Always Be Prepared

Chapter 2

XXX

Naruto frowned deeply as he sat in a seat across from the Hokage in his office. Karin and Kurotsuchi were currently on account of certain matters that were village secrets. To which the old man made Naruto remember that fact. "I see." Naruto stated, not happy about where the conversation had gone.

It turns out that when Danzo attacked Shisui Uchiha for his eyes with Naruto trying to defend him, alongside Itachi later on, things did not go well. Naruto lost his eye, Shisui committed suicide to escape Danzo and give Itachi new power, and then Itachi was ordered to kill off the Uchiha Clan to stop a potential coup. Then, Itachi left, leaving his brother alive. Where he went, he was not told, but he felt there was far more to this than he was being told.

"Damn, you made him kill his family? That is harsh." Naruto grumbled, eyeing the Kage.

The old man sighed, "It was a decision I regret every day, Danzo forced our hands back then. Itachi loved this village as a whole too much to see it embattled in civil war much like the Mist Village is."

"I know." Naruto sighed. "He talked about the coup with Shisui when they thought I was not listening. Can't say I am surprised, even if there were better solutions. Like make Itachi or Shisui Hokage. That would have shut them up."

"I know that, but Danzo's paranoia worsened the events, causing the attack and forcing my hand. That man has always been a pain. I even had him disband his ROOT program, but I know him, he didn't. He follows his own rules, in fact, I barely ever seem in the village anymore." The Hokage shook his head on that matter at the moment as he didn't want to dwell on some troubling info he had learned. "But what about you? I knew about your training from Itachi and some of your personality from back then. How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" Naruto asked with a frown. "Horrible! I learn that all of this happened and in order to protect me, Itachi put some crappy seal on me to make me a different person and make me forget everything! He wasn't even that good at seals!" He ranted, pacing now in the man's office. "I wake up and everything is changed! I'm older, my skills have worn over time with the Façade's personality, and my mind it fractured!"

Taking his seat in front of the Hokage again, who looked sad for good reason. "Itachi really didn't know what he was doing trying to protect me with a rushed seal like that. I…I don't think my mind just consists of this me talking to you and that idiot of a Façade. I think there is more going on. I was never like that in battle."

Hokage got up from his chair and looked out onto his village from the window. He knew the truth, so he had to play this right. There was a plan after all. "You are right, things have changed. My main concern though right now is Orochimaru's involvement in the Chunin Exams and now you. So, I want you to meet Inoichi…Ino's Father… at the hospital tomorrow alongside Onoki's granddaughter."

"You are going to give her a mental evaluation as well?" Naruto asked, surprised.

The old Hokage just chuckled as he sat back down. "Heavens no, I just want to get her broken leg healed up the best we can. I don't want Onoki breathing down my neck for his family being in danger." He then gave Naruto a serious look. "That is why I am having her and the Karin girl stay in your apartment complex until the exams are over. With you being the actual owner of the building, I am sure that won't be a problem."

"I can make it work," Naruto replied with shrug. "They can keep me company while I train myself back to acceptable levels."

"Speaking of that." The Hokage replied with a smile. "Itachi often talked about your training and said you were already mid-chunin level back then, making me believe that you will be able to blow away the competition and become a real chunin once these exams are over, especially with Shisui's eye that was implanted in you."

"You knew about my eye, heh?" Naruto asked as he traced the scar.

"Come on Naruto, Itachi was a great ninja, but he didn't really have much skill in Seals or Medical Ninjutsu. He got me involved to the point I had to make your new eye transplant an S Class secret. Only you will be able to reveal it if you so choose."

"I see." Naruto replied as he went quiet for a moment before smirking. "Once I learn how use it, it could be a great secret weapon."

"Indeed." The Hokage shot back with a smirk of his own. "Now you may go, I have many things to get ready for the Finals."

The blond nodded before leaving. The Hokage sighed in his chair once he was sure the boy was gone. Turning to the pictures on the wall, he smiled sadly at one of them. An older blond-haired man stared back. "It is only a matter of time before he figures it out on his own now that the seal is gone, but there are other things in motion that are more important. I fear I will join you soon if what I have heard from Itachi is true about my old teammate." He paused for moment before smiling. "But they will be in good hands."

XXX

"Huh, nice place. You really own this whole complex?" Kurotsuchi asked she hung onto Naruto's back as they made their way to their rooms. Luckily, there was a two-bedroom apartment next the blond's.

"Yeah, the old man gave it to me because the last owner died before I was born and for some reason, thought it would be a good gift for me." Naruto replied with a frown. Now that he thought about it, that did seem sketchy.

"Well whatever, you own it now and I want to get some rest." Karin cut in and then took Kurotsuchi off Naruto before the blond had a chance to saying and then a door was slammed in his face.

"Ok then." Naruto replied with a deadpanned stare. He could have sworn Karin had a devious look on her face, but he was unsure why. Shrugging, he walked in his apartment next door, thinking it was probably nothing he had to truly worry about.

Then again, with that sudden shiver down his back, he wasn't sure.

XXX

They had just gotten the Iwa native girl out of her hospital room and she had a shit-eating grin. It seemed the medical ninjas here really knew what they were doing and her broken leg was almost healed, she could now put some weight on it, but not for long. Hey, it was progress and she wasn't complaining…for now anyway.

"So are we getting the blond's brain checked out or not?" Kutotsuchi asked with a smirk. "Or is he just your typical blond?"

"Ha ha." Naruto grumbled as he halfway supported her down the hall to his own room where he was to meet Inoichi. He didn't notice it, but Karin had that devious look on her face again.

Once there, they were met with an older blond man in jonin attire. Plus, Ino was smiling at them from next time him.

"Ino? Why are you here?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Dad said it was good training." Ino replied cheerfully. "What, are you not happy to see me?"

"I didn't say that, I was just asking." Naruto replied, not actually answering. In truth, he didn't have much interaction with the girl before and for some reason, wasn't too keen on caring, but a feeling was telling him that he would be seeing her more often.

"Enough Ino." Her father stated, stopping her from saying anything further. "I will be teaching you another jutsu later, for now, I just want you to observe how I help Naruto with his issue." Turning to the boy, he asked. "Are you ready?"

"As I will ever be." Naruto replied with a shrug.

"Very well." The man said with a frown before he went through a few hand signs and then placing his thumb on the spot where Naruto's third eye would be. "Ninja Art: Soul of the Mind's Eye Projection!" With that, the room around them went completely black. The girls looked around in awe and then disgust as the darkness around them quickly shifted into that of a leaky sewer. Before they could say anything, they too disappeared. They were still there, but they would not be able to interfere at all. Only observe. Looking around, Inoichi grimacing. "This was not what I was expecting."

"What would you expect of someone with my past and what I am?" Naruto stated as they started walking down the hallway. He also noted with a grimace that he was back in his orange jumpsuit.

"Typically when someone is dealing with multiple personalities or close to it like you are, the landscape is that of a shattered mirror. The cracks representing the pieces of one's self. For it to be a sewer…you would have had to be isolated all your life, feel hatred nearly every day, and have very low self-worth." Inoichi sighed sadly and a bit worried now that the girl might learn of Naruto's burden. "For what it is worth, I am sorry for how our home has treated someone who should be a hero."

"It is fine, I have come to peace with it a long time ago." Naruto replied in a bored manner.

"Oh have you now? Why lie to the man 'helping' you?" A voice rang out menacingly down the hallway. They ran towards it to find a room with a giant cage on the other end. In between them, the water of the sewer has risen but had not left the room. It was strange, especially when they walked out onto it like it was the floor itself.

With each step they took, the water rippled. In the middle of the room, they stopped, looking deep into the darkness beyond the cage, expecting the voice coming from there. "It is not our mutual friend speaking!" The voice suddenly rang out, now loud, like it was all around them. Seeing something red glow beneath them, they looked back down at the water to find a strange sight.

It was that of a giant red eye with the Uzumaki Clan symbol as the chosen pattern upon its surface. It then rose up out of the water and stared at them, menacingly. Slowly it shrank as the water rose up to meet it and then form into that of a human. The darkness around it gave it shape and it looked like a very dark version of Naruto, but not at the same time.

It was at this point, Inoichi noted that the water still surrounding them was tainted by this darkness, making him narrow his eyes. He hoped Naruto was ready to face his inner darkness.

"What are you?" Naruto asked, a bit unnerved by this…creature.

The creature opened its eyes with a snap. One of just pure red while the other was the eye they saw earlier. All with a sinister smile. "WHO? I am you! You're true self!"

"And how is that?"

"I am your darkness you fool. I am the true feelings of hatred you feel for this damnable village that hates and scorns your very existence all because of this seal we have that should mark us as a hero on the level of the Fourth Hokage. Hell, he wanted us to be seen as a hero, but people are stupid." The dark creature smiled even more then. "But I guess I truly have to thank my existence to our teachers for giving us this eye. The Curse of Hatred never activated in Shisui, but in us…it was MEANT for us! It gave us so much power! For example…" It smirked as it reached out a hand and the water swallowed Inoichi whole.

"What are you doing?" Naruto shouted in panic, not liking how this was going.

"Assuming control." The dark half replied gleefully as Naruto too was swallowed by the water, all the while a peal of dark laughter rang out.

XXX

Gasping for air, Naruto took in his surroundings to find himself in front of a steel door. Opening it, he stepped into a very familiar room to the Façade. The room where he always tried to escape. Iruka's classroom. It was fairly empty, there were transparent images of all his classmates. The only real people there were himself, and oddly enough, the Façade.

"Now what is going on?" He asked but widened his eyes. His voice sounded younger! Looking at his hands, he noticed that they were that of a child's and he was wearing the black shirt and ripped up shorts of his old training gear. He didn't really know it, but his right eye was missing.

"I am not sure kid, maybe you can tell me." The Façade replied as he looked around the classroom. "Ever since I got swallowed up by that giant snake, I have been in this room and I am getting sick of it."

"It can't be that bad." The kid replied. "You are away from anything that can hurt you."

"Are you kidding me?" The Façade roared. "It is here that I am reminded every day that I am NOTHING. No one ever wants me around, like they just want me to disappear! But I exist!"

By the end of it, the happy mask on the Façade was nowhere to be seen and tears were endlessly flowing down his face, showing it wasn't physical pain, but that of deep emotional pain that one can only take so much of.

And with the tears, came the voices.

It's him!

Mom said to stay away from him, he's trouble.

This kid ain't anything special, get him!

Look at the freak standing up for the other freak!

He's such a loser.

Dumbass.

Just stay away, can't you take a hint?

Everyone hates you, don't you know that?

All the while these voices rang out and more, Naruto noticed the room had gotten darker as it began to be flooded by that awful dark liquid. Soon, it bubbled around the Façade as he had a look of desperation of his face. "I exist, I know that. Don't turn me away like everyone else does. I don't want to die." That look became sinister as the liquid nearly engulfed him and his left eye glowing red like that massive evil eye before. "Or I'll hate you like I do everyone else."

It was true though, Naruto really didn't care for his Façade all that much, as it was nothing but an idiot. But…it did prove to be useful as a buffer of sorts for all the hate he received on a daily basis from the entire village. No, he didn't hate his Façade, he was envious that it could endure so much he at one point couldn't, he hated everything this village stood for. He thought it was because of his teachers that those thoughts disappeared. This Façade, it represented a perceived new step in his life. It drew on the happiness he got from training with his old teachers. It was Forgiveness for this village. That much he knew.

But before he could say anything, he heard a crack and the floor underneath him shattered, forcing him to fall into more unrelenting darkness below.

XXX

He gasped again as he woke up in a beaten up training field that had three training posts that looked completely destroyed. There was blood everywhere and most of it looked like it came from the many blank masked ninja that littered the ground.

Widening his eyes, he remembered this scene. It was the scene he came upon to save his teacher, Shisui, from Danzo and his Root ninja. Where he lost his left eye.

Hearing the crunching of grass made him turn his head to see his old training self with the eye gone and a dead look in his other eye. It didn't say a word as the blood from the field slowly crawled towards it.

He knew what this version of him represented. His Strength. It was his drive to become stronger and to protect not only himself, but those he deemed worthy. At the time, it was his teachers and the old Hokage.

But that lead to the question of which version of himself was he? Looking down at his clothes, he saw they were various furs stitched together. Ah, he was back to this. Survival. When he woke up, he thought he was his training self, but he had reverted back to his survival skills. When he knew that living in the village after being kicked out of the orphanage was not going to work, he took to living in the woods and surviving any way he could.

"I see now." The young boy stated as he eyed the other before him. "I need all aspects of myself to survive in this world, or I run the risk of losing myself to the darkness that festers within me."

"That is nice that you finally figured it out, but sorry to say it is too late!" The dark voice rang out in mock sadness. "Your darkness is just too good to let it slip! It gave me life! I will destroy what has hurt you and then I will release that darkness within this world!"

"I can't let that happen." A new voice rang as its owner materialized between the two boys. This was Shusui Uchiha, one of Naruto's teachers. The man had the typical black hair of the Uchiha Clan, but it was rather short, shorter than Naruto's. He also wore ANBU armor, signifying his old position within the village.

"How can you interfere?" the Naruto that was covered in the mass of dark liquid shouted in panic. "You are dead!"

"While that is true, that eye you have is still mine and I put a part of my soul within it to help my student should he need it." Shisui looked sadly between to the two Narutos. "And he really needs it if he is fractured so much within his mind. I also can't let his darkness and my clan's Curse control him. In time, he will face it on his own terms."

With that, he calmly walked towards the writhing mass of darkness on the boy and smiled. "You have finally accepted all aspects of yourself, even your own darkness. With time, it will fade and you will learn to be happy." He tapped the boy on the head and the darkness was expelled from everything, the boy and the surroundings.

When Naruto's world came into focus, he was staring at his old teacher on equal level with him. The surroundings were now of Team 7's training ground. He himself wore a pure white shirt and blue jeans with sandals. "Thank you sensei."

Shisui smiled at the blond. "That is what a teacher is there for." His visage became serious though. "With this experience and the presence of a Sharingan in an Uzumaki body, I have felt a great change within the eye. You are treading on new territory, in all aspects of yourself, but I am sure you will figure it out later."

"Wha?" Naruto got out before Shisui pushed him and everything blanked out.

"Like your parents, I will always be there for you."

XXX

Naruto lay in a hospital bed that was already within the room they had all been in. Inoichi just stared at the boy in wonder. After he had lost control for his projection jutsu, everything in that room had blown up in his face.

Once he had been taken by the dark water that had permeated the blond's mind, he felt trapped and that was not a feeling he usually felt within someone's mind. Especially considering he almost went insane himself from the myriad of angry voices of the village screaming at him. Thankfully he had been saved, but not by someone he would ever expect. The blond's own father had put a part of his soul in the kid to eventually talk to him. It was genius! So Inoichi gave up some of his chakra to the man, so that he would have far more time than he intended. It was the least he could do.

The girls were a different story. While they had been in the background of everything, they still were taken by that strange dark water. What saved them was not the 4th Hokage, but the very beast that laid waste the village so long ago.

The Kyuubi.

Although it almost seemed bored when it saved them, like it was barely worth the effort. Still the presence of the most powerful tailed beast inside Naruto brought up a lot of questions and cleared up a lot as well. It also made the visions they saw within the darkness, make sense. Naruto's life was not pleasant and it showed of his character how strong he truly was to endure all of that.

For Karin, she just learned about another aspect of her relative's life and wanted be able to help make the rest of his life better. Oh sure, she was going to do that for herself, but Naruto really needed it too so that was a plus. Looking to the other girls in the room, she smiled a devious smile.

Kurotsuchi smiled sadly, but had a determined look in her eyes. Through all that darkness, she saw firsthand how people can be to a Jinchuriki. If that was truly what it was like, it would explain her grandfather's reluctance to make another one since Roshi was so old now. Yes, she would help those two in her own village lead better lives by changing the hearts of her villagers. Looking towards the blond, she smirked, he had her respect now. She would be as strong as him no matter what it took. Maybe the future would be better for it.

Ino felt different now. She always went along with the popular crowd and shunned Naruto like he was nothing. Her father at one point even tried to change her mind on that, but that was not how Ino operated. Now she regretted it. Looking to her fellow blond on the bed, she nodded to herself. This kid was a hero, not the villain and idiot she was led to believe. She would be there for him as a friend should be.

"Girls." Inoichi's stern voice broke them out of their inner thought as they turned to him. "What you have learned today is an S-Class Secret. I am sure you know why this information can't get out unless he says it himself. The consequences could be dire if you do not heed my words."

"Meh, you don't have to worry about it. I respect him enough to keep his secret." Kurotsuchi replied. "Besides, he is now my rival in being a Kage."

"He's family, so I am with him." Karin stated with a smile.

"I understand." Ino replied with a nod.

"Good." Inoichi said tiredly as he left the room. "Now I just have to report this to the Hokage and I can go to bed. Now I know how Shikaku feels."

XXX

"Where am I now?" Naruto asked as he walked along a river to a large waterfall. He was still in his mind, he knew that much. After Shisui talked to him, he thought he was going to wake up back in the room with the others.

Walking up to the area around the waterfall that came from…somewhere, he noticed something strange. He saw a red torii in front of a waterfall where the waters met. It was strange seeing a gate of sorts in his own mind. Plus, there was a sign hanging from it that said seal and it had the Uzumaki and Uchiha clan symbols on it. But there was another that he was not familiar with. It was old and faded, he thought he saw some sort of monkey. Odd.

"So...we finally meet." A voice echoed loudly as the water bled red.

"I hear you." Naruto said as he looked around the water and the land around him. "But I don't see you."

"With the change you have undergone in your mind, so has the seal. It seems that all Uzumaki have the potential to change a seal on them without even knowing it." The water under the gate rose up to form a man. He had long blood-red hair that fell around his face. The same whisker-like marks on his cheeks as Naruto, but he had a scruff of a beard covering it. Black where the whites of his eyes would be and glowing red irises. He wore a simple orange kimono that was the partially open to show his chest. "However, this is a decent change compared to the others."

With that, he walked off the water to a nearby rock formation that looked like two thrones facing each other and lazily sat down in one of them, gesturing for the blond to take the other. Naruto cautiously walked over and took his seat as well. "You are not what I expected…Kyuubi."

The man merely shrugged. "What? You were expecting a giant nine tailed fox?"

"Well that and your calm demeanor. I kind of expected you wanting to kill me for obvious reasons."

Kyuubi smirked, which looked feral with his elongated fangs. "Oh don't get me wrong human, I would love to do that. I do want my freedom after all. However, due to recent events, that is not possible right now. That and you interest me. It is not every day that one faces their darkness and accepts it the way you have."

"I kind of had help with that." Naruto replied with a shrug and he also noticed that the river rage red a bit before calming.

"Yes, by an Uchiha no less. Do wonders never cease?" The man said sarcastically. Clearly the Uchiha was a sore spot for the ancient being. "But that does leave the question on where that leaves us."

Naruto signed. "I don't like this situation either, but we are stuck with each other. So why not make the best of it. Let's work together."

The Kyuubi quirked an eyebrow at that. "Just like that?"

Naruto just stared at the man in front of him. This had to be a challenge of sorts. He had to be truthful here. "When I first heard that you were in me, I wanted to hate you. You were the cause of everything bad in my life, but the more I thought on that, that seemed wrong. You probably had your reasons for the attack and you can tell me at your own pace. For now, let's just agree to get along and see where it goes from there."

The man stared hard and long at the blond before that feral smirk crossed his features. "You are not like the others Jinchuriki that I have had, and in time I will tell you of them. Very well, I agree that we should work together. Well, at least until you die, then I'll be free to do what I wish." With that, the being before him started to evaporate, reminding Naruto of the water his form was created from, but left with the last word. "I suggest looking more into the seals in your apartment, you never know how useful they can be." Then, the world blanked out again for the blond.

XXX

"Hmm." Naruto was currently skimming through a book of seals he had on his desk. There were a few seals he had been working on, but for the life of him, couldn't figure out what the Kyuubi meant. These were the only seals he had.

"What are you doing?"

"WHAT THE!" Naruto jumped out of his seat only to see Karin staring at him like had gone crazy.

The redhead just smirked at his reaction before peering at the seals he had been working? "Huh, neat. Why are you going over these like you have missed something? You've been like this since yesterday. Don't you remember Ino is coming over to take you out to get a better look? You can't stay in animal skins and fur all the time."

Naruto coughed in embarrassment as he recovered. "Right, I forgot. It is just that Kyuubi mentioned I should look at a seal in my apartment better. Only problem is, there are only these seals on my desk. I have no idea what he is talking about."

"What about the seal in that picture frame?" Karin asked as she pointed to the one on the wall behind her.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked as he walked over to it with his cousin. "That is just an abstract picture that the Old Man said was from the previous owner of this place."

"Nope!" Karin chirped. "Good thing you have a true Uzumaki here or otherwise you would have never figured that out. We are going to need to work on that."

"Oh ha ha" Naruto deadpanned to Karin's shit-eating grin. "What does this one do?"

"Hmm, it looks like an overly complicated communication seal." Karin replied with a critical eye.

Naruto stared at it for a few moments, wondering who he would be communicating with before he shrugged and decided to just find out. Putting his hand to the intricate designs, he channeled his chakra through it to reveal….nothing. Naruto just turned to Karin with a deadpanned look. "Well, that was a bust."

Karin didn't say anything though because the seal glowed brightly and a cracking noise was heard. Then the wall itself blew apart in bright light and Naruto was gone, with the only thing on that wall being there was the bright light.

"What overly complicated shit is this?" Karin shouted in panic.

XXX

In a dark room, machines could be heard humming and clanking in the background as an ancient man looked over a cliff to the lights below, a sad look in his eyes. For all the activity that operated around him, this city was empty.

It was a sad and lonely existence, but someone had to be here.

But even so, he felt his end was near. He just wished someone would come in his final moments.

His prayers were answered. There was pull of an ancient seal that his family had always used. His eyes watered and a sad smile graced his features. It could have been anyone, but he knew this specific gateway. He would get to see her…one last time.

White light shot up not far away and out came a figure.

"Kushina? Is that really you?"

"Who?"

XXXX