AN: I knew you readers were bummed that this story was abandoned, but I didn't think you were disappointed that much! Over 120 followers and over 70 favorites just for the first chapter alone…WHAT! Seriously mind boggling, but I am glad to see this and many positive reviews as well. I have my original outline surprisingly, but I will be going at a slower pace than before. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the next installment and thanks again readers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor am I doing this for monetary purposes; all rights go to Kishimoto.
ITALICS – thinking
BOLD – demon speak
Arc One: Beginning of a Legend
Chapter Two
Kisame couldn't help but subconsciously rub the key in his right hand while looking to his left shoulder to see if Naruto was still asleep. It wasn't long after the hug that Naruto fell asleep in Kisame's arms which made the now ex missing-nin highly uncomfortable, something which made the Hokage and ANBU snicker. The quiet laughter didn't last long as Naruto was taken out of the room by one of the ANBU so that the two could speak privately.
Although much of this was about what Kisame had spilled during his short time in T & I, some of it was about the academy and where the two would be staying. On the academy end, Kisame denied Naruto's acceptance to the academy even if it was going to be revamped. His reason? Kisame didn't know when this illness would take him, and the more time he spent training his legacy, the better. Hiruzen didn't argue further as he saw logic in the decision. However, this was not the case on where to stay.
For many minutes, Kisame and the Sandaime argued about this to the point Naruto's heritage was being brought up. After the security seals were up, the two argued further but eventually they came to a consensus; Naruto and Kisame would stay in Minato and Kushina's home. However, this came with a major stipulation in the form of Kisame now having to train Naruto in his heritage as well, with help of course. When asked who this help would be, Kisame understood why Hiruzen relented to his arguments.
He was strong, yes, but Kisame was no match for Jiraiya of the Sannin with his illness getting worse each passing day. Plus, with ANBU watching his every move the Tailless Tailed Beast knew when he was beat.
Arriving at the Namikaze home, which was small and quaint but enough for a small family, Kisame put the key into the key hole and turned. As he entered, Kisame looked around to see a living room on his right, and an open concept kitchen on the left while a coat closet was close to the entrance.
The living room, although slightly small, had a TV mounted on the wall, a dark wood coffee table inlayed with glass, along with a leather sofa and loveseat. Instead of carpet, everything including the kitchen floor was a light colored hardwood. The kitchen was slightly bigger than the living room, but it included all the necessities one needed to live comfortably. The countertops were polished granite which accented the light colored cabinets, and an island helped to show a separation between the two rooms.
"Wow…" Kisame blinked in awe at his surroundings. "…for extremely active shinobi, they sure knew how to live."
Once he placed Naruto on the couch, Kisame decided to explore further to find a hallway which led to a half-bath and the stairs up to the second floor and basement. The door to the basement was inlayed with an unknown matrix of seals, something which Kisame knew not to touch lest he be killed. So, with a shrug, the man decided to go upstairs only to find the master bedroom which had an en-suite and a walk in closet. The walls were a light shade of blue, but upon them hung mementos of Uzu; a headband, pictures of Kushina and Mito together, etc. At the foot of the king size bed was a footlocker, while at the head, on either side, was nightstands. Heading out of this room, Kisame turned left to find another full size bathroom which had the same concept as the kitchen. Heading out of this room, there was one door left. Upon opening it, Kisame couldn't help but tear up.
"WELCOME HOME NARUTO"
The orange letters on the white banner said as it was stretched over the crib in the right corner. The walls were an off-white which matched the white carpet, but like the master bedroom, pictures hung on this wall. There wasn't many, but one made Kisame walk up and place his hands upon it.
"I promise that your son won't go through the childhood I had." The ex-missing nin said with a smile, the same one Minato had as he touched Kushina's pregnant belly.
As Kisame stepped away, he caught sight of a toy chest which he decided to open and found something that brought past memories to light; ones which he hoped could have stayed buried.
"To think a simple teddy bear would remind me of my abusive father." Kisame sighed and placed the teddy bear back in the chest. "The same one which killed my mother and made me the way I have become known today."
A gasp made Kisame turn towards the door to see a wide-eyed Naruto.
"Yah brat, this could have been you if the Kyuubi didn't attack six years ago." The Hoshigaki started sadly as he sat on the wooden toy chest which made it creak. "Your parents would still be here, the villagers wouldn't hate you, and I'd still be roaming around a criminal, likely to die without putting my sins to rest."
"Y-you know my parents?!" Naruto asked, though he was still in shock at what could have been.
"Hai, but I cannot tell for your Ji-Ji has forbid it until you've gotten a lot stronger." Naruto wanted to say more but Kisame stopped him. "Hush brat, I know you have questions, but for now the answers will have to wait." Kisame stood and motioned to the door. "Come, we have some shopping to do."
"B-but the villagers!" Naruto yelled in concern, a feeling which grew when he got a shark-like smirk in return.
"Think of it as your first step in training, brat."
Hokage Office – Fire Daimyo Arrives
It wasn't every day that the Fire Daimyo visited Konoha, but when he did people stopped and stared much like when Kisame was escorted through the village. For the civilians, the Daimyo looked calm as he walked with a strong gait despite his elderly age. For some shinobi, however, they could feel an inner rage ready to unleash at a moment's notice. Something had happened and whatever did wasn't good.
"Greetings, Tokugawa-dono." Hiruzen bowed as did his ANBU guard as the Daimyo entered the office.
"As to you, Sarutobi-dono." The Daimyo bowed in return.
"Before we begin, shall I get you any refreshments?" Hiruzen asked.
"Tea would be lovely, thank you."
"Megumi!" The secretary rushed in and bowed to the Daimyo and Hiruzen. "If you would fetch some tea for our guest and I, that would be most appreciated."
"Hai, Sandaime-sama."
Now seated, the two elders looked at each other for a brief moment before a smile broke out on their faces. Both were about the same age, only a year difference, and both had seen and lived through it all. Although not as strong as he once was, Tokugawa was still a formidable opponent and honestly didn't need his samurai guard. However, after living this long, the Daimyo knew deception was key to a shinobi's survival.
"Your letter to me was most amusing, Hiruzen-dono." Tokugawa said just as Megumi came back in and placed the tray on the desk and bowed before leaving. "I was wondering when you would get around to setting this great village back on the path the Shodai envisioned."
Hiruzen nodded as he grabbed his tea cup and took a sip. "Hai, but you know as well as I about politics, Tokugawa-dono. Such a fickle thing they are, like decisions on the battlefield."
"Hai, and speaking of which…" The Daimyo paused to take a sip of his tea. "…what shall we do about your traitorous council?"
Hiruzen let out a sigh before he began, "By all rights, they should be executed by my decree and your permission. However, I do not wish to see two of my best friends, my once teammates, suffer such a fate after how much they've given over the years."
"Only two, Hiruzen-dono?" Tokugawa raised an eyebrow.
"Koharu and Homura may have done a terrible thing, but I saw their eyes before they were taken away." Hiruzen took a sip of his tea as he thought back to the Second Shinobi War "I haven't saw eyes like that since Tobirama-Sensei sacrificed himself for our well-being."
"And of Danzo?"
"He's already attempted to kill me once and I forgave him for such an act, but I fear he will try again if let go."
"All valid points." Tokugawa said, only to take a sip of his tea later. "And if it helps matters any, my samurai and I have spotted strange ANBU lurking about the palace."
A motion to one the samurai guards made them unseal a mask from their glove and place it on the desk. It was blank and had the kanji for Root on the forehead.
"How long ago was this?" Hiruzen smashed the mask into pieces, not caring about his now bleeding hand.
"Two, maybe three days ago." Tokugawa said with a smirk. "Poor bastard found that I'm not as elderly as they may think I am."
Hiruzen let out a chuckle before he continued, "Now that we have more than enough to convict Danzo of treason and attempted assassination of a Daimyo, what shall be the punishment of Koharu and Homura?"
For many minutes, Tokugawa thought about what to do, but once he did a smirk came to his face.
"You said that they eased up the academy, so I have the perfect punishment for their actions."
"Oh? Do tell-Tokugawa-dono." Hiruzen's interest was piqued.
T & I Holding Cells – Moments Later
"You want us to do WHAT!" Koharu and Homura still couldn't believe what their punishment was.
"You heard me." The Daimyo got in the elders' faces. "I want you to tell stories about the time you had as a shinobi, about all the hardships, as well as teaching these budding young soldiers what it's like to kill for the first time among other tasks the headmaster gives you."
"You actually agree with this Hiruzen?" Homura looked at his old friend whom gave a nod in return.
"Hai, I couldn't live with myself if I gave the order to execute you, but I decided that perhaps seeing these young lads, and the Will of Fire they possess, would reawaken your minds and see the damage you have caused." Hiruzen replied solemnly then motioned to the ANBU guards to release them.
"What about Danzo?" Koharu asked as their cell door was opened.
The silence they got in return told it all.
Following Day
The walk around the village the other day was an interesting one for Naruto as he found the stares to be ones of confusion rather than hate. However, Naruto distanced himself from his new father as much as possible even though he defended him whenever one of the store owners would threaten to jack up the prices or kick them out. Naruto had an inherent trust problem, ones which stemmed off his interesting ability to feel people's emotions; an ability that he himself didn't fully understand. For those he trusted, Naruto always felt safe around them, they felt warm and happy. For some of the villagers, he felt cold, like a hawk was ready to scoop up its prey.
It was the same feeling that Naruto got with Kisame, but it was slowly starting to get warmer and warmer.
After breakfast, which was silent and awkward for the most part, Naruto dressed in his new clothes which was modeled after what a Seven Swordsman would wear. Baggy black pants, black sandals, a sleeveless black shirt, and striped arm and leg warmers of which could hold weights for training. The walk to the training ground was just as awkward as both took glances at each other, but quickly broke away and never once brought up conversation. For the ANBU watching, they knew it was only a matter of time before Naruto and Kisame bonded and began to trust one another.
"Alright brat, time to begin your training but first, I want you to put these on." Kisame said as he threw leg and wrist weights in front of Naruto whom looked at them oddly.
"But where's the cool ninja stuff?"
Kisame palmed his face and sighed, "I forgot, he's a kid still and has much to learn…why did I sign up for this again?" A coughing fit was the answer to his question.
"Are you alright?" Naruto worriedly asked.
"I'm fine, brat." Kisame replied as he wiped the blood off, making sure to hide it from Naruto. "Now put on the weights and get to doing 20 push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and a lap around this training ground."
Naruto looked at the weights then at Kisame whom was giving his usual scary looking stare. Remembering Kisame's words yesterday, he reluctantly put on the weights to find that he could barely move. However, the goal of wanting to know whom his parents were and why he was hated pushed the six year old forward. About 10 push-ups in however, Naruto collapsed to the ground as his arm muscles throbbed in pain and felt like jelly. Not liking this, Kisame stormed up to Naruto and stomped on the kids back which made him scream out in pain and the ANBU to tense.
"Dammit brat, did I say that you could rest!"
"B-But my arms…they hurt!" Naruto stuttered, but screamed in pain again as Kisame stomped on his back again.
"Pathetic, why I even signed up to teach you is beyond me." Kisame let out a scoff. "All I see right now is a failure, one who will give up at the slightest bit of pain! Your weak, useless, you're no legacy of mine."
As Kisame turned around to a nearby tree, he heard Naruto sob and whisper something before running off somewhere.
"You're just like them, I hate you!"
The words stung, it made Kisame realize that the way he was trained wouldn't do justice on Naruto. No, the boy needed nurtured, needed someone who would go at things slowly and more methodically. Realizing this, Kisame wondered when Tsunade would get back to see if a diagnosis could be made. From there, he would reveal the truth to Naruto in the hopes it would make him realize why he had been so harsh this day. So, with a sigh, Kisame walked out of the training ground in the hopes of finding Naruto and apologizing for what he had done.
Danzo's Cell
Although the Fire Daimyo went home yesterday evening, there was enough time for him to give Danzo his verdict. Upon hearing this news, the war hawk didn't flinch nor did he show an ounce of emotion, he simply laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling. For Hiruzen and the Daimyo, they wondered why Danzo took this so casually and if he was planning something. It was one of the main reasons why security was updated recently in all parts of Konoha.
Still laying in his bed, Danzo heard a slight hissing which made him look down at the cell floor to see that a snake had come up through the toilet in his cell. With a smirk, he motioned the snake over which spit out a scroll before making its escape back into the sewer system. As Danzo opened the scroll, he couldn't help but grin.
"Everything's going according to plan."
With Kisame
The ex-missing nin spent what felt like hours searching for Naruto. In fact, he was impressed with the boy's natural ability in the art of stealth and evasion; a key trait for the Seven Swordsman. Eventually, however, Kisame found Naruto sitting on the Yondaime's head which he found to be ironic. With a shunshin, he was standing next to Naruto whom didn't even look at him, only at the village below.
"I sometimes wonder if I should just jump and end it all." Naruto quietly said, but Kisame picked it up.
"Then how would your Ji-Ji think if you were suddenly gone?"
"What's it to you, you're just like them!" Naruto angrily pointed to the villagers below.
Kisame sighed as he sat beside Naruto and contemplated on what he was about to do.
"Look brat, I didn't have the best childhood, heck I would take yours over mine any day." Naruto scoffed as he continued to look at the village below. "My clan was small, but one of the more powerful ones in Mist Country. However, when Yagura came along he had many clans massacred; mine being one of them. Only those loyal to him were spared, ten total if I remember correctly."
Naruto was now intrigued and shifted his focus on his new father, the emotions of which were filled with sadness.
"Heh, I had to be about your age at the time but my suffering didn't end there." Kisame looked to the sky as he remembered the past. "My mother was the most precious thing in the world, always made sure I was raised correctly, one who would change the clan for the better."
"B-But you're all mean." Naruto said, his tone becoming more confused. "I heard mother's raise people to be nice?"
"Heh, you catch on quick, brat, but yah I wasn't the monster you see me as back then. I was a sweet child, one who was carefree much like you, but that all changed on my eighth birthday when my father had enough of my mother pampering me."
"What's pampering?" Naruto interrupted which made Kisame smirk.
"Spoiling, brat." Naruto let out an 'oh' which made the shark man's smirk wider, but it quickly left as he recalled what happened next.
"Now, my father was a very abusive man, an alcoholic and extremely loyal to Yagura while my mother was sweet and caring. They always had arguments but never had they turned violent, until that fateful night that is." Kisame started to tear up.
"It was later in the evening, father just had come home from a night of drinking and soon the sound of argument woke me up. As I walked into the kitchen, teddy bear in hand, I saw my mother being slapped, then mercilessly stabbed over and over again. As her lifeless body fell, I ran up to her crying where my father called me weak and ripped my teddy bear in half then proceeded to stab me in the stomach before marching up to his room without a care in the world."
Naruto gasped as Kisame took off his vest and lifted up his shirt to show the scar which he had hidden from the world for so long. From there, Kisame further explained how he woke up the following morning in the hospital with his father standing over him, berating him for being weak, not worthy of being clan heir. It was only thanks to the nurses that he wasn't beaten that day. From there, Kisame's brutal training regime began and where his hate for Yagura had begun. By time the coup had happened, Kisame had massacred the rest of his clan before setting sites on Yagura. The joy he felt killing his father was unreal, like his mother was avenged, but this feeling soon resorted back to what his father had taught him. About letting anger guiding you, always striking first, and not letting the enemy have a chance to get up.
"Now do you understand why I was so harsh, brat?" Kisame dried his tears and he looked at Naruto who nodded a little.
"I-I think so, but I still don't trust you."
"A good trait to have, learn from my past, my mistakes, brat, that's all I ask of you."
Naruto nodded and was about to say something when his stomach grumbled which made him blush.
"Ramen?" Kisame asked which made Naruto's eyes light up.
The ANBU watching over the incident, even though they had control of their emotions, couldn't hold back the sadness they felt for Kisame. This sadness quickly turned to laughter as they saw Naruto trying to drag the Tailless Tailed beast off the Hokage Monument, something which Kisame was having none of according to his yelling.
Time-Skip: One Week
Ever since the night Kisame spilled his childhood story, Naruto and him have bonded more and were actually seen laughing together at one point. Apparently, this laughter was due to both of them, yes both, sneaking into the ANBU headquarters and dying their uniforms bright pink. Although the ANBU wanted to punish Kisame for such an act, Hiruzen thought otherwise and told the ANBU to use this debacle as a stealth training exercise.
Speaking of exercises, Naruto told Kisame to keep up the harsh training, much to the Hoshigaki's surprise, but the results were worth it. Naruto was now up to 50 push-ups, sit-ups, and crunches while he could do four laps around the training ground before he needed to take a break. For a six year old, this was unusual, but Naruto was an Uzumaki and had the greatest of all bijuu in his gut.
Along with these physical exercises, Kisame had Naruto go to the library to read up on the history of the Elemental Nations as well as other topics which he knew would be helpful when it came to war time. Kisame was brash, yes, but far from stupid. He knew that peace didn't last forever and wanted his legacy prepared if war ever did break out. As much as Naruto hated reading, that and eating healthier food in general, he knew that he had to do so to make Kisame and his Ji-Ji proud, to have them reveal the secrets that they held.
Also during this week, Jiraiya had returned with Tsunade, Shizune, and their pig Tonton, but what was supposed to be happy news turned out to be anything but. On their way back, Orochimaru decided to intervene and have a reunion of sorts which ended up turning into a battle for the ages. Upon escaping, however, the Snake Sennin revealed that in time Konoha would fall and dropped subtle words which hinted at him being the leader of the newest village which had recently popped up. Concerned, Hiruzen had Tsunade start her medic program right away and had Jiraiya start basing his spy network here in Konoha as well as training his godson.
By the end of the week, Tsunade had turned the hospital upside down by firing, rehiring, and retraining a lot of people. Jiraiya, who didn't hit it off well with Naruto at first seeming that he accidently told the Uzumaki that he was his godfather, eventually started to work his way into Naruto's circle of people whom he trusted. However, trust was still a big issue between Jiraiya and Kisame as both argued a lot on their training styles among other things when it came to Naruto. Speaking of Naruto, today was the day he would unlock his chakra and many had come out to see it. On top of Kisame, Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade was Hiruzen a small team of ANBU just in case the Kyuubi tried to use this as a means to escape.
"OK brat, just like I showed you." Kisame looked down at Naruto whom was in the meditative position.
Naruto nodded and held the ram seal just as he closed his eyes and focused on the warm feeling in his gut. Upon finding it, Naruto attempted multiple times to bring it out, but it wasn't until try number five did those in attendance realize just how powerful Naruto could become. If not for a barrier seal being placed, the whole village would have felt and saw the massive blue tower of chakra which exploded out of the Uzumaki. Eventually, Naruto couldn't hold it any longer and stopped channeling his chakra. Upon doing so, he collapsed on the ground with a massive smile on his face although he was breathing hard.
"Tenzo, just how much chakra was that? Hiruzen asked.
"Close to yours, if not greater, Hokage-sama." Was the reply which made everyone's eyes widen except one who couldn't hold back his laughter; Kisame.
"Hah! I knew this brat was a gold mine!" Samehada squealed in delight as it collected up the residual chakra in the area.
"That's strange." Naruto said as he sat up, his stamina had already recovered. "Why could I feel everyone's emotions when I did that?"
"Mito." Hiruzen thought then smiled. "That, Naruto-kun, was Mito Uzumaki's emotion sensing, a very rare trait to have, but a very handy one if it is controlled."
"Cool!" Naruto replied then realized what his Ji-Ji had said. "I HAVE A CLAN!"
Hiruzen sighed and palmed his face, "Yes, and I will have Jiraiya take you to the basement of your home. There, I'm sure you will find everything you need to start becoming what you were meant to be; the heir to the Uzumaki Clan."
Naruto smiled and wanted to ask the question of what happened to them, but decided to wait until he saw what was in that basement. However, that would have to wait as explosions started happening all over Konoha.
"ANBU, I want everyone on crowd control! Get the civilians to the shelters and find who did this!" Hiruzen ordered then looked at Kisame. "Kisame-san, over the past week you have showed much in terms of trust and for that you have my gratitude. Keep my surrogate grandson safe, will you?"
"Hai, Hokage-san!" Kisame saluted then picked up Naruto and dashed off towards the shelters.
With Danzo
In his cell, Danzo smirked as he heard the last of the guards being killed, a smirk which widened when his cell opened up.
"About time, Kabuto." Danzo said as he got up from his bed. "Is everything in preparation?"
"Hai, my Master awaits your arrival, but also hopes that you will not rend on your form of payment."
"Now, now, Kabuto." The War Hawk made a hand sign which triggered the explosives set by his Root. "I assure you that he will get the ultimate test subject he deserves. Kisame may be strong, but he is no match for my Root."
Kabuto had his doubts, but nodded nonetheless and grabbed Danzo before using a shunshin to leave the T & I.
Back in Konoha
Like ants, Root soldiers had come out of the ground and started to slaughter anything in their path without remorse; be it children, women, or men. For Hiruzen, he scowled as he knew he should have done something about these emotionless drones sooner, but now it was too late. As he used earth chakra to enhance his fist to punch an assailant's head off, he could only think of how Naruto was doing.
"Shit, this isn't good." Kisame thought as he felt multiple signatures chasing him. "I need to shake them before I lead them to the shelters."
He looked to a large abandoned warehouse nearby and decided to hope for the best. For Kisame's sake, he hoped his illness wouldn't act up as he fought these bastards in order to keep Naruto safe.
"Are we going to die?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with fear as they entered the warehouse.
"I promise you, brat, that ain't gonna happen anytime soon." Kisame replied then set Naruto down and pointed to a dark part of the warehouse. "Go in there and hide, stay there and don't come out if you hear me in pain OK?"
Naruto nodded and did as told, but internally he was still scared out of his mind. In fact, even though he still had a long way to go in calling Kisame tou-san, Naruto still worried about Kisame's safety.
"Alright you bastards, who wants to play with ol' sharky!" Kisame let out a shark like grin as he grabbed Samehada and put it in the ready position.
"Hand over the jinchuriki and no harm will come to you." One of the Root ordered emotionlessly only to find himself beheaded.
"If that wasn't a statement of my intentions, have another!" Kisame yelled and flipped the 30 or so Root soldiers off.
Seeing that negotiations failed, most of the group ran in with their issued tantos while the others prepared a variety of jutsu. For Kisame, he kept on blocking, dodging, and killing anything in his path. Yes he got cut up a few times, but it didn't even phase him; the Tailless Tailed Beast kept on laughing as he slaughtered the opposition. The laughter ceased when a massive blast of wind blew the Swordsman off his feet and through a nearby brick wall. Just as Naruto was about to run in and save Kisame, he watched with amazement as a massive Water Dragon came out of the hole and plowed five incoming Root members back outside where they turned to red paste as they slammed into a wall of a nearby building.
Just as Kisame exited the wall he was plowed into, he saw more Root incoming and felt a cough coming on. It wasn't looking good and had a feeling that today would be they day he met the Shinigami, never to pass on his legacy, never to absolve the sins he's caused over the years. Knowing it would drain him as there wasn't a water source nearby, Kisame casted the Hidden Mist Jutsu and concealed his chakra before he went to work. Bodies started to drop like flies, but after about 15 deaths, the mist cleared thanks to a Great Breakthrough being casted. Just as he was about to attack, Naruto's screams caught his attention.
"Kisame, help me!" Naruto shouted as a Root captured him from behind and stuffed a chloroform rag over his face.
"Naruto!" Kisame yelled as he saw this taking place, then turned to those in front of him. "You bastards…YOU BASTARDS! HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON THE ONE WHOM I SEE AS THE SON I NEVER HAD!"
The killing intent that Kisame exuded was unreal and brought most of the conditioned soldiers to their knees. With a roar worthy of his title, Kisame began slaughtering everyone in his path in the hopes that he could make it to Naruto in time. However, the Root soldiers kept coming and soon, these soldiers started getting bigger hits on Kisame. The last thing Naruto saw before succumbing to darkness was his adopted father roaring in pain as he was slashed from behind.
"You want to save him, yes?"
"Who are you?" Naruto asked. "Where are you?"
"No time to explain, ningen." The gravelly voice spoke again. "Now I ask again, do you want to save him?"
"I…I do, I do want to save him, but at what cost?"
"So young, yet so wise…" The voice sounded amused. "Use my power, ningen, destroy all those in your path, but remember that we will meet again."
Before Naruto could speak, an intense burning sensation overcame him, and, for the first time in his life, felt unstoppable. In the real world, Naruto snapped opened his now red, feline like eyes and roared to the heavens while exuding out a powerful blast of orange-red chakra. For any Root near him, they were killed instantly by its corrosive nature. For those near Kisame, they all paused to see what the source of this aura was and began to back away. For the Tailless Beast, he could only use Samehada as a crutch and watch as Naruto bent down and growled as the aura formed into a fox with one tail.
"No…not like this." Kisame whispered. "Don't give in, Naruto, don't give in."