Author'sNote
I decided to have fun with this one. No action in this chapter, take of that what you will.
Yes, it's finally time for a chill fluffy/fun chapter without Naruto constantly leveling death threats at everyone.
I had fun making him chill this time around. It's full of lots of teasing.
I hope you enjoy.
Uploaded
01/30/2022
LEGEND BELOW
"Oh, she loves these!" = Normal speech.
''You can stay like that for ever...'' = Normal thoughts.
"No... Go away..." = Bujuu/beast Naruto talking.
''So noisy...'' = Bujuu/beast Naruto's thoughts.
Chapter 13
A day off
"Darling…" A soft voice cooed into his long furry ears, making the appendages twitch.
"Mmh-mm…."
"Naruto-Kun… You can't sleep forever…" The heavenly voice chided lightly, a happy tone oozing from her voice. "You smell of ash…"
"Mhrrk…" The massive fox grumbled, rolling over in his sleep. Hinata pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
"You've been sleeping ever since we got back…" The heiress muttered lightly, rubbing his head. "That was a day ago…" Her ministrations did little to help wake him.
"Mmhm…" He grunted noncommittally. Her eyes twitched.
"Don't make me make you move." She warned. All was silent for a minute, before the giant lumbering beast awoke from his slumber.
"Why can you not let me sleep, I wonder….?" The Kyuubi drawled, half lidded eyes blinking at her. Hinata sighed, hands on her hips.
She was serious, he realized.
"Because you've been sleeping since you got back. Go clean yourself up, maybe even make a visit to the hot springs." She added. His eyes brightened at that last statement.
The hot springs?
Yeah…
Yeah he could definitely go for a day off, especially after the irritation of that last mission. He was still covered in ash and smoke, ruining his beautiful coat of fur.
And this wasn't even talking about the stupid mission to wave.
No, that mission was a year behind them. Hinata's seventeenth birthday was just last week.
Since then they'd been given only C-Rank missions to accomplish.
Unfortunately, the last mission ended up similarly as the wave mission had.
He swore that Ino was purposely setting buildings on fire at this point just to mess with him…
"Ah okay.. You're right." He admitted, dragging his huge lazy ass out of bed. He also knew that there was no chance in hell he was getting any midday cuddles in with his condition.
Priorities, he told himself…
Hinata smiled, ignoring the squeak of the bed as he stepped off it. She stopped him just before he stepped out, however.
"I don't want you to stress today." She grasped his chin as he approached, staring gently into his eyes. "No training today, no mission today, nothing. I want you to focus on yourself for once." She commanded firmly, eyes narrowed.
"B-"
"No. What did I just say?"
"I-"
"Naruto-Kun..."
"Tsk... If you insist, I suppose I cannot refuse..."
"That's right. Now go have a whole day to yourself." She smiled. "I'll be right here, waiting for you when you get back. Maybe you'll make some friends at the hot springs..?"
The fox felt his worries melt away at her smile, and decided to follow through with her request. There was a flash of white light for a brief moment, before standing before the heiress again was her spirit guardian, the Royal looking kitsune dawned in his special red, black and white robes, the bells that adorned him jingling lightly with every movement.
Hinata once again found herself lost in his beautiful golden slitted eyes, entranced by his bright red eyeliner, red whisker marks and golden white furred fox ears, and his sharp facial features. She noticed at some point early on that the form he took didn't match his apparent age. His shrine guardian form looked to be at least twenty years old, yet held the elegance of someone decades older.
It was likely just speculation, nothing more.
She was unaware of the hand she raised to her chin, a light blush marking her cheeks. "H-Hmm… You have gotten much better at maintaining that form." She cleared her throat, trying to hold up her dignity in front of his mythical looking beauty. He stuck his tongue out, smiling brightly. It was offset by his filthy dirty fur, his beautiful golden white coat dulled to a gray.
"It's all thanks to you, Princess." He admitted genuinely, his voice a softer mellow tone. "You helped me wonders with my form changing, among other things, in fact."
Hinata secretly wished he would only talk to her in that voice sometimes, but she'd never voice it.
Yet…
"Y-You flatter me, Darling. Now go. I don't want to see you back here until sunset." She added firmly, pouting cutely. "Hokage-Sama won't be assigning us another mission for the most a week. He wishes that we all take the most of our time to relax. That goes for you too mister 'I can't relax' Kyuubi…"
A year ago there was nothing she could have done to get him to go by himself. He couldn't handle leaving her alone for any extended period of time, always stressing.
However, after the events that took place in wave, he realized that he was being a choking presence. She wasn't a child, and could take care of herself. Sure, sometimes she may get in a bit over her head, but that was why he would be there to help her out.
And as Kurenai made him realize, she wouldn't grow strong enough to survive on her own if he constantly stepped in for her sake. It was a hard pill to swallow, but he supposed that he had to.
Didn't mean he had to like it…
"Alright, alright… I understand, Princess." He smiled back, allowing her to push him out the door.
One day in town by himself couldn't hurt…
"And… I know this might seem hard, but…" She said before he left, poking her fingers together nervously. "Maybe try to be nice to people today, at least to those that don't hate you. Even pretend, just for me, please?"
Naruto stared at her silently for a moment, before relenting with a sigh. Those pleading eyes of hers had an iron grip on his soul.
"When you ask in such a way, I find it hard to refuse your request. But I promise nothing."
She smiled. "I wouldn't ask you to promise that."
Naruto felt strange, conflicted even.
That wasn't explaining clearly how he currently felt. Not at all.
Back when he was a child, alone and uncared for, the looks he'd received from the majority of the village people was filled with scorn, hate, and above all, fear. They feared what he, an innocent little child would do, afraid of the beast that lay within.
Well, used to lay within, anyway…
But after becoming known as the guardian spirit of the Hyuuga clan, and more specifically, the Heiress herself, those looks changed.
Sure, he still heavily resembled the fox that had been responsible for massive destruction many years ago. But when seen under the pretense of a guardian spirit, who was also at the beck and call of a single girl, people looked at him differently.
He'd only gone out into town in his shrine guardian form a few times, all alongside Hinata. She'd usually help distract him from the reactions of the people, and he was content to focus on her and her alone. People would see the nine tails and immediately assume he was the beast here to kill them.
Quite irritating frankly…
Now that he was alone, however, he became increasingly aware of people's reception of him. And, suffice it to say, their thought of him had changed to…
Not bad…?
He…
He wasn't sure about it, in all honesty…
Some, many of the older men and women that had been around for generations had practically freaked out when they saw that he was alone. He found it irritating to see them practically running for the hills upon seeing him alone.
Mind you that almost no one in the village knew that he was the legendary nine tailed fox they all feared, but that didn't matter. He was indeed a nine tailed fox, and in most people's eyes that was enough to judge him guilty.
Whatever, he didn't care.
But as he passed through the more…
Lively parts of the village, the main roads where many travelers and much of the younger generation seemed to gather, he came across a surprise.
"Woah… Who is that…?"
"Woa-? Are those tails?"
"No way… I've never seen Hinata-Sama's guardian out alone…"
"I-Is..? A Yokai? I've never seen a Yokai before!"
"I didn't think they were real!"
"Careful! He'll steal your babies!" Cried a particularly worried older lady.
"Wait?! You said Hinata? The Hyuuga Heiress?"
"Is he supposed to be out alone?"
"He's never been seen without her… I wonder if something happened..?"
"Nah, we would've heard about that by now."
"Why's he so dirty? Blow up a building?"
"I heard Hinata-Sama's team just recently returned from a bad mission outside the village. Everyone saw them return."
"No way!"
"I heard he saved her life!"
"Yeah! I heard some of the Ninja talking about it too."
"Sooo romantic! To think he'd sacrifice his safety for the life of his Princess… I wish someone felt that way about me..."
"Okay… that's enough of you…"
"She's not wrong though. That is quite the story."
"Why's he look like that? I thought he was a fox?"
"No you dolt! He's one of those Kitsunes, I bet this is his real form. He's usually all huge and scary!"
"Kitsune aren't real… Crazy kid…"
"Dad, you're looking at one! I bet he's real strong too."
"…"
"Shut up dad..."
With his enhanced hearing, Naruto managed to pick up just about everyone's conversations. Color him surprised when he failed to sense much negativity from the crowd. It was a little overwhelming, being out and about alone, without Hinata by his side.
He wasn't one for social situations, so his unease was understandable. But this was…
Different…
He never really listened in on the people before, having never expected to hear anything new. But, it was a strange sensation that filled him at their words. It wasn't a bad feeling that washed over him, so there was that.
A particularly distant conversation caught his ear, much to his mild embarrassment.
"Wow… He's kinda cute…"
"Don't let anyone hear you say that! What if Hinata-San finds out?"
"She can't hog all that hotness to herself! What if I want som-"
"Tenten! Seriously! Hinata-San will kill you!"
"Oh pipe down Lee! A girl can dream!"
"There's no need to be so uptight, Lee-Kun… Tenten does bring up a rather accurate point."
"Not you too, Neji-San!"
"I also know that Kurama-San has a very sharp sense of hearing…" Neji added blankly, not following up on that statement.
Tenten's gaze snapped across the road, spotting the Kitsune surrounded by many others. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Tenten felt her face heat up at his gaze.
"Tenten? Tenten! No! She's fallen for him! Quick Neji! We must save her from her fantasy induced illusions!"
"Lee, you're being ridiculous…"
Naruto tuned out the rest of the that conversation, the rest of the hubbub surrounding him drowning out most of the farther voices.
"Kitsune-Sama! Greetings!" Naruto's attention was brought to the first voice that actually addressed him personally. It was a younger couple running a rather small bakery stall on the main town road. The villagers moved out of his way as he elegantly made his way to their stand.
Although, with who he had spent the last few years with, and his normal fancy attire, practically anything he did would be seen a elegant. With the fancy robes, large ornate rope belts and the mysterious bells that he wore, people might be offended if he wasn't elegant.
"Hello. I do not believe we've met." Naruto spoke, his tone carrying a voice of level indifference. He'd never seen this couple before, perhaps they were new to town? He tried to come off polite, but he feared his tone was rather rude. Whether or not they noticed that, they smiled anyway.
"The pleasure is ours! We've only moved to the Hidden Leaf around six months ago." The man, a normal looking young adult of decent build and looks said. "M-My wife and I recently set up shop here, but we never thought we'd get the chance to meet you." The man laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"P-Please ignore my husband's enthusiasm! He's just always wanted to meet a Yokai. Most people only have one experience with Yokai, and few ever get the chance to tell of that experience…" The woman jumped in. She was pretty, long brown hair and soft blue eyes. "Word around town says that you're something of a guardian."
Naruto was keenly aware of the rest of the villagers eyes on the back of his head, eagerly awaiting his response. Naruto hadn't said anything yet, his massive dusty billowing tails waving lightly behind him, almost in response to his train of thought.
He sensed that their stuttering and nervousness seemingly wasn't out of fear like he'd expected, but it was out of a wish to…
Please him…?
This was strange…
He had a reputation…
But…
But it wasn't bad? Had he missed something while he'd secluded himself within the Hyuuga compound? Had he been so kept to himself that he missed this?
He realized that the couple was still awaiting his response, so he smiled lightly, a small beautiful look.
"That is fine with me. I will not complain." The Kitsune stretched his head out, holding it to the young man. The shop owners eyed the pointed long red painted fingernails, truly taking in his looks. "You may call me Kurama, I suppose." Naruto introduced. The man barely hesitated before taking the Legendary Yokai's hand.
"I'm Saka, and this is my wife Ming." Saka said with a smile. The Kitsune smiled a small trained look, turning to the side. Something of theirs immediately caught his attention, a basket full of steaming hot and fresh cinnamon rolls, Princess's favorite. That made a little genuine smile bloom across his face.
"I'll take these." Naruto said, picking up the basket full. Before the shop owner could even name a price, Naruto deftly pulled a coin purse from within his robes, dropping the requested amount on the table. He may have added a little more ryo then needed, but the couple had put him in a wonderful mood. "My Princess loves cinnamon rolls." He added, seeing their looks.
Saka laughed, beaming at the comment. "Well if that's the case then she's free to shop here whenever she likes! We make our stuff fresh every day!" He exclaimed joyfully. His wife sighed at the abundance of energy her husband displayed in front of the Yokai.
"I will let her know." Naruto added. Without much else he turned away and without much pep to his step he made his way towards his real destination. That being the Konoha hot springs.
The crowd of people quickly moved out of his way when they saw him coming through, no one daring to step in front of his path.
He was kind of upset at the reaction, but he supposed that it was better then them yelling or cursing at him.
Though if anyone tried that now then they were going to get their world rocked, immediately.
The whispers continued as he walked, but no one had attempted to make a problem with him.
For the first time in forever he felt like he could be left alone and not have the concern of the people freaking out.
He wouldn't bet on his luck, however…
"Welcome in.. s-sir!?"
After his surprisingly relaxing walk through the streets of the Hidden Leaf, Naruto finally arrived at his destination. Upon entering the hot springs lobby he was greeted by a blushing young woman who was running the front desk.
Strange…
He hadn't even said anything yet.
Ignoring that he smiled lightly at her, hoping to start off any conversation easy. Hinata wanted him to play nice today, so he'd play nice today.
"Hello. Are the hot springs open today?" He asked politely.
See? He could be nice when he tried. He bet Hinata would be so proud.
Although she was always proud of him, so it would be difficult to tell.
"A-A-Ahh! Um, yes!" The woman practically squeaked as he leaned in close. Perhaps he was truly unaware of what his dangerously handsome looks would do to the fairer sex.
Not his fault.
"R-Right now it i-is open for m-m-mixed bathing… S-So don't get any funny ideas…" She tried to warn, but the threat was completely lost on him. "Or do… I wouldn't mind-" She added almost inaudibly. "A-A Yokai… gosh…" She sighed… "He's so handsome…"
His ears twitched.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing!?"
The girl grasped her face, trying to gain control over her emotions. She locked eyes with him again and felt her face catching fire twice over.
Naruto blinked at her in confusion, before moving for the changing rooms. It was a nice quaint room with specially crafted shelves, kanji depicting names of a few people he didn't know.
Perhaps they were special?
Without much thought he de-robed, hanging his special robes on a free hanging rack. He never really gave much thought into where his fancy clothing came from, as whenever he transformed into his Kitsune body the apparel seemed to come with it.
Questions for later, he supposed.
His first problem came when he realized that he couldn't wrap a towel around his waist, what with the nine massive tails that sprouted from his rear end…
In hindsight he should've thought that one through a bit more, seeing as all he ever wore was robes or kimonos.
A bath robe would have to do for now he supposed.
"Maybe Princess is right… I do need to lighten up…" He sighed, slipping into the robe.
As he made his was out into the hot springs, the steam from the water produced a haze that blurred the surroundings.
The hot springs were rather large and open, two separate springs with a cute little red bridge crossing in between to allow people to pass by. It was partially shaded by a couple of large sakura trees, many of their pink petals having fallen into the water. A thin set of walls surrounded the premises providing some modicum of privacy.
Not that his Godfather seemed to notice most of the time…
The powerful Kitsune eyed the water's edge for a moment, before slowly dipping in. He sank into the water until it reached his stomach. The water rose when he submerged his massive nine tails, not that he noticed. He used a towel he procured earlier to, soaking it in the water before laying it on his head. His ears twitched at the warm water, but he found that he quite liked it.
Then he sank into his spot and just…
Let go…
"Hmmm…" Naruto sighed deeply, letting the tension he wasn't aware that he held onto slip away. The warm waves of the springs gently rocked him, splashing up against his open chest, the droplets landing on his exposed Hoshi no Tama.
He didn't know how long he sat there, eyes closed, breathing so softly that it was likely no one would even hear him.
He was faintly aware of the sounds of birds chirping in the tree above him, completely nonplussed by his close presence. He heard the sniffles of a small animal behind him, but paid it no mind.
That was, until the little creature decided to gently climb atop his head.
The Kitsune finally cracked an eye open, lazily gazing at the small snout of a fox that stood atop him. His eyes widened slightly, genuinely surprised at the sight.
"Well hello there." He muttered quietly, reaching up to grasp the creature by the undersides of its front legs. It didn't fight him, instead letting him do as he pleased, tail wagging playfully behind it. "What is a cute little face like yours doing here?" He asked. He couldn't be sure, but he swore the fox blushed at the compliment.
"Yip!" It chirped, sticking its tongue out. Naruto couldn't help but grin back at it.
"Alright you… I'm trying to relax and you aren't helping." He said lightly. He set it back on the ground behind him, returning to his relaxation session. He sensed that the little fox was hesitant to leave, and likely wouldn't. But the approaching presence of other life seemed to scare it off.
Strange...
"Yugao-Chan! Come on! Quit being such a stick in the mud!" Came a voice from the nearby changing rooms.
"I'm not sure, Anko-Chan… It's mixed bathing today, what if someone sees me?" A softer gentler voice said back. Naruto heard a scoff.
"All the better. Flaunt that body, girl! Get some flirting experience under your belt so you can make your boyfriend happy."
"But… I'm not sure…"
"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist!"
"I'm not wearing panties…" She spoke back meekly.
"And neither am I! See, you're doing great already!"
Naruto felt his ears lower a little in apprehension. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that his quiet relaxing day out was about to become a lot more chaotic then he wished it to be…
He sighed.
Why couldn't he just be left alone?
He supposed, in hindsight, that choosing a public spring committed him to social interactions. But Hinata wanted him to go out and have a day to himself, outside the Hyuuga compound walls. And he promised to give it a shot, so he'd give it a shot.
Didn't mean he had to like it…
"Damn.. Place is empty today…" The first woman, Anko sighed in disappointment. "Where's all them boys at?"
"Anko-Chan… You are too much sometimes. You always try to seduce the men at the hot springs…" Yugou sighed gently, rubbing her temples.
"Listen, Yugao-Chan… I just came back from a stupid mission and I want to kick back and have a little fun…" Anko sighed. "Is that too much to ask?"
"Well… When you leave me to get you out of a harassment violation because you can't keep your hands to yourself, then it becomes 'too much to ask' yes." Yugao chided tiredly.
"We all have our ways of relaxing. Kakashi reads porn all day, Kurenai usually steals Kakashi's porn to get his attention. You continue to try and fail to get your man's attention, and I get drunk and have sex." Anko listed off. "Don't even get me started on Guy…" She shivered at the sound of his name on her tongue.
Naruto decided to keep to himself unless they decided to interact with him. Eyes closed and tails taking up the entirety of his side of the springs, he resigned himself to his fate.
The fog shifted a bit as the busty purple haired woman loudly sank into the water, tossing her towel off somewhere behind her. Yugao simply followed her in, taking a seat beside her. The water rose slightly with their presence in the spring, sending waves gently rolling in Naruto's direction.
"Hmmm…" The kitsune sighed, head tilted to the side as he tuned everything else out, trying to enjoy himself. Apparently his pleasured hum seemed to catch the attention of the women, who both had apparently been unaware of his presence.
Without opening his eyes he could feel the busty ninja woman's heated gaze staring him down with a strange emotion. He was still bad at differentiating certain emotions, so he couldn't quite tell what she wanted.
"Target spotted…" Anko whispered to herself.
Damnit…
Anko seemed to ignore her friend's hushed warnings to leave him alone, instead sliding over to him. When she got close enough she felt something large, wet and furry rub against her legs, catching a glimpse of white and yellow underneath the water's surface.
She, of course, totally ignored that for the chance to tease the hot young man relaxing before her. The ninja pressed up into his side, shoving his arm between her chest.
Step one, complete!
"Hey there handsome." Anko breathed, her hot breath tickling what she assumed was his ear hidden underneath his blond locks. Turns out she hadn't seen his real fox ears pressed flat against his head prior.
Not his fault.
"Uh.." Yugao tried gaining her friend's attention from across the way, clearly seeing something that Anko didn't.
"What's a young buck such as yourself doing all alone here?" She questioned in a sultry tone, her eyes belaying her suggestive nature.
Naruto hadn't reacted to her presence almost at all, eyes closed as he attempted to ignore the distraction.
"Trying to relax." He muttered, dragging out the start of the sentence to really make his point. "It's not working very well…" He sighed.
"All by yourself? How sad…" The woman persisted.
Yes. All she had to do was push a little further and she'd have him putty her hands. Such a handsome young stud was no match for her womanly charms, they never were.
"Anko-Chan…"
''Ah! He's got muscle too. What's up with the huge gem?'' The ninja woman thought salaciously. ''Not sure about that face makeup though. How's he keep it from running in the steam?''
Questions for later.
"That was the point. I was told to relax, so here I am." Naruto further stated, his eyebrows knitting together slightly in irritation. "Tis' becoming difficult, in fact…"
"Err… Anko-Chan?" Yugao spoke up from across the hot springs. She was promptly ignored once more. She knew her friend thought she was playing with the young man before her, but she wasn't an ANBU for nothing. The only thing Anko was successful in was aggravating the young man. That's when Yugao noticed the fox ears atop his head and the tips of his tails poking out from the water elsewhere.
"Well…" Anko poked his leg, using her fingers to walk up the limb, up to his chest, before poking him in the chest. "Maybe you should let Anko-Chan help you…" She whispered.
"…"
"What's wrong..? Have my womanly features rendered you speechless?" She teased. No man was a match for her seduction skills, especially if the young man before her was any sort of pervert.
She had pride in her bountiful chest.
Naruto finally reacted, his cheeks twitched as his eyes opened. The shock on the woman's face was palpable, stunned by the sight of his sharp golden strange pupiled eyes. A light warning growl followed a moment later.
Anko squeaked, a sound she would make all here swear to never tell anyone of, as a large white and golden furred tail wrapped around her waist, picking her up out of the water and depositing her back with her friend. She was too stunned to even comment on the fact that he just saw the entirety of her nude body.
"Thank you… for the offer." The Kitsune grunted, clearly irritated and in no way turned on by her advances, nor was he thankful. He was merely trying to be nice as Hinata suggested. His ears popped up on his head, the red fur that lined the insides pulling their attention. "But I will decline."
"Whuh-…" Anko breathed in shock. She was…
She was hitting on a…
On a Yokai…?
And…
And said Yokai had nine tails waving about behind him in clear irritation, the number very easily portraying his power.
And she had managed to deeply irritate him on their first encounter.
"You should have listened to me, Anko-Chan." Yugao chided seriously, patting the woman on the back comfortingly. She eyed the irate Yokai nervously, apprehensive of an outburst. "I apologize for my friend's actions."
"Tsk…" Naruto grunted, looking away. He took a deep breath, holding it for a moment, before letting it out. He felt his irritation wash away a bit at the breathing exercise, another thing Hinata taught him. "It's fine." He muttered dismissively.
It wasn't fine…
Now he was upset…
He hated being upset all the time. But this cursed body of his was filled with vile instincts that made him that way. He'd worked very hard to curb those instincts over the last couple years, but it didn't take much poking to send him over the edge.
A silence fell over the hot springs after that, Anko sobering up from whatever hormones had been calling the shots previously. Yugao had submerged herself in the water too, removing her towel despite his presence. From his initial reaction to her busty and beautiful friend, she was sure he wasn't some pervert that would ogle her body.
It actually felt good being in the presence of a male that wasn't going to stare holes into her boobs the second he had the chance.
As if to test her theory, Anko had purposely sat directly across from him, trying to get a rise out of him.
"Seriously? You're not even slightly excited?" Anko pouted, genuinely upset. Naruto raised an eyebrow, shamelessly glancing down at her uncovered chest for a solid ten seconds, sizing them up, before turning his attention back to her eyes.
He didn't even blink. There wasn't even a tinge of red to his cheeks.
"No." He said simply, before checking out again.
Anko looked offended. Yugao actually cracked a smile in her friend's behalf. "What the hell?!"
"What? My boobs not big enough for you? I'm hot enough to seduce a Yokai." Anko growled confidently. Naruto sighed, having resorted to running his fingers through one of his many tails to distract himself. The sensation only mimicked what Hinata would do to him with her own fingers, but sometimes it was enough to sooth him.
"I didn't say that…" He muttered lightly, eyes still closed as he ran his red pointed fingernails gently through his fur. "I am sure you could seduce a Yokai..." He said just to be sure. "You have very appealing attributes I'm sure..."
Seriously…
Why was she getting so bent out of shape over this?
"I'm not interested." He stated clearly. "Your boobs are… fine… They're very big. I'm sure you attract someone..." That's something Jiraya would say, right? That should be fine. He forgets if that ever seemed to workout for Jiraya though. Although with his nonchalant attitude about it, it was hard for the woman to know if he was messing with her or truly complimenting her.
"Yours are very nice too." He said, leveling a look at Yugao just to be safe. Jiraya always said it never hurt to compliment women. He also said to compliment the friend of the woman if she was nearby too.
There.
That should make his point known. He wasn't looking for a romantic relationship with anyone. He didn't mean to state that her body wasn't pretty. He wasn't sure how she reached that conclusion…
The only one for him was his Princess. Whatever became of that relationship, romantic or not, he would take it. Even if it hurt him in the end.
"I can respect that, Kitsune-San." Yugao spoke up, nodding in the fox's direction. "And thank you for the compliment."
"You aren't into boobs are you?" Anko pushed. Yugao wanted to facepalm, having returned to rubbing her temples to stave off a headache.
Naruto wisely chose not to respond to that. He would be lying if he said no.
But he wasn't into her boobs, specifically.
"Yeah. That's it. Otherwise I'd have you in the palm of my hand." Anko stated confidently. Naruto scoffed, offended.
Was she challenging him?
He didn't react to challenges very well. His sharp eyes narrowed.
"Really? I think you are wrong, in fact." He commented, a tiny gleam of amusement shining in his eyes. Perhaps he'd gained a bit of a cocky attitude in recent years, but one couldn't blame him. Hinata made sure that it was contained rather well.
Too bad she wasn't here right now.
Anko's mouth fell open in shock at his blatant comeback. Yugao actually giggled slightly, before muffling it. She'd yet to see someone that could so easily get under her friend's skin.
"You wanna bet?!" Anko growled as she stood up, and despite himself, Naruto found himself rising to that bet.
"No. But I will anyway. You will lose. You have little on my treasured one. No one could ever be prettier then her." The confidence in his voice was replaced with such a heavy amount of admiration and respect when speaking about this other person that Yugao was actually stunned momentarily.
''Such admiration… Who could ever mean that much to him? I didn't know Yokai were that serious.'' Yugao thought.
"Bitch, I'm the hottest thing in Konoha. Nothing you say is gonna change that." Anko boasted with an air of haughty pride. Naruto didn't look phased.
"I find that deeply amusing, coming from a liar." Naruto snarked back. "But I suppose if you haven't witnessed her beauty yourself before, then I am able to understand why you'd think that." He raised a hand to his face, running his red claws through his hair. "Her presence never fails to take my breath away, capturing me in her loving arms." A smitten look plastered itself across his face.
Anko's mouth hung open in shock, eyes twitching sporadically as she stared the Yokai down. Yugao laughed, a beautiful sound coming from her.
"I believe, Kitsune-San, that you are the first man to leave her speechless. At least, without having been involved in her bed in some way…" Yugao stated with a little laugh.
Naruto actually smiled. He would take the compliment.
"What's your name?" Anko suddenly spoke up, her attitude having mellowed out. She'd been throughly beaten, and had failed to get even the smallest rise out of the young man. She'd been defeated at her own game…
"You can call me Kurama if it pleases you." Naruto stated. Perhaps Anko didn't recognize the name, but Yugao sure did.
"You're the Hyuuga Heiress's guardian." It wasn't a question.
"Indeed." Naruto hummed. "She is my everything. And I'd destroy the world for her."
The two seemed to ignore or simply not catch that last part.
"Strange. I was under the assumption that you were a fox…" Yugao muttered lowly, rubbing at a particularly nasty kink in her neck.
"I am a fox." Naruto stated. And as if to make his point, the springs were filled with a flash of light. The Kitsune had vanished, and left in his place was a normal sized nine tailed fox of the same white and gold color. "But my Princess requested that I maintain that other form in public, lest I scare the villagers."
"Wow…" Yugao breathed. Naruto took a little pride at her words, letting a little smile grace his features.
"I.. I see why now." Anko muttered, a genuine smile on her face. "That's okay, I can't always be everyone's number one." After realizing what she was up against she relented.
Naruto felt no hostility emitting from the two, so he decided to stay in this form.
'Twas much easier to relax in. It was as simple as breathing at this point. His Kitsune form was a little more difficult to hold, but not nearly as much as it used to be.
The little golden white fox paddled over to the two ninja, sitting between them. As much as he enjoyed being alone, he could appreciate the company of actually nice people. He found it difficult to find many that filled that category these days…
He'd accept these two if they'd let him. As long as Anko kept her roaming hands to herself, that is. Yugao was wonderful, so he had no problem with her.
"I've heard about you, now that I think about it." Anko said casually. She'd used up all of that teasing energy on trying to get a rise out of him. It wasn't fun teasing someone that was practically immune to her fronts.
"Hmm…" Naruto hummed, eyes closed in contentment. He wasn't sure at what point Anko picked him up, planting him in her lap. She'd resorted to running her fingers through his fur much like the way Hinata would do at home.
Maybe he could stay with these two a bit longer…
"That Kumo scum from like, five years ago. You were the one that stopped him?" Anko spoke. She felt the hackles on the back of his neck rise at the reminder. But he didn't leave her lap.
"Mmhmm…" He sighed. He didn't want to think about it. No, he'd much prefer to stay cuddled up in her lap. She had a nice lap.
Women's laps were nice…
He missed Hinata's lap already.
Maybe he could lay on her lap again tonight...
"Kurama-Kun?" Naruto perked up at the voice, accidentally transforming in surprise as Kurenai stepped into the springs.
"W-Whuh?!" Anko squeaked for the second time as the little fox was suddenly replaced with a similarly undressed Kitsune, who now happened to be sitting in her lap, facing her surprised eyes.
"Oh, hello Kurenai-Chan. Are you trying to relax as well?" The naked Kitsune asked. Kurenai smiled, seemingly unbothered or unwilling to comment on his current predicament. Watching the seemingly un-breakable Anko fall apart at his close proximity.
Ah…
"Oh… My apologies Anko." Naruto muttered, carefully stepping off the surprised ninja and sinking back into the water.
Anko was silent, eyes wide and face as red as the fur on his ears.
He assumed it was the hot springs finally getting to her.
"I am actually. I'm surprised to see you here, however." Kurenai said, ignorant to Anko's dilemma.
"Why do you say that?" The Kitsune couldn't help but ask.
"Because you are horrible at relaxing."
"Tsk…"
Yugao laughed loudly.
Chapter
13
End