Alright ladies and gentlemen. Here we have chapter two! I can't tell you how happy I am to see all the positive responses I've been getting to this story. Reading your reviews and seeing the excitement for this story is really encouraging! Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey. I'm not going to keep you waiting, so lets get right into it! I hope you enjoy this next chapter of Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Writing"
"Bijuu Talking"
'Bijuu Thinking'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own any of the other creations I make reference to and draw inspiration from.
Jinchuuriki Mercenary: Redux
Chapter 2: Silent Lucidity
Naruto awoke in a place he'd never been before. It was dark and smelled foul and he was standing in a large pool of water.
'Where am I? I was on my way to Kakashi-nii's when… Oh.' The young blonde stopped his train of thought as the events of the night before came flooding back into his memory.
~Flashback no Jutsu~
"Ahhh. That was delicious! Thanks Teuchi-san! How much do I owe you?" Naruto exclaimed as he finished his fourth bowl of ramen. Ichiraku Teuchi smiled at the young jinchuuriki. It made him sad that the son of his favorite customers was treated so terribly. Yes, Teuchi knew exactly who Naruto was the moment he stepped into Ichiraku's for the first time. He'd been serving his mother, Kushina, since the first day he opened his restaurant. He had watched her and Minato's relationship bloom and grow from behind his stove. Now it seemed their son had inherited Kushina's insatiable taste for his ramen.
"It's no charge Naruto-kun." Teuchi smiled as the young blonde's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Yep. No charge." Teuchi's daughter, Ayame told the boy as she leaned in and gave the child a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Naruto-kun."
Naruto's face turned bright red as he felt the beautiful teen's lips on his cheek. She giggled as the boy sat there speech-less.
"Wow, I didn't think I'd do that to him."
Naruto's face changed immediately when he looked at the clock.
"Oh no! Its way later than I thought it was. I need to get to Kakashi-nii's fast. Bye Teuchi-san, Ayame-chan." With that the young blonde was off.
"Wait, Naruto-kun. I forgot to… give you your present." Ayame sighed as he was well out of hearing distance by then.
Naruto rushed through the back alleys of the village, trying desperately to get to his brother's home before someone spotted him. However, that was proving to be easier said than done as the directions his silver haired brother had given him were soaked in ramen broth, causing the ink to run.
'Maybe I should try eating slower next time. Ugh, where am I going?! I think I may have made a wrong turn.'
Naruto suddenly found himself out of the alley and into the open.
'Yep. Definitely took a wrong turn.' The young boy thought as he found himself under the contemptuous gaze of a dozen drunken villagers.
~Kai~
Naruto shuttered as he remembered what happened next. After a chase which drew the attention of more villagers, Naruto had been cornered in an alleyway. A flurry of punches and kicks and broken sake bottles assaulting his frail body as he begged for them to stop in a futile attempt to evoke their mercy. But none came from the crowd. It wasn't until Tenzou and Neko showed up that the assault ceased.
'None will ever come as long as I stay here. Kaa-san, I promise I will leave. If Kakashi-nii won't train me, then I'll find someone who will!' Naruto was brought from his thoughts as he heard a roar and a growl from deep in the tunnel.
"Well, I don't see any other place to go. I guess I should find out what's making that noise." The young blonde mused to himself. As he made his way through the tunnel toward the source of the chilling sounds. The growling grew louder and louder until he came to find what was exactly causing the noise. Naruto stood before a cage as tall as the Hokage tower itself. Many bars as thick as the largest trees the young boy had ever seen separated the young boy and the cage's occupant whose large slitted red eyes were staring intently at its occupant. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was every bit as menacing that the young boy had imagined it would be, based on the stories. It's teeth looked like it could eat a Brown Bear like a child eats a gummi bear, and it's claws looked like they could dig trenches with just a swipe of it's paw. What was slightly off to the jinchuuriki were it's ears. They didn't look like the ears of any fox he'd ever seen, they were much longer like a rabbit. The head of this gargantuan demon suddenly began to move down, lowering until it's jaw was sitting in the water of the sewers and it's eyes were firmly fixed on the five year old boy before it.
"So... You have arrived. I must admit, was not expecting a visit from my warden so soon."
"Visit?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "I don't even know where I am or how I got here."
"We are currently in your mind, child. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and my spirit, my charka, my very being has been sealed inside of you. Place your hands upon the bars of my cage."
"Why? Are you gonna try and grab me and eat me?" A deep rumbling chuckle escaped the tailed beast's lips
"I could not kill you even if I wanted to in my current state. When you touch my cage, I will link our consciousnesses and I will be able to gaze into your memories. I wish to know the kind of person my jailer is."
"Alright. You may not like what you see though." The beast scoffed as Naruto approached the cage and placed his hand on one of the tall posts. Once he did, memories came flooding through his mind from his earliest memories in the orphanage, to the glares and attacks from villager, meeting those he had come to call family, the letters from his parents, and finally the most recent attempt at his life. When it was all over, the Kyuubi began to thrash around it's cage continually slamming itself into the bars. The water splashing violently and causing large waves through out the sewer soaking the blonde as the beast raged.
"RELEASE ME! THOSE MONSTERS! I SHALL SLAUGHTER EVERY ONE OF THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS! I WILL DEVOUR EVERY ONE OF THEIR STILL-BEATING HEARTS AND SHIT OUT THEIR FOUL PUTRID SOULS! WHAT KIND OF A HEARTLESS CREATURE WOULD DO THIS TO A CHILD?! THIS VILLAGE WILL BE RAZED TO THE GROUND AND CONSUMED IN HELLFIRE! I WILL-"
The bijuu continued rant and slam itself against its cage for another good five minutes before giving up its endeavors. Naruto's eyes widened at some the things the beast had said as it cursed up a storm big enough to cause even the most traveled sailor to feel uneasy. Finally the Kyuubi let out a long drawn out breath, he heat from it's breath washing over the young boy. It closed it's eyes and regained it's composure. It opened it's eyes and looked at the child, it's red eyes softened as it looked into the boy's cerulean ones.
"Child… I am so sorry."
Naruto was shocked. The Kyuubi no Kitsune, the demon that had rampaged through the village he called home and brought terror to most who had ever encountered it actually apologized to him.
"What for? You never hurt me? And the villagers never would have known about you if Hokage-sama hadn't let it slip. So you have nothing to be sorry for."
Kyuubi's eyes widened in shock. Was the boy truly that forgiving? It was astounding to the bijuu that this boy of only five could be so mature.
"Thank you. I give you my word as a bijuu, if you ever need my help in anything, I will give you my assistance."
Naruto stood there stunned. Then he thought of something.
"Can you train me to become stronger? Strong enough so that I can leave this village behind."
"Yes. I promise that I will help train you, Naruto with all the power that I possess. However I can not train you with your mindscape in its current form."
"So how do I change it?" the blonde asked, scratching his head.
"Tis your mind, child. Think it, and your mindscape will change."
Naruto thought hard and suddenly the sewer was replaced with a vast mountain valley. The bars began to glow as they formed a collar around the bijuu's neck with a golden dog-tag with the kanji for "Seal" engraved on it. The putrid waters of the sewer became a lush river filled with fish of various sizes and colors. Trees soon began to sprout out of the ground, filling the air with the smell of cherry blossoms, maple, and white pine needles. The fox's eyes widened as it beheld the beauty of the landscape before it. The Kyuubi shrunk down to the size of a grizzly bear and began to walk through the forest, quickly gaining speed as Naruto opened his eyes to see a bear sized bijuu practically frolicking through a majestic forest of his own imagining. He stifled a giggle until the demon walked up to him with an almost happy expression on it's face.
"A most agreeable locale, but you forgot that you will need a place to train." Naruto closed his eyes once more and thought hard as a large building appeared before the pair. The kyuubi examined the building and was actually impressed at the level of detail the young boy had included in his mental training ground. It had all of the necessary amenities of training complex including a taijutsu dojo, kenjutsu practice arena, a field to work on ranged weaponry complete with targets, he had even included a hot spring to relax in after training.
"I commend you. This appears to be a perfect place to train. How did you know to include all of the little details?"
"I saw it in a show Kakashi-nii watches with me." Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Recently Kakashi and Naruto had decided to hang out more while he was off duty and subsequently the pair became addicted to the new television series starring Chiba Shinichi where he was the leader of a secret group of ninja who lived in the mountains and traveled across the land as secret protectors. The bijuu laughed heartily at the boy's innocence.
"Well I like it. But we shall not start your studies until later. I have much to plan, and I sense the old man and your brother are waiting for you to wake up."
Naruto nodded before bowing to the kitsune before him. "Alright. Until next time, Kyuubi-sensei."
In the Real World
Naruto awoke in his hospital bed to the sight of Kakashi and the Hokage talking to each other in front of his bed. Kakashi was dressed in a regular Jounin vest instead of his traditional ANBU uniform. Sarutobi was sitting in a chair opposite him in his Kage robe, his hat hung on a rack by the door. They seemed to be deep in a conversation.
"So that's everything. The doctor says that he'll be well enough to leave the hospital in a few days. Neko and Tenzou rounded up the few ninja in the crowd that they recognized and taken them into custody. Ibiki and Anko are having a field day with them." Sarutobi nodded, the two heads of the Interrogation Branch of ANBU had grown quite fond of the young boy. He even brought a smile Morino Ibiki's usually stoic face a few times. He looked at Kakashi as he continued his report. "However it was too large for them to track down everyone involved."
The Hokage was about to respond when both of their attentions were taken by a voice. Naruto let out a groan as his whole body was in immense pain. Immediately the two were by the young boy's side. Kakashi spoke up first.
"Otouto, I'm so sorry. This was all my fault." Naruto sat up and gave his brother a hug.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-nii. It wasn't you fault. I got ramen broth on the directions you wrote down and got lost."
Hiruzen saw how much the pair truly cared for each other and was happy that the boy had found some semblance of family.
"Naruto-kun, is there anything you can remember about the people who attacked you? Can you recall any of their faces?"
"No I can't Hokage-sama. But there is something I remember. There were a few ANBU in the group, but I didn't recognize them. They all had the kanji for 'Root' on their masks." Naruto's voice seemed unnaturally cold for someone his age. Sarutobi seethed when he heard about the 'ANBU' in the crowd. He had told Danzo several times that he was to disband the Root Program. However something else wasn't sitting right with the elderly kage. He slowly turned back to Naruto concerned when he finally realized what that was.
"Hokage-sama? You've never called me that. You always have called me Jiji"
"That was before I discovered that you lied to me my entire life, Hokage-sama" Naruto turned and looked at the elderly man. A sharp pain filled the Kage's heart as the boy continued to refer to him so formally and not in his usual, loving way. The young boy reminded the man of the time his father had been told that Kushina had been captured by enemy ninja.
"My Jiji would have made sure I was well protected during the one day I was most likely to be attacked. My Jiji would have told me the truth. And my Jiji wouldn't let me have to be told who I was and why I was attacked by the very thing responsible for my life being so hard." Sarutobi's eyes widened and began to water as the child he considered a grandson verbally tore him to pieces.
"Yes Hokage-sama, I met the Kyuubi. And I had to learn from the bijuu and not my own Jiji why the village hates me so much and why they treat me like dirt when you refused to give me a straight answer. It told me who my parents were when you yourself looked me in the eyes and told me that you didn't know. So, no, you aren't my Jiji. You lost that right." The Hokage hung his head in shame. He couldn't say anything to that. Naruto was right. He didn't have any right. Anything he could say would merely be an excuse. And the boy didn't need any more excuses. So he said the only thing he could say before he left.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I'll tell the doctors you're awake. You should be cleared to leave tomorrow or the next day." Soon after the doctors came in, gave the blonde a check up, and replaced his bandages while they were there as well. Kakashi held his hand and gave him a concerned look as he stared at the hokage's hat which he had left on the rack when he left.
"I know he deserved it, but did you have to go so hard on him Otouto?" Kakashi asked as he carried his brother toward his apartment.
"Probably not. But I was caught up in the moment. I did meet Kyuubi though. It wasn't too thrilled at how I've been treated."
The masked jounin raised a brow at that. "Really? I'd think that it'd be happy to see its jailer suffering."
"Actually was quite the opposite. It shook it's cage something fierce. I thought it was going to break out and wreck the village again. Then it actually apologized and agreed to train me. How cool is that?"
"Wow. So it seems that you'll have two senseis to help you grow strong." Naruto looked at his brother with excitement.
"Really Aniki? You're gonna help me?" Kakashi gave him an eye smile and nodded.
"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't help out my Otouto reach his potential." Naruto hugged his brother tightly as he thanked him repeatedly.
'After yesterday, how could I live with myself I let you stay here?' Kakashi was brought from his thoughts when Naruto spoke up.
"Hey, Kakashi-nii?"
"Yeah?" The silver haired man eye smiled back at the young jinchuuriki.
"Is it Thursday yet?" Kakashi was slightly confused as to why he was wondering the day until the wires in his brain crossed and electricity fired through his mind.
"Oh Kami! It is! And it's almost 7! Where's the remote for the tv in this room? We don't want to miss it!" Kakashi picked up the remote control and turned on the television that was affixed to the wall in the hospital room. He changed the channel to the right station before sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, the blond child he saw as his little brother resting against him as they began to watch their favorite show.
Three Days Later
Naruto rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he trudged toward the fridge. He shivered a bit as the cold air hit him in the early morning. Grabbing the carton of milk the young blonde decided to forgo getting a glass and began to drink it straight. He was interrupted when a gloved hand grabbed the carton from him mid gulp.
"Hey Kakashi-nii, I was drinking that!" The young jinchuuriki said angrily.
"Yeah? Well I'm the one who bought the milk." Kakashi snarkily replied pulling down his mask and taking a drink. Once Kakashi had finished his swig of milk, he handed it back to Naruto before pulling his mask back up and started to make breakfast for the two of them. Naruto wondered why Kakashi always wore that mask. He wasn't ugly or have any scars, at least not on his face. In fact, in Naruto's opinion his older brother was actually a handsome guy. But who was he to judge his brother's life choices?
"Tis a wonderfully mature way of thinking, Naruto. So young, and yet you seem to possess greater moral fiber than a many of the people in your world. I have to admit, you are quite the delightful curiosity."
'Thanks. I think…' Naruto scratched his head as he tried to put together what the bijuu meant by their words. 'Wait... How are you talking to me?'
"Through your mind, child. How else? After our first meeting within your mind, a connection opened up between us, linking your mind and senses to my own. Just think and you can speak with me."
'Wow. That seems like it could be incredibly useful.'
"Indeed. But I think we should cut this chat short. Your brother seems a bit concerned."
Kakashi waved his hand in front of Naruto's face.
"Hey, Naruto. You still in there?" Naruto shook his head and looked at his brother in a wide-eyed daze. "What was that Kakashi-nii?"
"I've been trying to get you attention for like a minute. Are you okay? Your eyes were glazed over and you were just staring out into space." He gave his usual foxy grin as he scratched the back of his head.
"Oh, Kyuubi just wanted to tell me something. Apparently we can talk to each other just through thinking."
The silver haired man rubbed his chin as he considered this new information.
"Well, you're going to have to work on your communication. You can't go all glassy eyed in the middle of a fight." The older man eye-smiled as he ruffled his little brother's hair.
"Now let's hurry up and eat. The sooner we get to eat, the sooner your training can begin. You want bacon in your omelette?" Naruto's eyes lit up at the words breakfast and training.
Training Ground 7
Kakashi set Naruto down on the ground and sat on a log as he figured out how to go about training his little brother, who sat cross legged on the ground expectantly.
"Naruto, do you still have the scroll from your father on you?" Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I have it right here."
The young blonde nodded, digging into his pockets and pulling out the message from his father. Kakashi opened it and examined it. At the very bottom of the scroll were three storage seals labeled "Rasengan", "Hiraishin", and "Hummingbird." Kakashi bit his thumb and wiped some blood across the seal. A puff of smoke covered the scroll. When the smoke cleared, Kakashi held three scrolls in his hands instead of one. Kakashi opened the first scroll and began to read. His sensei's style of taijutsu was unique to say the least. He remembered how fast and versatile he had moved while using it. The kata seemed to put a lot of strain on the body. Even Kakashi would need years of training if he were to even attempt to try learning. It wasn't until he noticed a bit of scribbling at the bottom.
"By the way, this style is incredibly difficult to learn and could possibly cripple you for life if you jump right into it. So I've included a gravity seal on the second scroll that you should place on your body. When you are able to fight confidently under level 10 on the seal then I think you'll be ready to start learning. Have Kakashi of Jaraiya-sensei apply it before you do any of this.
Good luck Naruto!"
'That's Minato-sensei for you. Always forgetting that one detail until the last minute.' Kakashi sighed as he looked over the seals he needed to use on the second scroll.
"Naruto, take off your shirt." Naruto got really confused and his face showed it as he saw Kakashi pull out a jar of fuinjustu ink and a brush from his jounin vest.
"Why?"
"In order for you to learn the Hummingbird Style, your body has to be conditioned to handle the strain. So I'm going to put this seal on you. It's going to make you feel a lot heavier and get you prepared to learn the techniques."
"Okay." The young blonde said as he removed his shirt. Kakashi dipped the brush in the ink and began to paint the seals on the young boy's torso. The ink was very cold against the young boy's skin. However Naruto stayed perfectly still. Kakashi had told him about how touchy fuinjutsu could be. He didn't want Kakashi to slip up and cause him to explode or something. When Kakashi was finished drawing the seals on the boy, he began to do a long series of hand seals. The silver-haired man's hand began to glow as he finished the hand signs before slamming his hand against the seals. Naruto's entire torso began to shine brightly before the seals began to converge on his right shoulder. As the seals stopped glowing, they revealed a tattoo in the shape of a sun with the kanji for zero on it.
"This is the Gravity Seal." Kakashi explained as he pointed to the seal.
"It's not activated right now. Once I activate the seal, immense pressure will be put onto you and your entire body will become heavier. Once you are able to fight properly when the level is on 10, then you can begin training in the Hummingbird Style. Are you ready Otouto?" Naruto nodded in understanding.
Kakashi channeled a bit of chakra through his finger and into the seal, activating it.
"And so the show begins." Naruto wondered what the bijuu meant by that when suddenly…
THUD!
Naruto found himself face first in the dirt. He couldn't move as he felt like he weighted a million pounds.
"Uggh. Is this level 10 Kakashi-nii?" The blonde jinchuuriki strained to speak as he tried with all his might to move. Kakashi squatted down beside his little brother.
"Nope."
"Well what level is it?" Kakashi eye-smiled brightly.
"0.5" Naruto groaned in frustration.
"Seriously?! It's going to take forever to reach level 10!" His cycloptic brother patted the blonde on the head.
"Don't worry Naruto. You'll get there sooner than you think. Now try to stand up. If you can walk by lunch time, I'll help you learn some basic taijutsu." That got Naruto's energy going as he strained with all his might. Kakashi sat on the log and pulled out an orange book and began to read. He occasionally would chuckle to himself and mutter. "Kami, who writes this crap? I love it so much."
5 Hours Later
Naruto stood on shaky legs. He struggled as he moved his leg forward. The young jinchuuriki made slow heavy steps toward his brother who closed his book and looked up and eye smiled.
"Very good, Naruto. You actually got to trudging faster than I expected. Now let's go get some ramen before we move onto the next part of your training." Naruto smiled at the thought of food. He was sweating profusely from all the work he had to put in just to keep up.
"Don't worry, Naruto. As with most things, the first one is always the hardest. When your brother decides 'tis time to increase the level of this seal, I have the utmost confidence that you will be ready for it."
'Wow, thanks Kyuubi-sensei. That actually makes me feel a bit better. One question though.'
"And what is that?"
'WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING SOONER?! You were completely silent for FIVE HOURS! I could have used some support!' The bijuu chuckled at the boy's reaction.
"I was preoccupied" Kyuubi stated in a bemused tone which just upset the five-year old.
'With what?! I really could have used some encouragement!'
"I was formulating the curriculum for your training in your mindscape."
'Oh. I'm sorry. I appreciate that. Once I'm done with Kakashi-nii, I can begin my training with you?' Naruto replied sheepishly.
"Indeed. Now go enjoy your lunch."
Ichiraku Ramen
Naruto and Kakashi made it into the blonde's favorite eatery in about half an hour. Naruto's trudge had finally become more of a shamble and the young jinchuuriki could walk like he was tired, which wasn't too far from the truth. Naruto plopped himself on the stool as Ayame came up to the pair. Her smile faded when she saw Naruto.
"Naruto-kun!" She reached over the bar and hugged the blonde. His cheeks began to burn as he felt the teen's breasts against his face.
"I heard what happened on your birthday. We were so worried about you." Naruto scratched his head when the young waitress let him go.
"I'm sorry I made you and Teuchi-san worry. But I'm all better now." Ayame gave him a stern look.
"Promise?"
"Promise." Ayame smiled at his words.
"Alright. So what'll you have today Naruto-kun?" Naruto gave his classic foxy grin.
"One of everything and keep them coming Ayame-chan! Kakashi-nii's buying me lunch!" Ayame looked at the silver-haired man with a smirk.
"Oh he is, is he? Well then, I better tell Tou-san to start cooking." The young brunette said as she walked over to the kitchen.
'The fool has no idea what he's just unleashed. Looks like we'll be able to buy some new equipment after all. Tou-san will be happy about that.'
Kakashi felt a chill wash over his spine as the first bowl was placed in front of Naruto.
'H-He's only five. How much ramen could he possibly eat?'
An hour and a half later, Kakashi wept as he pulled the last bill from his wallet. He handed all of the money to Ayame who smiled brightly as she placed the money in the register.
'21! He ate 21 bowls of ramen in one sitting. It must have been the gravity seal! He was eating so slowly that he ended up digesting the first bowl as he ate the next! This couldn't possibly happen a second time.' Oh the poor naive fool.
By the time Naruto had finished, the afternoon rush of people had begun out in the village. As such Naruto didn't want to walk around with the gravity seal activated and unable to run if need be. So Kakashi cast their usual genjutsu, or the Piggy-Backpack no Jutsu as Naruto liked to call it, and the two made their way back to the training ground to continue their training.
Later that night
"I'm going to go to sleep for a bit, okay Kakashi-nii?" Kakashi simply waved to Naruto as he shuffled toward the bedroom. Naruto flopped on Kakashi's bed. It was really soft and comfortable. He somehow expected it to be hard because ninjas were expected to sleep in trees and on the ground while on missions.
"Oh well. It's nice and I can get some rest after training so hard. Once I get used to this seal, hopefully Kakashi-nii will actually start teaching me how to fight with kaa-san's swords. But first, I need some sleep."
"Not so fast, child. We still have to begin our training."
Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto stood outside the training complex in his mind. He let out a relieved sigh as he felt his body at it's original weight, no longer restricted by the gravity seal. Making his way into the building, Naruto noticed a particular lack of, well anyone. He couldn't see his resident bijuu anywhere. He cupped his mouth and called out into the empty dojo.
"Kyuubi-sensei? Kyuubi-sensei! Where are you?"
"I am right here, child. One must have patience in all endeavors." A voice came from behind Naruto. A voice he'd never heard before. It was unquestionably female, it was as smooth as silk and warm like cinnamon. Her accent was definitely not one from the Land of Fire. The boy turned around to see a woman standing in the doorway. She was a svelte, exotic-looking woman with the figure of a goddess with dark raven black hair that framed her face and large crimson eyes. Naruto looked at her from toe to tip. She wore leather boots that reached up to below her knees. She had black leggings reaching up out of them beneath a patch-worked leather skirt which was hemmed at an angle from her right mid-thigh to her left knee with what looked like an assortment of belts hanging from the hem to complete the garment, acting as a sort of make-shift fringe. Naruto blushed as he saw that her torso was not covered very much. In fact, she almost made Anko look modest as she only looked to be some sort of bikini like top covered by a combination scarf and hood which she had up, showing off much of her alabaster skin. She wore a choker with a golden pendant hanging from it. The young boy's jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw the kanji for 'Seal' on the golden pendant.
"K-Kyuubi-sensei!?" The woman smiled and let out a chuckle at the boy's reaction. It sent a shiver down the boy's spine.
"But of course. T'would be quite bothersome if there were someone else but the two of us meddling about in the inner sanctum of your mind." The woman walked into the room and Naruto noticed nine fluffy, if slightly matted red fox tails swishing behind her.
"I didn't know you were a girl!" The fox woman sat down on the floor near a stack of books.
"I am not... Not exactly."
"Then what are you?" She looked him in the eye with a slightly exasperated stare.
"Complicated. I have a lot to start teaching you Naruto and I would rather get started than give an arduous explanation of the intricacies of my gender to a five year old."
"What?"
"My point exactly. Now please sit, we have much to learn." Naruto walked over to his second sensei, sitting before them with his legs crossed and listened intently as they continued to speak. "I took a considerable amount of time contemplating how best I could help you in your endeavors to become stronger. Thus I have determined that I will focus my abilities on developing your mental acuity, helping you become smarter than those who would wish you harm. You see knowledge is just as important as skill when it comes to all things. An opponent may be many times more powerful than you are, but if you have mastered yourself and are able to out think your opponent, victory will surely be yours. 'Tis this skill that granted your father many victories in the Third Shinobi War. And 'twas this mastery of self that helped your mother fight the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist to a standstill."
"Kaa-san fought all seven of them?! At once?!" Naruto's eyes widened at the revelation that his mother was so powerful.
"Indeed. 'Twas quite the sight to see from my perspective. I aim to guide your mind while your brother trains your body. However there is one spot in my teachings that I need to determine. You must learn a skill outside of combat." The young jinchuuriki tilted his head in confusion.
"But why Kyuubi-sensei? What would that do to help me become stronger?"
"The life of a warrior is a hard one, Naruto. You will experience much hardship and do things that would cause those of weaker sensibilities to sink into self-loathing and despair. Honing one's skills into something that doesn't rely on bloodshed will help you channel those experiences and negativity into something productive and prevent you from falling into suffering and madness. Now tell me Naruto, what makes you happy? What can you focus on that can turn your pain into something conducive to your own betterment?" Naruto thought hard about what the bijuu before him asked. What did he like, and what would he like to learn more about? after several minutes of thinking he had an answer.
"On the show Onsei Mashin no Hanashi, there is a man named Mikijai Teishi. He is not the most physically strong, nor the most intelligent. He is not even the wisest of the group. Yet he knows himself more than many of the team. He suffered great pain in his youth yet he inspires the rest of his comrades with poems, jokes and songs... I would like to learn to create music." Tailed being smiled warmly at the child's answer. He was truly a human of great virtue, they felt a surge of satisfaction at the opportunity to help mold him into a man.
"Very well. I'll be sure to schedule in some music theory as well into your curriculum. Now if you're ready, we will begin." Naruto smiled and nodded as his teacher began the first of many lessons to come. He had truly begun his journey now.
And there you have it folks! Chapter two is finished! I have to admit, this one took much more effort to revise than the last chapter. There were several things that I had problems with, including my constant use of meme references and a few moments where people acted a little too out of character too soon to be believable. I also really wanted to make the relationship between Kakashi and Naruto seem more believable. However my BIGGEST obstacle was fixing how poorly I had written Kyuubi in my previous version. I spend the most time on this chapter rectifying this self-observed flaw and I really think it payed off. The previous incarnation of Kyuubi was very crudely constructed and, at least to me, seemed very superfluous. Serving no real purpose other than to just be there. I wanted to make them more three dimensional as well, give them an actual character. So I modeled them after one of my favorite characters in video game history, Morrigan from the Dragon Age series. She's just a fascinating character and I wanted to incorporate some of the things that I loved about her into Kyuubi to make them more than just the 'mighty beast within.'
Well, that's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time.
~ Ninja