Naruto - Unchained.

Summary: Kyuubi gets tired of healing Naruto and decides to make a deal with him. She will become his teacher and Naruto will make her sentence more pleasant.

Pairings: NarutoXFemKyuubiXHinataXAnkoXFemHaku

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Author Notes: Due to Kyuubi's teachings, Naruto will change from the dumb smiling kid we know. He will lose his dream and gain another.

'blah' talking on a mental link.

"blah" speaking.

-x-x-x-

Chapter 1. Meeting.

-x-x-x-

"You fail!" The verdict kept repeating over and over. Again, I failed again, thought Naruto bitterly. No matter how hard I train, I always fail.

The boy - Naruto, entered his so called home. It was not much; it was really not his fault. He had tried to care for his apartment, but villagers always broke in and messed it up. So he gave up. He gave up the same way he gave up on being able to buy food, equipment, clothes and other things. Naruto didn't consider himself a genius, but it was clear that he was only able to buy low quality, overpriced goods. It was clear that people were out to get him.

"I won't give up, I'll ..." Naruto's words were silenced by a kunai in his heart.

"Die, demon!" snarled the assassin.

Why, wondered the boy, why am I hated? Why do these things happen to me? His questions were interrupted by darkness.

-x-x-x-

Naruto woke up in a dark sewage. What is this place, he wondered. Hearing something in front of him, the boy walked towards it. He stopped in front of some huge bars that had the kanji for seal on them. Naruto looked up at two giant red orbs of fire that opened. Those are eyes, he thought, they're so big.

A giant fox head lowered towards him

"Greetings, kit," it said in a surprisingly feminine voice.

"Um, hi?" Naruto chewed his lower lip in confusion. "What is this place?"

"This is going to take some time, kit. Since you managed to come here, I think I should explain everything."

"Okay."

"First, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune ..."

"What?" he shouted in surprise.

"Shut up and listen, kit," she snarled, making Naruto gulp in fear. "You were told that the Yondaime killed me, but no mortal is able to kill a demon. Instead, he sealed me inside a new-born baby - you. This is why the villagers hate you. They look at the prison and see the prisoner."

"So this is why they hate me?" he asked in a depressed voice.

"Kit, pull yourself together," said the fox in an annoyed tone. "I will not have an angsty, whiny brat as my container, do you understand?"

"Yes," gulped Naruto.

"You are not guilty of my mistakes. Is that understood? The Yondaime actually wanted you to be seen as a hero for keeping me sealed."

"Me, a hero?"

"Yes, foolish of him."

Naruto lowered his head in disappointment.

"Don't bow your head, kit. I did not mean that you are not worthy of being a hero. I am saying that it was foolish of the Fourth to have faith in the village. Immediately after I was sealed, the council voted in favor of killing you. Thanks to the Third, you were spared. Since that day, there were numerous attempts on your life. You do not remember most of them. At first, they tried poison, but due to my presence, it was not a problem. Then they sent assassins, but they were stopped in time. And then, there were the beatings from the villagers. I am at the end of my ropes, kit. I am sick and tired of healing your broken, malnourished body over and over again."

Naruto nodded dumbly. "Why are you helping me?"

"If you die, I die."

"You said that no mortal can kill you," said Naruto suspiciously.

"Ah, yes. If you are killed, I will ... disappear from this ... world. I'd rather stay here imprisoned than go back."

"Back where?"

"It doesn't matter, kit. It is enough if you understand that I want you to be as healthy and strong as possible."

"Okay."

"I am willing to make a deal with you. I will teach you to the best of my abilities. I will willingly give you part of my power. I will help you accomplish your dreams. All I want in exchange are some creature comforts in this dank cell. I am also able to experience what you feel, through your senses; that is, if you allow it. I want to experience the world outside once in a while and I want to be indulged from time to time."

"I'm not going to kill for you," shouted Naruto horrified.

"Foolish kit, what need do I have for blood? Are you as foolish as those villagers? I am talking about food, relaxing, a massage or something, running through the forest ... simple ... pleasures of the flesh, maybe reading a nice book. As it is now, I am dieing of boredom. What few things I can perceive through your senses is quite unpleasant. You did not have a nice life. I want you to allow opening the connection between us more. This way, I will be able to perfectly feel what you feel. Just think about it. You do not need to decide now."

"Okay, I'll think about it. But first, I have some questions." Naruto thought that what she asked was not too much. He was actually surprised she didn't ask for more.

"Go ahead, kit. Ask me anything. I may not answer some questions, but I promise you this - I will never lie to you."

"Why did you attack the village?"

"Actually, they attacked first. I was in a long sleep and they attacked me while sleeping. I retaliated in kind."

"But did you have to keep it up? From what I know from the academy, you had days until you reached the village. Why did you continue the attack?"

"Foolish kit, I am a great demon. They dared to attack me in my den. I only retaliated. As you said, they knew I was coming here. They had enough time to flee. Had they done that, I would have done a little property damage and left. But they dared to attack me again. Do you think I needed days to travel to Konoha? I could have done it in hours. Greater Daemons are supposed to be viewed as natural disasters, but they dared to stand in my way ... and I was foolish and got myself in this situation."

Naruto thought for a while, thinking carefully over Kyuubi's words. If what she says is true, then she is not as bad as I thought. True, she is not a paradigm of innocence, but she is one of the few people to treat me with kindness. And she appears not to lie, unlike the old man.

"You said that the village council tried to kill you and that people tried to kill me. How do you know that?"

"I can experience what you experience, though it is very faint. That is why I said I wanted the connection between us to be more powerful. I'll be able to fully feel what you feel. And I'll be able to talk to you while you are awake.

"If I accept this ... bargain, how can I be sure you will not betray me somehow?"

"That's a good question. You may not know it, but if a daemon swears something, he can not go back on his word."

"Again," he said suspiciously, "what guarantee do I have? You could be lying."

"You will just have to take my word for it. I am afraid I have no way to prove it, kit."

"Fair enough," Naruto sighed. "I suppose I'll have to accept this. What about our deal? What do we each get from it? You said you would teach me. Do you know any cool jutsu?" he asked excitedly.

"I know many things, but human jutsu is not amongst them. I have never needed it..."

Naruto looked crestfallen.

"Don't worry kit. I only said I am unfamiliar with human jutsu. I am not without knowledge. I actually know one ... it is very useful, actually. It will prove invaluable in our training."

Naruto's eyes begun to shine. "What ..."

"I'll teach it to you later," she cut him. "There are other things more important. Tell me Naruto, How well can you read?"

Naruto reddened and looked down shamefaced. "I'm not that good."

"Don't worry; this is the first thing we will correct. You should have learned by now, but your teachers tried to sabotage you. It's a wonder you are not even more of a babbling idiot."

"Hey ..." At the glare he received from the Kyuubi, he sighed. "You're right. I'm not the smartest person around."

"That's because they didn't educate you. Don't worry; I will correct your deficiencies. I intend to have a strong, intelligent container."

"Thanks, Kyuubi-san."

"Don't mention it, kit. Even though I am not familiar to human jutsu, I understand the theory quite well. You could say that I am as knowledgeable as the Hokage. And I'll be your private instructor."

Naruto beamed in happiness. I'll finally have someone to teach me, he thought.

"I will freely share part of my power and I'll help you fulfill your dreams. I will protect you to the best of my abilities and I won't do anything to harm your friends. What I ask in return is rather minor for you to give. As I said, since this is your mind, I want you to ... redecorate this place in a suitable manner. A sewer is not my idea of a home. I also want you to let me access your senses more and I want you to indulge me from time to time. As I said, nothing harmful, just pleasures of the flesh and mind."

Naruto nodded. "Okay."

"Another thing; if you accept this deal, it is possible that you will receive some of my demonic traits."

"What traits?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing too major: increased physical and mental abilities; enhanced senses. Also, it is possible that your appearance will change slightly."

"How?"

"I am not sure; you'll probably have claws, longer canines, red eyes, fox tail and ears."

"But won't people hate me more if my appearance changes?"

"They'll hate you no matter what. Think about the Inuzuka. They grow fangs and claws too. Is there anything wrong about it? Are they evil because of it?"

"No, of course not."

"Are you going to become a bloodthirsty monster just because of a few physical changes?"

"No. But they'll think ..."

"Who cares what they think," interrupted Kyuubi. "Should you really care what small-minded, bigoted people think?"

"No, but..."

"If you saw a child with claws, fangs and a tail, would you consider him a monster? Or would you treat him normally." Kyuubi left Naruto think for a few moments before continuing. "You see ... one day you'll find someone that will see you for yourself, that person will truly be your friend. They'll care for you even if you are different."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. She's right, he thought. Why should I care what those bastards think?

"So, you accept?"

"Yes."

"Very well, we have a deal. One more thing ... I would suggest keeping this secret as much as possible, even from the Hokage. Tell him as little as possible."

"Why is that, Kyuubi-san?"

"He is the Hokage. I believe he has your best interest at heart, but his duty to the village comes first. If he thinks you are a danger because of me... I do not know what he will do."

"Okay, I'll trust you on this, Kyuubi-san. But if I change physically, he'll know something happened."

"Yes, eventually he'll figure it out, but not now. It will take some time until the change takes place. When that happens, tell him you met me and that you received the changes so that your body would be harder to harm."

Naruto nodded.

"When you wake up, if you want to talk to me, do not talk out loud. I will hear what you are thinking. If the villagers find out you are talking to me, who knows what they'll do."

Naruto nodded again. He finally observed red chakra flowing towards him, through the water. "What's this?"

"Our deal, kit. I am giving you a bit of my power and you are opening your senses to me. Beside an increase in your physical abilities and chakra capacity, your senses will be a few times better. We're about done here. It's time to wake up."

-x-x-x-

Naruto opened his eyes. Sitting in a chair beside the bet, the Hokage was looking tired.

"How long, old man?"

"Three days, Naruto. I'm sorry."

"You said the same thing last time."

"If there were something I could do, I would."

'Kit, I have an idea...'

Naruto looked blankly at the wall for a minute, listening to Kyuubi while ignoring the Hokage. "Maybe there is," Naruto finally said.

"Oh?"

"Did my mom have a house?"

"Why do you ask Naruto?"

"I want a house. I want a home where I can make sure I won't be killed by assassins. It doesn't matter if it's half-collapsed. I just want a place for myself."

Sarutobi thought for a few seconds. I should have done this sooner, he thought. This is the least I could do. "She did not, but if you want a house, it can be arranged. There is a property. It's a little out of the way and nobody lived there for more than twenty years. You'll have to work a bit if you want it livable."

"Thanks, old man."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Very well, Naruto. Wait a bit. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

-x-x-x-

Half an hour later, they were in front of a house in the middle of the forest.

"The property is quite large. You even have a small lake. The house is not in such a good condition..."

"Don't worry. It is perfect." interrupted Naruto. "Thanks, old man," said Naruto happily.

The Hokage pulled a scroll and gave it to Naruto. "Here, sign this."

Naruto signed and started to give it back.

Sarutobi shook his head. "No. It's yours now. The scroll represents the deed for the house and property." He then gave a bag to Naruto. "This is for the house. Repairing the house won't be cheap. Come to my office if you need anything else," said the old man to the shocked Naruto before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

'Well, this went well,' said Kyuubi. 'We have a house and money. Let's go shopping.'

Shopping, he thought depressed.

'I know you don't like it. And I know why. That is why you'll transform into someone else. This way, they won't overprice us or give up bad goods.'

'Huh, why didn't I do this until now? You're the best Kyuubi-san.'

'I know. Now, let's go.'

Naruto transformed into a nondescript brown-haired boy and went to one of the better shinobi store.

-x-x-x-

"Oh, hello, how may I help you?" asked the store owner.

He's so polite, thought Naruto as he entered the store. Last time I came here, he threw me out. "I want some clothes and equipment."

Naruto wandered through the store, letting Kyuubi check the clothes.

Finally, Kyuubi decided on a black ANBU uniform. 'This is the best, kit. It's comfortable, gives good protection and it would look good on you.'

Nodding, Naruto dressed in one of the uniforms, and took three more spares.

'We'll need a mask,' said Kyuubi. Looking in the masks sections, Naruto's eyes fixed on a black mask. Unlike most ANBU masks that depicted an animal, this one was a blank human face. It did not have an smiling expression, nor a frowning one. It was just blank. 'This one, kit.'

Naruto put the mask to his face, but he din not have any way to make the mask stay on his face. There was no clasp; nothing.

'Channel some chakra into it,' said Kyuubi.

Naruto did so and the mask suddenly stayed put; it was as if it was glued to his face. Opening his eyes, Naruto smiled. 'Wow, I can see through it as if it is transparent.'

'Of course, kit. If they weren't, ANBU masks would deteriorate vision. If that were so, nobody would wear them. Since they are transparent, they do not impede vision; they make you anonymous and give a small measure of protection.'

After taking some shuriken and kunai, Naruto paid and left back to his new home.

'I paid half of what I would have paid if I were in my true form.'

'Yes kit. And you have always bought low quality for premium prices. Well this stops now. I won't let them take advantage of us again.'

'Thank you, Kyuubi-chan.'

'You're welcome, kit,' she responded in a gentle tone.

-x-x-x-

Back at his home, Naruto, in his black uniform was inspecting the house. "Kyuubi-chan, this is going to be a nightmare. It'll take weeks to repair the house."

'No it won't. It's time for me to teach you the technique I told you about.'

'Really? What is it?' asked Naruto excitedly.

'Shadow Clone Technique.'

'Shadow Clone? I'm not that good at clones,' said Naruto in a disappointed tone.

'Of course you aren't. You have too much chakra and too little control. The reason you can't do a normal clone is that it requires so little chakra, so that with your flimsy control, it's impossible. However, the Shadow Clone Technique is within your capabilities. It requires a large amount of chakra, so you should be able to do it. Unlike the regular Clone, a Shadow Clone can fight and think for itself. It's not just an illusion, it creates real clones. The power and chakra is evenly divided among the clones. However it will dissipate at one hit.'

One hour later, under Kyuubi's tutelage, Naruto managed to make a Shadow Clone.

'Very good kit. Now, tell your clone to scout our surroundings, and then dispel it after five minutes.'

'Done,' said Naruto.

'Well?'

'What?' he asked.

'What is strange about this technique? What did your clone learn?'

'He scouted around ...'

'And how do you know that?'

'I remember ...'

'You remember what?' prompted Kyuubi.

'I remember what it did ... but how do I know that. I was here ...'

'Very good, kit. You see, when one of your shadow cloned is dispelled, the memories, skills and knowledge it gathered return to you. Do you know what this means?'

'What?'

'It means you can make multiple shadow clones and put them to practice, learn or work. Whatever they learn, you'll know. It's the perfect method for training.'

'Cool, you're the best Kyuubi-chan.'

'I know, kit. Now, make some clones.'

About fifty shadow clones poofed into existence.

'Give one of the clones some money and tell it to buy some food. And by food, I mean healthy food, not ramen. Is that understood? The rest of them, tell them to clean the house.'

Naruto did as he was told. 'And me?'

'You, start on physical training.'

-x-x-x-

The next day, Naruto woke up refreshed. He created two shadow clones to make breakfast while he took a shower.

'So, what's the plan for today?' asked Naruto after he finished eating his first healthy breakfast.

'Make fifty clones. Send forty clones to the public library. Have them transform into someone else. For the next ten days, their job is to improve your reading skills. Since no one will recognize them, they won't be thrown out, like they usually do when you go there. The other ten are to transform into shinobi and enter the genin library. They are to find some exercises for chakra control.'

'And what do I do?'

'What do you think? Physical exercises until you are exhausted.'

Naruto trained for a few hours, ate and trained some more.

'That's enough, kit. Dispel your clones ...'

A wave of knowledge rushed into Naruto's brain. Finally, blessed unconsciousness came.'

-x-x-x-

The next day...

'What was that?' groaned Naruto.

'That, kit was too much information. You'll get used to it. If you were a normal human, the influx of information would have melted your brain.'

'Melted ... my brain?' he asked weakly.

'Yes, but we share a mental link. The information you gather from your clones ... I see it too. Thanks to my awesome mind and the power I gave you, I can sort that information in no time and without harming you.'

'My head is killing me.'

'I need to practice more, that's all. Sorting the memories of a few dozen is not as easy as you think.'

'Okay, so what do I do today?'

'Make as many clones as you can.'

"Shadow Clone Technique." Three hundred clones appeared in puffs of smoke.

'Forty clones to the public library. Ten clones to the genin library; have them poke around. The rest 250, have them try that tree-walking exercise. You get a shower and then eat. After that, physical training.'

At the end of the day, Naruto dispelled the clones that were training. He barely felt the backlash. 'Kyuubi-chan?'

'Since the information we got now is more about ... a skill and instinct ... and not about knowledge, it is much easier to sort. Now, try to climb a tree.'

Naruto walked to a tree and walked horizontally on its trunk. He walked up and down without falling. 'Wow, my clones barely managed to walk halfway and I can walk perfectly.'

'Yes, their partial skill combined into a collective ... average skill.'

'There is something I don't understand Kyuubi-chan. I made 250 clones. They managed to climb half-way. But aren't they the same? Since they all performed the same exercise, shouldn't they gain the exact same skill? I mean if the skill gained by a clone is the same one that was gained by the rest, shouldn't the combined skill be the same as the skill of any clone?'

'Ah, that is a good question, kit. You see, when the clones are formed, they are all the same. However, each of them trains on a different tree. They think in a similar manner at first, but as time passes, they become more and more different. The mind is a very complicated thing. One very small change can alter our way of thinking in a huge way. It's called the butterfly effect.'

'Okay, I kind of understand. Each clone learns different things and when they are dispelled, we combine them.'

'Yes, also, do you know how you learn a skill like tree walking? Let's put it this way - You gather a lot of data. About how much chakra you use and the way you use it in a certain case. Our mind takes all that data and creates rules. It is like a mathematic equation. The more data you have, the better. That is why it doesn't really matter if you are doing the same exercise. Do you understand?'

'I think I do.'

'Good, now let's eat before dispelling the clones from the libraries.'

-x-x-x-

'What are we going to do today, Kyuubi-chan?' asked Naruto after he created 300 clones.

'Fifty clones to the library, one hundred clones for the tree walking exercise, the rest will do the water walking exercise. And you ...'

'Yes I know. Physical exercises.'

-x-x-x-

'What are we going to do today, Kyuubi-chan?' asked Naruto after he created 300 clones.

'Fifty clones to the library, fifty clones for the tree walking exercise, fifty clones for the water walking exercise and the rest will do the leaf floating exercise. And you ...'

-x-x-x-

'What are we going to do today, Kyuubi-chan?' asked Naruto after he created 300 clones.

'Fifty clones to the library. The rest, chakra training.'

'But I can already do that, Kyuubi-chan'

'Yes I know, kit. However, your chakra control still needs work. After you mastered these three exercises perfectly, we'll do something a little harder.'

-x-x-x-

One week later, Kyuubi pronounced Naruto as average on his reading skills.

'Create four hundred clones, kit.'

Naruto did as he was told and awaited further instructions.

'Now, fifty clones to the public library.'

'Again,' he wined. 'I thought I was done with that.'

'You thought wrong, kit. Now, as I was saying, fifty clones to the public library. They are to read books that would help us if we wanted to take a job. For example, books on cooking, constructions, hunting or any other job you can possibly think about.'

'Okay.'

'Fifty clones are to go to the genin library. They are to start reading. They'll start with the academy textbooks and the basics. The rest of the clones are to continue on their chakra control. However this time we'll have a different exercise.'

Naruto nodded with determination.

'The first group will run from tree to tree, using their feet or hands to stick to the trees. At the same time, they are to do the leaf exercise. The second group is to run on the lake on their feet and hands while doing the leaf exercise. The third group is to use their chakra control to swim through the lake, without moving their hands and feet.

-x-x-x-

One week later.

'Okay kit, today I am going to teach you a new technique: Solid Shadow Clone. With this, you'll be able to make a clone that can absorb a little damage. It is much more resistant than the normal Shadow Clone, but it consumes more chakra.'

'Cool. Uh, Kyuubi-chan? I wanted to ask you ... why do you know this technique?'

'Well, you know about summoning, don't you?'

'Yes?' he responded perplexed.

'Well, when you summon something, you give your chakra to make a shadow clone from the summoned animal. He provides the consciousness, but you provide the chakra. Similar to a Solid Clone, a summoning can take a bit of damage, depending on how much chakra you pushed in the clone or summoning.'

'I see. But why are you teaching me this now?'

'Two reasons. First, it's good for combat. Second, I want you to create a few solid clones, transform them and get them to take a job.'

'Job? What kind of job?'

'Any job. Many jobs.'

'Why?'

'First reason - to earn money, we aren't exactly rich. Second reason - to gain civilian skills. And third - to gather information; they'll find out things; things that may be common knowledge, but we don't know; things that are known by relatively few people; or secrets known by only a few.

-x-x-x-

Author Notes: So, did you like it?

Please review and tell me what you think.

Published November 5 2008

-voider-

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