Chapter Text
“Land ho!” A crewman sounded the call.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sato were immediately swept up in a swirl of activity as men bustled about, readying the ship for mooring.
“Incredible.” Sato leaned dangerously over the railing, and Naruto found himself inching closer—just in case. “I can see why they named it the ‘Village Hidden in the Mist.’”
Sure enough, the shoreline was so blurred by haze and fog that it was scarcely visible even though they were only a few hundred yards away.
A gust of wind hit, and Naruto shivered, pulling his cloak tighter. The fifth stage of the poison’s progression had come with many delightful symptoms—including chills, fever, and the occasional vomiting spell.
He caught Sato watching him sympathetically and forced a weak smile. “I’m fine—really.”
“Port ahead!” Uzo called. “Ready the anchor!”
Sato cleared his throat nervously, looking at him and Sasuke. “If it’s alright, I’d like to speak with you about something before we land.”
Naruto nodded. “Alright, let’s go down to our room.”
Once they were in the relative quiet of their quarters, Sato spoke quickly, as if he feared his nerve would fail him. “Naruto-san, Sasuke-san, I have a favor to ask. Will you please take me with you when you leave?”
Naruto exchanged glances with Sasuke. His friend’s expression was clear. This is your problem. You deal with it.
“I promise I won’t be any trouble or slow you down,” Sato continued. “I’m not expecting to meet the Mizukage or anything, but if I could just be allowed to accompany you—”
“Sato, hold on,” Naruto interrupted. “We can’t stop you if you really want to come, but we’re not going to see the Mizukage—not right away, at least. We have to go somewhere else first and it could be extremely dangerous. We can’t guarantee your safety.”
Sato swallowed, but then he nodded. “That’s fine. I know what I’m asking, and I’m prepared for whatever happens.”
Naruto raised his eyebrows. “You’re not scared?”
“I’m terrified,” Sato said frankly.
“Then why?”
“You already know what kind of life awaits me after this voyage. I’ll never get another chance like this. If I don’t take it, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
Naruto smiled. He couldn’t resist reaching out and ruffling Sato’s hair affectionately. “You know, you may not be a shinobi, but you definitely have a shinobi’s heart.”
“T-Thank you,” Sato stammered, turning bright red.
“Does Uzo know?” Naruto asked.
Sato shrugged. “He thinks I’m being foolish, but that’s nothing new. We made good time on the way here, so he said they should be able to stay moored until I return.”
“I guess I have no further objections then. If you’re really sure about this, you’re welcome to join us.”
They made haste in gathering their belongings and bidding farewell to the crew. Every chill that wracked Naruto’s body was a harsh reminder that time was quickly running out.
“Thanks for everything,” he told Uzo. “And don’t worry.” He looked meaningfully towards Sato. “We’ll take care of him.”
Uzo nodded. “I wouldn’t have allowed him to leave so easily if I didn’t believe that.”
Naruto disembarked with the others down the narrow gangplank, both he and Sato waving frantically until the crewmen were well out of sight. Sasuke walked closely on his other side, but Tenshi kept her distance. He could tell that she was far from pleased by Sato’s addition to their party.
As he set foot on the dock, he sensed immediately that this port was different from Uzushiogakure’s. The port town in Whirlpool had been bustling and thrumming with life, but the air here was stifled, like a heavy blanket had been thrown over the entire place. The people were stiff as well, with long, solemn faces. They all seemed to be avoiding talking to or even looking at anyone else.
Even though he and the others were obviously foreigners, they were all but ignored until a small beggar boy approached them timidly. He was a scrawny little thing—all bones and skin. His mop of straw-colored hair looked like it hadn’t been washed or combed in months.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you Naruto-sama?”
“That’s me,” he said, frowning slightly. There weren’t many people who knew him by that name, so where had this boy heard it?
“I have a message for you, sir.” The boy’s eyes shone with awe and he stood a little straighter. “You are to go south to Unagi Lake. He says he’ll meet you there.”
“Did he give a name?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but he told me not to say anything else.”
Naruto pulled out a pouch of coins and jangled it lightly. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you can think of?”
The boy hesitated, then leaned closer and whispered, “I don’t know his name, sir, honest, but it was one of the Protectors of Peace! A giant fox, sir!”
So, it really was Kurama. Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He should have known that the fox wouldn’t listen to a word he said.
He pressed the pouch of coins into the boy’s hand. “Thank you,” he smiled. “You’ve done well.”
The child’s eyes lit up with delight. “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much!”
He scurried away and Naruto’s heart squeezed painfully. When he was done with this world, there wouldn’t be any more children living on the streets if he could help it.
He sighed, turning back to his companions. “Looks like we’re making a quick stop first. Sorry guys.”
Sasuke was insistent that hitching a ride would be faster. Naruto protested that he could walk, but his friend wouldn’t be budged. In the end, they paid a local peddler and were permitted to sit in the back of his wagon, so long as they didn’t touch any of the wares. Unfortunately, the rumbling of the wagon did nothing to help his queasy stomach and it wasn’t long before the inevitable happened.
He tried to assure the peddler that he hadn’t vomited on any of the goods, but the man seemed less than convinced. Needless to say, they were forced to travel on foot the rest of the way.
He had thought he would be alright, but within a few minutes, he was already flagging.
The marshy plains of the coast had given way to rolling foothills, and although they weren’t
steep by any means, Sasuke had to drag him up each one.
Naruto waited for him to say, ‘I told you so,’ but it never came. That was how he knew his friend was really worried.
When Sasuke declared that they were taking a break, he was too exhausted to argue. He plopped to the ground, limbs trembling from exertion. Sato eyed him with concern, but thankfully asked no questions about why his “seasickness” hadn’t gone away even though they were already miles inland. Tenshi, meanwhile, wore an unreadable expression. He followed her gaze and noticed that the grass around them was covered in white, bell-shaped flowers.
“They’re beautiful,” he said. “What are they?”
She started, as if she had forgotten he was there. “Morninglace. They only grow in very specific conditions. I’ve never seen so many in one place.”
Sato carefully picked a handful of the tiny flowers and held them out to her. “For saving my life.” He blushed, looking flustered. “Not that something like this could ever repay you, but, well...”
Naruto waited for her to reject the offering, but to his surprise, she took them with a nod of thanks. He even caught the barest hint of a smile on her lips as she tucked them into her pocket.
They continued walking, one hill blending into another, until Sato spoke up. “Woah, why is that foothill orange? Wait, is that...fur?”
The ‘foothill’ uncurled at their approach and straightened to its full height. Kurama stood before them, his nine tails flicking in the curling mist.
Tenshi immediately pulled out two kunai, while Sato looked like he might faint.
“M-Monster,” he squeaked out. “It’s a monster!”
“He’s not a monster,” Naruto said. “Guys, this is Kurama. He’s an old friend.”
Tenshi stared at him with—was it pity? “Delirium wasn’t supposed to be one of the symptoms,” she muttered, seemingly more to herself than him. “I’ll have to add that to my notes.”
Naruto threw up his hands in exasperation. “I’m not delirious, dattebayo! I’m telling the truth. Tell her Kurama!”
“No, you have it right, girl,” Kurama said in a rumbling deadpan. “He’s completely delirious, poor soul.”
“Kurama!”
“It serves you right for being an idiot. Poisoning yourself on purpose—how could you be so foolish?”
Naruto groaned. He definitely did not feel up to dealing with this right now. “I already said I’m sorry, didn’t I? How did you get here anyway?”
“Isobu gave me a ride.”
Tenshi was looking at the two of them incredulously. Her kunai had dropped to her side. “Wait, you actually know the nine-tailed bijuu?”
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
“So we’re not going to die?” Sato asked tentatively. He still had his neck craned upward, gaping at Kurama with a mixture of terror and amazement.
Naruto clapped him on the back. “Not today, my friend.”
Kurama glanced at Sato, but made no comment. He was already familiar with Naruto’s habit of picking up new friends wherever he went. ‘Like stray cats,’ he had once said.
“Call me into your mindscape,” Kurama told him. “I need to speak with you privately.”
Naruto turned apologetically to Sasuke, Tenshi, and Sato. “Sorry, this won’t take long.”
They popped into his mindscape. It looked like they were still at the lake—he had been too tired to think up something else.
“So, what’s this about, Kurama? I know you wouldn’t have come all this way if it wasn’t important.” He froze, suddenly anxious. “Wait, did something happen in Konoha?”
Kurama rolled his eyes. “Worry about yourself, idiot. You’re the one who’s dying.”
“I’m not going to die, and I really wish everyone would stop saying that.”
“You’re right, you’re not. That’s why I’m here.”
“What do you mean?”
Kurama met his gaze steadily. “You’re going to seal me inside you so I can deal with the poison.”
Naruto couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You can’t be serious, dattebayo! You want me to become a jinchuriki?”
“You were one before. I don’t see the problem.”
“It’s a huge problem, dattebayo! We decided that there wouldn’t be any jinchuriki in this world—remember?”
“That was before you were dying!” Kurama growled in frustration. “None of this will matter if you’re gone. No one else will be able to change the world like you can.”
Naruto watched him pace across the floor of his mindscape. It was ironic, really. Kurama had always wanted nothing more than to be free from his prison. Now here he was, volunteering to be sealed—all to save him.
In that moment, his anger dissipated. He flung himself at the fox, burying his face in his thick fur. “Thank you, Kurama, truly, but I have no intention of dying, dattebayo. I swear it, and you know I never go back on my word. We’re going to get the Kaguya to change their mind about killing me and then we’ll get the cure, you’ll see.”
Kurama grumbled, but he made no move to get out of the embrace. “This is insanity, Naruto. You can’t seriously think those barbarians are going to change their minds just like that.”
“Well...” A sly thought had begun to form in his mind. It was crazy, but it just might work. “Since you’re here, I might actually have an idea about that...”