AN/
WAIT!
In case you haven't, please go back and read chapter nine.
Naruto Wandering Demon
Chapter 10: A Glimpse of Demon Culture
The first day after Edward's arrival was spent going over the bridge design plans and taking a trip to survey the construction site. Proclaiming everything satisfactory enough, Tazuna and his assistant decided to begin work on the completion of the bridge the very next day. But not before Edward demonstrated for the younger Shinobi just why Tazuna had traveled all the way to his homeland in his search to enlist help.
"The bridge Tazuna has started building is a beam bridge." Edward began his explanation as he walked out to the edge of the construct, the group of teenage Shinobi following at a distance. Kurenai had offered to return to Tazuna's house and guard Tsunami and Inari, saying she had already seen Edward's trick before.
"A very rudimentary bridge as far bridges go but just because it's simple doesn't mean it isn't effective at what it does; bridging the gap." When no one laughed at his attempt at humor Edward cleared his throat awkwardly. "Chances are you kids have made one while you played when you were younger. If you've ever placed a board or a flat stone over any sort of gap, you've made a beam bridge.
"So all we have to do is connect this side of the bridge to the one Tazuna has built on the other. I took the liberty of inspecting it before I boarded the ferry." Edward added when he saw Tazuna's surprised face. "I trust your calculations were correct and it'll be a straight shot from here to there but even if it's not..." a casual shrug.
"Anyways," he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stick of chalk much to the confusion of the gathered teens, "seeing as we are on an island in the middle of the ocean a considerable distance from the mainland, we can't just build forward until we connect the two sides." At this point Edward began to draw a circle on the floor of the bridge. "We wouldn't get very far before the bridge collapsed from its own weight and even if we could build until we made it to the other side, our bridge would be straining from the distance and so unstable a bird crapping on it would send it crashing into the sea.
"So what do we need?"
When Edward paused Sakura quickly glanced around and found that everyone, while paying attention, was only paying attention to the pattern the man was etching on the ground. Everyone except Naruto, who seemed to be listening with rapt attention.
"What we need," Edward spoke as he finished his design—two circles, one slightly smaller than the other, a triangle inside the smaller circle with lines extending to the larger circle from each point and a larger upside down triangle that was large enough that each side passed over the each of the points of the smaller triangle, "are support beams at regular intervals to reduce the amount of tension and convention created when actually using the bridge. But, as previously stated we are on the ocean so those support beams would have to be built and lowered into the water little by little as we go. A process that would take forever normally, even with the use of boats, which we don't have.
"That's where I come in." He turned towards the huddled Shinobi to find that they were looking at him expectantly. "But first," he grinned, "I need you all to help me bring all those materials down there, up here."
As one almost all the teens groaned, the prospect of the type of manual labor requested bringing back flashbacks of endless D-rank missions that always ended with minimal pay. Naruto was the only one who seemed eager to get to work moving everything.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sakura's question made the blond demon pause.
"Helping?"
"You're too injured to carry this stuff."
"But I'm not too injured to pull a cart." Naruto tried giving his best innocent smile. He clearly hadn't expected that to work because the surprise from Sakura's sigh of relent was visible on his face.
"Fine. Just, please, try not to hurt yourself."
It took the teens almost three hours to move everything and after they were done they wound up resting against the railing of the bridge. Everything had been piled atop the design Edward had drawn on the ground near the edge of the built section of bridge.
"Alright. Now watch this." Edwards crouched down and clapped his hands together before pausing. Shaking his head he separated his hands before placing them on the pattern he'd drawn.
Instantly energy surged wildly around him and the pile of raw concrete and steel, looking like trapped lightning seeking an escape. Before the teens eyes the materials began to melt down into the floor and travel out, past the edge. It went out a couple dozen meters before beginning to stretch down on both sides. It wasn't long before the unmistakable shape of pillars formed and after that the top of the bridge started taking shape, matching the section they were on.
"That's amazing." The murmur came from Naruto but it was a sentiment all the teens shared.
Within five minutes the bridge had been extended almost thirty meters. Edward stood up and walked out onto the new section of bridge he'd just created and began inspecting it, tapping his foot every once in a while. When he appeared satisfied he turned to walk back towards the Shinobi.
"What I just showed you is called Alchemy." He began his explanation. "Using my understanding of matter I was able to decompose the raw concrete and steel and reconstruct it as a finished section of bridge. Because I know you'll ask; yes I can use it to Transmute—that is, to alter anything so long as I understand everything about it's composition and no I cannot teach it to you. Even in my land, where the energy is perfectly accessible there are only a handful of Alchemists.
"Alchemy works by using the natural energy of the world to force the change you are imposing on the object you are transmuting but your land... it's like there's something else in the air. A form of energy that buries and suffocates the natural energy. That transmutation should have been instant but because I had to actively guide the energy the whole time it took much longer than any Alchemy I've ever done in the past."
"Could it be Chakra?" Sakura suggested as the foreign energy Edward was describing.
"Maybe." the amber eyed man shrugged. "Anyways, as you can see, building the bridge won't be the hard part. It'll be getting the materials necessary for me to transmute. I can't create something out of nothing nor can I turn something into nothing. Alchemy is a science and everything has to be exact or the consequences can be dire. Tazuna," Edward addressed the man in charge, even if he didn't feel like he was after his assistant's display, "you're positive your contacts will come through?"
"Even if they're hesitant to align with us, I think if we can show them what you can do; that this bridge is real and not just a pipe dream, they'll be happy to give us everything we need and more."
"If you say so." Edward turned towards the sea, staring off into the distance where he knew on the mainland the other end of the bridge was waiting. "I won't be going with you to these negotiations, Tazuna. It'll be up to you to get your countrymen to either pledge their support or agree to come out here with the supplies necessary for me to give them a demonstration. I will pave the way but you have to rally your people to freedom."
The sound of clapping startled Edward into remembering the teens still sitting on the ground. By the time he turned around both Naruto and Kiba were clapping so he had no idea who had started it but soon the rest of the teens joined in.
"You know, Elric-san, you're very inspirational when you want to be."
Edward's only response was to turn away to hide his blush.
After that it had been decided that they would split up into three teams of two. One team would be guarding Edward at all times, one team would be following Tazuna to his meetings and one team would remain and guard Tsunami and Inari.
Seeing as how Naruto had reopened his wound chasing Shadow he was sentenced to house detail the first day with Sakura volunteering to remain behind, if only to ensure her fiancé wouldn't get himself killed somehow.
Kurenai, although hesitant to agree to leaving the young couple behind together—it was against the most basic of protocols to allow two people in any sort of relationship to be part of the same team during a mission—figured that the chances of anyone other than hired thugs attacking were low enough that she needn't worry.
'Zabuza is unlikely to have recovered enough to attempt a second attack and even if he was, he wouldn't waste his time going after hostages.' Kurenai reasoned to herself as she followed the group heading to the construction site. 'No, the only one who would attack Tazuna's family is Gato and I'm confidant Sakura will make short work of common mercenaries.'
No matter how she may personally feel about the female member of Kakashi's Team Seven, the rosette was a Kunoichi of Konohagakure.
Back at the house Naruto spent most of the day pouting over the fact that Sakura had confined him to sitting on the couch after the way he'd opened his wound the previous night.
"Telling me to sit like I'm some sort of pet... I have rights, dammit." he grumbled under his breath when his pink haired mate wasn't near enough to hear, not wanting to earn a green eyed glare.
"I don't have to sit here and take this."
So saying he stood up before beginning to make his way towards the front door, intending to get some fresh air and stretch his muscles, sore from sitting all morning, only to freeze when the floorboard halfway there creaked. The sound seemed to thunder in the relative quiet in the house and he was forced to dive back onto the couch when he heard footsteps heading his way from the direction he'd last heard Sakura leave through.
Tsunami poked her head through the archway connecting the kitchen and the living room, blinking. She saw the way the young blond demon was sprawled on her couch and smiled. "Holding up okay, Naruto-kun?"
"H-Hai." Naruto managed to get out with his face buried in a couch cushion. After almost a minute passed without Sakura appearing he raised his head to look at Tsunami. "Where's Sakura-chan?"
"She's escorting Inari to the market to buy some groceries." The raven haired mother replied, noticing the way Naruto's eyebrows furrowed slightly in consternation. "Don't worry, I had a talk with Inari yesterday. He promised me he wouldn't try to project his Chakra on any of the girls."
Naruto nodded before heaving a sigh. He wasn't thrilled but he figured that short of racing out to follow the half demon he'd just have to accept Tsunami's assurance.
"So, what kind of demon was Inari's father?" Naruto found himself asking after almost a full minute had passed in silence. Tsunami blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden question. "I-If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Inari's father, Taiga, was a dog demon." The response was said with a smile. The smile grew a bit as she moved to sit on the arm of the couch by Naruto's head where she again surprised him with her quickness when she managed to brush her fingers through his hair and scratch his left ear. Tsunami giggled when the blond bolted upright before scooting as far to the other side of the couch as he could. "Had the most adorable ears, too. Black, like most of his hair except at the center of his head. That was white. I used to say he looked like a border collie."
"Ah." Naruto feigned understanding, even though he didn't know one dog breed from another.
"Inari has the same pattern on his head. It's why I don't like him wearing his hat all the time." Tsunami pouted. "He looks so cute."
"Mm."
"He'll probably grow up to be as handsome as Taiga." Her hands moved to rest on the sides of her face, stars in her eyes. "Hopefully he'll be just as big, too."
Naruto's eyebrows rose high, uncertain of how he was supposed to respond to that.
"Of course, for Inari to be as muscular as his father was he'll need to eat properly and exercise rigorously and that's not really possible right now." Tsunami continued, standing up to head to the kitchen, unaware of how Naruto visibly relaxed. "But maybe once tou-san finishes the bridge I can convince him to start a training regimen."
Finding himself alone in the room Naruto couldn't help but let out a bored sigh. 'Where the hell is shadow when you need him?'
It was about an hour later that Sakura returned. Naruto surprised Tsunami by standing up abruptly before running towards the front door, yanking it open and continuing outside. Tsunami, who had been sitting at the kitchen table reading a book while she waited for Inari to return with the ingredients she needed to make dinner, was wondering if perhaps Naruto was a little too clingy before she heard a yell come from outside.
"Inari." She gasped as she ran for the open door the blond had left through. Once outside she spotted the three teens a few meters down the path, the grocery bags on the ground.
Also on the ground was her son. His hat must have been knocked off since it was almost a foot away on the floor, revealing a pair of ears similar to the blond fox demon pinning him down. Naruto's illusion was gone and Tsunami could see his ears were bent back and hear his snarl when she got closer.
"You were warned, mutt," Naruto spat, his grip on Inari's neck firm but not life threatening, "to keep your filthy Chakra to yourself!"
"Naruto! Stop!" Sakura shouted as she tried to pull her mate from the young half demon he had choke slammed into the dirt.
"Let go of me!" Inari struggled, lacing some of his anger into the cloud of lust surrounding them.
Naruto's response to the younger demon's attempt at cowing him was instantaneous, releasing a tremendous wave of killing intent laced Chakra that easily engulfed Inari's and could be felt by all around. Sakura could feel the hairs on the the back of her neck raise as Naruto's Chakra brushed past her and Tsunami's knees buckled before giving out beneath her. Inari, at whom the Chakra had been directed towards, seemed to have frozen.
It took a few seconds for her to notice but soon Sakura realized the younger boy was choking. "Naruto, let go of him!" The blond obeyed but Inari continued to gasp for breath. Sakura maneuvered around Naruto to kneel beside the raven haired boy and begin inspecting him but other than noting his eyes had shifted to a deep blue with a silver iris she couldn't see anything wrong with him. Inari stared desperately up at her as a few tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
"P-Pl...ease..." the strangled whimper came from the direction of the house and alerted Sakura to the fact that Tsunami was even there. She was looking above Sakura, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Please."
Sakura turned towards Naruto, barely having time to note his whisker marks looked thicker before Inari's desperate intake of air drew her attention. Tsunami rose on unsteady legs and stumbled over to her son, cradling his head in her lap as soon as she reached him.
"You said you told him not to use his Chakra on my mate." Naruto bit out between heavy breathes. Tsunami shook her head.
"I only told him that ninja could sense demonic Chakra so it would be dangerous for him to use it while you were here." she admitted. "I didn't tell him anything about you being a demon. I wasn't sure he'd be able to keep it a secret around the rest of the Shinobi."
Naruto remained quiet for a bit before turning away. "Damn." The next thing he knew Sakura was up on her feet in front of him, glaring up at him. Involuntarily, he took a step back.
"Naruto, you idiot." Sakura locked eyes with the blond, unbothered by the slit cerulean eyes regarding her she was so mad with him. "Apologize."
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Uh, what?"
"If my mark protects me from being affected by his Chakra there was no reason for you to react like that."
"I could sense his Chakra all the way from the house and after Tsunami-san said she'd talked with him I assumed he was trying to see how much Chakra it'd take to affect you."
"She's marked? I just thought she was too dumb to notice." Inari spoke obnoxiously as he sat up, putting his hat back on his head. "Some ninja she is."
Naruto found it comical how his Mate could go from being upset with him on the young Half Demon's behalf to outraged at aforementioned half demon so quickly. Suddenly he found himself restraining her by grabbing her shoulders as she turned on her heel, ready to attack the preteen herself until a resounding smack made her pause.
"Do you realize," Tsunami's hand was stinging from the force of the impact, "how foolish your actions are? The only reason you're still alive right now is because these two are who they are."
"What are you talking about?" Inari asked angrily as he put a hand on his reddening cheek.
"Although it might be true that I didn't notice your Chakra, personally, I wasn't unaware that you were using it." the rosette spoke, crossing her arms, shrugging her shoulders to get Naruto to release her. "My mark started heating up about halfway through our little trip together. I wasn't sure what it meant at first; heck, I didn't even know it could do that but I suspected it must've been reacting to you trying to project your Chakra on me the whole time." Sakura heard a low growl emanating from behind her and took half a step back to lean slightly against her Mate, hoping the contact would calm him.
"If Naruto were any other demon he would have killed you for trying to influence his Mate." When Inari looked like he was going to try to argue with his mother's assertion Naruto flared his Chakra.
"Listen to your mother, mutt." Naruto placed his hands on Sakura's waist. "You've grown up relatively sheltered under her care so I guess you don't know much about demon culture but demons have no qualms about killing if it means protecting or procuring a Mate. Make no mistake, I am stronger than you and if it hadn't been for Sakura-chan and your mother I would have killed you."
Inari was quiet as he stared at the two older teens. Sakura swatted Naruto's hands on her hips, apparently he had tightened his grip at the end of his sentence. The blond grinned, relinquishing his hold before proceeding to wrap his arms around her middle in a tight hug.
"Naruto," Sakura protested, "stop it! Why don't you pick up the mess you made when you ran out here?" The blue eyed Demon gave her one last squeeze before proceeding to do exactly as she said.
"You too, Inari." Tsunami ordered as she stood up, dusting off the front of her dress. Inari clearly wanted to protest but decided not to.
"Inari-kun," Sakura called as the two demons picked up the spilled groceries, "you keep looking down on us ninja but I do hope you haven't tried anything around Hinata or Kurenai-sensei. Team eight is one of the best demon tracking teams in Konoha and as Chūnin neither they nor I would have much problem dealing with a lone C-class Half Demon. I was part of a combat specialist team but Hinata is a Hyūga. Using her Gentle Fist, she could literally kill you in one hit."
Inari paused, his face paling. Naruto merely thought, 'What kind of name is Gentle Fist?'
"Of course, she's probably much too kind to do that unless absolutely necessary. Even if you were to attack her, she'd probably just strike enough of your Chakra points to immobilize you."
It wasn't long before the two demons completed their task and were made to sit on the couch until their Demonic adrenaline wore off. Tsunami found the two absolutely adorable sitting next to each other wearing identical impassive looks on their Demon enhanced features. The only difference being that while Naruto's fox ears pointed up, Inari's dog ears seemed to fold in the front.
'Okay,' Sakura silently admitted to herself when she caught sight of the two demons following her in near harmony as she crossed the room, 'they do look kind of cute.'
—
'So hot.'
Hanging high in the sky the sun shone brightly in all its midday glory, the lack of clouds contributing to the uncharacteristically sweltering heat plaguing the land at this time of year.
Below, in an expansive courtyard a young woman groaned as she used her clammy hands to fan her face. Even with her face pink from the heat and covered in a thin sheen of sweat that caused her hair to stick to her skin, the woman was remarkably beautiful. She wore a simple salmon red kimono that, while meant to be elegant, clung to her skin wetly and created a completely unintended sexiness even as she simply sat in one of the garden chairs. While she had always been lusted after by men, from adolescents to the elderly, her current appearance would likely encourage most of the male persuasion to risk life and limb to simply talk to her, though that was unlikely to be the extent of their intentions. And indeed, life and limb was exactly what they'd be risking if they thought of her as a simple conquest for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which being who her Mate was.
Due to the unforgiving sunlight her movements were sluggish and it wasn't long before she deemed the effort to be counterproductive in cooling herself. With a deep sigh she gathered her long waist length scarlet hair into as tidy a ponytail as she could manage in her current state before leaning back in her chair.
After nearly twenty long minutes of silence the red fox ears atop her head twitched as she heard footsteps rushing towards her from the side though she made no effort to turn.
"There you are, Mistress Yoko." came the relieved voice of Nora, her lady-in-waiting. Nora's rosy cheeks could easily be attributed to the heat but she found it far more likely that the young Vixen had overexerted herself searching for her. "Chef Nagisa requests that you please not skip lunch for a third day in a row. It isn't healthy."
Yoko considered simply ignoring the girl but decided against it, figuring the poor thing would wait outside with her in the blistering heat until she answered her. "Tell Nagisa that he would do well to remember that we do not employ him to order us around. He is a cook and nothing more." she spoke shortly, her voice flat but commanding.
"Yes, Mistress." Nora replied with a slight bow before turning to deliver the message as fast as she could with her purple yukata restricting her movements.
"Nora."
"Mistress?" The young servant paused, turning to regard the red haired woman.
Yoko turned to regard the raven haired fox demon for the first time, her pale blue eyes seeming to bore into the girl's soul much as her son's did. Much as most of the Royal family's did.
Nora had the potential to be a truly stunning beauty, if she'd just let her hair grow or apply the barest touch of makeup. Unfortunately, stemming from her low sense of worth, Nora refused to allow her Mistress or the castle beauticians to 'waste' their time on her in any aspect that regarded her appearance, even going so far as to cut her own hair. A cute heart shaped face was framed by choppy, short raven black hair that didn't quite reach her jaw and haphazardly trimmed bangs obscured her forehead. Amethyst colored eyes shone brightly beneath her uneven bangs even if they wavered due to her seemingly perpetual uncertainty.
"There's no need to exert yourself so much." The gentle reprimand was a direct contrast of her earlier tone. "After all, Kurama would be ever so disappointed in you if you were to work yourself into a heat stroke." This time Nora's reddened face definitely had nothing to do with the heat.
"Y-yes, Mistress." The younger Fox Demon again bowed before continuing to her destination at a much more sedated pace even if she wished to run, if only to escape from her Mistress' teasing laughter.
The woman, now known as Yoko, allowed herself to continue giggling until her young servant was completely out of sight. Breathing a contented if stifled sigh she again leaned back in her chair to resume her silent vigil, one hand moving to open the top of her kimono slightly in an attempt to ventilate herself.
An hour passed in silence, the only sounds being the cicadas song, the continuous hum beginning to sound more like an obnoxious taunt as the seconds ticked by unbearably slow under the hot sun. But no matter how much she wished to retreat to the cool shade of her home she knew that she couldn't.
Eleven days ago her sons had abruptly disappeared and while it wasn't unusual for Kurama to disappear for a couple of weeks, her youngest son had apparently elected to accompany his elder brother on whatever task he had set out on this time.
At least, she hoped he had. Otherwise she had no idea where her baby boy could have gone off to.
'Kurama would never let anything happen to him.' She repeated in her head like a mantra. Though while she knew Kurama would protect his younger sibling, she also knew he had a tendency to bully him.
Yoko's train of thought was completely derailed when the telltale sign of a Demon Door being ripped open by her Mate's sword began. A terrible high pitched wail rent the air before, with the sound of heavy boulders scraping together, a hole between dimensions was torn open and her two sons stepped out. Kurama led the way, his slicked back red hair a clear indication that he'd neglected to keep himself as clean as he should but it was the sight of her younger son's blond hair that had Yoko standing. Before she could take a step towards them however he disappeared in a yellow flash.
"Jō!" she shouted though she knew he was likely already on the other side of the vast estate. Turning to her first born she demanded an explanation. Given the fact that she looked so young despite her age she looked less like her son's angry mother and more like a put out girlfriend.
"I apologize if we made you worry, Mother." Kurama spoke as he walked towards his mother, already removing his father's sword from his back. "Ōjō wanted to see if the Human Realm had changed since the last time he visited. Thanks to the time difference, however, we seem to have caused you undue stress."
Yoko kept her gaze on her son as he walked up to her where upon reaching her he proceeded to give her a quick hug and a kiss atop her head and although he didn't exactly smell like fresh linen she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Kurama had always been a sweet boy.
"Make sure you bathe before Nora catches wind of your scent."
Kurama gave a hum of agreement. "I'm sure she already has, with that nose of hers." He turned to begin the trek towards the castle and to his room, his mother walking beside him. "Have you eaten, mother? Ōjō is likely heading to the kitchens to pester Nagisa for a snack. I'll probably head there myself afterwards."
"Then I'll make sure Jō," she emphasized his younger brother's real name, "doesn't spoil his appetite and we can eat a meal together once you arrive."
"Very well." Kurama responded as they entered the walls of their home, a humongous castle the likes of which he'd yet to see the Humans even begin to replicate. As he'd guessed Nora was already waiting for them at the foot of the stairs that led to the wing where he and Jō resided.
"Master Kurama." Nora greeted as he walked by. When he gave no indication of acknowledging her, one might expect Nora to follow Yoko towards the dining room. Instead the raven haired Fox Demon waited for Kurama to be a few steps up before she turned to follow him, her face burning under her Mistress' amused gaze.
Yoko tried not to dwell too often on whether or not there was anything between her lady-in-waiting and her eldest son. Of course, Nora's feelings towards her son were obvious; when he was thirteen Kurama had found Nora, seven at the time, taking shelter from a storm on the edge of the castle grounds and had insisted quite forcibly that his parents take in the orphan Vixen. As time passed Nora had developed an attraction towards Kurama but although Nora had grown to be quite lovely, Kurama had never shown any indication that he saw her as anything more than one of the castle servants. Of course, seeing as he had always been sweet on the girl, saying Nora was just another servant wasn't exactly correct.
She knew Nora often times joined Kurama during his baths and she had caught the young Vixen emerging from her red haired son's room a few times in the early morning but thus far they had attributed these incidents to nothing more than Nora being a dutiful servant washing her master's back or Kurama allowing the girl to sleep in his bed because she'd had a nightmare of her time before they took her in. Reasonable, if convenient explanations.
"Would you hurry it up, Nagisa? It's been six days since I had a decent meal and I'm starving here."
"Patience, Young Master. Seeing as you refuse to eat the meal we already have prepared you will just have to wait while we whip up something else."
The sound of a stomach rumbling loudly was all the chef received as a response making the proud Lion Demon harrumph.
Walking into the kitchen Yoko spotted her younger son sitting on a stool, his blond head of hair resting on the statuario marble island atop his folded arms.
"Jō."
The young boy sat up straight and turned towards his displeased mother. "Yes, ma'am?"
Yoko took in her son's unmarred, if a bit dirty, face, the spitting image of his father in every way but the red streaks in his hair. His cerulean eyes regarded her with more than a little apprehension, especially when she started walking towards him but the ten year old remained in his seat. Once she was within arms reach Yoko reached forward to run a hand through his hair, unsurprised but still disappointed by the fact that he was as dirty as Kurama.
Thanks to the stool, Jō was just high enough that when Yoko pulled him into her embrace his head rested atop her generous bosom.
"Mother." Jō complained about the show of affection. In response Yoko shushed him.
"This is what you must contend with for heading to the Human Realm." she spoke tenderly, lifting her son's face to look him in the eyes. "You were gone for eleven days."
"Wha—how? I thought the Human Realm moved faster and we were only gone for six days over there."
"While it is true that the Human Realm moves at an accelerated pace compared to ours, it's the journey through the World of Void that one must take into account. Time moves entirely differently in there."
"The Mistress is right." Nagisa spoke as he continued to work, gaining the attention of the two Fox Demons. "Although it's generally regarded that a single minute in the World of Void is about four hours out here, there are patches where the reverse happens. Many a brave Demon have gone missing after setting foot in there, though whether they've perished or may simply step out in the future only a few days older is impossible to say."
Yoko ran her hand through Jō's hair until she found his hidden fox ear and gave it a gentle tug. "Go take a quick bath, Jō." she ordered causing the young boy to whine.
"But I'm hungry. I'll bathe afterwards."
"By the looks of it Nagisa won't be done for a while. Plenty of time for you to go wash yourself."
"That is unless you want to eat the vegetable soup we already have?" Nagisa offered knowing Jō hated vegetables once they'd been boiled. As expected the young blond's face twisted in disgust before he relented with a defeated sigh.
Yoko thanked the chef for his assistance before excusing herself to head to the dining room. Once there she allowed the servants setting the table to complete their task before she took a seat to wait for her sons to join her. She shivered at the much cooler interior of the castle.
As expected Jō returned first, his hair still damp but as usual standing up every which way, wearing a pair of light green shorts and a white short sleeve shirt underneath a hooded gray zip up vest with pockets in the front.
"Happy?" the little blond asked as he took a seat.
"Very." Yoko replied with a smile, to which Jō just rolled his eyes.
It was a while yet before a freshly bathed Kurama entered followed by an equally clean Nora, wearing a different yukata than she had been before. As always the raven haired Vixen blushed when she met her Mistress' eyes but Kurama speaking spared her having to endure the older Vixen's gaze for long.
"Is the food ready?" Kurama question as he fought with the stands of hair that stubbornly refused to stay up and out of his face like the rest of his hair. Much like his father and brother, his hair was spiked when clean.
"Will Father be joining us?" Jō suddenly asked, head turned just enough to look at his mother.
"I'm... not sure." Yoko hesitated. "He might have already eaten."
As Kurama took a seat across from the slumped over form of his younger brother he could already sense the answer to Jō's question. On cue, just as he was settling into his seat a flash of yellow behind Jō's chair alerted them that whether or not he had already eaten, the Demon Lord had every intention of joining in on the rare family meal.
Almost as if the Demon Lord's genes themselves knew he was strong, practically everything about his father had been passed down to his sons. After all, if his mother was to be believed he had also been born with the same cerulean blue eyes that greeted him when Kurama turned his head to regard his father.
Spiky golden yellow hair almost perfectly hid a pair of yellow fox ears except for the fact that they were tipped with white fur and three thin lines adorned each cheek giving the illusion of whisker marks. Like Yoko his appearance belied his age and his enthusiastic grin made him look even younger somehow.
Admittedly, almost everyone often commented on how much he resembled his mother but Kurama couldn't help but see his father's traits whenever he looked in the mirror. There was no denying, however, that he and Jō were their father's sons. In some ways Kurama was thankful of his father's unique characteristics.
It was thanks to his father's strong genes, after all, that he had been able to identify and dispose of the little abomination.
"Father!" With much more enthusiasm than he ever showed for anything else Jō stood up from his seat before throwing his arms around his father.
"Where you been, Jō?" A voice so calm one would never imagine that it belong to one who held so much power asked.
"I was just accompanying Kyū—" the clatter of his mother's spoon slipping from her hand served to remind the young blond of her rule, "—er, Kurama for a while in the Human Realm."
"Oh yeah? Tell me about it."
"Minato." Yoko spoke to her Mate. "We're here to eat, not gossip."
"That's fine. I haven't eaten yet."
Yoko faltered slightly. "You haven't?"
"Lord Namikaze has missed out on lunch for the last three days because he insisted on waiting for you, Mistress Yoko." Nagisa announced as he carted in the freshly prepared late lunch.
"Finally!" Jō exclaimed only to flinch from his brother's sharp glare. "I mean thank you, Nagisa."
Nagisa gave a slightly forced smile to the youngest fox demon in the room before proceeding to serve everyone their meal of curry and rice.
"You waited for me?"
Embarrassed at being found out Minato cleared his throat into his closed hand. "Of course, Yoko."
Silence fell over the occupants of the room as their meals were plated.
"Will you be joining them, Nora?" Nagisa directed at the girl standing behind Kurama's chair after everyone else had been served.
"No, I couldn't, I just ate not that long—"
"Of course she will." Minato's voice cut her off.
"As you wish, My Lord." Nora bowed before taking the seat beside Kurama.
Yoko watched the exchange silently. It was moments like this that made her wonder if Kurama cared about Nora and if he did, how much. She knew that if Minato had not told her to join them Kurama would have allowed Nora to simply remain standing throughout the meal. It was because he also knew that that Minato leveled his son with a withering stare.
As they ate, Yoko was reminded of why she tried not to dwell on her son's possible relationship with her Lady-in-waiting. If she knew her son, even if he did reciprocate Nora's feelings he would never allow himself to claim her as a Mate while his future was so uncertain.
After all, Minato was the Demon Lord. Kurama was the Ninth Tailed Beast to be born under Minato's reign. Kurama's birth as the new Kyūbi signaled the start of a new Throne Challenge and destroyed Yoko's dream of living happily ever after.
Who do you root for when the love of your life and your child are fated to fight to the death to satisfy an ancient sacred tradition?
—
A little over a week had passed since they'd arrived at Tazuna's house. Most of the early mornings were spent sparring amongst the shinobi, with Sakura adamant about Naruto not being allowed to join until his wounds were fully healed. Shadow had been gone more often than not, saying that he didn't want to be around either Inari or Akamaru, who had healed enough to be moving around with a limp.
In the afternoons they split into three groups with one accompanying Tazuna, one going with Edward to the construction site and one remaining to guard Tsunami and Inari. Naruto and Sakura were usually in different groups so as not to be a distraction to one another and since Naruto also didn't like being around Inari he was usually on construction site detail, with a promise to Sakura to take it easy.
Although Naruto's wounds were healing nicely, with most of his smaller cuts already gone, he had already reopened the big one across his chest three times. Once while he tried to chase Shadow after a particularly smart remark, which got him a scolding from Sakura in front of everyone; once while he had been swapping stories with Tazuna, Edward and Kiba, which he tried to hide from his mate to no avail, resulting in another scolding and once from trying to dodge an embarrassed Sakura's swat after he accidentally let slip the fact that he'd walked in on her changing in Tanzaku town.
At least the last incident had led a most pleasurable outcome.
"How much longer is this going to take to heal?" Sakura asked as she found herself bandaging up her blond Mate, again. Leaning back to inspect her work, she almost missed his muttered response.
"It probably wouldn't have been much longer now if—ow!" Naruto let out a yelp when Sakura brought her hand down over his bandaged midsection.
"—you hadn't dodged?" Sakura supplied forcibly, her forced smile almost daring him to argue.
To his credit Naruto knew he had been in the wrong to divulge such a personal incident and thus was quick to agree. He couldn't prevent his flinch when he saw Sakura raise her hand again and that made the rosette pause.
"I'm sorry." She finally said as she placed her hand flat over the spot she had slapped. "I shouldn't have hit you like that. I don't know why I did that." Afew of her hairs tickled the back of his neck when Sakura leaned over to rest her forehead on his shoulder but he held his composure.
"It's fine."
"No, it isn't. You're injured and... and even if you weren't I shouldn't hit you just because I'm angry."
"I kind of like it, though." Naruto turned to face Sakura but tilted his head at her sudden blush. He replayed his words in his head before he burst out laughing. "I don't mean it like that." At her raised eyebrow he decided to elaborate. "I mean, it's not like you hit me out of spite. I know I can be a little annoying—"
"Just a little, huh?" Sakura teased.
"—but ever since we met you've managed to keep me in check by giving me a good bop when I start getting carried away."
"You mean you used to just... keep going?" Sakura faked a gasp, not expecting Naruto's snort of amusement.
"One Time Shadow and me—"
"Shadow and I."
"Shadow and I." he parroted facetiously, catching the hand she tried to swipe at him. Sakura's eyes widened and she tried to pull her hand back but Naruto held onto it, interweaving their fingers together. "One time we were having an argument with Gaara, the Ichibi's son." He waited until Sakura nodded that she remembered.
"Well halfway through the argument he decided to, just, stop and walk away. Of course, We weren't done so we followed him. For seven weeks."
"What?!" Sakura couldn't help but exclaim. Naruto simply smiled.
"Yeah. And he ignored us—"
"—For seven weeks?" Naruto nodded. "But that's so stupid!" He brought Sakura's hand up and placed a kiss on the back of it.
"That's what I like; that you aren't afraid to let me know what you think. I would never want you to be the kind of person who just lets me do whatever dumb idea comes into my head and not say anything. I love you just the way you are."
Sakura felt her face flush and she remained silent for a few moments before, "Violence and all?"
"You're not violent, Sakura-chan." Naruto pulled the rosette to settle on his lap sideways. Sakura allowed him to but refused to meet his gaze. He had to tilt her head by her chin. "But yes. I love you, violence and all."
He didn't have to lean down far to plant his lips against hers as she'd been in the process of leaning up to kiss him herself. His lips were a little chapped lately, something she'd remarked to him that he needed to remedy the couple of times they'd managed to get enough time to indulge in the physical aspect of their relationship since volunteering for this mission but as his lips pressed against hers Sakura couldn't be bothered to care.
It wasn't long before the room was filled with the sound of their heavy pants and the soft smacks their lips made as they met again and again. Breathing became a secondary concern as they became engrossed in each other. Even when Naruto let them fall to the left to rest on the futon of the room they were occupying they didn't separate. If anything it spurred them on as Naruto moved to hover over Sakura, his elbows on either side of her head trapping her beneath him.
It was then that Naruto allowed his tongue to dart out and enter Sakura's mouth, seeking her own muscle. While Sakura met her Mate's appendage eagerly, she raised her hands to grip Naruto's shoulders, pulling them closer together. Their languid kissing continued until Naruto shifted his knee, which had managed to move between Sakura's legs, and brushed against her core, making her break their lip lock to breathe a sharp gasp.
"Sorry." Naruto apologized, panting deeply, believing he had maybe pinched her flesh with his movement. Beneath him Sakura used the unexpected break to catch her breath.
"Don't apologize. It, um... felt good when you..." even though Sakura was already flushed she still somehow managed to blush, "touched me... there."
Now it was Naruto's turn to grow embarrassed as he realized just where Sakura was referring to. With a shaky laugh he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her skin was warm and the feel of her pulse, her heart beating so erratically, made him groan before he flopped off of her and to the right.
"We don't have to stop." Sakura said as she sat up on her elbow to look down on her Mate. "I want to keep going."
Naruto raised his hands up to rub his face. With a sigh he spoke, "Not here. I want to keep going too but if we do we might not stop." He reached up with his right hand to cup her cheek. Sakura closed her eyes as she leaned into his touch. "I told you I don't want it to happen on some dirty futon."
Upon his declaration Sakura gave a heavy sigh. "Alright." and with a final chaste kiss Sakura got up to go wash her face leaving Naruto by himself in the room. Before she left however she paused at the door. "How did he get you guys to quit following him?"
it took Naruto a few seconds for his hormone addled mind to figure out what she was asking but when he did he couldn't help his chuckle. "Buried us in a cave. By the time we got out he and his dad were gone."
Sakura clearly hadn't been expecting that and thus had no idea how to respond. She left the room, stunned. Almost as soon as the door closed Naruto took a deep breath.
"Fuck."
Because they hadn't had many opportunities to indulge in their usual intimacies for the past week it seemed like whenever they did get to sneak in a make out session they always got carried away. This time he'd managed to stopped them before they got too lost in each other. Last time he'd been in the process of pulling down her shorts and underwear before they'd snapped to their senses.
He knew he Was making the right decision but that didn't make it any easier. Not when every time he closed his eyes he saw the juncture of Sakura's thighs peaking out over the waistband of her panties, a small tuft of pink hair barely visible.
Shaking his head to clear the image from his mind, Naruto buried his face in his hands.
"FUCK!"
—
Sakura knew she wasn't the most patient person, almost three years with Hatake Kakashi as her Jōnin sensei had exhausted that resource, but she thought she was managing pretty well to abide by her Mate's wishes that they wait for their first time. But if Naruto stopped them one more time just as they were getting to the good part she'd have to take drastic measures.
'There's gotta be some rope strong enough to restrain a demon somewhere around here. Then it's just a matter of lining up—'
Sakura ignored her inner's rambling as she finished fixing her appearance in the mirror, hoping she'd been able to sufficiently hide the evidence of her and Naruto's steamy make out session. Or more specifically, her almost freshly fucked look.
'And to think, if we hadn't volunteered for this damn mission we might actually be walking around with a real freshly fucked look.'
Due to the mounting tension of being forced to spend so much time apart, Inner Sakura had begun to develop quite the vulgar side.
As she walked downstairs she took notice of the lack of men in the room.
"Where did the guys go?"
"Outside, building a campfire." came Tsunami's bored response.
"For what?"
"Apparently they aren't thrilled about the mushroom soup Tsunami-san plans to make for dinner tonight." Kurenai explained, rolling her eyes.
"Um, I'm looking forward to it." Hinata admitted softly.
"Me, too." Sakura turned to lock her gaze on the slumped over form of Tsunami. "Mushroom soup sounds great."
"Thank you girls." Tsunami gave them a halfhearted smile. That smile suddenly turned wicked. "They probably plan to grill fish, right? Sakura-san, do you think you could get Shadow to go with them and cause a ruckus to keep the fish away?"
Sakura blinked. "Uh... I'll see what I can do but he doesn't really listen to me. But maybe," Sakura developed a mischievous grin, "Naruto might wanna go with them. He could do the same thing plus complain about his injury the whole time."
"Ooh. Then they'll come home hungry and annoyed." Tsunami agreed. "Yeah, that's perfect." the raven haired woman leaned back in her seat to get more comfortable. "And seeing as I'm just gonna make enough for us, Inari and Naruto, I don't have to start cooking just yet."
The room was silent for a while until Kurenai spoke up.
"How is Naruto's wound coming along?" Sakura gave a sluggish blink at the sudden question, having been relaxing into a lull. "You were up there for quite a while, after all."
"Yes," Tsunami sat up straighter, "do tell. Exactly how much time does it take Naruto-kun to heal?"
"I always heard Suna nin are quite robust."
"Is he a good patient or does he just sit there and let you do all the work?"
It was at that point that Sakura realized that the two older women weren't talking about Naruto's condition. Beside her Hinata appeared to come to the same realization because she almost exploded she was blushing so hard.
"We weren't doing that!" she affirmed, trying but failing to contain her own blush.
While Kurenai maintained her casual expression Tsunami clearly didn't believe her. In fact a disturbingly giddy grin had spread across the raven haired mother's face.
"Hey, how you spend your breaks is up to you." Kurenai failed to completely keep the amusement from her voice. "So long as it doesn't interfere with the mission, of course." It was impossible to discern who was more the more uncomfortable of the two teens on the couch. "So how is he doing, really?"
"He's getting better. It's nowhere near as big and swollen as it was before—"
"I'll bet. With how long you were up there?"
Beside the rosette Hinata's head fell back as she fainted.
"Oh dear." Kurenai sighed before getting up from her chair to adjust her student so she wouldn't fall off from the couch.
"That's precious." Tsunami gushed over Hinata's innocence.
As Sakura helped Kurenai move Hinata she thought about the conversation she'd had with the girl, since they were often assigned on the same team.
The Hyūga heiress had disclosed to Sakura that the reason Inari had been in a foul mood since the day he had stormed into the house had been because he had been behaving very abrasively with her while she'd been collecting wood. Saying that he'd heard rumors that all female Shinobi were trained in the art of pleasing men and he was wondering if he could get a demonstration. Hinata had tried ignoring him until Shino arrived and offered to demonstrate how some of his bugs liked to lay eggs inside of any crevice they could find.
Though Sakura had been furious on Hinata's behalf, mainly because the lavender eyed girl was too kind to get upset by the actions of a child, she knew that the girl's suspicions were unlikely to be the real reason the young boy had been in such a sour mood around them.
Ever since the incident Inari had been alternating between admiring Naruto whenever the Shinobi weren't around and resenting the obviously stronger, older demon who didn't take kindly to the young half demon using even an iota of his chakra around him. It was due to this behavior that Sakura couldn't blame Naruto for wanting to avoid the preteen.
She also noticed, however, that the blond would often watch the overly smothering way Tsunami interacted with her son with a wistful smile. It intrigued her then, why he seemed to have begun to avoid the raven haired mother.
Outside of his interactions with Tsunami and Inari, Naruto was getting along quite well with team eight and Tazuna. In Kiba he had found a kindred spirit and the two were often reprimanded by Kurenai for being too rowdy together. Of course when Tazuna joined them in their revelry Kurenai held her tongue, not wanting to offend the customer but thankfully in those instances Tsunami wasn't afraid to scold her father.
While Sakura had never had many interactions with the senior Kunoichi—she could probably count the number of times they'd met on both hands—as time passed it seemed Kurenai became as reserved in her interactions with the presumed Suna Jōnin as she was with everyone. Because of this Naruto had confided in Sakura that he thought Kurenai was still upset with him for the words he'd spoken in his adrenaline-like Demonic Chakra haze. Laughing, Sakura had informed Naruto that Kurenai was just a naturally detached person.
In a way the rosette felt she could understand Kurenai's disposition. Unlike her, the sienna eyed woman was extremely attractive and had likely learned to keep her interactions cordial to prevent misunderstandings such as unwanted advances. It was a problem Sakura had never had to deal with herself though she knew Hinata had opted to try to hide her figure under her baggy clothes to prevent such an issue.
The Hyūga heiress' interactions with Naruto were straightforward enough until Sakura's jealousy had reared its ugly head. Of course Naruto being Naruto had been confused by his Mate's sudden petulance. It wasn't until Shadow reminded her that Naruto had never shown an interest in females until he met her that Sakura admitted she was being petty.
And even though she explained her behavior to Naruto and assured him he didn't have to avoid Hinata like the plague just because she'd had a moment of insecurity, it appeared Hinata had picked up on the problem and begun limiting her interactions with the blond. Sakura found herself repeating the conversation she'd had with Naruto but with Hinata. Sans any kisses, of course.
When it came to Shino, Sakura knew he could be weird but Naruto treated the teen respectfully and never freaked out when he found the occasional bug on his person.
Privately, late one night, Naruto had revealed to Sakura that as long as Shino didn't have any spiders or centipedes he would be fine. In response Sakura had fluttered her fingers up his bandaged back causing the blond to jump away in fright. Although he pouted about her laughter the make out session afterwards had made her teasing worth it.
Naruto's best rapport, however, had to be with Edward. The elder blond was easily as boisterous as the blond fox demon and although Kiba and Shino had grown tired of listening to the foreigner's tales—about his homeland or of his lovely wife—Naruto seemed to revel in it.
Kurenai had been the one to point out to the rosette that it almost appeared as if Naruto was taking notes from Edward on what it was like to live with a wife, particularly a pregnant wife. A notion Sakura had sputtered about trying to refute.
As the days passed, however, Sakura couldn't help but notice that Naruto had a tendency to seek her form while listening to Edward ramble on about how beautiful he found his wife while she was pregnant with their child. The few times she'd met his gaze during those moments she'd felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer intensity in his eyes.
All in all, the fact that the mission was going so smoothly made Sakura wonder how Team Eight would react if they knew Naruto was actually a demon. And she his mate.
'Would they not care? Would they tell us to leave?' Sakura wondered to herself as she watched Naruto descend the stairs and offer to help Kiba walk Akamaru. While the dog was healing well it still couldn't support itself properly while using the bathroom. 'Would they turn hostile?'
With Hinata still out cold and Kurenai and Tsunami having moved to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner sakura decided to follow the two teens outside where she took a seat on the back steps. She watched Naruto and Kiba accompany Akamaru out towards the trees where the canine shuffled about looking for a suitable spot to do it's business.
"What're you searching for?" Naruto ranted in jest. "You're just gonna poop on the floor!"
With a guffaw Kiba shoved his blond companion.
From her spot Sakura giggled until Tsunami's words from when they'd confronted her about Inari came to mind and she had her answer. They were lucky that Team Eight hadn't heard of her defection already but she knew that once her friends found out the truth, they wouldn't be friends anymore.
They'd be enemies.
The admission hurt more than she thought if would. They got along so well yet the simple fact that Naruto was a demon would change that. And she wasn't even really that close with Team Eight.
Lost in her sudden moroseness she didn't hear the soft pitter-patter approaching her from the side. Without saying a word Shadow nudged her with his head, the action alerting her to the young Fox Demon's return. Turning Sakura gave him a wan smile, taking in his tired appearance, before patting the top of her thigh. Without a fuss Shadow settled down next to the rosette before laying his head in her lap.
The simple act of petting the black fox demon seemed to work wonders to lift her spirits but it was the smile that lit up Naruto's face when he caught sight of them that made her forget her grief.
Once Akamaru noticed Shadow, after finishing up with his business of course, he gave a bark before padding over as fast as he could.
Shadow gave a tired sigh, about to get up and run away but Sakura's hand on the back of his neck held him down.
"Akamaru." The rosette spoke when the dog reached them. "Let Shadow rest, okay?" The white dog tilted his head at her in confusion. "He's tired. Why don't you go wake up Hinata?"
With a bark Akamaru ran inside, possibly to do what he'd been told.
"Thank you." Shadow settled back against Sakura.
"Where you been lately, Shadow?" Naruto asked when he was close enough. "Not that I'm complaining about your absence. The peace has been kind of nice."
"Hiding from Akamaru, I suppose." Sakura replied when Shadow opted to turn his head away from the blond Fox Demon.
"Aw, what's wrong? Scared of the big bad dog?"
"Pansy-ass Fox Demon." Kiba muttered as he walked past Sakura into the house, obviously believing no one would hear him.
"Mutt." Shadow shot back though whether or not Kiba heard was difficult to say.
Sakura however had and stared at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "Your friend," he tilted his head towards the Inuzuka, "he's got some demon in him."
"What?"
"Not like Tazuna's other assistant." Shadow clarified. "One of his ancestors was a demon so he has some demon in him. That makes him a mutt."
While Naruto nodded his concurrence Sakura couldn't help but think back to the incident with Inari. "So calling someone a mutt is a derogatory term?"
When Naruto tilted his head, befuddled, Shadow gave a huff of confirmation. "It is an insult, yes."
"Then," green eyes rose to piece Naruto's blue ones, her next words coming out in a harsh whisper, "during that incident with Inari... you were calling him a Mutt because he was a half demon, not because he's a dog demon?"
When Naruto nodded Sakura almost felt like her stomach had dropped.
"But that's—that's so bigoted." By this point Sakura had stopped petting Shadow so the young Fox Demon sat up. Her gaze kept darting between the two Fox Demons as is seeing them in a new light.
"Perhaps we should take this conversation away from everyone else." Shadow suggested. Naruto nodded his consent before holding out a hand to help his mate up to her feet. Together they walked towards the tree line, though obviously not in the same direction as Naruto and Kiba had taken Akamaru.
"You're making a bigger deal over this than it really is." Shadow tried to calm the rosette down.
"Yeah, Sakura-chan." Naruto moved to hold her hand. "There's no need to get so worked up over a couple of half demons."
Sakura couldn't help but reel back like she'd been struck. "Is being part Human really so appalling to you?" She yanked her hand out of Naruto's grip before placing her hands on her hips. "You realize I'm Human? As in one hundred percent Human, zero percent Demon?"
"Sakura-chan, lower your voice." Naruto tried to caution her.
"And you marked me as your mate. That means at some point in the future, if we ever have sex, we might have children and those children will be Hanyō. Or did you not realize that you'd be sullying your precious Demon blo—"
"Sakura-chan." Naruto's voice had gained that authoritative tone from their first full day in Nami no kuni. "I do not hate humans. I've spent the last few years exterminating Demons that prey on Humans. My mother was a human and I loved her. You are a human and I love you. But theirs a certain stigma about Half Demons. Remember, I grew up as one.
"To be both a Human and a Demon but at the same time know that you're neither. You feel like less than the sum of your parts." Hanging at his side, Naruto's hands clenched until his knuckles turned white. "Humans look down on you like you're worse than the dirt beneath their feet and because even Demons don't tolerate you—will actually try to kill you on sight—Humans feel justified in treating you and your family like shit.
"You simply don't belong."
"Naruto." was all Sakura could manage to say. "Then you of all people should know how it feels to be looked down upon because of something you have no control over. So why would you subject someone else to that feeling?"
"I don't. But what you have to understand is that because of the way they're treated most Half Demons are unhinged. Some become thieves and the rest usually murderers."
"Can you blame them, though? If they're treated the way you say you were?"
"Then why didn't I turn out like that?" Naruto's sudden question made Sakura pause. "Just because you've experienced some difficulties in your life—because the world is against you doesn't mean that you're not responsible for the crimes you decide to commit."
The silence that followed stretched on for almost ten minutes and when neither teen made any attempt to break it Naruto turned to walk away, heading further into the forest without saying a word. Sakura watched him leave until she could see him no more and then she turned to walk back into Tazuna's house.
Neither noticed Shadow's glowing eyes or the rapidly spinning tomoe inside them.
To be continued...
AN/ I feel like my writing has degraded so much since I last updated this story. Like, I dunno, I don't do as well at describing scenes? But maybe it's because I forced this chapter to be filler so I can actually progress more than a third of a day in one chapter? I dunno, please let me know your opinions.
I've updated past chapters slightly, very slightly, in an effort to fix any continuity errors that might arise from this point onwards. I have a real plot now!
For anyone wanting a better image of Kurama(Kyūbi) in this story, I had initially tried to base him off of Aizen from Bleach (after he had defected) only with red hair, obviously, but after watching K I just could not get the image of Suoh Mikoto out of my head. So, yeah. Suoh Mikoto. Search him up. That's what my new Kyūbi is based off.
In case you skipped my AN up top, chapter 9 was replaced with a new chapter and the previous chapters were rearranged to their proper numbers. I removed my chapter 5 AN. I repeat, this was a double update.
Chapter eleven coming soon.