Chapter 11

We're walking along the road, all seven of us. I'm keeping an eye on the perimeter. A vaguely familiar area.

-Get down! - a sharpened rail, mistakenly called a sword, flies over our heads.

Crunch! It crashes into a tree. And here comes a character we know. He looks around the company, makes a concentration seal and playfully dodges a whole cloud of shurikens. A viscous fog quickly creeps towards us from all sides, in which you can see no more than 30 centimeters from your nose. We crowd around the customer. A vague silhouette with a huge sword stands in the center, right between us all, the sword will fall on Tazuna's neck in a moment, but...

-Katz! - seven throats shout at once! We don't have time to feel anything, our memories fly to the original creator.

***

-There's an explosion! - I report the obvious. Might and Kakashi disappear like blurred lightning, we try to catch up, but we are still far from their speed.

I jump out of the forest onto the road. One huge crater, a bunch of fallen trees, clods of earth. Yeah, that's what my entire supply of seals does! The clones were wrapped in them under their clothes, and they threw their chakra into the explosion, I wonder how much Zabuza was hurt? There's a strange vortex on the surface of the lake, I can't see a damn thing! A fight between jonins at too high speeds. A flash of lightning, an offended iron clang, a strange gurgle, sparks from metal... unless Sasuke sees something there, I can't.

A cry of intuition! I grab Sakura, who is standing next to me, and with a warning cry (I hope my meow was exactly like that), I jump back a little. A split second later, a whole hail of strangely sparkling senbon covers the place, Sasuke was caught by two, he was too engrossed in watching the jonin fight.

- They're made of ice! - Uchiha reports.

Mirrors start growing around our company.

- All outside, it will be extremely dangerous inside! - I jump out of the circle of mirrors, Sakura is still in my arms, thank God, she doesn't kick. She has much more brains now than at the beginning of our acquaintance.

Tenten manages to shower the mirrors under construction with a whole hail of throwing junk, but without any effect.

The enemy throws an unfinished technique.

- Neiji! - Sasuke screams.

- I'm looking! He's nowhere to be found!

- Will my clones interfere? - I scream, putting Sakura on the ground and trying to cover her with my back. If they knock out the medic, our chances will drop sharply.

- No. - Hyuga is incredibly tense and focused.

Fifty clones run in all directions, trying to find the enemy. Neji barely dodges the waterfall of senbon that hit from above. The fog is creeping again. I drive it back with the wind. The clone's memory comes.

- Neji, three o'clock! - Hyuga's head jerks slightly to the side.

- I see! - A triumphant cry. - I'm watching. The enemy realized that he was spotted, moving towards us! Ten-ten, one hour!

A whole swarm of kunai with explosive tags flies in the indicated direction. I am empty on this score, throwing shurikens with wind chakra. It exploded. The next moment, Ten-ten knocks aside the blow of the masked enemy. Another moment and the body is torn in half by an icy sickle, a fountain of blood and ribbons of intestines fly across the ground. Tenten is still alive, a shinobi can get out of a worse ass, but a thick icicle, almost the size of an arm, goes through the girl's head. Your mother! How is that possible? The mask wearer rushes at Neji, a short skirmish in which Hyuga only defends himself and tries to break the distance, they jumped away from each other. An attack from Sasuke, a fireball, the enemy moves to the side and then rushes at me. The blow flies to the face, I go down, I try to block the second kick with my hands, but instead an ice spike pierces both my palms, which reluctantly stops a couple of centimeters from the chest. In the background, Sakura's frightened scream. Another blow falls from above, the enemy aims for the head, wants to finish me off! Spitting on my hands, I rush back, the cold twitches my cheek. I am simply overwhelmed with rage. The enemy rushes after me, but he does not understand, he is already only my prey. My chest is pierced by the enemy's blow, but I do not feel pain, only a wave of heat rushes through the circulatory system like boiling metal. There is a hum and a squeak in my ears, the world has gone dark. It hurts, pain gives birth to rage, rage releases strength, strength gives birth to pain. A vicious circle.

The world hit my nerves. I see and hear everything, I feel everything. The red shroud began to spread across my body, from my stomach. The blood in the wounds boiled, the ice stake driven into me melted.

-R-A-RH! - the prey tries to run away, but I am much faster. With a delightful roar, I free the third tail. The thought comes from Kyuubi that it is no longer possible, we cannot hold out for now. Good, three tails will be enough for such game!

With a bang, the groaning air breaks, a blow! The enemy's mask flies into pieces along with his face! Blood flies at me and boils away, touching the shroud. Second blow! I hear the crunch of his ribs and the crack of torn flesh! Third blow! I tear off the arms extended for protection with a blow to the legs! That's it, the prey is ready! I finish him off, piercing his chest with my hand. A fountain of blood, entrails and crushed bones splashes out of the enemy's back.

The fury of the hunt recedes, one after another the tails disappear. The shroud has fallen. My healed chest aches, my hands itch. The taste of my own blood is in my mouth. I turn to my people.

- Naruto, what was that? - Sakura asks, stuttering a little.

- He pissed me off. - It gets dark before my eyes, the ground jumps to meet me.

Somewhere water is dripping. Quietly. Drip. Drip. Drip. With long pauses. I open my eyes. A familiar labyrinth, already explored along and across. My inner world. I get up and go to its only permanent resident. There is no point in worrying about what's outside. I'm not a fighter yet.

- Hello, Kyuubi. Thank you! - I bow to the fox. A contemptuous snort comes in response.

- Hello, Naruto. You can't even fight normally without me. - She accuses jokingly.

- I'm still little! When I grow up, I'll be able to twist your tails into buns! - I joke in response.

- Come here, you little shit! - The fox hits the bars with her paw.

I jump into the cage, right on the biju's nose. She sneezes irritably, throwing me down onto the grass. I lie there, putting my hands behind my head, not going to get up. The fox also lowers herself down, lies down, almost burying her nose in me.

- Kyuu-chan. And I liked it. I liked fighting together!

- Me too. Such a sweet air of freedom, I felt everything together with you. How I missed the wind!

I create a small hurricane right in the cage. I have immeasurable strength in my inner world, it turned out to be only a matter of confidence.

- Not at all! Not at all! - the biju grumbles.

-If you were a human, you could be released. But as it is... you can't hide the mountain. - I answer. The fox's face becomes thoughtful.

-Really? You swear that if I become human, you will release me? - the voice is extremely serious.

-I swear, if I have the opportunity, I will! But not forever. I will die if you leave completely. What are you planning?

-I am made of chakra. My body is chakra. My mind is chakra. I can take any form. - The fox's voice was unusually serious. - When I transform, I will most likely lose all my memories, I will have to relearn how to walk and talk... you will get a stupid fox cub! Swear that you will not use this to take my power for yourself!

-I swear! - I answered confidently. This is something I did not expect from the biju.

-You're not an ordinary jinchuriki. You're kind to us, to the biju. You know, you're a bit like Rikkudo... It's fun with you, young demon! - Kyuubi gently poked me with her paw, inviting me to mess around.

The inner world has no laws as such. Therefore, almost anything is possible here that confidence and imagination allow. I turn into a huge black fox, not inferior in size to the "mistress" of the cage. One tail, I simply can't keep track of more. I throw myself at the nine-tailed fox, butting my forehead into its neck. A simple scuffle and tag began. Just the thing to let off steam and relax.

-Hmm. Not a proper jinchuriki at all! - Wham! I fly off from the swing of the tail and hit the bars hard, turning back into a human. An angry roar overtakes me, which quickly dies down.

-What's wrong? - Anger awakens in my voice.

- Defeat me! - the biju rushes forward, releasing its teeth and growling. What the hell is going on here?

A dash to the side, a jump from the tail. I try to press the biju to the floor with my will, it is the main weapon in this world. Kyuubi's movements have become a little slower.

Dodge, another dodge. Backflip. Roll. It is difficult to fight an opponent who is not only the size of a mountain, but also has 12 "combat parts" - 9 tails, two paws and a head with an impressive mouth. Oh, shit! Barely escaped the teeth. A wall of water falls from the ceiling. The nine-tailed one's paws part, it is pressed to the floor of the cage. A sharp jerk! With a roar, it bursts out from under the waterfall. A powerful wind throws it back. The walls come together, not giving freedom of maneuver. There was no trace left of the once beautiful enclosure that I had painstakingly and painstakingly restored with each visit. A jumble of dirt and debris.

The fox is pinned under a powerful press, but does not stop trying to escape. Fuck, what the hell? We were talking almost in a friendly manner, what came over her? The walls fly apart with a crunch and a crash, releasing a wet and angry biju.

Okay, let's go the other way! I sharply turn the gravity to zero, remove the floor, ceiling, walls, basically everything that can be caught on. It doesn't matter what's inside, as long as the gates are up, the demon won't escape.

Curses and a deafening roar from the demon, who began to get tangled in his own tails. My chance! Air rams begin to beat the biju, which is helplessly floundering in the air, trying to move from its place. Of course, it moves a little due to friction, but it can't choose the direction, and I don't let it. My conscience does not allow me to use blades or anything else traumatic. It's hard to fight someone you consider a friend. A doomed howl.

- I surrender! - a quiet exhale.

- What kind of concert was that? - I ask menacingly. - Not funny at all.

- You had to defeat me. Not by force, but by will and intelligence. Of course, far from ideal, but still... victory, it is yours. And most importantly, my name... you will give it to me, because I will be born again. Right now my name was Kurama. - the fox's voice was very quiet and sad.

- Then you too know my real name. My name is...

As soon as the last word sounded, I was thrown out of my subconscious by a powerful stream of energy. And I won? Don't make me laugh! The demon simply allowed me to win. She herself apparently wanted to lose. One "biju bomb" and that's it - my entire inner world will be smashed to pieces, only the gate will remain standing. Rather, it was some kind of ritual duel. A tribute to tradition? It could very well be.

I'm lying down, feeling a pillow under my head. The sun is shining unpleasantly on my face, someone's hand is running across my chest, sending waves of pleasant numbness. My skin is tugging a little.

I opened my eyes and sighed heavily. I had only been in close contact with Kurama for a short time, and parting is hard, as if we had been together all our lives. The consolation that Kurama did not die, but is only being reborn, and in three or four days we will be together again, does not work. All the biju's malice turned out to be just melancholy. 600 years of loneliness in cells - anyone's mood would be in the style of "I'll kill everyone", and if you take into account the fact that the jailers were not distinguished by humanity ... we have eight brutalized biju. Everyone has different seals, but the method of action for most jinchuriki is the same - nail them with nails, chain them up and, drop by drop, along with blood, draw chakra out of the biju. When I managed to hammer home to the nine-tailed that I was not one of them, a qualitative leap occurred in the relationship. It was not even trust that arose, but rather its shadow, which I protected and cherished. And now, after months of nightly visits, we have achieved what was described earlier.

- Naruto-kun, can you hear us? - a voice breaks through my drowsiness.

- Yes, I hear. Only the body is very weak. - I answer.

- He has almost no chakra! - Neji's very surprised voice. - There used to be so much of it that it hurt the eyes.

Now this is very interesting! I concentrate on the flow of chakra. As usual, it is born in the hearth, but instead of spreading throughout the body, it is drawn to the stomach and disappears into the seal, rushing to the Kyuubi, but does not restrain, but on the contrary, feeds the biju. I won't cut the current, I'll tolerate weakness, nothing terrible will happen, I hope, otherwise Kyu would have fenced herself off.

- Naruto-kun. - Sensei's serious voice. - Did the bijuu get out of control during the fight? Does he want to kill you?

- No. Kurama-chan saved me. She took all the wounds on herself. Now she needs chakra for regeneration, otherwise we'll both die. - I'm making this up as I go.

- Kurama-chan?! - Guy's voice. - Are you that close?

- To hell! How did the fight end? - I'm getting off the unpleasant topic.

- After you killed your opponent, Zabuza escaped, taking the body. He's damn strong, we couldn't stop him. Kakashi managed to seriously injure him, his nerves are affected. We have at least a week before he returns.

- What about Tenten? - I'm asking a stupid question, but I need to hear it.

- Dead. We sealed the body, we will give it to relatives in Konoha.

The first comrade lost in battle. Stupidly lost. Even though we didn't really talk, even though I barely know her - it's still sad. Sakura is in a completely depressed state, because the girls managed to become friends during this time. Sasuke seems calm, but something flashes in his eyes too.

A green glowing palm falls on my forehead and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning. No chakra, the mood is disgusting. Inside is a black hole named biju. I lay on the bed all day, periodically falling asleep, or falling into unconsciousness.

The third day! Tomorrow it will all be over. From the very morning I slightly whip up the source, hoping to speed up the process. There is enough chakra to move normally, but nothing more. A shinobi who is used to using force in almost every movement, when left without it, becomes more helpless than an ordinary person.

In the evening, Rock Lee attacked me while I was walking around, shouting that Tenten died because of me and that I should kick the bucket. Like, he should have killed the enemy right away instead of waiting for his love to die. Damn it! Lee didn't want to hear about how I almost kicked the bucket myself. This idiot started fighting!

In this state, I'd lose a fight even in kindergarten, even kids would kick me! I stand there, holding onto the wall. This green something gets into a stance, getting ready to attack. Neji saves the situation by attacking Rock from the side and giving him a couple of good slaps, seasoned with chakra. Lee passed out, and Hyuga walked me to my room, offering his shoulder.

Day four! It's like a nuclear reactor is igniting inside me. Chakra is flowing through the channels again, but the output is completely different. The hearth has gotten used to the appetites of the bijuu in four days and is scorching in the same mode as before. I'm walking around smoking, literally. I'm wrapping myself in wet towels, wearing only loose shorts.

I'm emitting chakra fog. Neji is quietly swearing and prefers to be at the maximum distance from me, he only approaches after moving his protector over his eyes. Sasuke and Lee are on patrol, Sakura has been begging Sasuke for a long time not to kill the green one right away, to prolong the pleasure. Guy is in a completely depressed state, because his team has practically fallen apart - Tenten died, Rock has lost his already small respect, Hyuga is not talking to him. I heard that he wants to apply for a transfer to our team as the fourth member, and the kage will probably approve it.

I can't concentrate to get into the inner world, because I can't combine the feeling of "I'm a fucking fountain, I'm going to explode now" with "I'm completely calm." Day five. The inner world still won't let me in, but for reasons unknown to me. The Source has returned to normal. I'm on guard duty, Tazuna, guarded by Sakura, is supervising the workers on the bridge, he swears that he'll finish the construction in a week. I've created two hundred clones that are sitting in the cordon, I'm also watching under the bridge. Kakashi hung seals at the entrance to the bridge, forming a zone where the henge flies off. Maito is on duty with us today.

Memories of the dispersed clone come to me. Another one. Another one! The nukenin doesn't pay attention to anything, he's stupidly hunting clones, looking for the real me. Apparently, he doesn't care about Tazuna, he's driven by personal revenge for his partner.

I launch a red signal flare, general alarm. In a couple of minutes, the whole team will be here. I create another hundred clones, they scatter in a thin chain, I hope they will at least delay, take away time to kill them. I jump off the tree and move to the bridge, the gathering is there.