After learning Kurama's name and a little of his backstory, Naruto was amazed to learn that he was a jinchuuriki, a container of the Nine Tailed Fox that attacked Konoha on the day of his birth. However, after telling him how he was going to help him and make him all great, Kurama just went back to sleep. Naruto tried everything to wake him up, including yelling, shouting, and even hurting himself. But nothing he did would bring the Kyuubi back to consciousness. Naruto's frustration only increased when he couldn't keep pretending to be asleep and had to deal with a flurry of doctors and nurses who would only look at him with eyes of disgust and loathing. After learning the truth, he really didn't want to deal with these hypocrites who actually thought he was the Kyuubi. But that didn't matter. From what he learned from Kurama, humans were by nature corrupt and vile. But what really irked Naruto were all the questions that some supposed doctor was asking him. He had light blonde hair tied in a ponytail and had a deep scar on his right eye. He introduced himself as a simple doctor, but he knew that he couldn't be a doctor. The questions he was asking were too weird and specific to be asked by a normal doctor and that scar probably meant he was a ninja. Seriously, who did he think he was fooling. After leaving the hospital, Naruto was sent back to the orphanage. Naruto had a feeling that he was being watched, but ignored it, thinking it was just his paranoia after the events of the past few days. Only after a full week and half did Kurama finally awaken.
"Kurama, why did you take so long to finally awaken?" Naruto asked, his frustration showing slightly in his tone.
"Calm down, brat. I told you this already. The Shinigami, using the Sandaime's life force, sealed away most of my chakra somewhere else, leaving only enough chakra to keep my form and sentience. That's why I can only be awake for a few hours every week" Kurama replied.
"But how can you help me if your only awake for so little time?" asked Naruto suspiciously.
"I can you give general principles and point you in the direction you need to go. For the rest, you need to learn on your own" answered Kurama.
"Okay, but if your the great demon fox, how did you get sealed away without any of your chakra?" asked Naruto naively.
"Watch your mouth, brat. I may only have a small percentage of my chakra, but I can still be dangerous. But to answer your question, I can gave into my own pride. I never imagined humans would create such powerful sealing arts or that the Uzumaki clan possessed seals capable of summoning the Shinigami. Even when I was first sealed, I still possessed all my chakra, a near infinite amount of power that coursed through my very being. Such feeling of power tends to make one oblivious to real vulnerabilities. As you can see, the results of such overbearing pride and trust in my power alone is that I am sealed into a vulnerable human child in a hostile environment with almost none of my chakra and a seal that ensures that I die if you die. As you can see the results aren't pretty" answered the Kyuubi.
"Wait, if I thought you can't die since you're a bijuu" asked Naruto.
"So you do remember our talk from a week ago. Yes, bijuu can't die because as demons we're not dominions of the Shinigami. However, this particular seal summons the Shinigami to seal away all my chakra while leaving my sentience sealed within you. When you die, the Shinigami will use the Sandaime's life force and chakra to seal me within his belly. When all is said and done, the Shinigami becomes much more powerful with my sentience added to his already overbearing consciousness and the Leaf get to keep my almost unlimited chakra as a sort of chakra battery that they can keep sealing and resealing without having to deal with the hate and vehemence that usually accompanies the use of my chakra. Really, it's a win-win for everyone. The Uzumaki were indeed true seal masters" explained the Kyuubi.
"So that's why you want me to find a way to get you out of this seal" realized Naruto.
"Yes, I hate to feel dependant on another. I suppose it's my fault for being so prideful and oblivious. But I need you to find a way for me to get out of this seal. In the meantime, however, you need to make sure you don't receive anymore lethal injuries. There may come a time when I just don't have the chakra to heal you completely, and if that happens we both die" said the Kyuubi.
"I understand, but I don't know any jutsus or even how to fight" said Naruto.
"I can't you teach you how to fight or handle weapons or even any human chakra techniques you call jutsus. I only know about pure chakra manipulation. The rest you're going to have to learn from a teacher" answered the Kyuubi. Seeing Naruto looking disheartened, Kurama added "But chakra manipulation is powerful and you have large reserves for a child. Even without my chakra, I'm still a powerful sensor and your chakra capabilities far outpace all life forms for miles around this orphanage. For a human, you will indeed be powerful."
"When do we start then" asked Naruto as he began to jump up and down.
"Impatient are we?" asked Kurama. "You need to learn patience, kit. This training will involve lots of meditation and inward reflection. First I need you to sit down and keep still. Then, just relax" said the Kyuubi. Seeing Naruto relaxed, Kurama added "Okay, now you need to feel inside of yourself an energy source. Feel deep inside and follow the rhythm of your body until you reach it."
"I can't find it" complained Naruto after a while.
"This takes deep meditation and could take days, kit. You need to be patient. But I'll give you a hint. It'll feel like a color, not look like one, but feel like one" answered the Kyuubi cryptically.
"Wait. That doesn't make any sense" Naruto replied as he sat there confused.
"You'll know what I mean when you find your chakra. Now I've been awake for too long and will now be taking my leave" said the Kyuubi as he started to fall asleep.
Inoichi Yamanaka should be happy today considering he would be going to his little girl's birthday party later today and he already picked out the perfect present. Even though put the Yamanaka Clan short for a while, it is report for his little Ino. Thinking like that maybe his wife had a point when she says we spoil her too much and that she grow up to be a spoiled little girl with fangirl tendencies. Nah, that would never happen Inoichi reassured himself. But all day, he couldn't look forward to the special occasion because he had to visit one Naruto Uzumaki in the hospital and conduct a mental evaluation without using any of his mind techniques. He literally had to reopen the old textbooks to freshen up on topics he hasn't used in a long time. But the worst part about it is that he couldn't come to a clear diagnosis and now he had to report all this to the Hokage. Let's see Shikaku Nara beat this in the 'troublesome' scale he thought to himself as he opened the door to the Hokage's office. Entering the office, he found Minato diligently finishing his work on the small pile of paperwork he had left.
"Is this a bad time, Hokage-sama?" asked Inoichi.
"Oh, no. I was just finishing some last minute work before heading home. Is there something you need, Inoichi?" Minato asked.
"Yes, I just wanted to go over my evaluation of Naruto" answered Inoichi.
Minato's mood instantly soured at the thought of Naruto. A few days ago Tenzo's brought him the news of the attempt on Naruto's life while he and Jiraiya were still recuperating from the adult afterparty to Menma's birthday party and let's just say things didn't go over well. The guilt that they completely forgot about him didn't help either. It wasn't sudden but slowly over time they started thinking about him less and less as they were caught up in their lives. But, hopefully, Inoichi's report can shed some light on Naruto's status and their family could start too heal. "What do you have for me, Inoichi?" asked Minato.
"For starters, from my questions and observations, I can say with confidence is intellectually not a five year old. He is much smarter and more observant than that" Inoichi said.
"What do you mean? We found that Menma is smarter than most kids his age" Minato asked.
"What I mean is that I estimate that Naruto is at least teenager or young adult in intelligence, and from reading all the texts in the area I can say with confidence that shouldn't be possible" replied Inoichi. "But that's not all, he has a distinct hate for humanity. At first, I thought this might just because of how he was treated by the village. But from listening to him, he has a well-formed ideology that humans are inherently an inferior species that are greedy and vile" Inoichi added.
Minato didn't know what to think. How could a five year old do all this. Not even Nara's are this smart at that age. It's just not possible. Maybe he really isn't his son, but that would mean he would have to order Naruto's death. Could he really do that? What would Kushina think?
"From your observations, what would you say. Is he the Kyuubi or is he human?" asked Minato.
"We can't know conclusively unless I use my Mind Techniques but we already ascertained that it's too dangerous and doesn't provide conclusive data anyway. From my observations alone, I would say that if he isn't the Kyuubi, he is certainly being influenced negatively by the demon since Naruto's ideology fits perfectly with tailed beasts' ideas about humans. And considering his intelligence level, he may very well be the Kyuubi" replied Inoichi ominously.
"Very well, thank you Inoichi. You're dismissed" Minato said.
"Hai Hokage-sama" Inoichi replied as he left through the front door.
As Inoichi left, Minato racked his brain for a solution. He knew he would have to talk to Jiraiya about this. Sighing, he went back to his paperwork.
Danzo Shimura, Elder in the Konoha Council and Commander of the ANBU force Root, was becoming increasingly paranoid as the years wore on. By all accounts, he should be happy and proud that the village he loves so much is in such great shape. Konoha and Fire Nation sported the largest economy in the Elemental Nations and the largest median income. Konoha also nows offers the largest salaries for ninjas, increasing its ranks to one of the largest, second only to Kumo which trains even talentless civilians in the ninja arts. Konoha also has the highest quality shinobi and with its emphasis on teamwork, it also has one of the lowest mission casualties lists. This isn't even accounting for such powerful battle-oriented clans as the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Akimichi or clans that provide other essential services such as the Nara in intelligence and strategies, the Yamanaka in information-gathering, and the Kurama in genjutsu and illusions. Danzo knew all this made Konoha by far the strongest nation on the continent and yet he couldn't ignore all the warning signs pointing to trouble. Konoha's large economy is only supported because of favorable treaties and trade deals with Iwa and Suna, two of the Big Five who are increasingly agitating to get back their former glory, as well as one-sided economic agreements with many small villages around Konoha's borders. However, even if these small villages and Iwa and Suna decide to attack Konoha, they would never be able to take down Konoha. No, what really worried Danzo is the possibility the world unites against Konoha to stop its reign as a superpower. While, there's no evidence right now that such an alliance is forming, he knew it would only be a matter of time. The world eventually united against Uzu and Konoha is likely next. In the contented and peaceful state Konoha is in now, it would never be able to hold off an alliance that large. This all thanks to that poisonous ideology of the Sandaime. His ideas of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence have no place in the ninja world today. And today the foremost preacher of this ideology is that brat Minato and his sensei. Really if it weren't for Orochimaru's successful efforts to weaken all our enemies economically for their folly, Konoha would have been in dire straights a long time ago. But Orochimaru should have gone further and weakened them militarily as well to end any possibility of revenge. If only Orochimaru were Hokage, he would be more open to Danzo's counsel. Danzo, though, quickly shook his end. There's still no guarantee that Orochimaru's loyalties lie with Konoha. Danzo knew he had to become Hokage and stop the village's fall. Now that Minato's cousin mastered the Hiraishin, he could kill the Hokage and execute a coup d'etat. And he knew the perfect way to do it. He would need to train the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi and get it firmly under his control. Then, the Jinchuriki would kill Minato and through some political maneuvering, he would have himself installed as the Godaime Hokage. With the Jinchuriki of the most powerful bijuu under his control, the world would bow before Konoha's might. What made the plan even more sweet is that the Jinchuriki is obviously Minato's son. Even though Danzo couldn't get anymore spies within Hokage Tower because of Orochimaru, anybody and their grandmother could tell that child is a cross between Kushina and Minato. Yes, very soon, Konoha would in a real Golden Age.
As Danzo opened the door to the Hokage's office, these same thoughts kept swirling in his head. "Do you have a minute, Hokage-sama?" asked Danzo respectfully.
"Sure, what is it that you need, elder-san" replied Minato.
"Oh, I just wanted to talk about certain policies. I have admit you've done wonders for the village. But I'm still concerned about increases in farmer's subsidies and what that might do to the annual budgetary decisions next week" Danzo replied.
"I don't know what you mean, elder-san. The Farmer's Association petitioned for increases and I signed them into law" Minato said questioningly.
"Well, I mean many in the council will ask for certain cuts because these increases may put us back a little, and they've asked for cuts to the orphanage in the past" replied Danzo.
Minato tried to rack his brain around Danzo's request. He's never been interested in agriculture or in the Orphanage. Why couldn't he just be straightforward. Usually, Orochimaru would deal with this kind of stuff. Uh… Wait. What if he's not interested in the Orphanage, but someone in the Orphanage. Naruto. He should have guessed as much.
"Why do want to train the Jinchuuriki, Danzo? asked Minato questioningly.
"I think it's very dangerous to have an untrained Jinchuuriki in the village Hokage-sama. Not only could he accidentally draw upon the bijuu's chakra, other village's might see it as a weakness when they themselves have perfect Jinchuurikis to call upon" said Danzo.
"I know of your training methods. They're not exactly humane" accused Minato.
"I know you have concerns, Hokage-sama. But if you allow me train our Jinchuuriki, I would make it absolutely certain his loyalties lie with the village alone. A loyal Jinchuuriki would be a great asset to our military forces" replied Danzo. Even if Minato didn't agree, Danzo already had plans to get the Kyuubi under his control. Asking is just the easiest way.
Minato thought about Danzo's proposal. While he wouldn't want anyone to undergo what Danzo calls training, there have been cases where people break out of Danzo's programming, his student Kakashi being the prime example. However, could he give Naruto to Danzo? But what would be the other solution. From Inoichi's report, Naruto is most likely the Kyuubi. Even Jiraiya told him he's being too soft and that he had to stop calling him Naruto. According to everybody, Naruto died the night of his birth and all that's left of him is his body and the Kyuubi's consciousness. Call it father's intuition or wishful thinking, but Minato just had this feeling that Naruto is still in there and could he really order the execution of his son? But if he sent him with Danzo, Root might be able get the Kyuubi under control. A tall task, he knew, to try and get an ancient being under the Leaf's control, but even if Danzo couldn't get the Kyuubi under his control, maybe the training could have Naruto's consciousness resurface. No matter how slim the chance, he had to take it–as a father.
"Alright, Danzo, you will train the Jinchuuriki for a time period. You will also give me periodic reports of the Jinchuuriki's progress and if I find the progress to be unsatisfactory, you will be taken off this task" ordered Minato.
Danzo was stunned for a minute. Why would Minato agree so quickly? He always disagreed with his methods. Then again, someone who would send their son way, even if he's a Jinchuuriki, to live as a disgrace in the Orphanage, might not disagree with him being trained the Root way from a young age. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. You won't regret it" said Danzo ominously. Oh, yes he would. Danzo would make sure of it, he said to himself.
"Don't disappoint me" said Minato as Danzo got up to leave.