Friendly Neighborhood Nine-Tails
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.
AN Reminder- Yamato is Tenzo at this point in the timeline.
It had been a tense afternoon for Konoha. How could it not be? Crimson or golden, the fact remained that a nine-tailed fox was lying directly next to the village, the enormous head visible from everywhere and every unconscious movement was heard, if not felt throughout the village.
Even more tense was the team of Anbu in the trees near the genin-turned-bijuu, instructed to "keep an eye on him" while he slept.
Being so close to the colossal being, they all watched for a tail, a twitch of the hand-like paws or, kami forbid, a bijuu bomb.
And it wasn't just tense, it was boring!
"How long do we have to watch him?" A rat-masked Anbu asked as he crouched on a tree branch.
"Until we're relieved, obviously," Tenzo answered simply, not looking away from his...charge? Target? Object of interest?
"Just be glad that he doesn't roll around in his sleep," a dragon-masked Anbu pointed out while leaning on a tree trunk.
"I'm being very mindful of that, Miss Ryu."
The entire village went still as the voice of the great fox echoed over them, completely unaware of who he was talking to.
Tenzo was very sure that half his teammates just shat their pants as they stared at the kitsune. A single eyelid opened and a blue slit eye locked right on their location.
"Stare all you want, Tenzo, but my fur won't turn red," Naruto stated with annoyance.
Being brave or stupid, said Anbu made his way to the edge of the tree branch to be standing half way out of the foliage, "How...did you know my name?" Tenzo asked cautiously.
"I heard Granny call you it when she sent you here or did you not notice the mountain sized ears?" Naruto asked sarcastically, said ears twitching meaningfully.
Third down side of being a megaton fox: You hear everything, ever.
"Fair enough," Tenzo allowed, filing that away and asking a more curious question. "How...are you talking without moving your mouth, exactly?"
"How the hell would I know?" Naruto asked dryly as he let loose a mighty and near thunderous yawn, aiming it upwards to avoid breathing on the people and buildings below. Even still, many people in the village stared in horror and quaked in their boots at the sight of so many massive fangs. "I just try talking and my voice comes out with what I want to say."
"Fair enough," answered Tenzo half-heartedly. "Did you...sleep well?"
"Until you started yapping and whining next to me," Naruto answered, pretending not to notice Rat shifting awkwardly in the trees.
"We were ordered to observe you," Tenzo explained, trying to placate the megaton fox.
"Did the Old Hag tell you to do it right next to me?" Naruto asked with an annoyed look, getting a negative headshake. "Then go home and pull up a chair on the roof. I doubt you can miss me," he pointed out, turning his head to face away from the Anbu before lying on his folded arms as a make shift pillow.
Tenzo stared for a moment as the conversation was abruptly ended before coming back in the tree, looking towards his comrades. "Well, he doesn't like you, Rat," he said to Rat's dismay and the others' amusement.
Meanwhile
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "I should probably demote you for being so irresponsible about this," she noted in annoyance.
"Forgive me, Lady Hokage, but what IS the responsible thing to do in this case?" Kakashi asked innocently.
"Anything but bring a Kyuubized Naruto up to the village gates," Tsunade answered with a scowl. "And don't even try to use the Uchiha or the injured as an excuse for this mess."
"Hmm, very well then," Kakashi agreed as he looked up thoughtfully and cupped his chin. "I could have told Naruto to stay right where he was but given the pillar of chakra and, you know, him being a giant fox, I'm pretty sure he would have been spotted soon. And I think leaving the village's tailed beast on the border near several countries would be seen as an act of war. I suppose I could have had Naruto hang back, but given how new he is to his size, it's very possible he might have stepped on someone or, more likely, a village due to not realizing how far he traveled or having a map big enough to read. Not to mention Orochimaru might have come looking for Sasuke...I'd rather not have my fluffy student testing out his powers in a trial by fire, thank you," Kakashi rambled on with sarcastic sincerity. "Let's see, should I have called for back up to get the word to you faster? No, wait, they were all running away from the, what was the word? Oh, right: Megaton Fox. Darn, suc-"
"Enough!" Tsunade snapped, slamming a fist on her desk and cracking it. The jonin waited patiently for her to take a breath. "Fine, I concede there weren't many good alternatives for a split second decision."
"Good, because I was running out of ideas," Kakashi added in sheepishly before turning serious. "How is everyone?"
"Most have just minor injuries besides Neji and Choji. I'm optimistic they'll pull through, but I'll be joining the medical staff shortly just in case. The Sand siblings are all unscathed, so there's that. The mouthy red head was sedated, more for the sake of everyone's ears than anything else. She's paralyzed from the waist down. I doubt I could get her walking again," Tsunade listed off with a mixture of concern and relief. "The Uchiha's body is severely depleted and overtaxed. Which is to his fortune, otherwise the intelligence division would be putting him through the gauntlet rather than just as-"
*rumble!*
Tsunade blinked as the ground shook ever so slightly, Kakashi looked over his shoulder meaningfully. "I think he heard you."
"Of course I can hear you. I didn't die and drag his ass back for you to off him while interrogating him, Granny!" Naruto's voice echoed over the room…and the village for that matter.
"Naruto! Stop listening in on a meeting with the Hokage!" Tsunade yelled with a vein on her forehead, holding a fist to the sky as if he could see it.
"What else am I supposed to do? Cause I'm getting tired of pretending half the village isn't pissing its boots or that your Anbu don't exist- or that I can't see that one couple doing it in the junkyard of all places. You know who you are!" Naruto called out accusingly.
"Huh...you know, you never think about this kind of stuff when you think about the bijuu. Maybe this is why they don't like living around us?" Kakashi commented thoughtfully.
"Well, this situation obviously isn't going to stand for long," Tsunade muttered under her breath as she rubbed her forehead.
"You thought one of the most hyperactive ninjas could just sit on the village mountain all day with nothing to do without issue?" Kakashi asked skeptically.
"Well, he can't exactly go for a walk," Tsunade retorted with a glare. "But we also can't keep the civilians locked up in the bunkers forever. Hopefully we can minimize the panic by explaining this- if someone behaves himself."
"How have I not behaved? I even put myself on bed rest! Er...mountain rest?" Tsunade had the distinct feeling that Naruto was scratching his head right now.
"Just try not to scare anyone, Naruto," Kakashi requested.
"I haven't tried yet," Naruto reminded with a grumble.
"So, what is going to happen to Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned with a serious gaze at the Hokage.
Tsunade sighed at that, both tired and frustrated. "We'll decide on that after Jiraiya gets back and takes another look at that blasted seal. For right now, the Uchiha doesn't leave the cells."
"That fine with you, Your Fluffiness?" Kakashi inquired, looking upwards as Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. The answer was a snort and silence. "I'll take that as a yes. Good meeting," Kakashi said with an eye smile.
Tsunade groaned, about ready to throw the man out of the window. Knowing Naruto, he might catch the scarecrow. "Just get out there and explain this to the other rookies. The sooner we get the ninjas all on the same page, the sooner we can deal with the civilians."
"Please hurry, Ino is debating over if I'm the old Kyuubi's child or mate,"
Meanwhile
'Those no good brats, desecrating Big Brother's memory! Let me at them, let me at them!'
Gaara couldn't decide what was more disturbing: Shukaku's wailing or his little brother mode that had been activated.
"Oh crap, he heard that too!?" Ino paled as she clung to Shikamaru in fear as Naruto's blue fox eyes fell on them for a moment before closing again.
Team Ten, sans Choji, and the sand siblings had gathered at one of the training grounds to discuss the...fox on the mountain, as it were.
"I warned you, he is...very grumpy right now," Shikamaru said carefully, eyeing the colossal creature resting just over Konoha's former Hokage heads.
"I didn't think he could hear me from here!" Ino hissed at him.
"I leave you two alone for one fight and you get to ride a fucking nine tails?" Kankuro joked, his smirk just a little strained as he complained at his siblings.
"I. Thought. I. Was. Going. To. Die," Temari stressed every word flatly as she glared at him.
"Naruto also taught me about being a younger sibling," Gaara informed with his usual level voice.
Shikamaru facepalmed as Temari pleadingly mouthed Gaara not to answer. The puppet user just blinked curiously. "Oh? What'd the fuzzball teach you?"
Behind the Suna Ninja, a certain megaton fox could be seen grimacing with a tick mark on his head. Gaara, however ignored this in favor of answering. "He taught me the "Kissing in a Tree" song when we found Temari with the Nara," he elaborated. Said Nara and wind user just hung their heads in resignation. Kankuro stood in place, utterly frozen. "...Kankuro?" Gaara questioned, tilting his head as he summoned some of his sand and waved it in front of his brother's face. "Naruto, I believe I have broken my brother. How do I fix him?" The Ichibi container inquired loudly, still in the same monotone.
With that, Kankuro burst out laughing while holding his gut. Naruto's massive form could be seen shaking ever so slightly, but he refused to laugh- which might possibly destroy every window in Konoha- or even open his eyes. The warpaint-wearing ninja grinned widely as he turned towards the Bijuu. "Thank you, Naruto-Sama!" Kankuro called, clapping his hands together and bending at the waist to give the golden fox an over the top bow.
Everyone in the village watched in their own mixtures of fascination and fear as the trembling and snickering Kyuubi brought one massive fist high into the air and gave a thumbs up. He held it, Kankuro still laughing as Naruto brought a hand down over his face to hold in his amusement.
The ANBU team jumped away as the air from the sudden movement tore through their tree. "...I say we listen to the big guy on this and watch from home," Rat suggested nervously. There was something more nerve wracking watching over a Bijuu rather than fighting it.
"...Well, at least he's in a good mood," Ino said awkwardly as Kankuro continued laughing, before smirking at Shikamaru. "So, what's this about the kissing song?" she asked deviously.
Shikamaru paled, realizing the amount of blackmail Ino might just get on him. "It's nothing, just Naruto still being Naruto," Shikamaru said with a sigh.
"Your head was between her legs," Gaara pointed out as Shikamaru stiffened and Ino looked like a Cheshire cat.
"Did you have to tell them all that?!" Temari hissed to her youngest brother.
"If I hadn't, Naruto would have and everyone would have heard him," Gaara pointed out bluntly.
Temari's brow twitched, wondering why she couldn't win today.
Meanwhile
Shino found himself feeling very lost and alone as he met with two members of Team Gai. His more canine teammate was in the hospital and the shy one was elsewhere- he could guess where. He and Ino had agreed to split up to get information from the less injured members of the Sasuke Retrieval Team. The Yamanaka had covered most of them, by virtue of the sand siblings being with her remaining teammate. That left him to seek out Rock Lee for any information.
"What do you mean, you have no idea what is going on?" Tenten asked slowly, her wide eyes glancing toward the entity atop their village monument.
"Naruto is in a most unyouthful mental state and as such was in no mood to explain his situation to us," Lee explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"And none of you inquired HOW this happened?" Shino questioned. While Naruto's state of annoyance was obvious and a...actually, he wasn't sure what the valid response to becoming a Bijuu was, but he accepted Naruto's; that aside, it seemed odd that so many of the ninja traveling with him didn't question it.
"I believe the others were too busy being in awe or not desiring to upset him and risk taking a much more unyouthful trip home by Naruto's tails," Lee explained thoughtfully.
On second thought, yes, shutting up was probably the appropriate response at the time described. "And you weren't?" Tenten inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I was too busy preventing my stomach from making a most unyouthful mess on Naruto's back," Lee answered uneasily, looking like he might puke from the mere memory of it.
"And no one believed that approaching the village in such a form would perhaps be a negative course of action?" Shino asked, eyebrow raised behind his glasses.
Lee turned to Shino fully before glancing at Naruto's massive form and looking back at the bug user with a nervous expression. "It is most unwise to tell a great beast it has not earned the right to go and rest in its own home after a long but successful hunt."
"Is that the reason Kakashi Hatake gave?" Shino asked with a head tilt.
"No, I believe he merely decided not to argue with his "fluffy" student."
Meanwhile
Naruto never knew it, but he routinely had one female stalking him fairly often in the past.
Right now, he knew he had two. At least, two that weren't here on a mission. He didn't say anything; his ears alone could tell who they were. They stood there, watching him from the trees. He could smell it. They were afraid. He didn't blame them. A human couldn't help being afraid of a Bijuu on some level. He appreciated them coming even this close. But, he still didn't open his eyes, not even when one finally stepped forward.
He did open them, however, just as an ANBU was about to drop from the tree and stop her approach. The elite ninja stopped dead in his tracks as the full attention and undeniable ire of the new bijuu was dropped upon him. Wisely, he returned to his post and didn't disrupt the meeting.
The golden fox turned softer eyes downwards. He had seen her amongst most of his friends when he had first arrived. But now they were so close, he truly saw her instead of just noticing her. It was amazing, truly amazing, how small and fragile she looked from here, as if his mere presence might shatter her. For all he knew, it could…another thing to worry about.
"Naruto...," she whispered in a voice of sorrow and regret. "I...did you mean that? Did you...did you die, bringing him back?"
He sighed heavily and closed his eyes again.
He could feel her coming closer now. He could just barely tell she placed a hand upon his left...foreleg? Arm? Whatever the ones with hands were called now, she touched it.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I'm...probably the last person you want to see right now," she said with a bitter smile that he knew was there but didn't want to see. "And this is...definitely the last thing you want to talk about. I just...I'm sorry, I just don't understand!" she cried, weeping into his fur. "I don't understand anything anymore! Why Sasuke would do this, how you're like this. I'm not even sure who I really am anymore! I never should have forced that promise on you! I-"
"Sakura."
Her head snapped up to see the great slit now looking directly at her.
She felt no fear. Not for a single second did she doubt her safety in that instant as she stared up with wide emerald yes.
He smiled. For the first time as a fox, he truly smiled. "You have nothing to apologize for," he assured her, his voice as gentle as rolling thunder could be.
"Are you...are you the old one, reincarnated?" Sakura's question slipped out as she stared in awe. She could feel it, the massive chakra, chakra enough to consume her a thousand times over without notice and not even one hint of it felt dangerous to her.
Naruto's smile did not wane at the question as it would have in the past. It was valid, more valid than it ever had been. So instead, he decided to ask a question more important than correcting her.
"Does it matter now?"
Sakura didn't answer for a moment. The idea of reincarnation was neither lost nor unpopular amongst these lands. The concept was not that farfetched. Still...
"...No, I guess it doesn't," Sakura decided softly.
"Kakashi will explain soon. You should head back," he advised, already closing his eyes again.
"I'll visit. I promise," Sakura vowed, hand still on his limb before she made her retreat.
With her back turned, Naruto opened his eye again and glanced to the side.
Hinata jerked under his gaze, knowing he detected her. She shook. She was afraid of him…too afraid. He simply gave her a half-lidded look and closed his eyes.
He didn't see the shame on her face as she quietly left his presence.
Tenzo sighed to himself. He didn't think things could get more complicated than a Genin-turned-Bijuu in teenage drama. Hopefully, he wouldn't be proven wrong.
He blinked as he felt a rush of wind, looking back to see a sight that made him sigh.
Naruto was had his arm raised again, flipping someone off with his eyes closed. The ANBU was tempted, soooo tempted to inquire just who he felt needed that, but kept it to himself. Most likely, the culprits knew who they were.
Naruto, for his part, turned his attention away from some Inuzuka or another that had tried to dare some friends into pissing on their new resident Bijuu. With his hand back down, he eyes travel back to where he could still hear Hinata leaving and then move down to the Hyuuga clan compound…something else to occupy his time with, perhaps.
Fourth downside of being a megaton fox: Trying not to disturb tiny humans and their buildings made things boring fast.
End of Chapter
I'm back! Sorry for the long delay. Bed bugs, family, issues, writer blocks, and various obsessions I had to deal with.
So, here we are, everyone trying to either adjust to this or otherwise unravel it. For all those you wondering, Hinata is not afraid of Naruto the Fox, she's just eternally scared of the idea of him rejecting her. This situation just throws her off more. She'll come around.
As for Naruto, he's a little bored not being able to move around a lot, but he's finding various things to entertain himself. The whole village basically his Television at this point. Still, being aware of everyone and what they're saying and doing, he's natuarally going to have some commentary. Which is very weird to who its not direct at since, again, EVERYONE hears what he says.
Naruto is also mildly enjoying the intimidation factor, but that's mainly him not want people to make this any more more annoying for him than it is. Like the ANBU waking him up or stopping Sakura from visiting him. Not to mention, its kind of hard to boss around a Bijuu or Naruto. Combine them and you got a handful.
Next chapter, Jiraiya will show up and find out what he missed.
Appreciated all the reviews! Loved all the ideas and sggestion. Some of which I've had, honestly, but many I haven't. Keep up the reviews, I'll keep up the work!