Chapter 25:

Naruto managed to remain in human form for over an hour before he sneezed and his fox ears popped out. By that time, the group had wandered so far into the woods that it no longer mattered. They still had no clue where to look for the remaining kitsune, but once they found it, they believed things would return to normal.

Naruto's ears perked up. He stood perfectly still.

"What's the matter? Another enemy?"

"No." Naruto turned his head. "My clones are all gone."

"Yeah," said Sakura. "Since you're part fox again, all your clones should have disappeared."

"I know that. But when my clones go away, I still know what they've experienced. Even without being there myself." Naruto shifted into his fox form. "Follow me! Quick!"

Unsure of what to do, Shikamaru and Sakura followed Naruto deeper into the woods. They wondered if one of Naruto's clones had spotted something dangerous or important. One of them could have come across the kitsune. Or they could have discovered Karada's current location and therefore know to avoid it.

Naruto ran faster and faster, leaping over shrubs and fallen branches. He swerved around a crooked tree and made a hard right. Breathing hard, Naruto stopped where he stood and looked around. Taking a deep breath, he gave a short howl into the trees. "Narutoooo!"

His call was answered.

With a joyous leap, Naruto dove into the trees and ran. A fox emerged from behind a trunk and locked eyes with him. Naruto tackled him in a massive hug and they rolled over each other, laughing.

"Seki!" Naruto looked back. "Guys! Guys, look! It's Seki! He's ok!"

"Of course I'm ok. What did you think happened?"

"We were worried you got yourself cursed," said Sakura. "An enemy was wearing a cursed object around his neck he didn't have before and since we haven't seen you in a while, we thought it was you."

"As you can see, it's not. I'm fine." Seki looked at Naruto. "So you've run into that human, too. I discovered him in the forest and got a bad vibe from him. I knew to avoid him so I've been trying to keep my distance. Your village is overrun, Naruto. Most of the humans have been taken by him."

"I know. We were there and saw what happened." Naruto remembered how the village looked when they looked at the private files. It was like a ghost town. "Karada, that human, has turned our friends against us. We've been fighting them since he's used a ninja ability on them."

"I had warned Kakashi that something bad might happen to the village while you were gone looking for Mikale. Kakashi told me to assist you so I left. But he seemed to take my warning seriously."

"Is Kakashi-sensei ok?" Naruto asked. "I haven't seen him in a while so I don't know if the jutsu got him or not."

"I haven't seen or heard from him since that night. I can only hope he got away in time."

It was possible that Kakashi escaped Karada's jutsu when he attacked the village. Naruto could only hope. Since no one had seen him in a long time, no one could say for certain.

Naruto was starting to feel guilty again. "If you hadn't left the village to come help us... maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"We told you before, Naruto," said Sakura. "Kakashi-sensei didn't doubt your abilities. He knew that no one could do it alone. Seki wasn't needed at the village then. If Seki didn't show up we might never have defeated Mikale. And besides, everything was fine at the village for a little while after his defeat. It's no one's fault."

"Yeah, I know that." Naruto, though it was slight, still felt a twinge of guilt.

He knew it wasn't his fault. He knew Kakashi didn't doubt his ability. The village wasn't attacked while they were gone. It happened while they were around. Karada showed up while Naruto was still at the village. Seki had run off in another direction after Mikale's defeat.

"Oh, yeah." Naruto turned to Seki. "Where did you run off so quickly after we defeated Mikale? You took off in such a hurry and didn't say why."

"Oh. I was checking on something."

"Like what? Were you looking for the other fox?"

"Partly, yes. I was also sensing something else I couldn't figure out. I think it was Karada. I wasn't sure at the time. I just knew something was going on in the forest and had to check it out. I've been searching for the remaining kitsune ever since. I haven't found him anywhere. I'm still searching. There's no sign of him anywhere."

"If you want, you can search with us," suggested Sakura. "We need as many allies as we can get since everyone else is against us because of the jutsu."

Seki gave it some thought. "I suppose I could join you for a while. Since we're both searching for the same thing."

"Karada's justu is strong," said Naruto. "We just ran into another friend of ours and he tried to take himself out with the rest of us. Normally he wouldn't do that sort of thing. I might be immune to the jutsu being a kitsune but Sakura and Shikamaru could still be effected by it. I have to make sure they're save. Even if that means making them hold back. Going near Karada is too risky. They're all I have left of my village."

Just them. Now that they were the only ones left, they had become even more precious to him. They might have been ninja, but Naruto felt the need to protect them.

"But we are ninja, Naruto," said Sakura. "You don't have to do this on your own. We can help you."

"Not with Karada around," he said firmly. "If he uses that jutsu on you it's all over. I can't risk that."

"But you taking everyone on by yourself is just... I can't stand around and watch. We can help you fight."

"If Karada shows up-"

"It doesn't matter if we're the only ones left who can help you if you don't let us help."

"Wait," Shikamaru said suddenly. "I have an idea. It's risky but we may have to do something desperate if we have any hope of helping Naruto without being at risk."

"What are you thinking?"

Shikamaru ignored them and knelt down in front of Seki. "Can you turn us into kitsune, too?"

"What?!" Sakura gasped.

Naruto's face lit up with joy. The strategic advances didn't occur to him. He was just thrilled at the thought of having more kitsune friends with him. He was excited that his friends would see what it was like to be a kitsune with him. They would have so much fun.

"Are you serious?" Sakura squealed. "But- but Shikamaru..!"

"Seki can use his curse ability to turn us both into kitsune. Kitsune are immune to most jutsu. Karada's jutsu won't have an effect on us after that. We'll be able to help Naruto and he won't have to worry about us so much."

"That might be true..." Sakura was worried. "But Naruto's already been a kitsune once and he was trained by kitsune. He already knows how to use fox magic. We'll have to start from square one. Do we have time for that? Not to mention the side effects. Naruto changes back and forth. When that happens he uses his jutsu. The same thing could happen to us."

"I've thought about that. Still, I think this would benefit us. At least a little bit in battle." Shikamaru looked at Seki. "What do you think? Are you willing to give it a try?"

"Uh..." Seki wasn't prepared to be asked such a question. "Well, I could give it a try. But the thing you have to understand is that I'm still new to this. Before I cursed Naruto, I practiced a little to make sure I didn't screw it up. Most of the time, curse infliction is random. I can turn you into a lamp, but the size and color are random. It's not exact. With Naruto it was easy since he was a kitsune before. But even this curse is different from the one he was under before. Your curse might be different a well. You might not be able to change back and forth like he can."

"As long as we're kitsune, the jutsu won't effect us. That's all that matters."

"Shikamaru, are you sure you've thought this through?"

"I'm taking a huge chance here. Would you rather be protect by Naruto all the time because of Karada's jutsu? Naruto can't fight the way he normally can because he has to worry about us. This will be a load off. And we won't have to worry about ourselves either. We have a chance like this. Not just against Karada, but all our friends since their jutsu won't effect us either. It will even the odds. At this point we need all the help we can get."

"Yes, but..." Sakura was starting to think he was right. Maybe receiving the curse was a good thing.

"Naruto can teach us things and so can Seki now that he'll be with us. It might be worth the risk."

Sakura nervously sat next to Shikamaru. "Ok, I guess. But it can be undone, right?"

"It's easier to remove the curse than place it," said Seki.

Sakura took a deep breath. "Well... I guess... Ok. If you think it's a good idea."

Shikamaru held out his hand to Seki. "Ok. Turn me into a kitsune."

Seki lifted his paw. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking into Shikamaru's eyes.

"Yes." Shikamaru was very tense but he didn't move away.

"Alright." Seki lifted his paw up and over to Shikamaru's hand.

Everyone watched tensely, waiting.

Just as Seki's paw was about to touch his hand, Shikamaru pulled it away. "Wait."

"What?" Naruto asked. "I thought you were sure."

"There are risks with this. Ups and downs. But I neglected a major issue," said Shikamaru. "Seki telling us that parts of the curse are beyond his control made me think of something. What if he turns us into real foxes and not kitsune? There is that possibility. Also, even if he does turn us into kitsune, we might have another problem."

"You mean about changing back into humans?" Naruto asked.

"No. The same problem we've seen in you. Sometimes your instincts can take over. It might not be worth the risk if we can't control ourselves. What if we're in the middle of a fight and suddenly run after a rabbit or something? Or what if we sense danger and run rather than fight? Or what if we fight and get carried away? We don't want to kill anyone. These are our friends we're talking about. It's not their fault. What if we attack and kill them?"

Naruto hadn't thought of that. He thought he was keeping his instincts under control but there were times when they did flare up a bit. He could handle it, but he had been a kitsune before. Shikamaru and Sakura hadn't. It was possible that they wouldn't be able to control themselves. A curse was a curse after all. Something bad could happen to them.

"I was thinking so much on how we could combat Karada that I hadn't thought of the downsides. I knew there would be risks and downsides but I hadn't considered how bad they could be. I figured we could work through them but some aren't worth it." Shikamaru made his decision. "Sorry, Seki. But we're not going to do the curse."

Seki didn't look the least bit upset. "It's your call. I'm fine with that." Even he wasn't too sure about using the curse on them. Who knew what could happen?

After that, the group continued to walk through the forest, sharing what had happened to them on their adventures. Shikamaru once again vented how he couldn't understand the enemy's plans. To him, it seemed they were making it up as they went along. He wondered why the attack on the mountain had ended so quickly.

"It doesn't make sense. If he took over the whole village, why did he only send in a few dozen ninja? There should have been more."

"I thought it was because they were testing it out," said Sakura. "And tried to flush us out. You said so, didn't you?"

"Yes, but I'm still confused." Shikamaru tried to figure it out. "We've established that. But even when we were at the village, there were very few ninja there. That was different from before. When I was a spy, we mostly stayed together in a large group. Now that I've split away, I don't know what they're doing. Maybe I should have stayed longer."

"Maybe they're spread out," said Sakura. "They're trying to find us, right? So they might be spread out over a distance looking for us. Isn't that part of the plan? To leave Naruto with as few friends as possible? That's why they were attacking the Leaf in the first place. Because Naruto's friends with the mountain kitsune. Any friends of a friend is going to be in danger. And even you said they might be gearing up for an even bigger attack. They're going to need more ninja and more power if they want that mountain."

Something clicked in Shikamaru's brain. "Oh, no." Shikamaru stopped walking. "I think I know why there were very few ninja around. They were split up but not to find us. To attack elsewhere. Any friend is going to be in danger, along with anyone with power."

"So where are they?"

Shikamaru looked Naruto in the eye. "The Sand Village. I think they're going-"

"They're going after Gaara!" Naruto gasped.

"He is powerful enough. And he is a friend of yours and an ally of the Leaf."

"The Sand?" Seki asked, confused. "I assume that's another ninja village? I saw some ninja heading toward the desert. Since it wasn't near us, I didn't pay them any mind."

"The Sand's in the desert! We have to go there now!" Naruto started running into the woods. "Come on, guys! We have to go there quick!"

"If you want to go to the Sand then turn to your right!" Sakura yelled after him. "It's this way!"

"I knew that!"

Thankfully, they weren't too far from the desert. The group moved as quickly as they could across the sand, braving the strong desert winds and spitting out sand. Naruto ran as quickly as he could but his paws kept sinking in the sand, forcing him to pull them out with every step. His four legs were tired and his hips and shoulders were starting to ache. Even Seki was having a difficult time. Used to rocks and grass, sand was very different to run in.

The Sand Village was in view. As they came closer, Naruto noticed that there weren't any guards on the sand walls as usual. "That's not a good sign."

"Slow down and be careful," Shikamaru told them. "We have to sneak in. Consider this enemy territory. We don't know what we'll find. Stay alert and follow me."

The hottest part of the day was over. Now that the sun was setting, the Sand felt a lot cooler. The office walls of the Kazekage were colored a pale orange and the shadows of the desk and shelves stretched out over the floor. Gaara set his pen down, finally finished with the last bit of paperwork. He massaged his wrist, his thumb cramping from all the writing he had been doing that day. He reached for his empty teacup, disappointed. He needed a drink.

Someone knocked on his door and entered. "Hey, Gaara," said Kankuro. "What's up?"

"I've just finished today's work. Hopefully there's less on my plate tomorrow." Gaara held up his empty cup. "Could you bring me some more tea?"

"Sure, sure." Kankuro took the cup from his younger brother.

Gaara looked out the window at the setting sun. "It's been quiet today."

"Other days have been quiet," remarked Kankuro. "Why bring attention to this one?"

Gaara frowned. "Because I've had an uneasy feeling for part of the afternoon. I'm not sure why. Nothing's happened, right?"

"If there was anything going on, you would be the first to know." Kankuro handed Gaara his cup back, full of fresh tea. "There you go."

"Thanks." Gaara put the cup to his lips and paused. He looked at the contents. His tea was normally a pale green color. This was darker. It had a faint smell to it as well. It smelled like burnt leaves. "Kankuro. What is this?"

"Sorry," Kankuro chuckled lightly. "I might have used the old water to make that tea. Must have burned the tea leaves a bit. My bad."

Gaara looked at the cup and then at his brother. Something wasn't right. "You burned the tea leaves?"

"Must have. Sorry about that."

Gaara frowned, suspicious. "Then why not make me another cup?"

"This one's perfectly fine," said Kankuro.

"It is, is it?" Gaara handed him the cup. "Then why don't you drink it?"

"Oh, I couldn't." Kankuro refused the cup offered to him. "It's yours."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. Without taking his eyes off his older brother, Gaara poured the tea into the cactus on his windowsill. Kankuro frowned, watching Gaara's tea water the plant. He swallowed.

"What did you put in my cup?" Gaara demanded calmly.

Kankuro chuckled again. "Ah, you caught me. Sorry, sorry. Just a prank. Just to lighten the mood, you know? You've had a long day. I just figured... Ah, never mind. My bad. Guess you're not in a laughing mood."

Gaara reluctantly turned away from him to look out the window. The tea looked and smelled strange. It did smell like burnt leaves but Gaara knew that wasn't it. People have tried to kill him in the past so it was easy for him to detect poison when he smelled it. Kankuro used poison so it was easy for him to access it. That being said, Gaara couldn't believe that his own brother would try to kill him. Not now. Things were better between them and everyone in the village. Kankuro cared about him. He was one of the people who organized a rescue team to find him when he went missing. He even got poisoned trying to rescue Gaara himself. There was no way Kankuro would try to kill him.

Seeing Kankuro's reflection in the clean glass, Gaara quickly stepped to the side as Krow struck the window where Gaara had been standing. He spun around to look at his brother. "Sorry," said Kankuro. "I didn't mean to miss you."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Kankuro smiled. "Just... wanted to put on a little puppet show for my favorite little brother. Now hold still!" Kankuro sent his puppet after Gaara again. "Let's play, Gaara!"

Gaara jumped aside, taken completely by surprise. He couldn't understand why Kankuro was trying to attack him. Gaara drew sand from the gourd beside his desk and used it to block Krow's sharp limps. Another puppet appeared behind Gaara, one he wasn't expecting. Gaara fell inside its chest and the wood began to close in around him.

"It's iron maiden time!" Kankuro announced and tried to dice his brother.

Gaara clogged the puppet with his sand. He plugged up the mechanisms and used the rest to force his way out. He crawled out of the puppet and into Kankuro's grasp. He grabbed Gaara by the front and threw him into the window, shattering more glass. Gaara nearly fell out but the sand was there to cradle him.

"Kankuro, why are you doing this?"

His brother drew Krow closer to his body. "Because I was ordered to." He sent Krow forward.

Gaara covered himself with sand and willingly fell out the window. He crashed into the ground but the sand cushioned his fall. He stood up and looked around. Kankuro looked down then ducked back inside, possibly using the stairs rather than jump out from that ledge. "I don't understand..."

"Lord Kazekage!" More ninja were showing up. "Lord Kazekage, what happened?"

"Kankuro just tried to kill me. But I suspect something may be wrong with him. We must do something."

"You're absolutely right, Lord Gaara. Something must be done... since Kankuro failed."

Gaara quickly spun around and blocked a kunai aimed at his head. "What are you..?"

"Orders are orders, Lord Gaara. Don't make this anymore painful than it has to be."

Gaara blocked one strike after another. He backed away as more ninja showed up to assist in his demise. They were all trying to kill him. A powerful gust of wind nearly blew him off his feet.

"You're all useless!" yelled his sister. "I'll do it."

"Temari..!"

"See if you can block my Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Gaara hopped on his sand and fled the area as his sister took aim. He rode his sand over the many streets of his village, avoiding weapons and ninja coming at him from all sides. Some even climbed onto his sand, trying to pull him down. The sand moved under their grasp, making it impossible for them to hold on. The sand dropped them on rooftops. Gaara didn't want to hurt them. As much as this reminded him of the past, he wasn't the same as he was back then. He was changed.

"Get him! Bring him down!"

Gaara avoided them when he could, blocked when they came close and engaged when he had to. He pushed and shoved them away from him, but he was quickly running out of sand. He was spreading it too thin. Luckily there was sand all around him he could use.

"Gotcha!"

"Ah!" Gaara felt someone grab him from behind and roll to one side, taking him down with him. Both slammed into the ground from above. Gaara cushioned them both so the impact caused neither of them damage. The ninja drew a kunai and tried to stab Gaara. Again, he blocked with his sand. "Leave me alone! Why are you doing this?"

The man kept attacking. Gaara kept blocking. The ninja threw paper bombs at Gaara's sand and as many weapons as he could aim. Knowing he had to stop him, Gaara wove the sand around him and hoisted him off the ground in his trademark Sand Coffin. Gaara had the urge to finish the job but he couldn't. Rather than crush him, Gaara threw him down the street and fled on foot.

"I don't want to hurt them. I can't." He was different now. He wanted to protect. He was no longer a monster. Now he was loved. He was a protector. He couldn't kill the very people he swore to protect. Not his siblings, not his villagers, none of them.

Yet they wanted to kill him. What had changed? What happened to them? Everything was fine before. What happened while he was hunched over paperwork all day?

More ninja were chasing him. Gaara continued to run, using his sand to block rather than fly. If they were going to jump on him from the sky, there was little point in using it to ride away. If they fell from that height, they would sustain terrible injuries. He didn't want that. These people weren't his enemy. Even though they were acting like it.

"Leave me alone!" Gaara screamed at them. He didn't understand what was happening. This was like a nightmare. "Stop it! Stop! I don't want to hurt you!"

They threw more weapons at him. Jutsu came next. Gaara covered his back with a giant sand wall and kept running, the sand following him with every step. He jumped on a small sand board he conjured up and rode it low to the ground. He surfed through the street, avoided ninja whenever he could. There was no end in sight. He didn't want to have to stop them. That meant killing them or bringing them close to it.

Determined not to, he surfed away as fast as he could, trying to think of a way out of this.

"I smell him!" Naruto announced. He jumped into the street and started running.

"Naruto, get back here!"

"The plan was to stay hidden!"

"So much for that..." Shikamaru moaned.

Naruto called to Seki. "Come on! This way!" Both foxes ran down the street as quickly as they could. "There!" Naruto sprang into human form and ran forward. "Gaara!"

Gaara heard his name and turned his head. That sounded like Naruto's voice.

"Gaara!"

"Naruto?" Gaara moved his sand board down another street and started searching. He looked left and right, hoping it wasn't his imagination. He also hoped Naruto wasn't trying to kill him, too.

He spotted him jumping up and down, waving his arms in the air trying to get his attention. "Gaara! Gaara!"

"Naruto?" Gaara hopped off his board and went over to him. "What are you doing here?" Since Naruto wasn't brandishing a weapon and wasn't acting hostile, Gaara trusted he was safe to approach.

"We came to make sure you were ok. We thought you and your village were going to be attacked."

"You were right. My siblings and half the village are on my tail. But how did you know-"

"I'll tell you later." Naruto grabbed Gaara's arm and pulled him down the street. "We have to get you out of here fast."

Gaara looked up and shielded them with a wall of sand. Muffled explosions sounded from the other side, signaling that more paper bombs had gone off. Getting away without hurting anyone wasn't going to be easy. "Naruto, they'll follow us out of the village," Gaara told him.

"Not if they don't think that." Naruto whistled. "Seki! I need some cover!"

"On it." A fox appeared on a garbage can and sent an odd flame down the street. "Fox fire!"

Illusions of Gaara appeared and took off down another street. The hoard of ninja following them chased after the illusion. The rest followed the second illusion ducking inside a building where it quickly vanished but left the ninja searching, thinking it was hiding somewhere.

Naruto returned to the rest of the group and together, they ran for the exit. Gaara looked back at his village once they were beyond its walls. Everyone was back there. His siblings, his people. His home. Naruto pulled hard on Gaara's arm, urging him to follow. Gaara took one final look at his home and followed Naruto through the sand dunes.

They didn't stop until they were out of the desert and quickly went into the nearest forest they could find. Gaara sat down to rest while the others filled him in. Sakura offered Gaara some of her water and poured some into Naruto's cupped hands for Seki to drink.

"So that's why everyone was behaving that way," said Gaara. "It's a jutsu."

"We thought Karada would target your village since you're allies with the Leaf and are friends with Naruto. As we've explained, these kitsune are very vindictive. Everyone is a target." Shikamaru took a drink from his water bottle. "I wasn't sure if Karada would use the jutsu on you and make another powerful enemy, or if he was going to kill you to torture Naruto."

"Kill me?"

"Yeah," said Shikamaru. "Losing one friend was bad enough. Losing you might send him over the edge and I'm sure that's what the enemy wants."

Losing Jack was devastating enough and Naruto hadn't known him for that long. Losing Gaara when he had already lost him once before... Naruto went wild for a minute when he realized he was too late to save him from the Akatsuki. If something happened to Gaara again...

"We had to get you out of there before something happened."

"What's going to happen to everyone there?" asked Gaara.

"Not sure. But once we defeat the enemy, everything will go back to normal." Naruto put his hand on Gaara's shoulder. "You're in the same boat as we are. My village is the same way. Only these guys managed to get away. We have to stay together."

"Agreed." Gaara gave Sakura her water bottle. "How is it you're not effected by the jutsu?"

"Because I'm part kitsune now." Naruto showed Gaara his tail.

"Oh, yes. You mentioned being under a curse. But you can switch back and forth, correct?"

"Yup." Naruto wagged his tail.

Gaara looked at the ground. "So being a kitsune gives you new powers, makes you immune to the jutsu and other jutsu as well? Hmm... I don't want to become a victim of the jutsu and end up attacking you. So... Is it possible for me to get that curse, too?"

"What?!" Sakura cried. "You, too?"

"Shikamaru already thought of that but he thought there were too many risks."

"Like what?"

"Well, that your instincts would get out of control, you might change at random. That sort of thing."

Gaara thought about it. "Well..."

"Actually..." Naruto faced the others with a smile. "Gaara becoming a kitsune might not be so bad. He used to have a tailed beast just like I do. Resisting impulses might be easier for him to do. And with me and Seki here, together we can teach him how to use his powers. He'll pick it up fast."

"Well..." Shikamaru and Sakura looked at each other nervously.

"And if it works for him, maybe you guys can do it, too."

"If?" Gaara repeated.

"Come on!" Naruto urged. "And as long as Gaara's a kitsune, the jutsu won't effect him. If Gaara gets hit by it, they'll have someone really powerful on their side. They might attack the mountain using him. Gaara's super strong. Giving him this curse might be his only chance. At least consider it."

They seemed to be considering it. They were still unsure.

"I'm willing," said Gaara. "We can at least give it a try. If it doesn't work, it can be reversed, right?"

"Yeah..." they said hesitantly.

"Please?" Naruto put his hands together, begging.

Gaara looked at them. "It's worth a try. I'm willing to see where this goes. And if it's easy to undo, then I don't see why we can't try it."

"There's another plus to being cursed," said Shikamaru. "He can't get cursed again. We still don't know who that cursed necklace is. What if Gaara runs into the kitsune and gets cursed? Being cursed by Seki means no one else can curse him."

"Exactly!" said Naruto. "See? It's a good thing. No jutsu, no curses, new powers... I'm seeing good things here."

"But Naruto, a curse is still a curse," said Sakura. "It's called that for a reason. Something is always taken away. Even with you."

"Hey, I'm managing just fine. And I'll be there for Gaara."

Gaara nodded. "I say we give it a shot."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

He nodded again. "Yes. It's worth a shot. There are some good things that go along with this. And this can be easily removed if it becomes a problem. It's as you said, being cursed makes me immune to jutsu and prevents me from being cursed a second time. I don't want to risk getting hit by the jutsu and coming after you guys. I know myself pretty well. Under its influence, I will try to kill you. I don't want to do that. And being cursed by the enemy sounds just as awful. Who knows what could happen? I might be an object or something much worse. I think getting cursed into being a kitsune outweighs the alternative. Both have risks. I think being cursed by Seki may be the lesser of two evils. And even with a new animal nature to deal with, I'll still be able to help you fight. Remember, my village was attacked, too. I have to do everything I can to get it back. No matter the risk."

Shikamaru looked at the others. "Sounds like his mind is made up."

"Yeah," added Naruto. "It's his choice. We told him the situation, gave him the risks from doing either thing and told him our concerns. Let Gaara choose. There's no point in arguing anymore. Anything we say will only be a repeat of what was said before."

"He's right. We're wasting time. If there's a choice to be made, let it be done now. And we already established that it can easily be reversed."

Sakura sighed. They were right. There was no point in arguing and no point in wasting more time. Even if the cursed turned out to be a problem, it was easily reversed.

"Alright, Seki." Naruto gave his friend a little push towards Gaara. "Give him the curse."

Seki looked nervous. "Naruto, each and every curse is different. I told you that. Even the curse you're under now is different from the curse you had before. The one I give Gaara might not be the exact same one you have."

"As long as he's a kitsune, who cares?" Naruto wasn't worried at all. He was confident things would only improve upon Gaara receiving the curse and becoming a kitsine. "We'll both be there to help him out. Let's not waste anymore time."

Seki faced Gaara. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll be." Gaara sat in front of Seki. "How do we do this? What should I..?"

"Just keep still. I just have to touch you and it's done."

"Alright. I'm ready."

Both took a deep breath. Seki placed his paw on Gaara's knee. "Curse."

Gaara's body was engulfed in a mystical bluish-green light. His body began to change shape. He started to grow smaller. The light surrounding him started to fade and Naruto stepped closer for a better look.

"Uh..." The group stared open-mouthed at Gaara.

Gaara, seeing their stunned gazes, looked down at his body. "What did you do to me?!"

D8

What happened?! Any guesses?

Please review! ^-^