Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

I lot of the twists in this story is based on things I've picked up here and there. I've read stories where Naruto carries Zabuza's sword, some where Naruto makes deals with Kyuubi, and others where Itatchi is good. Hachimata, though, is actually based on Japanese legend, to which I studied very hard before I wrote this story. A reviewer told me it was Hachibi, but I can't find any error in my studies. Though, I could still be wrong, but I'll leave it as it is, regardless. Too troublesome to go and change it all now.

Konoha's Demon Fox

Chapter 3: The return

As Naruto laid down in his bed back in his room, thoughts of Sasuke wandered into his mind.

"He has my rival in him. Not to mention that he himself is your rival."

Naruto blinked, "Kyuubi?"

"Yeah."

"It's true. What will we do, Kyuubi? I can't kill him."

"No, just beat him and make sure that he knows who is more powerful."

Naruto smirked, "Of course, I am since our deal was made."

"What if he discovers Hachimata? Then things won't change from what they are now. The eight-tails was almost the same as me."

The gennin laughed, "Yeah, but there's a reason he has eight tails and you have nine. Don't worry, we'll beat him."

"…Don't take him so lightly."

"Don't worry, fox. When it concerns Sasuke, there is no lightly. Just continue sending that chakra. We're meeting Itatchi tomorrow to start my sword lessons."

The next morning, Naruto woke up and forced himself into the forest where he had told Itatchi to meet him. With his sword over his shoulder, Naruto sat down and began to relax. All the muscles him his body would normally have calmed, but he could feel them changing rapidly to adapt to the large amount of chakra flowing though his body, making his body constantly on edge.

Perhaps it was that fact that made him dodge the kunai that intended to hit him before it even left Itatchi's hand. Seconds later, the kunai hit the ground, and Naruto was still glaring at Itatchi, "What the hell is your problem!"

The eldest Uchiha leapt down from the branch and stood only a few feet away from the fox boy, "With a sword that large and heavy, there is no skill involved while wielding it, just two things. First, there's instinct, as you just demonstrated when you dodged that kunai. Second, you have to have the sheer brute strength to be able to move the sword as if it weighed nothing."

Naruto sighed in relief, 'Whew! And I thought I'd have to spend all my time learning crazy stances and hard as hell slashes and maneuvers. This is easy!'

"So, I want you to do a thousand down slashes, a thousand upwards slashes, a thousand slashes to the right, a thousand slashes to the left. After that, a thousand slashes diagonally from left to right, and a thousand diagonally from right to left. Then, switch hands and repeat," Itatchi paused, "…Since we're pressed for time. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. No chakra."

Naruto gulped and whimpered, 'He's a sadist!'

'I Like him!' Kyuubi exclaimed, 'Now continue, kit. I will train you soon, and I will not start until you finish his training and complete that exam.'

---

Two and a half weeks passed quickly, and Naruto, along with Itatchi, were on top of Gama-Bunta on their way back to Konoha. In that time, Naruto had gained all of Kyuubi's chakra. Most of the side effects were normal enough, though defiantly noticeable. His skin was tanned, which happened after the first day. He was much taller, setting him even with Itatchi. His hair was also longer, making him look even more like his father. His muscles were more toned, and his face was more sharp, instead of his usual flatness. His hands turned into sharp claws like he had before. The last side effect was his eyes and teeth. They looked like they did when he fought Haku. Eyes were red in color, and black slits. His teeth were permanent fangs, making them look like they did when he lost it against Haku.

The effects that weren't physical were just as great. His five senses had heightened tremendously, which would do wonders for a ninja. He could also talk to Kyuubi regularly. His healing factor was also much faster, as a large hole in his stomach would close in just seconds. Lastly, though there was no telling for sure if it really was the last, his chakra was through the roof. He could safely say that no one else could match him in the exams, unless Sasuke released Hachimata.

While he and Itatchi trained, Naruto summoned Kyuubi and let him run around and hunt in the forest. The demon couldn't be happier, except that he was only the size of a bear, instead of the size of a small village. He didn't complain though, especially when he had his teeth sunk into a fish. When not hunting, Kyuubi played around with Naruto and Itatchi, who he was quite fond of.

It took awhile for Itatchi to get used to Kyuubi, as he was old enough to remember the attack on the village. However, once he did get over it, Itatchi enjoyed playing pranks with Kyuubi on unsuspecting people. During their training breaks, Kyuubi could be found with his head on Itatchi's lap getting his ear scratched by the Uchiha.

In order to summon Gama-Bunta and Kyuubi more effectively, Naruto had Itatchi make some seals on his arms, which were inked into a tattoo onto his left and right forearms. The seals were made to work in a great effect. They kept a small store of chakra in each summoning tattoo, so that if Naruto ever ran out of chakra, he could still summon them with the supply stored. All he had to do was smear his blood over one of the tattoo seals, and they would be summoned. His left arm was Gama-Bunta, and his right Kyuubi.

Naruto hopped into the hokage's office via the window, surprising Sarutobi. The hokage was silent for a moment, taking in Naruto's appearance. He immediately noticed all of the changes made by Kyuubi, as they were hard to not notice. However, somehow he knew it was still Naruto. Also, it made him smirk to see that he was dressed exactly like the fourth, the boy's father.

Naruto interrupted his thoughts, as he threw the money onto his desk, "Mission complete."

Sarutobi nodded, "I assume that you took the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"Yep," Naruto smirked, "Well, almost all of it. Let him keep enough to stay alive. He makes a great summon."

Naruto pulled up his right sleeve, and showed the seal to the hokage, who nodded, "When you summon him, is he tame?"

Naruto smirked, "Yeah, pretty much. Still playful at times."

"Show me."

With a nod, Naruto bit his thumb and ran it across his right arm. When the smoke cleared, Sarutobi was confronted with a miniature Kyuubi, who bowed his head respectfully. When he raised his head, the fox walked over to Naruto, who knelt down and scratched his ear, "Okay, Kyuubi, you can go now. Sorry for bothering you."

The fox nodded and disappeared, leaving a stunned hokage, "Wow, to see the day…. Anyway, any negative changes?"

Naruto frowned in thought, "Well, my senses are heightened tenfold, so please don't fart, geezer."

The hokage's eye twitched, "Disrespectful brat. That sword…the item you went to retrieve?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes, and it suits me perfectly. Hokage, there's something you need to know. YO! Come on in."

Sarutobi's eyebrow raised as a figure came in through the window. However, his pipe fell out of his mouth when he found it to be Itatchi, "You! What are you doing here?"

With a reassuring glance from Naruto, Itatchi sighed, "Hokage-Sama, I wish to return to the leaf."

"What makes you think that's possible?"

Naruto stepped forward, "Please Hokage-Sama, hear what he has to say. Do not judge him until then."

Sarutobi leaned back into his chair, though still on edge, "Fine."

Itatchi told the Hokage the same thing he told Naruto, which took only fifteen minutes. At times, the hokage growled, especially when Itatchi told him about Sasuke's dormant demon. Finally, when the tale was finished, Sarutobi rubbed his temples.

"Itatchi, on a personal level, what you did was honorable to your brother. However, you still committed a crime. I must do something."

Itatchi nodded, "I was thinking about a deal to lessen my punishment. Naruto has told me that Orochimaru is in this village, and has attacked. I offer all the information I have on him, as well as the other members of the Akatsuki, including their plans, which do include this village and some of the people in it."

The Hokage was no fool. This was a chance that could not be passed up. As Itatchi was a member until quite recently, that information would be quite valuable, especially for Naruto and Jiraiya. Also, all information on Orochimaru was greatly needed, "Fine, you will stay here with me until you have completed a written report. Then, depending on how good the information is, your punishment will be greatly lowered."

Itatchi smirked, and pulled out a large folder, crammed with paper, "Already done. This one is just Orochimaru and his techniques."

Reaching back into his bag, Itatchi pulled out another folder, with even more paper in it, "And this one is the Akatsuki."

Sarutobi looked at the two folders on his desk, eyes wide with amazement, "This is incredible! Greatly detailed, and most of these things we had no idea about."

Calling in a guard, the hokage ordered him to bring Jiraiya to him immediately. When the guard left, Sarutobi faced Itatchi, "This information will help save a lot of lives. For this, I thank you. I have decided your punishment. You were a special ANBU member when you left. Therefore, I will strip your rank back to Gennin, making you an equal to Naruto. In three days the third exam will begin. Recently, one member in the bracket has been killed. You will take his spot. There, you will have the chance to make chuunin. Regardless of the results, you will be Naruto's teammate, since you get along so well. Do you accept?"

Itatchi nodded, "I accept, Hokage-Sama."

The hokage turned to the quiet Naruto, "Is this okay with you, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "I think we will make a great team, geezer. I do have one request, however. As Sasuke was once on my team, I know for certain that he would flip at the thought of Itatchi moving back into the Uchiha compound. Using some of my inheritance left by my father, I wish to buy a new house, large enough to house both myself and Itatchi, with its own private training ground. Some people would freak if they saw how Itatchi and I spar, not to mention the times when Kyuubi joins us."

The hokage smirked, "I think I know a place, and it's free of charge, already furnished. All you would need is the keys."

As Sarutobi got the keys, Naruto asked, "What is this place?"

The hokage tossed the keys to him, "The Uzumaki clan's compound, found a mile into the forest by the Hokage monument. Have fun."

Naruto sent Itatchi strait to the new house with his sword, since it was probably not good for him to be seen right now with Sasuke and Orochimaru in town. However, Naruto has to do some grocery shopping. Using a genjutsu to hide his eyes, he set off through the streets. Expecting the normal cold eyes, he was surprised to receive disbelieving looks.

Still confused, Naruto walked into the store, immediately bumping into someone, literally. While he was able to keep standing, Naruto looked down to see Jiraiya staring at him with eyes wide as saucers.

"Fourth?"

Now Naruto understood the stares. With his new outfit, new height, and longer hair, Naruto must look exactly like his father, "Ero-Sensei, it's me, Naruto."

Jiraiya got to his feet, "Amazing, you look just like…"

"My father?" Naruto asked.

"Well…yeah. What happened?"

Naruto shrugged, "Ask the hokage. He asked for you, anyway. Itatchi is back and gave a very detailed report on Orochimaru and the Akatsuki members. Hokage-Sama wants you to take a look."

The hermit nodded, "When did Itatchi show up?"

"I brought him back from Wave Country. Well, got to shop. Drop by sometime before the exams. I want to show you something when you get a chance, the Uzumaki compound is where I'm at now. Some new jutsus I learned from my father's notes."

Jiraiya snorted, "Like you could learn jutsus like his from only notes."

His gloating was stopped short when Naruto held out the palm of his hand. Slowly, wind began to gather, and when he was done, Naruto held a sphere that Jiraiya was familiar with. The old man's jaw dropped, "The Rasengan. Boy, I'll be at your house the first thing tomorrow."

Three days later, Naruto was woken up when Itatchi poured a bucket of ice water on his face. When Naruto jumped onto the ceiling and clung with his claws, Itatchi burst out in laughter, "Naruto, you are so hilarious! Get down, your match with Neji is in ten minutes."

Naruto let go, then flipped and landed on his feet perfectly, "Bastard. Just wait."

When Itatchi left the room, Naruto put on his clothes. When he put on the coat, Naruto looked at himself in the mirror, "Father, I look just like you with these clothes, don't I?"

Strapping on his weapons holster, and grabbing his large sword, Naruto left with Itatchi, who wore his usual clothes, minus the Akatsuki cloak. In it's place, he wore a plain black cloak, with the hood pulled over, hiding his face. Glancing at each other, they nodded and dashed to the stadium.

Right before they entered, Itatchi looked over at Naruto, "Are you going to use a genjutsu on your eyes?"

Naruto shook his head, "Let my enemies fear me. The more that do, the less I have to cut down."

As they made their way to the center of the ring to where the other fighters already were, Itatchi groaned, "This will not end well."

Separating themselves from the rest of the group, Naruto and his friend looked like they were discussing various strategies to the other fighters. It was well known by now that Naruto had quit his team, and the other gennin were all wondering who this new guy was underneath the cloak.

Neji looked at Naruto, noticing the various changes, and did not overlook the eyes, fangs, and claws. Not to mention the large sword on the boy's shoulder. By just looking, a strange feeling told him to run away, but he did not. Looking at the other gennin, than at most of the spectators in the stands, Neji knew that his fear was not alone. Taking that information as not a sign of his own weakness, he averted his eyes to the instructor, "Excuse me, where is Dosu? And why is that guy with Naruto here?"

The instructor growled and held out the line-up, "Dosu was killed. As to the new guy, see for yourself. I'll tell ya, the Hokage has some sense of humor."

When the others looked at the line-up, all of them sweat-dropped. Where the new guy's name was supposed to be, there was no name, just "wouldn't you like to know" written there, and by that, there was a small version of the hokage sticking out his tongue and giving the peace sign.

Shinkamaru walked up to Neji, "Naruto looks different, though terrifying seems to be a better word. You worried?"

Neji stared at Naruto, "No, his destiny cannot change."

Sakura looked down from the stadium, and her eyes were fixed upon Naruto, her ex-teammate. To say she was shocked was an understatement. Everything about him had changed. Though he looked scary, she had to admit that he was handsome in a way that her 'Sasuke-kun' could never be. If Sasuke was tall, dark, and handsome, then Naruto was strangely taller, pitch-black dark, and beyond handsome. Even his animalistic features were working well with his image.

For a brief moment, Sakura noticed that he turned and locked his eyes with hers. She had to fight to hold in her gasp. Red eyes with slits. Not to mention a depth that made her feel like she was drowning. Whatever he did in the last three weeks, it was defiantly something huge.

'Oh, what am I thinking! I have it for Sasuke, not that idiot! That incredibly hunk of an idiot…'

Inner Sakura looked at her dumbfounded, 'What did she just say?'

Tearing her gaze away from his face, she noticed what he was wearing. Along with his longer hair, she noticed the outfit right away. The resemblance was uncanny. Was he related to the fourth? Passing the outfit, she noticed the large sword strapped to his back.

"So, Naruto," she whispered, "You went back and got it, after all."

Sakura gasped when his gaze snapped to her again. 'Did he hear me? No, not possible…'

Then, she looked over to the guy that Naruto was talking to. It seemed that this was his new teammate. Inside of her stomach, envy burned when she thought about Naruto not being on the team anymore.

Leaning back, Sakura noticed that Ino was looking from her to Naruto, "What?"

"Are you checking Naruto out?"

Sakura blushed, "N-No!"

Ino smirked, "That's good, cause he's mine. He looks so much tastier than Sasuke now."

Right then, Sakura wanted to deck Ino and use her as a rug, but she only blushed a little darker.

Naruto breathed heavily. He wanted to slap himself. Even with all this chakra, which he had shown a great deal more than what he thought was enough to secure his promotion, it was useless now that it was all sealed. He wouldn't be able to use his monstrous amount of chakra, all because he underestimated his opponent's abilities. However, as he slowly stood back on his feet, he knew that he would still win. He used enough tricks and strategies that Itatchi had told him that it would also secure a promotion for him, so he wasn't worried. Now, it was time to really put on a show.

Pulling off his jacket, Naruto stood with his now bare arms out, "Neji, it's about time I finish this. I'm offering you the choice. Either way, you'll lose. So pick a hand. Each one controls a summon, so I'll allow you to decide. If you won't then I will, and trust me, you don't want me to pick."

Neji laughed, "You can't summon without chakra. However, I'll humor you. Your left hand."

Naruto frowned, "Well, damn. I was kind of hoping you'd pick the right. No matter. Left it is. Oh, and don't worry about that chakra problem. See, I made these seals with this exact thought in mind. I made them to always carry a small amount of chakra, in case of emergencies where I might need to summon, like right now. Extremely advanced seals."

Naruto ran his right hand over his sword blade, which was stuck into the ground, cutting his hand. As soon as the blood touched the tattoo, a giant puff of smoke erupted, and Neji soon found himself staring at Gama-Bunta, who he recognized from pictures of him with the fourth hokage standing on his head, where Naruto was now.

Neji's jaw dropped, "Instructor, I forfeit."

The instructor looked away from Naruto to Neji, "Are you sure?"

"Are you kidding? Can you fight that?"

The instructor looked back at the giant frog, "I don't blame you. WINNER, UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

As the frog disappeared, Naruto flipped through the air, and landed next to his coat and sword. After he finished putting on his jacket, Naruto hefted the giant sword back onto his shoulder. When he turned back towards the door, he found Neji right beside him. As they walked, Neji asked, "You were disappointed that I didn't pick your right arm. What can you summon from it that it's so much greater than your toad?"

"Kyuubi."

Even though Naruto kept walking, Neji was frozen in place in the hallway, with wide eyes, "…He can summon Kyuubi?"

When Naruto reached the top of the stairs, he found Itatchi and Shikamaru getting prepared for their fight, which was starting now, since Sasuke was not here yet, and Gaara's teammate quit. Naruto waved, "Hey, guys. Good luck!"

Itatchi waved back, then jumped over the railing and onto the field. Shikamaru, however, stood still, "I don't even want to be here. I'll forfeit."

Before he even got the chance, Naruto pushed him over the railing, "Good luck, Shikamaru. Do your best!"

When Shikamaru stood, he glanced up at Naruto, "Damn him! Oh, well."

As soon as the instructor had told them to start, the hooded man was standing over the unconscious Shikamaru. Looking up at the instructor, he waited for the man to end the match.

"Whoa, uh, damn. WINNER, DUDE WITH CLOAK!"

Itatchi stood still, since he was supposed to fight again, but the other fighter had forfeited, so he walked up the wall, and ended up right back next to Naruto.

Naruto's eye twitched, "Show-off, now everybody is staring at us."

Itatchi laughed and whispered, "At least it's not screams or laughing."

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he felt somebody behind him, and, by the smell, he could tell it was Sakura, "Hey, Sakura."

Itatchi and Naruto both turned to find Sakura looking down at the ground, "I-I just wanted to congratulate the both of you on your victories. Naruto, you were great."

When Sakura looked up, she was able to see his eyes perfectly, and they intrigued her to no end. It was silent for a moment before Naruto spoke, "Thanks. Where's Sasuke?"

Sakura was still lost in his eyes, "Who? I-I mean, he's, well…I don't know."

Itatchi turned back to the arena, "Ah, there he is."

Naruto turned back to the arena as well, but Sakura was still staring at Naruto '…so handsome…'

Halfway though the fight, Itatchi turned to Naruto, "There's trouble, you feel it?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto, "I can practically taste it."

Sakura blinked, "What are you guys talking about? I don't feel anything."

Her question was never answered as the hooded man turned sharply and raced to an ANBU guard and stabbed a kunai though his neck. As Naruto and Sakura walked toward him, Itatchi had pulled off the mask, revealing Kabuto.

Sakura gasped, "Kabuto? Why was he wearing an ANBU mask? He's only a gennin."

"Wrong," the hooded man said, "Kabuto is Orochimaru's right-hand man. Or rather, was."

Kakashi appeared beside them, "Kabuto, huh? Well, that could only mean that Orochimaru is here."

As soon as he said that, they all felt a genjutsu around them. All of them, except the hooded man, who could not be affected by genjutsu, raised their hands into a single seal, "KAI (release)!"

They looked around to see the damage. There was a barrier around the hokage, and the Kazekage. Naruto gritted his teeth, "That's Orochimaru. I can smell filthy snakes!"

Kakashi nodded, "Those are some weird side-effects, Naruto. I know what you did. Let's hope that it helps during this fight."

The hooded man growled, "That Gaara kid and his team have fled, and Sasuke has followed. Okay, here's what we do. Naruto, you and the girl follow them. Get Sasuke and bring him back. Naruto, do it before 'he' has a chance to rise. Kakashi, once they leave, there will likely be a group following them. Take care of them."

Naruto nodded, "What will you do?"

"I'll wait for the barrier to disappear, then take care of Orochimaru."

Naruto laughed, "Get that damn snake for me! Kakashi, Sakura, let's go!"

Knocking a hole in the wall, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura jumped out and began towards Sasuke.

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Sorry to end it there, but cliff-hangers are so fricking awesome! Anyway, please review. I have so many even after two days! Really, you guys spoil me