Disclaimer: Guess what…I still don't own Naruto and I'm still so sad about it.

Chapter Ten:

The Tailed Beast Shroud

It's hiding in the dark, its teeth are razor sharp
There's no escape for me
It wants my soul, it wants my heart

No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream
Or maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster!

~Skillet~

When Naruto opened his eyes, he discovered that his surroundings had changed. He stood ankle deep in water in front of a massive cage with a seal on it. Evil, radiant red eyes glowed from within. A deep malicious voice rumbled, "So you've come at last."

Naruto, too angry to be scared, breathed heavily and demanded impatiently, "Let me out of here now; I don't have any time for this! I have to finish this fight and crush that man."

"Oh, so you need power?" chuckled the Kyuubi, "I can help you with that."

Naruto was no fool. This was the demon that almost destroyed Konohagakure in a moment of unbridled rage. His tone alone spoke volumes – this was not a creature that could be trusted. "I don't want or need your power."

"Not even to kill the man who murdered your friends?" he asked sinuously.

Naruto scoffed, "Their not dead. I saw through Orochimaru's genjutsu. They were hurt, but they definitely weren't dead."

The demon growled, "You didn't see everything human. You didn't see what just happened. Look…look down there." An image appeared in the rippling water; Sai was jerking and twisting in a spasmodic death dance across the stone lined pathways that graced the village. He looked like a puppet being jerked on tangled strings. Sasuke was lying in the grass unmoving, his sightless eyes staring accusingly at him. Orochimaru's massive snake struck the ground, hitting it like an earthquake. Each and every building including the walls of the mountain was reduced to dust, engulfing the village in flames. The streets flowed with blood and echoed with the screams of the wounded.

He stared; too horrified to cry.

He stared; too devastated to scream.

He stared; too demoralized to mourn.

And he saw it.

He stared; his shoulders sagging with relief, his eyes losing the shadows that had threatened to overcome him.

He stared; letting out a hysterical short laugh, unable to hide his relief…

Naruto imagined himself holding a rolled up newspaper and swatting the Kyuubi on the nose with it. With an odd lilt in his voice, he said, "You're one sick, twisted, naughty little fox, aren't you? I hope you live a long time trapped within me. I'm going to train you right."

"You don't care that your friends are dead, human?!" roared the demon.

"Of course I do, but my friends aren't dead. My name is Naruto… not human, and you are a fool. Sai is not, nor has he ever been an Uchiha, so why does he have that little fan on the back of his shirt? You are just trying to trick me and it's not going to work!" He shook his fist at the cage and demanded, "Let me out of here now!"

"It's too late; your anger has drawn my chakra." The demon smiled wide, closed his eyes and laid them on his paws. His teeth gleamed in the dark as he said, "You'll be back. The time will come when you'll want to release me and take all the pain away. I will kill them all for you. In the mean time…enjoy a little taste…"

~~O~~

Jiraiya burst into the scene to see Sasuke lean Sai against a tree. Naruto lay on the ground enveloped in red chakra. His old friend, Orochimaru had his neck stretched out to an impossible length. The head was aiming straight at Sasuke's back while a clone was in front of him. The boy had no idea of the danger he was in. Jiraiya bit his thumb and summoned a toad. "Take them home," he yelled as he rushed forward to engage his former teammate.

The huge toad appeared close to the boys. Its tongue whipped out and wrapped around Sai, swallowing him. Sasuke turned towards Orochimaru and took a step backwards before assuming a defensive position. He didn't see the venomous fangs inches from his neck. Something wrapped itself around his waist and jerked him to the toad. Its wide mouth opened and he disappeared into it.

A lesser man, whose emotions were not exquisitely balance by his intellect, might have succumbed to rage. Orochimaru was not a lesser man. His old team mate Jiraiya was here, as evidenced by the toad that just stole his prize away. No matter… there were plenty more Uchiha in the world to pick from. He turned to look at the new challenge before him, Jiraiya, the toad Sannin.

Orochimaru smiled and hissed, "Are you ready to face me Jiraiya? You always were second rate. You couldn't beat me when you were in your prime and you certainly can't beat me now, old man."

The white-haired sage was about to respond when Naruto suddenly howled.

~~The Shroud~~

The boy opened his eyes and saw the body of Fū. He was overcome by the rage that beat steadily within him. The stronger and more powerful chakra of the Kyuubi claimed him. Naruto felt its power rushing through his chakra network. Sai and Sasuke were no where to be seen, but he somehow knew they were safe. The people of Waterfall were not. Too many lay dead around him.

He snarled and then opened his mouth wide and emitted an ear splitting roar that shook the very leaves on the trees behind him. Translucent bubbling red chakra formed a shroud around his body and paws of chakra surrounded his hands.

His body underwent further transformation. Naruto, on all fours now; barely resembled a human child any longer. Pain coursed through his body as muscles tore and bones broke. Orochimaru laughed as though delighted by what he saw.

No longer swift or surefooted, Naruto was like a mindless raging bull. He charged straight towards the Sannin.

Both men jumped out of the way, but his speed was too fast. Orochimaru was a fraction too slow as an arm made from chakra whipped out, snatched his ankle, and flung him across the battlefield.

"Naruto!" shouted Jiraiya, "Hold on!"

Never losing his balance, Orochimaru slid to a stop and called out, "Such raw power…It's magnificent." Naruto's fury made him unable to distinguish between friend and foe and he attacked without mercy, oblivious to the consequences. He swiped at Jiraiya and then at Orochimaru, missing both times.

He charged again, roaring with bestial ferocity. He was almost upon the Snake Sannin again when the man disappeared. Naruto jerked his head right and left, looking for the enemy when he reappeared behind him. "Maybe Namikaze would be better than Uchiha," Orochimaru hissed.

The thick corrosiveness of the Kyuubi's chakra was too much for even Orochimaru to handle. One side of his face burned black the instant he touched the boy's skin, but he pushed on and sunk his fangs into him.

Naruto staggered for a moment before shaking his head, the poison dripping from his neck as his body rejected it. His eyes narrowed and he hissed, and then launched himself with renewed fury at the Sannin, who just laughed and sinuously dodged the flailing arms.

"You will pay for what you've done here," gritted out Naruto in a guttural voice barely passed for human.

A dark red, nearly black layer of chakra enveloped the boy. His muscle mass increased and ears become clearly defined, and then the unthinkable occurred; a tail emerged, followed quickly by another. A crater formed beneath his feet from the stronger and more powerful chakra that poured out of him. His strength and speed increased. This time as the transformed boy charged, Orochimaru wasn't fast enough to evade. Naruto's chakra arm snatched the Snake Sannin as he was twisting in the air and batted him down.

Like a hunting cat, he pounced and bit. Two bubbling red arms grabbed hold of the man and ripped him in two; the pieces landing with a sickening wet thud on the battered ground. The Toad Sage stared in shock as the upper half began to wiggle and twitch. An undamaged body slick with saliva emerged from the old one. Orochimaru pulled his new body to a standing position and laughed again, immensely pleased with himself.

"What have you done to yourself?" asked Jiraiya disgustedly.

"I have gone further than anyone else has ever dared."

Naruto roared again. He created a tailed beast ball from his chakra arms and shot it at Orochimaru.

It narrowly missed the Sannin, who was now longer laughing. Now he was ready to get serious. His body became snake-like. He opened his mouth wide as a sword came out. It impaled Naruto to the burning mill. Jiraiya tried to get to the boy, but was blocked as the battered Sasori appeared.

He needed help. He knew he would have difficulties against two such mighty foes as these. Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to help contain the Jinchuriki while he battled the puppet master and Orochimaru.

Sasori took in the situation and wisely knew to back off. Although he felt certain he and Orochimaru could take on the rampaging Jinchuriki and probably the giant toad, he knew that they couldn't battle the Sannin as well. It would not be possible to obtain both Jinchuriki right now.

It was time to gather their prize and escape. He snatched the barely breathing body of Fū with his tail. "You're making us late," he growled out in a harsh grating voice to Orochimaru. "We have the seven tails; what's left of it anyways. We're leaving." His fight with the sanin had clearly worn him out. His clothes were in tatters. "Your obsession with the Uchiha cost us the nine tails. You know our leader will not be pleased with your actions today."

Also knowing it was time to leave, Orochimaru shrugged indifferently, pulled the sword from Naruto's body, and retracted it back down his throat. He removed his cloak and let it drop to the ground. "My time with your organization has come to its end anyways. You can send your leader my regards." He glanced over at the toad sage and added, "You won't be able to keep your eyes on them all of the time Jiraiya. Sooner or later, I will get an Uchiha and the Akatsuki will get your little Jinchuriki pet too."

In an instant, both men were gone. Jiraiya wanted to give chase; however, Naruto was growing another tail. He would soon be beyond help. With a curse, he frantically searched through his pack, withdrawing a paper seal he had hoped he would never have to use.

The Sannin charged forward, narrowly avoiding the tail that lashed out towards him. He slapped the tag on the boy's forehead a second before he was slammed in the chest by a clawed hand. Feeling several ribs break, he was hurled backwards across the burning mill and into another building. He crashed into the wall hard enough to hear the windows break, his teeth snapping together so forcefully that he would have bitten off his tongue if it had been in the way.

Jiraiya collapsed on his face, sucking up dust and ash, struggling to recapture the breath that had been knocked out of him. He raised his head from the ground to see the chakra receding from the boy. Naruto stood there for a moment in confusion before falling down.

A loud crack came from above him. With tremendous effort, he rolled out of the way just in time to dodge the wall that came crashing down.

Jiraiya got up on his hands and knees, choking on the dirt and ash caught in the back of his throat. Every cough sent a quiver of pain through his chest, which he ignored. His felt as if his rib cage was a vise that had closed around his heart and lungs. Grimacing at the pain in his chest, the Sannin staggered to his feet and weaved towards the injured boy that lay in a heap on the ground. He fell beside Naruto and cradled him to his chest.

"Naruto," he wheezed, "Naruto, answer me."

One lid slowly cracked open; the blue orb glazed over in agony, he tried to speak. In barely a whisper, he asked, "Where…?"

"They're fine," he hastily assured the boy in relief. "I promise you, Sai and Sasuke are in a safe place where no one can harm them. I'm going to take you there as soon as you are healed."

Naruto, no longer able to hold onto consciousness, closed his eyes once again. The darkness of sleep calmed his mind and body as he tried in vain to heal.

The survivors of the village stumbled around in confusion, crying and screaming. Jiraiya bandaged the semi-conscious boy as best he could, picked him up and raced down the sheer face off the mountain. Although his chakra reserves were dangerously low due to the fight with the Akatsuki member, he went into sage mode and ran faster than he ever had in his life towards the closest hidden village with a hospital capable of healing the boy's grievous injuries.

He ran to Kusagakure.

Naruto's Omake

This Omake is dedicated to Cookiemonster77, who dreamed it up! So the setting is Konoha. Naruto is a sweet (yeah – right!), innocent (again – yeah right!) eight year old boy. He had just started something that would go down in the history books as the first ever village-wide prank wars.

~~O~~

He had to win; he just had too… Naruto sat in his bedroom thinking and planning the greatest prank the world had ever seen. What could he do?

He could put dye in the Hyuga's water supply so that all of their pretty white clothes would be pink.

Nah, not good enough… and besides, he was still banned from ever touching dye again… hmm, what to do? Naruto got up and began to pace around the room.

He could hide all the clothes at the spas again…oh wait, that's right; he was still banned from going within fifty feet of a spa because of the whole bubble bath incident… hmm, what to do?

The movie theatre…! He could… oh wait, that's right; he was still banned from that place too… hmm, what to do?

Naruto frowned and tried to think of a place he hadn't been forbidden from yet. Anbu headquarters nearly had a kill on sight order for him as did the KMP, every restaurant quickly put up closed signs when he walked past and someone in the market district trained dogs to attack when they smelled him coming.

Hmm, what to do?

There was that new little club that all the kunoichi liked to go to…the one that had the sign saying 'All Male Review' (whatever that was!). Hmm, what could he do?

Naruto's eyes lit up and he smiled that certain wide smile…the smile that people who knew him, would cringe in fear at the sight. The smile that sent women and children running and screaming…

~~O~~

"NARUTO UZUMAKI HATAKE, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Naruto awoke to something wrapping itself around his ankles. He threw off the covers and gasped. His skin turned cold and clammy, his breath came out in short little bursts, he tried to scream…nothing happened.

His chest was too constricted, his terror too great…

He tried again.

"daddy," he whispered.

He tried again.

"Daddy?"

He tried again.

"DADDY!"

Kakashi came running into the room to find it filled with snakes. Anko stood outside the window perched in the tree along with about fifteen other kunoichi. They were all wet, bedraggled, and VERY angry. Mascara was running down their cheeks like black tears and lipstick was smeared across their cheeks. Truly, if he wasn't so worried about his pup, he would be on the floor rolling in laughter. They looked like a posse of insane clones.

"Don't kill him," begged Kakashi instead, "I swear I'll punish him this time!"

"You keep saying that, but you never do!" shouted one of the women.

"He's got to pay the price this time!" screamed another.

Naruto whimpered as one of the snakes slithered down his pajama bottoms and touched his butt cheek. "Daddy, help me," he pled.

"Let him go Anko, I promise I'll punish him."

Naruto tried to brush a snake away from his face, but the large one around his chest squeezed tighter. "One of 'um is trying to get up my nose daddy."

"Anko," he growled warningly as several bared their fangs and struck at his legs.

She just stared back blankly while another kunoichi yelled, "Look at what that brat did to us!"

Not taking his eyes off the snake mistress, Kakashi said, "You need to apologize son."

Another snake crawled up his pant leg. Naruto stared at it, eyes wide with horror, and blubbered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I swear I'll never do it again. I'm sorry! Please Anko, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it! Please make them go away, please, please, please?"

The snakes disappeared as Anko climbed into the room. She poked the boy in the forehead and said, "If I ever find another one of your little water pits again, my snakes will have you for lunch, do you understand?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Um, could you please get the one that's trying to crawl into my underwear?"

Anko giggled. "That one's a little twisted," she said as she pulled out an extremely long black snake by its tail. It hissed and snapped playfully at Naruto with poisoned fangs. "I think he likes you," she said.

Kakashi jerked Naruto into his arms and glared at her as the boy burst into tears and buried his head in his shoulders. "That was a little excessive, don't you think Anko? He's only eight years old!"

"The little gaki deserved it!" she shouted. "You better remember what I said Hatake. He better be punished or you wake up covered in snakes next."

"I heard you, now get out of my house. And by the way," he added icily, "Naruto may do stupid thoughtless things, but that doesn't make him a brat." He calmly pointed to the window then carried the still sobbing boy from the room to his.

"D-Daddy, (sob) wh-what are (sob) y-you gonna (sob) do to m-me?" cried the boy. "It w-was (sob) only s-supposed (sob) to be a joke. I did-didn't (sob) mean to m-make them so mad at m-me."

Kakashi peered into Naruto's tear-filled blue eyes and felt a deep pang. Be tough; be tough, the boy needs to be punished… He just couldn't do it. He just couldn't… "Mah, I think you learned your lesson right?" He wiped the tears away and - ew! Snot bubbles - made him blow his nose.

"Yes daddy. I'll never prank another kunoichi cause they're mean and scary."

"Yup, I'll say you learned a very important lesson," he said dryly.

~~O~~

The next night when Kakashi awoke with thousands of snakes wrapped around him, he calmly pulled them off and laughed. "I am a shinobi," he said aloud, "Do you really think a few serpents would bother me?"

He ran from the room with a pounding heart when he heard the squirrel.

~~O~~

Bet you thought Naruto's greatest fear is snakes...nope - a really mad kunoichi is way worse!

~~An Omake of an Omake!~~

Kakashi was waiting for the rest of his team to arrive for a new mission when Guy approached. He rolled his eyes and thought "What now?"

Guy swaggered up to him and stated in an extremely loud and carrying voice, "Kakashi, my eternal rival, I heard you had a little incident with a squirrel that that you running for your life in a very un-youthful manner."

Kakashi glanced away from the window and said, "Wait, start over. I wasn't paying attention."

"I said, I heard you had a little incident with a squirrel that that you running for your life."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said coolly.

"That's not what I heard," said Genma with a snigger.

Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "First of all," he defended, "It wasn't one squirrel, it was like a hundred… and they were all rabid… and angry. You should have seen their mean, red, beady little eyes. They were foaming at the mouth so I simply calmly and rationally vacated my room in a swift and timely manner."

"Uh huh," snorted Asuma. "So does that mean you don't want this?" he asked, throwing a dead squirrel at the silver-haired jonin.

The jonin station was quickly evacuated as lightning exploded through the windows and a tidal wave of water burst out of the doors.

AN

Thanks to my beta cookiemonster77!

Just you just hate how a lot of the bad guys are all kinda alike. My beta pointed out that Orochimaru is a lot like Lord Voldamort and he definitely is. The Kyuubi even has some of the same qualities. That's why my favorite bad guy is an anti-hero type like Kisame, Pein, and Itachi. Raise your hands if you teared up even a little when they died!

Did anyone get this funny little moment of mine? I caught it when I was doing my final draft!

"I will get an Uchiha and the Akatsuki will get your little Jinchuriki pet too."

Hint…

"I'll get you my pretty... and your little dog too!" (Wizard of Oz!)

Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/commented!

AZFAERYDUST