Makokam: in Japanese folklore, there is no difference between kitsune and regular foxes. In legends, all foxes possess power, they're all classified as spirits; they just have to live long enough to develop their abilities (and also, I assume, their intelligence). Most kitsune like to play tricks, but they can be helpful as much as harmful. In my fics, I tend to assume that Kyuubi is called a demon and not a spirit because he is a nogitsune, that is, a kitsune who actively seeks to harm people. In other words, he was born a common fox the same as everyone else. :p
Jacob: Naruto is sharing his sense of smell, in return he gets a greater sense of smell -- but he's still the one who has to deal with it. And he wasn't raised to think that trash smells good. Now maybe inside him Kyuubi is happily rolling around in an imaginary dumpster, but Naruto himself doesn't like it. :D
It's summer and he's lonely.
They haven't gotten a lot of missions, and they're all D or C rank, because the Council members are all old idiots who prefer the traitor and the demon to have too much time on their hands than do something honestly useful. And Team Seven's request to participate in the chuunin exam was denied. Maybe next year. Yeah, right.
Sakura-chan left with her parents. A whole month without her, and while they've spent longer than that not seeing each other, he still doesn't like knowing that she's so far away. Out of reach. She's not supposed to leave town (his hunting grounds).
Sasuke is moving out of his old place and into a new flat -- and he doesn't want any help. Naruto isn't that clumsy; he could be helpful. But it's like Sasuke wants Naruto's presence in his new place even less than in his old one -- Naruto only knows the address because he followed him once. It feels like a negation of their tentative, slowly-healing not-quite-friendship.
Kakashi-sensei's taking quick solo missions. Iruka-sensei's doing the mission assignment gig full-time. Konohamaru is forced into summer lessons by his closet pervert of a teacher, and the guy doesn't want Naruto hanging out with them -- they distract each other.
He hangs out with Hinata and Kiba and Shino, when they're in town, when they're not participating in the exam. He fights with Kiba a lot -- stupid dog always bossing him around. Hinata -- he's aware that she wants him, her scent spikes whenever he goes shirtless and he might be oblivious to visual and behavioral clues, but scent doesn't lie. Kiba is aware too. Kiba is jealous, and they fight even more, but in the end he grudgingly, nobly gives Naruto his wordless benediction. Naruto is tired of the group dynamics. He wants his own group back -- he fits there better. Hinata is nice and pretty and brave when she's not busy stuttering away, but she wears Shino's and Kiba's imprint too deeply -- just like Sasuke and Sakura wear his. Besides, he's not yet ready to let go of his crush on Sakura.
It doesn't stop him from fantasizing about doing both Hinata and Sakura together, but hey, he's a teenager.
The fantasies don't stop the loneliness, but waking up on Iruka-sensei's roof does, because he always invites Naruto in for breakfast.