Birds of Prey: The Awakening
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
'Ugh, what hit me?' Naruto thought.
"Naruto! Are you alright?" Hokuto frantically asked.
"Hokuto? What are you doing here? Where's Orochimaru? This isn't the World Bridge, why am I in the training grounds?" Naruto asked trying to gain a better grasp of the situation.
"What are you talking about Naruto?" Hokuto wondered. "You just suddenly collapsed when we were training."
'What is going on? Why am I in Hidden Star Village instead of fighting Orochimaru? Who's Orochimaru?' thoughts were going through Naruto's head at a thousand a minute. Unable to cope with the mounting stress and confusion, his body decided to take a nap.
"Naruto? Naruto! Hang on Naruto!" Hokuto cried out.
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I found myself waking up in a damp, dingy and dark corridor.
'Where am I?' I wondered.
"You're in the recess of your own mind," a cheerful voice replied. Looking up, I found myself staring at an older version of myself.
"Yeah, I was pretty shocked myself when I found a six year old who looks just like me lying in my mind."
"You can read minds?" my eyes bulging out in shock.
"Nope, you're just predictable, though I wouldn't mind being clairvoyant," he replied. "By the way, the name's Naruto and I guess that's your name too?"
I was only able to numbly nod my head as he offered me his hand. Trudging myself out of the puddle of water, I wondered how I could ask this question without sounding stupid. To heck with it, I'm only six years old, "What's clairvoyant mean?"
The older Naruto simply laughed and gave me an amused smirk, "You'll learn when you get older."
How I hated that line, it was always only when I got older.
"Don't look so glum kiddo, its time to find out what's going on." He said as he began to walk down the corridor, seemingly without direction.
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'Wow, what a cheery kid.' I commented to myself as the little Naruto bounced by my side.
"You seem pretty accepting of what's going on; shouldn't you be in shock or something?" I asked. "For all you know, this could be a genjutsu and I could be an evil ninja messing with you."
Eyes widening, he took a step back, "are you?" was the innocent reply. I simply shook my head and gave an amused chuckle. "If I was, I wouldn't tell you this was a genjutsu now would I?"
"I don't know, what's a genjutsu anyways?" He asked curiously.
'Great, so the kid only reacted to the "evil" part,' I thought.
"A genjutsu is a type of ninja technique. It uses illusions to trick people." Jeez, I felt like Iruka-sensei. "You are training to be a ninja aren't you?"
"The best in the world! Can you teach me how to do a genjutsu?"
"The best huh? Even better than all the kages?" I humored him. "Maybe one day I'll teach you how to do a genjutsu."
"You better! With the star, I'll be the greatest ninja ever!" He replied with an enthusiastic fire burning in his eyes. "Then, you'll have to teach me!"
'What an ambitious kid! Not a kage but the best in the world. That's greater than my dream, its too bad he's going to have to worry about the Akatsuki sooner or later.' I thought.
"What? You don't believe me?" he demanded.
"No, I believe you, what's this about a star?" I asked.
"It's the pride of Hidden Star Village!" he grinned. 'Oh no, I wasn't supposed to tell him that' he faltered.
"Oh, you're from the Hidden Star Village."
"You've been there?"
"Yeah, once on a mission. Sumaru, Hokuto and the others seemed like nice people in the end. So you're not from Hidden Leaf Village?" I asked in slight surprise.
"Nope. Why? Should I be? Are you from Hidden Leaf Village?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am." I replied.
"Oh, so, you know Sumaru and Hokuto?" he asked.
"Yeah, I met them when I was on my mission." I replied.
"I know them too! Sumaru's mean to me, but Hokuto's nice!"
"Me too! Except Hokuto seemed to be embarrassed when she was around me." I replied. "Anyways, we're here!"
"What's with the giant cage?" he asked.
"This is the cage that seals the Kyuubi no Youko." I replied.
"What's a Kyuubi?" he asked.
"You'll soon find out!"
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Red chakra leaked from behind the massive bars. Suddenly, a large red slit eye appeared and with it came a giant pair of claws quickly coming out between the bars. With a growl, the Kyuubi slammed its giant paw against against the cage.
"Oh don't worry about him. With the bars there, he can't hurt you," the older Naruto reassured the younger one.
"Really? Are you sure?" came the frightened reply.
"The only thing that can hurt you is the bad breath," the older Naruto scoffed.
"Why you insolent worm!" the Kyuubi viciously shouted.
"See what I mean?" the older Naruto arrogantly smirked.
"So now I have to deal with two idiots not one?
"Hey! If you're so great why don't you tell us what's going on then!" the older Naruto demanded.
"Hmph! Are you too stupid to figure it out? Oh wait, you can't remember!" the Kyuubi taunted.
"Why don't you just tell him what's going on!" came the demand from the younger Naruto. The demand would have been more effect had his knees not been shaking violently.
The Kyuubi simply laughed. "You've got guts kid and just about as much spunk and bozo over here and guess what? I hate spunk!"
"Hey! Who asked your opinion anyways you big furball," came the annoyed reply.
"Keep the guts, lose the spunk and we might just get along," little Naruto was only able to nod.
"Hey are you ignoring me? If you've got the time to chit-chat with Naruto over there why don't you tell us what's going on, Fuzzy?" the older Naruto indignantly shouted.
"Insults will get you no where, flattery will just get you eaten!" the Kyuubi grinned sadistically showing a gleaming row of teeth. "Since you're annoying me so much, I might as well tell you so you'll leave me alone. Orochimaru created a gate using his jutsu. In a blind rush, you charged right through the gate losing your body in the process. Don't ask me how; even I don't quite understand how a soul consuming jutsu absorbed your body. After that, surprisingly enough, Although you lost the body that sealed me, I was still somehow anchored to you. Apparently, I'm anchored to your soul due to the fact that we were partially merged when we went through the gate. In any case, your soul ended up in the other side of the gate and searched for the body that most matched the one you lost. After finding this young boy's body, your soul merged with his, but your minds did not. Alternatively, I and the Kyuubi native to this world, merged together instinctually forming a being even more powerful than before," the Kyuubi puffed proudly.
"So, the reason why you can't get out is that the seals merged together becoming even more powerful and that our souls are anchored together," the older Naruto smugly countered. "Any chances of getting back?"
"I doubt it, and even if you did? Would you drag this young boy with you?" the Kyuubi inquired.
"Since when have you cared? Besides, nothing's impossible, I'll find a way!" the older Naruto exclaimed.
"You've been basking in my presence long enough mortals. I'll make sure you don't disturb me for a while," and with that said, the water level immediately began to rise and both Narutos found themselves floating into the cage. The younger Naruto struggled, terrified as the older had promised that the Kyuubi could only hurt him if he was passed the bars. His struggling was in vain as the Kyuubi cupped the two of them in his paws and a bright light was emitted.
'This should help the two, or should I say one, on his way nicely,' the Kyuubi thought.
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Naruto woke to a world of darkness.
'Night huh?' he thought. Looking to his side, he found Hokuto asleep by his bedside. 'Shouldn't you be in bed with your family and not by my side in the hospital?' he wondered. 'Well, I guess it's been a stressful day for all of us. I'm sure I worried you sick.'
'Time to turn in for the night' Naruto thought with a yawn. 'I guess I was more tired than I thought."
A/n: Yes! This chapter's longer than the last. Too bad, it isn't as long as I hoped it would be. Sorry for the OOCness on Kyuubi's part. The next chapter might not come out in a while as I need to watch the next Naruto episode and get a bit more info on some of the workings of Hidden Star. Once again, any help is greatly appreciated so I wouldn't mind some criticism here or there.
