"Where are you going?" Naruto froze. He was sure he'd be absolutely silent. A small trickle of sand fell from his hair. Cursing silently, he turned to face Gaara. Leaning against the wall, an indifferent expression on his face, Gaara shouldn't have looked concerned. Having lived with the redhead for so long, Naruto could tell Gaara's mood at a glance. Gaara's heavily shadowed eyes were slightly narrowed, and there was a definite stiffness in how he held himself. While Gaara may have had the maternal instinct of a rock, he was very possessive, guarding those he cared for like an overzealous dog watching over a bone.

"Out." Naruto resisted the urge to step back; small crinkles were appearing around Gaara's eyes. Yup, Gaara wasn't about to permit him outside without an explanation. Damn.

"Out?" Gaara said, his voice so soft Naruto barely caught the words.

"Yeah, out. To a concert." If Gaara had been blessed with eyebrows, one would have shot up to join his hair. Gaara wasn't buying it. Naruto pulled out his ticket and let it fall from his hand. A very convenient breeze carried the slip of paper over to Gaara, despite the fact that the window wasn't open. The ticket floated back to Naruto after a moment or so.

"I see." Naruto tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. Gaara was letting him go. "Eleven, no later." Naruto blinked, confused. Since when did he have a curfew? He could avoid the Patrol easily: Gaara knew that. What the hell was going on?

"Zabuza?"

"His power has doubled recently." Kakashi said in a bored voice. Naruto let him perform the quick search, then moved to greet the silver-haired Jounin and Iruka. They both looked exhausted.

"Samehada?" The shark servant of Sanbi was capable of giving Sanbi a fivefold increase in energy. If Zabuza had called his subordinate to him, then war wasn't just looming on the horizon, it was barging through the door. But they knew where Samehada was, didn't they?

"No, not Samehada. A young human named Haku."

"So? What's so special about him?" Naruto was definitely feeling out of the loop.

"He is of the Kagami (1), a small craftsman clan originally from the Land of Rock who specialize in mirror making. Very good business, I hear. Their mirrors are not easily broken, and go for high prices among noblewomen." Kakashi raised a hand to stop Naruto from speaking.

"A lesser known fact is that they have a bloodline." Well, this makes things interesting, Naruto thought. He nodded, allowing Kakashi to continue.

"It is passed on to the females of the clan, but Haku has somehow inherited it. Because of a close bond with his mother, perhaps? Anyway, this bloodline grants the ability to make mirrors out of a diamond-like crystal, which is why the Kagami mirrors are nearly unbreakable. Haku's family moved to the Land of Snow many years before our Migration to the Protected Grounds. Because of this, the bloodline Haku possesses has evolved to create the crystal out of ice. By focusing his energy, Haku can turn the ice into diamond."

"That's impossible. Water doesn't suddenly change into carbon."

"Normally, yes, it is impossible. But Haku's situation isn't normal. He was orphaned at a young age; his father, jealous of his wife's ability, tried to kill her. She accidentally killed him."

"Accidentally? Someone comes at me with killer intent, I rip their guts out before you can blink." Naruto said matter-of-factly. Kakashi nodded.

"She was making a mirror at the time. The bloodline goes haywire in times of extreme distress. She killed her husband by pure accident, then killed herself out of grief. Haku only survived because he was outside, playing in the snow. I went to his house, still standing only because no-one can remove the crystal. There are spikes of crystal everywhere. Zabuza had been recently Sealed at the time of the murder and, feeling a great release of energy, went to investigate. Apparently, he took Haku with him. He's been training the boy for years."

"So, Zabuza's been feeding him demonic energy? Well, that explains how ice can become diamond. But why did no-one tell me this?"

"Because we didn't know ourselves until recently, Naruto-sama." Naruto sat down on his couch heavily. Looks like I'm going to miss that concert. But preventing a war is a tad more important than listening to junkies kill their vocal chords, if a bit less entertaining.

"What do we do?" He asked, running his hands through his hair.

"Not much, I'm afraid."

"We are outnumbered. Zabuza has called demons hiding in the human world to him. They all want humans eradicated." Gaara said in a monotone voice.

"Does no-one remember that we're supposed to keep harmony between humans and demons?"

"We still remember, Naruto-sama, but there are many who want demon supremacy. After the migration, you can't really blame them for wanting to take revenge. Humans are easy targets; they can't compete with us." Iruka said softly, sitting down next to Naruto.

"I know, I know. Warmongering demons have crawled all over me when I'm in the fur, reminding me of Gaara's Sealing, wanting me to take revenge."

"Do you? Want revenge, that is." Iruka asked softly.

Naruto's immediate response was to say, 'No'. He had thought about it before. But that had been years ago. He turned it over in his mind once again.

Yes, he would much rather be in his Released form. He was looking forward to the brewing war if it meant he could get rid of his Seals. He only appreciated how free he was when restored to his natural state as a spirit after years of being Sealed. He hated that it was because of the humans' violent reaction to his Furred self that he had been Sealed. The last time he had been Sealed, it had only been for five years; he had wandered the earth, searching out demons who had escaped the Migration's call, and placing them in the Protected Grounds. His current Sealing, however, had lasted far longer. Seventeen years!!

But did he want to kill all humans, even those not responsible for his constantly burning Seals? No. He had realized that, as a Sacred Nine, it was his duty, his entire reason for existence, to keep war from breaking out between humans and demons. He couldn't harbor revenge for those he was supposed to be helping!

"No, I don't." Iruka nodded, relieved.

"Good."

"So, what do we do? As Gaara said, we're outnumbered and weaker. Zabuza has found a way to magnify his energy by way of Haku. He has an army of demons behind him, probably trained to fight. Even as three Sacred Nine, we're Sealed, and can't access the fullest extent of our power."

"True. However, we have something Zabuza does not: the favor of our brothers and sisters. Zabuza has lost their trust. They will do what they can to prevent his triumph." Kakashi said sagely, sound wise beyond his years.

"What about Hachibi-san? He's here, experimenting on humans to find a way to destroy them from within." Iruka suddenly looked very dangerous. His eyes, normally a deep hazel, darkened to black, and he seemed to give out vibes of a savage, barely contained nature.

"He's nothing to worry about, Iruka-sama." Kakashi said soothingly. "Our master is well informed of what he is doing. Hachibi-sama is soon to be…Destroyed."

They gave a collective shudder. To demons, being Destroyed was something you avoided at all costs. Your powers were completely torn from you, and you were reduced to little more than nothing; your name became a curse, and Nature herself turned on you. You were rejected from society, expelled from the Protected Grounds, an outcast in the harshest sense of the word. You wandered, weak and pathetic, in constant agony as your body refused to absorb nutrients and leaked all energy, until you died, alone and unloved. For one of the Sacred Nine to be Destroyed…

"Will our master Destroy Hachibi-sama himself?" Iruka asked. He was answered by Kakashi's silence. Yes, the Demon Lord would personally strip Hachibi of every shred of power.

"Who will take his place? I know of no demon powerful enough or of the right nature to receive the title." Naruto had almost forgotten Gaara was with them, he had been so quiet. Kakashi's mask moved; Naruto assumed he was smiling.

"Our master has someone in mind, and I must say that I agree with his decision. Which reminds me, we need to go to that tower you like so much, Naruto-sama; we must all be present for the entitlement."

---

The short trip to the tower let Naruto clear his head a little. Zabuza had to be at the meeting; entitlements required all of the Sacred Nine to approve of their master's selection. On the roof, they waited.

It wasn't long before unnaturally thick fog engulfed Demon's End. Naruto smiled. Only his brother Yonbi, by combining water and fire within his cavernous shell and letting the fog roll out through the holes, could create such an excellent defense.

"Well, no time like the present. We've been granted a period of Release." Even as Kakashi spoke, Naruto could feel his Seals frosty burn fade into a pleasant sensation. He could tell the others felt the same. Glancing at one another, they leapt off the tower.

Familiar power surged through Naruto, a sharp jolt of glorious heat. Fire swept over him, starting at his nose and rushing down his spine, collecting at his tailbone. He wanted so badly to just shift to his spirit nature and leave his mission behind him. But instead, he became something everyone in Konoha would have recognized: his furred form.

He twisted in midair to take in what he looked like. His furred form was that of a giant fox, easily towering over even the Hokage Mountain. Eyes of deep crimson glowed with untapped power, their pupils cat-like ebony slits. His head was triangular-shaped, starting with a long narrow muzzle tipped with a black nose, tapering off into two long ears which swayed soundlessly as he flew through the air. His black lips pulled back to expose sharp teeth in a grin of pleasure as he took in the sight of his fur, which was as red as blood and glowed like hot coals, and saw how his mane, spilling over his shoulders and chest, shimmered a honey-gold from the heat he projected. A black talon tipped each toe of his paws, which he flexed experimentally. The base of his spine was still taking shape, bulging grotesquely. Then, the bulge exploded into nine long tails, which writhed and twisted in the air, flailing with a controlled passion. He had never been so happy to see his tails in his life.

It was the best feeling in the world. No words could describe how vastly powerful and joyous he felt in his furred form. Several million years' worth of knowledge was at his claw-tips; combined with his endless supply of power and strength, there was nothing he couldn't do. He was invincible!

As the ground rushed up at him, he swept his tails in a single downward stroke, and was propelled high into the air. He looked down, and saw a wolf, a tanuki and a dolphin following him.

The wolf was closest, its five tails streaming out behind him. Silvery-white fur glittered like soft moonlight, darkening to black on his paws, ears and muzzle like the markings of a Seal-point Siamese cat. Smaller than himself, the wolf was still enormous. Intense eyes of icy steel blue peered up into the fox's golden orbs. He grinned. The wolf returned the grin, black lips pulling back to show long fangs.

The fox looked next at the tanuki. He was keeping up nicely despite his more rotund shape. His single tail, made of fish-like scales of hardened sand, worked hard to keep the tanuki moving. The color of sand, his huge body was covered with obscure navy designs. His yellow eyes were rimmed with black, surrounded by a mask of blue; the insides of his ears were also blue.

The dolphin came last, keeping a respectful distance between itself and the tanuki. The smallest of the group, he seemed to swim through the air as gracefully as a real dolphin cuts through water. A stormy grey, his black eyes were alive with the joy of freedom. The only ways he could be identified as a demon by a human were: his size, which was several times larger than a normal dolphin, the intelligence that sparkled in his eyes, and his ability to speak. To other demons, they could tell what he was at a glance, easily seeing his demonic aura and the scent of heavy energies only demons possessed.

They burst through the fog after a few seconds, greeted with the sight of the other Sacred Nine. The council place, the place of Gathering, was set in a manner customary to a Gathering. Shaped like a horseshoe, there were four steps of fog, arranged in an ascending pattern. The step that joined the steps on the left to those of the right was the tallest. At the place's center, the fog swirled thick and white.

"Greetings, my brothers. Welcome." A slender cat said, voice sharp like flint striking flint. She was black with red markings decorating her sleek form, her two tails whipping around her hindquarters. She gave a bow, extending a leg and touching her chin to it.

"Greetings, my sister." They returned, bowing in the same manner. Nibi turned her gaze upon the dolphin, who gave a low bow, nearly forming a ring with his body. Nibi lowered her head slightly.

"Greetings, honored guest from the sea. You, too, are welcomed." With that, she turned neatuly, leapt to a step of fog, and sat down, tails twitching at her feet. The tanuki took his place on the step opposite Nibi, his tail also curling around his feet. The wolf sat opposite a turtle, which was still producing fog. The fox jumped to the tallest step.

In ancient times, when demons and humans still coexisted, the Sacred Nine had been created to ensure the two species could live together peacefully. The Sacred Nine were blessed with three forms: human, demon, and spirit. In human form, they taught other humans how to live with demons and settle human affairs concerning demons. In demon form, they did the same: teaching and keeping harmony. Their spirit form allowed them to communicate with divine beings. They passed on messages from the gods to selected individuals, and ferried prayers from the people to the gods.

The first Gathering of the Sacred Nine was to establish their role as teachers and judges. Since that first Gathering, there had been many more, called whenever a threat to the peace appeared or to prevent bloodshed between humans and demons.

There had been few entitlement Councils, however; the Sacred Nine had been created by the gods to remain strong despite all else, so it took a heavy offense for a Sacred Nine to be Destroyed or a new Sacred Nine declared. It had happened only once before: the original Yonbi, a rooster demon, had become corrupted and planned to destroy the other Nine. He had not planned on his corruption being visible; his body had changed to represent his tarnished nature, becoming half snake, half rooster. Needless to say, he was Destroyed, and the current Yonbi had been announced.

The council seating was arranged on the number of tails. The Sacred Nine with even-numbered tails sat on the right; those with odd-numbered tails sat on the left. Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox, sat in the center, his tails placed so that four tails were on his left, and another four on right, the ninth tail staying in the middle. This represented the Council of the Sacred Nine, the middle tail standing for Kyuubi himself.

He surveyed his brothers and sisters with narrowed eyes. He was no longer Naruto, the blonde kid from Demon's End, but Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox hailed as King of Demons.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

Kagami: I think this is the Japanese word for 'mirror'. If it's wrong, please let me know and I'll fix it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone! Sad to report, my internet died, so I've been unable to post any more chapters until now. I am leaving for the next 3 weeks to visit my family in another country, so I'm probably not going to be able to post any new chapters until I return. However, if I get a chance to post anything, I will. So, hopefully, when I get back I'll have several chapters written and ready for posting.

Just a reminder: please review! Reviews really help me understand what people like, dislike, and what I could do better. Are the characters OC? Am I too vague on certain points? Is there anything you'd like me to go into detail about? Please, don't leave me wondering! Offer suggestions, constructive criticism, ANYTHING! I can't really tell if people like this story and want me to continue or not. Please let me know!

Thank you,

BBAKaiser21