Rebirth

-Four Years After Kyuubi-

This past year has been much better, and much worse. I've been able to get out of the orphanage now. And not only when jiji's ninja comes to take me to the library either! With my limbs getting longer and stronger, I'm able to speed past my caretakers. I'm able to sneak past them, escape them, and sneak out! Though, this makes them give me the stink eye when I come back. But when I leave, I go to the library to read.

I was lucky enough that to already know the language. Or at least much of it - they didn't match up on everything, and I did have to relearn some pretty important things. A few of my mixups had been dangerous... But I had gone out of my way to fix them. So I now knew the common language. And I knew English as well, something I would probably teach to trusted people. The little changes were easy enough to figure out though, so I managed to understand the more complex books and language.

There's so much there, but I can only read the basics so far. Even with my memory, I have to take my time reading it seems. I can memorize pictures instantly, but not whole pages to understand them. It's really weird, but at least it's better than my past life where I would have to reread everything several times to even understand it. It's so nice. And there gets me away from the matron, so I rarely see her anymore, just the caretakers.

They only give me one serving of food, and make me do more chores than others when they can, but at least they don't try to punish me. I think building my happy mask and being a bit helpful when I can, at least when I didn't slip away, has helped curve them a bit to my side

Though the matron has started getting worse about what she does to me. She comes by once every few days to take care of businesses, yet every time she finds something to hit me for - dirty shoes, dirty clothes, walking in front of her blocking her way. Heck, she's even slapped me for not waking up during nap time, while there are obviously others still sleeping. I mean, really? Nap time wasn't even over, and she slapped me for sleeping?!

Anyways, the library has helped me understand a lot of what was going on in this world, along with getting a basic understanding of chakra, how it's used, and many other things that are left unexplained in the Naruto series.

Many of which has given me theories that I wish to try eventually, when I figure out how to mold my chakra. I think I'm about there, but I have yet to try it for fear of accidentally hurting someone or myself. They said it's possible that injury can occur with inexperienced use, and maybe even cause a small explosion, along with chakra exhaustion. Something I severely wish to avoid.

Though, this has left me with a bit of a problem, ever since I started leaving the Orphanage. Villagers have started to recognize me. And the hateful glares have started. The slight killing intent of several people combined can actually pressure a bit of fear into a child. Even if I am an adult in a child's body, it doesn't change the fact that my emotions are still that of a child, or that I'm physically weak, at least compared to an adult, and am unable to resist even the smallest attempt of harm upon myself.

As such, I was completely unprepared for today. Today, my birthday. The Hokage hasn't scheduled a visit with the orphanage, and I hadn't seen him since that day, but I knew he would have wanted to. But still, today - the Fox Festival. The day the Fourth Hokage, my bodies birth Father, Namikaze Minato, sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama inside me. I had yet to speak to him, but I had no plans to until I could at least defend myself from him.

But again, today, my birthday, the one day I don't want to leave the orphanage, I ran from a murderous matron - she who had murder in her eyes. I actually had to run away from the orphanage today. I really didn't want to die twice. She actually looked like she would kill me the instant she laid her hands upon me. So I fled. I couldn't hide inside the Orphanage with a potential killer nearby. If she backed me into a corner, I had no doubt I would die by her hands.

But that left me with a problem, the villagers. Today is the anniversary of a terrible event. The day I lost my parents, the day the villagers lost their Hokage, and the day they lost their loved ones. I was afraid. They were all glaring at me much harder today. Many looked as if they would kill me on the spot if we weren't in the middle of the street.

So I kept running. Running down the street towards the big red tower where I knew I might be safe. Safe with the Hokage, my now named jiji. No longer Naruto's jiji, but mine - since that day a year ago. I felt he could keep me safe, if i could just get to him.

When I reached the tower, running inside, I couldn't help but feel my hopes rise. Yet as soon as I entered I felt a kick in my stomach, and flew back out. I knew right then I couldn't get to him. And I was in pain. Looking down, I could see bruising through the top of my slightly baggy orange shirt on my chest. It hurt to breath, but I couldn't stay visible, I knew whoever kicked me would probably come for me if i stayed. Even as I heard him shout 'your type isn't welcome here!'

So I got up again, and ran into a close-by alley. I hid in a dumpster, a place I figured nobody would look. I couldn't go back to the orphanage, and even so close by, I couldn't get to the Hokage. I should have figured people were watching me run into the alley, and I should have figured that someone saw me jump into the trash. But I was in such pain, and my heartbeat just kept beating and beating in my ears.

After a while, it started getting dark, and the festival could be heard in full. My chest no longer her, thank god for the Uzumaki Vitality. So long as I stayed here I could stay safe! But the one thing I feared, came. Someone opened the lid to the trash, grinning at me with a murderous joy in his eyes.

"Look-ey ere booysshhh" came his slurred drunken voice. "Saw er runn in here earlier t'day afta tryin t'a get in da Kage's toweu"

His voice terrified me, leaving me petrified. Terror, all I felt was terror. I knew they would beat me, I could only hope they were too drunk to think about raping me too. I was too young for it, they wouldn't be able to do it anyways, but the fear was still there. My body, despite being four years of age, only looked to be around three, maybe not even that. I knew I couldn't get away, I knew I couldn't fight. So the instant I felt a hand on the back of my collar, I screamed. I screamed bloody murder in his ears, and I could swear I saw blood coming out of his ear. But I was stopped. He punched me hard in the gut, my breath refused to return, and he slapped me hard, making giving me a headache, and making my ears ring.

"Damn demon has a voice don' et," said a nearby drunk.

"At least we'll be able to torture her, like she has us just by walking around showing its' face. Showing its' still alive after it killed my family. Disgusting thing needs to put out of our misery" Coming back to my senses, I caught the last part.

I started screaming my lungs out, clawing at him, scraping the drunks arms holding me. But all it did was make him angry, and he hit me several times. I felt the bruises forming, the blood coming from my mouth. Finally, I decided to try the one thing I didn't want to do, I molded chakra. Pain - that was all I can feel - burning my body inside and out.

I could only assume that whatever my chakra did, it hurt the people who were around me, since I could hear some screams around me alongside mine. But they barely registered. My body felt like it was being ripped apart, shredded. That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out. I simply couldn't handle the rest of whatever was happening to my body.

-Hiruzen Third Person-

Hiruzen's pipe dropped out of his mouth onto his desk. Eyes wide, mouth agape. The chakra he was feeling hadn't been felt in four years. It shouldn't be felt at all. And it was so close, right next to the tower almost!

"ANBU!" Four Cloaked and Masked Figures appeared in front of him. At that, he got up, and hurried out the window. Headed straight over the rooftops to wherever Naruna was. He was hoping he could stop whatever was happening.

As he arrived, the scene unfolding left him baffled, and torn. Little Naruna was prone in the middle of several drunks, all of which looked burnt and battered. As if there was a shockwave of the Kyuubi chakra that sent them into the surrounding walls. None of whom were moving. And little Naruna, the poor girl was groaning and crying, surrounded by blue and red chakra swirling around her. Body breaking apart in places and healing soon, after she was growing, aging before his eyes. Too fast for her body to keep up, it was tearing itself apart.

Her clothes were shredded, and blood was flowing, leaking everywhere around her. Her hair, color changing, thickening as it grows, going from spiky to pin-straight, turning from a golden blond to a deep red, so much like her mothers, yet with slightly orange highlights, while the end remained the same golden blond.

Hiruzen just held his breath, barely breathing as he took in what was happening. Something he could never have believed possible, something that should never happen, and in such terrifying circumstances. Circumstances he never thought would happen, and should have prevented. And couldn't help but berate himself as he watch what changes she underwent.

Now she looked to be around ten years old, something odd was happening. Her hair was changing shape. 'No, her head. What is that?' On the sides of her head, slightly above where her ears had been, lumps had sprouted. And they grew. Soon, there were two little pointed fuzzy red fox-like ears on her head, with golden tips.

As soon as he realized what they were, he found that he completely missed the other, more visible change. On her backside, at the end of her tailbone, were nine red tails sprouting. They had already grown quite a length when he realized they were there. As her body aged to what seemed to be a full adult, of around the age of sixteen or so, she stopped aging.

What was once a small, malnourished, four year old child, was now a beautiful, perfectly proportioned full grown teenager. She had an hourglass figure, small, and lithe. A sleek, yet bloody form, and still in the evening moonlight. Her medium, yet perfect sized breasts lay under her body, and her eyes closed.

Where once was red and blue swirling chakra, was what looked to be violet chakra. Beautiful red hair, orange-red highlights and blonde tipped, reaching down past her thighs, down most of her length, hiding much of her bloody body from view. Two golden-blonde tipped red ears adorned her head. Nine limp golden-blonde tipped red tails lay across her body and down her sides.

Yet it seems the change wasn't over, as the violet chakra bursting from her in swirling waves started to collapse back inside her being. Her body began shrinking again. Her body shivering, yet this time there was no physical damage occurring. Several of her puffy tails started absorbing into each other, from stub to tip, they started disappearing.

Even so her body kept shrinking. Eventually, she ended back with her four year old shape, if a little more balanced, and less malnourished. Her skin unblemished, though with hair that still fell off of her in waves, too long for a four year old body. Her violet chakra no longer blowing off in waves, or being absorbed, he couldn't help but marvel at the terrible situation.

Just as everything had finished, he walked up to Naruna, and couldn't help himself picking her up. Marveling at how much like her mother she looked now, even with the highlights and fox-like additions to her person. Covered in blood as she was, he needed to make sure she would be fine.

Noticing the seal on her stomach, and puzzlement on how it reached its state, he wondered how it happened. There were still two pieces there, but neither were for confinement. They looked more like additions to the seal, rather than the seal for the fox.

"So somehow the seal is gone, the fox wasn't released, and Naruna has several of the foxes features, including its' tails." The Hokage muttered in disbelief. "and there were two additions to Minato's seal that were overlooked, yet they also contain chakra." he continued "Just what did you do Minato?" He finished to the ANBU who had already secured the area from outsiders, "ANBU, the circumstances surrounding this is now classified an S-Class Secret, anyone around us are to be brought in and questioned, and if needed, may be sent to the hospital first. Neko, you're with me, retrieve my personal physician, and whatever you may need to help Naruna's physical state, including clothes, and meet me in the Kage office."

And with that, he took off towards his office, his office with Naruna in his hold, he put her down on the nearby couch in the corner, retrieved a blanket from a cabinet and covered her just as his door flew open with Danzo with Homura and Koharu in two.

"Sarutobi." The Hokage went on guard instinctually at Danzo's greeting. "Is there an explanation as to why the Kyuubi's chakra was running rampant mere moments ago? And on this specific day?"

The tired Hokage sighed at his council and former teammates. "Uzumaki Naruna seems to have run into trouble, some drunken villagers, just outside the tower. I introduced myself to her a year ago. Knowing I would be able to protect her, I am going to assume she was running away, and attempting to get to me for her own safety. When we arrived, she was surrounded by her own and the foxes chakra, passed out. The drunken villagers seemed to have been thrown around by an instant burst of chakra from Naruna, after beating her, and what I will assume was an attempt at torture an imminent threat to her well being, and most probably would have ended in her death. The seal Minato used was used to leak chakra into her system under imminent threat of death." The councilors seemed appeased at that, though Danzo was never satisfied, but did not continue.

Hiruzen continued though, "However something unforeseen has occurred. She seems to have assimilated some of the foxes chakra, and her form has shifted to accommodate it. Namely she has grown fox ears and a tail."

And at that the other three adults blinked, even danzo had opened his eye for that. Yet, that gave Danzo an idea. "Hiruzen, would it not be wise to separate her from society in such case? I could train her to harness whate-"

At that the wizened Hokage let loose his intense KI, more than enough to drop inexperienced chuunin even to their knees, and certainly enough to put Danzo on guard.

"Danzo, I will not allow your greed for power allow you to warp an innocent child. She will be given the best we can give her, considering what she was burdened with, and especially because of who she is and what her father has asked of us. Her father has asked us to treat her as a hero, and even though it doesn't seem that will happen, I will make sure I can give her the best I can. Even if I can't take care of her myself, if I find so much as a single agent of yours within sniffing distance of her, as your Hokage, I will make sure you regret it."

Danzo grit his teeth a little at that, but conceded nonetheless. He couldn't cross Hiruzen, not without considerable backlash.

"You are to tell everyone that some drunken civilians stupidity to attack the vessel nearly released the creature. Everything is under control. And they can return safely to their festivities." The three bowed at the Hokage's declaration slightly and left.

A few moments later, Hiruzen's private physician, an old retired medic-nin, came into the office slightly out of breath. He looked around to find a bundle on the couch. He rushed over and pulled the cover off of her to find her visible changes, including her draping hair, ears, and tail, along with their color changes. He immediately started using diagnostic jutsu to determine any complications she might have. With the Hokage watching on in worried silence, he finally heard neko rush through the window as well.

A bundle of clothes and bathing supplies were unsealed from a storage scroll. The medic-nin stopped his procedure a few minutes later, declaring Naruna healthy, and unharmed, despite the visible changes in her chakra.

"What visible changes in chakra? You don't particularly mean her physical changes." was Hiruzen's voiced question. He knew immediately what some of it meant, but knew there was more to it than that. The violet coloring was the only visible change, but he knew there was more to it than that.

"Her chakra, it's hard to describe." The retired medic replied in stunned disbelief, it's similar to what a normal human's is, but there's an astounding difference. It's as if it's just flowing off of her, into everything around her. I noticed it myself when I suddenly felt slightly better despite my age. It's a very slight difference, and easy to miss. It's like she's providing energy to others around her. And there's just so much of it, I don't know how much she had before, but it easily surpasses mine, and dare I say, yours as well. And her physical being... it similar to chakra itself, even though it feels like flesh and blood, and seems to act the same as well. It is just as hard to describe."

The 'Professor's eyes were widened, though definitely not for the first time today. He stretched his senses to make sure nobody else was listening in, and to his surprise, nobody was. He was sure Danzo would have had an agent nearby. The only one he could feel was Kakashi, and he was most likely waiting for a signal to approach, knowing it would be unwise to just barge in unannounced at the moment. Though, he could definitely feel some unease throughout the jounin that happened to be within his range, they were probably being briefed. Only Kakashi should be notified to this anyways.

"Understood. Thank you for rushing here. We can talk more about this later, I need to take care of much tonight it seems." And with that, his medic-nin departed. He lightly flared his chakra, enough so that only anyone paying attention - Kakashi - would notice.

Luckily enough, or rather, respectable timing on the Hokage's part, it seemed that Neko had finished cleaning the blood off of Naruna and was already dressing her in a simple white knee-length nightgown.

Immediately Kakashi entered through the window. Visibly worried - which was unusual for him, though considering the cause for the possible disaster, not unthinkable. It was his former sensei's daughter after all. Immediately he fell to the bowed position ANBU take when in the Hokage's presence, and waited for briefing, and debriefing.

Upon the Old Hokage's signal to report, Inu - Kakashi - started. "Upon feeling the chakra of the fox, I rushed to the location, only to notice your personal ANBU quarantined the area already. After you left, we started cleanup of the assaulters. Most were unconscious, though the ones that are thought to be the closest took more than enough damage to kill them. The furthest were visibly burned, and injured, but alive and coherent. Upon initial interrogation on scene, they were mouthing about 'ridding the village of the demon'. Apparently one of them saw the child get kicked away from your tower the moment she tried to enter. With enough force it should have broken several bones by his words. They then watched her until she hid in a dumpster in an alley. They then proceeded to have one person watch it, while another gathered a group to 'get rid of her', as they put it. They were only regretful that they got too close, and were injured."

Sarutobi Hiruzen visibly and mentally looked his age during the report. He was saddened, enraged, horrified, distraught, and so many other emotions going through a face that was usually emotionless in the face of others. And with Naruna's visible changes, he will need to give her a protection detail at all times. Or fear even worse.

"Inu, I need to know, are you mentally capable of handling a mission to protect Naruna?" the Wizened man could guess the discomfort this would bring his ANBU member, but he could think of few people to handle such a task. And for a few long minutes he was silent, with Hiruzen watching on, and Neko with the now clean child sleeping in her lap, petting her head softly.

... Finally, he spoke up, "I am capable."

"Very well, Inu, Neko, your task is to guard Naruna at all times." There was a loud "EH?!" from Neko at this, but he continued, "You may remove your masks for this when visible, or keep them if you wish. However, she will need a place to stay, and I will set one up for you if you do not already have a place Yuugao." another, yet louder "EHHHHH?!" from her before he chuckled lightly. "She will be unwelcome at the orphanage now. I need someone I trust to be able to take care of her. She is yet to be old enough to care for herself completely, as such you are the only person in a position to do so. And as a female, you would be able to provide adequate instruction for her..."

At this, Neko, or rather Yuugao, just looked down at the child in knowing defeat. She knew there wasn't a choice in the matter. With Naruna looking as such, she would be easily recognizable. She would need a guard detail, preferably a strong one, like Kakashi. However she was a new recruit, so she couldn't help but question it out loud. "Are you sure I'm capable enough for the duty?" It was muttered, but the old man heard it clearly.

"You will be fine. I doubt there will be any dangerous repercussions anytime soon. However without the orphanage to feed her, and I will assume nobody will want her in their stores, she is, as such, unable to live on her own. Once she is of age, she will attend the academy. Her traits will be attributed to a newly acquired Kekkei Genkai. Once she has the ability, she will be able to use henge for outings if she wishes. But until then, she needs someone, and I would like you to accept this responsibility."

At this, she nods her head in acceptance. It wasn't just an order, but sound reasoning. There would be few who would hold themselves from harming her, let alone glaring, if she were to show herself in a form such as this. She was trustworthy, and wouldn't leak any information gained. And the pleasant aura the child purring in her lap was releasing was a tempting reason to keep her as well... 'purring?!'

Indeed, the child, whose head on her lap, she was petting was letting out a slight purr, her ears twitching to the touch, tail slightly moving back and forth. Apparently the Hokage noticed as well - his amused chuckle and the glint in his eye left her slightly flushed in embarrassment, even though it wasn't even her releasing the sound. And then there was Kakashi. Even behind that mask, she could tell he was smug. Though, from the look in his eye, he was still torn about being in visible contact with a sight from the past. She sighed in defeat. 'Nothing I can do about it now...'

"Uzuki Yuugao, Hatake Kakashi, this will be an ongoing mission with weekly pay. Report any extra changes she may exhibit with her chakra or physical features. Inu, retrieve Kurenai. I believe she would be a decent addition."

A devious smirk entered the Hokage's features as Inu left, and an amused glint in his eye seemed to spark something in Yuugao. He was planning something. And she couldn't help but fear that something was off.

"Uzuki, do you have decent accommodations for you, and your newly adopted daughter?" and with that she was left agape. Of course, with this mission, she couldn't deny that it was practically adoption, but to just state it like so... and it was this scene, left in that position, scratching her purring charges head, watching a chuck Hiruzen, that Kurenai and Kakashi happened into.

Kurenai couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the scene. Yuugao had long since taken off her mask, the first instant in which the Hokage said she should remove it in fact. So her visible befuddlement was in full display for all to see. It wasn't until the Hokage turned to Kurenai and started talking that Yuugao recovered. He explained her directives to her as well as he had to the other two.

The two women would be her caretakers, and Kakashi himself decided he would only watch from the shadows. The others allowed this, though slightly annoyed. If one of the women were unavailable, the other would watch her. They would also work her through a little bit of chakra control to find out if there was anything special about the change, aside from the currently known.

And as it turned out, Yuugao did have decent accommodations. Her parents left her their house, three empty bedrooms, enough for everyone. Though she doubted anyone besides Kurenai would, and even then, only when needed. Though with Kurenai, there was always the possibility of Anko appearing in their lives occasionally... Yuugao just shrugged her shoulders in defeat once again at that. Her life was just turned upside down and she couldn't do anything about it. And she couldn't even complain...

About an hour after they finished going through several more details, they were just chatting, when their charge finally groaned aloud and shifted. She was waking up, midnight as it was; it had still been a while. And with that, all head turned to her.