Naruto vs the Walkers:
A/N: Hi again guys long time no see… here is the promised chapter of Naruto's perspective in what happened whilst the Hokage was dealing with his own problems.
Thank you very much for the 667 views, 48 follows, 35 favourites and 7 reviews – not bad guys, much appreciated.
Every chapter I will try to suggest a different fanfiction that you might enjoy; once you have finished this one first of course…
This chapter is sponsored by 'The Yellow Fang' by Policy and is a very interesting read; check it out if you have a spare moment.
As for the title please do leave a review or pm on a suggestion for the title. I don't like the current one and will change it soon if you guys, or I, can come up with something better.
Warning: large flashback in this chapter - in true Naruto fashion!
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto and The Walking Dead I would be so wealthy that I would pay someone else to write this fanfiction for me!
Chapter 2: Old Friends, Deals and Dimensional Travel?
Whilst the Hokage was dealing with the onslaught of paperwork and reading through the report of the earlier security disaster – he was still upset at being tricked by a 12-year-old academy student – Naruto was pacing up and down his apartment with a clear agitated and distressed expression adorning his usual beaming, whiskered face.
His mask was slipping.
You may think it was to do with finding out about the Kyuubi and being it's Jinchuuriki but it wasn't – oh no, Naruto had worked out who and what he was when he was 7, having pieced the puzzle together with the dates and relations he held within the village. The insistent whispering that followed him around the village helped a lot to…
Yeah… he knew everything that had happened that night and was honestly not upset with anyone but the masked man that ruined his life. He even didn't hold his father, Minato Namikaze, the FOURTH HOKAGE responsible for what happened to him seeing as thanks to him, he had such a great friend now.
Naruto still couldn't believe it that his best friend was none other than the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Or as he preferred being called, 'Kurama.'
Back when he was nothing more than a little 7-year-old brat he had worked it out and began to desperately try and find a way to contact it; knowing that it would be able to fill in the blanks that was still bugging his rather sharp mind.
The loneliness of his life was also a strong motivator!
Despite everything, Naruto had made it his mission to get in contact with the ancient fox seeing as the pieces of what happened that night didn't make any sense as he read through any and all scrolls containing information on the matter. He was using all his hidden intellect to try and sort out the many questions that plagued his mind.
For example, how the hell did a damn BIJUU suddenly appear in the middle of the village without being transported there somehow. In fact, he couldn't believe that no one else questioned it either?
He knew something was amiss and the easiest way to scratch that particular itch was to ask the Being that had been right in the thick of it, all those years ago. That doesn't mean to say that he wasn't terrified of it and what it could possibly do to him; but he had nothing to lose and his still child-like innocence made him hope that the being wouldn't be as bad as everyone said he was.
Naruto knew better than anyone that sometimes people get a rather unfair reputation from the gossip of the ignorant. It was a carefully weighted gamble but eventually loneliness won out in the end.
It took Naruto several attempts of mediation before he could properly relax his energetic and powerful chakra in order to get to his mindscape. It turns out the Yamanaka clan sometimes threw out old scrolls in order to replace them with newer copies.
Well Naruto had no problem using that to his advantage and made sure to collect them when he saw any. Unfortunately, it happened very rarely as they were mostly burnt once a suitable copy had been completed. The only exception was if the scroll contained no clan secrets and/or jutsus.
Naruto found that massively disappointing but still adapted and read through the scrolls with sharply focussed determination and eventually came across a rather helpful scroll containing the benefits of mediation and accessing your mindscape. Apparently it was standard practice for a shinobi to have regular psychological check-ups on the state of their mind.
He just figured that if he had a giant, ancient fox in his body then this so-called mindscape was the best place to start looking… he wasn't wrong!
Lucky guess.
So there Naruto was, at just 7 years of age, already trying to make contact with his Bijuu; connected to him since birth. He still remembered the meeting like it had happened only yesterday – it was a defining moment for the developing Naruto and was partly the reason why he decided to continue to hide most of his intelligence in the future as an easy way of protecting himself from the predators within and outside of Konoha.
He had met the Kyuubi in all his glory that day he had finally managed to get into his mindscape. He found that his inner sanctum was a picture-perfect representation of a neglected and lonely childhood. It was kind of sad to Naruto how exactly normal his condition was!
It was on the first damn paragraph of the scroll describing any warning signs that a Yamanaka should look out for when visiting someone else's mindscape. It makes the environment and turnover of information a lot more volatile apparently…
A sewer of all things was what the mindscape was based on. The neglected childhood having a psychological effect on poor Naruto; by constantly giving off the idea that he was nothing but trash wanting to be removed from the village's presence.
What really bugged Naruto largely was more to do with the fact that having the Kyuubi didn't somehow make his development more interesting. What, no breathing fire or telekinesis?
What? Naruto may have advanced intelligence but he was still a 7-year-old boy with quite the creative imagination. He was always finding ways to become potentially stronger and more knowledgeable. Meeting an ancient beast made of chakra was something you didn't turn down unless you were a coward, in Naruto's book at least.
Naruto made his way through the sewer knowing instinctively where to go… like it written on the back of his hand. He had no idea why or how he knew but played it down to his instincts.
After all, this is his mind he was in.
He walked and walked and walked. He never thought about how much time it was taking; knowing full well that he was safe and secure in his bedroom of his apartment. The old man always ensured that he had top notch security around and in his apartment but he assumed everyone was privy to such care and security as well!
After what felt like hours, Naruto walked right into one of the largest rooms he had ever seen. The height of the place must even dwarf the Hokage mountain by some margin.
He marched straight in front of the massive caged area and that was where his first real friendship occurred.
Flashback – 5 years ago:
"Well, well, well. Hello there, little kit! I have long since awaited your arrival." Growled a voice in the darkness of the cage. It was kind of strange to Naruto hearing it for the first time. It already felt familiar to him in a subconscious type of way. The voice was quiet but yet still rippled the surrounding area with the pure power behind it.
Naruto, instinctively faced the large cage and purposely did not react to the 2 very large red eyes that appeared in the shadows of the cage. He stayed very still in the ankle level water that was on the floor; unsure whether to reply to the surprisingly gentle greeting that he had somehow gotten from the current strongest being in the world.
The Kyuubi eyed the little 7-year-old curiously as he watched the boy stand in shock over the appearance of his very large and imposing form.
Pretty soon the massive visage of the nine-tail fox was able to be seen within the confines of his cage. His fangs were nearly triple the size of the boy and yet the boy still didn't back down.
The Kyuubi couldn't help but be a little impressed seeing as his last contact with humans was in a village full of screaming people running away from him in all directions. It didn't really count the shinobi seeing as only 3 people that night had managed to cause any harm to him.
Two of them were now dead anyway.
"Come now kit, we have much to discuss seeing as I have seen the treatment you have received from this village and the twisted beliefs that they hold for you and for me." He said, again with a strangely gentle voice despite its size and murderous reputation.
"I will admit, at first I wanted to destroy you and this pitiful village when I was imprisoned inside of you. However, despite everything this village has thrown at you, you still stand up and take it head on. I confess that you are worthy of some interest, more so than any other meat-sack I have met in the last 1000 years."
Naruto finally awoke from his shock and stared at the gigantic fox that was watching him very carefully. Like it was assessing everything that he was and ever would be.
It was a little weird but then again the fox was sealed in his body so… hardly the most important thing to worry about right now.
It took a second for Naruto to regain his composure and remove the 'mask' that held the intelligent, sharp mind but also the loneliness and sadness beneath. He didn't want to upset the rather calm and collected being in front of him by sprouting insults and blame it.
No, that would be idiotic and suicide.
"So you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune and have been sealed within me since my birth?" Asked Naruto quietly, already knowing the answer but seeing if the Kyuubi was 'all there' and understood the situation they were both in.
It was vital for them to understand the circumstances and reasons behind what has happened so they could move on and work together to gain the villager's approval. Well that was Naruto's hope at least.
You may wonder why the hell Naruto seems so calm and collected against such an imposing creature; but the truth was that his childlike innocence (what was left of it) meant that he could still see people, including 200 foot demons, without immediately judging them due to rumours or stereotypes.
It just so happened that Naruto very much doubted that what was told in the history books about October 10th was the full truth and was reserving judgement until now. It didn't hurt that the so called embodiment of chaos was very pleasantly greeting him without the death threats that the villagers so naturally offered him.
The Kyuubi lowered his head down onto his two front paws and rested them against the floor whilst he lay down to get more comfortable for the, no doubt, inevitable long conversation.
"Yes I am the Kyuubi and have been sealed in your body since you were born into this plane of existence. However, I have a feeling you already knew this, seeing as your reaction to my presence did little to distract you."
Naruto had the decency to look a little embarrassed at being caught so easily but kept up his composure seeing as this was a great time to try and get more information from the Being that was there all those years ago when his life was 'sacrificed' for the greater good of the village.
"Yes, Kyuubi-sama I knew already but wanted to check before confirming any theories that I had. If you would allow me; may I ask what happened that night that lead to our current situation?" Naruto squeaked as politely as he could; as he carefully enquired seeing as being respectful to the ancient fox is no doubt the best way of staying in its 'good books'.
"That was wise of you to do; I can see the wisdom and intellect that you hold behind that mask of yours. You have much potential; it would be a shame to waste it…
As for what happened that led to us talking now… well that is something I shall tell you later but not before hearing an offer. However, before that I need to ask you a few questions about this village and the Elemental Nations."
"Okay," Naruto replied slowly, unable to keep the slight disappointment but also curiosity from his voice. "If you have an offer what is it about?"
"The offer is adaptable to what your answers are to the questions I am about to ask you. I will only ask them if you are interested in the offer that I bring to you. You can back out at any time but it will be the only time I offer such a deal to the likes of you. Do you understand… Naruto Uzumaki?"
Naruto took a couple of seconds to think about the possibilities that this deal could have and ultimately knew that it was his best choice to learn and gain strength in the future.
With a quick but deliberate nod to the fox, his fate had been sealed.
"I accept the questions that you will ask and promise on my life to answer them honestly."
"Very well kit, I will hold you to it." The Kyuubi replied becoming more serious. It immediately put Naruto on guard realising the importance of these questions and answering them honestly but also well in the eyes of the Kyuubi.
"First question is: what do you think of this village?"
"I… uh… want, to want, to believe in this place, but honestly I don't know if the villages will ever change their minds about me… I don't know if I could or even should try to change their minds seeing as I was always innocent of the crimes they accused me of."
"…Your answer is acceptable and honest young one, I see that you still hold hope for this village but your logical mind says otherwise… in that case allow me to move onto the second question – if you were to try, how would you hope to change these idiots?"
Naruto stood quietly for a while thinking over the question before finally realising something important.
"… Kyuubi-sama, I'm afraid I don't have the answer for that question. I also don't know if I will ever have that particular answer seeing as they have already judged me on my 'masked' personality."
He stood there sadly, thinking that he messed up on the question and should have thought harder for an answer. He was to be surprised however when a large smile (or at least what Naruto thought was a smile) crossed over the fox's face before replying.
"An interesting answer kit, if you had said a possible answer to that particular question then I would have called you an idealistic fool and thought of you as the low level idiots that you humans are so full of. The truth is kit, that from what I have seen from your race this will never change – they have and will fail every chance you give them."
He looked sharply at Naruto checking him for any anger or disagreement but found none. He inwardly nodded his head knowing that the boy was ready for his third and final question.
"My last question then, seeing as you avoided a foolish answer in the previous question, is simply, if you had a choice, would you take a fresh start? Possibly even outside of the Elemental nations…"
Even the Kyuubi, despite its powerful aura and voice, sounded a little bit hesitant about this particular question. Fortunately, Naruto was far too preoccupied to pick up on it.
This particular question, out of all of them, confused the little 7-year-old the most and it showed on his face. It was the first real time his composure broke and the confusion breaking through his serious demeanour. I mean, what the hell was that question? Why does someone even bring up such a topic?
However, Naruto put out the burning questions rising up to the surface due to the random and bizarre question; in favour of concentrating on his answer:
Part of him wanted to stay in Konoha and become a respected and beloved ninja; however, his brain couldn't help but find the appeal in a fresh start where no-one would know about him or his sacrifice. It was tempting and told the Kyuubi such in his response.
For 3 whole minutes, the Kyuubi sat completely still and silent, clearly going over his answers to the questions. Naruto stood quietly as well, not wanting to interrupt and ruin the possibility of a deal.
He may have absolutely no idea what the deal would/could contain but he decided to remain cautious to anything that was offered to him and what exactly his 'prisoner' got in return.
He was excited though despite himself; he had never received anything like this before, apart from the few times the Hokage had time to take him out for ramen. It was a whole new perspective for Naruto and he would be damned if he didn't at least listen to the deal.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity the Kyuubi spoke up.
"I have decided that the deal, should you accept it, will be a space-time jutsu that only I know how to perform. In theory, it would rip a hole in the space-time continuum and give us a chance to move to a different dimension…"
The Kyuubi trailed off and sighed seeing the comical spirals in Naruto's eyes obviously implying confusion.
'Oh yeah… a 7-year-old brat, no matter the intelligence, is still a 7-year-old brat.' Thought the millennium year old being before thinking of an easier way to convey his idea to the little boy.
"(Sigh)… In simpler terms, I know an experimental jutsu that could move us away from the Elemental Nations and into another one. I am offering you a chance to agree to this chance of a new life seeing as any hesitation or doubt could potentially cause us to implode, or worse, face HIM!"
Naruto had to take a time out just so he could wrap his head around the bizarre and complicated situation he had found himself in.
When he first entered his mindscape he had no idea that this would be what he was going to be talking about with a giant 1000-year-old fox.
For example, he not only found himself in front of the Nine-tailed Fox; but it was not constantly trying to kill him and was in fact, in Naruto's point of view, trying to help in its own way. However, it begged the question:
"What do you have to gain from this deal, it seems too unbelievable to believe." Asked a suspicious and slightly nervous Naruto. It was now easy to see the cold and untrusting truth that was Naruto's personality.
Behind all those smiles and cheerful attitude was a very paranoid and untrusting individual. It was a personality that was directly made due to the villager's and ignorance.
The Kyuubi surprised him by snorting in amusement, apparently not noticing or caring about Naruto's untrusting and cold demeanour.
"The truth of the matter is that, as it stands, I will cease to exist when you die in your pitiful mortal body." Growled the Kyuubi, showing the first signs of anger that immediately put on guard our favourite Jinchuuriki.
"In other words mortal, thanks to this seal I am also pretty much mortal as well! By using this opportunity now we can move outside the influence of the Shinigami and therefore, whilst I will still be imprisoned inside of you, I will respawn in the world we end up in once you succumb to your mortal existence… you get all that Uzumaki… because I am not repeating it again!"
Poor Naruto was once again stumped and speechless. He had his mouth opened wide in astonishment to the deal and realised that despite Kyuubi having his own motives on the deal, he had still gone out of his way to consider Naruto's feelings and worries about the agreement.
Despite his intelligence, it still took some wrapping his head around, until he could speak once more to the ancient Being. It was easy for Naruto to see now the vast difference in intelligence and experience that the immortal fox had compared to him.
Naruto, yet again, regained his composure – which is still impressive for a little boy facing down a demon – and replies to the Kyuubi:
"I…uh…I understand Kyuubi-sama, the deal would be mut-mutually useful for the both of us; although I still have some questions I want to know before accepting the deal." He ended up speaking much more confidently towards the end having struggled a little with the word 'mutually,' which he had learnt from an old worn-out dictionary a couple of days ago.
The Kyuubi even raised an eyebrow in amusement and slight respect at the sudden confidence boost that Naruto seemed to have when talking to him.
Not many others had the guts to do so to him.
It could of course, just have been due to the fact that he needed Naruto much more than vice versa. However, the Fox's pride would never allow him to admit that straight out.
And so for the next few hours, Naruto badgered the Kyuubi on every question that came to mind about the deal. This included finding out what happened that night and how the Shinigami was involved in the situation.
The Kyuubi found it particular funny that, even after everything they already had discussed he was still able to shock the little kit with the facts of the seal, deal and 'that night…'
Naruto took the information in his stride but his expression did begin to turn cold and unforgiving when Kyuubi began to speak about the night of his birth and the appearance of the 'masked man.' Or as the Kyuubi so politely said 'That bastard Madara Uchiha!'
He has to admit that the revelation about Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki being his parents was not all that surprising but did show that the villagers were even bigger idiots than Naruto had first realised and that his 'Jiji', the Sandaime Hokage, was lying to him all this time.
It actually made the deal a lot more appealing to the young impressionable boy. Why waste your time fighting against fate when you can take fate out of the equation entirely?
Naruto still cares deeply for his Jiji, but accepts that he is the Hokage and therefore has to think of that first and foremost before him. So, after much thought and worry, Naruto faces the Kyuubi once again having moved to a more secluded position to think about his options.
Even now he was still worried about the Kyuubi's possible ulterior motives and how they could affect him and the deal.
"I think I'm ready to take the deal, I have already been sacrificed for this village once and saved their lives in the process; I think I get some time off… when do we lea-leave?" Naruto mused, almost smiling at end if not for a single tear drop that made its way down his face.
He was young and dealing with an impossible choice – could he be so selfish and leave his parents' village behind. It didn't feel right but he couldn't help the images of his life leading up to this point.
How he had been hated and neglected due to his sacrifice for the village; it made him feel that he didn't belong and perhaps they were right. He had done his job in ensuring that the village was safe, it was time for him to think about his own life and how he can be happy.
He quickly wipes the tear away before focussing on what the Kyuubi was now informing him on:
"... pleased you took the deal. Your reasons are your own no doubt but know this – a contract has been made between us now, in return to this contract I will ensure that you can survive until we can make the jutsu work. This means that you, little kit, will have to take my advice on some things concerning your life."
Naruto started to wonder if the Kyuubi was usually this big of a talker or if a century of imprisonment had caused him to become lonely as well?
He comes to with a jolt, realising that he hadn't said anything yet to the Kyuubi concerning the deal and so he quickly agrees to the terms of the contract, promising not to betray his trust unless the same is done to him.
Naruto, by now was beginning to become mentally exhausted, having talked and listened for hours on end that even his impressive stamina and duration was beginning to falter. His concentration was still that of a child's; no matter how interesting and complicated the conversation was.
"I thank you for all your advice, insights and secrets you have told me today but I have one final question to ask you?" Naruto asked whilst doing a small respectful bow – something he had never even done to his Jiji.
The Kyuubi just nodded its head slightly and waited for the question.
"I thought we were going now, but from the way you told me it sounds more like you don't know how the jutsu works yet?" He carefully accuses from far across the caged area. He didn't want to piss it off… yet at least.
The ancient fox just sighed again loudly and said. "You were listening when I said it was an experimental jutsu and hasn't ever been tried or tested by even the strongest of Beings. It will take a lot of trial and error before I am confident that we will not kill ourselves trying to cross over the dimensions or alert the 'old reaper' to our deal and contract. It will take some time but I will expect you to be ready at any point for when I manage to piece together the jutsu…"
And that was that. The fox, clearly not wanting to talk to Naruto anymore, started to shove Naruto out of the mindscape leaving only a mind-link in place so he can contact him outside of the mindscape after some long overdue sleep and rest for the both of them.
Naruto was especially quiet and withdrawn for the next couple of weeks following the huge revelations that he had learnt and/or accepted in a few short hours.
It took some time to get his 'old mask' back on but after he began to prank people it became easier to fake it and he took some satisfaction that it was an easy way of paying the Hokage back for all the lies he had fed Naruto over the years. Sure it was done with good intentions, Naruto had never questioned that, but he was a petty 7-year-old like most were… he was going to try and enjoy the time he had left in this village.
Flashback ended.
It was a testimony to Naruto's skill with deception that he managed to so easily fool even the Sandaime Hokage on how his life was going. He explained that the tiredness that he always seemed to have was a factor of not being able to sleep and practicing with throwing kunai and shuriken.
It was only half true seeing as most of the time, he was in the seal talking to his friend, Kurama, about the jutsu that was going to get him out of this hell.
Yeah, unfortunately the villagers had made it very easy for Naruto to keep to his contract with Kurama seeing as they had not changed at all and had slowly began to ware down Naruto's hopes and dreams of staying in this place.
'Sometimes, when faced with overwhelming odds, there is no shame in simply retreating to live and fight another day.'
This was a quote from Minato to the squadron of Iwa ninjas just before they were massacred thanks to the 'Flying Thunder-God' technique.
It made Naruto feel better about his evitable retreat from this world but sadly even Naruto had a breaking point and that was the day of the graduation.
Naruto had actually really tried to pass this time but had failed due to the stupid clone technique; the Kyuubi had already supplied the knowledge of the Kage Bunshin jutsu, however, due to the fact that it was a forbidden jutsu, he couldn't use it without some major questions being asked.
It wasn't that Naruto particularly cared about graduating but it was his last chance to see whether or not the villagers would accept him if he showed them that he was going to be a protector of the village.
However, it seemed that it was never going to be have enough control over his abundant chakra to perform the damn clone jutsu. It was useless according to Kurama and Naruto was in full agreement but that didn't mean the sting of failure didn't hurt.
In fact, while Naruto was the dead-last, he was not use to failures. Everything that he got bad grades on was a just part of his mask and was actually at least acceptable in when serious.
A great example of this would have to be kenjutsu – whilst sword work was not taught massively at the academy there were induction lessons. Of course, Naruto was not allowed to take part due to 'low grades' but that didn't stop him from taking a couple of scrolls that contained various styles of kenjutsu and some techniques.
This was where Kurama really began to become a good mentor and friend to Naruto and began to help him train in secret as a way of dealing with the stress of basically lying to yourself and everyone else about who you really were.
Over the years, the bond between them began to open a little and they steadily began to trust each other and cooperate to a much better standard.
One such example was when Naruto received one of the first birthday presents he ever got AND it was from the Kyuubi! It was on his ninth birthday and was a pretty miserable day for the young Jinchuuriki. So the Kyuubi decided to cheer his container up by giving him the jutsu known as the Shadow clone jutsu.
Despite Naruto's young age it only took a few hours for him to perform it thanks to his huge chakra reserves but was given the strict instructions of not telling anyone about it. Naruto was too happy to care.
In return for the jutsu Naruto had said something that no one had ever told the great Being before…
'I don't blame you.'
It may seem irrelevant to anyone else but to the Kyuubi it showed that the little human that he so desperately wanted to be free of, was actually someone worth partnering with and trusting. And for that reason alone he let Naruto know his name.
Sure it took nearly 2 years of working together before Kurama was finally ready to share but still Naruto was overjoyed and immediately began calling him Kurama-kun at every opportunity.
He hated it a lot. But decided that it was better than Kurama-Jiji or Chan…
It took 5 years for the Kyuubi to finally finish the space time jutsu. That time was taken up with tireless hours of Kurama and Naruto both going through various hand signs, some of which had long since been extinct, and working on a trial and error routine. It took years and enough notes that it covered the entirety of the inside and outside of the caged area before results finally began to show.
Eventually, they began to see tiny little ripples in the air as they were going through the hand signs and took it as a good sign. They continued on for many weeks following the same pattern but while pumping a tiny amount of chakra into it.
They didn't want it blowing up or being noticeable to anyone close by. Thankfully, whilst inside the mindscape it was rather simple for Kurama to block any escape of chakra to the outside world.
After much blood, sweat and tears they had managed the impossible and had got a solid platform for the jutsu and was now waiting for the right time to perform it.
Kurama made it clear that Naruto was not ready to do it yet seeing as he still contained love and hope for the village, even if it was decaying as the days went by. It wasn't until the betrayal of Mizuki that Naruto's resolve finally managed to peak.
And this was the situation that our heroes found themselves in. Currently they were making last minute checks and observations about the jutsu and what to take with them.
"Uzumaki! You are ready – you have finally seen what I have about how you humans are so ready to betray and kill for your own gains. You know that this village has nothing else to offer you so I will ask one final time. Are you ready for a new beginning?"
Naruto looks up to his old mentor and friend and sighs in disappointment at his father's village, before speaking without any hesitation.
"Yes. I have spent 12 years of my life trying to change them for the better, it seems that fate will not allow it. I am ready for a new start Kurama-kun."
"Good, though if it means anything to you, I am sorry that this village even now fails to realise the sacrifice you made for it. If I was you, I would have destroyed this place long ago but I guess that it what makes you so interesting." Kurama said with a certain affectionate familiarity to it that brought a small smile to Naruto's face despite the rather terrifying implication of his words.
They moved onto other subjects such as what clothes and equipment to bring with them and the possible dangers of the jutsu that they were going to perform not even an hour or so in the future.
For clothes, Naruto had finally gotten rid of the disgusting orange jumpsuit and was now wearing black clothes with a grey cloak to cover and hide his body. It also meant that he could fit most of his equipment in the pockets or the holster around his waist. He brought a load of shuriken and kunai in case of emergencies and even had a 30cm double edged tanto inside its scabbard, attached to the holster.
All in all, he looked more deadly than he ever thought possible and thanked Kurama profusely who immediately waved it off with a quick dismissive grunt.
Only 10 minutes left before Kurama wanted to perform the jutsu.
Naruto was very nervous about the upcoming jutsu and it was made clear from his shaky temperament; however, he was not scared about leaving this place. Oh no, good riddance in his book – he knew that they didn't deserve the Kyuubi as a pet on a leash; him being the leash in this metaphor.
He was fine with moving on with his life.
Kurama had made it very clear that he couldn't control where they would end up except that it would be a version of earth and it would have roughly the same amount of living people as it did in the Elemental Nations.
The strangest thing about the jutsu though was that Kurama absolutely had to be contained within the seal for some reason for it to work properly. It made trusting his nine-tailed friend a lot easier this way as well.
Apparently it was due to the precision of the chakra needed for the jutsu rather than the amount needed. Ironically if the Kyuubi was released from the seal he wouldn't have as much control over his chakra as he does now. Control was by far the more important factor and is the reason that Naruto had to spend every night for the past half a decade on chakra control so that he would at least be able to keep up with Kurama when it came time to do the jutsu.
When Naruto asked what the hell that meant. Kurama had replied on how much control Naruto would have if half his chakra was sealed away into the Shinigami's stomach and then was trapped in a cage for 12 years only being able to access 50% of the remaining amount.
Naruto wisely left the sensitive topic alone…
The constant cooperation and work on the jutsu had steadily allowed Kurama to use more of his chakra despite the seal. It was coincidentally perfect for the jutsu to be used.
With just minutes left until they were scheduled to begin, Naruto went inside his mindscape to face his mentor one last time before activing the jutsu.
He made his way through the sewer quickly, already knowing that he had only a little bit of time left before they both would have to focus on the jutsu.
Once arriving to the cage he made his presence known and Kurama came into view from the dark cage – Naruto always wondered if that was something he did on purpose or not, just so he could be dramatic…
"Ah kit, it is nearly time, I take it you have not changed your mind? Despite the dangers of the 'jutsu-seal' we have a much better chance out their than stuck in the clutches of this village or worse Madara Uchiha." Over the years, Naruto had found out more about Madara and his crimes and hated the man because of it. He was the real reason why he was forced to leave his village of birth.
Naruto understood why Kurama would want to leave as well. By leaving he not only had a chance of freedom but also a chance to get away from the sharingan and its poisonious taint that it shares with everyone around it.
"No, I think it is time to face the fact that a new start, no matter what, would be better than this hell that we both live in. I want you to be happy Kurama-senpai and I also want a chance to be acknowledged and have some friends as well."
"Senpai? Uh better than 'Kun' I guess." Kurama said slightly pleased with the new name before continuing on a more depressing note. "You do know kit, that I can't promise that the next world will be any different than this one and we will be extremely low on chakra once we have performed it. It will take you to the limits of your potential and then some. Do you have everything ready?"
"Yes, I am completely ready and prepared for the next chapter Kurama-senpai, I have also been going over different languages that you said could be possible over different dimensions."
Ah yes, Naruto was very thankful about that; as it turns out Kurama could speak many different languages and had been teaching Naruto the basics of a few of the more common ones of old. They were not spoken anymore but also held basic letters and pronunciations to each other. It made it very easy for Naruto to pick up on them using his rather impressive learning curve; although it did take the threat of no more kenjutsu work for him to finally settle down and go over them in his free time.
Kurama was about to continue the conversation but then suddenly quieted down and told Naruto firmly.
"It is time, leave the note to your Jiji on your bed, if everything goes right then we should leave quite silently and without any fuss. Although, that it is also reliant on the chakra suppressors you 'liberated' from the ninja stores over the years."
Naruto only nodded finding a lump was stuck in his throat at the moment due to nerves. He had of course stuffed his apartment so full of suppressor seals that it looked vaguely like the mindscape he was currently in.
And with that they both nodded to each other one last time, not needing to say anything else to each other that hadn't already been said in the last couple of weeks leading up to this moment.
Naruto left the mindscape into the real world and waited for Kurama's signal to begin to go over the massive string of hand signs that they both needed to do in perfect synchronisation. They had practiced for years with the hand signs and now had the finished jutsu/seal hybrid that would allow them to both get their fresh start.
Just before Kurama gave the go ahead, Naruto left the scroll to Jiji, telling him not to worry about him, on his bed and started doing last minute checks that he had everything on him. This included his trusty tanto he had named 'Crimson Yellow' after his parents to symbolise that even after death they still protected him.
Before continuing on that slightly sad point, Kurama gave the signal and they both began the hand signs for the new beginning both of them were looking for.
That's a wrap for this chapter – next chapter we finally get to the good bit…
Sorry about the much larger chapter than I usually do, but I just wanted to fit everything I needed to into this chapter – if you preferred it like this please do tell and I will see what I can do.
As for the chapter itself, please tell me where any mistakes or continuity errors have been made so that I can correct them ASAP.
As for Kurama's motivation on doing this jutsu I have decided to do five facts about my fanfic version of Kurama to help you understand his motivations and reasons behind the deal that he offered Naruto:
* Firstly, he is terrified about being controlled again and is willing to try anything to stay out of being imprisoned again.
* Also, seeing as he will die along with Naruto in this world, he had to take emergency action – it may seem boring to be immortal but once it is threatened you would be surprised on how quickly they would say otherwise. In other words, Kurama is more terrified of dying than most, seeing as he is only one part of a complete Being meaning that he wouldn't move on as it would be in the case of Naruto; he would actually cease to exist at all.
* The Jutsu/seal hybrid they made had to be performed whilst Naruto was still quite young so his doubts and suspicions - that plagues everyone's emotions – would not attract Kurama's chakra any more than it already does. It would make the jutsu much harder on Kurama who will already be struggling to control the jutsu as it is.
* He had to wait for Naruto to steel his resolve before performing the jutsu otherwise it wouldn't work. That is why he waited until an opportunity like the graduation fiasco to go so that Naruto would not hesitate at all before or especially during the technique.
* The both of them do not have a conventional friendship that most people would constitute as friendship. This is because they both have very different ways of doing things and yet they worked together for years and managed to connect thanks to the common goal of moving on.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review on your way out… I am looking forward to making the third chapter as we will finally have some fight sequences with some walkers.
Take care,
Hollow Lives.