For those of you who like this fic, I'm sorry. I'm sorry because this chapter took so long to get out. Yes, I know I edited chapters one and two recently, but that doesn't excuse the long wait. However, stuff in my life came up, and I had to take care of it. Anyways, enough of that; chapter three of A Kitsune's Vengeance is here, and it's going to stay. In this chapter you'll find out what happens after the escape made in chapter two, as well as the small turning point in the story at the very end (What that is I won't say here, so you'll have to read to find out!).
Also, as a side note I'd just like to say that I need reviews to tell me what I'm doing right, and, perhaps more importantly, what I'm doing wrong. So please, if you can, take the time to review and let me know how I'm doing.
Note: This chapter is currently unbeta'd
**Review Replies**
KakaSaku Chan: I'm glad you like this story; even if it's just one or a few people, that's enough to keep me writing, though reviews are what REALLY keeps me going. Now as for your questions I'll answer them in the order you asked; Kurama and Naru will be returning to Konoha eventually (most likely to destroy it), though exactly when I haven't decided yet. I can say, though, that it'll probably be towards the end of this fic, either as the climax (less likely) or one of the events leading up to the end of this story (more likely). If anything it will be around the time when Naru/Kurama have reached their demonic maturities, which I'm more inclined to say will be towards the end of the academy days. And as for your final question, there may be some bashing in this fic, but as of now I'm a little hesitant to put it in, due to the turn-off property such things can have for some readers.
Here's the disclaimer and standard stuffs:
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form, though I can say I wish I did :(
Key:
"this is characters talking"
'this is characters thinking'
"This is Naru & Kurama/Kyuubi mindspeaking"
And now on with the show :)
If Naru had to describe the Land of Rivers in a word, it would be 'muddy'. Seriously, the amount of mud flats they had to travel across was mind boggling; it almost seemed as if what little of the land wasn't crisscrossed with streams and rivers was in part drenched with water from beneath the ground. Granted, the demonic duo were staying off the main roads to avoid detection from any Konoha shinobi, but still. And it didn't make matters any better that there was a light rain falling, either.
"You'd think they'd call this the Land of Mud, not the Land of Rivers..." Naru muttered under her breath, carefully using both hands to pull her foot out of a particularly deep patch of mud. Kurama's only reply was a grunt, as he was currently struggling with his own obstacles, namely being bogged down by a crapload of wet fur. He knew some Demon Arts that could help with that, of course, but it wouldn't do much good when he'd only get wet again from the rain. So the two of them just slogged onward, not saying much else, their feet creating a steady squelching sound with each and every step they took.
It should be fairly obvious by now that what little progress they made towards their destination was painfully slow; they had crossed over the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers a day and a half ago, and yet the outline of the forests was still visible if one turned back to look at the horizon. Still, the distance they had covered so far was...satisfactory, given the conditions they had to work with.
"I could kill for a hot shower about now, if only to cleanse myself of this blasted mud for even a minute..." Naru sighed as her left foot got caught in another sticky patch of the brown wet stuff.
"Well, provided this rain lets up, we should be moving to dryer ground in about half a day's time." Kurama said as he nimbly sidestepped around a particularly deep puddle. She watched him do so with a twinge of envy; sometimes she wished she could have been Kurama's physical twin, rather than a soulbonded one. Sure, two minds working together were better than one—at least for the most part—but currently it seemed like he got all the perks of being a demon by being born kitsune, while she got none. A small part of her knew this wasn't the case, that there were things she could do that Kurama could only dream of, but unfortunately that part of her didn't know how to make itself heard.
You see, while Naru had put up a brave front during her years spent living at the orphanage, in reality the experience of being shunned by her peers combined with her lack of parents scarred her more than she ever let on. It had been painful, so painful in fact that she still had emotional walls set up around her innermost thoughts. Even Kurama, her first true friend, had yet to breach those final hurdles. She knew he knew that they were there, of course, but whether out of respect for her privacy or that he thought she needed to tear them down herself he hadn't said a word about them.
The problem was that because he chose to leave the matter alone, the darker side of her past continued to fester within her, almost like a second personality that threatened to break free and take over. And to top matters off, she didn't know how to ask for his help; she might act like someone three or four times her physical age, but deep down she was still a six year old girl struggling to forge her own path in the world.
Kurama, meanwhile, knew exactly what was going through her mind, though he didn't outwardly show it. He knew because she was unconsciously telegraphing her thoughts over their link. And yet, while he knew he could help, he was hesitant to step in and interfere, all because he was afraid.
Afraid for her.
If there was anything he had learned in many years spent as the Kyuubi, it was that you had to stand on your own two feet in order to grow. Now, there were obviously exceptions to this rule, where it was acceptable to lean on someone else. But while those exceptions existed, he had found that the majority of the time that rule held true. He didn't know if things were different in human societies, and frankly he didn't really care. However, lately he had found himself wanting to help her make it through her struggles.
Being an introspective type had its perks occasionally, one of which was knowing why he wanted to do what he did. He didn't want to help Naru because it would make his own life so much simpler, though of course it would if all the problems she faced were solved. He didn't want to help Naru because she wasn't capable of solving her problems herself; he wanted to do it because he cared.
As the Kyuubi he had always relied on himself, caring for little else. But now...now that he had someone else in his life, someone who wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, he found himself caring for her more and more as time went on. That, perhaps, was the most startling realization for the kitsune.
But all of this introspection only brought him back to square one. He still didn't know how he could let her work out her own problems, and at the same time lend her his support. It just didn't seem possible.
But that was when it hit him.
There was no easy way out of this situation. He had been wracking his mind for something that simply didn't exist.
It was with that thought that everything seemed to fall into place; Naru would have to be the one to ask him for help. He couldn't just go and help her like he had done during their escape from Konoha, because that would only lead her to turn to him whenever she ran into trouble. Sure, that time during their escape had been done out of necessity, but Kurama couldn't always be there for her, no matter how much he wished for that to be the case. There would come a time when she would have to work out her problems on her own, without him around to help.
Or would there?
Now that he actually thought about it, would there ever come a time where he would leave her? Or, perhaps more importantly, would he ever want to?
He let out a sigh. These questions he was asking himself just kept getting deeper and deeper. But, in the end, he supposed they didn't really matter. Even if he never did leave Naru's side, he would want her to be independent, which wouldn't happen if he just fixed her problems for her. Somehow he knew that it wouldn't be easy, for either of them, but then again nothing truly worthwhile in life was. Until she managed to come out of her shell he would have to stay on the sidelines and hold himself back, hoping that she didn't let her dark past consume her. And if she did, well...he'd cross that bridge when they came to it.
Kurama was right on the mark when he predicted that they'd reach the end of the mudflats by nightfall. But while they rejoiced at that small accomplishment, they weren't out of the frying pan just yet, so to speak. In their haste to escape the Land of Fire they hadn't bothered to cover their tracks, and while the mudflats would buy them at least a little time neither Naru nor Kurama had any doubt that there would still be shinobi coming after them. As a (former) jinchuuriki Naru was just that valuable to Konoha's council.
But there was a loophole in this whole scenario, one that Naru and Kurama hoped to exploit to the fullest. As long as she remained in sight of other people, the village hidden in the leaves couldn't do a thing to bring Naru back within its walls. This was because, while she had indeed been a part of Konoha since she had been born, she was still only a civilian. Civilians were subject to the civilian council's rule, but only within the village itself. So as long as she was outside of Konoha she didn't have to listen to the corrupted bigots when they commanded her to come back. The Hokage could send ninjas after her to try and persuade her to come back, of course, but because she had never been registered within the ninja ranks, there was little else he could do if she chose to ignore his minions.
Naru found it kind of ironic in a way; the civilian council had refused her request to become a ninja because they wanted to keep her under their thumb, but now that she had escaped there wasn't much they could do to bring her back. Of course she had no doubt that, once persuasion failed, they would send ninjas to kidnap her...but that was where staying within sight of other people came into play. If the Land of Rivers—or any place else she stayed at for that matter—found out that Konoha was kidnapping people within its borders, the people in charge would almost certainly cite this as an act of war. In that scenario it would only be a short time before the entire continent was embroiled in another Shinobi World War, which Konoha couldn't afford to have happen. After all, they were still recovering from when Kurama attacked in a blind rage six years ago.
However, the loophole only held true when they were situated in a village or city. Otherwise, there was nothing stopping the higher ups in Konoha from sending ninjas to take her back. Obviously, if there was no one around to witness her being kidnapped, then it was almost as if it never happened. It was for this reason that the demonic duo pushed onwards towards their destination, even after night fell.
Meanwhile...
Back at Konoha things were hectic. The civilian populace was still celebrating Naru's departure, or at least they were until the Hokage intervened. It was a rather comical sight actually, what with people dancing and partying only to fall to the ground screaming in fear as Hiruzen fired a non-lethal jutsu into the crowd to stop their antics.
"What is going on here?" He asked, though it came out as more of a yell. One of the more brave civilians got up from where he had been cowering to speak.
"Oh, Hokage-sama! Don't scare us like that! We were just celebrating the departure of the Demon—" He got no farther, as his head was now rolling on the cobblestones courtesy of a clean cut from Yūgao's sword.
"Would anyone else like to break the Third's law in his face...?" She asked, drawling out the sentence in a rather bored monotone.
"Thank you, Yūgao." The Hokage tilted forward his hat before speaking again. "ANBU! Arrest this crowd. I want them sent to Ibiki. Tell him 'No Restrictions'."
And with that the Third Hokage turned on his heels, heading to his office to face the bane of all Kages once more.
If there was anything Sarutobi Hiruzen was feeling, it was his age. He'd lived through a war, taught a group of Genin, served as Kage for the village hidden in the leaves, and seen his successor fall in battle against a raging beast. Now here he was, in the council chambers, listening the civilian side and his personal advisers bickering over how best to get Uzumaki Naru back under their grubby paws.
"ENOUGH!" He bellowed, having heard far more of their nonsense than necessary. Once the room had fallen silent, he spoke again, this time in a more normal tone. "Now, can anyone tell me why we are all sitting here discussing ways to kidnap someone, when said person left this village of their own free will?"
"B-But Hokage-sama! How can you say that about the De—I mean Uzumaki Naru, who is this village's Jinchūriki?" Koharu asked, aghast. Hiruzen leveled a glare at her that could have melted steel.
"Last time I checked, she was still a civilian. Which means she was and still is free to come and go from this village at any time she wishes. And since her previous guardian was found dead in his own home, the decision would then fall to her. So there is little I can do in regards to bringing her back; if she were a ninja, or at least an academy student this whole scenario would be different, but..." He folded his hands, resting his chin on the platform they created. "I seem to recall that it was this very council that denied her request to become a ninja. That being said, why are you all now so determined to get her back? We have little use for any skills she has, especially considering she is still a civilian."
"And yet she has figured out how to control the Kyuubi, if the giant fox she was with when she escaped was any indication. That alone should be more than enough reason to want her back." Danzō said bluntly, his logic sound enough to satisfy even an Aburame. Hiruzen sighed. Trust his old rival to come up with an irrefutable point when he was trying to make a case for keeping Naru out of the village. However...
"You make a valid point, Danzō. But even if we do try to get her back, along with the Kyuubi inside of her, we must first consider why she left in the first place." At this Tsume Inuzuka raised her hand, silently asking for permission to speak. When it was granted she stood up, and began pacing back and forth.
"Before I start I'd just like to say this; I have seen how some of the fools of this village have treated her, and what I saw was not pretty. After all, how would any of you feel if you were treated as if you were lower than the lowest piece of trash, straight from the day of your birth? How would any of you feel if you were treated as if you didn't exist?" She asked, pausing just long enough in her pacing to send a hate filled glance towards the civilian side of the council, many of whom shrank back in fear. "I think Naru had more than enough reason to leave this village, given how she was treated by some of the people here; personally I find it admirable that she took matters into her own hands, even if she had to make some sort of deal with the Kyuubi. Heck, it probably treats her better than you fools did. And no, before you ask, I won't even consider using my clan's best trackers to try to force her back where she will only be hated by those who don't understand."
With that last hate-filled remark, the Inuzuka matriarch sat back down, though she continued to glare at the civilians. The Hokage cleared his throat, trying to relieve some of the tension she had caused between the two factions of his council. "Thank you for that...opinion, Tsume. Is there anyone else who would like to take a stance on this matter, or should we bring it to a vote...?"
This time it was Hiashi Hyuuga who spoke up.
"While I agree with Tsume in regards to the matter of Uzumaki Naru's treatment being rather...unsavory, there is also the matter of what will happen when the other ninja villages get wind of her departure. As you all know, Iwa and Kumo both have two loyal Jinchūriki a piece, and Suna and Kiri each have one. While Suna might be our ally, if this news reaches any of the other three they would be at our throats in a heartbeat. I think I can say with some degree of certainty that we as a council do not wish for another Shinobi World War, so I believe it is in our best interests to retrieve Naru, even if that means teaching her properly as a shinobi to make sure she does not leave a second time."
None of the council missed the stress Hiashi placed on the word 'properly', nor the way his pupil-less eyes flicked slightly towards the civilian part of the council as he said it. While it was quite obvious that the two sides of the council disliked each other immensely, even the civilian side had to agree with the Hyuuga patriarch's reasoning, though they didn't like the idea of being kind to the 'demon brat'.
"That would be...acceptable, provided Naru is willing to come back to Konoha. But, considering just why she left, and the method of how she had to leave, that is likely not going to be the case. Knowing this, what should our backup plan be, if persuasion fails?" Aburame Shibi asked, placing his hands into the coat pockets at his side.
"What else is there to try, really?" Shikaku Nara asked, a soft "troublesome" escaping his lips when no one else said anything.
The Hokage sighed as it became apparent they were at a standstill. If the councils wanted her back, it was quite apparent, at least to him, that the people of Konoha would have to regain her trust...which could only be done if she were here in the first place. He knew his civilian advisers were of the mind to just kidnap Naru and bring her back, consequences be damned, but that was hardly a step in the right direction. And if they wanted her to stay in the village after being brought back, well...
'I'm getting too old for this shit.' He thought, glancing up at the roof as the two sides of the council kept bickering away. 'Minato...Kushina... what would you say if you knew what has transpired in this despicable village...?'
Somehow he got the feeling Naru's parents would have tried to wipe Konoha off the maps, had they known how their daughter had been treated.
It had taken Naru and Kurama a solid two days and nights of traveling to reach Takumi Village; two days and nights spent without rest or any form of recuperation. As such, when they arrived they were on their last legs, both metaphorically and physically. After a rather long string of curses from Naru explaining just how tired she was—which was a rather baffling sight, considering such colorful language was coming from the equivalent of a six year-old—the two demons set about using a yokai-enhanced henge to rent themselves a room for the night. Normally they would have just used a basic henge when traveling, but this was the Village of Artisans, where many ninjas came to purchase weapons. It was to be expected that the people here would have at least a fundamental understanding of chakra, and the ability to see through such simple illusions, if the pulse of chakra accompanied by the soft muttering of "Kai (Release)" from the hotel's staff was any indication.
Fortunately for our demon pair, yokai could have anywhere from three to ten times the density of chakra depending upon the demon it belonged to, so the dispelling technique had no effect on their henge. This was not to say they weren't worried, of course, because while yokai might have been denser than chakra, that didn't mean the latter couldn't disrupt any illusions created by the former; all that was needed to do so was just the right amount of chakra to overload the yokai technique, though said amount was usually very high, given the differences between the two. But the rest of that lesson can be saved for another time.
When they had finally gotten to their room, showered, and eaten a hearty late dinner from what was left of their traveling supplies, Naru and Kurama sat down on the lone queen-sized bed in the room they'd rented to discuss what they would be doing in the upcoming days. They still had to work out how they were going to get one or more of the artisans to make Naru a weapon, considering what little money they had left would hardly pay for the materials needed to make a weapon, let alone the weapon itself.
"Well this is frustrating..." Naru remarked after they'd spent approximately an hour trying to come up with ideas with nothing to show for it. Kurama merely grunted in reply, his mind still at work over the troublesome question. So far they'd crossed off more than a few different strategies for going about getting the money required, most of which involved either him, Naru, or both of them working in some way or another to pay off the debt they would accrue from purchasing the weapon without having enough to pay for it. But those kinds of plans also came with a major drawback, namely the requirement of having to stay in one place for a long time in order to pay off the debt. When you were on the run from a major ninja village like they were, that type of requirement was like having a bright orange target painted on your back while you were trying to escape during broad daylight. In other words, it was exactly the kind of condition that they didn't want to have.
But what else could they do, really, when they were in the type of situation that they were? Just as he was about to suggest another variation of the same idea, however, there was the sounds of a commotion coming from downstairs. Glancing briefly at each other, they reapplied their yokai-enhanced henges, before quietly slipping out the door to their room and pausing at the stairwell.
When they peered around the corner, however, the sight that met their enhanced vision made Naru's blood run cold.
Takumi Village was under attack.
And Cut! Whew, Chapter three is finally finished! Sorry for the cliffie, but it was the best place for me to end this chapter, without having to add another 2000 or so words with the next scene.
Anyways, read rave review, you know the deal; I'll be waiting until I get at least 20 reviews (8 more than I have at the time of this chapter posting) to release chapter 4, so please take the time to tell me how I'm doing if you want me to continue :)
Until next time,
-ZGS
