Naruto's POV (Mindscape - Within Himself)
Naruto stared down at the cause of most of the grief in his life. The beast was massive. Most of its form was concealed by shadows, but it easily rivaled the size of Hokage Rock. The only part clear enough to make the detail of was one side of its head. It had lowered its head to properly glare at the blonde. Its large red eyes and pupil the size of him were worthy of awe. Its teeth and claws that were visible were huge and surely capable of cutting through buildings with ease. The beast should've inspired fear in the blonde. But the recent events had drained him; he felt utterly spent. As such, he merely looked back at the beast in annoyance. Besides, it surely couldn't harm him from within the seal.
"Why did you bring me here?" Naruto demanded.
"One wanted to personally gaze into the eyes of one's jailer. It seems thou have finally faced the truth of our fusion."
"What the hell does that mean? Why is everyone so convinced that being a jinchuriki is a terrible thing." Naruto argued. In truth, he had a suspicion of what it meant. Gaara had said something similar after all.
"It means our union isn't a natural occurrence, ye. They were sacrificed along with their mother to contain One's power. A living sacrifice used as a weapon. Our union is nothing short of an abomination." The Kyuubi responded dourly.
"Well, I didn't exactly ask for this." Naruto countered with a glower.
"You speak truthfully. Ones of ye never fail to burden others for oneself. Yet as all of those before have, Thy have not hesitated to use upon One's power. Thine is nothing more than a weapon. A parasite that seeps upon One's strength to achieve thine own selfish desires." The Kyuubi replied bitterly.
This stunned Naruto. While he had known, another was inside of him. He had figured it was a mindless beast focused wholly on destruction. His mother had described it as an evil, malevolent force. While Naruto could see how they had come to this conclusion, he noticed it seemed to not only be capable of complex thought but also to hold its own set of morals.
"I never thought of things that way…" Naruto thought simply.
"Thou never do, always focusing on their thine narrowed perspective. Tis' why you suffer so extensively as jinchuriki, cursed." The beast explained. "It's why you can only wield a small amount of thy power, and This One does its best to ensure you are limited."
"I see… Can we work something out?" Naruto asked plainly.
"What?" Kurama asked in the absurdity of the situation.
"Listen, my name is Naruto Uzumaki! I am a shinobi of the Leaf Village and future Hokage! Let's be friends!" Naruto said simply as he stood before the cage, smiling in place. He doubted the beast would accept it, but he needed to try. "What's your name?"
The Kyuubi was silently shocked. The blonde had approached it as an equal asking for friendship. It must've been a ploy to gain more of his power. As if a beast of his stature would be fooled.
"This One merely brought you here to inform you of your place. DO NOT presume to be my friend. This One hates all humans." The Kyuubi said simply as it was.
With this declaration, Naruto felt his vision darken, and he suddenly lost his footing, sinking into the water slowly. He looked back at the Kyuubi, who seemed surprised. "I'll show you I'm different," Naruto said confidently. "Maybe we can get along?"
"Ah, the behavior expected of one contracted to us." Both Naruto and the Kyuubi looked over to seal an odd sight. Before them was a small raccoon. "Excuse me for interrupting your heart-to-heart, as sweet as it was. But I must interfere with this attack on his character."
"You dare intrude-" The Kyuubi roared.
The raccoon held up a hand, and suddenly, he and Naruto seemed to fade away.
Naruto gasped as he suddenly shot up. He had collapsed on top of the head he was resting on. He rubbed his head, disoriented, and looked around before his eyes landed on the same raccoon he had seen in his head looming over him. Naruto screamed in shock and kicked back the raccoon in his surprise. He rolled to his feet, observing the raccoon that seemed to glare at him.
"Ouch, what was that for? I save you from big and grumpy, and you kick me? Maybe we were wrong." The raccoon complained.
Naruto blinked at the strange talking being. Did all animals secretly talk or something? The raccoon had dark brown fur that coated his body and a darker brown stripe wrapped around its midsection. Its face was a paler brown, making it stand out compared to the rest of its body. As if speaking wasn't confounding enough, the creature also wore clothing. A blue bandana was wrapped around its neck. The raccoon was so small the bandana hung off its back like a cape. It also wore a pair of working boots that shone inordinately bright.
"Of course not; we are a unique class of animals. We're closer to toads, snails, or monkeys. Though not wholly the same either. But I suppose we should get to business."
"Business?" Naruto asked, confused. He was worn out, which sounded like another problem to add to his growing list.
"My apologies; I got distracted by your powerful tenant. My name is Muri Okama. I come from the great Okama Clan, the mystical tanuki group. I am here to offer you a deal." The raccoon explained as a bag suddenly appeared next to it. It started to dig into the bag suddenly.
"What sort of deal?" Naruto asked tiredly. "I can't really afford to offer you much time."
"Yes, quite the busy man you are. I scanned your mind before showing myself. It seems the next month will be difficult, and the events following it will be even more so. You seem to require assistance. And it just so happens we could use some aid ourselves. It won't take any of your time. We recognize that it is a commodity for you. See, we were the contracted summons of the Uzumaki clan at once." Muri explained.
"You all were the summons of my clan?" Naruto asked, shocked. If so, he could learn even more of his heritage. His mother had always been somewhat in the dark. Having been sent off from a young age as part of the alliance of the Leaf and Uzumaki.
"Indeed, well to a degree anyway. See, after one of you aided us unknowingly, we aligned ourselves with you. But we are different from the type of people who work with many. We may only have one summoner at a time of our choosing. We have chosen you; you are the most suitable candidate."
"But why now? And why not someone like my mother? She's stronger than me and would probably be the best choice." Naruto asked with a frown.
The raccoon seemed to laugh at this, seemingly amused by his response.
"Well, to answer your question in order. For years, we have lacked a summoner. This is due to the last summoner of us going missing. After nearly fifty years of a lack of contact, the contract binding them was seen as void. We considered this a showing of the cost of having a summoner. As such, for years now, we have not chosen another one. It seems though another Uzumaki seeks our aid. We rejected him, of course. He lacked the characteristics we look for. Yet he does not intend to allow us to leave. He seeks to control us. He is a powerful and crafty man. Enough to where we fear he will eventually find a way to make us subservient through our summoning contract. As such, a decision was made. We needed a summoner to ensure he would not get his hands on the contract. We considered your mother as she is a full Uzumaki. But she does not fit the criteria either." Muri said.
"And I do?" Naruto asked, confused. This creature had been the voice he heard encouraging him. But Naruto needed clarification about why they wanted him.
"The best out of our current options, but yes. You are strong, brave, determined, kind, considerate. A man capable of great things, as well as a man who has not lost his humanity. Kushina, or your mother as you call her. It is, in many ways, fitting of a summoner. But she lacks ambition and patience. Ikam, the man intending to force our partnership, is murderous and manipulative. You are the only fitting choice." Muri stated plainly. "So we offer our contract. Remember that you will gain the aid of our kind and our teachings. But the enemy pursuing us will likely attempt to kill you. You may call us when you make up your mind. We will hear it wherever you may be." With its piece said, the raccoon formed a hand sign and disappeared.
"Wait! Did you just say Ikam?!" He started before it disappeared into smoke
Naruto was stunned into silence at this. Ikam was pursuing the raccoons for reasons Naruto could only guess at. It was clear he would one day get them as much of a threat as he was. He had sent Mizuki after him, saved Mizuki from arrest, attempted to kill his mother, and exposed his secret. It was easy to see that stopping a man like that from getting what he pleased would surely only be good.
He needed some advice. He needed a break. He needed his friends.