Once More by ItsHardToFindAPenName

Chapter 2: Back to the Start

"Wow, this photo was quite... good, actually. I almost didn't recognize you in that new outfit."

"Heh, I had to retake it a few times, jiji." Naruto answered the old Hokage with a foxy grin.

He was standing in Konoha's Shinobi Registration Room with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, and his secretary, after taking the photos for his ID registration. The old man was smiling at him, while stamping the document which contained his CV and the photo.

'See Naruto-kun, I told you changing your clothes would be a good thing for you.'

'Yeah yeah, I know. But I still don't like very much. It doesn't have much orange on it, Mata-chan.'

His face twisted oddly when the two-tailed cat blew a raspberry at him in his mind.

His new attire included a dark blue pair of trousers with orange flame-like stripes at the tip of the cuffs, a pair of fingerless gloves together with two medium-sized steel bangles, and a black sleeveless shirt which hugged tightly around his chest and torso, showing off his rather well-built body. His headband was tied firmly on his forehead.

Naruto didn't notice it, but all the training he had done in the past actually did make his body a sight of attraction to any girls who saw it. Which was none, because he always hid it under the bizarre orange jumpsuit.

'That explains why only the Hyuuga girl showed interest in you. X-ray eyes and everything.'

'Aw, shut up.'

It's all thanks to Matatabi when he first figured out the way to make the beasts appeared out of his body.

(Two days ago)

"You know what, this is kind of boring for you guys, right? My imagination was not quite good, anyway..."

Naruto said while standing together with Kurama in his new mindscape. The dark and dirty sewer ("Ew, is my mind really that dirty?") was gone, replaced by an endless lushful green meadow with a river running across, a range of mountains at the horizon, blue sky with the sun shining brightly, and standing in the middle was a sakura tree which was as big as the Hokage monument. Kurama sighed.

"This is quite alright. It's much better than staying in that sewer. You know, never before have I got a jinchuriki who bothered to do this for me. I appreciate it."

She scratched the seal on her neck, which now formed a leather collar with the kanji of "seal" written on it. "Although it might be better if this was a necklace or something..."

Naruto looked at the vixen and smiled. After receiving her Yin half back from his father, the fox seemed to mellow out quite a lot.

"Well, but I don't want to leave you guys in here all the time!" he insisted, then pouted. "If only I could do something to let you guys out there for a while..."

"I think you can, onii-chan."

The two turned back to see Saikyo standing (well, crawling? Whatever) behind them. The slug seemed to blush a bit when Kurama and Naruto's eyes stared at her.

"Um... when I was with Utakata-nii-chan, he used this jutsu to bring me out there for a walk, sometimes..."

"Really? But do you know how to do it, Saikyo?"

"Well... he just crossed his fingers, and my soul and some of my chakra were pulled out... and I'm outside."

"Hmm? Cross fingers? Where have I heard it before..."