A/N - Hello everyone! Welcome back to the fourth installment of Kitsune Sanctuary! This took far longer then I expected it would and shared what happened in 'Death Watching' which I totally recommend by the way.
So much positive feedback, it makes me want to continue writing! Like always though, please make sure to offer some criticism so I can improve as an author! Keep speculating and discussing aspects of the story. It's so enjoyable when you find little secrets I put into the stories. Like for example, did you know I've already mentioned Sai once in this story?
=Reviews=
Eddyforty - In this story he does. ;D
Doomqwer - I hope it changes a lot of things, I don't want this being a cookie cutter story!
TigrezzTail - I'm trying to keep Naruto himself while not making him a complete idiot. He keeps his quirks that make him fun. I'm glad I did decently on the fighting scene and hope you continue to enjoy them. I hope I continue to improve them. I wanted to give Kurama hope towards his freedom and give him an understanding of what is happening outside the seal. Imagine Kurama being ripped out of Naruto in the middle of Sanctuary and going on a rampage. Awkward...
ThraintarIronshield - I'm trying not to rush the story but I've realized I can't take my sweet time on it by going day to day. Yes, Naruto ramen addiction stays! It's what makes Naruto, well... Naruto! I tried to keep Kurama himself in a general sense. No genderbender this time! Could Naruto have Kurama as a sensei? Maybe... that could be intersting. I'm not stating if Naruto will or will not go back to Konoha, but he will NOT be a shinobi for that village. If Naruto did go to Konoha, I could see him bring his group with him.
Lightfang - I appreciate your input, and hope you keep coming back for more!
Shapeshifter340 - Thank you, hope to see you around in the reviews!
FCY Warrior - The future is always changing. I'm glad that you enjoyed the third chapter and hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Lord Third going through a normal day in his life and realizing how bad he might have messed up. *Phew* Glad I got multiple people enjoying the fight scenes, I'm always terrified to write those. But I need practice for when I get into the serious fights. Perhaps Kurama could and should have been more agressive towards Naruto, but I believe I did alright with it. ...awkward... hehe... guess you get a new chapter as soon as you get back! XD
Soulhope The Wolf - Naruto using a European style long sword... Well, i'll tell you one thing. Naruto's not getting a normal sword. But it will still.. somewhat (?) fit in with the theme of the story. I don't plan on giving him a generic sword, at least not forever. I have an entire arc planned around a blade already. However, I will keep your idea locked in my head in case I decide to change some things. Hope you continue to read either way!
Kaizon-chan - Please, call me Chase! Anyways, have you ever been afraid that if you do something so drastic to a fan loved character you will garnish hate for it? I fear that my friend. The only thing I can say without spoiling anything is to continue reading and I hope I satisfy you. I apologise for the slow down in chapters, and I'm going to continue writing because it's what I love!
Banjo the Fox - Thank you, that means a lot. I hope you continue to read my story.
Delta4phoenix - In this story, that's why it's a sewer. Other stories see it differently then I do, but I like my idea and used it. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and my awesome characters. I was afraid they would be plain and boring, but I'm trying really hard to make them unique in there own ways. Quirks, quirks everywhere!
Guests - You are correct my guest of the story. Hiruzen never met Naruto, and without that special bond... what is Konoha to Naruto?
Please enjoy the story everyone!
I do not own Naruto!
I do own my OCs though...
=The Masumi Clan, Naruto=
Naruto opened his dull sapphire eyes and stared up at the roof blearily. He stretched his arms above his head wiggling his fingers before rubbing his eyes tiredly. His arms fell limply like wet noodles to his sides as he continued to lazily stare up at the ceiling still trying to wake up completely. His eyes slowly changed from a dull blue to a bright endless ocean filled with energy. With a healthy yawn he folded over the comforter and kicked his legs over the edge of his bed. His feet touched the cold wooden flooring while he hunched over with his arms resting on his legs.
He stood up lazily stretching his arms above his head again getting an audible pop from his joints. With a comfortable sigh he walked over to the bathroom ignoring the slight creaking of the flooring and raised the toilet seat to relieve himself. A few seconds later he put the toilet seat down and flushed before walking over to the bathroom sink to wash his hands. He turned on the water and waited a few seconds for it to heat up before scrubbing his hands with scentless soap. With the Kitsunes having such sensitive noses they needed to use scentless shampoos to not overwhelm their senses.
Looking into the mirror in front of him as he brushed his teeth, he took a moment to stare at his own reflection. He finally grew enough to not have to use the footstool for simple hygienic tasks like brushing his teeth or washing his hands. Not much really changed other then the height difference which he is content with for now. Finishing with brushing his teeth he spit then rinsed his mouth with water. Giving a quick full mouth smile in the mirror he turned to continue his routine.
Hoping in the shower he quickly bathed himself using the same brand of scentless shampoo that everyone else used. The only difference is he didn't have to pamper a fluffy tail or ears like the rest of them. He remembered when he first arrived how strange and amazing it was to see all the kitsune people, but after a while he felt like he stood out a lot. Sure, he has fox blood in him, but not the appendages to go with it.
Turning off the water he got out of the shower and dried himself off before walking out of the bathroom to dress himself. He reached into his dresser and pushed his secret stash of instant ramen out of the way to get to his clothes. Ever since the dubbed 'Ramen Incident', the Masumi clan went out of their way to keep him from ramen. He managed to locate a ramen black market that would sell him instant ramen. 'Bless that ramen stand.' He thought as he pulled out his outfit for the day. A simple burnt orange short-sleeve t-shirt and beige cargo shorts. Once he was dressed he turned to leave the room. "Good morning Kurama, ready for another eventful day!" he shouted mentally in his normal happy attitude.
"Sure thing, brat." The nine-tailed kitsune responded from inside the seal. At some point in time the giant kitsune decided that calling me kit is to affectionate and changed it to brat instead. In a way though, brat is just a manlier way of calling him kit.
Naruto could still remember the day he woke up after meeting the amazing nine-tailed fox. He immediately went to tell Kenichi about it and was joined by Akane on his way. It had been one of his more embarrassing moments.
*Flashback*
Naruto's eyes opened slowly staring at the ceiling in his new room. He felt like he needed to do something important, but his mind hadn't one hundred percent caught up yet. He blinked once, twice, three times when his eyes shot open. The thing he needed to do came to him quickly. 'I need to tell Kenichi about Kurama!' he realized.
Throwing his blanket off him, he jumped out of bed and quickly relieved himself. Looking towards the shower he briefly considered jumping in but figured he could shower after he shared his experience with the clan leader. Running out of the bathroom he grabbed the doorknob leading to the hallway. He opened it and quickly closed it behind him forgetting to change his clothes in the process.
He took off down the many halls of the Masumi clan compound dressed in his plain crimson red pajamas trying to locate Kenichi, the eight tailed vulpine. His mind started playing through the newly discovered information he got gifted in his dreams. He didn't really appreciate the fact that his own mind somehow became a sewer. Aki would probably tease him on that fact. Though she might be jealous that he got to pet the most powerful, amazing, awesome, super fox that has ever existed. He was so caught up in his deep thinking he didn't seem to notice as he walked right past Akane.
"Morning to you as well Naru-kun." A familiar voice rang out from behind him causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned around to see Akane walking towards him at a placate pace with a slight pout. She is still in her morning ware consisting of a dark blood red robe with gold lining with 'A.M." adorned by her heart. "Where are you off to so fast that you would ignore me?" she said with a cute pout.
His hand immediately went to the back of his head while looking quite sheepish. He didn't even notice her which made him feel slightly bad, what made it worse was the fact she is sad that he didn't. He never wanted to directly or indirectly harm his new family. "Sorry Akane-chan, I was lost in thought." He said with a sheepish chuckle, "I'm trying to find Kenichi."
She yawned into her hand before rubbing her right eye tiredly. "Oh?" she said rising to right brow, "What do you need tou-san for?" she asked curiously. Stopping right in front of Naruto she tilted her head to the side cutely while staring at him. Her original plan was to see if Aki wanted to bathe with her, but her curiosity was peeked.
"It's a long story but I met Kurama last night." He replied with a slight shrug and sigh. He had no reason to hide the fact that he met her grandfather from her, especially since it was her grandfather to begin with.
Akane's eyes widened marginally at that bit of information. She has always wanted to meet her grandfather and she is finally getting closer and closer to meeting him. A spark of jealously ran through her at the thought of Naruto meeting him first but quickly dismissed it. "That's great! Tou-san should be in his office dealing with paperwork, I'll come with you." She stated now completely awake.
"Alright, thanks Akane-chan!" he said with a bright smile towards Akane. He stepped aside and allowed her to take the lead since he was still learning the layout of his new home. They walked in silence through the halls, but he could tell that she is excited. How you may ask? Her cute fluffy tails danced behind her. He resisted the urge to touch them for now. Naruto could understand the basic concept of her excitement though. The idea of meeting a lost family member that you thought you'd never get the chance to meet would make anyone happy. He absently wondered if his parents wanted him.
They both stopped in front of familiar red rice paper sliding doors that led into Kenichi's office. The same office he officially met both Kenichi and Akane. They were just about to knock on the door when they heard voices from behind it. "Give me a full report on the rescue of our scouting team." Kenichi's voice said from the opposite side of the door. The tone he took up was completely different from any other time he talked with him.
"After my team left Sanctuary, we immediately went to their last known location. It took a day of traveling while covering our tracks to reach their location. After reaching the scene, we found the tracks of the three missing kitsunes. We followed them closely until we arrived at one of their camps. We noticed human tracks treading into their camp where the kitsunes tracks ended.
"From what information we managed to gather, they were most likely caught unaware as there were no signs of a battle. We followed the tracks until we located a small encampment of vile humans. They had cages filled with human women and a smaller cage with our missing scout team. From what we managed to pick up from conversations throughout the camp, it was some sort of slave trade run by a man named Gato.
"We waited until the moon hung in the middle of the sky and struck them in their drunken and sleeping state. We killed them all quickly, efficiently, and burned the whole encampment to the ground. We released the prisoners and our kin then escorted the humans towards the nearest human settlement. Afterwards we quickly returned to Sanctuary with our kin in hands and left them with the Fumiko." An unknown woman's voice stated in a cold professional voice. Naruto took note that she said 'human' with a hint of venom every time she mentioned his race. Though, that is slightly debatable with the fox blood coursing through his veins.
There was a short pause after the unknown woman finished speaking. Naruto thought that maybe they realized Akane and him were listening in but was proven wrong when Kenichi started speaking again. "I see, do you know of their plans for our three kitsunes?" he asked in a tired voice. From the sound of his voice, he had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do to them.
"From a conversation we overheard while scouting out the camp, they assumed that they were a rare fox breed and planned on selling them as pets or skinning them for pelts." The unknown woman spoke up and this time there was no mistaking the anger laced in her words. It made you wonder if something like this has happened before.
"I'm glad you reached them in time before something like that could happen." Kenichi said with a thankful tone. "What do we know on this Gato man?" he asked, his voice taking a dangerous edge. Kenichi clearly did not like this man already, and neither did Naruto or Akane from what they heard so far.
"We cross-referenced Gato's name with other scout reports and discovered some troubling information. His name came up quite a lot in the underworld and is an upcoming crime lord. He appears to be succeeding as well." The woman informed the clan head with complete honesty.
The room went quiet for a moment as Kenichi seemed to ponder over the information given to him. "Is he a threat to us?" he asked seriously.
Another short pause. "I believe if given enough time he could become a threat." She paused slightly, "At this current time, no. More of an inconvenience for us but a threat to humans. I suspect in the next few years he may attempt a takeover of a small country or expand his slave trading ring." She replied professionally, a small hint of venom lacing the word human again.
"I see, if he is not a threat to us, we will ignore him for now." Kenichi commented, "Thank you for your help Erza, you saved three young lives today." He said in a thankful tone.
"I would have helped no matter what, I would never allow three young kits to be killed by humans." The newly named Erza commented, "Also, we seem to have two ease droppers that don't understand privacy." She said idly quickly sliding the door open causing Naruto and Akane to fall in.
A heavy sigh came from Kenichi, "Akane, Naruto, you two should know better then to ease drop on other people's conversations." He said sternly. When he saw both of their expressions, he sighed again. Both have the expression of being caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Naruto finally got a look at the woman that ratted them out. She stood at 5'9" and has a firm posture. Her long hair is a lighter shade of red compared to Akane with streaks of auburn running through it and framed her face. Her eyes are a mystical amethyst with the familiar slit. She wore a jet-black long-sleeve shirt with chainmail underneath, dark grey pants and open-toed boots. Two sword handles rested above her shoulders, but the most noticeable part were the seven red and auburn tails moving energetically behind her.
"So, you're the boy whose been causing quite the stir in Sanctuary." Erza said confidently while she narrowed her eyes at the blond on the ground. The lack of any recognizable kitsune parts made her want to kill the questionable human child, but her rational brain commanded her to stay her hand. The fact that he is even able to be in Kitsune Sanctuary meant he is at least some part fox. The whisker marks on his cheeks could be a kitsune defining trait.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly, "That might be me…" he commented idly rubbing the back of his head which was very quickly becoming a defining character trait. He didn't realize him being in the Sanctuary was that big of a deal.
"What brings you to my office Naruto, Akane?" Kenichi questioned causing all three participants in the room to look at him. He hoped they didn't decide to ease drop on his conversations just because they were bored.
"Oh!" Naruto shouted suddenly, his sapphire eyes lighting up in recognition. "I spoke with Kurama last night!" he said enthusiastically. Two of the three kitsunes eyes lit up in shock at that bit of information. He didn't think it should be that surprisingly with that fact that Kurama is sealed inside of him.
"Explain in detail what happened Naruto." Kenichi said sternly. He's missed his father like the rest of his siblings and they've all desperately wanted to speak with him again. Maybe Kurama gave them some insight. He noticed Erza and Akane looking directly at Naruto expectantly.
"Well, I woke up in a sewer which from what Kurama told me is what my mind looks like." Naruto said right off the bat with a wave of depression. "Anyways, I wondered around the sewers for a while going through some… experiences." He stated getting some raised eyebrows. "I eventually ran into Kurama where he called me his warden and started ranting about his titles and power for a bit." He said absently getting the three kitsune to sweat a little at the complete lack of respect.
"I finally realized the giant fox is actually Kurama, I told him that and he questioned me on how I knew his name. I told him you told me, and he suddenly got quiet and stared blankly for a while. Next thing I know he's calling me kit which is cool." Naruto said with a cheerful smile getting a slight smile from Kenichi. "I asked him why he was in a sewer and why I was in a sewer and he explained how my mind works. I then asked how to free him, but he said that I couldn't and had to wait on you to free him instead." He said getting a curious look from two of the three kitsune.
Kenichi knew that wasn't entirely true, there is always a way for the sacrifice to release their demon. The fact that Kurama told him otherwise means he sees Naruto as a kit and not a human. It's possible he has some fox ancestry that were not aware of and Kurama knows, or it could just be for the fact he is in the Sanctuary at all.
"Then the greatest thing ever happened!" Naruto shouted out excitedly practically jumping up and down. "I asked Kurama if I could pet him and he said yes! I ran over and pet him for hours! His fur is so soft and comfy and awesome!" Naruto shouted in glee getting blank looks from everyone in the room. They listened on as Naruto continued for the next ten minutes of describing his petting session with their father/grandfather.
"T-that's nice Naruto is that all that my father said?" Kenichi asked breaking Naruto out of his rant. He found it cute at first, but the boy seemed to have a slight obsession with certain things. Ramen and foxes which we either serve or are in general. 'This really is a sanctuary for him…' Kenichi thought.
"Yup." Naruto said a little downtrodden from being interrupted in the middle of his petting rant. Suddenly a desire he had been resisting for a while reappeared in Naruto's poor mind. His eyes idly wandered over to Akane where he stared at her for a bit. Her two fluffy tails dancing back and forth behind her.
"W-what are you staring at me for?" Akane stuttered slightly at her new friend's eyes locking on to her. His gaze is so intense, but she could tell he was in deep thought.
"Akane, can I pet your tails?" the young blond said in the most serious tone he could muster. He watched as Akane's face took on a new shade of red that he hadn't seen before. He also noted that her tails suddenly hid themselves behind her back. He was so busy staring at Akane he failed to notice the flabbergasted looks Kenichi and Erza were giving him.
"Naruto, you can't just ask a girl that!" Akane shouted in embarrassment. She had noticed that he would occasionally stare at her tails, but to come out and ask such a question in public! Not to mention how he asked it so seriously.
"Why not?" Naruto asked completely innocently with a face full of confusion. He didn't see the problem, if he had tails he would pet them all the time.
"You just… you just… you just don't!" Akane argued absently taking in the now looks of amusement her tou-san and Erza are giving her. 'How dare they find amusement in my embarrassment!' she thought angrily, but quickly melted under Naruto's innocent eyes. "Naruto, asking to pet someone's tails is really personal." She stated getting a slight nod of understanding from Naruto and complete nod of approval from her tou-san. Like lightning, an idea suddenly struck her. She easily suppressed her mischievous smile; Aki would be so proud. "However, I will allow you to pet my tails this one time." She said with an innocent smile taking pleasure in her father's sudden pale face.
Naruto's smile could have rivaled the sun at her answer. He wasted no time and rushed over to her quickly feeling up her soft, fluffy tails. He easily lost himself in fluffy heaven not noticing the atomic shade of red Akane's face is taking. Nor did he notice the pale face of a father looking at them in horror. He certainly didn't notice Erza looking back and forth between two kids and horrified father with amusement.
*Flashback End*
He snapped out of his slightly embarrassing memory as he arrived at the dining room. He could hear three familiar voices chatting inside. Sliding open the door he is greeted with the familiar sight of his three best friends, Akane, Aki, and Danno. All three of them are sitting down chatting with each other picking at their usual breakfast. "Morning Akane-chan, Aki-chan, Danno." Naruto called out grabbing the attention the kitsunes attention.
"Naru-kun. / Fishy-chan! / Naruto." All three greeted him in their own unique way, however one still caused an irritable twitch. After years of self-discipline, he managed to mostly control the eye twitch at Aki's nicknames. She would get what is coming to her one day, one day indeed.
"Sleep well Naru-kun?" Akane asked with a gentle smile. In Naruto's short time in the Sanctuary, he managed to become one of her closest friends. He just seemed to emanate an aura of warmth and kindness that made you want to smile and be near him.
"Of course." Naruto replied calmly sitting down in his usual seat. His stomach rumbled looking down at his breakfast. Grilled fish with a small bowl of white rice. A fresh crisp garden salad and a bowl of miso soup. This had become his usual breakfast he woke up to which was almost as delicious as ramen. He started picking at his grilled fish savoring the taste before asking, "So, you three have any plans for today?"
"I plan on practicing my kenjutsu for a few hours." Akane answered with a shrug as she finished off her bowl of rice. Since she started teaching Naruto on the basics of kenjutsu, it renewed her love for the art. It helped that he wasn't half bad either, at Aki's level of skill but with his creative thinking added in.
"Ooo, do you need a sparring partner!" Aki asked excitedly, always willing to fight her rival. Kenjutsu is in her blood and her blood starts pumping every time she draws her blade, wooden or not. She wondered what real combat is like.
"I wouldn't mind a spar as well…" Danno said lazily while picking at his garden salad. He enjoyed sparring as much as the next kitsune, but he took more of a love in the forging process. He studied the art a lot and looked forward to creating his first masterpiece in the future.
"I'm always willing to crush you under my foot Aki-chan." Akane said in a sweet tone which caused both Danno and Naruto to sweat a little. They both didn't really understand their strange rivalry but didn't question it.
"You say that now, but one day it'll be you under my foot!" Aki tittered maniacally causing Danno and Naruto to sweat just a tad bit more.
"Maybe if you stop being so predictable." Akane said shrugging off her confidence like an annoying nat. Unlike Naruto who came into a fight with at least a change up in plans, Aki just went for the same basic slashes. She is still fun to fight, but to easy. 'Maybe Naruto's creativity could rub off on her?' A chill went down her spine at that thought.
That paused her crazed laughing. "I am not predictable!" she yelled out like someone had just killed her puppy. Her movements are completely genius and thoughtful! Her slashes are always aimed at vital spots meant to end a fight quickly and efficiently.
"Yes, you are." Akane rebutted.
"No, I'm not!" Aki argued shaking her head.
Before the argument could take off any further, Naruto butted into the conversation. "I wouldn't mind taking a swing at kenjutsu again." He said purposely making a fantastic pun in his opinion. It did not go unnoticed.
"…that was terrible." Danno said after a few seconds of silence. The two other kitsunes nodded their head in agreement at the terrible pun their blond friend made. You could almost hear crickets chirping at the lameness.
At speeds that could rival even the fastest creatures alive, Naruto is suddenly in a corner of the room sulking. A dark cloud illusion formed above his head casting down a ferocious storm. "It wasn't that bad…" he commented lowly.
All three of them stared at the blond with blank stares. He has a powerful and strangely entertaining power to make anything dramatic. He can also subconsciously create illusions to express him emotions. The thunderstorm seemed to represent sulking. Akane coughed into her hand, "Anyways, I think it would be fun to spar with you Naru-kun." She said gently which in turn caused Aki to pout.
Naruto immediately perked up doing a complete one-eighty in his emotions. "That'd be great Akane-chan!" Naruto chirped with a full-blown grin. He found that kenjutsu felt right to him. He picked up the basic rather easily, or so he was told by his three friends. He could still remember training with Akane early on.
*Flashback*
Naruto's body hit the ground roughly. "Ugh, why do you always have to hit so hard…" Naruto moaned in pain, "I think Aki's right about your nickname red devil." He wheezed out. He had gone in for a suto-fatal slice on her chest but got countered easily. He looked up at that smug look Akane is giving him and sent her a half-hearted glare.
"Stop being such a baby. How are you supposed to learn if I don't take advantage of your opening?" She smirked while nodding her head sagely. Her belief in training is to be rough. If you make a mistake that could end up being fatal in a battle, best to correct it now. Whenever she noticed a slight opening or flaw in anyone's technique she would take complete advantage. Did she cause them a lot of pain? Yes, she would admit to that. Would this someday save her friends lives? Hopefully.
Finally catching his breath, he responded keeping his lukewarm glare. "I'm still new to this, so of course I'm going to have openings dattebayo!" Naruto shouted with his infamous verbal tic reeling its head.
Akane's smirk grew wider when she heard that. "Exactly why I'm taking advantage of them early on. That way you won't have to deal with them in the future. Better to work out the kinks early on, dattebayo." She replied smoothly teasing his verbal tic at the end.
"…I'm starting to think you just like hitting people." Naruto deadpanned completely ignoring her theft of his personal verbal tic. He is pretty sure that it's somehow copyrighted.
Akane replied by turning her head to side and whistling innocently. She wouldn't lie and say she didn't get a little pleasure from beating her opponents into the dirt, she just wouldn't say that out loud. Her cute innocent image would be crushed!
Naruto stood back up holding onto his wooden ninjatō. He took the basic stance of the Masumi clan style prepared to fight Akane again. His left foot is extended and rotated for easy counters while his right foot hung back for an easy retreat. His wooden ninjatō is angled downwards held with both hands prepped to attack. He knew his stance isn't perfect yet, but Akane had a rough way of beating it into him.
"Your stance is getting better, but still to rigid. When tou-san taught me this he gave me exercises to help my body be more flexible. We'll have to look into that for you." Akane said to the blond who nodded in response. She took up the same stance as Naruto but hers is more refined and relaxed. She had mastered the basics of her families kenjutsu style, and it is the only reason she felt comfortable teaching Naruto at all. "Begin on your mark Naruto." She ordered.
"Alright, three, two, one, hajime!" Naruto shouted rushing towards Akane quickly to get some ground. He swung his blade upwards with all his strength and speed he could muster. His wooden blade almost hit true before being blocked by Akane's blade with ease.
"I know I'm wearing red Naruto, but you shouldn't charge at me like a bull." Akane quirked with a cheeky smile while putting pressure against her opponent's blade. She noticed him starting to lose to the pressure and quickly back off. She did not let him gain any ground however and went in for a slash towards his right hip.
Naruto saw this attack coming and moved quickly to try and block the attack, this appeared to be the wrong move as the attack broke his stance completely leaving him wide open. This didn't go unrewarded as he was once again punted onto the floor. "How are you so good at this? You're only a few months older then I am!" Naruto exclaimed.
"A blade has always felt comfortable in my hand, and as the heir to the Masumi clan, it would only make sense that I would be good at our clan's specialty." Akane stated calmly reaching her hand out for Naruto. She is considered a prodigy with limitless talent in kenjutsu and hoped to one day make her clan proud.
The young blond reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. "That makes sense, but one day I'm going to be just as good as you!" Naruto shouted with determination. Kenjutsu felt right to him as well, he wondered if maybe his parents practiced the art at all. Maybe one day he would find out.
*Flashback End*
Naruto sat back down with the three chatting about kenjutsu while finishing their delicious breakfast. He felt something running down his mouth and wiped it with his hand. Thick crimson liquid appeared on his hand, he wiped his nose again and noticed that he had a bloody nose. His vision blurred slightly before returning to normal. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his hand clean ignoring it for now.
An hour later Naruto, Akane, Aki, and Danno are standing on their personal training field. Each held their own wooden ninjatō ready to spar each other. "So how are we doing this today?" Naruto asked excitedly ready to spar again. He wanted to fight Akane again and finally knock her down a friendly peg or two.
"Hmm…" Aki hummed lightly garnishing the attention of everyone there, "We could do a free for fall!" she chirped. They had done a free for all once before when Naruto was still learning the basics, and they had taken him out quickly. In the end Akane won like usual after tactfully taking her and Danno down.
"Or we could do a tournament style." Danno through his idea out there. A free for all sounded far too bothersome. "It could be Naruto verse me and you verse Akane. Winners of each match verse each other." He said with a shrug.
Akane looked up into the sky with her eyes closed pondering both suggestions. The free for all sounded like a lot of fun, and they might all target her which would be an interesting experience. The Tournament sounded more like a fun game to play though. Her tails perked up as she nodded in thought. "I say we go with Danno's idea, it'll be more fun." Akane put in her suggestion.
"It's settled then, tournament it is!" Naruto said punching his left palm with his fist. Akane and Aki back away leaving Danno and him room to spar. The both took up the Masumi clan style. Both were refined but Naruto's is still slightly ridged in areas.
"Are you both ready?" Aki asked Danno and Naruto getting a nod from each of them. "Then, hajime!" she shouted.
Naruto charged towards Danno going for a simple slash upwards like he usually started off. He swears he heard Akane mumble something about still being a bull but put it off. He watched with keen eyes as Danno went to parry his blow but quickly stopped his attack and reversed it towards his side.
Danno's eyes widened at the change of attack but quickly jumped backwards from the attack. He smirked lazily at Naruto who charged back at him again. It looked like they still hadn't beat the rushing tactic out of his head yet. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, he thrust his blade forward waiting for the blond to run into the tip. He watched the blond sidestep the attack and slash at his neck. Taking advantage of the slight opening he swung his wooden blade hard against Naruto's sword arm causing him to wince and stumble backwards.
Naruto's right arm throbbed in pain from the attack. He had hoped he was fast enough to get his attack off, but clearly, he didn't. Unlike Akane or Aki who were far more aggressive in their fighting, Danno is more laid back and strategical. He watched your movement and went in for more decisive strikes or used you to make his own attacks. He decided to play the fool to lure in Danno.
Greenish-silver eyes narrowed at the blonde's sapphire. The blond was still wincing and looked to be in more pain then he anticipated. With quick thinking he decided to take the upper hand and went to end the fight with a quick slash at his heart. He didn't see the blonde's smirk until it was too late and collapsed onto the ground. His ankle got hit hard and throbbed in pain, but just as he was about to get up he felt the wooden ninjatō at his neck. "Well played playing possum Naruto." Danno complimented while rubbing his sore ankle.
"I try to be surprisingly Danno." Naruto chuckled help Danno up. They walked over to the sidelines while both Akane and Aki took their own positions. "Who do you think I'm losing to?" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Probably Akane." Danno responded with a slight chuckle himself. "Are you both ready?" He called over to the two redheads getting a nod in return. "Ready, set, hajime!" he called out signaling the start of the next spar.
"Destiny just can't seem to keep us apart my rival!" Aki shouted in glee as she blocked a swipe at her ribs. Akane didn't even give her time to monologue like usual, how sad.
"Apparently destiny likes seeing you lose to me a lot then." Akane retorted continuing her aggressive assault on her fellow kitsune. She went in for another swipe at her ribs but changed directions at the last moment striking her left arm.
Aki cringed, she is going to be feeling that later tonight. She put the pain to the side burner and tried to break off the defensive. Noticing the blade coming from the side again she ducks underneath it and thrust her blade forward nicking at her opponent's thigh. Taking use of her first attack she went on the offensive and slammed her sword into Akane's hip, or at least tried to.
Akane felt a twinge of pain shoot through her leg but ignored it seeing Aki trying to get off the defensive. She should have expected her to dodge underneath instead of attempting to parry again. She wouldn't allow Aki to get in such a fatal hit on her though, pride demanded that. Her sword blocked the other blade with a loud clank sound. Putting as much force into her blade she pushed her opponent's blade into the ground then slammed the pommel of her blade into Aki's gut. She watched her opponent cough off some spittle while collapsing on the ground. Another victory for her.
"Why do you always slam things into my stomach Akane-chan…" Aki wheezed out.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Akane smiled down at her innocently.
"Sure, you don't." she growled out.
Naruto walked over to Akane while Aki went over to sit by Danno. He felt pity for Aki as he had also been on the receiving side of the deadly kitsunes attacks. "Looks like it's you and me Akane-chan." Naruto commented with a foxy smirk.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you Naru-kun." Akane responded with her own foxy smirk. Her emerald eyes met his sapphire eyes and danced with amusement.
"It would be weird if you did, you brutal kitsune." The blond responded blandly. He didn't expect to win as he had yet win once against her, and he got the lucky strike in occasionally. That did not mean he was going to give up without showing her how much he's practiced!
"Sheesh, you monologue just as much as Aki." Danno said in exasperation. "You two ready? Then hajime." He called out after getting the familiar nod.
Naruto decided to take a page from Akane's book and not charge at her for once which got a raised eyebrow from said vulpine. He would let her come to him and see where that went. His only chance was to be completely random and rely on luck.
"Finally lose your horns bull-kun?" Akane taunted getting an eye twitch in response. Seeing as he wasn't coming to her, she would just have to go to him instead. She leapt forward bring her sword down towards the blonde's head in a surprise attack to end it quickly. Unluckily for her, he sidestepped her move and prepared the counter her quickly. 'I'm such a good teacher.' She smirked internally.
Naruto had expected her to charge or taunt him, not leap into the air bring down her blade with enough force to split his head open. Luckily for him, reflexes trained brutally by said opponent worked in his favor and got him out of the way. He swung his sword purely out of reflex towards her neck but got parried. He swiftly fixed his stance before she could attack again.
She watched him fix his guard back up with a proud smile before she decided to take it up a notch. She rushed at him and swung her sword vertically from the waist to the collarbone. He blocked the attack as she expected him to which gave her the opportunity to get into his guard and give him an elbow into the gut. She watched him stumble backwards but manage to stay on his feet, but he lost his breath. Her blade swiftly strikes at his kidney causing him to cough in pain and went in for the finishing move.
Before he could even defend against the sudden elbow to the gut a sharp pain got inflicted to his left side. He didn't get a chance to respond after that either when he felt her wooden ninjatō at his throat. He lost badly again, but he vowed to one day beat her. "Guess you won… again." Naruto said dejectedly.
"Cheer up Naru-kun, you did really good!" Akane chirped happily at her victory. She had been impressed with his swift reflexes in the beginning of the spar.
Aki and Danno both joined them as they all sat in a circle on the grass. "What a painful spar…" Danno mumbled out getting a deadpan look from Aki and Naruto. As far as they were concerned, he got off easy compared to them.
"Oh guys, guess what!" Akane chirped gathering the attention of everyone, "Tou-son said I'm finally getting a real blade! Isn't that exciting." She said as her eyes glowed with excitement. The paling of her friends faces only added to her enjoyment.
"You are staying with wooden swords in our spars." Naruto and Aki both said at the same time causing them to both look at each other with amusement. "Jinx, Fishy-chan." Aki quickly said happily getting a heavy sigh in return.
"You make it sound like I'll hurt you guys…" Akane pouted. She might scare them a little, but she would never completely harm them. Maybe a nick or a cut here and there to help teach them, but that's all. All three stared at her blankly causing her to pout even more.
Naruto coughed harshly into his hand suddenly. A small wave a nausea hit him, something felt wrong. "Kurama, am I getting sick?" he asked the nine-tailed fox mentally. He was about to ask again until he heard the kitsune answer him.
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but your chakra seems to be fluctuating and reacting to your body harshly." Kurama responded looking over the kit's vitals. He could see the kit's chakra changing between green and blue, he had never seen something like this before. "I'll keep an eye on this and let you know if I find out anything." He said with a heavy hum.
"Thanks, Kurama." He kindly replied. For the last couple days, he's been getting nauseous randomly, today is the first day with blurry vision and a bloody nose. He hoped whatever is going on in his body sorts itself out soon.
"You okay Naruto?" Akane asked sincerely with a look of worried followed by Aki and Danno.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto said lightly.
"Okay…" Akane said unsurely but chose to believe him, "It's lunch time and we worked up a good appetite. What should we do for lunch?" She asked feeling hungry.
"Ramen!" Naruto shouted instantly needing no time to think of any other answer. The food of the gods is the only food that would sate Naruto's hunger. For such a divine food to be denied is blasphemy!
"No!" The three kitsunes shouted out instantly. The 'Naruto Ramen Ban' is enforced by them, and they made sure to keep him away from it. They knew how he felt about the food, and if they would have heard his inner thoughts they would have a lot of evidence to support this.
Naruto felt betrayed again, 'Why do they not understand how amazing ramen is? He thought in worry. He sighed in defeat knowing he wouldn't win this battle either. "Fine, what do you want." He asked a little peeved.
"Sushi." Danno answered.
"Barbeque." Aki answered.
"I'm craving Dango strangely…" Akane answered with a shrug. For her that is strange since she doesn't have a very large sweet tooth.
"You always want sushi Danno, and you always want Barbeque Aki-chan!" Naruto said pointing out the hypocrisy, "At least Akane-chan always chooses something random!" he stated loudly. Never made any sense why there isn't a 'Aki and Danno Sushi and Barbeque Ban'.
"Because it's good." Aki and Danno both answered truthfully at the same time making them both smirk at each other. Naruto's eye twitched violently while giving them the hardest stare he could muster.
Akane seeing where this argument is going tried to deflect it. "We had sushi recently, why don't we do barbeque today?" she asked hoping her deflection. It did, score one for Akane!
"That's fine…" Naruto said giving in to his hunger. The others nodded in agreement before getting to head towards Sanctuary. They occasionally went to a barbeque restaurant.
=Kitsune Sanctuary, Barbeque Restaurant=
The restaurant is named 'The Fox-a-Q' which made quite a few people laugh when they first heard it. It's located closer to the center of the Sanctuary and gets a lot of traffic. The building is rather large because of this and can fit a lot of hungry kitsunes. There are multiple ways to enjoy your stay at this place. One such way is ordering a booth with a built-in grill to cook your own meat the way you want. The second way to enjoy is to grab a nice table and order a meal off the menu. They serve beef, chicken, pork, seafood, and other items.
Inside the restaurant you'll find Naruto, Akane, Aki, and Danno sitting at a booth with plates of raw meat ready to be grilled to perfection. They had tried the second option before but found the booth to be a more enjoyable experience. Plus, with this place being relatively popular, you have friends popping up at random to join you for the meal. It just so happened that Hana and Shizuka wandered in and sat down beside them with Shizuka sitting beside Naruto.
"Hi Hana-chan, Shizuka-chan!" Naruto chirped happily at seeing two of his friends.
"Hello Naruto-kun." Hana greet with a friendly smile before turning towards her other friends and greeting them as well with the same friendly smile plastered on her face. Shizuka just bowed her head slightly towards him and looked at the meat in front of her. "So, what did you four do today?" Hana asks kindly, but curious.
"Tournament kenjutsu spar." Danno answered for the group getting a pitying look from Hana.
"How badly did Akane beat you all up this time?" Hana asked with a thin smile. She could appreciate the art, but she didn't enjoy the idea of hurting your friends. She knew that Akane has quite the dark side hidden away behind her innocent demeanor.
"I won against Danno, and Akane won against Aki, she then pummeled me into the ground." Naruto answered truthfully while flipping over a piece of pork. He wasn't ashamed of his loss, he knew full well that Akane is just better.
"I didn't pummel you… you make me sound like a bully." Akane mumbled with a small pout. She went ignored much to her ire, but just sighed and ate a piece of her steak. She preferred her meat medium rare, so she always had to be vigilant.
"What did you two do today?" Naruto asked curious about what his friends did.
Surprisingly it wasn't Hana who answered but Shizuka. "Watched over kits." She answered softly nibbling on a piece of chicken. Her violet eyes would occasionally flicker over to Naruto and her tail rested up against him.
"It was so much fun watching over them too." She squealed happily. She loved taking care of kits, they are adorable, innocent and friendly. The children of the mana clan which they were looking after today are one of the easiest to take care of as well. They are so silent, but oh so adorable. "Remember when you helped watch over some of the kits Naruto-kun?" she chuckled lightly at getting Naruto to blush in embarrassment.
*Flashback*
"Now Naruto, remember that these kits can get a little wild and playful." Hana said to Naruto gently. They are heading over to the Miwa clan to watch over a few kits and Naruto offered to help when she caught him sneaking out of a ramen shack. Now that she thinks about it, 'Isn't Naruto banned from ramen?' she thought but decided to drop it.
"I think I can handle a couple kids Hana-chan." Said the confident seven-year-old blond boy who had no experience dealing with children. He truly didn't understand just how rambunctious the Miwa clan is. Their children have more energy than some adult kitsune.
"I'm not doubting you Naruto-kun, I'm just letting you know to be mindful." She said placatingly as they arrived at the entrance to the Miwa clan compound. The Miwa clan compound unlike the Masumi clan compound wasn't located on a mountain way off in the distance but a short distance into a forest by the park.
As they arrived they were greeted by the clan leader Natsumi Miwa, who in Naruto's opinion is beautiful. She had a slightly darker shade of blue compared to his own, but they were still pretty. Not only that, she also wore orange which is a big plus in his opinion.
"Ah, Hana-chan, I see you brought along a friend with you." Natsumi said in a sweet voice but there is a hint of playfulness in there. "My name is Natsumi Miwa, leader of this clan. What's your name?" the Miwa clan leader asked but already knew the answer. It is hard not to know about this kid when he holds her father. Not to mention how positive the rumors have been about him.
"Names Naruto, nice to meet you Natsumi-chan!" Naruto answered in his friendly natured which got a healthy laugh out of Natsumi and a small chuckle from Hana.
"I heard you are friends with my daughter Natsuko, she talks about you almost as much as she talks about little Isamu." She said with a fanged grin. She had heard a great deal about how he participated in his daughter's and Isamu's contests. She also liked to rant about how he was her chosen one.
"You're Natsuko's mom?" Naruto asked in surprise, "I didn't know that…" he trailed off.
"Yes, yes, I am." Natsumi replied, "Anyways, are you both ready to take care of some brats?" she asked getting an odd look from Naruto and a nod of understanding from Hana. Her clans kits are a bit energetic.
Before Naruto could question on the brats' part, Hana spoke up, "Yes, we'll take great care of the kits." She said with a kind smile. Maybe she was being slightly mean, but she wanted to see Naruto's reaction to the energetic bunch.
"Alright, follow me." Natsumi said as she started walking away.
Naruto looked around the Miwa clan compound and noticed the main color theme for their compound seemed to be orange instead of the traditional red he's seen everywhere else. He whole heartedly agreed with their color choice. Unlike the Masumi clan compound, the Miwa one has trees everywhere with their very own training course. They also have a lot more open space to run around in. It reminded him of the park.
They arrived at a more open field surrounded by trees with clan buildings scattered in between. "Kids, over here." Natsumi called out. Naruto investigated the direction she called out to and froze. They stopped in front of them and looked up at all of them. "These two will be watching over you today, so be good." Natsumi said then turned around and wished them luck and left.
"Okay you three, introduce yourselves to Naruto-kun." Hana said with a gentle smile as she pointed over to the strangely frozen blond near her. She looked over at him strangely, is he shaking?
"I'm Nami, nice to meet'cha!" the young kit introduced herself. She has round slitted ocean blue eyes like Natsumi and short auburn hair. She's wearing a burnt orange shirt with a black skirt. Her one fluffy auburn tail is the size of her torso.
"Hi, I'm Sora!" another young kit introduced himself. He has round slitted ocean blue eyes and spikey auburn hair. He's wearing a burnt orange shirt with black shorts. Like Nami, his one fluffy auburn tail is the size of his torso.
I'm Natsu." The final kit introduced herself. She has round slitted sky blue eyes and auburn hair done up in a short ponytail. She's wearing a burnt orange shirt with black shorts. Just like the others, she has one fluffy auburn tail the size of her torso.
Naruto stared down at their adorably large round blue eyes staring back up as his. Their ears perked up and their tails swishing back and forth between their bodies. His legs started to shake as he tried desperately to suppress this desire. He fought to the best of his abilities, but it was a losing battle. Once they each tilted their head to the side he lost it. "You guys are so cute!" Naruto squealed in a very unmanly way. He grabbed all three of them and brought them into a big hug.
"Uh, Naruto-kun?" Hana asked questioningly but fell off death's door. She watched him pet each of their tails causing the children to lean into his hands. He occasionally scratched behind their ears but couldn't stop petting them. Eventually one got away from the fluff trap and it evolved into a game of tag. Naruto and the three kits were rolling in the grass and playing with each other all day. It had been one of the easiest jobs she had ever done. Naruto became a favorite over at the Miwa clan as well.
*Flashback End*
Naruto blushed up a storm remembering his unmanly incident, but he couldn't control himself. Plus Nami, Natsu and Sora loved him. "It's not my fault they are so cute…" he mumbled clearly embarrassed over remembering the event.
"Speaking of that, Nami, Natsu, and Sora miss you and want you to come play with them again." Hana said sweetly. Apparently, Naruto has a magic touch that made them want to fall asleep. It also helped that his stamina reserves were almost on par with the Miwa. Naruto is very good playmate according to them.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I've missed them too." He shoved a large piece of freshly grilled pork into his mouth savoring the flavor. Just like before, it happened again, and he felt woozy. His vision blurred slightly before sharpening. 'They're becoming more frequent now…' he thought as he blinked his eyes a few times.
The conversation changed to just idle chit chat and soon enough an hour passed. They each paid their share and got up and left. Hana and Shizuka went their own way to go meet up with some people. Aki and Danno decided to split off and go wander around the shops for a while leaving Naruto and Akane alone.
"Anything you want to do Naru-kun?" Akane asked her friend. She had noticed him getting slightly paler as lunch went on but didn't comment on it. Though she is worried for him.
Naruto blinked a couple times before looking over towards his best friend. Her eyes were full of worry, she clearly could see something was wrong. "I'm not sure…" Naruto hummed.
"We could go play some games at home." Akane suggested. She wanted Naruto close to home in case he fell ill.
"That sounds good." Naruto said.
=The Masumi Clan Compound=
Naruto and Akane spent a few hours playing strategy games, or anything that didn't require any luck to win in. Naruto liked to play the other games as well, but they didn't like that he always won them. They were just about to finish their last game before dinner when it happened.
"You're getting better at chess Naru-kun." Akane complimented looking down towards the board. The chess board is handcrafted out of solid oak. It's a one of a kind board where the pieces are foxes and the board engraved to look like a forest.
"Thanks…" Naruto said looking down at the chessboard. The last couple moves he started feeling dizzy and his vision started blurring rapidly. Unlike before, his eyesight was not going back to normal. Red droplets started dripping onto the board gathering Akane's attention when he collapsed on to the ground.
"Naruto!" Akane shouted in panic and jumped over to him to check on him. When he turned him over, his nose is smeared with blood and eyes glazed over. His breathe is scarily shallow almost to the point he isn't breathing at all. Suddenly a large powerful pulse of chakra shot out of his body attracting the attention of every kitsune in the Sanctuary.
It didn't take long for Kenichi, Riku, Aki, Danno, and a few other kitsunes to arrive on the scene. "What's going on Akane?!" Kenichi shouted in shock at seeing Naruto's bloody face. Seeing his daughter crying over his body didn't help either.
"I-I don't know, he just suddenly collapsed!" She said stuttering lightly as tears leaking down her cheeks. She didn't know what was going on, but she should have realized something was wrong sooner!
A large powerful amount of chakra started to form around Naruto's body grabbing everyone's attention. The chakra radiated a peaceful aura that betrayed the situation and wasn't a normal blue like usual, but instead has a distinct green tint to it. It is better to say it is green with a blue tint instead. A tail of green potent chakra shot out of Naruto which quickly multiplied into two, then four, then seven, finally ending at nine. The green chakra wrapped around his body encasing him in a green shell where he was longer visible.
"What the hell was that!?" A Masumi clan member shouted in shock. Most of the clan members were in shock and confusion at seeing the blond boy suddenly encased in a dense shell of green chakra.
"It's happening sooner then expected, but this is the change we've been waiting for." Kenichi responded grabbing everyone's attention. The change was bound to happen sooner then later due to the highly concentrated natural chakra the Sanctuary housed. This is what he needed to happen before they could finally free Kurama-sama.
"What do you mean? What change?" Akane asked tears still spearing down her cheeks as she continued to worry about her friend. His bloody face and glazed over eyes worried her greatly.
"Naruto's body is human and is not meant to be surrounded by such pure and dense natural chakra. His body has been absorbing it since the day he arrived." Kenichi answered his crying daughter. "What he will change into? I have no clue. This has never happened before." He answered truthfully.
"Is he going to survive?" Danno asked slightly panicked at seeing his friend in such a state. He didn't want to lose him.
"His body has been absorbing at a very slow pace until he reached a maximum. This shouldn't be lethal, but I don't know for sure." Kenichi replied. He hoped that the blond boy didn't die, he livened up the place.
Another strong pulse radiated from the green shell sending Akane rolling backwards as she was the closest. They had no clue what was going on inside the green shell of chakra, but whatever was happening they could only wish for the best.
"Erza." Kenichi said in a serious commanding voice.
"Yes sir?" She asked keeping most of her attention of the large green sphere of dense pure chakra.
"Go get Ami Fumiko and a squad of healers!" he ordered which Erza quickly bowed her head and charged out of the room leaving the kitsunes to stare at the strange sphere. Another pulse shot out of the sphere just as powerful as the last.
'Please be okay Naruto' Everyone thought.
A/N - Oh no! What's happening to our blond hero!? I have a pretty good idea, but what's your ideas? This is a point in the story where a lot of things can happen, and I have to play my cards correctly or suffer for it.
The legend of ramen continues on! Our fellow kitsunes may try and take away our food of the gods, but they will never crush our spirit!
Did you like the restaurant name? ...I was told it was bad and now I feel bad...
More fighting scenes as well, and I hope I did them justice. I need more practice for sure, but hopefully over time I will improve and make them far more enjoyable. Just got to remember that they are kids fighting each other with wooden swords. Nothing special yet.
The fluff! So much fluffy adorable cute kitsunes! Bask in their fluffy goodness! *cough* I may have given Naruto a strange fetish according to my family...
Thank you for reading chapter four of "Kitsune Sanctuary"! I do hope you enjoyed it and decide to come back for chapter five! I'm super excited for chapter five!
If you have any questions, please type them in the reviews and if I feel like answering them I will. Can't give spoilers, but I can hint at things if I decide to!