the past, and threw back his standard retort. "Or I'll kick your ass!"
"Empty words, as usual," Sasuke retorted coldly, his sneer deepening into a arrogant and superior smirk. "Che, I knew from the start that you'd never amount to anything. It'd be far easier to accept your fate as the eternal loser than to continue your meaningless struggling. Accept your fate as my victim so that I can gain the power to kill my brother. Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" he exclaimed after speeding through hand seals.
"Shit!" Naruto exclaimed, Sasuke's attack with obvious intent to kill prompting him to treat this strange situation as a real fight despite of the many unknowns, his mental gears shifting into battle mode. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" he shouted, and fifty solid copies of himself appeared in the vicinity, a quick mental command prompting the clones to act as shields against the mass of fireballs.
He heard Sasuke chuckle as the clones sacrificed themselves to stop the Shuriken hidden within the many fireballs while Naruto brought some distance between himself and the attack, and his icy blue eyes met the red eyes of the Uchiha, who had cocked his head arrogantly to the side. "Creating more dobes won't help you any," he said arrogantly while flashing through another set of hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he exclaimed, exhaling a large breath of flame that rocketed in Naruto's direction.
In former times the Uzumaki would have had to frantically dive out of the way in an attempt to save himself, but stranded in the past or not, he had a decisive knowledge advantage in comparison to one week ago. Pervert he may be, but Jiraiya knew his stuff. "Doton: Doryuheki!" Naruto countered after flashing through hand seals of his own, spitting out a stream of mud that quickly grew and solidified into a strong, protective wall round about a metre in front of him.
The jet of flames coming from Sasuke's mouth impacted the obstacle with force and tried to eat away at it, yet with little success. All the super-hot flames did was bake the mud even more solid, and the Uchiha cancelled his attack with a shrug, "So the old saying is true then, even a useless dog has its day," he commented coldly. "But enough of this warm up, I have places to be."
With that Sasuke disappeared via the use of Shunshin no Jutsu, Naruto's eyes going wide as he scanned for his adversary. Yet he was a split-second too late and got caught by a straight-forward punch to the stomach followed by a crushing upper-cut to the chin that sent him flying backwards.
Naruto had time to wonder just where the hell Sasuke had learned the Shunshin no Jutsu and entertained the thought that one of the freaky Oto-nin had shown it to him so that he could copy it, and that Sasuke had just not used it the first time around due to the fact that his own speed had been augmented by the Kyuubi which effectively would have rendered the technique useless.
The Kyuubi vessel shook off his surprise at Sasuke knowing the Body Flicker technique as well as his momentary disorientation and planned his strategies accordingly, changed the position of his body in mid-air and used the fast approaching wall of rock behind him as a springboard as soon as his feet touched the surface, a forward somersault bringing him back to terra firma again. A scowl appeared on his face as he spit out a mouthful of blood, and he then wiped the excess blood from the corners of his mouth with the back of his right hand, a hard glint appearing on his face acquired a thoughtful look. "So this is real then," he mused to himself, looking at his hand coated with his blood. "Meh, can't get any more real than that," he muttered, his eyes scanning the area for signs of the Uchiha.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eyes and more felt than saw Sasuke reappear in front of him, giving him just enough time to bring up his arms in a cross-block as Sasuke's arms came down in a lightning fast double-fisted blow that shook his frame, and he managed to block the follow-ups consisting up several quick-silver punches to his weak spots as well, but the kick to his face seemed to come out of nowhere, it drawing blood yet again.
The Uzumaki saw Sasuke disappear and tried to feel him out, but only managed to locate him too late yet again as a fist to the back of his head sent him stumbling forward, a growl escaping his lips.
"You are and always were a loser," a sneering voice said from behind, prompting Naruto to whirl around. "Che, I won't even need to use the Cursed seal what with your pathetic performance. A shame really. I really wanted to see what it is like so that I can get a feeling for the power that will kill my brother," Sasuke sneered in a superior tone, his eyes hardening. "Yet it is obvious that you're just not worth it, dobe, the same as you were never worth anything, let alone joining Team Seven. Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" he yelled after flashing through hand seals.
The stream of fire originating from Sasuke's mouth hurtled towards Naruto in yet another attempt to turn the Uzumaki into an ashen corpse, and the Kyuubi vessel countered with Doton: Doryuheki yet again, which as before succeeded in stopping the flames, but what Naruto didn't expect was to be caught by the heel of a foot that sent him flying backwards courtesy of Sasuke who had Shunshined in front of his one time teammate yet again.
Naruto snarled in anger at finding himself on the losing end of the game and tried to draw on Kyuubi's chakra to augment himself, yet to his surprise and shock nothing happened. Similar to the time Orochimaru had placed the Goguoufuuin on him he couldn't draw even the tiniest bit of chakra from the fox, the tailed beast itself giving absolutely no reaction. It was as if the Kyuubi were in a deep slumber, and meant that Naruto was on his own. An unfortunate turn of events while being faced with a Sasuke who had obviously more tricks up his sleeve as well, that was for sure, Naruto mused with a scowl.
Changing the position of his body during his involuntary flight after taking in his surroundings Naruto managed to turn what would have been a crash-landing into a decent roll, out of which he got smoothly to his feet, facing the Uchiha, who hadn't changed position after his attack on Naruto and was standing where the blonde had stood before with his arms crossed across his chest with a burning glare.
"Have you realised that you are nothing compared to me, dobe? You have nothing, you are nothing, and you always will be nothing," Sasuke stated coldly, his red eyes holding as much warmth as the coldest of winter days.
The answer was a defiant snarl from Naruto, and the Uchiha chuckled darkly, "I guess not," he commented with a malicious grin, tensed briefly and disappeared.
Naruto honed his senses to the maximum and thought he sensed something on the periphery of his vision, and brought his arms up on instinct in hopes to block whatever attack Sasuke was sending his way. Said Uchiha executed a punch-kick-roundhouse-kick-punch-combo upon reappearance, and Naruto was not able to block the last punch.
This one drove the air out of his lungs sharply and made him gasp for air, but his constitution enabled him to recover quickly enough so that he managed to execute a reverse-flip just in time to avoid another roundhouse-kick to the head.
Said manoeuvre had given him some additional time to recover and plan, and Naruto was determined to beat Sasuke somehow although the Uchiha had the upper hand due to the Body Flicker technique he had likely copied off someone.
Naruto growled at this practical proof of the Sharingan's usefulness and tapped into his innermost reserves, and once done he threw a single Shuriken.
-.-
Sasuke grinned in face of this pathetic seeming attack, but his posture betrayed that he was ready for anything, and Naruto's yell of Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu that escaped his lips in a low growl multiplied the lone Shuriken a hundredfold, filling the air with a whizzing hailstorm of deadly metal. The Uchiha's cold grin never once faltered as he flickered in and out repeatedly, avoiding the deadly projectiles with careless seeming ease, his grin changing into an infuriating smirk.
"If that is all you got you can just lie down and accept your fate, dobe," Sasuke sneered as he plucked a single Shuriken from the air, sending it back at Naruto with a casual flick of his wrist, the ineffectiveness of his attack prompting Naruto's anger to rise to new heights.
One blink of an eye later Sasuke had disappeared again, too fast for Naruto to follow, and the Uzumaki felt dread fill him when he heard the Uchiha's voice exclaim, "Katon: Housenka!" from right behind him.
The momentary fear changed into grim determination, and Naruto briefly felt an odd prickling sensation in his eyes as he whirled around and threw himself to the side, performing several rolls to come up in a low crouch, facing his adversary. He absently noted the sudden increased clarity with which he perceived his surroundings, but didn't pay it much heed as he capitalised on this sudden advantage that he had been granted. His improved vision perceived everything, every fireball encased Shuriken, every movement that Sasuke made, every move that he was about to make. All of it was scripted out in order like pages in a book.
His body blurred all of a sudden in an explosion of movement, and with precision and fluidity never exhibited by the Uzumaki before he literally danced out of the way of every incoming projectile, a blue, swirling sphere forming in his right hand as he plowed forward toward Sasuke's position like a freight train.
Naruto's hand reared back, primed at Sasuke's right pectoral girdle as the deep routed impulse to bring the traitorous Uchiha back alive won out over his bloodlust, and with a roar he thrust the Rasengan forward right through Sasuke's upper right pectoral cavity as soon as he was within range, the Uchiha curiously keeping up the smile that had formed on his face the whole time even while his upper torso was being subjected to a veritable meat grinder.
The Kyuubi vessel let the Rasengan dissipate as soon as he felt it should have done its job and somersaulted backwards in anticipation of a counterattack from the Uchiha, who strangely didn't seem to even be affected by the gaping wound in his chest, waiting for a reaction from Sasuke, any reaction. But the Uchiha just kept standing there, a broad smirk on his lips as he began to chuckle, said chuckling turning into malicious laughter.
This weird reaction prompted Naruto to be even more on guard, both brows climbing into the hairline due to the reaction being so out of character for Sasuke. The frown on his face only deepened when he caught sight of a phenomenon he only knew from himself, and his wariness was slowly overcome by suspicion and anger.
"What the hell is going on here? Why is your wound healing like that?" he queried in irritation, and pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, whose wound did indeed heal at an astonishing rate far exceeding what a 'normal' ninjas' body was capable of, "What the hell are you playing at? You can't be Sasuke!" he exclaimed loudly, his anger growing by bounds and leaps.
'Sasuke' responded by clapping his hands in mocking congratulations at having figured it out, and the surroundings suddenly changed in a blur of colours and forms, the reality as he had perceived it slowly changing from the Valley of the end to the seal mindscape. 'Sasuke' suddenly morphed from the young Uchiha into an impressively built older man in his forties with crimson eyes and blood red hair, the most striking feature however being the nine tails that lazily swayed behind him.
"I must have done a credible imitation of the snakeling if it took you this long to figure it out. That, or you're just that pitifully slow," the voice of the man boomed, and realisation dawned on Naruto.
"Kyuubi!," he exclaimed, his face displaying rapidly changing emotions ranging from anger over surprise to curiosity, with the anger being the dominant emotion, "What the fuck are you playing at?" he demanded.
"That is best answered by you taking a look into the next best reflective surface," Kyuubi replied ominously with a hint of smugness in his voice. "May I suggest this body of water over there?" the demon suggested, pointing his right index finger at a large puddle of water about two metres to Naruto's left.
The Uzumaki youth bit back an angry reply due to his curiosity winning out over the irritation and anger he was feeling and grudgingly followed Kyuubi's advice, not noticing that the cage that had once held the mighty fox had disappeared due to him being preoccupied by other things as he turned his back on the demon fox and walked over to the puddle the nine tails had suggested.
"This better be good, baka Kitsune," Naruto grumbled and glared over his shoulder at the fox, turned his head back from the smugly smirking Kitsune in human form and looked at his reflection in the body of water.
The red gaze of his mirror image gazed back at him, and Naruto blinked after taking a second look, realisation slowly trickling into his mind that his eyes were different from the norm, Kyuubi characteristics included. He slowly rubbed his eyes and stared again, but the reflection remained the same. A pair of two tomoe eyes stared back at him, gazing as confusedly—unsurprisingly—as he himself.
"S-Sharingan," Naruto managed to mutter after he had grasped the reality of the situation, and promptly plopped down onto the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
-.-
"Aren't we the observant one," the booming voice of Kyuubi commented sarcastically from his right, prompting Naruto to swivel his head to the fox in human form, lacing him with a glare.
"Baka fox," Naruto grumbled testily, "What the hell's going on here? What did you do, and-
"Hey!" he yelled and jumped to his feet as sudden realisation dawned on him, his voice filled with worry. "What the fuck are you doing outside your cage? Where is the cage?"
Kyuubi grumbled darkly, "Patience, brat, is a virtue you should learn. Urgently," he commented, causing Naruto to frown in annoyance. "But I will answer your questions anyway. You see, it all comes back to the contract we made-"
"Contract? Which contract?" Naruto interrupted loudly, his Sharingan eyes glaring at the Kyuubi. "I don't remember signing no stupid contract! And how's that related to you being free?"
Kyuubi growled in annoyance. "Your upbringing or lack thereof aside, it's time you were taught some manners. Though I still hold the feeble hope that it will get better as time passes by," he muttered.
"Anyway, do you remember my words? I stated clearly that you would 'sign' a binding verbal contract in lieu of a written one should you agree to my giving you the Sharingan, I even asked you if you had understood. Your answer was yes, wasn't it? You even replied 'Yeah, yeah, understood,' didn't you?" he queried, crossing his arms over his massive chest while smiling smugly.
"Oh," was Naruto's only comment as realisation dawned.
"Yes, oh," Kyuubi snorted, shaking his head. "It was through your agreement to our deal that I was granted certain privileges where the seal is concerned. To ease your worries, I have not been freed despite the cage having ceased to exist, and the seal is still intact. I just gained more living space."
"Phew," Naruto exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "That sure takes a damn load off my mind."
"I can not and will not break free nor will I attempt to do so, as I am honour-bound to see the fulfilment of the contract through," Kyuubi rumbled, his crimson eyes boring into the red Sharingan eyes of Naruto which sported a visible look of surprise. "A demon's word is unbreakable where contracts are concerned, or how do you think a functioning system of pacts between humans and demons could ever hope to work?"
"Oh," Naruto said, repeating his statement from a few moments earlier.
Kyuubi dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "My part of the bargain included the modification and activation of the Sharingan, but the way of doing it was left to me," he explained, having Naruto's undivided attention. "It is usually during an intense fight—mostly to the death—that the doujutsu activates due to the stress involved. The exact explanation would go too far as it has to do with hormonal levels, stress tolerance and bio-chemical processes of the human body," he concluded.
"Ahh," Naruto said with a nod of his head, his expression betraying he hadn't understood a word, "That's good to know."
Kyuubi snorted amusedly, well aware that his vessel had understood naught. "Anyway, I actually did you a favour and interpreted the contract in a broader sense than necessary to give us a better chance at being prepared."
"Huh? How so?" Naruto queried, his ears perking up again.
"Brat, do you think it's normal that you gained a two-tomoe Sharingan? No, of course not!" Kyuubi exclaimed with narrowed eyes, his tone communicating he thought it obvious, "The contract gave me some leeway in altering the interior of the seal. Seeing that I witnessed the whole fight between you and the snakeling it was child's play for me to recreate the Valley of the End in here and make it seem real to you," Kyuubi explained, causing Naruto's mouth to compress into a tight line.
"You fooled me, baka fox," Naruto groused, sending a withering glare at the Kyuubi.
The fox just shrugged it off, meeting Naruto's angry gaze with an almost bored look. "Your point being? I chose to create a scenario that offered the highest probability for the Sharingan's activation, and your fight with the snakeling was my best shot. It worked out even better than expected, I have to admit. If it hurt your feelings, so what?"
"I don't like being played for a fool, baka fox, and you did just that," Naruto replied with narrowed eyes. "But that's to be expected from a demon, I guess," he spat.
"Ungrateful brat! I fulfilled my end of the bargain more than thoroughly, and you have the gall to insult me! I could have left it at the activation of the Sharingan in your genes, yet I ensured the actual activation of an almost fully developed Sharingan," Kyuubi countered. "Wasn't that worth the deception?"
Naruto's glare had faltered throughout the Kyuubi's explanation, and he grudgingly nodded his head, "Yeah, stupid fox, yeah," he grumbled in acceptance, still feeling annoyed at having been deceived, but now understanding the fox's—admittedly justified—reasons a bit better. "But what about the Sharingan? I mean it's all nice 'n' dandy that it activated in here, but will that re- what's that word again—reflect in the real world?"
"A surprisingly observant question, coming from you," the fox commented, smirking because of the annoyed face Naruto made. "Yet you need not worry, brat. Whatever happens in the seal is reflected in the real world. Were I to nick you with my claw," his right hand casually transformed into a vicious claw, "the injury would appear on your body in the real world as well."
"But-"
"Again, you need not worry, brat. The contract prohibits me from attacking or harming you, sadly. Me attacking you in the guise of the red-eyed snakeling was an exception, seeing as it was part of my plan to fulfil my end of the bargain," Kyuubi grumbled.
"No need to sound so happy 'bout it, fox," Naruto groused in reply, his red gaze drilling holes into the Kyuubi, "But it's good to know you can't do shit to me-"
"I can still give you a headache of gigantic proportions, so better be very careful, brat," Kyuubi interrupted, sounding every bit as sadistic as his reputation made him out to be.
"Got it," Naruto muttered, posture and voice completely serious.
"Good. Now, before you leave, change the interior of the seal to something more befitting of a demon of my station. A mansion set in a forest would do nicely," the demon fox outright demanded.
"Whoa, whoa, what's the magic word, furball?" Naruto asked with a teasing grin.
"Do not try me, fleshbag. My vessel or not, you would not like the consequences," Kyuubi retorted warningly.
"Feh, party pooper. Not that I ever had a party thrown for me, mindcha. But what wouldcha need a mansion for? I mean, ain'tcha an over a hundred metres tall demon fox? Demons of your, err, calibre don't usually live in houses, do they?" Naruto queried tentatively.
"No, we don't," the nine tails replied dryly, his red eyes holding an expression that clearly doubted his vessels' sanity. "But as I just demonstrated, we can and are known to assume human form on occasion. It is something even I, the greatest of the Bijuu, did on occasion to ease my boredom in the countless eons of my existence. Or how do you think I'd know how to perform jutsu?"
"Hah! So you do know jutsu! Great! When can you-
"Wait a sec, so you can, or rather could turn into a human?" Naruto interrupted himself.
"I said so, didn't I?" Kyuubi remarked sarcastically. "Now change that stinking sewer into what I depicted. And before you ask how, just will the changes to happen. This is your mind, everything bar me is subject to your will, fleshbag."
"Okay, okay, no need to get all grouchy on me. You know what, seeing that I'm in a good mood I'll acq... acc... damn, what's the word..."
"Acquiesce, brat. You still have much to learn," Kyuubi rumbled.
"Feh, you would too if almost every teacher had gone outta their way to hold you back 'cause they hated ya," Naruto drawled, and the blonde thought he saw the Kyuubi incline his head ever so slightly. "Here goes nothing," he muttered and closed his eyes, his brows furrowing in concentration.
Around them the seal mindscape abruptly turned into a completely blank zone with seemingly endless nothingness in all directions, until, an immeasurable amount of time later, both Naruto and Kyuubi were standing in the garden of a huge mansion of a sudden, the dwelling bearing a vague resemblance to the Hyuuga mansion. The compound the mansion stood on consisted of a large meadow that went on for about four hundred square-metres into the northern direction before merging into forest, local wildlife audibly twittering in the said forest.
"Here you go, fox. I even left you some bunnies to hunt." Naruto commented with a teasing smile.
"Considering your imagination or lack thereof it's surprisingly good," Kyuubi allowed, taking pleasure in Naruto's annoyed "Oi!". "Now I suggest you return to your body and start your training as soon as possible. You just have three years, and that's not really much, all things considered. Now begone," Kyuubi rumbled, effectively dismissing Naruto.
The Uzumaki youth shrugged and was about to leave the mindscape when he turned his head on impulse to look at the fox in human form, "Thanks, baka fox," he whispered and disappeared.
Kyuubi's reply Naruto wrote off as a stress-induced hallucination, for why on Earth should an evil demon fox say such mundane words as "You're welcome, brat"?
-.-
Naruto abruptly came to and literally shot up from his cot as he propped himself up on his elbows and into a sitting position, his gaze scanning his surroundings for signs of hostiles immediately. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped him as he looked into the worried, yet relieved looking faces of Jiraiya and Ranma, and he reciprocated the small smile the redhead gave him.
His smile, small as it was, was replaced by a frown as he realised that the absolute clarity with which he had perceived things after activating the Sharingan in the mindscape was gone to be replaced by his normal vision, and he entertained the thought that the Kyuubi had played him for a fool yet again.
'Channel chakra into your eyes, stupid fleshbag,' Kyuubi piped up inside his mind in an annoyed sounding tone. 'Honestly, can't you do anything alone?'
Naruto ignored the barb and followed the fox's advice, the instant he had done so bringing about the return of the incredible visual acuteness he had enjoyed in the seal. A smirk spread on his face, and he slowly looked from Ranma to Jiraiya, his smirk only growing wider when he saw the pervert's reaction.
"Something the matter, Ero-sennin? You look like you have seen a ghost," he drawled smugly.
Jiraiya was visibly trying to gather his bearings. "I'll be damned to hell and back," he whispered in a shaky voice, and rubbed his eyes repeatedly. "But regardless of how hard I rub my bloody eyes, I keep on seeing the Sharingan. How, boy? How is that possible?"
Naruto's smirk impossibly widened even more, "That's a story best told with loads of food. So get that fish over here, Ero-sennin, for this is gonna take a while..."
to be continued...
© 2007 by Trugeta.
Disclaimer: see Chapter 1.
Some quick notes:
- another cliché implemented. Yeah, I gave Naruto the Sharingan. So what? Aside from the reasons I fielded in the chapter, I feel that Kishi is leaving Naruto at a damn serious disadvantage in comparison to Sasuke. Nothing against the Uchiha, he's a cool yet broody and anti-social guy yet one hell of a fighter, but sometimes I've got the feeling the show's too damn Sasuke-centric despite it being titled "Naruto".
Sasuke always seems to be many times stronger, faster and better than Naruto, and that despite our blonde having the Kyuubi backing him up. Sasuke knows a ton more jutsu, has all the advantages the Sharingan grants him plus the cursed seal to boost his physical attributes (although I freely admit the latter is a mixed blessing).
Add to that that Naruto would almost have not a prayer to escape Itachi and Kisame a second time, not to mention the other Akatsuki. He is disadvantaged on almost all levels, and I find myself querying just what Kishi is gonna do about it.
I used the admittedly clichéd way to give Naruto the Sharingan, but now the playing field has been levelled, at least.
- the training trip itself: I'm still undecided if I'm going to cover the whole three years they'll spend training or if I'll skip ahead at one point. For the time being I'll postpone making a decision, at least until after they have reached Suna. So yes, they will be running into other Jinchuuriki/Bijuu, and not just Gaara/Shukaku.
- Ki vs. Chakra: my concept stands and seems to be widely accepted. Thanks for your input, guys.
- the last chapter feeling rushed: guilty as charged. I wanted to cover a lot of ground - which I probably managed to do - yet it came at the cost of evoking this feeling in you guys.
- Ranma being OOC: err, I justify that with his/her character still being in flux? Seriously, I'll take steps to fix it.
- ki-techniques: I decided to use the approach that they're much, much harder to perform once a working chakra circulatory system has been established. It's not impossible, just waaaay harder.
- Ranma's demonic powers: part of them will be revealed in Chapter 4.
- Team Ranma/Naruto: I'm opposed to the idea of creating an OC to fill the vacant spot, but yeah, a third team member they do need. But who? That's the question, and I'm very, very undecided.
- the curse: is still locked, meaning frozen, due to the instabilities still prevalent in Ranma's system, but won't remain so for much longer. Events in Chapter 4 will ensure that.
- Ranma not having mentioned the curse: s/he is still waiting for the 'golden' opportunity, which will present itself rather sooner than later. I have the said scene already fleshed out. Anyway, why mention something you can't back up with proof, at least for the time being?
- Sakura: it wasn't really a hate speech on her part, Naruto was just an outlet too convenient for the feelings of a deeply hurt young woman. Reconciliation is very much possible, but Naruto will never return to being the lovesick dobe he was. Sakura will have to contend with a much more mature Naruto, a Naruto she had a hand in creating.
- pairings: I reiterate, Ranma and Naruto won't end up together. I'm still busy discerning which pairings would work well for Naruto and Ranma, respectively, though.
Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to leave reviews for the last chapter:
Wonderbee31, mystery person, weebee, FalseExact, dennisud, Jumper Prime, Ambiguous Inexplicable Enigma, PhiloWorm, borg rabbit, deathgeonous, GunSmoke2, Dragon Man 180, krnl.forbin, RobotPirateNinja, Edengrave, iceland, Dumbledork, Garm, Dragonheart7373, Ranko1, ranger5, Vilkath, Speed Reader, Belgarion213, LunaRoseAF, dogbertcarroll, AyanamiRei///, Tatsu-ZZmage, Aaah-Chaaa, James Axelrad, Undeen, Ozzallos, Striker1346, Innortal, ranma girl 14, Jerrac, sadfru, Upgrade, KitsuneOverlord, Bobboky, Akalon, Baughn, Metroidvania, killtoy777, ranko lina Inverse, Alex Ultra, keichan2, Taiki, JohnnyG, Dax, drakensis, Sargon Dorsai, The DCG, deitarion/SSokolow, Redzorin, Abudharma, GIMME MORE, Hokanu, Regress35, Chris, Lord Oberon
Last but not least, thanks to my prereader JohnnyG for services rendered.