How-

No. That's impossible.

I can feel Naruto's Heart, even from here. This is the Kyuubi, yes, but Naruto is...

Naruto is fine.

And...

So is the Kyuubi?

What?

This is definitely the Kyuubi, but that is also definitely the Kyuubi inside of Naruto...

What.

The Juubi suddenly took off running, and I mentally hit myself on the head. In a blink of an eye, I was next to the Kyuubi's Chakra. A tap brought it to safety, right before a flurry of Chakra Bullets from the Juubi turned this entire area into a series of craters.

"What the shit." Kyuubi...

Definitely the Kyuubi, but... different?

Now that I was paying attention, the Chakra had a different feel to it. The Heart and Soul were the same... on the surface, but a deeper look... They were slightly different to... normal?

"Ku- Kyuubi? Isobu asked. "You... your Chakra... Your size? What happened to you?"

"Isobu?" Kyuubi questioned. "Hmph. Son Gokū and Shukaku as well. Well, isn't today just being a... experience."

Wait. Wait, I know what this is. This is that whole deal where Minato split the Kyuubi in two before sealing one half in Naruto.

Naruto is okay.

I relaxed.

And then reflected a Bijuudama back at the Juubi.

Okay, that just raises a few questions about how the fuck.

"Do you mind telling us what happened?"

"WHY ARE YOU SMALL NOW?!" Shukaku yelled.

"Why is your fur so darkly coloured?" Isobu questioned.

"Because a certain asshole by the name of Minato Namikaze ripped my soul in half, that's why." This Kyuubi's voice was flat. "And then I spent sixteen years inside the Shinigami's stomach, trapped with him."

Silence. I absently teleported between a volley of Chakra Bullets.

"You fucking what." Shukaku asked.

"Okay, listen up, I'm not going to repeat this." Kyuubi sighed. "Remember Hashirama?"

"THE FUCKING WOOD DILDO PRICK?! OF COURSE WE DO! HOW THE FUCK COULDN'T WE?!"

Wood dildo prick?

What?

"SHUT UP!" Kyuubi roared. "And yes, that fucker. Anyway, long story short, he sealed me in his wife. His wife sealed me in a member of her clan. A while later, I got free, only to get controlled-"

"THE FUCKER WITH THE ORANGE MASK?!"

"You know him?" The Kyuubi seemed surprised, for a moment.

"His name is Obito Uchiha." I supplied. "He's part of the same group that revived the Juubi."

"And isn't that a fucking thing." Kyuubi growled. "How did that happen? Because that shouldn't have fucking happened."

"I don't know. I really don't know." I spoke. "A man by the name of Nagato revived it in this state."

"And how did he do it?"

"Fuck if I know. All I know is that he has the Rinnegan, and-"

"Wait." The Kyuubi cut me off. "What did you just say? Because I heard 'Rinnegan'."

"You heard correctly."

Silence, again.

But then, I heard a low hissing noise, followed by a long exhale.

"Today really is just determined to be an experience, isn't it?" The Kyuubi's voice rumbled like thunder. "Your name?"

"Drich."

"Drich is a friend." Isobu spoke up quietly.

"Thank you, Isobu."

"Drich, then." He said my name carefully, like he was testing it. "Shukaku, Isobu, Son Gokū. Help me reach the others."

"You think you can just come in here and ORDER ME AROUND-"

"SILENCE YOURSELF, SHUKAKU!" The Kyuubi roared, his rage bursting from him like a physical force. "After years in the Shinigami's stomach, the first thing I see and hear is that some fool with the same eyes as Father is undoing his legacy! I will not stand for this!"

Oh, this could be bad.

"What, exactly, are you planning?" I asked.

"We... share a skill." Isobu started. "We Bijuu can talk with each other no matter where we are."

I paused.

Tailed Beast Telepathy.

Right, that had been a thing, hadn't it?

"And you didn't think to mention this before, because..?"

"We... don't talk very often, anymore." Isobu offered. "I didn't think about it."

"It's fine, Isobu." I didn't think about it either. "Okay, that opens up options..." Shit, what options... "If you can get a warning out to all the Jinchuuriki, then you could probably get them to go to their villages. They'll be safer that way. You four are the only Bijuu that don't have them."

"'Help' the Jinchuuriki?"

"I understand that you don't like it, Kyuubi, but so long as Obito Uchiha is still around, then Bijuu with no Jinchuuriki can be controlled by his Sharingan." Shukaku growled. "The other Bijuu will be safer. Besides, do you really hate the Jinchuuriki more than you hate Obito and Nagato?"

Kyuubi growled. Low, deep, and rumbling. "..."

"Let me seal the deal for you. Obito Uchiha is going around calling himself Madara Uchiha."

And there's the spike of hatred I expected. "Fine!" Kyuubi growled. "You three, help me."

Hmm. Chakra stabilizing, souls beginning to-

Oh.

Huh, so that's what it looks like when they communicate like that. Souls linking together, reaching out...

Hmm.

I could probably get in on that if I tried.

"Oi, brat."

"Hmm?" Naruto looked down.

Sasuke and Sakura looked over to him, both with a raised eyebrow.

"Get in here. We need to talk."

Naruto grinned. "Sure. Give me a moment."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"He wants to talk." Naruto smiled, rapping his knuckles against his stomach.

"He barely tolerates your presence, why does he want to talk?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe I'm finally getting through to him!" Naruto pumped his fist.

"Fuck you. And hurry up, this is important." Kyuubi scoffed. Naruto's grin didn't falter.

With a loud slurp, Naruto finished his bowl, before stretching. "I'll be back in a bit."

He exploded in smoke, a quick Shunshin taking him to his apartment. He finished his stretch, before letting himself fall into a meditation pose.

His eyes closed, and he took a breath.

His eyes opened, and he released the breath.

"Eh?" He asked, looking around. This wasn't the normal place.

He looked around. It was a mostly blank space, seeming to stretch on forever. The 'ground' was a darker shade of orange, while the sky was also orange, but it became darker and darker the further up he looked.

"Good, that worked." Naruto looked down. He was sitting on something orange and fluffy. A moment later, it twisted, and Naruto promptly fell off, landing on the... 'ground', below.

He looked up, and met the Kyuubi's glowing red eyes. "Where are we?"

"I would also like to know that."