Notes:

The Tanuki is also a trickster in Japanese mythology along with his friend the kitsune. This chapter is a play on that relationship.

Natto: fermented soybeans said to smell bad (I personally can't smell them)

Kusai: kusai is a Japanese adjective meaning "smelly" or "stinky".

I promise it will all work out for Naruto in the end. :P

(o)

Naruto yawned as he rolled out of bed. Literally. He hopped off of his floor in a little bit of shock and pain and looked around. His room was clean-ish, if you excluded all the scrolls laying around on tables, floors or half-unrolled in their shelves. He was hardly there enough to cause in real mess.

Scratching his head, he stumbled over to his bathroom and reached for the toothpaste and his toothbrush. As he groped, he opened his eyes long enough to look in the mirror. He had been vandalized. Someone in the course of the night had drawn on his face with permanent marker.

"AAH!! What the hell?!" He turned on the water and tried to wash the graffiti off of his face but it wasn't working. "Who the hell?!" As he scrubbed, he wracked his brains trying to figure out who would be capable, who would be so devious, as to pull this kind of prank.

Realizing he would not succeed with just water he grabbed his soap and lathered it up putting to his face. He rinsed it off and checked on his progress. After 5 minutes of soap and water, the marker was gone but his face was green. He looked at the soap. It was had been sabotaged with dye.

"AAAAAH!! DAMMIT!" Naruto gave up when he realized he could do nothing. He grumbled as he stalked to the kitchen and opened his fridge. However, he immediately had to shut it. His eyes were wide in disbelief. The deviant that had tinted his face had also placed his handiwork in his fridge. There was a skunk inside, munching on leftovers. "You son-of-a…." He opened the fridge just a tad to make sure he weren't having a nightmare.

The skunk looked up at him and he looked down at the skunk. It wiggled its nose as it sniffed up at him. Naruto sniffed the fridge. He would never eat again. Maybe if he just opened the door a tad and let it out, he could safely be rid of it. Nodding at this thought, he opened the door and backed off. The skunk waddled out but instead of going away, it headed straight for him.

"Ah ah…stay back…um…please?" The skunk however climbed into his lap and rubbed against him. Tears streamed down the blonde genin's face. Why him? Why a skunk? He picked the offending mammal up gently and went outside to drop it off by the garbage cans where it's stench would be less noticeable. He ran back inside and locked the door. However, somehow the skunk was right behind him. "ACK!" He tried again with same results. "How the hell did I get stuck with Konoha's only ninja skunk??" The skunk wiggled it's nose at him in response.

Smelly and green, Naruto walked to his bathroom (Skunk in tow) and tried to turn on his shower. It wouldn't turn on. For once in his life, Naruto had been struck silent. This was not happening to him. He looked up into the showerhead and notice a string was in the tube. Experimentally, he pulled on it and was immediately sprayed by a torrent of water as the entire showerhead structure came apart. "…."

Naruto sighed and grabbed his bar of soap and began scrubbing as he showered under a veritable typhoon. But in his desire to get the smell of skunk off of his body, he forgot that the soap was sabotaged and ended up green all over. He took one look in the mirror and let loose a yell that rivaled ten nine-tailed fox demons. It even caused people in the street to stop and look at his home in confusion.

Naruto and his new friend named Kusai left his home shortly after. Naruto was covered head to toe to hide his now green skin. His stomack rumbled in protest and demanded breakfast. So he went to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey, Naruto! Whoaaaa-" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku and one of Naruto's best friends, covered his nose. "You smell like three-day old natto. You need a bath."

"I know, I know…Hey, can I have a double of order of ramen and gyoza today. I need it."

"Sure thing but uh…" the old man rubbed his neck and smiled apologetically. "Could you eat it…outside?" Naruto looked disbelieving but understood the circumstances. He really wished that he could find the bastard responsible for this.

Once he got his order of ramen, he sat outside and began eating. He looked all the world like a beggar and people made a wide circle to keep away from him and stay upwind of him. He looked down at Kusai, who looked up lovingly. Sighing, he gave the skunk his order of gyoza and patted it on the head.

Later on that day, he ran into Sasuke who was twirling kunai on his fingers as he mused on a park bench. "SASUKE!" He ran over and took his hand. "PLEASE! LET ME TAKE A SHOWER!!" Sasuke looked at him at first giving him a strange look and peeled back the hood.

"Na…Naruto?" The sight caused the Uchiha to crack a smile. "You smell like…" He looked down and saw Kusai. "And why are you green?"

"Someone played a prank on me and I WILL get them back!" He raised his fist. "But first…PLEASE!!! LET ME BORROW YOUR BATHROOM!" Naruto bowed repeatedly. Sasuke shook his head and sighed but nodded.

Not green and not stinky, he jumped out of the bathroom, feeling the best he'd ever felt. Now people wouldn't look at him any funnier than usual. Sasuke was petting Kusai as he sat on the floor. "It's pretty tame for…well…a skunk. Why do you have it?"

Naruto plopped on the ground and gave the skunk an irritated look. "I dunno! It was in my fridge and now it's following me around. I can't get rid of it." He tossed a piece of candy to it.

Sasuke sighed and stood up. "Sounds like you've met your match. All your life you've been Konoha's number one prankster. Now…you're getting outfoxed." Naruto's jaw dropped.

"I have to get my title back!" He hopped up and ran outside in a huff. Sasuke shook his head.

"Today's a good day to stay inside…"

Naruto was sitting around thinking. Wracking his brains. Who…who could it be? Was it Konohamaru?? Naruto did teach him everything he knew. Yes, that's precisely who it was. He stood up but found an angry Ino looking at him.

"WHY DID YOU GRAFFITI MY SHOP?!!"

"What?"

She grabbed him by the color looking like she was going to kill him. "There are pigs and spirals all over the side of our building! I'm going to kill you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

"But-but Ino! I didn't do it! I swear!" Naruto waved his hands frantically.

"I don't care what you say! You're going to clean it up before my dad finds out and pummels both you AND me into the ground!" She dropped him and shoved a bucket of soapy water and a brush into his arms. Naruto looked dumbfounded. First being duped and now being set up. Konohamaru was going to get a severe beat down.

Two hours later, Ino's shop wall now cleaner than it had been since it opened, Naruto was left off of duty. He was hopping mad. He was halfway to the Hokage's place of residence when he ran into Tsunade herself. He raised his hand to say hello but she bopped him on the head before he could say anything.

"OW!! WHAT THE HELL-!!"

"What's with stealing my sake and putting sand in the bottles? Huh??" The boy blinked in confusion.

"Why would I steal your stupid booze?! It was Konohamaru, I swear!" he said in his defense. Tsunade puffed up and shook her head.

"He's on a field trip! You should at least get you lies right."

He smacked his forehead. Back to square one…" I AM HAVING A BAD DAY!" he declared. Tsunade grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Well, it gets better. You get to hang with me all day and by me lunch and dinner and take me to pachinko." Naruto struggled in her grip. "Yes….that's a fitting punishment! HA!"

After a few moments, Naruto realized that is was futile. He was been outdone. There was a rasengan waiting for this new trickster. Oh yes. As he walked with Tsunade, he caught a glimpse of a black garbed boy about his age. It looked and awful lot like Gaara but he as smiling and giving him a strange smile. As Naruto passed him, the boy waved as if he new Konoha's number one problem child.

But Naruto had no idea who he was and before he could call back, he was being hurled into a noisy pachinko parlor.