Naruto's pov

"Left, right, right, kick." Kurama smacked my leg away as I tried to kick him. "What the fuck was that? Eh," he mimicked my kick with exaggerated laziness. "Naruto, you have to put force into it. Hand-to-hand combat is just as important as any other form of combat. Don't kick to kick someone, kick to hurt them. Like this." He demonstrated, kicking the air with a sharp, quick whoosh.

"Mírame." He walked up to a thin tree covered in bark, ensuring I was paying attention. "Left, left, right, left, jab, jab, hook, kick!" Kurama moved fluidly, each punch and kick landing with precision and power. The poor tree leaned slightly, bark scattered on the ground.

"Make sure to focus chakra into the points you're hitting with," Kurama instructed, "not only to ensure you don't hurt yourself but also to reinforce the strength behind your attack. Now, try again." He put his hands up, ready to block.

I took a deep breath, concentrating. I could feel the exhaustion in my muscles, but Kurama's words echoed in my mind. I needed to push through, to focus. I channeled chakra into my fists and feet, stepping up to him.

"Left, right, right, kick," I muttered under my breath, moving through the sequence. My punches connected with his hands, pushing him back a little with each hit. The chakra reinforcement made each strike feel more impactful, less painful.

"Good," Kurama grunted, blocking a punch with his forearm. "Now, again, faster!"

So I kept going, until his own arms were red and stinging. He smiled at me, a sick and twisted expression, "Now the tree." "My hands are gonna bleed," I told him, looking at his own. "They'll heal. You'll build up resistance. The tree, Naruto." I nodded and walked up to a tree close to the one he beat up.

Left, left, right, hook, right, jab, kick, jab. I followed the words he called out, trying not the let the pain get to my head. The bark splintered and was scattered along the grass.

"Keep going," he yelled.

I repeated the sequence, faster this time. My movements were becoming smoother, more instinctive. I could see the ambition glowing in his eyes, like I might actually be worth something. Kurama's eyes narrowed as he evaluated my form.

"Better, but you're still holding back," he said. "Put everything into it, Naruto. Don't think, just act!"

I nodded, pushing aside my doubts and fatigue. I launched into the sequence again, my fists and feet moving without having to tell them whether or not they should. I saw an opening and took it, regardless of whether or not it would make an impact. If it didn't, I had another one waiting to land. "Left, right, left, jab, jab, kick!"

The tree groaned under the assault, the bark shattering more dramatically this time. I could feel the force of my attacks resonating through my body, the chakra enhancing each strike.

"Now, keep going," Kurama demanded, his voice a mix of encouragement and adrenaline. "Don't stop until you can't move anymore."

I gritted my teeth, continuing the assault on the poor tree. Each repetition felt more powerful, more controlled. My arms and legs burned, I could feel the blood on them, but I pushed through the pain, focusing solely on the rhythm and power of my movements.

"Left, right, left, kick, jab, hook, kick!"

Time seemed to blur as I continued, sweat pouring down my face, my breath coming in ragged gasps. Finally, with one last powerful kick which I'm pretty sure broke my leg, the tree cracked and fell, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust and bark.

I stumbled back, collapsing to my knees, utterly spent. Kurama stepped forward, looking down at me with a shit eating grin on his face. "There you go, it's seems like you're not just a vessel. Around your birthday we should be able to take that ANBU test." ANBU?? That's what this is for?! "You're a total powerhouse, kid, and I'm going to exploit that out of you."

I nodded weakly, feeling a sense of accomplishment despite my exhaustion. "Yeah, whatever, are we done today? I just beat up a tree and I'm exhausted," I sat on my butt.

As I sat there, catching my breath, I looked up at Kurama and noticed he was in deep thought. "Kid, we're gonna wait for the poison. About two weeks." Thank fucking god. I'm not ready to die. "Just don't kill me," I laughed a little. "I won't. We just need to make sure your body can actually handle being poisoned, otherwise you might actually die. If we keep clinging to the Hokage like this, you'll be fattened up and strong enough to fight the poison."

In those two weeks, Kurama did in fact work me like a dog, just as he said he would. My bones had broken and healed so many times it wasn't even funny. But Kurama was right about me gaining weight, almost fifteen pounds in the two weeks I'd been under the care of the Hokage. I also grew an inch or two, probably from being well taken care of. I was sitting on the couch which I was free to do as long as the Hokage was here. I was waiting Kurama to get back with the poisons he went to go get. He said it'd take him a day. He was practically leaping with joy when he realized it was almost the two week mark. He's so ready to kill me.

He says it's not because of that, he's just excited to see my progress coming together, but I think that's total bullshit. I heard the door open and waited in anticipation for who I was going to see. I saw a flash of red hair— Kurama or Kushina?

"Naruto, get your shit, come on, it's time to die, mother fucker!", he laughed as he held up a bag that clinked together. Why'd he have to word it like that?? I stood up off the couch and followed him up the stairs to my room. He made sure to lock both doors. The Hokage would probably have a heart attack if he knew what was going on. Not only because Kurama was out, but he'd grown pretty attached to me in the past two weeks, I'm not sure why.

I stared at the food, then at Kurama. "It's half a drop. You need at least a couple of drops to actually kill someone," he told me. It didn't reassure me much. My room was finished, and I was sitting on the bed with the plate of death right in front of me.

"I'll take care of you, don't worry. Just focus on fighting it. The effects shouldn't be that bad—maybe just a stomach ache or nosebleeds. We'll gradually increase the amount of poison until you can tolerate normal amounts. Maybe we'll even mix poisons..." he muttered to himself. He was way too excited for me to be comfortable with.

I took a deep breath and ate the bread. I looked at Kurama as I chewed. Nothing so far—

Suddenly, I started screaming. My heart pounded in my chest as I fell onto the bed. Kurama did nothing but stare at me. "Fight it, Naruto, you're okay."

I grabbed at my clothes, trying to fix the problem, trying to get enough air into my lungs. Kurama furrowed his eyebrows, picking up the vial of liquid. His eyes went wide. "Wrong one!! Fuck! Naruto, breathe, breathe, c'mon, on your side!"

He rushed to my aid, quickly turning me onto my side. I gasped for air, my vision blurring as the pain intensified. Kurama's normally confident demeanor was tinged with panic.

"Stay with me, Naruto," he urged, his voice low and intense. He actually tried to kill me!! I can't! I can't do this! I'm scared! I don't wanna die! "You have to fight it. Focus on your breathing. In and out. Slow and steady."

I tried to concentrate, forcing myself to breathe slowly despite the agony tearing through my body. My chest felt like it was on fire, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Kurama's chakra flowed into me, making everything burn all that much worse but it was soothing some of the pain even though I could tell he was struggling to counteract the effects of the poison.

Minutes felt like hours as I lay there, clinging to consciousness. Gradually, the searing pain began to subside, replaced by a dull ache. My breathing steadied, and the room came back into focus.

Kurama let out a deep breath, his expression a mix of relief and guilt. "I'm so fucking sorry, Naruto. That was a mistake. You did it though, now, we just keep on this path and then bam, you'll be okay in no time." I looked at him with tears in my eyes, "I hate you." I turned away and laid down.

Kurama didn't take offense to my insult, he just kept me on that two week schedule, saying that I needed to be ten times better than the previous two weeks. It was working too. Every day, for half the day almost, we'd train and end the day with him trying to kill me again. I think I'm actually on the verge of death, forcing my body to continue like this. It's his fault

But like I was saying, another two weeks had passed since Kurama mistakenly tried to kill me, and I had built up a good resistance. He started lacing my food with increasingly larger doses, saying it needed to seem realistic. He said normally it would've taken longer to develop this resistance, but I'm just special. He did mention something about continuing to lace my food in the future to ensure my immunity didn't fade. Now, he was talking about me drinking half the bottle.

"Are you serious?" I asked, eyeing the vial of liquid in Kurama's hand. He seriously wants me to willingly drink poison? Well, I have willingly been doing this up until this point.

Kurama's expression was unyielding. "You've handled everything I've given you so far. This is the next step."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "And you're sure this won't kill me?"

"Positive," he nodded.

...

"Okay, mostly positive, but I'll take over if you're on the brink of death, then I'm pretty sure the poison will like melt out of you or something."

I glanced at the vial again, then back at Kurama. "You're pretty sure?" I asked. Pretty sure wasn't good enough. This is my life we're talking about. This bastard. "Mostly... kinda sorta not really sure. But you'll be okay. We've been working towards this, kid."

Despite his tough exterior, I knew he was watching out for me. Trusting him had gotten me this far, and I couldn't back down now.

"Alright," I said, snatching the vial from him. "Let's do this."

Kurama nodded, watching me closely. "Remember, focus on your breathing. Let the chakra flow through you and neutralize the poison. If it becomes too much, I'll take over."

I uncorked the vial and hesitated for a moment, looking at Kurama who was less than a foot away staring and watching my every move. He just wants to see me drink poison. Then, with a determined breath, I drank half the bottle. The liquid burned as it went down, and almost immediately, I felt a wave of nausea and pain.

My heart raced, pounding in my chest like a drum. I fell to my knees, clutching my stomach as the poison took hold. Kurama's voice echoed in my ears, a steady anchor amidst the chaos.

"Breathe, Naruto. Slow and steady. Let your chakra do the work."

I forced myself to focus, drawing on my chakra to counteract the poison. The pain was intense, a searing fire spreading through my veins. But I had been through this before. I knew I could survive it.

Minutes dragged on, each one an eternity. Sweat poured down my face, and my vision blurred. But gradually, the pain began to ebb, the poison's grip loosening as my chakra neutralized it.

Finally, I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Kurama crouched beside me, his eyes searching my face for signs of distress. When I lifted my hand to flip him off, a small smile on my face, he started smiling, which turned into laughter.

"Oh! Fuck yes! Naruto, that was so awesome! Kid, a fucking powerhouse!! I promise Naruto, I will make you into a fucking God!" I laughed with him a little before passing out. I hate him so much, he's lucky I love him. Now I just wanna go to sleep.

Tbccc
Idkkk why but I kept imagining Kurama as Rick from Rick and Morty 😭