Taming the Beasts

Prologue

"So much has changed since I left…"

From the top of the Hokage monument, Naruto surveyed the village of Konoha. A town he has not seen for 2 ½ years.

"Not even this remained constant…"

Hopping down on top of Sandaime's forehead, he mused at the sculpted face of Tsunade besides the 4th's. He wondered how long it took to carve the old hag's face on the mountain. He went back to looking down at the village. He had only arrived a few days ago from his training with Jiraiya. After spending a couple of years squeezing jutsus out of the old perverted sannin, they turned back to Konoha. They were delayed by 6 months because trouble erupted in a certain village where they were passing through and they had to give a helping hand to the townsfolk. But it was worth the trouble, as the townsfolk helped them get back to Konoha.

And now, here he is. Pondering on the changes the village has undergone through. But it's not just the village it's his peers. Everyone in the Rookie 9, except himself, is now in Chuunin level while he is still a Genin. Sakura, his teammate, is now studying under Tsunade and the successor of the Slug Sannin. The Cherry Blossom has bloomed into a fine kunoichi that the Hidden Leaf can be proud of.

And it wasn't just Sakura, it was everyone else. His peers are now stronger, more mature and advance. This though alone frustrated him. They weren't the only ones training for the past 2 ½ years.

"Of course, you can't expect everthing around you to stand still, " It was Kyubi. "Take it from me,kit. You have to run with the pack or you will be left behind."

It was weird (downright freaky) to find the kitsune youma to cheer him up. But after what happened at that village, you can't blame him.

Naruto managed to find a way to rein in the ninetails to his will. And he has tamed the demon inside.

Then, something distracted him from his thoughts. A sound that came from a short distance away from him. Thanks to Kyubi, he could hear a teardrop a mile away if he wanted to.

It came from the training grounds just outside of the village. The sound piqued his curiosity. It reminded him of something (or someone) but he can't just put his finger on it.

He decided to check it out. Besides he had nothing to do. He already went to Ichiraku earlier. And it's the weekend so there are no missions for now.

Walking towards the forehead of Sandaime, he looked down to see how far he is from the ground.

It looks like a few hundred feet.

Perfect…

Naruto leapt from the 3rd's head and dived through the air headfirst. He could feel the air brushing o his spiky blond hair as he fell towards the ground. As soon as he sensed that he was nearing impact he positioned his body so that his feet leads downwards before making contact with the earth.

The timing was perfect.

Having used charka to cushion his fall, he was still in one piece.

His left leg was bended so that it would absorb the lessened force of the landing and acted as a support, while his other was stretched out to his right. His left palm was touching the ground so the extra charka it distributed could also help soften the collision.

He straightened himself up, patted dust off his orange jacket and pants and readjusted his forehead protector.

He heard the sound again and headed towards it.

It was human.

Female to be exact.

And very familiar…