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I don't own Naruto, but I do own the dog that is licking my hand. I also own this story, so NO STICKY FINGERS!
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"Why, you - ay! I know you…*hic* You're that Demon-kid! Haw! This-is my lucky day!" The drunken ninja let out a cackle and rushed Naruto. "You're dead now!"
Naruto acted before he could think. He leaped lightly aside, using chakra to stick to the side of the building.
"Where'd you go…ah-ah! There ya are! You're dead meat kiddo!!" The ninja pulled out several kunai and hurled them at Naruto, who dodged. Unfortunately, dodging the weapons made him lose control of his chakra and he fell from the side of the building, landing on his rear.
"Hey! Leave me alone, you jerk!" Naruto exclaimed, an indignant look on his face. Meanwhile Takeru jumped at the ninja and clamped his jaws closed on the shinobi's hand.
"Wha-aaargh! Call 'im off!" The ninja pulled Takeru off of his hand and flung him into the side of a building. "So…getting you're fox friends to 'elp, are you? I was gonna kill you quick…but you need to suffer, you de*hic*mon!" The shinobi made several hand signs. It amazed Naruto that someone so horribly intoxicated could still make discernible hand signs. The shinobi took in a breath and cried: "Dokugiri!" as the ninja expelled his breath, an enormous cloud of poisonous gas erupted from his mouth. Naruto's eyes widened as he gagged on the horrid stench. He tried to make his way out of the toxic cloud, but his eyes were watering so badly that he could not make out which direction the street went. His antagonist was standing back with a smirk on his face, content to watch the kid stagger blindly. Naruto's steps became erratic as he breathed in more of the poison, until he staggered and fell to the ground, staring at the shinobi's feet. He could feel himself losing consciousness when Takeru approached him, the poison completely unaffecting him. Kit…you need my help. I'll get you out of this mess, if you want me to. Naruto could only manage to nod. In an instant he lost control of his body. It was like watching a battle from the eyes of the fighters. He stood up, his back straight, his eyes washing over with red. The whisker-like lines on his face became more defined and his teeth and fingernails grew long and sharp. Takeru went limp in the same instant and fell over.
Naruto's face grinned, but it was all Kyuubi behind the act. "All right, buddy. I hope you've enjoyed your life, because you won't get a chance to after this."
"Wha-hahaha! It's too late, kiddo! Youse is-!!" Naruto's body rushed forward and spun through the air to deliver several strong punches. His claws gouged into the man's skin. Naruto was amazed to see these moves. It was a technique he had never laid eyes on before. It was something between a fox's method of fighting and a fast-paced break dance. The Shinobi was no novice, however. Drunk as he was, his battle-hardened experience took over and he went on the defensive. Kyuubi aimed a jab at the man's throat, striving to crush the windpipe. The ninja brought his arm up, blocking the strike and at the same time swung his other arm down to punch the boy in the stomach. There was only one problem with this. Though Naruto's body was young and considerably weaker than the fully-trained Shinobi, Kyuubi had the experience of millennia of fighting in his roster. He grabbed the man's fist and used the momentum of it rushing towards him to leap backwards and throw the ninja down the alley, using some of the demon chakra available to him through the seal to add strength to his arms. The man flew ten feet before he landed and skidded to a halt, looking angry.
"You're not gonna win th-that easily, kiddo!" The Shinobi pulled a reel of ninja wire with a kunai attached to one end and flung it at Naruto, who easily dodged it. The knife became lodged in a wall to Naruto's right. Then came another wire-wrapped kunai. This one embedded itself to Naruto's left. Naruto's eyes widened. Kyuubi knew he had been trapped, but it was too late now. The man had a second kunai attached to each length of wire, and threw them crosswise down the alley. As they flew apart, the wire was pulled with it and pinned Naruto to the side of the wall. Kyuubi sighed. It would be tough to get out of this with brute force, since this human body was not conditioned. There was only one option left. Kyuubi gathered up chakra from the reserves in the seal and unleashed it in a small but powerful pulse. It was too small to attract attention but it did disintegrate the wire. As an added bonus, the pulse of demon chakra caused the drunkard to stumble back, leaving himself wide open. Kyuubi grinned and leaped.
Naruto's body had grabbed the man's neck, his fist making contact with the always-sensitive nose. As the Shinobi tried to block the pain of his broken nose, Naruto's claws continued to slice the man's skin. Now that they were in close contact, Kyuubi's previous fighting style was replaced with brusque force. The drunk was no longer boasting. He was trembling and crying in terror and pain as Naruto's fangs sank into his neck. He took out a kunai and slashed at Naruto's leg, but his efforts were futile. There was a horrible spattering of blood before Naruto's body released the man. The shinobi's struggled for life quickly ended, blood spurting from the gash in his neck. His body jerked in terrible spasms before the light faded from his eyes. Naruto felt himself regain control of his body and fell forward as Takeru woke up and approached him. Kit…we need to get you to a doctor, now. The poison has spread too far into your system for me to heal you. Kit? Naruto was trembling, and not all of it was because of the poison. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at the man who had been alive less than five minutes ago. "I'm…I just…he…I killed him…I've…" Naruto felt his body go numb and he laid his head on the cold ground, willing sleep to come.
Kakashi sat outside the operating room with the Hokage and Naruto's young friend, Kane. Kane had been the one to tell them that Naruto had been attacked. Much to Kakashi's and several of the doctor's distaste, Naruto's fox pup was also in the room, curled up on Kane's lap, apparently asleep. Asami was escorted in by a young nurse, looking anxious but sleepy. "I heard what happened…is Naruto-kun going to be alright?" Kane shrugged, but looked worried all the same. The Sandaime puffed on his pipe, looking sad. "I was afraid something like this would happen one day…some people just don't get it."
"Hokage-sama? What are we to do with Naruto, should he pull through? There was a man in the alley that Naruto was found in, and by the looks of it, he was murdered. Extremely brutally, I might add. His throat had a huge gash in it, and there were numerous claw marks over the rest of his body. Naruto's fingernails and face had dried blood on them. It's quite obvious that Naruto is the killer." Kakashi said sternly, ignoring the fact that Asami and Kane, both who were *supposed to be* five years of age, were in the room and could hear everything he said. Asami gasped, while Kane had no reaction to the startling news. He, after all, had in a way 'been there', in the form of his less noticeable fox half.
The light in the sign above the door came off as Junko came out of the operating room, relief plastered on her face. "I've drawn out the poison and administered the antidote to be on the safe side. I also closed up the cut on his leg. I think it's safe to say that he will make a full recovery."
Asami and Sarutobi looked relieved. Takeru looked up and gave a small yip, earning a disgusted look from one of the nurses. The Hokage turned to Kakashi and muttered in an undertone. "Once we talk to Naruto we will decide on a proper course of action. Do not do anything rash, Kakashi."
Meanwhile Asami had pulled Kane around the corner. "Okay, 'Kane'. Why did you kill that man?" she hissed, looking furious. "You could have gotten Naruto-kun out of trouble without drawing attention to him! I should tell the Hokage about you being…" she trailed off as a nurse passed them, only to resume her tirade. "The Kyuubi!"
Kane looked indifferent. "Big deal. He already knows. And if you'll excuse me…" he nudged her aside and walked back to where Junko was. "I need to check on Naruto." Kane walked into the room where Naruto was, ignoring Junko calling after him to let him rest. He walked over to the bed and stood over Naruto, observing his eyes flicker back and forth underneath his eyelids. Kane watched him for a minute and poked his forehead.
Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he managed a groggy smile. "Don't poke me…" he waved Kane's hand aside and stared at the ceiling, the smile fading from his face. "Kane…back there…I killed him."
Kane put a finger to Naruto's lips, frowning. "No, kit. You did not kill that man…I did, acting from your body."
Naruto removed Kane's hand and sat up, a depressed look shadowing his face. "But I was watching…from my eyes…and my body…it was like I was the one who killed him…I can taste his blood…and, i-I can see the light fading from his eyes. I feel my claws cutting him…!" Kane lifted Naruto's chin until they were looking each other in the eye.
"Naruto…this is life. Life is delicate, and when people decide to determine the fate of other's lives…this is what happens. The life of a ninja is the same way. You must end other's lives, before they have a chance to snuff out yours. That man decided to tempt fate…and he lost. The story is written in the dust where your blood and his blood mixed."
Naruto pulled away from Kane. "He just…died. Just like that." Naruto snapped his fingers. "If life is so precious…than why is it so easy to end? I had a harder time with the chakra control exercises than I did gashing his neck like that…Kane…why? Why is life so fragile?" Naruto's voice rose in desperation before cracking and falling silent. "It was so easy to kill him…he was...I was a monster…the villagers were right about me…"
Kane sighed and sat at the edge of Naruto's bed. "I can't answer as to why life is so delicate, Naruto. But you need to know one thing." He stared into Naruto's eyes, looking firm. "As long as you feel regret for each life you take, you will never be a monster. As long as you recognize each life as something precious, your heart will remain pure. The life of a shinobi is full of death, and in a life-or-death situation, someone is going to die. That's a fact."
Naruto stared at Kane, his wide almost-innocent eyes fading into a frown. "Kane?"
"Mm?"
"What about you?"
Kane's head jerked at the question, a small smile gracing his face. "Yes, kit. Me. I am a monster…but only to humans. They consider anything that kills them monsters. And…since I was not a human, I did not feel regret when I killed them. However…in the time I have spent with you, I have felt…almost a tiny twinge of remorse? You have the ability to make people change, Naruto-kun. Actually, I should say you have the ability to make demons change."
Kane stood up and walked to the other side of the room, leaving Naruto to ponder everything he had said. As he stared outside at the clear moonlit night, one single thought was twisting and turning in Kane's head, over and over: "What was I like in the Demon Realm?" He would never tell anyone, but he couldn't remember anything about himself before he had been summoned to the human world. All he recalled was feeling an uncontrolled desire to kill anything and everything in his path. "Maybe this isn't just Naruto's work…but I don't know what's real about me anymore…if only I could remember!"
Asami pulled away from the door that she had pressed her ear to. She couldn't believe that the Kyuubi, whom she had heard so many terrible tales about concerning his brutality and bloodlust, could be so kind and understanding. Maybe there was more to the demon fox than everyone was willing to believe. She backed up against a wall and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor. Takeru got up and curled in her lap, and she stroked his fur absentmindedly. "Maybe," she thought. "Maybe, the fox had more of a reason for attacking our home than people say. Everyone says that he was a demon, and that was all the reason he needed. I wonder if that's true or not." Asami got up, holding Takeru with both hands, and approached Kakashi. "ANBU-sama?" Kakashi looked up into her hazel eyes. "Why do you hate the Kyuubi so much? Do you even know why he attacked the village?" Takeru visibly perked up at that, clinging to every word.
Kakashi's eyes widened behind his ANBU mask. He never heard a child ask a question like that. "Asami-chan, I can't tell you the Fox's reason for attacking. And I don't think you are old enough to be told the full extent of the attack. But, because of the Kyuubi, I lost people who were precious to me." He lowered his head in thought. "Like you, Minato-sensei." He looked back up to see Asami sitting on the bench next to him, apparently done with her questions. She had spurred curiosity in the silver haired man. "Why HAD the Kyuubi attacked when he did? Everyone says he was evil, but nobody can say why he was so evil. Surely even demons need a reason for attacking a village out of the blue like that…" Kakashi got up and told the Hokage he was going home to rest before disappearing in a plume of smoke. The little girl's questioned had stirred his curiosity, and he was not going to let the matter lie until he got an answer.
Naruto had finally fallen asleep. Kane sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed and looked at the clock. The round face showed it was about twenty minutes past midnight. Kane entered the mindscape and was surprised to see Naruto there, sitting cross-legged with his head down. "What are you doing here, kit? You should let your mind rest."
Naruto looked up. "Kyuubi-sama…I am glad you saved my life. I want to learn how to stop somebody like that without killing them." He looked down again. "I don't…ever…want to see the light in a person's eyes fade…again."
Kyuubi sighed. "Kit, the life of a shinobi is full of death, as I told you earlier. People will die whether it's because of your mission, their mission, or the work of someone behind the shadows. I cannot guarantee that you will never see death. But, if it is your wish, I will teach you how to fight the way I did in that street. The art of the Kitsune-Kari depends on agility and flexibility more than strength. By closing in on your enemy quickly, you can focus on dealing a strike to their pressure points, rendering their arms or legs useless and knocking them unconscious. You use the speed left over from your dash to apply more force to your enemy before quickly retreating."
Naruto looked up again. "I won't have to kill them like you did, will I?" He thought back to the horrible squelch of blood springing up through the broken skin and flowing into his mouth. He remembered the acrid iron tang of the shinobi's life source and shuddered.
"No, kit. I have to admit I went a little overboard. I will not make you kill unless it is absolutely necessary."
Naruto looked relieved. Kyuubi couldn't help feeling a surge of pity for the child before him. The first time a human made a kill was always hard for them. It gave some a power complex, and others went insane with the thought that they killed another human, a being that was 'equal' to them. Even though Naruto hadn't literally killed, he had seen and felt everything the killer had felt. It probably did the same harm to his mind as actually being the killer.
"Kit, you need to rest. We are starting your physical training tomorrow, whether these doctors like it or not. We should also start working on your stealth. People can hear you coming from a mile away."
Naruto gave a small smile. "Maybe you can, fox breath."
"Don't compliment me when I'm insulting you!" the fox snapped, chuckling.
In the hospital room, an ANBU with a weasel mask was watching the two boys who were seemingly asleep. "So this is the Kyuubi child. And his red-haired friend must be the fox." He thought to himself. "I wonder what they are doing right now…"
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A/N: This is what happens when I try typing while listening to a Death Note soundtrack…heheh…I get all emo just thinking about it.
A cookie goes to whoever guesses is in the weasel mask.
Also, I seem to have inspired some fanart! *faints* If anyone wants to draw a fanart of my story, I would love to see it. I'm going to post the link to the character bios on my Deviantart sometime soon; you can find the link by going to my profile. It should be right across the top of the page.
Kitsune-Kari: Fox Hunt. A form of fighting used by fox demons; uses agility and flexibility more than strength to deal several blows to vital areas in a short period of time. Many of the moves were inspired by watching break-dance videos… XD