Alright! It's time Byakko chapter three, enjoy!

Byakko, The Hand That Heals
Chapter 3
Burn from Within

"LIAR!" Naruto yelled.

Kyuubi snickered "No, I said I would teach you a jutsu, I didn't say that you wouldn't have to go find it for me."

"It's still a lie." Grumbled Naruto.

"Look kid, you've killed half the trees in the forest to get here, why don't you give the environmentalists a rest and go do some civic disruption. I'm sure it'll work out."

"Stealing from the Hokage is like, a criminal offense. I could get my hands lopped off for it." Naruto complained.

"Psh. That old man? There are very few breeds of fly that he would harm, let alone a kid like you."

Naruto growled, "I could be forbidden from becoming a ninja."

"And? Being a Shinobi is not the end all of an existence kid. In fact, it's one of the easiest ways to ensure the end of your existence. Besides, do you really think they will let you not become a shinobi? Holding the Kyuubi is a hard task, and they aren't about to risk a secret weapon because you want to go off and be a carpenter."

Naruto screwed up his face, he had no skill with woodworking. Besides, he'd read about an ability called Mokuton, and that sounded way cooler than shaping wood with your hands.

However, Kyuubi's words did give him pause. Besides, he was a master of stealth. Anyone who wore orange and could still avoid ANBU was definitely skilled at hiding.

"Fine, but you owe me."

"A debt which will be paid when I teach you this skill. Trust me."

Naruto grumbled, but decided to comply with Kyuubi. For now. All bets were off when he hit the interrogation room.

"Alright... we strike at dusk!" Naruto said.

"Baka! You need a plan, you can't simply run into the most heavily secured building in the village without having a plan to get the scroll, read it, and get out."

Naruto scowled, "I don't understand you Kyuubi. First you're all like 'let's go steal a scroll!' Then when I say sure you go 'Now hold on.' Make up your bloody mind on what you want to do!"

"I want you to steal the scroll, but it's imperative you don't get caught. It's even more vital that no one suspect that it was you who sneaked into the tower and read it. Where do you think suspicion will fall if you suddenly gain the ability to use a technique from an S-class scroll? You need a plan, you need to case the joint, and you need a partner."

Naruto nodded sagely, as if this had been his plan all along, "And I think I know just the fox for the job."

Naruto and Kyuubi's grins were almost identical.

XXXXXX

"Fox-san!" Naruto yelled down the hole.

Naruto waited for a moment before repeating his summons. A small voice let him know that at least one of the kits had been awakened, and was probably conversing with one of it's litter mates. Naruto waited with uncharacteristic patience, knowing the fear of a child when a stranger, most likely a dangerous one, was nearby.

A pair of eyes appeared at the hole, and Naruto found himself tackled to the ground by a small version of his little friend.

"Byakko-sama!" A small voice squeaked.

Naruto grinned up at the small fox sitting on his chest, "Hello there Kit-chan, how are you?"

The fox seemed to pout, "My name is Myora Byakko-sama."

Naruto laughed, "Ok Myora-chan, is your father home?"

"No, he's out hunting, but we can help you! Who are we going to fight today."

"Well, I see someone has a fighting spirit."

"You bet! With Byakko-sama on our side, we can teach those nasty humans a lesson about messing with dad!"

Naruto laughed, and was about to reply before he was interrupted.

"Myora, go back inside, you know it isn't safe." said a decidedly deeper voice.

Myora pouted again, but obeyed. Naruto rolled over to glance at the newcomer, and nearly lost his jaw as his hit the ground.

The fox that Naruto had saved so many weeks ago was now standing before him, at least twice as large as he had been. The mark on his shoulder still stood out in silver contrast to his red coat, reminding Naruto of the pact which the Byakko had made with his friend. Newly intelligent eyes gazed at Naruto with fondness, their crystalline amber depths reflecting Naruto's face upon them.

"I believe we've never actually formally met, my name is Kyoki. How can I aid you Byakko-sama. Or Naruto?" The fox asked.

Naruto smiled at the fox, "Just Naruto, I feel old when people call me sama. Not that anyone ever does..."

The fox smiled back, "Of course Naruto-kun."

Naruto got serious, "Well, the reason I'm here, is because I need your help."

"I am yours to call upon my friend. I owe you four lives, and much more to come I feel."

"Right... um, I need your help to break into the Hokage tower."

The fox raised an eyebrow, "Really? Shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate. This village's security is fairly weak once you get inside."

"Really?"

"Yes, you should really speak to your Hokage about that. Anyway, I know the general layout of the outside, but you'll need to get inside and take a look around. What are you planning to steal?"

"A forbidden scroll."

"Right... scroll, what's that?"

"Uhm... it's like, paper. With ink on it."

"Yeah, that stuff doesn't taste good."

"I would expect not. Anyway, how are we going to get in?"

"The window, you'll need to find a way to unlock one of the lower level windows, then you'll be able to sneak in and get to the room you're looking for. Do you know where the room is?"

"Yeah, Ojii-san once showed be the scroll room. The one I'm looking for is on a pedestel."

"Well, that seems foolish. Alright, meet me here at dusk. Go take a look inside, observe the guards and try to find out their evening schedules. Those should be the guards on duty till midnight, that will give us a general idea of where we should be moving and when."

Naruto nodded, "Alright, I'll go take a look."

Naruto took off before waiting to hear the fox speak again. The fox smiled and shook his head. What a weird kid. Then again, he supposed that this boy wouldn't be who he was if he didn't act the way he did, so he was willing to forgive that.

XXXXXX

Naruto sprinted down the street, wind flapping through his spiked blond hair. He grinned excitedly as he put his newfound speed to use. Kyuubi had been giving him lessons in increasing all of his physical attributes, and his Byakko powers were beginning to augment his natural abilities as well. Building up muscles was exponentially easier when you could heal them to their full potential in just a few hours rather than the days in usually takes.

Naruto vaulted over a fruit cart and rolled beneath a cow as he approached the Hokage's tower. The shouts of the angry owners followed him and he turned long enough to laugh at them, but swept his eyes back ahead when Kyuubi's reprimand echoed in his mind.

"Always keep your eyes on your objective baka, losing sight of your goal will contribute more to failure than anything."

Naruto leaped to the top of a nearby building and hurled himself into space, a few seconds of dizzying free falling found him crouched on the windowsill of a lower section of the Hokage tower. A quick drop and roll and Naruto was standing before the front door.

"Yeah, I'm awesome." He said confidently, striking a pose before the door.

A cleared throat behind him caused him to lose his pose, rather theatrically. Naruto turned to glare at the face of the man who had interrupted his awesomeness, and was confronted by a mess of gravity defying silver hair placed just above a single eye. Well, that was all that was visible anyway, the rest of the man's face was covered by a mask.

"Yo." The man said lazily, "You really shouldn't stand like that in front of the Hokage tower door, it opens outwards.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

Before the cyclopian ninja could respond to Naruto's query, an angry jounin decided to exit the Hokage tower. Now, when a civilian who is angry slams a door open, bad things can happed to the framework on the other side, and especially to anyone stupid enough to be standing on the other side of the door when the person flings it open. Now, imagine a jounin, a trained killer, with the strength to break rocks with his bare hands, flinging open a heavy oak door, into the back of a young academy student's head.

Yeah, painful.

Naruto's world was enveloped in a bright white light, and a flash of pain seared through his head as he was flung to the ground.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival! The Hokage has once again denied my request to receive a Genin team!" Shouted an angered Maito Gai.

Kakashi's eyebrow raised slightly, "Gai... considering the way you just mauled that poor academy student, I'm surprised that they even let you near the schoolhouse. Then again... don't they have a restraining order? Something about, 'extracurricular training?'

Gai looked mortified as he stared down at the swirly eyed Naruto.

"It huuurts..." Naruto groaned, "Why does it always hurt?"

"Naruto! You have to hold back your white chakra, it will give you away faster than a neon painted sign!" Kyuubi's voice roared through the haze of pain.

Naruto groaned in response, suppressing his chakra signature so that his abilities wouldn't be able to activate on their own. However, this produced quite a different response from the two jounin that were standing over him.

"Kakashi! I think I might have killed him!!" Gai yelled, staring down at the still boy whose chakra signature had just faded.

Kakashi's one eyes widened, "Umm, I'm pretty sure that's not good Gai. I would say goodbye to your team request for now."

Gai blinked, then tears began rushing down his face, "HOW UNYOUTHFUL OF ME!!!!!"

Naruto took this moment to raise a single hand and talk into the ground, "Don't worry about me... ugh. I'll be fine in a moment."

Kakashi and Gai instantly stopped and stared. They couldn't feel any chakra from the boy, and yet... he was alive.

"Gai..." Kakashi began.

"Yes?" Gai responded

"When did we start teaching academy students how to suppress their chakra signatures so well?"

"We didn't. I don't think so anyway."

"So... he either has a really crappy chakra capacity. Or amazing chakra control."

Gai nodded, sagely, "It would appear so."

"But wait... isn't that, him?"

Gai blinked, then nodded again, "Why yes."

As soon as this process got through Gai's mind, he grinned from ear to ear.

"YOSH! HOW YOUTHFUL OF THIS STUDENT TO BE TRAINING AT SUCH AN ADVANCED LEVEL! HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!" Gai yelled.

Kakashi rubbed his ears, "Gai... please be quiet, I have a headache, and you're not helping."

Gai was about to unleash another chorusing when Naruto's wavering hand came up.

"Ugggh. Can someone help me?" he groaned.

Before he could take another breath, Naruto found himself standing on his feet, face to face with a kneeling green man with a blindingly white smile. Naruto cringed and tried to pull away from the blinding sheen of the man's teeth, but found himself held by the powerful hands of a man who has trained his entire life to beat people to a pulp with his bare hands. Naruto felt a growing horror as the blinding sheen began to consume him. He tried to struggle against the light, but it held him entranced, the sparkly whiteness shimmering off the...

"Hey Gai, let him go, you're going to kill him." Kakashi said.

Gai let go, and Naruto felt the world refocus as the man stood up.

"I apologize for knocking you over young one, however, I must be going now, I have to run five laps around Konoha... and if I can't do that, I shall..." Gai trailed off as Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that all?" Kakashi asked.

"YOSH! How hip and cool an answer you have provided my eternal rival! I shall now run ten laps, and if I can't..."

Naruto ran for it, he didn't want to hear what the crazy Jounin was planning on doing. He ducked into the building around Gai's legs, followed by the man's loud booming voice as he declared many things concerning youth, flames, and eternal rivalry. Naruto kept running until he couldn't hear the voice anymore, then finally checked where he was. His eyes widened in surprise as he noted his surroundings.

He was next to the forbidden library.

Why no one had stopped him, he hadn't the slightest idea. He shot a glance back down the hall, idly noting that the Chuunin guard appeared to be sleeping. Some security. Naruto's nose twitched slightly and immediately ducked into the closest door. A moment later, the old man entered the hallway, trailing long strands of languidly flowing tobacco smoke. He appeared to be lost in thought as he traveled down the long hallway, passing by Naruto's door as he peeked out.

Naruto chuckled and turned away from the door, examining the room he had stolen into. at first glance, it seemed like a repository of some sort, for old stuff. Really old stuff. The walls were line with dusty posters, most of which were diagrams for techniques and chakra theory. Others appeared to be plans for machines of some kind that Naruto didn't recognize. However, the walls were just the beginning. scattered throughout the room were various objects, most of whose origin Naruto could not place. There was a helmet there, and a wierd glove with long metal chains attached to it there, and many more wonders to behold.

"Kyuubi, where?" Naruto began.

'I don't know... it looks like some kind of warehouse. Take a look around, you might find something interesting.' Kyuubi instructed.

Naruto followed the fox's advice, stepping further into the dusty room. Before his foot even took a second step, he sniffed the air. Chakra.

Naruto's instincts made him drop and roll underneath a table as the door burst open, revealing two ANBU standing in the doorway. They didn't appear to have noticed Naruto. They were after something else in here. Naruto suppresed his chakra to an almost dead level and watched the two men's feet scramble into the room.

"Are you sure the alarm went off?"

"Of course I'm sure! We don't set those seals up to look pretty. Someone is in here."

"I don't sense anything."

"That could mean we're going to die in a second. Alert hokage-sam- wait. Do you smell that?"

Naruto noticed their feet stiffen.

"Demonic chakra. We need to get out of here now." One muttered.

"Alert Hokage-sama, I will stay here. seal the entrance behind me."

"But..."

"GO! We don't have any time left."

Naruto's eyes widened as the first man ran out, slamming the door behind him. He sensed a spike of chakra, then the door fused into the frame. A sense of despair filled Naruto. He was trapped with an ANBU! He could die!

Before Naruto could contemplate any further, the second man disappeared in a blur of motion, reappearing somewhere out of Naruto's sight.

"And now that we're alone you little fox, I can kill you myself." Came a voice from behind him.

Naruto's eyes widened as a kunai ripped into his lower back, puncturing his left kidney. He went down without a sound, breathing painfully as searing agony coursed through his stomach. He faintly hear a laugh, then another blossom of pain originated in his right lung, shooting through his entire body.

"You killed my friends little demon, and now you're going to find out what it's like to suffer."

Naruto's eyes turned to his tormentor, streaming with tears, "P-please don't kill me." He whispered.

Although he couldn't see it, Naruto felt the man grin, "Oh don't worry, that seal lasts for six hours, you'll have at least that long to live."

Naruto whimpered as the man dragged his kunai down harshly, tearing open a huge gash over his rib cage.

"But, you do only need one lung, and it's harder to scream when you don't even have the air to breathe. So, which one should it be? I'll let you choose. It's risky either way, but I feel that each man should have a choice on how he's mutilated. Oh wait, you aren't a man, I guess I'll take them both." The man growled.

Naruto tried to gasp, but not air would enter his right lung, seeing as how it was being held by the man. He briefly wondered how he was still conscious after taking so much damage to his body. Something he had once read said that the human body would shut down after reaching a certain pain threshold. The man, as if reading his thoughts, laughed.

"Do you like it? It's a genjutsu of my making, I can force a person to remain conscious through any amount of pain, it's really quite remarkable for torturing those who I need answers from. Tell me, how does a fox breathe without lungs?" He asked.

Naruto released his waning hold on his chakra, allowing it to flare to life in his body. The ANBU took a startled step back as a pillar of white chakra erupted from the boy. Naruto's wounds slammed shut under the torrent of white chakra, even as his reserves dropped to an all time low. Pain ripped through his body as the wounds felt torn afresh, then his body was returned to it's whole, unmarred state.

He turned to face his tormentor, a glint of rage entering his eyes as they turned red, "I don't know. Say, how does a human live without skin?"

The man growled, hurling his kunai at the boy along with a string of hanseals meant to end the young child's life.

Naruto felt the world slow down. The white chakra around him disperesed under the kunai's assault. Naruto stared in unbelief, but raised his hand to intercept the attack, hoping to at least prevent the dagger from reaching any vitals. Before the deadly shaft of steel could reach him however, Naruto heard something even more horrifying.

Katon! Ryuuka nojutsu!

Naruto stared in fear as the dragon bore down on him, engulfing the kunai as it sped to consume him. Naruto's white chakra all but disintegrated under the assault. Fear took hold in his body, then anger.

'I will not die here! Not to the hands of this baka!'

'Naruto!' Kyuubi cried out. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Naruto raised his other hand as the dragon finally reached him. All the pain, anger, and hatred that he had endured in his life focused into this one moment, he felt the fire within his body ignite, an unquenchable flame of pure emotion.

KITSUNE BI!

The fire dragon slammed into Naruto's hands as a firestorm of stunningly powerful proportions erupted from Naruto's body. The fire dragon faltered, then shattered under the assault of the raging flames that escaped Naruto's hands. The man had time to breath in for a stunned cry, then was bathed in rolling hellfire. The ANBU seemed to withstand the assault for almost a second, then his skin bubbled and evaporated before Naruto's eyes, leaving a skeleton to collapse to the ground.

Naruto gazed in fear and awe at the fallen shinobi, then collapsed to the ground after him.

So, it's not as long as it should be, but I'm feeling kind of down after having my wisdom teeth removed, and I needed to write something to make myself feel better.