Chapter Five

"Naru-kun."

"…"

"You hate me, don't you?"

"With a passion."

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you keep coming back hm? Why do you allow me to live when you can end it?"

"…"

"Maybe it's because you aren't being true to yourself? Because you do in fact like our f-"

"No! I hate you! I hate what you do to me! I hate it all!"

"Then why?"

"B-because..."

"You're scared. You're scared I can't be stopped, that no one will ever believe a child."

"No…"

"Excuse me?"

"Because I want to protect my family."

Slowly, violet blue eyes began to open and Naruto felt his head throb a little bit as his vision was quite blurry. He slowly shook his head as he leaned up on whatever he was laying on and gripped his head taking deep breaths. He couldn't remember much besides pain. Then something clicked in his brain and he suddenly remembered.

His journey to Uzushiogakure, going inside the cave, speaking to a disembodied voice, then being told of a magical tama of some sort. He then put it on and he felt pain before his world went black. Now he was…blinking, he looked around to see was in some kind of library as he could see the many tall shelves were empty, dusty and worn. There were a few dusty tables as well and from the feeling of the room, it was quite a big room. So now he was in an old empty abandoned library. However he didn't remember coming here or anything.

"Oh! You're awake!" he heard causing him to pause in his thoughts and looked towards the entrance of the room as he saw a beautiful young woman approach him with a cheerful smile. As she walked towards him Naruto couldn't help but feel drawn and a bit aroused as he appreciated her beauty.

She stood about 5'4 with creamy skin, and long waist length dark hair. She had a very pretty face with a button nose, full pouty pink lips and long eyelashes with her big golden amber eyes. He took note how her pupils were vertically slit and hummed a bit. Her body was a bit slime and lithe though she had an incredible bust and nice curves along with legs. For her attire she wore a shoulder-less red and white Kimono that stopped at her mid thigh. He noticed she was bare foot, allowing him to see her pretty feet.

He then finally noticed she had a tray in her hand, it was two cooked fish and a glass of water. She set it down before him as he gazed at her curiously, "You weren't out long, maybe an hour or so," she told him. "You should eat, it will make you feel better," the girl offered and he slowly nodded and reached for the fish, as he felt no ill will from this young woman.

"Where are we?" he questioned as he took a bite into the fish.

"Oh we're in the library," The woman told him before looking around a bit. "Or what used to be the library. It was the only place I could think of that didn't need a key," she shrugged as she watched him eat. "You're not as heavy as I thought you'd be,"

"You found me in the cave?" Naruto wondered and she gave a thoughtful expression. "I assume then you live in this forest, nearby? That's strange, I didn't sense any human life when I arrived," he hummed in thought but she didn't really answer him. "Well thank you for your kindness…"

"Ahri," she introduced and he smiled as he tested it out.

"Ahri, that's a beautiful name. Well thank you for your kindness Ahri, I don't know what exactly happened to me but you aided me when I couldn't aid myself," he bowed his head respectfully, making the young woman blush a bit. As Naruto continued eating his food, he wanted to ask more questions about her. Because it really bugged him that he hadn't sensed her life force earlier, yet here she was. It was strange. But as he continued with more questions, he couldn't help but stick to one that bothered him.

Ahri seemed to take note of his hesitance and raised a brow, "Is something wrong Naruto? Is the food not good?" she asked. This set off an small alarm in Naruto's head. Reason being was he had not introduced himself yet, so how did she know his name? However before he could get to that he spoke on his first question.

"No the food is fine Ahri-san. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why are you casting an illusion over yourself?" he wondered with a slightly curious blank stare and her eyes widened a bit. It wasn't exactly genjutsu, reason being he couldn't sense chakra involved. It was something else entirely which he could strangely tell, he didn't know how though.

"Oh I um…I have a really bad um skin condition and I don't really want too scare you. It's embarassing. I hope you understand," Ahri pleaded lightly and Naruto slowly nodded his head in understanding as he gazed at her, studying. She was lying, but not completely. He would leave it alone for now, it wasn't his business much. So he decided to the next thing that was.

"How did you know my name?"

"What?"

"My name, I have yet to introduce myself," he said calmly and patiently. "Yet you called me by name a minute ago. How did you know it?" he wondered with a raised brow. Ahri seemed to get really nervous as she gazed at Naruto's rather intimidating impassive expression and she puffed out her cheeks.

"Muu~! I was really hoping to tell you later when I was a bit more comfortable but I don't have much of a choice now," she sighed with a grumble. She then closed her eyes and Naruto stared with interest as he saw her entire form shimmer. His eyes widened a bit when he saw three whisker marks appear on each cheek, and two dark furred fox ears appeared on the top of her head. But not only that swaying rather lazily were a total of nine magnificent white furred fox tails.

Then it clicked.

She was the cute fox he had met earlier that led him to the cave! But it seemed she wasn't just any fox! She was a Kitsune! One with nine tails! But the only Nine tailed Kitsune he knew of was the Biju that was sealed inside Menma and Mito! As he gazed at Ahri, she gained a red hue on her cheeks. "Don't stare! It's embarrassing ya know!" she grumbled. Ahri blinked, quite surprised when she felt her ears being gently rubbed by a naturally curious Naruto.

"Wow, they're so soft," he said nonchalantly which only caused her face to turn red as she pushed him back.

"What's wrong with you!? You can't just be going around feeling a girl's ears! It's weird! Didn't anyone teach you manners?!" Ahri demanded with a huff crossing her arms under her bust with Naruto giving a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, giving her a goofy smile.

"Ne ne, gomensai. I just couldn't really help it," Naruto apologized and Ahri pouted cutely as she huffed lightly once more. "So, you're a Kyuubi eh? That's pretty cool. I've never met one before," Naruto smiled allowing Ahri to feel way more comfortable. She had noted how the air around him changed dramatically. Before it was rather tense and cautious, now it was relaxed and easy. "No wonder I didn't sense you, you were in fox form!"

"Yeah, I don't really use my human form as much as I should," Ahri frowned a bit. "My tails and my ears freak people out and they call me a demon and a monster," she sighed and Naruto gave a small shrug.

"I don't think you're a demon or a monster. In fact you're really beautiful and if you were willing to help me, a nice person too," Naruto shared and Ahri looked at him in a bit of awe. "People just fear what they don't understand, it makes them feel better in a way because they're too ignorant to try," Naruto rolled his eyes. Ahri gazed at Naruto and gave a small nod of agreement as she began to pet one of her tails.

"Yeah. That's why I want to find someway to become a full human, a real girl, you know?" She smiled with Naruto actually frowning at hearing that. "Then I won't have to hide anymore, I can be myself and actually interact in the world without being scared," Ahri grinned before she focused on him, more specifically the tama around his neck. "That's why I was looking for that."

"This?" Naruto asked as he picked up the purple tama and raised a brow. "Why? Does it grant you some kind of wish or something?"

"Not by itself no," Ahri shook her head. "However, legend has it, once all six are found and are together, it forms the Kami Tokko," she began with Naruto paying attention. "The Kami Tokko is said to give the wearer incredible powers beyond imagination. With it, the wearer could be on par with the Sage of Six paths."

"Really? Sounds like a bunch of bull to me," he shrugged with Ahri raising a brow. She then was about to say something but realized something and gave a small smirk.

"Well…if you don't want it, then why don't you give it to me? I mean I believe the Kami Tokko can be formed, no use in you having it if you don't believe, ya know?" Ahri reasoned and Naruto hummed as he gave a shrug. He then moved to take it off, but found something strange. "What's wrong?"

"It won't come off."

"What? Of course it will! Just tug it," she suggested and he did so but the rope still wouldn't snap. "Here let me try!" Ahri grumbled as she reached for it. But just as her hand neared it, both watched it glow a furious purple and blow her hand back. "Ow!" she voiced her pain and looked at it, "What the fuck!?"

"It won't come off,"

"Yeah I can see that, damn it." Ahri growled as she nursed her hand. "It did that to me earlier too. I was hoping that you yourself could take it off, but I guess not. Seems your stuck with it," Ahri muttered with Naruto sighing with a shrug. He then grabbed the tama and inspected it.

"Okay, since you seem to know so much about this Kami Tokko thing, does an individual one have some kind of power?" Naruto wondered with Ahri nodding her head as he took a sip of water. "Mind explaining it to me?"

"I don't see why not," Ahri shrugged. "Like that voice said there are a total of six. Fear, Rage, Regret, Lust, Love and Desire. Each one does have their own ability which differs but I only know the abilities of three, the one you're wearing is one of them," Ahri gestured too with a nod. "From what I know, each one grants the wearer a certain amount of power, power that be molded and made stronger even," she started.

"Was that what happened back at the cave? Was it giving me power?"

"It would seem so," Ahri nodded. "The Fear Tama has the ability to negate the wearer's Fear." Naruto blinked as he pondered this, "Not only that but it feeds on the fear of the wearer, giving them quite a bit of power depending on how much fear the wearer has,"

"That is very…intriguing," Naruto spoke, mostly to himself. "Fear is a necessary emotion in a being. Fear is what gives a living being the instinct of survival, to naturally avoid whatever scares them. If this tama negates that emotion, it means that the wearer has nothing to fear!"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If someone has a fear of being in the dark right? They would go out of their way to not be in the dark. It would hamper their ability to do anything that involved complete darkness," Naruto explained with Ahri following along. "Now lets say someone had a fear of death, they feared death and the implications of it, and would not put themselves in a postion where there is a high risk of death. This tama negates fear right?" a nod was his answer. "Then potentially, that person who feared death, no longer feared it. Which means they could face a situation where certain death was possible and not have an inch of fear,"

"Okay yeah, but they would still die wouldn't they?"

"Yes, but no. You see fear adds the probability of failure. Without it, the person would trust in their skills and have a certain level of confidence that would add the probability of success. This tama could make the user so powerful depending on what fear, or fears they have!" Naruto finished with a grin and Ahri frowned a bit.

"In this case, that would be you, since that thing doesn't seem to want to leave your neck," she said dully and Naruto blinked, realizing how right she was. "Like you said, that's very intriguing. I never really thought about it that way," Ahri muttered to herself.

"Yeah," Naruto hummed quietly to himself before he shook his head, leaving his thoughts for the time being. "What about the other two you know about? What do they do?"

"Well they work in a similar fashion. The Rage Tama not only powers the wearer by feeding on the users rage, but the anger around them," Ahri informed with Naruto whistling in appreciation. That was quite an ability. "The tama could also incite rage within a victim,"

"That's so badass!" Naruto finally voiced. So not only does Rage feed on the user and those around, but it can also make a victim naturally angry which only feeds it more? That's quite a power boost! "Wait, does the tama negate the user's rage?"

"I'm going to guess so," Ahri responded in thought. "I mean, what good is fighting if your in a blind rage all the time? So logically, I'm pretty sure the user is only receiving power allowing them to use it properly instead of idiotically," Ahri figured. "Then there is the last Tama I know of, the Regret Tama."

"Let me guess, it feeds of the users regrets and sadness?" Naruto wondered. This was starting to become a bit predictable at this point. Ahri raised a brow but shook her head.

"Actually it empowers their regret."

"What?"

"Yeah," Ahri nodded her head. "I don't really know why, but it does. To me it sounds more of a hindrance than anything. I mean, I'm busy thinking and drowning in regret then…"

"It would make the user fight better, be better," Naruto mused causing Ahri to look at him confused. "Think about it, everyone has regrets, it's basically impossible to have zero regrets," Naruto shared his thoughts, Ahri following along as best she could. "Okay, you kill someone you hate, but you get caught, what do you regret?"

"Getting caught."

"Right. And if you could do it again, what would you fix?"

"Getting caught," Ahri shrugged as she stared at Naruto who waited for the light bulb to turn on. After a few moments, it finally clicked on. "Oh! I get it! Wait! That's why it makes sense now!" Ahri suddely shouted with Naruto raising a brow.

"What makes sense now?"

"I didn't really get it at first, but the Tama has a power of time manipulation." Naruto gazed at her with a raised brow before he gave her a deadpan expression.

"You couldn't have lead with that?"

"Well I'm sorry okay! I was thinking what is the point of time manipulation if I'm too busy brooding to actually use it!" Ahri huffed with a pout and Naruto gave a small chuckle as he understood what she was saying. "But I get it now! The Tama has the ability of time manipulation of sorts, it allows the user to 'fix' their mistake for a better outcome," Ahri explained. "It's as if the Tama senses the regret and allows the user to change the original outcome."

"That…is fucking awesome dattebayo!" Naruto grinned before he hummed. "By the way, how do you know this stuff?" he wondered. Ahri blinked before she gave a small shrug.

"I read a lot," she shrugged. "It may not look like it but I'm One-hundred and seventeen years old," Ahri smiled with Naruto blinking at that. "In fact, my clan had a very good relationship with the Uzumaki. But then…" Ahri frowned as she looked away lost in thought before shaking her head slowly. "When I was a kit, my grandmother spent a lot of time in the village and was good friends with many Uzumaki, including the grand elder,"

"Grand elder?"

"Yeah," Ahri nodded with a smile. "Unlike all the other villages, there wasn't a kage in charge. There was a council that consisted of four people, two elders and two of the next generation. Then there was the grand elder. The grand elder was the wisest Uzumaki in the village, and he was kind. He taught us a lot, and one of those was the Legend of the Kami Tokko. Though I only read half of it before everything went to hell," Ahri shook her head slowly.

"Wait…Ahri, are you saying you are the last living person with the knowledge of the Uzumaki clan secrets and such?"

"I wouldn't say there were secrets, more like teachings," Ahri shrugged. "But yeah, I guess I am," she smiled with Naruto gaining a big smile. "What?"

"Can you teach me?"

"Eh?"

"Can you teach me everything you know concerning the Uzumaki clan? My mother is a full blooded Uzumaki and she tells me the only thing she was able to learn from the clan was Fuinjutsu,"

"That's it?"

"Yeah. Her grandmother passed away before she could be taught more," Naruto told her with a shrug. "She really doesn't know much else about Uzumaki teachings besides Fuinjutsu."

"That's really strange, but understandable I guess," Ahri hummed in thought. "Yeah Fuinjutsu was a big thing for Uzuamki, but it didn't help them with combat. In fact, most of the older generation, used spells,"

"Spells? As in magic?"

"Sure," Ahri shrugged thought Naruto could tell she was just agreeing to make it easier for him to understand. "You see the Uzumaki clan felt that Chakra was…dangerous, unnatural even. So through heavy meditation and soul searching, they were able to connect with a side of them that could only be found through death, for humans at least."

"What do you mean?"

Ahri gave a smile as she held her hand and he looked amazed when blue fire erupted in her hand, and was calm, maintained. "Though it's called fox fire because kitunes are seen using this fire, it's actually called Spirit fire." Ahri told him. "You noticed I didn't use any kind of seals or even an ounce of chakra,"

"No, nothing," Naruto agreed as he sensed no chakra coming from the fire or even within her. It was weird.

"That's because it's created from energy made from the spirit. Energy that has no limit, that won't cause you to die if you run out. It grows stronger and becomes more the more you improve," Ahri explained to him. "Mythical beasts, as you humans call us, have no issues using spirit energy, which naturally makes us stronger than humans," Ahri smirked as she snuffed out the flame.

"Due to the Uzumaki's clan diplomacy, peaceful ideals and kindness, they were able to not only make allies out of the Kitsune clan, but become friends. Thanks to this friendship, we shared our knowledge with them, just as they shared their knowledge with us. For decades, centuries even, as the Uzumaki clan had been around even around the time of the Sage of Six paths, the clan were able to use Spirit energy and do wonders with it,"

"This is what made them so powerful?" Naruto asked with Ahri nodding her head.

"Yeah. But as time went on, teachings began to shift and soon enough the amount of Spirit users were dwindling and Chakra became useful, though it hindered their strength, not that they seemed to know it or cared," Ahri frowned. "If they stuck to Spirit energy then they would have survived the attack."

"I want to learn."

Ahri raised a delicate brow as she studied him, "Why should I teach you?"

"Because, I can help you look for the other Tamas," Naruto answered causing her to blink as he continued, knowing he had her attention. "I have no real intention of forming the Kami Tokko. Yeah it sounds cool, but I have no real use for it like you would,"

"If that's the case, why'd you put it on?" Ahri questioned with narrowed eyes as she gazed at him. "I mean, you could have left it and been on your way. But you put it on instead!"

"I don't know why I put it on," Naruto sighed, being honest. "I felt as if it was calling me, piquing my curiosity so I grabbed it," he shrugged with Ahri grunting. "If I knew before hand you'd want it, I would have let you have it and would have been on my way. Hell if I could give it to you now, I would. But I can't,"

Ahri gave a small scowl before she tapped the ground in thought. "If I teach you everything I know concerning the Uzumaki clan, you'll help me find the tamas and give the Kami Tokko to me?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Fine, it's a deal." Ahri agreed before she raised a brow. "Why do you want to learn anyway?"

"Because, as far as I know, I'm one of the few remaining members of the clan. I want to learn as much as I can and pass it on so it doesn't die," Naruto told her before he paused and he gave a small frown in thought. "Also…I need to be more powerful than the person I am after. I can't do that, if we can be on the same level," he muttered. It was silent between them for a little bit before they both turned their heads a bit. "You feel that?"

"Yeah, we have visitors. I'm counting five, maybe six."

"It's Konoha," Naruto sighed lightly. "Didn't think they would catch up so quickly." Naruto then looked to Ahri before speaking, "Is there a place we can escape too? Somewhere on the island?"

"Yeah, we can go now if you wish?" Ahri offered but Naruto shook his head as he stood up and began walking towards the exit. "Where are you going?"

"I need to confront them. Be ready to escape," Naruto told her and Ahri stopped him, grabbing his wrist.

"Wait. These Konoha ninja, who are they? Why are they chasing you?"

"I ran away from home. Now they want to bring me back. I'm not going back, just yet," Naruto frowned. "They won't listen if I tell them that. I know them all quite well, and they will insist until I agree to return with them," Naruto shook his head. "I won't like this, but it needs to be done." With that he continued on with Ahri following behind him almost curiously.

They walked through the ruined village for several minutes, tracking down the group searching for him. Naruto took to the roof tops before he gazed down at the four who were surrounding Kushina who was gazing at a worn Ice cream stand. He sighed before he made a single hand sign, cocked his head back and fired a large ball of fire. Ahri watched with mild interest as the group perfectly dodged the attack, coming to a skidding halt. Naruto then put hand on his hip with a blank expression coming upon his face.

"I thought I gave you the hint not to follow me, Kaa-san."