Hell there people! What did you think of the first chapter then? Seeing as these chapters were made seperately as four pieces before being combined into two chapters, i can understand why they don't work as well, but luckily, that will change after this one, even if they need a bit more time to actually come out. Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Takumi: Tapio, who's that new friend Naruto seems to have made?
Tapio: She seems like a strong girl, even if she's cursed.
Takumi: A curse shouldn't be too hard to deal with! Time to help someone in need!
Tapio: I suppose the only thing we can do is try, right?
T + T: The story begins! Go big or go home!
He had been dismissed by the Hokage soon after the little showcase of his skills, the elderly man needing time to ponder what he had discovered after pulling out a promise from Naruto that he would never abuse or flaunt his abilities in front of anyone the man himself did not deem worthy. Wording it in such a way had left the young blond in quite a joyful mood, the idea of people having to be deemed worthy of even seeing what he was capable of certainly having quite a pleasant connotation in his mind.
"I hope you do realise that he is worried that people may sway you to unsavoury action through knowledge of your abilities." Tapio commented from the depths of the boy's mind as he strolled around the village, careful to stick to the sides and shadows to avoid unnecessary encounters.
'Of course. A boy can be positive though, right?' Naruto spoke within his mind, the hyperactive boy needing a few tries before he could get the idea of replying in his mind done properly. Oh, what an awkward situation that had been, speaking out loud in the middle of the road of giants and foxes behind bars. He had done well to escape that situation before things got too out of hand.
Before he knew it however, the walls he had been walking alongside had not been walls, but the trees of the pathway out of Konoha, the boy reminded of the various escapades that had required the usage of that exit alone. Undeterred, the boy rapidly ascended the growing slope, coming out onto the mountain.
"Ah, it has been long since I've last seen such a thing. I remember mountains with only the fondest of thoughts." Tapio mused as Naruto looked up the stone, the outline of what appeared to be the front of a house entering his vision.
"That is because they were your favourite hiding place." Clarent giggled in return, Naruto pausing in his eager ascension to turn to the Siren of Souls, only to remember that they existed not in the real world, but only in his mind.
"What do you mean?" Naruto whispered, a lack of people to overhear him letting him act a little bit more free with the way he communicated with the giants of his mind.
"Tell me, though I doubt it. Have you ever heard of the tale of the slumbering island?" Clarent asked in return, starting as soon as the boy shook his head. "Legends speak of a creature so large, it could be an entire continent, an island all of their own. When troubles dare threaten their land, it will rise and defend his home with all that it has. It was Tapio who first created that legend when we resided within your world. He had done what he wished with his powers of granting nature to the land and thus, chose to take a rest, as you would. He cleared a large area of land and fell asleep upon it, unmoving as he drew a blanket of grass upon him. The trees that sprouted off of his body were thought to have already been growing there, the fruits that had once been gifted to the people were taken by greedy travellers. He had become an island and defended himself when they sought to ravage it."
"I hold no remorse for those who would sully nature. If they so choose to attempt to ruin what the earth holds sacred, then they choose to accept the results that come with such foolish thought." Tapio gruffly condemned, Naruto listening in awe as he resumed his climbing, the house understandably quiet for its isolated positioning. It almost appeared as if there were none to inhabit it, the boy feeling a little bit of a pranking mood approaching. He wouldn't do anything much, merely move things about, but people were bound to get annoyed when they items they had so surely positioned ended up completely elsewhere in the house. The first times may be ignored, but several would surely have them irritated beyond belief.
"Are you certain that this is a choice you wish to take? I fear that it isn't entirely of your own volition dear Naruto." Clarent questioned cautiously as the boy approached the manor, sneaking in with barely an issue as the young boy eagerly rubbed his hands together. He could already see it coming together, a mess of misplacement and misalignment.
"Don't worry about it. It doesn't seem like there's anyone around and if they are, they're probably sleeping." Naruto dismissed quietly, already setting about moving the various objects around with reckless abandon. There were various items reminiscent of a great clan, though why a clan would choose to reside outside of the protection Konoha could provide, he did not know, nor did he really care.
It was only when he approached one of the bedrooms where Naruto let out a small gasp, hiding around the corner as fast as humanely possible. A pair of inquisitive eyes followed behind him, only just missing by a few scant centimetres of air as he hurried around the corner, moments of silence passing. The blond had only just gained the courage to peak around the corner to check for safety, when those very same eyes met his path, brown boring into blue. If it had been any other time when he caught eyes with a girl like this, perhaps he would comment upon how uniform her appearance was for her age, brown hair framing a soft face as a body was hugged by layers of pink kimono far too neatly for a child her age.
"What are you here for!? Speak now, or I'll make you leave!" the girl declared, clutching a notebook of all things to her defence. Naruto was quick to raise his hands in peace, a small amount of sweat appearing at the girl's authoritive tone; though she seemed frail of body, her voice seemed to have an underlying passion that could not be faked.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything bad!" Naruto immediately stated, a small smile teasing at the side of his lips. "I'm just here to explore. Are you here with your parents?"
The smile immediately disappeared as the girl turned away, the delicacies of subtlety ringing in his ears thanks to Clarent's lectures. It was clear from her suddenly fidgety manner that something was amiss and with a house this silent even when she lived within it, there could only be so many things.
"I am to live separately from the rest of the clan. I am a danger to the people there." The girl answered after a moment of silence, returning to the sweet quiet with only seconds worth of hesitation.
"..Well that just sucks, am I right?" she had clearly not been expecting an answer like that, nor the hand that was being extended in her direction by the boy, a bright grin upon his face that held only the slightest pieces of solemnity to it. "What proves you to be a danger to those people?"
"It is my abilities. I am able to produce genjutsu that can affect the very fabric of reality." The girl explained, noting the boys confusion with only the smallest amount of amusement. "I make illusions that become real."
"Woah, that's amazing! I can see why that would be dangerous, but you said that you aren't allowed to live with the rest of your clan. Don't they have the same power?" Naruto questioned, Tapio nodding in his mindscape at the question. While he had some form of idea as to why the girl had been forced into solitary isolation, he was intrigued to see whether Naruto would get all of the answers he sought, as was Clarent.
"My family are all skilled with the use of Genjutsu, but I am special. There are few who can make their illusions real and I am a monster because of it." The girl admitted, tears building in the corners of her eyes.
"Now that's just rubbish!" Naruto exclaimed, receiving an incredulous look in response. "You look like such a nice girl, there's no way you could ever be a monster! If you can't prove to me right now that you're a monster, then I won't believe you!"
The dare was met with silence, the girl reluctantly drawing forth the notebook in hand and holding the pencil aloft as she spoke her warning to the excitable blond.
"Do not say that I did not warn you." But before the pencil could meet pencil, there was a hand on her wrist, her eyes following along to the boy who owned it.
"See?" Naruto asked, the girl quick to shake her head. "Sure, you were probably about to do something that could possibly prove yourself as a monster to me, but the fact that you hesitated to do so sincerely and showed genuine concern to the person you were about to do it to shows that you're not really a monster. A monster is meant to have no feelings right?"
But the girl gave no answer for she was struggling to stand, Naruto turning to his hand when he felt the strange surge of energy flowing from his fingertips into the girl's arm.
"Naruto, back away immediately!" both Clarent and Tapio ordered, the boy quick to follow their instructions as he watched in morbid intrigue as the girl's features began to warp, black horns launching out of the side of her head as great fangs burst out of her mouth, her skin darkening to match the darkest of nights as she unleashed an inhumane screech, Naruto covering his ears as the blood red eyes turned to him, curious in the deadliest of fashions.
"So you want proof of the monster that exists in this girl… then let me show you!" the beast that borrowed her body hissed in a masculine deep tone unbei, hands held out towards Naruto who held out his own in what would most likely turn out to be a futile defence, only to lower them when little happened.
"What that creature doesn't know however, is that as a master of illusions, I can cancel out any of the genjutsu he would attempt to use." Clarent declared, her whispers filling Naruto's ears as the creature continued to cast its illusions, only to have them immediately cancelled out. "Naruto, get me close. I believe that I could do something along with Tapio that may make this battle far easier than it appears. All you have to do is get close to it and grab a hold of it."
That had to be the most foolish order he had been given in his life. At least with all of the civilians that had wished death upon him, they had been blunt in their announcements, never phrasing it in such a way as to tell him to kill himself in an incredibly painful fashion.
"Oh at least hold some faith in our words. We shall not fail you, I promise that to you dear Naruto." Clarent scoffed, Naruto giving a sigh as the strange demon stood before him gradually grew even more frustrated with the passing second, more and more powerful illusions proving themselves useless against what appeared as no more than a child, the warped creature glad for the lack of medical anbu placed on hold - how embarrassing it would be if it was proven to be inferior to a child.
"You will not escape my grasp for long! It is not only illusions I hold in my grasp!" the beast declared, great claws appearing from within the sleeves to tear the boy's flesh. The most expected response would be to dodge, to try and find the weakness of this creature while avoiding its physical strikes. What it hadn't been expecting was for Naruto to actively charge towards it with a primal roar, a hand held out as if to grasp for the girl's arm, only to collide with her chest.
And the world fell to silence.
When the demon found itself corrected in the mindscape, it let out a primal chuckle as it looked around for its prey. There was no denying that it existed in here, the boy most likely walking around in confusion within a mind that wasn't his own. Perhaps it was a Kekkei Genkai like the girl's, but instead granting the ability to enter minds.
Raking a claw against the comatose host's body, manifesting as a vulnerable form wrapped in ropes never intended to be unwrapped, the creature sat relaxed, waiting for its vulnerable prey to stumble upon them, ready for the killing, meaning his body would fall dead as well without a mind to sustain it.
And just as it expected, there was the blond boy who had wished to draw it out in the real world, though the smirk was the first sign of warning the demon was awarded. When two hulking figures, one seemingly swimming through the air and the other slamming his feet upon the floor with every step, appeared from the shadows, the demon was immediately thrown into danger mode, the appraising eyes of the mermaid woman clearly not showing up as good.
"Ah, so you are a twisted manifestation the dark section of the personality. That's quite interesting and a bit of a conundrum you have placed us in." Clarent remarked, the beast standing strong in the accusations. It hadn't been expecting to ever been discovered and explained that easily, but when in the face of two literally giants, its own head failing to reach the approximation of their knees, it was hard to believe anything was impossible.
"Kill me and you remove a piece of this girl's personality. She will be left a vegetable for the rest of her life." The monster clarified, a teasing smirk playing upon its mouth regardless of its true feelings. "What are you to do, when the difference is giving the girl a proper, if isolated life, or removing my influence and forcing her to live with only part of a mind?"
He didn't like how the giants shared a look, the tree based humanoid lowering down until his head, easily swamping more than he would've been able to see through the shadow if the room in the girl's mind hadn't accommodated them, as he sneered into the demon's face.
"Do you truly believe yourself to be undefeatable?" Tapio questioned to the demon, not waiting for an answer of any sort. "Yes, your circumstances do prevent the easiest of choices from occurring, the intense urge to crush you underfoot like some demented ant out of the window, but you are left with no options to attack us with. We have already proven that your illusions hold no grip over us and your attacks will be pitiful against our might. Before you move to attacking Naruto, we are easily faster than you and can defend him from anything you can pull. You are only left with submitting to a fate worse than the death you will wish for in return."
It didn't even have the chance to speak before a finger of Tapio's was touching the ground, an unmoveable monolith that spreads the very being of the Titan of the trees. The grass spawned upon a floor that could bear no life, vines bursting from the shadowed ground to grab onto the comatose gilr and draw them into a waiting Naruto's arms, the boy falling to the ground under the weight, but still able to support the girl without pain on her part.
"And now, allow me to deal with you at long last." The demon was only conscious of the transformation when it was too late, its flesh becoming wood and the chakra that fuelled it becoming sap, a life being born from something that oh so wished to destroy all that it came across. The poisoned cries of agony rang out in the space as the demon began to take up more space not of its own volition, branches spawning from its face as the rest of its body was encased in the still growing wood, eventually leaving only a grand tree to stay still in the emptiness. A wave from Clarent had a lake form beside it, the shadows of the sky giving way to bright light as the girl was left in only a beautiful landscape, her eyes fluttering open as the ropes withered away.
"Where… am I?" the girl questioned, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the piercing light, Naruto moving his face over to act as a sort of parasol.
"That weird monster, the true monster, is gone now. This is your mind. It's really pretty." Naruto explained, the girl gently rising to see the landscape that now surrounded her. Where once pain and darkness buffeted her vision, there was nothing but the softness of nature left, the girl only giving a small cry when her eyes landed on the titans stood to the side. "Oh, don't worry about those guys! They're really cool! They're actually from my mind, here to help you in yours!"
"But we do not wish to intrude on such a moment. Please, allow us to return you to your own world." Clarent insisted, the world melting away around them to return to the mountainside manor. It would take a moment for the girl to properly register the hand resting on her chest, flying back away from Naruto with the smallest of tears beading her eyes, Naruto quick to hold his hands up in surrender once more.
"Ah, sorry about that! But the monster's gone, so it's just you, the pretty girl. What's your name?" Naruto inquired, a seconds silence before the girl haltingly answered.
"I... I am Yakumo Kurama… of the Kurama clan… Who are you?" the girl answered, the boy letting out a bright smile as he gave the girl a thumbs up.
"I'm the boy who holds giants, the one who will be Hokage. Never forget that!" a giggle escaped Yakumo, one that she had struggled to give for a long time.
It wasn't likely she would forget.
The idea of commanding the power of nature itself was a constant temptation to Naruto as he stood in front of the dummy panting. The boy had been wishing to form great branch cages, trees that would act as world sized umbrellas and seeds that could explode on impact as Tapio had spoken of, but the Titan of trees had been quick to deny such a thing.
"It is fully possible for you to one day be able to grasp a hold of such power, but it may prove unstable at such a time." Tapio had stated when Naruto had first began badgering him, a small chuckle coming to the giant as he looked to his aquatic counterpart. "Clarent's illusions and partner skills are much more easily controlled and thus, they will begin to make up the majority of your beginning skillset. Do not fret, for I shall be teaching you more."
At the side, Yakumo sat curiously as she idly drew a picture of the scene before her, a resolute blond staring intently at a training dummy, ready to fly into action at any second. A small part of her that she hoped was well hidden was practically basking in the freedom that the sealed away demon from within had taken so cruelly, her family left in the dark about her small excursions alongside Naruto. Any chance to come out into the open was… highly discouraged, the mere thought of the creature within her somehow finding its way into the world of reality too much of a risk should she be outside, but now as a tree never to move again, there was little chance of its return.
Stretching an arm to the sky, Naruto inhaled deeply, his eyes closed as he focused his energy. The arm would have to be filled with chakra for the technique to work, both to power the whole thing and prevent his arm from taking any damage from its usage. Once the initial stage had been completed, it would be a case of ensuring that each part received an even amount of chakra to hold itself, otherwise the attack could collapse and the incoming damage sent right into the boy's face.
"…Okay Yakumo, you can pull the string!" Naruto exclaimed, his hand suddenly thrusting forward as a great yell escaped the boy. No words needed, a firm yank had the primed shuriken flying straight towards him, the left hand coming to his mouth in a high pitched whistle.
"Kyodai no jutsu: Pengin the hand!" with Naruto's shrill summon, several penguins leapt out of the ground, their beaks primed as they latched onto the boys wrist, a protective circle ready to act as a shield as the Shuriken collided with the bodies connected to Naruto's wrist. Even the one that had collided with Naruto's flesh bounced off without issue, at least until Yakumo struggled to move to the boy at his first cry of pain.
"Are you sure you should continue? You've been doing this for a long time…" the girl worried, looking to the boy's wrist as the animals returned to where they had come from. Several purple bruises surrounding the entirety of his wrist greeted her tender touch as she pulled back the sleeve, a hiss escaping Naruto even at the light touch.
"As I've told you before dear Naruto, Pengin the hand requires a constant flow of chakra to the wrist until the penguins remove themselves." Clarent gently reminded, the siren speaking gently even when she was only within Naruto's mind. "They need to attach tightly to your wrist, both to anchor themselves and properly connect to the chakra you're providing them with, meaning you can't just stop the flow without letting their sharp beaks cause damage to you."
"But they don't seem to let go when I keep feeding them chakra!" Naruto objected, Yakumo merely remaining quiet as she listened to the boy's objections – it wasn't as if she didn't know of the beings within his mind after all.
"That's most likely because you remove all of the chakra you're providing them with at once." Clarent explained, no less patient with her words. "As long as you gradually remove the chakra, the penguins will get that you're wanting to remove the shield and they will leave before all of the chakra is removed from your hand."
"Right, so I've just got to get rid of the chakra slower afterwards." Naruto summarised, watching in awe as the image of Naruto with a perfectly healthy arm shown upon Yakumo's paper was aglow, his own arm replicating it in mere seconds. "And that's still amazing!"
"It's nothing… I can't do the same things as you can do, so I might as well excel at the things I do best." The best dismissed with a light blush, her eyes following the boy's movements as he reset his special makeshift dummy. It had been exceptionally hard to gather the pieces needed to create his pride and joy, especially when even the Hokage had objected to him owning one on the grounds that he hadn't been in training to become fast enough to dodge should the attack be successful.
"Well let's try this again! Kyodai no jutsu: Pengin the hand!" the shrill whistle was the sign for Yakumo to tug upon the string she had been given second before, the shuriken bouncing off of the penguins and his hand without issue, the boy's eyes closing as the penguins left his wrist, the same eyes looking hesitantly to his hand while fingers flexed, surprisingly unharmed. "Hey, it worked! That's another jutsu down!"
Naruto, I see that you and the young Kurama are enjoying yourselves." Both Naruto and Yakumo couldn't help but freeze at the voice that called to them, turning slowly to the Hokage's smiling face, completely unconcerned. "Oh, before you ask, I have been watching your little training sessions. It's nice to see you finally able to move so freely. I would've thought your… ill health would keep you inside your home."
"…I will move as I wish to, Hokage. I am the only one who can determine my health in this case." Her answer was curt, a clear distaste hidden by the naturally politeness given to the leader of your village. Regardless of how she felt about the man being the cause of… things, she was still a person living under his rule; there were certain boundaries that weren't crossed.
"Hey Jiji, I learnt a new move! What did you think of that!?" Naruto excitedly asked, the man giving a chuckle at the sight of the blond's enthusiasm. The last time he had managed to get one of the abilities he had learned, it had been good enough to disorient even him – though the sudden apparent appearance of what appeared to be a strange angelic temple behind the boy's body was surely enough to stop even the strongest man in his steps for a few seconds.
"It was certainly interesting. When I had first saw you summoning those penguins, I had thought they had been acting like summons, but they definitely are far different than what I would expect. Few people have the idea of using their summons like weapons or shields unless it is an explicit function, mostly because they forget that they can use their chakra to act as a protective layer and no summon will lower themselves to acting as a sacrificial protection." Hiruzen evaluated, a hand gently stroking his beard as he spoke. "Though I will have to see if such a defence could stand up to jutsu as well. I will save that for when you are older though."
"Great! Well Yakumo, we should get you back home, shouldn't we?" a small frown took to the brown haired girl's face as looked to the sky, a sun gently falling in its arc. They had to be careful about the amount of time Yakumo spent outside, lest she be discovered by unsavoury forces and forced back into her home with a greater protection that made sure she couldn't escape again.
"I suppose I'll leave you to it. I trust that you will be able to find your way back safely?" Hiruzen asked, to firm nods in reply as the elderly man turned away. "Good. Naruto, I'll see to getting you your next allowance as soon as you return."
"Yes! Thanks Jiji!" the thought of money was something any growing boy came to enjoy, being able to buy the latest toys and the like. When it came to the blond holding onto Yakumo's hand as the pair moved though, the intent was slightly different however. It meant food that was on the better side, so long as he bought it from the right places. It meant the landlord would lower his rantings about being good for nothing, for a short while. It meant being able to properly pay back Teuchi and Ayame for their kindness, even if he did have to fall back upon it pretty soon.
The silence that filled the air of the forest as they went through it was unnatural, at least to the ears of the whiskered blond. The trees still swayed within the breeze, the odd sound of animals living their lives still echoed about, but there was just… something the boy couldn't explain missing from the air.
Or perhaps it was the fact that there was something that didn't belong there.
"Get down!" the boy let out a yelp as he drew the girl to the ground, the back of his hand letting out blood as the shuriken dug into the tree. A masculine scoff came from behind him, Naruto quick to turn as he held up both his arms to block the incoming kunai, the metal flashing before his eyes.
"Well, would you look at this? Two demons in the bushes together." The man growled, the boy's throw shoving away the man's weapon. "Looks like today is my special day. Let's cleanse our village once and for all!"
At his declaration, several other men leapt from the shadows, Naruto throwing himself in front of the girl. A small glance behind him saw the brush flying over the paper, Naruto launching forward with a smirk towards the shortest of the men. A boisterous laugh escaped the man as he saw the child hurtling towards him, a rusty machete raised ready to chop as he swung down hard, only to let out a confused noise at the sudden pieces of wood that filled the air, a second spent before the foot that collided with his back had him spitting out blood.
"Kyodai no jutsu: Mach shunshin!" Naruto wasn't to stop there though, bouncing off the man's falling back to launch towards the others, a fist ready to smash into another's face repeatedly as the scrawny man wailed, his rake useless when the child was already pounding away at his face.
"It's ready!" the assaulters had almost forgotten about Yakumo by the time the girl had finished their work, turning to see the girl pushing her chakra forward. There wasn't even a second before the a man was sent screaming to the ground, clutching his head. His partner stepped back at the sudden bites that marred his skin, choked gurgles escaping him until he too fell to the ground, only the original left standing all alone with his kunai.
"Looks like those guys were just as shit as I thought… unfortunately for the two of you, I have more training than those lot. Get ready to die today!" the first man roared, his muscles bulging as he struck forward. The two children shared a look, even their opponent having to stop at the sudden movement the two made, Yakumo cupping her hands around Naruto's as a sudden glow overtook their appendages. The second hand held a green orb, Naruto quick to throw it into the air alongside the white orb in Yakumo's hands as the boy flipped forward, the man unable to move in time.
"Don't underestimate us because of our age! Kyodai no jutsu: Genjutsu-shizen fusion to fission!" With Naruto's cry, the two orbs were kicked forward, coming together with a white glow as the man leapt away. Coming against children in a secluded place, he had never expected to see them do such a strange attack; his fingers stumbling over the necessary had signs required for shunshin being his last conscious form before a great crash echoed through the forest, Naruto quick to draw Yakumo away from the fire, a quick word from Clarent having water streaming form his lips.
"That was way too dangerous… I didn't think people could find us here." Naruto muttered as they approached the mountain, Naruto letting Yakumo climb aboard his back. Though the girl was willing to climb, it was different when in actual execution; it was probably safer to just let the blond do all of the heavy work. "But I guess they're way too persistent to have ever kept any hiding place unturned."
"But why is it that they come for you as well?" Yakumo questioned, her head buried as much as possible into the boy's back. "I had that… creature inside me, I was the reason for my family dying. Why do they want to kill you?"
There was a silence as the boy climbed the final cliff, turning quietly to the door as Yakumo lowered herself off of his back.
"Well, I guess you can say I'm just like you." Naruto explained, Yakumo slowly nodding.
"Yes, you have those gigantic beings within you." The brown haired girl recalled, a finger heading to her cheek as she tilted her head cutely. "Have they done anything to the people as well?"
"…One of them did, though I don't know if it really is them." Naruto answered, looking forward. "Well, I guess I'm off to go see Jiji again. Keep yourself safe Yakumo!" there was only a second to give her farewell before the boy was a blur down the side of the forest, the girl merely turning to her home with a sigh.
Well, time to go back again.
His movements through the forest had slowed down until he looked upon the towering walls that surrounded Konoha. Naruto had never really thought of it like the way Yakumo had put it; the people spent their time calling him a demon because of the kyuubi within his body, but what would they think of the fact that he held two others inside of him as well? They had showed no harm, but the fact that they could potentially make him more of a danger in their eyes was probably more than enough to illicit something bigger than a small reaction.
"You need not fear their reactions, for they will know of your bravery. They claim you a demon, but what demon holds their hand out in defence of others? What demon continues to fight for their home village with nothing but the purest of intentions?" Tapio reassured, the low grumble a calming presence in the whiskered blond's mind. This was the Titan of trees' home, a place where none could sit stronger than him and that fact was clear by the way the power he was gifted by the giant positively sung as his fingers ran through the blades of grass beneath him. "We will show them together that the only fear you bring to the battlefield is that of the enemies you face, trembling at the aura of your might."
"Dear Naruto, they fear you, but they do not know you. The more they learn, the more your friends will be able to help, so you'll undoubtedly have to tell them. Telling them won't cause them to fear you, but be able to better embrace you." Clarent continued, the musical speech almost encompassing Naruto as he fell back against the tree trunk, surrounded by peace and joy. Without words, Tapio pushed his greater power through Naruto's body, animals coming in curiosity to the assuring presence that had suddenly appeared in their home, moving as close to Naruto's body as possible. The animals were far smarter than many gave them credit for, the countless battles that had forged in their ancestors' homes had made them learn to run better, when to run and how to do so best; their intelligence had to come with that.
Naruto's eyes fell closed as he tenderly stroked a bird upon its feathers as it sat on his stomach, the peace too much for the boy not to take advantage of. They weren't screaming for his destruction, they weren't yelling for his exile and they weren't going to try and starve him as much as possible. The birds were too pure for that kind of action. All they wished to do was live their lives and take care of their young and right now, Naruto might as well be their young considering the times he had come here before to care for the creatures that came before him. He had yet to try it with Yakumo around though; needless to say, the girl would undoubtedly be all over the idea of a forest full of peaceful animals that had little chance to run.
Yakumo… even if he had shown her the power held within him, Naruto hadn't told her of the third great beast that resided within his mind. How would she react to the thought of a boy having a greater demon than the one she held inside? Would she become overbearing? Would she try and get him to do a similar thing as he did to her? Would that even be possible with such a great creature as the almighty Kyuubi?
"Unfortunately, such a task is beyond even our strength, though I don't know whether you would want to do such a thing really." Tapio suddenly stated, the boy's eyes fluttering open as a questioning hum went through his thoughts, though it remained unanswered as the boy let his head fall down again.
Oh well, maybe that was a question for another time.
And that's it for now! What are we thinking about that then? Next time, we're going to get into something more exciting I think. What could that be?Well maybe you can wait and find out in the next chapter!
Super hero time! See you next time!