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Chapter 3

Chakra chains gleamed in the light provided by the crimson glow emanating off of the boy, shooting off in seemingly random directions, all managing to find purchase in one of the nearby oaks that had weathered things such as the Kyuubi attack. Just in time, too, because the limb underneath him snapped under the sheer presence of the blonde, only for him to jerk back up once he had fallen a few feet, the various sizes of constructs emanating from his back catching him. He hung in the middle of a slight clearing in the branches, lurking in the near-darkness like a giant radioactive spider.

Mizuki gasped, unable to connect this fearsome sight with the scared, confused little boy he had been about to kill. The class joke compared to this imposing giant? Though he was still short, the sheer aura of the child seemed to make him on par with the likes of Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara. The chakra being slung around the forest was no joke either, if he kept this up for more than a few minutes, it would have made Mizuki himself faint! Nevertheless, the Chunin's brain, still unable to compute the demon in front of him, charged recklessly, uttering a primal war cry, believing that, no matter the boost, his superior experience would allow him to pull through.

Normally, this thinking would be correct, unless the gap was just too large, or someone made a mistake... Said thoughts hadn't accounted for the King of the Freakin Bijuu. Essentially, Mizuki was screwed. His primal brain screamed at him to flee, but the madness brought on by Orochimaru's promises of power proved too strong for even instinct to trump. He dashed forward, Fuuma shuriken in one hand, prepped to throw, kunai in the other, ready to block any possible counterattack. He didn't believe the student in front of him could do anything, but training trumped all else, especially when instinctive.

Needless to say, he was completely and utterly destroyed. Extra chains sprouted from somewhere poised at all angles to defend or attack. And attack they seemed to choose. Half of the few that were conjured sprang forward, some poising to stab, others to eviscerate the pale-haired man. Mizuki, being a person who got by on pure luck in the Chunin exams, getting a bye for the first round, then proceeding to decimate a bleeding, tired opponent from Iwa. The chains slung bloody chunks around the clearing, but, in his Kyuubi-induced haze, Naruto didn't stop slinging his chains for several minutes until the Hokage managed to arrive.

Hiruzen and company stopped, once again shocked by the sheer chaos and destruction produced by the child. The Sandaime, accompanied by several ANBU, including the two who helped Naruto before, Neko and Inu, entered the decimated clearing, some of the newer ANBU falling to their knees in shock. Naruto hung limp, exhausted and unconscious, supported by only the few weak-looking chains that were left. It looked like a tornado had hit.

Trees were knocked over, limbs cut off, the scars burned into the great, ancient trees, by the Kyuubi's corrosive chakra, but most of all, the gore spread over meters, specks of what was left of Mizuki reaching trees hundreds of feet away, comepletely and utterly unrecognizable. The largest part was a barely recognizable ear. Nothing to betray the presence of a human being.

"Sweet Kami..." the new ANBU uttered, forgetting to be scared in the face of the undeniable truth: If someone was on Uzumaki Naruto's bad side... They didn't stay there for long. In fact, they wouldn't stay anywhere except for their graves.

One Week Later

Naruto yawned after a good night's rest, having been trained for most of the day... and the past five before that. He smacked his lips, eager for some breakfast that wasn't ramen. Say what you will about the food, it was Kami's gift to Mortals, but he could only have it so often. The only real reason he had it so much was that the Ichiraku family was the only positive human contact he had received before he really started talking to his Jiji. It was also damn cheap. With his measly orphan's stipend, he didn't really have enough to last a month. That was assuming that the lady that gives it out bothered to allow it to find him. It usually got lost in her pockets.

That didn't even start to cover the prices stores charged him. Often charging two or even three times the price for a simple meal left his wallet empty. That was why he couldn't find any clothes worth wearing. He loved his jumpsuit, or at least his past self did, (The more idiotic of the two, he told himself) but had he even wanted to, he couldn't afford more than rags, a single set of clothing to him was at least a months income, if not more.

He wouldn't have to worry about that soon, however, now that he had his inheritance...

Flashback- The Night of Mizuki's Betrayal

He woke up on the small couch just outside of the Hokage's office, under the none-too-happy gaze of the chunnin secretary, who usually masked his distaste for him while under the watch of the Hokage. The brunette man jerked his head shortly to direct Naruto to the office in which he presumed his Jiji was waiting. He got up, joints creaking in protest, stretching as he did. He entered the office quietly, head aflame with a ringing headache. His eyes snapped wide.

"Fuck!" Was the first word out of his mouth in his true personality.

"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" His grandfather-figure asked tentatively, not sure how he would react to his presence. He had spent close to a decade locked away essentially. He, and the other ANBU that bothered to give a shit about Naruto, were quite concerned about how Mizuki's none-too gentle awakening of the truth would affect his psyche. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto scowled, the events of the sealing clear to him. What else could have happened? He was confused, sure, but he wasn't an idiot... Not anymore at least. Seriously, what the hell had his counter-part been thinking? Wearing a kill-me-now jumpsuit? As a ninja? Who was supposed to be discreet and stealthy, not attention-seeking and loud. "Nothing Jiji... just questioning my former self's intelligence and quite frankly, sanity. Kuso!" He finally swore, the events of the night catching up to him. Uzumaki clan. The words stuck out like a gunshot to him. Attention seeking he may not be anymore, but he was still lonely.

The others present in the room were quite concerned with him now. Random cursing wasn't a good sign. "Are you alright Naruto-kun? You don't seem like it..." He tried again. The others were about to join in, when Naruto's formerly bowed head snapped up, eyes slitted once again, thought the same cerulean color as before. The ninja went on guard, the hidden ANBU discreetly drew kunai, or began hand signs in preparation for an attack. Hiruzen himself stayed still throughout the tenseness, believing in his Grandson's ability to keep the Kyuubi under control.

"Uzumaki Clan?" Naruto spat. "Chakra Chains? You never thought to mention this? I have family out there and you never told me?" His voice crescendo'd until it was almost at shouting volume. All present flinched, barring the new ANBU who had no idea what he was talking about.

The color drained from Hiruzen's face, making him look far older than he was. Like a corpse, in fact. "So you took the test... I knew that was too dangerous to leave in there. Still, I never imagined-"

"That I would find about what I really am like this? A Jinchuriki? A part of the most powerful clan since the Senju and Uchiha of Hashirama's glory days?" His voice grew cold, frozen compared to the sunny rays the usually emanated from his mouth. "Who is my real father?" He asked, venom dripping from each of his words.

"ANBU!" The two hidden shinobi snapped into attention, coming to kneel before their lord. "Everyone leave but Inu." The three blurs left, leaving only the three, the Hokage, ANBU, and Jinchuriki standing in a triangle. The office had never been so tense since Jiraiya had announced the Kyuubi's release and sealing. "Kakashi. Take off your mask." The man did as bidden without question. It wasn't like Naruto hadn't seen him unmasked before. Hell, he used to throw a fit if he couldn't see his face before he was comfortable with him. To date, Naruto was the only one who knew what Kakashi really looked like, no matter what people tried.

"Your father, Naruto, told me not to tell you until you were Chuunin or capable to take care of yourself. I will disregard his rules, if only because of the limited experience I have had with the current you." He spoke softly, gazing about the beautiful sight that was the village of Konohagakure at night. "Your father..." He trailed off, in an uncertain voice. He twisted around, placing his palms firmly onto his giant mahogany desk, and looked Naruto in the eye. "Your father is Namikaze Minato, The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. He was brave, courageous and a damn good man." He finished in a sure tone of voice.

Naruto and Kakashi gasped in unison. One in shock, the other in outrage. "WHA-" "The Hel-"

"Silence!" The aged man ordered, wanting to stall this catastrophe before it got any worse. "Both of you sit down, shut up, and let me explain. There is a lot to talk about before you draw conclusions, so let me finish." They obeyed, although a small bit more hesitant than before. "Minato, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, wanted none to hear about this for two reasons. One, they didn't want you to get a swelled head, like so many other children of important figures get. They are powerful, important, but humble. They were good people and the world is worse for it now that they are dead. The second reason is one you likely have guessed, Kakashi. Iwa hates any reminder of their defeat... no. Slaughter at the hands of Minato. They would send their entire ANBU division after you the minute they learned of your existence. It is up to you to form your own opinions now."

Silence reigned in the room for a stretch of time, both occupants that were not privy to this fact absorbing the earth-shattering revelation presented to them. Kakashi, having had his suspicions from the get go, recovered first, and acted appropriately, AKA thoughtfully. "Sensei and Kushina wouldn't have acted without reason. I apologize for my rash actions Hokage-sama. I just regret not drawing the conclusion sooner. If I could have done more..."

The oldest of the trio smiled the familiar expression relaxing Kakashi further into the silence. Both sets of eyes turned towards the youngest in the room, awaiting the reaction of the one this concerned most. He took a few minutes longer to absorb this. Unknown to the other two, in reality, he was conversing with Kurama.

Mindscape

Naruto, once again having found himself surrounded in the shin height water, having grown a few feet since he last set foot in here, opened his eyes. He was quite disappointed with what he saw, his mind having reverted it to a sewer after his retention into his idiotic self. He made to remedy this, but stopped, realizing that he could not see the King of the Bijuu. He could sense him, dully, but how could he not? Even one who neglected literally every form of training he could, in favor of pranks, could feel something that massive. He quickly strode in the direction he believed would bring him to meet the Kyuubi again, managing to get lost in the far more complex pathways of his mind, since the scrambling his psyche took with the sealing and subsequent revealing by Mizuki, which was quite unexpected and damaging. He slapped his head, cursing the day he was sent to his former self.

This was his mind. If he could change it how he wanted, why the hell hadn't he just willed himself to the Kyuubi?! After allowing himself a few moments to sulk, he closed his eyes, focused on what he remembered of the Kyuubi's prison, and entered the room. He stalled, once again marveling at the massive gate, the massive eyes behind the bars, and the massive amount of FUCKING SEWER WATER. He isn't salty. He doesn't know what you're talking about.

As the gigantic being stepped further into the light, his full presence completely felt throughout the room, his orange fur, and strange, human-like limbs brought out into the open, he gave a fanged grin. "Glad you're back, kit, it was annoying with... It... in charge." He spat in disgust. Really, how much of an idiot could the blonde baka be? He hated watching his mind degrade, after all, this is the one ningen who had impressed him.

"Glad to be back, Kurama. That is your name, isn't it?" The blonde agreed, accepting the sharp jerk of the Kyuubi's head as a 'Yes.' Quickly getting back to his first objective, he quickly closed his eyes in concentration, Kurama falling silent, because it was quite obvious what he was about to do. He hadn't censored his thoughts when he first came in, after all. The blonde quickly formulated a scene in his mind, opting for a bit more grand of scenery. He couldn't get rid of the idiotic part of himself after all. When he opened his eyes, it was to a scene not out of place in a tapestry or painting. Great rolling hills surrounded the large clearing where he and the Kyuubi stood. The latter was no longer in a cage, but simply had a light marking around his neck, much like a collar, though the blonde was smart enough (at least now) not to put something so demeaning over the King of the Bijuu. It was worse that suicide.

"Much better," he sighed, once again content with the shape of his mindscape, being one of great nature, beauty, and serenity. The hills and clearing were surrounded by a massive forest, full of small creatures, bugs, and other assorted wildlife. While a teenager, heck, an adult could usually never conjure something of this magnitude and detail, not without a few years' practice at least, but Naruto, as ever, was an exception. He always seemed to be didn't he?

After allowing himself a few moments of peace, he quickly turned to face the giant fox standing near him. "Now that that's sorted out, mind explaining what exactly happened while I was gone? I haven't exactly had a chance to assimilate myself into... myself..." He trailed off awkwardly. "I remember waking up to be in here, after the attack, and then conversing with Jiji... But then nothing until I woke up my idiotic self in Jiji's office."

"To put it simply, you regressed into an idiot... Who never bothered to train except for pranks, which may be counted as stealth and/or trapping... you also ate nothing but ramen. You really need to get your shit together, kit." The giant beast gave a harsh, but accurate, summary of the actions he had done over the past eight years. Naruto winced, once again reminded of his mistakes.

"Fuck." He stated simply. He was brought back to reality when the Kyuubi, eying him warily, asked "What do you think about the Yondaime? That ningen, however much I hate him, is one of the only ones to earn my respect."

"If I see him, I'm sucker punching him in the face. I don't hate him, just his goddamned naivety in believing in the shit villagers." Naruto finished resolutely, having made up his mind a long time ago. The deceased Hokage being his father didn't change much, except for the fact that he knew why he had blonde hair and blue eyes. He wanted to meet the man, being deprived of any sort of family would do that to a person, but that didn't mean he would automagically love him like a father. No, if he ever meets him, then he would have to earn his respect and love. "I don't suppose you have any sort of memories of him that you could share?" He asked, hoping he could gauge what sort of man he was.

"No, unless you want to see your birth from my perspective... Or how I killed your parents. I am sorry about that by the way, I wasn't in my right mind..." He trailed off, muttering about 'damned Uchiha' and 'accursed eye.' The Kyuubi, not being one to fully apologize, or admit that he was completely in the wrong, wasn't going to get all lovey dovey with his container, nor would he roll over like a dog. He'd make this as comfortable as possible, Naruto did have the power to make his life a living hell, having amazing control over his mindscape after all. In fact, the only one he had ever seen with such control was Hagoromo-Jiji... No. There's no way he could be... Was he the one Jiji had talked about? He had already surprised him, in fact, he was the only one that had ever shown an amount of respect for the Bijuu, having not treated them like mindless beasts, or living weapons.

"No, that's quite alright." Naruto waved his hands frantically around in front of him, a slightly pale look on his face. Desensitized to violence, blood, gore, and pain? Yes. Desensitized to something like his own birth? His parent's death, though he had never met them, nor felt any sort of love for them? No. The Kyuubi only grinned in response, before snapping back to the reason why he called his Jinchuriki there. Didn't know he could do that? He could, just didn't feel like it, or didn't want to deal with the idiocy that was Naruto for the past few years.

"The reason I called you here, was to bring something to your attention. You are weak. Frightfully so." The Kyuubi announced as Naruto scowled, not denying it, just not happy with the blunt way his containee had expressed it. "I know... But what should I do? I hardly remember any of the lessons, mostly because I slept through them..." He muttered, before he was interrupted by Kurama, "I will help you train, ningen. I have had no need for the paltry jutsu your kind favors. They are essentially useless for me. Any jutsu I would attempt would blow up in my face, or be so powerful I would get no satisfaction from the fight. So, while I do not know any jutsu, I can, however, help you with the basics, where you would have to start anyway..."

"That is... agreeable." Naruto stated, considering the overwhelming benefits of having a Demon Lord helping him out. "But why would you help me? The sooner I die, the sooner you get freed." The blonde assessed after a few moments. "Because... Kamidammit I'm beginning to like you, kit." He growled out, shocking the blonde. "You are the most likeable, most respectable ningen I've heard of." He asserted, trying to convince himself that this was justified.

"Ummm... Thanks?" He said, not sure if that was a complement, considering his experiences with human kind. "We've gotten off track haven't we..." The demon in the room muttered. "Yes. Yes we have." The blonde replied. "I thank you for your offer and... What the Hell. I need the help. Thanks Kyu." He said, not noticing as the demon lord tripping over his feet... Until the giant crash echoed throughout the clearing. "What did you just call me?" Kurama asked, still too stunned to move from his laying-down position. "Kyu?" Naruto answered, utterly confused as to what the Bijuu was asking. "That... That was what the Rikudo Sennin called me." The shocked look from the Bijuu now made sense. Even Naruto had heard the legends about the legendary son of a god that people essentially worshiped.

"Oh." Naruto said in a small voice, not sure where he stood with the Kyuubi, so he was uncertain whether to press the point, or keep calling him that regardless. The Kyuubi was about to speak again when both flinched at a giant banging echoing throughout the mindscape. "Heh. Looks like we were in too long. Jiji's calling." The blonde chuckled at the interruption. "I'll... Ill see ya around Kyu." And with that, he quickly left the mindscape, leaving the beast to think it's final thoughts before it laid down to rest.

I guess he really is your successor, Jiji. Same nickname and everything.