Something was wrong though, as Kurama felt a malevolent presence open up above him. From in the air over his head, the mysterious attacker dropped from the same kind of portal that he'd originally appeared from, 'He is holding back. This is perfect.'
Trying for another quick tailed assault, Kurama sent forth the last two of his tails only for the strange man to maneuver his body through them while falling before landing on one and running up the length of it.
Reaching Kurama's body itself, he made eye contact with the gargantuan fox through the eyeholes of his mask, "How about a blast from the past Kyuubi!"
Kurama couldn't see it from a distance, but once his attacker got close enough to look him in the eye and he saw the imprint of red eyes with three tomoe patterns in them form in his mind he did his best to shake off the control, thrashing about wildly into the walls, crashing harshly and bringing down chunks of rock able to crush a man, 'No! Sharingan! That damned eye!'
Naruto had long since become aware enough of what was going on to know that there was some serious danger going on around him. Dodging rocks, Naruto couldn't help but feel serious concern for Kurama. His roars as he tried to keep the genjutsu from taking hold, "Kurama!" Naruto turned his head and caught sight of the sinister culprit that was hurting the fox, "What are you doing?"
"Oh that's adorable." The masked man said in regards to Naruto as he saw the young Uzumaki Clan member storming right for him, dodging rocks for dear life as he tried to get close enough to fight, "You're worried about a monster that wouldn't hesitate to snuff you out in an instant. But let me tell you a secret kid."
It was brave for Naruto to try and fight him, but had he been paying attention? He'd just subdued a gigantic fox with the power to tear landscapes asunder. Did he really think anything he could do would hurt him?
Nevertheless, Naruto ran up the side of a nearby rock spire before leaping right off of it at his new enemy, unsealing a fuuma shuriken that he unfolded and held by the center ring around his wrist, "Leave him alone or I'll-!" His threat died in his throat when his opponent didn't budge, and the swing of his weapon passed right through him as if he were a specter.
He never felt the subsequent blow from the masked man that sank itself right into his belly, holding him up off of the ground just by the fist. Naruto choked and sputtered as his shuriken clanged to the ground.
The masked man grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt and held him up to whisper in his ear, "The secret is, it's not the monsters the size of a mountain that you should be scared of. It's the monsters that look like me or you that are the scariest of all." By now Kurama had been subdued by whatever genjutsu had been cast upon him, rendering him docile, and the mysterious attacker then proceeded to do the exact same thing to Naruto, "You know, you look like someone I've met before."
The kid looked just like Namikaze Minato. How funny would it be for him to use the son of that man to kick off his plans and set everything into motion. He was going to kidnap a child of the Uzumaki Clan later, but this saved him risking Kurama attacking the village to obtain a proper vessel. Naruto's mere presence in the ravine also caused Kurama to hold back, making the battle easier than the masked man had anticipated.
Besides, Naruto's chakra was abundant and powerful for a small boy. Even by Uzumaki standards. He was perfect. Yes, Naruto was going to help him save that rotting cesspool of a world that the ninja in general had turned it into.
"Let me tell you something else while you're being such a good boy. Something I want you to remember as everything falls apart around you." The masked man said as he walked down the side of his elevated position, "All warfare since the beginning of the Shinobi Sect is based on deception. For years, every fool clan bastardizing the will of the Rikudou Sennin with their own machinations has made the world a battlefield. Brothers, sons, sisters, daughters, wives, mothers, fathers, husbands… everyone spills their blood for their selfish causes, and they have for centuries."
After getting down from his rocky perch, the masked ninja walked over to Kurama and dropped Naruto in a heap right at the yoked biju's feet before rolling up his shirt enough to expose his navel. With a few hand-seals, he had summoned a ritualistic alter with Naruto at the center of it.
"The deceit of conflict cuts both ways." The masked man continued to the catatonic boy as he went through a long, careful chain of hand-seals, "The bigger the lie, the more likely people will believe it. People will call for vengeance, and the lie spreads like a wildfire. The fire builds, devouring everything in its path. Our enemies all believe that they alone dictate the course of history."
As he finished his chain of seals, a glow overtook all of Kurama's body and Naruto's as well as the man placed his hand on his stomach and finished his jutsu, bathing the entire ravine in a blinding light.
"…And all it takes is the will of a single man."
XxX
"NARUTO YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"
What a way to start a morning.
Awakening with a start, Naruto rocketed out of his bed and bounced off of the ceiling before falling onto the floor, Kushina standing over him in a white yukata, much to his confusion, "Mom?"