Jungle Fury Kitsune
Chapter One: To A Whole New World

Naruto

It was back to business as usual in Konoha after the Suna and Konoha alliance debacle that started with Matsuri, Gaara's one of very few people who didn't hate Gaara, and that meant I was getting beat up by yet another mob out for my blood.

"Doesn't this just figure," I sneered bitterly. "I beat Gaara, I drag Baa-chan's ass back home, I attempt to drag the teme back 'cause he's the stupid villagers' precious Last Uchiha, free numerous countries and villages from a dictator and an ancient clan from a tyrant, and I still have a stinking mob out for my blood. And I didn't even pull a prank this time!"

Spotting a deserted alleyway, I quickly ducked into it, hoping the villagers wouldn't spot me and I could hide out there until they passed.

Unfortunately for me, they did.

I backed up slowly, my back to the wall, the gears in my brain already whirling a thousand miles an hour. Not as fast as Shikamaru's, but hopefully I could pull a miracle out of my ass.

I could use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to try to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, but if there were any Shinobi in the mob, and knowing my luck there were, it wouldn't work and my clones would just run into eachother or me and get in the way.

The Air Bullet and Great Breakthrough weren't meant for multiple opponents and only fired in one direction. I had the chakra for several, but I'd probably only be able to throw one or two before the Shinobi that were almost certain to be in the mob retaliated.

I could try the Rasengan, but that was better for shattering boulders than breaking up mobs.

In other words, I'm screwed.

I turned my eyes skyward. "Please, if there is a Kami-sama out there, please take me away from here, somewhere safe where the mob can't get me." I whispered but in my heart I knew there was no way to escape this time. This time there would be no miracle. This time, I was dead.

Resigned, I closed my eyes and let my guard down.

Then a scene flashed before my eyes: a girl, probably sixteen or seventeen, three or four years older than me, wearing a yellow spandex suit and matching yellow helmet, fighting an army of masked creatures and a poison using monster.

"If you want to escape the mob and live, run through the portal and help that girl." A deep masculine voice in my head commanded.

I didn't hesitate. I turned around and charged through the portal that had opened behind me.

Quickly, I made a Shadow Clone, charging up a Rasengan as we ran.

It was raining in this new world, wherever I was.

"Rasengan!" I bellowed, shoving the Rasengan into the monster's chest as my clone dispelled.

Apparently, my distraction was just what the yellow spandex suited girl and her red and blue suited companions needed to beat the monster and make the chameleon woman retreat using giant machines I was sure I head them call Zords. When the 'Megazord' as they called it disappeared and the other two turned to head back to their headquarters, the yellow suited girl fell over. It seemed she took more damage than she realized before I came along.

"You okay?" I asked as I helped her up. "It looked like that monster hit you pretty hard, and you just, you know, collapsed and stuff. I hope you're not hurt."

She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm fine." She looked me in the eyes, and for a brief moment, I thought I could see hers behind the visor. "But who are you and why did you help me? Most people would run screaming from a monster, not charge at it and attack it."

I snorted, trying not to scowl bitterly. "And I'm not most people." I informed her, letting a small scowl creep onto my face. "And more people would run screaming from what I have locked inside of me than that monster thing, whatever it was. 'Cause inside me is a real monster."

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand." She told me.

I bit back a sigh and put on a fake smile as usual. "Just, forget about it. It's nothing."

"You know," She commented, not looking convinced. "Your eyes look way too old for a . . . how old are you? Thirteen years old?"

I nodded. "Yeah, fourteen as of October tenth."

"I thought so. Your eyes look way too old for a thirteen year old." She told me. "What did you mean 'what you have locked inside of you?' Is it a bad secret or something?"

A secret, the Kyuubi? Hardly. "Not exactly. I told you, just forget about it. You're better off not knowing. You'd either do what the villagers do and want to destroy me, or run screaming. Well, that or you'd see me as a weapon, or potentially unstable." I told her as her red and blue spandex suited companions returned, realizing she hadn't followed them home.

"Where are you from?" The blue clad boy asked.

"Konohagakure no sato." I answered. "Or the village hidden in the leaves, often just called Konoha for short. It's in the Land of Fire. I'm guessing you haven't heard of it."

I could see the gears in the red suited boy's brain whirling. "I think I read about it once, at the Academy. It's where one of the Masters is from. It's one of the Five Great Villages entitled to a Kage, although another village had a Kage even though they weren't one of the Five Great Villages. Konoha was the only one who considered its soldiers, ninjas, people rather than weapons." He said thoughtfully.

I snorted. "I don't suppose it actually mentioned the horrible way they treated someone who should have been considered a hero for what happened?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, no."

I sighed. "Of course."

"We should take you back to RJ." The blue boy decided. "He'll know what to do with you."

I looked at the yellow girl. "Who's RJ?"

"Our boss." She explained. "He runs Jungle Karma Pizza, which is also our headquarters."

I titled my head ever so slightly to the right. "What does pizza taste like? I've never had any before." I admitted, staring at the ground.

"You've never had pizza?" Blue asked as if that were the most surprising thing he'd ever head.

I shook my head. "No."

"Are your parents some sort of health food junkies or something?" He asked curiously.

I stiffened, glaring. "My parents are dead." I snapped. "They both died the day I was born." Tears long suppressed now flowed freely from my eyes and mingled with the pouring rain, but for once in my life I didn't try to stop them.

Instead, I just covered my eyes with my arm and ran.

"Wait!" One of them called after me, but I was already long gone.