Alright, I've been hearing some issues about the timeline for this story so I looked back and realized I'd made a few mistakes. Instead of ignoring them and moving on I've decided to do a rewrite like I did for Konoha's 3 Course Shinobi, patching up the mistakes I made and making it better.

I do not own Naruto

Hope I clear up some issues for those that were confused, anyway On with the Chapter!

Konoha Shinobi Academy, a place where young children of the village went to study the art of the ninja. It is this school where one Iruka Umino, a chunin instructor, was walking down the halls with his hand firmly latched onto the collar of his most troublesome student.

Iruka sported a tall, thin frame with brown hair tied back in a spiked ponytail and a healthy tan skin tone. A scar running horizontally across his face, just beneath his eyes, marred his simple features. He was dressed in the standard attire of a Konoha shinobi of a blue long-sleeved top with matching pants tapped at the ankles, blue sandals, a dark green vest covered in pouches and a Konoha headband wrapped around his forehead.

"Let me go Iruka-sensei," the boy he still held in his grasp yelled, struggling futilely to escape. The boy was short for his age with spiky blond hair and peach colored skin. His eyes were deep blue and he also had a unique facial feature in the form of three lines on each of his cheek that, when he smiled, gave him the likeness of a young fox kit. He was dressed in a bright orange and blue jumpsuit and a pair of goggles resting firmly on his own forehead.

Iruka frowned and tightened his grip. "Naruto, we've just begun the semester and your grades are horrible. You've been in the academy since you were four, that's four years before most students actually start in the academy and you've failed every time you've had a chance to graduate. This is your last chance to become a shinobi and so help me I'm going to make sure you pass." Now since you won't cooperate I have to do something drastic." Stopping in his tirade the chunin paused to get his bearings before heading toward a nearby door. "And since you won't make it easy for me I've no choice but to start acting drastic."

The instructor opened a door and pushed his unruly student into the room beyond. Naruto stumbled from the unexpected force but quickly reset himself and looked around, finding that he was standing in the academy's library. Iruka planted himself in front of the sliding door and crossed his arms, glaring down at his student.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he spoke, voice heavily weighted with authority. "You will choose four books from this library. You will read each of those books and write a report for me. All four reports are to be at least three pages in length and you will hand them in to me before the end of the month. When the last report is handed in you will choose four more and begin again. Understood?"

"Come on sensei," the blond wined, already hating his assignment.

"Understood?"

Naruto's head hung in defeat and he nodded.

"Good, now for your first set I want you to pick at least one history book and one book detailing chakra. The other two are up to you."

Naruto nodded again and turned to do as ordered. First he moved to the non-fiction section and found a brown book titled, A Record of Clans within Konohagakure, and pulled it from the shelf. Next he moved on until he came to the next book, Chakra and the Body: A beginner's guide to becoming a shinobi. He was about to turn to search the fiction section, if he was going to read it might as well be interesting, but two books caught his eye. The first was a book that looked practically untouched, Clan Rights and Regulations within the Konoha Charter, thinking it had to do with the first book he shrugged, grabbing it as well.

The other book he noticed was bound in a torn, well-used black leather cover with a thick leather strap holding it closed. Curious the blond pulled it from the shelf and read the title, written in white ink along the top, Ancient Legends: Beasts of Nightmares and Myth.

Intrigued Naruto slipped it onto the small pile in his other arm, giving him a grand total of four, before finally heading back to his sensei. The chunin looked over his selection and nodded, only slightly hesitating when he saw the book of old legends but he shrugged, what harm was there?

"Alright Naruto, remember I want the first report some time next week okay?" he asked. "This is the last day of the week so try and use the weekend to your advantage." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and knelt down to look him square in the eye.

"You've got so much potential Naruto," he said. "I want you to see it as much as I do, that's why I'm doing this. Just try for me alright?"

Naruto nodded, clutching the books tightly in his grasp as if frightened they would fly away if he let them go. Iruka smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, earning a cry of indignation and a pout to which he responded to by chuckling. "Alright, enough talking. I'll take you home." With that he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and used the shunshin to transport them outside the school and another took them to Naruto's apartment nearby.

They parted at the door and Naruto stepped inside, slipping off his sandals and unzipping his jacket as he made his way to the small kitchen. The books were carefully placed on the table as the blond academy student began preparing himself a cup of instant ramen. Once he was holding the steaming noodles he grabbed the legends book and headed for his living room, where he plopped down on the couch and opened the book.

To the curious soul who has deemed fit to read this record, you have my thanks.

In this book you will find the details of beasts that, for the most part, have long since gone extinct or faded into the background, hiding from the public eye.

Make no mistake these creatures are very much real, and I have spent the better part of my life documenting them. My curiosity does not come from a desire to slay these beasts, far from it. I am a mere scholar who's curiosity led him down a path wrought with all sorts of perils and other nasty things that made me long for a warm bed and fresh food.

Nevertheless, I pushed on and this is proof of my efforts. Learn these well young scholar and remember what is written here. It may change your life forever.

Naruto couldn't help but marvel at the words he'd read just then. He didn't realize it yet but the book had hooked his eight-year-old mind hook, line and sinker and now he wouldn't be able to part with it any time soon. Practically bouncing with excitement the blond eagerly turned the page, unable to wait a moment longer.

Chapter 1: The Vampire

One of the two most infamous characters in dark lore is the blood-sucking creature known as the Vampire. A creature that prowls the night, stalking its prey before sucking them dry of the precious liquid that caries the essence of life in all living things.

Unlike most monsters, the vampire can be compared to a successful mass murderer. Everything about them invites you in, their look, smell and even the way they carry themselves are like flame for moths.

Possessing incredible amounts of skill and mental prowess, the only one creature considered to possibly be the Vampire's equal is that of the Werewolf. While a vampire does possess impressive speed and strength compared to the average human, the Werewolf has it matched in stamina and pure brute force.

These two are in every way, the opposite of the other. Vampires rule in the sophisticated circles, hiding in plain sight. Werewolves are the epitome of basic animal instinct, however more comparisons will be made later on.

Now on to the anatomy of the Vampire…

Page after page Naruto read, unable to set the book down. Before he'd even realized it the sun had long since fallen and the moon was beginning to peak over the wall surrounding the village just as he finished reading the last page, a look of pure wonder etched into his features. The creatures described in that book had left him in awe of the power possessed by the monsters that dwelled in darkness, hidden away from the mortal world. Unable to stop a yawn the boy stretched and decided he'd get to work on his sensei's report after a little sleep.

He set the book down and made his way to his bed where he promptly passed out, his light snores buzzing from his small frame. However, within the boy, the most powerful of the nine bijuu, the Kyuubi, had been watching the memories of what his host had been reading. Memories of those very beasts came to him as he remembered the days before man had sought to control him and his fellow demons. He knew his host was too weak to face any of those beasts alone, but then his lips began to curl upwards as a sudden thought struck him.

Each of the nine had something special they could control. Shukaku controlled the sand and wind, for example. The Kyuubi's ability was that he had complete control of his chakra to the point he could manifest it in several ways. Perhaps it was even possible to alter the genetic code of his host's body into something more…animalistic.

The idea intriguing the giant creature he set about sending a marginally larger than normal portion through his the seal that kept him at bay. Using his inherent control he willed the chakra to merge with the boy's very DNA. Once he was sure he'd successfully controlled a single strand of the code he separated it from the rest and began to begin his work.

The strand bent easily to his will as he twisted, pulled and bent new pieces into it. Taking what he knew from memory the fox began to shift the code to that of a hybrid, a mixture of the more powerful creatures of lore he had encountered in his many years before captivity. A couple of hours of trial and error later and the fox looked at the first completed strand of hybrid DNA.

"That's the hard part done," he grumbled to himself as his lips began to curl in a vicious smirk. "Now for the fun part." A pulse of chakra later and the strand was implanted into one of Naruto's many cells. He watched avidly as the cell's surface began to shift and expand before rapidly splitting and forming two, then four, then eight. Within minutes a swarm of mutated cells were passing through Naruto's body. "This is probably going to start hurting right…NOW!"

Outside the Seal:

Naruto bolted upright, face twisted in a grimace as a spasm of pain shot through his body. He rolled off the bed, barely able to stand as more jolts of pain hit him. 'W-what's happening?' he thought.

Had Naruto been able to see himself in a mirror, he would have seen his skin begin to ripple as the muscles lining his body began to twist and stretch. The back of his shirt tore open, revealing the rippling muscles expanding across his body and the outlines of his spine growing more defined.

He managed to stumble out onto the balcony of his apartment and turned his gaze to the sky, his pupils fully open. He felt his senses growing stronger. He looked down and saw the individuals walking in the streets, he smelled the foods in all the restaurants lining the road and he could hear…screaming.

A low growl rumbled in the changing boy's chest as he gave a powerful leap from the balcony to the roof across from him. He landed on all fours and rose to his feet. At first his movements were similar to that of a drunken man, jerky and he wavered with each step. But soon instinct began to exert itself and his steps became smoother, his stride longer. Soon he was running, powerful legs propelling him faster than he had ever gone before and then he was jumping across rooftops all the while drawing closer to the sound of screaming.

The moon above peaked out from behind the clouds filling the night sky, shedding silver light that illuminated his body. In the pale glow if one were watching they would see dark red hair beginning to spread across his arms and back and the hair on his head was beginning to grow longer and became streaked with red highlights as well. In the few minutes it took to reach the alley where the screams originated he had reached six feet in height and was as broad shouldered as an Akimichi only with muscle and was dressed in the torn remains of his orange pants.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the roof and peered over the edge, and he immediately felt the rage take over.

In the alley below a lone girl had her back pressed against the dead end wall, watching frozen in terror as three men stalked ever closer. The girl was young, maybe a year older than Naruto with silver hair that accented her mocha-colored skin. She was dressed in a white vest zipped closed over a fishnet shirt, a dark gray shirt with a slit running up to her thigh on each side to reveal the biker shorts underneath. A kunai holster was strapped to her right thigh and another holster holding four scrolls, black sandals on her feet and dark gray shin guards. To top it all off she was wearing a headband with a metal plate bearing the symbol of Kumogakure engraved into it tied around her forehead.

"Looks like that fool pulled through for us after all," one of the civilians said, chuckling to himself.

"Yeah," one of his cohorts said. "That stuff that creepy old badger gave you must be some pretty potent stuff if it's working already," he glanced at the third man, but received no response.

The final man didn't speak, he only took another cautious step closer, a vicious smirk plastered on his face. He was eager to taste the fruits of the evening's efforts and disregarded any nonsense conversation to focus on his objective. They were being paid after all, they were just having a bit of fun before they made the delivery.

It was his eagerness that led to him being the first to die, for as he took his next step an enraged roar sounded from above and they looked up to see a black shape falling from the rooftops above them and landing between the Kumo-kunoichi and her attackers.

Shrouded in shadow they could only make out the things size and general figure as that of a human, but twice as big as any they ever met. It panted with heavy breath and they could only watch as a massive clawed hand shot out, the fingers curled into a fist and slamming into the silent man's chest. The blow forced the man's entire chest to cave in and he was launched back to slam into a garbage dumpster. Before the other two could react the beast had grabbed one while sinking its teeth into the other's throat, drinking greedily of the crimson liquid that ran through his veins.

Moments later he dropped the drained husk of his victim and turned to the other. He had grabbed him by his arm and he was struggling to get free. With slow, gleeful movements the beast's free hand snaked up and grabbed the man's head. A short pause and then with a roar he ripped it clean off, letting both drop to the pavement.

His gory work done he turned to the girl and edged closer.

"P-please," she whimpered, cowering in the corner as he drew near. "Please n-no."

The beast reached out a hand and she closed her eyes, waiting for the end. Instead of pain she felt a gentle hand snaking around her back while the other went under her legs before lifting her up and she found herself pressed against the hairy chest of her savior. He leaped up into the air, bouncing off the walls to reach the top and began to shoot across the rooftops. His passenger kept her eyes squeezed shut, still terrified of what her fate might be, but when he finally stopped she opened them again.

They were standing in another alley, across the street from the Konohagakure Hospital. Her savior set her down and gently nudged her forward. She hesitated and heard him turning to leave. "Wait!" she called, turning around to face him.

What met her gaze was that of a humanoid wolf with crimson fur, save for streaks of blonde along the back of his neck and the top of his forehead. The beast bent down and nudged her with his muzzle, urging her to go but instead she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered, drawing back to look into the monster's eyes. She felt she could sink into the deep pools of ocean blue but sadly fate would not let her. Shaking its head the wolf gently pushed her back and leaped up, taking to the rooftops once more. She turned to leave but paused when a new sound pierced the air.

It was a howl, the lone cry of a mighty predator that had finally awoken after a long slumber. The sound sent shivers down the young woman's spine but she suppressed it and stumbled into the front doors of the hospital, calling for help.

Timeskip – the next morning:

Mindscape:

The Kyuubi panted as it observed its host's brain activity and heaved a heavy sigh. "That cub owes me big time for this," he grumbled. "And I can't even get some sleep until I explain this whole thing."

The frown turned into a smirk as he thought about the exploits of the previous evening. "Can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out just what he did last night," he said, settling down on the floor of his cell to watch the next few minutes, wishing he had some of the human snack food known as popcorn.

However his amusement would have to wait because that moment was when said host materialized right in front of him, standing the tattered remains of his orange pants and very much taller than the night before. Confused it this development the fox remained silent as the boy looked around, obviously not understanding where he was and then sighing.

"They must have thrown me into the sewers again," he grumbled.

"Not exactly," the fox answered him, his deep voice echoing through the dark hallways of the mindscape. He rose to his feet once again and stepped forward, letting what little light there was illuminate his form."Normally I'd let you grovel and wallow in terror but I've had a long night keeping your body stable so just listen to me and I'll explain a few things alright?"

The boy nodded, words failing him at the moment.

"Good, now sit down and I'll begin." The Kyuubi settled down on the ground, making himself comfortable while Naruto followed his example. "Now, do you remember the book you were reading last night?" He nodded. "Well, due to my current circumstances I have been sealed inside of your body, do not bother asking me questions until later. I don't have much time before you wake up so just listen. Now, I have been alive for longer than you can imagine, in that time I have come across several of the beasts listed in that book and have become very familiar with how they work.

"I used my unique abilities to alter your body's genetic code and you now posses the abilities of three of the ancient beasts. The werewolf, the vampire and the incubus. Now, while these gifts have granted you great power they also have some drawbacks. Are you with me so far?"

Naruto nodded, but it was obvious by his expression that he had a few questions. Fortunately he held his peace and waited like the fox had instructed.

"Now, you will be waking up soon, I can feel our connection fading already so you must follow these instructions. First, make your way to the man you refer to as your grandfather and tell him you have awakened a new bloodline. Your senses will be enhanced to several times their normal when you wake up so you best have the old man make something to seal them until you can train to get used to it."

The boy nodded again, but the Kyuubi noticed that his body had begun to fade and growled slightly. "You're about to wake up. Alright, you must never mention me to anyone. If you do it will lead to a lot of problems for both of us so just say any information on the bloodline you have just came to you out of instinct."

The boy had enough time to nod one last time before he faded away completely, leaving the fox alone in the sewer once more.

Outside Mindscape:

Beep…beep…beep…

The sound of the heart monitor, a sound that had long ago become familiar to the young Naruto, was the first thing to greet the awakening boy. Groaning from the stiff muscles he managed to sit up and place a hand to his head, wiping away the grime from his eyes and looking around.

He was sitting in a hospital bed, in the private room the Sandaime Hokage had ordered set aside for him when the stupid doctors wouldn't admit him for treatment. On a chair next to his bed looked to be a pile of clothes, all folded neatly and waiting to be retrieved and he could have sworn he could smell the Hokage's tobacco from his pipe like he had just been there a moment before his return to consciousness.

Deciding it'd be in his best interest to leave as soon as possible the boy stumbled to his feet and grabbed the clothes, slipping them on. First was a simple dark gray short-sleeved shirt, followed by a pair of black cargo pants and blue sandals. His favorite goggles were there as well and he happily slipped them onto his forehead.

A quick check around the room to make sure he didn't forget anything and then the blond was slipping out the window, leaving an empty room with a loudly ringing heart monitor as the only proof he had been there in the first place.

Once outside he was bombarded with an endless assault from his senses. The sound of people talking below, the smells of different foods and the bright colors were the worst. Slipping his goggles down the boy found a slight reprieve from the visual assault thanks to the dark tint in the glass. It was temporary but it was enough and he began using the rooftops to travel toward the cent of the village.

His destination was the tallest building in the village, the Hokage Tower. Tall, painted a bright crimson red with the kanji for "Fire" proudly displayed on the front the building was a symbol of the protection given by the one who lived and worked there. To Naruto it was a place of solace, a place where one of the few that treated him like an actual person could almost always be found.

Dropping to the ground he slipped through the door and ran up the stairs. He ignored the angered yell of the secretary in front of the old man's office and pushed it open. "Jiji, I gotta talk to you about something!"

The moment the words left his mouth the boy froze as the feel of cold steel became present against his throat. The blade was held in the grip of a shinobi dressed in black with a white breastplate, white shin and armguards and a white porcelain mask painted with the likeness of a hawk.

The moment the threat became known Naruto's hand snapped up, grabbing the masked assailant by the wrist and spinning. He used the momentum of the spin to slam his elbow into the man's back, simultaneously twisting the wrist in his grip to force him to release the sword.

"Naruto stop!"

The familiar voice of his surrogate grandfather froze the blond in place. He glanced up to find there was an audience much bigger than the Hokage watching his actions. Standing behind his desk was the old man himself, dressed in the white and red robes of his office with a simple black uniform on underneath. The matching hat rested on his head, hiding his hair, long since turned gray from view.

To the man's left stood a man with an impressive height of over six feet and black skin and bright blonde hair, mostly hidden by a hat similar to Hiruzen's but with yellow where the old man's was red. He wore the robes open, showing his bare chest and the black pants and sandals he wore. Around his waist he wore a thick leather belt with a large golden buckle, a boar's face engraved into the plate.

At his side stood a girl Naruto believed to be vaguely familiar. He didn't dwell on it and just looked back to the Hokage. "Guess I interrupted another meeting huh?"

The old man nodded. "I'm afraid so Naruto-kun. Would you be so kind as to release that shinobi? He's a guard for my colleague here and it would be nice if he wasn't harmed."

Naruto looked to the man still trapped in his grip and released him, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, my body moved on its own."

The shinobi's only reply was to nod before stepping back and returning to the side of the tall dark-skinned man. The young blond waved happily to the man, who simply nodded and then turned back to Hiruzen.

"As I was saying Hokage-dono," he said, gaining everyone's attention. "I would like to know if you have any shinobi in your ranks matching the description given by Mabui. I would like to repay her rescuer if at all possible."

Hiruzen frowned as he puffed on his pipe in thought. "There was a report concerning a creature matching the given description that was filed by one of my jonin last night. However the events surrounding that report leave me worried."

The man's eyes turned to Naruto who had begun to shift uncomfortably from side to side like he was nervous. He dismissed it and turned back to face the tall man. The two began to talk but neither noticed the fact that the girl was staring at Naruto with a confused expression. For some reason he just seemed so familiar.

In Naruto's case the boy was getting tired of wearing the goggles and lifted them to see if his vision had settled. This revealed his deep blue eyes to the girl and the next thing he knew he was tackled, his head slamming painfully into the wall behind him.

"IT'S YOU!"

The confused blond was about to protest but then he felt something soft press against his cheek and his mind went blank. Mabui, as the girl had been called, had pressed her cheek against the blond's and began to rub their faces against each other. This friction caused a sensation Naruto had not expected, as it turned out his whisker-like birthmarks weren't just for show after all.

The soft pleasure the friction stirred caused the blond to close his eyes and relax into the embrace. He subconsciously pressed his cheek into hers as a soft rumble stirred in his chest, just barley distinguishable to the two men watching in amusement.

"Is he…purring?" the muscular man asked. Hiruzen simply nodded, a small dusting of red coloring his wrinkled cheeks.

'Jiraiya would have a field day with this,' he thought before coughing softly to gain the attention of the two children. "Mabui, do you know Naruto-kun from somewhere?"

The mocha-skinned girl nodded, having yet to let go of the blond. "He's the one Hokage-sama!" she exclaimed. "I'd know those eyes anywhere!"

Hiruzen frowned thoughtfully. "I admit his eyes are hard to mistake for someone else's," he began and then his eyes turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, when you first entered my office you were saying something about needing to talk to me. What was it?"

Suddenly extremely nervous the blond returned to his feet, Mabui finally relinquishing her hold on his neck to let him up only to latch onto his arm and faced the two men. "Something…weird…happened last night after I fell asleep," he said. The two nodded, silently urging him to continue. "Well, I don't remember much…I mean I know there was a lot of pain and…blood. I remember a scream and being really thirsty and then hungry and then I woke up in the hospital. I-I was hoping you might know what happened last night."

Hiruzen sighed and returned to his chair, waving a hand at the others to take their own across from him. The man in yellow squeezed into one of the chairs and cast a glance at Naruto. His dark lips quirked in a slight chuckle when he saw that the kunoichi had yet to separate herself from him, this time occupying his lap and leaning back against him. He must have really left an impression to get the normally stoic and logic-oriented Mabui to show such affection.

Shaking it off he turned back to listen as the Sandaime began to speak. "First I'll explain who these two are and why this involves you Naruto-kun. This gentleman sitting beside you is none other than the Raikage, the leader of Kumogakure, A." He paused to let the two shake hands and then continued. "He is here on a diplomatic visit prior to the Chunin Exams his village will be hosting for the coming month. Mabui and her team were allowed to travel along with him to visit a foreign village and they separated to explore for the day to relax from the trip before coming to see me today."

The elderly man's face darkened as he continued. "Unfortunately, a few men decided to attempt to kidnap the young lady and would have succeed if not for the timely intervention of an individual with extraordinary abilities. Strong enough to rip a man's head from his shoulders effortlessly this savior slaughtered her attackers and then carried her to the hospital."

He paused and took a pull on his pipe, observing how the Mabui shifted uncomfortably and Naruto frowned, the Raikage looked like he wanted to rip something to pieces, a feeling Hiruzen understood completely.

"Now, Mabui was kind enough to speak to one of my investigators who is handy with illustrations and he drew a likeness of the savior based on the details given by the young kunoichi." Hiruzen pulled a file from a pile on his desk and flipped it open. He shuffled through the contents and then pulled out a single piece of paper and held it out. Naruto tried to get up to take it but Mabui beat him to it, grabbing the paper and handing it to him. On the paper was a drawing of the creature that had rescued the kunoichi.

The image sparked a memory and the blond grabbed his head in both hands as a bolt of pain shot through it. He could see it, the blood, the head gripped in his powerful hands. He could taste the blood on his tongue. Feeling the bile rise up he forced the girl off of him and ran to the side of the desk where a small wastebasket stood and emptied the contents of his stomach into it.

Several moments passed in silence as the blond gasped for breath. He sat down, leaning against the solid wood of the desk. He felt something tap his shoulder and glanced up to see the Raikage offering him a glass of water.

"First kill?" he asked, receiving a feeble nod in return. "You'll be okay boy. Just try and breathe. The shakes will go away soon. Sip the water, don't gulp it down or you'll just puke again."

Once Naruto finally settled he began to explain what he remembered during the change. The memories were coming back in pieces. Hiruzen nodded to the A, who returned it in kind, and turned back to Naruto. "Naruto, this…change that happened. Can you do it again?"

"I can try."

The blond waited for the others to step back and then closed his eyes. 'Hey you,' he mentally called. 'I don't know if you can hear me, but they want a demo on the change. Can you help me out?'

For several long seconds nothing happened…and then a warmth began to spread from the boy's stomach followed closely by a searing pain that doubled him over and forced him to his knees. He felt bones snap as his muscles shifted. Crying out in pain he braced his hands against the floor to keep from falling over and was granted the sight of seeing his fingers grow longer, the skin stretching and turning red. The hairs on his arms began to grow, turning into thick crimson fur.

He felt the bones in his face shift as his nose elongated into a snout, his teeth shifting into the back of his jaw only to be replaced with pointed fangs as sharp as a honed dagger's blade. The last pain came from his back when with a violent ripping to peaks poked out of the skin, tearing his mesh shirt. The skin broke and two wings similar to those of a giant bat extended, the full span allowing each tip to touch the walls on each side of the office.

Minutes after the first bolt of pain the human Naruto was no more. In his place knelt a winged humanoid wolf that stood as tall as the Raikage. Panting from the exertion the wolf looked to the Hokage with worry in his eyes. He tried to speak but only barks and growls came out, startling the old man and causing him to take a step back.

Naruto's ears drooped and a low whine came from his throat. He was about to try again but a hand touched his left shoulder. He turned to see that Mabui had approached him, eyes filled with wonder. The hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek, his head leaning slightly into the contact. The other hand rose and her arms encircled his neck and pulled him close.

"Thank you," she said, burying her face in his thick fur to hide the tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much."

Unable to speak the boy simply wrapped his arms around her, his wings following suit until she was covered completely in his warm embrace. They stood that way for a moment and then parted, the tired hybrid laying down on the hardwood floor and the kunoichi leaning against his side, idly running her fingers through his thick fur.

"I'm guessing changing back will have to wait," A said, turning his chair to face the two and sitting down once more. Naruto nodded.

"Well, I can guess what effects this could have on your senses Naruto-kun," Hiruzen commented. "Judging from how you were wearing your goggles I'd say not only would your sense of smell be increased, but hearing and sight as well. You'll need to learn to control those but I can whip something up to help you with that until you get some training under your belt. It's also possible that this new ability of yours can be passed on to any children you may have in the future so for now I'll begin working on instating you as the first of a new clan."

The wolf tilted its head in confusion, forcing Mabui to slam a top over the urge to hug cute things and scream "Kawaii", and Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto, this is possibly a brand new bloodline. I will be able to offer you more protection from the civilians if I can make you a future clan head. You'll have to meet with the shinobi council to arrange it but –"

"Hokage-sama," his secretary's voice came from the door as she opened it enough to only be heard.

"Yes Dita-chan," he answered, frowning slightly at the interruption.

"We've just received word that the civilian council has called an emergency meeting and has requested your presence."

The kage growled in frustration but forced it down before he answered. "I'll be on my way in a moment."

"Hai," she closed the door and returned to her desk and Hiruzen faced Naruto again.

"Naruto-kun, I need you to try and change back. You have to demonstrate this to the council to make it valid as a clan so changing into your form and back is the best way to do it."

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, sending another silent plea into the depths of his mind. In answer he was subject to a reversal of the process he'd undergone to take the form in the first place. His fur seemed to just fall of him, covering the spot where he lay in a carpet of shedding and then his body slowly shrunk until he was back to his old self.

It was only as he stood up and looked to his surrogate grandfather that he finally caught a glimpse of his new physique as a human. He was now taller and broader in the shoulders than the others in his class, his body a mass of sleek, compacted muscle and his hair a wild mane that reached the base of his neck. His whisker marks were much darker than usual, coupling with his hair and the new slightly slit pupils of his eyes to give him a more…feral look. All in all, he liked it.

"Well Naruto-kun, it seems you'll need some custom clothes to match your transformations," Hiruzen mused but put it out of his mind at the moment. "Now, at least you still have your pants, my Anbu guards usually have a cloak in case of the need for further camouflage, I'm sure they can lend one to you…" a black cloak fell from one of the corners and was scooped up by the leader who handed it to the boy. Once covered Hiruzen turned to the other visitors in his office.

"Would you care to accompany me to the meeting Raikage-dono?"

A nodded and as one the group fell in step at the Hokage's sides, heading off to face the pack of power hungry bigots that called themselves the civilian council.

Alright, so what do y'all think? Any better? There weren't that many big changes but hopefully I cleared up a few issues, Chapters 2 and 3 have been rewritten too and Chapter 4 is coming soon.