A Kitsune Riding on My Shoulder

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I'm not likely to gain ownership of it at any point while writing this story. I'm not going to own it ever for that matter.

"Talking"

"Kyuubi"

'Thoughts'

(Break)

(Two Years Later) A/N: you know you've all been waiting for it! ; )

"Please Ichiro-niisan!" Naruto whined as he tugged on the older man's sleeve. He had grown very little over the two years but his appearance had changed completely. He was wearing black cargo pants and a navy blue t-shirt and his skin had lost the unhealthy pallor after spending countless days training from dawn till dusk.

"For the fifth time, no." Ichiro sighed in annoyance as he tried to brush his young charge away. "Katsu will only teach you if you meet all of the requirements, which you don't." His voice was kind but held an air that showed that he would not give in. "The more you train, the sooner he'll teach you. I can't let you train with him until you perfect kunai throwing with your right hand."

"But, I mean why do I need to practice with my right hand when I'm better with my left?" Naruto whined as he tried to convince his sensei. It was an old argument between the two of them that both refused to give up on.

"A ninja's strength is in their strategy, Kid." Ichiro quoted to his student "As long as your enemy thinks you're right-handed you hold an advantage. Once they know your secrets you lose that advantage. So go practice, Kid, and if you get good enough then I'll talk to Katsu about training you." Naruto nodded glumly in defeat and turned to leave the room and train. "Oh, and kid,100 laps around Konoha, I told you not to harass me about that." Naruto scowled as his sensei but knew that there would be no point in arguing.

"Hey, don't forget me!" Kyuubi called from her perch on the table. It wouldn't be the first time that she had been left in the same spot for hours on end.

"Sorry, Neko-chan." Naruto apologized as he grabbed the small container and fled from the room. Ichiro watched his student speed out of the room, when would he get over the whole Neko-chan thing? It couldn't be healthy for a kid his age.

(Break)

"Come on, Kid. Is that the best you can do?" Kyuubi encouraged as Naruto ran his 97th lap around Konoha. "You must be weaker than I thought. I'm not even tired yet." She taunted the exhausted boy.

Naruto could only manage to muster a weak glare as he continued his staggering pace. "Of course you're not tired. You're not doing any work. I'm the one that's running and all you do is make fun of me!" He would have continued his complaining but was forced to stop for lack of air.

"Well, the sooner you perfect your kunai throwing, the sooner you can do the fun stuff. You've already done 97 laps and it's not like anyone's watching you." Kyuubi offered the tired boy, "Just go work on your throwing skills right now. They'll never know." Naruto glanced down at Kyuubi in shock at that statement. Her red eyes gazed ahead of them but he knew that she was watching him.

"Well…" Naruto considered the idea as he slowed down to a jog. "It's not like Ichiro-niisan will know and it's only a few laps….." he glanced around as if expecting his current sensei to leap out of the bushes and reprimand him for skipping out on part of his work. Then, with one last paranoid glance around Naruto turned and jogged off to where his kunai throwing targets were.

Ichiro sighed as he watched his small charge run off in the opposite direction. He was doing surprisingly well in all of his areas except for kunai throwing. But that wasn't the real reason he wasn't moving on. "A good ninja always completes their missions…." He quoted as he watched his charge disappear into the forest. "Maybe you'll learn a couple things when you go to the academy kid, but for now you aren't ready to move on."

(Break)

"Did you have fun practicing kunai throwing today, Naruto?" Katsu questioned when he heard the door slam loudly. The sound was quickly followed by fast, small steps as Naruto scurried into the living room.

"Katsu-aniki!" Naruto yelled as he jumped at the older man. Katsu turned just in time to catch the small boy in a hug. "How was your mission, aniki?" Naruto questioned with wide innocent eyes. His lowered his voice slightly and leaned in, "Is it a secret, aniki? It's alright, you can tell me and I won't tell anyone."

Katsu laughed as he set the small child back on the floor, "Yeah right, Naruto. You'd tell the first person to offer you some ramen." Naruto pouted at the accusation but didn't deny it, he probably would and he knew it. "How was practice today?" Katsu changed the subject, unwilling to talk about his mission.

"Oh, it was great, aniki! I'm a lot better with my right hand and Ichiro-niisan says that if I get good enough you'll teach me! Will you? Please?" Naruto pouted to add effect to his begging making Katsu laugh at the adorable face that he made.

"Maybe after you go to the academy for a while, Kid." Katsu offered unable to give an outright 'no' to such an adorable face. "You start on Monday don't you?" Katsu changed the subject with ease and distracted the six-year-old's short attention span. "If you get good grades in all areas then I'll consider teaching you."

Naruto pouted at his sensei's words, "If I do good, you'll consider teaching me. You make it sound so impossible aniki." Katsu only laughed at the child's pessimistic attitude, making Naruto even surlier.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you eventually. Now go rest up, you're going to academy tomorrow and don't think that means that Ichiro will cancel your training. By the end of tomorrow you're gonna wish that you never decided to become a ninja or, come to think of it, that you were ever born." Katsu grinned evilly as he thought of the ways that his partner would train :cough cough: torture the young child.

"I'm not weak, Katsu-aniki. I can handle a little school along with my training." Naruto argued: offended at how his older 'brother' was treating him like a child. "Besides, I'm already ahead of all the other kids anyway cause I've had Ichiro-niisan teaching me for so long." He puffed up with pride as he imagined the looks on everyone's faces when he outclassed all of the other students.

"Don't be over-confident, Kid." Katsu warned, "You're not the only one that's had training before going to the academy. Some clans start teaching their children how to fight and use their bloodline limit as soon as they can walk. You won't have a chance against someone from a strong clan like the Hyuuga or that Uchiha kid if you piss them off. And if you act like that a student who's stronger than you might want to take you down a few notches." Katsu was really worried about how Naruto would be treated at the academy and if he acted like that it would only make the situation worse.

"Listen to what he says, Kid." Kyuubi advised from where she had been carelessly thrown on the floor, "You're a weakling and you wouldn't stand a chance against any of the other students there." Naruto tried not to be hurt by what the fox was saying but he knew that Neko-chan was his only true friend and whenever she said something it hurt him more than what anyone else said.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Katsu queried when he saw the Kid's face crumple in on itself. He hadn't said anything mean had he? No, he had just given the Kid a warning that was all, nothing to get depressed over.

Naruto turned to face his 'older brother', his face empty of the sorrow it had held seconds ago, "Nothing's wrong, aniki. I'm going to go to bed now. After all I've got to rest up for my big day tomorrow." With that he turned and left the room oblivious to the worry that he had caused to form in Katsu's mind and ignoring the desperate cries of Neko-chan.

"What? Don't leave me here! Come back here this instant!" Kyuubi was panicking; she didn't want to be left alone with that, that human. He seemed to get some sort of sick satisfaction out of torturing her for no reason at all. "I'm sorry! I take it back! I'll do anything, just don't leave me alone with him!"

(Break: Scene Change- The Hyuuga Mansion)

Hinata nervously fiddled with the bottom of her coat as she waited outside the door. Even though he had summoned her it was expected for her to wait until he called her in for her to enter the room. She didn't know why she had been summoned. She had not done anything wrong lately and while her skills as a kunoichi had been improving at a very slow rate it did not change the fact that she had at least improved some.

"Come in Hinata." A voice beckoned from inside the room, breaking her out of her pondering. Obediently she slid open the door and entered the room. Walking quietly and without grace she moved to stand in front of her father's desk and bowed slightly.

"You..c-call-ed fo-for me ot….-okoo..ya-sama?" She stuttered as she remained with her head humbly bowed in a show of respect. He hated stuttering and saw it as a sign of weakness. So as a result she tried to stutter as little as possible while in his presence. This, however, only resulted in making the issue worse.

"Yes, Hinata." He said in an emotionless voice as he set down the papers he was holding and turned to face his first child and heir. "There is something that I need to discuss with you." His face was stern and his posture stiff, showing that whatever he had to say she would not like.

"Y-yes, oto-.kooy..a-sama?" She stumbled over her words as she tried not to think about what he would yell at her for now. Whatever it was she just hoped that he would spit it out; her nerves couldn't take much more.

"Hinata," Her father started as he looked at his oldest child, "You are my heir, one day you will become the head of the Hyuuga family. You will need to be strong, independent and able to make important decisions on a moments notice." She had heard this speech many times before and could not think of why he would be giving it to her now. "You do not currently posses any of these necessary qualities, Hinata." Her father met her gaze and held it in his own until she gave up and dropped her eyes to the floor. "What I'm trying to say is you are too weak to be my heir as you are now."

Hinata could not hold back her surprise at what her father was saying. Surely he wouldn't disown her? She was only six years old! 'But' a voice in the back of her mind whispered 'He doesn't need you anymore does he? He's got Hanabi now so why would he keep a weakling like you around?' Hinata furiously shook her head, denying the truth of that statement. She had to be wrong!

"But do not worry, Hinata" Her father said in what would have been a comforting manor if his voice hadn't been completely emotionless. "I have found a solution to your problem. It is dangerous and complicated but when it's all over with, it will be worth it. You will live up to the Hyuuga name yet, Hinata." He then waved his hand in a dismissive motion, showing that he was done with her. "Now, leave. I will prepare the ceremony and call you when it is ready. And finally my heir, you will feel true power."

Hinata walked out of the room as fast as she could without breaking out into a run. When she was out of the range of her father's Byakugan she broke out in a dead run, her father's voice echoing in her head.

'-solution to your problem-'

'-feel true power-'

'-live up to the Hyuuga name-'

'-are too weak-'

'you are too weak'

'YOU ARE TOO WEAK'

And suddenly, as Hinata dashed through another abandoned hallway she realized something. She would do it. No matter how dangerous it may be she would be willing to put everything on the line for this chance. She would show the world exactly what it meant to be a Hyuuga. She would show the world that she was not a weakling or a coward. She was a Hyuuga.

And Hyuuga is a name to be feared.

lalalala doo doo deed um REVIEW! REVIEW!

Polls-

So I'm gonna write Hinata into the story for now. If you don't want that pairing now's your chance! Review!

Naru/kin- 7

Naru/Kyuubi- 9

Naru/Hinata- 16

Naru/ino- 4

Naru/Tenten- 1

Naru/anko- 1

None- 1