44

Okay, so it's not that big, but I do have pretty important news for you guys.

By now I'm sure you know that I've been working on publishing a novel. Well, guess what? That novel is now officially published! That's right, the novel is now available in both paperback and Kindle eBook on Amazon. This is the first step into a new journey that I hope all of you will join me on. I know this is asking a lot, but I was hoping all of you would support me by ordering a copy (or if you're too young to have a credit card, getting your parents to order a copy), either Kindle or paperback, and reading it. There is a link to my books Amazon page on my profile. If you don't want to use the link just type in American Kitsune or A Fox's Love on Amazon's main webpage and it should take you right to it.

If you need any incentive to order yourself a copy, then tomorrow is my birthday, I'll be turning 25 if any of you are curious, and no gift could be greater than knowing that the people who have read my fanfictions are now reading my first original novel.

Thank you all for supporting me!

P.S. I know some of you may be worried that I'll stop writing fanfiction now that I'm a published author. You can stop. There are only a few ways I would ever stop writing fanfiction and publishing a book isn't one of them.

Chapter 45: Betrayal

"So, Michiru-Dono has finally come home after his year long sojourn, has he?"

"Yes, M'lord. Reports also claim he is being guarded by two powerful shinobi: Jiraiya of the Sannin and his apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto."

"I do not know this Uzumaki Naruto, but I have heard of this 'Jiraiya of the Sannin.'"

"Jiraiya is one of the most powerful ninja in the Elemental Nations. Dealing with him will be very difficult. I am not sure if we can defeat him, even if all three of us combine our might."

"Do not concern yourself with Jiraiya. Every man has his weaknesses, and I have heard that this Jiraiya has a weakness for women and alcohol. He should not be too problematic to take care of. I shall be counting on you to take care of his apprentice."

"Of course, Shabadaba-Sama."

XoX

Naruto didn't think he had ever felt so grateful to feel the solid ground of the earth beneath his feet again. As interesting as sailing over the open waters was, it got very old very fast. There wasn't much to see on a ship: water, water and more water. As far as the eye could see. If that wasn't bad enough, he was more or less confined to the ship. Oh sure, he could have gone off the side and walked on the water, but he would still be required to stay near the ship. Besides, it's not like walking alongside the boat was anymore interesting than staying on the vessel itself.

At least he'd had Hikaru and Chamu to keep him company. Ever since the storm the little boy had become a much better person, happier...and he wasn't as bratty as before, which Naruto was pleased about. He had not been digging that kid's attitude.

And speaking of those two...

Naruto glanced at Hikaru out of the corner of his eye. The younger boy was walking alongside Chamu, one hand resting on the saber-tooth's back and idly caressing his spine. He was speaking to the animal in low tones, but Naruto was able to pick some of it up thanks to his enhanced hearing. "You're going to love it here, there's so much to do! And there's a lot of open space where we can roam around and play! And we have a really good kitchen filled with amazing food, so you'll never go hungry!"

Chamu gave a noncommittal growl as he listened to the boy. On his head was none other than Kiki, the monkey that accompanied him everywhere.

Turning his attention away from the child, the blond-haired, blue eyed Uzumaki surveyed his surroundings.

They were walking along a dirt path that led to the large capitol city. Lining both sides of the caravan were trees of a more tropical variety. Naruto could pick out a few palm tees amongst the foliage. A mild breeze was blowing through forestry, cooling off the mildly humid air and causing the vegetation to sway and rustle. Naruto's enhanced hearing could pick up the sounds of birds and other creatures within the flora, and if he looked hard enough he could see small animals darting about within the trees.

And standing tall over the cops of trees was what appeared to be a massive palace of some kind. It's design was different from anything he had ever seen before, with large, bulbous mushroom-like tops attached to giant cylindrical spires that rose into the sky like fingers grasping at the heavens. There was a flamboyancy to it that differed greatly from normal Elemental Nation architecture. Naruto wondered if the people who built the palace had been foreigners from a far away land.

It wasn't long before they reached the capitol, Naruto was the first to know when they had gotten close, his hearing able to pick up the threnody of voices coming from within the largest city of the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

The city itself was blocked off by a large wall at least thirty times larger than Naruto was tall. The caravan they were a part of was forced to stop just in front of a large, wooden gate, but only for as long as it took the soldiers guarding it to realize their Prince and his son were a part of the group. They were let in without much fuss after that.

Once the group had moved past the gates, the circus troupe that Michiru had bought began what looked like a routine they had practiced hundreds of times. Fire breathers walked up to the front, all of them lining up as they marched down the street and blew oil onto the torches in their hand to create large gouts of flame; acrobats and gymnasts flipped and spun and twirled about in an incredible display of choreography; even the animals had been let out and were being herded along.

Naruto watched as one particularly spirited acrobat flipped onto a large elephant and do a one-handed handstand. Looking back down he glanced at the large crowd that had gathered on either side of the street upon seeing them. There had to be hundreds, maybe even thousands of people watching them march by. He could see many people whispering about them, and just as many were clapping at the show the circus members were putting on. Children stood in awe as they watched the large caravan walk past.

Michiru seemed to be enjoying himself, Naruto noted wryly. The fat Prince was sitting on a throne on one of the floats they had brought out for this march, waving at his subjects and laughing joyously. The young ninja with whiskers wondered if he even realized that most of the people staring at him were doing so in revulsion, not adulation.

When they finally reached the palace, the group was greeted by a very short, portly looking man with short brown hair that jutted out at the sides to resemble horns, sideburns, and thick mutton chops. He was wearing very stately looking purple robes over a thinner white robe, with a gold collar at the neckline, and a pink sash over his left shoulder. Adorning his fingers were a number of gold rings.

Naruto thought the man looked ridiculous, just like every other pompous politician he had met.

"Michiru-Dono," the man with the pot belly greeted with his arms spread in welcome and a congenial smile on his face. He had a very nasally voice. It sounded he was constantly whining. "A pleasure to see you finally return. How was your trip?"

"It went well, thank you," Michiru said before turning to Naruto and Jiraiya. "This is Shabadaba, my father's adviser." He then turned back to look at Shabadaba. "And these are my new ninja guards, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin and his apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto."

"A pleasure to meet you," Shabadaba shook hands with Jiraiya. "I have heard much about your exploits, you're reputation proceeds you."

"Glad to know I'm so famous, hahahaha!" Jiraiya let loose with his normal, boisterous laugh.

"Indeed." With the introductions done, the Daimyo's adviser addressed Michiru again. "Since you have returned and it appears you brought some entertainment, why don't we celebrate your return with a party?"

"An excellent idea!" Michiru clapped his hands together, a delighted look appearing on his face. Naruto grimaced in disgust. All this man had been doing since he and Jiraiya became his escort was partying, probably even before that. Hadn't he had enough?

"Good. Come, why don't we show our guests to their room and then we can prepare for the festivities."

Naruto found himself wondering about just how rich the royalty for this country was as they entered the palace. While he had seen Michiru throw away money buying useless and expensive trinkets like nobodies business, the interior of the palace made him realize the money spent was likely just a small drop in the vast ocean of riches he possessed. The floors were made of white marble that was polished to a shine. Columns lined up in rows rose up to the ceiling, ending in elegant Corinthian designs. The walls were inlayed with gold and there were several pieces of expensive looking artwork and busts along the walls.

"Where is father?" asked Michiru as they walked towards a set of stares. "I must inform him of my return."

"You're father is ill, unfortunately," Shabadaba said. Michiru looked startled, but before he could voice his concern, the adviser continued. "It is nothing serious, I was assured. However, it is contagious. For the sake of others health, your father has confined himself to his room and shall not be able to see you right away."

"Oh, I see," Michiru looked a little depressed for a moment, but quickly perked up. "I suppose it can't be helped. I shall simply have to give a toast in his honor at the party."

"A splendid idea," Shabadaba complimented with an odd looking smile. "A very good idea indeed."

XoX

The party celebrating the return of Michiru and Hikaru was just as extravagant and pompous as every other party the fat prince had thrown, maybe even more so. The expansive ballroom that was the setting for this little get together had been decorated up the wazoo; large banners with the words "Welcome home our Prince!" hung from the walls, multi-colored confetti that glittered and sparkled as the lights hit it rained down from the ceiling, there was a famous band playing music on a large stage, and the circus members were performing various stunts to entertain those who weren't dancing. And let's not forget the buffet table, which is where Michiru had been for most of the evening.

Of course, calling this party a "little get together" was a gross understatement in no way proportional to the amount of people actually in attendance. There had to be at least two or three hundred people there: merchants, ministers, politicians, and powerful figures who controlled various aspects of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms economy had all gathered in the spacious and ostentatious room. They mingled and talked, brown nosing and blackmailing. It seemed that even in the midst of celebrating, they were unwilling to let go of their greed.

"It really is a shame my father could not make it to the party," Michiru was saying to Jiraiya as he ate what had to be his twelfth drumstick. The man had bits of meat stuck to his mouth. Jiraiya was doing all he could not to turn green. This man was worse than an Akamichi when it came to food! "You would like him, he's a very lively man, despite his age."

"I'll bet," Jiraiya gave a strained smile. "But I'm sure I'll meet him at some point. We're going to be staying here for a while anyways." Jiraiya had some plans to train Naruto in this more tropical region to get him used to fighting in different environments.

"Of course."

"Jiraiya-kun!"

"Oh look, it's Jiraiya-sama!"

Jiraiya's head snapped in the direction of the very female voices, his jaw nearly dropping when several drop dead gorgeous women clad in elegant kimono's came up to him.

A second later his cheeks were a dark crimson and steam was shooting out his nose like a bull that had seen red.

"Hello there ladies!" He gave them a roguish grin. While most people (namely Tsunade) assumed that Jiraiya was just a pervert, the truth was he could put on the charms when he wanted to. He was quite the ladies man. "What can I do for you this lovely evening?"

"You could start by joining us," one of them said as she wrapped both her arms around one of his; his left arm, to be exact. The others soon followed soon, with one claiming the other arm while the rest crowded around him to form a loose circle. "And then maybe you can continue by telling us of your...exploits. You're reputation has spread quite far, and I'm interested in seeing if some of those tales about your legendary stamina are true."

"I can assure you my dear, they are all true. Hahahaha!"

Moments later, Jiraiya was walking off with the group of ladies, likely to the nearest bedroom so they could do the gods only knew what, probably something so perverted it would make all his smut novels look tame.

While the party was going on inside of the large, ostentatious room, Naruto stood outside on a small balcony overlooking the ocean. He was leaning his forearms against the railing, gazing out at the sea as it glittered lightly with the twinkle of a thousand stars and the moon overhead. A light breeze buffeted his hair, causing his bangs to sway in front of his eyes. Sitting on the tailing by his side was a bottle of saki, which he had purloined for himself.

'You don't want to join the party?'

'Not really,' Naruto answered Kyuubi as she spoke to him, 'partying isn't really my thing...and that party's way to extravagant for my tastes.' He had never been one for parties, or to be more precise, he had never been to a party before now and thus was unable to deal with them. It didn't help that this party was full of brown nosing politicians.

'Hmm...I'm surprised you know what extravagant means.'

'Oi! I'm not stupid, you know!' Naruto pouted as the woman teased him about his lack of, well, intelligence. It had been a long time since he had been an idiotic brat who didn't know complex, multi-syllable words.

'I remember back when I used to go to parties like this,' Kyuubi ignored him. Naruto pouted some more, but was also intrigued by her words.

'You used to go to these kinds of parties?'

'Of course, it is only befitting that one of my stature enjoys herself.' Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Back then I would find someone of wealth and status and...convince them to take me to whichever lord was hosting a party at the time.'

'You mean you manipulated them into taking you,' Naruto sighed. He wasn't sure what bothered him more, her words, or the fact that they no longer bothered him anymore.

'Manipulated is such a harsh word,' her voice was sly and mischievous. 'I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement. I got to enjoy a lifestyle befitting my status and they got to take one as magnificent as myself to a party and show me off. It was a win-win situation.'

'And they probably didn't remember a thing that happened the next day, am I right?'

'Well...'

Naruto snorted, then shook his head. Somehow, he was not surprised by the woman's words or thought process in the matter. She had informed him about her thoughts on humanities "uses" plenty of times. Why would this time be any different?

"Naruto?"

Turning, Naruto found Hikaru and Chamu standing behind him on the balcony. As always, Kiki was sitting on Chamu's head.

"Yo..." Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

The young boy and the tiger walked up to him. Chamu rubbed his head against Naruto's leg, wanting to be petted. Naruto had no problem with this and began to absently scratch behind the saber-tooth's ear, making the large, predatory cat purr.

"Are you not enjoying the party?" asked Hikaru as he stopped next to the taller blond.

"Big parties like this aren't really my thing," Naruto told the younger boy.

"Me neither."

"Really?"

"Really," Hikaru nodded, "None of those people really care about me. They're just being nice because they're sucking up to my father. I would much rather be by myself."

"I suppose that's noble life for you," Naruto commented idly. He looked back out at the ocean, even as he raised the bottle of sake to his lips. It wasn't Mount Myobokuzan Firebrand, but it was still pretty good. "It's definitely not the life for me."

"Hmmm..."

Hikaru turned to look out at the ocean along with Naruto, with the blond in question turning his head to look back into the gigantic ballroom one last time. After a moment he shook his head. Definitely not for him.

XoX

After several more minutes of staring at the ocean, drinking sake, the blond Uzumaki decided the party simply wasn't for him. He left with Hikaru and Chamu in tow. With the...flamboyant festivities now behind them, the young Prince decided to give the blond ninja with whisker marks on his face a small tour of the palace. He couldn't show Naruto every place in the palace, of course; the large residence of royalty was simply too big to show off in a single night, but he showed Naruto some of the more important places...like his game room.

"You really like video games, don't you?" Naruto felt a large bead of sweat trickle down the side of his forehead as he looked at the half a dozen television sets lining the walls, each with its own video game console.

"Mm hmm," Hikaru nodded his head as he turned on one of the many TVs and consoles. "Video games are so cool, and fun." The young boy turned his head to look at Naruto. "Do you wanna play?" he asked, almost unsurely.

Naruto thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure," he said. He had never played video games before. It could be interesting.

However, just as he was about to walk over to the younger boy, his instincts began screaming at the same time Chamu let loose with a feral growl.

Reacting with reflexes honed by constant training and a body that had been enhanced several times by Kyuubi's chakra running through it, the young Chunin launched himself into forward roll.

It was very fortuitous he moved when he did, for not a second later the area he had been standing on explode in a shower of marble and dust as a large, shadowed figure dropped form the ceiling and smashed into it.

Launching himself to his feet when he was halfway finished with his roll, Naruto skidded to a halt in front of Hikaru. At the same time his hand dipped into his kunai pouch, about to pull out one of his all-purpose ninja tools.

'Watch out!'

He didn't get the chance to so much as take his hand out of his pouch before Kyuubi was screaming at him. Without even really thinking about what he was doing, the blond Uzumaki threw himself to the left. In that same instant several dozen objects struck the area he had been previously standing upon. A quick glance at the carpeted floor revealed the objects to be rocks―at least they looked like rocks―in the shape of kunai.

It was just as Naruto finished dodging the strange, rocky looking kunai that several tiny balls of rolled up paper landed at his feet. The young shinobi scarcely had time to look down before they erupted in a cloud of smoke. Coughing several times as he inhaled some of the acrid smelling stuff―just what had they put it in anyway? Gun powder?―Naruto managed to blast it away with a gust of wind chakra.

"Quickly Karenbana!"

Before Naruto had time to truly recover from the surprise of inhaling several lungfuls of disgusting smoke, hundreds―maybe even thousands―of pink leaves surrounded him. No. Not leaves. Sakura petals, Naruto realized. Twirling around him as if being kicked up by a whirlwind which he was in the epicenter of were innumerable Sakura petals, dancing and spinning about him like a ballet being choreographed to a chaotic symphony.

The intense stinging of his flesh being cut directed Naruto to his left arm, where upon looking he saw the cloth of his jacket and his flesh had been torn by something sharp. A kunai maybe? The wound slowly closed up, but in the time it took for that one slash mark to close, several more appeared along his back, chest and other arm.

"What the―?"

Naruto glared into the swirling Sakura petals that surrounded him, trying to find the one who was attacking him. He saw glimpses, flashes of a person with long white hair. But the moment he laid eyes on her, the girl disappeared and several more wounds appeared on his body.

'Genjutsu?' Naruto's narrowed eyes stared into the swirling maelstrom of petals. 'Is that why I can't catch more than a glimpse of her?'

'The Genjutsu isn't the problem right now. It's the poison.'

'Kyuubi?'

'They poisoned you, likely when you inhaled that strange smoke,' Kyuubi informed Naruto. 'It's a very fast-acting poison, which is why it's affecting you right now. I'm currently flushing it from your system, but it'll take a few seconds.'

Another dozen cuts appeared on Naruto's flesh. Blood dripped down from the open wound and the stinging pain made him remember that he was in the middle of a fight.

'So all I have to do is survive this onslaught for a few seconds, is that what you're telling me?' Naruto grinned viciously as more and more cuts appeared on him. They stung for sure, but he'd suffered worse. 'Seems easy enough.'

'Don't get cocky, Naruto.'

'Hmph! Let me have my fun, Kyuubi.'

'Whatever.'

"What are you smiling about, idiot?" A female voice asked. So he was right, one of his attackers was definitely a girl. She was likely the one who cast the genjutsu on him. Women tended to have better control over their chakra than men from what he had seen.

"I'm smiling because that poison of yours didn't work as well as you probably hoped it would."

"What?"

'There!'

Quicker than lightning Naruto's hand lashed out in a powerful jab that caught one of his attackers in the face. The feel of his fist meeting soft flesh was very satisfying, almost as satisfying as hearing the pained grunt the woman he just pounded let out was.

Too bad he didn't have time to celebrate his victory. Not even a second after he had struck the girl and the petals dissipated was he attacked again. A strange gauntlet covered in orange lines and possessing what looked like a glowing, orange eye on the back came screaming in towards his face with speed. Reacting on instinct alone, Naruto ducked under the attack, lowering his center of gravity and getting ready for a counter.

Unfortunately no counter was able to be made. The moment he ducked a knee smashed into his nose, sending him tumbling backwards to smash into one of the many TVs in the room. The large technological device broke apart like glass, sending plastic shards everywhere. The internal circuitry snapped and sparked, sending a couple jolts of electricity through him.

Naruto grunted as he ignored the pain. As his back hit the wall, he placed his feet on the surface and used his leg muscles to push himself off towards the nearest attacker.

Now that the surprise of the assault had worn off he was able to get a good look at his attackers. The one in front of him was a man with long, spiky orange hair and a metal headband with no village symbol on it. He had blue eyes and was wearing a blue shirt with pants and a white vest over it. He was also the one bearing the strange gauntlet with the eye on the back.

Several feet away, the female he struck was getting back up. As she stood on her feet and cast a glare at him, wiping away the trickle of blood running down her lips, Naruto saw that she was a tiny little thing. Like, ridiculously small. As in, she looked like nothing more than a child. Her hair was long, white, and shaggy, and she had pink eyes. Like her teammate the headband she wore had no village symbol. The open vest she wore stopped just below the knees and a pinkish long-sleeved shirt that turned into a skirt could be seen underneath it. She was also wearing black shorts and a pair of black gloves.

With his observation―which lasted no more than a second―done, Naruto closed in on the man with orange hair and threw a powerful and speedy punch at the man with the gauntlet. It was dodged, of course, but the orange-haired ninja's eyes widened in surprise at the speed and power Naruto's attack had behind it. His hair was actually blown out of his face by the intense winds the straight jab produced.

His attack having missed, Naruto launched himself into a series of combination attacks that appeared to be completely random and thrown without thought. A left hook became a palm strike to the nose. A coordinated one-two combo masked Naruto's elbow as it tried coming into contact with the man's face. A straight jab turned into a feint for a reverse roundhouse kick. The ninja with orange hair and no symbol on his headband was just barely able to stay ahead of the attacks.

A heel kick was quickly retracted when the man raised his arm to block and Naruto switched feet to catch him in the side. It was blocked, but the attack had enough power behind it to make him grunt in pain as he was sent skidding back.

"You've got some power to ya," the man's voice came out deep and mocking, even as he shook his arm out, trying to rid of the sting from Naruto's attack. "However, I think there's something you're not realizing here."

"Oh?" So these guys wanted to do some mid-combat banter, did they? Very well. He could oblige them. "And what's that?"

"There are three of us."

Naruto's eyes widened just as a loud yell tore through the room. He recognized that voice!

Turning, Naruto grit his teeth and glared in anger at the man who had a firm grip on Hikaru and was pressing a kunai to the boy's neck. He was a very large, very ugly man. His frame was bulky and muscular and he possessed very thick limbs. The nose attached to his face was very large, bulbous even, and his eyes were small, black, and beady. Combine that with his thick lips and you had one ugly mother fucker.

His shaggy brown hair hung about his face, and his clothes seemed to consist of a white vest over a green shirt, a pair of black gloves, and the same symboless forehead protector as the other two.

"Naruto!" Hikaru screamed in fear. He squeaked when the tip of the kunai was pressed to his neck.

"Don't worry, Hikaru," Naruto said, "I'll get you out of there."

"Heh, I admire your confidence, but it's seriously misplaced," the orange-haired man said. He must be the leader, Naruto determined. "You're strong, but strong enough to beat all three of us? I don't think so. I'll admit, I'm surprised my poison didn't work on you, but you're still outnumbered three to one."

Naruto turned his glare onto the spokesperson of their group. The man smirked, but that smug looked quickly left when he saw the glare on the blond Uzumaki's eyes turned into a mischievous grin. "What are you smiling about?"

"You obviously don't know very much about me. If you did, then you would know that I'm never alone!"

Just as Naruto said this several puffs of smoke flooded the room. Before the white substance even had time to dissipate, a trio of Naruto's burst forth from the thick layer of white and engaged the trio in combat.

Caught off guard by the attack, it took a moment for three enemy ninja to respond. However, respond they did, and with extreme prejudice. While the clones might have all the knowledge of the original, they were still just clones, and as such did not last long against the trio of experienced ninja.

"I don't know what you were hoping to accomplish with that...but..." The man with orange hair and the strange gauntlet trailed off as he looked at the room now devoid of both the blond and Hikaru. A second later he grit his teeth in anger as he realized what had happened. "A distraction. Karenbana! Kongo! Find those two and kill them before they can escape!"

"Right!"

"You got it, Ishidate!"

The three ninja soon burst out the door, leaving the room empty save for the now ruined television screens.

XoX

Having realized how untenable his situation was, Naruto felt it was high time for a tactical retreat. Much as it galled him to leave a battle unfinished, it was more important that he get Hikaru to safety...and he couldn't fight those three while protecting the young prince. Yes, retreating right now was the best option.

It wasn't running away, though, Uzumaki Naruto NEVER runs from a fight!

"N-Naruto..."

"Don't worry, Hikaru. I've got you."

Naruto ran down one of the many halls of the palace. The corridor was dark, with only a few oils lamps interspersed along the wall to cast an eery light that created strange shadows on the floor. His feet flew across the red carpet, scarcely making a sound as he moved with a silence and swiftness only a ninja could achieve. Hikaru was riding piggyback, his arms wrapped tightly around the whisker-marked blond's neck as the young Chunin blitzed down the hallway.

"Where is your father's room, Hikaru?"

"It's in the east wing! I'll tell you where to go!"

As he followed Hikaru's directions, the pair saw that there was more to the assault on them than they realized. Signs of combat could be seen the closer they got to Michiru's room; scorch marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling; kunai and swords littering the floor; not to mention several bodies, some that were moaning in pain and others that were disturbingly still.

And that was not even mentioning the blood. Splatters of bright red painted the walls, the wet surface gleaming as the light from the flames reflected off the dark crimson ichor. It was as if someone had taken buckets of crimson paint and tossed them haphazardly against the walls, floor and ceiling. The stench was enough that Naruto almost retched. Hikaru buried his face in Naruto's shoulder, his body shaking at the sight.

Naruto's ears soon perked up as the loud "Clang! Clang! Clang, clang, clang!" of steel on steel reached them. He turned a corner just in time to see Jiraiya send one of the many samurai guarding the palace flying with a rasengan to the chest. The man on the receiving end of the powerful jutsu cracked the wall with the force of his impact before sliding down to lay still on the floor.

"Jiraiya!" Naruto shouted as he closed the distance with the older man. Jiraiya turned to him, relief evident in his eyes.

"Hey, brat! Glad to see you're alright."

"What the hell is going on around here!?" Naruto paused when he got a better look at his sensei. "And why the hell are you wearing nothing but your underwear?"

Indeed, Jiraiya was standing in the hallway in nothing but a pair of black boxers with pink hearts on them. His chest, arms, legs, and feet were bereft of any other type of clothing. Even his headband was missing, allowing his shaggy hair to fall all over his face like a lion's mane.

"Never you mind, brat," Jiraiya tried to dismiss Naruto's accusing tone, waving a hand in the air as if warding off a fly. "We need to get Michiru-dono and Hikaru-dono out of here!"

And that was when Naruto noticed the lipstick smeared all over his sensei's face and body.

His expression deadpanned. "You were perving again, weren't you?"

"I was not perving!" Jiraiya looked insulted.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto gave his sensei his best "I don't believe a single word you just said" face. "Then what were you doing?"

"Entertaining the ladies," Jiraiya's face took on what could only be considered an expression of perversion. There was simply no other way to describe it. He looked like a man who was on the path of lecherous intent...or daydreaming about all the morally ambiguous things he already committed upon various members of the opposite sex. The drool coming out from his mouth did not help erase this image, not one bit.

Naruto deadpanned. "Like I said, you were perving."

"I wouldn't expect a child like you to understand," Naruto growled deep within his throat. "But now's not that time for that. We've got more important things to worry about, such as getting Michiru-dono and his son to safety."

"Right..." Naruto sighed, then put his game face on. "So what's going on around here?" he asked as they entered Prince Michiru's stately room. The prince was there, huddled up and looking like a fat, petrified pig that had just been passed up for the slaughter and knew it had avoided death by a hair. "Is it an assassination attempt?"

"Worse," Jiraiya turned to look at his apprentice, his expression unusually grave. "The adviser, Shabadaba, has taken over the country via a coup de tate."

XoX

After learning about what had happened in this country before they even arrived, Naruto followed Jiraiya's lead as the man came up with a plan of action. Whatever annoyance he had left towards his sensei was put to the side for the moment. Now was not the time for petty anger.

Their first plan of action was getting Michiru and Hikaru out of the palace. With them now being what amounted to enemies of state the two would need to disappear. Fortunately for the two now on the run princes, they had someone who had mastered the art of vanishing from the public eye when he wanted to.

Naruto and Jiraiya led Hikaru and Michiru out of the palace. Jiraiya was in the lead, using all his considerable stealth skills to keep them from being discovered. While they snuck out, the white-haired spy master informed the three others of what he had learned.

"I have no clue exactly when it happened, but according to a couple of the guards I interrogated, Shabadaba successfully implemented a coup de tate and took over the country somewhere around a week ago. It was all hush, hush. No one really knows what happened, other than there was some kind of rebellion within the palace. Most of the citizens seem to think it was just a group of samurai that went rogue and the adviser's doing all he can to keep it that way."

"What about my father?" asked Michiru, who was huffing and puffing as they ran down the corridor. The prince was not used to running like this, or at all, so moving at even a trot as slow as the one they were currently going.

"I'm not really sure," Jiraiya peeked around the corner. The coast was clear. Signaling to Naruto and the other two, they began to move. As they moved, Jiraiya spoke some more. "From what I can gather they were unsuccessful at assassinating the Daimyo, however, his whereabouts are currently unknown."

"Do you think he's alright?" Michiru looked terribly pale, whether this was because of their situation or not knowing about the state of his father was unknown.

"It's hard to say." They were moving through the entrance hall now. The door was just a few meters away. "According to what intelligence I've gathered, several samurai loyal to the Daimyo managed to escort him out of the palace before the killing blow could be dealt, but I have no clue if he's actually alright."

This did not seem to sit well with Hikaru or Michiru. Naruto felt for the two. It must be tough, not knowing if your old man was dead or not after an assassination attempt. At least he could be secure in the knowledge that his parents were gone. Not that such knowledge was very comforting.

The group burst out of the palace doors and into the courtyard. Several meters ahead of them, a large fountain bubbled. The gates were beyond the fountain.

"Come on!" Jiraiya led the group into the courtyard. They moved as stealthily as they were able to with two people who were not ninja. Too bad it all came to naught. Appearing before them within several Shunshins were the three ninja that Naruto had an unfortunate encounter with earlier.

"You four won't be going anywhere," their leader said. "Give up now and accept your fates."

"Hahahahaha!" Jiraiya's boisterous laugh resounded in the cool night air. He stepped forward, looking at the trio in amusement. "You're a hundred years too soon to even think of making threats against me."

"Jiraiya of the Densetus no Sannin," the orange haired man spoke again, "You're reputation precedes you. It is true that you are indeed more than a match for us. Even if all three of us attacked you at the same time it is unlikely we would win in normal circumstances...however." A cold smile appeared on the man's. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he suddenly stumbled forward. "These are not normal circumstances, are they?"

"Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted in shock as Jiraiya fell to one knee, one hand on the ground to keep his balance while the other went to his head.

"Wha―? What's going on here?" Jiraiya winced as his vision blurred out of focus for a second before reasserting itself back to its normal sharpness. There was something seriously wrong here, but what...?

"It seems that concoction of ours is finally working," the man with orange hair said, malicious amusement seeping into his voice. "We were actually expecting you to succumb to it much earlier. Your constitution is simply incredible. I guess you're not considered S-rank for nothing."

"Poison?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes through the pain and glared at the man. "There's no way you could have poisoned me. I checked everything I ate and drank before hand."

"I expected as much, however, it would not have helped, as you can clearly see. That's because the substance we laced with your drink wasn't actually poison. It's merely a natural herb that acts as a slow acting intoxicant that dulls the senses and causes people to lose their sense of balance. In many ways it's similar to alcohol, only much more effective at dulling people's reactions. The only downside is it can take a long time to star working depending on how well their body can process it. I'm actually surprised the brat over there isn't effected at all when he had just as much as you did."

Jiraiya grit his teeth as he tried to stand back up. He succeeded, but only for a little while before his world tilted and he was forced to drop to a knee again. 'Kuso! Whatever this stuff is it's extremely effective. I won't be of much help for a few minutes at least. Dammit!'

"Karenbana, Kongo, why don't we take care of this trash?"

"You got it!" The one known as Kongo pounded a closed fist into his right palm.

"Teehee!" Karenbana simply giggled childishly as she waltzed up to the group. "This'll be fun."

Both Jiraiya and Naruto were gritting their teeth as their minds ran a million miles per second. their situation was not looking good. As the strongest among them, Jiraiya had the best chance of beating the three in an unfair match. With him out of commission they would be forced to rely on Naruto, and as strong as he was, the blond-haired shinobi wasn't sure if he could defeat three enemy ninja at the same time while protecting Hikaru, Michiru, and Jiraiya.

To put it simply, the situation was not looking good for them.

Just as the three enemy ninja looked like they were about to finish the group off, an explosion rang out near the gates. There were several shouts, followed by several more explosions. Seconds later, a large group of swordsmen wearing the military uniforms of the Crescent Moon Kingdom rushed onto the scene.

"Everyone, protect Michiru-dono and Hikaru-dono!" A man with short dark hair and lines underneath his dark eyes shouted, charging forward and unleashing a loud yell. In response to his words, nearly a dozen swordsman rushed forward, shouting out a battle cry as they raised their swords above their heads.

"Tch," Kongo muttered darkly, "I thought we had taken care of these guys."

"It seems we missed a few insects. No matter. Let us show them why coming here tonight was a mistake."

Naruto quickly noticed that the trio of enemy ninja were distracted by the arrival of the newcomers and hatched a plan.

"Jiraiya! Get Michiru and Hikaru out of here! Have them retreat with the Samurai!"

"Naruto...?" Jiraiya looked at his godson in mild confusion for several seconds, at least until he realized what the boy's plan was. Then his eyes widened. "You can't mean to...?"

"I'll cover your backs and make sure you're not followed," Naruto interrupted. "It wouldn't be good if those three managed to follow you, especially with the condition you're in."

"You can't expect me too―"

"I do," Naruto cut the man off and looked at him with a serious glare. "Right now I'm the only one among us who can hold those three off. You're in no condition to fight, and those swordsman are no match for those three ninja." As if reinforcing his words, two of the swordsman that had attacked the orange-haired man were turned to stone and shattered by a powerful fist. At the same time one of the others had their face literally crushed under the strong assault of Kongo. Two more swordsman were felled by Karenbana as she used her genjutsu to confuse them and then cut them to shreds while they were trying to find her within the hailstorm of Sakura petals. "I'm the only one strong enough to fight them...and with Hikaru and Michiru gone I'll be able to go all out without having to worry about their safety." Naruto sent his sensei a fierce stare that let the man know how serious he was about this. "This is the only option we have right now and you know it."

After several seconds of silence, Jiraiya sighed. "You're as stubborn as your mother."

Against his will, Naruto cracked a smile. "Not as stubborn as my father?"

"You're father was nowhere near as stubborn as your mom was. That women could out-stubborn a mule." Jiraiya stood on two shaky feet, his teeth grit as he forced his body to keep it's balance by reinforcing his legs with chakra and applying some more to his feet. It was difficult (the poison seemed to have messed with his chakra control as well), but doable. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Che, who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Naruto cracked his neck several times before walking in front of his sensei and the two princes.

"N-Naruto!" Hikaru shouted, causing Naruto to turn his head back to look at him.

"Don't worry about me, kid," Naruto gave the young boy a thumbs up, a large, face-splitting grin plastered on his face. "I'll meet up with you later."

Hikaru didn't look convinced, but he didn't have time to say anything as Naruto unsealed the Kubikiribocho from its scroll and charged head-first into the fray. The blond's target? The man with the orange hair who was currently fighting with the dark-haired swordsman. It was clear to Naruto who among those two was the superior fighter: the ninja with no identifying marks on his headband was toying with the swordsman like a cat toys with a helpless mouse.

With nary a word of warning, Naruto appeared between the two, the giant head cleaving sword already swinging at the older shinobi whose eyes widened when he saw the weapon headed his way. He managed to get out of the way in time by jumping backwards, but it was a near thing; several strands of orange hair were cut off in the process, fluttering to the ground between them.

Naruto turned his head slightly to look at the swordsman behind him while keeping an eye on Ishidate. "You! Samurai! Michiru and Hikaru have already left! Take what's left of your men and find them!" He turned his attention more fully on the enemy ninja, his grip on Kubikiriboucho tightening. "I'll deal with these guys."

The man looked like he was going to complain for a second, but seemed to think better of it. Slowly, he nodded. "Very well. I am grateful for the assistance."

"Whatever. Just get out of here."

"Right!"

"How very brave of you to let that man escape from me," Ishidate spoke in the same slow, condescending manner he always did. "Brave, and also foolish."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved the hand holding Kubikiribocho dismissively, causing the massive cleaver to swing back and forth like some kind of giant pendulum. Ishidate's eyes followed the sword apprehensively. "I'm an idiot and don't know the difference in strength between us and yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc...I've heard all that before from every other douche who thinks their the hottest shit since the Rikudou Sennin. Until you prove to me that you're different than those other mooks I've killed, you're just another asshole with a chip on his shoulder."

Ishidate scowled at the insults spewing from Naruto's mouth. "You talk too much."

"Oh dear, it seems I've made you angry," Naruto gave the orange haired man a fanged grin, his sharp canine's glinting in the moonlight. "If you think I talk to much, why don't you come over here and make me stop."

"Very well," Ishidate growled. He held up his gauntlet covered arm as bright orange veins appeared all along its length. The eye on the back of his hand slowly opened. "I'll gladly put you in your place!"

Naruto's grin turned positively vicious as Ishidate charged him. Pumping chakra to his legs, the blond Uumaki shinobi blasted off the ground in a burst of incredible speed. As the two met in the center of their chosen battleground, a loud "BOOM!" like the rumble of thunder resounded as they clashed.

The battle had begun.

XoX

Senju Tsunade sat behind her desk, filing paperwork. This was not unusual; she was almost always at her desk signing papers, unless she was needed at the hospital or busy training Sakura.

And speaking of her new apprentice, the girl in question was doing very well. Incredibly well, actually. Sakura's training had progressed at an astonishing rate. What would normally take years to learn often only took a few months for the young girl with pink hair to get the hang of. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge, and while her physical training was progressing much more slowly due to her lack of any physical ability they were still making progress. It wouldn't be long now before the girl was ready to take her next Chunin Exams.

Tsunade was just about to take another sheet from the stack of unfiled papers when a loud "crack!" caused her to freeze just as her hand touched paper. Blinking, the woman with blond hair and a busty figure looked down at the picture frame on her desk.

It was a picture of her, Naruto, Jiraiya, and Shizune. They had taken it just after she had agreed to come back to Konoha; Naruto and Shizune were standing in front, side by side. The older woman had an arm around the blond's shoulder and both were wearing a wide smile―actually, Naruto's was more of a vulpine grin, but that mattered little; they were both happy and that's what counted. Behind them were Tsunade and Jiraiya; the white-haired pervert had a hand placed on Naruto's shoulder and Tsunade herself was ruffling the young Chunin's hair. All of them had rather prominent smiles, yes, even her.

In the center of the frame, where Naruto's image could be seen, there was a large crack running along the glass.

"That cannot mean anything good," Tsunade mumbled to herself, "I hope that's not an omen of some kind."

Then again, this was Naruto. He was quite capable for someone who was only fourteen years old. Yes, she was sure he would be fine.

So why did she feel so uneasy?

XoX

Explosions and sonic booms reverberated throughout the large courtyard in front of the Crescent Moon Kingdom's palace. Large gusts of wind created violent updrafts that lifted rocks, gravel and debris into the air before tossing them aside at speed. These large chunks of debris struck walls, the ground, and surrounding foliage with impunity, creating a mess of whatever they crashed into.

The once beautiful courtyard had been destroyed. It was nothing more than derelict ruins now; the fountain was just a heap of rubble, the once golden gates were twisted lumps of metal, and the ground was full of holes and pock marks from explosions and missed jutsu. Even the hedges at the very edge of the courtyard had been completely ripped out by the roots.

In the center of this destruction was Naruto and his three ninja opponents. The young shinobi with azure eyes was glaring daggers at his opponents, his eyes narrowed dangerously and his teeth grit hard enough that his gums were beginning to bleed. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the three ninja he was locked in mortal combat with were smirking.

"You seem to be having a bit of trouble," Ishidate's voice was nothing if not condescending, "Where's all that confidence you were boasting earlier?"

"Where's all the shit you were spouting earlier!" Naruto snapped back, barely withholding a grimace. As much as he didn't want to admit it, these three were giving him some serious problems.

The battle had started off well enough, with Naruto getting in a number of good licks on Ishidate without receiving any serious injuries in return. However, all that changed when Karenbana and Kongo entered the fray. Ever since they joined in, the young Jinchurikki had been having some serious problems.

It wasn't that these three shinobi were all that strong. Placing them on a scale, he would have to say that Kongo and Karenbana were probably around Chunin level, and Ishidate was as good as the average Jonin. Naruto wasn't one to brag, but he was strong enough to fight off most Jonin, exceptions being the really talented ones like Kakashi, Maito Gai, Kirabi, and Yugito. Even then he was sure that, given the chance, he could give Kakashi a run for his money these days. So no, none of these shinobi were a threat individually.

The problem was they weren't fighting individually.

Naruto threw himself to the left, his feet and legs shifting to accommodate the abrupt change in direction and momentum. Several seconds later, Kongo smashed into the area he had been standing on with force. The cobblestone that made up the courtyard shattered. It broke apart and several large chunks were flung through the air to smash into ground several meters away.

Several of those large chunks of debris were blasted at Naruto, who was forced to cross his arms in front of his face and whether the hailstorm of rock and rubble. Large cuts and several bruises appeared on his arms where particularly sharp or large rocks struck. The blond Uzumaki winced each time one of the rocks hit him.

After the hail of hard, make-shift projectiles stopped, Naruto let his arms fall to his sides...only to find himself on the receiving end of dual assault by Karenbana and Ishidate. While the orange-haired ninja went in for a frontal assault, commencing a taijutsu match with Naruto in which several shockwaves were generated by the force of their punches, Karenbana struck at the Jinchurikki's blindspot. Only hard earned instinct saved the young shinobi from being skewered with a kunai to the back, making him turn to the side just as the young woman tried to impale him.

As Naruto spun his body away from Karenbana, his right hand stretched out and snatched onto the white-haired female's forearm. Continuing to rotate a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, Naruto took the much shorter, younger looking woman with him.

"What the―!?"

With a loud shout, Karenbana was tossed several meters away from where the center of the battle was taking place. Rather than land on her backside like Naruto had been hoping, the woman flipped her body around like an acrobat and landed on her feet. She did skid several more feet due to the force of his toss, but that was about it.

His disappointment was shorted lived as other, far more pressing concerns made themselves known. The moment Karenbana was gone, Kongo and Ishidate were in his face. The pair engaged him in a vicious two-on-one taijutsu assault that left the blond little time to do anything more than dodge. Every single one of his higher thought processes had shut down completely as he relied almost entirely on his insanely fast reflexes and finely honed instincts to keep from becoming a bloody smear on the ground.

"Hold still, you little shit!" Kongo roared as he threw several fast jabs that packed so much power the air actually whistled around his fists. Naruto swerved, his body bending and contorting in unusual ways as he dodged each blow sent towards him. Each blow Kongo sent towards him, at least. With so many limbs to keep track of, the blond-haired Jinchurikki completely missed one of Ishidate's feet slipping into his guard.

The foot struck his stomach, forcing Naruto's body to bend over as all the breath was stolen from his lungs. The kick was powerful enough to lift him off the ground for several feet as he was launched backwards.

His body skidded backwards as his feet hit the ground. Dust was kicked up as his feet created small trenches in the gravel. He traveled several meters back before finally stopping.

'Dammit!' Naruto growled as he rubbed his now aching stomach. That attack had actually hurt. Had he not been reinforcing his body with chakra he was sure something would have broken from that kick. 'These guys might not be the strongest shinobi around, but their teamwork is superb. Not only do they cover each others weaknesses well, but they've managed to keep me from using any ninjutsu throughout this entire fight. I've hardly even had time to launch my own attacks with straight up taijutsu!'

He had also been forced to reseal Kubikiriboucho. While he liked using that sword, it wasn't a very good weapon for dealing with multiple opponents. Not in the hands of an amateur like him at least.

Naruto's mind quickly went about analyzing the groups fighting style in the hopes of discovering a weakness he could exploit. 'That girl is their genjutsu specialist, though most of her illusions seem to focus on letting her get close and taking out her opponents with taijutsu. Kongo is pure muscle, he just uses his massive strength to inflict as much damage on his opponents as possible. Crude, but effective. And Ishidate...'

Naruto grimaced as he looked at his left hand. Several of his fingers had yet to change back from their gray, stone-like appearance, though he could see the skin slowly returning to normal.

'That gauntlet of his can somehow turn anything it touches to stone...' he tsked. 'What a troublesome power...'

"Karenbana! Kongo! Let's put an end to this brat!"

"Right!"

His small moment of inflection was abruptly halted when all three enemy shinobi engaged him again. The first two to reach him were Kongo and Ishidate; they came in fast and hard.

Naruto bared his teeth as he bent his body backwards at an unnatural angle. A large, meaty fist sailed over his head. Kongo then. Latching onto the offending limb, the young Uzumaki used it to swing himself up until he was handstanding on top of it. He would have used this moment to attack, but was forced to push himself into a parabolic arc in order to dodge Ishidate's latest attempt at turning him into stone.

Pink sakura petals kicked up around him as he landed on the ground some distance away. They swirled clockwise around his body, as if he were in the center of a small tornado. Before Naruto had time to counter the genjutsu―Kyuubi was busy trying to heal his petrified fingers and couldn't counter it―a number of cuts appeared on his skin as Karenbana disappeared and reappeared all around him, biting into his flesh with a kunai.

Naruto's lips peeled back in a feral snarl as he tried to counter the illusion with his chakra only to receive more cuts that tore apart his clothing and bit into his flesh. He knew her speed was all a part of the illusion. He was faster than her, way faster. But he also sucked at genjutsu and needed to actually concentrate in order to dispel them.

'A little help here would be nice!'

Several more cuts appeared on his skin.

'Shut up, brat! In case you haven't noticed, I'm busy! Unless you want your fingers to remained frozen like that for the rest of your life!'

Something sharp and painful stabbed him on the left side of his torso. Ichor began pouring from the wound as the kunai used to impale him was removed.

'Better to have frozen fingers and keep my life than end up dead!'

Instinct warned Naruto of an impeding attack just in time to avoid getting his throat slit. He still ended up getting cut, though, and blood spurted from the now open wound on his neck. That had been close, too close. It had just barely missed his jugular.

'Shut up! Kami, just give me a few more seconds!'

Naruto tried jumping into the air, out of the ring of sakura petals, but that ended up doing nothing. The petals followed him and so did Karenbana.

"That won't work~!" came the young woman's sing-song voice from within the swirling maelstrom of pink petals. Sixteen more slashes appeared on Naruto's body. By now, blood was pouring freely from a large number of open wounds. The cuts were appearing faster than his regeneration factor could keep up with them.

As his glaring eyes traveling all around him in search of the woman, Naruto landed on the ground again.

More cuts appeared. He tried to dodge as many of the incoming attacks as he could, but without knowing where they would be coming from, dodging them proved nearly impossible.

'Kyuubi!'

'Done! I hope you're grateful for this brat! And you'd better not lose!' With that, she gifted the boy with a small dose of her chakra. It wasn't much, but it should be more than enough to deal with this rabble.

A red cloak of bubbling, vile energy seeped out of Naruto's pours like steam shooting up from a geyser. The disgusting, malicious feeling chakra cloaked his body like a second skin. Two long fox ears soon emerged on top his head. All the wounds and injuries that had been inflicted on him were healed at an astonishing rate as his regeneration was kicked into overdrive.

"The hell is this!? What kinda of chakra is that!?"

The sight of this strange phenomenon was so unusual that it caused Karenbana to stop her assault. Or more like her body froze as the overwhelming feeling of death washed over her.

Crass mistake.

With a roar that sounded more monstrous than human, Naruto unleashed a powerful burst of the red chakra from his mouth. The results were impressive. Not only was the genjutsu dispelled rather forcefully, but Karenbana, along with a good chunk of the earth around Naruto, was flung away at speed. The young woman with long white hair screamed in surprise and fear as she was launched through the air like a ragdoll. She didn't even have time to right herself before she struck the wall surrounding the palace at the opposite end of the battlefield. The force with which she struck was so great that the wall broke apart, crumbling inwards and burying her under a pile of rubble.

"What the hell is that power!?" Kongo shouted in shock and fear. Ishidate didn't answer, but he too was staring at the blond wreathed in a crimson flame of chakra with wide eyes. The young shinobi looked much different than he did before. His hair, while always spiky, now looked jagged and sharp; his eyes, once an azure blue as pure as the sky, had morphed into a bloody crimson with slits for pupils; the once thin whisker marks had become thick and jagged, and his already sharp canines had elongated until they were jutting out from his upper lip. In short, the boy no longer looked like a simple boy, but a monster, a demon.

The demon turns its eyes towards them. Freezing them in place.

A malicious smile formed on its face.

"Let's see how you two handle me now!"

With a ferocious roar that would have caused most people to run away in fear, Naruto charged towards the two, the ground he was standing on exploding violently as he kicked off.

"It's time for round two!"

XoX

Jiraiya stopped walking as a malicious and powerful killing intent washed over him. His mind froze, for a single instant, everything came to a screeching halt.

Several feet from the white-haired Toad Sage, the two princes and the Samurai force that had come to their rescue also stopped when they realized their ninja companion was no longer moving.

"What are you doing?" asked Korega, the samurai in charge of the forces still loyal to the Daimyo. "We have to keep moving!"

Jiraiya didn't answer the man. He looked behind him, his eyes distant as if he could see through the thick foliage that surrounded them. Animals and bugs chirped and croaked and cawed all around him, but he ignored that, none of it reached his ears.

'This chakra...'

"You guys go on ahead," Jiraiya stated, turning around to look at the place he and the others had left just minutes ago; the place where his godson was still fighting against three ninja of unknown strength and skill. "I'll catch up later."

He did not give them time to respond as he dashed off at a trot. The drug was still affecting him, his chakra was still shot to hell, and his balance was not what it should be, but it was better than before. Hopefully, it would be enough. It would have to be enough.

'If Naruto's using this chakra than those three must be giving him trouble,' Jiraiya thought, his teeth grit as he pushed his body to move faster. 'I need to hurry.'

XoX

Before any of the three enemy shinobi could even think of moving out of the way, Naruto's body appeared among them. There was no warning whatsoever. One second he was standing several meters away, the next he was right in their midst. It would be more accurate to say he had simply teleported there then physically moved.

Several seconds later, the ground that Naruto had been standing on exploded, as if it just now realized how much force the demonized blond had used to kick off with.

The young whisker-marked shinobi's first move was to take out Ishidate with a double palm strike to the chest. He attacked quickly and viciously, leaving no time for the older ninja to dodge. The clap of thunder the blow unleashed was deafening; the shockwave that unfurled because of it calamitous. Violent winds were released from where Naruto's palms met Ishidate's chest as the air around that small point was displaced. It caused their hair to fly wildly in all directions and the gravel beneath their feet to scatter like so many tiny particles.

Ishidate was sent flying. He crashed half a dozen meters away and began to tumble along the ground like an angry god had picked him up and tossed him. The one who was responsible for Ishidate's impromptu flight smiled in satisfaction before his crimson eyes locked on Kongo, whose own eyes widened in unsuppressed fear.

A second later, Kongo's body was rolling violently along the ground like a ragdoll tossed away by a petulant child. His body crashed straight into the already destroyed fountain, plowing straight through it. Large chunks of marble and cement shot into the air and scattered in all directions.

"Kongo!"

Karenbana would have been better off keeping her mouth shut.

Bloody crimson irises locked onto frightened pink.

Naruto moved. In the time it took for the human eye to blink, the shinobi with the childlike body was folded over a fist, blood, bile and saliva spraying out of her mouth as she gasped in agonizing asphyxia. While Naruto's left hand was buried itself in her gut, his right hand grabbed onto Karenbana's shoulder, keeping her from moving. He pulled the fist in the woman's stomach back, and then let it fly.

Once.

"Gyaa!"

Twice.

"Guuu!"

Thrice.

"Gaaa!"

On the last punch Naruto's right hand let go of Karenbana, sending her shooting backwards like a rocket. The woman went soaring several meters, her progress only halted when she crashed into a wall. The cement and brick cracked as her back smashed against it.

Several meters from where Karenbana had a back meeting brick encounter, Kongo and Ishidate were coming to their senses. The two stood slowly, warily, to their feet.

"Where is all this power coming from?" Ishidate wondered out loud. "He didn't have this kind of power before!"

"Oh, you two are still alive."

The two shinobi froze as Naruto's bloody irises landed on them.

"How disappointing...I'm gonna have to correct that."

In a blur of speed, Naruto disappeared. His movements were so fast he actually left a trail of destruction in his wake as dust and debris was kicked up from his passing. Ishidate and Kongo both hastily scrambled to prepare some kind of defense against this monstrous shinobi. Naruto was almost upon them, his clawed hands eager to tear their faces apart...

"Ggg!"

...When he was forced to stop as pain unlike any other wracked his body. Naruto knew pain. He'd had a whole arm crushed by Gaara's sand and then regrown. That was painful. However, that pain he'd suffered back then was nothing compared to the soul searing agony that lanced his body right now. It was like a million red hot needles being speared into his skin, burning him from the inside out. His insides felt like molten lava had been poured into his veins. It was unfathomable and all consuming, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"W-what the..." 'Kyuubi!? What...what the is going...on!?'

'I don't know!' the Kyuubi sounded just as shocked as he was. 'Your body seems to be rejecting my chakra for some reason! I...I'm not sure what's going on!'

'What? But how could it be rejecting your chakra? And why now?' Unfortunately, Kyuubi did not have an answer for him. She did not know either.

A little ways away, Ishidate, Kongo, and a now recovered Karenbana watched the young blond who had been defeating them handily fall to his knees and begin coughing up blood.

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems the young man has reached some kind of limit," Ishidate said, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Why don't we use this opportunity to pay him back for all the trouble he's caused us?"

"Couldn't agree with you more."

"Kongo."

"Right!"

Moving incredibly fast for a person of his size, Kongo's form blurred out of focus, only to become visible again when he was right next to Naruto. The whiskered ninja didn't stand a chance as the older shinobi smashed a foot into his gut. The young man with blond hair and blue eyes coughed up more spittle and blood as he was launched several feet into the air. A hand reached out and grabbed onto his leg, however, preventing him from going too far.

"Guh!"

He was pulled back with a violent yank and a knee was planted into his stomach. The force of the blow generated a minor shockwave that caused Naruto's hair to blow out of his face. His eyes widened as all the air left his lungs, leaving only asphyxiating agony.

"Gah!"

Again the knee plowed into his gun. And again. And again. And again. It was only after Kongo was satisfied that he'd gotten his licks in that he let the blond go.

Of course, he had only let go so that he could kick Naruto's body straight up into the air. The young Konohagakure shinobi was sent sky-high, his body spinning and tumbling. As he reached the apex of his flight, a single blue eye cracked open...only to see a foot mere centimeters from his face.

The sound of Naruto's nose breaking was drowned out by the loud "boom!" of the foot crashing against his face. With gravity working against him, and the force of the kick being enough to displace the air and generate a small sonic boom, the blond Jinchurikki was sent spiraling to the ground.

Darkness engulfed his vision for a moment as pain eroded his senses. When he came to everything around him was blurry, out of focus. There was a ringing in his ears, a static noise like you'd sometimes get when your radio had bad reception.

After a few moments, Naruto realized was lying in a crater of some kind. There was gravel all around him, he could see it out of the corner of his eyes. Up above was the night sky.

He thought he would be in pain, but for some reason, there wasn't. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything right now.

'Naruto!? Naruto! NARUTO!'

That voice? He knew that voice, didn't he? Yes, yes, he recognized it.

'K-Kyuubi...?'

'Stay with me, Naruto!' The Bijuu who had taken on the form of a beautiful woman sounded like she was on the verge of panic. Why did she sound so frightened? 'Don't pass out now! I need you to hang in there!'

Naruto could not say anything anymore, not even in his mind. His head felt like the gods had decided to play soccer with it. All he could do was nod as darkness crowded around at the edge of his vision. He could hear her screaming, but it sounded so far away, and he was tired...so tired. All he wanted to do right now was sleep.

The last thing he saw were three figures standing on the lip of the crater he'd made when his body hit the ground. The last thing he heard was someone yelling his name, mixed in with the sound of explosions.

'NARUTO!'

Before I end this chapter I would like to just say a few first.

First, I want to thank everyone who reads my fanfictions. Very few things give me greater joy than knowing you like reading my stories.

Second, I would like to thank everyone who plans on going onto Amazon and ordering a copy of "A Fox's Love." There are absolutely no words in the existence of man that can describe how grateful I am for your support.

And finally, I would like to mention the SOPA. Apparently it's back again. If you want to sign the petition to stop Obama and the government from trying to make fanfics illegal in America, please go onto google, type SOPA petition and sign it.