Author's Note.

The Nine Tail Fox's Son. For those who don't know I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You all heard the story, a boy who had the Nine Tail Fox sealed in him, and the boy works hard to become Hokage and the greatest ninja ever. Well I bet you didn't know there was another story before that story. One that never was shown on television, but only in the. Use Naruto Nine Tailed Fox and thousands of other assets to build an immersive game or experience. Select from a wide range of models, decals, meshes, plugins.

You know, it shocks me sometimes when i go back and look over the stats of this story and I realize that I've already typed down over twenty four thousand words. Crazy how time flys, you know?

I love the movie Beauty and the Beast...

Ah, please ignore my ramblings. I don't get out much anymore...

LEGEND BELOW

'In the beginning...' = Normal speech.

'I kinda wanted to know.' = Normal thoughts.

'You dare to defy me!?' = Unknown speech.

'That's what I thought.' = Unknown thoughts.

The air in the office room was tense and heavy, to say the least. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, a spoke pipe hanging from his mouth. His attention was drawn to the window beside him, drawing a perfect view of the entire village from its angle. He'd rather get distracted by the small things like that then constantly face down problem after problem. However, being the Hokage meant that you couldn't afford that luxury. Sad thing, that it was...

It was still early morning, as the sun was just on the horizon. He'd been waiting in his office for a small amount of time now, and his patience had been faithfully rewarded. A knock on the office doors broke his thoughts, and pulled his mind to a focus.

'Come in..' He ordered, the tired lull of his aging voice echoing through the doors. The doors opened, revealing the ninja behind it. A tall man dressed in sage like garb entered the room, his long white mane of spiked hair shifting with every step. The click of wood on wood filled the otherwise quiet space, as his geta connected with the floor.

'Jiraiya... Good, you're here...' Hiruzen commented from his seat. The Hokage clasped his hands together gently, his face stressed. 'We have much to discuss, you and I.' The other man, Jiraiya, crossed his arms with a deep frown marring his battle hardened features. A silence pursued following Hiruzen's words, Jiraiya seemingly unwilling to offer a word in edgewise.

'Jiraiya I know you probably don't want to talk to me right now, but this is of the utmost importance.' Hiruzen tried being tough, his voice hardening, but the emotion wasn't there. The sage's frown only seemed to deepen. 'I've been driven up a wall, and I've no idea what to do...' The aged ninja tried, but still got no response. He could always order the man to talk to him, but that could be the true nail in the coffin that finally pushes him away too. Just like the others.

'A leader to a village of ninja I can be, but... when it comes to folklore and legends... Well, I always left that part to you...' Hiruzen sighed, running a hand nervously through his hair. Honestly, as of late, his skill in controlling the village seemed to be slipping. 'You two were always the ones that properly understood the stranger things in life...' His voice trailed off. 'But with Tsunade gone.. that left you.'

'I know there's many a mistake I've made in my day... But I-' The old man's words were cut off when finally, after the one sided conversation pressed on for too long, Jiraiya decided to speak.

'-decided to contact me only when you felt it absolutely necessary...' The man spoke, arms crossed and a hard look drawn across his face. Jiraiya has been conveniently kept out of the loop, and had only just recently been informed of the situation. The reason behind why wasn't the big issue he was dealing with however. 'Of course, letting me know that, while I was away doing stuff for you, my godson's suffered something no one saw physically possible wasn't relevant enough for you to let me know...'

There was a bitter look of resentment on Jiraiya's face, and Hiruzen was ashamed to say that he couldn't dare meet his eyes just then. He knew that something along these lines would happen were he to tell Jiraiya about the unfortunate circumstances Naruto had found himself in, but he had hoped that he could resolve the problem himself. Needless to say, his hopes were dashed, when he realized that he knew absolutely nothing about the physical nature of the mythical Nine Tails, nor how to deal with one. It was clear that Naruto was still relatively the same, mentality speaking, but... After a few weeks of late night research, Hiruzen came to the conclusion that there was much more to Naruto's new form, and the Kyuubi then he felt comfortable with.

There was years of legends and myths and encounters had with the mythical creature known as the Kyuubi, all recorded in some way shape or form. Many had believed, himself included, that the Nine Tailed Demon Fox that attacked that fateful night was just that, a demon. A being hellbent on killing all in its path, caring nothing for the lives that it took in its rampage. It would be all too simple if that were the case. The world of the ninja knew more in dealing with the Bujuu, then in dealing with the creatures of mythology.

Hiruzen had nothing when it came to that topic, but Jiraya did. Jiraya wasn't the sage of the warrior Toads for nothing. The man had his fair share of mythical interactions, and much more knowledge on the subject then he.

'You don't understand the severity of the situation..' Hiruzen chirped back, but was quickly rebuked.

'Of course. But I would've if someone thought to inform me beforehand. Apparently being a godfather means nothing anymore...' The toad sage growled. He refused to let the old man off easily. Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples aggressively.

'That isn't important right n-!'

'Don't you dare tell me, what is or is not important right now!' Jiraya shouted, slamming his hands onto the Hokage's desk. 'I don't care! What I want to know, Hiruzen, is how one of the biggest criminals in the land of fire was able to singlehandedly infiltrate Konoha and gain direct access to my godson. This went on unnoticed for two weeks before anyone caught a whiff of foul play!?' Jiraya felt like his eyes were going to explode, the tightness in his jaw extreme. He just couldn't fathom the stupidity of it all.

'Of course, your men never even found out in the first place! You left it up to a civilian girl and her buddies to find out. I thought you ran a Ninja village?' The longer Jiraya went on, the more Hiruzen realized the error of his ways, and just how badly he had screwed up. It was one thing to see it, and another to have it yelled at him from his student. 'You'd think the container of the wildly unstable Nine Tailed goddamn Fox would be someone to keep tabs on!'

'I wasn't about to treat him like a criminal! Always watching him, waiting for him to snap!' Hiruzen shot back. Who was Jiraya to question his decisions?

'And look where that got you in the end.' Jiraya spoke deathly quiet, his hard gaze never leaving Hiruzen's. The old man tried to fight it, but he knew in his heart that everything Jiraya said was absolutely true. He knew that he screwed up badly, but he didn't want to believe that he couldn't save it himself. But, he realized, you couldn't save something you already lost.

Hiruzen slumped in his chair, defeat washing over him. He ran his hands through his hair, his gaze falling to his desk. 'I messed up...' He admitted lowly, his driving effort to defend himself dried up.

'Yes, well, we already covered that.' Jiraya said with a frown. 'So now, let's cover how we're going to go about fixing it.'

'It wasn't a Bujuu...' Hiruzen muttered haunted, his gaze distant. Jiraya frowned.

'What are you taking about?' The frog sage grunted.

'The Kyuubi. The one that attacked thirteen years ago wasn't a Bujuu...' Hiruzen explained, setting his eyes on the sage. Jiraya's eyes narrowed.

'Of course it was. What else could it have been?' Jiraya commented.

'I'm unsure... but. Of all the traits associated with Jinchuriki, Naruto had never displayed any. No random burst of anger, no leaking chakra, no extreme changes to his physical appearance. Nothing... What other Jinchuriki has ever been so perfect?' Hiruzen stated. Jiraya frowned, but didn't comment. 'Minato was a genius, but he wasn't perfect. That seal that he used was rushed, and imperfect. That's why it surprised me when years passed and Naruto remained completely safe from the Kyuubi's malicious chakra and influence.'

'Hmm... Yes that does strike me as strange. The boy was always in the kind hearted side, but it's impossible to believe that he wouldn't suffer some ill side affects from the Kyuubi. But you're sure of this?' Jiraya commented, deciding to take a seat now that they were actually talking.

'I wasn't fully convinced at first, but... I went to personally check up on him two weeks ago, and that's when I noticed it...' Hiruzen muttered lowly, before reaching under his desk for something. 'You're aware of the legends behind the Kitsune, yes?' He questioned.

'I'm fairly informed on their history, why?' Jiraya responded, unsure as to where Hiruzen was going with this.

'The legends spoke of something each Kitsune held, something that gave them their power...' Hiruzen intoned. Jiraya nodded, following along.

'Ah yes. Their Hoshi No Tama, little white crystals. It's said that their life was connected to them. What's that have to do with Naruto?' Jiraya said. He was well aware of the legends pertaining to the mythical creatures, as a sage would be. 'The size of their crystals was related to their power. But most weren't larger then a pebble.'

'Yes well, those pebbles could be deceiving...' Hiruzen muttered. 'It was stated that a Kitsune with a Hoshi No Tama the size of a pebble could destroy a small village...' Jiraya raised an eye brow.

'Cute. But I could easily do the same. What's your point?' Jiraya grunted.

'When I visited Naruto.. I..' Hiruzen seemed to struggle for words. 'I saw it...'

'What?' The white haired man asked.

'Imbedded in his forehead, surrounded by a black patch of fur was a Hoshi No Tama shaped like a diamond, and it was the size of your skull...' Jiraya's heart nearly stopped at the statement.

A horrified look crossed the toad sage's face, his mind reeling. He'd heard of strong Kitsune before, and had actually seen one in person once. But never, never in his life could he possibly even fathom a Kitsune wielding a Hoshi No Tama that big. The color drained from his face, his hands clamming up.

'Are... you certain..?' He found himself asking. His eyes were searching the Hokage for any sort of deceit, any trick. Because if he were telling the truth, the situation they just found themselves in was a whole lot bigger then they were prepared to deal with. 'Perhaps you just... made a mistake..?' Yes, yes that must be the logical conclusion. The only other conclusion was too insane to even think of.

Hiruzen's face contorted, and Jiraya could see just how hard he was trying not to break that level of calm rationality that he tried to carry on his shoulders. 'Please... Jiraya, by all means prove me wrong...' Hiruzen begged, staring him in the eyes. Jiraya's hands found their way to his hair, running them through the white strands stressed. 'That... That is why I called you here Jiraya..'

Jiraya sunk into the chair, his eyes closed. 'Where? Where is he? Naruto..?' The man asked, a deep exhale echoed throughout the room.

'He's currently residing with the Hyuuga Clan. After... what happened, the Hyuuga princess took it upon herself to care for him.' A small smile grew on his face at the thought. A little reprieve settled into the air at that statement, and Jiraya couldn't help but let a little grin form.

'Heh... I swear, that family line can't seem to stay away from princess's...' Jiraya muttered with a tense chuckle. Hiruzen even managed to crack a small smile at the joke, recalling his late successor's hot headed wife.

'Yes well... I don't think Kushina was going to let Minato get away once she sunk her grubby little claws into him.' The Hokage said as if it were a serious matter, alleviating some of the tension. Silence passed on after that point, the two men quietly mulling over all the information laid out before them. There were so many risks and dangers that lay before them, and many of them had no set and ready solution ready to go.

'Do you think he's dangerous..?' Jiraya asked, his hands set firmly onto the chair under him.

'Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt.' Came Hiruzen's reply.

'Do you think he's a threat to the village..?'

'...No...' The old man replied slowly. Jiraya frowned. 'But...'

'But? But what?' Jiraya intoned. There was a catch. He sighed. There was always a catch.

'He's displayed... Rather, aggressive behavior, especially to those that attempt to bring his princess harm.' Hiruzen stated. When Jiraya stayed silent, he moved to explain. 'Two months ago there was another attempted abduction of the Hyuuga Heiress... You can imagine the reaction he had to that.' Jiraya's face paled. 'If not for the hasty intervention by the Hyuuga guard, there wouldn't have been a body left to interrogate...'

'So we're left with a Nine Tailed Kitsune that has a pool of power too large to properly fathom, and a protective streak a continent wide. Said Kitsune most likely knows very little in terms of his potential strength, and could very well destroy everything around him if not careful...' Jiraya felt like slamming his head into the desk, repeatedly. 'Brilliant, Orochimaru! Goddamn brilliant..' He seethed sarcastically.

'Your old teammate's stupid plans aside, let us focus on the here and now, two things that we can affect.' Hiruzen stated, taking a deep breath to attempt to calm his nerves. Jiraya joined him in taking a few calming moments to gather themselves. 'I think that it's in everyone's best interest that we manage to keep him calmed, lest we accidentally have a repeat of the events thirteen years ago...' He suggested. No one wanted another devastating assault by a rampaging Kyuubi. 'And... Perhaps you could help him in that manner...' Hiruzen stated. This caught Jiraya's attention.

'You want me to train him.' It wasn't a question, Jiraya knew. Hiruzen just nodded his head, confirming his beliefs.

'I know that your spare time is limited, but I believe he could do wonders under your wings. And, perhaps being around you might mellow out that aggression he has bottled up inside...' As much as Jiraya hated to admit it, the old geezer did make a very valid point.

'I'll see what I can do.' The white haired sage said. 'But before anything else, I'm going to check up on him in person. It's been nearly nine months since I last saw him...' He explained, as he stood up. Hiruzen smiled, a relieved look washing over him.

'That's all I ask...'

'You've got to try a little harder Princess...' It was once again midday in the Hyuuga household, and as had become rather usual for the heiress and her guardian angel, the two were found training in the Hyuuga's private training grounds. Said training was an evolved form of catch, if you could call it that. Hinata was once again the mouse in the situation, and was doing her damnedest to escape from his grasp. But the Kitsune's big and powerful rear legs prevented her from ever gaining a proper distance from him. His singsong voice echoed across the training hall, before he lunged forward again, his multiple furry tails reaching out.

'Not fair, Naruto! N-No tails!' The Hyuuga princess exclaimed, deftly dodging another one of his lunges with a grace that spoke of her flexibility. She was huffing lightly, but was in much better shape then when they first started those few months ago. Her training had really paid off, and it was proven true by comparing herself to many of the other ninja academy students. She outclassed them all easily, perhaps aside from Sasuke. That girl was something else for sure.

'As you wish.' He smiled a wide happy grin, his eyes lighting up. 'Its easier to hold you this way.' Following his statement, he lunged again, this time reaching his paw padded hands out to grab her. Her body contorted into a backflip, just narrowly escaping his greedy grasp. 'Ah, so close...' He intoned, setting his sights on her form once more.

The design behind the type of training they had thought up was directly related to the young princess's body type. Most of the Hyuuga were rather thin and lean people, by nature as well, not by choice. That was the reason behind why their chosen combat style fit them so well. Quick aggressive and precise chakra infused jabs designed to debilitate and destroy you from the inside out. That was all well and good, but that style stopped working for Hinata when she hit fourteen. Even at such a young age, it was made apparent that the girl would most definitely grow up to have a body just like that of the legendary Tsunade Senju. It was definitely showing too, even at her young age.

Some in the clan had actually started to believe that she might not be of full blood heritage. What other Hyuuga, ever, had a voluptuous body in training, dark purple hair, and lavender eyes? None. Absolutely none. But that didn't change their view of her. If that meant that their future ruler was going to be the most stunning drop dead gorgeous woman in Konoha, then they certainly weren't complaining. She'd also become the first female leader since the clan's origination.

Let it not be said that fighting quickly with large breasts was easy, because it wasn't. If you have anything to say against that, then you'd likely incur the wrath of said Senju. Because she has years of experience proving that it wasn't...

'I-I swear, you never tire!' Hinata whined, dropping to the ground as Naruto jumped over her, landing heavily behind her. He whipped back around, his heavy legs creating echos throughout the training hall as they connected with the hard wood floor. 'N-Not too rough, Naruto. W-We have the team meeting tomorrow!' Hinata squeaked, as Naruto closed in again. Hinata was unable to dodge this time, and found herself caught in the fox's comfortable grasp. Naruto rolled over onto his back, holding Hinata by the hips up in the air like a toy.

'Got you.' The fox laughed. Hinata couldn't help but break up into joyous giggles. 'And now your punishment for failure...' He sung menacingly, nine tails suddenly raised into the air. Her giggling stopped, and she started squirming to escape.

'W-Wait! Naruto don't you d-dare!' Hinata warned, trying to put on her most serious face. However, that fell away rather quickly when she was assaulted on all sides by large furry tails. 'N-N-Noo- aaaah! N-Naruto! Y-You know I'm t-ticklish there!' Hinata squealed with a burst of uncontrollable giggles, her legs closed tightly as if that would save her from her fate. He just smiled and laughed, assaulting all her weak spots over and over. Their laughter filled the hall, before finally they calmed down a few minutes later.

Hinata sat down of his large belly, holding her legs closed as she tried to catch her breath. Naruto just smiled up at her lovingly, the large white gem on his forehead glinting in the flickering light from the lamp posts. The princess's cheeks flared a hot red, and she waved a small fan at herself to cool down.

'I like that color.' Naruto spoke up suddenly, a deep smile crossing his maw. Hinata blushed darker.

'W-What color..?' She couldn't help but ask, though the darkening of her cheeks suggested that she already knew the answer.

'Red.' He spoke truthfully, his eyes gazing over her soft face. 'It's beautiful.' The girl felt like fainting under the heavy adoration she saw in his eyes, eyes that never lied to her, and gave her everything that she wanted. 'The same color as your lips.' Okay, now he was just complimenting her for the sake of complimenting her. 'And your eyes, I love those too.' The sincerity in his voice never ceased to touch her heart. She blushed scarlet, looking away.

'Y-You're such a s-shameless flirt...' The girl muttered, but she smiled back at him. The loving smile that his face lit up into made her feel complete.

'You know you love it...' He responded cheekily. And she did. In fact, she craved his adoring attention, badly. She pretended that she didn't, but he saw straight through that ruse easily. And he enjoyed feeding that craving, very much so. He made her feel like an absolute queen, every day. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

'Yes. Please, tell me more...' She muttered softly, reaching out to grasp his ears. He grinned, happily complying to her wishes.

'I love your voice.' He continued lowly. His nose was now close to hers, almost touching. 'I love your smell.' He said quieter, his nose pressed into the small crevice below her breasts. 'Like cinnamon buns on a cold winter morning...' He breathed hotly, his eyes pulled up to meet her. Her entire face had turned red as she squeaked, and he hid his grin under her chest. 'I love the days where I can sit and watch you train...' The girl found herself lost for words, instead sitting comfortably atop him as he buttered her up.

They were intending to stay like that for a little while longer, but the moment was interrupted by a knock on the hall's double doors. The other clan members knew when to leave them to their privacy, so whoever was there must have needed something important. With a deep sigh, knowing that his fun was likely over for the day, Naruto called out.

'Come in.' Following his exclamation, the doors swung open, revealing one of the Hyuuga guards, and someone else. Naruto's eyes lit up in recognition. 'Jiraya!' The fox exclaimed in shocked joy, quickly getting to his feet. Hinata stood up beside him, her blush fading away as the newcomer entered the hall. She didn't know a Jiraya, but Naruto seemed to, so that was enough for her.

'Hey... kid..' Jiraya said, trying to convey his usual enthusiasm he was known for carrying. Naruto either didn't seem to notice the change in tone, or didn't care. He was just happy to see his godfather once again. '...How yah been holding up?' He asked casually. Inside however, his brain was doing flips. This was the first time he was actually seeing Naruto as he was now, a big overprotective Kitsune, not at all the normal human he used to be. It was almost too much for him to handle without freaking out on the outside.

'I love my life here.' The genuine joy he expressed was surprising to the toad sage. It wasn't at all the reaction he was expecting. Just goes to show just how out of the loop his was. '..I.. I have family here...' It was a more somber tone he took, but nothing less genuine. 'But forget about me. I haven't seen you in forever!'

'Who is t-this, Naruto?' Hinata spoke up from beside him. Naruto just turned a grin to her.

'This, is my godfather. Jiraya.' Naruto informed happily. He was so happy. For the first time in a long time, there was someone else that he knew and loved, here, with him again.

'Ah, and you must be Hinata Hyuuga.' Jiraya said with a grin, bending down to one knee. 'Pleased to meet you. I hear that you're quite the little lady.' She narrowed her eyes at the statement, a blush adorning her cheeks once again.

'Princess isn't small.' Naruto defended.

'Thank you, dear.' Hinata responded, flashing him a loving smile. Jiraya's eyes unfocused for a moment, his mind instantly locking onto two separate words. Now perhaps it was just in his nature to detect these sorts of things, but he couldn't help it even if he tried.

'Princess? Dear? Oh God, they've got pet names for each other!' The sage internally ranted. 'Err yes, my bad.' Came his rather thought out response. 'I don't mean to cut our little reunion short, but I actually came here to check up on you, Sarutobi's orders...' Jiraya sighed, standing back up. He took a moment to fully take Naruto's new form into consideration.

'...Ah.. I see.' Naruto was upset, but he wasn't angry. He understood where this might be coming from.

'...And if you are willing.. I could help to train you to control your newfound power..' The fox's eyes widened at this. Jiraya saw his reaction and grinned. Hook line and sinker. 'But I'm a very busy man, as you know. Running an entire spy network isn't exactly easy.' He said, trying to come off as cool. Naruto took the bait instantly. But, instead of speaking up for himself, he turned to the spunky little Hyuuga beside him.

Hinata looked between the two, unsure if she should just go along with it, or stay away. She'd been tricked many times before, and Naruto more so. But for him to trust this man the way he did, who was she to say no? That, and the fact that she couldn't deny him anything when he flashed her those pleading shiny rubies.

'I-If you think it's a good idea... Then I'll be okay w-with it...' She seemed unsure, which almost put Naruto off, but she said that she was good, so Naruto let it go.

'Thank you.' His response was soft, giving her a knowing look. Jiraya frowned at the display. He was told that there was something between the two of them, but he didn't expect this. He only caught the butt end of whatever was going on before he barged in, but it seemed to him that Naruto held the Hyuuga so high on his personal list, that he'd probably do literally anything she asked. Now only if he knew that it wasn't a probably, but a most definitely.

'That's great! Well, I'm only in town for today, so we'll have to train some other time.' He said with a sigh. 'But in the meantime, maybe you could catch me up to speed on yourself..? I've been away for a little while...' Jiraya asked, and Naruto's mood seemed to falter. Deciding to get comfortable again, Naruto curled up on the ground, motioning for Hinata to join him. Hinata practically shoved herself into the crook of his neck, resting her back against his furry chest. It was one of her favorite positions.

'...H-He doesn't like to talk about i-it...' Hinata spoke up in the fox's place, running a soothing hand under his chin. 'But i-if you don't mind... I am perfectly capable of o-offering an explanation...' Jiraya's fave softened. It seems like he'd have to settle for that. He could clearly see just how uncomfortable the situation was for him to talk about openly. He wouldn't press it any further...

Jiraya left that afternoon with a much clearer view of the situation, and more importantly, how to handle it. He had all these makeshift plans set up just in case, but it turned out more positive then he first thought possible. He'd report his findings to Hiruzen, and then see what else he could do for the Kitsune. It was the most he could do, and Naruto deserved the help, now more then ever.

His second objective, was to track down the bastard that dared to experiment on his godson, and beat the life out of him. Orochimaru had gone too far this time, and his schemes would have lasting affects this time around. He didn't think it was possible for anyone to turn Naruto back to normal. And sadly, Naruto was the first to reach that conclusion, even when others thought it possible. He had come to terms with the fact that he was stuck like this for the rest of his life, and had apparently decided to get comfortable with it. Jiraya couldn't say that he'd so easily do the same if the roles were reversed...

Of course, it most likely wouldn't have been possible, if not for the little Hyuuga. That girl seemed to be the only thing keeping Naruto sane, and she was doing a terrific job too. He shuddered at the thought of what might happen were he to lose her...

Chapter 5

End.

I bring a new chapter today. Thanks to all of those who take the time to read the story. There's a time skip of one week in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Ch. 4 The Nine-Tailed Fox

It had been one week since Naruto's training with Jiraiya had started. The blond had improved by leaps and bounds and didn't appear to be slowing down. Jiraiya was proud of his student, even though he wouldn't be telling him anytime soon, and knew that he would be the only one capable of surpassing the Fourth. If it weren't for the boy's fear of using the Kyuubi's chakra then he would easily be high chuunin level. Jiraiya had hinted that he wanted Naruto to use the fox's chakra but Naruto would refuse.

Naruto had improved on, what he had said, were his weaknesses. The boy had easily grasped the toad style taijutsu. It had been difficult at first, since Naruto would always rush into the attacks, but Jiraiya had drilled that out of him. The blond was on his way to mastering the taijutsu but, again, would have been a lot better mixed with the Kyuubi's chakra. It was a shame for Naruto to ignore something that would give him a great advantage over any other ninja.

The blond had mastered the two wind chakra control exercises already. Naruto had already attempted to use the jutsu Kakashi had given him but had some difficulty performing them. Sometimes the jutsu wouldn't have enough power behind them while other times Naruto would put too much chakra behind the jutsu, making the attack too hard to control. The boy was making some progress but would need help on his wind jutsu.

Naruto had also improved on his sealing. It had been hard to make the boy pay attention when they started but when he got the basics down, he began to soak everything up like a sponge. The blond could now use his own seals for basic stuff like packing things into scrolls, making paper bombs and making restriction seals. It would take a while for Naruto to learn advanced sealing and Jiraiya had a feeling that this would be difficult for Naruto to learn.

The only thing that the boy still struggled in was summoning. He had continued to summon weak toads and had even summoned a tadpole once. Jiraiya knew that in order to get his student to master summoning, he would need to get the boy to use the fox's chakra. It would be hard to get Naruto to use it since he didn't plan on using that chakra anytime soon. The sannin would have to trick Naruto into using it but knew that Minato wouldn't approve if he still liver.

Jiraiya sighed as he thought about what the boy still needed to learn. It would take time to train the boy and from what he heard, the Akutski had begun to move. They hadn't captured any jinchuuriki but they had begun to prepare to do so. Jiraiya would need to train the boy in order to make him strong enough to protect himself. This would require his full attention but he couldn't stay in the same place for too long, this meant that he had to take the boy on a long training trip. The sound of giggling was heard and Jiraiya smile. He would push his thoughts aside for now. Right now there was potential research material waiting for him.

Naruto walked through town with a smile. Jiraiya had treated him to ramen since his training was going great. The sannin had asked if he liked any girl and, though skeptical at first, Naruto admitted to having a crush on Sakura. Jiraiya had then asked him to find her and give her a hug or kiss and that they would meet for training the following day. Naruto had been flagger stabbed but agreed to give her a hug when Jiraiya said that it was part of his training. So Naruto was currently looking for his teammate with his usual fake smile.

He spotted the pink-haired girl on the distance and gulped. He knew what would happen if he just outright asked her so that left catching her by surprise. The girl would probably hit him when he hugged her. Naruto thought that maybe Jiraiya had asked him to do this in order to test his resistance. The blond walked up to his teammate and waved.

'Hey Sakura!' Naruto greeted with his usual cheerfulness.

Sakura frowned. 'Naruto, shouldn't you be training or something? You're up against Neji after all.' She said, 'He is a genius like Sasuke so he'll be hard to beat.'

Naruto frowned. 'As if Sasuke could actually beat me.' The blond crossed his arms and huffed, 'I'm actually in the middle of my training.'

'What kind of training?' Sakura asked.

The blond gulped and had a light blush on his face. 'W-well you see…' The teen began, 'What's that?' Naruto pointed behind Sakura and the moment she turned around hugged her around the waist.

Sakura fumed. 'Naruto!' She punched the blond away before walking away with a stomp on her step, 'Stupid pervert.'

Naruto sat on the ground and found that his nose was bleeding slightly. 'Man, Sakura packs a punch. I have to commend Ino on actually fighting her, when I next see her.' The blond murmured.

'You know, that you're not really supposed to throw yourself at a girl, right?' Came a voice.

Naruto looked up and found himself in front of Ino. 'Hey Ino!' He said with a smile, 'What are you doing here?'

Ino sighed. 'I just came back from my training with Asuma-sensei.' She explained, 'But that doesn't matter right now. You're bleeding Naruto.'

The blond shook his head. 'I'm okay, don't worry.' He stood up and smiled, 'A bloody nose is not too bad.'

The kunoichi frowned and crossed her arms. Naruto knew that look and sighed. 'You know where we're going already, right?' Ino asked. Naruto nodded in understanding, 'Let's go.'

Naruto followed Ino with a pout. Ino would take him to her house again and look at his wounds. They had been spending more time together since their semi-promise and had come to know each other a lot better. Whenever Ino would see Naruto in bad condition after training, she would take him to her house and fix him up though Naruto still avoided bumping into her mom. The two blonds had been keeping up with each other's improvements. Naruto was happy to know that Ino had actually taken his words to heart and had improved on her skills.

Ino had learned that she had a water affinity and had begun to learn how to control water with her chakra. Asuma had told Ino that she had good chakra control and it would only be a few days until she mastered the water element. For that same reason he had gotten Kurenai to teach the girl some genjutsu, which she picked up rather easily. Her chakra capacity was still kind of low but had been improving as her stamina.

The two would get together on their days off training and teach each other any new things they learned. Naruto had been teaching Ino how to control wind chakra while Ino, in turn, taught Naruto how to control water chakra. Though they hated to admit it, the two were doing completely horrible. It was true that a ninja could pick up a second nature but that took a long time. The two blonds had made little progress but still tried whenever they got the chance.

When the two finally got to Ino's home, they entered and made their way to Ino's room. Naruto had become quite familiar with the home since he was there constantly. Ino still told him to talk to her parents if he could but he would be too nervous to do so. He wanted to make Ino happy, since she was a good friend, but his past experiences with adults made him keep his distance from them.

'Sit down while I get the first aid kit.' Ino said with a sigh. Naruto was a good friend but Ino was mad at his inability to stay safe. Though she had to admit that she actually enjoyed healing his wounds since it made her feel needed and she was glad to help Naruto get better.

Naruto sat on the all too familiar chair and ran a hand through his hair. The blond was glad that Ino would worry about him and go to the trouble to heal his wounds but he hated to bother people, much less his friends. Ino emerged from the bathroom with the first-aid on hand. The teen couldn't help but sigh, he was getting tired of the burning brown stuff Ino would put on his cuts.

Ino gave Naruto a smile. 'Don't worry; I'll get you cleaned up in no time!' She exclaimed cheerfully.

Naruto smiled back. Even if the stuff Ino would put on him burned like hell, he was glad to see her smile. Ino had become one of Naruto's most important people and he would do anything to see her happy. 'Thanks Ino.' He said with a smile.

'Don't mention it.' She replied happily. With that Ino began to work on the area around Naruto's nose. She saw that part of the skin had been torn off with the punch the blond received, 'Remind me not to piss off Forehead.'

Naruto chuckled. 'She packs a nasty punch.' He replied, wincing slightly as Ino put the brown stuff on his wound.

Ino frowned. 'Why would she do this to you? Next time I see her, I'll give her a piece of my mind.' She declared, 'What's wrong with her, anyway?'

Naruto laughed nervously. 'You don't have to do that.' He said, 'It was kind of my fault anyway.'

Ino sighed. 'Okay I'll drop it but if she ever hurts you again, I'll knock some sense into her.' She finished working on Naruto's wound and patted him on the head, 'All done.'

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. 'Don't treat me like a baby!'

Ino giggled and shook her head. 'You're really something Naruto.' She smiled and held out her hand, 'All done, you may leave now.'

Naruto smiled and took Ino's hand. 'That's so nice of you.' He joked, 'I really do need to get back to my training.' Ino helped Naruto up and the two began to walk out of the house.

Ino looked confused. 'I thought that you were done with your training with Jiraiya by this time of day?'

The orange-clad ninja smiled. 'I am done training with him for today but I have to do some training of my own.' He explained, 'I'm having trouble with my wind jutsus and have to practice.'

'You're already practicing your jutsus?' Ino asked in surprise. Naruto nodded with a grin, 'Well, why don't you ask Asuma-sensei for help? He's a wind user after all.'

Naruto smiled in excitement. 'What are we waiting for? Let's go see him!'

Ino sighed. 'You're really loud sometimes, you know?' Despite herself, Ino smiled, 'Fine, let's go see Asuma-sensei.' With that the two blonds left the home to meet with Asuma.

Ino led Naruto to Team Ten's training ground. It was very similar to Team Seven's training ground, with the only difference being a small hill next to a rocky area. From the condition the rocky area was in, Naruto guessed that it was used for sparring or training. Asuma stood on the training ground with Shikamaru and Choji. He gave the two blonds an odd look before walking over to them.

'What are you guys doing here? You're training is over for today, Ino.' Asuma said with a look of slight confusion.

Ino smiled. 'We didn't come here for my own training, I already trained a lot.' She explained, 'We came here hoping that you could help Naruto with his own training.'

Asuma raised a brow. 'Why would you need my help?' He asked Naruto.

Ino elbowed Naruto's ribs as a sign to start talking. The blond winced and glared at Ino. 'Why'd you do that?'

Ino returned the glare. 'I'm signaling you to tell him why you need his help!'

Naruto frowned. 'Well, you shouldn't have signaled me like that.' He poked Ino on the side, making her yelp, 'See, it hurts when you hit someone on the ribs.'

Ino blushed in anger. 'Why'd you do that?' She exclaimed before elbowing him on the side again.

Asuma watched the exchange in amusement. He was glad that his student had made a new friend and from what he could see, they were quite close.

The jonin chuckled. 'What do you need my help with, Naruto?'

Naruto stopped poking Ino and turned to Asuma. 'I'm having some trouble using my wind jutsus and Ino said that you might be able to help.'

Asuma ran a hand through his beard. 'It's quite rare to see wind users in Konoha.' He began, 'Have you done any of the chakra control exercises?'

Naruto nodded. 'I've done the leaf and rock cutting exercises.'

Asuma smiled in approval. 'So I take it that you're having problems with the power behind the jutsu?' He asked. Naruto nodded, 'Very well, I'll help you out. It might take a few days so I want you to come here whenever you can, you'll be training with Team Ten from now on.'

Ino smiled. 'That'll be great Asuma-sensei!' She said in excitement, 'I only hope you can keep up with us, Naruto.'

Naruto grinned. 'You're the ones who aren't going to be able to keep up with me.' He said, 'Thanks for helping me out, Asuma-sensei!'

Asuma grinned. 'Don't worry about it kid.' He began, 'We'll begin tomorrow at two in the afternoon.'

'Got it!' Naruto said with a smile. If he was able to master the jutsu then his skills would have improved overall. He would have the strength to protect his friends in no time. He made a note to thank Ino later; she didn't know how much she had helped him with everything. He was glad to call her a friend and was even happier to get to spend more time with her; he really looked forward to his training with Team Ten.

Naruto sat on the ground in front of Asuma. The jonin had been explaining the concepts of wind chakra. Ino was sitting against a tree and watching the two train. Shikamaru and Choji had been given the rest of the day off and left the training grounds. Naruto learned that wind chakra came from his surroundings not like other elements that came from within.

'What jutsu are you trying to learn?' Asuma asked once he was done with his explanation.'

'I've only tried two so far.' Naruto informed, 'One is the Spiraling Wind Ball and the other is the Wind Wave.'

Asuma nodded. 'Those have great use in battle.' He said, 'They are easy to master once you get a hold of the basics. In order to use the Spiraling Wind Ball, you need to keep molding the chakra after gathering it. As for the Wind Wave, what you need to do is create a smooth end instead of a sharp one, as you learned in your training.'

'I want you to use the jutsu with the things I told you in mind.' Asuma pointed at a large boulder, 'Use the jutsu on that boulder and remember what I told you.'

Naruto nodded and stood up. He stared at the boulder in complete seriousness and took a deep breath. He blew into his hand and began to mold the wind chakra. A ball of compressed air formed on his hand, it wavered slightly but it was still passable.

'Wind Style: Spiraling Wind Ball!' Naruto yelled as he ran at the bolder. The blond slammed the ball into the rock, making the attack break apart pieces of the rock before unleashing the compressed wind in a small explosion. Naruto grinned when he saw the large whole on the boulder. This attack had been a lot better than any of the others he had done.

'Way to go Naruto!' Ino cheered with a smile.

Asuma nodded in approval. 'That was very good Naruto but you didn't use the attack like it was supposed to.' He said with a sad smile, 'You are supposed to throw the ball not keep it in your hand like that. Let's see the next one.'

'Got it.' Naruto said with a nod. The blond flashed through hand signs and began to gather wind chakra, 'Wind Style: Wind Wave!' The teen swung his hand and a large wave of air shot towards the boulder. It hit with great impact and broke small pieces of the rock.

'That was great Naruto.' Asuma praised, 'Take into mind that Wind Wave is used to push people aside instead of hurting them.'

Naruto smiled. All he needed to do now was perfect his spiraling ball and start practicing his other two jutsu. 'Thanks for the help, Asuma-sensei.'

'Don't mention it.' Asuma replied, 'I'm sorry to say this but I have to go. I promised I would be somewhere and its getting kind of late. I'll see you two tomorrow.' The jonin disappeared in a puff of smoke with a look of worry on his face.

'Will he be alright?' Naruto asked Ino.

Ino smiled. 'Don't worry about it, he's probably late for a date with Kurenai-sensei.' She looked at Naruto's clothes and smirked, 'I have a surprise for all your hard work Naruto.'

'Really?' Naruto asked in excitement.

'Yup.' Ino said with a smirk, 'Just follow me.' She smiled inwardly when she heard Naruto cheered. She had gotten to know the blond and knew that he wouldn't be too happy with the surprise.

'What? Why are we here?' Naruto exclaimed with a frown. Ino's surprise had turned out to be a clothes shop.

Ino frowned. 'Look at the stuff you wear.' She deadpanned, 'You need to get some clothes that make you look more serious.'

The blond pouted. 'There's nothing wrong with my clothes.' He said with his arms crossed, 'Besides I'm not sure this store is for me.' He really didn't want to get thrown out in front of Ino, that would only raise questions and he would be forced to tell her about the fox.

The kunoichi smiled. 'Don't worry about it Naruto.' She said, 'I'm sure that you'll like this store. It opened a few months ago and has the best clothes from neighboring villages. Everything there, even the workers, are from other villages.'

Naruto's expression changed into a hopeful one. 'Are you sure everyone there are from different villages?' He smiled when he saw Ino nod; this would mean that they might not know of his condition, 'Fine, let's go.'

Ino smiled and took hold of Naruto's sleeve before dragging him in. The inside of the shop was pretty spacious and had many people looking around. He noticed that some of them threw him dirty looks but the workers simply kept to themselves.

'Welcome!' A female worker with long brown hair greeted, 'Please call for me if you need help looking for certain clothing.'

Ino smiled. 'We're looking for shinobi clothing.' She pointed at Naruto, 'It's for him, so could you show us to what would fit him?'

The worker smiled at the two and got a weird look on her eye. 'It's always nice to see young couples shopping together.' Naruto's and Ino's right eye twitched at the mention of the word couple, 'Follow me, I'm sure we'll find something you'll like.'

The woman led them to an area with many pieces of clothing for shinobi. Some of them had metal plates and some had many hidden compartments. Naruto's eyes immediately landed on a lone orange and black jacket. He instantly ran over to it and smiled excitedly.

'Don't even think about it!' Ino snapped, 'We're here to get rid of the orange. Get some other colors!'

Naruto Nine Tailed Fox Eye

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. 'Fine.' He said with a sigh, 'I'll get something else.'

The worker giggled. 'We have some selection over here.' She said, gaining Ino's attention, 'Please follow me.'

Ino followed the worker while Naruto stayed behind. The blond had found some clothes that he actually liked and there was no orange on them. He hated the idea of not wearing any orange but Ino would only lash out him again if he got something with the smallest tint of orange.

Ino smiled in excitement. 'This is perfect!' She declared. Ino was holding a purple t-shirt and a pair of purple pants for Naruto. She thought of finding matching ninja sandals but noticed the absence of said blond, 'Where did he go?'

'Here I am!' Came a loud voice. Ino turned around and gasped. Naruto was dressed in a new wardrobe, with no sign of orange.

The blond wore dark blue pants with a kunai hustler on his right thigh. He wore a pair of black ninja sandals and a pair of black fingerless gloves with small metal plates, like his teacher Jiraiya. He also wore a long-sleeve black shirt with a white spiral on its back. He had also changed his headband from blue to black. Ino thought that it was a much better and need improvement.

Ino gave Naruto an approving smile. 'Not bad Naruto.' She said, 'You actually look like a ninja now.'

Naruto frowned. 'Clothes don't make the ninja.' He stated, 'I'm going to go pay. You can wait for me outside if you want.'

Ino nodded and went outside. Once there she gave off a big sigh. It had been a very long day for her and was glad that it would be over soon, since the soon was already setting. She had been glad to have spent the day with Naruto since she felt that she could be herself when she was with him. She would show her weak side and trust Naruto not to take advantage of it. Ino was glad to have a friend whom she could trust this much.

Naruto came out of the store with a sad look. Gama had taken quite a blow today but would survive. The blond hated to hurt his companion like that and wouldn't it be doing it again any time soon.

Ino smiled when she saw Naruto come out. 'Ready to go?' She asked.

Naruto nodded. 'Do you need me to walk you home?'

Ino gave a small smile and shook her head. 'I'll be okay.' She said, 'I need some time alone anyway.'

Naruto gave Ino a genuine smile. 'Thank you Ino.'

'I just took you to a shop, it wasn't a big deal,' Ino responded with a grin.

Naruto shook his head. 'No, thank you for everything.' He gazed at her eyes and she couldn't help but blush. Her heartbeat rose due to the intensity of his gaze, 'You've been really good to me. So, thank you for all you've done for me. I'll see you later.' With a single wave Naruto made his way home.

Naruto Nine Tails Games

Ino stood frozen on the spot. She had been completely thrown off by what Naruto had said. The girl smiled, that idiot had made it seem like he hadn't done anything for her. If only he knew how much he had done for her. He had made her take training seriously and had given her a reason to get stronger, she didn't want to be a burden on anyone and would get stronger to help others.

'No…' Ino began before smiling towards Naruto's retreating figure, 'Thank you Naruto.'

Naruto panted and frowned, no matter what he did he still wasn't able to summon bigger toads. Like usual, he had gone to see Jiraiya at the waterfall where they would always train. Jiraiya had told him that his usual training would be postponed until he could summon bigger toads. The blond could feel that he was running out of chakra and gritted his teeth, he was getting frustrated with his lack of improvement.

'That's enough kid.' Jiraiya said with a serious look, 'I'm going to take you to a place where you'll be able to master summoning.'

The blond gave Jiraiya a confused look. If the sannin really knew of a place like that, then why hadn't he taken him there earlier? It didn't make much sense but considering that he was dealing with Jiraiya it didn't have to. 'Where is that place, Jiraiya-sensei?'

The sannin grinned. 'Now where would be the fun in just telling you kid?' He motioned for Naruto to follow as he left their training spot.

As Jiraiya leapt through trees, he looked back to see Naruto trying to keep up with him. The sannin sighed when he thought of shat he was about to do. He had no doubt that Minato would've never approve but it was necessary for the well-being of Naruto. There were S-class ninja after him and if he didn't learn to control the Nine-Tails then he was doomed. The sannin broke from his line of thought when he saw his destination on the distance.

Jiraiya jumped down and landed on a small clearing. 'This is it Naruto.'

Naruto looked around with a frown. 'What gives? There isn't anything special about this place!' The blond exclaimed.

Jiraiya frowned. 'Be quiet!' The sannin exclaimed. Naruto instantly got quiet and looked at Jiraiya in confusion, 'I brought you here so you could stare death on the face.'

Naruto looked confused. 'What are you talking about Jiraiya-sensei?' The blond asked. Jiraiya didn't say anything only raised his hand and pushed him away.

Before he knew what happened, Naruto was falling large an endless chasm. He didn't know what Jiraiya had been thinking but tried to hold on to something. He tried stop his fall by grabbing onto the walls of the chasm but found that they were too slippery. The blond was out of chakra from the constant usage of the summoning jutsu meaning that he couldn't use any of his ninjutsu to help him. His vision started to blacken before he finally lost consciousness.

Naruto woke up in a kind of sewer. There was ankle-deep water and not much light except for the brownish glow of the walls. The place looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't place it. He looked around before hearing deep breathing and most of all, warmth. The blond walked towards the source of the warmth and found himself in front of a cage.

Naruto Nine Tailed Fox Seal

'What is this?' He asked himself. He looked at the large cage in wonder before finally gazing at an advanced restriction seal, 'T-this must be.'

A large face made itself known from inside the cage. It had a large evil grin and piercing red eyes. 'Hello Naruto.' It growled.

Naruto gaped. 'K-Kyuubi.'

Naruto Nine Tailed Fox Games Online

Ch. 4 End

Nine Tailed Fox Naruto Games

This marks the end of chapter four. Next chapter will show the meeting with the Kyuubi (who won't be good or like Naruto) and will be the final chapter of Naruto's training. The Chuunin Exam finals will start on the last part of next chapter. I would like to warn you that there will be some major changes on what happens during the finals.