I can't believe it... Why... Why could I stop this?

Why could I not prevent this...?

Why did he still... Have to die?

Naruto and Sasuke panted as they fled from Nagato. Sasuke, buying Naruto time, threw out oiled kunais to stall the advance of the Pains approaching. The last Uchiha's eyes beamed, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Report to Tsunade! I'll hold them off!"

Naruto fled back to the village, tears welling from his eyes. His prepwork for this moment was years in the making. Naruto knew about Pain far in advanced, and was ready in tow with an earlier reformed bestfriend. He had planned to back up the pervy sage in his fight with the Akatsuki. He was far ahead in his training, Sasuke had caught up in pace from making peace with his past. Itachi's death was seemingly unavoidable.

But why Jiraiya?

Naruto kept running, launching dozens of clones to distract the approaching Kisame with a barrage of rasengans. But something was off. Naruto could sense that, in this remake of his world, the world seemed to have tried to keep pace with his rapid development. Naruto was unprepared for Nagato to be at this level of strength, as if the universal powers had scaled to match him as some protagonist. Triggering sage mode, he channeled four tails to overwhelm the advancing sharkman, at the cost of some chakra.

"We're on it, Naruto."

The communication device in his eye, having reached within connection distance to the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf, began to static.

"We'll take it from here, Sakura out."

Naruto walked out of the Hokage office, giving Tsunade the chance once more to cry without being seen. Walking around the corridor, the blonde 'hero' could see the faces of pity, those who were not capable enough to help feeling sorry for Naruto's loss of a mentor. The teen paid no heed to them, simply walking out from the building. Sasuke successfully was retrieved from his fight, but was taken into the infirmary to be watched over. Thanks to the intel gathered by Jiraiya, Pain's weaknesses were now partially understood. Naruto held back for so long from leaking how to stop Pain, with the fear of scrutiny over his prescience.

He wish he had used his knowledge now.

The rain started to pick up. He was less than halfway back home, but he felt as if he had been walking for ages. The streets were darkened, and many stores were closed by now. He was not in the mood for a late night ramen.

With his hand in a ball, he smashed the floor, causing a large indent to be made in the dirt. I need to get stronger. I need to stop Nagato from destroying the village. I need to bring peace back to this world. I need to...

Naruto felt himself freezing up. His eyes turned slanted, trying to use chakra to suppress the pain, but it continued to well up.

...

Puny boy... You're such miserable company...

Naruto began to curl up, holding his hand in agony as his body boiled up in a red aura.

All you ever do is for others, when you can't even help yourself... How pathetic...

His face began to blacken, and a bloodish fog enveloped him, sharpened teeth replacing his usual set.

Wh-What the...? Why can't I control... KURAMA!

Silence, boy! You've shown me that you're not fit to be my vessel, so I may as well make use of your body...

Tail after tail began to extend off of his body. By the fifth, the excess energy was beginning to take a toll on him. Naruto, in spite of being far stronger than he was when he was at this point before, could barely stomach the fifth tail, and that's when he is prepared and trying to channel the tailed-beast's chakra. This was involuntary and in a fit of anger. And now, he could feel a sixth coming.

From what I've gathered... she's no better either...

"Naruto!"

...

A tenderness overcame the screeching half-turned jinchuriki. Palms clasped his torso, and he could feel a forehead rest upon his. The burning began to stop, and he wails slowly dissipated.

"Naruto! Naruto!"

A heavy chest pressed up on his; the heartbeat resonating with his own. The voice was soothing him, even when it was clearly screaming out for him. He felt reassured, and mothered. Soon, Naruto was defanged, and the tails melted away.

Slowly, the boy opened his eyes.

"Mom..."

Although his face was covered in rain, his vision could make out the beautiful face infront of him. He could not tell whether the rain had beat on the young woman hard, or if she was in the process of making rainworks herself, but she was soaking wet.

"Oh baby, you're safe. I'm so glad!"

Naruto felt a gentle kiss on his scalp, a peck that warmed him to his core, then a following embrace that tightened.

"It's okay, Mommy's got you now. Mommy's got you!"

Dinner was in silence. The sound of silverware clinking with the plates was all that could be heard, minus the occasional buzzing of insects from outside. The deafening silence lasted for minutes, hard for either to interrupt.

"I heard what happened to Jiraiya-sensei," Kushina began, "he was a good man. I don't know if he ever told you this, but he was your father's teacher." Kushina paused, taking a sip of her sake that she had out. "Jiraiya was always looking out for you. He swore to me, when your father passed, to be your godfather. He truly was a good man."

Naruto didn't respond, merely putting his utensils down before heading towards his room.

"It's not your fault, son." Kushina's face was now clearly puffy, likely from when she was out looking for him. "Jiraiya doing as he promised. He did his duty until the very end, and for that, I thank him."

Kushina finished off her glass, clearly caring more for the buzz than the meal she herself prepared. "If you feel hungry later tonight, feel free to finish your meal."

...

Naruto tossed and turned. He found himself incapable of rest, groaning from the failures of today's mission. Unlike the time before, he was there to see his teacher's final moments. He thought that could be some solace, but it wasn't. If anything, being there and seeing Jiraiya's shock face at having been followed in secret, and how Gamabunta was tasked with defending Sasuke and him from any potential bodies of pain not engaged with Jiraiya. He could see, before being ushered out, the smile Jiraiya had in his final moments.

"Shit!"

Naruto said, scratching his head hard enough that it could make a cut. His second chance at life had so far been so successful, so why now, was he starting to fail? Could he save Negi? Would he be able to take on Obito? Would Madara, then Kaguya be just as brutal of a fight as it was? Or, would they be even tougher?

What if his time slip was what triggered this shift?

"Shiiiiiiittttttttt!"

No matter what position he was in, he couldn't go to bed like this. Even with this comfiest of sleeping fabric on, he couldn't get any shut-eye. His thoughts were towards putting on his tracksuit, and rushing into the darkness to face Nagato for revenge.

Naruto wanted to yell, but he was certain that his yelling would wake up his likely sleeping mother. It was dusk, and he wouldn't dare awaken the drunken demon that was in a shitty emotional state.

Shit indeed. Naruto winced, his eyes bulging in their socket.

I commend you, Naruto Namikaze. No, Naruto Uzuamki, for your stupidity. For a human, you really aren't so bad, and I appreciate what you had done for me in the 'future'.The whiskered teen began to sweat. "You sure are talkative right now, Kurama."

Could be that you aren't the worst company to have around. You're dumb, but have got spunk. I think I know the solution to your problem. Naruto was ready to speak and say "really?!", but the fox demon continued.

Rather, I will do the solution. Unfortunately, I cannot let you have a say in the matter. This is something a guy like you would agree to willingly, especially with how much you rather talk to the enemy than stop them. "Kurama, what are y-"

There's no better time than now. While I still am stronger than you, reincarnation of Asura, you will have no say in what a tailed-beast can or cannot do with its vessel.

Kurama where are you taking me... Kurama why are we going to my mom's room... Hey, Kurama what are you, h-hey, Kurama!

I applaud you for your partial trust in me. You had unsealed me, knowing that I am no villain

However, that does not mean that I am 'good' the way you mere mortals see it.

Naruto's body had made it's way down the hallway of the Namikaze household, sliding the door inhumanely. In its possession, he had entered the bedroom of Kushina Uzumaki: the mother of Naruto Uzumaki.

Kushina snored softly, the window shining on her, showing off her gorgeous figure covered by the thin blanket. Her face was red, glowing crimson from the copious amounts of liquor coursing through her veins. She had drank to ease the pain of losing a dear friend. It was nothing out of the ordinary to make one's pain quelled by being hammered enough to ignore the pain. She was hammered; Kushina was hammered.

Whatever you're planning, I won't let you! Listen to me, we had a deal!

Naruto flashbacked to a few months ago, wherein he made an early pact with his tailed demon. In exchange for greater chakra flow, Kurama would be granted greater freedoms, and soon enough the full freedom he never had. Even after Kaguya's defeat, Kurama stuck by him, and Naruto was willing to give a shot at freeing him, and not to be fully reliant on a deity to get by. He was foolish in assuming the fox inside of him was the same that he had allied with then.

I like the way you talk, boy, but I am not so easily swayed by words. This is the only way both of us can reach our goal.

Without considering a single thing, "Naruto" gripped onto the covering that shielded the frame of the ginger mother, and unveiled her.

Her standard apron had not been taken off, likely that she did not bother with changing from having turned pissed drunk to ease the pain. She snored, then hicked: Kushina was unfazed by losing one layer of protection from the nine-tails' plan.

Kurama! Kurama! What are you doing!

"Naruto" gripped the green apron, and lifted it up to the mother's D-cup breasts. Alongside her white panties beyond in plain view, her midriff was exposed, revealing a mark.

I'm sure you're away of what that means, boy. Naruto, though stunned by seeing his mom's thinly covered privates, was more stunned to see the spiraling mark

The time before your birth is no different than the time you recalled. However, nobody ever told you how your father died.

His fighting prowess was extraordinary, and I commend his efforts to seal me inside of you while also protecting his dearest wife.

The demon began to rub the blackened markings etched onto the vanilla-cream skin of Kushina, causing her to wince.

However, unlike as you had lived through, Minato Namikaze failed to put part of me inside of himself. My other half still resides in this world... SHE still has my essence inside of her.

Naruto's arms began to become veined, his body trying to resist the overwhelming might of the beast operating. He could feel his hands reaching towards the hems of the little, white garment. Sweat poured from his fingers, as the hands began to vibrate whilst lowering the defensive barrier to Kushina Uzumaki's hidden village.

Your mother is quite strong and acclimated to being a possessor of a suppressed beast. She has known for a while that I wish to be whole once more, and refuses to allow such. Kushina Uzumaki has no respect for me.

Naruto bit his lip, seeing a tiny bit of the slit that ran parallel to his mother's body. He could see the tiniest bit, but that was more than he was supposed to ever do.

If you wish to attain the power needed to prevent future casualties like the one you just faced, then you will need to make me whole once more.

Her lower half was now exposed, the lips in perfect view now that her guard was down to her knees. Naruto wanted to scream, but his teeth were sharpened and gripped shut. His dampened hands were pulling down his skyblue pajamas, and he could feel the chakra nestled inside his abdomen oozing downwards to make him "stronger" where Kurama wanted him to be.

I trust you with my power, but I cannot trust you to grant me it without force. This scarlet devil you call Mom will not do, and I shall be whole soon enough.