Naruto was floating on his back in the water, consciousness slowly fading. He had failed, his promise to Sakura broken. Damn that Sharingan, he thought to himself, uncharacteristic bitterness developing.

He closed his eyes, blotting out the serene cerulean of the sky above him. When he opened them again, the Valley of the End had morphed into a dilapidated sewer. He silently regarded the large gates that towered over him, his gaze resting briefly on the seal that kept the beast within him contained.

The Nine Tailed Fox's imposing figure eventually emerged from the darkness. He growled. "You just got your ass handed to you again by that Uchiha brat, didn't you? Is my chakra not enough for you?" he asked in a mocking tone, releasing a laugh that trembled the dimension.

Naruto hung his head, fists curled tightly enough to draw blood. He hated being told that he was wrong, and the Fox had just done that. No matter how hard he tried, he would only be second to Sasuke. And how he had tried. It was that Sharingan; Naruto's efforts were hopeless as long as the Uchiha could see through his motives. Somehow, he needed to overcome that bloodline limit. He just had to. His promise to Sakura was broken,

"No it's not enough," Naruto said quietly.

The Fox stopped laughing and peered down at him. "What did you say, boy?"

"Your chakra," Naruto said. "It's not enough."

"Hm?"

"Tell me, Fox… what do you know of bloodline limits?

The demon was taken aback. "What are you planning?"

"Just answer me."

"Don't order me around, human!" the Fox snarled. His renowned tails glow furiously, and then settled. "This had better be for a good reason, kid."

Naruto didn't flinch. "It is."

The great beast lowered himself into a low crouch. "I know quite a bit about bloodline limits. After all, it was we, the bijuu, that granted the first bloodline limits to your kind." Suddenly, his tails lashed against the confines of his cage in anger. Naruto stared. "But you filthy humans turned that power upon us!" the Fox growled. "You didn't know that, did you, kid? Before you pathetic mortals turned on us, we were helping you!"

"Now I do."

"Hmph." Naruto was overwhelmed by a wave of heat as the Nine Tailed Fox turned its head toward him. "Why do you wish to know this, cub?"

Naruto held the intense gaze steadily. "You do know, Fox, that if I die, you die too, right?"

A low growl rumbled in the beast. "I am aware of that. Though I would rather you not remind me of this pitiful fact!" Once again, its tails attacked the sealed gates in a moment of fury. Naruto ignored this.

"Then you should know that it's starting to get hard for me to survive," he said. "Everyone wants me dead. Sasuke does, and he's got the Sharingan. As long as I can't counter that, it'll be hard for me to beat him." Naruto paused, and then shook his head to clear his head of darker thoughts. "And don't forget the Akatsuki," he continued. "They want to pull you out of my body, and I'm pretty sure that what they've got planned for you won't be as pleasant as this cell the Fourth made for you."

"Get to the point, brat."

He did. "I need something that will surpass anything that may be used against us," Naruto stated.

The Kyuubi's crimson eyes narrowed until they were slits. "Do you know what you are asking, human?"

"Yes. I know it's in your ability. But really, it's your choice – make me stronger or die with me the next time we get attacked." Seeing the Fox contemplating, Naruto grasped the opportunity. "I want a bloodline."

"Now why would that be?" the Kyuubi asked. Naruto was certain that, if it had any eyebrows within all that fur, they would be raised.

"Because your chakra obviously isn't enough, and if that's all you can give me, we'll be dead the next time someone takes a shot at us."

The demon's laugh once against shook the sewers. He leered down at the boy. "You have some nerve, kid."

"I've got guts, too," Naruto replied. He held up the stare the Nine Tailed Fox presented him with, ignoring the way the air around him seemed to sizzle.

Then the great beast reclined and released him. "Very well," he said at last. "Let me think… I was the bijuu that gave the Uchiha the Sharingan, though they eventually betrayed me with it. I can produce a similar effect on you, so that you can copy bloodlines that are used against us."

Naruto resisted the urge to jump into the air and scream 'YATTA!' at the top of his lungs. Instead, he restrained his wide grin to a smile. "That's cool."

"I doubt your puny intelligence will be able to utilize this gift well," the Kyuubi considered, dismissing his container's indignant glare and half-hearted protest. "I'll see if I can give your brainpower a boost. I think that'll be of more use to us than the bloodline limit, given your rather lacking intellect."

"Quit prodding at my pride," Naruto scowled. He crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly serious. "I know you're going to want something in exchange – it's not like you're going to give me all this for free, right?"

A hoarse growl that was a demon's equivalent of a chuckle emitted from the Fox's chest. "Your aptitude is improving already… and yes, I will be asking for something in return. No, I demand something in return."

Against his better judgment, Naruto said, "And what would that be, pray tell? I hope it isn't a lifetime supply of ramen," he added dryly.

"Fool; my existence cannot be measured against something as puny as a lifetime," the Kyuubi scoffed. "And no, I feast on sources other than that filth you eat." He gathered himself before he went on. "I'll lay it out for you, kid; I am getting terribly bored in this cell. I want to get out."

Naruto sighed; he should have known something like this would come out. "Deal's off; I can't unseal you with-"

"I knew you would say that," the Fox cut in, though his enthusiasm seemed to have dropped a notch. "You don't have to release me from the seal," he said, and Naruto's eyes widened. "What I have in mind is a special form of summoning contract."

"Like the toads?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes. You will be able to summon me or any type of fox you wish." Seeing Naruto open his mouth, the Kyuubi added, "You also have my word that I will only attack your enemies and not your precious village or comrades." Once again, Naruto began to protest, only to be cut off. "Do not undermine me, boy. As a bijuu, any promises I make are bound by the laws of the gods; if I ever break them, it will mean my death. It is one of the only ways we bijuu can die" He paused. "Do you trust me now?"

For a moment, Naruto was thoughtfully silent. Then he shrugged. "No," he said. "But I'll go with it anyway. Anything else?"

"One other factor; I will be able to communicate with you much easier than the arrangement we currently have, but I will grant you ability to silence me as you wish. This is only because I know that you are thinking of your friend Gaara, the container of the Shukaku, as I say this."

Naruto winced; Gaara had almost been driven crazy by his demon's lust. "Don't turn my brain into mush," he sighed. "So now that's the positives down. What will be the downsides to this new arrangement? There's always a catch to something like this. You don't get free ramen unless it's cold."

"You catch on fast, for a human," the Kyuubi acknowledged. "Very well. There are two slight catches to this plan. Firstly, the transformation will be extremely painful, and second, you will age a few years under this strain. However, your body will become slightly more powerful." He glanced down at Naruto. "But this is a small price to pay for the outcome."

It was, but Naruto wasn't stupid enough to commit to a deal without hearing the end of it first. "Go on."

"For me to do this, I will have to change what you call your DNA," the demon continued, "so while I'm at it, I may as well make you stronger if you are to protect us both." He paused to smirk at his container. "Are these conditions acceptable?" he asked with mock respect.

Naruto thought of this for a moment, weighing up his choices. He loved life, and to think that he would lose a small portion of it pained him. But he knew that if didn't sacrifice those years, he would die trying to save his friend the next time around. "Fine," he said, calmer than he felt. "I accept your deal. What should I do?"

The Kyuubi seemed to be surprised, but gathered himself quickly. "Come to the bars of my cage and place your hand upon them; I need you to be closer if I am to do this."

Naruto cautiously stepped forward and placed his right hand upon the bars. The metal was surprisingly warm against his skin, and seemed to glow under his touch.

"It will take around an hour of your time to complete this," the Nine Tailed Fox said. "My concentration must not be broken. Scream in pain if you want, but don't talk to me. Is that understood, kid? If I lose my concentration we will both die."

Naruto's eyes widened and he nodded

"Then let us begin."

Naruto, referring to their previous meetings, was expecting red chakra to swarm over him. He was surprised to see a new purple chakra slowly snaking its way up his body. This unexpected change of colour was most likely due to the mixture of his and the Kyuubi's chakra.

Now I get why I had to come so close to his cage, Naruto mused as the chakra twined around his waist. Funny; it doesn't really hu – shit!

The chakra enveloped his chest, and Naruto was constricted by an unbelievable amount of pain. He threw his head back and screamed in agony.

-

Kakashi felt like pulling his mask and yelling out Naruto's name; he had been searching for his student for a while now, to no avail. Where the hell is he? Whatever the answer was, Kakashi hoped that the little knucklehead had not gotten himself hurt.

Then he felt it. It came as the form of a weird chakra signature, yet it had the menace of the Nine Tailed Fox. Kakashi shuddered slightly under the killer intent before he realised that it wasn't as overpowering as usual. Before his mind could register this, he was racing fluidly in the direction of the chakra surge.

The Kyuubi generally meant Naruto.

Kakashi wasn't sure what he wanted; to not find his student or discover him wrapped in a bundle of violet chakra that spiked menacingly into the air. Naruto was floating in the water by the waterfall, but the water parted where the chakra touched it. And Naruto was screaming, his back arched to the point that Kakashi was afraid it would snap. The Copy Ninja knew only one thing at that moment; Naruto was in agony.

He stepped gingerly onto the water and approached the boy, trying to pick him up. The chakra lashed out angrily and repelled him efficiently, searing through his gloves and burning his hands. Kakashi found his way back to dry land and leaned over to dip his reddened hands into the water. His eye surveyed the scene, and he winced when his student let out another bloodcurdling scream.

There's nothing I can do at the moment, Kakashi thought, though he didn't like the realisation at all.

He despised this so much that he raised his hand to his mouth and bit his thumb, his hands flicking smoothly into hand signs. He placed his hand on the ground. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

A small puff of smoke rose from the ground, and when it dissipated, it revealed a small, pug-faced dog. "Yo," Pakkun grumbled. Then he visibly flinched and turned sharply to look at Naruto. "Is that…"

Kakashi nodded. "As you can see, we have an issue. Pakkun, please go to the Hokage and tell her that Naruto seems to be under the influence of, not only the Kyuubi, but something additional. Tell her that I cannot approach him without sustaining chakra burns; this is never a good sign. We need her medical knowledge as soon as possible."

Kakashi barely noticed his summon leave, and didn't realise that over half an hour had passed since he had arrived. Naruto's screams had died down a short while ago, but the purple chakra was still cocooning his body. His forehead was slick with sweat and his teeth made a grinding sound that made Kakashi shudder.

At the moment, the jounin was prepared to fight Kami if he tried to take away the boy. He had already lost one of his students today, and he wasn't sure what the loss of another would do to him, not to mention poor Sakura, who remained anxiously waiting for her team to return.

Sighing, Kakashi approached Naruto's prone form for what seemed like the tenth time. The boy seemed older somehow, and unless it was an illusion, he seemed to be having his delayed growth spurt right in front of his eyes. Curiously, Kakashi continued to stare, not daring to reach out and touch the boy.

Abruptly, there was a hiss and the purple chakra faded into wisps that receded into the boy. Kakashi stiffened cautiously, but when he saw that there was no threat, he heaved out a sigh of relief and slowly approached his pupil, wiping the sweat off Naruto's brow.

-

Where the hell am I?

For the second time, Naruto opened his eyes to see something completely different. This wasn't the sewer. He was standing in a large green field that sprouted plant life everywhere. Then he realised that there was still a cage in this dimension, and he approached it curiously. The rusted bars had been replaced by a giant dome that seemed to be quite spacious.

As expected, the Nine Tailed Fox prowled about within its confines. Naruto frowned. "What happened?"

If it was possible, the demon grinned. "Whilst I was adjusting your body to accept the adjustments I have made, I constructed myself a better home. It is a nice change, if I do say so myself – you have no idea how boring a sewer can be after all those years."

"I probably don't want to know," Naruto replied, grimacing. "So now what? Why am I here?"

"Impatient, aren't you?" the Kyuubi observed. It picked thoughtfully at its fangs with a claw. "I thought you might want to acquaint yourself with your new powers." Naruto's eyes widened. "That's right. Try to remembering something at any point in your life. You should be able to instantly recall it."

Naruto's eyes popped open, but he closed it into a grim slash. "Even the day I was born?" he asked quietly.

"Hm, I thought you would ask this. Yes, even the day you were born."

That was all Naruto needed to hear. He closed his eyes and thought of the one question no one would ever be able to truly answer for him.

The world was suddenly a lot smaller as he gazed up at a woman with beautiful red hair that slipped over one shoulder as she leaned forward. He could almost touch some of the strands. Naruto swallowed thickly.

"Aww, Minato," the woman cooed. "He's looking at me!"

A familiar-looking man came to her side. He smiled down at his son. "I'm afraid he will never come to know me as his father." His wife turned to him, startled, and he pulled her into an embrace, murmuring, "The Kyuubi is too strong for Konoha's forces. I have to fulfil my duty."

"Minato," the woman began.

"Please, Kushina," he interrupted. "This village is my life. I will give up mine for its survival."

Kushina gazed up at her lover's eyes. "You won't go in there alone."

"You'll come with me, I know." Minato sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't be so gutsy about everything but… I need you to buy me some time while I perform the jutsu. It is a job I can entrust to no one else. Kushina, no matter what you think of yourself, you are powerful, and you should be able to hold him at bay whilst I do this."

"Have I ever told you how much I hated you?" his wife replied.

Minato grinned wearily. "No."

"I hate you so much that it hurts to look away from you." she joked

Minato nodded and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Then he looked down at his son. Naruto found himself gazing into eyes that were almost identical to his own. He raised his arms to touch his father's face, but the man only chuckled and gave him a finger. "Remember this face, Naruto," Minato said softly. "Forgive me for leaving you without either of us to be there for you."

Kushina gently stroked Naruto's cheek, smiling tearily. "What will become of our son, Minato?"

"I have requested of Sarutobi-sensei that the villagers see Naruto as a hero," Minato replied. He pulled away from Naruto's grasp. "After all, he will be the one keeping the Kyuubi locked away. I've also told him not to tell him or anyone of his heritage."

Sharply, Kushina turned to him. "Why, Minato," she whispered. "Why would you erase us from his life? We are his parents! He will have enough to go through without this too"

"Please, Kushina, don't make this harder for me than it already is," he said in a strained voice. Kushina closed her mouth and looked questioningly at him. "As our son, he would be targeted by all of my enemies who wish to seek revenge. That generally means Orochimaru and Iwa. You know this, Kushina. I'm trying to protect him." When she opened her mouth to argue, he grasped her shoulders and said, "Please, let me do this. It's the only protection I can offer him."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest. "I hate you," she murmured.

"Me too," Minato whispered. Then his voice strengthened. "I asked Sarutobi to tell Naruto about us on his eighteenth birthday or he becomes chunin. He at least has the right to know that his mother was as beautiful as she is." He grinned as he combed his fingers through her hair. Kushina closed her eyes.

"I really do hate you, Minato Namikaze." She didn't see the sad smile on his face, but Naruto did, and he would never forget it.

"Kakashi knows as well," Minato murmured into his wife's hair. "But I swore him to secrecy, and I've pulled a favour as his old teacher. I've asked him to look out for our son."

"I can't believe Kakashi will have to play parent," Kushina commented. "For the last time, Minato, I hate that twisted mind of yours."

"I love you too, darling."

Naruto blinked, and the memory faded. He opened his mouth to cry out to his parents, but they were gone. He pressed a hand to his eyes. "Was that real?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," the Kyuubi said. Naruto's head snapped up; he had forgotten about the demon. He looked around and found himself in the grassy plain once more, with the dome towering over him.

"This photographic memory will help you retain information much better than you did before. Perhaps you will even be smarter than your precious pink-haired doll."

"Her name is Sakura," Naruto said evenly, though the corners of his mouth tilted up at the thought of surpassing his teammate's intellect.

"I care not for such names," the demon scoffed. His tails wavered imperiously. "Now leave if you have no other ridiculous demands."

-

Maybe it was just him, but his vision was very blurry. Naruto blinked rapidly a few more times, and they cleared. Yes, it was just him. Carefully, he sat up, wincing as his muscles stretched. They felt weird, really tight. It was almost as if he had worked out for several months with Lee's weights.

"Naruto?"

He turned to see Kakashi hovering over him. Naruto knew his sensei well enough to know that the jounin was worried. He looked over himself, and wasn't really surprised to find that there were no lethal gashes marring his body. He grinned up at his mentor. "Hi."

Kakashi seemed to relax a little. "Are you okay, Naruto?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah." Naruto shrugged. "Better than I should feel after getting my butt whooped by Sasuke again."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Tell me what happened, Naruto."

"There's not much to tell, really." Naruto saw that his sensei was not going to relent until he had a more credible answer, and sighed. "I almost died, spoke to the Fox, and he ended up giving me some new abilities. That's all."

It was the first time the genin had seen Kakashi appear at a loss. He was stunned. "What sort of new powers?" he questioned when he regained his composure.

At this, Naruto grinned. "Apparently, I am a little more intelligent now." Kakashi looked sceptical, right until Naruto told him that he couldn't tell him anything else.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"They are my trump cards," Naruto replied. "I don't want people discovering them beforehand; it will take away the essence of surprise when I face my opponents. Besides I want to see yours and obaa chans faces when I do tell you"

Kakashi was taken aback. This… isn't the hyperactive knucklehead I know. Needless to say, the Naruto Kakashi knew would never think far ahead enough to keep his strengths concealed for future advantages. He would sooner proclaim them from atop the Hokage Stone than keep quiet.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The jounin looked down. "Yes Naruto." For a moment, he thought he saw a deep emotion flicker in the boy's eyes.

"Thank you," Naruto said quietly. "For keeping your promise to my father."

Kakashi almost fainted. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said weakly.

"You don't have to play dumb, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said calmly. He stared down at his hands. "I know who my father is and what he asked you to do for me. He was the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."

"Naruto…"

The boy continued regardless. "I was named after my mother, Kushina Uzumaki, for my own protection, in case my father's enemies tried to pursue and assault me." Naruto smiled vainly. "One of my new gifts is the ability to recall anything that has happened in my life," he said, as if it explained everything.

"Naruto," Kakashi began again, only to cut off once more.

"I know Father didn't want people to know I was his son until I am eighteen. I respect that, of course, so I will keep quiet until then." Naruto stood and brushed himself off nonchalantly, balancing easily atop the still waters. Kakashi noted that he was much taller than before. "I just wanted you to know this," Naruto continued, "seeing as my father trusted you so much."

Kakashi swallowed. "Minato-sensei was-"

"I thought you said he was covered in odd chakra, Kakashi."

He turned to his right to see Tsunade standing beside him, carefully scrutinizing Naruto with a piercing stare. He noticed how her eyes flickered to the torn jumpsuit that was suddenly too small for the boy. Kakashi bowed respectfully. "He was-"

"I'll handle this, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, and the jounin caught himself quickly.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him. "Naruto?" What happened to him?

"Purple chakra," Naruto answered. "It was the result of mine and the Kyuubi's chakra merging together. IN addition, I also acquired from interesting capabilities."

Tsunade glanced sharply at Kakashi. "Is this true?"

"It is, Lady Hokage." The hidden note in Kakashi's voice told her that she would receive a full report soon.

In the meantime, Tsunade nodded. "We'll talk about this later. For now, we will go back to the village. Then I will give you a thorough examination and find out exactly what they purple chakra did to you." She looked at the boy, distastefully noting how she had to tilt her head back to see his face. "On the surface," she said dryly, "you seemed to have grown and aged a little."

"No, you're just shrinking," Naruto replied nonchalantly. Tsunade's eye twitched.

"We should go," Kakashi said hastily. He lightly touched Naruto's arm, and then he and the Hokage leapt into the canopy of the trees. "Come on, Naruto."

Naruto grumbled and gathered a trickle of chakra into his legs. "I'm coming," he muttered, and then jumped.

His older companions' shouts of surprise and shock were quickly drowned by the howling of the wind in his face. Naruto landed swiftly and turned back to see that the Valley of the End was more than half a mile away. He had overshot a little.

What an understatement, he thought as he lowered himself to sit on the branch. He would be waiting a while.

Special thanks to my new beta peanutbutter126