'Uchiha! Again!'
Sasuke performed the hand seals once more, gathering chakra and-
'No! Those are the wrong hand seals! What's wrong with you, Sasuke? Sakura got it before you did.' Kakashi appeared annoyed, as if Sasuke were messing up on purpose. Sakura stood to the jōnin's left, looking worried. Naruto had wandered into the forest, muttering about bugs.
Sasuke turned his head to the side, refusing to meet his teacher's gaze.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing his forehead. 'Okay. I get it. You guys are dismissed. If you see Naruto, tell him I need to speak with him.'
It was only the second day since the three children had passed Kakashi's test, and already patience was thin and tensions were running high. Sakura was still completely devoted to Sasuke, who was devoted to Naruto, who didn't care about any of them.
Kakashi was stuck with three idiots that didn't know the first thing each other.
Disappearing into a flurry of leaves, Kakashi's second sigh was lost to the wind.
As he walked home from what constituted as 'being talked down to and watching Naruto best you at everything', Sasuke fumed.
He was an Uchiha.
His clan's name could not be soiled by his idiotic failure. To think, someone as unintelligent as Naruto would school him. How disgusting. How disgusted he was with himself.
Though he called Naruto an idiot, he knew how smart the boy was.
He hid it behind jokes and pranks and 'I was joking!'s and a slew of other covers. He hid who he was from Sasuke, despite baring his soul to him that day.
Sasuke had never realized how much people talked about the blonde.
Before, it had always been about him.
He's an Uchiha...
Destined to be great...
Smart...
And then He came and destroyed everything, but Sasuke's name was still on their tongues.
That poor boy...
The only survivor...
What a shame...
So he would sit and act as if he couldn't hear their words, though they all reached him in some way or form. The whispers around him stayed strong, though he thought they would eventually stray.
And then he began listening in once more.
He's so smart...
Genius...
Uchiha-level...
To think, someone would deserve the name of his clan! What spite, to give someone the honor, to be compared to him! Sasuke continued to listen in, to know just who this person could be.
Naruto...
Naruto...
Naruto...
The blonde? The dead last, the boy that no one paid any mind to if he wasn't doing something destructive? Him?
Sasuke began to watch him, to see just what would make any sane person hold him in such high regard.
He watched his scores. (Average.) He watched his popularity. (Average.) He watched his attentiveness. (Average.)
Just what made him so good?
And then Sasuke was sitting on the dock, watching the leaves gently land on the water, causing ripples that could stretch for infinity. He was remembering past times, when he was naive and innocent and nothing had happened.
His head had snapped up when he felt eyes on him, and it was him. The one that was supposedly of the same caliber as he was. He was watching Sasuke, those blue eyes like chunks of ice. Sasuke wanted to call out to him, to say that he was nothing because Sasuke was currently nothing.
He sat next to Sasuke, not saying a word, despite Sasuke's continuous pestering because he wanted to know why. He found his answer when the blonde smiled sadly, as if sharing his pain. He never had to say a word, and yet Sasuke could feel it.
He could feel what made Naruto so smart.
Soon enough, days passed and the glamor of this camaraderie fell away, exposing the bare-naked truth.
Naruto was so much stronger than he.
Despite how hard he trained, Naruto was right in front of him, spacing off and staring at the breeze. No matter what he did, Naruto had done it and done it five times better. It was no longer his name on the villager's tongues, it was Naruto: the boy that could not be stopped.
Sasuke kicked the rock a bit too hard and sent it sailing off into the ditch. Intent on continuing to unload his anger on the inanimate object, he slouched over to it, pulling his foot back and-
'Naruto!'
He paused, automatic fury welling inside of his chest as the flames of envy licked at his heart.
'I swear, he beat down that chūnin! There were thousands of him, all the same and all lookin' like they were going to kill something. I tell you! That boy's got smarts to rival all the clans, and power to boot!'
Sasuke finally shunted his rock out of the ditch, his sour mood continuing to darken as he made the arduous path home.
Returning from his training session with his team and his meandering walk, Naruto gasped aloud as he was shoved face-first into the inside of the door to his apartment.
'Just how stupid are you, kit?'
The blonde's mouth hung open at the words before he became nothing but smoke.
'Honestly,' Naruto muttered, arching an eyebrow at his sensei from across the room. 'Must you be so harsh to me?' The room chilled as Red turned to him and Naruto had to hold back a shiver. A bolt of fear shot through his stomach as Red's chakra flared.
'Why would you agree to that "test"?'
Naruto laughed, squinting his eyes and scratching the back of his head. 'S-sensei, it's no big deal-'
'"No big deal"?' Naruto went stock-still, his eyes downcast. 'I'm so disappointed.'
Naruto retched, clutching his belly as the words he had hoped to avoid were spoken.
Naruto eventually recovered his composure, answering with his head down. 'I apologize, Red-sama. Such a mistake in judgment will not happen again.' Red 'hurumph'ed, turned on his heel, and walked into the kitchen, wrenching open the fridge and pulling out the milk carton. Pouring himself a glass, he faced Naruto once more.
'So... Beat down a chūnin, eh?'
The young shinobi broke out into a grin.
'Ya could have told me. I would have brought a cake and stuff.'
When Naruto awoke the next morning, Red was sitting in the rickety chair in the corner of his room and watching him.
'Red-san,' Naruto said jokingly. 'That's creepy: even for you.' Red closed his book and walked over to Naruto bedside, his posture rigid.
'There's something we must discuss.'
Naruto's blue eyes hardened and he sat up. 'Does it concern the Kyūbi?'
'Yes.'
'If I've got this correct... You want me someone to go into my head so I can meet the Kyūbi?' Red nodded seriously and Naruto tilted his head to the side. 'Huh.'
'A trusted shinobi will be there to ensure that you don't die or go mentally insane,' Red said. Naruto waved his hand as if he hadn't even considered the possibility.
'So, who is this Inoichi person?'
'This Inoichi person' was a scary man.
He was thin and stood over a staggering six feet tall. Pure muscle rippled with every step he took, though obscured by his attire. He wore the standard flak jacket of a ninja above Genin level over a black outfit, complete with hand-guards and a sleeveless red coat.
Though his outer appearance was nothing spectacular, his blue-green eyes held such an intelligence that Naruto was astounded.
From what Red told him, Inoichi could delve into the minds of others. To go in so deep into the psyche of another person and still retain your mental composure...
Naruto was in awe.
'ANBU?' Inoichi questioned, regarding Red with narrow eyes. 'What do you want?'
'I have an order from the Hokage,' he answered, handing over a sealed scroll.
Inoichi opened it warily, reading the contents twice before staring good and hard at the blonde boy. After reading it once more, he reverted his gaze back to Red. 'This is insane.'
'This is necessary.' Inoichi's eyes switched to Naruto, who had decided to take the initiative. 'If I get set loose on the ninja world without a sliver of control over what is inside of me, there will be consequences. I cannot let that happen.'
Taking in Naruto's stance and fearsome expression, Inoichi laughed. 'I like this one; he reminds me of Minato. Do you even know what you are, child?'
Startled that he would be compared to the Yondaime, Naruto answered the question. 'The jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko.'
'Good job,' Inoichi muttered, ruffling his hair. 'Well, if you have no objections, let's get searching!'
Everything was white and nothing. It stretched on for infinity and Inoichi might have gotten lost in it if not for his training in such things. The jittering blonde to his right stilled.
'Problem?'
'It's coming,' was all Naruto said.
A minuscule crack in the white appeared, slowly getting larger and larger. Jagged edges of white flew away from the hole, soaring past them and into the infinity. After what could have been no time at all and all the time ever, the tear became large enough for the two to fit through.
Though the color of the break should have been black, it was instead a pulsing purple with snippets of red running throughout.
Naruto went through first, followed closely behind by Inoichi.
The rancid smell of sewage attacked Inoichi's nose.
They were traveling along a narrow strip of concrete to their destination, green-brown waters of muck separating them. The path began to fill out, emptying into a large basin. Iron bars of a cage separated something from getting out, a seal tag keeping the gate shut.
Red liquid was seeping into the water, dying it a bloody color. Naruto gestured for Inoichi to follow him into the knee-deep water and Inoichi complied, wading over to the blonde. They stood together in front of the bars, steeling themselves for what was inevitably ahead.
You dare bring someone else?
Inoichi didn't even bother looking around, instead staring straight ahead as the thing of his memories came into focus behind the bars.
It was huge. Thick and coarse-looking orange fur covered its head: the only part visible. Black lips were pulled back to expose impossibly-large canines that dripped with saliva and creating a sickening smile. Slit pupils stood in white eyes, red veins prominent. The malice that the thing gave off was sickening, and Inoichi could feel the urge to throw up threaten to overwhelm him.
Are you scared of me, brat?
Inoichi spared a glance to Naruto, who was shaking visibly. A grin slowly spread across the boy's face, and even the Kyūbi was taken aback, however slightly.
'As if, you stupid fox! I'm shaking in anticipation, waiting for all of that chakra to be mine!'
An eerie chortle resounded in the room, the monster's mouth wide open as he laughed.
I like you. You remind me of that girl who last had me.
Naruto froze. Someone else was the gaoler of the Kyūbi?
What do you want? Just a little peek at my magnificence?
Naruto shot a look to Inoichi and the man nodded. 'You're now under my control!'
The Kyūbi's grin stretched. Oh yeah?
'Yeah! I'm letting you live in my body, so you gotta do what I say!'
It looked thoughtful. And if I say no?
'I'll kill myself.'
Its eyes widened. You're kidding.
'I'm not,' Naruto said truthfully. 'If I can't control you, I can't risk having you destroy those close to me. So I'll just eliminate you.'
The Kyūbi laughed. Alright. I might as well have fun with you.
Naruto nodded sharply, and turned on his heel to head back out.
But... Naruto turned around. I am a fox. Don't doubt that I'll leave you when you need me.
Naruto's eyes hardened. 'You won't.'
It laughed loudly, and that was the last thing Inoichi heard before he was yanked back into the real world.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he turned to Red. 'I saw it.'
'I know,' Red answered, pointing to a heaving Inoichi. 'He saw it too.'
'Mmmm,' Naruto murmured sleepily. 'I'm hungry. You gonna treat me to ramen?'
'Why not,' Red said, a smile in his words.
As they settled into the booth, Ayame smiled. 'Hello, Naruto! Red.'
'Ayame-chan! I need some miso beef ramen, please!' Naruto shouted, smiling.
'Right away, sweetie,' the girl answered, turning around and starting to cook the noodles.
'How did you find out about Mizuki, Red-san?' Naruto questioned, turning to smile at his sensei.
'Iruka was drunk this afternoon.'
'No way!' Naruto hollered, disturbing several a passerby. When Red shrugged, Naruto began giggling before it became full out laughter, clutching at his teacher's sleeve as he tried to prevent himself from falling over.
Sparing a look to the progress of the food, Red voiced what was on his mind as his student calmed down.
'What did it look like?' Red asked.
Naruto looked confused before he realized what Red was talking about. 'It was pretty huge! And it was kinda scary! But it was like a little kitten, compared to how scary I thought it was going to be!'
Inoichi was sick to his stomach after seeing it. How is it possible for him to be so...Comfortable? Red internally questioned. He glanced to the boy next to him, whose steaming dish had been placed in front of him. The blonde grinned widely and dug into his meal with gusto.
Naruto... You just might be something.
