Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 14
Hiruzen sat slumped in the large leather chair at his desk, papers once again strewn across the top in a chaotic pattern that made sense only to himself. However this evening it was not petitions for funding or lengthy mission documents that were demanding his attention, but the academy stat sheets of the newest group of graduating genin, and he was trying to organize the myriad of personalities and talents into coherent teams.
Usually this detailed task fell to the sensei of the graduating class, who best understood each individual's strengths, weaknesses, and connections. The Hokage would simply put his stamp of approval on the whole thing, unless he was aware of some unique situation that required greater attention. But with Iruka still considered critically injured in the hospital, and that traitor Mizuki unregrettably gone, neither of the instructors for the newly minted genin were available to offer advice.
The aged shinobi sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, musing over recent events as much as the task that lay before him. Handling the emergency council meeting called yesterday to address the pulse of demonic chakra that swept through the village, had been precarious as a tightrope walk over crocodile infested rapids. Hiruzen had needed to assuage the council's fears, answer their questions, and at the same time protect Naruto's reputation and future.
The advisors had been in favor of completely removing the jinchuriki from the ranks of shinobi, with Danzo leading the outcry that Naruto was a danger to his fellow ninja and needed to be trained to eliminate his emotions in order to prevent any future outbursts.
Hiruzen had been worried that the Clan Leaders would jump to support this opinion, since it would be their own children and heirs who would be working side by side with the boy. So in an effort to offer maximum transparency and also showcase the honorable motives, actions, and achievements of Naruto, the Hokage had decided to keep his statements as close to the truth as possible, all the while thanking Kami that he had removed the civilians from the council meetings years ago. They were unaware that the sudden shift of wind which briefly swept through town was in any way associated with the kyuubi, and he meant to keep it that way.
After a succinct yet thorough explanation of the unfair disqualification of Naruto's kage bunshin; the falsification of a second exam by Mizuki with the intent to use the boy to steal the Scroll of Sealing and deliver it to Orochimaru; the heroic act of defense by Iruka on behalf of his student; the subsequent retaliation by Naruto, who used the kyuubi's chakra to eliminate a danger to the village whose threat escalated substantially with the use of some type of curse seal; and Naruto's subsequent cessation of the use of demonic chakra before anyone other than the traitor was wounded, Hiruzen had stood and panned a sharp glare across the assembled council. Daring them to challenge his declaration that the boy had done exactly what any shinobi should do in that situation, utilizing the skills available to him to defeat the enemy quickly and efficiently.
"Hokage-sama, you said yourself that he murdered his own teacher while under the influence of the Kyuubi," Danzo pressed. "Unless he is trained to shut down his emotions, he will not be able to control the demon, and thus cannot be allowed to continue to participate in shinobi missions."
"You twist my words, Shimura. Hatake Kakashi stated in his report that when he arrived on the scene Naruto was actively guarding Iruka-sensei, having eliminated the traitor who had made an obvious attempt to kill them both," Hiruzen snapped. "Iruka confirmed upon regaining consciousness that Naruto did not tap into the demonic chakra after the attack on his own person, but only when Mizuki had attacked his sensei. The boy has demonstrated the exact reaction we strive to engrain into all of our shinobi, especially jinchuriki: to protect The Leaf and its people at all costs."
"Perhaps we should summon Jiraiya-sama," Nara Shikaku had calmly cut in. "Have him check the boy's seal, and assess his control to see if he is ready for some extra training to learn to either utilize or suppress the kyuubi chakra."
Akamichi Choza nodded in agreement with his longtime teammate. "My son has told me that Naruto has never lashed out at a classmate in an unreasonable manner, despite often being treated disrespectfully by his peers."
"When one considers the mental impact of what the boy has already endured in his life," added Yamanaka Inoichi, as he thoughtfully considered the psychological aspect of the situation, "the fact that he has never had a lapse of control until now, and only under such extreme circumstances, is highly commendable. If anything, it shows a uniquely strong state of mind, not the opposite."
"Besides, you wouldn't want him to be a damn robot," Inuzuka Tsume snorted as she crossed her arms. "It is important to have adrenaline and emotions to power our convictions and keep us pushing through a hellish fight."
Hiruzen had felt the tension in his shoulders ease at the shifting tone of the meeting. The advisors, unable to refute the arguments of the growing majority, had begrudgingly agreed that if Jiraiya could give his stamp of approval to the state of the Yondaime's seal, Naruto could be included in the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. As the group had filed out of the council chambers, the Hokage surreptitiously observed Hyuga Hiashi. The Clan Head had voiced no real opinion during the discussion, and seemed as satisfied as the rest with the decisions made. Hiruzen was pleased with the apathetic response, he had taken care to keep Hinata's name out of the report, knowing that Hizashi had assiduously kept her identity as the new Hyuga genin hidden from the Main House. His lack of response confirmed to the Hokage that the Clan Head remained unaware, keeping Hinata off his radar.
With the trial of appeasing the council behind him, Hiruzen's next concern had been the long term welfare of the boy himself. When the Hokage had visited him in the hospital, Naruto had taken the news of the severity of Iruka's injuries understandably hard, and combined with the alarming revelation about how close the wild jinchuriki had come to attacking Kakashi, the fourteen-year-old had been wracked with guilt and self doubt. Despite the positive picture he had painted for the council, the cumulative emotional burden of the betrayal and fight had Hiruzen worried about the potential impact on Naruto's impressionable young mind.
His mounting worry had left him restless, so Hiruzen had finally gone himself to the small apartment where the genin was recovering under Kakashi's watchful eye. As he had approached the door that evening, he had paused to assess the traps carefully hidden around it, when the sound of a soft female voice had reached his ears. Curiosity peaked, the old shinobi had used a bit of chakra to make his way over to the window on the side of the building to catch a glimpse of who else had come to visit, and smiled broadly at what he had seen.
On the couch lounged Hinata, her legs draped across Naruto's lap as he studiously scribbled in a notebook that appeared to be filled with half formed seals and formulas. Her head was reclined on the arm of the couch, midnight hair tied up in a messy bun, as she calmly read out loud from Jiraiya's book Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. On the floor nearby lay Pakkun, snoring contentedly on the cushions of the chabudai. Kakashi sat at the table, lazily sliding a whet stone down the edges of his kunai.
The innocent, warm domesticity of the scene had made The God of Shinobi's battle hardened heart melt a bit. The two young genin may have had a harrowing welcome to the life of a ninja, but they were not alone. Despite their youth they had already figured out that the most important part of surviving this life was treasuring the bonds they have built. His inquisitive gaze landed on a new picture in a frame that hung by the door, of a smiling scar faced chunin proudly standing with his class.
Retreating back to the front door, Hiruzen had hesitated again, but this time at the thought of disturbing the peaceful equilibrium of the little home. The sound of footsteps and grumbling coming up the stairs caught his attention. Turning, he was greeted by Hyuga Neji, arriving to deliver a dinner prepared by Hiro-san for the children. The boy was shocked out of his murmured rant about always having to be the delivery boy when he laid eyes on The Sandaime himself standing outside the humble dwelling, but quickly invited him to join them. How could Hiruzen turn down an offer like that?
The meal had been a cramped affair, but no one seemed to care and Hiruzen couldn't remember the last time he had smiled so much. By the time Hinata and Neji had left, his cheeks were aching.
Then they had gotten down to business, and between The Professor and the Copy Nin, they had answered as many of Naruto's questions as they felt they safely could.
"So, the Kyuubi isn't dead after all," the normally dancing blue eyes had sharpened in intense consideration of all the new knowledge. "The Yondaime sealed him into me, and when I lost control of my anger, I also lost control of the seal?" Naruto questioned, his hand fisted over his stomach. He had been aware that the tattoo on his abdomen was actually a seal ever since he had started learning fuuinjutsu, but was only able to determine it was a chakra binding construct of some sort. The detailed swirls were a shortened version of a supremely complex formula that he had not been able to decipher, and questioning Jiraiya had led to a dead end.
"Not exactly," Hiruzen corrected. "The seal was intentionally made to slowly weaken over time, gradually allowing you more and more access to the Kyuubi's chakra as you grew older. That was why we were planning on waiting until you were a genin before we told you about your...tenant. We wanted you to have a good foundation of manipulating your own chakra before you attempted to play with the kyuubi's fire."
"During the battle in the forest, you unconsciously tapped into that pool of demonic chakra," Kakashi added. "It's power comes from and feeds off of hatred, enhancing it to the point where you are immensely powerful yourself, but also a slave to the emotion."
"So I become stupid strong, but then I lose myself." Naruto surmised with a sigh, closing his eyes in solemn understanding of the gravity of the situation. The older shinobi had both waited, studying his expression as different emotions passed over his whiskered face. "Why did he choose me?" he finally asked in a low voice.
"Because you are our best hope to tame the kyuubi," stated a new, strong voice coming from the direction of the window. Everyone turned to see Jiraiya entering the room via his favorite method, looking rather proud of himself for having successfully disarmed the traps. Taking a seat at the table he grabbed a leftover ball of rice and popped it in his mouth before he continued. "Uzumaki may not have been your birth name, but it is part of your ancestry. Because of their naturally large chakra stores and longevity, they have historically been the most successful jinchuriki. The wife of the Shodaime, Uzumaki Mito, was the first to hold the kyuubi prisoner."
Naruto blinked, he had never considered the idea that his name wasn't his own, but he guessed it made sense. Jiraiya had warned him long ago that his father had earned himself many enemies who would be more than willing to eliminate his son. "So, I'm related to the first Hokage's wife?" He couldn't help but prod for more details on anything related to his family.
"Yes and no," Hiruzen answered, wanting to prevent him from straying too far down that road just yet. "You are from the same clan, but not the same family. Like Hinata-chan and Hiro-san." Naruto nodded in comprehension and leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. Turning back to Jiraiya he asked, "So, how do I defeat the kyuubi?"
"No clue," he answered casually, inhaling another rice ball.
"What?!" Naruto squawked in disbelief. "How did the other jinchuriki do it?"
"They never did," the Sannin shrugged. "Oh sure they learned to manipulate a certain amount of his chakra without losing their minds, but completely dominating the demon himself? Never been done." Jiraiya reached for the teapot in the middle of the table. "I have heard rumors the jinchuriki of Kumo have managed to tame their tailed beasts, but neither of their demons are as strong as the Nine-tails."
"Our relations with The Hidden Cloud Village have not been the best ever since the Hyuga Incident," Hiruzen added, gravely running a hand over his goatee. "I doubt they would be willing to share any secrets or offer Naruto-kun assistance."
"Even so," Kakashi said in an unusually assertive tone. "It takes a person of strong will and solid mind to withstand the influence of the kyuubi and his chakra. You have shown great potential in both those areas, and we believe you can eventually overpower him."
Listening closely to his three mentors, the young genin could hear the truth in their words and feel the reassuring boost of their faith. But a voice whispered in his heart that there was more to all of this, there was something to be found underneath the underneath.
"Perhaps there is another way," Naruto quietly spoke, a look of contemplation on his face that emphasized the way the boy was rapidly turning into a young man. Kakashi held his breath as he watched the blue eyes light up with eagerness as the gears in his head turned. He was uncannily similar to his father, but with the bubbling optimism and outgoing personality of Kushina-senpai. He remembered a time he had seen the two spar, it was spectacular sight. Kushina's red chakra coat had danced around her like a ghostly shroud, accentuating the whirling style of combat native to her Uzumaki heritage. Minato's flashing Hiraishin had lit up the training ground like a lightening storm, the power behind his strikes serving as the echoing thunder. They were magnificent, fearsome, and bordering on godly when collaborating. Together they had sealed a demonic beast that only the mighty Mokuton of the Shodaime had been able to contain. And now the outrageously powerful threesome of The Yellow Flash, The Red-Hot Blooded Habanero, and the Nine-Tailed Demon had been combined into this lanky teenager with a mischievous gleam in his eye. This boy truly was a powder keg of potential.
Standing up to his full height, Naruto struck a pose of authority that would do the Yondaime justice, and with a firm voice declared "I will cut off his power at the very source. I will end the hatred that dwells within the Kyuubi." The three men gazed upon him with open mouths and wide eyes. This was not the whimsical wish of a naive child's day dream. This was a sworn oath of honor, pledged by a shinobi who would lay down his life in the effort of its fulfillment. The specters of his parents seemed to stand at his back as he clenched his fist over his heart and faced the three men who had never doubted him, and he smiled at them in his uniquely Naruto way that seemed to chase away the shadows with its shine. "I will free the Kyuubi no Yoko and The Hidden Leaf of their hatred, and become a Hokage whom all will respect."
If the Copy Nin had been anyone else, had not personally known Naruto since he was a child and seen the way he endured the hatred of others and yet continued to hope, to never give up, and strive to make the world around him a better place, he might have laughed at the ridiculous statement. But this was the unpredictable Uzumaki Naruto they were talking about. Glancing over at the other two men at the table he had smiled to see them both looking at the blond with the same expression of nostalgia mixed with awe. They saw the same thing, heard the same words, and held the same faith. "If anyone can do it, you can, Pup," Kakashi voiced the opinion of them all with a rare grin that was so big it could be seen through his mask.
"Believe it, dattebayo!"
Smiling at the memory of the entertaining and inspiring evening, the Hokage once again forced himself to refocus on the task at hand. The future hopes of the village rested on his shoulders, and he needed to uphold his responsibility to them. Starting with the obvious, he separated out the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. At least Team Ten was a no brainer. He decides to give them to his son. A small amount of fatherly vindictiveness had him hoping that a measure of the torture Asuma's teenage attitude had inflicted upon Hiruzen would be returned to the newly reformed punk through the wildly different personalities of the Yamanaka and Nara heirs. Plus the Akamichi's appetite would keep the guy's wallet empty enough to ensure he wouldn't be skipping town again any time soon. Hee hee.
He placed Uchiha Sasuke to the side, as the top male genin he would be on Team Seven with Hatake Kakashi, the only other Sharingan user left in Konoha. Wherever Kakashi went, Naruto was sure to follow, so he placed the other heavy hitting genin in that pile as well. Of the other top prospects this left two boys and two girls.
The boys were both skilled trackers from clans that had strong reputations for excelling in that area, they would compliment each other well. He places Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino in another pile for Team Eight with Yuhi Kurenai, who was a new sensei this year.
That left two kunoichi: Haruno Sakura, and Hyuga Hinata. Hiruzen sighed and gnawed on the stem of his pipe. The girls were as different as night and day, but cumulative scores had them ranked equally.
Sakura had blossomed into quite the academic, finding that long hours in the library were much more up her alley than rolling in the dirt at the training grounds, unless she was fighting another fangirl, in which case the claws came out. She was sharp, analytical, but mixed with Naruto as well as oil mixed with water. Iruka's reports had made mention of her obsession with the Uchiha, which would undoubtedly have annoyed the serious boy. But if she could learn to get along with her teammates, they would be a well balanced team with two heavy hitters and one planner with an eye for detail.
Hinata on the other hand had an established bond with Naruto that went much deeper than teammates. The two were in sync in a way that even Iruka noted elevated their productivity when they worked together. She was the calm to Naruto's storm, and he was the fuel for her fire, as recent events had more than demonstrated. Her sentiments toward the Uchiha appeared nonexistent, in fact it seemed she may even harbor some animosity towards him for the dirty tactics he used in a spar with Naruto way back in the academy. Additionally, with two boys who were bound to butt heads, a calm presence to smooth over fights would be advantageous. The temptation of placing her on Team Eight with the Inuzuka and the Aburame was strong though. The three would make for an elite team of trackers, combining the sight, smell, and sense of their respective skills. It was a dream team the likes of which Konoha had not seen since the days of the Kyuubi disaster.
Hiruzen groaned. I'm getting too old for this.
A knock sounded on the door and at his call a woman entered with shining red eyes that had hidden motive written all over them. She was clutching something behind her back as she approached his desk."Hokage-sama, I was just coming to check in with you about the genin teams. It is my first group and I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am for the wonderful opportunity."
Hiruzen nodded and raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Of course Kurenai-san, your resume was more than qualified to take on the challenge. I was just working on the teams as we speak actually."
"Oh really?" she says with way too much innocence. "You wouldn't happened to have assigned the young Hyuga girl to a team yet, would you?"
"I have not. What makes you ask?"
A gleam came to her eye and she stepped forward, smugly sliding a small box onto the Hokage's desk. "I have heard about her skills and motivations, I would be honored to have the opportunity to foster such a talented young kunoichi. The Leaf needs more ambitious women in its ranks," her hand lifted the lid of the humidor to reveal five rare tobacco cigars all the way from the Land of Grass. Hiruzen's eyes danced as his fingers skittered across his desk to snatch up one of the aromatic smokes, inhaling deeply as he brought it up to his nose.
"I agree completely, she has great potential, just like all the kunoichi of this class. They are a unique bunch, this particular group," he answered politically, continuing to inspect the delicious tobacco in front of him.
"Exactly Hokage-sama! And I assure you, I will give Hinata all the attention she needs to become—"
"I KNEW IT!" Kakashi was suddenly leaping through the window, finger pointed in accusation at the shocked duo. "COLLUSION!"
Hiruzen was trying not to blush and slowly sliding the box toward the fold of his robe.
"Shove it Hatake!" the raven haired jonin changed from sweet molasses to burning spice in the blink of an eye. "You've had your pick of every class for the last three years and tossed them all. I have a request for a single student and you're gonna throw a hissy fit? Mind your own business!"
"And what is that?" the Copy Nin didn't even break eye contact with her red glare as he jerked his head in the direction of the disappearing humidor.
"Nothing." Kurenai and Hiruzen said in unison.
"COLLUSION!"
Kurenai refused to back down, even in the face of this elite former ANBU. "She needs me, Kakashi! Look, I'm not trying to be greedy, I've read her case file. Hinata needs a strong female role model to show her how to deal with all the emotional damage that fucking Clan has inflicted upon her. I can help her on and off the mission field. I didn't become a sensei just so I could build some super sick team to gloat about. I want to help these kids. And I know I can help her."
"She has a point," Hiruzen mumbled, rummaging through his drawers for the cigar cutter. He thinks he can smell something beyond just tobacco in the fusiform treasure and he could totally use some of that shit right now.
The masked shinobi is shaking his head in rebuttal. "If you are insinuating that I am too emotionally damaged and mentally traumatized to possibly understand the mind of an innocent child...then you are exactly right. I am just fucked up enough to totally understand the messed up thoughts going through their little heads to teach them how to cope with all the bullshit without turning into a soulless soldier who just follows orders. Plus, Hinata and Naruto have a bond that's irreplaceable, they absolutely cannot be separated."
"He has a point," Hiruzen said, snapping his fingers to light his freshly clipped stogie.
"Then I'll take them both," she says with finality, lifting her chin in the air with a demeanor of confidence that was more faked than she wanted to admit. Kurenai had heard of the unpredictable jinchuriki, and that was a can of worms she wasn't sure she could keep the lid on. Kakashi burst out into harshly forced laughter at the declaration, dragging out the exaggerated charade of humor for several awkwardly long minutes as Kurenai crossed her arms and scowled at him. Dramatically wiping a fake tear from his single eye, he abruptly stopped and fixed her with a completely serious face, "—over my dead body, Yuhi."
"Damn it Kakashi! Will you grow up?" Kurenai snapped, throwing her hands in the air. "This isn't some academy game of dodge ball we're picking teams for, this is serious! Give me a real reason why you think you need to have those two together on your team."
Casting about in his mind for an answer that concisely summed up the complexity of the bond that the two had forged, and at the same time conveyed his intrinsic need to personally ensure their protection in order to maintain his own sanity, he could only come up with one explanation. Kakashi used all of his years as an ANBU operative to deliver the statement with an absolutely serious face, "I ship them."
"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Kurenai probably looked at slugs with more respect than she looked upon The Great Copy Nin at that moment. Good thing he already gave zero fucks about his public reputation.
"Same, I ship them so hard," the Hokage nodded sagely, as he took another long pull from his cigar and closed his eyes in bliss. "Young lady, remind me to introduce you to my son."
"I'm surrounded by idiots," Kurenai groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. Kakashi sniffed the air and eyed the slightly silly smile on the Hokage's face. "Yuhi," he said suspiciously, "what was in those things?"
She bit her bottom lip, and tried to sound nonchalant. "Just a little something to help him relax."
The jonin stared at each other through narrowed eyes like two opponents in a showdown, while the Hokage blew smoke rings at the portraits of his predecessors on the wall and reclined deeper into his chair.
Kakashi sighed, and grabbed a piece of paper off the desk, snapping it in front of Kurenai's face. "You want to be the fairy godmother for some kunoichi cinderella, then this is the girl you're looking for."
Kurenai glared at him for the comment but grabbed the paper anyways, scanning down the profile summary. "Haruno Sakura, tied for top kunoichi. Sucks at combat. Daughter of civilians. Near photographic memory. Shows talent for...genjutsu." Her eyebrows raise. She hadn't heard of this girl, she had been so focused on drafting the Hyuga that most of her research had been invested in her history.
"What it doesn't say is she's a prissy fangirl with anger management issues," Kakashi said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "According to Naruto her entire motivation for becoming a kunoichi revolves around the Uchiha, and she gets violent whenever something gets in her way. If anyone needs guidance it is her. She has the potential, she just needs someone to give her a reality check. I can deal with emotionally broken children, I have no idea how to handle that fangirl. It would do her a disservice to put her in my care."
Kurenai looked up at the tall gray haired jonin, surprised to hear him admit a failing so easily, when the mentality of most shinobi is to never show any weakness. What can be seen of his masked expression is open and genuine, and there's no longer any snark in his tone. She looked down again at the bright smiling face of the pink haired girl in the photograph and hummed in thought.
"Alright Hatake, I'll let you win this time," she sighed, handing back the file sheet. "But if you don't take this seriously I will burn that dirty little book of yours."
"Don't knock it 'til you read it," he chirped happily, giving her a wink, to which she only shook her head.
They look over at their fearless leader, whose eyes had thoroughly glazed over.
"I guess I should finish these for him. He's gonna be out of it for a bit," Kurenai said and started shuffling through the remaining pile of genin papers.
"Oh I wanna help!" Kakashi joined her at the desk, grabbing half of the pile.
~1 hour later~
A hazy cloud of smoke floated serenely through the Hokage's office as he snored softly in his chair. On the floor sat two crossed legged jonin, passing a nearly blunted cigar back and forth between them.
"Hmmm," Kakashi squinted at the genin sheets he holds fanned out in his hands. Glancing over at Kurenai who is guarding her own set of papers like a poker player protecting their hand, he tried to lift his headband up for a peek.
"No Sharingan Kakashi! That's cheating!" She said, glaring at him over her papers.
"Hn," he grumbled, scanning his hand once more. "A doton user."
"Go fish!"
Naruto walked through the dark sewer, ignoring the dripping water and hissing pipes. This was the path of his nightmares, the place where all his innermost fears dwelled, stewing in the rancid water. The eerie corridor twisted and turned, but he was not lost, he was more familiar with this aura of misery than his own coherent thoughts.
The walls of the tunnel opened up into a vast chamber of inky blackness that seemed to stretch out into eternity. He walked on, forcing down the queasy feeling of sickness that throbbed in his gut, causing his mouth to water with the urge to vomit. Sweat rolled down his forehead but he was not hot, nor exhausted. His muscles were tense, his breaths shallow and short, but he endured the overwhelming urge to flee, and held his head high as he trudged along.
Breathing. The feeling of the warm, moist wind of a massive creature's exhalations stirred the hair on his face. Rumbling. A sound like the rolling thunder, its booms reverberating through the sky, beat against his chest in waves of dark laughter. Burning. Two fire red infernos entranced him with their blazing slitted glare, as the Embodiment of Hatred himself looked down upon his face.
"So you have finally come," the Kyuubi crooned in a taunting tone. "Closer, mortal."
Naruto squared his shoulders and took what he hoped was a steady step forward. Just as he was lifting his foot for another tentative step a massive claw shot out of the darkness, slamming into a set of bronze bars that seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and yet Naruto felt they had been there all along. He flinched reflexively but held his ground and did not stumble, his eyes tracing up the vertical barrier until his sights rested on a venerable looking seal firmly affixed on the front of the gilded cage. His attention was drawn back to the prisoner within it when the low growl crescendoed into a monstrous roar.
"I will tell you what I told the others," bellowed the echoing deep timbre. "Do not underestimate me. My existence is immortal. My patience is infinite. My hatred is unfathomable. My power is immeasurable. My victories are innumerable. And you, and your dreams, and your beliefs, and your chakra, and your very existence are INSIGNIFICANT IN MY EYES!"
He held his ground, hearing the threats but refusing to bow to the taunts of the tyrant. Refusing to doubt himself, standing firm on the solid rock of his own convictions even while wading in the mire of this hellish sewer.
"And what of your soul?" Naruto whispered in response to the wild wrath, slowly reaching out a shaking hand to lay his palm on the coarse texture of the obsidian claw that pressed against the bars of the cage. "Does your soul not cry out for freedom from more than just these bars? For the recognition of its existence and acknowledgment of its loneliness?" He opened his senses, allowing the demonic chakra to sweep through his innermost consciousness and inspected its tenets for what he sought. The staggering density of it forced the air from his lungs, leaving him struggling to stand, his heart fighting for every beat. The very blood in his veins seeming to slow under its oppression. But he found it, buried under all the detestable chakra that boiled and spewed like lava erupting from a volcano. It was the fragile breath of a hope nearly lost, cherished deep within the soul like a memory almost forgotten, but too precious to release.
"If you know hate, that means you once knew love as well," Naruto rasped, expelling the words with difficulty. "I feel it within you, Kyuubi. You and I are bound to one another, and I treasure my bonds with great jealousy, for they are few and precious." Hot air gusted over him as the beast recoiled his talon and snarled. A massive red tail whipped across the bars, the wind it created sent Naruto's body skipping backwards across the top of the water.
"Ignorant fool! You will never tame me!" the demonic fox roared, flashing rows of deadly sharp teeth and spitting hot saliva in his fury.
Standing up on shaky legs, Naruto bravely gave his prisoner his best vulpine grin, his own whiskers curling across his cheeks to enhance the cheshire smile. "Just you wait, Furball," he bellowed at the now frothing beast. "I see you! Someday I'm coming after all that hate! And on that day, you and I both will be victorious!"