"Because if Naruto sprouted fox-bits, he'd be seen as you, and there's a very limited chance of survival," said Toltiir. "At least without making major changes beyond that blood limit."
The Kyuubi growled something and turned his attention to the creampuff on the plate before him.
"So what are the basics on this blood limit?" asked Naruto, trying the ramen and frowning at the odd taste.
Toltiir gestured at the holographic Naruto trio, switching them slightly. "The end product depends on what animal is used. Wolf is lean but would add another 10cm or so at your insertion point."
"Insertion point?" rumbled the Kyuubi.
"The easiest point to throw him back, as otherwise I'd have to mess with brain architecture and other messy things, is at the twelve year mark the day before the genin exam," explained Toltiir, suddenly surrounded by holographic equations.
"Uhh, yeah," said Naruto, wincing at the sudden math attack jutsu.
"Tiger or panther would likewise be a good choice for a combat-oriented shifter," said Toltiir, changing the three displayed Naruto. "As you can see, the height difference is much greater - closer to 30cm from your previous life and making him somewhat more massive."
"'somewhat'?" asked Naruto, eyes wide as he looked at the still-lean but broader-shouldered and muscle-rippled figure of the tiger-Naruto at seventeen.
"Greater strength, somewhat lowered speed and agility compared to the wolf," said Toltiir. "Rabbit on the other hand."
Naruto saw this change and frowned. "I don't shrink do I?"
"No, under the rabbit you'd be about the same height as normal," said Toltiir. "I sort of favor this myself as Hare is seen as a trickster."
"Well, don't go with anything that'd make me shorter, I got enough heat from that sort of thing the first time," grumped Naruto.
"Well, that lets 'rat' out," admitted Toltiir. "Cat leaves you the same size. Dragon is much bigger."
"'dragon'?" asked Naruto in a small voice.
The Kyuubi looked intrigued.
"It has its benefits," said Toltiir, not mentioning that some dragons were QUITE the trickster as well. "There's also the possibility of the kemono bloodline. I ran across that in my travels and found it intriguing. Males can shift to a hybrid, females just have a tail and ears and some other odd bits. Kemono bloodline varies as to the animal in its template depending on qualities of the individual."
"So, what kind of benefits of this transformation stuff?" asked Naruto. "I mean this bloodline."
"Physical benefits depend on the animal," stated Toltiir. "Healing factor is increased in all forms, but is largely dependent on phase of the moon. During the new moon, your healing factor would be what it was in your first life. During the full moon, you'd heal from just about any injury with a speed faster than having a skilled medic-nin working on you. You'd have a beast-form which you can access just about any time, but it would be easier to change at any point except the new moon. The sensitivity of your senses would also depend on which beast. With the 'kemono' bloodline, the exact beast would vary from one individual to the other within the line. So you might be wolf but could have a fox child down the road. The real power though would be hybrid or beastman form."
The images changed, shifting from one animal hybrid to another.
"Most forms uprate speed and strength and healing to varying degrees," noted Toltiir. "In keeping with the legends, the beastman form is also more animalistic and instinct oriented. You'd be more likely to react by charging in blindly than to consider tactics, particularly with one of the predator forms."
"So, no big changes?" muttered the Kyubi.
"Hey, I'm not that bad," grumped Naruto.
Cat and fox both stared at the boy.
"Well, not ALWAYS," grumped Naruto.
"Hmmmm," hmmmed Toltiir as a thought popped into his head. "How about if the 'kemono' tribe had a temporary way of sharing the bloodline?"
"Temporary?" asked Naruto, beating the Kyubi by a second.
"Yes," mused Toltiir, rapidly flickering images obscuring the housecat who was currently wearing the gold shirt of a Starfleet Lieutenant Commander. "Something that could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Getting a little longer each time it is done. Most beasts have a way of marking territory or mates. Whether I should make it a bite or a wound-licking. Decisions, decisions. Well, it'd be simpler to do just a wolf-guy and keep your blood limit restricted to your own use. Hmmm."
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(Posted Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:09)
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