Author's Note: It might not be obvious from the preceding chapter, but Ranma hit Jusenkyo a year to a year and a half earlier than in Canon due to a butterfly effect caused by Jiraiya's presence in China.

Naruto found himself back in the water. He was holding onto someone. He assumed it was Ranma. Ranma pushed off him and rose toward the surface. Naruto followed him. He broke the surface of the water and saw Ranma's red-haired head sticking out of the water a short distance away. The platform that had covered the pond was gone other than a few splinters that were floating on the surface.

"Naruto, is that you?" called Jiraiya from a short distance away. He was standing at the edge of the pool. "There was a huge eruption of the Fox's chakra and you both stayed under a little bit longer than the other man."

"Yeah," Naruto responded. "It's me."

"What happened?" his sensei asked.

"Evidently the magic decided to combine my doom with Ranma's and now we both have foxgirl curses."

"Doom?"

"The Kyuubi said that the magic targets your insecurities or weaknesses and guides you to the appropriate pool."

"You talked to the Kyuubi?" asked Jiraiya. "How did it know anything about this place?"

By this time both Naruto and Ranma had made it out of the pond. Ranma had evidently spotted his father because she yelled, "Pop! I'm going to kill you!" Naruto knew it was hypocritical, but he had a hard time thinking of Ranma as she was now, as a boy.

He had a thought. "Hey," he said. "I met my Dad in the seal, too. He was your student. You knew who my parents are and you never told me!" He finished with a shout.

"Now, now, Naruto," said Jaraiya, making calming motions with his hands. "Neither Tsunade or I thought you were ready to know yet. It could cause some bad things for you if it got out, and you've never been very discrete."

Naruto felt his temper start to fray. He began to be filled with an energy he recognized as filling the new pipes in the seal room. It wasn't hate-filled like the Kyuubi's. With it filling him, he felt wild, clever, and mischievous. If he chased Ero-sennin, [Pervert Sage] the odds of him falling into a pond increased greatly. He knew he shouldn't, but the magic would only give him what he deserved, right? He let the energy radiate from him and foxfire sprang from him.

He said, "Ero-sennin, you know I've wanted to know who my parents were more than anything in the world. I would have promised almost anything to know, and you know I keep my promises." His new voice dripped sweetly with righteous, feminine indignation.

He could see sweat form on the Toad Sage's forehead. "Come here, Ero-sennin. I have something I want to demonstrate to you."

Jiraiya started to back up, but then thought better of it. He pivoted to turn and run, but his foot slipped in the wet earth separating the ponds. He tumbled into one of the ponds next to Naruto and Ranma's.

The figure that came up was shrunken and wrinkled with white, wispy hair. Jiraiya's large scroll floated beside it. The figure pushed it toward the shore, struggling due to oversized clothes. It held a gnarled staff in one of its hands. The figure finally made it to the shore with the scroll. The figure was barely a meter tall, if that, compared to Jiraiya's nearly two meters, so Jiraiya's clothes hung off of it. It took out a bottle of ink and drew a design on its clothes. It added chakra and the clothes shrank. They were still baggy, but now the sleeves and shirt did not drag on the ground.

"Are you satisfied now, Brat?" Jiraiya said in a scratchy granny voice.

The only thing that kept Naruto from collapsing to the ground in fits of laughter was how dangerous the location was. As it was, he couldn't help snickering. "Yeah, I think I've been avenged."

The two made their way to where the green-clothed man was. "Young Mr. Customer fall in Spring of Drowned Foxgirl. Very tragic story of Foxgirl who drown in spring 2500 years ago. Old Mr. Customer fall in Spring of Drowned Amazon Elder. Very tragic story of Amazon Elder who drown in spring 200 years ago. I am the Jusenkyo Guide. You sign guestbook. I tell you about curses."

Ranma chased his father. He felt a thrill as his prey ran from him. He felt something twist in his mind and he dropped to all fours. The strangeness of it brought him up short. He looked at himself and saw that he was now a red-colored fox. He looked over his shoulder and saw that he still had three tails. He felt very powerful, and if he could judge his size, he was probably the size of a large tiger. He resumed his chase, loping after the panda.

The panda that must be his father ran up the slope and brushed past a boy wearing a tiger-striped bandana, causing him to stumble. Ranma leaped over the boy and continued the chase. He had to admit to himself that running and leaping in this form was fun, but he hoped he could change back to the form that looked mostly human.

There were a lot of cliffs, some of them overlooked the pools and some of them stretched up to higher in the hills. He finally backed his father up against a cliff. He reined in his animalistic instincts—what he really wanted to do was pound him. He focused on being human. To his surprise, he became full-human. He felt his head and tailbone—no fox ears or tails. He was still a girl though.

He smacked his fist into his palm. "Prepare for a beating, Pop."

The panda held up a sign that said, How can you change back and forth—flip—between human and animal?

Ranma was not sure why, so he bluffed. "I'm just that awesome, Pop."

Ranma remembered that foxes were supposed to be shapeshifters. Maybe that was why he could do it. He wondered if he could change all the way back. He pictured his normal self and thought, 'Change.'

He felt a twisting within himself and looked down. No breasts. He was normal. He began to dance. "Never going to be a girl again. Never going to be a girl again."

He ducked the sign his pop threw at him and ran down the hill. He felt stiff and awkward, but he would live with it if it was the price to be normal. He was sure the stiffness would work its way out.

Naruto sat on the ground outside the guide's hut, waiting for the water to heat up. His tails made it hard to get comfortable at first before he finally knelt seiza-style to give them room to curve.

He heard a voice call out, "Too slow, Pop."

Male Ranma was running down the slope dodging signs being thrown by the panda presumed to be his father. Naruto wondered how he had changed back.

Ranma was periodically singing, "Never going to be a girl again."

Ranma and his father skidded to a stop right before Naruto. The panda leapt at the boy. Ranma ducked and nailed the fat panda with a side kick. The panda flew back.

"Hey, Ranma," Naruto said. "How did you change back?"

"Well, I changed into a giant fox, while chasing Pop and then to a full human girl. I remembered that foxes are supposed to be shapeshifters, so I just willed myself back."

"How big of a fox?" Jiraiya asked nervously.

"Tiger sized," he answered. He held his hand up to chest level.

Naruto decided to experiment. He thought of changing to a fox. Something inside him twisted and he dropped to all fours. He looked up at Ranma. This was not a giant fox. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that he only had one tail. He thought of changing into a giant fox. Something inside him twisted and he grew. He was now chest high on Ranma. He looked over his shoulder and saw he had all three tails back. He thought of turning human. The same thing inside him twisted and he stood on two legs again. He was a girl. Looking over his shoulder he saw that his tails were gone. He rubbed his head. No fox ears. He thought of being a foxgirl and felt the twisting inside. He saw that he had tails again and felt the fox ears on top of his head. He instinctively knew that those were his normal forms for his cursed body, although the normal-sized fox and the pure human forms seemed slightly less normal. He pictured his normal human form and concentrated on changing. He looked down and saw that he was in his normal body, although it did not feel normal. Something was off. It felt kind of like using the Transformation Technique, although he could tell he was not using any chakra.

"That was kind of fun," he said.

"Speak for yourself," said Ranma. "I'm just glad to be normal again."

"That's what's odd," said Naruto. "I don't feel normal."

"I know what you mean," said Ranma, "but I'm sure you'll get used to it."

Ranma's panda father stepped into Naruto's personal space. He was waving a sign that said, How'd you do that?

"I don't know," he replied. "I just concentrated on changing."

The panda looked constipated for a moment. It's not working—flip—Why isn't it working?

"I think it's because he lacks awesomeness," said Ranma.

Naruto laughed. "I think it's because foxes are natural shapeshifters—at least supernatural foxes like Ranma and me."

The panda seemed to be pouting.

"Hey," Naruto said to the panda. "Where are you getting those signs?"

The panda simply shrugged.

Ranma tuned out Naruto and Jiraiya as they started to talk about what had happened in the seal place. Currently, Naruto was berating the old crone about not telling him about his parents. The conversation got Ranma to thinking about his mother. He really did not know anything about her. His memory from before the Cat Fist training was minimal.

"Hey, Pop," he said. "What happened to Mom?"

The panda held up a sign. Dead.

"What do you mean dead? How?" asked Ranma.

Wasting disease. He brought out a new sign. Women make you soft—flip—You're better off without her.

The other conversation had lapsed as Ranma had started to speak. Now the other boy and the crone were staring at the panda with looks of disbelief.

The crone cackled. "A woman I know would kill you for that."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Baachan [Granny (disrespectfully familiar)] would turn you into paste."

Naruto changed into a well-endowed blonde woman.

"Woah," he said, "I don't know how she moves with these things." He indicated her chest. Naruto changed back to his male form.

Ranma thought the old man was looking suspicious. He determined to look through his pop's pack for clues the next chance he got.

Naruto could not believe how big of an idiot Ranma's father was. Before he could get back to explaining about what he'd learned from his father and the Kyuubi, the Guide returned bearing a kettle.

Jiraiya and the panda both sprang for it. Jiraiya nailed the panda in the head with the stick he was still carrying and snagged the kettle. He poured some of it on his head and sighed in relief as he turned back to normal. Luckily his clothes grew with him, although his pants seemed to be missing. The long shirt he was wearing was just barely modest.

"Ah, good to see that seal worked and good to be back to normal," the Toad Sage said. He tossed the kettle to the panda.

The panda changed back to the heavy man they had seen earlier. The panda used the rest of the water—more than he needed, but Naruto did not mind since he had already changed. The man adjusted his glasses and the gi he was wearing.

"I get pants," said the guide.

The guide returned with pants, which Jiraiya quickly put on to everyone's relief. "A specialized storage seal that swapped clothes would work better," the old man mumbled.

"Is there any way to remove the curse?" Jiraiya asked the Guide.

"Don't know of way," said the Guide. "Maybe Amazons know."

"Who are these Amazons?" asked the Toad Sage.

"Tribe woman warriors. Live not far here. Some them very wise."

Ranma's father snorted.

"Your loss, Pop," said Ranma. He started softly singing "Never going to be a girl again."

"Maybe we ought to at least see what they say," said the heavy man.

"What about replacing the curse by jumping in a different pool?" Jiraiya asked.

"Sometimes the curses replace, sometimes they add together," said the Guide. "I hear one time someone have two curses same time with cold, lukewarm, and hot water."

Tell Jiraiya not to chance it, Naruto heard. It sounded like his father's voice.

"Is that you Dad?" Naruto asked out loud.

Yes, but you can just think a response at me. I can read your surface thoughts.

Okay, Naruto thought in response.

"That's pretty weird," Ranma said.

"You can hear my dad too?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, he said not to try replacing the curse," the black-haired boy responded.

Can you hear me, Ranma? Naruto tried.

I don't think he can hear you, Son, his father answered. Maybe with some practice. Tell Jiraiya that I don't think the curses replace until you've learned whatever lesson they were supposed to teach.

"Dad says that he doesn't think the curses will replace until you've learned the lesson you were supposed to learn."

"That 'Doom' you were talking about earlier?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded.

"What 'Doom' is this?" asked Ranma's father.

"The Fox could see the magic of this place. He says that its mandate is to curse you with a form based on your insecurities and weaknesses."

"Fox?" asked the heavyset man.

"Naruto has a giant fox demon sealed inside him," said Jiraiya. "Evidently they talked while they were in the pool."

"Hah, I knew you were a weak girl, Boy" said the other boy's father.

It's probably his father's fault that he fears being seen as a girl due to all the name calling, said Naruto's dad.

"Naruto's pop says it's your fault for telling me that all the time!" Ranma yelled. He leapt at his father and they started bouncing around striking at each other.

The two were fast and vicious. They were not quite in Gai's league, but they could probably easily handle Lee with his weights on and without the Gates.

Jiraiya started asking the Guide about the area and the people that lived near here and what their cultures were like. Naruto only half paid attention, preferring to watch Rama and his dad whale on each other.

Ranma's stiffness and sense of being not himself were not going away, even as he fought his father. He ignored it. It was a small thing. He fought his father injured not infrequently, which was much worse. After sparring for perhaps half an hour he got his father in the chin with a good hook.

"Getting slow, Old Man," Ranma crowed as his father lay sprawled.

By this time, it was starting to get dark.

"Can we stay the night, Guide?" asked Naruto's companion, Jiraiya. "We can go see the Amazons tomorrow."

"Not much room inside," said the Guide.

"That's fine, we can camp out here," Jiraiya responded.

"That fine," said the Guide.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," said Jiraiya as he started to do a little shuffling dance, "From Mount Myouboku, the man that every woman wants, that every man wants to be, I am the Gallant Jiraiya the Toad Sage!"

Naruto said, "I just call him Ero-sennin."

"Show some respect, Brat!"

"Stop being a pervert!"

"I told you that I'm not a pervert, I'm a super pervert!"

Naruto bowed. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto or is it Namikaze Naruto? Ero-sennin and I are on a three-year training trip."

I don't mind if you use your mother's name, Naruto, said the blond's father. To be honest, it has more history.

Ranma sketched a quick bow. "Saotome Ranma, Heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. I'm also on a training journey. How long has it been, Pop? Nine, ten years?"

"About nine. Saotome Genma, Master of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."

Naruto chatted with Ranma about their training trips. He told a few stories about Jiraiya, but mostly he listened to Ranma. He liked Ranma, even though he was a braggart. He had to admit that Ranma had some cool stories, although he was dubious that his father had really done some of those things. No real father would do them, right? Although with the way Genma had tried to steal Ranma's food, maybe he was not exaggerating much.

Ranma stopped talking mid word.

"Hey, are you all right?" Naruto asked.

"The magic or whatever it is, is trying to twist back," Ranma said shakily.

Ranma changed into his foxgirl form. She looked like she was concentrating.

"It's not working." The boy turned girl was starting to panic.

"Try changing to something else," Naruto offered.

Ranma changed in quick succession into her human girl form, the giant fox form, and the normal fox form. After a minute she switched back to the foxgirl form.

"I can only do those four shapes," said Ranma.

Naruto changed into Jiraiya and then Ranma's original form and then back to his own original form.

"Weird," he said. "I can still do it."

"What am I going to do?" Ranma whined. "I don't want to be a girl."

"Maybe hot water?" Naruto offered.

I don't think that's a good idea, his dad said, based on what the Kyuubi said.

Ranma banged on the Guide's door. "Hey, I want some hot water."

"Okay, Young Mr. Customer," said the Guide from inside. "I bring in few minutes."

Ranma paced, her tails lashing while they waited.

The minor discomfort that Naruto had been feeling while in his original form started to increase. He felt his magic trying to twist like Ranma had described. He let it go and found himself in his foxgirl form.

"Hey, it happened to me too!" he said.

He tried shifting back, but it didn't work. He tried Jiraiya and Tsunade again, but the only forms he could change to were the foxgirl, human girl, giant fox, and normal fox.

"It's been about three hours since you first changed into your normal shapes," said Jiraiya, "with Ranma changing a few minutes before Naruto. Maybe there's a time limit? Possibly three hours because you have three tails. I bet you'll be able to do it again later. Maybe tomorrow."

"I don't want to wait," Ranma pouted.

Naruto had to admit that the pout looked cute, especially the way that her ears drooped when she did it. He started to snicker, but then realized he probably looked the same when he pouted, since they were virtual twins.

"Stop whining like a weak girl," Genma commanded.

"This is all your fault, Pop!"

The Guide opened his door and brought out a kettle. Ranma quickly grabbed it and doused herself with it. He turned back into his original form. He started to smile, but then sank to the ground writhing in pain as red chakra began to boil up around him.

"Condensation!" Jiraiya yelled. He lobbed a small ball of water at Ranma.

The boy changed back into a foxgirl and the red chakra receded.

"What was that?!" Genma yelled.

"The Kyuubi no Youko was trying to escape," Jiraiya explained. "Naruto has been its jailer and container since shortly after birth. When they both fell into the same pond, part of the seal holding it transferred to your son. However, his natural form has no way of containing it. He'll need to stay in his cursed form for the foreseeable future."

"Foreseeable future?" yelled the boy's father.

"Let me take a look at him," Jiraiya said. His hand glowed green. "I'm not very good at medical ninjutsu, but I can still handle a basic diagnostic."

After a moment, the Toad Sage said, "He actually has a decent enough amount of chakra, but it's untrained and hasn't organized itself into coils. There's actually another energy that I don't recognize keeping the Kyuubi's chakra at bay right now. With the Kyuubi's chakra running through him, I think it would naturally form into the appropriate coils, but it would take a while—maybe ten years if left alone. With training from me, I bet it would be safe to change back in two years."

"I'll do it in less than one!" Ranma gasped out, sitting up.

"Hey, Ero-sennin," Naruto said. "I thought they usually sealed bijuu [tailed beast] into babies because their chakra is undeveloped. At least, that's what Jiichan [Gramps (disrespectfully familiar)] told me when I found out about the Kyuubi."

"A baby's chakra is actually very impressionable. It coils almost immediately when induced by foreign chakra. It also helped in your case that you had been exposed to your mother's chakra and the Kyuubi's chakra in the womb, so your coils had already started to form. What Sensei meant was that as a baby your chakra stretched to accommodate the Kyuubi more easily."

"What's chakra?" asked Ranma.

"How about you answer him, Naruto," Jiraiya said.

"It's the combination of physical and spiritual energy that allows you to do supernatural feats," the blond said.

"That sounds kind of like ki," said Ranma.

"I thought chakra was what the Indians called the major energy nodes within your body," said Genma.

"Huh, that sounds like the Hachimon [Eight Gates] to me," said Jiraiya.

Genma waved it off. "It's not unusual for different traditions to use different terminology. What would it take for you to train the boy?"

"How about we work out a trade?" Jiraiya offered. "You and your son train Naruto in taijutsu and we'll train your son in chakra control and techniques."

"Body techniques?" Genma asked. "Oh, you mean the Art. Sure, we can do that. It would mean we would need to travel together for a while."

"That shouldn't be a problem," the Toad Sage said. "Naruto isn't due back home for another two years. I may need to leave at times, but Naruto can fill in for me while I'm gone. Deal?"

"Deal," Genma said with a nod.