Chapter 38 Work and Pain

"How is she?" asked Gamba as he sat beside his mother's bed. A team of doctors and healers where watching over the failing queen.

"She is fine, we had to remove blood from her lungs and major organs like her lungs are not looking good. Even with her natural healing powers her time is short." said the lead Doctor

"How long?" asked Gamba

"Unknown it could be at any moment or it could be not for months." said the doctor

"The question is can she rule?" asked a new voice a male white tigers and a female panther entered the room.

"Vachan, Padak what are you two doing here?" asked Gamba to the captain of the royal guard and the war heroine

"The statues of the Queen is of grave importance to everyone in this kingdom." stated the tiger Vachan

"I understand if you want to keep this private but if the queen is unfit to rule then it is the business of the state." said Padak before she looked toward the doctor "Is she unfit?"

"It's board line but with the right medication and treatment she can rule but this is just a bandage." said the doctor as he looked at Gamba "With your permission I would like to bring in the best experts to help."

"Of course." said Gamba

"My Prince I don't think you understand, the best experts aren't all felines we need to bring in other races." said the doctor

"Have you gone mad?" asked Vachan "No race apart from demon felines have ever entered the inner palace, yet alone worked on a royal. It flies in the face of all tradition, I will not allow it."

"You will allow it if I say you allow it." stated Gamba "To you all she is your queen but she is my mother too."

"The Queen wouldn't want you to go against tradition." explained Padak as Gamba lowered his head as he looked at his mother.

"How long could she live if we do bring in outside help?" asked Gamba

"Right now she probably has only weeks to live and with outside help maybe a couple of months. I stressed maybe." answered the doctor

"A few months is not worth hundreds of millions of years of traditions." stated Vachan

"It's my mother in there and the final call is mine." ordered Gamba

"No…it isn't." said a weak voice as Gamba looked toward the bed to see his mother struggling to sit up.

"Mom." said Gamba

"My Queen please rest." said the doctor

"No…I will follow tradition, no outside help." order Oda before glaring at her son "And the fact that you would go against tradition is sickening."

"There it is settled, tradition will stand." said Vachan with a smile.

Back in the Leaf Sakura had finally stopped crying however the pain was still as fresh as ever, she had be abounded by her own mother and stripped of her pack name. She wanted nothing more than to go back and spend the rest of the day in the only place she felt safe in Naruto's arms surrounded by his pack. As the two of them prepared to leave and head back to the cell, she was close to Naruto as they started back. Both of them where in demon form, the guards seamed on edge as they passed.

"Sakura, Naruto." said Tsunade as the two of them turned their heads to look at her. "Listen Sakura, I am sorry about your mother."

"You where watching?" asked Sakura with a little bit of anger in her voice at being spied on.

"Tsunade was the one who sent a guard to get me." explained Naruto

"We needed Naruto-kun more than anything at that moment." said Inner Sakura "Maybe having Lady Tsunade spy on us isn't as bad."

"Sorry Sakura, but at the moment we had to safe." said Tsunade

"You thought I was going to attack her? My own mother?" asked Sakura

"More like try to escape and cause problems." explained Tsunade "However that has changed. You can start working on a cure right away."

"Can't it wait?" asked Naruto as Tsunade looked at him for a moment it wasn't like Naruto to wait on anything, most of all if it was important, then it hit her the reason why.

"He is protecting Sakura." thought Tsunade

"It's alright Naruto-kun." said Sakura as she rubbed her check against his before walking away "We have to get to work."

Hours later near the border of demon and fire country a team of Leaf ANBU hid in the trees waiting for any sign of life on the other side of the boarder. The only life that was too been was the occasional sight of a demon patrol moving on the other side of the boarder.

"I don't think anyone is coming." said an ANBU

"They are coming, this was the planned emergency location for us." said Shikamaru as he looked at the small stone footbridge that led over the border into demon country.

"Us…you mean you and Temari." said a second ANBU as Shikamaru looked down from his location to see Choji standing on a lower branch.

'Ya." said Shikamaru "This was our location, if the Leaf or the Sand ever fell we would meet on that bridge."

"Shikamaru the other teams reported that the three out of the four groups, the fourth group had the most ninja they should have been here hours ago." said Choji

"I know." whispered Shikamaru as he looked across the border. "But I can't….I can't give up hope."

"Shikamaru….Lady Tsunade ordered us to be back to the Leaf by tonight, we would have to run all day to reach it in time." said Choji

'She just can't be gone." said Shikamaru

"I don't know what to say, she may still be alive but a demon." said Choji 'But I don't know if that is better or worse."

"Anything is better than death." answered Shikamaru as he stood up, taking yet another look into demon country; he knew on the other side of that country was his loves homeland.

'Alright lets go." said Shikamaru as his team moved out.

Back in the Leaf Tsunade was sitting in her office working; she was about to head downstairs to check on Sakura's work when the door flew open. Reacting out of pure instincts she reached for the kunai located under her desk.

"Lady Hokage what are you doing?" demanded Koharu Utatane as she and her fellow council member Momura Mitokado entered the room.

"I am guessing you heard of the six people who are holding." said Tsunade

"People they are demons, we should kill them and study them." demanded Koharu

"No…they risked everything to come and deliver us not only information about the demons attack plans but a sample of the transformation agent itself." Stated Tsunade "And if you try anything we will have a fight on our hands."

"They are trapped, we can kill them in an instant." Stated Momura

"Did you forget who we have so called trapped down there?" asked Tsunade as Momura and Koharu looked at each other "Do you really think the 4th Hokage the master sealer and the man who sent a whole army to meet their maker during the war and his son Naruto who is also a master sealer and the man who defeated Pain can really be held by us."

"Well the seal, you said was in place." stated Momura

"A seal that Minato put in place himself to stop his youngest son from escaping." explained Tsunade "I wouldn't be surprised if not only Naruto but Kushina and Sakura know how to disable the seal. Besides do you really think we could stop a two tailed, four tailed, two seven tails, a nine tailed and a twelve tailed foxes who want to get away?"

"I guess we didn't think this all the way though, but the demons are a threat.' stated Koharu "We can't trust them even if they appear to be helping us."

"They are under guard in an ANBU base, Sakura is working in a sealed lab and the rest are in a cell." stated Tsunade "Once Shikamaru and the others get back we will go over the military plans of the demons."

"Why not sooner?" asked Momura

"Because I want our top planners here when we talk to them about the demons plans." stated Tsunade "However we do know one thing."

"What?" asked Koharu

"We are likely the next major target." stated Tsunade

Down below in the ANBU base Ino Yamanaka walked down a long hallway, she had arrived with a large group of Sand refugees but the moment she had walked through the gates an ANBU grabbed her and escorted her to the base.

"What is going on?" asked Ino as she looked toward the guard.

"You will see." answered the ANBU as Ino looked around, the number of guards in the hallways where at least three times the normal amount. They came to a stop in front of a door with two pairs of guards on either side. "You will find your answer in there."

Ino slowly opened the door to find a room filled with tables and medical equipment, it looked almost as if the research lab in the hospital had been moved down into the ANBU base. She could make out some pink hair poking out from behind a large piece of equipment.

"Hello piggy." said Sakura's voice from behind the equipment.

"Forehead….your back." said Ino as she smiled.

"Ya…made an escape as the Sand village fell." answered Sakura as Ino moved around the piece of equipment to get a good look at her friend. Her eyes widened as she got a clear look at her, this wasn't the same Sakura she had lunch with over a week ago. What stood before her was a demon fox, with deep pink fur, black fur on the lower arms and legs, a single pink tail tipped with white fur. Sharp claws tipped each finger and the double jointed legs. The fox was looking at a screen which showed the blood sample under the microscope.

"My God." whispered Ino under her breath.

"Not what you expected to see." said Sakura's voice from the demon as she moved her head and body. Ino was coming out of her stunned confusion as she looked at the demon again, the bone structure screamed Sakura, her green eyes where the same only silted.

"You're a demon." said Ino

"A demon fox…ya." answered Sakura as she lifted a vile of blood.

"So how are you doing?" asked Ino as she put on a good face, not wanting to freak out her friend.

"Well I have been disowned by my own mother and kicked out of my birth pack." growled Sakura a bit showing those sharp teeth under her muzzle. "Other than that I have just started comparing the transformation agent with samples taken from my blood."

"Oh." said Ino as she sat down on one of the chairs. "I guess the first part sucks."

"Ya…it does." answered Sakura as she placed a sample of her blood on a slide.

"Then there is the fact you are now a demon." said Ino as Sakura said nothing but from years of friendship plus the fact they had been roommates since they were 18 she could read Sakura's mood from her movement alone. "You are not upset about becoming a demon are you?"

"The turn no." answered Sakura "Having it forced on me, yes."

"So you would choice to become a demon?" asked Ino

"When I was human I would say no…but knowing what happen since I became a demon I think I would have." answered Sakura truthfully.

"Why what has changed?" asked Ino as Sakura smiled a bit as the answer hit Ino like a ton of bricks. "You and Naruto?"

"Ya, It just seemed to click, like it was meant to happen.' said Sakura with a huge smile as she day dreamed a bit.

"Have you already?" asked Ino

"We did." answered Sakura

"And Naruto want to stay a fox?" asked Ino

"I don't know…we may not have a choice." answered Sakura

"Why are you pregnant or something?" asked Ino as Sakura shook her head.

"No…." said Sakura before she added to herself "Not yet…maybe in a few years."

"However the transformation agent rewrite the DNA in every cell of my body, it is as if I was born a demon." Finished Sakura

"Well we have a sample of your DNA on record to ID bodies." said Ino

"Wouldn't work, would need live cells." Explained Sakura "Then there is the fact that demon chakra is stronger than human chakra and there is no way to change that."

"If you don't think there is a cure then why are you working on one?" asked Ino

"I am working on a defense not a cure." answered Sakura as she looked at the sample of her blood side by side with the transformation agent. "See I think the transformation starts when the natural human chakra is infected with demon chakra which in combination with the agent causes the persons very chakra to turn Demon. This allows the agent to move though the body transforming the DNA of every cell and the body of the person into a demon."

"So what is the plan?" asked Ino

"Find a way to stop the demon chakra from infecting human chakra, if that doesn't happen then hopefully the transformation will stop before it can begin." explained Sakura "Keeping humans, humans."

"So what about those already taken…what about you?" asked Ino

"At the moment there is no going back." answered Sakura as her eyes widened as she looked at the two samples.

"Well I have to say, you look good." said Ino "Not hiding your breasts anymore, but I guess with no cloths that makes it hard. I bet that helped get Naruto's attention."

"That and the fact the demons want us to mate and have kits." explained Sakura "They actually let us transform at Naruto's parents house."

"So you are living with Naruto's parents?" asked Ino "Kind of weird having sex with Naruto while you live with his parents."

"Actually in demon fox culture a pack lives in the same den until they reached around fifteen members and only then do they split up into a second den." explained Sakura "From my understanding it is common for packs on the high council to have dens so large that multiple generations live in the same den."

"I see." said Ino "Did you see anyone else? Anyone we know?"

"Yes." answered Sakura as she turned to look at Ino "Asuma is alive."

"Really?" asked Ino

"Yes, but he has been turned." explained Sakura "Last I saw he was being processed and turned into a demon wolf."

"They didn't turn him until just now?" asked Ino

"They have cells where they hold long term prisoners until they are ready to turn the person." explained Sakura "They were waiting until Kurenai was captured…remember they want kids more than anything else. A couple who will almost at once start having kids is the most important thing. There population is very low, large parts of the villages are empty, some totally abounded. They are trying to save the race."

"Still they are destroying us." stated Ino

"I never said it was a good thing." said Sakura

"It's just the way you said it makes it sound like you support what they are doing." Explained Ino "I am worried about you forehead, I think you believe you're not human anymore."

"In case you haven't noticed I am not human anymore, I am a demon." Snapped Sakura as she showed her teeth and growled. Her ears where back and her claws at the ready, she seemed ready to attack in response Ino jumped back and pulled a kunai. Seeing the look of fur on her best friend's face caused Sakura to back off and look at the ground. "Sorry Ino….I shouldn't have snapped, it's just everyone is afraid of me even my own mother. No one seems to trust me and then you accuse me of siding with the demons when I am trying to save the leaf."

"Forehead, things have changed two major villages have fallen and five smaller nations. Almost a quarter of the world population is gone." said Ino "We have heard horror stories of demons massacring those who they can't use, the old and the disabled and like you said you're a demon now…we have to be careful.'

"I understand." said Sakura "But it doesn't make me feel better."

"I don't think it is suppose to." added Ino

"There is some demon medical books I brought, there isn't much about the transformation itself but it may help." added Sakura as Ino looked toward the stack of books as she went back to look at the samples taken from her own blood and the transformation agent. For a while everything was quite and calm.

"You have extra mussels now?" asked Ino as she looked over the medical books.

"Ya, every demon fox has extra muscles in their legs, arms and in the case of women muscles that act like a natural bra." explained Sakura "It really helps when you're running at high speeds."

"The extra leg muscles or the natural bra?" laughed Ino

"Both." answered Sakura with a laugh.

"So you and Naruto?" asked Ino "Enjoying it?"

"He makes me feel safe, happy and loved." explained Sakura with a smile "I love him more than I thought possible. I mean some of his jokes are a little lame and he can be a baka but that is part of his charm."

"That is how I feel about Sai." said Ino "If only Sai remember to put the toilet seat down when he finished."

"I think most guys have that problem." laughed Sakura as it felt like old times as the two of them kept working it felt nice to have a friend, even if she seemed afraid of the demon she become.

It was almost nightfall and Hinata Hyuuga was in one of the bars near the Hyuuga estate, while it was technically a bar it was one of the most upper class ones. Marble bar top with dozens of booths and a fully stock kitchen that could make almost anything.

"I need a refill." ordered Hinata as the bartender placed another bottle of shake by the future Hyuuga leader.

"This isn't like you Hinata, you maybe drink one or two shots of shake a week and you have gone though two bottles already." said the Bartender

"I have had a bad day….possibly the worst day of my life." said Hinata as she refilled her glass. She didn't even notice the two people who joined her at the bar.

"Can I ask what happened?" asked the bartender

"I lost Naruto-kun.' answered Hinata

"Excuses me but you know Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze?" asked a voice as Hinata looked to see a girl maybe 15 or 16 years old with deep black hair and dark eyes. Something about her seamed familiar, the bone structure but she couldn't place her finger on where she had seen her.

"Raeni I don't think you should talk to strangers." said a voice beside her as Hinata looked to see an older woman about 21 or 22 with deep black hair.

"Who are you? I don't recognize either of you." asked Hinata

"My name is Fay, We are from Tea country." explained the older woman "We were going to head home but then the whole demon thing happened."

"Is this your sister or something?" asked Hinata

"No…she is my boyfriend's little sister." explained Fay as a third person walked up.

"Fay, Raeni let's get a table." said the man with deep orange hair.

"Alright Kado." said Raeni as the two of them moved off.

"It's nice talking to you." said Fay as the she moved to join the other two at one of the booths.

"Nice meeting you." answered Hinata as she went back to her drink.

"Raeni what are you doing." whispered Fay as the three of them sat down "That is one of the top ANBU in the Leaf."

'Ya, but she is drunk and drunk people talk." explained Raeni

"Why the wolves demanded that you come along I will never understand." said Kado "She is still one of the best ninjas in this village."

"My parents and my brothers where born here, I wanted to see it before it fell." stated Raeni as her eyes turned red with the Sharingan.

"Stop that." ordered Kado as Raeni's eyes turned back to black.

"We need to learn what the humans are planning, we can't risk losing as many lives as we did in the Sand country." stated Fay

"If only one of those who died was my traitor bother." stated Raeni as she looked straight at Fay.

"Don't talk about my mate-in-waiting like that." growled Fay as her eyes became silted

'Why shouldn't I, my mom didn't even know I was inside her when he killed her. If it wasn't for the demons taking them and most of the Uchiha pack I would be died before I was even born." stated Raeni "He left my six year old brother alive to face the world alone, if he hadn't he may have ended up a wolf like my pack instead of a dirty snake."

"Listen put that aside and let's get to work." ordered Kado as the demon Wolf and Panther backed off from each other, as the demon fox tried to keep the peace.

Well turns out I didn't need to leave this weekend, my friend gave me the wrong dates so I finished the chapter. I hope you liked this chapter and the surprise I had at the end. I know some people may not like all these OC but Raeni Uchiha is among the last major one I plan to introduce. Thanks Wilkins75