Kanimoto: BWAHAHAHAHA!!! I finally got over writer's block! And so here now is a long chapter!! Six pages! Wahoo!!
Naruto: No more spring break for you. Too hyper.
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"You wanted…to see me, Lord Hokage?"
The man turned from the view of Konohagakure below. "Yes, Kyote."
Ryuuchi Kyote joined him at the balcony's rail on the roof. After a moment, Lord Hokage spoke.
"I know about your feelings towards Naruto," he said.
Kyote started. "You mean you saw-"
"I knew before I saw it."
Well, I guess he does keep an eye on everything in Konohagakure with that crystal ball. The teenager sighed. "I didn't mean to. He asked me what I thought of him, and…"
"I understand what it is to be caught up in the moment, Kyote," Lord Hokage the Third interrupted quietly. "But I don't think you should have done that."
"Why?" Kyote challenged.
The man blew hard into his pipe. "I saw something of the future last night, and in it was the demon fox."
The teenager's gray-blue eyes widened. "You don't mean-"
"I do."
Kyote watched the man closely. "So you're saying that you don't want me to get too closely attached to Naruto, because you don't want me to get my sorry ass kicked when his demon form is reawakened?" he muttered almost sarcastically.
Lord Hokage sighed. "Not exactly in that language, but yes." He met the teenager's eyes. "I don't want anyone else to know about this, understand? It would throw Konohagakure into a state of panic."
Kyote nodded. "I understand, Lord Hokage."
I understand, but I don't think you're right.
****
"Master Iruka!" Loud knocks sounded on the door.
The black haired man groaned and got up from his bed with a yawn. He had just fallen asleep after a day torn by a pounding headache. Who could it be now?! Oh, wait. I think I know… Impatiently shaking off his lethargy, he opened the door.
"Uzumaki Naruto! What are you doing here this late?"
The boy grimaced. "Because you chose the worst possible people to be our secondary jônin!" he almost yelled.
Iruka stepped out of the doorway, motioning the young shinobi inside. "Quiet, Naruto. Everyone else is asleep."
Naruto could barely keep his voice down; he had so much steam that he wanted to get rid of. "Whatever the hell made you assign the Ryuuchi twins to our group…of all the cells in our shinobi class?!!" he demanded angrily. "Shinzuko's a total ass who hates me-"
Iruka sighed, massaging his forehead against the headache he felt returning. "Please, Naruto…"
"-and Kyote…well…he's just…weird!!!"
The man frowned. "You didn't come whining to me after what Kakashi did to you, and I heard that he's pretty harsh," he reminded the boy.
Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, that was different! At least Kakashi-sensei didn't make fun of me being the reincarnation of the demon fox!"
"Because of the demon fox, Shinzuko lost out on a lot," Iruka said quietly. "You know that I don't hold any of that against you, and that he shouldn't. But he does…and you'll just have to live with that and work together."
Naruto made a face. "Please…" he grumbled as he stalked out of the room.
****
"Good morning to one and all!" Naruto declared loudly as he entered the space of the woods that Kakashi habitually used as their training space.
"Good morning," Kakashi replied levelly. "You're late, you know."
"So?" The boy made a face. "All those other times, you were late. What difference does this make?"
No one replied. Sakura sighed in disgust. "Can we get on with this?"
"Today we will be reviewing elemental techniques," Kakashi told his students. "All you need to do is execute a formidable technique. Got it?"
Doppelgangers used to be my worst technique…but now it's the elements! Naruto made a face as he watched the others do their techniques. I have such a weak chakra that it'll take me years to learn this damn stuff!
"Naruto?" The blond haired boy gave a start. He got to his feet.
Okay…
"Ehh…Kakashi-sensei…?" Naruto paused. "I…haven't learned any techniques yet…" Kakashi frowned.
"All that time we had to practice…and you wasted it?" The man frowned slightly. "I'm surprised, Naruto...and I see where you need more practice, " he said, his voice biting. "You need to develop your chakra to improve in every area of ninjutsu. And remember this: To enter the tournament, each individual of every cell must be able to correctly perform all areas of ninjutsu that they have been exposed to."
"Yeah," Shinzuko chimed in harshly, his words directed at Naruto. "And if we don't qualify, it'll be your fault."
Naruto made a face. Shit.
****
All morning, the three shinobi practiced thoroughly under the watchful eyes of their three jônin.
After lunch, they sparred once more, this time with different opponents.
"The art of the trained body is one of the most important ninjutsu skills," Kakashi reminded them. "Master it, and everything else will be so much easier."
Easier my ass! Naruto grit his teeth as he found that Shinzuko was his opponent.
"There's one thing I still don't understand," the blond haired boy whispered as he and the teenager circled, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"What?" Shinzuko growled in his husky tone of voice.
"Why do the shinobi of the Ryuuchi clan always carry swords?"
Shinzuko clenched his fists, reaching for his shuriken holster. "Because our clan is one open only to the very strong…those who can defend themselves and attack when necessary. No wimps allowed."
"Gee…then I wonder why they let you into that clan."
Gritting his teeth in rage, the teenager reached out. Naruto jerked back, but the hands found him and yanked down, swinging the boy to the ground. As he stumbled to his feet, Shinzuko let loose a blinding torrent of shuriken that pinned Naruto to the trunk of the tree behind him. He drew his sword, advancing menacingly on the helpless boy.
"Let me out," Naruto hissed. But Shinzuko was an expert marksman, and the shuriken held him fast.
"Don't you every say that again, yaro," Shinzuko warned icily. "Be quiet."
Naruto made a face. "Make me!" he challenged.
The teenager glanced along the blade of his ninja-to. "Do you think this sword is a toy, Naruto?" he demanded icily. "And do you really think that I would hesitate to strike you dead now?"
Naruto began to struggle frantically.
Shit.
Drawing himself to his full height, Shinzuko sheathed his sword and brought his hands into a sign that Naruto didn't recognize. "Venom of the Cobra Technique!" he declared.
Suddenly, Naruto felt truly scared, realizing that—although he'd never heard of Venom of the Cobra—it was a technique used to kill.
With a shout, the black haired teenager released the powerful attack. Naruto couldn't watch…but at the same time, he couldn't look away. Frozen in place, the boy could only stare in terrified awe as the blast of power swept closer.
Oh, crap…
A dark shape suddenly darted in the way. Naruto's eyes widened. What the heck…?
"Shield of the Ox Technique!" A second attack dispersed the first with an earsplitting explosion. Naruto gasped.
"Kyote!!"
The black-and-red haired shinobi straightened, breathing hard from the lack of energy he had used to execute the technique. "You…you were going to…kill him, Shinzuko," he gasped.
Kyote seems worn out from using one technique, but Shinzuko still looks full of energy, Naruto noticed. What's up with that?
And why the hell did Kyote do this??!!!
If I'm guessing right about what Venom of the Cobra is...I'd think he saved my life.
"Yeah." Shinzuko arched an eyebrow. "So?" He suddenly became angry. "Git out of my way, Kyote," the teenager growled.
Kyote grit his teeth. "Listen, Shinzuko," he hissed. "I know that you're mad at the demon fox…but that wasn't Naruto!"
"Yes, it was!" The twins were soon locked in a fierce fight.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke arrived just then. Kakashi looked Naruto over.
"What happened?" he asked calmly.
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know."
Kyote finally broke free of his older twin brother's suffocating grasp. "Just a bad case of sibling rivalry," he muttered under his breath.
Shinzuko got to his feet. "Yeah. Very bad." With that, he stalked off.
As you might have already expected, it took a while for everyone to figure out what had just happened.
****
"Are you sure you're okay, Kyote?" Naruto demanded.
The teenager winced as he fingered the bandage on his cheek. "I'm fine. Why are you worried about me all of a sudden?"
Naruto shrugged as he glanced out the window. "I guess it's because you…er, saved my life...?" There was silence. "Why'd you do it, anyway? And why'd he do that?"
"Because," Kyote replied. "Just because."
The blond haired boy smacked him hard in impatience. "Ow!"
"Tell me!" Naruto urged.
The teenager lay back tiredly on his bed. "Nai." He lay a hand on his forehead. " You can go home now," he muttered coldly. "Leave me alone."
Naruto scowled. "You're kissing me one day and telling me to buzz off the next? Jeez."
Kyote smirked sheepishly. "Gomen. Didn't mean to do that."
"Right." Naruto glanced around the place that was Kyote's room in the apartment he was sharing with Shinzuko while the two young jônin stayed in Konohagakure. The blond boy caught sight of a small picture on Kyote's dresser. Straining his eyes, he saw that it was a picture of a man.
The man was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, gray vest, and he wore the headband that Naruto had learned to recognize as the red dragon that all Ryuuchi shinobi wore.
The boy was about to ask who the man was, but something told him to keep his mouth shut. So he asked other questions instead.
"That technique you used…what kind was that?"
Kyote sat up with a slight laugh. "It's one of seven techniques that everyone in the Ryuuchi clan is required to learn," the teenager explained. "They are Venom of the Cobra, Shield of the Ox, Stealth of the Wolf, Deluge of the Dolphin, Wings of the Hawk, Claws of the Tiger, and Chains of the Dragon."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why seven? And how come they're all from animals?" he asked.
"Those are the signature techniques of the seven families in our clan. I'm part of the Wolf family."
"I thought you were part of Ryuuchi."
Kyote nodded. "I am. But we're divided into the seven families, each with its own favored technique." He scoffed. "Shinzu-san has mastered three already, and I haven't mastered one."
Naruto protested. "But you did Shield of the Ox!" he said.
"Yeah, and I almost killed myself." The dark haired teenager crossed his arms. "Sure won't do that again. Those techniques aren't easy, you know."
Naruto thought for a moment. "What if you taught me one? I need to learn a technique by the time the tournament starts."
Kyote considered. "I could," he allowed. "Okay. Meet me in the clearing tomorrow before practice."
****
Naruto.
Uzumaki Naruto, wake up.
"Ne?" Naruto jerked himself awake. "Who's…who's there?"
It is I.
"And who, exactly, is 'I'?!" the boy demanded glancing around his room for any signs of movement. He saw none.
You know me, Naruto. You should know that.
"Well, I don't!" Snatching up a double-bladed shuriken beside his bed, the blond haired boy backed against the wall. "You still haven't told me who you are."
Don't play innocent with me, Naruto. I've been with you almost since you were born. I've seen everything about you, and I know all your strengths and weaknesses.
The boy made a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Don't try to resist me while I get what I want. I know you better than you know yourself.
Naruto was becoming frustrated. "Godammit! Just tell me who you are!"
You'll figure it out.
"Are you a ghost?"
Something like that.
"Then…why are you here?"
I want something from you, Naruto.
"What?"
I want my freedom.
"Freedom?" Naruto clutched the knife in cold hands. "How could I give that to you?"
You are my prison. For nearly twelve years, I've been trapped within you.
Naruto broke out in a cold sweat. You mean… "You mean to tell me that you're…Kyubi? The fox?"
Very good, Uzumaki. I was wondering when you'd guess.
The blond haired shinobi was sweating all over. "How can you talk to me?"
I'm within you. How else?
"Why do you want me to give you your freedom?"
So that I won't be imprisoned within the body of a foolish boy! Do you know how long I've tried to connect with your mind? And this is the first time you've ever even heard me.
"What do…you want me to do?" Naruto inquired in a low and slightly scared voice.
I want you to let me go.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!"
Your whole mind and body must want me free.
The boy scowled. And if he's free, then history will repeat itself.
I know what you're thinking, boy. The voice sounded impatient. Don't think you can hide anything from me.
"What…" Naruto licked dry lips and tried again. He could barely catch his breath; so great was the pounding of his heart. "What if…I didn't want you free?"
Then you will suffer as one possessed by a demon should!
The young shinobi gripped the shuriken until he felt his hand cramp. "N…no…" he managed. "I won't do it…I-I can't destroy my own village."
Why should you care? You said yourself that Konohagakure hates you! Why lose a chance to get your revenge?
"Because not all of them are bad!"
There was a long silence.
Mark my words, Naruto. In a few weeks, you'll be thinking on the exact contrary.
"No. No! Nai!!" The boy was quickly becoming angry. "I won't! I won't do it!"
Be quiet, Naruto!
"Gah!" A sudden shock of pain tore through the boy's body. Naruto's legs couldn't support him as the torment increased, and he collapsed to the ground. "Stop it!!"
Nai.
Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry. He couldn't speak, only concentrating on catching his breath.
I see that you're stubborn as ever, Naruto. Very well, I will leave you now. But I will be back.
Later.
Naruto lay huddled into a tight ball, sobbing quietly as the pain slowly faded away.
It was some time before he finally fell asleep.