Hokage Tower, next to Hokage Rock, was a symbol of power, order, and authority in Konohagakure. For Naruto Uzumaki, right now, it was a large memory that loomed in stark contrast to the impulsive whirlwind he was.

Months had passed since he was tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing the Scroll of Seals. It was a gamble, but he was desperate to graduate from the academy, even if it meant stealing from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. But it all worked out—Mizuki was found out and on the run, and Naruto had successfully mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu and graduated from the academy.

The scroll was returned, and Naruto avoided getting into trouble. Now, months later, he was a rookie ninja, trained by Kakashi-sensei with his own team. But Naruto had a secret: the Scroll of Seals wasn't the only one he stole that night; he had one small scroll hidden under the floor of his apartment.

It had just fallen to his feet when he took the big scroll. He tried to put it back, but it kept rolling back to him, as if it wanted him to take it. Desperate, he just took it and hid it. When he got home after training, he popped the compartment open and unfolded the scroll.

"It requires two people. I can't just ask a random person about this. It had to be someone I can trust… She is mean, but it has to be her."

He couldn't shake the thought that this scroll could unlock his dreams: the dreams of becoming stronger, different, and maybe someday becoming Hokage.

Weeks later, when all his plans were set, he slipped a note to his selected person—a note to Sakura Haruno, his first and only choice.

Despite their complicated relationship, her control and precise chakra manipulation were unmatched. Besides, he did have a crush on her. Later, at the brink of night, the waxing crescent moon shone high in the sky while Naruto sat in the empty training grounds, when he heard the bristles of bushes.

"Sakura, you came!"

She brushed herself off. "Of course, you asked me to in the note. Why did you want me to meet here, anyway, you baka?"

Naruto only continued to sit as he prepared to tell her. Practicing something was one thing, but explaining it was another.

"Do you… remember the reason I got to graduate and become a ninja?"

This was an odd thing to ask. "All I remember was what my parents mentioned in passing: you stole a sacred scroll from Lord Third and instead of getting in trouble, you were rewarded."

"Mizuki-sensei tricked me, you know? The thing is… it wasn't the only one I took."

He pulled out a single scroll; the seal on it bore a strange cat symbol and looked to have been opened a few times.

"NARUTO, ARE YOU INSANE!?" Sakura shouted, until Naruto covered her mouth to keep her from waking the entire village. He quietly let go to avoid angering her. "There's a reason that scroll would have been in Lord Third's house—it was probably dangerous! Why would you even drag me into this?"

"It's not like I planned to take this; it just kept falling by my foot. I had to take it, but I forgot, so I hid it. I asked you here because it needs two people." He knelt down. "Please, Sakura."

"No way, I am not doing it. I will not get involved in one of your crazy schemes, mister. Good luck finding someone else."

Sakura turned and headed off. "Well, okay then. I guess you won't be impressing Sasuke." Naruto's little remark made her stop in her tracks and come back, holding her fist.

"You baka! What do you know about impressing Sasuke?"

Naruto smiled. "Nothin, but you and I both know how he is. He thinks everyone is weak and won't accept weaklings, so if… someone were to say… liked him, I'd think they'd take any opportunity to prove themselves. I just remembered a second girl our age that likes him… blond. Maybe a little taller."

"OKAY! OKAY! OKAY! We'll do it," she reached out her hand. "Let me see that scroll."

He gave it to her. Sakura opened it and read it. "Homokatia Kyotei? Odd name." She looked through the scroll and... looked again, and again, and again. "What!? This is the most unusual jutsu I've ever seen." The scroll contained a series of instructions, body stances, and, in the far corner, writing in a strange language. "What's with these weird stances and this language?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I've had that scroll for months and never understood it."

Sakura couldn't believe the situation she'd gotten herself into, but only sighed. "This is against my better judgment, but a deal's a deal. If anything happens, I will kick your butt."

The two got into position, facing each other at a distance. Naruto made the first hand seals. "Mind!" Making a pose with his hands rounded like a cat's paws.

Sakura breathed in and made her hand seals. "Body!" mimicking Naruto's pose.

Each time they went, they moved closer together, channeling chakra with each pose.

"Spirit!" He stood on one leg with his hands up and still curled.

"Form!" she mimicked.

"Speed!" He got down on all fours with his back arched.

"Agility!"

He sat up to do the final seal. "Craft!" Then in the final pose, he stretched one leg and his back, sticking out one curled hand.

"Stealth!" Sakura reached out her curled hand to meet his before they said the final incantation.

Together: "Homokatia Kyotei!"

The charged chakra inside them flared the moment their hands touched and shot up into the air. Thunder and clouds filled the sky, and within seconds, a single purple lightning bolt struck the ground, engulfing them in a blinding light.

Sakura opened her eyes, blinking a few times to readjust her vision. The moon shone. "Uhhh, what happened?" The world suddenly seemed sharper, brighter, and her senses were heightened to an almost overwhelming degree.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

"Apart from my body feeling like it was molded and twisted, I guess I… I... I…" She touched her head and felt something, tracing two points that flinched and twitched: ears. She soon saw her arms were covered in pink fur with a white undertone. "What!?" Her hands were too; her fingernails had been replaced with sharp, retractable claws. One touch of her face told her there was fur there too, and her nose was slightly rounded. She quickly jumped up, not realizing how quick and light she was. "Oh, I seriously hope there's not…" But there was— a smooth, straight pink tail from below.

And said tail swished behind her, betraying her shock and confusion. What she saw behind her shocked her even more. "N… Naruto?" Her teammate was in a similar state; his usually spiky blonde hair was now streaked with orange fur, and his canine teeth had elongated into small fangs. He instinctively scratched behind his ears, a strange, pleasurable sensation coursing through him.

"Naruto, stop that!" Sakura shouted in embarrassment.

The boy put his… paws down but went back at it. "I can't help it… this feels… so good."

"Good?" She asked, dumbstruck. "Good!? Naruto, this is not good! Look at us… look at me!" She moved around to examine herself. "I... I'm pink! And all furry… and this tail?"

"Yeah, but at least yours is neater than mine." Naruto showed his tail, which was somewhere between bushy and smooth. This, of course, did nothing to ease Sakura.

"Oh, I knew something bad was gonna happen! Something bad always happens around you! WHY ME…. OW!" Sakura covered her mouth, realizing she had meowed. Naruto couldn't help but let out a teasing chuckle— a decision he came to regret.

"Forget kicking your butt, you… you baka!" She gave chase. "When I get my… paws on you, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Naruto ran around the training grounds, alternating between running on two legs and four.