The Speedster of Konoha

Chapter 2

Naruto smiled, "You have a very nice name, Kurama."

The newly dubbed Kurama smiled, "Thank you. It means a lot coming from someone whose name means fishcake", Kurama smirked at the end, intentionally making the jab at Naruto's name to see if he could rile the boy up.

His success was only miniscule though. Naruto only had a tiny frown on his face, instead of the full blown childish rage Kurama was expecting, "Actually, I prefer the other meaning of my name. 'Maelstrom' is much better than being compared to a fishcake, Kurama."

Kurama chuckled, a smooth, deep baritone that lit up a warm feeling inside Naruto. Naruto decided he liked Kurama's voice.

"No one would think of a maelstrom when they look at you, Naruto. Perhaps when you are older, but certainly not now", Kurama teased him.

Naruto shrugged, and then his eyes turned serious, Making Kurama do the same.

Naruto asked the bijuu, "Kurama, you know I have questions, right?"

Kurama nodded, "I assumed as such. However, I had expected us to meet when you were significantly older. I have to say; I was not expecting your call to me."

Naruto shook his head, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I was not expecting you to pull me inside my mind", he said, absently noting that he was not wet at all, in spite of standing and sitting in the water.

Kurama returned to his earlier position, lying down, face on his paws/hands, "I will do my best to answer whatever question you have, Naruto", he assured him.

Naruto gave him a nod of gratitude and sat down as well. "Okay, first question. Why does my mindscape represent a gutter or a sewer, whatever you want to call it?"

Kurama looked silent for a moment, after which a mischievous grin broke out on his face, exposing his sharp canines, "You know what they say about people whose minds are in the gutter, right?"

Naruto gave him a blank look, reminding Kurama that Naruto, however intelligent for his age, was still only five years old. Kurama's embarrassed blush would have been visible on his face if his fur were not orange. He cleared his throat loudly to avoid embarrassment.

"Sorry Naruto, but I have no idea why your mindscape is a sewer. There is a theory that says that your mindscape is a reflection of your mental state. It could have been the psychological trauma that was given to you by the villagers, but why it is particularly a sewer, I don't know", he replied.

Naruto absorbed the information like a sponge and after a few seconds, he asked Kurama, "So, I have psychological trauma. I knew about that. Which means that even if I change the appearance of my mindscape to something else, there will always be something that represents the trauma, right?"

Kurama inclined his head in agreement, smiling a little, "That's right. I have to say though, it's nice to talk to someone who is intelligent."

Naruto's eyes visibly brightened up at the praise, giving a full blown smile to his newest friend. Kurama noted with some amusement the grin looked very similar to his own and a redhead.

Naruto jumped to his feet, "Your answer just confirmed something for me Kurama." His eyes had a mix of excitement and determination to them, as if he was about to do something new.

Naruto closed his eyes and clapped his hands together, face scrunched up in concentration. Kurama observed him quietly, wondering what his host was about to do.

Naruto snapped his eyes open after a few minutes, having envisioned what he was about to do. With a cry of "Ha!", he slammed his right hand on the ground. What happened next completely blew away his mind.