He lies face down in shallow waters where the river emptied out, waiting. He wasn't dead but he was trying his best to die. He lie there face down waiting for death to come. It was funny, as he waited for the end he, like any dying person, couldn't help but think of the beginning. Every memory was in place how it was suppose to be the day he became a ninja, his first day with team 7, the chuunin exams, but when he began to think of his first love he surprised himself. Sakura didn't even make a cameo in his mind. This wasn't a first for him phenomenon had occurred the last time Jiraiya mentioned love. At that moment, months ago, he tried to think of whom he wanted to see first upon his return and Sakura came in second. More surprising to the young ninja was who jumped in his mind first, and hand left his thought since. Her soft voice echoed the recesses of his mind, "Hinata kun" Naruto gurgled head deep in water. Naruto began to feel the air escaping his lungs, but Naruto didn't face death with the melodramatics that common folk are known for the crying, the pleading with God, the "good bye cruel world" and the likes. No he was the contrary Naruto was resolute in his decision, he began to feel at peace he could feel a weight lifted off his being. Unfortunately all good things come to an end even death.
"Get the hell up kid" a voice made of the most velvety gravel rumbled as a massive hand ripped the teenage shinobi out of the waste deep water. "No matter what your friends might say being dying ain't as fun as it looks kid" the voice said gruffly. He lifted the young shinobi until the man's autumn red eyes met with Naruto's now blood colored ones. The gruff man couldn't see the battle underlying inside the 15-year-old boy.
Naruto found himself outside the bars that sealed the Kyubi within him, but the beast's cage had a giant-fox-size-hole in it. Naruto barely notice the hole, due to the drool from the fox's jaws dripping down upon him as the ichibi's mouth descended to swallow him up. "You should have let me die" the Kyubi roared through Naruto, taking control easily of the still exhausted shinobi. Naruto slashed his claw towards the man narrowly missing. The man flipped backward and barked "Earth Flow River Jutsu". Naruto's feet sank into the now swampy landscape; Naruto kneeled down on all fours and ripped through the mud towards the black haired warrior. The demon's path was blocked by to golem like swamp men that appeared after the stranger calmly hummed swamp manipulation jutsu. Naruto charged towards his intimidating foe rasengan first, sending mud in a thousand and one directions, and thus destroying the puppets. The blonde demon headed toward his new found enemy claws out as he lunged towards him, The stranger took two fingers and planted them on Naruto's forehead, it only took the slightest tap that hid immeasurable strength, once on the forehead and the blonde demon's lights went out. "Aughh!" Naruto whimpered as he slipped out of consciousness "if I had a nickel for every time I heard that" the stranger chuckled.