I do not own Naruto.

Techniques are translated at the bottom of the page.

'You might want to rest up and recover your strength before trying to leave here Naruto.'

'Shut up fox. From now on I'm in charge of things, and you just get to give advice, advice that I will have verified by at least three others no more than one of which is a demon.'

'That hurts kit it really does. What did I ever do to deserve such malice from you, well aside from the obvious ones of nearly destroying your village, taking away your family, ruining any chance you had for a normal life, and making most of your own village hate you for most of your life. I haven't done anything lately to piss you off. Hell you've been fine with following my orders up until now. Anyways this one is really for your own safety more then anything else since you will have to fight your way out of hell.'

'What have you done to piss me off recently? How about making me torture that demon a few weeks ago for absolutely no reason! And just why would I have to fight to get out of hell? I'm not dead, I don't belong here.'

'You're still bitching about that little bit of fun we had? Listen up servant and listen well because I'm not going to say this again, and if you tell anyone I said this I will break out of this seal and make sure to kill you as painfully as I can before we both die. That pathetic loser we tortured back there was a demon. He has been doing similar things to what we did to him to other demons, damned souls, and lost humans for centuries or maybe even longer. He was a stain upon demonkind and had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Amongst humans and demons he would be reviled and hated for things he did while alive. Admittedly humans and demons would be upset over different things, but still it's the fact that both would hate him that is important. Killing him was doing the universe a favor, making it painful was giving out a small measure of justice, and doing it was fun. You're more alarmed at the fact that even now you know that if you did it again it would still be fun even without my influence. Something you need to realize and soon is that you are not human anymore. The transformation into a full demon has fundamentally altered some of your thought processes, in particular the ones dictating morality, memory management, mating behavior, mental limiters, motor function, senses, and spatial-temporal location tracking. What this means is that things that used to disgust you may now seem enjoyable to you and vice-versa, it will be easier to recall things from a long time ago, your idea of what a good partner is and your ability to notice other females while you have a mate is altered. Of course you probably didn't get that either so I'll use small words this time. What you find attractive in a women may be different and while you are actually with a women you probably won't even consider other women as potential partners until you make a decision at some mental level that you are not with a women in any kind of relationship aside from familial, and by familial I mean as a grandmother, mother, sister, daughter, etcetera. The bit about mental limiters is basically that you no longer have any. Since demons can eventually become beings of pure energy when we become powerful enough we need to always have conscious control over our energy and thus we have nothing like the humans' eight gates. Motor function is the fact that you can easily switch between humanoid and vulpine bodies without disorientation, senses is just that you can actually interpret all the things your far above human senses are telling you, and the last bit is a rather useful one I've found. You see since demons can essentially live forever we have created numerous ways to travel in space and time. We can do this and still return to the world, dimension, universe, and time we belong in because of a mental faculty present in all but the weakest of demons. Something which allows us to know when and where we should be and when and where we are according to that location. However you likely won't get much use out of that for awhile yet since even if you get bored with the shinobi nations and what few other human empires exist in the human world you were born in you still would have all of this hell to explore.'

'That was a great speech and all, but you forgot to tell me why I have to fight my way out of hell!'

'Oh that is an easy one my idiot servant boy. You are a demon. Thus you belong in hell. You are not a high level demon lord thus you have no reason to go to human except for pretty trouble and mischief. Therefore you cannot be allowed out of hell. This rules are not common to all hells or even all exits from this hell, but these rules do affect the gate you will use so you must obey them. Well actually you don't have to obey them but demonic gateways tend to be rather heavy handed in the enforcement of their rules.'

'Oh. So what will I have to fight?'

'Well each gate is different and it has been awhile since a gate's defenses have challenged me, but if I recall correctly this one forces a demon to fight a doppelganger of sorts. There are various types of doppelgangers that can be made, but the gate only makes the best. The gate's doppelgangers are made by the gate reading the souls of those who try to pass through. If they belong in hell according to the gate's rules then the gate will take the imprint of the soul it made and reflect it back towards the person whose soul it was an imprint of. The gate gives this reversed soul a body and links it to the original's soul. This allows the doppelganger to exist until it is either killed by a decisive blow that is immediately fatal or until the original is dead. As the doppelganger is wounded it will draw energy from the original to heal its wounds at an incredible rate. Due to it being the opposite of the original soul the doppelganger knows everything the original does and how to use it, but it is completely different in the application of this knowledge and abilities. If the original is a great heroic champion then the doppelganger will be an evil overlord. If the original is pretty neutral in most matters the doppelganger will be too, but it will hate those that the original cares for and want to kill them thus bringing them into conflict anyway. If the original is pure evil, as most demons are, then the doppelganger will be a virtuous hero that will do its utmost to defeat the original.'

'Could you explain it using terms I know?'

'Fine. Think of it like this, you create a new and improved shadow clone that is able to take just as much punishment as you can before dieing, but when you first test it out you discover a problem. The clone thinks it's the original and you're an imposter trying to infiltrate Konoha. You have no way of proving you're the real Naruto and that it is a clone so you have no choice but to fight it and destroy it. However you made the jutsu too well and it is just as skilled and strong as you, hell it can even tap into my power. That is like what fighting a doppelganger you will be like. So rest up and be prepared to kick your own ass tomorrow.'

"Didn't you say it would make a duplicate of me?"

"Hey I wasn't expecting this either. The gate has never scanned a former jinchuuriki before so I had no idea had it would react to my presence."

"Well we've answered that question. Now how the hell am I supposed to leave here with you playing watch dog for the gate?"

"Easy, I let you pass."

"Won't the gate force you to stop me?"

"No, I am to powerful for it to manipulate. Especially since it is the real me in this body it made and not a reflection of me it made. Besides even if I am outside of you I can still feel the Shiki Fuuin binding me to you. I can't attack you even if the gate put its full power into making me do it and I wanted to."

"So what? Are you mostly free now or something?"

"No this is only temporary, the gate will destroy this body once you either go through or you leave its vicinity. At that point I'll get dragged back into the seal. The gate will also destroy the body if I try going to far from it or through it."

"Shouldn't you be able to overpower the gate and make the body your own?"

"Kit I may be the most powerful demon lord on this or most other plains of reality, but even I can't eternally maintain a portal through dimensional boundaries and have enough energy to duplicate a soul, twist it to my will, and stuff it into a body anytime someone approaches me."

"So the gate has ridiculous amounts of power even compared to you?"

"No only about double maybe triple what I have, but still I can't win in a contest of pure power between us."

"Oh well at least I can leave with no injuries."

"Yeah right until all my power slams back into you when you come out on the other side of the gate."

"Oh crap."

"Have fun kit." Giving an evil smirk, which looked truly frightening since vulpine faces were not made to be twisted into such an expression, the kyuubi pushed Naruto through the gate into his own world. As Naruto went through the gate the kyuubi's form burst apart as it was released from the gates power. On the other side of the gate Naruto was just stepping out of the gate when a wave of red energy slammed into him and carried him right into the nibi who still stood guard over the gate.

"Oh fuck the fox-teme was right about that hurting. I'm going to feel that for the rest of the day."

"I see Kyuubi-sama's vessel has returned, but was it really necessary for you to jump onto me to get my attention?"

"That was kind of an accident. Anyway the idiots that took over while you were away have been dealt with so have fun ruling over hell with whatever bijuu still live."

"Good. You should know that your humans have been very busy while you were gone. Do not expect things to be as they were when you left."

Watching the nibi strut through the gate in a purely feline manner Naruto wondered if the changes Nibi had mentioned were bad or good. Deciding the best way to find out was to go back to Konoha he took out the excessive clothing he has to suppress his demon energies and puts them on so as to not scare anyone he might encounter with his loosely controlled power.

Arriving at the Konoha's main gate, due only to the fact that it pointed mostly towards the interior of fire country, Naruto showed the guards his hitai-ite and travel pass. The guards didn't let him in, but they did send someone to get the Hokage. While waiting for Tsunade to arrive Naruto listened in on some of the conversations amongst the merchants around him.

"That siege on wind country has been going on for far too long."

"I still don't see why Hokage-sama hasn't just sent some ninja to destroy the blockades between Wind and River at the least. I mean we are allied with them aren't we?"

"Yeah we are, but ever since that mess with the Hyuuga clan and Iwa happened we haven't had the forces to do anything but keep the enemy out of Fire Country. We couldn't even afford to send some ninja to Waterfall when Grass overran them."

"Throw in the loss of some of our best shinobi in an attempt to prevent the return of Otogakure with Suna's current situation, and Fire Country's fate in this war seems sealed."

"Yeah but its not like we can betray them, even if we tried to leave to another country we would be killed on sight for being citizens of Fire Country. The only country we could live in is Snow, but to get there we would have to cut through enemy territory."

"You might make it, after all it was only a month or so ago that two ANBU squads were sent there to help them while they rebuild their ninja forces."

"True, but didn't only one or two of those ANBU actually make it?"

Naruto was unable to listen further since at that point the Hokage showed up. "Took you long enough to get here Tsunade-baachan."

"It's about time you returned Naruto. Any later there might not have been a Konoha for you to return to. I'll fill you in on the current situation back in my office, try not to be seen on your way through the village."

"Why?"

"Because these days anyone could be an enemy spy, and I don't want anyone finding out about your return until you've been of some use in this war."

'War? Wars are fun. Lots of destruction and bloodshed. Try to get her to put you on the front lines. I suggest starting with asking her to let you break the blockade on Wind Country with your own discretion on how to do it.'

'I suppose you want my discretion to be when Iwagakure has been burned to the ground?'

'Of course not. You can't start a fire to save you life anymore so I was thinking more along the lines of when Iwagakure was a frozen bloodstain upon the surface of the earth.'

'Please stop sending me images of what you want it to look like when I'm done. It is preventing me from imagining what I could do to them.'

'Wow, I didn't know you had it in you Naruto. That kind of thing looks more like one of my rampages then your usual work.'

'I heard something pertaining to Hyuuga and Iwa. That is all I need to hear to justify wiping Iwa out in the most painful ways possible.'

'Not that I'm against destruction, or plotting it, however we're at the Hokage's office so it might be a good idea to stop making Gaara at his old worst look like a teddy bear.'

Breaking out of his bloodlust induced haze Naruto walks into the Hokage's office. When Tsunade puts some chakra into a seal on her desk that causes identical sesls to cover the walls, door, ceiling, and floor Naruto knows this is a real serious matter. When he realizes that the usual ANBU guard around her is absent he wonders who killed one of his friends and how many pieces she was going to let him rip them into.

"Naruto while you were away the situation with Iwa and Mizu has gone downhill rapidly. We are currently at war with Earth, Water, Lightening, and Rice Field Countries. Those are the only Countries to actually declare war on Fire Country along with the hidden villages declaring war on Konoha. Wind Country itself is technically neutral, but Suna is allied with it so Wind might as well be with us too. Suna is the only ally we have capable of holding its own against those four alongside us. They are also the only ally we could keep in reliable contact with until recently. We know that Sunagakure itself fell almost six months ago, but Earth Country and some of it's allies still have blockades around Wind Country. We believe that a substantial portion of Suna's shinobi escaped the village before it fell and are now roaming Wind Country keeping anyone from taking over completely. We don't know which ninja or how many escaped, but we can be fairly certain that the Kazekage and his siblings are amongst them. This is based off intercepted reports sent from Iwa ninja in Wind Country to those making up the blockades. We also believe that Mizu and Kumo have spent most of their ninja in blockading off Fire Country. We can't be certain of this because they make sure to stay deep enough into their own territory we can't afford to look for them. Oto is the only one of our enemies making regular attacks, but then again troops don't matter to them. Most of the forces Oto sends against us are made up of ninja's ressurected from the dead and controlled by a seal similar to Orochimaru's curse seal."

"Okay now that you've told me about the village tell me about my friends."

"Well most of them are either Jounin and ANBU on the front lines dealing with Oto's attacks. A couple are Chuunin instructors at the academy which was expanded recently. Kakashi, Tenzo, and Jiraiya are out of the country on long term S-class missions. Kakashi and Tenzo are in Snow Country, and Jiraiya is in Wind Country trying to meet up with the surviving Suna shinobi. Hinata and Neji were victims of the Hyuuga clan's defection to Iwagakure."

"What do you mean by victims of the Hyuuga clan's defection."

"I mean that the Hyuuga clan defected to Iwagakure and Hinata and Neji apparently tried to stop them, warn me, or something. All we know for sure is they were both found dead and near each other in the Hyuuga complex."

"Who killed them."

"That could not be determined from their surroundings or their remains. However it was most likely one of the more powerful Hyuuga clan members based on the damage to their organs and chakra coils."

"I would like to put forward a suggestion that I be allowed to break the blockade on Wind Country using my own discretion as to what methods to use and as to when it is broken."

"Since your clothes are starting to freeze solid, and you're putting out enough killing intent to paralyze most jounin I'll let you do it, but don't think for a second it's for any reason other than that I would rather you get pissed off and kill our enemies than see what happens if I try keeping you cooped up in the village. After all if I sent you anywhere else you would just disobey orders and go do what you want anyways."

"Thank you. I will return once the blockade on Wind Country is broken."

"Try not to lose control completely while you are tearing apart Iwa's ninja. Also make sure any Hyuuga you encounter are killed."

"I won't lose control, and I was going to kill all the Hyuuga anyway."

Pulling his cloak around him a little tighter Kakashi stops in the snow covered forest he is passing through to look in the direction of Konoha. 'Hmm I can feel a faint trace of kyuubi's chakra. Naruto must've returned and found out about Hinata. Guess Iwa won't be a problem for much longer.'

Appearing beside Kakashi Tenzo remarks, "Hopefully Hokage-sama had him go direct that rage at Iwa."

"I don't doubt she did, although I wonder if anyone was stupid enough to call him a demon as he made his way out of the village to destroy Iwagakure."

"Come on we still have to finish patrolling the borders then it is off to train some children in how to be a ninja."

"Hmm, I suppose, but then again this is a far better reason to be late then my usual ones."

'That is a lot of demonic energy. I wonder how much is Kyuubi's and how much is Naruto's. Oh crap he's coming this way. Why the hell did I have to choose today to look for Gaara by the blockades.' As Jiraiya ran off into the depths of Wind Country hoping to get far enough away from the Iwa-nin that he might escape serious injury from whatever Naruto was going to do to them.

Gaara and his siblings finished off the Iwa-nin they were ambushed by and felt Naruto's approach. Looking at his injured siblings and at his own battered state Gaara decided that he should go meet up with his ninja before going to see if Naruto wanted help in leveling Iwa. Seeing Gaara walk off into the sandstorm Temari had caused during the battle instead of approching what they hoped was only a very angry Naruto and not a freed Kyuubi, Kankuro and Temari went into the sandstorm after him.

Shiki Fuuin - Corpse Spirit Seal