Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Summary: One-shot in which Naruto and Kurama discuss Uchiha Sasuke.
Note: Some spoilers up to chapter 571. I decided to write another of these because I enjoyed writing the first one and I'm glad people liked it. Kyuubi is an interesting character to have Naruto interact with. This one is more serious and less sweet than the last, due to the subject matter. Thanks for the reviews; I really appreciate them.
Naruto tightened his hand into a fist. He drew on Kurama's chakra and watched as tendrils of golden light sprang up along the length of his arm.
Eyeing his target, he lunged, putting all his strength and weight behind his clenched fist.
The log shattered with a deafening crack.
Naruto held his stance for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing. He examined the knuckles of his hand: the skin had ripped away and blood was beading in the open wounds.
Many splinters stuck in the skin of his hand and arm. Before his eyes, his body rejected the splinters and the wounds began to close, leaving behind specks of blood.
'You train ceaselessly.' Kurama remarked, his voice deep and serious inside Naruto's mind.
'I need to be ready.' Naruto thought absently, while wiping away the blood with his towel.
'Do you train to defeat the masked man or the other one?' Kurama pressed.
'Other one?' Naruto repeated, his heart rate quickening slightly. He hoped the Kyuubi was speaking of Kabuto.
'The foolish Uchiha boy.' The beast clarified.
Naruto froze for a moment, before throwing his towel aside with a sigh.
'Both, I guess. My dad sealed you inside me so we could defeat the masked guy together. Sasuke is... I need to prove my strength to him. Sasuke only respects power: he won't acknowledge me if I'm weaker than him.' Naruto explained, looking up at the night sky.
'There is a spark inside that boy, though it is dim and almost dead. He still feels a connection to you, but he will do everything he can to quash it.' Kurama said, clearly remembering the time when Sasuke had invaded Naruto's mind and confronted him.
'You said something to him, didn't you?' Naruto's brow creased in thought, 'You told him not to kill me, because he'd regret it.'
'He would regret it. But he is a fool; he will heed neither my words nor yours. He shall wallow alone in the darkness for what remains of his life.'
'It doesn't have to be that way!' Naruto snapped angrily, 'Even if it has to be on his death bed, I'll make that bastard see sense...'
'When will you listen to reason? He will never see the light. The masked man has seen to that. He has corrupted his mind, twisted it into something dark and filled with hate.' Kurama growled.
'Just like Madara and the masked guy did to you, Kurama.' Naruto reminded the Kyuubi. He closed his eyes and drifted into the Kyuubi's chamber, deep in his being.
Kurama sat before him, quite still, regarding Naruto in silence.
"You saw the light. We're friends and comrades now. You let go of your hate and reached out to me." Naruto said.
"The Uchiha boy is different." Kyuubi replied with quiet malice, "While I was restrained from destroying you, he is not. He will try to kill you soon. Very soon. But he shall not touch you! I will tear him to shreds before he touches you!" Kurama raged, his voice booming and echoing in the great chamber.
"You damn fox... We'll give it all we've got." Naruto promised, ignoring the Kyuubi's snort of displeasure.
"You are soft, you stupid brat." Kurama snarled, "You would allow him close enough to stab you through the heart."
"I promise you, Kurama, if we go down, we're taking that bastard with us." Naruto swore, his stomach lurching at the thought.
"We will defeat him," Kurama stated, "But if you cannot end him, I will kill him myself. He is a danger to us. I will not tolerate a threat to our lives."
"I won't let you interfere!" Naruto growled.
"So you are resigned to this doom? You would allow him to kill you?" Kurama sneered.
Naruto closed his eyes for a long moment, "My fight with Sasuke will be a fight to the death. Neither of us will allow ourselves to die before the other is killed. We'll both die."
"Sasuke is fueled by hatred." Kurama rumbled.
"Sasuke has his hatred, but I have people to protect." Naruto said, "Konoha is a family. My family. And to be Hokage is to make a promise to die for the sake of that family."
Naruto's hands tightened into fists, "I'll do everything to prepare for that day. I can't afford to fail. If I do, it'll be the end of my dream. It'll be the end of everyone's dreams." Naruto declared, looking the Kyuubi in the eye with a certitude that struck the beast to the core.
The Kyuubi was silent for a long moment, his eyes deep and thoughtful as he regarded his host.
"Uchiha Sasuke is powerful and unfettered by morality. A dangerous mix." Kurama rumbled.
"However," The beast continued, "I will say this: if there is a being in this world capable of clawing that boy back from the darkness, it is you... Naruto."
"You damn fox..." Naruto sniffed, holding back tears with a grimace.
"Do not bawl like a baby in my presence." Kurama drawled.
"EH? You say something touching like that and then instantly you go back to being a jerk!" Naruto bellowed furiously.
"I was not trying to engender your sentimentality!" The Kyuubi snapped, "I was stating the truth, as I saw it."
"Well, you're right. I'll definitely bring Sasuke back from his hatred. I've said it before and I'll say it again." Naruto said loudly and proudly, sounding much more like himself.
Kurama rolled his eyes and with a puff of warm air Naruto was suddenly whisked away from the Kyuubi's chamber and back into the real world.
Naruto smiled, bending over to recover his towel. In good spirits, he turned around and headed back to camp.
"If we take this all the way to the end, we will die together. And in death, we won't bear the labels of 'Uchiha' or 'jinchuuriki' any more. There will be no more burdens to bear. In death, we will finally come to understand each other."