Nature of the Savage Beast

by Sivaatasi

Which is stronger? The environment without or the monster within? Will the inner Uzumaki survive the dark nature of the world he lives in or will the demon win out in the end? And what happens when Naruto gets help from the very monsters everyone in Konoha says he is supposed to fear? Powerful Naruto (AU) over time; NOT a harem story.

19. Chapter 19

A/N: Yes, we have officially transitioned into the Wave Arc. Just as in the anime and manga series, this is a pivotal point in the tale only not in the way you'd expect. Remember when I said that this story would delve into uncomfortable territory? Well, it's time. As a warning for those of you that may be underage or tender of heart, I caution about reading this chapter is it is this chapter, mostly for the violence in it, that earns this story its rating.

Of note, some of you seem really bothered as to whether or not I call this fic a harem piece or not. Look, I'm not going to argue the fact over and over again but, if it bothers you that much, there are plenty of actual harem stories out there for you to enjoy. I'm going to officially depart the "harem conversation" with two points for you to consider (or not):

1. The key part of the definition for a harem is the phrase "wives and concubines." Until Naruto crosses that threshold, it's not a harem piece. End of story. That also leads to my second and final comment of...

2. I actually know how this story ends. I wrote it almost two years ago. If I tell you that this isn't a harem piece then trust that I know what I'm talking about. Just because someone is romantically interested in more than one person doesn't automatically make it a harem piece.

Hrm, I believe that's as close to a spoiler as I've ever come to giving my readers?

Enjoy!

Author's Post Script: * Traditional Japanese Lyrics courtesy of World Arbiter WA2019, texts and translations by Dr. Naoko Terauchi, Kobe University.

~Siva'a-tasi~

~III~

---

Chapter 19: Who Says You Can't Go Home?

~III~

---

The run across choppy waters was peaceful if nothing else. With Tatsua snuggled up tightly in his jacket, Naruto found the sprint across the Uzu straight almost soothing... at least it was soothing up until he could see the swarm of violent whirlpools surrounding the lifeless shores of Uzu no Kuni.

"Those might pose a problem."

'Hnh? Izz zomezing...' Tatsua's mind wandered off and that concerned him a bit as well. Even speaking through the Spirit Seal she sounded a bit... unclear, almost drunk. Standing calmly with his body bobbing across the crests and swells all around him, Naruto watched very closely as his traveling companion peeked out from beneath his jacket and shook her head repeatedly to clear it, her normally ovoid pupils like cavernous pools of ink nearly absorbing the honeyed disks until a thin sliver remained.

He was aware of what his pheromones did to female Kitsune; Kyuubi had intended for the hormonal overdose as a protection measure until he was strong enough to physically defend himself. He was also aware of what his pheromone production could do to human women in general, the more feral the woman (as in the case of Inuzuka Hana) the stronger the reaction. Naruto had only recently been made aware of the filtering seal worn at the base of the neck by both his handmaidens - as well as the limitations that came with it since the seal in no way provided immunity.

He would need to give her some space and a lot of fresh air to purge her system once they got ashore or things might become complicated.

That would have to wait for now as the urgency of Tatsua's slightly intoxicated condition sparked an equally slightly crazy idea.

Rotation.

Power.

Approach.

Never one to be included in the playground games that passed for entertainment among other kids in a shinobi village, Naruto had plenty of time to observe (from a distance) what passed for "other kids just being kids." Most of it was fairly benign through the natural establishment of the "Playground Food Chain," until clan kids learning how to unlock their chakra networks got involved. One particular rite of passing involved use of the standard merry-go-round in a king of the hill style game referred to as "the Wheel of Death"; the first child in a group would gain control of the death contraption and control its speed to either allow or prohibit other kids from joining while other groups attempted to seize control for their team. Matches invariably ended in cuts, abrasions, and wailing children from all walks of life as they were flung off the dangerous contraption.

For one never subjected to the boo-boos associated with this pastime, kids being propelled off the usually multi-colored disks always brought a smile to his face as he tried to predict where their launch velocity and trajectory would send them. He'd ask for extra fishcake from Teuchi-jiji if he was within three degrees or ten meters of the neighboring sandbox. Hey, he had to amuse and reward himself somehow, didn't he?

In any event, the destructive water formations reminded him so very much of that particular childhood nightmare and his slightly crazy plan to get safely across.

Naruto blinked lining up with the receding rotation of a whirlpool. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, his sprint started with one careful step quickly followed by another until the roar of rushing water blocked out any other sound. One powerful leap augmented by the increased chakra pushed to the souls of his combat sandals carried him to the furthest edge of his chosen swirl, his feet touching down as he modified the Ghost Step to both keep him afloat and in-place on the edge of the whirlpool as it attempted to sweep him along.

If not for the fact that he was frantically trying to maintain his middling chakra control he might not have noticed the unusually strong pull on not only his sandal but his entire chakra network. It felt as if the water itself was trying to pull him beneath the waves even as he felt a strong - yet brief - drain on his chakra reserves, the toes of his sandals briefly dipping below the water's surface.

He compensated by bursting a strong pulse of chakra down through the sole of his footwear to counteract the pull, which oddly enough completely canceled the unexpected pull on his chakra. Naruto shrugged off the sensation and allowed the rushing edge to increase his momentum, very much like a catapult, and sent a second burst of chakra into the water allowing the whirlpool to slingshot him right out of the pool and into the safety of the calmer shoreline.

Once clear of the raging pools, he found the coast fairly relaxing and peaceful. Naruto paused for just a moment to look back at the spinning discs of water musing how it felt as if the whirlpool itself, for just a moment, had tried to latch on to the bottom of his sandal. It was almost like it wanted to pull him under.

He shrugged again and ran deeper inland pushing the thought away for now.

Twenty minutes of steady travel brought him to the ruins of Uzushiogakure itself and the still-sealed temple proper of his clan. The village was gutted, the homes that were left standing retained barely a corner of their original structure. Most were just a ring of stone marking the floor layout. The temple itself looked untouched, preserved from the ravages of time by the transparent blue dome reaching up from the gates and surrounding the whole structure.

Then he saw the skeletons littering the landscape.

~III~

---

Tazuna was not having a good morning. Breakfast was fine. Conversation with the pretty Kurenai-chan and her team was pleasant, but everything turned to crap the moment that one-eyed bastard and his team started skulking about like they owned the world. Having ruined the pleasant conversation of the morning, Tazuna groused about getting his day started as the teams split up their responsibilities for the afternoon.

Leaving Kiba and his puppy to guard the house while Hinata tended the still broken cyclops, the "Bridge Team" rolled out to the tune of quiet grumbling.

Walking along the road to his bridge Tazuna tried to keep a smile on his face, Naruto, the quiet Shino, and their sensei walking next to him while that pink harpy cooed alongside her knight in shining polyester. It was very difficult to deal with the way those two treated everyone else, as if everyone was beneath them, and he tried not to think about how the horrible child's sensei was harassing the sweet Hinata back at the house. Sure, the man was injured but it wasn't nearly as bad as he was making it seem.

Tazuna saw him hop up to sneak another biscuit earlier that morning when no one was around and his face soured.

Reaching the worksite, Tazuna rallied his dwindling workforce and set to it. Shino and Kurenai took up watch positions not too far from the workers. Naruto, the considerate guy that he was, stripped off his orange and black jacket and jumped into the labor pool, the fox around his neck hopping down to curl up in his garment next to his leggy sensei.

Kami that woman was beautiful.

The boy immediately set about doing the work of twenty men, much to the gap-mouthed surprise of the workers twice his size on Tazuna's team. Strong was not an apt description.

The heavy beams they needed multiple guys and hoists to move he could pick up by himself and lug around like a bag of sand. By taking up the heaviest tasks, the group was able to move some of the major joists and supports first thing in the morning and make up some of their lost time without having to set up heavy machinery and he worked non-stop like this was a game to him or… a workout perhaps?

Morale soared and the young nin was generally chatty and pleasant to be around, so the once sour faces of his labor crew reluctantly began to, bit by bit, lighten up. Faces that once dragged the rest of their lethargic carcasses around the bridge began to gradually brighten and, by the time they broke for lunch, the crew was actually singing work songs again, each one singing out the first verse of a song he knew with the others joining in once they recognized the tune. Buoyed by the presence of shinobi and the uncompromisingly cheerful demeanor of the golden gaki, doom and gloom just had no place to hide while his team labored the morning away. It swelled Tazuna's chest as singing just wasn't something he'd heard since Gato first arrived with his goons.

Tazuna wiped the sweat from his brow as Taji, who with Gou's help was sawing some of the larger lumber hauled over by Naruto, broke out into an old song he used to hear daily down by the harbor when Wave's fishing was the life's blood of this small nation. With a hearty clap and cry, Tazuna lifted his maul for driving pegs and joined in on the next support beam singing at the chorus points with all his heart.

(A/N: *Amiokoshi-kiyari [] = sung by chorus)

Toto tottokoshido [e] yoiyasa [e yoiyasa]

Yoisora [sora eiya harahara dokkoi yoitoko yoitoko na]

Korae Matumae-sama wa funa no kamija [yoitona]

[sora eiya harahara dokkoi yoitoko yoitoko na]

Korae kono ami okoseba yae [yoitona]

Sora kono ami okoseba senryô manryô da [yoitona]

[sora eiya harahara dokkoi yoitoko yoitoko na]

It was a song asking Lord Matsumae, the God of Ships, for a good haul leading to prosperity. It harkened back to happier days in the village and the driving beat of their feet stomping in time on the wooden decking of the bridge had everyone heaving, sawing, and hammering to the same tempo. It was steady. It was hypnotic. For the downtrodden men on Tazuna's crew, it was cathartic.

When the first verse round finished, Gou clapped his hands three times and started up one more round. Even Naruto, whose eyes continually swept the area for danger while he worked, was singing along. By the time the song wrapped up with hearty cheers and sweaty men clapping each other on the back, the mood was light and uplifting. Wives and children brought lunches to the workers and the group seemed to Tazuna, for the briefest of moments, like the village of old. It seemed like the village he grew up in once again.

He used his neckerchief to quietly wipe the tear from his eye under the pretense of removing the sweat and grime of his labor.

"He has that effect on people, those willing to let him into their lives."

Tazuna jumped never once noticing Kurenai sneaking up on him. Once his heartbeat settled, he reminded himself that these folks were still lethal, and he was glad to have Nai-chan's team watching his back.

"Gomen, Tazuna-san. I did not mean to startle you."

He waved it away as he accepted a bento from Tsunami who had brought lunch for him and Nai-chan's team using the odd storage device Naruto shared with the small family the night before (it miraculously had enough food to last them an entire month!). She pointedly ignored the Uchiha's indignant squawking reminding him that they'd eaten all the snacks she sent for the entire group and that they shouldn't be hungry. If they were, they knew where the kitchen was back at the house. As Sakura couldn't cook to save her life, they merely sat grumbling at Team Eight.

"He is a beacon of light. Do you know…"

His words died off as his eyes looked back across the bridge to a pair of Gato's thugs strolling through the middle of town. He cursed quietly as the happy sounds of a few moments ago began to die off when the rest of the workforce noticed them, more than a few calloused arms wrapping protectively around their spouses and children.

They were strolling brazenly through the middle of town, periodically one would lunge out to a darting female with a lecherous growl not really trying to catch her (yet) but reveling in the fear they caused. Each held a wooden baton over their shoulder leaving their swords belted to their sides. The batons could only mean one thing.

Gato's "Bounty Men" were out again collecting the imaginary "taxes" Gato levied on the town to keep them poor and desperate.

Tazuna moved sideways to stand protectively in front of Tsunami and bumped into something far more solid. With jerky movements he turned to see Naruto's firmly set jaw standing before his daughter and sighed proudly at the young man. He would let no one harm her and Tazuna felt a brief pang of guilt knowing that the boy couldn't protect the entire village in the same manner. He was only one boy, even if he was a ninja, and he could only do so much.

Turning back to the duo that had managed to completely kill what little camaraderie they'd built over the morning, he gasped as they stopped in front of a small home belonging to the village baker.

"Nooooooo…" Tazuna's voice was brittle enough a small breeze could have shattered it. Gato's thugs had stopped in front of Daido and Etsudo's bakery. They had children, a boy around Inari's age and a daughter no older than Hinata-chan. He thought her name was Emica, a fitting name for a charming little girl.

"Please Kami, no." It was a plea for help.

A growl erupted from Naruto's mouth as the thugs kicked in the front door and the screaming began. A few moments later, a man in his early thirties was pushed down into the street, the thugs hitting him with the batons and kicking him with their sandaled feet asking where Gato's levy was. The woman was screaming and clutching her kids to her body while begging for mercy, or help, or both. Her frantic eyes searched up and down the street only to catch the bright halo of Naruto's sunlit hair standing next to Tazuna.

Naruto's clone turned to hand his bento to Tsunami and began purposely walking forward.

"And where do you think you're going, Dobe?" Sasuke's callous question sucked every ounce of hope from the air that the peaceful crowd was building up once the blond began moving.

"How can someone calling me stupid be so dense as to need me to explain what is right and wrong?"

"Right and wrong have nothing to do with it," snarked the "elite Uchiha."

The clone turned to sneer at the dark-haired elitist who had moved up to watch the show thinking there might be an attack on the bridge so that he could "prove himself." The disgust in his face showed how disappointed he was as he watched the show, but his words cut through the eerily silent workforce and everyone turned to see the drama play out, their eyes darting back to the two who had also paused in their abuse to see if the Leaf nins would try anything.

The clone turned to ignore the boy and kept walking but the Uchiha would not let it go.

"Keep walking and I'll write your whole team up for insubordination. If Kurenai-san is lucky, she'll be able to get a job working in the farmer's market selling produce." Sasuke took another healthy bite out of the apple in his hand, tossing the half-eaten object to the dusty earth and pulling another from his backpack.

"How very mercenary of you." You could hear the disgust in the blond's voice as the clone turned to glare at the self-proclaimed leader.

"WHY!? They need our help so why won't you let me help them?!" The faces of Tazuna's crew and family said it all: Let him help!

The Uchiha was unmoved.

"Then they should have paid for it." The smug clan heir took a patient bite out of the apple in his hand and smirked at the seething Tazuna. "As it is now, they paid for us to protect this bridge builder from brigands and, so long as they," his hand lazily indicated the two thugs mugging the bread maker, "stay on that side of the bridge, we can't touch them. We don't work for charity AND YOU," he exaggerated this by lifting one finger from the gouged fruit in his hand and stabbing it in Naruto's direction, "…will do exactly as ordered or your entire team will pay the price once we get back to Konoha."

The clone was so angry it vibrated with rage, the veins sticking out on his neck as his breath came out in a strangled snarl. He wanted to rip the Uchiha limb from limb but a fight with the teme might, as there was always the possibility, damage him exposing the original and risking the plan, which would have been much worse. Naruto had been very explicit the night before on not risking the plan so he stood rooted and angry, his smoldering eyes boring into the Uchiha heir trying to silently gouge out his heart.

"You would abandon these people? Just watch them die?!" Naruto-clone's eyes narrowed dangerously earning a disturbingly heartless laugh from the Uchiha.

"Dobe, I'd abandon you if someone paid me enough."

When the thugs behind him roared with laughter the clone swore bitterly as the families around him looked on in misery and panic. Then the light seemed to dawn as the clone's eyes ballooned.

"So, you're saying that we can do nothing so long as they stay off the bridge, and I have to stay on the bridge no matter what... right?"

Sasuke was deliberate about his answer as he tried to roll the blond's words over in his mind looking for a loophole. Given that the "Class Dobe" never had much in the way of skills, Sasuke couldn't see a way for Kurenai's team to wiggle out of his limitations so his smirk returned with confidence.

"Yeah, Dobe. That's exactly what I'm saying. You have to stay here but feel free to watch if you want." With an arrogant snort, the Uchiha turned away to resume his lounging, his teeth taking another bite out of his fruit only to spit a soft section out and over the unfinished bridge railing.

"That works for me," Naruto-clone snarled back shocking and surprising more than just the watching bridge-building team.

Sasuke turned to look over his shoulder and sneered in reply - just in time to see two clones shimmer into being without smoke or noise. Before he could intervene or adjust his order, the clones dashed off towards the abused family at the end of the bridge fists and flying kicks leading the way.

Without an order to prompt them, the copies became blurs as they shot across the bridge barreling into the thugs as one raised back a hand to slap the mother down in her efforts to keep her daughter from their less than honorable intentions. The laughter of two men about to commit unspeakable acts ended as fists began to rain down upon their heads and shoulders.

Tazuna's smile of relief turned to an evil smirk as the two thugs that had been terrorizing the village for weeks collecting Gato's tithes grunted and groaned in time to the meaty punches and kicks knocking them repeatedly to the ground. Once the clones relieved them of their swagger sticks the route officially began.

One of the thugs screamed painfully in a very unmanly pitch.

Naruto-clone, for his part, calmly picked up his mallet whistling the same tune the work crew had been singing at the tops of their lungs not twenty minutes before.

"What?!" The clone's dislike of the duck-haired heir was clear on his face as he paused mid-whistle.

"Did you not hear me, you idiot!?" The Uchiha was red-faced and spitting mad.

"Of course I did." The clone was looking extremely smug now. "I'm still on the bridge, aren't I?"

Sasuke's rage sputtered out, his wrinkled brows relaxing as his eyes began stupidly blinking at the truth of the situation. He did, however, make a mental note about the solid clones the class dead last suddenly knew how to make as his mind plotted how to force the idiot to teach him the technique.

When the two thugs eventually staggered off saying that they'd be back to get even (and with more help), Naruto's tune had been picked up by the remaining workers and soon the entire crew was whistling and stomping their feet in time to hammers, saws, and mallets. Much to Sasuke's simmering disappointment, his popularity among Wave's citizens began taking a rapid nosedive, several of the workers spitting on the dry earth in his general direction. When the blond Genin-clone began smashing rivet welds into the heavy industrial links to the bridge support structure with one hand, the maul crushing them effortlessly into the beams with the rhythmic stomp of his fellow workers, Tazuna began clapping in time, picked up his maul and went to join the boy. In due time, the entire work crew kissed their families goodbye and merrily went back to work.

By the end of the day, the entire village knew of the Uchiha's treachery and unilaterally named him unwelcome and unwanted.

Just like that, the Konoha Elite and the Konoha Pariah switched roles in the tiny island village by the sea and Kurenai's team would have fresh bread every day that work continued in Nami.

~III~

---

The notes he found in the Uzu journal, notes he later learned to have been written in two distinct female hands, mentioned that only an Uzumaki of royal blood could pierce the dome without fear. Naruto prayed with all his heart that the sword he received in the lacquered box meant what was implied in the journal and stepped forward. Just in case he pulsed his chakra armor and enclosed Tatsua in its tender blue embrace.

The exterior shield protecting the temple made his skin tingle along the tribal tattoo Tamami had sealed across his shoulders with chakra. Something pulsed once he was completely past the barrier, the middle of his back burning with a faint hissing sound. Tatsua whimpered but did not cry out. He pointedly ignored the smell of his own skin cooking, checked Tatsua to make sure she was okay, and approached the large double doors of the temple building noting the embroidered curtains covering the entryway. The cloth held embroidered masks ranging from bakemono, monsters, kabuki caricatures, and some resembling the ANBU masks he'd seen in Konoha. With a deep breath, he pushed through the screen into the veranda.

The sun was coming up by the time he reached the blood seal on the temple's main doors. Biting his thumb and rubbing blood on the seals of both doors, the opening maw purged much like the ones on his family home in Konoha and the lacquered box given by the Hokage. The only difference here was the hiss of fresh air breaking the vacuum seal below was a memorial on his clan's history that hadn't been broken in over two decades. He descended roughly twenty feet down a short flight of stairs, the light from outside highlighting the large chamber's contents.

Lining the back half of the room sat rows and rows of benches, behind which lay smaller tables and what appeared to be religious paraphernalia. Along the wall to his right lay a shelf with a dozen leather-bound books, below which lay a table covered in a table cloth of crimson silk embroidered with spirals along the bottom edge, the symbol of Uzushiogakure. On the cloth was a sword stand, the lower brace empty but the upper brace holding the mated pair to the sword he now carried in one of the four storage seals inscribed on his forearms (Tamami had convinced him to add another pair since you just never knew when you'd need it).

Naruto was glad that he'd listened. The pair on his left forearm stored his high-quality kunai and shuriken in one and his punch knives, and tanto when not strapped to his back, in the other. The first of two seals on his right arm carried his important mission gear and valuables too precious to leave unattended. The fourth he left empty as extra, glad that he'd mastered the use of high-capacity storage seals and Tamami's ability to selectively seal and retrieve items from the seals without having to empty the entire extra-dimensional space.

He spent a few minutes glancing through the tomes before storing them in the first seal of his right arm along with the table cloth, sword stand, and matched katana. They were books ranging from Uzu's history and customs to a full range of priceless fūin tomes! Once finished, he turned his attention back to the floor.

Between him and the back part of the room, the floor glowed with the light of eight seals arrayed in a circle around a larger central one. The seals pulsed in different hues, all to the thrum of a human heartbeat. The final pages of the journal he'd inherited laid out a very detailed ceremony, one Naruto had practiced day and night for weeks after receiving those gifts from the Hokage. Once again, he thanked the Kyuubi for the incredible gift that was his memory, wondering not for the first time if there was a storage limit on the human brain.

"You are welcome, Kit, but if you really want to thank me you'll need to visit me soon." Naruto nodded, his grim face breaking into a warm smile. He had lost track of the time busy in his new life and had neglected his first friend. He would need to make amends properly for his poor manners.

Naruto set Tatsua down on the now vacant table along with his mask, shirt, greaves that he used to cover his seals, and mesh undergarment. Bare from the waist up (and ignoring Tatsua's petulant growling), Naruto sat cross-legged next to the center seal and began the fifty-seal sequence, carefully molding the chakra needed to pierce the chakra curtain and summon the Nine Elders of Uzushiogakure.

Deep in the mindscape, Kyuubi held her breath.

His chakra released in tendrils of visible chakra tentacles, each seeking out and flowing into a seal on the ground like smoke. As more and more chakra streams were pulled into the swirling motes and curling streaks of the seal arrays, the pulsating constructs slowly increased the tempo of their steady rhythm. As the final traces vanished into the floor, each seal burst into constant energy becoming a searchlight pointed at the ceiling above. The intensity of the light grew until Naruto had to close his eyes or risk permanent damage before one final burst of power echoed from nine points simultaneously, sending nine waves of chakra out as cascading ripples through the boy's body. When he blinked his eyes open, he found himself in a ring of nine much older men in robes matching the colors of the gently glowing runes at their feet. The middle elder smiled warmly to the boy at his feet and Naruto, feeling suddenly very sheepish, scrambled up from the floor and bowed hastily before the man in white robes.

"Greetings young Uzumaki-sama. I am Uzumaki Ienaga. It is so very good to finally meet you." He returned the bow with a severe one of his own. "We were beginning to think we would have to suffer Kasai-kun's irritable mood swings for centuries before we were recovered."

Naruto grinned as he straightened and glanced at the younger, if one grey streak of hair in the middle of a beard that reached his belt counted as younger, elder's irritated glare.

"Ano, Ienaga-san. Shouldn't I be the one to defer to you?"

Ienaga chuckled and shook his head gently without reproach. "We have much to teach you, Ōji-sama. Royalty does not defer to those that serve and we," he indicated the nine elders, "serve the royal House of Uzumaki." His head tilted sideways a little, his eyes taking on a youthful glint at odds with his sparkling white hair and beard. "We serve you, Uzumaki-sama."

"Naruto." Ienaga raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto is just fine with me." Ienaga bowed deeply at the waist again.

"As you wish, Naruto-sama." Naruto sighed.

"You're not going to change, are you?" Ienaga's grin returned.

"I am too old to change Naruto-sama. Please forgive my old ways." Naruto shrugged. He had a feeling he was going to like this old man.

"Sure thing, Ienaga-jiji." This time several of the others chuckled. Ienaga simply cleared his throat.

"I assume you are prepared for the second part of this ceremony, Naruto-sama?" Naruto nodded but Ienaga looked concerned. Surely the boy could not be that strong. "But… where are your mediators?"

Naruto pulsed his chakra and two minor clones appeared. Ienaga had to reassess his opinion of the lad. Those clones were fairly solid and powerful. The boy standing before him hadn't batted an eye nor looked remotely winded.

As Naruto resumed his lotus, the clones kneeled beside him, placed one hand on each shoulder, and raised the other up into the air while channeling their chakra in a reinforcement cloak that enveloped the three of them. Once they indicated they were prepared, the nine began a long, droning chant, hands flashing through identical seal sequencing, their bodies absorbing the seals at their feet while being converted into spheres of pure chakra. Those spheres began orbiting around the room and, at predetermined intervals, shot to the outstretched hands of the clones. Their energy was absorbed into the chakra armor of the clones and funneled into Naruto's seated body, that energy coalescing into an identical but smaller seal on his skin.

The pain for the first one was excruciating, the second one forming immediately after made the boy's vision swim. The clones nodded to each other after the first two seals appeared on his abdomen each one appearing above one of the seal spikes located around the eight-point tetragram seal matrix holding the Kyuubi, near it but not overlapping. Once the pain and sizzling flesh had stopped burning with the last of the foreign chakra taking up residence in the new seals, one clone switched to deadening the pain receptors in the boy's body and began pushing healing Reiatsu into him to ease the discomfort. The other clone would receive the next orb and transfer it to Naruto's chakra network where the foreign chakra would attach itself to another tenketsu point. The clones would then alternate responsibilities as the chakra armor was the bigger drain on resources. As they worked through the next three hours, the nine seals took up residence on their new host.

The five primary elemental seals arrayed themselves like points on a crown along the upper hemisphere of the Kyuubi's seal - Doton, Futon, Katon, Raiton, and Suiton. The remaining four found homes, one on each shoulder and one on each pectoral. The infusion of chakra eventually forced the boy to pass out, the last clone to maintain the shield also burning up the last of his stores in protecting his host. For the one that remained, he hoped he had enough to remain until the Boss woke up. The sun was going down and he didn't have much chakra left. He had to switch his diagnostic off and on to make sure Boss' vitals remained strong since Tatsua did not have the ability to check.

He had no doubt that she could protect him. He just knew she couldn't heal him, so the clone hung on as long as he could. In the end, it wasn't enough.

Naruto didn't know how long he had been out. The light of day from the doors above had given way to nightfall once again. He didn't know if it was the same day or the next. As it was, he felt like a fully loaded merchant cart had run him over.

At some point, Tatsua had assumed her full Kitsune form and was sitting cross-legged with his tanto across her lap. She told him that he'd been unconscious most of the day and that the second clone expired several hours ago.

He nodded numbly in return and realized how much his entire body hurt. It felt like when Kyuubi first changed him into a Kitsune – every square inch hurt. Otherwise, he felt fully recharged and, unfortunately, alert and that also meant alert to every ache and pain. Kami, even his eyelids hurt.

He knew it would be a matter of time before Kyuubi could flush whatever residual poisons were left in his system, so he surged unsteadily to his feet and reached for his gear...and nearly fell on his face.

Huh, his balance felt off for some reason. It must be a side effect. He hoped it would pass.

Tatsua saw his intent and grabbed his arms. One by one, she brought his things and helped her Taichou don his armor, their close proximity making her eyes glaze over once again. He had finished his task and needed to return to complete his mission and that meant preparing for battle. Given their numerous discussions about how this might turn out, she still wasn't sure how she had made it into the outer dome or down into the shrine not being of noble Uzumaki blood, but she was going to make the most out of it having been privileged to observe it all. Tamami would be livid and she smiled secretly at that fact.

She carefully slipped the mesh shirt back on and retied his waidate back over his forearms. His short-sleeved shirt followed, secured by the dark obi. The ceramic body armor plates followed and then the overlapping tactical vest was clicked into place. Once he was comfortable with the fit, she leaned forward and gently kissed his lips, just the briefest of touches before handing him his mask. She'd noted the seals inside the smooth faceplate and wondered what they did. That was a question for later perhaps.

Murmuring, "Mind your new tail," she changed into her chibi form with a loud "pop" and perched back on his neck (this new armor made climbing his growing form easier with all of the extra pouches and straps). Naruto glanced back once the shock of her statement wore off and, sure as water was wet, stood dumbfounded as a fourth tail snaked back and forth with its three brothers.

"Kuso!" That explained the sudden loss of balance.

Staggering up the stairs, he fought furiously to reignite his chakra enough to flickeringly cover them both then stumbled back into the night air and down to the beach.

He didn't fully understand everything that happened to his body, but he figured out the impact of it right away, well, at least as soon as he attempted to walk on water and his sandal sunk to the bottom of the shallows like a fishing weight. Looking angrily over his shoulder at the fourth tail waving peacefully behind him confirmed what he feared. He'd gained another tail and his chakra control had immediately been shot to pieces.

Most likely his entire chakra network had been stretched and forced to grow in order to accommodate the nine chakra constructs. The enormous surge of energy spawned another modulous growth spurt and, as a result, another tail. In the end, he knew that this was all for the better but, for now, it sucked major duck butt.

With a heavy sigh, he pulsed chakra to his limiters and immediately regained some measure of control again, even if it took three tries to get them activated and he cursed again. LOUDLY. He was thinking a swear jar might be in order at this rate.

He didn't have nearly half of his original level of control, but he had hadn't totally lost everything either. He - with his limiters active - retained just enough control to shakily resume the water-borne leg back to Wave. Did he have enough control without limiters to start a war with Gato's forces? Perhaps not but it would have to work.

He would have to develop a plan with what he had. Given that he still had two days left (some of his lesser clones had just begun expiring), he could afford to take a day to try and build back some of his lost combat effectiveness. He would need it.

With a sigh, he turned back to the ruins and hunkered down in a partial shelter absently noticing that the clones he created to bury his deceased clan were finished with their grisly task.

With the temple resealed, Naruto didn't want to return there unless he absolutely had to. With the shield still active, he didn't want to risk leaving more evidence of his passage and he wasn't going to tempt the same hand of fate that let him take Tatsua into and out of the shrine with him the first time. He couldn't explain why she wasn't hurt beyond a little singed fur, although he had a good idea that it was largely dependent on his impromptu chakra cloak overpowering her own chakra effectively hiding her from the protective shield. Problem was that he didn't think his chakra control was steady enough to repeat it, therefore, he wasn't about to chance it back-to-back. He had been careless in his homecoming excitement and had been extremely fortunate that Tatsua was not forced to pay the price.

Naruto would not risk her again.

With his body resting again in the lotus position, he gnashed his teeth in concentration and pushed as much chakra into his favorite jutsu. His head spun, the first time in a very long time that he remembered that happening but, when the smoke cleared, three thousand lesser Naruto clones sat in ring after ring after ring, fanning out in kneeling positions focused on the "Boss." Naruto was disgusted with his reduced control but knew exactly what would help fix it.

"You all know what to do. You have until this time tomorrow night." Three thousand voices rang out with a resounding, "Ossu!" before bursting into action all across the island to focus on random acts of chakra control. Naruto, resting quietly and trying to calm his labored breathing, patiently sat while his chakra began to refill itself.

"While you're taking in the scenery, come talk with me."

Her voice was pouty, almost petulant. Naruto couldn't ever imagine the ridiculously powerful Kyūbi no Kitsune acting that way yet here she was. He grinned and centered himself, the familiar tug on his mind drawing him into the sitting room almost immediately. He was seated at the tea-table before the very familiar, and slightly older face, of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

And if he wasn't already so tired, he would have fallen over from shock.

She had grown since he was last here, her face aging from the cute eight-year-old to the teenager growing into her maturing features. There was still baby fat in her features, but they were lengthening, becoming smoother. In time, she would grow into a fine woman, no, a fine Kitsune.

Some of her features were developing faster than others. He guessed she was somewhere between twelve and fifteen years of age. She was older than him, for sure but it was difficult to narrow down. It was a rough approximation looking only at her face. Her body seemed to be developing faster from what he could see from her seated position behind the opposite side of the table. What he could see, from her now partially open kimono, was an increasingly growing expanse of bosom that she knew he enjoyed ogling. Naruto pried his eyes from her cleavage and forced himself to focus on her face.

"Welcome back, kit." Naruto smiled and took a sip from his cup of tea. It never ceased to amaze him, the texture of the cup, the warmth of the drink, the herbal smell in his nostrils... The mindscape was an amazing place.

"Thank you. When did they get here?" He motioned to the nine statues lining the hallway behind him.

"They popped in as you absorbed them through your Uzumaki ritual. We had a chance to talk briefly before you released an army of clones and drained them nearly empty. The old one was the last to go and he squeaked out that they'd be back once you had enough chakra to recharge them."

"Why do they need my chakra?" Kyūbi shrugged and he fought the delicious urge to watch her chest jiggle.

"Before those old men died, they converted their bodies into chakra constructs. Your absorbing them transferred those constructs to your body, the influx revamping your chakra matrix and surging your coils." She folded her arms and leaned forward to rest them on the table, the immediate effect on her chest made his eyes twitch.

She smiled evilly.

"The added benefit is the extra tail. The unfortunate side effect, well, you saw what it did to your chakra control hence the slightly smaller munchkin army."

"A what?!"

"Nevermind. It was before your time," she quickly cut him off hoping to avoid a discussion about ancient movies. She very deliberately, and without shame, ran her eyes along his lean frame. "Unlike most chakra constructs, because they are tied to your tenketsu network, these geezers can recharge their matrices and remain with you as long as you are alive, which is a very long time for a Kitsune. You will outlive pretty much everyone you know in Konoha."

Naruto's face went pale.

"Yes, especially your wives to be."

"Can't you fix that like you fixed me?" She shook her head without hesitation. Jiggle, jiggle. TWITCH.

"No, not so long as I'm in here. If your medical skills ever improved to decent levels, you could learn the bloodline theft jutsus and do it yourself. Until then…" She spread her hands, the motion causing her chest to make disturbing palpitations.

Naruto performed a Herculean feat and stared very determinedly at the cup between his two hands. He stared for a very long time. Sensing her growing mirth, he made a tactical evasion and changed the subject.

"Do I need to worry about the chakra drain?" Kyūbi returned her forearms under the warm cover of her bosom making them bulge much to his distracted distress.

"No, I've been watching their chakra networks and the drain from each is about the same as one of your lesser Kage bunshin. You shouldn't even notice it." He sighed, the effort deflating his shoulders.

"Thank you for keeping me company Kyūbi." She waved him off.

"I won't admit that I missed you…but I did." Her tails fluttered serenely behind her. "I didn't realize how quiet it is in here without those guys staring at my chest. I may ask you to purge your chakra from time to time when I need a break from them."

Naruto nodded his head and laughed before plunging into dangerous territory.

"You don't seem to mind me looking." Her eyebrow raised slightly. "Either that or you just like torturing me."

Kyūbi lazily traced a finger along the lower neckline of her partially-open kimono. "You're always welcome to look, kit." Her head tilted a little to one side. "You're also welcome to do more than look. I have nine tails to lock you in place for a reason, you know."

Naruto had just enough time to turn his head before spitting tea out of his mouth in a fine plume. "Y-Y-You're a being made of chakra inside my brain! You don't even have a body!" She waved that away as well so as not to have to explain that his assumption was incorrect.

"Chakra being or not, a girl has needs. Also, instincts and all that." Her eyes took on a particularly feral gleam. "Besides, you don't want your first time with your vixens to be an embarrassment, do you?" He blushed and sputtered for a few minutes.

She hopped up, her chest bouncing mightily, before storming over and plopping down onto his lap. One of her hands set his cup back onto the table then she used that same hand to fully hoist open one side of her kimono and the other to grab his hand and slap it onto her now uncovered breast, giving him a firm squeeze to boot. Naruto's brain nearly short-circuited.

It was warm. It was incredibly soft. Her nipple was poking his palm and he could feel the heat from her body. She felt like a real girl.

Kyūbi decided to spare him further embarrassment. "Think it over Kit. You're safe with me, you know that, right?" He nodded. "We can discuss the benefits of making love to a chakra being when you're older... and more comfortable."

She returned to her side of the table while adjusting her kimono. Naruto bowed once to the nine-tailed demon. Not trusting his voice, he released his hold on his mindscape and returned to the outside world. It was considerably darker now, but he could see Tatsua sitting cross-legged in front of him and her smile was blinding.

"Welcome back, Taichou." He returned the smile, giving himself time to evaluate how he felt. His body ached less and the memories of a few more clones back on the main island were coming back to him.

"We will leave tomorrow night." Sua-chan nodded even as she rose and unsealed roasted rabbit and earthy greens.

"You need to replenish your strength." She kneeled in front of his legs, her hands holding out portions for him to eat.

"And you, Sua-chan?" His concern always made her warm inside. Maybe he wasn't so bad after- she tried to violently brush aside those thoughts as she fought another wave of his annoying pheromones.

"I am fine, Taichou. I ate while you were sealed away talking to Kyūbi-sama." She froze when Naruto reached out and touched her cheek. Eyes wide, her back stiffened momentarily before he pulled her into a warm and passionate kiss, the shock of which forced her to inhale sharply in surprise. Despite trying to purge her sinuses since they arrived, her eyes immediately dilated and a burning heat rushed through her body from one pair of lips to the other.

Before she knew it, his tentative lips touching hers gave way to passionate tongue wrestling, the heat building in her core, and the food in her hands long-forgotten as she desperately pressed her body against his. Deep inside her, something melted as that growing bundle of warmth flashed into a scorching blaze.

Whether or not he'd admit to it, Kyūbi made a good point. No man wanted to be clumsy and uneducated when it comes to being intimate with their loved ones and he knew next to nothing. He knew that the Twins had feelings for him, Tamami more so than Tatsua, and he wasn't ignorant of their repeated offers to be intimate. While he wasn't planning on taking advantage of their offers just yet as he was far to young for that sort of thing, he did want to learn and the best way to do that is with practice and Tatsua had the softest lips despite her gruff exterior.

They didn't seem to mind his clumsy kisses before. Maybe they would practice with him from time to time? It was a wild guess and a very selfish desire, but he was also a hormonal teen and he'd try if they let him.

By the time the kissing session had reached a fevered crescendo and petered out, they were both breathless and very touchy. For long moments, they just sat there with their eyes locked and their breath ragged.

"I know that Kitsune have very different beliefs when it comes to... being physical with each other." The still breathless Kitsune nodded clearly unsure where this was going, her ears and tails unfurling slowly from her transformation. Naruto, though worried for her sudden change, just smiled up at her and gently pushed a loose strand of her hair up over her flickering ear. "One day, Sua-chan, I am going to make good on your advances." She blushed. "For now, I hope my overly affectionate feelings are enough?"

He sounded almost unsure.

Tatsua whimpered softly, her forehead closing the distance to rest on his shoulder as his out of control pheromones ravaged her senses, laid waste to her organs, and destroyed the last bits of her willpower.

~III~

Hinata knelt next to the bedroll Naruto used at night and ground her teeth in rage. He had tidied up his "sleeping arrangement" and left earlier on whatever mission Kurenai-sensei had given him. Perhaps this had to do with the conversation the Hokage needed before they departed?

"Hiiiii-naaaaaaaa-taaaaaaaaa!" She winced, her musing cut short by the whining voice of the pinkette banshee above. Those two were beginning to bring out her more murderous fantasies reserved for the elders of her clan.

With a heavy huff and a quick count backwards from ten, Hinata rose and trudged back up to the main floor of the house to tend to Kakashi-sensei. Since Sakura needed to take direct and exacting care of their "fearless leader," tending the not-as-exhausted-as-he-seemed cyclops fell to her now. She shivered as she remembered the leering gaze in his one eye as she moved about the house. She would never have known if she hadn't left her Byakugan active while going to and from the kitchen to get more tea for him after one of her routine checkups. The look on his face made her feel soiled and in need of Naruto's comforting arms. Only he was allowed to look at her that way even if he never did.

Naruto's ocean blue eyes were always filled with tenderness… and the occasional naughty wink. He was nothing like the silver-haired pervert.

She wanted to pummel his face into a bloody mush and close off all of his tenketsu. Permanently. Painfully. Instead, she made sure to keep her bulky jacket zipped up fully for the rest of their stay in the muggy island climate. She hated the feel of sweat down her back and between her breasts but she was becoming not a great fan of the famous former ANBU Commander either.

She pushed those thoughts away as they weren't going to do her any good. She'd have to bear up until Naruto returned. For now, she needed to help the one-eyed lecher get back on his feet. Gripping the front of her jacket protectively, she rounded the corner and brushed past the red-faced kunoichi without a word. Squashing the desire to smack her as well, she lifted a palm to halt her brewing rant and strode into the home, her patient already nose-deep in his disgusting orange book.

It was a good thing that no one knew she had a complete and autographed set back home that fueled her Naruto fantasies. That was completely beside the point.

She redirected her steps to the kitchen to make tea for the pig and Tsunami offered her a warm smile of sympathy and a fresh cup of the steaming green liquid. She thanked her, squared her shoulders before realizing he stared more when she did that, corrected her posture by slumping her shoulders a bit, then turned to deliver the cup. She thanked Tsunami for the extra cup she saw awaiting her return.

The two spent a lot of time lately talking about her blond teammate and that helped a little. The less time she spent near the lecher the better.

~III~

---

In the Ruins of Uzushiogakure…

In the morning, a very red-faced Tatsua had a hard time looking Naruto in the face. In silence, they rinsed off their bodies in the shallows and dressed before she unsealed food for their morning meal, Naruto trying very hard not to notice the way her very toned body glistened or the way her firm breasts jiggled and swayed as she rinsed the sweat from her skin.

She smiled up at him and it was at that moment that a powerful influx of memories knocked him to his knees. Tatsua whirled around and began checking him for injuries.

One memory stood out above the rest.

Gato had received visitors that morning, a minor noble from the Land of Grass arriving to accept Gato's invitation of hospitality in this quaint backwater village. Gato had taken great pleasure in showing off his "pet Daimyo," even backhanding the woman to show that he could do so with impunity and encouraging his guest, a long-time buyer and regular customer of Gato's black market enterprise, to do the same. The man was purchasing opium from the new crop of poppies being grown in the wonderfully-temperate climate and a new batch of slaves. Since the younger servants of the Daimyo's house were better mannered and… untainted, the disgusting man and his lecherous son had purchased four. They were all barely in their teens and clearly terrified.

With a snarl, Naruto released the chakra on his training weights, summoned five clones, and glanced up from his crouch hissing through his teeth, "You know what to do!" With five snarls in response, they vanished in a blur of fur and dark cloth.

Naruto's chakra had mostly recovered so he turned his attention to helping his clones restore the rest of his obliterated chakra control. They could afford no more delays since Gato was continuing his reign of debauchery. He plopped down into the lotus position with the intent of sending his chakra out into the land. He could use the earth and wind exercises while he waited but his plans were interrupted when he felt the familiar tug on the back of his mind and opened his eyes to the puzzled face of Kyūbi, apparently having tea with the cup mere centimeters from her lips, in a state of total surprise.

In the Mindscape

"She did not call to you, Naruto-sama. We did."

Naruto turned around to see the nine eager faces of his newest occupants. I realize that you are pressed for time and that our energy is limited though replenishing rapidly," he bowed at the waist, "…many thanks to you." Uzumaki Ienaga straightened with sparkling eyes to the last royal son of Uzushiogakure.

"Okay, I'll bite. How can I help you Ienaga-jiji?" The old man motioned for the younger one to move forward and stand in the middle of a small ring of stones near their statues that looked like a bullseye. In the center was a raised circle of stone that looked like the top half of a flattened sphere.

"We must evaluate you so that we may develop your training plan." Naruto tried very hard not to scowl. Now was a very poor choice of timing.

"Please, Naruto-sama. This should only take a moment. We can begin your training once we return to your village."

While excited at the prospect of becoming the baddest ninja Konoha had ever seen, the boy's mind was admittedly elsewhere. Sighing, and deciding that being in a positive relationship with his Uzumaki elders was better for his long-term goals, the young Uzumaki walked to the center of the circle and stood on the raised dome. Realizing that the stone was only big enough for one foot, he instinctively raised one leg and stood on the balls of his left foot, his body in perfect balance.

Ienaga smiled briefly, then started explaining his concept for Naruto's training regimen. Three of the other elders stepped forward to inspect the boy while he talked. Occasionally, one would lift and arm out to the side or ask him to turn one way or another.

"Naruto-dono, we plan to maximize use of this… mindspace… as it appears to be the perfect training medium for repetition and mental preparation." Ienaga moved to stand outside the last ring while the other three continuously poked, prodded, and manipulated the boy's limbs.

"While your body rests, we can prepare you through the educational portions of your training." Ienaga briefly met the eyes of one of the instructors.

"Your physical training cannot be accomplished here but I have alternative options to address that." The instructors stopped moving as one and moved to specific locations on the outer ring of stone. One actually turned away with a disgusted look on his face. Only then did Ienaga move to the center to be closer to Naruto.

~/-/-|||-\-\~

Twenty minutes later in the equivalent of mindspace time, Naruto was terribly confused. He thought he was doing pretty well if you asked him especially when you took in the years wasted as the Konoha Academy sabotaged his growth.

At first blush, the Council of Elders was not impressed. Not impressed at all. Before them stood all five-foot-eight inches of one Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto and, while an impressive specimen for the average ne'er-do-well Genin, he simply did not represent what a proper Uzumaki in their eyes should be… even if he was only half Uzumaki. These grizzled veterans (now mental energy apparitions chained to the boy's chakra network) made that fact perfectly clear and aimed to correct that serious deficiency and they aimed to do so post-haste. However, while they could work his mind during his sleep periods while his body rested, they would have to revise his physical training program in the waking world. From the very disappointed sounds of it, it would have to all be redone from the ground up.

No, his current level of physical readiness simply would not do.

Naruto stood in his mindscape dressed in only his boxers - still wondering how that happened by the way - with a heated glare on his face. He was decidedly not a happy boy and growing less pleased by the minute.

And here they stood clucking angrily in a serious circle of robes and annoyed red hair, well, eight of them in various degrees of red, grey, and white anyway as Ienaga had gone full polar bear with his flowing locks and beard of snow. As they prowled around him in a never-ending circle of cloth, most of them growling with disdain pointing out glaring deficiencies and other points that would need priority focus, the young Uzumaki went through various shades of anger, annoyance, indignation, embarrassment, then outrage.

And this was only from three of the nine specters lurking in his head. Each of the three currently looking controlled a specific element or aspect of his Uzumaki education and these three had the most to deal with his physical conditioning.

Kyūbi merely shook her head in disbelief as she fully remembered listening in on their earlier roundtable discussion before certain rules had to be established – this was her home and they were uninvited squatters as far as she was concerned. Besides, their behavior certainly didn't match with people designated by their former ruler to help guide and mentor the current, and last, royal Uzumaki. She sorely hoped this didn't become another Hyuuga nightmare as that would go over very poorly.

She began to picture nine little cages with robe-wearing prisoners singing jailhouse melodies.

Uzumaki Doroana, the earth element chakra trainer, "tsked" multiple times as he lifted one arm then the other. Occasionally he would slap one of Naruto's rock-hard thighs with the back of his hand and mutter something that soundly oddly like "passable." Kyūbi noticed the muscles of Naruto's legs never shook when Doroana struck them.

No, Kitsune weren't the best suited to training a once-human-now-happa-Kitsune male in shinobi combat readiness or human chakra network development but her-his handmaidens had done a wonderful job of cobbling something together to make him prepared for his life as a Konoha Genin. They'd done a sight better job than those horrible Konoha humans had and Kyūbi was annoyed on behalf of the Twins. How dare these Johnny-come-lately's show up and tear down their work without so much as a "thanks for picking up our slack."

Her teeth were grinding together in a most unpleasant fashion.

Uzumaki Abareruken, the Uzumaki Taijutsu Grandmaster, eyed the boy's limbs and core development with a face that looked like it had been wrinkled through the repeated consumption of bitter fruit.

Uzumaki Senkai, the Uzumaki Kenjutsu Grandmaster, refused to even acknowledge the boy once he'd heard Naruto's training in kenjutsu hadn't even started until a few months ago. He simply found the boy inadequate to assess initially and stated so, remarking it was a miracle he even knew which end of a blade to properly apply to his enemy. Grousing about needing to start training with plastic cutlery so the boy wouldn't injure himself irreparably, he had simply turned his back and refused to look at Naruto for the rest of the evaluation, his work clearly done for the moment.

No, the Council of Elders, in the event they had not made themselves abundantly clear, were less than thrilled.

The three masters turned to look at each other once they had assumed their original positions before the inquisition started and, without a single spoken word of communication, turned to look at Ienaga while the Taijutsu mentor said in the flat voice of absolute certainty, "Two years."

Ienaga's face wrinkled up in displeasure. "While he could probably master the three core physical attributes, I am not sure we have two years to work with. He has already begun his shinobi career and the boy's patronage is sure to be released by careless tongues out for his blood."

Abareruken scoffed. "No, I meant 'two years until he is suitable for training' THEN we can begin the core buildup into a respectable Uzumaki." All three nodded as if it was law inviolate. Ienaga's response was deadpan.

"You have six months. Make it so."

They all sputtered and moved away to their respective statues, grousing and whining the whole while about doing the impossible. Naruto completely missed the smiles tickling the corner of their mouths as their spirits merged with the marble replicas of their avatar forms. Ienaga knew the game they were engaging in but chose to keep their intent to himself. No reason for Naruto-Ōji to see behind the rouse and thus cease to give less than his full and best effort.

"Do not fear, Naruto-Ōji. They are truly the best instructors you shall ever find. They only wish you to be the best you can achieve, and they will work hard to bring that out in you."

Naruto, now back in his normal attire in his mindscape, had never felt more demoralized and found it too difficult a concept to accept.

Was Ienaga not listening to their harsh criticisms? Did he not hear the disparaging remarks about all of the hard work Tatsua had put into his physical training? He thought she had done wonders for him but, listening to those three, he was barely better off than an angry toddler. One had specifically remarked, "I've seen more muscle definition on an Uzumaki primary schooler!"

For the first time, Naruto wondered if he had what it took to be an Uzumaki.

"Never fear, Naruto-sama. Things are often darkest before the new dawn." He patted the boy on his shoulder. "You will find that you are not as bad off as you think."

Naruto gave a quick bow of his head as the elder statesman took his place in the center of the line of nine statues along the western wall, also vanishing into nothingness. With one last parting glance, the boy turned to Kyūbi, who pulled his head down to her bosom while she cradled it.

"I see how hard you've worked, Naruto-kun. You just be sure to show these old fossils the truth when you begin your training."

He was too miserable to either blush or resist, but he enjoyed the fragrant smell and softness of her skin.

"I hope they learn this the hard way with many bruises of their own."

With a gentle push of chakra, she released him from the mindscape, the warm feel of her cleavage on his cheek the last sensation to travel with him.

Once Naruto had vanished from the mindscape, the Council of Elders reappeared, much to Kyuubi's surprise… and annoyance. They gathered around Ienaga who turned to face each in turn. "Well, your true thoughts then?" He started with the three that looked over Naruto first.

"Impressive. His Doton harmonics are good, very good. I'd say he poses no difficulty in training and should pick up the core basics of our clan style in no more than a month."

Kyūbi's eyebrows rose incrementally.

Ienaga looked expectantly to Abareruken next.

"I am most impressed with his physical development." He was nodding approvingly, his face all smiles despite the horrid evaluation mere moments ago. "Despite not being exposed to Uzumaki training at the requisite age, his body is much farther along than one would expect of a novice. Two more months and I could perfect the conditioning his current instructor has already begun."

Kyūbi's jaw dropped open as her eyebrows reversed direction to meet at the bridge of her nose.

Ienaga turned last to Senkai, the kenjutsu expert.

The man shrugged. "The one lagging area is his familiarity with blades. While he has the proper conditioning to begin the skill, his lack of training is a bonus as this means that I have fewer bad habits to break." The slim man nodded once and only once. "I can work with this once Ken-san says he is up to par."

Ienaga clenched one fist in the air with a beaming smile.

Kyūbi, on the other hand, was livid.

"What is THIS?!" They all turned to face her as if they'd forgotten she was there. "You just spent time tearing the poor boy down to his bones, yet you stand there engaged in this… mockery?!"

Ienaga attempted to placate the bijuu.

"You misunderstand us, Kyūbi-sama. Our time to prepare the young master is pressed. Though he appears very powerful and with you on his side, he has many powerful enemies that are no doubt plotting his death. Once his heritage is known, and trust when I say it is only a matter of time, we cannot have the boy vastly underpowered when the Kage-level enemies of his ancestors come searching for him."

Kyūbi relented in her anger a bit as she considered his words. Seeing her hesitation, Ienaga continued.

"Furthermore, you yourself said that the boy excels when challenged, often doing his best when shown a disproving nature so that he may rise to a challenge and prove his naysayers wrong." Ienaga sighed heavily. "While we do not relish this form of coercion, we will nonetheless push him terribly and we need him to continue with what will become torturous training." They all appeared resolute. "Once he is past the critical threshold, we will ease our pressure on the boy and teach him in the proper manner befitting the royalty of Uzushiogakure no Sato."

"Understand when I say that an entire clan, no... an entire nation rests on his shoulders. We cannot afford to let him fail."

Kyūbi nodded. "I am going to hold you to that, old man. That boy has suffered far too much already and I will be keeping you all on a very short leash."

Having come to an accord, Ienaga bowed low to the bijū and the Nine re-entered their stony facades to continue their recuperation, several chatting excitedly at their new training prospect.

~III~

---

The Super Colossal Bridge in Wave…

Like clockwork, the same two thugs came creeping around the baker's home the following day with four of their closest friends. Bruised, battered, and ragged after their beating the following day, they spared a hateful glance to the peacefully watching blond standing on the bridge with his shinobi friends. Feeling brave with their backup, the two sniffed dismissively right before kicking the door down to the baker's shop.

One of the extra thugs began cat-calling Kurenai-sensei while the rest started throwing vulgar insults to everyone else in sight.

Their moment of revelry abruptly ended when both enforcers came flying from the baker's house back-first, their unconscious forms thudding painfully to the dirt and stone street before rolling to a battered stop against the nearest house. All four had approximately fifteen seconds to stare blankly at their bleeding ringleaders before an entire squad of blond twins rushed from the baker's house armed with rolling pins and wooden bread paddles.

Cue painful and girlish screams from the suddenly less brave thugs being pummeled unconscious by a swarm of Naruto clones.

Naruto-clone smirked as he hefted his maul and turned around to resume his afternoon of work, pausing to receive a motherly pat to the cheek by Tsunami which, to her surprise, produced a remarkably embarrassing sound from the powerful Genin that made every woman within ten paces squeal in surprise.

Boss was not "cute." Boss most definitely does not "purr." Fighting down a raging clone blush, he stalked off to drive more rivets fighting to ignore the cooing and teasing from his fellow bridge workers.

~III~

---

Back in the Ruins of Uzushiogakure…

Naruto emerged from his mindscape less than happy with the experience. He waved off Tatsua's concern and asked her to sit with him, her back against his chest - which surprised her, while he waited for his clones to finish training. He didn't think he could focus after that impromptu meeting with the elders, so he casually hugged and stroked the soft curves and flat stomach of his guardian, much to her happy (muffled so as not to let him know that she approved) coos and moans. Tatsua wasn't sure what happened but she hoped it happened more often.

By the time nightfall came and most of the clones on the island had dispersed, Naruto had reclaimed a good portion, perhaps a third, of his lost control back. It wasn't quite good enough to turn off the limiters, but it was enough to restore the vast majority of his less control-intensive techniques and his anger at the elders had dissipated in the arms of a beautiful Kitsune woman as she held his arms locked around her waist and rocked side-to-side with him humming a soft tune.

She'd adamantly deny it later if anyone every brought this moment up but, for now, it was pleasingly comfortable.

He'd also learned a great deal about his island homeland through his clones who weren't so distracted or upset, useful information he would both catalog later and take full advantage of upon subsequent returns home.

Home. That word resonated with him. Sure, it wasn't much to look at now but that could change.

He still had a hard time connecting to the estate in Konoha. It was never his home but a place where strangers once lived and left to him in a will. It was convenient and afforded more protection and luxury that his old apartment did but there was no emotional bond, not even when he stumbled upon what was to be his room with the crib centrally located in a sea of pastel blues, yellows, and soft red swirls. It was a home meant for a happy family living a happy life and that was not Naruto's existence.

Or was it? He glanced down to the top of Tatsua's golden crown of silky hair and had to re-evaluate what he considered family. Sure his immediate family was very, very affectionate (once you got past the gruff outer exterior) but did that make them any less familial? Tearing his eyes away from the open cut of her neckline and the treasures he knew were strapped tightly within, he compared his early life of loneliness with the current one he was making in the home of his father and mother.

Deep down he wondered if the only reason Jiji gave him the deed was to try and repair his damaged loyalty to a town he once loved, as misguided as Naruto realized that affection was. Was it too late?

One side with a few notable exceptions, the human side, ignored and despised him his entire life only reaching out to him when they figured the emotional divide was growing beyond their abilities to contain it. The other side, the Kitsune one, willingly reached out before he even knew of their existence and embraced him wholeheartedly with their love and protection. It made him wonder if the headband he wore was worth the pain it caused.

Those were dark thoughts for another time. For now, he needed to repair his fractured control and get off this island and back to Tazuna's home. It was as the sun was setting that his first memories from the retrieval squad returned and they were not initially pleasant ones.

~III~

---

Just Off the Coast of Hi no Kuni…

They were numbered Three-Thousand One through Five, their ANBU masks dull streaks in the setting sun. Not traveling by slow-moving cart (Gato sold the Daimyo's official carriage along with the female attendants that traveled with it) or having to wait for water transport back to the shore, the clones were able to make up considerable ground. Without weight restrictions and their copied chakra limiters firing at full power, the clones streaked across the water to the Fire mainland and closed on their prey just as the cart had begun its western return homeward, the fishing village left behind in the setting sun.

It was fortunate that the snobbish noble found the inn unsuitable. Their unfortunate deaths would not disturb the villagers unnecessarily.

Two masked ninjas appeared in front of the lead carriage forcing the driver to stop. When the driver turned around to inform the carriage's riders of the interruption, he saw two more directly behind the trailing cage connected to the carriage's rear axle and one standing a few feet from the carriage door. Their painted masks made their faces frightening, the dark clothes they wore identified them as ninja, and the short blades at their backs implied nothing peaceful.

With the carriage halted, the terrified cries of women behind the heavily curtained doors could be clearly heard in the night. The single ninja, possibly the leader, turned his head to see two girls huddled and shivering in the cool night air, their arms chained together inside the bamboo cage. The driver thought he could hear the ninja growl when his head swiveled very slowly back to the carriage door.

Oblivious to the danger, the noble chose that moment to whip the curtain away, push his flushed face through the opening, and snidely demand to know why they'd stopped?

When the driver merely pointed a badly shaking hand to the ninja standing two meters from the door, the noble smirked as imperiously as he could and bellowed, "Daken! Deal with these curs! This is what I pay you for!"

With his decree delivered, the noble ducked back inside and whipped the curtain back into its former place, the inconveniences already forgotten and the pleas and cries of the women trapped inside the carriage resuming almost immediately.

The eyes of every clone narrowed dangerously beneath their masks right before the short samurai climbed leisurely from the seat adjacent to the driver and strolled around the carriage to stand two sword lengths away from the obvious leader of this pocket of ninja slime.

Inclining his head to the lower shoulder by the road, he moved a safe distance from the carriage and awaited the ninja's company. He was joined by three of the ninja dogs and chuckled, clearly unimpressed. This apparently irked number Three-Thousand and Three, who charged with tanto drawn.

The samurai expertly blocked the blade already dropping into a low stance to bring the sword across his body, a strike intended to disembowel his appointed foe, and froze mid-strike as the ninja's body elongated like a deflating balloon, his body drawn into his glowing blade until he vanished completely. Then it dawned on the samurai as if from a distant training lecture – most of these ninjas were clones, solid clones, but clones nonetheless. While this meant the original was powerful to be able to produce several physical copies, thus explaining their similarities in size, mass and movement, at least four of them were of absolutely no challenge and he grinned smugly to show his appreciable lack of concern.

The lead clone observed the whole interplay and nodded to his remaining teammate, signing for him to use ranged jutsu to attack. The first clone had shown what he expected to see when the replica's chakra matrix came into contact with the samurai's weapon.

To be honest, the same would have happened if he'd struck the samurai's unique armor as all of their data indicated its function was to drain chakra and use it to sustain a samurai's unique brand of reinforcement training; their weapons generated a modified chakra shield to protect their bodies and their swords used chakra to increase their cutting power. They could slice through most things not protected by chakra, which the weapon drained to sustain their own deadly advantages.

For this reason, samurai were the bane of the ninja world and one of the three martial powers used to keep a nation's military powers in check. They were the primary defense mechanism used to defend a Daimyo not involved in the daily life of his hidden village and it was the notable lack of any military power that made this tiny corner in the Land of Waves as vulnerable to Gato's invasion such as it was.

Naruto would need to correct that unless he wanted to repeatedly rescue this tiny, and non-aggressive nation, every four to five years.

Despite the Boss's rudimentary kenjutsu skills, this samurai was not particularly skilled at all. His young age indicated he hadn't trained for many years and his physical development was perhaps on par with the un-augmented clones. His second fear was realized when the now attacking clone's jutsu was sucked into the samurai's blade and, linked to the clone as it was, the clone followed shortly after. With a nod, he formalized his plan.

The short samurai grunted. "Surely you can be more of a challenge than this, baka. You insult me and waste my time. Perhaps you should kill yourself now and prevent me from sullying my blade further."

Hearing his adopted son's taunt, the noble paused his attempted violation of the young girl desperately clutching her torn rags and poked his head through the carriage curtains to watch the impudent ninja's final moments. His smile, and the smile of his samurai retainer, thinned once the lone ninja began to glow with a more condensed version of the samurai's chakra armor.

Daken's smile disappeared completely when the ninja disappeared from view altogether, right before the ground at his feet erupted forming a crater where he once stood.

Then the pain hit.

Just as his shattered legs registered in his brain and the wail of agony erupted from his mouth in a pained gargle, Daken landed on his back ten meters from where he was smugly insulting the fox-faced ninja, his concentration failing completely in the afterglow of his suffering. As an afterthought, he mused that insulting and taunting his unknown opponent might not have been the wisest thing to do.

His body landed hard, knocking the wind from his lungs and stunning him, then his midsection exploded in pain as a stalagmite of rock punched through his back, smashed his spine, and ruptured major organs before erupting from his stomach, effectively impaling the poorly-trained warrior where he lay. The clone was more than happy to let him bleed to death. Turning back to the roadside and his remaining clones, he made a quick series of hand signs.

The terrified driver was yanked from the bench and forced to kneel by the treeline. The clones on the road created a copy apiece to assist with the rest of what followed.

The nobles were exactly what they appeared to be, pampered wealthy people with overinflated senses of self-worth, probably relying on the armored bodyguard to keep them safe. One moderately-skilled samurai is enough to defend against an army of bandits as well as most Genin, Chunin, and the specialist Jounin or two. Daken, however, was not moderately skilled.

He wasn't even a real ronin; he'd failed out of the squire training period, the Dai Jinushi, and failed to get an apprenticeship of service in a regional lord's territory but his adoptive father considered his training enough for his purposes. Honestly, until his first real challenge (these cowardly ninja dogs) it had been more than enough to intimidate the average roadside brigand or bar thug but not today. His luck had run out.

The carriage's wealthy occupants were yanked from its functional but comfy confines and made to kneel next to the now openly sobbing driver, which they found highly insulting, until the clones backhanded them repeatedly into submission. At this point, the noble's bravado turned into whimpering and blubbering, the son (the other male passenger preparing to help rape the freshly-acquired slaves) breaking into fits of hysteria at the sight of the impaled and rapidly dying warrior not ten meters away.

The noble's son offered money (and his father's life) to be set free promising never to return. He was summarily backhanded and lost more teeth.

The noble offered to make introductions at court in the Land of Grass, never mind that he was only a minor noble and had no power nor the connections to do so. 'Once I am home I can replace my lost guard and buy a contract for revenge on this ninja urchin-.' His mental tirade was cut short by a blow to his side that fractured several ribs forcing him to cough up blood.

It was at that point that both of them realized there would be no negotiations. There would be no mercy. These ninja waifs, silent and hostile as they were, could not be bought or bartered away. Coming from a world where everything had its price, the spoiled examples of a bourgeoisie society were woefully lacking in the more subtle personality skills needed to secure their lives and lacked the moral compass needed to comprehend their actions leading up to this situation as reprehensible.

They began to openly weep instead.

The weeping continued as rough hands unused to their silk finery dragged them to the tree line. The pair sobbed as those same hands lifted them from the ground and drove wooden spikes through their palms and into trees then released their hold, those stakes becoming the sole implements helping them to defy gravity. This clearly tore at the soft, fleshy hands of overweight nobles as their bowels released. The sobs abated as shock set in, the new victims not even noticing the sharp blades carving words into their chest and stomachs while other pairs of hands tore up their newest robes to form gags for their mouths and ties for their ankles.

Their gags were necessary when the kunai were turned to their genitalia leaving non-cauterized wounds between their legs so soft bodies used to a life of pampering and privilege could bleed out quietly overnight.

Deep inside her cage and connected by the chakra of her host, the Kyūbi no Youko smiled.

When villagers followed the smell of rotting flesh and excrement the next day to this gory scene, they would read the warning, "Rapists and Slavers Not Welcome." They would decide to leave the bodies in place for the rest of the day not wanting to anger the people capable of such a violent act, an action that would turn away several palanquins of potential buyers also responding to Gato's invitation of a private auction. The headless samurai strung up with ninja wire in a kneeling position, head nestled between his legs, next to the crucified nobles with his entire midsection blown out was seen as good incentive to expedite their respective return trips.

The clones would purchase a return trip with a fisherman early the next morning using some of the merchant's "appropriated" wealth. Normally they would have refused but five dangerous-looking shinobi from the land of fire had rescued those poor women and they didn't appear to be in the mood to respond well to a refusal to help. The fact that they'd brought the carriage back without the rich owners, and the silent ninja reeking of blood, may have helped to resolve any potential standoff.

That following night, the two extra copies dispersed themselves sending the entire series of events to the original along with their plans to return to Wave in the morning. The remaining three clones were low on chakra but would use what they had left to heal the minor bruises on the four rescued women, asking for reinforcements to complete the retrieval.

~III~

---

On the Shores of Uzushiogakure…

With a happy sigh, Naruto released five more lesser clones to take over that mission then turned his attention back to his current predicament. He needed to get back for several reasons.

His team was being used for manual labor to help rebuild the bridge while Sasuke sat around being fed by Sakura. His clone was burning through chakra to create a squad of clones to help build the bridge (and defend the baker's family) so that Shino could stand proper sentry duty with Kurenai-sensei. The Naruto-copy was just under half his full capacity and would not survive another day and a half at this rate.

Hinata was being forced to tend to Kakashi who, from the looks of it, was well enough after two days to be able to hobble about on his own. If he was well enough to read that pornographic novel, then he was well enough to take care of himself as far as Naruto was concerned.

His clones had wrapped up their planning and were waiting for his return. It was time to strike as Gato was growing frustrated with the Wave Daimyo. A frustrated Gato usually meant people suffered or died or both.

He was running out of time.

His clones finished dispersing in groups of five to ten, their training experiences through the day becoming a constant stream of knowledge that ended with him gasping on hands and knees in the warm layer of the sandy shore. His chakra reserves had refilled even with his steady usages back in the ruins and he felt calmer, more like himself.

He'd have to work on balancing with the new tail as he ran back to Tazuna's house.

He ran through the full range of seals for his lesser shadow clones being careful to use the same amount of chakra he'd applied earlier the day before. The result was closer to four-thousand clones. This provided all of the clarification he needed. His chakra control was in fact improving and his effective stores had dramatically increased, his light panting ending mere moments after releasing the jutsu.

He swiped one arm back to the island behind him, the clones responding in unison with, "Ossu!" before sprinting off into the night. Tatsua was confused and it showed on her face.

"I want them to keep working on chakra control while we travel," he quipped answering her unasked question. "I need all of the training I can get between now and execution." He snapped on his mask, the clear crystals in the eye sockets glowing with an eerie red light.

He walked over to Tatsua and wrapped his hands around her waist, one hand dipping low to firmly squeeze a cheek. Her eyes went wide but the corners of her mouth perked upwards in a naughty smile.

"I thought we needed to urgently depart, Taichou." He nodded.

"We do but I wanted a nice hug while waiting for you to climb on to your usual perch." She placed a chaste kiss on the thin line that made the lips of his mask.

"If you want me to change, you'll have to let me go. Otherwise, I'm perfectly happy seeing where this engagement takes us." Seeing as she was in no hurry to break his embrace nor willing to dislodge his hand (her muscles were wonderfully firm under a thin layer of softness), he dropped his hands to his sides and waited patiently for her to clamber up to his neck. She was purring softly, something he didn't think foxes were capable of, and he imagined his forwardness would cost him later.

It was a price he would be willing to pay. He hoped Hinata would not hold this against him.

The sandy ground cratered as he dashed out into the water, his feet barely leaving ripples as his Ghost Step flickered and sputtered. Once he catapulted off the whirlpools and past the shoals, the re-energized shinobi vectored towards Tazuna's home, his tails trailing behind him like four golden banners just ahead of the rooster tail of his wake.

Those tails were wonderful. Their chakra networks were as equally complex as the network in his body, some would say more so - he still needed to convert conventional techniques, like the one he was using to run on water, into ones he could use with his Kitsune Reiatsu network but that would come in time.

For now, he could channel chakra wordlessly using Kitsune elemental control and could use extension and reinforcement chakra manipulation without words or seals, its use of chakra much finer than traditional molding practices. Better yet, when not using the scent glands in the tips, they worked exactly like sails and stabilizers, helping to maintain his balance and redirect his motion more efficiently. He'd even used them to slow his fall once when he'd overshot a branch, the fluffy tails serving as a makeshift parachute. They wouldn't be enough to prevent damage if he fell from great enough heights, but it would slow his momentum enough that he could prevent critical injury or death.

Kitsune tails were the greatest things.

That reminded him of something and he energized the seal at the base of his neck. 'I have not marked you with my scent gland in a while, Tatsua-chan.'

'I had not taken that liberty given my…, but you are welcome to do so at your leisure, Taichou.' Naruto grunted.

'It seems counterproductive, Tatsua-chan. Any time you bathe, you wash away the scent.'

Tatsua trilled. 'Perhaps you should permanently mark us, Tamami and me… I mean.' Naruto looked shocked.

'That can be done?'

Tatsua just giggled realizing how little he knew about Kitsune physiology.

'I will teach you later, Taichou.'

Naruto nodded and simply ran on, his mind wandering back to the rest of his changes.

Naruto also noted that he was faster and stronger. Whatever modifications were added by his extra tail also reinforced his body. No wonder he was clumsier. He would need to take up his morning conditioning again and go through his forms. He'd have to retrain everything.

He had a little time at the moment, but the rest would have to happen back in Konoha. His scouts indicated that Momochi Zabuza and his hunter nin were his only significant threats so that meant he was strong enough to deal with the normal thugs and bandits working for that assclown Gato. Provided the nukenin duo were still in hiding recuperating from their wounds as Kakashi had muttered out in his half-dead state, then his clones would be enough to deal with the henchmen supporting Gato. He had a plan to deal with Zabuza if the nin made an appearance, but it meant that Gato had to be dealt with first.

Timing was everything.

~III~

---

A/N: Behind the Scenes: The Council of Nine

---

A lot of fanfics have plowed through creative - and not-so-creative - methods for Naruto to go from failed Genin to Uberkage. A great many of those don't even bother with mechanics and just have him disappear only to return near-God-like and never delve into the "how and why" behind the change. When I came up with the Uzumaki Council concept, I wanted to tie into a couple of the threads behind the story itself and the fact that the Uzumaki, as a clan, was both more powerful and smarter than they were given credit for in canon.

How can you have this powerful clan of people strong enough to help shape the shinobi world, help found Konoha (arguably the greatest hidden village of all time), teach some of the greatest shinobi enough of the mystical sealing arts enabling them to harness raw chakra monoliths like the bijū, yet not be smart enough to figure out what was going on during the Second Shinobi World War or have contingency plans available to save at least some of their culture and people? I never understood that.

At the same time, I didn't want an overnight powerup (without consequences) for my protagonist so I came up with a method within the very fuzzy and nebulous boundaries of space-time Fūinjutsu to preserve something of the Uzumaki legacy for the last surviving royal. It needed to be finite, it needed to be limited-access, and - most importantly for me - needed him to work his ass off to earn it and the benefits provided by it. No instant-power ups for the Super Uzu Genin on my watch.

The Council, as chakra constructs go, are an admittedly powerful aid (they cover every facet of Uzumaki culture and training) but they're also incredibly dangerous to maintain. The entire process needed to be chakra intensive and risky for any would-be usurper, the Council banking on the next vessel (as the first two had both been royals) to be the one to eventually make it home to retrieve them.

If either Kushina or Naruto hadn't been able to return, then the Uzumaki Clan and its legacy would have been completely lost to the ravages of time. Nothing man-made lasts forever.

Until next time, Ja Ne!

-Siva'a