A ninja must see underneath the underneath

Chapter 1 - Cooped up in a hospital room

"I have failed," Naruto thought. "How could I have failed after I promised Sakura I would bring him back." Tears started to fill up Naruto's eyes. "How could he betray Konohagakure, betray Team Seven, betray me..." Naruto thought back to his fight with Sasuke and he remembered how powerless he felt. Not only was he unable to convince Sasuke, but he also wasn't even strong enough to stop him by force. Naruto felt ashamed when he thought about how weak he was compared to his teammate. His stoic raven-haired rival hadn't even taken the battle seriously. And in hindsight, he didn't even need to. Naruto grabbed the blanket from his hospital bed and pulled it over his head. It was quiet in his room. There were no sounds except for the quiet sobs coming from the 17-year-old boy.

"I could have easily defeated that conceited Uchiha welp." 
A deep voice resonated throughout Naruto's consciousness.

"Shut up Kurama. I didn't ask for your opinion, so leave me alone."

"How does it feel to know that you failed in your mission because you were too afraid to use my chakra reserves in battle brat? Who knows what will happen to the Uchiha welp now? His name will be written in Konoha's Bingo Book, nothing more than a missing-nin, a disgrace, a traitorrrrrr, " the nine-tails fox demon purred wickedly.

Naruto felt a sharp pain strike through the wound Sasuke had made with his Lightning Blade technique during their battle. The wound was healing well thanks to the demon's chakra running through his veins and cells. Unfortunately, the chakra would do nothing for his damaged pride and depressed mood.

"Are you trying to provoke me because you are so bored in your cage you stupid fox?" Naruto replied.

A loud and furious roar rolled through his consciousness and he could feel the demon's chakra flare up like a raging fire inside of him. Naruto let out a deep sigh, closed his eyes, and focused his energy on the seal. A splash was heard when he entered into the waters of his own awareness.

"Why are you trying to rile me up Kurama?" Naruto asked.

"Try being locked up in a cage for sixteen years brat!" Kurama replied.
"Your emotions are the most entertaining thing I have here.
But if you could just let me out of this cage for a while..."

"Forget it!", Naruto replied. "How stupid do you think I am fox!"

"Well, it's hard to say kit. How stupid do you feel after your failures of yesterday?"
A low vibrating sound ran through Naruto's mind as the fox started to snicker.

"Yeah, well at least my failure didn't end with me locked up in a cage" Naruto replied smugly.

Kurama lowered his ears and a deep-sounding growl was heard while he showed his razor-sharp teeth. Suddenly the Nine-Tails' demeanor changed. His eyes turned wide and his ears flew up as if he heard a sharp sound.

"Look alive kit, we have company. I'm sensing a lot of chakra coming our way."

Naruto concentrated and felt it too.

"What does he want from me so late in the evening?" Naruto pondered.

"Talk to you later fox!" Naruto said as he let go of his inward mental status.

Naruto pulled his head out from under his blankets and saw his sensei sitting on the windowsill.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, you are late! Visiting hours ended three hours ago!"
Naruto hoped his bravado attitude would distract his sensei from the dried-up tears on his whiskered cheeks as he quickly tried to wipe them off. 

Naruto always maintained a boasting attitude towards his friends and the villagers of Konoha. An attitude that he adapted in his childhood in order to protect himself. He didn't want to show the people around him how much they were able to hurt him with their distant and judgmental approach towards him. An approach that made him well aware of how loneliness and solitude can cut much deeper than any kunai or shuriken ever could. To top it off, he gave his sensei a wide grin.