I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever. First I got writer's block; then I was banned from because I was in my senior year at high school. I was still writing though, I just had to handwrite everything before retyping them. I'll try to do better but it might be difficult as I am in college.

Again, I'm sorry!

Anyways, here's a new story that I've been working on. I hope you enjoy it.

Full Summery:

Seven years after the training trip with Jiraiya, things still aren't too good for Naruto. The villagers still see him as a threat and come close to killing him. Only an offer from the fox keeps him alive but now he is missing. Kanoha is searching, trying to find him before the Akatsuki finds him. With the help of two new faces in the village and six out, the remaining Kanoha 12 try to defeat the Akatsuki and find the ninth Jinchuuriki.

Note: Orochimaru and Oto has been destroyed; Sasuke returned to the village

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Lost Jinchuuriki

Prologue

All was quiet in the village of Konohagakure no Sato. The shinobi who were home from their missions for the fifth Hokage, the Slug Sannin, Tsunade, were resting without fear of being murdered in their sleep. All except for one just outside the village boundaries…

A lone figure, dressed mostly in black, struggled to get up off the forest floor. His breathing was ragged and he was bleeding all over. If anyone saw him now, they would think that he was probably an enemy ninja sent to spy on the Village Hidden in the Leaves and got caught. However, on his forehead was a hitae-ate with the symbol of the nearby village. He groaned, fighting to stay conscious when he heard a familiar voice.

'{{Kit, are you alright?}}' The voice was worried which slightly amused the man. Never once in the first fifteen years of his life had he heard the owner of the voice sound anything but angry. Only in the last seven years were other emotions heard though concern was rare.

'{You tell me, fox. I'm busy trying to get back to the village.}'

'{{Do you want the truth or should I lie?}}'

'{Truth.}'

'{{Alright…They nearly KILLED you, kit! We are still close to death and need immediate attention! You should have fought back! The Hokage would have understood!}}'

'{Maybe baa-san would have but then the village would hate me even more!' he snapped back. 'They wouldn't see a man defending himself; they would see you, Kyuubi no Kitsune!}'

'{{That's still no reason for them to beat you to death!}}' the fox demon snapped back. '{{And not all of the village would hate you! Your friends would stand with you, Uzumaki Naruto! You know that!}}'

'{I know! But they are a very small part of the village! The people who hate me outnumber them fifty to one! You know that!}'

'{{I know…but you shouldn't be beaten for something that wasn't your choice! The Fourth Hokage wanted them to see you as a hero!}}'

"I know," Naruto whispered. The fox demon was startled by the man's soft tone. "I hate it, but I want them to accept me. But…they won't change their minds…"

'{{Kit…?}}'

"I don't want this life anymore. I'm tired of people looking my way and only seeing evil. I want to start my life over…but that's impossible."

'{{…It might not be…}}'

'{Nani? What do you mean?}'

'{{…I can suppress your memories. It would not be the same as starting your life over but to you, it would be. I can also make it so that no one would recognize you.}}'

'{How?}'

'{{I can merge with you…it will turn you into a hanyou. If I do, you will have kitsune traits; speed, strength, stronger senses and others. It will also alter your appearance. But…if we merge, there is no turning back; we will be a hanyou forever.}}'

'{Aren't I already a hanyou?}'

'{{No, you are a human. I am a demon. We are separate beings in one body. But, if you allow me to, we will become one being.}}' The Kyuubi fell silent as she waited for the human who had been used as the container for her power to decide. It didn't take long for Naruto to decide.

'{Do both.}'

'{{Alright kit…I hope that you will be truly happy…}}' the fox demon said before she began to merge with the man. Chakra levels began to increase but before anyone in the village could sense it, the man disappeared, leaving behind a hitae-ate with the symbol for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.