Kyuubi told Naruto the way to an empty chamber that they could use for training. Naruto had left several clones to look through the stuff in the armory. He worked on building his body strength, with some weights he had already found, and helped Ino out when she needed it. Her progress astounded him, she had only just come in contact with Kiku, and she was able to use one of her tails of chakra, the aura was violet like that of her sword's.

"You learning to use her power much faster than I did, now all you need to learn is Kage Bunshin. I wouldn't try to summon her just yet, so you need to only use your chakra for now."

She nods and starts to concentrate her chakra. She makes the cross seal she had seen Naruto make quite a few times. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Smoke surrounds her and when it clears, there are three of her clones looking back at her. "I did it."

"Great job Ino, but you should keep it up, try for five before bed."

"I think I can do that." The clones she had made were gone in a poof of more smoke and she smiled as she prepared to use the jutsu again.

'Hey furball.'

'WHAT IS IT KIT?'

'When are we going to start the sword training?"

'WHEN YOU CAN EASILY SWING IT ONE HANDED, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE TECHNIQUE CALLS FOR. SHOULD WE GO BACK TO THE LAND OF WAVES, BE SURE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THAT MAN'S ZANBATO. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE WEAPON.'

'How do you expect me to carry this swordlet alone Zabuza's too?'

'SUMMONING.'

'You mean like Tenten does with the scrolls?'

'SOMETHING LIKE THAT KIT. THERE SHOULD BE A SCROLL WITH ALL THE DETAILS IN THE ARMORY.'

'All right, I'll keep an eye out for it. I got another question though, what kind of creature is Kiku, I would assume a fox, but I thought I'd better ask so I don't insult her.'

'WHAT WRONG WITH FOXES?'

'Nothing, I just rather be safe than sorry.'

Kyuubi laughed. 'DON'T WORRY KIT, SHE IS A FOX IN EVERY WAY, AND SHE WON'T KILL YOU, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN SHE WON'T BEAT YOU TO AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE.'

'Damn, she just as bad as Baa-san. Those two will get along fine, but we might not want to introduce her to Ero-sennin, or you might kill him for ogling her.'

'I WOULDN'T HAVE TO, IF HE DIDN'T DROP DEAD FROM JUST LOOKING AT HER, SHE'D DO IT FOR LOOKING AT HER.'

"Really, that's interesting."

"What is?"

'Shit, I said that out loud.' "Kyuubi just told me about a scroll that shows a way to summon weapons like Tenten does."

"That is interesting, but that's not what you were talking about. I saw that look on your face, so don't try to lie to me."

"Alright fine. He said that with one look at Kiku, Ero-sennin would drop dead and if he didn't she'd kill him for looking."

"See, you didn't have to lie, but just out of curiosity, why did you?"

"Let's see, on our first training session you called me a pervert and tried to end my bloodline because I said I thought you were in my dream."

"Well, if it wasn't perverted why would I be in it?" She was smirking.

"Apparently, it was a memory from when I was three. I got bullied and a young girl offered to kick the bullies' asses for doing it, but I told her no. Her mom came and when she wasn't looking, I hid in a tree."

"What do I have to do with it?"

"The girl introduced herself as Ino Yamanaka."

"I don't remember that."

"We were three, and don't feel bad, I didn't remember either until that day."

"Naruto, can Kyuubi and Kiku affect the way we feel?"

"They can multiply an emotion's strength, but the only one Kyuubi's ever affect for me was anger. Even then though it was to keep me alive, it allowed me access to his first tail of chakra."

"So we don't feel their emotions?"

"Not that I know of. I not saying it's impossible, but I've never felt anything he has except for complete and utter hatred of snakes. Of course that was after I was almost digested by a giant one." He smiled. "What's with all the questions anyway?"

"I'm just trying to find out what to expect now that we completely connected." 'So this feeling is my own.'

'OF COURSE IT'S YOURS, MINE WOULDN'T BE DIRECTED AT THE VESSEL BUT THE ONE INSIDE HIM. YOU'VE ALSO HAD THEM BEFORE YOU KNEW ABOUT KYUUBI OR ME.'

'That's true, I have. And Kyuubi is handsome, I'll give you that, but he can be pretty cold too.'

'WHEN I FIRST MET HIM I WOULD HAVE AGREED WITH YOU, BUT HE IS A DEMON. DEMONS FIND THAT MOST EMOTIONS ARE USELESS, THERE ARE A FEW EXCEPTIONS. AFTER A WHILE, HE GROWS ON YOU, AND IS PLEASANT ONCE YOU GET TO KNOW HIM.'

'Then why don't they get along?'

'I DON'T KNOW, BUT BOTH COULD USE SOME RESPECT TOWARDS THE OTHER.'

'I agree. Naruto's calls him quite a few things, and Kyuubi calls him kit or brat. But at least Naruto uses his name occasionally, I don't think I ever heard Kyuubi call Naruto by name. Hell, he's used my name since I met him, even before I knew who he was.'

'WELL, HE SAID HE THINKS OF NARUTO AS A SURROGATE SON, BUT EVEN A FATHERS CALLS THEIR SONS BY NAME.'

'He said he respected me just for getting in here on my own. So what would it take to get him to respect Naruto?'

'HARD TO SAY, MAYBE A FIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO, BUT THE BODY KYUUBI IS IN WOULDN'T LAST LONG.'

'Actually, it might. Naruto uses a different hand sign to summon him and when he was knocked out, Kyuubi didn't disappear until a while afterwards. So it might be possible.'

'WELL THEN, WE SHOULD PURPOSE THE IDEA. UNTIL THEN THOUGH, YOU WANT TO FUCK WITH THEM?'

'What?!'

Kiku laughed. 'I DIDN'T MEAN LIKE THAT, ALTHOUGH YOU'RE ABLE TO BARE CHILDREN.'

'Hell no! I wouldn't do that unless I knew with a hundred percent certainty that he felt the same way about me.'

'WHAT I MEANT WAS MESSING WITH THEIR HEADS.'

'How? One's an ancient demon and while the other is the best prankster I've ever seen.'

'I'M ALSO AN ACIENT DEMON, THOUGH NOT AS OLD, AND KITSUNE ARE KNOWN TO BE TRICKSTERS. TELL ME, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY OF THE CLOAKED MEN WHO ARE AFTER THEM?'

'Only Tobi, but he's not one of them anymore.'

'THEN LET'S GO TO HIM FOR SOME HELP. YOU MAKE SOME CLONES AND TRANSFORM THEM TO LOOK LIKE THOSE PEOPLE AND SEND THEM BACK IN.'

'They won't last long, and they're going to be pissed afterwards.'

'THAT'S THE POINT, WE'LL GET THEM WORKED UP AND THEN PURPOSE THE FIGHT TO BLOW OFF SOME STEAM.'

'I like it. This will be fun, entertaining, and maybe even productive. If they don't respect each other after this, then at least we got some laughs.'

'I'M REALLY STARTING TO LIKE THIS PARTNERSHIP OF OURS INO.'

'Me too, at first I didn't think it would be this comfortable sharing my head with someone else, but now, I couldn't be happier. Will you teach me to use your sword to it full extent?'

'IT'S OUR SWORD AND YES I WILL. KYUUBI WILL TEACH HIM AND I YOU.'

'Thank you Kiku.'

'IT'S MY PLEASURE, FOR THE STRONGER YOU GET, THE LONGER WE LIVE, AND THE BETTER WE CAN HELP THE MEN WE LOVE, LIVE JUST AS LONG.'

Ino walked over to Naruto with a smile on her face. "Naruto, there something I want to go check, I'll be right back."

"You don't have to tell me, I know you can take care of yourself. You also got Kiku within you, and only someone with demonic chakra can see the seal to get in here, so I'm not worried in slightest."

"I know, I was just being polite." He smiled and went back to training. She left the room looking Tobi. She found him in the main chamber, he had barely moved since they got here. "Hey Tobi."

"Yes Ino?"

"I was wondering if you could henge into the four members of Akatsuki you told us about."

"I can, but why?"

"Kiku and I want to mess with Naruto and Kyuubi a little."

"Alright, but I don't think that such a good idea, you could get really hurt."

"I know. That's why I'm going to use Kage Bunshin." She told him what they planned to do.

"That's a well thought out plan. But when they get angry, remember I had nothing to do with it, okay?" She nods and Tobi henges into Itachi, followed by Kisame with his Samehada, Hidan, and finally Zetsu.

"Thanks Tobi." She smiles evilly and heads back towards the training chamber. Before going into the hallway, Ino creates four clones, using some of Kiku's chakra, and henges them to look like the four Tobi showed them. She sends them in and stands near the doorway, with a good view of the room, but they couldn't see her.

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

"Well, look what we have here."

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard the blood curdling voice. "Itachi." He turned around to see that he wasn't alone, Kisame and two people he didn't recognize, but one that was definitely the member Tobi described as Zetsu. 'Shit, this is bad.' "How did you get in here?"

'Itachi' just kept his eyes on Naruto. "How do you think? The Sharingan can see things normal eyes can't."

Naruto crossed his fingers and made a cross. "Kage Kitsune no Jutsu." Kyuubi appeared in his human form, looking absolutely livid.

He shifted into his fox form and roared. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY DEN YOU CLOAKED BASTARDS!"

"It seems we really pissed them off Itachi."

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

Ino was smiling in the hall. 'Kiku, should we really piss Naruto off?'

'WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?'

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

'Zetsu' turned so his blackened skin was closest to Naruto. "Let's finish this quickly, I wish to devour the girl's flesh."

He faced the other direction so his white side showed. "We must take care of the traitor as well. Perhaps we should allow Hidan to torture him before killing him."

Naruto eyes were dark red with no pupil, his sword in hand glowing the same color as his eyes. He charged forward and 'Kisame' was the first to step forward, his sword on his shoulder. 'Kisame' block every attack Naruto threw at him. The aura was spending around Naruto quickly.

Kyuubi was charging 'Zetsu', his back reaching the top of Naruto's head. Kyuubi tried to claw and bite him, but the man-plant was too fast and dodged heading toward 'Hidan'.

A fireball was shot at Naruto's back, both he and 'Kisame' moved out of the way as 'Itachi' ran forward to attack with his partner.

'Kyuubi, do these guys seem different to you?'

'NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, THEY SEEM WEAKER, MAYBE ON PAR WITH KAKASHI.'

'That's what I thought. We shouldn't be doing this well against all four of them, and Itachi hasn't even tried to use the Mangekyo Sharingan.'

'BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?'

'It means they're fakes, clones. Wait. Oh damn you Tobi!'

'WHAT DID HE DO?'

'It either he created these, or he showed the girls what they look like, because they've never met any of them. Either way, one hit and they poof.'

'THAT'S EASIER SAID THEN DONE KIT. THEY BOUNCING AROUND SO MUCH I HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN ABLE TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO HIT THEM. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE CLONES, TWO ON ONE IS STILL DIFFICULT.'

Naruto was fending off both 'Itachi's' strikes, and using his sword to block Samehada. He takes a hit from 'Itachi' to the side, but it moves him out from under 'Kisame's' swing. He stabs 'Kisame' though the side and sure enough, he pops out of existence.

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

'Looks like they found out.'

'OH WELL, THEY STILL HAVE THREE TO GO.'

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

With 'Kisame' gone, Naruto can focus on 'Itachi', but he is just as quick as 'Zetsu'.

Kyuubi stops chasing 'Zetsu' and heads straight for 'Hidan', who pulls out his scythe. Kyuubi runs past him, his tails whipping around behind him. A trail of dust follows him as he skids to turn around as 'Hidan' disappears as well. He rushes off to help Naruto with 'Itachi'.

Seeing Kyuubi running toward him, Naruto fought to push 'Itachi' into his path. Kyuubi jumped on to 'Itachi' and when he hit the ground he also vanished. "That just leaves the weed." 'Then we go and find the girls. I doubt Tobi can make Kage Bunshin, but he's just as much guilty as they are.'

"LET'S FINISH THIS QUICKLY."

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

Ino looked a little scared as she watched from her hiding spot. 'Should we start thinking up a excuse?'

'THAT'S PROBABLY BE A GOOD IDEA. I DIDN'T THINK THEY WOULD FIGHT SO WELL TOGETHER.'

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

They were both running towards 'Zetsu'. Kyuubi tried to land on him, and he moved at the last second and still managed to dodge Naruto's swing. Kyuubi charged again knowing that he would move, as soon as he was past him, he transformed back to his human form and grab hold of him form the back.

"Do it now kit!" Naruto nodded and charged, his sword straight out in front of him. The sword stabbed clean through both of them and both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'You alright Kyuubi?'

'Yes, more or less. I didn't think I would actually feel the pain though. You did a good job kit.'

'Thanks, you take a rest, I find the girls.'

'I planned on it kit.'