The Tailed... Human? [Tail 1 - Naruto Fan-Fiction]

Chapter 15: Jirobo!

Within minutes of setting out, Kitsune was gasping for breath, the pace they were moving was much faster than she thought they would be going. It was understandable, though, with Sasuke getting farther away from the group...

"Give up any time you want, fox," Kiba spat from next to her, hearing Akamaru bark from under his hood.

"Would it kill you to be nice for a change?" Kitsune uttered under her breath, trying to cover up the fact that her lungs felt like they were going to explode.

"It might, best not to try," he laughed, leaping to the next branch effortlessly. Kitsune following at the same pace, but stumbling slightly.

"I know you're tired, but we have to pick up the pace," Shikamaru called from a few branches behind her and Kiba.

"I've still got his scent, we're okay," Kiba shouted back, continuing to leave Kitsune behind. Jeesh, you'd think with the Kyuubi DNA in me I'd be good at running, another scent hit her nose, smelling of Sasuke and a whole hell of a lot of blood.

"Something's wrong," she called, launching herself ahead of Kiba. "There's a strong smell of blood... at least two ninja tangled with... five others, including Sasuke!"

"But the five are getting farther away from the smell of blood," Kiba finished, giving her an impressed look before realizing what he was doing and snapping his head forward. Keeping pace with Kiba now, she took a deeper look into the smell of Sasuke's apparent escorts.

"The Sound Four..." She mumbled, bumping into Shikamaru's back as she jumped to the next branch.

"I said stop!" He shouted, grabbing onto Neji's extended hand and pulling himself back up onto the branch.

"There are five more of them," Neji's eyes scanned the forest, finally resting on the small piece of paper stuck to the tree in front of them. They all jumped to the ground, leaving Kitsune standing in the tree scanning the surroundings for abnormal smells.

"Naruto, stop," Shikamaru hissed as Naruto placed his foot over a piece of string attached to two trees. "Dammit, Naruto!" A shadow launched itself out from under Shikamaru, grabbing a hold of Naruto's and forcing him to stop.

"This wire is intentionally visible to draw attention away from the second one," Neji observed, stepping to the side to get a better look at the wire. "It's a double trap, meaning that they're resting. Either they're wounded, or it's a trap.

"Let's get going, then!" Naruto shouted, getting glares from the rest of the group.

"Quiet, nimrod!" Kiba hissed under his breath, pointing his nose upward and taking a deep breath.

"All right, listen up," Shikamaru whispered, ushering Kitsune down, "Here's the plan..."

 -

Kitsune rolled backwards, hanging from the tree by her legs, watching the rest of the group get into their positions and get ready to attack. Not a ninja, she mocked Kiba's cocky voice, can't let you engage with us, tch! She crossed her arms, there was no reason she couldn't distract, or do something other than be told to sit and watch.

I'm not a freakin' child, Kitsune watched Neji and Shikamaru sneak around a tree, sitting there and chatting like teenage girls. I know these guys, she wanted to scream at the group, tell them what a mistake they were making going after the Sound Four, but she couldn't.

With a flick of his hand, the two-headed member of the sound four flung a kunai with a paper bomb attached, throwing Neji and Shikamaru from their spot behind the tree. When they attack, I'll grab them with my shadow, Shikamaru's voice ran through her head.

"What... my body?!" One feigned worry, keeping himself trapped in Shikamaru's jutsu for just long enough for his teammate to be able to get a good position, launching his own jutsu at the group.

"Agh!" Within a blink of an eye, the Leaf Village ninja were encased in a rock tomb, one Kitsune was very familiar with. Whenever they ordered her to be a part in their training, the tomb she was forced into felt like having someone suck your life force out... but it must be sucking their chakra out.

"Damnit!" Kitsune watched as a barrage of attacks hit the tomb, scattering rocks everywhere, but not making a scratch in the tomb itself. Serves you right, she hummed, had you let me do something you wouldn't be in this situation.

That's... her arms uncrossed, falling downward, that's not true, she grasped the tree branch she was hanging from, tossing herself to the ground.

"Jirobo!" She called, walking out from the tree line, catching the large Sound Four member's eye.

"My, my," he grinned. "Looky here, the little fox has returned."

"Yeah, yeah," she shrugged, hoping she was looking less frightened outside than she felt inside. "Why don't you let them go?" Her voice came out as a hiss, the tone unfaltering, but she could feel her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest.

"Why don't you make me?" Jirobo laughed, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "As I recall, you were useless in the 'chakra' part of the experimenting."

"True, but I've gotten stronger since I escaped," she placed her hands on her waist, taking small steps forward.

"You're bluffing," his tone sounded unsure. Yes! She kept taking steps forward, keeping her distance from the tomb the group was trying to escape from.

"Not even close," she hummed, stopping for dramatic effect. "In fact... the Kyuubi... has shown itself."

"Shut up, trash," he spat, "You're nothing more than an escaped lab rat," he grinned, taking a deep breath. "Boy, their chakra tastes delicious."

"Hey, let us out, we won't chase Sasuke anymore!" Shikamaru called from inside the tomb, his voice slightly muffled.

"I can't do that, trash," Jirobo called back.

"Then just let me out, I'm tired of conflicts like this," Kitsune stepped closer, taking advantage of the conversation Shikamaru was dragging out.

"It seems like you're the leader, and yet you're asking for mercy?" His eyes closed, a massive laugh erupting from his mouth. Now! Kitsune launched herself at Jirobo, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulled backwards. "Agh, you trash!" He grabbed at her, his hands slipping off her arms and legs, the sweat making it impossible for him to get a grip.

"Let them go!" She spat, tightening her grip on his throat. He still grasped for her, finally latching onto the one thing that strayed from her on its own; her tail.

"Got you, rat!" He pulled as hard as he could with one hand, keeping the other on the tomb, trying to get her to release her grip on him.

"I'm not letting go!" She yelled biting down on his ear and feeling blood flow into her mouth.

"You little shit!" With a final tug, he pulled Kitsune from his back, throwing her a few meters away effortlessly, but not realizing that the Leaf Village ninja had escaped from the tomb while his grip on them was weakened.

"Heh, too late," she muttered, a mixture of Jirobo's and her own blood dripping from her mouth, black blotches dancing throughout her vision.