It has been two months since the arrival of Koyuki Kazahana. Since she's remained in Konoha, Naruto has been her escort. While at first, things were at a difficult start, but Naruto seemed to come around slightly. It was baby steps, but after the first two weeks, Naruto expressed his thoughts about the color orange.
Flashback 6 Weeks ago
Naruto and Koyuki had just left the training field. Naruto created over three thousand shadow clones and divided them up into different groups. One group focused on chakra control, another group worked on usingl Karam's chakra. Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Fuinjutsu, and mediating were the topics many of the other groups worked on. The original form of Naruto had been working on mastering the Wind element. By mastering the chakra nature to the level Tobriama Senju, the second hokage did with water.
By ther end of the session, Naruto was covered in bruises and the training field looked like an empty field. Koyuki couldn't believe the amount of training the blond put himself through. They left the field by means of the Hiraishin and arrived at the hotel.
"What are you in the mood to eat?" asked Koyuki asked the blond.
"Ramen." Naruto saidly blankly.
"How can you live off that stuff? Don't get me wrong, it's amazing, but to eat it every day?" Koyuki asked.
"It's delicious and it's my favorite thing to eat. Plus, I get all my nutrients from a soldier pill." Naruto.
"Okay, I've added a new rule. From now on, you're going to eat a better meal." Koyuki said.
"Haha! Gaki, she is already acting like your wife!" Kurama said.
"Shut up, she is just caring. That's what friends." Naruto mentally said.
"Oh? So you've decided to have friends now, huh?" asked Kurama.
"No! That's not what I meant. We spend every day together and so, I enjoy her company." Naruto said in his defense.
"Right, and I've blessed you with the ability to manipulate sand like Shukaku." Kurama said.
Both Naruto and Koyuki decided to order room service. She purchased a variety of different meats along with veggies for Naruto to try. Koyuki explained that since he trains so hard, he needs to replenish his energy and rebuild his body with proper proteins.
"How do you know about all this?" Naruto asked.
"I had to make sure my father didn't kill himself from living on dango." the princess explained.
"Sounds like Anko and him would have been friends." Naruto silently thought as he looked down at the food before him. He began eating and the conversation remained silent until Koyuki spoke up.
"Why do you wear orange?" she asked.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Orange, I thought ninja were supposed to wear dark colors so they can't be found?" asked Koyuki.
"It's my favorite color. It's bright, it's loud, it's obnoxious, nobody can ignore it if they see it." Naruto said as he didn't realize the tone he was using. Koyuki saw this and gave the blond a sad look. "Anyway, not many shinobi can survive wearing orange. If your survival and skills are based on what you wear, you should quit being a ninja." Naruto declared.
"Naruto, can I ask you something else?" Koyuki said.
"You just did, but you may ask another." the blond said with a small smirk.
Koyuki saw this. "Why is your heart closed off?" Koyuki asked.
This made Naruto uncomfortable. He began to look around as his tenant was chuckiling. Gaining a tik mark on his forehead, Naruto mentally threatend to place Kurama in a desert for the rest of their time together. When Kurama calmed down, Naruto began speaking to the woman. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Naruto said.
"It's a hard way to live." Koyuki said.
"For me, it's the only way I can live. I'm not ignorant. I know what people see and what they when I'm around. Even my parents are afraid of me. Everyone in this village wants nothing more than for me to not return on a mission." Naruto said.
"Then why? Why do you go so far to protect Konoha? Why do you show your superiors such respect?" asked Koyuki. When Naruto spoke, she didn't know what surprised her the most.
"If I give in to the hatred and let the people win, then everything they said about me is true. I'm a shinobi of this village, my duty is to protect everyone from the shadows. Keep the enemies away and the innocent at peace. I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, Kitsune of the Cold Mask." Naruto said with a determined smirk.
Koyuki glared at the boy. "Your smile, it's a fake." the woman said.
Naruto looked away. "Doesn't matter. All that matters is I do my job and take on the hatred. By taking in all the hatred, I'll carry that burden to my grave." Naruto said.
Flashback Ended
Since that conversation, Koyuki has gone the extra mile to make Naruto open up. When she learned about Menma and Mito's birthday, she informed Naruto they would be going. "Come on, it will be fun. This will give you a chance to open up to your family." Koyuki said.
"Lady Kazahana." Naruto said but was hit in the head.
"i told you, it's Koyuki!" Koyuki shouted back.
"Call me crazy, but it seems like you enjoy the physical contact." Kurama said.
"No I don't." Naruto silently muttered.
"You and I both know you can stop her at any time. Yet, you let her do it. I guess she is growing on you." The giant fox said with a chuckle.
"I need a mission." Naruto said to himself.
"A mission? I guess being inside the village for so long is new to you. Maybe I can score us a mission. We'll go to the Fire Damiyo's castle." Koyuki said.
Naruto looked at her. "Really?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. I know you've been aggrevated by remaining here. Plus, you've been helping me out a lot. It's the least I can do for a friend." Koyuki said with a warm smile.
Naruto's eyes went wide. "A friend?" Naruto asked as if it was a foreign word.
"Yes. I know about Itachi. I promise, I won't abandon you or hurt you like she did." Koyuki said in a low tone.
"I don't want to talk about it. Come on, let's go." Naruto said.
"Where are we going?" Koyuki asked.
"Fire Damiyo's castle. You said we can go." Naruto said.
"It takes time for a mission to be put together. Plus, I'm sure that the hokage will want to form a team." Koyuki declared.
"Let's go then. Trust me, I may not be some popular guy that's liked, but when it comes to missions, Lord Fourth never lets me down." Naruto said as the two of them vanished in an orange flash.
Hokage's Office
Minato was going through the paperwork on his desk until the sight of Naruto and Koyuki appeared before him.
"Hello, Lady Kazahana and Naruto. How can I help you two?" asked the hokage.
"Lord Fourth, I've been informed of a meeting between Lady Kazahana and the Fire Damiyo. With your permission, I'd like to be the escort." Naruto said.
"You see, Naruto isn't used to being in the village like this. For his great work, I've declared that I would meet with the damiyo as soon as I could." Koyuki said.
"I see. Alright, I'll dispatch Naruto along with Kakashi. While I don't believe you'll need to worry about any attacks, they are the top anbu in my ranks." Minato said with a smile.
"Thanks dad, I mean, Lord Fourth." Naruto said as he vanished in a orange flash.
"Did he just say what I thought he said?" asked the hokage.
Koyuki nodded. "I think I'm making progress with him. It's not easy, but he is coming around." Koyuki said as she sat down and waited for the blond.
Outside Konoha
Kitsune and Kakashi had left Konoha. Koyuki was ridding the back of Kitsune's back in order to reduce the amount of time needed for the travel. As the three proceeded forward, Naruto was deep in thought while conversing with Kurama.
"Take her." said the fox.
"What?" the blond asked.
"Take her behind the bushes. She wants you." Kurama said.
"You're impossible sometimes." Naruto responded.
"And you're a blind fool. How can you not see the woman's effections for you? I'm a demon who hates mortals, yet, she's grown on me." Kurama declared.
"I'm not saying she hasn't grown on me. But you know I can't take that chance. Not since Itachi." Naruto said as his eyes became shadowed behind his mask.
"If you continue to live in the past, you'll never be happy. This woman just lost her fast because her uncle betrayed him. How do you think she's feeling? I can feel the emotions inside of her, trust me, she's hurting, if not just as much as you are. I'm not telling you this because I'm bored. I'm telling you this because you are my friend and seeing you unhappy is bothering me." Kurama admitted.
It was at this point Naruto nearly fell to the ground. Thankfully, Naruto was able to catch himself and get back on track. He gave a slight chuckle of embaressment. "Sorry, guys. I was lost in thought and tripped." Naruto said.
"Real smooth. Now, are you going to take my advice and ask her to be your woman?" Kurama asked.
"When we get back, I'll take her to the hotel. I don't want anyone else listening in on this." Naruto said.
"Sounds good. I'm pretty excited." Kurama said.
The three continued until they eventually arrived at the fire damiyo's castle. When they arrived, Koyuki spoke with the man while Naruto and Kakashi remained as her personal guards. During this meeting, Naruto was stressing over his plans for when they got back. After a few hours of talking and having the lunch, the three left and planned to return to Konoha by nightfall.
Hokage's Tower
"You're kidding, huh?" asked Jiraiya in disbelief.
"No way, no way my Naruto did that." Kushina said.
"Are we sure it wasn't an imposter?" asked Mikoto.
"Nope, it was definetly Naruto. I believe meeting Koyuki was an excellent thing to happen to him. Maybe, with a little bit of luck, we'll have our Naruto back." Minato said with a bright smile.
"So, does this mean you'll keep him in anbu?" asked Jiraiya
"I'm not sure. Naruto is quite the anbu. I wanted to place him as a genin sensei to open him up and restore the bond between him and his siblings." Minato explained.
"I think it would be good, especially for Sasuke. I know about his relationship with my daughter. Maybe this will help keep Sasuke on the right track. I mean, I can help him with his sharingan." Mikoto said.
Unknown location
Naruto, Koyuki, and Kakashi came to a halt. Kurama informed his Jinchuriki that he felt a strange presence. Naruto ordered them get down and he sent a few shadow clones to scout the area. To his and Kakashi's surprise, Iwagakure had dispatched some of their anbu to kidnap Koyuki.
"Alright, Kakashi, what should we do?" Naruto asked.
"From what I'm feeling, these are easily anbu level ninja. Since they are from Iwagakure, lightning release jutsu will be our best bet. However, they're known for their unerhanded tactics. I suggest we also protect Lady Kazahana." Kakashi said.
The three were forced from their spot to avoid the incoming earth jutsu being fired at them. When they looked up, Iwa's Stone Demon was standing before them. "So, it's Kakashi of the Sharingan, Koyuki Kazahana, the daughter of the snow damiyo, and, I'm sorry, I haven't met you before." said the Stone Demon.
"My name is Kitsune of the Cold Mask." Naruto said with no emotions.
"I've got quite the lucky catch. I'll collect the bnounty for you and Hatake, and I'll take KAzahana. Though, maybe I'll take her home with me instead." The man said with a sinister chuckle.
The air around every grew cold from the killing intent being released from the blond. "Kakashi, get her out of here, now." Naruto said as he walked up.
"Why? I don't think it's a good idea to leave. Why do you want me to take her?" asked the masked anbu.
"Because, I don't want her to see why I received the name, Cold Mask." Naruto said.
"We aren't leaving you!" Koyuki shouted until she flinched when Naruto glared at her.
"Shut up! You have no idea of what I am and I don't plan on revealing it anytime soon!" Naruto shouted. The Iwa anbu charged at the blond. "Lightning Release - Kitsune Rising Shock!" Naruto shouted as he punched the ground. Instantly, a bolt of crimson lightning shot from the ground as it pierced through the anbu in multiple areas.
"Not bad. You'll need more than that if you wish to beat me." the man said with a smirk as he charged at the blond. "Earth Release - Demon Stone Dragon!" the man shouted as a dragon made of rock charged at Naruto.
Seeing this, Naruto quickly dropped and rolled away from the attack before charging at the dragon. "Wind Release - Rasen Shruiken!" Naruto shouted as he connected his rotating sphere into the stone dragon. A massive explosion occured.
Thankfully, Kakashi jumped away with Koyuki to keep her from the aftershock of the jutsu. "You know, you're pretty tough for a gaki. I wasn't expecting to have this much fun." The Stone Demon said. Naruto glared at the man with his demonic crimson eyes. "You seem to have a liking to this girl. I wonder how much pleasure she could give me. Or, maybe I could sell her to the slave ring. God knows I'll be able to retire." The man said.
Naruto dropped to all fours as he was growling. A massive surge of crimson chakra formed around him. Three tails of crimson chakra shot out and his skin slowly began to peel away. Kakashi's sharingan could tell what was happening. "Kakashi! What's happening to him?" asked Koyuki.
"Kyuubi. Whenever Naruto's emotions get out of control, his body draws on the chakra. We need to stay back." Kakashi said.
"What's wrong? Did I touch a nerve?" taunted the man.
"I won't let you touch her!" Naruto shouted as he charged, midway through his transformation. The speed was so fast, Kakashi could only see a crimson blur. The Stone demon was sent flying and before he could recover, Naruto was behind him and delivered a massive barrage of punches and kicks.
"This isn't good. He's completely lost control of himself." Kakashi said as he tried to formulate a plan. Taking matters into her own hands, Koyuki ran towards to Jinchuriki. Kakashi called out but it was too late and he was forced to run after he.
The stome demon saw this and took his chance to eliminate the girl. "I guess if I can't have her, nobody can!" shouted the man as he fired a barrage of rock spears. Naruto saw this and in a brief moment, he regained control and flashed to wear he planted his kunai onto Koyuki.
The spears cut threw Naruto's flesh. Seeing his moment of weakness, Kakashi placed a sealing tag that all anbu were given in the event that Naruto lost control. The Stone demon laid on the ground, his arms and legs shattered as he watched in disbelief that Naruto saved the woman. Koyuki recovered from her shock and ordered Kakashi to help him. Not thinking twice, the silver haired anbu began applying the basic medical ninjutsu to recover Naruto's body.
"You did good, kid. You not only saved your vixen, but you took control. Relax, I'll handle the rest." Kurama said to the passed out mind of Naruto.
Hokage's Tower Four days later
Kakashi and Koyuki were currently inside the hospital room. Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, and Mikoto were present as they listened to both Kakashi and Koyuki's report. "He actually managed to take control of the situation?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief.
"Yes. He not only gained control, but he used the Hiraishin to warp to the kunai that he placed inside Lady Kazahana's robe. I must say, even I'm impressed." Kakashi said with his one eye smile.
"How long will he be out for?" asked Kushina asked.
"The doctors said his body was severly damaged by the toxic chakra. But he will be fine. In about a week, Naruto will be up." Mikoto said.
"I'm going to stay here with him. Lord Fourth, I apologize, but I must remain her by Naruto's side. He nearly got himself killed to protect me. It's the least I can do." Koyuki said.
Minato smiled warmly. "No worries. Please, I think Naruto will be happy to wake up and see you here." Minato said as he and the others left the two to their devices.
Koyuki walked up and gently placed her hand on Naruto's cheek. "To think, these people think you're a demon. From what I've seen, they're the true demons." Koyuki said softly a kissed his forehead softly before sitting in the chair next to him.