Summary: "I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, whelp," the Kitsune hissed, making the child flinch reflectively. "I am not the mindless, stupid beast that everyone believes that I am. Now, sit down."

Theme: Inside The Fire - Disturbed

1 year later

"You are hopeless, Naruto-kun."

Naruto glared at Orochimaru, breathing harshly as he crossed his fingers and created more Kage Bunshin. He was bitterly regretting the thoughts he had before they had finally found Orochimaru. He very much minded now, even if he and Sasuke had gotten ridiculously stronger.

"Shut the hell up, snake. I don't need your fucking attitude," the blond growled, launching him and the clones forward for yet another attack. Orochimaru only laughed; a small, mocking, merciless sound as he readied himself.

They had been at it for awhile now, the Sannin wanting to see exactly how much stamina the fox boy had. By taking turns with Kabuto, it was only now after two days, that Naruto seemed to be at the end of his chakra. Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation as he blocked another clumsy, tired blow, waiting for the moment the blond would have to use the Kitsune's chakra. It would be soon, he was sure. And once the blond was forced to use the Kyuubi's, he would have every right to unleash everything in his arsenal, his defense being that he only protected himself. Then Sasuke would be alone, without the presence of the most powerful Host.

Over the past year, Orochimaru had watched the blond, constantly amazed at the seemingly endless chakra that Naruto possessed. Not only that, but not once had Naruto's chakra ever been tainted red; not once had his eyes ever even shone with a hint of crimson. Kabuto had done a physical six months ago, when Orochimaru had approached the med-nin with questions about his charges. It seemed that Naruto's chakra pathways were nearly twice as large as normal shinobi's. No doubt from the Kyuubi being sealed inside him since he was an infant, but it made his own chakra reserves double that of normal capacity. That was without having to rely on the Bijuu's chakra too.

After all the clones were destroyed, Naruto collapsed heavily onto one knee, feeling the sweat as it rolled down his body and hating the feeling. He hated that empty aching in his body, signaling to him that he was nearly at the end of his own chakra. His eyes looked at his own abdomen, and he growled softly at the thought that he would be forced to use its chakra if this kept up any longer. Then there were no more thoughts as a soft sound reached his ears, and he was moving even as Orochimaru's sword crashed into the ground where he had been, leaving a crater.

"Hey you bastard!" he snarled as he landed on his feet and brought his kunai's around. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Orochimaru only laughed, the sound making Naruto's blood run cold as he started to mentally berate himself. Of course the damn snake would be trying to kill him. Naruto was the only thing standing between Sasuke and him. It finally sunk in that he was alone in this cavern with the man. Not even Kabuto was around, having gone off somewhere to train Sasuke in the medical arts.

"Of course Naruto-kun," the snake man drawled, and Naruto repressed an instinctive, repulsed shiver at the oily tone, keeping his face blank. "As long as you are here, I will never have Sasuke-kun to myself. However," his tongue flicked out to lick along his blade, and Naruto saw that he was licking up some of his blood, and finally shivered, "we all know how reckless you can be while training. If you die, and I can prove it was an accident…" He shrugged, and Naruto's hands tightened on the hilts of his weapons, his aching body automatically falling into a defensive position. He wasn't being paranoid either, because as soon as he did, Orochimaru was flying at him with blinding fast speeds, and he tried to dodge, he really did.

Before he could move though, he felt the sword pierce directly through his heart, making his eyes go wide as pain burned through every vein in his body. Then the bastard twisted it, and he knew that his heart was now sliced in two pieces inside his chest. He found enough energy to growl though, his kunai falling from numb hands as he glared up at the man. Red liquid was pouring from his chest, faster than even the Kyuubi could heal it. He felt the red chakra try to escape the seal, and with the last of his strength, he forced it away. He would rather die then use the Kyuubi's chakra again.

Fuck…I AM going to die…

"Bastard…" he hissed out, and fell into blackness with the sounds or Orochimaru's delighted laughter ringing in his ears.

-x-x-x-x-

Sasuke blinked in the darkness of Kabuto's lab, his onyx eyes narrowed. He had felt…

They widened dramatically as the very rock around them shivered in response to the massive chakra that had been unleashed. Sasuke was gone, racing through the maze of underground channels to where he felt the Kyuubi's chakra, Kabuto right behind him.

On the surface, he was calm, and to some extent, he was mentally as well. However, it hid something dangerous. The icy, deadly rage that was sweetly flowing into his veins, because the nearer he got to where the chakra had come from, the more he was realizing that he couldn't feel Naruto's chakra at all. All he could feel was the Kyuubi's.

He knew that they had been testing Naruto's stamina. Hell, Naruto had even agreed to it, even though Sasuke hadn't thought it was a good idea. He still didn't like the fact that Naruto had been fighting endlessly for the past few days, even though the blond had been as curious as the snake as to what his limit had been. However, the deal had been to test only Naruto's chakra. Not the Kyuubi's.

His eyes narrowed into black slits as he rounded a corner, feeling goose bumps break out all over his skin with the instinctive response to the overwhelming chakra coming from the chamber ahead. If Orochimaru pushed him far enough that he had to use the Kyuubi's chakra, he will die.

With that satisfying thought in his head, he barreled into the door, shattering it to pieces. What he found made all thoughts of killing Orochimaru leave his mind.

-x-x-x-x-

The Kyuubi watched the confrontation through Naruto's eyes, cocking his massive head to the side as he studied the facial expressions of Orochimaru.

He really does want to get rid of my Host, he thought with mild astonishment, but no surprise. He had watched the snake ever since that Uchiha and Naruto had joined him, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before Orochimaru made his move to get rid of Naruto. The Kyuubi had been waiting with bated breath for Naruto to call on his chakra, so he could take over and rip the snakes head from his body. However, not once in the past year of training, had his Host ever called on his chakra. Also, because of that, the Kyuubi hadn't gotten a chance to tell his Host that Gaara and Shukaku were slowly making their way towards them with the Kyuubi's guidance. They would probably be at their location in a matter of days, and the Kyuubi was looking forward to the first spar between the Hosts.

During his moment of inattention, his chest felt as though it collapsed, and the demon coughed harshly in the wetness of his cell. Returning his attention to Naruto, he narrowed his eyes in anger, his chakra flaring out of his control for a moment, attempting to heal the wound in Naruto's heart. That fucking snake, he hissed mentally, and snarled in shocked surprise as Naruto shoved his chakra away. He knew that his Host didn't like using his chakra, and he knew why. The Bijuu's chakra was addicting for mortals, as was the true, instinctual nature of his fellow siblings. It also didn't help that it tested the Host's sanity every single time.

His heart stuttered in his chest, and the demon snarled loudly, grabbing Naruto's mind, and dragging him down so he could convince his Host that his life wasn't worth not using his chakra. Stupid, stupid human, he thought in annoyance, ignoring the slight hint of worry that nagged his rage filled heart.

-x-x-x-x-

"…at…"

Naruto felt himself swim groggily back to awareness, wondering if he was dead.

"…rat!..."

Opening his eyes slightly, he found himself staring up at a wet, dank, rusted ceiling, and frowned slightly in confusion. Where the hell was he if he was dead?

"Brat! Get the fuck up!"

He scrambled to his feet at the commanding roar, breathing harshly as he looked around wildly for the source of the attack. Deep, malicious laughter rang through the area, and he frowned in confusion. He knew that laugh…did that mean?

"I'm not dead, am I?" he asked deadpan, looking straight ahead and finding what he sought.

"Unfortunately no," the Kitsune said, glaring at him with slight amusement through the bars.

Nodding decisively Naruto sat down, propping his chin on one hand as he looked through the bars. "I'm guessing that you brought me here, since I was about to die." The demon nodded once, grudging respect in its crimson eyes.

"Even though you were about to die, you still didn't draw on my chakra. Why?" the Kitsune demanded, and Naruto shrugged, looking away.

"Considering the way using your chakra makes me feel, I would rather die than want to feel like that again." He didn't even move as a roar came from inside the cage, a large paw slashing out at him through the bars. He merely sat there, glaring at the demon with fear tinged hatred.

"You insolent retch! Do you not understand if you die, then so do I? I will not have you die while I am still trapped in this…this…meat bag you call a body!" The Kyuubi was in a fury, pacing back and forth inside the cage, ranting about stupid humans, and their stupid ways, and stupid this and that. Naruto snickered, though quietly, because he didn't want to get the Kitsune's anger directed at him. He zoned out slightly, wondering if his body was dead yet, until the Kyuubi got to one section that caught Naruto's ears, making him perk up and actually contribute to the one-sided conversation.

"Wait," he said loudly. The demon turned and glared out of his cage, growling impatiently as he waited for Naruto to continue. "How much of what you just said is true?" He knew better then to trust a Bijuu, but…

The beast scoffed, lying down once again with his head on his paws, glaring arrogantly at the blond. Mentally, Naruto rolled his eyes. He wasn't surprised that not even the Kyuubi could have an arrogant glare like his Uchiha.

"Of course everything I just said is true! What do I look like brat? Some untrained whelp like you? I have lived for thousands of years. I have seen the evolution of the shinobi, and the development of the different Villages." He scoffed and continued to rant about humanity, and Naruto had to marvel at the fact that he, and the Kyuubi, were actually having a semi-civilized conversation. Then his attention returned to the conversation, and his eyes narrowed, turning sharp.

"So you and the other Bijuu were the ones that showed us original humans how to mold chakra?" he asked sarcastically, interrupting the Kitsune mid word. The Kyuubi straightened, ears perking forward as a sliver of his sharp teeth were revealed in a snarl.

"You dare to call me a liar, you child."

Naruto stubbornly stuck out his chin in a childish gesture, but his eyes were glittering with dangerous sincerity. The Kitsune snarled silently to himself, seeing the determined stance. He hated it when Naruto got like this. The damn boy was more stubborn then one human had a right to be.

"I don't believe you," Naruto ground out, making the Kyuubi snarl, but the blonds' voice rose over his, something like hysteria in its rough tones. "I don't! You are the reason why the Yondaime is gone! You were the one that killed all those shinobi when you attack–"

He didn't even have time to react before the Kitsune's paw was smashing down on him, sending him into the water. Even struggling against the heavy foot, he could hear every word being growled at him with deadly intent. He was more scared of losing his life in that moment, then the entire year he had spent with Orochimaru.

"Don't you dare to presume to know why I attacked Konoha you whelp! You have no right to question me, or to assume that you know anything about the Bijuu!"

He took his paw off and Naruto scrambled to his feet, throwing himself backwards until he leaned against the far wall across from the cage. He swiped the water from his face as he gasped for air, occasionally coughing out liquid. Yet he still glared defiantly at the beast confined behind the bars.

"You are a demon! You kill humans! Look at what you did to Konoha and the other places –"

He was a bit more prepared for the next smack of the giant paw, having moved far enough away it couldn't actually touch him, but not for the burst of molten, terrifying chakra that rushed out. It made his skin feel like it was being stripped from his skin by a red hot scalpel.

"How many other places have you heard of that the Bijuu have attacked, Uzumaki Naruto?" the Kitsune asked, his voice a gentle, horrible purr. Naruto froze as sweat began to roll down his face as he frantically racked his brain, not willing to defy the subtle demand in the Kitsune's voice that clearly wanted an answer.

"I…I only know…of two others…" he said timidly, and cringed closer to the wall as a cruel, sensuous chuckle echoed off the walls.

"You are correct, whelp. There are Nine Bijuu. Then why is it, if we are such bloodthirsty monsters only intent on killing, you have only heard of three Villages that have been attacked?"

Naruto's mouth worked as the information went through his head, eyes narrowing. He wasn't stupid. If the Bijuu had attacked more often, it would have been in books, or someone would have known something about it. He would have heard something about a Bijuu attacking a Village, past, or present. Not including Gaara of course.

"So why do you guys have the reputation that you have?" he said before his brain could think, flinching at the sharp look from in the cage. "Sorry, but there must be some reason you all are painted like that."

The Kitsune glared at him for a moment longer, before elegantly lowering his head onto his crossed paws. He wasn't sure he should answer the question, but as a Host, Naruto had a right to know about the Bijuu more than anyone. "I will not deny that we are demons, or that we do crave destruction and death. I do not know of my true origins, and neither do my siblings. My first memory, is opening my eyes to a vast reach of mountains. My first feeling, was an unknown thirst that could not be quenched with water."

Naruto was drawn forward a few steps by his own enthrallment in the story, but he cringed back when the Kitsune smiled. The sharp grin was filled with dark, sadistic pleasure.

"I found out soon enough what it needed to be sated, however. At the time, you humans could barely be considered such, and the world was populated by large beings such as ourselves. The first time I encountered a snake…" The Kyuubi flicked his tongue out in remembered bliss, chuckling deeply in his furry chest. "They were forced to evolve rather quickly after our appearance, and as they did, so did we. You know them as summons."

Naruto's mouth gaped slightly, and the Kitsune couldn't help but watch with curiosity as his face slowly turned red, then purple...

"THAT STUPID BOSS!" Naruto finally shouted, stomping up to the cage with a furious expression on his face. "He never told me! I'm gonna kick his ass the next time I summon him!"

"Whelp," the Bijuu cut in, surprisingly enjoying the conversation with his Host. "You realize that they probably don't remember anything about us. As soon as they learned how to live in a different dimension, all of them left, until the Bijuu were the only ones left besides the humans. The only reason you humans know how to summon them, is because we like having a bit of sport every now and then."

Naruto scowled up at the Kyuubi, but a contemplative look was in his eyes. "Then you really did teach us how to mold our chakra. What the hell happened after all the summons left though? Is that when you taught us?" Naruto's voice rose excitedly, and – gentler then before…a little – the Kitsune swiped him back down into the water.

"Since the humans were the only ones left," he rumbled, watching the blond shake himself off like a pissed cat. "We took a…well, a mostly human shape, and wandered amongst you. We watched you learn about chakra, but not how to mold it. We knew of the darker side of humanity, and we used it to our advantage." He growled softly as Naruto opened his mouth to protest, making his jaws click together with a snap. The Kitsune glared at him a moment longer, making sure the blond was actually going to stay quiet, before continuing. "We are beings of death and destruction, regardless of how intelligent we are. It is something that we revel in, and humans were perfect. We each took a tribe of you, and taught your ancestors the fundamentals. Then we sent you off to go play."

"So we were like a fucking game for the Bijuu?" he demanded, and the Kyuubi looked down at him lazily, finding amusement in revealing to the blond exactly how his precious shinobi had come about.

"When you describe it like that, then I would have to agree. We pitted you against one another, and we also were revered as gods. It was only as time went on, and the humans grew to numerous for us to control reliably, that we wandered away. Then we only watched as our destructive ways were imprinted onto humanity. That was roughly a thousand years ago, if my memory serves me correctly."

"I want you to teach me."

The Kitsune raised his head slowly at the sudden, unexpected demand, glaring at the blond who was now standing at the bars of his cage, his bright blue eyes determined, if a little sick at what the Kyuubi had just revealed. He scoffed, though inside he was startled. He didn't know of any other Hosts that had ever asked for training from their Bijuu. He knew of Hosts that were in accord with their Bijuu, but never one that asked for training.

He contemplated actually teaching the whelp, tilting his massive head to the side and looking down at the small, skinny, underweight blond that was asking him. He remembered the fierce determination in the same blue eyes, from underneath the same wild mop of blond hair, and sighed mentally. He couldn't deny that he hated the Yondaime for sealing him, but he hated Uchiha Madara more, and he didn't hate Naruto at all, truthfully. He resented the blond for being his physical cage, but didn't hate him. The Kyuubi understood that Naruto didn't have a choice, any more than he did.

The Kitsune grinned sharply and with much amusement as the child fidgeted under his scrutiny, his hands going behind his head, his eyes to the ground. This was the same baby that he had only gotten a single view of, before he had been sealed. Since then, he has looked out from those bright eyes, and heard the thoughts in that blond head. He remembered the loneliness and despair the small child had gone through, at the hands of the very people who he had been created to protect.

A low snarl reverberated through the room, making Naruto take a step back, swallowing convulsively.

Everything Naruto went through as a child, as an innocent, was because of his father. He absolutely hated the Yondaime for what he did to Naruto. The man should have known better, because it is the nature of humans to hate what they cannot understand. That was also not a trait they inherited from the Bijuu. That particular quirk of human evolution came about after the Bijuu had been labeled as myths by humanity.

Even though the Bijuu still killed the innocents – they where beings of a destructive, bloodthirsty nature after all – they were always the ones to be put down mercifully. Even the Bijuu had some sort of guidelines for right and wrong. What Minato did to his boy, was wrong: and all because of his blind belief in the good side of human nature. Yet and still, there was a grudging respect for the man, because the Kyuubi had heard the last, whispered words of the man to his son, before he finished the sealing.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I can't let someone else do, what I am not willing…"

The Kitsune sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment as he contemplated his two decisions. He could honor the respect that both father and son had earned, or continue to fight against his Host. If the seal were to be broken, he would probably live since he was an immortal being, but Naruto would not. Their chakra was to closely entwined at the moment, since Naruto was climbing towards the peak of his ability. Or, he mused, examining the memories he had of the child, I could satisfy my curiosity, and see how his life plays out.

He could wait until Naruto was older, allowing his Host to reach an old age, helping him protect his precious people. That way, the lonely child would be a happy man, and only one hundred years at the most would be out of the Kyuubi's long life. Also, once Naruto was older, his chakra pathways would begin to decay with age, and the Kyuubi would be able to break the seal and leave, without causing Naruto to die.

His decision made, he opened his eyes to find that Naruto had wandered away, and the Kyuubi couldn't see, smell, or sense him at all. He went from calm to pissed in the space of a heartbeat, and roared his annoyance out, listening with satisfaction as it bounced loudly on the rusted metal walls. That will get the damn meat bag to get his ass back here.

-x-x-x-x-

Naruto eyed the Kyuubi, his head tilted to the side, wondering if the beast had gone to sleep. Shrugging silently, Naruto slipped backwards, steadily making his way out of the chamber, and down the hall. He remembered seeing different doors every time he went to the cage, and had often wondered what was behind them. Now seemed like a perfect time to explore, since he knew from experience that the time spent inside his mind was not the same as the outside world. When he returned, it would only be a few seconds after he had been dragged in here by the Kyuubi.

Stepping around the corner, he encountered his first one, directly on his left hand side. Stopping in front of it, Naruto examined the rusted metal, frowning. He didn't really understand why his mindscape was rundown. He knew the reason of course, because this was what his mind always felt like, but since it was his mind, should he be able to change it? Make everything not so…dank?

He sighed in annoyance, grumbling softly to himself as he reached out for the door handle. Just as his fingers grazed it, a loud roar shattered his eardrums and he sank to his knees, hands clapped over his ears. He idly wondered through the teeth gritting pain, if this was how it felt to be inside a drum when someone was beating on it.

Waiting until it died down, he rose again, rubbing his ears with a seriously peeved expression on his face. Sauntering back around the corner, he waltzed right up to the cage, glaring up at the equally pissed beast.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto demanded, only to be silenced when a paw came lashing out, flicking him in the chest before he could move. He flew backwards, hitting the far wall with an 'oomph', and a burst of water. Naruto sat in the liquid for a moment, panting and stunned.

"Now you listen to me you whelp. I am going to train you, and I will help you protect those you want to. On one condition."He snickered as Naruto jumped to his feet, hope gleaming in his eyes, until the Kitsune got to his last statement. Then the hope died, and wariness took its place.

"What condition?" the blond asked cautiously, and the Kyuubi nodded his approval at the emotion.

"It's good of you to be wary of me, but in this instance, I assure you it is not needed. In order to train you, I need to have a physical body." He didn't, not really, but Naruto didn't need to know that. The blond was already nodding his head seriously, and the Kyuubi wanted to get out into the real world for awhile, even if it was only to train the whelp. But to do that, he needed to give Naruto a crash course in Sealing. It pissed him off to no end that he, a Bijuu that had studied the Sealing Arts for the past several centuries, couldn't find a way to break the Yondaime's seal without his Host's help. However, now that he would have Naruto's cooperation, he may not be able to break the seal, but Naruto could modify it a bit to allow the Kyuubi a semi-physical body.

A slow, predatory smile revealed his gleaming fangs, and Naruto froze, eyes wide. Oh the blond was going to hate him, and probably would for awhile, until he realized how nice of a gift it is.

He gathered his chakra, and shimmered in the cage, growing smaller. By condensing his chakra, and with his perfect chakra control, changing shape wasn't a big deal for him, or any of the Bijuu. He solidified back into a human shape, idly shaking the long, floor length mane of hair he always liked having. He cocked a sardonic eyebrow at the wide eyed Naruto on the other side of the bars, reaching up a clawed hand and beckoning him through the bars. After a brief moment of hesitation, Naruto walked through, his eyes only getting wider the closer he came to the human Kyuubi.

"How did you do that?" he asked quietly, awed at what he had just seen. To have that fine of chakra control, to be able to condense that much chakra into that small of a body…wow. He was utterly speechless in awe.

"I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, whelp," the Kitsune hissed, making the child flinch reflectively. "I am not the mindless, stupid beast that everyone believes that I am. Now, sit down." His voice was a clear command, and Naruto had been a shinobi for too long to ignore it. He sat immediately, his legs crossed, and slowly, he frowned in annoyance at his own actions. With an amused smirk, the Kitsune knelt in front of him, reaching his hands out. He paused when Naruto flinched, and drew back.

"I should probably tell you what I am going to do," he grumbled to himself, snarling silently at the nervous nod of the blond head. He relented, lowering his hands into his lap. "I am going to imprint on your brain my knowledge of seals. It will hurt. You will scream, and you will cry, and this will hurt for days afterwards. If I was not here to heal you, this would kill you." Naruto paled dramatically at that, his mouth working as the Kitsune watched him curiously. He wondered if the whelp would have the courage to ask anything, or keep silent.

"I will have all your knowledge of seals," he finally managed, and the Kyuubi nodded solemnly. Naruto swallowed hard, his eyes turning to sharp sapphire. He nodded his head a few times, taking a deep breath. Then he looked directly into the Kitsune's crimson eyes, and smirked.

"Do it."

With a gleeful, sadistic smirk, the Kitsune reached out and without warning, sunk his claws into Naruto's scalp and through his skull. As soon as they pierced the bone, blood pouring out from the shallow wounds, he ruthlessly began to transfer his knowledge on sealing directly into Naruto's brain. At the same time, as beautiful screams filled his cage, he savagely flooded the human body with his healing chakra, absently noticing that the boy's nose, ears, and eyes were bleeding. He let them bleed, concentrating on the brain itself as his knowledge viciously tore it apart, and put it back where he wanted it to be. He only healed the other parts of the body when Naruto was in danger of bleeding out, or chocking on his own blood since he was screaming so loud.

The Kyuubi sighed happily. What made this amazing was that the whelp had told him to do it. His eyes sharpened on the scrawny frame, and the smirk deepened in perverse pleasure. While I'm at it, I might as well…

-x-x-x-x-

Only a few moments after his weapon entered the boys heart, Orochimaru leapt back from the child when the terrifying, cloying chakra of the Kyuubi exploded from the dying boy. He watched with a smirk, eyes taking in the wound that was healed in a flash. They narrowed in surprise however, when Naruto's skin began to writhe.

Not only was blood pouring from his ears, eyes, and nose, it was also bubbling up from his throat as his body was torn apart, and pushed back together. The blonds screams echoed through the cavern, the teen drawing as quick a breath as he could, before screaming again in utter, all consuming pain. Only one word came from the Sannin's mouth as he watched the spectacle, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Beautiful…"