Jinchuuriki no More

Chapter 3: Change of Heart

Knock knock.

Sakura and Hinata knocked on the blonde ninja's door. They were sent by Jiraiya-sama to retrieve the boy for last-minute training. According to Jiraiya, Naruto was never late. But this morning, he was over two hours late, and both girls were worried.

No one answered.

"Do you think he left already?" Sakura asked.

Hinata gave a small shrug. "Ano… I don't know… let's just knock again…"

Sakura rapped on the door, louder this time. "Hey! Naruto! Are you home? You're late for Jiraiya-sama's training! Open the door baka!"

The door opened abruptly. In the doorway stood a woman they had never seen before. She wore a simple red dress, battered and worn out. But its creases only served to further accentuate her generous curves. Long red hair billowed behind her, her angelic face, her intoxicatingly powerful aura, all combined to give the presence of a deity.

Sakura felt an uncomfortable warmth flow through her. Besides her, Hinata couldn't help but blush. Despite being females, neither of the young girls felt adequate standing in the presence of such a magnificent being.

The Kyuubi narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"

Sakura and Hinata both involuntarily shuddered. This woman… radiated power. Pure and unadulterated power.

"Ano… we're just looking for Naruto-kun! He's supposed to have his training today with Jiraiya-sama and he's… late." Hinata finished the last part with a whimper.

The Kyuubi looked at Hinata. Then at Sakura. Then back to the Hyuga. She began to wonder why she hadn't killed them yet.

'Hmm… perhaps I'm getting soft.'

While she was the Queen of all Demons and Ruler of the Underworld, she rarely took a life without reason. If she did, it was because she needed to eat, protect her nest, or take revenge, as she had done moments ago with her former blonde container.

Her Konoha rampage was due to the Uchiha summoning and controlling her in her full-fledged Nine-tailed Fox form. Before that, she reigned in the underworld, ruling over Hell for the past one thousand years after her predecessor. Yes, she was the Queen of Hell, but that didn't mean she was an insane serial killer.

Sakura finally mustered the courage to ask her the one question that was begging to be asked. "Um… who are you?"

How was she supposed to answer? If she said that she was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, no doubt they would panic, run, and tell the entire village. Which meant that she would have to kill them. And while that wasn't a problem, the ensuing bloodshed almost guaranteed a host of ninja would show at her doorstep, at which point she would either kill them all, or transform, and kill them all anyway. And then proceed to annihilate the village. Really, there was no other outcome in that scenario.

However, she had just tasted her first breath of freedom in 12 years. As she stated in Naruto's mindscape, she wanted to 'hear the birds sing and watch the rivers flow.'

She decided on an answer. It was slightly distasteful to her, the Almighty Queen of Demons, but it didn't matter - she reminded herself - the kid was dead anyway.

"I'm Kitsune. Naruto's summon."

The two girls stared in shock. "What? When did Naruto learn how to summon? He never told me this!" Sakura yelled, shaking her fist.

The Kyuubi glared at her, silencing the pink-haired girl immediately.

Hinata shuffled her feet shyly. "Ano… Kitsune-san… I thought Naruto-kun had recently signed the t-toad summoning contract…" She mumbled, unable to look the devastatingly beautiful woman in the eye.

The Kyuubi sighed. Why was she doing this, again? "I'm one of the Kyuubi's lieutenants. Don't worry I'm not very powerful." A voice in her mind yelled 'bullshit!' "Naruto can summon me because the almighty Queen herself allowed it." She lied expertly.

Since she wasn't going to kill them, she might as well encourage their fear and reverence of herself! She couldn't help but chortle at the thought. The amount of propaganda she could spread! This world had too many idiots and mortals. She could round up willing virgins by the dozens and send them to Hell, where she would sacrifice them, one… by… one. A bit of drool formed in her mouth as she fantasized.

After all, killing random mortals was one form of satisfaction for the Demon Queen. But to have willing slaves tending to her every need, calling her 'Kyuubi-sama' and basking her with unconditional love… that! That was another form of indulgence. She couldn't stop her mind from salivating over the possibility. Her mind now ran wildly off on a tangent.

Hinata and Sakura stared dumbly at the woman as her eyes seemed to… glaze over.

"Okay, we're really sorry about bothering you, Kitsune-san, but can you just tell Naruto that he's late?" Sakura said. She originally planned to barge in and well, beat up the idiot (Sakura secretly enjoyed hurting annoying blondes). In this case however, she decided to make a tactical retreat, not daring to bother this ridiculously overpowered lady… summon… whatever.

"What? Oh. Ok." The Kyuubi broke out of her stupor, abruptly shaking her head violently.

Hinata's voice had, against all odds, become even softer. "Ah… ano… Kitsune-san… can you please give this box of rice cakes to Naruto-kun? I… I made them for him…" With both hands she held out a small, colorfully wrapped paper box.

Kyuubi had the sudden urge to smack down the box, stomp all over them viciously, and do a little jiggle while laughing in their face. And then snap their necks. And then carry on the renewed destruction of Konoha.

But then she caught a waft of a heavenly smell float from the box into her nose. 'Mmm! Before I rampage, I might as well enjoy some rice cakes!' She thought while nodding with surprising assent, eagerly snatching the box.

Without warning, Kyuubi slammed the door against Sakura and Hinata's shell-shocked faces, as they both wondered, 'Naruto/Naruto-kun, what is going on?'

XXXXXXX

'Mmmm!' Kyuubi's mind was in mental heaven as she greedily chomped on Hinata's rice cakes. She had concluded that these humans were far too spoiled. In Hell, all anybody ever got was a bowl of gruel and some bones. Even as the Queen, she didn't eat much besides raw human flesh and the occasional peacock. Eating such a dainty snack such as Hinata's rice cakes, was completely unheard of.

After she finished the rice cakes, she raided Naruto's fridge and cabinets for something else to eat. She ended up finding a lot of ramen and ramen sauce.

'Stupid kid. What a waste! He had 12 years to enjoy food like those ridiculously good rice cakes, and yet he stocks up on this crap?'

Then she came to an abrupt halt. A strange emptiness filled her.

She remembered Naruto's last memories before he died. When she choked him, she glimpsed his thoughts during the last moments of his life. She saw everything - the pain, the loneliness, the poverty, and the discrimination.

He never could afford anything besides Ramen. So that's what he ate. He was too small for his age because of that. He could never afford any meat.

She felt sympathy rift through her. Then she stopped, astonished.

"What the… I've been in this human form for far too long. I can't believe I'm having these unnatural feelings!"

Crushing her human feelings, she reminded herself of her revenge against Konoha.

She smirked. "Konoha… here I come." She cackled evilly, bracing herself.

The transformation took no longer than a minute. She would close her eyes, directing her demonic chakra to flow through. Then, her body would immediately respond by transforming into her true form, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kyuubi no Kitsune.

'Any day now…' she thought, clenching her fist. Her mind salivated at the prospect of being able to again lay waste to the village. This time, no one could stop her. She was absolutely sure. As the Demon Queen, she could only get sealed once, before developing immunity. Furthermore, she now knew exactly how to counter those wretched eyes of the Uchiha. Nothing could stop her now! Nothing!

Several minutes passed.

Kyuubi waited… and waited. Then, against her better instincts, she took a peek at the mirror, hoping to see her godly fox figure gazing back in triumph.

Instead, she saw her human face squint right back at her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A small earthquake rumbled through the village, as everyone stopped and glanced worriedly at each other. But that was it. The reemergence of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the subsequent destruction of Konoha… an event which seemed so destined to happen, so inevitable, and so unstoppable… had been foiled by Kami-sama himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kyuubi cursed. What the hell? She didn't get it. She felt the power rippling through her! She felt her chakra dancing, her demonic energy swirling into a vortex, always the precursor to a truly godlike transformation.

But for some reason, she simply couldn't.

Silence. Kyuubi had never felt so empty in her life. She felt completely devoid of any purpose.

In Hell, it was to reign terror over her hapless minions. As a full-fledged Demon Fox, it was to obliterate anything that stood in her way. Even as a prisoner inside Naruto, she had a purpose! A vengeful purpose, sure, but a purpose nevertheless!

Now she had completed her vengeance. She had killed her jailor. But now she found her own life was completely meaningless.

She looked at Naruto's lifeless body.

A wave of pride rushed through her. He was so brave. He endured the attacks from those who hated him for so many years. Despite their revulsion, he continued to believe in the best in everybody. Pursuing that damned dream to become Hokage. To be able to protect those he cared for, and even protect those who hated him, simply because they were also people of Konoha.

In his life, there was purpose. There was meaning. Every day, he woke up with an undefeatable energy.

And she knew that energy came from him alone. Sure, she provided him with chakra when he needed it, but the rest of the time, it was him, his heart, and his will alone, that drove him to protect his village and fight for what he loved.

Sure, she felt a certain bitterness at how willing he was to 'kill' her. But she could respect that. He wanted to kill her for the same reasons why she wanted to kill him. A mutual feeling of revenge and pain, having suffered dearly at the other's hands. It was a relationship doomed to cause unbearable misery to both of them.

He was stupid to believe her trick, of course. She had been planning her trap for years. She had practiced every single line, response, and facial movement, for the day she would finally free herself from that blasted seal.

She didn't blame him for being outsmarted by a fox. After all, she was the Queen of Foxes! There was no being in the entire universe that was smarter and more wily than she was.

But for all her wiliness and cleverness… and power (of course), here she was. In a dark room, a deafening silence, next to a lifeless body, unable to transform, unable to return to her throne in Hell, unable to do anything except live out a measly life in this human form. Was she still even immortal? She didn't know if she wanted to find out.

Kyuubi's eyes rested on Naruto's corpse. She sighed, feeling absolutely hollow.

A faint whisper echoed through her mind. 'I can help you with your dream to become Hokage. I can help you become the most respected Hokage that Konoha has ever known!'

Those were her words! She felt a surprise shudder rise through her.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Then at Naruto. Then at her reflection again.

'Curse myself. Kami-kun… you are one evil bastard, you know that?' She smiled despite herself, registering the perverse irony in that statement, coming from someone like her.

She gazed at Naruto. 'It will cost me a lot of chakra. But since when did I care about a little chakra?'

As demonic red chakra surged throughout dark apartment, the villagers again felt a trembling earthquake…

"Immortal Technique: Samsara of Heavenly Life!"