Me: well, another chapter is here and I can't think of anything to say. How sad I am. –sigh- oh well!
Disclaimer: do I own Naruto? Do I own Naruto? Hell no! Writing fanfictions should prove that!
"All these missions have been so dull!" Arashi complained, laying down on the grass covered ground. Kyuubi was crouching on a boulder not too far away. "Get this cat. Walk this dog. Clean this up. What do we ninjas look like? Maids?"
"You're not experienced enough to go on a decent mission, kit," Kyuubi stated, flicking away a piece of dirt he dug out from under one of his claws. "Maybe when you're at a higher status, you'll get better missions. But for now, do as you're told or you'll get into trouble."
"Ironic," the blond snorted.
"What?"
"A fox telling someone to do as they're told. A fox advising someone to stay out of trouble. A fox! The most trouble-making creature alive!"
"And that's ironic?" Kyuubi asked with an eyebrow raised as he crossed his arm over his chest.
"Yes!"
"Whatever you say, kit. I'm only advising it to keep you out of trouble. Like I've told you a million times before, I've grown attached."
Arashi sighed softly, sitting up before turning his head to look at the fox. "Hey, Kyuu?"
"Yeah?" the fox replied.
"Do you think I'm…annoying?"
"Sometimes," Kyuubi shrugged. "Mostly when you're complaining or whining, sometimes begging, about something."
"Then why do you stay with me?"
"What brought out these questions?"
"Amana snapped at me yesterday," the blond replied, lowering his head onto his arms, which were crossed over his knees. "She said 'You're so annoying, Arashi! No wonder no one can really stand you! I bet you don't have any real friends!' And I thought you thought the same way."
Kyuubi chuckled a couple times, sliding off the boulder before sitting behind the eleven-year-old and pulling the blond onto his lap. "Arashi, you know that no matter what anyone says about you, it doesn't really matter. It just means you're unique. Forget what Amana or Hiashi says about you. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me. Why should it matter to you? I'm your friend. I've stuck with you through thick and thin. Besides, you're no fun if you're not annoying. To be honest, you would be as boring as any other human."
Arashi snorted, his shoulders shaking slightly like he was trying to hold in a laugh. Trust Kyuubi to act all reassuring and serious then add in a joke at the end of his small speech. He always did that. Arashi raised his head, turning around slightly so he could rest it on the fox demon's shoulder. "Thanks, Kyuu," he mumbled into Kyuubi's clothing. "You sure know how to cheer a kid up."
"And here I thought I was horrible with kits!" Kyuubi exclaimed, laughing before Arashi joined in. "Seriously, Arashi, don't let what others say to you bother you. Just let it in one ear and out the other. Ignore whatever they say about you. And maybe let me kill that girl."
"Kyuubi!" Arashi snapped, jerking away from the fox.
"What?" the red-head innocently asked, blinking a little bit. "She deserves it. She made you feel miserable about yourself."
"No killing Amana!"
"How about Hiashi?"
"That's my job."
"Your sensei?"
"Maybe later."
"You are no fun, kit."
Arashi just smirked.
Arashi was on his way home when he heard a strange deep giggling noise. Having a hunch about who made the noise, Arashi peered around a corner, his eyes going blank when he realized his hunch was right. Jiraiya was peeking into the girls' hot springs again. The boy sighed, walking over before hitting his sensei on the head. "You're such a pervert, sensei," Arashi said low enough to not be caught.
"I'm not a pervert!" Jiraiya nearly snapped, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. "I'm a researcher."
"Of women?"
"Yes! Training you and those other two isn't the only thing I do. I'm working on writing a book that will make the top-best selling list!"
"I doubt it will if it's that perverted," Arashi muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What was that, Blondie?"
"Nothing. And stop calling me that!"
"What are you going to do if I don't?"
"Hokage-sama wouldn't like it if one of his old students was a peeping tom, don't you think so?"
"I would love to see you beat me to him," Jiraiya said with a smirk.
"You won't even be able to see me," Arashi stated. "I'm so fast, if I want to leave during a mission, you won't have time to notice before I get back."
"Well, you seem pretty confident about your speed. How about we test out how fast you really are tomorrow before we go on another mission?"
"One condition, first!"
"This isn't negotiations, kid," Jiraiya pointed out, staring at the blond boy blankly.
"I know, but still," Arashi replied. "No more of this kid stuff! All these small missions are getting really boring! I want to go on real missions! And I'm sure that Hiashi and Amana can agree with me on that."
"I'll see what I can do," Jiraiya laughed out, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, I used to say the same thing to Sarutobi-sensei all the time."
"Then you can actually understand the annoyance of these small play missions?" the blond asked, blinking a little bit as he tilted his head to the side. He's been spending so much time with Kyuubi that he's doing what a confused animal would do.
"Pretty much," Jiraiya groaned as he stood up to his feet. "So, you want missions that aren't so dull, right? You want missions like being a bodyguard of someone important or whatever, right?"
"Anything's better then catching a cat or any of this other crap we do." Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at the look on Arashi's face.
"So do you really want to be Hokage?" Jiraiya asked as he rested his cheek against his opened palm, watching Arashi, who was trying to get decent chakra control. His sensei was having him do the tree-climbing exercise. "Or do you just what to be as strong as you can get?"
"Either or," Arashi replied, slipping off the trunk before he slashed at the bark, quickly leaving a mark on his spot with a kunai. Only two hours and he was already three-fourths of the way up the tree. "Just so long as I can protect myself, my friends, and others."
"Hmph, that's admirable. But if you ever do become Hokage, you have to remember one very important thing."
"To be Hokage is to promise to die to protect your own village. And the village comes before an individual," they both said at the same time. Arashi chuckled slightly as he went over to his sensei and sat down on the grass. "I'm going to take a small break," he stated, stretching his arms before putting them behind his head as he laid back onto the ground. "Would you want to be Hokage, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Not really," the silver-haired man replied. "I'm not really that type to sit down and do paperwork. Besides, if I become Hokage, I can't do my research."
"You really shouldn't do that, sensei," Arashi warned. "You never know when you'll be caught by Hokage-sama, or worse. By the girls you're peeking on. And one of them might be Tsunade-hime."
"Since when do you call Tsunade that?"
"Everyone calls her that, so I thought it would be okay if I did, too."
"Do you know why people call her that?" Arashi shook his head. "Because, the First Hokage was her grandfather."
"He was?"
"Yep! And she used to be proud of it, too."
"Used to be? What do you mean?"
"She had a lover named Dan and a younger brother named Nawaki. Both wanted to become Hokage someday, but they both died a while back. Tsunade was distraught when she first heard about it. And she thinks that being Hokage isn't really all that great since they go through so many things and make so many hard choices that she just stopped caring. Also, don't ask her for her necklace. She's paranoid about that thing and doesn't want to pass it on to others."
"Why is she paranoid about a necklace?" Arashi asked, raising a gold eyebrow.
"She thinks it has a curse on it or something that brings death to whoever has it," Jiraiya explained. "The First Hokage, then Dan, then Nawaki. You get my point, yet?"
"I think I do, but really, she should let things like that go."
"Let me ask you something, Arashi. If someone you cared for, someone you really cared for, died, would you be able to let it go just like that?"
Arashi was silent for a while. The only person he really cared for was a certain fox demon in the forest. If Kyuubi did die, he had to admit, he wouldn't be able to let that go. "I see your point," the blond sighed. "In that last part, at least. Have you ever lost anyone close to you, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Never really let anyone get close to me," Jiraiya replied, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, let's change the subject. Why do you like foxes? They're dangerous creatures." Unknown to both of the ninjas, Kyuubi just hopped onto the branch above Jiraiya in time to hear the question.
"Yeah, they're dangerous," Arashi agreed. "But still, they're beautiful creatures. And one saved me when I was attacked by a wolf."
"You were attacked by a wolf and a fox saved you?"
"Yep! I was eight when it happen, but still."
"Why did the fox save you?"
"I guess because he found me…intriguing."
'No duh,' Kyuubi added in his mind, smirking slightly.
"That's one of the weirdest things I have every heard," Jiraiya stated, rubbing the back of his head. "A fox saving a human from a wolf – from anything, as a matter of fact. Foxes keep to themselves…mostly."
'I would like to see you keep to yourself around Arashi,' Kyuubi growled in his mind. 'Better yet, you better keep yourself from him!'
"Well he couldn't help it," Arashi shrugged. "He's a weird fox."
"You talk like you're still around him," the pervert pointed out.
"Yeah, I kind of go out to see him from time to time. I got attached to him as much as he got attached to me. Besides, he's a great listener."
"Bet he doesn't really offer great advice," Jiraiya muttered. "Not unless you can speak fox." Arashi just smirked slightly. "Well, it's getting a little late. Let's call it a day. Don't be late for training tomorrow."
"I won't, sensei!" Arashi yelled as he sprinted off, waving.
"Damn, that kid is fast," Jiraiya lowly said to himself.
'And you have no chance of keeping up,' Kyuubi added as an afterthought while Jiraiya walked off. 'Now to make sure you aren't a stalking child molester. Wait a minute, that's the snake guy I saw a couple years ago. Oh well! Toads can be the same! Or do they just stalk the beautiful girls? Don't matter. I'm making sure this guy doesn't touch Arashi. I gotta keep my mind on the mission…that I gave myself.'
"So you're spying on me?" Arashi asked, sitting at the edge of his bed as he stared at Kyuubi with a raised eyebrow.
"I never said the word 'spying'," the fox demon pointed out. "I just said that I'm going to be following you around because you have a really bad habit of getting yourself into danger bigger than you can handle. That's all I'm saying."
"And you're sticking to the trees as you do so," the blond pointed out, resting his chin into his palm.
"Do you want humans to know you're hanging around a demon?"
"Good point. But Kyuubi, what makes you think I'm going to get into trouble that will have me dangling from a rope, hostage, screaming 'help'? Answer me seriously."
"How many times have you actually dangled around screaming 'help'?" the red-head asked blankly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I wasn't being held hostage! And last time doesn't count." Kyuubi just smirked. "Look, Kyuu, I've pretty much been running around for years taking care of myself. This orphanage is just a home where I can sleep, eat, and live until I'm old enough to move out. I've taken care of myself fine before I met you in the forest three years ago."
"I doubt you could have defended yourself from a wolf demon," Kyuubi smugly stated.
"I could have."
"If you were properly trained to battle a demon," the red-head added with a smirk on his lips, allowing a fang to poke out.
"Who asked you?" Arashi asked in an angered tone.
"No one. It's just my opinion."
"You're opinion usually ends up with me being teased."
"And?"
"Stop teasing me, Kyuubi!"
"But it's so fun!"
"You are so easily distracted, you know that?"
"Seems to happen a lot when I'm around you, kit."
"Stop calling me that!"
"No. I'm older than you by…decades! I'm more mature. Smarter. Stronger. Faster. So compared to me, you…are…a…kit."
"So I'm young! Big deal! But I bet you're not faster than me."
"Want to test that later on?" Kyuubi challenged before Arashi smirked and nodded his head. "Good. After you prove your speed to your sensei, though I don't think you have to anymore."
"What do you mean. Kyuu?"
"Well, when you left in a blur, your sensei was surprised by how fast you were."
"You were spying on me today!" the blond accused, pointing towards the red-head.
"There is a difference between spying and watching over without permission," the fox demon defended.
"Yeah," Arashi agreed, crossing his arms as he glared at Kyuubi. "One's a fancier way of saying the other."
"Got me there."
"Kyuubi, you can't keep watching over me like that! You might get caught one day!"
"I doubt it," Kyuubi snorted. "I'll sense them before they have a chance to notice I'm even around."
Arashi groaned slightly, grabbing the fox demon's hand in his smaller one, making the red-head look down at him. "Stop taking risk like that," he whispered. "I'm not worth you getting caught and killed."
Kyuubi smirked softly, kneeling down in front of the blond boy before brushing his fingers against Arashi's cheek. "Relax," the fox whispered back. "I won't get caught and I won't be killed. I'll watch over you and never let anything bad happen to you. Fox's Oath." Arashi snorted, covering his mouth with his other hand. "What's so funny?" Kyuubi asked with a chuckle.
"'Fox's Oath'?" Arashi laughed out.
"Would 'Demon's Oath' sound better?" Arashi started to laugh a little harder.
Me: aw, ain't that cute? Little Arashi is worried about Kyuubi. Anyway, review! Time skip, next chapter!