If there is one thing I regret it's that once I get something in my head, all other things take a back burner.

As such, I'm afraid tyhat until I effectively develop writers block, it would take an apoocolypse to keep me from updating.

Hiruma: FUCKING FULL VIEW! YA-HA!

Kakashi: (mutter) like you do anything round here...(yelps as he attempts to dodge a hail of bullets.)

Hiruma: Who said you could talk bitch!

Kakashi: Erm...that is to say...

Hiruma: (grins in the manner of the demonically insane) KER-BEROS!

Kakashi: (goes bug eyed, looks over shoulder, screams, then runs off with cerberus on his heels.)

Kyugan: (sighs and holds up a remote) Roll tape.

Training within; meet the Karyuu!

After prying Koku off the traumatized Naruto, who was huddled in a corner, holding his shoulders and shivering, the old dragon finally settled down.

"Recca, I have a message from Resshin and the others." He paused, "They want to speak with you and your friends as soon as possible."

Recca blinked, scratching his head in confusion. "That's unusual, they want me to summon them all right now?"

Koku whacked him upside the head with a harisen he apparently summoned from nowhere. "Wrong you fool! Simply meditate together and I shall bring you all into your consciousness, where the others await."

Domon frowned, looking concerned. "I'm going inside Hanabishi's head?" he muttered, "You sure I won't get lost?"

"I'm not like you muscle brain." Recca growled, and the two were at each other's throats once again.

"Enough!" Koku yelled, letting a little flame dance in his eye as a warning, "We don't have time for squabbling, meditate at once!"

The trio swallowed and sat in the lotus position, meditating. After a moment or so, Koku made a hand seal and they were engulfed in shadows.

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Sasuke panted as he ran up the tree, Kakashi watching him like a hawk...if hawks read porn that is. "Not bad Sasuke," he called out cheerfully, "perhaps there's hope for the Uchiha clan yet."

The Avenger snorted and ran up the tree, eyes narrowed in determination. 'I won't be outdone by a bunch of nobodies,' he vowed, 'I'll surpass everyone…until I beat HIM!'

Kakashi sighed and looked up, seeing the sun's position in the sky. "That's enough for now," he called out, "we need to escort Tazuna."

He thought of alerting the others as well, but figured he'd leave them out of it this time around. He didn't need them putting Sasuke's back up any more, things were hard enough as it was.

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Domon blinked as he walked around the vacant desert, sweating slightly from the heat. "This is the inside of Hanabishi's head?" he snickered, "Man, and they call ME an idiot."

Upon opening his eyes, the giant had found himself sitting on a rock formation in the middle of this strange desert, with no sign of the others. "Man it's freakin hot here," he grumbled, fanning himself lightly, "like it would kill that hothead to cool his head every once in a while."

"Can't stand the heat? Get out of the desert."

Domon whirled round to find a tall man, stripped to the waist save for the tekko over his right arm, hair shaved with the remainder done up in a high ponytail. "I am Homura, one of Recca's Karyuu." The man greeted, "I assume you are Ishijima Domon, the wielder of the Dosei no wa?"

Domon blinked, nodding his head dumbly. "Yeah, that's me." He muttered, looking around, "Erm…what is it you wanted?" He yelped as a fiery whip lashed out at him as Homura growled.

"Defend yourself!"

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Naruto swore as he shook sand out of his shorts, the blonde never wanted to see another desert as long as he lived, and personal made a note to pity anyone with the misfortune to live in one, as it could clearly drive men insane.

"Nii-saaaaaan!" he yelled out, cupping his hands around his mouth "Domoooooooon! Where are you?!"

"You're quite the noisy little fellow…aren't you?"

Naruto leapt back, blinking at the sight of a handsome shinobi with spiky hair and bare arms, save for the Tekko adorning his right, as the man smiled at him.

"Who the heck are you?!" the blonde yelled, causing the man to chuckle.

"Saiha," he introduced, "one of Recca's Karyuu."

Naruto blinked, scratching his head in confusion. "Like Ero-Oyaji?", he wondered, causing Saiha to laugh weakly and scratch his head.

"Yeah," the younger Karyuu muttered, "Koku's like that around lots of women, even Nadare and Rui." He winked at the blonde cheekily "They're the two female Karyuu, not too bad on the eyes either."

Naruto nodded solemnly, his eyes closed in understanding. "Ah…I see," he looked up, "So, whadd'ya want?"

Saiha smiled and a blade of fire exited out the side of his tekko. "Care for a rumble?"

Naruto blinked in confusion, before yelping as the man lunged forwards, the blade cutting his cheek.

"HOT!!!"

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Recca looked around the dessert with a concerned look on his face. "Where're Domon and Naruto, Koku?" he asked, prompting a sigh from the old dragon as he turned to face his 'landlord'.

"They are being tested by the other Karyuu," he explained, "we decided that since it was unlikely that useless scarecrow would teach you anything useful, we'd take your training into our own hands."

Recca raised an eyebrow, intrigued at the old man's concern. "Tested…how exactly?" he asked, envisioning Domon sitting through a lecture of the Hokage clan and snorting at the resulting image.

Koku blinked, "Combat, how else?"

The flame wielder freaked, hair spiking out in all directions. "Are you Nuts!?" he shrieked, "Domon and Naruto are no match for you guys!"

The teen ran about in a circle for a good few minutes before pausing, staring at the old man carefully. "Which ones are they fighting?!" he asked, ready to pummel Koku if he didn't like the aged Karyuu's answer.

"Homura and Saiha." Koku replied, earning a sigh of relief from the teen.

'Those two aren't too bad,' Recca thought with a smile, 'they wont kill them…'

"With Setsuna and Reshin up next." Koku added, causing the genin to face fault into the sand.

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Domon roared as he swung a fist at Homura, only for the man to wrap his whip around his own wrist, using it as a shield to deflect the giant's blow, before grabbing Domon in a judo throw and sending the giant flying.

"Your style is no better than a brawler's." the Karyuu chastised, "Brute force will never solve anything."

Domon grunted and climbed to his feet, shaking sand out of his face. "Shut your yap ya damn lizard," he growled, "I ain't done yet."

Homura snorted, shaking his head dismissively. "Your Madogu are useless here;" he pointed out, "their powers are nullified by the Hokage energies in the air."

Domon winced; realizing that he WASN'T getting the same feeling from the ring of Dosei he normally should, before looking up at Homura's snort of derision.

"Why Recca allows a fool like you to fight alongside him is a mystery." The Karyuu muttered.

"Who you calling a fool, fool?!" Domon roared, shaking a fist at Homura, who frowned before elaborating.

"To Recca, your existence is a vulnerability," the former ninja replied, "you provide an opening for him to be hurt with your reliance on brute force."

Domon stared at the Karyuu, as if struck dumb, before lowering his head laughing softly, his features shadowed. "So…to Hanabishi I'm a weakness…eh?" He stamped his foot and growled, glaring up at the Karyuu in a rage. "Good to know!" he snarled, "Now I'm really gonna belt you!"

The giant charged forwards again with a roar, and attempted to flatten the man with a massive haymaker, only for Homura to crack his whip expertly, causing several painful lashes to appear on the giant's body, the teen collapsing in a bloody heap at the man's feet.

"The essence of a shinobi is to strike when your opponent least expects it," Homura lectured sternly, "charging in headfirst will serve no purpose."

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Naruto swore as another Kage bunshin disappeared in a plume of smoke, Saiha's speed allowing the Karyuu to tear through ten with a single movement.

"Don't I get a time out?!" the blonde yelled, only to yelp as the Karyuu managed to land another burning cut to his already scarred body.

"You need to grow up fast, Naruto-kun." The man said seriously, "On the battlefield, it's 'kill or be killed', you won't have time to worry about your opponent's life or those of his family."

He frowned, shaking his head slightly at some distant memory. "A shinobi's path is that of a killer; sometimes a savior, but death is always involved." Saiha pointed at Naruto with his free hand, a frown on his features. "Your childish behavior and desire for acceptance is pointless in such a world."

His eyes softened, at the look of anger on the blonde's face, raising a palm before him. "Sorry, let me rephrase that:' he asked, "If they are too stupid to acknowledge you without you having to prove yourself, you don't need them."

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Recca grabbed Koku by the front of his shirt, looking livid. "What's the big idea?!" he roared, "Dragging us in here and forcing my friends to fight you?!"

Koku frowned, understanding the teens anger but knowing it was all for the best. "When we first arrived," he explained, "we sensed there was a great course of events unfolding within the world, the very air hums with foreboding."

Slapping Recca's wrists to make him let go, the old man walked forwards, staring up at the 'sky' above them. "In order to prepare you for this, we need to see how your friends stand up to a force they have no hope of defeating, namely the Karyuu."

Eyeing the frowning genin he sighed, shaking his head. "The Karyuu, even Setsuna, have acknowledged your strength Recca," he reminded him, "now it is your friends' turn, the future of the hokage ninja lies not only on your shoulders, but on theirs as well."

Recca blinked, completely caught off guard by the Karyuu's seriousness. "What are you-?" he began, only to be cut off by an amused snort from Koku.

"Did you not think it odd that only the flame wielder and his children could posses the inner flame, yet the entire clan bore the name Hokage?" Koku asked, causing the enjutsu-shi to blink, before continuing.

"A clan is not formed on ability alone, the Hokage ninja were a group of individual ninja families, that followed the command of the flame wielders. The head of each family was allotted a place among the Leader's elite guard, and permitted to wield Madogu at all times."

Koku faced the genin, a serious frown on his aged features. "In order for the Hokage to flourish in this new world, we will need people like Domon, Fuko and the rest to rebuild it from the start!"

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Homura turned to go, clearly presuming the battle to be over, when a noise stopped him, the sound of someone getting to his feet. Looking over his shoulder revealed a grinning Domon, covered in cuts and blood, but standing.

"No pain here," the giant taunted, "looks like your claws are goin dull in your old age!" Clenching a fist he growled, head lowered slightly. "This wound…may hurt…" he lunged forwards, "But that pains nothing compared to being thought of as useless!"

Homura blocked the punch, with an almost bored air. "A single straight punch…foolish boy-!" He was cut off as a flurry of blows launched at him, causing him to back-pedal rapidly under the onslaught.

'Multi-blows?!' the Karyuu thought, blocking diligently as Domon pressed the offence.

"Hanabishi and I've been butting heads since we first met!" the giant spat out, "We've been at each other's sides ever since all the shit you guys stirred up came to the surface!" He narrowed his eyes at the Karyuu, teeth clenched in anger. "If after all that he still sees me as weak…then what the hell have I been doing with my fists?!"

Domon's final haymaker sent the Karyuu back ten feet, completely unharmed save for a few scrapes. 'Dammit!' the giant thought, gasping for breath, 'Even after all that?!'

Homura wrapped the whip around his arm, walking forwards with a calculating expression. "Impressive force," he admitted, "but a hatchling lacks the power to ward off a snake." He lunged forwards, arm reared back for the final blow. "And you are nothing more than that!" the Karyuu yelled, ramming his fist into Domon's unguarded face.

"SO WHAT?!" the giant roared, slamming his fists together around the man's wrist, stopping the attack in mid lunge. The sheer strength of the blows caused the tekko to crack, and Homura winced in surprise as he heard his bones react as well.

"Even a hatchling can get a few good pecks in before it's eaten." Domon smirked, "And I'm a good deal bigger than any dumb bird!"

Homura stared at the man in wonder, before smiling, much to Domon's surprise.

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Naruto shivered, his fists clenched as he glared at the Karyuu in human form. "What do you know about acceptance?" he hissed, "You had a whole fucking clan to back you up…!"

Saiha smiled sadly, shaking his head at the boy's reaction, knowing the reason for the boy's suffering courtesy of Recca's memories.

"True, but not everyone in the clan was treated as I was." He pointed out, causing the blonde to blink. "There was a young man who'd been rescued from slavers as a child," the Karyuu explained, "he had little skill with words and wasn't the most adept ninja, but he was kind, gentle and good with his hands."

Saiha looked up at the dark sky in remembrance, a sad look on his face. "People mocked him for being useless," he continued, "day in and day out they would torment the poor man, regardless of what he did; until one day a disease struck the village, the only cure for which was a plant that grew on the cliffs that surrounded us."

The former Hokage ninja sighed, shaking his head at the memory of that dreadful time, having lost too many friends to count.

"It was snowing heavily, and would have been suicide for anyone to go." He opened his eyes, "However, in the middle of the night, a sentry rushed in, saying that the man had been found at the entry to the village."

He looked at Naruto, the blonde shivering at the somber look in the Karyuu's eyes. "His limbs were racked with frostbite, and he was half dead from the cold," Saiha muttered, "but in his frozen hands were the plants we needed."

Naruto blinked at this, completely shaken at the man's actions. 'He went that far…for a village that shunned him?' the blonde wondered, staring at his own hands in wonder.

"The man died shortly after the medicine was made," Saiha continued, "from the damage the cold had done and his obvious lack of strength, and everyone who once doubted him spoke highly of him." The Karyuu sighed, "But prior to that, all the hard work he'd done was ignored, and he'd even been insulted as useless, despite the skill of his works."

Saiha leveled a sad look at the blonde, holding his gaze carefully. "Do you see Naruto? Why should you try to prove your worth to a village of fools who are stupider than you?"

Naruto blinked at this, earning a smile from the dragon. "You are not as stupid as you pretend to be," Saiha pointed out, "you did master the kage bunshin didn't you? And you make up decent strategies on the fly."

He got into a stance, beckoning the blonde forwards. "Put that brain to use against me."

Naruto blinked, unused to such praise from anyone other than Iruka and Kagero, then grinned, making a seal.

"Tajuu Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Over a thousand clones appeared, causing Saiha to raise an eyebrow in mild disappointment "The same tactic? I thought told you to THINK Naruto-kun." He chastised, just before Naruto's grin set off a klaxon in the Karyuu's mind.

"HENGE!"

The air filled with smoke, and when it cleared, Saiha's eyes bulged out of his sockets, as he was glomped by an army of busty blondes.

"Saiha-sama…" they moaned, rubbing against him suggestively, causing the Karyuu to snap and go flying backwards courtesy of a massive nosebleed.

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"You passed the first test Domon." Homura conceded with a smile, causing the giant to blink.

"Huh, what test?" Domon asked, looking baffled, causing Homura to chuckle at the giant's antics.

"This was merely a test of your resolve," the Karyuu explained, "had you not struck back, you would have proven yourself unworthy of standing by Recca's side, and you would have died here."

Homura smiled, "But by striking back with conviction, you proved that your resolve to aid Recca was stronger than your fear of death." He pointed at the giant, a knowing smirk on his face. "I believe the weights are no longer holding you down?"

Domon blinked and lifted his arms experimentally. True enough, the weights felt as light as air.

"You managed to awaken the spirit within that all Hokage ninja possessed," Homura congratulated, "even those without the inner flame: a will of fire that burns even in adversity."

Domon grinned, and thrust his fists into the air as he roared.

"OH YEAH! I ROCK!"

Homura chuckled, shaking his head at the giant's antics as he turned and walked away into the desert, reverting to his Karyuu form. "Don't get your hopes up," He warned, "there's more to come…"

Domon blinked as the Karyuu vanished, before yelping as something sharp ripped into his shoulder.

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Saiha awoke, rubbing his nose and flushing at the memory of the blonde's last attack. "That…wasn't fair Naruto-kun…" he chastised, looking a little annoyed, only for Naruto to grin at him cheekily.

"Nihihihi! I call that the Harem no jutsu!" the blonde teased, holding out double victory signs.

"Aptly named, wouldn't you agree Saiha?"

Saiha flushed scarlet as he leapt to his feet, pointing at something behind Naruto. "R-RESSHIN!" he yelled, "IF YOU TELL ANYONE I'LL-!"

Naruto blinked and looked behind him, shrieking at the colossal flaming dragon with bangs similar to Recca's on its head.

"Calm yourself little one," it coaxed, "my name is Resshin, leader of the Karyuu."

"The 'Unofficial' leader he means." Saiha whispered, "We all pretty much do whatever we please, Resshin's just the most powerful."

Naruto nodded, still enawed at the sight of the flame dragon as he tried to measure his chances. 'I don't think the Harem no jutsu's gonna work on this guy…' he deadpanned, sweat-dropping at the sight.

"Naruto," Resshin continued, "I have come to help you with your…fox problem." The dragon trailed off, voice rumbling across the barren landscape. Naruto blinked, surprised at the Dragon's statement, earning a chuckle from the colossal figure. "Surprised?" Resshin asked, "Whatever Recca learns, we learn, we DO live inside him you know."

He nodded to the spiky haired man, behind the blonde casually, but with a commanding air. "You may go Saiha."

The man shrugged, smirking, as he cracked his neck joints. "Yare-yare, take care Naruto-kun." He said cheerfully, changing into a massive dragon with a head shaped like a sword and disappearing.

Resshin, after lowering himself slightly, looked down at the blonde to bring them to eye level with each other. "You have no need to fear," he said reassuringly, "I shall not harm you."

Naruto swallowed and allowed the dragon to wrap around him like a living wall of flaming scales, which began to shine brighter as Resshin sped up. Abruptly he found himself in a sewer, standing next to a man with a scar over one eye that bore a more than passing resemblance to Recca. A low growl echoed around the sewer, Naruto feeling a tugging sensation from his navel in response.

"Lead the way." The man ordered in a quieter version of Resshin's voice, frowning at the shadows as the echoes died away. Naruto did as he was told, and they soon stood before a massive gate, a single paper seal holding it shut.

"So my jailer deigns to visit his tenant." a voice growled, as a pair of eyes, ten times larger than those on the monument, glared down at them. "Have I not suffered enough at the hands of you apes?" the Kyuubi growled, "Now you come to mock me?"

The eyes narrowed at the sight of the man alongside the blonde Shinobi, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Wait," the voice growled uncertainly, "what are you?" There was a loud sniffing noise as the beast inhaled sharply, as if trying to capture Resshin's scent. "Your form is that of a man," the beast growled, "yet I can tell you are no mere mortal."

Resshin smirked, a confidant look crossing his features, which only strengthened the similarity of his face to Recca's. "I am Resshin of the Karyuu," he explained, "the eight dragons of Yamata."

He frowned eyes becoming serious, as he leveled his best glare at the eyes behind the cage. "Kyuubi," the Karyuu muttered, "why did you attack Konoha?"

The giant beast's fur ruffled in anger, a set of massive fangs was bared at the duo as it narrowed its eyes. "I was hunting that damnable snake bastard," he fox growled, "he dared to enter my lair in search of a key to immortality, killing my mate in the process."

Resshin bowed, realizing this was a touchy subject. "I grieve for you loss," he commented honestly, "but how could a mere mortal slay a demon?"

Kyuubi snarled, causing the walls of its prison to shake, plaster and dust falling to the floor in his anger. "My mate was no demon, but a female of Konoha!" the red eyes narrowed, "They shunned her for associating with me, but she loved them anyway, and this is how they repaid her?!"

The beast roared again, causing Naruto to wince at the sheer lungpower of the beast.

"I will forever curse this damnable village!"

Resshin frowned, feeling a bizarre form of kinship with the beast, knowing all to well how desperately people fought for their loved ones. "So you sought revenge for your mate," he stated, nodding slightly, "I can relate, and so the Yondaime sealed you in here?"

The Kyuubi's roars escalated at the mention of the Yondaime.

"That bastard! He always hated me for 'stealing' her from him," the beast snorted, "like she would even give that blonde simian the time of day!"

Naruto blinked, only just catching onto what the beast had just said. "The Yondaime…loved your mate?" he queried, trying to wrap his brain around the idea and failing.

The Kyuubi growled, leveling a glare at the blonde, in irritation. "They were on the same genin team, and he had a crush on her." The fox explained, before snickering vindictively, "But when I visited Konoha in human form, she fell for me and he never forgave me."

The fox grinned at a memory, displaying rows of razor sharp teeth that caused the blonde to wince. "When he learned she was with child he must have been livid…"

"YOU HAD A KID?!" Naruto yelled, causing Reshin to slap his face at the blonde's lack of tact. The red eyes grew serious again at the blonde's outburst, glaring at the two as the Kyuubi seemed to grow impatient.

"Enough prattling," the fox growled in an annoyed tone, "why have you come here?"

Naruto shivered at the gaze being leveled at him, before remembering that this was the reason people hated him, and growled at the fox, startling it. "Listen up ya damn Fuzz ball!" he yelled, "Because of you, my life's sucked! So gimme your damn Chakra as payment for living in here!"

Reshin snorted, remembering Recca's almost identical threat when they first met, silently congratulating the kid for his audacity. Kyuubi however, was not so amused.

"Brat…do you know who you're talking to?" the colossal beast growled, "I am the Kyuubi no Youko! The lord of the Bijuu! Mountains and oceans tremble at my approach!"

He roared at the blonde, causing the water to fly backwards, in waves.

"Who are you to dare to command anything of me?!"

Naruto winced as the wind from the roar forced him to step back slightly, before glaring at the fox, pointing at him with conviction. "I'm the future Hokage of Konohagakure!" he yelled, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

The Kyuubi stopped roaring so quickly Naruto stumbled forward, landing face first in the water just in front of the cage. Looking up in anger at the humiliating dunking, the blonde's yell died on his lips as he blinked at the look of shock and confusion in the demon's eyes.

"Uzumaki…?"

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Domon roared as he punched Setsuna square in the face, yelping as the demented Karyuu in human form dug his knife like teeth into his fist.

"Kill…kill…haven't hunted in so long…!" Setsuna cackled, lifting his hand to lick the blood off the blades.

'Dammit!' Domon grunted at this, nursing his injured hand, 'he's eating me alive here!' Cursing himself for leaving the scroll for Kuchibashi-o behind, the giant lunged forwards, hoping that at least Tetsugan would reactivate, and that the demented freak would break his claws on his steel hide.

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Back with Naruto, the Kyuubi was staring at the teen in some bizarre fascination, as if sizing him up.

"Boy," the fox growled, his tone softer than before, "did you say you name was…Uzumaki?"

Naruto blinked, confused at the sudden interest in his name, before scowling at the beast. "Yeah? What of it?!"

The Kyuubi's fir shivered, as if trembling slightly, the eyes running over the genin's features. "The blonde hair and blue eyes," the Fox muttered as if in a daze, "and that sharp tongue…how could I have missed it?"

"What are you talking about?!" the blonde screamed, getting annoyed with the way this conversation was going, wondering if he had one of THOSE types of demons living in his bowls.

Kyuubi blinked at the outburst, before looking down at the blonde reverently.

"My mate's name" he explained, "was Uzumaki Noriko."

Naruto flinched, blue eyes going wide in realization as he stared up at the red eyes behind the bars. "Uzumaki…" he repeated, as if only hearing the word for the first time, "you mean…my mother?" He pointed up at the eyes with a shaky finger, "And…you're…?"

Resshin shook his head sadly at the blonde's plight. 'These two…are like Recca and me…' he muttered.

The great mass behind the gates shifted, and where there was a giant, red fox, there now stood a tall, red haired man with whisker-like tattoos on his face. He was wearing an elegant red kimono that looked more expensive than anything the blonde had ever seen, over which he wore a samurai breastplate; a sheathed katana rested at his hip, and a long red foxtail, waved behind him slowly.

Naruto stepped forward, hardly daring to believe. "You…you're…"

The man knelt, heedless of the damage the water caused his clothes and held out his hands to cup Naruto's face. The two stared at each other for a moment before the man breathed out. "By Inari-sama's tails," he breathed, "you have her eyes…her hair…" He traced the whisker marks on the blonde's cheeks tenderly. "If I had any doubts before your scent is no doubt hers."

Kyuubi looked into the boy's eyes in wonder, understanding dawning in their crimson depths. "I had thought you both lost," he whispered, "Sarutobi must have saved you when your mother was attacked…"

Naruto shivered and reached his hands through the bars, touching the man's cheeks with trembling fingers. A word blossomed up from the bottom of his chest, a word that he had known since his days at the orphanage, but had never had to be summoned to the surface.

He tried to utter it, only for it to halt uncertainly on his tongue, forcing him to swallow before trying again.

"Tou-san?" the teen wondered, voice cracking as the man nodded slowly.

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Domon cursed as he landed badly, clutching his shoulder in agony; The damn freak had taken a chunk out of it!

"Good prey!" Setsuna yelled, leaping at the fallen giant, "It's no fun if you just hold still!"

Domon grinned savagely and kicked out, striking the Karyuu in the abdomen and using the momentum to hurl the maniac over him to land head first in the sand. "Hanabishi taught me that one the hard way." The giant muttered as Setsuna groggily shook his head, "Now yer gonna pay for that last bite!"

Before Setsuna could react, the giant rammed his fist into the psychotic Karyuu's jaw, sending him flying backwards before imbedding his head in a boulder.

Domon grunted and slumped over, trying to catch his breath as the boulder collapsed in on itself. 'Please stay down,' he begged, 'I got nothin' left…'

There was a roar and the rock exploded, and Setsuna in his dragon form loomed over the giant, his eye wide open. Domon screamed, as his world became a wall of flame, he thrashed around in horror, trying to beat away the flames as he felt himself roast.

'Dammit…is this it…?' the giant thought internally, while his screams echoed in the background, 'After all I been through, one of Hanabishi's dragons is the thing that finishes me?'

He collapsed on the ground, the flames still burning. 'God I'm pathetic…' he muttered, eyes closing.

"Defeat me and I'll be your personal ninja!"

'…Hanabishi…?' Domon muttered, twitching, at the memory of his rival's taunt.

'You gonna let a mineral deposit kick your ass?! Oni no Domon wouldn't take that!!!'

A growl developed in the giant's throat as his fists clenched. "Chi…ku…sho!" he growled through his teeth, before slowly getting to his feet, "Chikusho!"

The giant glared up at the blazing eye of Setsuna, the flames washing over him like a waterfall from hell, and snarled in defiance. "Ya blind lizard…tryin to barbecue me are ya?" he growled as the ring of Dosei glowed brighter, "well I got news for ya!"

Domon's eyes blazed with rage and the flames dissipated in a burst of light as his roar shattered the night sky.

"ORE WA ISIJIMA DOMON!" the giant teen roared, "NO OVERGROWN GEKKO'S GONNA BE MUNCHING ON ME!"

The force of the Domon's rage completely extinguished the flames brought on by the Karyuu's attack, and swept the surrounding sand into the air, blinding Setsuna's eye and cutting off the source of the flames.

Domon stood, smoke trailing off his burnt body, radiating killing intent that would probably cause even Kurei to blink, as he gasped for air. "No-one's keepin' me down ya hear?!" he panted, "Not Hanabishi…not Kurei…not even you damn Salamanders!"

"Well said." Koku's voice called out, the old man apparating out of nowhere, causing Domon to shriek in shock. "I gave Setsuna a time out," Koku muttered reassuringly, "he's quite livid with you."

Domon snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Let him come," he bragged, "I'm ready for him!"

The old Karyuu grinned, shaking his head at the giant's antics, before calling out to him.

"Domon, you've displayed what it takes to tap into your latent chakra abilities." He looked into the giant's eyes, frowning seriously. "I believe it's time you learned one of the innermost secrets of the hokage training methods, the mastery of your element."

Dun-dun-dunnnnnn!

Bet no-one wasd expecting THIS turn of events! hands up, who out there was expecting Kyuubi to be Naruto's old man?

Haven't seen this one done in fics so I figured I'd give it a whirl, also, for an example of what Kyuubi is wearing, just imagine Seshoumaru, just with a different colour scheme.

Also,regarding the element thing? Not gonna spill the beans but expect a few surprises as we go along!

Kakashi: Drama queen...

Kyugan: (Holds out a hundred buicks to Hiruma) Let it be done.

Hiruma: (grins like the devil on crack) YA-HA! (Pulls out Rhinox's chaingun's 'o doom and lets rip.)

Kakashi: (Girlish scream!) WHY?!?!?!

Kyugan: (Tosses something towars the jounin) Catch!

Kakashi: (Blinks) A steak?

Hiruma: (Grinning) KER-BEROS!

Kakashi: (screams and tried to drop the steak, only to find it glued to his hands.) AAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Kyugan: (Sighs happily) All is right.