Chapter 6:

Sakura woke Naruto up for breakfast the next morning. Naruto wasn't as tired as he was yesterday. Most likely due to the fact that his training wasn't as intense. After he left the grounds with Seki and Aurora, they went back into the forest and continued his training. Basically, it was just practice. His illusions were getting a lot better. They were starting to look more solid and believable. His flames were much easier to control as well. Naruto was sure he could start using his fox fire to pull pranks on some people very soon. Maybe even as early as tonight.

It took him less time to get to breakfast than the other day. Sakura and Sai were already waiting for him. The prince was missing, but so was someone else. Neji wasn't at the table. "Is Neji sleeping in today?"

"No, I saw him head for the bathroom," said Sai.

"Try not to be a pain in the ass today, ok, Naruto?" said Sakura.

"Me? What did I do?"

"Yesterday you kept sneaking off to sleep. Neji had to keep coming after you."

"Well, who asked him to do that?"

"He was just trying to help you. Believe it or not, he was right to do what he did. If you sleep during the day, you won't be able to sleep at night. It makes perfect sense."

Naruto tried to ignore her.

"The point is, you were a real pain the other day. Try not to annoy him, ok?" she went on. "Don't make things more difficult. You really got on his nerves. I wouldn't be surprised if he was still a little upset about it. You were acting like such a little kid. He's probably still pissed off."

As if on cue, Neji walked into the dining room and sat down at the table. He lifted his head and smiled at everyone. "Good morning."

Naruto's eyebrow raised. Neji seemed unusually cheerful today. Even when Neji did smile, it wasn't usually this bright. His smile didn't go away, even as he poured himself some hot tea and held the cup in his hands, warming his palms.

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning," commented Sakura. Apparently, she noticed, too.

Neji continued to smile, unfazed by someone calling attention to it. "Yeah, I had a good night's sleep. Really good." He took small sips from his teacup.

Sai gave a similar smile. "That's nice."

Naruto watched Neji stir his miso soup absentmindedly, still smiling that same smile. What in the world happened to him last night? He wasn't used to seeing Neji this cheerful in the morning. Slightly grumpy and half conscious, yes, but this... This was just weird. Naruto half thought Neji had been replaced by a pod person, but even he knew that sounded stupid and a bit too dramatic.

"Good morning, everyone," announced the prince as he entered the room. The servants bowed and welcomed him into the room. A couple helped him to his seat at the head of the table and fixed him a warm plate and poured him a hot cup of tea. "I hope everyone is doing well."

"Yes, Prince Akio," said Sakura. "The food is so delicious."

"I have the best chefs in the land cooking all of my meals. I'm so glad you're enjoying it."

The prince and the ninja resumed eating. Then Sakura lifted her head.

"Um, Prince Akio?"

"Yes, Miss Sakura?"

"Oh, you don't have to call me miss. Just Sakura is fine, like I said."

"Of course. What were you saying?"

"Um... Do you have pets?"

Naruto paused, cheeks still packed with tofu and seaweed.

"Pets?" said Akio slowly. "What sort?"

"Oh, just anything, I guess. I was just wondering if you had any pets. Like cats or something. Maybe something more exotic."

Naruto remained frozen, spoon hovering before his lips.

"Something exotic?" Akio looked like he was thinking hard. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Some people from royal families keep wild animals as pets or rare breeds. Like tigers or rare birds. I'm only asking because I thought I saw an animal outside my room last night and thought it might have been a pet of yours."

Naruto was starting to sweat.

"What did it look like?"

"Well..."

Naruto was sweating bullets. His whole body was heating up.

"It looked sort of like a dog, I think. Do you have dogs?"

Prince Akio chuckled. "Oh, no. I'm afraid not. I wouldn't have to time to care for a pet, least of all a dog. They require so much care. And that's just one of the reasons why I wouldn't have a dog."

"What's the other reason?"

"Well, uh... heh. To be perfectly honest, I may be an animal lover, but I don't really care for dogs. It's nothing against them. I've just always been afraid of getting bitten. That's all. And the way they jump around, I'm not sure what they're going to do or if they get too excited and end up nipping me and drawing blood or something."

"Oh, well I can understand that. Dogs are very friendly for the most part but sometimes even the good ones end up biting you."

"Yes. So, I assure you I don't have a dog."

"Oh. Ok. Then I guess it was a stray. It didn't hang around much. It left pretty quick."

Naruto swallowed his food and let out a sigh.

"Was your soup too hot, Naruto?" asked Sai. "Your face is looking sort of red and you're sweating."

Naruto frowned. "Shut up, Sai."

"What did I say?"

"Nothing."

Prince Akio got everyone's attention a moment later. "Oh, yes! Before I forget, I have a meeting here tomorrow afternoon with some men from another land."

Neji's face became serious. "What sort of meeting? You know these men well?"

"Oh, yes. We've conducted business before."

"What sort of business?"

Akio thought. "Oh, let's see... Mostly trading. Spices and cloth, food. Even tools and information. Like how to make life easier, the best way to grow healthy plants quickly. Even possible inventions. My parents set up trade with them years ago and we've been doing business ever since. It's nothing to worry about. We meet every now and then to do the same thing. Our meetings don't take too long so it shouldn't be more than a day's time."

"Hm." Neji's mind was working hard. Naruto could tell. "They don't know you have ninja here, do they?"

"No. I got word from them the other day mentioning that they would be arriving tomorrow afternoon for business. Otherwise, we haven't spoken."

"Good. Keep it that way."

"What are you thinking, Neji?" asked Sakura.

"I think we should keep an eye on these men who are coming. Just in case. If they don't know we're here, it would make things easier. If they do attempt to try anything that could harm the prince, they won't be expecting anyone to show up to stop them."

"Oh, no, no, no," said Akio. "They wouldn't do anything like that. These men are good friends of the family. We've done business for years. I doubt they would want to do any harm to anyone here. My parents opened trade with them. Why would they want to harm me of all people?"

"With all due respect, Prince Akio, if these men are doing business with you and your family and have done so for years, there could be some hidden bitterness you're not aware of. This is just a precaution," said Neji. "Hopefully we have nothing to worry about. But just in case, I would like to keep an eye on them. Just to be sure."

Akio didn't seem very concerned at all. In fact, he seemed a little confused when Neji said he wanted to make sure these men didn't try anything. Apparently, Akio thought Neji was being overly protective and a little paranoid. "Ok, if you insist. But I'm sure you're worrying needlessly."

The air was sweet and dry. Naruto inhaled deeply and looked out into the town from the hill. Neji decided to have the team go into the town again, just in case anyone had anything else to say. Naruto didn't object. He was still pretty awake and would probably sneak back for a nap a little later.

They went over to the farm just a short distance away which Naruto found very familiar. "Uh-oh." When he looked at the neat rows of vegetables, he barely noticed anything amiss. Apparently, they didn't make too much of a mess last night. He only spotted one hole where the potatoes were dug up and little else. There was very little damage to speak of.

Naruto started to think about the foxes again. He thought mostly about their hunger. What must it have been like for them? They relied so heavily on the offerings and when they suddenly stopped the foxes were at a loss for what to do. There was so little food for them. There used to be a lot more foxes, too. They must have suffered a lot.

He remembered his training with the Toad Sage. Most of the time, there was little issue. He worked hard and always had enough food. Many times, they stayed at an inn and had their meals provided for them. Then they would have days where they had to train far away from people. They were constantly on the move. On those days, they would camp and had to find their own food. Naruto was smart enough to bring food with him while they traveled but when that food ran out, he had no other choice but to find food wherever he could. He already knew how to fish, but when they weren't around water, there was a problem. He learned quickly which berries were good to eat as well as the other plants he found growing nearby. Most of the time Jiraiya would find something to eat for him like a rabbit or a bird so Naruto didn't have to do much. However, there were days when Naruto found himself very, very hungry. Jiraiya told him to consider it a part of his training, but Naruto started to have his doubts when he went on his third day without food. He was in so much pain and his skills weren't as sharp. Even his clones were weakening. Finally, he was allowed to eat and he didn't slow down until all the food was gone, even the crumbs. He had never been so hungry before. He imagined that was what the foxes must have felt like. He only had to deal with that pain for a couple of days. They had to suffer through it every day for months, maybe even years.

"I wonder why the offerings stopped. Why would that happen all of a sudden?"

Naruto glanced up. He was in front of the stables and one of the horses was looking at him. It bucked its head up and down and seemed to smile at him.

Naruto smiled back. "Hey, Jack. How's it going?"

The horse huffed and snorted, talking to him. Naruto couldn't understand a word.

"I guess I can only understand you when I'm a fox..."

Jack snorted sadly and dropped his head. He touched Naruto's head with his and huffed in his face. Naruto patted his head. Jack was a good horse. Naruto could tell.

"I want to help Ryosuke and the others. I promised I would help them find the two-tailed fox and I will. I'll try my best. But I know there's more that I can do for them."

Jack huffed again in response.

"You don't know why the offerings stopped, do you?"

Jack shook his head and snorted.

"Didn't think so..." Naruto then had an idea. "Maybe there is something I can do for them. I think I have an idea."

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked up. It wasn't the horse that spoke. It was his teammate. Sai was standing beside him, staring. "Yeah?"

Sai looked him up and down. "Are you talking to that horse?"

"... Yes."

Sai smiled.

"What?!"

Naruto managed to slip away once again for an afternoon nap. This time no one bothered him. Not even Neji. He slept until dinner was announced. Before leaving his room, Naruto took a look around and opened the different drawers and cupboards. He found something in one of the drawers. It was a leather satchel with a large clasp and a long strap. This would come in handy. He tucked it away under his jacket and left for dinner.

The dining room was filled with scrumptious aromas that had his mouthwatering even before he sat down at the table. The prince was waiting for them at the head of the table and welcomed them warmly. Naruto sat down and started eating. As he was eating, he couldn't help but notice a theme.

"Dumplings," Sakura announced happily as she sat down. "Look at them all. There are so many."

Prince Akio smiled. "Yes. I heard you mention that you liked dumplings, so..."

"This is so great! Thank you."

"My chef makes the best soup dumplings. You must try some."

Naruto was already eating them. The delicate dumplings were so tender and warm. The soup dribbled down his chin as he bit into them, his mouth overflowing with hot soup and flavor. He almost hated admitting that they were the best soup dumplings he had ever eaten. He didn't want to give the prince the satisfaction.

There were other things being served as well. The roasted duck on the table glistening like polished wood looked delicious. There were vegetables and fresh fruits as well. Biscuits and cookies, breads and something Naruto wasn't certain about. They all looked really good.

He slipped the satchel under the table and opened it. As everyone ate, keeping their eyes on the food on their plates, Naruto started to fill the bag with some of the food from the table. The fruits and vegetables and breads were the first to get stuffed inside. Then he started to cut off pieces of the duck and sneaked some into his bag as well.

"So tomorrow these men will arrive to meet with you, Prince Akio?" asked Neji.

"Yes. In the afternoon."

"I see. I think it would be best if they didn't know we were here. However, I think we should have someone on the floor in plain sight to keep a close eye on them without being noticed."

"How will you do that?"

Neji pointed. "I think at least one of us should go undercover as a servant. They can clean or serve while keeping an eye out without drawing attention to themselves. They could eavesdrop, too."

"I can do it," volunteered Sakura. "I'll go undercover and pose as a servant."

Prince Akio shook his head. "I couldn't ask that of you." He held Sakura's hand in his. "The thought of you using these fine hands of yours to scrub and polish my home is almost too much to bear. Even for a mission. You cannot risk dirtying your hands. Not someone so lovely."

Naruto clenched his teeth and his chopsticks started snapping in his hand.

Neji cleared his throat and gave Naruto a warning look. "If you break those again, you'll be eating your meals off your plate like a dog."

"What was that?"

"Don't break them. Stop breaking your chopsticks. That will be your fourth pair. Am I being clear?"

Naruto relaxed his grip ever so slightly. How in the world could Sakura tolerate that prince touching her like that? He didn't like the prince one bit.

He quickly dumped his bowl of rice into the bag and set his empty bowl down on the table.

"We need to be prepared, just in case," Neji was saying. "I propose we get up early tomorrow morning just to go over the plan again and make sure everything's set. Those of us who are not undercover must remain out of sight. We can't let them know we're here."

"But if they do mean to do me harm, wouldn't knowing that ninja were around stop them?" asked Akio.

"But only during the time we are here," said Sai. "We cannot stay here forever. Once we leave, they will try to harm you again and then no one will be around to stop them. If we stop them now then that puts an end to it and will prevent any future attacks."

"That's right. We were brought here to make sure you are safe and that whoever is threatening you is stopped."

While everyone was talking, Naruto took a handful of dumplings off the table and dumped them into the bag. It was stuffed. Now he had to sneak it out of here without anyone noticing. Hiding it under his jacket again would make his stomach look like it was bulging out now that the bag was so full.

The sun would be setting any time now. He had to get out of here.

Naruto stood up from the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Sai.

"To the bathroom. I think I ate too fast."

Sai turned away and went back to eating. Neji was still talking with the prince and Sakura had her head turned as well. Now was his chance. Naruto quickly picked up the bag and carried it out of the room close to his stomach. No one seemed to noticed.

Naruto hurried down the hall. He had to get out of sight. The bag was much heavier now. He could feel the food shifting around in the bag. A dumpling slipped out and fell to the floor. Naruto bent down to pick it up. He couldn't just leave it there. Besides, he didn't think the foxes would mind. They ate things off the floor all the time and this palace was super clean. Even the floor. Naruto's feet were moving again before the rest of his body could straighten up. His elbow bumped into something hard which rattled and creaked. A suit of armor moaned and started to tip over. Naruto pushed it back into place. Not wasting a moment, he hurried off again, bumping into a table. A vase rattled but didn't fall, but the elephant ornament tipped to one side. Naruto propped it back up and sprinted down the hall. He had to get to his room quickly.

He threw open the door and slammed it shut once he was safely inside. His window was still open. That meant he could get out quickly. Outside the sky was already darkening and then...

Naruto fell to the ground and rolled across the room. He was suddenly smaller and furrier. He couldn't stay standing as he was before. The bag fell to the ground and some dumplings and rice started to spill out. Naruto pushed them back in with his paw and tried to carry the bag to the open window. He gave the strap a tug and it tugged back. Naruto pulled again with his teeth. The bag remained stubbornly in place.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me!" The bag was too large and too heavy for him to move. Not in his fox form. Naruto pulled with all his might, dragging it across the room. It was such a struggle. "Come on! Come on!" It was slow and tedious. Finally, he made it to the window. He tried to get the bag on his back but it was next to impossible. This bag was so difficult to work with in this form. Maybe if he had some help. But who would help him now? "Damn it, I should have carried this thing out to the forest instead of going to my room first. I was too focused on getting out of sight."

With a great deal of effort, Naruto managed to push the bag out the window and jumped outside. He dragged it down the hill in his teeth. The hill made things a little easier. He squeezed through the gates and dragged the heavy bag over to the forest. It seemed to take forever. He thought about asking the other foxes to come help him carry it but he wanted to surprise them and that would defeat the purpose.

He was so relieved when he reached the forest. Though he was hidden from sight by the tall trees, the roots became the next obstacle in his path. The bag snagged on the roots, pulling him back and the tall plants seemed to grab at the bag like long leafy hands. At long last, he heard voices. With new found energy, Naruto happily dragged the bag over to the clearing in the forest where he knew they would be.

"Hey, guys!"

"Oh, Naruto's here. Naruto!"

Naruto could see them through the tree trunks and hurried. He dumped the bag in front of them and stopped to catch his breath. His jaw was killing him.

"What's all this?" asked Egao.

Naruto smiled proudly and opened the bag. He gave it a few tugs until the food came spilling out. "Ta-da!"

The foxes stared at the food. "What's this? What did you do?"

"I brought you guys some food. Don't worry. I didn't have to steal it. It was given to me and my friends for dinner and I wanted to share it with you." Naruto hoped they would like it. He hoped they wouldn't take it as some sort of insult. "I brought it for you. You guys are my friends, too, so..."

A long silence followed. Naruto was starting to worry they weren't pleased with his actions.

Then they all crowded around, wagging their tails. "This is for us?"

"Yup."

"For us?"

"Uh-huh."

Sonar and Seki took flying leaps at him and pinned him to the ground. They started nuzzling him in gratitude. "You are awesome! Amazing, Naruto! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The other foxes joined in thanking him. Naruto was surrounded by warm fur caressing his body. What a nice feeling. They barked and cheered and started eating. Their noisy chomping and slurping sounds were all the thanks he needed to hear. They were happy. Finally, they had food.

Ryosuke stepped beside him and nudged him with his face. "You did this for us?" Ryosuke was smiling. He seemed so grateful.

"Well, yeah. I mean you guys are training me and I do think of you guys as friends. I knew you didn't have enough to eat so I just thought..."

"Thanks."

Naruto smiled.

Ryosuke sat down and watched his friends eat. There was enough to go around and everyone seemed very happy and content with what they were given. Tonight, they didn't have to raid, they could actually enjoy a warm meal provided by a friend and a fellow fox. "It hasn't been like this since the offerings stopped. This was how it used to be."

Naruto looked at the group. "So, this is how it was before?"

"Yeah. Everyone was happy and there was enough food to go around. We didn't have to raid the town, digging through trash for scraps or risk getting beaten by the farmer. We were given food much like this and everyone, even the humans, were at peace." Ryosuke's smile became sad. "But that stopped years ago. The offerings stopped around two years ago. What bothers me the most is that we still have no idea why."

"If the humans gave you the offerings, why don't you ask them?"

"Some humans freak out when we talk. Some try to kill us on sight. Sometimes both. Believe me, we've tried." Ryosuke's smile became one of joy again. "But it's nice to see things as they used to be. Even if it's just for tonight."

Naruto wanted to help. "I can get you some more food tomorrow night."

"But what happens when you leave? You're only here for a mission, right?"

That's right. Once he left, things would go back to the way they were before he arrived. Naruto still had that other promise he made to help them find the two-tailed fox. There was so much to do.

"And besides, won't you get in trouble for taking the food from the prince's table? I know that's where the food came from." Ryosuke gave him a knowing look. "You carried it to us in a bag, not on plates. Which means this was done without anyone else knowing. You really think you can keep that up?"

Naruto believed he could, but a part of him knew tonight he was just lucky. Not only that but he still didn't know everything about being a kitsune. Not just his fox magic training, but their hardships. There was a lot more he wanted to learn.

"Hey, Ryosuke."

"Yeah?"

"I want you to train me."

"We're already-"

"Not just fox magic. I want to know how to be a kitsune. The whole package. That includes how you guys get food every night. There's still so much I don't understand. So much I want to learn. And I know it will make me better, too." It was high time he learned some new skills. Anything could help him in battle. If something didn't work, he would find another way. He always did. He kept trying and never gave up no matter what. This was just another one of those things. If weapons were useless, he would use jutsu. If jutsu didn't work, then he would use his fists. So, if human didn't work then...

Ryosuke gave him a hard look. "Are you sure you want to do this? Your fox magic training isn't even finished yet and you want to take on another project?"

"Yeah, I do!"

Ryosuke couldn't turn him down. "Alright. Consider it done. We'll teach you everything."

Naruto was ready for this. He wanted this. He knew it would help him. In more ways than one.

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