Heh- hey everybody! Crippleshot is ready to bring you the next chapter in Fox Nine! Hopefully most of you read my one shot "Finally." It explains why I haven't written in so long. But if you didn't, I'll just give a brief summery. Basically, back in February, my dog of 10 years passed away and then my girlfriend of 3 broke up with me three weeks later. Needless to say, I was devastated and couldn't find the motivation to write. But I'm better now and that's why this chapter is here. Thanks for all your continued support! I won't drag this on, so, ON TO THE STORY!


Rude Awakening

Naruto slowly got to his feet. The water level was at least ankle deep, but he was somehow standing on top of it. But he didn't care about that right now. All he was focused on was figuring out where he was and why there was a giant cage in front of him. And what was that voice he heard before Mizuki attacked him? Naruto couldn't remember anything after he heard the voice. He thought to himself.

"Am I...dead?"

"No. You're very much alive, Naruto." The voice from earlier spoke.

Naruto was startled and looked around. The voice echoed through the whole room, but he somehow knew that whatever or whoever it was, they had to be behind those giant bars.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name? And...where am I?...AND HOW DID YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING?!" He panicked.

"Calm down, kit. I'll explain everything to you. But one thing at a time, all right?"

Naruto took the voice's advice and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Ok. So what's going on?"

"Better. Now then, I'll be happy to tell you."

Two blood red eyes appeared in the darkness behind the bars. They scared Naruto at first, but when he looked into them, he didn't see any evil or malicious intent. In fact, he thought they looked happy, yet somewhat sad. Just then, a figure began to come into view until Kurama relieved himself fully to Natuto. His eyes widened as he realized who it now was behind the bars. He staggered backwards and fell on his butt, pointing at him.

"Yo-you're the Nine Tailed Fox! B-but you were sealed away by the Fourth Hokage!"

Kurama nodded. "That's correct. I was sealed away by the Fourth. Inside of you."

"WHAT!? B-but why would he seal you inside me!? I don't even remember this happening!"

"I would be surprised if you did. You were only born a few hours before it happened. As for why he did, I asked him to."

"Wait...I'm confused...why would the most feared monster in the world ask to be sealed inside me of all people? Or anyone for that matter?"

The demon fox had to admit, it slightly hurt hearing Naruto call him a monster again after they had become such good friends in his time. But he didn't let it get to him. He had a lot to tell this Naruto.

"I'd take a seat, kit. I've got a lot to explain to you. And it'll probably take awhile."

"Uh...I can't really sit down...the floor is all water..."

Kurama face palmed. "It's an expression...anyway, just listen to what I have to say. I promise everything will make sense when I'm done."

Naruto nodded and waited with much anticipation to hear what the Kyuubi had to say.

"Now then...where to begin..."

xxx

Kurama had just finished explaining everything that happened over the past 12 years in what felt like hours to Naruto. Yet he didn't even process it. He was too shocked to even think. Even though he became a hero...

"I'm going to die in the next few years?" Naruto finally said.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. That's the whole reason I came back. To keep you alive this time. You and I...didn't have the best relationship starting out. It wasn't until shortly after the war started that we became friends. And looking back on it, that's one of the things I regret most. Which is why I'm hoping to start off on a good note with you in this time."

"...I want to believe you, but from all the stories I've heard about you...how do I know you're not just saying these things to get me to trust you so you can break free?"

"You have a point. There's nothing I can particularly say that can prove everything I've told you. All I can offer you is my promise. To protect you and fight with you so that what happened in my time doesn't happen here. You don't have to trust me right away, but, I hope that soon, we can be good friends like we were for that short time."

Naruto didn't respond. He was still trying to process what he had been told. It was a lot to take in.

"Oh, there's one more thing I should mention."

"Huh?"

xxx

He could hear people panicking all around him, but everything was still dark. He tried to open his eyes but they felt so heavy. He felt someone shaking him and calling his name, but couldn't respond.

"Maru...kamaru...wake up Shikamaru!"

Finally, Shikamaru gained control of his body again. He slowly opened his eyes to see a blurry figure hovering over him, as his sight adjusted, he found the figure to be his father, Shikaku.

"Thank God you're awake! Are you okay!?" His father said in a panic, which was rare for him.

"Ugh...dad? What's going on? And why do I feel like I just fought a Hokage?"

"I'm not sure what happened, son. All I know is that a blast of red light broke through the ceiling in your room. Although it wasn't the only one. Seven others appeared inside the village, and another one from outside of it as well. I feared the worst when I saw it coming from in here, but I'm just relieved you're okay."

Shikamru sat up and held his hand to his head. He had a major headache. Then, he felt something that he never had before. They were soft and fluffy, but he couldn't pull them off. In fact, it hurt him when he tried to.

"Ouch! What the? What's on my head? And why can't I get them off?"

"So you've noticed huh? Don't freak out, but...you have ears on your head."

"Well of course I have ears. Everyone has them."

Shikaku shook his head. "No, son. I mean you have another set of ears. And that's not all...you also have three tails growing out of you."

"...Come again?"

Shikamaru felt his head again, he had to admit that they did feel like dog ears now that he thought about it. Then he looked behind him to see three dark brown tails with silver tips lazily flowing back and forth. They looked more like fox tails than that of a dog, so he assumed his new ears were fox ears as well.

"What the hell is going on?! Where did these come from!?" Shikamaru yelled, panicking even more.

"I'm not sure. But you need to calm down. Getting worked up won't solve anything." The Nara clan leader stated.

Shikamru took a deep breath. "You're right. There has to be an explanation for all this."

Shikaku looked lost in thought for a moment. "I think I might have an idea. Shikamaru, I want you to stay here. Don't open your door unless it's for me or your mother. Do you understand?"

He looked at him skeptically, but nodded. His dad smiled.

"Good. I'll be back soon."

"Can you at least tell me where you're going?"

His father looked back at him before leaving the room, "To see the Hokage."

With that, he left his son to process what was happening to him.

"All right. Let's see here. I still can't figure out where these came from." He said to himself, referring to his ears and tails. "But, I can assume that if eight similar beams of light appeared at the same time the one around me did, that there are eight other people in the same situation as me. Considering that there were only nine beams of light, these occurrences, can't be random. Otherwise there should have been a lot more of them. Plus, not all of them appeared in the village. No...whoever else this happened to, we were chosen for a reason. But...what is it and why us?"

xxx

Kurama looked on in an annoyed manner. Naruto was currently running around in circles screaming in terror. He had just learned that he had fox ears and nine tails attached to his body now.

"What the hell is going on!? Getem'offgetem'off!"

Kurama thought to himself. "I had forgotten how annoying he could be as a kid..."

He sighed and reached a hand out of the cage and picked him up by his jacket collar with two of his claws. Naruto legs were still in a running motion as if he were still on the ground. He was still screaming.

"Naruto...st-calm down...Naruto...STOP SCREAMING OR I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!"

Naruto immediately stopped and began sweating profusely. He then started flailing and screaming again in fear of being eaten. Kurama face palmed as he realized he only made things worse. He gave up and let go of Naruto and he fell back down to the wet floor.

"Listen, kit. I'm not gonna eat you. Sorry I said that. I just wanted you to stop screaming. I know it's a lot to take in. But soon enough, you'll grow used to them. People may hate you now, but once they see all the good you can do with this power, they'll love you just like they did in my time."

By this point, Naruto had calmed down and listened to what his renter was saying. He had to admit that he didn't think the Nine Tails had any ulterior motives. Why would he give him this power if his ultimate goal was to break out? He seemed genuinely happy to help Naruto realize his dream to be respected by everyone in the village.

"Tell me...Will I ever be able to get rid of them, or, at least learn a jutsu to hide them?"

"I can't say for certain. The amount of tails represents the amount of chakra you possess. So it would probably be hard for you to do and maintain without the proper chakra control. But nothing is impossible. For now though, you're stuck with them."

"...well...All right then! If that's the case, then I'll just learn to live with them!" Naruto said as he grinned widely, giving Kurama a thumbs-up.

Kurama smiled. "That's just like you, kit. Taking every challenge head on."

"Of course! If I'm gonna be the future Hokage, I have to overcome every obstacle I face. If I don't, I won't be able to protect the people I care about. Much less and entire village."

"That's a good mentality to have. But you don't have to carry this burden alone. I think it's time I brought the others here as well."

"Others? You mean the ones you gave your power to twelve years ago too?"

"That's right. These people will become your closest friends and comrades. It's only natural I choose them to bestow my power upon to help you."

Naruto was happy. The only people he could really call a friend were Iruka and the Third Hokage. So he looked forward to being able to make new friends. One thing bothered him though.

"Hold on...you said that you were going to bring the others here...but you're inside my body and mind...so how are the others going to get here?"

"Since they have my power, I am able to contact them as well and bring you all into one mindscape, so that I may talk to you all at once instead of one at a time. It saves a lot of time and explanation on my part, and you all can learn to harness this power relatively at the same time."

Naruto nodded and made a grimace that looked like he was trying to process things. Kurama looked on in amusement.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?"

"Not a clue." He flatly stated.

The demon sighed. "Ok. Let's see if I can put it in easier terms. Your favorite restaurant is Ichiraku ramen, right?"

Nartuo nodded vigorously.

"Ok. Let's say you and all the other people I gave power to met there at the same time and I was there as well to explain things to you. That is the one mindescape where I would bring you all to talk to. It would be easier that way for me than to have to go to each of their houses and explain things to them there. It would also make it easier to practice harnessing your powers in one location than have you all split up and give you each individual attention. Does that make more sense?"

Naruto was sitting cross legged with his hand raised as if he were in a classroom at the academy. Kurama sweat dropped.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"I don't think that would work."

"Hmm? And why not?"

"Because Ichiraku can't hold that many people. So it would be too hard for you to talk to us if we're all cramped in there."

The Nine Tails couldn't believe his ears. Was Naruto always this stupid as a kid? I mean he knew he was stupid, but this was just going overboard for him. Still, he had to keep his composure. They wouldn't get anywhere if he kept trying to explain useless things to him.

"Ok. Fine. What about if we all met 'outside' of Ichiraku instead? There would be plenty of room for you all."

"But then people would see us and start screaming and call the guards to come arrest us or something."

"Naruto...you do realize we aren't actually meeting in front of Ichiraku...right?"

"Eh!? But you said it would be easier to meet in one place instead of going door to door to explain things!"

"I meant inside of the mindscape like we're in now!"

"Then why did you say we would meet at Ichiraku's!?"

"Because I was using it as an example so you would understand, you idiot!"

"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

'I take everything back. I want to murder him again.' Kurama thought.

"Heh heh...you know...All those thing people say about you, about how horrible you are...none of them are true."

"Hmm?" Kurama wondered aloud, not knowing where that had come from.

"You're actually really nice. And...I'm glad that we can be friends." Naruto said as he flashed him his trademark grin.

Kurama was speechless. All the anger and frustration he felt towards him, not even thirty seconds ago, vanished and was replaced by happiness. Naruto and the Sage of Six Paths are the only ones who have ever made him feel this way. The words just spoken meant more to Kurama than Naruto could ever imagine. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad we can be, too. It's really good to have you back, Naruto."

Naruto gave his partner a thumbs up and they both had a good laugh. But things were about to get very serious, very soon.

Xxx

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's tower

The Third Hokage thought he was going to have an aneurism. In his office were seven angry and confused parents, all demanding answers from him. His problem, he didn't have any to give, because he was just as confused as they were.

"Well?! Answer us, Lord Hokage! What the hell is going on here!? I know we can be dog-like, but none of us have ever grown ears and a tail!" Tsume Inuzuka shouted.

"She's right! My son isn't even closely related to the Inuzuka clan and he has the same problem!" Choza Akimichi agreed.

"Please, Lord Hokage! We're desperate! We don't know what's going on and we're scared for our daughter and the other children." Mebuki Haruno said, on the verge of tears as Kizashi, her husband, wrapped an arm around her to comfort her.

"Is there anything you can tell us at all, Lord Hokage? Any information would do at this point." Hiashi Hyuga asked in a calmer tone.

The remaining two men, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shibi Aburame remained silent and watched. Frankly, The Third was grateful for being considerate of his situation as well. He folded his hands on his desk and cleared his throat. Everyone in the room waited eagerly to hear what he had to say.

"First off, I want you all to know that we currently have an investigative team looking into this matter as quickly as possible. When they find something, they will immediately report it to me. Unfortunately, at this time, I am sorry to say that we are just as in the dark of these occurrences as you are. However, there is one theory I would like to present to you that I have come up with. Though you may not like it. But remember, it is only a theory."

"You want to say that it has something to do with the Nine Tailed Fox, correct?" Came a new voice from the entrance way.

"Hey, you can't just barge in there like that!" The frantic voice of the Third's assistant came from the hallway.

Standing in the doorway was Shikaku Nara. Everyone was stunned by what he had just said. Even the usual cool and calm Aburame looked distraught. The Hokage sighed and nodded.

"Yes. You are correct. Eight red pillars of light that resemble its chakra? Fox ears and tails growing from these eight children, including Naruto according to Iruka? And all of the parents who were supposedly 'attacked' by some kind of red chakra twelve years ago when it attacked? It can't all be a coincidence." The Third finished explaining.

"Very perceptive of you, Lord Hokage. Those were my thoughts exactly. And I have a feeling you won't need to your intelligence gatherers to find the answer to this situation."

"Oh? You have a plan, Shikaku?"

"Yes. It's simple. If our theory is correct, all we need to is ask Naruto Uzumaki."

"Are you kidding!? He's the one who caused all this if you ask me! Why not just kill him and get it over with!? Everyone in the village hates him anyway!" Tsume yelled.

"No. Naruto is not the cause of this. I'm sure of it. When it happened, Iruka was there with him when they detained the traitor, Mizuki. As soon as it happened, Naruto was knocked completely unconscious. He doesn't even know the fox is within him." The Hokage finished explaining.

"How do you know the fox didn't contact him and force him to do it?!" Tsume argued.

"Tsume, please calm down and think rationally." Inoichi finally spoke up.

"Yes. If the Kyuubi really did force him to do this, there's no way he would have let him fall unconscious. It would know that someone would try to kill Naruto, thus killing him as well. This wasn't meant to be an attack. But it is entirely possible the Kyuubi has contacted him in some way by now to explain what is happening to him and possibly the others. Whether this is a scheme to break free from Naruto or not, we won't know unless we interrogate him."

"That's where I come in, isn't it?" Inoichi asked.

Shikaku nodded. The rest of the room was silent. Even Tsume couldn't argue the point. The Hokage rose from his seat and addressed the group.

"Very well. I authorize the use of the interrogation unit to dig into Naruto's subconscious and see if they can find any answers to the situation. Any detail they can find are to brought to me immediately. But do not use force on him. His mind will possibly try to force out if you start to threaten him. As may the Nine Tailed Fox. Inoichi, you are dismissed. Gather your best men immediately."

Inoichi bowed. "Yes, Lord Hokage!" He said, and vanished from the room.

"The rest of you, I know it's hard, but I urge you to please return to your homes and await further information. I'm sure your children are as confused and scared as you are. They need your support now more than ever. I promise, once we know more, you will be the first ones to know, after me."

Everyone bowed and left the room as well. All except for Shikaku.

"Something the matter, Shikaku?"

"No, Lord Hokage. I just want to reiterate that I don't think Naruto is doing this willingly. However, I don't think the Kyuubi is trying to break free either."

"I'm interested to hear your opinion on the matter. I was curious about that as well. If it is not trying to break free, then what is it's goal?

"I can't say for certain, but lets look at what we do know. First, what do all the kids have in common?"

The Hokage paused for a moment. "...They are all classmates of Naruto at the accademy." He answered.

"Correct. The only ones connected seem to have a personal connection with Naruto in some way. Even my son has hung around him from time to time, as well as Choji Akimichi and Kiba Inuzuka. And it's no secret that the boy is madly in love with Sakura Haruno. Shikamaru always comes home and complains about how he's always trying to get her to go on a date with him. However, she only has eyes for Sasuke Uchiha, who apparently, Naruto sees as a rival in training, and in love. Sasuke also just so happens to be another one affected by this strange occurrence. As for Hinata Hyuga, I've chatted with Irkua from time to time and he's mentioned how he's noticed Hinata always staring at him and blushing whenever he talks to her. He seems to be clueless about it though. Regardless, there's another personal connection. As for Shino and Ino, I don't know of any personal connection the two might have to him besides being classmates. So I can't say for certain why they would be involved in this." Shikaku finished explaining.

"Those are very astute observations, Shikaku. But I'd expect no less from the Leaf Village's head tactician."

"Your flattery is greatly appreciated, Lord Hokage."

"So then, are we to believe that the Kyuubi possibly observed the people around Naruto, and decided to spread his power and influence to the others?"

"Not exactly. If you recall, this all started twelve years ago on the day it attacked. Some of these children weren't even born yet when it distributed its chakra. If that's really what it was. But I can't come up with any other alternative for that."

"So what you're saying is...this was all planned by it from the beginning? He chose those eight kids on purpose?"

"It may be hard to believe, but, yes. I believe so. As mentioned before. Most of them have a personal connection to Naruto now. Nobody else besides you and Iruka. There's less than a five percent possibility that they were chosen at random."

The Hokage sat back down and took a deep breath of his pipe in. He let out a long exhale and leaned back.

"Well at least we seem to be shedding some light on the situation, even if just a little. But tell me, how do you explain how it knew to choose those eight?"

"That's where it gets difficult to explain. I have my own guess, but it's completely ludicrous if you think about it."

"At this point, I'd probably believe anything." The Third said, motioning for Shikaku to state his idea.

The head tactician let out a sigh. "Again, this is almost one hundred percent unlikely, but...what if the Kyuubi inside Naruto right now, isn't the same Kyuubi that attacked the village twelve years ago?"

"You've got my attention."

"What if...the Nine Tailed Fox, here, right now...is from a different time?"

The Hokage immediately sat up and leaned forward, staring intently at Shikaku.

"Are you serious? Do you really think that this Kyuubi is from a different time?"

"No matter how illogical it sounds, it's actually the most logical explanation we have at the moment. There's no way the Kyuubi knew about these kids unless he had previous knowledge from some time in the future. If it were going to use its power to take control of more people and cause more destruction, even after it was sealed, why did it wait until now to awaken that power? Unless the Kyuubi itself was lying dormant all this time as well. He could have picked anyone to give that chakra to. People who would have grown up to be incredibly strong and experienced ninja by now. But instead, he give it to infants and mothers with unborn babies at the time whose powers later transferred to them. Can you honestly tell me that you can think of any other possibility right now?"

The Hokage was baffled but didn't have an answer to refute Shikaku's theory.

"Say this is all true. If another Kyuubi appeared from another time, what happened to the one from our time?"

"We don't know all of its techniques. It's quite possible, if this theory stands true, that they could have merged to form one, more powerful Kyuubi. I don't think Naruto could contain two of them. And in the state the Fourth Hokage was in, I doubt he had the strength to seal away two Nine Tailed Foxes."

"Hmm...Another interesting idea...Listen to me, Shikaku. I don't want you telling this to anyone else. At least, not until we have more intel from Inoichi. If we were to tell the others this, they probably wouldn't believe it and that could only make the situation worse. Until we can confirm what the true cause is, this conversation never happened."

Shikaku bowed. "As you wish, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi nodded. "Very good. You are dismissed."

Shikaku left the room, giving the Hokage time and space to think things over. He took another big huff from his pipe. After exhaling, he looked out his window.

"As crazy as your theory sounds, Shikaku, it's the only one we have at the moment. Time will tell if you are right or not. And I don't think I want to know what will happen if you turn out to be right..." He said to himself.

Xxx

Back in the mindscape, Naruto and Kurama weren't the only ones there anymore. All the children of the parents that visited the Hokage were now present as well. Including Sasuke. Kiba, Choji, Ino and Sakura were all running around in terror, while Shino. Sasuke, and Shikamaru were frozen in place at the sight of the Nine Tailed Fox. Hinata had already passed out from fear and Naruto was doing his best to calm them all down, but none of them even knew he existed at that point. Kurama sweat dropped and had no idea what to do. He didn't anticipate the reaction to be this bad.

"Umm...everyone, you don't need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt any of you." He tried saying.

None of them heard him. Well, they did, but that didn't stop them from last time he tried this, nothing happened, but Naruto attempted the Shadow Clone jutsu. It was successful this time and about twenty of them appeared, all with ears and the same amount of tails.

Naruto was elated to see the technique worked. "Listen up guys, we need to get them to stop panicking!" He said, pointing at the eight people behind him. "We need to show them that Kurama isn't a bad guy and that he just wants to talk to them. Are ya with me!?"

The other Narutos saluted. "YES SIR!" They all shouted in unison.

It only took two of them to pin ino and Sakura down. However, they kept thrashing and flailing to break free. But, the clones stayed strong and kept their hold on them. It took about ten of them to hold Choji down...if you could even call it that. All the clones were bouncing around as he kept running in circles. Kiba was easier to detain and only took three to get him under control. The other three clones each worked separately on Shino, Sasuke and Shikamaru. Since they were standing still, it was easier to snap them back to reality. The real Naruto was trying to wake Hinata up.

"Hinata? Hey Hinata! Wake up!" He said poking and shaking her.

Hinata groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Naruto simled.

"What a relief. You're awake."

She blinked at him a couple of times and when she realized he was so close to her, her face turned bright red. She looked away so she wouldn't make eye contact, but all she saw were more Narutos. She couldn't handle the overload and passed out again. Now Naruto was starting to panic.

"Ah! Hinata! No! Don't faint again! Wake up!"

Although he didn't succeed with his person, the clones had managed to calm the others down. The four running maniacs were out of energy and couldn't keep running and thrashing, while the other three were now able to register their surroundings and remain calm. Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Phwhew. Glad that's finally over with. Good job guys!" He complimented to his clones. They all smiled and then dispersed, Just then, Hinata started waking up again and sat up.

"Hinata! You're awake again! Please don't pass this time! It's really important!"

Hinata's face flushed again but she managed to stay awake somehow.

"Good job, Naruto. You handled that surprisingly well."

"Heh heh. Thanks." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What the hell is going on here, Naruto! Why is the Nine Tailed Fox here?! And why are you acting all buddy buddy with him?! And more importantly, why are we here!?" Kiba shouted, demanding answers.

"Well uhhh...you see...ummm..." He pondered.

"Don't try to think, Naruto. You'll only strain your brain."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean you stupid fox?!" Naruto retaliated, shaking a fist at the demon.

Kurama brushed him off and addressed Kiba.

"I'll be happy to answer all of your question, Kiba."

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Naruto shouted somewhere off screen.

"I know all of your names. More accurately, I know all about you."

"But how? We've never met you before." Sakura chimed in.

"You make a good point, Sakura. But that's because, I'm not from this time period."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Shikamaru. After all, you are a genius."

Shikamaru didn't respond. But him knowing that proves something at least. And it's true. He did know what it meant. He just wanted an explanation.

"I know you all have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer them soon. But for right now, I have a lot I need to tell all of you. It's very important. So listen carefully. Because this is going to affect all of your lives."

Everyone was now staring intently at him. Even Naruto joined in because he would now get all the answers he wanted ever since meeting the demon fox.

"First off, I want to properly introduce myself. My name is Kurama."


To Be Continued

A.N. Good lord...This chapter took longer than you guys know to write. Every time I think I have free time, it somehow either slips away or is taken from me. TT-TT But after so long...I finally got this chapter done...it feels really good. Especially after all the heartache I went through for awhile. I'm going to try my best to get these chapters out at a more moderate pace again. Even if all my free time is sucked away from me (curse you college). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And once again, sorry for the long wait. And thank you for understanding. Until next time, CYA!