Ohayo! Here's another chapter for RbD! While I wrote it, I originally thought of something else to happen, but then my hands just wrote something else entirely! But whatever, I'm satisfied all the same. Hope you enjoy it!

"Talk" 'Think' "Mentally speaking" (Translation/AN)

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto now, before or in the future.

Raised by demons

Chapter 8

It was the last week of school before the summer. The kitsune hanyous had taught Neji, Lee and Tenten how to hide their demon features, but they had hidden them with a genjutsu the first half-year.

Neji stood outside the academy, waiting for his friends. After being with them some time, they had beaten his arrogance and Hyuuga pride out. Literally. So he was much friendlier now, but kept to himself and his friends, preferring not to talk too much.

Lee was resting in a tree. He had become much lazier after a while, having spent a lot of time with Shikamaru. He was the fastest in their class, and probably in the entire academy too, except for the teachers. He was also calmer than before, having stopped yelling about being a splendid taijutsu ninja. Because of becoming a hanyou, he had gotten youki (demon chakra), so while he couldn't do jutsu, he could do demon jutsus.

Tenten was sitting on the ground, drawing with a stick. She had spent lots of time with Sakura, Hinata and Naruto, and gotten a fascination for spirals. She had also gotten better in taijutsu, using a mix between a brawling style and Koodori kitsune. (Dancing fox)

The first to come running out of school was Naruto, with Iruka on his heels. "Come back here! You have detention, Naruto!" The grown-up yelled. Naruto just laughed. "Doesn't mean I want to!" He replied and leapt up in the tree where Lee sat.

Soon, the others came running too, Shikamaru walked towards Iruka, sat down and did the Nezumi (rat) hand sign. Iruka turned just in time to see Shikamaru's shadow race along the ground. "Kagemane no jutsu (shadow imitation jutsu), success." He drawled.

Iruka groaned. "Let me go, Shikamaru!" He commanded. The lazy boy just smirked. "Not before Naruto is gone." He simply said. Naruto grinned at Iruka. "We listened to your teamwork speech!" He teased before bouncing away, together with Lee. Neji smirked at Iruka. "For further helping Naruto…"

"Hakke, juuroku sho! (Eight trigrams, sixteen palms!)"

Neji attacked Iruka, hitting some of his tenketsu (chakra points). "You can let him go now, Shika. He should be unable to stand very well." Neji said and dashed away. Shikamaru nodded. "See ya, Iruka-sensei!"

XXX

"So…did you make that attack?" Shikamaru asked Neji. The white-eyed boy shrugged. "I made it after seeing the rokujuu-yon sho. (sixty-four palms) I can't use that, so I made it smaller." He explained. Shikamaru looked fascinated.

"Well, I bet the others went to Mikoto's drama school. You coming?" The lazy boy wondered. Neji nodded. "Sure. Hiashi-sama haven't given me any tasks today."

XXX

They arrived at the drama school, which was in the old meeting room of the Uchiha clan. Stepping inside, they saw Mikoto giving everyone roles in the new play they were making. "Oh, there you are boys! Come, I've got the perfect roles for you!" She claimed.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Which roles?" He wondered. Mikoto gave him a sheet of paper with some names and information on it. "The play we shall begin training at now is a story about a princess, her guard and their adventures. Your role is that of the guard, which fits, seeing as Hinata is the princess." She explained.

Neji nodded. Shikamaru yawned. "Who am I?" He asked. Mikoto handed him another sheet. "You're a thief. A person who works in the shadows. You may choose a name yourself. Now, everybody line up and tell me which roles you have!"

Everyone stood in a line. Hinata was first. "I'm the princess, Yuujin-hime! (Princess Yuujin! (Friend)" She exclaimed. Mikoto nodded.

"I'm Yuujin-hime's guard, Shingi. (Loyalty)" Neji said.

"I'm the famous thief, Shinkan. (Silence)" Shikamaru drawled.

"I'm Mi (Sword), a traveling weapon girl." Tenten said with a smile.

"I'm the first of Mi's traveling companions, Kitsune! (Fox!)" Naruto yelled happily.

"I'm Mi' second traveling companion, Koneko. (Kitten)" Sakura smiled.

"I'm a lone ninja, Chisoku. (Speed)" Lee grinned.

"I'm an enemy princess, Kataki. (Enemy)" Ino claimed.

"I'm Yuujin-hime's chef, Sesshoku. (Food)" Chouji said while munching on chips.

"I'm a missing nin after Yuujin-hime, Tsume! (Claw!)" Kiba exclaimed with a grin.

"I'm Yuujin-hime's hidden protector, Hitoku. (Hiding)" Shino stated.

"And I'm Yuushuu (perfection), an assassin on no one's side." Sasuke said.

Mikoto smiled. "Great, you all have interesting names. Read trough the manuscript, and we'll try out the first scene." She adviced.

XXX

After reading and trying out a little, Mikoto set up a primitive scene. "Ok. You know what to do…I hope." She said. Hinata nodded. "Of course. Come on, Neji-nii." She said. Neji followed.

XXX

"My oh my, yet another boring day." Hinata said with an apathetic voice. Neji nodded. "Indeed, Yuujin-hime." He replied. Hinata looked out from an imaginary window. "People are traveling again. Why do they look so happy?" She wondered.

Neji didn't say anything. "Is it because they travel…? I must find out. Shingi! Pack my accessories and clothes! We're going for a trip!" She exclaimed. Neji looked shocked. "Uh..." He looked at the manuscript. "It shall be done, hime."

Mikoto watched with a sharp eye. "Good, good. Neji, you should read trough it more. Hinata, try to slow it down a little; you're talking too fast. We'll try the scene with Mi and her companions now." She said. Tenten grinned eagerly. And went up to the scene, together with Naruto and Sakura.

They began walking. "Yikes! Mi! Quit throwing those sharp things at me!" Naruto yelled and dodged a knife. Tenten giggled. "It helps your evasion skills!" She claimed. Sakura looked around. "It feels as if someone is watching us." She mumbled.

Tenten shrugged. "Don't worry, Koneko. It's probably nothing." She said with conviction. Sakura frowned, but nodded. Behind some chairs that acted as bushes, Shikamaru crouched. Suddenly, he jumped forth while kicking Naruto.

"Stop right there, or I'll put a knife trough your friend." He said and pointed a throwing knife at Naruto. Tenten gritted her teeth. "Just who the hell are you!" She asked. Shika put an uncharacteristic smirk on his face. "I'm Shinkan, I bet you've heard about me."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Shinkan? As in Shinkan of the night? You're a thief!" She said and pointed accusingly at him. Shika nodded. "Why yes indeed." He said. Then his eyes widened and he spun around, but too late. Naruto punched him, sending him flying away.

"That's what you get for kicking me!" He yelled. Shika blinked a couple of times, before he closed his eyes and pretended to go unconscious. Tenten got some rope from nowhere and tied him up.

Mikoto clapped her hands. "Good job! You all have good memory, I see. Shikamaru, you should try talking with a little more energy. Naruto, tone down. Sakura, maybe a little more bouncy? And Tenten, be careful with those weapons of yours." The Uchiha woman said. Shikamaru rose, and glared at Naruto.

"You didn't have to punch me that hard, kitsune-baka. (Fox-idiot)" He huffed. Naruto stuck his nose up. "Well, then you shouldn't have kicked me so hard." He retaliated. Shikamaru sighed, and shook his head. "Which scene is next?" He asked. Mikoto smiled. "I think we should take a break. Our hour is up too. Come over tomorrow and we'll try more. By the way, as homework, you have to find a costume for yourself."

XXX

Naruto bounced up the steps to his home and went in. Minato sat at the table reading a scroll. "Hey, Tousan (Dad)!" He yelled and glomped the older man. Minato chuckled. "Hello, Naruto." He welcomed his son. "What are you reading?" Naruto asked curiously. Minato looked at the scroll.

"Oh that. It's a request from the Kazekage (Wind shadow)." He explained. Naruto blinked cutely. "What kind of request?" He wondered. "It's a request for a meeting, Naruto. It's boring stuff." Minato claimed. Naruto shook his head. "Nuh uh. Is it a meeting here, or in Suna (Sand)?" He inquired.

Minato smiled. "In Suna. I think the Kazekage feels better there."

Naruto took a thinking pose. "…Are you going to accept it?" He asked. Minato sighed. "Yes, I think so. Why?" He replied. Naruto grinned. "I want to go on a vacation! With the others too!" He decided. Minato looked thoughtful. "That might be an idea…you guys can take care of yourselves after all. Now that the topic is on that, how many know?" He asked, referring to the secret that they were hanyous.

Naruto smiled. "You, Shikaku and Yoshino, Mikoto and Itachi, Hiashi, Shibi, Momoko, Tsume and last but not least, Inoichi and Cha." He counted on his fingers. Minato raised an eyebrow. "That many? Well it's no surprise, I suppose. I will see what I can do about this vacation of yours."

XXX

Kiba and Akamaru were outside the forest of death. Kiba howled cheerfully. A blur shot out of the forest, zigzagging over the fence and landed in front of Kiba. Akamaru barked. "Yo, Akamaru, Kiba!" The brown-furred wolf, Toboe grinned. "Been some time since you were here." She commented.

Kiba scratched the back of his head. "I know. I've been busy. But I came today! …Wanna play tag?" He asked. Toboe tilted her head and grinned. "Sure, come on then! I bet you can't catch me!"

XXX

Hinata and Neji were training on their roles in the Hyuuga garden. Hiashi came walking and looked at them with a raised eyebrow. "What might you be doing?" He wondered. Hinata looked at him. "We're training for the drama school. Say, do you happen to have any guard-kimono for Neji?" She asked. Hiashi shook his head. "I am afraid not. Though I could request one to be made. Why?"

"Because he is my guard in the play. I'm a princess." Hinata explained. Hiashi nodded. "I shall have one made, ready for tomorrow." He said and walked away. Neji tilted his head. "That wasn't necessary, Hinata." He said. Hinata smiled. "I know. But I think you would look good in a guard-kimono."

XXX

Sasuke, Shino and Chouji were hanging out at a BBQ restaurant. Chouji had invited his brothers, and they were now enjoying a good meal. "You know, drama school is kinda fun." Sasuke said. Shino nodded. "Indeed it is." He replied. Chouji smiled. "Yeah. We have skills!" He claimed with a chuckle.

XXX

Ino were in the flower shop. She was watering plants, and helping customers. The doorbell rang and she smiled. "Welcome! Can I help you with something?" She sang and turned towards the customer, a woman with long, purple hair. The woman smiled slightly.

"No thank you, I am merely here to look around a little." She replied. Ino nodded. "That's okay! I'll be around, so just ask if there is something!"

XXX

Shikamaru was looking at clouds with half-open eyes. Sakura and Tenten were training, trying to get their roles just right. "Shika! Come here!" Tenten yelled. His eyes widened, he bounced up, and dashed away. "No way! I refuse to be your pincushion again!"

XXX

Lee was in a clothing shop, finding a costume. He chose what looked like a jounin outfit, except the vest. He bought it and went out. "Now what to do…Oh I know! I'll find Shika and play Shougi (Japanese chess) with him!" He said, and raced off to find Shikamaru.

XXX

The next couple of days went by like the day before, with annoying Iruka, learning their roles and scenes, and free time. Naruto was bored. Then he saw a hawk flying over his head, towards the Hokage (Fire shadow) tower. 'Oh, I wonder if dad got any response?' He thought and ran towards the tower.

Inside, Naruto was granted access to the Hokage immediately. "Tousan! Have the Kazekage answered yet?" He asked. Minato looked up from his work and smiled. "Yeah, he did. You guys can come with me, but you have to be careful." He said. Naruto grinned. "Yeah! When do we leave?" He asked curiously. "Tomorrow morning. Pack your things, and have your friends meet up at the gate around eight."

"Okay!"

XXX

Next morning, everyone was packed and ready. Iruka had given them free today, so they could travel. The only one they were waiting for was Minato. He soon came. "Heh, you're all here I see. That's good. I can travel faster with my Hiraishin (Flying thunder god). You want to try?" He asked.

Everyone nodded eagerly. "Then take a hold of me. Naruto, up on my shoulders." He said. Naruto climbed up, Neji, Sasuke and Chouji took a hold of his legs, Shino, Hinata and Ino grabbed hold of his hands, and Shikamaru, Kiba and Sakura grabbed his arms. "Let's go!" Minato yelled and in a flash, they were gone, leaving the guards to blink in astonishment.

XXX

They appeared at the border between Hi no kuni (Land of fire) and Kaze no kuni (Land of wind), besides a seal engraved into a tree. Naruto grinned. "That was really far, tousan! Do you have seals in the desert too?" He asked. Minato nodded. "Of course. The farthest I can travel from here is to about 2 km from Sunagakure (Village hidden in the sand)." He explained.

"Well, let's go there already!" Sakura said. Minato grinned, and they flashed away again.

XXX

Neji twitched, and shook his head. "How far until we're there?" He asked. Minato smiled slightly at the Hyuuga boy. "Only half a kilometer. I know the temperature isn't very desirable, but that's how it is here, I'm afraid." He explained. Neji nodded, and looked over at Hinata. She looked fine.

"How come you're not dying of warmth?" Neji wondered. Hinata grinned. "Naruto is wind-natured. Ask him to help you." She answered. Neji tilted his head and nodded. "Naruto! It's warm. Can you help me?" He asked. Naruto grinned brightly. "Of course!" He said and waved his arm around. "Fuuton, kaze no jutsu. (Wind style, wind/breeze jutsu.)"

Neji immediately felt better as a refreshing breeze flew around him. "Thanks."

XXX

The kids looked around Suna with curious gazes. Everything was different here. It was sand everywhere, and hot. The roads were wider, and there weren't as many people as in Konoha. Minato coughed. "Okay, you kids look around, and I'll meet the Kazekage and arrange a place for us to stay." He said.

They nodded and set off, as a group. "This place is really different from home." Sasuke commented. Shino nodded, and took of his coat. "Definitely." He said. Naruto saw some kids playing with a ball, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the kid sitting on a swing.

He seemed lonely. Naruto blinked, and nudged Sakura. "Look at the redhead. I'll go talk to him." He said, and without waiting for an answer, he ran towards the boy.

XXX

Gaara sat at the swing, looking at the laughing kids. They were always glaring at him, in fear and anger. 'Why does it hurt so much…' He thought sadly. He was suddenly aware that there was someone close to him. He turned quickly, and saw a blonde-haired boy with whisker marks.

"Hi!" The boy said. Gaara blinked. The boy tilted his head. "Well? You not going to answer? Ah, who cares? I'm Naruto! Who're you?" He asked. Gaara licked his lips. "I…I'm Gaara." He replied carefully. Naruto grinned. "Cool!" He said.

Just then, some of the ball playing kids saw Naruto talking to Gaara. "Hey! You better get away from him! He's a monster!" One of them yelled. Gaara looked down, afraid that this Naruto-person would leave. But to his surprise, he heard growling.

"Monster, you say? How is he a monster? All I see is a lonely boy!" Naruto yelled back. They gaped. "You're crazy!" Another boy yelled. Naruto grinned savagely. "I'll show you monster!" He shouted, and his eyes turned blood red. It was a trick he had learned from Kyuubi.

They screamed, and ran away. Gaara looked on in awe. "Aren't you afraid of me?" He asked. Naruto shook his head. "Nah. Why should I be? I'm stronger than you." He stated. Gaara tilted his head.

"Come! I'll introduce you to my friends!"

XXX

After being introduced, Gaara could be found playing with his new friends. They taught him tag, and so far, he was the best at it. With his sand that listened to his wishes, he was able to get almost everyone. One of the times, the sand tried to kill one of them.

Gaara had paled and tried to draw his sand away, but it didn't listen. It surrounded Naruto, and imploded. Just as Gaara thought he lost his first friend, the sand prison exploded in a shower of sand, and wisps of red chakra.

"N-Naruto!" Gaara yelped. Naruto shook his head to get rid of the sand in his hair and grinned. "That's cool, Gaara! I bet you could become a really good ninja with your sand!" He exclaimed. Gaara blinked, confused. "Aren't you afraid of me now?" He wondered.

Naruto shook his head. "Why would I? As I just proved, I'm stronger than you! And besides, we're friends. Accidents happen among friends all the time." He explained. Hinata smiled at Gaara. "That's right. We hurt each other a lot of times." She commented. Gaara still looked unsure. Neji frowned.

Then the white-eyed boy hit Lee's leg with chakra, and Lee fell down. "Hey!"

"You see? We hurt each other. It's normal." He said. Gaara glanced at Lee. "Neji! Undo that, will you! How am I supposed to play tag if I can't run?" The black-haired boy said playfully. Gaara blinked. "So…it is okay?" He wondered. Naruto nodded.

"Yup! But I think my friends and I have to leave now…we'll meet you tomorrow again!" He exclaimed. Gaara looked hopeful. "Yes…I'll…meet you tomorrow."

XXX

At the hotel Minato fixed, Naruto was blackmailing Minato into revealing what the meeting was about. Minato sighed. "The wind daimyo have given more missions to Konoha than to Suna. This frustrates the Kazekage, and I have to see if I can do something about it." He explained. Naruto tilted his head.

"Also, he wanted me to take a look at a seal on one of his kids, Gaara. He has an unstable seal with a demon in it."

Naruto grinned. "I know Gaara! He's kind of shy, but really nice. And he controls sand!" He yelled happily. "Stuff it, Naru-nii! I want to sleep!" Sakura yelled from the bedroom. Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Minato looked serious. "Naruto. I want you to find Gaara. The kazekage mentioned that some of his ninja hate Gaara, and may have gotten the news that I will change the seal. I'm afraid they might try to do something to him." He whispered.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Will do. Can I take with me Hina-nee and Kiba? They're the best trackers." He whispered back. Minato nodded. "But be quick about it."

XXX

Naruto, Kiba and Hinata were running towards the scent of Gaara. What concerned them the most was that there was another scent not too far from him. Hinata activated her Byakugan, or as she called it, Akaigan. (Red eye) "I can see Gaara! He's up on the roof! But there is someone in a jounin outfit not far behind him…"

Naruto sped up even more. "Kiba! Intercept!" He yelled. Kiba had already changed to dog form. "I'm on it! Akamaru, come on!" He shouted, and they disappeared, using a demon jutsu similar to a short-range hiraishin. Naruto looked towards Hinata. "Exactly where are they?" He asked.

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "100 meters right forward, then 30 meter left!" She replied. Naruto nodded. "Be careful. If needed, unleash Haran." He adviced. Hinata nodded. "Affirmative."

XXX

Gaara was afraid. His sand had suddenly acted up, and he turned to see a jounin with lots of kunai knives. "I'm sorry Gaara, but you don't deserve to live." The jounin said with a strangely known voice. He was about to launch the knives, until he heard a yell.

"Leave Gaara alone! Nijuu kagai! (Double assault!)"

Two glowing balls crashed into the place where the jounin stood not two seconds ago. The dust settled to show a white dog, and a brown one. Both were baring their teeth towards the jounin. The jounin raised an eyebrow. "Animals? Tch." He muttered.

Gaara looked in wonder. 'Isn't that Akamaru?' He thought, just then, a dark purplish-blue fox leapt over his head to stand in front of him, with bared teeth and standing fur. Then another fox, this one a golden color, crashed into the jounin, biting his vest.

The jounin tried to shake the fox off, and yelped as the fox let go while firing a blue ball of fire at him with it's tail. The smaller fox that defended Gaara looked at him. "Let's go, Gaara!" It yelled. Gaara discovered to his astonishment that its voice was that of Hinata, the girl from earlier.

The brown dog lunged at the jounin, but wasn't prepared for the next the jounin did, and was sent flying into a wall. Akamaru growled, but didn't do anything other than walk over, ready to defend Kiba. Naruto was pinned by his neck fur, by a kunai.

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled. Gaara blinked. "The fox…is Naruto? Friends…help each other!" He yelled, and sent his sand at the surprised jounin. The sand encased the struggling jounin, and imploded when Gaara fisted his hand. Gaara shivered as he made his sand loosen the kunai in Naruto's fur, and Hinata ran to help Kiba.

Gaara walked slowly towards the jounin and ripped off the facemask. His eyes widened in sorrow. "…Yashamaru!" He yelped. The now revealed Yashamaru smiled bitterly. "You killed my sister. I've never cared about you Gaara. Now you'll die!" He yelled, as lots of paper bombs ignited. The sand shielded Gaara, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru. When it receded, Gaara looked horrified.

"...No one…No one cares about me…" Gaara murmured, then his eyes opened wide. "Aaah!" He screamed as the sand streamed at him and engraved something into his forehead. "Ai…(Love)" Naruto mumbled, dazed.

Gaara looked wild. His eyes flicked around, scared. Naruto reverted to his true hanyou form with sad eyes. "Gaara…I care about you. We all care about you." He said. Gaara looked at Naruto with half-crazed eyes, filling with hope.

Hinata smiled. "Yeah. You're almost our little brother!" She claimed. Kiba shook his head to get rid of his dizziness. "We risked our lives for you, right? That shows just how much we care about you!" He said, with swirls in his eyes.

Gaara calmed somewhat, but was still afraid. Naruto sighed softly. "Come, Gaara-nii. Let's go to the others." He said just as softly, and began leading Gaara. Hinata and Kiba followed, on the lookout for more troubles. Akamaru was helping Kiba, because he strained his ankle when he hit the wall.

XXX

Once inside, everyone, including Minato, almost immediately surrounded them. "What happened! I heard a paper bomb! …Or a lot…" Minato inquired. Naruto yawned. "Ninja attacked Gaara. His uncle actually. He blew himself up, causing Gaara to make himself a tattoo…" He explained, making everything more confusing than it already were…

Gaara looked mistrusting at Minato. Minato noticed this and smiled sadly. "Don't worry Gaara. I'm Naruto's father. If I hurt you, he would probably kill me." He said. Gaara looked confused. "But, aren't you stronger than him?" He wondered.

Minato nodded. "Currently, I am. But when he's angry… and besides, his mother is the strongest of all Bijuu. If he ran to her…you catch my drift, yes?" He smiled.

Gaara looked at him with big eyes. "The voice in my head says that Kyuubi didn't have any hanyou children." He said. Minato nodded. "She originally didn't, but she adopted them. By the way, I could help you with the seal so the voice can't talk to you anymore…" He explained.

Gaara frowned. "The voice changed now. It doesn't like that. It says it's not its fault." He mumbled. Minato frowned. "Naruto? Could you call your mother?" He asked. Naruto yawned, and blinked sleepily. "Yeah…sure." He didn't bother to ask why, figuring it had something to do with the demon in Gaara's seal.

XXX

Kyuubi stretched and grabbed her phone. "What is it, Naruto-kun?" She said. "…I see. I'll come in an instant."

XXX

Minato started when Kyuubi appeared in a flame. "Yo. Nice to meet you, in a civilized way." Kyuubi stated casually. Minato nodded dumbly. "Kyuubi tilted her head. "Is something wrong?" She wondered. Minato shook his head. "No, no. I just…you resemble my dead wife. Kushina." He said sadly.

Kyuubi didn't look surprised. "I do? Well, that's not strange. I didn't see her since our childhood days. She was my sister. Though she had only four tails." She explained. Minato was shocked. "She was your sister? I never knew…"

Kyuubi nodded and smiled sadly. "We weren't on the best terms when she left, so I'm sad I never got to apologize, but now we have another thing to focus on. Where is the Gaara kid?" She asked, her voice more professional. Minato blinked. "He's in the bedroom with the other children." He stated.

Kyuubi nodded. "Naruto-kun! Come now!" She said. Naruto came out of the room as fast as possible, though he looked tired. "Hi, kaa-san! Are you going to help Gaara?" He asked. Kyuubi nodded and smiled warmly. "Take him out here." She said. Naruto did as told, and Gaara stood fidgeting slightly as Kyuubi looked him over.

"Hmm…the Ichibi (One tail)…and another more evil spirit." She murmured. Everyone was out, looking at what was happening now. "Gaara, I want you to sit still. I'm about to go into your mind." Kyuubi commanded. Gaara instantly sat down in a meditation pose.

"Omoi raikou no jutsu. (Mind enter jutsu)" The red-haired woman intoned and placed her hands on each side of Gaara's head. Both of them stilled, and Minato looked worried.

XXX

Inside Gaara's mind, there wasn't much to look at. An endless desert, with a softly blowing wind. Kyuubi narrowed her eyes. "Oi! Shukaku! Get your lazy ass here!" She yelled. Immediately, someone formed out of sand. It was a man, with sandy blonde hair to his shoulders. He wore black combat pants and a dark purple t-shirt. His eyes had a black rim around, like Gaara.

He had dark purple, finger-less gloves, and to finish it off, he wore no shoes, had purple-tipped tanuki ears and a tail. "I'm not lazy!" He claimed. His voice was kind of rough. Kyuubi snorted. "Sure you aren't. Now what's this I've heard about you making Gaara kill people?" She asked.

Shukaku frowned. "Wasn't me. The crazy priest that sealed me into a teakettle before I was placed in Gaara sealed himself too. So he's somewhere in the desert, and each time I find him, he uses some sort of seal to repel me, so I can't get rid of him." The sand-haired man explained.

Kyuubi narrowed her eyes. "Let's find him. I'll make mince-meat out of him." She growled. Shukaku gulped. "That way…"

XXX

Naruto licked his lips. "Do you think it's going okay?" He asked Minato. The Hokage shrugged. "Probably. Kyuubi IS an all-powerful demon after all." He reassured. Sakura grinned. "Yeah! Kaa-san's the best!" She hollered.

XXX

Kyuubi grimaced as she saw the priest. He wore black and purple robes, and was bald with a large burn over half his face. He had some sort of paper with a seal on towards them. Shukaku whimpered, and she knew what it was. "Let go of the seal, old man. It may work against little Shukaku here," "I'm not little!" "But not against me. If you make as much as one move against me…"

She warned him. He didn't listen. He flashed the seal towards her, and she growled. "That's it! Ignorant little human!" She snarled and proceeded to mutilate him. Shukaku blinked. "I think…I'll hide this memory somewhere Gaara can't find it…" He said.

XXX

Kyuubi blinked, and moved away from Gaara. "There. That should fix it." She stated. Gaara blinked. "The nice voice is back." He sounded relieved. Kyuubi smiled. " That's Shukaku. The bad voice was a crazy dude that I killed." She said.

Sasuke seemed to think about something. "Hey, oba-san. (Aunt) Can't you take the Shukaku out of Gaara?" He wondered. Kyuubi blinked. "That would make Gaara a half demon." She said. Gaara blinked. "I wouldn't mind. The nice voice would be nice to talk to outside too." He said. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow.

"Very well then. But I warn you Gaara, this WILL hurt." She said. Gaara tilted his head. "I've never been hurt before…I wonder what it feels like." He murmured. Everyone blanched. "You don't want to know." Naruto simply said.

"Okay, get ready. Everyone else, move away."

"Kihaku tekishutsu no jutsu! (Soul extraction jutsu)"

Everyone watched in awe as Gaara lit up, and something seemed to come out of him. It was like little sand particles, assembling into a form that resembled a man before slowly building on details. Gaara screamed from the pain, and everyone winced as his ears changed. They could hear a cracking sound, and a bushy tail emerged too.

Finally, it was done. Gaara slumped, and was caught by the arms of the man that had appeared. Naruto blinked. "You wear purple." He stated, before breaking down in laughter. Everyone else began to laugh too, except the tired Gaara, and the irritated Shukaku. "I'll have you know, only real men dare to wear purple!" He said.

Kyuubi snickered. "Sure. Continue thinking that." She said. Shukaku huffed, but smiled as Gaara squirmed. The young red-haired boy had gotten sand-colored ears with black tips, and a short tail with a black tip. His nails had changed into short black claws, and his eyes could be seen flickering from star-formed like the Shukaku to his own, and finally settled on being the same.

"So that's how it is to hurt…I don't want to feel it again."

XXX

So... did you like it? I sure hope so! Please review, and tell me what teams you want the rookie 9 to be.

By the way, in an earlier chapter, I wrote that the hanyous started school earlier than they were supposed to. This is right, but they're not in Neji, Lee and Tenten's class because there are two classes that year, in my story.

Ja ne!