Chapter 6 Dietary Adjustment

The fox was silent for a moment, and Naruto didn't expect a response.

However, after a few more minutes in the darkness, Kyuubi spoke again.

"You're a lot like her, you know that?" he whispered.

"Hmm?" Naruto asked in surprise because the tone of voice the Kyuubi used when talking about his mother was full of appreciation... something Naruto wasn't used to yet.

He was not used to any kind of appreciation, let alone coming from a grumpy, hateful chakra conglomerate.

"I mean, you inherited your father's looks, but that fire? That temper? That willpower? That stubbornness? That's all Kushina's."

Naruto blushed a little at the compliment, and a feeling of warmth and excitement came over him, making him feel light and as if he could fly at any moment.

"really?"

"Really. There's just one big difference."

"What is it?"

Kyuubi didn't answer immediately, and the air was suddenly filled with an indescribable tension.

Whatever it was, it was hard for the Kyuubi to say - Naruto could practically hear him grinding his teeth.

So Naruto waited, surprisingly patiently.

"A big difference," the fox repeated, but this time his tone was much more serious, implying that what he was going to say next was of great importance.

"Well... the difference is... I actually like you, little brat."

******

"Why didn't we protect them?" Naruto asked after the atmosphere eased a little.

Both he and Kyuubi's emotions had stabilized a little.

Naruto was completely shocked. Kyuubi didn't even like his mother, and he had clearly said that his mother was powerful.

So why does the Nine-Tails like him? Naruto is still unknown, and although he is determined to change the status quo, he doesn't understand how he has won this respect.

But the Nine-Tails did not explain, and Naruto did not ask any further questions.

Naruto had spent the past hour sorting through his belongings, separating them into piles of what to throw away and what to keep.

Unfortunately, his workout clothes were relegated to the front pile.

The Nine-Tailed Fox didn't intervene much. If Naruto was not sure which pile something should be placed in, he would ask the Nine-Tailed Fox vaguely, and the fox would use a warm feeling to indicate agreement or a cold feeling to indicate disapproval, meaning to keep it or throw it away respectively.

The pile to throw away grew larger and larger, but Naruto trusted the Kyuubi's judgement, even if he was reluctant at times.

"If Konoha and the Land of Whirlpools have such a close relationship, why didn't we protect them?" Naruto changed the question.

"I have no idea."

"We should protect them." He said firmly, "If I were the Hokage, I would protect them."

"I believe you, kid. But we can't change the past, we can only learn from it."

Naruto took a moment to think about it, tossing a particularly worn pair of socks into the trash and placing a picture of him and Ino at Children's Day into the keep pile.

He suddenly realized something strange.

"We never mentioned the Whirlpool Kingdom in history class. I should have remembered it."

The Kyuubi seemed to know what Naruto was going to ask before he even opened his mouth.

"Humans don't like to mention their failures. The Iwagakure and the Mist Village joined forces at the beginning of the war, just as suddenly as the war broke out. If the Whirlpool Kingdom fully joined the war, it would be a huge threat, because although Konoha had more people, the Whirlpool Kingdom was more skilled and was the reason why Konoha had won every war before. So they sent enough ninjas to attack the Whirlpool Kingdom and catch them off guard. Konoha was unable to provide support in time, and by the time they got there to repel the Iwagakure and Mist Villages, it was too late." Then he added, as if it was an afterthought, "Kushina was heartbroken for several weeks because of this."

"They attacked the Whirlpool Kingdom just because they were afraid of them?" Naruto asked as he began to realize a pattern he didn't like.

"That's about it, yes."

“Why would people destroy something just because it’s powerful?”

"Fear," Kyuubi answered immediately, for he knew this well. "People are always afraid of what they don't understand."

Naruto wouldn't, but if that made him less of a person, if he became a monster, he didn't care. He would rather be a demon than live in fear.

"You know what, Kyuubi?"

"Um?"

"I hate that."

"You know what, kid?"

"what?"

"I think we have something in common."

After Naruto finished cleaning up the living room and stuffed everything that was to be thrown away into the trash bag, the Nine-Tails instructed him to clean up the kitchen.

Naruto opened the refrigerator and a sour smell hit his nose, and he immediately frowned.

The milk had gone bad again and he had forgotten to take care of it again. He could smell it without even opening the lid.

Kyuubi growled in disgust at the contents of the fridge.

"What do you eat, kid? The fridge is almost empty, and judging by the smell you're getting, the remaining food expired a week ago!"

"Hey, it's not my fault. I usually eat with Iruka-sensei."

"Do you only eat ramen?" Kyuubi asked incredulously.

Naruto thought for a moment.

"Iruka-sensei sometimes makes curry and rice for me."

"Throw it away," the fox growled.

"But--"

"Throw it all away."

Naruto was reluctant but he picked up a new garbage bag and started to pack the contents of the fridge into it.

"Why are we doing this? Does it matter what I eat?"

"Of course it is, kid. Nothing is more important than your health, especially when you're training."

"I'm healthy!" Naruto retorted loudly.

"I'm beginning to have serious doubts. First lesson, listen carefully."

Naruto muttered something but kept his mouth shut.

"The body is like a fire, it needs fuel to function. The body needs a variety of different foods to function properly, especially when it is under stress during training. Eating the same foods all the time will make you tired more quickly than someone who eats a balanced diet."

"What?" Naruto complained, "No one ever told me that!"

"People sometimes say, 'This is all for your own good.'"

"Ugh." Naruto said dejectedly, "I owe Iruka-sensei many apologies. I just eat what I want when I'm hungry. I never thought that eating delicious food could be harmful to the body."

"Then why do you always eat ramen?"