Chapter 1: Rippling Aftermath

"The sky is clearing"

Naruto thought to himself. He hadn't the slightest clue what would happen now. It seemed that the worst part was over. He had fought with his best friend. He had clashed with him. The outcome of the fight, though, was still very much debatable. Naruto smiled at the sky; he'd like to think he won. His Rasengan managed to find its home on Sasuke's sternum; effectively shattering the boy's chest plate and planting him on the cliffside. But he didn't walk away without a scratch. The Jinchuuriki was lying on the riverside, in a pool of his own blood; the Chidori had managed to leave a deep, gaping wound on his torso. He was panting, the adrenaline had yet to recede from his system so the pain wasn't all that bad, but that didn't change the fact that he could barely breathe due to fatigue and blood loss.

"Damn… T-The teme got me pretty good…"

He could feel the power fading from him. He was feeling light-headed as he coughed up even more blood. In a way, he had expected this to happen. He wasn't really bothered by the thought of death. What bothered him were the dreams that he would have to give up. His sight was starting to blur and fade. He was about to slip…

…Until he heard that all too familiar maniacal laugh. He managed to open his eyes once more, only to see Orochimaru carrying the unconscious body of the Uchiha.

"You really are pathetic, Kyuubi brat. I have to admit though; I'm impressed that you're still alive. But I don't think that would be the case for very long. And now you're going to die not as a hero, but as the failure that you were meant to be; as the monstrosity that your own village wrote you off to be. Ultimately, you have still failed to save your precious little friend. Tell me, brat. Who would mourn for you? Who would miss you? You're nothing but a pathetic waste of space, and so is that Demon inside of you. You can't even beat an Uchiha. In fact, you should be proud that you were killed by the future host of the Legendary Orochimaru. Face it, brat. No one would remember a failure like you."

The Snake Sannin let out another laugh. He felt like he was on top of the world; like he was invincible. As if nothing in the world could take him on and live to tell the tale.

"I'll cut him down a peg."

Naruto's eyes shot open with surprise. He could feel the power surging through every inch of his body; it was flowing through his veins. They Kyuubi was taking over…

"…No!"

The Jinchuuriki fought back. He struggled for control. It felt like a tug-of-war was ensuing within him. He let out a fierce battle cry as he got on his feet and glared intensely at the treacherous snake.

"I-Impossible…"

The Kyuubi couldn't believe it. The fox demon snapped when Orochimaru was giving his speech. He couldn't bear to listen to a weak bag of bones talk down to him and his host; as if the little snake could easily crush the both of them had he wanted to. He pumped about a third of his chakra into Naruto's coils; just enough to initiate the four-tail mode. But to his surprise; the boy would have none of it. His malicious chakra was reined and controlled by the boy in an instant. He shut his eyes; finding it hard to believe that the boy had so much determination and willpower. When they shot open; he was in the soul room, with the boy standing directly in front of him.

"Kyuubi… I know what you were trying to do, and I appreciate it. I really do. But this is my fight. I'll finish this with my own two hands. I don't think I can win by myself, though. So I'll need your help. I'll be borrowing some of this chakra that you pumped into my system. Don't worry though; I'll use it to smash that snake bastard's face. You can count on it!"

The boy gave him a wide grin and a thumbs-up, before aptly turning away.

"Oh and… thank you. If someone talked down to you; I hate to admit it, but I'd probably defend you too. Because I know they're wrong about you; I see that now. You aren't the monster that they say you are. Maybe beneath that thick layer of hatred, there's something good. Beneath it all, maybe I can find the fox I consider a friend."

The Jinchuuriki vanished from the demon's sight. The brat was annoying. He was naïve. He was the son of the man who sealed him. He was an idiot to boot. But he had to give it up to the kid. He was brash and bold. He had no trouble acting by his own sense of right and wrong. He had something that the demon hadn't seen in quite a while. The kid had heart. And to top it all off, he thought of the fox in a way that no one had ever dared to before. His previous hosts had once told him that they would keep him from bringing harm to the world. Some had said that they would keep the world from hurting him. The Kyuubi thought he had heard it all; but the blonde twerp had referred to him as something he had never even heard of.

"A… F-Friend…?"

A look of confusion donned over the Kyuubi's face. Before he knew it, it was soon replaced by a genuine and sincere smile. Someone had actually thought of him as a friend. It had been so long since he was called that; not since that man…

As soon as the Kyuubi noticed it though, the smile disappeared and he let out a frazzled snarl.

"…Dumb Fleshbag."


Naruto's body was quivering. He could feel the power in his body, flowing steadily but at the same time, uncontrollably. He shot a murderous glare towards the Snake Sannin, focusing all of his killing intent and projecting it into the still air. Orochimaru was nearly paralyzed when he caught the boy's gaze. He stared down the blonde's eyes as they slowly turned from the bright blue hue they usually had into a shade much more befitting of the crimson blood lust that seemed to emanate from him. The chakra that was pouring out was so intense that Orochimaru had taken slow and cautious steps backwards. The snake had felt fear. He knew he was in no condition to fight; if he did, the Kyuubi brat would surely rip him to shreds. He watched as the boy's figure grew sharper; edgier. The fourth tail had emerged. He stood there, staring down Death itself; the crimson skinned Demon he regarded as Death. The beast let out a fierce battle cry that tore through the air. The approaching Sound ninjas had heard it. The fear that it had injected into them made them all stop dead in their tracks for about four seconds before they continued their pursuit. Kakashi and his dogs heard it as well. He stiffened mid-air for about a fraction of a second. He knew that that could only mean one thing. The fox had killed Sasuke and was about to go on a rampage. Despite the fear that lingered in the corners of his mind, he managed to pick up his pace; hoping to be able to save at least one of his students.

Naruto's body grew still. The crimson began to recede, revealing the horrible shape his body was in. His fangs were disappearing and it seemed that the malevolent aura had begun to shrink. Orochimaru allowed a nervous smile to pass on his face. He let out an unsure laugh.

"W-Well… It seems you're all bark and no bite, Kyuubi brat…!"

His insult had met the most unexpected retort.

"I'll kill you."

Orochimaru arched an eyebrow at the boy. The suddenness of the words had caught him of guard, but then, he noticed something. The malevolent cloak of the demon fox had ceased in its hostile take-over of the boy's body. Instead, it seemed to mold around him; fixing itself on the skin of the boy, like an armor. It seemed as if Naruto Uzumaki was ablaze; caught inside an aura of crimson and orange flames. He shuddered at the sight of it all; the fourth tail was still there.

"N-No… It can't be…!" Orochimaru yelled in outrage. It didn't make any sense for the boy to spontaneously achieve full control of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"How can a brat like you manage to control the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"The truth is…" Naruto grinned as he was saying this. "I haven't. So I might go a bit overboard with this next move. Now…"

The Jinchuuriki cracked his knuckles as he prepared to lunge at the Snake.

"Put my friend down, so I can beat you to a bloody pulp!"

With that, Naruto charged up as much chakra as he could into his right palm. A bright vermillion sphere of chakra formed in the boy's hand as he prepared to attack. Orochimaru felt his fear rock his knees. He was having a hard time just standing up. He could die. He had been the only one to notice the tint of black swirling within the vortex of the chakra ball. Naruto grabbed his right wrist and continued to pump more of his chakra into the sphere. The air around him began to whip around wildly; the intensity of his chakra was causing the wind to react violently and it was also influencing the flow of the river. Without Naruto noticing it, the wind had formed around the ball of chakra, and infused its natural properties onto it. He broke into a sprint towards the Sannin who just stood there marveling in absolute awe and pure fear at the sight.

Orochimaru panicked; he would either have to dodge the attack or block it. Either way, he would not escape unharmed. He made up his mind to dodge it but when he tried to jump out of the way, his body refused to follow the command.

"What the hell…?! Why can't I move?"

He took another look at the boy who was rushing towards him with reckless abandon. It was then, that he began to laugh silently to himself.

"So... This is what fear feels like, eh…"

The unconscious Uchiha fell to the ground. The Snake Sannin raised both his hands and crossed them, in an attempt to block the attack; an effort that would prove futile…

"Rasengan!"

The ball of chakra made contact with its target; exploding upon impact and letting the wind trapped inside its vortex run rampant on the body of Orochimaru. The Legendary Sannin was sent flying into the dense forest, leaving only a trail of blood as he was forced out of the scene. The Uzumaki boy took a seat beside his unconscious friend. He stared at the Uchiha who, not more than fifteen minutes ago, had attempted and probably succeeded in killing him.

"He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. Damn teme… if only you hadn't given in to Orochimaru… Now what do I do… I'm probably going to die right now. All those promises… I wonder how they'd remember me in Konoha… nah; they probably won't remember me after all. Kakashi-sensei's probably on his way here now; hope he won't be late again. Hell, at least I'll be able to make Sakura happy when Kakashi-sensei takes Sasuke back home. I bet she wouldn't even ask about me… Orochimaru was right. All I can do now is to just die quietly; after all… nobody would miss me…"

His whole body tensed as he thought about the Snake's words; admitting it hurt like hell, but at that point there really wasn't much else he could do. The boy was way past hope; it wouldn't save him now. He had lost a tremendous amount of blood, and he was still losing more. There was nothing left for him to do. He would just wait for Death to take him…

"…Or you could run."

Naruto's eyes shot open, as he realized he was back inside the soul room.

"W-What…?"

"You heard me, Kit. You could run."

Naruto let out a sigh and smiled at the Demon; much to the Kyuubi's surprise.

"And what good would that do, fur ball?"

"Look!" The Kyuubi snapped. "Don't buy into the bullshit of the little reptile. If you hadn't noticed, we just sent him to the moon! Now is not the time to give up. You have people who are precious to you, don't you mortal? The only thing that pale-skinned freak was right about is that, right now, you are weak. You won't be able to protect them if you continue existing with your pathetic strength."

Naruto arched his eyebrow at the Demon; obviously annoyed that he was being talked down to.

"Watch what you're saying fur ball!"

"Or what? You're going to break the seal and fight me? Be my guest."

The Jinchuuriki was annoyed; the prospect of fighting the Kyuubi seemed very appealing at the moment, but he knew he had to calm down and listen if he wanted to get along with the fox demon. After all, he was trying to pay Naruto a compliment. He let out another humored sigh.

"So what do you want me to do? You want me to run? Since I can't protect them; since I'm too weak, you want me to just run away from it all? Is that your plan?"

"…Well, yes."

Naruto couldn't repress the rage anymore.

"And how is that supposed to make me strong?!"

"IT ISN'T!"

The Kyuubi's outburst had sent the Jinchuuriki flying across the room only to land on the water face first. He got up, and looked at the Kyuubi like he was ready to kill.

"Just listen, you brainless bag of bones! It isn'trunning that will make you stronger! Think about it! If you ran, who would miss you? Huh? Who would cry for you, that Sakura brat? Heh, don't make me laugh. She'd run right past you and into the arms of the Uchiha, just like before. They'll all do that. Get real Kit; they care about him more than they do about you. If they had to choose, they'd pick the boy who betrayed their village over you, any day of the week. The snake was right about that as well! In fact, I'd bet they'd be glad to have gotten rid of the monster that destroyed their village!"

The rage suddenly disappeared from Naruto's countenance. It had been replaced; replaced by a somber frown and a thin sheet of pain that managed to make its way on to the tearing eyes of the Uzumaki boy. The Kyuubi took a closer look at the boy, and when he noticed his expression, he knew that he had struck the boy's soft spot. He had thrown a hit and it landed below the belt. He opened his mouth to speak, but the boy cut him off.

"Look, you don't need to say anymore, okay? I get it. No one gives a shit about me. They all hate me, deep down. They'll never respect me, even if I did become the Hokage. But you're wrong in saying that you're a monster; because you aren't. I know what it feels like to not have anybody who understands you, Kyuubi. It hurts. They all look at you as if you were something, not someone. Believe it or not, I understand your pain. So don't take it out on me! Because unlike everybody else, I think I understand you. And you aren't a monster. You aren't as bad as they say…"

The words sounded familiar. For a moment there, it was as if he had been listening to the Rikudo sage; as if it was that man who was speaking to him. There was a tear in his eye; he hadn't heard those words in such a long time. No one in this world ever saw him the way this boy did. He was grateful. He shrugged of the sentiments that were surging up from his chest and managed to create a totally indifferent grunt.

"Look, Kit. You got something I haven't seen in a while, at least not in you puny humans. You got heart, I'll give you that much. You have people you want to protect, and you'd do anything to protect them. What I'm saying is, with the strength you have right now, you won't be able to protect them all. So you need to run; far, far away. Get stronger, so that when you come back, you will be able to protect them all."

"But… I can't do it on my own… I need someone like the Ero-senin…"

"That little pervert? Look, strength; true strength, is something you can't learn from others. There are certain things that you have to do yourself, Kit. You can't keep relying on him. Let him wallow in his porn. And if you really need a teacher that bad… then…" The Kyuubi turned his gaze to the side, feigning indifference. "Then I guess… I can teach you a thing or two…"

Naruto arched an eyebrow and shook his head in disbelief. Did… the Kyuubi actually offer to help him…?Was he just hearing things…?

"W-What… What did you say…?"

"I said… I might take some time every now and then to educate you, fleshbag."

Naruto still couldn't believe it. First, the Kyuubi tried to pay him a compliment. And now, he was actually offering to teach him? It all sounded too good to be true. Maybe it was.

"And how do I know you aren't just going to use those opportunities to try and escape…?"

"Heh." The Kyuubi allowed a smug grin to pass over his countenance. "Well then I guess you're just going to have to trust me then, huh Kit? The Sound ninja are coming, and so is the son of that White Fang boy. Make your choice, Kit."

Naruto smiled back at the Kyuubi.

"I guess so, huh… Kyuubi."

The Demon glanced over at the boy.

"Thank you, for everything."

With that said, Naruto left the soul room.

When he regained consciousness, the Uzumaki boy immediately started his preparation. He took off his headband, soaked it in his own blood, and placed it on a root that lie beside the river; making it seem as if his lifeless body had floated down. When everything had been prepared for, he concealed himself in the forest…


Kakashi had arrived at the battlefield just moments before the Sound ninjas. He immediately saw the Uchiha boy, picked him up, and placed him on his shoulders. The copy nin, as much as he hated to admit it, was starting to panic. The Sound ninja were on their way; he could smell it. He still hadn't seen any signs of Naruto, and even though they couldn't possibly stand a chance against him, he was still gravely outnumbered. He tried to activate his sharingan in order to aid in his search, but to no avail; he was still exhausted and to use it would only sap the last of his strength. He was about to leave when, suddenly, he stepped on something rather soft. What he saw was something he could hardly believe; it was the two arms of the Snake Sannin himself, torn clean off. That's when he knew; Orochimaru had been here.

"Who did this? Was it Sasuke? No, from the looks of it, he's been out for nearly an hour now…"

There were two trails of blood present on the ground. One led to the forest; he had assumed that Orochimaru had left this trail as he was trying to escape. The other… the other trail led to the river.

Tears welled up in Kakashi Hatake's eyes as he saw the bloody headband that was caught in the roots that lay beside the river.

"…Pakkun…"

The ninken knew all too well what had shocked Kakashi. He immediately grabbed the headband and ordered the other ninken to bring Orochimaru's arms with them. They couldn't afford to lose any more time mourning; they had to go, now.

"Kakashi!" The dog's muffled yell managed to snap Kakashi out of his melancholic trance. Pakkun had secured Naruto's headband in his mouth.

Without another word, Kakashi Hatake left…


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Well here it is. The 1st official chapter of this new story. I've got a lot of plans for this fic, so I hope you guys like it so far. I know, the plot isn't that original so far, but like I said, I've got a lot of plans... (mwahahaha)