(Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com)
The hallways were finally empty again, except for a stray denizen or two.
The loud ruckus had long since ceased, and groups of monks had cleaned up whatever mess had been made during the alert.
Naruto and his companions were finally cleared to leave their room, after large numbers of Yaksha, pretas, and kumbhandas had dealt with the intrusion of a powerful Rakshasa.
“The sooner we get out of here, the better!” Naruto said, escorted by a number of monks who looked to be that realm's equivalent of humans, at least as best as he could tell. “Who knows what might happen next?”
“It was a very interesting place,” Hinata said, glad to be able to head home.
“I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, already.” Kuko said with a dramatic sigh. “After all, this was the place where you and I sampled our first fruits of passion .”
Naruto muttered under his breath.
“You shall all follow me,” one monk said, his shaved head glistening with oil. “Since the time that you entered this temple, a great winter storm has hit these lands.” He nodded to his fellow acolytes, who began unfolding large woolen blankets. “The winds are too strong and the bridges are too icy. You will need to take the long trails, but the snow is too deep for you to walk.”
Before Naruto could reply, he and his fellow travelers flattened themselves against the wall. A number of hideous slavering creatures ran past, chased by a group of pretas.
“Inform the high ones that we seem to have an infestation problem again,” the monk said to one of his group. “It is the boar-headed and dog-headed spirits.”
“If the snow is too deep to walk in, how will we make our way to the tree we need?” Hinata watched as the spirits darted from one room to the next, disrupting the activities inside.
“You shall take the elephants,” the monk said, leading them into a part of the temple that they had never passed through before. “We will guide them for you.”
“We’ll only need two,” Kuko said. “Little sister can ride on one. The boy and I will share a blanket on the other.” She smiled wickedly. “I can think of a good way to keep us warm.”
“Shit!” Naruto moved away from the kitsune, who had formed one tail and used it to tickle his ear. “We will need three elephants. For their sake, make certain that they are female.” He whispered something in the monk’s ear.
“Really?” The startled monk asked, looking at Kuko and backing away himself.
“What did you say?” The fox woman asked, her face clouding over some.
A few minutes walk down winding stairways brought them all to a series of large stalls located outside of the temple proper. A strong animal smell was present, as were a large number of elements.
“This way,” the monk said. “The three of you can fit on the back, while I ride up near the neck.” He showed them how to mount an elephant that waited patiently by a pair of large sliding doors.
When everyone was comfortable, wrapped in blankets, and wearing fur-lined caps and gloves they were handed, a number of stable workers slid the doors open.
The whiteness of the snow, and the light shining off of it, made Naruto and the others shield their eyes with their hands.
“You are most fortunate,” the monk said, as the elephant slogged its way through the snow. He had to shout to be heard against the wind. “The elephant stands for the boundless powers of a Buddha……miraculous aspiration, analysis, intention, and effort. “ He laughed. “Though, it would be easier if elephants still had their wings.”
“Wings?” Hinata asked, pulling her blanket around her neck, blinking as the large fluffy snowflakes battered against her face.
“Yes,” the guide answered. “It is said that once elephants had wings. One day, one was flying over a very large old banyan tree somewhere to the north of a great mountain. Wishing to rest for awhile, it settled upon one of the uppermost branches.” The monk called out a command to the elephant they rode, tapping its side with a long bamboo pole.
Kuko transformed into her fox form, to better snuggle up in her blankets. Playfully, she snapped at some of the snowflakes, nipping Naruto’s ear in the process.
“But the branch could not support the weight of the animal and it cracked, and fell upon a meditating hermit sitting below. This yogi, whose name was Dirghatapas, lost his temper and cursed away the wings of the poor beast. From that day to this, elephants have had to walk.”
Hinata knew that it was only a story, but it made her smile just the same.
“Hey!” Naruto shouted to the monk. “There were a lot of freaky creatures at the temple. Is there anything we need to worry about in these mountains?”
“Only the yeti,” the guide answered. “But, the snows are not deep enough too their liking, and it is too early in the season.” He looked up at the thick cloud-covered sky. “Of course, if the Garuda makes an appearance, we would be in grave danger.”
Kuko covered her eyes with her paws. She had heard of the Garuda. Prompted by Naruto, who struck a pose as best he could in his blankets, the monk related to them the story of the fabulous beast.
“The time was in the beginning, when Siwa and Parwati had just created the world, and when the gods had fought with the giants for the control of the holy water of life, the amerta.
The gods and giant demons were discussing how to get the water of life when the god Wisnu said ‘Hey you, gods and giants, if want the water of life, try to churning the sea of milk, above the amerta.’ This, they decided to do.”
The monk guided the elephant along a steep snowy concourse, only able to know where the path was because of his experience.
”First, they had the dragon Anantabhoga uproot the mountain Mandara and put it in the middle of the sea of milk, on the back of a tortoise. The mountain became the churning instrument. Next, they asked the dragon Basuki to be the churning rope. Then they called in gods on one side and the demons on the other. The gods were to pull on one extremity, the demons on the other. Indra, the king of the gods, sat on the top of the mountain to stabilize it.
”They began pulling. From the churning waters sprouted the goddess Sri, the goddess Laksmi, the horse Ucaisrawa and the cosmic jewel Kastubamani. They all fell on the side of the gods.
“When the water of life, amerta, came out, it fell on the side of the giants. Wisnu devised a trick. He turned himself into a beautiful girl. The girl goaded the demons into entrusting her with carrying the water. She had barely gotten the amerta of life when she ran away, turning back into Wisnu. The Gods and the demons have been at war ever since.”
“Yeh. I guess I would be pretty pissed too. I don’t think much of people who take on the form of girls to trick people.” He cursed when Kuko wriggled out from her blanket and bit him. “Especially when they’re after my water of life!” He took off one glove and smacked the fox.
The monk just shook his head before continuing.
“At the time of the churning of the sea of milk, Garuda was still an egg. He was also the unborn younger brother of Arjuna, the charioteer of the sun, and the unborn half-brother of the Nagas. The seer Kasiapa was father to them all.
“An argument broke out between Kasiapa's wives Kadru and Winata on the color of the tail of the horse Ucaistraw. Kadru claimed that the horse was white and black-tailed, while Winata insisted it was completely white. Fed up with quarreling, they eventually settled on a bet. Whoever was proven wrong would become the other's slave.”
“Hmmmmmm. I like the sound of that. Why don’t we have a bet?” The kitsune took human form and wrapped her arms around Naruto, winking at Hinata in the process. “Want a slave? I won’t mind…”
Naruto looked over at Hinata. “Hinata, I bet you that Kuko won’t stop pestering me.”
The kitsune pouted. “Little sister wouldn’t be much of a slave….”
The guide chuckled to himself. None of the other monks would believe any of this. The simplicity and quietude of the monastic life was never more appealing.
“Kadru was indeed wrong. The horse had no black tail; but, before her rival knew it, she concocted a deception. She had her children the snakes spray the tail of the horse with their white poison. Thus the tail turned black. Winata then became Kadru's slave. The moment of enslavement for the mother was the moment of birth for the son. The egg was hatching.
”The great bird Garuda eventually came to life shining like fire, his glaring light filling the firmament in all directions. The amazed gods thought that doomsday was coming and that at last, the time had come for the burning of the three worlds. But Agni, the god of fire, knew the truth. His praise had the bird-creature turning off its great glow.
“After he found his enslaved mother, Garuda was assigned to guarding his half brothers. But he was naughty. Whenever he could, he would surreptitiously kill one of the Naga and eat it. At length he got tired of his duty and addressed his half brothers in these words: ‘Hey! You snakes, tell me how can I buy back my mother's freedom’."
Naruto laughed. “I wish I had known this story before. I could have mentioned the Garuda to those stuck up Naga bastards. Ah well, maybe next time.”
Hinata gave Naruto a pointed look. She hoped that there wouldn’t be a next time. Life was complicated enough with rival shinobi and warring villages. She would make it a habit to stay away from Umbrella Pines.
"You really intend to buy your mother's freedom back?" came the reply from the Naga, "You want to break her bonds of slavery? Listen. Did you ever hear about the water of immortality, the holy amerta, which the gods obtained in the churning of the sea of milk? Go and get it for us’."
”Knowing at last what to do, Garuda went to his mother to ask for her advice and her blessing. She instructed him to first to an island by the other shore of the sea. It is peopled with villains and killers. ‘Kill them and eat them, one by one. They are to be your food during your quest for the amerta’ she told her son.
“Garuda left and soon began a rampage, killing and eating every villain, turtle and elephant he came upon. He eventually reached the peak of Somaka, source of the amerta, in the land of Sangka."
The monk called out more commands to the elephant, which had crested one hill and was headed for the next.
“Ever since those days, the great bird has had a taste for elephant.”
Eventually, the three intrepid souls found themselves standing back at the great tree. In this realm, a different method of accessing the portal was needed. The monk accomplished the activation, chanting and swing a lit incenses ball at the end of a chain.
As she waited, Hinata looked off in the distance, barely seeing the outline of the great pagoda through the falling snow. It had been quite an experience for her. She doubted that her father, Hanabi, or Neji would believe a word of it. In any case, she would be certain to leave certain things out of her telling.
Naruto took a moment to look as well. Some momentous events have occurred. He had come in a boy, and was leaving a man, at least in one sense of the word. Even more important, he had gone in search of an answer, and had succeeded in his mission.
Kuko couldn’t care less. She had been to a number of kami temples over her lifetime. If you see one, you’ve seen them all. But, she would take some pleasant memories with her just the same, even though she failed to get what she wanted most.
When Naruto was the last of the three to step out of the tree and back into his own world, he looked through the forest at the setting sun and smiled. All they had to do now was make it home to Konoha safely. That shouldn’t be much trouble.
“I think we should make a fire and settle in for the night,” Hinata said. “We’re all tired. It would be best to start our journey at the break of dawn.”
“We already have a fire,” a familiar voice called out. “We’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?” Tenko walked into view.
Before Naruto knew what was happening, all of the kitsune came running towards them, headed for Kuko.
“Tell us… tell us… tell us…”Genko said excitedly, her face eager. “Did you do it? Did you seduce him? Did his seed give you a daughter?”
Before Kuko could answer, Kiko was tapping her on the shoulder. “Why were you gone so long? Did it take that long to win him over? Was it everything you thought it would be?”
Koryu pushed the others aside. “Oooooooooooh. I’m so jealous. We were all so jealous. You’re so lucky!”
Watching the expression on Kuko’s face, Tenko already knew the answer. “We will add no more children this cycle.”
“No,” Kuko said sadly. “But not for lack of trying.”
Shakko and Nogitsune came over to offer Kuko support. “What happened?” Nogitsune asked.
“Well, the boy is no longer a virgin….” Kuko said, fluffing her hair. She smiled when the younger kitsune clapped their hands. “But, we were interrupted at a most inopportune time.” She nodded towards Hinata.
“What!” Shakko glared at Hinata. “Did little sister stop you?”
“Yes, she certainly did.” Kuko gave a brief summary of her trick, which had her family members grinning in admiration. “The Yaksha would have stopped us anyway, I suppose. But, if it wasn’t for me, it would have been little sister who would have ended up in the birthing room.”
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
The kitsune all looked over at Hinata. The small white-eyed girl blushed and rubbed her fingers together.
“It’s always the quiet ones,” Tenko said, chuckling at Hinata’s discomfort. “Among humans. There are no quiet ones amongst us.”
“Tell me about it!” Naruto sat and stewed. He did not like being talked about as if he wasn’t there. And, he wasn’t some kind of freaking prize or something.
“Our hero sounds so sad,” Kiko said.
“Yes, we should find some way to cheer him up,” Koryu added.
“Kisses!” Genko shouted, leading the charge.
Before he could defend himself, Naruto was knocked to the ground and covered by kitsune. He was kissed soundly, and felt numerous soft parts of womanly anatomy pressing against every part of his body. He knocked the whole bunch of them off of him, when he sat up forcibly.
Shakko had grabbed hold of a paired part of his lower anatomy and asked a shocked Hinata if human males treasured those things as much as kitsune did their Hoshi-no-tama.
“I don’t think they come off,” Kiko had said mischievously. “Though we could always check!”
“HEY-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y….”
Naruto stood with his hands covering his zipper area. It had almost been easier dealing with sinpo and pretas.
“Aren’t you all done being in heat?” He shook his fist at Tenko, whom he thought should make an effort to restrain the family.
“We are,” Nogitsune said. “Our burning need is gone.
“Yes,”Genko added. “Now it’s just a hobby.”
“Uh huh,” Koryu put in, grinning impishly. “We all know the way to Konoha.”
Naruto’s eyes widened. He began to sweat. He had thought that his troubles would be over once he made it back to the village. He hoped that the kitsune were simply teasing him.
“You know, little sister….” Kuko walked over to stand by Hinata. “The promises I made to Naruto are all null and void now that we’re back.”
Hinata raised an eyebrow wondering just what the fox woman was up to.
“I feel sorry for little sister,” Kuko said to the other kitsune. “She worked very hard, and was very brave. But, she never got her reward.” She smirked. “Of all of us here, she is the only one who has never known the full pleasures of womanhood.”
“Poor girl!” Kiko said.
“We should help her,” Shakko exclaimed.
“Yes,” Kuko nodded. “If I took possession of her body…… and Nogitsune or Shakko took control of our hero’s…… just think of the fun that we all could have.”
Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and stood stunned. Would Kuko and the others pull such an underhanded stunt?
You bet they would!
“And after little sister was done, we could all take our turns,” Kiko said. Looking over at Tenko, she hurriedly bowed. “After Tenko went first, of course.”
The silver haired Celestial fox shook her head. “It’s very tempting.” She winked at Naruto. “Very tempting indeed. But, did the two of them help keep the mikkyo away from you, Kuko? Don’t we owe them our gratitude?”
“Yes,” Kuko answered in a sullen voice, kicking at a tree root. “But, we’re even! I helped heal little sister, or she would have died!” Her face brightened as she pleaded her case.
“But she wouldn’t have gotten hurt if she hadn’t been defending you….” Tenko’s look was very stern.
“Yes…… I guess….” Kuko started tugging at her hair, a rather perturbed look on her face.
After that, Tenko went on to describe how the group of them had managed to stay one step ahead of the rogue males. It had been close going for a while. But, whenever one of them became submissive, the others grabbed her and ran away to safety.
Kuko went on to tell their end of the encounter. A number of the kitsune walked over and sat next to Hinata, thanking her. The looks they gave Naruto were grateful as well.
Later, while the group of them sat around the fire, eating the food that the younger kitsune had caught, Genko complained “I guess that means he is safe from us for now.”
“Only in one way,” Shakko answered. “Up until now, he’s only seen our softer side.” She winked behind Naruto’s back to Nogitsune, who spoke next.
“That’s right. But we should be able to hold off for a while. After all, they are our friends.”
“Huh?” Naruto figured that some kind of nonsense was afoot. But, with kitsune, he could never be sure. “Is there a darker side?” Tsunade had told him some stories about mischievous kitsune by way of warning.
“Yes,” Shakko said. “Sometimes, it’s merely mysterious. Sometimes.” She began reciting a tale:
“One evening, a young scholar was staggering down a trail in the mountains, drunk from having imbibed too much at a local celebration.”
She stopped a moment, to nibble on her rabbit bone, then picked upwhere she had left off.
“He was in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to go into the woods, and he relieved himself right on the road, pissing for a long time right there. Just as he was pulling his pants up and tying the strings, he heard a young woman's voice.”
Nogitsune took up the tale, then.
’I am eternally grateful to you,’ the kitsune spirit said. ‘I died a maiden, and so I was buried here in a flat grave. But now that you have shown me your most precious thing, I can go into the next world fulfilled.’ The young scholar was frightened out of his wits. When he ran from that site, he had thought that he had escaped her. But, the ghost appeared to him after that, every time he tried to make love to a woman.”
“Yeh. Right. As if a kitsune girl could ever die a maiden,” Naruto grumped.
“Little sister, did you see his precious thing?” Kiko asked, looking at Naruto. All of the other kitsune leaned forward and stared at Hinata.
“Ummm…..” The white-eyed girl didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. The look on her face gave her away.
“Ha…” Naruto cleared his throat. “That was some darker side,” he sneered, wanting to change the subject. Hinata gave him a look laced with gratitude.
“Well then, listen up, before you judge too quickly.” Shakko threw some twigs into the fire. Sparks danced upward for a moment, like small glowing gnats.
“One day a man relieved himself on a bone that was lying on the path.”
The kitsune stopped, then looked at Naruto. “Hmmmmm. You men do that a lot. Is that so you can see your precious thing?” The kitsune’s comment had everyone chuckling.
“Can we see it too?”Genko asked. “It’s only fair. We didn’t get to go on the adventure with you.”
Tenko had to shush the lot of them. Shakko returned to the story.
“The man was relieving himself. As he did so, he spoke to himself, asking ‘Is it warm?'He was surprised when the bone answered. ‘It's warm’. The frightened man ran away, hardly able to pull his pants up, and the bone chased him. Finally, he came to an ale house and he escaped out of the back.”
“Whoa. That’s some scar-r-r-r-r-y shit!” Naruto said, shaking his head.
“I’m not done yet,” Shakko said.
“Years later the same man stopped at an ale house to drink, and he was served by a ravishingly beautiful woman. ‘My, he said to her, ‘you look familiar for some reason.’ ‘I should,’ she replied. ‘Because I'm the bone you made water on all those years ago and I've been waiting for you!’ And suddenly she changed into her true form, which was a fox, and she ate him up.”
The kitsune changed into her fox form, then jumped on Naruto.
Naruto scrambled backward, banging his head hard on a tree. Shakko took on human form again, bowed, then walked back to her seat.
Hinata giggled. She tried to look innocent when Naruto glared at her.
“Shakko may have been teasing you when she jumped,” Tenko said. “But the story is truth, not legend.”
Nogitsune nodded. “So is this story.” She looked over at Tenko. “Should I tell him the tale of The Fox Sister? It might frighten him. And, he may cease trusting us, if he knows too much about our kind.”
“You have my permission. If he becomes affrighted, no doubt little sister can comfort him.” Tenko’s words had Naruto scowling.
“OK,” Nogitsune said.
“A long time ago there was a man who had three sons but no daughter. It was his dearest wish to have a daughter, so he went up into the mountains and prayed to the spirits. One night, after months of prayer, he was so desperate he said, ‘Please, Hannanim, give me a daughter, even if she is a fox!’”
“He must have been desperate,” Naruto said, frowning. “Dumbass.”
“Soon the man discovered that his wife was pregnant. When the time for birthing came, she disappeared for a while, but returned with a beautiful baby girl. The man was happy. But when the daughter was about six years old, strange things began to happen. Every night a cow would die, and in the morning they could never find a trace of what had killed it. So the man told his first son to keep watch one night.
Genko came over and sat next to Hinata. She stroked the girl’s arm. “Not a lot of meat on her bones,” she said. “But, she is very sweet.” She winked to the other kitsune in exaggerated fashion.
“And she had exquisite taste,” Kuko said, getting in on the game.
"In the morning, the first son told a terrible story of what had happened. ‘Father, I could not believe my own eyes," he said. "It is our little sister who is killing the cattle. She came out in the middle of the night and I followed her to the cattle shed. By the moonlight I could see her as she did a little dance. Then she oiled her hand and her arm with sesame oil. She shoved her whole arm into the cow's anus and pulled out its liver. She ate it raw while the cow died without a sound. That is all I saw, father, for it was too horrible to witness any longer.’
“Damn,” Naruto said, pushing Genko away. She had pretended to trip, and landed on top of him. “Keep your hands to yourself, oiled or otherwise.”
”The father was outraged. ‘That is not possible,’ he said. ‘Tell me the truth.’ The son swore that he had seen what he did. ‘Then you must have had a nightmare. That means you have betrayed my trust by falling asleep when you were supposed to keep watch. Leave my sight at once! You are no longer my son!’ He threw out his eldest son.
“Make sure you have daughters, little sister,” Kiko said. “When he’s ready.”
“But, don’t drain him dry,” Koryu said. “Leave some daughters for us!”
Hinata blushed again, but nodded her head, feeling brave enough to tease Naruto some.
“She will,” Kuko said. “That’s her Ninja Way.”
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. He was completely surrounded.
“That means we have to keep from….” Kiko said, a sparkle in her eye.
Tenko made it a point to shake her head and put a finger to her lips.
”Now it was the second son's turn to keep watch. Everything was fine for a month, but then when the full moon came around the same thing happened, and in the morning he made his report to his father. ‘That is not possible,’ said the father. ‘Tell me the truth.’ That son gave his oath as well, but the father grew angry and sent him away.
”So it was the youngest son's turn to keep watch over his sister, and once again, everything was fine for a month. When the full moon came around, the same thing happened, but having seen the fates of his older brothers, the youngest son lied. ‘Father,’ he said. "Little sister came out in the middle of the night and I followed her to the outhouse. She made water and came out again. As I passed by the cattle shed in the moonlight I saw that a cow had died. It must have been frightened by the full moon."
“'Little sister?'” Shakko asked.
“Maybe that’s a sign. She should become one of us.” Nogitsune said, peering at Hinata. “That way we don’t have to….”
“Shhhhh. Don’t interrupt,” Tenko said.
"Then you have done your duty as a son should," said the father. "You shall inherit my lands when I have gone to join our ancestors." Meanwhile, the first two sons were no more than beggars wandering the countryside. Eventually they had both come to the top of a mountain where an old Buddhist master took them in and they studied diligently with him until their hearts grew sore to see their home again.”
“I’ve had enough to do with mountains and Buddhist masters,” Naruto said, taking off his boots to rub his feet.
Hinata nodded.
“After a year they decided to return to their village for a visit. The old master made the two brothers a gift of three magic bottles, one white, one blue, and one red. ‘Use these as I have instructed,’ he told them, ‘and you shall be able to defeat any foe, even that sister of yours, who is surely a fox woman.’
“The brothers thanked the old monk and returned to their village to find it entirely deserted. When they reached their house they found the roof in terrible disrepair and the yard overgrown with weeds. Inside, the paper panels on the doors were all in tatters. They found their sister all alone. ‘Where is everyone? Where is father? Where is our youngest brother? Where is mother?’ they asked.
"’They're all dead,’ said the sister. She didn't explain, but the brothers knew why. ‘I'm all alone now,’ she said. ‘Brothers, won't you stay with me?’
"’No,’ they said. ‘We must be on our way. There is nothing for us here.’
"’Why, it's nearly dark,’ said the sister. ‘Won't you at least stay the night?’
Shakko turned into her fox form, and crept slowly along the ground for a few yards, her eyes on Naruto.
”They reluctantly agreed, and somehow the sister prepared them a fabulous meal with wine that night. They were suspicious, and they planned to take turns keeping watch that night, but they had been so starved during their year of poverty that they ate and drank their fill and soon they were fast asleep. In the middle of the night the older brother awoke suddenly with a full bladder.
He thought his younger brother was still eating…… it sounded like someone chewing…… so he turned over in annoyance to tell him to stop.
“In the moonlight he saw the table still in the room, their leftovers strewn about. But instead of white rice, what he saw were maggots. Instead of wine, there were cups of blood. Instead of turnip kimchi there were severed human fingers. He sat up in horror, realizing what he had eaten, and then he saw what was making the noise……it was his sister straddling his dead brother's body, chewing on his bloody liver.”
Genko also took fox shape, doing as Shakko had done.
Naruto looked over at them, feeling a bit edgy.
"’Did you sleep well, dear oldest brother?’ she said. The oldest brother leaped from his sleeping mat and ran out of the house. He was still groggy from the enchanted food, and he stumbled and staggered as he ran down the road in the moonlight. Soon his sister gave chase and she easily caught up to him.
“Remembering the old Buddhist monk's instructions, the brother took the white bottle and threw it behind him. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, a vast thicket of thorn bushes blocked the sister's way. She was trapped for a moment, but then she changed into her original form ……that of the fox……and easily escaped.”
Kiko and Koryu applauded, until they too changed form.
Hinata looked over at Tenko, wondering if the younger kitsune were setting up Naruto for some prank, or whether she should truly be worried. The Prime gave her a wink.
“In a short time she had caught up to him again. This time the brother took the blue bottle and threw it behind him. There was a loud splash, and a vast lake appeared. Once again the sister was trapped. She struggled to swim, but then she changed into the fox again and easily paddled ashore.
“Oooooooh, don’t tell the next part,” Kuko said. “It’s so sad.” She too went fox.
”The oldest brother was exhausted and terrified. He could run no more. He took the red bottle and he flung it at the fox, saying, ‘Ya! Take that!’ There was a blinding flash of light, and the fox was engulfed in a ball of fire. She burned to death, screaming, and when there were only ashes left.”
Tenko stood. “We will make up for that!” She too transformed.
“I get the liver!” Kuko called.
The kitsune, all in their natural state, rushed towards Naruto. They all leaped upon him, growling, nipping at his skin. Then, when they wanted to see the look on his face, they all stepped back, smiling. It had been a good joke. The stories were about fox demons in a different land, not kitsune.
Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. It had been a shadow clone.
Pungent liquid trickled down from the branches high above them, splattering against the ground at their feet in a strong continuous stream.
“Is it warm?” Naruto asked, pulling up his fly when he was done.
Hinata smiled. She didn’t know whether to be proud of her fellow ninja, or offended. Regardless, it was a wonderful trick.
“I should have known!” Kuko said, smiling. “He’s quite the trickster, this one.”
“Yes, that’s why he’s perfect for us.” Nogitsune noted.
“Uh huh! That trick shows that we would be crazy to just forget about him.” Shakko added.
Back in their womanly shapes, the kitsune all stared up at Naruto, perched high above on a branch.
“I wish I had a damn red bottle!” He sniped.
“You’re lucky that you don’t.” Kuko said. “Otherwise my ghost would seek you out, every time you and little sister get busy!”
Hinata closed her eyes. She had actually grown fond of Kuko.
But, she certainly wouldn’t miss her when she was gone.
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