Naruto: An Alternative Canon

A Naruto fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Shonen Jump. I am not writing this for profit.

Author's Note: There will be pairings in the Alt-Naruto verse, but my own preference is to have variety in relationships. No one person is the same, thus no one relationship is the same. So, while I do have preferences for certain 'ships', I'm also a big fan of crack pairings, but only if you can, essentially, "back that shit up". Well and believably written, almost any pairing can make sense and be good. And they don't have to be romantically involved, or if they are, romantically involved forever. But I will admit a weakness to cats and dogs living together, and the resulting mass hysteria.

Below is a bit of a stream of consciousness style piece from the perspective of Inuzuka Kiba, on a Post-Sasuke Defects story arc involving a cloned Anko, a secret about Hinata and Orochimaru revealed, and the introduction of Nii Yugito into the Alt-Naruto verse. A follow-up to this piece is in the works if enough people want it, as I continue to try and work out how to turn this into a full-length story. Which does not preclude others from writing their own stories in the Alt-Canon verse. Just drop me a line to ask first.

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Inuzuka Kiba had never known loneliness growing up. Not really. It's impossible to do so when you had as many brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins as he did. Not all were human, of course, but all were part of the clan, the family. All were Inuzuka.

Everyone knew about smells, about feelings, about sights and sounds through Inuzuka ears. Everyone knew loss, him especially after his dad died on a mission. Everyone knew attraction, love, and lust, from the wild, fuck until you can't move kind of love to the gentle, laying down next to someone and being content forever love. Everyone knew hate-The Kyuubi readily came to mind, the kind of oppressive fear and terror and helplessness that gave rise to feral rage.

Kiba had had lots of advice over the years-Some he minded, some he disregarded, but all he listened to. And even as a ninja he found his mind coming back to it, over and over again. Especially now, actually.

Being trapped in an underground Oto base, out of chakra, with the container of the Nibii right next to you, clinging onto your good arm in fear and exhaustion as a dozen monstrosities pound on barely blocked doors either made you panic or made you think about shit. Like how you got here, and what advice you mgiht have picked up might apply here.

It was supposed to be a routine mission, even with Naruto fucking Uzumaki along. That's what it was supposed to be. Go on patrol on the border, scout out some Kumo positions, nothing big. Routine, with a capital "R."

But Fucking Uzumaki's (He had labeled Uzumaki that from the day they met, and it had stuck) infamous luck had stuck again. C-Rank turned A-Rank. Chasing a bunch of Kumo ninja who had Hinata. Just the thought of what those fuckers would do to her set his blood on fire in rage, made his fangs lengthen and claws grow.

They'd struck them all down save two. This time they worked together on the Chase, this time they were a Pack. That's what went wrong when the Uchiha bailed (though in all honesty, Kiba thought good riddance to him. Bastard never smelled like he was home, and he thought he never would), they just fought one on one.

The last Kumo nin, some slim, blonde chick who smelled like "cat" had gone demon on them after tossing Hinata off to the other Kumo nin, green fire forming around her in the form of a cat.

Fucking Uzumaki told them to run. He gave off that goddamned mix of Alpha and Bigger Predator than You, so Fuck Off, It's Evil Killing Time. His eyes glowed red.

Sometimes in a Pack, you did have to fight alone. It was sometimes necessary for survival, for honor. And Kiba wasn't about to get between two Demon containers.

Hey, he wasn't stupid. Fucking Uzumaki smelling like a fox his whole life? That red chakra at the Chuunin Exams? Kyuubi no Kitsune was inside of him, and it wanted to tear the Nibii a new one.

So Kiba did as any dog did to the Alpha-He deferred, and with Shino and Akamaru managed to catch up to Hinata... Only for her to be snatched away by Anko, but… Not-Anko. No way he could forget a babe like that, by sight or smell. This one smelled off. Like snake-Anko always smelled like snake-But even more so. Too snake. No resentment to her scent.

The fact she kicked their asses and Hinata had to beg her to not kill them pretty much sealed the deal.

So Fucking Uzumaki, the real Anko, and Cat Girl caught up, Cat Girl finding out she was duped into kidnapping Hinata by Orochimaru. She had that usual Uzumaki Makeover-Beaten into the ground, eyes focused on something else as she tried to come terms with something new, something unexpected and profound. Being tricked by a snake pedophile and beaten into the dirt by Fucking Uzumaki, she was probably trying to figure out just where she began to fail at life.

He had no sympathy for her. Shino and Akamaru didn't either. Fucking Uzumaki was guarded about her at least. Good to know he had his priorities straight, as they followed Not Anko and Hinata's trail. A Pack and a Cat.

He didn't like her. He didn't like being paired with her when they reached Snake Bastard's lair, split up in the tunnels. He still didn't like her when they fell into a pit of monsters, attacking them with deformed, deadly limbs and eyes that were just human enough to tell you what they used to be: People.

God he hated snakes.

So now they were shoved into a small room, the door blocked off as best they could manage, sitting with backs against the wall, bloody, bleeding, low on power. Akamaru sat in his lap, unconscious. His clothes weren't in good shape after he used the Beast Man form, and Yugito's outfit wasn't much better, pale, smooth skin showing through as it healed.

So she was a cat? Didn't mean he couldn't look.

She was scared. Scared out of her mind. She couldn't call on her demon, she was too weak. She had been blasting through the ranks of the monsters with ninjutsu, clearing the way while he picked off the stragglers, but there were so. Fucking. Many.

So many lives twisted and ruined by one snake...

"I've never had a friend before... Never..." She mumbled. Kiba didn't look at her, scent and sound telling him all he needed to know. She was scared. The Cat couldn't give her any more help. Truth be told, he was scared to. Who wouldn't? Only idiots weren't scared.

Kiba was scared for Akamaru, scared for Hinata, scared for Shino, scared a bit for Anko, hell, scared a little even for Fucking Uzumaki. And if she was breaking down, well… He could understand that. One day you feel like you can wipe the floor with anyone, and the next day some blonde dumbass with whiskers who you're looking to beat down for being friendly with your surrogate little sister far longer than you have kicks your ass. Sure, he did it in a way Kiba had to admire, without any sheer dumb luck bailing him out, but it did piss him off.

That tiny bead of respect that emerged inside of him for that smartassed bastard pissed him off more.

"I've only killed... Never rescued," she continued. Kiba grimaced at her dead tone, even more than the monsters making the door shake.

"I've never... Never even been hugged!"

He finally got the strength to look at her, the terrible pounding on the door from the rest of the monsters ignored.

"What?"

"Hugged... I've never... Been hugged." She confessed, looking vulnerable in a way that Uzumaki hadn't induced. Kiba grimaced.

She was a Cat. She was a Demon. She had kidnapped Hinata and arguably, fucking gotten them into this mess in the first place.

She didn't smell right... But Inuzuka didn't always go on smell alone. Didn't always go on sight, either.

His mother told him that Pack didn't have to mean Inuzuka. They were Inuzuka, after all-Loyalty came first. Even to Fucking Uzumaki. Even to some scared girl with a demon cat in her gut, who had had her eyes opened.

He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the doors creaking. She turned and looked at him, slitted eyes clear and wide. He was amazed she hadn't cried yet-In his experience, he cold as ice bitches, when hit hard, would go to pieces.

She still hadn't, even if she was complaining... But then, wouldn't he? No hugs, no friends, no-one to rescue, just kill...

Pack doesn't have to mean Inuzuka...

So he gave her a smile. An understanding one, because hell... He did.

"I can do... One better," he stated, and leaned into to kiss her. She was warm, despite the blood she'd lost, and soft, and she gripped his tattered jacket tightly when he pushed his tongue into her mouth.

If he had to die, well... Maybe dying while making out with a hot girl wasn't a bad way to go.

"Mmmm..."

"... Am I interupting something?"

Kiba froze. He pulled away from Yugito, licking his lips unconsciously. He saw Shino Aburame standing in the door, monster corpses laying behind him.

He could tell when Shino was smiling behind his collar. It was the brow that gave him away.

"What took you?" Kiba managed. Yugito blushed furiously out of the corner of his eye, and he could smell something else from her aside from cat, blood, and ozone.

"We need to catch up to the others," Shino said. Kiba nodded, slowly, gingerly getting up, Akamaru safely in his arms. Yugito helped him up, arm wrapped around his waist. They made their way slowly to the doors, Shino still smiling behind his collar. Bastard.

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To be continued… Hopefully.