Naruto 1. Enter the Kitsune

Kitsune-san

By: Jolly

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Author's Note

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EDIT: This is just a repost. I finally thought up a good summary and decided to give it another shot. Sometimes people don't give a story a chance if there isn't a good summary, ya know?

Okay, I know that I've already got two other stories that I'm working on, but I had no choice. I went to work on the fourth and fifteenth chapters of my other stories and found myself unable to write a chapter for either that I liked enough to give the 'OK' due to my muse telling me I needed to write _this_ story. Or at least the first chapter of it...

I apologize to those of you who have added me as a favorite author or put me under author alert that were expecting to see another chapter from one of my other stories, but I feel like such a heel whenever I ignore my muse (because of how I treated her in the past) that I can't help but let her have her way.

Anyway, I'll have to see how this chapter goes so I know whether I get to tell my muse 'told you so' or if I have to treat her to a day at the spa.

Enjoy!

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October tenth. A day of celebration for the residents of Konoha. It was the anniversary of the day that one of the village's greatest heroes, the Yondaime Hokage, had sacrificed his own life to defeat the Kyuubi no Kitsune as it attacked their beloved village. The streets were decorated and the celebration was already in full swing. It was a wonderful day filled with food, drink, and fun for everyone in the village. Well, almost everyone...

A four-year-old Uzumaki Naruto was running as fast as his little legs could carry him away from the mob of angry and drunken villagers that had literally ripped the door of his dingy apartment off its hinges as they tried to kill him yet again for reasons the young boy couldn't fathom. He'd had to jump out of his window to escape; it wasn't the first time he'd had to do that either.

He knew the streets of the village fairly well, but unfortunately for him, he'd lost track of where he was in the darkness with the villagers chasing after him. He took a quick right between two buildings only to find himself trapped in a dead end thirty feet later.

He spun around and started to run back out, but stopped in his tracks as the mob started to run past the alleyway. He froze in the hopes that they wouldn't see him. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. One villager paused at the entrance to the alley and took a moment to check inside. Leaning forward slightly, he saw the slight reflection of light off of the boy's white shirt. "Hey! He's down here! And he's trapped in a dead end, too!"

The man's voice was filled with sadistic glee as he stalked closer to the young boy. Those that had already passed doubled back and followed the man in trapping Naruto. Soon the alleyway was filled with bodies. However before anyone could get close enough to grab the boy, two ANBU appeared between the boy and the mob: one wearing a dog mask, the other a cat.

"Inu-san..." the young blond said, recognizing the figure that was most responsible for saving him during these incidents, fear and relief apparent in his voice.

The one with the dog mask glanced over his shoulder briefly before turning to the mob and speaking. "By order of the Hokage, disperse this mob or be arrested under charges of inciting a riot. You have thirty seconds to comply."

The man who'd stopped at the entrance to the alley took a step forward to confront the two figures with rage in his voice. "Enough with this! Move aside so we can finally kill that demon! With it dead, the village can finally sleep soundly at night!" A few of the other villagers in the crowd yelled their support.

The dog-masked figure didn't even flinch. "Fifteen seconds."

A good portion of the mob began backing out of the alley, realizing that the ANBU was dead serious. The rest stubbornly stood their ground.

The man, apparently the self-appointed 'leader', stood firm. "You filthy demon lovers make me sick! Why do you protect that _thing_?" The blond boy started to shiver at the tone the man was using.

Dog Mask simply raised his fist beside his head and raised up two fingers together. Six more ANBU appeared at the mouth of the alley, effectively turning the trappers into the trapped. The eight elite ninja would have no problem disabling the twenty or so remaining villagers quickly. The six that appeared moved to apprehend the group when suddenly Cat raised his hand to halt them. Turning to the boy behind him, he picked him up by the back of his shirt and held him above his head in front of him as he turned back to the group.

"What do you see here?" he asked the trapped citizens.

The leader answered again. "A demon!" The rest gave short nods to agree with the man.

Cat rotated the boy in his hand to get a good look at him. He could see tears streaming down the boy's face as he shivered in fear. He also could smell the urine from where the young boy had wet himself. Lowering him slightly, he looked back to the villagers.

"Really? All I see is a four-year-old kid that's scared shitless. Either he's the demon you hate and fear so much or he's a lonely, scared little boy that you're taking your problems out on. You can't have it both ways. If he's the demon, then you wouldn't _dare_ treat him the way you do, because if you _did_, that demon would kill you without a second thought or an ounce of remorse. If he's the scared little boy, which is what _I'm_ seeing, then the lot of you deserve to go to whatever hell is reserved for those that would kill a child. We make _you_ sick? HA!"

Several of the villagers lowered their heads in shame as the speech hit home. Cat gave a discrete signal and the ANBU at the mouth of the alley began knocking most of the group out with chops to the back of the neck. The four that remained standing were shocked that they were still among the conscious.

Cat eyed them for a moment. "Izumi, Tora, take those four to holding cells. I'll talk to them shortly. Team Hebi, take the rest to Ibiki. I'm sure he'll love to give them his 'special' treatment for ruining his night." A series of 'hai's' met his orders as they moved to follow them.

Cat put Naruto down and made sure he stayed on his feet. The blond looked up in awe at the man that was just holding him.

"Gomen-na, Neko-san..." he said quietly.

"Stop that right now!" the man yelled. Naruto jumped in fright and started to back away, thinking the ANBU was going to attack him; it wouldn't be the first time. However, Cat reached out and grabbed the boy's shoulder gently, pulling him closer again. "I'm not going to hurt you, kid. Listen. Don't apologize for something that's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. Only apologize for things that you've done that you know are wrong, understand?"

Naruto nodded his head in silence. Cat crouched down so that he was almost eye-level with the boy. "What's your name, kid?" he asked.

"U-uzumaki Naruto," he stuttered out.

'_Uzumaki? It couldn't be... but then again, how many spiky-haired blonds has this village had? Looks like 'Inu' and I need to have a talk tonight..._'

Cat smiled under the mask. "Well, Naruto. How about you go with 'Inu-san' here to get cleaned up and then we'll all three go to see Hokage-sama together? That sound okay to you?"

The boy simply nodded.

Cat stood up and Dog held out a hand for the boy to take. "Thanks Inu. I'll meet you back at the kid's place after taking care of some stuff."

Dog glanced over at his partner. "Going to deal with those four?"

Cat shook his head. "No, they can stew for a bit. I'm going to report in and I need to check on a hunch."

Dog's only reply was a nod and a shunshin as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves with Naruto. Taking to the rooftops, Cat made his way to Hokage Tower.

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"Report."

Cat was kneeling before the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, with his eyes on the floor.

"Hai. Teams Neko and Hebi intercepted an attempt on Uzumaki Naruto's life by a mob of close to one hundred villagers. Before we arrived on scene, the mob had broken into the boy's apartment by way of removing the door. After escaping through the window, the boy was chased almost ten blocks by the villagers before getting cornered in a dead end alleyway. We intervened before any harm came to the boy. After giving the group a chance to disperse per our orders, we took approximately twenty villagers into custody, only four of which were taken to normal holding cells. The rest were sent to the Torture and Interrogation Unit."

The entire report had been given in the same position he appeared in.

"Explain the four."

Cat paused for a moment from embarrassment at his outburst. "Hai. Before apprehending the group, I slightly lost my temper and went off on them. The four were the few present that showed they felt guilty for what they'd done."

The old Hokage looked at the man in front of him with interest. It was his first night back on active duty in the ANBU since he returned from his deep cover mission in the Hidden Mist Village. Already, he'd succeeded in protecting the village pariah on what had turned out to be the most dangerous night of the year for the boy in recent years. The way he talked about the boy showed none of the scorn that had infected most of the village (including some of his own ANBU) and even though he delivered his report in a serious tone, Sarutobi had noticed the veiled disgust in his voice when he mentioned the group sent to Ibiki.

Maybe his lack of hatred towards the boy derived from not being present during the Kyuubi attack. It could even be that he didn't lose anyone close to him. Whatever the reason, Sarutobi planned to use it for the boy's benefit.

"At ease. I'd like to ask you something, Neko, and I want you to be absolutely honest with me when you answer."

Cat rose to his feet and placed his hands behind his back. "Hai, Hokage-sama," he replied.

The Hokage leaned forward and steepled his hands in front of him. "What do you think of how Naruto is treated?"

Cat answered immediately. "It's deplorable, sir. It's the exact same thing that I hated about being in the Hidden Mist during my five years there. These people hate that boy for something he has absolutely no control over."

He wanted to say more, but held back. Cat wasn't known for speaking subtly, especially not when told to 'be absolutely honest.' However, you could only say so much without crossing the line when speaking to a Kage.

Sarutobi, being a master of reading body language, noticed this and nodded. "Continue."

Or maybe not...

Cat gave a short nod. "Sir, it is my belief that the villagers need to get their priorities and facts straight. That boy is nothing but the fox's jailer, yet they treat him like trash while claiming he's the demon itself. If Naruto was really the demon, I'm sure he would have already flattened this village after the way he's been treated. Yet from what I understand from Inu, that boy's dream is to someday have your job. To me, that only proves my point further."

Finished, he stood a little straighter, proud of himself for keeping his speech curse-free. The Hokage still had yet to say anything in reply, so Cat decided to try his luck. "Sir, if I may ask you a question as well?"

Sarutobi paused in thought for a moment before inclining his head slightly.

"Naruto is 'his' child, isn't he?" Cat asked, looking directly into the Hokage's eyes. Sarutobi wasn't the only master in reading body language, but Cat knew that it was the eyes that spoke the truth no matter what came out of a person's mouth.

Sarutobi kept his eyes locked onto the mask of the man in front of him as he thought about whether or not to tell the man the truth while leaning back into his chair. After almost a minute of silence, the older man decided that the best way to answer would be the ninja way.

"Even if I knew what you meant, I couldn't tell you the truth, Neko. That boy's safety is too important to reveal his lineage." Cat gave an imperceptible nod in response.

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

And he really _did_ understand. Cat knew from how the Hokage had answered that his hunch was correct, but by outright answering or otherwise releasing that information he would be putting the boy in unnecessary danger.

Sarutobi looked over his soldier once more before making a decision that would change the man's life. "Neko, I'm going to assign you a long-term, three-part C-ranked mission. I'm putting you in charge of that boy's safety. You will be leading two full teams of ANBU of your choosing to ensure that he comes to no harm. You and your teams will protect Naruto until he has either graduated from the Ninja Academy or until he decides to leave the village. Do you accept?"

There really was no way for him to say no. There were two reasons for this. One: ANBU are the Hokage's personal weapons. When he said 'kill,' the person indicated would be hunted down and killed without question. Two: Cat _wanted_ to take this mission, even if he had to do it solo. However...

"Two questions, sir. What do you want me to do in the event he decides to desert... and do they _have_ to be ANBU?"

Sarutobi thought carefully for a moment before replying. "In the former case, your mission will be upgraded to a long-term solo A-ranked escort, protection, and training mission. As to the latter; _yes_, they have to be ANBU," he said, giving Cat a meaningful look that he quickly understood. He didn't trust everyone in ANBU and was using Cat's 'search' for his ideal team as an excuse to do some covert mole hunting.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I accept this mission. You'll have a list of my teams within forty-eight hours. By your leave?"

"A moment, Neko," he said as he reached into his desk and pulled out an red-orange mask. "You will wear this mask while acting as the commander of this task force and you will go by the codename 'Kitsune.' Understood?" Sarutobi asked as he handed the mask to the man. Looking over his new mask, he couldn't help but notice that it looked remarkably like how the Kyuubi did from how Inu described it. It even had slitted eye holes that looked like foxy eyes and painted-on whiskers. Cat, or rather Fox, developed a devious smile under his mask. A few alterations and...

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," he said as he removed his old mask and put on the new one in a smooth motion that revealed nothing of his face to anyone that might be watching. He hooked his old mask to his belt and bowed.

"Good work tonight, Kitsune. Carry on," the Hokage said, dismissing the man.

"Hai!"

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Author's Note

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Okay, my muse is satisfied! Now I can try to make some progress on Walking a Different Path and Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within! YAY!!!

Now that I've written it, I have to say that this story will not be worked on unless I get a large response to continue it or my muse makes me again. I haven't decided pairings or teams yet, but if this _does_ continue, then the main pairing will be either Naru/Hina or Naru/Ino. Other pairings will be decided if the story continues.

Oh, and if you can guess the identity of Cat/Fox (not the name since he's an OC, just _who_), I'll even use one of your ideas in the story. Since I don't really have a storyline planned out for this fic, pretty much anything goes. The only thing I absolutely won't use is a superpowered bloodline for Naruto since I'm not big on Naruto having a bloodline at all. I decide what is considered 'superpowered'. Here's a hint: he's related to one of the main characters in the canon series.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

P.S. Still looking for a beta for all of my stories!

_Ja-ne!_


	2. A Walk Down Memory Lane

Kitsune-san

By: Jolly

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Author's Note

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Okay, I wouldn't call 2 reviews a 'large' response, but after I reposted the story with a new summary, it got fivefold more hits in one day than it did over a two-week period. So in an attempt to placate my once again annoying muse, I'm going to go ahead and put up chapter 2 and see what you think. Yes, this is a _very_ short chapter, but that couldn't be helped. If you want them to be longer, I wouldn't mind a little help with content on y'all's part. ^_^

Realize that this story is a _**BIG **_exception to my normal rule of not writing unless I've got most of it planned out. Therefore much of the story is up in the air at this point. Your reviews have _serious_ impact upon how this story is going to play out as well as whether or not this story is even going to continue. Something that is another exception from my normal rule of not abandoning a story once I've started it.

That being said, I _do_ enjoy writing this story. It's just that I don't think this plot will work out well, especially since I threw in yet another OC; something that seems to be the bane of my readers' existences. You may think I'm fishing for reviews (well, kinda...), but unless I know readers like this story I just can't seem to get as inspired to write this story like I can my other two.

Lemme know what you think! Here's chapter 2.

Enjoy!

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"So, you want to tell me what that was all about?" asked a tired looking Kakashi as he and his partner walked down the street away from Naruto's apartment while the sun rose behind them.

"What? I just wanted to make sure his shit didn't get trashed while I was gone," his companion grumbled. "I hate seeing what this village has turned into since I left. Are all the villagers _really_ that fucking stupid?"

Kakashi sighed and glanced at him with a frown. "Not _all_ of them, but the vast majority; yes. So, Hokage-sama entrusted you with his safety? What do you plan on doing?"

The other man glanced over with a feral grin plastered on his face. "I'll explain once I've got everything planned out. In the meantime, get what rest you can."

The man's expression had Kakashi feeling a chill. "You _do_ remember that this isn't Mist, right? You can't just kill a bunch of villagers out of hand because you want to."

The other man scowled at him before facing forward again. "No shit, baka. Like I would emulate those sick fucks anyway! Bunch of cold-hearted assholes if you ask me." Suddenly his expression shifted from one of hatred to one of perversion. "Though I have to admit, the next in line for Mizukage is a fox! She's bipolar as hell, and I would _never_ piss her off, but she's got all the prerequisites for the position."

Kakashi looked over in amusement at the other man's sudden change of subject. "Aside from the normal reasons for not pissing off a female, especially a powerful one, why would you never piss _her_ off?"

He gave an involuntary shiver as he looked at the cycloptic jounin. "Ever heard of Bujiro the Beast?"

Kakashi nodded as he recalled the pertinent information he'd read from the bingo book. "Namuka Bujiro: A-class jounin from the Village Hidden in the Mist, known for his ruthlessness and vicious behavior towards captives; especially female captives. Dubbed 'Beast' as a chunin after he led a team in capturing a dissident village. Reports said he had the genin under his command kill all the men and help him rape the women before slitting their throats over the course of a week."

"Yeah, that's the guy. I'm surprised that information hasn't been updated yet though," the other man said, causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow in query. "He's dead. Been dead almost three months now. He was out drinking with his buddies when she walked into the bar. He made some derisive comments about her fucking her way to her position and she left shortly after. Next day, she confronts him in the street, _after_ he'd recovered from his hangover, about what he said and gave him a chance to take it back since he was drunk."

He shook his head as he remembered the man's stupidity. "Instead, the stupid fuck laughs in her face and says, 'Stupid sluts should know their place… on their backs!' Five seconds later, he's a bloody smear spread across the street. I didn't even see her move. I personally think the guy had a death wish. I mean, even the few remaining Swordsmen don't mess with her."

Kakashi's eye widened at that. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were known to be the most vicious and powerful shinobi the Hidden Mist had produced in decades. The fact that even _they_ wouldn't provoke her ire spoke volumes. "She's really _that_ powerful?" His companion's only response was a nod.

"Hell, there're a couple of the upcoming replacements for the Swordsmen that idolize her. There was this one kid that chased me when I exfiltrated from Mist that was damn near as good as the guy he was replacing. I outran everyone else, but that kid almost fucking cut me down with those twin blades of his. I think he has a big crush on her to be honest." He snorted as he remembered the fight and mentally amended his statement.

"Fuck 'think'. I know he does. Otherwise I'd be dead right now. I called him on his infatuation with the women and the kid turned red as a tomato! That's the only thing that gave me the chance to knock him out and get the hell away."

Kakashi looked over with curiosity. "Why didn't you kill him if he was that good?" he asked seriously, causing the other man to shrug.

"I liked the kid. You know me. If I can avoid killing someone, I will. Hell, it wasn't _his_ fault I was a spy. We were both just doing our jobs. If he'd forced me to, I would have killed him... but he didn't want to fight with me either. So I used his distraction to disable him instead."

Kakashi's smirk was hidden by his mask. "Softie."

The other man gave him a one-fingered salute as he smirked. "Go fuck yourself Kakashi. I'm still older and stronger than you and I can still kick your ass!"

"Maa, maa. No need to get so uptight," Kakashi said, holding up his hands defensively. As the pair laughed, the finally arrived at their apartment building. "Let's just get some sleep. Tomorrow you have to start looking for members for the protection teams."

"Yeah, yeah."

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"Keitaro! Do you _have_ to use that language around my daughter?" asked the tall, whiskered blond walking into the living room. Sitting on the floor was a young, long blond-haired girl with piercing cerulean eyes and a spiky, silver-haired man in his late-thirties. Both looked up with mischievous grins at the scowling man in the entryway.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama," the older man said, completely unrepentant. "You know I promised Kimiko-chan that I would tell her the story of how I met you when she finally became a ninja! Now that she's officially an adult, she's old enough to hear it in all its vulgar glory."

The blond sighed and palmed his forehead. "Keitaro... How many times do I have to tell you? It's 'Naruto' in private."

This got a laugh from the man sitting on the floor. "Yeah, but I'm trying to set a good example for your daughter to follow. It wouldn't do for her to call you 'Dad' when you assign her missions at the Hokage Tower, would it now?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Yet you consider using curse words to be a 'good example to follow'? I don't get you sometimes... you know that, right?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Nothing new. I lost count of how many times I set a bad example for you when I wasn't 'Kitsune-san'." Naruto laughed and shook his head.

"Lucky for me, your bad habits never rubbed off on me. Between you, Kakashi-sensei, Ero-Sennin, and Baa-chan, I don't know how I didn't turn out to be a swearing, perverted alcoholic." Looking down at the pair, he shrugged and turned to leave so he could find out what was for dinner. "Fine, tell her what you want. But if her mother hears either of you talking like that, you're on your own."

"Hey, I've lived a full life! I say live on the edge! The worst she could do is kill me, and it's not like she'd be the first one to try either," he replied with a grin as Naruto disappeared. Turning back to the giggling girl in front of him, he leaned forward and whispered, "You wanna hear the story how your dad and mom first met?"

Kimiko nodded vigorously as she scooted closer so she could hear him better. He glanced over his shoulder quickly to check for any eavesdroppers before starting his story. "Well, to be honest, there were _two_ girls after your dad's affections."

Kimiko's eyes widened, not previously knowing that bit of information. "_Really?_"

"Yup! What's funny is that he met them both around the same time and both girls started trying to spend time with him after that," Keitaro explained.

"Wow... So what happened?" she asked excitedly.

He chuckled and sat back, diving into his memories to better tell his story. "Well, it all started right around Yuletide the same year 'Kitsune' took over watching the rambunctious blond..."

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Author's Note

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YAY for storytime! ^_^

So I dropped a few more hints as to the identity of our good ANBU, Kitsune aka Keitaro. You're all still free to guess who he's related to and how, but if you can't figure it out by now I must be seriously being super vague about it. Yes, Keitaro swears a lot. You were warned in chapter 1 (or was I too vague about that, too?). :P It's rated M for a reason...

Remember, your reviews and PMs greatly affect how this story will turn out! I'm not going to decide on who Naruto gets with anytime soon, so if this story continues then you'll all have plenty of time to give your opinion. I'm probably going to spend most of the story telling how both girls vie for his attention until I get a clear majority.

If you like this story and want me to continue writing it, leave a review or send me a PM!

_Ja-ne!_


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Naruto, Humor