Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Naruto or Digimon franchises. Comments/Criticism is fine as long as it isn't just hate of flaming. If you do not like, no one is forcing you t o read and you can just leave.

Thank you and please enjoy

The Hybrid Tamer

-Chapter 16-

-Last Time-

"…Wait a second, is Renamon reading Icha-Icha Paradise?"

Jeri's massively blushing face was all the answer he needed.

…

"I covered for you this time, but don't ever think about pulling such a stunt again."

[I make no promises.] *Click*

'I swear that woman is gonna make my hair grey.' Mitsou thought with a sigh.

-And Now-

"Rika, don't you think this is a bit much?" Jeri asked as she and the redheaded tomboy walked out of a card shop with several plastic bags stuffed full of booster card packs.

"Don't bother Jeri, she can't hear a word you're saying." Naruto said dully, watching from his spot on the odd girl's shoulders as Rika started giddily tearing open the foil packaging. "Just leave her be for now."

"If you say so," The brunette said with a shrug, giving Rika one last look before continuing to walk. "So what are we doing next?"

"How about we go to the park, I would really like a break from the city life for a bit." Naruto said, giving the surrounding buildings and roads a mild glare. He really didn't like how… 'modernized' the city was compared to his home, what with the smoggy air from car exhaust and almost constant loud noises irritating his senses. "Besides, I have this new idea I want to try out anyway."

"Oh really, what would that be?" Jeri asked curiously.

"And ruin the surprise? I don't think so." Naruto said in a teasing tone as he wagged a paw in front of her face in a clear imitation of the 'Ah-ah-ah' motion.

"Aw come on, not even a little hint?" Jeri asked, only to pout when the transformed blonde simply smirked at her mischievously. "Meanie."

"Hey, trust me, it'll be well worth the wait." Naruto told her before turning his head towards the 'empty space' beside a light post. "You mind taking Rika home so she can finish with her geek out in peace? She's gonna run into a wall or something at this rate." This point was emphasized when he had to pull said girl out of the way of a mailbox with his tail.

Before Jeri could question who he was talking to, the odd girl jump slightly in surprise as Renamon seemed to pop into existence with her usual neutral expression and grabbed Rika's shoulder. "Fine, watch your back." The fox digimon told him bluntly before she and Rika vanished in a static blur.

"How did she do that?" Jeri asked, honestly confused how a giant bright yellow fox could hide so well in the open in broad daylight. "And how did you know she was there?"

"Lots of practice I guess," Naruto said with a shrug before gesturing forwards. "Come on, daylights burning. Unless you don't want to see what I have planned after all."

"It had better be good." Jeri said as she quickened her pace.

-Ten Minutes Later, Park-

"This is amazing!" Jeri couldn't help but yell at the top of her lungs, riding on the back of a now wolf sized fox Naruto as he sprinted through the forested area at a decent speed for just three legs.

"I told you it would be." Naruto said with a grin, glad to have both found a way to burn off some of his pent-up energy that wouldn't upset Seiko and sort-of keep his promise to Jeri of another ride. Plus, it was really helping him get more adjusted to using this form and work out all those little kinks.

The transformed blonde snapped out of his thoughts when his senses kicked in and he noticed the path ahead was blocked by a large hill. "You better be holding on tightly."

"WhaAAAAHAHAHAHA!" Jeri started to ask, not hearing what the fox boy said, only to break out in screaming laughter when Naruto suddenly leapt up and used a tree-trunk to springboard to the top of the hill with ease. He then proceeded to hop down from ledge to ledge until he reached the ground on the other side and resumed his sprint. "Again! Do that again!"

"As you wish." Naruto said with a grin before leaping into the air again and started tree hopping much to Jeri's very voiced joy. The odd girl had the time of her life as they raced through the park, the excitement never stopping for her as Naruto constant switched from running to jumping and back again, occasionally scaring the bejesus out of some hikers or couples 'by accident'.

It wouldn't be until the sun was starting to descend towards the horizon that the pair finally decided to take a break. Slowing his pace down to a casual walk as he entered a small clearing, Naruto hobbled over to a flat patch of grass and laid down while Jeri slipped off his back and flopped down on the ground beside him.

"That… was the most fun… I've ever had," The brunette muttered quietly, her throat a little sore from all the yelling she did. Once she managed to catch her breath a bit, she sat up a bit and snuggled up against Naruto's side while raising a hand to her chest. "That was so much better than last time, I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest from how hard it was beating."

"What can I say, I aim to please." Naruto said with a literal foxy smirk as he set his head on the the girl's lap, though it did falter slightly when she started unconsciously petting his head. He didn't ask her to stop though as unlike Rika and Rumiko, who had overwhelmed his senses with strong and rapid scratches, Jeri was gently running her fingers over his scalp in long slow motions that were much more tolerable.

So instead, the transformed blonde simply settled down with a content sigh and enjoyed the calming sensations that ran down his spine.

*Snap*

Jeri yelped in surprise as Naruto's head suddenly jerked towards a seemingly random direction and sniffed the air. "Naruto? What's wrong" She asked nervously as a soft growl slowly rose in the blonde fox's throat and his hackles stood on end.

"We have company." He said stiffly while standing up, his narrowed gaze never leaving the tree-line. Jeri opened her mouth to ask what he meant by that but was cut off before she could say a single word when a familiar goggle-headed boy and red dino digimon stumbled into the clearing.

"Erm, hey Jeri," Takato said awkwardly, sweat dripping down his brow as he kept his arms firmly wrapped around a growling Guilmon's neck. "Um, soooooo… how's it going?"

Jeri didn't respond at first, opting for just standing in place with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face as she stared at Guilmon in terror. Once her initial shock wore off though, the odd girl started shaking violently and her mouth open and closed without a sound for several seconds until…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Naruto, Takato, and Guilmon cringed in discomfort as Jeri released an earsplitting scream that briefly deafened them before bolting behind Naruto and clinging to him like a terrified kitten.

On the plus side, the sudden scream appeared to snap Guilmon out of his battle instincts, causing the previously aggressive digimon to blink and look around in surprise and confusion. "Uhhh, what was I doing?" He asked in a somewhat high-pitched and childlike voice.

"Boy, if you have even a smidgen of self-preservation, you'll either start explaining why you are bothering us or get leaving within the next five seconds." Naruto said sternly, doing his best to sooth the freaking out girl using him as a meat shield while not dropping his guard for a second.

"Whoa, easy there, we don't want to cause any trouble." Takato said nervously as he held his hands up in surrender. "I was just looking for a place for Guilmon to live since he can't stay with me."

Sweat poured from the boy's brow as Naruto continued to stare at him intensely for what felt like forever, in reality about a minute, before giving a sigh of relief when the blonde fox nodded his head in acceptance.

"Alright then, there's an abandoned shed about a quarter of mile south of here, should do the trick just fine for your fire spitting friend." Naruto stated, gesturing towards said direction with his snout. "Now get going and don't cause any trouble or I decide to kick both your asses six ways to Sunday."

"Yes sir," The goggle-headed boy said with a rapid nod of his head as he quickly back away with a still confusion Guilmon in tow. However, just before he and his digimon were out of sight, he glanced back at Jeri one last time, his eyes filled with guilt and sadness as he saw the trembling girl slowly peeking out from behind Naruto nervously.

Once they were gone, the transformed blonde huffed softly and turned towards Jeri with a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

Staring in the direction the pair had went, the odd girl gave a slow nod of her head as she relaxed and stood back up. "Y-yeah, I'm f-fine. Sorry for f-freaking out like that."

"It's fine Jeri-chan," Naruto said, nuzzling the top of Jeri's head with his snout comfortingly. "I haven't forgotten what happened yesterday, you had every right to react the way you did."

"But s-still, Takato's a friend o-of mine, he must t-think I hate him or something now." Jeri said sadly with her head drooping.

"Then you'll just have to show him otherwise," Naruto told the brunette while gently picking her up by the collar of her shirt and setting her down on his back. "But we'll save that for later, right now we should get going, it's starting to get- *Beep beep beep* Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me."

"What happening now?" Jeri asked nervously as a thick fog started to settle over the clearing all of a sudden.

"Trouble." Naruto stated before an explosion of light briefly blinded the both of them. Once their vision cleared, they were greeted by the sight of a large purple wolf digimon with red marking, numerous blades covering its paws, and a pair of bat-like wings covering most of its face and wreathed around its neck.

Taking a few steps into the clearing, the newly arrived digimon gave its surroundings a quick look around before settling its gaze on Naruto. "Hmm, you smell delectable, guess I'll be having a late lunch." He said in a gravelly male voice, saliva dripping from his jaws as he eyed the pair like they were steaks.

"Sorry, we're not on the menu, would you like a knuckle sandwich instead?" Naruto asked rhetorically as he braced himself for the upcoming fight.

"Many have told me that, but all of them have fallen prey to the might of Sangloupmon." The now named Sangloupmon stated confidently as he and Naruto started to slowly circle each-other.

"Jeri, hold on tight and keep your head down." Naruto said quietly, not getting a response verbally, but the feeling of her arms tightening around his neck told him that she got the message.

-Insert Battle Music-

In the blink of an eye, both combatants seemingly vanished from where they were standing and reappeared in the middle of the clearing, snarling as they literally butted heads with each-other. The stalemate only lasted a few moments though before Naruto found himself being quickly pushed back by the much larger and heavier wolf.

Thinking fast, the transformed blonde stopped pushing and duck, surprising Sangloupmon from the sudden loss of resistance and causing him to stumble forward several steps over Naruto, leaving himself wide open… or so it seemed.

When Naruto tried to take advantage of the opening with a bite to the throat, the foxy blonde was thrown for a loop when the 'decorative' wings around the wolf's neck flapped outwards and smacked him across the face, stunning him.

"Please, did you really think I would fall for such an amateur trick?" Sangloupmon asked mockingly while almost casually batting Naruto away with a paw. Soaring across the clearing, the blonde dispelled his transformation midflight and quickly wrapped himself around Jeri, using his body to protect her as they skid across the ground for several yards.

'Kuso, this isn't gonna be easy.' Naruto thought with a grimace as he let Jeri go and slowly stood up, pain surging through his leg and his back was covered in multiple scrapes and bruises that were already vanishing. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Several dozen clones appeared in a huge puff of smoke and charged at Sangloupmon while the original stood in front of Jeri protectively.

"You think these petty copies scare me? Let me show you my power! Sticker Blade!" The wolf digimon howled as thousands of tiny blades launched from his front paws and mouth, wiping out most of the clones within seconds. The few that remained continued undeterred, pouncing with kunai, Rasengans, or flaming fists.

Sadly only one managed to connect, leaving a few small scratches on Sangloupmon's side before it and the rest were swiftly dispelled by a several fast swipes of the wolf's bladed claws.

"You rookie digimon are always so scrappy, always struggling until the end." Sangloupmon said with a sigh as he turned towards Naruto and Jeri, slowly stalking towards them. "Though, I have to admit, of you didn't then I wouldn't get to have as much fu-" *Poof* *Crackle*

This time it was the wolf that was caught by surprise when his 'helpless prey' disappeared in a puff of smoke and a grinning Naruto burst out of the ground beneath him with a full charged Rasengan in hand.

"Surprise mother-fucker!"

Sangloupmon didn't even have time to blink before the dangerous sphere rammed into his torso with the force of a semi-truck, sending him flying up several feet in the air. Just as he started to descend back to earth, two more Narutos appeared and sent him rocketing down with synced drop kicks before dispersing.

"How's this taste!" The actual real Naruto yelled as he charged in with another Rasengan to deal the final blow.

Unfortunately, he was once again left flatfooted when the purple wolf turned pitch-black and dispersed into shadows.

"It appears that I underestimated you. That actually hurt quite a bit." Sangloupmon said, his voice echoing all around the clearing at once. "I won't make that mistake again."

"That's what everyone says to me, yet they always do." Naruto retorted as he strained his senses to the max for any giveaway of his opponent's location.

"I can imagine, you lack experience but make up for it with a creative mind." Sangloupmon said with a hint of respect in his tone. "Given enough time and I no doubt that you would've become a real powerhouse. Such a shame that I'll have to snuff it out!"

With less than a second to react, Naruto slid to the side just in time to avoid the wolf's bladed claws swiping at his torso-

*Squelch*

-Pause Music-

But not the jaws that dug themselves into his shoulder.

"KUSO!" Naruto swore loudly, his teeth gritting together as his hands reflexively grabbed Sangloupmon's snout and tried to pry him off.

"Don't bother, I drain the data out of any digimon I bite, you'll be dead in just a few seconds." The wolf said confidently in a muffled tone… before blinking in surprise when Naruto started chuckling. "What is so funny?"

"Oh it's nothing much," Naruto said with a grin, even as he felt his chakra being drained away by the bite. "You just got one little thing wrong."

"And what exactly would that be?" Sangloupmon asked with a raised brow, both curious on what the blonde meant and how he wasn't dead yet.

"I'm not a digimon." Naruto stated, forming a Rasengan with his good hand. "And now you can't move."

"…son of a bitch." Sangloupmon muttered before the whiskered blonde slammed the sphere right in his face and detonated it, launching the wolf across the clearing howling in pain. Naruto wasn't left unscathed though as not only did the wolf take a few chunks of his shoulder for the flight, but he also was knocked off his feet by the backlash of his own attack thanks to the proximity and extra kick it now had.

"Note to self, setting off Rasengan near own face is a really stupid idea." Naruto said with a hiss as he slowly stood up, doing his best to ignore the pain flooding from his leg and shoulder.

"That it may be," Sangloupmon said while shaking his head to clear the ringing, causing a few teeth to fall out of his mouth in the process. The wings around his head were torn to shreds and a spiral wound was firmly embedded in his forehead. "But I can't deny that it certainly was effective."

"You know, you don't seem like such a bad fellow, minus the whole trying to eat me thing," Naruto said with a pained chuckle, his fist lighting up with blue flames as he got into a ready stance. "Maybe if we had gotten off on a better foot we could have been buds."

"I agree, but sadly I haven't eaten in three months and you happen to have quite the interesting taste," Sangloupmon admitted with a shrug, stumbling a bit until he managed to regain his balance. "Now, shall we continue?"

"Sure, why not."

As the pair clashed once more, up in the canopy Jeri watched the conflict alongside a clone, a huge amount of concern in her eyes. "He's hurt, we need to help him." She said, moving to climb down from the tree only for the clone to stop her.

"Sorry Jeri-chan, Boss said to keep you safe and that's what we're going to do." The clone said firmly as he held the odd girl in place. "Boss will be fine, he's dealt with way worse that a mutt bite."

The copy's point was proven as the original Naruto managed to grab Sangloupmon by the tail and use it to bash the wolf into the ground several times before being kicked away. "Yeah, but-"

"But what? Even if we were to let you go down there, what would you do? Help him fight?" C. Naruto asked rhetorically, causing Jeri to stop struggling.

"I would… Uh… maybe I…"

"My point exactly, the best thing we can do right now is stay out of the crossfire and let the boss handle it." The clone said, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder comfortingly.

"…Isn't there anything I can do?" Jeri asked, hating how she was hiding away while her friend risked his life.

"Unless you became a Tamer with your own digimon in the last five minutes, no." C. Naruto said with a shake of his head before returning his attention to the fight, which was still stuck in a stalemate as the original and Sangloupmon struggled to overpower the other.

"Then why don't I be your Tamer?"

…

"...Say what now?" The clone asked, his head jerking back in Jeri's direction with a surprised expression as the girl's words finally registered in his head.

"Let me be your Tamer," Jeri repeated, clasping the clone's hand with both of hers and holding it up in front of her in a prayer position. "Please, I want to help."

Flabbergasted by her request and begging, the duplicate was silent for several moments. "Uh… not that that isn't a swell idea and all, but I don't think that will work."

"What? Why not? You don't have a Tamer yet, so why can't I be it?" Jeri demanded, getting right in the clone's face. "Is it because I freaked out earlier? Do you think I'm not good enough? I will be, I promise!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, that's not what I meant at all!" C. Naruto said nervously while waving his hands, missing as his creator was tossed across the clearing for the umpteenth time. "Look, I'd love to have you as a partner, however I'm not even really a digimon. And even if I was, I have no idea how to- what the hell?"

"Hey don't you change the…" Both Jeri and the clone found their attention drawn away from their little argument as a bright light caught their attention.

-Thirty Seconds Earlier-

'That is really starting to get old,' Naruto thought with a frown as he slowly got back to his feet and shook his head to clear the cobwebs in his mind before swiveling around and catching the set of jaws trying to snap around his head.

"Ha… you are vy far… ha… the vosth ifficulth frey I have ever ealth with." Sangloupmon said, his breathing slightly haggard as he tried to force his jaws shut.

"And you could really use a breath-mint." Naruto quipped while sweat poured from his brow from the pressure his arms were under.

"I'll thake thath uner avisementh."

"Seriously, your breath reeks, haven't you ever heard of-*Beep-beep* oh what now?" Naruto groaned as the digivice in his hand went off.

[New partner registered, generating digital companion interface device] The device said before it launched a sphere of light into the tree-line, straight towards where Jeri and C. Naruto were hiding.

The clone immediately got in front of Jeri and tried to block the incoming energy ball with his body, only to be shocked when it passed straight through him like he wasn't even there and landed in the girl's palm.

Closing her hand around it reflexively, Jeri gasped as the light rapidly faded away, revealing a digivice now clasped between her fingers. It was a bright orange edged with red, had a blue strap with a spiral red mark on it, and a small screen with the word 'Active' blinking on it.

"What was that?" "Whath was thath?" Naruto and Sangloupmon asked at the same time, briefly pausing their fight due to their surprise at the randomness of the event.

"I'm a Tamer…" Jeri muttered quietly as she stared at the device in her hands before smiling brightly and hugging the clone happily. "I'm a Tamer!"

"Great, now let's- Kuso!" C. Naruto yelled, suddenly shoving the odd girl through the air, just in time for avoid the dozens of blades that sliced through both the clone and the tree that they had been hiding in.

"Aaaah!" *Thump* Unfortunately, this also meant that Jeri was sent into a ten-foot free-fall into the hard earth back first. Dazed from the not-so-pleasant landing, the odd girl laid on the ground for several moments as the aftershocks of the impact ran through her body.

Once they wore off, she slowly sat up with a pained whimper that turned into a frightened yelp when she saw Sangloupmon charging at her.

-Resume Battle Music-

Before he could reach her though, Naruto appeared in front of her and slammed his fist into the spiral wound on the wolf's head, halting the digimon in his tracks.

"Jeri, run!" The whiskered blonde yelled as he grabbed Sangloupmon in a stranglehold and tried to drag him away. He didn't get far though as the wolf digimon swiftly recovered his wits and started thrashing wildly.

"Let go of me! All digimon know the power that a digivice can give!" Sangloupmon howled, desperately struggling to break free of Naruto's grasp. "You will no deny me such potential!"

"Sorry but that one's taken! Find! Your! Own!" Naruto punctuated each word with a harsh punch until the wolf finally managed to buck him off and made another beeline for Jeri, who scrambled back in terror. However, Sangloupmon only made it a few steps before Naruto latched onto his back paws, causing him to fall over in a comical manner. "Dammit Jeri! I said get out of here!"

"Oh no you don't! Mega Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon yelled as several dozen massive blades launched from the wolf's paws. Thankfully the odd girl only got cut and nicked a few times, but the sharp weapons dug into the ground all around them, creating a ring of razor sharp death that literally cut off any form of escape. "I will have that digivice! Its data will guarantee my swift digivolution!"

"Over my dead body!" Naruto hollered back, dragging the wolf away from Jeri by his hind legs, only for the digimon to dissolve into the shadows once again. Having a good idea where Sangloupmon was headed, Naruto dashed over to Jeri and scooped her up before leaping into the air just as two familiar bladed paws erupted from the girl's shadow.

"This has dragged on too long, I need to end this n-AGH!" A strangled yell of pain escaped Naruto's lips the moment as his legs gave out the moment he landed, causing him to drop Jeri as he collapsed. "Kuso! Not now!"

"Ah, looks like someone's having a little trouble there." Sangloupmon said as he fully reformed and began stalking towards them. "What's wrong, pull a hamstring?"

"Something like that." Naruto grumbled through grit teeth while slowly forcing himself to stand back up, his injured leg wobbling unsteadily as he stood in front of Jeri protectively.

"I admire your tenacity, but this is the end of the road for you." The wolf stated before pouncing at them to finish them off, only for Naruto to catch him by the jaws once again. "Oh vam ith!"

"I seriously need to wash my hands after this," Naruto muttered as slobber and blood dripped all over his hands. "Jeri, you might want to give that digi-whatsit a try or something, I don't think I can do this much longer!"

"Huh? Oh right," Said girl muttered, snapping out of her fear induced shock and pulling out several cards from her pocket. "Uh… but which one do I use?"

"As long as it helps I don't care, just hurry up!" Naruto yelled, his legs buckling slightly.

"Alright, um… er… aha! Got it!" Jeri exclaimed while sliding a card through the digivice with a crackle of electricity. "Digi-modify: Cutemon's Immediate Healing!"

As the effects of the card kicked in, Naruto couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips as his leg stopped shaking and the bite wound on his shoulder rapidly healed shut. On the other hand, Sangloupmon seemed to visibly pale at the sight of his opponent rapidly recovering from all his injuries. "Thath's sheathing."

"So, I'm a ninja, we always cheat." Naruto said as he stood up, tightening his grip with one hand while forming a Rasengan with the other. "Now, any last words?"

"…I'll ve vack?"

-End Music-

"Meh, that's kinda overused to be honest." Naruto said with a shrug before shoving the volatile sphere of energy straight down the wolf's throat.

"Hughghle! *boom* With a muffled explosion, Sangloupmon's body expanded outwards rapidly like a balloon before bursting into a cloud of data along with the blades trapping the two in the clearing.

"Well that was a pain in the ass." Naruto muttered, wiping the sweat off his forehead before turning to Jeri with concern on his face. "Are you alright Jeri-chan? That fight got pretty ugly."

"Yeah, just a few bumps and bruises," The odd girl said with a sigh of relief, leaning against the blonde a bit for support as her adrenaline wore off. "That was… that was…"

"Annoying? Scary? Painful?"

"Awesome!" Jeri exclaimed with a grin, causing Naruto to blink in surprise. "I mean, yeah it was terrifying what with getting attacked by a giant wolf and falling from a tree, but I became a Tamer to! And the way you fought him was so cool like how you were like all casual when you ended it."

"Well, when it put it like that it does sound pretty cool." Naruto said with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we do something about that?" Jeri asked while pointing to the cloud of data that was starting to disperse.

"Oh right, almost forgot about that." Naruto muttered, raising his digivice hand so the remaining data particles were drawn into both him and it. Once it was all absorbed, the device beeped twice before ejecting an equipment card called 'Sangloupmon Gauntlets' and… a small purple chip with a picture of Sangloupmon on it.

"…Are you ever going to run out of surprises?" Jeri asked, her jaw slightly slack.

"Probably not," Naruto said with a shrug, pocketing the new card and looking over the chip curiously. "Let's go, I want to ask Renamon if she has any idea what this is. Besides, Seiko-baachan is probably getting worried by now."

"Alright," Jeri said before the pair slowly started to walk away. "By the way, now that your leg is all better-"

"Yes, I'll give you another ride." *Poof*

"Awesome!"

As the once again transformed blonde ran off with his happily cheering passenger, neither noticed as a small cluster of data formed in the middle of the trashed clearing. These tiny red flecks fluttered together in an erratic and unpredictable pattern for several minutes before condensing together and filling the entire area with a blinding light.

"Well… well… well… isn't this an interesting development." A deep gravelly voice stated as the light cleared, revealing a pair of blood-red eyes with slit pupils.

-End Chapter-

AN: Bum bum buuuuum, I'm pretty sure you all know who that is, but how? And what is the chip that Naruto got? Internet cookie to whoever can figure it out. I hope you all liked the design I came up with for Jeri's digivice and her bonding time with Naruto.

For those confused with the interaction between Naruto and Sangloupmon, that's simple. Sangloupmon only attacked Naruto because he was hungry… that's it, and Naruto understood this so neither of them really took the fight personally. I hope that this chapter was worth the extra wait. Thank you for reading and please review.