So, here is the next chappie! Already up. As promised, Naruto appears in here and all is explained. Mostly. The story will focus more on Naruto than on what happened while he was 'gone.'

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 2

Has this really happened?

Uzumaki Naruto rubbed at his eyes, but it was in vain as more tears fell from them.

I finally get a family, acceptance, love, but I give it up? For my friends?

Irony hit him like a wave, reminding him that he had fought tooth and nail to win the respect and friendship of those people. Never had he thought it would hurt him so.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a voice behind him. The words were indistinct, but he knew that tone. Only Kyuubi could put that much annoyance and arrogance into a few words. He turned around. "Hey, furbaaaAAH-what the hell?"

Kyuubi brought his head up, annoyed. Not only at the kit for being so loud, but at his paw for being a hand. He checked the rest of his body, too. Indeed, he was thoroughly human. He sneered. Humans. Sniveling, weak little life forms that thought the world belonged to them. Why did he have to be stuck in the body of one? But, to the present situation. Kyuubi turned to face Naruto. "Damn it, why are you always so loud?"

"No way," Naruto whispered, staring in amazement. It was the man from the picture, the one his mother had identified as Hideharu. He had the same red hair, the gold eyes and, Naruto noted with wonder, three whisker marks on either cheeks. But, why was Kyuubi's voice coming from his mouth? Unless . . .

"Yes way," Kyuubi responded, thinking that Naruto was referring to his volume. "You are loud. Didn't that ramen man teach you what an inside voice means?"

"Hi-Hideharu?"

The fox-human scowled at the human-human. "Are you talking to me? Because I'm Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox, remember? What, did the alternate universe addle your brains or something?" He reached up and gave a couple of knocks on Naruto's forehead. "Helloooo? Anybody home?"

Naruto still didn't pay any attention to the other person. He was too busy staring at the chains wrapped around Kyuubi/Hideharu. How could he move so easily with all of those chains? Suddenly, a couple of hard taps to his forehead brought him back. "Huh?"

Kyuubi leaned back, glad that he'd brought the kid out of his thoughts. Thinking too much could hurt the blond. He'd seen it happen. "So, you aren't brain dead," Kyuubi commented. "Well, more than you already were, at least."

"Hey!" Naruto protested, folding his arms. From behind him, someone laughed. Naruto scowled and spun to face his insulter. He stopped short as he focused on the man. His eyes widened. It couldn't be. Sen, the man from the astral plane, who'd given him the brilliant advice to cut his heart out. "Sen?"

"Ah, I see you remember me," the man said, unusually happy over this fact. "I'm quite honored."

Naruto tried to form words, but only ended up looking like a fish out of water until Kyuubi gave him a hard whack to the back of his head. He found his voice. "What are you doing here? Wait, where am I?"

Sen laughed, his face much more carefree than when Naruto had met him in the astral plane. "Let me first congratulate you, Naruto."

Naruto was confused. "Congratulate me? For what?"

Sen grinned and leaned down so that they were eye-to-eye. "You passed."

That didn't really clarify things. "Passed? Passed what?"

"A test, of course," Kyuubi growled. Even though he hadn't been able to communicate with Naruto, he could figure out what had happened. Naruto had destroyed the box and his family with it. That had to have hurt him. If this was all just a test, someone is going to pay.

Naruto frowned. "What does that mean? What was the test?"

Damn, he's dense. Kyuubi slowly stood so that he was eye-to-eye with Sen. "The test was that universe that you've lived in for so many weeks," he snarled, anger rising.

Sen switched his attention to Kyuubi. "Very clever deduction," he acknowledged. "But you do not know ever—"

"A TEST?!?" Naruto roared, the knowledge finally sinking in. Anger pumped through him, shoving aside the grief and sadness that had overwhelmed him moments ago. To think that his family, his life in that world was a test of some kind. With a bellow of rage, he tackled Sen to the ground and started pummeling him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think I'm some kind of plaything or pawn to be—LEMME GO!!!"

Several of the other people in the room had their arms wrapped around Kyuubi and held him back as a huge man in armor lifted Naruto off of Sen. The blond thrashed about, howling in rage. Another man helped Sen wipe the blood off of his face.

A woman dressed in pale blue stepped forward and pressed a finger to Naruto's chest. "Be calm."

Naruto felt the fight drain out of his muscles. Who was this woman? And what did she do to me?

The woman frowned at him, a gentle reprimand. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions, Naruto."

The armored man put Naruto down on his feet, but the woman had taken too much energy and he slumped to the ground. He still glared, though, directing his anger at everyone in the room, save Kyuubi. If looks could kill, Sen would be a red misted memory right now. He looked to the woman who'd incapacitated him. "'Jump to conclusions?' How is it jumping to conclusions when he said it was a test?"

"You assume that we did it for our own purposes, but this was for your benefit," she answered, smiling. "Even though losing that family hurt."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, skeptical. He forced himself to calm down and think a little bit. These people knew about his family from the other world. How would they know that everything was different, unless they decided what was going to change? "Wait . . . you created the Box From Hell!"

"Actually, you could call it the Box From Heaven," Sen quipped, grinning cheerily again. Naruto snarled.

"Is that where we are?" Kyuubi interjected. "I know we're not in any place on earth, so are you claiming that this place is Heaven?"

The Blue woman laughed again. "No, of course not. Only the dead can enter Heaven. Neither of you are dead. This is merely a . . . meeting chamber."

"Why did you bring me here?" Naruto demanded. "Why didn't I return to my world when I destroyed that box?"

Another man behind Naruto laughed derisively at that. "You really are dumb, aren't you? How you managed to pass is beyond me."

Naruto twisted his head, enraged. He focused on a man wearing a long, dark red kimono and superior smirk, figuring he was the guilty one. Naruto started to yell at the man, but someone else beat him to the punch. "The test was not to measure his intellect, but his heart, Minowa. Or have you forgotten?"

The one named Minowa, who had laughed at Naruto, stood, his eyes flashing. "You weren't even around when we created this ritual, Sayu! Don't act like you're really one of us!"

"I am one of you!" Sayu shouted.

"Boys, stop it," the woman in blue commanded, holding up her hand.

Instantly, both fell silent. Another man, who had been sitting in a chair on a raised dais, stepped forward. "Thank you, Amarante," he said to the blue lady. She bowed and stepped aside to let him come to Naruto.

Naruto scowled up at him, appearing unimpressed. In truth, this man was intimidating him. Clearly, all of the other people respected him. He wore a white robe, belted loosely at the waist and trimmed with silver. His hair was black and fell around his face, but not enough to shadow his eyes. Though Naruto wasn't skilled with sensing chakra, he could feel the power coming off this man, radiating like physical waves. Withholding the snippy comments that had sprung to mind, Naruto remained silent.

"Naruto, I know that you are angry and upset right now, to say the least," the man said. "Would you grant us the chance to explain?"

The blond hesitated, considering his options. "Don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice, Naruto," the man said. "If you say the word, we can send you back to your world in an instant, but you'll lose an opportunity that has only come to one other in the history of the world."

Kyuubi sneered. "Forget it. Whatever this is, we don't want—"

"Fine," Naruto interrupted. "Explain."

Behind him, Kyuubi twitched at being interrupted, but decided that if the idiot wanted to hurt himself more, it was up to him.

The man smiled. "I believe you made the right decision. For starters, I will introduce myself. You may call me Samuru."

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed to slits. These people, they were so familiar to him. He felt like he should know them all, but there was something holding him back. Naruto had been right when he'd deduced that these people were responsible for the Box From Hell. Theirs was the chakra he'd felt, but he still couldn't place it. Where? Where have I felt this chakra before? Why do I feel like I know these people?

"It is very difficult to begin this story," Samuru said. "Well, let's start with the fact that you are a Jinchuuriki."

Naruto glared at the man. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Samuru answered. "If you weren't, you certainly wouldn't be here and you wouldn't have encountered the Box From Hell, as you call it."

"Yeah, I know that much," he muttered. "It needed Kyuubi's power to change it—"

Samuru chuckled. "No, I promise, it did not."

Naruto's forehead creased. He was starting to get a headache. "Will you just explain what's going on already?"

"Of course, of course," he answered. "First, I must give you a small history lesson. It will be brief, I promise."

Samuru settled himself opposite Naruto on the floor and all the other people did the same around him. "Alright. Eons ago, when man was a small race on the earth, demons roamed freely. Demons, you must understand, are fickle creatures for the most part and needed constant guidance to control them. The gods saw this and chose nine demons to rule them. These demons were called the Biju."

At this, Naruto snapped his head around to face Kyuubi, who was frowning in confusion. "That does sound familiar," he admitted. "But it was millennia ago. I can't fully remember."

Naruto turned back to Samuru, who continued without prompting. "Eventually, humans discovered that they could use the demons for their own purposes, by sealing them in their fellow human beings. These people were hated and, well I don't suppose I need to tell you this."

"No, you don't," Naruto snapped. "Are you getting to the point yet?"

Samuru's lips twitched. "Be patient."

Naruto huffed.

"These Jinchuuriki, as they were called, often became consumed by hate and anger toward their people. The gods saw this and mourned. Once, a young Jinchuuriki was able to resist the hate and actually lived his life. He had friends, bonds that he cherished despite the demon he carried. This pleased the gods. Some gods, upon seeing this, said that he should be rewarded in some way for his strength. Others said that this was not enough and he should continue living without interference from the gods," Samuru said. He paused for a moment and Naruto wondered if this Jinchuuriki they were talking about was him.

"Finally, they decided on a compromise." The man picked up the story again. "Any Jinchuuriki that could resist the pull of the hate was considered to have passed the first test. He, or she, would then be put through a second test. It was more active, to determine if the bonds made were truly strong and real."

Pieces started to fall into place in Naruto's mind. Slowly, but they were still falling. Kyuubi had already figured it out. He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"The test was the benefit of himself versus the benefit of his friends from the other world," Samuru finished, half a second after Naruto had figured that out.

Naruto clenched his hands. "So, that whole world, my family, none of it was real?"

"It was real to you," Samuru admitted. "But to the rest of the world, no. When you encountered the Box From Hell, as you call it, in the woods, we used it as a means to pull your consciousness here. Your body is in a coma, in a hospital I believe."

"So you interrupted my life to run this stupid test?" Naruto yelled, anger building rapidly. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Minowa threw his two cents in again. "Well, if you'd figured it out earlier, your petty life wouldn't be as interrupted."

Naruto leaped to his feet, having recovered fully from Amarante's influence. "Shut the hell up!" He tried to rush the arrogant man, but found himself once again restrained by the armored man.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to get away from the behemoth, Naruto stopped struggling and found himself back on the ground again. Still seething, he shot daggers at Minowa with his eyes, but directed his question to Samuru. "The blue lady—Ama-something, she said this was all for my benefit," he bit out. "I'm not seeing that."

Samuru smiled. "I said that if the Jinchuuriki passed the first two tests, he would be rewarded," he reminded Naruto.

"With what?" Naruto asked. "Eternal life or something?"

"No, each case is decided individually," Samuru said. "We try to offer that which would mean most to you. In your case, it is the chance to have a family."

"I had a family!" Naruto bellowed. "Dad, Mom, Tama, Kenji and Raidon!"

Sayu stepped in. "They weren't yours, they came at the price of your friends' happiness. What you could have would be yours free and clear, in the world where your friends are healthy, alive and happy as well."

Naruto stared at him, eyes wide as he slowly processed what the man was saying. "So, it would be like moving my family into the original world?"

"Not exactly," Samuru informed him. "You see, your younger brothers, Kenji and Raidon, were never born in your world. There is nothing for that. Your father, on the other hand, we can do something about. You have the chance to return him to your world."

The Chuunin frowned deeply. "But what about my mom and Tama? Is there any way that I can bring them?"

Samuru smiled. "Oh, they are already alive in your world. You just have to find them when you get back," he explained. "But about your father, do you want to save him?"

"Save him from what? I don't understand," Naruto scrunched up his nose.

"From me."

Naruto spun to the sound of the voice and saw a tall, willowy woman. She seemed to melt out of the shadows. Naruto couldn't quite tell what color her dress was, or her hair. They seemed to shift and be every color at once, as if each strand was a rainbow that changed color every second. Her eyes, though, he could tell were silver, like looking into a mirror. The other people in the room, gave her a wide berth as she advanced to Naruto.

He gulped hard. "W-who are you?"

Kyuubi stared at the woman in fascination. She was the most familiar of them all. He knew her, he knew her, but he couldn't remember how or where.

The woman smiled. Naruto shivered. "You may call me . . . Kagami for now. But most know me as the Shinigami."

Naruto blinked. "What? You're saying you're the death god?"

She twitched. "Goddess."

Kyuubi glanced over the room, finally figuring out who all these people were. "So, you are the gods."

"It's about time you figured it out, Kyuubi," Minowa muttered. "His stupidity is rubbing off on you."

Naruto stared at the people in the room. Samuru smiled at him again. "It's true. We've just given ourselves forms and names that you can comprehend."

"What if you hadn't?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head.

"You'd go mad," Samuru answered. "Or die."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest and considered each of the gods and goddesses in turn. Kyuubi frowned, worrying that Naruto might break a blood vessel from thinking so hard and being so quiet. Finally he came to the Shinigami, or Kagami as she had labeled herself. "Why are you a girl?" he demanded.

Kagami rolled her eyes. "It's what your mind interpreted me as. It's not my fault."

Naruto puffed his cheeks out at her. "I still don't get it."

"I'm a temperamental creature," she answered. "I'll let dictators live to be eighty but take a nurse for sick children when she's twenty-five. You see women as equally fickle and incomprehensible, so I appear as one to you."

The blond considered that, decided that her explanation made enough sense to move on, and asked another question. "So, you said that my father needed to be saved from you. Why?"

"The seal," Kyuubi answered. "Remember when we talked about it? I said that the price of calling upon the Shinigami is the soul of the sealer. Your father's soul was consumed by the Shinigami, doomed to eternal combat."

Naruto turned to Samuru. He tried to form words several times, until again, Kyuubi slapped him on the back of the head. "Are you saying that I can get my father out of—" At a loss for words again, he just pointed at Kagami's stomach.

Samuru grinned. "Indeed. That is what we are saying."

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So. Yeah. Questions, comments, complaints, etc. Put them in a review. See, I'm not sure how you guys are going to react. I've mentioned it before. My plot bunnies are addicted to crack.

I gave the gods names because I didn't want to accidentally mess up the Japanese religion/myth system. I'm not familiar with it, so I just made them all ambiguous.

Oh, and the 'red misted memory' comment came from the Marine Officer Instructor at my ROTC. He's awesome like that.

The first part wasn't supposed to take that long, but I really enjoyed writing it and it would mean more if you guys got invested in the characters as well, plus there are things I needed to set up for part 3. Yes, there will be a part 3.

So, tell me:D