Kakashi woke up in a strange room, looking beside him Naruto and Sasuke were still asleep. "I guess my students brought me back to Tazuna's," he thought and attempted to sit up. Wincing from his eye still hurting he laid back down.
"Sensei?" Naruto had woken up and saw his teacher in pain.
"Ah, Naruto, sorry I didn't mean to wake you," He smiled at the boy whispering to be sure that they didn't wake Sasuke.
"Are you okay? You just passed out yesterday," Naruto walked to his teacher sitting beside him.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he thought back, "maybe using my eye to copy all his jutsus was a little much," he thought to himself. Turning his head to the boy, "you carried me to Tazuna's?"
"Yeah, Sasuke, Sakura, and I all carried you back," Naruto smiled putting his hands behind his head. "Oh, you didn't get to eat with us last night, you must be hungry! I'll go make you something."
Before Kakashi could stop him, the boy ran out of the room, "well at least they are okay," he looks at Sasuke who sat up and looked at his Sensei. "Good morning Sasuke, thank you for carrying me back." The man smiled at the Uchiha.
"where did you get it," Sasuke glared at his Sensei, "You aren't an Uchiha so how?"
Kakashi sighed and looked at the ground, "when I was 12, my team and I were sent on a mission, my friend Obito Uchiha got crushed under some rocks." Kakashi looked at the boy with sadness growing in his eyes, "before he died, he gave me his eye to replace the one I had lost. To this day I only use this eye if I am in dire need of his help." Kakashi places his hand over his left eye.
Sasuke sat in silence looking at the floor, "I'm sorry, Sensei, I thought you were like other people and took it as a trophy during the last war."
Down the hall, Naruto was in the kitchen making breakfast for his team. "What is the Sharingan," Naruto appeared in his mindscape with the Kyuubi.
"An evil eye in the wrong hands," Kyuubi looks at the boy, "for as long as I can remember the Uchiha's have used their eyes for their own gains and have caused evil and destruction everywhere it is used."
"But Sasuke has Sharingan right?" He looks at the fox, "he doesn't use it for evil, in fact, I never have seen him use it before."
"That doesn't mean he won't use it sooner or later," the demon fox looks the boy in the eyes, "I have a bad feeling about that boy, and if he ever tries anything to harm you, I will rip his throat out."
"Aww, Kyuubi," Naruto smiles teasingly at the fox, "do you like me?"
Kyuubi looks away and growls, "I just don't want to die because of some stupid kid, by the way, that Tsunami girl is talking to you."
Naruto quickly grows conscious to the real world and notices he was standing still in the kitchen holding a whisk and bowl filled with eggs, cream, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Looking at the woman in front of him he laughs and continues whisking, "sorry Tsunami-san, I was thinking and must've got lost in thought." Naruto walked to the stove and started to heat a pan with some butter, "I hope you don't find that I borrowed your kitchen." He added the egg mixture to the pan and started to stir it making sure it didn't burn.
"No I don't mind at all, in fact, it will be nice to not cook!" she smiled and sat at the table, "what are you making Naruto-kun?"
"Scrambled eggs and furikake," He took the eggs to a plate covered in furikake he had made earlier and placed the eggs on top.
"Wow, you're a really good cook," she watched from the table with curiosity.
"I live alone so had to teach myself how to do everything, by the way, where are your bowls?" The boy turned around to Tsunami looking lost.
"Top cabinet of the left," she pointed at the said cabinet, "well you've done a good job living alone, and learning to cook will get you hitched in no time!" She let out a little laugh when she saw the boy's ears turn red.
Naruto scooped three bowls full of the food then brought the other bowls and the rest of the food to the table. "well I am going to take these to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme, please help yourself!" Naruto bowed taking the bowls and leaving, still red in the face.
Once he got back to the room Kakashi looked at the boy, "why so red?" He smiled when the boy gave a glare back.
"Well I did make you breakfast, but I guess it's all mine!" He turned to leave, huffing.
"No!" Kakashi held out a hand to the boy, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun!" He made his eyes as big as the would go and pouted until a bowl landed in his hand. He smiled and thanked the boy.
Sasuke was also handed a bowl, "I didn't know you could cook anything besides ramen, Naruto." Sasuke looked at the bowl surprised.
"Well I have been on my own my whole life," Naruto sat down glaring at both Kakashi and Sasuke, "but that doesn't mean I'm not a functional person." He started shoveling food into his mouth but stopped.
"What is it done, it not taste as good as you expected?" Sasuke grins at the boy smugly.
"No," Naruto looked at his Sensei, "do you want us to leave so you can eat? I know you always wear that mask so I don't want to impose. I'm sorry I didn't think about this earlier." The boy rubbed the back of his head smiling.
"No it's fine, I will wait till you both go to put away your dishes," Kakashi placed his bowl on the floor beside him.
Naruto stood up and walked over to Sasuke, grabbing his shirt and dragged him to the door, the Uchiha sneering and throwing insults the whole way. "Just call for me when you're done and I will come to get your dishes!" The boy then closed the door and took himself and Sasuke to the table where Tsunami and Sakura were sitting and having a discussion. Letting go of Sasuke, Naruto sat on the other side of the table and gave a good morning to the pink-haired girl.
"Dobe, I could've walked on my own," Sasuke stood up and dusted himself off. Sitting next to the other boy and took a bite of food.
"Yeah you could've, but that was fun for me," Naruto nudged the boy smiling.
"Hn," Sasuke looked away and continued eating.
"Boys," Sakura rolled her eyes before filling a bowl of her own and taking a bite, "Tsunami-san, this tastes amazing!" She turned to the woman and was confused when she shook her head.
"It was Naruto-kun, he was in here cooking when I woke up!" She picked up her bowl and also took a bite, "and you're right Sakura-chan, this is really good!"
"Wait." Sakura turned to her teammate, "you can cook?"
"Why is everyone so confused that I can cook? Of course, I can cook, I live by myself for Kami's sake!" he raised his hands in the air, one holding his food and the other chopsticks.
"Oh, I forgot," she looked down at her own food feeling guilty.
Naruto saw her look and started panicking, "sakura-chan, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad!" Naruto leaned over the table, "how can I fix this? What do you need?"
She laughed and looked back at the boy, "Naruto you baka, I wasn't sad because of what you thought, I was just sorry that I mentioned your living situation and was insensitive."
"It's nothing Sakura-chan," he sat back with another goofy smile, "I never got the chance to know who my parents were and no one has ever told me. What is there to be sad about if I never had it in the first place?" He looked at her slightly confused.
Sighing, she picked up her bowl, "I guess you're right." They ate with small talk until Naruto heard Kakashi call him.
When he entered the room, he picked up the bowl and was about to leave, but Kakashi stopped him, "when you and the others are done, come back in here. We have a few things to discuss." The boy nodded and went to tell the others.
Once they all finished, they sat on the floor around Kakashi. "That man, Zabuza,he's not dead." Everyone was dead silent, they looked at their teacher more afraid than ever. "I believe the boy was his accomplice and when he threw the senbon, it didn't kill him, but rather made him seem dead so he could run away."
"So what will we do," Sakura started shivering.
"I'm going to train you," Kakashi placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "we will find a way to make sure that when he comes back, and he will, you will work with me and together, we will take him down." He smiled at her, trying to calm her nerves.
"But Sensei, you're still hurt." Naruto looked at the man, "how can you train us if you can't move?"
"Well, that will be part of training as well!" He grinned at the three of his students, "one of you will carry me to and from our training spot, taking turns on the way there and back." Kakashi sat back a little when he saw all three of his genin give him a death glare. "Well, training starts in an hour, who will carry me first?"
Sakura and Sasuke pointed to Naruto at the same time, "why me?" he looked between the two before sighing, "fine I'll go first."
"Good! Naruto can rest and Sasuke and Sakura, you both will go to Tazuna and ask him to show you someplace that we can train without accidentally hurting innocent people." At this Sakura yelled about going on a date with Sasuke, while he glared at his Sensei with contempt.
An hour later, Team 7 hiked out about three miles into some nearby woods. Tazuna had told the two genin about a clearing that was right outside an old shrine. Upon arriving, Kakashi stiffened on the blonde's back, "What is it Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto looked at the man's face.
The shrine in front of them was old, it had been built into the base of a tree and now had roots growing around it and the back was embedded into the tree. Inside an opening in the front was a bowl and places for incense to be burned and a fox statue sitting with pride. Above the opening was what made the man feel like he had seen a ghost, "that symbol," he said. "Do you three remember who the wife to the Fourth Hokage was?" He looked at Naruto, waiting to see if there was a reaction.
"It was Lady Kushina Uzumaki-san," Sakura said, looking at her Sensei with confusion.
"That symbol on the shrine is that of the Uzumaki Tribe," he said as Naruto sat him down by a tree still being able to see the shrine well. "They were an ancient tribe, known for their sealing Justus and Adamantine Chains. They where one of the many tribes whipped out during the Third Great Ninja War, Kushina-san was one of the only remaining survivors when she came to Konoha." He looked at the ground, remembering his Sensei's wife, and how excited they had been about Naruto. "Okay, that's enough for now, time to start your first lesson." Kakashi looked at the genin and explained, "you saw during the last fight, that Zabuza and I could walk on water, well today you'll learn the first step."
"Yes!" Naruto jumped in the air excitedly, "how do we start?"
Kakashi looked at Sakura, "first you need to climb trees, Sakura, go to the base of the tree over there," he pointed to a tall tree behind her, "put on one of your feet and channel chakra into it. Put enough in that you 'stick' to the tree." Kakashi did quote symbols as he talked and waited for Sakura to get her first foot connected to the tree. "Great job, now repeat it with each foot as you go up the tree." Sakura stuck her other foot to the tree and began walking, she smiled as she got more used to it and began climbing faster.
"I did it!" she exclaimed as she reached a branch about 20 feet in the air.
"Great! you have exceptional chakra control, so I want you to practice hanging from a branch while doing various activities, and you boys," he looked at the others, who were looking at their teammate with jealousy, "take out a Kunai and climb the tree, mark your progress, whoever doesn't make it the highest after training is over has to carry me back." He smiled at the two as they looked at each other then glared. over the next few hours, Sasuke and Naruto had both only made it about 8 feet up their trees, and Sakura had mastered standing upside down. "Sakura, why don't you give Naruto and Sasuke some tips."
"Well, if you're slipping you aren't using enough chakra," she stands beside her Sensei with her hand on her chin in thought, "but if you find yourself getting launched off, you are using too much chakra." She looked at their trees, Sasuke's was covered in skidmarks and Naruto's had small digits from his feet, "so I think Sasuke needs more chakra and Naruto needs to use less!" she smiled at them both, feeling proud that she did something that they couldn't do yet. The boys went back to climbing, and using their teammate's advice, gained another few feet in mear minuets. Sakura looked over at the shrine and frowned. "Kakashi-Sensei, if the Uzumaki's where destroyed, why would this be out here?"
He looked and thought about it, "after the destruction of their village Uzushiogakure, surviving members ran to other villages to hide, it is possible that some may have come here seeking refuge and built this when they arrived."
Sakura went to it and began to clear away brush and roots, removing enough to see almost all of the shrine in its former glory. She then knelt down in front of it and clasped her hands, after about a minute, she returned and sat beside her sensei, who watched in wonder as she did this, not knowing there was an Uzumaki just nearby.
Another two hours passed and Kakashi called to the boys, "you should take a break, you'll run out of chakra if you push too hard."
"If I do, I do," Naruto called back, running up the tree again. Both the boys were reaching 30 feet by now. Sasuke gave one of his Hn's and ran up his tree as well.
Kakashi sighed as he pulled out his book. Sakura sat beside him, she had been talking to Kakashi about what she could do with her chakra control, but now she has dozed off. Another hour passes and the boys made it another 5 feet, but Kakashi sensed something he hoped he didn't have to happen now. He looked at Naruto, he was growing increasingly angry, and with his own chakra reserves so low, the Kyuubi's chakra started to inhabit naruto's body, slowly changing his appearance, his whiskers got deeper, his eyes grew slits and turned red. His claws came back, his canines grew longer and his hair stood on end and had two small lumps began to form. "Sasuke, get away from Naruto now!" Kakashi screamed, his eyes growing wide as Naruto was on the verge of losing control. Sakura woke up and looked at Naruto, she gasped and yelled for Sasuke too.
Sasuke looked at his teammate with terror, "he looks like," Sasuke thought, "a monster," he finished out loud.
Upon hearing this, red chakra whirled around Naruto throwing Sasuke back a few feet. Sakura knelt beside her sensei as both of them covered their eyes when the blast of burning hot air raced towards them. Naruto yelled loudly, almost as if he was in pain, and ran on all fours at Sasuke.
The said boy jumped over the other and drew a Kunai, "Naruto, snap out of it!" Sasuke yelled, then blocked a swipe from "Naruto's" clawed hand, "you don't want to do this!" He pleaded, hoping his teammate would come to his senses. Another yell came from Naruto as he started flailing his hands at the Uchiha, seemingly having lost all sense of who anyone was around him. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and blocked and dodged attacks. There were many narrow misses until finally, he saw what he was waiting for. The blonde pulled back an arm, leaving him with no way to defend, and Sasuke did the signs for his fireball jutsu. What he didn't know was that Naruto knew this is what Sasuke would do. When Sasuke blew the fire, the creature ran at impossible speeds for a genin and circled behind the black-haired boy. Naruto slashed Sasuke's leg then kicked him in the head, sending the unconscious boy barreling at Sakura. She caught him falling back from the overwhelming force.
"Sasuke-kun!" She laid the boy down and checked to see if he was breathing, "thank kami he's still alive." she thought, the looked at Naruto. "Naruto-kun!" she called, making the boy look at her, "come back!"
"Sakura be careful! Naruto isn't himself," Kakashi was bringing his hand to uncover his eye, but Naruto saw this and charged his Sensei. He punched the man in the stomach then again in the chest, Kakashi louses his breath and starts violently coughing, unable to breathe for a little while.
Sakura stands up and walks to the blonde, holding out her hand, "Naruto-kun? You there?" She asked the boy quietly, moving slowly as if she was approaching a wild animal. "Hey, come back to us, we promise that you won't have to carry Kakashi-sensei again today!" She smiled kindly to the boy, her shaking hand held out in front of her, waiting for him to take it.
Naruto calmed down at the sight of Sakura, he looked at her, then her hand, he moved his own so he took her hand. His whiskers faded along with his eyes, his claws retracted, and his teeth got a little shorter but were still prominent in his mouth. The largest change was on top of his head. The lumps from earlier turned out to be long yellow fox ears that faded to a brown-red at the tips. Naruto looked at Sakura, tears forming in his eyes, "I'm so sorry Sakura," he let a tear fall when he heard something move behind her, looking he saw Kakashi hunched over in pain and Sasuke sitting on the ground wrapping his leg that Naruto had slashed. He fell to his knees and looked at his hands, his right one had blood from when he attacked Sasuke. Suddenly he felt the urge to throw up, keeling over, he dry-heaved and cried, not wanting to look at anyone. "I- I'm sorry, I'm so s-sorry, I'm a Monster, the village is right." He started repeating these short phrases over and over, never letting his eyes leave the ground. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped back, "don't touch me, I'll hurt you!" Naruto's eyes shot wide and he crawled backward away from Sakura on his hands.
She stood up and marched after the retreating blonde, she backed him into a tree, and with all of her strength, punched him on the top of his head. After a second, she knelt down in front of him and gave him a hug, "baka, that wasn't you." She started tearing up as well as she held the boy.
He sat for a moment, not knowing what was happening, but realized, this was his teammate, and they never leave anyone behind. he hugged her back and started crying into her chest.
Kakashi and Sasuke watched this happen, sadness crawling into Sasuke's heart when he realized this is what the villagers saw him as. He hobbled over to Kakashi and sat against the tree, "You alright?" He looked at his Sensei, noting he looked a little worse than before.
"I'll be fine, he's strong when he is like that, but I was able to catch his blows before they hit me too bad," he smiled at his student then looked at Naruto. Sakura and he had separated and were whipping their tears. She stood up and pulled Naruto with her as they walked over to the others.
Naruto stood in front of his team looking at the ground, "I'm sorry, I..." he paused and shuddered a deep sigh, "I lost control over the Kyuubi and his chakra took over me." He glanced at the people before them and saw a mix of shock and sadness.
"I'm sorry too Naruto," Kakashi looked at the boy, "I should've caught the signs sooner and had you take a breather."
"Wait, you're not going to yell at me, or tell me to stay away?" He watched as everyone shook their heads.
"Why would we?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, "you were just being a dobe." He threw a pebble and it bounced off Naruto's chest.
Naruto smiled and sat on the ground in front of the tree and beside Sakura. "Thanks for not, ya know..." He smiled a small smile at the group.
"Anytime, Foxy-kun," Sakura nudged his arm and giggled.
"No, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved his hands around, smiling.
"Well, you need a good nickname to go with those ears!" Kakashi pointed to Naruto's head.
Naruto stopped moving, then looked at Kakashi, "What!" he yelled that the man.
Sakura looked at him then fell over laughing, "Naruto! You, you..." was all she could say before the was full belly chortling on the ground beside him. Sasuke stifled a laugh with his hand and looked away while Kakashi started chuckling.
"What are you laughing about. Haha, very funny. Now, how about you let me in on the joke too." He crossed his arms and scowled at them all.
Kakashi signed Dog then summoned a small puddle of water next to Naruto, he pointed at it still chuckling.
Naruto got on his knees and crawled to the water looking at his reflection. Everyone grew silent, the Naruto yelled, "Ears!" and fell backward away from the water, said ears flattening on top of his head, causing everyone to start laughing again. "It's not funny!" he looked at the group and pointed to his ears, "How, what, help!"
"I think they are permanent Naruto-kun," Sakura looked at him whipping away a tear. The others laughter soon died as well and they all stared at Naruto's ears. "Can I touch them?" Sakura asked holding out a hand.
Naruto looked at her, then nodded. She put her hand at the base of the one on the right and brushed her hand over it. It wiggled in her hand and Naruto laughed, "T-that tickles!"
They sat under the tree for a while longer, but the sun began to set, "Alright, we should head back to Tazuna-san's house. I bet you all are hungry." Kakashi looked at the group, and as if their stomachs suddenly remembered, multiple grumbles where heard.
"Maybe a little," Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. Naruto stood up and walked over to Kakashi, "as part of my apology, I'm going to carry you back. Besides, Sasuke is hurt so Sakura should help him!" He smiled his large goofy smile and turned around and lifting his Sensei onto his back.
The group walked back to Tazuna's house, talking about what might be there for dinner excitedly.