"You see, Kakashi-sensei, the Kyuubi has offered to strike up a deal with me in exchange for something." The grey haired jounin looked surprised and carefully put his hand on his pouch as if he was going to attack.
"... What do you gain from this deal, Naruto?" He smirked as though he was waiting for his former teacher to ask him that question.
"Now, now, Kakashi-sensei, I'm not going to attack you so you can remove that hand from your weapons pouch. Well, let's see... I gain control of a few of his.. Abilities, you could say." The normally hyperactive and extremely cheerful ninja was calm. Too calm. Kakashi made the decision to throw a shuriken at his head and the number one most unpredictable ninja ducked gracefully.
"That wasn't very nice, sensei, even though I told you what you wanted to hear." The Sharingan user narrowed his eyes.
"Release my student, Kyuubi, or there will be consequences." Naruto laughed hysterically as though the statement was something hilarious, not a death threat.
"You make the mistake of thinking that Kyuubi is controlling me, when in reality, he's not. After all, that's one part of the deal we made." Kakashi released the tight grip on his headband.
"Tell me something only Naruto would know." It was so obvious to him that Kakashi didn't believe his story for a second but he decided that he might as well humor him. Naruto thought carefully for a moment before jumping up and exclaiming "I'm so stupid! Why didn't I think of that earlier?" His former teacher raised an eyebrow at his behavior that seemed so much like his former student that he didn't know what to think.
"Okay, serious mode." He cleared his throat and it was as though he transformed back into the Kyuubi-Naruto who was apathetic and the complete opposite of who Naruto was supposed to be. "Well, I do know that you're the ANBU guard who always brought me food. Inu, I think? Yeah, something like that." The jounin was like an open book and Naruto could clearly tell that he still didn't believe him.
"How do I know that the Kyuubi isn't using your memories to deceive me?" He chuckled, clearly amused.
"As great and almighty as the Kyuubi no Yoko is, he isn't nearly as overpowered as being able to read people's memories. Besides, even as he resided in my stomach, all he could generally feel were really strong emotions." That explanation, he bought. But the man clearly wasn't ANBU Commander for years by being trusting of everything people said. "Oh, that reminds me, you could always just take off that headband of your's and use the Sharingan on me. That way, you can see that the-" Naruto or perhaps, the Kyuubi was cut off as Kakashi tore off his headband immediately and proceeded to confirm his story.
Kakashi landed in a sewer rather uncomfortably and looked around in confusion. Was this really Naruto's mind?
"Oh look, it's the brat's teacher, Sharingan no Kakashi, was it?" The beast that had taken the lives of everybody he cared about was lazing around in front of him, behind bars with a seal that he recognized as Minato-sensei's. There was clearly nothing wrong with the seal or the prison bars so he looked at the Kyuubi no Yoko carefully.
"And what of it, Kyuubi?" The nine tailed fox laughed, and Kakashi shuddered as he felt the killing intent spread across the room rapidly. And then it stopped.
"Don't taunt our guest, Kurama. All we need to do here is confirm you aren't controlling me and then bam! I'm free to use your power in battle freely without people killing me." Kurama? Naruto was that close with the Kyuubi? He needed to inform the Hokage.
"Oh dear. Why would I ever want to control this foolish child? Besides, our deal is fair enough and I like what I gain from it." Kakashi didn't seem convinced but then, the two were forced out of the mindscape.
"Naruto.. What did you offer the Kyuubi in exchange for using his power?" Naruto's eyes suddenly seemed to be devoid of all emotion.
"Nothing important because when I give it to him, hopefully everyone I care about will be dead."
"You didn't need to do this, you know. We can win this war without that." He scoffed, and suddenly, Kakashi realized who this Naruto was similar to. Uchiha Itachi.
"More people will die if I don't do this, sensei. You understand right? One man dying compared to thousands? I will willingly become the one if less people die in this war. A sacrifice, something we jinchuriki understand very well." Kakashi realized right then and there that Naruto didn't want to be the sacrifice, didn't want to die, didn't want to fight. But he had to. Because he was their sacrifice and that was all he would ever be to the village of Konoha.
