Chapter One; Who, Where, and why…

Forests of Kouh

"GET UP, NARUTO!" a woman's voice finally snapped him awake. He found his last comrade, Tenten Higarashi, standing in a defensive stance before him, facing several hostiles. She was blocking the blade of a blond-haired teen just as a white-haired girl appeared on her side. In the blink of an eye, his tail shot forward and smacked the girl away with little effort. He finally shook off the drowsiness, recalling their current state.

The war lasted three months, but it felt like years. It ended with the destruction of the leaf. The alliance arrived on that last day, which was the only reason Naruto could land the final blow on Madara and yank the beasts out of his control. This led to the joint tailed beast bomb that destroyed what remained.

When Tenten awoke, she was greeted by the solemn four who 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 that 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 realize was an overpowered Kamui.

Tenten found herself surrounded by golden clouds, alone for a moment but suddenly a presence behind her forced her around to find Naruto letting out a hard sigh. "Tenten."

"Where… Naruto?"

This is my soul scape.

Soul-scape?

"Right now…" Naruto looked beyond the horizon for a moment as if he could see the world over. "…we are within a space between worlds. It is a place where life cannot sustain itself. Which is why I brought you here."

"Then…?" she whispered. He smiled and said, "You're fine. It's just to tell you this, I had to do this." Gesturing to their general area, he continued, "I'm using my chakra to protect us both, though… honestly…" He scratched 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 to stiffen momentarily, as if speaking to the Hokage. "Kurama, the Kyuubi, that I held had to sacrifice himself to protect us until I took over. Due to that..." His form began to shift, first his hair turned blond with orange streaks, two fox ears perked up, and nine tails appeared at his rear. "...I've become the new nine tails..." His face was pleading, "...please... please don't hate me." She hugged him, "You're all I have left." Speaking softly, she said, "I will never betray you, okay?"

"Okay." He softly responded. But as they broke apart, 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 lose consciousness. I'm counting on you." Tenten nodded before quickly checking her gear, standard Jonin attire with extra scrolls of her weapons. "No worries. I will prepare to defend us until you wake up 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 up camp, traps, and all, digging in. They were fresh from a warzone, so this was done with the utmost efficiency. The traps were all set to lethal. No chances were taken.

Just before dawn, the first trap was triggered. Tenten was on her feet, weapons at the ready, leading to the current situation.

Naruto's growl caused the enemy to leap back. Tenten quickly withdrew to his side. "What now?" she whispered. Naruto glanced at the four opponents, noticing the sparking in one of the women's hands, and his instincts flared. He ducked, scooped Tenten onto his back, and darted aside, avoiding the thunder strike. With two of his tails securing her, and their chakra now connected, they could hear each other's thoughts. "Hang on tight, Ten-chan. I'm going to run."

"Right." She replied, pulling out a 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 smell an ozone buildup."

A lightning user! Damn. Pulling out a set of carbon throwing knives, she noticed her steed duck to the side just before a bolt exploded in their previous position. This happened numerous times. "They are really trying to kill us, huh?"

"Can you go faster?" she asked. He glanced back at her. "Use chakra to stick to my back." She nodded and did so, and they shot off in a blur.

"Are you sure?" Tenten asks as they sit by a small river. He nods, yawning. "Yeah, my brief access of sage mode has picked up chakra signatures not too far away," Naruto informs, sitting on his haunches. "Though," he looks 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 stretched out, claws appearing before retracting. "Let's go then…" he paused before a very deep growl erupted. "They're back. With help."

"How many?" Tenten asked, having just sealed their supplies. "Ten. All airborne; closing in fast." Tenten nodded. "Must have a sensor."

"Likely." Before leaping clear of the river in a single bound and bounding off at speed, much to Naruto's annoyance, the targets chasing him sped up, not at the same rate but at five of the signals just broke out into what he assumed was a sprint or dash of some kind. They were gaining on him, albeit slowly, which was growing his concern as despite sensing the chakra signatures in the distance which all but one felt agitated, so they may not be of help. The largest though, no doubt their kage or whatever the equivalent is around these parts, seemed more impatient then anything. Annoyed even.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I will protect the last leaf. Regardless of all else." He forgot that Tenten could hear him. She smiled a true smile, nodding to herself. It had 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 was 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 dark orange kyuubi's body, and the bun-haired girl currently riding its back. She quickly assessed the situation, dismounting, before taking up a stance with kunai out. "Who are you people? Why are you chasing us?" Tenten questioned, glare was cold, with a single tail loosely looped around her defensively.

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 sparked. The kunoichi looked even more confused. "Territory? What are you talking about?"

"This area is under the protection of the Gremory and Sitri families. You've intruded without permission." Was the response from the Red head. Though Naruto noted that Tenten was beginning to show signs of exhaustion, with sweat running down her cheek, causing him to grow agitated and let out a very loud bellowing roar toward the sky as he fluffed up with chakra flowing from him in droves, a very clear threat towards their foes.

The white-haired girl took a very big leap back, panicking greatly as flames simmered in the kyuubi'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, the large signature had grown panicked, worried, tinted with a hint of anger, and was moving towards them at speed in tandom with the others. This caused him to break into a grin. "Help's heading our way."

"Stand down and surrender!" the brunette with a bob cut declared, stepping forward. "By the authority of the four Satans, you are ordered to stand down and..."

"We do not recognize 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 ultra-thin ninja wire. The woman brought herself back into a fighting stance. Bared teeth from the kitsune reinforced the threat. "Surrender, we can talk this out," the short brunette shouted, but a barrier went up, forcing the two to act in unison without words.

Naruto released a small, dense pulse of chakra that shattered the barrier like glass. Three enemies charged forward, swords drawn. Tenten charged, throwing two kunai at the second runner, striking the charging enemies' thighs and forcing them to the ground. She clashed with the third's sword. The speed was high, unbelievable for a normal human, but Tenten was a skilled kunoichi, and with some effort, she knocked his blade away before she landed a double kick to the boys chest that had the added benefit of pushing her into a roll back towards Naruto.

Backflipping effortlessly, she cleared a whip-like weapon launched by another blonde. Landing, she swirled around a hard punch from the white-haired girl. But another flip allowed her to avoid the tail from her comrade, which slapped the teen girl clear of the open field. Kunai flew and wrapped around the blonde swordsman. A lightning charge redirected from the long-haired brunette woman followed shortly, and the boy screamed from the strike. "Kiba!" was called out. "DIE!" was shouted and a red blast of energy rushed at the kitsune, who simply batted it away harmlessly with a flick of one of his tails.

In the shock, the redhead was left defenseless as the orange flames simmered in the kitsune's mouth, but before he launched them, a wall of ice erupted, intercepting the orange flames. The explosion was enough of a distraction for the two shinobi to slip away, as all eyes were on the smoke.

The teen girl in question had been pulled clear, as the fire blast had seared through the barrier and would have charred her too if it weren't for her sister-in-law dragging her clear. Looking down, she saw the glassed ground that went past her feet and beyond. Her fellows all stared in bewilderment at the strength of their foe, only noticing that he had slipped away again.

Somewhere in Japan

Naruto and Tenten finally land in a distant clearing. The former is panting, having dashed at full speed, leaving him out of breath from the sprint. As he approaches the water, he freezes before growling and backing up towards Tenten, who matches his growl. "Oh for the love of…"

"We mean no harm." A woman stepped out with her hands up, blonde hair, fox ears, and nine tails coming into view. However, the two battle-wary shinobi did not lose their tense stances, as the arrival of numerous fox-like people they did not know only reinforced their caution. Naruto noticed that their chakra signatures were the ones he had sensed approaching for some time, but they were unknowns, so he positioned himself defensively in front of Tenten.

The new arrivals noted his tail waving rather aggressively as they stepped closer, but they stopped when his growls grew louder. "Who are you?" Tenten clutched two kunai at her sides, shielded by a single orange tail but not obstructing her actions.

The blonde woman noted that the fox before her had nine long tails, unlike her own shorter blonde ones; his were very long in comparison. However, his size suggested either a lack of power or youth. Being unsure which, she assumed a passive stance, not wanting to attack another kyuubi. "My name is Yasaka. Kyuubi of Kyoto and leader of the Youkai faction. I sensed your arrival last night; I 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 any aggressive actions on their side. This could be another trap after all. "What do you…?" The tail protecting her wrapped around her, and she heard Naruto's voice within her head again, "They are the ones I sensed. They have chakra, and the blonde has High-Kage level, almost low-Biju. Prepare." She nodded as the tail loosened.

"I understand you are being cautious, but your roar called us here," the woman continued, looking upon the growing fox who ceased his warning growling, and she smiled with a nod. "We are here to help."

Naruto took a step back, glancing at Tenten, showing it was her choice. After a brief moment of thought, Tenten nodded. "Okay. We'll go with you." Numerous magical circles lit up the small clearing, all around the exhusted duo which further frayed their frazzled nerves. "Get behind me," Yasaka ordered, to which the two leaf shinobi leaped behind her, landing among their fellow chakra users, just as two of the four Moau appeared: Sirzecks Luscifer and Serafall Leviathan.

"What is the meaning of this incursion, Yasaka-dono?" Serafall spoke, her normally childish demeanour completely absent for this meeting, a very serious expression donning her visage.

"We received a request for aid from one of our own," Yasaka explained, narrowing her eyes as the extra circles appeared behind her opponents. "He has been weakened, wounded, and somewhat confused because your people seemed to have been overzealous in their defense and did not even hear him out. So, he fled."

"They intruded on our territory. They should have..."

"Sirzecks, you forget your place," Yasaka spoke up rather forcefully, interrupting Satan Lucifer. The number of devils had crept up to a point where she was growing agitated, and the woman could feel her fellow Kyuubi growling silently at the enemy numbers. "Those two attacked our people and almost killed my sister," Sirzecks stated with narrowed eyes. "Self-defense," Yasaka waved 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?"

"Hand over the two intruders," he pressed, releasing his hold on his magic, which began to weigh down on all present. But before Yasaka could respond in kind, a loud roar from the newest Kyuubi erupted as he puffed up slightly, flames and embers flowing from his tails with chakra oozing off him so threateningly, that even the two Satans to paused in response.

Noticing this, Yasaka smiled viciously. "Do you really think you can take on two Kyubi, one of which is fully rested and ready, when yours struggled against one so disoriented and in a weakened state?"

Fox fireballs began to orbit her, the other fox Youkai preparing for battle too, not wanting to allow one of their own to fall into devil hands, "There's no need for this," Serrafall spoke, 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 in response to the shorter Satan, though the fact that the number of fireballs at her back continued to grow suggested otherwise. "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 begins to glow softly. "So, let's just skip to you handing it over, shall we?" A deep growl emanates from the Kitsune in question, its fur puffing up as its chakra signal begins to climb exceptionally, teeth bared with dark orange flames leaking between them. A clear threat.

The girl who had been with the Kitsune stepped beside him, her hand landing between his long ears. "Calm down…" she whispered, kneeling and hugging him around his neck. 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 too," Her whispered words were overheard by the sensitive ears of all the Youkai nearby, filed away for later. "Fine," his eyes narrowed to dangerous levels. "…if it kicks off…"

"That's fine." Tenten's smile was damn right vicious. "I'll help you castrate them," she spoke loud enough for all to hear, causing a heavy silence to fall upon the group. This silence was broken by a snickering fox, which wasn't Yasaka, with a gleam in his kitsune blue eyes, indicating he was ready to go.

The nearby men took a healthy step back.

"Let's leave it at that. We'll be going now," Serafall declared, causing everyone to nod as the group of devils began to teleport away. However, the redheaded teen girl locked eyes with the protective Kitsune's blues, which seemed so lost and hollow. Her breath hitched as she was whisked away by her protective detail. It was then 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 present, the two wary shinobi relaxed so much 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 is in his human form, wearing his Jonin uniform covered by his sage coat. 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 drew their attention forward, where three figures stood. Naruto knew them all, but Tenten was confused. "Mum, Dad…?" Naruto muttered, before looking to the last figure—a small fox no bigger than a normal dog, with nine tails at its back. "…Kurama…?" They all nodded at his deduction. Tenten was wide-eyed at the sight of the Fourth Hokage, the Red-Hot Habanero, and the greatest tailed beast that had saved them more than once during the war.

"Kurama spoke up, dressed in his traditional outfit of a standard Leaf Jonin, with a white coat on top. 'We have brought you here to explain things to you, Kit. Things are complicated, but from what we have sensed, you two are no longer within the Elemental Nations.'"

"I gathered that…" Naruto responded with a nod, "…the nature chakra was tainted, vengeful, as if it wanted to destroy everything around it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Tenten questioned. Naruto waved 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 appeared 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 stepped 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 about 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. The fox simply nodded. "So, my Yin half transformed you, so its reserves added to your own, allowing you to protect your vixen…" Naruto said with a leer, earning a growl from the fox's throat. "…however, we aren't here to harp on that. We don't have the time."

As the three forms flickered slightly, Minato stepped forward, his Hokage voice out in force, causing the two to stiffen 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, their hearts already sinking. "It's not like there's anything left..." Naruto whispered, but all heard. 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, she said, "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, the two shinobi could see their comrades 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 landed on their shoulders, forcing them to turn around and see their respective sensei smiling at them. "Sensei…" they both uttered. "Yosh! Tenten! Your flames still light the way..." His face turned serious with a soft smile, "...you've made us proud. Well done." This actually brought the brown-haired woman to tears, hugging him while muttering, "Thank you, sensei." Her teammates approached and hugged her, giving their own goodbyes.

"Good job, Naruto," Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Thank you, sensei," Naruto sniffled, wiping 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 at stake, 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, he added, "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. Thanks to the visit from his home people, he was now much calmer. Because of Kuruma, he was far more confident in this form. It took a second for him to realize that there was pressure on his side, where Tenten was sleeping up against him, his tails covering her. She looked peaceful too.

With that now understood, he looked around the room, which was a simple box room with an oriental feel, plain but efficient use of space. There were two wardrobes, a double door he assumed led 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. "Man, that was an amazing sleep."

"I'm glad you're comfortable." Naruto's voice within her head as she snapped her head back to see Naruto lying there, his tails acting as her blanket, his stomach her pillow, with his smirk being cheeky. "Pervert!" she cried out upon noticing she was in her hidden leaf undersuit.

Standing up, Naruto stretched like a cat, his tails stretching out with him, as he stepped off the futon and looked around. "I assume we're in Kyoto," Tenten announced as she untied her buns, allowing her hair to fall out for the first time since they arrived. She grimaced. "…Man, I need to wash this out."

"Me and you 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…"

"Can you shift back?" she asks, and he nods. "I can… but…" He looks at her, and she sighs. "We're shinobi. I don't mind." She waves him off, and he begins to shift. A puff of smoke, and Naruto is now standing there in his hospital gear. "Man…" He stretches out as his bones 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, and ears appear from his hair, which was now blond with orange stripes within it. "…ahh… much better…" he says, before looking at his friend, who was desperately trying not to glomp him due to the sheer cuteness of his extra features.

He sighs, knowing of her secret love for the fluffy, one of their many secrets, "Yes, you can touch them." Before he finishes, she is already running her hands through his tails and rubbing his ears, causing him to purr. This stops them both. His tails freeze midway through their sway. "Was that..."

"Never to be spoken of aloud?" Naruto asks, stepping out of her hold just in time for the knock on the door, catching both their attention. They nodded to one another. Naruto changed into his undersuit of his spare uniform within his storage seal on 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 might find themselves in, but when the blonde lady who had saved them entered, their guard was raised but not really as on edge as it had been initially.

Her surprise was evident at the human form of the kitsune standing before her. "Wow…" she murmurs lowly, but Naruto's twitching ear lets her know that he had heard her. The muffled smirk is somewhat annoying.

"Yasaka-sama, right?" Tenten took the lead, knowing her fellow shinobi's general lack of decorum and not wanting to make a bad impression. "Yes. I am Yasaka, Kyuubi 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."

The female Kyuubi waved her off. "What kind of leader would I be if I ignored my fellow Kitsune?"

"Nevertheless, thank you," Tenten spoke up. Yasaka just nodded. "Well, I think we have a lot to discuss."

"We do." Naruto nodded, arms folded, an uncharacteristically serious face, matched by his partner. "Please follow me."

Council Room

In the main shrine, Naruto and Tenten enter after the Kyubi to find what they both assumed was a council of some kind. They moved to the two seats in the room's center, where two cushions lay. Taking the offered seats, both kept a rigid posture, their professional modes locked in so as not to 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?" he asks, looking at their guests, who both bow their heads. "My name is Tenten Higarashi, Jonin of Konohagure."

"Jonin of Konohagure, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto adds, which causes a few murmurs from around the room. "I do not recognize such a name," Yasaka verbalizes, most likely voicing the councillors' thoughts, to which they both nod. "Yes. We expected as much," Tenten begins. "As you mentioned when you found us; we suddenly appeared in that forest, yes?"

Receiving a nod, she continues, "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 dare interrupt as the new Kyubi speaks up. "Within the gap, I used a significant amount of chakra to protect us both, which is why when we finally arrived, I was immediately knocked unconscious." Naruto explains, 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 to. 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 pursued 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 took 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 attacked with elemental techniques, we switched from counterattack to offensive defense. We engaged them, and Naruto broke the barrier."

"That's when I let out that roar for help." Naruto took the ball, to which they all nodded, "After a brief skirmish, we received new reinforcements who were far stronger than the initial batch, and I used my fox fire to blast apart their ice wall. We used the resultant explosion to escape again."

"That's when you found us," Tenten concludes. Yasaka nods. "Very well." Before her, a tengu steps forward. "So, this Konohagure is in another world, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then, any chance of their addition…"

"No." Naruto spoke firmly, shaking his head. "While we were out, we received... umm... I guess you can say a message via the remnant 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, and all could see the wariness on 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 said, causing both to stiffen, the solemn air increasing. "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 took over with a monotone voice, his eyes narrowed, or his eyebrows raised. "...ninja of the leaf..." Both subconsciously held their headbands tighter. "...defenders of the Land of Fire." His eyes looked to Yasaka, who remained motionless, his smile cold. "Yet, the forest was torn asunder, and 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-human clones known as Zetsu." He growled, spitting the name like venom, and Tenten's eyes darkened at the name too.

"'What happened?' the local Kyubi asked, urging 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, and everyone nodded, fully absorbed in the story. 'Morale remained steady until our foe committed the ultimate crime.' Naruto growled loudly, catching everyone off guard. 'A taboo no one has any right to commit.'"

"Which is?" Yasaka said with narrowed eyes. "They summoned the dead." He spoke with such venom that most flinched. Yasaka joined in the growling, as many also agreed with their sentiment. "With no will of their own, our dead attacked us and broke 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 hair standing on end 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, with only 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 a dozen of us were still breathing." Naruto stated. "When I awoke, our allies had arrived and told me that we two were the last." Tenten finished, causing many to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry." Yasaka bowed her head, and the others followed suit, much to the confusion of the two shinobi. "Why?" Naruto asked, furrowing his brows. "We suspected you to be threats," the tengu explained, causing them to 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," said another, a cat lady from the looks of it. "You claim to be shinobi, yet you seem to lack the skills typically associated with such a profession." This earned two snorts from the 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 our sneaking ability." Tenten spoke 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 their eyebrows. "Oh?" Yasaka questions. They both nod as they pull off their hitai-ate, 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." Tenten informs, earning raised eyebrows from the council, but Yasaka seems pleased, though she keeps her face neutral. Naruto notices this and continues. "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 weighed the pros and cons as they bowed their heads. Yet, the thought of having another Kyubi under her command, a trained and experienced shinobi, was something she couldn't let slip by. "Yes. I accept…"

"Please accept our headbands." Tenten said, still with her head down. Yasaka stood up, approached the duo, and retrieved their bands. "Your lives are in my hands."

"Hi!" both declared, to which the returned upright. "What are your orders?" Naruto asked. "None for now, but to settle in. We may test you and perhaps train a force to increase your numbers." Yasaka stated, 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 in unison, but remained motionless. "You are dismissed." And the two nodded before disappearing in swirls of leaves, much to everyone's shock.

Yasaka was the first to break free of it and smirked, "Shinobi indeed." She glanced around, and soon, many chuckled.

Naruto, in nothing but a towel, stepped into their shared bathroom 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," Tenten responded, pushing the soapy bucket back behind her. Naruto took up the soap and began working through the greasy hazel hair of the kunoichi. The look of contentment on Tenten's face was soothing for the last Uzumaki, causing a soft smile to form as he thoroughly worked the shampoo into the knots and grime throughout her locks.

After rinsing the soap out, they switched positions, with Naruto working through his hair while Tenten worked on his tails. "You know... we haven't really talked about it," Naruto said, not looking at her. "Do we have to?" Her voice was soft. "No," he replied quietly, "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 spoke firmly, 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 firmly. "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 Youkai. We have to look forward and protect our new king."

Naruto nods lightly, trying to come to terms with that himself. "Right," his equally soft whisper, enjoying the contact and relaxing in her embrace, he was always responsive to physical touch, and she knew it. "...Let's just relax and unwind from all our problems." Entering the water alongside his friend, he allows his muscles to finally relax after so long. No doubt she too was finally allowing herself 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. The arrival of a new Kyubi was cause for celebration, but as he had claimed to be a shinobi, a warrior within the shadows, it was hushed. The other thing that happened was the first evaluation of both Tenten and Naruto. Yasaka would go up against Naruto, while 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 defense 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 was close enough to a clear space they could safely destroy without accidentally injuring anyone. Naruto nodded at that before looking across at his opponent, another Kyuubi 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, now though the woman spoke up. "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 blank but his resolve unyielding, earning a smile from his counterpart. "I see." Fox flames erupted from each tail, though Naruto seemed unaffected by the display of power, despite them swarming and rushing forward towards him.

Boom.

Dust billowed from his location, the blue flames still simmering after the fire blasts had exploded around his form. It was too easy, and Yasaka knew it, despite her senses being unable to pick up her male counterpart. Her eyes narrowed. She immediately ducked beneath a sweeping leg strike, a sonic boom erupting from the strike. The female Kyuubi 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 were blocked by her six, but that was a mistake. Her attention was drawn away from their owner, who appeared the moment their furs 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 erupted from her form, forcing his tails to unwrap her, and she jumped to her feet.

Taking a defensive position, Naruto noted that the temperature of her fox flames was manageable as she charged forward towards him. Flooding his limbs with his new, even denser chakra, the male Kyuubi countercharged, and the two clashed violently, viciously, and with an almost feral quality to it, which grew as the spar picked up in intensity.

Naruto ducked, weaved, and side-stepped, but still took several hits that blasted him aside. Looking up, Yasaka raised her heel straight up, though it dropped, with flames around her. Diving aside, the blue flames seemed to erupt from the cracks left behind, chasing him as he back-flipped away. However, the teen cared little, as he took a deep breath mid-flip before unleashing a dark orange flame so potent that the air itself seemed to shudder and burn.

Scorched glass left behind by the attack was missing a multiple-tailed body. He dropped down, his thick, elongated tail swiping hard before smashing back and pushing the local away. Their tails smacked, fists blocked, redirected, and thrust. The rapid, furious exchange of fists, claws, tails, and flames was abruptly broken when Yasaka received the mother of all roundhouses, sending her flying. Flipping over mid-flight, her true form made its appearance, growing in size and unleashing her full might with blasts of blue flames erupting from her tails, and maul unleashing a massive wave of pure destruction.

In response to the encroaching wave of fox fire, Naruto coated all his tails in his now thicker bijou-like chakra before swiping it with full force, blasting a wind so powerful that it ripped up the earth beneath them. The wind halted the woman's attack violently, with whips of flames sizzling around within the air itself as flames seemed to dance without supports.

Before long, it was revealed that glass remained behind on the once-open field. Naruto's gaze, however, did not focus on that as his opponent towered above him. He smirked as his tails swayed calmly, seemingly unfazed by the towering fox before him. "So, you are going all out, huh…?" he said, earning a feral grin from his opponent. "Then, I guess I should respond," His chakra exploded around him. Tails lengthened and expanded to envelop his form, hiding it from view, as all watched them slowly grow to a height comparable to the vixen's.

Soon, he surpassed her height before the tails part, revealing a brown-furred nine-tailed fox that roared, "In kind!" His voice shook the entire space, its deep bass tingling the vixen's ears with pleasure. As he landed on all fours, it was clear that this new kyūbi, reminiscent of his former prisoner, stood about twenty percent taller and slightly wider than the local counterpart.

He snarled as his tails fanned out, simmering dark orange flames, and embers lifted from them, very threateningly in defiance of his more experienced Kyuubi. Despite fighting her natural instincts to capitulate immediately, the power of the fox before her was truly overwhelming. She managed to fill her muzzle with dark blue flames as she prepared to unleash her strongest flame attack in defiance, but he looked up and the chakra abruptly exploded from his form, on both sides of the spectrum, as he roared again while raising his tails above his lifted head.

Within moments, the loose chakra Yasaka was observing in wonderment began to gather beneath the tails but above the muzzle and fuse into a purple ball of hyper-dense chakra. Once complete, the ball shrank again, and gravity cracked the ground. Before the local kyuubi could react, the dense chakra blast blew past her harmlessly but detonated, removing the mountain behind her. As she feels the wind from the explosive release of such a highly concentrated attack, she peaks back over her shoulder, her tails parting, to see the damage.

His chuckle brought her attention back to her opponent. A cold sweat formed as she noticed that he had another one already prepared within his maul. "Is this enough? Or should we take this up another notch?"

It took a long moment before she was calm enough to respond without fear leaking into her voice. "No, this is fine," the prepared ball of destruction dispersed harmlessly. He grinned before nodding, "Figured as much."

Immediately, they both shrink back to their human forms. Naruto stretches out entirely before a bout of dizziness and exhaustion flows over him. Yet, before he falls back on his ass, Tenten appears and supports him, as always. "Hey," her gentle whispered words. He smiles back gently, slowly regaining his bearings. "Hey yourself..."

Yasaka stepped forward before them both, a weird smile upon her face. But Tenten noticed the faintest pink hue to her cheek and sighed inwardly. The vixen asked, "Did that tire you out?"

Looking forward, Naruto eyed his counterpart and new boss warily, shaking his head. "Nah, just my first time in my full form like that," he shrugged after the fact, as he was finally lifted from his oldest friend. "Took more than I realized it would."

The Youkai Faction's leader was surprised by that, gawking at the thought that this was his first time in his full form. "But, but - your mastery of it?"

Naruto just shrugged, a cheeky foxy smirk that he was infamous for back home upon his face, but Tenten smirked, knowing the truth behind his familiarity with his strength, speaking cryptically nonetheless. "He had some practice."

This no doubt peaked the vixen's interest, but Naruto spoke next, "Though I do have alot of experience with chakra manipulation, that's all I did back home."

Yasaka nods once, storing that for later talks, before bowing at the waist in a formal gesture. "Then allow me to welcome you to the Youkai faction, Naruto Uzumaki – Kyu 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 tight smile. "You are a human who can use chakra. Other Youki will not accept that. Thus, Koyuku, along with the council, bestowed upon you this species as a way to separate you from the rabble infecting the world."

"Rabble… huh?" the two shinobi question to themselves but decided not to 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 into crossovers. The original DXD was okay, with plenty of places to expand on. As I've grown, the fan service was a bit... anyway. This is one. Just a test bed, in fact.

Kyoto Shrine

Yasaka leads Naruto and Tenten into the private area of the shrine in Kyoto, her own home where she lives, eats, and sleeps. Most importantly, her daughter is currently there, though she won't be back for a little while. "So, this will be your room from now on."

"Hmm, cozy." Naruto joked as they entered the room, taking off his flack jacket and placing it on the bed. Tenten did so afterward. "Yes, well, I have to get back to the office. No doubt, the council is running around trying to get my attention and yours too," Yasaka informed, earning a nod from her two shinobi. "No sweat. I think we will relax a bit before we start work," Naruto stated, and his fellow kyuubi nodded. "The garden is semi-private, so you won't get disturbed out there."

"Sounds good." Tenten murmured, looking at her fellow leaf survivor. "Should we take a look?"

Garden

Naruto was in his adult fox form, relaxing beneath a cherry blossom tree within the wide open space of the garden, with his kunoichi friend resting against his side, also napping alongside under the perfect conditions to do so. The sun was up and a gentle breeze rushed over them both, beneath the shaded space.

As such, neither noticed the small bundle of blonde fur in the kitchen, watching them bewildered at the sight of an unknown fox before them. As she crept forward to the open doorway, she counted the softly waving tails, and her golden eyes widened at the ninth one. Another Kyuubi that wasn't her or her mother? When did they arrive?

When a hand landed on the bewildered child's shoulder, she flinched, before glancing up to see her mother smiling softly. "Come on, Kanou. Let me introduce you," the young girl nodded hesitantly, taking her mother's hand as she led her towards the napping duo.

Naturally, as they entered the proximity of both, Yasaka noticed the tensing of both and their steady breathing halting as they both glanced over to see Yasaka with a child. Tenten's eyes brightened at the sight of the cuteness, made flesh, a tiny chibified Yasaka. "Cute."

The girl flushed red, bowed, and then slipped behind her mother slightly. She was nudged forward by her mother, who urged her to introduce herself. The girl stepped forward, bowed perfectly, and said, "Hello. Good day. My name is Kanou, nine-tailed fox, and daughter of Lady Yasaka. It is a pleasure..." She was interrupted when a tail, a dark brownish-orange furred appendage, flicked her nose, causing her to giggle. Its owner spoke up, "No need to be so stiff, kit. It's a lovely day out, perfect for a nap, no?"

The giggles died out as she latched onto the limb, smiling at the softness it held. "You can join us if you want? The sun is warm, the breeze is soft, and the shade is perfect. It would be a waste to spend it indoors, no?"

Yasaka nods, actually taking a moment in the moment, looking around at the nature around them, and it was a fine day that she normally wouldn't have noticed. Looking back at her newest subordinates, she noticed her daughter basically launch herself at the new kyuubi and crash into his side, earning chuckles from the two former nappers. Now, the nervousness her daughter had prior, a chakra memory at best, it seems. "I think, that is a great idea."

2nd A/N: Found this story on YouTube recently. Heard plenty of mistakes within it and realized I never updated this from the one-shot it was originally. I never get anything from those things, like all us creators, but I still figured I'd fix parts and added the first meeting between Naruto and Kanou.

o7