Chapter 12

Epic Battle! Naruto vs Kyubi no Yoko!

Epic Battle! Naruto vs. Kyubi no Yoko!

Destroyed Uchiha Hideout, Land of Fire

While Naruto trained to control the Kyubi, a team of Konoha Ninja, lead by Neji Hyuga had been dispatched by Tsunade to the destroyed Uchiha hideout, hoping to find anything that could give the Allied Shinobi Forces over Akatsuki. Neji knelt down on the rubble, scanning with his Byakugan. With him were Hyuga Kō, Yamanaka Santa, Nara Ensui, and Akimichi Toriko. Kō scanned the area with his own Byakugan, checking every inch of the rubble.

"Nothing Neji-taicho!" Toriko yelled, lifting a massive piece of rubble up with his enlarged hand.

Neji nodded. "Keep looking. This was one of the Uchiha's primary hideouts during the Warring Clans Era, there should be some information of Madara here."

Kō leaped over to another area, his eyes scanning the rubble. He had been assigned to Neji's team due to Hinata heading to the Island Turtle with Naruto. Penetrating the ground deeply...he began seeing a massive underground bunker.

"Neji-taicho, I think I found something!"

Neji glanced over and jumped over...and Santa lifted his head up, feeling a surge of chakra. He glanced around, forming a seal. Sensing all the chakra in the area, he breathed in and looked around...and another large surge caught his attention.

Surrounding the huge skulls of the massive snakes, which were identified to be part of Orochimaru's strongest attack-the Yamata no Jutsu, a...glowing tear seemed to appear. A pale, white hand with a black tattoo shot out, carrying a gourd...and then a man pulled himself out entirely. He opened his mouth...and the form of a massive snake made out of many smaller snakes shot out, with one of the snakes grabbing onto the gourd with its mouth. Orochimaru had returned.

"Neji-taicho!" Santa yelled as the massive snake form of Orochimaru raised its head, panting. "We have to fall back!"

Orochimaru spotted Kō, being closer to him than Neji, and charged. It isn't the Sharingan, but a Byakugan will be useful! You should have killed me when you had a chance, Itachi, now I have your most powerful weapon!

Kō spun around as Orochimaru's snakes snapped at him, and he jumped out of the way, pulling out a kunai as his teammates attempted to come to his rescue. The Snake Sannin laughed, lashing out with his snakes to smash Toriko Akimichi to the ground, biting him several times and launching him into Neji. The Hyuga Prodigy was forced to catch his teammate as Santa and Ensui rushed to try to at least fend off Orochimaru from Kō.

Kō spun, doing a Kaiten to deflect the snakes but Orochimaru just countered by spinning his body around the Hyuga before he could counter. Neji leaped in, using Hakke Kusho (Eight Trigrams Empty Palm) and he battered Orochimaru's head with it, trying to throw him off. The Snake Sannin managed to get Kō looking right at him...and then he initiated Fushi Tensei (Living Corpse Reincarnation).

The Hyuga then found himself in Orochimaru's dimension, gasping and looking around. "What...what is this...?"

"This is my dimension...and you'll be my new body!" Orochimaru announced as Kō glanced to the fleshy ground. "Do not worry, you'll still be part of my consciousness. You will never die, like I won't...a good trade off don't you think?" Kō gasped as the fleshy ground began to crawl up his body and Orochimaru's form began advancing on him. "Oho...what luck...no Cursed Seal. You're a Main Branch member...no wonder why you know Kaiten."

"Damn...it..." Kō growled, his Byakugan blazing as he looked right into the Snake Sannin's eyes.

"Now lets see what happened since I was locked away..." Orochimaru said, fleshy tendrils latching onto the Hyuga's head making him cry in pain. "...so Sasuke-kun attempted to get the Hachibi Jinchuriki Killer Bee and failed...awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan...and fought the Raikage and...oho! Naruto-kun at the Five Kage Summit. Tsunade-hime is the last remaining Sannin...not anymore. Not only that...Konoha was attacked by Pain...and decimated. And Naruto-kun managed to beat him...and become Hokage eh? Heh...that is unexpected."

Kō cried out, thrashing as his entire body was starting to be taken over by Orochimaru as the Snake Sannin continued to merge their bodies. He tried resisting...but by now the fleshy growth had nearly managed to get to his neck and he cried out, the Sannin scanning him more.

"And now the world is preparing for war against Uchiha Madara..." Orochimaru gave a smirk. "That's all I need..."

And with that, Orochimaru's dimension completely swallowed up Kō, leaving the young Hyuga to cry out in shock. In the physical world, Orochimaru old body fell to the ground, the pupils entirely gone in his eyes as 'Kō' began chuckling, Neji and his team standing around him.

"What the...hell did Orochimaru do?" Ensui asked as 'Kō's' eyes opened...in the middle of the Byakugan was a dark, snake like pupil as purple outlines appeared under his eyes.

Neji gasped. That...must have been Orochimaru's soul transfer technique! Kō-senpai's chakra is completely changed!

"I am back...fully!" Orochimaru said through Kō's mouth, flying through several seals as Neji's team went on guard. Finishing the sequence, he pushed his hands together and both pointer and middle fingers up. "Magen: Heki Kinen (Demonic Illusion: False Memories)!"

A bright flash of light enveloped Neji, Ensui, Santa, and Toriko closed their eyes, Neji deactivating his Byakugan reflexively as their collective short term memories were erased. Orochimaru then ignited his old body to cover his tracks, and left Kō's body...organs and all, in the ground around it to get away. Stabbing it once with the Kusanagi sword through the chest, he sunk into the ground, making his escape.

A few minutes later, Neji's team's vision cleared and saw Kō's body around a black circle, having been stabbed through the chest. They 'remembered' the attack by several missing ninja, apparently hired by Madara to help keep his secrets safe. Neji ran over to his fellow clan member's body, feeling his pulse and he shook his head.

"That combined attack must have been too much for him," Neji said, breathing out and wiping his head. "Where did they go?"

"They must have found what they were looking for and left while we were distracted by that light attack," Santa said, breathing out. "We should head back to Konoha and report in."

They nodded, helping Toriko up. They remembered he got peppered with poisoned kunai, and needed to get him back to the village as soon as possible. Neji closed his fellow clansman's eyes, lifting his body up and the remaining four shinobi shunshined out of the area.

Island Turtle, Biju Temple under the Falls of Truth

After resting for a bit after defeating the Version One Avatar of Kyubi, Naruto, Yamato, and Hinata were following Bee to another part of the Temple, passing several headless statues. Yamato looked over to them as they kept walking.

"These statues must be ancient...from an archaeological standpoint they must be priceless...but they need to be fixed," Yamato commented as they walked.

"Nope, those statues were made headless...because..." Bee said as they nearly arrived at the far end of the giant temple.

"...so how exactly am I supposed to fight the Kyubi? Like that thing with Version One?"

"...actually fighting the Kyubi seems crazy, Naruto, Bee," Yamato grumbled and the Hachibi Jinchuriki smirked.

"Ya have to be crazy if ya want to control a Biju!" Bee said with a grin as they reached a demon carving. "This is a sacred place where Jinchuriki go through the purification ceremony!" The carving looked sort of like a demonic cat, and wisps of flame were carved around it. "This bad boy'll letcha talk to the Fox, just stroll right into the box!"

"So this is it..." Naruto said, looking up at the room as Bee walked over to the statue.

"Only the chosen enter through...'natch. Into the mouth, up to the head, only the pure hearted can go in. No darkness in your heart, that's the catch."

Hinata blinked. That's a long string of rhymes...

"No darkness...thats why I had to train at the Falls."

"Even a little bit of evil and the door slams tight! While your heads still inside, goodnight!"

"Those heads...are the previous Jinchuriki's right?" Hinata asked wearily.

Naruto gulped, rubbing his neck. He remembered his battle with his dark half...he had felt he had conquered it...but this...this would be the final test. He stepped forward despite Yamato's suggestion to use a clone to test it first, with Bee remarking that this was a sacred temple. Hinata breathed in, looking at the young man she loved as he leaned into the carving...seeing a button. Blinking, he tapped it and waited to see if his head would be bitten off.

Hm...I guess I passed...

He pulled out as he heard the door creak open, the nape of his shirt being caught on the 'teeth' of the carving until it covered his entire head. He blinked, stumbling back as he tried to get his head out of his shirt without his hands.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Oh my god!" Yamato said as he tried lifting Naruto up.

Naruto grabbed his collar and yanked it down. "...huh..."

"You scared the crap out of me!" Yamato yelled and Bee laughed. "What about this being a sacred temple?"

"...it was an accident!" Naruto said, crossing his arms. "All there was was a switch!"

Bee grinned. "Enough fun, we gotta run! Fight the Fox in the Box, take it down and show it whose the boss!" they began walking into the training area as Bee grinned. "Don't let down your guard, or taking the Kyubi's chakra will be hard! This room will be brought into your mind..."

They walked into the pure, featureless white room, the door creaking shut behind them. Hinata looked back, activating her Byakugan and slightly more blood began leaking out of the corners of her eyes. The dizziness increased, but she pushed through it to get a...scope of the room. Her eyes widened.

...its...bigger than the entire island! How...how is it possible? A jutsu? she thought, putting her bandaged hand to her eyes and she looked to see the blood on it. And why...are my eyes bleeding more...? Activating my Byakugan before never did that and why am I so lightheaded while using it?

She focused her attention to Naruto and Bee who were now sitting cross legged facing each other, and the two then pressed their fists together, closing their eyes. In an instant, Naruto was in the sewer that lead directly to Kyubi's cage.

As he walked to Kyubi's cage, the sewer began 'shifting' to the room where Bee brought him. The massive, 50 meter (164 feet) demon fox was napping behind the cage, his paws crossed when he heard Naruto approaching his seal. His massive eye opened, revealing his deep red iris and narrow pupil, veins around the sclera of his eye were visible.

"Yo, you're looking as evil as ever," Naruto said, the Fox narrowing its eye.

I'm trying to nap here, brat. Unless you...wait... he started, sensing something...different about his container as Naruto began floating, now in arm's reach of his seal. What happened to the real you?

"You're looking at the real me," Naruto replied, tearing off the seal tag off as he activated the key, lifting his jacket, shirt, and mesh underneath it and the seal appeared on his stomach.

What are you doing? Kyubi demanded as Naruto fingers glowed and he pressed them onto his seal...and twisted the seal open.

The second that happened, the Fox's massive paw smashed through the gates, swinging them open as he gave a commanding roar, his chakra lashing out through it to blow Naruto back. In response, Killer Bee sent forth most of the Hachibi's chakra in the form of its tentacles to wrap around the Kyubi. The tentacles wrapped around the giant fox, restraining him.

"You gotta pull the chakra away from the will..." Bee said, one of the Hachibi's tentacles pulling at the Kyubi's body, a transparent version of the Fox being pulled off. "Then ya can control all it'll spill!"

However, the Kyubi slashed its tails out, ripping the Hachibi's tentacles to pieces and sending remnants of them crashing down near Naruto who shielded his eyes. The Fox had reversed the process...drawing in nearly seven tails worth of Kyubi's power into its own body and it grew nearly twenty meters taller, topping out at 70 meters tall.

Allying with the Hachibi... the Kyubi rumbled, drawing his tails up near its mouth as it stood on his hind legs. Have you no pride as my Jinchuriki?

Black and white chakra began to appear around Kyubi's face and tails before they began drawing together into a single dense, black ball. Instinctively Naruto threw his hand back, his hidden kunai mechanism latching onto one in his arsenal and dropping it right into his palm. It was...the Hiraishin tri-kunai that Kakashi had given him and he pulled it up into guard position.

The black ball was compressed and the Kyubi bit down upon, and smoke began wafting out of his mouth. Killer Bee reacted, but found that most of his chakra had already been drained.

Damn it, the Fox planned this and locked my chakra out of the box! Naruto, you have to deal with that Bijudama on your own! Bee told Naruto as the young Hokage tightened his grip on the kunai.

I'll still win, Bee! Thanks for the help though! Naruto thought, subconsciously channeling chakra through the tri-kunai.

This is my first step to being truly reborn, and you won't stand in by WAY!The Kyubi roared, and like a cannon ball the dense, black bijudama was launched from his mouth with such force the entire surroundings were torn asunder, even making the severed tentacles of the Hachibi crash around.

Naruto braced for impact, the chakra in the kunai reacting as he instinctively made the ram seal and a tear in the space-time was made, creating a barrier that looked like a summoning seal in mid-air. It swallowed up the Bijudama harmlessly, and the young Hokage blinked. The barrier rippled and then launched the Bijudama right back at the Kyubi!

Whoa! Why didn't Kakashi-sensei tell me it could do that? Naruto thought as the Bijudama slammed into the Kyubi, the explosion sending the giant fox skidding back and the young Hokage landed. Time to start my counter attack before he can counter!

Entering Sage Mode quickly, Naruto created three Rasenshuriken as the Kyubi roared, charging at him like an enraged lion. His speed was incredible, and he leaped into the air and smashed his palm down, sending Naruto flying back from the shockwave. The tails lashed out and the young Hokage crossed his fingers.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled out, creating nine clones which caught the tails heading for him and he used them to get back to the ground.

The Kyubi chuckled maliciously, destroying the clones restraining his tails with a flick which sent another massive shockwave right at where Naruto was falling back to. He crossed his arms, charging his chakra to his feet and he withstood the attack, creating two more clones and slamming a smoke bomb down.

You must be kidding me with that parlor trick! Kyubi laughed, and it sent a massive chakra roar which dispelled the smoke...but Naruto and his clones had vanished.

"Senpo: Cho Odama Rasengan (Sage Technique: Super Big Spiraling Sphere)!" was heard from above him and there was Naruto, a absolutely massive Rasengan above his hand as he plunged down towards the Kyubi, chakra swirling from the mass of chakra in his hand.

The Kyubi blocked the Cho Odama Rasengan with his tails and Naruto detonatedit, forcing the the giant fox to hug the ground to withstand the explosion. A massive paw then burst through the smoke created by the explosion and Naruto jumped back as the Kyubi's tails joined the counter. His eyes widened.

He's so fast! Naruto thought as the Kyubi basically vanished and reappeared, his paw right above the young Hokage and smashing down and pinning him to the ground.

I've watched you for sixteen years brat, what makes you think you can control me!

"I wouldn't have broken the seal if I didn't think I can!" Naruto yelled...and then he vanished in a puff of smoke.

WHAT?

The real Naruto ran forward, his speed enhanced by Sage Mode and he grabbed onto the Kyubi's tail before he could even turn around! Flexing his muscles, he then lifted the massive demon fox up and over his shoulder, slamming it down so hard it left a crater. Kyubi roared, trying to pull itself up as Naruto leaped up again, two clones with him to form a Rasenshuriken.

"I'm not letting you recover!" Naruto yelled, throwing the spinning wind blade down hard, having it slam into the Kyubi's chest.

The Kyubi cried out in pain as the Rasenshuriken bored into its fur before exploding, slamming its head back down as the wind sphere expanded around it. Billions of tiny blades began peppering its fur and skin underneath, making its arms shake. However its tails lashed out and smashed into Naruto, sending him crashing into the water like a stone skipping across a pond. Naruto managed to catch himself, leaping to stand up and he groaned.

He hits hard...but this should weaken him...

The wind sphere dispersed and the Kyubi pushed itself up, its skin singed and burned from the Rasenshuriken. Naruto kept his eyes on it...and the demonic fox leaped to its feet and practically vanished before his eyes! He looked up and around...before sensing the Kyubi above him and it was firing a Bijudama right at him!

Crap! Naruto thought, leaping out of the way as the Bijudama smashed into the ground, creating a massive explosion that could destroy an entire mountain range, which sent the young Hokage flying back instead of killing him outright since he was right on the edge of the blast.

The Kyubi landed in the fireball, charging right through it roar and Naruto caught himself just as the demonic fox's jaws went down to snatch him up. He yelled, taking a Kawazu Kumite stance. He drew his right fist back.

"Kawazu Kumite: Juu Rei Ken (Frog Katas: Ten Ghost Fists)!" Naruto yelled, punching out and smashing the Kyubi's nose with his fist...ten Natural Energy ghost punches adding to the blow and sending the Fox crashing back to the side hard, it groaning in pain. Naruto jumped to its tails, grabbing one. "Just to besure!"

With that, he lifted the Kyubi again and smashed it back onto its back. The 'chakra Naruto' lifted from Naruto's back and grabbed onto the demonic fox's tail and began to draw the Kyubi's chakra away from his body. The Kyubi stomped his paw down, trying to get up but lost his footing and fell back.

Yes! He's weakened enough now...I can pull the chakra out without... Naruto thought as the Kyubi's dark will shot through the stream of chakra, hitting him like a ton of bricks. What...is this...?

He gasped, Dark Naruto starting to resurface as the hatred from Kyubi began entering his body. He kept hearing... 'I hate them...' 'I want to kill em all!' 'It hurts!' And other dark thoughts that began to overwhelm him, making him drop to one knee.

"What the...hell is...this...?" Naruto growled, his Sage Mode starting to fade.

In the real world, Bee, Yamato, and Hinata noticed Naruto's Sage Mode start fading, and the Hachibi Jinchuriki's eyes widened. The Hyuga Heiress's eyes widened, her Byakugan activating on instinct.

Don't lose, Naruto! Bee thought.

Naruto-kun...don't...don't give up... Hinata thought...remaining oddly calm as the Version One cloak exploded around Naruto's body, and half of it started to turn red. You never give up...you'll beat the Kyubi.

Slowly, she brought her hands together, breathing out calmly as blood leaked out of her Byakugan activated eyes. The dizziness that had accompanied the activation started to fade...and the bleeding began to stop. Slowly, she opened her eyes...and they had changed. Both were now...black and white, in the shape of a yin-yang symbol, her left eye had it's black half facing her nose and the white eye pupil was showing, but the left eye had the white half facing her nose with a black pupil. A Kaiten burst around her on instinct without her even spinning.

Yamato leaped back. "What the hell?" he yelled, he had tried to use the Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu - Kakuan Nitten Suishu (Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique - Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands) seal the Kyubi chakra leaking from Naruto, but even though the necklace was repaired, most of its power was gone.

"...don't worry...Naruto-kun won't lose!" Hinata said firmly, wiping the blood off her cheeks.

Back in the mindscape battlefield, Naruto panted, slowly...forcing the hatred back. Seemingly hearing Hinata's confidence for him, he stood up, the black will of the Kyubi still in his chest, but his hand trembled, slowly grabbing onto it with his hand.

Give it up! You can't defeat me, you're just a tiny fragment of my hatred!the Kyubi growled. You don't belong here!

"You give up...making me give up..." Naruto whispered, forcing some of the hatred out and his eyes began changing back to normal. "I...do belong here...and I'm not giving up or giving in!"

He forced the hatred from his body and he heard a woman's voice. "You're right..." he glanced over, seeing a beautiful red-haired woman with purple eyes. "You do belong here."