Chapter 2: A Demon in Your Living Room
Naruto's Apartment – 10pm
Naruto yawns and stretches. Time to get to bed and another lesson. For a few years now, the Kyuubi has been giving Naruto lessons in how to mold and control the Bijuu chakra and how to use it in new jutsu's or use it in existing ones. As exhausted as he feels after the lesson is over, he looks forward to it.
Naruto climbs into bed. He instantly decides that he doesn't like it. It is very hard and lumpy, some springs were broken and the bed frame sinks to one side. As soon as he has the money he is going to by a new bed and a frame to match.
A soon as his eyes close Naruto feels himself being pulled into his mindscape. He opens his eyes and finds himself in front on the enormous cage of the Kyuubi. However the Kyuubi so far back that the darkness hides him.
"Hey, fuzz ball, wake up. It's time for my lesson." He kicks the cage to make his point across.
Suddenly the Kyuubi lashes out and hits the cage, hard. The impact reverberates through the metal bars and Naruto feels the vibrations in the ground. Teeth bared and snarling, the Bijuu continues the assault on the cage.
"You know for the wise fox you claim to be, you sure are stupid. You never learn that those bars will never bend, never break."
"How dare you, you insolent brat. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of all Bijuu! Don't you dare talk down to me like some insect!" The Kyuubi snarls.
Naruto sighs. He does this every night and wastes 10 minutes of ranting and raving before finally being the old and wise fox that he claims to be.
"Look, cut the shit already. You don't scare me while you are behind those bars so there is no need to put on a show every night."
The Kyuubi glares at him. After a few seconds his glare softens and a slow chuckle reverberates from the beast.
"But this is really the only time I get to act like this. Any other time and you berate me for not letting you concentrate. And besides, this is how I say hello."
"You know, I'm not usually one to comment on the way others work, but I doubt saying hello with a mouthful of teeth and a snarl that sent my blood cold the first couple of times doesn't really help with your relationship with others."
"Shut up and change the scenery already will you so I can get some exercise."
Naruto sighs again and concentrates. The scenery changes from a sewer to an open field. The cage is gone, but from personal experience, no part of the Kyuubi can't get within 20 feet Naruto. Every time the Kyuubi tried, a piece of paper with the word "Seal" on it would smack whatever part of the Kyuubi got too close. It was hilarious to see the great fox get beat on again and again by a piece of paper.
The Kyuubi rolls his eyes.
"Oh, I don't know. How about the same thing we do every night Blondie? Try to take over the world."
"Ha ha. You're very funny. Now cut the shit."
"Insolent brat. Tonight I am going to convince you to summon me."
The Kyuubi watches as Naruto's eyebrows climb into his hairline. They go so far up that they are lost in his blonde hair.
"Kit, you may want to grab hold of your eyebrows before they float away."
Naruto glares at the Kyuubi.
"Before you get your panties in a wad, I'll tell you how it will work.
"First off, I will still be sealed as I am tied to you through the seal your bastard of a father put on me. I can appear when you summon me. You will have to modify the seal so it lets out more of my chakra than normal. When you summon me we will still be tied through the seal, so I can't fully escape.
"Also, you will be able to use my chakra while I am out in your world because your coils have interacted so much with my chakra over the years that my chakra that they have mixed, making a third chakra that naturally has Bijuu chakra. It may not as vast as mine, but it's still there.
"Second, I will be like a regular summon. I can talk, fight, hell I can sing and dance if I wanted to. But unlike normal summons, I don't have other summons like messenger summons and the like.
"Also, changing the seal may have some…side effects."
"What side effects?" Naruto asks cautiously.
"First off, more of my chakra will naturally leak out so you won't be able to hide the fact that you're a Jinchuuriki. Also your appearance my change. I can't tell you specifically, but you may sprout tails, have permanent claws, have more of a snout than a human mouth, and so on. I don't really know the combination of the changes, but all of them can happen and none of them can happen. And just letting you know, I do not share my summoner with lower summons."
"But what if I need to sign a contract. I'm pretty sure Jiraiya will want me to sign the toad scroll. I would like to be able to summon the same creatures my father did, something to remember him by that isn't a jutsu or looks."
"Maybe I'll allow it IF you can convince me. And before you ask, yes I can keep you from completing the contract. I won't tell you how so you can counteract me. Oh and I wouldn't summon me too often as people will freak out."
Naruto listens to everything the Kyuubi says. He is a bit nervous about the summons, but having the Kyuubi in battle would be a huge advantage. He ways the risks and benefits and decided the benefits way outdo the risks. The Kyuubi could be used for other purposes besides battle. Knowledge, insight, pools of chakra for others to use, ride on his back.
"Alright, but it this is a trick I will personally kick your ass and reseal you myself."
"Great, now being the fuuinjutsu genius you are, it will take you a few weeks to perfect the seal alteration. After that you can alter other Jinchuuriki's seals too. Not all of them will have the same seal, but they all work on the same principles."
Naruto nods and a random thought pops into his head, changing the direction of the conversation. "Hey, fox, I was wondering something. You know the advanced healing your charka gives me?"
"Yeah, what about it?" The Kyuubi asks suspiciously.
"I was wondering if you could turn it into a bloodline trait."
The Kyuubi rolls his eyes. "And why would I want to do that?"
"Can you do it?"
"Yeah, I theoretically can. I can turn anything into a bloodline trait, but it has to be something the person housing me has. I can't give you the Byakugan or the Shiringan from someone else."
Naruto smiles.
"Great. Can you make my reflexes, enhanced senses, and the healing factor a trait?"
"Why do you want that? You already have 2 bloodlines from your parents."
Naruto blinks for a second.
"Wait, I have two? I thought I only had one from dad. That's where I get my huge chakra reserves from, well that and you. But what other one did I get from my mother?"
"You have the ability to take other's bloodline trait. You don't need me to give you those as long as you find someone with that ability. You won't pass on the traits you steal on to your offspring, just the fact that you can. They aren't as powerful as the actual bloodline, but with enough training it can be.
"Although if you want me too I can still do it. I'm warning you though. It will be PAINFULL! I have to rewrite your genetic code to give you those specific traits. I will have to infuse your DNA with specific chakra at points to allow you to pass it on. It will be a 50/50 chance of them having it and not having it, but it is better than nothing."
Naruto is stunned. He had no idea that is what he could do that. All the possibilities flood his mind. He could have the Sharingan and the Byakugan and any other bloodline he wants! Looks like he is going to have plenty of material to talk to Kushina about next time.
Naruto's brain reboots and starts to work again. "Yeah, do it. It will help way down the road and I can handle pain."
(Time skip – next morning 7am) Training field 7
Naruto crests the hill and comes to field 7. He hadn't slept well. He hasn't slept well in a while due to the Kyuubi's lessons and the whole rewriting your genetic code thing too. It took all night and most of the morning to make the changes and he is still sore and very tired from the procedure. He hadn't been allowed to sleep from the pain and now he has to deal with it for the day.
Today he begins a new life, the life of a shinobi. His first real goal is now complete. He has his new katana strapped around his waist like normal and wearing a similar outfit to the one he traveled in yesterday. His blonde hair held in check by a leaf headband across his forehead. He got it yesterday at his apartment from his mom.
This headband was special. This was his father's. The band had been replaced but the metal plate had scratches and buff marks all over it from close calls and endless hours of training. This headband is now a symbol of his promise to surpass his dad not only in fame but in fighting ability too.
Naruto rounds the corner and spots his teammates. A white eyed boy, a brown haired girl, and a boy in a green jumpsuit with huge eye brows. They all look about the same age. He calmly walks up to them.
"Hi, I'm your new teammate."
"My name is Rock Lee and I challenge you to a fight to show you my extreme youthfulness!" He gets into a taijustu stance.
"Knock it off Lee!" The brown haired girl elbows Lee in the head.
"But Tenten I just want to show him my extreme youthfulness!"
The girl rounds on him.
"And that's the problem. Don't scare off our new teammate because you want a fight. That's all you want to do is fight with other people so don't this onetime unless Guy-sensei tells you to!"
Naruto speaks up. "Am I missing something here? I thought that Genin teams were made of 3 not 4."
"Hosh! Your are most correct!" A green blur and a man in a green Jonin vest appears in front of them. Naruto was staring at the man's face or more specifically what are above his eyes.
'Holy shit! His eye brows are bigger than Lee's!'
"Pay attention brat, bushy brows is talking."
"Hosh! I am Might Guy, leader of the almighty Team Guy! It is a pleasure to meet you. Now introduce yourself and tell us a little about you."
Naruto sighs. 'This guy's enthusiasm puts Lee to shame.'
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am 15 and I didn't graduate from the Academy. I trained with my mother in the forest for a while. I love ramen, training, my mother, and my goal is to become Hokage. I don't like arrogant people, badly cooked ramen, and sitting not working to improve myself or others."
"What a youthful speech! Who is your lovely mother now?"
Naruto eyes Guy. 'He better not try to put the moves on my mother.'
"Her name is Kushina. You may know her as the Red Death of Konoha."
His team stares at him, all except the white eyed boy.
The girl's mind is going wild. 'No way! His mother is my idol. Maybe I can meet her and teach me a few things.'
"Team introduce yourselves!"
"Hai, Guy-sensei! My name is Rock Lee. I want to become the greatest Taijutsu master in the world!"
The girl speaks up next. "My name is Tenten and I want to become the strongest and most well known kunichi in the world."
Last but not least the apathetic white eyed boy. "My name is Neji Hyuuga. I don't have a goal as it is my destiny to serve the Hyuuga family in whatever fashion I'm told."
'That's a wonderful outlook on life.'
"Hosh! To answer your earlier question, it was the Hokage's choice. From what I heard from him, your main strength is combat and Team Guy is an assault group. We have been a group for about a week and our main focus is to charge right up the middle. Team Kakashi is also an assault group, Team Asuma is a support group and Team Kurenai is a tracking group. We will spar often with other groups and with each other. As for the number in the group, it is the first Genin squad with 4 members.
"Now I'm not one to lose to my lifelong rival, Kakashi, but since I already used my test on the others I cannot use it. I must use the one that Kakashi used."
Guy pulls out 3 bells. He jungles them once and ties them off to the side of his pants just below his vest.
"The object of this exercise is to get these three bells from me. If you fail to get the bells then I will eat the lunches right in front of you while you are tied to the posts. You will then get another chance to take the bells after lunch. If you fail then I will send you all back to the Academy or in your case Naruto for the first time."
"You have until noon. You had better come at me will killing intent or you will not get them. You may begin!"
At once the three younger Genins vanish. Guy is surprised to see Naruto is still standing there.
"Didn't you hear me Naruto? I said to begin."
Naruto turns to look at Guy. "Oh I heard you, but there is no point to this exercise in teamwork."
"And tell me, why is that?" Guy crosses his arms at Naruto's unyouthful attitude.
"Oh, because I already have all the bells." He holds up three silver bells.
Guy instantly looks down and sees the bells still attached to his waistline. 'Genjutsu,' he thinks. When he looks up, he sees Naruto with his katana out and slices the bells off Guy's pants and as they fall Naruto rolls and neatly collects the bells in his hand.
"I win."
Needless to say that Guy is stunned. This was a Genin, the lowest in the ranks of Ninjas. How he was able to outsmart and outdo a Jonin? Obviously he is no mere Genin in level. Kushina must have trained him extensively.
Guy sighs. "You got the point of the exercise immediately, but you didn't include your teammates. I should fail you for ignoring your teammates, but I sense that you just wanted to get this over with. I don't think that you wouldn't abandon your teammates or betray them, so I will conclude this exercise."
Guy gives a sharp whistle. Within 10 seconds all the Genin are back.
Lee is the first to ask. "What is the meaning of calling off this shining way for us to prove our youthfulness?"
Naruto shows them the bells, his katana still out. The three stand there, thunderstruck.
"How did you?" starts Tenten.
When she is cut off by Lee. "HOSH! WHAT A DISPLAY OF YOUTHFULLNESS! I CANNOT CONTAIN MYSELF, I WILL SHOW MY THE EXTENT OF MY EXTREME YOUTHFULLNESS!"
That's as far as he got before Tenten clobbers him over the head, silencing him before he can rupture their eardrums.
"Well, I was hoping not to waste this time, but since my plans are now completely destroyed, you have the rest of the day off. Meet here tomorrow at 9am to start training and begin our missions."
Guy uses the bodyflicker jutsu and disappears in a cloud of smoke.
"Can I kill that bastard in the green jump suit? He is so annoying and it would make everyone's life better."
Naruto ignores him as he sheathes his katana.
"Hey Naruto, would you like to hang out? We can show you around." Tenten offers.
Naruto shrugs. "Can't hurt. I need to learn the layout of the city better."
Neji however just walks away toward the Hyuuga compound.
"What's up with him?" Naruto asks confused.
Tenten just looks after Neji and shakes her head. "He has a stick up his ass so far it comes out his mouth. Something about you can't change your destiny and all he sees is a life of forced servitude."
Naruto looks back at Neji's retreating form and can't help but feel sorry for him.
(Time skip – 3 weeks)
25 D rank missions later and Naruto is lying comfortably on his new mattress and bed frame.
'Kami this feels so good! Even in the forest I never had a real bed, more like a cross between a hammock and a cot.'
"Hey, let's go. I'm board."
Naruto ignores the beast.
"Hey, don't ignore me you brat! I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I will not be treated like this by the likes of a measly human!"
"You know, it's hard to sleep with your bull shit."
The Kyuubi roars in fury.
"You know, I wonder what the other Bijuu would think of the Kyuubi needing, what term did you use, oh right, a measly human to keep you entertained."
The Kyuubi roars again and tries to bash the cage into pieces.
"When I get out of here, I will tear you limb from limb and I will enjoy eating every last bit of you."
"Whatever. I just want to get a real night's sleep on my brand new, very comfortable bed."
"I'll teach you a new jutsu, one that can surpass the one found in the scroll." The Kyuubi bribes.
This gets Naruto's attention. The one he found and mastered with the Kyuubi's help is an A rank jutsu. He thinks about it and decides a new jutsu will be better than getting sleep which he can do almost anytime.
"Fine, but it better not be some kind of trick just to get me to play fetch with you."
(Time skip – next morning)
Naruto wakes due to a blaring alarm. Weeks ago he figured out he had to set the alarm across the room and around a corner so his body wouldn't turn it off or send a kunai through it. He gets up and looks at the clock out of habit. 5 am.
'Damn I'm tired, but the Kyuubi was right. That jutsu was worth it.' Naruto allows himself a smile. He can't wait for a chance to actually use it. Training in his mind is much like training in the real world. He can create clones that learn and transfer knowledge to him as they dispel. The jutsu is just an expansion on one he already knew. It was relatively easy to master and get to a higher level which included demon chakra. It took the A Rank Ninjutsu to a SS Rank. It took a lot out of him, but it is his ultimate jutsu.
'Since we don't have any missions today and Guy-Sensei gave us the day off I can some time with mom and get her to answer a few questions.'
Naruto gets out of bed and makes himself some breakfast. After he finishes he gets on his training outfit and proceeds to run 6 laps around Konoha.
An hour and a half later, Naruto stumbles into his apartment about to collapse from exhaustion.
"Note to self: don't run that far after a learning a new jutsu from Kyuubi."
He makes his way to the bathroom where he sheds his clothing and steps under the scorching water. The heat has two purposes. One: to thoroughly clean him and Two: make him sleepy, not that he needed much help. Once done with the shower, he puts on a pair of orange boxers and falls on his bed. He is out before he hits the mattress.
(Time skip – 4 hours: 10:30am)
Naruto wakes slowly. He rolls over in his bed only to fall out of his bed and land roughly on the cold floor. Now that there isn't a chance that Naruto is going to fall asleep again, he gets up and puts some street clothes on.
He bounces lightly with each step. He has to admit, 4 hours of sleep and a hot shower do wonders for exhaustion. He grabs his katana that is mounted on a wall for easy access and takes it out of the scabbard.
He then places it on the coffee table in front of his couch and pulls out his cleaning supplies. He oils the blade, powders it, and then polishes it until he can see his reflection in the metal. The whole process takes an hour from start to finish. He takes very good care of his Tenma Kitsune no Tsurugi. He doesn't want it to mold or rust which would ruin the blade.
With that done, he puts the supplies away and sheathes the sword and straps it on. He grabs his keys and wallet and leaves. A short walk later and he walks into his mother's front door.
"Ka-san?" He calls into the house. No answer.
"Hey, Ka-san, where are you?" He walks into the kitchen and looks out the back windows to see Kushina with Akanakami going through katas. A grin breaks out over his face and he opens the door and silently draws his Tenma Kitsune no Tsurugi. He waits for the opportune time.
A few minutes pass as he waits. He watches her and sees the beginnings of his chance. 'Now!'
In a flash he covers the distance between the two in less than a second. As Kushina brings her sword down Naruto jumps overhead and brings his sword to bear as he descends. Kushina is so focused on her kata that she doesn't realize her situation until she sees Naruto's shadow. Her eyes flash up and brings Akanakami to an overhead block.
Naruto uses his momentum to drive Kushina back. He disengages the blades and sweeps at her legs. She jumps over his leg and takes a swipe at his midsection. As Naruto finishes the sweeping motion he feels the air currents indicating he is in trouble. Planting his sweeping foot into the ground using chakra, he pushes off of it, sending him back and out of range of Kushina's counter.
Not being one to just defend, Kushina presses Naruto. A flurry of quick strikes Naruto on the defensive. She is giving him no time to counter before attacking again. With a massive strike, Kushina clears Tenma Kitsune no Tsurugi away from Naruto and plants a side kick into Naruto's side. He staggers back a few feet and holds his side tenderly.
Kushina is about to say something when Naruto launches himself at her. Stab, slice, parry, spin and slice, kick, overhead strike, parry, stab, sweep, rising slice. Each attack is gracefully blocked, parried, or countered. Naruto feigns a slice to the right before spinning the other way, knocking Akanakami away. Naruto jumps over her and placing the blade of Tenma Kitsune no Tsurugi over her neck.
"Yield" he commands, a smile ever present on his face.
Kushina knows when she is beat. "I yield." She says dryly.
Naruto gives her a smile before poofing out of existence. Kushina's eyes go wide.
'A Bunshin? But now even Kagebunshin can withstand a strike.'
The real Naruto jumps off the top of the house and lands in front of her. She eyes him curiously.
"How did your clone do that? I thought that a Kage Bunshin would vanish after being hit?"
"Oh that. Well, I found out that if I infuse my Kage clones with Bijuu chakra, they become much…sturdier."
She is astounded. He had never before even hinted that he could mold the Kyuubi's chakra, much less use it in practical jutsu's.
"Let's go inside. We have a lot to talk about." Kushina doesn't like the look he is giving her.
"Ok. Go and wait in the living room. I'm going to shower. On second thought, why don't you make us some lemonade? There are fresh lemons in the fridge and a pitcher over the over. I'll be down in 20 minutes." With that she walks into the house before depositing Akanakami on the couch and walks up the stair.
Naruto sighs and walks in to the living room. He creates a clone to go and make lemonade. He picks up Akanakami and takes it out of the sheath. The blade gleams. His mom obviously takes very good care of it. True to its name, the blade is blood red. It is a bit shorter than most katana, but it also make it very maneuverable and able to get more leverage on an opponent. This blade is one of the reasons Kushina has the nickname the Red Death because the last thing an opponent sees is a flash of red from her hair and her sword.
His clone walks into the room and deposits two cups and a pitcher of fresh lemonade. With a nod, the clone dispels itself, leaving a small cloud of smoke behind. He pours himself a glass and Kushina walks back down the stairs. She has on a t-shirt and shorts that make her look 10 years younger. Her hair is three shades darker than normal as it is still wet. She sits beside the couch from him in an arm chair.
He sheaths Akanakami and then hands her a cup of lemonade.
"So…when were you going to tell me you could use the Kyuubi's chakra?" she asks.
"When were you going to tell me that I have 2 bloodline traits?" he fires back. Needless to say, she is absolutely shocked. 'How did he find out about that?'
"How did you know that?" she asks, completely flabbergasted.
He chuckles at her reaction.
"Well, I guess I have to answer your first question first for it to make sense."
Kushina nods her understanding and takes a drink.
"This is really good honey."
"Thanks. I can't say that I made it myself and I can at the same time." He says with a smile.
"You lazy ass. Using a kage clone to do the dirty work for you."
Naruto is a little surprised. Not once has he heard his mother swear. He shakes his head. That will be another conversation. Tired of beating around the preverbal bush, Naruto dives right into it.
"Well, I guess it started right after you told me about the Kyuubi. That night I fell asleep and I saw the cage again. The Kyuubi and I talked for a while after he was done trying to smash through the seal to scare me. I eventually found out that the sewer is actually my mindscape. I can go there and talk to him anytime."
Kushina stares at him with wide eyes. "You mean to tell me that not only can you see him but you actually have conversations like normal people?"
"This would be so much easier if you would summon me. Then I could see her face to face and get a laugh at her face." The Kyuubi chuckles darkly.
"Not now. Maybe once I explain most things I can let you out, but not without her permission. And if you do anything to scare her or harm her besides just being there I won't let you out or take you out of that cage for a month!"
"Fine. Tell the wench what you want."
"Naruto, honey, are you ok?" She asks with concern. Naruto's eyes refocus and see that she is on the edge of her seat, anxious about what is going on.
"I'm fine Ka-san. What I'm about to tell you may shock you, but don't freak out on me, ok?"
"I can't promise anything, but I will try." Kushina gives him a hard stare.
"Well, you see, I can talk to the Kyuubi without going into the mindscape. Dad made the seal so he is linked to my senses and he can hear my thoughts. That's why I spaced out a second ago. I was talking to him."
Kushina gives him a blank stare before erupting. "ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU ACTUALLY LISTEN TO HIM? ON TOP OF THAT, YOU ACT LIKE HE IS A FRIEND OF YOURS THAT HAPPENS TO LIVE INSIDE OF YOU!"
Naruto covers his ears to keep them from bursting. He looks back at Kushina. She is red in the face and breathing hard. The cup in her hands is slowly crumpling under her white knuckled clutch.
"Mom, before I get sent to the hospital, let me explain a few things. One: the Kyuubi is not a blood thirsty monster. Two: Yes he is my friend. I kind of didn't have any out in the FUCKING WOODS almost my entire life! And Three: He is actually a very good listener and gives good advice most of the time. He hasn't given me any reason to doubt him, so I won't unless he gives me a reason to!"
Kushina is taken aback. Naruto has never raised his voice to her like this before. If he is this passionate about defending the Kyuubi, then she may need to reevaluate what she thinks.
"Look, I know you are concerned. I was at first, but the Kyuubi has not shown one bit of deceit or manipulation. He even trains me at night to use his charka and infuse it with normal jutsu's. All I'm asking is that you give him a chance before you completely disregard him a demon like the rest of the village."
"Well done, kit. I didn't think you could convince her to rethink her beliefs."
This last sentence catches her off guard. Was she judging because she thinks she knows what he is? If that is true than she is no better than the rest of the damned village.
Naruto sees the change in his mother's face. "Would you like to meet him and see him for yourself?"
She snaps her head up. "H…How is that possible? He is supposed to be in the seal? How can be outside and still be sealed?" He hears the desperate concern for him in her voice.
"That is a little hard to explain. I had to alter the seal to allow him to come out." Seeing as Kushina is about to explode again, Naruto holds up a hand to stop her. "Don't worry. I checked and rechecked and checked the method again to make sure it wasn't a trick. He is still bound to me through the seal, but the seal now lets him out at my will. I control when he goes in and out. I may not have full control over him while he is out, but he cannot kill me because that would kill him too. Since I control when he goes back in, I won't allow him to harm anyone or destroy anything. And he can't get too far away from me or the seal will kill us both as an insurance policy."
Kushina is once again stunned, this time at the level of thought that Naruto put into this. 'It looks like he went through a lot to make sure nothing wrong happened. And he is a certified genius when it comes to seals.'
"Alright, I'll meet him."
A huge grin cracks over his face. "You won't regret it. But first, I need to use a couple of privacy seals to make sure nobody comes around when the Kyuubi comes out. Kami knows we both don't need the Old Man coming down on us."
Kushina nods and Naruto spends the next few minutes setting up the privacy and chakra blocking seals. When he is done, there is a seal on the ground that will block all of the Kyuubi's chakra from getting out as long as he stays in that circle. Naruto is standing in the middle of that circle.
Naruto looks over at Kushina. "You ready?"
Kushina gives a nod and Naruto bites his thumbs and slams it on his stomach. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Technique)"
A surge of thick, red chakra erupts out of Naruto, but Kushina feels only a little bit of it as it leaks out of the seal. A large POOF! and the Kyuubi no Kitsune sits before Kushina.
"Ah, Uzumaki Kushina or do you prefer Namikaze?"
Kushina shakes her head lose. She returns her eyes to the very large (3/4 the size of Naruto) red fox with nine tails sitting in the large circle on her living room floor.
"H…Hello. I'm not exactly sure how to address you." Kushina says very tentatively, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the Bijuu that is standing right in front of her.
Naruto gives a laugh. "Well you can call him fur ball if you like. That's my personal favorite." Naruto ignores the growl that the Kyuubi gives him.
"Or you can just call me Lord Kyuubi or Kyuubi-sama." He says with a smirk even though his mouth doesn't move.
Naruto turns and looks down on the fox. "I don't think so. You may be lord of the Bijuu and all, but that doesn't mean anything here. Right now, all you are is a summon. So cut the crap!"
Kushina is taken aback that her son is talking so brashly to a Bijuu.
"You're no fun sometimes; you know that, right kit?"
Kushina receives another shock to hear the Bijuu refer to him in such an affectionate way.
"You have to forgive Kyuubi, ka-chan. He likes to mess around and I have to knock him down a few pegs or nothing will get done. You can call him Kyuubi."
Kushina eyes him wearily.
"So, Kushina-san, is there anything you wish to ask me?"
"Why do you train Naruto? How is it that you so aware of yourself and others? I thought you were a mindless animal."
The Kyuubi chuckles. "Well, to answer your first question, it is to repay Naruto for all the hateful stares and the beatings. I'm trying to help him achieve his goal of becoming Hokage and teaching him to control my chakra is going to help in that dream.
"Second, no I'm not a mindless monster. We, the Bijuu, are just like other races of animals. We are higher on the food chain do to our very long lives and our very vast chakra. Every animal is able to be sealed inside of a living being, but the 9 Bijuu are the apex of that chain. More so, I am the strongest of all the Bijuu and have lived the longest. As the strongest, I command respect and obedience from the other Bijuu when I have need for them.
"When it comes to your last statement, it never ceases to amaze me how ignorant humans can be. They presume to know everything about everything there is to know, and they are surprised when they get something wrong. After centuries of this, you would think humans would learn to no make assumptions."
This is definitely not what Kushina had expected. Not a civilized, conversational, fully aware chakra being. Looks like Naruto was right about him being able to be trusted or at least not judged like he is some wild animal.
"One last question. Why did you attack Konoha? Why did my husband have to die and leave us both?" A tear streaks down her face. Naruto wants to go to her, but with the Kyuubi out, the seal he created won't let him out unless he deactivates it which would negate the point of drawing one.
The Kyuubi on the other hand looks down at the floor, his tails lying limply. "I'm sorry Kushina-san. I'm not yet ready to talk about what happened. Just know that your husband was a great man who stopped me the only way he could. I'm sorry for forcing you to lose your husband and Naruto your father."
The regret is full in his voice. You could feel the regret coming from the Kyuubi.
"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it right now, but I would like to hear it eventually."
The Kyuubi nods. "As for how Naruto knew about your particular Kekkei Genkai, I told him. A few weeks back. The only reason he hasn't come to talk to you before now is because he has been busy with missions. And with your reactivation into Konoha's shinobi ranks, it has been hard to talk with you much."
Kushina nods. She had completely forgotten about Naruto's question. Naruto notices how Kyuubi left out a few details.
'Seems like old fur ball knows when to keep his mouth shut.'
"I heard that!"
A grin plasters itself on Naruto's face.
"Well, if you don't need me anymore, I think I will go back to sleep. If you would Naruto."
Naruto nods and dispels the summon and deactivates the chakra seal. He walks over and pulls Kushina into a hug. She doesn't protest and just lays there as her head rests on Naruto's shoulder.
"That was the weirdest experience I have ever had." She states calmly.
Naruto chuckles. "I know what you mean. Imagine my first time talking with a 2000 year old Bijuu."
Tears finally fall out of her eyes and she cries in Naruto's arms.
"I know it was tough on you to hear about dad. But I don't Kyuubi attacked Konoha on his own will. He doesn't harbor any hatred toward the village or the people and he is willing to help me out."
Kushina shakes her head. "It's not Minato I'm crying for. It's you. I knew you were having trouble with the villagers, but they actually beat you and hurt you. I never saw any bruises or cuts on you. The only indication was the dirt and blood on your clothes.
"I don't want to think how my life would be without you. It's bad enough that Minato is gone, but that was his choice to go and protect the village. You never had that option. I'm sorry if you hate us, Naruto, but I will understand if you do." She tries to pull away from him, but he holds her tighter.
"I could never hate you or dad. He didn't do it because he wanted to see me suffer or to see what would happen. He did it to save thousands of lives. If anything, I want to be like him. To be able to make the choice to give my life for what I believe in. And you never turned your back on me. Not once did you hate me for being a Jinchuuriki or having the reason dad died inside of me the whole time, staring at you. You could have hated me along with everyone else, but you didn't. I could never be mad or angry at you for that."
She feels more tears fall from her eyes, but these are happy tears. Tears that she couldn't hold back when one of her deepest fears have just been laid to rest. She just lies on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of having her son alive and full of love and compassion.
"So, why didn't you tell me about this particular ability of mine?"
Kushina sits up to look at him fully. "I didn't tell you because I wanted you to be safe and I didn't want you to be power hungry. Other clans would try to recruit you and use that to their advantage."
"So you didn't want me becoming so power hungry shinobi bent on collecting Kekkei Genkai?"
Kushina nods her head. "That and I didn't want you to become a baby factory for some clan eager to expand its powerbase."
Naruto nods his understanding. She was trying to protect him and make sure he doesn't become some monster willing to go to any lengths to obtain power.
"Well, this has been an interesting conversation, hasn't it?"
Kushina laughs. "That's the understatement of the decade."
"Hey mom, please don't tell anybody about the Kyuubi being able to be summoned. I want to talk to the Old Man before I get in trouble for using it in battle."
She nods her head. "We hardly touched the lemonade. You know, I feel like having ramen. What do you say? On me at Ichiruka's?" She gives him a smile.
Naruto stares at her in disbelief. "Do you even have to ask? His ramen is second only to yours!"
She laughs at his complement. "I thought so. Come on, I'm hungry from all that talking."
End Chapter 2
Word Count: 6,897
Total Word count: 12,468
Date released: 12/22/10
AN: I rewrote the last half of this chapter so many times. First I had Tenten go with Naruto for lunch after the first team meeting and then meet with Kushina for lunch. Didn't like that idea. Then I changed it to Naruto going over on his day off. I rewrote that conversation several times as well. I wanted it to make sense and get a lot of the explaining to out of the way. I don't know if I got Guy and Lee's characters right. I know that they spout things about youthfulness and making odd conditions to bets, but that's really as far as I get. Need to know how I did on them so I can get it right in later chapters.
I am making this a harem story. I have already decided on the pairs which I will release later (I have something specific in mind).
***Still looking for a Beta. Let me know if you are interested!***
Need More Reviews! More than 200 people have viewed this chapter and no reviews have been posted. I really need to know if things make sense and if things need to be explained or changed around.