RosarioJinchuuriki

by Denim88

Naruto always knew he was a bit different for holding the Kyuubi inside him. He never imagined that he'd be considered outside of the norm for his humanity though. The one shinobi in a school full of monsters; what awaits him in Youkai Academy?

10. The Fox and the Ninja

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and Rosario+Vampire is the property of Akihisa Ikedha. It kind of sucks that I didn't think up either of the two series, and I don't mean suck as in how Moka sucks blood out of Tsukune. Yeah, bad pun, my bad.

Rosario+Jinchuuriki

Chapter Nine: The Fox and the Ninja

"Where the hell did he go?"

"How should I know? He was just in front of us a second ago!"

"I'm right here."

The two Student Police members turned around only to see nothing. The sound of the air vents above them could be heard creaking above them, along with their breathing, but the halls were otherwise void of any noise.

"Dude, I'm getting the hell out of here!" The first student began sprinting down the hall, only for a figure to land on his shoulders. He was knocked out by the impact, leaving his shaking partner to look down the hall towards the elusive and intimidating Arashi-Ninja.

"Hm. Don't they give you guys any basic training for situations like these?" Naruto asked as he stepped over his most recent surprise attack victims, "Seriously, I mean, I've seen kids half your age do better at defending themselves compared to your security guards! It's insulting that people like you are abusing power like this."

"G-get away from me!" The student pulled out a tonfa and charged towards the blond. Naruto rolled his eyes, noticing the idiot had no idea how to use his weapon most effectively. Without flinching, Naruto caught the blunt weapon with one hand, took it from the baffled teen, then checked him in the gut with said weapon. The Police Committee member groaned in pain as he struggled to stand up straight, only to have his tonfa pressed against his throat, pinning him to the wall, "Gack!"

"Now..." Naruto began, "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to cooperate with me and answer me honestly, alright?" Lessening the pressure on his captive's throat, Naruto continued, "Don't test my patience."

"You think I'd help a bastard like-oof! Gah! Aaaaah! Alright, alright, just let go of my hand!"

Naruto, who was currently twisting the other boys' wrist while pulling it downward, laughed, "What makes you think a bastard like me would be willing to let you go?"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, just stop!"

Naruto pulled the boy's arm back up, and turned the wrist back to a less painful position, but maintained his hold, "Start singing, buddy."

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Kuyou..."

The leader of the Public Safety Commission looked over his shoulder to a short redheaded girl with a bo staff, "Deshiko, what's the meaning of this?"

"The patrols in the third and fourth block have been taken out. They were saying something about the Arashi-Ninja."

Kuyou's emotionless face morphed into a scowl, "The Arashi-Ninja?"

"Y-yes, it appears that he's somehow broken into our headquarters." replied Deshiko Deshi, "What are your orders?

"See to it that he doesn't make it this far."

"R-right." Deshiko replied with a quick bow, then exited through the door behind her.

Kuyou returned his attention to the person before him. Moka stood in place while a chain holding her arms together behind her back. Said chain was connected to the rafters above their heads within one of the largest rooms in the Student Police headquarters, which Kuyou affectionately named the 'questioning chamber', "Now, I have grown tired of this game, Akashiya-san. Tell me...is Tsukune Aono a human or not?"

"I-I don't know!" Moka lied, "Why are you doing this? There's no need to be so-"

Kuyou took a spray bottle and spritzed her several times with water. She cried out as she felt her strength get sapped a little, and her knees began to shake.

"We've been at this for over an hour, Akashiya-san. I suggest you cooperate, unless you wish to be dealt with more throughly. We have several fire hoses around here, I'm sure."

Moka's eyes widened, but she kept her lips sealed. She wouldn't turn Tsukune in like that. Not even if it meant...

There was the sudden squeal of the PA speaker being turned on, and Kuyou looked up, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Ahem...attention all Public Safety Commission officers..." spoke a voice, "This is your local ninja vigilante of justice, the Arashi-Ninja, speaking. I've just been informed by one of your less fortunate officers that you are currently imprisoning Tsukune Aono and Moka Akashiya under little to no evidence. While I'm sure this is the case for numerous other students, you seem to have been targeting these two and the Newspaper Club for quite some time now."

"Ninja-san?" Moka looked up, her eyes lighting up as she heard the voice continue.

"As such, I'm afraid my patience with your group has fizzled out. I will now proceed to take down your organization, by force if necessary. I recommend that if you wish to not be thrashed to a pulp that you surrender now. Leave the area and no harm will come to you. That will be all."

With that, the PA was turned off. Kuyou glared at the electronic speaker before turning back to Moka, "So, it seems that your friend has made his presence official." Kuyou snapped his fingers, and two students on either side of the room gave a nod before exiting the room, "Looks like I'll be using more direct measures on you after all."

~o~o~o~o~o~

Four guards stood at the door way connecting the last imprisonment block with the hall leading to the room where Kuyou was holding Moka Akashiya and Tsukune Aono. Deshiko Deshi, the commanding officer of their group, had gone into the prison block by herself, only to have the lights go out on her. She whipped out her bo staff as she felt a presence entering the room. Though her vision had been restrained with the lack of lighting, she wouldn't drop her guard so easily.

"Well, someone who can finally put up a fight." echoed a voice, "...hm...perhaps not."

Deshiko felt a fist connect with her jaw before she was caught by her wrist, and flung into the door she had entered through.

"Yeesh, this is basic combat stuff for me, you know that? Most people my age where I come from would be able to fight in almost pitch black conditions."

Deshiko got to her feet, holding her staff in a ready stance, "Arashi-Ninja. Figures that you'd show up here eventually. What purpose do you have in breaking into our headquarters?"

"I'm here to clean up this corrupt group. The Student Committee is blatantly violating student rights with the imprisonment. Yeah, they may be monsters, but I know for a fact that more than half of these 'prisoners' have done nothing violating student code of conduct." Naruto gave a chuckle, "Seriously, for an organized group who is meant to uphold the order in this place, you sure suck at making a good example of yourselves."

Deshiko grit her teeth before charging towards the sound of the ninja's voice. She'd take down this bastard, and Kuyou would be able to get rid of the human with no more problems. Then maybe she'd get promoted to a higher ranked officer!

~o~o~o~o~o~

Three minutes had passed when the door opened. The two guards Kuyou had sent off were now hauling in a struggling Tsukune, who appeared to have been through an hour-long interrogation of his own. He had several bruises on his face, and his overall appearance was rather disheveled.

"We even tried to get him to transform by letting him go. He didn't retaliate, or make any attempt to break out. He simply asked where you were." Kuyou smiled knowingly, "It appears he has no real powers, does he?"

"That..." Moka looked up, "...Tsukune's not guilty of anything!"

"Moka, what'd they do to you?" Tsukune spoke, finally looking up with one open eye, the other shut from a swollen bruise.

Kuyou cut off the both of them, his eyes back on Moka, "Now then, tell me, is Tsukune Aono a human? Yes...or no?"

"I..." Moka shook her head, "No, he's-"

"Ugh!" Tsukune felt a fist implant itself in his gut, and he coughed, "Gah...wh-what the hell?"

"Tsukune!" Moka cried out before glaring at Kuyou, "Stop that! He's done nothing wrong!"

"Oh?" Kuyou asked, "So he's not a human?" He grabbed Tsukune by the hair while keeping his eyes locked with Moka, "Tell him to transform to his true self, then."

"Tsukune..." Moka began, "...I..."

"Gaaah!"

Crash!

Kuyou looked to the door behind him, "Go see what that was."

The two guards bowed before running out into the hall. A few moments passed before more crashes were heard. Kuyou growled in annoyance before throwing Tsukune to the floor and opening the door himself. A second later he saw a figure go flying into him from the darkness.

"Deshi?" Kuyou began, "What are you doing here?"

Deshiko had a dazed look in her eyes, and it appeared like she had gone through a royal ass-kicking, "Th-the Arashi-Ninja...he's stronger than we thought."

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Crap, he took out Deshi-san!" spoke of one of the guards, "Where the hell did he go?"

"Calm the hell down! He caught her off guard, that's all," replied another one of the Student Police guards, "He probably just ran back into the jail block; he knows he can't get past all of us in such a narrow hall-"

"Actually, I've been here the whole time."

The two guards looked up to see a shadow drop down upon them. The dim lighting didn't help their situation. It was like trying to locate and hit a shadow in a dark alleyway.

Naruto quickly grabbed hold of the baton in one of his attacker's hands, and snapped it in two before catching and breaking his knuckles. The student cried out in pain before getting a knee to the gut, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You won't get away with-"

The blond ducked under a wild swing from his other opponent, and grabbed his arm before throwing the student over himself and onto the ground. Before the student could get up, Naruto decked him in the face, knocking him out cold.

The sound of several more footsteps could be heard from two connecting hallways. He smirked and melted back into the shadows.

"I probably didn't even need to bring all my gear. I wanted to cut loose here, too." the blond thought as he waited for the remaining guards to reach him. In all honesty, it surprised him how few of the student police had actually dropped their human forms and transformed into their true selves. Perhaps it was because these students actually trained a bit in their human bodies, or maybe a few of them were actually half-decent beings who were just trying to uphold school rules. Though, he recalled hearing that the Public Safety Commission members were allowed to use their true forms whenever necessary.

Maybe they were just underestimating him. He'd need to teach them a lesson.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kuyou dropped Deshiko and looked down the shadow-filled hall. He saw several guards running down the hall from connecting corridors, the sounds of fighting just beyond his sight. Several seconds later, there was silence, aside from a few groans of pain.

"He...he beat all of them? Surely there are some officers still..."

Then he heard it.

"Total slaughter...total slaughter..." the voice echoed down the hall, "I won't leave a single man alive...la de da de dai...genocide...la de da de duh...an ocean of blood. Let's begin the killing time..."

"What...?" Kuyou raised an eyebrow, "He's...singing?"

The dim lighting near Kuyou began to make out the faint image of a figure a little shorter than him. He was decked in a strange armor and had a mask covering his face with a bandanna covering his entire head.

"So...I finally meet you face to face, Arashi-Ninja. I must admit, that song is quite unfitting for you, who's supposedly called the 'Ninja Vigilante of Justice'..."

Naruto chuckled, "Eh, I was just messing around. Figured I'd scare off any stragglers that wanted to jump me." Naruto rolled his shoulders, "So...I take it Moka-san and Tsukune-san are in there?"

"That's none of your business."

"Well, as the 'Ninja Vigilante of Justice', I believe it is."

Kuyou's eyes were like daggers, "What do you know about justice?"

"For starters? It doesn't involve torture to those who aren't guilty of anything..."

Kuyou took a step forward, "I am justice, you fool. My word is what keeps this place in one piece!"

"Egotistical, aren't we?" Naruto sighed while he continued towards the head of the Police Committee.

Kuyou replied by forming a ball of fire in his hands. Naruto caught him by the wrist and gripped it tightly before aiming his open palm at a wall. The fireball crashed into the nearby wall and sent dust flying as it scorched the brick. Kuyou grimaced as the ninja pushed him back before kicking him in the chest.

"Ahk!"

Kuyou hit the brick wall rather hard. He was a bit surprised; this interloper was stronger than he had thought originally. It wasn't a surprise to see that all of his subordinates had been taken out, now that he felt what must have been a fraction of his strength.

"Oh, come on, get up!" Naruto shouted, "That was just a jerk in the knees. If you're going to fall over after that, then I'm going to feel bad when I get serious."

Kuyou got up and dusted himself off, "Very well. You say you'll be serious about this fight? Then I'm obliged to do likewise."

Naruto felt the air become thick with a suppressive force that he identified as youki. He'd come to associate youki with something akin to both killer intent and chakra, but that was obviously not the case entirely, since the monsters in Youkai had a different sort of physical energy source than the shinobi of his world.

"You'll be the first to bear witness to my power in quite some time, Arashi-Ninja..." Kuyou began as a fire began to surround him, "I'll burn you to ashes and bring back the order to this school. Then I'll dispose of this filthy human and his vampire associate!"

Naruto was pushed back by a sudden force that was accompanied by an intense heat. He covered his face for a moment as a blast of the fiery youki washed over him, and as he lowered his eyes, he nearly stumbled back in surprise.

"...y-you're..."

"Correct..." spoke Kuyou, who's voice was deep and almost ethereal now, "I am a kitsune. A fox spirit."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Though he dare not say why he thought it humorous. Crouching low, he pulled out a kunai, "Alright, foxy. Let's see if those flames are more than just for show."

There were four tails that seemed to be made of fire that waved lazily behind the fox. Kuyou had a bright yellow and orange glow about him, and strange markings lining his body. He was just like the pictures he saw in some of the older books about folk tales that Hiruzen Sarutobi would occasionally read to him when he was just a child.

The tails began to spin while Kuyou opened his mouth, "Hazy Fireball!"

Naruto whipped through several hand seals before blasting water out of his mouth, "Suiton: Teppoudama!"

The fireball burst into a steamy haze as it crashed into the liquid projectile Naruto shot forth. Kuyou growled in anger as he looked to Naruto, "You continue to annoy me, Arashi-Ninja. Why do you get in the way of justice?"

"Your 'justice' is just whatever you feel is right! It doesn't work that way, Kuyou!"

Kuyou roared before igniting himself, yellow flames encircling him, "I will crush you, and make an example of you to all who feel they have the right to take the law into their hands!"

"Go ahead and try!" Naruto shouted back, "I've dealt with stronger opponents than you!"

Kuyou dashed forward, sliding low and avoiding Naruto's rising kick and lashing out with his fiery tails. Naruto cried out in pain while getting knocked back but staying on his feet. He felt his hand twitch in pain as he smelt burning flesh, but ignored it. He could already feel the Kyuubi working its magic on the wound, fixing it up and accelerating his cell regeneration.

The two circled each other a bit, neither giving each other an opening to attack. Kuyou's youki began to cause the ground to melt with every step he took. Naruto could see smoky paw prints where he had touched the ground.

"You know...it's funny..." Naruto began, "I always thought you'd be an uglier monster than this."

Kuyou gave no verbal reply, instead lunging forward, attempting to catch Naruto in his jaws. The young ninja hopped back before creating several clones. Kuyou whirled around, finding himself surrounded by about a dozen clones of the Arashi-Ninja now. A few ran to engage the kitsune directly while three hung back, running through several seals.

Kuyou made quick work of the the ninja's doppelgangers, and turned to face the three ninja. One of them had to be the real deal.

"Suiton: Teppoudama!"

"Raiton: Jibashi!"

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

The watery projectile smashed into Kuyou at the same time as the blast of high powered wind, creating a small vortex of water. He realized only a second later what his opponent's intentions were, and was hit with the electromagnetic current of the third jutsu.

"Gyaaaah!" Kuyou screamed in pain as he was electrocuted and sent into a violent spasm.

Naruto dispelled the two clones beside him and ran to Moka and Tsukune. He quickly snapped the chains holding Moka's hands together with his wind chakra, and helped untie Tsukune. When the teen was freed from his restraints he spoke, "You two alright?"

"Y-yeah..." Tsukune began, "Thanks, Ninja-san."

Naruto gave a thumbs up, "Don't mention it! No one can escape the righteous fury of the Arashi-Ninja's mighty fists!"

"R-right..." Tsukune nodded while giving the masked ninja an odd look, "We should get out of here..."

"Moka! Tsukune!"

The trio turned to the door to see none other than the members of the Newspaper Club, Gin included. They ran to the three, Yukari immediately latching onto Tsukune and saying how worried she was.

Gin noticed Naruto, "Arashi-Ninja?"

Naruto gave a nod, "Gin. Glad to see you...though not like this."

The werewolf gave a nod, "Heard from one of the beaten guards that you've already done quite a number here." He grinned, "Not bad, heheh."

The group felt the ground shake shake suddenly as Kuyou let out a roar, "You'll all be burned to ashes! All of you! Anyone who goes against my will be incinerated in my flames!"

"...man, he's full of himself." Naruto commented, "Stay back, guys, I'll handle this..."

"H-hey! Wait, you can't handle him by-" Gin's words fell on deaf ears as Naruto dashed forward, kunai in either hand, "...yourself..."

Naruto let out a battle cry as he leaped into the air before falling down and attempting to slash at the fox spirit. Kuyou let out a wave of fiery energy, knocking the blond back.

"Looks like I'll have to go to desperate measures. This guy's going to burn the place apart..." Naruto could feel the vibrations under his feet intensify as Kuyou continued to release his energy, "Here I come!"

Naruto held out his right hand before he began the process of his favorite technique. Soon a blue ball of energy was in his hands, ready to be slammed into Kuyou.

"W-where did you get that much youki all of the sudden?" Kuyou asked, a bit surprised to see the sudden increase in his adversary's power.

"Where I got it is none of your business." Naruto replied, "I'll be happy to show you how powerful this jutsu is, though!" Naruto dashed forward, Rasengan in hand, "Eat this, bastard!"

Kuyou blasted a ball of fire from his mouth, but Naruto held his hand out, and much to the fox spirit's surprise, it was absorbed into the vortex of chakra. Soon the masked blond was holding a swirling ball of flaming chakra in his hands as he continued forward, "H-how did you-?"

"Rasengan!"

Kuyou was impacted from the side by the powerful ball of chakra before he was blasted into a nearby wall. He moved a bit, wincing in pain as he stared at at the black and blue mark on his stomach. He probably got a few bruised ribs, as well, which was quite a feat in itself. Few managed to ever injure the kitsune at all. His flames tended to weaken any physical blows that were dealt to him.

That ninja was much stronger than he let on, though. That technique he had used was definitely an odd one. The oddest part, however, was that the ninja's energy was different from other youki he encountered in the past. It felt lighter, less malign. Almost like...

Kuyou's thoughts were interrupted as he felt steel pressed against his neck, "Give up, Kuyou."

"Give...up?" Kuyou repeated. He growled a bit, and before Naruto could react, sent out another wave of heat, stronger and much more powerful than before. Naruto screamed in pain as his clothes caught fire. The others, however, were too concerned with the sudden increase in temperature in the room to call out to the ninja. Blue flames were surrounding Kuyou as he managed to stand on two legs. Before their eyes, Kuyou began to change. His body took on a more human like appearance, and within moments, he was bipedal and looking at them with a more human face.

"W-what did he do?" Kurumu said shakily, "H-he's gotten a lot stronger all of the sudden."

The Succubus was right. What had been an intense pressure upon the group was now almost like a physical weight to anyone within the area. Yukari felt her knees quaking while Kurumu and Yukari were fairing only a little better, trying to keep the younger girl standing. Gin winced as he looked into the flaming eyes of the kitsune, "Shit..."

Kuyou laughed, "This is quite a familiar scenario. I'll be disposing of the Newspaper Club a second time, but this time I'll make sure that no one survives...but first..." Kuyou turned to the groaning form leaning against the wall, "I'll get rid of you, Arashi-Ninja."

The kitsune's eyes widened a fraction as he noticed the figure in front of him to be none other than Naruto Uzumaki. His body was severely burnt, his mask gone while his armor was melted in several spots, "So...you're the Arashi-Ninja."

Naruto looked up, and smirked, "Heh...you got me, big guy." He groaned in pain as he attempted to move, "Luckily ANBU armor is made to withstand explosions like that..."

Kuyou snarled as he grabbed Naruto by the throat, "This will make things much more easy for me, Uzumaki." He formed a fireball in his hands, preparing to finish Naruto off.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Everyone stared.

Naruto...all this time, he had been the one who was watching over them from the shadows.

"N-Naruto?" Yukari spoke as she looked on to the injured blond, who was currently being held up by Kuyou, "He's the Arashi-Ninja?"

Mizore was looking on with silent shock. It made sense, in some ways...but still...all this time, he had been hiding who he was. Why did he do this?

Moka and Kurumu were both at a loss for words, though Kurumu felt she had known it all along. The incident at the pool back when they were attacked by mermaids...Naruto being in the Karate Club...

Tsukune, however, wasn't thinking as clearly.

"Naruto!" Tsukune shouted, getting to his feet and running to his friend.

Naruto and Kuyou both looked to the human boy, and the blond felt his gut turn to lead, "Tsukune, stay back!"

Kuyou wasn't as good at warning his enemies, however. Tsukune was whipped away with a tail of blue fire, sending him rolling a few times on the ground before he crashed into Gin, who attempted to catch him.

"You bastard!" Naruto growled, whipping out a kunai from his pouch. He stabbed Kuyou in the arm, causing the kitsune to howl in pain. Kuyou slammed a flaming fist into his gut, and Naruto felt the air rush out of his lungs before he was sent once more into a wall.

"You clearly don't realize how outclassed you are, Uzumaki." Kuyou chuckled mockingly, "My species are revered as gods by many. Ironically enough, even humans see us as divine beings because of our vast power."

The shinobi snickered as though Kuyou had told a joke, "You're just an overgrown fox with an ego to overcompensate for your lack of a-"

Kuyou didn't bat an eyelash as he delivered a fire-enhanced punch to the blond. Naruto coughed up blood as he felt his ribs take on the brunt of the attack.

"This is the end for you, Uzumaki. I will destroy you, and bring peace back to our academy. I'll be sure to make this as painful as possible."

Kuyou lifted Naruto up by the collar and headbutt him once before slamming his face into the concrete. Heat seared the shinobi's face, and he was pretty sure there would be some nasty burns left behind when Kuyou was done with him. The blond, still conscious, grabbed a hold of Kuyou's arm and quickly snapped two of his fingers back.

"Gyaaaah!" Kuyou growled as he held his injured hand, "You still manage to try and fight me?" Kuyou slammed Naruto against the stone walls once more. This time Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he blacked out, "Forget it, I'll kill you right here and now!"

"That won't be happening."

Kuyou turned to see Gin standing before him, fur and all. He had let go of his human disguise, now showing the werewolf he truly was, "Gin? You dare stand against me, after seeing what happened to your little organization last year?"

"Well, I'm going to get beaten by you anyway, right?" He grinned, "May as well go down kicking and screaming!"

The werewolf blurred away, but Kuyou spun around and lashed out at him with his flaming tails, "A human lover like you, trying to take on me?"

The werewolf leaned back, the flames licking the end of his fur covered face. Gin groaned as he held a hand to his scorched facial fur, "Damn it..." Gin's eyes narrowed and he snarled, "Do you have any idea how long it'll take to grow my fur back to the condition it was in on my face? Do you?"

~o~o~o~o~o~

While Gin had fought bravely, he had done little to the powerful fox spirit, other than provide a distraction to prevent Naruto from being further beaten. The Newspaper Club watched in mild horror as Gin was tossed to the ground like a rag doll. He mumbled something about insane power before his eyes rolled into the back of his head as well before he blacked out.

"Tsukune, please stay behind me." whispered Moka. She had managed to get him to safety while Naruto and Gin were fighting the kitsune, but now he had his sights set on their group.

"M-Moka?" Tsukune looked up, "I-is Naruto alright?"

"I think so..." the rosette looked to see Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari standing in front of her, shielding her from the heat. She turned to her friends and continued, "There's...one way for me to help him. There is a bit of risk involved, but if it works, Tsukune-kun will make it."

Mizore gave a nod, "I'll give you what time I can."

"Same here." added Kurumu.

"We won't let that stupid Kuyou hurt Tsukune, Naruto, or Gin anymore!" Yukari chimed, clutching her wand tightly.

"Thank you." Moka gave them a nod, then leaned towards Tsukune.

"Moka...we've got to help...them..."

Moka barely registered the boy's hands clasping onto her rosary, but she felt a light tug, and before she knew it, the silver colored piece of jewelry snapped off her neck. The familiar, stifling aura of Moka's inner self washed over the group immediately.

"You idiot." Moka began, frowning, "I'm trying to save you. You're injured badly, and will die if I don't do something about it soon." She bared her teeth a bit as Tsukune clutched her rosary in his hands, smiling, despite her annoyance with him. She sighed, and looked away for a moment, "I'll help Naruto and the others as soon as I'm done helping you."

Tsukune's vision was swimming by now, and he felt rather cold. Was he dying?

His thoughts were cut off as he felt a dull pain in his neck. He was pretty sure it was Moka biting into him again. Was she feeding on his blood? Right now? He was dying! Why now of all...no...something different was happening. Instead of feeling tired...Tsukune was feeling...stronger!

Warmth began to wash over him, and he could feel his brain starting back up. Fingers twitched, breathing became stronger. He was starting to get his senses back, and around that time he heard what sounded like Moka's inner self talking. He felt Moka's lips against his once again warm skin, and for almost a minute she stayed their, pumping him full of whatever was giving him this energy boost.

"...we lost you, then I would never forgive myself, Tsukune. I have given you some of my blood; hopefully it will be enough to help you recover. Stay here, we'll take care of Kuyou and help the others. Just rest for now."

The white haired beauty stood up and her face left Tsukune's vision. He silently wanted to call back to her, but he was still too fatigued to speak full sentences. He could feel the overbearing pressure of Moka's youki now, along with Kuyou's. He just hoped she would be alright.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Mizore gasped weakly as she strained to stand up. Just beyond Kuyou was the unconscious form of Naruto. She got to her feet, and wobbled a bit as she tried to stabilize herself.

"Naruto..." She wasn't paying attention to Kuyou at the moment, her attention instead remaining focused on the boy that had come to find a foothold in her heart.

"Do you have feelings for that boy?" Kuyou inquired, noticing the direction of her gaze, "Is he important to you?"

Mizore felt her hands freeze into icicle claws again, "Leave Naruto-kun alone."

"Hmm?" Kuyou smirked, "So I take it that's a yes?" He aimed a palm at the prone form of Naruto Uzumaki, "I'm curious as to what you'll try to do to stop me, Yuki-onna." A large ball of blue flames formed in his hands, "Shall I attack him and see what happens?"

Mizore eyes widened, and her anger dissipated into fear for Naruto "W-wait..." She felt her arms trembling, "He can't even defend himself! Why would you attack someone that's unable to fight back?"

"He is a danger to the peace of Youkai Academy, and pays no mind to the laws set forth by the Student Police. That...and he stinks of human scent." He turned to the blond, "If I didn't know any better, seeing as he has yet to transform, he's a human as well." The ball of flames began to spin, "Good riddance, then."

"Noooo!" Mizore screamed. She quickly launched a gale of icy wind in desperation, hoping to somehow negate the far more powerful ball of fire and protect Naruto. The blast of wind hit the fireball a few feet from reaching Naruto, and erupted. The blond went flying into the air, landing in a heap some ways off from where Mizore was standing.

Looking to either side of her were Yukari and Kurumu. Neither had been any more successful that she had been against the fox spirit. Kurumu's illusions were simply brushed off by Kuyou's powerful aura, and she couldn't get that close to slash at him with her nails. Yukari's card magic was reduced to ashes by the kitsune, and she had no spells in her vast arsenal that were powerful enough to put even a dent in his stamina.

"H-he's too strong..." Yukari whined, her breathes coming out in short wheezes, "I...I'm having trouble standing near him, let alone fight."

Kurumu let out a haggard breath, "Well, we can't do anything but try! Moka needs us to cover for her while she heals Tsukune. While two of us fight, one of us can try to get to Naruto and Gin-senpai."

"You fools honestly think that you'll be able to do anything to me?" Kuyou laughed, "Your club president didn't prove to be much of a challenge. What makes you think you'll do any better?"

It was about that time that Kuyou was introduced to the youki of Moka Akashiya. He stopped laughing, and looked onward to see the vampiress glaring daggers at him. Was this her true form? So...Ishigami was right after all about that girl...

"A vampire? Hm, the academy's new students are full of surprises, aren't they?" Kuyou muttered to himself. He lifted both hands into the air and formed a rather dense ball of flames, "I won't give you a chance to attack, Akashiya! Now burn in my flames!"

Kurumu and Yukari screamed as the ball of fire roared towards them. Mizore quickly slammed her hands to the ground, and summoned forth a wall of ice. The flaming projectile smashed into the ice, engulfing the room in a thick steam as the heat met the freezing cold.

"I...I don't think I'll be able to...do that again..." Mizore breathed. Calling forth that much ice in such little time was taxing for a young Yuki-onna like her. However, upon seeing that her friends were safe, she had no regrets.

A strong hand gripped her shoulder, and Mizore turned to her right to see Moka standing by her side, "I'll take it from here, Mizore. Thank you for protecting us." She turned to Kurumu and Yukari, offering them nods of thanks before walking forward.

"Hmph. So the Yuki-onna had more power that she was letting on." the kitsune thought aloud, "No bother. I can tell that last move nearly drained her of all her power. She won't be able to create any more ice for quite some time. Seeing as she is the only one who attacks with anything remotely effective, you're done for. She uses ice, to boot, which is hardly something to fight fire with."

Moka was now standing about thirty feet away from the kitsune, "Kuyou. You've harmed my friends. You nearly killed Naruto and Tsukune." She raised both her hands into a fighting stance, "I'm afraid any shred of mercy I would have had for you is gone. Prepare yourself!"

The vampiress sped to meet Kuyou from behind, only for his fist to collide with her foot.

"What?" Moka glared at the kitsune, "How-?"

"While your speed is impressive...it's nothing I cannot keep up with."

Kuyou slammed a fist into Moka's gut, and she grunted in pain while forcing her feet to push her off the ground and away from the fox spirit. His attacks were brutal, no doubt about it. It was hard to believe that Naruto had lasted as long as he had, if her suspicions of him being human were correct. Hell, it was nothing short of a miracle for Tsukune to have lived after Kuyou had attacked him.

The vampiress leaped into the air, attempting to take Kuyou down with an ax kick to the skull. Kuyou skillfully dodged to the side and whipped his tails at the vampire girl. Moka flexed herself to the side, giving herself a few inches of space to keep her from getting burned. She quickly flipped back several times as Kuyou launched miniature balls of fire at her.

"I see you're well aware of how much of a disadvantage you're at, Akashiya!" Kuyou gloated, "While your acrobatics seem to be helping you, just how long do you plan on leaping around for?"

Moka pushed off her hands and spun to the side as a particularly large ball of flames grazed her uniform. She touched down to the ground for no more than a second before dashing forward to engage Kuyou directly.

She ducked under a flaming kick and moved herself into a snap kick, only for her foot to pass over his chin as he leaned back. Growling at her inability to deal a connecting blow, she spun herself around using her momentum to swipe him with a kick with her other leg. He caught her by the ankle and flung her through the air before launching a ball of fire at her.

Moka cursed her ill luck and raised her hands to defend herself, and was hit with one of the most intense waves of heat and flame she had ever experienced. The proud vampiress forced herself to land on her feet, huffing and puffing as she held her stance, knees bent while she tried to maintain balance. While her clothing was scorched and sizzling in a few places, her body was for the most part unharmed. She was glad she had decided to use her youki to buffer the worse effects of Kuyou's attack.

"I'm still too weak from giving Tsukune a portion of my blood." She ground her teeth in frustration while looking to her weary friends, then to Gin, Tsukune, and finally to Naruto, who was still unmoving, "What kind of vampire am I if I cannot even defend those that will throw their necks out to defend my other self?" She clenched a fist and rose to her feet, "Is...that all to your power...Kuyou?"

Kuyou gave her a rather amused look, "Though I daresay you're in any condition to speak such words, no, I haven't given you all that I have at my disposal. Doing so would likely cause more damage than I'm willing to create, considering this is my headquarters."

The fox spirit launched another volley of fire at Moka, who forced her feet to move while she strained to keep herself going. The heat, combined with her burns, and the fact that she had the others' safety to be concerned of, gave Kuyou a huge handicap in this match.

Moka stopped suddenly and ducked as a wave of heat soared over her head. She turned ninety degrees and dashed towards the kitsune, eyes blazing with vampiric fury.

"Raaaaagh!"

Kuyou was caught off guard; she had gained a sudden burst of speed in seconds and was upon him. He raised a hand and blocked a fist, but the knee to his gut caused his abdomen to clench in pain. He let out a feral roar before clawing at the vampire, which she sidestepped and used his arm to lift her up to his face and deliver another powerful knee strike.

"Graagghh!" Kuyou recoiled as he felt his nose break, "My nose!" He lowered his clawed hand and his eyes were literally blazing, "Enough of this! I've said it one too many times, but now I will end this! Hraaaaaaaaagh!"

Flames erupted from the kitsune, and the smell of molten rock filled the air, "I'll just vaporize all you right here and now!"

The flames increased further, and now even Moka was having trouble standing close to her vulpine opponent. She backed away, bullets of sweat dripping down her skin, "No...I can't counter this..." She turned to the others, relieved to see that they had managed to grab a hold of Naruto and Gin finally, "All of you, get out of here! Now!"

"What? No! We're not leaving-"

"I stand the best chance of enduring this heat, Kurumu! This isn't up for discussion! Take the boys and run! Now!" She finished with a harsh snarl. The others all gave her an alarmed look, but she would ignore the fearful gazes; her pride demanded that she see this fight through.

At least that would have been the case had she not been interrupted...

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Ah, this is an extreme case of déjà vu for me."

"Bite me, fur ball."

The Kyuub let our a rancorous laugh, "Now now, I'm not here to ridicule you for your insurmountable stupidity, Naruto. I'm here to offer you a helping hand..." The Kyuubi smiled as Naruto looked up from his spot on the damp sewer floors, "Think of this as a way for me to help you protect your pathetic friends and give me a sense of satisfaction as well."

"What the hell are you talking about? Since when did my fights concern you beyond keeping me alive, Kyuubi?"

"Since I saw that wisp of a fox spirit challenge my vessel's power!" Kyuubi roared, his crimson irises glowing with malevolence, "I want to crush that kitsune that goes by the name Kuyou, and I want to put him in his rightful place. Now!"

Naruto frowned, "I don't trust you enough to use your power here. I also don't intend on killing anyone today if I can help it."

"Fool! You're at death's door as we speak!" The Kyuubi slammed against the bars of its prison, "Just channel my chakra through your body and defeat him! Nothing more to it!" The Kyuubi snarled in anger at his vessel's stubbornness, "That or you and your friends die! Your choice!"

Naruto grumbled while pacing back and forth for a moment. He had a choice, that was true. He could either use his own chakra, awaken in time to probably take on Kuyou a second time, and likely face a second experience at being scorched by the kitsune's flames. The other option was that he could use the Kyuubi's chakra.

"If this is a because of your pride as a shinobi that you're refusing my rare genuine offer of help, then get over it! You've already shown your strength is far superior to most of your pathetic species! Most ninja would have been destroyed by that whelp of a kitsune's flames from the start!"

If Naruto didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Kyuubi was complimenting him, though he doubted it. Kyuubi was likely just trying to get him to cave in and take his chakra.

Naruto had his mind up, however. To hell with consequences, his friends needed his help.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Kuyou, along with the rest of the group in the room, all felt a sudden weight settle in their chests. The kitsune stopped gathering his youki for a moment, curious as to what could be creating such a disturbing aura. They turned their attention to the blond who was suddenly dropped by Mizore, who was shaking her hand and complaining about a burning sensation.

Naruto began to stir. He gripped the cracked stone floor with his now clawed hands, and slowly pushed himself up off the floor. He took in a few shaky breaths, and looked up to stare into Kuyou's eyes. The blond's eyes were slitted, and of a red hue.

"Those eyes..." Kuyou spoke, "They're real..."

"You got that right, Kuyou..." Naruto growled, steadying himself to his feet. He felt his cracked ribs mend, his bruises and burns heal, and his muscles bulk a little, "You know, I find it ironic that the guy I'm about to beat the shit out of is a four tailed fox spirit."

Hiding his unease behind a placid expression, he spoke, "Oh? Why is that?"

Naruto grinned, and everyone aside from the blond, Moka included let out an involuntary shudder as a feeling of raw, unrestrained killer intent became present in the room. Yukari began to shake and found herself in the arms of Kurumu, who was close to collapsing as well. Mizore was debating on running and calling out to Naruto, so instead she settled for remaining in place. Tsukune was on his hands and knees and breathing hard, keeping his eyes on Naruto the whole time. Gin, who had just woken up a short time ago was leaning on a support beam while struggling to remain on his feet.

Moka was fairing better than the others, but still felt the effects of Naruto's inner demon. She backed away slightly, her eyes focused on the blond while he began to call upon a strange coating of energy that was the color of crimson and orange.

"Why?" Naruto repeated, "Well, that's because I am the holder of the nine tailed fox. The Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko!"

Naruto's aura glowed brightly as he began to flood the area in the Kyuubi's chakra. He turned towards his friends behind him, and his eyes softened a little. The slitted irises rested upon Mizore as he spoke, "...Mizore-chan...I'm sorry I burned you earlier." He looked down as he continued, "Do you remember what we talked about that night? About how I'm a human, but something else as well?"

Mizore could only nod in reply.

"This is what I was talking about. I have sealed within me one of the most powerful demons that has ever existed where I'm from. The nine tailed fox."

"..." Mizore was speechless. A human boy with a demon sealed inside of his body? Why? Judging by the way he was biting twitching every so often, and the way his eyes quivered, this power wasn't comfortable at all for him to use. How did he get placed with such a powerful entity within him?

If Mizore was speechless, Kuyou was struck with terror. He backed away suddenly, aware of the crap heap of trouble he had jumped into. A nine tailed fox? Inside a human? Surely he was joking! Despite what he wanted to believe, however, Kuyou was forced to face the facts; that energy that Naruto was emitting was much like his own...but worse. Far, far worse.

"I need you guys to get out of here." Naruto began, "If things get ugly in here, I don't want any of you getting caught up in it."

"You think that I'm leaving?" Moka began, finding her voice, "I'm a vampire. I will not-"

"I'm not suggesting, Moka, I'm telling you! Get the hell out of here!"

Moka backed away, clearly startled by the harsh edge in Naruto's voice. He was dead serious; get out, or regret it.

Moka slowly turned around, but looked over her shoulder to the blond, "We'll wait for you."

Naruto nodded, now facing towards Kuyou.

With that, Moka headed towards the others, "Let's do what Naruto asks. I don't believe he's exaggerating when he says that we could easily get caught up in their fight."

Mizore clutched her snowflake necklace, "We can't just leave him by himself."

"We're not," Moka stated firmly, her eyes on the Yuki-onna, "We'll wait for him in the hall. If it gets too intense, we'll wait in the other jail block."

Everyone looked like they wanted to protest, but Moka had a point. Right now, Naruto was their best bet at beating Kuyou. Perhaps they should be more shocked by the revelations relating to their blond friend, but the situation was too dangerous to delve on that subject. They headed out to the hallway, stopping about halfway down and watching from what they hoped was a safe enough distance.

Once Naruto felt that they were far enough away from him and Kuyou, he began to gather more power. He soon formed one tail, then a second tail. He soon had three tails waving behind him, as well as more pronounced vulpine features. His whiskers had darkened, his teeth were now like that of his inner demon, and his hair had become rather thick and feral looking.

"How is it that you only have three tails yet you claim to be the container of a nine tailed fox?"

Naruto shrugged, "Three's as far as I can safely go. After that, I start losing control of the fox."

Kuyou's eyebrows rose, "Control of the fox? You mean...you are the one who is in power right now?"

"Yeah."

Kuyou smirked, "Some demon you have there. For a fox spirit to be taken control of by a mere human is quite shameful." A blue orb of flames formed in his palm, "Let's see if this 'Kyuubi no Youko' is as powerful as you play it out to be."

Naruto charged head on, not even moving as the fireball crashed into him. He demonstrated the power of the fox's cloak as the fiery blast fizzled out like a burnt out sparkler. Before Kuyou could evade, Naruto had struck the fox spirit clean in the jaw, following up with a combination of three punches to the face and a spinning kick, and grabbing the fox by the throat and slamming him to the ground with earth shattering force.

Kuyou quickly rolled to the side as Naruto's fist came crashing into the concrete floor. He quickly got to his feet, turning in time to have the blond Jinchuuriki upon him once more. He blocked a punch from the shinobi, though he felt a jolt of pain followed with a sickening crack in his arm. He bit down the pain and formed a flaming aura around his good arm before lashing out at Naruto.

It was like hitting a solid wall of steel for Kuyou as his claws smashed into Naruto's cloak. It was thin, but he could not for the life of him get the flames to reach Naruto's skin.

"Tough luck." Naruto commented before grabbing Kuyou's head with both hands and ramming into him with his forehead. Kuyou howled in pain, but Naruto wasn't keen on giving him a reprieve from punishment. He grabbed a hold of Kuyou's good arm and quickly spun the fox around while holding his arm behind the kitsune's back. For good measure, Naruto pressed down on a pressure point between the finger and thumb. Kuyou began letting out a string of curses.

Naruto felt something wrap around his waist, only to find one of Kuyou's four fiery tails holding onto him. He felt a sudden jerk, and was thrown back, forced to let go of Kuyou's arm as he did so. The blond got to his feet and got into a crouching position like he typically did while using the Kyuubi's chakra cloak, "So...had enough?"

Kuyou growled in frustration as he bared his sharpened canines, "I'll be sure to throw you on a spit and roast you before I'm finished with you, Uzumaki."

"I wouldn't recommend that. I'm all tough meat; not good for eating."

The two charged at each other, fists crashing into each one another as they exchanged blows. They weren't even trying to dodge anymore. Naruto eventually delivered a powerful kick to Kuyou's chest, sending him skidding back before he stumbled to the ground. Calling forth the Kyuubi's chakra and manifesting it into a large hand, he grabbed a hold of Kuyou. The kitsune began to scream in agony as he felt his body being burned by the demon fox's raw power. Naruto lifted Kuyou into the air before dragging him across the walls with his chakra extension, ending it by throwing him to the ground.

By now, the leader of the Police Committee was on his last leg of strength. He got up and forced himself to remain standing. Kuyou roared before billowing out flames from his open mouth. Naruto faded from view, reappearing behind the kitsune, faster than Kuyou could have hoped to track. A foot slammed into his chest, and he fell hard the ground, his breath coming in wheezes.

Kuyou coughed up blood, but was given no rest as Naruto began to deal blow after blow to the now helpless head of the Student Police Committee.

Meanwhile, the Newspaper Club could only watch as Naruto made quick work of the four tailed fox spirit Kuyou. He lifted the kitsune up by the neck and watched as his head lolled to the side before dumping him to the ground like a sack of discarded produce.

"Jinchuuriki..." Yukari began, "...I remember reading about such humans before..."

The others all looked to her, Moka included. Kurumu spoke up, curiosity etched onto her face, "Well...?"

"W-well, I think...now, I don't know how accurate this is, but apparently there were groups of humans that had the power to seal up demons inside hosts. The book I read it from was so old and tattered that I thought it was just some book of myths and legends, you know?" She looked on to Naruto. He had let the chakra cloak dissipate, and was now picking Kuyou up off the ground and placing him over his shoulders, "It all makes sense now though."

"What does?" Tsukune asked.

"The book also said that the humans called themselves shinobi. They were able to harness great powers that they developed from intense training and used them to perform incredible tasks. It was even said that some were able to create moons, bring forth an entire forest of fully grown trees, cheat death, and bend the rivers, lakes, and oceans to their will."

Gin shook his head, "Wait, wait, wait! Shinobi were assassins who served lords or such people during the feudal era of Japan! I never heard about them being able to do crap like that!"

"Well..." Kurumu couldn't help but chuckle, "That explains why so many people think ninja were awesome fighters, right?"

By now Naruto was within earshot. He stopped at the mentioning of the word 'ninja' and didn't move as the others all locked gazes with him.

"Um..." Naruto scratched his head, "Ta da?"

~o~o~o~o~o~

"...while I do believe it's important to have a system of enforcing the laws, Headmaster, it would probably be better to have a more thorough background check on the members that would run such an organization like the Public Safety Commission."

The Headmaster smiled, his eyes glowing eerily underneath his cloak, "Very well, Ninja-san. I will look into the matter personally. Is there anything else you wish to notify me of?"

Naruto gave a quick nod, "Yes, one other thing." He looked up to the Headmaster, his sapphire eyes the only visible part underneath his mask that he managed to pull from his spare clothing scroll, "What is the fate of Tsukune Aono?"

"Well, I imagine he'll be continuing to attend classes, right?"

"H-he will?" Naruto calmed himself, "I see. Very well. Thank you for your time, Headmaster."

The young shinobi rose to his feet, turning towards the open window. It appeared the Headmaster wasn't done with him yet, "Oh, and Ninja-san?"

Naruto frowned underneath his mask but turned to the exorcist once more, "Yes, sir?"

"I appreciate the work you've been doing for my school from behind the scenes. I've been trying to find a reason to dissolve the current Public Safety Commission, and this imprisonment problem seems to be just the thing. I'll see to it that the students who were imprisoned are given proper treatment for whatever they dealt with while down there."

A smile crept onto the whisker-marked youth's face, "Good to hear, Headmaster! I'll do my part to insure this place remains a safe place to learn as well!" With that, Naruto left through the window.

The Headmaster smiled knowingly, "He's quite the shinobi, Jiraiya...I'm beginning to understand why you had such high hopes in him."

Naruto was relieved to find that he wasn't placed with any charges that would result in him being imprisoned. It was quite apparent to him now that the monster world and human world didn't run on entirely the same system of crime and punishment, since being a vigilante was not so frowned upon as it would be in the human world.

After the battle, he had helped his friends to the hospital—in disguise, of course—and before he could leave for his own place and get some rest, he was greeted by the academy's headmaster. The cloaked man asked the Arashi-Ninja to come with him to his office so they could speak in detail about the events that had occurred, seeing as the entire Youkai Academy had been under the pressure of Kuyou's youki and the Kyuubi's overwhelming chakra.

Kuyou was expelled from Youkai for several various reasons, including torture, unnecessary harm to students, arresting students with no evidence of law breaking, and a few others.

Naruto hopped through the tree line of the forest near the student dorms, monitoring the area as he did so. He smirked to himself as he saw a few banners hanging from dorm room windows like, 'Thanks, Ninja!' or 'We Love you, Arashi-Ninja!', among many others. It had only been three hours since he had taken out Kuyou and already the word had spread like wildfire.

"This must be what it feels like to be a hero, heheh." Naruto thought as he landed silently on the ground. He looked around once before dashing towards the boys' dorms, leaping up and running up the brick wall. He stopped at his dorm room window, slowly slipping his fingers through the small opening he had left before pulling the windows open all the way. He checked around once more before slipping through the window and quietly closing it.

"Phew..." Naruto exhaled as he pulled off his mask, "Well...I'm ready to call it a night."

"Should I leave then?"

"Waaa!"

Naruto fell back as he wheeled around to see none other than Mizore Shirayuki sitting on his bed comfortably. She had a sucker in her mouth, and it appeared she had been reading while waiting for him.

Naruto's face paled as he looked at what she had been reading.

'Icha Icha Insanity, Draft One'

"Wh-where did you find that?" Naruto sputtered while pointing at the thirty-seven pages of adult literature, not including the four pages of notes he had taken recently on the couples that were eating in the cafeteria two weeks ago, some 'cute' traits of the girls in homeroom, and a doodle of himself with a cape fighting a giant snake monster. He hoped she didn't get that far, especially to the doodle. The last thing he needed was for her to see his bad drawing skills.

"I saw the drawing." Mizore stated while holding up said picture, "It's cute."

Darn. Well, maybe she still hadn't seen...

"Do you think the way I always have a sucker in my mouth is cute?" Mizore added, a light blush adorning her face.

"I..." Naruto scratched his cheek, "...sort of didn't want anyone to see that quite yet. I haven't gone over it yet or proofread it yet, but it'll probably be another two hundred pages worth of material before I send it to Sa...er...my friend back home to edit. They're thinking of helping get the book published, and...okay, first off, how did you get into my room?"

Mizore smiled, "I'm that good."

Naruto found himself smiling too. Mizore was by far the most mysterious, yet alluring girl he had met. She was a rather beautiful girl, whether it was in human or Yuki-onna form. Either form had relatively little difference as far as physical appearance went, anyway. Weird how monsters managed to disguise themselves so well while others hardly needed to put forth any effort into hiding their appearances.

...monsters...

"So...what brings you here, Mizore-chan?" Naruto spoke, his voice a bit lower.

Mizore dog-eared the page she was on before setting it down on Naruto's bed and patting to the open spot to her left. He obliged her, and sat on the cushy mattress, the creaking of old springs filling the relative silence between the two.

"...how long have you been a Jinchuuriki?"

Naruto didn't even need to think about it, "My whole life. Since I was born."

"How did you get the Kyuubi...that's what you said it's called, right?"

"Yeah, Kyuubi works. Anyway, the Kyuubi was sealed inside me by my father on the night of my birth. I...don't really have a lot of details on that event. My godfather wasn't around during the time of the Kyuubi's attack on my home, so he could only tell me what little he heard from others. All the rest of my family is dead."

"What happened to your father and mother?"

"My father died sealing the fox inside me. My mother...she died the same night, though the reason behind her death is unknown. Likely from the Kyuubi attack...though I'm not sure."

Mizore looked down, "I'm...I'm sorry, Naruto. I shouldn't be bothering you with these questions."

Naruto gave her a sad smile, "I'm not angry, Mizore-chan. If anything, you and the others have a right to be mad. I lied to you guys."

"Yes, but you had your reasons." Mizore argued, "I mean, you're human, through and through, but the power of...a demon runs through your body as well. That's a hard thing to come to grips with, I suppose. I've heard about demons, but I never thought they'd exist within our world."

"What's the difference between a demon and a monster...well, I know there's differences but..." Naruto let his question hang in the air.

Mizore seemed happy to give him an answer though, "Demons are often less human than monsters are. Take Yukari, for example. She's a witch. A border-being, but still considered a 'monster'. If she wanted, someday she could marry a man and have happy, healthy children with that human. The same goes for most other monsters, excluding a few extreme cases that are more primal in nature and lacking in sentience."

"Alright...so, what about demons?"

Mizore nodded, "Demons are like monsters, but exponentially more powerful. At least, that's what my mother has told me. A true demon is more of a entity than a being with a sex like monsters. There are, of course, monsters that can be called 'demons' but that's not the case. It's entirely from a lack of human understanding. Though monsters and humans often live separate lives, we often adopt human terminology for our own categorizing."

"Wow..." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, "That's...a lot to take in."

"Mm." The silence that followed was a mixture of comfort and anxiety for the two. Several moments passed before Mizore continued, "Naruto...are you...a real shinobi?"

The blond looked up, and gave a chuckle, "Yeah. Well, as real as they come where I am from, anyway."

"Yukari said that there are legends of shinobi being able to do amazing things like create living forests with their inner powers, and control nature itself."

"Well, controlling nature is a bit far fetched, but my village's first leader was a master of Mokuton."

"Moku...ton?" Mizore repeated.

"Yeah. The Shodai Hokage was able to create living trees with his chakra. His brother, the Nidaime Hokage, was a master of water jutsu." He scratched the back of his neck while humming in thought, "I could explain more on chakra, but for now, let's leave it at a combination of spiritual and physical energy."

"I've never heard of humans being able to control this thing called chakra. Well, there are many who believe in an energy that gives life, and they call it chakra, but..." She shook her head, "...you make it sound like this chakra is a completely different thing."

"That's probably because I'm not from the human world you know of."

Mizore's mouth opened a bit, her sucker hanging off of her bottom teeth as she tried to find her voice, "What do you mean?"

"Well...um..." the blond exhaled deeply as he spoke, "I'm actually from a different...what was the word Tsunade-baachan used...dimension? I guess that works. Well, anyway, I'm from a parallel dimension of sorts, and due to various reasons, I was ordered to go to this dimension to stay safe..." Naruto's features darkened a bit, "I'm not sure that was the best idea, but...I can't do anything about it now." He looked out the window for a moment, as though experiencing a bad memory. Mizore didn't like seeing that look on his face.

"Naruto?"

Mizore shook the blond from his thoughts. He blinked before giving her a small smile, "S-sorry. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Don't worry about it, Mizore-chan."

The Yuki-onna placed a hand over his, "Naruto, tell me."

"I..." He attempted to make his thoughts into words. After several seconds went by, he just groaned and began, "Well, I don't really have a village to go back to now. It was...destroyed not too long ago by some very powerful ninja organization. They're called Akatsuki, and they've been after me for quite a few years now. As far as I'm aware, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and Sai are the only people left from my home."

One thing after another with this blond, "Wh-why would an organization of ninja be after you?"

Naruto lifted his shirt, and Mizore took note of a strange spiral seal on his abdomen, "This is the seal that holds the Kyuubi in place; the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. Whenever I channel chakra into it, it becomes visible." The blond stopped channeling chakra, and the inky black seal faded a bit, though Mizore could still see it faintly if she looked hard enough, "A lot of people I cared about lived in that village. They accepted me for who I was, regardless of the Kyuubi."

Two arms suddenly wrapped around Naruto, catching him by surprise. He jumped a bit, but eventually settled into Mizore's embrace.

"I care about you. You're not a demon, and you're not a monster. You may be a human, but you're still Naruto-kun. That's all that matters to me." She held him tighter, "I don't care what anyone else thinks. You're special to me."

Naruto felt the corner of his eyes moisten, and he placed his arms around the Yuki-onna, "I guess I'm still trying to get used to the fact that you're able to accept me being a Jinchuuriki so easily."

Mizore smiled, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, "I believe a certain someone said I was beautiful when they first saw my true form."

Now he was blushing. Naruto's laughter could be felt as Mizore settled closer into his strong embrace, "That's true. You caught me off guard though. I was expecting something scarier from you, but even if that had been the case...I still would have saw you as my friend."

"...just a friend...?" Mizore whispered quietly into his ear.

The young shinobi was silent for a few seconds. He felt his smile grow into a grin as he held her tighter, "No, not just a friend. Maybe a girlfriend?"

"I like that." Mizore replied, "Girlfriend is nice. Does that mean you want to be my boyfriend?"

Naruto held her away for a few seconds, their bright blue eyes locked with one another, "I'd like to try that. I think it'd be great."

"Then I guess we're girlfriend and boyfriend now."

"Yeah..." Naruto agreed, "Oh, and yeah...I do think you look cute with that sucker in your mouth all the time."

~o~o~o~o~o~

By the time Mizore left for her bed back in the girls' dorms, it was about three in the morning. They had stayed up late into the night, talking about everything they could think of. Naruto told her bits of his past, from his days as a street urchin to the day he met up with his once-best friend Sasuke after more than two years had gone by since he defected Konoha. He told her of his dream to become Hokage someday, and how the dream may not be possible anymore. He told her of ramen, his days as a greenhorn Genin, and bits of his travels with Jiraiya.

Mizore told Naruto snippets of her childhood growing up in the snowy land where Yuki-onna resided. She spoke of her first crush, and how she was rejected by the boy the moment he learned that she was a monster. She talked of her talent in snowboarding, and her dislike of heat. She also mentioned something about wanting to bring Naruto to a certain field of flowers some day, though she never explained why. That was fine with him, though. He liked plants, flowers especially, though he never understood the whole 'language' behind them. They all just looked really nice in his eyes.

Before Mizore left, she told Naruto that she wanted to introduce him to her mother when the festival that would be happening later in the year was taking place. Apparently students would be having their parents and family coming to see the school and enjoy a plethora of activities during this event. While a part of him was nervous about meeting her mother, Mizore assured him that it would be fine.

"Hm..." Naruto was lying in his bed, looking at his right palm and flexing it. He had been holding back in his fight with Kuyou. He really didn't want to do any major damage to the place, especially with the risk of his friends being near. He tried resolving that by telling them to leave, but apparently they decided to be stubborn and just go to the end of the hall and watch from what they thought was a safe distance. He had to admit though, Kuyou had been a tough customer compared to the other monsters he had fought so far. He withstood the Rasengan rather well.

There were likely stronger monsters than Kuyou, too. There were always bigger snakes in the grass, as Gamakichi often put it. Speaking of Gamakichi...

"I better get in contact with the toads. We have a break coming up in about a month."

It was hard to believe that almost three months had gone by. Weeks seemed to pass by in the blink of the eye for Naruto now that he was on a set schedule with his classes. Another couple weeks or so and he'd have some time to himself. It was nice to know that he could have some time to relax a bit.

"Well...more like time for training, heh." Naruto thought. He imagined that Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura would be expecting him to visit—which he would—but he was also going to start his training with the toads. He needed to master Sennin Mode.

For now though, he would get some rest. Luckily he had the foresight to do most of his homework before the whole mess with Kuyou. Which meant he could use the four to five hours he had before classes would start to get some rest.

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Hey, Uzumaki, is it true that the Arashi-Ninja was the one who stopped Kuyou?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked to see one of the male students in his Home Economics classes looking to him with a grin, "Why would I know?"

"Oh come on! You were in the Public Safety Commission's place when it happened, weren't you?" The boy laughed when Naruto scratched the back of his neck with a weak grin, "Haha! I knew it! Man, some of the students that were locked up said that you got Kuyou royally pissed! That's awesome!"

"W-well, I wouldn't say-"

"So, you must have seen the Arashi-Ninja, right?"

"Um, I may-"

"Of course he didn't see the Arashi-Ninja! If he did, then how could you call him a real ninja? Real ninja are good at staying hidden." piped in Kurumu, "I heard that the Arashi-Ninja managed to take down almost all the Student Police officers in almost total darkness! He even gave off a really powerful youki vibe...but I heard it was just an illusion of sorts."

"Huh, yeah, I guess that's probably true. Still, the Arashi-Ninja's awesome."

As soon as the boy left to continue working stitching up clothing, Naruto exhaled quietly, "Thanks a million, Kurumu-chan. I've been running on a few hours of sleep all day, and weight lifting in gym wasn't easy when I can't use chakra and didn't get anything to eat for breakfast." The blond gave her a tired grin, "I owe you one."

"I'll keep that one favor you owe me in mind for later then." She winked playfully, "Now let's get these jeans sewn back up."

The two were quiet for awhile before Naruto spoke again, "Hey, Kurumu...um, about me not telling-"

"It's okay. I spoke to Mizore this morning. Moka, Yukari, and myself all agree that while what you did was a bit stupid, you definitely were doing all of that for a noble cause." She leaned closer and whispered, "By the way, is it true that you and Mizore are a thing now?"

"Um...yes?"

"Aww, that's so cute!" Kurumu gushed.

"Heheh, I guess." Naruto chuckled quietly, "I like Mizore-chan...she's really understanding of things, and I can just be myself around her."

Kurumu nodded, "Just be sure to remember what date it was that you two decided to start being a girlfriend and boyfriend. That or when you have your first date."

"Huh? Um, okay, but why?"

"For the anniversary, silly. Some couples celebrate one month anniversaries, or maybe six month anniversaries, maybe even year-based anniversaries...you know what I mean?"

"I thought anniversaries were for...marriage and stuff."

Kurumu sighed a little, "Oh, Naruto..." She put down her needle and thread and faced him directly, "While I remembering dates isn't the most important thing in a healthy relationship, it does help to keep them in mind. It shows that you place a lot of meaning on the day you two became girlfriend and boyfriend."

"Okay...so what is the most important thing in a healthy relationship?"

Kurumu gave a cheeky grin, "Depends. Some would say communication, others would say hot sex."

Naruto began to sputter incoherently while turning beet red, and looked down while mumbling to himself.

"Not sure with Mizore, though." Kurumu continued, "I think she'd be into a bit of both, mostly the latter."

"R-really?" Naruto spoke a little louder than he had intended, and ducked down when a few students looked towards him, "I-I mean...how can you tell?"

Kurumu giggled, "I'm just kidding, Naruto." The Succubus couldn't help but laugh harder when Naruto frowned in embarrassment, "Oh come on, don't be like that. I was just teasing."

Naruto folded his arms and gave a childish pout, "Hmph."

"Alright, I'm sorry. No need to get all bent out of shape over it." She returned to repairing the jeans in front of her when she was sure Naruto was done with acting like a little kid, "So, what are your plans for summer break?"

"I'm going to visit my family in Japan, and probably go do some training too."

"Training?" Kurumu raised an eyebrow before lowering her voice, "You mean...ninja stuff?"

Naruto gave a nod, "I plan on coming back a lot stronger, hopefully."

"Stronger? Than you were already?" She shook her head in disbelief while looking at her patch that she had stitched in, "You really are something, Naruto. Even Moka's inner self was looking a little awestruck when she saw you use your...um...fox's powers."

"Well...it's not like I was really given a choice with having the Kyuubi." Naruto spoke quietly, "I mean, I was given the seal for holding it in at birth."

"So...you had the Kyuubi inside you since you were a baby then?" She nodded to herself, "Yukari was talking to us after you left for the Headmaster's office, and she said that according to something she read, humans are most capable of adapting to a bijuu's...what do you call it...chakra?"

"Chakra, yep."

"Right, chakra, well, a child can adapt to the bijuu's chakra a lot better than a grown adult can." She tapped her chin in thought, "Something about chakra springs or something being burned when they're older."

"Heheh, I think you mean chakra coils, Kurumu-chan." Naruto gave her an apologetic smile when she stuck her tongue out at him, "You're right for the most part, though."

The Succubus gave Naruto a worried look, "So...does it ever...talk to you?"

"Once in awhile. Usually just when I need it's help or if it finds something that's of enough concern for it to wake up." Naruto answered with a shrug, "Kyuubi keeps to itself for the most part. We kind of have a mutual hatred for each other, but circumstances don't allow us to not be near each other. If we were separated, well..." Naruto made a slicing motion with his index finger over his throat.

Kurumu's eyes widened before she found her voice, "You'd..." Her voice dropped as she practically mouthed the next words, "...die...?"

"Uh huh. The seal on me is designed to take the Kyuubi with me to the grave. Whatever happens to me will affect the fox as well."

"Naruto..." Kurumu spoke softly, "...wow...I..."

"Don't sweat it too much. It would seriously take a lot to make a dent in this seal from the outside, let alone drag out the Kyuubi."

The Succubus gave a nod as Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. This new knowledge of her friend's status as a Jinchuuriki was quite a lot to take in. Not only that but Moka had mentioned something about how Tsukune was worrying her. She had saved his life the other day, but apparently there was something off about the boy afterward. She said she felt an odd feeling from him, and stated that it could be from the blood running through his body that had once been hers.

After class, Kurumu and Naruto met with the group for lunch. Naruto decided to explain what he had to Kurumu to Tsukune, Moka, and Yukari as well. He told them all a little about how he was a ninja from another world as well, and that while he had special powers that seemed a bit unnatural, he was still human. It took a few minutes for the blond's words to settle in, but eventually they were able to come to terms with what he had told them. Why should it seem that odd for Naruto to be from another dimension considering that they were in an academy for monsters?

"Unfortunately, Tsukune, I don't think I'd be able to help you with chakra by this point in your life." Naruto stated, "Your chakra coils haven't gotten any serious use like mine have, so you probably wouldn't be able to do anything more than basic stuff like strengthening your muscles while fighting or giving yourself an weak boost in speed."

While Tsukune seemed a little put out by this information, he gave a nod, "I'd be interested in seeing how that would work for me."

"What about us?" Yukari asked, pointing to herself and the other three girls.

"I don't know. Honestly, I think there is some notable differences between chakra and youki. Here, watch..." Naruto opened his palm and flexed it a bit before a small ball of blue energy began to form, "This is a small sample of my chakra. You can feel it, right?"

Tsukune was the only one that couldn't feel it, though Naruto stated this was likely because he wasn't as sensitive to life forces like the girls were, since he was a human who had not trained in chakra use.

"Well, let's compare it with..." Naruto looked to Mizore, "Mizore-chan, can you maybe generate a little ice, but put more focus on your youki when you do?"

Mizore obliged and formed a small ice crystal in her hands. There was a noticeable pressure in the air near the six students as it got a little cooler, causing even Tsukune to let out a weak shiver.

"Now, you notice how we all felt that a bit? Youki seems to be more physical than chakra. It's...um...more..."

"Palpable?" Yukari suggested.

"Uh...yeah, I guess that's a good word; palpable. You can feel it a lot more easily than chakra, but like you guys saw when I was dealing with Kuyou, chakra can be just as strong as youki."

"I guess that makes sense." Moka added, "I remember when you used those techniques on Kuyou, it felt like there was a storm inside the building." She laughed when Naruto chuckled a bit, "You're really strong, Naruto-kun."

Naruto opened his mouth to give a word of thanks, but the sound of a dropping lunch tray and Tsukune groaning cut him off. The others all looked to the boy, who had gotten up and was now holding a hand up over his face, groaning in what sounded very much like pain.

"Tsukune?" Moka began, "Tsukune, are you-?"

"I'm fine, I just need to go use the bathroom." Tsukune spoke, getting up and leaving the others to their lunch.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto thought as she saw the worried look on Moka's face, "Moka, what's wrong?"

"Well..." Moka began, "When Tsukune got attacked by Kuyou the other day...I injected some of my blood into his body to help him recover from what would have been fatal injuries. H-he...should have gone over a transformation of some sort, but he never did anything like that. I was worried that maybe something had happened, or that maybe that my blood's powers had worn off already, but...he has been acting a little odd all day."

The blond pushed his chair away from the table and got up, "I'll go check on him."

The four girls gave a nod of understanding as he began towards the direction Tsukune had taken to the boy's bathroom. Moka grabbed his wrist as he passed her, "Naruto. Be careful. H-he may be dangerous if the blood's effects are kicking in."

Naruto gave a stiff nod, "Right. I'll be ready for that."

As the blond left the cafeteria, the four shared looks with each other.

"We should go make sure he's alright." Moka said after a few seconds of silence had passed.

"I agree." Mizore added.

The four got up from the table as well, and like Naruto, followed the path Tsukune had taken out of the cafeteria.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Tsukune was leaning over one of the sinks. He had woken up to a rather odd dream that had bothered him a bit.

He was running through a dense forest. He was after something...or someone, but he wasn't quite sure. He could hear a voice, it sounded feminine, calling to him, telling him to find her.

Tsukune then found himself in a small meadow, and there sitting on a rock was Moka, her pink hair waving in a light breeze. She was smiling happily and beckoning to him. The strange thing was that Tsukune didn't want to go near her. He felt like something bad would happen if he did. Going against his gut instinct, Tsukune walked closer to her, and before he knew what he was doing, he had lunged at the pink vampiress and bit down into her neck. As he sank his teeth into her, however, he noticed her hair had gone from pink to stark white. The last image he had was of Moka with her rosary removed smiling at him before opening her own mouth and lunging out at his neck.

The worst part was that a part of him liked the dream.

"There you are."

Tsukune looked up to see Naruto standing at the entrance to the hall outside the bathroom, "Naruto? Hey...look, sorry about earlier. I've just...ugh..." Tsukune was again leaning against the sink, "I don't know what's up with me, but I've been feeling horrible since this morning."

"Moka says it may be due to her injecting you with her blood." the blond replied, "She says that vampire blood tends to affect humans in some way or another..." He studied Tsukune as he continued, "...are you feeling...odd at all?"

"Well..." Tsukune began, "...my eyes keep hurting."

"Hurting? How?"

"Every thing is brighter than usual to me. Not only that, but I can smell a lot more things right now. The bathroom stalls smell horrid right now."

Naruto gave the air a sniff and nodded, "Okay, I guess that's understandable. Anything else?"

"N...not really." Tsukune shook his head, "That's about...gah!"

Naruto ran to Tsukune as his knees gave in and he fell to the tiled floor. He was gripping his face again, and sounded like he was dry-heaving, "Oi, Tsukune, what's-"

The blond felt the wind rush out of his lungs as he was punched hard in the gut by Tsukune. Damn it, he let his guard down. Shame on him, especially after Moka had warned him. Getting to his feet, he faced his friend and spoke calmly, "Gah, what was that for?"

Naruto's question was answered with a low growl from Tsukune. The boy lowered his hands and Naruto was met with a pair of slitted, crimson colored irises. To finish it off, Tsukune's hair began to change to a hue of silvery white.

"Tsukune?" Naruto said slowly, "You there?"

"Rrrrrrrrrrgh!" Tsukune snarled.

"So much for finishing lunch." Naruto thought aloud as Tsukune charged towards him.

End of Chapter Nine: Vampire Tsukune strikes! The bathroom brawl begins! Yeah, so that's the Kuyou arc, done and over with. I tried to get that fighting done in one chapter, and I succeeded, I suppose. Definitely the longest chapter of this story thus far, heheh. On a sidenote, whoever can correctly guess which anime I got the song from that Naruto was singing while approaching Kuyou's interrogation chamber gets ten thousand awesome points...which don't really count towards anything but bragging rights...or...something.

Now, I feel that I should answer a few questions that have been asked in reviews.

(Inner) Moka x Naruto: Not really, but...well, Inner Moka will experience an increasing curiosity with Naruto's newly demonstrated strength, which will definitely spark something between the two. Let's just say that she'll definitely want to get to know Naruto much more now.

Return to Elemental Nations: Yes, I have something planned for that. Naruto's not just going to train for Sennin Mode for hell of it. Who is going with him I haven't fully decided yet, but he won't be going alone, that much I'm sure of.

Visiting Mizore's realm (Yuki-onna village): Again, I have things planned for that.

Rosario+Vampire part II in story: Of course.

Kuyou dealing with Naruto being Kyuubi: Well, personally I don't think Kuyou really would have had a clue about Naruto holding such a powerful bijuu within him. First of all, the Kyuubi is sealed within him, and normally one cannot feel the Kyuubi's chakra unless Naruto lets it leak out. Seeing as he's been trying to keep his true powers hidden, Naruto hasn't really shown more than a glimpse of the Kyuubi aside from the brief confrontation he had with Kuyou when they first met. That and I don't really think that Kuyou would be 'under the command' of Naruto just because he hold a nine-tailed demon fox within him. I see Kuyou's youkai species and the Kyuubi as two different categories, to be honest. I'll be going a bit further with explanations on how Naruto's homeworld is connected with the Youkai world and Tsukune's as well, which will explain a few things about how very few of the monsters know about Naruto and other humans like him.

Arashi-Ninja and not killing: Naruto just doesn't strike me as the kind of character to go and kill just because others do the same. The only kills I've legitimately seen so far from him was Pain, and those bodies weren't even alive to begin with. He defeated Kakuzu with the Rasenshuriken, but he just left him unable to move or use his chakra. Kakashi dealt the killing blow afterwards. In truth, I see Naruto as more of a guy who will use brute force to get his point across and make protect those he cares about, not take the life of someone, even if they do the same. Though, as many of us have seen, there have been cases where people have driven him to the point of wanting to kill.

Well, that's about it for this chapter. Thanks for tuning in, and keep your eyes peeled for more. Once again, to finish things up, I'd like to thank my awesome beta, Paradox Jast, for his help with this chapter. He's pretty good at making thing sound better, and is amazing at editing out the mistakes that escape my eyes when I'm typing out these chapters. Thanks Jast!