Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.
-Jerry Garcia

Chapter 29: Choosing Evil

Kei froze. This couldn't be happening right now. She still had to talk to Naruto about jutsu-crafting! Her fingers clutched at the notebook tightly as she looked down from the tree. The girl had some confidence in her teammate's ability to fib, but she doubted that anything would get past the former head of the Torture and Interrogation Unit. She barely prevented herself from groaning in annoyance. There was no way to pretend this wasn't happening, so she could only hope that Naruto wouldn't screw up.

The aforementioned boy shuffled from one foot to the other under Inoichi's pointed stare. The back of his neck felt warm, and he knew that he was already looking suspicious. He took in a quick breath before casually saying, "What jutsu are you talking about, Inoichi-sensei? Are you perhaps referring to how I amped up chakra circulation in my right arm in the fight against the sound ninja? There was nothing really special about that, Inoichi-sensei!" Naruto put his hands behind his head and tried to look calm.

"Naruto-kun," the sheer sugary sweetness was enough to make Naruto start. He was so dead. "You know what I am talking about. Do not try to hide it from me, Naruto-kun. It is the Tsuin Tatsumaki that I am talking about." Inoichi's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You know. The one you used against Sabaku-san? I've never seen that before, and it quite interests me. I've already talked to Hayama-san. He hasn't taught you about jutsu construction yet, and you haven't even shown an affinity for advanced chakra manipulation. So then I wondered if you could have read it in the jounin library by accident. Unfortunately for you, Naruto-kun," Inoichi's stare turned cold. "That jutsu isn't in the jounin library which houses all jutsu available for ninja ofall ranks. So I wonder how you found about it. Could you tell me, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blanched. The palms of his hands began to sweat in his hair, and he bit his lips tightly. Inoichi's eyes narrowed at Naruto's suspicious behavior. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but the Kyuubi interjected. Don't tell him about me, Naruto-brat. There are far worse consequences to them knowing that I can communicate to you.But then, what was he supposed to tell Inoichi? He had to come up with something! He looked downright ridiculous with his mouth hanging open like that, and Inoichi was already glaring at him!

Say you looked at a scroll of some sort in the Hokage's office.Naruto mentally squirmed at the thought.DO IT!Naruto's ears rang violently as he complied, "I've gone to Hokage-sama's office quite a lot. When I was a kid, Hokage-sama had a scroll out on his desk that had some jutsu on it. He was talking to someone, so I was just waiting there, and I looked at it. I didn't have very good chakra control back then, so I didn't pull the jutsu off, but I guess I still remember the hand signs."

Inoichi quirked an eyebrow and sighed, "Naruto-kun, you do not really expect me to believe that, do you?" Naruto swallowed. "If you are really telling me the truth, then allow me to look inside of your mind." Naruto nearly fell over. He had forgotten that Inoichi was, well, a Yamanaka. It was incredibly easy for Inoichi to walk through mindscapes and probe through the memories of his target. What was he supposed to do now?

Let him in.Naruto sent black thoughts towards the Kyuubi. How was letting him in a good idea?I'll deal with it. You'll only incriminate yourself if you don't allow him in. SO LET HIM IN, BRAT!Naruto hid his flinch with a hurried nod. "Good," Inoichi said. He walked up to Naruto. "Sit down." Naruto did so, and Inoichi knelt down in front of Naruto. He placed his hands carefully on Naruto's forehead and closed his eyes. Naruto felt a warm tingling at the front of his skull before falling into a deep slumber.

-TSUME-

When Inoichi opened his eyes he was in the middle of a long hallway. The hallway stretched before and behind him. Inoichi mentally made a note about the exit and began walking down the halls. The baby blue color seemed so happy and childlike. Inoichi smiled a bit. It was so like Naruto to have a young and juvenile mind. A few steps later the hallway vanished away, revealing a large open space.

Inoichi hummed in thought. Why had the mindscape changed so suddenly? Could Naruto have manipulated it so that it changed? Inoichi shook his head. That couldn't be. Naruto didn't have the ability to change his mindscape like that. His steps resounded around the emptiness as he trudged through the darkness. Inoichi's foot met a wall, and he tripped forward, slamming against the wall.

"Che..." Inoichi rubbed the side of his head as he stumbled up from the ground. He knocked against the air and was surprised when he knuckles made contact with a wall. He felt his hands up and down the barrier and quickly realized there wasn't a door. "Huh. What's this doing here?" Naruto's mindscape was too queer for his tastes.

He moved his hand along the wall and walked beside it for a distance. The wall showed no signs of letting up. Inoichi was about to try and communicate with Naruto when his hand found a divot in the wall. His fingers latched onto the opening, and he dragged the door open. A soft glow emanated from the room and Inoichi entered.

Torches were fastened to the walls by steel claws, and the ceiling dripped an unknown liquid. All Inoichi could hear was the plink-plonk of the liquid as it dripped into the puddles on the floor. A soft growl cut through the sound of water, and Inoichi turned to look. Rusty iron bars cut up to the ceiling. A large slab stood in the middle of the bars with a black keyhole in the center. The keyhole loomed above Inoichi, dwarfing him in size. Behind the bars was a queer form. Orange bubbles grew and popped only to be replaced by others. The broken bubbles left the liquid which dropped onto the ground.

It wasn't the orange that frightened him though. It was the face on the creature. A wide Cheshire grin looked down at him. Eerie black eyes taunted him. A shiver ran down Inoichi's back. He didn't know why the thing frightened him, but it did. His mind protested at his sudden freeze, and he shook himself. He couldn't think about the creature's appearance. He had to think about what it was doing here. Why was this thing in Naruto's mindscape where it didn't belong?

The large bubbling figure turned dark black. Inoichi took a step back as the Kyuubi stretched and distorted before constricting together. A blast of chakra swept Inoichi back into the mottled purple and black wall. He crumbled down to the ground before warily opening his eyes. Inoichi let out a soft gasp at the sight before him. He looked the same as he had all those years ago. His light blonde hair rested against the sides of his face, and his pale blue eyes stared back at Inoichi.

"Namikaze-sama?" Inoichi whispered slowly. Minato stared back him kindly before a sinister grin crossed his face. His smile widened and his eyes grew dark. Inoichi grimaced in revulsion as the Kyuubi stepped between the rusty black bars and walked towards him.

"Namikaze-sama," Kurama sneered, "You sound like a dog calling for his master. Such hope and longing in your words, it makes me ill just hearing it." Inoichi flinched. He clutched the side of his head. He knew that this wasn't Minato, but it was Minato's face and voice. No, it wasn't quite Minato's voice. Minato had never sounded so cruel before. Inoichi grunted, forcing himself up from the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" Inoichi demanded. "My reason for being here does not involve you unless you set up the wall in Naruto-kun's mind. If you did, let it fade and I will be on my way." Inoichi bit his lip tightly and hoped that the Kyuubi would let him go. Inoichi wasn't stupid enough to think that he could escape the Kyuubi on his own. They were on two different levels, and it would be sheer idiocy to think that Inoichi could just walk away of his own free will. If the Kyuubi wanted him to stay, he would have to stay.

"Why am I doing this?" The Kyuubi scoffed. Minato's face scrunched up in disgust as he stood in front of Inoichi. "Naruto is my property. He is as much my property as your home is yours. And like any good owner," Kurama stuck his face in front of Inoichi's and growled, "I don't like it when littlewretches and termitesdig around within the boards."

"Naruto-kun is not your property," Inoichi gritted out. He prevented himself from pushing away Minato's looming face, knowing that the recoil that would be incurred would be too much for him to handle. He wouldn't even be able to escape the mental attack. Inoichi had already tried to escape the mindscape, but he had found that he was trapped like a mouse. "You cannot hurt me in Naruto-kun's mindscape. You can manipulate your own form, but you can't change the mindscape of another entity."

The Kyuubi stepped back a few feet and propped his head back on his hands. "Ehh? And what makes you think that the brat and I are separate entities?" At Inoichi's horrified face, the Kyuubi laughed cruelly. "That's right! In the sealing, our souls are sown together! That is why whenever a bijuu is expelled, the container dies, but I still retain the scraps of the old container's soul. I'm what is left of Uzumaki Mito and Uzumaki Kushina! And now, I will be Uzumaki Naruto when he dies! We are one,Yamanaka-kun."

Inoichi swallowed and cast furtive glances around the room. If he couldn't break the connection here, he would have to try to make a break for it. Perhaps the Kyuubi's reach would be weaker in other parts of the brain that were more Naruto-dominant. The Kyuubi looked like it was becoming more violent. Inoichi couldn't risk staying in the same place for much longer. "What is it, Yamanaka-kun?" Kurama purred, "You wouldn't be happening to be thinking about leaving me, would you?"

The wall that Inoichi was pressed up against softened suddenly, causing Inoichi to sink a few inches back into the wall. Inoichi tried to pull his arms out, but found that he was stuck. "Come on..." Inoichi mumbled, yanking on each of his arms to no avail.

Kurama sighed and walked up closer to Inoichi. He placed a hand under Inoichi's chin and angled it so Inoichi stared him in the eyes. The blue eyes of Minato began to peel away, revealing the red pits of the Kyuubi. Minato's softer voice gave way to the resonating sound of the Kyuubi as he spoke, "Never try anything like this again, worm. You are nothing compared to me. If you ever enter this mindscape ever again, know that I will be here, and that I will not be so lenient next time." The Kyuubi's hand tightened around Inoichi's face before, finally, Inoichi's body broke, sending his mind back to the surface.

The Kyuubi watched as the blue orbs of chakra floated up and out of the mindscape. "Ahh, the brat had better be happy for what I've done." Kurama walked back behind the rusty bars before Minato's skin faded away once more.

-TSUME-

Blue eyes shot open, and Inoichi jolted back from Naruto. He clutched his hand close to his chest and stared at his pupil worriedly. He had entered Naruto's mind to sate his fears about the jutsu, but now his fears had only worsened. If what the Kyuubi said was true, which it seemed like it was true, then could the Kyuubi take over Naruto's entire mindscape? Obviously, the natural restraints around the Kyuubi did not work if he was able to saunter out of the cell.

If the Kyuubi was able to control Naruto, then it would be disastrous. Inoichi closed his eyes. The Hokage had told him about an old friend that was supposed to arrive in Konoha in the next few days. The timing could not be better. Inoichi wanted to trust that nothing could happen, but he didn't know how strong of a hold Naruto had over the Kyuubi. Was the seal weakening, causing the bars in the mindscape to become farther apart? Inoichi had no way of telling and it unnerved him. He suddenly wished that they taught fuuinjutsu at the academy, but alas, they did not.

Naruto yawned loudly and rubbed his hands against his eyes as if he had just woken up from a long sleep. He peered at Inoichi and squinted a bit. "What did you see in there?" Inoichi looked up and Naruto added, "I don't know what's going on when you're in my head. I just feel kinda sleepy when I wake up. A bit dizzy too actually." Naruto cradled the side of his head before shaking it vigorously.

Inoichi stood up from the ground and glanced away from Naruto. "I saw what I wanted to see. You don't need to worry about the details now." Naruto blinked a few times before humming and giving a short nod. Inoichi couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming. The rebellion would be nothing compared to the Kyuubi's potential revival through Naruto.

From the tree nearby, Kei frowned. Inoichi's reaction was less than positive. She doubted that Inoichi was telling the whole truth. His face was contorted, and one of his hands was gripped into a fist. There was no way that Inoichi saw what he expected to see. However, she also knew that he didn't see that they stole the forbidden scroll. If he did see that, then he would be yelling at Naruto right now. But he wasn't, so what did he see instead?

She tilted her head over to the side for a moment before it clicked. If he hadn't seen Naruto's memories, then something or someone had to have intervened. There was only one thing that could intervene in Naruto's mind, the Kyuubi. Kei bit the end of her thumb worriedly. Inoichi had woken with a jolt, unlike how most Yamanaka exit from minds. That meant that Inoichi probably did not leave of his own volition. If the Kyuubi was strong enough to expel a Yamanaka, then what else could it do?

Controlling the mind was the beginning to controlling the rest of the person. Could the Kyuubi already control Naruto's entire body if he wanted to? The image of Aoi on the ground flashed into her mind. The Kyuubi already had taken control of Naruto once. There was no reason to think that it wouldn't take over again. Her nails dug into tree bark. She lowered her head and whispered to herself, "I won't let anything like that ever happen again. I'll figure out something. I promise you, Naruto-san. The Kyuubi will never be able to control you again."

Author's Note: Everyone, thank you so much for reading yet another chapter of Team Tsume! ^^ I'm trying to plan out the rest of the chapters now, so in the next few weeks I should be able to tell you when the story will be concluding! I was planning on writing a sequel once I finished this story, so feel free to message me with anything you would like to appear in the sequel!

Once again, thanks to Pokepikachu1 for betaing me! ^^