It was really no surprise that Kabuto was as despicable a person as could be—even by Ninja standards! He had been orphaned by warring conflict as a child and was found and raised in the Konoha Orphanage by Nonou Yakushi, a Jounin-level shinobi of Konohagakure and a captain of the Konoha Medic Corps... as well as an ANBU who was in alignment with Root. After three years of having been her son, he was recruited by Root, in which time he served as a spy in different countries for years to come. In his fifth year of life as a Konoha Ninja, Kabuto was sent on a mission to infiltrate Iwa, upon which, Nonou, the woman who had adopted him appeared attacked him! She was critically wounded as a result of this skirmish due to her adopted son’s chakra scalpel and died, even as a panicking Kabuto tried to treat her. But the worst part of it all for the boy was that even as he fought and tried to treat her, Nonou didn’t recognize him, which shocked and emotionally cripple the young man, prompting him to find answers.
He would later get those answers from, of all people, the S-Rank Missing-Nin Orochimaru! The Konoha Exile revealed that Kabuto’s horrible, life-scarring encounter was engineered by Danzo, Root’s Leader. In having become an accomplished spy, Kabuto has become a dangerous asset for Root and was marked to be eliminated. As such, Nonou was double-crossed by Danzo, the man having put his mother through the process of brainwashing her, showing the woman pictures of Kabuto growing up and eventually switching him with an entirely different person so that when she was given the mission to kill the real Kabuto, she would not recognize him.
So really, having been a pawn of Danzo and worse, having had the woman he’d come to know as his mother attempt to kill him because the man he worked so hard to please decided he was a dangerous element to keep in Root... it was really no surprise that Kabuto would become a rather heartless individual himself? So when the opportunity presented itself, he whole-heartedly defected from Konohagakure and joined Orochimaru, acting as the Snake Sannin’s personal medic, deep-cover infiltration agent, research assistant, and general right-hand-man.
So now with an extremely short fuse and working for the craziest Ninja in the world, it would take extremely little to set the Medic-Nin traitor to Konoha off. Thanks to Toltirr’s meddling with the strings of fate, in this case, it happened much sooner to Kabuto when, after standing in line one day at Einsen’s Bagelworks Bakery for a Multi-Grain Bagel and Hebrew-Nin Matzo Ball Soup, he had said soup spilled all over him. While this would aid in outing him before much grief would happen in the future, it was still to the detriment of poor Hinata who had her eyes gouged out for their Byakugan ability when the rather off-kilter Medic-Nin made drastic use of his soup spoon that would no longer be used for lunch.
And now that lead to the here and now, two Kunoichi in training and one young bushy-browed lad trying to attain the Fires of Youth were already passed out from having been experimented on, while Kabuto was already revving up the genetic recombinator—patent pending—to really give it to the village pariah. “Let’s see what happens if I use fox essence on fox-faced brats, shall we?”
Pausing in his struggle with the straps that restrained him to the surgery table, Naruto was quick to offer, “How about this: let’s NOT and say we did?”
“Ha ha... cute...” the glasses-wearing white-haired bastard of Konohagakure’s Medic-Nin Corps replied as he flipped the switch to the fire-damaged device; large visible gears turning suddenly on the sides of the rather canon-like apparatus—sparks flying here and there—while the front of said device seemed to power up with an orange-green glow of unnatural chakra.
“Now then, Uzumaki... as a professional Medic-Nin I want you to take two of these... AND GO TO HELL!” Kabuto laughed cruelly as he flipped the switch, causing the genetic recombinator to fire a stream of the DNA-charged chakra towards the boy.
As he watched Naruto scream and struggle, the bespectacled bastard had to admit, this was interesting. Usually it took time—around twenty-four hours if the files on the former Hyuga he eye-gouged were accurate—for the DNA to resettle itself and cause changes but this was happened right then and there! Already, the blonde’s ears shifted upwards, becoming a pair of highly pointed fox ones, the whisker marks on his face becoming actual whiskers... and from between his legs sprouted a full, lusciously furred golden fox tail...
And then another...
...And another...
...And another?
“Uh, boss?” Kote spoke the younger ninja. “Is... this supposed to happen?” he inquired nervously as more and more tails sprouted from the base of the youth’s spine; eyes open wide to reveal that there was no longer an expressive crystalline blue but an enraged blood red of hate.
Watching as Naruto doubled in size and slashed out with a now clawed hand that tore through the straps like a hot kunai through butter, Kabuto gulped nervously. “No... no it is not...”
As boy continued to grow larger and physically became more fox-like in appearance, Kabuto suddenly began to remember something... a little fact that Konoha had been attacked by a certain Bijuu long ago who seemed to have mysteriously vanished...
"Oh... hell..."
Sarutobi rushed with a number of his ANBU guards, desperately searching for the children and Naruto, hoping to find them before something bad happened. They’d already found Hinata unconscious; Cat having taken the young tigergirl back towards the village proper so the Hokage knew the poor child was safe. But still the Fourth’s Legacy was nowhere to be found, and no one had still yet to find the original missing three!
The old man was taken out of his musing of gloom and doom by a shout of, “Sarutobi-sensei!”
Blinking his eyes in shock, the older ninja turned to his right, spotting Jiraiya coming beside him. “Jiraiya! I was hoping you were nearby!”
Said travelling Jounin blinked his eyes at that response. “...Really?" asked Jiraiya, sipping from his drink. “You knew the Adult Movie Awards Ceremony was being held next door, right?”
“...That was tonight?” Sarutobi blinked his eyes almost owlishly. These bastards were costing him handing out awards to porn stars!
Turning towards one of the village’s elite, the Hokage firmly told him, “Frog, no enemy survivors.”
“Yes, Hokage-sama,” the ANBU nodded.
The Toad Sannin whistled. “Wow... you MUST be pissed.” He tilted his head and suggested, “Tell you what? I’ve got time! How about we go see the former Hyuga? I got your message that she was turned into...” he couldn’t help but give a little perverted grin. “A living Catgirl Fetish... and I figured if there’s anyone that should give the child a look over, and since I WAS in the neighborhood, it should be yours truly!”
Rolling his eyes, the Third Hokage was about ready to admonish the man and tell him the full seriousness about the situation—porn not withstanding... only to be interrupted when he, Jiraiya and the trio of ANBU were given a demonstration on just how dangerous things had gotten.
“aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUuuuugggghh!” came the screamed cry as a white-haired Genin flew overhead, past over them, over the village and finally coming to a complete stop as it smacked head-first far away into the monument, buried straight into the Fourth’s left nostril.
Blinking his eyes once, twice, Jiraiya could only ask, “Who the hell was that?”
“...I think his name was Kabuto, one of the Medic-Nin Corps,” mumbled Sarutobi, hoping the Genin wasn’t yet another victim of Orochimaru’s allies. “Come, Jiraiya! We better hurry!”
“To the awards?” the white haired ninja asked. “No rush; that’s not for another few hours!”
“Really!?” asked the Hokage, before glancing at his wrist... and realizing he didn’t have a watch.
Still, this involved perversion, so he trusted Jiraiya. The Hokage turned towards his ANBU. “Okay, take survivors. Depending on the office pool, we may execute them later.”
His shoulders sagging, Frog nodded sadly. He never got to execute anyone anymore.
“So... any idea what we're in for?” asked Jiraiya, finishing off his drink.
Sarutobi shook his head. “No idea.”
“FEAR ME! ” came the bellowing cry from the former secret hidden base that somehow escaped notice in a ninja village. “FEAR THE GREAT ORANGE BUNNY OF RAMEN! ”
“...Some idea...” the Third amended.
There was an explosion of what had remained of one of Orochimaru’s hidden lab, numerous ANBU already making their way towards it. But within moments, came the true horror as a large fox-like head appeared above the tree-line, letting off a very bestial roar. “AH! AFTER TEN-THOUSAND YEARS, I’M FREE! IT’S TIME TO CONQUER EARTH!”
“Oh, it was so NOT Ten-Thousand Years...” Toltirr mumbled from his place inside Naruto. “Drama Queen.”
Still, hopefully he’d had enough effect on old “Ninetails” as to make this more... entertaining.
Sarutobi and Jiraiya stared in still horror. There, it was, growing larger and larger, regaining its true size, the Kyuubi no Yoko stood high above the tree-line. Surrounded by swirling wisps of demonic red chakra, the Nine-Tailed Beast glared hatefully towards the village less than a mile away.
Needless to say, no one thought to correct the Kyuubi on its stated time imprisoned. Jiraiya merely dropped his empty martini glassas it fell from nerveless fingers.
“BUT FIRST... where’s the vixens at!? Prison changes a fox, and I need some ladies! ”
“...Jiraiya,” Sarutobi said, motioning his student forward. A perverse Bijuu? This was clearly his area of expertise.
Head craned back and still staring up at the Nine-Tails Bijuu, Jiraiya asked hopefully, “Is it too late to go Missing-Nin?” Surely, Orochimaru or Itachi could use some company!
“Nodding his head firmly, the Hokage replied, “Yes. Far too late.”
“Oh... fuck my life...” Jiraiya sighed as he shook his head. Ah well. There were worst ways to die... but really, couldn’t this thing have held off five or six hours so he could enjoy one last Adult Films Awards Ceremony?
Accepting his face, the Toad Sannin made his way closer to the large Nine-Tails. He at least had one chance to keep from being Tailed Beast Balled out of existence. “Naruto!” yelled the perverted sage. “Can you hear me?”
Looking down at the small man that reeked of Toad and musky sweat, the huge Kitsune flared its nostrils. “The pathetic monkey’s not here right now. I, on the other hand, can hear you JUST fine!” it replied firmly, sending a firm wave of air rushing around the pathetic human.
In a room at the Hokage’s Tower where she was recovering, Hinata’s golden feline eyes opened wide all of a sudden.
“I am needed,” she purred, before rushing the window, sniffing the air, and taking off.
“Wait, what!?” Yugao Uzuki shouted towards the girl who leapt from her bed and out the nearest open window. Rushing towards the opening and watching as the young Tigress was now roof-hopping, the ANBU was about to take off after her...
...Until she caught sight of the Nine-Tailed Beast on the horizon.
Responsibilities shifted: the woman sliding on her Cat Mask and rushing out the same window the former Hyuga girl had used. As a member of Konohagakure’s ANBU, it was time to go to work and earn that hazard pay!
Watching the Toad Sannin stand there, Kurama snorted. At least the damn ape hadn’t pissed his pants. “I hate idiots,” irritably growled the Kyuubi no Yoko as it slowly turned to face the Hokage. After having spent FAR too time with a reality warping little black cat, facing one of the Kages was nothing! “Where is he!?” the Nine-Tails Kitsune demanded to know.
The Third Hokage was taken aback by this demand. The Demon Fox wanted something specific? Besides vixens!? “Where is who?” Sarutobi inquired curiously.
“I seek the fool who is the reason I am imprisoned in this brat,” growled the huge beast, flexing its muscles, tails flailing behind it wildly. “I seek the one responsible for my current suffering!”
“So...” Jiraiya interrupted. “Who would that be? Because quite frankly, we’ve got quite a list, with more added recently.”
“OH?” thundered the Kyuubi.
“Yes, oh great Orange Bunny of Ramen,” Jiraiya said, his tone of voice one would use when trying to appease a child. Yep, the brat was probably still active in there. “In fact, quiet down now, and I’ll buy you a bottomless bowl!”
Kurama’s eyes suddenly flashed to a blue coloration. “DEAL! ”
Then back to an angry red. “NO!”
“SHUT UP! BOTTOMLESS RAMEN!”
“NEVER!”
There seemed to be an internal struggle, eyes shifting between red and blue colorations. “MUST... FIGHT... FOR... RAMEN!”
Needless to say, a lot of fear dissipated about the giant Bijuu as it argued with itself.
The Kyuubi growled, shaking his head to get the boy to SHUT UP so he could take his revenge... although now that said little blonde had derailed his tirade, he had to admit the small monkeys had a point. It was true that there were many that pissed him off, like the monkey who sealed him in his son, the woman who’d been his former container and forced him to deal with the horrors of ‘PMS’ and childbirth, and that little bastard black cat that turned him into a plushy or PokéMon or whatever on a whim... but no. There was one above all else that caused all this to snowball out of control. “I will NOT settle for ramen! I want the one who stole control from me and sent me to this backwater settlement of lesser beings to attack! I speak of Madara Uchiha!” the Nine-Tails Demon roared.
“Madara Uchiha?” asked Sarutobi in shock.
“Do you think I would forget the stench of the one monkey who committed such a sin against me? ME!?” spat the fox. “Even sealed in this vessel, I shall strike him down for what he did!”
“Are you saying Madara Uchiha commanded you to attack this village?” asked Jiraiya, finally starting to get back to the present after the shock from that revelation. Holy crap! Madara? The man who had made peace with the Senju and brought the Uchiha to prominence within Konohagakure as their Police Force, who had supposedly DIED over a hundred years ago! “How is that possible!?”
Kyuubi growled; power flailing about his body. “That fool will take that secret to his grave! I will find him and make him suffer for what he did to me!” the beast yelled and anger. “He will pay! Pay for his affront to me, pay for his arrogance, PAY WITH HIS LIFE!”
As no one rushed forward to do as he commanded, the Kyuubi no Yoko decided to play some REAL hard ball. “Fine! If you cannot bring him to me, then I will settle for a nice consolation prize,” Kurama sneered in an appropriately villainous fashion. “This village, mistaking this pitiful vessel for my magnificence! They shall remember the difference between me and a small monkey...”
He turned his head away from Konoha to look towards one of the neighboring villages. “WHEN I DESTROY THE ADULT FILM AWARDS!”
“YOU... EVIL... BASTARD!” yelled out several males. This included the Hokage, Jiraiya, several ANBU, and a Jounin wearing his hiate headband as an eye-patch, who had just failed his latest Genin team—3 more and he got a free slushie at 7-11!
Once more, the eyes of the Bijuu flashed to a cerulean blue. “NOOOO!” cried the being in Naruto’s voice. “We can’t look at naked people, or Ninja-God cries!”
Eyes going crimson once more, Kurama’s face took on a disgusted look. “WHO ARE YOU TO TALK BRAT!? You’ve already stripped the Hyuga girl naked and pawed all over her nude body!”
“ONLY BECAUSE SHE WAS SICK!” Naruto’s voice shouted forth from Kurama. “She was all sweaty as she was changing and I needed to cool her down! I didn’t want Hinata to get worse!”
“Feh! Whatever...” Kurama grumbled. “Now, if you'll excuse me... I BELIEVE THERE’S AN AWARD CEREMONY AND MANY ADULT FILM STARS THAT NEED TO BE DESTROYED AND EATEN!” He roared evilly as he turned about, mumbling to himself, “I just hope my snacks don’t give me syphilis...”
The Hokage stepped forward, his very presence commanding attention. “We cannot allow that!” Sarutobi said firmly. He was not liking the chances of saving Naruto, but damn it! The porn was in danger!
Hearing the cry of the insignificant speck, Kurama chuckled darkly. “You think these people will fare better now than they did all those years ago?”
“FOR THESE INNOCENTS, WE SHALL!” a nameless civilian answered, as the males and over a dozen bisexual and lesbian members of the village rose up, filled the street, and were prepared to defend the porn st—I mean, innocent members of the film community.
But it was one brave shop keeper who made the ultimate sacrifice. “Naruto!” Teuchi shouted to get the Kyuubi’s attention. “If you beat the fox back, you shall eat free ramen at my shop... for a month!”
There was a gasp among the villagers, even those that hated Naruto. All knew of his love for ramen and how much he could pack away.
Ichiraku’s stand might soon be closed, but his sacrifice would not be forgotten.
What followed was a massively tough battle of the wills, the Kyuubi no Yoko foaming at the mouth now, tails flailing wildly. “No... you... don’t!”
“Yes... I... MUST!” came Naruto’s battle cry from the very creature’s sudsy mouth. “FOR RAMEN!”
It was a death cry that sounded from the beast as it fell to it’s side, all nine tails going limp. Finally, Kurama breathed heavily as it laid nearly defeated, the Hokage standing before its head. “Okay... new deal...” the Kyuubi huffed, feeling like his insides were on fire. “You bring me Madara Uchiha, and I will spare this village, even after the insults these fools give,” it grumbled as one tail suddenly twitched, destroying a row of trees. “I’ll grant you from now, the time since I have been imprisoned in this boy.” He began chuckling darkly. “Hell, I’ll even support this vessel. No host of me shall be so weak!” Left unsaid was that it would still give the Kyuubi an ‘out’ to get away from that damned black cat whenever possible.
Smirking, Sarutobi replied, “I wouldn’t call him ‘weak’. It seems he’s done a good enough job of holding you at bay.”
Kurama glared. “You going to make a deal or not!?”
“I’m considering it, yes,” Sarutobi stated, looking thoughtful, and wondering what else the fox might offer. Really, such an event couldn’t be any different from negotiating with the recent Mizukage... minus the fan service.
“...You do realize one of my tails is right next to the Awards and all, and as this battle goes on, I feel... the need to have certain twitches.”
The Third Hokage went wide-eyed with horror. “You wouldn’t!”
The Nine-Tails Beast glared. “I’ve been cock-blocked by Madara and you apes, a crazy black cat, and now a brat with a fetish for bad foo—ARGH!”
“NEVER DISS THE RAMEN!”
“It has all the nutritional value of warm cardboard and it turns your intestines into a sewer!” the Kitsune growled, only to yelp in pain. It winced, grumbling for a moment before slowly opening its eyes again. “I am SO gonna destroy that awards stadium if this keeps up...”
Sarutobi stared at the downed Nine Tails. While they had it unable to attack right now, they couldn’t keep this up forever. But what to do? Deny it, and he had no doubt the Kyuubi would attack the innocent adult filmmakers and actors and then go after the village. Accept it, and he had eleven years to track down someone who should have been dead decades ago.
So in the end, it was obvious what the decision had to be. “As Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, I agree to your demands.”
The figure nodded, the Demon Beast slowly shrinking. “Great... and as insurance: should you or yours attack my vessel, I will come forth, and I will kill them, no… matter… what...” it finished, before it was gone once more, leaving behind a naked blonde kid with fox ears and a tail.
Slowly raising his head and looking back and forth, Naruto finally paused to look at the Hokage. “Jiji, why am I out here...” he blinked his eyes as he realized it was rather chilly. “And without clothes!?”
“You merely had a bad dream, Naruto,” Sarutobi stated with a kind smile.
“So ... I don’t really get a month of free ramen?” Naruto asked, before being tackled by a cat-girl with a smile... who immediately rubbed against him and began to lick his whiskered cheek. “GAH! Huh-Hinata!?" He cried out as the girl’s hands roamed over his body. “Stuh-stop that! I’m naked!”
“...So?” the young Tigergirl asked, her tail flicking back and forth behind her quickly. “I needed a nap and you weren’t around! I need my pillow to have restful sleep!” So saying, she used her clawed hands, kneading against the boy’s chest before settling down for a quick nap atop the naked Foxboy.
“Sir, orders?” asked the confused ANBU nearest the Hokage.
Puffing on his pipe, making promises to get the ‘special’ herbs when he returned to his office, Sarutobi could only sigh. “Kill the Access HollyNin reporters. We don’t need this scandal overshadowing the adult awards.”
“What scandal? The Kyuubi?” the Pig-Masked ANBU asked curiously
Shaking his head, Sarutobi replied, “No. Hinata and Naruto. She may no longer be a Hyuga but you know how those Access HollyNin sorts are! We may be a Ninja Village but we do not endorse this sort of thing... openly....” behind closed doors was another matter.
Within his office of the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi sat back in his chair as he took yet another long hit of his pipe, using his special ‘medicinal blend’. Oh yeah, that was SO much better. Taking a moment to allow the special blend of herbs, plant matter, and tobacco to take effect, the Third Hokage finally turned his attention to the assorted ANBU that stood before him. “Status report,” he commanded.
“We have slaughtered everyone involved with Access HollyNin—the Fire Daimyo himself actually having written us a pardon to do so.”
That made Sarutobi raise an eyebrow. “The Lord of the Land wrote you a pardon?”
“Remember Last Year’s “Fire Mistress Harem” story that was plastered all over?” Frog offered to his superior.
It took a moment but the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village nodded his head. “Ah, yes. The Daimyo’s wife wasn’t too pleased.”
“Neither was the Daimyo,” Frog admitted. “So yes, we were allowed to freely slaughter these ‘Journalists’ with severe prejudice. However, I am sad to say that word has still leaked out. Even though the truth is still unknown, rumor is travelling fast that the Kyuubi has been sighted once more around Konohagakure.”
“How!?” Sarutobi demanded to know.
Shrugging his shoulders, the pic-masked ANBU could only offer, “Twit-Nin.”
Wincing at that, the Hokage looked to his own scrying glass. It was true; such rarely escaped the all knowing eye of Twit-Nin. “What about Naruto?”
“Naruto Uzumaki being looked over the Medic-Nin at this time,” Cat said as she bowed her head in respect. “The boy is recovering relatively well and should be free to go home to his apartment with Hinata tomorrow morning. He’s a little put off by the tail and ears but Hinata has assured him that such makes him look, and I quote, “dashingly handsome”…” although she was wearing a mask, her tone sounded a little amused. “Also, it would seem that village opinion of Naruto is changing... and for the better. Most villagers were there when the Nine-Tails was freed and saw it was Uzumaki who held back the beast. A number are finally starting to realize that Naruto is NOT the Prisoner but the PRISON. This, combined with how people were already softening up upon seeing how he treated Hinata after her attack, it appears the child’s immediate troubles with the village may soon be behind him.”
Now Sarutobi began to smile. True, it had been an uphill battle... but it would appear that Naruto was finally going to see the light at the end of the tunnel and begin to fully integrate himself within Konoha, not as it’s outcast but as one of its own.
Rabbit continue, “Also, from hearing about the child talk about his ‘dream’ as well as having Hinata identify the man, it would seem that the perpetrator of all this was Medic-Nin Kabuto Yakushi. Ibiki now has the man in custody and has gotten confessions from him. It would seem the Genin was not only a spy for Orochimaru but it was he that assaulted young Hinata and...” the woman seemed uncomfortably but raised her right hand, pointing at her eyes with two fingers.
That bit of information made the older man sit up in his seat. “Kabuto? Kabuto was a spy? For Orochimaru!?” Kami-sama! First the truth that Mandara Uchiha set the Nine-Tails against the village and now Kabuto was assisting Orochimaru as a spy? What next!? Mizuki planning on attaining greater prestige by stealing the Sacred Scroll of Sealed Techniques!?
Shaking his head of such a foolish though, the Hokage knew he had to keep this rolling: he had an Adult Film Awards Ceremony to attend. “And what of the lab and the other children?”
“Hokage-sama,” Bunny said as she stepped forward. “We still have members of ANBU going through the remains of the destroyed lab but we were able to safely recovered the kidnapped children: Academy Students Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka and Genin Rock Lee of Team Guy. However, it is safe to say that they’ve been experimented upon: they’re already started to show traits much like Hinata has.”
The older man nodded his head. There was no avoiding that, he supposed. Still, it seemed to have worked to the former Hyuga’s advantage. Perhaps these three could be the start of new lines of kekkei genkai. “What can you tell me so far?”
Rabbit nodded her head at the Hokage’s acceptance and urge for further details. “Well, first is Inoichi’s daughter. Due to the ears, tail and spotted pattern that are coming in, it would appear the DNA used on the Yamanaka Clan Heiress was that of a foreign cat breed: the cheetah. It should be noted that the cheetah is the species accredited for having the ability to achieve the fastest land speed of any living animal—usually maintain somewhere between 112 and 120 km/h, (70 and 75 mph) and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to over 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds.”
Blinking his eyes, the Hokage nodded his head. That... that had promise. The ability to catch up to any target and then attack their mind, as well as being so fast that courier missions would lose a lot of the danger? This was quite useful. “Anything that might be detrimental to her?”
“You mean besides animal instincts leaving her in embarrassing situations?” seeing the lead of the Hidden Leaf nod his head, the bunny-masked ANBU explained, “Well, it should also be noted that there is an evolved modification in the species' paws. It is one of the few felines with semi-retractable claws, and with pads that, by their scope, disallow gripping. Thus, cheetahs cannot climb upright trees, although they are generally capable of reaching easily accessible branches by leaping.”
Considering that for a moment, the older man decided, “Make sure the Academy is informed to help young Yamanaka with her tree-climbing exercises and chakra control and growth. Such padding, while useful on flat terrain, is going to be a handicap in the ninja profession. If she can’t get a grip naturally, we’ll need to make sure she can do so with her chakra and maintain it for long periods of time. The others?”
“Ah yes, then there is Miss Haruno,” Rabbit continued. “Thanks to the rosette patterns and basic but still large cat characteristics that are appearing, it would seem the Academy student was fused with a leopard, the smallest of the four “big cats” in the genus Panthera. Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull... which we’re already seeing such expressed within the girl.”
“Actually,” the Hokage interjected. “She was always known for having a rather noticeable forehead.”
The woman paused for a moment as she considered that. “Be that as it may, the leopard may be smaller but is slightly more built muscular-wise. As stated, she has fur that is marked with rosettes but there is a melanistic effect which makes it look almost as if she had a singularly-colored pelt, meaning that even though a leopard, she is specifically of the black panther sub-branch. The species’ success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometers per hour, (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying heavy loads, such as animal carcasses, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch and its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.”
The Hokage considered this. While the girl was better known for her Academic skills... it would seem with such an animal heritage, she might achieve greater marks in her Taijutsu and Ninjitsu courses. She might even be a serious contender for the title of, “Rookie of the Year” now. They might even start giving her some C-Ranks in the Wind and Water Countries just to see how well she could adapt to said terrains. “While it is regretful such was done against her will, I believe this will aid young Haruno in becoming a better ninja. The stealth alone will be useful.”
“Actually...” Cat spoke up. “There may be a problem with that one aspect.”
That made Sarutobi raise an eyebrow. “Problem?”
Nodding her head, Rabbit explained, “Yes. While it appears all the efficient leopard traits are settling... the child’s own genetic heritage refuses to be overwritten in one aspect: her hair.”
The elder man frowned a bit. “You mean...”
“Yes, Hokage-sama...” the female ANBU replied before he could ask. “She’s a PINK panther.”
Raising his right hand to his face, the Hokage groaned as he tried to avert an oncoming headache he felt coming on... then merely used his free hand to reach for his pipe; bringing the mouth-piece to his lips and taking another firm drag.
Exhaling deeply, the leader of the Village inquired, “And young Lee?”
Rabbit seemed hesitant. “As for young Rock Lee...”
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