Underneath the Underneath

By: FlameXFullmetal

Disclaimer: I still do not own the plot line in Naruto or the characters. This is a work of fiction and I make no money from the writing or posting of this fic to .

AN: Hello people. I appreciate those of you who come back continuously to read my story. Um…I have made a few modifications and adjustments to the storyline as quite a few mistakes have been pointed out to me. Those have been fixed in the revisions (hopefully). If you intend to leave a review please keep the language appropriate and do not tell me to go kill myself. Thanks!

"hello" people (bijuu in human form) speaking

'hello' people (bijuu in human form) thinking/coded hand signals

"HELLO" bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity yelling

"hello" bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity talking

'hello' bijuu (full demon form)/summoning/deity thinking

hello jutsu

*********************Parental Love**********************

"Now, before we continue on our lessons, we are going to test how well you can keep awareness of your surroundings while meditating," Kyuubi instructed. Nodding the eight-year-old dropped to the forest floor and began to clear his mind. Kyuubi had been an apt but harsh instructor and had taken him farther than he had ever hoped to go alone. He had not only caught up with his class but had also surpassed them. He knew that he was trying to get loose and at the same time he knew that the fox was also starting to like him. Focusing on his surroundings he opened his eyes and stood as he caught the presence of two other chakra sources in his mind. They were faint but they were there.

"Kyuubi-sensei, there are other chakra sources in my mind. How come?" This seemed to perplex the demon as it too sent out its chakra to locate them.

"I know these chakra signals." Kyuubi said.

"Who is it?"

"I can't say now but I want to find them first to see how they are here. You might want to go back out lunch is over."

"Yes sensei." Naruto chirped and then headed back to the outside realm. Opening his eyes he found Iruka looking at him. While they had only just met, Naruto got a distinct feeling that the chunin didn't like him.

"Was there something that you needed Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked politely.

"I asked for everyone to come back to the classroom and you were sleeping!" Iruka chastised.

"Sorry sensei. I'll head back in now." He said with a faked smile.

"Naruto why are you even here? You spend more time goofing off then studying, you sleep through class and you aren't even trying to perfect your kunai and shuriken techniques." He asked as Naruto walked past him. Stopping in his tracks he let his mask down a little.

"If I left then it would give people that don't want me here the satisfaction of seeing me quit, wouldn't it? Besides I can't be Hokage if I am not a shinobi first now can I?" he answered with a cold voice and then bounded inside. Iruka was left trying to figure out what just happened. Shaking his head he headed inside and began his lecture. He didn't want to think of the demon that killed his parents as a lonely child. He refused to think of him that way.

It was getting more and more difficult for Naruto to pay attention in the boring class and he knew that he was going to have to try. Kyuubi-sensei had covered this already and he didn't want to drop the mask yet. He had put it up for safety reasons. He knew that one day it would have to come off but he hoped that he would be able to ease it off of himself and slowly allow his abilities to show. It was because of this that he had been formulating a plan in his head concerning when and where he would take it off. Shaking his head he glanced up at the chalkboard and groaned. There was still an hour left of class. Looking around he could see that the rest of the students were also having difficulties staying awake.

The civilians had spent a good majority of the past three years complaining that their children couldn't pass because the curriculum was too difficult and designed for those that had already started their training prior to entering the academy, children who were born in the shinobi clans, in other words. They had even gone as far as launching a petition and the elders had backed them up. They had made a valid point and because of it, the Sandaime had had no choice but to approve of the curriculum change as they no longer needed to train the children for war. So the academy was now restricted to teaching history, math, basic taijutsu, working on their target practice and teaching three very low-level techniques. Sadly the level had been lowered so much it was barely above civilian level. Far lower than even necessary for the demilitarization agreed upon at the end of the last war. Kyuubi had said that this complacency with peace was going to get them all killed and that they would not be ready should a war break out. Naruto had to admit that he agreed with them.

It was then that he realized he had spaced out for over an hour and that the class had already left. Briskly walking home he entered his apartment and locked the door. The last thing that he needed was someone walking in and thinking that he was trying to hatch a plot to kill the whole village. Dropping onto his bed he entered a meditative position and slipped quickly into his mindscape. He had hoped that Kyuubi would continue working on his fuinjutsu today and was eagerly awaiting Kyuubi's arrival. It was then that he noticed that something was off about his mind. It felt colder for some reason. Following the draft, he soon found himself in an entirely different place. In it, Naruto saw himself staring death in the face. Almost literally. In front of him were the Shinigami summoning and the Kyuubi who seemed squared off for some reason.

"You will not have what is left of their souls," Kyuubi growled at the transparent being.

"Move aside. Minato gave his soul to me and I find it an insult for a part of it to be in here." It growled at the fox.

"Never." He growled right back.

"Kyuubi-sensei?" Naruto asked hesitantly. Both beings turned to look at the young boy and Kyuubi cursed.

"Naruto leave. Go back to the outside world now."

"No, let him stay." The Shinigami sneered.

"What's going on?" Naruto demanded.

"Nothing you need to worry about young Ningen."

"It is my head! If you two decide to fight in here then I will be the one that pays the price! So if you want to stay you will explain everything to me and I will decide what happens damn it." Naruto yelled. He didn't mean to snap but the death deity rubbed him the wrong way. Turning Kyuubi couldn't help but smirk as his vessel bravely stood up against the death deity.

"Your parents left a bit of their chakra in your seal in order to help you if you needed it. However, as soon as I found them this bozo demanded that I turn over your father's soul fragment." Kyuubi hissed.

"It is rightfully mine!"

"Is there any way that I can keep them?" Naruto asked hoping for a chance to meet his parents. Tilting his head the Shinigami appeared to contemplate the question before saying plainly, "no."

"Surely there is something that you want more than dad?" Naruto pleaded. That made the Shinigami stop and actually contemplate the human's words.

"There is but I doubt that I will be able to get it from you."

"What is it?"

"The souls of the four who escaped death. If you can vow to give them to me then I will not only let them stay I will return their souls to you. Upon the first soul, I will resurrect them. That will be our collateral. If you do not give me the other three then I will take them both as well as your own. Deal?" the Shinigami asked honestly.

"Who are the four?"

"A nin named Hidan, one named Kakuzu, the snake Orochimaru and the traitor Madara Uchiha." Both the demon and the vessel perked up. That they could do. Naruto had vowed to help Kyuubi get his revenge on Madara already and Orochimaru was already a wanted nuke-nin.

"What if I am not the one that kills them?"

"As long as you are near enough it will work."

"Deal." Nodding the Shinigami faded from view and two other beings came into view as the mindscape returned to its previous condition. Sighing in relief that the warmth was back Naruto leaned against a tree and observed the two in front of them. The one he knew was the Yondaime Hokage and the other was familiar. He knew that he should know who she was but for the life of him, he could not place a name.

"Minato? What happened? I do not feel a need for us to be out here yet. Surely the seal couldn't have broke."

"I don't think that is it. Kushina turns around." Minato said as he caught sight of both Naruto and the Kyuubi standing side by side.

"That's it! Kushina Uzumaki, the red death of Konoha! I knew I had seen her before! Iruka-sensei just covered her in class last week." Naruto exclaimed out loud and then sank to the ground. "Wait, if you are here and my parents were supposed to have left chakra in me then that means…." Naruto trailed off as he lost consciousness. Kyuubi shook his head and lay down next to him. He had to admit that the boy had started to grow on him. Granted he had some selfish reasons for wanting to keep the soul fragments. He had seen the Yondaime use his techniques plenty of times from inside of Kushina however, how they worked and teaching them was another story.

"Well are you going to stare or are you going to ask me questions?" Kyuubi demanded. That shook the two from their daze as they began to stammer.

"How? Why? What?" were the only coherent things that they managed to get out.

"Naruto likes me. Too bad Yondaime-chan!" Kyuubi sing-songed. Just as the Yondaime was getting into a fighting position Naruto stood up and looked around. His eyes settled on the two before him before he growled.

"How many times do I have to tell people that there is no fighting in my head!" he yelled. Blinking the Yondaime relaxed and sighed.

"Oh good, I thought that the seal had failed and that we were somehow outside."

"Not yet. I intend to let Kyuubi out eventually and you two will be resurrected soon. Well as soon as I fulfill my end of the deal anyway." After pausing for a second he tilted his head.

"Are you two really my parents?" That made both of them and Kyuubi stare before beginning to chuckle.

"We are Naruto," Kushina whispered while trying not to break into full-blown laughter.

"Cool. The two coolest shinobi in the world are my parents! This is so cool! My dad was the Yondaime!" Naruto yelled gleefully as he began a little victory dance. Shaking his head in exasperation, Kyuubi turned his attention to the two baffled nin.

"Naruto has been aware of my presence for a few years now. I have been training him on the condition that he release me from the seal one day. He agreed. Unfortunately, it appears that we still need to work on his hyperactivity and emotional outbursts. You should thank me you know. If I hadn't taught him to be more rational in his thinking he probably would have punched you just now. As it is he just now made a deal with the Shinigami to resurrect the two of you when the first of four nuke-nin are killed. Upon the death of the other three, your resurrection will be permanent. Any questions?"

"Why would he agree to release you?" Minato growled.

"Because I really like Kyuubi-sensei. He's nice and knows a lot of things and he was being controlled back then so he really didn't mean to attack Konoha." Naruto said breathlessly. Sitting next to the demon fox he grinned.

"Can we work on some more fuinjutsu today, Kyuubi?"

"Brat. I told you last time that I had already taught you as much as I knew. Ask those two." He growled nodding his head to the two nin in front of him.

"Please? Mom, Dad? Pretty please?" he begged enthusiastically. Laughing at his antics Minato agreed. Sitting forward him and Naruto began to review what he already knew as he listened in on Kyuubi as he informed them about Naruto's life to that point.

************************T.B.C********************

AN: Sorry if it seems like I suddenly change Kyuubi's gender in the next chapter or so. At this point in the story, Kyuubi doesn't trust Naruto enough to inform him of some things. Just so you know I am making the Kyuubi a girl for the rest of the story. Ja ne!