A shorter chapter than usual. Basically I'm just trying to establish the new setting so I kept it brief.

And I apologize for the late update. I'll try to get back on my normal posting schedule now that it looks like life will be throwing me a bone.

Question for the audience, what type of jutsu would you like to see Kurama teach Naruto? I have Naruto's fighting style mapped out for the end of this arc but I can't decide the big jutsu he'll walk away with. I'm leaning towards something completely removed from his wind element (since his fighting style will revolve around it). Any ideas?


"Naruto!"

The small genin's eyes slowly opened. The world was swimming around him. All he could make out was screaming, cold laughter and…

"Sasuke!"

Naruto forced himself up, his every move felt heavy as if he were wading through a swamp. "Sasuke!" he called out again. The black hired boy was nowhere to be seen. No one was. Not his sensei, Kurenai, his teammates Hinata and Shino or any of that other Jonin'steam. That made the boy panic. He had to find them. All of them. They were in danger. Everything had gone to hell, the whole mission was a fiasco.

'Wait no, that's wrong,' Naruto thought as his hand touched his temple. Memories flooded his mind, each image and sound a nail through the side of his head. 'No one was nabbed the documents. Me an Shino were never seen. We did everything right.'The silhouettes of two robed men began to form in Naruto's mind. The smaller silhouette had calmly asked for Naruto. That was when Sasuke went at him. "No!" Naruto cried as the image of Sasuke lying motionless at the feet of that smaller figure came back to him.

"You're still weak…" he had whispered.

"Why?" cried Naruto. "You're his brother. Why would you do that to him? How- how could you be so cruel to your own family?"

"Everyone has their reasons," said a harsh voice beside Naruto. "So long as they can sleep at night, it really doesn't matter what those reasons are." The voice belonged to a small red fox with nine tails. Its blood red eyes examined the landscape as it walked past Naruto and towards a wide clearing. "Ah," said the fox simply. "As I , runt," the fox called out to the boy behind it. "The Uchiha, the one you called Itachi. He sent us to this naraka with those wretched Uchiha eyes. If you want to see the human world again, you'll screw your head back on straight."

Naruto looked at the nine-tailed fox in front of him then at the world around him. Everything was a boiling red, as if the whole world were an old iron pot left on the stove for far too long. There were no trees, no birds, nothing but a complete stillness as far as he could see. Even the sky was gone. In its place was more of the same red hot iron. "This- This is-"

"Hell," finished the fox not taking its eyes off the horizon. "I said that already. Keep up. Everything works the same here even if I have a body again. You die, I die. I die, you die. So let's hold off on that mental breakdown you're having."

Naruto scowled at the fox. "I know you?" he asked using the fresh anger he felt to push away the maelstrom of emotions still making their way through him.

"I'm a nine-tailed fox. This can't be hard."

"Wait-what?" Naruto shook his head forcefully. Nothing fit. Everything kept clashing against each other like the pieces of this puzzle just weren't meant to form any kind of real picture. There were glimpses here and there of things he knew but it hurt more and more every time he called them to him. "Hinata, Kurenai, Shino, Sakura, JiJi, Iruka, Teuchi…" Naruto whispered the names creating an image of each person in his mind. "Those are my precious people." As he went through the names again, new faces began to form. A blond girl with pale eyes and skin.A messy haired boy with a bored expression on his face.A young woman behind the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

"Those names, those faces," said the fox in a low growl. "Let go of them. They can't help you. But the creatures of this realm can use them against you. "

"Hey, can it, fox," spat Naruto as he gave his head another violent shake. The images were settling. Each face had a name, a feeling and a memory to it. "If I ever need tips on licking my balls clean then feel free to talk." The fox fixed the rookie genin with a look that would have made the seas part. "H-hey, just joking. I'm sure you wipe!"

The fox hissed. "Stop. Just stop," it commanded. This time Naruto had no problem obeying. Cautiously the genin walked up beside his tailed companion, hoping to get a look at what he was seeing. The sight made his stomach turn. There, off in a clearing underneath that red iron sky, was a man no older than Naruto's sensei, Kurenai, lying on the ground weeping. He was completely nude, the heat from the ground was burning his skin but the man would not stand. He would not stand as his skin blackened and cracked. He would not stand even as the blood oozed out of him and sizzled as it touched the ground. After a long pain filled cry, the life left him and he would not stand.

"Watch," ordered the fox. "It begins again." And it did. A wind came and the man's body was restored. He lay there, his eyes shut tight, sobbing. "There's no stopping it." Naruto turned his eyes from the horror in front of him to the fox at his side. "He was foolish to lay there until he cooked. On his feet he can die with pride. Or maybe he's just been here so long pride has no more meaning to him."

"What're you talking about?!" The small genin wiped his own tears from his face. Resolution took their place. "C'mon he needs help!"

The fox laughed. It gestured with its snout towards the man who was slowly rising to his feet. A sword had appeared in his left hand and he adopted a stance Naruto was unfamiliar with. Rather than hold the sword in front of him, the man held it at his side with his feet shoulder width apart. The sword wasn't something Naruto recognized either. In place of the edged, flat swords he'd seen in Konoha, this one had almost no edge to it. It was long, narrow with a pointed end as it were only for stabbing with no thought given to cutting at all. "There's nothing you can do for him, boy." The fox spoke with a smile that showed off all its sharp teeth. "This naraka is Sanjiva. Here you die only to be reborn again and again as monsters and beasts cut you to pieces." And as the fox spoke, fearsome men appeared. Each seemed as tall a tree to the young Naruto and just as thick. Their muscled arms carried picks, axes, swords and clubs. "Come. We have to get mov-"

"Hey, uglies!" The fox couldn't believe its ears. Naruto had drawn a kunai and was charging into the mists of the murderous crowd. "You're gonna be in a world of hurt if you go near him. Believe it!" They didn't. Without so much as taking notice of the boy, the mob of brutes continued to advance towards the man with the strange sword. Each step they took slow and lumberous as if their weight was so great even they were pained by it. "I said back off!" yelled Naruto, his anger at being dismissed by these men evident. With a growl to match the fox he'd left behind,Naruto jumped onto the back of one of the men and drove the kunai into his shoulder. Letting out a deep moan that seemed to roll off the sky itself, the man began to jerk about. "Wo-oa!"the small genin cried as he tried to hold on but to no avail. Naruto's kunai still in his shoulder, the man lifted his ax and brought it down where Naruto had fallen.

CLANG!

"Up here!" The brute looked up just in time to see the foot that was about to collide with his face. "Gotcha!" yelled Naruto as he landed. He watched as his target stumbled back. "What gives?! I caught ya square in the face! Ah!" Another of the brutes had swung his weapon, a pickaxe easily the boy's size, at him. Thankfully, these men's massive size seemed to make every movement difficult, even swinging their weapons, and Naruto was able to not only evade the attack, but jump onto the pickaxe itself. "Your guard's down!" From his new position, the genin, had a perfect view of his opponent's throat. Before the man had time had time to move, a kunai had flown from Naruto's hand and into his windpipe. "Eat it!"

His victory was brief. As Naruto touched back down on the red iron ground of sanjiva, the man reached up and removed the kunai from where it had pierced him. To the genin's horror, the man was unfazed. The only hint the hulking brute showed of injury was the raspy cry he gave out when he swung again at Naruto. "Just what the hell are you?" The question went unanswered as more and more of the massive men descended on Naruto. Axes, swords and clubs beat at everywhere except where the boy was when they descended. Despite their numbers, none could land a blow. But neither did they show fatigue, or frustration or pain. They came at him as their tendons were cut. They came at him as they cut one another. They came at him with the same empty expression on their face.

So on Naruto danced, dodging, poking at shins and slashing tendons with his kunai all the while trying to think of an escape. He'd sent a clone to retrieve the man with the strange sword when the fight had begun. The clone must have been successful as Naruto saw neither it nor the man and its memories still hadn't come back to him. 'One smoke tag,' thought the genin as he reached into his jacket. 'Let's do this.' "Hey, creeps," Naruto said aloud. "Hope ya got a good look cuz this'll be the last time ya see the world's greatest shinobi!" And with that, Naruto set off the tag, filling everything within twenty feet of him with thick smoke. Smiling, the genin turned to make his escape-

Only for a club to strike him in the the unmistakable CRACK!of bones shattering, Naruto flew backwards into the very center of the massive figures. Up their weapons went, ready to tear, cut and break every bit that was Naruto. But the chance never the first brought his ax down, he was snatched up by a massive red tail that slammed him into the ground until what was his body became a pile of broken bone and blood. The same fate fell on each as all around them the ground sprouted red tails each larger than they. The men roared, swinging their weapons at the mass of writhing tails but for each they cut another was ready to seize them by the arm, tearing it off as if they were little more than the limbs of paper dolls. In the middle of all this was Naruto coughing up blood and struggling to his feet. "Huh?" he asked in between pained gasps.

'STAY PUT!' said a harsh voice that seemed to come from his own mind. 'Just wait,' it said more calmly. 'I'm almost done with them.'Naruto continued to watch as the last of the men was crushed leaving behind a pile of black bile, bone and skin. 'Are you, alright?' the voice asked.

"Well enough," Naruto said out loud. "Nah, that's a lie," he admitted. "Ribs are completely done and I can barely breathe. Talking hurts like hell too." The boy tried to move into a sitting position but collapsed back onto the red hot ground. For a moment it felt as everything was somehow hotter. Much hotter in fact. So hot Naruto was sure his skin would burn. But then he remembered Shino's body sprawled out motionless and the heat subsided. "I gotta get up," Naruto repeated as he tried to force himself to a sitting position again. "Everyone still needs me."

"Do not move, kit," he heard the fox say by his side. The strange ninetailed fox was wrapping her tails around his body. Its red chakra soaked into Naruto, mending his broken bones and restoring him to health. "That was very foolish of you. That man's time here was already up. No sooner had you rescued him from the Onis that his soul was called away. You must think before acting, kit. This world is too dangerous for you to take such risks."

"I have to get back…"

"Yes, we do," agreed the fox. "But first we have to find a way back. Do you know where we are?"

"No." Naruto's voice had suddenly become distant. After the initial shock of combat had worn off, he had begun to evaluate his situation. He was in a new place by means he had no knowledge of surrounded by enemies he couldn't hurt and being shadowed by the Nine Tailed Fox. As far as situations went, this could be better. At least he could have some means of returning to his comrades before the S-Ranked criminal killed all of them. As it stood the reality of returning home just to find the people he cared about dead almost sent him reeling back into the confused mindset when he'd first awoken here.

But Kurenai had trained him properly. The priority was finding a way back. Once he had that everything else would come, whatever tragedy it happened to be. You can't run from pain, the red eyed woman had told him. It will catch up to you. Embrace it. Make it a part of you that warms your blood when the world looks to push you aside and hardens your heart when everyone looks to tear it out. But then… then let it go. He would make his way home.

"What is this place?" asked Naruto.

"Sanjiva. The Reviving Hell." Not what Naruto expected to hear. "The Uchiha forced us into this world. How, I do not know. The Sharingan has always been tied to the many Narakas but this sort of power, not even Madara could claim it."

"I'm sorry," the apologized with a shake of his head. "I still don't know where we are or what any of this is. What were those men we fought? They didn't bleed. Or feel pain even," he added remembering how one had simply pushed a kunai out of his throat before he continued attacking. "Hell, I don't know your name either."

Kyuubi watched him through its red eyes. The boy wasn't that dumb. Surely he had realized what had actually saved him. At least he should recognize the chakra contained in its small frame. Perhaps Naruto just needed to hear it before it really set in. "I'm the Kyuubi no Yoko as you humans know me. My name though you may have asked for it, is not something I give freely. To me you are The Jinchuuriki and I am Kyuubi."

Naruto smiled. "Why do I have to be Ningen or Jinchuuriki? There's nothing special about that. Not that I don't appreciate your company but can't I be a Jinzogen instead? There was this one in a movie I saw who was sooo cool." The boy took on an overly serious expression and extended his hand. "Come with me if you want to live," he said extending a hand. Kyuubi smiled. The boy 's defense mechanisms were still intact. They had a chance after all. "Except here I think it's the other way around. You took those guys out like they were nothing. Thank you. For saving me and for fixing me up. I'll return the favor, believe it."

"Do not make promises you don't understand the full scope of," Kyuubi warned. "You do not fully grasp what I am or what binds us together. The emotions you feel now are only that. Tomorrow is a different day where new needs will surface and you may realize a promise you made ages ago will doom you and everything you love."

"Umm… Kyu-chan, you have a very pessimistic world view," the blond said with an awkward laugh.

"Such things come with age." The fox turned its eyes to the bleak horizon. That and pain and bitterness and every other feeling that closes your heart to the world. Wait, why was it thinking that way? There was something different about itself but the Kyuubi couldn't quiet see what it was. Whatever it is can wait, the chakra construct decided. "To answer your previous question, this is hell or one of them anyway. This world is Sanjiva, where your body is ripped apart by monsters every day. Sanjiva does not recognize death, so each time your body is rebuilt by it. Then the monsters come again and it all starts over."

"That's… inhuman," Naruto whispered as he thought back to the man he'd tried to rescue. "What could anyone do to deserve this?"

"You may feel differently when you have seen what men are capable of," the Kyuubi answered somewhat absentmindedly.

"I know what people are capable of." Something in Naruto's voice made the fox turn to truly look at him. His happy smile was gone. Instead of the joyful child who'd joked only moments ago, Kyuubi looked upon the same serene sadness her father always wore. "And no, I don't think they deserve this."

"Then perhaps Sanjiva will have no power over you," Kyuubi said with a gesture of its tails that reminded Naruto of Shino's one sided 'meh' shrug. "But time breaks all things, men, mountains and kingdoms. Hearts would not be much more of a feat for it. Still, you are kind, and this world's hold over the forgiving is weak in parts. Perhaps that will be our way out."

"How do we find those places?" asked Naruto as a small jolt of excitement went through him. The Genin, naturally, wanted nothing more than to be home right now and he needed an outlet for his limitless energy.

"By looking," the Fox said with a curl of its lips that must have been a smile.

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Now where have I heard that one before? Lead the way, Kyu-chan. Just think of me as your much cuter looking shadow."

It didn't know why but, Kyuubi felt the impulse to joke back. Just what was happening to it? Another time, Kyuubi told itself as it walked with the small Genin into the vastness that was Sanjiva. "Hey, Kyuubi," Naruto said after a short ways. "Why do people end up here?" Kyuubi turned to look at him unsure of what the boy could mean. Hell was a concept that almost every culture the fox knew of had developed even if the specifics of it weren't fully known. "I mean," the boy continued sensing his companion's confusion. "Who decides and why? What happened to that man back there. Who looks at him and says 'This will be your life for eternity'? I don't get- no I do get how someone could say that. Just not how they live with it. This place is so… so evil."

"This place isn't evil, Ningen," Kyuubi said turning its gaze back towards the road before them. "It's just a place like any other. The karma that collects here is what shapes everything into what it is. That and those who's karma is drawn to it. Like follows like, so karma that was always hateful and cruel comes here. Many of your Shinobi kin inevitably come to this place. The karma of those who know only violence, retribution and anger can never reach the higher planes…"

"So Kurenai-sensei? Jiji? The Fourth? They all come here?" Naruto asked incredulously. Kyuubi suppressed a smirk. Growing up (should) demand a reevaluation of one's heroes.

"They've killed," Kyuubi said almost carelessly. To it this was nothing new or all that shocking. It was the way the world had always been. "Out of anger, for personal gain, out of pettiness they've taken the life of another. It is only natural they would come here."

"But they never had a chance, Kyu-chan," Naruto objected. "Look at what our world is. War every few years, our only means of survival doing missions for princes and lords. How can anyone say it's their fault when killing is the only way to get by? It's just- just such a self-defeating game."

"I'm afraid I don't understand you, Ningen."

"Ok, look. Let's say we have two people who're just sitting around most of the time. There's no war, there's no food shortage, and their families love them and give them everything. Why would those people ever steal? Or fight? Or do anything? They like sitting around not doing stuff and they can. No one is making them go out to find food for themselves. They can just sit there their whole life." Kyuubi nodded. She knew what Naruto would say next. It had to its father years and years ago. "So why should someone who's parents ditched them at three, who had to live on the streets, steeling food out of dumpsters, come to a place like this? It's bullshit," Naruto finished his face red.

"It just is, Ningen," Kyuubi said with a sigh.

"It shouldn't be," Naruto murmured as the remains of a city came into view.

No it shouldn't, agreed the bijuu. "We have more pressing issues to deal with, Ningen." The small fox gestured up ahead. Naruto's eyes went wide as he saw the massive buildings. They looked as if they could be a mile high. Even the Hokage Monument was dwarfed by the smallest of those buildings. "Kit, do as I do. Try to feel the chakra all around you. Start by silencing your own. Reduce it to nothing." If such a thing were possible, Naruto wouldn't struggle with genjutsu. The boy, of course knew this, but his willingness to try anything put to him defeated his common sense. Naruto grought his hands together the way Hinata had shown him for meditation. "No, not like that," Kyuubi corrected. "You are only calming it that way. Steadying its flow throughout your body."

"A hint would be appreciated, Kyu-chan," Naruto grumbled. "I'm kinda new at this."

"I am giving you more than hints, boy, so be grateful," the fox snarled. Despite its size, Kyuubi remained every bit as fearsome as you would expect it to be if it were still the size of a small mountain. "What you are doing, those katas, they are for regulating the flow of chakra through your system. This can create the feeling of serenity some identify with attunement to the world. But it is a false impression. One who is attuned to the world does not feel anything. You become a great void that is filled by the world around it. The greater the void, the moer of the world seeps into you."

"That's all very flowery and all," interrupted Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "But how does that translate to useable advice?"

There was a dangerous silence between the two for a moment. The type that often preceded Sakura driving her fist into some part of Naruto's anatomy. "Perhaps…" the fox said slowly. "Perhaps I'll just show you what I want done and you can work it from there?"

"Nah." There was that dangerous silence again. "I gotta learn to work this kinda stuff out. Sakura-chan keeps telling me a good learner is someone who can figure out what other people are saying even when they're talking gibberish." If a stray fly had flown between them its body would have been utterly destroyed. Finally the danger he was in hit Naruto. "N-not that you're talking nothing but gibberish, Kyu-chan."

It would be a little while longer before Kyuubi realized how strange it was that her mind kept drifting away from the horror of the world she was in. For now the fox couldn't help enjoying the silly moment shared with the oblivious blond boy.


That's chapter 9, the start of the Samsara Arc. I hope you enjoyed it.

In case it isn't clear (because my writing tends to be so disjointed) Kurama is calling Naruto Ningen because all she's ever called is Kyuubi. It's sorta her turning that level of dismissiveness back onto people. Naruto, naturally, takes it as a joke and possible sign of affection.

EDIT: Big thank you to Winto-kun for the correction about Jin. Teach me to try to make stupid jokes. lol