"Speech"
~Thoughts~
*Flashbacks* (though we don't have any yet, maybe we will later...)
(A/N)
Here are the reviews I promised you guys!
SoulRetriever13: Why, thank-ee!
Sirius183: Yeah, I needed some tension in this chapter, and that was
basically my only potion, to make Kakashi and Sasuke butt heads.
Personally, I think that Kakashi and Sasuke are two people who will either
hate each other and have their personalities clash, or they'll love each
other to no end. I had to make them clash...it'd be too un-Sasuke like to be
nice to someone at a time like that.
Thu6666: Yeah, I'd never read one before either, and I was sitting in
History (have you ever noticed that you get the weirdest ideas in your
boring classes?) thinking about all of the Naruto stories I've read, and
there weren't really too many that involved the Kyuubi directly. I thought
it would be a good idea. (And all this time I've missed all the notes and
half a lecture...*SMACK* Bad Angela! Bad me!)
Anon E. Mous: Yeah, I don't understand why it happens...it annoys me to no
end, because one night, I'll read a really good story and the next day it's
gone...grrr....lol
Kiako Orniter: yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I'm juggling a lot of work here,
between doing all the stuff on the computer, I'm working on two projects,
AND I stared drawing a manga for my story (oh billy!) and it's taking up
every spare minute (literally)
Lady Amaya: Heh, Kakashi fan? It'll probably be Kakashi/ Iruka pairing
later, but nothing too in depth. This isn't meant to be a romantic fic.
SoulRetriever13: Is it torture when the chapters are this short? *evil
laugh* Nah, I just gotta make more irritating cliff hangers. *another evil
grin*
Grand Admiral Gin: Yeah, yeah, I'm updating...lol
Ookima: I know I'm evil... my friends tell me that every day. And tell me
it's not more interesting when I leave a cliffhanger! It makes you not sole
interest in the story! It'll keep nagging you until you read the next
chapter. It's a chain reaction...plus...I can't help myself...I'm that evil...(
Kiyana ya sala: Yeah, I know a lot of people who are Naru/Saku fans. But
this isn't going to be a romance. Keep an eye on my stuff in the future
though, cuz I already have some interesting idead!
Sirius183: Aww, but it was a good place to cut off!!! It left you
wondering... *smirk*
Jibaru: Yeah, my finger must have slipped on that "a". Hey, it was late.
Lol
**********************************************************************
Wow, reviews take a long time, lol. I'm having fun with this story. Like I
said, I'm making a manga out of it too... first I have to start my own
homepage, then organize it, then post them.... Could be a while, so don't
wait up. I'll let you know when I start posting them. I only have three
pages drawn so far... it takes a long time! Plus, I'm drawing without much
reference...uh...yeah ~~~OH~~~ BURN~~~! Forget I said that. Now that I think
about it... of all the fan arts I've drawn from the Naruto series, not one of
then is of Naruto (yet. I'm in the process *cough* of working on one). Now,
ONWARD!
(Just a mark of how much I love you guys, I retyped the entire chapter,
reviews and everything, to get it to load right!)
Chapter 5 The Fight Within
Naruto opened his eyes. He gasped. There was darkness. Not the commutable, nestled-snug-in-bed darkness, but the darkness that seemed to leak into your very soul, piercing your heart with fear and doubt. He shivered. The air crackled with energy and every conceivable emotion. Where the hell was he?
Naruto shakily stood. The pain in his navel was gone. ~ What? ~ he started to feel around like a blind man, stumbling, half expecting to run head on into an invisible something. He shivered again. The emotions seemed to be more than in the air; they were inside of him. The feeling of all these emotions was overwhelming, making him want to curl up into a ball on the floor and cry. No! he was NOT going to cry.
Naruto spun around, facing more darkness. The darkness pressed up against his eyes, making him blink every few seconds. He had a strange feeling that he was being watched.
"H-hello?" he called quietly. The darkness seemed to eat up his words, making them sound strangely muffled. It was then he realized he couldn't hear his own footsteps and stopped walking. Tsunade-sama had said he would be going into his own mind, but was his mind really this dark and depressing? It couldn't be his mind. He never felt this depressed when he was (for lack of better word) awake. Naruto began to panic. What if something had gone wrong? What if Tsunade had some how done something wrong and...like...killed him? If she had killed him... "You're not dead. In fact, far from it," a voice hissed. Naruto froze. He couldn't identify where the voice was coming from. It resounded from everywhere and nowhere at all. ~What the hell...?~ he grabbed a kunai, gripping it so tightly that his hand shook.
"Scared, boy? Do you know who I am?" Naruto spun around, trying desperately to find the source of the voice. His fear, however, didn't put a damper on his big mouth.
"Why don't you show yourself and fight me one-on-one, coward?" he yelled aimlessly into the darkness. A chilling laughter met his ear. He gripped his weapon tighter, poised to strike should a target present itself. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and ran down his temples.
"But I'm right here!" the voice said teasingly from behind him. Naruto spun around and flung his kunai in the same motion. He never heard it hit the ground, or, for that matter, a target.
"Ha! Kunai are wasted here. No physical damage can be done here. Well, on my part, at least" the voice laughed cruelly and Naruto felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He felt four deep gashes, like claw-marks, freely bleeding.
"You're the Kyuubi," he said in realization. "You're the one who killed all of those people. You destroyed the village!" An angry and accusing tone had completely taken over the shocked and scared voice. Now he realized why Tsunade had sent him into "himself". To either battle, or reason with the Kitsune. She had not specified before. What she had said were words of encouragement. He wondered why she hadn't told him what he was to do. That was not the important thing now.
"Don't sound so offended," the Kyuubi said, "I was only having some fun." Naruto's fists clenched in anger. To insult the Leaf...
"YOU"RE THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING! ALL OF THE VILLAGERS HATE ME BECAUSE OF YOU!" Naruto yelled. "If it weren't for you, the Fourth would still be alive!"
"You shouldn't take everything to heart, you know that, boy?"
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"Because if you keep things close, it only makes it more painful when you lose them."
"Oh, gee, thanks for showing your concern!" Naruto spat with venom, "Don't take it to heart yourself when I don't listen to you!" The voice of the Kyuubi kept changing location, causing Naruto to turn in another direction every time the demon spoke.
Naruto cried out in pain as the Kyuubi slashed at his arm, laving two shallow cuts. He clapped a hand over the wounds, trying to stop the flow of blood. How was he supposed to fight an enemy he couldn't see, and knew nothing about? It seemed impossible. Naruto cursed to himself...he didn't know what to do! He hated feeling helpless! What in the world could he do but serve as a play toy for the demon? The feeling overwhelmed him, and he let out a scream of frustration, falling to his knees.
Suddenly, a light blazed brightly around him. He turned to face his enemy for the first time. Naruto dearly wished he could have stayed in the dark.
The fox stood before him, tall and menacing. Lips were curled and teeth were bared. Angry red eyes met terrified sky-blue.
Naruto felt his courage fail if he could not physically harm the Kyuubi? Speaking of which... how was it that the fox could harm Naruto, but Naruto couldn't harm the fox? It didn't make any sense!
The fox circled Naruto. The boy sat on the floor, shaking slightly. Could the Kyuubi kill him in a place like this? Could he really die inside of his own mind?
"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked the question that had been nagging him since that night at the noodle bar. "Why try to get out now?"
The fox sneered (if it was at all possible for a fox to sneer. The intent was there).
"Quite simple, you baka. In the time of adolescence, your power levels are unstable and easily corrupted. If I continue to fight, there is a good chance I'll manage to break free and finish what I started fifteen years ago (A/Naruto: I decided to make them fifteen. Sue me)"
Naruto's interest was caught.
"Which is..."
"My, my, quite the question-asker, aren't we?"
"Well, considering I'm sharing my body with you, I feel I have a right to know."
"Just like your little friends have a right to know about me?"
"That's different! Leave them out of this! This is between you and me!" the Kitsune stopped pacing and looked Naruto in the eye. This unnerved him a bit.
"Actually," the fox said, resuming his pacing once more, "you just got in the way. You are nothing but a worthless liability to me that is only going to die with the rest of his friends when I take down the Leaf!" the fox snarled unpleasantly, eyes narrowing.
"Oh yeah? And why should I even listen to what you say? Why should I believe you? This seal had got you trapped, and you're just mad that your stuck in the same body as someone else!" Naruto yelled. The fox sneered again. He could tell that the boy was merely trying to hit a nerve.
"Why should you listen to me? Because, Naruto," the fox said, calling him by name for the first time, "I know things. I know things about you that you don't even know. I know everything there is to know about that seal on your navel. That thing, the bane of my existence, has one flaw, one weakness, that could ruin all the work the Leaf did to rebuild itself."
"Oh yeah, and what would that be? I'm pretty sure this seal ain't going anywhere! It's fool-proof. You're just trying to get me to let my guard down or something." Naruto yelled, more trying to reassure himself than annoy the Kitsune. The fox began to laugh again, making chills run up and down Naruto's spine.
"Don't see what's so freaking funny," the blonde muttered angrily. The Kitsune stopped laughing and sat down.
"You are so innocent, so clueless, not to mention dense, that it almost makes me think that were we not enemies, we would get along fairly well. But, being as I'm trapped in your navel, I don't see how that would work out now. Besides, I'll do whatever it takes to get out, even if it means killing you."
"I'm so glad you have a heart," Naruto said coldly. "What exactly is it that you have against the Leaf? Why not the sound ninjas? The world would be a better place without them. Go ruin their village or something." The wiped his bloody hands onto his pants, standing up unsteadily.
"Did they never tell you anything in that stupid village of yours? Did they really let your people continue living thinking I was the bad guy? That I attacked the Leaf out of the pure evilness of my heart? (A/N: is that even a word, evilness? Well, it is now) Tsk tsk. Though, I can understand why they would do that. They wouldn't want to admit that they shot themselves in the foot, now would they? Don't want to look stupid? Understandable, incredibly stupid, but understandable," the Kyuubi said calmly, with a hint of bitter amusement in his voice.
"But, as to your statement that the seal isn't going anywhere, I dare to disagree. You see, like I said before, this seal has one major flaw. It depends on your chakra to function properly."
Naruto waited for an elaboration. None came.
"Uh, yeah, so? So what?" The Kitsune sighed.
"You really are a baka, aren't you? I would have thought things would have clicked in that little brain of yours." Naruto still stared, lost. The Kitsune rolled his eyes.
"Now I have to explain all of this to you, "he said, irritated. However, he couldn't just leave the boy clueless, because Naruto had, in a way, saved him from a far worse fate than being sealed inside a boy's navel. Though he doubted the leaf had had the power, it was possible to kill him, and the after-life for demons was far different than that of humans.
"Since the seal depends on your chakra, when you first started performing ninjutsus, you had difficulty, didn't you? The reason being that previously, all your chakra had to do was work for the seal. Now it had to spare half for the seal and half for ninjutsus. So, just like you had to condition your body to withstand long hours of training, you had to condition your chakra as well, so it would be able to supply a sufficient amount of chakra flow to the seal when you preformed ninjutsus. Did you ever wonder why it was so easy to tap into my chakra when that boy pressed all of your chakra points during the Chuunin exam? Because the flow of chakra to the seal had stopped, making the seal weaker than normal. It was a combination of you tapping into my resources, and me rebelling against the seal. Basically, if your chakra points were pressed for an elongated period of time, the seal would fail completely." The fox scratched a spot behind his ear. Naruto took this opportunity to speak.
"You've said a lot, but you still haven't answered my question." The fox chuckled. It was strange. The laugh didn't hold menace or threat. It was merely a good-natured chuckle. That was scarier for Naruto than the evil laugh.
"You don't look it, and you certainly don't let on, but you're a bright boy. Most would have their attention completely diverted, but you, Naruto, kept your mind on your goal, which was, I'm guessing, obtaining the reason I attacked the leaf. Then again, once you had your mind set on something, you never once lost sight of it. Very good." Naruto made a face.
"I'm not three, you know," he murmured darkly, drawing another laugh from the fox.
"Indeed not," the fox said, "Anyway, since it is clear you are not to be distracted, I might as well explain to you why your precious village was nearly wiped out." The malice had returned to his voice, causing Naruto to shudder slightly.
"Fifteen years ago, a team of hunters from your village were sent to a cave to complete a mission. In this cave, I lived with my mate, who had just had a litter of pups. We couldn't have been happier. I had a family, and a comfortable home. A few days after my mate had delivered, I was out gathering food. I came back and found all of them dead, and the hunters were just leaving. They didn't make it far, to say the least. Before I had killed them, though, they told me that they had had no choice; it was a mission assigned to them. I followed their scent and came across the Leaf. I was an avenger at that moment. Despite what is commonly said, you cannot avenge the dead. Nothing can make up for what you lost. But I had to do something...rage took me. I had to show the village what they had done to me. I was empty. I had nothing left to lose. I had already lost it. I had lost my world, my life...I believe that punishment should fit the crime. They had killed my family, so I had to kill theirs. What goes around comes around, so to speak. I'm sorry if this village is something special to you, but I have to finish my task."
Naruto could find nothing to say to this. Awkward silence hung in the air. Naruto stared at the fox, but not really seeing him. He was lost in thought. Suddenly everything made sense. His stomach dropped and he fell to his knees. His village had lied. They had lied to him, and his peers. Naruto didn't understand why they would pin it on the Kyuubi if it was really their fault. He realized with horror that what Zabuza had said about the Leaf had been true. He hadn't been willing to see it then, but now it all crashed down upon him in a wave of emotions.
"I-'m sorry," he said, breaking the silence. Then, he said a bit more loudly, "We were wrong. And we were lied to. I-I think that's what hurts the most...I-I don't think I can forgive the Leaf for lying! I cant stand liars! I've been surrounded by them my whole life! I'm sick of it!" Naruto was yelling by this point. The Kitsune look at him with interest.
"I know it might not make sense-"
"No! it makes perfect sense! They were only concerned about their outward appearance! And it makes me sick! The villagers hate me not just because of you inside me, but because I hold their secret! There was really no way of telling if I would spill the secret! I-"Naruto faltered for the first time, "I always dreamed of being Hokage. But now, I'm not sure that I want to lead a village that isn't truly strong, a village that hides behind a front. Maybe what I want isn't really the villagers acknowledgement. Maybe, just one, I want to be told the truth." Naruto suddenly brought his fists down onto the ground with tremendous force.
"How could I have been so STUPID!" his voice was pained and laced with betrayal. The fox softened his gaze. It was true, the boy did know what it meant to be in pain.
"Naruto, I know what the village meant to you, what it still means to you, but my soul cannot rest until I have finished what I've started." Naruto realized the fox had a point. Even if the villagers had hurt and lied to him, the village was still his home. He could not ignore that. The fox interrupted his musings.
"Much to my surprise, I rather like you. Perhaps we can become friends after all. That is, if you're willing to forgive me, and I understand if you don't. I mean, your love and my hatred for the Leaf will eventually come between us, but why don't we leave this one up to fate for now?"
"I don't believe in fate," Naruto mumbled before falling silent to contemplate the Kitsune words. Part of his still hated the fox. He couldn't help it... it was what he had been taught...he couldn't just switch it off. Then again, the fox had had a motive–a good motive. He still loved the Leaf, but they had lied, and hurt him in the worst way; making him feel like he had lived his entire life as a lie up until this point, and he could not be more grateful to the Kitsune for telling him the truth.
"I think with time, and getting to know each other," Naruto said slowly, " I can begin to forgive you. Please understand that the Leaf is my home, no matter what they did in the past, but now I understand. Now I know the truth."
"Naruto, much to my displeasure, I think I'm beginning to like you," the Kyuubi said somewhat sarcastically.
"Naruto, I have a question," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"Have you ever wondered about your parents? Have you ever asked about them?" Naruto was surprised.
"Well, no, not really. I just grew up with the thought that I just didn't have parents. Sure, I wondered a few times, but I never had anyone I could ask," he said quietly, "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I know who your parents are." ********************************************************************* Haha, evil cliffhanger. MAN my fingers hurt... ANYway, tell me about any mistakes so I can go back and fix them. I was thinking, that if anyone wanted me to, I could start a little contest for those who like to write... *evil grin* just tell me if you guys want me to set up a little competition here. Could be fun... so0o, keep an eye out, sorry that took so long, but I'm working hard! Now that I think of it, I'm really hungry, so I'm going to go eat ramen with my invisible friend Bob, who says hi to everyone.
Ok, so it's a little run together...any suggestions? I'll fix it when I can find a way,
Chapter 5 The Fight Within
Naruto opened his eyes. He gasped. There was darkness. Not the commutable, nestled-snug-in-bed darkness, but the darkness that seemed to leak into your very soul, piercing your heart with fear and doubt. He shivered. The air crackled with energy and every conceivable emotion. Where the hell was he?
Naruto shakily stood. The pain in his navel was gone. ~ What? ~ he started to feel around like a blind man, stumbling, half expecting to run head on into an invisible something. He shivered again. The emotions seemed to be more than in the air; they were inside of him. The feeling of all these emotions was overwhelming, making him want to curl up into a ball on the floor and cry. No! he was NOT going to cry.
Naruto spun around, facing more darkness. The darkness pressed up against his eyes, making him blink every few seconds. He had a strange feeling that he was being watched.
"H-hello?" he called quietly. The darkness seemed to eat up his words, making them sound strangely muffled. It was then he realized he couldn't hear his own footsteps and stopped walking. Tsunade-sama had said he would be going into his own mind, but was his mind really this dark and depressing? It couldn't be his mind. He never felt this depressed when he was (for lack of better word) awake. Naruto began to panic. What if something had gone wrong? What if Tsunade had some how done something wrong and...like...killed him? If she had killed him... "You're not dead. In fact, far from it," a voice hissed. Naruto froze. He couldn't identify where the voice was coming from. It resounded from everywhere and nowhere at all. ~What the hell...?~ he grabbed a kunai, gripping it so tightly that his hand shook.
"Scared, boy? Do you know who I am?" Naruto spun around, trying desperately to find the source of the voice. His fear, however, didn't put a damper on his big mouth.
"Why don't you show yourself and fight me one-on-one, coward?" he yelled aimlessly into the darkness. A chilling laughter met his ear. He gripped his weapon tighter, poised to strike should a target present itself. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and ran down his temples.
"But I'm right here!" the voice said teasingly from behind him. Naruto spun around and flung his kunai in the same motion. He never heard it hit the ground, or, for that matter, a target.
"Ha! Kunai are wasted here. No physical damage can be done here. Well, on my part, at least" the voice laughed cruelly and Naruto felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He felt four deep gashes, like claw-marks, freely bleeding.
"You're the Kyuubi," he said in realization. "You're the one who killed all of those people. You destroyed the village!" An angry and accusing tone had completely taken over the shocked and scared voice. Now he realized why Tsunade had sent him into "himself". To either battle, or reason with the Kitsune. She had not specified before. What she had said were words of encouragement. He wondered why she hadn't told him what he was to do. That was not the important thing now.
"Don't sound so offended," the Kyuubi said, "I was only having some fun." Naruto's fists clenched in anger. To insult the Leaf...
"YOU"RE THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING! ALL OF THE VILLAGERS HATE ME BECAUSE OF YOU!" Naruto yelled. "If it weren't for you, the Fourth would still be alive!"
"You shouldn't take everything to heart, you know that, boy?"
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"Because if you keep things close, it only makes it more painful when you lose them."
"Oh, gee, thanks for showing your concern!" Naruto spat with venom, "Don't take it to heart yourself when I don't listen to you!" The voice of the Kyuubi kept changing location, causing Naruto to turn in another direction every time the demon spoke.
Naruto cried out in pain as the Kyuubi slashed at his arm, laving two shallow cuts. He clapped a hand over the wounds, trying to stop the flow of blood. How was he supposed to fight an enemy he couldn't see, and knew nothing about? It seemed impossible. Naruto cursed to himself...he didn't know what to do! He hated feeling helpless! What in the world could he do but serve as a play toy for the demon? The feeling overwhelmed him, and he let out a scream of frustration, falling to his knees.
Suddenly, a light blazed brightly around him. He turned to face his enemy for the first time. Naruto dearly wished he could have stayed in the dark.
The fox stood before him, tall and menacing. Lips were curled and teeth were bared. Angry red eyes met terrified sky-blue.
Naruto felt his courage fail if he could not physically harm the Kyuubi? Speaking of which... how was it that the fox could harm Naruto, but Naruto couldn't harm the fox? It didn't make any sense!
The fox circled Naruto. The boy sat on the floor, shaking slightly. Could the Kyuubi kill him in a place like this? Could he really die inside of his own mind?
"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked the question that had been nagging him since that night at the noodle bar. "Why try to get out now?"
The fox sneered (if it was at all possible for a fox to sneer. The intent was there).
"Quite simple, you baka. In the time of adolescence, your power levels are unstable and easily corrupted. If I continue to fight, there is a good chance I'll manage to break free and finish what I started fifteen years ago (A/Naruto: I decided to make them fifteen. Sue me)"
Naruto's interest was caught.
"Which is..."
"My, my, quite the question-asker, aren't we?"
"Well, considering I'm sharing my body with you, I feel I have a right to know."
"Just like your little friends have a right to know about me?"
"That's different! Leave them out of this! This is between you and me!" the Kitsune stopped pacing and looked Naruto in the eye. This unnerved him a bit.
"Actually," the fox said, resuming his pacing once more, "you just got in the way. You are nothing but a worthless liability to me that is only going to die with the rest of his friends when I take down the Leaf!" the fox snarled unpleasantly, eyes narrowing.
"Oh yeah? And why should I even listen to what you say? Why should I believe you? This seal had got you trapped, and you're just mad that your stuck in the same body as someone else!" Naruto yelled. The fox sneered again. He could tell that the boy was merely trying to hit a nerve.
"Why should you listen to me? Because, Naruto," the fox said, calling him by name for the first time, "I know things. I know things about you that you don't even know. I know everything there is to know about that seal on your navel. That thing, the bane of my existence, has one flaw, one weakness, that could ruin all the work the Leaf did to rebuild itself."
"Oh yeah, and what would that be? I'm pretty sure this seal ain't going anywhere! It's fool-proof. You're just trying to get me to let my guard down or something." Naruto yelled, more trying to reassure himself than annoy the Kitsune. The fox began to laugh again, making chills run up and down Naruto's spine.
"Don't see what's so freaking funny," the blonde muttered angrily. The Kitsune stopped laughing and sat down.
"You are so innocent, so clueless, not to mention dense, that it almost makes me think that were we not enemies, we would get along fairly well. But, being as I'm trapped in your navel, I don't see how that would work out now. Besides, I'll do whatever it takes to get out, even if it means killing you."
"I'm so glad you have a heart," Naruto said coldly. "What exactly is it that you have against the Leaf? Why not the sound ninjas? The world would be a better place without them. Go ruin their village or something." The wiped his bloody hands onto his pants, standing up unsteadily.
"Did they never tell you anything in that stupid village of yours? Did they really let your people continue living thinking I was the bad guy? That I attacked the Leaf out of the pure evilness of my heart? (A/N: is that even a word, evilness? Well, it is now) Tsk tsk. Though, I can understand why they would do that. They wouldn't want to admit that they shot themselves in the foot, now would they? Don't want to look stupid? Understandable, incredibly stupid, but understandable," the Kyuubi said calmly, with a hint of bitter amusement in his voice.
"But, as to your statement that the seal isn't going anywhere, I dare to disagree. You see, like I said before, this seal has one major flaw. It depends on your chakra to function properly."
Naruto waited for an elaboration. None came.
"Uh, yeah, so? So what?" The Kitsune sighed.
"You really are a baka, aren't you? I would have thought things would have clicked in that little brain of yours." Naruto still stared, lost. The Kitsune rolled his eyes.
"Now I have to explain all of this to you, "he said, irritated. However, he couldn't just leave the boy clueless, because Naruto had, in a way, saved him from a far worse fate than being sealed inside a boy's navel. Though he doubted the leaf had had the power, it was possible to kill him, and the after-life for demons was far different than that of humans.
"Since the seal depends on your chakra, when you first started performing ninjutsus, you had difficulty, didn't you? The reason being that previously, all your chakra had to do was work for the seal. Now it had to spare half for the seal and half for ninjutsus. So, just like you had to condition your body to withstand long hours of training, you had to condition your chakra as well, so it would be able to supply a sufficient amount of chakra flow to the seal when you preformed ninjutsus. Did you ever wonder why it was so easy to tap into my chakra when that boy pressed all of your chakra points during the Chuunin exam? Because the flow of chakra to the seal had stopped, making the seal weaker than normal. It was a combination of you tapping into my resources, and me rebelling against the seal. Basically, if your chakra points were pressed for an elongated period of time, the seal would fail completely." The fox scratched a spot behind his ear. Naruto took this opportunity to speak.
"You've said a lot, but you still haven't answered my question." The fox chuckled. It was strange. The laugh didn't hold menace or threat. It was merely a good-natured chuckle. That was scarier for Naruto than the evil laugh.
"You don't look it, and you certainly don't let on, but you're a bright boy. Most would have their attention completely diverted, but you, Naruto, kept your mind on your goal, which was, I'm guessing, obtaining the reason I attacked the leaf. Then again, once you had your mind set on something, you never once lost sight of it. Very good." Naruto made a face.
"I'm not three, you know," he murmured darkly, drawing another laugh from the fox.
"Indeed not," the fox said, "Anyway, since it is clear you are not to be distracted, I might as well explain to you why your precious village was nearly wiped out." The malice had returned to his voice, causing Naruto to shudder slightly.
"Fifteen years ago, a team of hunters from your village were sent to a cave to complete a mission. In this cave, I lived with my mate, who had just had a litter of pups. We couldn't have been happier. I had a family, and a comfortable home. A few days after my mate had delivered, I was out gathering food. I came back and found all of them dead, and the hunters were just leaving. They didn't make it far, to say the least. Before I had killed them, though, they told me that they had had no choice; it was a mission assigned to them. I followed their scent and came across the Leaf. I was an avenger at that moment. Despite what is commonly said, you cannot avenge the dead. Nothing can make up for what you lost. But I had to do something...rage took me. I had to show the village what they had done to me. I was empty. I had nothing left to lose. I had already lost it. I had lost my world, my life...I believe that punishment should fit the crime. They had killed my family, so I had to kill theirs. What goes around comes around, so to speak. I'm sorry if this village is something special to you, but I have to finish my task."
Naruto could find nothing to say to this. Awkward silence hung in the air. Naruto stared at the fox, but not really seeing him. He was lost in thought. Suddenly everything made sense. His stomach dropped and he fell to his knees. His village had lied. They had lied to him, and his peers. Naruto didn't understand why they would pin it on the Kyuubi if it was really their fault. He realized with horror that what Zabuza had said about the Leaf had been true. He hadn't been willing to see it then, but now it all crashed down upon him in a wave of emotions.
"I-'m sorry," he said, breaking the silence. Then, he said a bit more loudly, "We were wrong. And we were lied to. I-I think that's what hurts the most...I-I don't think I can forgive the Leaf for lying! I cant stand liars! I've been surrounded by them my whole life! I'm sick of it!" Naruto was yelling by this point. The Kitsune look at him with interest.
"I know it might not make sense-"
"No! it makes perfect sense! They were only concerned about their outward appearance! And it makes me sick! The villagers hate me not just because of you inside me, but because I hold their secret! There was really no way of telling if I would spill the secret! I-"Naruto faltered for the first time, "I always dreamed of being Hokage. But now, I'm not sure that I want to lead a village that isn't truly strong, a village that hides behind a front. Maybe what I want isn't really the villagers acknowledgement. Maybe, just one, I want to be told the truth." Naruto suddenly brought his fists down onto the ground with tremendous force.
"How could I have been so STUPID!" his voice was pained and laced with betrayal. The fox softened his gaze. It was true, the boy did know what it meant to be in pain.
"Naruto, I know what the village meant to you, what it still means to you, but my soul cannot rest until I have finished what I've started." Naruto realized the fox had a point. Even if the villagers had hurt and lied to him, the village was still his home. He could not ignore that. The fox interrupted his musings.
"Much to my surprise, I rather like you. Perhaps we can become friends after all. That is, if you're willing to forgive me, and I understand if you don't. I mean, your love and my hatred for the Leaf will eventually come between us, but why don't we leave this one up to fate for now?"
"I don't believe in fate," Naruto mumbled before falling silent to contemplate the Kitsune words. Part of his still hated the fox. He couldn't help it... it was what he had been taught...he couldn't just switch it off. Then again, the fox had had a motive–a good motive. He still loved the Leaf, but they had lied, and hurt him in the worst way; making him feel like he had lived his entire life as a lie up until this point, and he could not be more grateful to the Kitsune for telling him the truth.
"I think with time, and getting to know each other," Naruto said slowly, " I can begin to forgive you. Please understand that the Leaf is my home, no matter what they did in the past, but now I understand. Now I know the truth."
"Naruto, much to my displeasure, I think I'm beginning to like you," the Kyuubi said somewhat sarcastically.
"Naruto, I have a question," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"Have you ever wondered about your parents? Have you ever asked about them?" Naruto was surprised.
"Well, no, not really. I just grew up with the thought that I just didn't have parents. Sure, I wondered a few times, but I never had anyone I could ask," he said quietly, "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I know who your parents are." ********************************************************************* Haha, evil cliffhanger. MAN my fingers hurt... ANYway, tell me about any mistakes so I can go back and fix them. I was thinking, that if anyone wanted me to, I could start a little contest for those who like to write... *evil grin* just tell me if you guys want me to set up a little competition here. Could be fun... so0o, keep an eye out, sorry that took so long, but I'm working hard! Now that I think of it, I'm really hungry, so I'm going to go eat ramen with my invisible friend Bob, who says hi to everyone.
Ok, so it's a little run together...any suggestions? I'll fix it when I can find a way,