Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Disguised Curses	By : Raholea Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 2478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
It took me three months, but hey, I have a life now. though I actually liked this chapter. beta credits go to ainian, who looked this over for me to make sure there wasn't anything blatantly wrong with it. progress next chapter, I hope. plot and otherwise....

Chapter 24

Sakura, Neji, Naruto, Kimi, and Sasuke stood within the Hokage’s office, waiting while Tsunade poured over the report Shikamaru had dropped off before disappearing. After scanning through most of it and slowing down in parts- Naruto could imagine exactly which parts she was reading closely- she set it aside. There was a slight warning look in her eyes as she looked at her two most potentially bothersome ninja, and then she sighed. “Leave the report, Sakura, if you have one. The rest of you stay for a chat.” Sakura got the hint, backing out with a promise of visiting later at Tsunade's convenience.

Tsunade waited, and when she was sure they were alone, returned to face the four remaining nin. Well, if the fourth could be considered a ninja. She wasn't sure yet. She’d been studying the unknown female since she’d walked through her door, and wasn’t sure yet what was so damnably unique about her. She smiled obligingly. “At least two of you aren’t chasing each other out of the room. Do I understand correctly that several of the ninja you were with, including all present, know of your situation, Hyuga- san?”

Neji bowed slightly. “Yes, Hokage- sama. Those present know the truth about my other self. That is why I asked Kimi- san to accompany me to Konoha. She is something of an expert on my situation and is willing to help me as others cannot.”

A blond brow rose high, disappearing beneath a line of sleep- ruffled bangs. “Please explain. Or demonstrate,” she adds, as she remembers the first time she saw Neji shift. Sometimes it really was easier to see things first then have them explained. The smirk and chuckle from the girl doesn’t escape Tsunade’s notice, but Kimi approached the desk as the boys back away. “It is simple, Hokage. I am a hawk, as Neji is a swan.” She closed her eyes and the room is filled with that backwash of chakra as she shifts in blurring speed to her full hawk body. She fluttered a moment on the floor before gaining enough lift to secure a perch on the back of a chair. Once there she fixed Tsunade with that golden- eyed stare.

“Point made. I dare not hope you can talk in that body?” The hawk gave a vigorous shake of her head. No, no talking capabilities from her when in true hawk form. It was one of her biggest drawbacks. A moment later Kimi reversed the process and when she stood on two human feet behind her “perch” chair, she brushed a few stray feathers from her shoulders. She was once again human, without her wings or any other blatant sign of her unique blood.

“Now you see, yes? I am here to ensure Neji- san learns everything he can about this side of his life. It can help him become better as a ninja if he can master his other self. The possibilities, as they say, are endless.” The two females studied each other, neither backing down as moments passed. The hawk merely could not be intimidated by this leader. Not in these circumstances.

Finally Tsunade nodded and turned sharp eyes on Neji. “You are housing her and making sure she is taken care of?” It came out as something more of a command than a question. Neji nodded instantly. “She will stay at the Hyuga compound until further notice, Hokage- sama. I’ll use the weekend to show her around the city a bit so if I need to be gone on a mission or something she won’t get lost or wander into the wrong area.” Tsunade nodded again and waved a dismissal. Neji bowed and led Kimi from the room, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to face their Hokage alone.

Her initial interview with them was just slightly longer, as Shikamaru’s report had been quite revealing about the trip and little happenings along the way, although she’d paid most concern to anything dealing around Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke. She’d read through it better later to make sure she didn’t miss anything vital. But until then… “You seem to have a little more control, Naruto. You weren’t tense and eager to chase the Hyuga out the door this time. Although I understand you had a close call in Suna over that same issue.” Her eyes were hard, and Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, I had a small slip. But my control is improving…”

“You bit the Kazekage. And mind, I got a letter from Gaara himself about that incident- after you left, which is the only reason I didn’t order you back early.” Naruto withered a little under the vocal display of her wrath. “You should be grateful that he considers himself your friend, and that this is not worth becoming a problem between us and Suna. That would be terrible, Naruto, considering they are one of our strongest allies. A war between Suna and us would fracture the relative peace the five great nations hold.” She was now standing behind her desk, a thunderous expression filling her face, before she finally sighed. “Gaara also warned me things would likely get worse for you for a while before they get better, but wouldn’t explain. I want a full report, Naruto.”

The blonde shinobi straightened. “The instincts will continue to grow as this thing with Kyuubi continues. I can’t stop it. At this point I don’t think I would if I could. But my control will be continuously tested until at such time I can find balance with all the new stuff. I can’t promise I won’t look at Neji, or various other people, and not think ‘food’ from time to time.” He shuffled nervously. “Look, all I know is that sometimes it’s like a distant echo, something I know is there but don’t have to pay attention to. And other times, it’s not even a conscious thought. It’s just a blank moment of, of… of action; even when just charging into battle I’m never as blank as that. It’s simply not thinking ‘Is this right or wrong?’ but merely an instinctive surge. I have been to the point of both recognizing the onset, if it is slow, and just suddenly acting, because there is no warning.”

Tsunade sat back in her chair, studying the grown boy before her. He was not far from becoming a man, even though he was only fifteen, the years as a ninja had made him grow fast. And then life had to throw him this. She had to admit he was taking it better than Neji seemed to be dealing with his; but then, Naruto had been living with his ‘guest’ for much longer. She was reminded once again how mature he was finally becoming, and here he was, almost sixteen and still technically a genin. He still hadn’t taken the chuunin exams within the last couple years. And now, throwing him amongst fresh graduates from the academy would be damn near shameful, considering she knew he could cream all of them easily. But that was yet to come. His other problems had to be addressed now.

“How do you plan on handling this? It seems it will get potentially dangerous for you to even be around here, walking the village or attending social functions without being a potential hazard to yourself, your friends, maybe even civilians. You could even cause problems on missions, Naruto. This lack of control will cause problems.”

Naruto nodded slowly. He knew what Tsunade was saying, and he couldn’t argue, but he didn’t like it. He sat in deep thought for a moment, churning over the possibilities. “I can stay here as long as I can,” he started, ticking points off on his fingers. “I can get myself a refuge outside the village walls, where I can go if needs arise. I can leave the village entirely until this process is complete, again finding a place nearby but outside of immediate threat range. Or, I can go back to Suna. Gaara made it very clear that I will always have a place to return to if things go.. poorly.” A look of near indignation and fury crossed Tsunade’s face, and Naruto knew what was about to happen. “Sasuke, give us a minute.”

The raven glanced at his friend before escaping out the door. He did NOT want to get stuck between these two forces of nature and temper.

“What are you saying, Naruto?” There was a quiet stillness in Tsunade’s voice Naruto had never heard before when he knew she was mad.

“If I cannot stay here- whether it be lack of control, or because the council decided to kick me out due to my changes, Gaara has extended the open invitation for me to go stay with him for a while. He is a true friend, and at my hour of need he will stand and back me up. I cannot be so certain with others of this village.” He let a little of that age old hardness seep into his body and eyes. “You know the council will freak when this finally leaks out. I won’t make my friends choose their loyalties, Tsunade- sama. I will always consider the Leaf my home, and I will always defend Konoha with every drop of blood as a shinobi. But if I must fade for a while to ensure the safety of myself, my friends, and my village, I will.” He turned moist eyes on Tsunade where she sat in her chair, his body turned away, defensive. “Please, baa- chan… don’t make me choose…”

“You are a Konoha ninja, Naruto. Saying such things could be considered treasonous.” Tsunade heaved a deep sigh and held a hand up to halt the words. “I understand what you’re saying, Naruto, but be careful who knows of this. It would not do to have your loyalty questioned when I know you are holding this problem close to you.” She came from behind her desk and wrapped an arm around Naruto’s shoulders. “Just don’t give them any reason to force me to do something to you I would regret.”

Naruto sighed. “Me being what I am is reason enough for some. But, I will try not to give those who outrank me further reason to have my ass hunted down.” He glanced out of the corner of his eye. “So, when do I get to try for Chuunin again? My birthday’s next month, I’ll be sixteen! And I’m still a Genin!”

Tsunade tapped the back of his head, lightly, just enough to annoy him. “Drop it. I will see what I can do.” With that she escorted him to the door, which revealed Sasuke standing just across the hall. “Both of you behave for the next couple weeks. If anything goes wrong, I want to be notified, immediately.” She glared at both boys, and Naruto nodded sheepishly. They turned to leave, apparently dismissed, when Tsunade spoke again, this time much lower. “Keep your Sharingan unused, Sasuke, as much as possible. You’re not out of your base probation yet, there’s only so much I can allow. I can overlook you helping to shut Kyuubi down but keep it private, and limit it. You don’t want to know what the repercussions could be.” Sasuke didn’t respond, but he’d paused long enough to hear her words before continuing on. Naruto waved at her though, the look on his face telling her they’d both understood her words.

She sighed. Sasuke was really no easier to deal with now then when he’d first walked through her door to an imposing sentence. She couldn’t understand how Naruto put up with him, now that they were damn near roommates.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Said roommates were having a very typical roommates moment- Sasuke was chucking leftovers from the fridge into a bag to be taken out and burned while Naruto was viciously attacking the table with a damp cloth. “Why do I have to clean it? I can’t help that two weeks accumulated so much dirt and dust!”

Sasuke sighed from within the fridge as he found yet another rotten tomato that had begun to turn into rather nasty impression of a childish science project. “Because I know you were the last one to spill broth from that crappy instant ramen, Naruto. Add that to the dust and you end up with that.” ‘That’, of course, was the disgusting muck Naruto was currently scrubbing away, his claws covered by the cloth doing a quick, if still gross, cleaning of the site. “It could be worse, dobe. You could be cleaning this out.” He held up a long forgotten carton of milk, still closed. “Knowing your luck you’d have drunk this and spent the whole day paying homage in the bathroom.”

Naruto’s face flashed green at a quite poignant memory of his pre- genin days, when something like that had happened. He had spent all day dashing to the bathroom because his milk had been far beyond bad. “I have a better nose now, teme. And I know better than to eat or drink something that might just as well kill me.” He stepped into the kitchen, carefully avoiding the trash bag and rinsing the cloth out in the sink. His nose scrunched at being so close to the odors rising from the bag. “So, what’s for supper..?”

“Grocery trip, next. If you hurry your ass and finish cleaning we can get Ichiraku before that, I doubt either of us is up to cooking.” Sasuke stood and gathered the bag up to take outside. He tossed a smirk at Naruto. “Whoever gets to the front door last has to clean the bathroom next week.”

Blue eyes narrowed and seconds later clones filled the room and proceeded to finish the cleaning. A pair harassed Sasuke as he left the room, but moments after he cleared the house the clones exploded in a fiery rush. Naruto grumbled. “Damn Katon. Teme.”

Sasuke merely smirked. The blonde was always so easy to annoy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The pond back behind the main house in the Hyuga compound had a little tea house overlooking the calm water. It was used often for relaxing, minor inter-clan diplomatic situations, and often when a father was scouting possible spouses for their children.

Somehow, this didn’t feel like any of those. Hiashi sat at one side of the table and made no attempts to hide the fact he was studying the girl sitting next to his nephew. She was… unusual. No, she was beyond that. But, Neji had done his part in trying to assure him that this was for the best. Hiashi wasn’t so certain. Having a female around his only nephew- a pride to his clan even for a branch member, and still family even though he never made much point to reflect on it openly- a female that was neither teammate, sibling, or potential spouse, left a sour feeling in his gut. It was not something he could merely ignore as a clan head, or as an uncle.

“Think of her like a private tutor, if you must, Uncle. Except the subject matter, of course, is a certain delicate personal matter. Surely this can be allowed, and if she trains with my team as well it will not be so unseemly.”

“I will not have her sleeping in your room. Even one room over can be highly questioned. I will not allow it.” The man’s voice was calm, but it had an edge Neji knew all too well. He would not budge on this.

“I am not asking for us to room together, Uncle. I am merely requesting your permission to house her in the clan houses during her stay. She could even room near Hinata if it would please you better. Or one of the other branch houses.”

“Neji- san means no disrespect, Hyuga- sama. I do not even need to stay within one of your homes. I could easily live among the trees surrounding- ”

“NO.” Both Hyuga said it, and Kimi blinked at them for a moment as she tried to process what was going on. Neji was shaking his head slowly, warning her.

“There is no way I could permit you to sleep out in the trees while there are perfectly hospitable rooms available within the compound. I will see what is available. Neji, take her for a short walk around, let her know the place a bit.” Hiashi hesitated, then added. “Thank you for offering to help Neji out with this situation, Kimi- san.” He rose, and both teens stood and bowed as Hiashi left the little building. Neji breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“That went better than I expected.” Kimi shrugged as they followed out the door, heading in a different direction, deeper through the maze the compound created. Some of the young children would glance up at them shyly, parting before their elders, even if the one was a branch member and the other an outsider. Respect was hard driven into the clan as a whole and it showed.

“What were you expecting?”

Neji glanced warily at Kimi. “Hiashi- sama may be my uncle, but he is a respected elder within the clan. He has a lot of authority, but he cannot break clan guidelines and acceptable standards. He didn’t have to let you stay here. He could have ordered that you find a place to stay, an apartment somewhere else in town. Or he could have tried to set us up as a potential marriageable couple.” One of those dark brows rose and the hawk snickered. Neji scowled, but that only enhanced her amusement. “No offense, little swan, but there’s no way you and I could ever happen. Friends, fuck buddies, sure, but predators and prey do not mate for life. Not amongst the avian.” Several minutes were spent in relative quiet, before Neji finally asked for clarification. “Do other breeds, species, sometimes cross that prey/ predator barrier?”

“It is a risky, challenging situation, but it can happen. A predator who has extraordinary control may take on a prey type as a mate, or a pet, or something for them to take care of. Sometimes a predator may find themselves in debt to a something they consider prey, but if it is life debt or the like, it will become honor bound. Out of those there are a handful of occasions where something will progress from casual interactions to something deeper. It does not happen often, and rarely between those with greater differences, but it can happen. It is never truly safe though, unless the bond surpasses even the base instincts.”

“Beyond basic instincts? How could something surpass basic instinct when predators trigger such reaction in true prey animals?” He was thinking very vividly of his flight instinct whenever Naruto was in Kyuubi mode.

"Naruto would not be so much a threat to you if he were merely normal fox. But he is demon- fox, one of the tailed demons bound to him and changing him. It is the added consciousness and power, the emotional baggage and long history that helps mark him as more. A mere rat is considered prey to most species, but a horde of rats will overtake even lesser predators and consume them. You are prey, a strong prey, for the swan is not without some defense and you are a strong fighter for being human. The blend makes you more than either, more than just prey, more than just human. Hawks are predators, but in the wild, with true animals, larger birds of prey will eat hawks. Canines and felines alike that can get the chance love a bit of fresh bird. I may seem human, but my instincts won't have me running at the first mild threat. Naruto will learn that he must hold back and yet give in. He will learn to hold back from hurting those he loves, but yet allow himself some freedoms sometimes so the instincts do not rule him. It’s a personal battle that he will learn to balance or it will tear him apart. Or, he’ll tear someone else apart and I doubt your human city would merely let him walk away.”

Neji shook his head as he resisted shivering at that thought. He had an idea what would happen to Naruto if he ever truly lost control. It would most likely involve ripping Kyuubi from his body and letting the blonde die- anything to contain the impending bloodshed that loss of control would mean. “It would be a bad day for all of us.” He looked around, luckily they were relatively alone and people wouldn’t have heard his personal details in that conversation. “And what about me?”

“You would do well to learn control as well. You’re in as poor shape as he is, from what I’ve seen. And-”

“No.” Neji cut her off. “What would be the likelihood of me finding someone who could understand this without shunning me for it? It is different from most of the ninja here, even other clans. Shino Aburame may house bugs, but I know his clan doesn’t always get married out as eagerly as some of the others. I may be a loner at times but I never planned on not having a future. This is a stain in more ways than one, Kimi. And it’s high time you understood that. Just wait until they realize what you are.” He walked off, and Kimi lingered only a few minutes before she saw Hiashi in another direction.

“Hyuga- san, would it be possible to talk to you about your nephew? Privately?”

chapter end

_______

Please R&R. thanks.
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