A/N: All the mythology and religious discussion in this ch, and further chs (including ch1) is very, very slightly based on real myths but mainly fabrications of mine and ideas I have. I want to make a mix of things from dif cultures and try to put them together in a harmonious way, though Naruto is a JPN manga, it is enjoyed by Americans and Europeans with varying culture bgs, and I think it would be cool if the Narutoverse employed a mix due to the popularity it has in these parts and Asia as well. The idea may fail horribly, and laugh if you want, but I aim to make it an interesting twist if I can.
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"Interesting…It's been a while since I've seen his ugly mug…"
The fox snorts, his face contorting into something in between a grimace and a smirk. He really was not sure how he should take this development; If he was free and unbound, Nine-Tails certainly would have strode over to the idiot and walloped him a couple of times. As it was, however, he could only wait and watch to see what was going to unfold. Sighing to himself, the Demon King of the Ninth Circle of the Abyss laid back on his haunches inside the tightly packed cage that his seal. If this was the Abyss, his original home and place of power, he'd be busy trying to figure out how to command all of his forces in order to steal territory. Not that demons needed anything like food or water; it just broke up the monotony of the place and was a show of power to the others above and below him in rank; if he succeeded that is. Seeing as he couldn't contact any of his associates or minions because of this seal limiting his powers, he was truly bored out of his mind.
"RRRAaaghh! How long do I have to be stuck here anyways, a tool for these fleshy meat bags who aren't even a millennium old? It's simply infuriating!"
He half-shouts, half-whines, the roar causing the water all around the room to splash and churn from the force of his baritone complaint. No one was there to answer him, however, and he just sighs pitifully in his prison. Nine Tails did forget that there was one person who could hear him, and this person was slightly amused and curious at the fox's tirade. Naruto appears almost instantaneously; he had gotten better at accessing his sub consciousness from his training before the second exam and was using it now, though for a somewhat stupid reason, he mentally chides himself. He knew that listening to the demon was usually a bad idea, and more of a headache than it was worth, but after seeing what he was up against… Sighing, the blonde walks casually over toward the cage holding the beast, stopping a few meters away to be careful, his expression full of curiosity as he stares up at the demon in front of him.
"You know that…that thing?"
Flicking his massive orbs to meet the child's gaze, the demon growled angrily and let out a noise somewhat like a bark. That small bark was powerful enough to send the tiny ninja sprawling more than halfway across the room, his clothes getting soaked by the water as he tumbles and rolls until Naruto finally slows to a stop due to friction. That action causes the Nine Tails to stand on his two front paws, his tails extended all the way like an angry cat would be. Naruto quickly gets up and straightens himself, his face wearing an expression of pure fear and terror; he was sent all the way across the room because the thing got angry and just barked at him. He knew the beast was powerful, but this was nothing like he could have imagined, and he thought he had finally gotten some semblance of control over the thing! Seeing that Nine Tails had calmed somewhat, the blonde carefully walked over to him, his feet making slow and soft steps like he was treading on glass.
"Damned humans…You capture us, enslave us to your bidding and have no clue as to what we truly are? Surely you know of demons like Orochi the Eight Tailed or even of the nefarious imps who spirit away children who are foolish enough to play with them! Seeing as how humans are a relatively young species, though, I wouldn't be surprised if your knowledge is lacking…"
Nine Tails mutters, to which Naruto only blinks and stares like a deer caught in headlights, his whiskered face wearing an expression of extreme puzzlement. Taking this as a 'no' the demon king sighs, his furry face a mix of incredulousness and pity. He lets out a snort, the white hot breath bowling over Naruto and causing his eyes to water. He needs a breath mint, or mouthwash… Naruto thinks, slowly backing away from the fetid cloud of air as he struggles to catch his breath. Ignoring the teen's display, the beast puts his hands together and stares at them intently, not sure where to begin. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nine Tails takes a deep breath and stares intently at the blonde, who is looking at him with a curious expression.
"All right, since you're such an idiot, I guess I have to explain about our kind and how we are categorized…"
As soon as Naruto heard the word 'explain' his features contort into a grimace; this really wasn't the time for this. He expresses his concerns to the demon who only brushes them off with a simple statement.
"We're in your head; time doesn't work the same when you're talking to me. It's probably only been a couple minutes in the real world; Besides if anything were to happen to your body, you'd know it. That's when the primal instincts kick in. Well, that or I use my power since I don't feel like dying just yet. Never mind the small stuff and pay attention to what I'm going to say. And don't say you can't memorize all of this either; You can categorize your ramen by brand, packaging, flavor and instant or not, so there's no way you can't screw this up."
The demon king looks back to Naruto, who slowly nods his assent, though his expression bellies he really wasn't in the mood for a lecture in the middle of battle.
"Okay…Demons have been around since the dawn of the world or at least since Izanagi and Izanami were created. Though it was more due to the fact that Izanami died and went to Yomi, what you call the underworld. Since she was the goddess of life, and had been transformed after eating the food of the dead, it caused havoc with the stability of the newly formed world. For everything that was good that was made, several bad things replaced it, and the world was put into chaos shortly after being born. Shadows separated themselves from their godly counterparts, taking on material forms and turning into the first demons. These fed on negative energy, or emotions, as well as the faults of their 'other' selves. Plus, they were warped forms of their 'lighter' brethren or sometimes combinations of one or more deities; holding about as much power as the originals. Good and evil fight, like it has been through history, generation gives birth to generation, with no clear side being the winner. So it has been like this since you guys came along, Kami-sama and Shinigami-sama consorting to make humans come about; each putting some of their own traits to balance out the others'. You guys are basically our power source; your prayers of admiration, or even out of fear give us power and strengthen us. It's not like we need it to live or anything, but it can help tip the scales if we are given enough praise. Anyway, demons have evolved greatly since that time, along with the other denizens of the light, which I'll call 'divine' since it has a more 'pure' ring to it than spirit does."
Naruto nods, his face concentrating hard on what he was hearing. It's not like he was dumb or anything, it's just a lot to take in at once and he did not want to forget it.
"Getting to the nitty-gritty, demons have hierarchies and classes that determine their power and abilities. I, for one, am a Demon King, which is slightly above the middle on the totem pole. The other bijuu are in the same class and hierarchy as me; since we all are comprised of the same material and have similar abilities. Though I'm the strongest, since I've got nine tails, or so I like to think. Basically we're all equal; but our true power comes from bonding with a human. And no, I'm never getting along with you; I just don't wanna die because of your ignorance. It's not like you could help it, as humans are on the bottom of the food chain if we are talking about hierarchy. Anyways, those damn imps are more or less on the bottom, at least the green colored ones are. We usually use them for fodder when we attack, which is what I think the mastermind behind this whole thing is doing. As for classes, those are specific to each demon type and some are so special they are only given to one demon. The imps you've been fighting are a member of the 'Haunt' class, they're nothing special. I'm a member of the 'Elemental' class, and my attributes are darkness, wind and fire. It's probably because I'm made up of chakra and spiritual energy, kinda like your old man."
Naruto winces slightly at the mention of his foster father; his eyes narrowing slightly as he waits for the nine Tails to take a deep breath before continuing.
"Simply put, all demons have the darkness attribute and all divine beings have the light attribute. This doesn't mean that light is stronger than darkness or vice versa; they're about the same. The real thing that determines power is how you use it. Class doesn't mean too much in terms of the hierarchy of demons, though it is useful if you need to figure out your opponent's abilities. Just like in this world of ninjas, information is key to winning battles; you'll die without it."
The demon king said nothing after that, his eyes locked onto Naruto's smaller ones. The blonde waits for a few seconds, making sure that was the end of the Nine Tails speech before asking his question.
"So…what should we do about that guy? He definitely looks much stronger than what I've faced before. How can we beat him?"
"Hmmm…From what I remember he's about middle rank, though this doesn't mean anything. He could have gotten stronger, for all I know, and from what I saw in your clone it looks like he has. Plus, it doesn't look good for us if he has that guy on his side, and he seems much stronger than before. I have a feeling that Orochimaru tampered with his body quite a bit to give it as much power as it has. I do have a plan though; I'm just not one hundred percent sure it will work the way I want it to…"
"Eh? What do you suggest we do then?"
"The shadow clone is you specialty jutsu, right? Make one of your clones, but infuse it with as much of my chakra as you can. Since I can't help out a shadow clone as I'm restricted by this seal and the properties of the jutsu, it will have to do. You're gonna have to send the clone against the demon, and then we'll team up against his little partner. I'll tell you what to do."
Naruto nods slowly, showing that he understands what he must do. That doesn't mean that he accepts the fox's proposal fully, however. He knows it could be a trap to get the demon to take over his body again; and this time Kakashi isn't here to help. Things could get messy if Naruto lets his guard down. Nine Tails did say he was looking out for the boy, although those weren't his exact words. This did make him feel a little better, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Taking a couple deep breaths and looking the demon king right into its fiery red orbs, Naruto leaves his sub consciousness and snaps his eyes open. Meanwhile, the demon in the bars is mentally congratulating itself on a job well done. He got the boy to trust him, if only a little bit and coerced Naruto use his power…
"Hey! You alright, Naruto? You zoned out for a moment there."
Feeling a strong and firm hand on his shoulder, Naruto turns his gaze slightly to the right to see Choji staring at him with a look of concern on his swirly face. Naruto nods, his face brightening into a small grin at the scene. He's a really nice guy…All I thought he did was sit around and eat. Can't judge a book by its cover, I guess. He hasn't changed much since the academy though. Naruto thinks his face turning into a small frown which Tenten, who has just walked up behind the pair, notices.
"Did you find something with your clones?"
"Yeah…and it's not good at all. I think I can take care of it though, so just leave it to me. Besides, aren't you guys tired from expending all your chakra?"
Naruto mutters, his face turning slightly to the south to find the copse where his clone had disappeared to. His three companions give each other a glance, and then turn back to Naruto who is a couple meters in front of them. Shino clears his throat, an almost imperceptible gesture, and moves up beside the blonde.
"Whatever's out there you should not face it alone. Why? Because we more than fit to fight, me especially since I can drain the chakra of my opponents. We would be horrible companions and even worse friends if we let you go out there alone…"
Naruto stops Shino in the middle of his speech with an upraised hand. He turns to the three, his face stern and golden eyebrows squelched together on his sweating forehead.
"It's because of our friendship I can't let you do this. I need to fight that thing alone; I'm the only one who can do it. You guys need to protect the people hidden in the forest. If I do need your help, I'll signal for it. You remember the signs we learned in the academy?"
They all nod, each wearing a disapproving frown on their faces. Naruto truly wishes they could fight with him, but he doesn't want them getting hurt. He has the higher chakra capacity of the group, and is better suited to fight the demon ahead anyways. Plus, he does not want the three to learn of the Nine Tails, as both the Third and Kakashi had told him to keep a secret for as long as he could. The time on the bridge was an accident, and his teammates would have figured it out sooner or later, Sasuke being an Uchiha and all. He had made the two promise not to tell anyone, telling them the Hokage had made it an explicit order. Of course they could not refute such an order, and kept silent. Naruto did not want such a mistake to repeat itself, more so since he had trained to try and control the demonic chakra. He feels that it would be an insult to the Hokage and Kakashi, and he really did not want to disappoint either of them. Turning to face the group one last time, Naruto smiles and says he can take care of it, before dashing across the field and into the copse of trees opposite from his teammates and the villagers.
"I don't think things are going to go as well as Naruto hopes they will…"
Tenten mutters, to which Choji and Shino only nod silently, all three looking to where their comrade has disappeared off to.