Chapter Six; Lost Kit's

Kyoto Shrine

It's been two weeks since the fight between the two Kyuubi. "Fight" would be too strong a word for anyone who wasn't a kitsune; it was more like a tiff. However, this doesn't help Tenten Higirashi right now, as she has been thrust into the paperwork of running the shinobi program. Why, you may ask? Naruto and his two new friends took off on the mission that she wanted to take but lacked the tracking capabilities they had. Now she has to do his job until he returns. Thankfully, they took the dragon with them for "on-mission" experience.

Tenten snorted at that, one of her shadow clones handing her a new request from the Tortoise clan for an escort to their laying grounds down near Okayama. Damn it, they don't have the manpower yet. Another assassination request from the Tengu. Another sigh, "How the hell did Naruto manage this?"

"That's what I would like to know." A new voice drew the four Tenten's to look up to the door, finding Yasaka standing there, unamused. "Lady Yasaka. To..." pausing upon the raised hand from the kitsune, who asked rather coldly, "Where is he?"

"On a mission. We have a missing dog in the Hokkaido region. His squad is deployed to either recover him or his body. It shouldn't take more than a week, ten days at most." Tenten informs as her clones go back to filing. "Very well. When he gets back, I want him in my office. I don't care if it's midday or midnight. This has gone on far enough." Her golden eyes narrowed. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tenten wasn't going to argue with her boss. In truth, she was a little annoyed at him too. She got it. He had been told he was a danger to Kanou. A girl who had basically been adopted at this point. A girl who hadn't been that energetic ball of innocence ever since the spat between her perceived parents. She didn't have time to care though, another squad was due in five minutes. "I will be sure to pass the message along to him when I next see him."

"Thank you, Tenten." Yasaka proceeded to the door. "Oh, and…" looking back at the kunoichi, "You look nice with your hair down like that."

"Thanks." Tenten didn't even look up from the newest report, "Don't need it out of the way so…"

"Of course. I'll get out of your way then. Have a good day." Then she left, closing the door behind her. Tenten sighed, her eyes drifting up to the door, "Naru. What the hell is up with you right now?"

Hokkaido region

Naruto and his fellow fox kin are in their animal forms, about the size of Great Danes as they climb a mountainside. Issei, wrapped up in his winter mission gear, wasn't too far away but was told to follow their trails. Naruto, Izuhara, and Keizo were sniffing for any of the dog kin that vanished, and upon reaching another overhang, Naruto stopped and stared over the hill, almost mountainous territory.

He had always wanted to travel here as it reminded him of the time he spent in Kaminari no Kuni. It was just far colder. It felt good on his fur though. His thoughts were disrupted by a serious number of yips from the excited Keizo. Glancing back from his position, he watched his four-tailed kin dig something out. By the time it was, Issei arrived to find a discarded compass, "A compass, huh?" Looking around, the kid looked to the north, further up the mountain, "Maybe they dropped it from further up."

Naruto decided to have a sniff too, but something caught his attention as he glanced back over the landscape. Not seeing anything, nor sensing anything amiss, he moved off and rejoined the other two. This was their second clue thus far. If this takes too long, they might not make it back in time for the devil's summit, or the Lady Amaterasu celebrations.

Naruto's senses were slightly off as a local had caught sight of him. Small fox kin had spotted Hina from their concealed position within the snow, white fur had masked them. They sprinted off to find the others; they had to know about this.

Kuoh Town

Kuroka had been a good kitty for the short time she has spent among the new intelligence, assassination, and protection department or IAP for short. Thus, came to check on her little sister, slipping into the town was easier than she thought it would be, seeing as they had issues with them recently.

Being allowed to exploit her natural abilities so freely has caused her skills to surge. The power gifted to her from the process of removing those evil pieces greatly increased her baser forms' strengths. She felt like a new cat.

So, when she caught sight of her sister, walking to school, with, three, four, six different familiars from several different clans, Kuroka was certainly not amused. It seems that even her own king had a familiar among the creatures, and she held no illusions that her sister's sensory abilities had missed them.

"Nya, this… is most certainly not going to end well, nya…" her whisper from a distant rooftop, her two tails waving lazily behind her. Tilting her head from side to side, "Nya, how to go about doing this, nya?"

Later that night…

Koneko returns home after completing her devil duties, two requests of little consequence. Though she had idly noticed that a new set of eyes had joined her along with the usual six, she would sigh at that if it wouldn't give them a reason to suspect her more. Suspect her of what again? They've tied down her chakra more than ever, and upped her duties already, so she has no time to do anything else.

After taking a drink of water, she returned to her bedroom and suddenly froze. The eyes on her had all vanished. All but one. Her bedroom door closed, "Nya, little Shirone..."

The white cat of Gremory leaped clear of this threat, this rogue devil… huh. Koneko was confused, and it seemed to show as her big sister stepped out of the darkness. "Little Shirone, nya. You are so cute." Said girl couldn't respond though for three reasons. One; her sister was standing before her, yet the devil aspect of her was missing. But her senses all said that this was her sister, but her devil was not there. She was completely Youkai.

Two; her sister is a criminal, wanted by devils, and a killer. If the other devils hear of this… a pause, she can't sense the other eyes on her right now, so maybe she's safe.

Finally, her sister's clothes are not like before; they are not hentai or revealing, but professional and casual, with a strange-looking leaf design on her left chest. A click in front of her face snapped Nekosho back to the room, and she hissed, "Nii-sama... no – Sister, why are you here?"

"Fine," Kuroka's normally whimsical attitude was shelved for now, getting answers is paramount, "Let's cut to the chase then, huh?" Koneko was surprised at this version of her sister, normally she prefers to play, laze about, or make some sort of sexual advances on powerful males she comes across. This one, however, seems to be here with a purpose.

"Why are so many devil familiars watching you?" Kuroka asks flatly, her gaze steady and narrowed, with no sign of playfulness, just like when she was smaller. "It's when..." Koneko paused before hissing, "Why do you...?"

"Shirone." Kuroka spoke lowly, her tails whipping left then right, her stone-cold face and crossed arms intimidating to the younger Nekosho, who found herself submitting to her sister's command. "I refused to help them try and counter senjutsu." The white-haired girl peeked up at her sister from her bowed head and saw wrath incarnate ripple across her face. As expected.

"Counter senjutsu? Senjutsu is the power of life. To counter it would be..." She paused, her eyes widening in disbelief. "He was right,"

Confused, Koneko looked up, "Who?"

"My new boss," Kuroka muttered, distracted by her thoughts about what she had heard from Kinuye, the only thing their boss feared, which could lead to the world's end. "This is bad. Real bad. I should inform. No. He's on a mission. Lady Yasaka is unaware of the threat."

"Onee…" whispered Koneko, amber eyes snapping to her and the white cat saw the absolute fear in her older sister's eyes and the puffing of her two tails was not to be taken lightly, "Shirone. My boss, my new boss that is, has come across what the devils are attempting to do before."

This surprised the young kitten, "It's been tried before?"

"I can't tell you the specifics, but in short yes. That time, thankfully it was halted by a kyuubi with the help of the planet itself." Kuroka explained, her sister nods her understanding before tilting her head, "So, problem? They can do it…"

Kuroka shook her head. "You are forgetting about the world's malice this time." Taking a seat on her knees, the black cat looked to her baby sister. "This world will not aid us or the Kyuubi if this being comes to pass. It will purposely feed what the kitsune are referring to as the Zero-Tailed Leech."

"Zero-tailed leech?" Koneko murmured, her eyes wide. Her sister nodded to confirm, "Yes, the Zero-tailed leech. Its very existence corrupts the nature it feeds on, draining all chakra it comes into contact with, which causes it to spread faster. It is everything we Youkai stand against. If the devils are taking this route, Shirone, you need to come home. Come to Kyoto. I don't want you anywhere near that thing."

"I can't."

"Do you not trust your nose, little Shirone?" Kuroka's sultry smile and teasing tone slip out, and the white kitten facepalms. Great. There she is. The sister she hates. "…still though." This brought the rook of the Gremory peerage back to the room, eyes locked on her older sister. "If you want to leave, I will be here for another two days. Just flare your…" Kuroka's eyes narrow upon sensing the suppression on her sister's chakra, earning a groan from the older cat, tails swishing dangerously.

"They dare." The black cat hisses, causing Koneko to inwardly cower, as if being scolded, "If Naruto-sama finds out about this..."

"Naruto? Is that…" the white one spoke up, causing Kuroka to freeze, shocked she had slipped up. She sighed, "Hi - he's my new boss and the one who took out my pieces." She could never lie to her sister so openly, she was too cute and precious, "But how? The evil pieces are…"

"A glorified slave rings. I believe he called it. His growling at the time scared even Yasaka, he was so mad." Kuroka informed, causing her sister to recoil at that. The fact that this 'Naruto' had a growl that scared the leader of the Youkai means he must be powerful. That, and he somehow managed to extract the evil pieces her sister had.

"Now then…" Kuroka clapped, getting her sisters' attention again, "…I only came because I was curious about the number of familiars following you. Normally, I'd just watch over you from a distance, so I will take my leave." Koneko would face-palm at the fact that her sister just openly admitted to stalking her like it was nothing. Then again, her sister is weird.

"Shirone-chan, nya…" earning a sigh from said individual, actually face palming, "…I have to leave in three days, nya, or my boss will get mad at me for coming here without informing them first, nya."

"You left without telling?" Koneko looked pained at that. If she did that, Bachu would spank her. "I only intended to check if you were okay, nya." Kuroka shrugged carelessly. "This was all unplanned."

"What if…"

"Shirone," the seriousness returned, "I am serious here. If you feel threatened and want to leave in the next three days, flare your chakra three times. You remember how to do it, right?" Upon seeing her little sister nod, Kuroka continued, hand landing on the white tussle of hair, "I know I have a lot of things to make up for. Someone recently pointed them out to me, and what I did was unfair to you."

"Née-sama…"

"I will make it up to you, so remember…" Kuroka's voice was soft, and for some reason, Koneko found it impossible to keep her eyes open under her soft administrations, "…if you need help, three times…"

According to the devil familiars, Koneko arrived home, downed a carton of milk, reached her bed, and flopped down. None detected the illusion upon her sleeping form, none even noticed the also observing cat from a distance. The cat looked up at the moon, wondering what her new leader was doing at that moment.

Hokkaido Region

Naruto's newly formed Team Seven had found themselves in a bit of a bind, while Issei was. While the three fox kin were scouting in the low light of dusk, Issei was told to set camp. He had been drilled enough to accomplish it even while distracted. When he looked up, a beautiful silver haired woman was waving at him, and he waved back, and unbeknownst to the young dragon, her approach was calculated and more of a stalk. He was so fixated on her well endowed chest, narrow hips, red eyes, soft smiling face.

When she finally joined him at the camp, he found out that she had tracked him due to his strong smell and powerful aura, which made him feel rather bashful about the direct compliments. She got closer and asked if it would be possible to smell him up close. Not thinking anything could go wrong, and he might be able to, the next thing he knew, a pinch left him unconscious.

Waking up, he found himself wrapped in webbing, his mouth covered too, and he could barely see. Great. He had been warned about this, letting his hormones get the better of him. Focusing his mind on that feeling the others had helped him, the will of fire, Tenten called it, his eyes glowed and his vision sharpened. Night vision rocks, by the way. Looking around, yep, a cave. Can't tell which way is up, but. Issei froze.

Why? Simple. He just found his mission targets. What's left of them, anyway. Dried husks, piled neatly in the corner, as if an ingredient. Is he next? Oh, by the grace of Amaterasu. Something hit him. Depending on how long he's been out, the boss is... He paled. Sensei is going to kill him. Then, when he gets back, Tenten will kill him. Maybe even. Deep breaths, Issei. Stay calm.

"My, my, you are surely more durable than I predicted." That cute woman from earlier arrived, looking up, she was hanging upside down from the hidden ceiling. His shock was only fleeting despite the human looking upperhalf connected to a spider bottom, "Then again, you're a dragon. A young one, but a dragon nonetheless." Her eight eyes lock onto him, as if judging him from head to toe, "Perhaps, you will hold more value alive than dead. Mother might let me leave if she is distracted by your aroma."

Issei did not like what she was hinting at. Sure, her long silver hair, round face, and red eyes were rather endearing. He bust was easily beating the likes of Tenten and Kinuye, but not quite like Yoshinori or Lady Yasaka. Those two, dubbed the gold and silver goddesses at least in his mind, were a few notches above this girl, who was definitely hot. Even with the whole eight-legs thing she had going on, she was completely undressing him with her eyes right now.

Abruptly, the girl's eyes all snap in one direction, and a shift in the wind makes her seem to pale slightly, growing agitated. "How?"

Issei raised an eyebrow in inquiry, his mouth still covered. "But mother… if there…" the girl paused, her arachnid lower parts trembling in fear. The hard black shell was difficult to make out, but it had dragon eyes.

"They…" Her eyes widened as she snapped to her captive. "They are here for you, no? The kitsune clan?" Upon his nod, she paled further. "Oh, no. They'll kill me. That's what Mother said. What those others said. I don't want to die." She began to hyperventilate, something similar to it, Issei thinks, but even now he thinks he heard a yip.

Screaming into his muffler, her eyes snap to him, sensing the vibrations, "You can help? How? Why?"

Still talking into his muffler, he continued, "You seem nice. I am still new to this whole supernatural stuff, but I am sure that my sensei, the guy coming, will at least hear you out."

"No. They are kitsune. The violent ones that have slaughtered my kind..."

"I promise they won't." Issei's glowing eyes lit up; his sensei had given him a talk about the seriousness of promises. He vowed to never break them either. This seemed to transmit to this girl, and for some reason, she felt maybe she could try. "My name is Issei Hyoudou. Dragon shinobi in training." He tried to smile, which settled her nerves a bit.

Before she could answer, a loud explosion was heard nearby, along with the growls he was so familiar with and the sound of rushing wind. "Oh no! They're almost here."

"Untie me! Now!" Issei screams into his muffler. The girl snaps to him and slices him down in short order. She places him down on the ledge, saying, "Stay behind me and do not move." Issei instructs, and she nods, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Just then, a small three-tailed kitsune, with fur as white as snow, skis into the passageway, about the size of a pit bull.

Upon spotting the human and the arachnid, it turns back and yips twice, and immediately a wolf-sized nine-tailed creature slides around the corner, flames leaking from its mouth. Two Doberman-sized four-tailed creatures are hot on its heels. The three of them are covered in webbing, and the smaller two spit out spider legs. Did they fight their way in here? The small white kitsune walks imperially down the hall, as if it owns the whole place, flanked by a nine-tailed and two four-tailed creatures stalking behind it.

Issei could feel the claws on his back grip him tighter. Clearly, his companions were all on edge. "Naruto-sensei." This halted Naruto, as Issei had never openly called him like that. His two friends knew this, so they halted too. "I need you to trust me with this. I have been told that you and these spiders have gone to war before. She is scared you want to kill her. Yes, she did abduct me. Yes, she had a hand in the missing dog kin. And yes, she is so hot."

There it was. The other shoe to drop. The three older kitsune visibly sighed in exasperation at his antics, sure. They were mad. Sure, they may have cooked that bitch back there, extra crispy like, with a pile of corpses stacked up like trophies, but they aren't battle maniacs. Totally. Not. "Anyway…" Issei's voice dragged Naruto's attention back to his student, "…I think she is in a bad way, not a bad person,"

Puff. Their small companion steps out, revealing a petite girl with long white hair, white eyes, and three tails coming from her back. "I will let you know that these things have hunted us down for generations. As leader of this arctic pack..." Naruto's growl caused her to stiffen. Glancing back, her tails and ears dropped. "Sorry, my lord."

Issei grinned internally, knowing that feeling and it felt good to be on the other side of it. Yet, suddenly, the girl behind him began chirping and clicking. Naruto seemed surprised momentarily, his growls and yips seemed to be aimed at his friend, whom he still hadn't learned the name of. This jiggle on his back, though.

Naruto and Nagai Midori talk after Issei's speech, and the little girl's abrupt declaration,

"Tomita… last time I checked, I'm the Kyuubi here," Naruto growls, causing the young girl to visibly flinch. Her tails drop, and her ears flatten as she turns back, saying, "Sorry, my lord."

"A real Kyuubi?" The spider woman comments with a slight hesitation, catching the four kitsune by surprise. "You, speaking canine?" Naruto asks, and she nods slowly. "I... umm... recognize vibrations. It's my species' speciality."

"Interesting," Naruto comments, before his head tilts aside. "So, you took my student? Were you hungry or something?"

"He smelled strong,"

"Dragon." All three kitsune in the know spoke in unison, earning a nod from the spider woman. "Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Naruto Uzumaki, newest Kyuubi of Kyoto and IAP Team Seven operative." Naruto nods his head. "Izuhara Isoruko – four tails and IAP operative. Member of Team Seven."

"Kosaku Kono, four tails and IAP operative of team seven," the last orange fox informs. Naruto takes over, "Issei Hyoudou is our trainee."

"IAP?" The spider questions, and the three grin. "We are shinobi, shadows of the Youkai, to protect, serve, and assassinate in protection of the future." Kosaku barked out way too excitedly, if you ask his two other friends, who can be seen giving him side eyes.

"Shinobi? As in ninja and…"

"Yes," Naruto confirms, "umm... sorry, we never got your name." The girl looked flustered at that, moving clear of Issei, much to said boy's surprise, bowing profusely, "My name is Nagai Midori, sir Naruto, I must apologize for..."

"Save it. My student wants us to overlook it, so we will." Naruto's eyes narrowed on her. She felt the threat. "This time."

"I… I wa.. wass… going to ask… if I could…" the spider stuttered, and Naruto sighed as this was pretty typical of a Team Seven episode. "Fine, you can come." Surprising her as he nods, "Though, we will have a lot to discuss when we get back to Kyoto,"

"Thank you!" She bowed repeatedly as Issei looked confused at their clacks, growls, and yips, and also his friends' beaming smile. Though he noticed his teammates had turned to leave, a parting growl, causing the peep squeak to run after them. He spotted the dangerously sultry smirk upon the spider woman's features for a moment, before she turned to him with a pleasant smile, maybe he imagined it, "Come on! Apparently, he is letting me join your special team."

"Is that what he was saying?" Issei mutters, confused. She nodded. "Yes, can you help me pack? They will be waiting for us at the exit,"

"Sure, umm...l never actually got your name."

The girl giggled, a melodic sound. "I did something silly, you were just too busy ogling my chest," Nagai explained, causing him to go red in the face. "I don't know what..." Her gentle finger rested upon his lips as she smiled sweetly at him, all eight eyes looking upon him. "Issei-chan, I have eight eyes, and all of them caught the glances you were making." She giggled at his embarrassment, but she just winked. "In a few years, who knows? I may just let you see."

Issei froze at the prospect, but the sudden dropping of something heavy on his foot snapped him back as he hopped on his foot. "Now, hurry, we have to pack before Naruto-sama gets mad." That halted Issei again. Did his boss just get another fangirl? Again. Sighing, Issei began to help carry the stuff out of the cave.

Charging across the lands, a pack of four kitsune, an arachnid, and a dragon rush unseen by most. Issei was riding Kosaku Kono for expedience. Naruto held the eight snow kits that the group discovered stalking the cave for their lost mother. They found her, barely alive, and her last words were thanking them. Naruto saw the hope return to her eyes in her final moments, knowing her babies would be fine, as a kyuubi had found them. He hasn't told them yet.

They may have rampaged a bit after that, killing Nagai's many sisters and what is presumed to be her mother queen, but the nest will eventually recover; they only killed a third of them after all. Still, plenty of them around. Glancing back at his new charges, he wonders how the clan will take these ice breathers. Kitsune breathe fire. These little ones breathe ice. Based on their mother, a white kitsune with eight tails, they all have potential.

Kyoto City

Naruto and his party arrive at the city limits, overlooking the city's landscape. The skulk comes to a halt at his back. This entire mission, Naruto and his team had remained in animal forms, and the young kitsune had bonded with the three adults, with Naruto being the main one. When he sleeps, they sleep curled up with his nine tails around them. When he hunts, they hunt. They have stuck to him like glue.

Now that he stands over the city, with the shrine in view, the kits are standing with him as he sighs, glancing back. "Nagi; tell Issei that you are staying with him until one of us comes to get you." The spider girl nods and tells the dragon cub, "Stay in human form until then. I know it's stuffy by now, but we have to explain things to the council and our lady." Naruto explained, earning a nod from her. "It will be as you say, Naruto-sama."

Too tired to challenge her right now, Issei dismounted and waved them off, saying, "Until later, sensei." He then led Nagi towards his home.

After they were gone, Naruto looked back at his team. "This is going to get messy, right?" Izuhara snorted. "No shit."

"Perhaps she'll let us explain?" Kosaku proposes, earning two deadpans, "Right, overactive female imaginations."

"Thousand Yen, she accused me of cheating," Naruto offered. Izuhara snorted, turning away. Kosaku chuckled, "I'll take that."

"Fool," Izuhara says as they stroll off. "Umm," one of the little ones muttered. "Come on, kits," Naruto called, and they ran up with Izuhara and Kosaku flanking them. "Time to see our lady."

"Hi," they all cheered, following his large strides as much as possible. Naruto was walking really slowly in his "regular" fox form, which is a bit larger than most stallions. Izuhara and Kosaku's regular horse-sized fox forms were smaller, while the kits were like large dogs in comparison.

Due to their deliberate slow approach to their clan grounds, there was plenty of warning for those within to see them coming. As such, it was no surprise that Yasaka alone came out to greet them. Yasaka noticed how Naruto kept his nose down; it took a while, but she noticed the six kits strolling along beside him. He was being gentle in keeping them moving, no doubt moaning about the long journey. It was cute.

Eventually their eyes met, and he didn't shy away from hers, but rather yipped out at her, which no one had done for a while. She grinned, turning into her smaller fox form, a size similar to Naruto's, having had to practice it for a while as she hadn't needed to use it in a long time, and yipped back. The kits all snapped their heads at her. She overheard him saying, "See. That's home ahead, just a little more, okay?"

"Okay…" they whined, tails drooping. "Man, do you think your mom will buy this as a story?"

Kosaku snorted, "Not a chance I am letting her know of this mission."

"Good call," Naruto and Izuhara confirmed. "You'd get babysitting duty every other weekend." Izuhara continued, and Naruto nodded, "How's the fox paw coming along anyway?"

"Dude, I need help with the third-tier kata," Kosaku chirped, and Izuhara sighed, "I am still drilling the second-tier kata."

"Let's get Izuhara to master two, then we can worry about three," Naruto offered, earning a sigh from Kosaku. "Sure,"

"What about us?" Ebizo asked, the youngest of the litter. "We will see, kit," Naruto responded as they finally arrived at the gate. The older three bowed before their matriarch, "Lady Yasaka."

"Welcome back, Team. We were expecting you a little later. Did something happen to expedite your return?" Yasaka maintained a professional detachment, watching as the kits were mimicking Naruto. It was adorable, but save that for later. "Hi – we ran into these kits, who guided us to our target," the pause was telling for those older enough to know of death.

"I see." Yasaka nods, still maintaining her regal posture, "Is she sleeping now?"

"We managed to bring her home, my lady." Naruto informs, earning a nod. "She will be honored." Yasaka declared, and the guards all nodded. "What about us? Mama said that the Kyuubi will protect us and to listen to them." Tomita asks, stepping forward in front of her siblings, her three tails spread out as if defending them. "Who are you...?" Naruto bonked her side with his muzzle, and she squeaked, glaring at him as she was now puffy from the shock. "Tomita, do you trust me?"

"Of course, uncle."

"Then, trust that I would bring you to safety, just like your mother asked of me, okay?" Naruto asked, and she slowly nodded, stepping back in line, as Naruto glanced up. "They've been on edge since we left. Forgive us, Lady Yasaka."

"It's fine, come. The clan awaits," she said, turning away to hide her hurt. She thought things were back to normal, but they weren't. Her eyes hardened as she turned back to face the group and suddenly body tackled Naruto.

Tumbling across the open ground, Naruto was first to leap clear of the tumbling and land back on his feet. Eyes narrowed at the shaking nine tails, blonde fur cleared of the dirt, "Lady..." Naruto began, only for her to dart at him again. He simply hoped aside, blank-faced. She chased him down, and he calmly evaded her, barely any effort on his part. He was faster, stronger, quicker, and well-trained indeed.

Abruptly her tails lash out, aiming for his. Not wanting another tug of war, he moves them away from hers. Again, avoiding her attacks without much effort. She was aiming for his tails now. "What are you doing?" Naruto asks, ducking another lunge, hopping back, rolling over another tail jab. "Lady..." she growls at him, his eyes narrowing at her. "Stop calling me that," she hisses at him.

"Call you what, Lady…" she pounced at him, and again he ducked, but she snagged one of his tails, earning a yelp from him. His growling continued as he pounced on her, their growls, groans, and yips filling the air during their scuffle.

While this was going on, the kits were being held back by the two other members of the team, knowing that they both needed to get this out of their system. The faction couldn't handle a split between these two. Yasaka has the confidence of the people, true, yet despite being here for a short time, most of the fighters and shinobi would back Naruto if it came down to it. He fights for them. They will fight for him.

An explosion of blue flames was spotted, then suddenly a much larger orange one, causing Izuhara and Kosaku to pale. Kyuubi fox fire was dangerous, like lethally so, and these two seemed to be flinging it around as if it were going out of style. If any of them got too close, they would have to withdraw to the compound.

Orange clashes against blue, the air vacates the hundred metres around them as Naruto and Yasaka's flames fight for dominance. The former is only matching her strength, and the latter knows that he isn't really trying to win but defend himself until she exhausts herself. That's it.

Naruto senses her drawing on nature and narrows his eyes. Matching her with little trouble, his eyes flow from blue to gold, matching hers. They stare each other down. "Lady..."

She hissed at him, lowering her stance. "I told you already," she said, jolting forward. To most, she was a blur, but to the former fastest shinobi turned fox, she was a slug. He was about to leap clear when a potent blast of killing intent from the side drew his attention briefly before he was tackled.

They roll and tussle around again. Yasaka finally pushes him enough to get his attention and forces him to fight back, but it's too late. She manages to grab all nine of his tails and jolt him back into his human form with her Youjutsu.

Flopping down on the floor on his back, Naruto looked up to see Yasaka staring into his eyes, and she finally got him to look at her. "Naruto, I am sorry. I know that what I did was wrong on so many levels. But I was scared. Scared that you'd do something that would make Kanou fear you and break up our family." She took a deep breath before continuing, noticing that his eyes were sharp but he hadn't moved to break free. "It's only been a few months since you and Tenten arrived, yet it feels like you've always belonged here. Your presence within the clan has revitalized it."

Taking a deep breath to fight back the tears, their intertwined tails tightening, her voice was thick, "I miss you. Not the shinobi who has been here working for the betterment of our clan and people, but Naruto, the man I think I may be in love with. The way you and Kanou act is how I wanted my family to be. I did something stupid, and I will make it up to you. Just please. I am sorry. Come home. I need you. Kanou needs you."

Naruto sighs, leaning back against the heated dirt ground as he looks up at the sky. "Yasaka, do you know what it's like to be human?"

The blonde kitsune is hesitant to answer, assuming a trick question. Despite her ragged appearance, she says, "No."

"I do," Naruto says as he tries to put his thoughts out in the open. "I wasn't raised as a kitsune. I don't know how to act, how to position my tails during ceremonies, and I'm still learning proper canine, like the royal version of it, as apparently that's the kind of social standing I hold." He sighs hard. "This is all new to me, Yasaka, and everyone seems to have forgotten that."

Yasaka was wide-eyed; she too had forgotten that prior to his arrival, he was a high human like Tenten. "…Everyone was all excited about a new Kyuubi. I didn't know what else to do, so I did what I normally would: buckled down and got to work. For Tenten and me, it's what we do."

He sighed again, "Then the mission with the wizards, then suddenly I am faced with all these feelings that aren't mine, yet they are. I wasn't entirely prepared for the anger at seeing Yoshinori collapse on me. Nor when you growled at me, I was confused, stunned, but it hurt. You didn't trust me." Naruto finally met her golden gaze with his own, "The one person I was supposed to turn to for help did not trust me."

"I said…" Yasaka began, but he continued on regardless, "I was so mad, yet the only thing that kept me from blowing up was the fact that Kunou was alone. I stalked her until Issei arrived and made sure they got back. Then I drank the night away and had a talk with Lord Sasuno." Her eyes widened at that, but he didn't stop, "Then I met Izuhara and Kosaku, and I started learning what being a kitsune is from them. I admit, right now I would make a fine four tails, but I have nine, so," he leaned up, and much to her surprise, he nuzzled her nose with his, causing her to blush rather heavily. "If you could teach me how to be a proper kitsune, I would love to take you on a date."

"Date…" she squeaked, still somewhat off balance by his rather forward declaration of intent that left her in, "…is that what people do, people who like one another?" Naruto put forward, finally pulling back from nose to nose, leaving her straddling him with pink cheeks, "I mean, sure, we are nine tails, we can make our own rules –" his smile was small, masking his nervousness perfectly, "but, seeing as I don't really know what to do next, I am just trying to explain that I would like to be with you too."

She smiled upon realizing that he was beginning to ramble. His nervousness was overriding his mouth, and he was clearly aware of what he was doing, in all honesty. Only one thing to do then. Before he began to explain human dating, she leaned forward and nuzzled him back, tightening her hold on his tails. "I want you, Naruto no Yoko," she heard herself begin to purr, causing his stomach to do flips. "To be a part of my skulk, not just my clan. I want you to help me protect my kits. And to raise them to be the best kitsune ever to lead our people to greatness."

Naruto had progressively grown scarlet; everything he had read on Kitsune customs was still fresh in his mind. Thus, he shut down after hearing what she was saying, her actions, and their tails. Wait. His tails. It was his turn now, right? Yes. That's what the books say. Faint later, now he can't mess this up.

Just as Yasaka was growing nervous, she felt it: his tail had returned to her, coiling properly around her grip. With wide eyes, she looked into his golden eyes. He smiled and said, "I've been reading a lot, practicing. Izuhara on language, tail control, and traditions. Kosaku on smells, socializing, and spiritual aspects." He chuckled nervously, "I may not be up to the level of etiquette..."

Her lips interrupt him. Yasaka kisses him deeply. After all this, how could she still be mad? Yes, she was nervous about confronting him. Sure, they had a really bad argument. He had withdrawn from her home. It was her fault. Yet here he is. Understanding that he was missing something, Naruto went out to find out what he did wrong and correct it, not wanting to be ignorant of his new situation. He can be slow at times, he has admitted as such, but he is not stupid. He reflects. He fixes what he needs to. And now.

She pulls back from the lip lock, foreheads resting on one another, purrs resonating between them. As their tails sway together in unison, gold staring into gold, "You are amazing, you know that?"

"I wouldn't say that," Naruto whispered back. She closed her eyes and smiled softly. "I am a little slow, not as smart as others, but I don't give up nor go back on my words. That has always been, and always will be, my nindo – my ninja way."

She giggled, opened her eyes with genuine affection, "Will you come back? With me and Kanou? In the shrine?"

"Well," Naruto chuckled as his eyes rolled to the side, a foxy grin on full display, "you did invite me to your skulk… right?" Her face heated up, bright red, and Naruto could feel the heat and tension through their joined tails. Before she could yell at him or something, he nuzzled her again, which snapped her out of it, forcing her focus back on him. "I will come back, yes."

Though still flush-faced, Yasaka nodded while trying to regain her composure and steady her racing heart. "Though those kits are super attached to me." He sighs, and she smiles at that. "Guess things will get lively, huh?"

"Yeah, good practice for later," she commented offhandedly, and quietly, forgetting their proximity and enhanced hearing. Yet when she focuses on him again, his red cheeks told her she had spoken that out loud. Smirking, she leans forward and nuzzles him, "Oh, you are so innocent."

"Pervert," he grumbled, and she chuckled at that. The two fell silent. A distant whine on the wind alerted them that it had been some time since the others had a clear view of them. Both sighed, "Guess we should get back," he offered, and she nodded, giving a tight smile.

The two-stallion-sized Kyuubi dropped down before the kits and the other kitsune members of Team Seven, and it was clear as day that things were back to normal, or better, if their intertwined tails are anything to go by. Smirking internally, Izuhara nodded to his captain, who nodded back sharply, as the kits rushed him and got beneath him.

Strolling into the kitsune clan compound, attached to the garden of the main shrine, the clan as a whole was pleased that their two leaders had officially joined hands. Izuhara spotted his parents, watching in pride as he led the two Kyuubi as honour guard. He wasn't the only one; Kosaku held his head high as his mother, brother, and wife watched as he led the two nine-tailed foxes through the compound.

The six kits received more than a passing glance, especially when Naruto's tails kept ushering them forward, and they stayed close to him, suggesting a parental role. Adoption, oh how Lord Naruto could be so kind. As they approached the Shrine, it was no surprise that Konau was waiting for them. Tenten used chakra to hold her still, quite a bit if Naruto's senses were accurate, so he nodded, and the golden kit was released. She damn right body flickered into him, tails swaying as she teared up.

Kouh Town

Kuroka yawned as her senses picked up a spike of holy energy nearby, earning her gaze as she felt out a group of fallen angels chasing a pair of, hmm… exorcists? One of them was injured. She knew she shouldn't. This was a bad idea. She knew this, but curiosity killed the cat is an idiom for a reason. No matter how insulted Kuroka felt about that fact.

Leaping from her napping spot atop a very nice café she found, she followed after the two teens who were trying to flee the angels. The angels were laughing and clearly not taking the humans seriously, thus allowing them to run. Making this a game. Too bad. Kuro is awesome at hide and seek. As the two teens limped into the alleyway, Kuroka pounced. Landing on them both, human form coming out, "Do not move. Or they'll spot us."

Both exorcists froze at the voice, but it was feminine and none they recognized from the fallen chasing them. Taking a gamble, they both nodded once, remaining still after that, and the lady smiled. Just as the Fallen ran into the alleyway and saw nothing.

An hour later…

"So, let me get this right..." Kuroka supported her perfect facepalm. She really should learn to keep herself out of danger. "...Those fallen angels are chasing you, Irina..." looking at the twin-tailed brunette, who looked like a completely innocent girl-next-door type, "...and you, Xenovia," a typical stoic holy warrior type, freshly bandaged from a near miss on her leg and side, "Because you managed to steal back an Excalibur fragment?"

"Yeah," Irina says, nodding, which causes the black cat to sigh hard. She looks around the room in the inn where she was staying during her three-day vacation, "We were trying to get to the church in town,"

"It's been abandoned for a long time," Kuroka cut her off, rather distractedly as she pondered what to do next. Technically, she could just leave this alone. The youkai has no stake in this. Reporting the fallen, however, is probably all that would be required. "I wouldn't be shocked if you found that church acting from its base."

"Damn it," the blue-haired swordswoman, pushing herself up to the end of the bed, leaned against the headboard. "Then, how are we supposed to...?"

"This room is a dead zone." Kuroka reached for her phone. "No one can sense anything in here. You will be safe as long as you stay here." The cat explained as she flicked through her contacts, glancing up at the paper seal on the wall opposite the door and frowned, "It won't last more than two more days though,"

"Why not?" Irina asks, worried about her friend's inability to fight at that time. "I was only here to visit my sister before heading back home." Kuro shrugged. "I don't have a full set, and my boss will be mad if I'm not there when he returns."

"I see," Irina looked to her partner, who looked equally disappointed. Turning back, the teen noticed the hesitance of their rescuer, who was biting her lip while staring at the mobile phone. "Is something wrong?" The Nekosho snapped to the exorcist, unease flashing behind her chirpy mask. "I am alright. Perhaps we should eat."

"But"

"It's fine," Kuroka waved off their complaints, "I'll be back shortly, just remember not to leave here or they'll pick up that fragment in your pocket." The two girls nodded in response as the cat left.

The distracted cat made her way down the streets, merging with the humans with little effort, and found a sushi place for take-away, collected her favorite spread, and moved off to a fast-food place on the corner, bought two burger meals, and was off back to the inn. Her thoughts were running along the lines of: Lord Naruto and Lady Yasaka are fighting, and from what panda told her, his team is over in Hokkaido for another few days. As kitsune, they are quicker than she is, and without wings, she really needs to head back soon.

She was currently unaware that at this point, Naruto's party had just reached Kyoto city limits.

This situation, however, is interesting. The Fallen, or at least a faction of them, are moving towards the holy sword fragments. Not only that, but they seem to be bringing them to Kouh. Sure, this place is a supernatural hot spot, but so are Kyoto and Tokyo. Both are much more strategically important strongholds, or socially significant for striking at devils. Assuming devils are his target.

Let's work under that assumption. What is their end game? Extrapolate. Stealing from the churches around the world implicates heaven, who in turn dispatched two human exorcists to recover them. They strike the devils, who blame them, the fallen angels, and heaven for allowing it. A new war. So, why Kouh town? What would bring...

Kuroka froze. Her senses now picked up a certain queen tailing her, and she turned to said lady, who was trying to remain unseen. "Say, lightning priestess. You know you should be preparing for the fallen attack instead of following me around, right?"

"Ara-Ara, you knew I was following you?" said the lightning priestess, stepping out into view. "Whatever – now is not the time. You've noticed the increased Fallen presence, no?" Kuroka pushed forward, take-away food in hand, clearly not taking this young devil seriously. "You know why?" The devil maiden pressed, her purple eyes narrowing. Kuroka just shrugged, "Possibly, just a guess, but I think they are here to kill your master and that other one."

The devil's eyes widened. "To kill—are you sure?"

"I wouldn't say it if I wasn't entirely certain. Just add up all the information. The only reason they would be here instead of somewhere more strategically important for a first strike is...?"

"The heiress who happens to be related to two of the four Satans." The hybrid responds, easily able to follow the trail of thought, "Exactly." The black cat nods, before turning around and leaving, "That aside, you are a wanted fugitive who...?"

"Listen, little bat," Kuroka stopped, glancing back over her shoulder. "I am just passing through and noticed a possible threat. I'm just letting you guys know as a courtesy. If you want to fight, I will not hold back just because you are my sister's friends." Her yellow eyes narrowed to slits. "Do you really want to test me, little bat, when your king is in danger?"

The bat looked genuinely conflicted, whether to buy time for her king to come with everyone else or to inform him of this stray devil. "Very well. I will inform my king. If we see you later,"

"You won't," the Nekosho continued her stroll, and the devil teleported away. "Man, I really should call this in, nya. Get my spanking for disobedience, nya." She took a half dozen steps before freezing, her face turning bright red at the thought, "Mmm – bad kitty." Her tails flowed like waves, a lustful gleam in her eyes, and her breath was somewhat laboured.

Kyoto Shrine

"Who are you?!" Kunou orders from atop Naruto's cross-legged lap position in the private area of the main shrine, where the nine tails live. Naruto was sipping tea beside Yasaka, on his right, and Tenten on his left. The question, posed rather rudely, but she didn't care right now, was aimed at the six children sitting around the table with them. "Why should we tell you?" Tomita glares at the girl sitting on Uncle's lap. She might have nine tails like Uncle, but Uncle is their Uncle.

Kunou was getting mad. These strangers were trying to claim her new tou-San when she had just got him back. "Why… you…?!"

"That's enough, Tomita..." Naruto cut in here, though Tenten was just getting comfortable for the kid spar. It would have brought back memories of their academy days. "You too, Kunou."

Both looked pointedly away from one another as the male nine-tailed fox breathed heavily, lowering his tea to the table. "Alright, listen. Your mother asked me to take care of you. So, until I deem you ready, you must follow my or your aunties' rules. Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle!" The six children respond dutifully. Naruto rests his chin on Kunou's head and says, "Now, introduce yourselves to your two aunts here." They all bolt up, standing tall and proud. "Tomita, Ten!" Tomita informs. She is a petite girl with what would later be known as stereotypical snow fox features: white hair/fur, black eyes without her second eyelids, which appear almost greyish-white. She had shorts and a T-shirt on at the moment.

"Fukui, Almost Ten!" Another petite frame, though his hair was long for a male, one could assume him to be rather feminine. Fukui is just a bit taller than Naruto despite being younger. Naruto can only assume that someone had set it this way. They can tackle it later.

"Suzu, eight…" Suzu informs, and she seems small even for an Arctic fox like her. That being said, Naruto detects no lie, so she is eight. Her confidence is lacking, clearly, so it'll be a challenge to raise it, but thankfully both Yasaka and Tenten have probably noticed it too.

"Shojiro, eight," Shojiro commented, and Naruto knows that tone and attitude anywhere, a serious type, huh. He stands as the tallest but only by a hair's breadth, but also only has two tails as opposed to Tomita and Fukui's three. He will be a stick in the mud, but Naruto is an expert with those kinds.

"Inoue, seven and a half," Inoue whispered, clearly showing off her gentle nature. She wasn't as vibrant as the others perhaps, rather a simple pretty type. No doubt, she will grow into a modest woman like Shizune or perhaps Yoshinori. Simple grace.

"Hanae, seven." She says as one of her spree words. No doubt a smarty pants, huh? Okay. He'll crack through that isolation shell and find the giggling seven-year-old kid that must be buried deep.

"Umm… Ebizo, five." If curiosity was given form, Ebizo would be it. Naruto hasn't known the kit long, but boy is he inquisitive. He almost got caught up in their fight back in the cavern as he wanted to see our flames. He almost saw his 'mother's' body too were it not for Izuhara's quick thinking. Letting him be innocent as long as possible became the three adults' plan when they found them. That hasn't changed. Not completely.

Abruptly, Kunou stood up from Naruto's lap and proclaimed rather boldly, "I am Kunou; daughter of Mama Yasaka and Papa Naru. You can't have them."

Behind her, Naruto looked from Tenten, who was about to burst into laughter, to Yasaka, who had a decent red hue to her cheeks but wasn't correcting her kit. Sighing, Naruto decided to insert himself but was beaten to the punch. "We don't care!" Proclaimed Tomita, the other five nodding at her side. "Uncle is our uncle. Mama told us that Uncle would take us."

"Yeah! Mama told us to follow Uncle! We won't be bullied away!" Suzu shouted, earning a growl from the nine-year-old Kunou, "Is that right?"

"Ahem," Naruto's voice was icy, a simple throat clearing with no hint of intent, yet the kids all froze stock-still. Naruto, Tenten, and Yasaka watched as Kunou's tails slowly puffed up, while Izuhara and Kosaku, who were by the door, watched the snow fox do the same. "I told you to sit down, didn't I? Why are you disobeying me, huh?" Immediately, they all sat where they were without a word spoken.

Sighing, Naruto looks at Yasaka, "Well?"

"Well, it seems you have this well in hand," Yasaka's smirk was hidden by her tea, but Naruto was not fooled, earning a glare from him. "Fine, for today, you all will stay here. First, let's get some food, then a bath, and then bed. Any arguments…" he trailed off to let their childish imaginations take over, and when they all gulped, he nodded.

Tenten grinned at that. They did that back in the orphanage, too, and they came up with the craziest stuff, from fighting the Hokage to hanging from the Hokage monument. Well, at least things are getting lively again, though perhaps she isn't called for babysitting.

Midnight…

Tenten slips into the bath beside her fellow leaf shinobi, sitting at his side as he relaxes his head back and she enjoys the silence. It was a hassle to feed, wash, and sort all seven children and get them to their beds. They had to call some servants in for assistance.

Now, though, they had to touch on a delicate subject, "Naruto."

"You want to stop, right?" His swift response, and she sighs, "You're with Yasaka now, right? I don't think she'd appreciate our physical kinship." Her response as he sighs before opening his eyes and looking at her. She had a smile, but he could see that she was scared. He didn't need to figure out what she was scared of. He had it too. "The war is over, right?" Tenten continued, eyes fixated on the water ahead of her, "We don't need to keep comforting one another. I am over it."

"You aren't though." Naruto's voice was but a whisper. She didn't acknowledge it and continued, "I had just lost my whole squad, you lost Ino and Yakumo. It was a spur of the moment deal."

"We both know you are lying right now," Naruto's voice was firm and unyielding, but she just grew irate at that, finally turning to her friend, glaring at him with tears, "Then what am I supposed to do, huh? You – you're moving on. You have others here like you. Someone who wants you at their side. What about…?"

He kissed her, but she pushed him away, glaring daggers now, "Do not..." so lowly, "It's fine, no?" Tenten froze at that voice, as she turned to find Yasaka dropping down on the brunette's left, relaxing as she stretched out naked, like the two of them. "Lady... Yasaka..."

The woman looked at the lone High-human, her smirk in full display. "Those seals of yours are useful, but they cannot hide things from my nose. Especially when his smell comes from you so heavily." The blonde giggled as the two shinobi looked anywhere but at her, Tenten blushing up a storm. "But, seriously – I never intended to break you two apart."

This drew their eyes back to the vixen. "I admit I was more than a little envious at first. A fellow Kyuubi choosing a high human over one of his own. Then, as I got to know you both, I realized that the bond you share runs deeper than any of us could ever imagine." Finally, the woman looks from Naruto to Tenten. "I was curious about it, but from what I just heard, I figured it out pretty quickly. If it is you, Tenten, I do not mind that you are with him. Just remember that I want to have his first child."

"Second." Both shinobi's instant response earned a raised brow from the vixen. Tenten smirked, now that the attention wasn't on her enabling time for her to relax, "Baka here made a promise back home, had no idea what he was getting into until after he agreed. A few months before the war started, his daughter was born to a priestess."

"You never mentioned this before?" Yasaka fixed a hard stare on Naruto, who sighed, his face solemn, and shrugged, "I was there for her birth, held her for an hour before I had to return." Out of his wrist popped a framed photo of him, Shion, and their daughter. As the two ladies looked on, they smiled; the baby looked like her mother, but with brighter blond hair. No idea about the eyes, though.

"The reason I never mentioned her is simple." Naruto looked at them both. "I've met her once. Then the war kicked off and everything else happened. Ino tried to give me therapy, but we never had time, and in the end, she was worse than I was. That's how we started. Yakumo too." Taking a deep breath as his gaze returned skyward, "Then the battle at the capital. I lost them both,"

Looking at Yasaka, "Then, when the dust has settled, we are told that getting back is impossible," he shrugged, "I am sorry, Yasaka, that it wasn't something I brought up."

A/N: So, Issei falls victim to the Team Seven curse on his official C-rank first mission. Naruto, Izuhara, and Kosaku find a bunch of snow fox kits. Naruto will debrief Yasaka in the morning, so there will be a flashback of the mission from Naruto's POV, which will cover finding the children and their mother. Some wicked Kitsune tag-team combat against superior number of spider kin like Nagi. The Kitsune use the tried-and-tested method of applying excessive levels of fire power to great effect.

Tenten and Naruto had been comforting one another since the war. Yasaka discovers he has a daughter left behind. Kunou feels threatened by the new arrivals, trying to take Naruto from her when she just got him back. All while Kuroka is getting into trouble back in Kouh. Should be fun, right.

2nd A/N: Final Pairing I foresee currently is NaruxTent, NaruxYasa, NaruxKuro, and two more maybe. Nagai, the arachnid, depending on how I develop her has a high chance too. I want her to be his second set of eyes for homeland defence. Just like Tenten, she will have his back, but only beacuse she wants it herself. He's the strongest mate after all and she wants to be a queen at somepoint.

for Issei; IsseixAsia, IsseixFujinoKin(OC), IsseixIrina, IsseixFallen (OC)

I was considering pairing Issei with Tenten, but my original notes had her with Naruto. I've deviated enough so I will at least keep that. Rias will crush Hard on Naruto, fangirl Sakura hard, after he saves her in the following chapters. Riser calls off the engagement after speaking with Naruto about the whole affair over a few drinks. Yubaliona also crushes on the Kyuubi, but stays with Riser until he starts seeing a particular lady he has a one night stand with. His queen than calls Naruto.

Super rare 3rd A/N: Just finished and uploaded Ch7 of Kitsune-K. It's like 80% combat so yeah. Issei takes his first steps into the world of shinobi. Loves it.

o7