I'm a roll today and you guys are in some serious luck, I'm able to do a double post today. Hope you enjoy this little chapter because this is the end of the slow mostly explanitory stuff. The rest from here is almost all action, and Naru/Hina. Enjoy!

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Kyuubi"

(Standard Disclaimer)

Chapter 5: Mind Games

True to his word Kyuubi began to teach Naruto how to work his body and what it could really stand up to. However, Kyuubi found that teaching Naruto during the day was a great risk to the boys health due to the almost constant challenges from the dogs of the home. Most of the time they were fended off by Midori, much to Naruto's dismay, but sometimes he had to run for his life.

Kyuubi had found a way to teach Naruto that would still allow the boy to have a normal sleep schedule. Naruto would spend his days avoiding the dogs and the miscellaneous villagers who were out for his blood and at night Kyuubi would teach him through his dreams. Kyuubi first taught Naruto a few things about kitsune illusions and how to preform them without seals. Naruto picked it up as quickly as he did everything else and soon he found hiding in an illusion came naturally to him as expected in the body of Kyuubi.

He even used the illusion to meld with a tree so well that he nearly gave Kiba a heart attack when he 'disappeared' for a whole day. Moving on, Naruto was also told by Kyuubi to find that, 'lazy smart ass' and hopefully get something from him in the art of improving the mind because he could only teach so much to the boy.

That is where we join Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru, on their way to find that 'lazy smart ass'.

"How hard can it be to find Shikamaru, look for a Shogi board and there he is," Naruto yipped in frustration. They had just spent the last few hours looking for Shikamaru but the lazy Chunnin seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Kiba sighed and said, "Naruto, I hate to break this to yah but I have a mission today so I have to get going soon. That leaves you without protection and for all we know that's what the villagers are waiting for." In reality the past few days keeping Naruto in his home hadn't been as bad as he thought, even his sister and mother had been convinced that Naruto was just painted in a bad light by everyone.

That doesn't mean that they wanted him to stay that just meant they could stand him. However Kiba was a bit concerned, he saw how the villagers glares at Naruto had grown worse and more open and how he hated lying to his friends, save for Shino and Hinata, where Naruto was. Tsunade had come up with the excuse that Naruto had left on a long term mission with Jiraiya and his return time was unknown.

Many found it suspicious but they figured that was Naruto for you. Kiba however was convinced that this fox that he had taken home was in some serious trouble if he was left alone. Then again in the past when Kiba had to leave Naruto turned and went home without so much as an argument.

"You go ahead on your mission, I got this covered," Naruto yipped as he sped up his pace expecting Kiba to just drop off and go on his mission. "No," Kiba said as he reached down and grabbed Naruto with the scruff of his neck, "you're going home and that's that. We can't risk you getting your little fox head sliced off, no matter how empty it is."

Naruto sighed and turned his head to look at Kiba out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry Kiba but I can't have you stopping me," with that and a puff of smoke, Naruto turned into a log and somewhere a small kitsune disappeared into the village. "Oh shit," Kiba said to himself as he went searching for the golden fox.

Naruto raced through the town square eliciting plenty of screams of terror and death threats but at that point he didn't care, he needed to find Shikamaru ASAP. He paused for a brief moment to check his search route when he heard something very familiar, "E-excuse me."

'Hinata!' Naruto thought as he headed right for the sound of the stuttering shy girl. He hopped and ran as fast as he could toward her timid voice and welcoming arms. He smiled as he laid eyes on her exiting an herbal medicine shop and he put himself into high gear just to get to her faster.

However, unlucky for him a hand reached down from the sky and plucked him from the ground by his tails and neck. "You bastard fox," Growled the burly man as he gripped Naruto's throat tighter to keep him from yipping out an emergency to Hinata or anyone around. "You not only come back to kill us all but you want to start with the Hyuga heiress, I'll put your head on a mount," growled the man as he began to squeeze harder.

Naruto's breaths came in short gasps and they quickly ceased all together when the man began to crush his wind pipe. His vision was getting blurry and he was beginning to feel light headed, this was surely the end.

Suddenly the man went limp, dropping Naruto and falling backwards in a heap. Naruto landed on the body of the man to cushion his own fall. Shaking the cobwebs from his brain and taking in deep gasps of air he looked to his savior only to see the mans single visible black eye engrossed in a book with a big red 'no' sign on the back.

"Naruto, you should learn to be more careful," came the mans smooth voice as his eye crinkled up, the only indication he was smiling under that mask of his. Naruto grinned up at the one and only Hatake Kakashi. "Now I know you can't talk so I'll say what I have to and be on my way. Got a road of life to get lost on," Kakashi said as he began with what happened after Naruto had 'disappeared'.

Apparently Sakura had taken it a bit hard but like with everything in life she could deal with it. Jiraiya had been confused that his seal was broken but figured if the kid had the fox demon by the balls the situation was under control. Kakashi had been worried himself for Naruto's welfare but dealt with it like he always had, read his Icha Icha Paradise while giggling to himself.

"Ok, now that you're caught up, the Hyuga girl just got down the street. That WAS who you were after right?" Kakashi said with a slightly sly tone only causing Naruto to look away with a slight blush under his fur and grimace on his lips. "Well go improve that mind or whatever, later Naruto," with those final words Kakashi had disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Naruto to chase after Hinata.

After some searching and leaping past screaming people Naruto successfully made it to Hinata who responded to his presence by blushing and stuttering out a good morning. Naruto responded in his now usual way, looking at her with a foxish smile thinking why when she smiled at him it made him feel weird then filing it away with eating something expired.

"G-good morning N-Naruto-kun. W-what are y-you doing in t-the village t-today?" Hinata asked politely as Naruto thought. 'Hm...how to tell her I'm looking for Shikamaru,' Naruto thought until he came up with an idea. He used one of his three tails and quickly drew the word, 'troublesome' in the loose dirt of the ground.

Hinata was confused for a few moments until it rung a few bells in her head. "O-oh...Shikamaru?" she asked and Naruto nodded with a relieved smile. "I'll help Naruto-kun," Hinata said amazingly getting through one sentence without a stutter.

Hinata walked alongside Naruto as they searched the town for Shikamaru but it didn't help that Hinata had her mind on other things. She kept thinking that she would rather have Naruto, 'He must hate it in that house, with all the dogs trying to bite his head off,' She thought, 'He'd be treated at least a little better at the Hyuga compound. I even have the perfect collar for him.'

After some thought on Naruto's half he led her from the crowded streets of Konoha to the foothills that resided near the training areas of the village. 'Now where is he,' Naruto thought, 'if he's anywhere he has to be around here.'

As if on cue Naruto spotted a dark spot on the horizon walking toward them. This shadowed person walked in the same lazy and bored way that let Naruto pick him out of a crowd of three million. 'Shikamaru!' Naruto thought as he headed for the lazy ninja leaving Hinata to catch up.

Shikamaru looked up to see a golden fox and the Hyuga heiress heading his way and his only thought was, 'how troublesome.' Naruto pranced up to Shikamaru and began yipping his head off forgetting that no one could understand him. Shikamaru stared at the fox with a completely unreadable look on his face.

"Naruto, will you please shut up," Shikamaru said which caused both Naruto and Hinata to freeze. "Yeah I know it's you for two reasons. One this two hundred plus I.Q. isn't for show and two," Shikamaru paused as he looked up to the clouds with a bored expression, "the Hokage wants me to help you so here are some scrolls you'll want to get."

After getting over the initial shock of having Shikamaru already know Hinata took down notes of what Shikamaru said. "Remember Naruto, you have to be in tune with your body, mind, and soul to achieve anything. At least that's what the theory is. Now go away, before your troublesome interruption I was having a very nice day," Shikamaru said shooing the two away so he could look at his clouds.

After getting the necessary items Hinata walked Naruto to Kiba's house just in time to get Naruto's head throughly chewed off by both Kiba and Tsume. After being screamed at to no end Naruto bit farewell to Hinata and took his scrolls to his and Kiba's room to study.

Two weeks later after dark when everyone's asleep:

Naruto sat in the darkened hallway of the seal with Kyuubi sitting directly in front of him their eyes locked on each other and not moving. Kyuubi smirked and raised his third tail, taking a small Shogi piece and moving it just right. "Your move kid," Naruto stared at the board with what would seem to others as a blank look but by now Kyuubi knew it was a look of planning.

The boy had improved over the two weeks he had been training in his mind. To be truthful he had never expected the boy to catch on so quick but then again he should have expected it since the boy did master the Rasengan in an unholy amount of time.

It also helped that the boy had a sort of 'motivation' from a certain person who visited whenever she wasn't on a mission. Naruto had resolved to himself, in what he thought was private, that he would gain five tails just so he could walk around with her in public without drawing to much attention.

Kyuubi found it admirable in some aspects and dumb in others but he thought as long as the kid got his tails that's all that mattered. Kyuubi figured even if this kid only got five tails no one was going to be able to stop him, just think if he got nine.

Naruto slowly raised his tail and made a quick move. When that had happened Kyuubi knew the game was his, oh well the boy tried. Kyuubi made his move but at the last second saw something he had not expected. Naruto had just lured Kyuubi into a trap. Naruto grinned and began carrying out his plan. Kyuubi smirked, 'Yeah this kid's a miracle.'

"Kid, do you remember the last lesson from your scroll of Zen?" Kyuubi asked as he made a move to stop the boys assault. "Yes Kyuubi-sensei, it was 'The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dew drop on the grass,'" Naruto said moving his piece to run interception. Kyuubi glowed a bit at the thought of him being a teacher but digressed and moved his piece spelling the end for the boy.

"And the meaning was..." Kyuubi asked with a confident smirk. Naruto tilted his head to the side and moved his overlooked piece completely toppling Kyuubi's offense and assuring him the game. "Something with such incredible insignificance often holds the greatest value," Naruto said with a smile as Kyuubi stared at the Shogi board in disbelief. All because of one piece he had lost the game.

Kyuubi took a few moments but then he softly began to chuckle, this chuckling grew in his throat and in moments he was letting out a loud hearty laugh. "Ah kid...you're on your way," Kyuubi said as he calmed his laughter. "Thank you Kyuubi-sensei, can you teach me some jutsu now?" Naruto asked eager to learn jutsu from the eons old demon.

Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh and say, "Sure, tonight I'm going to teach you something that is absolutely necessary for you to be the king of the kitsune." Kyuubi paused watching Naruto sit on the edge of his fox butt. "You're going to learn fire."

On the very edge of Konoha stood two figures, their dark cloaks hiding them from prying eyes as they walked along the city walls looking for their way in. They both wore wide brimmed hats and large black cloaks with red clouds embroidered on them. The taller one of them had strapped to their back a large mostly flat creation that was held in place by bandages that completely covered the item.

The shorter of the two kept his hands deep in his pockets but if one were to see his hands they would be fidgeting and they were right to do so. They had heard some odd information coming from this place, they just had to check it out.

"Itachi, you sure that story's true? I mean the kid can't just turn into the fox right?" the larger of the two asked in a rough voice but he received no answer. 'Soon nine tails..' Itachi thought as he found the hole in the walls defenses and used it to it's fullest. 'Soon the Akatsuki will take hold of you...'

End Chapter

Ooo...suspense. I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews and support with this story. Hope you enjoyed.Well for all those who want a taste of what is to come...

Kisame looked down at Itachi who muttered only one thing, "he's all yours..." At this Kisame grinned with demonic intent and drew his blade, Samehada, into the fray. "Hear that kid, it's you against me," Kisame paused as he took a few practice swings with his blade, "try to make this interesting ok?"