The earth roared and the mountains shook, all was in uproar as Kurama felt a terror he had long since forgotten. "Just a dream" he thought to himself as he woke up and stretched. He looked at the army clock provided to all soldiers--a dull and annoying thing with loud ticking sounds that could drive even the sanest individual mad--he stood and got dressed then had something to eat.
"I can hear you Naruto!" Itachi shouted. Kurama heard the familiar whistling sound of a kunai blowing past him, grazing his cheek with a slight cut.
He looked pathetic and defeated while he stood up and walked out of his hiding place
"Remember, subtle movements are key here," Itachi coached him.
"I understand, thanks, Itachi," Kurama said, calm and collected to the man he considered his teacher.
They practiced together as Itachi drilled Kurama along with the other students he emphasized the need for subtlety and quietness if they were ever going to learn to fight like Anbu like assassins. After training with Itachi Kurama felt it was time to master sage mode in a different style. After all, he wasn't fond of toads, frogs, or whatever they wanted to be called. No, he'd make it his own fox style.
He found a quiet area to sit and began to meditate. The natural energy around him began to collect within Naruto's body, a swarming warmth that began to flow like water through him. Wet paddy feet and oily, croaking bodies created a disgusting image of a frog, bursting into Kurama's mind and breaking his concentration. All of the energy burst out of him.
"That was disgusting!" he yelled. He repeated his meditation time after time yielded results just as grotesque, the frog image reappeared and Naruto's body began its transformation a pair of frog eyes appeared with the familiar orange shadow rimming his eyelashes.
Itachi had been wandering the encampment thinking about Kurama this person that Naruto had become, he seemed so lost, so lonely
"Itachi san!" One of the soliders called to him breaking his train of thought while he was sitting in the socializing tent
"Hmm? What is it you need?" Itachi asked,
It was late in the day when Kurama finally felt like he was starting to see the results he wanted and, although the energy felt aquatic still, his fangs and whiskers had returned.
It became apparent that he wasn't alone as he stood up and looked towards the trees. Kurama was not surprised to see Itachi Uchiha appear.
"That was sage mode, wasn't it?" Itachi asked as he approached Kurama
"You've probably heard that Naruto mastered it but, to be honest, it was gross. I thought I'd give it a fresh overhaul," Kurama said, shaking his head to get the awful image out of his mind.
Itachi sat next to him "A fox form?" he asked as Kurama tilted his head to look at Itachi.
"That's the general idea. Anyways, what did you come here for, Itachi?"
"One of the sensory shinobi detected you so I came to see what you're up to. since your doing all of this I wonder, what would you do if the toad's found out that you weren't truly Uzumaki Naruto or at least the one they knew?" Itachi said as Kurama with an inquisitive and worried look leaned toward Itachi
"What do you mean by that?" he asked as Itachi with a stern serious expression on his face replied
"Do you think they'd react kindly to that, considering their relationship to him?"
"…They considered him like a son the same as Jiraiya" he said as the realization dawned on him that he might have a serious issue on his hands after that they flipped to another topic.
"So Itachi, how is it being in that state? Don't you ever worry that Kabuto could ever suddenly regain control of you again and wreak havoc on the allies?" Kurama asked.
"To be honest I have been more than worried about that, I've even privately brought up the matter to the Hokage herself but she just sway's it by saying "Don't worry Itachi if that were ever to happen I'd smack you back into your senses real good," Kurama I want you to be my insurance if that were to ever happen I want you to stop me using any means necessary," Itachi said.
"So, you finally trust me?" Kurama asked.
"I consider you an ally," Itachi replied to him as Kurama simply nodded Naruto's head then went back to sage training.
The toads were very confused, they had a plaque that contained all the names of the living sage master's. Weirdly Naruto's name kept fading in and out of existence on the plaque it was as if he were there but weren't there at the same time. Pa and Ma went to the head toad sage to ask as the approached the massive old toad with the ability to see into the future Pa spoke up.
"We got a question for ya dear sage, what happened ta Naruto-chan?" he asked the wise old sage like figure in front of him
"He's gone, well almost anyway." The old man looked concerned as he spoke.
"Gone!? Like dead? What happened to him!?" Ma spoke up
"No, it's far more complicated than that you see. He has become the Kyuubi he is gone." The sage said to them again. Pa and Ma both nodded their heads as they left not sure what to think about the situation at hand.
Kurama was running as fast as he could to escape the enemy encampment without notice, he had offed several of those oddly familiar white things and trapped several Edo Tensi soldiers who were set as drones to get this thing, it was a miracle that he hadn't been spotted or captured. Now he could only hope that note he left would do the trick.
That evening Kurama suddenly approached Itachi with a simple inquiry, "Itachi I might have a solution to your edo tensi issue." He said as Itachi stopped in his tracks looked at him and simply said.
"I'm listening Kurama?"
"I'll learn edo tensi and summon you," he said as a suggestion.
"And where are you going to learn something like the Edo tensi?" Itachi asked him frankly.
Suddenly Kurama pulled out of his back pocket a scroll that in clear kanji read edo tensi. As Itachi's eyes flashed in utter amazement, "Where did you get that!?" he said to Kurama.
"Oh, a shadow clone here and there. I have my methods anyway let's see what we've got here."
He unraveled the scroll as Itachi walked behind him and read along it was a gruesome technique but required an albeit understandable sacrifice living human bodies and a sample of the deceased DNA, they both looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
They decided to bring the matter before the Hokage. She was amazed to see that scroll when Kurama explained the lengths he had gone through to get it she ordered it to be immediately analyzed for any sort of weakness whatsoever until Kurama suggested that he'd like to learn it himself,
"with it, I could resurrect some of the greatest ninja's this world has ever produced at full strength because of my massive chakra."
"No, we won't sacrifice our men like that Kurama."
"Then at least let me resurrect Itachi and perhaps a few others." he said she paused as if considering his offer, yes make Itachi a more stable soldier and prevent any intel falling into enemy hands.
"Very well Kurama, but they will volunteer themselves the sacrifices I mean," Tsunade said
she sent out the order, surprisingly a large number of soldiers volunteered although Kurama only selected a handful of them to be used. Madara was pleased with the situation Obito the replacement Madara had done well starting this war and Kabuto's use of Edo tensi was nothing to laugh at either.
Overall their motley crew was quite successful in Madara's eyes at least. Still, the Kyuubi and hachibi had been elusive at best although weirdly as of late he found he could no longer sense the Kyuubi it was as if he'd vanished from the face of the earth? "I wonder if the allies came up with some kind of jutsu to mask its presence but it seems odd that it wouldn't work on the hachibi?" Madara said out loud as Obito nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly Kabuto came rushing into the conversation as he spoke frantically to Madara.
"Madara, they've stolen the Edo tensi scroll! Somehow one of them got in here and swiped it away from us and they've left us this note!" He promptly tossed it to Madara who read with vigor his face turned pale as he stepped back and Kabuto looked very confused,
"Are you alright Madara sama?"
"No, I yes I mean Whoever left this note is from my time he knows something about me."
"Kabuto, release Itachi from the spell."
Both Obito and Kabuto looked shocked! But did as Madara said as Itachi was wandering the camp a white light overtook him he immediately called Kurama to him,
"Naruto it would seem our bid worked, I'm free please summon me."
Kurama nodded his head as Itachi before he disappeared used a summoning jutsu to bring his body to Kurama who happily accepted it and began the process. The volunteers lined up and Kurama began the summoning, first he worked on Itachi, he had a Konoha shinobi step up adjacent to him,
"Kuchiyose Edo Tensei!" Kurama screamed out as a black summoning seal surrounded the Shinobi, dust, and ash and anything else found in the ground began to collect as the Shinobi screamed out in pain then nothing. A hollow statue esc. form of what appeared to be Itachi Uchiha appeared.
Kuruma approached and inserted a talisman he had made earlier into its head causing smoke and steam to surround the body as the statue began to look more and more alive and real when it finished he looked exactly like an Edo tensi solider an undead freak.
Itachi was awake, he stood up and took a moment to gather his surroundings until he looked at Naruto and said,
"I remember everything, you managed to summon that Itachi or perhaps my spirit remembers Naruto."
The Kyuubi nodded his head, "How do you feel?"
"Far stronger than as Kabuto's Edo Tensei."
He replied as the fox demon smiled and nodded his head. The rest were dismissed except for one as Kurama focused on learning his new toy inside and out, he focused on placing a command on Itachi who's body responded in kind, his Susanoo appeared and he was forced to unseal Nagato Uzumaki who the moment he appeared vanished into the dust which Surprised Itachi until he heard "Kuchiyose Edo Tensei!" from Naruto and Nagato appeared in Edo form Kurama attached his talisman and Nagato awoke.
"Where Am I this time!?" he screamed out realizing he had again been reanimated with Edo Tensei.
"Itachi show him" Nagato was shocked when Itachi approached and activated his Tsukuyomi as scenes of what happened to Naruto with the Kyuubi their bid with Kabuto and the Kyuubi's choice to fight for the allied forces. Nagato took a moment to get a grasp on all of that and the situation then he spoke
"You, you're the Kyuubi!? how's that possible!" Nagato said looking at Naruto
"I mean I'm a thing? Of course, I've always been alive? I don't get what you mean?" the Kyuubi said in utter confusion as Nagato stared at him with utter shock till he attempted to stand up finding he couldn't he looked at the Kyuubi and said,
"Can I have control of this body?" Kurama nodded and put his fingers together as both Itachi and Nagato felt a powerful shock radiate through their bodies and they were free.
"So, what now?" Nagato asked
"Go and see the Hokage," Kurama said Nagato nodded his head as he stood up with Itachi's help and stumbled to the kages office Tsunade had a Stern look on her face as she said,
"you have a lot to pay us back for pein!" Nagato looked at her sadly as he admitted that she took a deep breath and said,
"That being said Nagato Uzumaki, your job will be on the front lines as one of our soldiers under Garra's command."
With that Nagato and Itachi left and Found Garra's company Itachi left Him there and left to join Kakashi's company.
"Yo Itachi!" Kakashi said as he noticed his latest solider approaching.
The earth roared and the mountains shook as the angels sang out their terrifying song, Kurama felt a terror he had long since forgotten as he looked up and saw descending from the sky, Kurama looked around and saw Itachi and Nagato standing at his sides. Itachi turned his head.
"...Kurama."
"What the?"
"...Kurama wake up!"
Kurama was shocked awake by Itachi and Nagato who hovered over him looking very concerned they backed away as Kurama ran to a well they had in the camp and splashed Naruto's face with water then Itachi spoke.
"I apologize if I startled you it's just you looked like you were in pain," Itachi said to him.
"I … I was, no it's nothing thank you two for your concern," Kurama said in a stupor
"Is there anything you need to talk about?" Nagato asked
"No, I'm going to walk around for a bit," Kurama said
They watched their master wandering around the encampment with concern,
"He looks distraught about something is it what happened to Naruto perhaps?" Nagato asked
"No, it's something far deeper than that I can feel it," Itachi said.
It was the next day Kakashi's regiment was sent out to head the enemy forces in quadrant 3 as they were running Itachi heard Naruto in his head, "Your free to do as you wish I won't place commands on you guys unless you ask me to."
They arrived as the enemy had it was deidara, baki and several others, Itachi smiled noticing Deidara in the crowd.
"Kakashi, let me handle Deidara he's got a personal grudge against me and me alone." Itachi said
"Sure, thing he's all yours." Kakashi replied.
Itachi approached Deidara alone he seemed immediately triggered by Itachi's presence.
"I finally get to finish you off once and for all Itachi! HM!" Deidara shouted at him.
"Deidara, your fate is already in my hands." Itachi said.
"That's exactly the kind of useless drabble I'd expect from you Itachi HMM!" Deidara said
Itachi shook his head as he activated his Sharingan,