A very sharp kunai was pressed hard against the slender column of his throat, his body slammed against the wall- again hard. He had never experienced this kind of speed before. Simply put, it was inhuman. Kakashi's visible eye grew wide. It had been some time since anybody had managed to get the drop him. He stared into the impassive golden eyes and he wondered what had angered the demon lord. Although the monster's face betrayed no emotion, Kakashi knew there was anger behind it. Or maybe it was only slight annoyance? He couldn't quite make head or tails of that expertly bland expression, but that hardly irked him. Kakashi kept his cool.

"Kakashi," the Kyuubi hissed through clenched teeth as he let go of the copy ninja and smoothly walked out of Naruto's room. Silence indicated Kakashi should follow him. Even though he really did need to speak with Naruto, he did the demon's bidding. Kakashi glanced over to the blond girl sleeping cozily on a bed, tucked in tightly, almost meticulously, before he warily walked out of the room. Of the times he had seen Naruto sleep, his student had never borne such a secure expression.

As they arrived downstairs, Kakashi scanned around his surroundings appreciably. The Kyuubi seemed to have a knack for manipulation. Not only had he stopped essentially all council members from inhibiting Naruto's progress, but he managed to secure better housing and a hot salary. All in a matter of the five business days that Naruto had remained unconscious. It was only the other night that Naruto apparently managed to regain consciousness. She took one look at the Kyuubi and seemed to understand everything. She just kind of smiled and promptly fell asleep. If it weren't for the fact that Kakashi knew Naruto better that that, he might have let the matter go. But this was Naruto. Nothing was that simple when it came to him. Kakashi shook himself from his musings.

"You should respect a female's privacy," the kyuubi said, placing a cup of hot tea in front of him as he sat down. "The next time I find you appearing in her room, Kakashi, there will be real consequences."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and smiled. "Sorry. Really, this is all a little too unusual. Naruto's been my subordinate for a while already. But I'll keep that in mind."

The demon fox nodded amiably. "Since you're here, I have instructions for you. I have the approval of Tsunade, so do not challenge me." As a seasoned warrior and shinobi, Kakashi didn't fail to miss the or else the fox left hanging in the air. "To everyone in this village and the world outside, I am Ryu Uzumaki, Naruto's older brother and her legal guardian. I was sent on an assignment before the infamous monster attacked and didn't return until I learned I had a living relative. I am currently a hidden leaf ninja and this is Naruto's new home."

Kakashi nodded slowly. The Uzumaki clan was already almost gone before the fox had been unleashed. In human form, Kyuubi might well have passed for a member of its ranks. This cover story was just plausible enough to placate most of the villagers. He looked again to find that Naruto's brand new 'guardian' rising from his seat, already finished with his tea. When the Kyuubi spoke again, his tone had changed.

"The next topic of discussion is Naruto's training."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow. "What of it?"

The Kyuubi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tell me. What became of that Uchiha child?" Kakashi visibly flinched. That was only the second time he had ever regretted coming too late. His reaction did not go unnoticed. "Is he already forgiven for his transgression? As I recall, it was to defeat him that Naruto asked me enough chakra release of his father's seal. And that lightning attack you taught the boy, it very nearly killed us."

Kakashi looked away. Naruto had somehow survived the seal breaking and now the most powerful tailed beast in the world had assumed the role of a guardian. What odd fortune. But the collateral damage to the village was extensive. He had sorely underestimated the two of them.

"They've placed him under extensive watch. ANBU agents are keeping their eyes on him. It's not as though we're taking this lightly."

The old monster nodded curtly, reclining now upon a settee as he resolved to carry on their conversation in a calmer, more collected tone.

"Your student lacks morality. A good warrior should know the difference between good and evil. The Uchiha kid allowed himself to become corrupted by his lust for power. He has done great harm to Naruto and her heart aches, as done mine."

Kakashi shook his head. "Sasuke is unstable. His elder brother mentally attacked him using the same powerful genjutsu I had fallen for not long before. It's a bloodline limit that controls time and space freely within the mind."

"The Tsukuyomi…" Kyuubi shook his head sadly.

"From Jiraiya's account, Itachi did a lot of damage to him even before that. It's not easy to move on from something like that, even with the sufficient medical treatment. Naruto is strong, and Sasuke has become daunted by his rival's progress, but this was never really about Naruto. From Sasuke's point of view, it's as if he hasn't grown at all. You are a wise creature. Surely you can help him somehow. Sasuke needs someone he can feel fear and respect for as a guide."

The demon sighed, "I will not train him. Your Sasuke is like a spoiled child. I might just as easily kill by him if I had to see his face again."

Kakashi's eyes leveled with the demon. "You can't totally blame him. He had a pretty tragic beginning."

The Kyuubi's eyes flashed for a moment and Kakashi swallowed. God, what was he thinking? Trying to argue with the kyuubi…

"I wouldn't argue with that. I never said the boy was at fault. Whenever a child strays, it is his elders who are at fault. Your prodigy is not strong. The strength of will and a righteous temperament are something even an advance bloodline cannot grant," he shook his head again, and again Kakashi felt strange looking at him. The shape, the voice, the mannerism… it was strangely reminiscent of somebody. "We are moving off the point of the matter. Uchiha Sasuke is not my concern but yours. I concern myself only with Naruto. She will be the sole recipient of my attentions."

"Naruto has already been trained by one of the Legendary Sannin. What more could she possibly need?"

The Kyuubi chuckled, a deep sound that seemed familiar enough that Kakashi forgot for a moment that he was speaking with the terrible, monstrous likes of Kyuubi no Youko.

"You ignorant fool! I understand your urgency, for you fear that clan's ominous history may reincarnate itself in Sasuke. Nevertheless, I have no such concern. As your subordinate, the Uchiha boy should be fine under your guidance. Remember though that fear and authority are not something to be abused in guiding children, nor would favoritism and bias do any good. Treating him like he was special was the very reason he struggles to comprehend what is right and what is wrong. If bloodline limits are so precious, I would say that Naruto far exceeds the worth of Uchiha."

His visible eye narrowed at this. What was the creature trying to say?

The kyuubi had seemed almost mirthful up to this point, but now his features became more serious.

"A genius is not born, it is cultured and made. A bloodline limit may enhance its power, but that cannot grant intelligence or wisdom. Greats minds must be nurtured, not taken for granted. The Fourth Hokage was a genius, the perfect example of good upbringing. Naruto shares three different bloodline limits. He possesses her father's, her mother's and now mine. These traits will all pass on to her children and from them to their children, yet you cannot call her a genius until you can see how her mind works."

He smirked at the Jounin sensei and said, "I have seen the inner workings of her mind. Being discouraged and emotionally beaten for almost all her life. She has focused herself more on keeping her facade up and maintaining her sanity then trying to improve her skills. It is all but natural that she is lacking behind. I intend to train her from now on."

Kakashi seemed to smile beneath his dark mask.

"I forget myself sometimes. I forget that Naruto has had it more difficult then any of us. I almost forgot instructor's bloodline limit. It was so secretive."

Shaking his head, Kakashi finished his tea, cold by now.

"Is there anything else, Youko-san?"

The Kyuubi nodded, gliding his fingers through his silky hair.

"Team Seven meets at seven in the morning, yet you arrive at eight-thirty. Therefore, I will be training Naruto from Five to Eight in the morning. I want you to send her back home by midday. She is to remain a member of your squad, however when you are not on missions and have planned only training for the day, I want you to send her to me so as I can train her myself."

Kakashi could only nod in response. The Kyuubi had issued an order. There no option but to follow.

Naruto snuggled deeper into the warm comfort of her bed. Curling up under the sheets, a blissful smile painted her face. There was a weight pressing down on one side of the bed. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she focused her gaze on the person sitting on the bed. Her sleep-muddled brain took some time to recognize him before she stretched and murmured.

"Ohayou, Furball!"

"Ohayou, little one. It's time to wake up. There is training to be done."

At the prospect of training, the blonde sat up instantly. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she looked to the Kyuubi expectantly.

"So what are you going to teach me today? I bet its some cool technique, right? Right?"

The Kyuubi chuckled mischievously.

"Just wait and see, Naruto. Keep your mind here and now and get ready. Breakfast is done."

That said, the Kyuubi left the room. As he walked down the stairs, he pondered what Naruto's reaction would be upon discovering her true form. He knew she would going to make some sort of noise.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?"

And there it was. Sighing, he sat down, ruminating on his latest conversation with a lazy Jounin. Kakashi was a competent teacher, even despite his rather unorthodox teaching methods. He taught through trial and error, yet he did not understand that sometimes that methods were simply too risky. Both Naruto and Sasuke needed personal attention, epecially since they may well be the strongest ninja in the village. (If nothing else, they had more than enough potential to be. However that power should be carried with a sense of duty and responsibility or it would be of no use to the village.

Naruto needed to improve in her skills. She was very disciplined when it came to her morals and her ideals. No matter how bad the villagers might treated her, she would never betray them. Sasuke, on the other hand, had been trained and cultured in all aspects except morals. People needed to stop treating him as an Uchiha heir and start treating him merely as a shinobi who needed to be brought down a few pegs.

Frankly, he should not have been worried about Sasuke and yet his actions affected Naruto far too greatly for him not to care. His betrayal almost caused her to loose trust in everyone.

He heard soft footsteps heading toward him and turned around to see Naruto. Her face had gone pearl white, her eyes were glazed over and wide. The Kyuubi frowned.

"Naruto, what happened?"

There was a look of utter panic on her face and her eyes held a desperate and pleading quality.

"Tell me this isn't real, Furball. Tell me this is just Ninjutsu, please!"

The Kyuubi's eyes softened in comprehension. He regretfully shook his head, pulling the child to him, grasping her slender wrists.

"Your father was Konoha's Yondaime Hokage, the same that imprisoned me within you, but he also sewed in an illusion that would grow with you. The seal as supposed to break when you reached a certain point of your life and faced a near-death experience. Its lifetime was only 16 years."

Smiling down at her dumbfounded expression, he brushed some sunshine blonde from her forehead.

"It was for your own safety that he created this illusion. Being an orphan girl is very dangerous when many people are against you."

Crystalline-blue orbs clouded over with countless emotions as Naruto lowered her head and shivered slightly.

"I won't ask you to elaborate that," Her tone was an angry one now, "but what can I do now? What… how… I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do!"

Naruto's eyes continued to betray a myriad of feelings, all passing for too quickly to be read, ironically enough.

"Why did he pick me? Why, of all the people in the Hidden Leaf, did he pick his own child to go through this hell?" Her voice held no anger anymore, only a strange yet familiar sadness.

Sighing again, the ages-old demon brought the blonde onto his lap.

"He was the Hokage, little one. You want to be Hokage too, right? What would you do when faced with a similar disaster?"

"Wait a minute, fox! Wasn't it you that took him and everyone else from me? How the hell can you sit back like that and talk like some kind of saint? YOu killed them all! Why the fuck did you do that?"

The Kyuubi's face grew grim. "That's… complicated, Naruto. I don't quite understand it myself, but I know as much as to say that it was no plan of mine. My settings swiftly changed from the peaceful silence of my home, the void, to the forest bordering your village. The light and color blinded and enraged me. It was agonizing, even at night. The light of the stars and reflected by full moon was enought to burn eyes that had seen nothingness for aeons. I understand how little sense this may make, but I can only say that I never saw any of it. I felt energy, I smelled life, but I never looked upon any of it. All there was to me was pain and enough living energy to suffocate me. Nothing made sense after so long in utter isolation."

"You were summoned." Naruto said , recognizing what the Kyuubi did not.

"That is not possible. The small few who could accomplish such a feat draw breath no more."

"But you're here, aren't chya? It happened and nothing can change it, no matter how or why it did. People made choices and sacrifices. Some were wrong, some were right."

"So then what would you have done?"

Naruto thought for a moment before sad, yet proud smile graced her lips.

"Give it my all. I understand now."

The smile was returned in kind.

"I knew you would. Now let us return to the main issue. What will you do now?"

That smile faltered immediately and she shuddered.

"I can't go out like this! I'm not a girl!"

The Kyuubi was not expecting this and looked at his charge sternly.

"You cannot hide your true identity forever Naruto. What is so wrong in being female?"

Naruto looked at him.

"Everything! I don't know anything about being a girl and I sure as hell don't wanna be treated like a porcelain doll! It sucks!"

The Kyuubi growled at her.

"Don't raise your voice to me."

Naruto immediately clamped her mouth shut. His eyes glittered as he bore into her blue gaze.

"I understand that it will take a few days to adjust and I can understand your fear as well. However, you should always face your fears rather than running and hiding from them. There is only so much you can escape before it all catches up to you, Naruto."

He caressed her cheek softly.

"I will use a similar technique on you to make you as you were before. That will only be when you are in the company others. When you are training in the forest with me or when you are at home you will be as you are now. Is that understood?"

Naruto smiled brightly and nodded eagerly.

"But, this I will allow only for a month or so; until I am sure you are used to being what you are."

Naruto opened her mouth to argue, looking at him with pleading eyes, but the Kyuubi just raised a hand to silence her.

"No little one. I told you, you cannot hide forever. Do not argue. Finish your breakfast. Then we go to train. There is much for you to learn, child."

A patch of white and red zipped across Konoha. The Kyuubi wore a pristine white kimono whereas Naruto wore merely a red shirt and black shorts. As they raced across town, no one could trace their movements. They reached their destination with no trouble. Landing gracefully in the middle of a clearing, the Kyuubi spread his senses, searching for anything that might have a chance of interrupting their training.

Naruto did not have a team meeting today. It was her day off, so they would train throughout the day. Naruto landed beside him a few seconds later, heaving and gasping for breath.

"You are so fast, Furball."

The Kyuubi chuckled and dispelled the technique that made Naruto look like as she did before. Shimmering blonde hair flowed all around her. Naruto snorted in annoyance.

"I am cutting this damned hair off."

"Don't you dare." The Kyuubi growled. "You can always tie it up if it hinders your vision."

Naruto crossed her arms and looked sullenly at her guardian. The Kyuubi looked at her with a critical eyes.

"Now that you are calm, let us begin. First and foremost, some worthy advice might do you some good."

The Kyuubi sat down underneath a tree and motioned for Naruto to sit down before him. She grumbled a bit but sat down nonetheless. The Kyuubi smiled at her antics.

"Naruto, you have an intense desire to be strong but you are going about it the wrong way. Nobody is born strong,. Do you understand this?"

Naruto nodded, comforted slightly by the calming tone of the Kyuubi's voice. Somewhere behind her primary thoughts were those questioning this complacent reaction in her. For though Naruto's true identity had been revealed, her psyche was still that of a boy. That part of her strongly wanted to put some distance between itself and the Kyuubi. Old habbits die hard; old identities are nigh immortal.

"We will train six hours everyday. From the hours of five o'clock to eight o'clock, you will meditate. Meditation will strengthen your focus and set in motion the awakening of your bloodlines. It will give you patience and a yearning for calm and peace within and without yourself."

Taking note of the Kyuubi's serious tone, Naruto could only nod.

"Meditation in and of itself is relatively easy. This difficult is in achieving the level of relaxation and calm necessary for our specific goal. You must reach a level of consciousness wherein you are so aware that you can feel the world itself breathe as you feel yourself breathe."

Naruto tilted her head to the side quizzically.

"How am I gonna do that? Nature actually breathes?"

The Kyuubi nodded.

"Yes, everything around you lives and breathes. You can hear and see them breathe, but you must also feel them. Submit yourself to your surroundings, to nature."

Naruto frowned.

"This is for the bloodline you gave me, right? Your bloodline?"

The Kyuubi allowed the smallest of smiles to grace his featured. He was truly proud of his new student, this destined child whom he had grown so fond of.

"Yes, as a spirit of nature and so now are you. You must possess a healthy relationship with the many other spirits that linger around you. Remember: if nature is working with you, it is working against your opponents. Moreover, given that females are generally closer to nature than males, your home is already partial toward you. Use this to your advantage and grow faster than those before you could have possibly imagined. You have a gift, Naruto. Your ability to befriend even the most savage of beings is a powerful thing. Your raw potential is immeasurable and your heart is pure despite any past hardship."

Naruto chuckled lightly and nodded.

"Nii-san, when you say that nature is working against my opponents, does it mean that it will hinder their techniques?"

The bijuu nodded.

"Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning– no matter what they use, it will be very difficult for them to harm you. Meditation will also amplify your concentration. When fighting, you utilize various hand seals and attempt to access the correct amount of chakra. That requires concentration. Once you have obtained this amount of concentration though meditation, you'll have no need for any hand seals of any kind. It will take only one moment of perfect concentration to attack and no one would ever be able to analyze your techniques."

Her eyes grew wide in wonderment as she listened to every word he spoke as if they were the very essence of reality.

"Once you have awakened my bloodline limit, we will begin work on your mother's. With mine, you can use nature to your advantage without the use of any hand seals. Hers is slightly more difficult. The focus is speed in hers. One may not necessarily call it is bloodline limit. However, this will grant you an unnatural capacity for both Taijutsu and well as Kenjutsu. I will teach you a basic form of Taijutsu, although much more advance than anything you have learned up to this point. Afterward, you will receive all scrolls written and left to you by your mother. Lastly, you will learn your father's technique. That is a solid bloodline limit that you will have to work very hard on. You already have it partially awakened in your Rasengan."

Naruto nodded yet again. Eager and waiting to lean all she could. The Kyuubi smiled again.

"Good, now close your eyes and we shall begin."

"Why's Naruto late? He's never late!" Sakura grumbled to herself.

It had been a month since Naruto and Sasuke had fought on the roof of the hospital and still the brickhead had yet to regain consciousness. There were no missions and training eventually got boring with no one to entertain her. Sasuke was as silent as usual, although he did seem to loose some of his coldness. Nevertheless, the silence was almost suffocating and Sakura found herself wishing the blond would show up just to break the tense silence.

She felt slight twinge of guilt too. Ironically, it Sasuke who had recovered quickly from his injuries whereas Naruto was taking time to heal. It was the complete opposite of what usually happened.

Now Naruto was alright. He was supposed to be there at Seven and it was nearly Eight. Still, there was no sign of him. Even Sasuke seemed curious. Sakura crossed her arms and looked at the general direction from were Naruto was supposed to come. That boy was going to get the beating of his life if he did not have a valid reason for his tardiness.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun. Why do you think Naruto isn't here yet?"

The brooding boy shrugged.

"How should I know? The dobe might have just fallen back asleep."

Sasuke then closed his eyes, tuning Sakura's incessant complaining out the best he could. He, too, was wondering what had become of Naruto. The Hokage refused to say anything to him about Naruto flatly, claiming that he did not deserve to know. She said that Naruto was in no condition to deal with him.

Tch… it's too bothersome to deal with Naruto anyway.

He dug his hands into his pockets and waited patiently. He knew Naruto would show up nevertheless.

Sasuke immediately tensed when he sensed a presence behind him. He turned around to come face to face with Naruto. The other boy just raised an eyebrow at him, his whole expression that of utter disregard and indifference. When Sasuke failed to speak, Naruto just walked past him and sat down, calmly closing his eyes. Sasuke felt so many various emotions flowing through him at the moment that he couldn't even begin to decide which to focus on and speak from.

Sakura walked up to Naruto and lifted her fist as if hit him over the head for being late, but the boy swiftly caught her wrist in a hard grip. Words died on Sakura's lips at that one action.

"Don't waste your breath Sakura. I am late 'cause I chose to be. Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet anyway."

Sakura's lips tightened as she snatched her wrist from his grip and looked at him with a confused gaze.

"What's with you?" she asked with slight anger in her voice.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at his two teammates. The whole of yesterday, Naruto learned a many things the Kyuubi. He taught her she could not simply wear her heart on her sleeve. She could not act like a fool if she wanted anybody to take her seriously.

She could see Sasuke looking at her oddly, his normally impassive eyes were glittering. She wanted to laugh at him. It was good to see him ruffled for once. It was nice to see him getting hurt for once rather than her. Naruto's lips tightened into a grimace as he answered Sakura's inquisition with cold indifference coloring his words.

"I brought back your precious Sasuke, didn't I? Go and bother him. I'm not in the mood to handle your shit."

His words were painful, but it was the truth. Naruto did not care for Sakura and she would not allow herself to care about Sasuke, no matter how much her heart wanted to.

Holding Sakura's surprised gaze steadily, Naruto sneered.

"What?"

Sakura seemed to flinch, even looking into her eyes. Her eyes expressed her inner hurt that she was desperately trying to hide. Naruto felt no regret; no remorse that she was hurting one of her "good friends." They never hesitated, so why should she? Shaking her head, she just closed her eyes and expanded her senses.

Almost instantly, she felt peace and calm washing over her. Her senses not only tuned to what her teammates were doing but also what went on all around them. She knew seconds before Kakashi actually arrived that he would. She opened her eyes almost lazily and stood up and turned to the spot where Kakashi would appear.

Sure enough, he came, followed by the cliché puff of smoke.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura yelled at him. Kakashi was about to respond when he realized only one loud voice had berated his tardiness. He lowered his book and looked at Naruto oddly until his visible eyes crinkled in a smile.

"And how are you doing today, Naru-chan?"

Naruto's eye twitched at the informal manner in which he addressed her. Smiling sweetly, she motioned Kakashi to crouch down to her level.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she whispered sweetly in his ear, "Next time you call me that, me again, I'll tell Nii-san what a pervert you really are. Believe me, he won't like it."

Kakashi quickly straightened and grinned under his mask, scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, it won't happen again."

Naruto crossed her arms and nodded.

"Good."