Chapter 7:

Naruto and Shikamaru journeyed to Ayahuasca to speak with the kitsune of the mountain overlooking the town below. It was getting late in the day which meant they would be active soon. He knew the kitsune would recognize his scent and not turn him away.

On his shoulder, Naruto carried a bag full of food to give his friends as a gift. In his hand, he carried two small apples. At the base of the mountain on the other side of the steam sat two grave markers made of sticks and twinge. Naruto remembered erecting one as a teenager after retrieving the pelt of Seki and Reki's older brother and giving it a proper burial. Beside it sat the grave of a horse the kitsune called their friend.

Naruto knelt down before the two graves and placed an apple on top of each one. He paid his respects before standing and continuing the rest of the way with Shikamaru close behind.

They stood at the mountain's base and looked straight up. If the kitsune didn't want to be found, they wouldn't be found. They had many tricks to deter humans from their home. Even Naruto had to wait for permission to enter their home if he was not in kitsune form.

Kitsune had an excellent sense of smell. They probably smelled Naruto before entering the forest. From this distance, they would undoubtedly catch his scent and be down to see him shortly. All they had to do was wait.

Shikamaru looked around restlessly. Things were eerily quiet except for the birds chirping and fluttering away nearby. They couldn't hear the noises of the human town this close to the mountain, which meant any conversation they had would be private.

The sun was getting lower and Shikamaru was starting to grow concerned. "It'll be too dark to scale this mountain soon. Are you sure we shouldn't head up there ourselves? It is you, after all."

"I had to learn a lot of stuff about proper manners when dealing with people as Hokage. This is no different, even if they are my friends." Naruto lowered his head slightly, looking at the rocks gathered around the mountain's base. "I'm not a kitsune right now, so there are certain things I have to do if they are not around."

"Even an honorary kitsune has to follow certain protocols, huh?"

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. And if we want them to help us, we have to make sure we do things right."

Shikamaru nodded. "Agreed. No sense pissing them off now."

"Just think of this as us knocking. Even friends should tell each other when they arrive instead of barging in, right?"

Shikamaru chuckled. "You tell me. How many times did you stick your head in someone's window and get punched?"

Naruto smiled fondly at the memory.

His smile widened when he heard his friends' distinctive call from atop the mountain. The long howling of his name brought back such wonderful memories.

"Sounds like they know we're here," said Shikamaru.

The rocks on the mountain began to tumble as several furry feet came to greet them, racing down the mountain face as fast and swiftly as they could.

Naruto got down on all fours to greet his friends with nuzzles and laughs as they scurried around him in excitement. Shikamaru kept as still as possible as a few ran between his legs, brushing against him in greeting.

Naruto knelt on the ground before them, getting serious. "I have something important to discuss with Ryosuke."

The kitsune looked up the side of the mountain, indicating where their leader was located. Then a few of them smiled. "You know the rules, Naruto."

He nodded. "Unless he comes down, we have to go up. And since it's best if we go up, we have to look the part, don't we?"

Shikamaru blinked. "We?"

Naruto lowered his upper half to the ground, getting ready. If Naruto didn't have his head lifted, it would have looked like a position of apology. This, was something different, and something Naruto was looking forward to.

"Hit me with your best shot, guys."

One of the kitsune touched Naruto's back with his paw and he immediately began to change.

Shikamaru saw one coming towards him and he reflexively backed away. "Just a sec-" Another one sneaked behind and touched the back of Shikamaru's leg, changing him.

This was why Naruto remained on all fours. It wasn't just to give them a good target, it was because he was going to end up on all fours anyway. Naruto shook himself and stood proudly as a fox. Shikamaru toppled to his paws and sighed.

"Ok, Shikamaru. Remember your kitsune training? Up the mountain," Naruto told him.

Shikamaru sighed louder.

Climbing up a mountain with their ninja arts was no big deal, but climbing without them and having no thumbs was another matter. Though it would have been harder if he hadn't received kitsune training a few months ago preparing him for exactly this.

Naruto had embraced his training years ago and carried it with him no matter the form he took. Having climbed up and down this mountain as a teen was like honing his skills as an adult, making for a fun climb.

With the guidance of the kitsune, the two made it up the mountain and rested by the waterfall. Shikamaru dragged himself the rest of the way and flopped down in the grass beside Naruto. His friend chuckled and gave Shikamaru a nuzzle, enjoying the nostalgia before getting down to business.

Lifting his head, Shikamaru stared in awe of the creature moving towards them with five bushy tails, power and importance radiating off his magnificent form. It was always breathtaking to be in Ryosuke's presence but even more so from the perspective of a fox. For one thing, he was a lot bigger than they were in this form. They were the size of average foxes whereas Ryosuke was the size of a large dog. Shikamaru found himself looking up at him rather than down as he would have as a human.

"Something tells me this isn't a social visit," Ryosuke said with a light chuckle.

Naruto chuckled back. "Seems we're always getting together when things need to be done."

"Seems so."

The two stepped closer to one another, bowed their heads and nuzzled.

Ryosuke looked behind him at Shikamaru. "Good to see you as well."

Shikamaru nodded. "Wish it were under difference circumstances, but yeah."

Overcome with an urge to bow his head, Shikamaru did so before the leader of the kitsune, his status almost overwhelming. Before he knew it, Ryosuke was nuzzling him as well, greeting him as kitsune do to those they trust. Though he sensed Ryosuke's importance, this gesture helped put him at ease and feel more comfortable around him. He did not need to be so formal.

The kitsune surrounded them, watching.

Ryosuke walked away from the waterfall, signaling that he wanted the two to follow. He chose a spot and sat down, facing them. Naruto and Shikamaru followed and sat in front of him. The other kitsune did not move from where they were. This was no longer social and everyone present sensed that without the need of words.

"Why is it you've sought me out, Naruto?" Ryosuke asked. "It must be important, otherwise you wouldn't have come."

They had a mutual understanding not to appear before the other unless it was important, knowing one was extremely busy and the other did not want too much attention. If they ever came for a social visit, it was extremely brief and done so with great discretion.

Naruto swallowed, maintain eye contact with his kitsune friend. "It's Boruto. My son. He's been taken by a king and they want the impossible for his return."

Ryosuke paused only a moment before answering, feeling sympathy for Naruto while knowing there was nothing he could do. "Naruto… you know we can't interfere with human affairs. If a spirit had taken him, that would be different, but a human capturing a human is something we cannot meddle in."

"I know that," said Naruto. "And I wouldn't come here to use our friendship to persuade you to break your vows."

"Then why did you come?"

Naruto's face looked pained as he answered. "It's what they want in exchange. Kai. The same human who came here looking for you months ago."

"We recall."

"While Boruto was on his mission to rescue me, Kai took something from him meant for a spirit and ate it which turned him into an animal."

Ryosuke understood. "A human transformed by a spirit item cannot be remedied by human technology."

"Exactly," said Naruto. "That's why I came here. The king took my son and will only give him back if I can change Kai back into a human. But I cannot do that. I don't have that power."

Ryosuke looked at the ground. "Neither do we."

Shikamaru decided to speak, hoping he could prod an idea or inspire the kitsune in some way. "Naruto said you wouldn't be able to reverse it. But are you sure your curse ability wouldn't work? Take away the donkey form and give him a human one? Isn't that just as good?"

"We cannot. A kitsune curse does take something away from the creature we use it on, but what is altered depends on the skill level of the kitsune. Even an expert, however, would be unable to undo something another spirit has already inflicted."

"I thought that only applied for a kitsune being unable to curse someone who was already cursed by another kitsune," said Shikamaru. "You're saying it's for any creature, not just kitsune?"

Ryosuke looked at the ground. "It's difficult to explain. The best answer I could give would be yes and no."

Shikamaru knew he wouldn't be given a straight answer for something like this. It sounded like, if he had to compare it to something he would understand, how certain jutsu would be unable to affect another and how some could affect one shinobi but not the caster. Bloodline and skills, sheer willpower and seals. He supposed it would be like requesting a shinobi to use a technique only a bloodline user could do.

"But this wasn't a spirit, per se, but an item from the spirit realm," Shikamaru went on. "Is that the same?"

"Items from the spirit realm are tricky and don't always follow logic," said Ryosuke. "I, myself, have been venturing into the spirit realm in order to learn more about such things since kitsune do not use them. Therefore, we know little about it."

"This item," began Naruto. "Would it help if I told you what it was?"

"You said he ate it. Therefore, it must be food from the spirit realm."

Naruto nodded. "Uh-huh. A bag of rice."

Ryosuke sighed. "Food from the spirit realm will also be especially tricky, since we do not know much about its properties. Most spirits in that realm do not need to eat in the same way mortals do, able to sustain themselves by other means. There are those who do, but the food doesn't always do what you think it will. For others, the food is merely a gesture or a gift or a form of currency."

"If the rice was intended for a spirit and a human ate it…"

"Unless a spirit gives you food from their world willingly, it is best not to consume it," clarified Ryosuke. "Its unpredictability makes it dangerous. Eating food intended for another could have disastrous results for humans even in this world."

"Yeah, with people on special diets and allergies and people who hide medicine in food so kids will eat it," said Naruto. "But spirit food's a lot different, isn't it? No one knows what it could do to a person."

"Does it even matter the type of food?" Shikamaru asked Ryosuke. "The point is he ate something from the spirit realm. What he ate isn't important. But what about how he ate it?"

Naruto raised his brow at the fox version of Shikamaru. "What do you mean how?"

"It was intended for someone else. Remember what we talked about? If a random person ate it unknowingly, would the same fate have befallen them? Is it the fact that he ate it after being told not to? Because he pried it from someone's hands in a violent manner? Would any of this effect the results?"

Ryosuke shook his head. "It's hard to know. I'm sorry. All I know is that consuming food from the spirit realm unless given permission or having it given to you by a spirit doesn't bode well for the human."

"Would the manner effect the person's recovery?" he asked. "Like if it were an accident, or someone told them it would be ok and they believed them, making it a mistake. That versus a person taking it by force. The misunderstandings would be temporary and the violent actions require some redemption thing."

Ryosuke shook his head again. "I wouldn't know."

Shikamaru sighed. "The only other thing we can do is ask the spirit who provided it what we can do. But we don't know who that is."

"I do," said Ryosuke. "Boruto informed me after receiving it."

Naruto bowed his head low before Ryosuke. "Ryosuke, I know you don't mess with human problems, but this was something from the spirit realm. Please tell me that's in your territory. If not, I don't know where else to turn. Just please tell me something that will help me fix this."

If Ryosuke couldn't help him, Naruto hoped he would point him towards someone who could. If he couldn't even do that, he didn't know what to do from here.

"Help me get my son back."

Shikamaru glanced around at the assembled kitsune watching quietly from where they were, all willing to help but waiting for their leader's command.

He knew that these rules were in place for the kitsune's protection and protection of humans. If they helped with every single issue, humans would become dependent on them. Humans went to war over so many things. Believing a spirit was making their lives easier might prompt an enemy to try to take them for themselves. Spirits could be used as weapons of war or an excuse for one. At the same time, spirits such as the kitsune were unaware of certain human laws, many of which didn't make sense by their logic. Getting involved might make a human's life so much worse. Society might collapse around their decisions. For these reasons, the kitsune rarely got involved and Shikamaru couldn't blame them.

However, there was an exception to the rule. The kitsune agreed to get involved in the event that another spirit was a factor. Since humans could not easily defend themselves from such beings, the kitsune of the mountain have sworn to protect the humans from these creatures. After all, these were some creatures who did not understand that they were negatively impacting the humans simply by doing what came natural to them and others who sought to harm humans either for fun or a need for revenge.

A couple months ago, the kitsune got involved when Naruto was pulled into the spirit realm by an unknown creature believing the Nine-Tailed Fox within him was a kitsune that had become trapped.

Around the same time, one of the items discovered in King Nita's vault turned out to be a damaged spirit item that was causing portals from the spirit realm to randomly open, allowing unwitting spirits to enter their world and become confused. Most could not make it back on their own and required Ryosuke's help until the item was discovered and returned to the spirit realm where it was mended.

These were cases under which the kitsune had to become involved. Most humans didn't know or understood what was happening and were next to helpless.

Shikamaru knew this technically wasn't one of those times. There was no creature presently doing harm nor trying to cause it. The spirit item had been returned to the spirit realm and no human was mistakenly pulled into the spirit realm. The spirit item in question was food which had already been consumed and no longer in circulation for humans to eat by accident or intent.

They were just hoping that the fact that a human had been transformed by a spirit item was enough of a reason for the kitsune to get involved. It was a very small loophole but one nonetheless. Shikamaru and Naruto could only pray it was enough.

Ryosuke looked past Naruto at the setting sun, now only a sliver on the horizon.

"We're a myth in human eyes. The few who know the truth either respectfully distance themselves or seek us out for personal gain," he said. "In the past, humans would use us as an excuse for why certain events took place, like strange noises or disappearing socks."

Naruto didn't lift his head, keeping it bowed.

Shikamaru saw the look of contemplation in Ryosuke's eyes. He was trying to make a decision.

"Those are minor things humans now believe to be nothing more than superstitious nonsense," he went on, still facing the horizon. "A human transforming into an animal, however, is a lot harder to explain. And even harder to convince."

Because of his friendship with Naruto, Ryosuke had been exposed to things like jutsu, proving that even humans were capable of great things associated only with spirits at one time. He did not know where jutsu came from or who invented it, but imagined that at one time it was considered sorcery.

This may have explained why the humans didn't jump to spirits as a conclusion first, instead seeking out a shinobi. If most thought it was a shinobi's doing, their kitsune secret would be safe.

Getting involved wouldn't necessarily hinder that goal. However, the person who was transformed, Kai, knew this wasn't a ninja's doing. Once he returned to normal, he would spread the word to anyone who would listen. It would be harder to stop him from continuing his quest to reveal them and use them. Though, the last time he tried such a thing, few believed him. King Akio kept his word and, even while his only son and heir to the throne was threatened at knifepoint, never breathed a word of their existence, insisting the stories were all lore and nothing else.

It became a question of whether or not their involvement was worth it.

Even if most humans would ignore Kai's ramblings, he was dangerous, stooping as far as threatening to kill an innocent person just to get answers which may not exist. Kai would do less damage as a donkey.

If the kitsune were going to risk themselves for a human, it would not be him.

However, Boruto was still in danger.

This kind of ultimatum could not be ignored. Though, if Naruto hadn't known the cause of Kai's transformation, would he have come to the kitsune seeking help? What if this hadn't been a spirit item? If this had been anyone else, any other circumstance, could Boruto still be saved? Hope beyond their bonds and ability?

"If this hadn't been a spirit item and this king made this request, do you believe Boruto could be helped?"

Naruto lifted his head slightly at the question. He lowered it again, the weight of it too great for his long fox neck to support.

"You're asking if there's a way to do it without you?"

"I'm asking if it were anything," said Ryosuke. "Any human asking the impossible, spirit related or not. Would you come? If we did not know each other, what would you do in this situation? I know you've exhausted your other options and we are what's left. If we did not exist, if you did not know about us, what would you do?"

That was why he was here. He had no options. But then again, he knew this was a spirit thing. If he hadn't been aware, would he have come here?

What would he do as a human to help his son? His village?

Naruto found his strength and lifted his head. "For my family, I'd do anything."

Ryosuke smiled and moved closer to Naruto. "I know you would. So I will help you, my friend."

Naruto and Ryosuke touched foreheads, as if shaking hands, and the kitsune around them began to chatter and laugh, eager to help.

Shikamaru let out a sigh. Things no longer seemed as hopeless as before.

If Ryosuke had turned them down and had no information for them, the alternative was to either leave Boruto or break into the kingdom and take him back by force. Both had their risks and neither he nor Naruto wanted it to come to that, but Boruto's actions seemed to leave them with no alternative.

The support of the kitsune gave them options. Depending on what occurred with Ryosuke's involvement, perhaps things would actually go more smoothly than imagined.