Chapter 3:

For the remainder of that day, Sakura didn't see Naruto or speak to him once. There was no sign of him. She knew he was off training somewhere to learn more about his curse, but she couldn't help but worry. Part of her wondered if he had been attacked, disappearing like the Hokage, but that wasn't possible. According to Naruto, once someone had been cursed, they couldn't be cursed twice. In that, Naruto was safe.

Night had fallen and there was still no sign of Naruto anywhere. Worried, Sakura went to Naruto's apartment to see if he had returned. His home was dark and empty. He hadn't returned. Hoping he would return in the morning, Sakura returned home.


Dawn was soon approaching and most of the Hidden Leaf village was still asleep in their beds. Not Neji. He awoke early that morning to keep his promise to Hinata to come over to help her train more. Since they were both busy in the afternoon, this was the only time they could do it.

The Hyuga estate was shrouded in darkness at this hour. The sun would be up in a few minutes but until then the only source of light was what remained of the dim stars in the diminishing dark sky. Neji could count only two. Then again, he was still trying to pry his eyes open, having just crawled out of bed. It was early, even for him. He shouldn't have agreed to an extra shift last night.

Yawning, Neji walked quietly to the yard where they usually trained. Expecting to see his cousin waiting for him, Neji tried to wake himself up by tapping his cheeks with his hands. The dark sky made him want to go back to sleep. It was so peaceful out here and the cool morning air made him long for his warm bed.

As he entered the yard, Neji noticed that he was the only one there. "Hm?" This was a surprise. Hinata was never late to their training sessions in the yard. This was her home, after all. How could she be late when all she had to do was open a door and step outside? Neji looked around, wondering if he missed her but the yard was deserted. Thinking she was in the bathroom or still getting dressed, Neji stood in the yard and waited.

After a few minutes passed, Neji sat on the porch and waited for her there. Birds were beginning to chirp. It was officially morning. He sat and waited. And waited. The sun rose and still he waited.

Where was she? It wasn't like Hinata to be this late. She couldn't have forgotten. She took these training sessions seriously.

He heard footsteps and looked down the hall. Hinata's sister was coming his way to get to the other end of the house. "Neji? What are you doing here?"

"Lady Hinata asked me to help her train this morning." Neji looked away. "Only she's over an hour late."

Hanabi frowned. "Big sis didn't show up? Did you check her room?"

Neji shook his head. "N- no. That wouldn't be proper of me."

"I'll go check." Hanabi retreated back down the hall. A minute later she returned looking upset. "She's not in her room."

"What?"

"She's not in her room."

Neji stood up and followed Hanabi to the bedroom. Empty, just as she said. Hinata's bed was clearly slept in. It wasn't made but it also looked like no one had left it. The covers weren't pulled back. Her window was open a crack, not nearly enough for her to squeeze out. Her clothes were still in her closet right where she left them. Nothing was a mess which meant there was no struggle.

"Hinata's shoes are still here," said Hanabi. "All of them. Even her good pair."

Neji pulled back the covers, expecting to find a note or some sort of clue but there was nothing. Her bed was empty. "There are a lot of guards patrolling the village," he said. "There are even men by the gate and Uncle is very alert. Someone would have seen or heard something."

"You think she was abducted?"

"I'm not sure." Neji took a look around the room, searching for clues. What he found was a single strand of ginger hair on her nightstand. "But it sure looks like it."


Sakura's worries were put to rest when she saw Naruto that morning on the way to check in with Shizune. "Oh, good! You're up."

"Yeah. I'm up still, actually. I spent the whole night with Seki. We were training and playing and all kinds of stuff. I've still got a ways to go. After a quick nap, I'm going back out there to train. I said I would see him tonight before sunset."

"So he still sleeps at night?"

"Yeah, but he's been good about getting up during the day to check on things." Naruto's face grew serious. "He says that he's sensed the kitsune nearby but not in the village. But they're close."

"I wonder why they're not attacking," said Sakura.

"Who knows? Maybe Shizune has a theory."

"I hope so. I hope they've got something on where Lady Tsunade is, too."

There wasn't any good news when they went to see Shizune. There was still no trace of the Hokage and more ninja were starting to find out. People needed to meet with the Hokage only to be turned away and ninja returning from missions were told to see Shizune instead of the Hokage when giving their report. Because of this, more people were starting to notice that the Hokage was missing. Thankfully, no one thought they were in danger or thought she was abducted. Some assumed she was tending to important matters, in a meeting or off on her own mission. As long as no one knew the truth or panicked, this was fine. The last thing they needed now was chaos.

"Lady Tsunade!" The door to the office blew open and Neji came running in. "Lady Tsunade, it's urgent. It's..." Neji looked at the faces of Naruto, Sakura and Shizune staring back at him. "Where is Lady Tsunade?"

"Uh..."

Neji looked at Shizune. "We have a problem. Lady Hinata has been abducted. We must look for her."

"Abducted? When? By whom?"

"Don't know. But I did manage to get this." Neji unwrapped the strand of hair he found in Hinata's room from the cloth in his hand. "I was hoping Akamaru or someone could track this scent and find out who it was that took her."

"Don't you have guards around the Hyuga estate?" asked Sakura. "I thought it was secure."

"We do have people around the estate but not the type of guards you're thinking of. But there were people walking around all last night because of the tightened security that was ordered. No one noticed anything. Hinata never left her room last night. Her family saw her go to bed and that was the last they saw of her."

"I can alert Kiba and see if..." Shizune stopped talking when she saw Naruto inch closer to the hair in Neji's hand.

Naruto started sniffing it. Neji flinched. "What are you..?"

Naruto sneezed and his face transformed into a fox and his tail popped out again. Neji recoiled at the sight of him, taken by surprise. Naruto didn't take notice of Neji's reaction and continued to sniff the hair. He growled from his throat.

"What is it?"

"It's not hair," Naruto said. "It's fur."

"Fur?"

He nodded. "It's kitsune fur. But it's not Seki's. It's a scent I don't know."

The women gasped, knowing what this meant. Neji, on the other hand, looked stunned. "What's going on? What does that mean? And why does Naruto look like that?"

"Long story."

"Someone tell me what's going on," Neji demanded. "You know something I don't? Do you know where Hinata is or who has her?"

"Well..." Naruto started. "Yes and no."

"Start talking."

Naruto sighed. "Ok, here's the short version of it. Remember that mission we had with the prince and the foxes and how I got cursed? Well, these bad kitsune wanted to take over the land of the good kitsune and when they were outmatched, they threatened to attack my village instead since I'm friends with the good ones. So one of the good ones came here to help protect me and warn me about what was going on. I got cursed again, but this time I can choose when I change. Sort of. But the thing is, we think the bad kitsune took Grandma Tsunade because she's the leader of the village. To them, taking out the leader will weaken us."

"So the Hokage is missing?" Neji looked at Shizune who confirmed it with a nod of her head. Neji looked away, letting it sink in. Then he turned back to Naruto. "I understand why they would attack the Hokage, but why Hinata?"

"Isn't she supposed to be the future leader of the clan or something?" said Naruto. "I thought as the first born she was going to be the head of the clan one day."

"No, that's been passed to her sister Hanabi. My uncle doesn't think Hinata is fit to run the clan or be any kind of leader. He feels she isn't strong enough or good enough."

"But the kitsune wouldn't know that," pointed out Sakura. "Somehow they must have found out about the clan needing a leader and assumed that Hinata was going to be the future leader. To their logic, Hinata must have been seen as some form of authority or strength."

"But why would she matter to them?" asked Neji. "She doesn't run the village. Are you saying these kitsune are eliminating anyone who can be seen as a leader? We're a fine clan and certainly a symbol, but I know there are others out there. It doesn't make sense to me. What also doesn't make sense is why they didn't take my uncle instead. He's the current head of the Hyuga clan."

"I don't know. I have no idea. Maybe they're trying to make a point, or threaten us. Make us scared."

Neji paced the office. "Ok, let me get this straight. The Hokage is missing and Hinata is missing. Naruto's been cursed a second time so he's a kitsune again. And there are two sets of kitsune now. Good and bad."

"Yup."

Neji turned to Naruto. "Then why don't you get your kitsune friend to help us out? Make him find Lady Tsunade and Hinata."

"I can't boss him around."

"You know, Naruto," said Sakura. "From someone who's hanging out to try protecting this village from the enemy, he's doing a pretty poor job of it. I mean that's two people so far. Who's next?"

"And if you're a kitsune again, why can't you track the enemy down? Why couldn't you sense them come in here and kidnap two people?" badgered Neji.

Naruto backed away. "Hey, I can't track scent off something that tiny. And the kitsune that came into the village didn't stay long. Not long enough to leave a good scent around. And I'm sure Seki is trying his best. He sensed them get closer to the village. That's something."

"But he couldn't stop them from coming in?" Neji looked angry. "I'm starting to think this friend of yours is playing you like a fiddle. How do we know he's not the one who did this?"

"The scent on that fur isn't his!" Naruto yelled.

"Maybe he had a hand in it. For all we know, he's helping the enemy!"

Growling, Naruto took a swipe at Neji's face. He couldn't stand hearing one of his friends talking about another friend like that and accusing him of something. Naruto's claws missed Neji's face but the gust of air Naruto created when he moved hit Neji like a slap. It was enough to make him jump back. He didn't say another word.

"Seki's my friend and I trust him! Just like he trusts me. He's been helping me out. And before you go around saying it's all his fault, why not blame the ninja who didn't notice the kitsune coming into the village? Some security! They messed up, too, Neji. Not just Seki! Even you didn't notice anything, so don't go around blaming other people when you're no better."

Neji's hard look softened slightly, letting Naruto's words sink in. Neji frowned in disappointment. Naruto was right. He failed, too. Even he didn't notice anything was amiss.

Naruto put a hand on Neji's shoulder, silently comforting him. Then Naruto spoke to him calmly but with a sense of urgency in his soft tone. "Was there anything in her bed or in the room that stood out to you? Maybe a jewel or something?"

"Why?"

"If Hinata was cursed, she would have been transformed into an object."

"No, I didn't see anything. But if that's how a curse works, why are you an animal and not an object?" he asked.

"Every fox curse is different. I don't think granny or Hinata would be animals."

"Then whatever they were turned into, if they were cursed, the kitsune must have taken with them," said Sakura.

"So if we find the kitsune, we find them?"

"I guess."

Naruto wasn't so sure. It seemed too simple. He also wasn't sure why those two people were cursed. Tsunade he could understand, being the leader of the village, but why Hinata? What would they want with her? Or were they just targeting his friends? If that was the case, how would they know who his friends were? It wasn't like they had ever met before. Maybe they were trying to get his attention. Maybe they just went after Hinata to show him that they could and the target was coincidental. Maybe it had nothing to do with Hinata at all.

"So what do we do about this?" asked Neji. "Just stand here and hope for the best? What action should we take?"

Shizune didn't know how to answer that. Though Neji had asked the question to anyone who would listen, she felt it was directed towards her. "We had security watching over the village and the enemy still got in. Either they're really good or they have someone on the inside helping them out. I don't know what to do."

Naruto didn't feel like sticking around any longer. He wanted to leave. Though the others protested, he left anyway and went back to his apartment to think. He just didn't want to be there anymore. It wasn't that he didn't care. He did. He just had the urge to leave.

He flopped down on his bed and stared at his human hands. "I have to get stronger. I won't let another person disappear."


After some rest and some food, Naruto was feeling a lot better. He was going to practice with Seki again that night, something he was really looking forward to. When he and Sakura caught up with each other late that afternoon, he told her all about what they've been doing. He told her about his training when he had first become a kitsune back on the mission.

"If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have had the skills I needed to fight Reevo or those hunters who came to kill them. Or those assassins. Since they attacked at night, I didn't have jutsu or anything to use to defend myself. So I needed to learn how to be a kitsune. It was a big help. Because of them, I was able to help you guys and helped them with their problem, too."

Sakura couldn't help but smile as she listened to Naruto talk fondly of his fox friends. The way his face lit up and the happy smile on his face put her in a good mood. For a time, it seemed all their problems were so far away. "Sounds like Seki was a big help to you back then."

"Ryosuke was the one who wanted to train me. Seki helped him do that. They're close friends. I could tell. Since Ryosuke is busy protecting his own home and his family, Seki came to help me out in his place." Naruto told her all about it. "At first, Seki was a little afraid of me because he knew I was a human. But he got to know me as a kitsune and we got closer. Then he said he trusted me and cared about me. That we were friends. I thought that would change when the curse was broken and I became human again, but it didn't. He came right up to me and didn't even flinch. He said that we were friends, human or fox. It didn't matter to him because he knew me. And he knew I would never hurt them."

Smiling, Sakura took in a deep breath through her nose. The way Naruto spoke, she felt as if she knew them, too. Only she didn't. "Seki and the other foxes sound great. I'd love to meet him. I haven't met any of them yet. I only saw them for a moment then they ran off. I'm a little jealous you got to know them and I didn't. Seki alone sounds pretty great. You think I could meet him when you go training with him tonight?"

Naruto paused, thinking. "I don't know. Like most of the kitsune, Seki tries to avoid humans. Says he's afraid of them. And he has good reason to be. His older brother was attacked and killed by a human in front of him and his little brother. He was made into a pelt and hung on the wall. Just imagine if that happened to a human."

It did sound pretty horrific.

"Because of that, Seki doesn't go near humans out of fear. It wasn't that way for me because he got to know me and we became friends. But he tends to avoid people as much as he can. Which is why he doesn't go into the village and stays just outside the gate in the woods. I couldn't even get him to spend the day in my room."

She understood Seki's reasoning. Humans must have been pretty scary to a young fox. Even so, she still wanted to meet him. These kitsune sounded wonderful. It felt like it would be a real honor and privilege to meet one face to face. Everything about them was shrouded in mystery. There was something thrilling and wonderful about meeting something very few people ever made contact with. It was like Naruto belonged to an exclusive club. Sakura wanted to be a part of it.

"Then again..." said Naruto, looking at her. "I think he'd be ok with you."

Sakura felt a rush of excitement. "Really?"

"As long as you don't do, say or look threatening, I think he'd be ok meeting one of my friends. But just one. Anymore than that would be too much."

It was getting close to sunset so this was the perfect chance to meet Seki. Sakura was really excited to meet a kitsune. She listened to everything Naruto said and took his advice. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him off or insult him. She asked if she should bring a gift and Naruto thought it would be a good idea. Kitsune valued food so that would have been an excellent gift.

Naruto led Sakura out of the village and over to the trees where he had arranged to meet Seki at this time. Naruto advised her to stay quiet and move slowly. No weapons or tools could be visible.

"When you speak, do it quietly. Don't lose your temper for any reason. Just look as nonthreatening as possible. Ok, Sakura?"

She nodded. She tightened her grip on the bag around her shoulder which contained the gift she wanted to give to Seki.

Rustling came from the woods and Sakura grew very still, holding her breath. Her first look of a kitsune up close. There was something truly amazing about it.

The rustling stopped and she saw a pair of eyes staring at her from the tree trunks.

"It's me, Seki," Naruto called to the eyes.

Very slowly, a fox stepped out from the tree trunks and stood before them. He had big eyes and well-kept fur. Two tails hovered behind him, refusing to wag or make even the slightest movement.

"That's him," Naruto whispered to Sakura. "That's Seki. He's the one I told you about."

Sakura remembered the kitsune she had seen at a distance the night the curses were all broken and knew this fox was different from that one. That kitsune was very powerful and she could tell that from where she stood. She felt as if she were looking at a powerful spirit far beyond anything a human could comprehend. He looked magical. This kitsune was not the same. She was still in awe at this two-tailed fox but the feeling she had wasn't as strong as it was for the first fox she had seen. This one was still mysterious yet somehow approachable.

The fox kept eye contact with her. It felt like the fox was trying to decide if she was safe to get closer to. Right away she had the impression that this fox was afraid of her.

"Uh... Hello," Sakura greeted softly. "My name is Sakura. I'm a friend of Naruto's. We're in the same group. Um, I guess you would call it a pack."

The fox didn't move but he seemed slightly less frightened of her. He felt safe enough to blink at least.

"I got you something." Sakura opened her bag slowly to not frighten the fox. "I brought you some food."

She pulled out a thick slice of melon and held it out for the fox to see. He sniffed the air but did not approach.

Sakura bent down and placed the melon on the ground and stepped back. "Here." The fox still wasn't moving. "I wanted to thank you for training Naruto and teaching him how to be a kitsune. And for being his friend. Thank you for being Naruto's friend. I hope we can be friends, too."

The fox started to move. He took one step. Then another. He very slowly crept out from the trees and over to the melon. He picked it up in his mouth and carried it back to the trees and set it down in the grass. He sniffed the melon but didn't eat it. He seemed to be checking it out.

Then the fox lifted his head and said, "Thank you."

Sakura gave a small gasp, surprised to hear it speak. Then she smiled. She took his words as a sign of acceptance. "You're welcome."

When Sakura turned her head, she saw Naruto in his hybrid form. He stepped forward then shifted into his full fox form and trotted over to where Seki stood. Naruto looked back at Sakura and smiled. "I'll see you later."

It was time for him to train.

Sakura nodded to him. "Ok." She looked at Seki. "I'll be going now. Thanks for looking after Naruto." Sakura slowly stepped away.

Seki picked up the melon and turned into the woods. Naruto followed him and the two were gone. The rustling had all stopped.

Sakura was left alone but content.

She finally managed to meet a kitsune and heard it speak to her. She thought that was amazing. She also knew that Naruto was getting the training he needed and was with a friend. He was learning the things no one else could teach him.

For now, this was all she could do. Sakura accepted that and was ok with it.


Melon finished and a dead lizard for dessert, Seki watched Naruto train in the dark. Their fox eyes allowed them to see about as well as they could during the day so the night was hardly an issue. Naruto worked long and hard on his training, stopping only to hunt small animals that came by from time to time.

Through his training, Naruto discovered that he was correct in that he could only use one ability depending on his transformaion. If he was human, he could only use jutsu and not fox magic. If he was a kitsune, then he could not use jutsu. He had assumed correctly. What he was still trying to discover was what power was more dominate in a hybrid form. If he was exactly half-and-half, could he in theory use both abilities at once? So far he was incapable of using two powers at once, even in hybrid form. Not only that, but he also discovered that even if he wasn't half-and-half and only a small part of him was changed into a fox, his fox magic would be dominate. He could not use jutsu if he was a hybrid. Even if his transformation was slight, for instance having a tail and ears, his jutsu would not work.

Overcoming these handicaps was no easy task. Naruto tried to see how far he had to be transformed to use either technique. It was better he learn it now than in the heat of battle. Through his training, Naruto discovered that he could still use his chakra to climb a tree if he had his tail but only his tail. Most of his ability to hold onto the tree came from sheer will power and concentration. He could only stick to the tree for a moment, then his fox powers would become dominate and his ninja skills were rendered useless. The same issue went for his clones as well. If he used jutsu to conjure his shadow clones, he could not use his fox magic. His clones would also disappear the moment his body went through any sort of transformation. If he gained a tail or ears, they would disappear in an instant.

It seemed that he could not use jutsu if any part of him was fox-like. This may have been a problem in battle. If he wanted to switch, he had to surrender all of the techniques he was using in the other form. If he was using fox magic, it was all break as soon as he changed into a human or used jutsu. If he wanted to use fox magic, all his jutsu techniques would disappear. Clones, the Rasengan, Sage Mode, everything. This made it especially hard if he was using one of his clones to spy and he changed into a fox unexpectedly. The clone would vanish in an instant.

"How is it coming?" Seki asked.

"I'm trying to stick to the tree while part of me is fox." Naruto was able to hold himself in place just for a moment. Very slowly he extended his claws and he fell. Even claws broke the jutsu. Ears were the same. For a time, it seemed that his tail was the only safe part of him that allowed him to still use his chakra, but sadly that, too, failed. He could only stick for half a second before falling. He thought it was because his tail didn't count and wouldn't force his body to shift from charka to fox fire. That was not the case. He was mistaken. On the off chance that he wasn't, Naruto kept trying. Showing no signs of progress, Naruto came to terms with the fact that being any part fox took away his ninja abilities.

"So that was your mate."

Naruto turned his head. "Hm?"

"The female who came with you," said Seki. "Was that your mate?"

Naruto remembered having a similar conversation back on the mountain during his mission with the kitsune. "Sort of, I guess. I kept trying to go on a date with her but she won't."

"I don't really understand dating. What do you do? Is that what humans call 'mating'?"

"Uh... Not really. For some people, it uh..." Naruto was turning red. "But no. A date is when a boy and a girl who like each other spend time together and get to know each other better."

"So it's social. Like playing."

"Sort of..." Kitsune thought differently from humans so this was a little difficult to explain to him.

Seki smiled. "She seems nice."

"She is. Just sometimes she gets mad and loses her temper. Most of the time it's my fault. But she's my friend and I care about her a lot."

Seki's tail wagged. "You have good friends."

Naruto smiled. "I know. You're my friend, too. Along with Ryosuke and everybody."

Seki's smile deepened.

Naruto kept good company. Now he just had to protect them.


Please review ^-^