True to word, Naruto produces eleven more long and ornate scrolls from the depths of the Tsubasa clan treasure seal. The Nine-tails, or Kurama, Shikamaru recalls, materializes again as he sets the last one down across the floor, stretching into existence out of Naruto's body in a swirl of chakra. This shade is larger, about the size of Kuromaru, and he tucks in a crescent around Naruto, resting his vulpine head on the Uzumaki's thigh.
"That's still so cool." Kiba comments. "It's gonna take me a bit to get used to the fact that there's an actual god-demon thing that lives in your chest and sasses you regularly."
"It's like having an angry, overprotective, built-in parent." Sasuke muses.
~I'll show you angry you little twerp.~ Kurama snarls, and actually seems to grow in size for about half a second before Naruto smooths a hand down the shade's back, much like he did in the glade, and the bijuu's hackles drop visibly.
It is, quite frankly, incredible to watch. The Nine-tailed fox, arguably the most dangerous and wrathful being ever to walk the earth, ceding to the wishes and influence of a twelve-year-old Konoha Genin with a too bright smile and his heart in his eyes.
"You're doing that on purpose, jerk." Naruto accuses, calling out Sasuke's poorly hidden smirk.
"Maybe." the Uchiha admits.
"They're all so pretty. They don't look much like Kakashi-sensei's pack scroll, that's for sure." Sakura comments as she peers down at the line of colorful scrolls. Each one is decorated in different arrays of colours and patterns, some cast in vibrant jewel tones and rimmed with gold or silver, some rendered in more subdued hues and trimmed tastefully in black or grey. One particular scroll catches Shikamaru's eye, a scroll decorated with dark leafy patterns like the forest at night, ringed with metallic grey and edged with gold filigree.
"They don't have seams." Sasuke notices, reaching for the scroll closest to him and turning it back and forth. He's right; Shikamaru can't see a place on any of the scrolls where they can be opened.
~That's because they're locked shut.~ Kurama explains, reaching forward to trail a chakra claw over the metallic rings on either end of the scroll in Sasuke's hands. ~These are sage animal scrolls, locked with live-linked blood seals.~
"What the hell is the supposed to mean?" Kiba asks.
Naruto rubs the back of his head. "How to explain it… they check for resonance, I guess, is the best way to put it. It analyzes blood and chakra composition, and if you're 'suited' to the summons the scroll is linked to, the lock pops open and allows you an initial contract summon." Naruto sounds oddly like he's quoting parts of his response from somewhere, like he's reading from an imaginary book.
"So the scrolls may or may not open depending on if we're compatible or not." Sasuke clarifies.
~Exactly.~ Kurama affirms. ~But be warned, bonding with sage summons is not something to be taken lightly. They can be finicky, proud, and they will not necessarily obey you immediately. Whereas normal summons are contracted to be loyal to their summoner, a sage contract only guarantees that you can call the beasts, not that you can control them. To command larger or more powerful summons, you need to earn their respect first, and that is not always an easy task.~
Kiba huffs, grinning. "Well what the hell is worth having that isn't hard to get? I don't think I'd have it any other way, to be honest."
"How do we start?" Sakura asks, shifting with energy and leaning forward precariously over the edge of her bed. Shikamaru resists the urge to anchor her shoulder with an arm like he would with Ino. "I'm so excited! I hope one picks me."
Kurama laughs. ~I don't think that will be a problem, little Genesis. If anything, you should be worried about having to choose.~
"Do we need to take this outside though, that's the question." Naruto says. "Is summoning gonna break my apartment?"
~Doubtful.~ Kurama assures. ~Initial contracting summons are usually pretty small and force you to work your way up. Best go one at a time though, just in case.~
"Naruto should go first." Shikamaru states. "They are his scrolls after all."
Naruto shrugs and starts to reach for a scroll, but Kurama stops his hand with a nudge of his snout. ~Actually kit, I has something else in mind for you. Let the little Uchiha go first; he's had a bit of a hard day.~
Sasuke glares at the bijuu, but scans the line up of scrolls with a considering eye. ~Pick a few that appeal to you, and we'll go from there.~ Kurama suggests when he doesn't immediately make a decision.
Finally, he selects first a dark blue scroll decorated with patterns resembling feathers and trimmed with bright silver. Then almost as an afterthought, he also picks up a scroll with a winding pattern of indigo and aquamarine, bracketed in black.
Shikamaru can see the reservoir for the blood seal now that he cares to look, a subtle thumb-shaped indent on the upper ring of the scrolls. Sasuke brings his thumb to his mouth and bites down, letting blood well up along the digit before pressing it into the groove of the second scroll.
After a long moment there's a soft hum of chakra, like the scroll itself is contemplating the offering, before it lets out a set of ringing chimes like small bells or wind chimes. Nothing else happens.
Kurama stretches over and gives the scroll an exploratory sniff. ~Hmm. That's a no, if a reluctant one. Pass this one to the Genesis, I'd like to test a theory.~
Sasuke looks mildly disappointed but passes the shimmering blue spiral scroll to Kiba, who in turn passes it to Sakura. The kunoichi takes it happily. "I was actually going to pick this one when it was my turn," she marvels, turning the beautiful scroll back and forth to observe it from all angles. "It looks like an ocean, don't you think?"
Sasuke actually looks a little concerned at that. "If you wanted it, you should have said. I only grabbed it out of curiosity."
Sakura waves him off. "We'll it worked out, didn't it? Now check the other one!"
Sasuke shrugs, and places his still bloody thumb into the reservoir of his first choice. Again, the scroll begins to hum, but this time it only takes half as long for the scroll to emit a sound. It's low like someone's pulled the longest string on a harp, and with a snap the rings on the outer edge of the scroll flick open, pulling up the outer seam of the scroll with them so that it can be unraveled. Sasuke unrolls it, revealing a painted mural-like interior depicting several species of birds of prey. In the center is a blank space, left white and unblemished.
"Whoa." Naruto murmurs. "Raptors, huh?" he muses as he looks over the colorful renderings of hawks and falcons and eagles. "That actually really suits you."
Unless he's seeing things, Sasuke actually goes a little red at that, something that Shikamaru doesn't ever recall him having done before.
"What now?" Sasuke asks Kurama, after clearing his throat.
~Dip each finger in blood and fingerprint the blank space, then sketch the kanji for your name above it. The scroll should perform the initial summon for you, and after that you should be able to summon at will with the proper hand sign sequence.~
Sasuke does as instructed and everyone in the room watches intently as he touches each finger to his bleeding thumb and then presses his fingertips to the scroll's open space. He then uses the inside edge of his thumbnail to write the kanji for Uchiha Sasuke above it.
The paper absorbs the imprint as if drinking in the blood, and as the red disappears the blank space floods black. With a crack reminiscent of a firecracker going off, the air in front of Sasuke floods with a cloud of glittering sand-like smoke. A rush of wind and the sound of beating wings follows, tips of a creature's feathers just visible through the cloud before another wingbeat sends the veil scattering like dust as the summon alights on the scroll.
It's a sleek bird about the size of a falcon, mostly white with golden brown accents and a sharp hooked beak. It looks like a normal enough at first, even if its plumage does seem a little reflective, but when it tips its head to the side, the light catches on a round pale blue gemstone set into its forehead, and when the creature hops a bit to shake out its primaries, a second set of wings becomes visible tucked beneath the first.
The raptor peers at Sasuke curiously, readily ignoring the rest of the room in favor of its summoner. Its eyes are keen and golden and ringed with soft black markings, making them shine even brighter in the soft light of the room. "Greetings." The creature says politely. "I am Kikri, of the Roc."
The Roc? Like the mythical bird kings? I didn't think those actually existed.
Shikamaru resists the urge to say so out loud, not wanting to disturb what is likely a critical moment between summons and summoner.
"Uchiha Sasuke." The ninja replies, a little bemused, but he inclines his head in greeting anyway. The summons seems to appreciate the gesture greatly, the subtle show of respect, and bows back, fanning it's four wings behind it.
"Pleasure to meet you Sasuke-sama." The Roc says genuinely, rocking forwards to hop up onto Sasuke's knee, eyeing his shoulder almost hopefully. It seems reluctant to try and take flight in such a confined space, but unhappy so close to the ground. Seeming to sense this, Sasuke offers Kikri an arm. The raptor steps carefully onto his forearm, mindful of its sharp claws on the Uchiha's unprotected skin, and hops to his shoulder when Sasuke raises his arm. The bird nestles comfortably there, tucking its head beneath its first set of wings to preen a few secondary feathers on the second. The wings are staggered slightly, the second set positioned slightly more ventrally than the larger first set, which is a bit farther back towards the spine than it would be on a normal bird. It means the creature can likely beat both sets of wings entirely independently, making it far more fast and agile than any regular bird.
"Do you have any questions, Sasuke-sama?" Kikri asks eagerly, tilting it head expectantly.
Sasuke contemplates this for a second. "If you would tell me about yourself and your kind, I would appreciate anything you can share."
The polite, somewhat formal tone Sasuke is using seems to be scoring him some serious points with the creature, and Kikri flutters excitedly. "Of course, of course. I am Kikri of the Roc, as I said. I am three years old, nearly four, and will be fully mature when I am twelve. I am a female Gildedwing, one of three clans of the Roc, Council of Wings messenger second class, first hatching of my clutch." The summons puffs her chest up proudly at that last part. "We Roc are the Lords of the Sky, Queens and Kings of all predatory birds. We have three Elders, the representatives of each clan, the largest and oldest of their kind. We are not clan restrictive in our summoning, you may call from any of the three."
Are all the summons in these scrolls of a similar level? Shikamaru wonders. Because it's no small advantage to have creature like those aid you in a fight.
As Kikri finishes her description of herself and her kind, she looks up at Sasuke hopefully, hopping a little closer on Sasuke's shoulder. "Would you be so kind as to tell me about yourself, Sasuke-sama? It has been a rather long time since the Roc have had a contractor. I admit to being quite curious."
Sasuke blinks, surprised. "I suppose that's fair." He admits.
While Sasuke talks lowly with his new summons, Sakura nudges Shikamaru in the side.
"Come on Shika, your turn." Sakura chirps, still holding her scroll with both hands. "I think I want to save mine for last."
Shikamaru nods in acceptance and bends over, reaching for the scroll that had caught his eye earlier. He expects the metal and lacquer to be cold in his hands, but it's actually quite the opposite, warming his palms with some kind of inner heat from tips of his fingers to the middle of his arm. He slips to the floor so he can set the scroll on a flat surface, and Kiba swaps spots with him to make room, nestling next to Sakura with Akamaru in his arms. Sakura gives the ninken's chin a scratch, and he flops over into her lap for a belly rub.
Shikamaru bites into his thumb and presses a bloody print into the receptacle. It reacts the same way Sasuke's second attempt had, with a few seconds of chakric humming and then a low sound of approval as the locking rings snap open. He bloodies his fingertips as he unrolls the scroll, and realizes as he gazes at the painting within why this particular scroll had drawn him in.
The design that surrounds the blank contracting space bears in eerie similarity to the paintings on the fusuma panels all throughout the Nara main house, traditional depictions of forest trees and running stags. Only the deer depicted in this painting appear to be trailing wisps of light and fog like phantoms.
He fingerprints the summoning space and sketches the kanji for his name above the marks, watching as the space floods back.
The sound that accompanies the summoning is haunting, like a long draw on a single string of a violin, which precedes a burst of silvery mist that swirls across the space before him. As it dissipates it reveals a young fawn, a little bigger than the ones Shikamaru has tended to in the forests, lying across the scroll with its legs tucked beneath it. It's a male judging by the horns that are just beginning to sprout behind it's wide expressive ears– assuming that the does of this species of summons do not also possess horns. The fawn's fur is weapon-metal grey and speckled with glowing white spots that flicker all along the length of its back. The wisps of grey and white smoke that trail off its fur seem to be permanent and give the creature a blurred, ghostlike appearance.
The fawn blinks it's entirely pale and eerie white eyes at him, ears flicking curiously, and without a word begins to stand. It's legs are still a little unsteady if the way it wobbles on the way up is any indication, and once the creature is on it's feet it practically falls into his lap, gangly legs everywhere, its head on Shikamaru's knee. As it falls the wisps coming off of it's fur flare upwards, tickling Shikamaru's arms even though his shirt.
"Hello." the creature says blithely, like it hadn't just tripped on top of him. "I am Veylan."
"Shikamaru," he introduces dryly.
"I've always wanted to meet a Nara," it comments easily, and Shikamaru feels his eyebrows touch his hairline.
"You know my clan?"
The fawn lifts its shoulder blades in the deer equivalent of a shrug. "Kind of. Our last contractor was a Nara, though that was a really long time ago." With a twist of a long neck Veylan turns to look at Shikamaru properly. "I am a Wraith Hart, in case you were wondering. Our kind are pretty capable. We can manipulate chakra into both elemental forms and illusions, we are very fast, and we can even run on water," the fawn informs him. "Oh, and my horns will be sharp when they grow in all the way," Veylan tells him, like that's the most important part.
Shikamaru can't help but laugh a little, leaning down to rub the spot between the budding horns like he would do for the adolescent bucks of his clan's herd.
The touch of the fawn's fur on his bare skin tingles a little, but Veylan gives a pleased hum at the attention, setting his head back down on Shikamaru's knee. "I am hungry," the fawn announces after a moment. "Do you have any flowers?"
"Ugh…" Shikamaru hedges, looking over towards Naruto.
The Uzumaki shrugs. "We have kale in the fridge?"
Vaylan hums thoughtfully. "I have never had that before. Is that a kind of grass?"
"It's a long leafy vegetable." Shikamaru explains.
"That sounds filling," the fawn says agreeably. "Yes please."
"I got it." Kiba volunteers, hopping up off the bed and darting into the kitchen, coming back with a bag of dark green leaves for Vaylan to munch on. The summons nibbles experimentally, and then begins to methodically devour the entire bag.
"My turn then!" Kiba yips
Sasuke stands to switch places with him, taking his refurled summoning scroll with him, moving careful to avoid jostling the summons still perched on his shoulder. Naruto seems reluctant to move, though as entrenched by Kurama's shade as he is Shikamaru doesn't blame him.
"You pick one, Akamaru," Kiba tells his ninken, and the pup barks in affirmation, leaping out of his arms to sniff his way along the remaining nine scrolls. He stops at several, giving each one a long thorough inspection, until he reaches a black scroll speckled and spattered with dark reds and golds, trimmed in ivory white. Akamaru barks and grabs the end of the scroll with his teeth, dragging the heavy thing towards his ninja partner. "Good pick, bud! I like that one too," Kiba chuckles, reaching forward to relieve his friend of the heavy burden.
The scroll opens for Kiba immediately, and Shikamaru wonders if maybe the scrolls themselves have a specific draw towards certain types of ninja, because so far all of their first picks have been compatible.
The painting on the inside of Kiba's scroll depicts several dark furred canines running across a dry plain with a scattering of tall trees, chasing some kind of invisible prey. After he prints his fingers and sketches his name, the summon tumbles into existence with a pop of red smoke and a sound like crashing symbols, rolling head-over-hindquarters right into Kiba's chest with a smack.
Akamaru barks indignantly when the dark mass of fur almost lands on top of him, leaping up into Kiba's jacket to avoid any further collision.
"Sorry, sorry!" the summons yelps wriggling around to right itself in Kiba's lap. "I didn't mean it or anything, I wasn't watching where I was going!"
The creature closely resembles a wolf or a coyote, with short soft-looking black fur spattered with dark red and golden-tan patches. "Hi!" The cub says excitedly, tucking in a hyper circle in Kiba's lap. "I'm Shasa!"
"Whoa." Kiba marvels, reaching down to stroke the pup's ears. "I'm Kiba. Your fur is really cool."
The summons preens. "Thanks! I'm a Blood Jackal, so I can charge it with electricity or even set it on fire if I want. It's also chrakraproof!"
"Super cool." Kiba agrees.
Akamaru barks, and he must be asking some sort of question because the summons responds.
"Well, I can see even in pitch back, and I'm pretty fast and agile too. My sisters are bigger than me, so they're better at one on one combat than my brothers and I. My mama is the biggest. She's really scary."
"Moms are pretty scary." Kiba affirms with a laugh. "Good to meet you Shasa."
When Sakura's scroll pops easily open, she honest to god giggles. She's been watching the boys go through their scrolls with ill concealed envy, each one unveiling a sage creature with unique abilities and personalities that becomes more apparent as the apartment fills with more of them.
Kikri is now fluttering around the small room inquisitively, apparently confused as to how Sasuke can live in a space so small, and indignant that her summoner doesn't live in some kind of palace. Shasa is playing with Akamaru in the small amount of space available in the main room, having a three-way conversation with both Kiba and his ninken. Vaylan seems a little bit wary of all the predators in the room, and hasn't left Shikamaru's lap.
They've all been practically perfect for their summoners so far, Shikamaru even got his literal clan animal, and Sakura can't help but wonder what kind of creature has chosen her.
A sting of pain as she bites into her thumb, the rolling wetness of blood as she sketches her name and fingerprints the space beneath, and she finds out.
With a burst of mist-like steam the room is filled with the smell of tropical rain and sea salt, misting Sakura's face with tiny dewdrops of water as the cloud parts. Wound in the center of the scroll is a small shining serpent, long and lithe, scales shining like hundreds of glittering sapphires. It's sleek rounded head rises up above it's coils, large emerald eyes peering at Sakura curiously; eyes that match the frills of feathers that adorn either side of the serpent's neck. The feathers don't stop there– about a third of the way down the summons's body is a set of furled emerald wings, it's feathers as bright and reflective as it's scales.
~Ah, that explains it.~ Kurama rumbles across from her as the summons continues to examine her unblinkingly through its slitted gem-like eyes. ~The Zotl are matriarchal vassalistic. They will only respond to female summoners.~
"Hello." The serpent murmurs softly, in a voice that sounds like water moving over rapids. "You are my mistress?"
Sakura smiles. "I'm Haruno Sakura. Pleased to meet you."
The serpent ducks its head and fans out its sparkling wings in a bow. "I am Ravia, of the Ocean tribe of the Zotl." it says quietly, again lifting its head and flutters its wings a little, swaying forward a little as if to touch her arm. "May I?"
"Oh, sure." Sakura says, lifting her arm in invitation. Ravia tucks their wings and slides up Sakura's arm, the creature's smooth scales surprisingly warm against her skin. The summon slithers over her shoulder and then winds a little ways down her other arm, and Sakura feels a soft and subtle tone of chakra buzz against the creature's scales.
Ravia hums, forked tongue flitting in and out. "You are very strong, Mistress Sakura. Is it a clan trait?"
Sakura shakes her head, surprised the summons would think that. "No, my parents are civilians."
The summons blinks, eyes going even wider and more curious than before. "You mean to say that you are a Genesis? The first of charka talent in your line?"
"Mhm." She hums. "My parents are plain old civilian merchants, and I don't have any siblings unless you count those that aren't blood related."
"All the more impressive." Ravia states. "I am honored to be your summons, mistress."
Sakura's chest swells with pride. "Well I'm honored to have you." She responds. "Can you tell me about yourself Ravia?"
"Of course." The snake trills, feathers fanning on either side of its head. "I am male, one of two main tribes of the Zotl. Though there are a few other tribes that do exist within your summoning range, the Ocean and Mountain tribes contain the bulk of our kind. As a Zotl of the Ocean Tribe, my specialty is in my venom and my chakra augmentation. I am admittedly young for a summons, but I expect to grow a great deal under your care."
Sakura preens, rubbing the back of her fingers down Ravia's scales. "That's sweet of you to say."
The creature hums, indulging in her body warmth, and fans his wings across her shoulders. "May I stay a while?" he asks. "Your thermal energy is pleasant."
Sakura laughs. "Stay as long as you like."
Kiba snickers from the other side of Shikamaru. "This is becoming quite the party isn't it? Hey Naruto, do we need to keep these guys on the DL for a while? My mom might ask where I got summons more awesome than my sister's pack."
Naruto turns from where he's letting Sasuke's summons eat some raw flank steak out of his hand. He shakes his head. "Nah. Kakashi-sensei will have told Jiji what he could about me going to Uzushio already, so you don't have to worry about keeping the secret anymore."
"I doubt he told him everything." Sasuke counters. "But probably enough that telling your parents about a few summoning scrolls shouldn't raise any red flags."
"That's good." Shikamaru murmurs, rubbing the backs of his knuckles over the space between Vaylan's small horns. "It would be pretty hard to keep something like this from my father."
"Kakashi-sensei is a little overprotective." Sakura says in response to Sasuke's statement. She doesn't say 'of us' or 'of Naruto especially,' because Sasuke knows that already, even if Naruto himself probably doesn't. Kakashi-sensei is loyal to the village, of course, but he's also not above fibbing to the Hokage to keep Naruto from getting into trouble. Sakura is sure of that.
~Alright Kit.~ Kurama yawns with no pretense. ~You're up on the summoning front.~
Naruto grins his sunbeam grin and leans back, planted his palms behind Kurama's chakra flank to that the bijuu's shade is tucked between his back and his arms. "Okay then, you old grump, what did you have in mind?"
Kurama snorts haughtily. ~As my jinchuuriki, it's only right that you get my summons, obviously.~
"You, have summons?" Naruto asks, bewildered.
~In a sense. Are you aware that the each of the tailed beasts were created in the image of the nine strongest Youkai?~
"Youkai? You mean like spirits?" Shikamaru asks.
~Spirits. Demons. It's all semantics really, but yes.~ Kurama agrees, dipping his head in Shikamaru's direction in acknowledgement. ~We were made to represent the greatest of the old spirits; the Tanuki, Nekomata, Kappa, Saru, Irukauma, Namekuji, Kabutomushi, Ushioni, and Kitsune respectively.~
Naruto ticks off his fingers one by one as he recites them. "So, Shukaku the raccoon dog, Matatabi the magic cat, Isobu the turtle spirit, Son Goku the monkey king, Kokuo the water horse, Saiken the sacred slug, Chomei the armored insect, Gyuuki the bull demon, and you the spirit fox. Are you saying these spirits are linked to you guys somehow?"
~We are highly respected by our own kind, even seen as gods I would guess. I am unsure if that regard holds though, since I have not had much contact with the outside world in the last century. I can still, however, create a contract between you and the Kitsune, as could any bijuu with their respective spirits.~
"So you want my summons to be spirit foxes?" Naruto clarifies.
Kurama nods, tucking his head closer to Naruto's stomach. It's an oddly sedate motion, soft and just the tiniest bit vulnerable, and it sort of… hits Sakura right then, the gravity of it all.
When Naruto had told her he'd made friends with a giant angry chakra demon that had once almost destroyed the entire village, the first thing she'd thought was well, that's a very Naruto thing to do.
But it's more than that, so much more, it has to be. Because the way history talks about the Nine-tailed Fox is like a scary story you tell kids to keep them from being bad, like the whole 'don't play outside after dark or the fox will get you' kind of deal. Except this story terrifies grown and battle hardened ninja instead of children, a cautionary tale even Kage take to heart. The tailed beasts can destroy whole villages, the stories would say. They can burn countries to the ground, tear apart everything you know, and the Kyuubi no Kitsune is the worst of them all.
But it's almost impossible to equate that hateful creature, that monster she's only ever heard about in stories, to this docile being, lying here across Naruto's lap, that so obviously cares about Naruto that it's almost painful to watch.
But then she remembers.
She remembers how Sasuke slowly started disappearing after class and would come back the next mornings with actual life in his eyes instead of that dead, concentrated stare. Remembers how he stopped hunching his shoulders and seemed less and less pale, how he stopped snapping at the people around him when they tried to talk with him. And she remembers when she'd confronted Naruto about it, how Naruto's first and most powerful reaction was to jump to Sasuke's defense even though Sasuke had never acknowledged him before that.
She also remembers how he'd made space for her over time, in his home and in his heart, leaving the door unlocked when he knew she'd be over, making extra portions of dinner for her when it was his turn to cook until Sasuke started doing the same. She remembers how the both of them had carved a space between them for her when she'd fled her house, angry and hurting, and gone to the only other place in the world she'd ever felt safe. She remembers most of all the quiet but powerful acceptance, the creamy coffee he'd left at her elbow and the arm he'd pulled around her side and squeezed when she'd sat down between them.
When she remembers that, the idea that Naruto had managed to gain the friendship and acceptance and adoration of a creature that was supposed to be made of anger and hate, well.
That doesn't seem so strange to her at all.
~I would feel better if you had my own kind at your back.~ Kurama admits. ~Kitsune are stubborn and proud and sometimes obstinate, but once you've won their allegiance it's yours for life.~
Even Sakura can sense the double meaning in Kurama's words, as light as he's trying to make them sound, and by the look on Naruto's face he understands as well.
He grins, soft genuine, and it creases his eyes. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
Kurama grins back, fangs just barely visible, eyes soft like he expected that answer, like he keeps testing a theory and it keeps proving correct. ~Alright kit. Youkai aren't like sage animals, once you summon a spirit, they are bound to you and your chakra. From that point on they will grow as you do, and the stronger you get the more spirits you will be able to summon. Got it?~
"Got it." Naruto affirms. "What do I need to do?"
~Blood your fingers like you would to sign a regular contract, and I'll do the rest. Any flat surface will do for the summoning, and you won't need to sign your name.~
Naruto does as told, biting into his thumb and coating each finger with blood. Kurama closes his eyes and seems to be concentrating, his chakra rippling strangely, and then he opens his eyes again.
~Alright kit, when you're ready.~
Naruto pushes some of the scrolls in front of him out of the way, exposing a decent sized chunk of the floor, and presses his hand to the surface.
Spidery lines of runes and symbols rush out from the space in a spiral, curling to touch in a perfect circle before erupting into the air in a cloud of glittering black smoke and a rush of heat.
Suddenly the room is filled with the sound of snarling and screeching, and out of the smoke roll two fighting balls of fur, one dark blue and the other solid black, tumbling over each other in a blur of raised hackles and ivory teeth. Shasa leaps into Kiba's lap next to Akamaru to avoid the conflict, and Ravia look up with his feathered ruff raised to observe the proceedings with interest.
The growling blurs of fluff are startled out of their fight when Kikri caws indignantly after they almost ram into Sasuke's shins, and the single furry mass separates to become two separate creatures. The foxes are still snarling at each other, hackles raised and teeth bared viciously. One is dark evening blue like the sky at sunset, it's feet socked in dark grey and the ends of its fur tipped in metallic silver. The other is solid inky black but for a diamond of vivid indigo right in the middle of its forehead.
"Take it back Kuran." The blue one snarls, fur bristled to such a point that the metallic ends of the little fox's fur look like hundreds of tiny senbon.
"Make me, princeling." The black one growls back, and the little blue ball of fury looks ready to do just that when Kurama stands fluidly behind the little fox, leans down, and snatches the kit up by its scruff.
~That's enough of that.~ He declares around his mouthful.
"Put me down, put me down!" The fox screeches, its twin tails thrashing angrily side to side as it claws at the air. The black one stiffens, eyes going wide as they fasten on Kurama.
"Renge!" The black fox snaps. "You need to calm down!"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" The little thing shrieks, but then seems to notice the look on his companion's face when Kurama clears his throat pointedly. The blue fox freezes, and Sakura has to put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. The fox turns to look at its captor, and Sakura can't imagine the creature gets a view much wider than the Kyuubi's white fangs and sharp eyes. Kurama raises an eyebrow.
~You sure have a lot of energy, considering you're not even old enough to spit foxfire.~
The fox chuckles nervously. "Sorry?" he says uncertainly, baring his tiny needlelike white teeth in something that could be a smile but is probably something closer to a grimace.
~Can you be calm now?~ Kurama asks dryly. ~Or are you two going to go at each other's throats again when I set you down?~
"Yes sir. I-I mean, no sir. We won't fight, sir." The kit babbles, and Kurama sets him down slowly.
The fox scrambles away as soon as he's free, scampering over to sit next to his dark-furred companion. True to his word, the kit doesn't attempt to start another fight.
~Hm.~ Kurama rumbles, striding back over to curl himself around Naruto once more. Said Uzumaki is laughing, and only now do the two foxes seem to notice the humans in the room, sitting in a circle around them.
~I didn't honestly expect you to summon two at once, but I have a feeling this involves extenuating circumstances.~ Kurama drawls to Naruto and then turns to address the two foxes again. ~Do you know who I am, and why you are here?~ he asks.
"You're Kurama of the bijuu." the blue one says immediately. "You're the Nine-Tailed Fox."
~That answers the first part of my question. Now can you answer the second?~
"We've been summoned." the black one answers. "But not by you?" he looks up at Naruto, glancing back and forth between him and Kurama's shade.
Naruto laughs, planting an elbow on the knee Kurama's head isn't occupying and setting his cheek in his hand. "They don't miss much, do they." Naruto chuckles, not unkindly.
"I don't understand." The black fox says, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, tails curling around lean legs. "Where are we? What's with the humans?"
~This is my human.~ Kurama declares, nudging Naruto's chest with his head in indication, as if the way he's draped protectively around the Uzumaki wasn't indication enough. ~He summoned you through me.~
"If you're the real Nine-Tailed Fox, why are you the size of a four-tails?" The black one asks, and the blue one whirls on him, growling.
"Don't you know anything? Kurama-sama was sealed away a whole century ago. All the tailed beasts were!"
The black fox bares his teeth. "Not all of us have fancy lessons all day, princeling. Some of us actually have to hunt for our food instead of having it brought up on a silver tray." The kit then gets up and walks over towards Naruto, eyeing him quizzically. The blue fox stares after him like he's crazy, skirting over towards Kurama's shade and as far away from the humans in the room as possible.
The black fox doesn't seem to share the blue one's fear though, because he puts his paws right up on Naruto's shins. The two spirit creatures are only about the size of a loaf of bread, and the only difference Sakura can see between them and actual foxes are the multiple tails and the slightly ethereal quality of their fur.
"I am Kuran-kha." the black kit informs Naruto. "If you are Kurama-sama's human, does that mean you're a jinchuuriki?"
"Mhm." Naruto affirms. "Since I was born. I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."
"What are you doing, Kuran? He could be dangerous!" The blue fox hisses, earning him a wry look from Kurama.
The black fox rolls his eyes. "Ignore him." He tells Naruto. "He's never been outside the Sacred Forest so he's never seen a human before."
"Oh what, and you have?" The blue one snaps.
"Of course I have, where do you think the hunting grounds are? There are humans all over outside the Far Trees." the black fox informs his companion haughtily. He then turns back to Naruto again. "Although none of the ones I've seen could use chakra. Can you use chakra?"
Naruto nods. "Everyone in this room can use chakra." He tilts his head curiously. "The Sacred Forest? Is that where you're from?"
Kuran-kha hops up onto Naruto's legs, treading carefully to avoid Kurama's resting space on Naruto's thigh. "Yes. It's pretty deep in the sage lands, on the other side of the Bone Marshes at the foot of one of the Sacred Mountains."
"Don't tell him that!" The blue fox snarls.
Kuran-kha flicks his tails imperiously. "And why not? He's our summoner now."
"I'm a Celestial Fox." the blue kit snarls. "We don't get summoned."
~Evidence speaks to the contrary.~ Kurama mutters boredly with a flick of one ear.
Kuran-kha wiggles a little and then leaps up lithely onto Naruto's shoulder, sniffing experimentally at his hair, and then sits down on his precarious perch, looping his tails around Naruto's neck for stability and looking around curiously at the room. He spots Sasuke sitting off to Naruto's right, who is watching the whole ordeal with amusement and a little curiosity.
"Who are you?" Kuran-kha asks.
"Sasuke." He introduces.
The fox turns back to Naruto, ears spread wide in curiosity. "You are close, but he is not your blood sibling. Is he a part of your Earth?"
Naruto blinks. "My what?"
~Kitsune have many words for family. Those who hunt together are members of a skulk, those born together are members of a clan. Earth in this case means 'those close in bond over blood', chosen family.~
"Oh, then yeah." Naruto says easily.
"I want an Earth of my own someday." Kuran-kha admits softly, and then seems to remember the blue fox still hiding over by the flank of Kurama's shade. "Now you're just being rude, Renge." he accuses.
The blue fox snorts aggressively, but he does nose out from underneath Kurama's shadow.
"I don't bite." Naruto promises with a smile, and the fox's ears go up a bit.
"I am Renge-kai." the kit admits hesitantly. "If you did summon me, then it is my intention to uphold the contract." He ducks his head, tails swishing to curl around him. "It is an honor to meet you."
"Such a princeling." Kuran-kha mumbles.
Renge-kai bristles immediately. "Stop calling me that!"
Iruka stares for a long moment at the emotionally stunted mess of a Jounin in front of him, perched so precariously on the edge of his bed he's practically being held up by willpower and sheer force of awkwardness.
"The asset papers." Iruka states. "For your clan inheritance. The ones you made me sign after a three week long argument in April four years ago, the only argument with me you've ever won, and you expect me to believe you want them back 'just because'?
Kakashi winces. "...there may be a bit more to it." He admits.
"To put it mildly." Iruka states. "What brought this on, Kakashi? It's not like you to poke at old wounds without a damn good reason."
The Jounin folds his fingers together and lets them hand between his knees, staring intently at the lines on his palms. He doesn't answer, but Iruka senses that Kakashi's lack of response is due more to an inability to name what's on his mind than any kind of refusal.
Iruka sighs, bending down to undo the wrappings on his thighs and ankles in preparation for changing into his civs. He feels this is going to be a long conversation, and Kakashi had caught him right after his last shift at the mission desk. When he's finished stripping off the most hazardous and uncomfortable parts of his equipment, he sits down next to Kakashi at the foot of his bed.
"My Genin are all living in Naruto's apartment." Kakashi says out of nowhere. "Three of them all packed into that tiny space."
"Sakura too? I thought only Sasuke was staying there?"
Kakashi shakes his head. "She hasn't been back to her parent's house since before the mission. And even if she did reconcile soon, I doubt she'd be content going back to live there. She's too independent now, and after living with her teammates something like that would be suffocating."
"Three Genin with strong personalities living together in that small of a space?" Iruka remarks with confusion. "I'm surprised they haven't killed each other already."
"They work very well with what little they have." Kakashi states, an emotion strong in Kakashi's voice that Iruka can't quite pinpoint until he realizes that it's admiration. "You should have seen them on the mission." he continues. "It's like they'd been working together for years instead of months, and they rolled with every punch and shift circumstances threw at them. It should have been a B-rank mission–with Zabuza's involvement maybe even an A-rank assist– and they worked together flawlessly. Imagine what they could do if they spread out, had more room to grow than a tiny apartment on the bad end of the shinobi district?"
He's rambling, and Kakashi doesn't ramble. He's always been the epitome of cool under pressure, aloof and set-apart, but these words are tumbling uncensored through his throat from right out of his heart and Iruka hadn't thought he'd had enough of a heart still beating to speak through.
"Kakashi," Iruka asks slowly. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
The Jounin looks to the side, finally casting his silvery eyes up to meet Iruka's chocolate ones. "The pack is wondering why they don't see the cubs outside of training. They don't seem to understand that my apartment is hardly large enough for them, let alone three Genin, and that they might not even want to–"
Iruka cuts him off soundly. "Kakashi. You're offering to open up your old clan lands, your ancestral home, that old bloody trauma, so that your Genin can have a safe place to rest and grow?"
Kakashi flexes his hands, like he's itching to grip a kunai or a scroll or something else of comfort. "It's not like it's being used for anything. I… I would feel better having them closer; it would be easier to protect them. It's just an offer, anyway. They're adults, they can chose for themselves of course."
Iruka beams, shaking his head in disbelief, and stands up. "Don't move." He orders. "I think I left the paperwork under a stack of Konohamaru's drawings. It may take me a few minutes for me to find it."