This is my first FanFiction and all reviews are welcome. Comments are responded to at the end as well as some other info so please read and I hope you enjoy. R&R

Last time: As training continues he progresses faster and faster each day.

Last update 7-25-15

"I Mc-Crashland do not own Naruto"

'Thinking' "Talking" "Demon Talking" 'Demon Thinking' {A/N} Word Expanded at the end

June 9th

They were finally finished. It had taken him 2 weeks to finish his first blades, a pair of tantos made form Michios simple work mettle he had on hand. They didn't even have sheaths yet and where right off the wet stone when he insisted he test them despite Michios opposition to going out during twilight. But being as eager as he was he had to admit he was proud of himself for coming so far in just two months.

After a trip to Oshu he now had a new wardrobe. He had two types of tops he wore regularly now the first and most used was a black and orange shitagi, an all-black umanori hakama, and tall black leather tabi boots. Around his waist was an uwa-obi given to him by Yoshi after there secant week of siphoning training.

He was currently in the training ring facing off against a malicious wooden dummy; he knew the dummy man would not hold back its strength even if it was unarmed and he needed to take it down in one swipe. The experienced dummy examined him unblinking goading him to go first testing his nerves. He shifted his tantos in his hand like his sensei had thousands of times, just as he had learned to.

He leaned on his right leg bending the knee and…

*Kon! He slipped. Landing face first in the warm gravel, he groaned.

Puling himself up he looked behind him where the sound came form to see the leading fox form the little mountain trip. She sat behind him giggly cutely at her simple prank, holding her front paw to cover her mouth. "Oh ha ha. Just laugh it up; I hope you know that this calls for retaliation." Naruto said moving into a siting positon while keeping his blades form scraping on the gravel.

The white fox grind and both her tails swayed to the right. "So it has been a little over 3 months since I saw you last what do you need?" Naruto asked and with that the fox lifted itself and turned walking into the forest as the tails made a becoming motion. Rising to his feet he fallowed the fox into the night. As it got darker he noticed that the tips of her tails were producing an enchanting blue light that formed into orbs form witch light moved like a mix between water and fire swirling, rising, and then fading. He realized that it must be Hoshi no tama glowing with kitsunebi and she was using it to light there way.

After 30 minutes of walking in silence other orbs of Hoshi no tama appeared in a clearing lighting up a strange sight, in the middle of the clearing was a torii and shrine both made out of obviously living wood. The kitsunebi lanterns lit the shrine and the black diamond fox as she sat before it. She then spoke in the same angelic voice as last time. "Inari-sama has requested your presents, oh ramen lover."

Naruto passed under the torii and looked closer at the shrine itself it was in a typical Hirairi style if a little on the small side the roof was soled but looked be coved in living leaves like shingles. On each side of the shrine are two large trees bending away with a large shimenawastrung between them. He moved to the steps and looked at the fox then looking at the shrine doors. Removing his blades from his belt he set them on the ground next to the steps.

As he ascended the 2 feet up the steps the fox watched him. He looked at the prayer box still covered in bark he passed it moving forward to the sliding doors. When he reached them he tugged at them but they were stubbornly shut. He stopped when he heard a giggling behind him, looking behind him on top of the prayer box was a velvet bag, the fox sitting next to it. She giggled again and hoped off to the side of the box waiting for him.

"You could have said something before." Naruto said moving back to the front of the box he opened the bag to find a hand full of gold coins he grabbed a few and retied the bag handing it back to the fox. She shook her head and he shrugged and secured it onto his obi by the draw string. He then took the coins and tossed them into the box hitting the grate and tumbling inside. When he heard the coins hit the bottom he clapped his hands 3 times and spoke aloud. "Inari-sama I answer your summons." Without warning the door flew open a blinding bright light coming from inside.

The fox bolted forward into the light and Naruto fallowed.

Naruto emerged into gold evening light the sun still above the horizon. He looked to around and he realized that he was much further form home. The air was warm and comforting and before him was a field of golden grass. He was standing in a very different shrine then before this one was in the Tsumairi style and much bigger the large deck circling around the building covered by the overhanging roof. Keeping the surrounding roof up were red pillars connected at the top by many thin shimenawa.

Looking behind him he saw that the door to the shrine was closed but between the cracks a light faded passed. Turning back to the field there was a path leading to a line of trees where a red torii lead the path into the surrounding woods, in the center of the path facing away stood a woman wearing a kimono made of blue starlight, it was alive like a night sky swirling and dotted with brilliant stars her hair was like fresh snow in sunlight glowing pure white. Slowly Naruto moved forward and knelt before the Kami of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and Sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success.

She radiated power like that of a time, the same power that turned mountains to dust created vast canyons form small streams but also the powers of growth and creation. It was constant like that of snow fall slow at first, small and light but would build to dangerous levels quickly. Before such power Naruto was speechless, he felt like he was standing in the center of a tornado even though there was only a light breeze bending the grass around them. Finally puling himself together he spoke. "Inari-Sama" And it all stopped, the power that was crashing onto him ceased and all that was left was the warm gentile breeze of the real wind.

Naruto stayed bowed on his knees he saw the bottom of her kimono twist as she turned without a sound. The only sound was the wind on the long grass. Then she spoke, in a familiar voice. "Hello Uzumaki Naruto-Kun" His name spoken form her lips felt like a physical blow to the head making him shiver. "Please rise Naruto-Kun." She spoke and his name held less of an impact as he pushed himself off the ground and faced the Kami.

She was magnificent, enchanting in a way that was not quite human. It was the same beauty that one felt when looking upon a vast sea of clouds form atop a mountain, stealing your breath so as to not disturb its mighty power. Her eyes were the color of orange roses soft and burning. And in the center of her forehead was an intricate design its basic shape forming a black diamond. Suddenly realizing something Naruto looked around and noticed that they were alone when there should have been the white fox somewhere about. He looked back at Inari and back behind him again.

Lady Inari giggled again. "It is me Naruto-Kun and now that we have had our formal introductions there is no more need for the whole proper educate thing. It will only make things more difficult if we try and act all proper when we both know that you can't stand it, and between you and me neither can I." She said laughing, Naruto just responded by nodding dumbly. "Now that it is out of the way would you walk with me?"

She began walking into the tall grass, as she moved the blades bent and moved around her and moved back once she had passed leaving no trace that she had even passed there, and he fallowed. For some time the two just walked and Naruto was grateful for that as it gave him time to process all that he had just learned, first being that he was strolling alongside a Kami and the scent being that it was not the first time. She was the fox mother he had met on the mountain, which alone cleared up a lot of questions like how Kento often referred to two different people when he mentioned his mother he had suspected that one was Inari but he had thought that he had met the kits real mother on the mountain pass. Kurama had also referred to Inari has mother before but that was unsurprising considering she was the Kami of foxes.

"I had thought that nothing could make the grate Naruto-Kun speechless." She said giggling holding the hem of her kimono before her mouth. "But I guess it is understandable, suddenly being spirited away by a white fox to stand before a beautiful Kami of rice and foxes. It would be a tremendous amount to take in. But I suppose you have questions to get off your chest like our first meeting up on the mountain." She questioned for him.

Regaining some of his nerves he spoke. "Yes, why were you up there anyways?"

"I was on my way up the mountain to repair one of my shrines, it is the one that Shoji prays at and it was damaged in a storm a few days before it had been disconnected from my shrine network and needed to be fixed by myself. I would have just jumped there form this shrine but as I said it was damaged and I had to jump to the closet one and walk. The boys were there to escort me, the sweet kids. But you had taken me off guard because Kura-Kun had been masking your sent making you unnoticed until we saw you. But in return you were masking his sent with yours so I was unable to tell at first glance, but when I got a better look at you in the cave I realized what you were and where he was." This made Naruto graze his hand over his seal and winced. He also heard a sigh form within alerting himself to the fact that Kurama was listening as well. "On that your also probably wondering where we are at. Well we are in Land of Rice Fields where my current largest shrine sits. Normally you as a human would not have been able to pass the portal but because of Kura-Kun there was no problem but other humans would be unable to fallow you once you passed the portal."

Naruto nodded excepting that information. "So why did you want to speak with me?" He asked the most relevant question.

"I'm glad that you don't know that. That means it will be a surprise, you have no clue how hard it is to keep a surprise, a surprise when dealing with young foxes they are so eager and talkative we had to make sure that Kento and his friends were unaware for fear they would ruin my surprise." The Kami spoke excitedly as she fussed with something up her sleeve. "You have no clue how often he speaks of you. Niisan this, Niisan that, it makes everyone smile to see him so happy to interact with a human, there so impressionable at that age and when you saved his life it was out of kindness not need or as a favor and that pure act truly impressed on the whole of the pack."

Naruto smiled with a small huffing laugh. "Well he did say that something had been going on and you were responsible. So what is the surprise that you planed out?" He asked looking to the soft orange yellow eyes.

Reaching into the sleeve of her kimono she reviled a scroll, It was coved in gold-leaf and had multiple depictions of foxes some in motion and others siting or laying. "This Naruto-Kun is a contract one that would bind us; in a way. The basics of it state that you will work for me as my vassal this status will provide you some protection from other divine beings, but your job will be to spread the belief of me back into my old territories. As we speak my lands grow smaller every day overtaken by nonbelief, this too is happening to the other Kami in the elemental nations. Kamis will do anything to stay on the near shore, those like Jashin, he has only 4 followers but there utter devotion has made him strong again, there belief in absolute destruction gives them the power to kill and destroy to make him stronger, because fear is one path of belief. He provides them with near immortality in exchange for their offerings." She said looking grim. "But I will not stoop to such levels as that beast; no I plan to get back out into the word with you Naruto-kun because you will be grate one day whether it is with or without my help but more and more monsters like Jashin are coming across thanks to the vicious cycle of humans and there wars over hate. Every day less people believe in the divine protectors anymore and we are nothing without those that believe in us. Binbōgami has been a lot more prevalent in cities lately and I am in no strength to push them all back and people have started to give up tradition in favorer of nonbelief and it is hurting them in ways they do not understand." Naruto watched the most powerful being he had ever meet look on defeated into the dwindling sky. Naruto also noticed that her kimono was changing it was now an early morning sky with pink clouds rolling over slowly.

"I know I am asking a lot from you Naruto-kun, but I am in need of your help. It is up to you whether or not you agree, but I hope you will read over the contract before making a decision. There will be pros and cons but I have many goals that you can help me with if you chose so. Just know I believe in equal trades." She said holding out the scroll to him, he reached for it but before he touched it the ink foxes jumped into action getting as close to his hand as possible and he paused allowing them to look or sniff at his hand soon they backed away and he took the scroll. He looked at Inari and she smiled and nodded behind him. "I also left a gift for you back in the Land of Frost." He looked behind him and sees that the doors to the shrine were now open and glowing. "It's time for you to go back now and I hope that you enjoy your gift and consider the offer. Goodnight Naruto-kun." She said with a slight bow.

"I will and I wish you a goodnight as well Inari-sama." Naruto said bowing much deeper. When he stood back up he turned and headed back to the shrine and into the light.

Naruto emerged back in Frost country a cold breeze blowing form the west sweeping the clouds form the sky allowing the moon to light the forest before him. He walked down the steps of the shrine and found his blades where he left them. They were different then before most notably were that they now had sheaths that looked like black bamboo stocks, the handles were the same way if it wasn't for the grads they would have looked like twin bamboo sticks. Placing the scroll into his black and orange shitagi he picked up his blades and tucked them in his obi.

When Naruto made it back to the training ring he decided to finally test his blades. Unlike last time he started in the sheathed position and unlike last time blurred past the dummy and cut it in three placed half of the neck, loped off a chunk of shoulder and right under the ribs. This was unexpected he knew his blades were sharp but not that sharp, he looked at them and the two tantos were both black as obsidian there edges were glowing a purple color in the nights light. He also noted that the grads were gone he looked but they were just gone and he believed that it was by design, because when he sheathed the blades he was caring two short green bamboo poles unimportant and unnoticeable.

He continued to mess with them as he walked back down the path home to see how to work them and watch them turn black and then back again. He looked at the blades some more and noticed the intricate patterns of a seal, it was the purple color that was being emitted when he added chakra to the tantos the it was the most complex thing that Naruto had ever laid eyes on even more so then Kuramas cage. The only part of it he could truly make out was a signature, his on one side where he remembered it to be and Inaris now on the other.

Yoshimitsu was concerned; his student had been gone for the better part of the evening it was now almost midnight without his return and he couldn't leave. The moment that Naruto had left the house and he made to fallow his overeager student, he was stopped by a barrier seal. Looking around from the inside he spotted fox tracks in the light snow off the gravel. At first the seal was invisible when he was farther back but changed when he approached it; it lit up a dark blue color in the shape of himself almost like he was looking at a mirror. Nothing he had tried worked forced was negated perfectly; he tried projectiles but they would do the same stopping dead upon impact.

After 30 minutes of trying he stopped and went back inside to wait for Naruto to return to figure it out. To pass the time he continued on 'Ichi-Ichi Spy' not one of his favorites as the main Spy character was of older persuasion, but the women in that book were amazingly flexible and reminded him of this fling he had with a Kumo kunoichi, lord was that was one hell of a weekend.

He was smiling off into the fire when the door opened and he turned to see Naruto staring at a scroll in his hands. "So Mr. impulsive how was your walk?" Yoshimitsu asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Well I did a face plant, fallowed a fox to a shrine in the middle of our woods, walked to the Land of Rice Fields, met Lady Inari, had a nice chat, she gave me this contract she wants me to look over, walked back, and found an incentive in the form of some changes to my tantos. So how about you, what have you been up to?" Naruto said nonchalantly waving the scroll a little.

Yoshi looked at his apprentice and then at the scroll, than at the two bamboo sticks in his belt. "So she turned your blades into bamboo sticks?" He said looking at the once naked blade.

"No of course not she is the Kami of swordsmithing you know. There just sheaths but the blades are much shaper then I thought they would be and even the sheaths change when I focus on them. No chakra just intent on them makes them darker and heaver like there made of steel." Naruto said puling one from his belt and focusing on it, the entire thing went form fresh green to an obsidian black. He unsheathed it to show the complex purple seal and placed it back in his obi.

"What about the contract? You read it yet?" Yoshi said standing and making his place in his book. He walked over to Naruto staring at the scroll in his hands. His apprentice shrugged and held out the scroll to his he shrugged back better having had much more experience at doing it with his one master and held out his hand.

"I haven't had the chance yet I wanted to do it here instead of out in the woods." Naruto said dropping the scroll in his senseis out screeched hand.

Immediately the foxes attacked reaching out of the scroll and biting Yoshimitsus hand causing him to grunt and drop the scroll to the ground. "Well that was surprising." He said rubbing his hand looking at the small bite marks. The scrolls residents started gathering at the top of the scroll and Yoshi could swear they were glaring at him, if he listened closely he bet he could hear growling coming from the small ink figures. Soon they lost interest in him and log rolled the scroll back to Narutos feet. "So I'm not allowed to look. Not surprising but those seals are pretty dang good but she is a Kami so that is to be expected." Yoshi said a little dejected.

"We can read it over together in the living room." Naruto suggested as he reclaimed the scroll.

"No that is alright I think that it is better that you decide on this for yourself so go to your room and read that over, make sure you try and understand the entire thing before sighing it. I will trust your judgment in your decision just be aware that contracts with Kami are different then with animals and other humans, they may feel inclined to fallow their word but the divine keep theirs to a T and expect you to do the same. Just be sure about what you sign when dealing with them." Yoshi explained.

"Right." Naruto nodded looking at the gold scroll, going form the living room down the hall to look at the scroll alone.

Naruto sat on his futon and starred at the scroll he had just read for a third time. It was very clear about the expectations on his part and rewards he would be receiving for his help there were not any veg words that could have a double meaning or any open ended promises it also gave him the option to refuse an order if it conflicted with his personal matters giving him final say on what is and is not acceptable to his morals.

The deal was good and scaled heavily in his favor there was just one thing left to do before sighing it and that was to speak with Kurama about this entire thing. He knew the decision was untimely up to him in the end but he was reluctant to enter the contracted without at least speaking with his tenant first. So siting in meditative position he focused on the beat of his hart *Thun-Thud taking a breath *Thun-Thud slower and slower until it felt to slow to tell *Thun and he opened his eyes *Thud.

He was sitting on a carved bolder with the Uzumaki crest and a myriad of swirling designs decorating its surface. To his left the waterfall that represented his chakra was bright and shining the entire space around him was more vivid then his first few trips and everything was in sharp detail. It was still unnerving how clear everything was even from a distance sharp and clear, as if it were right in front of his face.

The mist form the falls was floating around the many rocks at the base of the falls. He had chosen this place as his regular entrance into his mind as it was his favorite spot; the waterfall created an interesting mist and formed intricate whirlpools in the river that was his chakra. It was also one of many central points of the forests that made up his memories; this spot was his fist interaction with the Uzumaki clan the rode and the waterfall that led him to his heritage.

Wanting to make the trip quickly he stood and stepped off the bolder onto the league of the Cage where he found Kurama siting in a meditative position with his eyes closed, his many tails unusually still. As per his protocol Naruto took a seat and waited for his tenant to acknowledge his presence. He had taken to waiting after the first two times when he just started to speak to him and it took an extra amount of time to get him to react.

Below the fox the forest in which he sat was not as dark as he remembered it last time he was here, from what he understood about his mindscape the darker the area the worse the memories are on you to remember. He had once taken a walk into the woods and came across some of the darker parts of his mind it was of his abusive martin back at the orphanage and when she would physically disciplined for no obvious reasons. It was like he was 4 again unable to defend himself from the older civilian woman it was by far not his worst memory but he had passed that spot several more times and each pass it was less and less miserable and the area while still dark it was no longer unbearable to be in. The forest below the fox was by far darker then anything he had encountered outside of the cage, it made him wander if the memories in those woods were his or the foxes.

"No doubt you are here about the deal mother has offered you, kit." Said the mountain sized fox commented only have as much patience it seemed as Naruto himself had. "And you came to ask for my input?"

"I feel that this concerns you as much as it doses me. Lady Inari has made quite the offer and it concerns both of us, because if I agree we will have to work together to complete her request. I know I can't do it alone and so dose lady Inari, I think she knows that to do it we would have to work as one. She wishes to help you, make you complete again." Naruto explained his views to the fox.

"I can see where you're coming from Kit, but even if I agree to help you I would be of very little help until we have the key to this seal. Not even Mother can undo the seal without the key, at least not with the Shinigamis involved she can't." Kurama said sighing.

"Where do you think the key is Kurama?" Asked the semi blond boy.

"Probably with that perverted toad sannin from the leaf. That would be where the village felt was safest place to keep the key." The fox explained with his limited knowledge of Konoha.

"That just means that we will have to find this pervert and take the key if we have to. I really want us to be friends Kurama and friends help each other. Right?" Naruto said. "Let's Work together on this, because I know if we do there is nothing that can stop us. What do you say are you with me?"

"Fine I will agree to this contract Kit but only because it seems to be the only way for me to redeem myself to Mother for my past transactions." The fox nodded his head and moved to a sleeping position. "Good night Kit."

Naruto slipped from his mind scape and found that it hadn't even been a full minute. Taking the scroll in hand Naruto unfurled it and moved his hand to the placed reserved for his signature. Suppressing the chakra to his hand and bit down on his fingers drawing blood form the tips. Carefully he drew out his name and at the end imprinted his fingerprints form each hand.

When that was finished he allowed his chakra to flow again and he began rolling the scroll, when the scroll was closed the ink foxes yipped haply and leapt off the scroll and onto his arms. They moved up each arm to just before they reached the inside of his elbows and transformed into kanji and sank into his skin forming two miring seals. Suddenly Naruto was beyond exhausted and he collapse onto his futon and the world faded.

5,236 longest chapter yet

That's that folks I hoped you enjoyed exhausted

thor94 – Well hear it is but different.

Windninja1000 – Here it is.

TigrezzTail – That was the idea and I'm glad it worked out.

BBWulf – Well it was but I don't have a beta reader anymore so that is the best I can do myself.

Shitagi – Shirt worn underneath samurai armor.

Umanori Hakama – (literally horse-riding hakama) Type of pants worn underneath the armor, hakama could be long or short

Tabi – A cloth sock with divided toes. I know I should be using Kutsu (a short riding boots made from leather) instead but I feel that it googles better than Kutsu. There pretty much the same thing the Kutsu is just made out of leather unlike traditional tabi, newer phrasing makes them more like divided toed shoes.

Uwa-Obi - a cloth sash or belt used for attaching various weapons and other items.

Hoshi no tama - round or onion-shaped white balls known as hoshi no tama (ほしのたま?, star balls). Tales describe these as glowing with kitsunebi. Some stories identify them as magical jewels or pearls.

Kitsunebi – Fox Fire, known to glow red and orange but sometimes blue.

Torii – A traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred.

Hirairi – Style of Shinto shrine.

Shimenawa – Length of twisted rope believed to act as a ward against evil spirits and is often set up at a ground-breaking ceremony before construction begins on a new building. They are often found at Shinto shrines, torii gates, and sacred landmarks.

Binbōgami - A kami or god who inhabits a human being or his house to bring misery and poverty.

Shinigami – A death kami.