Naruto: The Red Fox
A/N: Hello everyone, this chapter was almost completed when I originally completed chapter 1, so it only took a bit of more work to complete. It's longer than the first chapter, but I hope it's just as good. Nevertheless, please review. I would much appreciate it. Enjoy chapter 2.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is related to Naruto.
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Chapter 2: Reunited with Friends
The Konoha 11 minus Naruto began their search for Naruto. They first stopped by his apartment, but realized that he wasn't home. Their next stop was Ichiraku's, but he wasn't there either. They decided to head towards the Hokage Tower to ask Tsunade about Naruto's location, but she didn't know where he was at the moment. By this time the Konoha 11 were beginning to become irritated that they couldn't find Naruto.
"Where the hell is he!" exclaimed Kiba.
"He's bound to be somewhere," replied Shino.
Ino sighed, "Well, we're spending more time looking for him than actually going to eat," she looked around before continuing, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting hungry."
"Well, we can't have dinner without Naruto-kun since he's here," said Hinata.
"We must do whatever we can to find him, it would be most unyouthful to have a gathering without one of our own!" exclaimed Lee with fire in his eyes. "If we can't find Naruto in one hour, then we shall do 1000 laps around Konoha!"
"Um, how about…NO!" responded Kiba. Kiba wanted to find Naruto just as badly, but didn't want to do 1000 laps around Konoha. "Lee, you can do that by yourself."
As the Konoha 11 continued their walk through Konoha, Shikamaru finally spoke up to the group.
"Tch, how troublesome," said Shikamaru as the group turned their attention towards him, "It would be much easier to simply have either Neji or Hinata use their Byakugan to find him instead of looking around."
The entire group froze at that suggestion and looked at each other dumbfounded. They all except for Shikamaru thought the same thing, 'Why did I not think of that.'
"Uh, hello Shika!" shouted Ino, "You could of reminded us earlier on that!"
"Tch, troublesome."
"Don't you think its troublesome looking for him the hard way!" exclaimed Ino before turning her attention towards Neji and Hinata. "And you two, why didn't you just use your Byakugan?"
"Nobody said we had to," Neji replied calmly.
The entire group begins laughing before Neji and Hinata activated their Byakugan to look for Naruto. After a few seconds they located Naruto and told the group that he was at the Konoha cemetery. This left the entire group wondering why he was there, but decided to wait for him to exit the cemetery. Sakura was wondering and concerned about Naruto, but decided to wait.
After another 10 minutes Neji alerts the group that Naruto began moving and left the cemetery. The group began moving again and headed towards Naruto's new location, the Hokage Monument.
Naruto finally reached the top of the Hokage Monument and took a seat on his favorite spot on top of the Fourth Hokage's head. He looked towards the village and sighed wondering how he would be able to end the hatred that has spread across the shinobi world. Naruto thinks about his childhood and the difficulties that it brought him. His next flashback reminds him of his academy days and all the pranks he pulled throughout Konoha. His next stop on memory lane includes his time with Team 7. 'Sasuke' thought Naruto. Sasuke abandoned the village over 3 years ago and become an international criminal since then. Naruto only wishes to bring Sasuke back to stop him from falling deeper into darkness even if he must kill him. Naruto's thoughts fall onto his teacher Jiraiya. Naruto deeply misses his old teacher who taught him so many things. He was taught things from the teachings of jutsus to the meaning of finding peace for the world. For as long as a chain of hatred exists, it would continue to grow and Naruto knew he had to find a way to stop it.
Suddenly Naruto's thoughts are interrupted when he noticed familiar chakra signals from behind. Naruto smiles and turns around to meets his friends whom he hasn't seen for weeks.
"Hello everyone, it's been awhile!" exclaimed Naruto.
"Hey Naruto!" replied the group.
"Naruto, we have been reunited with the power of youth!" yelled Lee.
Naruto sweet dropped, "It's nice to see you too Lee, I think."
The Konoha 11 had finally been reunited together. On their way to the barbeque restaurant, the group continued to talk about the events of the past month. This primarily included their preparations for the war against Madara.
As the group continue their conversation, Sakura doesn't speak as she is too busy being distracted by Naruto's body. She notices further differences not just physically, but mentally. 'I wonder what happened during his training.' She looks into Naruto's eyes as if trying to read his mind. But the moment she does she enters some sort of trance as if she's been hypnotized by his blue eyes. As quickly as she fell into the trance she snapped out of it. 'What the…' Sakura was shocked at her recent behavior. She didn't know what to think of it. Her heart began beating faster and faster as she put more thought into it. 'Why am I feeling like this?' thought Sakura. But, before she could put any further thought into it the group had finally reached the barbeque restaurant.
They took their seats and made their orders. For the first few minutes there was silence, but with this group that silence didn't last long.
"So, Naruto, what happened during your training?" asked Kiba.
"Yeah Naruto, it would be nice to know what you did," added Ino.
Naruto was hesitant to tell his friends about what he had to go through as he tried to change the subject.
"I…um…" Naruto stuttered as he tried to come up with something else.
Immediately everyone noticed Naruto's hesitance. Sakura is the first person to speak up.
"It's okay Naruto, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." She tried to be as sincere as possible so Naruto would feel more comfortable.
Naruto looked at her and grinned. After a few minutes the tension declined and the group continued to talk about other things such as their plans and a bit about the war.
"Man it sucks that we are in a war," said Kiba.
"Well, there isn't much we can do but fight the war and hope for the best," replied Tenten.
"Well it still sucks."
"As troublesome as it is we must fight to protect our king," said Shikamaru. Even though many consider Shikamaru to be a lazy person even he knows when he must put aside that laziness and act.
"I agree with Shikamaru," agreed Neji, "No matter how much we complain this is a war that is unavoidable." By now everyone had an understanding of who the king was and understood Shikamaru whenever it mentioned it.
"So much has happened in the past few years," said Shino.
"Oh, I didn't see you there Shino," said Naruto.
Shino immediately became depressed upon Naruto's words.
"It's okay Shino, I'm sure everyone else knows you were here," said Hinata as she tried to comfort Shino.
The rest of the night went smoothly as the group continued eating their food and having their fun. With war on the horizon the Konoha 11 are trying their best to enjoy their life while they can. None of them knows what will happen during the war or if any of them will survive it.
"It's nice for all of us to be together, who knows when the next we can be," stated Kiba.
Naruto looks around the group and thinks about how here got here. 'I've come so far, yet I'm nowhere near finished' thought Naruto as he looks at each person he made friends with.
Naruto hasn't gotten to know Tenten deeply, but still has a growing friendship with her. He has seen her grow into a strong kunoichi and the development of her skills as weapon specialist. He knows of her dream to become a strong kunoichi and prove to everyone who believes that women can't become ninjas wrong. Even though Naruto sees Tenten as scary and fiery, he has also seen her compassionate when trying to comfort others.
Naruto has known Choji for quite a while since the academy. At first their friendship wasn't too strong, but it was one of the few relationships that kept Naruto going. Naruto eventually to know Choji's kind, polite, and caring side, which are some of the reasons why Naruto considers Choji a great friend. To Naruto, Choji reminds him of himself and how they are willing to do what must be done to protect their fellow friends.
Ino is another person Naruto never really got to know on a personal level, but has gotten to know through Sakura. Despite being a bossy and outspoken person what Naruto sees in her is her caring, confident, and kind personality towards others.
After finally noticing Shino within the group Naruto considers the few times he has gotten close enough to him. To Naruto, Shino is quite a mysterious person, which makes Naruto want to know him a bit better. From what Naruto can gather Shino is a calm and collective person. Naruto simply waits to see what Shino can truly do.
Neji is someone Naruto has grown a strong friendship with ever since the Chunin Exam. Naruto remembers the first time he meet Neji who seemed like a cold and arrogant bastard. But, Naruto managed to open his eyes. Since then Neji has given up his original ideal of destiny and began caring for this teammates.
Despite Lee's ideals of youth, Naruto still considers him a great friend. Naruto sees the honor and respect Lee has for opponents, which in turn earned Naruto's respect. Lee's determination to be the best shinobi with only taijutsu is another factor why Naruto respect Lee. Naruto and Lee both share the understanding of never giving up especially when it comes to protecting their teammates.
Kiba is another friend who has always been a rival to Naruto, yet still a great friend. Kiba began respecting Naruto after losing to him during the Chunin Exams. Despite Kiba's short-temper and impatience, Naruto still sees Kiba's caring side towards his family as well as Hinata and Shino.
Hinata has always been a timid, serene, and polite person who has shown to be caring towards others. Naruto has noticed her increase in confidence and her ability to take better action. Naruto has always held Hinata in high regard due to her desire to improve herself and to be acknowledged, which is something Naruto has tried so hard to do and so far done well.
Shikamaru like Choji has been someone whom Naruto has known since the academy days. Naruto knows of the laziness Shikamaru shows, but has also seen his bravery, self-sacrifice, and leadership skills. Naruto knows Shikamaru would do anything to save as many as he can even if at the cost of his own life. Naruto knows he can also trust Shikamaru in the most dangerous situations.
When Naruto looks at Sakura his heart begins to beat faster even a single glance could turn his most horrible day to a good day. Despite her fiery-temper and stubbornness, Naruto has always considered those traits her strength and is what adds to his love for her. Indeed, Naruto loves Sakura. He loves her fiery-temper, he loves her stubbornness to fight on, he loves her kindness, and he loves her cheerfulness even if she denies those traits. From the moment he laid eyes on her Naruto had fallen love and he would always love her to the very end. As long as she is happy so is he even at the cost of his own happiness. 'Sakura-chan, if only there could be more between us.' Naruto sighs knowing there probably is no chance of ever having a future with Sakura, but he could always hope.
After another hour, everyone slowly left the barbeque restaurant and went towards their homes. Naruto decided to take this chance to walk Sakura home since it has been weeks since he last did it.
"Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan!"
As Naruto continuously called her name Sakura started to become a bit annoyed before a vein appeared on her forehead before yelling back, "SHUT IT NARUTO!"
"Ow!" Naruto ended up across the street before getting back up and heading towards Sakura more quietly. "Why Sakura-chan?"
"Because, you only need to say my name once!" retorted Sakura, even though she secretly liked him constantly repeating her name. 'I overreacted again.'
"Can I walk you home?" asked Naruto. He always enjoyed walking Sakura home it made feel better and hoped it did the same for Sakura.
'Kind as always' thought Sakura. "Sure, Naruto."
As usual, a big grin appeared on Naruto's face and walked side by side with Sakura towards her home.
"It's a good night" stated Naruto.
"It sure is," replied Sakura. Sakura decided to ask Naruto about his training once again hoping she didn't push to far. "So, Naruto…um…did anything happen during your…training?"
Silence fell between the two which worried Sakura; she hoped she didn't cross a line. Before she had a chance to apologize Naruto cut her off.
"I can't tell you or anyone in fact," replied Naruto.
'Anyone?' thought Sakura, 'What could be so important that he can't tell me, it's just training, right?'
"Huh, why not?" responded Sakura, she was a bit upset that Naruto couldn't trust and tell her such details.
"I just can't."
"Don't you trust me?" asked Sakura, hoping she could get a decent answer.
Naruto was caught a bit off guard with this, he trusted Sakura with all his heart, but he didn't want to put her in danger if she found out who his parents were since there is still a chance people might hunt down anyone with the Namikaze name.
Naruto sighed before answering, "Sakura-chan, I do trust you."
"Then why?" interrupted Sakura. Sakura was more confused, she didn't understand why training had to be kept a secret. 'I don't think it's the he hiding from me, there must be something else.'
"I want to tell you, but just not yet, please let me tell you when I'm ready."
At this moment Sakura knew she wouldn't get anything else from Naruto, so she decided to let it go.
"Alright, Naruto, tell me when you're ready." She smiled at him, which resulted in Naruto giving a genuine smile back.
A few minutes later the two reach Sakura's home, which is too soon for both.
"Well, here we are Sakura-chan."
"Thanks for walking me home again, it's been fun tonight." A slight blush appeared on Sakura's face before she turned her head away to hide it. Unfortunately for Sakura, Naruto noticed it, but made a wrong assumption.
"Are you okay Sakura-chan, you look red, are you sick?"
Naruto touches Sakura's forehead with his hand trying to determine if she was sick. This only caused Sakura to blush more and this caused her to react the only way she knew how by punching Naruto. Naruto once again ended up across the street. Immediately Sakura noticed her mistake and ran to Naruto.
"Oh my god Naruto, I'm so sorry, it…it was a…a reflex, right a reflex," said Sakura, trying to come up with an excuse for her actions.
"Ow." Naruto got up from the dirt before responding, "Well, those are some good reflexes, it makes you a better kunoichi."
Once again Sakura blush as she tried to hide it.
"Well, I'm still sorry, I shouldn't have hit you." Sakura looked towards the ground ashamed of her actions.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I shouldn't have touched you without her permission," replied Naruto.
'Baka, he blames himself for me punching him' thought Sakura. She didn't want Naruto blaming himself for something she did.
"Listen Naruto, it's my fault, I overacted when you simply wanted to make sure I wasn't sick even though I'm a medic," answered Sakura. 'I probably should have left that last part out, oh well, too late now.'
"But Sakur-"
Before Naruto had a chance to complete his sentence Sakura put a finger on his mouth to stop him from making more excuses.
"Please Naruto, just accept that it was my fault this time not yours."
Naruto didn't want her to feel bad or blame herself for her actions, but he knew he wasn't going to win this round, so decided to let it go for now. He sighed before continuing the conversation.
"I guess I can't win."
"Nope not a chance," replied Sakura with a grin.
"Well Sakura-chan, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay Naruto, see you tomorrow."
With their good-byes, Sakura went into her parent's home while Naruto went to his apartment to rest for the night.
At the Hokage tower, Tsunade was wrapping up the last of her paperwork before she went home for the night.
"Damn this paperwork," sneered Tsunade, "If I could find the person who invented paper I would rip them apart."
After finishing the last document, Tsunade began cleaning up before an ANBU member arrived in her office.
'Great, just great' thought Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, we just received news of a possible location of Madara's forces," said the ANBU member.
This immediately gained Tsunade's attention, "Very well, tell me the details, but first," she paused before continuing, "Shizune!"
Shizune ran into the office upon hearing her name called.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!"
"We just got news of a possible location of Madara's forces, I need you get Team Guy, Team 10, and Team Kakashi here immediately!"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" she paused before continuing, "What about Naruto?"
As much as Tsunade wanted Naruto to participate she still had to obey the ruling of the Kages to hide the jinchuriki.
"For now leave him out," replied Tsunade.
Shizune looked at Tsunade for a bit before responding, "Hai Hokage-sama." Shizune turned around and left the room.
Madara and Kabuto were in a underground cavern planning their attack on the shinobi alliance and how to draw out the two jinchuriki's that were needed for the final plan.
"Well, it seems that everything is set Madara-sama," said Kabuto.
"Indeed, we should begin our operation in a few days," replied Madara.
"Or you could wait a few weeks before you make your move," said an unknown voice.
Immediately Madara and Kabuto got into a defensive position and started looking around. A few seconds later a man in a hooded cloak appeared from the shadows of the cavern and slowly approached Madata and Kabuto.
'Impressive, I didn't sense him at all' thought Madara, 'It's almost as if he has no chakra in his body.'
"Madara is it?" said the hooded man.
"Yes, what of it?" asked Madara, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"I'm here to offer you an alliance," replied the hooded man.
"An alliance?" questioned Madara, "What could you possibility offer me that I don't already have?"
"Heh, I could offer you time."
"Time?" asked Kabuto, "Make more sense, what do you mean by time?"
The hooded man laughed before continuing, "I could offer you both infinite time, in other words…"
Red eyes could be seen from within the hood as the hooded man finished his sentence.
"I could offer you both true…"
"Immortality"
A/N: Alright, this is chapter 2. Longer than the first chapter, but should be decent enough. I hope to get better in my writing from this experience. Nevertheless, due to the bit of extra time I have this week, I try to get the next chapter done as quickly as possible since I still have my writing mojo on. Hopefully everyone enjoyed chapter 2. Till next time.