Suffer Well

When Naruto awoke again it was to the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling in a gentle breeze.
He breathed in the scent of the recent rainfall that was clinging to the air and land.
Fragments of sunlight shone brillantly into the cave he was laying within.

Naruto 'Was it all a dream? A nightmare? Am I alone? Where's Kyuubi?'

At that thought a shadowed outline of a person suddenly appeared at the caves enterance.

Naruto swallowed then ventured to gruffly voice his guess. "Kyuu-sama?"

"What?"

Naruto "Who?"

The person suddenly shifted so that he could be seen clearly. The lone red sharingan eye glimmered in the darkness of his face indentifing him for who he was.

Kakashi "Are you okay Naruto?"

Naruto scooted back farther into the caves darkness. "Yeah I'm just dandy Kakashi-sensei. Nothing to worry about here!"

Kakashi quirked his visable eyebrow. "You smell different and like you bathed in your own blood Naruto. Don't lie to me."

Naruto "I-I'm not lying."

Kakashi "Come out of there at let me take a look at you. I'm not asking."

Naruto "That's p-prolly not a g-good idea..."

Kakashi sighed before quickly shifting behind the smaller male grabbing his hands and dragging him out of the cave.
As the sunlight danced over them, the legendary copy nin stood frozen mid step looking absolutely horrified.
His mismatched eyes locked warily upon the being he had fearlessly been dragging only seconds before.

The sudden musky and bitter scent coming from the silver haired man made Naruto's nose sting and burn.

Naruto grabbed his nose, his eyes watering. 'Oh God! What is this smell!'

A slightly gruff but smooth deep voice interrupted the moment.

Kyuubi sat down the rabbits he had caught and eyed them both as he walked out from the thick forrest undergrowth.

Kyuubi "Ah it's just you. Well you are'nt a threat. Calm down before you make the kit vomit before he even eats."

Naruto "Kyuubi-sama! What the sam hell is this scent? It's nasty funky!"

Kyuubi merely grinned. "That's the scent of fear kit."

Naruto made a twisted and discusted face. "Snap out of it Kakashi-sensei! It's just me! You know me! Don't be scared."

But at this point the jounins mismatched eyes were wider then Naruto thought humanly possible and he was gaping at Kyuubi.

Kakashi pointed dumbly at the fox demon lord. "I-It's!"

Naruto gaped completely and utterly shocked as his sensei done the last thing he thought possible from the man.
He swooned and fell over fainting, landing on top of the shocked blonde.

Kyuubi grinned at Naruto before his sarcasim surfaced. "Well he took that rather well don't you think?"

Naruto squirmed and wiggled his way out from beneath the silver haired copy nin cussing.
When he was finally free he rolled the older man over and started smacking his face.

Naruto "Hey! Hey! Kakashi-sensei you lazy perverted bastard! WAKE UP!"

Kyuubi merely shook his head laughing and held up the rabbits. "I suppose you'll want me to skin and cook these huh?"

Naruto nodded and sighed before going back to smacking Kakashi.

Kyuubi shrugged a slender shoulder before he pilfered through the jounins pouch swiping a kunai.

Kyuubi "I'll get us another rabbit before I clean these.. He'll prolly be hungry too when he wakes up I guess."

Naruto "I'll explain it to him while your gone."

As Kyuubi blended back into the forrest Naruto dragged Kakashi over to the river and tossed him into the cold water head first.

Kakashi came up sputtering and wide eyed.

Naruto "Okay now that your awake again sit down, shut up, and listen to what I have to tell you because it's important."

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When Sasuke came to and had managed to pick himself up it was well past noon.
His stomach churned, his head was throbbing, and his vision blurred.
Sasuke 'Itachi you fucking rat bastard.. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!'

As he staggered to his feet he started to think about what his brother had told him and said.

Sasuke 'Naruto's turning into his demon? And can make someone else immortal and a powerful demon when he's ready?'

Sasuke pulled out his water flask and took a long drink before sealing it and shoving it back inside his backpack.

Sasuke 'Naruto can give me power? Power greater then Itachi can ever dream of having...'

Sasuke "Well I hope I did'nt really kill him. I want that power. I NEED it."

With a manical glint in his dark eyes Sasuke began to back track himself back towards the cliffs.
He was going back to where he had attacked his best friend for the last time.

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The wind blowing up from the river was cold against Itachi's skin and seeped through his clothes easily.
He stood staring down into his own reflection in the small bloody water filled jagged crater at his feet.
Itachi 'So the fool did attack him with murder in mind. But where's his body? Did a Konoha nin find him and take him back?'

Bending down he dipped his hand into the red bloody water before bringing it up to his mouth.

Itachi 'Hmm it tastes and feels demonic by nature. Interesting..'

Standing up and turning he began to trail the scent back towards Konoha.

Itachi 'You're finally ready for me now huh Naruto-kun? Don't worry. It'll be a fun home coming for the both us I'm sure.'

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Kakashi sat shaking in his cold and wet clothes in front of the fire Naruto was bent over feeding logs into.
He could'nt help but to openly stare at his ex student and team member utterly fascinated by his physical changes.
Naruto looked up at him noticing his staring, his slitted red eyes filled with amusement as he flashed him a fanged grin.

Kakashi "So what happened?"

Naruto "I was coming home from a scroll delivery mission granny sent me on alone and ran across your golden boy."

Kakashi inwardly cringed at the blondes tone and word choice.

Naruto laughed. "He killed me. Well damn near anyhow.. Nothing like having three chodori to the heart punches."

Kakashi gasped wide eyed before saying anything. "A-And you're still alive?!"

Naruto "At the cost of my humanity and the life of the only one who's ever loved me yeah. I suppose you can call this alive."

Kakashi "What do you mean by that?"

Kyuubi chose that very moment to drop down beside the fire from the tree tops landing between them causing Kakashi to jump.

Kyuubi "Putting it plainly I bound his soul and made his body into a demons. He's absorbing, and merging with me now.."

Kakashi did'nt know if he should run away or stay and listen to what the tailed demon lord had to say.

Kyuubi laughed before holding up a third rabbit.

Kyuubi "Relax copy hound. I would'nt have went to the trouble of catching you some dinner too if I meant you any ill intent."

Kakashi swallowed hard before nodding and voicing his main question. "Why would you sacrafice yourself?"

A bitter expression washed over Kyuubi's face as he began to skin and clean the rabbits.

Kyuubi "Do you know the reason why I attacked your village?"

Kakashi shook his head no.

Kyuubi "A snake using Konoha nin stole our fox summon contract from my only child whom carried it then murdered him. Then summoned me. When I seen what he had done well I guess I lost it.."

Kakashi's face filled with rage. "Orochimaru. It seems every tragedy and thing that goes wrong always traces back to him."

Kyuubi shrugged pushing wild herb and onions inside the meat before putting the rabbits over the fire to cook. He motioned Naruto to tend to them. Wordlessly the oddly quiet blonde moved to the fire side.

Kyuubi "It does'nt really matter now I suppose. That Uchiha brat killed him stealing my reason for revenge."

Naruto poked at the fire and turned the cooking rabbits in silence. Kakashi stared into the flickering flames and sighed.

Kyuubi "What I done was just as bad though. I killed alot of innocent peoples clan members, childern, and mates. I regret my actions."

Kakashi stared in stunned silence at the demon lords admission of guilt.

Kyuubi sighed "My rage ruined me. And the man who sealed me told me he was giving up his only child and leaving him to me.."

The rabbit meat made spitting and hissing sounds as it cooked breaking the somber silence between the three.

Kyuubi "He said he knew I suffered but hoped I would protect and love his child as my own, that man died a honerable death."

Kakashi bowed his head. "I think I understand you now. And that man, he was my teacher and my hero.."

Kyuubi sighed sadly "The only thing I have in this world now is our kit. No one is taking my child from me ever again."

Kakashi pulled his mask down and smiled sadly at the demon fox and fallen summon lord. "I understand, and I'll help you both."

Kyuubi and Naruto both looked up and stared in surprise at the mans uncovered face before flashing matching fanged grins.

Kyuubi "We need to get moving as soon as we're finished eating. I have a feeling a fox hunts about to begin and that we won't like it."

Kakashi and Naruto both nodded in agreement. They all quickly ate then banked the fire. Naruto quickly cleaned himself up and redressed in his spare clothes from his mission backpack. Kyuubi shifted himself into a small ordinary fox form before they all took off through the tree tops. They were heading back into the heart of fire country towards home with the full truth of past events with them.

Kakashi looked at the furry red tipped blonde tail swooshing at Naruto's heels as he ran and jumped along ahead of him behind the demon lords plain small red and black fox form. He could'nt help but to quietly laugh to himself, earning him a set of questioning looks from the two ahead of him.

Kakashi continued to chuckle. "This is going to be one hell of a home coming that's for sure.."

They both met his words with amused side ways glances to each other and matching fanged grins before answering him. "Believe it!"

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