Heaven Can Wait - Ch4 - Shadows

Oblig - Naruto currently is very dedicated to Kishimoto, I think he's being bribed with bowls of ramen though.

5/16/15 -


Hiruzen frowned at the report on his desk holding a hand to his forehead willing the building headache to go away.

The report didn't contain any new information, instead it was nearly a carbon copy of reports he'd read many times over the last three weeks. Each time he read one of them the results were the same, he could only wonder what was going on inside the head of the ten year old Naruto. The reports themselves were pretty banal like most mind interrogation reports.

What concerned the Hokage was how the demon locked up inside the boy seemed to block attempts by Inoichi Yamanaka to read Naruto's mind. He was acting as a gate-keeper, and a very effective one at that! Even after repeated attempts to deal with the Kyuubi's presence with other mind jutsu nothing seemed to work. The Kyuubi initially would bare his teeth, laugh, and then using his chakra forcibly push the Yamanaka from Naruto's mind. Whether Naruto was awake or asleep (the attempt that was tried in the current report) it didn't matter, the Fox simply pushed Inoichi out of the boy's mind with ease.

For Naruto those three weeks had been his own type of headache. Nothing he did would convince the Kyuubi to allow Inoichi Yamanaka to peer into the boy's mind. And worse, the Fox itself had refused to converse with the boy for an entire week after the boy's song reciting all the different Bijuu's names and their jinchuriki.

During the second week after the meeting with the Hokage the Fox would merely snarl any time the boy attempted a "mind" talk with him. In the third week Hiruzen had instructed Inoichi to train Naruto how to look inside himself with mind projection. Though Naruto was able to project himself into his own mind, the Fox would reject anyone else's attempt to enter. After getting over his initial shock at the appearance of the Fox in his mind Naruto had perhaps a little less fear of the great demon inside him. Despite repeated attempts to work to allow Inoichi access all the results were the same. And he hated disappointing the Hokage.

"Damn Fox! Why won't you let them in?! IT IS MY MIND YOU KNOW!" Naruto yelled at the Fox behind the huge barred doors down one particular channel of his mindscape.

"Shut up brat! You have no idea do you what it's like having to endure the control of someone else, forcing you to do things you don't want to do! Using you like some puppet!" The Fox said gruffly. "Never again will I let someone else control my actions or those of my prison!"

"What do you mean control you? All they want to do is look inside my mind and see why I know some of what I know!" Naruto tried to reason with the Fox.

"Ha! You think they'll stop there?

I've lived inside of three prison's now! The others used my powers without asking. Or I get controlled by a damned Uchiha if I'm not inside a prison!

I'm sure you'll do the same, control me and my power! And if you think your precious monkey-man Jiji is any different you're wrong. It's the same thing, they'll get inside here and figure out a way to control me through you!"

Naruto listened to the Fox and even as a 10 year old he could understand the hurt that was being expressed because he knew what hurting was every day of his young life.

"Listen Kurama, I know you're hurting, and I don't quite understand what you're talking about being controlled, but I can see you won't let them have access here so I guess there's nothing I can do about that. But I can tell you that I will never intentionally hurt you or use you without your acceptance. I know what it's like to be herded and looked down upon and even used for someone else's anger... really I do. And you know it's true if you've been inside me for 10 years. You know what my life's been like, so don't think I don't understand! GOT IT!? " Naruto left the mindscape in a huff not seeing the look of surprise on the Fox's huge face.


Naruto met with the Hokage after his last attempt to talk with Kurama and tried to explain why the Fox prevented any incursion into the boy's mind. "I think he's afraid Jiji. He's been used so much in his life that he trusts no one. He's not just some demon beast, he's got feelings."

The Hokage's expression never changed, but inwardly he began to wonder about the Fox. Was it more than just a mindless beast that had been controlled by Madara Uchiha and housed by Mito and Kushina Uzumaki? Even as Hokage he'd ordered Kushina on missions that required the use of the Kyuubi's power. Weren't the tailed beasts just that, beasts? But the way Naruto described the Fox it was like speaking about another individual with deep feelings, not just instincts. Perhaps he was in some ways no better than those who thought a Jinchuriki was merely a tool.

"Naruto, I do not know if the Fox is a beast or not, but I can see you are at least making some connection with it. I just want to be sure it is not causing you problems and influencing you in bad ways. Do you understand?"

"Yes Jiji, I do understand, and up until a couple weeks ago I never heard him before so I don't think he's been influencing me." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Well that's not quite true Naruto, he's always been in your shadow you know. His chakra has always been mixing with yours, and he's why you heal so fast when you get injured." Hiruzen explained.

"Really? Wait a minute! You mean he's why I recovered from the attacks from those who hated me and beat and hurt me?" Naruto never realized why even after he'd get hurt it only took hours to a day to be completely healed. He thought maybe he was a bit special, but never understood why, so now it was making sense. "Jiji, I owe the Fox my life you know that right? If it wasn't for him, I'd probably have died and probably would have become really depressed if it took me long to heal like a normal kid right?"

"Yes Naruto, I suppose you are right." Hiruzen understood where Naruto was going, but wasn't about to stop the boy.

"Well then, I think it's my turn to protect him from being used and abused! I may be his prison, but it doesn't mean I have to treat him like a prisoner! So if it's all the same I think we should stop trying to make him do something he doesn't want to do!" Naruto folded his arms in determination, an act noted by the Hokage. He inwardly sighed knowing once the boy had made up his mind there was nothing to stop him, but the old Hokage didn't hold it against the boy, and in fact he admired him. It reminded him of his father, determined and resolute.

"Very well then Naruto, we will no longer try to investigate your mind, but I want you to promise me something in return if you can." Hiruzen's keen eyes looked into the cerulean eyes of Naruto, who merely nodded. "If that fox tries to make you do something bad, something against your friends, or against the village you will stop him, Okay?"

"You got it Jiji!" Naruto nodded again and held out his hand with a thumbs-up a smile spreading on his face.

'Perhaps the Fox will acknowledge you one of these days and help you become acknowledged by the village.'

"Very well then, you're excused Naruto." Hiruzen came around his desk and gave the boy a grandfatherly hug and watched as the blond left his office.

'I hope it happens while I'm still around Naruto, you're going to be something this village needs one of these days.'


Sajin watched with interest as an outside chakra connection strengthened to the boy, it was minute and tenuous, but it was growing.

Meanwhile he noted a few key chakra connections with the afterlife were becoming intertwined. Some involved Naruto directly while others involved three rather powerful individuals who lived well before the time of the boy.

'Interesting and disturbing' thought Sajin.


A/N - I hope you liked this latest chapter, R&R if you can since it can inspire me to continue!