Pain, unimaginable pain greeted Naruto when he opened his pale blue eyes to the world around him. The hard thumping of his heart pounded throughout his body as he tried to bring himself up from the forest floor to his hands and knees. His sudden movement caused the world to spin and he quickly emptied his stomach in a wet heave from his throat.
A round of heavy coughs followed as the young blond staggered to his feet, he reached out a hand to brace himself against the bark of a nearby tree. Sounds began to filter in from the world around him, caws and cries that were wholly unfamiliar raced across the forest around him. Grunts, roars, and stomping hooves with bristling branches filled his racing mind with panic.
He was weak, nauseous, and unsteady on his feet. This wasn't like him, nothing kept Uzumaki Naruto down for long but he honestly felt like he was about to die at that moment. He raised his head to take a look at his surroundings and almost stumbled over in shock. He was definitely not in Konoha anymore.
Gargantuan trees towered high into the sky; dense foliage-covered almost every inch of the world around him blotting out most of the sunlight. Only thin curtains of light managed to cut through to the forest. Even the leaves on the trees above him stood out, they were a mixture of blue-greens and yellow oranges. Strange patterns adorned every one of them from dots to zigzags, all patterned over leaves the size of a full-grown shinobi. The grass around Naruto was thicker than any grass he's ever seen before, a small detail but coupled with everything else it terrified the young man.
Naruto took a calming breath, he had to figure out what had just happened. Not five minutes ago he was sitting in his apartment in one of the smaller residential districts within the hidden village of Konoha, having just got back from the Land of Waves where his team took down the notorious Zabuza of the even Swordsmen. The moment he sat down on his bed the world turned to lights and carnage and then he was here. Wherever "here", was. He was supposed to be celebrating with Sakura, Kakashi, and that bastard Sasuke, instead, he was throwing up his lunch in what had to be the most humid place on earth.
Okay, what would Sensei do. Naruto knew exactly what Kakashi would do. Taking a steadying breath, he unzipped his thick orange jumper and tied it around his waist, it was hot enough without the extra layer. Channeling chakra to his feet he put his left foot against the immense tree closest to him and began to walk up to it, he got four feet up before his control slipped and he tumbled to the forest floor. He was up much quicker this time. Nursing the growing knot at the back of his head he cried out in frustration kicking the bark of the tree with as much force as he could muster.
Naruto paused for a second to consider the stupidity of what he just did, just in time for an intense pain to grip his big toe which was now throbbing an angry red. He quickly grabbed the offending appendage and screamed a stream of profanities that would have made even Sasuke blush. Once the pain subsided, he tried again only to fall again and again. After four tires he stopped to think, finally. He had mastered tree walking on his last mission and he was sure he was doing everything exactly as he did before but his chakra was fluctuating wildly. He could call it up just fine but controlling it and worse sustaining it was proving impossible.
There was something in the air, just out of his reach but hanging around him all the same. A dense heavy thing that made itself known whenever he drew on his chakra, the adrenalin and confusion of is first five minutes here had clogged his senses but now he felt it. Like a boulder on his shoulders that weighed on every inch of him. He closed his eyes and formed a ram sign with his hands, a trick Kakashi had shown him to center himself and focus his chakra. The effect was immediate, the world around him silenced and then with a jolt came alive in a different way. He was suddenly surrounded by a miasma of energy, chakra, but unfamiliar, not like anything he'd ever felt before. He was by no means a sensor, but even the freshest Genin could sense the chakra in the air when a technique was being charged. This was different though, Chakra so potent even he could sense it. It filled everything around him around and knocked against his senses almost asking his permission, he opened up to it and for a brief moment, he could see for miles. Not with eyes but in a way he couldn't explain, shapes of giant trees, heavy rocks, the monsters that howled and cawed in the distance, murky grey shapes with rivers of power criss crossing their bodies.
With a jolt, he drew back holding his head. Whatever just happened gave him an instant pain between his eyes that dizzied him with flashing lights and hollow, booming sounds. Shaking his head to regain his bearings, he promptly sat on his arse and cursed to himself.
What the hell was happening, none of this felt right. He crossed his arms over his chest and took stock, he was nowhere near Konoha, maybe still in the Land of Fire but that was a long shot, the trees and wildlife here was completely alien. He had no weapons on him, having been in the process of taking a quick nap before going out again. He had no way of communicating with the village and no fancy technique that was going to drag his arse out of this one.
Kakashi's training said he should find the high ground, scope his surroundings then find food and shelter. He looked up at the tree next to him, it could easily go up for a mile, its trunk was almost the width of the Hokage's tower. It would take him forever to climb that thing, but what chance did he have if he didn't. Making up his mind he hopped to his feet and began to climb the giant tree the old-fashioned way.
XXXX
One hour later
Naruto had climbed until his hands blistered and then he continued on, a steady pace had seen him scale what he assumed was most of the tree. The ground had vanished early into his accent, swallowed up by giant leaves on branches as wide as a Konoha main road. He was now sweating more than he had ever sweat in his life, his usually spiky blond locks now clung to his face, a wholly unpleasant experience. He didn't even want to think about what was happening in his underwear, but he was sure he was now fused to the itchy fabric.
On the plus side, he had found a hollowed-out section in the trunk that he could spend the night in, it didn't look too bad in retrospect. It was bigger than his current apartment at least, much bigger.
Not that he had any intention of staying in this place but it was unlikely that he'd be leaving immediately and he was pretty sure someone in Konoha would notice his absence soon enough. Between Kakashi and the old Hokage, someone would come looking. He hoped they would anyway.
XXXX
Another 20 minutes and he'd reached what he assumed was the top, eerie white beams of light began to cascade through the large gaps in the giant leaves above him. A few moments later and he was looking out at the open sky and finally got a chance to take in his new surroundings.
He breathed heavy and closed his eyes when a surge of fresh sea air swept over the canopy. All at once, he forgot about the claustrophobic, heavy air below him. He forgot he was a million miles from home with no way of getting back and he forgot that he was all alone. The cool rush of wind blew the sweat from his hair and he took the time to enjoy it.
He had no idea what would greet him when he opened them but he creaked his eyes apart slowly. What greeted him was for lack of a better term breath-taking. All around him where giant trees, spreading for miles and miles in all different shades and sizes. Round tops, spiked tops, flat tops, they went on and on. He had never seen such diversity, for all the lushness of Konoha and the forests around the land of fire the fauna on this island was unbelievable.
The operative word being Island. Naruto's moment of awe was interrupted by that realization, on all sides, he could see shimmering blue ocean. Gentle waves rocked against the nearest shore with seabirds gliding, seemingly defying gravity as they hovered unmoving against the ocean breeze.
Even the gulls were massive, easily four times what he had come to expect from that species. Something was definitely not right about this place. Furthermore, how in the hell did he get here, the closest island to Konoha was the Land of Waves, a misty rain-soaked backwater that was almost all swamp. Not only was the giant bridge they'd named after him not present but he couldn't see The Land of Fire on the horizon. That was worrying. One had to travel very far to not see the largest continent in the world on the horizon.
A sense of dread filled him in that moment, he was stuck on this island with no idea how to get home. He was all alone; he had been alone all his life but this was different. There was no one else, no Sandaime, no Iruka, he'd give anything for Kakashi to randomly show up with his dirty little book in hand. Hell, even Sasuke would be a welcome change. Naruto sighed, he'd been here less than half a day and he was already thinking crazy.
From his perch, he began once again to try and analyze his situation. He had found some semblance of shelter within the tree but soon he would need food and more importantly water. What he wouldn't give for some Ichiraku's right now. His stomach rumbled at the thought.
He scanned for some indication of a river or a lake or some kind of freshwater source. No luck, the thick canopy made an even blanket across the entire landscape, if he was going to eat' he'd have to get to it the hard way. Naruto wasn't looking forward to combing through the dense forest for water. His brief insight with that foreign chakra had shown what was on offer around him, loads of teeth and claws.
With an audible sigh Naruto began his decent.
XXXX
Two Weeks Later
Naruto was used to sneaking around, one didn't become the prank master of Konoha without being able to move around undetected but this Island had shown him just how deluded he was. The animals here had what had to be super hearing, a broken twig, the crunch of dry grass, hell even breathing sometimes would have him set upon by all manner of beast.
One such beast was standing not twenty feet from him as he drew up behind it. The sun had barely begun its ascent on the horizon, casting the world in a dark golden hue but it was light enough for Naruto to spring his trap. He had dragged the carcass of a dead slug into this clearing and had waited the better part of two hours while the giant carnivore in front of him devoured what was left of it. The slug was twice as large as Naruto and its slimy skin had been not too pleasant against his but this was an era of survival for him and things such as slime and rotting, gross dead giant snails didn't bother him anywhere as the ever-present hunger did.
He had tried eating all manner of fruits, vegetables, and meat from the smaller creatures but had soon found that the vast majority of what he'd call food in this place made him violently sick. Especially the slugs. Only the largest and not so coincidentally most dangerous animals were eatable. Given all the other shit he had to put up with on this island, that wasn't a huge shock for him. This whole place seemed built to make him miserable. But he wouldn't give up, he'd never give up, he'd rise to the top of the food chain and strive not just survive.
As he came within striking range of what he had aptly named the Razor Lizard - mainly because of the fact that the fifteen-foot tall monster had sharp fang-like protrusions running the length of its back through to its tail not to mention its actual teeth and claws - Naruto was careful to not make a single sound. He had prepared for this all day, moss from a particular mushroom-shaped tree made him all but invisible to powerful noses of the creatures on this island, he had fashioned somewhat of a spear from the claw of a skeleton he had found early on. He was ready to take the fight to the island.
Maintaining his position exactly behind the giant beast's field of vision he sprung from the branch he had been lying on and landed spear first. The sharp end dug deep into the lizard's skin, not deep enough, unfortunately. The beast roared, enraged, deep red blood poured from the gash in its dark emerald scales. With a mighty turn, it threw Naruto from its back and thrashed about in agony. Naruto hit the ground hard, skipped across the grassy outcropping before slamming against a dense bark with a dull thud that knocked the air from his lungs.
He wheezed to his feet looking frantically for his spear, what was left of his orange jumper fell away in tatters around his feet. He spotted his weapon a few feet away, resting against a small rock, its bony blade slick with blood.
His would-be prey, regained its senses the same time he did, both eyeing the spear on the floor. Naruto slowly raised his head, now looking directly at the creature in front of him, the creature stared back. Its sickly yellow slitted eyes regarded the diminutive blond with something akin to a murderous curiosity. What was this little thing that dared? It had a long, fanged beak-like mouth that from what Naruto had observed could swallow him whole. It had two long columns of teeth that ran the length of its beak, still dripping with the luminous orange blood of the giant snail it had torn into moments earlier.
The razor Lizard stood on two powerful legs, counterbalancing its weight with a meaty tail to stand upright, brandishing too short arms that ended with hands that ended in three long, clawed fingers.
Their eye contact ended quickly when Naruto dashed for his weapon, the creature moved shortly after, even for its size it was far quicker than most of the Genin he had gone up against in the academy. The past two weeks had Naruto's reflexes on a trigger, he barely reached out and grabbed his spear before a giant beak snapped at where his head would have been had he not ducked and rolled out of reach. He was quickly on the move again as the creature pecked at him ferociously. It was a game of cat and mouse but the clearing was big enough to afford the blond the space to move and stay just out of reach but the beast was unnaturally quick, not giving him any time to set himself and counter.
He had acclimatized to the humidity of the forest over the time he'd been there but after a full minute, even he was sweating. His assailant though was slowing rapidly. For some reason, the reptiles here only had limited energy when the sun wasn't up. They spent most of the day sunbathing then hunted just before sundown. The monster he was up against now was unlucky enough to not have eaten in a few days, which was why Naruto had targeted it.
Seemingly out of fuel the reptile had stopped and was now staring Naruto down, probably gearing up to run away and Naruto didn't want to get into a chase with this thing. Animals tended to be even more ferocious when they were cornered after a chase. He had learned that the hard way in his first week. But now was his chance, he made a straight dash towards the beast, spear in hand, the sheer speed of his advance startled it and it lashed out a claw as he drew near. Naruto has planned for this though and at the last possible moment rolled inside the creature's guard, under its legs and dug his spear deep into its soft unprotected underbelly. With an audible tear, he continued running dragging the spear with him across the creature's stomach.
Blood and what Naruto would assume were guts were already spilling out onto the tall thick grass by the time Naruto had turned around to face the back of his opponent. A deep painful wail escaped the reptile's beak before it began to collapse forward. The blond was taken aback by the sound, he hated the idea of anyone or anything suffering, there was a dull ache in the pit of his stomach when he thought about the pain he'd just inflicted.
But this was a place of kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. This was not a place for morality. He was going to be Hokage, he wasn't going to be killed or eaten here. His path was clear.
Naruto was broken from his musings a moment later when a giant tail came crashing down on his head. It cracked the ground and spat dust and debris for dozens of feet around the clearing. Less than a second later Naruto appeared on a nearby branch, heart pounding in his chest. He quickly patted himself over unable to believe he had gotten away in time. The body flicker was never his strongest technique, as such had never really incorporated it into his fighting style but he had just used it sub-consciously, with no hand signs.
He looked down at the beast below him, he had just managed to escape its last-ditch attempt to take him with it. Naruto eyed the tail warily as blood began to pool under it, that tail was deathly quick, something he'd do well to remember. The creature twitched a few times before the light eventually left its eyes. It was over.
Usually, he would jump for joy and revel in his awesomeness. Today, however, he simply had questions, he hadn't even been able to make a shadow clone since he mysteriously appeared here and now, he was using one of his worst Justus like an expert. Truth be told he had tried less and less to access his chakra since the first week, his days were mentally and physically exhausting, hunting for water and food was time and energy-consuming. Without a refrigerator, food didn't keep and most of the water he drank, come out in a constant stream of sweat.
He wished he had someone to speak to about all of this, Sakura would have some random bookworm trivia to offer up about where he was and the current political and economic drivel that he tuned out in the academy. Kakashi would know exactly what to do. But Kakashi would also tell Naruto to trust himself and follow his instincts. He didn't have long with the Jonin as his sensei but the man had a knack for knowing exactly what to say, in that aloof drawl of his.
"Look underneath the underneath" Naruto said to himself, even adopting Kakashi's lazy body language as he spoke. That was a throwaway statement the first time he'd heard it, just Kakashi's rambling, he was too focussed on all the other silly things around him to really think about the detail of being a shinobi.
Now though, he had an underneath to look under.
XXX
Two Weeks Later
Naruto kept a low profile as he sped through the undergrowth, they were close, he could feel them in the ether. Hungry and carnivorous, he couldn't lead them back to what he had made his home so his only choice was to lose them in the forest. But these little bastards were persistent, they were small two-legged reptiles, just about his height but dangerously quick. Individually he could handle them but they hunted in packs. He had seen them take down Razor Lizards when they were daring enough. Now he had six of them on his tail, at least it felt like six. His ability to dabble into the heavy chakra around him was becoming more refined, quick looks into it offered him the edge on the other predators on the island.
He jumped into a shallow rushing stream, and ran along it to the other side, hoping than the sharp claws- as he'd taken to calling them - wouldn't want to cross the cold water and lose much-needed heat. But with the sun high on the horizon and this being one of the less dense areas of foliage, he knew that was a long shot. He winced a sharp branch tore into his leg as he ran past it, ripping a chunk out of his trousers. He wore little more than rags at this stage, he was constantly covered in grime and what was left of his clothes held on my threads he'd made out of vines. His trusty spear was held tight on his back by an improvised holster.
He could hear them now, chattering and cawing behind him. He was sure they had a language as complex as anything humans spoke, their organization and strategies spoke to a higher level of intelligence than anything else he'd come up against so far.
He picked up the pace, the trees here were covered in barbs and nettles, obviously to keep the wildlife off of their branches. unfortunately, he was wildlife now and that left him with no chance of taking the high ground to escape the sharp claws. Not that they couldn't climb but he was much quicker than them leaping from giant branch to giant branch.
It dawned on him at that moment that it was no accident he was where he was. They had kept their distance, corralled him into the one area of the forest that he couldn't get away. He should've seen this coming, they never pursued him for this long before. A deep dread filled his stomach when the characteristic gurgle of a waterfall filled the air around him.
He could see, unfortunately, it in the distance, a sheer drop leading down to a giant crack in the land at least a mile across. The river on the other side thundered down into the crevice causing a thin mist to rise up and fill the area ahead of him.
His senses screamed at him and ducked just in time to avoid a knife-like claw that swiped at the side of his head. He skidded to a halt realizing that he was being driven to the inescapable edge. Drawing his trusty spear, he prepared for a defence.
"Come at me you scaly bastards!" he shouted. Adrenalin coursing through his veins bolstered his attitude. He was no coward; he'd show them who was at the top of the food chain. The sun was behind him now, meaning he could see his assailants. Reptilian heads began poking through the foliage. Sharp yellow teeth glinted in the bright sunlight; their claws were onyx black with dangerous serrations along the edges. Their bodies were gaunt and angular, long necks and short arms, with powerful legs that gave them incredible jumping range.
Naruto steadied himself and took a quick breath, in that moment he peered into the miasma of chakra around him. Where he had been chased here by six reptiles there were now twelve all around him. He had stupidly walked right into a trap. He had come up against these things before, even killed a fair few, apparently, they were smart enough to hold grudges.
He let go of the thread of foreign chakra almost as soon as he had grasped it, now was the time to fight. He expertly twirled the weapon in his hands, a bit showy but he wanted these arseholes to know what they were in for, if they were smart, they would be scared. And he knew they were smart.
He had been practicing for a moment like this, albeit he had no one to practice with but he now flowed in is movements like he had never before. He was faster and stronger now, today would be a good test.
He settled for a stance with his spear held out in front of him, there was space enough behind him for an ambush but he was counting on it. They had openly surrounded him now, snarling and inching closer into their jumping range. One reptile in particular stood defiantly in front of him, maintaining steady eye contact with the blond. Where the others were a dull brown all over, this one stood a head taller with blue stripes running down the sides of its long face.
It barked and the rest stopped, leaning their heads to the side in a curious movement, they were listening. Waiting for orders, the obvious leader, crowed in a sound that reminded Naruto of blowing through the conch shells that littered the shores of Nami no Kuni.
He waited in tense anticipation, they had their orders, what next. He had hoped they would come at him one at a time but that hope was dashed when two of the beasts lunged at him from opposite sides at the same time. One from the left and one from the right. Thinking quickly, he leaped to his right ducking under the incoming reptile, he watched as it crashed into the other lizard that had attached him. Before they could react, he guided his spear through the back of the nearest one before yanking it back then lunging it forward into the skull of the other. Speed was of the essence with these things, with his spear short, Sharp stabbing motions tended to serve best.
Two down, he waited to see their response. The leader, blue, he had just named it. Had observed the quick exchange almost impassively. Another caw of orders and three Sharp-claws began to circle him, first slowly, then they began to run. Their balance was impressive. They kept in a tight circle that drew smaller and smaller around him, soon they became a blur of grey, it was hard to keep up with them.
It wasn't long before they made their move, when the circle was only a few feet away two snarling lizards leaped at him, not from the circle closest to him but from the circle that had formed outside of it. This time they came from the front and the back. Whirling his spear in an arc above his head he managed to block both sets of jagged claws, he didn't have long to recover before another pair of lizards attempted a similar move. Again, and again they lunged in at him, from different angles each time, trying to confuse his defense.
Naruto knew he needed to go on the offensive, he wasn't quick enough to counter successfully each time, so now it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake. He brought his spear down hard on the tail of a lizard who had come from the left, the blade tore clean through leaving the appendage flopping on the floor. His joy was short-lived though, as the searing pain of a long claw slashed against his shoulder. He reacted quickly, spinning his weapon in a wide backslash, that cleaved through his assailant's snout killing it instantly.
He had to get out of this death ring, his shoulder was bleeding heavily, and his arm was going numb. He took a quick step forward in the hopes of breaking the rhythm of the monsters who had continued to circle him at their dizzying speed. It worked, his spear gave him just enough reach to drag the very tip across the neck of the closest one, eliciting a pained roar as he opened up a deep gash that oozed red. He was sure he hit an artery, the wounded creature stumbled, and in that moment the circle collapse. At the speed they were moving they couldn't stop, the other two animals tripped over themselves and tumbled to the ground.
Naruto took advantage, he was upon them in a flash lashing out quickly with his spear. He gauged into the head of the closest reptile before whirling around in a smooth turn, swiping its blade across the body of another. He wouldn't give them a chance to recover. He pressed the assault aiming for the legs of a lizard who was a fraction too slow, he felt some resistance at the bone but the limb came clean off regardless. A rough claw ran across the middle of his back, he turned quick enough to block the follow-up strike before snapping off a kick to the beast's midsection then repositioning himself in front of another and jamming his weapon into its throat.
He flipped over Blue who had tried a sneak attack but the leader of the unit was quick enough snap at his ankle leaving a deep puncture even though it didn't close its powerful jaw fully. Naruto landed in a crouch; blood was flowing freely from his wounds now. His heart pumped wildly and the adrenalin was like fire in his veins, he stood tall and eyed his would-be killers. There were five left, they watched him carefully and began to surround him again. The waterfall was still to his back its thunder becoming more present in his mind as he weighed his options.
He leaped backward before he was comply surrounded, catching the creature behind him by surprise, it lashed out quickly. Naruto disappeared just in time and reappeared above it driving his spear down into its skull with his momentum.
He breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn't sure that would would-be work. His ability to body flicker had grown considerably but it wasn't dependable. Sometimes it simply wouldn't happen, he had been overconfident after he first used it and had almost died when he relied on it a second time to escape a giant spider. The venom in its bite almost killed him.
Not wasting any more time, he glanced up at Blue who was positively glaring at him.
"Maybe next time big guy" He gave his cheesiest smile and thumbs up combo before backflipping over the edge into the water below. The size of the waterfall meant the time, the river it fed had to be very deep, the obvious roar was all the proof he needed of that. He looked down as he fell, had no idea how far below him the water was. He was relieved that it was only a few dozen feet, relief turned to terror though as a small dot rapidly appeared on the horizon. It grew immensely as it tore through the sky towards him.
He tried to right himself in the air to make some kind of resistance but it was too little too late with a laud squawk an eagle twice his size caught him mid-air, digging its razor talons into his side. He screamed loudly. Naruto began to thrash wildly; pain had numbed his mind to everything around him. His vision grew dim and he felt hot sticky liquid pour down his back. A part of him wanted to give up to give in to the oddly pleasant feeling of soaring through the skies. He had fought and fought but things only seemed to get harder, there was no winning here. The grip on his spear began to loosen as his eyes closed to the world.
XXX
A place where time doesn't matter
He was floating, in what, he didn't know but at least the pain was gone. Replacing it was an odd serenity, there was no sound but his breathing, no movement but the rise and fall of his chest. He could rest here he thought, maybe a few minutes, maybe a few days, he was so tired. He didn't want to open his eyes, the reality of what he would see was almost too much to bear, whatever was out there would be another enemy, another battle, one more struggle to overcome.
All of his twelve years were filled with struggle, the few bright lights in his life were nowhere to be seen. Team Seven had probably moved on by now, Iruka had probably found a new favorite student and the old Hokage was too busy to even notice his absence. Yeah, maybe he should just stay here in the calm embracing water, keep his eyes closed and ignore what was out there, if it didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother it.
"You are about to die" A voice boomed to his left.
Whatever it was spoke with the authority of a typhoon, it caused waves in the shallow liquid Naruto was resting in. He still didn't open his eyes though, he allowed himself to be rocked by the ripples it caused.
"Circle of life" Naruto responded.
"So be it" The voice boomed again, equally as dispassionate as the blond.
An age seemingly passed before anything else was said.
"What does it matter anyway, I'm on this Kami forsaken island with no way off and nobodies looking for me anyway" There was a hint of life in his voice "What does it matter if I become bird food"
"Circle of life" was the voices response. In that moment Naruto became aware of the stifling heat around him. Whatever was speaking to him had to be huge, even submerged in water it felt like a furnace opened up whenever it spoke.
"Isn't this the part where you convince me to fight on" He subconsciously clenched his fists "Tell me I've got a destiny or that the powers been inside me all along."
"I care not for your life or your vague human musings on destiny and power, your death, however, is of note."
"oh yeah, why is that"
"Your thoughts are unguarded, in this place they echo against the chambers of your psyche, a deafening cacophony to those otherwise unable to ignore them."
"How poetic" Naruto responded; he knew who he was speaking to now. No need to open his eyes, though the temptation was there.
"Hmm" was its response "There's a mutuality in your demise. Your death signifies a transition, journeys end, and journeys beginning, though the cycle repeats. For someone so defined by struggle, your death was…. disappointing." It genuinely sounded disappointed.
"Are you kidding me! I took out eight of those bastards. They're way quicker than that arsehole Mizuki was and he was a Chunin!"
"Yet you've resigned yourself to becoming bird shit" the beast responded
"Hey, the way I see it, we all become bird shit in the end" Naruto knew that wasn't the most dignified answer.
"So, you have resigned to your fate?"
"Have I given up, is that what you're asking?" Was he giving up? Naruto Uzumaki never gave up. Right?
There was no response
"I dunno, okay, is that what you wanna hear" something akin to pain was in his voice now. His eyes shot open, he was in something resembling a sewer, pipes ran across the length of what had to be the biggest room he had ever seen. The walls went up forever, no roof insight. Rusted corroded pipes crawled along them like vines, some silently hissing reddish steam as they snaked up into the dark oblivion.
"I thought I was alone my whole life, but this place has given me perspective on what it truly means to be alone" Naruto sighed "I had Iruka and the old man. They made it all worth it you know? The struggle was always easier when I thought of them, making them proud, finally wearing those robes, that sweet hat." He laughed dryly. "The struggle almost seemed worth it for a while."
"Then release me" the beast seemed almost eager.
Naruto turned his head to look at what had to be the Nine-Tailed Fox. He wasn't disappointed, just behind a series of gargantuan golden bars lay a giant orange fox. Even lying down with its massive head against its paws it towered above the young blond. It had one slitted eye open, its pupil an angry blood red as it contracted to focus on Naruto. Strangely he wasn't scared.
He slowly rose from the shallow water into a crossed leg sitting position with his elbow on his knee and his cheek rested slatted on his palm.
"Why?" he was genuinely curious. "What happens to you if I die?"
"Do not deign to understand what is beyond your reckoning, boy"
"Not buying that superiority crap" Naruto responded. He hadn't spoken to anyone in such a long time he was almost enjoying this exchange with the murderous demon who killed his parents. Iruka said something about desperation and strange bedfellows. Maybe this is what he meant. "you helped once before, in the land of waves, me dying affects you. So, spill and maybe I might find a new lease on life".
There was a long pause
"Does it hurt?" Naruto offered up, eager to get some kind of response.
After another minute he got an answer.
"It would be an… inconvenience"
"And if I were to let you out" He looked around trying to find a latch or a key to the cage "somehow" he whispered, before noticing the almost comically small piece of paper holding the bars shut. "Would that be more pleasant for you?" his last statement dripped with condescension
"You attempt to mock me" The Kyuubi slowly raised to its feet, murky water dripped from its fur, thundering down as it grew to its full height, dwarfing the blond even further. "You disgusting creature, you who have succumbed to your death like a whimpering worm. Lament in your despair at the whims of fate, I am ascendant, the arbiter of your reality." It raised a powerful claw and clanged it against the bars holding it sending a resounding boom and a deafening hum through the cavernous room. Its nine tails beat against the ground sending shock waves through the water bellow it. Naruto could hear and feel the fox's words, it was very surreal. It rammed its head against the bars and for a second Naruto thought they would give way. What a terrifying beast. He had a newfound respect for the fourth Hokage. "I will drink your oceans and swallow your sky, boy. Mountains crumble in my wake! You dare, you dare!"
"Alright, alright, calm down" he did his best impersonation of Kakashi's laid back manner. "Drinking skys, swallowing oceans, I think you need to get out more." Under different circumstances, he would have patted himself on the back for that one. " Look, I didn't ask for this. This whole Jinchuuriki thing is kind of messed up when you think about it "He also raised to his feet. " Sacrificing a baby on any level is just wrong." He had never vocalized these thoughts before. He began to pace the length of the massive cage in front of him.
The Kyuubi watched him all the while, still seething, its fur standing on end as a miasma of red chakra distorted the air around it.
"but it's not like you left the fourth a lot of options, I hear you can't be killed, so what else could he do? I mean outside of asking you kindly to leave."
"You have no idea of the machinations that underpin your feeble self-loathing reality."
"A reality that you're the arbiter of, right?" He tilted his head with the question "whatever that means" he mumbled.
"Release. Me." was his response.
"No, I don't think I will" Naruto was met with a heavy snort that almost blew him off his feet. "Actually, I think it's time you earned your keep. When I fought Haku in the land of waves your power changed the course of the battle. It saved my life. Thank you"
There was a curious look in the fox's eye, he waited for Naruto to continue.
"But you haven't helped me since I've been here, why?"
"Do you not feel it? This island sits on a nexus, a wellspring of natural chakra"
"I've never heard of natural chakra. Is that why everything here so damned big?"
"Yes"
"So, about your rent"
"Insolent boy, natural chakra is potent, unless you rediscover your own power you will not be able to use mine. Seems you are a hypocrite, just like the others"
"The hell did you just call me!"
"You spout righteous nonsense about your goals and dreams, how far you'll drag yourself from the mud. Your nindo. But at the first hurdle, you demand my power to make it all easy. How far, little Uzumaki will my power drag you. How many victories will you claim in my stead? "
"I…I don't need you!"
"What will you do without my power?
"I'll fight" he punched his left palm "I'll train, I'll show you and everyone else that I can be the best Hokage. I'm gonna get off the dammed island.
"You will struggle." The Kyuubi
"Damn right I will, I'll struggle and I'll win because that's what I do"
"Then go, struggler, fight for relevance. Fight against your iniquities, rage against your destiny, and when you're brought low, come. Come and seek my power like the worm you are"
With a rush Naruto was back, the air rushed across his cold skin as the giant bird carried him over the forest. That whole encounter was in his mind he realized and it lasted all of a second. He gripped his spear with renewed resolve and drove it into a soft spot under the beast's wing. With a squawk, the creature released its grip sending Naruto free-falling into the river below him.
He hit the water like a brick, it knocked the air out if him but he swam up anyway. He wouldn't let this island beat him. He broke from the water's surface and sucked gulped at the air hungrily. Latching on to an overhanging branch he pulled himself out of the warm water and slid onto the bank. For a few minutes, he lay there, just breathing, for the first time just happy to be alive. He was racked with a pain he could hardly believe it but he was alive and from today onwards he was no longer going to just be alive.