They were free.

The fox demon knew that before Naruto did.

Roaring, he set all tails moving, swishing about in huge arcs. Any men within reach were knocked from their feet or thrown hard against the distant ceiling and wall. Pawing at the ground, he sent flames all around him, in indiscriminant fashion.

'Don't just stand there, dumb ass. Move! The Seal might not be down forever. I don't care how long you were cooped up!'

Naruto took control of the youma's body. This was not going to be as easy as it looked. He was not a quadruped by nature, but still had Kyuubi start moving on its hind legs.

I LOOK FOOLISH

Nine Tail's comment was laced with anger and resentment, but also a dash of pride.

'Welcome to my world!' Naruto was a quick learner. 'I'll gladly take whatever help I can, but you're not getting control!' he scanned the room. 'I would have thought you would have thought about that first…' He focused on the great pearly ball.

MY PRECIOUS. WE MUST REGAIN IT. PLEASE

'You bet! Thanks to your friendly Uzumaki Naruto.' Naruto smiled mentally. He wasn't doing this to appease the fox demon. He was doing it to make sure the damn youma didn't go bonkers on him worrying about it's freaking 'precious'.

Naruto saw the men assigned to the task begin hitting the ball with huge mallets. He had no idea if the ball were hollow or solid, or how much of a pounding it would take. He also had no idea what would happen to Kyuubi… and himself… if the damn thing broke.

I MUST EAT THEM

'My thoughts exactly. Call it a favor if you like. But, I have a taste for something else first. Watch and learn.'

Before the youma could question Naruto's action, its body ran forward at full sprint. Sliding to a halt, the claws scrabbling at the rock floor, Kyubi reached down with mouth open. The fox demon swallowed the ball.

WHAT DID YOU DO? MY LOVELY!

'Shut up, drama queen. It's safe now. You can have it back when you crap it out!'

Naruto could feel both rage and revulsion building up in the Nine Tails.

'You can thank me later, OK? Unless that filled you up, I promised you a light snack.'

That thought had Kyuubi drooling. It flicked its ears, gave off a series of excited yips, and then lunged forward again and again. Soon, all of the men with mallets were gone. Naruto wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Kyubi eating things, especially when those things were people. He certainly didn't want the demon getting into bad habits. But, what was the saying? When in Rome, do as the Roman's do.

I'VE EATEN THERE TOO

'Who asked you? Keep it to yourself. This isn't some damn gourmet tour!'

The great head swung around. The eyes focused on Itachi. The look on his face was priceless.

'Hah. The score is Uzumaki one, Uchiha zero! Now this is my Ninja Way!'

THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE WHO CAN WORK SEALS ON ME

'Alright. Back to priority number one. Find Hinata. Sniff her out!'

Naruto was torn for a moment. He thought it might be great to chow down on Itachi, Orochimaru, or any other big time pain in the ass. But, he had been unable to do anything for Hinata up until now. He needed to find her. Fort all he knew, a minute's difference might make a difference. He could always return after she was safe.

The huge fox demon sped from area to area, sniffing at the ground, like a dog tracking down a bone, or a hog rooting out a truffle.

'You find her trail, and I'll let you have some more munchies. It's not be ramen, but different strokes for different folks…'

RIGHT! AHH-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H

'I hope I haven't created a monster.'

Naruto smacked himself in the forehead mentally. That sounded so damn idiotic! Kyuubi was a monster.

SHE'S NOT HERE. BUT, HER SCENT GOES UP A PASSAGEWAY BIG ENOUGH ONLY FOR YOUR KIND

A heavy weight was lifted off of Naruto's shoulders. Hinata might still be in danger… or dead… but at least she had a chance. He would need to find some way to determine where that trail led, probably by running back outside, but first things first.

'Good job. I'll count that as a success. Rule number one. No one from Konoha is on the menu, unless it's Itachi, Orochimaru, or some other damn traitor. Eat just one wrong person, and this is the last time I let you off the leash, even for a short while. You have my word of honor on that!'

Kyuubi's loud yips echoed about the cavern. He came under attack from archers and pike men, but was not harmed or inconvenienced in the least. Arrows, spears, pole arms, jutsus, they all pretty much served as a sign that said 'I'm the enemy, gobble me down!'

'Keep moving fast, fur ball. And keep the pattern random. There are still some strong sons of bitches out there. Not to mention, we don't know how Tsunade and Jiraiya will react to us in this form.'

NO PROBLEM. I COULD JUST EAT THEM FIRST.

Naruto usurped total control. He ran straight for a wall, impacting it at top speed.

'Feel good? Better get your appetite under control! I don't have time to teach you manners now!'

Kyubi mumbled something obscene.

'What?'

Naruto repeated the same punishment. Anyone watching fox demon wondered if it was suffering from some kind of fit. When Nine Tails was finally on the same page as Naruto, they flashed back into action.

'Over there. Those ninjas working with the large scrolls. Think they might taste good?'

LET'S FIND OUT

Kyuubi was overjoyed. Naruto wondered if one of the swallowed enemies might be Kabuto. He wouldn't shed a tear if that were the case.

'Big group at ten o'clock. Looks like they're up to trouble. Bon appetit.'

Another set of jutsu technicians had a good view of the demon's teeth before they tumbled and slid down his esophagus.

OVER THERE. THAT SNAKE MAN. THE YOUNG UCHIHA. SHOULD I EAT THEM?

'No. We don't know just where Orochimaru's been. I have no idea if you've had all of your shots. Just kill him if you can. ' Naruto smiled mentally. 'As for Sasuke, just piss on him. He'd never live that down.'

Unfortunately, the evil Sannin was as slippery as ever. Sasuke escaped his dousing too, but at least the attack gave the young ninja a chance to get away from his mentor.

'Bonus points for any Akatsuki!'

Naruto knew that he shouldn't treat things as if this was a game. He wasn't. This was merely positive reinforcement. Jiraiya had lectured him on that before.

THEY DESERVE IT. THEY THOUGHT TO USE ME. THEY TOUCHED MY TREASURE

Kyuubi stumbled, fell, then slid a long distance on the side of its snout. Dozens of enemy soldiers flew upward, their weapons akimbo. Coming to a halt with its tails in one of the huge bonfires, the youma jumped up howling. A couple of tails were on fire.

'What's the big deal. You use fire all the time.'

DOLT! I USE MY FIRE. WHAT HAPPENED?

'That wasn't me. We must have been hit by a nasty jutsu. Doesn't pay to take some of these people lightly. Maybe we ought to get outside while we can.'

Naruto tried to regain his orientation. Where was the entry shaft?

YOU JUST WISH TO FIND THE GIRL!

'No duh!'

When they took off running again, Naruto had Kyuubi strike down any enemies they came across on the way out. Just as Tsuname was about to land a sledgehammer blow on the leader of the Akatsuki, the great demon grabbed the man in his teeth.

I HOPE SHE'S HAPPY WITH JUST THE HEAD. THAT ONE TASTED NASTY. I NEED A SWEET ONE

Naruto didn't even know how to begin answering that one. Running, the Nine tails leaped over Jiraiya. One of the giant tails knocked him hard to the ground.

'Shit. I'll be paying for that one.'

Mental laughter made Naruto wish he could spit at the moment.

THERE. THE OPENING. WHERE WE CAME IN

Kyuubi spotted the way out.

'Wait. Hard turn left. Bad guys at nine o'clock…'

Hyuuga Hiashi was down on his back. A number of soldiers had weapons at the ready. A badly bruised and bloody Akatsuki member readied a killing blow.

'The man in the white robe is off limits. Everyone else is fair game!'

Like furred lightning, the Nine Tails struck. The soldiers were snapped up and swallowed. The Akatsuki member was pinned hard with a paw.

'Aren't you going to eat that one too?'

Kyuubi sniffed at the Akatsuki member. He shook his great head.

I LIKE MY FOOD LIVE

Sure enough, the amount of blood pooling around the socially conscious Akatsuki member was clear indication that he was gone from this world.

'When I tell Hinata about saving her father… maybe she'll want to… you know…'

Naruto was still ambivalent about the idea of kissing. But, part of him shouted 'you don't know if you don't try'. He could picture the look on her face when he walked up, a conquering hero. She would blush… close her eyes… part her lips…

Mentally, he felt a certain kind of stirring.

IT EMBARRASES ME THAT WE'RE BOTH MAMMALS

'Great. We have a new problem. There's no way to crawl up that thing. It looked so damn big coming down!'

Kyuubi could not go up the entry shaft. It might be big enough for whole battalions to walk abreast, but it was too small for the fox demon. Kyuubi laughed just the same. Accessing its own chakra, the demon shrunk in size, and then ran up the passageway like a warm blooded arrow. Its roar rang out as soon as the great beast passed out into the sunlight.

FREE. FREE TO RUN. FREE TO EAT. FREE FREE FREE

'Wrong… wrong… wrong…'

It was incredibly difficult o exert control over the demon at that moment. The mountains flashed by at a terrific rate. Trees were a green blur. Tremendous leaps covered a good part of a mile with each bound. For the previously confined demon, this was paradise.

The first impulse was to run. The second impulse was to run faster. The third was to run further.

'Bad dog!'

Naruto grabbed hold of control finally. Huge poplars and spruces shot skyward as he turned the youma's head around and slid for a quarter of a mile.

'Give them an inch, and they take miles!'

DOG?

'Hinata's back that way. Let's go!'

Kyuubi lay its huge body down, obliterating a small woodcutter's shack in the process. It closed its great eyes and yawned. This was to be a battle of wills.

Naruto was not about to take things lying down! It was hard, but he could access any muscle that he wanted. Not just single muscles, but full muscle groups. He may not know the in and outs of demon fox movement, but he could get by. He made the body stand up.

Next, he took baby steps, cursing at how wobbly things seemed. Soon, he was walking, though not exactly in the direction he had chosen. When he tripped, Kyubi's massive snout pushed up a huge mound of dirt and grass. A number of cows tumbled off. A farmer ran for his life.

THIS WILL TAKE ALL DAY. THE FEMALE WILL DIE. PITY.

Naruto began cursed. He used every obscene word that he knew. Repeatedly. He even used words that Jiraiya used know and then, even though he didn't know the meaning.

'All right. You're not a dog. I'm more of a dog than you are. Let's go.'

Kyubi still made no effort. No movement. No answer. Nothing at all.

'OK. What do you want?'

APOLOGIZE. ABASE YOURSELF BEFORE ME. BEG

Naruto was scandalized. Apologize to that big shit head? Because he got angry when the stupid thing took off against his wishes? Yeh, right. Count on it! But, if he didn't, who knows what might happen back on the mountainside? If Hinata died, he would never forgive himself. Ever moment might matter….

'Alright. I'm sorry I called you a dog.'

LOUDER

Naruto clenched his mental teeth. He would remember this. Oh yes he would!

'ALRIGHT. I'M SORRY I CALLED YOU A DOG!'

GOOD

'Well?'

Kyubi wasn't moving.

"Ehem! Earth to Hair ball! Let's get going.'

IN A WHILE. THOSE COWS ARE SMALL, BUT TASTY.

Naruto was about to swear again, but he thought of the perfect threat.

'Listen up, bastard fox. This is a promise. When I get back amongst my allies, I am going to have them neuter you. Do you hear me? This is not a joke. On my word as a ninja!'

I FEEL LIKE RUNNING ANY WAY

Naruto wisely kept quiet this time. Kyuubi took off running again, kicking up pieces of sod as large as small homes. The speed was incredible. Naruto thought he was riding the wind. Soon enough, they were back in sight of Mount Monado.

'Well, you've had a chance to work some kinks out. Want to vent some pent up frustrations, too? Feel like taking out some of your aggression on something?'

I WILL RIP EVEYTHING, BITE EVERYTHING, TEAR EVERYTHING, EAT EVERYTHING

'You need to work on that impulse control.'

Naruto resumed more control, learning how to do it quicker and more completely. Soon enough, he would be the sole master.

'OK, let's do a scouting run! Find Hinata's trail. If she dies before we find her, I will have you bite off your own balls.'

Naruto was not joking. Nine Tails was certain of that.

Finally, the demon began to accept the rules of the game. It might not be all that it had hoped for, but it was wonderful to be able to run again, kill again, and feed again. The great beast roared, filling itself and Naruto with a feeling of exhilaration. That taught naruto an important point. There needed to be a dividing line behind his mind and Kyuubi' mind; his emotions and those of the demon; etc etc.…

'Over there. Some things in your weight class. If they get in your way while you sniff things out, take them down with extreme prejudice.' Naruto and Kyuubi had caught sight of the other great demons. 'Listen up. No mistakes. The Toad, Slug, and Sand Spirit are friends. The Lizard, Bug, Spider, and Bird are enemies. Priority number one is to save the girl. Priority number two is to help the ones I told you were friends. Priority three is to kill any enemy we see. Got it?'

Kyuubi didn't answer verbally. Just the same, Naruto knew that the fox demon was going to behave this time. The first enemy that came in range was the Spider.

I HATE SPIDERS

'Go for it! Make it fast…'

Nine Tails ran until it reached a low crest of rock. Leaping, it landed hard on the dorsal surface of Tsuchigumo's abdomen, before the giant arachnid realized that it had a second foe. Reaching out and snapping its powerful jaws like a vice, the fox demon severed one leg at the coxa, while one clawed foot dug a huge wound on the cephalothorax. The Spider made a horrendous chittering noise and then spoke.

"RHAT? RHO? RY?"

Whirling at great speed, the invertebrate threw Kyubi off of its topside. Covered with a thick layer of silk, and moving somewhat slow due to the effects of venom, Gama Bunta jumped forward, dagger held high. Realizing its mistake, the spider blocked the thrust with one great weapon. But, that opened him to attack from the fox demon.

'Bite off another leg!'

NO. THEY TASTE REALLY BAD

Instead of using its jaws this time, Kyuubi spun and brought its tails around in succession, sweeping the spider off of its feet. The giant Toad slashed downward, severing another arachnid limb. The spider screeched in frustration.

'I said bite. There!'

The fox demon did as ordered. This time, he bit clean through one patella. The youma had chosen the limb holding the giant mace. But, Nine Tails was not omnipotent. It had been too overconfident, misjudging the Spider's speed. The sickle cropped one of its ears and just missed gouging out an eye.

IT DIES NOW

'Whoa… control….'

Naruto's words hung impotently in the mental air. Nine Tails was already in motion. He had chosen a risky attack, but one that relied as much on cunning as it did on brute force.

Tsuchigumo had already been slowed by its hard battle with the giant toad. Losing two more limbs didn't help. It was just a moment too slow in its reaction.

Kyubi jumped over it, but bounded back in its direction as soon as he landed. Turning on his back, he slid under the Spider. Reaching up, he took the pedicel into his mouth. The fangs couldn't reach him. If he could close his jaws entirely, he would sever the spiders abdomen from the cephalothorax.

The Spider was frantic, knowing it had to fight for survival. Too little, too late. Gama Bunta's dagger passed clean through it, right between the eyes. Angled, the great blade just missed Kyubi's jaws.

When the fox demon released its hold and stood up again, it watched the mortally wounded Spider disappear in a cloud of smoke. Then, holding the Toad accountable for the near miss, he turned and kicked a huge amount of dirt and rubble in Gama Bunta's face.

'Hey, he's a friend!'

HE'S NOT MY FRIEND

Before Naruto could think a reply, Nine Tails was off again. The fox demon roared with delight. He would prefer one on one battles, against foes that weren't already wounded. But, beggars can't be choosers!

Naruto found himself thrilled to be along for the ride. He wondered if Kyuubi could use its chakra for some kind of demon jutsus. That didn't matter at the moment, as long as the fox demon was successful and they finished things as quickly as possible. Kyuubi could enjoy the visceral nature of combat as long as they found Hinata in time.

'Bird at 12 o'clock.'

I HATE BIRDS. STUCK UP AND SELF-RIGHTEOUS. EVEN THOSE WHO CAN'T FLY

Kyuubi had his sights set on Tenguraicho now. The great bird was more fortunate than the Spider. It saw its doom approaching. Neck stretched out, it gave a shrill screech of frustration. Victory had been so close. Katsuyu had been too slow to keep up with it, now that it was older, wiser, and aware of the slimy creature's weaknesses. Tenguraicho was nevertheless a pragmatist. It abandoned the fight and took off running, even faster than fox demon had been moving earlier.

AHH-H-HH-HHH-HHHH-HHHHH-HHHHH. WE HUNT

Kyuubi sped in pursuit. Involuntarily, he slammed the brakes on, all four clawed feet grabbing purchase on the rocky ground.

'No… we… don't…' Naruto forced the great fox to stop. 'If the stupid thing comes back, you can do what you like to it. There are still creatures in battle. We need to help. And, the girl is still our top priority. Find that scent!'

Nine tails wasn't happy, but he obeyed. He had little choice. They headed back towards the front side of the mountain, catching sight of Shukaku. The Sand Spirit was in bad shape. It was lopsided and moving slowly. Huge areas of sand were sliding off. It's arms were both gone, leaving it only a massive tail and mouth. Its opponents were not in much better shape, but they had numbers on their side. The beetle was missing one wing case, two legs, and its antlers. Huge wounds leaked a grumous orange fluid. The gecko had little more than half of a tail left. One of its eyes was opaque. Blood covered its front legs. The angle of its mouth was indication of a broken jaw.

I HATE BEETLES. I ESPECIALLY HATE EXPLODING BEETLES. I HATE LIZARDS, TOO.

'Geez. Is there anything you don't hate?'

Closing, Kyuubi roared. That was too much for the Beetle. It didn't bother running. It terminated the summoning and left in a huge puff of smoke. The gecko ran up the nearby rock face, hanging downward, out of Shukaku's and Nine Tail's reach. The Sand Spirit tried to fire off a blast of air, but it was too low in energy.

"HA HA HA. LOOKS LIKE IT'S-S-S A DRAW, THEN."

The gecko's comment caused Kyuubi to growl, frustrated. Then it yipped, put its nose the ground, and began sniffing around.

Shukaku noticed the great fox, as if for the first time. Its battered face looked somewhat refreshed when it smiled.

"OOOOOOOOO-O-O-O-O-H. KITTY KITTY KITTY."

Nine Tails was too busy to take offense. It had important news. Hinata was nearby.

'Where?' Naruto felt as if he had stepped on a live wire. He was about to find Hinata!

IN THE DIRECTION THE LIZARD IS WATCHING. IT IS PREPARING TO LEAP. NO DOUBT IT HAS FOUND SAFER PREY

'What?' Naruto could guess who might be on that damn lizard demon's menu. Hinata, and anyone she might be with. Naruto thought furiously. Once again, a memory from training came to his rescue. 'You open to instruction, hair ball?'

IN WHAT?

Quickly, feeling that time was running out, Naruto explained how Kakashi had trained him to climb trees. With all the chakra that Kyuubi had, the might the fox be able to learn the same skill, if it didn't know it already.

'Let's do it!'

Kyuubi began gathering chakra at the bottom of his paws. As he did so, he kept his eyes on the gecko.

IT'S READY TO LEAP

'Go now!'Naruto felt ready to explode.

The Gecko's blind eye was on the side nearest the ground. That was a tactical error. The giant lizard did not think that it had anything to worry about in that direction. The fox demon ran at full speed, jumped from out crop to outcrop, leaped, and then began running up the vertical mountain face.

I FEEL MY GRIP GIVING WAY

Nine Tail's control wasn't good. Just before his jaws reached the gecko's neck, he lost all purchase and fell to the ground. He landed on all four feet, shaking with anger. But, the unexpected act had caught the gecko off guard, prompting an instinctual reaction. The great lizard barked, and then began running away from the perceived threat.

The upper part of the rock face not been loosened by one of Shukaku's earlier wind blasts. The structure gave way. Limbs moving frantically, the lizard could not find a stable platform to leap from. Falling straight towards the waiting jaws of Kyuubi, it chose to opt out of the summons. Nine Tail's mouth closed on smoke.

BUNCH OF COWARDS

'But, you still had fun, didn't you. Admit it!'

Naruto forced Kyuubi to take him in Hinata's direction. He fervently wished he was in his own form. The body he wore now might frighten her into some unfortunate action.

THERE

Naruto caught sight of the Hinata. She was with people he easily recognized: Temari, Kankurou, and Kakashi.

They were surrounded by the remnants of Akatsuki's ground forces.