Hi, folk. I'm stunned that I got a lot of good, and some bad, reviews and PMs on this new story of mine. Thanks for the lot of them since it gave me some ideas to work on, as well as supplying my muse with much needed juice (tee hee rhyme) to cough up another chapter.
Here are some questions from my readers that I think I should answer to get rid of some issues and plot holes:
1. Why does no one sense Naruto using the Kyuubi's chakra?
When I read the manga all over again and the info on wiki, I noticed that everyone can feel Kyuubi's chakra because of its malice, the negative emotions that comes with it. No one can sense Naruto using Kyuubi's chakra because Kyuubi/Kurama is no longer at odds with Naruto so he is holding a lot of the negative emotions back. However, if Naruto goes more than 5-tails, then some of those negative emotions would leak out so you can be sure someone would end up sensing them. So yeah, as long as he doesn't go up to 5-tails, then no one can sense him.
2. Is this going to be a bashing fic?
Nope, this is NOT going to be a bashing fic, except for the bad guys but that's a given. This is going to be a strong Team 7 fic. They're going places, baby. Yeah!
3. You going to bring in the other tailed beast or just Garra?
I'm still working on it but there is going to be a coalitions of the containers. I'm not sure when or how it will come to pass but there's going to be one. It just so happens that Gaara is the very first container Naruto meets in Canon. We shall see where the story will lead.
I think that's it for now. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to Review or send me a PM.
Now that's over and done with, enjoy the next chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.
Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story
Chapter 2
The Start of a Team
Naruto was now in his second year in the Konoha Academy with the rest of the Rookie 9. Since he wasn't acting like an idiot this time much to the shock of Iruka and the rest of the teachers, he made a lot of friends who treated him as part of the group. He didn't bother with the civilian-born children since they were already brainwashed by their parents to stay away from him. However, the clan heirs were a different matter entirely since Naruto knew that the shinobi clans honored the Yondaime's wish.
The blonde jinchuuriki realized that because of this change in attitude compared in the previous timeline, people treated him differently, like Sakura was no longer using his head as a training dummy and Sasuke no longer treating him like a brain-dead idiot.
In the previous timeline, this was a normal occurrence since he was so starved for attention that he considered Sakura to be his soul mate and always kept pestering her for a date. This action practically pushed Sakura away from him and was one of the reasons why Team 7 started out so bad. This time, however, he was simply friends with Sakura and conversed with her without getting in her way of showing her affections to her 'Sasuke-kun'.
He was also making some great strides with Sasuke. The boy was already his brooding self but Naruto already expected that. However, he knew how to push Sasuke's buttons to open up to him. After their first taijutsu spar, which Naruto was lucky to be paired off with Sasuke, the blonde gave the lone Uchiha a workout he would never forget. He let the Uchiha win by a point. This resulted in the two of them bonding through their fists, so to speak. Naruto knew that it wouldn't be long before he and Sasuke would end up training together and he was hoping to get Sakura included in their program to get Team 7 started.
Speaking of Team 7, Naruto decided that acting dumb and becoming the dobe of his class would be detrimental to his relationship with his teammates. Sasuke and Sakura were considered prodigies in their own right. Sasuke was talented in the shinobi arts and his mind set made it possible for him to learn faster than your average shinobi. Sakura was similar, her prodigious mind made it possible for her to learn things faster despite coming from a civilian stock. If he wanted to bond with the two then he needed them to see that he wasn't a dead weight.
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Naruto was currently munching on an onigiri he made with Sakura while watching their friend practicing his family's trademark jutsu – the Grand Fireball. Sasuke was on the pier going through hand signs before blowing out a fireball from his mouth towards the river surface. Basing from his memories of Sasuke doing the technique during their battle in the Valley of the End, it came out a tad weak. Sasuke did it two more times before Naruto finally decided to interrupt.
"Yo, Sasuke. Can I ask you something about the jutsu?" Naruto asked while looking at the steam rising out of the water where Sasuke's fireball hit.
"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. Naruto couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. Their daily spars and talking to each other practically pushed the brooding boy out of his shell. He now saw people as they were instead of treating them as inferiors. Heck, he was talking to his number one fan-girl and treating her as a person with Sakura extending the same courtesy thanks to Naruto pointing out to her that Sasuke wouldn't respect her if he kept acting like a fan girl. Of course, Sakura believed him since Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"I noticed that you're fireball looks a bit small compared to some of the shinobi I saw doing the same jutsu." Naruto pointed out making Sasuke fume.
"I'm not weak!" he snapped at the blonde.
"I didn't say you were." Naruto snapped back before a thoughtful look crossed his face. "I didn't say that to belittle you, Sasuke, but I overheard a Jounin-sensei teaching his team the same technique." This was a lie of course since he was basing the observation on his knowledge of the future and what he learned from many books he read in the Academy.
Sasuke calmed down when he heard this.
"What did he say about it?" Sasuke asked as he plopped down beside Sakura before grabbing an onigiri and taking a bite. He inwardly praised the blonde for his excellent cooking. He was getting tired cooking food on his own that came out average. Naruto was really a good cook and was more than happy to share his lunch with them every day. He wondered if Naruto knew a recipe or two on tomatoes. Tomatoes…drool.
"Well, according to the Jounin-sensei, the Goukakyu no Jutsu is a C-rank short-range fire jutsu that usually comes out as a ball of fire or like a flame thrower depending on how you mold your chakra. He even demonstrated it and it really came out like a giant fireball. Yours looked like a fireball but I noticed that you lacked a bit of control with your chakra since it didn't look that solid."
"And?" Sasuke urged, looking intrigue at what the blonde was saying.
"When his team demonstrated it, it came out the same way though theirs were quite weak compared to yours." Naruto informed Sasuke who smirked. No matter what he did, Sasuke still had his superiority complex but he was working on it. "The sensei then informed his team that if they want to be successful in the technique, or any technique for that matter, they needed to properly control their chakra. Let me ask you this, what chakra control exercises have you mastered so far?"
"Hn, Leaf Sticking and Leaf Floating. You know that already since we were practically taught that at the same time." Sasuke said with a grunt before swallowing half of the onigiri whole and chewing on it.
"Sasuke-kun is right, Naruto. Are you saying that there are other chakra control exercises out there?" asked Sakura, curiosity in her voice. Naruto inwardly grinned while Kurama was giving him a thumbs up for a job well done. It would seem that they would be training together pretty soon.
"I think both of you know that I frequent the library, right?" Naruto asked causing Sakura and Sasuke roll their eyes before nodding. Both of them knew that Naruto was a bookworm, more so than Sakura. "Well, last year, I read a scroll on advanced chakra control exercises and gave them a try. Took me a year to get the both down but I was able to do so."
"What exercises are those?" Sasuke asked eagerly. Naruto chuckled. Sasuke might have his faults but he was a training nut to the extreme. Not as extreme as Gai and Lee though.
"Tree Climbing and Water Walking." Naruto answered calmly. This surprised the two since they had no idea what the blonde was talking about. "I take it that both of you don't know what I'm talking about?" Both shook their heads in negative, though their curiosity was now at an all time high. "Here, let me demonstrate."
Naruto stood up and walked towards the lone tree beside the river that was their usual hang out these days. He wasn't worried about people seeing him since no one was around at this time of the day. The area was part of the Uchiha district and not many ventured into the dead clan's territory without their hairs standing on end because of the massacre that happened years ago.
"This is the Tree Climbing exercise." Naruto said as he walked up the trunk of the tree easily, defying gravity in the process, and onto a branch with his feet alone. He couldn't help but chuckle at the dumbstruck look the two below were giving him. "According to the book, this chakra control exercise requires a small amount of chakra to be channeled to a solid surface for your foot to stick. Too much chakra then you'll get blown off and fall. Less chakra won't make your foot stick at all. The book said that if you master this exercise then you won't have any trouble learning any jutsu. Channeling chakra to the soles of your feet is difficult since there are no tenketsus there to facilitate chakra release. If you can successfully control your chakra and release it there, then technically, you can release chakra in other parts of your body and always be in control."
Naruto then jumped off the branch to land on the surface of the water with a small splash. The two were now looking at him in disbelief as he stood on top of the water easily.
"This is the Water Walking exercise. This exercise uses the same principle as Tree Climbing but you're required to channel more chakra below the water surface to act as stilts to keep you afloat. Another variation is to create a solid platform of water using your chakra but that depends on your preference than an actual rule. This is more taxing than Tree Climbing because of two factors. One, you need more chakra to pull this off. The deeper the water, the more chakra is needed to stay afloat. And two, since water is always in motion, you are required to adjust the flow of chakra to maintain your balance." Naruto explained as he calmly walked to his friends before sitting down in front of them. "If you follow the Jounin's advice to his team then learning these two exercises would boost your chakra control to manipulate your technique to be smaller or even manipulate it to a degree on how you want it to come out."
The two didn't say anything but the pleading look on their eyes said it all.
"I take it you want me to teach you both?" Naruto asked mildly as he reached for the last onigiri on the box. He already knew what they were thinking and he could practically see the excitement bleeding from their pores. The grin on Sasuke and Sakura's face would make Lee and Gai's look tame.
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That was the day that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke started training together, the unofficial formation of Team 7. The latter didn't know why but they seemed to click with Naruto, treating him like a confidante, a teammate. Naruto, however, knew the reason why since the three of them had this bond in the previous timeline. It just took a different catalyst but it still happened. However, the blonde knew that this bond would be better than the last one. No one was going to turn traitor this time around, he was sure of that.
They had been training for a year now and all three of them were into their third year, with them dominating the entire class much to Iruka's surprise.
Naruto and Sasuke were competing for the Rookie of the Year award but there was no animosity between. It was simple rivalry between friends and nothing else. Sakura had no problem holding on to the potential Kunoichi of the Year title since her training with Sasuke and Naruto practically made her one of the best female students in the Academy.
It was half a year into their training that each of them discovered their niche as they shared ideas, interests, and even sparring on occasions to see where they measured up. The trio knew that they were practically the strongest among their peers thanks to Naruto's advice and bookworm attitude, Sakura's research and unique insights, and Sasuke's clan library.
After much cajoling and brainstorming, Sakura and Sasuke ended up with training weights, but these were set to a lower level to avoid stunting their growth. Compared to Naruto, they didn't have a bijuu gifting them advance healing to counteract the weights' effect so they started small. Despite this drawback, they still improved by leaps and bounds.
They questioned Naruto why his weights were practically double compared to theirs. The blonde simply told them that he had been doing it for three years now so it was quite obvious that he already got used to it. Thankfully, that lie was easily accepted, making him sigh in relief.
Naruto thought that Kakashi would be in for a surprise if all three of them ended up in the same team. Kurama told Naruto that his gut feeling was telling him that Team 7 would still make an appearance though he couldn't explain why. Both simply let Fate worked its magic even though Naruto didn't believe in a set destiny other than the one you had a hand in. He does believe in Kami though.
Thanks to Naruto's knowledge of the future, he nudged his best friends towards fields that they would excel in.
For Sasuke, Naruto was able to make him realize that Fire wasn't his main affinity. Sure he was strong in it but his main affinity lay in Lightning, which was quite obvious when the chakra card Sasuke was holding wrinkled spectacularly before burning to ash.
Sakura's element was earth since it immediately crumbled to dust.
Naruto already knew his affinity but did the chakra paper test for the sake of his friends. He was surprised, however, when the paper were shredded into small pieces instead of being sliced in half. It would seem that his Wind affinity grew with his return from the future.
Now that they knew their elemental affinity, Naruto and Sakura practically devoured all the shinobi books in the library for fields that would fit them well. Thankfully, Sasuke opened up his clan's library to the two so they spent the weekends researching for ways to gain full control over their elements and branching out from there. Naruto didn't reveal that he knew that Kage Bunshin technique so he stuck to reading the old fashioned way…one book at a time. He, however, contributed his skills in cooking by making them breakfast, lunch, and dinner during their weekend study sessions, much to Sakura and Sasuke's delight.
It was in their sixth month through their third year in the Academy that each of them finally found their niche in the shinobi arts.
Sasuke was an offensive-support type shinobi with his prowess in ninjutsu and genjutsu. Naruto nudged him to the use of weapons making Sasuke give an old chokuto his grandfather used to own a try. He liked it so much that he started learning kenjutsu and incorporated it into his training regimen. He wasn't a swordsman, far from it, but the way he handled his weapon showed grace and proficiency that only one with an inborn talent of the weapon could match. His grandfather's training journal also helped him in gaining mastery over the weapon.
In regards to his affinity, Sasuke was training his lightning to gain complete control over it. Thankfully, quite a lot of Uchihas in the past had lightning affinity so there were plenty of manuals in the clan library he could use to jumpstart his training over his element. He took to it like fish to water.
Sasuke, much to his delight, activated his bloodline in one of their many group spars. His Sharingan activated when he was forced to keep up with Naruto's speed, which was far superior compared to his own due to the longer time Naruto trained with his weights, that and he was trying hard to avoid the blonde's attacks since they hurt like a bitch thanks to Naruto's strength training.
After an hour of trying to dodge the blonde's attacks, he noticed that the punches and kicks were coming in slow motion. At first he thought that Naruto was getting tired but that was proven wrong when Naruto shouted that his Sharingan was up and running.
He was so happy that he treated Naruto to an eat-all-you-can buffet at Ichiraku much to the blonde's happiness and Sakura's annoyance since the latter was looking forward to Naruto's culinary creations that night.
Sakura, with her perfect chakra control, yet limited reserves, was strictly the support-type but she was determined to become an offensive-support taijutsu specialist when she heard from Naruto that Tsunade of the Sannin had monstrous strength on top of her hand-to-hand skills and godly medical techniques – all thanks to her perfect chakra control. Sakura was determined to achieve this feat even if it killed her so she started the change in her learning curve to include human anatomy and medical use of chakra. She didn't have a hard time getting the materials for it since the hospital was happy enough to encourage her by giving her access to medical scrolls and books in the hospital library. It also helped that she was the daughter of a civilian council member.
However, they hit a road block regarding her affinity since they lacked materials on anything related to the Earth element. In the mean time, Sakura decided to concentrate more on her speed, taijutsu, and medical techniques. She told the boys that she could easily branch out later if she wanted to so she'll just stick to the basics this time around.
However, the look in her eyes when she vowed to achieve Tsunade's strength made Naruto and Sasuke shudder since that would make her twice as deadly. The girl was already strong when she found out that her perfect chakra control allowed her to accurately time the release of the energy through her kicks and punches, adding more power to the attack. She wasn't as fast as Sasuke or Naruto but her power made up for the lack of speed. Add her intelligence to the mix; you get one fierce girl ready to give you the clobbering of a lifetime.
As her training partners, the two shuddered at the hell they would feel if Sakura achieved such a feat.
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Naruto was nervous. He had been friends with Sakura and Sasuke for four years now and he knew that the two were suspecting that something was different about him. Some of the things that happened were out of his control that made his pseudo-teammates and best friends very suspicious.
One, Sakura voiced out that Naruto always healed faster than normal. She should know because she was already a skilled medic-in-training thanks to her knowledge of the human anatomy and her perfect chakra control. Naruto chalked it up to good genes which made Sakura give him a disbelieving look.
Second was his massive chakra reserves that both discovered when they saw Naruto bring out his shadow clones. Naruto didn't know that the two were just outside his door when he brought out fifty clones. When he explained the technique, Sakura immediately pounced on his godly reserves. He immediately chalked it up to good genes. He knew that this alibi was wearing out fast if Sakura's looks were an indication.
Last, but certainly, not the least, Sakura sensed Kurama's chakra in his body after one of his training sessions outside the village walls. They were meeting at Ichiraku Ramen that night when Sakura commented that she picked up a different chakra signature floating around Naruto's body. The blonde conveniently forgot that those with perfect chakra control tend to be good at sensing them. Sakura might not be a sensor in talent but she achieved a minor ability through practice and skill.
"You know, if you just man up and tell them about me, I'm sure they'll accept you. You're worrying is starting to grate on my nerves." Kurama grumbled while sprawled lazily behind his cage. His host had been going on and off about his friends finding out his biggest secret, not the time travel thing, but being a jinchuuriki to the most powerful bijuu in the Elemental Nations. To be honest, Kurama was getting irritated by being the target of the same rant over and over again. "Oh, watch out for the runaway cabbage cart in front of you."
Naruto looked up just in time to see a huge cart filled to the brim with cabbages about to run him over. He merely jumped, not encumbered by the weights he was wearing, over the cart and landed with a soft thud behind the rampaging vehicle as it ran down the street, its driver screaming his head off for it to stop.
"Whew, that was close." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Thanks, Kurama."
"No worries, kit. Now, let's go back to the topic before the cabbage tank was about to run you over. You've been ranting and raving the same thing over and over again for the past three days. You're starting to turn it into an art form and that's saying something since you don't have any artistic talent in your body."
"I resent that and I am not ranting and raving as you put it."retorted a rather miffed Naruto.
"Yes you are and you know it. Anyway, let me point a few facts straight. Sasuke and Sakura found out about you being my container after the Chuunin exams in the previous timeline. They accepted it, granted that you didn't come right out and say it, but they accepted you all the same. Let me remind you that your relationship with them in this timeline is way better compared to the previous one. You had the Uchiha treating you like a brother and you practically steered him away from going down the suicidal path to power. Sakura is also treating you like her long lost brother. You know both their secrets since they opened up to you. Why can't you return the favor?"
Naruto couldn't deny the fact that Kurama was right. He was being unfair. Sakura and Sasuke definitely treated him like family, both of them sharing their secrets to him as a sign of acceptance.
Sasuke was the first one to open up, telling Naruto and Sakura about the Uchiha Massacre and his drive to kill Itachi, gaining whatever power he could attain to do so to make this dream a reality. Sasuke admitted that he didn't realize it at that time that the path he was taking was a dark one and he thanked Naruto and Sakura for steering him away from it. Sure, he was still aiming to kill Itachi but he was going to do it the right way instead of the other one. This time, he was gaining power the right way for the right reasons and Naruto couldn't help but be proud of his brother in all but blood with that statement.
Sakura also had her own secrets to tell. She admitted that she was bullied as a child and her family wasn't what people made it out to be. Her mother was a part of the civilian council and really opposed the idea of her being a shinobi despite showing her support on the outside and telling people that she was proud of her daughter to Sakura's disgust. The only reason why she attended the Academy was because of her mother wanting her to impress the Last Uchiha, get married, and gain the prestige that came with the name of the near-extinct clan.
Of course, Naruto and Sasuke were surprised at that, the latter telling Sakura that he was glad that she opened up and told them the truth. She assured that two that she no longer had such aspiration since she now viewed Sasuke as an annoying brother who needed to be taught how to have fun. The last Uchiha bristled at that remark but the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes that he was happy to be treated as such.
Sakura also told them that her mother wanted her to avoid Naruto at all cost since he was supposed to be a demon. She believed it at first but changed her mind upon seeing the real Naruto behind the lies of the villagers and her belief was further cemented when the blonde did everything in his power to train her to become a kunoichi Konoha could be proud of.
"I guess you're right." Naruto conceded when he realized that his friends revealed to him the skeletons in their respective closets while he did not. If he was going to strengthen this bond then it was up to him to tell the truth. "Let's get this over and done with."
"Don't worry, kit. No matter what their decisions might be, I'll always be here for you…partner."
"Thanks…partner." said Naruto gratefully. This was one of those moments in life that he thanked the presence of the bijuu inside him.
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Naruto found Sakura and Sasuke in their secret training ground behind the Hokage Monument, each doing their unique form of Nature Transformation training to master their respective affinities.
Sasuke was currently in a lotus position, deep in sync with his lightning chakra as strands of lightning cocooned him. Sakura, on the other hand, was channeling her chakra to the soil below and letting her will manipulate the ground, causing waves of earth to appear around her like a ripple.
Naruto couldn't help but look at the two of them in pride. If they kept this up then they wouldn't need hand signs just to bring out an elemental technique. They could just as easily use their respective elements to do their bidding and mold them for offense or defense with a thought.
"Hey, guys. Training hard, I see." Naruto said with a grin. He was quick to channel Wind chakra to his hands, coated it like a thick membrane, before slapping aside the lightning bolt from a smirking Uchiha that would have electrocuted him if it hit. Naruto was thankful that his element was stronger than Sasuke or he would be writhing on the ground right now. "Relax, teme. You're starting to get trigger happy with that lightning of yours."
"Just keeping in practice, dobe." Sasuke said with a smirk before a rock conked him on the side of his head courtesy of Sakura. "Ouch! Watch where you throw those things, woman!"
"Serves your right for attacking first." Sakura said with a smug grin on her face. She turned to Naruto who was looking at the two of them in amusement. "Where have you been? We were expecting you like an hour ago."
"Sorry for being late. I was busy thinking about something." Naruto said with a smile before his face turned serious which alarmed the two immediately. They knew that Naruto was not his usual jovial self.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" asked Sasuke with a hint of concern in his voice which he didn't show to anyone outside their group.
"I think it's time for us to talk." Naruto declared solemnly. The wave of comfort he felt coming from Kurama was the only reason he didn't bolt right now.
"About what?" asked Sakura with a confused tilt of her head.
"My secret," Naruto said as he sat in front of the two who was giving him their undivided attention. "I think it would be safe to say that both of you are curious about me, especially with the…stuff Sakura observed about my abilities?"
Both nodded but it was Sakura who spoke.
"What brought this on, Naruto? You know that we would never force you to reveal your secret if you don't want to." she said with conviction with Sasuke nodded in agreement.
Naruto shook his head in negative before giving the two of them a smile.
"No, I don't think that it's fair to both of you. You both shared your secrets with me in full confidence while I didn't because I'm afraid that what you will find out will change our friendship. I no longer treat you both as friends or best friend. Both of you are my family now - Sasuke as a brother and you, Sakura, as a sister. However, if I want this bond to work then it would be best for you both to know the truth."
The two didn't say anything but Sakura's eyes were tearing up. Sasuke was wearing his stoic mask but Naruto knew that the teen was holding his emotions in a tight grip.
"My secret is not just your average family secret. In fact, this is a village wide secret. The Sandaime made sure that no one would know of this by classing it as an S-rank secret punishable by death. There are only two people in the village that can say it without the punishment taking hold…the Sandaime and me."
"What's this secret that it would mean death if someone blabbed?" Sasuke asked, very curious now though he was worried since an S-rank secret was a serious thing.
"My secret started on my birthday, the night of the Kyuubi attack. I think we both know what happened that night, right? It's discussed in history class, after all." The two nodded. "However, that is not the whole truth. You see, the Kyuubi is a force of nature and there is nothing man can do to beat it."
"You got that right. I'm not an IT, I'm a HIM."
"Not now, Kurama." Naruto chided his tenant. "Anyway, to make the long story short, the Yondaime didn't kill Kyuubi. He sealed it in a baby. Tell me, Sakura, when did the Kyuubi attack?"
"October 10." Sakura answered immediately.
"And when is my birthday?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
"Everyone knows your birthday is October…" Sakura trailed off, finally connecting the dots. From Sasuke's paling face, it was quite obvious that he got it too. "The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi inside you, didn't he?"
Naruto nodded, looking down on his lap, waiting for the name calling to start. His eyes were tearing up but he refused to show weakness even in front of his friends who might not be there for long. However, he was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck before he was tugged forward into Sakura's chest for a tight hug. Naruto was bewildered by her reaction.
"Oh, Naruto." Sakura wailed, tears now flowing down her face. "No wonder the village hated you. No wonder mom told me to stay away from you. It's not fair. You're not the Kyuubi. You're Uzumaki Naruto."
"Damn right he isn't."
"Sakura…" Naruto started but Sakura had other ideas.
"Shush." admonished the girl as she continued to hug Naruto whose tears were leaking now. Sakura ended the hug and looked at the blonde in the eye. "Is this the reason why you're afraid of telling us? That we might think of you as the Kyuubi and leave you?"
Naruto didn't say anything but nodded all the same.
"Baka!" Sakura screamed as loudly as she could, making Naruto's ears ring from the pitch. "You're not the Kyuubi. You will always be Uzumaki Naruto, my surrogate brother. I'm sure Sasuke feels the same way, right Sasuke-kun?"
Both looked at said boy who now had tears falling down his face. He didn't say anything, simply nodding in agreement to Sakura's words before scooting over and giving the two a tight hug. All three were crying now, not sad tears, but happy tears; tears of acceptance. They might be not related by blood but it was quite obvious that they were related in adversity.
It was at that point on that the trio's bond solidified that nothing could break.
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It took half an hour for the trio to compose themselves. Naruto and Sasuke were grinning while Sakura had a soft smile on her face.
"I guess all of our secrets are out now." said Sakura before giving Naruto a look. "No more secrets from you, Naruto-kun. From what we've been through, our camaraderie together, being a jinchuuriki is not a sufficient reason to forget our bonds with each other."
"What's a jinchuuriki?" asked a confused Sasuke. Naruto answered him.
"A jinchuuriki means 'Power of Human Sacrifice'. It is a term used for people like me who has a bijuu inside them." the blonde explained before giving Sakura a questioning look. "Where did you get the term anyway? I read the Konoha Library from top to bottom and I'm sure that the word is never mentioned there even once. As far as I'm concerned, the Sandaime made the word a taboo when he enacted the S-rank secret."
Sakura gave Naruto a smug look before pointing at Sasuke as if blaming the boy for her knowing the secret. Sasuke gave her a surprised look.
"What? This is the first time I heard of the word. I know that you didn't get it from me." the Uchiha heir defended himself.
"I didn't say I got it from your, baka. I got it from your clan library." said a rather smug Sakura. Now this revelation surprised the two boys. "When Sasuke gave us access to his clan's library, I researched the Sharingan so I can help him unlock it." This got a thankful nod from the boy. "Anyway, I came across a…record of sorts from your grandfather, I think. It recorded those who carried a bijuu inside them. As far as the record goes, Kumo has two jinchuurkis, for the Nibi and Hachibi. Takigagure has the Nanabi. Kirigakure no Sato has the Sanbi and Rokubi. Iwa has the Yonbi and Gobi, and Konoha has the Kyuubi." She looked at Naruto who was looking at her in admiration. She inwardly preened. "Did you know that it was also an Uzumaki who held the Kyuubi during the time of the Shodaime?"
Naruto nodded in affirmative.
"Actually, according to the lore, only an Uzumaki could safely hold the Kyuubi because of its potent chakra. The Uzumakis have a potent life force, ensuring that their energies could negate the Kyuubi's during and after the sealing. The first holder of the Kyuubi was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodaime. The next was Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto controlled himself to avoid the sadness showing on his face due to the mention of her mother's name. "I'm the third."
"So do you know this Uzumaki…Kushina?" asked Sasuke who had a speculative look on his face. "As far as I'm concerned, she should still be alive if what you said is true. Which reminds me, how in the world did Kyuubi get out from Uzumaki Kushina anyway?"
Sakura noticed the constipated look on Naruto's face and her prodigious mind made the connection again.
"She was your mother, right?" Sakura whispered but it was clear that Sasuke and Naruto heard since both had their own reaction to that – Sasuke in shock while Naruto had a sad look on his face before letting out a breath.
"Yes, according to the stories, Uzumaki Kushina, my mother, just finished giving birth to me when the Kyuubi escaped. However…" he was interrupted from his story when Kurama spoke in his head.
"Kit, bring both of them into your mindscape, I'll explain everything. I think it's time for both of your friends to learn the truth, especially Sasuke since he is connected to this."
"What? You're going to tell him that we came from the future?"
"No. I'm going to tell them truth about what happened during the time of the Shodaime and when I was sealed inside you. They needed to know for our mission is to be successful."
"Fine, how do I do that?"
"I'll take care of it. Touch their foreheads and I'll do the rest."
Sakura noted the glazed look in Naruto's eyes and immediately realized that the bijuu was talking to his surrogate brother. She wasn't worried because Naruto wouldn't let anything harm him or them for that matter. Besides, she was very curious about Naruto's relationship with the all-powerful Kyuubi and was already coming up with questions to settle her excitement.
"You're talking to the Kyuubi, aren't you?" she asked immediately while Sasuke gave her a dumbfounded look. If the situation wasn't serious, Sakura would have laughed herself silly.
"Huh?" asked Naruto who just finished talking to Kurama.
"You were talking to Kyuubi, weren't you?" Sakura asked again. Naruto nodded.
"Yes. In fact, he asked me to bring you both into my mindscape so he can explain everything to you, especially you Sasuke since what happened concerns your family."
"What?" Sasuke and Sakura shouted at the same time.
"Trust me, Kyuubi will explain everything." Naruto assured them. He refrained from using Kurama's name since he knew that his partner didn't like people knowing his one true name. "I know I'm asking much but I ask you to trust me. No harm will come to you when you're in my mind."
"What's a mindscape?" asked Sakura, not familiar with the term.
"The mindscape is the place where jinchuurikis communicate with their bijuu. To put it simply, we can say it is a space in my mind where my soul melds with that of my tenant. Kyuubi told me that he will explain everything but this required you both entering my mindscape."
"How is he going to do that?" asked a rather nervous Sasuke.
"He didn't say but I trust him. We've been talking since I knew how to talk." Technically, this was a lie but it needed to be said. "He didn't mean me any harm and I don't think he'll start now."
"Alright, what do we need to do?" asked Sakura. Sasuke nodded as well telling Naruto that he was in.
"He'll take care of it." Naruto replied before placing a hand on both of their foreheads. He could feel Kurama's chakra leaking out from the cage and into his hands before he felt himself being pulled into his mindscape with his friends along for the ride.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Naruto found himself in his mindscape but he wasn't alone. He saw Sakura and Sasuke materialized beside him, their forms seemed to have a red glow meaning that Kurama did something to ensure that they would appear in his mind.
"Welcome…to my mind." Naruto said grandly. Sakura and Sasuke looked around, noticing the ankle deep water and the sewer-like structure around them.
"Your mind…is a sewer, dobe." Sasuke deadpanned causing Sakura to giggle.
"You know, I noticed the same thing."
Naruto wasn't surprised that Kurama spoke but Sasuke and Sakura quickly turned to look at the direction where the voice came from, coming face to face with a very large cage with an equally large Kyuubi grinning down at them.
"Welcome, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura."
"Uh…h-hello?" stuttered Sasuke, fear gripping his body as he faced the almighty Kyuubi in front of him. Sakura was speechless.
"Stop scaring them, partner." Naruto chided.
"Destroy my fun, why don't you?" Kurama pouted.
"I don't think acting the almighty Kyuubi in front of them would allow us to have a decent conversation, you know." The blonde pointed out. Kurama huffed.
"Fine. Be that way. Welcome to my…prison Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura." said Kurama before giving the two of them a friendly smile. "I would like to thank the both of you for accepting Naruto despite knowing the burden he carries within him."
Sasuke and Sakura were shocked that the Kyuubi was thanking them. Naruto rolled his eyes and poked the two of them with a finger causing the two to shriek. Hearing Sasuke shriek caused Naruto to laugh with Kurama not far behind him.
"This is rich, Sasuke shrieking like a girl." Naruto manage to say out loud while trying to reign in his laughter.
"I'm with you, kit, this is the first time I heard an Uchiha shriek. To be honest, it restored my faith in the world."
"Shut up." the blushing Uchiha all but screamed before a look of horror appeared on his face. "Um, except you, almighty Kyuubi."
"No worries, Sasuke. To be honest, I'm quite surprised to see an Uchiha showing emotions and speaking normally unlike the usual grunt and growl." said Kurama with a chuckle before turning serious. "I didn't bring the two of you here to share jokes though that can come later. I guess the both of you want to learn the truth behind my attack of Konoha during the time of the Shodaime and Naruto's birth?"
Both nodded.
"Then listen well, Uchiha, Haruno, for this is the truth of what happened." Kurama boomed in his powerful voice. "Mostly you, Sasuke, since my appearance is directly linked with your family line, the Uchiha Clan."
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End of Chapter 2
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