Chapter Six

The next morning, before the nine kitlings woke up for their morning breakfast, Tazuna called his daughter and grandson to tell them the sad news. Naruto was taken back to the village.

"We have to act like he has gone on a business trip and that he'll be gone for a few weeks. We mustn't say anything else beside that so to not arouse suspicion all right."

"But grandpa, won't they notice something when he doesn't return…" Inari said, Tsumani knew her son was very protective of Naruto Nii-san and his new friends kits. It was sad to know that Naruto wouldn't possibly return and they all knew it by heart. And the children would be growing up without their father.

Sadly, Tazuna nodded. "Yes but we'll have to pretend and possible make up fake letters and somewhat to keep them distract. In the meantime, we must never let them know of where their father gone. Is that clear?" They all nod their heads and silence was the only thing left in that room as they heard the rooster crowing and the stirring of the little children waking up, yawning and scurrying down the stairs.
There they were, all nine kitlings, cleaned and dressed. Most were awake while others were still in the beak of waking. Ramne rubbing his eyes sleeply while Kagura held her Kyuubi doll in one arm. The children stared blurry eyed at the group sitting at the table. But they noticed someone amissed.

Kagura looked up at them there sitting at the table. She asked the dreaded question that all the adults had been waiting with to tell the lie that had to come.

"Grandpa, where's papa? Where's he?"

"WHAT!" The children all exclaim as their grandfather explain the news of their father's urgent trip he had to do and would be gone for a week or two.

"He'll doing business in a far country that wanted some details and blueprints on a new bridge for us to make and since grandpa so old, Naruto volunteered to go and report to them." Tazuna said as the children stared questioning this sudden news. Hana looked at him suspicious.

His waves were off, so were Aunt Tsumani and Inari, something they weren't telling them.

"But why didn't papa tell us this if he was going to leave so soon." Diaya asked, as the rest of her brothers and sisters nodded, wanting to know. If dad had know to leave on business, wouldn't he have told them first before. That what he usually did when he left. Tazuna sighed, he had better think of something quick to stop them from questioning. Before he had a chance to speak, Yondaime rose up from his seat and slammed his fist in the table.

"You're hiding something!" He yelled, staring accusingly at the three people across from them. "Dad would never leave without telling us something. Especially for some stupid business trip!"

"Yondaime that's enough! Your father will return home just as always so don't be saying such nonsense." Tazuna said as he glared at him, but he knew that the boy spoke the truth and what Tazuna said was a lie.

A lie he could not hide.

Naruto had always, in the last five years told them of where he was going and when he would return, leaving the children assured that he would safely return. The children would be waiting on the day of his return and then on the wayward path he return, he would come smiling and saying with a big grin on his face before the children jumped all over him. "I'm home…"

I'm home…not anymore.

Not anymore. He might not return and the children were figuring it out for themselves.

"Liar." Someone whispered and it turned out to be Kagura who had tears streaking down her cheeks and her sisters rushed to her side as she started to cry. She wept bitterly in Hana's shoulder, wailing as loudly like a lost cub without a mother.

Which they were...their dad was gone.

Haku stared at the two adults and before anyone had time to stop him, he got up and ran right out the door without saying a word.

"Haku!" Naruko cried and she quickly broke away from her sisters and raced after him, without turning to see her brothers and sister all crying at once.

Haku was crying, he didn't know before he felt too tired and was breathing rapidly when he reached Haku's and Zabuza's grave. He fell on his knees in front of his namesake altar and this time he could feel them. The sadness, the anger, the feeling of being torn to bits as he realized that his worst fear had come too soon. He had failed to stop whatever had happened to his father and that he was gone.

'But you don't know, Tazuna might have said what was truth, father might have—'

"Shut up, shut up. That was a damn lie. A lie!" He covered his black Kitsune ears, wishing not to hear those words repeating in his head, but they rung, teasing and mocking. 'Daddy's gone…he left you and everyone here…he'll be back like always…'

"No more!" He slammed his fist in the soft earth and felt the slightest vibrate of charka from his own and his demon blood. Just when he was feeling his shaking arm back in control, he heard his name was being called.

"Haku." He turned and saw Naruko, his older sister and she was walking over towards him as she sat on the cold ground too beside him.

"…I know what you're feeling. I didn't like that Grandpa Tazuna had lied and daddy might be well…" She couldn't say them or less believe what she was trying to say to soothe her brother. The only thing she could do was bring her brother close to her and embraced him tightly, afraid that if she was to let go her brother might disappear in front of her and if the others did too. She was supposed to be brave, just like everyone in their family, just like papa.

But they all had fears and right then they were afraid a lot for their father. She felt Haku's shoulder moving up and down, struggling as his tears stained on his sister's clothes. "It's ok, just let it out…It's ok I feel your pain." She said rubbing his back assuring as he cried and she too when tears fell from her cheek down her face to her brother's ebony hair.

'Father where could you be…why did you have to leave.' She closed her eyes and felt the wind blew coldly in her face. The wind carried the scent of the cool morning dew in the air, the smell of the fir in the trees and her father's warm sweating…

Wait their father's! Their father's scent was here and it was still here and…there was something else she sense. She sniffed the air lightly, catching whatever trace her father was and found another's. Another man. A stranger. A stranger had been with her father.

"Naruko?" He was asking questioningly before he too caught father's and a strange scent in the air. It was strange yet familiar.

Familiar…

strange…

A familiar stranger's scent?

It was too hard to tell what it was exactly before he could recall easily. He let go of his sister and bit deep into one of his finger and quickly made a few symbol like their father taught and hitting the ground.

"SUMMON NO JUTSU!" A poof of smoke and from the smoke was a small black fox with blue-black eyes and blue markings on the tips of his ears and tail.

"Yo Haku." The Kitsune demon said. One of the many children unique technique was their ability thanks to Kyuubi's blood and power, they had been able to create their own self beings in the form of fox demon. So whenever they wanted, they could summon their very own fox demons.
"Hi Kori (1)." Haku said as he heard a poof behind them and saw his sister summon her demon, Ryoshi (2). The demon was a golden-red fox with gold eyes and blood red tips like Kori's.

"What's up that you have wished to summon us?" Ryoshi questioned, she sense her mistress was trouble along with her other half's brother. Both Haku and Naruko explained to their fox demons what it was and asked them to smell the air, to detect the strange scent.

"The scent is kinda gone but we'll do are best." Both foxes started sniffing the ground around the perimeter and then Kori looked over at his other self. "It's familiar I think. Smells like…tobacco…sake…and peeping women."

"Great so it's some kind of smoking, drinking, pervert guy that was here with dad." Haku and Naruko and the family knew a lot of people who smoke and drank but pervert…

Haku recalled something, or should he say someone. "Hey wait a minute, pervert, does he seem to smell really old like in his fifties or sixties, has some kinda wart on his face and smells faintly like a toad."

Kori nodded, "Yeah. I think that about summon it." Naruko looked at her brother and she saw that his face was now tighten in anger and his fist clench shaking. "You know somebody?"

"No, well sorta of, we found him unexpected and I think he might have taken dad."

"But why?" She wondered why somebody would want their dad. Haku shrugged his shoulder. "Don't know, but I'll tell you one thing, I'm going to go after them and bring dad back!"

"I'll go with!"

"No!"

"Why not!" Haku didn't want to think of how he should he should say she couldn't just leave, but before he could speak, someone else spoke.

"We're going with you too!" The two turn and saw Yondaime along with their other brothers and sisters who had heard parts of what had been said. Yondaime stood proudly like a leader as he said, "If you two think we'll let you go without us, you got another thing coming."

"Yeah we want to go find father too as much as you guys do!" Iruka said and Diaya nodded. "There's no way we'll let you take all the glory of bringing dad home."

"Yeah and I want to kick the old fart's ass for taking father!" Ramne and Saru piped in. Hana nodded and said eerily, "I shall punish him with my most severe waves…making him wish he was dead…" Hana's eyes turned dark and emotionless and everyone took a step away from her.
Kagura looked at the rest of them.

They were all going to go help find papa, they were all in this together.

"I'll Help too!" She said. Everyone looked at her completely shocked at hearing her speak out too. "But Kagura, are you sure? This could be risky and we are all going have to be…"

"Strong I know." She said quietly but lifted her head up as she thought of her father.

Father's smile, father telling her that she would be one day strong. She would for his sake. "I'll going to help too no matter what, I will. I won't let papa be left behind."

"Alright the nine kits are going on their first mission. Mission 'Save Daddy from Stinking Frog Pervert'! is now set." Yondaime said, lifting his hand in victory.

"But when are going to do it, where do we know where to go?" Some question but some knew the answer. Their foxes could smell the trail that was fading slowly but a demon's had stronger senses and would be capable of following. Yondaime gave everyone his vulpine grin before he said, "We'll leave tonight. When everyone's asleep. Everyone pack what's necessary and for today pretend everything's fine. Understand?"

Everyone agreed and Yondaime gave them certain orders to follow which some would go to town, buying supplies while others pack home.

Tonight their first ever mission was going to be setting out into a new world and bringing their father back.

Blue Kitsune: Hope you enjoy this chapter as I had been having writing block for this baby for some time. ;; But anyways I getting it updated and hoping to write a new chapter soon. Please read and review.

Note: The fox demons that Haku and Naruko summoned is special because due to them being part fox and their father carrying Kyuubi which made them part demon is a special trait that allows their 'other self' to appear in demon form

1) Kori: Ice. Haku's (Kohaku, his full name) fox demon is more of ice and certainly like Haku which will be in later chapters when his special jutsu appears

2) Ryoshi or Ryoko (whichever I or you decide on): Huntress. Naruko and Yondaime are both very powerful and it would seem wrong as Yondaime's and the others shall come later. Ryoko's is much like Kyuubi in a way with her powers, so watch out with Naruko with Ryoko! Maybe I'll name Yondaime's fox Yoko just to make it cool. Ryoko-Yoko