The Bloody Mist

by Gaereth

Naruto learns at a young age that power and pain go hand in hand. After the exile from his home, he meets an unlikely pair who might be able to help him. But can he push past his pain and find purpose? NaruxFemHaku pairing.

4. Chapter 4: Transformations and Trials

Chapter 4: Transformations and Trials

Disclaimer: Would you like to know the number of times I've owned Naruto? None. Yeah, I know, I was surprised too.

Wow, this is cool!' Thoughts

'Don't talk so much, brat!' Kyuubi thoughts

"Shut up, damn fox!" Regular talking

"You asking for a beatdown, kit?" Kyuubi Talking

He woke slowly, a dull throbbing permeating his body. He felt terrible; in his five years of life, he had never felt worse. He tried to sit up, ignoring the pounding in his head. Once he was semi-upright, he gingerly felt at his right arm, where a lot of the pain was. His fingers met taut skin, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had an arm; for some reason, he thought that he had lost it. He wondered about that, applying his barely awake mind to the task of examining that thought. He couldn't think for very long, though. He was tired and achy and sore and- he whimpered softly, as his arm cramped, sending waves of pain through him. This was a blessing and a curse; a curse in that it hurt like all hell, and a blessing in that it woke him up. And, as soon as he was fully awake, it all came flooding back. All of it.

He slumped over, ignoring the pain in his back. He lifted his hands to his face and wept into them, the tears leaking through the gaps between his fingers. He remembered training. He remembered smelling the smoke. He remembered the ramen stand, engulfed in flames like some apocalyptic monument. He remembered that shinobi, that damned Uchiha. He remembered what he had done to him; he remembered when the Kyuubi had taken over and carried out its own vengeance. And, oh Kami, he remembered that look of terror on her face. That look of utter disbelief and despair. She had seen her beloved little brother turn into a demon before her very eyes. She had been betrayed by the one she had taken in.

He let out a loud wail of sorrow, letting his anguish and pain out with his voice. But, he noticed something strange about his voice. It wasn't the normal tenor of his usual speech; instead it sounded like a strange snarl. Very strange indeed. He forgot his sorrow for a moment, putting it behind him temporarily; it was too great to simply be shoved away forever. He hummed a little, and he heard a strange rumble in his throat. He shouted nonsense syllables, and they came out as some sort of bark. He tried whispering, and that came out as a low growl. He was definitely creeped out now. Deciding to test his voice one last time, he spoke a sentence that was heavy on his mind. "I'm sorry, Ayame-neesan." Despite the solemnity of the words, they came out with a strange snarling effect.

Mystified by his newfound voice, he rose to his feet, wincing as his cramping arm hurt him again. He stood up and almost immediately fell on his back, but was able to lean against the wall. He couldn't seem to stand right for some reason, but that wasn't the only problem. He felt something dragging behind him, and he turned to see what it was. What he saw nearly set him reeling with the sheer strangeness of it. There, coming out of a huge rip in his black pants, was a large tail, nearly four feet tall, covered with ruddy red fur. The tip of it faded to black, and the base of the tail was nearly a gold color. He shook his ass interestedly, and saw it move along with it. But he had no idea how to move his tail by itself. He was about to think more on it, but realized something else that was strange. He was too tall.

He looked down at his pants once more, ignoring the ripped hole from whence his tail had sprung. No, his attention was focused on his feet. The cuffs of his pants, which had originally been the tiniest bit too big, were now fat too small. A good four inches of his skin showed between his shoes and the hem of his pants. Speaking of his shoes, his feet felt cramped inside them. He knelt down, careful to keep his balance by compensating for the weight of his tail, and pulled off his shoe. When he managed to pry it off his foot, he was stunned with what he saw. His normal small feet were gone, and they had been replaced by something very different. It looked a little like a human foot because it had five toes, but the rest of it was very different. Instead of the normal arch of the foot, the heel of the foot was pulled back into his legs, leaving only the balls of his feet to stand on. No wonder he couldn't stand right. In addition to that, his toenails had been replaced by wicked-looking claws. It was almost like a mix between the foot of some kind of dog, and a human one.

That wasn't all he noticed there. The skin tone was off. Instead of the normal pale complexion of his skin, it was much darker and, well, red. His skin was now almost the same shade as the fur of his tail, and was much tougher than normal. He poked at it, and was surprised to find it taut and tensed, with an amazing amount of muscle underneath. He looked at his hands, and saw them in a similar condition. The palms of his hands were strangely leathery and soft, but the rest was the same stuff as his skin. He looked carefully at his hands, and saw another odd thing. The same sort of transformation that had been on his feet had occurred in his hands as well.

He splayed his hands out in front of him, turning them round and round to get a better view of them. They had claws just like his feet, and the fingers were slightly arched. The hand was larger, and his arms had been lengthened. They were rippling with muscle, and he poked at his biceps. They gave hardly at all, and he wondered how strong he was now. He reached into his pocket, where he kept a small case. Pulling out the case and opening it, he took out the small kunai that was within. It was a miniature kunai, with a strangely decorative seal etched into the blade. Itachi has given it to him after he had managed to learn the Kawarimi no Jutsu, in celebration of his success.

After gazing at it for a moment, he reached up and cut off a lock of his hair. Holding it gently in his other hand, he looked at it closely. It was no longer the gold locks he had been born with. Now, they were a lighter shade of the ruddy fur of his tail. The hair was no longer soft and downy, but it was rough and coarse. He dropped the hair and stared at the kunai in his hand for a moment longer. He thought of Itachi-sensei, wishing that he had been there. Itachi could have set things to rights; he would have never let that damn Uchiha bastard to get his hands on Ayame. He would have… He couldn't continue that line of thought any longer. His heart ached, and he felt weary… so weary.

He leaned hard against the side of the small cave and slid slowly down it, hitting the rocky floor with a thump. He shut his eyes and thought of Kyuubi, touching his belly at the same moment. As he did so, he felt a strange burning sensation within him. Suddenly, he felt himself being drawn inwards and down, falling away from reality.

He opened his eyes and found himself in the Kyuubi's great prison once more. He shivered a little as he thought of coming face to face with the fox once more. Sure, he had been talking to him mentally for several months now, but the last time he had talked to him like this had been that fateful night when everything changed. He looked above the line that ran through the chamber, seeing the seal they had placed there. Now he could get a clear view of it, and was a little surprised by how it looked. It was a simple enough design: a spiral composed of nine different strands, surrounded by a circle. Overlaid over that was a second seal, which looked like a diamond cut into four even pieces by two lines. At the point where those lines met was also where the center of the spiral was located.

He examined it for a moment more, but was interrupted by a roar of rage. It came from deep within the Kyuubi's prison, and Naruto eyed the line that bisected the room. The line had turned completely red, which meant that he had full access to the Kyuubi. However, that also meant that the demon had full access to him. He froze in fear, but managed to choke down the terror. Once again, curiosity convinced him to find the fox and ask him about this strange new body.

He tried to walk, but found his balance quite precarious. He was walking practically on tiptoe, and it was rather hard. He wouldn't have been able to do it at all were it not for the muscles and the newly designed foot. He slowly hobbled forward, wobbling precariously. He decided that it would be smart to get the hang of this kind of walking before he talked to the Kyuubi, in case he had to run away. He began walking in circles on his half of the enormous room, trying to figure out how he was meant to walk.

After a time, he discovered the knack. He had to use the balls of his feet, and walk in an almost bouncy fashion. At first, he looked comical, prancing around like a kid with a new toy. Then he realized that he needed to bend his legs with it as well, and he tried that out. Vary shortly, he was able to prowl around with sufficient speed. It was by no means a graceful walk yet, but that would have to come with time. He stalked off towards the line, dragging his tail behind him. That was annoying, but he couldn't figure out how to move it. Maybe that would come with time as well.

When he came to the line, he came awkwardly to a halt. He was a bit wary about crossing this line, since once he was across he was completely at the beast's whim. But, then again, this side wasn't exactly a great defense, and he had to ask the fox some questions anyways. He stepped over the line, feeling the crackle of power as he passed through the invisible barrier. Shaking it off, he slowly walked on, looking from side to side.

He didn't see the fox demon anywhere, and that was odd. It should be damn hard to not see a huge fox; but he couldn't see it anywhere. After a time, he came to the far side of the wall. He cursed softly to himself, a particularly creative one he had heard from old man Ichiraku. He turned and was about to cross the room once more, when he heard a growl. It was low and soft, but it was full of menace. He turned back again, and was scared shitless for a moment. The wall was no longer behind him; it had been replaced by a slavering fox demon, with an incredible anger in its eyes.

He backed away, but with a flash of its paws he was pinned, almost crushed against the floor with the immense weight of its foot on him. The fox lowered its head, until its great eyes were mere feet away from Naruto. It spoke then, its voice low but filled with promised rage. "You foolish brat. I should kill you now." It opened its great jaws threateningly, snapping at Naruto. He saw those incredible teeth snap shut mere inches from his face, and was absolutely terrified. But, something came over him then. He felt his lips part in a snarl, and his clawed hands and feet tensed.

With teeth clenched, he barked at the demon. "Shut up!" the demon drew back, a strange look in its eyes. Naruto, despite his surprise at the demon's withdrawal, continued to shout. "I did what I had to do! I had to save Nee-san! I had to save the geezer! I HAD TO, DAMMIT!" His voice carried the same growling tones that layered the Kyuubi's own voice, and it appeared to affect the demon greatly.

Indeed, the demon was disconcerted. It knew what had caused the kit's transformation, and why it had happened, but it was surprised that the boy's shape had been this one. It sent some of its crimson chakra to the boy, wrapping about him and lifting him into the air. It turned him round and round, giving the demon ample opportunity to examine the boy. He noted the skin tone, as well as the tail and the changed physical structure. No doubt about it; the boy had been corrupted. It cursed silently to itself in the ancient tongue of the Kitsune. It had never intended this to happen; in fact, it had gone out of its way to make sure that this didn't happen. That was the whole purpose of the seal, damn it!

It set the boy down on the ground, and began speaking in its barking tones. "You have courage, kid, despite your idiocy. You have the guts to face down the old fox in his den. However, that does not change the fact that you behaved foolishly." It laid itself down, laying its head between its paws. It thought for a moment, and then continued. "I never told you the entirety of what that seal was for. You know that it was meant to act as dams or reservoirs, to store the power until you were ready for it." Naruto nodded slowly to himself, remembering that little chat rather vividly. "There was another purpose. I'm a demon, kit. My chakra is fundamentally corrupt. In order to protect you from its defiling touch, I have to purify it before it entered you. The Yondaime's seal did much the same thing, but it would not have given you physical strength as well as the chakra. My seal is more beneficial, but only if it is used correctly." It paused for a moment, thinking of how best to say this.

"When you broke the first gate, and absorbed that strength into your body, it corrupted you. The original physical changes that I meant for you were not going to so drastically change you, merely augment the abilities you already possess. The seal was not able to take its course, and the chakra had not been sufficiently purified." It let out a low growl. "If it hadn't already been drained from the months that have passed, you would be dead. Nothing can save you from that much youki. As it is, it has inflicted permanent effects on your body. Luckily, they seem to have added to your abilites, if anything. But, that's not all the corruption did." Here, the demon fell silent, as if pondering its thoughts once more.

Naruto waited for a time, but still the demon said nothing. Getting tired of the silence, he spoke up himself. "So, what's happened? What else did it do?" The fox turned its head a little, looking directly into Naruto's eyes. He met its gaze with an equal stare, and eventually the demon turned away once more, letting out a strange growl. It didn't sound angry or exasperated, but almost a sad sound.

"It's destroyed your chakra coils. You cannot channel chakra anymore." Naruto was silent, absorbing this terrible news. The demon spoke on. "When the power swept through you, it burst all your tenketsu wide open. If you had been a mere human, you would have died within minutes. But, because of the corruption, you were not killed. Shortly afterwards, the corruption began changing you. During the process, it charred away your central chakra coil. From there, it swept through your entire chakra system, scorching it into uselessness. All of your tenketsu were charred shut. You will never use chakra again." It bowed its great head, knowing the pain of being powerless. After all, it had been living in a prison for the past five years; he knew something of being helpless.

Naruto sat quietly, feeling his world crash down around him. That was his dream; that was what he was going to do with his life. He was going to become a ninja. He was going to become the Hokage! What kind of Hokage couldn't use chakra? How would he fight without the ninja's source of power? Without chakra, he couldn't do anything! He bowed his head, unknowingly copying the Kyuubi's movement. He felt as if his life was over; his dreams dashed to pieces. He would have rather died than face this. This feeling of powerlessness… It was truly a fate worse than death.

He realized suddenly what he was thinking. What the hell? Who says you can't fight without chakra? Dammit, he'd fight for as long as there was strength in him! If his arms were cut off, he would use his legs. If his legs were cut off, he'd fucking bite the enemy to death. He was Uzumaki Naruto, and he'd be damned if he let something like this stop him! He stood up straight, raising his head once more. He stared at the Kyuubi with an arrogant gleam to his eyes. He spoke, his growling voice filled with an eerie majesty. "I will fight. If I cannot use chakra, then I will not. I'll use any weapon at my disposal, and crush my foes. Nothing will stop me. Nothing." He stared Kyuubi dead in the eye, all fear forgotten.

The fox stared back at him, amazed at what he saw. This boy, this mere stripling, stood there with the arrogance and majesty of Enma himself. His body was strong and bestial, and he stood with a feral grace that gave him an aura of authority and power. Kyuubi noticed that the boy's eyes were no longer blue, or red for that matter. They were a deep violet hue, and the slitted pupils shone with determination. Kyuubi's opinion of the boy changed forever in that moment, and he saw what this boy could become truly great, unparalleled in this world or any other. It saw in him the same potential that it had seen in itself. It knew then that he was ready for its offer.

"I see. Then, I have a proposition for you." Naruto's long ears perked and tilted towards the fox, giving it his full attention. "I can give you a way to directly use my Youki. It will not harm you permanently, because your body has already adapted to the corruption. But, it comes with a grave price." It grew silent, looking at Naruto intently. He nodded imperiously and motioned to the creature to continue. "The price is pain. Eternal pain. You will not be able to use my youki without it causing you damage. However, this damage would be instantaneously healed, but the pain of it would be immense. The greater amount of Youki you summon, the greater your pain will be. I will add this as well; you're new body has no pain threshold." The fox fell silent, giving Naruto time to think this through.

He pondered this new proposition long and hard. He would be able to use the fox's own form of chakra, its youki, as if it was his own. But eternal pain… He thought of his determination of a moment ago, and he made his decision then. Whatever the price, whatever the cost, he would pay it. He would do what he had set out to do. He would be the strongest, and no one could stand in his way. It was all he had left now. He would accept this deal. He looked the demon in the eyes once more, his deep violet eyes never blinking. Unknowing to him, he tail began moving, replying to his unconscious muscle movements. He hadn't realized it yet, but his body was already adapting to this new shape. "Kyuubi. I accept."

Kyuubi gave a sharp yip, followed by two barks. Naruto blinked wondering what that was supposed to mean. The fox noticed his puzzlement and decided to explain. "I had to swear to uphold my end of the bargain. That was the speech of the Kitsune. You will have to learn it eventually. So, you accept? And you're sure?" Naruto nodded twice in reply to both questions. "Very well. Swear your acceptance of the bargain, then spill your blood upon the floor."

Naruto nodded slightly, thinking of what he should say. Then, he remembered something Itachi had said once. He raised his right hand and placed it over his heart. "I swear by the blood that flows through me, and the heart which sustains me, that I will honor the agreement between myself and the Kyuubi no Yoko." After he spoke thusly, he lifted his left arm up. Using the claw of his right index finger, he quickly slashed open the underside of his wrist and held the arm out, allowing the blood to spill from it to pool on the floor. The Kyuubi then raised a paw to its mouth and bit it roughly, then held it over the same spot. The giant drops of blood splashed down, mixing and mingling with Naruto's. Then, the pact was done, and they were bound by it.

The Kyuubi spoke once more, raising itself up onto its massive legs. "It will have to be done immediately, while the blood is still fresh upon the floor. I will send you back, and you will do as I say. Understood, young warrior?" Naruto, despite his surprise at how Kyuubi had chosen to address him, nodded quickly. Within seconds, he was back in his body once more. He stood up, not bothering to use the cave wall as a prop. Once he was upright, Kyuubi's voice echoed through his head once more. 'Are you prepared? Excellent. Now, form the basic Tiger seal. And no matter how much pain you endure, do not move. If you do, you will die.' Naruto acknowledged this and formed the seal, tensing himself.

Once Kyuubi felt his readiness, he began pouring his Youki directly through the seal, shunting it directly into the ruins of Naruto's chakra coils. From there, he began systematically pushing and pulling it through the remnants of his chakra system, melting it down and forging it anew. The process would take time, and the fox hoped that Naruto would be able to stick it out.

Naruto was in agony. He felt as if boiling lead was being poured through him, agonizingly slowly. He didn't move, or even let out a sound. He was determined to make it through this, and to overcome his weakness. Luckily, his lack of a pain threshold was proving advantageous. No matter how much pain went through him, he would never fall unconscious unless he let himself go. And he was never going to do that.

The process took about an hour, but it felt like an eternity to Naruto. At the end of it, as the last of his chakra system was baptized in the fire of Kyuubi's youki, he was covered in sweat and blood, for he had bit his lip several times in an effort to distract himself from the pain. His hands were blistery and raw, and blood flowed from where he had clenched them together too hard. His dark red blood mixed with the ruddy brown of his skin. Kyuubi finally pulled the Youki back, placing some of it into his new chakra coils and taking the rest back through the seal. Naruto finally relaxed, pulling his hands apart with a grimace. He looked at their condition, and watched the blisters and wounds heal before his eyes. Within a matter of seconds, they were fresh and unmarked, even though the blood remained.

He looked about him, seeing the effects of his little 'remodeling'. Around him, the rock was scorched and melted, and the roof of the cave, along with the soil above it, had been vaporized by the overflow of youki. The sky above was light, which showed that it had been at least a day since he left the village. He looked down at himself, and gave an ironic chuckle. His clothes had been burnt away as well; he'd have to find something that wasn't quite so flammable next time. Then, the drain of it hit him, and he collapsed onto the scorched surface of the floor. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor.

Naruto felt amazingly better when he finally woke up, since the pain in his body had died down to a dull throb. He sat up, rubbing at his forehead. The headache had also subsided, for which he was incredibly grateful. Carefully keeping his balance, he rose to his feet. When he was upright, he began pacing back and forth, getting accustomed to that strange walk once more. He felt a little silly for walking like that, but he had to admit that it was strangely comfortable. It would take some time to get used to walking like that, but he would definitely not regret taking the time.

He looked around the cave, seeing the evidence of his 'operation' in the scorched walls and floor. He looked up above him at the hole that he had left in the roof of the cave. Above, a crescent moon shone down on him, illuminating his ruddy locks and his deep, violet eyes. He grinned at the night sky, exposing rows of sharp teeth. The moonlight was bright, and the stars shone brilliantly. He sighed a little bit, amazed at how beautiful the night sky looked. He decided to get out of this infernal cave, now that he was feeling better. He walked up to the rocky wall, and tried to shunt his chakra to his feet. Nothing happened.

He frowned, and tried again. He felt something move inside of him, but it wasn't chakra. Then he remembered the youki the fox had given him, and that worried him. How was he going to use this demonic energy? And how much would it hurt to just climb a wall? In response to his thoughts, there was a gruff bark from within his mind. 'Sometimes I preferred it when you were stupid. You didn't think so much, or so LOUDLY.' There was a grumpy growl from the demonic fox, and Naruto couldn't help but grin. Looks like he had woken the fox from his little nap.

'Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, I know better than anyone else how much you need it.' There was another ill-tempered growl, but he hastened on. 'But, seriously, how am I gonna use this youki?' Almost immediately, he thought of another question. 'And what do you mean, "When I was stupid"? Did I suddenly get smarter or something?' There was another growl from Kyuubi, but this one was filled with tones of mirth.

'That's one way of putting it, I suppose. It's more accurate to say that your brain is improved. However, that doesn't necessarily make you smarter. You still only know the things you knew before.' Naruto nodded in understanding, surprising himself. Before, he wouldn't have understood that, but now he was able to comprehend it. Strange, that. 'As for the youki, it should work in the same basic way that your chakra did. I would assume you would access it the same way, as well. When I rebuilt your chakra system, it was built in the ruins of your previous one, and follows the same pattern. Have you tried accessing it?'

Naruto nodded, and then remembered that the demon couldn't see him. 'Yes, and I felt something happen, but that was it. Do you think that I have to do something differently in order to reach my youki?' Kyuubi let out a little whine, which carried a puzzled note.

'I'm not sure. Nothing like this has happened before. I'm not omniscient, just perfect.' Naruto chuckled a little at that comment. 'I don't know, Kit. I know that pain is involved, so try pushing it as hard as you can, to the point of pain.' Naruto shrugged and decided it was worth a try. It wasn't like he had any better ideas.

He took a few deep breaths, calming himself as much as possible. Closing his eyes, he reached into himself and concentrate, focusing on where his chakra was. Normally, when he used chakra, it felt very comforting and natural. But when he looked for that familiar embrace, there was nothing. He cast about deeper, searching desperately for his wayward power. He knew that the youki was here somewhere; he hadn't endured that pain for nothing. But, try as he might, he couldn't feel anything; it was like there was a void within him, nothing there to find. Just emptiness where power was meant to be.

He began growing frustrated, his thoughts grew more angry and irrational. He knew it was in there somewhere, it had to be! He got even angrier, gritting his teeth in annoyance. Then, he felt something! There was a heat inside him that was almost tangible, almost corporeal. He reached for it, a sense of hope dawning. But, strangely, it moved out of reach, and began fading away. He felt his hope die away, and became furious. How dare that damn youki toy with him? As his anger grew, the fire, the youki, began flaring and growing ever stronger. He reached out and seized it, feeling power flood him. He grinned in a sense of violent self-satisfaction, and realized something. The youki was reacting to his emotions somehow. Just after he thought that, the Kyuubi broke into his thoughts.

'Interesting. It's responding to your strong emotions. I suppose that when your anger grows, your mindset becomes more primal and animalistic, allowing easy access to the youki. It does make sense, since it is the power of a demon fox, after all. Very intriguing.' The Kyuubi fell silent, watching Naruto carefully. This was a whole new experience for him, and he was fascinated with it all. Contrary to common thought, Kyuubi loved knowledge; it was like Christmas come early for him to be able to watch this. Something like this transformation and subsequent corruption was unheard of.

Naruto was glad that he had found his youki, but the throbbing ache was starting to grow. It was still not too bad, but he let go of some of the youki anyways. There was no point in getting more power than he would use. He frowned a little at that; it meant that he would have to perfect his control of the youki, so that he only used the exact amount that he needed, and no more. The ache died down some, and he focused his mind on other matters. The first of which was to jump out of this cave via the hole he had made.

He concentrated, shunting the youki he had obtained into his legs, filling them with the power. As the demonic chakra was poured in, the pain began growing. He ignored it and continued, forcing himself to get used to it. After all, he'd have to do this the rest of his life, so he might as well start now. When he had applied enough to his feet and legs, he crouched and leaped with all his strength. He shot high into the air. Too high! He was fifty feet off the ground, and coming down fast.

Naruto bit out a quick curse and braced himself, knowing that this landing was going to hurt. He stretched out his arms and legs, so they would break his fall. When he hit the ground, his feet and hands planted themselves and bent slightly, absorbing the force from his fall. He was absolutely stunned. Not only had he landed so lightly, but he was amazed that his limbs had the strength to support him, even without the use of his youki.

He was about to get up when he realized something else. He felt much more comfortable on all fours than he did on his feet. He began moving forward, using balls of his feet and the pads of his hands. He moved easily, his body fluid and graceful. He laughed aloud; it felt so good! Why hadn't he ever tried this before? He crouched down, gathering his strength. Then, with a feral speed and grace, he launched himself forward. He leaped a good fifteen feet before he landed lightly, once again on all fours. His lips spread in another grin; this was fun. From within, he heard the Kyuubi barking and yipping in laughter.

'Rather enjoyable, is it not? Much better than walking on those two puny stalks you call legs!' Naruto laughed along with it, realizing that the demon was exactly right. This felt good, it felt natural. However, the demon had something else to say. 'You'll find that using your tail will help you balance yourself better when you run like that.' Naruto looked at the long tail that was dragging behind him, realizing that he had never figured out how to actually use it.

'Kyuubi, how do I use my tail?' There was a moment's pause, then loud barks of amusement.

'How do you use your tail? That's the first time anyone's ever asked me that! I can't really explain it, kit. It's one of those things you'll have to figure out. Just remember that it is a part of your body, and has its own muscles and nerves. Don't treat it as some sort of decoration; it's vital to your balance and agility. And it has… other uses…' Kyuubi's voice trailed off, as it was lost in its sea of memories.

Naruto left the fox to his own devices, thinking carefully of what it had told him. The last time he had tried to move it, he had used just the muscles in his lower back. But he had no idea how to use the muscles in the tail. He crouched down to the ground, resting his head between his hands as he thought this dilemma through. As he thought, his tail began wagging back and forth, but he didn't notice. After a bit, though, he happened to glance behind him and saw it waving in the air. He got up, stunned, and then realized what he had done. It was almost like twiddling his thumbs; he had moved his tail subconsciously. And, thanks to that, he had been able to figure out how to move the tail.

Cautiously, he twitched a muscle. The back of his tail flicked a little. He used a different muscle, and the middle of it moved. After a time of trial and error, he figured out the full range of motion his tail was capable of, and was pleasantly surprised. There were tons of muscles in that one appendage, and it possessed practically a full range of movement and flexibility. He could curl it into loop, set it stiff and straight, and lay it across his back so the tip rested on his head. He was definitely enjoying himself, just sitting there and testing the limits of his new limb.

After a time, he got back up into what he liked to call his 'fox stance', when he was on all fours. He began running around the clearing, leaping, crawling, and even pulling a few acrobatic tricks he had learned during his sparring with Itachi. He laughed and played for quite some time, enjoying his new body. The best part was that he was naturally strong and fast, and didn't have to use youki; he had already decided not to use it unless he had to, since it was a double-edged sword.

Finally coming to a stop, he panted from his exertion, sweat running down his grinning face. He stood up on two feet, grimacing a little at the loss of mobility. No two ways about it, he definitely preferred his foxy style of travel. He twitched his tail a little to help him maintain his balance, then walked off to the river. Working the last of the cramps out of his arms, he stood next to the waterside, gazing down at the shimmering surface. He saw the moon reflected in it, its luminescence shining off the clear water. He knelt down next to the water, shoving his hands underneath the surface of the water. Cupping them together, he lifted them out, holding some water in them. He splashed this onto his face, relishing the cool feeling that helped relieve him.

With a grunt and a sigh, he flopped onto his ass and bent over towards the water, stretching out his back. Holding onto his knees with his hands, he pulled himself into an Indian-style position, working some cricks out of his neck as he did so. After a couple of pops and snaps, he relaxed, gazing into the rippling water. Slowly the river calmed itself after his abrupt intrusion, running placidly once more. He examined the river closely, enthralled by its beauty. It was running slowly, so slowly you could only barely discern its movement. He saw his reflection in the water, now no longer disturbed by ripples. He glanced at himself, and then looked again with far more attention. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He stared at his watery mirror, turning his face to and fro to allow the moonlight to reveal his features with greater clarity. His jaw dropped as he observed the changes he had gone through. He had known about most of the physical changes, what with having to learn how to walk again. But he had no idea about these others. His whisker marks were great clefts running down his cheeks, almost meeting each other at his nose. His slitted violet eyes showed surprise and slight horror as he stared at their shimmering reflection. His heir stood out even more than before, now that he saw it in comparison to the rest of his face. As he stared in awe and terror at a face that was no longer his, the true meaning of his sudden transformation sunk in. He was no longer Uzumaki Naruto, clever prankster, hated demon carrier, Ayame's little brother, Itachi's protégé. He was no longer human.

That thought brought another aspect to mind. H chuckled darkly as he realized something else, a depressed glimmer in his eyes. He was, finally, the demon that the villagers had feared and rejected. He moaned a little in despair; he had wanted to prove them wrong, but he had actually justified their hatred! In horror and rejection, he slashed at the water's surface, ripping it open with his newly clawed hands. It passed through the liquid with no resistance, his reflected face shifting and distorting, seeming to mock him. He went into a frenzy, slashing and punching the flowing river, trying to obliterate the image he saw before him, to undo the immense wrong that had been done to him. But his mirror remained, distorted and broken, but still reflecting his demonic figures. He turned away from the water at last, not able to bear the leering face in the water. He drew his knees up and hugged them to him tightly, burning tears leaking out of his eyes.

As the sorrow and regret began to overcome him and the salty tears flowed down his cheeks, he felt a sense of finality. He knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, his life in Konohagakure no Sato was totally and completely over. He could never go back; not to Ayame-neesan, not to Teuchi-ojisan, not even to Itachi-sensei. He felt devastated, having lost all of his precious people in one fell swoop. He thought back to them for a moment, mental images running through his mind as his steamy tears dripped onto the ground. When he came to Ayame, her smiling face was suddenly transposed with a visage of horror, mouth open in dismay as the eyes widened in shock and despair. He broke completely then, falling onto his hands and knees. He pounded the earth viciously with his fists, digging great divots into the ground with each blow. His tail thrashed about, hitting earth and water alike in his sorrow.

After a time, his violence died away, replaced by a numbing depression. As he thought sorrowfully of his beloved neesan, a thought occurred to him. The Uchiha; the one who caused all this mess. It was all that bastard's fault! It was because of that damned Uchiha that he was a monster, a freak, and would be hated forever! It was HIS fault that his sister would never love him again! It was… his thoughts were broken off by pain. Excruciating agony filled his body as his anger buoyed him and energized him. The ground beneath him broke apart and was flung away, as demonic red youki surrounded his body. The hair on his tail and head bristled and became as hard as spikes; his muscles tensed and seemed to become filled with strength. He felt his teeth grinding against each other as he tensed his jaw in rage. He raised himself up, standing on his feet once more. He lifted his head up and stared at the moon, gazing at it as his eyes changed from violet to a crimson red. He snarled, and let loose a long, loud roar that echoed throughout the forest.

As the cacophony of his howl died away, and fell forward, catching himself on his hands. He looked truly demonic now, his fur bristling and his fangs bared. He turned and ran blindly, his hands and feet working in perfect coordination to propel him forward. He was out of the training yard in a flash, dashing through the undergrowth of the forest, dodging left and right as he avoided the large trees. After a moment, he leaped high into the air, never slacking his pace. He landed on a large branch, and his claws scrabbled and seized it in an attempt to gain purchase. In reckless abandon, he leaped from branch to branch, leaving singe marks and gouges in the bark as he went.

He continued in the fashion for quite some time, enveloped in a vicious cycle. His anger triggered his youki, his youki caused his pain, and his pain fueled his anger. Soon he was out of the forest that surrounded Konoha and dashing across the flat grasslands beyond. He was running at a truly incredible speed now, his arms and legs pumping furiously. He flashed through the pains in a streak of red, not caring for the wanton destruction he caused on the way. In fact, he found he rather enjoyed the sensation, feeling the wind break and flow around him, the scent of the earth, the touch of the earth beneath his hands and feet. After a time, his sorrow left him, abandoned for the sake of a euphoric feeling that crept through him. Even as his pain mounted and grew ever higher, he simply ignored it, allowing it to force him onward.

After a time, his anger left him. And as it fled, so did the power that enveloped him. He felt the scarlet youki that surrounded him diminish and recede, and howled a note of disappointment. He wanted the pain, the feeling of power! It made him feel alive! He felt like he could do anything and everything! Who needed Uzumaki Naruto? No, he was someone else; better and stronger! What did Ayame and the others ever do for him? Nothing! They only held him back! As he thought all these, and many more thoughts crowding him, one thought shone out. As he slowed his pace to a slow jog, he saw an image that he held very dear indeed.

He stopped and stared at the grass around him, the youki almost gone completely now. He thought of that picture, remembering it in extreme detail. It was the first time he had met Ayame-neesan. The first time he had eaten ramen. The first time he had felt wanted. He reviewed the conversation that had taken place, laughing as he thought of his stupidity, sobbing as he remembered her voice. Suddenly, the image disappeared, and everything snapped into focus. He realized what had to be done. He stood slowly to his feet, his air losing its hardness as the youki dispersed entirely.

He saw the path before him, and realized what he must do. He felt the dichotomy within him, the desperate yearning to be two different people. He wanted to be loved at Konoha, but he also wanted to crush them beneath his heel. He wanted so desperately to be accepted once more by Ayame, but he felt disgust and betrayal about her just as strongly. He felt as if there were two doors that he could take. One door told of home and penance and apologies, maybe pointless. The second promised a future of death, pain, arrogance, and power. He wanted neither. Turning from one door to another, he rejected them both. He knew his path. He would take the third door. He would lead his life the way he chose to, independent of anger or sorrow. He would take the path that suited him, would wander through the roads of life. He would make a living somehow, but it would not be through bullying. He would find love somehow, but not by returning to the scraps of a broken life. He was no longer Uzumaki Naruto, but he was determined to not be the reincarnation of the Kyuubi. He was simply Naruto now, and he would find his own path.

He stood now, proud and erect, his eyes once more their deep violet shade. He turned and looked behind him, staring at the destruction he had left in his wake. He'd have to work on his youki control; he couldn't have that happen just anytime he got mad. Then, suddenly, the pain flooded over him, devouring him whole. He felt it move through him with tremendous force, but he couldn't fall into the peaceful bliss of unconsciousness. No, he stood there with shaking fists and clenched teeth, enduring the torture. It grew and grew, and bright spots of light seemed to dance before his eyes.

Finally, the pain left him, and he collapsed to his knees, panting and gasping. His brain was still crystal clear, but the echoes of the pain made it hard to focus. Clutching his head in a clawed hand, he slowly stood up again. His vision cleared and the echoes died away, leaving him with only a memory. He grimaced a little; now he had another reason to work on his youki control. He'd have to experiment, and find out exactly how much youki he needed for a chosen task.

His stomach growled, letting him know that it had yet to be filled. He frowned and patted his belly, deciding to put off that line of thought until later; food was far more important. For a moment, he thought of ramen, and he felt himself start to drool at the mere thought. But, with that thought came thoughts of Ayame, so he banished it. He sighed mournfully; he didn't think he'd ever be able to eat ramen again without thinking of his nee-san.

Shaking his head to clear out the sorrowful thoughts, he crouched down into his fox stance, staring intently into the horizon. Thankfully, because it was night, he might be able to see town lights; and where there was a town, there was food. He sighted a small yellow glow in the east that could account for something. With a shrug, he gathered his muscles and bounded away across the plain.

He ran for what seemed like an hour, and the city was now much closer. At least, he assumed it was a city, for he couldn't see anything but the glow from electric lights. He shrugged it off and kept running, until he was within a half-mile of the light. Then, all became clear to him; the town was built in a sort valley, with staircases leading down to it. He bounded up to the edge and crouched down, gazing into the city with interest. It was small compared to Konoha, but it was brightly lit. He looked down what appeared to be the main street of the city, and saw many hotels and shops, as well as several stalls where he could obtain food. He looked at his tattered and ripped clothes in sorrow; maybe he could 'obtain' some new clothes, too.

With a leap, he was on the staircase and running, reaching the bottom within seconds. He stopped there, panting and trying to catch his breath. His stamina was greatly increased from where it had been before his transformation, but it was still not enough for the kind of activity he had been doing. He made a mental note to begin doing more rigorous exercises, so he could run longer. Why, he remembered Itachi once running for a full twenty-four hours without pause. Naruto swore that one day he would be even better than Itachi.

His fatigue somewhat lessened, he stood up straight and walked slowly towards the town, trying to keep his tail out of sight as well as he could. He found that he could wrap it around himself and flatten the hair, so it looked like an extremely thick and hairy belt of some kind. It wasn't great, but he'd figure something else out later. Once he reached the city proper, he stalked silently down the street, trying to keep to the shadows as much as possible. At his first opportunity, he slunk into an alley, hoping that there was a similar network of alleys here as there were in Konoha. His luck held, and he was able to go from alley to alley without spending too much time in actual streets.

He went through what appeared to be a middle-class district, with occasional shops and stalls. After that, he found himself near the slums, and was able to find a way around that area. He managed to get through the red-light district without any hassles, despite the busy 'shops' and bars. Finally he got to the touristy part of town, where they had most of the restaurants and food stalls, as well as classy clothing stores.

He slipped quietly over to one of the stores, which happened to be a bakery. It was a small shop, and the door was a sliding one with a simple lock. He reached into his pockets for some wire, but found that it had slipped out during his run. With a curse, he ran a hand through his hair in desperation. As he did so, he remembered how his youki had caused his hair to stiffen and become hard. He tugged on his hair hard, and was rewarded with several ruddy strands. Reaching into his stores, he skimmed a small amount off of his scarlet youki and channeled it into the hair in his hands, twitching a little as a small tendril of pain followed the demonic energy.

He felt it flow through his hand and into his palm, slowly pouring itself into the reddish hair. He felt them slowly stiffen, until they reached a point where they felt as hard as rock. Grinning, he siphoned the youki away from them, letting them loosen again. Then, with a calculating look in his face, he inserted the hairs into the lock mechanism.

It was an absurdly simple lock, and he was able to unlock it with ease. He found it difficult to channel just the right amount of youki into the hairs, so that they were stiff but wiry. After it was opened, he withdrew the youki and the hairs, wincing a little as another small but annoying pain hit his hand, as if a splinter had lodged in it. He decided that the youki must hurt him in proportion to the youki used; he'd just have to get used to it. Stepping through the door, he shut it behind him and gazed around the shop. Thanks to his eyes, he found he could see quite well, despite the almost total absence of light. He maneuvered his way to the front of the shop, where covered bins lay. Unless he missed his guess, that was where the excess buns were being stored, so they could be warmed again the next day. With a hop, he was behind the counter and prying the lid off a bin, peering within at its doughy contents.

He sniffed, delighting in the scent of the cold bread, and withdrew a large bun. He grabbed several more and then carefully replaced the lid. With nary a glance, he made his way back out of the store, locking the door behind him once more. He ran off quickly, not wanting to be caught red-handed so close to his getaway. But, just as he turned into an alley, he heard voices overhead. He stopped and pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath as anxious fear clenched him. Now that he was still, he could make out what the voices on the roof were saying.

"Shit, can't find him anywhere." The voice was male and baritone, and the end of his sentence was punctuated by a sharp click. There was a noncommittal grunt in response, also male. The first man spoke again. "Hey, why can't you just sniff him out with those ninja dogs of yours, Kakashi?" Naruto stiffened; he knew that name. Itachi had told him tales of Sharingan no Kakashi, the only non-Uchiha to possess a Sharingan eye. But what was he doing here?

"I told you, they won't follow this scent. Pakkun said that he was scared shitless just by the brat's smell." The second male, who Naruto assumed was Kakashi, sounded bored and agitated. From within his mind, there was a low rumbling, signifying that Kyuubi was chuckling at something.

'Of course they were frightened, foolish human! They know better than to chase down a fox!' Its monologue fell away into low rumbling once more, and Naruto had to stifle a snort of laughter. Yeah, he would be afraid to follow the Kyuubi, too. He turned his attention back to the conversation, as the first man was in the middle of saying something.

"-know, but can't you convince 'em? I dunno; give 'em a doggy treat or something?" The clicking noise was even louder, and Naruto guessed that the man must be causing it. Kakashi groaned again, and Naruto heard the sound of a book slamming shut.

"Look, I can't 'convince' my dogs to do anything. They decide what their going to do, not me." There was a scoff of disbelief at this.

"What do you mean, they don't obey you? Dammit, they're summoning creatures, not a fucking democracy!" There were several clicks that time, and the man seemed annoyed.

"I can't summon the boss dog yet. Until I summon him and complete the contract, I can't control them. These are sentient creatures, Genma, not some run of the mill hounds." Naruto frowned at that. Genma, Genma… The name sounded familiar. Wait, he'd seen him once! He had come into the ramen stand one time. From what Naruto remembered, the man was a little over twenty, had brown hair and always chewed on a senbon. Well, that explained the clicking noise.

"Yeah, yeah, ok. Don't lecture me, man. Now, let's just find the boy and get it over with." Kakashi made a little noise of approval, and they both ran off across the rooftops. Greatly relieved, Naruto slid to the ground, holding his bread close. He began tearing into the loafs, and had almost finished the first one when what had just happened finally sank in. Leaf Ninjas… Chasing him? His mouth fell open and his hands went slack, the bread dropping from his uncaring grasp. Holy shit, they were after him!

He calmed down a little, thinking this through. Why would Konoha shinobi be chasing after him? He was just little kid… He looked down at his clawed hands, and realized that he was anything but a little kid. But they didn't send out ninja's of Kakashi's caliber over a runaway boy! They'd send a team of Chuunin or something. But Kakashi was ANBU… ANBU only went after runaway shinobi. He sucked in a quick breath as he realized the implications. That meant that they had him down as a nuke-nin.

Naruto thought back to what little Itachi had told him of the ANBU. He knew that Kakashi was an ANBU captain, and Itachi had told him that captains only went after A-rank nuke-nin or above; they were deemed too important to use on anything less. But Naruto had never even entered the Academy, much less become an A-rank shinobi. He frowned as he thought that aspect through, picking up a loaf from the dusty street and munching on it thoughtfully.

Then, he realized something. Itachi might have said something about the fact that he had been training Naruto. If that was so, it certainly would have reached the ears of the ANBU; they had spies everywhere. But that still didn't explain why they sent an ANBU captain after him. Maybe they thought that he would unlock the Kyuubi or something; then it would make sense to send someone as good as Kakashi.

He had polished off the last of the bread, and stood up again, brushing the crumbs off his tattered pants. Well, now that he had managed to find some food, he'd have to see what he could do about clothing. At the very least, he would need some sort of cloak to cover his tail, so he wasn't too conspicuous. He turned and walked down the alley in search of an appropriate store.

After thirty or so minutes, he had managed to find a large trench coat, which was several sizes to big for him. The benefit was that it was so baggy; he could curl his tail within it without raising suspicions. As he put the coat on once more, Kyuubi spoke up once again. 'Have you ever heard the old tales of the Kitsune?' Naruto sent a negative reply as he walked off, intent on getting out of the village as soon as possible. He didn't want to be here come dawn. 'I thought not. My kin are not well loved in that tree village of yours. Well, I suppose I'll have to fill the gaps in your education.'

Naruto chuckled a little at that. 'Education? I never figured you for a teacher.' Kyuubi responded with an annoyed growl.

'Very well, then. Because of that little comment, I won't tell you how to hide that tail of yours.' That got Naruto's attention.

'Whoa, I can hide this? I mean, it's useful and all, but it's a little obvious! C'mon, tell me how to hide it!' Kyuubi ignored him, and Naruto kept pestering at him. After a time, he had managed to wear the great beast's will down.

'FINE! I'll tell you! Just stop TALKING!' Naruto shut up, silently celebrating his victory. 'Better. Now, in many stories and tales, Kitsune are often said to have shape-shifting powers.' Here Naruto interrupted.

'Shape-shifting? What does that mean?' Kyuubi, its train of thought rudely derailed, answered angrily.

'It means exactly what it sounds like, insolent pup! Now still your tongue before I rip it from between your flapping jaws!' Naruto fell silent, but was still broadcasting confusion. Kyuubi took pity on the lad. 'It means they can alter their form.' No reaction. 'Transform their appearance.' Still nothing. Kyuubi gave up. 'It means they can turn into other things.' That got a reaction at last.

'WHOA! I can change my body? That's so kickass! I wanna be a bird! No, a wolf! This is AWESOME!' He kept going on, continually changing his mind about what he wanted to transform into first. He had gotten as far as 'dog' when Kyuubi stopped him in his verbal tracks.\

'Kit, be SILENT! Speak out of line once more, and you will regret it all of your days!' Naruto once again fell silent, fuming silently at the fox for interrupting his excitement. 'Good. Now, I was about to say that those are not true.' Naruto's face fell, and he trudged along with disappointed footsteps. 'However, we can change into human form at will.' Naruto regained some of his happiness, until he realized something.

'But… I'm already in human form. That does me no good at all…' Kyuubi let out a yip, its version of a resounding no.

'There you are wrong, Kit. You are not in human form. You're as close to a fox as you can be. I'm not sure exactly how to classify one such as you, but you seem to be a hybrid being; not completely one, yet not wholly the other. This may work to your advantage.' Naruto stopped and thought this through, his mind whirling with this new information. The possibilities…

'So, you're saying that I could turn myself human again?' The fox waited for the boy to quiet down again, realizing that it just couldn't get through to the lad when he was like this. When Naruto finished thinking about how cool it would be to be able to change into human form and back, it was able to continue its explanation.

'You could change your form, but your natural state would remain the same. Think of it as a solid illusion; you can touch it, smell it, taste it, but it doesn't change its nature.' It paused for a moment, marshalling its thoughts. 'I can easily teach you how to change back into a human shape, but I don't know if you can learn how to turn into a complete fox. Logic would dictate that you could, but since you've never experienced life as a fox, it will be difficult to learn.' It fell silent, allowing Naruto time to digest this information.

'So… How do I learn how to change myself? Is it some kind of jutsu?' There was a snort of derisive laughter from the fox.

'Hardly. You'll find that these 'jutsu' humans employ are far less effective than my own techniques. No, it's more complicated than making a few gestures and channeling chakra.' Naruto was a little surprised at the fox's obvious disdain for ninja techniques, but listened anyways. 'The key to it is youki. Before you can effectively use it, you have to understand what it is. Tell me, what do you believe youki to be?' Naruto was nearly out of the town now, and was able to focus more of his attention on the fox. He pondered this question for a time before he was ready to answer.

'Well, I guess it's kinda like chakra, except red?' There was a low growl from the Kyuubi, and Naruto flinched a little. 'Wrong again, huh? Well, then what is it? And why is it red? And why do only demons have it? And how does it corrupt me? And what is-' He was cut off there by Kyuubi, who gave him a roar of laughter.

'Alright, brat, you've made your point. Now be silent, or I won't tell you anything.' Naruto gave a wide, shit-eating grin; he loved pissing the old demon off. It was fun. 'Now, to answer the question at hand, youki is nothing less than the very life force of demons. I have so much because I have accumulated it over the years, and it is the reason I'm a greater demon. In a way, chakra is the life force of humans, but youki is as vital to us as blood is to you. If we deplete our youki reservoirs, we will die. That is why demons are considered immortal; because we cannot be killed until our youki is gone.' It paused for a moment, considering its next words carefully; it would not do to tell the boy too much.

'Very well, that's enough lecturing for today. Do exactly as I say, and only what I say. Understand?' Naruto gave a quick nod, and began to get slightly nervous. 'Good. Now, close your eyes and relax your muscles. For this first time, you will need all of your concentration. When you feel ready, dip into my youki reserves. No, no, too much, let some of it go… No, now it's too little… better. You're not as stupid as you seem. Now, channel that youki throughout your body… ignore the pain, it will pass…' Its constant instruction proved necessary, as Naruto had considerable trouble with each phase.

'Damn, this is tough. And it hurts like hell. Ok, what do I do now?' Kyuubi let his jaws snap loudly in irritation.

'You be silent, that's what you do. Alright, reach far back into your mind. Bring back memories of your old body, of how it moved, what it felt like, how you saw… everything. Focus on them, become one with those memories… No, no, don't think of anything else. Just of your body. No, kit. No. NO. NO! STOP IT, BRAT!' Naruto had tried to concentrate on his body, but was distracted as he began thinking of those he left behind. He lost control of his youki while his mind was distracted, and it coursed through his body, searing him. He tried to hold it back, to regain his control, but it was too little, too late.

He cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, the world spinning before his eyes. With a violent motion, he fell onto his heads and poured out the contents of his stomach, retching as his stomach spasmed and rebelled against the harsh treatment. He kneeled there, head bowed, feeling his throat constrict and his mouth open and close uselessly. Then, in a flash, the pain left. He felt his stomach quiet once more, and he spat out the foul taste in his mouth. In his mind, the Kyuubi held no pity for him. 'It was bound to happen. Your stomach isn't built to handle grains anymore, brat. You're a carnivore now; eat like it.' It went silent then, allowing Naruto to keep what little dignity he had left.

He groaned out a feeble reply and shoved himself away from the ground, swaying slightly as he rose to a kneeling position. His stomach had gotten over its violent reaction and was now demanding food. He waited for a moment to allow the dizziness to clear, and then pushed himself to his feet. He grimaced at the lingering flavor of vomit in his mouth, and almost gagged again. Coughing, he walked a little ways away from the disgusting puddle, finally collapsing against a tree. His body felt weak, and he was strangely tired. He closed his eyes and felt sleep grabbing at him. He let himself be pulled in…

'That's enough of that.' With those words, his sleepy eyes slammed open. 'I won't let you give up now. You failed, and suffered the consequences. But you do not give up. If you ever try to give up on something, I will kill you myself. You live only as long as you prove yourself worthy being my vassal. Remember that, brat.' Naruto pushed himself up and away from the tree, feeling strength enter him once more. The damn fox was right; he wouldn't give up, couldn't give up. No, he'd figure out this thing if he had to go to hell and back to do it. The fox let out a low, satisfied growl as he saw the effect his words had on the boy.

Naruto stood tall, banishing the weakness from his body. Recklessly, he dove into his youki, determined to master the pain. He felt it grab at him, watched it cover his body, but he paid it no heed. The fox shouted something, but he shut it out, focusing his entire being into mastering this painful power. The youki flashed and flared about him, immersing him in a crimson glow; he shone with the color of fresh blood, scarlet lights dancing in the air. With the power came the pain, and he endured all of it, letting a strange smile play on his lips. This wasn't so bad, after all. He let the feeling pass through him, intent on controlling the demonic force.

He let it flare about him for five minutes, testing himself to his limits. He let the pain mold him, forge him, make him stronger. He knew that he could stand strong, no matter the amount of agony that he suffered. He delighted in the fact that he had no physical boundaries; he wouldn't lose control unless his will broke. And his will was stronger than ever right now. The Kyuubi had struck a chord within the small boy; never give up. No matter how many times you fall, get up, stand tall, and be better than before. Never look back, keep your gaze on the future. And never, ever accept defeat.

He decided that he had done enough, and slowly let the power bleed away until it was gone. He allowed the fox access once more, and it was furious. It was in the middle of some sort of rant. '-at damnable fool! The thrice-cursed son of a Tanuki! I'll slaughter him! I'll skin him alive and eat his innards, and then defecate on the remains! I'll rip his soul to shreds and devour it, I'll destroy his mind, and I'll make him realize that NO ONE crosses the Kyuubi no Yoko and survives the attempt! I'll-'Kyuubi's tirade eventually wound down as it realized that the boy had returned. It let out an earth-shaking roar and was about to make good on its threats, when Naruto held up a hand.

'That was something I had to do. I'm not sorry for it. I have to know my limits if I'm ever gonna be any good. But, just chill for a second, ok? Watch me transform.' Kyuubi's anger was not appeased, but it settled for a moment to give him a chance to prove himself. Naruto breathed in and out, planting his feet. Then he reached within, grasping tendrils of youki and sending them coursing through his body. For a moment, he grinned; the slight pain from them felt like a minor itch compared to the pain he had felt before. Then, he focused his entire mind and sharpened his thoughts with his determination.

Almost instantaneously, he was able to conjure up an image of his body. He saw it move before him, saw it run, walk, jump, breathe, speak… It seemed to take a long time, but it was over in a heartbeat. He felt his body shifting and moving, changing into a shape he had occupied for years. It was a strange feeling, but it was also a comforting one, and he found that he rather enjoyed it. Then, it was over, and the youki had done its work. He looked at himself, turning himself around and around. Yes, it was his old body, all right. His bare feet were once more properly arched, and he no longer had claws. He felt his face, and realized that the whisker marks on his cheeks had gone back to being thin lines once more. His tail was gone, and his hair had returned to its blonde hue.

Kyuubi was staring at the boy's transformation, utterly surprised by this turn of events. It had expected the boy to fail again, but instead he had outdone himself and succeeded. It was amazed at the concise usage of youki; Naruto had grabbed just the right amount for the job required. Was it accident? Skill? Or was the boy instinctively using the youki the way it was meant to be used? The fox realized that the boy was entirely too pleased with himself, and decided to deflate the lad's ego a bit.

'Yes, yes, well done. You managed to succeed. But, when you were flaring my youki about earlier… did you happen to remember that there are HUNTER-NINS after you? And that they probably felt that blast of energy in Konoha? Not to mention the highly skilled shinobi in this immediate vicinity, Congratulations, kit, you just fucked yourself.' Naruto's eyes widened as the full impact of its words hit him. He scrambled away, running haphazardly through the forest above the city. Kyuubi chuckled at this and then forcibly took control of the boy's body. It shoved Naruto's protesting consciousness away and settled itself in, taking the reins with ease. It spoke briefly to the outraged Naruto. 'This is how it's done, boy. Watch and learn.' It dispelled the transformation, relishing slightly in the feeling of once more having a body.

It turned its attention to its surrounding, sending invisible tendrils of youki out in search of the inevitable hunter-nin. Ah, there was one, coming in fast from three hundred yards. It turned and crouched down low to the ground, gathering its strength. Then, with a leap, it was off, bounding through the forest. It dodged trees with an arrogant ease, and gathered youki into its limbs to move even faster. Before long, it felt a pursuer behind him. By the feel of the chakra, it was that Sharingan brat, Hatake Kakashi. Kyuubi remembered him from the battle years ago. The grey-haired brat had used a strange lightning technique, and had almost destroyed the fox's left eye. But, it was to no avail, and he had swept the boy away with a sweep of one of his mighty tails. It turned its head for a moment to gaze in sorrow at the single tail it held high, wishing once more for its own nine, mighty tails instead of one feeble limb.

It decided to play a game with this arrogant hunter. A couple of decades of experience was nothing compared to eons of knowledge, and it would prove that. It scented flowing water off to its right, and made towards it. When it got close enough, it saw it was a river of some kind. Well, Kyuubi knew how to use rivers. It jumped out into the middle of the river and stood on the water. With a flick of its tail, it sent youki in every direction, and then dove into the river. It didn't have much time, and it quickly seized a smooth rock from the river bottom and rose to the surface. As it rose from the water, it hurled the rock downstream, so that it skipped off the surface of the water several times before finally sinking in. Then, with a leap, it was off the river and in the trees on the far side of the river. It calmed its breathing and brought itself under full control, using a bit of youki to erase his scent. Then, it waited for its chaser.

It didn't have to wait long, maybe thirty seconds or so. When the grey haired shinobi burst out of the trees and landed on the river, he looked closely at his surroundings. He had been following the scent and the chakra trails before, as well as the tracks that his quarry had left. But now, he had nothing to go on. There was chakra everywhere in the air and the scent ended at the river. As for tracks, he saw a series of ripples that led him to believe that it was the way the boy had gone, but he wasn't sure. His gut said that something was wrong, but he had no idea what to make of it. Well, he had left Genma behind, and he couldn't just sit here and do nothing.

Kyuubi watched Kakashi turn and run down the river, following the bubbles. But the demon was no fool; it had seen the Kage Bunshin clone Kakashi had slipped into the water. He had disguised it well, but it was obvious to Kyuubi's experienced eyes. Kyuubi grinned, baring its sharp teeth. Kakashi was quite the ninja; not only did he know Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but he used that instead of the much easier Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu. Most other ninja would have used a Mizu Bunshin due to the close proximity of the water, but few knew that Kage Bunshins could share their knowledge with their creator. This guy was no ordinary shinobi; if Kyuubi moved at all, the clone would almost certainly spot it.

Kyuubi delved deep into its youki, gathering the amount it needed. The fox sent the energy into the ground at the base of the tree, directing it under the river to the forest on the other side. Then, focusing, it brought the youki out of the ground explosively, which caught the clone's attention. The kitsune molded the Bunshin until it closely resembled himself, except covered in that red aura. He thrust enough youki into it to keep it going for a few minutes, and then directed it to run away. The youki Bunshin was hastily constructed and not even sentient, but it could obey simple instructions. It raced off into the distance, and Kakashi's clone burst out of the water and chased after it. Kyuubi grinned and shunted youki into its legs, turning and bounding through the trees.

The kitsune ran until dawn broke, the morning sun illuminated the forest in a sea of gold and green. Kyuubi had long since shaken off his pursuers, and was running for the joy of running. After all, any aches and pains from this exertion would be suffered by Naruto, not the demon fox. It stopped in a field about four miles from a small village, and took one last look around. He missed having a body, even one as inefficient as this one. It was better than regular human bodies, but he wanted the feral grace of the true kitsune body back once more. He let out a guttural sigh and released his steel grip on Naruto's body, surrendering it once more to its rightful owner.

Naruto took control immediately, and was flooded by a sea of aches and pains caused by the Kyuubi's wild run. He collapsed onto the field, breathing hard. He tried to work up the energy to chew out the fox for doing it, but he couldn't seem to marshal his thoughts. The green grass went in and out of focus, and he realized that he was dazed and exhausted. No sooner had he realized the extent of his exhaustion before he began to fall asleep. The last thing he remembered was the joyous barking of the Kyuubi, who had thoroughly enjoyed itself. As his eyelids closed and he drifted off into the gentle caress of exhausted rest, he managed to give the fox the finger. He fell asleep listening to the bestial sounds of his own, personal demon.

Time passed. The late summer died away, and was replaced by autumn. Slowly, but surely, autumn made way for winter, and the weather grew cold. Naruto gathered his cloak about him, shivering as he encased his human form in the thick material.

He had grown quite a bit in the past few months. The six-year old was now over four feet tall, and had put on some muscle. Those changes were mostly due to his new lifestyle and diet, since he would hunt his own food and eat it raw. Surprisingly, he found raw meat quite delicious, and was glad he wouldn't have to keep stealing his food. His hair had grown quite a bit, now coming down in a shaggy mane past his neck. He wore pants made from sackcloth, in which he had cut a hole in the back so his tail could poke through. His shirt was made of similar material, and over it he wore a brown cloak, which could be buttoned in the front and thus conceal his body from the neck down. It had a hood and a high collar, which he often found to be useful, and the sleeves were very wide and longer than his arm.

He wasn't unarmed, either. Underneath his coat was a shuriken holster which he had stolen from a Hunter-nin that had been chasing him. He had managed to kill off the pesky ninja after a full day of cat and mouse; Kyuubi's knowledge of strange and archaic traps had worked well. He had a small pack slung over his shoulder, and some cloth wrapped about his forehead. Tied around his left thigh was a Konoha hitai-ate, which he had stolen off a ninja, and he had an ANBU mask concealed in his bag. Kyuubi had taught him some of the art of concealment and disguise, and he knew that it might be handy to pretend to be an ANBU or something. At the very least, he could use the hitai-ate and say he was a Chuunin on a solo mission. As long as he avoided Konoha-nin, and hunter-nin, he was fine.

He ran a clawed hand through his long hair, the sun disappearing behind the horizon. He was waiting for sundown on top of a hill, looking down at a small hamlet before him. It was a very small town indeed, and the houses were run down. He didn't care, though; he just wanted a bed to sleep in. It was a small luxury, but one he could very rarely afford. He had to keep moving, had to keep going. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he would know it when he got there.

The sun's last rays disappeared behind the hills, and he adjusted his pack and began walking towards the town. He preferred to stay in his human shape most of the time; he didn't want someone to stumble across him when he was 'all foxy', as he liked to call it. It was annoying, having to stay in a form other than his own, but Kyuubi had told him it was good practice.

That was another thing. Kyuubi was sadistic as a teacher, and wouldn't let Naruto rest until he had understood a concept. They had begun fine-tuning his youki control and building up pain tolerance several months ago, and Naruto was growing quite adept. There had been other lessons as well, such as anatomy and basic chemistry. Naruto had found those fascinating, especially when Kyuubi had told him that he would need them if he ever wanted to become a truly great ninja. He was especially excited when Kyuubi began to tell him which herbs would do what; that mushroom would cure a poison, and this plant would help blood clot, and that fungus was a good poison when powdered. He loved it, and he loved learning things.

He had made it to the tiny town, and gave a careful sniff. He didn't scent anything overly suspicious, so he headed on in. As he walked through its narrow streets, he saw that the houses were in even worse shape than he thought. In alleys along the road, beggars and destitute people lay, holding rags close to keep warm. He smelled the stench of bad living, and he saw the emaciated frames of the village people. A frown grew on his face, and his eyes narrowed. He hated seeing people in these poor conditions; he had spent half of his life like that, and he knew their pain.

He turned and stepped into an alley, not sure what he could do. Once he was inside, he saw a small black-haired kid, crouching against the wall. Naruto stepped towards the child, and examined it closely. It seemed exhausted, its small head dropping forwards and its chin resting on its chest. Naruto approached it slowly, and when the kid didn't react he knelt down next to it. Now that he was close enough, he was able to get a much better look. It seemed to be a small girl, judging from what little he could see of her. Her skin was pale, and she seemed a little less emaciated than the rest of the kids he saw. She was short, and would probably stand somewhere around three feet, maybe a little less. Compared to Naruto's unnatural height, she was a shrimp.

He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder lightly. "Are you ok? What's the matter?" The small girl looked at his hand, and then slowly raised her head. Naruto gazed into her brown eyes, and was surprised by what he saw there. He saw some of the same loneliness and sadness he had once seen in himself. But, it was tempered by something… This girl had found something to live for. He relaxed and grinned, happy that she had been able to find hope for herself. The girl cocked a head at him, confused by his antics. But underneath her eyes, she saw pain and loneliness in the blonde boy's eyes.

"Who… Who are you?" Naruto grinned even wider at her question. She sounded so nervous and small, more like a mouse than a human. He turned and shifted his pack off his back, flopping down next to her with a thwump.

"Oh, nobody much. Just your average traveler!' He leaned his head against the wall, letting it rest against the cold wood. "More importantly, why are you out in the cold? You don't look very warm in those clothes." He was referring to a blue tunic that was slightly too big for her. It looked comfortable, but it didn't seem very warm, even with the pants she wore underneath it. She looked down at her clothes and blushed a little, hugging herself to keep warm. Naruto smiled and began taking off his cloak, undoing the buttons in the front. She looked at him with surprise as he took it off and held it out to her.

"Ano… What… What are you doing?" Naruto just smiled and held it out to her. She was too nervous to take it, so he held it open and draped it around her as best he could. She stiffened for a moment as the heavy fabric cloaked her, then she adjusted the way it sat. With a look of gratitude, she wrapped herself up in the heavy coat. Naruto grinned and patted her head with a hand, drawing a look of surprise from the girl. Obviously, she was not used to kind treatment.

"So… How old are you, little girl?" At his question, her face reddened and a flicker of emotion passed through her eyes.

"Ano… I'm seven. But, I'm not a girl." The newly announced boy glanced at Naruto, giggling a little as he saw the look of utter shock on Naruto's face. The kid pressed his advantage. "Besides, you don't look much older than me. How old are you?"

Naruto recovered enough from his initial shock to make an intelligible answer. "Heh, I'm actually younger than you. I'm six years old." The strange kid registered complete shock as well, and Naruto chuckled. Now the kid knew what it felt like!

"What? But you're so tall…" The child's voice died away slowly, and he stared in shock at Naruto. Naruto, in the meantime, had been wondering about something. Then, he realized what was off.

"Hah, nice one. You're not a boy, you're a girl!" The girl was absolutely stunned by this sudden turn of events, and her jaw dropped. This stranger had just uncovered a secret she'd been trying to hide for as long as she could remember! How did…

"What? How… How did you know? I mean…" Her startled voice trailed off as her eyes widened even more. Naruto gave her a triumphant grin and tapped the side of his nose.

"I can smell it. I got a good sense of smell, and the difference between boy and girl is pretty obvious if you know what you're looking for. Nice try, though. I almost believed ya." The girl didn't react at all, her mind racing through this casual perceptiveness. He leaned over, slightly worried at her lack of reaction. "Oi, you ok? You don't look so good." The girl leaned away again, still somewhat amazed. She shook her head slightly to clear it.

"Ano… Don't tell anyone, okay? Please?" She leaned towards him, her brown eyes wide and shining. He tried to look away, but found the puppy-dog eyes irresistible. He groaned and nodded his head, which brought a smile to the girl's face. As she withdrew the fatal expression, he slumped against the wall, shaking his head in mock despair.

"Tch, I'll never be able to resist those. I'm screwed if I ever fight a girl." He flashed her a foxy grin, and she shyly smiled in return. He lifted an eyebrow and reached towards her face, seizing a cheek in each hand. He pulled on her cheeks, much the same way Ayame had once done to him. She made little squeaking noises, but he ignored her and continued. After a moment, he let go, giving her a chance to rub some circulation back into her pinched cheeks. He grinned even wider. "Oh, whoops. I thought that your cheek muscles might be sore, since you couldn't smile. So, give me a great big smile, huh? Like this!" His face in an ear-to-ear grin, and she giggled at the funny expression. He poked her, his face still contorted. "Oi, come on, show me you can do it!"

She let a smile play about her lips, which slowly grew into a small grin. He reached out to pinch her cheeks again, but she leaned away and smiled so hard she felt as if her face was splitting through the middle. He laughed and fell sideways onto the cold earth, rolling around in convulsions. Hammering the ground in mirth, he felt some tears of laughter leak from his eyes. "Oh, Kami! That was so HILARIOUS! Holy shit, that looked so funny." He continued in this vein for another fifteen seconds, and then sat up once more, wiping away a stray tear. He looked at her surprised features and flashed her a shit-eating grin. "You should smile more. Or Pincher-san will attack once more!" He leaned towards her, his hands pinching at the air not far from her face. She leaned away frightened, but then began to giggle. He chuckled at her, and then escalated into laughter. She soon followed, and things kind of snowballed from there.

After their mutual mirth had finally ceased, she stood up, brushing dirt off her tunic. She turned and began walking off. Naruto got up and followed her, curious as to where she was going. "Oi, where you going?" There was no reply to his question, and he hastened to catch up with her. He drew alongside her and matched her pace, trying to get a glimpse of her face. Her features had turned neutral, and she was as calm and emotionless as ice. He touched her shoulder, and she paused for a moment and turned towards him, her young face deadly serious.

"You should leave. Now. There's a demon here." As soon as the words left her lips, she turned away and continued walking. He stopped for a moment and stare after her, startled; he had not been expecting that. One moment, she was a timid and cheerful little girl; the next, she's some sort of ice princess, with no emotions or soul. He thought about it for a moment, but could only come up with one thought: That's weird. Ignoring her enigmatic caution, he followed her, this time keeping himself a few feet from her.

They walked on for some time, she striding in front, and he following in her footsteps. Her borrowed cloak billowed in the cold breeze, and Naruto shivered a little in the frigid air. If he was in his fox form, he could've kept himself warm easily. But he didn't have that advantage in this body, even if it was far more useful when interacting with people. He held his hands and blew into them as he walked, trying to at least keep them warm. Damn, he should've remembered to wear gloves or something. Oh, well, there was time for that later.

The girl had gone over a hill and was temporarily out of his sight. He ran to catch up to her, but by the time he crested the same hill, she was nowhere in sight. He scanned the area, looking for clues as to where she might have gone. There was a few trees here, scattered around a small lake that was fed from a river. He ran down to the lake, looking left and right for her. He concentrated some youki into his nose to enhance his sense of smell, but could scent nothing besides water and ice. He was by the lake now, and saw that there were a few globs of ice floating in it. He shivered and turned away from it; he hated the ice, and despised cold weather.

Then he realized that something was wrong. Very wrong. He had a strange feeling in his gut, and Kyuubi had roused itself from its usual slumber to growl menacingly. 'Beware, kit, there is murderous intent in the air. Someone is here.' Naruto bent down to the water and drank some of the frigid liquid, using it as an opportunity to surreptitiously scan his surroundings. He felt something, that was for sure, but whoever it was definitely knew how to hide. He stood and turned casually around, wanting to get away from that water. He had never learned how to walk on water, and he definitely did not want to be compromised by that. Subtly, he extended little tendrils of invisible youki into the air about him, in every direction at once.

That was one of the more useful things that Kyuubi had taught him. By putting some of his boundless youki preserves into the air about him, he could sense an attack as soon as it entered that radius. The best thing was that it was omni-directional, and the range would increase as his youki control did. Right now, all he could get was a dozen or so feet. But it was enough to warn him, and that was all he needed; his instincts would hopefully take care of the rest.

Almost as soon as he set up his detection field, he noticed fog rolling in from across the lake. Naruto didn't think much of it, since the air was so humid anyways. That is, until Kyuubi spoke up. 'Kit, there's chakra in that mist. It's not a natural fog. Looks like your opponent just arrived. Show them hell.' He quirked an eyebrow at Kyuubi's choice of words, and had to restrain himself from tensing in preparation. If he did anything like that, his opponent would probably notice that Naruto had spotted him. He relaxed and stood there, swiveling his head from side to side as if still looking for the girl.

Then the mist enveloped him, and he couldn't see anything further than a few feet away. It was a heavy mist, and that immediately set him thinking. This had to be some sort of Suiton jutsu, right? But not many Konoha ninjas used water type; most of them preferred fire or earth. Could this be a shinobi from a different village? Well, if that was so, then it would probably be from Amegakure no Sato, the village hidden in the Rain. Or maybe Takigakure no Sato, the village hidden in the Waterfall. He knew that they used Suiton techniques. It might even be someone from Kirigakure no Sato, but that was highly doubtful. The hidden mist village had always been warlike, and was on poor relation with its neighboring countries. He didn't think they would encroach on Konoha's territory.

Suddenly, he felt something coming from behind him. Two small objects had breached his field. He rolled to the right, watching them flash by. Kunai; strangely curved ones at that. He knew then that it wasn't Konoha shinobi, since almost all ninja from there used standard kunai only. But before he could complete his roll, he felt three more objects coming at him. Damn, this guy was good. He stopped in midroll and used his hands to force himself into the air, using his improvised handstand to avoid the projectiles. Three shuriken thudded into the ground a foot to his left; a very close call indeed. His eyes flicked forward as yet another object passed through his field; except bigger. Much bigger. His azure orbs widened in fear as he saw a huge whirling sword spinning through the air, cutting a path that would go through his torso. Quickly, he came out of his handstand, dropping flat onto the ground. It was a close miss; the huge blade nearly clipped him as it soared just above him. It flew past him and continued on, finally slamming itself into a tree.

He turned and took a second to examine the weapon that nearly took his life. It was a huge weapon, easily six feet long, probably more. The handle had a strange handle, a long steel shaft that extended nearly two feet and covered in blue cloth; but there were metal coverings on it as well, defining several places to hold the great sword. The blade itself was very interesting, a good five feet in length. About a foot from the hilt, the razor sharp edge of the blade had a strange indentation in the shape of a semicircle, about six inches in radius. And near the end of the blade, there was a small hole; and the tip of the blade curved back into a wickedly sharp point. Naruto shuddered as he saw it; this was the sword of a killer.

Suddenly, there was a kunai poised against his throat. He stiffened and was about to defend himself, when the edge of it dug into his skin, drawing a few drops of blood. From behind him came a voice, deep and malevolent. "I see you noticed my Kubikiri Houcho." Naruto realized then that something was wrong. How did he approach? The youki field should have alerted him. The mysterious attacker seemed to read his mind. "Nice little jutsu you had there, but it was easy to figure out. Nice try, though." Naruto's mind was in shock, seeing that someone had so easily thwarted his first line of defense. He felt the kunai at his throat digging deeper into his flesh, and he realized that there was only one way out of this.

Quickly, he gathered some youki and brought it to his neck, making it explode forth from the small wound his opponent's kunai had already caused. The red energy hit the kunai with force and pushed it away, just as his attacker was drawing it back for a blow. The sudden force threw his opponent off balance, and gave him the precious seconds he needed to get away. He dispersed his youki field, gathering the energy into him once again. By the time he had slipped into the semi-protective cover of a tree, the assailant was out of sight. He shook his head worriedly; whoever this guy was, he was good.

He knew he couldn't rely on his field anymore, since it had been discovered so easily. Instead, he drew his youki close to his body, compacting it. A thin red aura began to cover him, and he grinned a little, despite the pain. This was something he had come up with, compressing youki into a semi-solid state. It wasn't perfect, but it would at least slow incoming attacks or decrease their power. And with this guy's apparent speed and strength, he'd need it.

He heard the sound of metal rubbing against wood, and knew that the huge sword had just come into play once more. He shivered again as he imagined that thing flashing through the air above his head. From in the mist, his opponent's voice echoed through the area. "You know, there are eight vital points." Naruto froze for a moment, wondering where the ninja was. His attacker continued. "The throat, the back of the lung, the liver, the carotid arteries, the clavicle lower artery, the kidney. And, of course, the heart. Tell me, where would you like me to attack?" Naruto gulped down a flash of terror; so it was psychological warfare, was it? Well, two could play that game.

"Hah, vital points? But how can I have vital points when I'm immortal?" He scanned the area quickly, hoping that his bluff would get a reaction from his opponent. Unfortunately, there was no reaction, simply a deep laugh.

"Immortal, eh? Well, then. How about I attack all eight at once?" And suddenly, a sword flashed up at him from below, cutting through the branch he was in. He fell and hit the ground, followed quickly by the branch. Before he had a chance to react, he was grabbed and held in the air. He felt seven kunai knives digging into his skin in seven different places, and his neck was within the strange indentation in the man's sword. He didn't even dare to breathe, feeling the razor sharp edge grating against his skin. It made him realize the reason for the name of his sword. Kubikiri Houcho; the decapitating blade. The man spoke with eight different voices, creating an odd echoing sound. "Shall I strike? Do you have anymore surprises to show me?"

He glanced around him, seeing the explanation for the multi-pronged attack. The shinobi had created some sort of clones; probably Mizu Bunshins since the man obviously had an affinity for water techniques. He cursed himself silently; he should have taken that into account. Slowly, he shut his eyes, focusing intently on the youki around his body. This was going to hurt. With a grunt, he forced it outwards with explosive force, blasting the clones away from him. He felt it rip away his clothes, along with the outer layer of his skin, but he had no other choice. He fell to the ground, panting hard, feeling the burning sting of Kyuubi's youki already starting to heal the wounds. Within moments, the skin was replaced, and he was able to stand once more.

From behind him, there was a pleased chuckle. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises. Looks like I'll just have to kill you now." He turned around, and saw his attacker for the first time. The man was standing about six feet away from him, the mist swirling about his tall form. He was muscular and well built, easily over six feet in height. He wore standard shinobi clothes and a grey flak jacket, but the design of the jacket was unfamiliar to Naruto. He had bandages wrapped around his face and neck from the nose down, and his dark eyes stared murderously at Naruto. His hair was jet black and stood up from his head, and he wore a hitai-ate. Naruto was annoyed that he wore it sideways against his head, which made it impossible to see which village he came from. He wore his long blade on his back, the sword that had so recently been at Naruto's throat. It still itched with the memory.

Suddenly, the man charged forward, his right hand pulling the blade from his back. Naruto tried to move out of the way, but couldn't move. He looked down, and saw that his feet were iced to the ground. He tried to pull them free, but the frozen water attached him firmly to the cold ground. He was trapped. He saw the great blade being raised high into the air, saw it descend in a great sweep that would take his head off in one swing. He caught his attacker's eyes, and snarled at his soon-to-be killer, showing his defiance. From off in the distance, he heard a female voice cry out something. But it was too late, the blade was coming closer… closer… Suddenly, he felt a great pain in his neck, and he lost all consciousness.

AN: Whew, that was a long chapter; it was about five thousand words longer than I usually write. But, I promised that I'd introduce the new main characters, so I did. I think it's pretty obvious who the two are, but we'll get into formal introductions in the next chapter. For now, they are mortal enemies, bound to do combat until one or both dies from plot development. Psyche!

Ok, I'll be putting out about a chapter a week from now on, but don't blame me if I'm a little late. What with finals coming up, I got to study sometime. Then, it's job hunting time! So the 'one a week' plan is very flexible, since one week could very well turn into two weeks. It's either that, or shorter chapters. And I don't know if I can write shorter chapters. My mind boggles at the concept.

I love reviews, since it helps me know what people like or dislike about my story. Please, though, no flames for the sake of flaming. It hurts my soul… think of the poor monkeys! I blame it on the mayonnaise.

Thanks for all you guys who reviewed liked my story! Oh, and a special thanks to Shiroi Usagi-San. Many thanks for your assistance in improving the story!

AAN: Ok, before you people start on me with the whole 'Haku's a guy!' crap, let me cut to the chase. I firmly believe that Haku is, in actuality, a guy pretending to be a girl. I'll give some reasons why I think that in the next chapter, since Haku will actually explain it to Naruto. And once again, I shall remind those selfsame people that it is my story, therefore I shall write it my way. For all I care, I could write a story about Naruto being a transvestite strip-teaser in Orochimaru's gay club; while I would feel awkward while writing it, it serves as an adequate example of the author's dark power. Muwahaha. Bwahaha. Etc, etc.