A/N - Hello everyone! Today I bring you a new story I've been working on for a while, and I'm rather proud of it if I do say so myself! I've gone through and tried to spot any grammatical errors, but while I tried my best... there is the possibility I missed some. After reading the story, I hope you take the time to review and let me know what you think.
One more thing! This story is going to be my baby, meaning I'm taking my time! It'll be slower to update then a lot of stories, but I hope you enjoy it enough to stick around. I have other story ideas that won't take as long to write, so if I ever need a break from writing this one... well expect a different story!
Enjoy the story!
I do not own Naruto!
I do own my OCs though...
Updated - 3/25/2018
I went ahead and fixed some errors that I managed to find! I want it to be refined, so that's what I'm doing! This is my baby after all!
Updated - 4/20/2018
I fixed some more small mistakes. I'm just polishing it, and will continue to do so until it sparkles! I can only hope that there aren't very many left, but I have a feeling there are still quite a few.
Updated 8/13/2018
I fixed even more grammar mistakes! It's starting to sparkle! I guarantee that there are still more issues, but I'll find them over time.
=The Border of Hi No Kuni=
"Shouldn't we just kill him instead of leaving it to chance?" a middle-aged man questioned. He has always hated the damn fox after it killed his wife and daughter. The Sandaime Hokage had told everyone to see the demon as a hero, but how could he treat a demon who killed his family as a hero? The whole idea was preposterous!
"No, we'll leave him here. He doesn't know where Konoha is, so we'll never see the kid again anyways." The second man replied. Truthfully, he never really hated the kid. He never believed that this child was the Kyuubi in human form or whatever bullshit propaganda the villagers would spread around. However, a fat merchant had offered him a lot of money to get rid of the demon. A lot of money he needed to make ends meet.
"Whatever, let's just get out of here." The middle-aged man sneered as he took off back towards Konoha.
"I'm sorry kid, I hope you don't suffer too much." The man sighed and took after his partner.
The two men didn't realize the altercation between them was being watched. The small fox attracted by the noise investigated. Its two tails swished back and forth in the bush eyeing the small blonde child lying in the grass. The fox's curiosity had been peeked and leaped out of the bushes and landed on the child's stomach. She eyed the child, golden hair that seemed to light up the night, three whiskers on each side of his cheek, and he smelled heavily of foxes. She hopped off his stomach and started walking back to her den. Her family would be interested in the fox child.
Light pierced through the forest canopy waking the golden-haired boy. His sapphire blue eyes opened lazily, looking up at the leafy roof. 'I don't remember going into the woods.' Naruto thought, then winced and reached up to his head. His head felt cold and wet, he pulled his hand down to look and saw his hand was crimson red. 'Blood? I'm bleeding!?' Immediately panicking, he sat up trying to figure out where he was. Trying desperately to remember what happened before he blacked out.
*Flashback*
Naruto had been wandering the streets late at night since he had been kicked out of the orphanage. He never understood why the villagers called him crude names, hatefully glared at him, and abused him. When he had lived in the orphanage, it was more like a prison. He even had his own personal cell they called his room. They barely fed him, sometimes going days without food. They refused to let him play with the other kids, and wouldn't allow him to learn. He was completely isolated. Sometimes he would be woken up through violence, because 'A demon shouldn't be allowed to sleep peacefully!'
He arrived at the playground and walked over to the swing set. He sat there quietly trying to wrap his head around his life. 'Why does everyone hate me?' He wished that someone would tell him, so he could fix it. He didn't act differently then other kids, at least he didn't think he did. He had occasionally looked in the mirror for some sort of defect, but the only thing that was remotely strange were his three whiskers. That wasn't enough to warrant so much hatred, right? He had occasionally asked why everyone hated him, or what he did wrong, but they would only sneer and tell him, "You know what you did demon!"
Caught in his own thoughts he hadn't noticed two chūnin spying on him, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce without causing a scene. A twig snapped ironically snapping Naruto out of his daze. He felt someone glaring at him, slightly scaring him. "W-who's there!? I'm warning you!" Naruto yelled out, hoping to scare away whoever was watching him. He knew it wouldn't work, but he wasn't going to just sit there and wait.
An older man jumped out in front of him startlingly Naruto causing him to fall on his butt. He had brown hair that was ragged and covered his right eye. A grotesque scar peeking out from behind his hair. His eyes glared hatefully, full of disgust. "Not too tough now are you demon! You'll pay for what you did to my family!" The older man sneered forcing killing intent (KI) to wash over the young boy. Though the KI was minor and mostly pathetic, to an inexperienced person like Naruto, it felt like a lot.
"I-I didn't do anything!" Naruto cried out, which only seemed to upset the man more. Naruto started to crawl back to get some space from the man. He just needed room to run. Sudden pain radiated from his head, he rolled onto the ground clutching his head. It felt like someone hit him with the blunt end of a kunai.
"You're making a scene Hiro, let's hurry up and get this done with. The faster he's out of Konoha, the faster we get paid and can get home." a voice from behind him said. That had been the last thing Naruto heard before his eyes felt like sandbags and he drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
*Flashback End*
His eyes widened in fear, he wasn't in Konoha anymore. Questions started flooding his mind, to which he had no answers for. Where did they leave me?! Which way is home?! Then another thought crossed his mind. Do I want to go back home? The idea of leaving the village had plagued his mind before since everyone seemed to hate him. Just maybe he could find people who would like him out in the world. He just couldn't bring up the courage to do it. He didn't have the survival skills to be out in the world. When he had been kicked out of the orphanage he panicked, trying to figure out where he was going to get his next meal. Luckily for him, people were wasteful. Trashcans were always packed with so much food that he would be fine. Now though, he didn't have that option.
Naruto jumped up onto his feet, but suddenly feeling slightly light-headed, fell back against a tree. He reached back up to his head trying to figure out how bad the wound was. Feeling around, he winced. It felt like a very small gash, which luckily for him was healing up rather nicely. Naruto, of course, didn't know that and was still panicking. Someone had knocked him out roughly and dragged him out of his home. He had every right to be panicking.
The sound of bushes around him rustling froze Naruto in place. Naruto wasn't stupid, he realized the situation he was in. Here he was, a four-year-old boy, bleeding and wounded, in the middle of the woods. You might as well put a sign on him that reads, 'Free Meal!' He could feel eyes on him from every direction. 'It's almost like the same feeling I get in the village… But it feels different, not threatening.'
Foxes started slowly coming out of the bushes and shadows around Naruto circling him, keeping a slight distance from him. All of them varying in different sizes, the largest standing right in front of him. It was around the size of a large horse, with fur that was a shaded black with pearl colored stripes throughout it. Its electric blue slitted eyes staring at Naruto with interest, but the most noticeable feature was the eight large tails swishing back and forth. Looking around, all the foxes varying in color had a different number of tails. Some had the normal amount, one tail, while others had two to seven.
Naruto was going through a mixture of emotions ranging from excitement to unadulterated fear. Him being a piece of prime meat had not left his mind, however being surrounded by his favorite animal excited him. Naruto had always loved foxes, he felt somewhat at peace with them. However, when he told his caretaker that, he had received a beating and was locked in his room for two days without any contact.
*Flashback*
The caretaker had walked in front of the gathering children. Their smiles always seemed to brighten her day, but of course, it was ruined when she saw it gather around her as well. She decided to humor it for now.
"Okay everyone, I got a special surprise for everyone! We were donated a bunch of stuffed animals!" the old caretaker said kindly to the children sitting in front of her. She had been given stuffed animals to hand out to the young children to sleep with. It was a kind gesture, and she knew the kids would love them. "So, what's your favorite animal?" she asked.
"I like birds!" a young girl screamed.
"I like frogs." a young boy replied.
"I like tigers." a pale boy replied happily.
It had continued like this, everyone excited to get a stuffed animal. When it finally reached Naruto's turn, he saw the same hateful look she always gave him. It confused him, but he wanted a stuffed animal, and he was going to get one! "I like foxes!" Naruto yelled out happily.
Naruto had felt like he just got hit by a horse's hoof. His cheek was stinging and tears threatening to escape his eyes and saw utter loathing in her eyes. 'What did I do this time?' Naruto thought sadly, confused on what he did wrong. Even some of the other kids were confused with the random violence of their caretaker. They knew he wasn't treated like all of them, but they didn't think he deserved it. All they had been told was to stay away from him because he was an evil child, and very dangerous. They did as they were told, they didn't know any better.
"Of course, the demon likes foxes, should have seen that coming from a mile away!" she sneered. Grabbing Naruto by the ear, she dragged him roughly through the orphanage and threw him into his room. "You're grounded, and will stay in here until I let you out!" she said angerly, then slammed the door leaving Naruto to cry in his room alone.
It was five agonizingly long days before she opened the door to see if he was still alive. Much to her annoyance, he was sitting in his bed, back pressed up against the wall. He was curled up with his knees pressed up against his chest, sitting there silently. She didn't say a word to him and just left with the door open.
Naruto's eyes gazed upwards towards the open door. He slowly uncurled from his ball and stood up shakily and made his way out. He was excruciatingly hungry and thirsty. This happened often enough that Naruto was getting used to this treatment, which only made the situation that much worse.
*Flashback End*
After that day, Naruto kept his love for foxes a secret to avoid his caretaker's wrath. He had learned over time that foxes were a sort of taboo after the Kyūbi no Yōko attacked. He had heard the caretaker talking to the other children about their hero, the Yondaime Hokage who had sacrificed his life and saved their village by slaying the demon fox.
The large black fox crept closer to Naruto snapping him out of his thoughts. Naruto was frozen in place, there wasn't anything he could do about them. He didn't have the strength to fight against one fox of this size, let alone an army of them. The fox's face was only an inch from his face. Its hot breath brushing up against him. It suddenly backed away from him and faced the others.
"It seems you were right, he does smell like him. He smells just like Kurama-sama" The black foxed suddenly said. When he was told that this kit smelt like their leader, his father, he scoffed at it. There was no way a child would smell like him unless he had contact with him. That was impossible, they hadn't seen their leader in almost a hundred years. However, his curiosity has already peaked, and he needed to know for sure. As soon as he smelt the kit he froze. The kit did smell like Kurama-sama, but how? There was no way he could smell like him unless he had just had contact with him. Unless…
Naruto's eyes shot open faster than light itself. Not only was he surrounded by foxes, but he was surrounded by talking foxes who haven't eaten him yet! Something caught his attention though, 'they said I smelt like someone named Kurama. Who is Kurama, and why do I smell like him?'
"Told you tou-san." She replied cheekily. When she had seen the boy being abandoned by those two men, her curiosity was already peaked. However, when his scent reached her, her eyes opened like saucers. 'He smells just like him.' Now she needed to get closer, however, she would have to wait until the two men left. When they did leave, she got a closer look. He was adorable, and his whiskers were cute, but he did smell like Jiji. She went to alert her tou-san about this right away. When she finally returned to check up on the boy, he was just waking up and was starting to panic.
"U-um, who is Kurama and how can you talk? I didn't know foxes were able to talk." Naruto suddenly asked causing him to become the focus of attention again. He shifted nervously, the questions were running rampant in his head and he wanted answers. Who better to get answers out of than a majestic talking eight-tailed fox?
"Kurama-sama is our leader and my otousan. However, he went missing years ago, and we recently heard he had been slain by the hands of you humans." The black fox answered sharply, "The reason we can talk is that we were gifted by Kurama-sama."
Naruto continued resting his back against the tree processing the newly given information. He was curious about something, "Why do I smell like him then?" Naruto asked, his curiosity peeked. Normally curiosity kills the cat, but luckily for Naruto, he wasn't a cat; if anything, he was a fox.
"I have an idea on why you smell like him, but I won't talk carelessly out in the open. Follow me kit." He said coolly.
Naruto got up cautiously and started following the large black fox. He desperately wanted to ask more questions but decided against taking that action and remained silent. He would get his chance to ask questions when they arrived wherever they were going. It's not every day a group of talking foxes approaches you and tells you to follow them.
The forest around them was relatively silent other than the sound of walking through the brush. The trees were large, like the ones that surrounded Konoha, and the branches were just as big. There was very little sunlight that got through the canopy of leaves, however, the rays of light that did get through gave the forest a sort of mystical feel.
They stopped in front of two trees that reached up high then wrapped around one another, creating an arch. It looked like an entrance, but there was nothing but forest on the other side. The sight was beautiful to Naruto, but he was curious as to why they stopped here. 'Was this there home?' Naruto thought curiously.
"This here is the entrance to our sanctuary." The black fox said, "If you don't have fox blood running through you, you won't be able to get in." The black fox stared at the entrance then glanced back at the young kit. This would either disprove or prove his theory of him. If he didn't have fox blood, they would kill him for their safety.
"I-I don't think I have any fox blood though, I'm human," Naruto said quietly, whispering out the last part. He was turned away by his own, now he will be turned away from his favorite animal.
"Maybe, maybe not. There is only one way to find out." The black fox said kindly. He didn't know the kit's story, but he could see the pain in his sapphire eyes.
Naruto looked around, he was nervous seeing so many foxes watching him. His eyes landed back on the entrance to their village, and he took a step towards it. Soon he was standing beside the large eight-tailed fox and the tree arch, and with a deep breathe he took another step forward and vanished. His entire presence disappeared without a trace.
"Well, would you look at that. The kit has fox blood running through his veins." A dark gray fox said walking up to the black fox. He was slightly smaller than the black fox and had seven tails whipping around. His calculating silver eyes looking at the entrance.
The black fox looked on intrigued, "Indeed he does."
=Kitsune Sanctuary=
The moment Naruto stepped through the tree-like entrance, he felt a tug on his entire body. Some force beyond comprehension reached over to him and grabbed and dragged him away. It happened in an instant, but the feeling was unreal. He couldn't think of any words to really describe the feeling other than being pulled, or maybe pushed.
Naruto's eyes opened, ready to take in the new sights. The village was beautiful, there were no other words to describe it. He stood in the middle of a large grass circle with white flowers scattered around, and the same tree arch entrance behind him. Cobblestone lined the circle cutting off the lush green grass. The stone continued into another large circle. The buildings that lined the cobblestone circle looked like shrine buildings. Red-wood lining all of them with crisp white walls. Greenery seemed to be all over everything, giving the place a sense of serenity. It felt peaceful, calming to the mind. Something in Naruto's mind whispered lightly, 'safety.'
However, the thing that caught Naruto's interest quickly was the lack of foxes. There were humans walking around minding their own business. Perhaps humans might be stretching it slightly, these humans have fox ears on their head and tails of varying numbers and colors. 'Who, and what are they?' Naruto thought curiously.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" a hand grabbed onto Naruto's shoulder causing him to jump slightly. He turned around and saw a large tall man. Naruto looked up and was greeted with familiar electric blue slitted eyes gazing back at his own. His black shaggy hair with pearl striped gave his muscular build a sort of elegance. He was wearing a dark grey kimono that was layered with squares of black, a white shirt was underneath, and a red sash tied to his waist keeping it together. The white sandals adorning his feet complete the look. Though what caught Naruto's interest were the same eight tails swishing back and forth behind him.
"Y-yeah, umm, are you the same fox from earlier? Asked Naruto, though he was already confident the answer was going to be a yes, it was better to be positive then iffy!
"You would be correct, outside this world we take on our natural form to blend in instead of our current form you are seeing now." The large man replied warmly then continued, "You may call me Kenichi Masumi."
"Uh, nice to meet you, I'm Naruto!" Naruto smiled warmly giving off a peaceful radiance. Something around him was calming, he felt a strange feeling he hadn't felt before. It was like nothing would hurt him here, he felt safe. There wasn't a feeling like he needed to look over his shoulder and fear for his life.
"Maelstrom, a strong name," Kenichi said, chuckling slightly at the sudden change in his personality. 'It would seem the kit is finally relaxing and letting his guard down' This was good, he has already confirmed his suspicion. This kit was finally home, and with him comes my otousan.
Naruto's eyes widened to a scary length when someone finally knew what his name meant. It was a strong name, very strong! It wasn't a topping for food, it was a raging powerful name! Naruto's respect for the man grew considerably.
With Kenichi's hand still on his shoulder, they both vanished in a swirl of autumn leaves.
"Woah." Was all Naruto could say at the sudden change of scenery. He now stood in a large room with a warm mahogany flooring. The walls were an eggshell white lined with crimson colored wood. The rooms center went down a layer with a beautifully crafted table. Four ruby colored pillows surrounding it.
"Please take a seat." Kenichi gestured to the pillow while he walked over to the other side. He sat down, eyeing Naruto as he sat down in front of him. "I'll answer any questions you have, but afterward I expect you to answer mine. Do we have an understanding on that?" he asked seriously.
"That's fine I guess," Naruto answered after thinking it over for a moment. It seemed like a fair trade to him, it was an 'I pet your tails, you pet mine' kind of deal. He started to think about the questions he wanted to ask, and one stuck out to him, "Where exactly are we, and what was that weird feeling when I stepped in?"
"This place is called Kitsune Sanctuary, and as the name suggests, it's a haven for our kind. It's our home, and a place we greatly cherish. It was created and gifted to us by Kurama-sama himself, though he has never truly revealed exactly how he did it. I personally believe he didn't create this place but instead connected it from one place in time to another.
"Now on to the more complicated part of your question. That feeling you felt, was you leaving one dimension and going to another. You are no longer in the Elemental Nations. This dimension that you find yourself in is rather unique; time itself doesn't even work the same. However, that's rather complicated and would take far too long to explain right now. Did that answer satisfy you?" Kenichi smiled warmly but quickly fell when he saw the poor kit's face. 'I don't think he understood most of that…'
Naruto was trying to process that information. The fact that he was in another dimension freaked him out slightly, but it seemed safe, so he let it slide. 'What did he mean with time working differently?' Naruto wondered. However, the name greatly intrigued Naruto, a sanctuary for foxes. A haven for foxes, his favorite animal, and he was allowed inside. 'This was the greatest thing to ever happen!' Naruto cheered mentally. However, that brought up more questions. "Uh, yeah… how was I able to get inside? Didn't you say I needed fox blood? Am I a fox?" Naruto asked curiously.
Kenichi hummed slightly while rubbing his chin, then responded, "I believe you have Kurama-sama sealed inside of you."
Naruto suddenly felt like he found the missing piece to his puzzle. The reason he couldn't find it to complete it was that it was never in the box, it was inside him. Through the power of deduction, he assumed Kurama was the Kyūbi no Yōko. If he had the Kyūbi inside of him, then does that make him the Kyūbi no Yōko? 'It finally explains why everyone hated me and called me a demon…' Naruto thought sadly.
Kenichi seeing the internal struggle going through the kit's head, he sighed softly. He understood that the outside world did not see Kurama-sama as a god, but as a demon. He also understood how humans treated their jailors as well, and from the turmoil, this kit is in, would make my assumption correct.
"Do not fret young one, you are not Kurama-sama. He is merely being held inside you." He said coolly.
"How do I get Kurama out then?" Naruto asked softly.
"There are multiple ways of getting him out, but almost all of them result in your death kit." He replied quickly making Naruto's eyes widen with that information. He saw that Naruto was about to ask the enviable question, so instead of letting him he replied himself, "We will talk about the non-fatal ways later."
Naruto nodded, he caught onto his question before he even asked. One final question came to mind, "Can I live here?" he asked hopefully, though it came out as more of a whisper. Still loud enough for the kitsune's ears to pick up. To Naruto, this place felt so safe and relaxing, he never wanted to leave.
"You have fox blood in you, this place is your home as much as it is ours." He replied, seeing the emotions swirling around in the young sapphire eyes. A foxy smile appeared on Naruto's face and tears started crawling down his whiskered cheek. He could see the relief and happiness swirling around in his eyes.
"Thank you…" Naruto said in-between sobs. He finally had a home that wouldn't scorn his existence. He could live a happy life and hopefully, make some friends.
A red rice paper sliding door on the side shot open, and a young girl that looked slightly older then himself walked in. She had scarlet red hair that went down her back, and emerald eyes. She was wearing a jet-black kimono with a grey sash loosely around her waist, and two fluffy red tails behind her. Naruto blushed slightly just looking at her, which didn't go unnoticed by Kenichi. "Tou-san! I can't believe you just left me!" she huffed angrily.
"A-Akane-chan, glad you could join us." he chuckled nervously. "No need to get angry over something like that…" Kenichi replied slightly nervous of his daughter's over excessive fury. How she can pack so much strength into her tiny body, he had yet to find out.
"It's a twenty-minute walk! Do you know how many stairs I had to climb to get here!?" the newly founded Akane growled.
"Yes." Kenichi deadpanned.
An out of place breeze soared through the room as the two kitsune stared at each other. Naruto could swear he saw a small spark of lightning shoot between them. Eventually, the young redhead looked away in a huff and stared at Naruto instead.
"Well hi there, my name is Akane Masumi," Akane said smiling happily at the blonde doing a complete one-eighty on her mood.
Naruto was slightly taken back from the sudden change of emotion. Although he was extremely excited about the possibility of making a new friend that wouldn't be told to stay away from him. Plus, she was a fox! You can't get much better than that in Naruto's opinion. "Hi, my name is Naruto!" he chirped happily.
"Do you have a family or clan name?" Akane asked curiously. This question also peeked Kenichi's interest as well, it was one of the questions he planned on asking soon anyways. Although the sad look in the boy's eyes almost made her wish she hadn't asked.
Naruto sighed sadly, "I'm an orphan, I never knew who my parents were. My caretaker called me Naruto, so that's what my name is." The idea of having a family is almost every orphan's dream. Sadly, Naruto was disliked by everyone in the village. His chance of being adopted was very slim, almost non-existent.
She walked over and sat beside Naruto and pat his back trying to comfort him. "Sorry for asking," she said softly.
"It's fine, you didn't know." He said looking up at her and smiling.
"Naruto, how old are you?" Kenichi asked.
"Four, I'll be five on October 10th," Naruto replied.
"Can you tell us about your life up to this point? I'd like to get to know you better." Kenichi asked with a fatherly smile.
Naruto stiffened slightly, then relaxed again. He didn't really like talking about anything that happened in the past, he preferred looking towards the future. He let out another soft sigh, before nodding in acceptance. He had promised to answer any of his questions if he answered his.
"The earliest I can remember is being at the orphanage. No one would give me any attention and wouldn't take care of me. They uh…" Naruto was slightly embarrassed, but pressed on, "wouldn't change me for days or weeks. Though sometimes I would wake up cleaned and in new clothes, I never knew who did it. I soon learned that crying wasn't worth the energy, so I'd just lay in bed and stay silent.
When I could finally walk around the orphanage, I would try and play with the other kids but they all refused and would walk away from me. I was very rarely allowed to go play outside with anyone or eat with the others. I was given one meal a day, sometimes they would forget though. Whenever I went to ask for food, they would call me a liar and lock me in my room.
Whenever the kids would start learning things, the caretaker would lock me in my room. I would try to ask the other kids what they learned, but they would tell me they weren't allowed to tell me. This continued until I turned four, they kicked me out of the orphanage on my birthday. I walked around for a while, but the people glared at me and called me names.
I learned that there was a lot of food in trash cans, more then I was given in the orphanage. So, I was alright for the most part, and I would sleep in trees by the park. Yesterday or I think it was yesterday, I was knocked out… you know the rest." Naruto finished wiping a few loose tears from his eyes. His short past was painful, and he disliked talking about it.
Akane was stunned, she couldn't believe humans could treat someone so poorly, a child no less. Kenichi was less shocked, he had already expected a troubled past from the kit. He had heard rumors of these, jinchūriki, a human sacrifice that is treated like the entities they have sealed inside them.
"I'm sorry for bringing up such painful memories Naruto-kun, I hope you can forgive me," Kenichi said with a sad smile.
"N-no! It's okay, you didn't know, and I promised to answer your questions!" Naruto quickly replied not wanting to upset his new friends.
"Akane-chan, how about you show Naruto-kun around the compound while I go speak to the council. They will want to know about recent developments and our new arrival." He told Akane, who nodded okay. He stood up and looked back at Naruto, "You'll be staying with us unless you would rather live somewhere else."
Naruto's eyes opened wide, 'He just offered me a place to stay!' he thought happily. "Thank you, I would love to stay here with you and Akane-chan!" he excitedly replied.
Kenichi chucked lightly at his reply, "That's good to hear." He finished and walked out of the room.
"So Naru-kun, follow me and I'll show you around." She said with mirth, emphasizing the kun suffix. When she saw him blush lightly, she already knew she was going to have so much fun teasing him. Oh, the possibilities are endless! She stood up, and Naruto copied her. They both walked towards the door.
=Kitsune Sanctuary, Council Chambers=
Kenichi opened the council chamber's doors and strode inside. The room was large and has a beautifully crafted walnut colored wooden circular table in the center. The table is engraved with the visage of Kurama. His nine tails each pointing to a throne type chair which lined the table. The floor is mahogany lined with crimson red-wood. The walls are a smooth stone that reached up towards the ceiling. Opposite of the entrance is a large glass window that let in a healthy amount of light. Nine banners hung on the walls symbolizing each clan of kitsune, the one in the center was of the Masumi clan, the first one created by Kurama.
The Masumi clan are known for being a jack-of-all-trades. While they are not masters in any area other clans specialize in, they are masters in kenjutsu. They have a swordsman honor and will usually not turn down a duel. Some members of this clan are known to dabble in forging weapons. While the males are relatively laid back; only getting serious when the situation absolutely demands it. The females have a natural born fury that terrified everyone. One must never underestimate a female from the Masumi clan or face a fate worse than death.
He took his seat facing his back towards the window and waited for the rest of the council members to arrive. They would all be excited to hear of our father's return, and equally interested in our new arrival. This was the first time he had heard of a human being born with fox blood, he didn't know how that would affect the kit later.
The door opened, and a tanned man walked inside. It is Masao Takeshi, fourth born of Kurama. He stood at 6'1", his dark grey hair is flat against his back, giving a royalty look. His piercing silver slitted eyes gave off a cold and calculated feeling. He is wearing a light grey kimono, with a purple sash wrapped around his waist. Eight large dark grey tails were raised off the ground as to not dirty them.
The Takeshi clan are known for being logical. They enjoyed reading and studying everything there was and storing their knowledge in the Kitsune Library. They would often send their clan members out into the world to scavenge for books, artifacts, scrolls, etc. For the most part, they don't let emotions cloud their judgment, and always try to figure out the best solution to any problems. They do enjoy the company of the Nao and Fumiko clan. Masao walked over to his seat, two down on the right from Kenichi.
Soon the door opened again and Takara Yuzuki and Natsumi Miwa gracefully walked inside. Takara Yuzuki is the seventh born of Kurama. She was 5'8" she has beautiful snow-white hair that covered her left side of her face and flowed down her chest. She has slitted ruby red eyes that have a slight haunting glow to them. Her bright white kimono hugged her hourglass figure and B-sized chest, a silver sash tied around her stomach. Her eight snow-white tails were raised up against her back.
The Yuzuki clan are known for their kind and loving nature. They enjoyed watching over everyone and taking care of young children. The members of their clan were natural born parents and raised all their children to be kind-hearted. Their love for peaceful times led to them never leaving the sanctuary.
Natsumi Miwa is the second born of Kurama. She stood at 5'10", she has light auburn hair done up in a ponytail. She had ocean blue slitted eyes that were always dancing around with amusement. She wore a burnt orange shirt with black trimming that was tight against her C-sized chest showing a bit of cleavage. She also wore a loose red jacket and charcoal black pants that hugged her hips. Her eight light auburn tails danced lightly in the air behind her.
The Miwa clan are known for being overly energetic. They were like a bottomless well of stamina, always looking for an opportunity to have fun or pull a prank on some unexpecting victims. They were physical teachers, preparing young kits for the world outside the sanctuary. It was dangerous out there, and they were more than happy to train new kits. Her clan usually helps the Takeshi clan out when gathering items from the outside world. They have a well-known rivalry with the Takeo clan, as well as a long-time friendship.
The next to follow was Eiji Takeo, Akio Hiro, and Ami Fumiko. Eiji Takeo is the eighth born of Kurama. He stood at 6'5", his dark orange hair was spiked up with his bangs growing out. His purple eyes glowed eagerly. He wore a large white jacket exposing his toned and muscular chest. White bandages wrapped angular around his torso. He also wore loose dark grey pants. His eight orange tails hovered lightly off the ground.
The Takeo clan are known for taking things to the extreme. They enjoy exercise and fighting. All their children are brought up sparing, and a little rowdy. The Takeo and Miwa clan are extremely close to one another. They often play, spar, and exercise with each other for hours on end.
Akio Hiro is the fifth born of Kurama. He stood at 5'10", he had short light brown hair and golden slitted eyes. He wore a forest green kimono with a black sash tied around his waist. He was very lean built.
The Hiro clan are known for taking care of nature. They kept the sanctuary clean, and the forests healthy. The members were calm and caring, as well as intelligent. It was not unusual to see clan members sleeping in the forest under a leafy canopy. Their clan is the most well-tuned to natural energy, and heavily influencing them.
Ami Fumiko is the sixth born to Kurama. She stands at 5'9", she had beautiful silky black hair that goes down her back and splits at her shoulders. Her crystal green slitted eyes radiate warmth and kindness. She wears a cream-colored kimono that hugs her curves showing off her B-sized chest and figure. She has three red sashes tied around her, one on her waist, stomach, and below her chest. Her eight tails almost wrap around her like a blanket.
The Fumiko clan are known for their healing prowess. Working together with the Hiro clan, they grow many herbs and create antidotes, remedies, and medicines. Some clan members are known to dabble in the art of poison crafting which while not their focus, can create some of the most toxic poisons. A game they like to play is to create a strong poison than have another member create an antidote. While most members are very kind and enjoy healing, others do come off rather cold and calculating. These members usually work well along Takeshi clan.
Soon after they entered, the last two followed. Tetsuya Nao and Keiko Mana walked in whispering amongst each other. Ken Nao is the third born to Kurama. He stands at 6', he has short light grey hair. His hair covers his left eye only showing his brown slitted eye. He wears a black kimono shirt and green pants. His eight grey tails are dragged lazily on the ground behind him.
The Nao clan are known for being strategically brilliant and lazy. Most clan members are born with photographic memories, and with their intelligence, it makes the world boring. Though they are always looking towards seeing something new and exciting. While their clan is mostly full of loners, they are known to spend time with the Takeshi, Fumiko, and Mana clans.
Keiko Mana is the ninth born to Kurama. She stands at 5'6", she has beautiful red hair with orange streaks running throughout it. Her hair falls gently down her back and slightly covering both of her violet slitted eyes. She wears a tight scarlet kimono shirt hugging her A-size chest and skin-tight dark grey pants. Her eight red tails run up her back peeking over her shoulders.
The mana clan is known for their stealth. They are calm and quiet, and rarely speak unless spoken to. You will rarely see a member of the mana clan unless they want you to see them. The day their children are born, they don't cry or make any noise. Their instincts scream quiet and calm. Though when they decide to socialize, they choose the Nao clan because they rarely move or talk.
After everyone had finally taken their seat, they all looked over to Kenichi. It was rare for a council meeting to be called so randomly, and some of the foxes have been whispering amongst each other.
"Kurama-sama has been found," Kenichi said, decided to drop the big news first. Their faces were priceless, and he almost wished he brought a camera to document them for all eternity.
"Explain," Tetsuya said keeping his eyes locked on to Kenichi.
"My daughter early in the morning was outside the sanctuary. She stumbled upon a young blonde-haired kit being dropped off by two men. The kit was injured and unconscious. According to her, one wanted to murder him while the other just wanted to leave him for dead. Luckily for the kit, they decided on the ladder.
When she told me about the kit and how he smelled like Kurama-sama, I didn't believe it. However, I wasn't going to take a chance and left with some guards and went to investigate. When he arrived at the kit's location, he was in the middle of a panic attack. When I approached him, he froze in fear. Imagine my shock when he smelt just like Kurama-sama.
I brought him to the sanctuary, he has fox blood in him. Though I believe that is because Kurama-sama was sealed inside of him, though I could be wrong. He is currently in my compound with my daughter." He finished.
"If Kurama-sama is sealed inside the boy, we should unseal Kurama-sama immediately!" Masao voiced his opinion out loud.
"While I agree with you Masao, doing so would kill the kit." Kenichi retorted.
"Is the boy fox or human?" Ami questioned.
"Both." Kenichi replied, "he has the body of a human, but the blood of a fox. However, the fox blood has already started affecting his body."
Hiro hummed at this information, "Him being here with the amount of natural energy will change him. He will become full-blooded quickly."
"When that happens, the unsealing won't kill the boy," Tetsuya said lazily.
"Can you tell us about the boy?" Natsumi asked slightly eager to learn more about this strange kid.
Kenichi sighed sadly, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the council. "His name is Naruto, he is four years old, and has golden spiky hair. Adorned on his cheeks are three whiskers each. He is an orphan, and his life has not been easy." Kenichi said sighing once more. He then proceeded to tell them what Naruto told him earlier of his life.
Looks of anger, disgust, and pity filled the room. Most of them didn't understand how you could treat a child like that, but Masao did. He had studied the outside world enough to understand human nature. They were cruel, filled with greed and hatred. He felt slightly guilty for immediately calling for the kid's death, but the news of Kurama being sealed inside the boy angered him.
"Maybe I should go teach this Konoha a lesson they won't ever forget!" Eiji roared angrily.
"It wouldn't be that hard to get inside their village…" Keiko droned out.
"We should learn more on this kid, perhaps sending some of the Mana clan in to search for some file and information isn't a bad idea," Masao said.
"I could have it done," Keiko said it quietly.
"Fine, it's not a bad idea. But I wouldn't be surprised if you don't find anything. The kid's an orphan, he most likely won't have much. However, we can use this opportunity to copy some of their scrolls and bring them here." Kenichi agreed.
I like the sound of that." Masao agreed almost drooling at the thought of new scrolls.
"The poor kit probably needs a mother figure, if you want I'll take him in and teach him," Takara said almost crying at the thought of a kit not having parents to love and adore them.
"Naruto has already agreed to stay with my clan, however, I know he would love some affection and tutelage," Kenichi said warmly. Though he about laughed when he saw her glare at him for taking him away already. 'Ah, a mother's love.' He snickered mentally.
"Fine." Takara scoffed.
"Perhaps we should all take an effort to teach him. It's been a long time since we've received new blood in the sanctuary." Masao voiced his idea out loud.
"That's a great idea! I'll teach the kid to fight like a champ!" Eiji roared with excitement!
"No, you won't! I'll teach him!" Natsumi screamed with vigor.
"You can't even handle a fight with me! What can you do!?" Eiji laughed tauntingly.
"Last time I checked, I won our last fight!" Natsumi argued hotly.
"You cheated!" Eiji yelled.
"Did not!" Natsumi yelled back.
"Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" Natsumi and Eiji argued back and forth which was amusing to most of the council.
"Enough!" Keiko yelled angerly, which caused the entire room to go silent and look at her.
"D-did she just yell?" Ami asked almost not even believing what she just heard.
A round of nods was her answer causing a very stoic Keiko to blush slightly in embarrassment. She already knew she just made a huge mistake and would have to deal with this quickly. "It was just the wind…" Keiko said quietly. 'Nailed it.' She thought victoriously. The rest of the council sweatdropped at her excuse.
"In any case, we'll leave it up to the kit if he wants to be trained. I believe he is slightly overwhelmed by everything right now." Kenichi replied after the awkward silence. "For now, let the kit adjust and learn more about the sanctuary." He finished, and with no objections, he moved on to the next matter at hand.
"Now, let's discuss what we're going to do about Konoha…" Kenichi said sharply grabbing everyone's attention.
=Masumi Clan Compound=
Akane slid open another door leading to the outside and walked out. Naruto was following closely behind her and was awed at the sight. In front of him was a large open field full of flowers with trees plopped down occasionally. A stone path in front of them led to a drop-off, which Naruto believed was the staircase Akane was talking about earlier.
However, what caught Naruto's attention were the other children playing in the flowered fields. Some were playing tag, which he had seen other children play in Konoha. Sadly, he was never allowed to join them. If he tried, they would just call him names, or their parents would toss stones at him until he left.
"This is the front to our compound," Akane said arms waving in the direction of the open field, "almost every clan home has large fields like this."
"It's amazing!" Naruto awed loudly.
"Glad you like it, wait until you see our dojo and training fields!" Akane giggled lightly at Naruto's reaction.
Naruto followed Akane closely as they walked along the wooden walkway. Naruto felt at peace walking through their garden. The chestnut wooden pathway had a small scarlet tinged fenced with large beams holding a roof. Vines wrapped themselves around the beams and fence seemingly blending in with nature.
They started approaching a rather large building following the same theme of the entire compound. 'They really like red…' Naruto thought. The outside of the building was around the size of a small mansion and could probably hold over two hundred people. The same greenery covered the entire building. Although you could tell the caretakers allowed nature to keep a hold on its territory, you could see the buildings were all taken care of as well.
Naruto continued walking with Akane into the building. Naruto was in awe once more at the sight before him, never had he ever seen a dojo as unique as this one. Though that might be because he had never actually seen a dojo, that was a detail he was willing to look over for now. The sides of the building were lined with benches to watch sparing or other activities. The middle of the room was sunken in, so the viewers could get a bird's eye view of the arena.
The arena itself was its own little ecosystem. A small river cut the grassy arena diagonally, there are large mossy stone spikes sticking up to give cover. Varying tree sizes are also scattered around, some broken laying across the river creating a natural bridge. Small rays of light shined through multiple skylights placed randomly around the roof to give a tree canopy vibe. Overall, Naruto found the sight incredible.
"This is where we usually do team spars. They are exciting to watch and can get slightly destructive." Akane commented.
"Imagine the game of hide and seek you could play in there…" the blonde boy drooled.
"I-I guess you could probably play a good game of hide and seek." Akane wryly said.
Naruto looked over to Akane and asked, "So where to now?"
"I've already shown you most of the compound, I" Akane started, but cut off as she was tackled to the ground.
"Akane-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you!" A girl shouted.
She looked like Akane, but her hair is a much darker shade of red. Her hair went down to her shoulders and has a long ponytail with a golden bell holding it in place. It helped shape her small round face and dark forest green eyes, though Naruto only saw her face for a few seconds before it was buried in Akane's chest. She wore a light red sleeveless shirt with a small black skirt, oddly, she was also barefoot. 'Then again, this is probably her home…' Naruto considered.
Akane tried prying the girl from her chest but failed miserably. Shaking her head, "Aki, what do you need?" she sighed.
"I was hoping you could help me with my kenjutsu!" the newly founded Aki chirped excitedly before turning her gaze to Naruto, "Who's the blondie?" she asked.
"I can't right now, I'm showing said blondie around the compound right now," Akane answered.
A tick mark popped up on Naruto's forehead, "I have a name you know!" he said slightly annoyed.
After a few seconds of silence, "Well, what's your name blondie?" Aki asked.
Naruto sweatdropped, "My name is Naruto."
"Fishcake?" Aki's eyebrow raised at the silly name. 'Who would name someone after a ramen topping?' she wondered.
"It means Maelstrom! Mael! Strom!" Naruto shouted, punctuating his name.
"Whatever you say blonde fishcake." She cackled at his irritated face.
Naruto collapsed onto his knees and started pouting, mumbling stuff about 'not being named after a ramen topping', and 'it's a powerful name'. Akane and Aki sweatdropped.
"I guess I'll go spar with Danno-kun, later Akane-chan!" she called out as she ran from the dojo.
Akane looked over at the still pouting blonde, "You okay?" she asked warily.
"It means maelstrom… it's powerful…" Naruto mumbled.
"I'm sure it is Naruto-kun, really powerful," Akane said soothingly.
His eyes met hers, "You mean it?" he asked softly.
"Of course, I do," Akane replied warmly.
He jumped up like nothing just happened, "So, where to next?"
Akane raised her hand to her chin and took up a thoughtful expression before finally deciding on something, "I guess we can go wait back at the house for tou-san to come back from talking to the council." She replied.
=Nighttime, Masumi Clan Compound=
Naruto and Akane sat in the living room talking for a few hours while playing a card game called war. It was a game completely based on luck, no skill involved, and somehow, someway, Naruto won every single game. This frustrated Akane a bit but didn't let it show, they were just playing this to pass the time.
It was around dinner time when the sliding door opened, and Kenichi walked in. He smiled seeing Akane play with the young kit, hopefully, they will have a good friendship. He coughed lightly grabbing both their attention, "Akane-chan, Naruto-kun, dinner will be served shortly." He said.
"Gotcha tou-san, how did the meeting go?" Akane asked curiously. Naruto was also interested in the meeting since he assumed it had something to do with him.
"It went as expected, I'll discuss it with both of you tomorrow." He replied vaguely.
Akane nodded absently. Naruto followed suit, but he was miffed at not being told now.
Kenichi walked out of the room shutting the door behind him leaving Akane and Naruto to their own devices once again.
"You got any interest in learning kenjutsu?" Akane asked flipping over a king of spades.
"What's kenjutsu exactly?" Naruto answered with a question while flipping over an ace of hearts taking the king.
A tick mark popped up on Akane's head, 'what type of luck does this damn blondie have!' she thought angrily. She sighed in annoyance, "Kenjutsu is the art of using a sword, it's what my clan specializes in. Anyone can swing a sword around, but someone who understands the flow and respects the art can be truly devastating." She finished flipping over the ace of clubs, smiling in victory until Naruto flipped over the ace of diamonds. Signaling the start of a war, Naruto and Akane placed down three cards face down. The moment of truth, she flipped over a jack of spades, happy until she saw him flip over a king of diamonds. He also just happened to win the last ace in that batch.
"Okay! That's it! You're cheating somehow!" Akane slammed her hands down on the table, "I don't know how you're doing it, but no one is that lucky!" her eye twitched dangerously.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at the implication, "I don't cheat, you even said it was impossible to cheat."
"W-well, I know what I said, but I still don't like it." She mumbled angrily.
Naruto sweatdropped, 'Note to self, she doesn't like losing…' he thought.
"Did you want to play a different game?" he asked cautiously.
"No, maybe later. Let's just go eat already, dinner should be done, or finishing in a bit." She sighed, "Sorry for blowing up at you."
"It's not a problem dattebayo!" he exclaimed.
"…Dattebayo?" she asked warily.
"Don't question it. I don't even understand it." Naruto stated waving his hand dismissively.
"Okay…" she replied eyeing him weirdly, confusion evident in her eyes.
They walked out of the living room and down a long hallway until they arrived in front of a spacious room. The room has a massive wooden rectangular table. With a generously sized feast on it that made Naruto's mouth water. There is a rotisserie style chicken dismembered ready for the taking, steamed broccoli, steamed white rice, and bread rolls. He couldn't remember the last time he had a meal like this, in his short life, he can't remember ever having an actual meal.
Naruto quickly moved over to the table and took a seat. His eyes were stars that radiated excitement and hunger, his mouth hung open with a little drool forming at the corner. Somehow, he managed to miss the others sitting at the table with him looking at him with curiosity.
"Hey, fishcake!" Aki said mischievously.
That snapped Naruto out of his food fantasies. His eyes immediately darted to the familiar vixen, eyes lit with a fire. "It means maelstrom!" he shouted with as much passion as he could muster.
Now Naruto finally took the time to look at everyone sitting around the table. It wasn't just Kenichi and Akane, it seemed to be the entire clan. Loads of people varying in ages were gathered around the table prepared to eat but were staring wholeheartedly at Naruto. Perhaps it was his outburst, or maybe it was the fact he was new that drew their attention.
"Hello everyone, today we celebrate the return of Kurama-sama with a grand feast!" Kenichi stated loudly. The people gathered around the table whispered amongst each other. "We also welcome a new member of the sanctuary, Naruto! Please make him feel welcomed." He finished, looking over at Naruto.
Naruto once more felt all the eyes on him, guessing that he was supposed to say something, he spoke up. "Um, hello everyone. I'm Naruto, nice to meet you!"
After a few murmurs, Kenichi raised his hand into the air gathering everyone's attention once more. "Naruto will be staying with us for the time being, but we can discuss this all later. For now, let's eat and enjoy ourselves!" he cheered.
Naruto looked around to see everyone grabbing plates and passing them around taking what they wanted. This was new to Naruto, even in the orphanage it was, take what you can get before it was all gone. Naruto was brought out of his musing when he was passed a basket of rolls from Akane. He grabbed the basket and looked at all the bread, he took three rolls and placed them on his plate then passed the basket off. This continued for the rest of the food, and soon Naruto had a full plate of delicious food.
He looked around to see everyone eating and chatting with each other happily, it brought a small smile to his face. 'Is this what a family is?' Naruto puzzled. He looked over at Akane who was chatting with Aki and another boy while eating. Looking back at his own food, he started eating at a more subdued pace than usual. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone, but mostly, he wanted to savior an actual meal for once. No more rotten meat. No more spoiled milk. No more moldy bread.
The food was rather simple and nothing special to anyone around the table, but to Naruto, it could have been a five-star meal at a fancy restaurant. Every bite was delicious, savoring the spices. A tear slowly crept down his face with a slight sob which gained the attention of the table. For once in Naruto's short life, he was happy. Today had been the best day he had ever had.
"Are you okay Naruto?" Akane whispered beside him.
Not trusting his voice, he just nodded yes and continued to shake slightly.
"Are you sure fishcake?" Aki asked from the sidelines. Getting the same response from Naruto, she looked over to the creator of the meal. "Hey Riku, your meal was apparently so good it brought him to tears! Good job!" she laughed getting a thumbs-up from said man.
"My food is always good, but thanks for the compliment!" Riku chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, dear." A woman sitting beside him said sarcastically.
The banter continued until the meal was finished. Naruto nudged Akane, "Could you show me where my room is?"
Akane nodded and stood up, "Tou-san, Naruto wants to go to his room." She told her father.
Kenichi nodded his head in acceptance. Naruto and Akane left the room together heading towards the sleeping quarters, shutting the sliding door behind them. After a few minutes, one of the clansmen spoke up. "So, who is the boy?"
This question gathered the attention of everyone sitting around the table. They were all curious about the boy, especially after he broke down slightly from eating. Kenichi just sighed and began telling them all about the boy.
=Naruto and Akane, Masumi Clan Compound=
Naruto and Akane arrived in front of a door. It slid open revealing and small furnished bedroom. The walls are the same as every other room, white with a red border. A full-size bed was pushed up against the corner, a nightstand on the side with a lamp. On the other side of the room are a closet and dresser.
"This will be your room for as long as you want," Akane said breaking the silence.
"Thank you," Naruto said softly.
"You want to talk about it?" Akane asked.
Naruto's eyes shifted over to Akane before sighing. "I-I guess." He mumbled. He walked over to the bed and sat down, Akane followed doing the same.
"This whole place feels like a dream. I'm afraid I'm going to wake up in a tree at the park and be alone again." Naruto said shakily.
Akane listened silently. "I've never been treated well. I would have to fight for food but would usually be left with scraps. If I sat with others, I was glared at. Yet, today I've been treated like something other than a monster. I've made friends, been accepted for me, been given food and a home. It just feels like a dream." He finished with tears falling down his whiskered cheeks.
"This isn't a dream Naruto, for now, and ever you are home. Though I've only known you for a day, I can already tell we're going to be best friends." Akane said warmly, smiling.
Naruto wrapped her in a hug and cried silently which Akane returned. A few minutes passed before his shaking finally stopped and Naruto fell asleep. Akane rolled him on to his back, head laying on the pillow before standing up. Making her way out of the room she gave a sad smile before sliding the door shut leaving Naruto alone.
=Dining Room, Masumi Clan Compound=
"This is ridiculous! How could they treat a kit like that!" a clansman roared.
"And they have the nerve to call us monsters?!" a clanswoman shouted, getting nods of agreements from the others.
The door to the dining room slid open revealing a saddened Akane. She walked back over to Aki and took a seat beside her again. Noticing all the eyes on her, she asked what happened.
"Where's Naruto?" Kenichi asked what everyone else was thinking.
"He fell asleep crying hoping this wasn't a dream. He continued to say that he had never been treated so kindly, been given food or a home before. After a while of crying, he must have tired himself out." She smiled sadly.
Kenichi sighed, "I hope everyone here will treat him well. But don't give him pity, Kami knows I wouldn't want it. Just treat the kit like someone his age." He said sternly.
Getting nods of agreement, the clan members stood up and started filing out of the room. Everyone's mood was soured by what Kenichi said, some mumbling poor choice words about Konoha. When the room finally cleared out leaving Akane and Kenichi alone, he spoke.
"I hope you'll continue to spend time with him, kit," Kenichi stated.
"Tou-san, he's going to be fun to be around. He saw our dojo, and his first thoughts were about how awesome hide and seek would be. We're going to get along just fine, and the other kids will love him." She and Kenichi chuckled.
"Things are going to start changing, I feel like we were just pulled into something big. Whatever it is, I can only hope we're ready for it." Kenichi said cryptically.
Akane could only nod.
A/N - In this story, Naruto has not met the third Hokage. He was never given his mother's maiden name, meaning it's just Naruto until he discovers it for himself.
Thank you for reading the first chapter of "Kitsune Sanctuary"! I do hope you decide to come back for chapter two when I finally release it.
If you got any questions, please type them in with your reviews, and next chapter I'll try to answer some!