Night of the Vulpine Moon

*Naruto doesn't belong to me but the story idea does*

*the beginning part starts out like Revenge of Konoha's #1 Prankster but will change when Naruto enters his house so please continue reading to understand what happens when a certain kunoichi decides to check up on the blonde before the week is up; also the dates marks what day is it and how much time has gone by*

Chapter 1-"Everybody's Fool"

October 17th-new moon

Naruto woke up with a large smile on his face for he knew that in two weeks it would be Halloween and he was going to enjoy pranking his friends for revenge on April fool's day…but first breakfast of his favorite food in the world-ramen. Naruto started to boil the water on the stove before he looked into his cupboard to find it empty.

Naruto blinked and leaped around checking every nook and cranny for his precious ramen but didn't find any lying around. "I could have sworn I had like 10 packs left but oh well." Turning the boiling water off, Naruto changed into his civilian clothes before heading out the door and to his favorite ramen shop which just so happened to be closed for the rest of the week.

"WHAT, Ichiraku Ramen is closed today but why?" a shocked blonde shouted looking all around as if the old man and his daughter would appear on site and say gotcha'. "No Ichiraku Ramen today" a sad and depressed Naruto said walking mindlessly around Konoha until he saw a store ahead he knew sold ramen. Almost jumping for joy, Naruto ran all the way to the store, down to his favorite aisle to find…

"NOOOOOOO" Naruto screamed as he saw his favorite shelf that used to carry ramen of all variety bare, not a trace of a packet of ramen anywhere. Naruto's eyes grew wide as he thought of something and quickly ran from the store to all the stores around only to be met with the same result. No ramen anywhere in Konoha. The people of Konoha moved out the way as a cloud of dust made its way toward the Hokage's office as Naruto was in full panic mode. "BAA-CHAN" Naruto screamed as he ran pass the ANBU who didn't even have time to react as Naruto ran all the way to Tsunade's office only to find it empty. Shizune, seeing the blonde running and screaming, entered the room as Naruto looked around with great fever.

"Naruto, Tsunade-sama isn't here and I can't find her anyway. The ANBU told me that she was in some kind of meeting but she didn't tell me about it, besides what's the matter?" Shizune asked as she saw the tears in the weeping blonde who told her there was no more ramen in Konoha and that Ichiraku was closed until next week. Shizune, not knowing what to do or what caused the sudden ramen shortage, patted Naruto on the back and said that she would inform Tsunade when she found her and told him to try some other food. "But I can only afford ramen" Naruto said weakly as the realization that his favorite food was gone and sluggishly making his way home, not noticing anything around him as he opened the door and went inside.

October 19th –new moon to crescent moon

Two days after the mysterious ramen shortage, a certain shy kunoichi grew scared as she hadn't seen Naruto in some time and wondered if he was okay. Sneaking out of the manor with a basket in her arms, little blue haired Hinata swiftly and cautiously made her way towards Naruto's apartment sticking to the alleys as she knew if she was caught around Naruto's apartment she would get into big trouble. 'I just got to know if Naruto-kun is okay…I can't believe I'm actually going over to his apartment' Hinata thought blushing as she spotted the place where Naruto lived. Mustering up her strength, Hinata forced herself to stay strong and finish her journey to Naruto's front door where she knocked but didn't receive an answer. Really scared now, Hinata muttered a small apology before activating her byakugan and looking around inside the apartment for a certain orange and black clad ninja but she didn't see right away.

After a about a minute, Hinata sensed a weak chakra signature inside and knew that it was Naruto's chakra and that he wasn't doing too well. 'Naruto-kun, don't worry I'm coming for you' Hinata thought as she tried to open the door only to find it locked which sent her panicking again thinking she wouldn't reach in time. Hinata then noticed something under the mat with her byakugan in which she found a key that was to Naruto's door as he sometimes forgot his at home when he was late for a mission. Quickly inserting the key and opening the door, she went inside to find the house gloomy and cold as the windows was drawn and no source of heat was on. Hinata barely registered the pot of water still on the stove as she cautiously made her way into the apartment, looking for some kind of sign that there was trouble.

Seeing that nothing was out of place, she went into the bedroom to find the most shocking site of her life. "N-Naruto-kun" Hinata cried out dropping the basket as she ran to the unconscious blonde who was lying on the floor, barely breathing. "Wh-what ha-happened to y-you" Hinata stuttered as she stared at the love of her life lying so lifeless on the cold floor not responding as she gently rubbed his hair. "Ra-r-r" Naruto started to stay in his unconsciousness before going quiet once more but that was enough for Hinata to figure out what he was trying to say. Quickly going over to the cabinets she looked in them to find them collecting dust and spider webs as if nothing has been filled in their for some time.

Hearing a grumbling sound and a slight moan, Hinata turned around to see Naruto in a fetal position clutching his stomach that was making the strange noises. Sadden to see the one she loved look so weak and sick, she went over to the basket she dropped, picked it up, and took it with her into the kitchen area. Pulling the ingredients out she begin to make, with masterful hands, something that would most likely snap the blonde back into the real world. 'Sniff, Sniff, what is that wonderful smell. It smells like something I have missed for so long' Naruto thought as he came out of the emptiness of his mind and back to the Kyuubi's cage where the demon fox was yelling at him for being so dramatic over not eating ramen. 'It's not my fault many stores won't sell me anything but ramen besides I don't exactly make tons of money and what I do make I can't just spend it on whatever I want.' The Kyuubi went quiet as he knew trying to win the argument was futile for he knew that Naruto was right although he knew the blonde didn't have to live like that if he would "show" all those people who treated him wrong his true power.

Naruto twitched and groaned as he opened one eyelid to see the carpet of his floor before closing it again, trying to remember why he was lying on the floor. 'Oh yea, after I came home, I locked up my house and withdrew into myself after finding out that the only real food I could afford was gone forever. I guess I didn't realize that I was starving myself to death or maybe I am dead since I think I smell ramen.' Naruto opened both eyes and slightly turned his head to see a pair of legs at his stove before moving around the kitchen area. Wondering who was in his apartment, Naruto used almost all of his energy to look up at the moving figure and try to find out who it was in the dark environment. "Oh Naruto-kun" he heard the being whispered softly before his mind finally made the connection as to who was in his house.

"H-Hinata?" Naruto called out weakly before he heard a squeak and watch Hinata turn around a soft blush on her face in which only confirmed Naruto suspicions. "Naruto-kun, y-you're awake. I wa-was worried when I ha-haven't seen y-you in a while" Hinata stammered out clearly embarrassed wondering how much the blonde had heard. Naruto's mind was somewhere else as the smell of Hinata's cooking drifted towards him. "Hey Hinata, what you making anyway because it smells wonderful" Naruto said mouth drooling as he imagined eating whatever Hinata had fixed. Hinata begin to poke her fingers together blushing at the compliment before the words entered her mind as she gasped and turned back around to finish whatever she had fixed. "It's a-almost done, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she stepped away from the stove to try and help Naruto onto the bed. With little difficulty, she managed to sit him up in the bed before she began to pour the contents from the pot into a bowl before cutting off the stove.

"Here Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she made her way back to the blonde in bed carrying the bowl and sitting it down onto the stand beside him. "Wait Hinata, is that…" Naruto eyes grew wide as he recognized what was in the bowl before they began to water from happiness. "Hai, it's r-ramen, that I m-made from s-scratch" Hinata said a little embarrassed as she saw the tears in Naruto's eyes before he hugged her, making her blush almost to the point of passing out but somehow Hinata managed not to as he let her go saying that he was sorry. "I-it's o-okay Naruto-kun" and Hinata handed him a pair of chopsticks saying that he should eat it before it got cold. Turning to leave, Naruto suddenly grabbed her arm and asked her not to go for he was somewhat scared of being left alone. Hearing the pain in his voice, Hinata nodded and blushed when Naruto patted the bed beside him saying that she didn't have to stand all day.

Hinata sat down on the bed as Naruto grabbed the bowl and chopsticks, said a quick thanks, and took the first bite of Hinata's cooking. Naruto's eyes grew wide as he felt the flavors burst on his tongue as he moaned in joy at how good the ramen was as he tried and savor the taste. "This is amazing Hinata, I didn't know you were such a good cook" Naruto said as he took another bite of the ramen moaning as he ate it making Hinata blush even redder as she noticed how much Naruto liked her ramen. "I-I so glad y-you like it, Naruto-kun" she said happy that she managed to put a smile on Naruto's face as he continued to eat the ramen at a slow pace, savoring it as much as he could. Looking over at Hinata, he stopped eating the ramen and smiled his foxy grin before he picked up some more of the soft noodles and placed some in her mouth surprising her.

"You should enjoy your cooking too" Naruto said as he fed her some of the ramen from the bowl making her blush the reddest she ever has and almost faint but ate a little of the food Naruto had fed her. 'Oh my…he just fed me from his bowl with his chopsticks, oh please don't faint, please don't faint' Hinata was mentally saying as they continued sharing the ramen until only the spiral fishcakes were left. Naruto grabbed one of the spiral fishcakes and placed it in Hinata's mouth as she ate it smiling at how Naruto had been feeding her. Naruto took the last spiral piece and placed it once again in Hinata's mouth half sticking out as she wore a confused look until Naruto started inching closer to her. Her eyes grew wide as Naruto steadily inched closer until he took the other half of the spiral fishcake in between his teeth and bit down before giving Hinata a soul-searing kiss that seemed to last minutes but was actually only a few seconds.

Naruto pulled away and smiled at Hinata, the fish piece still sticking out of his mouth, and the image plus the kiss send her over the edge and she fainted, her face bright red and a smile on her face. "Wow, I'm actually surprised she lasted this long although I think I overdid it with the kiss" Naruto said looking down at the shy and now unconscious Hyuuga lying beside Naruto on top of the covers. "Arigato, Hinata-hime" Naruto said before he placed the bowl on his nightstand, manage to walk to the bathroom, take a quick shower, change, and place Hinata in the bed beside him before falling asleep. The next morning when Naruto woke up, he realized that Hinata had gone home but left a note saying that she would return later and she did. For the next 6 days, Hinata would sneak away from home and make her way to Naruto's apartment to fix him her homemade ramen in which he would then feed some to her before they split the last spiral fishcake in a kiss.

October 20th - crescent moon

Hinata kept her word and visited Naruto once again blushing every time she thought about the kiss they shared over a spiral fishcake and then when she woke up sleeping next to Naruto which only made her faint again after waking. The second time she woke up she carefully got out of bed, picked up basket, left Naruto a note saying she would return and quickly made her way home to try and sneak back in the house without being caught. Thankfully, nobody stopped her as she snuck into her room drew the back side-door where she took a quick shower, changed into some different clothes, and met with her father, sister, and cousin for breakfast. Nobody exchanged a word as they ate and then left for their own business as Hinata pondered if she should tell the others about Naruto's condition the other day but decided to ask Naruto what happened before she told anybody. So after training with her team, she grabbed her basket, filled it with drinks and cinnamon buns and headed back to Naruto's apartment thinking about the kiss and wondering if she would receive another.

Naruto opened the door when Hinata knocked and she noticed that he was still pale and slightly skinny but a lot better than yesterday. "H-hello Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she entered Naruto's house, where she noticed it was a lot cleaner than yesterday as there was nothing on the floors and the room smelled like bleach as the windows were opened, letting in a cool breeze in the autumn air. "Hey Hinata-chan, thank you for coming to check on me yesterday although I didn't realize I was out for three days" Naruto said scratching the back of his head as Hinata blushed saying that it was okay before setting the basket down where Naruto started removing the bottles of ramune and the package of cinnamon buns as she started the water for ramen. Naruto then watched, fascinated, as Hinata skillfully make the noodles from the light airy dough before tossing them in the water along with other ingredients and then letting them cook until they were done. She then brought out a large bowl, where she poured the ramen into and handed it to Naruto along with some more chopsticks.

Naruto placed the bowl on the table as Hinata picked two bottles of ramune out of the fridge and set them on the table along with the cinnamon buns. Naruto sat down with Hinata and began to eat the hot noodles before he stopped and stood up as Hinata looked at him, concerned that something was wrong with the food. Naruto smiled, moved his chair beside Hinata, who gave a small squeak, before sitting down again. Picking up his chopsticks Naruto began to feed Hinata, who started blushing again, enjoying the salty treat as they shared the ramen she had prepared. Once the ramen was gone and they split the spiral fishcakes like yesterday, only this time Hinata managed not to faint, they opened up their drinks and ate cinnamon buns while Hinata asked Naruto why he was locked up in his house and how had he survived without food or water for 3 days. Naruto slowly nibbled on a cinnamon bun as he pondered how much to tell Hinata and if she would still accept him if she knew the truth about the Kyuubi. "Tell her the truth dimwit since you're too naïve to notice her feelings for you, heck she's in love with you no matter what."

Looking at Hinata who was happily nibbling on a cinnamon bun, he finished his off before asking Hinata if she could tell her something. "You c-can tell m-me anything Naruto-kun" Hinata said noticing the sad look in Naruto's beautiful blue eyes before he started speaking again. "What I'm about to tell you is top-secret where only jonin-level and above learn about what actually happened 17 years ago…" Naruto then explained how the four aka Minato aka Naruto's dad sealed the Kyuubi along with part of his and his mother's soul inside him when he was nothing but a child and that is why he was shunned for most of his childhood. "…and that is why I been starving myself for three days and haven't died because the Kyuubi saves me but the Kyuubi is also the reason why a lot of stores don't let me inside or only sell me ramen." Hinata stood there quiet as she processed all the information Naruto just told her while he waited for her to slap him, curse him, and call him a monster like everybody else did. However, Naruto was surprised when Hinata got up gave him a hug instead and told him that she already knew about the Kyuubi and had known since she was 12.

"I once overheard some of the branch members talk about the blonde haired demon child who harbored the nine tailed fox and should be avoided but ever since you saved me from those bullies and I watched you at the Academy I knew they were wrong and that you were truly misunderstood." Naruto was shocked that someone from his generation not only knew about the Kyuubi but accepted him as he was and even cared enough about him to come check on him when nobody else did. With tears of joy down his face, he thanked Hinata before giving her another kiss that she returned back before they finished the cinnamon buns and drinks when Naruto decided to tell her more about his parents. As the night drew near, Hinata said that she had to get home but would be back tomorrow with more food and would try to stay the night before she kissed Naruto one last time before running off for home as to abide by her curfew. Naruto threw away the trash and sat down in his bed thinking about Hinata as he watched the crescent moon rise from his window a light red color as he smiled, making a soft yip sound as he curled up into a ball and went to sleep not noticing the changes to his body or around him.

October 21st-waxing crescent

Hinata was practically walking on clouds as she got permission from her father to stay the night at a friend's house, not specifying which friend as she stopped at the store to pick up some more ingredients for ramen and breakfast tomorrow as she thought about the blonde ramen-loving shinobi who was waiting for her at his house. Giggling a bit, Hinata joyfully made her way to Naruto's door and knocked once waiting for a reply but not getting one. Wondering if something else happened to him, Hinata was about to get the spare key under the mat when the door open and she came face to face with orange-clad pants that were baggy yet showed off the strong muscles in Naruto's legs. Hinata face grew slightly red as he slowly looked up to the wrappings around his right leg holding his weapons case to the black t-shirt that hugged his body and showed up his 6 pack abs before reaching his neck where the crystal used to lie but was now gone and finally up to his blue eyes that showed happiness and joy. "Hinata-hime, what were you doing down there?" Naruto asked before he saw the spare key in her hand and made the connection. As Hinata tried to hand him the key, he shook his head saying that she deserved it and could come over and let herself in anytime she wanted like if he was away on missions are such.

Thanking Naruto, Hinata pocketed the key before stepping inside the apartment where she continued her daily routine of fixing ramen as Naruto sat and watched or set the bowl down when she was done so they could eat it together. Today they decided to sit on the bed and enjoy the cool breeze wafting in from the open window as they talking about what they liked, disliked, and such. Naruto learned a lot of interesting things about Hinata like her personal craving for sweet things, like him, that she liked to press flowers, and that she had the position of heiress taken from her by her younger sister. That last part made Naruto angry because he felt that no father should choose one daughter over the next no matter the reason. Hinata knew that it was unfair but she didn't wasn't developing her abilities as fast as her father wanted and couldn't do anything about it. To avoid thinking about her father, Hinata helped Naruto water the plants he had around the house, which she was surprised was one of his hobbies alongside pranking and learning new jutsus, while talking about the different flowers and plants they knew.

As night drew near and the air grew chilly, Naruto decided it was perfect for star-gazing and took Hinata outside on his balcony which had a great view. Grabbing his coat and a blanket, Naruto wrapped Hinata in the blanket as to fight off the bitter chill in the air as they tried to name as many of the constellations they saw while they wished on shooting stars and kissed under the ever-increasing moon before going back in and falling into a deep and peaceful sleep. Unknown to them, strange things were happening as the moon grew fuller to show several large pair of eyes staring at them before sneaking into the house and leaving gifts behind for the fox vessel to find tomorrow. "It's almost time…yes it is almost time. In one more week, everything will change and I will be finally free to join the others" the Kyuubi mumbled as he drifted off to sleep dreaming about the day to come.

October 22nd-waxing crescent to half moon

The next morning, Naruto woke up first and suddenly felt as if something was different about the world, or more importantly something different about him. His senses were more acute as he took in the scent of the lingering night air before he pinpointed its location as under his bed. Carefully getting out without waking Hinata, Naruto got on his hands and knees to find a long box under his bed with a note saying to give to the one who will cherish it forever and become your m-" Naruto scratched the top of his head as he felt a slight twinge as if something invisible had moved yet he found nothing as he heard Hinata's breathing change that from slow and even to a faster pace signifying that she was up. Placing the box back, Naruto stood up quickly and faced the bed as Hinata opened her eyes, a soft smile on her face as she said good morning. Sharing a kiss, Naruto waited until Hinata got up and went into the bathroom before he dived back under the bed and pulled out the box.

"Where in the world did this come from?" Naruto wondered out loud as he opened it and looked at the content inside. Gasping at what it was, he quickly hid it in his dresser by the bed when he heard the sound of running water cut off before Hinata came back into the room smiling at him. "Hinata-hime, why did you have a basket full of ramen ingredients when you came to visit me?" Naruto asked as he saw Hinata blush softly before looking down suddenly. "Because I was going to surprise you by making homemade ramen since I noticed Ichiraku Ramen was closed." Naruto smiled and thanked her with a hug before he asked her if she would come back later as they went to the kitchen to fix breakfast consisting of an omelet and orange juice. After they finished eating, Hinata said that she would but she had to find Tsunade first and explain to her about the sudden ramen shortage and his condition the other day. Agreeing, Naruto watched as Hinata slipped away into the morning crowd as he went back into his house when he heard a soft whining sound.

Entering his bedroom, he was surprised to find an orange fox sitting on his bed with a scroll in its mouth staring at him with big bright eyes. "Hello little kit, how did you get in here?" Naruto said walking slowly as not to scare the fox who just tilted its head before dropping the scroll in its mouth. "You can approach me already since I'm not going to bite" the fox said making Naruto blink and walk calmly over to his bed. "So you were the one who brought me the box then?" Naruto asked as he went over to his dresser and pulled out the box just as fox nodded saying it was a gift. "From who?" Naruto asked as the fox nudged the scroll with his tail saying that it had all the answers just as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Wondering what was with the fox summoning and who summoned it, Naruto picked up the scroll that seemed to give off a red glow before he opened it and was engulfed with a weird light. "Woah" Naruto cried out as the light engulfed him and his body started to feel strange almost agile as unknown memories flooded his mind right before he passed out with somebody calling his name inside his head.

6 days has passed since Hinata had found out about the ramen shortage and Naruto starving himself where she grown out of her stuttering stage and started acting more confident as she talked and laughed with Naruto who enjoyed her company. From the moment Hinata came and checked on him, he had not left the apartment since, for he was enjoying it when they talked, ate ramen together before they split the last spiral fishcake in a kiss. Hinata smiled as she thought about the many kisses they had shared as she walked back to Naruto's apartment where they continued the routine of splitting the fishcake with a kiss that lasted until they both had to come up for air. After they had finished kissing on this day however, Naruto looked at Hinata with a smile on his face as he pulled something out from his dresser door. Handing Hinata the gift, she curiously opened it to find a small heart shaped necklace with the Uzumaki spiral on one side and a small chibi nine tailed fox on the other. "Oh Naruto-kun, you didn't have to-" Hinata started to say with tears in her eyes at the beautiful gift but was stopped by Naruto who touched her lips with a gentle finger.

"But I want you to have it Hinata-hime because you the only one special enough to wear it. I learned that was given to the Uzumaki clan by a mysterious figure and has been passed down in the Uzumaki family to the first born no matter if they were female or male. The females were to give it to the one they fell in love with and it was decision if they wanted to accept being in the family. There used to be two necklaces, one for each partner but it went missing some time ago with my mother but the female necklace has been passed down to me and I feel that you are the only one for me, Hinata-hime will you be my ma-girlfriend" Naruto said placing the necklace around Hinata's neck as she cried tears of joy before she started kissing Naruto some more.

"Oh Naruto-kun" Hinata mumbled into his mouth deepening the kiss as they lay back down on the bed, missing the fact that Naruto was about to say something before girlfriend or was making weird yipping sounds. Letting out a moan, the duo didn't hear the sound of talking and growling outside until they heard the door slam down onto the floor, knocked off its hinges. Squeaking, Hinata turned towards the door to hear someone call her name as Naruto grabbed her hand, running to the balcony not waiting around to see who had just entered his house. "Jump on Hinata-hime" Naruto yelled, making her jump onto the blonde's back and latch her hands around his neck as Naruto used the Kyuubi's chakra, which strangely was more orange than red, jumped higher and faster than he ever had before off the balcony and into the world below. Nearly blinded by the bright sun, Naruto kept running and jumping as he heard his pursuers saying something but not waiting to see what they wanted.

In the forest Naruto jumped between the trees until he spotted a familiar cave that he used to hide in when he was a little kit, er kid and the villagers of Konoha would chase him with rocks and sticks. Rushing, he slipped into the wet and damp cave just as he heard the footsteps and voices of his pursers approached their hiding spot. Waiting for his brain to finally catch up with the situation, he looked at Hinata who was shivering, both from the coldness in the cave and the fear at someone chasing them. Naruto, who didn't understand why, felt the strong urge to protect Hinata no matter what was chasing them as he looked at the shivering kunoichi. Naruto took off his jacket and handed it to her, his slit eyes half-lidded as he gave a soft mewl when Hinata thanked him and wore his jacket. Just then the voices came back as the large group had found their hiding spot and was talking lowly as if they didn't want them to hear their conversation. Naruto slowly felt his senses changing as he took on a more animalistic appearance.

"I heard something from inside here…it sounded like someone whimpering and I can smell Naruto and Hinata's scent strongly." Kiba said as he, Shino, Neji, Tenten and the rest of the Konoha 11 and their sensei looked into the dark cave only to have red slit eyes stare back at them. Some of the sensei cursed knowing that Naruto was fueling from the Kyuubi's chakra as they saw a tail already forming from the dark orange chakra cloaking the blonde before he started growling at them. "Naruto…we're not here to hurt you, we just want to make sure you and Hinata are okay" Kakashi called out to him only to be responded with yips, growls, and barks. "What the-" Kakashi said his eye opening as he looked at Jiraiya who stood just as confused as the rest noticed that Naruto was strangely acting like a male fox guarding his den…or his mate.

"Naruto, what have you done with Hinata-sama?" Neji said byakugan activating as he secretly checked the cave to see Hinata alive and well although a little scared. Naruto started yipping and growling at Neji who just frowned and looked at the group who all wore confused looks except Kiba and Akamaru. "He says that he isn't going to let us torture Hinata like how he was tortured." Everybody in the group had turned towards Kiba, shocked that he could understand what he was saying and turned back to Naruto who was on all four as he growled and snarled at the large group. The group watched in shock as Naruto's facial features became more feral as the Kyuubi's chakra formed another tail making Naruto act even more animalistic.

"Jiraiya you need to stop him with the seal before he reaches the third tail" Kakashi said as he noticed the third tail started to form and raised his hitai-ate to show his sharingan while everybody got into a fighting stance. Running forward, Jiraiya slapped the seal onto Naruto's hitai-ate and stepped back to watch the seal…do nothing. "What the-" Jiraiya stood in horror as the seal that should have absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra stood there, attached to the blonde's forehead protector before it burned under the heat of the chakra. "Kuso, it didn't work!" Jiraiya yelled as Naruto's third tailed formed and he let out a roar that could be heard all the way in Konoha making Tsunade wake up from her nap as she felt the high rise in chakra.

"What the- oh no Naruto must be using the Kyuubi's chakra!" Tsunade jumped from behind her desk, ordered the ANBU to follow her and raced through the forest to try and stop the out of control blonde who wasn't as out of control as they thought. "What is this immense power coming from Naruto?" Neji asked as he noticed that Sasuke, Sai, Sakura, and Shikamaru didn't look too surprised about the power radiating off Naruto but looked scared when the seal didn't work. "Yamato, do something" Jiraiya yelled as he narrowly avoided one of Naruto's chakra tails as the blonde stood in front of the entrance to the cave growling at them as if challenging them to try and enter. Yamato made some quick hand signs and used his chakra sealing technique to try and suppress the Kyuubi's chakra which looked like it was working as Naruto started yelling and the chakra started disappearing until the beams started to crack and splinter leaving Naruto pretty much the same, except a lot angrier.

'What didn't that work? The seal should have blocked him from drawing more chakra but it failed. Plus my jutsu should have fully drained the chakra but didn't seem to have any effect at all. It's like he's not using the fox's chakra but…his own. Why is Naruto acting like this to his friends, maybe he doesn't recognize us or the Kyuubi has finally taken control' Yamato looked at everybody and said that they would have to calm Naruto down by attacking him in which the group agreed and all moved to attack him when they heard someone yelled. "NO, DON'T HURT NARUTO-KUN" Hinata screamed as she ran out of the cave right in front of Naruto…and the group's attacks. "HINATA" they all screamed as they couldn't stop their attacks in time and watch as they were about to hit her…

As Tsunade and the ANBU made their way through the forest towards the group a loud explosion was heard that shook the forest that almost knocked them out of the tree they had just landed in. "NARUTO!" Tsunade screamed as she leaped through the last of the trees to find a shocking site in front of her as the ANBU jumped down beside her also in shock. Tsunade looked around as everybody was groaning after being thrown back from the explosion and in front of her was Naruto, cloaked in a now light orange chakra with six chakra fox tails swinging behind him as he snarled at the newcomers. What surprised them however was that Naruto looked perfectly normal except for the slit eyes, lengthen canine teeth, darker whisker marks, and him on all four as he stared at them snarling, yipping, and growling while Hinata stood behind him a shock expression on her face when she looked at Naruto then at the teams scattered around.

"Naruto-kun" Hinata said softly as she went to pat his head but stopped when Tsunade told her not to, making Naruto yip at her before he turned to look at Hinata, head tilted a bit. Smiling and giggling at his somewhat childish look, she slowly placed her hand on his head and smoothed his hair down as he yipped in joy the chakra not burning her hand to the amazement of the Hokage. While the ANBU went over and help everybody up, they all watched as Naruto looked into Hinata's eyes as if speaking to her before he yipped again, gently took her hand in one of his tails, and lead her back into the cave his other five tails swaying as if waving them goodbye. Before any of them had time to so much as take a step, a strange dark orange barrier suddenly appeared at the entrance of the cave, blocking them from entering.

"Hinata-sama" Neji called out trying to get through the barrier but was repealed every time he struck it with his gentle fist until he had to be restrained by his team-mates. "Neji, use your byakugan and tell me what you see" Tsunade ordered trying to figure out what had happened as she ushered the group around her as Neji started speaking again. "It's…weird, Naruto is sleeping on a bed of leaves with his head in Hinata-san's lap-" at that Neji growled but stopped when Tsunade asked him to look deeper at Naruto's chakra network. "Okay…what! His chakra network…it's changing! I mean it's like his chakra is taking on a new form and color and it's merging with something else but that's not all. I see 4 new chakra networks forming in four of the six "tails" and 5 more are seen but they're very faint as if they don't exist yet." Neji turned off his byakugan before staring at Tsunade an unaired question shown plainly on his face.

Tsunade just looked at him before turning to Kakashi, who had his sharingan exposed, and asked him what he saw different about Naruto. The group then began to explain everything that happened from the moment Neji knocked down the door after seeing Hinata with Naruto with his byakugan to the explosion that was caused by all their attacks hitting Naruto's chakra cloak. Tsunade sighed looking at the group who were wondering what was on the busty blonde's mind. "How did he get into this state in the first place? The last time I saw Naruto he was in his apartment pouting because of the ramen prank we pulled and what was Hinata doing there anyway?" Kiba stated loudly as the group nodded in agreement. As Neji was about to say something they heard a loud gasp from behind them where they saw Hinata with Naruto still in his six tail form on the edge of the barrier looking at the Hokage like she had just lost her mind.

"You mean…all of y-you were responsible for the ramen s-shortage" Hinata said stuttering only a little, surprising the group as they all suddenly looked down guiltily except Shizune and Iruka who looked around in confusion wondering what she was talking about. "Ramen shortage, what ramen shortage and since when?" Iruka asked while Shizune stared at Tsunade remembering how Naruto ran into the office earlier that week screaming something about no ramen. "Tsunade-sama, what have you done?" Shizune asked a shock expression as Tsunade looked up and explained how Sakura had suggested the ramen shortage and got all the teams to pull a prank on Naruto for a change as a warning for Halloween. "We just wanted him to know that this year we were serious about his pranks and staged the whole ramen shortage but how did it lead to all of this?" Sakura said waving her hand at the orange barrier that concealed Hinata and Naruto inside the cave.

Everyone was quiet as they watched Hinata look down at Naruto, who tilted his head in a child-like state, before stepping through the barrier as it wasn't meant to keep her out but for them from entering. The group sighed in relief as they saw Hinata approach them while Naruto held an air of sadness as he yipped softly thinking Hinata was deserting him. However nobody expected Hinata to go over to Sakura, stare her right in the eyes… before she used her bitch-slap no jutsu to send her back to Konoha, ok not really, but she did manage to slap her hard enough to send her into a nearby tree, neatly knocking her out. With everybody in shock (except the author and some of the readers who are snickering/laughing at Sakura), they watched as Hinata turned her back on them and went back into the cave where a loudly yipping Naruto was bouncing up and down, clearly happy that Hinata returned. "Hi-Hinata-sama, why did you do-" Neji started to asked before he and the rest of the teams noticed the pure anger glowing in Hinata's eyes, hair seeming to float in the air as she frowned and stared at every one of them except Shizune and Iruka.

"Do you want to know how this happened…I'll tell you how it happened" Hinata said calmly before she sat down by the barrier with Naruto's head in her lap a purr like sound coming from him as she rubbed his chakra-clad hair. "Three days after your little "ramen prank", I decided to go visit Naruto-kun because I haven't seen him around Konoha and was hoping he was okay. After getting the courage, I arrived at his apartment where the door was lock and he didn't answer when I knocked, so I used my byakugan to make sure he was okay. Anybody want to take a guess what I found when I looked inside?" Hinata said the anger clearly heard as the group gasped, fidget, or showed disbelief as they waited for her to continue. Hearing a groan, everybody watched as Sakura got up, looked at Hinata and went straight for her with a glowing fist before Tsunade stopped her saying that wasn't a good idea as she informed her young apprentice on what Hinata had just told her. Sakura angrily looked at Hinata and asked her what she had found that made her deserve a slap like that before she took a step back when she noticed the angry aura around Hinata intensified.

"I found a weak chakra signature that could only belong to one person, so I panicked thinking that he was hurt by some strangers and left there so I opened the door with his spare key where I found Naruto-kun almost in a comatose state lying on the floor of his bedroom." The group grew quiet while Iruka and Shizune began to cry as they figured out what had happened to Naruto but was trying hard not to believe it. "Maybe he was trying to quit eating ram-" Kiba started to say but quickly shut up when he heard the growl that could rival Naruto's come from Hinata as she turned towards him. "HE ALMOST STARVED TO DEATH YOU DUMBASS BECAUSE ALL OF YOU DECIDED TO PRANK HIM AND TAKE AWAY HIS ONLY FOOD!" Hinata screamed making some flinch and some stare at her in shock for Hinata never scream nor curse.

"I found him curled up, unconscious, and nearly DEAD because he wasn't able to eat for three days…THREE DAYS. Kiba you alone can't survive three hours without wanting to eat something and you Chouji, you can barely survive three minutes without stuffing your mouth with chips." Said people started cowering in fear when Hinata turned her gaze on them before looking around making sure everybody got the message. "Why didn't he just go buy some more food then?" Ino asked but took an involuntarily step back when Hinata's gaze met her own and she never before in her life been scared of Hinata until now. Before Hinata had a chance to answer, Shizune spoke up with tears in her eyes as she remembered what Naruto had told her before he left. "It's because ramen is the only thing he can afford and a lot of the store won't even let him inside let alone sell him much to stay alive. Teuchi-sama, Ayame, and a few others kindly offered him services but that's the problem… there are only a few."

"Why is that?" Shino asked quietly while the sensei frowned after hearing that as the teams avoided Hinata's glare, secretly scared of the pissed-off kunoichi except for one lone individual who had the "cajones" to speak ill of Naruto in front of her, too bad for him he was about to come close to losing them. "Naruto is weak if he can't survive three days without ramen and to have a female come and save him just proves he's a "dobe". Sasuke said smirking as everybody looked over at Hinata waiting to see what she would do. 'She wouldn't dare take on Sasuke' the group thought as they saw her bow her head, shaking a bit as Sasuke's words hung thick in the air. Sasuke didn't notice when everybody around him took several steps back as they sensed Hinata was about to do something to the smirking Uchiha.

"I DARE YOU to say that again" Hinata said calmly still looking down as she stepped through the barrier and advanced towards Sasuke as he grinned and said gladly. "I said that Naruto is we-" Sasuke quickly caught Hinata's hands as she made to hit him saying that she was too predictable. Too bad for Sasuke that was exactly what Hinata was expecting HIM to do and she soon brought her chakra-clad knee right into Sasuke's "area" making him curse, let go of her hands, and cupped himself as he let out a groan in pain. "Anybody else want to speak ill of Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she suddenly watched all the boys take large steps back whereas Neji and Kiba hid behind Tsunade clearly fearing for their future children. "I didn't think so" Hinata said confidently before she turned heel and walked back into the barrier and disappeared to the back of the cave along with Naruto who was sounds that strangely sounded like laughter as he took one last look at Sasuke before heading inside.

The group was quiet all except for Sasuke who was still groaning in pain as Sakura wobbly made her way over to him asking if he needed help. "Hinata" Tsunade called out but didn't receive any response except the rustle of leaves as someone shifted on the makeshift bed in the cave. "Hinata, we need you and Naruto to come back to Konoha-" "NO, Naruto-kun nor I will be leaving this cave until we feel like it so you can go back to Konoha WITHOUT us. I don't care if you tell otou-san Neji nii-san because even he, although I still respect him, can't get me to leave this cave before I want to." Neji just looked at Tsunade before sighing and sat down, his back to the tree saying that couldn't go back to the Manor without Hinata so he might as well stay.

Nodding, Tsunade sent several of the ANBU away only for them to reappear several minutes later with food, drinks, and futons for the three who were staying in the forest. Placing the items next to Neji, they all heard sounds as Naruto stepped through the barrier, Hinata at his side, before making a weird whining sound that seemed to echo throughout the forest. After a few minutes, everybody watched as about 20 foxes appeared and carried the three futons, food, and drinks inside the cave as Naruto nudged his head as if beckoning Neji to follow. Looking up at the group, Neji stood up and made his way cautiously towards the barrier which let him through this time as he settled down with Hinata, Naruto, and the foxes in the back of the cave. Sasuke finally managed to stand up right, shooting evil glares at the cave entrance before going back to the group.

"Something isn't right about this, all of this. What happened over the week that made Hinata change so much?" Kurenai wondered out loud as the group nodded absentminded until they all remembered the weird cloak around Naruto. "Tsunade-sama, what was that weird orange charka around Naruto and what is with the tails?" Ino asked as a lot of the Konoha 13 looked at her waiting for an answer except Sai, Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru who already knew or figured out. Tsunade sighed and told them with all honesty that she didn't know for this was the first time she saw the orange cloak before.

"All the time he was training with me, I never seen Naruto go into this type of form or stay sane after his third tail but it seems somehow that Hinata is able to keep him tame." Jiraiya said taking a quick glance at Tsunade before heading back to Konoha. "I believe it's time they learned the truth because Naruto-kun wants them to know." Hinata's voice said from the cave as Naruto yipped in agreement while Tsunade sighed, nodded, and ushered everybody back to Konoha where she would reveal to them about Naruto's darkest secret.