Chapter XIII

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Naruto, can you come here, please?" Naruto left off sparring with a clone to approach his sensei.

"Yes Jaitan-sensei?"

"I have an unusual request for you." The body that had not spoken tossed Naruto a scroll. "Can you read this for me?" Nonplussed, Naruto unrolled the scroll. His blue eyes scudded across the writing, leaving him none the wiser about the meaning. He looked up to find the Jaitans studying him. The one that had given him the scroll spoke. "You can't read, can you?" It wasn't really a question.

"Not at this level," Naruto confessed, rather uncomfortable.

"I didn't actually think that you could. To that end, I have taken it upon myself to assign you a tutor."

Naruto tried to sink his misgivings. "Who?"

"One of your fellow genin."

"Hinata?"

Jaitan smiled a smile that was twice as disturbing as usual. "Oh no. Hinata is training and I'd rather not interrupt her. Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl, hearing her name, approached, taking care not to let the leaves she was floating fall. "Yes, Jaitan-sensei?" she asked warily.

Never one to beat around the bush, he said, "I need you to teach Naruto to read." There was a slight silence, punctuated by a small whine of panic from Naruto.

Sakura was doubtful. "Alright, I guess…"

"And if he doesn't cooperate, feel free to use any measure you deem necessary." Naruto let out a true wail and Sakura brightened perceptibly.

"Come on Naruto!" She dragged the protesting boy away. "We're going to the library!"

Laughing quietly, Jaitan turned back to the other genin, who were pretending that they hadn't been watching. Funny how Naruto had seemed almost eager at the prospect of being taught one-on-one by the Hyuuga Heiress. Perhaps he had made a mistake in placing Naruto under Sakura, though it was not too late to change that. Perhaps after the day's training I will ask my friend about it, though it may just confuse him. Jaitan shook his heads crossly, eyes fixed on Ino, who was breathing heavily after only an hour and a half of continuous training. No. There is something I must attend to first. He will have to wait.

After train had concluded for the day, Jaitan caught up to Ino as she left the field. He fell into step on one side of her. Ino raised her eyebrows but did not object, no matter how much the awkward side of her wanted to. Instead, she left her sensei steered her towards Ichiraku's where she had barely ever been before. She assumed that this was where Jaitan intended to talk to her.

After they had ordered, The Jaitan sitting closest to her said softly, "How do you feel?"

"Really awkward."

Jaitan seemed genuinely surprised. "Really? Senseis often talk to their teams here."

"Yeah, to their teams. You have me outnumbered."

"I just wanted to talk. This is serious. You're tired out after today's training, aren't you? That's not good."

"I don't understand."

"You only ordered a salad."

"Yeah, I know. I never eat here if I can help it."

"Why? You're starving yourself? You are not giving your body the basic energy or nutrients it needs to even get you through a day's training. You are potentially endangering your life and it is my fault if it leads you to your own death. If you continue with this pattern, you will be depriving yourself of the energy to keep you alive during a real battle situation."

Ino mumbled something in which the name 'Sasuke' was distinguishable.

"Sasuke? Is that boy really worth dying over? Anyway, I would have though he would be more impressed if you were able to fight better. Your lack of physical strength leads you to rely entirely on your mind-possession jutsu, and even that leaves you drained."

Ino wanted to squirm with embarrassment. Of course she knew these things, but a grain of defiance still remained inside of her. "I need to keep my figure."

The Jaitan closest to her gave her a sarcastic look. "As to that, your figure will develop more fully if you actually give your body the means to do so. Anyway, if you are able to train harder, you will burn off any unnecessary fat. Why do you make excuses? Your getting enough energy is only beneficial to you. I am responsible for your training and this could be catastrophic to you and your teammates." Both Jaitans stood, one taking out enough ryo to cover the bill and the other pushing his full plate towards the blonde. She understood and picked up her chopsticks with a grimace.

Naruto winced. "Did that hurt?" Oscar asked.

"Yes. Honestly, if I couldn't heal this fast, Sakura would have reduced me to a little pile of mush."

"Why do you heal that fast?"

"I honestly don't know. Maybe it has something to do with old bijuu-butt."

"Why don't you ask the Kyuubi?"

"What? You mean make contact? I've never tried before. I get the impression he would be at least as pissed at me as the villagers. After all, I'm the only thing standing between him and freedom."

"Yeah, but you also keep him alive. You die, he dies. Anyway, even if it doesn't work, it may still be worth it to talk to him. I bet he's collected enough knowledge over the centuries to make it worth it. And who knows? Maybe the huge homicidal demon is friendly."

"Yeah, 'cause that's likely," Naruto said sarcastically. "Ah well. Maybe I will try. How should I start?"

"I dunno. Call him? Search the barracks of your soul until you find something furry? How should I know?"

"Alright, I'll try both." Naruto shut his eyes, blocking out the sight of the world around him. He fidgeted, back against the tree, finding it more comfortable to draw his knees up to his chest and rest his head on them. Then, concentrating on his conception of his own chakra flow, he fished around in his mind for anything remotely like an energy surge. He started just behind the seal on his stomach and worked his way up. When he had searched all over more than half a dozen times, he realized it was no good. Instead, he called out with his thoughts inside his head. Kyuubi-no-Kitsune! I need to speak with you! Can you let me through, or however this works? Though he got no reply, the affect was almost immediate. He had the sensation that his eyes were being dragged back through the sockets and that something was wrenching at his mind. It came lose with a violent jerk and Naruto sat up with a gasp, sending up a wave of tepid water.

He looked around, knowing that one without his enhanced night vision would not have been able to see far in any direction. He was in a stone tunnel, like a sewer, but it didn't smell quite as bad as he would have expected. He turned to look behind him and saw the tunnel stretching into the darkness without so much as a light to relieve it. He faced the bit of the tunnel in front of him. Both ways looked exactly the same. Ah well, Naruto thought. The Kyuubi brought me here so we could talk, so he must assume I can find it myself. He felt the pull of the water swirling around his ankles and decided, on balance, that it would be easier to go with the flow rather than to try and wade against it. He set off on a slow, splashy walk. After a minute he began wishing it were lighter so he could see ahead. Almost as though in answer to his wishes, several dirty, off-white neon lights flickered into life near the ceiling of the tunnel, lighting his way. He glanced up at them briefly, but turned his eyes back on the tunnel. The lights had revealed a tunnel that diverged from his. With only a moment's hesitation, Naruto turned and began walking along this new tunnel. After a minute, but a subtle change in the air pressure, Naruto perceived that the tunnel had widened into a cavern. However, he didn't quite realize just how vast it was until little lights flickered on near the distant ceiling and ringing the walls on several levels. He stared around, getting his eyes used to the comparative brightness. The first things he saw were the bars.

Massive metal columns extended all the way from the floor to the ceiling, each one nearly as wide as the Hokage tower. Perhaps halfway up the center bar, Naruto could just make out a piece of paper bearing the kanji for 'seal.' The bars took up more than half of the space in the cavern, still leaving an area the size of the entire ninja academy. Naruto has been so absorbed in studying his surroundings that he did not immediately register the other occupant of the room. When he finally did look past the bars, he encountered two enormous red eyes staring at him with detached hatred. Naruto swallowed a little, each eye was bigger than he was.

The Kyuubi shifted forward slightly and the dim light helped Naruto to pick out the fox's other features; Two long, almost rabbit-like ears, sharp, curved claws, long, discouragingly sharp fangs, and, though it was hard to make them out, Naruto could dimly see the nine red tails, some swishing lazily over the fox's back, and some splayed out on the floor like a scarlet pool of blood. After a minute of studying Naruto, the fox's lips peeled back in a sneer. It spoke.

"Hello, little boy."

Naruto was untroubled by the condescending note in the bijou's voice. "Hello, giant fox-thing."

The kyuubi's eyes narrowed to glowing slits. "Your insolence shows that you are even more of a fool than you appear."

"Funny, I thought they locked up all the fools thirteen years ago." He smirked maliciously. Two could play at a battle of insults.

The Kyuubi was incensed. No one dared to mention the seal! He would crush the smile from the boy's face. An arm shot out. It was too big to get through the bars, but it didn't matter. With a speed that most would not believe possible, the fox flicked out a claw, smashing into the blonde boy and sending him crashing into the opposite wall.

To Naruto, it was like being hit by a pile of bricks from the front and from behind. He suspected that had this not been all in his head, he would have died, regeneration or no. Everything screamed in protest to this abuse; his ribs, kneecaps, face, skull…. He shook his aching head, dislodging himself from the wall and falling to his knees. He did not need to look up to note the fox's satisfaction.

"If only the affects were lasting. But, sadly, your mindscape does not seem to permit more permanent damage to you in this state."

Naruto stood unsteadily, already aware that the pain was leaving. So, it was his mindscape to control? That explained the appearance of the lights in the passage. Perhaps there was something he could do to take the fox down a notch. Not necessary, but after what had just been done to him, the blonde wasn't about to back down. He stared at the fox with loathing, mind racing. He hit on the perfect plan. Closing his eyes, he willed, hard and ignorantly. He focused the whole of his mind on executing this one action. Slowly, he felt his surroundings respond to his will. He knew that it had worked when he heard the Kyuubi's whine of panic.

Naruto's eyes slid open of their own accord. He saw the mighty demon fox sprawled on the floor of the cage pinned and struggling, clearly in great discomfort.

"What are you doing?" He demanded wildly.

"I increased you gravity to more than one hundred times what you're used to. It won't crack the floor because I don't want it to, but it will keep you pinned until I let you up. I wouldn't be surprised if the pressure is crushing your ribs and lungs and straining you muscles."

The Kyuubi was blind with fury, but almost awed at the amount of control that the boy could exercise in here. "Let me up!"

"I don't know. If I do, will you answer my questions instead of attacking me?"

The Kyuubi hesitated for a moment. His pride was on the line, though many would say that it had already been demolished. "I do not answer to you, brat."

"Well, can't say I didn't try." Naruto held out a hand, palm down. Slowly, he lowered it. The great fox felt the crushing sensation double. It felt as if his eyes where being squished out and his lungs deflated. Through his almost deadened ears, he could make out the crack of his bones snapping. He was about to pass out from the pain and lack of oxygen. He dragged in one final breath, perhaps to revoke his statement, before he felt suddenly and remarkably light. He sat up quickly, wincing as his youki dragged and mended torn muscle tissue and knitted broken bones.

The Kyuubi growled deep in his throat. "I knew it. You don't have the strength to really kill. You're all talk, human brat."

"My name is Naruto." He glared at the fox. "Why should I kill you? I came to talk to you. I want to ask you some stuff about my advanced healing and things like that."

"I do not answer to human filth. If you think I will divulge my secrets to one such as you, you are going to be sorely disappointed." The fox leered.

"Well, I think you're making a big mistake."

"As are you, mortal, adopting that tone with me. I have killed thousands of your kind without hesitation, and I would do it again and again, to pay back those who put me here."

Naruto resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. "Just hear my out. You may as well tell me about what kind of things your presence inside of me is doing. Who knows, the knowledge might save my life. And the longer I live, the longer you put off dying."

There was no way the Kyuubi could deny this, but he rallied almost at once. "Even if I handed you my secrets, human, you could not use my powers. It would take an amount of control, effort, and determination that all but the best lack."

Naruto shrugged. "Still worth a shot. I'm willing to train as hard as it takes if it means adding a life-saving technique to my arsenal."

"That's what you say now, but, like any other of your race, you will not follow through. When you are halfway there, you will abandon it. I don't know how any of your kind have ever hoped to succeed at harnessing my powers."

"Try me." Naruto focused, picturing a wooden bench, like those back at the academy. He felt a small surge of displaced water around his ankles and open his eyes to see the worn and graffitied bench he knew so well. He sat down and faced the fox.

The Kyuubi was not altogether willing to share his secrets, but he could see the good sense in teaching the useless boy a few tricks. Anything to prolong death. "You may well regret that request. Very well. I shall tell you what I know. First of all, the benefits of being a Jinchuriki that you have already been enjoying include heightened sight, smell, and hearing, as well as the rapid regeneration that you mentioned earlier. In addition, the most powerful ability you have been granted is access to my own chakra, my youki. This is a curse disguised as a blessing. For one thing, it gives you an incredible amount of raw power to fight with. For another, the more you use, the faster it kills you. My youki is much more potent than the chakra that your kind uses. It also carries my will. Every time you dip into my chakra stores, my youki, infused with my will, flushes out your system, overpowering your will and killing your cells. You would die the very first time you used my powers, were it not for the healing factor. It will go into overdrive, growing new cells as soon as the old ones are killed."

Naruto listened, perplexed. "I don't understand how that would kill me faster if the damage is being reversed instantly anyway. I mean, it is worrying, what you say about me not being able to control myself, but how would that kill me faster?"

"The cells in you body an reproduce only a certain amount of times before they quit altogether. My will and youki would kill your cells at such a rate that it would leave the number of times your cells can reproduce in future dramatically diminished. The less the amount of times your cells can reproduce, the shorter your lifespan. Do you understand? Do not use my youki unless you have real need. "

What about that whole 'You will have to train hard to master it' thing? How am I supposed to practice if it'll kill me to do it?"

"As to that, I have no answer. You will have to figure it out on your own. Though, it may help to practice mastering your emotions. If you are full of anger or fear or grief, my youki will flow forth unbidden."

"And what about the healing abilities? Do those kill me too?"

"No, boy. Only the rapid killing and regrowth cycle has that affect. That is about all I can tell you, for now at least."

"If something comes up, will I be able to contact you again?"

"Yes, probably more easily than you did today. Before you leave, however, can I make a request?"

"Go ahead."

"Do something about the water in my cage. Sitting in it for thirteen years has not been altogether pleasant."

"Alright." Naruto knew that moving the water would be more effort than he felt up to at that moment. Instead, eyes closed once more, he created an enormous concrete platform inside of the cage. He propped it up on cinderblocks to allow the water to flow underneath. As an afterthought, he created a kind of huge censure hanging from the ceiling just outside of the cage. With a final flourish, he lit the fire within. The Kyuubi did not give any outward sign of appreciation, but Naruto didn't need one.

Naruto came to his senses, stiff-necked and sore from sitting hunched over. He felt the slightest chill of late afternoon on his face. How much time had passed? He had gone in at about 5:45. What time was it now? In the midst of his worrying, he noticed that, while his face was cool from the air, the rest of him was quite warm. He cracked open one eye and rolled it around to his left, which was the warmest. There, he saw his favorite lavender-eyed, blue-haired girl. She appeared to have fallen asleep with her arms wrapped around him. He couldn't help smiling. Everyone should have a beautiful girl to greet him after a traumatizing encounter with a demon, he thought.

His smile faltered a little when he remembered that Hinata was still unaware of the fact that he was a Jinchiriki. He knew he would have to tell her, but now didn't seem like the moment. Wearily, he tilted his head, resting it on top of hers. He wanted to put his arms around her, too, but he was sure it would wake her to abruptly. He settled for stroking her short, soft hair. Unable to resist, he leaned forward a little and kissed her forehead.

His stirring had woken her. She opened her large, pale eyes, giving him a small, embarrassed smile. They sat together for some time, until Naruto realized that the sun was dipping closer and closer to the horizon, throwing long, black shadows sprawling to his left. By that time, his arms were around her and her head was buried in his shoulder. They had said not a single word to each other, but that was because there was nothing to say. Naruto had not had to offer an explanation for sleeping outdoors. Perhaps Hinata had thought he was meditating. When a member of the Hyuuga branch house drifted into sight, Naruto closed his eyes, pretending not to see. He knew that a Hyuuga would not do something so crass as to try and pry Hinata away from him, little though he must approve of Hinata's actions. Naruto gritted his teeth. He would not give up Hinata until he was good and ready.

A/N: Not as much humor as normal. I did fit in the Naruhina scene, though. I probably said this already, but there will be several chapters before the Chunin exams because there are a lot of events to get through/ explain. To be explained: Who Jaitan's friend is (mentioned in this chapter), Oscar's fear of hospitals/ background.

To all who played Ultimate Ninja Storm II, did you love it as much as I did? Of course you did!

Kudos to my brother for being my beta reader :) he wants credit, so I give it.

May you bear witness in this very Author's Note, that the Log shall be revered in due course, whenever this author has the opportunity to do so, it shall be done!

Bye!

PS- Reveiw. Thanks!