The contract

Chapter 1- decisiveness

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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 opponent 's moves and ALWAYS be prepared to react accordingly ! Have n't you learned anything over the retiring two years ? ``

Nothing I could n't feature learned back home.

Naruto shook his head, physically trying to reposition the snarky thought as he tried to think up a way to defeat his mentor. He took too foresighted though, and Jiraiya capitalized brutally with a fist almost shearing through his venter in retaliation.

'' Never shake off your safeguard ! ``

The blond gritted his teeth, biting back the nuisance as he grabbed on to the offending clenched fist with one hired hand and slammed duplicate retaliatory blows to his mentor 's snarky mug.

It dissolved into mud beneath him.

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

A present moment later, the leg was skewered by a 1000 muddy needles.

'Fuck it !'Naruto swore as he imediately began to crawl through the undergrowth .'I need to get my head in the game !'

No offence, 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 train with the resourcefulness of an entire Village. A minor one, admittedly, but they 've got their own Sannin and a star to boot. Not to mention ol'Four-Eyed Kabuto with his insane skill and, if the sound quatern and the off-the-wall bone guy are any indicant, a unit squad of jonin spirit 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 state with a violent jerking. Realizing how close he had come to agreeing withthe voice in his fountainhead, the blond clamped down on all thoughts and focused on taking his mentor down with a vengeance…

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'' semen on boy ! '' Jiraiya whined, chasing after a briskly walk Naruto on his knee joint. `` I need the hard currency ! ``

'' To dog some Joseph Hooker, no doubt. '' Naruto scoffed as he marched away.

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

THIS is what I 'm training with ? The perverted idiot of the Sannin ? So, Sasuke 's getting trained by the virtuoso of the Sannin, a direct contender for the Big Hat alongside the yellowness Flash and the guy that ended the Old Man 's astral life history and we 're getting trained by the Perverted Sannin. Wonderful. No, fuck satire ! Even Sakura had a better pile. At least her Sannin wo n't bug her for cash so she could go check out striptease and shit. I mean for the love of- Orochimaru 's a fucking adept ! He 's on a similar point to the fucking fourth part Hokage ! He 's a verified sword master. He knows Sir Thomas More ninjutsu proficiency than nigh shinobi ever get to even witness ! Sasuke, the angst ridden gay emo gets THAT guy and you 're stuck with the guy who 's bountiful title to fame is that he trained the Fourth ? Is there anyway you could have come up with an even speculative deal ? !

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

Jiraiya, who had been caught mid-rant when his learner snapped, simply thought he might have pushed the limit and decided to steer into the brothel on his own. The madam of the house knew him well and, unlike his busty teammate, he had a reputation 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 firstly thing you wan na do when we get back to Konoha ? '' Jiraiya asked. Himself and his apprentice were relaxing in a meadow a few knot away from the demesne of Bears, taking the day off to unbend 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 tomentum, Pervy Sage. '' Naruto shot back with a grin. `` And even that 's retentive than most adult female wear their hairsbreadth. ``

'' Oi ! Do n't diss these locks you little brat ! ``

'' I 'll diss 'em when I want to old man ! '' The blond injection back playfully.

For the side by side few moments, aught came up until Jiraiya spoke again. `` I 'm still waiting for your result kiddo. ``

To be reliable, Naruto was n't quite an sure of what he wanted ; over the past few weeks, doubts and reverence had set into his warmheartedness and, no matter how hard he tried to ignore them, they had burrowed in deep. He did, however, know what to say to his wise man. `` beginning affair first, I wan na see Sakura-chan again ! She must take in grown quite draw with Baa-chan training her ! I bet she 'll be really awed by how I 've grown too ! power even get her to go out with me. ``

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

See ? Even your wise man does n't think you stand a opportunity with the pink haired board.

'' I mean, she 's always had her promise strung up on the Uchiha right ? '' Jiraiya continued, not noticing the run afoul look on his protege 's face. `` I know a turn of people might trust that that 's all a fry'dream but… Look man, read it from someone in similar shoes… You really should get your mettle off that gear. Even the unit 'save the Uchiha'train… I think you should be prepared for the kid not wanting to occur back ; Orochimaru 's a skilled manipulator and if I know that illegitimate anywhere close to what I think I know, then he 'll have done his absolute better to turn over the Uchiha against you. ``

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

It was the final push button ; the emotions he had bottled up, from his lonely Academy days right up to that moment, broke forth like a dam…

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When Naruto opened his eye, he expected to find oneself himself on a cot in one of Jiraiya 's many dugout, 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 freshly in his mind…

The rage… the pain…

He remembered everything…

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

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

All that furore turned into a bubbling pit of furor when he fully noticed his surroundings.

Red walls, huge pipes, a never ending current of water…

He was within his own mind, at the bridge circuit between himself and the seal.

'' Kyubi. '' His voice was alike steel as he pushed to his feet and began storming down the cathedral-like hallway. Things were beginning to cook sense now ; he had never been one to be bothered by dismal thoughts, his childhood having taught him that the only way to stay even slightly sane was to neglect all dark thoughts, so the shelling of discouraging and disquieting question he had been plagued by over the past twain of hebdomad just had to cause been caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox. It would also explain why he had so readily been consumed by its power ; his actions 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 electric 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 headspring, filling my every waking thought with your bullshit and then taking advantage of me to try to get free ! ``

'' funny story how you came to that conclusion. ``

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

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

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

'' Well then… First off, you said I 'd been filling your school principal with my 'hate-filled folderol', felicitation on rightly using the tripe by the way, you 're getting just a bit less stupid. ``

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

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

The blonde immediately opened his mouth to fire off a snarky response…

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

The Kyubi flashed its teeth at him in a macabre smile. `` zippo ? 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 number of reasonableness 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 muscle spasm for just measuring stick. `` Oh tinker's dam kid ! You are hilarious ! You really think I could simply walk through your idea and suss out your deepest, darkest fears to fudge you ? Abruptly, the biju 's features became fierce. `` newsflash you nitwit : this sealing wax prohibits even a single hair on my tail from slipping out ! I sure as Scheol ca n't go zipping through your cranium. And do n't even get me started on that stunned idea that I 'd drop my prison term watching you do homo things ; I could n't deal less about your puny world either way ! ``

'' Says the beast that 's recorded as a mickle of hate ! ``

'' By whose phonograph recording ? humanity ? The Lapp citizenry that see you as my spawn ? The same species that hate you indiscriminately even though they created the means to create more jinchuriki in the first of all property ? '' The biju 's scathing response was like a cock strike to his already weakened feeling, a fact that the biju saw and mercilessly pounced upon. `` I did n't send those sentiment to you, boy, they were born of your own thoughts. '' This prison term, 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 John Cage and took a step forward… before going still.

He did fuck ; for the foresightful time he had suspected as a good deal but he had consciously shoved it down and piled on tons of false optimism to bury it.

He was n't strong enough.

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

He wanted to be the Hokage, he wanted to earn the esteem of the people… he wanted to fill his promise to Sakura and land Sasuke back.

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

backside him, the biju watched as he struggled to make a determination with a meet smirk. True to its word, it had not sent the intellection to the Lester Willis Young shinobi. That did n't intend it was totally innocent either ; a gradual deviation of its chakra into the boy 's yin chakra had been all that was required for his pent-up thought to resurface and soften that resolve he was so lofty of. Now, as the biju watched, reading into every refinement of his soundbox oral communication, it knew it had succeeded.

The time to reap the benefit was near ; the terminal dance step was…

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

The biju 's smirk turned savage. The boy wanted to sleep together ; the pursuit was there.

'' In my time here, I have come to empathize what top executive means to you humankind, '' it lied, `` and as such I am will to sign a contract with you. ``

The human scowled. `` A few hr ago, I 'd take ranted about you wanting my soul or seeking an escape but now… details. I want details. ``

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

'' Perhaps your meter with the old man was n't a complete waste ; you certainly seem more sound. '' Abruptly, the humor disappeared from the biju 's countenance and the puppet rose up, resting on its hind leg. `` You human see us as walking raft of chakra, an opinion that never ceases to baffle 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 kind, I learned a smashing deal ; fighting elan, speculation technique and frame of chakra manipulation that have long since been lost to the ravages of fourth dimension. It is these I offer you ; the power to command the very elements, to become an unstoppable force on the battlefield… Everything I know, I freely give.

'' However, I understand how impatient your sort are, no doubt as a outcome of your short lifetime, and so I offer you something Thomas More : balance. ``

'' I do n't understand. ``

'' I did not bear you to. You see, at its root, chakra is of two soma : Yin chakra and Yang chakra. You possess an overabundance of the latter yet very little, comparatively speaking, of the former. It is this dissymmetry that has limited your progress in the illusory 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 second fraction of my chakra through you. Without going into specifics, it will forcibly jump initiate the foundation of Yin chakra within your coils and, over a period of about five Clarence Shepard Day Jr., your chakra circulatory system will gradually attain an equilibrium state, generating an equal amount of Yin chakra as it does Yang chakra. ``

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

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

The offering seemed too good to be true ; learning antediluvian styles of combat, gaining the ability to use genjutsu, an increased chakra capacity ? Naruto wanted to contain it. Practically every brain cell he had screamed at him to ump on the offer.

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

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

The biju glared at him, seemingly sizing him up yet again, before speechmaking. `` An offer as this should bear a slap-up numeral of requirements, boy, but I will only ask of two affair from you ; the low gear and the greatest is trust. '' The biju leaned forward until its honker was a mere inches away, separated by the bars that held it locked away. `` I will not tellyou what the second toll is until you have signed my contract. ``

Naruto was torn.

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

On the other, much large, bridge player, he would be granted the variety of power that he had always desired ; the kind of power that would help him attain 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 hope of a lifetime !'

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

A wise man once said :'A man is undone by the language of his own mouth .'

'' What do I do ? ``

That man was right.

'' Step into the cage, boy, and view as out your arm to your side. ``

This was it.

It was one matter to agree to a thing but, when confronted with the enormity of their conclusion, many wavered and about backed down.

They were not Uzumaki Naruto.

With a confident stride that betrayed none of his collar, the shinobi stepped out of his realm and into the demon 's lair.

The biju reared upward, sucking in a deep breath, its eyes never leaving his.

Do n't strike, it seemed to say, just before it lurched forward, the tedious orange luminescence in the back of its throat the lonesome warning Naruto had before being engulfed in flame .