39Co-Created by: Nwandu225 and oonyekaba
We do not own the rights to Naruto, all credit goes to Kishimoto.
Chapter 1: A Powerful Duo is Forged
Konohagakure, better known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves is the headquarters for all shinobi affairs in the Land of Fire.
As the village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konohagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Hokage, of which there have been four in its history.
Konoha resides deep within a forest at the base of a mountain known as the Hokage Monument, which has the faces of all those who have taken the office of Hokage engraved on it.
Sitting on top of the head of the engraving of the Fourth Hokage is a young boy, around eleven years old, sporting spiky-blonde hair, clear blue eyes, whisker marks on his cheeks, and a garish orange jumpsuit.
This young boy is none other than Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's resident prankster and #1 knucklehead, hyperactive shinobi.
Normally, you would find Naruto defacing the Hokage Monument with rotten eggs and paint or laying booby traps at the Chunin barracks.
Today, however, the Uzumaki wore a serious and most importantly, depressed, expression on his face.
"Damn it. I am such a failure." thought Naruto, dejectedly.
Naruto was enrolled in Konoha's Ninja Academy, an institution that would teach the basic and rudimentary shinobi techniques and important facts of the shinobi world to the upcoming generations.
However, the boy had failed the genin exam for the second time. He tried hard to pull off at least a dead last graduation score, but he failed in every test.
Naruto vividly remembered the sad and disappointed look in Iruka-sensei's eyes when he had to tell the Uzumaki that he had failed once again, and could not and would not make an exception for the eleven year old boy.
"Well, at least I don't have to work with ninja older than I am." thought Naruto, trying to lift his spirits up, but failing.
The Uzumaki knew that if he failed to pass next year, he wouldn't even be paired with ninjas his age.
The Academy had a rule that stated that you had to become a genin before you turned thirteen years old, and if you didn't meet that deadline, you were dropped from the program.
Even still, it was a mystery to the instructors and other students why he still enrolled at the Academy.
Most people gave up after failing once, but he was determined to become a powerful ninja so he could become Hokage and get some respect from the villagers who despised him for some reason.
Now, however, the blonde haired boy could almost hear the laughter of all of the Academy instructors and villagers who scorned him and believed he would amount to nothing.
"Damn it all to hell, maybe I should just quit and save myself the trouble." thought Naruto, tears building in his eyes.
"Pathetic." growled an ominous voice, seemingly out of nowhere.
Naruto, startled, jumped up and scanned the entire area looking for whoever said that.
"Come out and show yourself!" yelled Naruto, angrily.
The blonde thought it was some villager or classmate who came to pick on him because of his recent failure, but he was in no mood to deal with them like he usually did.
"There's nothing to show. After all, I am inside of you." stated the ominous voice.
Beyond confused, Naruto tried to laugh this off.
"Inside me? Haha… very funny. My classmates just couldn't leave me alone, even after failing again. Whatever, it's not like I'm not used to them picking on me." said the Uzumaki.
"... Funny?" said the ominous voice.
Naruto could sense something was wrong. It was as if the voice was becoming more aggressive.
"You think this is a joke?!" continued the mysterious voice.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Naruto keeled over like he had been sucker-punched in the gut.
"YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE!?" roared the voice.
"AH PLEASE STOP! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! GAHH!" yelled Naruto in agony as an almost unholy pain shot through him.
"SHUT UP DOBE! I can't believe these foolish humans put me in a meat puppet as worthless as you!" growled the voice.
"How do you expect to accomplish all that 'becoming Hokage bullshit' you constantly blab about, if you can even throw a kunai straight?! You are a weak-ass gaki and it would be amazing to find anyone or anything in this world that can redeem you! If only I could kill your ass I'd…." began the voice.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" bellowed Naruto, having had enough of the Kyubi's rant.
"Who are you!? Why the hell are you insulting me like this?! What in the world did I do to you, huh? Just because I can't be a prodigal shinobi like that Sasuke-teme, you think you can just waltz in my mind and make me feel even more like worthless garbage?!" continued the enraged Uzumaki.
The Kyubi didn't respond, utterly stunned by the boy's infuriated reaction.
"Well, I don't remember inviting you to live inside me, so you can just get the hell out! You don't want to deal with me like the rest of this god-forsaken village, so just BUZZ OFF!" finished Naruto.
Naruto was way past the point of being angry.
The boy was absolutely livid.
Hot tears of pure frustration and rage rolled down his face as he recalled all of his past failures and crushed dreams.
Nothing but pure, unadulterated fury engulfed him as he was forced to hear, yet another, person point out his shortcomings.
A long pause came, and when the voice came again, Naruto was confused. Instead of angry, the voice seemed… pleased.
"Hmm… kid, I like that anger of yours. It reminds me of someone… someone like me! Hehehehe!" snickered the voice.
If it weren't for the fact that it was a seemingly disembodied voice speaking, you would think that it had a stupidly-large grin on its face.
"So, I'm gonna cut you a deal." said the voice.
"Oh, so you wanna help me now, huh? What could you offer me? Aren't I a worthless piece of meat that you got slapped inside of?" asked Naruto, skeptical.
"Well... you still are pathetic, but now that's besides the point." answered the voice.
"Well, I don't want to hear what you have to say, if you're gonna be like that." growled Naruto.
"Not even if it'd get you one of them head-protectors?" said the voice, dangling the bait.
Naruto froze in his tracks.
"A… a head-protector? HOW?! TELL ME! TELL ME!" yelled Naruto, incredulously.
The voice happily thought to itself, "Hah! I've got this kid's attention now! Hook, line, and sinker."
"Now hold on kid! Here's what I want to do. Right now, you are in no shape, mentally and physically, to be able to achieve a passing score on the Genin exam..." began the voice.
Naruto nearly fell flat on his face after hearing that, "That's what you wanted to tell me? Gee, thanks."
"Wait! Hold your horses! I'm not finished yet. Like I said earlier, I kind of like your style seeing your anger-fueled outburst earlier, and for that, I will take it upon myself to teach you how to fight in ways never seen before by those maggots in the village! I'll help you show them your worth, but for that to happen, you have to do one thing for me…" said the voice, and the way the voice was talking, it was almost as if Naruto could feel the sneer.
"What do you want me to do?" Naruto asked with extreme caution.
"USE ME! It's been ages since I've had a fight! I need to do something with myself! Not only will it help you, it will allow me to have an at least competent jinchuriki." answered the voice.
"Ok, first off. What the hell is a jinchuriki? Second. The hell do you mean 'Use Me'? That sounds really… weird. Most Importantly, WHO AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" yelled Naruto.
"To answer your first question, a jinchuriki is a person who contains one of nine powerful engines of destruction, called bijus. These bijus are stored within these people's bodies, using various sealing techniques." began the voice.
"Secondly, when I meant 'Use Me', I meant use my overwhelming reservoir of chakra that is sealed inside of you. You literally have the greatest advantage over regular shinobi, because you can call on a literal 'ocean' of chakra that will most likely not dry up anytime soon."continued the voice.
"Finally, who am I… WHO AM I! Gaki, I don't know where the hell you've been, but I am none other than the being that is known as the bane of the shinobi world, the most powerful of the bijus, destroyer of villages, and wrecker of your shit…" rambled the voice.
"This thing really loves to hear itself talk." thought Naruto.
"I am the Kyubi, the nine-tailed demon fox that laid waste to Konoha eleven years ago. Now fear my name and bask in the glory that you have been blessed with my power, Mwahahaha!" gloated the Kyubi.
Naruto sat deadpanned for a few moments before replying, "I've never heard of you."
"KYUBI SLAM!" roared the nine-tailed fox.
All of a sudden, Naruto was sent flying into the nearest rock formation, before sliding to the ground like a ragdoll.
"OWW!" whined Naruto.
"YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN, GAKI?!" asked the Kyubi, angrily.
"I'm sorry, but I've really never heard of you before." said Naruto, rubbing the steaming lump on his head.
The Kyubi paused for a second, before silently fuming in its mind.
"That damned old fart! He must have passed a law that forbids those who remember my attack on the village from telling the younger generations. Still, why doesn't Naruto at least know about me, or the fact that I am inside of him?" thought the Kyubi.
"Um… Kyubi? Are you still there?" asked Naruto.
"Well, it looks like I'll have to break the truth to him. In the end, it works out for me, more anger for him means him using more of my chakra." thought the Kyubi with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm still here. So... are you gonna take the deal or not?" asked the Kyubi.
"How can I trust you after throwing me into a rock?!" growled Naruto.
"Did you just growl at me?" snarled the Kyubi.
The young Uzumaki quickly removed the scowl on his face, lest he draw the ire of the Kyubi again and get thrown into another rock.
"No. I'll take the deal." squeaked Naruto.
"Good… let's shake on it." said the Kyubi.
Naruto's hand suddenly began to shake the other, much to the boy's bewilderment.
"Alright, time for my favorite part, let's list all of the things that are wrong with you! Shoot kid, you tell me." said the Kyubi, smirking.
"Ok… um… well... my taijutsu needs work…" began Naruto, before he was cut off by the Kyubi.
"Hmph, that's an understatement. Kid, you fight like a sailor who's had 'a few too many' at the bar." snorted the Kyubi.
"HEY!" yelled Naruto.
"HEY YOURSELF! I'm just being honest. There's no point lying to yourself kid, it just makes the reality that much harder." said the Kyubi.
"Brutally honest…" muttered Naruto.
"Fair enough, but keep going." replied the Kyubi.
"Ok, I guess my ninjutsu is not that great." continued Naruto.
"More like nonexistent, however that's mostly my fault. But this is about you not me." snickered the fox.
"Wait what?" asked Naruto, with an eyebrow raised.
"Moving on…" said the Kyubi, trying to change the subject.
"Now wait just a damn minute! The hell do you mean that my failure in ninjutsu is mostly your fault?" asked Naruto, a little miffed.
The Kyubi sighed, before answering.
"Kid, because of me being sealed into you at such a young age, your chakra coils merged with mine, allowing my chakra to intermix with yours. What this did was exponentially increase your chakra pool, that by now exceeds even jonin-level shinobi." said the Kyubi.
"Ok, but what does that have to do with my failure in ninjutsu?" asked Naruto.
"Man, you are dense. What it means is that with your abysmal chakra control, you can't proportion the right amount of chakra to perform low-level ninja-art techniques like the Kawarimi (Substitution), Henge (Transformation), and especially the Bunshin (Clone) jutsu which are critical to you passing the Genin exam..." began the Kyubi.
"You're… you're kidding me." gasped Naruto, in pure shock.
"Unfortunately, I am not. Basically, the problem isn't that you don't have enough chakra to perform jutsus, it's that you have way too much chakra for your puny abilities to properly control, robbing you of the ability to perform said jutsus." finished the Kyubi.
To say that Naruto was stunned was an understatement.
"So essentially, what you're saying is that the Genin exams' ninjutsu test is practically rigged against me?" asked Naruto, his annoyance level rising.
"Yes." answered the Kyubi.
Naruto face-palmed in pure annoyance and frustration at the revelation.
"Fan-frigging-tastic, how the hell am I ever going to pass the Genin exam, with all of these odds against me?" thought the jinchuriki.
"Moving on from ninjutsu, what else is wrong with you?" asked the Kyubi, already knowing the answer, but wanting Naruto to point it out.
Not bothering to sugarcoat things anymore, Naruto replied, "My genjutsu abilities are pathetic."
"Yes, but then again that is mostly my fault as well. Because of your abnormally large chakra pool, you will never have the precise control needed to cast them, so any thoughts of being a genjutsu specialist, forget them." said the Kyubi.
"Well, that's not that terrible of news. Knowing how to perform genjutsus isn't required on the exam, it's only knowing how to dispel them and playing the genjutsu support role isn't my style." replied Naruto.
"Mine neither. You and I would prefer the up-in-your-face berserker type role of constantly landing damage on your opponent, while shrugging off fatigue and damage because of the perks that come with being a jinchuriki." said the Kyubi, to which Naruto nodded yes.
"The good news with genjutsu though, is that shinobi can only cast lasting genjutsus on opponents with a weaker chakra level/control than their opponents. Since I am a biju, an immortal entity of enormous chakra, no shinobi alive can ever hope to put me under a genjutsu unless they have the aid of a dojutsu, and even still they'd have to be pretty skilled." said the Kyubi.
"Ok, but what does that have to do with me?" asked Naruto.
"Well gaki, a trained jinchuriki who has a good connection with their biju will get a lot of said biju's perks passed onto them. That means a resistance to genjutsu, not to mention me being able to warn you about an incoming one. In the possibility that you are placed under a genjutsu, your enormous chakra, if you can get enough control of it, will allow you to easily dispel one." explained the Kyubi.
"Well that's… actually pretty awesome. At least I have some latent abilities." said Naruto, with a small grin forming on his face.
"Well… those perks are all because of me, but sure you can think of it like that. Now continue, what else is wrong with you?" asked the Kyubi.
"Oh… well, as you have said many times before, my chakra control is horrendous." said Naruto.
"Oh sweet Jesus, Lord almighty may you help this dumbass! I know it's somewhat my fault, but DAMN KID YOU SUCK!" said the Kyubi.
"HEY!" asked Naruto.
"I'm sorry kid..but… but… god help us. This is gonna be a lot of work, but we should be able to improve upon your chakra control… I hope." said the Kyubi.
"How?" asked Naruto.
"Well, unlike you, I actually paid attention to the useful knowledge that Iruka-guy was teaching all of you gaki." said the Kyubi.
"Wait… you were listening?" asked Naruto.
"I am literally locked inside of a wet, metal cage inside your thick skull, what else am I supposed to do? I might as well learn something, and thanks to that, now I can re-teach you some of it to help fix your 'Fist of the Drunken Sailor' fighting style." snickered the Kyubi.
"HE…!" began Naruto before the Kyubi cut him off.
"If you say "HEY!" one more time, you're gonna get the shit 'Kyubi Slammed' outta you, got it gaki?" asked the Kyubi threateningly.
Naruto grumbled but didn't reply, indicating that he got the Kyubi's message.
"Good. Now go on, keep listing your faults." said the Kyubi.
"My abilities in bukijutsu (shuriken and kunai techniques) are laughable." continued Naruto.
"Mmm-hmm. Your main problem in that regard is that you have zero concentration skills, if you actually thought before you acted, you could analyze how to throw and handle those weapons properly, rather than launching them randomly. Continue." said the Kyubi.
Naruto paused to think for a second about what else there was that he needed to improve upon before saying, "My physical abilities are average at best."
"Yeah, but you at least have some positives. Thanks to me being your biju, your stamina levels are extremely high, which is why people think that you are so hyperactive, because you don't tire easily. Your movement speed and agility aren't terrible, we can work on that, and you can at least take a hit and stand back up..." began the Kyubi.
"That's go-" began Naruto before he was interrupted by the Kyubi.
"I'm not finished though, your strength level is absolutely pathetic, and it's because of your eating habits, you are extremely malnourished and because of that your growth has been stunted." said the Kyubi.
"My eating habits?" asked Naruto.
"Yes, you eat too much of those disgusting plastic cups filled with empty nutrients, that what-cha-ma-callit… oh yeah, Ramen." said the Kyubi.
"Ramen! But Ramen is a gift from the gods! It's gold in food form, it's.. it's…" ranted Naruto, before the Kyubi cut him off.
"EXTREMELY BAD FOR YOU! Now, I know you don't like vegetables, but you need them for your daily vitamins, and you need meat for protein! Thanks to you eating Ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday, you are a skinny, muscle-less shrimp who would keel over from malnourishment if it wasn't for my massive chakra that sustains you! No arguments on this, enough with the Ramen, or you'll stay weak forever!" growled the Kyubi in annoyance.
Naruto whimpered for a couple of minutes before accepting that giving up his terrible eating habits would be for the best. Eventually, the blond jinchuriki nodded his head in agreement.
"Good, we're almost done. You have listed six areas that need enormous improvement, if you ever want to become a better shinobi. However, you haven't stated the biggest impediment to your chances of becoming a genin." said the Kyubi.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at what the Kyubi was getting at before furrowing his brows to concentrate on what improvement number 7 needed to be.
After a few minutes of heavy thinking, Naruto was becoming frustrated on what the Kyubi meant on his biggest impediment before something clicked in his head and the boy froze in shock.
Dozens… no hundreds of memories of Naruto playing his pranks on the villagers and shinobi, his constant outbursts of becoming Hokage to anyone nearby, his idiotic obsession over Sakura, his loud and obnoxious mannerisms, his tacky clothing style, his reluctance to apply himself in the Academy, and many more things all rushed through his head.
"I have pulled out these specific memories from your mind to show you what I mean by your biggest impediment to becoming a genin. I hope you can put 'two and two' together." said the Kyubi, solemnly.
Naruto's mind replayed the various memories over and over again and the boy sat in shock, completely disgusted by the way he acted in all of these instances.
"This is what I act like, this is what people think of me?" thought Naruto, tears coming to the boy's cheeks.
Naruto fell to his hands and started sobbing softly, finally realizing what the Kyubi meant.
"The biggest impediment to me becoming a genin is… is… me. My personality is the fault, my entire way of life is a… joke." sobbed Naruto.
"I have to tell him the reason that the villagers despise him now, while he's at his lowest point. This will test whether he has the mettle to endure anything that life throws at him, or if he isn't worth the time and effort." thought the Kyubi.
"Naruto, what you are seeing is probably very hard on you. But I have one more thing that I have to tell you. All these memories that I showed to you explains why the villagers see you as a nuisance, but the real reason that the village is because of me..." began the Kyubi.
"For centuries, my brethren and I wreaked havoc and devastation upon the shinobi and their pathetic villages. We killed their families. We torched their homes. We turned life into hell. It's gotten to the point where… where the villagers believe that the jinchuriki, people who should be hailed as heroes for holding the bijus at bay, are seen as the demons that are sealed within them." finished the Kyubi.
"What?" asked Naruto, unable to understand the Kyubi's words.
"Naruto..." sighed the Kyubi, "...they think you're me."
Naruto could barely even speak.
"They think… I'm a demon?" asked Naruto, in a shocked whisper.
"Even though it seems that the Third Hokage passed a law that forbids those from speaking about the Kyubi and to protect you from bodily harm. That law said nothing about them insulting you, scorning you, and hating you for holding me within you, and because of that, their children have grown up to have a jaded view against you, even though they don't know why they should… for all jinchuriki, this is how they live… as outcasts." growled the Kyubi.
"And your stupid, STUPID pranks didn't help the situation in any way. They thought since I was shoved in such a weak body, I couldn't create the destruction I truly wanted, so I had to resort to pranks. And believe me, if I could, I would remind those fools of why I am the most powerful of the biju. Even though I don't like you that much kid… I can't accept that my jinchuriki receives this much disrespect." said the Kyubi, and while the demon fox spoke, Naruto felt somewhat closer to him. Even though the fox seemed to dislike his mannerisms, he was still looking out for him.
"So I wasn't alone all this time. Even though he doesn't say it, the Kyubi does care for me." thought the boy, tears dropping from his eyes, but this time for joy.
"Alright..." began Naruto with a newfound perspective, "...it's about time that I stop being such a stupid punk. I have to change my ways… no I'm GOING to change my ways."
Naruto's statement and the aura of newfound determination that seemed to flow around the boy, actually surprised the Kyubi. But it was also the best thing he'd heard Naruto say this whole time.
"No more pranks?" asked the fox, who sounded like he was smirking.
"Never again." said Naruto, while wiping away his tears.
"Well… maybe every once in a while… my god. Imagine, a great demon like me wanting to throw pies and blow up classrooms. How far I have fallen…" muttered the Kyubi, and for a second, Naruto thought he heard heard a low chuckle.
"Now. One last thing." said the Kyubi, seemingly returning to his serious mannerism.
"Fire away." said Naruto, eager to hear his final flaw.
"The jumpsuit. You gotta get rid of that thing." said the Kyubi.
"My jumpsuit?! You've gotta be kidding me! What's so bad about it? Its served me pretty well these past couple years!" asked Naruto, defensively.
"Boy! That thing not only provides ZERO protection, it also turns you into a WALKING, FUCKING NEON LIGHT! A ninja literally couldn't ask for a bigger bulls-eye! Man, your jumpsuit is so bright, a blind man could huck a kunai and hit you right in the Uzumaki symbol. Take. It. Off." growled the Kyubi, and in no way was he kidding, Naruto could hear the seriousness in his growls.
"UUUUUGGGHHHHHH! Do I really have to? Can't we just paint it black or something?" bargained Naruto.
Try as he might though, the Kyubi was unshakable. He was like the headstrong, stubborn mother that Naruto never had.
"Ok… ok… we'll do it." said Naruto, defeated.
"Good, now listen up. Naruto, the whole world is against us. Not just you and I, but for the other eight jinchuriki and biju pairs. The world tries to put us down because they fear our power. They forget about the men or women who risk themselves to protect their own people. Naruto, I was sealed inside of you when you were a baby and yet they still hate you. The innocence of a child couldn't soften their hearts. But that shouldn't matter to us. Naruto, what I want for you more than anything is for you to live for yourself. It doesn't matter what people think of you. You are your own man, gaki. You should live your life the way you want and prove to them your self worth. Now, are we gonna do this or not?" asked the Kyubi, with a wide smirk on his face.
Suddenly, Naruto was standing, shin-deep in water, inside of a massive chamber. Before him stood an enormous cage, and sitting behind those bars, Naruto laid eyes on the Kyubi for the first time.
The Demon Fox was massive, about half the size of the Hokage Monument. His slit, red eyes glowed with a wrath that made anything else pale in comparison.
The Kyubi's lower body was of the same structure as a normal fox's, but his upper body was reminiscent of a muscular human's, while his arms had opposable thumbs. Garbed in reddish-orange fur, nine massive tails swayed from his rear around the cage.
"So Naruto, I will ask you again. Are we gonna do this or not?!" asked the Kyubi, raising his fist in preparation.
"I'm done being hated. I'm going to change this village and its twisted views. The oppression against the jinchuriki will be ended. I'm going to make it so that the jinchuriki of the present and the future will be revered, honored, and hailed as the heroes that they should be. I will become Hokage. Not for the petty recognition that I craved earlier, but for justice." said Naruto, before raising his fist as well and bumping it with the Kyubi's.
And with the bumping of these two fists, the most powerful duo in the history of Konoha was born.
"All right, partner. First order of business is to get rid of the jumpsuit and get some training gear." said the Kyubi, removing his hand from the fist bump.
"Damn it, I thought I would at least be able to keep it for the rest of the day. Wait, I know what to do." thought Naruto.
"Um… we can't Kyubi. I'm broke and the only place in Konoha that will sell me gear is Higurashi's, and their stuff is expensive." said Naruto.
"Liar. Kid, you can't hide anything from me. I know you have a secret stash of money under your mattress that you were going to use to build your 'ultimate prank' idea." said the Kyubi, with a bit of humor.
Naruto gasped, before snapping his fingers in defeat, "I'm not giving up without a fight, though."
"Speaking of which, how much did you save since I've never bothered to count the amount." asked the Kyubi.
"Um… I think about a little over 50,000 ryo." said Naruto, scratching his head.
"50,000 RYO?! Why the hell do you still live in that dump of an apartment if you have that much? Don't tell me that you are so much of a dobe that you thought your pranking supplies are more important than your living quarters?" asked the Kyubi in shock.
"No, that's not it at all. At first I tried saving up for a new home, but since nearly every villager in Konoha hates me, no one would even sell me a nicer apartment. Hence why I decided to save it for pranking supplies." answered Naruto.
The Kyubi grunted in understanding, before returning Naruto to the real world.
"Ok, now let's go back home to grab the money and head over to that Higurashi's place." said the Kyubi, but Naruto stood still.
"What are you doing, gaki? Move already!" barked the Kyubi.
"I don't wanna." whined Naruto.
"Oh for the love of god!" growled the Kyubi in exasperation with the boy's stubbornness.
The Kyubi took control of the Uzumaki's legs and forced the boy to move, but that didn't stop Naruto from struggling stubbornly.
(One hour later…)
One, long, grueling hour later, the Kyubi was finally able to make Naruto grab all of his saved up money from the house and force him to the Higurashi Weapons store.
Higurashi Weapons was a small, rundown looking shop at the end of the market district. According to the wooden sign hanging above the door, they had been serving Konoha since the founding of the village.
Naruto was struggling with all of his might to keep himself from entering the front door of Higurashi Weapons, but the Kyubi was making progress, if only inch by inch.
"GET. IN. THE. DAMN. STORE!" growled the Kyubi.
"No! I DON'T WANNA!" argued Naruto, using his arms to push against the building, keeping himself away from the door.
"OH MY GOD! That's it! Enough of this bullcrap! KYUBI SLAM!" roared the demon fox, before sending the boy flying through the door, onto the floor beside the front counter.
Thanks to the Kyubi's actions, the door swung open wildly and slammed against the wall, before closing shut with a loud noise. A bell that was triggered with the opening of the door rang loudly, alerting the shopkeeper.
"Be with you in a second, but please hold off on destroying my door, thank you." called out a gruff voice from the back of the store.
"I f-ing hate you, Kyubi." growled Naruto, rubbing his face.
"I love you too, gaki. Now get up and take a look around while we wait." retorted the Kyubi.
Naruto got up from the floor and took a look around the store, and the boy was amazed by what he saw. Despite the store's unassuming exterior, the interior was a veritable cornucopia of weapons, armor and apparel, scrolls, training weights, etc.
"Wow. This place has everything." gasped Naruto in awe.
"See? It's not so bad, you'll eventually forget all about this orange jumpsuit." said the Kyubi.
"Yeah, well let's see if this guy actually gives me service, or kicks me to the curb like the others." said Naruto, preparing for the worst.
The shopkeeper soon walked out of the back room carrying a large box of ninja supplies and set it on the counter before addressing Naruto.
"Now, what can I do for you?" asked the shopkeeper.
"Um… I'd like to see your selection on… well practically everything, weapons, a new outfit, scrolls, you know the whole works." asked Naruto, wondering what the man's reaction would be.
"It's a good thing you came here then. Seeing the crap you're wearing now, it's looks like you're here to really shop." said the shopkeeper.
"Told you what your wearing is garbage." snickered the Kyubi.
"Shut up, Kyubi." retorted Naruto, mentally.
"Thank you, so what's the best you have in store for me?" asked Naruto, to the shopkeeper.
"That depends, how much do you have to spend?" asked the shopkeeper.
"About 50,000 ryo." answered Naruto, a bit saddened about giving up his prank supply money.
The man's jaw dropped.
"Fa… fafa… fafafa...50,000? We… well that'll get you a whole load of stuff. Follow me and we'll get you some serviceable gear." said the shopkeeper.
"Works for me." answered Naruto, beginning to relax around the man.
Naruto took a moment to study the shopkeeper as he trundled through the narrow aisles. He was a large man, easily double the size of Naruto. He had a large stomach, but his arms were as thick as tree branches, consisting of pure muscle.
"Here we are." said the shopkeeper as he grabbed various clothing apparel from hangars in the shelves.
"What about this?" asked the shopkeeper as he tossed Naruto a sleeveless jacket.
Naruto scrambled to catch the clothing apparel and felt the rugged texture of chain mesh when he caught it.
"A dark crimson and black, lightly armored combat jacket. The jacket has shoulder pads and a tall collar, as well as being lined with thick cloth and chain mesh, giving you decent protection from blades and explosions without losing mobility." said the shopkeeper.
"Awesome, I'll take it." said Naruto, happily.
"Next, we have white medical wrapping, black finger-less gloves with a metal back-plate, and crimson and black forearm guards to protect the arms." said the shopkeeper, handing the Uzumaki said items.
"Great, put it in the tab." said Naruto with a grin.
"Then, we have black, lightly armored ankle-length pants, made the same way as the jacket. Crimson and black shin guards, and black sandals that improve traction, mobility, and stealth." said the shopkeeper.
"Perfect." said Naruto, grabbing the new apparel.
"Ok, now let's get you some weapons and supplies." said the shopkeeper, before returning to the front counter.
Naruto dropped all of the clothing he was going to buy on the counter, and watched attentively as the man grabbed a grey kunai pouch and black backpack, before filling them with various supplies that were essential for shinobi.
"Ok, here is a standard genin kunai and shuriken pouch and I have taken the liberty to stock it fully with a dozen kunai, fifty shuriken, ten mini-smoke bombs, and several exploding tags. Inside the backpack are all the utilities that you would ever need as a genin, cloaks for either hot or cold climates, a tent, a sleeping bag, and an extra stock of fifty kunai, two-hundred shuriken, forty mini-smoke bombs, and two dozen exploding tags." said the shopkeeper, laying all of the equipment on the table.
Naruto could only stare at all of the awesome equipment that was right in front of him. The Uzumaki couldn't believe how much he was missing out on, already he would become stronger just by actually having standard equipment.
"Sweet! One last thing though, do you happen to have beginner through advanced-level academy taijutsu scrolls, academy ninjutsu scrolls, and chakra control exercise scrolls?" asked Naruto.
"Let me check in the back." replied the shopkeeper, before going to check.
Naruto waited patiently at the counter, twiddling his thumbs, until the shopkeeper came back a few minutes later carrying several scrolls.
"You're just in luck, a new shipment just came in this week. You know, you're one of the first academy students in a while to actually apply themselves and come here to get some good shinobi gear." said the shopkeeper, while putting the scrolls inside of the backpack.
"Really now?" thought Naruto, feeling a little prideful. At least he wasn't always the dead last in anything that had to do with being a shinobi.
"So anything else?" asked the shopkeeper.
"Nope, you've been great. Do you have a changing room, by chance?" asked Naruto.
"Yep, it's at the far left corner." replied the shopkeeper.
Naruto nodded his thanks before heading into the small cubicle with a curtain that shielded the changing person from prying eyes.
When the blond-haired Uzumaki exited the changing room, it would nearly be impossible to recognize him. The new change in outfit made Naruto look like a true shinobi, not to mention it was stylish.
The black and crimson color scheme didn't make him stand out like a sore thumb, not to mention that the clothes actually fit him rather than being too big or too small.
"Looking good kiddo, how do you like it?" asked the shopkeeper, with an impressed whistle.
"It's amazing, I'll take it. So how much does this all come to?" asked Naruto.
"Let's see…" trailed off the shopkeeper as he tallied up the prices for all the equipment Naruto was buying.
"Around… 45,000 ryo." said the man, with a smile.
A moment of silence followed.
"I'm sorry… can you repeat that again?" asked Naruto, with a confused expression.
"The price is 45,000 ryo." repeated the shopkeeper, with a sincere expression.
"Fa… fafa…. fafafa...45,000?! WHAT IN THE HELL! WHYYYYY?" yelled Naruto, nearly ripping his hair out.
"DAMN! 45,000 ryo?! Now that's some evil right there that I can respect!" laughed the Kyubi, seemingly mesmerized by the excellent display of 'highway robbery'.
"45,000 ryo… that bastard just ruined me… I'm practically broke, I've got zilch, nada, nothing'?" cried Naruto, comedic tears flowing from the jinchuriki's eyes while he paid the shopkeeper.
From paying the shopkeeper to exiting the weapon's store, the Kyubi was howling like a madman. Naruto could imagine the demon fox rolling all over his cage in laughter, kicking his legs wildly.
"Shut up Kyubi… that was horrible." growled Naruto. The blonde-haired boy was as pale as a ghost ever since they left Higurashi's.
"I'm sorry..." cried the demon fox.
"It's… it's just so beautiful! It's been awhile since I've seen someone pull off a scam like that… I've been trapped inside jinchurikis for so long that I've forgotten how hilarious the methods humans use to con each other out of money are." said the Kyubi, much to Naruto's chagrin.
"Anyway, I have to say kid, you're looking good! I told you that jumpsuit was trash!" said the Kyubi, as he admired Naruto's change in wardrobe.
"I do look pretty good, don't I? With this, I can actually fix my problems with stealth and everything. Like the Kyubi said, that jumpsuit made me a walking target. However, that still doesn't change the fact about my financial situation." thought Naruto.
"Don't try to flatter me, Kyubi. What are we supposed to do now with only 5,000 ryo?" asked Naruto.
"Aww… don't worry so much, gaki! All he did was rob you blind! You still have some money left. Now you're just… more poor. As I've said before, you need meat and some veggies. Your skinny as hell and you need some protein to help your small-ass grow." said the Kyubi, flatly.
"You just always have to make fun of me, don't you?" whined Naruto.
"Yes." answered the demon fox, smirking.
"I have one question though. How can you even complain about money? Doesn't the Third Hokage give you an allowance every month? asked the Kyubi.
"Yeah he does but, because of my pranks, he's been lowering my allowance to punish me." said Naruto, causing the Kyubi to face-palm in shock.
"KYUBI SLAM!" roared the Kyubi.
The comedic attack sent Naruto flying into and crashing through a wooden fence, along the alleys of Konoha.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, GAKI?! Are you physically unable to not ruin everything you have going for you?! My god…" groaned the biju in annoyance.
"HEY! That fence is public property, I can get in trouble for destroying that! You better help me fix it!" yelled Naruto.
"HELL NO! YOU DESERVE THAT! FIX IT YOURSELF!" retorted the Kyubi.
"But… but... the villagers will blame it on me!" cried Naruto.
"Since when do you care about the villagers blaming stuff on you?! You know what? Whatever. Let's just get to the damn grocery store before it closes." said the Kyubi.
"Yeah, about that. The people at the grocery store most definitely hate me, due to prejudice and my retaliatory pranking sprees against them. I doubt I'll be able to even enter the store." said Naruto.
"Leave it to me." replied the Kyubi.
The two made their way to the grocery store, and thanks to the well placed 'Kyubi Slam', they didn't have to walk too far. The duo made it maybe ten minutes before the grocery store closed for the night.
"Alright, Kyubi. How are we gonna do this? I'm all ears." asked Naruto.
"Give me control of your arms and legs." ordered the Kyubi.
"Ummmm… wha-..." began Naruto, before it all happened in a flash.
In an instant, before the Uzumaki could even finish his sentence, the demon fox sent him blitzing through the aisles of the store, grabbing various items of food off the shelves and shoving them in dozens of grocery bags.
Then, the Kyubi-controlled Naruto rushed out of the door into the night, but not before dropping a couple thousand ryo on the counter, to pay for the groceries.
The clerk, who was counting ceiling tiles while waiting for closing time, was caught off guard by the Kyubi-controlled Naruto blitzing through the door, and fell on the floor, missing the events that transpired, and only getting up in time to see the money left on the counter by the mysterious shopper.
"Wow, Kyubi. That was amazing!" laughed Naruto, as the Kyubi helped Naruto, who was carrying two dozen bags of groceries in his arms, speed through the village back to his apartment.
"That's right, gaki! There's no task too difficult for me to figure out, now let's get some shut eye, so we can begin training tomorrow." said the Kyubi, smirking in enjoyment.
Messing with humans was a very fun pastime, he could see why Naruto enjoyed pranking so much, though the Kyubi would never admit it.
"Right." agreed Naruto, grinning deviously.
The Uzumaki had such a life changing encounter today. Just when it seemed that all was lost, and that he might as well give up his dream of becoming a great shinobi and eventually Hokage, the Kyubi appeared and gave him a new perspective on life.
Konoha better be ready, because the shinobi world's most powerful duo has been born, and they are ready to fuck shit up.