Author's Notes – I claim no rights or anything associated with the Naruto series and/or its characters.  Please leave me your comments and reviews telling me what you think. Thanks!

 "..." regular speech, '...' beast speech, *...* mental telepathy, CAPS - ATTACKS, (author notes)

Chapter Nineteen: the truth revealed

As Naruto finally remembered his name, in the back of his mind a human being with nine dark red fox tails surrounded by fire, long fiery red hair that fell wildly to his waist, and blazing red eyes appeared before Naruto. Three whisker marks were slashed across his face much like Naruto's.

"Naruto Uzamaki...I am Kyuubi of Flame. I am a guardian spirit or what most humans call a tailed beast. I had formed a contract with your father Minako Namikaze in order to be given a human body. You see we beings have no actual bodies of our own. We can possess the animals that come from our kingdom in order to find a human worthy of us granting our powers to. Your father Minato found me injured caught in a hunters trap while I possessed the body of a fox."

Begin Flashback – Minato was out hunting when he managed to come across a wounded fox with nine tails. The fox whimpered in pain unable to free himself from a hunters trap. Minato couldn't bring himself to hurt the fox even in its injured state.

"Take it easy little one and I will help you get out of that trap." stated Minato. He was a bit surprised when the fox seemed to understand him. So Minato took the fox home to take care of it while its leg healed. Both Minato and his wife found it strange that the fox had nine tails but they still cared for the fox while its leg healed. While the fox stayed with them, he had learned that Minato and his wife longed to have a child but do to whatever the reason was they couldn't have one.

Once the fox's leg was completely healed Minato released it back into the wild. When the fox was freed, it took on a ghostly human form of a man with fiery red hair, dark red eyes, and nine red-orange tails which were surrounded by fire as three whisker marks were scratched across his cheeks.

"Minato Namikaze since because of your kindness that you have shown me while I had possessed the body of a fox, I shall grant you what you have longed for the most. But I ask for something in return. Since I am a guardian spirit, I have no actual body of my own, I want to possess the body of your child. He and I will be one in the same. The reason why I want this is because we guardian spirits have sensed a great evil that threatens this world. Without human bodies, we are powerless to stop it. This is why both you and I need each other." stated Kyuubi.

"Then I must agree to your proposal guardian spirit." replied Minato.

"Then our contract is completed. From this day forth, I Kyuubi of Flame will enter into this pact with you Minato Namikaze under the agreement that you shall not tell a soul, not even your wife of our agreement." stated Kyuubi before he disappeared.

True to Kyuubi's word, Naruto was born but somehow the Akatsuki had found out about Minato's agreement as they kidnapped his wife whom was still pregnant with Naruto. By the time that Minato had found his son, both the guardian spirit and child had been majorly altered. - End Flashback.

Seeing and remembering everything that they had both been through was enough to fully awaken both Naruto's and Kyuubi's full powers. The ice cracked and shattered apart as Kyuubi's true form fully manifested changing the blond headed teen into a full fiery red headed adult. Flames erupted from Kyuubi's hands freeing everyone from their icy imprisonment. Kyuubi turned to both Sasuke and Gaara whom stared at him surprised.

"It is time that you remember whom you are and what you are. Awaken Taka of Lightning and Shukaku of Sand." stated Kyuubi. Upon hearing these names both Gaara and Sasuke let out terrible screams of pain. The Akatsuki moved screaming trying to stop Kyuubi from awakening the other two. "FIRE RUN!" shouted out Kyuubi as dark flames erupted keeping the Akatsuki at bay. *Please hurry Taka and Shukaku, I can only hold them back for so long.* Kyuubi thought to himself mentally.

Memories pounded into their heads as the two began to remember. For the guardian spirits it was easy to remember who and what they really were. Taka was the three tail bird who controlled lightning. He had appeared before a female woman of the Uchiha clan when she discovered that her husband and son was a part of an evil organization. Taka had possessed the body of a bird in order to appear before the woman.

"Amari Uchiha (I don't remember Sasuke's parents names so, I just created a name that sounded right), I, Taka of Lightning wish to make a contract with you. Since you have discovered that both your husband and son are a part of the organization that we guardian spirits had noticed are threatening this world, I need your help in order to be born within a human body. Since we guardian spirits have no actual bodies of our own we can't sustain ourselves long in your world without a body. Which means that we are powerless to stop them from what they are doing." stated Taka. Amari agreed as Taka disappeared, he told her that she mustn't tell anyone about her contract with Taka. When Amari gave birth to Sasuke, Madara had found out about her contract with Taka as he killed his wife and imprisoned his youngest son. Taka then appeared in his human form before Sasuke which had greatly changed because of the alterations that were done to him and Sasuke. Now Taka looked much in the same way that Sasuke did when he was in half form. His wings didn't look much like clawed hands as they looked like reptile wings covered in luminescent bird feathers, he had the same dark red eye with gray veins on the side of his eyes, three long reptile tails with black feathers at the end, and long wild feathered black hair. "Sasuke Uchiha, that is your true name. The two Akatsuki that you saw whom looked familiar to you are members of your family. Your father Madara Uchiha and your older brother Itachi. You are not like them Sasuke as I am a part of you and we are one in the same." stated Taka.

The transformation ripped through Sasuke's body transforming him into Taka's true form. As Taka looked at Kyuubi smiling before he sent bolts of lightning at the two Uchiha's.

"That is from both Sasuke and me!" Taka snarled at them as they waited for Gaara and Shukaku to awaken.

Gaara screamed as Shukaku remembered what he really was and how he came into Gaara's body. While possessing the body of a desert coon, he came across Gaara's mother whom had collapsed in the desert. She was several months pregnant as she laid dying. Shukaku could sense that the baby was fighting to stay alive. Shukaku took on his human form of an adult male with one long raccoon tail with dark purple lines and swirls all over his tail and part of his face. He had short spiky dark brown hair and golden eyes. The woman seemed aware that Shukaku was there.

"Please sir...I know that you are a guardian spirit. Please save this child that lives inside of my womb." she gasped at the spirit. Shukaku knelt down next to her gazing at the woman.

"Himeko (once again I just created a name since I can't remember Gaara's parents names) do you fully understand what you are asking me to do?" Shukaku asked the woman. Himeko slowly lifted up her head smiling at Shukaku.

"I understand full well what I am asking of you. If my child can live thanks to your power, then I shall be able to die in peace." replied Himeko.

"Very well Himeko. I shall do as you wish. I will give you some of my power to live long enough to give birth to your child." replied Shukaku before he disappeared. Himeko barely made it out of the desert before she gave birth to Gaara. As she laid dying with Gaara in her arms, she whispered to him his name. Shukaku then appeared before Gaara in his full human form. "Himeko died giving you your true name. Since neither one of you had a last name as you originally hail from the desert wastelands, she named you Gaara of the desert. My life is your life Gaara as I am Shukaku of Sand. I have never met your father or know whom he was. All I know was that Himeko was willing to sacrifice her life for you." stated Shukaku.

The transformation ripped through Gaara's body as he transformed into Shukaku's true form. Curses escaped from the three Akatsuki's lips as the three guardian spirits had fully awakened.

"Madara Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame Hoshigaki of the Akatsuki, we the guardian spirits of this world shall not allow your corruption plague this world. That is the reason why we have taken on human form." stated Taka.

"But somehow you had found out about us and sought after our human vessels taking them and performing experiments on them in the hopes to gain incredible powers and to create the ultimate weapons for you to use." added Shukaku.

"But your plans had failed time and time again. Now look at you. You sold off your souls to become demons as you shall never again be human. We shall forever put an end to your evil life." stated Kyuubi.