Chapter 34: The Deal

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 34: The Deal

"You think I won't do it?!" The Kyubi growled.

"Go ahead… let's get this over with. Crush me." Naruto taunted the demon fox.

The fox roared at him while showing his sharp fangs, and then… it closed its claws, crushing Naruto's body and turning his insides into mush.

Or that was what the Kyubi thought. The 'corpse' of Naruto vanished from its hand and reappeared a few feet away, looking completely intact.

"Do you understand now, demon? We are nothing but immaterial constructs, created inside my mind. You could say that we are manifestations of our own selves. So you won't be able to hurt me here."

It was not impossible to perform an attack while inside someone's Inner World, but Naruto was confident that this demon fox was unaware of such methods.

The creature remained silent after that. It had obviously been offended by his actions.

"I did not come here to make you look like an idiot, demon. I need you to give me some of your chakra." With the way the seal had been designed, Naruto could only take a small amount at a time. This was meant to protect his life, as a large amount of the demon's yang chakra would certainly kill him.

But if the demon is willing to cooperate, then he may be able to get enough to make a difference in his current fight.

"You want my help?... and why would I do that, human?" The Kyubi spoke with disdain.

"Because for as long as you are inside my body, your life is connected to mine." Naruto said.

"Nonsense! If you die, then I'm free! So go ahead and get yourself killed, brat. I could not care less!"

"Oh? Are you sure about that?"

The Kyubi narrowed its eyes.

"What are you plotting, human?!"

"I am no expert in seals, but from what I understand of that one," he pointed at the cage, "if I were to suddenly die, you would also suffer some serious consequences."

"What are you speaking of? I cannot die." The Kyubi said with absolute confidence.

"Maybe not, but your body can be temporarily destroyed, can't it? Your body is made of pure chakra, so when it disperses, it can take a very long time before you can recover your form." Naruto was speaking from personal experience as he had already met several beings like this demon fox in his past. So he had a good understanding of their inner workings.

The fox remained silent, so he interpreted that as a cue to continue.

"If I am killed here, your chakra body will disperse, and you won't regain your consciousness for many years. What do you think will happen when you do? You can be sure there would be a large number of people here, waiting for your return so they can seal you again into someone else's body… is that what you want?" Naruto asked.

The demon fox was still not talking and just stared at him.

"What about making a deal with me?"

"A deal? What kind of deal?" The fox could not hide its curiosity and finally spoke.

"You help me out with your chakra whenever I need it and… one day, I will remove the seal and let you out free."

"One day… that sounds very vague." The Kyubi noted.

"Ten years. That is more than enough time for me to build my own strength… then I'll let you go." Naruto promised. "Ten years is nothing for a being such as yourself, right?"

"And why should I believe that you would keep your part?"

Naruto shrugged. "I have no way to give you a guarantee. But even if I were to lie, you would not be in a worse position than you are right now. What do you have to lose?"

The Kyubi growled at him.

"Very well, human… I'll let you use my chakra… but if you deceive me, I will find a way to pay you back. Even if I cannot kill you, I will go after your descendants… do not underestimate my fury."

"I won't…" Naruto turned around and disappeared from the room.

When he opened his eyes back in the real world, only a moment in real time had passed. But even then, Naruto was surprised to see that the masked ninja did not miss his small opening to attack him.

"Urgg…" Sasuke groaned. His body was filled with senbons, from his shoulders to his toes.

"Why did you protect me?" Naruto asked. While inside his Inner World, only a few seconds must have passed on the outside. He knew there was a risk of being attacked but had not been too worried about being hit by a few of those needles, because one of the best things about this body was the speed at which his wounds regenerated.

The last thing he expected was to find his grumpy teammate sacrificing himself to save him.

"M-My body… moved on its own…" The black-haired boy said before falling back.

He caught Sasuke and placed him down with care. Despite his long life, this was not a common occurrence for him.

Someone who was willing to put their life on the line to protect his.

He did have a few people he was close to, like his dao companions, but he wasn't sure if any of them would have given up their lives for him. It seemed unlikely.

And now, this boy who he barely knew…

"Mmm… what is this…" red mist started to pour out of his body, and he was suddenly surrounded by a baleful aura.

"Am I… angry?" There was a lot of rage and fury mixed with the chakra he was receiving and it was trying to affect him, but his mind remained serene, despite all of that.

His now red eyes moved towards Haku, who was visibly shaken by the new development.

"What is that chakra?!" The masked ninja exclaimed.

"This is an interesting sensation…" Naruto said with a calm voice as the demon's chakra swirled around him.

"I don't dislike it."

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