Chapter Eleven
Disclaimer
I don't own Naruto nor any character connected. Someone else does.
A/N
I think I have a workable chapter from different aspects I want to include here. When I first started this story I had in mind certain scenes I wanted in the story. Well, I only have one left. However, since my stories practically write themselves, I don't know when I get to it. However after that one last scene I will be jumping ahead to the Academy graduation. However, we are far from that. Well, I like to ramble on but a certain tailless fox girl is getting antsy.
Kimiko found her face in the mud again and again. "Dang it! Why can't I get this?" It's been a week since they left the company responsible for publishing the Rogue Bingo book and Tsunade finally cleared Kimiko to walk again. However, she was found out her balance without her tail was very off. Every time she tried to walk on two legs, she would quickly topple over and fall.
"We have been over this over and over again. Your balance system have been compromised by the loss of your tail, therefore you need to learn to compensate. Your balance control is very complex calculations from various …"
"And I keep telling you, Tsunade, your explanations are way over my head. Why can't you simplify it for me?" Kimiko looked from Tsunade over to her father. "I told you dad that Tsunade is not the teacher for me to get my balance back. But oh no you had to pull the 'I am your father and I know what's best' card. Maybe she can help me once I get back up to speed, but right now I not ready for a Sannin."
Minato thought hard on what Kimiko had said. He had hoped Tsunade would have gotten in touch with her motherly instincts and make it easier for Kimiko to relearn balance. Alas, though it appears Kimiko is right about her not being the right person to help her. "Kimiko crawl back to the wagon. Tsunade and Jiraiya, travel along the road for another fifteen kilometers then make camp. I will be back after that. I need to take care of a few things in Konoha."
"Dad, if you're going back to Konoha could you please bring my fox back with you?"
"I'll see what I can do now crawl."
Kimiko burned with embarrassment as she was made to crawl to the wagon. Truthfully, she was more comfortable crawling than standing on her feet when she had the option. However, she knows how others look down on her when she does crawl.
Later that night, Jiraiya pulled the wagon over and they made camp near a lake. Later they will find out the three tails is there, but that is years in the future. Minato teleported into the camp. With him was his only surviving student Kakashi and Kimiko's fox.
The fox strolled over to Kimiko who was resting against a trunk of a tree. "Hello Kimiko."
Kimiko had yet named the fox. Its mother would have had she lived. Now it appears she has the honor of naming him. "Do we have to go thru a special ritual just to name you little one," asked Kimiko.
The fox was shocked by more than one thing. When Kimiko asked this question the fox was excited first. "No. If you were a real fox and my actual mother then yes, but since you are neither all you need to do is tell me what name you wish to call me. However, I do have the option to reject the name since you are not my mother."
"You do, eh? What if I tell you the name I have in mind was going to be my name if I was born a guy? Bleh."
The fox eyes lit up. "Then I will accept it no matter what."
"Well, I have to my mom's permission, but not my father's nor Master Jiraiya's."
"Why would you need my permission," asked Jiraiya.
"Because, Jiraiya, you created the name in the first place. You have my permission, Kimiko," said Minato.
"Well, if that is the case, then I have no objections," told Jiraiya.
"Then it's settled, your name is Naruto."
"Hooray! That's a great name. I have a name. My name is Naruto." The fox cried while jumping for joy. Then the fox noticed something. "Kimiko, what in hell blazes happened to your gorgeous tail? Who did this to you? I'll kill them!"
Everyone laughed nervously. "Calm down Naruto."
"Calm down! Kimiko don't tell me to calm down. You have a stump where your tail used to be."
"I know that, Naruto. I know that. What you fail to realize is that I asked for it to be chopped off." Kimiko had tears in her eyes when she said. Then she tried to get up and run off, but fell face first into the mud.
She was still crying when Naruto walked over to her. "I am sorry. I should have realized you were still a little traumatized by whatever happened. Would you please tell me calmly how this happened and why?"
For the next hour Kimiko, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Minato told the tale of how Kimiko's tail got chopped off. At the end Naruto asked a very unorthodox question. "Do you want to start regrowing your tail here or wait till we get back to the village?"
Tsunade could not believe what she just heard. "What do you mean 'regrow her tail'? Humans can't regrow limbs that have been amputated. Dogs and Foxes can't regrow tails either."
Naruto faced Tsunade, "What you said is true. Those two individual species cannot regrow severed limbs or tails. However Kimiko is different. She is not any of those species. She is a true chimera. That is the reason her tail was so sought after in the first place. A first growth chimera tail has special properties that can be processed into some very potent potions. Whomever it was that put up that bounty is one into forbidden jutsu. Now being a chimera, Kimiko also has special powers and are not bound to some of the laws of nature we know of. For instance Chimeras can regrow their severed tails. However, these regrown tails will not have the same properties as her original tail. It will look the same, but it will be useless for potions." Naruto turned around and faced Kimiko, "Now I asked again, Milady, when do you wish to start to regrow your tail?"
Kimiko had tears in her eyes, tears of happiness. "Now please."
Naruto suggested they go into the girls' tent to begin treatment. The fox explained chimeras needed the help of animal healers such as him to start difficult processes such as this. Kimiko and Naruto both agreed they were fated to meet.
Outside the tent Jiraiya could not something Naruto said, out of his head. "Minato, something Naruto said sounded very familiar."
"If I am right then I had the same thought. The Part about the person who put up the bounty must be into forbidden jutsu sounded just like Orochimaru," replied Minato. "We must proceed with caution. Without proof any action we take against him will be foolish."
"I was thinking about doing another research trip for another book when we get back to the village."
"Just be careful that Tsunade does not catch you again this time Jiraiya. Last time she caught you doing 'research' she nearly killed you and did a considerable amount of damage to the hot spring in the process," said Minato.
"He won't get the chance to do any research anytime soon. I will make sure of that," Tsunade said as she carried Kimiko out of the tent and placed her by the fire.
"Now Tsunade you know that is my major source of income. Without them books how can I subsidize my information network?"
"Not my problem Jiraiya, but it will be your problem if I catch you doing any 'research'."
Casually Kakashi walked over to Kimiko, "Well, little one, how is the tail doing? Is there any chance it will grow back?"
"Naruto says it will but it will take time and treatments with him. Basically, he stimulating the growth stems involved growing it in the first place, but it will take at least a month before It fully is grown back. In the meantime he has to give me daily treatment which tires him out. He is resting now in the tent after the first treatment. Um, why are you here Kakashi? It's not like we need you for simply going back to the village or anything."
"Well, you are wrong on many counts Kimiko. First ninja teams are three people so I am the fourth person. Secondly, you have already proven Tsunade is the wrong person to take charge of your rehab during this trip back. That is where I come in. True Tsunade knows a lot of healing the body probably the best in the world, but when it comes to rehab well she can be a little inflexible. She knows what must be done, but her personality tends not to lend itself to that kind of care. I, however, have extensive training in rehabilitation. I will be your guide to getting you back on your feet and moving again at top speed," said Kakashi Hatake.
"You sound like we will be out here for a while."
"We will Kimiko. We'll be here for two months, so your tail can grow back and you can get back on your own feet at full strength. Your father and I have already got permission from this country's Ruling Lord to stay here at this campsite. Tomorrow we will begin your aquatic therapy."
Kimiko looked around. "Kakashi, I may not know much, but don't you need a pool of water for to do aquatic therapy."
Minato, Kakashi, and Tsunade giggled at Kimiko's statement. The fox girl looked totally confused until Jiraiya clarified, "They are going to make a pool of some sort."
What transpired afterwards really amazed Kimiko. First Tsunade punched the ground three times to get the right shape and depth they needed for a pool roughly the size of a small lake. Then Minato and Tsunade disappeared. Minato was seen reappearing again and again. He was teleporting flat slab of stone to totally line the pool. Jiraiya explained that Tsunade was over at a nearby mountain punching out those stone slabs so Minato can teleport them. After the last stone slab was placed, both Minato and Tsunade reappeared at the campsite tired out. Originally Minato was going to summon a special toad, one that can water seal the stone slabs, but Jiraiya had to summon it due to Minato's tiredness.
Kakashi spoke, "The sealant needs about twelve hours to dry. When it is dry I will use a simple water jutsu to fill it."
"Isn't this, I don't know, a little permanent," replied Kimiko sarcastically.
"Well yes, but that is what the Ruling Lord of this country requested when we asked for such a facility. The land around here doesn't get much water besides rainfall so this artificially built lake will solve two problems at once."
Kimiko thought for a few minutes, "Kakashi-sama, you said we will be here for a couple months. I already missed two weeks or academy classes …"
"We will be your private tutors for the foreseeable future. Sasuke will bring home your class assignments and I will pick them up and bring them here. The next day we will tutor you on these assignments. I will bring progress reports back to Iruka-Sensei. Additionally, you will have three research papers to make up for those two weeks you missed. If you manage to get all that work done, then maybe we will teach you some additional Jutsu. Now Kimiko, I need to talk to you in PRIVATE!" said an angry Minato. "If you please excuse us I need to have a conversation with my daughter about running away."
Kimiko gulped as Minato scooped her up in his powerful arms and walked her to a cliff which overlooked a valley. The full moon was out as well as a sea of stars. The overall view was breathtaking. Kimiko would have enjoyed it if she did not fear this confrontation.
"Dad, I know running away was wrong. However, there was no other way. After waking up in the hospital following the Uchiha Massacre I learned of another tragedy happening to the village Shinobi. Daily the village Shinobi was being hurt defending literally my tail. I did not know what else to do," she cried with tears.
Minato gently hugged his daughter until the tears dried, "You could have come to me with your concerns. By not coming to me, you forced me to do something a parent should never do, harm their own child. If you had come to me we might have been able to get Tsunade to surgically remove it instead. You rash actions caused and still causing everyone a whole lot more pain. Your mother has been in tears those two weeks. She and I are very disappointed in you, Kimiko."
Minato walked down to the campsite, leaving Kimiko to contemplate what he had said. In truth, she cried more than she did with her little confession. Her mother and father were disappointed in her something no child ever wanted from their parents. A little later she crawled to the tent she was sharing with Tsunade and cried herself to sleep.
The next day they began Kimiko's tutoring/rehab. The daily schedule followed a very predictable schedule:
5 am.… ...Wake Up
5 – 7 am… ...Bath/breakfast
7 – 10 am…. ..Tutor session with Kakashi
10 am – 12 pm..Working on research papers
Noon – 2 pm…...Lunch/Free Time
2 – 4 pm… ...Aquatic Therapy with Kakashi
4 – 5 pm…. ..Naruto stimulates tail regrowth
On the first day Kakashi used the lunch/free time to fill up the pool/lake using a very complex water jutsu. The Jutsu was so complex it almost tired him out. After the aquatic therapy session with Kimiko he was tuckered out. He slept through dinner till the next day.
After four weeks her therapy on two fronts was successful. She was able to walk again and her tail was almost fully regrown. In fact, because of both therapies she was stronger than before.
Her schedule had to change somewhat too due to changes in her physical being as well her completing her assignments in the research papers. It seems she is slightly ahead of the academy right now, much to everyone's relief.
So now instead of the research papers, the aquatic therapy/swimming, and the sessions with Naruto on Tail regrowth stimulation she now has a summoning Jutsu practice with Jiraiya, afternoon runs, and then swimming. However, as time went on Kimiko was getting very antsy about wanting to return to the village. She misses her mother and her friends at the academy.
With this in mind they decided to return to the village two weeks earlier than they planned. Why they delayed. Well, they did not want to return with Kimiko mutilated. When they arrived at the gates of Konoha all of Kimiko's friends were there to greet her. In fact word of her return spread like wildfire thru the village so by the time they got to the Hokage's Monument there was a crowd of people all waiting to greet their beloved fox girl back home.
A/N
Bleh, even I want to barf on how sappy this chapter ended. But rest assured more troubles are ahead.
I found one thing rather distressing. I had the time table nice and neat on my processor, but when I brought it here this processor reformatted that graph. I tried everything to make it nice and neat, but to no avail. Finally, I gave up and just center aligned the junk. I like to give thanks to fanfiction for ruining that section for me and after I spent time making it perfect looking.
Please be kind and type something in the box below and hit return. I would love to hear from you. Chow!
* * * * Edit: * * * *
As most know by now this story is a rewrite of my previous story of the same title. Up till now most of these chapters are very straight forward and almost exactly as my previous story. However, from here on it diverges from the other story. Most of you know why so I won't go into it. Let's just say this story will get back to what I originally planned for it until I messed it all up. Thanks for you continued understanding.