Kara was uncertain about a great many things, but she knew pretty much what her place was in the scheme of things here. She had a path that she could follow. She'd already graduated the Academy and was a genin of Konohagakure.
Next would be getting to chunin. Chunin were assigned to a variety of duties, not just missions. Chunin were the primary force of non-mission ninja in fact. There were those who were team leaders and did the missions. That wasn't what she was after though.
No, at chunin she hoped to join the police force. Which had taken a major hit a few years back. Someone with her skills could be a big help.
Her powers were still returning, but other than a single awkward jump the previous week - it looked to be a thin trickle.
Strength - very good. She figured that she could lift about five tons now. Speed - also good. Might be able to run as fast as a decent car on the interstate, though she'd be much slower as there weren't a whole lot of paved flat roads to run on.
Invulnerability, well, that wasn't so certain. She certainly seemed to be able to take a hit from a kunai, but a number of ninjutsu seemed to have merely reduced effect on her. Some ninjutsu seemed to work fine.
"So, you want me to try hitting you with a genjutsu?" asked Trehawn Ghostflower. "Why?"
"That burst of power last week," said Kara.
"Where you were suddenly jumping through walls and breaking things, and Naruto ended up feeding you?" asked Trehawn.
"Ah, yes, and thanks for your help, as well," said Kara, trying not to blush. It had only been a problem for a day or so, and that had never been a problem in the past when she'd lost and regained power, but it was still very much embarassing. "I can measure how much my strength's returned, and speed, but there are aspects a bit more difficult to measure."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Naruto. "Last time you had a genjutsu done to practice your breaking skills-" Naruto's voice trailed off as he remembered the panic his usually serene team-mate had gone through.
"This time I won't use anything like a sensory-blocking technique," promised Trehawn. "Ready?"
Kara nodded.
"This is what he's planning to do?" asked Inoichi Yamanaka.
"Yes," said Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Opinions?"
"I heard Danzo nearly had another heart attack," said Shikaku Nara. "Wish I'd seen it."
"If nobody has any objections, we'll try it tomorrow. If it works it will give Naruto some control over his prisoner as he would then have something to offer it. If it fails, I'll want assistance in containing the problem."
She stretched out sleepily, then sniffed the air.
She knew the two-legs here - they were her subjects, who would offer to feed her if she deigned to accept.
Now it was fine if she simply allowed them to worship her.
Naruto looked down at where Kara had somehow managed to curl herself up into his lap. "Is she purring?"
"Okay, that went a bit worse than I'd planned," said Trehawn, the mi'qote's ears going flat.
"Why does she think she's a cat?" asked Naruto, a bit put off by this development. Though she was much lighter than he'd expected.
"It was an idea I was working with," admitted Trehawn. "Most genjutsu work by fooling the senses. This one just brings a memory of a dream forward. I'm going to cancel it."
Kara's purring slowly trailed off. Blue eyes opened and blinked, then slowly looked around.
ZOOM!
"Okay, didn't expect her to leap straight up like that," admitted Naruto, watching the speck that was rapidly disappearing into the distance.
"I have a feeling this is going to be troublesome," said Trehawn.
Now:
The Ninetailed Demon Fox slowly stood, frowning around at her surroundings.
"Why isn't she wearing any clothes?" asked one of the ANBU.
"Because she's a fox?" asked another ANBU. "I'm more curious as to why she looks like a human?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked a bit more surprised, while he still held himself ready to lay a beat-down of Hokage proportions if the beast attacked anyone.
"I'm a furless ape," said the redheaded girl. "This must be karma. I hate karma."
The girl was perhaps eight or nine years old from the look of her, thin to the point where one might wonder if she was being starved - made more obvious by her being naked. Worse, she was filthy and glowered at the surrounding ninja.
"Okay," said Naruto. "I know what can settle things here! Let's go get ramen!"
"Ramen? What's ramen?" asked Kurama, still quite unhappy-looking.
"So the basics of the contract," said an old fuuinjutsu expert to the assembled jonin and various representitives whose security clearance was sufficiently high, "is that summoning Kurama requires a set amount of chakra and the new form is essentially a double-durability shadow clone. Meaning it requires more than slight damage to dispel it, but a decent hit with a kunai will do it. Kurama has access to about one-half tail of chakra at present but has trouble using it due to the limitations of the human form."
"Why is it a child?" asked Shikaku Nara.
"Because it is," said Inoichi Yamanaka. "I was able to do a light scan of Kyubi avatar and see memories while she was distracted by the ramen."
"Well, she went through twelve bowls so that DID give you some time I suppose," noted Shikaku.
"The Kyubi is old and powerful, but has spent almost all of its existence sealed in one person or another," said Inoichi. "As far as life-experience is concerned, the Kyubi is a child."
"So the destruction visited upon Konoha was a temper tantrum?" asked one of the lesser clan heads, sounding particularly aghast at the possibility.
"No, not quite, there were other factors involved," said Inoichi. "I'm still writing up the report. It will be submitted to the Hokage by tomorrow at noon. He will decide how the information is dispersed at that time."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "So? This summons has a maximum time duration of six hours per day and she is forbidden from harming Naruto or his 'precious people' per the terms written within it. Breaking that or another term set down in the contract immediately dismisses the construct. Correct?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," said the fuuinjutsu expert.
The lesser clan-head cleared his throat before speaking again. "What qualifies as 'precious people'?"
"Anyone who is normally friendly towards Naruto or designated a friend," said the Hokage, lifting a shoulder slightly. "Actually, that came as a suggestion from myself. If there was a traitor discovered to the Leaf, Kurama might not be able to assist in a fight or provide testimony if the 'no harm' clause was to the entire village. This way, if the village is betrayed or attacked, and Kurama is active - the summons can assuage her desire for violence against our enemies."
"It's a pity no one besides genin Uzumaki can summon this creature then," said Tsume Inuzuka.
The Hokage didn't betray in his facial expression or by other methods that he had signed the contract after going over it himself and could now summon Kurama himself. Or that one other person had been specified as sufficiently trustworthy to sign the contract and be able to summon the proto-fox at need. Or that there was a range issue where Naruto had to be present. Or any of the other qualifiers.
Ninja village. That they had secrets running around was just part of the whole image.
"So, we get a weapon out of the deal," said Danzo Shimura, sounding vaguely as if he'd bitten into something bitter. "With a fox tamed to our command. What does IT get out of it?"
"Time in the sun, to live in the world and see things, to learn that hate and rage are not the only paths," said the Hokage. "Needless to say, if I hear one civilian talking about all this - there will be an inquiry and I will let Ibiki find the traitor and... well I think I will be particularly creative in the manner of their death and punishment."
"A secret weapon that is not a secret loses half its value," agreed Danzo, for once sincere in that agreement with his Hokage.
The avatar dispelled, and in a cage in a sewer, a great beast lifted its head. "Huh. So that's ramen."
After a time the great head lowered and the beast prepared to sleep, just licking great lips once at the memory.
"Not bad. Could have used more meat."
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(Posted Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:42)
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