Speech
Thought
Kyuubi/Nibi
Full-Wolf Naruto
Wolf In Fox's Clothing
Chapter 7: Night Of The Beast
"NARUTO!" A group of chunins screamed as they chased the blonde across the rooftops of Konoha. However, the chase had gone on for close to two hours and they were starting to get winded. Naruto, on the other hand, was still going strong thanks to his unreal stamina and the taijutsu he still practiced with Lee and Guy when the three had time to meet up
"Come back here, Uzumaki!"
"You're not getting away this time!"
As for why they were after him: the boy had been caught painting the Hokage monument as a prank, although he was already finished when that happened. As time went on, Naruto had developed a taste for practical jokes. Mostly it was on people he felt needed a bit of embarrassing to take them down a peg or two; though every now and then it was full-scale ones like this, just to keep the village on its toes.
"Come on, guys! Don't tell you're giving up already!" Naruto laughed as he sped up, leaving them behind. It wasn't long before he lost them and he took a moment to admire his work from a distance. All four faces now were blushing with perverted grins on their faces; the Third and First even had nosebleeds, the sight of which sent him into a fit of laughter. That is until he felt a presence behind him.
"You really did it this time, Naruto!" Came the voice of Iruka as he grabbed hold of the blonde's collar.
"Oh, hey, Iruka-Sensei." He said sheepishly. Out of all the teachers at school; even from a good bit of the shinobi population, Iruka was the only person who seemed capable of catching him.
Iruka gave him an exasperated look, "You know you're going to be washing the monument off after school. That and detention for sneaking out"
"I know. It was still worth it" He said as the chunin dragged him off back to class.
7 years had passed since he first attended the academy and a fair bit had changed since then. Ever since Naruto nearly castrated Sasuke, Sakura had grown to dislike the young werewolf because of that and unfortunately became highly loyal to the brooding boy. Ino was rather angry with him for a while for it, but was able to realize that Sasuke brought it on himself with the insult.
Hinata, even though she was a tad smaller than most of the girls in class, had made up for it with a confident attitude similar to her mother and the skills to back it up. She was one of Naruto's closer friends, although she would drop hints that she hoped to become more than that. However, this meant she routinely butted heads with Yugito and Hana, who had also become enamored with him over the last few years due to his 'never say die' attitude and somewhat rowdy disposition. On the negative, a few months after the attempt to kidnap her failed, another try was made. It was quickly stopped; but Hizashi, the head of the Hyuuga's branch family and Hiashi's brother, died in the fight from a poisoned shuriken. He left behind a son, Neji, who was quick to place the blame for his father's death on Hinata for getting kidnapped in the first place. This soon turned into a hatred for the entire main house.
As for those two; Yugito enrolled in the academy shortly after arriving in Konoha. Since she had already undergone some training prior to her arrival, she was able to graduate along with Hana. They both became chunin shortly after and took up working with Tsume at her veterinary office. They had also become somewhat good friends with recently appointed jounin Anko Mitarashi and Kurenai Yuuhi, even though they would sometimes argue with each other over the blonde. The quartet soon became known as ' The Pervert's Bane'
Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba more or less remained the same; though Shikamaru had developed a fondness for playing shougi and Kiba, like every Inuzuka, had gotten his own canine partner named Akamaru. The pooch was scared half to death of Naruto in the beginning but soon grew accustomed to the furry shinobi-in-training.
And Sasuke still remained an angst-riddled brooder.
In Naruto's case, change was somewhat drastic. He was only 13 now, but his werewolf blood had him standing almost eye-to eye with Iruka (not sure how tall Iruka's supposed to be though). That combined with his waist-length gold hair left several girls wondering what he would look like underneath his fur, namely the fanclub he was reluctant to admit he had gained
Later that day, Iruka was keeping watch as Naruto scrubbed down the stone faces. Thanks to his wolf senses, Naruto could tell the man didn't harbor any ill will toward him, so he was able to let his guard down a bit.
"I don't get it, Naruto. You get moderately decent grades in class, the only person I'm aware of you having problems with is Sasuke, and from what I've seen, several girls seem to like you. So, what in the world possesses you to do stuff like this??"
Naruto shrugged, "Well, normally I just prank stuck-up jerks who deserve it, sometimes I just like keeping everyone guessing." He let out a sigh, "And..well..I guess you heard about what happened when I was 5, right?"
Iruka frowned, people still talked about that day. More than once, he had heard that some had tried to get revenge for his fighting back, or just to punish the boy again for what he carried. He had ended up in the hospital more than once from being outnumbered, but he never went alone. They seemed to forget that in a way, Naruto was part animal now, and a cornered animal was dangerous.
"I guess, in a way, it's kinda also my way of just blowing off steam from the crap I still have to deal with."
He went back to scrubbing for a bit until Iruka spoke back up. "Tell you what. We'll hit Ichiraku when you're finished. What do you say?"
A grin appeared on the werewolf's face, "You're on!" he responded, scrubbing harder.
The sun had set after he was finished and the two were soon at the stand polishing off the bowls in front of them.
"Say, Naruto. I've been wondering. Why do you want to become a ninja?"
"Why? In a nutshell, I'd guess mainly 'cause I wanna show everyone I'm more than just what they see. That I'm more than just a werewolf, you know?"
Meanwhile, in the seal, Kyuubi was studying the wolf statue like he had been the last few years. Since it represented Naruto's wolf side, he was sure it could tell him why the kit couldn't change back. "Come on..there's gotta be something here." He muttered, using his tails to try and feel out anything that could give him an answer. Suddenly he felt something, and he couldn't help but smirk, "I'll be damned..why the hell didn't I notice that before?"
Naruto and Iruka had just finished and were heading their separate ways when Kyuubi started yelling, "Kit! I figured it out!"
"Gah! Dammit fox, don't do that! I nearly jumped outta my fur!"
"Never mind that! Listen, I finally figured out why you can't revert back to human form!"
"Well? What is it?!"
"Hurry up and get to the woods! I'll tell you once you get there; we got a busy night ahead."
"Ok, ok. Keep your tails on." He muttered as he jogged to the edge of town. Anyone still awake later that night claimed to hear a baleful howl echoing from the forest
The next day, an announcement was made that sent a chill down Naruto's spine: exams. It wasn't the exam itself he hated; it was what was called for. He had already failed twice before because the exam had them perform all three academy jutsus, including the Clone Jutsu. He hated that technique since he could never get it right regardless of how often he practiced. Kyuubi had warned him his higher than normal chakra reserves would require more control and thus make it harder to perform some jutsus but he hadn't expected it to be just about impossible for such a basic one. The Transformation and Substitution Jutsus took him nearly a year to get right, but he had yet to make a clone that didn't look like an anemic training dummy. This time it was worse bacause it was the finals; this one would decide who graduated
The students entered the back room one by one as Iruka called them. Naruto sweatdropped when a smug-looking Sasuke came out to the cheers of his fangirls the moment they saw him with a headband on. The blonde was beginning to swear under his breath with he felt something settle on his cheek. A quick glance over revealed Hinata leaning over and giving him a quick peck.
"Good luck, Naruto-kun." She said, blushing brightly. He gave a silent thanks to Kami that his own was hidden by the fur, "Thanks, Hina."
"Uzumaki, Naruto." Came Iruka's voice from the door. Naruto took a deep breath and went in, ignoring the whispered jeers from the Uchiha's fan corner.
His eyes narrowed slightly when they landed on the face of Mizuki, one of Iruka's fellow chunin instructors. He acted friendly, but Kyuubi and Naruto's senses told him there was something about the man that wasn't to be trusted. At the moment, however, he would have to put that aside if he hoped to pass.
Transforming and subbing went off without a hitch. When Mizuki asked him to create a clone, he did his best to relax and took a deep breath to clear his head.
"Ok, Naruto. Third time's the charm, right? Please let this work. Clone Jutsu!" He called out, enveloping himself in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, he quickly looked over and blanched.
His clone was bone white and laying in a heap like a rag doll.
"I'm sorry Naruto. But, you fail." Came the most dreaded words the werewolf had ever heard from Iruka's mouth.
When class let out, Naruto sat slumped against a tree in the schoolyard watching parents congratulate and fawn over their kids.
"Is that..?"
"Yeah, I heard he failed."
"Hm, serves him right. Can you imagine if they made THAT a ninja?"
He glanced at the pair trash-talking him and bared his fangs in a snarl to shut them up. It was then he caught wind of someone in the tree above him.
"You really want to become a shinobi, don't you, Naruto." Mizuki piped up as he hopped down.
"To put it mildly." Came the reply. For a moment, Naruto swore he saw a malicious glint in the man's eyes.
"Keep your eyes on this teme, Kit. He's got something up his sleeve." Growled Kyuubi.
"I'm not really supposed to tell this to anyone; but, there is another way for you to become a genin. Have you ever heard of the Forbidden Scroll...?"
"Iruka! Quick, get up!" A jounin yelled as he banged on the instructor's door, rousing the man from a peaceful nap, "It's Naruto, he's stolen the Forbidden Scroll!"
"Say WHAT!?" Iruka yelped.
In the woods, Naruto located a clearing where he could take a breather and check the scroll out. He was surprised and slightly disappointed at how easy it had been for him to get in and take it. Granted, he had a pretty good sense of stealth from setting up all his pranks, but this was the Hokage Tower. He decided to tell the old man after he brought the scroll back.
"You know there's something fishy as to why he would tell you and not everyone's little Prince Uchiha, right?" The fox commented, giving a disdainful sniff at the name.
"I know, but if there IS something in here that'll help me get Iruka-Sensei to change his mind, then it won't be a total waste of time." With those words, he opened the scroll and looked at the first jutsu he saw, "Shadow Clone Jutsu? Aw man..not clones again! I stink at that!"
"Kit, wait. This'll be just right for you."
"What part of 'I stink at clones' did you miss?"
"Just trust me. I may be a fox, but I know a thing or two about Shinobi Arts."
Naruto sighed, "Fine, but you better be right about this."
Unbeknownst to him, however, Iruka was heading his way, and fast.
"NARUTO! What the hell were you thinking, swiping the Forbidden Scroll!?" The chunin yelled as he landed behind the boy. It took him a couple hours of searching, but he had managed to locate him before the other chunins and jounins the Hokage had sent.
"Oh, hey, Iruka-Sensei. I see you caught me again." Naruto chuckled. He was sweating up a storm and had removed his shirt. What surprised Iruka was the boy wasn't acting like a caught thief.
"I only had time to learn one jutsu from the scroll, but it should be enough to show I have what it takes to make genin so you'll pass me."
"All this time he's been studying? Wait, what you talking about?" Iruka asked, now confused.
"Mizuki-Sensei told me the jutsus in this scroll are a guaranteed graduation if you can just learn one." Naruto said, still catching his breath.
"Why would Mizuki tell..." Iruka was cut from his thoughts by the familiar sound of shurikin whizzing through the air. He looked in time to see a giant one spinning towards them. "Naruto! Look out!" He yelled, diving in front of him.
Naruto, on the other hand, saw it coming as well and yanked his teacher out of the way, letting the weapon bury itself in the ground. He frowned at the smell on it, "Mizuki, you little bastard. I had a feeling you were up to something. Guess this cinches it"
"Looks like he was just too big a chicken to try for it himself."
"Impressive reflexes, Naruto." Mizuki called out from a nearby tree. He was clad in full combat gear and had a second shuriken strapped to his back, "Now be a good boy and give me that scroll."
"Don't listen to him, Naruto! He.."
"Just wanted me to get it for him?" The blonde deadpanned, "Yeah. I kinda guessed that after he threw that shuriken at me. To be honest, I never really did trust the guy very much."
Iruka just stared, "Then..then why..?"
Naruto grinned sheepishly, "Well, a scroll like that was bound to have at least one jutsu that would convince you to rethink my exam grade."
Mizuki scowled as he watched the scene below him. It was time to fight dirty. "Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it now." He smirked as the two looked his way, "You know why everyone hates you, Naruto? Why they all call you names and attack you?"
The other chunin paled. He know what Mizuki was doing, "Stop, Mizuki! It's forbidden!"
The man ignored him and jumped down, "They say that the Forth Hokage destroyed the Kyuubi no Kitsune 13 years ago, but that's a lie! The beast couldn't be destroyed, so he sealed it away in a newborn baby."
"Mizuki, don't!"
"That baby was YOU, Naruto! You ARE the Kyuubi!" He yelled gleefully, expecting the boy to react in shock or fear.
Instead, all he received was a stare.
"And?" Was the young werewolf's reaction. Both Mizuki and Iruka blinked at this.
"What 'and'? Didn't you hear me? I just told you why your hated!"
"And I'm still waiting for you to get to the point." Naruto chuckled, "You turd, I've known about Kyuubi for years! Although, you're only half-right. I 'CARRY' the Kyuubi no Kitsune. There's a difference. And FYI, Mizuki-'sensei', he doesn't like you all that much"
Mizuki blanched. This wasn't what he had planned. The boy was supposed to go in denial, or let his anger get the best of him so it would convince Iruka to help kill him.
"And here's something interesting. Kyuubi's the one who found out why I can't go turn back from my werewolf state."
"Wait..the Kyuubi..told you why?" Iruka's head was starting to swim.
"Yep." Naruto's grin began to take a feral appearance, "You see, it turns out that all this time," As he talked, both chunins watched in a mix of horror and fascination as his body started to grow and become more muscular, the fur gradually becoming sleeker and thicker. His mouth began elongating into a muzzle; the silver in his eyes took over and made them both one solid color, his claws lengthened and his canines extended into fangs, "All this time, I've only been transformed halfway!"
When he finished speaking, where Naruto was now stood a large bipedal wolf, its midnight-black fur shimmering slightly in the moonlight, though it still carried the blonde mane. The creature stood nearly 7 feet tall with a pair of 3 inch-long fang jutting out from its mouth. Its solid silver eyes focused themselves on a shaking Mizuki. "What's wrong, Mizuki-Teme? Afraid of an academy student?" It taunted as it cracked its knuckles, each one sporting a claw nearly an inch long on the fingertip.
"N-Naruto??" Iruka stammered, barely believing what he was seeing. The wolf looked over its shoulder and gave a foxy grin that only Naruto Uzumaki could do.
"Hey, Iruka-Sensei. You wanna see the jutsu I learned from the scroll?" He asked, cracking his knuckles and making a cross-shaped seal.
"Uh. s-sure. Naruto." The chunin replied, seeing how scared Mizuki was starting to look..and almost feeling bad for him.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" He roared. In an instant, the clearing was filled with smoke that just as quickly faded to reveal over a hundred 'Wolf-Narutos'. Each one turned to face Mizuki and they all let out a chilling howl that even made Iruka shudder.
"Their solid! Naruto..he..he did it. He learned a jounin-level technique..!" Iruka thought as all 100 began advancing on the now-panicking Mizuki.
Before they could get him, though, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he toppled over.
"Ah crud. that wasn't any fun." Naruto muttered as his clones vanished, leaving only the original and Iruka standing. The blonde shook his head and chuckled as he began shrinking, his fur and muzzle receding in front of the man. In a couple of minutes, the fur was completely gone; Naruto was human-looking once again. He had been changed for so long the height stuck, but human nonetheless.
Iruka rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn't seeing things. He had just witnessed the boy transform into a massive lupine monster and perform an S-Ranked Kinjutsu, not to mention more or less defeat a chunin who had no doubt turned traitor. A faint smile crossed his face as he watched Naruto pick up his shirt and the scroll and walk over him, "Hey, Naruto; close your eyes for a second."
He gave his teacher a slightly confused look for a moment but complied. He soon felt something being tied around his forehead. As soon as Iruka gave the ok, he looked to find the man without his headband.
"Congratulations, Naruto. You've passed."
"S-Seriously!?" Naruto's eyes widened and he put Iruka into a bear hug the moment he felt the band on his own head. As he did, Iruka quickly noticed something and immediately began feeling pity for the boy when they began announcing teams.
Kyuubi was simply biting onto one of his tails to keep from laughing at the thought.
The following morning, Konoha was rudely woken up by the scream of one Naruto Uzumaki when he looked in his bathroom mirror.
Not only had he retained the height, but the ears and tail remained as well.
Hopefully, this'll satisfy everyone who kept wanting a longer chapter.
Next time: Teams and learning from Kyuubi begins.