I know, I know. It has been FOREVER! Wassup my peeps? Hows it hangin' and all that jazz. Hopefully now that im less distracted I'll be able to focus more on my story. I got a little lost with where I wanted to take it and how I was going to do it but I think ive gotten it all figured out now... hopefully. Well lets not waste more time, im sure you all wanna know what happens now ^^
Silence reigned supreme in the cold operating room. Naruto lay unconscious, slumped over the operating table, still reaching out for the fox that now stood over him, as if he could still get to him even when passed out. The animal he had tried so hard to revive stood over him, each of its tails wrapping themselves around the blonde boy, protecting him from the danger that was sure to come.
Kyuubi looked down at his master with a sad smile, as much as a fox could smile. The brat hadn't thought through his actions enough. The technique he had used wasn't a jutsu; otherwise it wouldn't have worked on him. No, he had used the very elements themselves, the Guardians, without any chakra to bring him back from wherever he was and heal his mortal body. He had used his pure life force to direct the Guardians to do his bidding... and Kyuubi didn't know what the repercussions of that one decision would be.
To command even one of the Guardians was beyond most shinobi capabilities, that's why chakra is used to aid them in controlling a sliver of the Guardian's power. The Guardians were Kyuubi's servants, a testament to his prowess – the command of all the elements. Naruto, being Kyuubi's master, had access to the Guardians, but he still needed Kyuubi there to bring out their full power. But then he ever only had needed to summon one at any time and each of these times had left him incredibly weak, with need of rest for almost a full week before he was recovered enough to even use his chakra again. But this time... he had summoned all five of the guardians... and channelled their full power without Kyuubi. The combination of these two things left Kyuubi frantic over the boy's health. Summoning all five Guardians without him was bad, but he had then used his own life force to direct them... meaning he currently had no chakra and was quite possibly slipping deeper and deeper into a coma.
Even as Kyuubi fretted over the blonde's condition, he didn't fail to notice the multiple kunai heading straight for his head. Standing in front of the boy, he released a wave of chakra that repelled the weapons. He snarled menacingly at the masked man who threw them. Kakashi was shaking, with fear or rage he didn't know which, all he knew was he wanted that demon gone. Right before him stood the creature that had taken the last of his closest friends and teachers. Why was Naruto so desperate to help the thing? If he knew everything then he should hate the creature as much as he did and then some. His hand twitched towards his kunai holster, preparing to throw another barrage of weapons at the monster, but Kyuubi had other things planned.
Summoning his chakra, he let it out in a wave, pushing all the occupants, save Naruto and himself, out of the room. Kakashi and Sasuke slammed into the wall outside, whilst Kiba and his sister landed hard on the floor, Kiba's sister landing on him so she wasn't as damaged as the others. The second their bodies had cleared the doorway, the kunai that had been placed in the corners of the room by Naruto before the revival glowed and the doors slammed shut.
Sasuke got up slowly, nursing his ribs that had slammed against the wall. He looked at his sensei and saw him getting up as well; Kiba was struggling with his sister still unconscious on top of him. Looking towards the door he tried to sense the Nine-Tail's chakra or that of his fellow team member, but there was only a void. It was like the entire room wasn't there. He could sense all the way around the room and even the doors that led into it, but beyond that there was nothing, like a giant hole was left in the building. Must be those kunai. Some sort of suppressing or containment jutsu? He thought briefly. It would make sense; Naruto didn't want anyone to detect the massive amounts of chakra they just released and interrupt him healing the fox. His thoughts however were interrupted by the nurse from the reception bustling up to them dragging behind her the elders and Hokage.
"The nerve of the brat! I specifically said we would not treat the foul beast but he waltzed right on in here anyway and – Oh my Kami! Young master! Young mistress! What happened?" she had just spotted Kiba and his sister slumped unceremoniously on the floor. Sasuke eyed her and the elders distastefully. He should probably inform them that the fox that they so wanted to let die was the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, but he really couldn't find any reason for him to do so. They blonde hadn't harmed anyone, in fact it looked like he had some mission and circumstances required him to suffer the inconvenience of being in the leaf village, maybe even protect it when the time came. In any case, informing them would just mean that the blonde's time would be taken up by answering useless questions instead of being put to the more important task of showing Sasuke some of his strongest jutsu. Obviously these people needed to get their priorities in order. Even if he had made the decision about keeping quiet about Kyuubi, and for some reason so did Kiba, Kakashi had different ideas about what was important.
"Hokage! Elders! Quick, we must assemble all available Anbu and jounin, hell, even chuunin! Every ninja in the village! We must dispose of the demon!" he sounded frantic and desperate. Sarutobi and the elders looked taken aback by his outburst, but the nurse just looked smug.
'I told you the thing needed to be left to die! Just like all the others! I don't have the foggiest why you would have wanted to help it in the first place!"
"Kakashi are you feeling well? It will be a simple matter to dispose of the fox; we don't need the entire village to eliminate it." The Third said calmly, trying to placate the raving jounin.
"No! You don't get it! The fox isn't just a fox! It's the-" His voice was suddenly cut off as his throat closed up, refusing to allow anymore air past his lips and name the animal for what it really was. Struggling to breathe, Kakashi face started to turn purple, his vision turned fuzzy as black spots appeared randomly in his sight. He could vaguely hear the people around him yelling his name, asking what was wrong... but he could not answer. It was like someone had stuffed cotton into his ears. His lungs were on fire and his limbs tingled from lack of oxygen. Over the muffled voices and burning in his chest, he heard Naruto's voice floating eerily in his mind.
"I need you to swear you will never repeat what is about to happen in this room to any other living soul again. That includes each other." He had said yes. Weak as it was he had sworn, and somehow, Naruto had made that into some form of contract jutsu that physically restrained him from telling anyone what had happened in that room, even after the fox had been revived. Outrage washed over Kakashi at this realisation. The brat had known what they would discover. It wasn't his personal information that he was worried about; it was the identity of his pet. Realising this he stopped trying to say the name Kyuubi. Instantly the pressure on his throat dispersed and he was able to suck in air, cooling the burning in his lungs and getting feeling back into his appendages. The Hokage and elders looked at him strangely, questioning his mental health, as he crouched on the floor, breathing in air in great gasps. Fuming, he stood up and with as much dignity as he could muster, bowed before the Hokage and reported as much of the situation as he could, without being choked and suffocated. Sasuke and Kiba looked on in amusement, both noting the fact he couldn't mention anything about the Kyuubi.
"Lord Hokage, Honourable elders, upon my reaching Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto, I was unable to inform them of your decision as a handful of Konoha youths had attacked ," he cleared his throat, making sure it still worked, "the fox that follows the blonde boy around. Naruto had attacked the youths in attempt to free his pet and exact revenge against the boys. Sasuke and I were able to stop him from going too far by drawing attention to the fatal wounds that dominated the body of the animal. Leaving the youths unconscious but alive, we made our way here, the boys in hopes that someone would be able to heal the fox because... because...," he struggled a little here, for he knew the exact reason now why jutsu did not work on the thing, "because for some strange and unknown reason, no jutsu or any chakra have effect on it at all. Upon entry into the Inuzuka animal hospital we were refused treatment by the nurse that brought you here. After a few minutes young Kiba here came through and decided to aid us. We came to the operating room behind us where the fox was treated and then cured. The effects however were too strenuous on Naruto and he is currently unconscious with the fox guarding over him."
The council looked perplexed for a moment, digesting Kakashi's tale. It certainly tied in with some things that had come to their attention scant minuted ago. A boy by the name of Hiroto came running into the Hokage tower, screaming about a fox with nine tails and its blonde protector, attacking him and his friends. He thought it had been an Elder and had eight tails but he had counted them again and again and he still could count nine tails. The fact the fox was with the blonde boy, the demon brat, fuelled their suspicions about the animal. And now, here in front of them, was one of their most respected ninja, who had been in a frenzy to tell them something, but some force had forbidden him to utter what he wanted them to know.
The council may be power-hungry bastards... but they weren't idiots. They hadn't forgotten the encounter with the brat in the Hokage's office a few days ago. He had been able to send the fox away in a glow of light. Somehow the boy had been able to summon the beast that resides inside his stomach and had full control over it. If the boy had control of the demon, he could be more powerful than they thought, and a much bigger threat. He had to be eliminated or bound in some way so that his powers could be used to aid the village... especially against their enemies. The fox had to be theirs... or be destroyed.
Homura turned to Kakashi, his gaze calculating. "We understand everything," was all that was stated before the council members turned and walked away. Almost instantly the room was surrounded by Anbu warriors. Kakashi grinned. Even if he couldn't tell them what had happened, they had somehow deduced it for themselves. The fox would get what was coming to it.
Sasuke and Kiba were off to the side, forgotten. They observed the Anbu as they each tried different techniques to open the doors that led to their prey. As each attack met the closed doors, it glowed briefly before completely dispelling whatever was thrown at it. Nothing opened the doors or left so much as a scratch on the gleaming metal surfaces. Water attacks turned to puddles, fires burned into nothing, rocks crumbled to dust, wind turned into a harmless breeze and lightning simply fizzled out before even coming into contact with the barrier. Sasuke almost chuckled when one of the stoic ninja lost their composure and ran blindly at the doors, yelling wildly, only to be thrown back against the opposite wall and rendered unconscious. Kiba smiled but was his mind was on the blonde boy. Even though the fox had been revealed as the Kyuubi, he couldn't hate or detest the guy. Something in his blood compelled him to like and protect him. Maybe it's because Kyuubi was now Akamaru's Alpha after he subdued the puppy in the class? Maybe its cause Naruto saved his life when Kenji tried to silence him, and since that moment he had sworn to serve this boy. Or maybe it was the look in those bright blue eyes when he thought the fox was gone from his life, and then again when the fox was well; the relief was almost tangible. It didn't matter; he would be loyal to this boy for the rest of his life, no matter what demon was inside of him. He shrugged mentally, he was an Inuzuka, and they had a thing with loyalty.
As soon as he came to this conclusion the door to the operating room opened briefly. Instantly the Anbu went on guard, warily watching out for any sign of attack. Without hesitation, Akamaru, who had been silent up until this point, ran into the room. The door glowed but allowed the animal to enter. A few exclamations of surprise were heard from the watching spectators as the dog ran into the room. A few tried to follow, only to be thrown back and refused entry. After a while a low growl was heard. To those who weren't familiar with the different pitched and meanings behind canine growls, it sounded menacing and blood thirsty. To Kiba it sounded impatient. He frowned in confusion as Akamaru came trotting out of the room and up to him. He barked once then turned around and headed back into the room. Looking back and seeing his master was not following him he barked again. Taking the hint, Kiba made his way forward. Hesitating slightly before the gap, he stepped through the doors. Sasuke watched, eyes slightly narrowed, as the door slid shut silently, leaving many fuming Anbu locked on the outside.
...
Kiba stared in awe at the operating room. It had changed drastically in the mere minutes that they had been thrown clear of the room. The five Guardians had been summoned again, and had all their power returned to them in Kyuubi's presence. The operating table in the centre of the room held the blonde boy, still unconscious, and was surrounded by vines, trees and blossoming flowers. Water swirled around the vines and growth, encircling the small grotto. Swirling rapidly around in a vicious gust, fire and lightning combined. Each time Kiba heard the thump or boom of angry Anbu ninja attacking the doors, the lightning crackled angrily and the fiery inferno blazed hotter than before, wind swirling and pushing the other elements on. Kiba stared in awe as the elements reigned supreme, protecting their master's ward.
The Nine-Tailed fox stood over the boy, tails encircling him, as the Guardians of Earth and Water leaped and pranced around his still form. He supposed this made sense. Earth created life and Water sustained it so it was obvious why these two spirits were the ones looking over the blonde. Unsure of what he was meant to do, Kiba cleared his throat nervously. Instantly all attention in the room was on him. The five spirits foxes materialized in their fox forms and stood between him and Naruto. Kyuubi lifted his gaze form the unconscious boy and levelled it at the brunette standing at the door. He pulled his lips back menacingly, revealing a glistening tooth, in a silent snarl. Kiba held his hands up in defence.
"Whoa, I'm not here to cause trouble," he said desperately trying to show that he meant no harm. Thankfully for him, he had Akamaru. The white canine rushed over to Kyuubi and lay on his back baring his neck, a sign of submission in the canine world. Kyuubi studied the passive dog before turning his gaze back onto Kiba. Looking the boy over he seemed to sigh in exasperation. Nipping the dog on the neck he accepted his pledge and allowed the puppy to go back to his master. Akamaru trotted back to Kiba and grabbed a bunch of his pant leg into his mouth and started to drag him over to the boy. The Guardians eyed suspiciously as he walked past them to reach their charge. Thunder crackled warningly and the room seemed to get a little bit hotter as he walked under their glares.
As Kiba neared the table, his eyes zeroed in on the unconscious boy in front of him. He looked as if he were sleeping, except his breathing was ragged and shallow and his skin had lost its natural tan and was now a pasty pale that rivalled the Uchiha's complexion. But the thing that struck Kiba most was how frail and innocent he looked. When his eyes were closed he lost that haunted and tortured expression he usually carried around, even with all the smiles and goofiness that he tried to cover it up with. Even Kiba, who was naturally brash and abrasive, noticed it from the few encounters they had in their classroom.
A low growl brought his attention back to the fox that was leaning over the blonde protectively. Kiba noticed he was bigger than the last time he saw him, now he looked a little bigger than some of the largest dogs he'd ever seen. He shrugged mentally, must be some demon thing. He watched as one of the fox's tails moved from it place around the boy and was placed on the centre of his forehead. A soft red glow emanated from the furry appendage that connected the two. Immediately Kiba felt a warm, comforting feeling envelop his mind, completely opposite to the menacing growl that accompanied it.
"You are one of the humans who tried to save me." It was more of a statement than a question. Kiba nodded dumbly, too stunned to speak.
"Useless attempt, but you have my thanks nonetheless. You owe this boy a Life-Debt, yes." Kiba frowned, unfamiliar with this term. Kyuubi rolled his eyes; humans these days were obviously unfamiliar with the basics of demon society.
"He saved your life, and in return, you give your life to him." Kyuubi explained, using the simplest terms he could think of. Of course a Life-Debt was much more than that, but the basic points were all the human child needed to know for now. Understanding quickly because he was thinking the exact same thought before he entered the room, Kiba nodded again. Approving of the determination and loyalty shining in the human boy's eyes, Kyuubi made his decision.
"You are to stay here, by Naruto's side until I return with aid. He has over-exerted himself almost fatally and I do not trust these Leaf cretins to tend to him properly. The Guardians shall stay in the village and attend to various loose ends as well as tending to your human needs. There will always be at least one of the Guardians with you in case you need to draw on their power. I shall return in roughly a seven days of your understanding of time."
An angry gust of wind alerted Kiba to the fact the Guardians were not pleased with this turn of events. Kyuubi released a foreboding growl that silenced their protests, though if the sharp crackles of lightning were anything to go by, Kiba assumed they were muttering about it amongst themselves. Returning his attention to Kiba, Kyuubi pinned him to the wall with his gaze.
"You are not to leave this room. You are not to allow any harm to come to Naruto. If you fail, you will wish for the sweet release of death as despair and agony fills your soul for what I will do to you if anything happens to him." His growling voice had turned into nothing but a soft caress of murderous intent and held the promise of years of pain. Removing his tail from Kiba's forehead, Kyuubi licked Naruto on the cheek before disappearing in a ball of fire. Kiba blinked a couple of times before looking around warily. The Guardians seemed to eye him in disdain or disgust, perhaps a mixture of both, before turning to each other and having some sort of debate. The elements that still surrounded Naruto started going slightly haywire as each fox spoke, rather yipped and growled, their point. Kiba had to cover his head and couch into the smallest form he could manage as he felt blistering winds scorching him at the same time electrified rains froze him. When the fiery frozen storm that was contained within the operating started to die down did Kiba dare to open his eyes and glance at the spirit foxes. It appeared the guardian of Earth and Wood had lost and the others were doing some sort of victory lap around its dejected form. A blinding flash of light filled the room and when it faded only the earthen spirit was left.
Across town in the market part of the village, a little shop was closing for the day. The owners of the shop had decided to shut early in favour of looking after their son who was attacked earlier in the day. Their son's name was Yoshiro. He was a fine boy who always did what he was told and was a firm believer in the teachings of the village; in particular his hatred towards the demons that plagued their humble little town was something the owners of the little shop were proud of. They could show him off to their friends and know he would be admired for his firm beliefs that the devils needed to be eradicated. And they could also be certain that with this outlook he was almost guaranteed a prominent position within the Anbu once he passed the entrance exam. Yes, it was a small price to pay, closing their little store for the afternoon to look after their son who was their pride and joy.
As they mounted the flight of stairs in the back of the shop that lead to their little apartment, the wife of the couple thought she forgot something. Thinking back to the morning she went over her morning routine. She rose early to make breakfast for her husband and son. Whilst they were eating she tidied their rooms. When they finished she did the dishes and retreated to her and her husband's room to get ready for the day. She was in the middle of blow-drying her hair after her shower when she said good-bye to her son and then left to get ready – oh! That's right. She left the hair-dryer on the bench in the bathroom. Shaking her head for her silliness she proceed to the bathroom to put it away properly. It was a good thing she turned it off at the power point because she was sure Yoshiro was taking a bath to soothe his wounds. She didn't want anything to happen to her little angel.
As she opened the door, the sight that met her eyes would be burned into her retinas for the rest of her days. Yoshiro's eyes were open and stared at nothing, irises now dull as the life had been drained from them. His arm was at an odd angle, as if trying to fight something off, while his legs were bent, as if trying to get out of the bath. The water came up to his chest and crackled gleefully. The hairdryer that had been sitting innocently on the bench was now drowned in the bath and rested on Yoshiro's stomach. The bathtub full of calm, warm water had become a pool of death as sparks visibly danced atop the surface of the water. The wife screamed, blood-curling and shrill, that made her husband run to her side. When he saw the mass of electrified water he stopped dead in his tracks. He stared in shock at the sight of their only son, lying in the deadly charged water before a spark jumped from the bath and landed on his cheek, snapping him out of his stupor. Pulling his wife away from the horrifying scene he failed to notice that the point the hairdryer had been connected had been shut off... and the plug had been pulled from it, leaving no way for the electricity to have been connected to the water at all...
Hiroto was sitting in a hallway in the Hokage Tower, waiting for the council to return from their call to the vet. After the people had left, he had run straight to the Hokage, who just happened to be in a meeting with the elders, to tell him about the fox they had found, and the blonde enemy that had nearly killed them all. Needless to say they were shocked, but he could also see what might have been a gleam of triumph in the eyes of the elders, like they had finally caught their prey which had eluded them for so long. He shivered, not just because of the cold breeze that seemingly came out of nowhere, but the look the elders had had been so ruthless and malicious it sent shivers down his spine.
Something moved in the corner of his eye. Turning his head quickly he spotted... nothing. The leaves of a pot plant were rustling from the wind but that was all. Wait. Frowning, Hiroto looked to see that the hallway he was in had no windows. It was long and the only decorations were a few plants that were still shaking with an ominous breeze. Gulping nervously, he tried to get back to his thoughts. Wait, what just brushed against his leg? Looking down there was... nothing again! What was going on? Standing quickly, he put his back to the wall and drew a kunai. Was that footsteps he heard? Slicing at where the sound came from, he met no resistance as his weapon slid harmlessly through empty air. Eyes darting around wildly, he tried to see where the malicious presence he felt was. But he couldn't. It was everywhere, suffocating him from every direction. He started to breath heavily, feeling like he wasn't getting enough air into his lungs. The icy fingers of fear digging themselves deep into his gut. He felt like a trapped animal, backed into a corner and helpless against the predator stalking him. The leaves on the plant in front of him start to blow wildly, wind whipping in every direction. Fear motivating him, he started to slash at the mini whirlwind, but it was useless.
Growing in size the wind moved to encircling him, surrounding him on all sides. The air screamed with the ferocity of the gale. Hiroto gasped; no air able to enter his body. Eyes bugging and mouth gaping like a fish, he continued to slash at the air. Suddenly the air died down, hearing footsteps off to his side he lashed out, only to have his attack... blocked? Looking through the blurry haze that covered his eyes he made out the alarmed forms of the elders and council.
"Hiroto! What are you doing?" asked a bewildered council member. But he couldn't answer. His voice was lost as the air from his lungs was slowly drained, but not replenished. The council members watched on in horror as the boy suffocated on the air itself.
Two boys arrived at an empty apartment in the centre of the village. Each was leaning against each other for support. They were the other assailants against Kyuubi, and happened to be brothers. Entering the small apartment, the elder of the two noticed that it was infinitely hotter than what it was outside. Limping through the vacant rooms, he noticed the heater was on full blast. Thinking back to his routine this morning, he didn't remember turning the heater on.
"Hey, Aniki!" called his younger brother. "Did you leave the tap on this morning?"
""No, why?" he replied, following his voice until he found himself ankle deep in water flooding from the kitchen. The minute he stepped into the room to join his brother a wall of water swirled in the doorway, enclosing the siblings in the room. The younger ran to his brother and held onto his arm with an unforgiving grip that told of his fear.
"Aniki, What's happening?" he screamed at his brother, but the words fell upon deaf ears. All sound ceased to be noticed as a roaring filled both ears of the two boys. Fire suddenly spewed from the hater in the other room and thrust itself through the wall of water. Steam hissed from the two elements at the violent contact, quickly filling the small kitchen of the apartment. Gazes hazy from the steam and feeling soaked and burned at the same time, the brothers could do nothing but hold onto each other as the room filled with water and fire...
They were found in the middle of the cool kitchen floor, bodies still wet and smoky. Kitchen dry as a bone, but all the investigators could determine as cause of death was that they were boiled alive...
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence between Kiba and the remaining Guardian did Akamaru finally get tired of sitting still and being silent in the tension filled room. Trotting over to the Guardian of Earth and Wood, he started barked excitedly in what Kiba could only describe as introducing himself. Earth and Wood observed the little canine yapping at its feet with interest. The puppy was a part of their master's pack apparently and had to be treated with respect.
A vine lifted itself from one of Earth and Wood's forepaws and flicked Akamaru on the nose. The white puppy was stunned for a second before leaping onto the fox's back and began wrestling with the spirit. Kiba was shocked. How did Akamaru do these things? In about ten seconds he had removed all tension from the room. Unknown to Kiba and Akamaru, the other spirit guardians had returned and were now watching the scene unfolding in the operating room with much curiosity. Kiba noticed them from the corner of his eye when the Guardian of Fire and Magma started encouraging the little puppy on with small growls and yips. The other foxes were, smiling? Grinning? Whatever they did to show they were slightly amused, other than the glint that was currently present in their eyes. As Earth and Wood pinned Akamaru, besting him, Water and Ice leapt into the fray, tackling Earth and Wood off the energetic puppy. Akamaru barked playfully at his new ally, before they joined against earthen spirit. When the elemental fox lay beaten underneath Akamaru's paws, and he stood atop of it and posed as if he had defeated a mighty pose, Kiba lost it. He laughed. The foxes froze, as if they had forgotten he was there and only now remembering his presence. Akamaru turned towards his master and barked happily; proud he had gotten the better of a legendary spirit fox, even if he had help. This made Kiba laugh all the more. It was infectious, and soon he heard a rumbling sound from the Earth and Wood fox, which he assumed was laughter.
A chorus of excited yips and barks filled the room as the foxes conversed with one another. Looking at Lightning and Sound, Kiba noticed that its chest was puffed out slightly and he sat a little straighter than the other, was he proud of something? Must have done well on whatever errand Kyuubi sent it on. Kiba blinked. Wow, there's a sentence I never thought I's say... or think. In fact, all of the guardians that left for some reason or another looked mighty pleased with themselves. Hopefully their good mood will allow them to treat him better for the week ahead. He really didn't think being in a room full of hostile, powerful, legendary spirit foxes was all that great for your health...
...
His feet barely touched the ground as he raced towards where her faint scent was coming from. Along with her scent, there was blood and ashes and death. She was somewhere dangerous and he needed to get her back to Naruto now! Every step he took further from the sick blonde, he grew more desperate as it would mean a longer journey back, traveling at a humans pace. Growling to himself, he pushed himself faster as he became a red blur amongst the ivy green leaves of the forest.