The chapters will gradually get longer and then fluctuate in word length. At the outset, this may not seem like an original idea or very attention grabbing, but it all leads to something nice.

Disgust

The day following the battle on the bridge is a slow one. Team seven recuperates after its victory against the Demon and his right-hand. The country of Wave rejoices for the death of their oppressor, and signs of restoration are evident even now. Tazuna dutifully continues work on his nation's bridge to the mainland while his daughter and grandson enjoy a scarcely had walk through their hometown. Sakura sits with the lethargic but very much alive Sasuke, doting on him whenever a chance presents itself; he grumbles his appreciation for her kindness, inwardly overjoyed with his recent breakthrough. In his room, Kakashi sits upright, his back against a wall, recalling the previous day's events and reminiscing about events further in the past. Across from him is a sleeping Naruto.

As the boy stirs, Kakashi's lazy gaze falls onto him. "Good morning, Naruto," he says. The blonde boy turns over in his covers and returns the greeting in a similarly subdued manner.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei." A light silence descends upon them both as one attempts to sort his thoughts. After a few seconds, he attempts to speak again. "Um," Naruto starts, "a-are Sasuke and Sakura-"

Kakashi spoke plainly. "They're both fine, Naruto. So is Tazuna. I've taken measures to ensure no one on the bridge, besides you and I, knows what happened between you and that enemy ninja."

Relief spread all throughout Naruto's body quickly; although, an uneasiness was still very much present in him. He looked up, met Kakashi's line of sight, then turned away. Kakashi followed suit by looking out the window.

"Exactly what happened on that bridge, Naruto?"

His head remained down. "It started to take over." "It" did not need to be further defined. "Everything started to hurt, I was hungry, and then," Naruto looked up then, "I could see and feel new things. I still can."

"What do you see and feel?" Kakashi inquired.

He chuckled a bit. "Sounds crazy, but I think it's catra."

A languid but happy sigh. "It's 'chakra', Naruto. And if that's true, you've stumbled upon quite the ability." Kakashi shifted just a tad. "Now, continue on."

The elation he had felt at the hint of praise he received from Kakashi had already died away. Naruto's expression darkened. "Like I said... I was hungry. When I looked at Haku, he just seemed so... Tasty." His body jolted immediately after the word left his mouth. His voice increased in volume and shook as hysteria claimed him. "Sensei, I didn't mean to do it! I was just so hungry, and he... I tried to stop!"

Kakashi crossed the distance between him and his student in a flash. He placed a comforting hand atop the boy's shoulder and told him to calm down. "Naruto, I'm not blaming you for anything that happened. I'm not upset, so you shouldn't be either. What you did," Kakashi braced himself. "What you did was normal for a boy like you."

Naruto stared ahead, his brain doing what it could to register his teacher's words. A kind of perplexity took its home upon his face. "What?" The hand left his shoulder.

"Naruto, along with the fact that "It" resides within you, the Hokage has also kept secret the possibility that you may, at some point, have urges to cannibalize other humans. An event like this has already been accounted for, so you have no reason to worry about any repercussions."

To say Naruto was shocked at this revelation was an understatement. His mouth gaped. He closed it, yet it fell open again. He shook his head to exit his stupor.

"You mean, you already knew the fox would make me eat people, and you never told me?"

A shrug. "No one thought you would ever do it. Everyone believed that if you were meant to crave human flesh, you would have done so at a much earlier age." Kakashi faced Naruto. He saw the look he expected. "The Hokage will have more to say about this matter when we return to the village. For now, it's more important that I ask you this: Are you still hungry?" An immediate shout of "No!" was his response.

"I'm never going to eat THAT again! I don't care how much that stupid thing wants me to eat it - I won't do it! I can't believe you'd even think I would!"

Kakashi laughed despite the gravity of their discussion, and this only served to further Naruto's shout, no doubt disturbing his teammates a few rooms down. "Alright, alright. I understand. That's exactly what I wanted you to say." He ruffled Naruto's hair as a sign of his good intentions. When his hand was slapped away, he could only laugh more.

"Well, I'm sure there are other things you'd much rather be doing now than sitting here with me." He jerked his head toward the door. "You were pretty loud just now, so I'm sure they're both expecting you. Go see how Sasuke and Sakura are making out, won't you?"

Naruto let out a cry of worry as he now recalled Sasuke's previous condition. The boy had literally resembled a pincushion. He shot up from his futon and out the door, shouting both his teammates names. Kakashi watched the door Naruto had left open with an unmistakably sad look in his eye.

"You'll never eat it again, huh?" He closed his eye and fell over, right onto the previously occupied futon. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but that's wishful thinking. For now, you'll be fine, but soon, normal foods alone won't be able to curb your appetite. All we'll be able to do then is control exactly who you consume."

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