Drip. Drip. Drip.
Water fell onto his forehead and trickled down his face. He was cold and wet, and when he opened his eyes he was no longer in the hospital room. Massive bars that stretched from floor to ceiling loomed ominously in the dark on the other side of the room, and beyond that was some shadowy form he couldn't make out.
Where am I? He stood up, trying to find some sort of entrance or exit. How did I get here? He searched around the massive room, but found nothing. He waited for a couple minutes, looking for anything to pop up or make a sound, but nothing appeared. Slowly, his initial fear turned to curiosity, and he wandered closer to the metal bars.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Hello, Naruto."
He almost fell over, the sudden booming voice was so powerful. He saw the shadowy figure move slightly, slowly approaching the bars.
"Am I to understand you do not remember who I am?"
Immediately Naruto's curiosity reverted back to fear. "I… uh… no."
"That's most… unfortunate."
He felt a heavy lump form in his throat as the shadow approached ever closer. He could now make out 9 distinct tails and a slender, but absolutely massive four legged animal. Every step the beast took, the ground shook, and slowly but surely two massive red eyes and gleaming white teeth came into view. "Call me the Nine Tails."
"It's a uh… pleasure to meet you, Nine Tails sir." The sweat dripped down Naruto's face "How is it that we know each other, and how did I get here, exactly?" He wanted to collapse into the water and pretend the massive fox wasn't standing right there, but he was afraid it would eat him for it.
"Stop fretting like a fool. I can smell your sweat, and it's unpleasant." Somehow the fox's attempts at relaxing him had the opposite effect. "It appears you need my help." The fox sauntered the rest of the way to the bars, revealing his bright orange fur, and he slowly lowered his body down, until his head was resting on his front paws. "Now, catch your breath, and I'll tell you what you need to know"
He took a deep breath, sighed, and nodded. "Okay. Alright."
"Good. Now listen closely boy, because I don't like repeating myself." The Nine Tails glared at him as he spoke, like he was challenging him to disobey. "When you were born, I was sealed inside of you. For your entire life, I have been here, watching the world through your eyes. I have seen everything you've ever experienced. I can tell you everything you've ever done, all the people you've ever met, all the places you've ever been."
Naruto saw the Nine Tails stop for a breath, and couldn't help the influx of questions. "Wait, why were you sealed inside of me? How does that even work? I mean you're huge. And where even is here? How did I get he-"
"Silence boy!" The sheer volume of air that rushed at him from the Nine Tails' shout sent Naruto off balance and into the water. When he recovered and stood back up, the Nine Tails continued speaking. "Hmph. I do not like being interrupted. Now, beyond just telling you what you've done, I know how to make you remember it." He paused once more, but this time Naruto was wise enough not to speak. "You must kill Sasuke."
"What? But why? How do you know?" Naruto was certain Sasuke had something to do with his memory loss, but that didn't mean he wanted to kill him.
"Because of his damned Sharingan. I'm certain of it, that Uchiha brat must have put you under some kind of genjutsu." Naruto nodded, not entirely understanding but not daring to ask questions and risk another volley of wind. "If you kill him, the jutsu will be dismissed, and you should have your memories back."
Naruto spent a moment processing what the Nine Tails had said, and making sure he couldn't be interrupting him again, before he realized he never actually mentioned Sasuke. "Wait. How do you know I know about Sasuke? I never even mentioned his name to you."
The Nine Tails laughed, a sinister laugh that sent shivers down his spine. "I already told you boy, I know everything about you."
Naruto wanted to push further, but he got the feeling the Nine Tails didn't want to talk more about it, and he didn't want to get yelled at again. At least he knew now that the Nine Tails' claims were legitimate. "Alright fine. So I have to kill Sasuke, but where is he? How do I find him?" The idea of killing someone should have sounded more disturbing, and he tried not to let that bother him.
The Nine Tails shook his head. "I do not know, boy. Your ineptitude is the reason he is missing in the first place. What really happened before you lost your memories was a fight between you and Sasuke. You lost, allowing him to escape and empty your mind in the process."
"Why were we fighting? What did he have to escape from?"
"Sasuke is selfish. He abandoned your village in a quest for power, hurting your friends in the process. He has branded himself a missing-nin, and has gone to the traitor Orochimaru for his training. And to make it worse, he's an Uchiha." Suddenly, Naruto felt a wave of pure hatred emanating from the Nine Tails, hatred so intense Naruto almost forgot there was any other feeling. "Nobody is worse than an Uchiha."
The wave of hatred dissipated, and Naruto let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "O-okay… why do you hate the Uchiha so much?"
"Hmph. You ask so many questions boy. Our time in this space is short, too short for me to answer them all... You are tired, and I'm sure you will fall deeper into sleep soon, too deep for me to talk to you. For now, tell no one of our discussion here. You've seen already the way Jiraiya and Tsunade lie to you. They seek only to use you for their purposes, and will tell you whatever lies they need to do so. If they find out we have contact together, Jiraiya will strengthen the seal and I'll be unable to communicate with you. Now go, rest, I'll summon you back here when you are ready to talk again."
Naruto wanted to ask so many questions. He wanted to ask once more how he got here, where 'here' even was. He wanted to ask what 'purposes' Jiraiya and Tsunade had. He wanted to ask what a sharingan was, and what that had to do with genjutsu. But he didn't get a chance, because suddenly the world around him faded to black, and the presence of the Kyuubi was gone.
He never heard the malicious laugh as he disappeared.
For the first time since he could remember, Naruto awoke without some sort of panic. He knew who and where he was, there were no strange people talking outside of his hospital room, and he was not lying in the middle of a sewer. He brushed the encounter with the Nine Tails aside for the moment, he could get more answers about him later.
He sat up in the bed, and realized all the pain he fell asleep with was gone. He stretched, rose from the bed, and even jumped up and down a couple times. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face, the first honest smile he's had.
He slowly untied the wraps around his arms and upper body, and found no evidence of any wounds underneath. "What the hell?" he wondered aloud, flipping his hand over in front of his eyes, inspecting it for any cuts. "That's… awesome!" He laughed a little and quickly discarded the rest of the wraps covering his lower body. He dropped down on the floor and started to do some pushups, just for the fun of finally moving his body around.
Once he got past fifty, he stood back up, a slight sweat covering his body. Alright. Stop fooling around, it's time to get out of here. Naruto started searching the hospital room, looking for any personal possessions or information about his past life. He went through cabinets and drawers, finding nothing but medical equipment, paperwork, and boxes of gloves and masks. He cursed and began to pace the room, debating his options. Stay here and wait for Tsunade, or just leave?
Naruto made his decision, left the room, and found his way to the receptionist's desk all in less than a minute.
"No, you can't just leave. You need a doctor's approval before you go."
"But… But I'm healed! Just look at me. There's not a single scratch or bruise on me."
"Mr. Uzumaki, there's nothing I can do for you. Until Lady Tsunade says you can leave, I cannot let you go."
Naruto grumbled for a moment. Why did he have to sit in a hospital if he was healed? Who gave this lady the right to keep him here? His under-the-breath grumbling continued until an idea struck him. "Hey, is that Tsunade coming right behind you?" he said, and pointed to the hallway leading back behind the desk.
Naruto turned and ran, laughing when he heard the receptionist's confusion and then anger at being fooled by the oldest trick in the book. He let out an exuberant "Gotcha!" as the doors closed behind him.
And that's how Naruto found himself running through Konoha dressed in nothing but a hospital gown. He didn't know where exactly he was running, allowing his instincts to work for him. He saw the large, red tower in the distance with the heads of the five Hokage staring down at him, and decided to run in the opposite direction. Civilians shouted as he booked past them, careful not to knock anything or anyone over.
He jumped as high as he could, well above the heads of those walking nearby. He was free. Free to run wherever he wanted, do anything he wanted, and ignore all the worries of his empty head. So why did he feel so empty and alone?
"Naruto! Good to see you! How have you been?" He heard a tall old man yell, a smile on his face like he was seeing an old friend. But to Naruto, he was a stranger.
He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to talk to the man and see his face of disappointment when Naruto told him he couldn't remember. He didn't want to talk about what he used to be. He just wanted to keep running.
So he ran. And ran, and ran. Away from the people he was expected to remember. Away from Jiraiya's lies. Away from Nine Tails' power. Away from everything.
He ignored the wave of a short brown haired boy with a white dog. He ignored the glare of a middle aged man. He ignored the friendly smile of a girl with pink hair. He ignored the angry shout of a shopkeeper. But most of all, he ignored the tear that dripped down his face as he ran.
He kept his eyes on the ground, watched as his legs carried one foot in front of the other, ignoring where he came from and unsure of where he was headed. He was sure he could run forever, that he needed to run forever, until something caught the back of his hospital gown and he was brought to a screeching halt.
He turned his head, ready to dislodge himself from whatever bar or hook may have stopped him, but instead saw a man, with tan skin, brown hair, and a horizontal scar across his nose. "Let me go!" he yelled, barely holding back the sob that threatened to escape him.
The man just shushed him, turned Naruto around, and hugged him. Naruto wanted to push him off, to make him let go and keep running again, but the man held him with a strength he couldn't match.
"It's okay Naruto. Just let it out." And like that, suddenly he couldn't ignore the tears or the sobs anymore. Naruto cried into the man's chest, an ugly stream of tears that soaked his chuunin vest. The man ruffled Naruto's hair and continued to whisper words of encouragement as he cried.
"I'm… I'm scared. A-and I don't know what's going on or who anybody is or how I got here and everyone keeps telling me things that I don't understand and I just want to be me again and not this guy that doesn't remember himself!" The words flowed out of him, messy and uncontrolled, letting out all the confusion and fear and anger that had been overwhelming him since he first woke up on Kakashi's back.
"I know Naruto. I know. I'm here for you. It'll all get better soon, I promise." The man's voice felt familiar, soothing, like he could mean no harm. Naruto felt no lies in his words, no expectations or plans like everyone else he had spoken to. He was just there for him.
He wiped his face with his arm and looked up at the man. "Who… who are you?"
"My name is Iruka Umino." Iruka smiled down at him, and for the first time since he arrived here he felt he had a friend. "Now technically, Tsunade asked me to bring you back to the hospital, but that's not what you need right now. How about we go get you cleaned up, in some regular clothes, and I take you out to eat some ramen?"
Naruto listened, smiled, and then nodded with glee. "Thank you, Iruka. I would love that. Uh, just one question though."
"What's that?"
"What's ramen?"
Naruto walked side by side with Iruka, a wide smile on his face. Iruka hadn't answered his question directly, instead he laughed and promised him a real
treat. He led Naruto to an apartment and said it belonged to him. Iruka said he'd wait in the living room as Naruto explored his home. Eventually he found a change of clothes, an orange outfit with white and blue accents. Aw yeah, the old me totally knew how to dress. Orange rocks! he thought with a cheer.
After a quick shower, Naruto got dressed, and departed the apartment with Iruka. They walked together for about twenty minutes until Iruka stopped at a small stall, with white and red curtains hanging in the front that spelled "Ichiraku Ramen"
"Well, this is it kid. Prepare for the first true feast of your life. Trust me, you're gonna love it."
Naruto nodded and approached the stall, ducking under the curtains. He saw an old man in the kitchen, and realized it was the same man who called out to him earlier.
"Naruto! There's my favorite customer! What happened earlier, eh?" he said, and Naruto was thankful he wasn't upset with him.
He scratched the back of his head, but Iruka spoke for him before he got the chance. "Naruto's just been having a hard time recently. I think he's gonna need at least 10 bowls today." he said with a chuckle.
The old man laughed, but didn't seem surprised or worried at all. "You got it. Comin' right up!"
Iruke smiled and thanked him, and then leaned in close to Naruto. "His name is Teuchi. You used to come here all the time, they have the best ramen in town. His daughter is named Ayame. Real kind people."
He nodded, grateful for the fact he didn't have to explain his memory loss. It suddenly occurred to him that he never told Iruka either, but he must have been informed by Tsunade when she asked Iruka to retrieve him.
They chatted idly for a couple minutes as he waited for the food, but the smell was slowly making him hungrier and hungrier. By the time the first bowls hit the counter, Naruto was starving. With ravenous speed, Naruto broke apart his chopsticks, picked up some noodles, and took his first bite.
It was heavenly.
Somehow even faster than before, Naruto began wolfing down the food. The noodles, the meat, the vegetables, the broth, it was all perfect. He finished bowl after bowl after bowl, and once the tenth had passed, he looked at Iruka pleadingly for more.
"Fine, fine, it's my treat this time. Teuchi, keep 'em coming!"
Soon, Ichiraku's was filled with their laughter. Here, finally, Naruto felt at home, with no worries about what his past life was. He'd worry about that later.
AN: Hey Guys! Thank you so much for the incredible reception on my first chapter. I've had this story brewing in my head for years, and it feels great that you guys are enjoying it so much. It felt so great, in fact, that I finished this chapter in 2 days just for y'all.
I just want y'all to know that I couldn't have written this fic without the help of some very special people. So, I'm gonna shout them out.
1 - DarkUnicorn6666, author of Bird's Eye View, a fantastic fic set during the Third Ninja War
2 - Hymn Daisy, author of Fireproof, a phenomenal fic about Deidara and Sasori (and the rest of the Akatsuki)
3 - WaffleDogOfficial, author of Through Your Door, a fic about all the jinchuuriki if they could communicate telepathically
4 - Dakeyras, author of Spire, a fic about Team 7 with some AU properties.
These guys have been super helpful, and I have studied writing from them and many others. Give them a look.
I know some of the story may be a little bit confusing right now, especially the deal with Kurama. I promise everything will make sense in due time, so I ask for your patience. Let me know if you guys have any questions, feedback or concerns, and I'll answer all of your Reviews in a PM. Until next time guys!