Chapter 1: Enter the Trickster Fox

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Hehe-HAHA!" Looks like Iruka-sensei saw my little art project!"

My Name is Naruto Uzumaki. I live here in Konoha, also known as the hidden leaf village. I'm going to be 12 in a few days and I'm a student at the ninja academy. My dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever. I'm also the prince of pranks and as you heard from the yelling, I just finished my greatest prank yet.

"Where is that little brat?! When I get my hands on him I'll give him so much detention that he'll have to live at this school!"

Iruka-sensei was really mad, even more so than usual. Then again, I did just deface the great Hokage monument. I gotta say though, watching Iruka-sensei make all those faces makes me laugh every time. As I was laughing, I saw a woman with black hair coming out of the academy.

"You should really calm down Iruka. All that stress is gonna give you a heart attack one of these days. And the last thing I want is to be the one responsible for cleaning up your corpse. I mean, I could do it no problem, but it'd be such a hassle."

"Gee, good to know you care so much Kurenai."

Kurenai was one of those Ninja that I heard about, but never really saw all that often. I knew she wasn't a teacher so I was surprised to see her here. Still, I knew that the anbu, the special ninja forces, would be here soon, so I decided to make my getaway while those two talked.

I managed to get back to my house, which was more like a small apartment. The building used to have some residents, but they left after I moved in. I used to live at the orphanage, but as soon as I turned four they kicked me out. I never understood why, but all of the villagers hate me and try to avoid me as much as possible.

Of course, this was before I became the prankster prince, so I definitely know that's not the reason for it. Heck, I used to be a pretty good kid, but things changed when I went to a festival to celebrate my fifth birthday. Some drunk villagers found me and started beating on me. I tried to run, but they caught me in an alley and messed me up badly.

I don't know what happened after that, just that I woke up in my room and never saw those three again. Sometimes I wonder what happened to them, but I don't really care anymore. All I care about is becoming a great ninja… and messing with my teachers as much as possible.

That said, Iruka-sensei is a little different from the other teachers. He was always nice to me and even complimented me on some of my pranks. He said that they took a lot of imagination, research, and stealth, traits that are key to being a shinobi. He also admitted that he was a prankster too back in the day.

I didn't believe him at first since he's just so by the books and a stickler for the rules. I really thought that he was one of those "teacher's pets" who loosened up with age.

I was proven wrong though when Iruka-senei and I pranked the third Hokage, who I call gramps because of how old he is. We got scolded for it after, but when we went to eat at Ichiraku Ramen, we laughed so hard that Ichitaku thought we were drunk. That was when I promised Iruka-sensei that I would be the Hokage one day.

After resting for about an hour, I decided to head outside the village for some training. I wasn't allowed to go very far since I wasn't a shinobi yet, but I found a clearing in the forest that was within the limit I was told to stay in.

I decided to start with some of the taijutsu the academy taught me. I wasn't very good at it and it always felt different from what I saw the rest of the class doing. When I brought this up though, I was yelled at by the teacher and told to keep practicing.

It still felt weird, but I kept at it for a while until I saw a man in all black. I could tell from the uniform he was wearing that he was definitely an anbu shinobi. I mean, I had been chased by them enough times to know what they look like. Still, it was weird to see one like this out in the open.

Curious, I decided to see what he was up to. I hid behind a nearby tree and watched as he made a bunch of hand signs I've never seen before. Once he finished, he bit his thumb and slammed his hand into the ground. Immediately, there was a puff of smoke and a huge toad appeared. I was so surprised that I needed to catch myself from falling backwards.

It looked like he didn't notice me though because he kept talking to the toad. Since I was still in the clear, I kept watching them for another minute before the anbu gave the animal a scroll. The two said their goodbyes and the ninja headed deeper into the forest while the toad went back to the village.

"So that's the summoning Jutsu I've heard about. Wait, didn't Iruka-sensei say that the fourth Hokage was able to summon toads too?"

That's when I got my idea. I figured that if I learned how to summon toads like the forth and that anbu guy, they would have to make me a ninja for sure and I would be one step closer to my dream.

So without any hesitation, I copied the hand seals the ninja made, bit my thumb and slammed my hand onto the ground. There was a puff of smoke and I was expecting an animal to show up, but instead everything went dark.

I don't know how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, I realized that I was in a completely different forest. I looked around and I saw a fox pup looking up at me, its tail wagging happily. I could tell from it's black face and orange ears that it was a cross fox

"Hey there little guy. Sorry if I scared you."

"Wow, are you a human? I always wanted to meet a human. You're a lot smaller than I heard. Do you wanna play? Do ya, do ya, do ya?"

"WHAT THE HELL?"

I didn't know what was going on. I was suddenly in a new forest with a talking cross fox pup!

"Mochi, there you are."

I looked up and saw a red four-tailed fox that was a lot bigger than a fox should be, walking towards us. If it wasn't for his face and fur, I would have thought he was a big dog or something.

"Riki! Look what I found! A real live human!"

"Oh, we have a guest. May I ask who you are?"

"Um… Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki from the hidden leaf village."

"Naruto Uzumaki. I don't believe I've ever heard that name before. Are you a summoner? If so, who did you make a contract with?"

I explained to Riki that I was trying to use the summoning Jutsu that I saw the anbu guy use and that I was expecting a toad to show up. He chuckled a bit and said that this sort of thing happens all the time. He explained that when a ninja tries to summon an animal without making a contract, the ninja is taken to the summoning realm of the animal they have an aptitude for.

"So in conclusion, the fact that you were brought here was because you have an affinity for foxes."

"Does that mean I can make a contract with you guys?"

"Yes of course, and I couldn't be happier."

"Glad to hear it. But I gotta ask, why are you so happy about it? I'm a complete stranger who appeared in your territory. Shouldn't you guys be more um… apprehensive? Yea, I think that's the word Iruka-sensei used when talking about animal behavior."

"My, such a big word for such a little one. Yes, normally we would, but seeing as you're just a child, I doubt we have anything to worry about. More importantly, it's thanks to you that we will be used again and that alone brings us more joy than you can ever imagine."

"Why's that?"

"Well, let's just say that our reputation as tricksters, one that we are proud of, mind you, hasn't worked in our favor when it comes to gaining the trust of shinobi."

"Makes sense. But hey, I'm kind of a trickster myself, so I don't care. If anything, it makes me want to make a contract with you even more."

"Splendid! Now, while I'd like to make a pact with you and hear more about your own mischief, I think we should speak with Anki first, since he usually deals with contracts."

I agreed with Riki about meeting Anki and the two foxes brought me deeper into the forest where his den was. When I met him, I was amazed by his six tails and white fur.

"Ah, so this is the one I sensed. I must say, with how much chakra he was emitting, I wasn't expecting our guest to be a mere child. Even more surprising is that despite him being a shinobi, he wears the colors of a fox. You did the right thing in bringing him to me, Riki."

Riki and I explained what happened to the elder fox and how I wanted to make a contract with them. I then told him that I'm just a student and not an actual ninja yet. I also explained where my bright orange jumpsuit came from and that I was happy with it because orange is my favorite color.

Anki was surprised to hear all this, but still let out a laugh, saying that he felt flattered by that even though he was a white fox instead of the normal orange ones. The way he spoke reminded me of a lot of gramps. He talked with the kind of wisdom that would even make the anbu listen to him.

Once the explanation was over, Anki summoned a huge scroll from a puff of smoke. He opened it up, and explained that once I chose a fox to make a pact with, both of us will sign the scroll with our blood.

I asked him if I could only choose one fox to summon and he answered with a no. Anki explained that I could eventually make a pact with all the foxes, but that it would be best to start with one fox since I'm still a kid and new to this.

I was about to tell the fox elder that I wanted to make a pact with Riki, but before I could, Anki let out a loud yelp. Almost immediately, a new fox showed up. He was really small, small enough to fit inside my sleeve, but was long like a snake.

"Naruto, I'd like you to meet Shogi. He's what's known as a pipe fox. He may not seem like much at first glance, but he has some very unique and valuable skills. I believe he would be an excellent first summon for you."

"Greetings young one. While I was not expecting my new master to be a mere boy, it will be an honor to serve you."

"Hehe, you know, you don't have to be so formal with me. Also, I didn't exactly accept you as my first summon just yet."

"Oh, I see. Would you prefer someone else then?"

"No, no, you seem cool and all and I'm sure you'd be great, it's just that I thought I would make a pact with Riki since I'm already comfortable with him. But if you're gonna be my first summon then I'm all for it."

Riki let out a small laugh before he patted me on the head. He was happy to hear I wanted him, but said that as a four-tailed fox, he was too powerful for me to handle right now. He then explained that pipe foxes are great for things like gathering intel, keeping watch of your surroundings and setting up traps. All things a shinobi needs.

I was convinced by what Shogi could do and agreed to make him my summon. Anki gave us his blessing and the two of us signed the scroll. Needless to say, I was excited to try out my new jutsu.

The next day, I woke up in my room where I saw a strange tattoo on my left arm. The tattoo resembled a chain that wrapped around my upper arm three times and ended in a grinning fox head on my shoulder. It took me a second, but I remembered that this was one of Shogi's powers.

Before we went to bed, Shogi explained that he could turn into this mark so that he could always stay with me. He said that it was easier for both of us since I didn't need to go through the trouble of summoning him and it let's him keep a better eye on me. I didn't mind one way or the other, but the tattoo looked cool so I agreed to his idea.

I was about to start making breakfast when Shogi suddenly crawled out of my sleeve.

"Master, I feel that I must point out that you are about to open a cup of instant ramen. Surely you don't really intend on that being your breakfast."

"Of course I do. Shogi, you should know that ramen is a god sent food. It is the greatest thing in the world. There is nothing better than ramen."

"That's not the point. Master, it is far too early for you to be eating ramen. What's more, eating too much ramen will stunt your growth."

"What! Are you saying that it's because of ramen that I'm shorter than everyone else?"

"If you've been eating nothing but ramen, then yes. You need to eat a real meal. One that will give you the nutrients you need to grow stronger. Remember, the stronger you get, the sooner you can make contracts with the other foxes."

"Oh yea, I guess you're right. So then, what should I have for breakfast?"

"Well, I recommend some eggs, a little meat like sausage or bacon, some fruit, and orange juice."

"Sure… we can have that. But we need to go buy all that."

After being denied my favorite meal. Shogi and I went into town. As usual, I was given a lot of hateful stares. Shogi asked me what was wrong, but I didn't want to answer, mainly because I didn't know myself. This is just normal for me.

Before I could get too lost in thought, Shogi poked his head out of my jacket and tapped my cheek. He then pointed at a woman who was walking by and let out a sinister smirk.

"Hey Master, I think I know how to make you feel better."

"What's that?"

In an instant, Shogi turned into a shadow version of himself and slithered down my right leg. He then dash forward so fast that I was barely able to see him. Immediately, the pipe fox tapped the woman's butt and quickly retreated back into my sleeve.

Before I knew what was going on, the woman let out a yelp before turning around to see who touched her. She saw a man in a green shirt standing there and wasted no time slapping his face so hard that it sent him flying into a nearby fence.

I started to laugh at the situation, but put a hand over my mouth and ran into a nearby shop. Once I was safe, I started laughing harder than I ever thought possible.

"So young master, feeling better yet?"

"Are you kidding Shogi? That was hilarious! That guy is gonna be seeing stars for weeks! HAHAHAHA!"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but pulling pranks is a bit of a specialty of ours."

"True, buuuuut, I can do better."

Shogi's eyes widened as he turned to face. He asked me if that was a challenge and I responded with Absolutely. I told him that around here, I was known as the prankster prince. He gave me a sarcastic remark about how if I was the prince, then he was the king. Of course, I had no intention of backing down.

We made a bet to see who could pull more pranks in a single day and the race was one. Someone needed to show him that foxes weren't the only tricksters in the world and I was gonna be the one to do it, BELIEVE IT!