After some horror and drama the last two chapters we're back to some family/friend-centered fluff and a little foreshadowing. Hope you enjoy!

I do not own anything.


FOX TAILS AND WHIRLPOOLS

Chapter 7 - Learning Curves


One thing Hakuno had learned well, riding the nonstop rollercoaster that was his life was waiting hell. When you knew something was going to happen or something was coming waiting for, it was the hardest part. Rather that something was good or bad, needed or not, the time spent counting down the seconds, the hours, the days, it was enough to drive a person mad. Considering what he'd been through, Hakuno had learned how to fill up the time waiting with minuscule activities. As of late he had a lot to do with his waiting time: his Servant-turned wife, their adopted son, the store they'd agreed to run, and the Hidden Leaf Village. Those things, those joyous fulfilling things almost made him forget he was still walking on thin ice.

Naruto's remedial lessons had gone well. His grade wasn't exactly high enough to write home about but it was enough to keep him from failing the quarter. He promised next quarter he'd do better and Hakuno believed him with every ounce of his heart. The walk home was talkative and jittery, Hakuno's smile never once leaving his face and only growing brighter upon their return home. Tamamo didn't even ask how things went, she just assumed the best and swept up Naruto into her loving embrace until beckoning Hakuno to come join her. For a study session, things had been readily lively given who Naruto spent the afternoon with: Chōji Akamichi, Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, and surprisingly Sasuke Uchiha. Hakuno recognized them by their last names more than anything, he'd caught Tamamo going over clan documents and listings so she had an idea of who they were to avoid and who they con potentially reach out to.

If their first few days in the village were in induction, at least he could definitely say Naruto had gotten better with interacting with people, or rather their presence made people more willing to interact with him.

The all-day energy high Naruto had been on slowly began to patter out after dinner and his bath. Then he was close to being out like a light. Tamamo took him up into her arms and put him to bed while the hazel-eyed Master watched from the doorframe. As expected, his Caster had reawakened the motherly instincts she so hotly claimed had been sealed away forever.

She'd just finished tucking Naruto in when Hakuno felt it - the sudden pulsing in his heart and dilating of his eyes. Like a wind snuffing out a candle, his calmness was gone leaving the tempered alertness in its place. His instincts honed in on the source of the tension - his wife.

Having gotten to know the shrine maiden quite intimately over what he estimated to be two years and a half years, Hakuno had a pretty good idea of what was usually running through Tamamo's mind. Her aura would never do such a complete one-eighty unless there was a damn good reason for it.

Like someone else hijacking her body.

He didn't realize it until her frantic breathing was tickling his chest, his left arm protectively wrapped around her shoulders. Naruto continue to peacefully slumber in his bed, none the wiser of the sudden aura of malice that took hold of his adoptive mother. He supposed they'd dodged a serious bullet with that one. Her body was hot, and not in the sense of the fitting spring kimono she was wearing, but as in scalding water. That was the first sign, the second was when he felt his left-hand throb with an all too familiar pain.

"Tamamo," he whispered lightly to her, slowly beckoning her out of Naruto's room. With great care, he used his free hand to pull the door shut on Naruto's room leaving it open by just a crack. "Are you alright, do I need to take you down to the hospital?"

"N-N-No, I-I'm fine, sorry for scaring you. I just felt something for an instant, whiplash you could say. It must have came form one of my 'sisters' out there." A look of thinly laced worry crossed her face while her hands came together as if in prayer. "You don't think it was Scorn, do you?"

"Trust me, if it was her, we'd know." In truth, while he knew his love's Avenger-classed alter ego was arguably the most dangerous threat out there, Hakuno couldn't help but grow annoyed whenever Tamamo jumped to conclusions regarding her. If anything, Scorn would have been roaring with laughter at seeing her original self like this - filled with fear and paranoia over every tingly sensation she got. It was no way to spend this extra life they'd been given. "Look, let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll both be working a full shift at the store and the day after, we'll be meeting with Mister Sarutobi for training on the practice field. And that's not even counting whatever trouble Naruto gets into."

"Hey, for all we know we may just need the laugh." She giggled, kissing him on the cheek before leading him to their own bedroom.

As their heads hit the pillow, Tamamo happily dug into his arms, Hakuno closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable meeting.


As usual, the ether-thick air was the first thing his senses registered. It rushed into his lungs both empowering him and suffocating him like some sort of wonder drug. The first time he'd experienced it he'd been completely overwhelmed, falling to his knees gasping for clean air to be breath rather than attempting to adjust. He was a virtual soul, and beyond that a person born in an age without magic, what hope did he have in adjusting to a place where magical energy went hand-in-hand with oxygen? And yet he'd managed to adjust, little by little, his artificial soul had adapted to this mystical land ruled by a being far beyond human comprehension.

He breathed inward, allowing the beneficial aspects of the ether to revitalize his body then opened his eyes to find himself lying against the hallway wall. All around ornate gold, red, and white decorated the temple he was currently within. Two times he'd made ventures to see what lay beyond the temple walls he always woke up to. The first time he'd found himself staring out at a wondrous sea of puffy white and pink clouds, above him a blanket of stars brighter than any he'd ever known, the second time he'd found only mist; a white veil that prevented him from seeing anything beyond the red-wood railing. Both times Amaterasu had been upset with him for making her wait and made it known by asking him if he "enjoyed the view". It didn't take much to realize if she wanted to, she could psychically hurl him out of her temple and into the colorless abyss he was sure existed beneath the sea of clouds or veil of mist.

After checking to see he was still in his sleepwear, he began making his way down the hallway towards the inner chamber; his ears slowly picking up the thunder-like breathing coming from the hallway's end. In time the fear that had laced his body had faded away, much to a certain goddess' annoyance.

Call it bravery or foolishness, whatever it was, it had allowed Hakuno Kishinami to face down the Shinto Goddess of the Sun on even terms, even when standing in the heart of her own realm.

"Glad to see you haven't changed too much, I've actually grown pretty attracted to the giant over-sized you." He began, taking a stand before the elevated platform on which lay Tamamo's "inner self". The gold-laden white dress she wore was still as flawless and glittering as ever and her skin remained the smooth and creamy texture he remembered it to be. Her aura of divinity had not wavered, and even if it wasn't flaring in Hakuno's face, he knew it had more than tripled in size thanks to the nature of the new world he and Tamamo were stuck in. Amaterasu's eyes had not lost any of their cruel edge…nor had her canine fangs shrunken in size as she grinned at him. "If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just called, you didn't have to scare Tamamo like that."

"I was bored and needed some amusement, what would you have had me do? Sit back and continue to watch you and that little one-tail keep playing house?" Even when she was calm, her voice carried over the surroundings like thunder, a hot wind blowing across the chamber causing Hakuno to break out into sweat a little. Upon seeing his still-resolute expression, the goddess growled through an angry smile. "I'm beginning to think you've forgotten your place, little insect. There was a time where my gaze was enough to have you trembling where you stood, your legs seconds away from liquefying and a prayer for death resounding in your head like a mantra. Don't you know, due to the nature of this world I am now much more powerful than I was on the Moon Cell. Is any of this registering or did the warp really fry that pea-sized brain of yours?"

Two years ago, Hakuno would have been too scared to answer, but the person he was different from then. He laughed instead. "Ahh, I'm happy to see you still love me, I was worried once we got here you'd not only shrink but lose your charming personality, the one that always keeps me on edge and pushes me to be a stronger, better insect." Most people would have been dead exactly one second after saying those words. The old Hakuno would have never dreamt of saying those words proving the boy before Amaterasu was different from the child she'd dream-jacked two years ago.

And the sun goddess hated that fact with a passion.

Anger hidden behind a smile that showed a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth belonging to a demon, and golden eyes that blazed with holy fury glare down at the human. Behind the waist swayed nine ethereal furry tails the color of the sun. From Amaterasu came a near invisible-wave of heat hot enough to melt steel and cause even magical particles to begin evaporating. Hand-in-hand with the heat wave was the killing intent, a murderous desire that would have sent lesser creatures either running for the exit or gotten them on their knees. For better or for worse, Hakuno had left that category and graduated to something else, something that almost impressed Amaterasu.

"Heh, I suppose you've grown some nerve, good for you, my dear little insect." Spoke the giant-sized goddess, slamming her finger down causing a minor tremor to rock the chamber. "I suppose being set on fire, frozen, strip naked and paraded around, and nearly having your mind erased has built some strong character for you. Perhaps you deserve a reward." Another tap of her finger and by her side materialized sake cup, the size of house rooftop, and a sake bottle.

Hakuno looked to his right and saw a smaller-sized set for himself to drink out of. Technically speaking, he was seventeen when he originally died, and thirty years had passed since then so his real age was somewhere close to fifty. As his friends had put it, he had the "best excuse" for drinking. Something told him that'd be harder to sell in the ninja world though, so he might as well enjoy himself here.

"You've lost most of your demonic power, is it because this place resembles classical Japan or are you deciding to give the 'enemy of man; thing a break?" he began pouring himself his first cup. Strong, tantalizing, he wondered if Tamamo herself could conjure up liquor as good as the this. If so they would have a new venue, one that could make them quite a buck if they chose to market it.

"Making such accusations against me, truly you've forgotten your place, insect." Bellowed the sun goddess, downing her entire cup then pouring herself another. Having seen her down several gallons in an instant and entire barrels without any trouble, Hakuno had to wonder if Tamamo's low alcohol tolerance was a result of Amaterasu. If so then he supposed his Servant now had another reason to loathe her inner self. "I called you because of my boredom, and I'm sure you've got some questions for me, don't you?" As the sake cup fell away from her lips, her slitted eyes zeroed in on Hakuno, her smile twisting into a demon-like grin that could have frozen over a raging fire. "What makes you think I'll answer them? From what I've seen, you've made it pretty far with only a few hints and your instincts guiding you. How fitting for a bug, don't you think, Master?"

The first time Amaterasu had addressed him with that title, it was completely lacking in any of Tamamo's normal affection. The second time it was still lacking but a little less venomous, and then the third time…he could detect it, small as it was. "You got me, but I'm not expecting you to give me clear answers, you only do when either you can get something out of it-namely amusement. I've got better things to do than sit around here and play with you," Holding his sake cup to his lips, he winked at the gold-adorned goddess. "That is, unless you want me to stick around and play with you."

Once again, the aura of searing heat flared up, and with it came the nine tails changing from embers into bright and burning torches. The light they cast illuminated the truly psychotic grin of the sun goddess they belonged to.

Behind her furious façade, Amaterasu was at something of a loss. While she did long for the pathetic little insect she'd grabbed years ago, she was still somewhat impressed with this new bug. Its shell was harder, it possessed pincers it wasn't afraid to use, and its will was great enough it could stare down a predator twice its size alone without fleeing. Normally such a creature should have been crushed without a second thought, but if she did that, what would she have to entertain her then?

"Don't get so full of yourself, insect." She spat, attempting to regain some measure of control. It was insufferable how in what to her had been such a short amount of time this human had gone from a speck of dust to…to… "That one-tail's fears aren't completely unfounded, back on the Moon Cell you were almost entirely gong-ho to stop the Alter Egos and now…while you're playing house and raising a human weapon, they could be out there causing untold destruction. Here I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one."

Instead of heat, coldness descended upon the chamber, an icy-like chill that caused the flames of Amaterasu's tails to flicker and hiss in protest at the supernatural chill. The goddess' own eyes narrowed as they met the equally narrowed eyes of her house-guest. The warmth and playful humor was gone, the seriousness was reinforced by the ring of silvery light now rimming Hakuno's usually honey-colored eyes.

"First off, don't ever refer to Naruto like that with me around," He began in a voice as cold and empty as the void of space. The silvery glow in his eyes slowly but surely began to spread to the rest of his body, giving the teenager an ethereal glow that almost rivaled her own. Hakuno himself probably wasn't aware of it but Amaterasu was. Behind his shoulders, on his right side back the light was beginning to take definite shape - an angelic wing. "It's been a month so I'm assuming everyone's likely settled into their own little pattern. Scorn I can't say for sure, but there haven't been any reports of a giant nine-tailed fox razing the landscape so I'm assuming she's laying low. Same thing for Delmo, if she landed near a population-center she's probably taken over an inn or something, she's nowhere near as bloodthirsty as the others so I won't waste time worrying about her. Cat's…" For a brief second, the serious mask cracked and confusion came to the teen's face. "She's not too dangerous, at least dangerous enough I need to spend every waking hour worrying about if she's burning a country to the ground or enslaving it."

"So wildlife is expendable, noted. Speaking of countries, what of Hime and Gucci?" Cracked the goddess, raising an eyebrow. "Must I remind you of the damage they can cause, especially if they've had time to gather power?"

"Like I said, I'll deal with them when they show themselves. Hime and Gucci are bad, but nowhere near as bad as Scorn. Knowing them, they'll hold themselves up somewhere and just play out some power fantasy. Compared to what they could be doing, I can live with that damage." Softly shutting his eyes, he held out his right hand and concentrated the luminous energy within him into the palm of his hand. Unlike Amaterasu's bright burning light, his was cool and mellowing, like the moon itself on a calm and clear night. "Besides, if I go running off at the mouth within knowing what this is or how to use it I'll be in trouble, and Gazsi and the others won't be there to bail me out."

Amaterasu's face had also lost any traces of humor or faux-hospitality, not that it counted for much to begin with. She glared at the light that dared rival her own as if it were poison. "You have some gall daring to bring my idiot brother's light into my temple, for that I'm torn between squishing you like I originally intended and incinerating you on the spot. Now that you've been tainted by Tsukuyomi, I can't eat you. You'll give me indigestion."

"What? Come on, wouldn't that be a great way to get back at him for ruining dinner those millions of years ago?" Hakuno offered after a mental eye-roll. He could officially take getting eaten off his list of fears, which left a slew of other painful and gory deaths he now had to worry about. Closing his fist dispersed the light mass, though a second one sprung up to take its place. From within his chest came the wondrous whitish-silver glow that according to Tamamo, had become proof of his newfound life and his new power. Placing a hand over his chest, he looked the Shinto goddess in the eye. "What the hell is inside of me?"

He was done with the jokes and playing around. That was good because Amaterasu was beginning to reach the end of her rope as well. She couldn't keep Hakuno here for much longer, but she couldn't send him back out entirely defenseless, not with what she foresaw coming his and Tamamo's way. It seemed even in a "home world" such as this she couldn't catch a break. "What's inside of you," She began, pointing one finger bigger than the length of his whole body at him. "Is a piece of the Moon Cell, a very important piece, it's a fragment of the central core, the same core that would normally qualify as a Holy Grail." His eyeballs widen to baseball size while her wicked grin returned. "Congrats, Master! You're now a pseudo walking-and-talking Holy Grail! Can I have a wish? Pretty please? Haven't I been good little sun goddess to you?"

For the first time, Hakuno was in visible shock since entering the temple. His hand continuously clawed and rubbed over his chest for the crystal-like object now embedded deep within his flesh. "WHAT!? How the hell can you talk about something so casually like that? A Holy Grail!? Inside of me!?"

"Oh for Izanagi's sake, relax, insect!" She chuckled, still trying to get her laughter under control. "What's now seating patiently side-by-side with your heart is a photonic crystal, the same kind that make up the Moon Cell's Core. You should be honored," She said, from her tone Hakuno knew by "honored" she really meant scared, scared shitless. "You now have a piece of the universe older than the Earth itself inside of you, granting you near limitless power. A toast to celebrate your gift and proof of victory?"

Seeing Amaterasu raise her sake cup, Hakuno very much considered throwing his own and the container at her. Either that, or conjuring up a ball of moonlight and hurling it at her. Sure, he'd probably be killed on the spot but at least he'd go with a smile on his face, right?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Hakuno thought back to his medical examination. He knew there was more to it than that. His ears had picked up things in the days before, whispers, accusations, worries, and speculations. Regarding Hiruzen he'd been meeting with people from the Hyūga Clan, Mystic Eye, scratch that, dōjutsu-users with some form of x-ray and spiritual vision. They must have detected the fragment inside of him and warned the Hokage of it. Perhaps that was why he'd lied to Hakuno and Tamamo's faces when it was over and told them all was well. He supposed he didn't want to scare either of them since they already had enough to deal with. "Since I got here…my senses…my physical abilities. Whenever I read something or someone has to explain concepts to me, I get it all like my brain is some sort of-"

"Supercomputer?" Leered the goddess, finishing off another cup. Exactly how much sake was in that container? And how much could a goddess drink before she started getting at least a little red-faced? "That is only the first of many abilities that shard shall grant you. To spice things up a little, how about we name it something special, ah, how about the Luna Corona, fitting name, isn't it? Tell me, insect, do you remember your little dive into the heart regarding that kit?"

"Naruto? You mean-" He blinked in surprise. "I can still access people's secret gardens even though this world isn't cyberspace?"

"Now we can add soul pervasion to your list of transgressions, it seems women weren't enough for you, now you've moved onto children."

"I didn't mean for that to happen!"

"Was looking into that boy's soul more worthwhile than your one-tail? Than seeing me? Master, I'm feeling hurt." Whined the giant goddess in mock pain. Taking a lock of hair into her hand, she began twirling it. "Thanks to the Luna Corona what would take a normal human being a day to process you can grasp in seconds, and if failing at that you can grasp the details if you put your tiny little mind to it. The light contained within that crystal, just one lux can carry over a hundred thousand bits of information, and that spark carries trillions. Sadly, if you tried to access all that power, your puny human mind would explode into a beautiful crimson cake." With a near dream-like expression, she inserted her finger into her mouth and began swirling her tongue about, making the sound loud enough for any wandering spirits within the temple to hear.

Hakuno shuddered at the mental image Amaterasu had just painted. Great, at least now I know what'll happen if I decide to overexert myself mentally. I've got a feeling if I try to push my body to its limits, the results will be just as bad…maybe worse. His mind being turning into pudding he was strangely okay with, maybe because it'd already been stretched and broken apart several times over; his body was a different story. For the first time in living memory, he could taste and feel, as selfish as it was he wasn't ready to give those things up.

The teenager was brought out of his thoughts by a hot gale courtesy of the giant before him. She looked annoyed that his attention had wondered from her. "The Luna Corona also contains a wealth of spiritual particles, approximately eight point six million more than a Servant"

"You certainly know a lot about this thing, don't you?"

"Why don't you save the two of us some trouble and use that little half-crown to calculate the age of the sun? Foolish bug, of course I know much, but what I know you'll have to figure out yourself. Because of the spiritual particles as well as your own previous existence, as a virtual spirit you can assume spirit form…and dive into the hearts and souls of others, just remember to pull yourself out." The chuckle was more than enough for Hakuno to envision what could go wrong with the power to dive into another person's soul. What he was currently experiencing was proof enough of that. "It's time for me to bath this world in my light so you better get going, try to put on a good show for me while I'm asleep."

She wasn't kidding. Already he could feel his mind beginning to grow hazy and his feet wobbly. Steeling himself, he mentally dug his feet into the temple floor. There was something he had to ask. "You said, half crown earlier, what did you mean by that?" He shouted, hoping he'd be able to get an answer out of the sun goddess, one he could make sense of.

"You remember it, don't you? Those precious seconds that one-tail was torn away from you when my brother decided to gift you with his power." Came her sugary voice. At her words his mind jumped backwards, unearthing the memory. He'd almost forgotten it in the transition he'd made into his new life. His recognition showed on his face causing Amaterasu to laugh. "The true Luna Corona separated into two upon leaving the previous world. One half went to you while the other went to someone else, another victor from the moon."

The pull was getting stronger, making it hard to focus. Power of the moon or not, he was still in her domain and she wanted him out. "Wait! What other victor?! Who is it?!"

Amaterasu grinned, "I'll give you a hint. All things in the universe, rather the old one or this new one, are governed by the laws of yin and yang, light and darkness. You are the yang to that fox's yin, together the two of you are balanced. That adopted child of yours, your second child shall be the yin to his yang. Hakuno," His eyes widened upon hearing his name flutter through the goddess' lips. Wearing a wicked smile, she raised her finger as if beckoning him. The invisible force gripping him tightened its hold and began to pull. "The holder of the other half of the Luna Corona is the yin to your yang; from the edge of the dream I'll watch you two clash again, and see who emerges as the true Victor of the Moon."

He screamed for more clarity but his cries fell on deaf ears. Light scorched his vision then his body and like a blade of grass in in the path of a wildfire, Hakuno was gone.


Screaming he bolted upwards, his hand outstretched to the solar deity that was no longer there. Instead of a divine temple, he was in a bedroom personally decorated by his wife and himself to their liking. Said wife was lying beside him, her brows knotted in an annoyed expression. He had a gut feeling while Amaterasu had chatted with him, she'd done something to keep her outer self occupied. Cruel and devious, only he could have had such luck with women.

Tamamo's expression tightened for a split second before her eyes bolted open. "Hakuno! Haku my beloved!" Without any fuss, he returned her hug. He had no idea what she'd seen while he was away, but whatever it was had been terrifying to her. Holding her in his arms, he hoped he was able to chase away the lingering nightmares.

"It's alright, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Gently stroking her pink-colored strands.

"Um, I'm…here too, if it helps."

Eyebrows raised, the two turned their attention to the doorway to find their adoptive son standing there. Naruto was looking as out of place as a deer in a desert. Given his background, they couldn't exactly blame him for his shyness. His blue eyes swayed between Hakuno and Tamamo, as if silently asking for permission to proceed. Tamamo gave it by giving him a smile and stretching out her left arm. Immediately, Naruto climbed onto the bed and into his adoptive mother's embrace. Her husband on her right and son on her left, she fell backwards into the mattress with them, allowing their warmth to drive away the nightmares.

I wish we could stay like this forever. Thought the brown-haired teenager, looking out at his found-family, their faces bathed by the rising sun. Maybe Amaterasu had gone softer than he'd realized given the blissful sight before him. Tamamo, Naruto. His right hand fell over his chest where the Luna Corona had revealed itself. Exactly what kind of power did it possess? How much of it could he tap into? Whatever he could get, he'd use to protect these two from anything that came their way. In the sea of serenity, his enhanced senses picked up something, two somethings-growling stomachs. "Um, not that I'm not enjoying this, but I think we should all probably start getting ready to start the day."

"Ahhh, come on dad, can't we just stay in bed together like this?" Whined Naruto, burying his head into Tamamo's arms.

"I second that." Spoke up Tamamo who tightened her hold on her beloved. "Please, darling, we've all worked so long and hard I think we're entitled to a little break."

"While you're probably right, Tamamo, we still have a store to run, and Naruto, if I remember right you have chakra control exercises today, don't you?" To his wife's protest, he slipped out of her embraced and stretched his arms upwards with rays of sunlight behind him. Without hesitation, he pulled the curtains back allowing a face-full of sunlight to smash into his loved ones' faces fully arousing them. "Now, then up and at 'em, everyone!"

Both foxes groaned in annoyance. Tamamo rolled over and attempted to shield her son from the oncoming rays to no avail. "Mom," whined the blond. "How come dad can be so nice one minute and mean the next?"

And so it was with much grumbling, the two joined the family patriarch at the kitchen table for breakfast. It was Hakuno's turn to walk Naruto to school while Tamamo made for the shop where she'd have things set up for the day. She'd discovered that once she started cooking early in the morning, she tended to go into something of a trance that carried her through the rest of the day. Considering sometimes the mammoth orders, they received it was more than a good thing.

Naruto was unusually fidgety as he tore into his breakfast, something that didn't go unnoticed to Hakuno who quietly ate beside him. "Naruto, are you worried about your training today?"

"H-Huh? Me, worried? Why would I be worried!? I aced the written exam! This quarter I plan on getting nothing but As all the way through! That way I'll really be able to win everyone's respect!" He boasted, attempting to put on a brave front. It quickly crumbled under gaze of the older male. "Y-Yeah, I…kinda am. Before you two, I really sucked at reading, and chakra control, and just about everything else. Everyone always made fun of me because of it."

"Then here's your chance to prove them wrong." Came Tamamo from the stove. Knowing what lay in store for her son, she was doing her best to make sure he had the best lunch imaginable. On top of that, she was toying with experimenting with ingredients that would boost his chakra capacity. "That was before and this is now, with the teachings of the Foxiest Wife in Heaven and the Victor of the Moon, you now possess the tools needed to blow those other children clean out of the water!"

As the unified laughter ended, Hakuno looked out the window to the sunny outside. Spring was clearly on its way making it just warm enough for him and Naruto to step out for a minute or two. Amaterasu did say if I put my mind to it, I could do it. He recalled before glancing at his now energized son. "Say, Naruto, how about before you go I'll give you some practice here."

"R-Really? Can I, please mom!?"

Tamamo offered little resistance and only nodded her head seeing Naruto had practically cleaned off his entire plate. She supposed he'd be going to school with a full stomach. The family moved from the kitchen to the backyard area where an impossible huge tree stood proudly above not just their home but a few surrounding homes as well. A mere few weeks ago it had been barely taller than a stump, but thanks to Tamamo's witchcraft it had grown well. As expected her foresight had been right.

"First off, there's control. You have to limit how much chakra you put into your feet - keep it at just enough you're able to stay attached to the surface, but don't overdo it. If you do, you'll flat on your face and probably never live it down."

"Dad, did you ever fall on your face in front of mom?" Naruto immediately asked, looking at his father standing perfectly horizontal atop the thirty foot-tall tree he'd happily spent several days climbing.

As Hakuno groaned, Tamamo laughed. "Oh, there were plenty of times your father embarrassed himself, but he looked the best while doing it so no lasting harm was done. Words of wisdom, Naruto, if you fall on your face and rather than laugh, a girl helps or compliments you it means she finds you attractive and likable, remember that."

"Can't I just avoid falling flat on my face altogether? Sounds stupid and embarrassing." Countered the child, looking confused and annoyed. Usually when he messed up in front of others, the first thing they did was laugh at him and move on. Well, almost everyone, looking back now one person never seemed to laugh at him.

"Ah-hem, Naruto," Spoke the clan patriarch, getting his son's attention back. "Think of your chakra like a lake in the center of your body, to get it to your feet what do you do?"

"Um, dig a trench?" He answered to which his father nodded. "Alright then, dig a trench, dig a trench." Making the hand sign, he imagined his chakra, a blue-tinted lake breaking into two streams that flowed downward into his legs. A surge of power rushed into his feet filling him with excitement. Without a care, he put his foot to the tree and began walking upward, his every step leaving an inch-sized imprint accompanied by wood splintering beneath his weight. Eventually the rush ended and the blond began to flail his arms about as he felt gravity begin to drag him back down. "Ahhh!"

"I gotcha." Soothed the Master, grabbing Naruto by the waist with the quickness of a viper. "Naruto, you put a little too much chakra into your feet causing the wood to splinter, if you're trying to be stealthy."

"Well it's hard." He complained, though a little grateful no one was around to see him. "You said pour chakra into my feet and that's what I did."

"True, but you poured too much in there. You have to learn control." Hakuno explained, setting Naruto back down on the tree side though still maintaining his hold on him just in case. "Naruto, you probably don't know this but you possess a lot of chakra, more than the average academy student does, while that's good it's useless if you don't learn how to control it."

"How do I do that?" He immediately asked.

To answer his question, Hakuno took hold of his son's hands. Shutting his eyes and quieting his mind, he saw Naruto's own chakra pool - a larger than average blue lake of swirling power and energy. It went well with his hyperactive nature. Gently, he latched onto the lake and pulled drawing out two thin blue lines.

From the porch, Tamamo watched the astral scene as well as the physical scene with a growing smile. Naruto was walking further and further up the tree hand-in-hand with her husband, who had one of the most serene expressions on his face. He let go of their son's hands and to her great joy, he didn't fall. At first, he was a little unsteady but soon enough Naruto found his balance and began to walk upwards, eventually overtaking his father. Tamamo would have stayed to watch the scene a little longer had her ears and nose not picked up the smell of her cooking.

"I'm doing it, I'm really doing it!" Shouted the whisker-faced boy in glee, realizing he'd almost made it to the top of the tree. "Hey, dad, look I-ah!" And just as quickly as triumph came, it was lost sending the jinchūriki falling into the waiting arms of his father. "S-Sorry, I was almost to the top too."

"No problem, you got pretty far." Assured the teenager. "Just remember, control. The power's there, you just gotta find it and not let yourself run wild with it. Now, let's get down and get you ready for school." Taking the boy into his arms, Hakuno executed a perfect backflip, ending with a graceful landing he never would have been able to perform years ago. "Hey, if anyone starts mocking you, I know you're gonna wanna get angry, but prove them wrong with your actions, not with your words."

"That's a little easier said than done, but I think I can do that this time." Dismounting from his adoptive father, Naruto looked back up at the giant tree Tamamo had speed-grown in a few days. One day he was going to sit atop the branches, that was a promise, and beyond that it'd be the Hokage Stone Faces, one day with his face joining the other four.


Okay, there'll a little bigger than the ones in the backyard. Naruto thought, staring at the eight supersized trees kept behind the academy building for chakra control training. Only in the last month or so had the Third Hokage been able to get approval for the trees to be grown and needless to say they'd been put to good use. All around him his classmates pointed and awed at the marks that had been set on the thirty-foot tall trees whose shadow they all stood in.

"Getting cold feet, Naruto?" Jabbed Kiba who was standing right beside him.

"As if! I'm just…waiting to see if we have to climb all the way the top, that's all." Naruto swiftly countered.

His small circle of classmates-turned-friends were looking up at the trees with equal, if not more dread than him.

"Hey, look on the bright side, you don't have to make it to the top, you just have to make it further than Chōji." Spoke the Inuzuka child, casting a sideways glance at their round-shaped classmate.

"Hey, I think I can make it pretty far…but I probably shouldn't because it'll upset my stomach." He responded, looking slightly wide-eyed at the number of benchmarks. There was no way he was making it even half-way, he'd be lucky if he made it a quarter of the way up.

"You know, it might help if you stopped munching down on those chips. You know we have lunch right after this, right?" Stated Shikamaru, stifling another yawn. Upon laying eyes on the trees, he decided right then and there he'd take a failing grade and make it up somewhere else. His mother's nagging be damned.

Lunch was something of a distant thought to Naruto as he focused his eyes on the tree top. His gut was telling him to just take off and start running, but his father's words replayed in his head. Control. As he turned to Iruka, something told him he'd give similar warning.

"Listen up, everyone." He began, clapping his hands to get the students' attention. "What we have here are a set of brand-new grown trees for training. You've all learned the basics on chakra control and manipulation and written them down on paper, but now we're going to put those skills to the test in physical exercise. Before we begin, I want you all to know one thing," With a single finger, he pointed to the highest portion of the trees where kunai had been used to carve out elevation marks. "The marks at the top were made by recently graduating students, you are all some five years or so away from graduating so do not hold yourselves up to that standard."

"Unless of course you're feeling like over-achieving. In that case, feel free to go for it." Joked Mizuki, causing Iruka to roll his eyes. While he believed in encouraging the students, he preferred keeping things realistic for them, not to mention safe.

"The highest anyone in your year has gone is up to the half-way mark. That should be your target area, but if you don't reach it you have no reason to feel ashamed. We're going to keep coming back to these trees for the rest of the school year and beyond. Every year, leave your mark and use it as a signpost to push yourself further."

The lesson began in earnest after that with two or three teachers at every tree overseeing the students. Naruto took a small amount of comfort in seeing others struggle and fail just like him. Of course, something told him if he attempted to climb and failed it'd result in him being mocked without mercy. That didn't mean he couldn't at least try.

At his tree, almost every student had made it a total of six to eight steps before they lost control and began to fall. Several noted the rush of falling almost made up for sense of failure. Giant cushions had been spread out around the base of the tree so at least no one seriously hurt themselves when they fell, at least physically.

"You're not seriously thinking you can make it to the top, are you?" Called Sakura, stepping up beside him.

"Maybe I can. Maybe I'll be the first pre-graduate student to make it to the top, carve my name into the tree so everyone will know I did it." He proudly proclaimed, causing the pink-haired girl to eye-roll.

"Yeah, and pigs will fly and suddenly Choji will go on a diet." She responded, turning her nose to him.

"If Sasuke or the others couldn't do it, what makes you think you've got a chance?" Called Ino, crossing her arms. "Look, you may have enhanced your brain power but odds are you're still the same failure you were before. That doesn't change so easily."

As usual, it took all of Naruto's willpower not to immediately respond to his fellow blonde's remark as well as the chorus of snickers that went up from onlookers. All of them were already counting him out despite several having tried and failed themselves.

"Hey, if anyone starts mocking you, I know you're gonna wanna get angry, but prove them wrong with your actions, not with your words."

"Then I'll prove you all wrong." He said solemnly before making his way to the tree. From both sides, students parted out of his way not so much out of fear as out of curiosity. Many pointed and whispered to him as he made his way through until he was standing at what would be the first of many obstacles.

Sasuke fell into the collection of pillows beside him, a look of frustration on his face. Briefly their eyes met, his sky-blue to his pitch-black. The challenge was given and accepted in that moment.

"This should be good." Iruka heard Mizuki chuckle, drawing his attention away from the clipboard.

The chunin didn't know what scared him more - Naruto hurting himself or him failing and the others laughing at him for it. He made the hand sign as a means of controlling his chakra and kept it up as his feet took one step after another up the tree. Second by second, Iruka's fear evaporated and in its place was something new - pride. The breath he'd been holding in slowly came out while beside him Mizuki openly gawked at what he was seeing.

Drawn by the attention, the other academy students and teachers slowly turned their gaze to scene, and they too were amazed by what they found. Blue energy swirled Naruto's feet like a candle, yet the tree bark did not bend or break under his footsteps.

"N-N-No…no way," Spoke Sakura and Ino in perfect unison with widen eyes in disbelief, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Heh, well, guess we can stop calling him loser, he just showed up everyone." Noted Shikamaru as Naruto passed the ten-foot mark. As impressed as he was, a part of him couldn't help but worry. Naruto may have changed for the better but he was still hyperactive, and if he lost focus for even a second, the results wouldn't be pretty.

Sasuke stared at his blond classmate with a mixture of envy and wonder. "How…how are you doing that? I couldn't get more than a few feet."

"That's because you were putting too much chakra into your feet, causing the bark to break." Slowly as to not lose his focus, Naruto turned around to take stock of his classmates faces. His grin wasn't uncontainable as he took in their expressions of awe. Focusing on Sasuke, he did his best to look professional. "Sasuke, my dad told me it's about control so think of it like a river! Not too big and not too small!"

Taking the advice to heart, Sasuke once more focused chakra into his feet, giving them a translucent glow. Slowly and steadily, he began to put his foot to the tree as well; this time, the further up he went, his foot didn't crush the surface as if he were wearing boots. A smile quickly formed on his face.

"Hey, Sakura, Ino! Guess you guys were wrong about me being a failure!" Shouted the jinchūriki. Most of the faces staring at him were still stuck in open-mouthed awe, or in some cases defiance. Maybe it was wrong but Naruto took stock in seeing their faces. Thanks to his father's advice, he'd just proved them all wrong. "I guess the only thing we need to wait for is for pigs to-"

POP!

The azure light around Naruto's feet vanished as if the candle had been snuffed out. It took the child a second to realize it, and when he did he screamed at the top of his lungs while falling, as did his classmates. Some averted their eyes and covered their ears while others kept on screaming. Naruto himself felt fear seize his heart and simply braced himself for the inevitable.

Suddenly, the rush of air came to a stop as did the downwards motion. Slowly, he peeked through his fingers to find the ground had stopped getting closer, he was still alive.

"H-Huh?"

"You…know…it looks…really bad…when you talk about control…t-t-then…you…go and lose it." Came Sasuke's struggling voice. "Also, whatever it is your mom's feeding you, you should lay off it."

"Hey, you'd understand if you had her cooking!" Pulling his hands away, he found Sasuke's face was a lot closer than he would have liked, plus it was redder. Peering beyond him, he found the ground was at the same distance as it was a second ago. "S-S-Sasuke, y-y-you…you saved me?"

"Where it sure as heck wasn't the tooth fairy." He responded through clenched teeth. "I-I…owe you one, thanks for the tip."

"N-No problem." He grinned back.

"Hey! Naruto, if you really want to thank him, about giving your prince charming a kiss!?" Shouted Kiba from the ground with an ear-to-ear grin.

"Huh?" Proclaimed both boys.

The adrenaline and excitement fueling their actions wore off, leaving the pair with a firmer image of what they looked like. Naruto realized he was practically lying in Sasuke's arms, almost bridal-style while Sasuke was doing his best to keep him in his arms, and himself attached to the tree. Both boys let their eyes wander to their respective bodies then to their classmates before finally settling on each other.

"Woah, and here I thought you weighed a ton." Shikamaru quipped while his best friend pulled out another bag of chips. Where exactly did he store those things?

"Does this mean we get to start calling Naruto fat now?" The Akimichi child asked, somewhat excitedly.

"No! No, I'm not fat! I'm not heavy!" Comical fury exploded from the whisker-faced boy as he began to kick and struggle, much to his savior's annoyance.

"Hey, can you quit struggling! You're gonna make us fall!" Warned Sasuke, struggling to keep his feet attached to the wood and protect his face from Naruto's flailing. "Do you wanna fall!?"

"Hey, Sasuke, I'm pretty sure he's already fallen for someone - you!" Chanted Kiba. His roaring laughter was soon joined by the rest of the class who began pointing and motioning at the two boys caught in the compromising position.

"Kiba, when I get down from here I'm gonna kick your butt!" Screamed Naruto.

"Not if I get to him first!" Sasuke retorted, doing his best to give the dog-training ninja a sideways glare.

POP!

"And there goes two." Proclaimed the Nara child as now both Naruto and Sasuke re-entered the control of gravity and began to fall downwards only to be caught by a panicky Iruka. "I guess I was wrong, this turned out to be pretty fun after all."

"Hey, Shikamaru," Chōji began, watching the scar-faced teacher descend with both boys in hand, their grumbling loud and clear. "You think Naruto can teach us a few things that'll help us pull our grades up?"

"Maybe, but we'll do it at his place. I wanna see if the rumors of Naruto's new mom having fox-ears are really true." He responded.

As Iruka-sensei began his much-dreaded lecture, Naruto let his eyes wander to his assembled classmates. His big plan to impress them all hadn't gone anything like he hoped as evident by the snickering and whispers going on among them. Shame colored his cheeks red until he noticed something amongst the crowd, or rather someone.

Hinata, the shyest girl in their whole class, she wasn't laughing or whispering to her friends like the others were. She was looking at him with…approval, respect even? Focusing his stare on her caused her to realize she'd been singled out and made her duck behind their classmates.

Come to think of it, she was the only one who actually looked happy to see I almost made it half-way up. Thought the blond, remembering those precious moments he was walking high, literally. The words of his mother came back to him with surprisingly clarity as he slowly began to realize he'd never seen Hinata put him down like his other classmates.

"Naruto! Naruto!"

"Huh-what?!"

Sighing, Iruka rubbed his temples. He didn't know if he was happy or angry that even with lovable parents he was still the same knucklehead. As he looked back to the tree, a smile formed on his face. He supposed it was the former, Naruto's still Naruto. He smiled before looking back to the Uzumaki and Uchiha. "Can I trust you two not to pull off another stunt like that again?"

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

"And Kiba, can I trust you to be a little more respectful to your classmates?" The tanned-skinned teacher asked, turning to the side where Kiba stood.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei."

Odds were another mess like what happened before was going to happen again, but he'd deal with that when it came up. For now, he'd just enjoy the restored peace and go from there. "Alright, everyone, back to training! We still have about ten minutes left then you call can enjoy lunch! Back at it!"

While their classmates and teachers resumed their exercises, the three boys held their positions. Naruto and Sasuke shot Kiba a unified glare, he simply laughed off before leaving. The two boys turned to each other, neither quite sure how to start off the conversation.

"Um…thanks for…saving me." Naruto spoke in a near whisper. "I…um."

"Don't…worry about it. Like I said, thanks for the tip." Returned the dark-haired youth. Slowly, he smiled at his blond counterpart, and he returned the gesture. "Now that I know I'll be the first to make it to the top, you'll have second place."

"Hah! If anyone's going to make it to the top, it's going to be me! Just watch!" Exclaimed the Uzumaki, running back to the tree with Sasuke in two.

From the sidelines watched a young girl with featureless eyes and blue hair. A soft smile played at her lips as she watched Naruto slam his feet into the tree and begin racing up the side with Sasuke. Perhaps one day, she'd work up the courage to run alongside him as Sasuke was doing. One day, perhaps when they'd left behind the safety of the academy and ventured into the dangerous yet wondrous world outside of the school yard.


Originally this chapter was going to be titled Yin Yang, but I figured given the content a change was in order.

Amaterasu's gonna be in for the ride and she will be to Tamamo what Kurama is to Naruto, albeit FAR tougher to deal with. I always thought that if their relationship further developed contrary to the threats Amaterasu's feelings for Hakuno would begin to somewhat mirror Tamamo's. She's lovey-dovey so I see Amaterasu being more tsundere…and going completely yandere whenever Hakuno's life is SERIOUSLY threatened.

Luna Corona is Latin for "moon crown" and like any Holy Grail-like artifact, it's going to bring hell to Hakuno and his loved ones, but it won't come without its benefits. Hakuno has one half of it and like Amaterasu said, the other half will be in the hands of a person who's very much the "yin" to Hakuno's "yang". More will be revealed about it next chapter along with the following:

Who wins in a fight, a man with a lava-spewing monkey or a man with a spear able to summon a miniature ice age.

The Uchiha Clan plotting and Fugaku's wishing that Minato hadn't died on all of them.

Naruto taking his first steps to becoming the hero we all know and love.