Naruto didn't know how long he could handle this… he was itching to change already but he couldn't when he was with Kiba and Hinata. It was difficult for him as it was just trying to prevent himself from sniffing Hinata. Why did this curse be so difficult for him?! It's only been two days since they've been on this mission and they've never seen the damn wolf that had changed him, even though they think it was the one that attacked those guys.

"Naruto you okay?" asked Hinata.

"I'm fine!" shouted Naruto, only to blush and look down in shame. Running a hand through his spiky blonde locks, Naruto calmly said "sorry… though why do you ask why do you ask if something is wrong?" He tilted his head at Hinata and frowned a little, was there something that was wrong with him to cause concern for Hinata? Maybe he was just a little tense… just a little anyway…

"You're shaking and twitching…" Hinata said with a small frown on her face. It was that obvious for them to see him that distressed? Though it seems that they didn't know what was causing it so he was thankful for that though he just hoped that it stayed that way. The fear of them finding out was a terrible thing though he didn't know that if they were to find out, would they accept him for the curse or would want to kill him for it?

"Naruto, if they really cared about you, they wouldn't care if you were a werewolf or not…" said the wolf in Naruto's mind. Okay, that did bring him a little bit of peace but it didn't help to bring him a peace of mind. Though that only gave him a tiny bit, not enough for him to tell Hinata or Kiba the truth yet… or ever for that matter. Sure, it wasn't right of him to hide this from him but it was for the best, he had no choice for the time being…

Giving Hinata a big smile, the young man calmly said "yeah, I'm just a little wired up right now. I think it was all of those sweets I've been snacking on since we've been out here." Okay that was a total lie but they also wouldn't know that he's been snacking or not since he's made sure to stay at the back of the group so they wouldn't know if he had been eating or not. Letting out a soft chuckle, Naruto added "I may be like this for a while though since sweets take a… very long time to work its way out of my system."

"Maybe we should rest a bit. We have been walking for hours now and I'm starting to get hungry…" Kiba said suddenly, causing Naruto and Hinata to look at him for a moment. Now that he thought about it, he was a little hungry and could go for some meat right about now. "Hey Naruto, you wanna go hunting?" asked Kiba as he started to set his pack down and pull out a treat for Akamaru. It wouldn't hurt for him to do a little hunting… Nodding, Naruto turned toward the forest, walking off of the path and made his way toward the forest. "Hey wait-"

"We agreed that if I was to hunt, I'd do it alone." Naruto said before he disappeared from their sights.

He knew that it was cruel for him reject Kiba's offer to help with the hunt but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to do this; it was the only way to get this twitching and burning desire to transform out of his system. If he didn't, he may go insane at this point. Breathing deeply, the young man looked around the area making sure that no one was around him. It was the worst thing for him to be feeling like this… to feel like he was crawling around in his own skin and that the only thing he could do was to shift into that… that form of his and learn to harness its power… maybe if he focused on it, all of it, he could do a full transformation?

Breathing deeply, the young man looked around as he tried to think that he would not be followed right now. Then of course he would have to change into something else so if Kiba and Hinata had seen him, they wouldn't put two and two together. Yawning softly, Naruto took one last look around the forest, wanting to find a safe spot for his bag for while he would go hunting and so he could change into those torn pants that he had been wearing after he had transformed the first time. There was no way that he was going to ruin another pair of pants.

Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto found a hollowed out tree that would be perfect for him! Smiling all the more, the young man made his way over to the tree and knelt down on the ground before grabbing his bag and started to go through it. He had to find those pants so he could change and hide his clothes.

Breathing deeply, Naruto pulled out the slightly torn pants though it made him at least a little happy that it was still in some good shape. Looking up at the sky, Naruto saw that it was late, well, more so than he thought would have been… 'I must have been really out of it today…' thought the young man with a bit of a shrug before he started to strip. Removing his headband, then his jump suit. Damn, he was just so happy that he was able to get some clothes that fit his new frame perfectly.

Once he had managed to remove his pants, the young man threw all of his clothes in his bag and threw on the slightly torn pants. Being careful, the young man moved some bushes to hide the opening in the tree and ran off hoping that he would be able to hide his bag. Breathing deeply, Naruto jumped over a log and looked around one last time before he closed his eyes. He focused on all of the emotions that were surging through his body; he wanted to be sure that nothing bad would happen to those that he cared about.

Soon, his skin started to crawl, started to burn. Though, unlike the first transformation, it didn't hurt as bad. It didn't feel like he was being torn apart from within but it did hurt him a little. Naruto's breathing became a little ragged though he had some control so he wouldn't black out this time… This time, he would have full control, he wouldn't hurt anyone this time… he won't harm anyone not so long as he could help it. Tightly shutting his eyes, the young man gritted his teeth as he felt his bones cracking, breaking, shattering and repairing themselves as they reformed for his transformation.

Letting out a gasping breath, the young man felt his spine stretching as he felt his body stretching, his face stretching as it tried to form a muzzle, his ears as well had started to stretch and point out toward the sky. Grey fur had started to grow; he could feel it all as it happened.

Opening his eyes, Naruto looked around, the pain had subsided and… he felt like he was in total control. Why was that? Shaking his head, the now fully transformed teen looked at his hands seeing that they were large, and was tipped with claws. Sharp ones at that, ones that he knew could tear through steel if provoked. Taking a deep breath, Naruto was confused as to why his thoughts were still intact for when he had first transformed he didn't have any control and had attacked those guys.

Reaching up, the young man grabbed his ears and felt that they were soft thanks to the grey fur that covered them, in fact it made him think of a normal dog's fur. Odd…

Shaking his head, Naruto took a step; it was odd to feel like he grew a few dozen feet when in reality, he had only grown maybe five feet? Maybe three he couldn't really be sure. Only that he was really tall compared to his usual height. Making his way to the small pond that resided in the woods, Naruto blinked as he stared at his reflection. Almost letting out a yelp he couldn't help but stare at himself a little more closely. Curling his lips back, he could make out razor sharp teeth, teeth that could easily rip people apart like his claws though he wouldn't do that… at least not while he was in control.

"You have control because it's natural and because of your training Naruto. The first time you transformed it was too much for your human mind to control or to fight back for control though in a way, you did have some control the night you first transformed."

'What do you mean? I lost total control…'

"Nope, you heard Hinata's cries for help while she was held down like that. You gained enough control to go to protect the woman you've chosen as your mate."

'Mate?'

"Damn it you really are dense. Now that you've become a werewolf, you can choose your soul mate so much easier. Like the scent, when you smelled Sakura, you smelled her true scent, the scent of perfume which you hate because it's fake and not their natural scent."

Okay, that was true; he did hate fake scents and knew that it would only make things more difficult for when animals would track anything or anyone. Though what did it have anything to do with Hinata though being his soul mate? None of this was making any kind of sense to him but then again, what did at this point?

"Hinata's natural scent is the things that you enjoy the most… Lavender and vanilla, those are the scents you love the most and that was what told you Hinata was your soul mate.

That was rather weird to find out who your soul mate was but it made sense in a way. Wolves are always able to tell who their mates were, in some strange natural way. It was just the way things worked for him and it had him curious as to what worked for them and how it would work. Though at least things would work out easier for him in some way right? He could use these abilities of his to keep Hinata safe in some way though he couldn't be sure if his powers would stay safe… wait why did he think of them as powers instead of a curse that time?

Breathing deeply, Naruto looked around the forest as he tried to focus on his senses. If he was going to hunt, may as well trust the wolf that was within him at this moment. Ears perking at a strange sound, Naruto turned to the left and saw a white tiger… that was weird. Why was there a white tiger here? Aren't they normally in the mountains or better yet in the snowy mountains?

Narrowing his gold and blue eyes, the wolf followed the tiger from a distance. Wanting to make sure that he didn't scare it, or worse have it attack him before he was fully prepared… What bothered the young man though, was what was making him curious as to where the tiger was going in the first place. There was something weird about the path that it was taking…

'Where are you going…?' thought the grey furred and blonde haired wolf. Growling softly, Naruto stalked the tiger trying to think on where it could be going only to gasp when camp came into sight. It was after Hinata and Kiba! 'Oh hell no!' thought Naruto before he rushed forward and howled at the tiger and jumped it. The tiger was strong, though Naruto was stronger. The tiger managed to kick Naruto in the stomach with its back legs and jump out of the trees, wanting to eat its 'weak' looking prey.

"Holy shit it's a tiger!" shouted Kiba.

"Oh god it's the wolf!" shouted Hinata when she saw Naruto jump out of the forest. He wanted to wince but right now, he had to pretend that he was a wild animal. One that didn't care about them but… he also had to get this tiger away from them too or better yet kill the animal before it could hurt them.

Naruto growled at the tiger and braced itself before jumping the tiger once again. The tiger growled and bit Naruto's shoulder, causing him to howl in pain before tightening his hand into a tight fist and threw it at the tiger, he wanted to be sure that this tiger knew who was boss. Nothing was going to stop him! Nothing would stop him from protecting his friends, he would be sure that nothing would ever hurt them! The tiger swung its paw at Naruto's face, causing him to yelp and whimper out in pain. Covering his face, Naruto felt blood oozing slightly out of his wound though what he smelled was fear coming from Hinata and Kiba.

But that didn't stop them from trying to fight back.

Hinata rushed forward and slammed her palm at the tiger's side, causing it to hiss and swing its claws at her, slicing up her arm. Hinata screamed out in pain and Kiba grabbed her pulling the bleeding woman away. When Hinata's blood reached Naruto's nose… that was when he lost it. Letting out an enraged howl, the young man rushed forward and slashed at the tiger with a rage that was so hot and intense that it would have burned anyone that was inches from his body.

Screaming, roaring, howling, Naruto did it all as he felt the desire to kill the animal that had dared to harm Hinata, to dare cut her skin and spill her blood. It was something that he's never felt before… and deep down, it did scare him but the wolf in him, told him over and over that this was because his woman, his mate, had been injured. The tiger yowled and tried to break free of Naruto's grasp, slashing and kicking as much as it could though Naruto's grip was powerful.

The tiger stared at Naruto with eyes that told him it was begging for its life to be spared. Naruto though, growled, his lips curling up to reveal his fangs as a way of saying that Naruto wasn't going to forgive him, that no matter what there would be no way for the tiger to be forgiven for what it had done. Naruto narrowed his eyes and twisted its neck. The only thing he would do was give it a quick and painless death. Nothing more and nothing less…

Turning around, Naruto saw that Kiba had managed to pull Hinata far away from the battle, though had gone to grab his bag… he must have thought that the wolf wouldn't think twice about them if they were downwind from him. Well, he thought wrong… A part of him was telling the blonde to get the hell out of there, to get away as fast as he could so he could revert to normal since in a sense, Naruto did get them meat even though they didn't know that.

Walking toward Hinata, he saw that she stared at him with her wide lavender eyes. She was scared, and it caused him to whimper a bit. As if telling her not to be afraid of him, that he was Naruto… that he would never harm her so long as he lived but, deep down he knew that it wouldn't happen. That she would be scared of him if she knew the truth about him… that he had been curse to live like this for the rest of his life. Looking down at her arm, the wound wasn't deep but it would need to be cleaned… Kneeling to Hinata, Naruto slowly reached out for her, not wanting to scare her any more than he already did…

"Stay… stay away." Whispered the blue haired woman, her body trembling.

Gently, Naruto held onto Hinata's hand with his thumb and index finger since using his whole hand would only cause her to think he would pull her away since his hand would cover hers… He looked down at her arm, seeing that she was still trembling. Closing his eyes for a moment, Naruto leaned down and licked her wound, hoping that would clean it, even if it was only a little bit. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn't need anything else to clean it… he should be the only one to clean or treat any wound she gets…

Once he was sure that it wouldn't need any more cleaning, the young man looked up and stared at Hinata for a brief moment. His eyes staring into hers as if trying to tell her something… The blue haired woman just stared at him, her body no longer shaking in fear though she did stare at him with a hint of confusion. Did she know what he was trying to say or… was she trying to figure out if he was really a threat to her or anyone for that matter.

Suddenly, Naruto threw his head back and howled in pain. Something had stabbed him in the shoulder, without thinking, Naruto grabbed whatever it was and threw it away from him. "Kiba!" shouted Hinata, causing Naruto to turn around and saw that Kiba had been the one to stab him. Growling, he reached back and grabbed the object that had been used to injure him before dropping it, seeing that it was a kunai that did it. Growling one last time… Naruto ran off into the forest hoping to get away.

Once he got far away, Naruto had managed to revert to normal, breathing heavily. "Damn it that hurts." Muttered Naruto as he rubbed his shoulder. Whatever coated that kunai it really hurt and it still stung, more so than the tiger clawing at his face though when he had looked at his reflection in the water's surface, he saw that it had healed. Maybe injuries caused by animals healed quicker than weapons?

Shaking his head, Naruto winced slightly as he reached into the hollowed out tree and breathed deeply as he started to change and put on his normal attire. He didn't know what more he could do about trying to hide his secret… that had been a huge risk for him to have gotten close to them but it had meant something knowing that he had managed to protect them. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man zipped up his jacket and grabbed his headband before tying it around his forehead.

'I have to be more careful…' thought the young man as he slung his bag over his shoulders, only to hiss in pain when it brushed his wounded shoulder. Damn it that hurts like a son of a bitch! Shaking his head, the young man knew that he would have to be careful or else they would know that he was wounded by them… there was no way that he could risk it. He would just have to pretend that nothing happened, that nothing hurt him in the first place though that would be harder than it sounded at this point.

"Naruto, sooner or later, they will find out…"

He chose to ignore the wolf this time; he wasn't going to let them find out this time. He would make sure that nothing, nothing would ever reveal his curse to his friends. There wouldn't be anything or anyone that would get to them this time. Letting out a soft sigh, Naruto wondered through the forest, rubbing his shoulder now and again and really wishing that he didn't with how bad it hurt right now. Damn it, where was Kyuubi's healing when you needed it?! At least it would heal his wounds right now!

"Naruto!" shouted a voice, causing Hinata to look up in shock. Blinking his eyes, he saw Hinata rushing toward him with Kiba and Akamaru. Hm… now that he thought about it where was Akamaru during the whole thing? Or better yet… did the dog know who he was during that battle? If that was the case, it would amaze him as to why he hadn't told Kiba yet. Letting out a soft breath, Naruto saw that Hinata rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him, causing Naruto to yelp and hiss in pain. "Oh god are you okay?!" asked Hinata in shock and concern.

"Yeah I'm fine… I… tripped and fell, landing on my back in the progress." Said Naruto, hoping that would be enough to explain things to her and Kiba. Chuckling, Naruto gave Hinata a soft smile before he kissed her gently. "You okay though?"

"Yeah… why?"

"I heard a weird commotion going on and I tried to find where it was but couldn't find it. When I heard it stopped I assumed you guys did something."

"That wolf showed up with a tiger. The tiger is dead and I cut up some of the meat for us to eat. Why didn't you show up sooner?!" shouted Kiba.

"Like I said, I thought it was further away from you guys." Said Naruto.

Kiba stared at Naruto with a raised eyebrow for a moment before shaking his head. "Let's go eat and sleep for the night. Maybe we can just go and sleep up a plan to get that wolf and kill it." As soon as Kiba had said that, Naruto could have sworn he felt his face grow pale for a moment. He couldn't believe that Kiba really wanted to kill the wolf, him, so badly…

"Naruto, why is there blood on your shoulder?" asked Hinata.

Damn it, the blood must have seeped through his jacket. Turning to stare at her, he gave Hinata a bright smile saying "I must have cut myself after I removed my jacket and shirt while I went hunting…" He laughed a little; it seemed believable at least to his ears. For some reason though… Hinata just stared at his eyes searching for something… like she knew he was hiding something from her and wasn't ready to tell her… did Hinata see something in his eyes when he was a wolf or was he only seeing things? He didn't know and he hoped that Hinata never found out… he never… wanted her to be scared of him ever again.