And here's Chapter 21. I rewrote this one like five times because I always kept rethinking all the scenes. Hope you guys enjoy my version of the Kyuubi. Readers, Reviewers, Thank You...Hurt by Johnny Cash.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Naruto opened his eyes to the sensation of overwhelming anger. It was stifling. He could practically taste it in the air. He felt a presence behind him and turned his head slowly to find a very irate Kyuubi.

His appearance, however, was not what Naruto had expected.

Instead of a fox several stories tall, Naruto was face to face with a man with red eyes and slicked back red hair with two black streaks in the middle. The man wore a black business suit with a white button-down shirt and black tie beneath, a red carnation in the buttonhole of the jacket’s pocket. But despite his handsome visage, it didn’t make up for the frightening look on his face. The glare he was giving Naruto was terrifying.

I said no mercy! I said to kill him! I said to save your friends! What the hell is so hard about that? Why the hell didn’t you listen to me? That man nearly beheaded you, you idiot! I can’t heal those kinds of injuries! What the fuck were you thinking?

Naruto merely stared into the man’s eyes, backing away as he did. The anger was palpable in the air and all of it was directed at him. His brain, while telling him to flee posthaste, was also trying to wrap itself around the fact that the Kyuubi was not a fox, but a man.

The Kyuubi noticed the boy was staring at him more in wonder now than fear and growled low.

What the hell are you looking at?

Naruto took a step back again and stuttered out a reply.

“I…I thought you were a fox.”

The Kyuubi’s eyes narrowed dangerously and the growl got louder.

That’s it. I was trying to be nice by appearing as a human, but now I’m pissed.

Before Naruto’s eyes the man immediately disappeared and was replaced by the Kyuubi he had seen illustrated in books, a fox of massive proportions. It glared at him with those blood red eyes that everyone feared and bared its teeth. Naruto watched in horror as it raised its paw and slammed it to the ground, rattling the area around them.

I’m sick of you ignoring me, boy! I’ve given you nothing but helpful advice ever since I first contacted you. Perhaps you’ll respond to an asswhipping better!

The paw raised and descended toward Naruto at frightening speeds and he froze, unable to move. Right before the paw crushed him, chains rushed from the wall, bearing the word ‘seal’, and wrapped around the giant fox, dragging it back to the wall, slamming it against the steel. It thrashed around for several moments, before becoming still and letting out a sigh that made Naruto’s hair wave.

Alright. I won’t try to harm you. But you have to listen to me.

The chains slowly left the fox, the last one being the one around its neck. Once it was gone, the fox collapsed to the ground, coughing and hacking, gasping for air. It took two great gulps and glared at Naruto.

Now listen to me. We don’t have much time. I’m going to change back into my human form. If I try to keep my temper, will you listen to me?

Naruto nodded dumbly, completely scared out of his mind, and watched as the fox changed back into the suit wearing man. The Kyuubi straightened out its suit and ran a hand through its hair. The red-eyed man told Naruto to close his eyes and then open them. Naruto did and gasped.

Instead of the drab, gray cell they had been in, they now stood in the middle of a Victorian receiving room, complete with leather furniture, a fireplace, a giant organ, and bookcases filled to the brim lining the walls. Naruto shifted his feet and found he was standing on something plush. Looking down revealed a beautiful rug of oranges and reds. He leaned down and rubbed his hand across it. It felt so real.

The Kyuubi coughed to get his attention and motioned with his hand to two highback leather chairs before the roaring fireplace.

I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Come, sit. We have much to discuss.

Naruto was wary of the demon, but nodded his head and walked over to the chair and took a seat. He didn’t trust the demon a bit, but he didn’t know enough about the situation to have an advantage yet. He’d been taught that when captured, you went along with the enemy and tried to give them a sense of superiority in the hopes that they would drop their guard at some point.

The chair was comfortable and as the Kyuubi took its seat, it gave him a moment to assess the situation. He was in the Kyuubi’s domain, but it apparently couldn’t harm him because of the seal. It had been trying to get him to talk to it for quite some time, so it wanted something. He had information, but how to use it?

The Kyuubi sat down and put one leg over the other as it laced its fingers under its chin. It looked at Naruto and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

I’ve been trying to get you to acknowledge my presence for almost three years now. If you would have spoken to me back then, I wouldn’t have had to use such dirty tricks and verbal baiting to get you to speak with me. We wouldn’t have to do this midbattle. But now is as good as ever, I suppose.

It observed the boy; taking in the look Naruto was giving it. He had expected the boy to be afraid, but that fear soon turned to steely resolve and shrewdness once he saw that the seal protected him. The boy was interesting, always had been.

“Why do you want me to talk to you? You die if I die, right? Why the hell would you distract me in the middle of a fight then?”

You were distracting yourself, drowning in the misery of losing your friend and fellow ninja. I merely took advantage of the situation because I knew you would be frustrated and tell me to leave you be.

Naruto grit his teeth and slammed his hands on the armrests.

“Then why ask me to talk to you? What purpose does it have?”

The Kyuubi sat an elbow on an armrest and leaned its chin on its closed fist.

Because I’m bored. I’m bored…and I found out a way to at least see the world again. I just need your help to do it.

Naruto gaped at the Kyuubi, unable to process its answer for a moment. His mind snapped back suddenly and Naruto growled at the red haired man.

“You’re bored? That’s your whole damned reason? It’s your fault you’re in this prison, so why in the seven hells should I help you?”

The Kyuubi grinned at the boy’s choice of words and leaned forward in its chair.

Because it would be beneficial to both of us. Your generosity would not go unrewarded. I’m offering my services in exchange for the opportunity to feel and see again. I could personally give two shits about your well-being, boy, but since if you die, I die, I’m willing to compromise.

Naruto was still pissed at being manipulated into being in the Kyuubi’s prison, but the natural inquisitiveness that had been instilled in him by the Sandaime was overpowering both his fear and his ire. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, glaring at the Kyuubi.

“Explain.”

The Kyuubi’s grin widened.

Gladly. You see, boy, whenever you got angry or scared in the past, my chakra would leak out, giving me a small glimpse into what was happening around you. Most of it I gleaned from your mind, but some I was able to see or feel, depending on how volatile your emotions were. I just want that chance full time. It’s boring not knowing what’s going on outside.

It leaned forward a little more.

And I want to be able to speak with you. I’m not wise or all knowing, but I have years and years of knowledge I can and will share with you. If I can speak with you, I can give my opinion on the matter and give suggestions.

“Your suggestions so far have been to kill everyone I come across.”

The Kyuubi shrugged and sat back against the cushion.

Not like you weren’t going to anyway. That’s your job, assassin. Get used to it. Now, I’ll need your answer quickly. You’re sort of a sitting duck out there.

Naruto’s eyes widened, remembering that he had been in the middle of a fight and he had stumbled into the jounin’s battle. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to think if this would be a good idea.

The Kyuubi’s knowledge would be a boon to him. Perhaps he could get it to fill in some blank holes in history. Letting it talk to him and give him ideas and pointers in exchange for letting it see and feel what he did wasn’t a bad trade. Well, he did have excellent luck. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. He stood from his chair and locked eyes with the Kyuubi.

“If I do this, then all you want is the ability to see and feel what I do, correct? And the ability to talk to me? That’s all?”

Correct. That is all I want besides you actually taking my opinion into consideration once in a while.

“I’ll think about it.”

The Kyuubi rose from its seat and offered Naruto its hand. Before Naruto could take it, the Kyuubi pulled its hand back.

One more thing. To keep this little chat-line going, you’re going to need a teeny, tiny amount of my chakra running through your body at all times. Unfortunately, it’s going to alter your appearance somewhat, as it always does when you channel it.

Naruto turned his head to the side slightly and narrowed his eyes.

“How bad are we talking?”

Not bad. It’s a very small amount. Your fangs will probably elongate a little more and your nails will lengthen and become stronger. Your cheek marks will darken slightly and your eyes might have slits from now on. I don’t know for sure but more than likely that’s what will happen. The same things that happen when I was able to speak with you before are probably all that will occur.

Naruto nodded and grasped Kyuubi’s hand, watching as the red chakra seeped from the man’s body and began to crawl around him. He watched with fascination as his nails lengthened and his fangs poked over his bottom lip slightly. He licked them and winced when he cut his tongue.

“Well, that’s going to take some getting used to. Now how do I get out of here?”

The Kyuubi pointed to his feet and Naruto looked down to see them fading away.

That’s how. Our business is done, so you have no more reason to be here.

As Naruto began to fade faster, the Kyuubi suddenly had a thought.

What made you decide to deal with me?

Naruto gave him a small smile as his torso disappeared.

“JiJi once told me that sometimes to protect angels, one must make a deal with the devil. You’re my devil, Kyuubi. Just because I made a deal with you though, doesn’t mean that I trust you.”

The Kyuubi returned Naruto’s smile.

Just so you know, I don’t trust you either. But we’ve got all the time in the world to at least learn to tolerate each other now. See you on the flip side.

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Anko had been staring at Naruto for what felt like an eternity, even though she knew only a few seconds had passed. The red aura had disappeared into him and now his fingernails were lengthening. She was afraid that the Kyuubi was breaking loose and that she would have to kill her favorite pupil. She didn’t want to do that. There was still so much teasing to do…

Kakashi was more wary than Anko was at the moment and was looking for the best opportunity to strike at Zabuza. He kept cutting his eyes back to Naruto, afraid that the red aura was a sign of things to come, while keeping Zabuza in his sight.

Zabuza was furious that the boy had blown away his mist, but was mystified by the fact that the blonde was now comatose, the red aura around him the only thing that moved. He wanted to kill the kid, but Kakashi stood in between. He’d simply have to wait for Haku to catch up.

Anko reached out for Naruto as the aura dissipated and his nails stopped growing. She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him, gasping when her hand was grabbed, the nails digging into her flesh. A familiar voice brought her anxiety level down a great bit.

“Anko-sensei, I think you and Kakashi-san should take care of Zabuza. I’ll deal with Haku. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

Ah, the feel of the air on skin. I thought I’d never get to feel this again…

Naruto ignored the Kyuubi’s gleeful rantings and turned to Anko, speaking softly.

“I’m sorry, sensei. I didn’t mean to bring you trouble. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an enemy to dispose of.”

Anko grabbed his arm before he rushed off and he turned back to look at her.

“Naru-chan, are you alright?”

“I’ve never been better. I’ll tell you what happened later, ok? Get Zabuza.”

She nodded and the two masked ninjas leapt back into battle, Anko engaging Zabuza with her snakes and Naruto rushing to pick up his field knife. Kakashi leapt back in to help Anko, swiping at Zabuza with a kunai and dividing his attention.

Naruto was almost to his knife when senbon landed in front of him and he leapt back as Haku landed in front of his knife, picking it up.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow you to have this, Naruto-san. You’re much too dangerous when it’s in your possession.”

Haku formed a single seal and his mirrors rose again around Naruto. The feminine boy tossed the field knife aside and stepped into the ice. The blonde boy whirled round and round looking for his knife, and found it just outside the dome.

Guess you’ll have to do this barehanded then. Believe me, it’s much more satisfying.

Naruto nodded his head absentmindedly and watched as Haku appeared in the mirror.

“It doesn’t matter how fast you are, Naruto-san, you won’t be fast enough while I have this jutsu up. No one can touch me while my mirrors are standing. And don’t try fire. Your Uchiha friend tried to melt them already. It doesn’t work like that.”

Naruto grinned and flexed his claws.

‘A little more chakra please. The claws could be a little longer.’

I thought you’d never ask.

Haku watched with wide eyes as Naruto’s nails became longer and began to turn black, like the claws of an animal. The fake hunter ninja activated his copies in the mirrors and brandished his senbon needles, ready to strike.

He was not ready, though, for the bestial growl that emanated from the blonde and shook him to the bone.

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Zabuza blocked a strike from Anko and leapt back, twisting his head this way and that to find the source of the growl. He noticed that Kakashi looked nervous as well. But Anko…her shoulders indicated she was giggling.

“What the hell is so funny, bitch?”

Anko giggled some more.

“That was just Naru-chan, nothing to worry about. Well, your little helper has plenty to worry about.”

Zabuza seemed to pale a little. The masked, blonde ninja did not seem to be right in the head, seemingly talking to voices in his mind. He feared for Haku’s safety.

“What is he? A demon?”

Anko’s eyes narrowed dangerously, not that you could see it behind the mask.

“He’s not a demon, but he’s as close as you’ll ever see or hear in your now pathetically short life. Kakashi, I’m bored now. Let’s end this.”

The Copy Ninja threw another nervous glance in Naruto’s direction and nodded to Anko. He was tired of this as well. While she engaged Zabuza, he prepared his own personal jutsu. Anko, even though she was midswing with a kunai, knew that she was supposed to hold the swordsman and sighed.

‘Fucking showoff.’

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Sakura shivered when she heard the growl and stepped closer to Tazuna. She looked back over her shoulder to the old man.

“Did you hear that?”

“How in the hell could I not hear it? What was that?”

Sakura turned back to the front and shook herself to get rid of the goosebumps.

“I don’t know, but I hope it wasn’t our enemies.”

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Haku shivered as the growl died down. This boy before him was undoubtedly the most frightening person he had ever faced. Everything about him screamed ‘danger’; from the way he held that knife to that ungodly growl that had just ripped through the air. He needed to finish this quickly. The ice mirrors took a lot of chakra to maintain and he had already done the jutsu once that day.

The copies and the original all brandished senbon and launched the metal spikes at Naruto. He didn’t block them or even move and, to Haku’s surprise, they struck home and the blonde boy fell to the ground. Haku waited for a moment to see if he would get up but he never moved. Still maintaining the mirrors, he appeared from the one directly behind Naruto and padded carefully toward the body.

Wait for it.

Naruto remained still, watching Haku approach.

‘Are you sure this is going to work? I don’t have enough control to do this.’

Don’t worry. Control is all well and good but if you have the power, then control is overrated. I got this. He’ll never see it coming.

When Haku was within three feet of the ‘corpse’, Naruto suddenly leapt to his feet, faced the boy, and the red chakra exploded from his body, pushing the senbon out and impaling Haku. The black-haired boy barely had enough time to throw his hands up instinctively to cover his face before his own needles embedded in him with enough force to knock him off his feet. He rolled backwards on the ground and into one of the mirrors, caught his breath and shot across to another, the copies covering his escape.

Naruto winced as the holes in his body closed up. That tactic had been incredibly painful and if Anko had seen him do it, she probably would have beaten him within an inch of his life. Besides being painful, it was stupid, seeing as how many pressure points had been closed and without the Kyuubi, he would have been succeptible to having his throat slit.

This part of the fight would never be discussed with Anko. He wasn’t sure he’d survive the beating…much less the lecture…

Haku panted as he observed the blonde. No one had ever survived this long in this jutsu, especially after he had impaled them with a shower of senbon. He knew he had hit the right pressure points to make the other boy collapse. He knew he had! How was he still standing like nothing happened?

“What are you? You can’t possibly be human.”

Naruto, even though Haku couldn’t see it, let a small, sad smile settle onto his face.

“I’m human, but then, I’m so much more. I’m an anomaly in the mortal world, something that should never exist. I’m your executioner, Haku-san, so it really doesn’t matter what I am.”

Haku looked for any way to dispatch the boy before him. He was dangerously low on senbon, having used almost half his cache on the other two boys. Suddenly, he remembered the giant knife that the blonde had tried to fight him with and darted from mirror to mirror, using his reflections as a distraction. He finally reached the mirror that the knife was behind and leaned out, plucking it from the ground. The reflections mirrored him and now they all had the knife.

Naruto could see where this was headed and dodged a stab as Haku flew by him. Several more attempts all ended in failure as Naruto nimbly dodged them all. That’s when it came to him.

‘He’s getting tired. His attacks are getting slower and slower.’

Attack him when he comes by again. Try to grab the knife from his hand and slash at him.

Naruto readied himself and watched as Haku exited his mirror and flew toward him. The blonde flexed his hands and reached out for the wrist holding the field knife. Haku spun in mid air and launched a kick at Naruto’s head, landed and darted into another mirror. Naruto snarled and bent low.

‘I’ll get him this time. Just be sure to heal me.’

What the hell are you planning?

‘Just heal me, damn it!’

Naruto readied himself again and as Haku got closer and closer, he waited. Ten feet, nine feet, eight, six, four, two…

‘NOW!’

Naruto watched where Haku was aiming and jumped forward. The knife found its way home and embedded itself into Naruto’s side. Haku froze when the knife sank in and his head snapped up when Naruto’s arms wrapped around his and the blonde laced his fingers together, trapping the two of them face to face.

“Sorry, but this is where the game ends.”

Naruto jerked his head back and then slammed it forward, headbutting Haku as hard as he could. The masks of both boys cracked and Naruto headbutted Haku again and again until the blood ran down both of their foreheads, the masks long ago crumbled away. The feminine boy’s head was rolling, his vision blurred, as he stared at his attacker.

Even through the pain and distorted vision though, he could see Naruto’s fearsome visage. His fangs were poking out over his bottom lip and his whisker marks had darkened and deepened. What scared him the most, however, were the blue slitted eyes of the boy. Haku tried to struggle away but was held in the Naruto’s iron grip. The blonde locked eyes with him and even though they looked evil, the eyes were so sad.

“I didn’t want to kill you, Haku-san, but you are trying to kill a client of Konoha. I can’t allow that. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Naruto, while holding Haku’s arms, was able to cross his fingers and form a single Kage Bunshin, wearing the tragedy mask. The clone made the single handsign for Kirigakure no Jutsu and pulled the knife from Naruto’s side. The blonde winced and grit his teeth as Kyuubi began to heal him, grumbling the whole time. The clone positioned itself behind Haku and poised the knife to slit the boy’s throat. Haku stared sadly at Naruto.

“Why did you make more fog? What purpose does it serve now?”

“The pink-haired girl does not need to know my identity. I wear a mask for a reason. That’s why I turned my back to her before I started headbutting you. The second purpose is that I don’t think she needs to see this. I don’t think she can handle it.”

Haku nodded his head and presented his throat, accepting his fate, when his body went rigid.

The two boys froze when a loud chirping sound was heard and Naruto knew what it was. Chidori, the original jutsu of the Copy Ninja. If that was pulled out, it meant Zabuza was dead. A scream echoed through the air, followed by a loud squelching noise and a thump. The chirping sound died away and Naruto turned his attention back to Haku.

“Your master is dead. Between my sensei and Kakashi-san it was a foregone conclusion.”

Haku’s head hung with sadness. He had failed his master and their fates were sealed. He presented his throat to Naruto again, his eyes pleading for a merciful death. Naruto nodded to his clone and closed his eyes as it put the knife over Haku’s throat. Haku closed his eyes and felt the clone clap its hand over his mouth, to silence him. He felt a sharp pain in his throat and it became hard to breathe.

Haku’s eyes flew open and he stared with fear at Naruto, taking in his killer’s visage. It looked so utterly sad, as if he truly hadn’t wanted to do it. As the darkness began to creep into his vision, a weight seemed to take over. As blood gurgled up and over the fingers of the clone, Haku felt at peace. Perhaps he would see Zabuza-sama in the next life and he could continue to serve him there.

For a poor soul like Haku, who had known only service to others his whole life, it was not so much to ask. His body finally gave out and he slumped in Naruto’s arms.

So ended the life of Haku, apprentice to a former Swordsman of the Mist.

Naruto lowered the body to the ground and pulled the sash from around Haku’s waist, winding it around his mouth and head, forming a makeshift turban and facemask, the only thing showing being his slitted eyes. The clone dismissed itself and Naruto cringed at the memory of Haku’s blood running over his fingers.

He died an honorable death to someone better than him. Do not dishonor his death by being cowardly.

‘Please, don’t talk right now.’

The Kyuubi remained silent and Naruto let the Kirigakure no Jutsu slip away, revealing him to the world again. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head again and began the trek over to Anko and Kakashi.

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Anko looked down at Zabuza’s body, Kakashi standing beside her. She had not considered how strong the man was, but he had been fearsome. Until Naruto blew that mist away, he had had the advantage. A true master of the silent kill…

‘Too bad he wasn’t a Konoha ninja. Both Naru-chan and myself could have benefited from learning a bit from him.’

Movements out of the corner of her eye made her turn her head and she found a mummified Naruto standing between her and Kakashi, staring down at Zabuza.

“Did you take care of the other boy?’

Naruto nodded his head and locked eyes with her. She gasped as she stared into his slitted irises.

“Yeah. Slit his throat. It wasn’t pretty.”

Kakashi nodded his head and clapped his hand on Naruto’s shoulder.

“Death never is. You did well.”

A shriek from behind them made them all whirl to see what the problem was and found an ecstatic Sakura hugging an unhappy Sasuke, who was very much alive, while Tazuna helped Shino to his feet. Naruto grinned at seeing his friend alive and was about to see how he was doing when a loud ‘ahem’ cut through the air.

Everyone on the bridge turned to find Gato with his army. The short little fat man gave them all a greasy grin and tapped his cane on the ground.

“I love being a smart businessman. I hire Zabuza to kill Tazuna, Tazuna hires ninjas, the ninjas kill Zabuza so I don’t have to pay him, and then me and my boys come in and run damage control. I save money, they get paid, and we all get what we want. Now that’s smart business.”

Naruto pulled his knife from its scabbard again. He hadn’t thought he’d have to deal with Gato so soon. He’d thought that seeing what the ninjas could do would make the arrogant bastard rethink his strategy.

His mistake. A mistake that would be very costly.

“Anko-sensei, Gato is mine. The rest are yours and Kakashi’s. Once I dispose of Gato, I’ll join the fight.”

Kakashi frowned at the shorter ninja and slipped his headband back down over his eye.

“And who died and made you boss, genin?”

“Gato is our mission, Kakashi, not yours. Go get him, Naruto.”

Naruto turned with wide-eyes to Anko.

“You called me by my name?”

She smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t get too big for your britches. You’ve just graduated from a brat to a big brat in my eyes. Now go get that bastard before I come to my senses.”

Naruto saluted and began to walk toward the group of bandits. Kakashi was about to rush in, but Anko held him back.

“You’re about to see why he’s an assassin-in-training. Just watch.”

Kakashi gave Anko a hard look, but stood still. What could the boy possibly do?

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The thugs all laughed as Naruto walked toward them, his mummified look only adding to the humor.

“What the hell is this? They send a midget mummy up against us?”

The thugs laughed harder at that, but the laughter died as Naruto began to sink into the stone of the bridge. The fight had not carried that far down and the bridge was fairly dry. He had started to melt into the bridge on purpose, making it look as if he was walking down stairs. Right before he totally disappeared into the stone, Naruto pointed the knife at Gato and made a slashing motion across his throat.

Needless to say, Gato was more than a little worried.

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Kakashi watched with wonder as Naruto sank into the ground and disappeared.

“Holy shit! What the hell was that, genjutsu?”

Anko smirked behind her mask and elbowed him.

“Nope. Sorry, can’t tell you, it’s a secret. Now let’s get ready to go. The fireworks are about to start.”

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Gato spun round and round, looking for his would-be killer, but could find no sign of him. The bandits were on edge. Suddenly, one of them screamed and dropped to the ground dead. Anko and Kakashi rushed forward and began to slash their way through the throng, the bandits dropping like flies.

Gato tried to run, looking back over his shoulder to see if he was being pursued, but when he turned back to the front he was met by the blue eyes of Naruto.

“Where ya going, buddy? We haven’t finished doing business yet.”

Gato put his hand over his heart, trying to calm down.

“Look, I’ll give you whatever you want if you’ll let me go. Women, money, power, whatever you want!”

Naruto narrowed his eyes and kicked Gato in the gut, sending the man flying back towards the slaughter. He could see the townspeople approaching on the other side of the bridge, armed with clubs and pitchforks. Well, they were too late.

Anko and Kakashi killed the last few that had not escaped by diving over the side of the bridge and watched as Naruto stood over Gato, his knife held out to the side, parallel to the ground.

Time stopped for everyone on the bridge as Naruto leaned over and grabbed Gato’s collar and began dragging the man back toward the others. Silence reigned over the bridge, the only sound being the cursing, pleading, and begging of Gato and the heavy footsteps of Naruto. Naruto thrust him down onto his knees before the people of Wave, casting his gaze over those who Gato had hurt.

Inari was staring at him with wide eyes, but who could blame the boy. Gato, who was supposedly untouchable, sat before him a broken man, his death inevitable. Tazuna watched with an impassive stare, glad that the man would get what he deserved.

The people of Wave were silent, waiting for vindication and the execution of their biggest persecutor. He then cast his gaze to the ninjas of Konoha.

Anko was looking at him with pride. Even though he couldn't see it, it was radiating off of her. Her student was coming along nicely and it wasn’t often that Konoha got such a big slice of the pie thanks to a little ingenuity. Maybe the Sandaime would give her a big bonus! She nearly wet herself just thinking about it.

Kakashi was beginning to seriously reconsider his appraisal of Naruto and his skills. If this is what Sasuke had to go up against…he needed to step up his teams training.

Team Seven just stared in awe. Sakura had been blinded by the Kirigakure no Jutsu for most of the fights, but she knew that the masked ninja had fought and killed Haku. Sasuke was not happy about that fact, but took solace in the fact that his Sharingan had finally awakened. Shino held in his thoughts. He’d find out later. After all, he knew that Naruto knew that he knew who Naruto was.

He knew.

Naruto looked back down at Gato and grabbed the man’s shoulder, his claws sinking into Gato’s flesh.

“Any last words?”

Gato glared up at him with hate-filled eyes.

“Yeah. Go fu…”

Naruto embedded his knife into Gato’s spine at the base of the neck, severing his spinal cord. Gato gurgled for a moment and slumped over dead.

The entire bridge was silent for a moment before someone whispered.

“He’s dead? He’s dead!”

And the place erupted into cheers.

Anko pulled him aside and whispered in his ear.

“Very good. We’ll go back for the rest of the assets tonight and wipe this bastard’s name from the earth. And when we’re done, you and I are going to have a little chat.”

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Back at Tazuna’s house, a day after the affair, Naruto and Anko were sitting in Kakashi’s room when someone knocked on the door. Anko asked who it was.

“Shino. May I come in?”

Anko opened the door and ushered the boy in, closing it shut tightly behind him. Shino looked down at Naruto, who now sported one of Kakashi’s masks and a pair of shades he had pilfered from somewhere, and his eyebrow rose ever so slightly.

“Is there anything else you’ve been hiding from your friends over the years, Naruto?”

The blonde sighed and leaned back against the wall.

“I can’t tell you a lot of things, Shino. I knew you’d figure it out, given your bugs knew my chakra signature. You can’t tell Sakura and Sasuke who I am. You weren’t even supposed to know.”

Shino nodded. Naruto was never more grateful that his friend thought logically and with the purpose of understanding everything from the simplest and most straightforward view.

“I’m here on a training trip with Anko-sensei. JiJi thought that Tazuna’s story sounded a bit shaky and we were headed in the direction anyway, so he sent us along after you. Just don’t tell anyone, ok?”

Shino didn’t believe him fully, but nodded his head, knowing that there were just certain things that Naruto couldn’t divulge to him.

“What happened to your eyes?”

Naruto’s aura darkened for a moment, slightly scaring Shino.

“…I can’t tell you that. One day, perhaps, but not today.”

Shino nodded his head and walked toward the door. He grasped it on his way out and turned to Naruto.

“One day, you will have to explain everything to me, Naruto. I await the day you fully trust me. I’m sure our other friends do too.”

The door clicked shut and Naruto just looked at the ground.

“He really has a knack for making someone feel small and like a pile of shit.”

Anko sat beside him and grinned, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it. When you do finally tell him, he’ll understand why you didn’t tell him earlier. Now, I believe that you owe me an explanation.”

Naruto grinned sheepishly and shook his head.

“I don’t want to explain it a lot so can we wait until we report to JiJi?”

Anko narrowed her eyes and stood up.

“You’re lucky I like you, brat. Now get your things together. We’re heading out in the morning.”

“What did Tazuna think when you gave him the funds to get the country back on its feet?”

“He nearly passed out. He’ll really cry when we send him the bill for saving an entire country.”

Naruto shrugged and began to seal things away.

“Sucks to be him.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The trip back to Konoha was uneventful for the most part, except for Sakura and Sasuke trying to see who was under the masks. Anko and Naruto had to repeatedly fend off attempts to unmask them in their sleep until Anko threatened to let her snakes eat them. Shino was the only one of Team Seven that Naruto would speak with, and then only if they were totally alone.

Sarutobi had been overjoyed at seeing the ninjas back in Konoha and had listened intently as Kakashi recounted his team’s adventure. Sarutobi smiled at the three genin and gave them the obligatory ‘good job’ speech. They left with smiles and were instructed to pick up their pay later. Kakashi was asked to stay behind for further debriefing. Then the Hokage turned to Anko and Naruto and the smile left slightly.

“Remove that headwrap, Naruto. You seem to have something to hide.”

Naruto sighed and unwound the sash slowly. He heard Sarutobi gasp and winced at the look on his grandfather’s face.

“What did you do?”

It was more a demand than a question and Naruto suddenly felt five years old again.

“Well, it’s like this…”

You are so screwed.

‘Shut up, asshole. This is all your fault.’

Ooo, Mr. Snippy.

Sarutobi coughed into his hand to get Naruto’s attention.

“Just to let you know, you’re telling your mother about this, not me.”

Naruto blanched and heard the Kyuubi snicker.

‘Instead of laughing, why don’t you tell me how to get out of this predicament with some of your oh-so-wonderful advice?’

I’m not a miracle worker. You’re on your own here.

“Naruto?”

The blonde snapped out of his stupor, not thinking before he spoke.

“Sorry, Hokage-sama, I was arguing with the Kyuubi.”

The room suddenly became much colder and Sarutobi’s eyes hardened.

“I believe explanations are in order, Naruto. Now!”

Naruto gulped and nodded his head shakily.

All the knowledge in the world can’t keep you out of trouble with that mouth of yours.

‘I hate you.’

Hope that was to your liking. I will try to make my Kyuubi neutral toward Naruto, only dispensing advice when it gets the urge...or if it's really bored. It really and truly could care less about Naruto's well-being, except in a fight. A Kyuubi that is neutral...Let me know what you think.