so this is a short one, but tomorrow will be the next chapter which will finish the ark, and that's a big one!

"Cold, so cold…

Is this what death is like?

You get cold and have a wet back and…

Why is my back wet?"

Opening his eye's Naruto was not where he expected to be, in some kind of… huge sewer?

"what?"

Siting up and looking down he saw that he was fine, no stab wound or anything. It was only that he was in water half way up his thigh.

Standing up and shaking some of the water off of himself, he looked up and confirmed that yes, he was in some kind of sewer. The only weird thing was that the ceiling looked like it was the height of Hokage Rock, the mountain all of the Hokage's faces where on.

"Oh, and the fact I'm in a sewer! How did I get down here and where is…"

Turning around his line of thinking was cut off when he noticed the strangest thing by far in this place, a gate.

Now this was not some gate to keep the foxes out of the chicken pen, this thing was HUGE! It was floor to ceiling, with vertical bars so big three of me couldn't wrap our arms around it, with gaps between them so big I could walk through with my arms spread out!

But maybe even the strangest thing of all was that it looked like the two sides of the gate were being held shut by a small piece of paper half way up that had the symbol for "seal" on it.

"A seal for a lock?"

"Quick, aren't you?"

Deep and powerful, the voice itself sent a shiver running down his spine. The voice seamed to shake the very floor Naruto was walking on, forcing him to stumble back.

"You know, it's insulting how weak you are, to lose to a teacher that hasn't trained to fight in years. You couldn't even protect one fox, never mind yourself."

Still scared but now angrier than anything else, looking around he shouted out,

"Where are you? And stop hiding from me!"

"A brave one, aren't you? Let's see how long that lasts."

Turning back towards the cage, for a second he froze, in absolute terror before his legs gave out under him. Because looking back at him behind the bars where massive red eyes with pupils like Moshiro's that where larger then he was, with a huge grinning mouth full of sharp bone white teeth below them.

Frozen where he was he could only watch as the creature stepped forward. Slowly its shape became clearer until it hit him what he was looking at, a fox.

But this fox was massive! With a head bigger then his entire apartment! It was also completely orange, except for block around his eyes that ran into his ears and behind him where only one tail should be, where 9 waving tails.

"You're…you're…you're"

"That's right! I am the mighty nine tailed demon fox! The one you call The Kyuubi!"

"Bu-bu-but you're dead! The Fourth Hokage killed you!"

"Ha! Kill me? One can no more easily destroy the moon then kill me! No, the 4th did something far worse than that!"

Getting as close to eye level as possible, filling Naruto's vision with the Kyuubi's massive red, he whispered, "he sealed me."

"HE WHAT! That's impossible! The only way would be to…"

Naruto's eyes opened in shock, and he noticed that the Kyuubi wasn't looking him in the eyes anymore, but at his stomach.

With trembling arms he lifted his shirt, terrified of what he would see, and there siting around his bellybutton was the most complex seal he had ever seen.

With tears slowly running down his face he sobbed out, "He sealed you in me."

"Figured it out on your own?" The Kyuubi mumbled out, completely indifferent to the turmoil that was tearing him apart "Good, would hate to waste my time explaining it to you."

For a second time stopped for Naruto, the cavalier attitude shattering any thoughts and feelings he was having, until they returned, replaced with fury. He turned towards the Kyuubi with raw fury, tears still streaming down his face and yelled, "WHAT!"

Turning to completely face the fox, he took a few angry steps forward, never once breaking eye contact with him before yelling out.

"Well it's not like I asked for a giant fox to be locked up in my stomach! And why did you bring me hear? To make me scared of you? Well to bad! You're in there-".

Moving so fast Naruto could barely even twitch; giant claws impaled the ground in front of Naruto, making him stumble back. Retracting his claws the Kyuubi looked at Naruto again, fury in his eyes now.

"Do not speak on things you do not understand boy! I am not the one that called you here! And don't you dare speak so mildly of my imprisonment! I am not the one that brought you here!"

"Then who did!"

"You did you fool!"

His eyes widening in shock Naruto whispered out,

"What?"

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked at Naruto again, this time with no humor or anger in his eyes.

"sorry to say kid, but you're dying."

"DYING!"

"Being stabbed in the heart with a Kunai would do that to you."

The Kyuubi's giant eyes shifted down to look at Naruto's feet. Following his eyes Naruto look down and called out in shock, slowly spreading from around him was a circle of blood red water, and it was growing.

Now sobbing into his shirt, Naruto managed to talk between sobs.

"Is this why you bright me hear?" sobbing deeply, he managed to whisper out, "to tease me before I die?"

"look, kid…"

The Kyuubi mumbled out almost sounding… sorry?

After a few seconds Naruto looked up and saw The Kyuubi siting behind the bars rubbing the back of this head with his paw.

"Look, kid…I'm not good at this. As crazy as this might sound to you, I can help you, but you have to trust me."

"Why should I trust you?" Naruto said before he wiped the last of his tears from his face and continued, "You've been nothing but mean to me, and why would you want to help me to begin with?"

Pausing the Kyuubi again lowered his head to talk to Naruto.

"A fair question, one is because if you die it would be… frustrating for me. But the other reason is that you're one of the few interesting humans, but probably the most important reason to you is that he trusts me."

Seeing that the Kyuubi was now looking behind Naruto, he turned slowly, his eyes widening in shock.

Standing 20 feet back was a massive white fox. It looked like it was at least as tall as Naruto, with too massive tails flowing behind him, but the main thing that cot Naruto's attention was his eyes. They were such a familiar blue, they looked exactly like…

"Moshiro?"

Slowly the white fox walked up to Naruto, until he stood just within arm's reach of Naruto, and waited for him to make the next move.

Slowly Naruto reached out, never breaking eye contact with the white fox until he touched the side of his muzzle and Naruto knew, despite how different he looked, it was his best friend.

After a second Moshiro turned towards The Kyuubi giving him a small bow, which the Kyuubi returned with a polite node.

"I-I don't understand! How is he here?"

Naruto said as he turned back to the kyuubi, with Moshiro now standing at his side.

"That is a story for another time, for we are running out of it, will you except my help?"

Seeing that the red circle was still growing, he looked at Moshiro who looked him in the eye and gave him one quick nod.

"OK, what do you need me to do?"

With what could almost be called a smile, The Kyubbi took several steps straight back and explained,

"You have to enter my cage, only then can I heal your injuries, and protect you from your attacker. But I must warn you, this will not be fun for you."

With one more encouraging nod from Moshiro, Naruto started to move towards the cage, stopping inches from stepping over.

"Will you promise to explain how Moshiro is here later?"

After thinking through what he said, his eyes widened and he hurriedly added,

"Unless I need to be dying to do it, I don't need to do know it that badly!"

With a chuckle and a smile The Kyubbi said,

"No, now that you know I am here you just have to be open to the idea of talking to me."

Taking the last few steps into the cage, he whispered

"That easy?"

After chuckling The Kyuubi said

"Yes, that easy. But I have one last thing I would like to ask of you. The name of Kyuubi was forced upon me, the name I was given when I was born, is Kurama"

"Kurama?"

With a nod, a red circle formed in the water around Kurama, so dark it was almost black. A small line of it formed and started to inch towards Naruto as it did Naruto looked him in the eye.

The Kyuubi, the most feared and hated creature in all of Konoha, a monster that could destroy mountains with a swipe of its tail and without a second thought, Naruto looked him in the eye and said words that Kurama never thought he would hear.

"Thank you Kurama…for saving me."

With a sad smile seconds before his chakra reached him Kurama said,

"Don't thank me yet, no matter what this will be the most painful thing you have ever felt."

"Wait, what?"

Was all Naruto was able to get out before the chakra touched his feet, and his world turned in to pain.

Daikoku Funeno was happy. No, that's not quite right, he was ecstatic!

"I did it. I DID IT!"

Was all he could think as the prone form of the container of the Kyuubi lay dying in front of him.

"It's kind of a shame, if he hadn't noticed the seal he would have been able to live his life, no matter how limited it would have been. But its better this then the risk he would become to Konoha"

As he watched the fox walked over to the dying boy and put his head in the containers hand.

"Better put him out of his misery then make my way out of town. It's a shame the Hokage is too close to the kid, he couldn't see the risk."

With a sad shake of his head he pulled out another kunai and started walking towards his prone form.

"I should be seen as a hero! Maybe if the next Hokage is more reznable I can come back, might even get a medal for-"

Then he felt it, the feeling he had all those years ago, when he was hiding in his parents' house all those years ago. He was still at the academy back then and it was the last day he would see his parents as they left on patrol. The night the 4th Hokage died. The night the Kyuubi attacked.

The feeling froze him in place, as the fox ran into a bush, 9 red bands of chakra, so thick he could see them curled around the kunai imbedded in the containers chest, slowly pulling it out.

He could see the wound healing before his eyes as his body was lifted of the ground by pure demon chakra, and it was setting him back on his feet.

"No! You will die!"

He yelled out as he charged.

"I can still do it, stab him again, maybe cut his heart out, it was the only way to make-."

The container's arm shot out, faster than his eyes could follow, catching his hand as he was bashed away by the container's other arm. He was hit with such force that he was thrown across the clearing into a tree, cracking the tree with his impact. His back hit it hard; he could feel a few of his ribs break as he slid to the ground.

"I have to stab him! Where is my kunai…"

He saw a glint of metal near the demon, cloaked in a thin fog of red chakra.

"When did he grab it? I never felt it leave my hand-."

After trying to raise his arm he realized he couldn't for one simple reason, it wasn't there anymore. With nothing but a bloody stump as a reminder that it was ever there, he found it a second later, in the clawed hand of the demon. He was cloaked in glowing red chakra, with savage claws and larger whisker marks and his eyes…bright red with slit pupils that glowed in the dark.

As it turned towards him with its glowing red eyes it charged, throwing his arm behind him and the last thought before the clawed hand found its mark.

"I've failed."

An Anbu with a dog mask moved as fast as his body could carry him towards the most powerful and toxic chakra he had ever felt. He had only felt this feeling once before, and he knew what it meant, the last time he was behind a barrier to keep him and the other young ninja of Konoha safe as his teacher and the other ninja of Konoha fight the 9 tails, but this time he would help. He had a feeling that the seal was still intact, so there was still time.

He was just starting to make out the clearing he was rushing towards with his one red eye with three comas circling his pupil, the Sharingan. With this heightened perception he was able to make out both of his targets, and Daikoku Funeno was charging Naruto, who was partly cloaked in a red fog of chakra with a kunai.

"Still too far, will take at least three more seconds to be able to get a clean shot! Not again I won't lose someone agai-."

If it wasn't for his Sharingan he probably wouldn't have been able to see it.

With a flash of movement Naruto's arm shot out, catching Daikoku's hand with one hand and with the other hitting his shoulder with such force it blew his arm off as it threw him into a nearby tree.

"Ok, so Daikoku is no longer a threat, primary goal is now to contain Naruto. Should still capture Daikoku, see what we can learn, there might be a third member of there…"

His train of thought was cut off when Naruto charged forward, delivering a blow to Daikoku's head that turned it into paste, along with the tree behind him.

"So scratch that, contain and calm down or capture Naruto." Were his last thoughts as he landed in the clearing.

Naruto instantly turned to face him, red eyes glowing with fury as he looked at his one red eye and dropped to all fours, ready to fight.

"Back up is less than 30 seconds away, should focus on containment and surviving until they get here."

As he considered a strategy a light breeze pushed past him, and he could see Naruto smelling the air. He then made eye contact and relaxed, his stance shifted into an upright position as the cloak dissolved. The last thing to change was his eyes, turning back into the blue he knew so well, before rolling into the back of his head.

As he rushed towards him, Naruto was already starting to drop to the ground, he barely got to him in time to stop him from hitting the ground when he started convulsing.

He heard two other people enter the clearing turning just enough to see them. He saw two Anbu he recognized, and one he knew as a medical nin. As she rushed over he stated,

"After the chakra cloak dissolved he collapsed and started convulsing."

As she started a diagnostic Ninjutsu the other Anbu started walking up making eye contact, he stated,

"You managed to knock him out? Impressive."

"No, the cloak dissolved on its own, no idea why but-"

His conversation was cut off when the medical Nins back stated and he heard her whisper,

"Not good, we need to get him to the Hospital. NOW."

As he picked Naruto up, and started running towards the hospital with the medical nin beside him, her hands glowing with a medical Ninjutsu on Naruto, he asked, "What's wrong?"

In a voice with barely contained panic she almost yelled out,

"What's not wrong? Almost every muscle in his extremities is on the verge of being torn from the bone, and he has an irregular heartbeat, looks like it's been damaged recently and is still recovering. But the worst is his chakra pathways; I have never seen chakra poisoning this bad, it looks like acid was forced through them! I have no idea how he's still alive and if we don't get him stabilized soon the seizures are the least of his problems!"

"Hang in there Naruto."

Was all he could think as he moved towards the hospital as fast as his legs could carry him. All the while a white fox was following at a safe distance.

hope everyone enjoyed the first meting of these two, and i hope it and the next chapter flows well (the reason it took so long for it to come out)

Hard to believe i have 160 Followers! thank you so much and if you notice any mistakes (i hope i caught them all this time)

any thoughts throw me a review!