Kitsune is born and along are problems as well
The sun had set already and Naruto was quickly rushing through the marketplace, determined to get back to the mountain that would once be the Hokage-mountain and set up camp there. He had no other place at the moment and if he were to set up a few seals, no one would be able to find him anyway, not even Tobirama with his sensing skills.
It was only when something white and red caught his gaze from the corner of his eye. Eventhough he had been rushing to get back as soon as possible, something in his gut told him to take it slow for just a second and turn around to see whatever had caught his attention. Naruto had learned to listen to whatever his gut told him to do. A shinobi´s instincts is what could save their life, after all.
His steps slowed and he found himself in front of a shop with various accessories, which was weird in itself, since Naruto usually didn´t care much for those.
Pearl necklaces, armbands, scarfs and various other things were to be found, but the one thing that had caught his eyes was something else.
A mask.
The mask resembled the features of the fox, with sharp holes that were for the eyes, rimmed with black accents around it. Drawn along the cheekbones, the chin and the forehead, as well as in the inside of the pointy ears sticking out from the mask, were dark red marks, the exacts same color of Kurama´s eyes.
Kurama.
Naruto doesn´t know why he noticed the mask. Maybe it´s because it was aesthetically pleasing, or maybe just because foxes were his favorite animal, but deep inside he knows that´s not the reason.
He knows, right at this moment, that he feels confused and lonely. He´d lost everything, Kurama as well. Just because he was physically with him, doesn´t mean that Naruto doesn´t miss his connection with his partner. The constant banter in his head with the fox that kept him from losing his last bit of sanity and that kept the solitude from swallowing him whole.
“Is there something that you´re looking for, young man?”
Naruto´s head snapped to the man that was approaching him almost so fast that he got a whiplash. He hadn´t noticed him getting closer, too deep in his thoughts which slowly began to spiral down further, threatening to cause him to break down.
The man was old, white starting to show in his dull red hair. A single scar ran across his face, from his left ear right across his cheekbone and his nose, similar to the scar of Iruka. His eyes were a deep brown, so dark they almost appeared black.
Before the blonde even had the chance to answer, the man got closer and took the mask into his hands, twisting and turning it to inspect it. His face lit up and his tired looking eyes suddenly felt much livelier as he smiled at Naruto.
“Ah, the kitsune mask. One of my favorite pieces. It´s a shame it´s not selling. With the legend of the Kyuubi no kitsune being told everywhere, it seems this mask is considered a bad omen.” He sighed, scratching the back of his neck with a slightly annoyed expression, “Nonsense if you were to ask me. But oh well, there is not much I can do about it.”
The man was… very chatty. So chatty and open that Naruto felt himself relax a little bit more in his presence. He´d been worried for nothing, this was just a nice shopkeeper trying to sell his goods. This was fine.
“Yeah, I personally find it very pretty. It reminds me of a friend, if I´m being honest.” Naruto answered, nostalgia passing over his features.
Kurama was here with him, even if he was still not present. Naruto would learn to appreciate at least that. He´d have to.
The shopkeeper looked at him a little oddly, tilting his head to the side as he gently laid the mask down on the table. “A friend you say?”
Naruto nodded, smiling at him. Kurama was a friend, one of his most precious ones. “Yeah. He was grumpy at times, but is actually a huge softy when it comes to his precious people. He also loved foxes. I suppose I just… felt a little drawn to this mask,” he chuckled sadly. “I´m sorry if I caused you any trouble.”
There was a brief silence where Naruto just continued to stare at the mask on the table, not looking at the man in front of him, but he could feel his chakra swirl in different kinds of emotion. There was a brief flash of pity and something else that Naruto couldn´t quite point out on the man´s chakra signature, before it quickly vanished.
“I´m sorry for your loss, young man.” The man solemnly said, and Naruto´s face took on a pinched expression.
He refused to believe that he had lost Kurama completely. It would simply take the fox some time to recover before he would be up and about again, grumbling about having to deal with Naruto the entire team, eventhough he never meant is seriously. It would just be a little longer until Kurama would be awake again and let his gentle and warm chakra flow through his chakra coils whenever Naruto felt overwhelmed in order to let him know that he was still there.
Yet he lowered his head, closing his eyes for a moment. “Thank you,” was the simple answer, because there was nothing else for him to say.
Silence fell over the two again, this time a little heavier than before.
Completely unexpected, Naruto saw as the shopkeeper reached out for the mask and handed it to him. Startled, he took the mask into his hands, blinking in surprise. “Wha-?”
“Take it,” the man said, “It doesn´t sell well anyway, and knowing that this is something that reminds you of your precious friend, how could I not give this to you?” He smiled, warm and kind, and patted his hand onto Naruto´s shoulder in reassurance.
Completely dumbfounded, Naruto scrambled to get the last bit of money he still had out of his pocket. “Ah, right, then how much-“
“Nonsense,” the man interrupted, this time with a hint of sternness in his voice that left no room for any further argument. “Keep it, it´s yours. You don´t have to pay for this, young man.”
Embarrassment tainted the tips of Naruto´s ears in a slight red and he flailed a little, still trying to pay for the mask. “I can´t just take this? Just-“
Holding up a hand, he promptly shut Naruto up. “Do this old man a favor, will you? Keep this mask and honor your friend with this. I know just how hard a loss can hit, so don´t struggle against it.”
Suddenly, a flash of hurt and deep sadness passed through his green eyes, a sadness that Naruto knew all too well. This man had lost someone precious to him too, someone who had been so dear to him that the loss still tore at his memories every day.
Naruto paused, slowly letting his hand with the coins fall back into his pouch. There was no way he would win this argument, not when the man was looking at him with the kind sort of resolve like a grandfather looks at his grandson, giving him something precious. That is what this felt like, and Naruto couldn´t help the warm feeling rising in his chest at the kind gesture.
He lowered his head in thanks, clutching the mask close to him. Naruto doesn´t know whether or not he was imagining it, but he could clearly feel Kurama´s warm chakra surge through him, like he was directly talking to him.
A wide smile painted his features. “I appreciate this, old man! I´ll make sure to take good care of this mask, I promise!”
Instead of being offended at the rather disrespectful nickname, the red haired man only chuckled, waving a hand in dismissal. His chakra felt warm and reassured right at that moment, making Naruto smile even more.
“I can see that you will, young man. Now hurry and go to wherever you needed to go. The days aren´t getting longer.”
“I will, thank you!” With a wave and a grin, Naruto turned around, ready to continue his way back, when he was stopped by one last call of the shopkeeper.
“Young man, what is your name? In case you ever decide to come back?”
Naruto tilted his head to the side, eyeing the man for a moment, before smiling widely. The whiskers in his face scrunched up and a toothy grin, similar to the ones he gave in his younger times, appeared on his face, shining brightly as he answered.
“You can call me Naruto, old man!”
.
Back at the mountain, Naruto had set up anything he needed for camp. If one attached himself with chakra to the mountain side and climbed down about a few feet, there was a hidden cave, almost unnoticeable with how small the entrance was and with how high up it was placed. Naruto had discovered that cave when he had been hiding from the villagers on bad days. During his time, the little cave had been right between his fathers and the Sandaime´s face.
Inside the cave it was rather spacious. It was large enough for at least two people to comfortably settle inside. Naruto used that space to set up a makeshift bed, as well as a small fireplace for when he had to cook for himself or to keep himself warm. He doubted he would have to, though, seeing as he didn´t have to eat as often as normal humans had to, and due to Kurama´s chakra, since his primary element was fire, his body temperature was above average anyway.
Along the walls, Naruto set up various kinds of seals. Most of them were barrier seals meant to keep intruders out from entering. There were some other seals too, like a genjutsu seal that allowed this place to be rather hidden from sight. Along with those, there was a seal that mostly suppressed his chakra, since those talented in detecting and dispelling genjutsu might be able to locate him, even if they wouldn´t be able to come inside because of the barrier seals. It was just much more of a hassle to give them the chance to find this place.
And of course, in order to always have a safe space to come back to, Naruto securely placed a few Hiraishin seals, as well as on the outside. In a tricky situation, where retreat was necessary, this was ideal to come back to.
Once the security measures were set, Naruto summoned the newly bought clothes out of his storage seal and neatly folded them, laying them to the side. While housekeeping and order in his wardrobe weren´t things he paid much attention to, the clothes were sparse enough for him to just get it over with instead of tossing the clothes aside like he would usually do.
His weapons and sealing utensils on the other hand were left in his arm, as to always have them ready in case he needed them outside. It wasn´t as if they took up any space. Afterall, those seals were designed with the idea of the kamui dimension in mind. A storage seal which was large enough to never be filled, a seemingly endless pit where the blonde could even store a person or an entire village inside.
…
“What a weird idea. Could I? I mean, there would technically be enough space, but would that cause chakra overload? Would it exhaust me? Or would that not affect me at all? What if people started using jutsu in there? I´ll have to test that theory once... Huh. Whatever.”
He shook the thoughts of and instead let himself flop onto the makeshift bed. He reached for the fox mask that he man had given him bad at the marketplace, twisting it in his hands similar to how he had done it.
It was of great quality, that was for sure. The mask was made out of carbon fiber, as were the red marks all over it. The size was also perfect, fitting exactly onto his face.
Naruto put the mask on and let some of Kurama´s chakra channel through his coils, relishing in the way the warm humming under his skin made golden light flicker all over himself, gently coating him in chakra. It made him feel a little closer to his friend than he was now, which was a huge comfort for him.
He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
“Rumors of the Kyuubi no kitsune, huh…”
His fingers absently traced the marks of the mask as he scoffed in offense. “Stupid. Kurama´s really nice as long as no one provokes him.” He complained as his mind absently wandered back to his younger days. It had always been like that. People fear what they don´t understand, and during that time no one had understood Kurama, nor his situation. It was only when Kurama helped with the war efforts that he had suddenly been acknowledged.
Even during this time, Kurama was made out to be some slumbering monster that would wreak havoc as soon as he was woken up.
What utter nonsense.
The blonde tsk-ed and let himself be pulled into his mindscape, where he was once again surrounded by a beautiful scenery. He could still make out Kurama´s deep breaths and the chakra surging form the cave that gave him enough indication that his friend was still there. It even seemed to be a little more chakra than yesterday when he had checked on him, a fact which pushed the oncoming feelings of desperation and hopelessness away a little.
“The Kyuubi not kitsune… Kitsune…”
Naruto´s eyes widened and his hands flew up to his still masked face, a wide grin starting to spread under it.
“Why didn´t I think of that sooner!”
.
“A masked shinobi, you say?”
“Yes, my Lord. The squads that have been patrolling near the Naka river and near the borders between the Yamanaka and us have been reporting back about a single shinobi wearing a fox mask. There has been no confrontation so far and the shinobi has not been classified as a threat yet. However, reports also show that many clients of major clans, like the Uchiha, Senju, Hatake and even some of ours, have been lost to them. They work quick and efficiently, as well as for a low price, and are beginning to make a reputation for themselves. How do we proceed?”
Nara Shikari, current head of the Nara clan, let his eyes dart over the written letter as he listened to the report. This shinobi had not posed a problem so far, but seemingly appearing out of nowhere with no attachments and suddenly taking over the clients the clans needed, messing up their entire trade structures?
It was suspicious and troublesome as well.
Shikari was unsure whether or not this was a deliberate attack on the major clans, or if it was simply bad luck for them that the clients have decided on a cheaper alternative, either way this was not something they could leave alone for long.
With a groan he pinched the bridge of his nose, waving the shinobi that came to make the report away. “I´ll write a letter to Inoue to see what he knows about the situation. Regarding the patrolling squads, they are not to engage with the masked shinobi as long as they are not attacked first. We´re laying low for now. Dismissed.”
“Understood, my Lord.”
.
“What does the letter say?” Inari curiously peeked over her brother´s shoulder as they sat in the clan heads office.
Inoue sighed. “Shikari has been getting worried about that masked shinobi that has been becoming popular lately. He´s asking for assistance with the matter. I wish to help, but I´m rather clueless regarding this person as well.”
Inari raises a surprised eyebrow, eyes lighting up with recognition at the topic. “Are you talking about Kitsune, elder brother?”
“Kitsune?” he asked.
His sister nodded, walking up to the desk and reaching for the letter to quickly skim over the contents as she hummed to herself. “Yes, that´s what they have been calling him apparently. Because of his fox mask and the entire mysterious story that´s starting to spin around him. There´s a lot of rumors going around that he´s a bad-luck-bringer for all the shinobi who will face him, eventhough there has yet to be a confrontation so far.” She huffed and placed the letter back on the table with narrowed eyes, the tone in her voice becoming a tinge darker.
“Or there already has been, but no one has lived to tell the tale.”
Inoue huffed out a breath, smacking his sister´s hand away from the letter. “You and your preference for rumors and melodramatics, really. And how often have I told you not to stick your nose in the letters that I receive. I know you´ve opened the other one from Choujiro as well, don´t think I don´t.” He leveled her with a glare, causing her to yelp, sheepishly chuckle and look away.
“I really don´t know what you´re talking about, elder brother.”
A heavy sigh conveyed exactly what he was feeling and he simply ushered her out of the office.
.
“Have you heard yet?” Izuna asked his brother as Madara was going through mid-level kata. He was sitting off on the side, tilting his head at the mission report in his hand.
Madara huffs, hardly pausing as his movements shift from mid-level katas to high-level ones. “About that shinobi that has been making rounds in the rumor mill? How could I not have?”
His brother frowns, laying the scroll to the side, and let himself sit back against the log, folding his hands under his head and closing his eyes to think. He hummed after a few seconds of silence. “You don´t seem too bothered. I have yet to see for myself, but are there no difficulties with our clients? I know for a fact that the Nara are in a pinch at the moment, but what about us? That Kitsune has been going some pretty big clients, even when he seemingly gets nothing out of it. I heard that he does everything for a rather cheap price and even does it well. It´s not a scam and too good of a deal for most to blow off. I´m worried, if I´m being honest.”
The clan head pauses this time, turning over to his younger brother who was till frowning. A crease formed between his eyebrows now as well. “There´s not much to worry about, Izuna. We´ve been targeted less than other clans have, and we have enough rations for the oncoming season. The elders have also asked to set up meetings with them just to make sure we don´t lose anyone of importance. Why is it bothering you so much?”
At that, Izuna raises an eyebrow and opened one of his eyes, apprehension almost written all over his face, ignoring the last question. “Meetings? So you´ll set us up to diplomatic missions again?”
Madara huffed. “Not us. You will be the one going. With the rising tension between the Senju and us I am currently tied to the compound to make sure we don´t get pushed back at the borders on the south side. So I´m entrusting you with dealing with the other problem.” He rolled his eyes and simply went back to his katas as his younger brother let out a low whine.
“You´re cruel, brother, you know how much I despise those!”
Madara doesn´t acknowledge him with more than an unimpressed raised eyebrow. “Would you rather I go and you take care of the clan head duties then? We could do that, but I´m certain that upon my arrival back to the compound the whole clan would be in shambles. You would be a horrible clan head, logistic and strategic-wise.”
Izuna gasped in played offense, gripping his shirt with one hand and leaning back onto the pal of the other, as if been dealt a mortal wound. “You wound me, elder brother. I would be an amazing clan head! Amazing, you hear me?!”
A chuckle from behind interrupted their conversation and both turned to see Hikaku some into view. He gave a quick bow of the head towards Madara before turning back to Izuna. “The clan would crumble apart if you were to take over for even a day. What do you think is the reason the elders are constantly nagging at Lord Madara to make an heir?”
Madara´s face scrunches up at that in discomfort. Izuna´s however twisted in offense. “You´re so rude, Hikaku. You should respect me a little more, don´t you think?”
Hikaku only rolled his eyes and turned back to Madara, who was still in the middle of his routine. With a sigh, he interrupted, knowing that the message he was about to deliver would not be one the clan head liked. “Lord Madara, elder Daichi has requested your presence. He´s been… worried about the treatment with the clan children. Afraid that we coddle them too much.”
The floor cracked with the pressure with which Madara slammed his foot down on it, making both Hikaku and Izuna wince. The expression on Madara´s face was enough of an answer. He sharply exhaled a breath and grabbed his belongings, stomping off with suppressed rage once again. Daichi and Madara were two people who were constantly clashing with eachother regarding… any topic, really.
They two of them watched as he stormed off, muttering some angry curses that their mother would have been ashamed off under his breath. Hikaku winced. “Will it be fine?”
Izuna sighed but waved a dismissive hand anyway. “It´s fine. Madara´s pretty good at outshouting the elders, so whatever it is that Daichi is mad about this time, it´ll be resolved soon.”
.
“Have you found what you were searching for, Tobirama?” Hashirama asked as he sat down beside his brother, peeking over his shoulder to see whatever he was working on, only for his face to twist when he realized that he barely understood what was written on that paper. Sealing had always been his younger sibling´s forte after all.
Tobirama shook his head, annoyed. “No. There was nothing out of the ordinary at that place, safe for the fact that it looked like a small battle happened recently. Other than that, nothing I can work with.”
Seeing the frustration clear in his brother´s eyes, Hashirama patted him on the back, trying to cheer him up with a reassuring smile. “It might have just been nothing then, Tobi. You were suffering from a high fever when you felt it, so it might have just been a trick your mind played on you.” He hastily pulled back when he saw a frown play at his brother´s lips. “Not that I doubt you´re sensing abilities, if anything, I am aware they are top-notch, but even you get tires sometimes, Tobirama.”
It didn´t seem to do much to lighten his mood, but the white haired man relented anyway, letting the pen drop back into the ink container before leaning back with a groan. “I suppose you´re right.”
Hashirama, glad that his brother was finally going to get some rest, was about to stand up when a hand placed onto his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. Tobirama looked at him with a vaguely disappointed look, which really wasn´t anything new. “Just because I was busy with this doesn´t mean I´m not paying any attention, brother. Have you been neglecting clan head duties again? I´ve been seeing reports about that one shinobi and have not yet seen you take any counter measures.”
Ah, ever the strict and rational one. Hashirama really had hoped Tobirama had let that one slip, but it seemed his wish had not been fulfilled.
He sighed and let himself flop back into his chair, sulking a little. “What counter measures are there to take? There has been no direct attack, nor confrontation, so I didn´t think it to be necessary. As far as we know, Kitsune is friendly, if only stealing a few trades we have.”
Apparently not satisfied with that answer, Tobirama huffed and turned to get a better look at the brunette. “Hashirama, we almost lost out weapon handler to him. Had I not negotiated with him, we might have just been in more trouble. Be a little stricter, will you?”
Hashirama let out a long-suffering sigh. He had really hoped he could get away from desk-work instead of being further tied to it, but it seems like there was still a lot to do.
What a shame.