The fox stared at him for some time, her breathing heavy and eyes agitated in clear nervousness. She seemed in conflict with herself, until she sighed.
- Cut your hand and let your blood flow, quickly!
she said, turning to him and cutting her own hand (paw) as she did so.
The boy's eyes widened in confusion, but he did as she said, imbuing chakra into his hand and forming a wind blade, letting his blood flow out.
- Now, imbue your raw chakra into your blood.
The boy made a small grimace as he tried to do so, but without success, though he kept trying as he swallowed the questions that rose in his throat.
After some time (and a little help from the fox), his blood began to glow, with a blue aura around it.
Not only that, but at the same time, the fox's blood also began to glow. And unlike his, hers had a red aura.
The boy looked at it in a mixture of feelings, from amazed to frightened. Especially when he heard the strange noise that seemed to come from the blood of both of them.
- What I will be doing with you is a blood contract. You could say that I will be sealing myself, freely and willingly to you. It's complicated to explain now, so let's leave it at that.
The boy stared at her in disbelief.
He had already read about the Bijuus, and the seals they went through.
Forced seals, for the most part. Men were always after their powers, and by sealing a tailed beast into a compatible human, that human was able to use that Bijuu's powers to a limited degree, depending on the ninja, he could even take that Bijuu's power by force.
That is what happened, long ago, with the five-tailed Bijuu, which destroyed an entire country in the process.
However, he had never heard of a Bijuu sealing itself to a host of its own free will.
- A blood contract is different from a forced sealing. You and I, we will share powers to a certain degree. The stronger and closer we become, the more of our powers we can share. In short, your power is mine, my power is yours, if you get stronger, I get stronger. I didn't want to use this, but the situation calls for it.
The fox raised her hand (paw?) and clenched her fist.
- We shall both drink each other's blood. And in the end, we shall make a simple greeting of your choice.
The noise that the boy heard had become louder, and despite the slightly poor air circulation in the cave, the air stirred, forming strong wind currents.
Naruto stared at his own hand for a while, thoughts racing furiously through his mind.
The fox had helped him, trained him. Nothing fairer than for him to return the favor.
Determined, the boy extends his hand to the fox, who did the same.
They both drank each other's blood. Naruto felt a strange sensation run through his body as he did so, but he tried to ignore it, no matter how strong that feeling was.
And in the end, he extended his closed fist towards the fox, who returned the compliment.
Both fists connected, and a strong light emanated from both their bodies.
Naruto closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears. The noise had become deafening.
His eyes closed tightly, and he gritted his teeth as he felt his whole body ache. A pain so strong that he couldn't even moan.
His voice didn't come out, and his body had become paralyzed.
Something slowly filled inside him. And after a few agonizing minutes, the pain stopped.
The noise was gone... and so was the fox.
The boy stood up panting, not even realizing when he had fallen to the ground.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he ran his eyes through the cave, looking for the fox.
- K... K-kyuubi...
He could barely say it, his whole body trembled, his vision occasionally blurred. He felt exhausted, as if he had spent the whole day in intensive training.
"Don't worry, these sensations will pass."
Naruto was startled to hear the fox's voice in his mind, falling to the ground after his legs gave way.
"The contract worked out. I am inside you. From now on, we are one. Pay attention, Naruto, for we have no time to stand around talking. Close your eyes, inhibit your senses, and replace them with your chakra."
He was confused, but he closed his eyes. His voice didn't even seem to want to leave his throat, he had no choice but to obey.
At first, he thought that whatever the fox wanted him to do, it would be difficult. However, he was surprised when he could feel the creatures presence, hear their heartbeats and the natural noises they made.
And most of all, cries for help. Distant, muffled, but clear as day.
"Run over there, I'll use my... oh, better say, our chakra to temporarily increase your physical attributes"
Naruto nodded, and soon, he was surprised to feel light. As light as he had ever felt before.
The first step was normal, but the second, he almost crashed into the cave wall.
His heart was pounding in excitement. He was so fast, he couldn't even control his speed.
"Listen, you and I need to get used to this new... form, so to speak. We'll both sleep soon, I'll sleep much longer, for reasons I'll explain later. We will save my sister and find a place safe enough for this. Both of our bodies will undergo changes, not just in appearance, but changes in our own DNA."
The boy was trying to concentrate on the fox's words, while at the same time trying not to bump into the trees he was running through. This was amazing... and scary at the same time.
"I will lend you a certain amount of my chakra. Your survival instinct runs far and wide, but not as far and wide as mine. I feel the chakra of these humans, they are strong. Be careful, and... don't hesitate to kill."
Naruto, upon hearing this, stepped wrongly on the ground and tripped over his own feet, crashing to the ground. His body crashed into the ground several times, until he collided with a tree. But incredibly, he didn't feel much pain.
His mind was still focused on the fox's last words.
"They are probably slave traders, or mercenaries. They won't hesitate to kill you, so you can't hesitate to kill them. I know this sounds scary, and believe me, I'd rather you didn't have to get your hands dirty like this. But you have to know something about the world..."
The boy stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and ran back. Now, with a slightly more... somber face, perhaps.
"The world is a cruel place, even without humans. Nothing is as cruel and voracious as mother nature. Sooner or later, even if you didn't find me, or didn't fall off that cliff... you would have to kill... unfortunately, that's the way it is"
He clicked his tongue, and tried not to think about those things too much. He felt that he wouldn't be able to take another step if he kept imagining it.
The fox sighed. She herself was aware that she was asking for something rather... difficult. He was a pure child. She had noticed this in the many random conversations she had already had with him.
Even if at times he showed a certain maturity in his words and expressions, he was still a child.
And nothing pained her more than to see something pure, be tarnished by the world.
Humans... always humans. But this time, she was kind of helping.
After some time running, the boy closes his eyes and jumps to a branch of a huge tree ahead. He almost misses the branch because he is not yet used to the speed and strength in his legs.
His eyes, once blue, now slit red, focused on the small group of men ahead.
He felt that they were familiar, but could not remember them. The fox, on the other hand, remembered them well.
The same men she had allowed to escape months ago, when some of them had the bright idea of trying to capture her.
Sometimes she wondered why she still tried.
And part of that answer, like it or not, lay in the boy she was sealed to. Inside her, she saw things she could not see on the outside.
Naruto took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. His first fight against human beings.
Training was one thing, with the fox, or even with his father and his students, but the real thing was something completely different.
The blond watched with his eyes as those men led a being, the size of a wolf perhaps, towards a wagon.
This being seemed to glow in blue and black flames, its body wrapped in silver chains, with a huge seal on its back.
"They... they took her chakra..."
Fox said faintly in his mind.
"... What do you mean?"
"That must be how they captured her, she is that size because she is without her chakra. That means, either they have someone strong enough to force my sister to fight while the others were preparing some trap, or, they captured her, and her jinchuuriki."
"So... your sister is sealed in someone? Just like you?"
"... No... it can't be a contract, it doesn't make sense... she must have been forcibly sealed... I don't know how they managed to find her, and I doubt those men know anything. The place where I left my brothers hiding, is extremely far away"
"Ok... what do I do?"
"... Follow them. Right now, they're standing guard. Take this as a lesson, there will be times when you have to wait for the best opportunity to attack. Follow them from afar, through the trees, and wait."
The boy nodded, waiting as patiently as he could for the men to move.
And as soon as they did, he began to follow them. Hours on end, no rest, and he felt that his body was getting more and more on the verge of exhaustion. Kyuubi was holding on, but it was inevitable, she was also getting tired.
He followed them for a long way, and for a long time, until they finally stopped when night fell.
- Okay, let's set up camp. Me, D and E will go hunting. You already know what to do. Once we get back and eat, we will continue on our journey. I want to be in that village in a week at the most.
The man who was apparently the leader said, walking away with two others.
The boy followed them with his eyes. That was the opportunity Kyuubi had said.
"Don't think too much, Naruto. Remember, these men are the worst kind of people there are. They won't hesitate-"
"In killing me... I know... I... I know..."
...
Naruto focused his eyes on the three men who were sitting around a campfire, just after they had pitched their tents. He would have to separate them.
Jumping away, he runs his eyes along the ground until he finds a rock. Big enough to attract the attention of the huge deer pulling the wagon. Tough creatures, not too strong, but dangerous to ordinary people.
Jumping on a branch a little further away, the boy throws the stone not far from the deer, which are agitated.
Their loud grunts and their agitation caught the attention of the three men.
- These beasts. They will attract the whole forest like this.
- It's probably nothing. We haven't encountered any monsters or creatures for days.
- But we'd better check it out anyway. I'll go there.
Naruto concentrated chakra in his hand, forming a wind blade.
His heart was pounding, and he tried to control himself so he wouldn't undo the jutsu with his messed up, nervous thoughts.
Taking several deep breaths, the boy closed his eyes when the man had got into a position in which he could attack without being seen.
And in the blink of an eye, he advanced.
He forced himself to act, closing his eyes as soon as he moved his arm around the man's throat, and gritting his teeth as he felt, however feebly, his jutsu cutting the skin, the flesh of his opponent.
The boy didn't even need to look at the man agonizing on the ground, just his noises, and that faint sensation, was enough to make him vomit.
His legs gave way, and he hit the ground. His body was trembling, his eyes were closed tightly, and his hand was numb.
The man had already stopped agonizing, he was inert on the floor, but the boy could hear his groans and grunts of agony and terror as he died.
"K-kyuubi... i-I... I don't know if I can keep doing this"
"...I understand, Naruto. But, I'm sorry, you've already started... you must go all the way. If it's any consolation, that feeling softens with time. Don't feel bad for them, none of them would feel bad for you."
Naruto forced his body to stand up, with some difficulty as his legs were still shaky. As he looked back, he braced himself not to vomit again as he saw the deer feeding on the body of the man he had killed.
- What the... fuck, he killed Danny!
The voice of one of the men caught his attention, and as he turned around, Naruto instinctively put his arms in front of his face, protecting himself from a powerful kick delivered by the man. Strong enough to send him backwards.
- What the fuck?! A boy?!
The other man appeared, holding a sword.
- You shouldn't have done that, kid!
The man who had attacked him growled, putting on some gloves with iron fists.
- Wait man, why is there a boy alone in this forest?!
- Who the fuck cares! He may have been a piece of shit, but he was my family!
The man attacked again, and Naruto dodged, leaning his body to the side. He could feel the force behind that simple punch.
Which made sense, that man was big, and the tattoos on his shaved head made him somewhat intimidating.
But, he could soon see his weakness. He was slow.
The man began to attack Naruto viciously, however, the boy dodged every blow deftly. If he was hit, however, he would be knocked down.
He had to get it over with.
So once again, he dodges a punch, but this time, he counters with a hook to the man's jaw, followed by a kick to his stomach, sending him backwards.
However, he stared wide-eyed as he felt the other man behind him. This man kicked him in the side of his body, sending him flying sideways.
Naruto recovered, but the man was faster and attacked him again.
Unlike the other, this one was fast and agile, but his blows were not as strong.
Or maybe it was just the power of the Kyuubi protecting him... power that wouldn't last long.
Feeling a chill run down his spine, the boy turns around and uses his arms to block a punch coming from the bald man (I'll call it that so it's easier to identify).
Naruto gritted his teeth in pain, that punch caused the bones in his arms to crack for sure.
Alternating his gaze between the two men, the boy stood in an attack position.
- Will taking him away make any money?
The fast man asked (XD).
- A handsome, young boy, probably a virgin. Sure. Although it won't be worth much after I'm done with him.
The blonde was startled.
- Hey, don't overdo it, I don't deliver damaged goods.
Soon both men attacked, and the boy made a desperate expression, which became more and more frightening as they got closer.
However, when they got close enough, several clones of Naruto appeared from the ground, surprising the two, who were unable to defend themselves or dodge all the blows.
Naruto then made two rasengans, each in one hand, and advanced towards them.
The jutsu hit them right in the stomach. The spheres spun violently, destroying the flesh of their abdomens, until the boy threw both spheres at the two men's bodies, and an explosion of some power occurred, killing them both.
The boy undid the clones, and his eyes focused on the destruction ahead. Their bodies were practically destroyed by the jutsus, nothing left but a few limbs, and blood on the ground.
Naruto looked down at his trembling hands, his breathing ragged and nervous, reliving those moments in his mind.
He still couldn't believe what he had done.
The fox just watched him. She herself had said that he should not hesitate, but seeing him in combat, she saw more than that.
In the middle of the fight, it was as if he had entered another state, to the point of forgetting that he had just killed, focusing his eyes and his mind on reading the weaknesses and advantages of his opponents.
"That explosion certainly drew attention...we can't stay here"
Clenching his fists tightly, Naruto turned and walked towards the interior of the wagon.
His eyes focused on the beautiful imprisoned beast, who stared back at him.
Startled yellow and black eyes stared deep into the admiring red ones, and the two-tailed Bijuu immediately recognized those eyes, that chakra, and calmed down.
Naruto's eyes seemed to smile, and ran the full length of the chains that bound her.
"Put my chakra on them"
He placed his hand on the chains, destroying them, freeing the Bijuu.
The creature just stared at him for a while, hesitant, but grateful.
-You... why do I feel the chakra of the ku... Kyuubi in you?
The Bijuu's voice was a bit more velvety than Naruto had expected, especially given the fact that he, or she, resembled a blue flame lion.
Hm... strangely, that voice reminded him of a woman.
"Naruto, I will take control of your body for a moment, don't be alarmed"
Naruto's eyes widened, and soon, he found himself falling into a dark space, as he watched his own body move, without his will.
A strange and frightening feeling, definitely.
Naruto(Kyuubi)- Good to see you, sister.
- Kura-chan? What-
- I don't have time to explain. The boy and I made a blood contract, it was the only way I found to get away from that cave. We don't have much time, my consciousness and his is getting weaker.
The fox came out from inside the wagon, with Nibi by his side.
- You made a blood contract with a human... for me?
- Don't start with the guilt-
The fox was interrupted by a noise from the nearby bushes, and soon, the three men who had gone out to hunt earlier, returned.
- My duty is to protect you guys, and that's what I'll do, no matter what.
A hand of red chakra was wrapped around the body of the two-tailed Bijuu, and soon, the fox ran away from there as fast as he could.
Naruto regained control of his body, but the fox's power had already receded, and he felt that he would pass out at any moment.
In front of him was the fox, lying on her two legs, with a sleepy expression. They were in a place he had never seen before.
- Don't... get so confused... this is your mind.
The fox's deep, sleepy voice caught his attention, and he struggled to look around.
They were on a green hill; it was a bright, blue place. Further ahead was a huge lake of crystal clear water... his mind was a beautiful place.
-Those... men...
- I took care of that... managed to hide us and cover our tracks... gave some of... my chakra to Nibi... she will protect us while you don't wake up.
The eyes of both were getting heavier and heavier.
- Her... chakra...
- We'll fix that... when we wake up... they are... far away... but, I want to ask you something... what clan are you from?
The boy arched an eyebrow... well, at least, he tried.
- Uzu... maki...
- Hmpf... I guess I should... apologize... I... was willing to sacrifice your life... when I made the blood contract.
Naruto made a small confused face.
- Not just any ninja... can resist my chakra. Only the Senju, and the Uzumaki are capable of it... and even then, not just any member of those two clans, it has... it has to be a person compatible with my chakra.
The fox sighed.
- When you wake up... things will be different... but... I assure you... that when all this is over... I will take you to your parents.
The boy felt his body fall slowly toward the ground.
-... Thank you... Kyuubi.
He felt the soft grass caress his face a little, and his consciousness left him.
But before it completely faded, he could hear the fox's last words.
-... Kurama... my name... is Kurama.
The blond smiled slightly, as did the fox. And both fell into a deep sleep.