AN: Fellow friends of lame and unpopular society, I bid you greetings. CLIFFHANGERS. Yeah I know. Im evil. Not really. Kinda. Whatever. This chapter. Well. We meet the Kyuubi. Just a heads up, I wrote this story for my own entertainment. I wanted to try my hand at writing a Naruto Fanfic that consisted of characters I enjoyed, topics that could be explored had one thing occured differently, and trying to open peoples eyes to differing subject matters. This is a hobby. I have an actual job. That being said. Review. Or don't. I won't cry about it.
Disclaimer : Disclaimed.
Drip Drip Drip
That sound had an eerie quality to it Naruto thought. It was almost without cadence. Long enough pauses between the drops splashing giving a false sense of normality.
It felt like hours had gone by. He didn't know what time it was. Was there time here? Could there be time here? He was starting to develop a headache. In his own mind no less.
"This fucking blows." The boy thought. His ears still rang from the earlier event. He opened his eyes and glanced at his surrounding with caution. This area seemed so familiar. He couldn't place where he had seen this.
He knew that he was in his mind. As weird as that sounded. But yet, it didn't feel... right? He felt like an intruder. That he was not supposed to be here. He furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced down towards his hands.
Naruto could clearly see his body. Which meant he had a physical form in his mind. Was this what Shinobi called a mindscape? If so, then his was shit.
It was damp and dimly lit. Almost with a depressing vibe to it. Maybe depressing was too harsh of a word. Wistful maybe? That felt more correct. But why?
Sure, he had been depressed and angry when younger but he had learned to let go of those emotions. Depression had gave way to hope and happiness. That anger had quelled into indifference. He hadn't suppressed them. He acknowledged the fact that he had them.
So why was it so dingy here? He shook his head at the thought. Perhaps he could change it? The Yamanka clan had stated that an individuals mindscape represented the hosts feelings. But he was absolutely sure he accepted his emotions long ago.
Unless.. Perhaps the reason he felt so unwelcomed here was because he was intruding on the Kyuubi's domain? If that was the case then Naruto actually felt saddened by that fact.
The Kyuubi. A titan of power. Personified hate given a true form. This? This was the exact opposite of what he had figured. Where was the anger? The malice? The rage? Were humans so terrified of the beast that the tales of the beast had long since driven their sanity?
Naruto frowned at this. He slowly got up to only then realize he had been in water. It was murky. It barely reached his ankles and he couldn't exactly feel it. He bent down to see if he could run his hands through it only to discover that it gave no resistance. "Hmm."
The boy turned his attention to the front of where he was facing. It was only a singular hallway. The only light sources being candles that flickered every now and then. Now that he got a good luck at the place it almost seemed to resemble a sewer. That thought made Naruto nauseous.
With the little insight that he was receiving, he was beginning to feel like the Kyuubi was misunderstood. But he also knew that he couldn't be too sure. He would save his judgement for when he met the Fox.
Naruto began his trek to what he assumed to be where the Bijuu resided. Taking his time to glance at the walls. There wasn't much to really see. It was as if the walls were just duplicated. Again, a morose thought.
After what seemed like hours, Naruto stumbled into a ginormous room. The amount of space was almost incomprehensible. Towards what he assumed to be the center room was a gate that he assumed was crafted by the divine.
It was taller than the Hokage monument. Inscribed with Kanji that he knew aided in Sealing. The titanic gates were saturated in what looked like a rusty shade of crimson. If he squinted hard enough, he could make out a key holder of some degree.
It was strange in design though. Similar to his clans insignia. Figures that an Uzumaki seal was used. "Not like there are any other options." The teen thought in slight amusement.
The space behind the gates was filled with a void of darkness that he could only describe as empty. It was blacker than black. And he wasn't even sure that was physically possible. He couldn't see anything past those gates. Though that could be the seals design.
He proceeded to walk closer without fear. If he were being honest, he had been wanting to meet the Fox for 6 years now. He harbored no ill will to the beast. They were both individuals handed with a shitty deck. It was up to them how they chose to deal it.
He came within a few feet of the gate and patiently stood. He would wait for the Bijuu to initiate. He was aware of the Fox and the Fox was aware of him. He could sense the beast. What he was sensing was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. The sheer weight of the Bijuus Chakra was crushing him.
He was absolutely positive that the Kyuubi wasn't directing it at him either. His shoulders visibly sagged and strained under the sheer weight of it. But he refused to show weakness. He would never cower to anyone.
The teen was no longer that scared little boy. He had a family. He was strong. While he was aware that he wasn't the strongest or even a challenge to most veteran Shinobi in Konoha, he was far from weak. He had bled, he had struggled, he had suffered. He would absolutely refuse to present weakness when in the face of adversity.
"You impress me, boy." A guttural voice reverberated off the walls. Within the cage, an enormous eye opened up. Naruto was finally witnessing his first glimpse of the Bijuu. The scarlet eye was slitted. Akin to that of a feral cat. But this was no common street feline. This was an amalgamation of the world's hate coalesced into the form of an animal. An animal regarded with incredibly high intelligence and cunning.
Or so the legends stated. Even whilst being the center of attention to the Bijuu, he still did not feel that anger the beast was so commonly attributed to. No rage, no malice, nothing. The weight of it's Chakra remained but that was a given. It put even his reserves to shame. And he had the most Chakra out of everyone in the village.
"Will you not introduce yourself? I gave you a compliment and yet you remain speechless. Speak, boy." The Kyuubi spoke as if it was speaking to a mere child. Well, it technically was. Though the tone wasn't mocking. Interesting indeed. Naruto decided to respond.
"Sorry about that. You're just really big. The legends described you being titanic but it's entirely different when you can actually see it." The boy gave a rather realxed smile despite being face to face with one of the strongest entities the world had ever seen.
"My names Naruto Uzumaki. Future Shinobi of Konoha. Ramen lover extraordinare and future head of the Uzumaki clan. Who might you be?" The whiskered teen questioned back. He crossed his arms behind his head whilst continuing to smile at the Fox.
The Fox regarded his host with slight interest. "So this is Asura's most recent reincarnation? Interesting." The Bijuu was well aware of Narutos thoughts and feelings regarding itself. The Fox was indifferent to the boy. Despite what humans seemed to think, the Bijuu disliked humans. Hate and dislike were very different. Not like it truly mattered. They were foolish creatures.
"You are unique among your kind." The Fox stated plainly. The pitch black void dissipated. Giving color to the entire cage. It was actually better lit than he would have thought. The Bijuus fur was a shade of dark orange. Possessing human like arms and hands while having giant floppy ears. Similar to that of a bunny.
The young boy wouldn't voice that one. He highly doubted the Fox would appreciate the statement. Naruto got the impression that the Bijuu was someone like Anko. An individual who demanded respect. And he would absolutely show the Fox the respect it deserved.
"Thank you," the boy inclined his head slightly. "Though, you don't seem like the legends state." He finished lightly. Not wishing to incur the beasts wrath. The Fox might not be showing that wrath but it could at anytime. He wanted the Bijuu to know he was being genuine.
The Kyuubi did not respond. Preferring to study the young man whose life it had watched since a young babe. The boy had ridden himself of his own darkness without even knowing it. Truly coming to accept who he was and what he was. It was something that was worthy of respect to the Fox.
The Kyuubi leaned it's massive head on it's hand-like paws and regarded the boy further. Naruto felt the Fox resembled a docile dog with how it was resting.
"I am far from docile, boy." Naruto blinked at the Kyuubis statement. Well, he now knew the Fox could read his mind and most likely was doing so the entire time. He sighed slightly at that.
"Well, it's not like I can hide my thoughts from you now." The statement was said with false exasperation. He decided to sit down since he didn't know how long this conversation would be. Not that he minded the Bijuus company. The Fox was pretty chill. He thought so atleast.
He crossed his legs while placing his hands on his knees with a small smile. The Fox eyed the teen for a few moments before releasing an intake of breath and shut its eyes. The boy was tolerable. It helped that he was far different from his race.
Several minutes passed with Naruto eventually relaxing in his position and closing his eyes. Growing used to the weight of the Bijuus Chakra. He assumed this was how everyone else felt when they were subjected to his own Chakra. Irony at it's finest.
"The anger I felt.. I couldn't think straight." The boy spoke while keeping his eyes closed. Deciding to just speak his mind. "I wanted.. I wanted to hurt everyone in that room. To crush them. To make them feel the pain that I had felt for so long. My entire life, I hated everyone." The boy started off hesitant but gained confidence the more he spoke.
The Fox didn't react but it was listening. Choosing to remain silent. The boy may have stopped suppressing his emotions, but venting was always something that could calm a person.
"So much of my life I was subjected to abuse from this village. The loneliness was suffocating. I didn't think it was possible to be able to drown because of words. But thats how it felt." The boy sighed sadly as he gripped his knees tightly. He hadn't truly confided in anyone yet. He loved Anko like his mother, but he was scared. Scared of truly opening his heart to the woman.
The same went for Tayuya. And their relationship was... The boy shook his head at that one. She'd never reject him and he knew it. But he was terrified of returning to that darkness. He had wanted to commit suicide at the tender age of 6. A young child. Choosing to end their existence rather than suffer.
"I wanted to take my own life when I was a child. A fucking child!" His voice became hoarse. Cracking with raw emotion. The Fox was frowned as the boy opened his heart. "How could anyone think a young boy was a demon?! I SUFFERED here!"
Red Chakra gathered in the air and moved like a tsunami as it writhed in the air. Similar to that of a cobra. Wanting to lash out at anything threatening it. The Kyuubis eyed opened slightly.
"This fucking village. I hate it. But... I also love it." The anger had simmered to a more of a bitter one. "I'll always love my home. But I'll never forgive the people who treated me this way.. Is it wrong that I think this way?" The red chakra had calmed down significantly but remained in the chamber. Now more akin to a rattlesnake.
The boy had tears running down his face. How long had it been since he had cried because of his childhood? How much suffering had the boy truly endured? The Fox's eyes narrowed in sadness. Humans sickened the strongest Bijuu. It didn't understand how humans could treat their own kind with such hatred.
Humans are disgusting creatures. There was nothing in this world that could change the beasts opinion. Despite what Hagoromo believed about humans, the Fox knew the Old Man's perception of humans was completely unjustified.
The Kyuubi didn't believe in Hagoromos belief that humans could truly change. No, they would remain the same. Naruto was a rare case. Being Asuras reincarnation only further solidified that fact. How the boy could go through such awful conditions and remain a good person was worthy of respect to the Fox.
The toung teen had gone quiet. Having gotten what he needed off his chest. The occasional sniffle rang out but he was no longer crying. The whiskered teen whiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Kurama." Narutos eyes blinked at the statement while he looked at the Fox in confusion. "Kurama?" The Bijuu glanced at Naruto and nodded it's head slightly.
"Kurama. My name. It's Kurama. Your mother, Mito Uzumaki, and one other were the only other individuals worthy of learning my name. You are the 4th." Naruto blinked at the Bijuus statement. He was silent for several moments.
A large grin formed on the boys face before he jumped up with an excited grin. "Really?! Oh man. That- that's so cool. Wait. You said my mother?" The boy sobered up at the question.
Kurama didn't respond to the question at first. "A story for another time. You have learned my name. That is all you get for now." The Fox almost sounded annoyed if it wasn't for the eye-roll that accompanied the statement. It looked absurd but Naruto was still estatic. The Fox trusted him enough with his name. He would prove he was worthy of it.
"Thank you Kurama! I promise I'll prove to you that it was the right choice!" The boy ended the statement with a rather stupid looking thumbs up. "Uhh... Hey Kurama? How do I leave here? Not that I dont mind the company of you or anything but I."
Kurama knew exactly what the boy was getting at. The Fox didn't understand why the boy and the redhead didn't just go ahead and mate. Humans were confusing AND stupid.
"Your mate is awaiting you. Rather impatiently if what I'm sensing is correct. Colorful woman she is. Reminds me of your mother." The Fox would dangle information for the boy. If he was as intelligent as Kurama thought he was, he'd figure out who his mother was.
"Will yourself to leave and you will. Now go, I wish to rest." Kurama demanded rather annoyingly. Naruto gave a smile at the statement and the demand. His form started to dissipate and he gained a soft smile. "Thank you Kurama. I uh- Thanks." His hand scratched the back of his head as he waved with his left.
Kurama just huffed as the boy finally disappeared. The Bijuu was silent for several minutes.
"You're welcome, Naruto."