[A/N: Well hello again! I'm here with another update, and I hope you enjoy!]

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, no matter how hard I wish I did. I only own the story line and OC's.

-The Slyness of the Fox-

Naruto woke to the sound of rattling chains and muffled voices. His body felt heavy, like it was made of lead. He forced his eyes open only to be met with a complete darkness. His deadened senses were slow to react, and at the moment the only thing that seemed to be working properly was his hearing. He let his straining eyes close, and instead focused on enhancing his hearing. The sharp sounds of trotting horses made themselves known, so Naruto guessed that he was moving. The occasional rattling chain was caught by his ears, but no immediate connection came from that. He extended his hearing past his immediate surroundings, trying to form some semblance of an idea of where he was.

The familiar sound of twittering birds let Naruto know that he was in or near a forest. A bird shrieked overhead, and he cringed from the shrill noise. His ears flicked as he picked up the murmur of speaking Humans. He felt his heart sink. He realized that he had been holding on to the vague hope that him being captured by the Hunters was a nightmare, and that he had just woken up.

Naruto withdrew his hearing sense, and again attempted to open his eyes. His sight had begun to adjust to the darkness, and his sense of touch was returning to him as well. His limbs still felt heavy, but a slight tingling told him that they would soon be able to move. He had grown aware of the sensation of moving, and a slight jostling confirmed this. He looked down, and could make out the shadow of his paws. Using them as a reference point, he discerned that he was in some sort of four-walled cage. With great difficulty, Naruto moved his head slightly. A rattling noise solidified what he had been afraid of; a chain connected his neck to one of the walls.

He held back a whimper as he realized how hopeless his situation was. He had no idea where he was, was practically immobile, and in the captivity of Hunters. His eyes burned with tears that he refused to shed. He hardened his fragile feelings with a resolution; he would find a way to get back to his clan even if it meant killing every single Hunter who had captured him.

His heart jumped as the shaking of his prison stopped, and all sounds of movement stopped. The murmur of the Humans gradually grew louder, and Naruto yelped as his cage was suddenly lifted into the air. He heard a laugh come from outside of the walls, and a scorning voice came after.

"Listen to the pathetic creature. It must be pissing itself with fright!" An extra violent shake accompanied the comment, and Naruto couldn't help but let out a defiant growl. His legs quivered with a mixture of terror and anger. A mixture of new and foreign sounds began to assault his ears, such as loud clangs of metal hitting metal and raucous laughter. Faint smells made there way into his prison, making his nose wrinkle. Wherever he was reeked of Human filth and waste.

"Oi, Suigetsu! Did 'ja find yourself another little animal to play with?" A loud voice came through the wall on Naruto's left.

"No, this one here's special! I'd tell you, but we were given explicit orders from Sasuke to bring it to Madara. Though I'll let you in on a little secret; what I'm carrying may just change the momentum of the War in our favor."

Madara. As in, Madara Uchiha. That meant that the Hunter's were either from The Land of Mist, Rocks, or Clouds. Naruto gulped back his fear. The Uchiha Clan was notoriously vicious and merciless. Orochimaru, the scientist who discovered the power of Demons, supposedly researched for the Uchiha. Wherever Naruto was going, he could almost guarantee that his life was now no longer in his own hands.

After being carried for several more minutes, Naruto felt the sudden drop of his cage, and the bottom hit a hard surface. The landing was nowhere near gentle, and Naruto winced as his injured leg throbbed. 'At least I'm regaining feeling.' He thought miserably.

"We're here to see General Uchiha. It's in regards of the...item...that was found yesterday. I'm sure he got the report we sent ahead, explaining our situation." the Human named Suigetsu said. Quiet affirmative grunts accompanied this statement, probably from the other Humans carrying Naruto's cage.

"He'll be with you in a few minutes. He's in a meeting with Itachi at the moment in regards to the Demon. Sasuke's a Lightning, right? He may just be the most powerful man in this army as-"

"Not may be- he is the most powerful." A silky voice interrupted. A chill ran through Naruto's fur; he had no idea who was speaking, but their voice oozed with confidence and allure. The other Humans immediately grew quiet.

"Itachi. We've brought the Demon on orders from Sasuke. He was captured yesterday afternoon beneath the Mountains of Ore. We would have stayed and searched for other possible Demons, but this one is too important to recklessly carry around." A new voice spoke, this time from Naruto's left. It was very formal, and deep.

"Thank you, Neji. I commend Sasuke's judgement on the matter, considering what the prize is. I was half-expecting him to have already tested his...specimen. Now, let me see what you have obtained. Is it chained?" The silky-voiced man, now Itachi, asked.

"Yes, and drugged with a muscle relaxer. It's awake, but it still should barely be able to move. However, still act with caution; we have no idea its age or power."

The top of Naruto's prison started to move, and a crack of light broke through the darkness that he was used to. He was temporarily blinded as his eyes rejected the light that was being forced upon them. Eventually, a shape started to form in the white light, and colors began to emerge. Ebony Black, Blood Red, and Creamy White swirled to form the face of a person that made Naruto's blood chill. The man being referred to as Itachi peered down at him, his eyes surveying every part of his body. A paralyzing fear gripped Naruto, and any movement that he may have gained was gone.

The redness of Itachi's eyes terrified Naruto to his very core. Small black swirls decorated where the pupil should be, and they seemed to move of their own accord. His pale red lips curled into a smirk, and he reached his hand towards Naruto. In a sudden act of self defense, one of his tails darted forward, intercepting the hand before it reached Naruto and let off a spark. As his tail withdrew, he could see that a small burn had appeared on Itachi's palm, but the smirk never left his face. His hand moved out of sight.

"Interesting. The tail moved of it's own accord, protecting the Demon. He shouldn't be able to move, and yet the burn on my hand says otherwise." He lifted his gaze from Naruto, and Naruto suddenly felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his body. He moved his head slightly to his left, and saw a Human with long brown hair, pale skin, and Milky-White pupil-less eyes. That must be Neji. The Human to his right had tanned skin, and powder blue hair. Teeth that were sharpened to a needle-wide point poked out from underneath his lips, and his violet eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Take him to Orochimaru. I want to see if that new serum he developed really works. I want to see the results in the morning." With that, Itachi's head disappeared from view, and the top of Naruto's cage was placed back on. Darkness once again surrounded Naruto, and his body let out a shiver that he had been struggling to hold back. 'Why are they taking me to Orochimaru? What is this 'serum' they were talking about?' he thought. The jostling of his cage signaled that he was being moved again.

After about five unbearable minutes, he heard the creak of a door open, and a sudden coolness entered the cage. Drops of water echoed around him, creepily reminding him of some of the caves he and Iruka has stayed in. He felt his cage drop, and gritted his teeth as the bottom came into contact with a surface. The loud rattling of chains caused a pit of dread to spread through Naruto's stomach. Soft footsteps echoed around him, and a quiet hiss seemed to follow each one.

"Orochimaru. Orders from Itachi to give this one your new serum. He wants to see the results by morning." said Neji, with a slight undertone of disgust. A wheezy laugh resonated through the room.

"By morning? Well, then I should waste no time. Suigetsu, go ask Kabuto to fetch the necessary supplies." said a voice that sounded eerily like a snake. It was quiet and raspy, but not lacking in intimidation and power. The top of Naruto's cage was again lifted, but no sunlight filtered in. A dark stone ceiling was above him, covered with moss and dirt. A new face moved into view, and Naruto couldn't help but feel slightly repulsed. Orochimaru had long black hair, and paler skin than Itachi. His eyes were a dark green, and his pupils were slits. He was sporting a twisted grin on his face, and a sick look in his eyes made Naruto squirm slightly. Orochimaru let out another creepy laugh.

"My, it's rather beautiful. Such blue eyes and golden fur are rare for Demons. They're always so dark and angry. I wonder what it will look like after my serum takes affect." What he would look like? 'What is this 'serum' going to do me?' thought Naruto. Footsteps echoed from behind him, and Orochimaru looked up.

"Ah, Kabuto. Bring the equipment over to the table. Neji, Suigetsu, help me lift it up." Neji and Suigetsu nodded, and the three of them formed a circle around Naruto.

"Be careful, Orochimaru. The tails move on their own accord if they feel that the Demon is in danger. They burn to the touch." said Neji. Orochimaru merely smiled, and reached his hand slowly in. But instead of moving towards Naruto, he grasped the chain that connected Naruto to the wall. Pulling it off of a small clasp, he nodded to Neji and Suigetsu.

Naruto felt to sets of hands grasp his fur, and immediately tensed. His tails flared up, circling around the arms of his holders. But they didn't let go. One quick look confirmed that Neji and Suigetsu had donned gloves in anticipation of trouble from his tails. He could only watch as he was carried over to a large table, and lay down on his side. The chain around his neck was reattached to a metal loop next to his head.

Orochimaru temporarily left Naruto's view, and he heard metal clangs from somewhere behind him. He flinched as he felt his tails grabbed, and a cold metal object pinned them together and to the table. A small man came into Naruto's line of sight holding a syringe. He had light grey hair pulled back into a ponytail, and shiny round glasses. His eyes were cold and emotionless. He slowly approached Naruto, lowering the needle to Naruto's shoulder.

"Good luck, little Demon Fox." he murmured. A sharp pain bloomed as the needle entered his shoulder, and Naruto cried out. A numbness almost immediately spread from the injection point, followed by a faint burning sensation. But the fire spread quickly, and it gradually grew more and more painful. Naruto started to weakly struggle as his body began to feel as if it really was on fire. His vision gained a red tint, and his limbs twitched of their own accord. Something was placed under Naruto's nose, and he inhaled. A drowsiness set in, and his eyesight grew blurry. As he faded away into unconsciousness, he let out one last painful cry before his world went black.

[A/N: whew. That took me a while to get out! Anyways, it's 1 am here so I'll keep this brief. Leave a review if you liked this chapter or if you have a critique. A new chapter should be out soon. I apologize for any grammar mistakes, I'll fix them in the morning :P]