A/N Dear God. I never expected people to actually like this. Well, here's chapter three. Thanks for all the awesome reviews!
Ryuujin96: I have plans for Naruto himself, ability-wise. You'll see what I mean during the Wave Country Arc, and beyond.
Kat: Thanks! I'm trying to make this fun.
Rose Tiger: Yessir!
Drazili: Awesome! Thank you so much!
Pervyysage: Yeah, I know. This chapter is a bit longer, and starting chapter four I'll try and make them a lot longer. Keep in mind though that longer chapters take more time to write.
S. R. 457: :D Thanks!
Radon088: Yes, Hinata is in fact different in personality in my story than she is in canon. So are Naruto and Kurama. That's mostly because I'm writing my own story, not just re-writing the canon plot. I'm writing the characters as how I feel they should be written. I respect your comments and I certainly understand where you're coming from, but I don't think Hinata is going to return to being unnaturally timid and fainting every time she comes face-to-face with Naruto.
As Kurama and Hinata walked toward the training grounds, the Hyuuga looked at the fox in a boy's form.
"So what is this 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu the Hokage was talking about?"
"It's my substitute for the normal clone technique. I can't ever use that one because my chakra reservoir is so large it's physically impossible for me to manipulate it in small enough increments to make use of mere illusionary images of myself. The Shadow Clone technique requires far more chakra, and it creates a solid clone that can move and act independently. Observe:" He pointed ahead as they arrived and Hinata blinked as she watched four copies of Naruto attempting to walk up trees with only their feet.
"I told five of 'em to go out here and train during the day, but apparently one of them decided to go prank Hokage Monument and then disperse. I felt its experiences rejoin with mine mere seconds before that chuunin burst in," Kyuubi replied in amusement.
"So you like pranks just as much as Naruto eh?" Hinata replied with a giggle. Kyuubi chuckled.
"Yeah, it's good stuff. Shukaku used to get so mad at me. That's because she has no sense of humor."
"Who's Shukaku?"
"A one-tailed tanuki. One of my eight siblings."
"There are more like you?"
"Yeah, though I'm the strongest and most famous. The rest all have differing numbers of tails from one to eight, though they've all probably been captured and imprisoned within humans like I was," Kurama replied bitterly.
"Perhaps someday an arrangement could be made where you could be free, but we wouldn't be in danger because of it," Hinata suggested thoughtfully.
"Hmph. Don't count on it. Anyway, we have training to do, yes? I've gotta beat some actual taijutsu into this boy's muscles. His current technique is to thrash around and hope he lands a hit. If you didn't have it so bad for him you'd easily trash him in a spar," Kurama replied with a chuckle. Hinata blushed faintly.
"Naruto…can't hear what you're saying can he?"
"Depends on if he's paying attention or still putting his head back together. Such a comment would likely sail over his head anyway. He's denser than a freaking rock."
Hinata chose that moment to surprise jab at Kurama, who swiftly ducked and lashed out with a kick at her side which she blocked with one hand encased in chakra, causing the fox to yip in more surprise than pain and skip backwards.
"Oh, I see. Your hands are infused with chakra and combined with the pinpoint accuracy your eyes seem to afford you…that technique could easily cripple or kill any human if you land it," He said thoughtfully, as his clones spread out around her. Hinata grinned challengingly.
"Any human…but you?"
"You'd need to be much stronger to permanently affect a being made of pure condensed chakra," the Kyuubi boasted. Hinata thought on that.
"What about Naruto's body?"
"I can fix anything you're capable of doing to it. All the same, I'll simply be using clones to fight. I'm not sure if Naruto can handle being in an actual fight yet. He might panic and distract me." Hinata nodded assent and the clones rushed her. She started taking them out with full-power gentle-fist blows, and Kurama kept making more.
"So tomorrow is the final exam, right?" He said thoughtfully.
"That's right. We'll be tested on our knowledge, in a written test, our techniques with kunai and shuriken throwing, and our ninjustu, which are the Kawimari, the Henge, and the Bunshin, or in your case the Kage-bunshin. Kurama nodded thoughtfully before quickly testing out a Henge in which he transformed into Hinata, and a Kawimari as he switched with a nearby fallen stick. Soon enough they'd had enough of practicing and Hinata sat down to catch her breath while Kurama dissolved his clones.
"Hey Kurama, what do you look like in your normal form?" Hinata asked curiously as she stared at the clouds. Kurama snorted.
"I'm a nine-tailed demon fox. It's self-explanatory. Also, just because I told you my name doesn't mean I want you using it all the time, especially around others. The only reason I told you is because you earned enough of my trust, but no one else has that right," He grumbled.
"Okay, your title tells me what you are, but it doesn't describe you at all. You can use a henge, why not henge and show me?" Hinata insisted. Kurama gave her a blank stare.
"You do realize that we're in the middle of a town that almost the entire population hates me, fears me, either or both, or thinks I'm dead, Me suddenly appearing on a training ground would not go over well. Furthermore, I can't summon enough chakra to transform into something that large without damaging Naruto at the same time."
"Can't you do the form, but scaled down in size so that no one except me will see?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll do that and then I'll bite you for being so pushy about it. I'm not going to turn into my form in such a small, weak state. It's demeaning."
"Or maybe you just need to get off your high horse and quit being so prideful," Hinata returned. Kurama growled at her.
"Fine, just shut up about it and I'll show you at Naruto's place. Not in public," He snarled. HInata giggled.
"Okay, works for me!"
"How the hell is she so good at getting her way? I gotta be more careful of that in the future," The Kyuubi growled to himself as he led the way to Naruto's shabby abode. Hinata took one look at the place and her eyes narrowed.
"The Hokage had Naruto living here?"
"It's the only place that was available that no one else owned. Any other place he'd get kicked out of as soon as the Hokage turned his back. It's not all that bad. It'll make for a decent den, and it does get clean water…most of the time," Kurama replied with a shrug as he led her inside. She raised an eyebrow as she glanced around.
"It looks…surprisingly uncluttered." Kurama chuckled. "Eh, that's as of this morning. I moved some stuff around to make it seem cleaner." The Hyuuga nodded before grinning at her partner.
"Well, let me see what you really look like!" Kurama rolled his eyes.
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this…" He quickly performed a henge, transforming into a large dog-sized fox with nine flowy tails. Hinata practically had stars in her eyes as she reached out to pet one of his tails, but a snarl from the owner stopped her.
"Touch me, and I'll bite you. Hard. Touching a fox's tail is an intimate action and we're not nearly that close to each other, having only become friends today." Hinata pouted.
"But they look so soft and fluffy! It's a girl's natural instinct to want to touch soft fluffy fur!"
"That's cause I take care of 'em, but seriously. Hands off for now." He released the henge reverting to Naruto's form. Hinata sighed slightly.
"Alright fine, if you feel that strongly about it. What are you doing for dinner?"
"I spotted a forest training ground that looks like it has a lot of wildlife. I'll try hunting in there," Kurama replied with a yawn. Hinata blinked.
"Don't you want to eat real food?"
"Nah, I want to hunt. At least for tonight. I haven't hunted in so long I'm itching to go out and run, stalk, and kill," Kurama replied softly, eyes glinting as the setting sun reflected off them. Hinata nodded.
"Alright. I'll go have supper with my family, and then I'll come back here and wait for you," She said. Kurama nodded.
"Sounds like a plan to me. So long." He turned and leaped with feline grace out of the window, swinging up onto the roof, and loping across the town until he came to a fenced off area marked "Training Ground 44, The Forest of Death. He hunched at one of the gates slightly, before looking up with gleaming ruby irises and he leaped before climbing over the fence and dropping into the trees on the other side. Almost immediately, his heightened sense of smell picked up a myriad of different scents, belonging to creatures of every shape and size, many of them large, others dangerous, and quite a few were both large and dangerous. Kurama locked onto the scent of a strong leopard and followed it deeper into the forest. Soon he came upon the other predator as he was resting. Kurama let a furious growl rip from his throat, a call of challenge. 'Let us see who is the better predator between the two of us.' The leopard gets up, seeming almost amused at this puny character who dares to challenge him in his own home. At least he'll get a light snack out of the deal. The two beasts square off, one growling in challenge, the other rumbling back at him as if humoring him. Respecting the final wish of a soon to be dead foe. All at once, there is a flash of red as the challenger attacks. Caught off guard by the speed, the leopard is raked across the face with an outstretched clawed hand, leaving some immediately painful scratches. The Leopard roars in anger, no longer treating it as a game, and surges to the attack, but his foe is wily and slips under him to claw at his belly before slipping away like a stream of smoke to land on his back. The Leopard bucks and tries to throw him off, but the fox digs in with his claws and, opening jaws wide to display sharpened incisors, plunges his teeth into the throat of the Leopard before tearing ferociously, ripping out the jugular and ensuring his victory. As his foe trembles into the stillness of death, Kurama, euphoric from his victory, sends a primal roar to the sky before beginning to feast on the raw flesh of his foe. A low whistle from a nearby branch interrupted him, causing him to bristle.
"Damn son, that's the first time I've seen a twelve-year-old lookin' kid go up against a fully grown leopard and win. Are you even human?"
"Shit, I got so caught up in my fight I didn't notice her approach. She smells and looks right at home in here. She's probably quite familiar with this territory." He debated on an answer before shrugging slightly and returning to his meal.
"My body is human. My mind? Well...that's a complicated question. What matters though is that I'm a predator to be wary of, and now this place knows it," He grunted between bites. The woman hopped down from the branch and walked over to him.
"That we do kiddo. My name's Anko Mitarashi. I'm the alpha of this place." Kurama paused and turned to assess her.
"A human acknowledged as the master of this forest. There is far more to her than meets the eye."
"My name? Well, you can call me Fox." Anko chuckled.
"Well Foxy, if you want to stake out a territory in this here forest, then fine by me. Win your place and it's yours. Anything you can take from here is yours, unless you don't defend it adequately and it's taken from you." The fox glanced at her again.
"You smell very strongly of snake. I didn't know the hebi were that much into social structures, I thought they preferred to mind their own business." The woman considered him.
"Unlike you, I don't impersonate the animals I identify with. I merely use them as weapons," She replied, a small black snake curling from her sleep and up to sit on her shoulders. Kurama, finishing his meal, stood up.
"Perhaps we shall fight one day," He noted.
"If you wish to challenge me for the spot of Alpha, then yes we will fight someday. Until then…watch your back. I kinda like a spunky kid like you, and you ain't met some of the larger fellas that live in here yet."
"If I feel the urge to hunt again, I will return," Kurama replied quietly.
"Yeah. There's a river not far to the east of here where you can wash off if you'd like," Anko called after him. He waved back and soon found the stream where he thoroughly cleaned himself before redressing and heading back out of the training ground. Soon enough he was returning to Naruto's home, where Hinata was waiting.
"Had fun?" She asked curiously. Kurama nodded and yawned.
"Yeah, I had a good fight. I'm tired from all that so I think I'm going to hit the sack." The Hyuuga nodded.
"Ah, alrighty then. Shall I see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I save you a spot in the classroom," Kurama replied, heading toward the bedroom. Hinata was just about to let herself out when she heard her name spoken in the barest breath of a whisper. It was so quiet that had there been any noise at all she would've missed it. She turned around to see Kurama standing in the doorway to the bedroom shaking like a leaf, holding onto the handle for support. She blinked at him before getting worried.
"Kurama? Is something wrong?" Kurama slowly turned to look at her, and his face was an expression of pure fear, his eyes were screwed closed but ever so slowly one of them opened barely revealing a flash of sapphire.
"H-h-hin-nat-ta-ch-ch-cha-a-n…" A whisper dripping terror escaped the slightly panting lips Hinata's eyes widened.
"Naruto-kun?" She replied back in an equally quiet whisper. The boy flinched slightly and screwed his eyes shut again.
"W-w-would y-y-you s-s-st-stay wh-w-with m-m-me a-a-and K-k-kur-ram-m-ma….p-p-pleas-s-se?" he gritted out. Hinata blinked before putting on the warmest smile she could muster.
"Of course I can. I'll stay as long as you want," She promised. Naruto's trembling stilled for a moment before he opened his eyes again, gratitude reflecting in the bright blue gems before they flashed back to red, and the pupils once again became slits. Kurama glanced at Hinata seeming somewhat subdued.
"There's only one bed. You can share with us unless you'd rather not." Hinata shook her head.
"That's fine. I want to be where I can hold Naruto, where I can physically reassure him with a touch that isn't violent," She replied firmly. Kurama nodded and gestured for her to follow him into the bedroom where he stripped to his t-shirt and boxers while Hinata took off her jacket and shoes and set them aside, having a t-shirt underneath and her pants she deemed acceptable to sleep in. They were designed for ninja after that that many times had to camp out. After that the two curled up around each other. Kurama seemed to drift into a doze immediately, though every so often Naruto's body would let out a shiver of unconscious fear. Hinata draped one arm over him and nestled into his back which seemed to calm him slightly and soon enough she was off to dreamland as well.