Escape to Kumo

by bjdakooch

Minato kills Obito on the night of the Kyuubi attack and sacrifices himself to seal the biju into his son, Naruto. It was not your standard interaction, so how will the new seal affect Naruto? Fugaku nominated as Hokage. Kushina survives and does her best to raise Naruto but it doesn't take long for problems to arise. Watch as they escape and build a new home.

4. Chapter 4

-A Fresh Start in the Clouds-

It was finally time for Kushina, Anko and the kids to say goodbye to Tsunade and Shizune. Truth be told, Tsunade really wanted to go with them, but they couldn't afford so much attention to be placed on the rogue group. Thus, Tsunade and Shizune waved goodbye to them from the porch of her new house.

Kushina had acquired papers and passports from Ai that helped get them into a merchant caravan without much trouble. Kushina's name was changed to Shina Maki, Naruto became Ruto Maki, Anko became Shamanko Maki and Tayuya was just Tayuya. Kushina would get her proper papers when they got to Kumo. After seeing the chakra dyed hair of Anko and Kushina, Tayuya insisted on having her hair dyed the same shade of Sunkissed blonde as Naruto. Thus, Kushina led 'her family of blondes' in the caravan on the way to Kumo.

The caravan was a slow-moving procession that took three weeks to get to the front gates of Kumo. Hiding among civilians was pretty boring for the kids, but that didn't stop Anko from playing chakra control games with Tayuya and Naruto. Eventually, every kid in the caravan migrated to the Uzumaki, or should I say Maki, family. Anko would toss ping pong balls at the kids, and they had to catch them without using their hands. Anko brought multiple bags of ping pong balls that she would lob at the kids. The civilian kids would trap them with their arms or other strategies that made them look like clapping seals.

Naruto and Tayuya would try to channel chakra to whatever extremity Anko threw the ball at and keep that ball stuck to wherever it landed. Tayuya was much better at it than Naruto and she had a total of eleven ping pong balls stuck all over her. Naruto only had six and they kept falling off as new ones were thrown at him. Each time, Naruto would get frustrated and either say something to rattle Tayuya or tickle her to make her drop them. This usually ended with Tayuya calling Naruto various names, but it seemed her favorite was shithead. Anko laughed as the girl rambled at her newfound brother and Naruto answered back with equal vigor. Anko couldn't remember the last time her heart was filled with so much joy. Maybe it was when Kushina-Sensei removed the cursed seal when Anko was placed on her team? Yeah, back in the good old days on Kushina's team with Yugao and Kurenai. It seemed like so long ago.

When the kids weren't playing games, they were reading basic books that would introduce them to ninja life. Seeing as they were Uzumakis, Kushina gave them 'Intro to Fuinjutsu – by Mito Uzumaki', which Naruto was already familiar with. He had read it dozens of times in his childhood. Naruto would look over her shoulder from time to time to check on her progress or look up from his book 'Chakra and its Basic Components – by Tsunade Senju'. When the kids got bored of reading, Kushina and Anko would tell them stories and give them basic instructions. Long caravan trip short, the kids used the trip to learn how to become better shinobi.

Eventually, the caravan pulled up to the base of the mountain that housed Kumogakore. Naruto rode on Anko's shoulders and looked up with his jaw hanging low. The road wound in a circular pattern around the mountain, up and up it went into the clouds. The buildings were built into the mountainside and his mother told him that the whole mountain was used in some way. They followed the caravan up to the gates and the Uzumaki family waited patiently for their turn to enter.

Eventually, Kushina flashed their papers and the permission slip from the Raikage to allow Tayuya entry. The Uzumaki family made its way up to the Raikage tower to introduce themselves to Ai and find out where they would be living for their fresh start in Kumo. Naruto and Tayuya took in the new landscape in awe, only barely registering that it was harder to breathe than they were used to. The winding path was filled with life and fun, but Anko was able to notice that this village was much more militaristic than Konoha. Shinobi based buildings were everywhere and the civilian presence was greatly reduced. If the percentage of Konoha was 70 percent civilian and 30 percent shinobi then the Hidden Cloud would be the inverse of that.

Naruto waved to everyone who looked at him curiously, not caring that a majority of the people were dark skinned. He found it awesome to meet people different than him and his Gigawatt smile earned smiles and waves in return. The people of Kumo looked at the family of Sunkissed blondes with curiosity but the atmosphere seemed welcoming as well. The trip to the Raikage tower took twenty minutes and Tayuya was huffing and puffing by the time they made it all the way up while Naruto was still bouncing around in excitement.

They stopped at the desk outside of the Raikage's office and saw the pretty secretary with smooth, milk-chocolate skin and fiery red hair. Her golden eyes peered down on the children as the azure blue and dark red eyes met her gaze. She smiled at the two beautiful blonde children before addressing Kushina.

"Lady Shina, it is good to see you again. I will notify the Raikage that you are here, but you will need to wait to enter until Bee and Yugito come."

"No problem, Karui-San. Mind if I ask you a question? I noticed something familiar in your chakra signature. Do you know if you had any Uzumaki in your family line?" Kushina responded cheerfully.

Karui's eyes widened at that, and she seemed to think before responding. "I am sorry, Shina-Sama, I do not know. I was orphaned in the last war before I really had the chance to get to know my parents or my lineage."

An apologetic look fixed itself on Kushina's face. "I am sorry, Karui-Chan. What if I told you that I have a seal that could identify if you have any Uzumaki blood?"

Karui's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Really? That easy?" Kushina nodded while her family looked on gaping. "Fuck yeah! Let's do it."

Kushina chuckled at her enthusiasm before pulling the giant scroll of her back. She unrolled it to a certain point and paused once the required seal was laid out. "Okay, Karui-Chan, a little blood on your fingers then a handprint on the center of this seal."

Without hesitation Karui cut her index finger and smeared some blood on her thumb and other fingers before slamming it onto the seal with enthusiasm. She looked up expectantly at Kushina to see her nodding her head and analyzing the changing seal. Karui couldn't take it anymore and let out a louder than intended, "Wellll."

Kushina looked up from the seal and smiled at her. "Yup, as I thought. One quarter Uzumaki from your grandmother."

Tears threatened to escape from Karui's golden orbs, that was until a loud and boisterous voice speaking in some form of rhythmic rap echoed from the hallway and into the waiting room. This seemed to snap Karui straight out of her daze and she put an agitated look on her face before shouting.

"Damnit Bee! Shut your trap and cease the incessant rap!" She then looked aghast and clamped both hands over her mouth. All Uzumaki's laughed openly at their long lost relative before Bee entered the waiting room.

"Dang, Karui, that was hot, methinks you're a rapper, even if you claim not." Bee's exaggerated hand gestures made the Uzumaki kids laugh, but all of the grown women looked at Bee incredulously.

Anko spoke what all Uzumakis were feeling, "Is this guy for real?"

Bee, the Raikage's 22-year-old younger brother, took a long moment to soak up Anko's form. He lips slowly parted into a moderate gape before his chin snapped up and a smirk plastered itself on his face.

"Yo, yo, who is this little lady? She so wow, makes me wanna bring out the Hachibi…"

Unfortunately for the knucklehead rapper, this line also fell flat among the Uzumakis. So flat in fact that Anko burst out laughing. She bent over at the waist, slapping her knee and gasping for air.

"Oh, gasp, holy shit, gasp, that was … that was … too… funny…" She continued to gasp for air in between bouts of laughter.

Bee cocked his head to the side to the side as he looked at the laughing kunoichi. He then looked to the other Uzumakis for a partial explanation of the kunoichi's behavior and his eyes fell on Naruto. The Hachibi didn't have to tell Bee, this boy was the Kyuubi jinchuriki, but there was something more than that. The thickness of his chakra was almost equal to the biju themselves…

"Ey, yo, boyo, you can call me Uncle Bee, I carry the Hachibi. If I am right in my mind, you carry mister nine…"

The boy shook his head vigorously in a manner that actually interrupted Bee's poorly constructed rap sentence. Bee cocked his head again, translated body language demanding an explanation from the tiny blonde. The little boy looked uncomfortable before he firmed his resolve and looked up at the giant of a man.

"It … it is Mrs. Nine, Bee-San."

Bee's jaw dropped and Gyuuki was equally stunned, he always thought that the leader of the demonic kitsune clan was a male. Gyuuki came from a merging of demonic clans between powerful bulls and a sort of amphibian octopus. His clans merged in order to combat the might of the Kitsune clan. Then the Sage, father that he was to the biju, summoned Gyuuki to the human realm and imparted his chakra upon him and his 'siblings'. That was a couple centuries ago and Gyuuki never knew that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was a female. He didn't even know her name that whole time because the Sage was the only one she told. Meanwhile, Bee seemed to remain stunned in front of the Uzumakis as an internal back and forth ensued. Finally, Bee knelt down in front of Naruto.

"My bad lil' man, it wasn't no part of an evil plan. If you can tell Ms. Nine that we're sorry, you can cash in a favor from the mighty killer Bee. Wee!" Bee smiled at the youngster and held out his fist.

Naruto shook off his hesitation and bumped fists with the massive, silly man. "Okay, Mr. Bee, I will remember that. Even if your rapping falls a little flat." Bee ruffled Naruto's hair in appreciation of the boy's first rap. He would make a disciple yet.

As the two finished their exchanged, Yugito, a 13-year-old genin from Kumo and the jinchuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata announced her presence. "So, I see that this is Kumo's newest addition to its jinchuriki ranks. Hiya, lil guy, I am Yugito Ni and I house the Nibi no Nekomata."

Naruto peaked around the massive frame of Killer Bee and saw a beautiful blonde girl, with her hair done in a long ponytail that reached her mid back. She wore the standard gear of a Kumo genin with her hitiate sown in to her left shoulder. Her gentle purple shirt accentuated her spotless skin and chocolate brown eyes. Naruto smiled at her welcoming presence and was grateful to know somebody else who could understand him. Naruto stepped around the still-kneeling frame of Bee and accepted Yugito's handshake.

"Umm, it is nice to me you, Auntie Yugito, I am Naru … I mean I am Ruto Maki, and I hold Ms. Nine, as Uncle Bee said."

Yugito smiled curiously at the kid, Ai told her that the kid was five but he was significantly more developed than any five-year-old she had ever seen. Her first guess would have been ten. She shelved those thoughts for later and asked, "Auntie?"

Naruto shuffled in a clear display of nervousness and his eyes shot to his feet. "Umm, well, Uncle Bee said that he is my uncle, so I thought that would make you my Auntie…"

Yugito didn't have the easiest childhood nor the acceptance of her whole village. According to Ai, Naruto had it worse than she did. She decided to accept the familial affection and she pulled Naruto into a hug. The Uzumaki family watched on as their youngest member made fast friends with the jinchuriki duo. The moment was shattered as a shout came from Ai's office, and Karui ushered them into the room.

Naruto walked into the room with eyes wide in amazement. The room itself was pretty standard, but two things stood out to our blonde future hero. First, the massive figure of the Yondaime Raikage. Naruto was just a kid, but he could tell this man was powerful. Naruto shelved that thought as a kind smile stood out amongst the intimidating figure of Ai. The second thing that caught Naruto's attention was the view of the village that Ai had from his glass wall. The Raikage tower sat high upon the mountain and provided a stunning view of the village.

Ignoring decorum, Naruto and Tayuya ran to the glass wall that looked over their new village. The kids pressed their faces to the glass in order to get the full view. The adults watched the cute, childish display with smiles on their faces. Naruto felt a massive hand rest on his shoulder before he heard Ai speak.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Naruto nodded his head vigorously. "Think you would like to become a shinobi that protects this village?" Naruto's head was a blur of up and down motion. "Okay then, why don't you two join your mother so we can get this started."

Kushina smiled at the display of kindness from her husband's old rival and her current leader. "Thank you for your kindness and hospitality, Raikage-Sama." Kushina bowed to the Raikage and all Uzumakis followed her example.

A massive mitt swished through the air. "Think nothing of it, Kushina. I believe this will benefit everyone. So, you told me that Naruto is five years old, right?" Kushina nodded at Ai's cocked eyebrow. "Could you explain why he looks like he is almost ten then?"

Kushina gulped. She hadn't told Ai of the demonic contract or the accelerated growth from the Kyuubi. She decided to air some of the truth and see how it was received. "To the best of our knowledge, Kyuubi is accelerating Naruto's growth. He already has chunin level chakra capacity with nearly endless chakra reserves. In fact, he manifested a unique brand of the Uzumaki chakra chains while I was visiting you."

Ai looked like a kid underneath the Christmas tree about to unwrap the biggest present. He was already excited enough to get the Uzumaki line to take root in his village. He was ecstatic to know that the boy already had an Uzumaki kekkai genkai. How much better could this boy get? Ai steadied his voice before asking, "Unique?"

Anko stepped forward here. "According to Shizune, apprentice of Tsunade, Naruto manifested chakra chains with an additional lightning element when he saved Tayuya from three thugs. Naruto … disposed of … said thugs." Anko's hesitation at reminding Naruto of the memory was palpable. Tayuya took Naruto's hand in hers and gave it a firm squeeze, which visibly relaxed the blonde's tense shoulders.

Ai sighed at that; he hated when kids were dragged into the darkness of this world.

"I see, I am sorry you had to go through that, Naruto-Kun. Want to take a fun test for me?"

"Yes! Raikage-GiGi!" Naruto bounced with excitement as Bee fell over in a fit of laughter and Yugito failed to stifle a giggle.

Ai sighed before he pulled something from his desk and stood up. The massive man walked in front of Naruto and got down on one knee. Kushina had her arm on Naruto's shoulder and her whole body was tensed and ready to spring into action. A calming look from Ai earned a moderate easing of her posture, but she was still a protective mother.

Ai handed a piece of paper to Naruto. "Okay, little guy, I want to check something really quick. Your mom told me you already know how to channel your chakra. Put this paper in between two fingers and channel chakra to them."

Naruto looked to his mother for confirmation and then he channeled chakra into the paper after her nod. The paper sheered clean in two before one half of the sheet dampened and the other crumpled. The figurative Christmas present Ai was ready to open earlier blew away every expectation he had. He wanted to find Santa Clause and give him a bone-crushing hug. Kushina noticed how the Raikage recoiled in surprise before recomposing himself and realized she would have to lay out some ground rules later on.

Ai stood up and looked directly at Kushina. "That is quite the kid you have there. I know that you want to protect him, and I know that you will most likely train him. What I wanted to know is if you would let him become my apprentice when he is ten. You can handle the foundational training, you can train with us when he becomes my apprentice and I will allow you unfettered access to him. I simply cannot ignore the potential this boy holds."

Kushina tensed at the direct approach Ai was using. Truth be told, she didn't have many options. If Uzu was to be rebuilt, she would need to acknowledge this man as he leader and Naruto was one of the conditions for the blood contract. Kushina calmed herself before linking eye contact with the ferocity of a mother and a war hero.

"Ai, I will allow it as long as I am given some discretion when it comes to his training and the timing of his more … worldly … missions."

Ai smiled at that. "Of course, Kushina, we are bound by contract, and I will honor your wishes when it comes to his training. How about this little one here?" Ai looked down at the young blonde girl.

"This here is Tayuya-Chan, the girl my sochi saved in Tanzaku Guy. She has a unique ability as well. We have not tested her affinities yet, but I can tell you she is most likely a wind type. She was subconsciously infusing her music with a genjutsu when Naruto met her. She uses a flute as a medium for this unique genjutsu. She is also confirmed half-blooded Uzumaki. I knew her mother before the fall of Uzushiogakore. On that note, your secretary, Karui-Chan, is a quarter blooded Uzumaki on her mother's side. If she wishes, she will be accepted into the Kumo branch of the Uzumaki family."

Ai cocked an eyebrow at this. It certainly would explain the fiery temper and red hair; in fact, it made perfect sense. "Good to know, well welcome Tayuya-Chan. Do you wish to be a shinobi as well?"

"Yes, Raikage-Sama. If I don't, who will protect shithead on his missions?" The girl offered the reply with such simplistic spunk, that Ai couldn't help but crack a smile. Bee fell to the ground in another fit of laughter and a couple Bolt agents snickered.

"Very well, I will get your papers worked up. Children start the academy in Kumo at age eight, so you two have a couple years to get ready. Kushina, anything else you would like to address at this time?"

Kushina nodded and pulled out a medium sized scroll out of one of her hidden seals. "Working with the kids on the way here gave me this idea. If your academy is anything like Konoha's then it is woefully inferior to the Uzumaki education system. In order to help my children and the future generations of Kumo, I offer this as a gift of goodwill for all of your assistance. I would encourage you and your shinobi to look through it and maybe use my children's age group as a test run. I am sure you won't be disappointed."

Ai cocked and eyebrow before Yugito spoke up. "How, exactly, is it better?" Her tone offered challenge and a slight bit of offense.

Kushina responded without hesitation. "Well, kiddo, I don't know if your history covered much on the Uzumaki clan. For generations, an Uzumaki genin was worth a mid-rank chunin, and that was on average. An Uzumaki prodigy was on the same scale as Hashirama Senju, case and point Mito Uzumaki. That came from strong educational foundations, a knowledge of fuinjutsu, and the development in understanding of chakra from the beginning. Sure, history is nice to know and it is somewhat necessary, but will it be the deciding factor on the battlefield? Will your knowledge of past exploits stop the kunai from killing you? Or, how many of your genin know of or are even familiar with the current ninjas in the bingo book? Those are just a few examples, Yugito-San, of how I know the Uzumaki education system was superior."

Yugito's eyes drifted to her feet and her challenging attitude was truly humbled. Ai got the childlike Christmas look again and Bee was simply nodding along. Ai then realized what she said.

"Wait, Kushina, are you telling me that Uzumaki fuinjutsu lessons are included in this curriculum?"

Kushina nodded proudly. "Yes, Ai, that is what I am telling you. Of course, I am holding stuff back. I have provided fuinjutsu levels one through three in that scroll. In Uzu, genins would graduate from the academy as level six fuinjutsu journeymen. For now, I would ask you to settle on level three since most children will not have the genetic predisposition to fuinjutsu."

"We will take what we can get, Kushina. For now, why don't you let Bee and Yugito show you to your new compound so you may get settled in. Shamanko-San…" Ai paused here and looked at Anko with a ridiculous smirk on his face. "Nice name, here is your hitiate. I will give you a couple weeks to get settled in. Report to me when you are ready to resume active duty."

Anko nodded and accepted the new hitiate. She hated her new alias, but she couldn't bring herself to totally part from her given name. Bee and Yugito walked the Uzumaki clan to their new compound, a very nice place settled on a plateau in the mountain right next to Ai's compound. Bee told Naruto that he would stop by from time to time to check in on him and help train him. The Uzumakis bid farewell to the jinchuriki duo and enjoyed exploring their new home.

-Three Years Later – Intro Academy Life-

Three years passed in a flash for Naruto and the Uzumaki family. Kushina, or Lady Shina as most of the Kumo public knows her, accepted the role as head of education. She did full reviews of the core curriculum and garnered support to institute the changes to the Kumo academy. She planned it out perfectly so Naruto and Tayuya would be among the first generation of the newly trained students. She also got the council to concede on pushing the age of enlistment back from twelve to 14. She sighted death rates among new genin, abysmal mission success rates among genin teams and other relevant stats to validate this change.

Despite her reforms, there were still many ways for Kumo to conscript younger shinobi. Ai making Naruto his apprentice and Anko taking Tayuya as an apprentice would override the age of conscription. It was planned to take the apprentices out on joint missions or joint training trips during the breaks in the academy. However, apprentices were not granted full shinobi status until they graduated from the academy, so Naruto would be safe from dangerous missions for now.

The Uzumaki family also made rapid and vast impacts on the Kumo shinobi population. One of the positive effects of teaching your whole family journeyman level fuinjutsu is that they can manufacture tags that shinobi use in everyday life. That is doubly so when one member of your family has nearly Kage level reserves, even if most of those reserves were untapped. The Uzumaki clan as a whole pumped out sealing tags, explosive tags and other Uzumaki tags that flew off the shelves of every shinobi store in Kumo. This provided a steady income for the clan and, in addition to Kushina's efforts, made the Maki clan of Kumo become one of Kumo's most influential families.

(A/N: It is my goal to write out the names we all know in love while telling the story. The aliases will be used in public settings like talking or when their aliases are needed due to their situations.)

Kushina knew that here family would need to be prepared for the adversity ahead, so she buckled down on their training for the three years they had. At six years old, seven for Tayuya, she taught the children the shadow clone jutsu. It was uniquely suited to Uzumaki shinobi, despite the leaf claiming it as their original technique meant for jonin level ninjas. Naruto was much better suited to the jutsu than Tayuya due to his massive reserves and healing factor, but Tayuya could still produce a single clone at the age of six. If one stopped in on the Maki family regularly, they would see a couple shadow clones of a fierce blonde woman instructing two little blonde girls and an ever growing hoard of little blonde boys.

Kushina trained the children up on the basics every day. The mornings would start with a rigorous workout. For starters, the children would perform a growing number of pushups, air squats, sit-ups, burpies, chakra jumps (the kids would channel chakra to their legs and jump as high as they could) and weighted lunges. After the first round of this, they would run to the base of the mountain and back up again. Upon their return, they would do one more round of the physical exercises and then eat breakfast. After breakfast was an introduction to meditation, not one of Kushina's strong suits, but Yugito helped significantly with instructing the children on proper meditation. Kushina used some of Yugito's practices to help refine her own meditation as well.

After meditation came studies until lunchtime. The studies covered all of the basics for shinobi life like hand seals, chakra theory, chakra natures, known kekkai genkai of the elemental nations, politics and etiquette/decorum training. The last one required Ai to find a proper tutor for since Kushina never really understood those lessons. After lunch, Kushina forced kenjutsu and taijutsu katas down the children's throats for three hours. Once that was completed came the daily dose of chakra control exercises. Kushina was good at tweaking the normal exercises and making games out of the. She constructed a series of earth pillars for the children to climb using the tree-climbing technique and she would have them play tag on the pillars. She dug into the mountain a bit and paid Bee with some sake to fill in the dugout with water. She would have the kids play on, meditate on or lay down on the water's surface to increase chakra control and capacity.

Ai would stop by frequently to check on his new clan and see the progress of his future apprentice. Needless to say, he was impressed. So impressed, in fact, that he sent a couple of the prominent children of Tayuya's age to join them in their training and fun. Kushina was initially reluctant, but after seeing the smile on her sochi's face at having new friends, she relented. It was this collection of childhood friends that would define Kumo's future. The group composed of Naruto, Tayuya, Samui, Mabui, Atsui and Omoi. They became fast friends, and the girls became keenly interested in our intrepid blonde.

Speaking of Naruto, the boy's growth rate was remarkable. His understanding of fuinjutsu matched Kushina's own. While Tayuya was stuck on level two, Naruto was on level four by the time he joined the academy. The eight-year-old Naruto also looked like he was 13. Upon entering the academy, he stood at 5 foot 7 inches with a cut build that made him look like a manga character named Gohan from his favorite manga. Every inch of the body was composed of tight knit and lean muscle, except for his boyish face. His unnatural growth made him tower over his friends and other kids of his age group. Kushina's least favorite side effect of this was the growing number of fan girls varying from ages ten to 16, which Kushina found simultaneously cute and immensely annoying.

Kushina worked directly with Naruto every day to learn and control his chakra chains. Like most Uzumaki, Naruto's chains initially sprouted out of his back, directly behind the primary chakra point, his heart. It took Naruto a year to develop his control enough to manifest chains from his hands and he was still practicing to use them like his mother did. Kushina was surprised to see that the base nature of the chains was raiton, lightning release. This made Kushina focus on elemental nature training with Naruto during their one on one times. It took him three years to complete his stage three lightning nature manipulation, but it gave him far greater control over his chakra chains. Unfortunately, his chakra control was still only mediocre because of the ludicrous and ever-growing amount of chakra that he had at his disposal.

Naruto's second visit to the Kyuubi happened a couple months before he was supposed to start at the academy. Bee and Yugito stopped by regularly to instruct him on various shinobi arts, but they recently taught how to properly contact his biju through meditation. Neither of them knew that Hikari was watching the whole time, but she wanted to see if he could reach her on his own. Hikari was waiting until Naruto was mentally mature enough to hold a decent conversation and understand more serious topics. She decided it was about time to rekindle the relationship before her vessel entered the human academy.

During one of the morning meditation session, Naruto felt a deeper pull on his consciousness than he had felt before. He eagerly allowed the pull to guide him until he found himself in that same verdant field. It was sunny this time and Naruto noticed how much livelier it all felt. There were even animals such as oversized rabbits, massive boars and killdeer that ran fleetingly around the forest. Naruto made the trek over the hill and into the cottage for the second time.

Naruto entered the cottage to find Kyuubi sitting there waiting for him. A second cup of tea was sitting on the coffee table, positioning Naruto across the table from the Kyuubi. Naruto couldn't help but marvel at her nearly divine beauty. Recently, Naruto noticed that he was starting to have weird thoughts about girls, like taking an extra second to peek at Anko-Ne when she was coming out of the shower, or thinking about Tayuya's soft lips when she was playing the flute for him. He talked to his sister Anko about it, because he didn't dare talk about something so scandalously awkward with his Ka-Chan. Anko laughed and told him his accelerated growth probably meant that he was going through puberty. Naruto shuddered at the thought and shook off the reminiscences as he sat down and took a sip of the warm tea.

"How do you like the tea, Naruto-Kun?" The melodic voice of the Kyuubi drew Naruto in.

"Mmm, it is very good. Kyuubi-Sama, did you call me here today?" Naruto's boyish voice was deepening, but when it cracked when Naruto said 'Sama' the beautiful nine-tailed kitsune couldn't suppress an ethereal giggle.

"First, enough with the 'Sama'. What I plan to discuss with you today will let you know why I said that. Second, yes, I decided it was time for us to speak again. Your first visit wasn't planned, and you were not mature enough to understand at the time."

"I understand, Kyu …" Naruto stopped there and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm sorry, it just feels weird calling you Kyuubi all the time. Would you honor me with your name?"

The kitsune smiled radiantly over her cup of tea. It seems he may actually be ready to understand some things. "Yes, Naruto-Kun, my name is Hikari. Please do not share it with Gyuuki or Matatabi. Their frustration in not knowing my name has become a game of sorts between us."

Naruto's eyes lit up. He always could appreciate a good prank. He smiled as the memory of Anko's exploding pillows came to mind. He and Tayuya laughed so hard when they walked into Anko's room to see her with a mouthful of feathers and feathers all over the room. Ah, good times, unlike dealing with Anko's revenge spree … that was downright terrifying.

"Hikari … that is a beautiful name. It truly becomes you. So, Hikari, what did you call me here to talk about?" Naruto threw a leg over his knee and sat back in the love seat to enjoy the tea.

Hikari blushed at Naruto's natural compliment. "T-Thank you, Ruto-Kun. I know you are rather young, but I called you today to discuss our mating contract and to discuss the demonic realm."

Naruto spit out his mouthful of tea in a geyser-like fashion. Good thing this was a mindscape. Hikari cleared the mess away with a flick of her tails. "M-m-mating c-contract?"

Hikari nodded like it was no big deal. "Yes, your mother has a copy of the contract that you may review when you leave the seal. It was a deal I made with your father during that cursed night. I know your mother has told you about that night and how she was my previous jinchuriki. Do say hello to her for me, will you?"

Naruto nodded stupidly at that and shook the haze out of his head before responding. "Hikari-Chan, if you don't mind me asking, why would you want someone like me as a mate?"

Hikari sighed at this; the remnants of the mental trauma the child went through completely crushed the child's ego. He has gotten better over time but his low self-esteem and desire to improve stems from what that cursed village did to him. "Naruto-Kun, I want you to understand this. You grew up either next to me or with me in you. I know you better than you likely know yourself. You have a pure heart, and an iron will; not to mention you are intensely loyal and family oriented. All of these qualities are important in a mate. I felt all of that potential when you were still a kit in your mother's belly. You have since proven me right."

Tears welled in Naruto's eyes. He may be a fast-growing boy, but he was still a child, albeit a mature one. "T-t-thank you … that is the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me…"

"You're most welcome. The reason I chose you is also because of my mating cycle, which is coming up in twelve years or so. Kitsune only go through mating cycles every other century, you see. I chose you because you were already capable of becoming a hanyu, a half-demon, due to gestating near my yokai. I have completed that transition over the past eight years, which is why you have grown so fast."

Naruto's eyes lit up as a key puzzle piece connected in his mind. "So, is that why other jinchuriki don't grow as fast as I do?"

"Yes, it is doubtful that other biju, which are special demons that were augmented by the Sage of the Six Path's chakra, would mate with their partners. I do not even know if they are capable. Matatabi and I are the only female demons in the biju."

Naruto nodded along before a question struck him. "Hikari-Chan, thank you for all you have done for me. You mentioned the demonic realm earlier and I wanted to know why you didn't go back there to find a mate."

Sadness flitted upon the kitsune's entrancing red eyes. Naruto almost went over to comfort her, but the look disappeared before he could move, and he got his answer. "For some reason, us biju have had our link to the demonic realm severed. There were portals that occurred naturally in the past, but Gyuuki, Matatabi and I haven't sensed one in over a century. It may be linked to us biju getting sealed, which first happened because of that cursed baka Hashirama."

Naruto looked down fixedly at his teacup. "I see, I am sorry, Hikari-Chan. It is not fair that you cannot return home. Well, if you will have me as your mate, then I guess I just need to know what that means. I will do whatever I can."

Hikari's melodious chuckle filled the sitting room. "Well, thank you, Naruto-Kun. First things first, your transition to hanyu is complete. We wouldn't have been able to mate without that happening. I am sure you noticed that you have acquired some stronger … urges." Naruto nodded at that one, he sure had. "Well, male demons are normally quite … aggressive … when it comes to mating. As you continue to grow, your urges will too."

Naruto cocked his head. "Why did you say 'aggressive' like that?"

The kitsune looked like she really didn't want to talk about that. "Do you understand what mating entails?" She smiled at Naruto's scarlet blush. "Okay, well, in the demonic realm battles are constantly fought over females that are in their mating cycle. I would have hundreds of males trying to lay their claim on me, which gets mighty annoying I may add. They would fight amongst themselves, and the stronger ones would challenge me for the right to mate. Among weaker demons that means females are often raped, which means forced sexual activity. It is a vulgar custom that I, and every other female demon, abhors. That is why I am glad that I got to choose my mate. It was one of the main reasons I accepted your father's contract proposal."

Naruto's blush turned a cherry red when he thought about mating with this exquisite entity. "Umm, Hikari-Chan, if you are in the seal, how can we mate?

Hikari's face turned flush at this question, but she forced it down. "Well, I created this seal, Ruto-Kun. I can leave it from time to time without killing you. As long as we remain close together, I will be able to exit the seal about once a week. It puts a tremendous strain on your chakra coils though."

Naruto's face lit up at that. "You mean, we could spend time together outside of the seal?"

Kyuubi chuckled at the boy's excitement. "In time, Ruto-Kun. Now that you have become a hanyu, you will start growing tails of power and your features will become more kitsune-like. Your mother will need to come up with a seal to hide those. Your body is absorbing the ambient chakra I exude, and your first tail should come in when you are around ten. For me to leave the seal, you will need to be at three tails of power so that me leaving doesn't immediately kill you."

Naruto's blush disappeared and he turned pale. "I … I am going to have a tail?" When Hikari let out a truly enchanting laugh and nodded, Naruto took a minute to process that. He then got a serious look on his face. "Okay, Hikari-Chan, as the rightful queen of the Kitsune, how can I become the best mate for you?"

"Oh, thank Kami, I chose right when I chose this child. So genuine and eager to please." Thought Hikari. "Well, my mate will need to be strong. You have twelve years or so to get strong. If you get stronger on your own, you may be able to grow tails faster than by simply absorbing my ambient chakra. I will need a strong mate to protect my kits…" Hikari's jovial tone died, and her face fell as she spoke.

Naruto darted over to her and got down on his knees. "Hikari-Chan, did you have kits before?" Hikari nodded her head and let out remorseful tears. Naruto pulled her into a hug and ran his hand down her back. He didn't need to ask anymore. "I will get strong, strong enough to protect you, strong enough to protect Ka-Chan and Anko-Chan and Tayuya-Chan and everyone else. I promise you on the Uzumaki name, Hikari-Chan."

Hikari didn't doubt this boy, it was why she chose him. That gut feeling that the Sisters of Fate and Kami schemed together to put this child in her life. She simply rested her head on the surprisingly well-toned chest. Then she smelled something unique that took her a minute to register. Oh, Kami, the boy's body has reached sexual maturity and those are pheromones. Kushina is so not going to be happy about this.

"Ano, Naruto-Kun, there is something I need to tell you about your hanyu transition. You are going to become very aggressive and very horny as you continue to go through puberty. The longer you fight the impulses, the stronger they will get. You will need to find some way to … blow off some steam. In time, maybe some of your girlfriends could help with that."

Naruto cocked his head and looked awkwardly at her, "Hikari-Chan, can't I just come into the seal and do that with you? I don't want to cheat on you … it feels … dirty just thinking about it."

Hikari sighed. She really should have thought the rate of growth through. There is no way she is going to have sex with an eight-year-old. Maybe in a couple years, but he needs to mature a bit more before she would indulge in any of that. "Look, Ruto, this is your mind. It may hamper the urges a little bit, but only doing so in the real world will truly relieve them. For now, you are too young, and the urges shouldn't get too strong so long as you control your emotions." Hikari got a mischievous look on her face. "I will make you a deal though. When you acquire your third tail, I will come out of the seal and spend a night with you."

A fire appeared behind Naruto's eyes. He didn't understand the intricacies of what they were talking about. He felt the urges, but he could deal with them. But if all he had to do to earn this beauty's love was get stronger, then that was something he could understand. For Uzumaki Naruto, love was always the most important thing. Love of life, love of friends, love of country and love of family above all.