A/N – Yay, I'm updating this again, I need to thank Lednacek for pointing out that I've been saying Yokai (which is a type of demon) rather than Yoki (which is the demon energy) although I think from now on I'll call it demon chakra anyway (Easier to remember hehe). But here is the anticipated fight between "good" and "evil" Naruto.

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Demon/Summon Speech"

'Demon/Summon Thought"

"Jutsu"

Chapter 7 – An Inner Battle

Naruto charged forward, using a taijutsu style taught to him by Kurama known as the Demon Fist. The main problem with this was it was meant to be used in conjunction with demon chakra and the claws it provided.

Young Naruto had no problem dodging or blocking the wild swings that were directed at him.

"You neglected everything. You rely only on the demon, not on yourself and not on others. That's why you are worthless and pathetic." Said Young Naruto calmly while he sent a few punches and kicks into Naruto's ribs, each strike finding their mark.

"You're nothing compared to me. You don't deserve to be a part of my mind anymore. I don't need you!" screamed Naruto as he jumped backwards and held his palm out. He concentrated hard and tried to pull demonic chakra from the seal but couldn't. The seal Orochimaru had placed on him was too tight for any to get through.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu" Screamed both Narutos simultaneously, Naruto created 50 clones but Young Naruto created closer to a hundred. Naruto ground his teeth in anger before charging forward with his clones running alongside him, his charge was matched by the larger army of Young Narutos.

The two armies clashed and created clouds of smoke all over the battlefield. Naruto's clones were less in numbers but fought more viciously, slashing with kunai. The Young Naruto clones were more hesitant to land killing blows, resulting in the armies of clones to whittle down to nothing on both sides.

"We're evenly matched." Stated Young Naruto as he stretched his arms over his head, Naruto just growled in response.

"Fine, let's go again then." Sighed Young Naruto in acceptance as he charged forward to a waiting Naruto. The two met in a swift battle that seemed to be swinging in Naruto's favour until he slipped up. Naruto had attempted to use demon chakra to enhance a punch as he done multiple times in his training.

Without the added demon chakra the punch was slow and weak allowing Young Naruto to dodge and counter. With a chakra powered strike Young Naruto slammed his foot into Naruto's gut, launching him back.

"You are too reliant on the fox and the bloodlust he grants you. Learn to stand on your own feet before you even try to beat me. Give up on your rage, stop being a bloodthirsty monster, maybe then the people will accept you." Said Young Naruto as he faded away.

Naruto got up and growled before realising the kick that Young Naruto had landed had opened the seal placed on him by Orochimaru. He sat back down and concentrated, relishing the feeling of power rushing through him from Kurama.

"Naruto, what happened?" Questioned Kurama.

"Orochimaru happened. He placed a weird seal on me that cut us off." Explained Naruto, "Then I got pulled into the mindscape to find some weak version of myself crying, he started yelling at me, we fought. We were evenly matched but he got the upper hand in the end. He said that I had to learn to stand on my own feet instead of relying on you. Maybe he has a point, I am more bloodthirsty when I have your chakra still lingering in my system."

"That is a good point, maybe learning to control your own power will allow you to control more tails as well. Being able to control your own chakra and mind might be the tipping point between power and losing your mind." Theorized Kurama, Naruto just shrugged before fading out of the mindscape.

- Forest of Death-

Naruto awoke to find himself in the roots of a large over turned tree. He looked around to see Sakura crying on the ground with her hair cut short and choppy, above her was Sasuke with strange flame markings spreading over his body. Below Sasuke was one of the Oto-nin, his arms being pulled behind his back by Sasuke. A sickening crack flooded the area as the arm was wrenched from its socket.

"While I like your style Sasuke I think you need to calm down." Stated Naruto as he walked out of the roots. The other Oto-nin saw him and looked like they were trying to decide if they should be grateful that he was saving them or fearful that he would attack them next.

"Here take our scroll, just let us leave in one piece." Begged the one covered in bandages, Sasuke released the one he was holding and let him scurry over to his teammates who dropped the scroll and took off into the forest.

"Dobe, you will help me test this power. You will be the first to fall bef-" Sasuke didn't even get to finish his sentence as Naruto had bolted across the area and knocked him out. The markings had already started to recede.

Naruto now took his chance to look around the clearing to see Lee on the ground struggling to stand and Team 10 cowering in a bush.

"Shikamaru, you got all your scrolls?" Questioned Naruto as he looked towards them, they jumped in surprise before coming out of the bushes.

"And Neji do you need your teammate?" Continued Naruto as Neji landed beside Lee and grabbed his arm. Neji nodded to Naruto as he jumped out.

"Not very social is he?" Questioned Naruto to Team 10, they just nodded.

"Uh Naruto do you need that scroll?" Asked Ino, trying to use her feminine charms to persuade him.

"Take it." Said Naruto as he pulled two full sets from his cloak, Team 10 looked at each other before grabbing the scroll and handing it to Shikamaru.

"Naruto you seemed to have mellowed since the start of the exams." Stated Choji, Naruto smiled at him, revealing his large and sharp canine.

"I got some advice from an old acquaintance; I decided it might help me out in the long run." Said Naruto with a shrug.

Naruto then sat down in the roots of the tree and started to focus on his own chakra, something he rarely did now. He sat for close to three hours just letting his chakra flow throughout his body, moving it to places around his body to try and increase his control.

When he stopped he looked around to see Sakura sitting next to him with Sasuke still knocked out next to her.

"We should head for the tower." Stated Naruto, his sudden words making Sakura jump with shock. She was about to protest in regards to Sasuke but he started to stir, he suddenly shot up before clutching his head and laying back down.

"Alright the teme is awake so let's head out." Said Naruto as he stood up and started walking before either of them could complain. Sasuke grunted and slowly stood up, Sakura helping him the whole time.

While Sasuke and Sakura were making their way out of the roots Naruto made a small army of clones and sent them to create a perimeter around the team. The clones would dispatch any teams that tried to get too close.

With a barely perceptible nod to Sasuke they took off through the forest, each time Sasuke landed on a branch he would supress a wince. He tried his hardest to prevent Naruto from seeing, Sasuke would never let anyone see him weak.

Naruto barely payed attention to his team as they ran through the forest towards the tower, they weren't interrupted by any animals or teams. The clones on the other hand slaughtered a few giant centipedes and scared off a team from Kusa.

Naruto spent most of his time thinking about his strange good half that seemed smarter, at least more knowledgeable of chakra manipulation. While they were running Naruto used only his own chakra to augment his speed. By the time they reached the tower Naruto was just as tired as Sasuke and Sakura. He quickly read the inscription on the wall.

"Earth…. Heaven…. Both…" He mumbled as he pulled out a set of scrolls and opened them, throwing them to the ground as smoke started to issue forth. In a burst of smoke Iruka appeared.

"Congratulations guys, you got here with two days left to spare meaning you can rest here in the tower until the end of the 5 days. When the 5 days are up a chunin will take you to where you need to go." Said Iruka as he performed a few hand seals, a section of wall slid away and he ushered them up a staircase that led to a hallway with bedrooms, bathrooms and other living essentials.

While Sasuke and Sakura settled into their rooms Naruto went for a walk around the tower, annoyed with himself for how quickly he had grown tired without using Kurama's chakra. While walking he found a few of the other teams lounging around the tower.

He sensed the demonic chakra and bloodlust that Gaara gave off in waves. When he arrived at the source he found Gaara sitting watching as his siblings played shogi on a portable board.

"My old classmate Shikamaru was a shogi addict." Commented Naruto dryly, making Kankurou jump and knock his pieces around, Temari had seen him walk in as she was facing the door. Gaara seemed to stiffen as he gave a small respectful nod.

Temari eyed Naruto as he walked over to the board as she played her final move, beating Kankurou for the twentieth time that day.

"Mind if I play?" Asked Naruto as he tapped Kankurou on the shoulder, the other boy stood up.

"Be my guest, Temari keeps beating me and I'd rather fix my puppets." Said Kankurou as he went and sat in the corner across from Gaara. Naruto smiled at him showing off his longer than average canines.

Temari looked Naruto up and down and decided that even if she knew she would win, playing against him would be beneficial. You could learn a lot about a person by the way they played shogi.

The game went as Temari expected for the first half but Naruto started to outmanoeuvre her pieces and adapt to her style of playing. Her strategies were being beaten and countered with relative ease. She attempted to switch her style around but ended up being caught in a trap set up by Naruto.

"And that's the game. You were really great Temari-chan." Said Naruto as he stood up, when he stood he saw Kankurou with his jaw almost touching the floor, a group of people had also surrounded them, cheering Naruto on as he walked away from the group. As Naruto was about to leave the room he turned around to see Temari still sitting, staring at the board.

"Hey, we should do this again Temari-chan. You're the type of girl that I like to spend my time with." Yelled Naruto as he winked at Temari and walked away. Temari blushed madly, her mind already spinning with thoughts and images that belonged more in an Icha Icha novel rather than the mind of a teenage girl. (Or my fanfiction for that matter)

A/N – Ok, so I said fight against Young Naruto but it was more like the introduction to a fight that will take place later on. I hope you liked the little bit of NarutoXTemari at the end there. I figured it was time for Naruto to loosen up and start chatting Temari up. So I might update this soon, I won't promise anything but expect at least one more chapter of this before I update my other stories.

Thanks Trigger2332 out!