The Strength of the Wolf

Chapter 3:A Pack of Three

Chapter Summary:Stability. It is what one craves most out of life. To know where one is needed and one is wanted and to know what the future holds. In time we all adapt routines and customs that makes are lives more stable and enjoyable. With age comes certain wisdom, and also certain confidence. Many of the Grass Country now knows of the mercenaries living in Grass' most notorious territory. They have begun to recognize the skill and the range of these three shinobi… And they call them the Wolf Pack.

If you call one wolf, you invite the pack. – Bulgarian Proverb


Uzumaki Naruto had never been one to ponder about the future. In his youth, his days were spent living day to day, mission to mission, looking for a moment's respite. His future, he had been sure then, was to be Hokage. How little he had known. How very naïve he had been.

At twenty-two years of age he now had quite a different view on the world around him. Things he once thought stationary were always in motion. One could not really plan for a future that was not going to be there the next day. Things happened in the day before that change the day to come. One had to live in the moment and enjoy what they could this little journey.

That did not mean one could not always rely on what one had. Knowing what you can do and what you've always done adds a certain element of stability to the randomness that comes with life. To know you can face whatever comes, that in all honesty, was the true prize.

Cautious blue eyes watched the changing of the guard at the border post to Lightning Country. Three wary and worn ninja were being replaced with fresh eyes and ears. Information and the customary traditions and regulations were being traded between something new and something old and the new guards took up their job by starting to do the initial border check.

They had more than missed their chance for an easy, quick passing into the newly allied country to Rain.

A deep baritone howl broke the silence of the early dusk hours and Naruto noted its position and its message. His partner had witnessed something similar to what he had seen here, only further up the border.

"Lightning is getting very cautious." Ryoki's voice sounded above Naruto and he glanced up at his other scouting companion. Her copper-toned braid twitched subconsciously with her chakra, looking for all appearances a tail, and her mismatched eyes never left the scene in front of her. She was locked on to her prey, and there was very little to distract her from her goal.

"Can you really blame them?" Naruto frowned and turned his attention back to the border patrol. "They have openly allied themselves with a country that is making threats."

Naruto chuckled softly when he heard Ryoki's deep exasperated sigh. Ryoki found the Hidden Villages and their countries so frustrating and incompetent. Naruto himself could see how Lightning could have seen such a move as beneficial to their country. An alliance with Rain might mean security whenever the hammer began to fall.

"So what are your thoughts, Kitsune?"

"Well by now our chance for a quick crossing is gone. I think we should wait a little longer. Let them get settled and comfortable in the thought that no one would dare such a crossing illegally." Naruto looked back up to Ryoki and she was nodding down at him. "If we make a break for it now, the previous guard would still be in interception range."

Ryoki took one more look at the three men with Lightning headbands, as if considering the suggestion. She was still the 'leader' of this team of ninja and if she was feeling a bit more adventurous she might just decide to go for the crossing anyway. She then raised her head back and howled in a softer, more feminine tone than the previous that they had heard. The noise had drawn the wary eye of the border guards, but Naruto knew Rajan and Ryoki sounded too much like real wolves. It would be hard to mistake them for humans using howls as signals.

Naruto began leaping through the trees, back towards the rocky area they had set up camp in, and knew Ryoki was only a few ticks behind him.

Naruto had never been one to consider his future, no he lived in the day to day, but he did know his future was with Rajan and Ryoki.

The past ten years of his life were almost dream-like. He had never thought he could be so content in his life without the goal of Hokage hanging over his head, without pressure to prove his worth to everyone he met. But he was happy and he had found the easy-going life of the traveling twins much to his liking, and why wouldn't he have? He had learned more from the likes of demons than he had ever learned from those he had once called family.

He now understood that word, whereas at one time he thought he had understood that concept. Now he knew what it was really like to have a family; one that he lived with every day and every night. He could share his joys and his disappointments and not worry about being rejected or ridiculed. He knew the inner thoughts and desires of his Ryoki and brother Rajan.

And they knew the very same of him. They were inseparable now.

A new blur came up beside Ryoki and he, and Naruto smirked as Rajan met up with them from his own scouting position.

"So we're playing the waiting game?" he pouted a little as they landed at the base of a rocky outcropping just a few miles from the Lightning Border. "What?" He frowned more as both Naruto and Ryoki took meaningful glances at him. "I'm just looking for a little fun and games."

"You are fun and games." Naruto snorted.

"You know if you really are bored you and Naruto could just go at each other for awhile." Ryo began digging through her bags, hidden inside a smaller jagged outcropping in the rocky walls. "It might draw the guards this way and we can double back behind them."

"Please, I know how Naruto fights…he's predictable. I'm in need of a challenge."

"That hurts Raj." Naruto frowned as he fingered the kunai he kept anchored to his belt loop. Granted Raj did have a point, and then again so did Ryo.

"You'll get over it Sonkei." Raj snorted and sat by his own belongings to start sharpening his swords, his favorite hobby to pass the time.

Naruto himself leaned back against a heavy stone, basking in the warm sunlight that was starting to come in full force as the sun rose in the sky. He wondered if this was how the more successful teams of ninja formed up from other countries. Raj was busy with his blades and Ryo was rummaging through her backpack for whatever she had set her mind on. Naruto had a pretty good idea what it was she was after. Lately she had been snacking non-stop whenever they had a break somewhere. She would go out and hunt for hares or other small game, and then squirrel away her food from the ever-ravenous males in her group.

Naruto closed his eyes finally and smiled. This was his three man team, as well as little family, and they were exceptional. At least as he saw it. Sure at first he had been the weak link in this pack, but now he contributed and was valued as a competent and able shinobi. Just like Raj and Ryo were both very skilled ninja, despite their growing up without a family or village. They had accepted him, trained him as they had been trained, and stood by him…despite the organization that chased him.

Too bad for that organization there was very little left of the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit left for them to capture.

Because of his new family, Naruto had begun to learn how to control and assimilate the demon fox's chakra. He now had seven of the nine fox's tails integrated into his own chakra. He had a near-endless supply of the stuff and used it to its full potential by knowing a lot of really big, devastating attacks.

Grass had nearly declared themselves at war with the forest realm to the north during the years Naruto really started getting a handle on the wild demon's chakra. He and Raj, in their spats, would create such a disturbance that they normally could feel it clear in Kuso, in the southern areas of Grass.

"Where's Kota?"

Naruto peeked one eye open to look at Ryo, now standing at his side, her one blue eye and one brown eye scanning the area for the golden three-tailed fox that had become Naruto's very own pet demon. Not that he ever really called Kota a pet that was just how others would see the fox.

"What? Are your reserves running low?" he jabbed at her a little, playfully, and was rewarded with a sharp slap to the side of his head. "That food has to last us till we get outta here Roki."

"Yeah nee-chan, I think if you're trying to finally catch up with me and Naruto, you might have missed the chance on that a few years ago." Raj joined in and Ryo threw her backpack towards Rajan as he laughed.

"Both of you can shove it." She stalked off, making a series of short chirps as she went down the rocks of the area. After a few seconds a golden blur had joined her, propelling down the rock wall from ledge to ledge.

Both men returned to their leisurely activities, silent about their leader's threat.

"So Naruto, how hard do you think the capital is going to be?" Raj, ever restless was asking, a sharp scraping noise coming as he ran the whetstone across his katana's edge.

"Eh, depends on how heightened their security is due to the threats Rain has been making. Last time I heard, with proper papers, people could come and go as they pleased.

"So we should start digging for papers, I guess." Raj sighed heavily and Naruto opened both eyes to glance at him. Raj was movement; this kind of subterfuge did not fit him all too well. He was still good at it, he just preferred something more involved than it.

"We're only supposed to observe their actions, glory hound." Naruto snuffed.

"Then why are we bypassing the border? Why not just dig up the papers now and go the direct route?"

"Because we want to see if, and where, they are stationing extra ninja, if we go through the borders they will keep an eye on us to make sure we head straight for Kumogakure. If we don't they will know we are less than truthful."

Raj seemed content with that answer and set his katana aside. He moved to his kunai, reserves should anything happen to his precious swords, polishing as he went. "I miss the old days when this wasn't so hard."

"What happened to needing a challenge?" Naruto closed his eyes again for his nap. It did seem like a contradiction from Raj's early complaint.

"It seems to me though Grass can't pay enough for this kinda work."

"They paid enough. Anyway, I'm kinda curious as to what they are doing too."

"Oh no…you're curious?" Raj stood and waved his hands theatrically. "We're doomed then!"

"Screw you Raj."

"Sorry Sonkei, it is a well documented fact: if you are curious, we are headed for trouble."

"You like trouble." Ryo startled Raj from behind, her head cocked to the side and her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother. Behind her Kota happily wagged his three tails, a small rabbit hanging in his mouth.

Raj shrugged innocently and sat back down with his weapons. Naruto laughed in earnest and Ryo went about preparing herself some rabbit meat.

Who were they all kidding?

They all liked trouble.


The next few days were spent testing the patrol's awareness and aptitude to respond to a threat. They would make subtle gestures or throw their chakra around to see the reactions it garnered from the guards stationed at the two passes they decided were best for crossing.

At first they all worried that the patrol guards were overly sensitive to their probes. Any sense of chakra, or if they felt like they were being watched, the guards would split up, one staying put and the others fanning out to inspect the concern. But slowly, as they went, the post which Raj was staking out stopped responding to the little nudges they made.

It was at the end of the week, they decided to do the big test. Naruto sent Kota out into the open, just a quick dart in and out, and watched to see what would happen. The guards made no more than a comment about how odd it was to see a fox in their neck of the woods. They hadn't noticed Kota's odd coloring or his extra tails. This was the pass they would use.

And with the coming storms they could all sense in the air, they decided to use rainfall as cover for their entrance. It was somewhat ironic to all of them, but it was the perfect way in.

"Those bastards won't know what hit 'em." Raj smiled wickedly as he crouched high in the treetops at the edge of the border. Naruto was a few branches ahead, letting the wind catch his slightly shaggy blonde hair.

Ryo was on the ground beneath them, her blue eye turned skyward, an oddly faraway look in her gaze. She was focusing on the rain clouds and she needed to be extremely still to feel the natural energies around her so she would know the moment to call the move.

"Hope they brought rain slicks." Naruto smirked along with Raj, fingering his favorite kunai at his waist.

About that time the clouds let loose a loud roll of thunder. The guards turned their attention to the storm just as the rain came down in a heavy pour. As the first drop the shinobi in the trees, they were off, darting quickly across the landscape and past the scrambling Lightning Nin below who now were desperately seeking shelter.

Ryo was already past the guard and into the territory, having taken her chance to move as the thunder grabbed Lightning's ears. She looked behind her as Naruto and Rajan passed her. She smiled brightly, even though they were being pelted by the hard rains.

They were in.

Raj was setting the pace now, keeping up a steady run and keeping their guard up as they followed along more well beaten paths towards the capital. They were keeping their senses wary for any evidence of trackers or for encampments or buildups of ninja that they could not explain past the border.

Trees blazed by as they shot themselves forward, propelled by chakra and adrenaline. Each foot fall allowed them to go further forward without detection and each time his foot touched bark, Naruto felt it jolt up his bones. It was a tingling sensation, one of which he enjoyed. It meant they were finally starting their mission, and this was what they were meant to do.

It was just as Ryo said, they liked trouble.

The storm broke mid-morning and the trio stopped near a river to rest and dry off. Their soggy clothing was starting to chill them a bit but no one made a comment as they stripped wet away and pulled out dry.

"Only bad thing about that trick," Ryo grumbled as she wrung out her braid and simply put it back in a ponytail at the base of her neck. "I won't be dry for hours yet."

"Then chop it off." Raj goaded her as he pulled on a pair of black gloves with the fingers cut away.

"Screw you Raj." Ryo shot back. "I like my hair long."

"Then you have no reason to complain then." Raj chuckled and ran his gloved hands through his copper spikes, shaking the excess water off, as he leaned over.

Naruto was doing the same thing with his own hair and Ryo was busy getting dressed. As they all finished and resituated their packs, they took in their surroundings. Ahead of them were not forests like they had been darting through. It was now a large plain of grass; the river cutting a neat pathway through the lush green waves.

Their clothing went into the rushing river, swollen with the recent downpour, and was washed away. Hopefully it would cover their presence in the Land of Lightning a little longer. They started off again, barely parting the grasses that reached up to their shoulders, heading north, towards Kumogakure, their final goal.

Naruto was intent on keeping his senses aware and alert to their surroundings as they knew that Rain had a way of perceiving border jumps, even if no enemy ninja was encountered. The fear was Lightning had that same perception available to them.

His ears only heard their footfalls and his nose only met the familiar scents of his comrades and the lingering sweet scent of rain.

And it stayed that way for hours. They would stop every so often, taking note of anything that looked suspicious, or stopped completely when they felt something or someone was too close by. Ryo's hand would scribble quickly in a small notebook she kept tucked in her kunai pouch, the motions she went through, oddly familiar.

Finally when dusk began to fall they found a small glen of trees and set up camp again.

"So far it looks like a normal conflagration to protect the central city." Ryo sighed as she went through her notes, munching happily on dried deer meat she had brought with her. "If they are planning any sort of invasion it doesn't look like it's imminent."

Raj snored loudly to Ryo and Naruto's right. Both sighed and shook their heads at the ability of their brother to fall asleep so quickly. Ryo repacked her notebook and looked up at the stars above. "Really, I think Lightning just wants to protect itself from whatever Rain has in the works."

"It seems that way." Naruto stretched. "Still, never hurts to take their money."

Ryo laughed and scooted over to sit right next to him. Naruto felt the hot blush on his cheeks, despite the cooler weather in this country. Even after so many years, Ryo still had that effect on him.

The relationship he and Ryo had, somewhere along the past six years, had morphed into something completely different. During their time with the foxes, however short it had been, Ryo had begun to be more physical. She would reach out more often to touch him, at first it was playful but then it turned to hugs and her piggybacking when they went places like Dorsa.

She was more protective of him.

And then when the night came that she had taken him by the hand, and led him to 'her' spot at the tree, where Kiro and Kuroi always slept with her, he dumbly followed, not sure about the change in routine. Kiro and Kuroi saw them coming, stood, and moved themselves to Naruto's old spot at the base of the tree. Ryo settled herself in like she always did and then looked up expectantly at him. When he finally found his ground again, he couldn't help but feel somewhat elated.

He had lain down with her, tightening his grip around her waist. "So Ryo-sama, have you marked me as yours?" He whispered into her hair and felt her arms wrap tightly around his waist.

"You were mine long before this Kitsune." She purred. "It was fate Naruto, I believe in that. Fate led us to Gobi no Houkou so that we could survive in this world. Fate led us to you so you could lead us to whatever it that is planned for us."

"You seem so sure." Naruto frowned just a little. "What if this is our fate, to travel as we always have? What if this was my fate to find you and Raj so I could finally be happy?"

"Then that is our fate."

Tonight was just like that night; Ryo had curled up beside him, her arm resting protectively atop his chest. Her head rested in the crook of his neck. He breathed in the scent of her and couldn't help by let a content sigh escape his lips.

"You're awfully thoughtful tonight." She whispered into his chin.

"Eh, just thinking Ren'ai."

"For a self-proclaimed idiot, you do that a lot."

"Gotta keep people guessin'."

"Smart ass." She laughed.

"I was taught by the best." Naruto proclaimed proudly, indicating Rajan.

"Thankfully he didn't also teach you how to snore. How can he not hear himself?"

"I think the better question is how we sleep with him doing that?" Naruto frowned over at his brother, spread out like a dead person on the ground, sleeping like a rock.

"I think by now we wouldn't be able to if he stopped." Ryo chuckled.

"True."

"So the plan?"

"Well we're already here; we might as well hit the capitol and see what we can't dig up."

"I agree, just because we can't find them, doesn't mean there's not something going on. Something just doesn't feel right. Those border guards are normally much more lax than that, especially after a week."

"Maybe something is going on?" Naruto tapped his chin, trying to puzzle out the reason for the guard's diligence. "A visitor?"

"Or a rat. Contacts can turn, and we could have been sold out."

"Eh, I don't see that happening with most of our people" Naruto shook his head. That wasn't it. It was something else, he felt something familiar here.

Ryoki yawned and cuddled closer to him. He leaned a little and pecked her lightly on the forehead. He'd let Ryo drift off to sleep and take the first watch of the night. "Go on Ookami, I'll keep watch this time."

And he would. In years past they would easily all be asleep by now. Things were not as tense as they had been getting lately. Rain, the cover for Akatsuki, was becoming more emboldened by their power…their stolen power. They frequently broke borders by just plowing through them, and last he had heard two Uchiha sat upon the starting thrones.

It had been a long time since Naruto had thought about Sasuke. Sasuke had made his choice and he had made his. That was no longer his concern. They had all heard whispers of the defeat of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin of Legend. They had even traveled to Rice just to see, no one had contracted them to do so.

Oto had fallen under Kabuto's jurisdiction after Sasuke up and left the whole country, most likely to search out his wayward brother so that he could kill him. But if the rumors were correct, Sasuke did not kill Itachi. Itachi died from some odd disease. It appeared that Sasuke took his brother's place, but that left a question mark about the second Uchiha.

Luckily the organization hadn't seemed to be able to locate him. From all the rumors and circulations, only one bijuu remained out of Akatsuki's control…and that was his. Even Gaara, the closest thing he had to an ally in another country, had failed to defeat the organization when it came to Suna. He survived the encounter, but he no longer was a Jinchuuriki. He was free from his demons. Leaf had been one of the main reasons for that survival. They had gone to the aid of the Wind Country. The two countries were now the two most powerful aside from Rock. They held tight to their alliance between one another and not much slipped past Fire or Wind.

But the rumors escaped.

And that was what kept him and the twins in business. Rumors started speculation, and speculation bred mistrust. And that was what kept them fed.


"Get up you lazy bum."

Naruto grunted and opened his eyes to see Raj standing over him, looking absolutely pissed. He snorted and ruffled his own hair. "What?"

"I'm tired of waiting on you to wake up, that's what?" Raj growled. "We've got people to deceive."

"Well sorry for needing a little rest, Mr. Sleeps-Through-Anything." Naruto stretched and noted that Ryo wasn't in the small camp.

"Not my fault you took all the watches."

"Not for a lack of trying to wake your ass." Naruto growled in kind and the two of them launched at one another at the same time, wrestling in the cover of the forest they had camped in. For a moment, Naruto forgot their mission, forgot the doubt that plagued him and he was truly happy to show Raj who was boss.

"Ah-hem."

Both froze mid-tumble and smiled up at Ryo, who stood above them arms crossed across her chest. She wore a kimono in varying shades of blue going from dark to light accents, and her hair was back to being in a tight braid with light blue ribbons interwoven in the strands. Around her neck, Naruto's turquoise necklace, won long ago, fit snuggly around her neck, the gems making a perfect point towards her cleavage and a pair of arm bangles now jingled around her right wrist.

To Naruto she was absolutely gorgeous, but he knew how much dressing up the part of the traveling rich girl pissed her off.

"Well hello Lady Ryoki!" Raj grinned widely at his sister, showing off his teeth. "Are we disturbing your morning routine?"

Ryo growled at him menacingly and Raj was rolling with laughter. Naruto was certain that if Ryo had been graced with ears, they'd be flat against her head right now.

"It doesn't do my part any good if my supposed guards look like they walked in from the lowest rung of society." Ryo threw the matching tops and bottoms to them and their hats. "Get moving already."

"Yes Ma'am!" both of them proclaimed and got ready as they were told.

Today's pace was meant to be much slower and it would be taken on the main trails. As they approached the Village Hidden in the Clouds, Kumogakure, they had to make sure they were seen as nothing more than a traveling Lady and her two guardsmen. So today, they put on their masks and began their leisurely stroll on framed trails.

They passed a few merchant bands, Ryo stopping at a few of them to 'browse' their wares and bought a few foodstuffs. They even got passed by a few faster traveling bands and some Lightning Nin as they went. Each time they schooled themselves not to take much notice of their fellow travelers and continued on in silence.

Because it would not look good for a Lady to be having such casual conversation with her hired help, that was uncalled for. Still they had their own ways to communicate with one another, silent glances and subtle hand signs. Ryo's braid would sometimes twitch one way or the other to indicate that she sensed someone in that particular direction.

Finally they reached the gates of Kumo. It seemed harmless enough, not unlike many of the other Hidden Villages they had seen from afar, but they knew that drawing attention would sound an alarm, not only to the leaders of Lightning but to the leaders of Akatsuki as well.

It was the reason Naruto and Raj wore wide brimmed straw hats that allowed them to conceal the bottom half of their faces if they merely looked down at their feet. Raj did so to hide his eye, which would instantly match him to Ryo and blow the cover. Naruto did so to hide his whisker marks which would really start trouble. He already did so with a slight illusion, taught to him by Ryoki, but the hats made them look like a matched set. Something a Lord's daughter or wife might insist upon.

As they approached the guard stopped them.

"Papers and business please." A tall darkly colored man demanded of Ryo and she stopped to reach up her sleeve. The motion had the guardsmen at the ready instantly. Raj and Naruto responded in kind by moving their hands to their respective weapons, but not unsheathing them.

"Now, now," Ryo admonished the two of them and handed over the papers that denoted her Waban Ryoki from Rice Country. "They are merely doing their job boys. There is no need to be so uptight."

The dark man handed the papers back to his partner who looked them over with a fine tooth comb, taking several glances at Ryo and her guards. As he did the dark man began to question her. "What is your business in Kumo, Lady Waban?"

"I was under the impression that one could come and go from Kumogakure." Ryo frowned at him and waved her arm out to the throngs of people walking around near the gates. "But if you must know I am here to take in some culture." She arched her back slightly and smiled the innocent, rich smile.

The two men glanced at each other then handed Ryo her papers back and waved them on. "Be quick about your sight-seeing, and do not be out after dark, we do not need outsiders causing trouble."

"Oh my." Ryo gasped in somewhat fake shock. "I thank you for the warnings and will be quick about my business."

They walked away after Ryo's grand apology and melted in with the busy afternoon crowd. Ryo played the part well enough of the rich Lord's daughter, ordering her two 'goons' around and asking to see expensive pieces of jewelry and clothing. Naruto could see the slight gleam in her eye and knew part of her enjoyed the attention. He also knew she hated it when she felt restricted, like she did in the billowy, cumbersome kimono she wore. It always seemed to put her on edge.

They spent the day that way, Raj and Naruto following Ryo around the various shops and stands. Naruto had to try so hard not to burst out laughing when one store owner practically begged Ryo to take one of the silky shirts that had caught her eye. It had long flowing arms and a cut in the stomach area that revealed her navel, the deep set green color looked beautiful with her necklace and with the blue-green color of her one blue eye. When the owner saw her in the garment she swore up and down that the piece had been made for Ryoki and that she was happy to give the garment as a gift from one former Rice Countryman to the next.

Ryo picked a prominent hotel near the hub of the Hidden Village and once all three of them were sure of their security, they let the masks drop.

"Did you leave us any money in the 'disguise fund' or did you blow it all?" Raj sighed as he flung himself on the large decorated bed in the middle of the room.

"Bite me Raj; you know we always barter the crap we get on the road once we get out of dodge." Ryo held up a few of the pieces of jewelry and tossed them into her bag. When she came to the green silk top she held it up in the frame of the setting sun out the window and gave it a more thorough inspection. "It has a lot more movement in it, that's for sure."

"You look great in it." Naruto smiled from his position, leaning against the wall next to the doorway. A pillow flew from across the room and hit him with chakra-backed force and he winced.

"That's my sister."

"And you call me brother!" Naruto retorted as he threw the pillow back at Raj.

"Which makes it all the more disturbing." Raj smirked knowingly and Naruto sighed.

"Alright break it up you two. What game do you two want to play for scouting rights cause I know both of you are going to want to." Ryo sat next to her brother's feet at her bed and smirked as the two of them blinked at one another.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Both Naruto and Raj proclaimed, clapping their clenched fists on flattened palms in front of them.

Raj picked Paper and Naruto went Scissors. Naruto snagged his kunai pouch and headed for the window. "Sorry Sonkei. You'll get over it!"

The Village Hidden in the Clouds was not as peaceful as it appeared on the outside, that became evident everywhere Naruto turned. Where once bustling streets had been filled with shoppers and merchants, now were deserted pathways with shinobi patrolling every corner.

Naruto watched from his perch atop a tall building near the Raikage's own personal residence. He was surprised he had not been found yet, with the odd staggering the ninja were taking to their patrols. Then again he was pretty good at masking his presence when he wanted to and Ryoki's training in the ways of Genjutsu had been particularly taxing but worthwhile to learn.

He couldn't help but wonder if the Village had enacted some sort of curfew…because as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, and ducked behind foliage and alleyways, he began to note the absence of night life. Usually in a village this size there would be bars open, drunks stumbling and the undesirables of the village out to prey on those who had let their senses be dulled by drink.

Yet he saw no such establishment, heard no stumbling, slurring individuals, and could not sense anyone other than himself and the shinobi wandering the streets below. The guards had even warned Ryoki to not be out after dark.

It was odd and a bit unsettling.

So he slunk in the shadows as a thief among diamonds, selecting carefully which of the jewels around him had the most worth. Each patrolman he passed had one of two expressions upon their face: utterly dedicated or completely bored. The closer he got to the Raikage's residence, however, the more dedicated ninja he saw.

"Something more than a visitor I think." He thought to himself as he neared the final scouting point, the tower itself. He landed just short of the pinnacle of the building and checked to see if he had been noticed by anyone and found most of the guards continuing their set paths.

He began to look around for clues as to where meetings were held and finally settled on a small window near the middle of the base, where flickering lights could still be seen.

"They don't want to draw attention but it is the only room being lit right now…I think they are as dumb as Ryo thinks." Naruto smirked as he quietly maneuvered towards that window and then positioned himself above it. "Fox Art: Cloak of the Wind." He whispered while forming the dragon hand seal. If anyone had been watching him, he would have seemed to melt into the thin air around him.

Demon Foxes were known for two things, their ability to hide and their ability to charm. Kota had come back to Grass with Naruto and the twins when Leaf became too interested in all the activity in a seemingly quiet corner of Fire. Kota had related most of his training through Ryo or Kiro and slowly he had begun to pick up more of the fox's skills. This one in particular was his favorite, as it only required the one hand sign and it was virtually undetectable unless someone was right beside you and they could hear you.

His illusion in place Naruto began to listen, hard, with ears not quite his own yet, and finally caught the hushed tones and hurried voices below.

"We will give you what ninja we can, but must retain enough to protect ourselves." A male voice, Naruto assumed belonged to the Raikage, proclaimed. "With your continued accusations and boasts many have begun to turn their attention towards us and our movements."

"You will give us the number we requested, Raikage-sama, no less. If we are to force the other countries into believing our numbers have risen we will need more than a handful of your Chunin. We are all but ready to begin our initial attack but we need to portray a stronger force."

"When you begin these attacks; who will protect us from the backlash if you have all our ninja?" The Raikage was addressing the quiet female voice. "There are still many countries out there that will surely see your acquisition of Grass as hostile and move to neutralize you and they tend to lump Lightning and Rain together."

"The only threat to our plans is Konoha and Suna, they are the only strong alliance left among the Great Nations and they both can be preoccupied."

"Oh really?"

"The Fourth Great War is coming, Raikage-sama. Nations mistrust each other…even Konoha and Suna have doubts in one another. You may wish to choose your side carefully before you make an error."

"And if I choose to ally with only myself and my people?"

"Then you will be counted among those we conquer."

Naruto heard the sound of footsteps and he froze, not daring to breathe as long as another ninja was passing below him. The steps became fainter followed by a loud slamming door. He heard the weary sigh of the Kage and his barked orders to a subordinate.

Naruto stood and leapt back across the way he had come, back to the hotel. They had to go, they had to go now. Grass had been right to be wary about the threat Rain posed to them. He sped along, barely pausing longer than a second as he rushed back to Raj and Ryo.

As he landed in the darkened room he heard Raj's loud snoring. He flicked on a light and was met with a kunai pressed to his neck. For a moment he stood absolutely still then relaxed as the weapon was drawn away.

"Damn it Kitsune! You know better than to startle me!" Ryo was quietly yelling at him.

"Sorry Roki." He apologized and bowed his head. "I just think we need to get ready to leave."

"Why? What did you see?"

"More of what I heard." He rubbed his head and looked sheepishly over at Raj still snoring away. "Rain wishes to assault Grass."

"What? Wait they don't have the numbers for that! Even if they succeeded they would be vulnerable."

"That's why they are threatening Lightning. Lightning has the numbers, and Rain has some secret up their sleeve."

"Great, just great. We get hired for simple recon and uncover an invasion plot." Ryo grumbled as she pulled out her gear and began strapping on her kunai pouch and armor. "Raj!" she barked and the male twin shot up with his katana in his hand ready to behead whatever intruder had come upon them. When he saw only them he cocked his head to the side and implored them with his eyes.

"Get ready brother," Naruto clasped him on the shoulder. "We're about to get all the fun and games we can get."

"That doesn't sound as fun the way you just said it." Raj frowned as he too readied himself. "Are you sure you want to leave now? Won't the guard be a little suspicious if Lady Waban doesn't exit the way she came?"

"At this point, who cares?" Naruto frowned. "We need to warn Kuso."

"Why?"

That stopped all movement as Raj's innocent question finally triggered another in Naruto and Ryo.

"Wait, he has a point. Why Grass?"

"It's next door; it could be a planned attempt to see if they are ready." Naruto sat on the bed, folding his legs underneath of him. "Or it could be a part to separate the big countries."

"That's true," Ryo began to ponder. "But why not go the other way? Why not take River, who has no force of their own, and separate Konoha and Suna? That would be the more logical target."

"Not if they want add to their numbers." Raj added in.

"No, most shinobi allied with hidden villages won't turn that easily. They'd have to kill them to keep a hold on the village. They'd lose people in doing that so again, why Grass?"

"Shit…" Naruto finally growled. "There's something in Grass they want."

"What could Grass possibly have that would interest anyone?" Raj snorted. He was positioning himself near the window, keeping his eyes wary for anyone that might have followed Naruto.

"There's only one thing there that would be of any interest to them…" Ryo was trailing off, her eyes steady on Naruto.

"Me." Naruto whispered into the darkness.

All three stared at one another, the true nature of this invasion now very clear to them all. Lightning was not an ally; they were a means to an end for Rain. The very dull threat that Akatsuki had always presented now flared up into a fully fledged problem.

"Well fuck Kuso." Raj finally stood in the window frame, looking out to the deserted streets. "We need to warn Kiro and the Pack…we need to go home."

"Then let's go." Ryo also started out a window, not even bothering with any illusions or precautions. Her home was being threatened…again…she would waste no time to return there and warn the pack of demon wolves she considered family. Naruto didn't blame her; this was not something to take lightly. If they were correct, they all were in danger. Akatsuki had finally decided to complete their collection of bijuu…even if there was no bijuu to collect they would come and they would destroy whatever sat in their way.

Naruto's past had finally caught up to him.


"This is very troubling." Kiro remarked from the circle of wolves now gathered around the great tree that once was the sleeping place of Gobi no Houkou, the 5-Tailed Demon Wolf.

Once the twins and Naruto had returned, running non-stop for days and nights to return to their sanctuary in the grasslands, they had warned Kiro. Kiro in turn had begun gathering up the whole of his pack, something that was very rare to see. Even rarer was the golden fox that sat among the wolves.

All around them a good thirty to forty wolves sat or lay around Kiro and his mate, Kuroi. Tails and Chakra were in abundance as the congregation of the Pack began to discuss the information the three humans of the pack had stumbled upon during their time away.

"If the Black Cloaks are indeed the guiding force behind this coming invasion, and their true purpose is to come here, then we must decide what our course of action should be." Kiro continued. "Last those with Red Clouds upon their Black Cloaks came to these lands they took from us our leader, our father, and our sibling, Houkou. This time they try to take from us our fox-brother."

Naruto bowed his head, knowing to be called 'brother' by Kiro was a very high honor.

"Last we stayed and fought." Kiro stood and pointed his nose upwards towards a mark in the tree's bark, one Naruto always chalked up to age and the natural split of the wood. "And we paid dearly for our troubles. This time we have more options available to us…."

"We can't leave the tree." Ryoki stammered out, standing from her position around Kiro and Kuroi. "We can't leave our home…"

Kiro turned to her, the old green eyes focusing on the human woman with intensity. "Ryoki-sama, you saw the damage we took from those who came here…"

"We were unprepared. We did not know they were coming last time." Ryoki argued. "And we are twice as strong as we were then. This is our home; we cannot just let them have it."

"And who's to say they would not just follow us." Naruto found himself arguing with Ryoki. He knew what the tree meant to Ryoki, to Rajan, and he would not make them leave it just because of him. "We may leave and find other places, but they will just find us and follow us there."

Kiro turned to face Naruto now, the large wolf, taller than he and with now four swishing tails behind him, stepped forward until they were eye to eye with one another. They stared like that for a while before the slightest glint of admiration passed through the deep green eyes and Kiro bowed his head.

"You have a point, Kitsune. If we flee they will follow. You are the last prize they seek. So our thoughts now turn to how we defend ourselves against an ally we have not seen for over a decade."

At this prospect the silent demon wolves around them began to snarl and bare their fangs. Tails grew larger and swished in an aggressive fashion. Rajan also seemed to get an evil glint in his eye as he wrapped his hands around his sword hilts. Kiro held his own version of a lupine smile as he turned again to Naruto. "You have your answer Kitsune."

The howling began, as the demon wolves almost seemed to celebrate this decision. It was most likely a joyous feeling that they would be getting revenge for the death of their former pack leader, Houkou, but in a sense Naruto felt it was also in contention with a feeling of pride. They were proud that the humans of the pack had decided to defend rather than flee.

"You have come into your own right Kitsune." Kiro remarked as he began to walk past Naruto, into the throngs of his fellow wolves. "Ryoki chose correctly when she chose in you."

Naruto blushed like mad, watching after the older wolf as he moved away, not really able to melt away into the sea of brown, black and gray because of his coloring. The demon wolves began to follow him, barking and snarling at one another, jockeying for position nearby the Alpha Male. A few stayed behind, lying together or play fighting around the tree. They were the youngest of the pack, but still older, most likely, than the three humans left behind.

Surprisingly Kuroi stayed behind. She sat at Ryoki's side, taking in Naruto as if he was a different person standing before her. The graceful old black wolf still was only three tails, with striking blue eyes, and she still remained one of Naruto's favorites.

"If this is the plan we are choosing," Kuroi drawled on slowly, as she leaned down to sniff at Kota, curled up at her front paws. "I would suggest our little human pups stock up on supplies while they still can."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind about Dorsa or needing to stock up. They had always just gone to the border post city whenever they had pressing need and was always welcomed. Things changed, however, when war was guiding people's decisions.

"I would also suggest letting your employer know as well." Kuroi stood and stretched, leaving Kota at Ryoki's side instead. "Perhaps if Grass is properly warned, it will be much harder for the invading pack to slaughter it."

"Kuroi has a point." Ryo sighed; some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to loosen. "We should head to Dorsa. And if Owashi's contact is still there, we can sound the alarm."

"Yeah I highly doubt Owashi would let this information sit a while. If Grass falls his little estate might as well." Raj snorted a bit of laughter. "Couldn't be having that."

"Okay then." Naruto nodded. "Tomorrow then?"

"I think tonight." Ryo conceded. "If we were fast enough, Owashi's little kept pet might still be there and we won't have to make the trip to the estate."

Kuroi turned her massive head until it rested on Ryo's shoulder, right next to her ear. The demon wolf snarled something lowly in that tongue only Raj and Ryo seemed to be able to understand. Ryo's eyes went downward, towards her feet, before flitting back up to the sideways glance of the black wolf.

Kuroi merely nodded her head and stalked off into the darkness of the waiting forest. Ryo watched her go before reaching down to pat Kota between his black ears and grabbing for her backpack.

"What was that all about?" Raj inquired, also picking up his pack, but waiting for Ryo to pass him.

"Nothing."

"Sure didn't look like a 'nothing'." Raj began to push a little. Naruto agreed, whatever had been said between the two females had definitely had some importance because Ryo had reacted as she had.

"Drop it." She growled angrily and began to stalk off in the direction of the paths that led to Dorsa.

Naruto and Raj shared a look. Both held the same concern and curiosity about what had been said between wolf and woman, but both knew that tone. It was the 'back off or I'll make you back off' tone and Ryo was downright scary when she used it.

What could have set her off? The looming threat that now overshadowed their movements? Or was the fact that Kiro had even mentioned the idea of finding a new sanctuary for the pack? Ryo was extremely protective of the tree, but they hadn't thought she was that protective of it.

Still they knew better than to keep Ryo waiting and both men took off after her, Kota on their heels chirping excitedly after them.

Though Naruto was never able to pick up on the language of the demons that could, or did not speak, he was starting to be able to read more into their body language and just the way that they formed words, the tones of their growls and snarls. He was slowly starting to understand and more than once he found that Ryoki or Rajan did not have to translate to him just what it was that had been said.

And Kota's actions said it clearer than day to him. To Naruto it almost sounded like a positive and loud:

"Hey! Wait for me!!"

Dorsa was like a ghost town when the three finally arrived. Some of the bars and restaurants were still open, serving the locals that waited for the tourist activity to slip away to the inns to sleep. It was kind of odd to not see the bustling activity on the main streets or to see shopkeepers sweeping and arranging their wares.

Naruto and Raj followed closely behind Ryoki as she stalked to one of the bars went in and sat down purposefully in one of the booths to the back. It was a signal to those who knew her and those who had been instructed by those who knew, that Ryo was now in the mindset to take offers or to talk to those who had come to find the Wolf Pack.

Raj and he did as they always did, sitting down at the bar just a little bit away from Ryo but close enough to react if someone tried anything. Tonight they were hoping that the Owashi contact man was still present and still watching the bar for Ryo's return. And to their great surprise, a squirrely looking man with green and gold clothing came scurrying up to sit on the other side of the table. He smiled widely at Ryoki before putting a purse between the two of them.

"My Master said you were a fast informant, Lady Ryoki, I had no idea you would be done quite so quickly." He jumbled through the words a bit. Naruto almost thought he was drunk, but it was too hard to tell from his and Raj's position.

"We pride ourselves in knowing when what we have is enough." Ryo replied and leaned in a little further, garnering a mirrored move from the thin man. "But your Lord may not like what we have found this time. There were meetings in Kumo, a pact made between Kumo and Ame had been brokered."

"That, that is concerning."

"The two plan on taking Grass as their own." Ryo cut the man off.

"It was just as Lord Owashi feared!!" the man stood straight up, his voice becoming a bit too loud.

Raj and Naruto stood but quickly reseated when they saw Ryo's hand quickly reach out, grab the loose fitting collar of the man's green shirt, and yanked hard downwards. The man's chin landed harshly on Ryo's knuckles as her hand hit the table and despite the loud 'thud' the motion made, very few turned to look.

"Keep it down you baka!" she practically snarled at the man now cowering in her presence. "You must relate this information to your lord immediately, do you understand that? This is no longer about his information bartering with Kuso and Daimyo. This is now about the fate of the whole country."

"Of…of course Lady Ryoki. I understand." The man stammered then shoved the money that had been asked for beforehand. Ryo reached out to take it just as the man scurried off, most likely to find the fastest way home.

They all watched him go, Ryo snarling still at the outburst the man had gone through. The last thing they needed in a border town was to spread the rumor of invasion. It would either invite it to them or cause a panic. Either option was not to their liking.

Raj and Naruto joined Ryoki at her table, bringing their drinks with them. "That could've gone better." Raj was frowning.

"I swear, if we had the time I'd personally tell Lord Owashi how to pick better messengers. They shouldn't be so touchy."

"I agree, but that's not really what important now." Naruto shrugged and down the sake he had ordered. Before he could refill his dish, Ryo's hand snaked out and snagged it and the bottle from her brother. "So we'll have to wait till morning to do our stocking up. What should we stock up on?"

"Scrolls, weapons, tags, clothes…things like that I would hope." Ryo murmured as she scanned the rest of the bar. "Whatever food we think we want and can keep outside of course."

"That's a lot of stuff to be dragging back to the tree" Raj was frowning and stealing back the bottle of spirits.

"Can't handle it Sonkei?"

"Oh I can handle it Kitsune." Raj used Ryo's nickname for Naruto to show his annoyance. "The question is can you?"

"Oh? I do believe I have the bigger pool of reserves…not to mention I can create clones."

"Damn you and your little ninja tricks."

"That will come in handy." Ryo sighed heavily, laying her head on her arms as she stared blankly into the chest of Naruto and her brother, just across the table.

"Maybe all we should think about is rest." Naruto offered up. "We just ran here from Lightning… we're all burning the ends of our wicks and none of us will be dragging anything back to the tree if we can't move."

"Another good point." Raj raised his sake dish in an odd cheers motion then downed it. "And I say we get good and drunk while we're here. Who knows what's around the corner."

Ryo merely sighed at Raj and laid her head back against the tall wall separating some of the booths. Naruto shrugged, took back his own dish and cheered with Raj before downing more of the alcohol. There were three prohibitions for shinobi…at least told by an old Toad Hermit who had once taught him…they were Money, Women, and Alcohol.

Money was never a problem, most of what they spent was for essentials and they could always find more work if they ran out. Women, well for him there was only one so that too was no brainer. Raj had more of a problem with that than him. The Alcohol was only necessity because they all were so stressed and worn. Too keyed up to sleep but tired enough to know they should. Normally he hated the taste of sake or stronger liquors. Tonight though, he needed it to calm his nerves and in part to keep up with Raj.

Anyway….who said they were shinobi?


The next morning all three of them woke to the early dusk and set out to scan the local shops for what they each thought they needed. Mostly clothing and weapons but there were a few food items they could get that would keep under the harsh conditions out in the wild. Naruto even wondered if he could find some shop that sold soldier pills. As a border town enough ninja crossed through, but perhaps the locals did not want to be bolstering some hapless ninja's energy.

"I will meet back up with you two at the inn." Ryo said suddenly, her focus down one of the side streets off the main pavilion.

"What? Are you joking?" Raj shot back at her.

Ryo merely walked away from them, no more explanation than what she had given. Naruto watched her go, frowning as he did. This odd mood Ryo had been in was starting to be something to be concerned about. Both he and Raj had no idea what had led to it, so neither one of them could really apologize or make up for what they did not know they had done.

"Honestly, what did you do to piss her off Sonkei?"

"I don't know…I wish I did." Naruto scratched nervously at his neck. "Something's just been off with her lately. Maybe it's all this Akatsuki business…"

"I don't think so; she'd started acting weird before we left for Lightning." Raj stopped at a bookstore front, something caught his eye. Naruto was still watching the street Ryo had ducked down. "And it was either you or me pal, I dunno which."

"You're usually more annoying." Naruto grinned a little turning to face Raj. "What the hell????"

In Raj's hands was a little green book. On the front cover it read Make-Out Tactics. Naruto was sure his eyes were wide enough to be plates as he watched his 'brother' flip through the pages of the perverted little book.

"Oy! Sonkei, I think I just found motivation to read."

"Kami, not you too…Please not you too."

"What?"

"Nothing, just…let's hurry this up." Naruto rubbed at his nose. It was either the hangover or the actions of Rajan that suddenly made his head start pounding. He really hoped it was the hangover, because he could fix the hangover. Rajan was forever….

Between the pair of them Naruto did not think they did too badly. Raj, after his initial impulse purchase, had focused intently on getting the weapons fixed and replaced. He knew most of the craftsmen in town by name now. Naruto found himself more concerned with clothing and food, sure that if something did happen winter would be the hardest months to go through without going into a town.

They bartered and shopped around their favorite places, talking to a few of their contacts as they saw them. It was from Taja, a Waterfall Ninja who was now mercenary, that they heard something even more shocking.

"Oy, there you two are…where's Ryoki?"

"Out." Raj motioned around them. "What's up?"

"Figured you'd all be interested in this." Taja motioned for them to step closer. "That organization you all like to keep tabs on? Akatsuki I think their names are. Anyway, they were in Lightning about a week ago…"

Naruto and Raj nodded in unison, urging Taja to go on. They already knew this particular part of the story, but if she continued on to relate the rest of what they knew, it meant trouble. If Taja already knew about the plot by Rain to gain Grass, it meant that Owashi's little messenger had blabbed. That would not sit well with Ryoki.

"Well while they were in Lightning, they attacked the Raikage's brother. Even kidnapped him."

"Wait what?" Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why in the world would Rain do such a thing if they wanted Lightning to side with them?

"Oy, yeah, it's a huge thing right now. From what is going around, the Raikage called for a special meetin', one of all five kage's."

"They can do that?" Raj leaned against a building wall and cocked his head to the side to get a good look around them.

"Apparently so, I mean I thought most those Kage's didn't like one another, but I guess if someone's making enough noise to be a bother to all five of the elite nations they might try to squash it down a bit." Taja waved her hand and started walking away. "Thought you fellas might like to know about it though."

"Thanks Taja!" Raj waved goodbye to her then turned all his attention on Naruto. "What the hell do you suppose that means?"

"They wouldn't take anyone unless they were a Jinchuuriki. But the rumors were that I was the only one left."

"Right, that's what's confusing. And yet they attacked the Raikage's brother? What would the point have been?"

"So the alliance was a cover to get in." Naruto mumbled. "They were missing two bijuu…not just one."

"Wonder which one he was?"

"We don't have any way to know for sure. But this might be a good thing. Remember when we heard about the Ichibi? When they captured Shukaku and drained him from the Kazekage of Suna they just went dead afterwards."

"Oy, yeah it was like they dropped off the face of the earth. So what?"

"So that means that whatever they do to the jinchuuriki takes a lot out of them. How old did you guys say you were when they came after Houkou?"

"We were about ten I think…."

"Exactly! I did not have my first run in with them until I was twelve. Three years after that they went for Gaara. They're going into hiding after they capture a bijuu."

"Then that means…" Raj trailed off.

"We still have time. It may be years before they think of going after me. They went to Lightning to try to garner a truce and it was their cover. They just wanted in to grab the bijuu of the Raikage's brother."

Naruto and Raj immediately began to search for Ryoki. They returned to the street she had originally gone down, but couldn't seem to catch up to where she went. They asked the favorite hangout of the trio and the favorite restaurants, but still no sight of the wayward twin sister.

"I wonder what she's up to." Raj muttered to himself but Naruto heard the underlying worry in the twin's voice. Honestly he was starting to get worried himself.

Ryo had bad days sure, they all did, but something about this change in moods had been all too sudden for them. Usually there was a reason, a trigger, that would explain the foul mood but this time there did not seem to be one. Nothing he or Raj had done in the past few weeks was anything for Ryo to go off on her own like this to get a break.

So where was she?

"Let's go back to the room. Maybe she's already there." Raj had deflated a little. Whatever joy they had at finding out about the Kage's and Lightning's brush with Rain, was now greatly diminished.

But Ryoki was not there either. The two of them sat around the room, trying to busy themselves to keep from wandering the streets again. If Ryo wanted to be left alone, that was what Ryo wanted. It did not keep them from constantly looking to the windows or the door when they heard footsteps and voices.

The sun began to set outside, a full day come and gone and there still was no sign of Ryoki. Rajan now sat in the windowsill his katana hugged to his chest. Naruto sat on the larger of the two beds and nervously picked at the kunai on his belt loop. Bags had already been packed, provisions had already been made, hell they even worked out more about the Lightning fiasco they had heard about from Taja.

Lightning had been the home of one confirmed tailed beast before this. The Nibi or Nekomata, The Two-Tailed Cat demon was known to have full control of her demon and was a valued and respected member of the Lightning Ninja ranks. She had been taken when she was out on a mission, or so the rumor mills would say.

So it had to be, if Lightning had indeed been in possession of two jinchuuriki that after losing one, they would have fiercely guarded their second…especially being the Raikage's flesh and blood. Akatsuki would have had a hard time reaching the jinchuuriki and Lightning would have been extremely tight-lipped about the presence of yet another demon container in their country.

"Maybe we should go out again?" Raj was finally conceding as darkness set in. "Maybe something happened to her…"

"She would have howled Rajan." Naruto frowned and lay back in the bed, arms crossed and used as pillows behind his head. "She would have let us know."

"Still, this isn't like her Sonkei. She's never gone this long."

The door creaked open slowly and Ryo stepped into the darkened room. Raj jumped up from the windowsill and started walking towards her. Naruto sat up, hanging on the end of the bed, watching as Ryoki stalked inside.

"Where the hell have you been?" Raj jumped in on her. He waved his hands out to the darkened skies. "Me and Sonkei have been worried…"

Raj trailed off as Ryo merely walked past him, sat herself on the bed and buried her head in Naruto's back, her hands reaching up to grip onto the tan fabric of his sweater. Naruto himself had frozen the moment Ryo had come into the dim lights so he could see her. He knew something was wrong right away.

Her hair was down, forming a cloak around her shoulders and body.

"Her hair is never down. It's always in a braid or a ponytail. Why is her hair down? Why is she moving like that? What happened? Did something happen?" Naruto's mind raced as he glanced back at the faraway glaze in her eyes. She wasn't even paying any attention to them; it was like she was in her own little world.

"Aneue?" Raj's voice quieted to a bare whisper as he too watched Ryo, clutching to Naruto like she was hurt. Naruto had never heard Raj call Ryo 'sister' and was now even more concerned.

"Ren'ai?" he quietly added to the queries Ryo was filtering out of her perception.

They were all silent, Ryo ignoring them both. Naruto felt something hot and wet beginning to soak through the fabric of his shirt and he focused more on Ryo's eyes. She was crying…not openly or sobbing, no, but tears were leaking their way from her half closed lids and silently falling onto Naruto's shirt and sweater.

Why was she crying? Naruto had never seen Ryo cry before, ever. He turned back to Raj, his eyes pleading with his brother to help him explain what it was he was seeing. Raj seemed just as flabbergasted as he was because he came up to the foot of the bed and crouched down on the balls of his feet and rested his hands on the edge of the bed, his chin resting atop of them. His eyes were focused on only Ryoki and even his sword had been forgotten, dropped to the floor in an instant.

"Aneue? What is it? Why are you crying?" Rajan began to coo softly to her. His tone had taken on such a sweet and comforting effectiveness that Naruto even felt some of his tension ease. "Did someone hurt you? Should me and Naruto go out and crack skulls?"

"No…"

Oh that was good! Rajan at least had gotten her to speak. A ghost of a frown crossed her face as she focused now on her brother. At least now she seemed aware of where she was, not just staring out into nothingness.

"Then what is it? What has caused you such pain?"

"I'm not hurt…" she whispered and Naruto felt her arms wrap around his chest. He reached up with both hands and grabbed on to her arms, squeezing lightly and turning his head so he could see her once more. "I'm scared…"

Both Raj and Naruto sat up a little straighter. This was unsettling to both men. Ryo was the rock in their vagabond pack. She was always calm, collected, and in control. Ryo always met any challenge they faced head on without any fears or reservations. She knew what all three of them were capable of; she knew what to do at all times.

"Roki, don't be…" Naruto began to soothe. "Akatsuki might not even be coming this soon, Raj and I ran into Taja they were after Lightning's other Bijuu…one we didn't….

"That's not it." Her voice raised and she hid her face from both Naruto and Rajan. "That's not it at all."

She mumbled something into Naruto's back, her voice somewhat resonating in his bones. Rajan cocked his head to the side and scratches his head. "What did you say?"

Naruto went stiff. He had heard her. He didn't know if she had purposefully used some sort of chakra trick to get him to hear it and not Rajan but he heard what she whispered into his back. And she was right. It was terrifying. He turned to face the doorway to their room and felt his grip tighten around her arms. Was she serious?

"I never thought, I never even guessed." She began to babble. "I didn't think ahead, I didn't plan, why didn't I think of this?"

She pushed herself away from Naruto; her palms now flat on his back. "Why didn't I think of this Naruto? Why??"

"What is going on? What didn't you think of?" Raj pushed back a bit and balanced on the balls of his feet.

"Neither one of us did Roki." Naruto ignored Rajan as well. "I guess we never thought…."

"But…" Ryo stopped and withdrew completely, hugging her knees up to her chest in the middle of the king size bed. "But why now? Why is this happening now?"

Naruto turned to face her, noting just how scared she was. "I guess… I guess it just was supposed to happen now." He tried his best to comfort her. "There's nothing we can do about it, and really it's supposed to be a good thing…"

"What the hell do we know about children?" Ryo finally snapped at him. Her outburst made Raj fall back and he landed unceremoniously on his ass, mouth agape and eyes wide. "What could we possibly know about raising a pup? You never had parents; Raj and I were raised by wolves! We don't know anything about this Naruto!"

"Shit! Holy Shit!" Rajan was muttering wildly behind them.

"You're right." Naruto calmly reached out and grabbed hold of Ryo's hands. Sure he was terrified by what she had just told him, she was pregnant, that's why she had been so damned hungry all the sudden, it was why her moods had swung in such a violent manner, it was why Kuroi had taken up to protecting the woman while she was in the presence of other wolves. All the oddities that Naruto and Rajan had been picking up on made sense now.

"But we know what not to do right?" he laughed a little trying to ease her fears. "And we have Kuroi, she knows what to do. We know enough of the shopkeepers around Dorsa, they have children right?"

"This is too soon. There's Rain and Lightning and Akatsuki…we …we would be risking so much. What if something happens to us…?"

"That's what me and Raj were trying to tell you. The rumors were off. Rain was in Lightning capturing a bijuu, using peace as a cover. It takes them a few years to recover after draining a bijuu Roki. We have time to figure this out. We can figure this out hai?"

Ryo sniffed a little staring right back into Naruto's blue eyes. She did not seem quite convinced yet but she was listening now.

"Sonkei's right Aneue!" Raj bounced back up quicker than Naruto thought he would. "This isn't anything! We've faced lots worse than this."

"Exactly." Naruto agreed.

"You're not scared?" She questioned him.

"Sure I am." Naruto grinned widely at her. "Terrified actually, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it Ren'ai. This is just something new to learn hai?"

Ryo actually laughed at that and flung herself at Naruto, letting him crush her in a huge hug. "I guess it pays to have a brash fox with you…" she sniffed through some slightly happier tears. "Never too much for you, eh Kitsune?"

"Nope." Naruto beamed. "Never. Now what do you say we go to sleep. I'm tired, you're tired, Raj can keep watch." He felt the fist that Raj threw at his back as Raj went past him. "And tomorrow we can go home."

Ryo nodded and they laid back into the soft comfort of the bed. Raj retook his position at the window, though Naruto was certain he was going to be asleep before any of them were. Ryo snuggled in close to him and he kept a protective grip around her shoulders, petting her long silky hair as she closed her eyes.

"You know something Ren'ai." He whispered into the darkness. "I really like your hair down…"

"Don't get used to it, Kitsune."

"Ah, there's the Roki we know and love."


They returned home to the great tree the next day, some of Naruto's shadow clones hauling the heavier things and the three of them lugging only their backpacks. It saddened Naruto to be using himself as mules but it seemed more practical.

The clones set the bags and totes near the base of the tree before puffing away into nothingness. Raj went about sorting through their belongings and watched as Ryo, still a little too silent for either of their tastes, sought out Kuroi lying in the afternoon sun.

Another lazy day at the tree…who knew how many more of these they were going to get? He did not fault Ryoki for taking the opportunity. Course as he saw her burying her head in the thick mass of black fur he felt somewhat guilty and sad as well. Ryoki still was not ready to face this challenge with her usual confidence. She had been shaken a little far and it would take time to reassure her.

But he had something else on his mind. Spending most of last night watching the twins sleeping, he had begun to mull over in his head just exactly they were going to do. There were a lot of things to consider now. Akatsuki could still be coming. Rumors were rumors and if the rumor about him being the only Jinchuuriki left had been wrong, it was possible that the rumor about the Raikage's brother had also been untrue. It no longer was just about Rajan, Ryoki and He. There was another entity to consider and for the time being that entity resided in Ryoki so her protection came first.

When the child was born, where would they stay? During the summer and spring months it wouldn't be too farfetched for them just to do as always and stay at the tree. But there were some years when the winter and fall months got a little bitter and there was snow and cold. What then? Ryoki and Rajan had always benefitted from Houkou's protection up until they were ten years old. The wolf that could control natural forces would simply push any weather he deemed too dangerous for the young humans in his pack off course so it never reached them. They didn't learn to deal with harsh winters until after Akatsuki had taken Houkou away from them.

But Naruto knew with certainty the one thing he had to do. If he was going to actually protect his family and his home among the trees there was really only one thing he must do. And he planned on doing it.

"Kota!" he whistled out sharply and the little golden fox with black ears came bounding up to him and looked up questioningly with big brown eyes. "Help me find Kiro."

The fox nodded his head and leapt into the high grass ears erect and swiveling around his head. The three tails kept his nose to the ground till finally they came to a dense patch of trees and brush and found Kiro sleeping among the brush. Kota withered a little and hid behind Naruto's legs. Foxes were much smaller than wolves and Kota merely came to his waist in height. It was also because of Kiro's four tails.

Kiro had gained a tail of chakra over the past years. The wolf explained that like humans, as demons aged they grew in power. He was at his pinnacle, however. None of the clans could ever go higher than a tail below their clan head. For wolves this meant only four tails. For foxes it meant eight. For the poor little raccoon dogs that would have called Shukaku their own, they only ever had the one tails. As Naruto understood it, the power of the 'named' beasts was passed down from one holder to the next. Kiro would only become the next Gobi if his brother were alive and willing to pass the title and the power on to him.

"What do you want Kitsune?" Kiro growled a little without opening his eyes. "It is very early in the day."

"We need to talk." Naruto responded without a flinch of fear in his voice.

"Oh is that so?" Kiro popped one green eye open to stare at him. "And what is it you want to talk about?"

"I need to gain the final two tails." Naruto set his face in stone; he was dead serious about this. If he was going to protect them he had to finally master all of the demon's chakra.

Kiro stood up and shook his fur free of any dead brush that had accumulated upon it. He stalked up to Naruto and put his nose right to Naruto's own nose and they stared at one another. "You are sure about this?"

"I am."

"I do hope this is not in response to the Black Cloaks…." Kiro snarled and began shuffling through the trees towards the patch of land Naruto and he usually used for training.

"No, it is for us."

"Us? What use do we have of a nine-tail? We have plenty of tails of our own to protect ourselves with." Kiro was taking the meaning wrong and assuming Naruto now believed it was his duty to protect the pack.

"No, for us, so we can protect ourselves." Naruto hesitated a little. "And the pup."

"Ah so Kuroi was right." Kiro sighed a little. "Ryoki is with child, with you as the sire. I must remind you Kitsune, she is our pup. We wolves mate for life…"

"Which is why I must do this." Naruto cut the wolf off. He understood Kiro was still a little protective of Ryoki and Rajan, he did call them his pups after all. "They are your pups I get it, but Ryoki is MY mate. And she has MY pup. So it stands to reason that they are now MY responsibility to protect."

Kiro sat down and began to laugh. It was a soothing sound that rumbled deep in his chest. He turned his head to Naruto and Kota and nodded his head. "I see that our traditions have finally started to sink into that dense skull of yours, Naruto! You've finally learned to be a wolf!"

"It was bound to happen sometime right?" Naruto smirked back. "So will you help me?"

"What do I need to do for you Kitsune? You already know the process well enough to do this on your own. Or do you still fear that final tail?"

"You always said that demons could not go higher than their namesake's number of tails. If I do this I am 'taking' Kyuubi's tails and his power. I would think that makes me the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"It would, yes."

"I…I don't want to turn into a fox."

"You won't."

"But something might happen?"

"Of course there is always that possibility." Kiro sighed. "Very well I will keep watch with Kota as you start out on this endeavor. I do not think you will need such protection, but I will honor your wish to have me nearby."

"Thanks Kiro."

They neared the large plains of grass just to the east of the forests. Kiro stopped at the edge as did Kota and both looked back to Naruto, as he passed between them both. He could see some of the old scars that the three of them had put in the landscape and others he knew had been reclaimed by the earth. This was where they always came to release another part of the seal.

He found his rock, still near the only tree outside of the tree line. He sat down and sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Back to the sewers and to the brass gates of the demon fox. They no longer were as grand as they once were.

The lights seemed to flicker and dim and gave off an even sicker yellow glow than before. The water was deeper, now coming to his knees and the brass cage that once was huge, now had bars that bent and their finish cracked and rusted. Inside was no longer the monstrous demon fox that once had been there, but instead a mind with very little power left of its own.

You have returned sooner than I thought, Kitsune.

The Kyuubi had begun to call him what Kiro and Ryoki had, over the course of time. It was odd after hating the fox for so long it was strange to be concerned with the state of the fox. But he had become concerned and now he felt sad that he was finally going to steal the fox's life away.

Ah so that's why you have come.

"I ask for your blessing Kyuubi-sama." Naruto bowed his head and let his other seven 'tails' flail behind him as he stood in front of the cage. "I ask that you help me to protect my family…"

The fox began to chuckle lowly in his throat and his red eyes came into view. Naruto no longer feared those wild red eyes or the long sharp fangs. He knew the fox could no longer hurt him; the power had now shifted to his side of the cage.

So you have become a true wolf then. You sound just like that groveling dog when he erred in attacking me. It cannot be helped I guess. I will grant your blessing, Uzumaki Naruto, as we agreed. My power is now your power, my title is now yours to do as you will.

Naruto reached up and let his hand hover over the only piece of the seal left in place on the cage doors. All the edges and wasted paper had been torn or burned away by Naruto each time he came to assimilate a new tail. The only thing remaining was the kanji symbol for 'seal' written in fading black ink. He once again glanced up at the red eyes watching him before ripping away the seal at last.

The cage doors began to creak and break, falling down into the deeper waters of the sewers. They made splashes and made waves but Naruto stood unflinching. From behind the cage a fox no taller than Kota emerged, fire red with black around his eyes. The Kyuubi stretched and yawned then strode right up to Naruto and sat before him.

You know, I really will miss our bantering, you idiot child…

"It will be kind of lonely without you constantly in my head." Naruto agreed.

Kyuubi rose up on his hindquarters and placed his front paws on Naruto's chest. His nose came to Naruto's nose and he sniffed inquisitively at his container. Naruto smiled a little, the action was one not of annoyance or hate but of true intrigue. They had never really seen each other out from behind the bars. Naruto reached out and rested his hand between the two large ears. The Kyuubi's fur bristled at the touch but he did not move and he did not growl.

Finally the fox began to fade away, his chakra forming a red rain around them both. Two new tails joined Naruto's seven and he felt the strong jolt of memories and power hit him. He hit his knees and grasped his head. The power jolt he was used to, the rush of information and images, he was not.

You are now the new nine-tails, Kitsune-sama. You will now know what I once knew and what my predecessor passed on to me. You will know the true extent of my power and my kind's skills. Use them as you wish…to protect your family.

Naruto snapped to attention and found himself in the grass, snarling unintentionally at Kiro and Kota, who in turn were snarling at him. Behind him all nine tails formed from pure chakra swung around him and he noted that he was on all fours. Around them all little fires burned, the smoke of the burning grass burning his nostrils. But what concerned him most was the fact that he had apparently lost his control for a moment and given in to the fox's wild spirit.

He clamped down hard on the new chakra in his system, willing it to calm and to rejoin the rest of the Kyuubi's, no his, chakra. He snarled at himself and sat back on his feet. Slowly he forced the chakra back down and 'hid' his tails away. Kiro and Kota sat as well, silencing their own snarls and watching intently as Naruto struggled with this new sensation.

It was like everything around him was alit.

"Kyuubi-sama?"

The voice was a new one and Naruto opened his eyes to search for it. It was a small voice, like a child's. Instead of a wolf pup, he found Kota sitting in front of him, brown eyes watching as the golden fox cocked his head from side to side.

"Are you well?"

It hit Naruto that it was Kota he was hearing. He blinked a few times before reaching out to the little fox to pet him. "I can understand you Kota? How?"

"The Demon Fox passed on his title to you Naruto-sama." Kiro bowed his head. "You now are in possession of all his knowledge, of all his memories. I would be surprised if you didn't understand Kota-san now."

"Hai, Kyuubi-sama!" Kota barked happily. "You are of my kin now!"

"Don't call me that." Naruto snarled. He sounded a little too harsh even to his own ears and he bowed his head in apologies. "Kota, please just call me Naruto."

"If that is what you want, Kyu…Naruto-sama."

"And none of that 'sama' business either." Naruto smiled a bit. "I am no sir. Least of all to any of you."

"In our world, Naruto, our traditions dictate that you are." Kiro stood and bowed his head to Naruto which only intensified the uncomfortable feeling in his gut. "I highly doubt you will ever train that out of Kota…"

"I am sorry Naruto-sama. I will try what you asked!" Kota seemed happy to please him and he patted the golden fox again.

Naruto could still feel the memories, newly gained, racing through his head. It was of no small wonder that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. All the pain and suffering the demons had gone through during the wars that led up to most of the sealing's that took place. Foxes were easier to hunt than other animals and so they suffered the most, and because of his hatred and his desire to kill those who would kill his kin, the Kyuubi had grown in size and in demonic nature. Soon he was the beast that the wife's tales would talk about and the creature that an unrecognizable Uchiha tricked into attacking the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

He stood and straightened, stretching his limbs to feel for the start of the coming illness he suffered whenever he took tails. He did not feel the stretch or the pull, but part of him knew it was coming. Best it happened now before Akatsuki could find them, he could have time to recover and get used to his new gifts.

But Kami help Akatsuki when they did show up. He was going to make them pay for all his fellow bijuu and their human containers. He would make them pay for what they had done.


Words and Meanings

Kitsune – fox
Ren'ai – love, affections
Sonkei – elder brother
Aneue – older sister
Kiro – crossroads/one's way
Kuroi – black
Kyuubi – nine, also the name that the Demon Fox is known by
Yoko – beside/width
Gobi – five
Houkou – the 5 tailed demon dog/wolf, his name can stand for many things including: direction, way, yell, and howl.