Some people have asked me things. 1. I spell juitsu this way because to me it just looks better. 2. Naruto hates badgers because they attack foxes. Another piece of information: I won't be able to write the rest quite this fast, but it should only be a day or two before I can update again, so just be patient.
Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru were eating breakfast. Anko looked at Tazuna, silently trying to get him to say something. Shikamaru suddenly stood up, only to be greeted by a kunai flying at his face. "What was that for!" he yelled. Naruto shrugged. "Sorry, reflex." He said, his voice showing no remorse. The startled ninja picked up his empty plate and put it in the sink. "I'm not sticking around a place where troublesome people throw kunai at me." He said. When he was about to open the door, he had to dodge another kunai. A sarcastic "Sorry!" came from the table.
Shikamaru was lying on the ground in the forest, just staring at the clouds through the leafy branches. "I just wanted to be ordinary…" he said to himself, before falling asleep. Naruto watched the lazy ninja from his position on a tree branch, Hinata by his side. "Well, my teammate has to be much more."
"Well, kit? What is it? You better not have disturbed my sleep for nothing." Kyuubi said. "When we met that man, in the forest, there was something wrong with his scent. I could smell a faint hint of badger, and he seemed somehow familiar." Kyuubi nodded solemnly. "I agree. Although you have never met him, I did feel something familiar about that ninja." Kyuubi thought for a second, then shrugged off the answer that came to him. 'Nah, couldn't be.' Naruto bowed, and was about to leave, when Kyuubi stopped him. "Whatever it was, I have a feeling we'll see him again. So be careful, I can't afford you putting our lives at risk." Naruto bowed again, and snapped back to the real world.
"Hey, Naruto? You awake?" came Anko's familiar voice. "Just having a chat with Kyuubi. No big deal." He said. Anko sighed. "You moron. Your 'chat' lasted the whole night!" Instantly Kyuubi woke up. "Kit, we have a problem." Naruto seemed eager to hear about it. "Whenever I battle Kaku, I become exhausted. This would account for my sleeping when you're not, my lethargy, and you staying out for too long. That would make sense, that man contains a hibernating Kaku!" Naruto didn't know who this 'Kaku' was that Kyuubi was raving about. "So, who's Kaku?" Kyuubi scoffed. "The 7 tailed Bijuu, and my mortal enemy. If he awakens, we're gonna have a whole lot of trouble on our hands." Naruto thought for a second. "Like Kyuu-chan trouble? Or like demon vs. demon fight kinda trouble." The reason Naruto hated badgers so much, was that when he had been younger, he had found a baby fox. He kept coming back to play with it, until one day it was attacked and killed by a badger. Of course, that badger had met a very painful end, but a demon badger would be annoying. "Like you confronting him without me to make you more powerful." Naruto gulped. Even at the skill level he was at without Kyuubi taking over, he would probably die if he tried to take on a demon.
A few days later, the squad had been guarding the bridge, without any signs of the Mist nins. Kyuubi had told the group that Zabuza was still alive, and that Naruto was the only one who had a hope of defeating him. Shikamaru was happy that he didn't have to do anything, but never showed it, or he knew Naruto would beat him into a pulp. Tazuna announced that the bridge would be done by the end of the week if there were no more interferences. "Guess I'll have to step in, then!" A voice called. Shikamaru and Hinata froze, and Naruto readied himself.
Zabuza came walking across the bridge to him. As the workmen started running, the mist nin pulled out his zanbato. "I'll finish this here, Kaku." Kyuubi said, taking control for as long as it could. "How thoughtful. But you'll be the one who dies today!" Kaku sneered. Kyuubi charged, and Kaku simply jumped over him. "You accidentally picked the best place to fight me, Ne Kyu-Kun?" Kyuubi started to pile up his chakra to let into Naruto when he lost control. "Water, water, and more water. I can't manipulate stone here!" The demon said, frustrated. Kaku charged at Kyuubi, swinging the zanbato. He easily jumped over it, and had it not been moving, he could have stood on it. 'I need to stop that weapon, before the kit has to deal with it.' Kyuubi thought. As he dodged more swings, a particular juitsu came to mind, but he needed to adapt it to a furless body.
"Wow, Naruto isn't having any chance to counterattack." Anko said. "The effects of that demon are showing. Naruto went into this battle at half strength, and he's only barely avoiding those strikes. I'd be better." Shikamaru pointed out. "N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said. She remembered what he had said to her last night, and knew what would happen if he messed up. "I-I want to help."
"Kitsune Transformation: Fox Fur!" Kyuubi used some quick thinking, and gave Naruto red fur to work with. Kaku paused for a second, not knowing why his adversary would use an unnecessary juitsu in a fight this serious. "Are you trying to tick me off!" He yelled, and brought the zanbato down on Naruto. "Kitsune Magic: Steel Pelt!" The newly grown fur stopped the lethal weapon in its tracks. "Ah, your invincible armor. I forgot you needed fur for it." Kyuubi laughed. "You're losing your touch, and maybe your mind. Can you really beat me?" He taunted. Kyuubi then grabbed the zanbato, and broke it in half. Tossing the pieces behind him, Kyuubi was drawn back into the seal, exhausted from his battle. For the third time, Shikamaru had to dodge a piece of sharp metal flying at his face. Anko wasn't paying attention, however, and the base of the blade pierced her arm, the handle still attached.Naruto's red eyes turned back to blue, and Kyuubi drifted off to sleep. Naruto knew he could still use Kyuubi's chakra for an increase in speed and strength, but not for Ninjuitsu. "Hmph. I expected more from Kyuubi's 'mortal enemy'." He bragged. Kaku looked at him incredulously, as Naruto started forming hand seals. "You expect to survive facing me without Kyuubi? You are one dumb mortal." Naruto finished the seals, and red chakra started to surround his body. "Could a mortal do this? Demonic Juitsu: Kitsune's Knives!" Hundreds of red knives started to appear around Kaku. "I've seen this one before. Demonic Juitsu: Earth Pillars of Kaku!" As the knives flew at Kaku, stone pillars fell from the sky, blocking them. "How's that, brat?" He said, jumping out from behind the pillars. "And now I have earth to manipulate too." Naruto scoffed. "I'm not impressed. Demonic Juitsu: Incendiary Inferno!" A massive pillar of flame burst from where Kaku was, and literally melted the stone that had been used as a shield.
"Ha…Ha…I used too much chakra on that one. From here, it's Taijuitsu only." Kaku ran at Naruto, Earth gauntlets forming from what little stone remained. He blocked the first punch with both hands, but had to duck Kaku's second one. He was kicked in the chest, and sent flying. Naruto landed on his back, and saw Kaku looming over him. "Any last words, brat?" Kaku asked. "Just one bit of advice. Ninja work in teams of three." Shikamaru and Hinata heard the code, and Kaku was instantly trapped by the shadow possession juitsu. "What? I…can't move!" Hinata ran forward, and her blue chakra came seeping out of one hand. "Demon's Grasp: Ice sword!" She said, as the chakra hardened into a katana. Kaku soon found said sword sticking through his stomach. "You win this time, but you shall not escape me again brat." Zabuza turned into a rock. "That sore loser." Kyuubi said.
