What If Konoha Honored the 4th Hokage's Dying Wish

Chapter 5

-Unprecedented Growth-

If anyone asked Naruto why he trained so hard, they would receive a smirk from the blonde. He would point at them and say, "Because I got to protect everyone. Once I have done that, I am going to be the Hokage, Dattebayo! After I become the Hokage, I am going to bring peace to the ninja world!" He gave this answer to each of his trainers, the Hokage and each of the clan leaders. They had all gathered to watch Naruto's progress test on his 9th birthday. The blonde had worked hard over the past year in all aspects of his training. As Naruto was stretching and preparing to fight some guy the Hokage appointed, Naruto reflected on the past year.

Tsunade held to her promise with Naruto. After Naruto showed off his shadow clones to Tsunade, she would have him create as many shadow clones as he could while still being able to make it through his training. It started with three clones and grew to be 50 clones, his current limit. Naruto would have his clones focus on three areas. One group of clones would focus on chakra control. This group would be seen sitting on the water, attached to trees and trying to keep leaves stuck on various points of their bodies. You know, typical chakra control stuff. Naruto was extremely happy he could put this work off on his kage-bunshin.

The next group would be seen reviewing medical texts. Since Naruto's mind had matured rapidly, he was starting to soak in the medical knowledge. He earned his field medicine certification from Shizune. The last group was attempting to incorporated chakra control into their taijutsu. The many fist-sized holes and missing bark that marred the trees around the Namikaze training ground were testament to this.

Finally, Naruto himself would go with Tsunade with the remainder of his chakra and endured her physical training. This included spars, tasks like throwing boulders three times his weight and other various absurdities. The density of Naruto's chakra allowed the boy to strengthen his body to absurd proportions. When the Hokage was watching through his crystal ball and witnessed Naruto pick up a 300-pound stone, then Naruto threw said stone 20 feet. The Hokage's pipe fell out of his mouth and then the old man fell out of his chair. Needless to say, this training was working for Naruto.

On Tuesdays, instead of one Hyuuga, Naruto would get two or three of them at the same time. Neji and Hinata loved tagging along as well. When Hiashi turned up to a training session and saw five Naruto's going through katas, he knew that he would have to step up the training. He started bringing multiple members and dividing up Naruto's studies. When Naruto told him that he received the clones muscle memory, Hiashi would start each training session with a progressively larger number of shadow clones doing katas. Hiashi and Hizashi became accustomed to walking down rows of clones doing katas and pointing out mistakes. When Naruto shared his mother's "whirlwind fist" scroll and his father's "hummingbird fist" scroll with the Hyuuga and asked them to help train Naruto in the katas, they both agreed.

These training sessions evolved into clones being divided into squads and each squad had a head clone and would study one taijutsu style. AN: How Naruto devised the squad leader concept will be covered later. After an hour of katas, clones would break up with their Hyuuga instructors and cover aspects other than the shinobi arts. Hitomi was Naruto's champion. She would provide scrolls on political etiquette, every day 'how to's' like how to cook, clean and organize. Hizashi was a previous member of ANBU tracking and capture team, he taught Naruto how to track and avoid being tracked.

In one year, Hiyashi was floored by the blonde's progress. It got to the point that Naruto would spar with Neji, Hinata and one of the two Hyuuga twins at the same time. Neji was infuriated that Naruto could beat him with a single shadow clone. He was a Hyuuga for kami-sake and everyone in the clan said he was a prodigy. Finally, a week before Naruto's 9-year-old progress test, Neji hit his boiling point and blew up on Naruto.

"That's it. I am done training with you. I cannot even beat a kage-bunshin!" screamed out a frustrated Neji. This paused the other spars and drew Hizashi over.

Naruto felt bad, he knew the advantage he had over Neji. "Neji, don't think about like that. I am not just some kid; I have been trained by Konoha's best for the past five years. I am approaching jonin level. I value your friendship and want to continue training with you."

Neji's hair shadowed his face. He couldn't let his frustration show anymore. However, when he looked up into Naruto's deep and genuine azure eyes, the frustration returned in spades. "Naruto, I don't know why you are so special. I know you are strong, but last year we were on an even footing. Now I can't even land a hit on you. You were my rival, but now you are so far ahead I can't even see you anymore."

"Neji ... please ..."

"No, Naruto-San. I am done training with you. Next time you see me, I will be stronger. I will beat you. Until that day, I do not wish to continue training with you."

Naruto was dejected. He had bonded with Neji so much over the years. The training sessions were his link to Neji because that was their common interest. Through the training, Naruto had learned of Neji's struggles in the Hyuuga clan. Neji had opened up to Naruto about his feelings of resentment toward the main house. Just like everyone Naruto's light touched, Neji's resentment had dwindled over the years and turned into a firm resolve to "change his fate". Naruto didn't want to lose his friend and rival.

The Naruto clone pleaded with Neji. He even offered Neji his training methods and seals, but the stubborn Hyuuga boy couldn't be turned. He walked off the training grounds. Naruto's clone didn't want to deal with the pain, so it dispelled.

The real Naruto was in the middle of a "usual set" when he caught the clone's memories. He stopped running and stood there panting looking toward the compound's gates. Hizashi had caught the real Naruto and told him that he would talk to Neji. Hinata had walked over and tried to comfort him. Even the kind and gentle words of Hinata couldn't comfort Naruto. He just ran off and put his efforts into his physical workout that night. Tsunade had to carry a passed-out Naruto to his room and hope the boy would be able to move past it. Naruto hasn't seen Neji since then and Neji didn't show up to watch his field test.

Wednesdays became a Naruto's hardest day. When Danzo showed up to five Naruto's meditating, he was floored. The boy could use kage-bunshin at this age? "Oh, yes, I can use this" thought Danzo as the corner of his lips lifted into a sadistic smirk. Danzo knew the boy had fire and wind affinities. Naruto had long since mastered the stage one elemental chakra control drills. Naruto had massacred those poor leaves by the hundreds while learning to control his elements.

Now, Naruto started his training sessions by massacring leaves by the thousands. Danzo had to have an ANBU come out and replace the bare trees every couple of months. The poor, inanimate vertical logs didn't stand a chance against a growing hoard of shadow clones that were learning their elements. Danzo started each training session with stage two chakra control. The cuts from the out-of-control wind and the burns from fire always left Naruto a sight after his first hour of weekly training with Danzo. Remarkably, the boy would heal the wounds in less than an hour and continue with his training.

Through use of the clones, Naruto had mastered the "gale palm", "wind cutter" and "great breakthrough" techniques. The "gale palm" is a C-rank technique where Naruto gathers wind chakra to his hands and slams them together. This creates a blunt force wind that Naruto uses to accelerate his thrown shuriken and kunai. The "great breakthrough" is supposed to be a C-rank technique where the user gathers wind chakra in their lungs and expels it over a wide area. This is a wide-area, mid ranged attack that Naruto has been taught to create openings or strengthen his fire justu. It should be noted that the damage produced by this technique when Naruto mastered it made Danzo say that it easily reached B-rank. The "wind cutter" is a B-rank that creates one or multiple blades of air. This is a slicing and lethal technique that can be launched from a distance. The further away the target, the less shard the air blade is. Currently, Naruto can easily cut through a tree with his "wind cutter" if he creates a single blade. If he creates multiple blades, the technique loses penetration the more he creates. His prowess in wind manipulation brought a twinkle to Danzo's eye. He was so pleased that he swallowed his pride all those years ago and compromised with Hiruzen. Now he was responsible for one of the strongest weapons ever created by Konoha.

Over the years, Danzo changed for the better. Naruto used to get a dark and dirty feeling from Danzo's chakra. Now, it felt like a shadow. Not as dirty and tainted as it used to. For Danzo himself, he had caught himself smiling and he even came dangerously close to laughing. Don't get it twisted, Danzo used to laugh, but it was more of a dark chuckle when he brought his opponents to their knees. However, Danzo felt ... happy ... when he spent time around Naruto. It was weird to everyone that had known the man over the years.

He had even gotten a joke over on Hiruzen last month! The look on his old rival's face when Hiruzen realized Danzo was fucking with him was priceless. Naturally, Danzo informed Torune of his plans ahead of time. So, when Torune captured the Hokage's incredulous face on camera, Danzo took the picture and hung it in his office. Danzo still insisted on keeping the roots of the great tree trimmed though. He would let Hiruzen have the light. Naruto would be the trunk that Danzo planned on linking the roots to the trees that basked in the light.

Thursdays with the Uchiha consisted of training by Fugaku. He would often bring Sasuke and even Mikoto to the training sessions. When Mikoto had heard about Naruto's prodigious talent, she had to see her best friend's child for herself. When she witnessed the effect Naruto had on Fugaku, she insisted on being part of Naruto's training. Although she was inactive for many years, since Itachi's birth, she was still a formidable kunoichi in her own right. The two senior Uchiha would train the boys on fire jutsu, it was an Uchiha specialty after all. When they witnessed Naruto's training program with shadow clones, things accelerated. Fugaku had Naruto manipulating flames for his stage two training. After Naruto burned through his 5th shirt, he just stopped wearing them to fire training. Naruto's fire manipulation stage two training would be expanding the flames of matches until they were the size of fireballs or shrinking a campfire flame down to the size of a pool ball. It was hard training that took Naruto 8 months of the year to truly master. After Naruto's elemental control training came meditation and then fire jutsu training. Naruto absorbed fire jutsu much like he did wind. He found out from the Kyuubi that fire was its element and since Naruto had been purifying the Kyuubi's chakra since birth, he had an incredibly high affinity to the fire element.

Sasuke adopted a similar attitude to Neji. When he saw Naruto speeding past him, he grew frustrated, and the training became counterproductive for him. He would still come to the training since it was pretty much the only time that he was guaranteed Fugaku's attention. However, at the earliest opportunity he always got out of sight of the hoard of Naruto clones that were practicing. It was just too frustrating to see somebody his age leaving him in the dust. He already had an inferiority complex from Itachi, now Naruto compounded that. Sasuke was just glad that Naruto didn't come to the academy, otherwise he would never get recognition as the best.

Naruto's fire jutsu grew from Fugaku's training. The man insisted on complete mastery before Naruto learned another technique. Fugaku defined complete mastery as being able to use the jutsu with 3 or less hand signs. With the "great fireball" jutsu, it took Naruto a month to get it down to one hand sign. It was a basic fire jutsu, so Fugaku insisted on Naruto using the technique with just the tiger hand sign. This was tricky because the 'great fireball' jutsu consisted of inhaling, holding the air in your lungs and infusing the right amount of fire chakra into the air while in the lungs. Too much and you would burn the lungs, too little and the flame wouldn't ignite upon release. Naruto had a sore throat that whole month. The next problem of using one hand sign came because it made it more difficult for shape manipulation. Sure, just using the tiger hand sign could convert chakra into a fire nature, but Naruto struggled on getting it to hold its form and hit his target. As Naruto's fire mastery improved, so did his control over shape and accuracy.

After demonstrating mastery of the great fireball, Fugaku taught Naruto the "fire flower" jusu. This is a jutsu that can spit out multiple, smaller fireballs. It is a mid-ranged jutsu that is typically used to trap or guide enemies into an advantageous position. By then end of the year, Naruto had gotten this jutsu down to two hand signs, boar and then tiger. Naruto ended this year of training with the Uchihas giving him a scroll for "fire style - flamethrower jutsu". This is the user spitting a continuous stream of fire at the target. The stream can be narrow with intensely high heat or wider with less intense heat. It all depends on how much chakra the user puts into the technique and how the user shapes their lips to guide the chakra. At this time, Fugaku said that was all he could teach Naruto, because the rest were clan techniques. Fugaku also had to break off lessons because the Hokage's mission was reaching a critical juncture and he needed to focus on that.

The week before Naruto's test, Naruto had bowed low to all Uchihas present and thanked them profusely for their time, training and for being there for him. The feeling was mutual for all Uchihas except Sasuke.

Now before we get to Fridays, a couple of things happened to Naruto that need to be addressed. The first major realization that Naruto has was that processing the memories of multiple shadow clones was Dangerous, with a capital D. When it was just a couple of clones training for a couple of hours, it hurt when he dispelled them. However, when Naruto grew into the technique and summoned 30 clones with Tsunade and had them reading medical books and practicing their healing jutsu for eight hours and he dispelled them all at once, pain. Pain so bad surged through Naruto's head that he passed out immediately and didn't wake up for six hours. Tsunade then told Naruto to dispel them one at a time; however, when he dispelled each clone Naruto had to process the memories. It became seriously annoying when Naruto had to sit around for an hour after training just to understand what his clones did that day. Then an idea came to him that he ran by Tsunade.

"Bachan, what if I supercharge a shadow clone and have it make the other clones? Will I still have to deal with this headache?"

Tsunade was intrigued, she occassionally used shadow clones, but never in the number Naruto did and never for training. "I don't know brat. While I am here, why don't you give it a try for this training session?"

"Thanks, Bachan. I know I can count on you to keep me alive if this backfires" said Naruto with more than a little trepidation.

Tsunade returned his comment with a wry smile and waved her hand, telling him to proceed. That day, Naruto created three "Clone Captains" and gave each of them about a quarter of his chakra. Each captain created 9 clones and divided up into their usual groups. Naruto completed his daily training and gave instructions to his captains. Each captain had the clones dispel one by one. Since the captains were the ones that created the clones, the memories didn't immediately return to the original Naruto. Instead, the memories went to the captains. Tsunade instructed the captains to do their best to process and synchronize the information. After 10 minutes, one by one the captains nodded to Naruto. The first captain dispelled, and Naruto felt the surge of information and fatigue. But it he had to guess; it was about half the normal strain from the many clones training all day. He nodded to the next captain and was once again hit. After the final captain dispelled, Naruto was visibly tired, but he felt like he had a better understanding of what the clones learned, and he wasn't as tired as usual.

From that day forward, Naruto used the clone captain method in his training, which reduced the strain on Naruto and increased his growth rate even further. It should be noted that due to the time spent learning and the collective experiences of his clones, Tsunade deduced that Naruto's mental maturity was accelerated. The boy became noticeably more mature in the way he handled himself. Not only did he reduce his "Dattebayo" outbursts by 2/3, but he carried himself in a way that was odd for an 8-year-old. Not bad, but odd for sure.

Jiraiya only made it back 3 times that year. His hunt for the masked man and Orochimaru kept him occupied outside of the village. Tsunade missed her goofy partner and Naruto wanted Jiraiya's feedback and instruction on seals. He hit a snag at Uzumaki Fuinjutsu Level 4. This level covered the introduction to seal layering and applying seals directly on the body. Naruto was a bold and courageous child, but he dares not disregard all the warnings in his scrolls not to do any body sealing without the supervision of a fuinjutsu master to proof the work.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya was the only such seal master in Konoha. So, after three months of access to his family scrolls, Naruto was ecstatic to see Jiraiya return. That was until the old pervert blew Naruto off completely, scooped Tsunade into his arms and didn't leave their room for two days. When Jiraiya came down to breakfast on the third day, he completely missed the frustration on Naruto's face. It didn't help that Naruto had a perverted old fox in his head that kept alluding to what Jiraiya and Tsunade were doing. Tsunade was practically Naruto's mom, so the repeated images the fox gave him were less than welcome. So, when a yawning Jiraiya entered the kitchen, he wasn't ready to deal with this version of Naruto.

"Oi, Kyofu, what gives? I haven't seen you for three months and you blow me off for two days?!"screamed a frustrated blonde.

Jiraiya seemed to giggle and get a faraway look in his eyes at the word blow. Yes, all degenerates know where Jiraiya's mind went. "Relax, gaki. I had three months of steam to blow off."

"Well, Kyofu, I have been stuck at level 4 because you haven't shown up in so long. I need you to test me so I can move on."

"Alright, gaki. Calm down. I just woke up. Let me get some breakfast and you can show me what you have learned. Then I will test you."

After a tense breakfast, Jiraiya went down to Minato's study with Naruto where he saw Naruto's seals laid out for him to inspect. "It is clear that the kid prepared for this" thought Jiraiya. "I guess I know why he was so ancy." He then picked up and inspected Naruto's seals. For his layering test, Naruto labeled a fire natured chakra seal over an enhanced storage seal. Naruto created a clone that took the seal into the training area and held it out in front of him. With one hand sign, Naruto took a deep breath and blew out a fireball. The clone yelled, "Katon-fuin!" The seal activated and sucked the fireball into the seal. The kanji for fire turned from black into red to indicate that the storage seal was full. The clone then handed the paper to Jiraiya, who inspected the seal again.

"Good work, gaki. I have done some seals like this in the past. I would say this one gets a pass. You will need to work on a release method for the jutsu, so the seal doesn't spontaneously combust, but it is a passable layered seal."

Naruto beamed with pride and moved on to the next seal. After inspecting and testing multiple seals, Jiraiya asked, "So what do you need me for, gaki? All of these are in working order."

Naruto tossed the fuinjutsu level 4 book at him and pointed to the final test and the note that said it should only be done in the presence of a fuinjutsu level 6 or above master.

"Ah, okay gaki. What seal are you going to try?"

"I want a basic storage seal on each wrist. I have prepared the ink by infusing it with my blood and chakra, but I didn't want to do it without you here."

"Good, gaki. Go ahead."

Naruto created two clones that took up brushes and ink. Naruto held out his hands, wrists up. He wanted to ink on storage seals for kunai and shuriken respectively. This would allow his to always be armed and able to respond rapidly to threats. The clones finished drawing the seals and moved back for Jiraiya to inspect. He took a minute looking at each seal and gave a nod of approval.

"Okay, gaki. Have your clones activate the seals and then try sealing these kunai into your right wrist."

The clones moved forward and did so. Then Naruto sealed the kunai and looked up to Jiraiya.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You are now a level 4 seal master."

It was the access to the level 5 Uzumaki Fuinjutsu that exposed Naruto to gravity and weight seals and deployable barriers. This too had to wait until the next time Jiraiya was in town, but it was the seals that led to the next quantum leap in Naruto's training.

Fridays were a new addition to Naruto's training. This day was dedicated solely toward deepening his bond with the Kyuubi and learning from him. Naruto shook his head as he remembered going into his mindscape to visit the Kyuubi two weeks after their initial meeting.

Flashback, Naruto had trained and asked each of his instructors how they would handle his request for the Kyuubi. Tsunade, Tsubaki and Hiruzen all fell on the hesitant side of the approach. They didn't know how to feel about the Kyuubi or if it could be trusted to honor any promise. Hell, they just learned the Kyuubi was sentient two weeks ago. The Hyuuga advised treating the Kyuubi with respect. Hiashi picked up on the creature's proud nature through Naruto's recounting of their initial meeting. Danzo said to ask to use its power, no surprise there. Mikoto, Fugaku and Shisui wanted Naruto to apologize on behalf of the Uchiha and encouraged caution. Any being as proud and powerful as the Kyuubi needed to be approached with caution. Jiraiya told Naruto to ask it what he could do to earn its cooperation. This approach seemed like the most attractive approach to the fated pair.

Thus, after meditating and thinking about how he should approach the Kyuubi, Naruto firmed his resolve and sank into his mindscape. He walked through the hallway noticing the doors that seemed to be growing in number. He had doors now labeled "fire jutsu", "wind jutsu", "fuinjutsu" and different variations of his taijutsu. It filled him with pride to see the visual representation of his growth. Finally, he got to the door to the Kyuubi's chamber. He took a deep breath and entered.

The auditorium and cage were already lit, as if the Kyuubi had been expecting him. He couldn't help but marvel at the massive fox. Each nail of its claws was still twice his size. The biju was once again resting its head on its paws, but its eyes were tracking him as he approached the cage. Naruto noticed a new addition to the cage now that it was properly lit. In the middle of the cage appeared a metal representation of the Shinigami. Intricate sealing created the image of this god, in all his ghastly glory. A gust of air from the Kyuubi's massive snout brought Naruto back to his purpose for being here. He stopped right in front of the massive cage and commenced the conversation.

He bowed to the Kyuubi in a formal manner that would make Hitomi proud. "Hello again, Kyuubi-sama. I wanted to properly introduce myself before we start our conversation. I am Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze." Naruto paused here as a low growl emanated from the fox's throat at the name of his father. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, "I like training to get stronger, all the people that make my life worth living and ramen. I dislike judgemental people, traitors and those who seek to control others. My goal is to become strong enough to protect my people, become Hokage and then attempt to bring peace to the elemental nations. I would also like to meet my fellow jinchuriki and their biju partners."

The Kyuubi listened to the boy ramble on. He was frustrated that this brat was his jailor and that he had the audacity to speak to him without showing fear. As the boy's introduction came to a close, the Kyuubi wasn't exactly pissed off, but there was a great deal of anger tinged with intrigue.

"That is mighty presumptuous of you, tiny ningen. How can a weak little boy like you hope to accomplish all of that? Is your pride that great that you can't see the folly of your words? And why would you seek out the jailors of my brethren? What could you possibly hope to accomplish by doing so?" As the Kyuubi spoke, its chakra flared and put pressure on Naruto. The Kyuubi kept increasing the pressure, trying to get the tiny human to kneel in front of him. To his immense frustration, it wasn't working.

Naruto felt the pressure. He also knew that this was a test and that he couldn't show signs of weakness in front of the fox. "Kyuubi-Sama, I have come to you in an attempt to make our situation better for both of us. Both of us were forced into this arrangement against our will. I want to know what it will take to make this work. You asked if I was presumptuous, yes, I am. I will never give up; I will never go back on my word. Thanks to you, I found out about my parents. My father asked me to carry on his dream, which happened to match with what I want to do. I will become the Hokage. It is a question of when, not if. From there, I will do my best to bring peace. I do not know how, I do not know how long, but I do know that I will not give up. I will either achieve this peace or die trying."

The Kyuubi was watching the boy closely. He was reading into him as he spoke. To his incredulity, this little human believed what he was saying. The firm resolve in his eye never wavered as he spoke. The Kyuubi was impressed by this child, he felt the light and positivity radiating from him. He felt as if just being around the boy was purifying some of his overwhelming hatred for this pathetic race. After the boys pause, the Kyuubi cut in.

"Okay, ningen, let us stop with the Sama crap. I am your prisoner, for the time being. Let's say I believe your words, and that you will become Hokage. What do you want with the jinchuriki and my brethren?"

Naruto was confused, the pressure had let up quite a bit. The Kyuubi even seemed to acknowledge Naruto's dream. He decided to go with his gut and be honest. "Kyuubi, I have heard that jinchuriki are often ostracized, or worse. I do not wish to see them continue suffering. I do not want those few people in this world that may understand me to suffer unjustly. As for your brethren, am I to presume that the other biju are your brothers and sisters?" At the Kyuubi's nod, Naruto continued, "If they are sentient beings like you, then my previous stance stands. I do not approve of enslavement or control. It is wrong. I do not know much more at this time, but I believe that to my core."

"Are you saying you would attempt to free the biju?" asked the Kyuubi with a hint of surprise in his voice.

Naruto had to pause and think at this. The furrow in his brow indicated how seriously he took the question. "If it is possible without killing the jinchuriki, and they agreed not to harm humans, then I think I would." replied Naruto in earnest.

"Incredible," thought the Kyuubi, "this mere human child doesn't show the fear or prejudice that plagues his race. Could it be the human that Tu-san told us about? Preposterous, we have waited centuries and the "one" never showed up. This human is just a boy, there is no way his resolve will stand." Despite the Kyuubi's thoughts, this was the first ray of hope that had ever reached the incarnation of hatred. The Sage created the biju to represent different aspects of the world and human nature. The Sage imparted the Kyuubi with the task to keep the evil of this world in check. After centuries of dealing with the worst side of humanity, Kyuubi's hatred grew and he began to doubt his "father", the Sage of Six Paths. His thoughts were interrupted by Naruto.

"Kyuubi, if I may ask, aside from getting out of here and killing me, what is it you want to do?"

Now, it was official, the Kyuubi was floored. In fact, he was so stunned that he had to blink to reset his vision and make sure he wasn't back under some genjutsu. "Well, tiny ningen. I have been imprisoned for over a century. If it were possible, I want to stretch my legs. The seals of Mito and your mother had me pinned to an eternal sun and then your mother had me bound securely in chains. This seal is more spacious, but I haven't seen the forest in so long."

Naruto blinked, of all the responses he was ready for, that was not one of them. Naruto approached the center of the cage and the symbol of the Shinigami, and the seal appeared in front of him. Naruto put his hand on the seal and focused. It should be possible for him to do this; it is his mind after all. He concentrated hard for nearly five minutes. The Kyuubi watched the boy with interest. Suddenly there was a flash of light and everything went white with only a translucent barrier separating the Kyuubi from the boy. Slowly fields of grass emerged below the Kyuubi, then a forest of giant redwood trees appeared in the distance. A giant lake formed next to a massive rock that the Kyuubi could fit comfortably on. Finally, a sun appeared in the middle of a blue sky. The sun radiated the warmth and purity that the Kyuubi felt from this child. The Kyuubi couldn't take it anymore. He was at his wits end. He forced himself to ask the question that he had been barring from escaping his throat.

"Why? Why would you do this for me, ningen?" The massive fox couldn't hide the surprise and bits of awe from entering his tone.

"The way I see it, we are stuck with each other. 'Til death do us part, as Tsunade-Bachan said. If I have a happier guest sealed in my stomach, I figured it would probably make my life easier as well."

The Kyuubi grunted at this, "Very well, ningen. This is the second favor that I now owe to you. This is a much better prison than I had previously. Now I ask that you state your requests for me. As I have previously stated, I do not enjoy being in debt to others." The Kyuubi watched this tiny meatball. The feeling from earlier grew in his chest. Maybe he could try trusting someone this once. If this ningen gets out of line then he would flood the seal, kill the human and then hope he could reform. He really didn't want to do that, dying hurt bad enough. But the process of reforming was far worse and far more painful.

"Well, Kyuubi. I had prepared one request, but I wasn't ready for a second. However, I know what I want to know. First, what is your name? I presume the Kyuubi is just a title. Second, until I die or find a way to safely remove you, would you consider being my partner and helping me achieve my goals?

That did it. The Kyuubi was done. His brain formed of pure chakra short circuited. The shock of a human child talking to him and being nice was one thing. The child being able to control his mind and shape his prison was something entirely else in and of itself. Now, instead of power, abilities or some other form of narcissism the child asks for his name. And to be his friend? Kami, if you are messing with my I swear I will devour you. Father, if this is not the child you promised, I will give up on humanity forever and devour this world.

"Very well, kit. My word is my bond. I will uphold my end of the deal, but there are conditions for this. To us biju, our names are sacred. You are never to share my name unless I deem the human worthy of knowing it. To all humans, you will refer to me by my title as the Kyuubi no Kitsune. For your second request, you will need to earn the right to be the friend or partner of the Great Kyuubi no Kitsune. Do you agree to these conditions?"

Sick of being surprised, the Kyuubi watched Naruto pass through the translucent barrier and approach him. Confused, no that's not the right word. Incredulous, no, no, that is overused. Gob-smacked, yes, yes that will do. The Kyuubi was Gob-smacked. The human just willingly entered his domain. With a mere flick of the tail, he could take over this human boy's mind. So why, why wouldn't his tail move? Why wouldn't he jaws crush this tiny, fragile little meatsack? It clicked, Kyuubi knew that this child was the only hope he had. Yami, he was the only hope any of his brothers and sisters had. It was at this point that the Kyuubi slid his proverbial chip stack to Kami and went all-in.

Naruto continued at a slow and controlled pace. The pressure of the chakra coming off the Kyuubi threatened to flatten him with each step he took. His negative emotion sensing let him feel all of the pent-up hatred, disgust and ... disappointment? As he got nearer, these feelings seemed to intensify. When he got close enough to the Kyuubi, he stopped and held out his hand.

"Once again, it is nice to meet you. My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and I will become Hokage and I will do everything in my power to bring peace to the elemental nations. I WILL do what I can to help you and you siblings find peace. You have my word. And I never go back on my word. Dattebayo!"

The Kyuubi looked at the boy's hand, and with great restraint he touched one of his nails to the boy's hand.

"Kit, you are the first human since the Sage that I am trusting with my name. My name is Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I acknowledge your right to use my name. I do not; however, acknowledge your right to use my power. That right will have to be earned. I will watch you, train you, test you and when you think you are ready, I will grant you the right to challenge me for my power."

"Deal, Kurama." said Naruto as he broke out his Gigawatt smile for the fox. "Could you tell me why you call me kit though?"

"Kit is what foxes call their kids. At this stage, you are a child, and I will refer to you as such. Now kit, this has gone on long enough. Leave me to rest and explore my new domain. Next Friday, you will return here for training."

"You got it, Kurama. Man, that is a sweet name. Bye!"

As Naruto left the mindscape, Kurama was still Gob-smacked by that whole meeting. Never, not once in his wildest Tsukuyomi induced dreams, did he think the meeting would go like that. At every turn, the brat surprised him. As he lay down on his new rock and curled up, he felt a peace that had long since been absent come over him as he closed his eyes. As for Naruto, he came out of the mindscape and passed out right there on the floor of his dad's training room. The sheer magnitude of the Kyuubi's presence and that whole experience hit him at once when he returned to reality. Tsunade would check up on him a bit later and carry him to bed. Flashback end