Chapter 7:

It had been so long since Naruto ran through the forest as a fox that he had almost forgotten how free he felt as he weaved around trees and leaped over bushes. When he reunited with Seki that first night, he didn't run through the woods. Instead they sat in his room and talked. After that, Naruto was too busy training to have a race with his friend. When they reunited this time, Naruto made time to have a race with his kitsune friend. They raced together and for a few minutes, Naruto forgot about his rage. All his problems seemed so far away, running further and further away. His troubles couldn't catch him at this speed. He was too fast for them.

Naruto pounced on Seki and they tumbled down the grassy hill into a bed of flowers, laughing. It was wonderful to play.

After frolicking, it was down to business. Naruto told Seki everything that happened during his absence. Everything from the illusion fire Seki walked in on, to the gates being closed to everyone and Kakashi's possession.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to prevent that, Naruto. I've been searching for the enemy in the woods with no luck. I can't find any objects either so I still have no idea where your friends are. I don't even know where the kitsune hide when there are no attacks. I can't even find a foxhole."

"Oh, right. You guys dig your bed out of the earth, don't you?"

"Yes. Though on the mountain, we're safe enough to be exposed. We do either one."

Naruto sighed. "I can't believe Kakashi-sensei got possessed and came after me."

"You know it wasn't him, Naruto. It was Mikale."

"I know. But..." Naruto hung his head. "I have to protect my friends. Kakashi's strong and super cool and he still ended up... I can't let anything like that happen again."

Seki nuzzled Naruto's neck. "If you truly mean that, then you must remain with them."

Naruto looked at Seki. "What do you mean? When I was with them, all these things happened. I'll have better luck out here with you. I can hunt them down and stop the evil kitsune once and for all. I can't do it in the village with the gate shut."

"I meant that you should stay with them. Even if you're with me, your friends are alone. You are strong in a pack. Together."

Strength in numbers. Ryosuke taught him that. The kitsune taught him many things besides hunting and living as a fox. Things even he should have already known.

"I didn't abandon my friends. I just thought I could do more out here," Naruto said.

Seki nuzzled him again. "I know you did. But just remember, my little brother Reki thought the same thing. He wanted to find Reevo and stop the danger. He went off alone and one night never came back. He was alone when he was cursed."

"But I'm already cursed so I'm safe," said Naruto.

"True," said Seki. "But what of your friends?"

Naruto gasped. "I left them alone." He looked into the forest but the village was no longer in sight. "But I thought Mikale was after me. So why would he attack the village when it's me he wants? If I'm out here, the village is safe, right? He'll follow me. That's why he keeps going into the village. Because I'm there."

"I thought so, too, Naruto. But I actually think that he's after your village as well. The kitsune wanted humans to mess with for kicks. If not the humans at our town, then the ones at your village. They're not picky about that."

Naruto couldn't believe it. Had he just played into the enemy's hands? Was everything a trick?

"We still don't know their plan, Seki. He keeps coming in and then leaving. Is he really after me and the village? Does Mikale even have a plan? Everything's weird."

"I know that's what he wants. What I don't know is his method of getting what he wants."

Naruto knew the kitsune's objective. The method was still unclear. Since he knew their goal, Naruto wasn't too concerned about the method. Not as long as he knew the goal. Whatever happened, it was to reach that one goal of taking over the village and getting rid of Naruto. Whatever they did, it had something to do with that.

That was all he needed to know.

"Seki... are you ok out here by yourself? I'm worried you might get cursed."

"I'm fine. I've been trying to track them, not stop them. I know if I get too close I won't stand a chance alone. I'm just trying to figure out their movements. Maybe find out where they've taken your friends."

Naruto nodded. "Then I guess that leaves the village to me."

Seki nodded back. "I'm willing to help you, Naruto. But it is your village and your friends. You must protect them."

"But they're your friends now, too, Seki. They like you."

Seki chuckled. "And I'm happy to know them. But I am helping you help them because you and I are friends."

"Then any friends of mine should be friends of yours. Right, Seki?"

He sighed. "I'm just not there yet for some. But I do like your friends. And I do consider some to be my friends. But the main reason I came here was to protect my friend and the things he treasures. I'm here for you. And that also means being their for your people. But I cannot fight your battles for you. Your village, your fight."

It was his home. Not Seki's. Under any other circumstances, Seki had no reason to be this far from his home.

"But I will help you in anyway that I can."

That was what allies did. They didn't fight each other's battles but they were there to help fight and assist in anyway possible. Naruto understood that. In that, humans and kitsune were similar.

"I get it, Seki. I know. And thank you."

Seki looked at the sky. "I did sense Mikale coming from the northwest. That was early this morning. He was on the move. Away from your village. I don't know what's he's doing, however." Seki looked back at him. "You must return to your village, Naruto. I will handle things out here. You handle things in there."

Naruto smiled. "That's what my friends told me." Naruto bowed his head to Seki. "Thanks for everything, Seki. We'll be in touch."

"We will. Take care, Naruto."

This wasn't good-bye. Just a short parting in the midst of battle.

The two nuzzled each other for a moment then Naruto turned and ran back to the village as fast as he could.

When Naruto arrived, he was surprised to see the main gate of the village open. Thinking something was wrong, Naruto hurried inside, changing back into his human form. "What's going on?" he called to anyone who would listen. "Why is the gate open like this? Is something happening?"

"You idiot!" Sakura flew out of nowhere and clobbered him upside the head. "What the hell were you thinking, running off like that?! You know we could have been attacked at any moment, right?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Naruto ducked in cover just in case Sakura wasn't finished beating him. "But I ran into Seki and we talked for a bit. After we played a while."

"You ran out of the village during an emergency lock-down to play?!"

Naruto curled into a ball. "It's kind of our thing! But we were serious for a while. He talked to me about stuff and told me to come back tot he village to help protect it. I can't really do it out there. But he did tell me that Mikale was on the move in the northwest. He said Mikale was moving away from the village."

"Good," said Sakura. She didn't seem angry anymore.

"But he'll be back," Naruto told her.

"I'm sure he will." Sakura's eyes sparkled with determination. "But this time we're going on the offensive."

"We are?"

Sakura pointed over his shoulder. When Naruto turned, he saw Shikamaru and two other people heading their way.

"Good, he's back. Saves us time looking for you," said Shikamaru. "Shizune gave us permission to leave the village to go look for the fox. Most of the ninja are staying here to guard the place along with most of the dogs. Kiba and Akamaru are coming with us."

"Us?" Naruto questioned.

"Yup. You, me, Sakura... Neji and Shino."

Naruto looked at the two ninja who followed Shikamaru. "Them? But... wait, that's way more people than just four. Isn't the group a little large?"

"Not for this type of mission. The more complicated the mission, the more ninja may need to be assigned," said Shino. "Shizune chose this team specifically."

"She did, huh?" Naruto didn't sound thrilled.

"Shizune wanted Shino to come along for his bug skills," said Shikamaru. "She figured he could use them to track the kitsune. She chose Neji because she thought he would be able to use his Byakugan to track down the kitsune. Maybe even see through his illusions. I was appointed team leader for this mission. She said my stratigic skills would come in handy. Sakura is going because she's a medical ninja but she's also a part of your team. Not to mention how she's lived through a kitsune attack before so she has some knowledge, however small. Anything will help at this point. Kiba for his tracking skills and the fact that he has a dog which would be a big help. And of course you for obvious reasons."

"So the plan is to go out there and get Mikale? Us as a group?" asked Naruto.

"We're the only team leaving the village," said Shikamaru. "It's a huge risk, but Shizune said we can't just sit around here anymore and wait to be attacked. We have to make a move of our own."

"So let's do it!" Kiba cheered. "With us on the team, there's no way we could lose. Right, Akamaru?"

"Right!" Akamaru barked. Naruto understood him with his fox ears which had popped out again.

"Atta boy! You know!"

"Don't get cocky, Kiba," said Shino. "Remember our enemy is unlike anything we've ever fought before. This is the first time we've ever had to fight a creature with similar skills to a ninja without actually being a ninja. Kitsune powers are different. If we go into battle thinking we are the same, then we're doomed to fail. We must be prepared for any-"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"You need to listen to Shino on this one, Kiba," said Shikamaru. "He's right."

"Yeah, but the enemy's shown his hand. We know the skills he's capable of and we've seen it first hand. We know what to expect. And after hearing what the Seki fox had to say, we now know the skills we need to watch out for. And with Naruto around we'll be covered. We'll have someone who knows his stuff and is a kitsune to boot. We got this."

"Don't get overconfident, Kiba," said Shino. "You'll hinder the mission before it begins."

Though Naruto was happy to be seeing some real action, he was left confused by this sudden decision. A few minutes ago, Seki was telling him how leaving the village would make it vulnerable. That was why he came back. "But guys, without me here, no one will be able to tell the difference between reality and an illusion. Is it safe to leave like this?"

"We can't go on the mission without you," said Kiba.

"And we already went over it with Shizune and the higher-ups," said Sakura. "We were given permission to do this. They gave us their blessing. They agreed that it's better than standing around waiting to be attacked. Something has to be done."

Naruto was happy with this answer. Finally something would get done. Once the kitsune was defeated, everyone's curse would be lifted and everything would get back to normal.

Searching for the kitsune was slow going at first. Naruto was very bored searching like this in the forest. There was very little action. He entertained himself by talking to Akamaru. He found that he was very similar to his ninja. On occasion, Naruto found that Akamaru showed a little more intellect than his owner. Not often, though. They could definitely be related. Maybe it was all the time they spent together.

While Naruto spoke with Akamaru, Shino sent out his insects to look for any signs of the fox. Neji used his Byakugan on an occasion to do the same. He didn't want to overuse it.

"So the plan is to find the kitsune and stop him, right?" asked Naruto. "Because Kakashi-sensei said that capturing him alive would allow us to find out where everyone is and what his plans are."

"Didn't you say that by killing a kitsune, all his curses would be lifted?" asked Shino.

"Yeah..."

"So if we do that, then there's no issue," said Neji. "The threat is done away with and the cursed will return to normal. Seems like a win-win to me."

Naruto chuckled softly to himself. "I suppose Kakashi-sensei can't be right about everything. I guess killing Mikale is the right way to go."

"What is your fox friend doing anyway?" asked Kiba.

"Seki said he would be around. He's doing a lot of traveling to find out where the enemy is and what they're doing. He's also looking for the people that were cursed."

"Good."

Shino stopped walking, holding out his hand for a bug. It landed on his fingertip and Shino brought it close to his face. "My insects picked up something from not too far away."

"Where?"

Shino pointed. "This direction. It's an animal."

Getting ready for a possible fight, Naruto took on his kitsune form. He was smaller as a fox but he felt comfortable fighting another kitsune like this. He was at an advantage like this in more ways than one.

The group moved quietly through the trees, watching for the slightest movement. Naruto couldn't catch a scent so the kitsune must have been either further away or downwind from where they were.

"I see it!" Kiba whispered. "This is going to be easy."

The group saw what he was looking at. It was a lone two-tailed fox digging a hole around the roots of a tree.

Kiba got into a fighting stance. His nails extended, getting ready to claw his way into battle.

Akamaru whimpered, which went unnoticed by the rest of the group. "That doesn't smell right," said Akamaru. "I can see it but I don't smell it."

Naruto climbed around his friends to get a better look. Through their legs, he saw the image of a two-tailed fox digging a hole. To his eyes, however, it was transparent.

"Take this, you fox freak!" Kiba charged forward.

"Wait!" Naruto warned. "It's not the fox! It's an illusion!"

The group stopped except for Kiba. They tried to warn him, too, but he was too eager to attack to hear them.

Kiba slashed at the illusion, his claws passing right through its body. "What?!"

"It's an illusion!" the group called. "Naruto said it's an illusion!"

"An illusion?" Kiba looked at the image which slowly disappeared from sight. "Damn it. He tricked me."

"But if that was an illusion, then that must mean that the real fox isn't too far away," said Sakura. "Right, Naruto?"

He nodded. "He must be close in order to cast it. But I'm still not getting a scent. Neither is Akamaru."

"I can't either," admitted Kiba. "But you said these things were different so even with my sensitive nose I didn't think I would be able to track him down in the usual way."

"Kiba!" Shikamaru warned.

A fox jumped from the top of the tree and bit Kiba on the shoulder. Kiba screamed and tried to throw the fox off. He ran into a tree, trying to knock the it off his back. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Kiba, I'm coming!" Akamaru rushed forward to help, ignoring the fact that he still couldn't catch a scent. Helping Kiba was his only concern at the moment. "Get off him! Get off him!" Akamaru barked, jumping around Kiba's legs. He couldn't get any closer.

The others rushed in to help.

Naruto's eyes saw the truth. "Guys, stop! It's another illusion! It's not real."

"Ow!" Kiba wailed. "It feels real to me! Ow!"

The fox bit Kiba's neck. Blood started to flow. The group was in shock. "It's got to be real! Look, he's bleeding!"

"He's in pain, too."

Naruto looked at the transparent fox atop Kiba's shoulder. The gushing blood to his eyes looked no different from the dry strokes of a paintbrush. It was all fake. "Guys, I'm telling you it's not real!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kiba cried. "How do we know Naruto isn't some illusion telling us to ignore this?! Ow! Someone get it off!"

They all ignored Naruto in favor of helping Kiba.

This was one convincing illusion. Thinking back, Naruto remembered Ryosuke and the other kitsune telling him during his training that their illusions could fool all five senses. That included the sense of touch. This meant a person could be fooled into thinking they were in pain when nothing was really happening to them. It made it truly impossible to tell the difference between reality and an illusion.

Worst of all, there was no way to convince them otherwise.

Naruto had to think of something fast or his friends would be here forever fighting an illusion.

He could cast an illusion of his own and hope they canceled each other out. Or an illusion that would distract his friends from the current one. No, neither of those would work. He would have to find Mikale and break his concentration in order to stop his spell. He looked around in the trees and around the ground but he couldn't find him anywhere. He must have been hiding further away.

"What can I do to make them see the truth?"

See... Hiding...

"That's it!" Naruto shouted over his panicking friends. "Neji! Use your Byakugan! Quick!"

"That's just an illusion of Naruto!" yelled Kiba. "Get the real thing off before I die from blood loss!"

"Neji please!"

Seeing no harm in it even if it was only an illusion, Neji obeyed. Activating his Byakugan, he saw everyone's charka. His friends, Akamaru's, the fox behind him which he knew was Naruto, and... that was it. As soon as he activated it, the illusion on Kiba's shoulder was gone from his sight. It had no chakra to see.

"He's right!" Neji stopped struggling. "Kiba, there is no fox on your shoulder. Naruto's telling the truth. It is an illusion."

"But I can feel it!"

"Ignore it, Kiba! It isn't real. I can see that it's fake. It has no charka."

Hearing this, the others stopped struggling with the illusion and ignored it. Alone in this, Kiba fought hard to ignore the pain and convince himself that it was all a lie.

The illusion vanished. The blood on Kiba was gone and the pain stopped. Kiba put a hand to his neck, checking for blood. There was no wound and no blood. "You were right. There's nothing there."

The group exhaled deeply in relief.

"That's scary," said Sakura. "How completely convincing those illusions are. Even feeling pain."

"We have to be extra careful now," added Shino.

"We should listen to Naruto when he says something is fake, no matter how real it seems," said Kiba.

"We can't stop," said Neji. "In order to cast it, the kitsune mustn't be too far from here. Let's look."

"Right."

The group searched. Neji kept his Byakugan activated, hoping it would give him an advantage. He may not have been able to see through the deceptions as Naruto could, but this came very close. His Byakugan was almost just as good. It only worked on sight, however. His other four senses could still be compromised. He had to be careful.

"I smell it!" barked Akamaru.

Naruto inhaled deeply. "Me, too! Guys, I can smell Mikale!"

"I see it!" Shikamaru attacked an illusion. "Naruto, is this him?"

"Fake!"

"Damn it."

"Here?" Sakura pointed into a tree.

"Fake."

"Seriously?"

Neji's eyes turned to Naruto. He was frowning as if concentrating extremely hard.

"What?" asked Naruto.

Neji didn't hear Naruto's voice. He was hearing another voice. One he didn't know. His eyes saw a kitsune so he knew it was real. He knew Naruto only had one tail in his fox form and the enemy possessed two. Neji couldn't tell if this one had one or two, even with his Byakugan. It didn't have Naruto's voice but he also knew that the enemy could manipulate his senses so he couldn't tell what was real.

By this time, the others had noticed Neji looking at the fox on the ground. To their eyes, it had two tails.

"There it is!" Kiba raced forward.

"What? Where?" Naruto looked behind himself but there was nothing there. When he looked back and saw his friends trying to attack him he knew they thought he was the enemy. "No, wait! It's me, Naruto!"

Their ears were fooled. They heard the enemy's voice taunting them. They couldn't hear Naruto's pleas.

"It's me, guys! Stop!" Naruto backed away and they advanced. "Crap, it's another illusion. They think I'm..."

Even Akamaru was tricked. His nose told him that this was Naruto, even if his scent was a bit muddled, but his other senses told him it was another kitsune.

"Neji, you can tell it's me, right? I have one tail, see?" Neji was still trying to figure that out so Naruto tried to make it easier for him. "It's me, see?" Naruto morphed back into his human self. "See? See?"

Neji saw Naruto's form change but his other senses were still confused. "I can't tell if it's Naruto or not."

"What are your eyes telling you, Neji?"

"Uh... that it's human. But the fox could have changed his form, too. My Byakugan can only see through illusions not transformations."

"Did the fox have two tails or one?"

"I couldn't tell. They were so close together, I couldn't tell if it was one or two."

"For the love of..." Naruto slipped back into his fox form. He wagged his single tail, hoping Neji would get the message.

"It has one tail. It's Naruto."

"You sure?"

"I think so."

Naruto turned away, knowing he was close by. Mikale must have cast an illusion around Naruto so his friends would think he was Mikale. To make matters worse, the illusions also muddled up their hearing so they couldn't hear Naruto's voice but instead Mikale's voice. Worse than that, it seemed that he was also forcing them to hear something other than what Naruto was saying. Mikale was effecting their eyes and ears. He had to find Mikale and stop him. His scent was close by. He just had to spot him.

Up in the tree, there he was. "You!" Naruto sprang straight up and chomped down on Mikale's tail. He lost his concentration and was pulled out of the tree by Naruto's teeth. The two landed at the base of the tree and started brawling.

The group could now see what was really happening and stared at the two kitsune. "It was another illusion. I'm getting real sick of this."

"What the hell are you trying to pull?!" Naruto snapped at Mikale. "Tricking my friends into attacking me like that!"

"Did you see the looks on their faces? Priceless!"

"I'll kill you!" Naruto bit Mikale's shoulder. Mikale bit him back. The two rolled over each other and into the trunk of the tree.

All his friends could do was watch, afraid to get in the middle of it. Nothing but fur and blood and teeth. Stepping in could get themselves injured. Worse, they could end up attacking the wrong kitsune since they were both wrapped around each other in a ferocious attack.

Finally the two kitsune broke apart. Mikale was smirking. Naruto couldn't understand why until he saw the looks on his friends' faces. They were looking at two Mikale. The kitsune had cast another illusion on Naruto. Now no one knew who to attack.

"That one," Neji said pointing. "He only had one tail. This one has two."

Mikale's ears flattened. "How did he..?"

"I got him." Shikamaru was using a jutsu. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

His shadow stretched, touched Mikale's and warbled. Shikamaru's shadow couldn't properly attach making it useless.

"I told you guys that jutsu wouldn't work on a kitsune."

"I figured if Neji could..." Shikamaru bit his lip. Kitsune were more complicated than he thought. Certain ninja skills worked and others did not. He had to figure out which ones.

Mikale turned back to face Naruto. "Your friends are useless here. If I cast another illusion, they'll all be fighting each other, convinced they're the enemy. Care to see?"

Neji took out a kunai. "I know where to aim."

"Be careful," Sakura pleaded. She didn't want him to mistake Naruto for the enemy fox.

"I got him." Neji threw the kunai. It scraped the top of Mikale's head and sank into the tree root.

Mikale flinched. Like most kitsune, he was fearful of weapons. Even if they couldn't use their jutsu, they always had their weapons. He pinned his ears back and hissed. "You'll pay, lowly human!"

Before he could attack, Naruto charged in and bit his ear. Mikale shrieked and started scratching Naruto's face. They were brawling again. Mikale knocked Naruto into the tree to get him off. He pinned Naruto down and started biting at his throat.

A hand reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Sakura had a firm hold on Mikale. "You can't escape or cast illusions if I have a hold of you."

"Keep him there, Sakura." Neji took out another blade. "This is perfect. Not taking any chances."

Mikale tried casting an illusion with his fox fire but Neji saw through it all with his eyes. Mikale squirmed and kicked as Neji got closer with his kunai. "Get! Get!" Mikale screamed. Neji was going to gut him. Mikale looked down at Sakura's legs, unable to turn his head from this position. He was judging distance. "You don't have me beat yet!"

Swinging his legs back as far as he could, Mikale tried to enter Sakura's body. Sakura wasn't holding him at arm's length so he was close to her chest. He started to slip inside.

"No! Get away!" Sakura threw Mikale away from her on reflex. She threw him right into Neji.

Mikale entered.

"Uh-oh."

Neji's body started to convulse. He grunted and squirmed. His arm started to rise. He pointed the kunai at his own neck.

"Oh, no! Neji!"

"Neji, stop!"

Neji's hand was shaking. He was fighting back. The tip of the kunai pressed into his flesh. He drew a tiny droplet of blood.

"Fight it, Neji!"

"I'm.. trying..!" His arms started to move backwards. Then forward again. Then back. His hand shook. "Stop! Stop it!" Neji threw away the kunai. His hand turned on him a second time and he tried to strangle himself. "Enough! Stop! Stop!"

Through sheer will, Neji forced Mikale out of his body. Mikale hit the ground and scampered off.

It was amazing to watch. Neji remained conscious the entire time. Only his body was moving but he was awake and aware of everything he was doing. Neji had some strong will power. If he hadn't been awake during his possession, that would have been a different story. Much like Kakashi.

"It ran off again," called Sakura. She was trying to track Mikale's movements.

"Don't worry," said Shino. "I planted a bug on him when he ran off. I can track him down with my insects."

"I've got his scent," said Akamaru.

"And Akamaru has his scent," said Kiba. "Good job, boy. Let's get him!"

"After what we've just experienced, I think we need to rethink our plan," said Shikamaru. "Those illusions are nasty and we also have to worry about getting possessed."

"Hey, that fox may have made us look like a bunch of rookies but that won't happen this time around," said Kiba. "We got this. We've seen his tricks."

"That's what you said before and look what happened."

"Before he gets too far away, I'm going after him!" Naruto ran into the woods to find Mikale.

He couldn't let Mikale get away. Too much was at stake. He had to defeat him to protect everyone. Seeing what Mikale was about to make Neji do was terrifying. Ryosuke and the other kitsune would never do such a thing. It made Naruto realize just how different they were.

"He won't get away!"

Seeing Mikale in the distance, Naruto sped up. He could hear his friends following close behind. They were coming to help.

"Fox fire!" Mikale bellowed. An army of clones appeared to throw them off his trail.

"The one on the left is real!" Naruto called at the same time Neji did. "Ignore the rest!"

The group remained close together. Separating would be a poor decision. They followed after the real Mikale. The kitsune cast more illusions to throw them off but with both Neji and Naruto it wasn't going to be so easy.

Mikale went right abruptly.

"Enemy fox at one o'clock!" hollered Neji. "He went right!"

He wasn't getting away.

They were closing in. Mikale turned back to see them right on top of him. There was no escape.

"You think you've won?" Mikale taunted. "Don't make me laugh! Transform!"

Everyone stopped. Mikale had taken on a new form. Another gift that came with having two tails. Mikale stood as a human. He was Naruto.

Naruto stopped and stared. Mikale had seen him in his human form when he was possessing Kakashi. Now he had stolen his form to fight his friends.

"Fat chance!" Kiba wasn't falling for it. "Come on, Akamaru! Fang Over Fang!"

The attack crashed into Mikale and he took some damage.

Shikamaru smirked. "I knew it. Some jutsu can effect kitsune. Maybe not Genjutsu or certain Ninjutsu. But this one can because it's physical. Kiba's claws are doing the damage. My shadow doesn't work but Kiba's claws do."

That was great news. So kitsune weren't immune to all jutsu after all.

"I'll get you for this!" Mikale pounced on Kiba and started to claw his face up with his human nails. Straddling Kiba's body, Mikale changed his hands back into paws and continued the attack. Akamaru came to his rescue and chased off the imposter. Mikale took on Kiba's form next and attacked Akamaru. The dog was a little taken aback to fight his own master but he knew it wasn't really Kiba and fought back. The real Kiba got up and they started to attack each other. One of the Kibas broke away and took off running.

"Get back here you coward!" Kiba chased after him. Akamaru joined in the chase.

"Kiba, wait!" the others warned.

It was too late. Kiba was gone.

"We have to go after him."

A second later, Kiba was calling for help. "Help me! Help!"

The group followed his cries into the woods and over to the river. Kiba was clutching the bank with both arms. He was badly scratched but otherwise fine. Shino helped him out of the water. "What happened? Where's Akamaru?"

"I don't know!" Kiba wailed. "One second I'm fighting him and the next I don't know. Akamaru was right on top of him and then suddenly he was gone! And I can't find that damn fox anywhere. Not even a scent."

Neji scanned the area. He gave his head a shake. "I can't find either of them."

"They're... gone?" Sakura looked frightened. "You don't think..?"

"Was he cursed?" Kiba looked on the verge of tears. "But... he can't be. He was just..." Kiba looked into the water. "What if he's a rock or something? What if he's drowning?! Come on, isn't there anything we can do?! Someone help me!"

No one spoke.

Kiba whimpered. "No... But..." Kiba fell to his knees and beat the ground with his fists. "Damn it! Damn it! That fox is going to pay for this!"

"There's no sign of Mikale or Akamaru anywhere?" Sakura asked, hoping Neji's answer would change.

Neji shook his head. "No sign of either of them. The kitsune is long gone."

Shikamaru looked at the sky. "We have plenty of light left before we need to worry about making camp or something."

"Then we can look for Akamaru," Kiba got to his feet. "We can, can't we? Please! We have to look! I'm not going anywhere until we find him."

"We have no idea where he is or what happened to him, Kiba."

"That damn fox is going to pay for this! Pay!"

Naruto could understand Kiba's rage. Kiba and Akamaru were inseparable. It was no surprise that he would be reluctant to leave his companion. "We'll find him," Naruto assured.

"How can you be so sure?" Kiba asked.

"I just know, ok?"

Kiba had nothing left to say so he walked away from the river in silence.

The group watched him and turned to each other, not saying a word.

Thoughts?

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