Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
chilledOctopus: Chakra chains, maybe? Karin's sense isn't really necessary, is it? Naruto has the full Kurama within him. Regarding the Uzumaki masks... No, he will not do anything with them because they have nothing to do with the plot of this fanfic.
Time seemed to drag on endlessly, with only the pervasive cold and overwhelming silence as Naruto's companions. Until now. "Brat, it's time to get out of this place," the low, vibrating voice of Kyūbi echoed in his head.
The brutal awakening was the norm for Naruto ever since the fox started speaking in his mind a month ago. The boy scrambled from his makeshift bed, his heart pounding like a drum. He glanced nervously around the darkness, trying to calm his frayed nerves. Seeing only the familiar contours of the cave, he breathed deeply.
He then decided to visit the demon in his mindscape. Once he finally managed to enter his mindscape, he immediately headed towards the only creature that had accompanied him for the past few weeks.
Inside, however, conflicting emotions raged. "One would think that spending a month with someone would open one's heart to the other person," he muttered under his breath, approaching the gate that imprisoned Kyūbi behind bars. "But they would be mistaken."
A sinister grin spread across the fox's muzzle as he heard the boy's words. "Stop rambling like a madman and get yourself together, for time is of the essence," Kyūbi growled, his voice seeming to vibrate in Naruto's very bones. "Perhaps this little human isn't ready for the world of Shinobi just yet," the beast thought. And in the next moment, Naruto felt himself being brutally ejected from his own mind. The boy flinched, his eyes snapping open. It was never a pleasant experience.
"Could you please stop doing that?" he asked uncertainly, directing his thoughts towards Kyūbi. A hint of pleading laced his voice, but the beast ignored his request. A deafening roar, causing a sharp pain in Naruto's ears, was the only response.
"Are you deaf or something?!" Kyūbi roared, his voice seemingly echoing in every corner of Naruto's mind. The demon impatiently watched as the boy started gathering his belongings. "But under my watchful eye, he's grown stronger this past month than in his entire life in that pathetic hole they call Konoha," Kyūbi mused, a sinister glint flickering in his eyes.
"So, it's time then," Naruto thought, unease settling in his heart. A month had passed since he escaped Konoha, a month of relative peace and freedom. He knew, however, that it wouldn't last. ANBU hounds would soon pick up his trail, reminding him that, as a Jinchūriki, the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox, he would always remain the village's property.
"Yes, time to cover our tracks from those wretches again," Kyūbi snarled in his mind. Naruto furrowed his brows.
"Wretches? Do you despise them that much?" he asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
The only response he received was a deafening roar that seemed to split his skull from the inside. The pain was so intense that he fell to his knees, clutching his ears.
"I told you, brat, why!" Kyūbi roared, his voice vibrating in Naruto's bones. "Stop asking stupid questions!"
The boy struggled to catch his breath, trying to suppress the ringing in his ears. He knew Kurama had his reasons for hating Konoha, but he never wanted to share his anger. Naruto only yearned for acceptance and freedom—the ability to decide his own fate without constant fear or judgment.
After the ringing in his ears finally subsided, Naruto struggled to get up from the ground. His legs felt like jelly, and his head still throbbed with a dull ache. With a sigh, he finished packing his meager belongings, trying to ignore Kurama's burning chakra within him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in his thoughts, regretting bringing up Konoha. He knew how deeply the village had wounded the fox, imprisoning him in a cage and treating him as a weapon.
Kyūbi snorted dismissively. "Hmpf."
Naruto stood silently for a moment, gazing at the gloomy cave walls. "Where to now?" he finally asked, unsure of what the future held.
"To reach the place I want to take you, we'll need supplies," the fox replied, a hint of mystery in his voice. "That will be your objective."
Naruto emerged from the cave, a smile spreading across his face. In front of him stretched the endless blue ocean, its waves gently rolling under the warm breeze. Without hesitation, he ran forward, straight onto the water. However, his feet didn't sink into the sea. Instead, he ran on the surface as if walking on an invisible path woven from chakra.
"It's amazing, running on the ocean," he said to himself, feeling a thrill at this newfound ability. But the joy quickly gave way to melancholy as his thoughts drifted towards the old days at the academy. "Hmm... I wonder how many suicide missions it would take to get Hatake to agree to teach us this?"
Hearing these words, Kyūbi smiled to himself. He wisely chose to remain silent about the boy's bitter musings, sensing that he would come to a conclusion that would be beneficial to the demon.
Naruto ran across the ocean, his thoughts still revolving around his former comrades. "Hmpf... surely his loyal lapdog, Uchiha, would need extra training in this area. Because he's an Uchiha, isn't he? They always need extra attention. Pfttt..."
"Haruno, what a useless fangirl of Uchiha she was," Naruto muttered under his breath, feeling bitterness fill his heart. "I know that whole thing was just a facade but how could I have been so stupid?"
Kyūbi smirked at the boy's naivety. "This month is indeed slowly opening the brat's eyes to more and more truths about himself and his own existence," he thought with satisfaction.
However, Naruto did not share his joy. His thoughts drifted towards the person who had hurt him the most—the Hokage. "Hokage..." he whispered, pain lacing his voice. No one else had hurt him as much as the old man he trusted implicitly. The person who had betrayed him thousands of times, condemning him to a life of loneliness, lies and fear.
Suddenly, Kyūbi's sharp voice cut through his thoughts, pulling him out of his dark memories. "Brat, head north!" the fox roared, pointing in the direction of the nearest village. "Remember your task. We need supplies if you want to reach the place I told you about."
Naruto nodded, pushing away the painful thoughts. He focused on the goal Kyūbi had set for him, trying to ignore the burning sorrow in his heart. He knew he couldn't change the past, but the future was still open to him.
When Naruto finally reached the shore of another island, his turbulent emotions subsided. Calm returned to his face, and his red, fox-like eyes stared at the path leading inland. He stood there for a long moment, immersed in silence.
"How long are you going to stand there staring at a dirt path, brat?" Kyūbi growled, clearly impatient. Seeing that Naruto wasn't reacting, he added with more irritation in his voice, "Have you already forgotten that time is of the essence? The Konoha dogs won't wait forever."
These words snapped Naruto out of his reverie. He broke into a run, following the worn path deeper into the dense forest. His eyes, sharpened by the fox's power, registered every detail in the darkness of the night.
"Fox eyes do have their advantages, don't they?" He thought with satisfaction.
"Of course they do, brat," Kyūbi replied, proud of his supernatural abilities.
By the time Naruto reached the small village, the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the sky orange and red. The village wasn't large, but it was sufficient to find supplies for a while.
"Get a move on, and don't stare at every detail of some pathetic village I could destroy with a single flick of my tail," the demon grumbled, urging him to complete the task.
"Alright, alright," Naruto mumbled in his thoughts, trying to calm the impatient demon.
He entered the village, heading towards its center, where he expected to find a marketplace. He wasn't wrong. In the very heart of the village, life pulsated between the wooden stalls.
Looking at the inhabitants of the Land of Water, Naruto didn't see much difference between them and the people of the Land of Fire. They looked similar, but their demeanor was completely different. Here, no one ignored him; no one looked at him with disdain and fear. He felt... normal. This simple kindness made him instantly like this place.
"Grrr..." he heard Kyūbi growl in his mind.
"I know, I know," Naruto sighed, well aware of the fox's displeasure.
Naruto approached one of the stalls, where an elderly man was selling dried meat and fish. "Hello," he said shyly. "Could I please have enough food to last me the next two weeks?"
The seller looked at him questioningly. "Hello. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but how are you going to transport that much food?" he asked, noticing that Naruto didn't have any bags or backpacks with him.
"Don't worry!" Naruto replied with a smile, showing his forehead protector on his right arm. It was obvious that he was on the run since the Konoha insignia had been crossed out. "I'm a shinobi. I can easily pack everything into a scroll."
"It's a good thing I kept a few from the Land of Waves mission," he thought, remembering the stash of scrolls tucked away in his pocket.
The vendor flinched, noticing the crossed-out Konoha symbol. Rogue shinobi weren't always inclined to pay for their goods. Worse, sometimes they resorted to theft or even violence to get what they wanted. Fear flickered in the man's eyes, and his hands started to tremble.
Naruto immediately noticed the shift in the vendor's demeanor. He understood that he was inspiring fear, and a pang of sadness went through him. He quickly put his hands forward in a calming gesture. "Please don't be afraid," he said gently. "I'm just here to buy some food."
His words and calm tone seemed to reassure the vendor. The man let out a sigh of relief and turned to prepare the order, skillfully measuring out dried meat and fish, while still glancing nervously over his shoulder every so often. Although the fear hadn't completely subsided, he chose to trust the young shinobi's words.
After completing the order, the vendor carefully turned back and laid the dried meat and fish on the counter. "That will be all," he said, hesitantly extending his hand towards Naruto.
The boy rapidly calculated the cost in his mind as he swiftly glanced at the pricing list and then the pile of provisions. He pulled out his frog wallet and meticulously counted out the appropriate amount of coins, then placed them in the man's hand.
The vendor hesitantly accepted the money, glancing nervously at Naruto. He carefully counted the coins, and when he was sure the amount was correct, a tentative smile appeared on his face. "Thank you," he murmured, giving a slight nod.
Naruto, after storing the provisions in the scroll he had previously unfurled on the counter, turned and headed for the village exit.
"Where to now?" Naruto asked Kyūbi, his spirit momentarily finding peace.
"Somewhere no one will find us," the demon replied, a hint of mystery in his voice, fueling the boy's curiosity.
Naruto headed towards the gate, ready to leave the village and follow the fox's guidance. However, he caught a glimpse of someone he knew at one of the stalls from the corner of his eye. Long, black-blue hair, a delicate frame, and a warm smile... Though he knew the chance of meeting again was practically zero, his heart pounded harder.
He hesitated for a moment, but curiosity and a longing for someone familiar took over. He changed direction and walked towards the stall where the girl stood. With each step, more thoughts churned in his head—the joy of reunion mixed with uncertainty. After all, he had revealed his biggest secret to her—that he was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. However, he remembered the warmth in her smile when she confessed that she too had experienced rejection because of her abilities. They both bore scars from their pasts - not from personal transgressions, but from the prejudices of the society in which they were raised.
As Naruto was just a step away from the girl, she turned sharply. Ready to defend herself, she had a Senbon needle in her hand. But as she recognized the boy standing before her, her eyes widened in astonishment. The needle slipped from her hand, and her lips involuntarily formed a soft "O."
"Haku!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully, not hiding his happiness. He couldn't believe he had met someone again who knew his true nature and yet treated him with the same kindness.
"Na..." Haku started, trying to utter the boy's name, but shock robbed her of her voice. Only after a moment, seeing Naruto's joyful smile, did she manage to regain her composure. "Naruto..." she whispered, a flicker of fear appearing in her eyes, which didn't escape the boy's notice.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"Brat, that girl, Haku, is the one you fought on the bridge! The one who supposedly killed that Uchiha trash!" Kyūbi snarled in Naruto's mind, brutally tearing him away from his carefree joy.
"Wait, what?!" Naruto was stunned by this information. He couldn't believe that Haku was the same person he had fought such a fierce battle with. "But..."
"No, it's nothing," Haku replied, composing her thoughts. However, seeing Naruto's silence, she stepped closer. The boy involuntarily took a step back.
"So..." Haku began, uncertainty tingling her voice. She guessed that Naruto had learned the truth about her past—about who she was and what she had done.
"Grrr..." Kyūbi growled, growing impatient. "This meeting wasn't supposed to happen! We're wasting time!"
"Wake up, you idiot!" Naruto found the fox's demeanor annoying. "This girl saw the demon with her own eyes and overcame her fear to approach you, but you're pushing her away for no reason?"
"Grrr, you're an idiot! You're wasting time!" Kyūbi snarled, ignoring the boy's arguments.