Disguised Curses

I got fanart for this already.... *dances* Love it, Mey! thanks!!! 

http://dragonpunchi.deviantart.com/art/D-C-Naruto-Fic-Fanart-87827460



Umm, yeah, on with the chapter....



emphasis, sound fx

Kyuubi talking



 

CH 11

 

 

Neji felt a tingle sweep over his spine, one he was swiftly becoming familiar with. He casually turned to greet Naruto and Sasuke as they approached the small knot of people waiting at the gate. Sasuke was limping slightly, a small bandage on his upper arm and a bruise across the visible line of his collarbone only adding to the mystery. Naruto for once, was quiet and looked rather tired. Instead of his energy simmering just under the surface, like usual, it was muted- his chakra not depleted but rather tuned to a much lower hum. “Are you two okay?”

“Late night training session. Naruto needed to burn some energy...” The Uchiha glared at the referred boy, who looked a little sheepish.

“Hey, at least I’m not going to outrun you guys trying to reach Suna before you all. Right?” Naruto grinned and shrugged. He was ignoring a certain bitchy voice in his mind, but the fox was currently behaving- at least for now. The demon hadn’t been expecting his main prey to be alongside them the whole trip. But Naruto was adamant. No loose foxes this trip. “Everyone here?”

“Che. Even I was here before you, slowpoke.” Shikamaru’s voice rose from the back. “Let’s go. We need to reach Suna as soon as possible. Less days on the road, more time to relax.” The rest of the group nodded and headed out.

 

Dusk closed in as they reached the edge of Fire country. Naruto, eager to at least somewhat appease the fox, disappeared to find something for supper. Maybe stalking live prey that he could kill might help. At least, he hoped it would. His eternal guest had quieted, resorting to pacing behind the bars of its cage. Naruto took that as an improvement- he could think peacefully again. He topped a hill and found himself looking down at a beautiful lake. Water birds of every size and color flew and swam over the clear waters, and the sight tickled that instinct within him.

“Hunt them and take what you need, kit. Satisfy this urge of ours on them.” He leaned forward and tracked through the flocks of birds. Geese, swans, cranes, ducks of all types flooded the lake. Even more hid in the grass surrounding the lake but he was looking for a weak one, yet large enough for them to all eat. Something that wouldn’t take him too long to catch. He muted his chakra, stalking through the grass toward the water, watching, waiting, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Birds scattered before him in storm of wings and feathers, none close enough to catch easily. A hand curled around a hidden egg, lifting it into the light of the dying sun. A sniff, and Kyuubi hissing through his mind. “They’re almost ready to hatch. Let them be. There’s better prey ahead of us.”

Naruto peered above the grass and nests. A huge cream and white swan stood in front of him. A wide feral smirk crossed his lips. Instincts drove his hands through the base of both wings, rendering the potential threat nil before the bird even realized his presence. A thrill ran down Naruto’s body at the shock and fear in the swan’s body, the blood on his fingers, the joy echoing from Kyuubi. He wrung the bird’s neck, slung the body over his shoulder and headed back to the campsite. He was feeling much better already...

 

**

He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Pale violet orbs scanned the area, watching for Naruto’s return. Not only were the guys hungry, but Neji was ready to turn Sasuke back over to the other’s care. With Naruto not present with his overpowering aura and chakra, Sasuke’s was nearly as bad. The Uchiha had been powerful before he’d left those years ago, but now he was all power and curse and dark energy that ate at the Hyuga’s instincts. The gnawing, sick feeling in his gut hadn’t lessened since the fox carrier had left. He needed a few minutes away from both of them.

Naruto appeared between the trees, a splash of white against the dark shirt and jacket he wore to replace his old orange stuff. He had finally realized he could get rid of it all. Instead, long dark pants and a dark jacket with a single broad orange stripe- his trademark even still- was much better for his ninja skills than the all orange brightness. Neji had grown accustomed to the change, and was eager to know what the white against the boy was. Goose, maybe? It’d work for the night. It looked big enough to feed all of them.

His breath caught as he got to study the animal better, Naruto almost to the campsite. The limp head with bloodied wings… a spike of terror and fear raced through his blood. How the hell had Naruto killed that animal? He stood up and casually headed to the far side of the camp. Instincts were guiding his actions even as he tried to hide his urge to flee. “Naruto, what is that thing?”

The young man shrugged the carcass off his shoulder. “I think it was a swan. Everything else got away before I could get to it.” He missed the grimace on his friend’s face as he started cleaning and plucking the meat. A soft thud caught his attention as Neji passed out and landed against his traveling pack. He looked at Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino before innocently asking, “What’d I do?”

_____



A/N: Poor Neji. I guess he couldn't handle the sight of the poor bird. When the brain cells revive, more chapters, but it may be a little while. Lots of family stuff slowing me down. sorry.

And to my lovely reviewers....



Sneakyfox: Sasuke's only in the trouble he invites- for now. and i'm playing on the thought that Naruto and Kyuubi have been having to do negotiations between the two of them for a while now, considering the circumstances of the last mission he was on. So while it may be a bit of a stretch and a leap of faith, sometimes that's what is needed. sorry if my char disappoint you, but they're how I like them.

Qwerty: Demon? no. Wings? well, you'll have to wait and see. Yes he gets purty black feathers. but that's all i get to share for now. *laughs*

Valencia: Thanks! my email addy is in my profile, just mark it as "RE: beta reader" so i don't accidently delete your email. Hope you enjoy this chapter!