An experimental project. Basically, Naruto decides to live outside the village as a fox after he gets fed up with village life.

Tell me how you people like it so I know if I should continue it.

Naruto was sick of it. His horrible grades. Everyone making fun of him. Especially those dumbass villagers that would glare at him, and, should he do something they considered stupid, slap him. There was something about him that he just couldn't see. He swore he'd heard 'fox demon' leave their mouths a couple of times, so he figured, in a moment of absolute brilliance, that there must be a demon taking the form of a fox hanging around him, and the villagers just didn't like the demon. Regardless of whether this was the case or not, he still was effectively being accused of a crime he didn't commit, and he planned to do something about it.

And so, one night not long before the final exams for the academy came around once again, as Naruto sat on his bed, he called out to the thin air, "Hey, where are you?" There was no reply. Taking a deep breath, he held onto his patience and tried again. "Fox demon, I know you're there."

There was a deep growl that rang in Naruto's head. "Who said I was a demon?"

"All the villagers mention a fox demon whenever I'm around. I figured that a demon was hanging around me that I just couldn't see," Naruto replied, staring at the wall. "You've been making my life a living hell. What gives?"

"I did not choose to be stuck inside of you like a caged animal! And I am certainly not a demon!" The creature yelled, making Naruto cringe from the volume of the voice only he could hear.

"You're… inside of me?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," the voice growled. "Since the moment of your birth, I've been stuck inside of you."

"I guess we're both trapped by something we can't control," Naruto muttered.

"I may be trapped, but you don't have to be," the voice told him.

"No, the Hokage won't let me leave the village until I'm a ninja, and even then, I have to go on a mission to leave," Naruto muttered sadly.

"Not if you're a fox," the voice suggested.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"If you can master the ability to transform your body into that of a fox, you can easily live outside the village with few difficulties. And no one with be the wiser when they look at you." Naruto could almost hear the voice grin.

"This isn't some trick, right? I mean, you're not a demon, but how can I trust you?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Would telling you my name suffice for now?"

"I guess," Naruto said. "But I want a little more evidence later."

The voice chuckled. "I'm not that much of a trickster. At least, not when I'm trying to gain someone's trust, though it is a rare occasion for me to try and do that. My name is Kurama, and I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"The one that destroyed the village 12 years ago?" Naruto asked fearfully.

"The one and only," Kurama said. "In all reality, I was being controlled. I don't generally just destroy villages become I'm bored. Keep that in mind, kit, and you might just get along with me."

Naruto nodded. "Right," he muttered. "Why'd you call me 'kit'?"

"Because you're young enough by my standards to be considered such," Kurama replied. "Now go to sleep, we'll get working on the transformation art tomorrow."

Naruto grinned. "Alright. Good night, Kurama!" Promptly, he fell back on his bed, and was out like a light.

The next day, after failing more assignments from the academy, Naruto returned home. Upon closing the door, he called out, "Hey, Kurama! Did you see that? They failed me on my worst subject, even though they know I can't make a clone. Half the grade's based on effort too, and I was clearly giving it my all, so what gives?" He fell onto his bed.

"Sorry, kit. Not much you can do if they won't accept that you want to fit in," Kurama replied helplessly.

Naruto rolled onto his side. "Yeah, I know." Perking up, he said, "Hey, let's get working on that transformation justu you told me about!"

Kurama didn't reply. The next thing Naruto knew, he was standing ankle deep in water, staring at a giant 9-tailed fox that was trapped behind a massive gate.

"So that's what you look like, huh?" Naruto said, not even commenting on the change of scenery.

"Yep," the fox nodded. "Now then…" Kurama told him a simple set of steps.

Concentrating, he attempted to transform. The results were horrible. He looked slightly like a fox, having a snout and fur, but the rest of him was completely human. Upon finding that just letting go of his concentration and releasing the chakra he had gathered didn't undo the transformation, he was quite frightened, and so he asked, "How do I undo this?!" All the while, flailing around in a comical fashion.

"Relax, kit," Kurama told him. "Do the same set of steps, and concentrate ONLY on the form you wish to assume."

Naruto managed to change back to his regular form. Looking up at the fox, he asked, "If that justu can't be undone by regular means, why don't they teach it to everyone?"

"Well, I'm the only one who knows how to perform it anymore. It also requires a lot more chakra, and very few have that amount while they're learning the basics, and of course, they have to make it fair. And by the time everyone has that much, they'll all be so good at a regular hedge that it'll be worthless to learn it."

"How can I use it though?" Naruto asked.

"A small portion of my chakra, which is huge compared to the average person's, has blended with your normal reserves. You have an amazing amount just lying around, more than the first three Hokage put together. You could use the transformation at least four times in the same hour outside of your mind, and you'd be perfectly fine," Kurama explained.

"Oh... SWEET!" Naruto yelled. "Hey, does it take the same amount of chakra to transform back?"

"Because it's effectively a permanent transformation technique, yes," Kurama replied.

Naruto nodded and continued to practice the technique, quickly learning, and soon enough, he had it down. He had been able to make it so that his fur somewhat resembled the suit that he regularly wore. He took on the appearance of a small, one tailed fox, with most of his fur being a bright orange. It had a white stripe that started at his muzzle, and ran down to his stomach, as well as wrapped around his neck, similar to the collar of his suit. His stomach actually had the same seal that had always been present on his normal form tattooed on the fur, though it was something that Naruto himself didn't add, it just appeared there. His back paws, as well as his shoulders, were a grey color that was quite close to the blue of his sandals, without actually being blue. His eyes remained the same sea blue; however, other than that and his fur being the same color of his clothes, it was very difficult to tell that it was Naruto.

Kurama smiled happily. "Tomorrow, if you fail to pass your final exam, we can run away. I'll teach you everything that you need to know about surviving out there as we go."

Naruto nodded. Then a thought occurred to him. "It's going to get lonely out there."

Kurama shook his head. "Unless you find get someone that actually likes you to accompany you, then you're going alone. Sorry kit."

Naruto nodded with determination. "Don't worry! I'll get someone to come with me for sure!" Kurama chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm as he left the fox alone.

The next day, after arriving at the academy, Naruto strolled over to Sakura and whispered as he sat next to her, "I'm going to run away if I fail the test again. Want to come?"

Sakura scoffed. "Yeah right. Like I'd do that, even if you were telling the truth."

Naruto, distraught, hung his head as Kurama told him, "Sorry kit. She doesn't have enough chakra to use the transformation anyway."

"I know. Doesn't mean I can't try, though, right?" Naruto whispered back. "Still, she's the only one I even remotely like besides old man Hokage and Iruka. I guess I'll just have to meet a nice female fox in the forest."

"The term is vixen," Kurama informed him. "Anyway, you don't need her. She'd get in your way."

"She would?" Naruto asked.

Before Kurama could elaborate, Sakura bonked him on the head. "What're you whispering about?"

Naruto looked up at her briefly before letting his head rest on the desk. "Nothing important," he muttered.

Sakura let out a huff and turned her attention back to Sasuke.

"That's why, kit," Kurama said. "She only cares about that emotionless prick."

"I noticed," Naruto replied. "All the girls only care about him. I don't understand why. His whole clan was wiped off the face of the earth, and suddenly everyone cares about the only survivor. It makes sense in the beginning, but after a while you'd expect everyone to stop caring. He certainly has." Naruto glanced at said male, watching as he ignored the stares and occasional confession of love. "Fucking lucky is what he is. He's got looks, skills, and the whole village's pity, and unconditional love. The only thing that evens it out a little is that he lost his parents."

"Ah, stop talking like he's the best thing that's happened since sliced bread," Kurama growled. "You have the Kyuubi no Kitsune on your side! That's better than looks and pity."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, you're amazing, Kurama."

Sakura turned around to see who he was whispering to, and possibly bop him over the head again. To her surprise, there was no one around. "Kurama?" She asked.

Naruto jumped in shocked. He hadn't been aware that Sakura had been listening, and now she's heard the fox's name. "Oh, he's… uh, an imaginary friend," he lied. "You know, no one accepts me, so I've had to make up my own friends. Even if they aren't real."

Sakura studied him for a second before rolling her eyes and turning away.

Iruka then entered the classroom and began the written half of the exam. Naruto, who had taken the test a couple times, answered the majority of them with ease. When 75% of the paper was filled out, he gave up and put his head down to talk to Kurama as quietly as possible.

Amazingly enough, Naruto wasn't caught whispering to himself. That, or Iruka took pity on the boy, and didn't rip up his test, as was the normal protocol if a student was caught talking.

Onto the final part, and Naruto had to make three clones in order to pass, which, admittedly, makes the written part a little worthless. Naruto concentrated, and… failed. He looked at the failed, dead clone he had managed to conjure up. Snarling, he yelled, "Screw this!" He used his recently learned transformation justu, and jumped out the window before the two instructors could get a good look at his form.

Iruka sighed and requested the ANBU on standby, as they had expected Naruto to do something crazy, to go retrieve him while the exams were finished.

Meanwhile, Naruto ran. He tripped over himself numerous times, but he ran. People were so surprised at his presence, or more accurately, a fox's presence, that either they ran away screaming or they froze up, leaving Naruto to weave around the mess.

"Kit, we don't want anyone getting a good look at your fox form," Kurama told him. "Change back until we're at the forest."

Naruto nodded and transformed back. Anyone that saw Naruto change immediately thought he was trying to mess with them and some started to chase him. Thinking fast, Naruto jumped to the rooftops, and only the single ANBU was able to follow. As he jumped around the place, Kurama fed him instructions on how to mask his chakra, as the ANBU could easily find him by that alone, long after he was out of sight.

By some luck, Naruto managed to deceive the ANBU, and got away. Soon enough, he was in the forest. Once hidden behind the cover of the plants, he changed into his fox form, instantly masking his chakra again as per Kurama's instructions, in case the ANBU found out he entered the forest. With that done, Naruto decided to familiarize himself with the territory he was going to live in.

Meanwhile, the Hokage was informed that Naruto had eluded the ANBU, and is suspected to have entered the forest, all the while masking his chakra so as to not be found.

The old man grunted. "How'd he find out how to mask his chakra?"

"I don't know, sir. It isn't taught in the academy," the ANBU said.

Hiruzen let out a sigh. "Alright. Gather all the new Genin. Tell them this will be their first assignment, and it is to be treated as a C-rank mission. They are to spread out and find Naruto, and bring him back. Also have a small number of other ninja who are willing to do it join in as well. Should night fall, and we have failed to bring him back, send in all available clan members to find him at all costs. We cannot lose him."

The ANBU nodded. "Of course, Lord Hokage." With that, he left the old man to his thoughts.

All right, inform me of any errors, and if you enjoy it, tell me so I'll actually make another chapter!