New Home

I woke up on something soft. Something unusually soft. I rolled a little to settle on my side. I was cozy. I hadn't been soft and cozy since my last life. So I was starting to get a little suspicious. I opened my eyes, and realized I was in a real bed. Not a hard, orphanage made-do bed. A real bed, one made for comfort. I was in a room I had never been in before. A place I didn't recognize.

Yet, there was a familiar smell. A smell of comfort, and safety. I rolled out of the covers, Landing silently on the floor. There was the small issue of hair tangled around me, but luckily it was all bundled up. There were three hair ties along its length to keep it together. 'Huh' was my only thought was I unwrapped my hair from my ankles so I could walk properly.

I follows the smell of safety to another room. My drowsy state leaving me ignorant of what I was doing. Instincts were kicking in... Entering the room, I just followed to where the scent was strongest - safest. It led me to a bed, one that was occupied. I didn't care, it was safe here. I hadn't felt safe in years. Comforting. I wanted to feel the comfort of safety. I crawled into the bed, not knowing I had just traversed in the darkness without effort. The warmth nearby. I wanted that warmth. So I moved closer. I snuggled up into it. Whatever it was, it wrapped around me. It felt nice. I immediately fell asleep again.

I woke slowly. I could feel something petting my head. I loved the feeling, and couldn't get enough. So I just snuggled up into it, pushing my head bit by bit into the feeling. Then I heard it. A loud 'EEEP' that caused my ears to fold in slight pain. And I woke completely, the warm feeling around me disappeared with the sound, but I needed to get up anyways. I struggled a bit to sit up, not quite realizing what was going on.

I looked around to see I was in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed. 'Yet I feel safe, I'm in a place I've never been, in a room I've never seen, and I don't feel the slightest bit scared of it. Strange...' I turned around, and there I saw her. Yuugao in a sleepshirt, completely aghast for some reason. The night before came rushing back.

Then I remember what I had done last night, what I had followed, the reason I felt warm. I giggled. And I kept giggling. Her reaction to waking up to find me in her arms, cuddled against her. It was just too much, and I full on laughed when she turned out with a pouty annoyance in her expression. I just fell over laughing, never noticing the evilly amused glint in her eyes.

She came over and leaned over my prone form, and blew into my ear. It didn't hurt, and it didn't sound strange, though louder than it should have been. No, it was just so strange, the sensation of the fur being blown, of the fox-like ears twitching in annoyance at the wind. But it was so soooo weird! And I eeped and loudly, ending up covering my ears with my hands. And hearing a giggling Yuugao nearby. I turned, seeing her giggling made me smile back. 'Whatever this is, why I'm here, I think I am going to like it.'

Then it hit me again. 'Why am I here?' I was utterly confused, and it probably showed in my ears and tail, but definitely my expression. Yuugao just looked at me and that's all it took to figure out my train of thought. And she just smiled. I couldn't figure out why, but I was thinking I liked that smile.

"I've been ordered by the Hokage to be your personal bodyguard. But in order to do this, I pretty much had to adopt you." My eyes widened considerably at that. "Those other two you saw last night are part of your protection detail, though more as a side job rather than a permanent position such as mine."

I just couldn't help it. Last night may have been emotional, and I was still feeling the affect, but this was just... I didn't have to sit in that horrible orphanage anymore. I had someone who didn't look down upon me, view me as evil, see me as the demon, or even hold any dislike for me. No, she had soft eyes, kindness in them, and an expression that told me she would take care of me. Years of neglect and pain. I was finally away from the constant abuse. Even if it was only inside here, I had a place I could feel safe!

The next thing anyone could see was a red blur crash into a violet one. The sounds of sobbing could be heard. And if one were to look, they would see a little redheaded fox child crying in the arms of a violet haired woman smiling softly down at her. A little while later, said child finally pulled away with a stuffy nose and red puffy eyes. A smiling young woman looking ready to laugh. Finally, they got up though.

"What do you say we do something about that hair? It has to get in the way." First thought of mine? Absolutely agree, it was twisting around my legs, and had to keep untwirling it. However it grew this long, I didn't need to know, but this was just too much. So I just gave a small 'un!' and nodded. I was going to enjoy this change in life.

I decided I wanted it down to my hips. I could at least keep that much. I could grow it out as I aged, and maybe have a similar style to my birth mother's' hair eventually. I let her use a small Violet ribbon to tie my hair back at the base of my neck with a bow. Something interesting happened though. The tips of my hair, where it was recently cut, it started turning golden-blonde.

Watching it change, from the tip to where it stopped, I couldn't believe my eyes. The last two or three inches of my hair just changed from the reddish colours and shaded to my original colour! The rest was in my birth mother's shade with highlights of a shade between that and kurama's fur colour. It was unique, and I absolutely LOVED it! Best part was that it was all natural too!

I was giddy, and I turned to an openly gaping Yuugao and giggled again. 'Apparently she's not used to having a little fox in the house. hehe' My giggling got her attention though, and she just continued. I had cleaned up before we cut my hair, so we were moving on. My question though was my last set of clothes were gone, and all I had was what I was wearing earlier, and I since really didn't want to walk around in a towel, what was I to wear?

"Um, kaa-san?" I asked with maybe a little too much innocence in my eyes. She just blinked. And blinked again. And I could swear the gears in her head were screaming at her, wondering if I had just called her what she thought I had, and if she should allow it. So I just sat there with my innocent look waiting for her to respond. After what seemed to be forever, she finally responded with a small 'yes?'

"Do I have anything to wear besides a nightgown?" I could swear she was jumping for joy inside. I think she really wanted to dress me up. She just smiled and led me to what I assumed was my room. There was a bundle of clothes on the dresser. But what it was, I never would have suspected to be wearing. Though with the fox festival last night, I could somewhat understand why it was chosen.A small child-size kimono, just my size apparently, was situated there. A small black gown, white floral print and obi.

I had never worn one, not this life or the last. My body for one, and my situation for another. But in this life, there was no helping it. I had come to terms with it during the first year of my life. And the genetics did the rest. But I just figured I would take it in stride. Something I could do in this body apparently. Naruto just had a natural ability to move on, and it seems like I caught a little of it in this body too. So apparently that was another part of the genetics. Or part of Asura's spirit? Whatever it was, I just sighed and let her help me put it on.

Having never worn one before, I felt quite different. I was usually running around in a shirt and shorts, never anything fancy like this. But apparently I looked 'pretty' but I could only assume based on my new 'kaa-san's' reaction. I could tell she was holding in her 'kawaii'. I had apparently grown a tendency to hide my blushing face with my newly grown tail, so as soon as I noticed her expression and started blushing, my appendage swirled its way around my body to cover the lower part of my face as I looked on.

Of course that didn't help the situation, and ended up with her colliding with me into a hug. And I just melted into it. The feeling of safeness and apparent love overriding anything else for this attention starved body. Though the 'you're so cute Naru-chan' that came out of her mouth was still embarrassing me to pieces, hiding my face in her chest helped. 'There's something.' And I started purring. I don't know why my body does that. I really don't, but apparently being squished into a very comfortable position, and enjoying the sensation was enough for me.

After a minute, she released me. Though now she had a serious look on her face. I could tell there was going to be a talk. And I think I know what we were to talk about.

"So tell me, do you know how to mold chakra?" At that, I physically shivered. And She raised an eyebrow. Probably as a question. One I decided to answer.

"Last night... I had read about it, and tried last night. But this is what happened - I flicked my tail in front of me, and twitched my ears - though there isn't any more of the dull ache or pain in my body" and there went the other eyebrow "I don't know what would happen if I tried again."

"What do you mean by 'dull ache'?" I knew I would have to tell someone about this eventually. At least it would be someone who knew what I was and didn't care.

"When I was born" she blinked at that, probably wondering where I was going with it "I remember being in pain. Absolutely horrifying pain." a few more blinks, and a definitive look of disbelief, not that I blame her. "It started in my stomach, and eventually spread to my whole body. Eventually, my tummy stopped hurting, but the pain all over my body was still there. It lessened over time to a dull ache, but always there. Now it's gone. I think whatever it was last night that happened when I tried to use chakra also fixed the ache." She was just staring at me wide-eyed now. I don't think she quite believed me, yet didn't know how to counter it.

"So, please explain what was happening when you felt this pain, and before it." Ah, she wants to verify it. She probably knows a little about the circumstances about the sealing then.

"I remember a cozy feeling, similar to last night" - I blushed at that - "and then the voices got all loud, in fear or fight, I don't know. There was an orange blur though, I think it was a face, maybe a mask, while the rest were the same, with skin like colouring" - adding in a little bit of change to what I actually saw, this might verify the event as actuality, since Jiji probably knows there was an attacker, and she is likely to report all of this back to him.

"Then I was being moved around a lot. There was a sad voice. And pain, the voice was in pain, and fear. I couldn't understand what was happening completely at the time though. Then we moved again, and there as a red blur, a gold blur, and a giant reddish orange blur in the background, though it got smaller after a bit. The voices got really sad, crying I think, but loving too? Then there was that pain I was talking about. I don't remember anything between that and waking up to a dull pain and in someone's arms."

Uzuki had long since sat down on the bed listening as I relayed the night from my baby perspective, with the added orange of course. Though looking at her now, she seems completely out of it. Maybe telling someone they remember their birth night with such vividity was enough to completely throw her off? Just thinking about it, throwing off an ANBU like this so much was highly amusing.

Eventually she nodded to me with a be-right-back, so I waited. I walked around, and into the bathroom. I hadn't actually been able to see into the mirror with its' height, but I could climb. So using the toilet, I climbed onto the counter and looked at myself. In all the years I had been born, there were no mirrors. Apparently they were a slight luxury, and the Orphanage didn't provide them.

So there I was, staring at myself with wide eyes. I was actually quite the sight to behold, especially with my changed features. My baby face was adorable, but definitely feminine. Something I had expected, yet still hadn't gotten completely used to the thought, even with all of my time these last few years. The idea of it was odd. But there I was, with a feminine outline. A more angular face than I remember in my last childhood, but what really threw me were the features I knew I had, yet never truly believed, or rather hoped weren't actually there, until last night. I had three whiskers on each side of my face. I reached up and touched a whisker, running my finger over the extremely soft and fine fuzz. The feeling was exquisite. Slightly ticklish yet enjoyable. Then there were the eyes.

I had been told I had blue eyes. I knew I had blue eyes before; Naruto in the story had blue eyes, yet I had Violet eyes. Eyes that were a colouring that was probably a mix of red and blue. Of Kurama's and my own. And most likely similar to my birth mothers. A deep yet bright violet. The odd part was that they were slitted like when Naruto would use Kurama's chakra. Yet, I wasn't using it. So this meant I really had absorbed the fox. I opened my mouth, and my canines were longer. I knew they were from the feeling, but I just thought it wasn't all that different before.

Now that I can see the visible difference between them and what normal Canines should look like, I knew they were lengthened too last night. And then there was the hair. The colours, the red with highlights varying between the newly found natural red of my hair and the orangish colours of the fox that used to reside inside me. The highlights were rather exotic. And the last few inches of red-changing-to-gold just added to the flavour. My Golden-Tipped fox ears and tail, along with my hair, it was a matching set.

I was pretty. Childish, yet exotic. Beautiful even. I was thin, but it was a lithe, sleek, yet healthy looking thin. I was sure I was underweight and malnourished from the slim feedings I had received. Yet it looks like I had been overfed, and trained with the perfect exercise to burn it off. And I just sat there wide-eyed, with a slightly open mouth for who knows how long. And it wasn't until I felt a hand rubbing my head that I looked away. And a smiling Yuugao greeting my sight.

"Much different from what you expected?" The only thing I could do was nod to this. With which I got a smirk in return. "There are probably many things you don't realize about your new self. I was there when you started changing." I turned and looked at her straight on when she said this.

"You were bleeding, and growing, you grew to a full sized adult, beautiful and perfectly shaped." I blinked "And your body was tearing itself apart. Like it was trying to accommodate the power you were absorbing as it grew. And when it was done, you shrunk. You actually had all nine tails. But you only looked like a sixteen year old. A little young for an actual adult, but I think that will be the form you grow into permanently. I'm not sure if you will actually age, but if you truly absorbed the fox and its' abilities, I am willing to say you're immortal now."

I was literally on the verge of passing out. All these revelations. Just GAH! But she just continued on. "And then when all of the chakra that flowed out and been reabsorbed, your body began shrinking back to your current size. You look a little bigger than you were before the process, so I'm going to assume it pushed you into a perfectly healthy body rather than a weaker, malnourished body.

But the weirdest thing was that your tails started merging. As if your child body wasn't strong enough to handle the power, it forced it down until you age properly to accommodate the extra strength. Anything on top of that, I can't tell you, and even of what I have, I am unsure."

'Just... just wait. I'm probably immortal..? I have most likely received the fox's abilities, I have been given a path that my body will grow into automatically without complications, and I will actually have complete access to all of the fox's' chakra without limitations as I finish aging? Just... what...?'

"Oh, I forgot to mention this. The doctor said you are naturally leaking chakra into whatever is around you. As if you are expending life energy itself, it comforts and heals what it seeps into. He noticed it as he was diagnosing you. It was seeping into him, and if he wasn't looking for chakra effect specifically, he probably would have missed it. But he said he could move better around you."

At that, I just couldn't handle it anymore. My chakra was the same as the purified chakra kurama had? Was this because there wasn't any real taint to it now? Just... What is going on here?! And with that, my brain shut down again. I just couldn't help it, so much is different here than I expected, and I have practically become an untainted version of a demon fox that used to live in my gut. So I naturally fainted into the arms of a giggling Yuugao.

I woke up soon after. Something I was becoming used to though was my purring. Apparently every time I wake up, it's to find out I'm in someones' arms having my head petted and my tail waving back and forth. It's oddly comforting, and highly addictive. So I just kept myself relaxed and stayed like that. Soon realizing I was in Yuugao's arms and on the bed again. I guess she really likes me if she is going to do this every time?

After a while I moved to let her know I was actually awake, and she let me move out of her arms. I sat in front of her, ready to continue, and I guess she picked up on it.

"Okay, continuing on from where we were supposed to start. After everything you've told me, I don't believe there will be any complications if you attempt to use chakra this time. Though considering how much chakra I am going to assume you have, I would appreciate it if you would use as tiny an amount as possible when we start." I nodded.

And so she explained several things about chakra. Some of which had been left out of the scrolls and books I had read in the library. Which was why there was an academy, so we can figure out what we missed and they can fix any mistakes we have. Though I know for a fact that I will be sabotaged when I enter. If I am actually able to in this body, though, is the real question. It might be better not to.

If I could get my hands on Kage-Bunshin and train privately, I could potentially far exceed what I previously could. I must not take this new body for granted. I may have absorbed Kurama, and become the new Kyuubi - 'wow, there's a thought, I'm the new Kyuubi' - but skills are earned, and worked for. Slacking off would just waste this gift. Sorry Kurama...

She got me started on something simple. That way we wouldn't destroy her house. But simple was anything but. Somehow rather than doing what I wanted to do - what Yuugao was teaching me to do - my chakra manifested into the physical realm. I had created the chakra cloak on my hand. Yuugao stared at it before shaking her head. Probably attributing it to the Kyuubi's abilities. But this had given me an idea. I focused on moving the cloak up my arm. Then down to cover only a finger. It was easy to get the hang of actually.

'Odd, useful, but odd.' Maybe these instincts, they're the Kyuubi's. My eyes opened wide at that thought. The more thinking I did, the more I believed it. I had assimilated a fox. Not just a Demonic being, but an animalistic being as well. I had picked up the foxes instincts! But, not the emotional instincts apparently. I hadn't acquired his natural rage and anger. Natural habits, purified chakra, and instinctual skills... This might be nice, hehe. Though, I really am sorry... Kurama

I eventually forced the chakra back inside myself, though I could feel it there, in use. And then I let it fade. I had a small grasp of my own chakra! The next step is to actually do what my new mother and sensei was originally attempting to teach me. 'hehe, got off track, though I think it helped' Looking up, she was giving me a small smile while I scratched the back of my head with a slightly wagging tail.

Though only the end length was visible from the bottom of the kimono 'so uncomfortable.' Eventually, I got the exercise down, and moved on. I just had to make sure to use LESS chakra than the exercise intends and work up, that way I don't blow whatever it is I'm working through up. So, when she had me stick a rock to my hand - something easier to me than a leaf - I kept applying too little for a little bit longer than I would have liked. I ended up shooting the rock through the far wall...

"Oops." Was all I could say. My wide-eyed disappointment in myself was enough for my kaa-san to forgive me, I think. She was staring at the hole for a good few minutes before she turned around to see me doing the same, but the look in my eyes probably kept her from doing any real punishment. Her only response was 'we'll try again after you fix the hole' with a smile after retrieving the supplies. She proceeded to walk me through the fixing process. Of course she started giggling over my clumsy work, but I think she was having fun with me.

I did figure out one thing though during the day, I could feel her emotions. I could actually feel the emotions of nearly everyone within Konoha, if I was thinking about it. But really, I could feel her emotions well. And once I realised what it was I was doing, I finally understood why she was comforting.

There was no real hate, malice, or any real negative emotion I could currently perceive coming from her. Or at least none towards me, rather she warmed up when I approached. It was another odd thing. She was one of many I would understand negative emotions coming from.

ANBU usually held those emotions. Kakashi's self-loathing practically forced me to ignore him without realizing it. Though when I realized this, I also realized I could actually feel nature around me as well. There was natural energy around me. I could gather natural energy and add it to my chakra - what a scary thought though. My body could naturally feel all of nature around me now.

How had I not noticed it before now? I had no idea. It's so visible when I think about it, and until I actually tried to sense what was around me, I hadn't had a clue. And for the first time in this life, I somehow felt like I was cheating. I quickly scratched that out of my mind though - I already had a horrid life here, and it would most likely continue for several years to come. I needed something like this.

By the end of the day I had actually succeeded in sticking the palm-sized rock to myself. It left me in high spirits for the night. But as I got ready for bed, I realized something. I wanted company. I really didn't like sleeping alone. It just took me until I had actually slept with Yuugao to realize how lonely I was.

So as she was getting settling herself for bed, I switched clothes and snuck into her bed. Hoping she wouldn't force me out - I was too scared to actually ask her. And there was also the final realization that I was also now truly a child. In my previous environment, I only had enough interaction for the necessities.

But here, I realized it. My mind, while carrying the memories of my past life, while having advanced decades due to the unique nature of my reincarnation, was still that of a child's. And then the body added to that, the body often controls the mind, so a young body, young emotions, it all adds together. I have adult memories, adult thoughts, with a child's emotions, a child's feelings, and a child's body. In essence, I am just a child with advanced thought processes.

So when Yuugao came into her dark room, and lifted the covers to find a slightly shivering child pretending to sleep - should could tell, with new motherly instincts kicking in, or maybe just a woman's intuition, so similar sometimes - she just let it be and crawled into her own bed. Hugging the scared child to scare away the fear of rejection, she continued to pet her to sleep, where she would eventually drift of herself.

The rest of the week ended in similar fashion. Yuugao teaching Naruna chakra control exercises, in hopes that she will be able to keep it under control without any explosions happening. Occasional bouts of hunger, changes of clothes - for some reason always an uncomfortable kimono - and sleeping. Though both Kurenai and Kakashi came over once each, it was a short visit with them just watching Naruna attempt and exercise.

But the last day of the first week started with an interesting change. All of a sudden all of Naruna's kimono's were about a third shorter. The bottom half of her Kimono's only went down to about mid-thigh. No longer were they ankle length dresses. And the strangest part was that Yuugao only giggled at Naruna's destroyed wardrobe - Like she expected it long ago. Perhaps she had... But at least she didn't have her tail restricted so much anymore.