Author's Note: Here is the second chapter. Hope you like it, and I hope that I don't put you off too much with the changes from the manga/anime.

Chapter 2: Inheritance

Naruto took one look at his apartment and knew that he was going to have to clean it up. Tomorrow was July 7th, Kiba's 13th birthday, and Naruto had asked Kiba to come to his apartment some time later in the day after he had spent most of the day with his family. Naruto was planning on getting Kiba a great birthday present and had been saving every last penny that he could. Now the only thing left was to actually buy the gifts, but first things first. He spent two and a half hours cleaning his apartment, getting his dirty laundry gathered into one pile in the corner of his room and washing the dirty dishes that he had.

After that, he went out to get his shopping done. He knew exactly where it was that he wanted to go and he wasted no time in getting there and picking up what he thought that Kiba would like. Thankfully, he didn't have to have a confrontation with the manager of the store. He was in and out very fast. He was also happy that he didn't feel that he had been ripped off for what he had gotten.

Naruto smiled, knowing that Kiba was going to be ecstatic over his present. He made a quick stop at the grocery market before heading back home, picking up some supplies to cook Kiba a nice dinner.

Naruto was just getting the finishing touches ready for Kiba to come over when he heard a knock at the door. A smile graced his face and he rushed to the door. He threw it open and, seeing Kiba on his doorstep, he threw his arms around him in a hug.

"Happy Birthday, Kiba!" Naruto sang, and Kiba chuckled, turning slightly red.

"Thanks, Naruto. Something smells good. What's going on?" Kiba asked, and it was Naruto's turn to blush.

"Well, it is your birthday, silly, so I made your favorite! BBQ steak with rice and yakisoba noodles with miso broth!" naruto exclaimed, and Kiba smiled fondly at Naruto.

"Steak isn't cheap. You shouldn't have spent that kind of money on me!" Kiba said, though not unkindly. He was touched that Naruto would do something like that for him, especially knowing the blond's situation.

"Nonsense, only the best for my Kiba!" Naruto exclaimed and grabbed Kiba's arm, pulling him into the house. Kiba laughed and allowed himself to be led to the living room. On the coffee table were two plates of steaming rice and steak, a pot of miso broth in the center of the table and next to that was two bowls of yakisoba noodles and a small pot of barbeque sauce for the steak.

After the two were done eating, they both just sat there contentedly, talking about nothing in particular. After a bit of mindless chatter, Naruto stood up, and Kiba raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Dinner wasn't your only gift, ya know." Naruto said mischievously, and he winked, walking towards his bedroom.

"I'll bring it out to you! Stay there and close your eyes!" Naruto threw over his shoulder, and Kiba chuckled again but complied. He didn't have to wait long until he heard Naruto return.

"Okay, hold out your hands, and no peeking." Naruto said, and Kiba held out his hands. Naruto placed what he was holding in Kiba's open hands. Kiba felt something soft and... warm in his hands. When it started moving, Kiba gasped and opened his eyes.

In his hands was a beautiful white puppy with brown ears and a wagging tail looking at him. Kiba smiled in astonishment and looked at Naruto, who looked nervous.

"I know you're a dog person, but I also know that because we're ninja, you might want a companion with you when you go on missions. He isn't an ordinary puppy. He's bred to be a fighting dog." Naruto said, and Kiba set the puppy down and gave Naruto a big bear hug.

"He's perfect! Thank you so much! What's his name?" Kiba asked excitedly, and the puppy cocked its head at Kiba, almost like he was waiting for the response as well.

"I'm glad you like him. He doesn't have a name yet. I wanted you to be the one to name him." Naruto said, relieved that his gift had been received well.

" I think I'm going to call him... Akamaru. You okay with that Akamaru?" Kiba asked the puppy, and he barked and wagged his tail, jumping into Kiba's arms and licking his face.

"I think he likes it!" Naruto said, laughing. Akamaru barked again.

The two boys spent a little more time together before Kiba knew that he had to get back home before he got in trouble with his mom. Naruto bade him farewell and to have a great rest of his night, and the two parted. Naruto went to bed after cleaning up, thinking that he wanted to see Kiba be that happy more often. He fell asleep thinking that he felt the happiest he had ever felt before, knowing that it was because of him that Kiba felt that way.

When Kiba got back to the Inuzuka compound, another nindog came out to greet him. He recognized the scarred and rather terrifying visage of Kuromaru, his mother's faithful companion. He felt the gaze of Kuromaru all the way up to the house, and Akamaru hunkered down against Kiba, shivering softly and whimpering. Kiba stroked the top of his head and tried his best to calm down the small puppy. Kuromaru keened at Akamaru, and Akamaru stiffened slightly before relaxing completely.

Inside of the house, he saw his mom, Inuzuka Tsume, sitting on one of the couches in the living room. She had apparently been waiting for him. She took one look at Kiba, and more importantly, the puppy in his arms, and raised her eyebrow.

"Who was kind enough to give you a nindog for your birthday Kiba?" She asked bluntly, though not unkindly.

"My best friend. He made me dinner and gave me this puppy." Kiba said evasively, hoping that Tsume wouldn't try to pry. However, luck was not on his side.

He hadn't let his family know that he was spending time with Naruto. It wasn't because he was embarrassed with spending time with him or anything. It was because he was afraid that his mom was going to be like the rest of the villagers, and hate Naruto. He was afraid that she would forbid Kiba from seeing Naruto again.

"And who is this friend of yours?" She asked. Kiba thought about lying to her, but he knew that she wouldn't be fooled by it. He didn't know how, but she always knew when he was lying, no matter how well he thought that he hid it.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." Kiba said, and his mother raised both of her eyebrows in surprise.

"Him, huh? Is he the one who you've been spending so much time with lately?" She asked in a completely emotionless voice, and it pissed Kiba off.

"Yes, he is. Don't tell me that you are like the others. Just because he has the Kyuubi sealed in him doesn't make him a monster! He is one of the nicest people that I have ever met!" Kiba said, and realized that he was almost shouting. When he realized this, his face grew pale. He knew from previous experience that he wasn't going to escape unscathed from talking to his mom in such a disrespectful way.

Tsume was quiet for a few minutes, and Kiba stewed in his dread. He was surprised when Tsume laughed, though.

"I'll forgive you for yelling at me this once, but only because you're standing up for someone else. And to answer your question, I know that having the Kyuubi sealed inside of him hasn't changed him. If anything, it's made him stronger as a human being, as well as a ninja. I am surprised that he told you, though." Tsume said, and Kiba relaxed muscles that he didn't even realize were tense.

"When he told me, he was terrified. He thought he was going to lose me as a friend. He said that I was his only friend, and that he didn't want to screw it up, but that I had a right to know." Kiba said, and Tsume nodded. At that moment, Akamaru yipped, and Tsume looked at him.

"So you're Akamaru then? Well, Kiba here can be scatterbrained and a doofus sometimes, but he's a good kid. Help me take care of him, yeah?" She said, and it was Kiba's turn to raise his eyebrows at her.

"I don't believe that I ever told you his name..." He said, and was confused when Tsume grinned.

"Well, we are part dog after all. Didn't you know that I spoke dog?" She asked mischievously. Kiba had heard her say that before, but he always thought that she had been kidding. He still believed that, but he couldn't figure out how she had learned Akamaru's name.

Tsume got up, placed her left hand on top of Kiba's head, and made several hand signs that were too fast for Kiba to comprehend. He could feel her chakra pouring into him, and he felt an integral part of him wake up, letting him see through new eyes. All of a sudden, he was bombarded with a sense of smell far greater than he had before. He could smell the spicy curry that his mom had eaten for breakfast on her breath, even though he knew that she had brushed her teeth afterward. He could hear much better as well, to the point where he could hear his mom's heartbeat and the faster heartbeat of Akamaru.

There were so many new sensations that he was overwhelmed, and he fell in a heap on the floor painfully. Akamaru managed to jump out of Kiba's limp arms in time to not get crushed and licked Kiba's hand.

Kiba was incapacitated for what felt like an eternity to him, though in reality, it was only about five minutes.

"What did you do to me?" Kiba asked his mother when he could focus on the outside world, and she smiled down at him kindly.

"I gave you your inheritance. Now that you have your own nindog, you're ready to learn the secrets of the Inuzuka clan. Starting with the fact that when I say we are part dogs, I don't mean figuratively. We have the instincts of the canines, and we also have the ability to speak to them. It is a closely guarded secret, and that is the reason that we don't tell the younger members of the clan. Nindogs are valuable information gatherers." Tsume said. Kiba felt like he had been living only half a life before like he wasn't living up to his full potential.

"You have a lot to learn, but more importantly, you need to say hello to your puppy, officially." Tsume said, and Kiba looked at Akamaru who was sitting at Tsume's feet.

'Hello, Kiba. It's nice to meet you.' Akamaru barked and Kiba gasped in surprise, backing up a bit in fear.

"H-hi Akamaru..." Kiba said, and Akamaru slowly stood up and came over to Kiba. He licked his hand and looked Kiba in the eyes.

'Looks like we are going to be partners from now on. Take good care of me, okay?' Akamaru said, and Kiba smiled. He knew instinctively that there was nothing to be afraid of. If anything, the only reason he was afraid in the first place was because it felt so natural to be talking to Akamaru.

"Likewise buddy. I'll be counting on you!" Akamaru barked happily at that.

'How does it feel to be whole, pup?' Kuromaru asked, and the fact that he could now talk to Kiba did nothing to make him less intimidating.

"It feels... strange. Like I lived a half-lie. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kiba asked his mom, and she raised an eyebrow again.

"I thought that I explained that already. The fact that we can communicate with canines is a closely guarded secret, and that makes them very valuable information gatherers. How many people are going to talk about their plans when they know that an intelligent animal capable of speaking with certain people is in the room with them? Most people ignore dogs, and we use that to our advantage. Now imagine if we told all of the children in the clan. How long do you think it would take for one of them to blab to one of their friends? Then the secret would be out, and we would lose value as a clan." Tsume said, and Kiba had to agree that it was sound logic.

"Now, go and get some sleep! Tomorrow, I start training you in the arts of the Inuzuka clan." Tsume said, and Kiba cringed. He knew he was in for one helluva grueling experience. Before he left the room, he had a thought and turned back to his mom.

"Hey, you aren't upset that I'm hanging out with Naruto, right?" Kiba asked uncertainly.

"No. Just keep yourself safe. I gotta say that he has good taste with puppies, though. I know his situation too, so he must have spent everything that he had on Akamaru. Nindogs are not cheap, especially ones as well-bred as Akamaru is." Tsume said, and Kiba could feel color rising on his cheeks, though he had no idea why.

"Yeah, he's pretty awesome, and he cares about me a lot. Just like I care about him." Kiba said, and turned his back to go to bed, missing how Tsume frowned in contemplation. She decided not to dwell on it any further and decided to go to bed herself.

Author's Note: Second chapter is done and revised. Let me know if it is any good.