Hii sat down near the river at the training grounds and watched it flow down its path. 

*Pachi Pachi*

He played with a bolt of lightning as he looked between the two.

'Water and Lightning. One's hard to control while the other is freely controlled. I have to bring them to the same level in order to master Storm. How do I make it more efficient to practice though?'

Hii stared at the water for some kind of inspiration, but nothing came to mind.

*Fwoosh*

{Meditating again?}

Fuyuki appeared beside him with a white flash of light.

She had gotten much better at controlling her powers and secretly strolled around the village when she was bored.

"Yeah. I wonder which way should I try to train my techniques to make them stronger."

{Hmmm. That is tough...}

Fuyuki thought about it for a moment until her eyes brightened up!

{You should try to find someone who is an expert at them. Well, besides your mom and grandpa...}

Hii thought about it for a moment, but couldn't really think of anyone who could give him a different perspective.

'Maybe Kakashi?'

Hii shook his head shortly after. He was pretty busy with his own students. That wouldn't work.

'I can always ask Sensei for advice as well when he comes back.'

"Well, let's practice a bit for now. Maybe I'll get some inspiration once we're done."

{Sure! What's the condition this time?}

Fuyuki's tail wagged as she grew excited.

Hii thought for a moment about what the condition could be this time.

The two had been training to get Fuyuki used to combat, but it quickly evolved into fighting with random handicaps and goals.

Hii quickly found out that compared to fighting Akumu, fighting with Fuyuki was pretty fun, but dangerous. 

She wasn't very good at holding back when she's excited.

"Hmmmm. How about the first one to fall flat on the ground wins?"

{Okay! I'll let you get ready!}

Hii nodded his head and jumped on top of the river.

He weaved his hand signs and unleashed his technique!

"Water Style: Water Wolf Armor!"

*Splash*

The water drew up and formed around Hii, changing him into a giant blue wolf!

"Ready?"

{Ready!}

Fuyuki began to growl as she stalked towards Hii.

Hii also growled and paced around Fuyuki as well, calculating how fast he could close the distance to her.

Of course, Fuyuki wouldn't give him that chance so easily.

{Here I come!}

"!!"

*Shuu*

Fuyuki rushed towards Hii and tried to grab his head with jaws!

Hii barely dodged the bite and countered with a bite to her hind legs!

Fuyuki dodged to the side and repositioned herself to attack again!

'Let's try that out now!'

"Graar!!"

Hii's blue tail suddenly grew thinner and longer as he swung it over at Fuyuki!

{What?!}

*Wuuuu Smack*

{Kyaaa!}

Fuyuki jumped back in shock! She didn't expect his tail to turn into a whip!

While she was recovering from the shock of a surprise whip to the face, Hii had closed the distance between the two!

"Graar!!"

{!!}

Hii grabbed onto Fuyuki's neck with his teeth and tried to take her down to the ground in a surprise attack!

Fuyuki's body nearly hit the ground with the surprise, but right before she made contact, she lifted herself up and threw Hii far away from her!

'Tch! So close!'

Hii corrected himself as he landed, regretting not launching the surprise attack right after the confirmed hit.

{Good try! Now it's my turn!}

'Oh boy...'

Hii braced himself as he watched Fuyuki closely.

*Shuu*

She flashed over to him in an instant and swung her paw down towards his head again! This time, there was much more force behind her attack!

*Bang*

Her paw struck the ground, bringing up a cloud of dust all over the area!

Hii quickly jumped over to stand on the river and began to absorb more water into his armor!

'I can't see her, but she'll probably come at me by surprise. I have to bring my size up just in case!'

Hii's wolf armor began to grow more and more as he grew to double her size.

'This is all I can control right now...'

Hii wryly smiled as he stopped absorbing water.

His form was becoming a bit unstable, making the wolf armor look more watery and transparent than solid.

Hii checked his surroundings for Fuyuki, but didn't see her anywhere.

'Where did she go?'

Hii watched for her and suddenly felt his senses tell him he was in danger!

{Graaar!!}

Hii suddenly saw Fuyuki flash from a short distance away and leap towards him!

'Here she comes!'

He reflexively leaned down to dodge her lunge when he noticed something.

The Fuyuki coming towards him had went straight past him towards the trees!

'Oh no!'

Hii tried to jump up, but suddenly felt a hot vice grip on the throat of the wolf armor. 

It was then that he felt an irresistible force drag him down to the river!

*Boom*

He hit the ground hard as Fuyuki slammed him down without mercy!

*Drip Drip Drip*

Water splashed down from the impact of the takedown as Fuyuki celebrated.

{I won!}

"Ahh! That one really hurt!"

*Splash*

Hii's armor slowly dissolved onto the ground, revealing a soaked and slightly bruised body.

{Ah! Did I do it too rough again?!}

"It's fine. I'll just heal it up in a moment."

Hii quickly weaved his hand signs and formed a green glow around his hands.

Fuyuki's happy mood quickly died down as she watched Hii heal his wounds while deep in thought.

'Hmmm. There's something missing from the armor that I'm not using. The surprise attack with the tail worked pretty well. Perhaps I should look into more aspects of the armor to turn into weapons?'

Hii healed himself completely after a few minutes and stretched his body.

"Huuu~! Now I'm excited! Let's go again!"

{....}

"Fuyuki?"

{Hii. Aren't you...already pretty strong? Why do you always want to get stronger?}

Hii looked at her with a confused expression.

"Huh? You've been with me the whole time. You know I have someone after me, right?"

{I know, but I also know that you would've still tried to improve even without that. I just want to know why it's so important to you.}

"....."

Hii looked up into the sky in thought for a moment and nodded his head.

"It's kind of funny actually. I always wanted to be as strong as a Biju back when I was a kid because of Akumu. It was only recently that I realized something."

Hii stopped for a moment and looked at the river.

Fuyuki continued to listen patiently as she waited for him to continue.

Hii watched the water push the rocks and dirt forward without pause and nodded his head.

"I love the feeling of getting stronger. Despite all the pain and frustration I have to deal with, I genuinely love the feeling of breaking my limits everytime I make something new or reach a new level of technique. It's like a rock getting pushed by this river. I love the feeling of being pushed past my limits."

Hii looked at his hands, opening and closing them as he continued.

"I realized that the strongest ninja is not the one born with great abilities, but the one who doesn't stop improving. You can fight alone or with a team, but you can't slack off because of your power. You must always push forward."

Hii looked at his hands for a moment and noticed Fuyuki was silent.

"Fuyuki?"

Fuyuki had a smile on her face as she looked at Hii silently.

{You know, I was worried about you when we first met.}

"Huh?!"

Now it was Hii's turn to not know what to say to that.

{When I heard you were born from a piece of Takashi, I thought you'd be the same as him.}

Fuyuki shook her head with a chuckle and continued.

{But I see you aren't. You are already special in your own way. Takashi was a bit lost when I first met him, so I thought you might be the same. I'm glad you have a path you want to reach all on your own. I'll help as much as I can to bring you to your goal, okay?}

".....Thanks."

Hii nodded his head and stood up. He stretched his limbs once more and turned to Fuyuki.

"How about one more game?"

{Okay! Same rules?}

Hii shook his head.

"This time, it will be a speed battle. First to get their back touched loses?"

{I'm in!}

Fuyuki flashed a distance away from Hii and readied herself.

Hii smiled and weaved hand signs!

"Lightning Style: Lightning Wolf Armor!"

*Chi Chi Chi*

Hii's long hair spiked up more than normal, becoming sharp and pointed!

The lightning formed a blue wolf-like silhouette around his body, making him seem more imposing and ferocious!

{Whoa! That looks so cool!!}

"Thanks! I've been working on this one for a while. We'll start on three, okay?"

{Okay!}

Hii and Fuyuki both readied themselves as they counted down.

"Three."

{Two!}

"One!"

{"Go!"}

*Shuu Bzzzt*

The two began to dash around the field at high speed, trying to tag each other as they closed in!

*Bang Bang Bang*

The two blocked each other's attempts at high speed as they darted all over the training grounds.

'Doesn't look like I'll get through her defenses anytime soon. It looks like the only way I can win is by surprising her and catching her off guard.'

*Bzzzt Shuu*

The two clashed again, reaching and dodging each other as they delivered and baited attacks.

'It's not fully done yet, but I could use that to try and catch her.'

Hii thought briefly for a moment and decided to go through with it!

The two were close to each other once again, but this time, Hii went all in on the attack!

{What?!}

Though Fuyuki was caught off guard at first, she still quickly retaliated to his attack, blocking his blows with her paws!

It was then that Fuyuki got a surprise!

*Bzzt*

The vague silhouette of the wolf surrounding Hii quickly moved on its own, stretching towards her back!

*Chomp*

{Ah?!}

It bit her lightly, delivering a shock down her spine before dissipating!

The two stopped fighting and jumped away from each other to catch their breath.

{You and those tricks!}

"Hehe! I'm glad it worked."

Hii had been trying to figure out what could be the unique trait the lightning version of his wolf armor. The only conclusion he could come up with so far was a paralyzing sneak attack!

'The shock wasn't as good as I had hoped. Maybe I should try different seals?'

Fuyuki watched Hii as he thought about other possibilities and smiled.

'He really caught me off guard with that. I wonder what else he can come up with?'

Her tail wagged energetically as she couldn't wait to play again.

***********

"Here it is."

Hii arrived in front of the home and became a bit nervous.

'I can't believe someone like this slipped my mind.'

He had never really met him, but he had heard of his titles since he was a kid.

The most recent God of Shinobi!

The Professor of Jutsus!

'I'm an idiot.'

Hii had this resource the whole time, but he never even used it, let alone remembered it!

It was only after his match with Fuyuki did his mind drift towards Hokages and remember there are two still in the village!

{Don't be nervous! He should be a nice guy, right?}

Fuyuki was beside him, camouflaged by the light.

'I think so. I've heard a lot about him.'

Hii slowly walked to the door and knocked on front door.

*Don Don Don*

'Here goes.'

Hii only had to wait for a moment before he heard the sounds of footsteps coming to the door.

*Tan Tan Tan*

'Hmm? This old man moves pretty fast. It's almost like a kid...'

*Dan*

The door flung open as Hii looked up towards the resident. After a moment of seeing nothing there, Hii looked down at a grumpy, young face scowling at him.

"What do you want?!"

Hii held in a sigh as he leaned down to look at the kid.

"Hi there. Is the 3rd Hokage available today?"

'Might as well ask him.'

The boy's face grew grumpier as he looked at Hii.

"Grampa is busy right now! Come back later!"

'His grandson? I wonder will he be just as strong as him in the future? I don't think he's gonna be good at hiding secrets though.'

Hii's eyebrows lifted up as he stared into the boy's eyes without looking away. 

The boy's strong facade began to crumble as he quietly looked away from Hii.

'That was a lie, huh? Thought so.'

Hii's stare slowly made the boy more and more uncomfortable.

"Konohamaru? Who was it at the door?"

"Ah!"

Konohamaru panicked for a moment as Hiruzen came towards the door.

He was dressed in a long white robe with a pipe in his mouth as he came behind Konohamaru.

His white hair was fading, but Hii could still feel the aura of a strong Shinobi in him.

Hiruzen's face brightened as he laid his eyes on Hii.

"Ah! You must be little Kurokumo-kun! It's good to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Hokage-sama!"

Hii bowed sincerely at Hiruzen who chuckled and patted his head.

"No need for formalities. I'm no longer the Hokage now anyway. I see you met Konohamaru already. This is my grandson."

Konohamaru squirmed as he figured Hii would tell on him. He shouldn't have lied about how busy his Grandpa was.

"Yes. He's a pretty cute kid."

Hii smiled as he patted Konohamaru's head with a smile.

Konohamaru's eyes went wide as he looked at Hii.

Hiruzen smiled and nodded his head.

"I think so too. Let's head inside then. No reason to talk out here when we have seats."

Hiruzen turned and headed towards his study as Hii and Konohamaru followed behind him.

Hiruzen could tell Konohamaru was up to his mischievous ways when he panicked after being called.

He was surprised to see how mature Hii was compared to his mother at his age.

Hiruzen couldn't help chuckling as he remembered those times.

'It's like night and day. How interesting.'

Hiruzen lead Hii to his study and pointed towards a seat.

Hii sat down with a hint of excitement and nervousness as he looked around the room.

'There are so many seals in here!'

Hiruzen's study was plastered with different seals from all different forms of Ninjutsu.

The old man sat down at his seat with a low groan and relaxed. 

Konohamaru sat between them silently. Since Hiruzen didn't shoo him off, maybe they would talk about something exciting?

"Now then, how can I help you?"

Hii quickly refocused from roaming the room with his eyes and nodded his head.

"I wanted to know if you could help me with ideas on Water and Lightning Jutsus."

Hiruzen's eyes sparkled as a smile formed on his face.

"Hahaha! How exciting! I love to see the next generation succeed in expanding techniques. Tell me, do you already have a direction you want it to go?"

Hii smiled brightly and nodded his head.

"Yes! It's like this..."

Hii began to explain the ways he changed the original technique of Lightning Armor and the variations he had made after that.

The sparkle in Hiruzen's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he followed Hii's train of thought easily and listened with a smile on his face.

"Fascinating! To think you would bring this technique so far on your own! The level of shape manipulation is already at an expert level! You are aiming to have them specialize in different things, correct?"

"Yes! I was thinking I would try to find a unique trait for each armor. The problem is I haven't gotten enough experience in both to make the Storm version of it. It requires both of the other armors to have a solid foundation."

"I see. It would be imperative for you to keep the armors fused together simple then. That way you can maximize the effects and keep efficient chakra use."

The two talked back and forth rapidly as Konohamaru tried to keep up with the conversation. 

'That Jutsu sounds so strong! Nii-san must be really powerful!'

Hii and Hiruzen both talked about many strange ideas and techniques as time quickly passed by.

"I think that if you use it that way, you may find new ground on the subject."

Hiruzen sighed in satisfaction as he stood up from his chair to stretch.

"Hehe! Talking to you reminds me of talking to Lord 2nd. It's very refreshing to see so many new ideas."

Hii scratched his head shyly as he heard that.

"You've set the bar too high, Lord 3rd. I can't compare to the 2nd Hokage."

"Hahaha! I don't think so at all. I firmly believe you have what it takes. I hope to see you bring some of those ideas to life before I pass on."

"Don't say that!"

Konohamaru hit the table with a puffed face as he stared at Hiruzen.

Hiruzen flinched and laughed dryly.

"Don't worry, Konohamaru! I still have quite a few years to go before that happens."

Konohamaru stared at Hiruzen angrily as Hii chuckled a bit.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I need to talk to you about something, Hii-kun!"

"Hmmm?"

Hiruzen reached into his desk and pulled a folder out and put it on the table.

Hiruzen motioned for Hii to open it with his hand.

Hii felt something odd was happening as he picked up the folder.

He slowly opened the folder and looked inside.

He then immediately closed the folder and put it back on his desk like it was scalding in his hands!

"Hmm? What was in there?"

Konohamaru looked at the folder on the desk, then at both of their faces. He quickly became silent as the two stared at each other with an intensity unlike before.

It felt like a fight was going to start at any time!

"It was approved?!"

Hii made the first move!

"Of course. The quality was stupendous! There is no reason not to go through with the project. Support gathered for it almost immediately."

Hiruzen countered easily as Hii's face darkened!

"But it started as a diversion! Is it wise to go through with it because of Sensei's passion?!"

"Many successful ideas have bizarre beginnings. This is nothing strange. Looking at the momentum it has gathered already, I don't think it will fail anytime soon."

The two locked their gazes on each other for a moment in silence. Konohamaru couldn't help, but break out in cold sweat as the auras of the two spiked.

'They're so strong! This is the power of a ninja!'

Hii would've wanted to correct Konohamaru's thinking, but now was not the time!

"Do we have no say in this?"

Hiruzen shook his head resolutely.

"It's unfortunate that it's too late. The printing of the copies have already reached 500 and counting. Circulation of it will begin in a few days."

"Isn't that something important to let us know?! What about our privacy and identities?!"

"Already taken care of. We even already have a cover for Haku as well. No one will be able to look into it."

Hii was shocked at how thorough Lord 3rd and the others were on this project.

His initial momentum had dragged to a crawl as his head dipped down.

"...Will we get paid for it at least?"

Hiruzen reached for another paper and handed it over to Hii.

Hii's eyes bulged as he looked at the numbers and looked back up at Hiruzen to see him smiling happily.

"And that's only a few countries. You'll all receive a percentage as well for assisting in the project. Your mothers have already given consent to the payments."

'Mom!!'

Hii's vigor dropped fast as he knew there wasn't anything he could do now.

Konohamaru watched the battle with admiration in his eyes!

'I don't know what's going on, but Grandpa is truly strong! I'll be strong like him too!'

If Hii knew Konohamaru's thoughts, he would try his best to change his mind!

{Sheesh! I've seen shady business, but this guy is too good at this stuff!}

Even Fuyuki could only watch on as Hii picked himself up and bowed his head listlessly.

"Thank you for the advice. I will implement as much as I can in training."

"Don't mention it! If you need more advice, do come by! You can consider it my thanks for your understanding on this project."

'Don't mention the project!'

"....I'll let you know if I need more assistance. I have much to think about, so I'll take my leave now."

Hiruzen nodded his head and turned to his grandson.

"Konohamaru, go show Hii-kun out for me."

"Okay!"

The clueless Konohamaru lead Hii out as he tried not to trip on his scarf. 

Hiruzen watched the two leave and picked up the folder.

He opened it and pulled out a calendar with Naruko, Sasuki, Hiyo, and Yuki on the cover. It was titled "The Seasons of the Land of Water".

"Hehehe! The next generation will surpass the last indeed."

Hiruzen chuckled a bit before putting the calendar away and smiling.

"Perhaps I should look into my crystal ball again. It's always nice to see the village grow."

A strange smile formed on his face as he tried to remember where he last put it.

************

Hii walked listlessly through the streets as he thought about the calendar.

'I wanted to be famous, but not like that!'

Hii's head hung low as he sighed.

'Haaaa! There's nothing I can really do about it. Let's just go get some food and move on.'

Hii realized he was close to Ichiraku and decided to stop by. He hadn't been there in a while.

As he came close to the store, he noticed two identical people sitting next to each other.

'Twins? How rare to see another set around here.'

Hii paid it no mind as he lifted the curtain close to his face and greeted the boss.

"Yo! Teuchi-san!"

The man raised his head from his cooking and smiled.

"Oh! Hii-kun! It's been a while. What will it be?"

"Hmmm. I'll get the seafood bowl today."

"Coming right up!"

"See?! People do eat it!"

Hii turned his head to the familiar voice and was taken aback!

"Naruto?! Why are you-"

Hii suddenly stopped as he looked at the two.

Naruto still looked the same as usual, but the clone he had with him had a completely different feel to it.

Not to mention his aura, Hii also noticed his eyes were red and sharper than normal.

"What's going on with this clone? It doesn't feel like you at all!"

"Hehe! Hii-Nii is pretty strong, so of course you would notice. This is a weird effect I have from a new Jutsu I'm learning! It's like a grumpy me! You don't have to worry about it! Hahaha!"

Hii looked at the strange Naruto and frowned.

'I've felt this chakra before. It could only be that.'

He was certain this was just the Nine Tails taking over a clone, or was this the main body it was taking over? 

He could tell it wasn't hostile since the other clone was genuinely Naruto. He even tried to cover for him.

'They must get along a bit now.'

Hii had long been able to tell when Naruto was lying thanks to Shizuka. He always laughs when in awkward situations, or when he's caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

The strange Naruto noticed Hii's stare and turned to him.

"What? Are you scared or something?"

"Eh? No, I just don't know what to call you? You aren't really like Naruto, right?"

The strange Naruto became surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered and slowly looked down at the menu in front of him.

"You can call me whatever you want."

"But you do have a name you'd like to be called, right?

"......"

The possessed Naruto sighed heavily while the original Naruto was nervously smiling.

"It's Kurama."

Hii nodded his head as he committed the name to memory.

"Nice to meet you, Kurama. My name is Hii Kurokumo. I hope we can be friends."

"You realize I'm just a clone, right?"

"I noticed. I just want to show respect."

"Hmph!"

Kurama just snorted and ignored him, but Hii didn't mind it.

"Here's your ramen!"

Teuchi put the bowl down in front of Kurama and Naruto as he went to work on the next order.

"Alright! Itadakimasu!"

"......Haaa."

Naruto eagerly grabbed his chopsticks and started to dig in while Kurama looked at the bowl in distress. He wanted to hate it, but he couldn't bear to do so as he saw the immaculate display.

Hii watched him struggle to eat with a confused look on his face.

"You don't like ramen?"

"....That's not it. It's....complicated."

Kurama seemed to give up as he picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly.

"Order up!"

Hii wanted to find out what he meant, but his food had already arrived. He looked at the bowl with excitement as he picked up his chopsticks.

{That looks good....}

Hii could feel Fuyuki gaze on the bowl as she longed to try a bite.

Hii paused for a moment and had a strange thought.

"Teuchi! Can I get another bowl of this?! I want to eat it right after this one!"

Teuchi looked at him with a smile and nodded his head.

"Sure! I'll get it ready now! Make sure you have room for it."

{Hii?}

'That one will be for you.'

Hii could feel Fuyuki's happiness through their link and smiled as he started to eat his food.

{But....How will I eat it?}

'Don't worry. I have an idea that might be able to pull it off.'

Hii quickly ate into his bowl of ramen as an experiment he had never thought of before started to take form in his mind.

'It's should be almost ready. Let's test it out. Hold still, okay?'

{Okay!}

Hii placed his chopsticks down for a moment and placed his hands on Fuyuki's head.

'Think about what you used to look like as a human.'

{Eh?! Uh, okay.}

Fuyuki thought back to her high school days as Hii began to channel his chakra.

"Hmmm?"

Kurama quickly noticed what Hii was doing, but grew confused as to why his hand was placed on....nothing?

'Wait a minute.'

*Poof*

""!!!!""

Everyone was surprised as a puff of smoke burst next to Hii.

Once it cleared, the three were shocked as they saw a girl appear from the smoke.

The girl looked at her hands in shock as she flexed them back and forth.

She wore an identical version of Hii's black and white outfit with slight modifications to show off her curves.

The only difference was her face looked completely different from him.

She had short white hair and a pair of dazzling orange eyes. Her face was also covered in with an intricate gold pattern that covered her entire body.

She looked mesmerizing!

{....}

Fuyuki still couldn't believe her transformation until Hii bumped his shoulder into hers.

'Act natural.'

Fuyuki blanked for a moment before a bright smile appeared on her face. She quickly sat down at the seat next to Hii and couldn't contain her excitement!

*Gulp*

Teuchi couldn't help, but gulp in astonishment at Fuyuki's appearance.

Kurama and Naruto were no different!

"It seems my experiment was a success. So you can use it that way as well. I wonder can he use it too?"

Hii thought about it for a moment and turned to look at Kurama.

"Sorry about that. I had an idea I needed to test and I couldn't wait. Don't mind my clone. She's just a bit different from me."

Kurama quickly recovered from it and looked at Hii with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Hmmm. Maybe we should head to a training field to figure out if there are any similarities between our techniques? What do you think, Naruto?"

"Eh?"

"I agree!"

Naruto couldn't respond to what was happening, but Kurama instantly agreed to the proposal.

"Order up!"

Teuchi put the bowl in front of Fuyuki while they discussed.

{Yay! Itadakimasu!}

Fuyuki happily grabbed her chopsticks and started to struggle with her ramen.

It didn't take long for her to get her bearings back as she was soon enjoying the ramen like she used to!

{It's so good!!}

Hii looked at Fuyuki enjoying herself and smiled.

"Hehe. I might need another bowl, Teuchi-san."

"Coming right up!"

***********

Naruto looked at Fuyuki with his mouth wide open. Kurama wasn't much better as he was both angry and confused.

Fuyuki was no longer looking like her old self, but her original wolf form. She laid down on the ground with a full stomach and a happy grin on her face as she absorbed the bright sunlight on the grass.

"Hii?! Isn't that?!"

Hii nodded his head and smiled.

"Remember a long time ago when I said I was like you. I meant it."

Naruto looked between Hii and Fuyuki a few times and slowly recovered from the shock.

"...Hehe. Hehehehe!"

Naruto started to giggle as he clutched his stomach.

"Oh man! I thought I only had Mom to rely on! I didn't think Hii would really be just like me!"

Naruto had a genuine smile on his face as Hii shook his head.

"I told you to trust me if you needed me. You just didn't listen."

"Hey."

Hii and Naruto both turned around to see Kurama staring at Fuyuki.

{Yes?}

"You are a Biju, correct?"

{That's what we have assumed at this point.}

"Then did we fight a while ago?"

Fuyuki tilted her head.

{No. I'd remember if I'd fought a giant fox before.}

"....."

Kurama looked at Fuyuki strangely for a moment as more questions came to his mind.

"H-How are you outside? That's not a clone or anything, is it?"

Kurama looked at Fuyuki with more and more confusion.

{Well, I don't really know. I could just jump in and out of Hii when I was growing up. We can't seem to do it anymore once we're fully grown.}

"We?"

Just as Kurama noticed that strange difference, a cold sensation washed over him, triggering an old memory.

He froze as he remembered this sensation.

He couldn't forget it!

Kurama looked around angrily as he scanned for the source.

"Where is he?!"

"Who are you talking about?"

[I assume he must mean me.]

Naruto watched as Hii's shadow morphed and changes into a large black wolf!

He looked like the polar opposite of Fuyuki, looking cold and aloof rather than warm and approachable. The purple markings on his body added to the mystical feeling Naruto felt as he watched him approach.

Naruto also noticed Kurama's face becoming intensely angry!

"You!"

Akumu tilted his head and looked at Kurama.

[Me? What about me?]

"You're the reason I'm in this brat!"

"Hey! Calm down, Kurama!"

*Shuuu*

Kurama quickly charged over to Akumu and swung at him with his fist!

*Swoosh*

Akumu dodged the attack easily as Kurama's fist only hit air!

[Hah! You would've been caught either way. I just made the capture a bit easier for everyone.]

"You!!"

Kurama began to emit a strong, oppressive Chakra as Hii watched the two fight!

'So this is the power of Kurama?!'

*Poof*

Hii turned to see Naruto was getting affected by the Chakra as well and his Jutsu was forcibly cancelled!

'I guess he's in full control now!'

Hii and Fuyuki immediately got ready to fight, but was soon surprised to see Akumu looking at them and shaking his head.

[Don't get involved. This is between us. You should study Naruto's body instead.]

Hii grew confused, but Kurama wasn't giving anyone the time to think!

"I'll pay you back for ripping me in half!!"

Kurama shot towards Akumu and smashed towards him with his Chakra loaded fists!

*Bam Boom*

Hii was surprised to see how much Naruto's strength increased with Kurama's control and Chakra!

'Maybe I can learn something from this.'

Hii began to focus entirely on the changes that went on with Naruto's body as he swung at Akumu with intense rage!

"Hold still!"

[Hah! Now why would I do that?]

*Swish Boom*

The training ground started to become filled with craters as Kurama kept missing his target!

His anger continued to boil over as red chakra bubbles began to cover over Naruto's body! A one tail cloak completely surrounded Naruto as Kurama's Chakra continued to rise!

"You!! I won't lose this time!"

[You already did.]

*Chomp*

 Akumu suddenly appeared next to Naruto and lightly bit his arm!

"Wha?!"

Kurama wanted to pull Naruto's arm out of his mouth, but he suddenly felt the arm became too heavy to move!

"What is this?! Aaaah!!"

The cloak of Chakra forming over Naruto quickly disappeared into Akumu's mouth as he drained the excess Chakra!

Naruto looked distant for a moment before his eyes were filled with clarity again.

"Huh?! Ow! What happened?! Why does my body hurt so much?!"

Akumu looked at Naruto with pity as he pointed to Hii with his snout.

[Sorry. Your partner and I didn't meet on the best terms. He'll probably be mad for a while. Hii can help you with your wounds.]

{Hii? You okay there?}

Fuyuki looked over at Hii and noticed he was looking at the ground, deep in thought.

{Hii?!}

"Huh?! Oh?! Right! Let me help you Naruto!"

Hii quickly snapped out of his thoughts and proceeded to heal Naruto of his wounds.

As he healed Naruto, he noticed the effects of Kurama's chakra on Naruto.

'It's like he was hit with a poison...'

Hii was deep in thought as he continued to treat Naruto who was feeling better by the second.

'Man, why did you freak out like that, Kurama?!'

<I can't let that bastard get away with attacking me without getting him back!>

'Huh?! Well, that does make sense...'

<.....I'll get him back soon enough. We need to train more so you can take more of my power.I can't exert all of my strength!>

'Ugh, okay then. We'll do some training!'

<Hmph!>

Kurama and Naruto began to form their plans for training when Hii finished healing Naruto's body.

"Thank you, Kurama!"

"Huh?"

<Huh?!>

Both of them were confused why he would be thanking them.

Hii just smiled at them brightly.

"Thanks to you, I think I figured out a new idea for my Jutsu!"

*************

Hidden Sand Village

Rasa sat at his desk reading the files in front of him.

His face was stoic, but if one was to look into his eyes, they would see a mix of shock, doubt, and anger in them.

He put the file down on his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Go and request Chiyo-sama and Ebizo-sama to come here. I need their knowledge and input on this."

"Yes sir!"

*Shuu*

The Sand guard dashed away quickly to fulfill his task as Rasa stared at the document.

'I don't know what to do with this.'

Rasa waited in silence as his mind continued to analyze the data in front of him. 

The more he thought about it, the more it made little to no sense why Konoha would do this.

"Rasa! What did you call these old bones for?!"

Rasa looked up and saw an old woman with her gray hair in a bun standing next to a old man with drooping, shut eyes.

"Thank you both for coming here, Chiyo-sama and Ebizo-sama."

"Enough formalities! Get to the point!"

"Calm down, sister. There must be a good reason for us to be here."

Rasa nodded his head at Ebizo's words and lifted up the file with his hand.

*Shiiiiii*

Small clumps of gold spread around the folder and brought it towards Chiyo in a slow manner.

Chiyo reached out and grabbed the file.

"What is this?"

"You should read it yourself. I don't think you would believe it if I told you."

Chiyo frowned, but decided to look at the folder herself.

Ebizo leaned over and also read along with her.

As the two silently read, Rasa could see the lines on their faces grow thicker and thicker as they continued to read.

"It can't be!"

Ebizo loudly exclaimed as Chiyo's expression seemed to grow darker by the second.

Chiyo looked up from the document and stared at Rasa.

"Have we verified this information?"

Rasa slowly nodded his head as he picked up another file.

"The information from our intelligence correlates with what is written there. Sasori has been targeting specific kinds of ninja over the years. The disappearance of the bodies match up to the incident as well."

Chiyo's body seemed to become smaller as she held the file.

"But...to kill Lord 3rd...."

Rasa shook his head silently as he also didn't want that to be the case.

The file stated the high chance that Sasori had planned and carried out the assassination of their 3rd Kazekage. Even worse was the mention of Orochimaru being a possible accomplice in it all.

'Orochimaru...'

Rasa felt a great headache coming as he remembered only a short while ago how he was weighing the pros and cons of partnering up with Orochimaru for the village's sake.

'If this information is true, then he can't be trusted, no matter how good the deal is.'

Rasa remembered the other part of the file as well.

'What are they thinking?'

Konoha had given Sunagakure an offer they couldn't refuse.

Resources and business could flow through the country again if they just accepted the offer. They were even given a chance to give their previous Kazekage a proper burial as Konoha would help give them the chance to find Sasori!

There was only one catch.

They had to help Konoha host the Chuunin Exams this year and have a short allegiance with them.

Rasa couldn't help, but grow nervous and excited at the thought.

He had heard of Minato's character. 

He had doubts dealing with Orochimaru, but the 4th Hokage was someone who kept his word.

This was a good opportunity, but it was too good to be true.

"What do you two think about the proposal?"

The two looked at the rest of the file and slowly digested the information.

"Haaaa~! Konoha seems to be the cradle of geniuses."

Ebizo sighed as he shook his head. Rasa couldn't help, but agree with him.

If they could just have a quarter of that talent...

"I don't care about it. We are too old to deal with politics anymore. It's up to your generation now."

Chiyo handed the file back to Rasa and started to leave.

Rasa looked at the file in deep thought once more.

"I will say this, however."

 Rasa looked up at Chiyo's back.

He could feel a raging storm brewing from her small body.

"If you accept it, I want to deal with Sasori."

Chiyo said her piece and left the office.

Ebizo looked at Rasa with a gentle smile and started to walk out as well.

"I think Konoha is being sincere in their request. The village needs those resources as well. With them, we can build our strength even further."

Ebizo looked back at Rasa and nodded his head.

"Of course, this is coming from an old fogey. Just do as you like."

Rasa watched as Ebizo left the office as well, shaking his head.

He had been on a streak of making bad decisions. 

The decline of resources had plagued Suna for a while now.

It seemed he couldn't catch a break at all.

Even when one finally appears in front of him, he was skeptical of it.

"Haaaaa~!"

He leaned his head back against his chair and sighed loudly.

'Am I doing the right thing?'

He couldn't help but think of this as his mind raced through the past years.

He had lost so many things for the village, but nothing seemed to work in his favor.

He tried to use the Shukaku as a weapon, but not only lost his wife, but even his son was a lost cause.

All because of his wants for the village to prosper.

"......."

Rasa looked back down at the folder and clenched his fists.

'What is there to lose now, but my life and dignity? If that's what it takes to make Suna strong again, I'll do it!'

Rasa began to draft a response to the Leaf's proposal as he firmly made his decision.

As long as his village could thrive, he would do anything! 

***************

In the darkness of a cave hidden deep in the mountains, a man sat by candlelight reading reports on various countries.

*Nyuuuuu*

A giant plant suddenly started to grow behind him as he continued to read the scrolls. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"What's the report, Zetsu?"

The man inquired as he set down the scroll and reached for a new one to read.

The plant opened up like a Venus Flytrap as Zetsu appeared. His black and white face smiled as he reported.

"There are new faces around Orochimaru. They appear to be immortals of some sort."

"Hmmm? More random experiments from him?"

"They seemed older. They may actually be immortal."

The man unfurled the scroll in his hands and continued to read.

"That doesn't seem to be important, Zetsu. Why did you tell me that?"

"They plan to attack Konoha."

The man's hand froze for a moment. He slowly turned towards Zetsu and looked at the half black and white being with his red eyes. Three tomoes rotated softly as he studied his expression.

"Now that is important. Did you get the details?"

"The plans aren't set yet, so they may change. I have the current plans available though."

Zetsu handed the man a scroll.

He opened it and read the contents of them quietly.

A few minutes passed before he looked up from the scroll to the ceiling.

"Aeon, huh? An interesting person. The others also seem to have great potential. I should keep a eye on them."

The man looked back down at Zetsu.

"Keep tabs on them and let me know when they attack."

"Understood."

*Nyuuuuu*

The plant closed and disappeared back into the ground as the man turned back to his desk.

A smile slowly creeped up his face as he picked up where he left off.

"Looks like I will be able to get some spares after all."