Hi one more time! Here's the last bit!
Enjoy!
Day 13: 79 days until the night of the red moon
It's been nighttime for a few hours. Naruto knew this because he couldn't sleep.
There was nothing in particular keeping him awake. He had a full belly and an exhausting day. Tomorrow Daitaru would be back finally, and his endless questions could get some real answers. All he had to do was go to sleep, and then he would time travel. But still he was tossing and curling up under his blanket, getting into comfortable positions only for sleep to elude him.
Nights like these suck poison-dipped cojones. He has the wisdom to know that he should be sleeping, for all the good that does him. He wished he could ask Inari to come down and tell him how to fall asleep, but as his dad always says "Naruto nothing is impossible, including something being impossible. That is possible". Inari was stuck. God brought them back up to the heavens after they finished granting wisdom and powers. It was up to him to figure out what to do next, but he doesn't yet have the wisdom of fighting insomnia. His gut was as silent as always on the matter, even when he thought really, really hard. But maybe someone else has the wisdom.
He can do most things on his own. But sleep? Yeah a stronger power would be helpful here.
Kicking the blanket off, Naruto took one leap to reach his door and kept jumping as he left his room. He easily tracked Kurama down to one of the sitting rooms. He had the sense to knock politely before bursting into the room anyways.
"I CAN'T-" He started to say and then stopped. Because even with exhausted eyes, he could see clearly. Oh yes. He could see that Kurama was in a chair, a bottle with ice around the rim in hand, and in a few other chairs were 3 other kitsune including Kawaiiko. She was the young girl with long black hair and green eyes who starred—pretty well admittedly even though the story sucked—in that play. Next to her was another child from the play, a young tadpole with limbs named Gureto who had dark brown hair and dark green stripes over his cheeks and eyes.
Naruto's tired nose, apparently wasn't as good as his tired eyes.
"What the hell? Can't what? And why're you still up?" Kurama asked.
"Hi Naruto-nii-tan! I like the haircut you gave Itoko-chama heehee!"
"HI! Me too! Ribbit!"
It took a second for Naruto to respond. His muscles just seized up at the sight of the other kitsune who weren't Kurama or Nagato. Every time he saw one, Nagato's grand apology disappeared from his mind.
"I…can't sleep," he finally said, giving small waves to the two kids.
Being in the presence of other kitsune was like having an axe hanging over him, ready to be dropped when he least expected. And he didn't know why. When he was away from them, he could remember the apology and think they were good, which is how he really wants to feel. But as soon as he's right in front of them, it was past encounters he thought of. Reconciling the past and present was downright impossible, even during the early mornings. He found it more uncomfortable than ever to see their smiles and hear their jokes. It's been hard to even be around them, so he's been ending conversations quickly and leaving.
He didn't like it. He felt like it was cowardly. But he didn't know how to handle it. No wisdom in his bank for this one either.
"But I didn't see you were busy. Y'know, I'll just go walk around until I fall asleep."
"Oy hold up!" Kurama shouted, standing up. "Why can't you sleep?"
"Just can't. Don't worry about it—"
"No way!" Kurama countered, downing the rest of his drink before tossing it behind him into a bin. "You brought it to my attention for a reason. I'm going to help you solve it!"
"Kyuubi-sama you've had three already. You might make things worse. Would you like us quieter people to help you Naruto-sama? I know of a great stretching regimen that can relax you right to sleep!"
"I've only had two you old shit. You're the drunk one. Off to bed with you!"
"That boring trick doesn't work anyways! I have a great sleeping remedy! On my last trip to the forest, I grabbed all the roots and I can make you a potion that tastes like sheep and dreams!"
Kurama bared his fangs at the other kitsune in a grin. "You go to bed too! I've got this."
"Do we have to go to bed Itoko-chama?" Kawaiiko asked, pointing to herself and Gureto.
"No no no! I'm including you two."
"Yaaay! G'night daddy!"
"Wait so the kids can stay up and I'm ordered to bed? Make it make sense Kyuubi-sama!"
"Shooo! I don't want too many people playing! Naruto, the kids, and I are just enough so it'll be 2 on 2!"
…Naruto? Naruto certainly wasn't too tired to miss that Kurama said his name. But maybe it was just because his family was around…maybe it was because it was easier to say than 'my guest' and he had a few drinks so. The kitsune start to grumble as they leave and Naruto stops thinking to step aside and let them pass. They nod at him and bid him goodnight. Naruto stiffly nods back, and then curses himself as he averts his eyes. He didn't know how to act anymore.
But with them gone, it was easier to relax. Kawaiiko hopped up and did a few playful runs around Naruto as a 'hello' before giving him a big hug. Naruto's smile was genuine as he patted her on the head. He guesses that immature kitsune were not hardened by the atrocities of grown kitsune. Even he couldn't hate a kid who hasn't done anything wrong, no matter the species.
"So what are we going to do Itoko-chama?" She asked, swaying on her feet a little. Kurama crouched so he was eye level with her.
"We're gonna compete! It'll be an active battle with winners and losers."
"Oy I'm always a winner ribbit!" Gureto shouted, hopping onto Kurama's back and wrapping his arms around his neck. "I can strangle you."
"Oh Itoko-chama~! Your 'best' is my worst! I'm good at a lot of tech-niques! Let's go compete right now!"
"Wahaha your confidence will be your downfall. Naruto, take these two to the backyard. I'll grab some things right quick and meet you there."
"Woo woo! Let's go Naruto-nii-tan!"
"Yea come on!"
Naruto feels tiny clawed hands grab one hand and webby hands grab his shoulders. The kids were cute. They were confident, demanding of attention, and like a lot of siblings competed for everything that they supported each other in. They reminded him a lot of himself actually.
Which made it easier to speak their language, so to speak. Chatting on the walk to the backyard was a natural thing to do. Even when they stepped outside and Gureto's grip on him got a little tighter and slimier, Naruto didn't mind, instead hiking the kid up higher on his back to remind him that he's got him. Naruto tended to fall into a protective role for the kids he meets when he goes out. The ones living in the market place near his dad's territory are particularly rowdy and when Naruto does have the time to babysit them, they always run into something that scares them.
He can only hope that his dad, Kakashi, and Iruka never see him with kids because more often than not he's caught himself saying things they would say and acting and reacting as they would do. They'd never let him hear the end of it.
"Oy oy you should be on our team instead of Itoko-chama's! I'm going to suggest we act! You shouldn't lose with him!" Kawaiiko giggled, as she skipped along beside him. Naruto squinted his eyes and snickered.
"If you really want him to lose, then I know of the perfect task to compete on. Tell me, do you own any potted plants?"
As Kawaiiko shook her head no, Naruto swiftly decided he wasn't going to put his plants at risk again.
"We're here!" Her brother pointed out, jumping off of his back to run ahead a little…right before shrieking and running right back to stand behind his legs.
The look of the desert hit different at night. It was, dare Naruto say it, beautiful. The sky was clear, aside from some pretty thick clouds lounging over to the west. It was also black, with the brilliant lights of distant white galaxies and blue stars shining and blending together to a gorgeous effect. The brightest star could be mistaken as the moon even, if it were just a tad bigger. He could make out the outlines of the sand dunes and valleys, which lost their color in the night time. The landscape as a whole appeared more mysterious and exciting at night than during the day. Like there's no telling what would pop out if he waited long enough. Ever since their botched plan to take a walk through the backyard, Naruto will admit he's been kinda curious as to whether Kurama would still show him. Not curious enough to ask, but curious enough to think about the next opportunity. It was kinda delightful that it would be now.
Right on time, Kurama showed up, holding two large yellow marbles. They were exceptionally bright and shiny, almost like chakra beacons.
"Oh good! Props for our stage play! We're gonna act!"
Kurama frowned. "Absolutely not."
Kawaiiko pouted but to Naruto's surprise didn't argue, instead asking. "Are we digging?"
"No! Are we leaping?" Gureto chimed in. And when one kid says 'no' to another…
"No! Are we playing find the treasure?"
"NO! If we have to go out in the dark someone needs to be with me cuz I'll be scared!"
Naruto laughed into his free hand as these kids eagerly pulled at him while shouting at Kurama. To his credit, he was remarkably more patient than Naruto thought he'd be.
"Listen~, no one's going to be alone. Two of us are going to be on the run, the other two are going to catch them."
"Like tag?"
"More like 'keep away'."
Like they just got told they were getting sweet treats the kids' faces brightened into big smiles."I don't want to be it!"
"Me neither ribbit!"
"Then your job is to keep these marbles away from Naruto and me."
Kurama sure is using his name a lot…these kids would probably love to call him Loudmouth. But name-calling is complex after all, depending on the company...
"And I want you to do it in unsealed form," Kurama instructed, handing them the marbles.
Oh? Interesting.
Unsealed form was the form all youkai are born in, similar in shape and function to the non-youkai animals and insects that they shared this world with. But their forms could grow bigger, had wider variations in color, and of course, had their power. But at one point in the very, very distant past, the form was 'sealed away' for another form. 'Sealed' being a relative term, as there were no seals involved and they could switch between the forms whenever they wanted.
Their sealed forms had a more universal look to them. Although much smaller, they all walked on two legs and had their skin more exposed. And while there were plenty of variations in color of skin and hair and eyes and the more minute shapes of body and face, they were all still close enough in form that, without their natural youkai characteristics, one could mistake them all for being the same species. Supposedly, it was through sealed form that the word 'youkai' came about as a universal name and why a universal language was born between all the species. Learning that language was actually just as easy as learning the kitsune language, which he was surprised so many nonkitsune in this place used as well.
Naruto never could remember the history of the sealed form. Why and how it happened, who did it first, when it happened and when it became the default? That was history lesson stuff that he always tuned Iruka and his dad out on. But he knew that sealed form is why no one was comfortable calling unsealed form 'true form'. Some people, actually get very offended when their unsealed forms are referred to as such.
It's not like unsealed forms are bad. Yes they are easy to slip into in the height of emotion, but it's really no one's fault that that emotion is anger, 5 times outta 10. I can understand wanting to cuddle up or jump around when extremely happy, but what do you need bigger claws and teeth for when you're really sad? Y'know just saying!, Naruto reasoned. Although, he agreed that the term 'Unsealed rage' is pretty humiliating and rude.
Truly, unsealed form is not emotion-fueled. It is logical in fact! The best at keeping a person hyper-focused! When Naruto transforms, nothing matters more than completing the task that inspired him to transform in the first place. It's not all wanton destruction and fighting. That's why Sai often went unsealed for his training.
Likely, Kurama is tacking this condition onto the game because Kawaiiko and Gureto actually do stand at least a chance at winning if their minds stayed entirely focused on the task at hand.
"OOOH! I'm the fastest when I'm unsealed!"
"Me too ribbit!"
"Good! Then Naruto and I will be 'it'. We stay in the backyard and the boundaries that come with it. Other than that, no rules. Hop, run, dig, and disguise as much as you can to escape."
"Can we use jutsu?!"
"What the hell do you—yanno what? Sure, go wild. Naruto and I won't."
At their skeptical faces, Naruto quickly jumped in with, "to make it harder for us. Y'know if we want to win we gotta earn it!"
Sure enough, they brightened up.
"You two are gonna hafta ask for Inari to come down to help you!"
…What?
"Yanno, I've been trying to talk to them and they've been talking about too many things these past few weeks. Nothing to do with what's going on here, but just things! It gives me a headache honestly, trying to wrap my head around what they're talking about."
…What?
"YAY! So we'll definitely win!"
"ALRIGHT! GET READY RIBBIT!"
"Hold on scamps! We haven't decided what the winners win and what the losers-"
"Afterrrrrr come on Itoko-chama this is taking too lonnng!"
"Yea I don't wanna go a'sleep ribbit!"
"Fine! Go off scamps," Kurama snapped. With that, the two kids jumped back to transform. Gureto became all but a dark-brown, green-striped tadpole with legs and arms and a short little tail that wiggled incessantly behind him. Kawaiiko became an all-black fox, with large ears that were more rounded like his, and a short tail that swished back and forth occasionally. The marbles were stuck to Gureto's back and in Kawaiiko's mouth, and they didn't make a single sound before they turned around and took off together.
"They might be just kids, but they're efficient at keep away, especially when unsealed. You'll be forgetting your sleepless problems just in time to actually fall asleep."
Indeed he is supportive of this plan for treating his insomnia. But that just brought up a question.
"…Hey do you…actually talk to Inari? Like THE Inari?"
"Am I a kitsune called Kurama? It's bas-…You're-…Come on, a 15 second head start is all they need."
Kurama quickly turned around and ran off, but Naruto lingered for just a second, still really confused. What Naruto couldn't wrap his head around, was how talking to Inari was possible. He knew about spirit of the first kitsune and Kurama's bloodline, but that didn't mean he could actually, y'know, communicate with a heavenly creature. They're like in a heavily fortified castle, with no doors only windows. And they can't hear anything through those windows, just see all that's happening. No one can write letters or pray to beings in the heavens because they don't have an address. That's what his dad said when he was little anyways, and it's not like he's had other kitsune to tell him otherwise. At least ancestors have gravesites…right? But here's Kurama talking like there's a correspondence of sorts. Well he did say it was because he's a Kitsune. Maybe it's an exclusive perk. But he's lived this long without it so it wasn't really necessary….right?
Shaking his head, Naruto took off and quickly caught up to Kurama. Kurama glanced at him in acknowledgment before training his eyes forward. The two kids were ahead of them, side by side. They could see the shine from the yellow marble coming from Kawaiiko, but Gureto had nothing. Perhaps he swallowed his? Would he have done that? Or buried it somewhere?
Suddenly Kawaiiko darted to the left and Gureto to the right.
"Looks like they're splitting off. You go after Gureto, I'll get Kawaiiko."
Without a word Naruto split off to the right while Kurama headed left. Gureto's colors would've been great camouflage in the night. But Naruto's vision pretty much made it moot point. He never lost sight of Gureto, but no sign of the marble. He would have to catch him and get him to confess its location and he really hoped the tadpole didn't swallow it.
Naruto anticipated having to slow his own pace down just enough so that there would be a bit of a chase, but as soon as he made it to striking distance, the tadpole surprised him. Small leaps turned into some pretty large jumps at a rapid pace. The kid has some good speed and hopping muscles, seriously comparable to some of the adult frogs that he's been up against. He wondered if he was chasing the next Jiraiya the Great Waira in the making? He almost wanted to chase for a while, because he wanted Gureto to have a bit of fun pushing himself.
But he also wanted beat Kurama at catching his designated kid. So he sped up.
And so did Gureto. Impressive, Naruto noticed. Gureto was sure to keep the distance between them the same, never letting Naruto get too close. Even as his jogging pace turned into a sprint. Just how fast could this little snub-tailed kid go? Naruto was just curious enough to keep the chase going.
But as it wore on, he stayed aware of their surroundings. The landscape stayed largely the same, dark and shadowy sand dunes towering around them between flat horizon that seemed to stretch to nothingness. Darkened trees and bushes popped up now and then, but there were no other living creatures. His sharp hearing lost the merry sounds of the compound. Instead the tune of the desert was…quiet. That is to say, the howling of the wind was faint and the sounds of its effect even fainter. He tried to listen for the sounds of animals and insects crawling beneath the sand like how Kurama taught him, but even the hopping and running were making only the barest 'PAT' sound.
Gureto suddenly stopped and dug his hind legs in the sand and kicked back.
"WHA—!?" Naruto ended up having a face full of sand! AUGH it got all in his mouth too! Choking was already a miserable experience, but choking with coarse sand on his tongue?! Gaaaah…
"Pffft!" He spat out. Well Kurama did say anything goes—AH! HE FELT SOMETHING CRAWLING UP HIS THROAT! He hacked and spat like his life depended on it. He grabbed at his neck and squeezed as little legs frantically poked inside of him. There's no telling what it could be but if it was his worst suspicion—Naruto reached his fingers down his throat and grabbed it. It felt like his worst suspicion.
Pulling a scorpion out of his mouth made him still want to vomit. He dropped it immediately and felt his stomach churn at actually seeing it. It was a light color, deceptively harmless looking with a stinger waving in the air and pinchers squeezing.
No. No. No. No. Naruto felt his skin crawl and his freezing chakra rumbling beneath the surface. He got goosebumps. Scorpions were no joke. He will never understand how Kurama and other desert creatures snacked on those things! They aren't tasty-looking! With their long, segmented bodies and stringy tails and eight stick-like—YUCK! He's gotta be careful and keep his mouth closed during this chase. After swallowing back a dry heave, he made a large leap over the scorpion and continued his trek.
"HEY GURETO! YOU BE CAREFUL NOW! SCORPIONS ARE OUT TONIGHT!"
Gureto was easy to catch up to. And falling back into the comfort of a chase made him feel a bit better, but his eyes were less on the kid and more on the position of his back legs. If he pulled that trick again, he would be prepared. He tensed and closed his mouth just in time for another kickback of sand to come his way. Must've been finally sleepy, because he ducked. Of all the moves! At least his face was spared, but he didn't really feel satisfied when he felt the same crawling sensation on his scalp. Two fold.
"GAAAAH!" He shouted swiping at his head. Indeed two scorpions dropped to the ground. Kicking wildly as they lay on their sides before righting themselves back up and scuttling off. Naruto shuddered, but kept running. Figures he would do that again, it slowed him down didn't it? But those particular scorpions were light with a telltale dark segment on their tails right before the stinger. Death stalkers. Well that was another way to put him to sleep…until the night of the red moon. And if Gureto stepped on those things just right, even if he was poisonous tadpole, two stings from one of the deadliest scorpions would be enough to…
"Gureto watch the sand! There's deadly—" Naruto started to yell and then stopped. Gureto wasn't listening to him. He just kept hopping, faster and faster. Naruto was really surprised, when he had to bend forward and run, reaching that 14.6s speed necessary to run 80 kilos. Just wow! This is the kinda speed even juvenile frogs only have in their tongues! But they were directly under the clouds now and would probably reach the border soon at this rate. And there was still that pressing concern of deadly scorpions, which might multiply in number the further they are from the compound of hungry youkai.
Unsealed and trying to win a game, the kid wouldn't listen until he actually got stung. In order to really stop Gureto from getting hurt, he had to make the move useless. If this risky, stepping-on-scorpions move relied on Naruto doing the chasing, then maybe it was time to switch it up a little.
Naruto launched himself into the air. He flipped over Gureto in a graceful arc and with a snap of his fingers at the same time, his illusion was set. He landed on his left hand before bringing his right hand down in a handstand a few meters in front of Gureto to give him time to stop. Eyes closed and grin large, he kicked his legs playfully, to bring Gureto's attention up. His tail was in between his legs, holding an illusion of the shiny yellow marble.
"Looks like you dropped something Gureto! I'll give you a second chance, if you can get it back from me!"
The breeze picked up, Naruto's nose twitching as a strange scent flew in his face—literally. It was bitter and practically overpowering Gureto's.
"Ugh! What died—hm?" Naruto finally opened his eyes, only to see that his vision was dimming. The tadpole in front of him lost his outline, becoming a blurry dark mass that went up and down, up and down in front of him and was…larger. And wider.
"Wait, wait my eyes are kinda stinging," Naruto insisted, blinking several times. It didn't make sense for him to lose sight, except for the fact that that bitter scent was getting stronger. The last time he smelled a bitter scent around a living frog youkai, it was because it was releasing poison.
"Oi Gureto…you're taking this 'go wild' thing seriously aren't you?" This wasn't no baby poison that just gave you a little sting in your nose either. Vision and scent went first and now his ears were starting to ring. If he lost all five of his senses, he would be seriously compromised. Not bad, Naruto thought, equally impressed that he could still be impressed. With what this kid is capable of, Naruto almost wanted to fight him.
He still needed some space. And he had several options for getting away. But ended up doing none of them.
Gureto's dark mass form had some pretty enlarged 'pores' and they were glowing a yellow-green color. They released a smoke that smelled very strongly…
Bitter.
"GAH!" Naruto yelped, canceling the illusion. He squeezed his eyes shut, grabbed his nose, held his breath and used his sleeve to cover his face as he went through the poisonous fumes. Landing on his right shoulder and rolling into a crouching position he quickly jumped to the side. It took two leaps before he could let go of his nose and breathe the normal desert air and he took quite a greedy gulp of it. His senses cleared to something less than its usual perfection and his right arm was stinging.
That amount of poison was advanced! If Gureto were an actual opponent instead of a little tadpole, Naruto would've had to retaliate! This should be impossible for a tadpole. Seriously. Jiraiya's clan was made up of all kinds of tadpoles and juveniles and none of them even came close to being so good at speed, hopping, and poison intensity and release. On the note of nothing being impossible, Gureto having all this kinda talent should've been brought up by Kurama before the game started.
"Gureto, I know you're good at keep away," he breathed heavily, "but let's talk about using lethal attacks—hm?"
The 'dark mass' was looking at him. Still large and stocky. And positioned like a sitting frog. But it made so much more sense now. It was staring at Naruto with vivid yellow eyes with slit pupils.
Gureto's eyes were green.
Maybe…instead of impressed…he should have been be concerned.
A tongue darted towards him and Naruto on pure reflex dodged with a tuck and roll. Touching the tongue would put him at a massive disadvantage.
The tongue was slurped back into the frog's mouth. It leaped at him with that furious speed, but Naruto was still faster. He stood up and held his hands out to catch the frog's tackle by its cheeks. The impact pushed him back, his right arm buckling a bit more than his left, but he still held his ground even as he slid back several meters. When they came to a stop, the frog landed and still used its large body weight to push on Naruto hard. Naruto bared his teeth as he used his strength to hold the frog at bay.
The clouds passed over head, light from the distant stars exposing his opponent more. Cold yellow eyes bore right into Naruto's red ones. As the bitter scent return, his vision blurred and his ears started to ring again. Still he got to see its face. It was brown, with green stripes over the cheeks and eyes, and clearly a frog, not a tadpole.
"An impostor huh?" But where was Gureto? He couldn't dwell—the frog's mouth was starting open. Naruto was stunned to see the frog's tongue up close. Because he noticed the black marking on the tip of it. His vision was too blurry to see exactly what it was, but it looked suspiciously like a sealing art. But if it moved—almost instant defeat.
He did exactly what he's done before in a fight like this—stretching up on his tippy-toes, he sunk his teeth right into the tip of the frog's nose—hard. The sound the frog made was a low-sounding croak as it pulled back and shook its head fiercely. But Naruto held on. Digging his claws into the top of its mouth and his toe claws into its chin, Naruto held on as tight as he could. The frog's skin was very thick and Naruto needed to cause injury first. He scratched and he bit even though he was starting to feel numb everywhere and couldn't feel his right arm at all from the poison. If he could just break its defense, then the frog will be weary about attacking—
They were suddenly up in the air. Naruto's eyes went wide as they kept going up and up. His lack of touch sensation meant he couldn't even feel it when they touched the clouds, but he was certainly aware enough to feel when the frog went into a nosedive.
Naruto swiftly stopped biting, and brought his legs back, ready to push at the frog to create some distance and control how he landed. But a powerful hit from the right knocked him away anyway. As he soared toward the ground, his dad's words floated through his mind.
"A fox's best defense is in their ability to dodge Naruto. If your opponent can't hit you, the battle is already in your favor."
His speed was already the best of all his abilities. Better than his chakra, better than his strength, better than his stamina. So he recovered fast. He was quick enough to maneuver in the air to land in a crouch but slid, and had to dig his claws into the ground to stop his momentum.
"WHERE'S GURETO YOU BASTARD?!" Adrenaline and anxiety pumped through him, to the point that he could ignore the distracting sensation of pain and numbness on his right side. Inside of him he felt the frigid rushing of his chakra, the sheer bulk of it making him feel like he was going through a blizzard. It felt invigorating, the sting of the temperature inside and out got his heart pumping his hot blood harder. When he controlled the direction of the flow, it became as if an arctic wind was inside of him ready to help him fly. He felt powerful. His four tails spread out behind him.
And this dirty impostor was going to feel his wrath.
The frog opened his mouth. The deafening croak coming out sounding like the creak of old wood.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAGHHHH!"
Naruto snarled back. This frog was physically strong and released poison that disabled the senses. His claws are his best weapons and bites should be hard and near the face, neck, and belly. The eyes would be the most vulnerable to punches. He'll pull chakra techniques if absolutely necessary. No wind jutsu, that does nothing against a creature who can suck in air through their skin. He rushed his chakra up to his eyes and ears, he countered the loss of his senses with chakra enhancement, and at this distance, the normal desert air recovered him back to where he was supposed to be: vision sharp and hearing ready.
He tensed up, ready for the next movement, but didn't have to do anything.
It abruptly closed its mouth and looked up. It angled itself away him, bending to leap away. It just got into the air when there was a tsunami of sand.
"RRRRREEEEEEEGGGH!" The frog screeched.
"Naruto-nii-tan!"
"Naruto-nii ribbit!"
"Whoayayayah!" Naruto struggled as he tried not to slip into the newly formed crater. He sat on his butt and gripped the ground before looking up to see Kurama standing there. Both Kawaiiko and Gureto were in sealed form on his back, holding onto him like there was no tomorrow and hugged by his tails. They looked worried and scared while Kurama looked ferocious. Claws out and ears back. His eyes glowing and narrowed. Teeth blood-stained and bared as he stared off in the direction of the frog.
The frog that just was obviously tossed in the air, flailing wildly and blood sailing behind it as it landed on the ground with a crash. Just like scorpions, it kicked around before righting itself up and it immediately started running away. One leg spindly flaying behind it after each hop, as if the bones in it were shattered. Bright blood shined on its back, over the erratically glowing pores, but it clearly had no desire to stay and fight.
"Are you okay?!" Kawaiiko asked.
"Yeah I'm fine," Naruto answered, rubbing his eyes as he settled his chakra. Although he was still feeling the sense loss from the poison and the pain and numbness from the hit, after some sleep he'll be okay. "Are you two okay?! Gureto where were you?!"
Gureto whimpered and smushed his face against Kurama, who was the one who ultimately answered.
"He went in the direction Kaiwaiiko went. Turns out he was ahead of her the whole time."
"We have this plan, where Gureto goes first, an' I follow, an' dig around and use illusions, an' we confuse you! I didn't know there was a frog hopping next to me!" Kaiwaiiko cried, patting Gureto on the head before hugging him tightly.
"Were they in any danger?!"
"No. They were safe. But I think they'd feel safer back at the compound."
"Can we sleep with you Itoko-chama?! PLEASE?!"
"I'm scared! Ribbit!"
The sheer distress and fear in their voices made Naruto want to break something. Preferably the frog that ran away. Kurama made a face like he was going to say no, but in the end did a short little nod.
"Naruto-nii-tan you should sleep with us too since you were attacked!"
"I'm okay!" Naruto interjected before anyone else could react to that. "Really, y'know, I was fighting it off before you showed up. Let's just do as Kyuubi suggested and get you two back and in bed okay?"
Both kids just smushed their faces against Kurama's back and stayed there. Kurama was already looking at him when Naruto turned to meet his gaze. A silent understanding passed between the two and they stayed quiet the whole trip back.
They reached Kurama's room in no time. The kids barely moved from where they settled, only breathing and shifting occasionally. It's likely then, that Kurama would have to go to bed with them. And feeling quite sleepy himself, Naruto yawned and stretched.
"Okay… good night."
"Wait. Stay here while I put them to bed. I need to talk to you about what happened."
Of course. Naruto wouldn't mind if that was a morning conversation, but look at who he was talking too. He leaned against the wall and waited patiently in the hall as Kurama put the kids in his bed. He came out pretty quickly, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"They were asleep," he explained. And Naruto nodded before getting right to the point.
"What was that?"
"I was hoping you could tell me. Sometimes intruders will sneak onto the estate, but it's usually actual members they're looking to fight. Do you have any idea as to why that frog attacked you?"
"Not a clue…I have enemies, but none of them know that I'm here. I only told one other person and I'd trust him with my life…Maybe it's because I was the one that followed it. Could've easily been you y'know, had we switched kids."
Kurama narrowed his eyes and put his hand to his chin. "Still it's also strange that a frog was able to pull off a deception like that. How did it hide itself from Kawaiiko so completely, but we were able to see it, hear it, and smell it? Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention but even the scent wasn't off."
"I didn't notice anything either at first. But there was a seal on the frog's tongue." And he really wished he could've gotten a look at it with his normal vision.
"A seal? One seal could do all of that?"
"Well it probably had multiple seals on it that we just didn't notice. Seals can do a lot of things, if the person who creates them is a master. But in order for one seal to do multiple things like that, it would have to be made with Uzumaki blood."
"I see…" Kurama said distractedly. He looked off in thought for a minute, expression unreadable. Naruto couldn't begin to guess what was going through his mind. Maybe this was a random attack, maybe the Kitsune made enemies out of a frog clan somewhere. Either way, there were no answers in his memory bank. His dad, Kakashi, Iruka, and Sasuke were the only ones who knew he was here.
"…"
"…"
"Well you were right. I forgot all about my sleep problems heh! Tomorrow your dad comes back right? We have that to worry about.…I should go get some sleep. Good night—"
"Wait!" Kurama grabbed Naruto's hand.
"Oi what happened to the no touching rule? You gotta plan right now? I'll have you know I'm 50% more supportive of plans that involve handholding, specially since yours is so warm Akagitsune~~."
Kurama rolled his eyes, but didn't let go of his hand. "You always find the time don't you? Don't make me actually keep that stupid rule going! It doesn't matter anymore…Are you really okay?" And Kurama sounded so serious when he asked that, that Naruto was surprised into answering honestly.
"…Yea. You jumped in after just one hit and this poison's temporary. So why wouldn't I be?"
"Surely you noticed that frog had 6 tails?!"
Oh. He didn't even think to look at the tails. They're not that hard to spot on a frog, just look at the bumps above their butt. But yeah no, that probably would've made him act a tiny bit sooner and with a lil more urgency had he realized.
"It took me longer than I should've to notice something was wrong and I…I mean you're not supposed to be in any danger here! Ever! And you did get hurt! There's a bruise forming on your cheek!" Kurama's grip on his hand tightened the slightest bit and Naruto felt a lot of warmth coming from it. It sounds cheesy, but it was very literal as Naruto literally felt the warmth go up his arm before the coolness of his own chakra canceled it out. And it actually did soothe the still distracting sensation in his right arm and shoulder. It was pulsating and when it did beat it hurt and when it didn't it felt numb. But after Kurama's chakra flowed through, the overall annoyance lessened. He had no idea if Kurama was doing something much less doing it on purpose.
"Akagitsune I'm fine…Y'know I think your chakra's leaking." Kurama's eyes widened just a tad, before he looked upset again. Pulling his hand away, he crossed his arms.
"I know but…just…understand that I won't let that happen again! I prom—mmph!"
"How about you understand that I'm going to be stronger than you one day, before you make a promise like that. Don't think I'm not mad that you interrupted my fight! What's your deal anyway?" Naruto took his hand away. Though he knew the obvious. Without him there is no amicable way to end this courtship. If he did die out there on Kurama's watch, the fallout in his imagination was likely a lot less ugly than it actually would be. The worst part about when his dad goes insane, is he doesn't look like he's gone insane.
"You're gonna make me say it," Kurama grumbled under his breath before loudly saying, "I was worried Naruto!"
Naruto?
"And maybe I do have some plans for you after this current mess is dealt with! So I'd like you to survive long enough for me until then okay?! After that you can diewheneveryouwant!" Kurama said that last bit in such a rapid tone. His voice infliction was off and he wouldn't look him in the eyes…
Naruto's cheeks heated as he realized why Kurama was about to make a promise, why he kept saying his name. Because there was no one else here to listen. Just him, Naruto. And Kurama, who was using his actual name.
This guy…might just care about him after all…?
"Well if you're that worried," he shyly grinned, and he was too embarrassed by this giddy feeling in his heart to look his intended in the eyes, "then maybe you should fight with me sometime. See what I can do, so you can be impressed too! I wouldn't mind putting on a show for you, Kyuubi…Good night!"
And Naruto went and marched his way back to his room, swinging his arms all the while. Kurama didn't stop him from leaving this time, and he had no interruptions. So when he made it back to his room, he was ready to just fall right where he belonged.
Sinking into the plush mattress, he remembered what he hasn't told Kurama yet. The Search, his missing mom, the possible threat. Because oh yeah that might explain a six-tailed frog who uses master-level seals maybe. If Daitaru would just tell them what the threat was when he got back. All his reasons for keeping quiet before…they didn't seem to matter now…But how to tell him?
Naruto was asleep before he could think of an answer.
DONNNNNNNE! And ooooooooooooo what a twist at the end! But it was a good twist that led to some really sweet and sappy things wahaha!
Story fun fact corner:
1) Gureto definitely isn't that strong lol.
2) Naruto is afraid of little things that are 'long'. So animal snakes, eels, and all bugs that are 'long' (like worms and scorpions) are on his BIG NOPE list. He's fine with the youkai, just not the animals and bugs. Kinnnnda funny hahaha!
Author fun fact corner:
1) feedback appreciated on the action scene! I've been rewriting it as late as today!
2) Word wanted to correct Naruto's "Whoayayayah!" to "Whakapapa!" I almost did it, but wikipedia told me that's a fundamental word for Maori culture, nooooot a hilarious scream someone makes to stop from falling.
So this ends the triple update! Things have gotten a little crazy now and so we'll how familiar future chapters are gonna be hehehe! Anyways the next update is unlikely to be in August, tho I'll be working on it all month. Hoping for a Sept update but we shall see!
Thanks so so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed these little updates :)!