Never Again: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 15: Cries

Naruto opened his eyes to the sight of Kurama growling at him from behind the gigantic bars of the cage that held him, his nostrils emitting steam as he bared his teeth at the blonde. Naruto looked up at one of his oldest friends in this world and smiled. 

"Hey, Kurama, long time no see!" He said cheerfully. "It's been so-" 

"How do you know that name?!" Kurama shouted as Naruto flew back, gliding across the sewer water as he landed on all fours. 

"Well, you told me your name!" 

"Lies!" Kurama roared again, the water vibrating under the intensity of his voice. "I have never spoken to you in your miserable small life! Let alone tell you my name!" 

"You wouldn't understand completely, but I'm from the future, or if you can even call it that," Naruto said with a small frown before brightening up again. "But that's beside the point! I've been trying to get in contact with you for a while, I don't know how to access this place without meditation and I'm not very good at that." 

"The future? I didn't know that stupid raccoon hit you on the head that badly." Kurama commented, reigning in on his killing intent seeing as how it had no effect on the blonde that stood so fearlessly before him. "But then again, you withstanding my killing intent as well as not even showing an ounce of fear proves you know something that I don't."

"Wow, you're actually being hospitable!" Naruto exclaimed, earning a growl from the beast. "I think it took Hagoromo to actually get you to accept me truly, but even before then we were friends!" 

"Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths," Kurama drawled out, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You truly are from the future, Naruto Uzumaki. I take it that's why you are able to draw on portions of my chakra at times like when you slaughter those bandits in Wave or killed that spy in the Forest of Death." 

Naruto grinned. "I knew you listened in on my life you big old softie!" Another growl. "Oh shut up I'm not scared of you. Like I said you're my friend!" 

"Friends don't keep each other in cages," Kurama said with a bit of a sarcastic twinge. Naruto frowned. 

"You're right, they don't." He crossed his arms. "Lucky for you I met the guy who can take this stupid seal off." Kurama's eyes widened. "I would do it right now, but he has to summon a toad that gives the Key to the Eight-Trigrams Seal. I'll work on it tomorrow."

"Y-You're not lying," Kurama stated rather than asking it like a question. "You'd truly undo the seal?" Naruto laughed as if he had been asked if pigs could fly. 

"Of course I would! In my timeline, we didn't get off on a good foot but we eventually trusted each other. I released the seal and we became partners and friends, protectors of the Hidden Leaf! You may not trust me now, but I hope that one day you'll trust me as much as I trust you!" 

Kurama almost took a step back. This boy was not like Hashirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, nor his mother, Kushina Uzumaki. He looked at him not like a pest or a weapon, not as a monster, but as an equal. 

He even knew his father. His father predicted that this would happen one day. Though by the boy's appearance it was a bit too soon. He inwardly laughed. 

"Better early than late, I suppose," Kurama said as he smirked. "Alright Naruto Uzumaki, I'll put my faith into you for now." Naruto grinned.

"You betcha, Kurama! We'll save the world!" 

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself lying in an empty field, the starry night and shining full moon above him giving him enough light to see clearly. He let out a deep sigh as he sat up, his head aching ever so slightly as he looked to the left and saw a bunch of destroyed trees.