Chapter Two, Training with a Fox?

Kitsuna woke the next morning in Kakashi's house; he seemed to had never come back. She shrugged and got dressed. She left her father's robe on her bag, and put on her fingerless gloves with the Leaf Village symbol, and tied her forehead cover in her red hair. Laria stirred beside her. Kitsuna stroked the fox and fixed her bed. She looked inside Kakashi's fridge and found nothing. "Men." Was all she could say. When Laria woke up, cleaned her fur, and was ready, both fox and master set off to meet Naruto.

"Laria, I'll meet you at the waterfall, I don't want Naruto to know who his teacher is until we get there." Kitsuna laughed a little.

"Okay!" Laria smiled and cocked her head, then jumped onto a rooftop and headed toward the waterfall outside of the village.

Kitsuna sat at the ramen shop, waiting for Naruto. Kakashi surprisingly joined her and ordered nothing. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Nothing, Laria should still be training Naruto. Are you asking me on a date?"

"More like a catch up on everything that's happened meeting."

"A date. Sure, where?" Kitsuna's blue eyes and Kakashi's one dark eye met.

"The place we first met."

"I'll be there."

Kitsuna had a sudden urge to kiss him. She pushed it away as Naruto ran up.

"I'm here!" he said out of breath.

"I can tell, Ka-?" Kakashi was already gone. She shrugged and paid the ramen man. "Let's get out of here, we're burning daylight."

An hour later Kitsuna and Naruto could see the waterfall. It was perfect, water to practice chakra control, open area for accidents, and smooth stones so Laria didn't cut her pads. "We're here." Kitsuna said at last, she sat down and leaned against a tree. Naruto gave her a questioning look.

"Uh, aren't you going to train me?"

"No, she is." Kitsuna pointed at the approaching fox.

Naruto didn't believe it. "A fox? Yeah right, come on I know you like foxes, but a fox sensei? I wouldn't understand what it was trying to tell me, I can't speak fox, Fox Lady!"

Laria took it as an insult. "I, am not those wrenched forest foxes, they sleep in the ground! I keep my fur shiny so it catches the light. She is not a "Fox Lady" if you must call her anything but her name, she is the Fox Sage."

"Yeah sure fox, I can really believe th-! You just spoke! What? How? I confused!"

"You should be. Laria Naruto, Naruto Laria. Good now we all know each other. I sit here and watch, Laria trains you. Comprende?"

"But! It's a fox! What can a fox teach me?"

Laria swiftly kicked Naruto behind the knee, used a tail to trip him completely, and held him down with a paw and snarled, "Don't ever insult me, I can kill you faster than you could use the fox's power on me!" she let him up and sat down, all tails thrashing.

"That's lesson number one!" Kitsuna held one finger up. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of them training. Today Laria would only test his limits and skills, tomorrow she would train him physically, and the real training would begin. After a few hours the sun was directly above them and Laria called for a break. "This kid doesn't give up! He's like you in many ways, way ahead in jutsus, crafty in his attacks, bleeds a lot, and doesn't know when to give up." Laria pushed herself up and asked, "Can I borrow some chakra, I've used too much."

"Sure. If you want to tire him out faster, just use a chakra stealing jutsu." Kitsuna focused chakra in her hand and evenly poured it into Laria.

"Thanks, I'll use both pieces of advice wisely."

"I'm going back to the village, when you two get back, I'll have your stuff at his house." Kitsuna waved and started walking toward the village.

An hour or two later, a class was ending. Konoharmaru and his friends went home. The teacher was walking outside when Kitsuna jumped in front of him. "Hello Iruka." The man stared at her like a ghost, and then realized who she was and embraced her. "Kitsuna! Wow! It's really you!"

"It's been awhile." She acted like she was pondering.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"My fox is training Naruto; I just came to see everyone."

"Ah, I remember Laria. She'll have a tough time with him; I had him as a student."

"Yeah he told me."

"I heard that you surpassed your father and now you're the best ninja in the world, is that true?"

"Maybe not in the whole world, but yes, I did surpass him. When I mastered the only jutsu he couldn't, I felt a little bad." Kitsuna confessed.

"He would be proud, look I have to go and help a friend; I'll catch up with you later, ok?"

Kitsuna nodded. As Iruka walked away, she thought of everyone she left behind. They all changed so much; it was like she was standing still as they continued their lives. She smiled to herself and went to find some kids to talk to, some that had no idea who she was.

She found a boy (with really think eyebrows) on crouches trying to walk up stairs. "I don't think you should be doing that." She said, the boy whipped around and stared at her.

"I need to train, I'm tired of sitting around, waiting to get better!" Immediately, she saw Gui in his face.

"Is your sensei Gui?"

"Yes, Gui-sensei is the best teacher in the world!"

"Wow, everyone's repeating. Anyways, if you really want to train, you should train mentally, not physically, you'll just hurt yourself more."

"That's what Lady Hage said!"

"And she was right, go read a book or something. In a few days you can train and I'll help out."

"Really?" he eyes were shining, "You would do that? I'm Rock Lee, and I accept your offer!"

"Well Lee, tell Gui that the Fox Sage is going to train you for awhile." She smiled.

"Thank you kind lady!" he bowed awkwardly and limped away.

Kitsuna smiled to herself and look at the sky, sunset was nearing, and she had to meet Kakashi. She jumped to the top of the stairs and looked down. Far away, she saw a small puff of smoke, she laughed. "Poor Naruto, he made Laria mad!"