Edited: 10/27/18

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Thinking

Jutsu

Demons/Summons Talking

"Normal Talking/Writing"

"Demons/Summons talking in her head"

Naruto woke up in the morning confused for two reasons. One, she didn't train with the fox that night. Second, there was something soft and fluffy on her tummy. Naru, still disoriented, rubbed her eyes sleepily before looking down at the culprit on top of her. There on her stomach was the cutest little sleeping thing she had ever seen. Yuuki was curled up comfortably and seemed to be sleeping deeply, but her twitching ears and tail revealed her attentiveness to her surroundings. Her breathing was light and she was letting out quiet snores. Naruto would have squealed if not for the fact that she may wake up her new companion. Whoops! Too late. Naru smiled abashedly when she noted Yuuki's milky blue eyes opening. The said tiger cub let out a small yawn before jumping off of Naru and heading off to the kitchen. She must be hungry. Naruto quickly started her daily routine and followed Yuuki only to see her staring at a certain Uchiha.

"I-Itachi-sensei, sorry for making you wait." Naru bowed politely though Itachi dismissed her apologies with a small smile.

"Don't worry about it. I never did specify a time and location after all."

Suddenly, the two were alerted by the presence of mist rolling over their ankles. Itachi tensed up and moved closer to Naruto. He could sense that there were no other people in the house, but he decided to be cautious.

Then, the two noted how Yuuki was walking around much more efficiently now, especially considering her initial problem with bumping into tables and chairs. Naru was simply confused and curious while Itachi formulated a hypothesis. "Uzumaki-chan, do you remember what Hana commented about how Yuuki is moving around even though she is blind?" Itachi, of course, remembered but wanted to test his pupil just a bit.

Naru gave him a strange look before saying, "That she was getting around through scents and sounds."

Itachi nodded and decided to pose a question, "Do you think those are the only ways she could get around?"

Naru tilted her head before answering thoughtfully, "Well bats and dolphins see via echolocation and some vipers are able to smell heat. I also know sharks can sense electrical pulses. But I don't think tigers had such unique abilities..." Naru trailed off.

Itachi decided to explain his hypothesis, "Did you know that there are some animals that have learned how to manipulate chakra?" Naru nodded. "Have you considered that perhaps Yuuki is one of those animals?" Naru looked surprised before watching the wisps of mist close to the ground.

"Is she sensing the water in the objects?" Naru asked. Certain objects and organisms had certain amounts of water. At the same time, water vapor could help to define the silhouettes of things using the mist. Itachi gave a small smile.

"Perhaps we can test that."

The trio headed to the forest, Itachi finding it to be a good opportunity to test his hypothesis and teach the two how to hunt at the same time. Naru gently placed Yuuki on the ground as a low mist appeared almost simultaneously. Itachi noted that the tiger cub wasn't using a substantial amount of chakra, an amount small enough to go undetected if he didn't focus. As they moved deeper into the forest, the mist moved with them, curling around the trees. Itachi led them quietly to a herd of wild deer (not the Nara's deer), all the while instructing Naru on how to silence her footsteps. Naru found his instructions to be clear and easy to understand, applying what he told her quickly. She was far from masterful, but it was good enough. Naru instructed Yuuki to circle around one of the deer so that they could hunt it. Once the two were in place, Naru gripped the kunai, took a deep breath and let it fly.

Itachi's training proved itself useful as the kunai hit its mark. Yuuki leaped moments later, aiming for the jugular. The other deer had scattered off, terrified, as Naru carefully approached the bucking deer. Naru had hit its thigh, rendering it useless, but the doe still had some fight left in her. Naru almost felt sorry for the deer before steeling her resolve and threw another kunai, this time at its throat. She missed, but it was enough of a distraction for the kitten as Yuuki bit down on the doe's lithe neck powerfully. The deer struggled before falling limp after a few moments. She seemed to pant tiredly, pride shining in her eyes, her white muzzle now stained crimson. Naruto went to pick up her kunai, tugging one out of the ground and one out of the deer. Seeing the gush of red made Naru apprehensive, before reminding herself that for some to eat, some must die. Itachi patted her shoulder comfortingly before heaving up the deer. Yuuki jumped to Naru's awaiting arms as Itachi placed his hand on her shoulder. In a swirl of leaves, the hunters were gone.

Itachi, back in Naru's home, showed her how to skin and gut the deer, telling her of which parts were edible and which parts weren't. Naru decided to save the bulk for Yuuki, planning to stick to plants and fish for herself. Itachi left shortly afterward, leaving her with her neatly prepared deer as she gave Yuuki a large chunk. Naru sat down as she focused inwardly.

Kyuubi? No answer. Naru frowned, feeling a tug of worry. Yuuki groomed herself clean before curling up at the edge of Naru's bed. Naru hurriedly prepared some dinner for herself before scarfing it down. Cleaning the dishes, she sat on her bed and meditated.

It wasn't very often that Naru entered her mindscape of her own vocation, usually being pulled into it with Kurama's assistance. The sewers were dimly lit as Naru moved forward.

"Kyuubi?" She called. She heard a soft growl in response. Naru was undeniably relieved as she rushed forward, only to come face to face with the bijuu's sleeping form. Naru blinked, rubbing her eyes as if to confirm that what she was seeing wasn't an illusion. His usually menacing glare was nonexistent, his hands folded neatly underneath him. The black streaks leading from his eyes to his ears were streamlined now that his eyes were closed. His nine tails were curled around him neatly, like a makeshift bed as Naru couldn't help, but be mesmerized by the steady rise and fall of the fox's orange pelt.

Naru was almost tempted to awake him, ask him if he was okay before stopping herself. He's probably just tired. Naru nodded to herself before shimmering out of existence, leaving the sewers quietly. Comforted by the fact that Kurama didn't spontaneously die, Naru fell asleep quickly. Goodnight, Kyuubi...

For those who don't know Japanese, I'll put out the definition down here but please know that it may not be 100% accurate so if you spot any mistakes, down here or in the story, please comment to my story. Also some additional information for those that are curious.

Fun Fact 19: Naru decides after hunting to never turn into an animal like deer so that she wouldn't be hunted accidentally.

Fun Fact 20: Naru wonders what would happen if she died while in her animal form but decides she never wants to find out

Fun Fact 21: Itachi, Hiruzen, and Naru's guards all know about her ability to turn into animals at will, but are waiting for her to fess up.