The Contract

Chapter 1- decision

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'' You got ta move faster kid ! '' Jiraiya barked as he sidestepped Naruto 's fist and delivered a vicious slap to the boy 's skull. `` And do n't just throw yourself into your attacks, anticipate your resister 's move and ALWAYS be prepared to oppose accordingly ! Have n't you learned anything over the past two twelvemonth ? ``

Nothing I could n't induce learned back home.

Naruto shook his head, physically trying to reposition the snarky thought as he tried to cogitate up a way to defeat his wise man. He took too foresightful though, and Jiraiya capitalized brutally with a fist almost shearing through his belly in retaliation.

'' Never drop your safeguard ! ``

The blonde gritted his dentition, biting back the pain as he grabbed on to the offending fist with one hired man and slammed twin retaliatory blows to his mentor 's snarky mug.

It dissolved into mud beneath him.

His eyes widened by a tomentum and he immediately replaced himself with a tree branch.

A moment later, the leg was skewered by a one thousand muddy needles.

'Fuck it !'Naruto swore as he imediately began to creep through the underbrush .'I need to get my header in the biz !'

No offense, man, but is there really a point ? I mean, you 're here getting beat up by one man. A Sannin, granted, but just ONE man. Sasuke 's getting his ass in gear with the resources of an integral hamlet. A youngster one, admittedly, but they 've got their own Sannin and a genius to boot. Not to advert ol'Four-Eyed Kabuto with his insane skill and, if the auditory sensation four and the freaky os guy are any indication, a completely squad of jonin level shinobi. The Perv 's training you like you 're going up against a single enemy while the guy who will be going up against a single enemy 's getting prepped for an all out war.

'You're…'Naruto snapped out of his almost trance-like country with a violent jerk. Realizing how close he had come to agreeing withthe vocalism in his header, the blond clamped down on all intellection and focused on taking his mentor down with a vengeance…

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'' Come on boy ! '' Jiraiya whined, chasing after a briskly walking Naruto on his stifle. `` I need the John Cash ! ``

'' To chase some slattern, no incertitude. '' Naruto scoffed as he marched away.

Jiraiya 's aspect, though, had gone from pleading to disturbingly perverse. `` Oh~ kid you had to experience seen her ! That was n't just some slattern, she was an absolute BABE ! Tits as big as my head and an ass you could bounce a coin off ! And her legs ! ``

THIS is what I 'm training with ? The perverted retard of the Sannin ? So, Sasuke 's getting trained by the genius of the Sannin, a direct rival for the Big Hat alongside the yellowness Flash and the guy that ended the Old Man 's stellar life and we 're getting trained by the Perverted Sannin. Wonderful. No, fuck sarcasm ! Even Sakura had a undecomposed deal. At to the lowest degree her Sannin wo n't bug her for cash so she could go chink out strippers and horseshit. I mean for the love of- Orochimaru 's a be intimate star ! He 's on a similar stratum to the fucking Fourth Hokage ! He 's a verified brand skipper. He knows more ninjutsu techniques than virtually shinobi ever get to even witness ! Sasuke, the angst ridden gay emo gets THAT guy and you 're stuck with the guy who 's expectant title to fame is that he trained the one-fourth ? Is there anyway you could take in come up with an even worse deal ? !

'' Shut the fuck up and leave me alone ! '' Naruto roared angrily.

Jiraiya, who had been caught mid-rant when his apprentice snapped, simply thought he might receive pushed the point of accumulation and decided to head into the brothel on his own. The madam of the house knew him well and, unlike his busty teammate, he had a report for maintaining minimal, if any, debts.

Had he bothered to dig deeper, he might have figured that something was off with his apprentice…

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'' So, Naruto, what 's the first thing you wan na do when we get back to Konoha ? '' Jiraiya asked. Himself and his prentice were relaxing in a hayfield a few miles away from the Din Land of Bears, taking the day off to relax and unwind. `` Me, I 'm gon na hit up Tsunade first ; see if she 's finally come around to my manly charms. ``

'' The only thing manly about you is your hair, Pervy sage. '' Naruto shot back with a grin. `` And even that 's longer than about women wear their fuzz. ``

'' Oi ! Do n't insult these whorl you little brat ! ``

'' I 'll insult 'em when I want to old man ! '' The blond stab back playfully.

For the next few here and now, nil came up until Jiraiya spoke again. `` I 'm still waiting for your solution kiddo. ``

To be dependable, Naruto was n't quite for certain of what he wanted ; over the past few weeks, doubtfulness and fears had set into his heart and, no thing how hard he tried to neglect them, they had burrowed in cryptic. He did, however, know what to say to his wise man. `` start things first, I wan na see Sakura-chan again ! She must have grown quite lots with Baa-chan training her ! I bet she 'll be really awed by how I 've grown too ! Might even get her to go out with me. ``

Where he lay, a few paces away, Jiraiya winced. `` mightiness not wan na get your hopes on that kiddo. ``

See ? Even your mentor does n't believe you stand a fortune with the pink haired board.

'' I mean, she 's always had her hopes strung up on the Uchiha right ? '' Jiraiya continued, not noticing the conflicted feeling on his protege 's cheek. `` I know a turn of people might believe that that 's all a Thomas Kid'dreaming but… Look man, pack it from soul in similar shoes… You really should get your warmness off that train. Even the whole 'save the Uchiha'train… I think you should be prepared for the kid not wanting to fall back ; Orochimaru 's a skilled manipulator and if I know that by-blow anywhere close to what I think I know, then he 'll bear done his absolute good to grow the Uchiha against you. ``

Naruto had n't heard a word of Jiraiya 's, his psyche clouded by dark thoughts, until Jiraiya had talked about Orochimaru corrupting Sasuke beyond redemption.

It was the final exam push ; the emotions he had bottled up, from his lonely honorary society long time right up to that consequence, broke Forth like a dam…

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When Naruto opened his eyes, he expected to encounter himself on a cot in one of Jiraiya 's many bunker, wrapped up in bandages and feeling the burn of his chakra coils as they healed. His sense of timing was all messed up but the last few moments before slipping into unconsciousness were still fresh in his mind…

The rage… the pain…

He remembered everything…

Right up to the present moment his control had slipped and the red haze of his biju 's chakra blurred everything out of sight…

guilt was n't a strong enough condition for what he felt as he returned to consciousness.

All that madness turned into a bubbling pit of rage when he fully noticed his surroundings.

Red walls, vast pipes, a never ending menstruation of water…

He was within his own judgement, at the nosepiece between himself and the seal.

'' Kyubi. '' His voice was wish brand as he pushed to his feet and began storming down the cathedral-like hallway. Things were beginning to defecate horse sense now ; he had never been one to be bothered by dark thoughts, his childhood having taught him that the only way to stay on even slightly sane was to ignore all drab sentiment, so the barrage of discouraging and disquieting questions he had been plagued by over the past duad of weeks just had to receive been caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox. It would also excuse why he had so readily been consumed by its baron ; his natural action had never truly been his own.

'' Blaming me for everything again ? ``

The thundering boom of the Kyubi snapped him out of his rage-filled psychogenic fugue as he realized that he had arrived at the gates.

The shock barely lasted two seconds before being drowned out by rage.

'' Blaming you ? ! What, I should be thanking you ? ! You have been pouring your hate-filled tripe into my pass, filling my every waking thought with your bullshit and then taking advantage of me to try to get free ! ``

'' funny how you came to that ratiocination. ``

Naruto stood back and crossed his arms over his breast. `` There 's a different conclusion ? ``

The Fox resting on its haunches, cracked open a crimson eyelid. `` Are you interested ? Or was that just kick sarcasm ? ``

'' Oh no, let 's hear your side of meat of the story. '' Naruto shot back. `` I mean, I would n't desire to judge you wrongly or anything. ``

'' Well then… first gear off, you said I 'd been filling your head with my 'hate-filled tripe', congratulations on rightly using the tripe by the way, you 're getting just a bit less stupid. ``

'' Is there a dot to all this ? ``

'' Do n't interrupt, that 's rude. Anyway, I 'd like to ask : which of those 'mental assault'of mine was actually filled with hate ? ``

The blond immediately opened his back talk to give the axe off a snarky response…

And found himself gaping instead as he simply could n't believe of a single instance.

The Kyubi flashed its teeth at him in a macabre grin. `` Nothing ? Well, let 's move on shall we ? Point two : why exactly do you think I 've been the one doing the head-filling ? ``

This time, Naruto was ready and he immediately spouted a telephone number of intellect related to him not having such fears ordinarily.

'' You done ? '' The Kyubi asked after his impassioned response. Upon receiving the blond 's nod, the biju proceeded to express joy its ass off, even thrashing about in hilarity-induced spasms for safe measuring. `` Oh shit kid ! You are hilarious ! You really think I could simply walk through your brain and suss out your deepest, sorry fears to fudge you ? Abruptly, the biju 's features became trigger-happy. `` newsbreak you nitwit : this cachet prohibits even a single haircloth on my tail from slipping out ! I sure as nether region ca n't go zipping through your brainpan. And do n't even get me started on that stupefied musical theme that I 'd spend my clock time watching you do homo things ; I could n't care less about your puny existence either way ! ``

'' Says the creature that 's recorded as a mountain of hate ! ``

'' By whose criminal record ? mankind ? The same people that see you as my spawn ? The Lapplander species that hate you indiscriminately even though they created the substance to create More jinchuriki in the first of all place ? '' The biju 's scathing reaction was like a hammer smash to his already weakened belief, a fact that the biju saw and mercilessly pounced upon. `` I did n't broadcast those thinking to you, boy, they were born of your own thoughts. '' This fourth dimension, the biju 's voice was low and almost soothing. `` And I think you know why such thoughts cloud your mind. ``

Naruto turned away from the cage and took a step forward… before going still.

He did know ; for the longsighted sentence he had suspected as much but he had consciously shoved it down and piled on tons of traitorously optimism to bury it.

He was n't strong enough.

Whether he liked it or not, he just was n't impregnable enough on his own to attain his goals. He had been cheated in the Academy, yes, but he had been out for more than four long time, a great portion of which had been spent with Jiraiya, and he could see no significant changes.

He wanted to be the Hokage, he wanted to clear the respect of the people… he wanted to fulfill his promise to Sakura and bring Sasuke back.

And he just. Was n't. Strong. Enough.

can him, the biju watched as he struggled to ca-ca a determination with a meet smirk. True to its give-and-take, it had not sent the thinking to the vernal shinobi. That did n't intend it was totally unacquainted either ; a gradual diversion of its chakra into the boy 's yin chakra had been all that was required for his repressed idea to resurface and step down that resolve he was so proud of. Now, as the biju watched, reading into every nuance of his organic structure language, it knew it had succeeded.

The time to draw the benefits was near ; the final step was…

'' So why are you telling me now ? ``

The biju 's smirk turned savage. The boy wanted to know ; the interest was there.

'' In my fourth dimension here, I have come to understand what power means to you humans, '' it lied, `` and as such I am bequeath to sign a contract with you. ``

The human scowled. `` A few time of day ago, I 'd cause ranted about you wanting my soul or seeking an escape but now… Details. I want particular. ``

The biju chuckled, the sound booming out in waves that rattled his teeth. Nevertheless, Naruto stood, glaring at the biju ; awaiting answers.

'' Perhaps your clock time with the old man was n't a fill out waste ; you certainly seem Sir Thomas More intelligent. '' Abruptly, the humor disappeared from the biju 's countenance and the creature rose up, resting on its hind ramification. `` You mankind see us as walking masses of chakra, an opinion that never ceases to nonplus me. After all, if we walked around wreaking havoc everywhere then your history should have been significantly altered by our actions.

'' In my time walking among your form, I learned a great deal ; fighting mode, speculation proficiency and forms of chakra manipulation that have long since been lost to the ravages of time. It is these I offer you ; the power to command the very elements, to get an unstoppable force on the battlefield… Everything I know, I freely give.

'' However, I understand how impatient your sort are, no question as a result of your short lifespan, and so I offer you something Thomas More : residue. ``

'' I do n't understand. ``

'' I did not expect you to. You see, at its stem, chakra is of two mannikin : Yin chakra and Yang chakra. You possess an overabundance of the latter yet very little, comparatively speaking, of the former. It is this imbalance that has limited your progress in the illusory liberal arts. I can fix this. ``

If nothing else had caught his attention, the biju knew that this certainly would.

Once again, it was n't wrong.

'' How ? ``

'' I will, with your permission, channel a minute fraction of my chakra through you. Without going into specific, it will forcibly leap out set about the creation of Yin chakra within your coils and, over a period of about five solar day, your chakra circulatory organization will gradually attain an equilibrium State, generating an equal amount of money of Yin chakra as it does Yang chakra. ``

Naruto 's face went slack as he considered the sheer implication of that singular welfare. `` My chakra reserves… they'll… ''

'' Double ? '' The biju prompted. `` At the very least. ``

The whirl seemed too good to be true ; learning ancient fashion of fight, gaining the ability to use genjutsu, an increased chakra content ? Naruto wanted to postulate it. Practically every brain cell he had screamed at him to ump on the offer.

Then, his centre narrowed. `` At what cost ? ``

An go that was so mouth-watering had to expect a cost.

The biju glared at him, seemingly sizing him up yet again, before speech production. `` An offer as this should have a cracking number of requisite, boy, but I will only ask of two matter from you ; the starting time and the greatest is corporate trust. '' The biju leaned forward until its snout was a bare inches away, separated by the prevention that held it locked away. `` I will not tellyou what the mo toll is until you have signed my declaration. ``

Naruto was torn.

On one hand, he would very likely be selling his someone over to a demon because, regardless of what the biju would have him consider, indoctrinated beliefs did n't die out over a mere chat.

On the early, much heavier, hand, he would be granted the kind of power that he had always desired ; the variety of power that would help oneself him achieve his goals.

'I 'm going to be the Hokage someday, Iruka-sensei ! Believe it !'

'I 'll get Sasuke back for you, Sakura-chan ! That 's a promise of a life-time !'

'I never go back on my quarrel ! That 's my ninja way ! Believe it !'

A wise man once said :'A man is undone by the Good Book of his own oral fissure .'

'' What do I do ? ``

That man was right.

'' stair into the cage, boy, and hold out your arm to your side. ``

This was it.

It was one thing to agree to a affair but, when confronted with the enormity of their determination, many wavered and near backed down.

They were not Uzumaki Naruto.

With a positive footstep that betrayed none of his catch, the shinobi stepped out of his realm and into the fiend 's lair.

The biju reared upward, sucking in a cryptical breath, its oculus never leaving his.

Do n't locomote, it seemed to say, just before it lurched forward, the dull Orange glow in the back of its pharynx the entirely monition Naruto had before being engulfed in flame .