Life As A Fox

Chapter 41

NSW

Winter had finally set in Konoha, the entire village was covered under a sheet of thick white snow, and more was on its way, people predicted that this would be the longest winter Konoha would ever receive. This would cause many complications, but at the moment no one seemed to care, everyone seemed much more happy, the blanket of snow seemed to erase away the fear of before and gave hope and renewal back to the village and it's occupants.

So on this day, everyone was out enjoying the snow, everywhere there was Snow forts and snow angels being made, snow ball fights broke out at random and stopped just as randomly, throughout the village you could hear the sound of laughter and joy as once for the first time the village as a whole released a silent sigh. Naruto enjoyed the snow greatly, he and Akamaru bounded and leaped as they ran through the snow.

Naruto and Akamaru's relationship was more like Lennie and George's relationship in the always classical 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck. Where Naruto was the smart leader of the two and had to watch out for the not to bright Akamaru and make sure he didn't do anything harmful or stupid. Akamaru spoke to Naruto in his dog tongue in short excited words, or small phrases, he saw Naruto as his friend and companion but he also relinquished all control to Naruto, because Akamaru himself also realized that Naruto was much smarter than him, and like a small child he would listen and follow Naruto.

Naruto lost himself to a few hours of just rolling around and playing in the snow, the crisp air and the cleanliness it seemed to cast on everything when it covered the ground gave an aura of order and pristine beauty. Naruto almost hated walking through the snow and disrupting its perfect wholeness. But alas the fun of the snow called on him to greatly and he could not refuse. Hinata watched from the patio door, she smiled and laughed at the both of them.

Kiba had joined them later and threw snowballs at them, Akamaru dumbly tried to fetch them, but found out to his surprise that when he went to get the snow ball it had disappeared and what remained was a white powder pile. Soon Akamaru grew tired and flopped down in the snow and just lay there. Kiba leaped upon him and wrestled with him, it had been so long since the two of them had any alone time. I t was always work or Hinata and the baby, there were few times when these childhood companions could just be them anymore.

After awhile Kiba and Akamaru just lay next to each other, Kiba's head on Akamarus chest, Naruto came over and laid next to them. "so how you feeling?" Naruto asked Kiba, Kiba glanced at him "about what?" Naruto nodded towards Hinata, "being a father, everything that happened" Kiba sighed "honestly, I am scared shitless" Naruto glanced at him "but you seem so excited, I though you wanted to be a father" Kiba nodded "I do, I do want to be a father, but I am just scared, this isn't like a doll or like Tomi, where I got a kid that could talk back to me and tell me what it wants, this isa baby, a crying screaming baby, that I have to teach everything, how to walk, how to talk, I have to teach him or her how to behave and how to be respectful, and how to share, and most importantly how to love".

Naruto nodded his fears justified parenthood was a big step "don't worry Kiba, you and Hinata there is two of you, you can learn together, you guys are a perfect team, you both can do this, sure you might run into a few obstacles but you will able to face them together and get through them". Kiba nodded "thanks Naruto, you know, you have gotten pretty wise since your academy days" Naruto smirked "I bet I have, eh I am just talented like that, besides when you think about it, having a baby is live having a puppy, it would be like raising Akakamau again".

Kiba glanced at Akamaru "not much of a confidence installer, I still haven't gotten him to stop chewing my things" Naruto shrugged "at least babies don't chew on shoes" Kiba nodded "that's a relief" Naruto nodded "yes they prefer to grab things smaller and that can lodge into their throats easily, shoes are to bulky for that job" Kiba blanched. Naruto got up "hey if you have a boy, maybe threatening to neuter him might to the trick"

Naruto then had to run for it as Kiba chased him throwing snow balls and yelling loudly that the only balls he would be taking away would be Naruto's. Naruto laughed as he escaped and ran to where his team lived. They to where outside "hey sensei" Gin said grinning and eating a snowball. Naruto nodded to them "how are you all today?" Gin jumped down to him (she was sitting in a tree when he came) "happy! first time seeing snow!"

Naruto paused "really?" Gin nodded "yeah the land of rain doesn't get snow, we get rain, all the time, and Baru lived in the mines so he never saw it either, he never knew about rain either until he met us-" Naruto nodded cutting her off "I get it, well let me show you how to enjoy it properly, first stop eating it, it will make you have to go to the bathroom, plus it will give you a stomach ache." Gin threw thew snow away behind her back.

Naruto nodded "right first is first...snow angel" Gin glanced at him then to the snow, "what make an angel?" Naruto nodded "Gin, I want you to stretch out your arms then close your eyes" Gin did so then waited "good, now brace for impact" Gin was about to ask what he was talking about when she felt a forceful shove on her chest, and she went falling backwards into a soft pillow of snow, she was instantly submerged in the freezing goodness of it.

He began to direct her "wave your arms above your head and open and close your legs, pretend you are swimming" Gin did as he told "good now keep your eyes closed and grab my tail" Gin did "now on the count of three I am going to pull you out, you have to jump so you don't mess the angel up trying to get out of it". Gin nodded then on three she leaped as Naruto pulled her. She landed in the snow breathless, who knew it was so enticing and tiring to play in this stuff?

Naruto looked up to her "look down" Gin turned and looked at her art, Fluffy-sensei was right, it was a snow angel. She had made a snow angel "its beautiful" she said, then slowly the tears began to form in her eyes. Naruto looked up at her "what's wrong, she turned to him, she was at that moment the full incorporation of the word and meaning 'cute' the way she was bundled in Baru's oversized sweater and pants, with a purple scarf wrapped around her neck, she wore a matching set of ear muffs.

Her skin tinged purple from the cold, but she didn't shiver, she looked at him with those precious eyes of hers "its beautiful because of what you have done, you have given us a life, we could never have dreamed, you have opened a world for us, and if I where to die right here and now, I would die happy because I got to meet you and experience this life". Naruto was silent for a moment "your words they...they have touched me deeply Gin, I am happy that I was able to show you this world as well, and you too have brought great happiness to me, you, Chikao and Baru, all three of you have given to me the joys...the joys of being a proud parent".

Naruto turned away tears in his eye, it was true some of his happiest moments in his life were teaching these three. Gin kneeled down and placed a hand under his chin, she turned his head so they stared into each others eyes, she then softly wrapped her delicate arms around his neck, and they hugged. It seemed at that moment for both he and Gin, that winter no longer existed because the warmth of that hug and the feeling of having someone, the feeling of the pack between them, was so strong the outside world eradicated from their minds.

A voice broke through to them "oi, what's with the sappy stuff? come on let's have a snow-ball fight!" Naruto and Gin split as they dodged a barrage of snowball from Chikao and Baru. Naruto laughed and chased after them. Nipping at them playfully. Chikao and Baru took turns wrestling with him, soon all three of them lay in a pile looking up into the sky.

Chikao spoke "but Gin is right, if I never met you Sensei, I...I don't know what I would be doing now, or where I would be,...personally I don't want to know" Baru spoke "my world, before was dark, constant dark, I thought that was the only thing the world had in it, was just darkness and rock, it's how I was raised how I lived, everyone around me thought the same, dig deeper, dig further, like the earth was an endless tunnel".

He paused and continued "when I first saw the sun, I was afraid, to have something so far away, so brightly burning constantly watching me, I thought I would go insane, the world was so open, and so bright, rock is buried underneath layers of grass, or under trees, no place to hide everything so different so strange, I wandered trying to find stone, trying to find darkness, for days I wandered, thirsty, hungry, till I found that bridge".

He paused and shuffled about "that bridge was literally my rock, a foundation, it was made of limestone and held darkness underneath it, I curled up into a little ball and basked in that small shadow of darkness, the only place I felt safe, I was hungry and cold, but I didn't care, I had my rock and I had my darkness" Baru sighed at the memory.

He continued "then these two found me, they gave me food, they showed me that sun was good, grass was good, trees good, trees provide darkness, trees provide shelter, trees like rock, hard only they had soft stuff at the end of it." Baru continued "I lived in a very limited world, all three of us did, we all dreamed that we would someday be great ninja and then we would never know hunger again, but we were naïve, I know that now, we weren't thinking things through and no one believed in us or thought we could do it, they just saw us as orphans and brats, misfits that would never survive."

Baru turned to Fluffy leaning on his elbows "but you, you did, from the moment you saw us, you knew we had the potential, you didn't see us as trash or as broken things to be thrown aside, you took us and mended us, saved us even, we owe you our lives, thank-you Sensei, but I want to ask something that has bugged me since I first came here...why?"

Naruto paused and took much time before answering, he got up "you might want to come with me" The three of them followed him as he weaved through the snow filled streets until he came to the entrance of the Cemetary, after walking the all to familiar and haunting path to his grave, Naruto stepped forward and brushed snow off his head stone.

He turned "the name of this stone, is it familiar?" Gin nodded "Naruto...that's what Hinata and Kiba call you sometimes" he nodded "I kind of wondered" Naruto turned "that's because this man, buried underneath you feet...he was an orphan as well, he knows exactly how you feel, for he felt the same way when he was growing up, everyone counted him out thought he was broken as well, all it takes is one person to belive in you, one person to show you that you have the potential that you have what it takes and you three can be like this man, be considered a hero to all".

Gin nodded "was this man your master Fluffy?" Naruto smirked and turned "no, he wasn't my master, Uzumaki Naruto...he was the man I once was" There was a silence that went for a long time "wait...what?" Chikao said Naruto looked to them "Uzumaki Naruto was the holder of the nine tailed fox, when he died he made a deal with the demon inside of him, long story short, he could live out his life once more, but only in the body of a-" "demon" Chikao said finishing his sentence.

Naruto nodded "correct a demon wolf to be exact, although somehow there is a little fox thrown in there somewhere" he added dryly. Gin held a hand on her mouth and was crying "Gin what's wrong?" she threw herself at him "but...but, you died! that must have been horrible! it must have been painful for you, I am so sorry that I sometimes complain about minor injuries! I mean that's nothing compared to dying! I feel so horrible"

Naruto gave an exasperated sigh "it's okay, Gin...it's all right, okay? I am allright, see I am over it? come now, you three need a good heaping bowl of ramen to cheer you up...oh and also" he added as they turned away to head to the ramen stand "this is sort of secret, I don't want the word out that Uzumaki Naruto is still alive...only in a much more...beastly form"

Gin skipped forward "race you to the ramen stand, loser pays" Naruto called after her "oi are you even listening to me?" Gin nodded then giggled and ran away. Chikao raced after her Naruto stopped Baru, "Baru, when we first met, you said you hated the mines, that they weren't safe, and that you hated darkness"

Baru paused "I did, I loved and hated it, I hated it because it was dangerous, but I loved it because it was the only thing I knew, it was the only life I had, it may have sucked but it was home, until it completely collapsed". Naruto paused "completely collapsed?" Baru nodded "yeah everyone but me and a couple of others survived".

Then Baru raced off Naruto sighed "dammit, there goes another paycheck" he said as he raced after his three small but ravenous students.

Naruto slurped his noodles greedily, oh how he loved the flavor and warmth of these beautiful creations. "so" he said pausing "where did you grow up Chikao? Gin had mentioned something about the Rain, but I thought you said you both grew up in the Sound" Chikao nodded "both of us were in the same system for years, we both got dropped off at the same orphanage, only she was a year later" Chikao said looking to Gin "we grew up together, then when I was five and she four we were sent to a different Orphanage, in the sound, because the one in the Rain was being shut-down".

Chikao sighed "the sound was a tough one, all the children in the Sound disliked us kids from the Rain, they always teased us and stole our things, excluded us form games, told us to leave and hide when people came to look at us for adoption" Naruto froze "they made you hide when people came to look at you for adoption?" Chikao nodded "yes, if we came out we would get hurt really bad, one kid...I can't remember his name, but he always colored a lot, he went out, of course they didn't do anything to him there, but when they left...they dragged him to the bathroom and dumped chemicals in his eyes...he was blind after that"

Naruto stared dumbly at what Chikao said 'how could children be so cruel?...then again they were probably desperate for love and was willing to do anything to make sure they were picked and not anyone else' Chikao shook his head "by that time I was six and she five, I slowly began to put together a sack of supplies and hid it in a tree out back, none of the sound kids would climb trees, and in a year I knew I had enough to go, so in the dead of night, I took Gin and got out of there, a couple weeks later we found Baru, then we banded together and stuck out on our own, and have been that way ever since".

Naruto smiled softly "I am proud of you, that was a very brave thing to do, it took a lot of courage to leave" Chikao shrugged "I just knew that place wasn't safe, and to protect Gin and myself, we had to leave" Naruto nodded "never forget that" he spoke suddenly "never forget what?" Naruto smiled "never forget your reason of doing something, never forget your Nindo, never forget your way of how you do things".

Chikao nodded...then paused "wait...what is my Nindo?" Naruto shrugged "I can't not tell, that is something that each Ninja must find on his or her own" By this time the old man ramen server had come by "listen to your sensei kids, he is right, I once had a boy come by everyday eat my ramen, his Nindo was to never stop trying, never give up and to not back down, and he never did, that kid had more guts than anyone I know, and he didn't do it for honor, he didn't do it for money, he did it...he did it to protect the ones he loved and cared for, which I could never figure out, how that kid could love the village that could be so cruel to him, so mean, yet he would smile and take it all in stride, then save their lives a thousand times over."

Gin spoke "what was his name?" The man grinned a sparkle to his eyes "Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest Ninja I ever knew, and I am proud still to this day, that I served him my ramen" the man sighed "I can't help but think that someday he is going to walk back through those flaps and sit down and beg for a bowl...he was always broke, but I couldn't help saying no to those eyes" The man ladled more into Chikao's bowl "eat up, you need to grow some more boy" Chikao thanked the man.

Gin spoke "so...he died correct?" the man nodded "of course, gave his life in the war...haaa" the man said sighing with anger "that boy, he was always trying to carry out two goals, one get his 'best friend' back into the village and two become Hokage...well he got his best friend back to the village all right, he now sits in jail for murdering him" Gin gasped "you mean...his best friend killed him?" the man nodded "isn't that what I just said? I was there for the trial...your sensei here was the one who put him there, one of the main witnesses, but Uchiha Sasuke wasn't put in jail because of just that, he was put in jail because he was caught attempting to assinate the Hokage...several times".

There was a silence then Naruto spoke "yes well...I believe I shall pay and get these kids' home, spent a long day playing in the snow" so Naruto quickly paid and they walked away. "did you really have to ask him that? he always goes into to detail, he never knows when to shut-up" Naruto muttered. Gin glomped him "I'm sorry, I really am, it's just I wanted to know...it was like morbid curiosity" Naruto sighed "you know that curiosity killed the cat" Gin smiled softly "yeah, but 'knowing brought it back".

Naruto nodded "I see, well you could have asked me anyways, now to home let's go" "I think I know what my Nindo is" Chikao said looking up into the winter night sky, it was a dead calm, not a cloud, every star sparkling and beaming down. He turned to them "my Nindo, is to protect those who believe in me, protect those who love me, and I will do so, with every portion of my body and soul, and I will never give up on them or myself, and I will not back down from anyone who wishes harm on those I care about...my Nindo...is the Nindo of protecting those I love".

Naruto nodded "that's good, never forget that, and one thing all of you should know, the moment you find your Nindo, never be afraid of dying for it, because dying by your own code of honor, is one of the greatest things you can do". Baru nodded "yeah, but lets not be fools and just throw our lives away because we are too stupid to know when we are outmatched" Naruto grinned "Baru, let me tell you something, even in defeat, the fox always has a trump card up his sleeve".

Baru was confused by this, but nodded anyway taking that piece of information to heart, something told him that everything his sensei was telling him, was very important to both him and them, and it would be a waste if he ignored his teachers lessons.

The three of them said goodnight to him, then turned to leave, Naruto stood and watched after them. Something rattled in the cans Naruto turned to see a stray cat digging for food. He turned back his students gone, their foot prints ended suddenly telling him they had leaped from that point and continued home by jumping and running across roofs. A cold wind then blew towards him, picking up the snow, and in a mini tornado of white flakes he was blinded momentarily, he shook his fur and looked back their footprints were gone, erased by the snow.

For some odd reason he felt a chill go down his spine, but cast aside for snow melting in the interior layer of his fur. He turned and headed home, but first he stopped and got some food then went back to that cat, and placed it in front of her, she took it and ate it purring, he then watched as she went into the alley that was safe from the cold bitter winds, and nestle into a small warm nest where four little kittens nestled up to her mewing for her milk and warmth.

Naruto turned and continued home, it was doing small favors like this that made him feel like a good person, simple ordinary tasks, like giving a starving mother food for her babies, or giving warmth to a cold shoulder or even turning a willing ear to a person that needed to talk, all these things anyone could do and accomplish, but few did, because they claimed they never had the time for it, that they weren't equipped for it, Naruto disagreed, anyone could do anything like this, if they only have the heart to do so.

I wanted to have more one on one time with Naruto and his students so that is why this chapter came to be, I also wanted to go more internally into some of the characters (Kiba) and how he feels about things, being a dad stuff like that. I added that last paragraph as well a lesson for you all, we all can do simple things, that to other people would mean the world to them, so if we just do those small things we could be a hero to a person and not even know, all because we took the time to care.

NSW