Strength From Within (A Naruto Neglect Book)

4

-Edited-

As he woke, Naruto picked himself up of the ground, seemingly dry even though there was a layer of water on the ground. It was like the water didn't seem to effect him at all, it wasn't natural.

Have I been thrown into sewers.... no, this doesn't look like anywhere I have been in Konoha. How would anyone have even found me before, I was so far away from anyone and nobody followed me there. That presence from before, what was it? The darkness and the sadness, maybe I can track it down like I found it before?

Naruto decided to do that, but he felt like the chakra was not just within him, but all around him, particularly in a certain direction. He had felt like the chakra had enveloped him before, so perhaps it was someplace where the strange chakra took him. No matter where he ended up, he needed to find that strange chakra. He began trudging through the water and vast corridors, mentally noting the directions that he took.

Left, right, right, another right, left, left, right.

It seemed like hours had passed, when Naruto felt he was getting closer. That presence, that chakra. It was the same dark, slightly ominous feeling as when he was playing with his chakra in training ground 98.

Starting with a light jog, breaking into a sprint, Naruto followed his senses to what seemed to be the source of the chakra, a large, empty room, with nothing in it but a cage. The cage seemed to be empty because of the darkness within, where Naruto had hoped his answers would be. There was disappointment evident in the boy's features as he took a few steps forward, and fell to his knees.

He stayed in that position for a moment before deciding to get up. "I will find it, I can't give up now," he spoke, he just knew that by finding the source he could get answers, it was a gut feeling. Just as he stood up, the room burst into light, flames of orange and red revealing a large fox behind a cage where the wall once was, eyes malicious and intently staring at Naruto.

"I am the Kyuubi no Yoko, the greatest of the nine tailed beasts, and brother to the king of the foxes. I have been sealed within you by the bastard Fourth Hokage, but that doesn't mean that I am obliged to work with you. But I believe that you have potential to be strong, to be more than just my container. You have a chance to prove yourself worthy, boy, but do not take it lightly."

The fox's voice rang out across the room, a little bit of killing intent following it, just enough to create tension and fear, but not to incapacitate.

"M-me? But I'm just an 'idiot prankster', a good for nothing. Why would you want me?" Naruto fumbled over his words, hands tugging at the bottom of his shirt. He was nervous, he hadn't expected that following the source would lead him here, to where a tailed beast was. It all made sense now, they called him demon because of what was inside of him, but why did something forcibly placed inside of him want to help him? He wasn't strong yet, and though he was hoping to become strong he wasn't guaranteed to be.

"You think I have chosen wrong? I will give you a chance, partly because you are the 'idiot prankster'. Think about it, if they underestimate you, then when the time is right you can prove them wrong. You have potential, boy, I know you do because I have been inside you all this time. It is no easy feat to unlock your chakra at such a young age all on your own. Still, do not get cocky about that."

The fox became smaller, into about the size of a wolf, and slid through the bars, a trail of fire following and igniting Naruto's clothes but not the boy himself. It was painless, nothing that could actually damage or hurt him. Still too shocked to speak, Naruto stood there, as his vision was filled with smoke.

"But your prankster ways will be useful. After all, boy, foxes are mischievous."