Chapter Text
Naruto: Sage Verse.
Chapter 1.
The falling rain shot down over Konoha in a sharp assault, made worse by deafening strikes of lightening which lit up the gloomy night sky. This ever escalating stormy weather was accompanied by cold gusts of wind, which undeniably supported the promise of the snapping jaws of winter.
Vulnerable to the onslaught, Naruto Uzumaki ambled across the wet ground. Icy rainwater swarming over his face and clothes, whilst he attempted to navigate his way home through the darkened streets of The Hidden Leaf Village.
He hated the rain. It was like the heavens themselves were weeping, and their great grief infected him to the point his own sadness surged to engulf him with a parade of unwelcome memories.
His life hadn't been particularly easy, from the moment he grew old enough to talk and walk, he'd been alone.
After he was predictably removed from the orphanage, the Konoha council gifted him with a modest apartment and a monthly allowance of income.
For a eleven year old boy absent parents or an established clan, it was a breath of fresh air.
However, these unexpected comforts accomplished naught to alleviate the constant loneliness he endured on a daily basis. His personal turmoil was a sight the villagers relished, although he couldn't understand why.
For some reason, most of the busy residents within the village actively despised him. They refused to help him, often treating him cruelly through words and actions. In their eyes, he was a plague they wished would disappear, his every second in their presence, an insult of catastrophic proportions.
What did I do to deserve this? The boy angrily wondered.
'' You were born.''
He froze in his tracks. Naruto couldn't detect where the voice had come from. The streets were silent and empty, with everyone typically indoors at this hour. Had he imagined it?
Before another second passed, he felt a strong, irresistible pull and the next thing he knew he was somehow transported to a completely different surrounding.
Looking around, he noticed the enclosed space he was now trapped in appeared sewer like. What really bothered him was the large locked cage erected in the center. What is this weird place? How did I get here?
'' I called you here, brat.''
Naruto spun his gaze to the cage where the voice seemed to come from. '' Who's there?''
A deep, harsh burst of laughter emerged from behind the dimly lit cage, where two glowing red eyes peered back at him. '' Ha! You can act brave if you wish, but I can sense you're fear.''
He wasn't wrong.
At the moment, the young boy was more terrified than he'd ever been before. His instincts were screaming at him to run away, to find a way out before it was too late.
Yet, he didn't move an inch.
Naruto couldn't explain why, but a part of him wanted to stay, for if he ran, he'd never learn why he was brought here in the first place.
Mustering up what courage he had, he forced himself to stare at the cage. '' Show yourself.'' He demanded.
A towering, orange fox as tall as a small mountain leaned against the bars of the cage, his bright crimson gaze appearing to possess a sheltered rage so unanimously destructive he felt sick the longer their eyes made contact. It was thereafter he noticed the fox's tails. He had nine of them.'' Unbelievable.'' It was the only word he could bring himself to say.
'' Pitiful. To think a weak, fragile boy like you is my jailer,'' The fox growled, sour irritation in his voice. '' Well? Ask you're questions, child.''
'' No point. They have already been answered.''
'' What? Explain.''
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to stare back at his confused guest. The fear which until recently had dominated his senses, was gone. An almost unwavering aura of confidence and self awareness replaced it.
'' You are the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. I can gather that much from you're appearance, and besides I've read enough about you to know. If I had to guess, I would assume this cage of yours is actually a seal, which means I'm inside my own mind right now.''
'' You're clever for a brat, I admit I am impressed.'' The fox chuckled.
Naruto had always been an intelligent child, that was one thing he'd always taken a source of pride in. His perpetual habit of unconsciously letting himself be led by his emotions tended to mask how insightful he truly was, and now that he'd calmed himself he was beginning to understand the situation much clearer. '' Maybe so,'' He said, not breaking eye contact. '' However, I do have one question I suppose.''
'' What is it?''
'' Can I know you're name?''
The Fox stared wordlessly at the human youth in front of him. In his countless decades of existence, few things ever surprised him, especially when it came to human fools, but this boy's question had. His experience had taught him mankind was a desperate and ignorant race, too greedy and too violent to be trusted, the fact they'd constantly tried to enslave his kind to feed their desire for greater power was proof of that.
Somehow though, he sensed this boy was different. '' Why do you care?''
'' Because we are both unwillingly bound together for the foreseeable future, and I would prefer it if we could get along. If you don't wish to, I understand, but I think there is much we can learn from each other.'' Naruto explained.
What is this boy? The fox thought to himself. His host was full of surprises it seemed, and he hated being surprised. Yet he'd detected no trace of deceit within the mortal, he truly meant every word. This alone, was quite astonishing.
Nevertheless, what happened next shook him to his core. In a brief moment, his pupils widened as he glimpsed the familiar sight of his father hovering above the small child in a bright, soothing light. Then as quickly as the image appeared, it vanished, leaving the stunned Fox in absolute confusion.
Could he be the one?
He heard the human say something else to him, although he ignored it, too preoccupied with what he'd just witnessed. There was no doubt he'd seen his father, more commonly known as the Sage of Six Paths at the Uzumaki's side, such a thing could only transpire if their souls were linked somehow. This sudden realization sent a wave of excitement into him, it meant the old man's prophecy of the future savior destined to save the world and unite every tailed beast like himself was true after all. It changed everything.
Turning his head to look at the boy again, his eyes softened. '' My Name is Kurama.''
Naruto smiled. '' It is a honor to meet you, my name is Naruto Uzumaki.''