Kyubed:Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

by ContraBardus

A young Naruto meets two strange men in the woods, with an even stranger story. After agreeing to special training, he finds the path of the true shinobi a bit different than he, or anyone else in the village expected.

13. Chapter 13

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 13

A break.

OooOOooOO

Naruto walked through the doors into a large open room. The others who had passed the test were standing around in front of a group of Chunin and Jounin examiners. He had on a fresh shirt and hood, the Hokage was in the center of the examiners, and their team instructors stood behind him, looking down at the four groups. Kitsuma was sitting on his shoulder, looking about with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was still wearing his torn and shredded scarf over his face.

Sakura and Sasuke both noticed him move up behind them. A few of the other Genin looked back to give him a glance, but no one aside from his team took real notice of him.

Anko gave a smirk as she watched him take his place in the back corner of the formation of Genin. "Heh. Twelve of them. I was expecting single digits, but there's no need for preliminary rounds for the sixth year in a row."

Sasuke frowned at his teammate. "About time you showed up."

Sakura noticed his new pet on his arm still. "What happened?"

The boy glanced at her. "I'm not supposed to say anything. You'll find out later."

They both looked confused, but didn't press the matter. Naruto looked up and noticed Kakashi was looking at him.

Gai was standing next to him and grinning. "Heh. It's impressive that those two rookie teams made it this far. I'm afraid they've got no chance from here. From now on, it's a matter of how reliable they are. The time of youth is full of both sweet and bitter memories."

His rival turned and seemed to notice him. "Huh? Did you say something?"

Gai turned away looking annoyed. "Darn. He's so good at being cool in that way! No matter."

The Hokage started speaking and everyone gave him their attention. He explained the true reason for the Chunin exams, and how they replaced war between the villages. It was the result of several treaties, and kept peaceful relations between the villages. It was also how the different countries decided where the contracts would go, and how much would be charged for services.

When he finished another nin appeared before them. He looked a little ill, and had dark bags under his eyes. "I am Hayate. I'll be explaining the rules of the final exam. We've got a limited time frame, but the number of participants isn't too many. Usually, it's between six and nine, so we'll be pressed a little. Four teams is right at our limit." He gave a cough and looked them over. "The fights will be just like a real life confrontation. There are no rules. The winner will be decided when one of the participants is killed, unable to fight, or admits defeat. If the referee decides that one is outmatched and ends the fight, then the fight will end there. We don't want needless corpses piling up." The man held up a bag. "Please take a slip of paper from this bag, on each one there is a number. When everyone has one, you'll be asked to read it out loud."

The Genin all did as they were asked. Hayate was writing on a board and held it up. "These are the results, and the order of your matches. Please look carefully."

Sakura was pitted against Ino in the first match, Naruto was facing Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee was to fight Sasuke, Gaara was fighting a very nervous looking Kankuro, Shikamaru was against Ten Ten, and in the last match, Temari would be going up against an annoyed looking Choji.

The large boy looked at his best friend. "Great. We're both stuck fighting girls."

His team leader looked annoyed. "Great."

Kakuro looked speechless and was sweating bullets. He looked at his team leader. "Hey. Just don't kill me or cripple me all right?" It was the worst case scenario in his mind.

Temari looked a bit worried. "Yeah. Come on brother, take it easy on him all right? He's a bit of a jerk, but he doesn't deserve to die."

Gaara frowned at them both and said nothing for a long moment. He looked forward again and spoke. "I'll think about it."

The kabuki clad nin swallowed. "Please just be joking."

The Hokage spoke up again. "Well, now that this is taken care of, I'll explain the rest. As I said before, the matches will be watched by many important dignitaries, as a result, they will take place in one month. This will give you time to recover, and allow us to gather everyone together. You will also have time to plan suitable strategies for what you will face. Even though, I admit your enemy's abilities are probably unknown to you."

Shikamaru glanced over at Naruto and gave a small frown. "Yeah." Neji was doing much the same thing and he glanced over at him as well.

The Hyuuga boy looked a little confused. "What? What the hell?" His eyes were wide as he stared back at the hooded boy. "That's Uzumaki? I-I've never seen him before..."

Shikamaru glanced at him and frowned. "Yeah. So?"

The white eyed boy had his fist clenched and didn't take his eyes off his new opponent. "N-no soul?" Some of the things he'd overheard Hinata say about him began to come back to him. He'd heard her parents chiding her about it, but... "It can't be. There's just no way! Is he some sort of zombie?" He could see his chakra lines and points, but they were empty. He really looked like a walking dead body.

Shikamaru snorted and seemed to realize the boy was ignoring him. "Whatever. The Hyuuga clan sure are weird." He looked over at Naruto and felt a little less comfortable. When he looked back again, Neji had his eyes towards the floor muttering to himself.

"What is that thing? Some sort of Genjutsu? It's got to be! This is crazy!"

The old man looked out over the crowd of Genin. "Use this time wisely. You should prepare yourselves, for your very lives might be on the line. It is a time for healing, inward meditation, and training. All of you should be stronger when you return. Make no mistake, it will be a difficult battle."

Sasuke glanced over at Lee and gave the boy a smirk. His opponent had a hard glare in his eyes and a smile of his own. His eyes moved over to Gaara, and he found the boy looking at Naruto with an unreadable gaze. The Sand nin's eyes moved towards him as well with the same look. After a moment, he turned to look up at the Hokage.

"That is all." The old man dismissed them and the children turned away to the doors.

Sasuke walked up to Naruto. "Uzumaki."

"Uchiha, Haruno." The blond nin nodded at them both.

The pink haired kunoichi didn't even glance at her opponent. "I'm looking forward to it now. I didn't think I would be. I'm a lot stronger than I thought coming into this, and I've got a whole month to train."

Ino moved up to her side and gave her a confident looking smirk. "Well, I hope you're ready to lose. There's no way you'll beat me, not in love, and not..."

Her rival turned to look at her without a smile and seemed serious. "Ino. In case you've not noticed, I don't consider you a rival anymore." She walked away with her team and left her standing there.

The blond girl's jaw dropped. "What? Hey! You..." She balled up her fists and growled at the girl. "Haruno! You huge foreheaded..." The girl continued on her way, ignoring her. "What? That...that..."

Shikamaru walked up to her side. "Ouch. That was cold."

"What's with her?" Ino was angry and annoyed.

Choji shrugged. "Who cares? I'm hungry."

Ten Ten walked by with Gai and Neji beside her. The girl looked the blond up and down as she passed. "It's pretty simple really, she's moved past you, in love, and ninjutsu."

The Yamanaka girl screeched at her. "Who asked you anyway?! There's no way that ugly forehead with legs is gonna beat me!"

Ten Ten stopped and frowned at her as she turned on her heels with a fierce look in her eyes. "Heh."

Ino jumped back and looked a little frightened.

The girl in Chinese clothes ran her thumb across her nose. "Well, in case you didn't notice. We were given a free pass to get here. Who do you think it was that gave it to us? Those Sand Nin?"

Ino growled. "I don't know. What would you know of it anyway?"

Shikamaru grabbed her shoulder. "Shut the hell up would you? Team Seven stole those scrolls and hid them. I'm not sure why, but I'm betting it wasn't because of you."

Ten Ten gave a nod as the blond girl froze up. "That Haruno, she's strong. I hope I get to fight her. I certainly respect her more than this brat. It will be a real woman's battle, I don't think this little girl belongs here."

Ino was livid. "Wh-what did you say?"

Ten Ten walked away and glanced over her shoulder a final time with a cruel looking grin on her face. "Heh. You'd better train hard. Compared to Haruno, you're nothing."

The blond kunoichi seemed to freeze and looked shocked. "Wha? No way! I've never lost to Sakura! I'm not about to start now! There's no way she'll ever beat me, in Ninjutsu, or Love! I'm her superior in both!"

Choji was munching on the bottom of a bag of chips. "Can we go now? I've only got a few snacks left."

Shikamaru grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure if I'm mad at him or not. Why the heck did he give us those scrolls anyway? What's the deal?"

Naruto was leaning against the doorway as he passed by just outside the room. He had his head hung low, and a tiny muzzle was poking out of the bottom of his hood below his chin. "Because. I want to see what you do with that IQ of yours in something that's not strategy games."

The boy froze and both his teammates looked over at him.

"Those sand nin got here on their own. Those were the only scrolls I wasn't able to get my hands on. As for Team Gai, well, Sasuke's been running his mouth. I wanna see how he does against that Rock Lee. Plus, I'm curious on who thickbrows thinks the strongest Genin in Konoha is. I'm guessing it's that Hyuuga guy."

Ino gave him an angry stare. "Are you saying you're the one who stole our scroll and then gave us..."

The hood moved up and down once. "Heh. Yup. I'd say I couldn't have planned it better, but I kind of did. Worked out just the way I wanted." He pushed out of his lean and started to walk away. "See you later."

Shikamaru put his hands in his pockets and frowned. "Yeah. I guess so."

Choji looked at his friend. "So now what?"

The boy frowned at him and the kunoichi. "All of us had better train hard if we don't want to get our butts kicked." He started walking off and shook his head. "How annoying."

OooOOooOO

Kabuto stood with the Sound nin leader. "The second exam is over." He had a frown on his face and looked a bit ashamed.

Orochimaru was in disguise. He gave a nod and looked out across a garden while leaning against a pillar. "Yes. It seems Sasuke has slipped through our fingers for now."

Kabuto was annoyed and frustrated. It was the first time he'd not had to bow out of the final exam. He stayed silent and just gave a nod.

"My three Sound nin couldn't even find him. He and Haruno were able to leave the forest undetected. Astounding." Orochimaru growled and clenched his fist. "I shouldn't have killed that brat. I don't understand how they were able to slip by. At least then they'd be in the final exam and..."

"I've failed you. I..." Kabuto looked a little frightened.

The man glared at him and seemed about ready to strike. He relaxed. "No. It was me who screwed this up. We'll have to move forward with our plans regardless. There's too much riding on it. Uchiha can wait for another opportunity to present itself."

The gray haired nin didn't speak for a moment. "Should we kidnap him? I could..."

Orochimaru looked at him as his lips turned up a little. "No. Not yet. He'll have others with him. He'll be difficult to catch as well, he's more skilled than I anticipated. At least I got rid of that fox brat. He would have been an obstruction later. He was growing fond of him, changing his heart. Now, he's got even more reason to give into his revenge and let his hatred grow." He chuckled. "It will make things easier later if that fox kid isn't around."

Kabuto looked surprised and nodded. "I see. What would you have me do then?"

"We move forward with out plans. Losing Sasuke is unfortunate, but only a temporary setback. He'll be too well guarded, and difficult to catch and hold without the newly formed curse seal to slow him down and make controlling him easier." The head of Sound glanced at his spy and grinned. "I'll dye him with my colors soon enough."

Kabuto nodded. "Yes. I've got to get back before I'm noticed missing. I've got to admit, I'm a bit relieved Uzumaki is gone. I think he was suspicious of me."

Orochimaru stayed leaning against his post and opened a small book. "Yes. He did seem to know something about using spies, and his ideas about warfare are simplistic, but not foolish. It's a shame, had he not gotten in my way, he might have proven a useful pawn himself one day." He grinned. "Line eighteen, heh. 'All warfare is based on deception'. Clever boy, a pity."

The spy vanished and went back to his duties.

OooOOooOO

Naruto stood next to the Hokage. The old man frowned down at him and leaned in close. "Naruto. I must ask that you remain silent, and if questioned, agree with anything I have said. I do not intend to be entirely dishonest, but things will go better if I do all the speaking. You may be required to say something, but it will be best if you support what I say."

The boy nodded and put his hand on the fox kit. It was a fixture on the boy's shoulder since he'd met with the old man in his office. The exams were over, and he'd been called away by Kakashi to meet with the old man before returning home after the event. His instructor was already in the room that was filled with most of the village. He was shaking a bit and looked nervous.

The old man gave him a reassuring grin and opened the door. "Stay at my side, and be as silent as you can be without being disrespectful." He had the scroll with his marriage contract written on it in his other hand. The Hokage hefted it onto his shoulder and entered the room with his hand on Naruto's shoulder, pulling him along with him through the side doors and into the meeting.

OooOOooOO

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the Konoha village council were sitting at the head of the room. Sarutobi's seat was empty between them, and the old man and woman stood up to greet him.

Koharu spoke up first. "You've called us here to give us important news?"

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. I have important news, and I'm afraid it is important that the whole village understands what has happened."

Naruto looked over his shoulder, the hall wasn't filled with just nin. Almost all of Konoha was there, all the adults anyway. There were a few of his fellow Genin present, and a great number of nin. It was a huge hall, and filled to capacity. The room was an auditorium designed to hold such large meetings, not the council chambers.

Homura nodded and looked suspicious. "What is it?"

Sarutobi put down the scroll and propped it up against his hip, pulled out his pipe, and took a few puffs. "First, I must ask that everyone listen to everything I have to say. The news is very grave and serious, but thanks to this young boy's actions. The village is now far safer than it was before. Please remember that while you are listening to what I have to say. There is no cause for alarm."

Everyone looked confused and Naruto looked a bit surprised. His mask hid it, but the two elders in front of him noticed his reaction and narrowed their eyes.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "First, the worst part of this. Orochimaru, the rogue Sennin, attempted to murder this young boy."

Naruto was looking over his shoulder at the crowd. His eyes fell on a rather familiar wide eyed and slack jawed gray haired nin. He narrowed his stare at the older boy. Kabuto was surprised to see him, to the point that he was openly shocked. Everyone else in the room had their full attention on Sarutobi, but Kabuto had all of his attention on him alone. He was near the front of the room, and backed into the crowd when he realized he'd been spotted.

The Hokage continued speaking. "Many of you already know him, and the dark secret within his past."

Koharu stood up. "Sarutobi! Did you forget yourself?"

The old man shook his head. "No. When the rouge Sennin attempted to kill Naruto, he broke the seal."

Both of the elders got wide eyes, and most of the adults gasped. Sarutobi used the scroll and slammed the bottom of it down against the floor. "Enough! We are in no danger!"

Homura shouted. "You just told us the seal is broken! Have you gone mad?"

The Hokage glared back at him. "No. I told you already, this boy saved us all."

Naruto looked up at him and seemed confused.

Sarutobi continued to speak. "The Demon Fox no longer resides within him, the seal has been broken."

Koharu settled in her seat. "Then how does he live?"

The Hokage chuckled. "Why, he married her of course."

There was a gasp from within the crowd, mutters filled the crowd. The Hokage slammed the scroll down again. "Enough! He has saved countless lives with this sacrifice!" He glared at them all. "There are those among you who have treated him with hatred and disgust his whole life, yet he was willing to give up his own life to save every one of you!" He put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Naruto hung his head a little, Kitsuma was still sleeping, most of his furry form was hidden inside his hood.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe. "The conditions of this contract are simple. As long as Naruto protects her child. She cannot harm Konoha, ever again. This agreement is far more stable, and more potent than even the Seal of the Fourth. We are safer from this danger now than ever before. All because of his willing sacrifice. As long as the Nine Tailed Fox child is safe, Konohagakure cannot be harmed by that monster again."

The two elders were looking at the young hooded nin with wide eyes. He glanced back at them both over his shoulder and looked rather pathetic.

The old man glared out at the crowd. "However, if the child is harmed, she will be quite vengeful. If the child is harmed or worse, killed, she will not leave a single living soul in the wake of her rage. All of Konoha must understand this, Naruto is her husband, and the guardian of her child, and his son. It is not just his responsibility to protect the young Fox Prince. It is all of us who must ensure that he is safe. As long as the child is safe, then so are we. There can be no mistake about this. It is not just your lives, but the lives of the entire village that depend upon his upholding this oath."

Homura stood up with a rage in his tone. "Sarutobi! Have you gone mad? Do you realize what you are saying?"

The man returned the glare. "Yes. If the boy had died, the seal would have been destroyed with him. The demon fox would have been weakened, but freed regardless. In a few short years, it would have returned to full strength, and come back for revenge upon the people of this village. His actions saved us all, do not be a fool and make no mistake regarding this fact. This contract has cost him his freedom, and binded him to his son the Fox Prince. He has given up his life, for the sake of the rest of our safety. Given his freedom, for our peace and security. Do you really not understand this?"

The old man worked his jaw and sat down. "You're saying?"

Naruto looked back at him. "I was already dead. That Orochimaru guy gave me some kind of curse, and stabbed me. If I hadn't done it, I'd have died, and the Kyuubi would have been freed."

The Hokage nodded and put a gentle hand on his head. "He is correct. The seal might have held for a short time even on his body. It would not have lasted forever, and the decay of his body would have released the Kyuubi upon all of us. I believe this was Orochimaru's plot from the beginning. Naruto Uzumaki's quick thinking, and selfless actions have saved us all from a terrible fate. I am not certain anyone here could match the Fourth and save us from such destruction again."

Koharu spoke in a quiet tone to the Hokage and covered her mouth. "What of that other matter? You spoke to us of Orochimaru's plans for the Uchiha boy as well..."

Sarutobi frowned at her and turned his head back to return her whisper. "There is no need to bring that up here. We'll be dealing with it when the time comes."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked back towards the crowd. Kabuto wasn't visible. He had a feeling the nin wasn't gone yet. He was also aware that Orochimaru wanted something from Sasuke, and that the elders knew of it. He kept his mouth shut and let things continue.

The Hokage gave the boy a smile. "Show them."

He gave a reluctant nod and pulled the nine tailed kit from his hood and cradled it in his arms. The animal put it's paws on his chest and yipped, waving it's tails behind it and looked very pleased.

Sarutobi looked out over the crowd. "Many here have treated him with hatred, looked upon him with cold and cruel eyes. Spoken against him, and wished him gone, or even harmed or killed. He is not so foolish or innocent to not notice this. Yet he gave everything to protect his home, and his village. A true ninja, and a great sacrifice. I understand these feelings, but you must understand that his burden, is now our burden. The safety and security of all Konohagakure depends upon this contract being honored. Forget your hatred, or it will only see us all destroyed."

The boy was stroking the creature, and his eyes were tearing up. Many heads within the crowd were hanging, some with shame, others with frustration and confusion.

The Hokage gave the entire room a serious glare. "Anyone who seeks to harm this child will be severely punished. Anyone who attempts to kill this child, will be put to death. I'm afraid it is a matter of great importance, and revenge is not a valid motive. Many gave their lives to defend this village against that threat, and I'm afraid that those who dishonor the memory of that sacrifice, even those who lost family and friends, will be treated as criminals, and punished to the full extent of this law. I am afraid that is the only way to protect ourselves."

There was a hush over the crowd.

Homura and Koharu both lowered their eyes. They looked at each other, stood up together and looked out over the crowd before speaking together. "We must support this."

Homura looked at the boy and gave a small smile. "The Hokage is correct."

Koharu nodded in agreement. "Yes. For the safety and security of Konoha, we will support this law."

Naruto wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He wasn't sure what he felt, but Kakashi started to clap, a moment later Iruka joined him. Within a moment, the room was full of applause. Not everyone was clapping, but most of the room was on it's feet and cheering. Naruto was confused by the reaction and looked up at the old man at his side. "I don't...understand...?"

"They are acknowledging your sacrifice. Uzumaki, what you have done, has made you a hero. Nothing I said was a lie. Though, perhaps you didn't realize what you have done. You must live up to your promise. You must be a good father, and keep your son safe above all else."

He still seemed confused. "I'll do my best."

The Hokage nodded. "I expect no less from you. You have grown up into a true ninja. Do not falter, for the path ahead is very difficult. You must continue to live up to what you have become, for all of our sakes."

The boy felt Kitsuma licking at his cheek and gave a serious looking nod. "I promise. I won't fail. No matter what."

The old man started to lead him out of the room. "Be on your guard. I believe the village will support you, but there will be those who cannot be turned away from the past. You must guard him with great care. There may still be those within Konoha, who will betray us, despite what they now know."

Naruto gave a serious nod. "I...understand."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sitting in his home. Kitsuma was lapping up a bowl of milk on the table in front of him. The kit was a ball of energy, bouncing about within the walls of his home since he'd brought him home. "Heh. You like it here do you?"

His son finished his meal and bounced over to lick his face as the boy rested it on top of his arms on the tabletop. "Hey. Come on now." He scratched at the animal's skull and laughed. "You're gonna grow up big and strong I bet."

It yipped and bounded off the table, landing on the floor and tumbled about on the ground around his feet. The kit picked up one of his socks off the floor and started shaking it and growling.

Naruto squatted down in front of his son and grabbed it. "Hey. Spit that out, it's filthy!" He grabbed at one end, and Kitsuma pulled at the other end, shaking his head and giving a playful growl as he pulled on it. "Heh. Cut it out, brat."

OooOOooOO

Naruto was sleeping on his mattress with a fur ball curled on the center of his chest. It growled in a cute manner, made a few soft yipping noises as it rolled onto it's back and spread it's legs. The boy was sprawled out over his messy sheets and shifted a bit into his pillow. His son was in the fox version of almost the same position spread out on top of his belly.

Uzumaki sat up and scratched at his head. He gave a heavy yawn as he looked down and grinned at his son. "Heh. What a fuzzball you are." The kit had slid off his chest and into his lap, leaving a warm feeling that didn't fade. Kitsuma didn't wake up, and he slid him onto the mattress as he got up to start his breakfast.

He yawned and scratched at his head and lower back as he staggered out into the kitchen. After a few stretches, he popped his back and grinned.

A small knock caught his attention and he looked out his window to see Kakashi standing outside waving at him.

He opened his door and grinned at his instructor. The man gave him a cheerful smile and waved. "How are you getting along?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's been all right so far." He looked down between his feet to see the kit standing between his legs. He yipped up at the Jounin and got a cheerful smile in return. Kitsuma ran in circles, seeming to chase his own tails.

"Well, he's quite energetic." Kakashi squatted down and scratched behind Kitsuma's ears.

"Yeah. I was up a little late with him last night." Naruto seemed pleased and his son was enjoying the attention. "It's a little weird though."

Kakashi gave a nod. "Yes."

Naruto stretched his arms. "What's up? I need to get dressed before I can train."

His instructor shook his head. "I'm afraid I won't be training with you. I've got something else to take care of. I've called in a favor though, and arranged for someone to help you with your training."

Naruto seemed a little surprised as Ken and Ryu appeared behind the man. "Hello." Both of them seemed pleased to see him.

"Hey. What's up?" The blond nin grinned and nodded at them. Kakashi wasn't surprised at their appearance.

Ken shrugged. "Nothing much. We've moved into a place just up the road."

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've met with the Hokage. We're staying in the village now."

Kakashi glanced back at them. "I'd heard about that. Everything is going well I hope?"

The pair nodded and ken spoke up again. "Yes. It's much better than sleeping in the woods at any rate."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Oh. You're staying in Konoha now?"

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've agreed to keep watch over your son while you're taking care of your other duties. You're still a ninja of Konoha after all. You won't be able to take him with you on missions. That would put him in danger, and you won't be able to remain a Ninja if you're forced to stay here and care for him all the time."

Ken seemed pleased with the situation. "Yes. He'll be in good hands. Don't worry."

Naruto looked down at the kit and gave him a warm smile. "Huh? I guess you're right. I appreciate it. Take good care of him."

The pair spoke up together. "We give you our word."

He lifted the kit into his arms and nodded. "All right. I feel better, I was worried about what I was going to do with him when I started taking missions again."

Ken slapped him on the shoulder. "Yes. You don't have to worry. At the first sign of trouble, we'll vanish with him. We'll take care of him while you finish that exam of yours. He should be all right with you while you train though."

Ryu nodded. "Yes. We've made arrangements so that we'll be informed when you're given a mission. Just drop him off at our place, one of us should be there. We'll know ahead of time." He handed him a sheet of paper with the address with a key to the home on top of it.

The boy grinned and nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Ken chuckled. "Just do us proud, and take care of your duty."

Naruto looked over at Kakashi as the pair walked off. "What's this about training? You've got a mission or something?"

The man nodded. "Something like that."

Another man walked up. Naruto knew him, he was a tall thin Jounin with a round pair of sunglasses resting on his nose. "Yes. I'll be helping you with your training."

Naruto seemed surprised. "Hey. The closet pervert? He's gonna train me?"

Ebisu growled and rushed up to put his hand over the boy's mouth. Naruto was amused at the reaction and didn't bother dodging. "Quiet about that! I'll treat you to anything you want later!"

Kakashi looked at the man. "He's a closet pervert?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "You'd better."

Ebisu patted him on the head. "We go way back. Heh heh." He looked a little uncomfortable.

Naruto frowned. "Yeah, whatever. What are we doing?"

The man looked down at him. "Well, to put it simply. You're not the same as you were before." He looked at the kit and pointed at it with his finger. Kitsuma chomped down on the end of his finger and the man winced a little. "Because of him, and well, to put it bluntly, your wife."

Kakashi gave a nod and turned to leave. "I'll leave you in his care. He's an Elite Tutor, he'll be able to help you in what you need more than even I could. Don't worry."

The boy nodded and gave his son an approving scratch behind his ears as Ebisu shook his finger. "Right." He gave a small sigh.

Ebisu agreed. "You've lost a lot of chakra because the Kyuubi has left you. You've still got a great deal of stamina, but I'm willing to bet you've lost a bit there as well."

Naruto looked up at him and shrugged. "Yeah. I didn't use that much to begin with though. I've always trained to minimize chakra use. It helps me with being stealthy."

The man nodded. "I assumed something like that. Still, you've got poor control."

Uzumaki gave a small sigh. "Yeah. I can still make a hundred Shadow Clones with no problems though. I've got plenty."

Ebisu shrugged. "Yes, but you're not efficient about your chakra use. You'll tire out easier, and you still use more energy than you really need to." He waved his hand and motioned for him to follow. "Come on."

OooOOooOO

Kabuto frowned as he stood in the crowded market. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning against a wall with a bento in his hands eating a meal in a lazy manner. "The Uzumaki boy isn't dead. Uchiha didn't slip by us, he's made it to the finals with his team."

"That's impossible." Orochimaru was hidden in an alley out of sight. He was in the shadows behind a brick wall.

The gray haired Genin spy nodded. "Yeah. Well, it's true. I saw it with my own eyes. It gets better though."

Orochimaru frowned and didn't reply.

Kabuto continued. "Turns out you released the Kyuubi when you almost killed him. He survived even that, and formed a contract with it. The Hokage told everyone it was your plan to release the Demon Fox on the village by killing him."

His master hung his head a little. "Interesting."

The spy nodded once. "Yeah. Naruto Uzumaki, is the Fox Demon's husband, and they've got a son."

The evil Sannin chuckled. "Poor kid."

Kabuto nodded. "I do kind of feel sorry for him. That's not the best part."

Orochimaru paused. "Well?"

"The terms of the contract aren't just marriage. The Kyuubi gave him their son. He's got to protect him, if the kid is killed, she'll destroy Konoha. This time, the Fourth won't be around to save them."

His master grinned. "I see. This kid?"

"It's a fox kit with nine tails. Doesn't even look human." Kabuto grinned. "Very interesting problem for the kid."

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well, that will be useful later. For now, we'll let the situation lie. It won't do to have the mother show up before I've gotten what I want. For now, we'll stick to the plan we've got. Still, I'm sure I can make use of this when the time comes."

"What about Sasuke?"

"We'll deal with that soon enough. The situation right now is too delicate to tamper with him yet." Orochimaru chuckled. "Still, it wasn't really my plan, but now. Not a bad idea. We'll save that for later."

Kabuto stood up and finished his bento. "Well, I've got to be going. Wouldn't do to call attention to myself and cause trouble."

OooOOooOO

Ebisu was standing in the middle of a hot springs with Naruto. "You've still got far more stamina than anyone else I know of in Konoha. That will serve you well in the future. For now though, we'll be focusing on your control of how much chakra you're using."

The boy nodded. "So, you'll be teaching me how to measure out how much I need then?"

His instructor gave a smirk and nodded. "That's right."

Naruto looked around. "Are we gonna get a bath or something first? Do I have to be clean for this training for some reason?"

Ebisu shook his head. "No. We'll be training here." He looked at the boy and pointed his finger up. "You seem to understand enough. It will be easier if I just show you." He stepped onto the hot spring and stayed on top of the water. "You see? You've got to release just the right amount of chakra to keep yourself afloat. You've got to match your weight to stay afloat on top of the water."

Kitsuma yipped as the boy took him out of his hood. "Oh. I think I get it." He took off his clothes and kept his scarf over his face and his shorts on. After a moment, there were ten of him standing about in front of the instructor.

Ebisu frowned. "Hey. What are you doing?"

Naruto looked up at him. "Well, I don't think I can fit any more of me on that hot spring." Each one moved about the spring and picked up a different sized rock. They varied in size, but none of them picked up one that they needed to strain to carry.

The Jounin frowned. "What? What are you talking about? You only need one of..."

Naruto chuckled. "Nah. Look, it's kind of a trade secret of Team Seven, but...I'll tell you. If I train with ten clones for one day, it's the same thing as ten days of training for just one of me."

Ebisu looked a bit shocked. "What? That's..." He paused. "That makes sense now that I think about it."

Naruto started trying to walk on top of the water. He created ten splashes, and looked very uncomfortable.

Ebisu squatted down beside him and grinned. "Oh yes. By the way, the water is very hot. If you fall in, you'll become a boiled egg."

There was an extra clone sitting nearby watching with the fox kit in his lap. He grinned as he watched his clones fumble about and crawl out of the spring, each one doing the same thing again, over and over.

Ebisu walked over to the extra clone's side. "What's with the rocks?"

The boy looked up at him. "Huh? That way they all weigh a different amount. It makes sense doesn't it?"

The man nodded. He looked over at the pool to watch the boy work. His mind went back to recent training with Konohamaru. The boy had become much more focused, and had stopped rushing about and attacking his grandfather. Something the boy had said to him entered his mind. "There aren't going to be any shortcuts! Naruto Bro told me that!" He looked down at the clone holding the nine tailed kit and gave a smirk Naruto couldn't see as he thought about the Hokage's words in the Hall in front of the village. "There are those among you who have treated him with hatred and disgust his whole life, yet he was willing to give up his own life to save every one of you!"

He turned to watch the boy's training and felt a little shame as he thought about it. "I was wrong about him. Hokage is correct, and he has become a great Ninja."

OooOOooOO

About two hours later, Ebisu was looking impressed. Naruto was running or walking, sloshing about the hot water, knee deep or ankle deep in the spring. Each one holding a different sized stone. "Amazing," he thought to himself. "Already he's getting the hang of this."

He looked at his student. "It's easier if you just stand in place."

The clone next to him shrugged. "The easy way isn't always best." He didn't say anything, but knew he could easily stand on top of the water by that point. He was taking to it the same way he'd taken to the tree climbing training. Putting the right level of chakra out as his feet touched the surface of the water, and then making it vanish as he lost contact with his feet. His clones were also trading rocks, and moving at different speeds.

Naruto looked over the man's shoulder as Ebisu looked on at his other clones. "Hey..."

A man with long white hair was sitting on top of the fence. He was peering into the women's bath. Ebisu jumped to his feet. "What the? I don't know who you are, but...I won't forgive such shameless behavior!"

A moment later, the stranger was laughing at Ebisu on top of a giant toad. The man was out cold on the ground. He stopped laughing as he felt something sharp poking him in the back. The boy who was training nearby was right behind him with a sword pointed at his back.

Naruto had vanished from the hot spring. "You know. That guy was supposed to be helping me with my training you know. I'd kill you, but...I guess I should ask who you are, and what you think you're doing first."

The white haired man in kabuki makeup was looking over his shoulder with an odd expression on his face. He jumped off his frog and grinned. "Thanks for asking! I'm Mt. Myobokugama's holy Sennin, known as the Toad Sennin! Remember it!" He jabbed his finger at the boy's face and found a tiny sharp set of teeth latched onto the end of his finger.

The weird pervert seemed to freeze up and jerked his hand back. "Ouch! What the?"

The little fox kit on the boy's shoulder at him and opened it's mouth wide revealing tiny sharp teeth as it hissed at him. "We're not impressed, are we Kitsuma?" The kit yipped from his shoulder.

The man frowned at him. "Look kid." He shook off his finger and sucked on it for a moment.

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "He was supposed to train me. Look what you did to him you perverted jerk!"

The man glared at the boy. "Someone as young as you wouldn't understand. He interrupted my work! I'm a writer! I was working on my latest novel! This!" He held up a copy of 'Come Come Paradise'.

Naruto blinked. "Hey. You wrote that?"

The pervert nodded and looked pleased. "That's right! You've heard of it!"

The blond nin nodded. "Yeah. I read it. It would have been better if you didn't put so much sex into it. I mean, I got the scenes in chapter four, nine, and fourteen, but the rest of them were just gratuitous and distracted from the story. You overdid it. It would have meant more without the rest of them. You've got no sense of romantic tension. The two main characters had a good and interesting relationship, and the one in chapter nine gave the story a sense of tension and a little tragedy, but the sex scenes and peeping in chapters two, seven, eight, twelve, fifteen, and nineteen just sort of made it all meaningless. It makes everyone out to be some sort of sex crazed emotionless sluts. You really killed all the dramatic tension and shot yourself in the foot."

The man frowned and looked at the book. "Well, maybe the one in fifteen was a bit much." He paused and frowned. "Hey! Wait a minute! You're not old enough to appreciate this anyway! Who asked you?"

The boy turned his nose up. "You brought it up." He glanced at the man from the corners of his eye. "Besides. How does peeping help you write that stuff anyway?"

The man was angry. "You punk! Peeping inspires me to write better!"

The boy shook his head. "You'd write better if you weren't such a pervert. It was good until you overdid it and turned everyone in the book into a shallow sex addict. Not that a perverted old man like you could get any anyway. That's why you peep, cause no attractive woman will talk to you unless you pay them for it."

The man growled. "You little..."

"You're lame. What about my training? You disruptive old perverted fart." Another Naruto was sitting on the rail next to the man and poking him in the shoulder with his finger.

The man frowned. "What? You mean water walking?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. You know about that then? Seeing as I've got an important exam coming up, and you've made my instructor useless..."

The man frowned. "No way. I only like women."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I guess you're useless anyway. I mean, how great can you be. Sitting around in plain sight, just asking to get caught. Not a very good Ninja. We're supposed to be silent and sneaky anyway. What would this idiot know about that?" He scratched his son between his ears as he talked to him in a cheerful tone. "Right, Kitsuma?"

The kit was quite pleased and licked him on the face.

"What would you know about it brat!?" The pervert jabbed his finger towards him.

A cute girlish voice called out from behind him. "There he is! That peeping jerk! Get him!"

A very large group of angry women loomed around the pervert. "Huh? What the?" The girl leading the group of towel clad women had two blond ponytails and a curvy sexy body.

A few moments later the pervert was beaten to a pulp and laid out on the ground in front of the blond with ponytails again. The rest of the women had cleared off, leaving nothing to peep. The man looked up at her. "What did I ever do to you anyway?"

She giggled and turned into the blond boy. "Heh. You screwed with my training."

The man went wide eyed. "Hey. Some sort of Jutsu? I'll tell you what, I'll train you, but you must always look like that in my presence."

Naruto chuckled as his clone vanished. "No way. You pervert. I don't want Kitsuma to learn to be a dirty perverted Sennin like you anyway. He's still a kid, and I wouldn't want your perversion to rub off on him."

The Sennin was on his feet in a moment. "I'm not a pervert! I'm a Super Pervert!"

The boy's face fell. "Whatever."

The pervert chuckled. "I'm just joking. I like you. That was genius." He leaned back against the railing on a small wooden bridge nearby. "Just keep doing what you were doing, and I'll look after your training."

Naruto gave a small sigh and looked down at Ebisu. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing." He created several clones and they all picked up rocks and started walking on the water. After a few moments, they started to sink a little, but none of them were sinking below their knees.

The man gasped as he looked on. "Huh? This kid is?" He looked down at the boy with the fox kit curled up around his neck half hidden by his scarf beside him. "Hey kid. Who are you anyway?"

The blond nin looked up at him. "Uzumaki Naruto."

The stranger frowned. "Hey. Break that jutsu and come over here." The boy did as he was asked and stood in front of the man. "Hey...where?" He was looking at the boy's belly. "You're not Uzumak..." His eyes went wide as he looked on the boy's shoulder. The animal was wagging it's tails and gave him a cheerful yip. "Huh?"

Naruto frowned. "Yer lookin for the seal?" He put some distance between them and frowned as he cradled the fox kit in his arm.

The man stood up and scratched the back of his head. "You mean?"

The boy shrugged. "It's gone. Look, who the heck are you anyway?"

The white haired Sennin frowned and nodded. "I-I see. Tell you what kid. I'll give you some training. I've got a technique I could show you. I've got some things to do today first though. Meet me here tomorrow."

Naruto gave him a suspicious frown. "Huh?"

The man grinned at him. "You remind me of someone. I like you. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find it useful." He turned and walked away towards the exit.

Naruto put the kit on his shoulder and gave a small sigh. "All right I guess." He'd show up, but he was thinking he should let Ken and Ryu watch his son until he figured out who that guy was and what he wanted.

The Sennin looked over his shoulder and frowned. "That was Uzumaki. There's no mistaking it. What happened? What's going on here? I'll have to talk with that Ebisu later. I'd rather Sarutobi didn't know I was here. This is...interesting." Konoha was a lot calmer than it should have been considering. He needed to find out more about what was going on. What he'd just seen was impossible.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Perverted Sennin's training.