Angel of The Hidden Leaf

A few hours later...

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I sat below a tree together. We shared some cookies Sakura brought for Konoha while talking about our mission. We also talked about a way to find out what's hidden behind Kakashi's mask.

It was until I stood up to change my position that I realized something fishy and suspicious.. Fishy as in like, 'how the hell didn't I notice that before' kind of fishy. Suspicious as in like, 'why the hell hasn't anyone notice that before' kind of suspicious.

Sakura is taller than Sasuke...

I mean, it's not that obvious, but last I check, Sakura is only a centimeter taller than Naruto. But now she's about two inches taller than Sasuke. Not only that, but her eyes seemed more mature, feels like she has seen so much.

Is this really Sakura? I mean, I'm sure it's her; she's currently sneaking glances at Sasuke. But something else is going on here. Something I haven't seen in a very long time. Something obvious, but crucial...

"Sakura, come here for a moment. I need to ask something..." I told the girl.

Sakura looked at me in confusion but she stood up anyway. "What is it Haios?" She asked. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can talk with Naruto and Sasuke." She added.

I shook my head and starts dragging her with the force. "Trust me, this isn't a type of conversation you wanted them to hear." I whispered to her. Then I looked at Naruto and Sasuke who are looking at me in confusion. "We'll see you later okay? Why don't you guys go and practice climbing trees?" I told them.

After that, I took Sakura to an empty part of the woods. "Okay Sakura, I got a very simple question to ask you." I told her. "How old are you?" I asked her suddenly.

Sakura looked at me in confusion. "I'm twelve, why do you ask?"

I looked at her deeply in the eyes. Being immortal means that you've got a lot of experience with people aging. "You looked one year older since my first visit to the hospital. That was a few weeks ago and yet you've aged one year older."

The girl's eyes widened in realization. "Oh... It's uh..." She gave me a sheepish smile. "You know how people age because of stress? Well working in the hospital is very stressful and..." The look I sent her tells her that she is not being a good liar. "Look, I can't tell you why all right? But yes I think I've aged one year since the first time I work in the hospital."

Then she suddenly took out her flashlight. "Now, I need you to... whoa!" Her words were cut short when I took the flashlight out of her grip. "Hey! Give me back my chakra flashlight!"

"Nope! I want you to tell me what happened to you." I said sternly. "You've changed drastically, you are not usually this mature and badass." I looked at her and saw her sneakily slipping her hand into her pocket. "Oi! No, hands off that pocket!"

"Stop pushing me!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Not until you tell me what happened!!!" I retorted unflinchingly.

Sakura sighed and held both of her hands up in defeat. "Look... I went on a trip plenty of times okay? I learned so much from the doctor, some of his attitude might've rubbed off me hence why I act suspicious." Then she looked at me. "But believe me Haios, I haven't changed that much. I still love Sasuke kun, I still think that Naruto is an idiot, I still love seeing you flying through the hospital window with a mortal wound just so I can fix you up. I still love spending time with my friends."

She lowered her hand and gently put it on top of mine. "When I was removed from the academy, I was so lost. Being a ninja has always been my dream since I was little and I've never felt more like a failure in my life when I was sent to that hospital."

Then she smiled a little. "But then, I met him, don't know his name but everyone in the hospital calls him doctor so I did. He personally offered to train me under his tutelage and oh boy, what a world..." She chuckled a little. "He thought me things that no human in this world can even dream to understand, a perspective that is beyond even the smartest of all philosophers, wisdom that is unheard of in this parts."

"He gave me an advice that shapes me into who I am today. Do you want to hear it?"

I just nodded in response while silently wondering who the hell this doctor person is.

Sakura let go of my hand. She put a hand over her heart and closed her eyes. "Above all else, do no harm. Never be cruel and never be cowardly... Never give up, never give in... Always remember that love is always wise and hatred is always foolish... Always try to be nice and never fail to be kind. Laugh hard, run fast, be kind."

"That's the doctor's last words before he left me." Sakura said with a sad look on her face. "I promised him that I will make him proud and that I will save as much people as I can." She smiled a little. "It's those little victories that count. Every life saved is another victory for us doctors..."

I looked at Sakura for a moment. It's obvious that she missed the doctor so much. "So, he left you just like that? No last request or a hidden quest? A mystical orb of power to keep save?" I asked her, half joking.

Sakura chuckled a little after hearing that. "Well... I think he just wants me to save as many people as I can." Then she looked at the flashlight in my grip. "But there is a request he asked me to do."

She gently took her flashlight from my grip. "He left me this before leaving me. Said something about someone feeling a bit cramped inside that seal." She shook her head and looked down. "Until now, I still can't figure out what he's talking about. Someone being sealed? Cramped?"

I might have an idea of what he's talking about. Maybe it's a certain demon sealed inside a certain blonde. The question is: Should I tell Sakura about this one? Should I give the Hokage another reason to kill me?

I don't really want to... "Well, you see, the Nine Tailed Fox is sealed inside Naruto." But I did it anyway just to spite that old fossil. "Maybe he's talking about the fox? I mean, I know you shouldn't tinker around with a seal but..." I shrugged a little. "This doctor person seems to be an expert."

Sakura sighed after hearing that. "Yes, I know about the fox. I've treated Naruto a dozen times already and saw that seal in his stomach plenty of times now." She twirled her flashlight a little. "This is a chakra flashlight, it can manipulate any kinds of chakra in short range. I can manipulate any kinds of seal in existence with this thing. Even something as powerful as the Eight Trigrams Seal can be opened up in a matter of minutes."

Wow... I don't know much about seals, but that sounds pretty darn amazing. "So are you going to open the seal and release the Nine Tails?" I asked her.

Sakura looked at me incredulously. "Heck no! What am I? An idiot? The second I do that, Naruto will die and Konoha will be destroyed." She exclaimed. "I'm just wondering if the Doctor is telling me to give the Kyubi another chance. Maybe I can do something with the seal so that I can communicate with it. Everybody deserves a second chance, don't they?"

I thought about giving my creator a second chance... Fuck no! "Nah, I don't think everyone does. But maybe the fox deserve one. Are you going to do it now?" I asked her.

Sakura turned on her flashlight and looked at me with a steely look on her face. "Yes... Yes I will..." She turned back and I followed her towards where Naruto and Sasuke are training.

[LINE BREAK]

A few minutes later, Naruto lay down on top of a shadow clone hospital bed. He has his shirt removed and a very terrified look on her face. "Sakura chan, you know I always trust you with anything right?" Naruto muttered. "But I really don't think you should play around with something that took the Fourth's life to create."

"Look Naruto... Just calm down okay? This seal is designed like a very – very powerful hose." Sakura told him comfortingly. She raised her flashlight and flashed it at his stomach. "I'm going to channel a tiny amount of concentrated chakra at your system and I want you to concentrate on that chakra only to create a Shadow Clone."

Naruto nodded in slight fear after hearing that. "Okay... I'm brave, I'm not freaking out at all..." He muttered a little.

Suddenly, Naruto jerked a little and hissed in agony. Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly closed off the seal. "Okay Naruto, NOW!!!" She yelled out before running a couple inches away. "Haios, be ready."

I nodded and watched in alert as a shadow clone formed beside him. I instinctively bind it with my power before the smoke even cleared. "WHOA!!!" I exclaimed when it almost escaped from my grip. "Sasuke! Put up the trap now!"

From the tree above us, Sasuke soared down with a powerful Ninja Net in his hand. He jumped into the smoke before rolling out of it with a little slash mark in his face.

Soon, the smoke dies down, revealing one of the most adorable things I've ever seen in this world. A red eyed little orange fox the size of a house cat furiously munching on the ninja wire. Its nine tails are wagging furiously behind his body and its huge black ears are twitching erratically.

"D'awww you're adorable!!!" I gripped him with the force and slowly took him out of the net. I can't help but squeal a little when the fox start yapping angrily in my grasp. "Aww... It's okay little demon fox, don't be scared, no one is going to hurt you..."

The fox glared at me murderously. "LET ME GO YOU INSOLENT MORTAL!!!" The fox yelled out in a deep threatening voice that doesn't seem to belong to a little fox. "I am the Kyubi no Yoko and I will destroy you all!!!"

That voice quickly reminds me that this isn't your ordinary, everyday fox. "Oh right, pardon, ahem..." Then I looked at Naruto who is looking at the fox in a mixture of fear and curiosity. "By the way, that's Naruto, he's your host."

The fox snarled at me a little. "Of course I know who he is! He's the Fourth's brat."

Silence swept over the woods the second he said that. I looked around and saw Sasuke and Sakura staring at Naruto with wide eyes and gaping jaws. Naruto himself looked like somebody just told him that he's the lost son of the Fourth Hokage.

Oh wait, that's exactly what just happen...

"Okay... First of all, that was an SS Rank Secret. Second of all, I am NOT taking the blame so you're gonna personally tell the Third Hokage about this the second we get back. Thirdly, I am not a mortal so you better stop treating me like one." I told the fox sternly.

"Just what makes you think I will listen to you?" The Fox retorted.

I thought about it for a second. "Well..." I looked at Sakura and saw her nodding at me encouragingly. "Well... I'll give you a scratch behind the ears and some belly rubs if you behave. What about it?" I asked him.

The fox looked at me with his best 'Are you fucking kidding me?' look. "That was the most idiotic things I've ever heard in my immortal lifetime." Then he looked around. "Is there anyone else I can talk to?" Then he noticed Naruto still looking at him. "You, you can't possibly be more stupid than her."

Naruto walked towards the fox suspended in my grip and stared at him in curiosity. "You talk?" He asked in disbelief.

The Fox groaned and put a paw over his head. "I take that back... You're even worse than her..." He muttered in frustration. "Are you humans inherently this stupid or am I just unlucky enough to get stuck with the biggest band of idiots you have ever created?"

This time, Sakura stepped forward and smiled at the fox. "Hello Kyubi san, my name is Sakura Haruno. I was the one who loosened up the seal enough for you to make Shadow Clone connection with the outside world." She explained with a confident look on her face. "The reason is because I wanted to ask you about what happened 12 years ago."

The fox visibly sighed in relief in my grip. "Finally..." Then he looked at Sakura. "Are you going to make a bargain? I am not giving up my secrets for free you know." He said with a defiant look on his face.

Sakura thought about it for a second. "Let's see... I will tinker the seal so that you can form a Shadow Clone version of yourself anytime you want. That way you won't always feel stuck inside that cage. How about it?" She asked him.

"Hmm... Interesting... But I want ten percent of my chakra back." He told us.

"One percent" Sakura replied.

"Eight"

"Three"

"Seven"

"Four"

"Five and a half take it or leave it." The fox said with finality in his voice.

Sakura thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Deal!" Then she walked back towards Naruto and took out her flashlight. "Okay Naruto, I'm going to loosen up the seal one last time." She told him.

"Okay! I'm ready!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura flashed her chakra flashlight and a small stream of chakra can be visibly seen flowing out of his stomach. The chakra flowed into the fox in my hand and he slowly grew larger and larger until he's the size of a dog.

I let go of my grip and the fox stretched its limbs. "Finally..." He looked at Sakura for a moment. "All right, you want to know what happen?" Sakura nodded. "I have no bloody clue, one second I was inside the body of the brat's mother and the next I am inside the fourth's brat."

Whoa, I knew it! The Adorable Fox was innocent the whole time! "I knew it!" I gripped him with the force and hugged him from behind. "I know you're innocent all this time! How can an adorable little demon like you be evil?" I rubbed my head on his furry and chubby head.

"And there goes my dignity..." The fox muttered in defeat.

Sakura on the other hand is still skeptic about this. "Hmm... This means that there is something that's controlling you into attacking the village." She looked at Sasuke who has been quiet the whole time. "Sasuke kun, what do you know about the Tailed Beast?"

Sasuke looked at the fox in my embrace for a moment. "At this point I'm already questioning about everything I've known." Then he looked away for a moment. "But I think Iruka sensei told us that there are nine tailed beast and that he's supposed to be the strongest one of them all."

"Wait!!!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly. "Are you saying that there are more of you?" He asked him.

The Fox nodded. "Yes, and I am the strongest one of them all." He told him. "So you better treat me with respect human!"

Naruto gasped a little after hearing that. "Are you saying that... There are people like me out there?" He asked him. "A Jinchuriki?"

"Yes, and no. I do not know if my brothers and sisters suffer the same fate as I do. But I do believe that there are Jinchuriki like you out there." The Kyubi explained. "Although, believe me when I say that you won't find them using Shadow Clone to communicate with each other."

"Eh? How come? I mean, they must've have tons of chakra like me right?" Naruto asked in confusion.

The Kyubi squirmed away from my grip and walked towards Naruto to raise his shirt, revealing the modified seal. "This is one of the most powerful seals out there. The Eight Trigrams Seal powered by the power of the Shinigami sama." Then he traced one of the new lines near the seal. "This part here is a very complex and intricate seal mechanism that should've take decades to develop." He glanced at Sakura. "And you made it in three seconds at the same time you opened the seal."

Sakura twirled her flashlight around. "Yep, that's why I never leave home without this!" She exclaimed with a little smile on her face.

"Hmm..." Naruto crouched down to the Kyubi's level. "So, you're not evil at all?" He asked him.

The Kyubi shook his head. "No, it was never my purpose to bring destruction. However, my time of imprisonment has filled me with so much hatred that I just have to ask..." He looked at Sakura in disbelief. "How did you filter all of my malice and hatred using a seal? I don't think there's human in your era capable of creating a seal as complex as THAT!"

"Meh... Fuinjutsu is just a fancy word for Chakra Program." Sakura replied simply. "Besides, it works didn't it? So you don't have to worry anymore."

All this talk, it's so boring... "Kyubi, may I have a cuddle?" I asked him while looking at his new bigger and fluffier body.

"No."

"Please..."

"No."

I grabbed the Kyubi with my powers and embraced him into a hug. "But you're so fluffy! It feels like hugging a huge plushy!" I exclaimed, not letting go of him and using my power to lock his claws.

Soon enough, I can feel the Kyubi sighing in defeat and decided to let go. "Beats being tied up on a rock with chakra chains..." He muttered a little.

"Release!" I looked beside me and saw Sasuke making a hand seal. "Release!" He exclaimed again, thinking that he's trapped inside a genjutsu.

"What's wrong Sasuke kun? I am sure that this isn't a Genjutsu." Sakura said in concern.

Sasuke looked at Sakura with a deadpan look on her face. "Let's see... Haios cuddling the Nine Tailed Fox, the dobe turning out to be The Fourth Hokage's son, and you somehow become the most powerful seal master in the Elemental Nation." He folded his arms in front of his chest. "Tell me again how it's not hard to believe that this isn't a Genjutsu."

Well... He got some point. But I guess it's impossible for me to be trapped inside a Genjutsu so I guess it's either he's wrong or I'm not real.

Either way, this fox is adorable...