Chapter 12
''Mou~ How much longer till we are - mwaah - there?'' Came Tamamo's question as she propped her chin on his collar, a cute yawn escaping her lips as she did so. Her hot breath made contact with his cheeks, causing him to turn his head to see her sleepy expression.
''Not sure.'' Was Naruto's reply as he stopped himself from shrugging his shoulders due to him carrying Tamamo on his back. He had offered to carry her the moment they entered Tetsu no Kuni and snow could be seen.
Tamamo's choice of footwear made walking through snow, especially as much as this country had not an option. That, and he had caught her shivering from the cold temperature which he, due to the ability to control his own body temperature wasn't aware of. Yes, he knew it was colder than Kumo but exactly by how much remained unknown to him.
So when he had offered to carry her Tamamo had quickly accepted his proposal, cuddling into him as Naruto kept his body a few degrees above the normal temperature a human body had. His hands were placed under her knees to make it easier to carry her while channeling heat to keep her bare thighs warm which she helped him with by using her tail to isolate the heat.
''How about you go back to sleep hm?'' He asked her with a soft smile. ''I'll make sure to wake you up once we arrive.''
''Mhm o~kay.'' She mumbled as she rested her face in the back of his neck. Naruto made sure he still had a good grip on her legs before he continued to walk, catching up with his escorts who hadn't noticed he had slowed down.
''Ah, there you are.''
Or they did as the Raikage spoke once he managed to catch up with them.
''Heh, sorry but i was taking care of Tamamo here.'' Upon mentioning the fox girl the three men turn their heads before spotting her on his back, sleeping soundly as her ears would twitch every now and then. ''She's quite tired and i want to make sure she was comfortable you know.''
''Hmpf, that's fine. Let's continue though, once we reach that hill in the distance over there we should be able to see Tetsu no Kuni, or at least the small village inside of it.''
Naruto quirked up an eyebrow. ''Hoh? We should be there before it gets dark then, correct?''
''Correct.'' A assured him.
''Good. While i'm far from tired i've seen enough snow for the next few years.'' He joked which earned him nods in agreements.
It took them around half an hour to reach the top of the hill but the view once there was quite something. While a regular human might have problems seeing it with the small amount of mist that seemed to be surrounding it, Naruto did not have those problems. The village appeared to be surrounded by mountains on each side which the Raikage explained lead to one of the remaining four countries which was quite interesting though expected, seeing how Tetsu no Kuni was a neutral country.
''Looks bigger than i thought it would be.'' Naruto couldn't help but comment before averting his gaze as he took a deep breath of fresh air. ''So how much longer till we get down there from where we are at?''
''Two hours, less if we speed up a bit.'' Darui spoke up with A nodding in agreement.
''Darui speaks the truth. Last time we were here it was around an hour or two and we weren't any any sort of hurry. Even with you carrying Tamamo-san it won't make a difference since you've been keeping up with us no problem.''
Naruto hummed as he glanced back down towards the village. ''Let's keep moving then. The faster we get there the better as Tamamo could use a bed instead of my back.''
A gave a series of low chuckles. ''Very well then, we'll be doubling our pace. Make sure to keep up alright?'' With that the group advanced once more, moving down the hill towards the village that laid below.
''Halt!'' The group of five heard someone say to them as they were stopped at something akin to an outpost of sorts.
Naruto tilted his head to see who it was that told them to stop and saw they were wearing grey plated armor along with a mask that hid their face. They weapon sheaths were attached to the side for easy access if a fight broke out. They didn't really look all that intimidating was what came to his mind, a bit different from the samurais he had run into back home.
Were these the type of samurai that lived in these lands?
''What is the problem?'' A asked the person that stopped them from continuing who took a step back from the hulking man, his fingers twitching as he moved his hand closer to his katana just incase.
This was of course not missed by A or his two guards who got on guard only to stop as a aged yet calm voice spoke up.
''Stand down.''
Immediately the samurai obliged before turning to the owner of the voice and bowing his head. ''Mifune-sama.''
''Koji,'' The old looking man said. ''I'll handle this myself, i want you to check up on outpost C in the southern section.''
''Hai Mifune-sama!'' The samurai who was apparently called Koji affirmed before giving one more bow to the older looking man as he walked off.
''Please forgive my men, Raikage-dono. They are quite wary with the upcoming Kage-summit that will be held here. Though,'' Mifune looked behind him where Naruto was standing with Tamamo still asleep on his back. ''Minato? No, he's been dead for quite some time now. I remember clearly your message stating each Kage was only allowed to bring two guards with him.''
''You would be correct, Mifune-dono. However, these two,'' He waved behind him. ''Are not here as my guards. They wanted to travel as Kumogakure has gotten boring for them so i offered to escort these two to here, to Tetsu no Kuni.''
''I see.'' Mifune responded before walking past the Raikage and towards the blond young man. He did indeed resemble Minato very much, especially his hair which was the same shade as the now dead fourth Hokage had along with the same deep blue eyes. However, as he got closer he couldn't sense any chakra from him. Something that should be impossible as every living being has the energy.
Deciding that it was something he could mull over later his eyes travel over to his companion that was sleeping soundly on his back, her head resting on his collarbone with her face buried in the blond's neck. He had to blink a few times as he looked at the woman to make sure he wasn't imagining what he was seeing. A quick glance to the Raikage and his guards earned him a nod, confirming what he saw was real. Which, in this case, were the pair of orange fox ears which were her ears. He kept any words he wanted to say to himself though as he inspected her further.
She wore a blue outfit which showed quite a lot of skin around her arms and thighs, not something one would wear when visiting Tetsu no Kuni which is known for its cold. Her choice of footwear was also not something one would walk one and Mifune wondered if those were comfortable. His eyes then caught a brief twitch coming from behind and upon focusing on what it was he allowed his eyes to widen if only briefly as he wondered how he hadn't seen that before as swaying behind her was none other than a bushy orange fox tail of all things.
And while he had seen and experienced a lot of things this was a first even for him. She looked completely human though he couldn't quite get a look of her face the rest of her looked fine with the exception being her ears and the her tail.
Collecting himself he then focused on getting a better look of the blond man that was carrying her and seemed completely oblivious to the cold judging from what he was wearing. Though a look at the ground around the blond showed that the snow had melted and turned into water.
Spiky sun-kissed hair and deep blue eyes which, upon making eye contact, seemed to hold a certain amount of wisdom that surprised him as he looked no older than, well, Mifune would put him somewhere between 18 and 20 years old.
The blond gave him a nod in acknowledgement before looking down. Following his gaze he saw the tail that belonged to the woman on his back wrapped around his arm.
''Mhmm.'' Tamamo let out a soft sound before she lifted up her head. Bleary, amber eyes blinked slowly as looked around, still appearing half asleep. ''A-are we there?'' She asked Naruto as she brought one of her hands up to rub away the sleep from her eyes.
It was a adorable looking gesture which Naruto unfortunately wasn't able to see as he was still holding her up by her legs. As Tamamo got rid of any drowsiness she felt her eyes locked on the old man who stood a feet or two away from them, seemingly inspecting them. Her ears twitched once before she went back to leaning on Naruto who didn't seem to mind.
''Huh… Well, hello to you Tamamo.'' He greeted her as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. ''Had a good sleep?''
''Yes, thank you Naru..'' Tamamo mumbled against his neck.
From where he was at Mifune was able to hear what she said despite how soft it was.
'Naru?' He repeated inside his head as he spared the blond another look. He assumed that was the boy's name, or at least a part of it. With that he decided to address the two to get a good idea of why they are here. While A informed him they were travelers he was still a bit skeptical, especially as there should be no reason the Raikage himself would escort someone like this.
So, with that in mind he took a step closer before introducing himself.
''Hello, i am Mifune, samurai and general of Tetsu no Kuni. May i know your names and the reason for visiting?''
''Ah, sure? Whatever, i'm Naruto Bael and the lady on my back is Tamamo no Mae. I'm pretty sure A already told you we are here because Kumo had gotten boring and we wanted to travel.''
''I see.'' Mifune hummed as he nodded. While he looked calm on the outside his mind was busy remembering something, that something being the now deceased Kyuubi Jinchuuriki who shared the same first name as the blond before him. He also looked what one might have expected if you would compare their faces next to each other. It should be coincidence though as the blond in front of him looked older than the Jinchuuriki should be if he were alive, he also had no whisker marks on his cheek and his skin tone was a bit paler in comparison. Last but not least he could sense no chakra from him! He also took note of the casual way he addressed the Raikage, not bothering to use any type of respectful suffix behind his name which didn't seem to bother the bulky Kage one bit. It was surprising as he was widely known to be quite hotheaded which only increased any doubts he had that they were no mere civilians.
Of course the woman's animal traits were a big give away to anyone with a pair of eyes but still… He would tell his men to keep an eye on these two.
''Follow me, i will lead you to the place you will be staying while you're here.'' Mifune told them as he turned around, signaling for the Raikage along with his two guards to follow as well.
''Huh…'' Naruto commented as they were lead through the village. His eyes darting from left to right as he could sense several people watching them, a poor attempt at hiding themselves as he didn't have to be a sensor to know where they were.
Of course the inhabitants had stopped what they were doing as they watched the Raikage and his entourage walking through the streets. Their darker skin and the Raikage's height catching the attention of many.
They then looked at the blond male who looked around with curiosity twinkling his his deep blue eyes, his appearance eliciting a few blushes from some of the civilian woman with his exotic looking hair before their attention was stolen by the person on his back who appeared to be asleep.
Her outfit plus the animal traits were enough for everyone, even the samurai watching the group to do a double take.
Almost as if she was sensing their looks Tamamo detached her tail from around his arm in favor of protecting her modesty as her outfit provided one a good look of her behind and her naked skin partly due to the way Naruto was carrying her.
She lightly bit Naruto's neck as her ears twitched as she caught a few people grumble as she did so, Naruto responding by giving her legs a soft squeeze assuring her everything was alright.
She wasn't a fan of giving other people a show of her body having told him that only he was allowed to see her like that. In fact, she had on numerous occasions tried to outright kill people that blatantly leered at her person though he had to put a stop to it less she'd end up on some sort of killing spree.
While he could care less about some humans having killed his fair share of them he didn't want Tamamo to end up as some sort of mass murderer. She was still somewhat pure and innocent which is an accomplishment by itself.
''Here we are.'' Mifune said as they entered what appeared to be an inn with the rest following behind. Turning to the group he gave them a small bow before excusing himself for a moment, giving the group some time to look around.
The first thing Naruto noticed was that they were in some sort of lounge judging by the several tables and chairs that were set up. The second thing was that aside from them no one was there.
Naruto was about to walk over to one of the chairs as he deserved a break. While he was far from tired, having carried Tamamo for over a day the opportunity to sit down was a welcome change. However, before he could even take a step towards it Mifune returned making him grumble softly.
''Sorry for the wait but i had to make sure the rooms were ready. Especially with the extra guests i was not expecting.''
''That's fine.'' A told the general. ''Though why is it so empty if you don't mind me asking? I can clearly see that we're in an inn and one would expect it to be much busier.''
''Oh that's because this one is currently only used for important guest such as yourself. We have another establishment that's more in the center of the town that is for more common folk and travelers which there aren't many around this time of the year.'' Mifune then raised his hand and shortly thereafter a samurai appeared.
''Mifune-sama?'' The samurai asked as he bowed in respect.
Mifune held his hand out towards the group before looking at his subordinate. ''Please escort them to their respective rooms. They are room nine and eight for the Raikage and his two guards while these two have room three.'' He instructed while gesturing to Naruto and Tamamo at the later part.
''Understood.'' The samurai straightened himself before looking at each of them and like many before doing a double take once his eyes landed on Tamamo before controlling himself. It wouldn't do him any good to make himself look like some sort of fool in the presence of his general. ''Please follow me.'' Once he had gotten all of their attention he gave Mifune one more bow before turning around and leading the five to their respective rooms.
''It's a bit bland.'' Was the first thing Tamamo said as they were left alone in their assigned room.
Naruto couldn't help but nod in agreement as he too looked around. It was as Tamamo said, bland. There was a two person futon, not even an actual bed in the middle of the room and a cabinet was placed against the wall with a pair of chairs placed next to it. ''These rooms are reserved for important people?'' Naruto couldn't help but sound skeptical as the hotel they stayed at in Kumogakure much more pleasant on the eyes not to mention bigger.
Though that was a hotel and this was more of an inn.
''Haaah,'' Naruto sighed as he walked over towards the futon and allowed himself to fall face down on the piece of furniture. ''Guess it'll have to do… At least the futon is comfortable.'' He said as he watched Tamamo make her way over and sit down next to him.
He watched as she bounced a couple times to test his words before nodding. ''You're right, it is comfortable.'' She then fell backwards, her face coming to rest on the same level as his.
Having closed his eyes as he decided to take a short nap or something like it he missed the soft smile Tamamo held as her amber eyes focused on his face. Slowly she began leaning in closer and closer to the point she could feel his breath make contact.
Leaning in Tamamo closed in the last inch or two that separated their faces as she pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.
The feeling of something soft making contact with his lips prompted Naruto to open his eyes before quickly closing them as he enjoyed the affectionate gesture. After a minute Tamamo leaned back and opened her own eye that she had closed meeting his blue ones.
''What brought that on?'' Naruto asked her softly as one of his hands came up and stroked her cheek lovingly.
''Nothing~'' She replied sweetly in such a way it caused a shiver ran down his spine. ''Just a thank you for carrying me all the way here.''
''Ah, you don't need to thank me for that Tamamo. It's my job to take care of my fiancée, no?''
At the mention of their current status Tamamo blushed as she looked down shyly. The ears on top of her head flattened against her head. With a soft groan Naruto rolled himself over before pulling Tamamo closer. The fox girl rested her head on his chest as the soft beating of his heart calmed her.
''Tamamo?''
''Yes?'' She looked up at him.
''Sorry if this brings up any bad memories but do you have any family that's alive?''
He watched as she flinched slightly before shaking her head negative.
''I see. Sorry for bringing it up Tamamo.'' He apologized.
''No it's fine.'' She assured him as she felt him play with her tail. ''I've never known any sort of parental love. I honestly can't even recall my earlier years of my life… My memories go back to when i was sixteen which was when i was taken in by that disgusting man, Emperor Toba who was only interested in my beauty. He wanted me to be his, his courtesan,'' She growled out with audible disgust. ''Thankfully i was able to elude him each time. Back then i didn't have either these ears nor my tail and i was widely seen as the most beautiful woman that lived in his castle, catching the attention of both men and women alike. Though neither of that mattered once they discovered these ears of mine nor the appendage you are holding. He thought i was deceiving him, merely leading him on during my time there. Which i wasn't! Truly! I just.. i didn't want him to.. to,'' Naruto frowned as Tamamo sniffed softly, no doubt remembering the massive manhunt that was sent after her head. He removed the hand from her tail in favor of embracing her tightly, to let her know he was there for her.
''Shhhh, it's okay Tamamo. I'm here for you, always.'' He rubbed up and down her back in a comforting manner. His eyes were focused up at the ceiling as the only sound that could be heard were the soft crying noises Tamamo made as she could no longer hold in her emotions.
Naruto sighed softly as he moved Tamamo so she was now laying on top of him. That done he once more closed his eyes. This… trip was something else really. The small amount of time they had been here in this strange land Tamamo had cried twice which is two times more than she had done before before.
Though it was only a matter of time he supposed. One can only bottle up their emotions to such a degree before they would break free. Much like a dam that could no longer support its content Tamamo broke as well. Though he was there for her, serving as her support, holding her tightly as she let her tears flow for as long as needed.
Naruto wasn't sure how long it took but eventually Tamamo's sobs slowed down till he understood she had fallen asleep. He himself joining her shortly thereafter.
Hours later Naruto could be seen lounging in one of the chairs that were present in the entrance hall. Curled in his lap was Tamamo, hugging her tail closely. The reason they were in the hall and not their room was because one, the chairs in their room absolutely sucked compared to these and two, they had just returned from a small walk through the village.
Half asleep neither Naruto or Tamamo paid any attention as the door leading to the inn was opened and Mifune walked in.
Due to the chair facing the wall that was on the opposite side from the entrance neither Naruto or Tamamo were able to see the trio of people that entered after the aged samurai.
The three were lead by a young red haired boy wearing kage robes, standing behind him was a girl with sand colored blonde hair done in four ponytails and a boy wearing a black full bodysuit.
The one thing they all had in common was the hiate they wore that held the insignia of Sunagakure.
''Please wait here for a moment Kazekage-dono as i will see which rooms are ready.'' Mifune told the redhead who nodded his head.
''Very well Mifune-dono, we'll be right here.'' Earning himself a small bow in gratitude the samurai general walked off leaving the trio to themselves.
''This is where we will be staying?'' The male wearing the black bodysuit spoke up once Mifune was out of hearing range. ''This doesn't look like anything special.'' He muttered only to be nudged to the side by the blonde.
''Kankuro…'' She growled at her younger brother.
''But Temari-'' Kankuro stopped himself as he saw the look she was giving him before nodding.
''Good. We're not here for some kind of vacation so behave yourself.'' She then turned to her youngest brother who wasn't paying attention to their bickering. ''Gaara? Is something wrong?'' She asked him as he hadn't said anything to them since Mifune had left.
Not receiving a reply Temari frowned before noticing Gaara seemed to be focused on something else. Following her youngest brother's gaze she noticed what he was looking at as there, peeking just above one of the chairs was a mop of spiky blond hair a shade of blond she had only seen in one person before. One person who was responsible of saving Gaara from his demons. The one person who made it possible for the three of them to actually treat each other like the siblings they were. The one person who reportedly had been killed three years ago by none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
''G-Gaara?'' Temari stammered as she saw her younger brother taking a step towards the person that was sitting away from them.
Stopping a feet or two away from them, Gaara opened his mouth. Speaking the first name that came to his mind upon seeing the unruly locks of blond hair sticking out.
''...Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto, is that you?''
''Gaara? What do you mean? I know their hair looks the same but-'' A single look from Gaara shut her up. While she was no longer afraid in the sense that he would kill her should she annoy or even just look at him in a strange way Temari knew that Gaara was stronger than her and despite being her brother he was also her Kage.
''Nnng wha...'' A groan came from the blond in front of them as his eyes began to open having heard someone call his name. Looking around with half-lidded eyes he saw that there was nobody in front of him before sensing three other signatures present aside from himself and Tamamo who had her face buried in his chest. Soundly asleep unlike him who was no wide awake.
''Whoever it was that just spoke do you mind showing yourself? I would do it myself but i'm currently unable to…'' He tilted his head slightly to show he was talking to whomever was standing behind him. He wasn't quite worried though as he had sensed that whomever it was they were no threat to him as he could sense their power which was around the same level as A with the two others being lower than both Darui and C.
Seeing Gaara doing what the blond had requested Temari tried to stop him but was ignored. Letting out a soft sigh she too made her way over as she couldn't help but be curious.
''Naruto…'' Temari heard Gaara gasp out and quickly looked at the blond that was sitting in the chair only to let out a gasp as well as sitting there in a lazy manner was what could only be described as Uzumaki Naruto if he were around her age. Temari fought down the blush that threatened to form as the Naruto look-a-like opened his mouth.
Naruto himself blinked as the red haired boy standing in front of him called out his name. His blue eyes meeting the boy's pupiless green. He wore the same robes as A was wearing leading Naruto to believe that the boy held the same position as he did which came as a surprise as he looked to be around sixteen, seventeen if he had guess.
''I'm sorry but how do you know my name? I'm pretty sure i've never seen either of you…''
''What do you mean? Do you not remember me, Uzumaki Naruto?'' The redhead asked with somewhat of a hoarse voice.
''Uzumaki?'' Naruto repeated with confusion before bringing up a hand as he winced feeling somewhat of a stinging pain in the back of his mind. ''I think you have me confused with someone else, red. My name is Naruto Bael, not Uzumaki.''
Gaara frowned at the blond's words. He had clearly seen him wince and a quick glance towards his sister showed that she did as well. Yet, he could tell he was telling the truth which was frustrating as he looked so much like his first friend did.
Their hair was the same with the blonds in front of him having being longer and a few locks covering his forehead and framing the sides of his face neatly. He also had, upon closer inspection no whisker marks and his skin tone was a bit paler than the Naruto he remembered. The person sitting there also looked older than he should be had it been the same Naruto he was talking about.
All of these signs showed that this Naruto was not the one they had hoped him to be and yet…
There were just too many similarities for Gaara to ignore but he did, for now at least.
''Mngh~'' The sound of a female groan got both Gaara and Temari's attention as they looked down to the woman that was curled up into the blond. Somehow having missed her completely. Amber eyes fluttered open, locking on the still forms of Gaara and Temari before closing. ''Naruto-kun, who are they and why are they standing there?''
''Oh hey Tamamo.'' Naruto greeted her before kissing the top of her head right between her two ears. ''They are Gaara and Temari from i assume on of the other five villages A informed us about judging by the robes the redhead is wearing.''
Tamamo opened her mouth, a soft ''ah'' escaping her throat.
While Naruto and Tamamo were busy with another Temari turned to her younger brother.
''Am i, am i seeing things or is that a tail?'' She asked incredulously as she rubbed her own eyes to see if she was imagining things.
''No, i see it as well.'' Gaara answered as despite not showing it outwardly he was as shocked as she was. He wasn't really focused on the outfit the pinkette Naruto called Tamamo was wearing as much as he was looking at the tail that swished back and forth and the fox ears that were sticking out on top of her head.
''Gaara, Temari, what is going...on?'' Having been watching his two siblings speak with whomever the person was in the chair curiosity got the better of him as he too walked over. However, the words escaped his mouth as he laid his eyes on the beauty that was Tamamo.
He unashamedly looked her up and down, paying especially a lot of attention of unique yet revealing outfit the woman wore. He unconsciously licked his lips as he openly leered at what must be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, the tail and her ears only increasing her beauty.
Unlike his younger brother Kankuro was a lot more interested in the opposite sex and it showed. He had seen Konoha's current Hokage, Tsunade Senju, a woman proclaimed as most beautiful kunoichi but he could, without any doubt admit that this… fox woman was on a whole other level than Tsunade or any girl he had laid his eyes on in his life.
Long legs covered in blue stockings that stopped past her knees revealing her bare skin to the world. He eyes the weird footwear she wore but quickly ignored it in favor of looking at the rest of her.
Unfortunately for him a fist impacting the side of his head stopped him and he looked at his older sister who was the person responsible for doing so.
''What the hell Temari!?'' He asked as he rubbed his head. Instead of answering him Temari just pointed in front of her. Grumbling to himself he followed to where she was pointing at only to meet a pair of deep blue eyes that stared at him with annoyance.
He swallowed as he felt a lump in his throat as he saw his own life flash before his eyes in a matter of seconds and quickly averted his gaze.
Seeing the make-up wearing boy remove his gaze from both himself and Tamamo he then looked at Gaara. ''I don't know who he is but if i see him staring at Tamamo again me and him are going to have a problem, got it?'' He received a stiff nod from Gaara making him snort. ''Good, because if he would've looked any longer i would have killed them right on the spot.'' He sent out a small fraction of his power out to make sure they understood he was not kidding around.
Gaara, Temari and Kankuro each stiffened as an overwhelming feeling of dread hit them for a second before it was gone.
''I-Im s-sorry.'' Kankuro stuttered out as he regained his wits.
Naruto spared the boy a glance before rolling his eyes with a click of his tongue, weaklings. Getting a better hold on Tamamo he stood up with her in a bridal carry while showing that he was the tallest in the room. ''It was nice meeting you two i guess…'' He said with a shrug before walking past them. ''Oh and your room keys are laying over there.'' He nudged his head to where the counter was placed. Not sparing them any last looked he walked towards their own room leaving the three siblings behind.
Immediately after they were alone Gaara spoke. ''Kankuro…'' Said boy flinched as Gaara's green eyes peered into his own. ''I better not see you do anything like such again. I'm not sure who he is despite sharing the same first name and certain traits as Uzumaki Naruto but whoever he is he's stronger than me.''
''A-Are you serious Gaara?''
A nod. ''Yes, even i felt like i was close to dead when he sent out his killing intent. It was far worse than Shukaku could ever do and the worst part? I felt he was holding back, a lot.'' With that he motioned for Temari to follow as he grabbed their keys and left him behind.
Kankuro, who had frozen up snapped out of it before quickly catching up with his two siblings.
''Gaara? Temari? W-Wait for me!''
End Chapter
