I'M
ALIVE!
If I didn't have a job, bills to pay, or a bit of writer's block, this would've been out about three months ago. Now. . .
IMPORTANT NOTE! MUST READ BEFORE CONTINUING
So, I've decided to change Naruto's age.
As of this chapter, chapter three and two, and at the end of chapter one, Naruto is SIX years old.
Read.
Review.
Enjoy.
The Step Backwards
The evening was settling in, the sun slowly making its daily descent on the other side of the world. It was getting colder as the seasons changed, the sun hidden by clouds on most days as of late, the hours seemingly have had gotten slower within the walls of Konoha.
At the very least, for the Hokage.
Sarutobi's office was particularly dark as the sun became less and less visibly after every moment, the elder not at all concerned with the dimming light that made the contents in front of him difficult to see.
He didn't even reach over to turn on the nearby lamp. He simply sat silently in his chair and watched the walls get darker and darker with a emotionless expression, his eyes half lid and his hands folded in front of him.
He just sat motionless as it got darker around him.
Sarutobi exhaled softly, his eyes closing as he did so. When he opened them, they rested on a masked shinobi whom had entered without a sound during the brief moment Sarutobi had blinked.
"Lord Hokage." The man greeted as he keeled before Sarutobi.
"Dog." Hiruzen acknowledged the member of his elite Anbu. He had been expecting a report from them in the last month.
"Have you've found anything?" he inquired, speaking a little hastily than normal.
"No," he breathed out wearily, "We have found nothing," the masked ninja replied grimly.
Suddenly, Sarutobi seemed to have aged another decade.
His eyes closed briefly.
After all this time, still nothing. No trail. No indication. No evidence.
A low breath was exhaled from Hiruzen's mouth, laced with tired disappointment.
His eyelids opened just enough to look back at his subordinate.
"I see." The Hokage uttered softly, "If there is nothing else, you may leave. You and your squad are to rest until I call for you again."
Dog bowed his head obediently, "Understood," he saluted, his voice low and tired as well. The Anbu's form flickered until his form vanished silently out the window and into the night.
The Sandaime sighed.
After all this time. . .
Hiruzen sighed again, opening his desk drawer and retrieved a map from the confines and spread it across his desk after having pushed the contents aside with his arm. His finger trailed across the country that resembled the Land of Fire before resting on a circled area. Nothing but remote land in most of the area.
He crossed an X over it with a pen.
Sarutobi's eyes trailed slightly upward, landing on another X. Then another, and another.
His eyes veered left.
Mores X's.
Right.
X's.
Down.
More X's.
The map of the elemental nations had litters of X's placed all over each individual country: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning. As well as some of the smaller nations too, such as the Land of Rain and the Land of Iron.
A multitude of marked X's labeled the map that made up the shinobi world, marked locations were they had looked, places they had searched, areas they had scoured.
Nothing.
For the past six years the Sandaime had send selected shinobi, whomever he could spar during these rough times across the five great nations, from the heart of each capital, to the corner of every border. And back again.
The hidden village of each nation was thoroughly watched, abide, with utter most caution. Not a hair of a rumor or a hushed whispered were heard from his spies that indicated information regarding either targets.
Not a single trance, an ounce of proof, not one trail, or even a piece of vague evidence whatsoever. Not even his former student, who was renowned as a spy master, has not discovered a single clue on Naruto's whereabouts. Or if he even was alive.
The search was void. Dead. And everyone believed so as well.
They were tired. And so was he.
Even so, they still looked whenever they could, searched wherever they haven't searched yet, turned any stone that had yet been turned.
They will not stop until they found something.
Be it the child, or that monster.
Sarutobi rolled up the map before placing it back inside his desk. He then reached further behind the drawer, pulling out a mondernly sized scroll and set it down on his desk.
They will not stop.
Sarutobi slowly unfurled the scroll and began to read the contexts like he'd been doing every night for the past six years, as it got darker around him.
"Five-Point Elemental Seal Barrier. . ." He muttered the label.
He would not stop looking.
Because if what Kushina said was true, then Naruto was alive.
And he will find him, not matter what. Even if everything got darker around him.
The Kyuubi clone was sitting in the middle of a river, its bright red eyes slowly shifting, taking in the surroundings. All around the fox were dismembered houses and buildings, the old structures clearly uninhabitable and looked ready to fall and join the rest the derbies. The Kyuubi clone sat in the middle of an abandoned village, with a wide river running though the whole land, the village enclosed by high hills further on out
Red eyes shifted again.
The clone could see an opening where the river went through the hills and thinned out before exiting from the other side the village. Then the river would expand again, curve a sharp right then would flow straight, which how it was behind them, and continued to flow passed them another kilometer or so, before curving right again and entering through the space all over again.
The Kyuubi's clone exhaled a sigh.
It was morning, and Naruto was still asleep. Human children need a lot of sleep in order to function property and help their small little bodies grow. According to its sources that is. Yes, that was good. Once Naruto was grown he should be able to endure the might of Kurama's power. Naruto's current body was much too small right now to be able to handle that much energy at once, let alone use it.
The Kyuubi clone actually liked it when Naruto slept. Not only can the boy not annoy the demon when he was asleep but also, the more Naruto slept, the more he would grow, and the bigger he was, the more durable he was to handle the Kyuubi's power.
But goddammit humans took so long for their fleshy little bodies to grow. During the Kyuubi's first decade of life the stongest Tailed Beast was already towering over trees. Such an inferior race. . .
The Kyuubi clone understood that, no matter how much the demon fox didn't like it. Would've made a lot of things so much easier. . .
Despite that, the clone of Kurama expected much more from Naruto than what the boy was capable of now.
Naruto's taijutsu. . .was awful.
Ninjutsu. . .awful.
Intelligence. . .up for debate.
The blond just had to have no talent whatsoever. Naruto just had to lack be so. . .clumsy. Despite his lineage, Naruto just seemed to have no idea what the hell he was doing with himself during the clone's lessens in combat.
The demon just wished Naruto wasn't so clumsily. Then maybe the fox wouldn't have to be so paranoid. The Kyuubi clone wished for Naruto to be stronger.
Its stomach twisted.
The fox narrowed its eyes, the red orbs giving off a small shine. It then snorted loudly, its lips pulled back to shaped its teeth in a small grimace.
Its clawed finger began to trace the water in a rotating motion. The fox relaxed its features.
Naruto's training shall resume today. Since their little talk, the clone had given Naruto about a day and an half of solitude. The demon was quite aware that its words the other day may have caused the boy a bit of. . .shock? Trauma? Something along such lines. While the clone, and its original for that matter, still didn't understand the human's mind all that all, the clone still recognized how unwise it'd be if it tried to force Naruto to continue training so soon after their less than pleasant conversation. The clone figured Naruto was given enough time to come to terms with the whole thing. He had too, because the clone wasn't going to let any more days go wasted. Time was not their friend.
The boy shall resume practicing in molding his regular chakra, along with bettering his skills on hand-to-hand. Perhaps, the fox should talk to Naruto on the premises of battle theory and how to work on formulating plans during the heat of a fight in order to defeat an opponent.
One good trait the boy possessed was he liked learning something new. Or. . .'cool.'
And that he always obeyed, despite testing the Kyuubi clone at times, Naruto had always done what the fox had asked him, ever since the boy was able to talk and walk.
Naruto was an abnormally to the demon fox at times. He surprised the fox sometimes. For example, the clone didn't think Naruto would have taken a liking to his training when they first started. The fox thought Naruto would be apprehensive in practicing the physical activities it made him do but Naruto had established other wise.
While Naruto had gotten frustrated and angry when faced with something difficult in the past he wasn't quick to give up. An example would be when Naruto learned to walk on water.
The clone remembered Naruto's determination. That was another good trait. Naruto also didn't like sit around for too long, he always liked to move and be active. He had a lot of energy where sitting still and quiet was impossible for the boy. Also. . .
Naruto talked. . .a lot. The boy would ask question after question after question about all sorts of things, then he'd have more questions for the answers of a previous answered question. Curious child, to a fault. It was good for Naruto to display such a trait, he needed to be smart in the coming years, but there had been a few times when Naruto asked about things that had drawn ire from the fox.
One time Naruto asked about his parents. The fox told the boy they were dead, without hesitation. The boy didn't even blink, and merely said, "Oh, okay."
Strange. Any other child would've been shocked at such information. Whenever it's for better or for worse, Naruto was not 'any other child.'
The Kyuubi's clone just couldn't seem to find a common ground in understanding Naruto sometimes. At times, the fox thought it did, at other times it didn't. Naruto was an abnormally to the demon fox.
Almost like her.
The clone snarled and slapped the water in front of it, creating a loud splash and sending water flying nearly eight feet in the air. The demon fox didn't want to think about that woman. Thinking about her reminded the clone of memories it didn't want to remember. At all.
Growling, the Kyuubi's clone glanced at the sun above its head. It was time. The clone stood up and began walking in the direction it sensed Naruto was located at. Before it got far, the fox paused suddenly, right by one of the destroyed buildings that was on its last legs.
Red eyes bore on the symbol that reminded the clone of a swirl. The fox hissed before lashing out in a fit of spite, effortlessly knocking the building over, causing the structure to break apart and fall into the water, sinking into the bottom of the river in pieces.
It was enough that Naruto reminded the clone of the woman. . .
. . .you will never again see the very sky above your head, instead, forced to remain in a dark little cage
Chained.
. . .you'll remain bound, unable to move
. . .you'll wish for death, because that'll be the only way to escape.
. . . imagine yourself wanting to be dead
. . . you will be taken. And your freedom. . .
. . .will be lost.
You must get strong.
. . .you must learn how to fight.
I will teach you.
. . .you will learn how to use Kurama's power as your own.
You are cursed.
You are a. . .
Jinchuuriki.
. . .you house the Kyuubi.
. . .my creator.
They will take you.
. . .humans will stop at nothing to capture you to obtain that power.
They are cruel and selfish.
You must be strong. . .
. . .or they'll come for you. . .
. . . your enemy is. . .
. . .me. . .my creator. . .my creator.
Naruto. . .I'll-
A pair of blue eyes snapped open.
Oh. It was just a dream.
A quiet whimper past Naruto's lips.
No, that was a nightmare.
Naruto numbly sat up and placed his back against a tree, hugging his knees to his chest. He sniffled.
It was morning, quickly approaching the afternoon if the amount of daylight was any telling. Not like the boy cared right now as he buried his face in the small space between his knees and his arms.
After a moment Naruto already felt his body getting ready to fall back to sleep. He felt weak. He hadn't eaten for an entire day, the lack of food had him feeling drained. But that was a good thing in a way, he wanted to go back to sleep, not desiring to face this day.
He ignored how sunken in his stomach felt, and how sandy his tongue felt. He needed water, but he didn't feel like getting up. He didn't have the energy.
He sniffled again.
However, in truth, that wasn't the only thing keeping his body down.
The fox's words never left his head since that time, over a day ago. He cried himself to sleep last night thinking about them. Then he'd wake up crying from the nightmare that followed.
Naruto just wanted everything to be quiet. He wanted the world to around to be silent, along with the clone's dark voice in his head.
"They'll come for you."
He whimpered. He didn't want hear anymore.
"You must get strong."
Naruto gripped his hair.
"Your enemy is everyone but me. . ."
Naruto didn't know what to do. Never before had he been so hurt by the clone's harsh words.
He covered his ears and tried to get his mind to quiet, blocking everything else around him.
After about ten minutes Naruto took in a large breath before letting it out in a shuddered exhale. He lifted his face up slightly and stared sadly at the ground in front of him.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't how to react by the Kyuubi's clone's cruel words. He did not understand
No. That last thing wasn't entirely true. At some level, Naruto did understand.
Naruto grew up with a non-human, monster-beast of pure chakra with a conscious and sentient awareness as his only companion, as his only parental figure. He may have still retained most of his innocence and naivety he wasn't completely blind by them, he still grasped things most children wouldn't be able to.
He knew the Kyuubi's clone wasn't a kind creature. He pretty much got that from the get-go growing up.
Although, that didn't bother Naruto one might that it would've, though. Naruto merely thought that was how the fox was, its unfriendliness simply being apart of its personality.
It didn't really upset Naruto for long, if at all, whenever the fox was being rather strict with him. Besides, Naruto figured out at a young age, as long as he obeyed there'd hardly be a reason for the fox to be mad at him. Despite learning not to take it personally whenever the fox got sore with him Naruto didn't like it when the fox was mad at him.
So, he always obeyed. Which wasn't that hard.
Naruto also fully understood the Kyuubi's clone hated humans. Utterly despised them. That was another thing he constantly heard throughout his short life.
Humans were evil. They were selfish. They wanted power.
They wanted him.
Stay away from the humans, the fox would say. He understood the fox wanted him to be stronger. . .to kill them all.
Naruto understood that within his body, he possessed a power all the others humans wanted.
Naruto understood he housed the Kyuubi no Yoko. He understood the Kyuubi created the clone, the fox with three tails he'd known all of his live.
. . .he understood the Kyuubi's clone was not his real dad.
It was just. . .painful having that thrown into his face, because the fox was the only parental figure the boy knew. The only one. . .
From what he read in some books in the past, fathers protect their children. They feed them, teach them about the world, how to read, how to write, how care for themselves. How to fight. How to live.
For as long as he could remember, the Kyuubi clone had done all of those things. The fox had protected Naruto from the bad humans, taught him how to write, how to read. The fox fed him, gave him clothes. The clone had taken him out of that horrible cave and brought him to this super cool island that was bigger than what he imagined. There are still some areas Naruto had yet to explore. The clone was teaching him how to fight and protect himself. Like a father would.
The fox gave him everything.
Fathers love and show affection their children.
The fox did not love him.
Or had never show true affection toward him. The demon fox had done everything a father should do. Expect the one thing Naruto wanted the most.
Naruto had known since he could remember that the clone was not his birth father. He was aware that his original parents are dead. He knew the fox hid him from other humans due to the power he held, and that other humans want to use him for that power.
He always felt deep in his heart that being under the clone's care was circumstantial due to him housing the creator of the clone. He always knew, but even still, Naruto liked to believe the clone cared for him on some level or another.
The clone was teaching him how to fight, to defend himself from the humans that might come for him in the future. If the clone wanted to keep his creator hidden the fox could've just let Naruto remained hidden in that cave.
But, no. The demon took him out of there, brought to a place far away from that place, and was teaching him how to fight in order to defend himself and. . .its creator.
Naruto had always known the clone cared about nothing but the well-being of its creator, and all of its actions it had took were in regard to the well-being of the original Kyuubi, and that included moving Naruto out of that cave and training him on how to fight.
While the fox had done everything a father would do for their kid, the clone didn't love him like one, or had ever displayed affection like one. All the things the clone had done for Naruto, including protecting him, educating him, raising him, and training him, all of the aforementioned actions were meant for the benefit of the clone's creator. Not Naruto's.
It hurt. Now more than ever. Like a slap to the face. Naruto was hurt, and depressed with this thing as a whole. And all he wanted was to shut himself away.
"Naruto."
But there was no way that was going to happen.
He stopped breathing, his heart slowed, and a bile of dread dropped into his stomach. Naruto's form was completely stiff, waiting in baited silence as his body felt like it got colder, while at the same time, hotter from the sweat on his forehead. His ears picked up a rough inhale, followed by a short exhale.
No.
Naruto lifted his head up and was immediately ensnared by a pair of crimson eyes.
No. No. . . .no. . . .no. . .no. Not now. Please. Not now. No, no, no. Please, no. Naruto wasn't ready to deal with this yet. He wasn't ready.
He felt sick.
Naruto didn't know what the clone wanted, he didn't want to know either.
He didn't want to see the fox, or hear it either. He wanted the clone to go away. He wanted to be left alone.
Go away. Naruto tried to say, but all that came out was a strangled gasp. The fox's mere presence made him feel like throwing up.
He wasn't ready yet, there were too many things going through his mind right now, things he was still trying to figure out, to understand. To comprehend. He wasn't ready for whatever the fox had in store for him.
Unknown to Naruto, the demon fox was rather confused by Naruto's behavior. Despite itself, the fox let out a hum of curiosity, unable to completely hide just how perplex it was. Unfortunately, the hum sounded rough and gravely. Naruto mistook it for a growl, causing the young boy to flinch back, which didn't go unnoticed by the fox.
In all honestly, in that moment, the clone was at a loss. Many thoughts were whirling in the clone's brain as it tried to come up a reasoning for Naruto's behavior. The clone knew Naruto was scared. But why? There was no reason for him to be. Of course, this may have to do with their little discussion the other day, the fox knew that, but the clone still failed to find the probable cause for such a negative response.
Was their talk really still affecting the boy to such a degree even now? Why? That shouldn't be. Shouldn't be.
The fox took a closer look at Naruto. The boy didn't appear to have eaten all day yesterday, or even had any water. Why?
The clone's words should not be affecting Naruto like this, not in such a negative light. No, the fox's words should have helped the boy, open his eyes to the world they live in, and what awaited him if he wasn't prepared. The fox's words should have helped Naruto, not cause him to act like this. So afraid of the Kyuubi clone.
Perhaps. . .the Kyuubi clone understood children even less than it thought it did. Maybe, Naruto needed more time to calm his mind, and heed its words and respond to them in a more positive light. Yes. That had to be it. But the fox didn't want to give Naruto any more time. Training his body came first, his mind came later. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, but Naruto will get over his irrational behavior, and come to terms with the clone's words and understand he had to get stronger if he wanted to be free.
And Naruto can learn that without sitting around.
"Stand up."
The color drained even more from Naruto's face as he sat motionless. It was just as he feared. Regardless, Naruto was still stunned to his core. Did that fox really expect him to. . .? After all that happened? Just like that? Naruto could only stare dumbly at the Kyuubi clone. Unfortunately, Naruto remained unresponsive for too long, angering the demon fox.
"Naruto!" the monster canine snapped, crimson narrowed in a scary ire. The hash tone caused Naruto to flinch. "I gave you enough time, boy. Get up. It's time to continue your training." the fox said evenly.
He didn't move a muscle.
The demon sneered in anger, "I won't ask again."
.
.
Nothing has changed. In the end, what could he do?
He could ignore the fox, maybe even throw a huge tantrum. But Naruto knew the demon fox. The fox will get its way, and would not stop until it did.
Naruto slowly stood up on to his feet and waited the demon's command. The Kyuubi clone gave a satisfied nod and beckon Naruto to follow.
The Kyuubi clone led Naruto to a small clearing, neither speaking during the short trip. The ground a bit rough to the eye. Less than a yard away was a small clear stream. Naruto blinked when a couple objects were tossed to his feet by the clone.
"Eat. Now." the fox ordered.
Naruto's eyes lit up when he recognized three apples and an orange by his feet. His stomach let out a loud growl, his hunger guiding his actions as he quickly reached for the fruit without a second thought, taking a large bite out of one of the apples.
The Kyuubi clone watched Naruto eat quietly before making Naruto drink from the stream nearby. The fox frowned, Naruto's condition looked a little better, a little rejuvenated. After another moment, the fox led the boy to a tree that was close to them.
"You know what to do." the fox stated before stepping back a few spaces.
Naruto looked sadly at the demon fox, but the clone merely stared back at the small child blankly, its eyes boring down Naruto with a silent command.
Nothing has changed, and all he could do was obey.
The day never felt longer as Naruto wondered in that moment, what else could he do?
Kakashi stared wearily through the holes of his mask at the memorial stone before him. Kakashi didn't know for certain how long exactly he'd been standing here if he were honest. If he were to sum a guess, he'd say he had been standing here for over four hours in his Anbu attire.
Despite the darkness, whatever moonlight that managed to shine over the village through the clouds occupying the skies provided just enough of light for him to see what was in front of him less than three feet away. A stone tablet, with the names of the fallen craved into the smooth surface; a few in particular centered his gaze.
No progress had been made yet, the fact weighted greatly on his body, and his soul as well. Kakashi didn't know exactly when the doubts had settled, he just knew he couldn't see it any more, the possibility of Minato's son being alive.
It's been six years since that night. Six years. It seemed like so much longer. They rebuild the damage and the destruction done to the village by the Kyuubi.
At least, from a certain standpoint.
They had rebuild their buildings and their houses, but that's where it stopped. Many were still recovering from the losses from that night. The many, many loses.
Konoha's military strength remained severely crippled in the aftermath. They were always vulnerable to an attack or an invasion. All the other major hidden villages were watching them closely, news of the Kyuubi attack having spread far and wide through all the regions. The only reason they haven't tried anything yet because the other nations believed they still housed the Kyuubi.
If only they knew. . .
The civilians within the walls were unaware of the truth, told by the Sandaime the Kyuubi had been resealed into a new host whose identity would be anonymous to them.
The Hokage didn't give an explanation nor did he have to provide one, for the villagers simply didn't care and took the Hokage's words at face vaule. Afterall, why would they care which poor soul that housed the monster responsible for taking their loved ones, and their beloved Yondaime. To this day, the civilians believed the Kyuubi host lived among them incognito.
Many high ranking shinobi knew different.
Kakashi was one of the few that knew what really happened after all was said and done. The Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi into his new-born son, Naruto. Then, shortly after he died, the infant had been kidnapped by the Kyuubi's identical spawn.
Information of the creature's existence and the fact it took Naruto was kept very, very tight even amongst the shinobi. None of the genin knew. The ones who knew included those who have actually seen it with their own eyes during when the Kyuubi's smaller doppelganger massacred many of their ninja and came close to killing the Sandaime Hokage. Of course Sarutobi himself knew, as he had been there during Minato's Kushina's final moments. His body guards knew. The elders knew. All of the Anbu knew. The highest of the jounin knew. A few chunin knew. Jiraiya knew. And Kakashi himself knew.
Naruto Uzumaki, the son of his the Yondaime and his wife, Kushina, had the Kyuubi sealed inside him on the very night he was born. And was immediately taken afterwards by the Kyuubi's spawn.
Kakashi was able to see the bloody aftermath the clone left behind. He, along with many shinobi of his generation, had been forbidden from fighting the Kyuubi. Once everything was said and done, he had seen the severed limbs, the spilled entrails, the crushed bones.
No one had approached Kakashi to confirm it, but he could tell. The work was done by something with claws.
He had been told by the Hokage himself of the existence of the extra demon. He had been told because Sarutobi wanted his help in finding Naruto, who was likely alive, and held captive by the Kyuubi's spawn. All the Anbu have tried searching for him. Whenever they could. Their searches were limited, unfortunately. Konoha lacked the manpower and the resources it once held, so it couldn't afford sending their remaining forces, their most elite mind you, on a vague search for their missing jinchuuriki.
After six years they were at least certain of one thing: Naruto and his captor were not in the Land of Fire.
They didn't search the territory of other great nations as much as they would've liked. The risks were high, after all. If they did venture they didn't cover much far ground. If an enemy nation discovered their ninja scouting in their lands there'd be no telling how they would retaliate.
They all were still recovering from the last war, but it was worst for Konoha now without their jinchuuriki and dwindled numbers.
The only one who was searching relentlessly throughout the other countries without gaining any unwanted eyes was Jiraiya. The master spy master had been searching endlessly for traces linking to the whereabouts of Naruto and the Kyuubi's spawn. He too, found nothing.
After six years, while Kakashi could not say for certain regarding his fellow ninja, he was beginning to doubt they'd ever find him. He doubted Naruto was alive. Kakashi doubted.
His eyes lingered sadly over the name Minato Namikaze. The image of the blond haired man smiling at him appeared in Kakashi's mind. He closed his eyes. A low exhale passed his lips, "I don't see it."
In the end, it didn't matter what Kakashi thought or felt. The Hokage believed Naruto to be alive, and would have Kakashi's squad conduct another search soon enough.
He couldn't wait.
Despite the doubts and fatigue, Kakashi wasn't done hunting yet, he'll find Minato's precious legacy.
The Copy Nin's borrowed eye burned a deadly ire.
Or, at the very least, he'll find the Kyuubi's clone and rip the creature's body to bloody shreds. Which ever came first.
"Ha!"
A dull thud echoed across the area. Naruto bit his lip as he felt his eyes sting from the intense throbbing in his hand, his face heavily contorted from the pain. He tried not to whimper or cry as he moved his fist from the now worn wood.
Naruto had been doing this for few hours, trying unsuccessfully to have his chakra strengthened his muscles to superhuman level and break through the tree trunk. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't even make one solid crack, all he done was chip away a little of the exterior of the bark, evident from the lighter spot on the trunk where his fist stuck for the past three hours.
He was tired and in pain. But he refused to cry, even as droplets of water escaped his eyes from time to time. He would not cry, else he might attract unwanted attention from his overseer. He didn't want that right now.
Naruto exhaled lowly, his eyes greatly weary as he slowly raised his arm again.
"You can stop now." The clone's deep, dark voice commanded.
Yes. He was done. Finally
Naruto dropped his arm to his eyes and hung his head, then slowly walked away, tiredly dragging his feet as he did so. Not once did he make eye contact with the demon fox as his small form disappeared behind the trees.
The Kyuubi's clone merely looked up at the subtle appearance of the full moon in the blue sky, noting the approaching late hour. The clone knew Naruto wouldn't go very far, it sensed he was about yard and a half away, likely sleeping already.
"Ah. . . " the clone sighed heavily before walking in the opposite direction Naruto went.
Such a wasteful day.
Meanwhile, Naruto was right back where he started early in the morning, sitting with his back against a tree with his knees pulled to his chest. Only this time, a great pain continued to pulse from his hand. The back of his knuckles hurt greatly, sore and blistered from the intense training he had to do for the last few hours.
Naruto looked at the back of his trembling hand, try as he might, the boy couldn't stop the limb from shaking. The pain was just too much for him, his lips pursed tightly to keep from crying. Even so, the tears came down freely now as he sniffled. He didn't like this, not one bit. Not at all. He didn't like being in pain like this. He hated it. The boy licked his knuckles with his tongue, covering the back of his hand in salvia before quickly tucking it under his shirt.
The moist helped a little bit. But only for a few seconds. Naruto squirmed and whined as an inching sensation settled over the damaged skin. Just enough already. Why can't he be comfortable? Why? Why must he go through this?
No.
Naruto knew why.
The Kyuubi's clone wanted him to be strong. Stronger than anyone. The strongest. All in order to. . .kill the humans that will come for him the future, come for him due to the power he had in his body. They wanted him and the power he had for their own needs, and will use Naruto however they wish if suitable for their agendas.
The humans wanted to use him. . .like a tool. And have him caged. . .like an animal. They would take away his freedom too, forever, until the day he died. That was why the clone wanted Naruto to get strong, in order to prevent all of that from ever happening. If he was strong, that would never, ever, happen. Naruto understood that.
The Kyuubi clone had said so numerous times, afterall.
But why? Why do they want to hurt him? What did he do? Who is 'they' anyway? The humans. That is what the Kyuubi clone called 'them.' Did that mean humans were bad? Was that the reason why the fox didn't like them? Because they were bad? But, he was human, too. Did that mean he was bad? Were all humans bad? They want to take him. Why? For the power within him. Why do they want this power?
Why do they have to have it? The Kyuubi, creator of the creature he called 'dad.'
Naruto swallowed, his throat dry.
The demon said humans were cruel, selfish and desired power, power that he held. The demon wanted him to be strong, so he could fight them and protect himself, protect what they were after. The Kyuubi clone wanted Naruto to become the strongest, so he could fight the humans when they come for him. That is what the fox said. Naruto knew that much. He just didn't understand why. . .
Why did they want him? Why do they want to use him to get want they wanted? Why him? Naruto wanted to know why they have to use him, to hurt him, in order to get what they want.
Naruto wanted to know why were humans so evil?
The boy remove his hand from his shirt and slowly moved it in front of his face. The damage was no where to be seen, not a scar, a blister, or a single remnant of what happened today. Naruto's hand was completely healed and free of any injury.
And he wanted to know why they want Kurama's power so badly.
Back to the Kyuubi's clone, disappointment weighted heavy in the beast's steps, as well as its mind. The gamble had not gone in its favor, today was a complete waste.
The clone had given Naruto a day and a half of solitude after their heated talk the day bwfore, hoping it'd be enough for Naruto to get his mind straight. Despite the beastly nature of its kind, the Kyuubi's clone wasn't blind nor woefully ignorant to emotions or common sense as the humans may assume.
It clearly understood its words had a rather large impact on Naruto's mentality. A negative one. So, the fox had found it wise to leave Naruto being for a short time in process its words, hoping that when he did, Naruto would become much more eager to get stronger, and perhaps gain a better understanding on what would happen if he didn't, and develp a better outlook on the evilness humans are capable of.
But Naruto had shut himself completely away from the fox. When the clone approached Naruto this afternoon with the intention of having the boy practice molding his chakra to strengthen his blows, it knew right then and there. . .
It had fucked up.
First it noticed the heavy gloom in his eyes along with the redness where the white should be. Naruto refused to make a single instant of eye contact with the demon fox, the boy's gaze directed any where but the clone's.
His body almost seemed to curve in on itself when the fox got three feet from the boy, all of his muscles rigid and stiff.
Naruto practically reeked of fear and antsy to the fox's vey presence. For a moment the Kyuubi's clone had been indecisive, maybe even off guard by the unease it felt from the boy.
However, the Kyuubi clone decided to ignore it all, and sternly ordered Naruto to get up. The flinch wasn't surprising. Nor did the fox care, because Naruto obeyed and got to his feet.
Good, it had thought. As long as Naruto did what he was told nothing else mattered.
The Kyuubi clone soon thought differently a short time later as it observed Naruto. His movements were slower than they've ever been before. They were robotic and further lacked any coordinateness.
Even as he only walked the clone noticed quickly, Naruto's steps being heavy as he put one foot in front of the other at a almost snail pace.
And when Naruto made his first punch to the tree on this day the Kyuubi clone grew furious.
He didn't even try. At all.
Naruto may have formed the seal and surged his chakra but that was it. All Naruto did was moved his chakra in random directions for a few seconds, not at all attempting to focus on a specific area, like his arm for one. He just moved it.
Then came the strike. It looked like he gave someone a slow slap.
He had to be doing this on purpose, was what the clone first thought. It had snapped and yelled at the boy, whom coward like a scared pup as the demon fox berated him for his lack of effort.
The result held a small marit as Naruto's next attempts felt more. . .fruitful. His attempts at molding his chakra and striking the tree was more sincere, but the clone clearly felt the loss of vigor and power Naruto had before.
The Kyuubi's clone was displeased. Naruto could do better, had done better. After a few hours the clone had gave up, seeing the process fruitless.
And understanding that Naruto's mental state prevented him from performing his training in a progressive way unlike before, and the clone needed to correct it.
Quickly.
Yet still, even with the thought in mind, the Kyuubi clone was still flabbergasted. It had expected a better response from Naruto than this.
Red eyes closed.
The Kyuubi clone had expected better from Naruto. It had expected him to heed its words in a more, positive light in someway; an better insight at the least. But no, Naruto reacted worst than it could've guessed.
Did the fox see it coming? Yes. But not to such at an extent where it greatly alternated the boy's effort in his training, in getting stronger.
Forcing the boy wouldn't help in this case, the fox learned that today. Naruto's current mental place utterly halted any more progress to be made. The Kyuubi clone had to correct it fast. And soon.
The only question was how?
How to recover. . .from this enormous step backwards?
This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I cut it in half because I lost my patience in trying to get an update in. Next chapter is 60%, hopefully the next update would be sooner.
Okay, so what'd you guys think of this chapter? Tell me your thoughts, I'd be most grateful.
Hope you've enjoy what I brought to the table, leave a review, and goodbye:-)