Saa, saa. Um.. A story (WITH CHAPTERS!) that Ive been working on for many months now. Well.. Actually Im starting chapter 7 soon now, but Im so mean, Im going to make you guys wait until Im totally done... Well except for chapter 1. Im so impatient I want to claim my spot for the future awesomeness that Fortune's Fool will hold. Chapter 2 wont come until I finish the story.. or chapter 7... or if I can't resist the reviews.
...Which ever comes first.
Anyway, Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Ah! And uber awesome thanks to Impersonating-an-entity, my beta. Never could have done it without The Keeper. Thank you thank you! And you people out there to dumb to figure it out, this might help you--
Legend:
"Ramen!" - Aloud speech
'Damn!' - Thinking/ Thought speech
'Fool.' - Kyuubi thought speech
"Hark!" - Kyuubi Speaking
"Eh?" -Fox/misc speech
And without further a do...
Fortune's Fool
Chapter 1- Greatness
By Mirazhe1
Naruto moaned quietly, carefully, so as not to give away that he was yet alive and (somewhat) well to anyone who might still be close. Rubbing his head gingerly, he slowly propped himself up against a conveniently placed tree in the silent forest. He groaned quietly again.
Why were the villagers so... so... His six-year-old brain failed to conjure an adjective potent enough to describe the villagers' hatred. But nevertheless, why? Why kidnap him on his way home from ramen and take him to the empty forest? Why beat the poor boy bruised and bloody, those cold eyes ever watching, within inches of his pathetically lonely life? Then leave him in the dark of the misty forest, telling him not to dare come back to the village. Tears leaked over Naruto's faux whiskered cheeks. Why, why, why? Perhaps... Perhaps it would be better to just do as the villagers said: die in agony like the demon they said he was, and do everyone, especially the old man, a favor. Old Man Hokage, who was always trying to protect him from the hatred of the villagers, the cold eyes, and the snide comments, but too busy to do so every waking moment. But if Naruto disappeared, never existed, he would be out of Old Man Hokage's hair... Or what was left of it. Perhaps...
'Thou hast not lived, why shouldst thou perish so?'
Naruto started quickly, his eyes darting about for the deep yet comforting voice, finding nothing.
"Wha..." The six-year-old murmured as he pushed away from the tree to climb to his feet.
'I hight thee Kyuubi no Kitsune, kittling. Thou hast fallen into the abysmal pit of despair; hast thou not? Thou shall listen not to the belittlement of thine fellow citizens.'
Naruto blinked in confusion of these words, hardly making out many of them in the first place.
"Wh-who's there!" Naruto called into the dark nervously. Out of habit, the boy began his usual ,"Y-you should know, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konoha, s-so-"
'Hark!' The voice interrupted loudly. 'None but mine own ears know these words so well. Mine poor, beautiful ears, hast listened to these words many times over, since thou had the wondrous fancy to become this Hokage of Idiots. Fortune's fool, I must be!' The musical voice paused, then began again, but this time teasingly, 'Thou must have the intelligence of a thousand fools. Again, I hight thee Kyuubi no Kitsune.'
"K-k-kyuubi!" Naruto sputtered, his eyes darting round franticly as his young mind realized 'I hight thee...' was the equivalent of 'My name is...' But the Kyuubi was killed, by... by... That one gu- Yondaime! How could he be here? And were the hell was he, wasn't he supposed to be, like, a billion feet tall!
To the blonde's surprise, deep laughter filled his mind. 'Thine imagination flies over the clouds above. Fortunately for me and mine, I was killed not, but sealed into thine own stomach, for thou is a vessel. Thine Yondaime Hokage hadst not the strength to defeat me, so sealed mine mind and power in thee.' Kyuubi chuckled. 'If mine hight hadst been "a billion feet", I had been the sky itself, foolish kittling. No, the King of Frogs defeats me in mass easily.'
"You can hear me thinking... Then..."
'Yes, kittling, I reside within thee. And for appearance of sanity, if only appearance's sake (Kyuubi chuckled teasingly at this), thou shouldst speak to me only within thine own mind.'
Naruto plopped back down to the ground, stunned at this news. The greatest of all demons was sealed inside him, talked like a weirdo (at this Kyuubi protested animatedly), and apparently wasn't the bloodthirsty evil thing everyone took him for.
'So... All of this time... Everyone called me a demon and a monster and looked at me mean... Because of you?' The poor boy said carefully.
'And my deepest apologies for it, kittling. Thou hast lived through many evils, because of me, and I shall make it up to thee.'
'Make it up to...'
'Thou harps continuously of thine fancy to become acknowledged. I shall guide thee to that goal, and beyond. As I was King of the Demons, thou shall be King of the Shinobi, stronger than any and all. I shall also have a strong vessel in mind and body, thus I am fortunate and content. As long as thou voweth to create a new name for fox demons, I shall aid thee. I fear I have created a rather nasty reputation for us foxes.' Naruto could just imagine the smile on Kyuubi's face as his own grew to monstrous proportions.
'So you'll teach me a bunch of jutsu and I'll be all strong!' The blonde was nearly dancing with excitement and Kyuubi merely chuckled at the boy's antics.
'Thou hast The All Powerful Kyuubi no Kitsune at thine disposal and all thou can thinketh of are Jutsu? What a piece of work is man!' Kyuubi chuckled once again. 'Think, Kittling, for any powerful being must have a clear mind to use its power with. Before thou can start any kind of training, thou must think everything through.'
'Well give me my robe and put on my crown!' He paused. 'How do I know you're not trying to trick me?'
'Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.' The fox said wisely. Naruto pondered for a moment and slowly agreed.
'So... That means I have to go back to my apartment to get supplies?' queried Naruto. Kyuubi merely made a happy affirmation, as the blonde silently wondered why he wouldn't need rest first. Last he had been aware, he had been seriously injured from gashes and bruises. Jumping back to reality for a moment, Naruto stretched, happy to find his wounds gone and not the least bit sore from it. Kyuubi no Kitsune's power already at work, he guessed.
Near skipping in excitement, Naruto made his way to Konoha's gates in earnest. A mere half-hour ago, he had been drowning in despair to the point of death from the villager's treatment and lack of love. No one, not his newly appointed Academy Teacher Iruka-sensei, not his care taker, not the villagers, and hardly even Old Man Hokage even gave him a second glance, and when they did, it was hardly a happy experience. And yet, in all of the darkness, a light shined through, a beacon of hope, for someone had cared enough of his well being. How odd it was though, that this light had been within him from the beginning. And how odd that his light wasn't even human, but a demon, supposed to be evil and condemning, while the humans around him hated him like a demon would hate a human. Rather ironic... Kyuubi merely chuckled quietly at his six-year-old vessel's musing, wondering how such an obnoxious child could be so insightful and wise.
Lost in thought, Naruto nearly missed the fact that he was arriving at the gates, but he did notice the guards visibly stiffen as he came into view. He recognized a familiar high ponytail and dark scar across the nose of one of the group, and his shoulders sunk a little. Approaching, the guards quickly moved into his path, though Iruka a little more hesitantly. As the vessel tried to move around them, they merely blocked his way once more.
"Hey! Are you guys gonna let me in or what!" The six year old cried loudly at the guards.
"Silence, little Demon-spit! You will treat your betters with respect!" One guard retorted, back-handing Naruto. The boy stumbled to keep balance, but fell in the end.
'Patience, kittling. Thou shall not rush to battle so quickly.' Kyuubi said calmly, fighting to calm the raging boy. 'Shouldst thou throw thine self to this chuunin and merely be beaten into embarrassment for the attempt?'
'No...' The boy grudgingly replied. 'But what do we do now; I can't get to my apartment for supplies!'
'Hnmmm... Thou might think 'Oh villain, villain, smiling, damned villain', but this may work to our advantage, kittling. Merely turn and walk back into the forest. There we shall commence survival training.' Naruto could practically see Kyuubi's grin.
Though the vessel was not one to make an abrupt exit, kicking a large amount of dirt and adding an obscene gesture was enough for him. Little did the guards and Iruka know, it was the last they would see of the "Demon-spit" for a long while...
Naruto sighed as he stalked through the bright, yet misty forest. Two... Three... And a half months had passed since Kyuubi lightened the boy's life with glee, and the fox was quite... Interesting (hearing this, the praise happy demon practically purred). Much had happened over those three and a half months, much to the pleasure of the vessel, from learning to survive in the forest (though, he had a lot of help) to learning to control chakra for simple jutsu such as Henge (which came in handy for the afore mentioned survival). He wasn't even sure how far he had strayed from Konoha, but from what he remembered, wherever he was now, was much colder and wetter than Konoha ever was. Unfortunately, his clothes had quickly become worn and torn and, definitely not wanting to run around in the nude in the cold weather, had put his knowledge to the test to catch rabbits and other small game (and even a bear once, when he had gotten lucky) for clothing and such.
Speaking of rabbits, Naruto silently slunk forward, his target happily munching away at some new spring buds. Unfortunately, the wind shifted unexpectedly and his downwind advantage was lost. He was good, but not great.
With a twitch of its nose, the rabbit bolted forward with a kick-
-right into the awaiting jaws of a red fox. Once again Naruto sighed, but this time at the irony. Oh well, he'd live on the rest of his rations for a little while longer... Again. As he began to turn, leaving the young vixen to its meal, he paused at the sound of a light yip. As the fox began to talk, the vessel could only pick out a few words, so he grudgingly gathered a small amount of Kyuubi's chakra to his ears. The more he gathered it to understand other foxes, the less he had to use it, but was still rather annoying to do.
"Thou hast cornered mine food for me, saving the trouble of catching it. As thanks, surely thou would like to share mine den for the night?"
At this, Naruto's eyes shot open to the size of saucers. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! I-I'm t-too young for that! Pervert!" To his surprise, the vixen's jaw dropped with a hissing laughter.
"Thou must have the intelligence of a thousand fools! Mine mate would happily maim if he found me with another fox... Even one as handsome as you," The vixen said with a purr and a flick of her fluffy tail. The six year old blinked and rubbed the back of his head; regardless of what the fox said he was in desperate need of a haircut. It was starting to become as wild as the famous Yondaime's porcupine head. "No, I merely offer thee a warm dwelling and bed for the night."
Naruto gave an embarrassed smile. "...Ok, Sure, sounds good." With a foxy smile, and a flick of her tail, the vixen bounded off with the rabbit in her mouth. Naruto, not wanting to be left behind, followed quickly. Fortunately, when he fell behind due to thick underbrush or tripped over a root, the fox would slow to a stop and look back, waiting for the clumsy boy to catch up. Finally, they made it to a small cave which the vixen darted into. Naruto followed a little more cautiously.
Fortunately for the foxes, it was a rather roomy den, but Naruto, even though he was a rather small six-year-old, had to duck in. Inside, the vixen dropped the now rather dirty rabbit and yipped a few times. It was quickly replied by a flurry of yelps and growls, unintelligible even to Naruto's chakra enhanced ears. Then, bounding into what little light there was in the den, came five little fox cubs, the sixth lagging behind slightly, but just has happy to see its mother.
'Peer upon my beautiful cousins. They must be strength incarnate.' Kyuubi said proudly, mentally puffing out his chest. Naruto smiled; they looked pretty cute and harmless to him.
"These are mine kittlings; they are young and speechless yet, so search not for a decent conversation." The vixen explained, gazing lovingly at her children. The vessel grinned at this and held out his hand to the group of brawling fox kits. However, their fight fell to a halt when they noticed the strange (and, from their view, huge) creature. Then, the boldest snorted, puffed out its chest and strode forward defiantly, nose held high to sniff the strange beast. It then turned up its nose with a sniff and closed its eyes, only to quickly crouch, and pounce playfully at Naruto's chest. The rest followed quickly (except for one), causing him to tumble backward. The vixen skillfully dodged out of his flight path.
"Oh, what a work are they!" Cried the vixen in dismay and Naruto merely laughed through the happy tongues licking his face. As he was attacked by these slobbery welcomes, something caught the corner of his eye. There, off to the side, was the sixth fox kit, sitting patiently even with its scrawny build. Considering the size of the other kits, it was most definitely the runt of the litter. Kyuubi's chakra flared of its own accord and was gone as quickly as it came, unnoticed by all but Naruto and the kit. The fox kit nodded knowingly and trotted off to join its siblings in their feast of rabbit.
Naruto pondered on this the rest of the night, as the foxes slept, until exhaustion took him.
As Naruto woke up, he found the vixen and the cubs in distress. The vixen paced around something, the cubs following closely behind, licking her muzzle in hopes of reassurance but finding none. The yips and barks proceeded in such speed that Naruto could barely make anything out before he gathered some of Kyuubi's chakra to his ears once more.
"Oh woe me, woe me, mine poor kittling. Runt he may be, but he is dying, Inari, dying!" cried the vixen in despair as she paced around the sixth fox kit, who lay limply on the ground. Immediately, Naruto tried to calm her as much as he could, but she heard none of his comforts. As much as he wanted to help the fox kit, he was just beginning training and only knew the fewest jutsu, let alone healing ones.
Suddenly, for the second time in under a few hours, Kyuubi's chakra flared without Naruto's control and shot to the fox kit, giving it strength. It shuddered for a moment, and managed to clamber to all fours and bow its head to the vessel. The vixen and remaining fox kits finally stilled, looking stunned.
"O King of the Fox and Demons, Messenger of Inari, and Wise One, I hight thee Tenko, and I consent," said the tiny fox kit.
'So wise, so young, they say do never live long.' Replied Kyuubi sadly, unheard by anyone save Naruto. Before the vessel could question the fox's motives, he interrupted with: 'Hark quickly, kittling, I long for a body of mine own once again, to live in and to train thee with ease; however, I need consent from thee, for thou hast the choosing word. Thou couldst cancel this at any point, if thou wishes it, and this kittling's body would become feeble, weak, and still as death once again; it merely costs a small amount of mine chakra.' Kyuubi paused, then continued: 'The majority of mine power would stay with thee, for it takes the littlest amount of will for a being such as myself to move and see through a body. This kittling hast made a consent, for he knows he hast little time to live, mentally and physically, so it is now up to thee.'
Naruto barely gave it a second thought, seeing no consequences. 'I consent.'
Immediately, Kyuubi's chakra surged from the seal to the fox kittling. It merely closed its eyes, exhaled, and then didn't take a breath for a long while, still standing there. It slowly grew in size, to match its siblings in health and plumpness. Then, it inhaled deeply and reopened its eyes to show the fiery red of Kyuubi's own eyes, where before they were merely hazily-brown.
"Ah, how wondrous to fill lungs with life-giving air once again! I feel as though I could dance with joy!" Cried Kyuubi from the fox kit's mouth. Naruto laughed loudly.
"The Great Baka Kitsune is the size of a rat." The vessel gave a foxy smile and poked the fox demon in the side, making him topple over. Naruto snickered.
"O woe upon woes, I have been reduced to the size of the smallest kit! I, King of Demons! Surely Inari laughs at my misfortune," Kyuubi cried in dismay. Naruto's snicker grew to a laugh once again. "Tread lightly, Hokage of Fools, for I am still King of the Fox and can call upon all of mine servants to harass thee for the rest of eternity!" The vessel was quickly silenced, and Kyuubi gave his own foxy smile of triumph. "They may laugh now, but mine puny body shall grow and together we shall create a new name for all fox kind."
Naruto's face slowly lit up into a true foxy smile. "Yah, we shall."
Woohoo the end of chapter 1. Chapter 2 will come... someday.. Youll just have to keep a look out for it. Naruto will be in for a heck of a surprise when he returns to Konoha and sees all thats happened. Cough cough wink wink nudge nudge. Anyway, another thanks to Impersonating-an-entity and awsome beta-ness.
'azhe out.