Note: Edited slightly 8/28/07
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. The credit goes to the genius Kishimoto.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. :D Sorry this took so long in coming though. This chapter gave me more trouble than I thought it would. I knew what I wanted but couldn't figure out how to get from point A to point B.
Since some of you have asked 'who controls the body?', I'll explain as best I can. Their control on their body, as well as anything else, is kind of like a DBZ fusion technique but without the time limit. They both control the body, though certain actions will be controlled more by one or the other; this is decided by a split-second, subconcious decision that they make. As for their voice, it's like their skin tone; it's a smooth mix, but leans more towards Kakashi's voice than Naruto's.
Now onto the next chapter!
Chapter 2: A Talk With the Kyuubi
They walked in silence, lost in their own thoughts, slowly walking to the area where the Kyuubi was kept.
"Naruto," Kakashi said after a couple minutes of walking. "I know you're probably thinking about all the changes we can make now that we're in the past. But keep in mind, time travel is dangerous for a reason. One wrong move on our part and we could kill our younger selves; and where do you think that leaves us?"
"Yeah, I know." Naruto replied sadly, before continuing with rising excitement. "But think about it. We could change so many bad things that happened. The Kyuubi's attack, Itachi killing his whole clan, Orochimaru's attack, Sasuke leaving, everything! If we-"
Kakashi cut him off. "Naruto! I know! Believe me, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to change those events as well. But we need to be careful with what we change. We could change something with the best intentions, but actually make things worse. We have to think through things completely before we change anything."
"The Cyclopes is right, gaki."
The two shinobi tensed when they heard the voice from around the next corner. Sharing a nervous look, they went around the corner, immediately faced with the ceiling high bar door. Staring at them from beyond the bars were the large red eyes of the Kyuubi.
"Amazing, you actually agree with someone?" Naruto said in a pseudo-amazed voice. "And with a minuscule human at that?"
Kyuubi bared his teeth. "Shut you mouth, brat. I was merely agreeing with simple common sense. At least someone here finally has some, unlike others I know." Kyuubi continued before Naruto could retaliate. "Moving on. It's about time you two got here. Seriously, how long does it take to figure out that you've traveled through time?"
Naruto scowled, hearing the insult behind those words. "You know, you could've-"
Kakashi covered his mouth with his hand, sending the younger nin a look that said, 'Save it 'till later.'
"What do you want, Kyuubi? You said you had something to say to us when we figured it out, so what?"
For a moment, Kyuubi looked like he would refuse to answer, but decided against it. He gave a loud huff of annoyance, before settling himself comfortably on the other side of the cage.
"Yes, well, before that, you two might want to think of an alias name to use. Obviously, you can't go by Uzumaki Naruto or Hatake Kakashi. And going by something like Uzumaki Kakashi would be a bad idea as well. So before we go onto more important matters, you have to take care of this small, but still important problem."
I hate to say it, let alone think it, but Kyuubi has a point. Kakashi thought, sighing.
"So, Kakashi-sensei...any ideas?" Naruto asked hopefully. "Kyuubi shot down everything I was thinking of."
Kakashi and Kyuubi stared at Naruto incredulously. "Are you serious? The best you could've come up with was like Uzumaki Kakashi?" Naruto merely rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Kakashi shook his head. Naruto has his moments of genius, but sometimes... After tossing a few suggestions around, they decided on using 'Hazaki Narashi' in the end. (A/N: this is the name their physical body is going to go by from now on, cause I'm sick and tired of writing Naruto/Kakashi all the time and getting confused with the he/they problem. Now it will simply be 'Narashi' and 'he'.)
"Hmph. Now that that's taken care of, we can move onto more important things, mainly, what changes you can do."
Naruto looked at the fox demon suspiciously. "You say that almost like we have a limit on what we can change."
"That's because you do. Continuing with what Cyclopes here was saying, you need to think things through completely before you change them. There are many things you will not be able to do that you want to, since changing them would result in a worse situation overall. And I'm sure you don't want that." Kyuubi finished sarcastically.
Naruto scowled, but didn't say anything. Kakashi sent a quick look in Naruto's direction before turning back to the Kyuubi, asking, "And what exactly falls under the list of non-changeable events?"
Kyuubi sent a feral grin towards the two humans. "Well, first on that list is my past counterpart's attack on your pitiful village. I/he will attack Konoha, there is no changing that. However, what you do during the attack is entirely up to you." Seeing that both Naruto and Kakashi were about to say something, he quickly added, "That is our next topic of discussion, so save your questions until then." Their mouths closed with an audible 'snap'.
"Continuing on, the next event you can't change is the Uchiha Massacre at the hands of Itachi."
"WHAT!" Naruto wouldn't be held back this time. Even Kakashi was slightly shocked, though not as much as Naruto. "What do you mean, we can't stop the Uchiha Massacre! If that didn't happen, Sasuke wouldn't have wanted get revenge, so he wouldn't have gone to Orochimaru for power!"
"Precisely!" Kyuubi roared. "Use you brain, idiot. I'm sure even you have one, minuscule though it may be. What did Orochimaru want more than anything, excluding immortality?" Without waiting for an answer, Kyuubi kept speaking. "The sharingan. And who are the only ones with that eye?"
"Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Itachi." Naruto answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But what does that...oh..." He stopped, coming to a realisation.
"Exactly." This time, it was Kakashi who spoke, understanding where the Kyuubi was going with this. "After Itachi killed his clan, he, Sasuke, and I were the only ones that Orochimaru could get the Sharingan eye from. If the Uchiha clan is saved, however, he could just take any Uchiha; and by the time we realised what he did, it would be too late to do anything about it." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't like it anymore than you do, Naruto, but Kyuubi is right." Never thought I'd say something like that. "If there is one event we can't change, it's that."
Naruto stared at the ground sadly. "Yeah, I know. But I really wanted to stop Sasuke from leaving. But if he's all bent on revenge..."
"Who said you couldn't?" Kyuubi asked, in a seemingly rare show of sympathy.
Naruto and Kakashi looked at the demon in shock, neither expecting that. "But, you said..."
"What I said was that the Uchiha Massacre had to happen. If you want to stop the Uchiha brat from going to the snake freak, be my guest." Kyuubi huffed loudly. "In fact, the longer you keep the eye away from Orochimaru, the better." He ignored Naruto's cheer of "Yatta!" and continued speaking. "Those two events are the main ones that must stay the same. Everything else is pretty much fair game. Just remember to think the consequences through completely before changing anything."
Naruto grinned. This is great! I can finally stop Sasuke from making the biggest mistake of his life and fulfil my promise to Sakura-chan. Kakashi just shook his head at Naruto's enthusiasm. Only you, Naruto. Only you could make a complete emotional one-eighty in a few seconds.
"Naruto." Kakashi said, getting the blond's attention. "I know you're excited about this, and probably already thinking of ways to change it. But it's best if we focus on one thing at a time. And right now, the most important one we need to think about is the Kyuubi's attack in little over a year. We've got over ten years to worry about Sasuke, but only a year to figure out a plan of action for the attack."
Naruto had dropped the grin, his face turning serious. "Yeah, you're right." As always. "So, what are we going to do? And how? I'd like to just stop the fox from attacking in the first place, but apparently we can't do that." He grimaced. "Even if we tried, we'd probably fail and die in the attempt."
Kakashi stared at Naruto in shock. While he agreed with what Naruto said completely, (and had been ready to get the genin to understand that), he was surprised to hear a statement like that come out of Naruto's mouth, of all people. Noticing the look, Naruto stated with small scowl, "I may be reckless, but I'm not that stupid."
Kyuubi snorted. "Could've fooled me."
"WHO ASKED YOU!" Naruto yelled, shaking his fist at the kitsune. Kyuubi simply grinned in response.
Kakashi shook his head, the smirk on his face hidden by the ever-present mask. "Getting back to the main topic...Do you have anything in mind, Naruto? Or are you drawing a blank?"
Naruto was about to reply, when the Kyuubi cut him off. "I suppose it's too much to hope for, that you could just convince the Konoha ninjas to just stand back and let my past self do what he wants." His only response were twin glares that screamed, 'ABSOLUTELY NOT!' "Yeah, didn't think so..." Geez, can't they take a simple joke...
Naruto sighed in annoyance. "Anyway, ignoring the baka-kitsune's stupid suggestion," he said, turning to Kakashi. "I'm not really sure how, but I think that mainly, we should find a way to stop Yondaime from dying during the attack. Maybe if he survived, the villagers..." He faded off, looking at the ground, a distant look in his eyes. Kakashi looked at Naruto, a mix of emotions showing in his uncovered eye, ranging from remorse to anger to guilt. He knew that Naruto was thinking about the injustices the villagers had done to the boy in his childhood, and was upset with himself for never doing anything about it. No doubt about it, Naruto. If Sensei had survived, you life would've been very different. Especially since...He mentally sighed. I'm going to need to tell him. Later, though. Now isn't the time.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Kakashi said, "Yeah, I was thinking along similar lines. We can't stop the attack from happening and neither of us want events to happen exactly as they did previously."
Naruto shook his head in agreement. "Definitely not. But the only way to do it would be to stop him from doing the sealing, and either do it ourselves, or hope someone else is willing to do it. But from what I know of the Yondaime, I get the feeling he won't let either happen."
Kakashi shook his head. "No, he wouldn't. In fact, Sarutobi-sama tried to stop him, saying that he'd do it instead, but he wouldn't hear a word of it, saying that it was his job as Hokage to protect the village." He chuckled slightly. "As Jiraiya-sama might have told you, Sensei was definitely Fire Country's most stubborn person, or at least one of them. Reminds me of another blue-eyed blond I know, actually," he added with a smirk.
"We just never know when to quit," Naruto responded, his large, trademark grin in place. It dropped when he got serious again. "So, what are we going to do? I suppose if we had no choice, we could just knock the guy out (or try to, at least) and take his place in the sealing. But that would end up with us dead instead. And while I'm completely willing to die for the village like any other shinobi, I'd rather live to see the results of any changes we make."
"Agreed," Kakashi said, nodding. "We'll keep that option as a last resort, and only as a last resort. But there's a whole year until the attack. That should be enough time to come up with something. Who knows? Maybe with a year-long warning, instead of a few weeks, the Hokage might come up with a better sealing method than having to use the Shinigami."
"Not likely," Kyuubi scoffed, speaking for the first time in a while. He continued before either human could respond. "No mortal being has enough power to seal a demon, much less a powerful one like myself. That's why the Hokage had to summon the Death God int the first place. Only the gods themselves or another demon can seal a demon. Perhaps even a summon boss if it was a lesser demon (which I most certainly am NOT) being sealed."
"Yeah, we know all that already. Everyone does." Naruto interrupted, looking irritated. "Why are you telling us this? What's you point?"
"I'm telling you this so that you two will actually consider the offer I'm about to make as one of the few options you actually have," Kyuubi answered, baring his teeth. Seeing the suspicious look the other two were sending him, he added, "You will want to actually think about this offer instead of just throwing it out the window in an instant. Believe me, I wouldn't be makingit if I didn't believe tht it would yeild the best results. Not just for the attack but for everything else."
Kakashi and Naruto shared a suspicious and slightly worried look, both thinking about what the Kyuubi was about to suggest. Turning back to the demon fox, Naruto said, "Fine, we're listening. What is it? And it better not be stupid like that other 'suggestion' you made."
"It's not," Kyuubi growled in response. He huffed in annoyance, seriously reconsidering his decision. "As I was saying earlier before I was so rudely interrupted, only the gods or demons have the power to defeat/seal a demon, particularly one such as myself, which is why mortals, like the Yondaime, have to summon the God of Death, Shinigami, in order to complete it. But in exchange, the user immediately loses his life. Unfortunately, if you were to replace the hokage in your current state, you would face the same fate, something none of us want."
"What do you mean by 'current state'?" Kakashi asked, frowning in confusion and increasing worry and suspicion. Naruto had a similar look on his face, though with more confusion.
Kyuubi chuckled. "Oh, I think you know precisely what I mean, Kakashi. But if you want, I'll explain it in simple terms that even the blond idiot here can understand."
"Hey!"
Again, Kyuubi ignored Naruto's outburst. "What I'm offering is this; fuse with my chakra, all nine tails worth of it, so you may be able to fight and seal my past self with at least some chance of survival."
There was a long moment of silence between the three. Then both shinobi spoke simultaneously.
"WHAT!"
"What made you think we'd agree to that, baka-kitsune!" yelled Naruto. "Just using four tails gives you total control over my body! Using all nine would practically be releasing you from the seal. At which point, you'd probably join you past self in destroying Konoha!"
"SILENCE!" Kyuubi roared. "Use you eyes, baka! Take a close look at this seal door. What do you see different?"
Naruto stopped himself from saying the first thing he though, then looked at the cell door, trying to find out what the fox meant. He knew something was wrong since he and Kakashi had arrived, but hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Kakashi looked at the seal door closely as well, trying to see if anything could be amiss, despite never seeing the seal before today. Hearing a gasp beside him, he turned to see Naruto staring at the center of the door in shock.
"What is it, Naruto?" he asked, looking at the spot where Naruto was looking. But all he saw was a thick bar in the center. Nothing else. But that's probably the problem. Something's missing.
"It's gone. The seal isn't there." Naruto answered, completely shocked at the implications of this. Kakashi's eye widened.
"Wha-!"
"Exactly." Kyuubi growled out. "The seal is technically gone, yet I am still here. I can still give you chakra, but can no longer influence you thoughts or actions with it. In fact," Kyuubi raised his paw to strike the bars, like he did the first time he and Naruto first met face to face. Naruto and Kakashi both tensed, ready to jump back in an instant, only to be rather surprised when Kyuubi's claws bounced off some kind of invisible barrier, causing a large shockwave ripple through it. " I doubt even the Akatsuki's demon removal method could get me out, now."
Kyuubi looked at Naruto. "Do you understand now? No matter how many tails of chakra I give you, I can not control your body. Of course, whether or not your body can control that amount of chakra without burning is another matter entirely," he added with a sadistic chuckle.
Kakashi frowned, his eye narrowing. "That seems rather contradictory with what you were saying earlier, Kyuubi. How could we use you power like you were suggesting, when our body is likely to combust from all the youki?" Naruto nodded in agreement.
Kyuubi sighed, his annoyance obvious. "You weren't listening very carefully when I made my offer. What I said was for you to fuse with my power, not borrow and return when you're done." Three eyes instantly widened in sudden understanding and shock. Kyuubi grinned, fully enjoying their reactions. "Ah, I see you two are finally understanding what I've been saying for the past 20-30 minutes."
Once again, silence reigned over the three. Naruto, looking warily at the giant kitsune in front of him, said, "What exactly would happen if, and that's a big 'if', we decided to go your idea?"
"In short," Kyuubi replied, his grin widening. I should just tell them the basics, that way they'll agree faster. "you would essentially become the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And no, that doesn't mean that you become instantly evil and bent on destroying everything in your path." Kyuubi quickly added before Naruto or Kakashi could say anything. "Don't start yelling at me before I can explain completely. So just shut up and listen."
Seeing that he had their full attention, he continued. "To start off, there are actually many different kitsune types. Some are bent on total destruction; some are healers; others just want to learn everything there is to know; there's probably even one or two that are exactly like that lazy, cloud loving bum you call a friend." Kyuubi added, scoffing. Naruto snorted, barely holding back his laughter, while Kakashi simply eye-smiled. "I just simply chose to become a destruction kitsune. But even though it will be my youki you'll be absorbing, that doesn't mean you'll become the same type of demon fox that I did. In fact, knowing the two of you, you'd probably be more inclined to become a protector kitsune of some kind. But we can deal with that later, if and when you reach that point.
"Now, as for physical changes, you can probably guess what'll happen. After you receive the first tail of youki, you're true form will be that of a fox with however many tails you have. Or, at least, one of them. The second is when you transform into your human form, an ability that all demons have. While for the most part, your appearance will be human, you will have some fox attributes, such as the ears and tails, as well as claws and longer canines. All these changes, however, can be hidden beneath a simple yet powerful illusion that not even the strongest of doujustus can see through. We foxes are the best at such things, after all.
"Power wise, I don't think I need to tell you just how much power you would be gaining. My own chakra is near infinite. Add in your own combined chakra, tiny though it may be compared to my own." Naruto's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the jab, but didn't say anything, knowing the demon was right. "So, anything else you two want to know before you decide?"
They looked at each other, then nodded coming to a decision. Looking back at the Kyuubi, Naruto asked the question on both their minds. "Why are you making this offer? You hate being sealed away like this, so why help us? What exactly do you have to gain from this?"
Kyuubi scoffed. "Of course I hate it. Unfortunately, the sealing, like the attack itself and the Uchiha Massacre, is one of those events that must happen, otherwise things will only turn out worse. The only reason I'm offering you my power completely is because it's the only way to make sure you actually survive the upcoming battle. That, and it's the only thing I can do, with the seal being stronger than ever before for some reason." He stared hard at the two shinobi before him. "You don't have to like it, but you two both know that this is the only thing you can do if you truly desire to keep Yondaime-teme alive this time. So, do you agree or not?"
Naruto and Kakashi bowed their heads in thought, thinking carefully over all that the demon fox had told them. The Kyuubi was right; neither of them liked the plan, but at the same time, they knew that any other plan they could come up with had very slim chances of the Kyuubi no Kitsune being sealed, the Yondaime Hokage still living, and themselves surviving.
But still...
Kakashi sighed, looking at Kyuubi. "Give us a few days to think about this and we'll give you our answer."
...that didn't mean they were going to agree right off the bat.
"Tch. Fine. You have three days to come to a final decision. If you don't come to a definite plan of action by the end of 72 hours," he grinned, "I'll just start the process of fusing my chakra to yours, whether you like it or not." The glares they sent him only made his grin widen. "Glare at me all you want, but that's my final decision. You have three days. What'll be yours?"
And with that final question, and a burst of chakra, Kyuubi sent the other two out of the 'seal-scape' and into the 'real world'.
Hazaki Narashi instantly opened his eyes and shot up in bed, gasping for breath. Looking around he saw that he was back in the hospital room he'd woken up in previously.
Narashi growled in annoyance. "I hate it when the damn fox does that." 'Always makes me feel like I'm waking up from a bad nightmare.'
'In a sense, you are. Kyuubi is practically a nightmare in and of himself.'
'Good point.'
Looking around the room more closely, Narashi noticed that the curtains and window had been opened, meaning that someone, most likely a medic, had come in. Idly, he thought, good thing that he/she wasn't in here right now, otherwise, they probably would've had a heart attack. By the position of the sun outside the window, it was about mid-morning.
Narashi sighed. 'So...what do we do now?'
