Hi there everyone!

I do apologize for the small hiatus between chapters. Between working two jobs and basic needs to survive I haven't had much time to write as I would like. This chapter is almost two months in the works, having had to rewrite and rework it almost five different times. However, my dogged persistance finally won out, and I have finished chapter 2! I hope to update the story sooner than last time, but anyways. here is chapter 2 of BiABbS!

Reviews are appreciated, alongside constructive criticism.

Brothers in Arms Bonded By Soul

Chapter 2: Such a Springtime of YOUTH!

Maito Tai always knew he was somewhat different from the rest of the village of Konohagakure. As one of the many children orphaned by the Kyuubi no Yoko attack eleven years back, having lost his father alongside the defenders of the village and his mother in childbirth, he was one of the lucky few to have a living relative that was willing to take him in. However, to the people of Konohagakure, this was a choice that one Maito Gai should have not made, and let him live the life of an orphan in the orphanage, if only to keep Tai from falling into green spandex clad madness alongside his "Youthful" Godfather. However, this was not to be, as Maito Gai had adored his older brother Maito Bai, and would have happily died for him without a care in the world. Thus, Gai felt that it fell to him to raise Tai in such a way that he would become a fine shinobi of the Leaf Village, even without the unknown stigma that burdened Tai whenever he walked through the village to get food or go to the ninja Academy for classes.

It was during one such walk after an early morning training session with his godfather on the Anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat that we find Maito Tai watching with unabashed curiosity as an angry group, closer to a mob without the torches and pitchforks, of civilians with a smattering of low genin and mid level chunin ninja chasing a young boy who was manically laughing his head off, with his shockingly bright blond mane of hair that reached down to his mid back flailing in the wind and eyes that were as blue as the sky clad in a appallingly bright orange jumpsuit with flecks of multiple different paint colors staining the garment that offended Tai's eyes this day. Standing on the side of the street as the chase continued down the main throughfare of the village, Tai could hear people screaming from the crowd and whispers rolling through those standing on the sidewalk alongside him.

"Get back here Uzumaki! You'll pay for this prank dearly!"

"Catch the brat! He's a menace to the safety of the village!"

"Why Hokage-Sama allow such a creature to start training as a ninja is beyond me."

"I know, right? I mean, if he's such a punk now what's to stop him from doing worse if he becomes a ninja?!"

"Nah, haven't you heard? He's the dead last of his ninja class right now. He even worse than the Maito kid, and that one can't even use ninjutsu or genjutsu properly!"

Tai's ears and eyes burned with indignant fury at this last statement, coming from a pair of chunin who were walking down the street, cackling at their hate filled barbs carelessly thrown towards the village's resident troublemaker and current Dead-Last of his academy class. And the insult towards his ineptitude in the favored branches of ninja skills, that was completely uncalled for! Deep within Tai, a small core of pure rage burst from a smoldering ember into a full force raging inferno. Throwing a glare at the backs of the two chunin as they turned down a side street, Tai decided that today, enough was enough! Today, he would show these two fools why he was an master of hard work in the art of taijutsu, and prove that his hard earned skill in taijutsu was something to be respected!

*Tai's Mindscape, Yang Kyuubi's cage*

The Yang half of the Kyuubi no Yoko, sealed within Maito Tai as an baby eight years ago, had slumbered in a fitful state of exhausted slumber ever since his mighty self was split into the yin and yang halves and were sealed into two newborn babes. He felt that the Yin half had gotten the better host, whereas he was sealed into the badly damaged chakra network of the brat he now resided in. Upon waking temporarily for the first time four years prior, the Kyuubi was astounded at how badly the containers chakra pathways were damaged from birth. Knowing that if the pathways were not healed and healed properly, that he was never going to be able to weaken the seal enough to break free, the Kyuubi began putting the abundance of Yang energy that made up his being into an effort of healing the network of energy lines that ran throughout his new host body.

Now, however, the body's natural pathways had recovered enough for the Kyuubi to have some semblance of comfort in the seal, instead of a crumbling hovel of a cage. Not anywhere near close to a full recovery that they would make by the time the brat was fully grown, but enough for the Kyuubi to start passively attempting to influence the human that held him captive. However, this was not his work. The growing seed of rage that now flowed through the boy's mind? That was not the work of a half awake Kyuubi no Yoko. That anger and rage was all 100% young Maito Tai.

This is interesting…Prove that you are at least an interesting host, and I might keep healing your pathways puny mortal. The Kyuubi thought with a thundering yawn as he placed his paws beneath his massive head in an attempt to make his cell more accommodating of a nap.

What? Even the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko, strongest of the Bijuu, needs his beauty sleep.

*Outside Tai's mindscape, Streets of Konohagakure*

Iwaganji Mansu and Karasuke Manji were both mid-level chunin in rank and ability, having barely squeaked out a win in their respective Chunin Exams in Suna and Kumo. However, as being the few who actually made it to the middle rank, they felt they deserved the respect of those lower on the totem pole than them. Thus, while walking down a side street after getting lunch on their day off, they did not expect to be accosted by a young academy student who bounced a rock off the back of their heads with unerring accuracy. Turning to look, they saw a young man with thick black hair wrapped into a set of nine wire braided dreadlocks running down the back of his neck, who was wearing a two-piece leaf green jumpsuit and a pair of white shin guards and arm guards with the kanji for Hard Work and Youth engraved onto them, with a deep maroon scarf wrapped around his neck, the ends trailing from either side of his neck like a pair of bloody pigtails.

"Huh, would you look at that Mansu, it's the Maito loser who can't use any justu! I think he wants a beat down from a pair of his superiors, eh?" Chuckled Manji, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Your right Manji, lets show this little brat what happens when you mess with actual ninja who can use jutsu." Mansu agreed, that same evil glint in his eyes as was in his compatriot's eyes.

Tai just glared at them, and set his body into a low crouching combat stance, one foot set behind the other in case he needed to push himself forward quickly, all the while pulling out a pair of iron studded knuckle gloves, and slipping them onto his hands.

"You won't be doing anything but sitting in the hospital for a while when I'm through with the pair of you. I'll show you not to mess with a Master of Hard Work! For I am in the Springtime of YOUTH!" Tai snarled, and with that, dashed at the two chunin ninja, promising pain with his eyes, determined to beat these two into submission

*Two hours later, Konoha Ninja Academy, Iruka Umino's class*

"Naruto, why do you spend so much time pranking when you should be SPENDING IT IN CLASS STUDYING!" Iruka Umino, Chunin Instructor of Konoha's Ninja Academy, roared at the captive bound Naruto Uzumaki, his Big Head no Jutsu in full effect, which would have effectively cowed any other student into submission.

Any other student than Naruto Uzumaki that is.

"….." Silence was the only response that Iruka got from Naruto, who had a sullen look of frustration upon his face, at what though Iruka could only guess at.

"Alright Naruto, go take your seat next to…Class, where is Maito Tai?" Asked Iruka, wondering how he hadn't noticed the boy leave the class.

"Him? He never showed. He must have realized it was his fate to not pass the exams and decided to skip." Neji Hyuuga, the for Rookie of the Year announced with a smirk on his face, getting a couple of snickers and chortles from his classmates. However, he was startled to see Naruto's head whip towards him, a glare filled with vitrol and hatred boring right into his very being.

"Insult him again and I'll make sure you regret ever saying such things." Naruto said in a soft spoken voice, however, it was filled with such a large amount of malice and barely restrained hatred that it shocked even Iruka, who knew Naruto was usually soft spoken and introspective unless he was pulling a prank of some kind.

"Oh? What will you, the dead last, be able to do to one such as myself? It is fate that you cannot lay a single hand on me in any of our spars." Said Neji with a sneer marring his face. Naruto popped up from the floor, shedding his bindings in less than a second, and with speed nobody knew he possessed, dashed across the room to punch Neji clean in the nose.

CRUNCH!

Neji let loose a clear scream of pain, having not been expecting such a sudden attack from the class dead last and as such was unprepared to defend himself.

"Well? Was that a part of your fate? Huh? Come on! Tell me, was that destined to happen? Go ahead and tell me why if I'm the dead last I can get such a hit on the famed Hyuuga prodigy?" Naruto demanded, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, adrenaline and blood rushing through his veins after scoring a clean hit on Neji.

"NARUTO! Stand down NOW!" Iruka roared, His Demon Big Head no Jutsu out in its full glory, the only thing capable of effectively scaring Naruto into submission. As Naruto backed away from Neji, Iruka pointed to the corner, where a chair and desk were sitting facing the blackboard. Naruto stood defiantly for a moment, staring Iruka down with only a small shimmer of fear in his eyes. That is, until Iruka growled and began snorting fire. Slumping over in defeat, Naruto slunk over to the desk in the corner, and took a seat, taking a well-worn book and brush out of the desk and begun writing "I will not harm my classmates outside of spars" over and over in kanji.

Iruka sighed, and let the Demond Big Head no Jutsu drop, and waved Mizuki over to Neji.

"Mizuki, please take Neji to the infirmary so the nurse can set his nose back into place. Class dismissed for the day, except you Naruto. I want that book filled with 30 pages of kanji before you can leave."

The students all filed out of class after Mizuki, Iruka and Neji, whispering to themselves and each other about the display they had seen in class.

Sighing, Naruto looked from the windows overlooking the academy grounds, then back to his punishment book. Today really just wasn't his day.

"Happy Birthday to me." Naruto muttered under his breath, as he began his punishment for the day, only to stop twenty minutes later when he heard the sound of someone limping down the hallway towards his classroom. Curiosity turned to shock as the battered form of Maito Tai pushed the classroom door to the side, and limped into the room. Turing towards Naruto, the boy let out a bloodied grin.

"I heard about your youthful defense of me during class against Neji and wanted to come and thank you in person for such a youthful display."

And with that, Maito Tai passed out on the floor with a groan, hitting the ground with a meaty thud. Naruto just looked at his unconscious form, an exasperated sweatdrop forming on the back of his head.

What the hell did he do, challenge a pair of chunin to a fight or something?