Thank you to all of you who reviewed the first chapter and I hope more of you review the next chapter. And as far as Itachi fainting, what would you do if you just saw a flaming skeleton slaughter everyone in front of you, point at you and call you innocent. That and I got it off of the Ghost Rider movie.

I don't own anything, please don't slam my grammar, and enjoy the story.

Naruto: Fox Rider

4 years later

As the Sun crept into the room of one Naruto Uzumaki, he was trying to crawl deeper into the covers.

"Naruto, it's time for school!" Kushina called.

"The party you are trying to reach is dead, please try again later." Naruto muttered.

"All right, I'll just tell Hinata you're not up for walking to school today," Kushina said with a smirk, "maybe Kiba will go with her." She then stepped back and waited for her words to take effect. Naruto became a whirlwind, gathering up his cloths, said, and fox before shooting out the door only to find Hinata not there.

"Have I ever told you you're more evil than the Fox?" Naruto asked his mother.

"Yes, and I'm sure you father would have agreed with you, rest his soul." Kushina said. Naruto sighed, after the Uchiha incident, Minato had decided that Naruto didn't need him to stick around and, after promising to always watch out for Naruto, faded away. Groaning at his mother's trick, Naruto walked back in and started to make himself breakfast. He was finishing his 5 bowl of cereal when there was a knock at the door. Kushina opened it to find a smiling Hinata Hyuga.

"Good morning Mrs. Uzumaki, is Naruto up yet? Hinata asked.

"Been up for a while Hinata." Naruto said walking to the door with a smile on his face and Kurama on his shoulder. "Mom here tricked me into getting up by saying that you were going to walk to school with Kiba instead of me." Hinata smiled and Naruto began to feel nervous about the evil glint that was in her eye.

"Well, Kiba is my second choice if you're not able to come." She said mischievously. Naruto groaned and looked at Kurama.

Women, ah partner. The fox said.

No kidding, Naruto agreed. After kissing his mother goodbye, Naruto and Hinata left for their last day of Ninja Academy.

"So, if I really wasn't around, you would hang out with Kiba?" Naruto asked. Kiba and his dog Akamaru were Naruto and Kurama's rivals. They were friends but when it came to being a ninja, those two would fight until neither one of them could move. They were also competing against each other for the affections of a certain pale eyed heiress. After being friends for nearly 4 years, Naruto had found he was starting to feels certain feelings for Hinata, but wasn't sure on whither or not to act on them for fear of ruining their friendship.

"Only because he's my best friend, next to you of course," Hinata said. Her friendship with Naruto had done wonders for her. She had a lot of confidence, her stutter was gone, you would have never guess that she had felt any trauma from nearly being kidnapped all those years ago.

They walked into the class room and survived their fellow students: Sakura and Ino were fighting over who would sit next to Sasuke, who was just starring ahead coldly, his only thoughts on finding whoever it was who slaughtered most of his clan, despite his brother telling him to forget about it. Shikamaru was snoozing while Choji was munching away on a bad of chips. Shino was his usual stone faced self, although at least it was his clan's custom instead of Sasuke who had no real reason to be cold. Kiba and Akamaru were looking at them with smiles on his faces, well, a smile on Kiba's, Akamaru was just sitting on his head happily with his tongue hanging out. Kurama jumped down from Naruto's shoulder and went to tackle Akamaru.

"Betcha Akamaru wins, Fox-Face." Kiba said as Naruto and Hinata sat down.

"Whatever you say Dog-Breath," Naruto replied.

"Now boys, behave." Hinata said. She hated having to play referee for the two boys. She knew they were close friends, but she still hated it whenever they would start to argue. A minute later, Iruka Umino walked into the class room and explained that in order to pass their final exam, they would need to create a clone and that they would be called in one at a time. Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Something wrong?" Kiba asked.

"Well it's just that, I've never been able to get the basic clone down, but I can do Shadow Clones no problem." Naruto explained.

"What's the difference?" Kiba asked.

"A Shadow Clone is like an exact duplication of the person who creates it, complete with half the performer's chakra." Hinata explained. "As oppose to just a regular clone who's just a shadow that can't really do anything."

"So, it sounds like you've got it no problem." Kiba said.

"The thing is I don't know if I should use the Shadow Clone, I don't know if it's right to you know?" Naruto explained.

"Look, you know how to do it, so why should you not bring it out, and show people what you can do?" Kiba said. Naruto smiled at the boy who was both his arch rival, and quite possibly his best friend. Naruto relaxed for the rest of the time to wait until it was finally his turn he walked into the exam room.

"All right Naruto, if you would please create a clone for us." Iruka said.

"How about I do you one better Iruka sensei," Naruto said crossing his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" With a large puff of smoke, 3 other Narutos appeared in the room, not transparent clones, but the flesh and blood Shadow clones that his mother had taught him. Iruka was smiling, he knew the boy had so much potential, and right here in front of him was proof of it.

"Very good Naruto, you pass." Iruka said.

"Hold on Iruka," Mizuki, the second teacher, interjected, "the task was to create 3 clones, not Shadow Clones, which is a forbiddon techneique that I can only assume that Naruto found by cheating."

"Hey, I didn't cheat; my mom taught me that justu." Naruto countered, feeling defensive. "And in all honesty Iruka sensei, I really can't do the basic clone jutsu. When I talk to my mom about it, she says that I have too much chakra to properly control."

"Well, thank you for your honest Naruto, and as far as being able to use clones, well I would say that some chakra control exercises would help with that problem. The overall fact that you can summon Shadow Clones is impressive in and of itself, so, as I said before, you pass. Congratulations." He handed Naruto a headband which he proudly took.

"Thank you Iruka sensei." Naruto said, bowing to Iruka and walking out, tying the headband around his waist like a belt. When he stepped out of the academy building, he ignored the cold glances that were being shot at him by some of the parents and walked strait to his mom who was with Hinata, Kiba, and their families.

"Looks like we've all made it," Hinata said with a smile.

"Good thing, if you hadn't made it Naruto, I would have had to beat the crap out of you." Kiba said, punching his friend in the arm. Naruto smiled at his friend.

"Like you could ever take me Kiba," Naruto replied, punching him back. Slowly the two kept punching each other until they were rolling on the ground beating on one another. Hinata sighed and pulled the two apart.

"What have I told you two about fighting?" She asked them.

"Not to do it in public." They said in unison. Hinata smiled as she let them go.

"Hishin, I think you're little girl has got our boys whipped." Kushinia said with Kiba's mom nodding in agreement.

"Well, I think that we should all go out and celebrate the kids becoming ninja." Hishian said. Ever since he had met Kushina, his normally hard, emotionless shell had all but fallen away after being around the Uzumakis. "Itchiraku Ramen for everyone, on me," Naruto jumped into the air and yelled for joy. Together, they all went to their own homes with plans to meet up at sunset at the ramen bar.

I'm getter closer to beating that white mutt, but I have to admit, the mongrel is an excellent fighter. Kurama was saying.

Hey, be nice. We may have our problems with Kiba and Akamaru, but they're good friends to us. Naruto countered.

I'm afraid I'm something of the middle demon in this situation. The fox waid, putting its two cents in. While the people and dogs of that clan can be pains, they are good fighters and loyal to a fault to those who earn it. Naruto shook his head; it was a pain having two foxes speaking in his head, one demon the other just…enhanced.

A couple hours later, Naruto and Kushina walked to Ichiraku to meet up with their friends. Naruto pulled up a seat at the bar next to Hinata, with Kiba on her other side. After ordering their ramen from a giggling Ayame, she still loved to tease Naruto about his crush on Hinata and having Kiba as a rival only made it worse for him, talk turned to teams.

"So who do think we'll get for teammates?" Naruto asked.

"As long as I'm not stuck with Sasuke and/or one of his idiotic fangirls, I'm happy." Kiba said.

"Here, here," Naruto agreed, raising his glass.

"I think it would be great if I was on the same team as my two favorite guys." Hinata said, slinging her arms around Naruto and Kiba's shoulders. Akamaru and Kiba yipped up at her. "Sorry boys, 4 favorite guys." They laughed until Naruto groaned, holding his head.

"You ok Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"Just a headache," Naruto groaned.

I felt it too Naruto, it's time to go to work. Kurmama said, sitting up and looking up at his partner.

"Excuse me for a bit," he said before running out of the bar with Kurama at his side. Once they got into back ally, the two of them burst into flames. Naruto rotated his bonny neck. "Let's ride." The Rider said mounting his Ride. Snapping his flaming reigns, Naruto and Kurama took off, unaware that they had been seen.

"So that's the famous Rider." Kiba said. Hinata was going glassy eyed seeing her savior so close.

"Come on." She said taking Kiba's hand.

"Wait a minute, are we going after him?" Kiba asked, but then caught sight of Hinata's face. "Yep we are." They ran after the Rider's flaming trail.

N:FR

Mizuki paused to rest in a clearing, the Forbidden Scroll on his back. Why his mysterious client wanted this scroll, he didn't really care, just as long a he would get paid. He felt a little bad that he'd killed those guards, but he shook it off, wasn't the first time he'd killed someone. Pausing to catch his breath, he looked around, making sure that he hadn't bee followed. When he looked up, he saw that a giant ring of fire appeared around him.

"Mizuki Rokusho," a deep raspy voice hissed out through flames, "your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent." Mizuki's eyes widened, as a flaming skeleton wearing leather was glaring at him and pointing at him. Panicking, he threw a giant shuriken at the skeleton who lashed out with a red-hot chain of shuriken with a kuni tip. He wrapped it around the shuriken and threw it back at Mizuki who was only just able to dodge the whirling blade of death. He tried to run, but found his path blocked by a giant flaming fox skeleton with nine tails.

"A-A nine tailed fox," Mizuki gasped, whirling back to Naruto who had wrapped his chain twice around his chest. "It's you, the demon brat, Naruto Uzumaki." The skeleton cracked his knuckles.

"Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent." The Rider repeated, grabbing Mizuki by his vest. "Look into my eyes and feel their pain." Mizuki felt himself unable to resist and found himself starring into the two firry orbs that functioned as the skeleton's eyes. Through those eyes, he could see what he had just done on this night, and also all the things he'd done during missions that were not a part of his orders, killing people he was suppose to just capture, murdering those guards, only he saw that these were happening to him. Mizuki didn't even know he was screaming. He only stopped screaming, on the outside, when Naruto looked away and let him slump to the ground.

N:FR

Kiba and Hinata stood behind a tree, starring at what the Rider had just done to Mizuki. When he stopped screaming and the Rider dropped him, the flames died down and the Rider's flames died down around him. Carefully, Hinata walked out from her hiding place.

"Hinata, what are you doing?" Kiba hissed. Hinata ignored him and walked over to the Rider. The skeleton looked over at her before looking away.

"Monster," Hinata herd it growl.

"I'm not afraid." Hinata said, and she wasn't. This was the same creature that had saved her life from a fate probably worse than death. She reached up to touch the Rider's bony cheek. As her fingers grew closer, the flames died away and skin grew back, skin with whisker marks on its cheeks, slowly followed by blond hair, and then sparkling blue eyes. "N-Naruto?"

"I see it but I don't believe it." Kiba said as he and Akamaru came into the clearing. Before anything else could be said, Naruto ran to a nearby tree and threw up. "Hey, you ok man?" Kiba asked, running to his friend's side.

"Everything he'd done," Naruto gasped before throwing up again. "All the people he'd killed, all those innocents." Tears were streaming down his face now. Kurama had changed back and started to rub his head against Naruto's hand. Naruto felt a pair of arms wrap around him and hold him close.

"It's ok Naruto, just let it out." Hinata whispered in his ear. He felt another hand on his shoulder and another furry head start to nuzzle into his hand.

"We're here for you Naruto." Kiba said. Iruka appeared on a tree branch watching Naruto being comforted by his friends. Their parents appeared beside Iruka a second later.

"Those are some impressive kids you all have." Iruka said. They didn't say anything as they watched as their children stood around each other, caring for one of their own as if they were already a team.

"I think one of the teams has already been assembled." Kushina said, glancing at the others who nodded.

"As do I," said a wizened old voice that caught everyone's attention. Iruka and both generations of ninja turned to see the Hokage walking out of the shadows.

"Hey Old Man," Naruto said looking up and whipping away his tears. Kiba and Hinata looked at him in shock at addressing the Hokage like that. They were just as shocked to see the Hokage chuckle at the informal name.

"Hello Naruto." He said. "And as I was saying, I do believe that one of the teams for the next generation of ninjas has been chosen." Naruto looked back and forth between Kiba and Hinata. Despite everything they'd just gone through, they were all smiling. "I had originally planed to have you on the same team as Sasuke Uchiha and Saskura Haruno, and I would have had Shino Abrimi working with Kiba and Hinata."

"Moody Emo Boy and Screaming Fan Girl Number 1 yikes," Naruto said with a shutter.

"Damn, I feel sorry for Shino." Kiba agreed. Hinata giggled at her two friends and smiled at her new teammates.

N:FR

Naruto woke up a week later and stretched. He'd met with the Hokage's grandson Konohamaru. Good kid but a little hyper and to eager to prove himself. Naruto had helped set the kid strait with Hinata's help. Getting a quick shower and some breakfast, Naruto walked out with Kurama on his shoulder. Hinata was standing outside smiling at Naruto while Kiba stood by her side with Akamaru sitting on his head.

"You ready team?" Naruto asked.

"We've been waiting on you Fox-Face." Kiba said grinning.

"Screw you Dog Breath." Naruto shot back.

"Boys," Hinata said threateningly. They both looked at her before glancing at their partners who looked back at their partners before shaking their heads, clearly stating 'don't look at us.'

"Come on guys, let's get going." Naruto said. "We're not really an official team until Iruka calls it out." They arrived at the class room and took their seats, waiting for Iruka to come in.

"All right everyone." Iruka said when he came in. "Here are the teams that you will all be in for the next phase of your ninja carriers." As he began going threw the list, Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba were quietly discussing the teams that were formed.

"Team 7, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Harino, and Shino Aburame," Iruka called out, soon followed by an eardrum shattering scream form Sakura.

"Jeeze, poor Shino." Kiba said.

"What, you say something Kiba?" Naruto asked, digging a finger in his ear. "I think I've gone deaf."

"No kidding, could you imagine if both Ino and Sakura had been on Sasuke's team?" Hinata asked, causing all three of them to shiver.

"Team 8, Kiba Inuzuka, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga," he shot a small smile in the trio's direction as they just smiled with joy.

"With last year's team 9 still in circulation, that only leaves team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akmichi, and Ino Yamanaka. And with that, I would like to wish you all good luck in the future." As Iruka left, Naruto slid his hands behind his head and put his feet up on the table.

"Nothing left to do now but wait for our sensei to get here." He said, smiling at Kiba and Hinata.

"Hopefully we'll get someone cool who can teach us a bunch of kick ass moves." Kiba said.

"I just hope he treats us right." Naruto said glancing at Hinata. He had no problem with how people treated him these days, but people still saw Hinata as weak because she would tend to flinch every now and then during a sparing match. Naruto and Kiba had tried to help her, but there was only so much that they could do to help.

"Well, we've got till lunch before the sensei's show up, who's hungry?" Hinata asked, producing a small lunch for the 3 of them. If Naruto and Kiba could truly agree on, it was when Hinata made something to eat, then do not fight for fear she would take away the delicious food that was prepared by the hands of an angel. They had discovered this early on because whenever they would end up arguing over the last piece of Hinata's cooking; she would take care of the problem by eating it herself.

"So, there's only one thing I don't get," Kiba said as they ate.

"Only one thing?" Naruto said with a smirk, but clutched his food closer for fear of Hinata taking it away.

"How in the hell, no pun intended, did you become a flaming badass in the first place?" Kiba asked. Hinata looked at Naruto quizzically; she'd been wondering how Naruto became her skeletal savior. Naruto sighed. He'd had a feeling this would come up between the three of them. During their lunch, Naruto explained everything to his new teammates everything. His father being the Forth Hokage, his deal with Mephisto, and having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside of him. He'd been a little warry through the whole thing, nervious about their reactions. When he finally finished he looked back and forth between Kiba's expressions of awe while Hinata, well, here expression was ranging from shock to awe to sorrow.

"So, that's why everyone in the village hates you." Kiba said. "Because they think that you're the fox."

"Pretty much," Naruto sighed, "and I have to admit, I'm pretty surprised I haven't gone Rider on over half this village."

"The half that wants you dead?" Hinata asked.

"No, the half that have tried to kill me over the past 12 years or so," Naruto said simply. Kiba and Hinata were stunned at how nonchalant Naruto was speaking about it. After that, they let the subject drop. Not long after that several of the teams were being led out of the rooms.

"Team 8," a voice said as Itachi Uchiha walked into the room, "my name is Itachi Uchiha and I'll be your sensei."

"Why are you teaching them Itachi?" Sasuke asked, angered that his brother was teaching outsiders and not him.

"Sorry Lil Bro, but Lord Hokage wanted me teaching these guys." Itachi said, jerking his thumb at Team 8. "Don't worry though; you and your team are getting a good sensei, hell maybe one of the best. Well, let's get going you three." He walked out of the room and Naruto, Kurama, Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru jumped down and followed their new sensei out of the room. He led them to a small dinner, which surprised them. "All right, well, let's get to know each other. As you've probably already figured out, my name is Itachi Uchiha, my likes are my little brother, pokey, and this village. My dislikes are anyone who thinks that the Uchiha are gods among men. My hobbies are looking after my family and training. My dream is to work on bring up the Uchiha Clan to its true glory." He glanced at Kiba. "How about you start us off,"

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka. My likes are my family, friends, and my partner Akamaru. My dislikes are cats and bad food. My hobbies are running, fighting and training. My dream, well, one is to beat Naruto, and the other is kind of like yours Itachi-sensei, to become a great leader of my clan. And for Akamaru and me to find a couple of nice girls, get married and have a whole lot of kids." Itachi nodded, making mental notes about the boy.

He seems like a good kid with an honest dream, I'm a bit nervous about his rivalry with a teammate, but from what Lord Hokage told me, they can put it aside when it's important. He thought. "All right, you're next miss."

"My name is Hinata Hyuga. My likes are my family, and my two best friends," Akamaru and Kurama yipped at her, "four best friends, sorry guys, I'll get that right sooner or later. My dislikes are people who think I'm weak when they don't give me a chance and anyone who would hurt someone I care about. My hobbies are practicing my own style of the Gentle Fist and cooking. My dream is to become a great clan head."

All right, certainly an interesting one for a Hyuga, not the self-centered pain in the ass like the rest of them. Got a strong bond with these two, especially with Naruto. Itachi surmised. "And last but I'm sure not least."

"Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are running free, ramen, my mother, and my friends. My dislikes are anyone who treats my family or friends and would harm an innocent person. My hobbies are training with my mom and spending time with my friends. My dream is to become Hokage and get rid of fighting."

Hell of a dream, and as loyal as they get I bet. No surprise that all those horror stories I hear from the village are bullshit. Granted most of those people are complete and total morons. Itachi smirked. "All right, normally, we'd go through an exercise to see how well you guys are with teamwork, but Lord Hokage has told me that you all trust each other well enough to the point where that's not necessary, so, tomorrow meet at training ground 4 for training, about a week after that, we'll get down to missions. Dismissed." Itachi turned and left, leaving his new team behind.

Weak ending, I know, but I don't know what I could go with next. Don't worry though, after this the chapters will hopefully get better. And you know what to do if you want this next chapter soon.

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