Naruto: A New Beginning
Chapter 7
Presently we find Naruto resting inside of a natural cave formation he found while he was tree hopping across the dense forest canopy.
"So . . . What you're telling me is that because of the faulty seal I made I accidently created a portal to another dimension. Is that right?" Naruto vocally asked the Kyuubi wearily.
"Yes. You're stupidity created a inter-dimensional portal to another universe, And now we are both stuck here." The resentment could be felt through the seal let alone it's voice.
Naruto shifted awkwardly in the confines of the cave and raised both his hands to meet his face.
"So this is it, all that work I put in through all those years just for naught." Naruto whispered to himself while his eyes were becoming glossy with moisture. "I…..I…..I can't give up just yet, there has to be a way back. . . there just has to be." Naruto was slowly attempting to regain the determination he was known for.
"Don't you get it mortal, by sheer luck . . . or should I say bad luck that you created a portal such as that. There is no possible way to recreate something like that on purpose without the proper knowledge, something you lack." The Kyuubi sure knew how to break someone emotionally.
Just as Naruto was getting his second wind Kyuubi had to go and crush it.
"SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, HUH?!" That's when the proverbial dam broke. "How am I supposed to live without my friends, how am I supposed to protect them now, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BECOME HOKAGE!" Naruto was channeling a little bit of the Kyuubi's chakra because of his rage and anguish and thus his eyes were demonic red now.
Tears were streaming down his face as he finally faced the reality of his situation.
"What's going to happen to everyone now that I'm gone?" Naruto whispered to himself. "Is it actually better for everyone now that I'm gone?" Naruto's logic was sound as he thought about how the Akatsuki needed the Kyuubi for their nefarious plans.
"Yeah. . . It actually is better that I'm gone now. Without me there the Akatsuki won't attack Konoha, compared to if I actually was there I can only imagine how many Konoha citizens would have died from an attack by that organization." Naruto was slowly but surely coming to terms with his situation.
"Kyuubi!" Naruto voiced loudly as he got up.
"What do you want brat?" Kyuubi was curious at the rather sudden change of Naruto's character.
"Since were both stuck here, were gonna have to start getting along somehow if were gonna survive. You can't really deny this truth because I need you and you need me." Naruto said this as a fact.
"YOU THINK IT'S THAT SIMPLE HUMAN!" Was Kyuubi's roaring reply. "YOUR RACE HAS DONE NOTHING BUT IMPRISON ME BECAUSE OF YOUR FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN!" Even though it is said Kyuubi is a mass of malicious chakra with conscious this is a misguided misconception. To correct this mistake the fact of the matter is, Kyuubi is a mass of Chakra given consciousness and it has feeling's, emotions. It was never able to express them properly because of the bad introduction tailed-beasts have had on the ninja world. In the end they were just seen as weapons of mass destruction instead of their own beings with feelings.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST BEFRIEND ME WITH A FACT AND A DETERMINED EXPRESSION, HAH!" There it is right there. Sarcasm, Anger, Hate, Betrayal. These emotions are being put forth by the Kyuubi right now.
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I THINK! I WAS A PARIAH, I WAS SCORNED AND HATED JUST AS MUCH AS YOU WERE. DON'T YOU GET IT!" Naruto was trying to show Kyuubi that he harbor's the same feelings as it. "I was just as misunderstood as you were, I was just as hated as you were, I WAS JUST AS BETRAYED AND REJECTED AS YOU WERE SO YOU DON'T HAVE A DAMN RIGHT TO INSULT ME BY TELLING ME I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Naruto was crying much more harshly this time as suppressed memories of how he was treated back then came flooding back into his mind. "I completely understand where you're coming from Kyuubi and if anyone has a right to be you friend it's the one that has shouldered your namesake and suffered for it." Naruto reasoned.
"GRRRRR! DAMMMMMMMN IT!" Kyuubi fiercely roared within Naruto's mindscape as it lashed out against the bars of it's cage.
Suddenly Naruto appeared within his mindscape in front of the Kyuubi's cage.
"I really do know what you're feeling, Kyuubi. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make you acknowledge me as you're friend, AND I DON'T BREAK MY PROMISES FOR IT IS MY NINJA WAY!" Kyuubi's eyes were quite wide at this point, Here this mere human mortal has the gall to want to be his. . . daresay, Friend. And Knowing Naruto quite better than anyone else it felt assured with his promise. This human has proven that he will always keep his promises even till the bitter end.
" I Have been betrayed and controlled so many times, that it is hard to accept what you are saying to me. But if you are really telling me the truth." Kyuubi paused as if to contemplate his next words. "Then I will give you one chance, AND ONE CHANCE ONLY!" Kyuubi said to Naruto as they were face to face with Naruto being so close to the bars he could reach out and touch the Kyuubi's nose if he so dared to.
"One chance is all I need." Naruto said in a more subdued tone, although he was mentally exhilarated that he could start making amends with his one and only connection to the elemental nations.
"And by the way, I Know Kyuubi can't be you're real name. It just doesn't make any sense." Naruto said with a small smirk.
By now Kyuubi's eyes were wide again, It seems he should start expecting these surprises from this Ningen more often.
"I mean I remember that one time during the Chunnin Exam's I had to fight that crazy One-tailed Tanuki, the Ichibi. But many times I heard it's real name and if I remember correctly his name was Shukaku, am I right?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, You are correct his name is Shukaku. And for the record he wasn't always that insane" Kyuubi said while he laid down to rest.
"So then can you tell me what your name is? I wouldn't feel comfortable if I kept calling you Kyuubi, and I'm positive you don't like it all that much either." Naruto said with a smile.
"I was never even given a chance to say my real name so of course i despised that name that was created by human fear..., but I suppose I could give you my name." Naruto suddenly interjected before the Kyuubi could speak anymore.
"Well how about we start off anew." With that Naruto did the unexpected maneuver of walking into the Kyuubi's cage and eventually held out his hand in a waving fashion. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Number one prankster from hell and overall most awesome ninja of the elemental continent, What's your name!" Naruto said with a large grin that made his eyes slightly squint as he looked up at the Kyuubi.
Kyuubi huffed loudly and blew Naruto's hair back. Then he averted his gaze slightly and chose to respond.
"My given name is . . . Kurama. And myself appointed last name is Rikudou, there are you happy with yourself now." The newly readdressed Kurama said.
"Hell Yeah! Nice to meet you Kurama, I Promise were gonna get along just fine, just you wait!" Naruto couldn't be any happier in his current situation, he felt like he just got an old friend back that was always there yet so far away at the same time.
All of a sudden Naruto's stomach grumbled. So loudly in fact that it probably rivaled one of Kurama's roars.
Both Kurama and Naruto amusedly sweat dropped at this, although while the Kyuubi's was barely noticeable you could probably use Naruto's for a water Jutsu.
"Heh heh, Between Ero-Sennins training today and everything that happened afterwards I haven't eaten a single thing. I'm STARVING!" Naruto's face took on a funny look of frantic desperation for something good to eat.
Kurama actually decided now would be a good time to play a prank on the prankster king, how surprising.
"You know. . ." Kurama started.
"Yeah what is it Kurama?" Naruto asked while looking a bit confused at the suspiciously mischievous tone of voice Kurama's voice undertook.
"Now that you're stuck here, that must mean you will never get to eat that Ramen you love so much." Kurama said with something on his face that looked suspiciously like a smile.
Regardless the effects of his comment were immediate. Naruto's face was now comparable to that of someone who has never seen sunlight. In other words he was as pale as a ghost from how shocked he was at this apparent truth.
He slowly dropped to his knees, then his hands, and finally the waterfall broke loose as a river of tears streamed down his face and snot was even dripping down his nose.
"Kami….why?" Naruto punched the ground of his mindscape once. "WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME, KAMI-SAMA!" Kurama surprised himself as he was actually trying to contain his laughter at the obvious pain his jailer was feeling right now.
'Kami-sama, what sorts of drugs were mixed into that broth to turn him into this groveling heap of flesh?' Kurama thought to himself amusedly.
Suddenly Naruto got up and the proverbial light bulb was shining on top of his head.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Naruto yelled randomly as he disappeared from his mindscape.
Naruto opened his eyes so fast they almost fell out of their sockets.
"I remember once I learned storage seals I put one on my right hand and left shoulder, I ALSO REMEMBER I STOCKED UP ON THE FOOD OF THE GOD'S AND STORED IT ON MY LEFT SHOULDER!" Naruto was so ecstatic as he prepared to unseal one of his many bowls of Ramen that he had Teuchi-Oji-San prepare just so he could store them in there for emergency's, and this definitely counted as an emergency in Naruto's books.
"ALRIGHT! Time for some tasty ramen from Ichiraku's." Naruto slapped his right hand on his left shoulder aaaaaand. "Seal: REALESE….SEAL"RELEASE!" Nothing happened, how anti-climatic.
"WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!" Naruto yelled out in frustration. That's when he decided to take a good look at where the seal was located and noticed that a huge chunk of clothing was burned of his arm, his arm also had black burn marks but his skin was already healed thanks to the regenerative abilities granted to him by being the Jinchuriki of Kurama.
What he really noticed besides that were the fragment markings of what use to be a storage seal that kept all his Ramen and spare clothing and his survival supplies for when he was out camping on missions.
Let it be known that this is the second time today that Naruto was reduced to a 'Groveling heap of flesh' As Kurama so eloquently put it. Eventually Naruto got over his misfortune and made it a top priority to find food somehow in this unfamiliar terrain.
"(sigh) today just isn't my day, I wonder if my other storage seal is still intact" Naruto could only hope as he couldn't help but fill himself with suspense and dread at the same time, with the ways things have been going he wouldn't be all that surprised of the seal was also burned off too.
"HUH!" But for the mis-fortunate like Naruto miracles can happen sometimes, like his success at getting a chance to befriend THE nine tailed demon fox. Against all odds the seal of his right hand was still intact and there weren't any burn marks around both his hands to prove they were in any danger in the first place.
"Well Kami-Sama I guess you're not all that bad to me huh." Naruto said with a smile as many memories and mementos were hidden within the seal. "I should get moving now before I really start to starve." And with that Naruto exited the cave and resumed tree hopping hoping against any sort of divine force that he would be allowed to find some kind of settlement where he could find food and people.
(A Couple of Hours Later, Noon)
Naruto has been running for what feels like hours on an empty stomach and eventually his body won't be able to hold out much longer. Between his training with Jiraiya this morning, his lack of a proper meal, and his entrance to a new planet by falling a couple of miles from the atmosphere and having to use Kurama's corrosive chakra Naruto was more than ready for a break.
"Food…" Naruto whispered as he trudged along the tree-line. His appearance made him look like he really needed food and shelter. During his atmospheric re-entry the heat burned holes and such in his shirt and his jeans looked like they were attacked by a demon with fire encased claws.
Naruto tried to push on as far as he can but his body just couldn't take much longer. He eventually collapsed when he tried landing on the next branch and fell 20 ft. from the air to the ground with a resounding thud. The very last thing he remembered up to that point was him landing in a small clearing that looked like a dirt road.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well there you have it, I took the time to write the next chapter even though I didn't get a single review from my last chapter….It's odd yet surprising that I have thousands of people reading my story all the way from france to china and Jamaica and especially the United states of America, I Have the most Readers from the U.S right now but I'm even getting people from Trinidad and the grenadines along with Italy and Germany and so many more. The point is what I find weird, You guys take a lot of time to read my story yet you can't take a couple of extra seconds to tell me if I'm doing good or not. It's the least I feel you could do. SO PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER PEOPLE, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND OTHER TYPES OF OPINIONS AS WELL. Thank you and have a peaceful day.