The Family She Never Had
Naruto is the property of Kishimoto and Tensura belongs to Fuse.
"So, what are we going to do about this thing?" thought Naruto as she looked around at the dome of light surrounding Veldora, "It does make me feel bad knowing my friend's been stuck here for 300 years."
"You…" said Veldora as a strange kindness that didn't seem like it belonged there appeared in his eyes.
"Please, don't try giving me those eyes," thought Naruto as she recoiled slightly, uncomfortable at Veldora's gaze, "It creeps me out."
"If you have a way to get me out, I'd appreciate it," said Veldora as he reared up on his hind legs and folded his front ones before turning away, "Th-The thing is… I wouldn't have lasted another 100 years before my magic would've run out. I keep losing more and more magicules."
"So, that's why this cave is so full of magicules and there are so many valuable herbs and ores," thought Naruto as she examined the herbs and ores that littered the are before looking back to Veldora, "What happens if your magic runs out?"
"It not a big deal," remarked Veldora casually, "I'll just die."
Naruto faceplanted into the ground with that answer but let out a heavy sigh. She went up to the Unlimited Imprisonment, touching it with her paw. It felt odd on her paw pad before she attempted to use Predator. Five seconds later, the smoke her paw had returned to solid form.
Failure.
"See," argued Veldora, "I told you it's useless."
Naruto ignored him then went over several ideas with Great Sage. This greatly upset Veldora.
"Hey!" he shouted, "Don't just keep talking to your skill!"
Naruto, again, ignored Veldora while Great Sage went over several more ideas. After a couple minutes, Naruto made a decision.
"It's only a possibility, but she says if we can analyze the Unlimited Imprisonment from both inside and out, we might be able to remove it," informed Naruto to the Storm Dragon.
"I see," commented Veldora before he realized the problem there, "But I can't analyze it from the inside. My skills were sealed along with me so I can't use them."
"If you just give me the data, I can analyze it from out here," explained Naruto calmly.
"But that would take some time," reminded Veldora as he hunched over Naruto, "Are you sure you want to stay in here that long?" he then recoiled back and averted his gaze, "W-Well, not that I mind, but…"
"Good point," acknowledged Naruto, "While I'm here, I would like to look for those from other worlds."
"I see," said the crestfallen Storm Dragon.
"So, here's what I propose," thought Naruto calmly, getting Veldora's undivided attention, "Want to get in my stomach?"
This caused Veldora to pause, not believing what he was hearing. Naruto began to sweat, not really as he was in a vulpine body, and quickly relayed what Great Sage was telling him.
"I'll use my skills, Predator and Great Sage, to analyze Unlimited Imprisonment while you try to destroy it from the inside," thought Naruto as an image of Veldora breathing fire against the barrier from the other side popped into her head, "You'll be quarantined in my stomach, so you won't disappear. What do you say?"
Veldora began laughing, causing Naruto to quickly cover her ears with Veldora stopping when he noticed this.
"That sounds interesting!" exclaimed Veldora, a small chuckle escaping as he said this, "Do it! I entrust my entirety to you."
"Are you sure you want to believe me that easily?" questioned Naruto as she almost face planted again.
"Of course," confirmed Veldora, "It sounds more fun to break through the Unlimited Imprisonment together than to wait here alone until you come back!"
"Sounds good!" thought Naruto excitedly.
"Before we start, I'll give you a name," stated Veldora plainly, "You can give me one too."
"Huh?" questioned Naruto, not understanding what Veldora was getting at.
"It will engrave onto our souls the fact that we are equals," explained Veldora as he stood up on his hind legs, "It'll be what humans call a "family name," but the name I give you will grant you divine protection. You are still nameless, so you'll become a monster with a name."
"A monster with a name?" thought Naruto as she looked away, concerned about this, "I've gone by Naruto for so long that it'll be weird to use something else. A good name for Veldora…"
She thought hard about this. It wasn't like she could just name him after something from her world. She wanted a unique name and it wasn't like she was good at giving names. She remembered when she had told Sakura about the names of her children in her old life and remembered Sakura sarcastically telling her that the names were "creative". She thought about Veldora's title as the Storm Dragon and started going from there.
"I've got it!" she thought joyfully, "Tempest! What do you think of Tempest?"
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Veldora, "TEMPEST, YOU SAY?!"
"Volume!" thought Naruto as she held her ears flat against her head.
"AS OF TODAY, I'M VELDORA TEMPEST!" declared Veldora, ignoring Naruto.
"I'm glad you like the name," thought Naruto as she struggled to get the ringing out of her ears, "But I think you may have made me gone deaf."
"And I will grant you the name of "Kushina"," stated Veldora to Naruto, who froze.
"Kushina…" thought Naruto, unsure of the name as it had been her mother's in her previous life.
"Something wrong?" questioned Veldora when he heard the feelings behind Naruto's thoughts, "Do you not like the name?"
"Oh, no," denied Naruto, "It a great name, but…" the young kitsune got a little choked up about now as a lump entered her throat, "In my previous life, my mother's name was Kushina."
"Ah," acknowledged Veldora as he nodded, "That is a problem."
"I found out she died protecting me the day I was born in my previous life," explained Naruto, "But she's perhaps the strongest woman I've ever known. I may not be comfortable with it but I'm sure it'll grow on me."
"Tell me, young kitsune," beckoned Veldora, "What was your name in your past life?"
"It was Naruto," replied Naruto confidently.
"Very well," said Veldora, "Your name shall be Kushina Tempest. But the name Naruto Tempest will also be there should you feel you no longer are comfortable with your first name."
"Kushina Tempest," thought Naruto before she felt something growing inside her rapidly.
It almost felt like something was about to explode inside her and she couldn't contain it. In an instant, Naruto, or rather, Kushina assumed a smoke-like form before reforming, looking the same as she did before but with two tails instead of one.
"What was that?" she questioned Great Sage.
Answer.
The engraving of a name has allowed the now named Kushina Tempest to evolve into a Stage 2 Kitsune.
"Stage 2?" thought Kushina with a raised eyebrow.
Kitsune are classified into different stages based off the number of their tails. 1 is the initial stage while 9 is the highest stage.
"I see," thought Kushina as she wagged her two tails, "But I haven't grown in size," she then took a deep breath and gazed up at Veldora, "I am… Kushina Tempest."
"Kushina," stated Veldora calmly.
"Veldora Tempest," thought Kushina in the same tone before she got serious, "Well, I'm going to eat you now. Break out of that Unlimited Imprisonment already!"
"Leave it to me," chuckled Veldora, "I will see you face-to-face in no time."
Kushina got ready to pounce then turned into a massive cloud of smoke. The smoke surrounded the Unlimited Imprisonment and Veldora then began shrinking. It took about a minute and a half before the entire entity in the smoke was consumed and the small form of Kushina returned with the smoke compacting into her. Kushina took a deep breath then sighed.
"That was over far too quickly," she thought as she hung her head.
Would you like to analyze the unique skill Unlimited Imprisonment?
"Yes," affirmed Kushina with a nod as she began walking, "Do it."
As she walked, Kushina absorbed all Hipokute Herbs and Magic Ore she came across, using Predator to take care of her hunger. She came across several pools of water and casually swam across them as she made her way up through the cave.
"I would've thought I'd need a break by now," she thought curiously, "I wonder why that is."
Answer.
Kitsune require less sleep than normal foxes.
Kitsune normally need about an hour sleep a day at the least but can continue on with normal activities on less.
"Yikes," thought Kushina with a slight shiver before she climbed ashore and began to run.
She quickly whipped her tails around while ejecting water from the tips, creating blades that neatly cut through the stone stalagmites around her.
Skill: Water Blade acquired.
The acquired skills Water Pressure Propulsion, Water Movement, and Water Blade combine to evolve into extra skill, Water Manipulation.
The faint sound of yipping, growling, and hissing reached her ears and she hurried to the source. Hiding behind a rock, she peered out to see a large, fanged serpent towering over three foxes.
"Are those kitsune as well?" thought Kushina as she watched the largest of the foxes defend the other two.
The three you are referring to are normal foxes.
Kitsune is a result of a mutation in the genetic material of foxes.
Warning.
Absorption of blood on the ground confirms familiar relation with you.
Kushina froze at those words from Great Sage. Darting out from behind the rock, Kushina leapt into the air and fired off two Water Blades from her tail tips. The blades of water severed the serpent's head and its corpse fell flat on the ground. Landing between the corpse and the foxes, who were in shock, Kushina looked back at them.
"You okay?" asked Kushina in a series of yips and barks.
"You're alright!" exclaimed the biggest of the three, as they hurried over to Kushina and put her head around her shoulder, "I thought you had died after that fall. My little runt."
"M-Mama?" asked Kushina in shock.
"Is that really you, sister?" asked one of the two remaining foxes with a feminine voice.
"It has to be," said the remaining fox with a masculine tone, "She smells like her."
"What happened to you?" asked the mother of Kushina, "Why do you have two tails now?"
"Oh, Veldora gave me a name for helping free him from his prison," remarked Kushina casually.
This caused the trio to quickly back away from her, not too far, but far enough to show they were surprised.
"Y-Y-You mean to say you freed that dragon down below?!" exclaimed the sister fearfully.
"Well, not exactly," conceded Kushina as she sat down and sheepishly scratched behind her left ear, "I just used a skill to analyze his prison and he's currently residing in the space inside me until I can break it."
"I see," said the mother cautiously as she drew close, "It seems you truly are a kitsune if you have two tails."
"Yeah," said Kushina with a sigh as she looked back at her tails before looking at the serpent's corpse, "I'm just lucky that I got here in time."
"If you talked with that dragon, does that mean you have a name?" asked the sister curiously.
"Yeah," said Kushina proudly as she gazed at her sister, "My name is Kushina Tempest."
The three foxes looked at Kushina in awe before the two tailed kitsune went over to the serpent's body and severed head.
"If I use Predator to eat this snake and analyze it, wouldn't I be able to take its abilities?" thought Kushina to herself.
She looked into the serpent's dead eyes, remembering what it had almost done to her new family. She felt a rabid anger fill her body before she turned into her smoke form and enveloped the body of the serpent. She broke it down and absorbed the body via her smoke form then reformed. She gagged at the strange taste that filled her mouth, not sure how that was possible as she hadn't been corporeal when she'd absorbed it.
Analysis complete.
Skills: Poisonous Breath and Sense Heat Source acquired.
You can now mimic Black Serpent.
"Mimic, huh?" thought Kushina with intrigue, "And I can also breathe poison and sense heat sources."
"S-Sister, what did you just do?" questioned the fearful brother as he and the rest of Kushina's family approached.
"Oh, I just absorbed the snake and gained its powers," explained Kushina casually before she looked up, "Come on. I want to get to the surface soon."
"The surface?" asked the mother curiously, "Why would you want to go up there?"
"Because I heard from Veldora it's large and endless," lied Kushina, "He also told me that creatures up there were less dangerous than in here so we should be able to find a safe place to live if we make it."
"But what are we going to do about food in here?" asked the sister, worry in her voice as she spoke, "We struggle to find something to eat as it is."
"I'll tell ya what," said Kushina confidently as she jogged up to her sister, "I'll take care of any monsters we find on the way. Tell me when you're hungry and the next monster we find, I'll kill it so we can eat it."
The three foxes looked at each other then eventually agreed. They sent off with Kushina leading them into vast darkness of the cave.
(Sometime Later)
Kushina didn't know how much time had passed but it was easy to say that it was perhaps the happiest she could remember since she learned of her impending death in her previous life. She had a family to talk to and have fun with for only the second time in her life. It hadn't all been easy going though. They had encountered an Armorsaurus almost as soon as they had started for the surface. Kushina had quickly dispatched it by mimicking the Black Serpent she had devoured before and killed it with Poisonous Breath. Needless to say, that the sight of rotting flesh had grossed Kushina out so much that she vowed to not use that technique again. Then then encountered an Evil Centipede, from which Kushina acquired the Paralysis Breath skill, and a Black Spider that gave her the ability to use different kinds of thread. Acquiring the thread skills came in handy as they had to cross large gorges in the cave to proceed. It also allowed her to trap food easily for herself and her family. While they had feasted on some smaller monsters, Kushina helped herself to a Giant Bat. That gave her the skills of Drain and Ultrasonic Wave. This was a great benefit to Kushina as she swapped out the organ she used for speaking with the one the Giant Bat used, giving her the ability to speak in actual words. Thankfully, her family could understand her when she spoke with words as she practiced.
Eventually, after what felt like forever, they came upon a large iron door that blocked their way forward.
"Is this the exit, Kushina?" asked the sister cautiously.
"Seems like it," said Kushina, "I don't think I'll be able to break through it, though."
"Then how are we supposed to get through it?" asked the brother before the four members of the vulpine genus froze.
The doors started to shake and slowly open.
"Hide," yipped the mother as they all dove for the shadows by the door.
They watched as light came through the door and three humans walked inside. Two were men with one appearing to be a swordsman and the other a thief while the third was a girl with long blond hair and a staff in her hands.
"It's finally open," said the thief with a sigh, "It's so rusty that the keyhole is starting to fall apart."
"That's no surprise," added the swordsman, "Nobody's come in here for 300 years."
"We won't be attacked out of nowhere, right?" asked the girl as she stepped forward and a gem on the top of her staff lit up, illuminating the surrounding area, "Of course, if it comes to it, we can always use Escape."
"These are the first humans I've seen in this life," thought Kushina cautiously, "I don't know why they're here but I guess they're adventurers. Wait. How can I understand them?"
Answer.
The use of Magic Sense turns soundwaves that carry intention into comprehensible words.
And by producing sound waves that carry your thoughts, you can converse.
"Well, that helps," thought Kushina, "Although, I don't think it would be a good idea to say hello to them since they'd probably just attack us."
"Alright," said the thief as the other two looked at him, "I'm gonna activate my Stealth Arts."
The other two humans gathered closed ranks with the thief, causing Kushina and the foxes to look intrigued. The thief punched his left palm, causing the three humans to vanish. The jaws of the kitsune and foxes dropped as footprints appeared on the ground, showing the trio was heading further in.
"Now, make a dash for the exit," whispered Kushina as she hurried out the door.
The three foxes followed and all of them looked in awe at the blue sky and the lushness of the forest around them. The sound of birds tweeting filled their ears as they walked over to a tree and took a rest at the base of it. The three foxes fell asleep while Kushina kept guard.
"This is nice," thought Kushina as she lied down in the shade of the tree, "I never really had a chance to just sit and enjoy nature for a long time. I wish Veldora could see this. I know he eventually will but it's a little boring without his booming voice." she looked up to watch the different species of birds fly across the treetops then chuckled, "I'll have to have make a lot of funny stories to tell him when I see him again."
The sound of running snapped her out of her trance and woke up the foxes as they all looked down the small dirt path they were on. It seemed to be two dozen goblins, from what Great Sage told Kushina, with makeshift weapons and armor approached them. Kushina got ready to defend her family but noticed that they all appeared to be scared of the sight of her.
"They look pretty weak," thought Kushina as she casually glance at their weapons, "And their weapons are rusted and about to break."
"S-Strong One, what business do you have here?" asked the goblin in front.
This genuinely confused Kushina, causing her to look around before pointing at herself with one of her front paws. The goblin that had spoken nodded.
"Well, I just need to convey my thoughts," thought Kushina as she took a deep breath, "HELLO! I'M A KITSUNE AND MY NAME IS KUSHINA!"
The end result wasn't what Kushina had desired. She had knocked down the goblins from the sheer volume and force she had used, causing them to discard their weapons.
"W-We are aware of how strong you are, ma'am!" exclaimed the goblin from before once all the goblins had gotten on all fours and bowed to her, "Please, quiet your voice!"
"Sorry," apologized Kushina, quieter, as she sheepishly scratched behind one of her ears, "Do you need anything?"
"We sensed a powerful monster, so we came as a precaution," explained the same goblin again.
"I don't sense anything like that," said Kushina as she looked around.
"He means you, Kushina," explained the mother calmly.
"Me?!" asked Kushina as she looked back at her mother.
"Strong one, having seen your power, we wish to ask you a favor," said the goblin.
"Well, okay," said Kushina cautiously, "Take my family and I to some shelter and we'll talk."
The goblins quickly scrambled and grabbed Kushina and her family then raced through the forest as fast as their little feet could carry them. Kushina was pleasantly surprised by this as they entered a small village with several goblin children helping their mothers rebuild their houses and Kushina looked up at the leader of the group that had been carrying her.
"Make sure my family is taken care of first then you can tell me what's going on," said Naruto calmly.
"Ohy!" called out the goblin holding Kushina, "Make sure those three are comfortable!"
The three goblins carrying Kushina's family into one of the smaller huts while the one holding Kushina herself took her into what appeared to be the elder's hut. He sat Kushina down on a dirty cloth atop a small mound of dirt. The elder of the goblins came in a few minutes later then kneeled in front of her with the leader of the group. The elder set is staff on the ground between him and Kushina then took a breath.
"Welcome, visitor," said the elder wheezily, "I am the elder of this village."
"I kind of got that," conveyed Kushina with a nod, "So, what favor did you want to ask of me?"
"Have you noticed that monsters have been unusually active as of late?" asked the elder.
"No," said Kushina cautiously.
"One month ago, our god disappeared," explained the elder, "As a result, monsters in the area have been continuously harassing us."
"So, Veldora must have been their god," thought Kushina, diverting her gaze for the moment, "That would mean that I was down there for a month. Seems like his presence was keeping the monsters away from the village."
"We tried to fight them back, but we lack the numbers…" began the elder.
"But I'm just a kitsune at Stage 2," argued Kushina calmly, "I doubt I would be able to do much."
"Please, don't be modest," chuckled out the elder as he and the leader of the group that had found Kushina grinned nervously, "A mere Stage 2 kitsune would not emit such an aura. You're quite a famous monster, are you not?"
This troubled Kushina a little. She had never noticed anything different about herself since Veldora named her but was a little curious by what these goblins had been saying.
"Great Sage, change the perspective of Magic Sense so I can look at myself," ordered Kushina in her thoughts.
Changing perspective.
Kushina gagged when she saw the monstrous black aura that filled every crevasse of the room.
"Damn!" thought Kushina as she started panicking, "I don't think I even had this much Chakra when I was human! That's why the goblins were scared of me as well as my family."
"But, of course you cannot hide the formidable air about you," remarked the elder.
"So, you figured it out," lied Kushina, deciding to wing it and go along with what the elder had been saying, "You guys must have great potential," she sucked in her aura by force then let out a sigh of relief, "Looks like I got it all," she then noticed several other goblins looking in from a crack in the flap that covered the door, "What are they doing?"
Kushina stretched her legs and back then took a sitting position. She smelled the air, the scent of blood wafting through the area.
"Ah, as for the favor we wish to ask…" began the elder.
(Several Minutes Later)
"So, direwolves are attacking them from the east," thought Kushina calmly, "And the vast amount of their warriors died in the raids," she sighed in dismay before raising her head, "How many fighters do we have?"
"Counting the females, we have 60 who can fight," informed the elder.
"Did the goblin warrior you have go in knowing he was going to die?" asked Kushina curiously.
"No," said the elder on the verge of tears based on his trembling body, "That warrior just gave his life retrieving information on the direwolves for us," he then bowed to Kushina along with the goblin that had carried Kushina into the hut, "The warrior was my son and his elder brother."
"I'm sorry for asking," apologized Kushina before she noticed that the crack in the flap was now occupied by children, "Elder, I have one thing to ask."
"Yes?" asked the elder, unsure of what was to come.
"If I help you, what will you give me in return?" asked Kushina, "I don't really want anything but I need to put up a strong show."
"W-We will offer you our loyalty!" exclaimed the elder as loudly as his frail body would allow, "Please, grant us your protection. If you do, we will swear loyalty to you, Kushina-sama!"
"Must've talked to the others before coming to see me so he would know my name," thought Kushina as she rolled her milky eyes, "Well, I can't exactly say "no" if they will let us stay here."
A howl broke the silence, causing everyone to look in the direction it came from. The villagers began panicking and the elder and his son quickly left to calm them. Kushina followed then released her aura, causing everyone to freeze at the sudden appearance of it before she held it back again.
"We will fight them," said Kushina to everyone, "In lieu of the Storm Dragon Veldora, I, Kushina Tempest, will grant your wish!"
All the goblins began crying then bowed to Kushina, grateful for her kindness.
(Several More Minutes Later)
Kushina stood in front of all the goblins that had volunteered to fight, noticing their lack of muscles and frailness.
"I don't want to see any of you die!" called out Kushina, "Just do your best and that's all I expect of you!"
"Yes!" proclaimed all the goblins, making Kushina blush if she could.
"Now, take me to where all the injured are," ordered Kushina.
She was quickly led to a medium sized hut to see 14 goblins wrapped up with various injuries. She surveyed the wounds, noting how deep they were before an idea popped inside her head. Turning into her smoke form, she took all the goblins into her body for a moment then spat them out in front of the elder, who had come with them. Chuckling, she then turned to the delighted goblins.
"Now, we'll build a fence," she told them.
Once she had given the instructions, she looked around the village but found no sign of her family.
"Ohy!" she called to one of the passing goblins, "Where are my mother and siblings?"
The goblin led Kushina to another tent, revealing her mother and her brother and sister were about to go to sleep.
"Sister, you're back!" exclaimed the sister as she hurried over to Kushina and nuzzled her.
"Yeah," conceded Kushina, "But I can't stay long. I have to help with the preparations for the direwolves. I just came to check up on you three."
"We've been doing fine," said the brother, "The goblins have been in here several times to make sure we're comfortable. They're all really nice."
"Kushina, are you sure about this?" asked the mother in concern, "I appreciate what the goblins are doing for us but I'm concerned about what could happen if you fail to stop the direwolves."
"I swear that I will never let them lay a single hair upon any of you," promised Kushina, "By the way, I'm getting tired of just calling you all Mama, Sister, and Brother so I'm just gonna give you names."
The three foxes were stunned by these words and were instantly awake, no trace of drowsiness left in their bodies.
"Y-Y-You can't be serious!" exclaimed the sister, "We're just normal foxes! We're not worthy of names!"
"Nonsense," scoffed Kushina, "You three are my family and I will give my life to protect my family," she looked at the sister and began thinking up a name, "You will be Senko," Kushina turned to her brother, "You will be Shippo," Kushina then turned to her mother, "And you will be…"
This was where she hit a roadblock. This fox was her mother so she had to give her a grand name that would command respect but also show how kind and gentle she was. It had to be one of power but also of forgiveness.
"Koyanskaya!" exclaimed Kushina, "Your names are Senko, Shippo, and Koyanskaya Tempest!"
The three foxes glowed and Kushina suddenly felt light headed. She staggered, falling to two knees as her family came over.
"Shina-chan!" exclaimed Senko as the three now named foxes tried to help her up.
"That was weird," thought Kushina in concern, "When I gave them their names, I suddenly felt like I couldn't stay awake anymore. Did something happen?"
She pushed that thought from her mind before going to help the goblins after assuring her family she was fine.
(That Night)
Kushina sat in front of the fence that she'd instructed the goblins to build and waited. Having made sure her family was safe, she took this brief moment to collect herself. Her mind wandered to what she had said about giving her life to protect her family. She had already done it once before. But that had caused her family then so much pain. It had made them cry. Thinking of those crying faces made Kushina's heart ache with such agony that a tear fell from her blind eyes.
It was then that the sound of fast footsteps approaching from in front of her reached her ears. She shook those thoughts from her mind as a pack of direwolves stopped several dozen yards from her and the fence.
"Turn back now and we won't take any action against you," warned Kushina angrily, "Leave at once!"
"Insolence!" proclaimed the leader of the direwolves, "No mere fox can order us direwolves around! Trample down that fence! Spill the blood of those lowly goblins!"
At the alpha's howl, the direwolves charged. The goblins behind the fence fired a wave of arrows that took out several while the rest charged. However, they all stopped when their comrades had fallen dead for seemingly no reason. It was then that the alpha noticed blood dripping to the ground from something that was almost invisible to the naked eye.
"Thread?" questioned the alpha.
"That's my Steel Thread Skill," explained Kushina, a little calmer now.
"This is your doing?!" demanded the alpha.
"That's right," taunted Kushina as she shook her butt to the alpha, "What'cha gonna do about it?"
"I will squash you!" shouted the alpha as he charged.
"Father!" called out the direwolf with a star on its fur that had been standing next the alpha.
The alpha tore through the field of his dead pack, cutting the Steel Thread with his teeth then pounced toward Kushina, who didn't even bat an eyelash. What shocked them all was that the alpha had stopped in midair and was struggling to free himself of Sticky Thread he hadn't seen.
"That is another one of my skill," explained Kushina, "Now, I pray you find calm in the afterlife."
With that, she spun in place, one of her tails firing off a Water Blade. A moment later, the alpha's head was on the ground and his body remained still. The direwolves and goblins stared in shock as Kushina approached the corpse. Turning into her smoke form, she devoured it with Predator then returned to her normal form, with three tails this time.
Analysis Complete.
Acquired ability to mimic Direwolf.
Direwolf species skills Supreme Sense of Smell, Thought Communication, and Menace acquired.
Note.
Enough strength has been acquired and evolution to Stage 3 has concluded.
"Alright," thought Kushina as she was engulfed by a large cloud of smoke that soon blew away to reveal a larger version of the direwolf she had just consumed that towered over the other direwolves.
The direwolves gasped in shock as Kushina gave off an evil laugh.
"Hear me!" she proclaimed, "I will let you go just this once! If you refuse to yield to me, I will allow you to leave this place!"
She then used Menace to give off a very loud and terrifying roar. The direwolves braced themselves from the force of the roar but remained firm. The goblins behind her were also terrified by this. The direwolves slowly made their way to Kushina, who struggled to keep Menace going by this point.
"Come on!" thought Kushina hurriedly, "Just go already!"
Once the direwolves were only about a yard from Kushina, they all followed the example of the son of the alpha and fell to the ground with the heads bowed slightly.
"Our pack yields to you!" they all shouted at once.
Kushina ceased her use of Menace, thoroughly confused as she returned to her true form.
"Uh, did we win?" asked the son of the elder goblin.
"I… think so," said Kushina, still unsure of what was going with the direwolves, "Seems like they won't attack anymore. I've gotta admit, I was getting tired of fighting almost nonstop for the past month."
The goblins cheered before Kushina turned to the submitted direwolves. She walked up to the son of the alpha she just killed and met his gaze.
"I'm sorry that I killed your father," apologized Kushina, surprising the direwolf, "I know it must cause you some pain to lose family like that but I assure you that you and the rest of your pack will find a place with all of the goblins," she then turned away, "You all can sleep outside the fence. I'll have them dismantle it first thing in the morning."
With that, Kushina retired to the hut her family was in for the night. Inside, Koyanskaya, Shippo, and Senko were all in a pile and sleeping soundly. Smiling, Kushina joined the lump with her family and fell asleep after what felt like ages.
(The Following Day)
Standing on a tree stump next to the elder, Kushina observed the nervous goblins and direwolves that were now mixed together. Her family was resting in the shade of a hut and watching intently. Kushina noticed the number of direwolves seemed to be the same as the population of the village before making up her mind.
"Listen up!" she called out to the crowd, who gave her their undivided attention, "So, I'm going to have you all pair up and live together!"
"Pair… up?" asked the crowd at once.
"It means to form groups of two," explained Kushina calmly, "Now, every goblin should find a direwolf they want to pair with and stand by them."
This took several minutes before they were all paired up. The elder remained by himself as he was the odd one out.
"Yesterday's enemy is today's friend!" announced Kushina proudly, "You're all to work together as friends from now on! Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" replied the crowd.
"Help each other and work it out!" said Kushina before she sighed, "What's going to be important now is food, shelter, and clothing. We should form teams to hunt for food, build houses, and strengthen the village's defenses. We'll start with…" her eyes fell on the son of the elder that had brought her to the village yesterday but she trailed off when she realized she didn't know his name then she looked at the elder, "Hey, what are all your names, anyway?"
"We monsters do not normally have names," explained the frail elder, "Even without names, we can still communicate our thoughts to one another."
"Oh, really?" asked Kushina before she turned back to the crowd, "But, it's more convenient to have names, so I'd like to name you all. That okay?"
The sound was defining. The entire crowd let out a shout of surprise that was loud enough to force Kushina to cover her ears. Even her family was shocked by this.
"N-Name us?" questioned the elder in shock, "A-Are you sure?"
"S-Sure?" asked Kushina nervously, which the crowd took as a confirmation.
They all cheered while Kushina wondered what she'd gotten herself into.
"Just give me a minute then we'll get to the naming," said Kushina as she went over to her family, "Are you three okay?"
"Kushina, are you sure about giving them all names?" questioned Koyanskaya, worry in her voice, "You named the three of us yesterday and nearly passed out."
"I'm fine," assured Kushina, not understanding her concern, "Besides, it's the least I can do after they gave us shelter," she looked back at the watching crowd that was watching them, "And I feel like I owe those direwolves since I killed their alpha."
"Really?" asked Senko in surprise as well as fear, "But those direwolves are the same kind as the ones that killed Papa."
"They are?" asked Kushina.
"How could you forget?" questioned Shippo angrily, "Papa gave his life so we could escape those beasts!"
"I believe I told when we were traveling through the cave that I don't really remember much before I met Veldora," explained Kushina with a heavy sigh, "But these direwolves yielded to me and the goblins worship me as a god or something," he then looked at the ground sadly, "I remember that in my previous life that I died protecting my son," her family looked stunned by this, "I don't know how my father in this life would react to use living with direwolves but I want to give them a chance. Just like Veldora gave me a chance to see again."
The three foxes closed ranks around Kushina then brought their heads together with hers.
"We'll do whatever you think is best," said Koyanskaya quietly, "Just know that we are here with you if you need help."
Kushina sobbed a little before wiping her tears with her tails then went back over to the stump. She hopped on top of it as everyone bowed to her before quickly forming a line. The elder and his son were in front and Kushina watched them take knees to her.
"We'll start with you," said Kushina to the elder before pausing, "What did you call the son that died in battle?"
"Rigur," replied the elder, his excitement barely contained.
"Rigur, eh?" asked Kushina before making up her mind, "Then you'll be Rigurd!"
The elder was enveloped in the same light Kushina's family had been bathed in the previous day and began crying.
"Thank you very much!" cried out the now named Rigurd, "Rigurd! I am so moved!"
"You're welcome," said Kushina sheepishly before turning to the son, "You'll inherit your brother's name of Rigur."
"Yes, ma'am!" exclaimed the new Rigur excitedly.
Kushina barely paid attention to their praise then got back to naming the goblins first. This went on for several minutes and, having gotten tired of trying to think up new names, Kushina was now giving names that sounded similar.
"You are… Gobta!" she declared to a rather plain looking goblin.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" exclaimed the goblin excitedly as he too glowed like the others, "Thank you very much!"
Kushina was starting to lose interest when she finally made it through all the adolescent to adult goblins.
"Uh… we truly do appreciate you giving us all names, but…" began Rigurd, "We are aware that your magical power is immense, but are you sure it's all right to give us all names at once?"
"Well, I don't see the problem," said Kushina as she looked back at Rigurd and Rigur, "Besides, I'd rather get it done now than later," she then looked back at the line, "Who's next?" a young girl knelt in front of Kushina, a smile on her face, "You'll be… Haruna!" Haruna glowed and Kushina leaned in closely, "Do me a favor and be friends with my sister, Senko, will you?"
"Yes, ma'am!" exclaimed Haruna as she hurried over to talk to Senko.
Pretty soon, all the goblins were named and busy chatting about their names. Kushina smiled at this before turning to the direwolves. The son of the alpha raised his head to Kushina, who thought hard as she stared at him, unsure if he would be angry with her having killed his father. She then noticed all the wolves were wagging their tails excitedly with anticipation and her fears were negated at that point. The son of the alpha approached and Kushina examined his face. Noticing a small breeze, she went from there before finally deciding on a name.
"All right!" declared Kushina happily, "Your name is Ranga!"
"Ranga," said the newly christened Ranga as he wagged his tail happily.
Suddenly, everything began spinning for Kushina. The entire world got blurry as fell to the side as she closed her eyes.
Warning.
Internal magicule reserves have fallen below the minimum limit.
Entering sleep mode.
Estimated time to full recovery: Three and a half days.
"I used up too many magicules?" thought Kushina as the faint shouts of everyone faded away as she lost consciousness.
(Three and a Half Days Later)
Kushina groaned lightly as she slowly opened her eyes. She slowly got to her feet then put a paw to her head as it was throbbing.
"That really was a good nap," she thought tiredly, "But I need to be more careful when naming others."
"Shina-chan!" exclaimed a young girl with fox ears and tail wearing what seemed to be the clothes of a shrine maiden while what seemed to be a tall and older goblin woman wearing the bare minimum was leaned over to look at her.
"Kushina-sama!" exclaimed the female goblin happily, "Good morning!"
"I was telling Shippo-nii that you'd be up soon," said the fox girl as the female goblin got onto her knees and began stroking along Kushina's back.
"I'll go get Rigurd-san and Koya-mama," said the fox girl as she left with the female goblin.
"What the hell is going on here?" thought Kushina quizzically, "I don't recall anyone looking like those two here before," she then realized what the fox girl had said, "Wait. Was that Senko-chan?"
"Kushina-sama!" came a deep rumbling voice from outside.
"Keep your voice down," scolded a playful yet cunning feminine voice, "She just woke up.
A large and muscular goblin entered followed by a woman with fox ears and a tail with robes so beautiful and elegant that Kushina was in awe. The woman also had a black vail going over the back of her head, partially obscuring her long, pinkish hair. Her eyes were golden with that flashed with a hint of malice that vanished when she locked eyes with Kushina.
"Uh…" said Kushina with her mouth slightly open.
"Kushina, please close your mouth or I'll be forced to bind it shut," said the fox woman playfully.
"Mama?" asked Kushina before looking at the goblin, "Who's this?"
"I'm Rigurd!" declared the goblin proudly.
"EH?!" shouted Kushina in surprise, "What happened to you both?!"
"This is what happens when you give names to monsters," said Koyanskaya as she took a seat next to Kushina and scratched behind her ears with her hand, "Naming monsters gives them new powers and allows them to evolve."
"Wait a second," thought Kushina as she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, "Great Sage, what species is my Mama right now?"
Answer.
Fox Koyanskaya has evolved into a Stage 5 Kitsune.
"Stage 5?!" complained Kushina, "How come she has a human form at Stage 5 and I don't at Stage 3?!"
Great Sage remained silent, causing Kushina to sigh in annoyance before something broke through the wall with a loud bang.
"Master, allow me to express my utmost joy at your recovery!" came a familiar voice as the smoke settled and revealed a massive wolf with a horn coming out from the star-shaped patter on his head.
"That horn… the star on your forehead," said the nervous Kushina as she stared into the wolf's eyes, "Are you… Ranga?"
"Yes!" affirmed Ranga as he wagged his tails faster and faster.
The gust this kicked up destroyed the house and caused Koyanskaya to grab Kushina to prevent her from being picked up. Once Ranga had calmed down, Koyanskaya took Kushina in her arms to present her to the transformed inhabitants. Looking around, Kushina could just make out Rigur, despite how much he changed, and Gobta, who hadn't really changed much.
"Almost everyone looks so different," thought Kushina curiously as she took in the sight of everyone, "They're like completely different monsters."
The male goblins have evolved into Hobgoblins, and the females to Goblinas.
Kushina then caught sight of Senko with a small child that seemed to be about the size of a newborn but had a fluffy fox tail and was wearing a similar type of clothing to her but not with any religious connotation. He had orange brown hair and big golden eyes.
"That must be Shippo," she thought before she hopped out of Koyanskaya's arms then ran off into the forest.
She eventually came to stop on a rock at the crest of a steep hill and looked out at the forest. The tweeting of birds flowed through her ears gently, causing her to release some tension she'd kept bottled up. However, this also allowed her time to reflect that she hadn't had since she woke up in this new world. She sighed in dismay as the image of a panicked Boruto, crying over her. A single tear fell from her eye while she remembered her failed dream and promise to Hinata. She then sensed a large group approaching behind her and recognized the familiar scent.
"Ranga, as I recall, you were the only direwolf I named," said Kushina as she stifled her tears, "So, why did all the direwolves evolve?"
"Master, all of us Direwovles are as one," said Ranga proudly, "Our breather are all connected. Therefore, my name has become our clan's name. We are no longer the Direwolves. We are the Tempest Wolves!"
"Tempest Wolf," repeated Kushina with a small chuckle, "Good for you."
Ranga's tail began wagging wildly, whipping up a strong gust again. This time, with no one to hold her down, Kushina went flying off the rock she had perched then went rolling down the hill.
"Master!" exclaimed Ranga in horror.
"Why is this hill so steep?!" complained Kushina as she tumbled down the hill while Ranga, shrinking in size, chased after her with a horrified look on his face
Kushina then flew off a cliff and screamed before a large pink thing floated up and caught her.
"Are you okay, Shina-chan?" asked the male voice of the pink thing.
"Thank you, Shippo," thanked Kushina as she tried to catch her breath.
(An Hour Later)
Kushina was once again sitting on the stump with the entire village gathered around. Koyanskaya, Senko, and Shippo were off to the side while Ranga was coiled around the back of the stump and Rigurd was to the side of it.
"As you can see, we're a lot bigger now," said Kushina, everyone paying attention to her words, "So, to avoid problems, I think we should set some ground rules."
"Rules?" questioned everyone in the crowd.
"There are three rules," announced Kushina as she held up her tails to signal the rules before lowering two, "I'd like you to uphold them at the very least. First, no attacking humans," she then held up her second tail, "Second, no fighting amongst yourselves," she then held up her final tail, "Third, no belittling other races. That's it."
"Excuse me," said Rigur as he raised a hand, "Why aren't we allowed to attack humans?"
"I would think that would be simple," said Kushina with a small chuckle, "I like humans," this caused her family to face plant on the ground, causing Kushina to chuckle again, "Besides, if my family and I are going to live here, I would like to avoid conflict as much as possible."
"I see!" exclaimed Rigur as Kushina's family was thunderstruck by what they had heard her say just now, "Now, I understand!"
Kushina was a little put off by this and turned away bashfully.
"Listen," said Kushina, serious now, "Humans lives in groups. If you mess with them, they may retaliate in a big way. And if they came in earnest, I doubt we could hold against them. Getting in their good graces would be beneficial for us in the long run," everyone nodded at this, "Any other questions?"
"Me!" shouted Gobta as he held his hand as high as he could.
"Yes, Gobta?" asked Kushina as she looked at the small hobgoblin.
"What did you mean by "no belittling other races"?" asked Gobta curiously.
"Just don't go around saying you're superior or believe that you're better than them," explained Kushina happily, "We got stronger by working together. If it wasn't for you all working together the other day, the former direwolves would've wiped you all out. And now, the new Tempest Wolves are our friends. They got stronger by joining with us as well. And we don't want them getting stronger and attack us, do we?"
"No, ma'am!" denied Gobta, "We understand now!"
"That does it," said Kushina as she hopped down from the stump, "Do your best to follow these rules," she then looked up at Rigurd, "Rigurd, I hereby declare you Goblin Lord. Lead your village well."
She then went over to her family and stretched.
"Shina-chan, were you serious about us staying here?" asked Senko curiously.
"Yeah," said Kushina as she nibbled on a spot under her hind leg, "I don't want to have to keep moving and I like all these guys now," she looked back at the dispersing crowd then smiled, "I'm sure that Papa would want us to be comfortable and not have to run constantly."
"That he would," said Koyanskaya as she picked up Kushina and rubbed their noses together, "This place will make a fine home."
(Holy Empire Ruberios)
Hinata Sakaguchi minutely opened her eyes. A strange feeling inside of her gut beginning to boil. She got up out of the ornate chair around a table in her personal quarters then went out onto the balcony of her room. She looked to the East. She placed a hand to her chest and frowned.
"What is this?" she thought seriously, "This isn't a sense of foreboding. It's not a sense of dread either. It's almost like… a sense of longing. Something… Something is calling out to me. Something… I need. No. Not something. Someone I need."
She clenched the hand that was over her heart, not noticing what appeared to be a very thin and almost invisible, red thread that wrapped around said appendage before it vanished.
So, I'll keep this short. Next chapter is going to be part filler and part canon. It's also going to be a tribute to someone famous that I admired but was fired from their job recently. I was really upset when they got fired so I'm adding them to the story so I can get some sort of closure and say goodbye to them. Talk to you all then.
