Naruto Repurposed

Chapter 13

Chunin Exams III

Drip ...drip ...drip.

The steady drip of water was all Naruto could hear for several moments after he came to, though he appeared to be in some kind of underground tunnel or sewer once he finally got his bearings. There was at least a half foot of standing water, and he was thankful he didn't drown, nor did the water smell too much like the sewers of Konoha, which made him wonder where exactly he was. The only things around him were a pair of pipes that ran through the tunnel, one large one that was occasionally leaking a corrosive thick red substance, and a smaller one that had a soft blue glow that felt very comforting and familiar.

In one direction, there was just rough light to make out that the tunnel continued for some ways, and with nothing else to do but find out where he was and how to get out, he followed the tunnel towards the light. He seemed to be walking for some time as the tunnels turned, and sometimes even forked, but he always seemed to be getting closer to the growing light at the end of the tunnel, and hoped he wasn't "walking into the light" that signified he died. The silence was only broken by the sound of water sloshing around, and occasional distant bangs of something being struck hard against metal, and wondered again what he was walking towards.

With the increased noise of more water, and getting continuously closer to the banging noise, Naruto finally reached an area where the dark tunnel ended in an impossibly large cavernous room that was only illuminated by the glowing dark red light from the larger pipes, which seemed to have grown in size and number as he approached this large space. The room was so large and covered mostly in shadows, but there was an unmistakable metal bar cage the size of the Hokage Tower that cut off one whole side of the cavernous room with nothing but a small piece of paper with the kanji for "seal" on it.

"My jailor finally decides to visit," came the growling voice, so filled with menace that it actually caused Naruto to fault in his steps, as he never felt such hatred and malevolence, even though he had lived the life of the village pariah.

"Who's there?" he asked in a bit of a trembling voice, not knowing what the hell was going on, or even where the hell he was., but easily feeling the hatred in the voice directed at him.

A large banging noise and movement behind those impossibly large metal bars, had Naruto staring wide eyed at the equally impossibly large fox as it tried to swipe one of it's house size paws at the blonde, who even despite the bars between them, fell back in shock. The creature was beyond enormous, with dark orangish red fur of a similar color to the lighting in these underground sewers, with long floppy ears, and malevolent burning red eyes that glared in hatred at the young blonde ninja. Naruto could only stare in shock as his brain tried to understand what he was looking at, and almost couldn't believe that he was facing the bijuu that was supposedly sealed inside of him.

"Hahahaha," came the sadistic and dark laugh of the impossibly large creature as it glared at the fallen blonde, "that's right ninjen ...stay on the ground where you belong."

"K-k-kyuubi?" came the stuttered question from Naruto, as he said the only thing he possibly could in the face of such a malevolent creature, wondering how the hell he was talking to and seeing the Kyuubi in person, and wondered if he truly did just die, and this was the creature getting released from his seal.

"Grrrr," came the low animalistic growl of the Kyuubi, as he seemed to settle down lower towards the ground, but kept his angry red eyes fixed squarely on the young ninja before him.