Author's Note: Before the idea crosses your mind, no, this isn't an April's Fools Day prank, but a genuine chapter.
And now, the moment all of you have been waiting for so long, Naruto finally faces the Nine Tails! I tried to make it a little different from canon, hope you enjoy it:
Chapter 99:
Overcoming Hatred
or
What does the Fox say?
Before Killer B would bring Naruto and Fu towards the place where they would tame their Tailed Beasts, Naruto decided to bring Tenzo and the Third Hokage, given that they had the means to stop them if they lost control of their Tailed Beasts in the process and the worst came to happen (Wood Release and Tailed Beast Chakra Suppressing seals, respectively). The rest of their escort team would watch the entrance just to be sure.
Said entrance happened to be behind the waterfall. When they crossed the water curtain, the Konoha ninjas and one Taki kunoichi all gasped upon seeing what was behind the water. Instead of a small cave leading to some kind of sealed room, there was a massive chamber, its roof being dozens of meters high. It was so big, it could probably house a small village. There was a large temple with five tall towers at the end of the gigantic chamber, and a paitning of the Eight Tails and the Two Tails firing a Tailed Beast Ball against each other. There were two rows of beheaded statues that formed a hallway towards the temple's entrance.
"Here we are, the Tailed Beast Temple, a very special place, it will be here where the Tailed Beasts you two will face," Killer B started to rap.
"What's so special about this place? Can't Naruto-kun and Fu-san attempt to control their Tailed Beasts anywhere else?" the Third Hokage asked.
"The temple is special, yes, it's a security measure, if the jinchuriki falls," Killer B explained. "If the beasts attempt to escape they will be held inside these walls."
"Of course. With a place like this, a jinchuriki can train without endangering other lives and let the Tailed Beast out," Tenzo agreed. "If only we had a place like this in Konoha."
"Maybe with some time, and enough fuinjutsu, dad and I can cook up something," Naruto offered. "Though sadly it will have to wait until the war is over."
"We're here," Killer B announced. They reached to the entrance of the temple, a very large gate with an sculpture of the Two Tails' head with its jaws opened. The Kumo jinchuriki introduced his arm into the mouth, and activated a hidden switch inside. The gates slowly slided open.
"Whoa..." Naruto said, looking at the room.
"What is this place?" Fu asked.
Because the room that had been opened didn't look like a room at all. It was more like... like a vast, endless space that spread in every direction. There was no floor or walls just... a sky of multiple colors.
"Come on, no time to waste, get into the chamber, make haste," Killer B urged them as he entered the room. Apparently, there was a solid floor, even if it couldn't be seen. The three Konoha ninjas and one Taki kunoichi followed the rapper inside. "It's time to begin. Who's going to be the first to go in?"
Naruto looked at Fu, and smiled at her weakly. "Ladies first?"
"Actually..." Fu began, rubbing her arm, uneasy. "I feel a little nervous. Would you mind going first? I'd be more at ease after seeing you doing it."
"I'm scared as hell too," Naruto admitted. "But guess we're not going anywhere unless one of us take the first step. Okay, I'll do it."
A sigh of relief escaped Fu. Killer B nodded in approval. He made a hand seal, and the gate closed with a loud boom, leaving all of them trapped inside the room.
"Now there's no danger to the outside world if the Nine Tails breaks free. Of course we would die, but it's the better option, don't you agree?" Killer B rapped, as he sat down, action which was mimicked by Naruto. The two of them bumped fists, and closed their eyes. "Okay, this is the plan, let's face the Nine Tails, I'll guide you as best as I can."
"Understood," Naruto said with a nod.
…
Nine Tails Seal
When Naruto opened his eyes, he was no longer inside the Tailed Beast Temple, but in front of the massive gates that held the giant fox. It seemed the beast hadn't noticed Naruto's presence yet.
"So, you're already in, that's swell," Naruto heard Killer B's voice rap. "The first step is to remove the seal. But be careful, the fox won't be ain't quell."
"Got it," Naruto replied with a nod. "Though before I do, let's do some preparations."
The blond sat cross legged, and closed his eyes. Despite the fact that he was inside a mental world, Naruto could still feel nature energy around him. He gathered as much as he could, before deciding it was enough. He also left a clone back continuing gathering nature energy, just in case. Then, he walked towards the gate, and when he reached it, the water around his feet formed a spiraling tower that pushed him upwards, so he could reach the paper seal holding the door easily.
"Hm? Who's there?" the Nine Tails grumbled, as Naruto heard his body shift. He sounded like if he just woke up from a nap.
"Who's there? Really?" Naruto asked, a bit incredulous. "Does somebody besides me pays you any visit without my knowledge, furball?"
"You?" the fox asked, sounding surprised. "But you feel... different. Wait... what happened to your true self?"
"You mean the guy with the pitch black hair and glowing red eyes? That's more the edgy me, to be honest," Naruto casually answered, as he removed the seal protecting the gate, revealing its intrincate lock. "Though to answer your question, I gave him quite the ass beating. You should have seen it."
"The Nine Tails can't feel your darkness, that's great, but don't get confident, he has more weapons than your hate," Killer B said.
Naruto then removed both his jacked and mesh shirt, tossing them away. The Double Tetragram Seal appeared on his gut, while the key to the seal appeared on his hand. Naruto placed the key on the seal, and turned it like it was a doorknob.
"What are you doing?" the Nine Tails asked, irritated.
The lock on the cage started to undo itself, first slowly, but progressively faster, ending with a final loud "click". The moment Naruto heard that, the Nine Tails slammed the gates open, hurling the blond backwards, landing on the wet floor on his back.
"Ouch..."
"I don't know what you're pretending to do," the Nine Tails growled, as he exited his cell. "But this is the last mistake you'll ever make in your short and inane life."
"Naruto, get up, no time to sleep, if you fail now, you'll make all of us weep!" Killer B urged.
Naruto jumped back on his feet, just to see the behemoth of a fox angrily charging at him. However, before he could get any closer, multiple maroon colored tentacles broke the ground below him, and wrapped themselves around the giant fox, leaving him completely immobilized.
"Don't worry, Naruto, I can give you a hand, I'll make sure no attack of the Nine Tails ever lands!" Killer B rapped.
"Gyuki... you goddamned traitor...!" the Nine Tails growled, as he struggled against the tentacles.
"Now, Naruto, pull his chakra into your body, but be quick, these tentacles are a bit shoddy, and the Nine Tails may escape my grip, and that won't be very hip!" Killer B advised. "Though when your chakras are in contact, the Nine Tails will pull yours too! He will use his hatred to corrupt you, so make sure you break through!"
Naruto walked towards the downed Nine Tails, and grabbed the tip of one of his tails. He could feel the chakra of the beast coursing through the furry flesh. Naruto coayed his hands in chakra, and pulled. This didn't go unnoticed by the struggling fox, who glared at his jailed with eyes full of hate.
"Oh, so that's your plan! You want to take my chakra for you, huh? Well, IT'S NOT HAPPENING!" the Kyubi roared.
Suddenly, the Nine Tails' body released a powerful blast of chakra, one that destroyed Killer B's tentacles, and once again violently hurled Naruto backwards.
…
Real World
Naruto wasn't the only one pushed backwards, as the same thing happened to Killer B in the outside world.
"B!" Fu called, as she went to check on her fellow jinchuriki. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"The Nine Tails is much stronger than I thought. I can no longer help Naruto, he isn't in a tight spot," Killer be told the others.
Four pair of eyes turned at the immobile blonde, hoping that he would be able to defeat the Nine Tails without any help. And then, much to their shock, Naruto burst into flames.
…
Nine Tails Seal
"No playing around! I'm going to make sure there's not enough to bury left of your body!" the Nine Tails boasted, as he opened his jaws, and started to gather chakra. Blue and Red energy particles started to gather, forming a dark purple sphere that was quickly growing. "Tailed Beast Wave!"
The Nine Tails swallowed the ball, before opening its jaws again, releasing a powerful wave of chakra at the hapless blond. It would have been his end if it wasn't for a barrier of purple flames that formed between the human and the Tailed Beast, succesfully dispersing the attack into multiple directions.
"WHAT!?" the Nine Tails roared in indignation.
"Wait a minute... these flames... this chakra! It can't be!" Naruto said in realization, full of joy.
The purple flames formed a tornado of fire that quickly began to shrink and compress, until it took an humanoid shape, surrounded by a cloak of purple flames. It was somebody Naruto knew too well.
"Hello, Naruto-kun. I hope my intervention was timely."
"Hinata-hime!" Naruto said, pulling his girlfriend into a hug. "Oh boy, I'm so happy to see you! What are you doing here? How are you here, by the way?"
"Actually, I'm not the real Hinata, but a piece of her chakra she sealed into you before you departed Konoha," Hinata explained.
"When did she...?" Naruto tried to remember, until the realization hit him. "The kiss! That's why she jolted me!"
"Yes. I knew I had to help you tame the Nine Tails somehow. This was the only thing I could think of," Hinata told him.
"Heh, don't worry, hime. Now that you're here, that furry asshole has no chances to win!" Naruto proudly declared.
"Indeed," Hinata smiled, and nodded. "What is the plan, Naruto-kun?"
"You cover me from above. I'll give this overgrown furball a beating he won't forget," Naruto said, grinning confidently.
"You got it!" Hinata agreed, as she elevated above Naruto.
The Nine Tails angrily eyed the two youths, and snarled. "No matter how much help you get, you won't make my power yours! I won't be a slave to the humans anymore!"
High into the air, Hinata pulled her collapsible chakra bow. Pulling the chakra string, she generated an arrow made of pure electricity. Though than aiming at the fox, she aimed at a spot above him.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Arrow Volley!"
Hinata released the arrow, which flew above the Nine Tails in an arc. However, when it was above his head, it exploded into a multitude of smaller lightning arrows that rained upon the giant fox like the lightning storm. He wrapped his tails around him like a dome for protection.
"Naruto-kun, now!" Hinata shouted.
The Nine Tails heard a loud whirring sound, and saw that Naruto had just thrown a Rasenshuriken at him. Still, the beast proved to be faster than he appeared, as he moved his tails just in time to intercept the chakra shuriken. There was a massive explosion of chakra and wind that pushed the fox backwards and all of his tails in different directions. However, he did manage to avoid the worst part of the explosion.
"Heh, not bad, brat, but you can't hope to-"
The Nine Tails was interrupted by another whirring sound, and from the dome of chakra and wind, a second Rasenshuriken emerged.
"Accursed brat! He used the first Rasenshuriken to leave me wide open and to hide the second one!" the Nine Tails thought in realization, though too late.
The attack connected, resulting in a second explosive sphere of chakra and razor-blade wings. The giant fox roared in pain as the force of the blast tossed him against the soaked floor on his back.
"Hinata-hime, use your black ball thingies to immobilize him!" Naruto told his girlfriend.
"Right! Truth Seeking Balls!" After making the necessary hand seals, Hinata generated four Truth Seeking Balls. With two arm motions, she threw the orbs at each of the Nine Tails' limbs. They took the shape of horseshoes before they embedded themselves into the ground, pinning his arms and legs down.
"You think you can keep me contained!?" The Nine Tails roared, as he began to push the Truth Seeking Orbs. "Just because you have a Tenseigan you think that makes you Hamura? You're barely a shadow compared to him!"
"Hinata-hime was chosen by Hamura to carry his legacy," Naruto said, as he made several Shadow Clones, which positioned themselves around the fox in a circle. "And she isn't the only one who's going to contain you! Sealing Art: Cursed Binding Circle!"
The Naruto clones stabbed a kunai with a sealing tag on them into the ground. The seals were activated immediately, generating more chains of seals that formed multiple concentric circles. Once said circles were complete, the Nine Tails felt his body go completely rigid.
"I... can't move..." the fox grunted. Between the binding seals and the Truth Seeking Balls, he couldn't barely speak.
"Now that the Nine Tails has been subdued, try to take his chakra, Naruto-kun!" Hinata told him.
"You don't have to tell me twice," the real Naruto said, as he walked towards the central tail, and grabbed its tip. "Alright, here we go!"
Naruto started to pull the Nine Tails' chakra out, which took the shape of a blue energy current, and pushed it into himself.
"You... you bastard..." the Nine Tails grumbled. Anger started to well up inside him as he felt Naruto slowly draining his chakra. "You... you humans are... all the same..."
Fueled by his rage, the fox started to fight both Naruto and Hinata's bindings, and began to recover some mobility, even if it wasn't much. Still, with some time, he could break free. The Tenseigan wielder noticed this.
"Naruto-kun, hurry! He might break free any moment!" Hinata urged him.
"I'm... I'm trying!" Naruto replied, struggling to pull and absorb the chakra.
"Alright, I'll see if I can buy you some more ti- eh?" Hinata interrupted himself when she noticed something. The chakra current that was being absorbed into Naruto, was starting to change from blue to very dark red. Hinata had a very bad feeling about it.
"You... you think you can take my power... AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN!?" The Nine Tails roared with such power, Hinata was forced to cover her ears. The chakra current changed color completely, and worse, it started to spread into Naruto. The clones keeping the binding circle active dispelled, allowing the Kyubi more freedom. "You have no idea who you're fighting against! What I am, and what my power represents! But you'll learn it soon! Now, TASTE MY ANGER! TASTE MY HATRED, AND BE CONSUMED BY IT!"
The dark red chakra started to spread around Naruto's body, engulfing it completely. First, Naruto was hit by a wave of pain unlike any other he felt before. He fell to his knees, and tried to cut the connection between him and the beast, but the Nine Tails wouldn't allow any of that.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed, as he clutched his body.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, as she quickly flew at her boyfriend's side, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Naruto-kun, are you- OW!"
Touching Naruto felt like touching a burning iron. If that was how it felt on the outside, she couldn't imagine what the blond was feeling on the inside. Panicked, Hinata started to look around, trying to find a way to help her beloved. It didn't take her long to see that the root of the problem was the chakra linking human and beast.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine in an instant," Hinata said, as she started to make hand seals. "Truth-seeking-"
"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" The Nine Tails roared before smacking Hinata with one of his tails. The Hyuga Clan Head was so focused on Naruto and his suffering, that she didn't notice the fox until it was too late, and the poor girl was hurled away.
"AAAAAaaaahhhh...!" she screamed, before falling into the nearby water with a splash.
Such a violent act against Hinata would enrage Naruto beyond reason. But the jinchuriki was in so much pain, he didn't even notice what was happening around him. The pain was too great. Being tightly chained to a giant rock, with spikes piercing your limbs and chest... it was too much.
Then it came the anger. Rage so pure and undiluted, it felt unreal. Not even when Pain almost killed Hinata and Haku, nor when Akatsuki abducted several jinchuriki under his nose did Naruto felt such fury. Anger at all the people responsible for this. That despicable Madara Uchiha. The loathsome First Hokage and his equally worthless wife, Mito. Kushina Uzumaki. And lastly, Kushina's spawn, and current jailer, Naruto Uzumaki.
"Wait, there's... something wrong..." Naruto said, in a moment of clarity. He quickly realized that the pain and anger he was feeling wasn't his, but the Nine Tails'. Not that this helped him in any way, as he was soon overwhelmed by the inhumane pain and anger, while desperatedly clinging to his last bits of sanity.
"For sixteen years I've been languishing inside your body. And now... you will be the one inside me, Naruto! Goodbye!" The Kyubi shouted, as he proceeded to absorb Naruto once and for all.
"H-help..." Naruto said, his voice being a whisper, before the fox consumed him.
…
Back in the real world, people were worried. When Naruto burst into purple flames, Fu instantly recognized them as Hinata's Tenseigan Chakra Cloak –not to mention that thanks to her connection to Naruto, she could sense that chakra as if it was hers–, meaning that Hinata must had transferred some of her chakra to Naruto. However, another kind of chakra, this time dark red, put the purple flames out as it started to slowly spread around Naruto.
"This is bad, the beast is winning! The Nine Tails' chakra grows while Naruto's is thinning!" a worried Killer B panicked.
Fu had to admit that Killer B's dedication to rapping was worth respecting, given not even such a dire situation forced him to drop it.
"What do we do?" Fu asked, looking at Tenzo and the Third Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, I think we should put an end to this," Tenzo told the old man. "Naruto can always try later."
"Agreed," the Third Hokage said with a nod, as he pulled out a few sealing tags Jiraiya had given him. "Now, Tenzo, use your-"
"Wait a second!" Fu called, as through her connection to Naruto, she started to feel something. "Look!"
…
Back inside the seal, the pain and the anger finally overwhelmed the blond, and in his wish to be released for such torture, allowed the Nine Tails to win, and let the beast absorb his chakra.
*SNAP!*
And lastly, the pain and the hatred vanished, being replaced by a warm, comforting feeling. Was he finally dead? No, he wasn't dead, he could still feel his body, his feet standing on that soaked floor.
"The connection broke!" the Nine Tails said in alarm. He could no longer feel his connection to Naruto. It was as if something was filtering his chakra from corrupting the blond any further. "My hatred was pushed back! What... what is this feeling?"
"Tell me, Nine Tails," a new male voice Naruto never heard before began. "Have you ever loved somebody so much, that you would give your life for their happiness and well being? Because this is what you're feeling right now. Two parents' love for the son they barely got to meet."
"YOU!" the Nine Tails roared.
"Yeah," the man said, as he turned at the beast. "Me."
Slowly, Naruto's eyesight returned, and he realized he was still inside the Nine Tails' seal. But there was another person he hasn't seen before. A blond man wearing a white cloak adorned with flames. Said man had a hand on the chakra link that was binding the Nine Tails to Naruto, and with a quick hand motion, snapped it in two.
Naruto then felt a comforting hand placed on his shoulder. "Naruto, are you okay?" a female voice asked. Yet that voice didn't belong to Hinata. Naruto realized there was a red haired woman standing besides him, her lips curved into a welcoming smile. As his mind started to recover, he put two and two together. "Wait... you two... you guys are..."
"The Fourth Hokage?" Naruto heard Hinata's voice. He turned around, and saw that the Hyuga was slowly floating back to him.
"What... what are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.
The Fourth Hokage merely smiled at him. "Don't worry. I know you must be confused, and have plenty of questions. There will be time for that."
"Let us help you put that oversized furball in his place. You don't have to do this alone, ya know!" the woman added.
"Minato... Kushina..." the Nine Tails growled, as he glared at the two newcomers. "First the Hyuga girl, and now you two... I don't know why or how are you here, but this changes nothing! No amount of humans will stop me from claiming my freedom!"
"We'll see about that," Minato confidently replied. His eyes moved towards Hinata. "Your name is Hinata, right?"
"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama," the shocked Hyuga replied. Talking with a past Hokage felt unreal. Not even talking with Hamura Otsutsuki felt so overwhelming.
"We saw that the Nine Tails got you good before. You think you can continue fighting?" Minato asked.
"Of course!" Hinata said, trying to put on a brave face. "I promised Naruto-kun I'll help him no matter what, and I won't go back on my word!"
"Good," Minato said with a nod. "Naruto and I will fight the fox head on. Kushina will bind it with her chakra chains. You will provide some support from above."
"Understood," Hinata replied, as she started to gain attitude. "You can count on me, Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama... eh, your name was Kushina?"
Kushina nodded. "Don't worry about introductions now. We can do that later. It's time to fight, ya know!"
Back on his feet, or better said, paws, the Nine Tails stomped towards the four humans.
"I'm so going to enjoy killing you a second time, Minato, Kushina," the Nine Tails threatened, as he gritted his fangs. "Though I don't know if I should kill you first so your son can see you die this time, or if I should kill the brat first in front of your eyes!"
"We'll see about that!" Kushina said, as a chain shot from her body. However, it wasn't aimed at the beast, but at Hinata hovering above them. "Hinata, catch! Hold it tightly!"
The Hyuga Clan head caught the chain, and wrapped it around her wrist for good measure.
"What do you want me to do, Kushina-san?" Hinata asked.
"When I tell you, launch me at the Nine Tails when all your strength, ya know?" Kushina asked. Hinata merely nodded. "For the time being, let the boys go first!"
"You heard your mother, Naruto, let's go!" Minato said, as he rushed forward. "Prepare a Rasenshuriken!"
"You got it!" Naruto replied, while summoning a
Minato pulled out multiple tri-pronged kunai with seals on their handle, and tossed them all around the place.
"Let's see if you can keep up with me!" Minato said, as he charged towards the Nine Tails, Rasengan in hand.
"You stupid, insignificant human! You weren't able to beat me back then! What are you going to do? Seal me again?" The Nine Tails said in a mocking tone, as he brought down his paw down.
Minato, however, quickly teleported to a nearby kunai. The Kyubi attempted to crush him with his other arm, but Minato was faster. Eventually, the fox was forced to play a very frustrating game of whack-a-mole with the teleporting Minato.
"Stay still, dammit!" The Nine Tails roared.
Upon seeing that Naruto was ready, Minato tossed one of his special kunai at the Nine Tails' face, and in less than a second, he teleported back to Naruto, touched him, and teleported again to the kunai flying towards the Nine Tails' face.
"Naruto, now!" Minato shouted.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The younger blond tossed the shuriken of wind chakra at the giant fox. However, the Nine Tails was already expecting this, and opened his jaws.
"You won't be able to charge a Tailed Beast Ball fast enough!" Naruto claimed.
But the Nine Tails had more weapons than the Tailed Beast Ball. His throat glowed with an orange light, and a torrent of flames poured from his jaws, intercepting the Rasenshuriken. Naruto's jutsu detonated prematurely, exploding in a dome of razor sharp winds, and upon absorbing the fox's fire attack, a massive ball of fire that quickly expanded.
"Whoops!" Minato said, before teleporting both himself and Naruto to the farthest tri-pronged kunai in order to escape the expanding inferno.
"You think you're so smart, don't you, Minato?" The Nine Tails growled, still behind the flames. "But you have no idea what you're fighting against-"
"Hinata, now!" Kushina shouted.
Suddenly, the expnading ball of flames split in two –mostly the result of Hinata's kinetic ability– and launched Kushina against the giant fox.
"Adamantine Wrecking Ball!"
Kushina shot multiple chakra chains from her body that wrapped around herself, forming multiple layers, until they ressembled a metal ball, at the same time Hinata let go of the chain she was holding. The Nine Tails was unable to dodge, and the wrecking ball hit him with such force, it knocked the fox on his back.
"Urk... you... you cursed-"
The Nine Tails was interrupted when Minato and Naruto suddenly appeared besides Kushina, who was quickly pulled away by Hinata's kinetic power. The two blonds were holding a truly massive sphere of chakra.
"Parent and Child Rasengan!"
Minato and Naruto slammed the gigantic sphere of destruction onto the fox' belly. The nine tailed beats roared in agony, still reeling from the pain in his jaws caused by Kushina.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
"Truth Seeking Balls!"
Once again, multiple chains shot from Kushina's body, and wrapped against the Nine Tails' body, arms, legs and tails.. Meanwhile, Hinata summoned four Truth Seeking Balls, changed their shape into horseshoes, and used them to pin the fox's arms and legs to the ground like she did before.
"Naruto, now!" Kushina called.
Naruto created an army of clones, who split into nine groups, each group grabbing one of the Nine Tails' chakra, who futilely tried to break from Kushina and Hinata's bindings. The army of clones started to pull, and with their combined strengh, a gigantic mass of orange chakra was ripped away from the Nine Tails. Naruto quickly absorbed that chakra into his body, resulting in a burst of golden light.
"Naruto-kun, you just... wow!" Hinata said in awe.
The absorbed Tailed Beast chakra manifested as a golden chakra cloak that covered Naruto completely. It was similar to Hinata's Tenseigan Chakra Cloak, but while Hinata's made her look like she was surrounded by flames, in Naruto's case it was as if he was made of them. The Double Tetragram Seal was visible on his stomach.
"You did it!" Minato cheered.
"Of course he did! He's our son, ya know!" Kushina added, just as exicted.
"Naruto..." the Nine Tails growled, drawing the four humans' attention to him. The Nine Tails now looked extremely emanciated, like an animal who had been starved for months. Even if he struggled to do so, he managed to get back to his feet. "You... you think you can take my power like that!?"
"Amazing... after all the chakra I took from him, he still has enough strength to continue," Naruto said in awe. "Tailed Beasts are truly amazing."
"YOU WILL DIE THE SAME WAY YOUR PARENTS DID!" The Nine Tails roared, as he charged towards the group of four.
While the other three tensed up and prepared to continue the fight, Naruto merely shook his head. He placed his hand on the seal on his stomach, and just like he did before, turned it as if it was a doorknob. Suddenly, torii started to fall from the sky, pinning the fox's tails to the ground, then his body, and finally his neck, immobilizing it completely. The Nine Tails struggled to break free, but it was useless. Finally, a pair of gates appeared and closed with a loud clang, forming a new jail for the Tailed Beast.
"I'm, sorry, Nine Tails," Naruto said, sounding regretful. "I promise you that this isn't the end."
"It's okay, son," Minato said, placing a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You did a good job."
"I'm sure you'll have lots of questions to ask us," Kushina added. She then looked at the Nine Tails, still trashing and cursing loudly. "But let's move this conversation somewhere a bit nicer, shall we?"
Suddenly, they were no longer inside the Nine Tails' seal, but in some sort of shapeless space of bright swirling colors and shooting stars, in a way similar to the room where the real Naruto was.
"Yes, this is much better," Minato said with a nod, before facing Naruto. "Hello, Naruto. It's been a while since the last time we saw you."
"You surely grew a lot!" Kushina added. "You know who we are, right?"
"Yes," Naruto hesitantly replied. "My... mother and father. But, how can you be here? I thought you were..." Naruto's eyes drifted towards Hinata, and a realization dawned upon him. "Wait, you're a fragment of their chakra, right? I've been carrying a piece of your chakra this whole time!"
"Exactly," Kushina confirmed. "Before our tragic demise, Minato sealed the last remnants of our chakra inside you. He knew you'd need help when the time to tame the Nine Tails came."
"Plus, it would give us the chance of seeing you all grown up, Naruto," Minato said.
"Though, it seems we aren't the only foreign chakra you've been carrying," Kushina said, as she glanced at Hinata, and smiled at her. "Who are you, girl? You said your name is Hinata, right? You have the Hyuga looks, but those eyes aren't the Byakugan."
"Your presence was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one," Minato added. "It seems that you and Naruto are pretty close."
"We are," Hinata replied. "And yes, I'm a Hyuga. These eyes are called Tenseigan, and they're an evolution of the Byakugan. My name is Hinata Hyuga, current Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan. Naruto-kun and I are in a relationship."
"Clan Head?" Kushina asked, a bit incredulous. "But you're so young... hey, wait a moment, you are Hikari-chan's daughter, are you?" Kushina asked. Hinata nodded. "Heh, no wonder you looked so familiar!"
"Look at that. Our son and Hikari's daughter ending up together. Who would have guessed it," Minato said, chuckling.
"I was expecting for you to hook up with Mikoto-chan's baby, but he turned out to be a boy," Kushina said, laughing a bit. "Anyway, how are the two of them doing?"
"Uh, mom..." Naruto began. "Mikoto Uchiha is dead. And so is almost all of the Uchihas."
Both Minato and Kushina were frozen in shock.
"What? No!" Kushina cried in horror.
"Just... what happened after we died?" Minato asked.
"It's a pretty long story. So I better start from the beginning..." Naruto said.
And thus, Naruto began narrating as well as he remembered the events after his birth. How Jiraiya and Tsunade returned to take care of him. Their marriage, and the birth of Kaida and Hagane –Naruto used two transformed clones to show Minato and Kushina how they looked, Kushina couldn't stop gushing for whole five minutes.
The gushing stopped when Naruto reached the part of the Uchiha Insurrection, which ended with most of the Uchiha Clan dead, as well as many Konoha ninjas, among them Hinata's father, Hiashi Hyuga.
"To think Mikoto-chan would be willing to go along with such insanity..." Kushina began.
"I can't believe that Fugaku would do that either," Minato added. "I knew the man. He was serious and practical, and above all else, always looked for the best for his clan. To send his clan into such a suicidal folly..."
Naruto continued his story. Jiraiya's ascension to Hokage after Hiruzen couldn't continue anymore. How Naruto graduated the Academy and was assigned to a team with Hinata, and Haku as his teammates and Kurernai Yuhi as his sensei. The mission to the Land of the Rice Fields, now the Land of Sound. The Chunin Exams, Orochimaru's invasion, and Kaida and Hagane's kidnapping attempt. And finally, the revelation that the masked Akatsuki member, who claimed to be responsible of the Nine Tails attack and the Uchiha Insurrection, was no other than Obito Uchiha.
Both Minato and Kushina felt like they've been hit in the gut by a sledgehammer.
"Obito? No... no! It can't be him! Even if he somehow survived the Battle of Kanabi Bridge, there's no way that he could have commited such atrocities!" Minato said, shaking his head, clearly disbelieving what he was hearing.
"First Mikoto-chan and now Obito! Did the world turn crazy!?" Kushina screamed.
"Hokage-sama, Kushina-san," Hinata spoke, drawing their attention. "I know it must be hard to believe, but that man is indeed Obito Uchiha. Kakashi-sensei and Rin-san confirmed his identity multiple times."
"Wait a minute... Rin?" Minato asked, his confusion growing. "Is she alive too?"
"Well... no, but actually yes," Naruto replied. "Rin died the same way you remember, but Obito brought her back to life. Somehow. And probably with lots of the First Hokage's cells."
"Good to hear that something nice came out from so many catastrophes, ya know," Kushina said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Her death broke my heart."
"Still... if I knew that the man who attacked us the day of your birth was Obito..." Minato began, clenching his fist in anger. "Maybe I would have been able to stop him in time. I just... I just can't imagine what moved Obito to attack us so coldly. He was like family to us!"
"Nobody knows what happened to Obito after his disappearance during the Third Ninja War," Hinata said. "Who knows who he could have met."
"Speaking of which... what happened that day?" Naruto asked. "I tried to ask Old Man Hokage and all the people who were present the day of the attack, but they knew very little."
Minato and Kushina proceeded to tell the couple about how the happiest day in their lives turned out to be one of Konoha's biggest tragedies. How Obito infiltrated the secret location were Kushina was giving birth, using newborn Naruto as a distraction so he could get away with Kushina. Then, Kushina told them how Obito extracted the Nine Tails from her body, bound him to his will through his Mangekyo Sharingan, and teleported him to Konoha, where he summoned him in order to cause mass destruction.
Minato moved Naruto and Kushina to one of his several safe houses in the outskirts of Konoha while he went to deal with the Nine Tails. However, he was unable to do it, given that Obito forced him away from Konoha and into a battle. Minato managed to win, but while he was busy, the fox continued his rampage, killing dozens of people. Eventually, Minato teleported the beast to Naruto and Kushina's location, both to move the fox out of the village, and to seal it again.
Kushina wanted to seal the Nine Tails within herself again, even if she was about to die. Minato, however, decided that Konoha needed the Fox's power, and that Naruto should be the one to inherit it. Since the whole Nine Tails would be too much for a baby, he sealed half of his chakra with the Reaper Death Seal, while sealing the other half inside Naruto. The Nine Tails attempted to kill Naruto before he could be sealed again, but his parents blocked the attack with their own bodies, and with his last breath, Minato sealed the Nine Tails inside Naruto, alongside what remained of their chakra.
There was a moment of silence, as Naruto and Hinata processed the story they just heard.
"What a tale," Naruto finally said. "I'm sure mom and dad- uh, Tsunade and Jiraiya will want to know what happened. Jiraiya in particular might find some closure."
"You can call them 'mom' and 'dad', Naruto," Kushina said, smiling reassuringly. "They were the ones who raised you, after all."
"Yeah. That's why we appointed Jiraiya-sensei as your godfather. Though Tsunade-sama wanting to take care of you was quite a surprise," Minato said, chuckling a little.
"And they did a really great job, ya know!" Kushina said. "I mean, look at you! You're a Jonin at sixteen, who just tamed the most powerful Tailed Beast in existence, and most importantly, you have a cute girlfriend!"
Both Naruto and Hinata blushed, and averted their gazes.
"Uh, drop it, mom," Naruto whined. "You're making Hinata feel embarrassed."
"Just Hinata?" Kushina said, raising an eyebrow in a taunting manner.
"Naruto, I need to ask you something," Minato said. "I sealed the Nine Tails into you because I knew that his power would be needed when the masked man, Obito, returned. The fact that you were trying to control his power now means that that time has come already. Am I wrong?"
"Unfortunately not," Naruto said. "Obito recruited mutliple S-Class criminals and formed a terrorist group named Akatsuki, with the goal of capturing all nine Tailed Beasts. We managed to kill or capture several of them, but we couldn't stop them from claiming no less than six Tailed Beasts."
"On top of the captured Tailed Beasts and his Akatsuki allies, Obito has revealed to have an army of artificial humans called 'Zetsu' at his disposal, and declared war on the entire Elemental Nations unless he is in possession of the remaining three."
"Those are... terrible news," Minato said. "Not even in my worst nightmares I'd imagine that Obito could start a war of such magnitude."
"So far, the five Great Villages, and a few minor ones, plus the Land of Iron Samurai, have joined forces in order to face Akatsuki. I'm on a secret island alongside the other two remaining jinchuriki. One of them can already control his Tailed Beast's power, and he'll teach us to do the same. The other one will try to subdue hers once I'm done."
"Who are these two jinchuriki, Naruto?" Kushina asked.
"Fu, from Takigakure, and Killer B, from Kumogakure," Naruto told his parents.
"I'm afraid I don't know who this Fu is, but I'm familiar with Killer B," Minato said, nodding. "I fought both him and his brother A during the Third Ninja War. B might be an unorthdox person, but he's a powerful and skilled ninja. With him as your teacher, you will learn to control your newfound power in no time."
"Let's hope I do, because I have the feeling we'll need the Tailed Beasts' power in order to end this war."
That moment, white sparkles started to form around Minato and Kushina's bodies, which started to be consumed by a white light.
"It seems our chakra is starting to break down and disappear, Naruto," Minato said. "We only have a few more seconds, in case you want to tell us something."
"I do," Naruto began. "After everything I heard, how you guys sacrificed yourselves not just to save me, but to save Konoha as a whole... I want to tell you guys that I'm going to make sure your sacrifice won't be in vain. Konoha shall thrive, and I'll become the kind of son you'll feel proud of."
"Oh, Naruto..." Kushina said, as her body started to break apart. "We are already very proud of you. Despite how little we could see you, we can tell what a fine young man you've grown into."
"Tell Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama that we're very thankful for raising you into such a great man and ninja," Minato said, as he started to disappear as well. "And that they shouldn't be in a hurry to meet us again."
"Don't worry, mom, dad... I will," Naruto replied.
And just like they did the first time, Minato and Kushina disappeared with a smile in their lips.
"Goodbye, mom, dad," Naruto said to no one in particular. "Even if it was for a short time, I was glad to meet you... as well as fighting alongside you."
"Naruto-kun," Hinata called him. Naruto turned around, and saw that his girlfriend was starting to break down into white sparkles as well. "It seems my time here is over as well."
"It's okay, at the very least, I know I'll get to see you again," Naruto said with a sad chuckle. "Thanks a lot for your help. I'm glad you were at my side at such moment in my life, Hime."
Hinata smiled at him. "Don't sweat it. Now make sure we both make to the end of this war alive. See you soon!"
With that, Hinata disappeared as well. Now that Naruto was alone, there was no more reason to be inside the Nine Tails' seal at all. The others might get worried, given that the Nine Tails had been close to winning a couple times.
…
Real World
Naruto opened his eyes, and saw that Tenzo, Hiruzen, Killer B and Fu were staring at him with various expressions. Tenzo and the the Third Hokage were looking at him in shock, Killer B was happy, and Fu had her eyes very open and her jaw dropped, completely in awe. It took Naruto a couple seconds to realize that he was also wearing the golden chakra cloak.
"So hey, what do you think?" Naruto said, as he got back to his feet. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"It's... amazing..." Fu said, almost in a whisper. "I'm not even a sensor, yet I can feel the sheer power you're radiating! It's like being close to the sun, except... the heat feels pretty nice!"
"Yes. The air even feels cleaner the moment you activated that cloak," Tenzo pointed out. "So, this is the power of Tailed Beast's chakra free of the beasts' corrupting will?"
"So it seems," Naruto said.
"Tailed Beast's raw power is primal essence, and with your chakra it formed a coalesence!" Killer B enthusaitically rapped.
"Oh, oh! Me next, me next!" Fu excitedly exclaiming, bouncing up and down like a little girl about to receive her birthday present. "I was scared at first, but I want to do it now!"
"Sure," Naruto said, moving aside, so Fu could take his place, which quickly did so.
"You seems to be full of enthusiasm, and that's good! But be careful, taming a Tailed Beast is no small task, don't be a fool," Killer B warned, as he sat besides her.
The two of them bumped fists, and closed their eyes.
"By the way, excuse me for a second, I need to do a little something," Naruto said, as he exited the room, leaving Tenzo anf the Third Hokage alone with the entranced jinchuriki.
Just like his fellow jinchuriki, Naruto sat down cross legged, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he found himself inside the seal. Behind the red colored prison gates was the Nine Tails, still immobilized by the torii,
"Hey there, Nine Tails!" Naruto called.
"Hm?" the giant fox grumbled, not noticing Naruto's presence at first. He narrowed his eyes at the blond. "What are you doing here so soon? Did you come here to gloat your victory over me?"
Naruto then switched his seal once again, and much to the Nine Tails' confusion –but happiness– the torii pinning his body against the ground disappeared, and the gates of his cell opened again.
"What... what are you doing?" the confused Fox asked again. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Don't you feel better now?" Naruto asked. "Because you appeared to be very uncomfortable before."
"You know excatly what I mean. Stop playing games with me, human," the Nine Tails growled, as he stretched his very sore limbs.
"I see you're in no mood for small talk. Guess it can't be helped," Naruto said, as he sat down. "I want to talk with you. And make you a proposition."
"You know that I could attack you now," the Nine Tails threatened. "Your girlfriend and birth parents are no longer here to help you. What you're doing is extremely foolish."
Naruto chuckled. "Well, you aren't the first one to tell me that. And I bet you won't be the last either," Naruto then grew more serious. "Do you want to listen to what I have to say, or do you prefer to go back to your jail? Because I can send you back just as easily as I released you."
The Nine Tails narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth at Naruto once again. While Naruto wasn't the first human who spoke to him in such haughty tone, it was something that drove him mad. Still, the cunning part of his mind told him to wait and see what happens. Naruto was holding all the cards right now, so he needed to approach this patiently.
"I could have run away the moment Obito's mind control over me was broken, but I decided to stay and vent my rage on those Konoha ninja. And thus I ended up sealed again. I cannot waste anymore chances," the Nine Tails reflected. "Talk, brat. I'm listening."
"I'm sure you heard already, but I will tell you again just in case: there's going to be an all out war against the Akatsuki. Many people will die. Hell, we might not even win," Naruto began, his tone being solemn and urgent. "I want your help to win this war."
"You already have complete control over my power, brat," the Nine Tails replied, even if he knew that wasn't true. "Why do you need, or want, my cooperation? What do you expect to get?"
"...your cooperation?" Naruto repeated.
The Nine Tails narrowed his eyes at Naruto again.
"What are you planning, brat? Why do you want me to work with you willingly instead of directly taking my power?" The fox asked again.
"Well... when I was trying to steal your chakra, and you were trying to overwhelm me with it... a connection between us was formed. And I could feel all your rage and your hate... and all your suffering," Naruto began. The Nine Tails seemed to pay more attention, but he didn't say anything. "I experienced the long years of captivity you spent inside Mito, then Kushina, and lastly me. The former two were especially bad. And I... I don't want you to suffer that badly. That's why, even if I can't afford to release you, I want to make your stay here better."
Then, much to Naruto's shock, the Nine Tails started to roar with laughter.
"Oh, that's a good one, human! Caring about me! As if humans could care about our kind!" The giant fox said, as he continued laughing uproarously. That's it, until he noticed that Naruto was looking at him with dead serious eyes. "You... you can't be serious!"
"Why not?" Naruto asked. "Is that incredible that, after I experienced firsthand how do you feel, I want to make your life better?"
"But... I killed countless Konoha humans! Your birth parents among them!" the Nine Tails reminded him, sounding incredulous. "Are you telling me you're willing to ignore all of that?"
"A certain somebody I met once told me that you can't understand somebody else unless you experience their pain," Naruto began. "And, even if you do, you might not agree with them, or you may not want to forgive them for their actions against you. That no human can do that. But in the end, if we don't do that, all what we'll accomplish is to perpetuate the circle of hatred that keeps us embroiled in wars. And Tailed Beasts are no different to us on that regard. Sure, I could make your life a living hell while you're sealed inside me, but what good would be? Someday, I'll die, and you might break free, your hatred for humans stronger than ever. If I had any hopes of curving that hatred, I need to forgive you. I need to show you that there are humans you can trust. And even call your friends."
"You want to be friends... with me?" The Nine Tails asked, before letting out a mirthless laugh. "Heh, now that's a good one!"
"We don't have to be friends right now," Naruto replied. "All I ask is for you to work with me in good faith. But mom and dad say that I have a knack for making friends, so I expect that in the end you'll also fall to my irresistible charm." The blond said, half joking.
The Nine Tails stared at Naruto with a critical eye. At first he thought that maybe it was some sort of trick to make him lower his guard, but to what end? The human already had complete control over his chakra. Could this blond moron mean his words? The Nine Tails had a hard time trusting humans, given his experiences with them:
You Tailed Beasts are simply servants of those with the Blessed Eyes! Now obey me, you filthy animal!
Your power is too great. Regrettably, I can't let you run loose.
When you extert your power, you draw hatred towards you, please stay quiet inside me.
You might be here to keep the world in check, but I'm here to watch you.
Yet here was this brat, talking nonsense about forgiveness and friendship. Almost treating the Nine Tails like a living being rather than a mindless weapon. Could this boy be different? The Fox hated the fact that he was even entertaining the idea. But then again, he had made the seal far more tolerable, and he wasn't planning on giving up that. For the time being, it would be best to play nice, and see what happens next.
"It seems I don't have much of a choice. But a choice nontheless," the Nine Tails said in defeat, much to Naruto's joy. "You have a deal."
"Excellent!" Naruto happily cheered, as he jumped to his feet. "If you want anything tell me. Now I need to go with Fu, she's about to face her Tailed Beast. See you later, Nine Tails!"
"Naruto," the Nine Tails called before the blond could leave. "Don't call me Nine Tails. I have a name. It's Kurama."
"You have a name?" Naruto asked, looking surprised. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Only those who I deem worthy may use my name. So far, only my father and my idiotic siblings know my name, so consider yourself fortunate," the Nine Tails said with a huff of self importance.
A wide, taunting grin formed on Naruto's face. "So, I'm worthy in your eyes? Heh, I knew you'd warm up to me."
"Don't push your luck, human. Now go already, your unbound, youthful energy is like a plunging a searing dagger into my eyes," the Kurama said.
…
Naruto opened his eyes, and found himself back in the real world. Despite he had spent a few minutes talking with the Nine Tails, only a second passed in real time. He stood up, and walked back into the special room, when Fu was about to begin her greatest challenge.
"Hey guys, did she-"
Suddenly, there was a huge burst of chakra coming from Fu. The green haired girl opened her eyes, and smiled.
"And done!" she cheered.
"What? So soon?" Naruto asked in shock. "How could you beat a Tailed Beast so easily?"
"Oh, I didn't beat Chomei –by the way, the Seven Tails has a name, and it's Chomei, isn't it cool?– we just sat down and have a nice talk. We have a lot of things in common! For example, we both have the same favorite genre of music! We also hate the same genres of music!" Fu excitedly explained. "And since then, we decided is for the best to work together. She helps me, and I'll try to make her stay inside me as pleasant as possible."
Naruto looked defeated. "Man, I had to fight a goddamn deathmatch against the fox, and needed the help from three people to win... and you only had to talk to your Tailed Beast? Speak about fair."
"Don't fret about it, boy," Hiruzen told him. "The important part is, the two of you have successfully tamed your Tailed Beasts, and their power is at your disposal."
"Speaking of which, check this out!" Fu said, as she started to build chakra around her. Soon, a dark teal armor formed around her body, leaving only her eyes visible. The armor appeared to be organic rather than made of any kind of metal, and reminded of an insect's carapace. "And that's not all!" she said, and suddenly, spikes started to grow all around the armor, a huge Y-shaped horn grew on her helmet, blades that looked like the jaws of a stag beetle grew from her wrists, and lastly, six wings sprouted from her back. "The Chomei Chakra Armor! I bet you haven't seen anything cooler in your life!"
Naruto crossed his arms, and averted his gaze in a somewhat disdainful manner. "I think my Chakra Cloak is much cooler..."
"So, now that their training is over, I guess that we can send them to the battle, right?" Tenzo asked.
"Sorry pal, I'm afraid it won't be the case, if you send them as they're now, it will be a disgrace. First thing they need, is to train a lot, master their new powers, if they want to have a shot!" Killer B told the Konoha ninjas.
"Guess it can't be helped," Naruto said, a little dejected.
"How long do you think the training will take, Killer B-san?" Hiruzen asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know, it could be a lot of time, but these two are fast learners, so it will be sublime!" Killer B replied.
"I think we should start our training right now," Naruto suggested.
"Seconded!" Fu chimed in. "I want to know what I can do now that Chomei and I are synced."
"Alright then, let's head outside, show me what you can do, and fight with pride!" Killer B replied.
Their job done, the group headed outside of the temple, where Naruto and Fu would begin their Tailed Beast control training. While Naruto and Fu hoped that the training would end before the war, Hiruzen and Tenzo hoped that Akatsuki's power won't be so great as to need three perfect jinchuriki to counter it.
Author's Note: And there you have it, Naruto finally got his Kurama Chakra Cloak. Yes, I know he got it the same moment as in canon, but like I said before, I wasn't going to make the same mistake I did with Sage Mode.
As for Fu... yeah, sorry if you were expecting another epic fight of human versus giant beast. I have Fu befriend Chomei for several reasons: I thought that another fight would just drag on after Naruto's, plus I think it fits Fu's character, who wants to make a lot of friends and be on good terms with everybody, even if she previously had some issues with Chomei. BTW, I've been referring to Chomei as female for the whole story, and my betareader pointed out Chomei is male. However, given that it's a bit too late to correct that, I'm going to keep Chomei as female for what's left of the story.
What do you think about the Chomei Chakra Armor? Like with the Kurama Chakra Cloak, I wanted to give Fu an unique transformation, and given that Chomei is a beetle, I thought in giving her a carapace-like armor rather than a chakra cloak like Naruto's.
And special mention to W8W who correctly guessed that there was something more to Hinata accidentally jolting Naruto with that kiss. Did you expect her to show up?. I hope you enjoy her guest appearance here. She is going to be absent for quite a few chapters, given that she's on the Moon, so thought in giving her one last epic fight alongside Naruto before her confrontation with Toneri arrives.
And given that Minato didn't appear before, he obviously can assist his son here in subduing the fox alongside Kushina. Though, before you ask, no, Minato and Kushina aren't going to show up again. They already fulfilled their purposes, and have nothing else left to do.
Naruto learned Kurama's name earlier than in canon. That's because I hated how in the manga Naruto learned his name through a thrid party, and felt it would be a more powerful moment if the Fox himself revealed it to him as a sign of their buddying respect, and I felt that this was the best moment for such a thing to happen. Another thing I disliked was how Kurama only starting to help Naruto because between him and Madara, he hated the latter more, and then it was treated as a genuine friendship.
Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
Well, the preparations for the war are already done, the pieces are in place, the game can now begin. Next chapter will mark the beginning of this fanfic's very last arc, which I hope it will be memorable. In the meantime, don't forget to review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!
