Something Precious

Chapter Six

This time as the door was opened they weren't kept from the secrets within. On the other side was a place that resembled a sewer. It was dark and dingy. The walls were grey and cracked, a clear indication of mental stress. The floor was covered with ankle-deep water. The air was filled with an unusual silence save for the sounds of their walking; each step echoing back to them clearly.

They turned down numerous halls. Inoichi felt confused and totally lost but Naruto seemed to know where to go. He led them down the confusing halls to a room where the cement slabs were replaced instead by bricks and the water disappeared. There were no cracks or signs of stress. This seemed to be a part of his mind that gave Naruto strength. There was two gianormous gates that rested slightly open so what ever was inside could come and go as it pleased. Naruto strode through the gates into the pitch blackness without hesitation.

"Time to get up Furball." commanded the teen as if whatever was there was an old friend.

"What do you want Naruto? Can't you see I'm trying to rest?" came an irritated voice. Inoichi and his Hokage jumped back in surprise. The voice was low and gravely. They knew right away that they were facing the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"Naruto." said Sarutobi in a slow and steady voice as if they were facing a ravenous dog. "Come out of there please." he was ignored. This took the old man a second to process, he was used to being instantly obeyed but this man didn't seem interested in taking orders.

"Kurama, we have guests." he deadpanned.

This got the fox's attention. For the first time they got a good look at the creature as he moved his head to look at the 'intruders' as he thought of them. His head alone was easily the size of the Hokage building. He had red slitted eyes that were surrounded by black fur as well as the insides of his huge ears. The rest of his soft-looking fur was a reddish-orange colour. He studied them with intelligent eyes. He wasn't really hideous as you would imagine a demon would be, but that didn't mean he wasn't scary. He snarled, revealing his huge, sharp teeth that all but froze the men in place. And then there was Naruto who looked right at home standing between the monsters eyes.

"Take it easy you grumpy old fox. They look like they are about to piss themselves." the two could barely comprehend how he could speak so causally to a beast that was so horrific.

"Why are they here." he asked.

"Well they are observe my memories." said Naruto as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Like it was an every day occurrence.

"Why?"

"Gee~~, I wonder." he said sarcastically. The fox grumbled in response.

"So why bring them here?"

"Because there are somethings that you can explain better than I could." he said, and then, in a lower voice that the two men waiting outside the grand gates were not meant to hear, "And I don't want to go through them alone." to Inoichi and the Hokage, the thought of having a blood-thirsty demon as an emotional support was rather hard to comprehend.

"Alright fine. But you owe me for this." Naruto smiled knowing that the fox would never hold him to it. Kurama began to shrink in size until he was the size of a rather large horse. As he padded out of the cage the other two backed up.

Kurama rolled his eyes "Relax you pathetic humans. I won't hurt you."

"Oh yeah, and I suppose we should just take you word for it?"

It was Naruto who replied. "No take mine. Kurama won't hurt you, I promise . . . unless you piss him off, then I can't guarantee your safety."

They gulped. "Yeah, I feel so reassured." said Inoichi in a slightly shaky breath. Naruto just laughed.