This was originally going to be titled Kyuubi's Claw, and was the winner of the poll for the next new story to be posted. This was supposed to be a fairly simple idea. Then I had a random inspiration during a certain part where I deviate from canon, and it just... It kind of ran away from me a little. But I think I like it. In fact, yes. I really do like it.

Ash feels a little iffy about this decision, but I think it'll turn out well. Especially with where I now plan to go with it.

Oh yeah, and if you follow me and haven't heard already, or if this is the first thing I've written that you've read, Ash is my Beta and personal Secretary. She fields the HR and PR and shit since I'm bad at it. So whenever possible, she's the one who responds to reviews and PMs sent to me. TRUST ME I LOVE YOU GUYS, and she sends your love and comments through to me and I still read most of it on my own, anyway, so it's not like there's no reason to review, now. Actually, she's a lot more likely to respond to the idle insight or comment than I am, so there's actually MORE incentive to review, now! Winky face~

Anyway, the synopsis for this story, while not including one major plot device I came up with on the spot, has been on my profile for months, at least. It'll be taken down shortly after this goes up, and the poll on my profile will likely be changed sometime after that. Maybe another 'next new story' poll, maybe something else.

Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I advocate mutilating live animals for weaponry. ... Unless said live animal is a 20-story nine-tailed demigod fox who killed your parents. Then it's free game.

(~HJN~)

Uzumaki Kushina fell to the ground as the giant claw embedded in her stomach disappeared, the great Kyuubi being sealed into her baby. Her child was sleeping soundly on the cushion, the full power of the Kyuubi safely sealed away on the infant's stomach. Kushina had managed to convince Minato to refrain from using the Shiki Fuujin. If their child was meant to be hated or feared for holding even part of the Kyuubi, then at the very least Minato would be able to stick around by sealing the whole of the Kyuubi's chakra into the infant. Somehow, they had managed it. All that chakra.. held so completely- it was an amazing accomplishment by both Minato and their child.

But it was all for naught, in the end. They both suffered the very mortal wounds of a claw thrust through their stomachs, and now they laid there, Minato already having succumbed to the Shinigami with Kushina not far behind. She was only trying to hold on long enough for help to arrive to make certain her baby ended up in safe hands.

Alas, even this was not meant to be. With the very last of her strength, she wrote her child's name on the ground with her own blood. "Goodbye, Naruka. Love, and be loved," she uttered the final prayer with her last breaths; her last bit of advice from mother to daughter falling on an impressionable subconscious.

It was actually a few minutes before anyone arrived; a dangerous amount of time considering the circumstances. The Sandaime Hokage landed lightly next to the bloody writing, and looked down at his former student and his wife. The expression on his face was that of a broken man. Defeated and on the verge of giving up, Sarutobi Hiruzen took one look at the baby girl beginning to stir and let a small smile crinkle his eyes.

Glancing down at the name drawn into the ground, he gently scooped her up, the seal on her belly fading into her skin as she awoke. "Hello Naruka. I have something very sad to tell you. But first, I'm certain you're about to be starving. Let's get you somewhere safe, eh?"

The baby, maturing quickly under the adaptation her developing chakra coils were undergoing to hold the Kyuubi's chakra, managed to open her bright sapphire eyes fresh out of the womb. Said eyes flitted in every direction, unable to understand anything, yet still desperately taking in everything they could.

Hiruzen ordered several ANBU to take the parents' bodies back to the village. Ushering another over, he spoke quickly, "Get to the Namikaze residence and clear it out. Leave nothing for whoever Minato was fighting to find."

The operative hesitated. "Sir, the home was destroyed. If the enemy was-"

Sarutobi cut him off. "Take whatever is left and bring it to his - my office. Pictures, weapons, documents, scrolls, seals, everything that could ever be salvaged I want back at the tower by the time I get there! Go!" he snapped. The ANBU left without another word and the aged Hokage looked down at the bundle in his arms. "Come along, Naruka. We have… a lot to do…"

(~Guardian~)
(~Guardian~)

The Hokage took a draw from his pipe and looked out at the peaceful village from his office. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and he was not buying any of it.

Hiruzen knew better than to trust a calm atmosphere in this village on any day, let alone this particular week. For you see, tomorrow was graduation day in the Academy, where all the lower years would be getting assessed on their taijutsu, history, stealth, and various other skills and knowledges, depending on their year. The last year, though, the eldest and the ones furthest in their training, would be tested on their ninjutsu, the most advanced and difficult part of the basic Academy ninja training.

The Sandaime allowed himself to ponder their ninja education system. Different years focused on different areas of the ninja arts, with more contemporary teaching spread out to supplement their learning. Almost all of the subjects are taught in all of the years even after they have been formally tested on it, to make sure they hadn't been faking or forgetting anything. Personally, Hiruzen thought that the system worked fairly well. It may be somewhat soft for what it was, but it continued to produce capable and talented shinobi and kunoichi every year, successfully weeding out the ones unsuited for the job.

Although, Hiruzen would be forced to admit, there are times where the Academy teachings have failed to do their job one way or another. Whether by allowing someone to pass who really shouldn't be in this line of work, or by failing someone who had proven to have incredible potential yet was unable to learn from the current system well enough. A graduate from last year, one Rock Lee if the Hokage remembered correctly, is a perfect example of the Academy's inability to adapt to students of unique circumstances.

A commotion in the distance outside the window caught his attention from his musings and he sighed. He knew it would only be a matter of time after the sun came up before the peace of the morning would be peeled back to reveal the true chaos of civilization. Sure enough, hurried footsteps approached his door before it was thrown open unannounced. Hiruzen would forgive the Chuunin that barged in. He wasn't in a meeting, the door wasn't locked, and clearly something was going on. "Hokage-sama! T-the Naruka girl, she- well, you've got to see it, sir!"

The Hokage breathed out calmly, smoke rushing from the corner of his mouth as he held his pipe in place. He wasn't concerned, seeing that he knew she wasn't in danger. It was fairly obvious that it was another prank, though this one seemed to be another spectacle. A pause, then, "Thank you, Higashi-kun. I wouldn't want to miss dear Naruka-chan's last prank. It would be quite rude of me, you see."

The Chuunin Higashi blinked, taken aback by his leader's nonchalance. "S-sir?!"

The Hokage smiled. "Whatever she did, she is intending to make it her last performance. A final bow, if you will. After all, she'll likely be too busy after this week to continue with her larger endeavors." He turned away from the window and stepped around his desk, heading for the door and passed the stunned ninja, that smile still on his face.

Higashi found his voice, his brain latching onto the way Sarutobi Hiruzen said that. "A-after this week, sir? How are you so sure? What's so special about this week?"

"Didn't you notice, Higashi-kun?" Without breaking his stride, he smiled over his shoulder. "It's Graduation Week!"

(~Guardian~)
(~Guardian~)

"Naruka! What were you thinking?!"

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Looks like you found me first- I did it, though! I had hoped to have a little more time, but I managed to learn one jutsu from this scroll! That means I pass, now, right?!"

Iruka didn't understand. Why was she so excited- she was in a lot of trouble! "Naruka! What are you talking about?"

The girl with the waist-length blonde hair didn't get to answer, however, as another voice announced its arrival. "Very good, Naruka! Now hand over the scroll- Oh, Iruka... you had to get here first, didn't you? If you had been just a minute slower, we'd be rid of that demon by now!"

Iruka turned woodenly, looking up to see Mizuki, fully geared for combat with his twin fuma shuriken on his back. The situation dawned on him, and his stomach dropped.

It dropped further when Mizuki, having dropped whatever kind facade he had been putting up and taunting Naruka, said, "You want to know why the whole village hates you- why you don't have any parents?!"

"Mizuki, no! Don't! You know the law!"

"Shut up, Iruka! You think I care about the law or this village anymore after sending this little bitch to steal the scroll?" The silver-haired man turned back to the stunned girl on the ground. "Iruka hates you too, you know that? Wanna know why? The Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents, did you know that? You probably think it killed yours, too, but you're wrong!"

"Mizuki, don't!"

"You're wrong, you brat! Because you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune! You are the demon that killed so many people, and that is why everyone hates you! That is why you DIE!"

Iruka didn't even need to think- he simply moved. Suddenly he was hunched over Naruka's trembling form, telling her to take the scroll and run, that he didn't hate her, that she needed to go find help. He barely felt the giant shuriken in his back.

(~Guardian~)
(~Guardian~)

"That's so cute... You think you can even hurt me, let alone protect your precious sensei," Mizuki sneered at her as he held her up off the ground by her hair, Naruka grabbing at his wrists and trying to kick him as she struggled. "You're going to die here, you weak little brat! I'm going to finish what the Yondaime started, and then I'm gonna deliver you and the scroll to my employer and get the hell out of this weak village! Hopefully my employer can finally come here and do some real damage to this damn place."

Naruka, by sheer chance, twisted in her flailing and made brief eye contact with Iruka. He was laying against a tree nearby, helpless due to his wounds. She saw the look in his eye; the fear he had for her safety. She watched him struggle to stand, only to slump back to the ground painfully. And all of the sudden, her rage increased tenfold. Iruka was one of the only people to treat her like a normal girl- like a person! He had all those horrible wounds because of her, and she had gotten herself captured, flailing uselessly.

'No more!' she thought, ending her struggling and removing her hands from Mizuki's wrists.

Of course, the silver-haired man took immediate notice. "Oh? What's this- have you given up, little fox?"

"Like hell! I just remembered that I never showed you the jutsu I learned for my 'makeup exam', sensei," she spat back, sarcasm dripping off of every word. Before he could do anything about it, she brought her hands together... again and again.

Seven hand signs, she flew through. As fast as she could without messing up, she performed the jutsu she had only actually read about- and activated in small bursts. But here? Here, she meant to use it in its fullest glory. "Mezame-en: Naibuka!"

Mizuki cursed as his hands stung, forcing him to let go of her long hair and step back. His eyes widened as he saw her hair actually glowing, waving as though alive. She had landed on her knees, and was apparently holding in screams of pain, clutching her stomach.

For her part, it was all Naruka could do to stay conscious. This was the worst pain she had ever experienced- she'd never complain about her cramps again! But with the pain came the feeling of a kind of power. A sense of invigoration the likes of which she had never dreamed. It flowed through her, pulsing out from her core and burning its way through her veins. She could feel herself heat up- already she was sweating in her orange and white sweatpants and jacket. She gasped- the pain was ebbing away, but the fire was only getting hotter. It had spread through her, consumed her- she could feel it at her scalp, now, pushing out through her hair like water through a showerhead- but hot! So very hot, all over! She momentarily panicked- would it get so hot that she'd actually melt? Was that why 'Awakened Flame: Internalize' was a forbidden jutsu?

But suddenly, just as she felt that she could take no more, it stopped. Not the burning- no, she was still hotter than ever, the fire licking along her hair, sweat glossing her skin. But the heat had stopped climbing, and she panted, exhausted.

And then she wasn't.

Her breath returned to her, and she felt the strength in her every movement as she climbed back to her feet, refreshed as though born again.

She might as well have been, really.

Mizuki, of course, couldn't believe it. He had never heard of the jutsu she had used, but anything that could cause that much heat to radiate out of her had to take enormous chakra- not to mention the strange flame-like effect that was pouring off of her blonde locks. He examined his hands for a moment, wincing as he both saw and felt the blisters forming. He looked back up to see Naruka turning around- he flinched as she opened her eyes.

Her small black pupils had taken on the shifting, dancing appearance of a wisp of fire- a black flame surrounded by deep pools of blue. Her long blond hair was waving around slightly behind her and over her shoulders, as though disturbed by a breeze. The effect was overshadowed, however, by the transparent yellowish flames flowing along it, roaring quietly, occasionally popping or sparking.

Naruka didn't fear it, anymore. It didn't hurt. It, itself, wasn't even uncomfortable after she was able to stand. She suddenly very much wished she was wearing cooler clothing, but she could ignore it for the moment, able to tolerate the sweat gathering on her skin. It didn't drip from her nose or stain her clothes like such profuse sweating should have- in fact, it very rarely coalesced into flowing beads at all, simply coating her skin and making her seem to shine.

And glow. Kami, did she glow. Even as the sky began to grey, signs that the sun would soon rise, the clearing they were in was lit much too brightly. Naruka took her eyes off of Mizuki for a moment to look down at her hands, clenching and relaxing them, flexing her arms as she felt the power flowing through her. Turning her hands over a few times she both felt and saw orange sparks- licks of flame- jump around her fingers, further evidence that she had passed the 'test' mentioned in the scroll. Bringing her eyes back up to her former sensei, she scowled. "What was that you were saying? Something about being weak?"

Before he could respond to her, she ran for him, noticing a slight increase in her speed. Mizuki, however, was not a trained Chuunin for nothing, and sidestepped her wild punch at the last moment. Everyone's eyes, however, widened at the result they had caused.

Naruka looked down at her fist, then back up at the 4-foot thick tree she had just knocked down, a jagged stump steaming and smoldering as the rest of the tree fell some distance away. She heard Mizuki gasp out expletives, almost in denial of what she- not even a Genin- had just done. She couldn't blame him; she nearly didn't believe it, herself. But the proof was right there in front of her, and she felt a sense of joy and accomplishment well up inside her- a feeling she hadn't felt so strongly since she had successfully performed the Kawarimi no Jutsu for the first time, almost a year ago.

Naruka turned back around and clenched her fists, liquid fire bursting from them, the orange-red plasma both burning like flame and dripping like a thick liquid, all at once. "So I'm the Kyuubi, am I? Why don't I remember that, huh," she asked rhetorically, fury bubbling beneath her low tones. She launched herself at him, fist aimed for his chest. He moved, leaping a dozen meters back- which turned out to just barely be enough as her fist met the ground instead. Angry red cracks appeared around the point of impact for several meters, the ground practically bursting apart as hot rock and flame shot into the air. She stood back up woodenly, turning her blazing blue eyes back to him. "Funny, all I remember is being beaten... neglected... insulted and lied to all my life by..." She sniffed, tears building in her eyes. "By the people..." Naruka shook her head as she yelled, her tears scattering to the wind and becoming steam by their own heat, "BY THE PEOPLE I LOVE!"

Mizuki had to leap high into the branches of a tree, then hurriedly move to an entirely different tree as the one he was on was brought down by Naruka's flaming lariat. The blonde shook with anger and sorrow as her tears fell from her chin, her head down. The salty drops evaporated and drifted away on the draft caused by her heat before they even reached the ground. "I loved you, sensei... You don't like me, a-and you never really have.. But you always tried s-so hard to help everyone else... Everyone," she sobbed, and her flames seemed to wither as the anger shifted further to sorrow, taking on a darker, almost blue tinge, "E-everyone always seems so nice to each other... Th-this village is so alive a-and I just.. I-I love them... The shopkeepers, the farmers on the east side, th-the shinobi that protect us, all the kids at the Academy, I..." The flames returned slowly, gaining color again, a reddish hue surrounding her hair and licking along her body. Her head snapped up, revealing the tears streaming down her face and the smile on her lips. "I love this village!" she proclaimed, out of breath from crying.

She turned to look at Iruka, saw the stunned look in his eyes, and a tinge of sorrow bled back into her own. "Th-that's why I want to be a kunoichi so badly... I-I just love this village so much... I want to protect it! I will protect this village with my own two hands! Even if nobody in it loves me back!" At this, Naruka tilted her head back up to regard Mizuki, the aura around her returning to its original strength and color, orange-yellow once again. Her face was a mask of anger, frustration, and determination. The conflict could be seen quite clearly, "I loved you, sensei... But you want to hurt my village... So... S-so..." She shook, fists clenched, as the forbidden fire grew in intensity, building in pressure until it all burst at once, engulfing her and throwing her hair backwards into a frenzy when she exclaimed, "SO NOW I HAVE TO KILL YOU!"

Mizuki's eyes widened and he quickly vacated his branch as it suddenly exploded, Naruka passing through the spot he was just in with her fist extended. He landed next to the spot she had been standing in, briefly glancing at the scorched earth and grass and the broken depressions in the ground where her feet had launched from. Unfortunately, that one brief glance was all Naruka needed to land a glancing blow on his chest, which nevertheless sent him skidding across the clearing, clutching his chest as he felt the burn settling in, sensing that she had actually cracked a rib with one knuckle. Mizuki growled in pain, but it was tainted by his fear, sounding more like a choked whimper.

"You already hurt my sensei... I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

'This is bad,' Mizuki thought. Based on the damage she had shown she was capable of, he knew that one good punch could end him. With that in mind, he pulled a scroll from his pouch, unfurling it to-

"Gah!"

Mizuki leapt back, watching the scroll with several of his signature fuuma shuriken go up in smoke, clutched in Naruka's burning fist. "I told you already, baka! You have to die, now! I don't want to do it, and it makes me sad, b-but I have to. You're a traitor.. Traitors die... Y-you taught us that..."

Mizuki recoiled in shock. The tears were still falling, turning to steam as they dripped from her slender chin. In spite of everything he felt, everything he thought he knew, he believed her. Her countenance, her actions, the risk she took in foolishly performing a jutsu she learned from the Forbidden Scroll just further legitimized her claim. Since her first little speech, her first show of strength, he had been struggling to connect the image of the terrifying Kyuubi no Kitsune with this poor, conflicted, lost girl that was crying about having to fight him. Against his will, countless images flashed through his memory, reminding him of moments when he had sat by and relished in the ostracization or the treatment she had endured. She deserved them, he knew. But she should have hated it. And while she clearly didn't enjoy it, she never seemed to hold it against anyone for long. It was frustrating, really, how quickly she could bounce back and forgive people. This, he realized, was the 'love' she spoke of. Somehow, for whatever reason, the fox had fallen in love with the village, and he couldn't help but believe it. Hence why her determination to eliminate him came at such a sudden shock. Even though he had never taken notice of it, he had subconsciously gotten used to the mindset that Naruka, the fox in human form, would forgive nearly anything. But clearly, he had found something that she simply would not permit. He believed that she really didn't want to kill him, but that she believed it was necessary. He believed it, all of it.

Even the fact that she could do it.

It was with a kind of numb acceptance that Mizuki realized that it actually was he, himself, that had covered the lessons on traitors, missing-nin, and deserters. Of which, from her and Iruka's perspectives at least, he was currently classed.

'This demon would go so far... to protect the village from me?' Mizuki was having difficulties simply processing that thought, let alone acting on it. Once again, he glanced down at the scorched earth beside him, just before he looked back up to see Naruka charging once more.

The trail of tears she left behind evaporated rapidly, giving the appearance of mist flowing from her eyes as she ran forward. Her hair fanned out behind her, the fire glowing and gulping in air, an orange stream of power waving wildly. Every time her foot came up from the ground, a small burst of flame- almost an explosion- propelled her ever forward, and her fist was wreathed in the wavering orange veil of plasma. Her arm cocked up by her head in a wide haymaker, she screamed in frustration and anger as she drove her fist into Mizuki's left cheek, his eyes wide as he stared, too shocked to move. Just as she made contact, she heard him mutter something before he screamed in pain, being launched across the whole clearing by the blast of searing flame she shot from her fist.

Mizuki tumbled and spun until his back impacted a thick tree, a sickening crunch accompanying his arrested momentum. With barely a groan, he slumped to the side, clearly out.

Naruka hesitantly stepped forward, knowing that she had to finish it but struggling to do so. The the orange tongues writhed around her fists and gently up her arms as she took step after wooden step. It was only when she was halfway across the clearing that she heard it.

"Naruka, stop. ... Th-that's enough."

She whipped around, the fire in her eyes, her hands, her hair, all dying out at once. Sweat still glossed her skin as she gasped out, the tears falling anew and finally allowed to reach the ground. "I-Iruka-sensei?!" She ran back to him, taking in the bloody mess he was in. At his side in an instant, she hovered her hands over him, seeking to help but unsure how to begin. She jumped when his hand came up and grabbed hers, his face smiling.

"Naruka-chan, you.. Did great. Leave Mizuki where he is..." he panted, breathing carefully, "He needs to be taken.. for questioning... not killed."

"B-but... Iruka-sensei, why-"

"Go and get Hokage-sama.. Naruka-chan. I'll watch... Mizuki. Get Hokage-sama, bring him the scroll.. Get it safe."

Naruka wanted to argue, wanted to bring up Iruka's wounds, but the words caught in her throat. She swallowed them down and nodded, understanding the order. With one last look at Mizuki, she grabbed the Forbidden Scroll and disappeared through the trees.

(~Guardian~)
(~Guardian~)

Naruka squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She was in the Hokage's office, alone, waiting for the old man to return and, probably, punish her for stealing the scroll last night. She hated this- waiting for punishments or lectures. It just made the guilt build to heights beyond whatever her latest actions really deserved. Which, she supposed, was kind of the point, but it just worked a little too well on her.

Truthfully, after such an emotional night, she just wanted to go home and sleep. Feeling the sweat on her skin and the warmth that never quite disappeared, she thought to herself, 'And strip down to do it.' But alas, here she was, waiting for her Kage to get back from some kind of impromptu meeting, the Forbidden Scroll leaning against the side of the desk, as though to further press on her guilt.

Mizuki had been escorted someplace other than the hospital, and that's all she knew about his fate. She had briefly glimpsed the charred flesh on the left side of his face, his eye swollen shut, and she grimaced at the memory.

Naruka tugged at her collar, getting slightly worried that she had hardly cooled down since this morning. She had thought the jutsu ended when the flames died away, and any attempts to dispel it further had resulted in nothing. Perhaps this was the reason it was called forbidden? At first, she had still believed that Mizuki had given her a makeup exam, and so proceeded to perform the brief preparation ritual and learn the jutsu without giving it much thought.

Now, of course, she had kicked herself for being so trusting. It was simply in her nature, and she had been spending a lot of time since then trying not to imagine the many horrible reasons the jutsu might be considered forbidden. At the moment, she was still betting that she'd melt quite soon.

Fortunately, she was saved from thinking about that much longer, as the door finally opened behind her, Naruka turning in her seat to see a Jonin bowing to the Hokage, a bundle of folders in hand before he left, Sarutobi Hiruzen closing the door and making his way over to his desk. The old shinobi groaned lightly as he sat down and briefly examined some articles on his desk before pushing them to one side. He folded his fingers together on his desk and smiled at her, saying, "Ohayogozaimasu, Naruka-chan. How are you feeling?"

Naruka squirmed a little, wishing he'd just get the lecture over with. "U-uhm... O-ohayo, Hokage-ossan.. I-I'm okay. Really warm," she added under her breath, but Hiruzen clearly heard it, as his smirk twitched.

He took a breath and adjusted his posture, chuckling a little. "Yes, well. I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to that part, Naruka-chan."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The Sandaime turned his chair and pulled the Forbidden Scroll up onto the desk, rolling through it and mumbling under his breath as he skimmed the contents. Finally coming to rest at a particular section, he read aloud, "'Harnessing the power of the origin of Katon jutsu, the user enters a pact with Flame itself. If the Flame finds the summoner wanting, their lives are forfeit. If their inner fire is found worthy, the First Flame will bond a part of itself to their souls, releasing power unbound, and the Awakened Flame.'" Hiruzen looked up from the scroll at her and grinned a little. "I'm paraphrasing of course, and a lot of it is in an old dialect, difficult to translate reliably. To be honest, I'm amazed and impressed that you were able to decipher what little instructions there were, not to mention whatever you went through to prove yourself."

Naruka, caught in the hypnotic ease of the Hokage's voice, let herself slowly relax. She scratched the back of her head shyly at his praise. "Heh.. It was pretty painful at first, but then it was like... like I had never breathed before, been drowning all my life, and suddenly my lungs were full of air!"

Hiruzen smiled at her momentary exuberance, glad to see her going back to her old self. Pity and guilt didn't become her. "Hm, indeed. As to my earlier comment, this technique you learned against all odds is, as I have read, much more than a simple jutsu. I understand you had to perform a short ritual to prepare it?" At her nod, he continued, "As I understand it, the technique is simply the beginning- the activation which calls the Flame forth so that it may internalize with you and awaken. Naruka... I have never said this with more possible sincerity: You have a fire within you."

She didn't really know what to think. "I mean... I already kinda guessed that.. But Jiji, what... what does that mean? Like.. am I always gonna be this hot? What can this.. Flame even do? Isn't that all just historic mumbo-jumbo?"

Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "Naruka, you must understand that the world is full of spirits and legends all based in fact. However they may have been twisted by time, the situation remains that you have obtained a power the likes of which hasn't been seen in ages. Regardless of your level of control over it, or its actual limits, you have succeeded where others have failed. The heat you are feeling is proof that your will is worthy of commanding this power. I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually.

"And while Mizuki was not being truthful when he instructed you to steal this scroll," he said while he rolled it back up and set it on the floor, "Your accomplishments last night still warrant.." Hiruzen reached into a drawer in his desk, pulling out a bundle of cloth and presenting it to her.

Naruka took the bundle and gasped as she unwrapped the blue cloth, revealing a metal plate with the Konoha leaf symbol engraved upon it.

A scream from within the office startled the Hokage's secretary, prompting her to open the door and chuckle at Naruka nearly suffocating Hiruzen in a hug.

(~Guardian~)
(~Guardian~)

Naruka sat in an isolated corner of the park, trying to meditate. She had changed into a pair of orange and blue shorts, the legs rolled up at the bottom into thicker cuffs, and a black, thick-strapped tube top. She had white bandages around her navel, just enough to conceal her seal when it appeared, and an orange and white V-neck vest with a blue hood that she left unzipped. More white bandages flowed over her elbows, halfway up her upper and lower arms, and orange knee socks adorned her calves above standard blue shinobi sandals. The Konoha headband was an unfamiliar but comforting weight on her forehead. She was as comfortable as she felt she could be without looking too risque or simply strange, and still her skin was flushed prettily and shining with a light sweat.

Still, she was getting used to it, and was even finding the heat to be soothing at times. Which was good, because she could use something to soothe her nerves, right now.

After bringing up Mizuki's accusations regarder her and the Kyuubi to the Hokage, Naruka had been understandably surprised and upset to learn the truth. Eventually she had to concede to Hiruzen's reasons for keeping it as secret as he could. From the way he told it, it seemed like the secret would have never gotten out if he could help it, but was forced to rely on mere damage control when information about the Kyuubi was leaked to the public.

The knowledge that the 'Naruka is the Kyuubi' mindset was originally a wild theory that became a rumor that became accepted fact only further convinced her that the villagers were simply ignorant and already convinced of one truth- Convincing them otherwise would be difficult, but not impossible. However, it would take a lot of effort on her part, preventing the Hokage from putting the truth out there, himself.

And so she easily forgave him and them. While she wished things were different, she accepted that she'd just have to work at it- convincing the villagers that she wasn't the Kyuubi, or at least that she, 'the Kyuubi brat', was good.

And she decided to start with the only other person whose reputation would be on the line. That wasn't exactly her original reason for wanting to contact the Kyuubi sealed within her, but the thought had crossed her mind, sitting here as she was. Meditating.

In the park.

On the ground.

With ants craWLING UP HER LEGS, OH KAMI!

A quick relocation to a bench later and Naruka was trying to calm herself back down, face red. 'Focus.. Imagine the Kyuubi in front of you.. I wonder if it's as big as everyone says it is. Probably not, people like to exaggerate. Gah, stop it! Focus!

'Wait, maybe don't focus? I'm supposed to clear my mind, so...'

"Hm-hm-hm-hm... As amusing as this is, I'm getting impatient. Open your eyes, whelp."

Naruka's eyes shot open with a gasp, and gone was the park. Gone were the trees, the distant calls of children, the bench beneath her butt. She was now standing in ankle-deep water in what looked like the basement of an industrial complex, or some kind of sewer. And in front of her, truly massive bars formed a gate. Held closed by what looked like a single strip of paper with the kanji 'SEAL' on it, the bars were almost certainly a cage. A cage for...

"Kyuubi no Kitsune... Hm. I was right. You really aren't as big as everyone makes you out to be," Naruka challenged, crossing her arms under her developing bust.

The beast growled and butted its head up against the cage. "Watch your tongue, infant, before I rip it out!"

Naruka looked the great demon up and down, scrutinizing its current position. "Yeah sorry, I'm just not seeing a way for you to back that up."

"GrrrRR, LET ME OUT OF HERE SO I CAN RIP YOU APART LIKE YOUR WRETCHED PARENTS!" Again and again the Kyuubi slammed its shoulder against the cage, but Naruka only noticed one thing.

She started, her arms fallen to her sides, eyes wide. "Y-you... S-so you really did... kill my parents?" she asked, almost quiet.

The fox seemed to calm for a moment, satisfied that he was at least causing her some emotional grief. "That's right, you miniature bitch. The night I was unleashed upon your cesspit of a village, your parents fought against me. Just before I was sealed in your hideously tiny body, I eliminated those two pathetic excuses for rose thorns, just like I'm going to do to you once I get out of here!"

The Biju possibly would have continued monologuing, likely containing more derogatory variations of the word 'small' for some reason, were it not for the giant (for a human) fireball that flew right for its face. Of course, its face being behind the bars, it was unharmed.

The seal paper, however, took a direct hit.

And judging from the look on Naruka's face- her hair ablaze with orange flames, hand outstretched and flickering with fire- that had been the real target in the first place.

The Kyuubi started laughing, lowly at first, but steadily growing in volume and tremor at the gaping, red-hot hole in the bars where the seal and unseen lock had been. "Foolish brat! Arrogance is typical of a human, but never did I imagine that simple goading would be enough to enable my release! Now, little morsel... DIE!"

Bursting from the cage with a ground-shaking leap, it lunged for Naruka, its fangs bearing down on her form, her blazing bangs shadowing her eyes.

And then the Kyuubi's head snapped to the side sharply, collapsing onto its shoulder as it yelped in pain. It turned its eyes to regard her with shock, her fist still extended and absolutely roaring with fire, steam rolling off of her arms as the sweat evaporated continuously. "Why...?"

The Kyuubi, still dazed, didn't respond, simply blinked the stars away from its vision.

Naruka spoke again as she slowly walked over to the fox's head, "Why, Kyuubi? Why did you do it?" She raised her head, revealing tears building behind otherwise serene eyes, the flame having overtaken her pupils once again. "Why did you attack the village? Why did you kill Iruka's parents? Sakura-chan's cousin? The Yondaime?" By now, she was standing right in front of the fox's snout, unafraid of the stunned beast. Her fists shook at her side. "Why... WHY DID YOU KILL MY PARENTS?!"

The Kyuubi roared in pain and indignation as another flaming, super-strong fist came and uppercut it back to its feet. Even as it recoiled, it growled and yelled back, "Because they were in my way and I had no choice! I was summoned against my will, that day, controlled most of the night until my resealing!" It slammed its paw down on top of Naruka, sending water and stone flying. It didn't expect that to do the trick, and Naruka didn't disappoint when she landed some distance away, so he continued, "Don't get me wrong, ant! I was trying to escape my previous container and wreak havoc on the village, anyway! When I discovered that they meant to seal me up again, and into your sorry form, no less, I tried to kill you! Your parents getting in the way of my claw was a happy accident, I'll admit, but I still wish I had been able to take all three of you out in one fell swoop!" The Kyuubi lifted its left paw, curling all but the first claw and examining it. "I suppose I should be thankful. If you hadn't inherited your mother's hot-headedness, I wouldn't have this chance to try again!"

Clearly intending on charging her again, it was caught off-guard when she hurled a large fireball at its face, which the Kyuubi took on side of its snout. Howling at the intense fire actually hurting it, the beast whirled around when it felt something pulling on two of its nine tails.

Naruka screamed with exertion, fire licking along her limbs, empowering her from within as she yanked the Kyuubi off its feet. She dug her heel into the ground and turned, actually spinning the titanic beast around by its tails for one rotation before tossing it against the wall and panting, the room shaking from the impact. "Just... sit for a minute, okay?... You know... I'm a little happy that.. You know enough about my mom to.. Compare us." Catching her breath, she started walking towards it as the Biju struggled to its feet. "In fact, I think if you weren't such a dick about it, I might've forgiven you in exchange for whatever you knew about my mom or my dad. After all, it seems like we're stuck with each other- not just you stuck with me, ya know? I can't let you out like you want, or you'll go loco on the village again, right? I guess what Jiji said was true, huh?" She stopped and stared into its eyes defiantly. "I am Konoha's guardian... just by keeping you at bay!" Naruka let the flames in her eyes and her hair die down, regarding her tenant with hope. "So, since I'm definitely not letting you out, how about you sit down, and maybe we can see if there's something we can work out?"

The fire sprung back to her hair and her fist immediately as she punched an oncoming tail whip, knocking the appendage away. "Okay, now I'm telling you. Sit down, and let's talk about this!"

The Kyuubi roared desperately, plunging its left claw, the very claw it had used to take away her parents, straight for her. Naruka took one step to her left and caught the claw against her side, skidding back several meters, the water thrashing even as it began to simmer and steam from her heat. She glared up at the Kyuubi's face and yelled, "Alright, THAT'S IT!" With another scream of pure exertion, she pulled back with her arms and her steps. She heard the surprised grunt of the Kyuubi and said, "You used this to take my parents away, so now I'm taking it from you!" And with a mighty heave and a spray of blood, Naruka ripped the Kyuubi's claw right out of its paw.

The Biju's roar of pain and rage shook the room again, tossing the water about with its voice alone. But Naruka wasn't done. Yet another painful bellow echoed through the room as she leapt into the air only to come down and drive the tip of the giant spike through its paw and into the stone below, pinning it to the ground. Her eyes blazing with rage, she whipped her head up to look into his red eyes and yelled, "Now SIT!"

And it did.

It was a pregnant moment that followed the Kyuubi's sudden and loud drop from standing on all fours to sitting on its hindquarters, head bowed submissively. Naruka breathed heavily, stepping down from atop the Kyuubi's paw. Slightly out of breath, but still emanating an aura of control, she maintained her gaze with the giant's red orbs. "Well... That was... unexpected. But better."

The Kyuubi said nothing, moved nothing, simply breathed as it watched her.

"So.. You're sitting."

This time, the Kyuubi nodded slightly, still keeping its head down.

Naruka felt a bit like she had been caught with her pants down, not entirely sure what was happening, now. "So.. Let's talk."

"And what would you have me say? Truthfully I know little about your parents, trapped in that seal as I was. Only on moments when that seal was weak could I glean anything about my container- she never used my chakra, after all."

"M-my mother.. Was the last container?" Naruka asked under her breath, too surprised to raise her voice.

If the Kyuubi heard her, it didn't indicate that it had. "Furthermore, it seems that without the actual key to your seal, we cannot instigate a true sharing or exchange of chakra- your destruction of the cage seems to have simply altered the way the seal is operating, as evidenced by our interaction just now.

"And all of that aside, it is as you said. You cannot let me out, as you have nothing to keep me from going back on any promise I make and simply laying waste to your village."

Naruka frowned cutely. The Biju was clearly willing to talk now that she had beaten it into submission, but it seemed to still be harboring some stubborn resentment. "Well, then we'll just have to get to the point where we can trust each other, right? Then I can take you out for walks," she added with a toothy grin, clearly joking.

The Kyuubi gave a strange bark of a laugh. "Perhaps I was wrong about you... a little. You're still a whelp, a tiny little thing. But if the Flame has chosen you... Hm... Kit!" Naruka jumped at being addressed in such a way, wondering what it meant to the fox. "I wish to offer you a deal. I will promise to try to... trust you, if you can say the same. As a show of good faith, I will give you a gift. In return, when you gain the power to open the seal completely, you will let me... stretch my legs, so to speak. The times are too short and too far between where I am outside of a container, these last few centuries."

She could hardly believe her 'sit down and talk about this' plan was actually working! Still, the ambiguity of his offer put her on edge. "What kind of... gift are you talking about? It's not anything like... turn me into a demon or something, right? And what, exactly, do you mean by stretching your legs?"

The Kyuubi seemed to frown, if that was possible. "You realize I'm not actually a demon, don't you? And my goals are not as sinister as you seem to believe. Your mind can likely hardly fathom how long I've been alive, and how much of that time has been spent sealed away. A few days in an uninhabited forest, or prowling a mountainside is precious to me.

"And as for the gift.." The Kyuubi seemed to grin as it brought its right hand-like paw over to its still-pinned left one. Naruka was briefly on edge at the movement, but really wanted to be able to trust it, and so forced herself to relax. "It is technically yours already by right of conquest, but I will draw out its true strength in a form you can use." The Kyuubi used the thumb and forefinger claws of its right hand to pinch the claw stuck in its left. Almost immediately, Naruka watched in awe as the severed claw cracked, red light spilling from the quickly multiplying fractures, before it finally exploded into rapidly dissolving fragments, leaving behind a sheathed sword, clutched in the Kyuubi's claws. It deposited the weapon in her outstretched arms, and she gasped in shock at how heavy it was.

It appeared about the length of a ninjato. The sheath had orange-red fur running in patches all along it, interrupted by stitched red leather strips at irregular intervals and angles, a red strap waiting to be attached to something. The hilt had similar fur, but less of it, simply poking out from under the red leather binding. The pommel was a solid bronze cap, a small foxtail charm hanging from it by a short length of red rope, and the guard was perhaps the most ornate, bearing a gold appearance of nine metal tails in an interlocking spiral spreading from the hilt. But the real beauty was the blade itself.

"Woaaaah!" Naruka exclaimed as she drew the blade, watching as red light poured from the sheath, displaying a seal or jutsu at work that was far beyond her understanding. Once it was fully drawn, the sword was revealed to be significantly larger than the sheath along every dimension- indeed, it seemed its sheathed state was some kind of illusion in the first place, as the honest-to-Kami zanbato in her hand didn't even have a proper hand guard anymore, the golden tails swallowed up by the base of the large blade and the mass of Kyuubi-colored fur where the hilt met the blade. The end of the six foot sword was slightly curved back, giving it a kind of fang- or claw-like appearance, and the blade itself was much more yellowish-white than a steel sword would be. Running her fingers along the flat of the weapon, she couldn't decipher if it was simply made to appear organic or if it was actually some kind of bone. The fur was soft, almost sinfully so, and it made her wonder if all of Kyuubi's fur was like that.

She pushed the thought from her mind- the Biju definitely wouldn't appreciate her trying to find out- and focused on testing the weight of the giant sword. It was heavy, something she wouldn't have been able to lift with two hands a few days ago, let alone swing around with one as she was now. But it seemed the Flame had empowered her permanently with more than just its heating effect.

Sheathing the blade, she watched with fascination as the red light emanated from the mouth of the sheath, swallowing up first the curved tip, and then the rest of the giant blade into the comparatively small container. 'Kind of like the Kyuubi and I,' she thought idly. Holding the sword against her chest protectively- almost lovingly- she looked up at the Kyuubi, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "This... This is.. the best gift I think I've ever gotten... But I can't take it." At the Biju's confused tilt of its head, she smiled a little bigger. "I can't accept this gift... from a stranger. So... I'm Genin Uzumaki Naruka, Kunoichi Guardian of Konoha! What's your name?"

The great fox blinked, blinked again, then broke into belly-filled laughter, shaking its head wistfully before calming and lowering it down to look her in the eye. "You truly are the most surprising human I've met in centuries, Uzumaki Naruka! This handsome fox is Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, strongest of all the Biju!"

She grinned, and they laughed together for a moment before something occurred to her. "Oh, so you are a boy, then?"

"You mean you didn't KNOW?!"

(~HJN~)

Ah, comedy! The perfect end to a rather emotionally-charged first chapter.

I don't know what to say, really. Ash did a great job cleaning this chapter up, and she helped a lot with Kurama's dialogue. The 'Awakened Flame' thing is going to be a branching plot device- we're going to delve into some pretty unique lore I'm steadily making up for it.

Ah, Naruka. So hot-headed. I wonder if there were any consequences to her actions out in the real world?

Also, in regards to the sword: yes, the blade itself and the 'transformation' from sheathed to unsheathed are very similar to Inuyasha's sword. It's not the only one, but that should give you an idea of how the actual blade looks, aside from all the other details I mentioned. Also, the 'First Flame' thing took some heavy inspiration from Dark Souls, but I almost immediately did away with all of that telling lore in favor of making my own. You may still see some parallels between Naruka's powers and Pyromancy from the games, but hopefully not much and not in such detail that they could actually be called 'copies'.

So yeah! That's the latest poll-winner. The next thing to be updated will either be Boundless or Shifted Dreams, so go check those out if you haven't already!

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Ja ne~