Chapter Text
Chapter Six
It was a chilly autumn day in October. The trees were an array of multiple colours of yellow, orange, red and brown. The wind was crisp and the smell of the cool season filled the woods.
Naruto sat on the grass of the woods. The soft blades of grass brushed against his thin legs. His journal was open in his lap and his pencil was flying across the page in quick efficient strokes. Naruto's face was tight in concentration and his blue eyes were thoughtful as he mapped out new techniques.
An enthusiastic greeting broke through the silence of the woods and the blond huffed under his breath in annoyance, pausing in his sketch. A shadow obscured the afternoon rays of the sun and he heard a familiar voice speak close to him.
"Oi kozō, is that a new deathly technique?" Shisui inquired as he crouched down next to him, eyeing his latest sketch with curious eyes.
Naruto huffed under his breath, turning back to his sketch, ignoring the exuberant shinobi.
Shisui took a seat next to him and made a thoughtful sound, eyeing the diagram with curious eyes.
"If that technique works, you can expel the precise amount of chakra and control all the strings at once... damn." Shisui whistled appreciatively.
"You have to let me see it." The shinobi commented.
The teen turned to his side and pulled out a basket that was obscured from view.
Naruto glanced over at the teen and frowned at the sight of a large basket in the arms of the shinobi. Shisui took multiple items out of the basket, laying down a thick blanket on the grass. He pulled out a significant number of packaged food and a decorated cake.
The nin rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a long box, wrapped tightly in black cloth. He held it out to the small boy with an impish grin. Naruto stared at him in confusion. The teenager huffed under his breath and shoved the package gently into the blond's arms.
"What?" Naruto questioned, staring down at the box.
"Aha always so suspicious kozō. I promise I come with only peaceful intentions today." The teen spoke.
He waved his hand towards the assortment of food - harumaki rolls, gyoza, onigiri, dango, moch i- and looked the boy in the eyes, leaning forward.
"Happy birthday Naruto-kun!" He spoke.
Naruto stared at him frozen, his eyes wide in shock. His birthday... He had a birthday?
"You should open your present." Shisui prodded him in the side.
A birthday?
The blond shook his head at the thought. Of course he had a birthday! He had forgotten about it. Today was his birthday. He was born in the month of October. He had no idea. He never celebrated it before, instead counting his age with every Shōgatsu festival happening in the New Year.
Naruto took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
"Open it."
Naruto slid onto the picnic towel and gazed at the box unsurely. He looked back at the teen who nodded at him in encouragement. He pulled at the silky cloth gently. He unwrapped the box and found a sealed wooden box. Naruto unclipped the lock and opened the box and his eyes widened in shock.
"I figured you'd want your own since you're always glancing at mine," the teen explained.
Naruto's hands slid into the box and he touched the dual swords gently. The blades were entirely black. Carvings of red flames stretched from the handles, deep swirls wrapped around the blades from the hilt to the top in an intricate pattern and ended in a small inferno of exploding fire.
They were beautiful.
They looked very expensive.
Naruto swallowed, his mouth felt dry.
"Do you like it?" Shisui asked.
Naruto nodded. Shisui smiled at his silent response.
"I got the two swords forged by my clan blacksmiths, they're the best in the village. These swords will not fail you kozō. Kenjutsu masters usually train with one sword but I noticed you always use both your hands for most of your techniques, chakra strings and all. So I figured you could manage two." He explained.
"As my protege, I expect great things kozō."
Naruto gazed at the teen silently for a long moment.
"Thank you."
He meant it.
"Thank you Shisui-san." He repeated quietly.
Shisui reached into the basket, pulling out cutlery and small plates. He cut the cake with a smile and handed the boy a generous serving. Naruto accepted the dessert hesitantly.
"I will need to think of something cooler to give you for your next birthday." He said with a chuckle.
Naruto's head snapped up in shock. Next birthday?
"We'll celebrate your next birthday and every birthday after that." He vowed, extending a hand to solidify the promise.
Naruto gazed at him in silence for a long moment before he nodded. An unfamiliar feeling of hope spread through him. He shook his friend’s callused hand, his tilting lips into a ghost of a smile. Shisui returned the smile in kind.
"We will celebrate many birthdays together kozō." He declared.
Uchiha Shisui did not keep his promise.
The boy trained alone in the woods for many months and Uchiha Shisui did not show up again. His birthday celebration was the last time he had seen the adolescent shinobi. Naruto grew uncharacteristically worried at the absence of the friendly Uchiha. The time they had spent together made him grow reluctantly fond of bright and amiable shinobi.
Shisui was incredibly carefree and his company offered him a rare sense of comfort and friendship. He had grown to care despite not wanting to. Uchiha Shisui had made a place for himself in his life.
Shisui had begun to feel like home .
Naruto felt scared.
His home often disappeared.
The boy raised his dual swords infusing them with chakra and swung at the trees in a wide arch. The bark split under the impact but the tree remained firmly rooted to the ground. His swings were still too weak. He huffed in exertion and lowered his katanas, gazing at the damage with a critical eye. He was steadily growing stronger with each day. He continued to perform adequately in the academy with no one aware of his physical capabilities and honed chakra manipulation skills.
Naruto kept the swords hidden in the woods and did not take them back to his apartment, worried that someone might steal them from him. He did not want those who surveilled him aware that he was knowledgeable in kenjutsu.
He really liked the dual swords. He cherished them greatly and took great care of them, polishing them and sharpening them every week, never wanting the blades to dull. They were his valued items - his most treasured possession.
The feeling of an unfamiliar presence behind him cut his thoughts off abruptly. Naruto whirled around and swung his blades towards the stranger. The teen stepped back from his attack, blocking his swords with a single kunai.
Naruto froze, seeing the familiar and unfamiliar features. The teen had dark hair; it was long and tied in a low ponytail and his eyes were onyx. The stranger was pale, dressed entirely in black attire and his eyes were pained.
Naruto gazed at the unfamiliar teen warily. He noted his dark clothing and tired expression, his dark eyes resigned and weary. His quick movement and finesse in blocking his attack spoke of his occupation as a seasoned shinobi even though he was not dressed to fight.
The blond's eyes gazed silently at his outfit. A silence filtered through his mind as a feeling of trepidation began to grow in the pit of his stomach. He knew those clothes. The dark long black kimono with no designs or patterns were specifically worn in funerals . Naruto took in the solemn gaze of the shinobi.
It was the appearance of a mourner.
Naruto's breath hitched as he took in the teen's facial features critically. He was pale, with delicate regal features and his eyes were familiar in their dark colour. Naruto could recognize the family resemblance immediately.
He was an Uchiha.
Naruto took a step back.
Shisui !
It had been months. He knew. He knew why the other Uchiha was here. He felt his eyes grow wet and his breathing grew uneven.
It became difficult to breathe. He saw the Uchiha's eyes slide to the blades held in his hands and his expression hardened. The blades slipped from Naruto's grip at the silent confirmation.
Uchiha Shisui was gone.
Naruto felt small tremors overtake his body. He latched onto his shirt tightly.
It hurt.
His vision grew spotty and he closed his eyes tightly. He needed to remain lucid. He wanted to know the reasons. He wanted to gain information but he was losing control of his faculties. He heard the Uchiha speak but his voice was distant, a far away echo. His words were unclear due to the dissonance of sounds warping in his incoherent mind.
His mind raced.
A dreaded statement filtered through the spoken words from the pale teen.
I'm sorry.
Naruto shook his head against the words, refusing to acknowledge them. What good was an apology?
He had no use for empty words.
An apology was the Hokage ignoring his sufferings and offering those flimsy words as comfort instead of changing his situation. I'm sorry. An apology was everyone around him ignoring the abuse from the villagers. I'm sorry. An apology was his less hostile peers ignoring their academy teachers and fellow classmates signaling him out unfairly again and again in attempts to humiliate him and demean him. I'm sorry. An apology was the Uchiha standing before him telling him that the only person he grew to care for was gone. I'm sorry. What good were apologies? What good were they?!
He hated them.
I'm sorry.
Naruto glared at the Uchiha, his blue eyes angry. His tremors grew stronger as the reality of the situation set in.
Uchiha Shisui was gone.
The Uchiha spoke softly. His words were unclear and distant but Naruto grasped onto them desperately. He shook his head in disbelief and anger, glaring ahead at the pale teen. The teen responded with a resigned sigh and turned around, leaping to the trees and leaving him alone.
Naruto slipped down to his knees, his fists curled into the wet grass. The skies began to rumble and thunder. A storm began approaching. The rain fell down on his body, drenching him.
Naruto remained rooted to his spot.
Suicide.
His stomach heaved its empty contents and nothing came out as he retched and trembled. He laid his head on the wet grass and closed his eyes tightly, slamming his fists against the ground.
The anger began building up inside him, trying to take over and wrestling with his grief. Naruto heaved again and again, gasping and clutching onto his chest as he tried to will himself to calm down but he couldn't.
Uchiha Shisui had killed himself.
Shisui had been larger than life with big dreams of peace and a great appreciation for living . He was akin to a bright star in a dark sky. He was the only light in his cold and dark existence. The light was snuffed out so early - too early - and it made no sense at all.
Shisui had promised him more celebrated birthdays, shared his hopeful dreams of creating a peaceful world in a quiet evening where they both rested on the grass of the woods, staring out at the large expansive skies. Shisui's dark eyes had been so bright and hopeful as he gazed up at the twinkling stars.
I dream of peace kozō. I want to create a world that you can grow to love one day. A world where children are not hurting and a world where children are not alone in their sorrow.
One day kozō, I will show you such a world.
Naruto gasped as the memories raced by him, memories of his training sessions, memories of his time with the only person he cared for. An outstretched offer of dango, a fond hair ruffle, a wild maniacal grin, two dark eyes bleeding into an ominous sharingan, an exuberant cheer and a proud, fond gaze and a bright laugh that rang through the quiet woods.
Kozō!
Food tastes better when you eat it together.
The great Shisui is here!
Happy Birthday kozō!
As my protege, I expect great things kozō.
Naruto groaned. The warm memories raced through his mind, fleeting and moving fast, leaving him behind.
Naruto shook his head, wiping his tears as his anger took over. It wasn't right. Something was off. Uchiha Shisui would never kill himself. Uchiha Shisui was not suicidal. It wasn't right. It wasn't like him.
Someone did this.
Someone drove Uchiha Shisui over the edge, someone who was stronger than Shunshin no Shisui. Someone more powerful and capable enough to touch the revered Uchiha prodigy was responsible for this. Someone with enough influence to murder an Uchiha and get away with it.
There was a sinister and vile undercurrent behind this tragedy.
Naruto screamed at the village who took away his only friend. Red hot chakra pulsed forward from his body, rising in hot waves.
His eyes shifted to a deep red. He felt a deep part of himself crack within him, a part that would never be repaired again. Naruto felt a snap inside him - Shisui had become his home - His home was gone with the departure of the teen. He felt his last tie to the village snap like a string, loudly broken. He had no desire to remain in a place where his family was gone. The desire manifested itself - sudden and overpowering - the desire to leave the village of Konohagakure for good.
The red chakra surfaced rapidly as the boy continued crying in the rain.
The pained screams cloaked the entirety of the woods and spread, spread, spread . The chakra exploded from him, pulsing through the entire vicinity and shrouded the entire village of Konoha in a terrifying bout of anger.
Naruto slipped into a state of unconsciousness and his body hit the ground.
The boy’s eyes opened tiredly and he gazed around in confusion. Naruto lifted himself from the wet ground shakily. The sound of dripping resonated around him and created a vague sense of familiarity.
Drip, drip, drip.
Naruto stood up warily and gazed around. He was back. He recognized the wet and dank space. His breath hitched in alarm. It was not a dream. In his rage, he had fallen into darkness and occupied another space. Naruto released a broken groan as he remembered the death of his best friend.
He pressed his hands to his mouth roughly, digging into his skin harshly. He clenched his wet eyes shut, taking long breaths against the choking sensation of loss. Naruto lifted his wet gaze and looked down the long, dark pathway. His face hardened in grim determination and he stalked forward quickly. His small steps created loud splashes as he ran ahead.
Naruto raced forward and he stepped towards the bars desperately and stared up at the massive creature in the cage.
The creature was real - it wasn’t a dream. He could feel the heat emanating from beyond the bars.
"Speak to me," he spoke glaring at the caged fox. "What are you?"
The fox stepped forward. Its miasmic energy was foul. Naruto gritted his teeth at the overwhelming power coming from the cage, refusing to move back as the monster neared closer, peering down at him with vehement crimson eyes. It opened its large maw menacingly, its breath hot and searing as it gazed down at him in pure hatred.
"Go back, human." It ordered in a grainy sound.
Naruto shook his head resolutely.
"No."
The fox glared down at him hatefully, its teeth razor sharp and expression feral.
"No one gives me any answers." Naruto whispered.
"I'm hated by this village and I…I…am ordered to fight for it.." He spat. "I'm forced to serve and become a shinobi to this village that hates me."
The fox's eyes appeared intrigued as it gazed down at him with sentient intelligence.
"You... are hateful. You carry lots of pain." It spoke slowly.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "I am. I have no love for Konohagakure. The only person I cared for is now gone.”
“I…” He felt the tears fall. “I had a home… with him. Shisui was my home but…but now my home is gone.” He whispered. “I have nothing left.”
The fox gazed at him with dark, crimson eyes. It moved closer, eyeing him thoughtfully.
"Tell me human. What is your goal?"
Naruto felt his mind spin. What was his goal? What did he want? He hadn’t given it much thought. To uncover the truth of his best friend’s suicide? Naruto shook his head. It didn’t matter. Shinobi were known for hiding the truth. The truth would not bring his best friend back.
Naruto thought of the birds in the sky, flying away. He had watched them for years, since he opened his eyes and hadn’t given it much thought. Naruto laughed wetly as the realization sunk in.
Deep down he had always known.
He wanted to leave - to be free.
Naruto raised his head, his cerulean eyes determined. "To be free."
The fox narrowed its eyes at his words, snarling deeply, its growls guttural and enraged.
"You wish to be free? Foolish human!" It growled in rage as its miasmic energy shoved him down to his knees.
Naruto grunted under the oppressive power but kept his head leveled, gazing up at the fox and refusing to back down. The fox paced its large cell, its nine tails swished and slammed against the metal bars in a fit of rage.
"Foolish human! You are free! Do you not wander freely?! Do you not move freely?! You are not CAGED!" It bellowed fiercely, the bars shaking at the deafening sound.
Naruto grit his teeth at the painful volume of the enraged bellows. He glared up at it. His grew expression livid. Freedom?! The fox thought he was free? He was not free at all!
“I am not free!" He spat angrily, struggling to get up to his feet.
He growled in anger as the fox released more malicious energy that kept him pinned to the ground. Naruto lifted his head with great difficulty and glared at the massive and ancient beast.
"There is no freedom in being a shinobi!” The boy spat, his cerulean gaze enraged as he glared ahead. “I am no different than cattle, following orders, forced to serve, tethered to this village I despise. Tell me, how is this freedom?”
The fox remained silent, gazing at him with narrowed crimson eyes. Naruto refused to look away from the terrifying being.
"I'm not free," Naruto whispered brokenly. "I'm too weak. I can't even escape. I'm not free. If you know anything, anyway to help, I... I need it. I need your help. I cannot stay here anymore."
The silence stretched for a long, long moment.
The two imprisoned - boy and beast - stared at each other in heavy silence.
Naruto raised his arms, spreading them wide as he gazed imploringly at the monster in the cage.
"Talk to me. Who are you? What are you? Who am I? Who is Uzumaki Naruto? And...why... Why are you caged?" He spoke, his blue eyes gazing at the bars with a disturbed expression.
"Why are you caged?" He repeated lowly, his voice a distressed whisper as he inched forward.
The beast gazed at him in silence. Its dark crimson eyes measured him as at it stared at the small boy. It inched closer to the bars and its maw opened. It stared at the blond child for a long moment of contemplative silence, watching carefully as the Uzumaki boy remained rooted to his spot, posture unrelenting, refusing to leave, his blue eyes locked on the bars in confusion and anger.
The red beast lowered itself, its massive form inching forward, its piercing blood-red eyes looked directly at the child's familiar gaze. He recognized the anger and hatred, it was an anger and hatred that mirrored his own.
The child's gaze reflected his own.
"I am the Kyūbi no Yōko."