Chapter Text
Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
"Character's Thoughts"
Jutsu
"Tailed Beast Dialogue"
"Tailed Beast's Private Thoughts"
Normal text
Darkness. It swallowed him whole.
The physical pain from Haku's needles was nothing compared to the fire tearing through his chest. Anger, frustration—it surged in his veins, hot and suffocating. But the real break, the thing that actually crippled him, wasn't physical.
Sasuke was down. Cold. Still.
My fault. The thought was a bitter poison. He’s dead because I wasn’t strong enough.
Naruto’s eyes shifted. The blue was scorched away, replaced by a bleeding, slit-pupiled crimson. The Kyuubi’s chakra didn't just flow; it flooded him, a roar in his blood promising the power to crush anything that stood in his way. He grit his teeth, the enamel grinding, trying to shove the hatred back down. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be the monster they all said he was.
But looking at Sasuke… he felt like there was no other choice.
A roar tore out of his throat—raw, animalistic fury.
Crimson chakra exploded outwards. It pulsed like a second, demonic heartbeat, heavy in the air. His nails lengthened into jagged claws; his hair spiked wild and feral. The energy thickened, twisting into the shape of a massive fox towering over him.
Haku stumbled back. Her mask couldn't hide the terror radiating off her. The boy was gone. This thing in front of her? It was a demon, starving for blood.
Naruto lunged. He didn't run; he blurred. Claws slashed the air, forcing Haku into a desperate, sloppy dodge. She could feel her energy sapping away just being near him.
The rage was bottomless. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted to hurt her. The power was intoxicating—faster, stronger, lethal.
Then, silence.
The bridge was gone. The mist was gone.
Naruto was standing in ankle-deep water. The air was damp, smelling of rust and old rot. It looked like a sewer, vast and endless. Looming in front of him were colossal iron gates, held shut by a single, fragile slip of paper. Seal.
The sudden shift doused his rage for a second, but a voice boomed from the darkness, shaking the water around his ankles.
“Calm down, you worthless ningen!”
Pain lanced through his skull. Naruto doubled over, clutching his head.
“Who… where the hell is this?!” he yelled, kicking up water. He forced his head up, eyes trying to pierce the gloom.
Something moved behind the bars. Massive. Ancient.
The Nine-Tailed Fox stepped into the dim light. It was terrifyingly magnificent. Nine tails thrashed behind it like angry whips, and its body radiated a malice so thick it felt like physical pressure.
Two eyes, burning like blood-red moons, glared down at him.
The fox lowered its head. Its muzzle, the size of a building, stopped inches from Naruto. Hot, rotting breath blasted over him.
“I am the one you’ve begun blaming for your misfortunes, human pup,” the Kyuubi spat. The voice wasn't just loud; it vibrated in Naruto's bones.
Naruto flinched. “It talks? I’m standing here talking to the Kyuubi?” It was so insane he almost laughed.
The demon snorted. “So, all those years of suffering haven’t taught you anything, brat? You think I am the cause of your problems? You brought this on yourself. Your own weakness did this.”
The words landed like a punch to the gut. The red chakra flared up around Naruto again, defensive and hot.
“Bullshit!” Naruto screamed. “You’re the reason! You took everything!”
The Kyuubi threw its head back and roared. The sound wave hit Naruto like a solid wall, knocking him flat on his back. He scrambled up, coughing, glaring at the beast with every ounce of defiance he had left.
“Listen to me, you pathetic ningen!” the Kyuubi bellowed. It paused, catching the look in Naruto’s eyes. “Just like you, I am a victim of your cursed village.”
Naruto froze. “A victim? The monster that flattened Konoha? The thing that killed the Fourth?”
He looked closer. Really looked. Beneath the rage in those red eyes, there was something else. Boredom. Resentment. Loneliness. It looked… familiar.
“Wait,” his mind raced. “If the Bijuu can think… if they have feelings… then the seal isn’t a containment unit. It’s a jail cell.”
“I was captured, sealed, and used as a weapon!” the fox snarled, chakra spiking. “And you, brat, are nothing more than a pawn for Konoha.”
“Impossible! The village wouldn't…”
“Boy, I have watched every second of your pathetic life from this cage. Do you really think you can lie to me?” A cruel, toothy grin split the fox's face.
Naruto paled. “It’s seen everything? Every time I cried? Every time I was weak?” He stepped back.
“The day you were born, I was sealed inside you,” the Kyuubi rumbled. “During an attack instigated by a man who should have been dead.”
“You… you know who my parents were?” Naruto’s voice cracked.
“I killed them,” the Kyuubi said. Flat. No remorse. “Moments after they sealed your fate. And the person you trust most, your Hokage, has lied to you every day since. He told you he didn't know, didn't he?”
“Why… why tell me this?” The ground beneath Naruto’s feet felt unsteady.
“Hmph. I hate Konoha. I hate its people more than you ever could,” the fox sneered. “I want you to drop your loyalty to that trash heap of a village. So, listen.”
Silence stretched between them. The Hokage… lying? Who were they? He needed to know.
“Fine,” Naruto said. His voice was hard. “Tell me.”
The Kyuubi smiled. It was a predator’s smile.
“Your parents were Konoha shinobi,” the voice whispered directly into his skull. “You are Uzumaki. A clan feared for their life force and sealing jutsu.”
“Uzumaki? A clan? I have a clan?”
“Your mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was my previous host.”
Naruto swallowed, his throat dry. “My mom… was like me?”
“And your father,” the Kyuubi dripped with disdain, “was Minato Namikaze. The Yondaime Hokage. He is the one who doomed you, binding me to you forever.”
It was too much. His father was the hero. The Fourth. He sacrificed himself. His mother died for the village. For him.
“Why?” Naruto choked out. “Why did they do it?”
“They saw hope,” the fox said, the word sounding alien in its mouth. “Hope that the line between human and demon might disappear.”
Naruto felt winded. Hope? In him?
“And now, look at your precious Hokage,” the Kyuubi’s voice turned to steel. “The old man you trust hid this. He left you to rot. Do you really think he cares?”
It clicked. Horribly, painfully, it clicked. The whispers. The glares. The empty apartment.
“Hiruzen… Jiji… Dad… Mom…” His reality was shattering, piece by piece.
“You will never forget, Naruto,” the Kyuubi said. “The days they looked right through you. You tried to bury it. But I remember.”
“Shut up!” Naruto shouted, trembling. “You’re lying!”
“Time will tell. You were just a shadow, Naruto. Unloved. Unwanted. To me, you were a prison. To them? You were a weapon.”
FLASHBACK
The street was busy. Villagers walked by, laughing, chatting. Living.
They didn’t look at him. Not one. It was like he was a ghost haunting the street. His chest ached with that familiar, dull throb. He just wanted someone to nod. To say hello.
Sadness turned to sour resentment. He pulled a prank, yelled, waved his arms. Anything to be seen.
They just walked past. Cold eyes. Turned backs.
He stood there, utterly alone in a crowd. He felt tears prick his eyes but bit his lip until it bled. He wouldn't cry. He had to be strong. But God, he just wanted a friend.
END OF FLASHBACK
“And now…” the Kyuubi’s red eyes bored into him. “Do you still think you belong there? Do you want the acceptance of people who treated you like garbage?”
Naruto felt torn in half. His dream—to be Hokage, to be acknowledged—warred with the cold, hard facts the demon was laying out.
“I’ll remind you. You are not one of them. You never will be.”
Another memory surfaced, unbidden. The orphanage door slamming in his face. The matron’s twisted face screaming Monster. Standing in the rain, a small child with nowhere to go.
The memory hit hard. Anger washed over the sadness.
“Do you still believe you have a place there?” The Kyuubi sounded amused now. “Open your eyes. Your place is here. With me. Away from Konoha. True freedom is the only way you’ll find peace.”
Naruto stayed silent. Abandoned by the village. Lied to by the leader.
“Look at yourself,” the Kyuubi commanded. “This is the truth. You aren’t human. You’re a monster. Monsters don’t live in villages. Why do you keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole?”
It felt like a death sentence. But it also felt… right. A bitter seed of truth blooming in his chest. Maybe he didn't belong.
“Think, Naruto. Who are you? What are you? Feel the power? It’s begging you to leave.”
Naruto clenched his fists so hard his palms bled. He wouldn't be a victim. He wouldn't be a puppet. But he was done begging for scraps of affection.
“Yes…” the Kyuubi purred. “You are different. That is your strength. Embrace it. Be free.”
Naruto looked up. He didn't see a demon anymore. He saw a mirror. Ancient, angry, and lonely. He was standing at a cliff edge, and he knew once he jumped, there was no climbing back up.
He made his choice.
He’d always known, really. He would never be just "Naruto" to them. He would always be the fox. He’d been waiting for an excuse to leave, waiting for a mission outside the walls. This was it.
A pang of sadness hit him. Freedom had a price.
“Teuchi and Ayame…” They were kind. They fed him when he had nothing.
“Iruka-sensei…” The first person to actually look at him.
“Sasuke…” Naruto hesitated. “Was it friendship? Or just rivalry?” He’d held back so much, afraid of scaring the Uchiha.
“Sakura…” The crush was a mask. A way to seem normal. He didn’t hate her, but he couldn't keep taking the abuse.
“Kakashi.” A mystery. The man looked at him like he was a ghost. And he clearly preferred Sasuke. If Naruto hadn't begged for the tree-walking training, would Kakashi have even bothered?
Leaving hurt. But staying hurt more.
“The most important thing is to accept yourself,” Naruto thought, a dry chuckle escaping him. “Whoever I am. I’m done trying to make them like me.”
Through the tears, he saw it. A world outside. A place where he could just be.
“What’s the plan?” Naruto’s voice was steady. No fear. “I know you didn’t give me the history lesson out of the kindness of your heart.”
The Kyuubi grinned. Wicked. Sharp.
“Your comrade’s death cracked the seal,” the fox rasped. “It’s a leak, but it’s enough to buy freedom.”
“Sasuke…”
“Forget the Uchiha trash!” the Kyuubi roared, slamming Naruto into the metaphysical ground with pure volume. “He never saw you as an equal. You were dirt to him!”
Naruto froze. The words stung because they felt true.
“That’s not…” he whispered. But he couldn't finish the sentence.
“Back to the plan,” the Kyuubi pressed. “I can help you control this leak. We unleash a blast. Massive. It destroys everything nearby. You fake your death in the fire. It buys us time before the hunters come.”
It was dangerous. It was crazy. But the thought of escaping the village—the prison—was too sweet to pass up.
“Is there… another way?” Naruto asked. He didn’t want to kill innocent people.
The Kyuubi scoffed. “Naive. In this world, you kill or die. But fine. I will control the blast. No one will die.”
Naruto’s resolve hardened. He trusted that. He didn't know why, but he did. “Let’s do it.”
“Tear off a piece of the seal,” the beast ordered. “Just a corner. Too much and you die.”
Naruto didn’t hesitate. He walked to the gate, the water lifting him up. He grabbed the paper. Rip.
Back on the bridge, the air shattered.
A demonic roar ripped from Naruto’s throat. Visible, heavy crimson chakra detonated outwards, blasting everyone back.
“NANI?! No…” Kakashi’s mind reeled.
“A jinchuriki?!” Zabuza stared, eyes wide.
Naruto stood there, frozen. Bubbles of red and blue chakra churned at his mouth, crackling with static. They condensed, twisting into a dense, purple sphere.
Kakashi and Zabuza knew it instantly: Death.
Haku had already drawn the boy away. Kakashi moved on instinct. Shadow clones flickered—Shunshin—grabbing Sakura and Tazuna, vanishing to safety.
Zabuza didn’t wait. Haku was done, terrified by the monster.
“Haku, move!” Zabuza barked, grabbing her. “It’s over! We’re leaving!”
They ran. They barely made it.
Kakashi appeared beside Sasuke’s body. He felt a wave of sickness. Another one dead on my watch. He shook it off, scooped up the boy, and leaped.
He glanced back. Naruto wasn’t chasing. He was pouring everything into that sphere.
“What is he doing? He’s going to wipe out the whole grid square.”
Another roar cut the air—this one sounded like pain.
Kakashi skid to a halt, turning just as the purple light swallowed the center of the bridge. The sky turned white. The sound hit them a second later—a deafening crack.
The bridge groaned, panicked metal screeching, before a massive section crumbled into the sea.
Kakashi felt cold. “I left him. Did the demon kill him to get out? Did I just let Sensei's son die?”
He sent a clone to carry Sasuke. “Run. Get far away.”
Kakashi went back. He had to know. The death of a jinchuriki wasn't just a tragedy; it was a geopolitical nightmare. He reached the jagged edge of the bridge and looked down.
Swirling water. Debris.
Nothing else.
Failed. Twice in one day. A single tear cut through the dust on his face. The sky opened up, rain mixing with the ocean spray.
Kakashi walked back to the house like a dead man.
His clones dispelled as he got close. “Sasuke’s… alive?!”
It was a spark, but it didn't fix the dark weight in his chest. He’d focused so hard on the Uchiha he’d completely failed Naruto.
He walked inside. Sasuke was on a futon, pale, breathing. Sakura was sobbing, clinging to him. She looked up, saw Kakashi, and grabbed him.
“Kakashi-sensei…”
Sasuke shifted, groggy. “Where’s… Naruto?”
The silence in the room was heavy.
“KIA,” Kakashi said. His voice sounded hollow.
“KIA?” Sakura whispered.
“Dead?” Sasuke rasped.
Kakashi nodded.
Sasuke flinched. His hands curled into fists. His rival. His friend. Gone.
Sakura… her reaction was complicated. She cried, yes. But underneath the shock, there was relief. Naruto was always loud, always there, always in the way. With him gone… maybe Sasuke would finally look at her. She hated the thought, but it sat there in the back of her mind, ugly and real.
Kakashi watched them, drowning in his own failure.
THE NEXT DAY
Naruto woke up to the smell of salt and wet sand. Fog clung to everything.
His head pounded. He couldn’t remember… right. The Kyuubi. The explosion.
“Are you going to nap all day?” The voice was in his head now. Clearer.
“Who—” Naruto tried to talk, but his throat just clicked.
“Don’t try to speak, brat,” the fox said. “Your vocal cords are shredded from the blast. Just think. I can hear you.”
“Shredded? Wait… you can hear my thoughts? Great. No privacy.”
“Precisely,” Kyuubi sounded smug. “And you wouldn’t last an hour out here without me.”
“So what now?” Helplessness washed over him.
“Now, you heal. My chakra tore you apart.”
“You sound happy about that.”
“Of course I am. I saved your life. I snatched you right from under Konoha’s nose. Be grateful.”
“Why?”
“I told you. I hate them. And tearing the seal gave me room to stretch. Besides… watching you struggle is entertaining.”
“Huh?”
“It soothes my soul to see you fight this miserable world,” the demon purred.
“Great,” Naruto thought. “I have a sadist demon in my head. Perfect.”
“Would you rather be back in a cell in Konoha?”
“Tch… whatever. Did it work?”
“Bridge destroyed. Death faked. You’re a ghost.”
“They’ll look for me.”
“Give it a month. Maybe two,” the fox dismissed. “The ocean killed the scent. And who looks for a dead kid?”
Naruto closed his eyes. He was a pawn. But he was a live pawn.
“And then?”
“Then,” the Kyuubi rumbled, deep and dark, “we train. You will get strong, boy. Strong enough that our goals become the same.”
Cold chakra flooded his veins. It hurt. But it felt like power.
He would survive.
“Fine.”