So here we go with another story. I finally finished the Naruto manga and decided to actually get involved with this fandom. This is going to be a much lighter story than my OHSHC one, but updates will be infrequent as always. I really should update the other one too. Anyway, this is an AU retelling of Naruto and Naruto Shippudden. Enjoy.
Prologue: Kurama
A flash of fiery orange could only just be made out through the trees, something that few people would be able to easily spot in the darkness of the night. The creature itself made no sound as it passed, though a sense of unease quickly followed him as he moved quickly.
He was running with a purpose, determined that if he could do something to help, he would. The forest was far more silent than usual, and every being within was now silent, watching with wide eyes towards the sounds of a far off shinobi battle.
The man, for he certainly looked human, frowned as he noticed that the screams could be heard even here. He quickly picked up speed, proving once and for all that he wasn't a human. If he hadn't been in such a hurry, an onlooker might have seen his fiery orange hair that was cut short in the front with bangs fluffed around his head and a long braid running down his back that was about as long as he was tall. His eyes were red with slits in the middle, and his mouth clearly had visible fangs. His hands too had claws, and he didn't really look like a shinobi.
He wore a fiery orange battle kimono with dark black pants under it, with matching cloth black shoes. He carried no weapons, but had dark black markings on his face not unlike whiskers, three on each cheek.
A growl passed his lips as he continued on his way, his eyes glued ahead of him to the smoke rising from a village of ninja nestled quietly within his forest, because it was his forest. His presence was largely forgotten, but any shinobi that saw him would know to stay away. His very gaze screamed danger.
A dark black shape loomed suddenly out of the forest, above the place where he knew the village he was looking for was located. It appeared to be somewhat wolf like, but other than being pitch black and having white glowing eyes, it had no distinguishing features. It was huge, and largely powerful, a cheap knockoff of creatures like him created by Kami knew what. Still, he couldn't help but snarl at it as he spotted it.
If he had been able to take his true form, that thing would have already been dead. How dare it attack his village? But he hadn't had a Jinchuuriki in years and there was no way he could defeat it as he was now. The ninja in the village themselves should have been able to mostly defeat it, but there was no telling what it would do before it was brought down. The male quickly changed his path to dash towards the area the beast was attacking and being attack from.
He soon caught sight of Konaha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves as it was called by the ninja, or shinobi who made up much of the world's military power. It, like many other villages now, were under attack by these strange creatures.
They were created by someone trying to mimic the Bijuu, which were thought by most humans now to be nothing more than legend. They were true living creatures though, spirits or demons, depending on who you asked, who were the guardians of the shinobi world as it had been created.
This man was really a nine tailed fox spirit known on as the Kyuubi, though his name was Kurama. He was often thought to be the herald of war or an omen of it, but he was the protector of the Fire Country and the Village hidden in the leaves. This Bijuu, like its brothers and sisters, was a massive creature that was immortal. Myths of all of them could be traced back to the Sage of the Six Paths and the creation of this world of ninjas.
There was no question as to why the Bijuu was enraged when it saw the shadowy being, a Yamikami if he remembered this particular one being called before. It was an imitation of the power that the Bijuu held. But there was also a reason why the Bijuu were thought little more than myths.
They could only achieve their true forms by partnering with a human child, part of a jutsu used on them that sealed them to human kind so that the Bijuu with all their terrible power, couldn't run wild. These human children were called Jinchuuriki.
Each Bijuu had ways of recognizing when someone could be a Jinchuuriki for them. This allowed the Bijuu to travel near humans, access all of their power, and give power to their Jinchuuriki so they could stand on equal terms with them.
After the First Great Ninja War however there were few people left who could have the ability. For Kurama, the ability had only been passed down eventually through two clans, the Senju and the Uzumaki. Eventually, only the Uzumaki clan had continued to use the power, which is why fox spirits known as Kitsune and even regular foxes continued to appear around them as they grew.
Fearing their rumored powers and their long lives the clan had been all but destroyed. The only remaining member was a woman who came to the Leaf Village. Kurama had followed her, hoping to aid her, but even she wasn't quite strong enough to be a Jinchuuriki. He could tell though that soon a child would be born who would have the ability.
He would only have to wait until then. Now however, with the village under attack, he had been forced to help fight to try and save some shinobi. He was the guardian of the Fire Country after all. But it had been quite a while until he had been able to actually go towards the village.
He could only pray he wasn't too late as he dashed onwards through the trees, changing shape as he did so. Humans were often scared of his beast like human form, so he settled with turning into a tiny version of his true form.
His back legs were bent at odd angles, giving him the ability to stand with his back legs, and his front legs were extra long and had thumbs, giving him arms. His fur was a fiery orange color, and his eyes were red with slits in the middle. His mouth never truly closed, revealing large fangs on his face.
The lips surrounding those were black, and he had black running from his eyes through his strangely long ears. If those features weren't enough to tip someone off that he wasn't a regular fox, he was the size of a large dog and had nine thin tails that lashed the air like flames.
He was quick on all fours, and his black nose led him onwards towards the battle. Luckily for him, his powerful chakra had transformed the kitsune here to look like him over time (though with various colors and markings) so he seemed completely unassuming for the area.
Kurama found a somewhat familiar scent hit him and paused, torn between going towards the massive monster which was obviously in some considerable amount of pain from the attacks of the shinobi trying to defend the village, and towards the woman, Kushina, who he knew was nearby. She was the last of the Uzumaki line, and he could definitely smell blood on her.
Finally he decided that the creature had already almost been defeated and he couldn't do much in this form anyway. He turned and ran straight towards the woman's scent, snarling silently as he also caught the smell of blood in the air. As he reached the area, he paused.
It had been blasted by something big, and the area was smoking and desolate. The small pond that had once been here was now gone, as well as the trees and any animals in the area. Around the smoldering crater, blasted trees could clearly be seen.
Obviously new to the area and some time after the explosion was a body. It was a man wearing a white cloak with red fire on the bottom and blonde hair. Kurama remembered him as the Forth Hokage, who had probably done quite a bit of damage to the Yamikami and had died for it. He bowed his head slightly to the man.
Next, Kurama noticed the woman. She was a pretty thing and pale, wearing a green dress with a white blouse under it. She was covered in blood, and her violet eyes and fiery red hair didn't seem quite as lively anymore. She looked beyond exhausted and was obviously injured, but her eyes flicked towards the Bijuu who was standing there. Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached her hand towards him, and he ran to greet her.
Her hand trembled as she ran it over his head, but he didn't mind. He quite liked humans actually, and especially those of the Uzumaki clan. She seemed to relax just slightly as she saw him, blood dripping slowly down her chin. He didn't even glance towards her chest, where it was obvious that she had suffered a fatal wound. A frown touched the fox's face as he sadly looked at the woman. Was this the end of the Uzumaki clan?
"N-Naruto," she whispered slowly, making the fox tilt its head. "P-Please...you...have to...my son..."
A son? That's all Kurama had to hear to start moving, placing his nose to the ground and using his canine sense of smell to locate any scents that were similar to these two (since the woman had married this man) but different. That would be the son. Besides the fact that it meant that, if the child was alive the Uzumaki clan wasn't finished, Kurama just loved children and wouldn't let any harm come to one if he could help it.
Finally picking up on a faint scent from the man's clothing he began to trek into the forest again in another direction, following his nose. The animals that called this place home were still silent, and the area was blasted beyond just a few year's repair, but he could still catch the faint scent, growing steadily stronger. Kurama was no dog, but he prided himself on being the Bijuu with the strongest sense of smell.
He paused and his ears flicked as he picked up the sound of an infant wailing. A baby? From what he could tell it couldn't be that old, an hour at most at this point. Was that why Kushina looked so exhausted? No doubt it was why Minato, the late Forth Hokage, had been so desperate to at least wound the creature. Hearing the sound made Kurama pick up the pace, dashing into a small hut that had been partly destroyed.
It was a miracle the baby was unharmed. Other than being tired, hungry, and scared, the child seemed all right. Kurama quickly crossed the room to the squirming bundle on the floor, peering down into it. The child was still naked, but since the battle had begun there had been no time to dress him.
He had rather pale skin and bright cerulean eyes which were filled with tears as he cried. His hair, like his father's, was a bright blonde, but what surprised Kurama the most were his birth marks. On either cheek was three whisker like markings.
Kurama felt a spark of excitement as he reached down, poking the child gently with his nose. He felt a spark run through him as he did so, he he smiled. So this was his new Jinchuuriki? He could sense it just from the simple touch.
The child could obviously sense something as well because his crying immediately ceased and he looked up with large and wondering eyes. Suddenly the baby giggled and began to reach for the fox's face. Kurama just chuckled as the child grabbed his fur and tugged. It hurt, but he didn't resist him.
"What a cute little thing," Kurama said in a deep and rich voice. "You're Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"
The baby of course couldn't respond, but Kurama didn't mind. He closed his eyes and sent the boy a little of his chakra, easing the boy's hunger and fear a little. It wasn't much, and the boy would definitely need to be fed soon, but the child stopped crying and even giggled as Kurama licked the tears away from his face. They were salty and bitter, but even this immortal Bijuu couldn't resist an adorable baby.
Naruto yawned adorably and rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists, and Kurama quickly noted how cold it was outside. The large fox jumped into the cradle with the boy, which was rather small. He managed to curl up around the boy without squishing him and then laid his nine tails (which were now still, though not relaxed) over him to help warm the baby.
Naruto yawned again and turned, curling up against the fox and grabbing a fist full of his soft orange fur before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Kurama just sighed as he laid his head gently on top of the boy's.
"You don't even understand what a terrible birthday you've just had," he said quietly to the sleeping infant, who didn't respond.
Kurama just continued to frown and listened carefully, making sure to be ready to move the child if there was any sign of danger. After several generations he'd finally found another Jinchuuriki, and with the way things were going, the Bijuu were severely needed at this point.
He wasn't going to let anything lay a finger on this kid if he could help it. His red eyes almost seemed to glow in the darkness as they watching intently, severe and challenging anything to try and harm the boy.
After a long while, he heard the Yamikami begin to let out shrieks of anguish that indicated that it was finally dying. Kurama bristled and snarled savagely, hoping they gave the creature a painful death. How many shinobi had sacrificed themselves so that others could survive the attack?
How many children had lost their parents just like this little one here? A deafening crash could be heard as the creature fell finally, dying outside of the city it had hoped to destroy. The infant began to shift and wake, but quickly calmed and fell back asleep as the fox gently licked his forehead.
At least this nightmare's over, Kurama thought. But I can't keep him out here forever. I'll have to take him back to the village when its safe.
Kurama didn't want to try moving the infant now. What if whoever had been controlling the Yamikami was still around and tried to kill the boy? What would the villagers do in response if they saw him? Usually they would probably assume he was a kitsune because of the number of tails, his appearance, and his size, but if they were scared they might just assume the worst and attack him. As he found himself wondering what to do however, his ears flicked up at the sound of approaching shinobi. Kurama began to bristle but didn't move.
"Is this it?" a female place gasped. "Its been destroyed!"
"This is where Kushina said she left Naruto," a male voice replied. "Do you hear anything?"
"No," the woman said. "its quiet. Come on. Hopefully he didn't get hurt. Kushina said something about a kitsune."
"Could a child have slept through something like that?" the man asked.
The woman didn't reply, but it was obvious that she didn't have to. They were nervous, and for some obvious reasons. No doubt the village was pretty much in a state of panic after the attack, and they had found their Hokage and his wife dead outside of it. Then there was the fact that if anyone knew about the baby after such a short period of time they were terrified that he had been killed too. No doubt the people needed some good news right now, especially their friends.
The man and woman came in, obviously both belonging to the elite Anbu Black Ops. They were wearing all black, including vests and cloaks with hoods. Both of them had black hair that hung fairly far down and the man's was braided and shorter than the woman's. The woman had a white mask that resembled a leopard with red markings around the eyes and spots and the other had a mask that resembled a wolf with red markings around its eyes and a swirl on its forehead.
The two froze when he raised his head to look at them, carefully surveying them. The village hidden in the leaves was well known for having kitsune nearby. They could be tricky creatures, but were usually very calm and helpful at heart though they were pranksters.
They didn't want to make him angry or receive any of his powerful chakra, though it was obvious they couldn't tell exactly what he was or they might have run away if they thought they had angered him. He finally nodded to them silently, letting them know that he was fine with letting them be here, and the two carefully crept forward, letting out relieved sighs when they saw the tiny child gripping his fur tightly. The woman carefully counted his tails before looking up again.
"Hello, old one," she said calmly. "Thank you, for taking care of the child."
"Unfortunately our village fell under attack," the man continued. "We were nearly sure that all of the kitsune had died, but we're happy to see that even one survived."
Kurama simply blinked at the two. Is that why it was so quiet? Come to think of it, he hadn't seen any kitsune around on his way here, and they would have been helping the people if they could. The woman carefully stepped forward, reaching to take the infant's hand and pull it as gently as possible away from the fox's fur. Once that was done she reached down to pick up the infant, and Kurama leaped out of the way to let her. She wrapped the child in the blanket and carefully cradled the sleeping infant in her arms.
"I'll go with you," Kurama suddenly said, surprising the two Anbu. "I promised the child's mother I would protect him."
It was a flimsy excuse, but he doubted they would question him for what his real motives were. They were elite shinobi who had no doubt come across many kitsune in their travels. Obviously, he wasn't one, but they expected that he would be one.
So they thought he followed the same rules. They expected him to keep his secrets and have his own ideas as to why he wanted to follow them, as well as why he wanted to be near the child, so he didn't have to explain to them. They both just simply nodded to him.
"The village is in chaos, old one," the man replied. "But you're free to come."
"Call me Kurama," the fox said quickly. He was practically immortal, but he didn't want to be called old all the time. He had his pride.
"As you wish," the woman said softly.
The two shinobi were gone in a flash out of the room, and the Bijuu quickly followed, able to sense the boy's presence and now acutely aware of where he was when he wasn't too far away from him. He was able to quickly catch up to the two even though he was still in his smaller form.
He wanted to keep some of his secrets in tact after all, and wouldn't be showing his human form to these shinobi anytime soon. Even so he was quick in his "kitsune" form and he soon caught up with them as they made their way to the village.
Kurama quickly recognized the front gates of the village, or what had once been the front gates. Now there was a small crater and injured and dead ninja everywhere. Kurama couldn't help but growl a little as he looked at the destroyed village. The two Anbu paused a moment, bowing their heads a little as they looked at their fallen comrades.
A chilly wind blew across them, making Naruto squirm a little and tossing the fox's fur around his face. Wolf (since Anbu were called by their masks) patted his head a little, which he tolerated. Leopard carefully shifted Naruto before continuing forward towards the Hokage's office. Kurama dutifully followed.
The village was in chaos. Crying children, injured and dead ninja everywhere, families calling out to each other and hoping for the best or preparing for the worst. The Anbu and shinobi still able to move were dashing every direction and hoping to ease the burden of whoever was now in charge here. Kurama's ears twitched unhappily at the thought of it all.
The Hokage's office was the center of activity, and no one even glanced more than once at the huge fox with nine tails. After all, kitsune had begun to look like him some time ago and seeing one with nine tails was rather rare, but not unheard of. They lived on average about two human life times each life and could be reborn up to nine times, gaining a new tail each life.
The two Anbu quickly leaped up and into a window, and the fox was quick to follow, his eyes trained on the sleeping baby in the woman's arms the whole way. It wasn't that he particularly didn't trust her, but he didn't want to let the fragile little package get hurt. This was the first Jinchuuriki he'd met in a long time, and he needed the little thing to grow up if there was going to be any hope for them. He could tell something big was coming.
The two Anbu and the fox soon arrived in the Hokage's office, which had only a few people within it. Most of them were Anbu, and a few were heads of various clans. The clans heads here were the Akimichi, Aburame, Uchiha and Hyuuga clans, who jumped at the appearance of the two and looked ready to attack. They relaxed, though with some surprise, when the saw the two Anbu and a Kitsune appear. An old man turned around and blinked at them.
Kurama had never met the heads of the Konaha clans, and especially not the four noble ones, but he did however know most of their names. The head of the Aburame clan was Shibi, a man who wore mostly gray clothing with a high collar, had short and spiked black hair and a mustache, and hid his eyes behind dark goggles.
The head of the Akimichi clan was named Chouza. He was a rather large man with long red hair, blue eyes, purple marks on his cheeks, and wore armor reminiscent of a samurai. Next to him was the leader of the Hyuuga clan, Hiashi, a man who was tall and slender with long black hair, wore all black, and had eyes that reminded Kurama strongly of pearls.
The last man was the head of the Uchiha clan, one that Kurama was familiar with. It seemed to be a rather cursed clan that was fond of revenge, though he had hopes that this generation would turn out differently with the correct push. His name was Fugaku, who was rather tall and had short black hair, dark black eyes, and a rather stoic expression. He was looking at the infant with a rather sad and worried expression.
The old man was actually the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had no doubt stepped back into leadership after the death of the forth. He had dark skin riddled with spots and wrinkles that revealed much about his age. His eyes were a dark brown and he had white hair and a white goatee. He sighed and attempted a smile as he turned to the Anbu and inclined his head slightly to the fox.
"Ah," he said. "Leopard, Wolf. What did you find out?"
"Its as we feared," Wolf said with a slight sigh. "The Forth Hokage has passed in trying to injure the beast and protect the village. His wife, Kushina Uzumaki also perished."
"However," Leopard continued, turning the baby so they could all see. "We did find the child, Naruto Uzumaki. With him was this kitsune, whom introduced himself as Kurama."
"Ah," the old man said sadly. "I see. Today is a terrible day indeed. At least Naruto survived, though I shouldn't be surprised. The Uzumaki clan has always been closely tied with foxes."
"This makes him the last member of his clan," Hiashi said.
"A large burden for such a small child," Shibi added in his quiet manner.
"We'll have to find him someplace to stay," Chouza suddenly added. "His parents were both heroes to the village!"
"I can arrange for him to have a place to live," Sarutobi replied. "Of course, we wouldn't charge him for it seeing as-"
"No wait," Fugaku said suddenly. "If no one has any objections, I would like to take him in."
"The Uchiha clan?" Hiashi asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This isn't like you, Fugaku, and certainly not like your clan. Why?"
"Minato was a good friend of mine," the man explained with some sadness in his voice. "And Mikoto was a good friend of Kushina's. I feel it would be a disgrace to them to not allow their son a good upbringing."
"It sounds to me like you simply want more power," Hiashi growled slightly, obviously angering Fugaku. "Why would the Uchiha clan be so interested in something outside their own walls for once?"
"I'm the head of the police force in Konaha," Fugaku growled. "What more power do I need?"
"For once," Chouza said, laying a hand on Hiashi's shoulder. "I have no problem with agreeing with Fugaku. The boy needs to be raised right."
"Indeed," Shibi said simply. "Your dislike for the clan blinds you."
"Hiashi," Sarutobi said suddenly. "I understand you have your reasons for disliking the clan, but for once let Fugaku win. The Uchiha has only shown us loyalty for generations. Forget the past and let it go. He is not Madara."
The name seemed to put a new chill in the air, and every shinobi tensed at the name. Indeed, even Kurama had heard the terrible things he'd done and bristled a little. Yes, he had helped found Konaha and eventually by extension the rest of the shinobi world. But that one man, the founder of the original clan, had dragged the clan's name through the mud for so long that it had left a scar still obviously seen by today.
"Fine," Hiashi seemed to relent, though reluctantly. "I'll allow it if the others do as well."
Chouza and Shibi both nodded, so Leopard handed Fugaku the boy carefully. Fugaku was very gentle with the boy, and simply cradled him in his arms. Kurama could sense that the man was already a father, and probably had a child of his own, if not more. He wasn't as nervous as a first time father and didn't seem to mind the others watching him. Seeing that the tiny package had been transferred, Kurama took a step forward and simply sat down in front of the man, looking up at him with calm and calculating eyes.
"Kurama?" Fugaku finally managed.
"Where the boy goes, I go."
The shinobi all seemed a little surprised by this, but other than nodding they didn't seem to respond much to it. They weren't going to ask why he had come to this decision, since they obviously thought he was a kitsune (an old one at that) and they were sure he was very smart for having survived so long. In reality, he was much older than any other fox spirit, not that he was really going to tell them that though.
Fugaku simply nodded to the group and then carried the baby outside the office and carefully back into the tired and worn streets. Kurama quickly ran to catch up to them, making sure to keep the sleeping infant in his sights at all times. The man was very careful with the child though and each step he took made him look even sadder.
Kurama could definitely believe that he had been good friends with the Forth Hokage. He could tell with the way he just seemed to grow even sadder as they continued on their way, and the way he often glanced down at the sleeping infant as if to prove to himself that the child was fine. But Kurama also noticed a deep loneliness in the man's eyes.
That and his pain only grew the farther they went, and Kurama soon realized why. The Uchiha named had been dragged through the mud so much, that they had practically been thrown to the side of the village. People often didn't like their police force, and having it be the Uchiha clan was worse because even after so many years no one really wanted to trust them.
At the edge of the village, in a place far less destroyed than the others, was where the Uchiha clan's complex was. They were easily one of the largest clans, if not the largest clan in the village, and they didn't have a mansion but several in a small area that was almost like a town within the village hidden in the leaves themselves. Kurama couldn't blame the man if he wanted to take some extra power for himself. Kurama wasn't fond of the past Uchiha leaders either, but this kind of thing only made him shake his head. Only humans could be this stupid.
"We're here," Fugaku said quietly to Kurama. "Um, Kurama-sama, where would you like to stay?"
"Kurama is fine," Kurama replied. "and I'll stay with the boy. I'm not picky where."
"I see," the man said. "I'll show you to my house then, since you'll be staying there. Now, I have to give my wife the unfortunate news."
Kurama could see the man's face draw slightly back in more pain. This obviously wasn't going to be easy for him, but he quickly made his way inside anyway. There was a tall, thin and beautiful woman inside, with long black hair, pale skin, and gray eyes. In her arms was an infant that was pale with black hair and dark black eyes, which were blinking sleepily at the man.
The woman gasped as she leaped up, handing the infant off to his older brother, who couldn't be older than six at most. He was also pale, with longer black hair tied behind his head except for part of his bangs. His eyes were dark black like his father's and he had lines on either side of his nose. He carefully held his baby brother as the woman ran to her husband. She stopped short though and looked down at the infant in her husband's arms.
"Wh-What is…?" the woman asked.
"Mikoto," the man said slowly and carefully. "This is Naruto Uzumaki. The Third Hokage has given us permission to raise him."
"But what about the Forth?" she asked in confusion, dread beginning to settle over her face. "And Kushina? What happened to them?"
"They're dead," the man said bluntly. "So I decided to adopt the boy. I can't let my best friend's son be raised by strangers."
Mikoto stared at her husband for a long while, then finally sank slowly down to her knees and silently cried, holding her hand to her face. Fugaku knelt down beside her and showed her the infant again, which she carefully took and cradled in her arms, crying softly into Naruto's chest, who finally woke and blinked up at the woman. He giggled and reached for her face, which only made the woman cry harder, though she smiled too.
"He's beautiful," she said. "Kami, Kushina would have loved to have met you. Do you think she did?"
"I believe she did," Kurama said, finally breaking the silence. "She sent me to find him after all." The woman jumped but smiled as she saw him.
"Ah yes," Fugaku said, trying to be strong for his small family. "This is Kurama, who would like to remain near Naruto."
"Of course," the woman said with a shaking voice.
"Mama," the older boy in the back called. "Why are you crying?"
"Itachi," Fugaku said, motioning the boy and his younger brother over. Itachi carefully carried the other infant closer. "This is Naruto, who will be your new baby brother from now on. He lost his parents, so be kind to him."
"I thought Sauske was my little brother," the child said in a rather innocent way.
"Of course he is," his mother said with a smile. "You just have another one now too. You'll be a good boy and look after them both, right?"
"Yes mother," the boy said, blinking in surprise at the giggling baby. He then smiled at him though as he saw the blonde laughing.
Kurama glanced up at the woman again, seeing her smile falter as she saw her son's smile. Tears were still rolling down her face as she saw it, and he could only imagine what she was thinking right now. He could tell that he had been extremely close to Naruto's mother, as her husband had been with the boy's father.
But she was still a mother, and like all mothers she instantly set about putting her sons to bed after the eventful night, all three of them. She was going to make sure that they were all well taken care of before she let her grief control her for a while. She settled the two infants down in the only crib she had (seeing how she had only expected one infant) and then quickly hurried her eldest son off to his own bed.
Kurama jumped up into the crib and curled up around the two infants silently to guard them. He could tell by looking at both of them that they were going to one day be great shinobi. He wasn't entirely sure how, but he knew that these two were going to shape the history of this world. And he was going to make sure that they lived to do just that. Besides, they were just adorable.
Both infants grabbed a fist full of fur and snuggled closer to the fox, sleeping soundly again as his sensitive ears could clearly hear the sound of the woman crying quietly in another room. It was obvious though that the sound could be heard by the eldest boy, who soon crept into the room with the two infants and the fox.
He didn't say anything, but the fear in his eyes told Kurama all he needed to know. The child was scared from the events earlier and wasn't sure how to react to hearing his mother crying in another room. So he curled up with a blanket and pillow in the corner of this room with his two younger siblings. Maybe he wanted to protect them, or to assure himself they were fine. Or maybe he sensed something about the fox and wanted to feel safe himself.
For all Kurama knew, it could have been all three. Kurama let some of his chakra leak into the air, which quickly seemed to calm and relax all three children. Within a few minutes though the boy became comfortable enough to sleep and was soon lightly snoring in the corner. The fox smiled a little as he laid his head back down carefully on Naruto's chest, closing his own eyes and hoping to get some sleep.
Today had been one eventful day.
And there's the prologue. Time skips will be a bit frequent at the very beginning of this story, but that'll just be until we actually get to a point where we can continue the main story about where the original starts off. BTW, expect characters that should be dead or should be evil to pop up in different ways in this story. I'm having fun with it.
