The Kitsune and the Neko
Summary: An outcast and a princess. Both living different lives, yet they both have something in common. What will happen when they find each other?
Alternate Universe; A few OCs and many OOCs
Rated T for mild to, possibly, medium language. May raise the rating later on for safety.
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Arc 1: The Early Years
Chapter 1: Fated Encounter
It was dark and raining when he took off from that horrible place. He should be asleep by this time. Unfortunately, he can't sleep. He had to run, run from the one who kicked him out of that place for something he did not do. He was accused of endangering the other children. The truth was much different than what that mean lady says it is. He was being treated like garbage by everyone, even the other kids, there. Why, you might ask? He doesn't quite know.
Right now, he's running towards the only person he knows who could help him. He's been running for five minutes straight, staying just ahead of the one who's chasing him. How a five-year-old boy who hasn't eaten anything decent in days, weeks maybe, can stay ahead of a mean lady in her early forties is beyond anyone's, even the boy's, comprehension. And to make matters worse, two minutes into the chase, some of the villagers who saw said chase either cheered for the boy's death or joined the chase altogether. Now, there's a mob of villagers chasing a helpless little boy for no general reason the boy could possibly think of. To the mob, on the other hand, they're about to rid their home village of a demon. Why anyone would call such a child that is ridiculous.
When the boy finally saw his destination, a large red building with the kanji for 'fire' on the front, up ahead, he tripped and slid across the wet ground. The mob smirked evilly, seeing their chance to strike. Once they've reached the boy, they started hitting him with anything they have in their hands. Either that or they would punch and kick him hard. All the while shouting what the boy had supposedly did to them in the past. If they were actually smart, they would have realized that it would be impossible for someone not even a hour old to attack a hidden village and kill hundreds of trained ninja and civilians, including the strongest of them all, the Fourth Hokage.
This is what a woman in her early twenties has surmised when she was walking home. She's wearing a simple sea-blue kimono with silver trim and a silver obi. Her hands and feet are adorned with black fingerless gloves and sea-blue cloth boots with silver trim. Her sapphire blue eyes gaze down at the boy with sadness and heartache. Her midnight blue hair seems to shine in the moonlight as it flows down to the small of her back. The kimono does give hints towards her figure. She obviously has curves in all the right places. What it hides well is that she is also well-trained in combat.
Her eyes quickly go from sadness to anger when she saw a sharp weapon poised to take the boy's life. She quickly vanished without a trace, only to appear before the boy, holding the weapon in her hand, now aimed at the one who originally had it.
"What do you think you're doing, harming a helpless child?" the woman yelled angrily.
Most of them shuddered at the woman's killing intent. It was so massive, it could compare to the Hokage's own. "J-Just d-destroying a d-demon." one of the men have responded after a brief moment, clearly terrified of this woman.
The woman looked at the boy and back at them before saying, "I see no demon here. All I see is a little boy and a bunch of idiots who tried to take their problems out on the poor child."
"Lady, that's no child. That's a demon fox!" one of the women said to her that wasn't trembling in fear.
"A demon fox, you say..." she said lightly while gazing at the child with interest. The mob seemed to relax when she turned her free hand towards the boy. They all thought that she was going to strangle him. But they were proven wrong when she started to stroke his messy blond hair that's stained with blood. They were even more surprised when her hands produced a strange soft bluish-green flame that started healing his wounds. With a serine smile on her face, she says in a sweet and gentle voice that could melt the hearts of all, "All I see is a little boy who probably wants someone to talk to, play with or even take care of him until he can do so on his own. He needs someone to turn to. A confidant that he can trust with even his darkest secrets. Someone he can consider precious to him." She then scaned the entire mob surrounding her with a sad face. "Is that so wrong? Is it such a crime to seek out companionship? Are you all so heartless to deny him such a thing when you all have it yourselves? If so, then you are the true demons here." She then picked the boy up and vanished in a flurry of white rose pedals.
xxxxx
Watching the whole thing with his crystal ball, an old man in his sixties smiled at the mysterious woman's kindness towards the boy who was coming to see him for protection and guidance. Getting up from his chair, he vanished from his office when he saw where the woman has teleported off to.
xxxxx
Deep in the forest surrounding the village, a fairly large house stands hidden in the foliage that the forest provides. It's two stories tall and built to match the scenery. Appearing in a whirlwind of white rose pedals is the dark-haired beauty with the blond-haired boy safely in her arms. While the boy was resting, he turned towards the woman and wrapped his arms around her the best he could, a small smile on his face. The woman smiled and kissed his forehead before walking towards the door. Before she reached it, though, she stopped when she felt a presence appear behind her.
"Excuse me, miss." came a deep voice from said presence.
"Good evening, Lord Hokage. To what do I owe the honor of your presence." she said in a sweet and respectful voice without even turning around to face him.
The Hokage raised an eyebrow, not knowing that the woman could tell it was him and not someone else.
"I can tell because I knew you would come. But it might be best to take this inside for the boy needs his rest." Without another word, the woman walked into the house once the door mysteriously opened. The Hokage's curiosity grew as he entered the forest home.
Inside, the woman sat the boy onto the couch before forming a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." she whispered. Two exact replicas of herself shimmered into existence. One walked into the kitchen to prepare some tea for her and her guest. The other clone sat by the boy's side and proceeded to clean him up while running her hand through his fur-like hair. The real woman escorted the Hokage into the dining room where they both take a seat at the table. Once seated, she did some more hand signs. "Sound Suppression Jutsu." she whispered. The room glowed a soft green for a brief moment.
Once the glow was gone, she smiled at the old man. "Surprised?" she asked.
"Very. I didn't know you knew such a useful array of jutsu." the Hokage replied. He then adopted a serious face. "Do you know why I am here?"
"Yes I do. You saw the mob attack the boy with your crystal ball and also saw me rescue him, tend to his wounds and carry him to my home hidden in your village's vast forest. Did I miss anything?" she said, taking a serious tone like man before her.
The Hokage nodded. "Is there something you're not telling me?" he asked.
"What do you mean, Lord Hokage?" she asked innocently.
"The fact that your killing intent was nearly a match for my own when it concerns the boy. Also, I can sense that you are not human nor are you a threat." the Hokage pointed out. "What exactly are you?"
The woman sighed. 'He's as good as Lady Suzaku says he is.' she thought to herself. 'Well, I can't lie to him about what I am. But he can't know the whole story yet, not before my charge does.' "All right, then. What I'm about to tell you is more secret than the Nine-Tailed Fox being sealed into the boy over there." she said so serious, the Hokage doubt even he could protest. With a nod of understanding from the elderly Fire Shadow, she continued. "My name is Yuki Youko. What I am is what humans call a fox demon. But there are two kinds of demon foxes in the world: a youko and a kitsune. What I am is a kitsune, unlike Lord Kyuubi, who is a youko."
"Lord Kyuubi?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
She nodded. "Yes. Lord Kyuubi is the guardian of the Land of Fire as well as master of the void element. He's one of the strongest amongst the Kyuu no Bijuu, or Nine Tailed Beasts in human tongue, but prefers to protect his territory from threats." Yuki paused so the Hokage can absorb what she's told him so far. "Five years ago, I foresaw the events of his rampage and imprisonment as well as the ones responsible for them. I came here to watch over the boy as well as prepare him for what's to come. He'll eventually face the one who had caused Lord Kyuubi to go into a berserker state in the first place." She then took on a slightly pleading look. "Please allow me to become the boy's caretaker. He needs someone in his life besides you and Lady Tsunade. I don't know what she is to him nor where she is, but he needs friends and someone to teach him what he needs to know to survive. I can do that for him in more ways than one."
The Hokage sighed. He knows that he can't protect the boy all the time. Even his private guards can't do so. "Very well. He can stay here with you if you wish to adopt him."
"No. I cannot adopt him because I must keep my presence in your village at a minimum if possible. Plus, I was ordered not to adopt him by one of my superiors. I don't trust your Council of Elders, especially your old teammates and that warhawk named Danzou. I foresaw that they will attempt to cripple the boy's heart in the future. How, I am not too sure. They'll use any excuse possible to get him executed, exiled or even force him to commit suicide. I won't allow any of those scenarios to happen to him." she said firmly.
"Neither will I. Although he isn't safe in the village either. He'll just keep coming under attack by angry mobs of villagers and shinobi for something that's physically impossible for any newborn child to do, demon or otherwise." the Hokage stated. He then adopted a thinking pose. "Maybe I can get him an apartment to live in where he'll be safe from the villagers and even the ninja against him. That is, if you're not okay with him living with you here."
"I don't mind him staying here, Lord Hokage. But is there such a place where he'll be safe besides here with me?" Yuki asked.
"Yes. I have assigned a couple of ANBU years ago to protect the boy at all times. I might be able to convince them to move to a place where the boy will still be protected from idiots like that mob from earlier, even at home. No one in this village would dare attack him if he lived near or even with one of the ANBU Black Ops." the Hokage replied.
"He probably doesn't even know he's being protected, does he?" she asked with a smile.
"Not at all." he replied with his own smile. "He knows that I'm protecting him, but that's about it."
xxxxx
In the other room, the blond boy suddenly sneezed. Seeing this, Yuki's shadow clone quickly transformed before the boy could wake up completely. Once then boy opened his eyes, he was greeted by a magnificent sight. Perched on top of his chest is a gorgeous seven-tailed fox with sea-blue fur and ocean-blue eyes. His hand reached up and gently pet the furry critter to find its fur to feel like soft silk. The boy heard it purr as it nuzzled his hand. Wrapping his small arms around the fox, he pulled it closer to him and snuggled up to it.
"She seems to have taken a liking to you." was the melody that suddenly graced his ears.
"It seems that way, doesn't it." came another, and very familiar, voice to the boy.
Looking towards the voices, he saw the Hokage and a woman he has never seen before. "Sarutobi, is that you?" he asked slowly, still a little tired.
"Yes it is, my boy." the old man, now named Sarutobi, said to the boy. "Let me introduce your savior to you." Before he could though, said savior cut him off.
"Yuki Youko. And you must be Naruto Uzumaki, am I correct?" she said. 'I can't tell him that's he's cuddling with one of my shadow clones. But he'll know soon, though. He really is a sweet child.' she mused.
"How did you know my name?" Naruto asked out of curiosity.
"Well, that would be the Hokage's doing." Yuki said as she approached the boy. She sat by him and started to run her delicate fingers through his hair as her clone snuggled up to him more.
Sarutobi let out a jolly laugh at the attention the boy's getting. He even saw a small blush developing on the boy's tan cheeks. "It seems as though they've taken a liking to you, kid."
"And why wouldn't we? He's just so cute!" Yuki squealed lightly as her clone licked his whiskered cheeks happily before nuzzling said cheeks.
Liking the attention he's getting, he snuggled up to the vixen even more and moved closer to the woman. Yuki smiled as she placed him on her lap and started to sing softly. Her song is both sweet and relaxing. Despite being an adult and a well trained fighter, she's acting like a teenage girl who just received a new cuddle buddy to snuggle with at night. After a minute of singing to them, Naruto and the seven-tailed vixen fall asleep in Yuki's arms.
Stopping her song early once the boy fell asleep, she dispelled her clone and placed him back on the couch, a loving smile gracing her features. "I really wish I could adopt him. He's just so adorable! Although my three daughters might say the same thing." She then turned to Sarutobi. "He's around their age, you know. I just know they'll get along quite well."
"Is that part of the reason why you can't adopt him?" Sarutobi asked.
"Yes. Who knows how they'll feel for each other when they get older. They might like him as a brother, or they might end up falling in love with him. Who's to say, really." said Yuki. "If you don't mind, I would like to know more about Naruto, if I can. Don't worry, I won't tell him anything he shouldn't know until he is ready to handle it."
Taking a moment to think it over, Sarutobi nodded. "All right, I'll tell you who Naruto really is. Keep in mind that this is a SS-class secret, not to be told to him until he is either sixteen years old or has reached the rank of chūnin. Also, no one else is to know that you know and you must not tell anyone about this. Is that understood." After receiving a nod from Yuki, they both take a seat in the dining room and use a variety of privacy jutsu to prevent this information from getting out too soon.
xxxxx
The next day, Naruto woke up to the sound of soft and sweet singing. He sat up a bit and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He quickly discovered that he's in the living room of the house of that woman, Yuki. Said room contains a couch, two comfy chairs, a coffee table between them, a TV in front of the couch and end tables on both sides of the couch. One of the end tables has a lamp while the other has a few framed pictures on it. The walls are painted a forest green with a bit of brown mixed in to make it look like the color of both wood and leaves. He looked towards the source of the singing, only to find a girl around his age sitting in one of the chairs near him. She has shoulder-length dark blue hair and eyes as blue as his own. The girl is wearing a dark blue tank top with a white t-shirt underneath and dark blue pants. Even to Naruto's five-year-old mind, the girl is very pretty.
The girl suddenly stopped singing when she felt a pair on eyes on her. She looked at the boy on the couch and smiled. "Oh, I see you're awake." she said to him as Naruto sat up on the couch and stretched a bit. The girl sounded soft-spoken to him. "I'm Tsuki Youko. You must be Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" Naruto nodded, wondering how she knew his name. "Mommy told me who you were before I came in here." she explained to him, seeing his questionable look.
"She's right, Naruto." Yuki said, entering the room. She's currently wearing a sea-blue top with silver trim and a long dark blue skirt. She also has a white apron on that says 'Foxy Chef' on the front. "Tsuki is one of my three daughters. I'll introduce the others to you during breakfast. But first, let me show you to your room so you can get cleaned up." She then took his hand and took him upstairs. Once they got up there, they saw another girl the same age as Tsuki and just as pretty. The difference between the two is that this girl has long silver hair tied in a tight ponytail and a different, yet similar, outfit. This girl is wearing a sky-blue tank top with a white t-shirt underneath and dark blue shorts. "Ginko, perfect timing. This is Naruto, the boy I told you about. Naruto, this is Ginko, another one of my daughters." Yuki said, introducing them to each other.
"Hi." Ginko said, waving at the boy in front of her. 'He's cute.' she thought to herself.
"Hello." Naruto greeted a little shyly.
"Don't be shy. I'm not gonna hurt you." Ginko says to him in a kind tone.
Naruto nodded before he was guided down the hall by Yuki while Ginko gives him one last look before heading downstairs.
Yuki guided Naruto into a room down the hall. The room is mostly bare. It has a bed, a nightstand with a lamp and an alarm clock on it, a desk with a chair and an empty bookshelf. On the desk is a small box that's labeled 'Naruto's stuff'. "This will be your room." Yuki said, gaining the little boy's attention. "The Hokage has allowed me to take care of you until a certain time. I can't tell you how long because you're not ready to know just yet. But I will tell you this much." She then kneeled down to his level and turned him around to face her. "I was asked by your mother before you were born to take care of you if, for some reason, she couldn't."
Wide-eyed, he asked, "You knew my mom? Who was she? What was she like?"
"Whoa, slow down there, kit. There's no need to get excited." Yuki told him. "I wish I could tell you who your mother was, Naruto. I really do. Unfortunately, you're not ready to know." She would have continued if Naruto didn't cut her off.
"And why not? She's my mom! I gotta know!" he yelled, upset that this woman won't tell him who his mother is. 'Just like Sarutobi.' he grumbled mentally.
"I can't tell you because of the many enemies she has in this village and abroad." Yuki said sternly, calming the boy down. His confused gaze caused her to elaborate. "You see, she was a legendary kunoichi who has done many great things in her lifetime. Some of these things some people hate her for. So, as her son, they would want to kill you for the things she did as a way to hurt her, even in the grave. Do you understand?" The little boy nodded. "If she were still here, she would be able to protect you from them. However, because she isn't, no one can know that you are her son. If they do, your life is basically forfeit. Despite your age, they would kill you without hesitation." She pulled him into her arms and held him as he began to cry. "Don't cry, little one. That's why I'm here. Your mother asked me to protect you from them. I'm sorry I haven't found you sooner. Apparently, the people here don't like you for some reason. Whatever it is, it is probably a stupid reason if they chased you like that when I found you."
Remembering the events from last night, Naruto hugged the woman. "Thank you for last night."
Yuki smiled and kissed his forehead. "It's what I do. I'm a mother after all and I can't sit by and see a child be treated so cruelly." After they pulled away, she ruffled his hair a bit. "Now, remember what I told you about your mother?" Naruto nodded. "Good. You must not tell another soul about it. If you do, they might get suspicious. And if that happens, they could find out who she was. And if that happens..." She purposely trailed off so he can figure it out himself.
Naruto paled as the implications sunk in. "They'll kill me." he whispered in a frightened tone.
Yuki brought him into her arms again. "Yes, they will kill you. So you must never tell anyone about her, not even your best friend or my daughters. This is to protect you, little one." she whispered to him. Once she felt him nod again, she pulled away. "Now go get dressed and cleaned up. After breakfast, we're going to get you some new clothes and some supplies. You'll need them for I'm gonna be teaching you about the world." He nodded again as he went to the box with his things to get his clothes. "Oh, and one more thing." she added as she has forgotten something. "Two doors to your right is the bathroom. You can wash up in there. Do you need any help?" Seeing him shake his head, she turned to leave the room. "Okay then. Call me if you need anything. I can hear you no matter where you are in the house." she added as she left the boy's new room.
xxxxx
Twenty minutes later, Yuki looked around and saw that her daughters were waiting in the living room. However, Naruto wasn't with them. "Kouen, could you be a dear and see if Naruto is ready? I'm just about finished with breakfast." she asked.
Sitting on the couch, a young girl with maroon eyes looked at the woman and replied, "Yes, Mommy." She is the same age as Tsuki and Ginko with beyond shoulder-length red hair tied in a high ponytail and maroon eyes. She's dressed in a midnight blue tank top with a white t-shirt underneath, a midnight blue skirt that goes to just above the knee and tight black shorts. She got up and headed upstairs, only to find a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy standing in front of her when she got to the top of the flight. He's garbed in a brown t-shirt and grey shorts while holding a pair of black sandals. His attire looked a bit old and worn down. She inwardly frowned, not wanting to worry or upset the boy. 'Such a sad child, he is.' she thought as she looked into his eyes, almost losing herself in them. After a moment, she saw the boy grow a little nervous. 'Whoops.' she thought, slightly blushing from staring at him. "Sorry about that. You must be Naruto, the boy Mommy told me about?" she kindly asked. When he nodded, she continued. "I'm Kouen. It's nice to meet you." She smiled at him. "Mommy said that breakfast is almost ready." He nodded again before they both headed downstairs.
Once they got downstairs, Yuki's voice was heard throughout the house. "Come and get it, my little kits. Breakfast is ready." Naruto and the three girls entered the kitchen and sat at the breakfast table. The table was set up for five people with a chair for each, plus a few extra chairs for guests. Yuki placed the food she cooked on the table. There were buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and buttermilk biscuits. To drink, they had milk, apple juice and orange juice. There was also a bottle of maple syrup.
After everyone served themselves and helped serve each other, which Yuki gave Naruto a quick lesson on general manners as well as table manners and etiquette. "Okay. Since we all have met you Naruto, it's time we all introduce ourselves. That way, we can learn a few things about you and vice versa." Yuki began. "I'll go first so you'll know how it's done." She then cleared her throat. "My name is Yuki Youko. I like flowers, especially white roses, snow, the ocean and I love my three lovely daughters." Said daughters smiled. "I dislike intense heat, snakes, dogs as well as ignorance, arrogance, perverts and those who insult, harm or are mean to women and children. My hobbies are gardening, reading, singing, dancing, painting, cooking and ice sculpting. My dreams for the future are to see my kits happy and to be a grandmother." she finished with a dreamy look in her eyes. She then looked a Kouen and nodded.
"My name is Kouen Youko. I like helping others, cooking, dancing and I love my mom and my sisters. I dislike the cold, snakes, dogs, arrogant people and those who insult, harm or are mean to my mom, my sisters or my friends. My hobbies are reading, singing, dancing, learning new recipes and training with my practice sword. My dream for the future is to be a great sword mistress like my idol, the Red Death." Kouen's eyes shone with confidence and determination. Naruto found Kouen's attitude admirable. She then looked at Ginko and nodded.
"My name is Ginko Youko. I also like to help others, learning and I absolutely love singing, dancing, my mom and my sisters. I dislike sharks, snakes, dogs, mean people and those who think females are weak. My hobbies are reading, singing, dancing, training with my tonfa and gazing at the moon. And to be honest, I haven't really though of any dreams for the future." Ginko's expression was one of slight embarrassment, but was quite happy and cheerful, something Naruto oddly found cute. She then looked at Tsuki and nodded.
"My name is Tsuki Youko. I like to help others out too, gardening and I love the rain, my mom and my sisters. I dislike snakes, dogs, wolves and those who pick on others. My hobbies are reading, gardening, singing, dancing, especially in the rain, and painting. My dreams for the future are to grow a vast garden full of beautiful flowers and paint it for my father." Tsuki's eyes shone with such kindness and happiness, Naruto felt comforted by her. She then looked at Naruto and nodded.
"Um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like flowers and the forest. I dislike mean people, snakes and foxes." The four females frowned at that last one, but Naruto didn't notice. "I don't have any hobbies, but I would like to learn how to garden and draw someday. I also don't have any dreams for the future because of something I rather not talk about. It'll only upset you." Naruto's eyes showed so much fear and sadness towards the end that Yuki almost cried since she can sense the emotions of others.
"Naruto, why do you dislike foxes?" Kouen asked, her natural curiosity getting the best of her.
Yuki felt Naruto's fear grow when Kouen asked her question. "I-I r-ra-rather n-not s-say." he stammered out.
"Naruto, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, okay?" Yuki kindly told him before giving Kouen a look when she saw her about to ask again. Naruto nodded and calmed down. 'I'd better find out what happened that frightened him so badly before the girls do.' she though to herself. 'There's no way he'll tell them. I'm sure of it.'
xxxxx
After breakfast, Yuki pulled her daughters away before summoning a shadow clone to speak with Naruto alone.
"Girls, listen very carefully and keep your voices down." Yuki quietly said to them. Seeing their mother serious, which is somewhat rare for them, they knew that what she's about to say is important. "For some reason, Naruto is afraid of foxes, yet he seems to like my true form. I don't know what happened, but we can't take our other forms until we find out why he fears foxes."
"But Mommy, how can he fear foxes if he saw you in your true form and wasn't afraid?" Ginko asked.
"Because of how I look in my true form." she told her daughter. "Remember that I'm one of the most beautiful amongst the kitsunes, the ryuus, even the fenikkusus and the nekomatas. I'm not too surprised he found me gorgeous, even if my shadow clone didn't hide her six other tails."
"So what do we do?" Tsuki asked. "He's living in a house full of kitsunes and he doesn't even know it!"
"Exactly, and until I find the cause of his fear of foxes, he won't. So keep them hidden at all times until I say otherwise." Yuki ordered, then added, "Besides, do you really want to lose a possible friend who thinks that the three of you are very pretty?"
All three of her daughters blushed, but Ginko's was brighter. "Mommy, we've always been this way. We're triplets!" they said in unison.
Yuki giggled. "I know, I know. But it's not like he'll fall for all three of you... not yet, at least. He's too young to understand love and has no idea what it even is." The trio frowned. Their mother has taught them about many things, including love. "Turn those frowns upside-down, my little kits. He'll be learning from the best teacher around: me!" She smiled when the girls smiled and laughed.
xxxxx
With Naruto and Yuki's clone...
"Naruto, do you mind telling me why you fear foxes?" she asked as kindly as possible as they sat on the couch. Naruto shook his head, but the clone felt his fear return. "It's alright, child. I just want to know so I can help you heal. Besides, you liked the fox you saw last night, didn't you?" Naruto nodded slowly as he calmed down. "So can you tell me why you're afraid of foxes... please?"
Naruto looked at the kind woman for a moment before rapidly shaking his head. "No! I can't! I-It's too painful." he replied, his eyes closed as his body shook violently. He doesn't even like to think about it, let alone talk about it. It's always very upsetting to him.
The clone of Yuki could literally feel the sheer amount of fear rolling off of him. 'He's terrified! What happened to him to cause such fear in his heart?' she wondered. She mentally sighed. 'It looks like he doesn't trust me enough to tell me. Perhaps someone else might know...' "It's okay, Naruto. You don't have to tell me." she told him as she pulled him into her arms. "But it would be helpful if you did, though. So can you promise to tell me when you fell ready to... please?"
The young blond looked at her and saw the kindness in her eyes. 'I don't want to tell her... or anyone!' he thought. '...but I feel as if I can trust her. But how? I just met her last night!' He closed his eyes and thought about her question. "Okay..." he replied after a moment, though Yuki could tell that he was reluctant. "I'll tell you when I'm ready, not a minute sooner."
The woman nodded while she continued to hold him in her arms.
xxxxx
Later that morning found Naruto and the Youko family shopping. Yuki wanted to get him some new clothes. After seeing Naruto's attire, she wanted to do that immediately. And since they're going clothes shopping, she might as well buy something for her daughters. He told her that he wanted to be a ninja, but doesn't think that he can become one. She promised that she will help him become the best ninja out there, which made him smile.
Once they've entered the shop, one that the Hokage suggested to her called the Kazama Armory, she looked at the four five-year-olds and said, "Go look around and see if there's anything you like. If there is, come and get me" The four nodded and started to browse.
Yuki, on the other hand, went to the counter, where a well-build man in his late-twenties with short brown hair and mocha colored eyes sat on a stool, sharpening a pair of twin swords. He's dressed in a brown workman's attire and has a ninja headband on his upper left arm. "Excuse me, but are you Arashi Kazama?" she kindly asked.
The man looked up from the swords he was working on to see a woman with long midnight blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a sea-blue top with silver trim, a long dark blue skirt and sea-blue shoes. Over her right shoulder is a small beige purse with lavender trim. "Why yes, that's me." he replied in a deep voice that sounded like he is a few years older than his appearance made him look.
Yuki smiled at him. "I was wondering if you know who that boy is over there?" she asked, pointing in Naruto's direction, who's currently looking at various pants with Tsuki.
Arashi narrowed his eyes as he looked at the boy. 'Minato?' he thought as he gazed at the boy in shock. 'No, that's not him. But...! Wait, I thought you were...' "Is that Naruto?" he slowly asked, almost hesitant in doing so.
Yuki looked at the man questionably. 'Does he know?' "Yes, that's Naruto. Why do you ask?"
All of a sudden, Naruto sneezed. "Someone must be talking about you." Tsuki commented from her spot next to him.
The young blond looked at her. "You think so?"
The dark-haired girl nodded. "Mommy said that if you sneeze, it means that someone is talking about you behind your back." she explained.
Naruto blinked as he looked at Tsuki questionably. 'I hope it's not what everyone else says about me.' he thought sadly.
It took fifteen minutes for Naruto to find an outfit that he liked and the girls to find something of their own, as they have plenty of clothes. The sisters each chose a few pairs of wristbands, as they didn't want their hands covered. Kouen's were midnight blue, Ginko's were silver and Tsuki's were dark blue. They even convinced Naruto to wear some. After he made his selection, he went into one of the changing rooms to try the clothes on. Yuki came over a minute later to see how they were doing.
When Naruto finally came out, the girls smiled. He's now wearing a black t-shirt, dark grey shorts, dark orange wristbands and black sandals. Yuki thought that there was something missing and started looking around. She came back a minute later, holding a light outdoor vest. It is dark orange with the top part being black. After he put it on, the girls nodded their approval. Naruto smiled as he looked himself over.
The Youko family plus one left the store a few minutes later, their purchases safe inside their bags. Yuki also purchased some practice ninja tools that Naruto will need, as her daughters didn't want to be ninjas, but still wanted to train as one. She also bought some medical supplies, just in case the children end up getting hurt. She privately told Naruto that this is a good place to go if he ever needed any ninja supplies, as the owner knew his father. She then gave him the same talk that he did about his mother. Naruto now knows that Yuki knew both of his parents and that they were not only great shinobi, but also hated by many, meaning that he is a target that must remain hidden until he can protect himself from his parents' enemies.
Their next stop was to get some much needed hygienic supplies since Naruto doesn't have any and they were running low themselves. Ten minutes later found the group heading back to their forest home to drop off their stuff. Once it was all put away, they headed out again. This time, to the Hokage Tower. Yuki said that she wanted to talk to the Hokage about something.
The Hokage Tower is one of Naruto's safe havens. The staff there never hurt Naruto like the villagers do. Some even protected him if he was ever nearby and scared. Smiling and waving at the secretary, the woman smiled and waved back as she let them see the Hokage. Once they've entered the office, Yuki's daughters got to see the great Fire Shadow their mother has told them about.
Looking up from his paperwork, Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Naruto and Yuki in his office and wondered why they were here. He also noticed the three girls with them and assumed that they are Yuki's daughters. "Ah, Naruto, Yuki. To what do I owe the visit?" he asked in his usual jovial voice. "And who are these lovely young angels with you two?"
Yuki giggled as her daughters blushed. "Well, these are my daughters: Kouen, Ginko and Tsuki." she said to him before introducing them to the Hokage. "Girls, this is the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi." The three young vixens waved at him, who simply waved back. "Um, I was wondering if it would be possible to enroll Naruto into the Ninja Academy." she asked politely.
Sarutobi rubbed his chin for a moment in thought. He then opened one of his desk drawers and searched for another moment before bringing out a file. When Yuki took a closer look at it, she saw that it has Naruto's name on it. "Let's see..." the old man murmured as he skimmed through the documents in the file. "Ah, here it is." he said as he found what he was looking for. "Naruto, how much did Yuki tell you about your mother?"
Naruto frowned and was about to make up a lie when Yuki spoke up. "I told him a few things about her. It would've been nice if she got to see her son. I'm sure she would have loved to teach him all that she knew."
"Yes, I'm sure that she would." Hiruzen agreed before looking at the young blond. "Naruto, according to these documents, your mother has enrolled you into the Ninja Academy and has already paid for your tuition. However, you can't attend for another two years, as you must be around seven years old to enter." Naruto's mood dropped when he heard that. "Cheer up, my boy. This will give you time to prepare for it. Some of the students would have received some type of training from their parents or clans before they enter the academy. Since you're an orphan, you would be at a disadvantage if you were to attend now." His eyes then settled on Yuki. "If it is alright with you, I can arrange for a tutor to help Naruto until he is old enough to attend the academy. And if your daughters are interested, I can extend the same courtesy to them as well."
Yuki smiled at the Fire Shadow. "It is much appreciated, but my daughters won't be attending." she stated. "However, I have intended on training them myself in what I know of the ninja arts, though my knowledge on anything past most of the basics are rather limited. If I may ask, who do you have in mind for the tutor?"
Sarutobi took a thinking pose. "Well, I would have to ask some of the chūnin and jounin who are more or less free during the times the kids are, whenever that is. I would most likely recommend my son Asuma, Might Guy or Kurenai Yuuhi." he replied. "Though my son is a bit laid back most of the time, Guy is a bit of an eccentric and Kurenai is one of the teachers at the academy. But in my opinion, those would be the best choices for general skills, taijutsu and strategy. I don't think it's wise to teach kids so young ninjutsu and genjutsu, so that can wait a few years."
Yuki nodded, agreeing with his assumptions. She intended on teaching them how to defend and protect themselves first before teaching them ninjutsu. However, her knowledge on genjutsu is limited, so she'll need to find someone would could teach them the jutsu that she couldn't. "I see your point, Lord Hokage." she said. "If it is alright, can I get a copy of the requirements for the academy, its curriculum, what jutsus are taught there and what is needed to graduate?" she asked. Sarutobi reached into his desk, pulled out an empty file and filled it with a few papers before handing it to Yuki. "Thank you." she bowed. She then looked at the four children. "Girls, why don't you three go play with Naruto back at the house. I'll be with you after I'm done here." she said before creating a shadow clone, much to Naruto's amazement. "If you're a good boy, I'll teach you the jutsu when you're old enough." she giggled. The clone smiled before wrapping her arms around the four and they all disappeared in a swirl of white rose pedals.
"My daughters love to travel by rose pedals." Yuki commented, still giggling. She then looked serious and sat down in front of the Hokage's desk.
Seeing this, Sarutobi pushed a button and told his secretary that he's in a meeting and must not be disturbed. After that, he channeled some of his chakra into a seal that is hidden under his desk. The walls of the room glowed a faint green while a few sparks were seen in a few places. Also, the kanji for 'seal' appeared on the double doors. "There. Any information disclosed will not leave this room and no one can enter this room either." Sarutobi said. "Now then, is there something you wish to tell me, Yuki?"
xxxxx
A/N: And break! I'm very sorry for the year-and-a-half-long wait, but getting this out was harder than I thought, especially with the six months I had no internet. Let me start at the beginning.
Because the story wasn't going the way I intended, I have decided to rewrite the whole thing from the beginning. I'll be using the previous story as a guideline and reference so I know what to include, what to change and how the story should go this time around. Like before, there will be no crossover whatsoever. This also includes minor crossovers with other animes, mangas, games and movies. The story will go more or less like it did before, but with a few minor and major changes to it. I'll explain these changes until I get back to where I stopped at before the rewrite: the Chūnin Exam Preliminaries.
As you can see, I have introduced my story OCs in this chapter. I believe that authors who write multiple stories for a certain anime, manga, game or movie, they have two types of OCs. There are common OCs that appear in most, if not all, the stories and there are story OCs that only appear in a single story, sometimes more, but never all of them. My story OCs for this one are Yuki Youko and her three daughters, who are all modeled after Yuuga and the Kitsune Five.
Yuki was originally Yuuga, but I changed her name. Since Yuuga only appeared as a cameo character originally, I had begun to write a side story that would show her interaction with Naruto and how she died. In fact, the first part of this chapter, mainly the very beginning up to when Yuki sung Naruto a lullaby, was as far as I got in that project. So I simply added that to the story instead of leaving it as a side story and edited it to fit the story better. Kouen is basically Houga with some of Raiga's personality and abilities added to the mix. Ginko was originally Fuuga, down to the very last detail. All I basically did was change her name. Tsuki was originally Suiga with some of Doga's personality and abilities added to the mix. Like before, these three triplets will help Naruto in his ninja career.
And before you say anything, I do everything for a reason. Nothing I do has no purpose or reason behind it. You'll see the reasons behind my madness.
Translations:
Hokage: Fire Shadow
Kyuubi: Nine-Tails
Kitsune: Fox
Youko: Demon Fox
Ryuu: Dragon
Fenikkusu: Phoenix
Nekomada: Forked-Cat
Next Time: Naruto's ninja training begins. Why does he fear foxes? And what does Yuki have to say to Sarutobi?
Later!