Not Alone

Chapter 26

"All right then, let's give this a shot!"

Naruto clasped his hands and gave one last weary look at Kurama, a small pit of worry forming in his stomach. The fox circled him briefly before settling down next to him again, looking at him with what seemed to be confidence. He focused on his chakra and felt the skin on his stomach tingle, and then he felt nothing. He paused and looked up at the white-haired man staring at him intently with a constipated look.

     "What am I supposed to do for this to work exactly?" He asked, shifting his gaze away as embarrassment burned on his face. The older male stared at him with a deadpan expression before sighing.

     "You mean to tell me you've never connected with the chakra of your biju even once?" He asked, his arms crossing and his head tilting. Naruto stood up straighter and crossed his arms.

     "I just told you I haven't, you bastard! This is the reason you're training me! I heard all this talk about how you're the best, but you seem to suck!" He spat, his eyes narrowing and his stance stiffening. The older man squeaked in offense.

     "I AM the best, thank you very much! I taught many legends of the world, including the fourth Hokage! I've just never dealt with a child as stupid as you!" He refuted, crossing his arms and getting in Naruto's face. Naruto paused, his heart freezing and his face dropping.

     "The fourth Hokage? You taught the Fourth Hokage? Like for real?" He asked, stunned, emotions from the past three days threatening to surface again. Jiraiya stood tall, his chest puffing with pride,

     "Why, of course, I did! And he was one of the best Hokages and warriors of his time! You should be grateful I'm even giving you the time of day!" He boasted; Naruto's expression changed thrice until it settled on an angry determination. 

     "Well, then, what are you wasting your time on, bastard? Show me how it's done!" Naruto said, clasping his hands together and looking at Kurama; the fear disappeared from his face. Jiraya laughed heartily before looking down at the boy.

     "Alright! Try to imagine a second body of chakra absorbing into you, and the biju should be able to bring itself back into you as well!" He said, fixing Naruto's form by having him sit on the floor with his legs crossed and pressing his hands together. Naruto nodded, looking at Kurama one last time and closing his eyes.

     Naruto clasped his eyes shut and tried to focus on all of his chakra; then, he imagined the seal on his stomach and absorbing the chakra through it. He felt his body hum and the skin around his stomach tingle and grow hot. His brows furrowed in concentration when he felt a burning sensation pulsate from his core to the rest of his body, and he felt the seal on his body twist and change. His heart thrummed in his ears, and he grew hot and uncomfortable, the sounds from the outside world making far too much noise and the grass feeling too prickly against his skin.

     Then, out of nowhere, it was all gone and replaced with scalding hot water all around him, and he was once again lying face up in that sewer. He rushed to sit up, the hot water irritating his skin; the sewer was musty and humid. He walked over to the room where he knew Kurama was located, the heat intensifying. He walked in and was greeted by Kurama's prominent figure on the inside of his cage, staring down at him.

     Naruto stared up at him, feeling delirious due to the heat.

     "Why am I here? Weren't you the one who was supposed to be absorbed, not the other way around?" He questioned; the fox scoffed at him before laying down semi-face-level to Naruto.