Chapter One; Who, Where, and why…
Forests of Kouh
"Naruto… Naruto…! GET UP PLEASE!" a woman's voice finally snapped him awake, to find his last comrade, Tenten Higarashi, standing in a defensive stance before him with several hostiles, she was blocking the blade of a blond-haired teen just as a white-haired girl appeared on her side. Within the time of a twitch, his tail shot forward and smacked the girl away with little effort as he finally shakes off the drowsiness recalling their current state.
The war. It was the longest three months, it felt like years, though it ended with the destruction of the leaf. The alliance showed up in that last day which was the only reason Naruto could land the final blow on, Madara and yanked the beasts clear of his control which led to the joint tailed beast bomb that destroyed what was left.
When Tenten awoke, she was greeted by the solemn four kages that explained the situation. She found that Naruto was the only other Leaf shinobi alive but not for long. Rushing to his side, he explained that he was dying because the seal that held the Kyubi had been removed, and his network was collapsing on itself. He still smiled at her saying "I'm glad I could at least save you, Ten-chan." A nickname he hadn't used since they were in the orphanage. Her heart skipped a beat at the fact he remembered her.
She was crying against his chest as he lay in the hospital bed when the unthinkable happened. Sasuke appeared in the door, the guards dead, and on instinct Naruto's chakra flared protectively around his last friend but the two were sucked into what he would later realise was an overpowered kamui.
Tenten found herself surrounded by golden clouds, alone for a moment but suddenly a presence behind her force her around to find Naruto letting out a hard sigh "Tenten."
"Naruto. Where…?"
"This is my soulscape."
"Soul – scape…?"
"Right now…" Naruto looking beyond the horizon for a moment as if he could see the world over "…we are within a space between worlds. It a place where life cannot support itself. Which is why I brought you here."
"Then…?" she whispered to which he smiled, "You're fine. It's just to tell you this, I had to do this." Gesturing to their general area "I'm using my chakra to protect us both, though… honestly…" scratching his head "…I don't really know how long we'll be…" he paused before looking down at Tenten again, "Listen, we don't have much time it seems." This caused the kunoichi for a moment to stiffen as if speaking to the Hokage "Kuruma, the Kyubi, that I held had to sacrifice himself to protect us until I took over. Due to that…" his form began to shift, first it was his hair turning blond with orange streak, two fox ears perking up along with nine tails appearing at his rear. "…I've become the new nine tails…" his face pleading "…please… please don't hate me." She hugged him "Your all I have left." Speaking softly "I will never betray you, okay?"
"Okay." He softly responded but as they broke, he continued to shift into a mini nine tails, about the size of Akamaru "This is what I look like. Just remember… I will probably loose consciousness. I'm counting on you." Tenten nods before quickly checking her gear, standard Jonin attire with extra scrolls of her weapons, "No worries. I will prepare to defend us until you awake and then…" a blinding light.
They appeared in a forest and as expected, Naruto was asleep and too big for Tenten to move thus she set camp, traps and all in all dug in. They were fresh from a warzone thus, this was done with the utmost efficiency and these traps were all set to lethal. No chances taken.
Just before dawn is when the first trap was set off, Tenten was on her feet weapons at the ready which now led to the current situation.
Naruto's growl caused the enemy to leap back, Tenten was quick to withdraw to his side "What now?" she whispered to which after a quick, glance at the four-opponent noticing the sparking in one of the woman's hands and his instincts flared. He ducked and scooped Tenten onto his back and darted aside, avoiding the thunder strike, with two of his tails securing her fellow and with their chakra now connected they could hear one another's thoughts "Hang on tight, Ten-chan. I'm going to run."
"Right." She replied pulling Kunai as he charged deeper into the forest, "I'll provide fire support then…" as they ran, the enemy seemed to take to the sky giving chase "They can fly!"
"I'm sensing ozone build up."
"A lightning user! Damn." Pulling out carbon set of throwing knifes, yet before she realised her steed ducked to the side, a bolt exploded down in their previous position. This repeated numerous times "They are really trying to kill us huh?"
"Can you go faster?" she questioned to which he glanced back at her "Use chakra to stick to my back." she nodded before doing so and they shot off in a blur.
"You sure?" Tenten asks as they sat a small river, he nodded as he yawned "Yeah… My sage mode has picked up chakra signatures not too far away." Naruto informed sitting on his hunches "Though…" looking the way they came from "…one of those chasing us also had a chakra signature. Low Chunin level or so."
"I see. We should head there. Get some answers." Tenten spoke standing up from refilling his containers alongside her own, he nodded as he too returned to his feet and stretching out, claws appearing out before retracting "Let's go then…" he paused before a very deep growl erupted "…They're back. With help."
"How many?" Tenten mounting him again, having sealed their supplies "Ten. All airborne; closing in fast." Tenten nods "Must have a sensor."
"Likely." Before leaping clear of the river in a single leap before bounding off at speed, and much to Naruto's annoyance the targets chasing sped up, not at the same rate but at five broke out into what he assumed was a sprint. They were gaining, albeit slowly, which was growing his concern as despite sensing the chakra signatures in the distant with a few seeming, agitated.
Naruto's eyes narrow, "I will protect the last leaf. Regardless of all else." forgetting that Tenten could hear him. She smiled a true smile, nodding to herself, it's been a trying few days not mentioning the months of war that ended with her home's destruction, her friend's death, and now her last one is trying to save her. Her brown eyes turned cold and calculating "Me too. I will save you too."
"Incoming!"
Boom. Landing hard, the enemy surrounded the shell of fur that slowly parted to reveal the kyubi and bun haired girl who was quick to assess the situation before taking up a stance with kunai out "Who are you people? Why are you chasing us?" her glare so cold with a single tail half-heartedly loosely looped around her defensively as Naruto growled as his eyes moved from one to the next "That's our question. Who are you? Why have you invaded our territory?" the red head stated, a glowing magic seal of some kind appearing in her hands, the brunette at her side sparking, "Territory? What are you talking about?"
"This area is under the protection of the Gremory and Sitiri families. You've intruded without permission." Naruto noted that Tenten was beginning to show signs of sweat running down her cheek, causing him to let out a very loud roar toward the sky as he fluffed up with chakra flowing from him in droves as a very clear threat towards their foes. The white-haired girl took a very big leap back, panicking greatly as flames simmer in the kyubi's maul that had remained beside Tenten who absently placed her hand between his raised ears "Calm down… we will get out of this… I promise."
"I know but…" his ears suddenly perked up, turning to the distance and he grinned "Help's heading our way."
"Stand down and surrender!" the brunette bob cut teen declared stepping forward "By the authority of the four moau, you are ordered to stand down and…"
"We do not recognise that authority." Tenten responded with eyes so cold it actually caused a few of these beings to hesitate for a moment but the two supposed captains seemed to grow angry, Naruto picked up on that "The red head and spectacle one are going to attack." The next moment said girls had Kunai thrown at said two, landing at their feet in a clear sign of warning "Consider that a warning."
"Warning? You're the invaders here?!" the brunette shouted as the kunai were suddenly yanked back into the woman's hand by a seemingly invisible, actually was just ultra-thin ninja wire, brought her back into a fighting stance. Boren teeth from the kitsune reinforced the threat, "Surrender, we can talk this out?" the short brunette shouted only for a barrier to go up, forcing the two to act in unison without words.
Naruto released a small dense pulse chakra blast that shattered the barrier like a glass pane taking a solid brick to it. Three enemies charged forward, swords drawn with Tenten charging forward throwing two kuni at the second runner, smacking into the charging enemies' thighs forcing them to the ground as she clashes with a sword with the third. The speed was high, unbelievable for a normal human, but Tenten was a skill kunoichi and with some effort she did knock his blade away before landing a double kick to the chest.
Backflipping effortlessly clearing a whip like weapon, launched from another blond, landing she swirled around a hard punch from the white-haired girl, but another flip allowed the tail from her comrade to slide beneath her back, and slap the teen girl clear of the open field. Kunai flew and wrapped around the blonde swordsmen, a lightning charge redirected from the long brunette woman followed suit and the boy scream. "Kiba!" was called out "DIE!" a red blast of energy, rushing at the kitsune who simply batted it away.
In the shock, the redhead was left defenceless as the blue flames simmering in the kitsunes mouth, but before he launched it a wall of ice erupted intercepting the blue flames. The explosion was enough of a distraction for the two shinobi to slip away as all eyes were on the smoke, the woman in question had been pulled clear as the fire blast had seared through the barrier and would have charred her too if were not for her sister-in-law dragging her clear. Looking down, she looked at the glassed ground that went past her feet and beyond.
Somewhere in Japan
Naruto and Tenten finally land in a distant clearing, the former panting as he had dashed at full speed thus out of breath due to the sprint. As he approached the water, he froze before growling and backing up towards Tenten who matched his growl "Oh for the love of…"
"We mean no harm." a woman stepping out with hands up, blonde hair fox ears and nine tails coming into view but the two did not lose their tense muscles with the arrival of numerous fox-like people. Naruto did notice that their chakra signatures were the ones he had sensed approaching for some time, but they were unknowns, and positioned himself defensively in front of Tenten. The new arrivals noted his tails waving rather aggressively as they stepped closer but stopped when his growls grew "Who are you?" Tenten clutching two kunai at her sides, shielded by a single orange tail but not obstructing her action.
The blonde woman noted that the fox before her had nine tails, much like her own, however his size suggested either his lack of power or his young age. Being unsure which she assumed a passive as possible, not wanting to attack another kyubi as this was a first for her "My name is Yasaka. Kyubi of Kyoto and leader of the Youki faction. I sensed your arrival last night; I had assumed you were coming to us but when you didn't…"
"We've been a little busy trying to survive." Tenten stated with narrowed eyes, her tense muscles ready for an aggressive tense "What do you…?" the tail protecting her wrapped around her and she heard his voice within her head "…they are the ones I sensed, they have chakra and the blonde had High-Kage level, almost low-Biju. Prepare." She nodded as the tail loosens "I understand you are being cautious; but your roar called us here." The woman continued causing him to cease his growling "We are here to help." Naruto took a step back, glancing at Tenten that showed it was her choice.
A brief moment of thought Tenten nodded "Okay. We'll go with you." only for numerous magical circles to light up, "Get behind me." Yasaka orders to which the two former leaf shinobi leaped behind her and just as two of the four Moau appear: Sirzecks Luscifer and Serafall Leviathan. "What is the meaning of this incursion, Yasaka-dono?" Spoke Serafall, her normally childish demeanour completely absent for this meeting, very serious expression donning her visage "We received request for aid from one of our own." Yasaka explained narrowing her eyes as the extra circles appearing behind her opponents "He has been weakened, wounded and somewhat confused when your people seemed to have been overzealous in their defence and did not even hear them out. So, they fled."
"They intruded on our territory. They should have…"
"You forget your place." Yasaka speaking up rather forcefully, the number of devils had creeped up to a point where she was growing agitated, and the woman could feel her fellow Kyubi growling silently at the enemy numbers "Those two attacked our people and almost killed my sister." Sirzecks stated with narrowed eyes "Self-defence." Yasaka waived off that accusation "You outnumbered them five to one, and still lost." Her eyes narrowed, "Do you really think you can stand against us when we only want to leave?"
"Just hand over the two intruders…" he pressed releasing his hold on his magic that began to way down on all present but before Yasaka could respond in kind a loud roar from the newest Kyubi as he puffed up, chakra oozing off him so threateningly that even the Satans paused in response. Noticing this, Yasaka smiled viciously "Do you really think you can take on two Kyubi, one of which is a full on kitsune no yoko, and I a Nine tailed Fox?" fox fireballs beginning to orbit her, the other fox youki preparing for battle "There's no need for this." Spoke Serrafall, stepping between the two sides, trying to be the level-headed one in a battleground of battle junkies "WE should all just calm down…!"
"We are perfectly calm." Yasaka stated calmly, thought the fact that the number of fireballs at her back continued to grow "Can you say the same?"
"We will calmly destroy you and recover that Kitsune who harmed my sister and her friends." Sirzechs states as his form began to glow softly, "So, let's just skip to you handing it over and…?" a deep growl as the Kitsune in question growled, fur puffing up as its chakra signal began to climb exceptionally, teeth bore with crimson flames leaking between them. A clear threat.
The girl who has been with the Kitsune stepped with beside him, hand landing between his long ears, "Calm down…" she whispered hugging him around his neck and subsequently his chakra calmed but he continued to growl silently "…we'll get through this. Together. Just like last time." She smiled "We survived the war, we can survive this…" her whispered words were overheard by the sensitive ears of all the Youki nearby, filled away for later, "Fine…" his eyes narrowed though "…if it kicks off…"
"That's fine." Tenten smile was damn right viscous "I'll help you castrate them." spoke loud enough for all to hear, causing a heavy silence to fall upon the groups two which was broken by a snickering fox which wasn't Yasaka, a gleam in the kitsune blue eyes that told everyone he was rearing to go. The males nearby all took a step back "Let's leave it at that. We'll be going now." Serafall declared causing everyone to nod as the group of devils all began to teleport away, though it all however the redheaded teen girl locked eyes with the protect Kitsune's blues that seemed so lost and hollow. Her breath hitched as she was whisked away by her protective detail. It was than she swore to herself to rescue that lost soul, unaware that this action would spark a conflict that would shatter the devil community.
With the tension bled away, and now that the threat was no longer presence the two wary shinobi to relax so much so that they both fell unconscious. Three months of war, two days in a hospital before being sent to another world. Tenten hadn't slept though Naruto had shielded her from the acidic properties of the interdimensional space, until they crash landed. It all came crashing down on them both.
Naruto's Soulscape
Naruto opens his eyes to find himself back in his own soul scape, he was in his human form wearing his Jonin uniform covered by his sage coat atop. A quick glance around he spots Tenten who looks back at him with a worried expression "Naruto… why are we here again? Did you…?"
"It wasn't me this time." Naruto responded with a shake of his head, "It was me." A new voice drawing their attention forward where three figures stood, Naruto knew them all, but Tenten was confused "Mum, Dad…?" Naruto muttered before looking to last, a small fox no bigger than a normal dog, nine tails at his back "…Kuruma…?" they all nod at his deduction. Tenten was wide eyed at the sight of the fourth hokage, the red-hot habanero and the greatest tailed beast that saved them during the war on more than one occasion.
"We have brought you here to explain things to you." Minato spoke up, dressed in his traditional outfit of standard Leaf Jonin outfit, white coat atop. "Kit. Things are complicated but from what we have sensed; You two are no longer within the elemental nation."
"I gathered that…" Naruto responded with a nod, "…the nature chakra was tainted, vengeful, as if wanting to destroy everything around it."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Tenten questioned to which Naruto waived her off, "Nah, nothing I can't handle. It's nothing compared to dealing with wrath incarnate like the fuzzball over there." A tick mark on the nine tailed fox who growled "OI! I'm using a lot of power to talk to you right now. Show some respect!"
"Right." Minato stepping between the two before Kushina spoke up "Listen, Sochi, we know what's happened and even the Shinigami has been concerned until you showed up in the realm of its master."
"Which means what, exactly?" Tenten mentioned "From what we've been told, you have been transformed into a kitsune, yes?"
"Yeah. It was unexpected and sudden, so I didn't really have time to think on it till now." Naruto confirmed to which Tenten held his forearm in support of her last friend "Why did that…?"
"It was the only way to protect your kit." Kuruma announced drawing all eyes to him "The dimensional gap, the place you were sent to, is a place where humans cannot reach. Your chakra would have protected you, as an Uzumaki it is dense enough to shield you, but it wouldn't have held out."
"Despite my chakra reserves being as high as yours?" Naruto questioned with his eyebrows reaching his hairline to which the fox simply nodded "So, my Yin half transformed you so it's reserves added to your own, allowing you to protect your vixen…" with a leer, earning a growl from Naruto's throat "…however, we aren't here to harp on that. We don't have the time." as the three's forms flickered slightly "Listen, both of you…" Minato stepping forward, hokage voice out in force, the two stiffening into attention by instinct "…you can't return to the Elemental Nations. The chance is infinitesimally small, nay impossible." This caused the two to sadden, hearts already sinking "It's not like there's anything left…" Naruto whispered but all heard and Tenten offered a soft smile "Yeah. We only have one another."
Abruptly the two were engulfed in a soft, motherly hug "I'm so proud of you two." Kushina whispered, her hug tightening around the two teens who began to lose the fight against their tears "You lost everything… I know how that feels when I lost my own homeland… yet you remained strong, for one another." She pulled back looking into their eyes "So, we think you should forget trying to get home. The place you are in can become the home you both need. Give it a chance." Placing her hands on their chests "But never forget, we are always with you here. In your hearts. No matter what, or where you are, the will of fire, the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Whirlpool, are always with you." offering a heart-warming smile and the Two shinobi could see their comrade's appearing behind the Fourth Hokage all smiling at them, offering their support. The crowd seemed endless all cheering and wishing them well.
Then a surprising hand landing on their shoulders, forcing them to turn round to see their respective sensei smiling at them "Sensei…" they both utter "Yosh! Tenten! Your flames still light the way…" his face turned serious with a smile so soft, "…you've made us proud. Well done." This actually brought the brown-haired woman to tears, hugging him muttering "Thank you sensei." as her teammates approached and hugged her, giving their own goodbyes.
"You've done well, Naruto." Kakashi states with an eye smile "Thank you, sensei." Naruto sniffling as he tries to wipe his tears "I tried. I really did. I couldn't save anyone." His sensei's hand on his head stopped his ramblings "You're a shinobi, Naruto. We all are. We knew what was on the line and we all did our duty. Don't take the responsibility upon yourself. For you, it's your duty to keep walking forward with your head held high and carry our will of fire for the next generation." With his thumb up "We all believe in you." A gentle punch to his arm dragged his bewildered attention to his pink haired teammate "Naruto. Keep moving forward. For all of us." Her smile was dazzling, and his mind was struggling to keep up "Sakura-chan…" she nodded "We believe in you."
Kyoto Shrine
Naruto awoke slowly, finding himself back in his fox form but thanks to the visit from his home people, he was now a lot calmer and because of Kuruma was now far more confident in this form. It took a second for him to realise that there was a pressure on his side where Tenten was sleeping up against him, his tails covering her. She looked peaceful too. With that now understood, he now looked around at the room which was a simple box room with an oriental feel to it, plain but efficient use of the space. There were two sets of wardrobes, a double door he assumed was out to the hallway and a single door that was most likely a bathroom.
Tenten would awaken a few minutes later yawning with a smile, best sleep she's had in a long time, "Man, that was an amazing sleep."
"I'm glad your comfortable." Naruto's voice within her head as she snapped her head back to see Naruto lying there, his tails acting as her blanket, stomach her pillow, his smirk was cheeky "Pervert!" she cries out upon noticing she was in her hidden leaf undersuit.
Standing up Naruto stretched like a cat, tails stretching out with it, as he stepped off the futon looking around "I assume we're in Kyoto." Tenten announces as she unties her buns, allowing her hair out for the first time since they've arrived to which she grimaced "…man… need to wash this out…"
"You and me both…" Naruto comments looking over his own frame, earning a chuckle from his childhood friend, "…though, I'm unsure how to feel about being this…"
"You can shift back, right?" she asks, and he nods "I can… but…" he looks at her and she sighs hard "We're shinobi. I don't mind." Waving him off to which he began to shift, a puff of smoke and Naruto was now standing there in his hospital gear. "Man…" stretching out as his bone crack into place "…this is weird."
"Being human again?" Tenten muses with mirth to which he nods but then he scrunches his face up "Kinda stuffy…" then fox tails come from his back, ears appearing up from his hair that was now blond with orange stipes within it "…ahh… much better…" before looking to his friend who was desperately trying to not glump him with the sheer cuteness of his extra features. He sighs "Yes, you can touch them." before he finishes, she was already running her hands through his tails and rubbing his ears causing him to purr that stopped them both. His tails froze midway through their sway, "Was that…"
"Never to be spoken of aloud? Yes…" Naruto states stepping out of her hold just in time for the knock on the door, catching both their attention and they nodded to one another. Naruto changed into his undersuit of his spare uniform within his storage seal upon his wrist and she replaced her top.
"Come in." Tenten calls as the two stand side by side within their accommodations, clearly ready to react to any situation they would find themselves in, but when the blonde lady who had saved them entered, they guard was raised but not really as on edge as they were initially. Her surprise was evident at the human form of the kitsune kyubi standing before her "Wow…" she murmured lowly but Naruto's ear twitch let her know that he had heard her, the muffled smirk was somewhat annoying.
"Yasaka-sama, right?" Tenten taking the lead, knowing her fellow shinobi's general lack of decorum and not wanting to make a bad impression "Yes. I am Yasaka, Kyubi of Kyoto which is where we are now." Tenten led the bow "Thank you for helping us when there was no reason for you to do so."
"Nonsense." She waived her off "What kind of leader would I be if I ignored my fellow Kitsune?"
"Nevertheless, thank you." Tenten spoke up to which Yasaka just nodded "Well, I think we have a lot to discuss."
"We do." Naruto nodded arms folded, an uncharacteristically serious face which was matched by his partner "Please follow me."
In the main shrine, Naruto and Tenten enter after the Kyubi to find what they both assumed was a council of some kind and moved to the two seats in the rooms centre where two cushions lay. Taking the offered seats both kept a rigid posture, their professional modes locked in as to not allow themselves to fall into any pitfalls or traps. "The council is now in session." Yasaka announces as the tension is turned up to a hundred, but the two trained assassins seemed not to react to it "Now, to cut to the chase, who are you two?" looking at their guests, who both bowed their heads "My name is Tenten Higarashi, Jonin of Konohagakure."
"Naruto Uzumaki, Jonin of Konohagakure." Naruto adds which causes a few murmurs from around the room, "I do not recognise such a name." Yasaka verbalises to which they both nodded "Yes. We expected as such." Tenten began, "As you spoke of when you found us; we suddenly appeared in that forest yes?" receiving a nod she continued "We arrived through a time space technique of a former ally turned enemy, who wanted us gone which forced us into what we now know as the dimensional gap." Eyes narrow at the mention of a time space ability, though none dared interrupt as the new Kyubi spoke up "Within the gap, I had used a significant amount of chakra to protect us both, which is why when we finally arrived – I was immediately knocked unconscious." Naruto explained causing many to nod in understanding.
Tenten then spoke up "During the six hours he was recovering, I took watch and that's when we were attacked by those enemies."
"Devils. Members of the underworld." Yasaka clarifies, to which the two seemed to accept at face value but they continued their debrief "Right, the devils demanded we surrender to their authority but we lacked understanding of why we had too. We hadn't done anything wrong." Tenten continued "That's when she awoke me, and sensing their growing threat, we decided to flee to regroup but they pursed us with aggression. We remained on counterattack as we did not want to draw any additional hostile attention." Naruto stepped in to which many could see the merits of such a move, being in hostile territory with no idea of the lay of the land. "We escaped their initial ambush. When trying to recover further at a river, we sensed their second interception of us with additional numbers."
"The two leaders…" Tenten taking over from there "…seemed to have two different plans. One was trying to be diplomatic. The other was clearly far more aggressive in our capture. When they deployed a barrier and directly attack with elemental techniques we switched from counterattack to offensive defence. We engaged them and Naruto broke the barrier."
"That's when I gave out that roar for help." Naruto takes the ball to which they all nodded at, "After a brief skirmish, they received a new reinforcement who was far stronger than the initial batch and I used my fox fire to blast their ice wall apart. We used the resultant explosion to escape again."
"That's when you found us." Tenten concludes causing Yasaka to nod "Very well." Before her aid, a tengu stepping forward "So, this Konohagakure is in another world, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then, any chance of them addition…"
"No." Naruto spoke firmly, shaking his head "Whilst we were out, we received… umm… I guess you can say a message via the remanence of chakra from my lifelong friend. It explained to both of us that the man responsible for our untimely arrival has been killed for the crime of 'Killing us.' And that our chance of returning is basically zero." He sighed hard, all can see the wariness upon their faces "We are here to stay." Tenten spoke softly "Not that we had much left."
"You spoke of a war before you passed out." Yasaka speaking up causing both to stiffen, the solemn air to increase "For the last three months; we were fighting against an endless enemy that had no emotion, no hesitation to commit mass genocide and mass genocide did occur." Tenten began with a hollow stare as she recalled the war, "We are shinobi…" Naruto taking over with a monotone, eyes narrowed, or eyebrows raised "…ninja of the leaf…" both subconsciously holding their headbands "…defenders of the Land of Fire." His eyes look to Yasaka who remained motionless as his smile was cold "Yet, the forest was torn asunder, the civilians we fought to protect were slaughtered by the masses. We had fifty thousand samurai, four thousand shinobi but they had over a hundred thousand plant like clones known as Zetsu." He growls and spits the name like venom, Tenten's eyes darken at the name too.
"What happened?" the local Kyubi questioned to urge the story on, though her heart went out to these two survivors "We fought long and hard. Trying to save as many as we could. The line held for two weeks under constant attacks." Tenten spoke up, every nodded fully absorbed in the story "Moral remained steady until our foe committed the ultimate crime." Naruto growled loudly at his catching everyone off-guard "A taboo no one has any right to commit."
"Which is?" Yasaka with narrowed eyes "They summoned the dead." He spoke with such venom, most flinch. Yasaka joined his growling as many too agreed with their sentiment, "With no will of their own, our dead attack us and cracked through our defensive lines. Within two weeks we lost the capital." Tenten explained, "We lost most of our generation, our classmates, in that battle."
"We saved half the civilians of the capital." Naruto chuckled but it was not comforting, many found their hairs raised at the sound "Only for them to be set upon by those foul beasts. We learned that day that they were carnivores." Many gulped at that sentence "Our last stand was a few weeks later only had a few hundred samurai, and several dozen shinobi." The two were blank faced "We fought to the last man and when the battle was won, only half dozen of us were still breathing." Naruto states "When I awoke, our allies had arrived and told me that us two were the last." Tenten finishes causing many to breathe easy.
"I'm sorry." Yasaka bowed her head, the others followed suit much to the confusion for the two shinobi "Why?" asked Naruto with furrowed brows "We suspected you to be threats." The tengu explained causing them to both nod "As you should have." Tenten spoke up "We are unknowns to you. We hold no illusions about that. We are shinobi after all."
"That's another thing." Spoke another, a cat lady from the looks of it "You claim to be shinobi, yet you seemed to lack the skills to typically associated with such a profession." This earned two snorts from said shinobi "We are trying to come off as non-hostile to you all." Naruto began "Not to mention we were disoriented and heavily fatigued from a three-month war. Sorry if we were a bit out of sneaking ability." Tenten speaking rather clipped, clearly irritated that they didn't believe they were professional. Many murmurs at that, agreeing that being so fatigued could hamper one's judgment.
Yasaka clears her throat regaining control of the chambers "Now that we understand where you were coming from… I must ask… what will you do now?"
"We have already discussed this." Tenten states causing many to raise eyebrows "Oh?" Yasaka questioned to which they both nodded as they pulled off their hiate, placing it before them "As per our last official orders from our fourth Hokage, our leader, we are hereby released from our duties as shinobi of the Leaf and ordered to serve those who we deem fit." She continued earning raised eyebrows from the council, but Yasaka seemed pleased, though kept her face neutral "By offering you our identifying plates our allegiance will be to you and you alone. Lady Yasaka, will you accept our pledge of allegiance?"
Silence.
Absolute silence followed that declaration, but Yasaka breathed out as she continued to stare, she contemplated the benefits and downsize. Yet the thought of having another Kyubi under her command, a trained and experienced shinobi was something she could let slip by "Yes. I accept…"
"Please accept our headbands." Tenten with her head still down, and Yasaka stood up before approaching the duo and retrieves their bands "Your lives are in my hands."
"Hai!" both declare to which the returned upright. "What are your orders?" Naruto asked, "None for now but to settled in. We may test you and perhaps train a force to increase your numbers." Yasaka states while thinking aloud with many of the council agreeing with that sentiment, an actual shinobi force would do wonders for their armed forces. "Hai, Lady Yasaka." They both declared but remained motionless "You are dismissed." And the two nodded before disappearing in swirls of leaves, much to the shock of everyone's surprise though Yasaka was the first to break free of it and smirked "Shinobi indeed." glancing around to which many soon chuckled at.
Naruto stepped into the hot spring to find Tenten wiping herself down causing him to stop for a moment, she glanced up at him for a moment before reaching for the bucket to wash out her hair. "Need a hand?" he offered as he slid the door closed behind him "Sure." Pushing the soapy bucket back behind her, Naruto taking up the soap and began working through the greasy hazel hair of the kunoichi. Tenten's look of contentment was soothing for the last Uzumaki as he thoroughly worked the shampoo into the knots, and grime, loaded throughout her locks.
After rinsing the soap out, they switch positions with Naruto working through his hair whilst Tenten worked on his tails, "You know… we haven't really talked about it." Naruto expressed whilst not looking at her "Do we have too?" her voice was soft, "No…" his equally quiet voice "…though we should." She paused her administration for a moment, taking several deep breaths "You know I will always have your back. Even if everything goes to hell, you will always have me." He illiterates extending the silent thoughts she was going through. She continued after a while, working through the last two untouched tails "What about you… Naruto?" and she saw the twitch travel up then down all nine fluffy appendages "I know how much you loved the village. Our friends you considered family."
"I know." Naruto took a deep breath, "We've both lost everything. Many people…" another breath "…the carnage…" she hugged him from behind, "We're alive." Her whisper into his ear "Remember what everyone said? We did everything we could. None blamed us. They were proud to have served alongside us. We are no longer of the leaf but of the Youki. We have to look forward and protect our new king."
"…right…" he responds ignoring the pokes on his back as she gets up, he follows suite "…let's just relax and unwind from all our problems." Entering the water alongside his friend, allowing his muscles to finally relax after so long. No doubt she too was finally allowing to relax for the first time in months. For the first time, they both let down their guard completely.
Kyoto Residence
The day following the retrieval of the two shinobi there was a plethora of activity, a new Kyubi was cause for celebration, but as he had claimed to be a shinobi, a warrior within the shadows thus it was hushed. The other thing that happened was the first evaluation of both Tenten and Naruto. Yasaka would go up against Naruto where as Tenten went against Koyaku, the Nekomata clan head. The battle of the Kyubi no youki was one to be remembered and as such, many watched from the safety of their council room, with Tenten smirking confidently. Her friend was the most powerful shinobi the leaf had during that final battle. He had been fighting since the start of the Battle of the Land of fire. She joined during the defence of the capital and worked with him until that final battle as her team fell. None knew his strength more than she did now.
Training Dimension
A wild open field with scattered trees and a large park, it was close enough to a clear space they could safely destroy without accidental injured. Naruto nodded at that before looking across at his opponent, another kyubi like himself though he noticed her tails were shorter by default. A pure blond like he used to be, his orange strands breaking up his "Please go all out, Naruto-san."
"I will, after all, I must show that I can still protect what I have left." Naruto responded firmly, his face blankly earning a smile from his counterpart "I see." Fox flames erupt from each tail though Naruto seemed to be unaffected by the show of power. Boom. Dust bellowed from his location, the fire blasts had collided with his form and erupted, in an explosion. Yasaka narrowed her eyes but immediately ducked beneath a sweeping leg strike, a sonic boom erupting from the strike, the female kyubi jumped clear from the downward punch that shattered the ground without touching it.
Yasaka landed and dodged the follow up tail strikes, two against one, his three blocked by her six but that was a mistake as her attention was drawn away from their owner who appeared the moment their fur cleared one another. A soul shattering punch lifted her from her feet, but immediately his tails wrapped around her and slammed her down, yet before he could do anything flames erupt and burn his tails off her as she charged fourth with flames firing off constantly.
Naruto ducked, weaved, and side stepped but still took several hits blast him aside. Looking up, Yasaka dropping with flames around her dropping foot. Diving aside, the flames seemed erupt from the cracks left behind that gave chase as he backed flipped away them, though the teen cared little as he took a deep breath mid flip before unleashing a flame so potent that the air itself seem to shudder and burn.
Scorched glass left behind by the attack was lacking a multiple tailed body, he dropped down, the thick elongated tail swiping hard before he smashed back pushing the local back, their tails smacked fists blocked, redirected, thrusted. The rapid furious exchange of fists, claws, tails and flames was broken abruptly when Yasaka received the mother of all roundhouses thus sent flying. Flipping over mid-flight as she entered her true form, growing in size an unleashing her full might with blasts of blue flames erupting from her tails.
In response to the encroaching wave of fox fire, Naruto coated all his tails in his biju chakra before swiping it with full force that blasted a wind so powerful it ripped up the earth beneath them. The wind halted the woman's attack, violently, with whips of flames sizzle around within the air itself. Before long, it was revealed that glass remained behind on the once open field, Naruto gaze however did not focus of that as his opponent towered above him. He smirks as his tails swaying calmly seemingly unfazed by the towering fox before him "So, you are going all out, huh…?" earning a grin from his opponent, "Then… I guess I should respond…" his chakra flames erupting as his tails expanding before enveloping him and swelling in size, before long they parted, and he now towered over her and with a roar announcing his presence "…in kind!" landing on all fours. He was about one and a half size larger than Yasaka in his full form, and his presence reflected that fact as she was fighting not to capitulate immediately with her natural hormones wanting to submit to him.
Without word his tails all gather around as his head lifts up, chakra pooling between them and his mouth, dense chakra of both sides of the spectrum gathering between them. This put other on the edge, shaking at the sheer amount of power on display, but much to Yasaka's surprise he fired the attack straight up and it exploded harmlessly above them.
When she finally looks down at her fellow kyubi, she suddenly finds herself blushing at his foxy smirk "Do you wish to continue?" his deep voice was so alluring to her vixen ears but was brought back to real life but shook herself out, "No. It's fine. You win." And with that they both revert to their human forms and Naruto stretched out before dropping back only for Tenten to catch him "Hey…" she whispered, breath flowing over his flurry ear causing it to twitch "Hey…" his exhausted self as she helps him stand again "Tired?" spoke Yasaka approaching "First time, actually." Naruto responded causing her to gawk at him "…umm but… your mastery of your powers?"
"He's had some practice." Tenten spoke cryptically, not giving anything away "Though, a lot was instinct and experience."
"Is that why you didn't transform right away?" Yasaka questioned earning a nod from Naruto "The smaller form is a lot easier to use, better mobility and chakra is easier to manage." He admits earning a chuckle from his fellow Youki "I bet." Straightening herself up she bows at the waist "Then allow me to welcome you to the Youki faction, Naruto Uzumaki – Kyubi no Youko; Tenten Higarashi – High human of the Leaf." This earned two raised brows at their given titles "High-human?" Tenten tested, "Naruto, I get but me? High-human?"
"Well…" Yasaka began with a smile "…you are a human that can use chakra. Other Youki will not accept that thus Koyuku, along with the council, bestowed upon you the species as a way to separate you from the rabble infecting the world."
"Rabble… huh?" the two shinobi question to themselves but decided to no press the subject. Surely their new commander will ensure that their future will be interesting and perhaps inviting.
A/N: This was a side project, along with another, dipping my toes in a crossovers. The original DXD was okay, plenty of places to expand on though as I've grown the fan service was a bit... anyway. This is one. Just a test bed in fact.