The Nine-Tailed Human [Tail 2 - Naruto Fan-Fiction]

The Nine-Tailed Human: Chapter 8

Kiba found himself watching Kitsune closely as they walked towards Konoha's front gate, the week-long bed rest she'd been forced to take making her unsteady on her feet. While she did her best to cover up her missteps, there wasn't much she could do to explain stumbling over flat ground.

"Almost there," He comforted, watching Kitsune nod silently and return her gaze to the ground beneath her. "Doing okay?" He asked, keeping his eyes forward.

"Yeah," She huffed, stumbling slightly and regaining her balance a moment after. "Just unsteady, it'll fade." Kiba sighed inwardly, hearing her lie to him so blatantly made him feel further away from her than they had been the past two years.

"Looks like everyone's there," Akamaru barked from beside him, causing Kiba to jump a little. "Sorry, Akamaru, I forgot you were there..." His apology was met with a tiny snarl, the large dog running ahead, heading straight for Hinata and pressing his muzzle against her hand.

Kitsune got a quick count of the group gathered at the gate, excluding her and Kiba there were nine people standing there, 7 of which were wearing long white capes that wrapped around their body. Her heart jumped as her vision became dark, looking up and seeing the clouds creeping in to cover the sun, feeling a pulse of relief wash over her.

"About time," Naruto greeted when Kiba reached the group, seeing Kitsune lagging back and walking like she was intoxicated. "Is she coming with us?" He whispered, seeing Tsunade and Kiba nod, exchanging a brief worried glance.

Something feels off, Kitsune took the cape Tsunade held out towards her, wrapping it around her neck and lifting the hood over her head just in time to stop the first drop of rain that flew from the sky. Rain... how ominous, she chuckled, receiving a curious stare from Kiba.

"Kitsune," Tsunade snapped her fingers in front of her face, her eyes focusing on the woman in front of her. "You need to pay attention," She scolded, getting an empty nod from the tailed girl.

"Shouldn't we have more people than this?" Naruto inquired, looking around the group of people quickly before retuning his gaze to Kakashi. Kitsune watched Kakashi, his voice fading out as he explained the grouping. Her eyes moved towards the other white haired guy standing with Tsunade, his shoes elevating him above the others.

"... It's smarter to pick members that are used to working together." Jiraiya spoke, his eyes shifting to where Kitsune stood and showing off his lady-killer smile.

"Right," Kakashi agreed, giving Jiraiya a nod before turning away from the group. "Though, I'd like better weather than this, now that we're moving out." He sighed.

"Let's get going!" Naruto shouted, his voice laced with excitement.

"The rain is perfect for cooling down the ones that are getting fired up," Kiba grinned as Naruto whipped his head to the side, simply sticking his tongue out in response.

"Enough," Kakashi silenced the two his unusually stern voice, regaining their attention as he waved his hand forward. "Let's move out." The group began walking towards the forest, Kiba climbing on top of Akamaru and waiting for Kitsune.

"Hey," He called, holding his hand out towards Kitsune. "Coming?" She nodded, stealing a glance at Jiraiya before letting out a sigh.

"Let's go," She grabbed Kiba's hand, feeling him pull her up onto Akamaru effortlessly despite the extra weight of her tails.

-

The teams were split into multiple platoons, each with a couple dogs that Kakashi had summoned, with the largest group of Shinobi being Naruto's group. News of the Akatsuki's abduction of the Tailed Beasts had stirred up quite the fuss in the village, a large group being placed with him to ensure his safety.

For some reason, the three best scent trackers were placed on the same platoon – Kiba, Akamaru, and Kitsune. She rode behind Kiba on Akamaru's back, letting her cheek rest against his back while the rode through the forest, the two conversing about different scents while Kitsune let herself rest.

"Holy..." Kiba's quiet voice was overlaid by the sound of an explosion going off... but not a regular one. Kitsune's eyes were drawn to the trident shaped explosion filling the sky from miles away from them, the sound sounding through the trees in waves.

"What's that...?" Kitsune asked, the sheer size of the blast shocking all of them.

"I don't know," Kiba admitted, patting Akamaru's head gently. "But we're going to find out." With an excited bark, Akamaru took off towards the dying explosion; the two of them stick their noses straight into the air to see what they could smell. "Smell anything, Kitsune?"

"No," She answered, her voice sounding more curt than she had intended. "I haven't really been looking for anything out of the ordinary." She admitted, forcing her voice to sound a little less hostile this time.

"Well that's the whole reason you came along," Kiba snapped, bunching Akamaru's fur in his hands and holding tight as the dog took off towards the explosion.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, loosening her grip on Kiba's back. "I'll pay more attention."

"I..." Kiba sighed, figuring it was best to just leave it at that.