Chapter 2: Desire for Power

11 years later…

Ninja Academy, Konohagakure

"Naruto, this is your last chance," Iruka growled, "You failed the exam last year, so you should have learned from your mistakes by now!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, Sensei! I was just fooling around before."

"You are the son of the Hokage! You should act more mature. You failed last year. Is that what you are hoping for this year as well?"

Naruto paled and quickly bowed to Iruka. "N-no Sensei!" Mom would probably kill him if he failed again.

"Iruka, maybe we should go easy on him this time," the other teacher in the room said. "He did extremely well on the sparring portion of the exam and made a decent showing of the other two jutsu, is the clone technique really that important? Heck, he's even dressed properly for a ninja!"

Iruka shot Mizuki a glare, but couldn't refute the man. As the son of the Hokage, his parents had drilled certain ideas into his head on the way a ninja should dress and act. Unlike other students, who wore colorful and occasionally flamboyant clothing, Naruto wore a very sensible outfit. He wore a dark, but not quite black, shirt with red accents as well as dark pants with plenty of pocket space. Even with the red accents, it would be hard to spot him in low light.

"I don't care. All students are to be held to the same standard. If anything he should be held to a higher standard because he's the Hokage's son. Now Naruto, please perform the Cloning Jutsu or I will fail you again." Iruka replied, causing Naruto to nod rapidly in agreement.

Naruto shifted into a wide stance and brought his hands together in the tiger seal, gathering chakra. 'I'll show them both! They shouldn't treat me any different just 'cause I'm the Hokage's son!'

"Clone Jutsu!" Naruto cried out as his chakra left him, flooding the room with smoke. Unfortunately, as the smoke cleared, a pitiful sight revealed itself. A half-dead looking clone lay on the floor, unable to even lift itself up. As an angry look appeared on Iruka's face, Naruto tried to protest. "S-sensei! Wait just a second! I can explain!"

"NA-RU-TO! YOU FAIL!"

Naruto quickly burst out the front door of the Academy and dashed off towards the center of town. As he left he could hear the parents that had gathered to support their children muttering about him as he left.

'Damnit…I try so hard, but I can't get it right!' he thought to himself. He felt something warm on his cheeks and buried his face in his arm to hide his tears. 'Great and now I'm crying! I can't let the villagers see me, the Hokage's son, like this. Not that it matters. Mom's going to murder me and worse, Dad's going to be so disappointed. How am I ever going to be Hokage if I can't do a stupid clone jutsu?!'

Naruto kept running until he exhausted himself, only stopping when he felt like he couldn't run any more. After noting the mostly empty street, he leaned against a wall and allowed himself to sink to the ground.

"Damn. What am I going to do?" He said quietly, thumping his head against the wall behind him.

"Naruto?" said a familiar voice. Naruto turned his head to locate the voice's owner.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto suddenly jumped up to meet his father's friend. Naruto had looked up to him for a long time because his father always spoke highly of him.

"Hey there, Kid. How'd the exam go?" Naruto suddenly slumped back down to the ground at Jatiro's words.

"That bad, huh? How about you and I go grab lunch and you can tell me about it." Jatiro said, extending his hand out to help him back up. Naruto eyed him suspiciously for a minute.

"Your treat? Using real money? Not that fake stuff?" Jatiro grabbed at his chest dramatically.

"Naruto, you wound me. I accidentally pay for one meal with currency from my home world and leave you to pay the bill and now you are so suspicious. Que triste!"

"You will pay with Ryo." Naruto said, insisting.

"Ah. Very well. Come we have much to talk about."

Naruto shot Jatiro's back a quizzical look before following. 'What did he mean by that?'

Ichiraku Ramen Stand

"So that's how it happened, eh?" Jatiro said as he finished his bowl of ramen.

"Yeah, I don't get why it's so hard for me. I understand what I'm supposed to do, but it's like trying to fill a small cup with a fire hose at full blast." Naruto replied before chugging his broth and asking for another bowl.

"Tell me, Naruto, why do you want to be a Ninja?" Jatiro asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Naruto replied.

"Exactly what I said…I think… I did say it right, yes? Why be a Ninja?"

"I want to be Hokage, of course! I need to surpass Dad and protect the village!" Naruto exclaimed standing up and facing the Blue Mage.

"Why do you need to be Hokage to help the village? There are so many important jobs in the village; I know for a fact Kushina would be very relieved if you chose a safer occupation." Jatiro said, before signaling for another bowl for himself.

"No. I want to be like Dad, but better. And I said protect, not help. I can't protect the village without being a ninja!"

"You can't? The Land of Iron is very well off and they have no ninja." Jatiro questioned.

"Well, yeah but they are like you. An exception to the rule. If I am going to protect the village I need to be a ninja so I can be strong!"

"Ah, so you want power. Is that it?"

"I…guess, yeah. I mean I can't protect people without power."

"I'll be honest with you, Naruto. I think I know why you have trouble with the clone jutsu." Jatiro leaned close and poked Naruto in the stomach as he spoke. "It's the tailed beast sealed within you."

Naruto sucked in a breath. "Dad said people aren't supposed to talk about that. Brings up bad memories and hurt feelings."

"Nonetheless, I need to tell you about it. The beast essentially boosts your chakra capacity far beyond most Jonin. From what I've read, you could eventually be a force of nature on the battlefield with that near limitless energy."

Naruto nodded in agreement. His dad had explained that much to him before.

"But let me tell you something, that isn't real power." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't get me wrong. That energy will allow you to keep fighting even when others can't, and to a degree it will make you faster and stronger at the cost of deteriorating your body, but in the end all it's just energy."

"What are you trying to say, Uncle Jat?"

"What if I could offer you a way to turn that energy into true power? Don't answer now, but think about it. Would you accept my offer?"

"I…I…" Naruto stuttered.

"I said not now. Think about why you want power, and what you'd be willing to do for it. If you want to accept I need you to do something for me. I need you to sneak into your father's library, and retrieve a certain scroll for me. The one on space-time jutsu. Your father hasn't let me see it, but agreed that I could test you in any way I saw fit. Bring it to me at Training Ground Eight tomorrow just before midnight."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I hope to see you there then." Jatiro said, before getting up and leaving.

Naruto sat back down and thought about the offer his Uncle put before him.

"Two Miso Ramen! Hey where did your friend go, Naruto?" Teuchi, the owner, said as he saw the ramen down.

"What? Oh that son of a…" Naruto yelled as he realized Jatiro didn't leave any cash.

Jatiro's laughter rang out as he fled.

Later that Evening

"Naruto, What am I going to do with you? Go sit down." Kushina said to Naruto as she prepared dinner for him and Minato. Naruto hung his head as he sat down at the dinner table. As expected, his mother was extremely disappointed with him. "You know these tests are important if you want to be a ninja."

"I know, Mom." Naruto replied.

"Honey, I know how tough it is." Kushina said as she walked over and sat a plate in front of him. Cupping his cheek she continued, "The Fox's power makes it so much harder to do these simple things. When I was a child and the new container the times were different. They skipped right over some of the basic things and taught me a lot of high powered attacks. Now, though, they have different expectations," Kushina turned her head to the side, "Minato! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, dear!"

"I try really hard, Mom! I just can't get the clone jutsu down." Naruto said as he poked at his plate with his chopsticks.

"Maybe you should consider another career? Perhaps with the Engineering Corp? I know that many a young lady would be smitten with an engineer as cute as you…"

"MOM!" Naruto shouted, standing up and blushing.

Minato chose that moment to arrive.

"Naruto! Don't yell at your mother. Especially because she's right. The Village couldn't get by without our Engineer Corp. And you would be quite the ladies man." Minato said with a grin.

"Not you too, Dad! I want to be a ninja like you! Or maybe a blue ma…" Naruto said before Minato suddenly interrupted him.

"Blue Machinist? Well that division of the Combat Engineers is pretty popular." Minato said with a look. Kushina shot a curious look at Minato.

"Either way, stop picking at your plate. You need to eat if you want to grow strong." Kushina chided. The next few minutes passed with small talk passing between Minato and Kushina. Naruto tuned them out as he pondered Jatiro's question.

"Dad?" Naruto said quietly. Minato looked over at him.

"What is it, Naruto?"

"Why did you become a ninja?" Naruto asked, staring intently at his plate. Minato and Kushina glanced at each other.

"Well that's quite a question. When I became a ninja our village's situation was different. We were on the brink of war and every ninja was needed. I didn't really have a choice in a way."

"Would you have chosen differently if you could have?"

"Maybe. It would have been a lot easier to court your mother if I was a hot shot Engineer instead of competing with her for missions." Minato said with a laugh.

"Oh you." Kushina said, blushing. "Here I'll take your plates." She said as she carried the dishes to the kitchen. Once she was out of the room Minato turned to Naruto.

"I know Uncle Jatiro talked to you about possibly being a blue mage. I think you should consider the possibility, but don't tell your mother yet. I don't want her to worry." Minato grimaced. "I won't lie to you, son. Jatiro said that process was very dangerous. It was almost impossible to convince him to even offer you the option."

"I…I'll think about it." Naruto said. "May I be excused?"

"Sure…Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I became a Ninja so I could protect the ones I love. When it comes down to it, that's all that matters."

"Thanks, Dad."

Minato looked down at the scroll in his hands in the dim light of his library. "Damn it. Is this really the right thing to do?"

He remembered how hard it was to convince Jatiro to even consider making Naruto a Blue Mage.

A month ago…

Jatiro kicked the door of the Hokage's office open and abruptly left.

"Jatiro!" Minato yelled out as he chased after him.

"I said no! You don't know what it is you are asking! I'm not going to place this power in the hands of a child. Even yours." Jatiro yelled, startling the secretary at her desk.

"Hokage-sama! Lord Jatiro! What's wrong?" She called out as Jatiro stormed passed her.

"Don't worry about it. JATIRO!" Minato said as he raced to keep up.

"Enough! Maldito!" Minato lunged and grabbed Jatiro by the shoulder.

"He already has enormous power that he can't control. With your help he could become more."

"At the cost of his soul. Is it worth it?" Jatiro whispered.

"How's your soul doing these days? You haven't aged a day since you got here, has your soul fared worse?"

Jatiro slumped at Minato's words.

"No. It's…it's actually gotten better. All my foes here have been Hume-like, their souls pure, unlike the corrupted ones of the monsters of my world. I'll…I'll give him the choice, but neither you nor I will force him. It must be his choice."

Minato sighed.

The scroll in his hands contained much of the theoretical information he had gathered on space-time jutsu. Jatiro had asked for it before, but he had always withheld it for not entirely innocent reasons.

He was afraid that, with the scroll, Jatiro might be able to figure out a way to get back home. That was not something he was ready to accept just yet. Or at least he thought he wasn't.

Minato glanced back at the shadows and saw a tuft of yellow hair poking out from behind a shelf. His son's future was more important that trying to prevent his friend from returning to his world. Minato allowed himself a small smile and set the scroll down on his desk and stood up.

'Good luck, Naruto. I have faith that you'll become even stronger than Jatiro or myself.'

Minato left his desk light on and left the room.

Naruto peaked around the corner and watched his dad leave the room. He held himself steady, not rushing forward for his goal. His parents had taught him to be patient in this kind of situation. If his Dad came back he'd be in hot water. He forced himself to breathe evenly and count to track time. After a few minutes had passed he slipped forward and pick-up the scroll.

'Sorry, Dad. I won't become a ninja after all,' He thought as he slipped the scroll under his arm. Opening the door to the library, he peaked out into the hallway. Finding it empty, he sighed and went quickly and calmly to his room.

"Engineer…yeah, right." Naruto whispered as he closed the door behind him.

The next day passed uneventfully for Naruto.

Having failed the exam, he wouldn't have class until next semester. His friends from his year would be off meeting their teacher today while he was stuck at home. Instead, he spent a few hours wandering the town trying to find Jatiro so he could ask him some questions. Failing that, he went to Ichiraku for ramen. Afterwards he wandered until he sighted Tenten and Rock Lee, students from his class. Not wanting to see any of his former classmates after making such a poor showing, Naruto quickly made his way home.

Naruto sat at his desk in his room staring down at the stolen scroll.

'Is it worth it? I've wanted to be a ninja for so long…on the other hand Uncle Jat is strong too. Dad said that he would never want to fight him. He even saved my parents during the attack 11 years ago…' Naruto screwed his eyes shut.

"Naruto! Dinner's ready!" Kushina called out. Naruto opened his eyes.

I became a Ninja…

"…so I can protect the ones I love." Naruto whispered to himself.

"Naruto? Did you hear me?"

Naruto turned around in his chair and yelled back, "I'm not hungry, Mom!"

"Are you sure? You've never skipped a meal before!"

"Yeah. Just thinking about the… Engineer Corp." Naruto called back.

"Alright. I'll save some for you in case you get hungry later."

"Thanks, Mom." He replied.

Naruto turned back to the scroll, steel in his eyes. Picking it up, he walked over to the window, threw it open, and leapt out. It was time to find Training Ground Eight.

It took a couple of hours to find the training ground, and a couple more before he managed to sneak pass the guards. As he came to the entrance, he was surprised to find that the training ground was actually a cave.

'What is he thinking having me meet him here?' Naruto said as he peered inside. He could only see a few feet ahead before it became total blackness. Naruto edged forward and placed his hand on the wall. 'If this is a test, I will pass it. All I have to do is keep a hand on the wall and I'll find him eventually.

Naruto followed the wall carefully for about 100 feet before he noticed a soft bluish glow ahead. Lifting his hand off the wall, Naruto raced forward, the light growing brighter until he could comfortably see. He quickly found the source of the light not far ahead. Strange mushrooms were growing along the walls and were emitting a natural light.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto called out as he continued forward. Silence was his only answer.

Turning a corner, Naruto was met with the sight of a large glowing pool in the center of a cavern. The mushrooms on the walls lit up the pool, giving it an eerie glow. A platform was in the middle of the pool and atop it stood a man clothed in intricate blue armor.

"Uncle Jat?" Naruto said as he walked forward. The man turned and grimaced at him.

"I'm not sure if I'm glad you came or not. Did you bring the scroll?"

Naruto held it up for him to see.

"Good, bring it here." Naruto stepped carefully into the water, noting that it was a shallow, if large pool.

"Why did you want me to meet you here, Uncle Jat?" Naruto asked as he handed the scroll over. Jatiro immediately opened it, confirming that it was real.

"Nostalgia, I suppose. I was initiated into the Immortal Lions in a cave like this one. Well done getting this. We have things to talk about." Jatiro said as he set the scroll at his feet.

"Naruto, I have a lot of respect for your father and mother and I'm grateful to them for everything they've done for me in the 16 years I've been here. For those reasons, I won't let you walk into this decision blind, as I did."

"What do you mean blind? I'll become like you, won't I?" Naruto questioned, puzzled. He thought being he showed he wanted to do this.

"That's the idea, anyway. To be honest, I'm not sure whether or not the process will work. It is extremely painful for people of my world. I can't imagine it being anything different for people of yours, assuming the process doesn't kill you out right."

"I was going to be a Ninja, Uncle. We were going to be expected to risk our lives at a moment's notice, anyway." Jatiro sighed and shook his head.

"You can consider yourself lucky if you do die," Jatiro replied, drawing a confused look from Naruto, "Naruto, has anyone ever called you a monster before?"

"Well…yeah…when I was really young I wandered away from mom in the market. I ran into a really drunk guy who yelled at me and tried to kick me. The ANBU stopped him and took him away, but he called me monster." Naruto said quietly. It wasn't a fond memory.

"Did you believe him?"

"No! Dad said that people who think like that are either idiots or blinded by grief! He said just because I contain something monstrous doesn't mean I'm a monster!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing throughout the chamber.

"If you become a Blue Mage that will no longer be true." Jatiro said quietly, shocking Naruto into silence with his words. "To be a Blue Mage is to be a monster. You will tear the very essence out of your foes, making their strength yours, fusing a part of their soul to yours. If they survive, they will be changed, scarred by what you did to them. Your soul may become corrupted, as mine is, and one day, if you survive long enough, if you fail to keep your soul in check you will become a Soulflayer, a monster of death and destruction. You will care nothing for friend and foe as you tear into anyone before you." A shadow gathered in front of Jatiro's face as he spoke. Naruto subconsciously took a step back.

"A soul is already attached to yours, in a way. You and the fox will become one being. You will retain your mind, but you will have to fight him for control for the rest of your life. In exchange you will gain his power. You will be able to smite the foes of Konoha, or anyone you wish to."

Jatiro turned away from Naruto.

"You will become an unstoppable force. Is that what you want?" Jatiro said, turning sharply to face Naruto.

"I…I…" Naruto stuttered by this unseen side of Jatiro. Jatiro held his hand out to Naruto.

"If you truly desire the power that a Blue Mage wields, take my hand."

Naruto hesitated an instant more before taking Jatiro's outstretched hand.

"Good." Jatiro said as he suddenly yanked Naruto off balance. Naruto never had time to react as Jatiro pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Naruto's chest. "This will probably hurt, like being torn in two. I'm sorry in advance…"

Naruto gasped as his vision went dark and he fell to the ground. Pain radiated out into his body from where the needle was plunged into him. And as promised he felt like someone was tearing him in two. Then there was blackness.

Location Unknown

Naruto started awake and found himself in a strange place. It appeared to be a hallway of some sort, and very dark. Water dripped from pipes running above the hallway and through the walls. Standing up, he peered around nervously.

'Where the hell am I?' he wondered.

"This is your mindscape." A voice said, startling Naruto, who jumped back. A figure appeared in front of Naruto, clad in blue armor similar to what Jatiro had been wearing. Even more unsettling was that it looked exactly like he did.

"Who the hell are you and what is a 'mindscape.'" Naruto demanded.

"A mindscape is the representation of one's subconscious. Few can actually access this place outside of dreams, however, we are a special case."

"We?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I am you. Or more specifically I am your Soul."

"My s-s-soul?!" Naruto yelled in confusion.

"Yes. Calm down. After all, this is what we wanted. Sort of. Jatiro was correct when he told Dad that this process probably wouldn't work on us. The concoction that Jatiro injected into us did split me from you, however it failed to turn us into a Blue Mage. We're dying."

"WHAT! What can we do? I don't want to die now!" Naruto yelled. Naruto's Soul held up a hand and a liquid began coalescing into an orb in his palm.

"Fear not. I have a plan to ensure we survive. Part of the mixture was made up of Jatiro's blood. With this, and some help from Kurama we can adapt and complete the transformation and save our life." Naruto's Soul gestured from Naruto to follow it as it began walking off.

"Ok, but who is Kurama?" Naruto asked.

"Ah right. You are bound by human limits of knowledge. Kurama is the name of our tenant. We'll need help from him if we want to survive. Come."

Naruto remained silent as he followed his Soul through a complex route, twisting and turning multiple times. It eventually opened up into a large room with what appeared to be a cage in it. On the center bar was a slip of paper that read "seal."

"Kurama! We seek an audience with you, O Honorable child of the Sage!" His Soul called out. Something began shifting around in the cage, something massive. It yawned before opening one of its massive eyes to look at the pair.

"Interesting. You know of my name. It is good to hear it out loud again. Very well, I will tolerate your presence for a moment." Kurama answered as it rose to a sitting position.

"We are dying. As you know, when we die, you will as well. So I come offering a bargain. I have a sample of blood from a being of another world. We desire to be as he is, but the process has failed. I know that you could complete it, using this blood. In exchange I will offer you a better chance at freedom. Become one with me and you will be free from that cage. You will see and experience everything that he does." Naruto's Soul offered.

"Why should that interest me, little soul? Why not come closer and let me free? I'll eat you and your suffering will be ended quickly." Kurama growled, before chuckling.

"Interesting you should mention the consumption of souls. His will be a life of battle. He will have to tear the strength from his enemies. Our role will be to eat those souls, then provide their power to Naruto. It will be an interesting trip and you'll have many opportunities to kill him and take over his body." The Soul said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up." His Soul replied. "Will you accept, great one?"

"Hmmm. Could be interesting. Very well. Give me the blood." Kurama replied. The Soul tossed the blue orb to the Fox who caught it in his teeth and consumed it. "Hmm…HMMMM. YES! THIS WILL BE INTERESTING INDEED!" Kurama reached through the cage and blue energy rushed from its paw and slammed into Naruto and his Soul. Naruto doubled over in pain as he felt something begin to change in him. Unfazed, the Soul walked forward and pealed the seal off the cage. The Fox began laughing as the bars crumbled and he began shrinking.

"This will be interesting indeed." The Soul said as it approached the Fox. The Soul held out its hand and the fox gripped it in its paw. As they did, a bright light filled the room, blinding Naruto temporarily. Slowly, the pain faded and his vision returned. Before him stood his Soul, different now than it was before. No longer was its armor blue, but a bright orange color. Its eyes no longer matched Naruto's, but were slit like the Fox's and red. Finally, a tail sways back and forth behind him.

"What happened." Naruto asked.

"We were… successful in… completing the…transformation." The Soul replied, its voice distorted. "I can…hold him…back this time…but not for long…go…go before I lose control and attack before you've regained your strength." Naruto hesitated as he watched his Soul wrap its arms around itself. "Fly, you fool!" It yelled as it swung a hand out, unleashing a wave of power that slammed into Naruto and rushed him back through the maze and out of his mindscape.

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. Turning his head he was greeted with the sight of Jatiro sitting in a chair next to the bed he was apparently in. Naruto tried to rise, but collapsed back into the bed. He could smell the antiseptic chemicals in the air and figured that he was in the hospital.

"Easy now, Naruto. It isn't quite time for you to get up yet. You nearly died." Jatiro said quietly.

"Why do I feel so weak, Uncle Jat?" Naruto whispered back.

"Sensei Jatiro now. I am now your teacher and you are my student."

"You mean…?"

"That's right. You are a Blue Mage. However, at this moment you are an empty…well mostly empty, vessel. In order to make you stronger, your previous strength was sapped. I told you that Blue Mages must tear the strength from their enemies, now you know why. Ordinarily, this is where I would leave you to find your own way. But you are no ordinary recruit, and this is not Aht Urhgan. Rest tonight. Tomorrow we shall begin your training."