Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but I do own this storyline and my OCs.

Here is the next instalment of Brethren of Fangs, I really appreciate the feedback people so keep them coming!

On the vampire topic, you guys seem to be split down the middle. Some want powerful vampires along the lines of Alucard of Hellsing to be in, whilst the others want a purely Lycanthrope story. So on this note; I shall leave the debate open for a few more chapters so please review with an explanation about your choice!

Sorry if this chapter is not as action-packed as you might want, this is merely the beginning so setting up the character's personalities as well as relationships is important. So please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Newfound Instincts

Dark grey clouds obscuring the beautiful full moon

Darkness covers the land without the moon's ethereal light

Fires burning in the distance, the stench of blood and smoke wafting through the air

Massive bipedal wolf creatures at war with each other

My hands, claws, stained in blood

Standing over the fallen body of my enemy, howling my victory to the night sky

In the distance I see a monster amongst monsters stand

Piercing crimson eyes filled with madness staring straight into my soul

"NO!"

A terrified shout echoed through the room, blue-eyes widened in panic searching the room for any immediate danger as he drew panting breaths through his mouth. His spiky blond locks matted down slightly with sweat, which cascaded down his face in small rivulets.

'W-what the hell was that...?' Naruto thought to himself as he calmed down, placing his face in his hands only to feel a twinge of pain coming from his left shoulder.

Looking down, he finally took notice of the bandages surrounding his shoulder and upper torso. He was rewarded with a sharp stab of pain when he ran his right hand along the wounded portion of his shoulder.

'Looks like last night wasn't a dream...' Naruto sighed as he swung his legs off the bed and onto the wooden floor. 'That means Kyuubi must have patched me up last night.'

Thinking about his younger sister, he let out a chuckle when he noticed her sleeping with her mouth open and a trail of drool flowing down the corner of her lips.

"Ara..." A cute yawn escaped the sleeping redhead's lips as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Sorry Imouto-chan, did I wake you?"

Droopy eyes gazed around the small room blearily before settling on the amused visage of her elder brother, a few more seconds elapsed before her brain booted up and her eyes flew open.

"Onii-chan! You shouldn't be straining yourself with a wound like that!" She yelled in concern whilst fussing over him, making sure the bandages were still in place and tight.

"Thanks for taking care of me last night... even though I promised that I wouldn't get hurt anymore..." Naruto said as he clenched his fist in frustration.

"I...I was really worried when I saw you last night Aniki... there was so much blood..." Kyuubi sniffled as she gripped his bed sheet tightly in her grasp.

Naruto's eyes softened as he placed a hand atop his sister's head and ruffled he hair, "I really am a terrible brother for making my Imouto worry so much... will you forgive me?"

"Baka-aniki, you will never be a terrible brother... but I won't forgive you so easily either!" Kyuubi huffed with faux anger as she stood up and glared down at him.

"Aha... so what do you want me to do to earn your forgiveness?" He asked with nervous smile.

Looking down at him with a smirk, she poked him lightly on the chest and gestured to the bed.

"For now, I want you to rest up. I already contacted your school and informed them that you would not be able to make it today due to an accident. As for making it up to me... there's the new Fairy Tail movie airing this Saturday in cinemas and you are going to take me to watch it!"

"Sure, did you also contact Daisuke-san at my workplace?"

"Ah I knew I forgot something! Don't worry I'll pop by the place on my way to school and inform him, so you just take it easy for the day alright?" Kyuubi glared at him, knowing about his reckless attitude towards his own health.

"Ahaha... of course..." Naruto replied with a nervous chuckle. 'Damn, when did Kyuubi get so scary... must have inherited it from Kaa-chan...'

"Well I'm going to go get ready for school." She told him as she grabbed her uniform and left for the shower, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

'Even though she didn't ask, I know she was curious about what happened last night... how do I even explain it to her? That I was attacked by a monster from fictional stories... looks like I have to think of something else...' The blond-haired male racked his brain as he struggled to come up with a believable cover story.

'What was up with that were- lycanthrope? I thought those creatures existed in mythology and fiction only but I was mauled by an honest-to-kami wolf-man last night... getting dumped and mauled by a fictional creature in the same night, how unlucky can I get?' Naruto sighed in resignation before suddenly perking up as he retrieved the black velvet box from his pocket.

"Now what am I supposed to do with you...?" Naruto asked aloud to himself as he gazed intently at the small black box within his palm. 'Well I could always sell it back and get some cash refund... or I could keep it until I find someone perfect for me...'

Deciding to keep the ring, he placed it within the drawer of the small wooden table beside his bed. After a quick flexing of his body, he found that only his left shoulder really hurt when exerted too much so he decided to head into the small kitchen of their rented apartment. Rummaging around the barely stocked fridge yielded some eggs as well as a carton of orange juice; he quickly set about making breakfast.

Kyuubi exited the shower towelling her vibrant red hair dry, dressed in the black sailor-like uniform of her school. Immediately the faint aroma of fried eggs wafted into her vicinity, happily skipping towards the destination lead by her nose. She found her brother skilfully handling the frying pan with just his right hand; a pair of plates was set up on the table along with a pair of glasses and cutlery.

"Breakfast is served!" Naruto declared cheerfully as he scraped the scrambled eggs onto their separate plates and dumping the pan into the sink to be washed later.

"Seriously Onii-chan, I told you to take it easy and you go and do this..." Kyuubi deadpanned as she shook her head.

"Well if you don't want it..."

"NO!" She shouted and threw her hands around her plate to protect it, only to blush when she realised her actions. "I mean... since you already went through the trouble of preparing all this..."

"Admit it... you love my cooking!" Naruto smirked as he waved his fork at her.

Kyuubi pouted at him with a faint blush on her cheeks, "Obviously, your cooking is the best... even my friends say so!"

"Your friends?"

"Yeah on the days that you make a bento for me to bring to school, they always want to steal some from me. One of them even mentioned that with your skill in cooking, you could open your own restaurant or café." She giggled when she saw her brother rub the back of his head, a gesture that he only did when he was embarrassed.

"Ah... I don't think I'm that good yet..."

The rest of their breakfast was filled with light-hearted banter, until the clock struck eight and thus alerting the siblings about the time.

"I'm leaving! Make sure you take care of yourself okay?" Kyuubi called from the doorway as she slipped on her shoes, her red backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, have a good day at school!" Naruto replied with a shout from the kitchen, where he was cleaning up the plates.

With Kyuubi at school

The redhead sighed as she gazed out the window on her left, her mind barely able to focus on the subject that her teacher was currently revising. Her thoughts were plagued by her brother, worry as well as curiosity forefront on her mind.

'Onii-chan... What happened last night that got you so injured?'

"Psst, Kyuubi!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a harsh whisper to her right; she looked over to see her best friend Matatabi looking at her in concern. Matatabi looked a lot like her; they could even have passed off as twin sisters except for their hair and eye colour. Matatabi had wavy dark-blue hair with light-blue highlights running through it; her eyes were a stunning emerald colour.

"What?"

"You were spacing out and you never do that unless you have something important on your mind." Matatabi whispered whilst pretending to take down notes.

Rolling her eyes at her best friend's over-curious nature, "Even if I did have something on my mind, why should it concern you?"

"Mou, Kyuu-chan is so mean... I'm just concerned as your best friend..." Matatabi whined softly.

"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with." Kyuubi replied and looked out the window again, missing the sly smirk that formed on her best friend's face.

"Oh it must be your dear Nii-san right? The only time you refuse to tell me something is when it's about your brother, who I have yet to meet!"

"Keep your voice down!" Kyuubi hissed at her friend. "I already told you that the rental apartment I stay in with my brother is not big enough to hang out at, thus why we usually go to either your place or Hanabi's..."

"You could always invite him out along with us when we go shopping or something..." She suggested.

"Aniki is very busy, with both his schoolwork as well as his part-time job at the Starbuck's coffee joint. He wouldn't have the time to accompany us."

"Hmph, I think you're only hogging him to yourself you bro-con (person with a brother complex)..." Matatabi said with a grin matching that of the Cheshire cat.

Kyuubi sputtered as a red hue covered the majority of her face, "B-bro-con!? What the hell are you saying Baka-neko!"

"I was just kidding... but your reaction is pretty suspicious kitsune-chan~"

The two females had been friends since they met when they were eight, both knowing their counterparts obsession with cats and foxes respectively. Hence the nicknames they sometimes use for each other, both knowing that the other never meant any insult in their words.

"I was just surprised that you said something like that..." Kyuubi huffed with a tint of pink still on her cheeks.

"Sure... anyway, did you hear about the rumour?" Matatabi said; her tone suddenly serious as if someone threw a switch on her personality.

This unusual occurrence causing the redhead to arch an eyebrow in curiosity, "What rumour?"

"Well recently I heard that..." She leaned closer and whispered. "There have been people disappearing..."

"Disappearing?"

"Yeah! I heard that there were even copious amounts of blood and some of the victim's torn clothing at the scene... rumours have been circulating that the clothes looked like they have been shredded by some wild animal with claws." Matatabi smirked as she mimicked a clawing motion with her hand.

Kyuubi froze as her mind replayed the scenario last night; her brother had come home with multiple puncture wounds on both sides of his left shoulder. Upon further recollection, she realised that those wounds could have easily been bite marks of a large animal due to their symmetrical placement.

"Yo Kyuubi?" Matatabi's voice knocked her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"You just suddenly froze up after I mentioned the rumours... don't tell me that you actually believe them?" The cat-loving school girl cocked an eyebrow.

"No, no! I think we should start paying attention to the lesson, we can talk later during break time okay?" Kyuubi hastily replied as she turned her attention back to their teacher.

"Fine~"

With Naruto

'Bored... so freaking bored... what to do...'

Those were the recurring thoughts echoing throughout one Uzumaki Naruto's mind as he lay on his bed, cerulean-blue eyes focused on the plain white ceiling above him. Having barely enough funds to meet their daily necessities, the rented apartment was bare of any form of entertainment system.

"Somehow I thought a day off from school would be more enjoyable..."

Thankfully his boredom was solved when his cellphone, originally his father's, started ringing on the bedside table, prompting him to reach over and snatch it off the surface. Checking the caller identification, he noted that it was Haruno Sakura so he flipped open the phone.

"Hello?"

And he was immediately bombarded with a stream of vulgarities mixed among concerned questions so loud that he had to hold the speaker away from his ears to prevent any hearing damage. Giving the enraged and concerned female a few seconds to vent, he finally placed the phone back to his ear.

"Calm down Sakura, I'm perfectly fine."

"What happened? It's not like you to suddenly miss a day of school and when you do, it's usually something serious!"

"Just an injury to my shoulder, Kyuubi already fixed it up so I'm taking the day off to recover. I'll be back in school by tomorrow so don't worry, okay?"

"Fine..." There was a brief pause before she continued in a noticeably softer tone. "There has been a rumour circulating around campus... did Hinata really dump you for that playboy Sasuke?"

"So it's spread that fast huh..."

"I'm sorry... are you alright?"

"Yeah, I've already come to terms with it."

"Do you need me to bring some lunch over for you?"

"Nah, Kyuubi's probably got that covered already... besides... aren't you supposed to be in class at the moment?" Naruto deadpanned over the phone.

"Ah... okay see you tomorrow!"

And she hung up, leaving the blond-haired male staring at the phone in amusement before shutting it and placing it back on the table. Looking at the time on the clock, Naruto decided to walk off his injury and get some fresh air at the same time. So grabbing his house keys and phone, tossing on a simple black muscle shirt with his jeans, he headed out of the apartment.

The idea apparently had some form of merit when the dull throbbing of the wound on his shoulder lessened greatly after a few minutes of aimlessly strolling around. Soon he found himself walking through the small park in the vicinity of their apartment; people were scarce due to it being a weekday.

"Ohayo Naru-chan." A soft, elderly voice called out.

"Ohayo Hiruzen-Jii-chan, how are you doing today?" Naruto greeted in return with his grin in place.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was the landlord of the rented apartment that the siblings stayed in, he was in his mid-sixties with a roughish exterior due to his job prior to retiring. Naruto had paid the aging man a visit one day to pay rent when he was invited into the man's apartment, inside were pictures of Hiruzen in his youth serving in the Japanese Army. It was a top secret branch of the army that he worked in, further prodding by the blond was unsuccessful due to the information being classified.

"Well the cold weather isn't exactly forgiving on these brittle old bones..." Hiruzen smiled wryly causing the blond-haired youth to snort in amusement.

"Brittle old bones? We both know you're anything but brittle old man, so what are you doing out so early?"

A melancholic look settled itself across the elderly man's face, "Ah I guess you don't know. Today is the anniversary of my wife's death; I'm heading to the cemetery to visit her..."

"Sorry Jii-chan, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright Naruto; I've more or less gotten over it already." Hiruzen interrupted with a stern but kind expression before smiling warmly at the blond. "Well it's been nice catching up, I won't keep you any longer from whatever it is you were doing."

"Ah alright, I'll have the rent ready by the end of the month as usual." Naruto said as he watched his landlord throw a parting wave over his shoulder.

Plopping himself down on a stone bench, he took in a deep breath of cold air. Feeling the chill cleanse the remainder of his drowsiness from his system, he took a look around and nearly chuckled in amusement. He was sitting in the area where he had just been dumped by Hinata the night before; it seems his feet had unconsciously carried him here.

Closing his eyes and listening to the peaceful quiet that surrounded him, he let his mind drift back to the events that had happened to him. The first thing that came to mind was the image of the fur-covered creature that had assaulted him on his way home, fangs and claws glinting in the moonlight, eyes that tracked his every movement and the strength and speed the creature had displayed.

'That was definitely a werewolf... or a lycanthrope as he had mentioned... The wounds are my only reminder that the attack was real and not some hallucination caused by the shock and depression of my break-up. That means that the curse he placed on me would be real as well... only... what did he curse me with?'

Before he could indulge his thoughts further, a sudden scream broke him out of his reverie.

"Kyaa! Somebody help! That man snatched my purse!"

His eyes quickly pinpointed the source of the commotion, a fairly beautiful woman in her mid-twenties was gesturing wildly at a man wearing a black hoodie that was running away. He had reacted even before his brain had time to fully process the situation, his sneaker-clad crunching against the soft grass as he pursued the snatch-thief.

A dull pain pulsed from his shoulder wounds as he ran but he just shrugged it off as adrenaline pumped through his system, serving to further dull the pain and increase his focus. Blue eyes never once losing sight of his prey, watching as the man continued running through the desolate park towards the urban areas.

'Kuso! I can't let him enter the market district; it will be easier for him to slip away unnoticed amongst the crowd...' Naruto cursed as he gritted his teeth, the throbbing of his shoulder getting harder to ignore. 'D-damn, what the hell...'

A sharp burst of pain followed by an indescribable burning sensation from the wound caused him to stumble, his breath catching in his throat as his pupils dilated. The world suddenly becoming silent as he heard his heartbeat slowly dwindle, his vision going blurry as numbness crept up his limbs.

As quick as the sensation came, it vanished as a wave of euphoria flowed through his body. Energy suddenly surging through his limbs as his heartbeat increased to a rate that would be fatal for a human, his eye-colour turned glacier-blue, his nails and teeth seemed to sharpen.

Recovering quickly from his loss of footing, he resumed his chase after the snatch-thief. Except this time the world around him was much clearer, colours were more vibrant and details easier to pick out. His hearing was picking up the heavy panting of the fleeing thief; he could smell the fear and worry wafting off his prey.

Muscles felt denser and more powerful than ever before, it was as if he was crippled before and had only just regained full control of his body. Bunching the muscles in his legs, he crouched and launched skyward in a mind-boggling jump that sent him soaring into the trees.

'The trees are your friends; the forest is your home... pursue your prey through the tree tops!'

Following the voice in the back of his head, he let his body take over as he nimbly navigated his way through the branches until he caught up with the thief. With one final leap, the blond launched himself from his vantage point and tackled the fleeing criminal with his entire body. The blow knocked the purse free from his hands and sent it skidding across the ground as the two recovered and glared at each other.

"What the fuck is this? Some punk-ass kid trying to play hero huh?" The man growled as he pulled out a switch-blade from his hoodie's pocket.

Naruto did not bother to dignify the man with a response as his body blurred into action, appearing in front of his opponent in a flash and backhanded the weapon away. Staring at his empty hand in disbelief, the thief barely even registered the fist heading for his face until the last second and by then it was already too late.

The powerful blow connected and launched the man flying into the tree behind him, impacting solidly against the thick trunk and knocking him out. Naruto panted slightly as he slowly came down from his adrenaline high, the improvements fading along with it and leaving him standing there alone.

'W-what the hell just happened to me...?' Naruto glanced at his clenched fist then to the downed form of his opponent; the man's nose was obviously broken with blood flowing from it.

Shaking off the weird feeling, he grabbed the purse from where it had landed and started a light jog towards the location he had come from. It did not take him long to arrive back at the lake, where the lady was still waiting in worry until she saw his form heading towards her with her bag in hand.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" She blurted out as she bowed repetitively with her handbag safely back in her arms. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Ah it's really okay... I just wanted to help." Naruto waved off her thanks with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Wow, it's rare to find such honest and chivalrous guys like you nowadays!" The woman exclaimed before a sudden epiphany struck her. "I know how I can repay you!"

"I already said that-"

"How about I offer you a job?"

"A job?" Naruto echoed with wide-eyes as his interest had been perked.

"Yeah a job! I recently graduated from a local university and have just inherited the family business from my father since he wanted to fulfil his dream of retiring to the countryside with my mother." She explained with a giddy smile.

"Wow that sounds like quite the accomplishment, what's this family business anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Ah silly me, so excited that I forgot to mention it! I'm sure you've heard of Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall) Springs?"

Naruto's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "Takigakure Springs? The famous hot springs that are rumoured to be nearly impossible to get in unless you're a high ranking official or somehow related to the owner, the very same company that opened Takigakure no Sato? One of the most successful resorts in Japan at the moment and also just as notoriously hard to get in?"

"Ahaha exactly! I'm Kousaka Suiren, daughter of Kousaka Gensuke and heiress of the Takigakure fortune!" Suiren introduced herself with a bright smile that left the blond-haired teenager blushing slightly. (Suiren is an actual character in Naruto)

Taking some time to collect his thoughts, Naruto finally managed to get a good look at the young heiress in front of him. Suiren was definitely a beauty with her angular facial features and warm brown eyes, her pale-blonde hair flowed down her back as well as forming two long bangs along the sides of her face. She was wearing standard office wear in the form of a black form-fitting blazer over a tight white shirt, black pencil miniskirt that left her smooth creamy-white legs on display and high-heels.

Pushing the thoughts of the beautiful blonde-haired heiress to the back of his mind, "So what exactly do you mean by offering me a job?"

"Well I'm still new to this business and tend to get swamped with work, usually ending with me leaving office late at night. So how about I hire you as an assistant/bodyguard?" She suggested with a smile.

"You do know that I am still schooling at the moment?" Naruto asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh I didn't notice! You seem like such a mature young man that I automatically assumed that you were an adult already!" Suiren complimented causing a tinge of pink to appear on her fellow blonde's face.

"Thanks for the offer anyway-"

"Who said I was withdrawing the offer? How about this... we'll exchange numbers and on the nights that I end up staying late at the office, I'll give you a call! Then you can meet up with me in the office and accompany me home after all the work is done, does that sound fair?"

"Ah I don't-"

"Of course you would be paid fairly for your hard work! Hmm... How does two hundred thousand Yen (200,000Y) a month sound?"

"...I'd say you've got yourself a deal Suiren-san!"

"No need to act so formal with me, please feel free to just address me by my name!"

"I'll be in your care then Suiren." Naruto smirked as he bowed to her, earning a pout.

"Oh I just realised I don't even know the name of my hero and newest employee!" Suiren exclaimed suddenly causing him to chuckle as he held out his hand for her to shake.

"Uzumaki Naruto at your service!"

With Kyuubi

Feeling a slight vibration coming from her pencil case, Kyuubi made sure the teacher was busy writing on the board before unzipping it and discreetly checking her cellphone. It was a simple phone that her brother had bought for her as a birthday present; it was so that communicating between each other was easier.

'No need to worry about lunch. I felt better and decided to take a walk.'

Frowning slightly in disapproval of her older brother's actions, she sighed and quickly typed in a short response before slipping her phone back inside the pencil case.

'Fine, always disobeying my instructions...'

"Who was that?" She was startled by the inquisitive voice of her feline-loving friend.

"My baka-aniki decided to go gallivanting around town even with his shoulder injured; I swear if her re-opens the wounds again..." Kyuubi growled as she shook her fist at the empty air.

"Wow, you're really concerned for your brother... maybe that bro-con observation isn't that far off after all." Matatabi giggled when she saw how red her friend's face had become.

"Urusai (Shut up)! Of course I'm concerned, I'm his sister so what is so weird about being concerned about my own brother?"

"Nothing... but you act more like a concerned house-wife than a sister. And there is the fact that you always seem to blush when I insinuate about your brother complex..."

"I don't have a brother complex!" Kyuubi hissed before her voice took on a softer tone. "Aniki has taken care of me ever since our parents died; he has always been there for me when I was sad, lonely and depressed. We only had each other to rely on, well more of me relying on him... so it's obvious that we would be closer than most other siblings."

"...it must be nice to have such a close relationship with your brother. I wish that my own relationship with my older sister could be more like that." Matatabi muttered with a wistful tone.

"You've told me about her before... she's about five years your senior right?"

"Nii Yugito, she's currently schooling in the top university in Japan. Also three time regional gymnastic champion, top academic results in her school, part-time model for a fashion magazine and the favoured child of the family..." Matatabi said sourly as she sketched on her textbook.

"It must be pretty hard to live in the shadow of an over-achieving elder sibling huh?"

"You don't know the half of it... my parents keep pushing me to be more like her! Always comparing my results and achievements to hers, rubbing in my face about how successful my sister is. At the very least, I'm happy that my sis is not a snob about it..."

Kyuubi twirled a pen around with her fingers, "Have you talked to them about it?"

"Haha please, they're too busy worshipping the ground my sister walks upon to even pay attention to my needs." Matatabi snorted in mock amusement.

"Oh I see... well if there is-"

"Anything you two would like to share with the rest of the class? Miss Uzumaki? Miss Nii?" The bespectacled teacher asked whilst glaring at the two.

"Nothing Ebisu-sensei..."

"Very well, so settle down and pay attention." The teacher said as he pushed up his round glasses and resumed teaching.

The two friends could only sigh in relief at escaping without a punishment.

A few hours later

Kyuubi and Matatabi wiped the sweat off their faces after a rigorous sparring session, both of them being a part of their school's Tae-Kwan-Do team. Having taken a shower and changed out of their sweaty attire and into some fresh clothes they had brought from home, on the way out of the school compound, a familiar mop of blond spiky hair caught the redhead's eyes.

"Onii-chan? What are you doing here?" Kyuubi asked in confusion as she approached her older brother, who pushed off the wall and walked towards them with a smile.

"Can't I come and pick my Imouto (little sister) up from school?" Naruto replied with a cheery air about him.

"Umm... is everything alright? You seem... chirpier than usual."

"Let's just say that my luck finally turned around..." He replied cryptically as he ruffled her hair.

Kyuubi pouted at the enigmatic response and his treatment of her as a child, even though she secretly enjoyed the feel of his hand rubbing her head. It was something the blond had always done when she was younger and had difficulty falling asleep, he would gently rub her head as he sang a lullaby.

A sharp nudge in her left flank caused her to face her friend, "What was that for?"

"Get over here!" Matatabi grabbed her hand and pulled the redhead over to the side of the gate, making sure they were out of hearing range of the blond-haired male.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" Kyuubi cried out as she rubbed her sore wrist.

"Just to clarify, that guy is your brother?"

"No, I obviously call every stranger I come across 'Onii-chan'... of course he's my brother!"

"You're so cruel kitsune-chan..." Matatabi sniffed as crocodile tears formed in her eyes.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Exactly!" Matatabi exclaimed as she dramatically gestured towards Naruto with wide tear-filled eyes. "How could you not introduce me to your brother? He's like the epitome of sexiness, a real blond hunk!"

Kyuubi blinked before an expression of horror covered her face, "You may be my best friend and like the sister I never had... but that doesn't mean I actually want you as my sister! Stay away from my brother you ero-neko (perverted cat)!"

"It's so not fair that you have such a hot guy as your older brother, I can totally see why you keep hogging him to yourself bro-con..."

"I'm not a bro-con!"

"So does that mean I can have him?"

"NO!"

"That means you are a bro-con... bro-con-kitsune!"

Naruto watched in silent amusement as the two friends gestured at each other wildly whilst speaking in loud whispers, though not loud enough for him to pick up. He was glad that Kyuubi had managed to forge such a strong bond of friendship with the black-blue dyed hair girl; it gave her someone more feminine to confide her female issues with.

'I swear I almost suffered a stroke when she asked me why she was bleeding down there...'

The sun was setting on the horizon when a familiar twinge of pain travelled through his shoulder once more, reminding him of the unknown ailment that had affected his body in the park. Pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind, he chose to focus more on the happier side of life.

Unknowing that the happiness they shared would soon be nothing but a distant memory...

Same undisclosed location

The leaders of the Four Ancestor clans stood before each other once again, except this time they were alone as their bodyguards were busy training back in their respective territories.

"They had discovered numerous patrols of undead lycans patrolling the vicinity of Torikabuto Castle, estimated strength is already in the hundreds... and that's just what they had viewed on the outside of the castle."

Kodoku, Daichi, Netami and Yonaka had troubled looks splayed across their muzzles after Netami had finished giving her report about her recent scouting party's findings.

"These human necromancers are vastly more powerful than what we could have possibly imagined... being able to raise the souls of so many fallen warriors." Yonaka whispered in a grave tone.

"This is indeed troubling... I say we rally the other clans scattered throughout the forests in a bid to rid ourselves of this immanent disaster." Daichi suggested before a loud slam garnered their attention.

"Unacceptable!" Kodoku growled lowly as he pounded the stone table. "The longer we take, the more time the filthy humans have to summon more traitors back into this world. I say we strike soon and we strike hard! Catch them unprepared!"

"...both of those ideas have merit." Yonaka conceded as he closed his eyes in thought.

"I find myself agreeing more with Daichi's plan of rallying the clans... but Kodoku has a point as well..." Netami grudgingly admitted.

"Then I propose a joining of the two." Daichi said as he looked over at the only female amongst them. "Netami shall act on our behalf and contact the clans, informing them of the growing threat and forming a larger coalition force. The remaining three of us will gather the best warriors of our clans and lead them as a leading strike force to catch them unawares."

"I approve of this plan!" Kodoku agreed immediately with a smirk on his muzzle.

"I too agree with this decision..." Yonaka said.

"Either way I'm already overruled so I might as well go along with it..." Netami shrugged indifferently.

"Then it is settled. Take the next few days to train and spend time with your clan and love ones... we march on Torikabuto Castle in four days' time!"

Damn, this chapter was a little harder than I thought. Did not want to have too short a chapter yet I did not want to force out a longer length at the cost of quality and balance. So I decided to end it off here, not too long yet not too short. I hope that the chapter is decent in both length and quality for all my readers?

Not sure if I've mentioned this before but I am probably going to be focusing more on this story than any of my others, since I've really got a set plan laid out for this story.

Suiren is a character in the Narutoverse; you can check how she looks like on either Narutowiki or Google images. Can't believe nobody used her before, well the same can be said for Ameyuri as well... so what did you guys think of the chapter? Please review and let me know!

Ja ne!