Naruto: A TaleSpin Tale

Chapter 1: Welcome to Higher For Hire!

A figure walked up to the door of Higher for Hire. A fedora covered his head and most of his face from view. All that could be seen was a long light brown snout that poked out. He wore a red opened coat, with a white shirt underneath. A pair a blue pants, where a brown tail lazily waved behind it.

He raised a brown paw and was just about to knock, when an explosion was heard. He grabbed onto his hat as it almost fell off.

He glanced around and a chuckle escaped his throat as he saw a lion in a mechanics outfit. His face was covered in soot. Oil patches stained his fur. But the smile on the mechanics face made him smile. It's rare to find something that loved their work Behind the mechanic, was a yellow sea plane. The waves from the ocean caused it to bounce up and down. He gave a whistle at the gorgeous plane. The mechanic, who heard the whistle, looked over at him and waved excitedly.

The man turned back to the door and gave it a few raps. Not hearing anything, he gave knocked a tad harder and louder. After a few seconds, the sounds of shuffling was heard. The figure backed up as the door swung open and a cub that wore a green sweatshirt and a baseball cap stood there. The cub examined the figure and squinted up at the figures shadowy face.

"May I help you?" The cub asked. Not really expecting any one. They usually call first, unless they're dept collectors or some other shadowy person.

"Yes…" The figure spoke. His voice friendly and soft. "I talked to someone yesterday over the phone about a job." He brought up his paw and rubbed his snout as he remembered something. "I believe her name is Miss Cunningham."

"Hmm." Kit mumbled before he nodded his head. He did remember Becky saying something about an interview today. "Alright." He motioned for the man to follow him.

The man followed after the cub. He closed the door behind him, he didn't want to get on the bad side of his new possible new boss after all. He paused in his walk when a snore entered his hear. He glanced up the nearby stairs, then at the laughing cub.

"That's just Baloo." The cub motioned to a female bear writing away at her desk. She has brown fur and her muzzle is a light yellow. She wore a red jacket and her face was in deep concentration. "And that's Miss Rebecca. Or Becky for short."

The figure gave a nod, but before he could say thanks, the cub rushed up stairs. The man walked up to the desk. He saw pictures of the cub, Rebecca, a larger bear and a small female cub. One would almost think they were a female, but over the phone she indicated herself as 'miss' and the cub also said 'miss'. The woman still didn't notice him, so he cleared his throat. Still not hearing him due to the racket upstairs, he coughed into his paw.

Startled, the woman shook her head and looked at the figure. She looked confused, but then realization dawned on her.

"You must be the man I talked to about the job?" Rebecca said. She looked him up and down, but frowned at the fedora, which the man saw.

"That I am." He slowly took off his hat. His blond hair was in spikes. A pair of brown ears stuck straight up. His blue eyes shone with innocence and happiness. A fanged smile grew on his face, a smile that would smaller animals running. He placed his fedora on the desk. "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki at your service."

Rebecca inclined her head for the man to take a seat. "Strange name. But, I've heard stranger. One being the snoring person upstairs."

Naruto chuckled at that and scratched his left ear. "I'm from an island in the east. I live to explore! Then I heard about Higher for Hire… and it sounded like a blast."

Rebecca nodded and started to write in a notepad. She looked up at Naruto, then jotted down a few things. She looked back up and tapped her pencil a few times.

"What are your qualification?" The woman said with another tap of the pencil.

Naruto smiled. "My family were farmers, so I'm pretty good with labor." He scratched his ear again. Rebecca blushed a little at the cute look. For some reason, when he does that, he looked adorable. She shook her head and went back to business mode. "My grandpa was great at kung fu… even though he was an ape. He taught me a few tricks."

"What about piloting?" She asked while she wrote everything he said down. Also ignoring the little doodle she drew.

Naruto closed his eyes as he thought about it. But after a few seconds, he opened them. "I know a little. My friends brother became a freelance pilot. He taught me the basics."

Rebecca nodded. She wrote it down while also ignoring the loud talking coming from upstairs. "Good, good." She then gave him a smile. "When can you start? We really need the extra help."

The ears on his head went flat as he scratched the back of his head. Rebecca shook her head to get rid of her cuteness thoughts. Only her daughter brought those up.

"Well… I was hoping to start today. I don't… really have a place to stay." Naruto said with a nervous chuckle.

Rebecca sighed. "I can let you stay here. If you pick up after yourself, that is." She looked up the stairs. "Hope you don't mind roommates."

"Not at all. I'm a very clean person." Naruto replied as they both stood up. She held out her hand, which he eagerly took. "Thank you!"

Rebecca walked around her desk and started to walk up stairs.

"I guess I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew."

Naruto watched Rebecca walk up the stairs. He shook his head as he realized he was staring, he started up the stairs. Yelling was heard, followed by a loud thump, indicating something fell.

Entering the room, Naruto Rebecca standing over a large bear that fell out of his hammock. The cub stood off to the side, his paw slapped his face.

After a few minutes of yelling, Naruto stood in front of his new crewmates. Each looked him up and down. He started to sweat from standing in front of the three bears.

The large bear with a flight cap on smiled and threw his large paw forward. Naruto smiled as his fears melted away. He threw his paw forward and shook paws with the bear.

"I'm Baloo. Glad to have you aboard." Taking back his hand, he placed it on top of the cub's head and gave him a noogie. "And this here is Lil' Britches."

Baloo gave a laugh as the cub fixed his baseball cap with a pout. Once his cap was straight, he threw out his smaller paw.

"Kit Cloudkicker!" Naruto shook the smaller Kit's paws.

"Pleasure to meet you guys." Naruto said once he took back his paw. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Baloo looked around the room. "Where's Wildcat?" He looked at Naruto. "He's our mechanic. If you want something fixed… go to him."

Naruto nodded. But his mind flashed as he remembered something. "I believe I met him earlier. Seemed like a nice guy."

"Yep. That's Wildcat." Baloo yawned.

It was then that Rebecca remembered something. "Ah, you haven't met my daughter, yet."

Naruto looked shocked. "Can't believe someone as young and beautiful has a daughter."

Baloo laughed at that and whispered, "Smooth with the ladies." Kit laughed at that.

Rebecca tried to shake off her growing blush. "It's hard being a single mother…" Her blush slowly started to fade. "But Molly is my life and I wouldn't have it any other way."

As the group spent a few minutes of getting to know each other, an idea popped into Baloo's head. "Beckers… how about letting me introduce our new friend to Louie." Baloo suggested as he hooked his arm around Naruto.

Rebecca sighed. "Alright." She gained a dangerous look in her eyes. "But if a job pops up…" She left hanging.

"Don't worry!" Baloo said quickly.

"Yeah. We'll be ready. I'll make sure of it." Kit said for Baloo.

"You better be…" She warned. She gave Naruto a small smile as Baloo and Kit quickly nodded and started to drag him out. Before vanishing, he gave her a final wave.

As she started to walk down the stairs, she remembered something. "Don't corrupt him with your laziness!" She yelled after them. The last thing I need is a second Baloo lazing about…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sea Duck flew out of the canyon that protects Cape Suzette from Pirates and other threats. The guards that worked the Anti-Aircraft Artillery guns gave the familiar plane a wave as it flew past.

The yellow plane suddenly does a few barrel rolls, followed by a nose dive with a tail spin. It pulled up just before it could hit the water.

Inside the plan, was a different story. A green furred Naruto wobbled and groaned in his seat. He quickly clamped his paw over his muzzle. His cheeks began to inflate. He sucked in air, and gulped down the nasty vile. As he tried to take another deep breath, the vile came back up. He quickly placed his hat in front of him and retched into it. After that episode, he looked at his new coworkers, and promptly growled at seeing both of them laughing at him. He shook his head as the nausea slowly dissipates and his fur regained its shine.

"Sorry about that…" Naruto said. He saw Kit get up from the navigator's seat. "I'm not used to stunts like that."

"Beckers almost lost her lunch too." Baloo said through his laugh.

"What's your relation to Miss Cunningham, if you don't mind me asking?" Naruto asked. He watched as Kit started to dust a silver object. He turned back to Baloo.

"Becky? She's just my boss. But she's also a good friend. When she's not yelling at me." Baloo answered. Unknown to most people, Baloo wasn't oblivious to peoples feelings as many might think.

"So…I'm guessing she's single?" Naruto mumbled. A glint of hope in his eyes.

"First day, and he's already has a thing for the boss." Baloo wiped a fake tear, but then laughed. "We won't stop you if you want to pursue her." After a heartbeat, Baloo turned to him with a face he only saw on his mother. He shivered. "But if you hurt her…"

Baloo pressed a button. Naruto jumped as a screech was heard. He looked in the back and saw the ramp lowering….

"Understood!" Naruto gulped. He hasn't felt this way since he was engaged to a certain lavender cat. Her father scared the living daylights out of him when he gave Naruto the talk. Who knows, maybe Miss Cunningham is the one, unlike what he thought about a certain pink female panther when he was in school. Man, can she screech. He shook his head then he noticed a rope with a handlebar floating out of the open ramp. His eyes grew wide as Kit ran down the ramp like a possessed bear. And before he could yell, Baloo just laughed.

"Never seen cloud surfing, have you?" Baloo said between laughs. Naruto shook his head. "Me either. Until I met Kit."

Naruto watched in awe as Kit leapt from the ramp. In midair, he pressed a button on the silver object and it opened up. Kit landed on the board, grabbed the rope and glided on the sea of clouds.

Kit pulled on the rope, and he ripped through a cloud. He started to do a few stunts. A few flips, a twirl and even a no hand stunt, where he held onto the rope using his feet.

Naruto, who was standing behind Baloo, saw said bear pat the navigator's seat. Naruto walked over an sat down. He turned and looked out his open window, and his looked on in awe. A vast and beautiful ocean was before him. Blue water. And sea creatures leapt high in the air as if they were trying to greet him. He noticed they were getting closer to the surface of the water. He looked in the back and saw Kit gliding atop the water.

With a chuckle, Baloo pulled up and went higher in the sky. When he first came to Cape Suzette, he caught a ride with some of his old friends. They were in a hurry, so he never got to actually enjoy the view.

"Where are we heading?" Naruto asked after a few minutes of silence.

"To Louie's Place." Baloo answered. He looked in the rear view mirror to make sure Kit was still behind the plane.

"Louie's Place?" The lovable fox asked. He scratched his chin. That's the second time he heard them mention Louie.

"It's a nightclub that all the pilots go to." Baloo told him. Kit suddenly appeared next to Naruto's window, and nearly gave said fox a heart attack. But he managed to give the cub a wave. "It's a very hip hangout. Delicious food. Friendly people. And music you can dance to."

"Sounds like fun." Naruto said. He pulled his fedora from out of nowhere and was just about to place it on his head, then realized something. His fur turned a little green as he looked into the hat. Luckily, he kept a spare. He tossed that one behind him, ignoring the 'splat', and pulled a new one from his coat. He placed it on his head, his left ear poked out. Baloo just watched with a small smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Sea Duck finally landed on the water. It floated and stopped at a dock, where monkey's started to clean the plane and fill up the gas tank.

The three Higher for Hire crew members exited the plan. Naruto stopped in his step, and admired the place.

"Wow." He whistled. Now that he thought about, everything he saw since he came to Cape Suzette had 'wow'd' him. Even his new boss nearly caused him to whistle.

"If ya like that, you should see the inside." Baloo laughed and slapped his new friend in the back. Naruto snapped from his trance and followed the other two inside.

Once inside, Naruto examined the place. Jazz music blasting, and a few people dancing to it. Pilots of all different types sat talking and joking at their tables. He wondered if any of his pilot friends stopped by here before. He turned to the bar where Baloo was currently walking towards an Ape wearing a green shirt and a straw hat. He yelled something, shook up a bottle, poured it, then slid it across the long bar where a pilot chugged it down.

He started heading to the bar when Baloo called him over, but was forced to dodge as several small monkeys swung over head. He wondered how they did that without spilling any of the food and drinks.

As he walked, he saw several female patrons and a few female pilots eyeing him. One even smirked and winked at him. He shook his head. He knew several perverts back home that tried to convert him to their ways. One main one, was his writer god father. He once read the stuff that man red and blushed for about a week. And for some reason, the pages from that book have been appearing in his mind full force.

He just shook his head and gave the woman a polite smile and nod. He pulled down his hat some to hide a small blush. He looked around, and saw Kit shaking his head from the spot next to him. He didn't even know he was there!

"Louie!" Baloo called once Naruto and Kit reached the bar. "The usual for me and Kit." He turned to Naruto. "And whatever my new friend wants."

Naruto looked at the menu behind Louie. "I'll try the Mango juice."

"New friend?" Louie asked as he turned around and started to fix the ordered drinks. After a few seconds, he placed the drinks down in front of the Higher for Hire workers. Naruto was in awe at how Louie used both his hands and feet to fix and mix the drinks. Kit pulled on his pants, which snapped him from his thoughts.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto greeted with a tilt of the hat. "Miss Cunningham hired me earlier today."

"Naruto, eh?" Louie said as he made another drink for Baloo. "Well, any friends of Baloo's, is a friend of mine!" Naruto could've sworn he heard him say, "And Becky's." next to Baloo's name. Naruto took a sip of his juice. And his eyes widened at the delicious taste.

A few hours later…

Only a few pilots remained as the moon started to rise in the sky. Louie's large neon sign started to shine brightly outside. Almost like it was acting as a lighthouse. Naruto and Baloo as laughing at the bar as Baloo, Kit and Louie kept telling the tales and adventures they've been on.

"Really?" Naruto asked as Baloo and Louie told him about what happened between Rebecca and William Stansbury. He felt for her, in a way, it kinda reminded him of his past crushes. And some of the stories they told him sounded farfetched, while others sounded hilarious. Like the time Baloo thought a prison was a weight loss clinic. And now after the Rebecca story, they were telling him about a pirate named Karnage.

"Karnage didn't know what hit him!" Baloo exclaimed with a laugh. Naruto laughed as well, somehow, he can't wait to have a run in with the pirate.

"Hmm?" Feeling something on his shoulder, he saw Kit drifting off. "Looks like someone's tired." He took another sip of his Mango juice.

Baloo yawned. "Yeah…" He stood up and stretched. "Ever think of having kids?"

Naruto took one last gulp of his juice. He placed the glass down. "Yeah. Someday… I hope."

Baloo watched as Naruto stared into his empty glass. "If you're talking about Beckers." He gently picked up Kit. "You'd better treat her right." Baloo gave a smirk and nodded. Louie also nodded along with him.

"Fair enough." Naruto yawned as he stood and stretched. He turned to Louie. "Say, Louie…?" Louie started picking up the empty glasses. "You going to try making that ramen?"

Louie nodded as he wiped a glass. "You got it. Making things like that is a piece of cake. Pound cake!" He placed the clean glass back on the shelf. "Might have to experiment though."

"I look forward to that." Naruto replied.

"We better head back." Baloo told them as he shifted Kit in his arms. "Don't won't Becky getting too bent out of shape." He turned and started for the exit. "Catch ya later, Louie."

"Nice meeting you." Naruto tilted his head as he followed after Baloo.

"Next time, I'll tell you of some of Baloo's embarrassing moments. And my moments of heroics!" Louie called after him.

Naruto just chuckled as he exited the bar. No telling what other adventures awaits the members of Higher for Hire…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Earlier…

Rebecca sat at her desk. She expected the boys back earlier, but she can understand. They just want to celebrate meeting a new friend and introduce him to everybody. Even she wanted to celebrate, but she had a job to do. Unfortunately, not one call. Zero. A very slow day. She'd even accept the job of delivering sandwiches to the cliff gun guards again.

She sighed. Maybe she should've went to Louie's with the boys, even if it was just to get to know the new worker better. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She left Molly with a babysitter. Her elderly neighbor. She sighed, she should've let her run around Higher for Hire, if anything, to give her something to do!

The phone rang. She suddenly snapped from her thoughts and snatched the phone.

"Higher for Hire!" She greeted with a smile. "If it's late…" She glanced around the quite building. "…feel free to strangle the pilot!" She nodded with a smile as she listened to the voice over the phone. "A flower? That'll be a fragile package. But not a problem." She nodded as she wrote the details onto a piece of paper. She paused. "Professor Catney? Yes, I've heard of him. He's an explorer. Always looking for rare plants. But why couldn't he deliver the package?" She wrote down that name, then waited for the client to give her a reason. "Hmm. Understandable. Alright, we'll await his visit and deliver it as soon as the package is safely in our hands. May I have your name?" Rebecca paused, then wrote down a name. "Tsunade? Strange name."