Chapter 16:

Why would he lie? What did he have to gain from it? Did he secretly hate animals? Or was it just foxes he disliked?

Naruto mulled over these thoughts as he stared out the window to the front yard where the guards stood like statues at the gate. None of this made any sense. He checked around town, asking everyone he came across if any of them had complained to the prince about the foxes. No one, not even the farmer surprisingly, said one word to the prince about the foxes. The prince said that the people in town were complaining but the truth of the matter was that none of them had said a single word to him about it. The prince lied. He hired the hunters to kill the kitsune himself and used the people in town as an excuse. He was using them as a cover story.

But why? What did the prince have against the foxes?

Naruto walked down the hall, trying to figure this out. He passed by a couple of maids cleaning the collection of artwork through the hall. They dusted the armor and the paintings and polished the glass vases and statues. Naruto watched them work while he thought. He stepped aside so a maid could polish a statue Naruto had never seen before. When the maid caught him looking, she smiled and said, "A new addition to the prince's collection. Said the hunters gave it to him as a gift. How nice of them."

Naruto frowned. The hunters didn't seem like the type to give a gift to the prince, much less something so expensive looking. Naruto took a closer look at the object the maid was setting down on the table. It was a ceramic statue of a man posed in a kneeling position, his head raised up as if he could see Naruto staring at him. The man was faceless and the clothes were lacking details. Naruto could only tell it was a man based on the shape of the body.

"Does he get gifts a lot from people?" he asked the maid.

"My, yes. The lord..." The maid hesitated, thinking about the other night. "Well, anyway... He used to bring gifts to the prince all the time. Whenever he visited. He would get so many things. He was given that bookend on one visit." The maid pointed to a metal bookend sitting on a shelf all by itself in the shape of a bear.

"So, it's normal for him to get a lot of things like this? It's not strange?"

"Heavens, no."

Naruto frowned. "Uh, maid lady? The prince seemed really upset when the hunters left without killing any foxes. Why is that? I thought the prince, as an animal lover, would be really happy about that."

"Oh..." the maid sighed. "He had to work up the nerve to ask them to come to the town to do that job. When they left like that, I think the prince felt like they were toying with his emotions. And besides, he asked them to do a job and they just left like that. I'm sure he's also upset because the people in town may think that he cannot do his job properly if the people he employs get up and leave. His job is very difficult."

"No, that's not it..." Naruto muttered more to himself than to her. The prince seemed more upset that the hunters didn't kill anything than simply leaving without doing their job. It seemed like he wanted the foxes dead.

Naruto walked down the hall and stopped in front of the wall of paintings, showing each generation of royalty. There was the prince, on the very end. Naruto tilted his head to the side, studying the portrait. It was a very good painting. It looked just like the prince. Although, there were a couple of slight differences. For instance, this painting depicted the prince looking frightened more than gentle and calm. He looked as if someone had sneaked up on him with his back turned. He didn't look like someone Naruto could hate so easily. He looked scared. And sad. The portrait looked sad.

Naruto tilted his head a little more. He moved his feet from side to side, turning his body so he saw the painting from different angles. It almost looked like the eyes were following him. "Well, that is common with paintings, isn't it?" He turned his head. He stepped closer. He poked the painting with his finger. It felt like a normal canvas. Somehow, it just seemed out of place to him. All the other paintings were of people looking either happy or stoic. He looked sad and scared. It was just different.

"He is different." According to the lord who hired the assassins, the prince had changed. All he kept repeated was how Akio was different from a few years ago. "But different how?" Naruto had to find out. He decided to go down to the dungeon and ask them himself. It wasn't like they were going anywhere.

Leaving the portrait behind, Naruto went off in search of the dungeon. It must have been under the palace. Where else would it be? As long as he kept going down, he was sure to find it. If worst came to worst, he would ask someone to take him there using the excuse that he had to interrogate them again.

On his way he passed by an open door. He heard Sakura giggling inside. Once again, curiosity overtook him and he peeked inside. It was a ballroom on the first floor and Sakura was dancing with the prince to no music. It looked like she was having a great time.

"You have some elegant moves, Sakura." Akio gave her a turn, spinning her. "Such natural grace."

"I used to practice when I was little. I had fantasies of dancing with someone I really liked. I had a huge crush on him. All the girls did."

"Does he compare to a prince? All girls dream about dancing with a prince."

"Mm." Sakura spun into his arms. "He seemed like a prince to me. He's certainly handsome enough."

"Well..." Akio danced with Sakura, taking her to the center of the dance floor where they rotated in a circle. "I'm sure if he were to see you now, he would easily mistake you for a princess. You certainly dance like one."

Sakura scoffed. "I'm not a princess."

"You could be."

Sakura almost stopped dancing and looked into his eyes. She looked surprised.

Akio smiled at her. "Your beauty, your grace... It wouldn't be difficult. And as long as you're here..." Akio spun Sakura and bent her over backwards, supporting her on his hand. "I'll treat you as the lovely princess that you are. I'll treat you in every way you should be treated, my dear Sakura."

Sakura was speechless. Naruto was right. He was flirting with her.

Naruto turned away and went off in search of the dungeon. He couldn't watch this anymore. "What a player. A pretentious little... Who the hell talks like that? Who does he think he is? I can't believe Sakura would fall for those cheap line."

As far as dungeons went, this one was pretty decent. It seemed to double as a wine cellar and a storage area. Further away from the door, Naruto spotted bars which could only belong to someone's cage. The further he entered, the cooler it got. The prisoners weren't left in total darkness. Lamps were lit on either side of the prison, bathing the men within in orange light and shadow. Naruto stood in front of the bars and stared at them until they acknowledged his presence.

"What do you want?" asked the assassin Naruto had fought that evening. His ear was still bandaged and his face was still covered in scratches.

Naruto bent down to be at eye level with the lord sitting on the ground. "I came to ask you something about the prince."

The lord hugged his knees closer to his chest.

"You said that the prince had changed. What did you mean by that? In what way has he changed?"

The lord looked up. "No one will listen. Why should you be any different?"

"Because I am different." Naruto put his hands on the bars, peering inside. "I'm here asking you when no one told me to do so. I know there's something wrong with the prince. I need to know what. Some strange things have been happening. Things that don't add up."

"Like what?"

"There were five of you, but we only caught you four. When my friends said that we had to stay and look for the one we missed the prince said we didn't have to. If there was an assassin trying to kill him running loose in town, wouldn't he want him found and stopped? He didn't seem that concerned. Not even that he might come here to set you guys free. That's strange to me. Do you know where he is?"

"No," said one of the assassins. "He went ahead to the prince's room but he never returned. When I saw the prince come down those steps unharmed, it got me thinking. Where did he go? They must have crossed paths. He was going straight there."

"We haven't seen him since that night," said the assassin Naruto knew.

"But why would you guys want to assassinate him? What has the prince done to you?"

The lord lifted his head. "It started a little while ago. I noticed a change in him. It was during a meeting. I brought him a gift but he didn't like it. It was a box of chili peppers from my home. We grow lots of them and sometimes I give them to the prince as a gift. He normally likes them. This time, he wouldn't go near them and said they made his nose hurt. Also, I brought my dog on one visit and she wouldn't stop growling at the prince. Normally she loves the prince and he loves to pet her. He wouldn't go near her for some reason. At first, I thought it was because she was growling, but I knew it was more than that. She never growls. She knew something was wrong. Aside from that, the prince wouldn't do proper business with us. He seemed like he wanted to sabotage us. He would lie and when he traded food with us, by the time we reached home and opened the boxes, we found that they were full of dirt or had stones in them. Once we checked the crates of food he was trading and saw the food was inside. When we got back, the crate was empty. It was as if they vanished. He was tricking us and that was so unlike the prince. I knew something was wrong."

"What did you think was going on?" Naruto asked him.

"I was certain that the prince was an imposter. I had a feeling that he wasn't even human. I thought he was a monster. So, I hired these men to do away with the fake prince so he wouldn't ruin things for anyone else. Then your buddies stopped us."

"If you think he's a fake prince, then where do you think the real prince is?"

"I don't know," the lord hung his head. "My fear is that he's been murdered or hidden away somewhere. I have no proof and when I tried to explain my reasoning, no one would believe me. Some even thought I was crazy. I tried telling the staff here but they all swore that nothing was amiss and that the prince was the same as ever."

"I see." Naruto nodded his head. "Don't worry. I believe you. I've had a feeling that the prince was lying about something."

The lord crawled the short distance to the bars and touched Naruto's hand with his. "Then you can put a stop to him." The lord looked so desperate. "Please, please, do something! I'm so glad you understand. Please get rid of this imposter. He'll lead everyone to ruin at this rate. I know the prince. We're good friends. This man... he's not the prince. I refuse to believe it."

Naruto nodded to the lord. "You got it. I promise, I'll get rid of him and find the real prince."

As Naruto ran up the stairs to the next floor, he couldn't help but wonder how any of this matched up. He knew there was something going on with the prince. He never liked him to begin with. He seemed rather two-faced in his opinion. How could he go from so sweet to lying and being vindictive? He thought for sure the prince was the two-tailed fox but the fact that he was wake during the day and wasn't a fox at night made Naruto second guess himself. Even when he transformed into a dog, Akio didn't freak out in the way Naruto thought he would. He didn't respond with hatred or fear. He tried to engage the dog. If he was a fox, he would have never done that.

The only explanation for the prince acting two different ways was the possibility that the two-tailed fox was possessing the prince and forced him to do all these things. After all, how could a fox know what the prince needed to do and how to get it done? Even Jack said that and it made a lot of sense. Even the staff didn't see anything wrong with how the prince was acting. The only explanation was that he was under fox possession and that the fox was someone in the palace. Either that, or he was someone very close by.

"Man, foxes are tricky."

Naruto looked out the window. He had spent too much time talking with the men in the dungeon. It was already sunset. He had to hurry and get out of here before someone saw him. He went straight to his room and gathered his things. The bag he was using to sneak food was still dirty and empty. He couldn't fill it with food now. He was in too big of a hurry. All the traps he had set up were dismantled and put away. When he changed his ninja tools would be useless. All he could do at this point was open his window and wait for the transformation to take place. He would have to figure something out during that time. He had to think of a plan. He had so much information to sort out it was almost overwhelming.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto froze. Slowly he looked up and saw Neji in his doorway. "Uh... nothing. I was just..."

"You were just...?"

Naruto glanced out the open window. Sunset was now. He had no time to deal with Neji. He prayed that Neji would hurry up with whatever he had to say and leave.

"I hear you broke your arm."

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine now. See? Sakura healed me."

Neji looked at the floor where Naruto's gear was gathered. "So... what are you doing now? I didn't see you at dinner."

"I was just busy." Naruto checked the position of the sun again. "Well, it's getting late. I should really get some rest. That way you won't have to get me up in the morning."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Naruto's heart started pounding. "Huh?"

"I know you've been leaving the palace at night. You can't deny that from someone with the Byakugan."

Naruto gulped. "I... I was looking for the assassin."

"This has been going on for a while. Long before the assassins showed up."

"I..."

"You return tired and filthy."

"I... I was out training. Because I couldn't sleep."

"You're a bad liar." Neji wasn't so easily fooled. He had known this for a while. Now he had chosen to confront Naruto. "Tell me the truth. Where have you been going at night?"

"Nowhere. Just outside. To train."

"Try again. I know that you haven't been training. You've been doing something else."

Naruto looked out the window again. The sky was a deep purple color. He only had a few seconds left before he changed into a fox. If he changed in front of Neji, then he would be cursed as well, and he may not become a fox like Naruto. He might turn into something else. He couldn't let that happen. His secret had to be kept safe.

"Where have you been going?" Neji repeated. "What have you been doing?"

"It's not important." Naruto's eyes darted back and forth from the window. The sun was just hanging on the horizon.

"When we were battling those assassins, you were nowhere to be found. What if they were stronger than that? We needed you there. You ran off at a bad time. Things could have been much worse. You return exhausted and dirty, sometimes injured. I want to know what you've been doing and I'm not leaving until you tell me."

Neji wasn't going anywhere. This wasn't good. Naruto could change at any second. "I'm not telling you until you leave."

"I'm not falling for that. You'll just climb out the window and if I do what you say, you could just stand a clone in front of me while you go running off." Neji folded his arms. "I'm staying put."

"It's not a good time, Neji!"

"Then you better talk fast." He wasn't budging.

Naruto's eyes darted to the widow again. He was running out of time. His heart was pounding so fast. This was flight-or-fight, no doubt about it. He would either have to make a run for it and hope Neji didn't catch him, or battle Neji which maybe not work out so well. Not because he thought he couldn't beat him but because it would take too long and Neji might see him change during that time.

"What are you looking at?" Neji asked, seeing Naruto's eyes wander out the window again.

"Nothing."

"Are you hiding something over there? What's so important?"

An idea popped into Naruto's head. This could be his ticket out of here. "There's nothing in the bag over by the window."

"What?"

"It's nothing. It's empty. There's no need to look," Naruto said quickly.

Neji looked behind Naruto at the bag on the floor. He looked back at Naruto, narrowing his eyes. "What's in there?"

"Nothing. I said so."

Neji frowned and walked forward. Naruto stepped in front of him, insisting he stop. Neji shoved him to one side and bent down.

"Neji, don't."

Neji opened the bag and looked inside. It was empty.

"Sorry, Neji."

As Neji started to turn around, Naruto bashed him over the head with the candlestick holder he snatched off the table. Neji fell to the floor out cold while Naruto stood over him with the bent candlestick.

"I said sorry."

The candlestick dropped to the floor as Naruto's body shrunk and became furry. That was too close.

Naruto had to think fast. He couldn't just leave Neji here like this, could he? What was wrong with leaving him in the middle of the floor? They were in a bedroom after all. Maybe he should try hiding him just in case someone came along. What if Neji woke up and tried to look for him?

"Maybe I should hide him." Naruto grabbed onto Neji's collar with his mouth and tried to pull him to the closet. Neji's body only moved a few inches. "Damn, you're heavy!" Neji was so much bigger than him and Naruto could only move him with his teeth. He gave up after dragging Neji no more than a few feet. This wasn't going to work. Trying something else, Naruto grabbed the corner of the blanket from the bed and draped it over Neji so his whole body was covered. This way, if anyone came around, Neji was hidden from sight. The last thing he needed was for a maid to come along and clean the room only to find Neji on the floor. That would be problematic. "Good enough."

From there, Naruto climbed out the open window and scampered off. He crossed the yard and scaled the stone wall which separated the palace from the woods. If only Neji hadn't arrived when he did. Naruto was planning his next move and Neji distracted him. He also nearly discovered Naruto's secret. Neji would be fine there on the floor. He just had to get away before he was seen by any of his friends. Now that he was free to do as he pleased away from prying eyes, Naruto decided to visit the kitsune as he did every night and try to get some more information from them.

The dash through town to get to the other side of the forest where he frequently met them was quick and uneventful. Most of the people had returned to their homes for the evening and the two humans Naruto saw didn't even notice him as they tended to their evening chores. The forest was quiet and the dead lizard they had left for him was still there. Perhaps he should return it to them and contribute to their breakfast. He certainly wasn't going to eat it.

Moments later, the kitsune began to arrive, greeting him warmly and asking how he was feeling. Naruto was happy to report that his injuries had healed and he was feeling much better. Then the kitsune started talking again about the night before and how much fun it was to pull pranks on humans again. After the arrangement between them and the humans, they got to pull very little if any pranks on anyone. It was something they enjoyed doing and couldn't. It seemed there were downsides to the offerings arrangement.

"Well, what should we do? Go for the farm or go in town?"

The kitsune had to decide where to look for food tonight.

"Is there anything to hunt?"

"Very little. But we could try."

Naruto had to wait to ask his questions. For the time being, they had to hunt.

They took him behind the mountain, which was rare for them to do. According to them, it was harder to find animals in this area because the land was more rocky and unstable. Most animals knew that was where the kitsune lived so they had a tendency to avoid it.

"I thought your home was on top of the mountain," he asked them while climbing the rocky walls of the mountain.

"We do," answered Sonar. "But this mountain is very vast. Where we usually take you to hunt is a good place because it's far away from the humans and near the other side of the mountain where lots of animals go. The mountain has more than two sides to it, you know. And the mountain isn't just a cone shape. It spreads out over a long ways."

Naruto understood. "Just like how there isn't just north, south, east and west. There's also things like northeast and stuff, right? That's how it works with the mountain faces. And that some parts of the mountain are steeper than others. I get it. So, the area we're in now..."

"It's treacherous. Lots of loose rocks and the land crumbles away, the water doesn't flow in this direction, the trees are very dense. It's not a popular place for animals. Think of it as a wasteland."

"Do plants grow here?"

Sonar shook his head. "Not food plants. Because of the harsh land, a lot of trees end up getting uprooted and what trees are able to grow here don't bear fruit. There are a lot of weeds and moss and bugs. When it rains, the earth becomes damp and because of how the land is, it tends to stay trapped here for a while, forming a marsh that goes away in the summer. In winter, this all becomes ice. The damp land causes landslides and more trees end up being pushed out of the soil and slide downhill. This is why very few animals come here. It's dangerous."

"Even when we were hungry and looking for food, our hunting travels in this area weren't very good," added Lunabell. "Too few animals and too much danger. Even birds are afraid to build their nests here because of the trees falling over. Moles don't even have homes in this soil because it will cave in on them. Hunting is very hard here. No animals."

"We're only trying here on the off chance of finding something. Like an animal looking for some sweet grass or mushrooms to eat."

Naruto could see why animals didn't come to this part of the mountain. Rocks kept slipping and sliding under his paws and the fallen trees Sonar spoke of were everywhere. It looked like a lumber yard. If more than one fox stood on a log, it would start to sink in the mushy soil and get swallowed up. Once or twice, Naruto's paws got trapped in the mud and he needed help to get out. Lunabell sunk up to her chest and Naruto had to pull her out by the scruff of her neck while balancing on a rock. There was nothing to hunt here. It was a deathtrap if nothing else.

Ryosuke took the foxes further up the mountain where it was safer and away from the unstable land. They kept close to the wall of the mountain, making their way to the other side where, hopefully, there would be better luck finding food. They spread out and searched. Aurora caught a bird that was hiding in a tree, Sonar found some edible plants and Naruto managed to catch a mouse that was trying to escape between two rocks. Ryosuke caught the bulk of the food, hunting down and catching a weasel and a snake. They took their findings up the mountain to where they lived to eat in peace.

Once on top of the mountain, they dumped their spoils in a pile on the ground and tried to divide everything up evenly. Naruto added the dead lizard from the night before to the pile and Seki and Sammi dug up some food they had buried. They couldn't save it anymore. Finally, they had enough for everyone to have a fair share.

Naruto had worked up an appetite running around the mountain with the others so he happily joined them in their 'feast'. When the females went off to wash themselves after being soaked in mud, they returned with a fish they had caught and shared it with Ryosuke, who had eaten very little. Wanting to help feed them just a little more, Naruto ran off alone to get something else. He went straight to the farm and grabbed the biggest ear of corn her could find and brought it back up the mountain.

This was some hard work. Because they could only bring back what they could carry in their mouths, it took them a while to collect much of anything that could be considered a meal. This was such a hassle. The corn didn't come close to feeding the nine kitsune, which meant he had to run back and get more. No wonder they tried to eat as much as they could while they were there before bringing some back for later. It made a lot of sense.

Ryosuke ran off from the group and returned with even more food from the farm. He and Naruto were thinking the same thing. He only managed to bring back a tomato and a few leeks. At least it was something.

When everyone was fed, Naruto relaxed by the cliff and watched the sky with Seki.

"It's a beautiful night," commented Seki.

Naruto grunted in response. Then he asked, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I've been trying to find the two-tailed fox for you guys but I keep reaching dead ends."

"Don't worry about it, Naruto." Despite his words, Seki sounded disappointed. It was as if he expected this would happen. "We've been trying for years. No one who has had any luck has ever returned. It's strange when you consider yourself lucky for failing, huh?"

"I narrowed it down to two people but they don't fit all the pieces so I'm still not sure where Reevo could be."

"What sort of pieces?" Seki turned his head.

"Well... For instance, I thought it was the prince since he disappeared at night, but then I realized it couldn't have been him because he was up during the day and foxes sleep at night."

Seki looked puzzled for a moment then he spoke. "Actually, foxes can alter their sleeping pattern depending on when hunting is better. We can train ourselves on whether or not we're nocturnal. If hunting is better during the day, then we train ourselves to sleep at night. If hunting is better at night, then we sleep during the day."

"Oh." Naruto thought that founded familiar somehow but he couldn't remember where he heard it. "Ok, so a fox can train itself on when it sleeps. Ok... But there's more." Naruto went to the next issue. "I also thought it was the guy in town, but I realized it couldn't have been him because he was human at night."

"So?" asked Seki.

"So? So, foxes only appear at night. Like me. I change into a fox at night. Therefore, it couldn't have been the old man or the prince, because I saw both of them as humans when the sun was down. Well, not the old man in person, but I know he was human when it was night. If they were kitsune, then they would have changed into foxes at night like I do. That's why I thought the prince ran to his room when the sun went down to hide his transformation. But when I saw him come downstairs as a human and it had been night for a while, I knew it couldn't have been him." Naruto sighed. "So, I was back at square one again."

Seki frowned, giving Naruto a hard look as if he had just said something bizarre no one would ever think of. "What are you talking about?"

"What? Foxes change into their true forms at night, don't they? Like me. So even if the two-tailed fox was disguised as a human, he would change back into his true kitsune form at night."

Seki shook his head. "No. We don't change at night. That's only you because of your curse."

"What?" Naruto's mouth fell open.

"Yes. Even if we're transformed into something else, we can remain in that form day or night," said Seki. "You change at night because that's how you're cursed. But that isn't how it works for regular kitsune. I mean, sure, we can't maintain that form forever since it is unnatural and will have to change back at some point, but we can choose when we do it."

Naruto was stunned. "So... even if a kitsune is transformed... they can choose when they take on that form? It has nothing to do with it being night or not? It's just me?"

"Just you because of how your curse works. We only knew some of the details of your curse because our elders used to place curses on people for revenge or as a prank, so we were taught how they work. But every fox curse is different. Plus, when we saw you, we kind of put two and two together. I suppose it was a lucky guess on our part. We could have been wrong. But no, that's not how it works for all kitsune."

Naruto was beside himself with shock and righteousness. The two reasons Naruto had doubt were just proven wrong. Sleeping during the day and changing into a fox at night. What Seki just told him made Naruto rethink everything as he tossed those reasons aside.

If what Seki said was true, then that meant...

"I have to go!" Naruto started down the mountain.

"Wait!" Seki called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the palace!" Naruto didn't stick around to explain or to hear the rest of what Seki was shouting down to him. He had to get back to the palace.

He was right all along. It was him. It had to be him. The doubt was gone. There was no reason why he couldn't have been.

Naruto raced back to the palace as fast as he could. He ignored the dog barking behind him and the lights on in the homes that cast his shadow upon the ground like a monstrous companion. He had to get back as soon as possible. Though he had a feeling he was right, he didn't want to involve the kitsune. Not on the off chance that he was wrong but rather to protect them. They had done so much for him and they had suffered so much. He couldn't risk them coming along only to get cursed themselves or for the prince's guards to attack and possibly kill them if caught. Naruto was already under a curse so he figured he couldn't get cursed twice.

When Naruto squeezed between the bars of the gate and ran up hill toward the prince's bedroom, he realized that there was no open window for him to climb through. He could always go back through the window he had exited but then he would run into the guards standing outside the prince's bedroom. Maybe some fox fire could distract them, but then what of the door? How would he open it? Maybe he could possess one of the men and hope their will wasn't strong like the hunters from the other night. He managed to resist Naruto and pulled him out. The hunter didn't seem that bright so if he could do it, what could these guards do? There had to be another way.

"Of course! That's it!" Naruto ran to the garden the prince had shown them, claiming it was his private garden. "Thank you, Neji." If it hadn't been for Neji interrogating the prince, he would have never known about the secret passages or their locations. One of the passages was located in the garden and led right into the prince's room. Now if he could only find it.

He sniffed around the yard for something that smelled like it was out of place. If it weren't for the kitsune teaching him how to track scent, he would have never been able to attempt this. His nose picked up something that smelled of metal. It was under a bush. Naruto dug around until his paws touched the metal latch of a secret door. Now he just had to figure out how to open it. It was surprisingly easy. The metal door was light enough for Naruto to pull open with his teeth. It slid at an angle, like rice paper doors, and disappeared in the bush. Though the passage was well hidden, it didn't get past Naruto's nose. Once the small door was open, Naruto squeezed into the hole and dropped down into a stone hallway. There was no light, but thankfully Naruto had excellent night vision. The tunnel went in only one direction. Naruto followed the tunnel, running as fast as he could until he came to another door.

This was it. Naruto's heart beat with excitement. On the other side of this was the two-tailed fox. He wanted it to be him. He wished for it to be him so much and now at last he got his wish. This was the two-tailed fox. It had to be.

Naruto pushed the small door open with both paws and it opened with a dull creak. Naruto tumbled forward and rolled across the soft red and tan carpet. The room was warm and clean. It was well furnished and there were numerous decorations and books. Naruto's eyes scanned every corner of the room, from the chair by the fireplace to the desk covered with papers and small stuffed animals to the potted plant by the lamp, all the way to the boy sitting up in bed staring at him.

The prince looked the same as ever. Nothing foxy about him. He was dressed in his night clothes and all his jewelry had been removed for bed. It didn't look like he had been sleeping long or if at all. His hair wasn't very messy and his eyes didn't look the least bit heavy. He looked slightly startled to see a fox in the middle of his floor but not too thrilled either.

Naruto stood up and growled at the prince in bed. "You! I knew it all along."

Prince Akio looked Naruto up and down, then said calmly with a bit of wonder in this voice, "My, my, a talking fox. How interesting."

"Don't give me any of that crap!" Naruto barked. "Don't act all surprised! You know I can talk... Reevo!"

Akio blinked and cocked his head to the side. "Reevo? What on earth are you talking about? My name is Akio. I am the prince of this palace. You must have me confused with someone else."

"Drop the act! I know it's you!"

Akio looked a little hurt. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"You're Reevo, the two-tailed fox." Naruto knew it was him. Just to make sure Reevo knew it, too, Naruto gave him the evidence he gathered over this past week. "Ryosuke told me how you left the group of kitsune a few years ago. You wanted to live the life of a human."

"So, you think I'm that fox?" the prince almost scoffed.

"What better human to take the life of than that of a prince? You don't have to pick up after yourself, people take care of you, serve you, even bring you food. Any food you ask for. You can pretty much do whatever you want. Even boss people around and be a leader. Pretty great, huh? But that's not the only reason I know it has to be you. You've been giving me clues all week and then some."

"Oh?" Akio sat back in bed, interested to hear what he had to say.

"My first clue was when you seemed nervous when Neji told you that he could see through walls. Of course, you were upset. You didn't want to risk Neji seeing you in your fox form, which you must change into from time to time. You also said that you didn't like dogs. Plus, people never go into your room, no matter what. You don't want to risk them finding out the truth. My next clue came from the lord you imprisoned. He said that you haven't been the same since a few years ago. Food from your trades have gone missing, even after he saw it in the cart. The next second, it's a pile of dirt or nothing at all. That sounds like fox magic to me. You made the illusion that there were things to trade when the thing was empty all along. His dog also started growling at you, because a dog can detect a kitsune. You didn't accept foods you normally like because, to a fox nose, it's too strong a smell and you can't stand it. And the other thing about the assassins the lord hired, we never did catch the last guy. You know what I think?"

Akio said nothing and watched him.

"I think you saw him come into your room and put a curse on him. He would have been the first to arrive. We never did find him. But the funny thing is that you got a new ornament the very night he went missing. I think that's what you cursed him to turn into."

The prince didn't react to any of the things Naruto had said. He just sat there and listened.

"Also, you lied. I checked around town and no one complained about the foxes, not even the farmer. You hired those hunters on your own and made up an excuse. You also seemed really upset when they didn't finish the job and ran off. The thing that got my attention the most was the fact that you knew exactly where to find them. How could you have known that unless you were one of them? The timing of everything is also pretty convenient. The lord said that you started to act funny around the same time Reevo left the group. Changes started happening right after that, including the offerings coming to a sudden stop. It all happened after Reevo left."

Naruto gave Akio a hard look.

"Everything about you just screams it. The timing, the way you act, everything. I've known it for a while and now I have all the proof I need."

Akio sat quietly. Even after Naruto had finished speaking, he remained quiet.

Slowly, the prince started to smile. His lips curled into a wicked foxy grin and he began to chuckle. "And here I thought you were an idiot. I'm surprised you figured it out."

His voice had changed. He didn't sound anything like the prince. His voice was a little deeper with a lot more malice. Slowly he raised his head and Naruto was met with glowing yellow eyes. The same eyes Naruto saw their first night at the palace and the very eyes he saw when he was cursed. Two furry fox ears popped out of the top of the prince's head and his grin became even more wicked.

"You're right, Naruto," he sneered. "I am the two-tailed fox."

Gasp!

Who saw this coming? A lot, right?

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