Fox Fire

Summery: Naruto and his team are on a mission to help guard a prince. Strange and creepy things have been happening in his land. Could it be magic? Maybe it has something to do with the Kitsune who have taken an interest in Naruto, who has now become one of them. Control your fox fire, Naruto! R&R plz

Naruto and its characters belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This is just a fanfiction. I make no profit. This was just written for fun. The only thing I own is my imagination and the OCs that appear. Like the foxes.

Chapter 1:

Naruto's latest mission takes him and his friends to a land he had never seen before. It took several days to get there. Along the way, he complained about how long it was taking and pressured his team to move faster. Otherwise he complained about how bored he was getting. If only Lee had come along. At least then he could have had a sparring partner and someone he could talk to who didn't give him strange looks when he asked certain things. Maybe it was because he and Lee were actually pretty similar. They made training out of nearly anything. Sometimes without realizing it. Naruto did it for fun and to pass the time. Lee did certain things because he thought it would make him stronger.

Sadly, Lee was on a mission with Gai and couldn't come along. Naruto was disappointed. He couldn't convince Sai to do these things. Whenever he asked, Sai would give him an odd look and ask why. Sometimes he acted curious which gave Naruto hope, but Sai was different. Even if he gave it a try, it just wasn't the same. It was more fun with someone else. Someone who didn't question so much.

Sakura would refuse no matter what he suggested and threatened to clobber him if he tried to force it upon her. Or if he brought it up more than twice. Sakura said she wouldn't degrade herself by doing something so stupid.

Neji was the same way. He always refused and called it foolish. He was always criticizing Naruto and Lee for doing such childish and unnecessary things. He would give them similar looks of disapproval and ignore them, no longer willing to voice how much he detested the subject.

Guess who he was blessed with on this mission. The three people he liked but had no idea how to have fun on missions.

Soon he would have something else to focus his attention on other than games to pass the time. They were about to reach the town. Now he was excited. He couldn't wait to get to the village. He ran ahead of the group, trying to catch a glimpse of their destination.

"Don't run. We'll get there," said Neji.

"It's about time we got there!" Naruto exclaimed. "How many days have we been walking? I can't wait!"

He got to the top of the hill and looked out at the massive stretch of land before him. It truly did look like a kingdom. There were so many buildings nestled in the middle of the land, large patches of green grass and a large forest located just beyond the buildings. The forest wrapped around several hills and a large pile of stone Naruto was sure was a small mountain. Cascading down its center was a narrow waterfall which disappeared into the trees below. It was a wonderful sight. Naruto started to picture himself diving over the edge and into a large pool of water at the bottom. That would have been fun.

"Ah, look at that place." Sakura was standing beside him looking at something else.

Opposite the waterfall was another hill which led away from the other buildings. Perched on that grassy hill was a large palace. It was so clean and bright, it stood out among everything else. It looked like a castle. Naruto couldn't see all of it because it was surrounded by large white walls.

"So there's a prince in there, right?" Naruto asked.

"That's who called for our help," said Sakura.

Naruto folded his arms. "I really hope this guy isn't a brat. It seems like every mission we get involving a princess or any kind of royalty, there's always a rude little brat who makes everything a huge pain in the butt."

"Let's give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I really hope this guy isn't a jerk."

Naruto and Sakura walked side by side as they entered the town. Outside the village, the shrubbery was unkempt and the grass was so tall it covered Naruto's legs. Sakura walked on the trail but Naruto veered off to look at something. It was a sign which welcomed travelers to the town. The wooden sign simply read: Ayahuasca.

As Naruto moved away, his foot knocked against something hard. He jumped back, elevating his throbbing toe. Something wooden was hidden in the tall grass. Naruto bent down, parting the grass with his hands. It looked like a wooden box. As he got closer, he realized the box contained a stone fox. This must have been a shrine. The fox sat under the wooden roof, eyes fixed straight ahead. Its posture gave it a serious and lonely look. Since this statue was all alone, Naruto couldn't blame it for looking lonely.

"Naruto, don't fall behind," Neji warned.

"Coming!" He abandoned the wooden shrine and followed after his friends.

The town seemed friendly enough. Children were laughing and playing, adults were talking and everyone seemed to be content with their lives. However, there was an older man who glared at them as they passed. When Naruto stared back, the man went into his home and shut the door. Naruto wanted to make a face at him but behind closed doors defeated the purpose.

As they got closer to the white walls, Naruto became more aware of the people watching them. Particularly the children. They pointed and gawked at the passing ninja with awed expressions. He overheard one of the children call him 'cool' which inspired him to puff out his chest with pride. Maybe showing them a jutsu or two would impress them. Just as he was preparing a hand-sign, he heard Sakura call to him.

"Naruto!"

"Coming! Coming!" Naruto ran to catch up. He would have to show off later.

Now that they were standing right in front of the walls, Naruto saw just how big they truly were. These walls were at least three times his size. He could barely see the tops of the trees poking out from over the walls. The hill wasn't very steep. The problem were the closed gates blocking their path. Naruto tried to push them open but he got a hard whack on the hand when he tried.

"Ow! Hey!"

Two guards stood on either side of the gate, wooden spears in their hands. As if the gate weren't protective enough. When Naruto tried to get around them, they shoved him back.

"Hey! I-"

Neji, as the team leader, interjected. "Excuse us. We're ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village. Your prince asked for our assistance."

The guards exchanged looks. Then they nodded and parted. The gates opened, allowing them passage,

"Thank you."

Naruto gave the guard who whacked him a foul look before entering the property. The gates closed behind him.

The palace was so elegant. It shined like a precious jewel in the sunlight, making Naruto's eyes sting. The stone walkway leading up to the front steps were polished and absent of even a single blade of grass. The grounds were entirely green. The grass in the front yard was trimmed perfectly. The shrubbery was cut into perfect round spheres and crescent moons. There was a fountain in the yard to his right, sparkling water trickling down into a marble pool with tiny animals carved into its side. Hedges lined the walls, trimmed into perfect squares, making the walls look embroidered with green felt. As they got closer to the building itself, they noticed a lot more plants. There were flowers everywhere, of all colors and sizes. The air smelled so sweet.

Naruto inhaled the sweet aroma as he passed through the large stone pillars to the front door, feeling welcomed.

The front doors opened with a loud groan and their footsteps echoed off the high ceiling of the main entrance. It was so wide with a large curved staircase leading to the second level straight ahead. A servant came to greet them and promised to show them to the prince. They went up the stairs to the next level and to the left.

The second level was carpeted and furnished elegantly. Paintings lined the walls on either side. Naruto stared open-mouthed at some of the images. Some were landscapes, some where seasonal, some were of people horseback riding and some were of children playing on swings or in a garden. The others were portraits, every one of a different person. Some were women, some were men, some were old, some were young, some were in the middle. Some were of couples, dressed in fancy, expensive outfits. Some were of young children, posing, making them look serious and bored. One in particular stood out to Naruto. It was of a young man, a little older than he was. He was frozen in the portrait with a surprised look on his face, as if someone had just yelled an inch from his ear as he was wrapped up in concentration. He looked really uncomfortable.

"What are you doing? Come on."

Naruto looked away from the painting and noticed that the rest of his team was walking into another room. Not wanting to be left behind, he jogged over to them and went into the next room.

This room was large, too. There were several small tables with potted plants on them resting against the walls. Large pillars lined either side, supporting a domed ceiling with a skylight. Naruto could see birds flying overhead through the glass. There were a couple of wooden benches along the walls as well in front of narrow stain-glass windows. Their footsteps didn't echo in this room thanks to the carpet leading up to a short flight of white steps. The servant prevented them from going up these stairs and told them to stay put. Naruto knew why. This was the throne room. At the top of those stairs was the prince.

Sure enough, there he was, sitting on his throne. His perch looked very comfortable, covered in pillows and silks. The back of his throne stretched halfway up the wall behind him. The prince was nearly three times smaller than the seat of this throne. Obviously, it was made for someone with a much wider girth. The prince himself was thin and young. He had dark brown hair and peach colored skin. His eyes were a chocolate brown. He was dressed in fine clothing and wore nothing on his feet except for a gold anklet.

As a matter of fact, he looked just like the boy in the painting Naruto had just seen in the hallway. However, this version didn't looked surprised at all. He looked kind and gentle. A boy content with his comfortable life and enjoyed his power as a prince. And a good-looking one at that.

"So," he said to the group. "What are your names, ninja of the Hidden Leaf?" He spoke with authority but it was clear that he was just a boy. Naruto was thankful that he didn't sound arrogant. At least not yet.

The ninja all bowed and introduced themselves.

"I am Neji Hyuga, Young Lord. I am the leader of this group."

"You can call me Sai, sir."

"I'm Sakura Haruno. It's an honor."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

The prince smiled at them kindly. "I am Prince Akio. I'm glad you've come." The prince seemed to be saying this to only one of the members of the group. His eyes were focused on the person beside Naruto.

"Prince Akio," said Neji. "Could you please tell us what you expect us to do for you on this mission? I understand you've been having some problems in your land."

Akio nodded. "Of course. I'll be happy to explain in further detail. But first things first. You must be tired from your long travel. Please join me for a meal. I must give you a proper welcome."

He had glanced at Neji only for a moment to say this then his gaze traveled back to the person he had been staring at.

"That is a great honor. Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," added Naruto.

"Thank you very much," said Sakura.

The prince's smile spread and he left his throne. He stepped down the stairs and over to the ninja. He stopped in front of Sakura and bent down. She was still kneeling on the ground so he had to do this in order to be at her level. As he bent down, he continued to stare at her and his smile deepened.

"Is there something wrong?" Sakura asked him.

The prince smiled so wide, he showed all his teeth. "You are lovely."

"What?"

"What?" Naruto turned his head.

The prince went on. "Yes. I don't mean to be so bold, but you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen."

Sakura's cheeks turned the same color as her hair. "Really? Well, thank you so much!"

Sai looked Sakura up and down. "He must have never left this castle to say that." The next second he was double over in pain after Sakura gave him a quick punch to the stomach.

The prince didn't seem to notice. "So you are a ninja as well? Doubtful. I'm certain you have skills but I have to wonder how someone so lovely can do such dangerous work and still look so refined. You have not a single scar on your body as far as I can tell."

Sakura blushed even harder. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"A ninja's job is so demanding and dirty. Why would you throw yourself into the muck and risk your life? You deserve so much more. A rare beauty such as yourself should be protected and preserved. Such risky chances... to lose something so precious."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the prince. Was he hitting on Sakura? In front of him? From the look of things, she seemed to enjoy it. Naruto couldn't help but feel jealous. Even threatened.

Neji cleared his throat loudly and the prince stopped.

"Please, join me in my dining hall. I've prepared a dinner in your honor."

Dinner was fantastic. The food was perfectly cooked and there were some dishes Naruto had never eaten before. The meal was held at a long polished table and the dishes were brought to them by bowing servants. Naruto and the rest of the boys got to sit on plush cushions and were given sleek wooden chopsticks to eat with. The ice water Naruto was given to drink could be felt going all the way down, freezing his throat and chest. Everything was great.

Expect for a few things. Things Naruto couldn't help but notice and complain about.

Sakura was given several cushions to sit on. She had a nice little pile of plush cushions and they looked to be a little more expensive than theirs. Her chopsticks were different, too. Hers were made of gold which weighed heavily in her hands. Her portion of rice was also larger than theirs. She was also given the best of the food before anyone else except for the prince. She was given both ice water and hot tea with her meal. To top it all off, she sat closest to the prince who sat at the head of the table.

Naruto kept giving him dirty looks throughout the meal. "Why does she get all that stuff and the best of everything?"

"If the prince has taken a liking to her, it's only natural for him to try to impress her," noted Sai.

That only made Naruto even more upset.

Akio asked Sakura a few things about herself and her training as a ninja. She answered all his questions and blushed at his complements and flattery. Naruto started to grind his teeth.

"I see. So you're a medic. Fascinating. You truly are skilled." The prince turned back to the rest of the group. "Alright. I supposed I've learned enough about my guests for us to get down to business."

"Just one guest..." Naruto muttered under his breath.

Neji took over the conversation from there. "Please tell us what you expect us to do. What seems to be the problem in this village? At first glance, everything seems to be quite normal."

Akio nodded. "Yes. I try not to alarm my people. Most of the issues we've been having are kept quiet from them. They don't need to get stressed out. One of the issues and the main reason I called for your assistance is because I've been getting threats and don't know who from."

"What sort of threats?"

"Oh, people saying they want to kill me and take my crown and hurt my people. The usual. It's common for a prince to get such threats. But we've also been having other problems as well. Some people in town have been reporting about strange things happening in the village. Nothing really dangerous. Things go missing in the middle of the night and are found the next morning in a different place. I think it's just pranks. Children, you know? Food has also gone missing at night, but that I believe are the animals that come down from the mountain at night and tear up the crops. Hardly anything I would worry about. There have been a few minor things but nothing I'm too worried about. I'm not sure if it's related or not but so far these things seem pretty harmless."

"We'll take everything into consideration. Is there anything else we should know?"

"Not that's worth mentioning. I'll let you know if I think of anything else."

"Thank you. Prince Akio, if I could ask, would it be possible for us to have a tour of your mansion and the property? It would make it easier for us if we have good placement of everything."

"Of course. I understand. I can give you a proper tour in the morning. As of now, I'll give you the basics."

"That will be fine. Thank you."

The prince began to gesture around the room. "There aren't many ways out of this building. The main gate which you just came from is the best and most direct way in and out of the mansion. So is the main door that leads into the foyer. Several hallways connect to the foyer, many of which are only used by the servants. My dwellings are mostly here on the second floor. The main stairs you used are the most direct way to this floor. There is a door leading to the back garden which is located on the other side of the mansion. This building is very big. It will take a while which is why I suggest I give you the full tour tomorrow. Until then, those are the main ways in and out of the building. One door in the back leading to the garden and the main doors up front. The servants will help you with anything else you may need. They'll show you to the washrooms and to your beds."

Naruto liked that idea very much. It sounded like he would have his own bed tonight and not have to camp again. A bath sounded pretty good, too.

"They'll help you with anything you may need. I'll be in my wing this evening. I am to be undisturbed during evening hours. Since I have so much work to do during the day, the night is the only time I have to rest and not be bothered and wish for it to remain that way. Not even the servants are allowed into my chamber at night. That rule was put in place for a reason. However, you are free to wander the rest of my mansion as you like."

"Are you guarded at night?" Neji asked.

The prince chuckled. "Oh, you needn't worry about that. I have plenty of guards to watch over the mansion around the clock. There are even ones pacing the hall outside my chamber to make sure no one enters or leaves. So tonight you should have a good rest. We are well protected."

"Then why are we needed if you are so well protected?" asked Sai. It was a legitimate question.

"Because the servants are worried about me and we all would like answers. So far no one has attacked me directly, but we have had threats and disturbances near the gate or on the grounds. We don't know who may be doing this, which is the main reason we asked for your assistance. We want answers and for there to be a stop to it."

"I see." Neji sat back, thinking. "Since you have so many guards, I'm not sure if we should keep watch ourselves on the off chance of them missing something. So far, it sounds like all we're being asked to do is wait around until something happens then act. Once it's inside."

"So far. At least until it gets worse." The prince made a gesture and the servants returned and collected their empty plates. "There will be more details in the morning. I have some work to do before I retire. Please, make use of the staff. The bath is being prepared as we speak. I've already had the servants prepare the rooms for you. Please enjoy yourselves for the time being. If you'll excuse me..."

The servants stopped what they were doing to bow to him as he stood up from the table. As the prince started to leave, he stopped for a moment to look at Sakura and smiled.

"I hope you enjoyed your meal, Miss Sakura."

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you."

He gave her a pleased smile and left the room, followed by two servants.

Naruto gripped his chopstick so tightly, they snapped in two.

Sakura shot him a look. "What's your problem?"

"My problem?! Where does he get off saying that stuff to you?"

"Naruto, he was just being nice."

"Nice my butt! He was all over you!"

Sai gave his head a small nod. "I did read once that a man will go out of his way to please a woman if he has romantic feelings for her."

"He isn't going out of his way," said Neji. "His servants are the ones doing it."

"Only because he ordered then to do so. It is on his command. The book said that men will do strange things and flatter the woman in an attempt to court her. It has a whole list of things. Buying her dinner is one. Gifts is another."

"She got special treatment!" Naruto screamed. "You saw how she had the best of everything during that meal!"

"I did say that if he was trying to impress her by doing these things, it must mean that he has an interest in her. And by interest I mean a romantic one."

"Not helping!"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you're jealous, Naruto."

"I'm not jealous! Now way!"

"Judging from your actions, you must be. Or you're angry with yourself by not making the first move and therefore failing to win her over in the first place."

"Really not helping, Sai."

"That's what the book said."

Neji took over from there. "Naruto, you're reading too much into this."

"Am I?"

"He only asked her how the meal was. If he's a prince, he must have been taught how to behave in certain situations, which includes how to speak to a woman. Usually, princes are taught to treat women with respect and in different ways, such as doing things for them first. A woman would be served first and be given the best food from the table. Ninja or not, she is still a woman to him therefore he would treat her a certain way."

"Yeah! He's a pervert!"

"He was just being nice and chivalrous," said Sakura.

"He called you beautiful!"

"That doesn't make him a pervert!"

"That's right," said Sai. "It just makes him a liar."

Sakura threw a plate at his head.

Then she turned her attention back to Naruto. "What are you so worried about? He's acting like a prince. He is a prince so all of this is fine. Just be happy we didn't get a bratty noble for once." Sakura then stormed out of the room, fuming.

The other servants looked at each other without a word. Neji had to wonder what the servants thought of them at this point.

Not bad for a start, right? Don't worry. This picks up fast.

Something very interesting happens in the next chapter... Ooh!

Please review! Thank you ^-^