Chapter 36: Yonbi's choice

The others Ninjas doesn't stay inactive during this time. The old generation of Ninja has dominated their fear of the Fox and are is helping the younger Ninjas. The villagers are leaving the village in constant and regular  flows while Jounins organize a line of defence. They're waiting nothing  but the signal of the Hokage.

But it seems that Kyubi has a problem with Yonbi, since he has turned his back on the village to look at her.
Tsunade can relax a little, she doesn't need to launch the attack now: "We're staying in defensive mode. If Kyubi doesn't express the desire to attack us, we won't provoke him!"

Alia tried to catch her father with her large leg, which deadened his fall... and prevented  Kyubi to crush Neji on the ground. Alia shouts: "Father! Don't harm him make!!"
The kyubi thunders his child: "Moves away from him! It's dangerous! Shinobis are afraid of the Foxes and they chase them! He could wound you "
Alia: "It's not true! it's...."
Father... this single word makes Neji suffer. To hear his daughter calling the Fox... Father.... is hard. 


Neji notices Sasuke behind a bush, beckoning  to join him. Neji doesn't want to risk to move away from Alia and he send  a clone to Sasuke.
Sasuke: "Finally, you took your time to notice me. Hinata and Naruto are hidden just a little further. Hinata reconstituted a part of the seal, now we must   attract Kyubi inside before closing it again."
Neji: "Explain me the plan... if you have one."
Sasuke: " The plan is... to attract Kyubi in the seal room. It's partly destroyed, but not the part which was within  Hinata. Alia knows this room, she should know instinctively how to enter. She must take the Kyubi with her. Hinata will finish the seal at this instant."
Neji feels his blood frozen: "Alia... would stay captive of the seal...?"
Sasuke: "Hinata affirms that she'll manage to lock up Kyubi only."
Neji says yes with his head, but his heart isn't there. He fears too much for his daughter. If, by misfortun, she's taken in the seal.... Even if they can free her after, she'll feel definitively betrayed...

Neji's glance searchs in the forest, and finds Hinata, leaning on Naruto. She's looking at him. In spite of the distance between them, Neji feels like they're face to face. Her lips articulate: "Trust me."
Neji makes a small sign of hand, then the clone dissipates. There isn't other choices. If she doesn't try to restore the seal, the Shinobis will launch the attack, and Alia will be taken in the fight. Konoha, but also all the near villages can be devastated by Kyubi's power.

Avoiding with address the legs of Kyubi, Alia moves back more and more. She wants to protects her Dad who's climbing again her leg to speak to her. When he arrives near her purple ear, he explains to her: "Alia, Mom is here, very close, she's hiding. But  don't say where, or Kyubi will eat her!"
The white eyes of Alia  locates indeed her mother, in the forest,  and Naruto. She asks: "Naruto, what happens to him? he doesn't move... "
Neji: "He's just tired, he's sleeping. Listen well. The Fox is a very dangerous demon. He can destroy the house, the village, even the school if we don't prevent him. Then he should sealed in the cage."
Alia: "No! It's not nice! I don't want to lock him in the cage! The poor one... "
Neji: "Alia, if Kyubi doesn't return in his cage, all the Ninjas will fight him. Me, Mom, Grandfather, the teachers, the Hokage... everyone. And much will die. We need your help, Alia. You,  are you not a Shinobi? You want to let Kyubi destroy our village?"
Alia: "No... but.... but....."
Neji: "He must be locked up, Alia..."


Kyubi feels that  something is happening. If Shinobis didn't attack him directly yet, it means that they're setting a trap. And the small human  in the ear of her daughter could be part of this trap. Kyubi agitates his nine tails with anger, making a violent wind rise. Then he spits three small balls of chakra, which take the shapes of small russet-red foxes and fly directly towards Alia's ear. Frightened, she jumps and avoids them, but they follows her.
Kyubi: "don't move, they'll remove the human of your ear."
Alia: "Father, don't harm me!"
Kyubi: "The Shinobis are setting a trap, I'm sure. Don't listen to them, or you'll be caught too!!"

Neji continues to speak to his daughter: "It's true, we're preparing a trap to lock him up, Alia, and we needs your help.We must brings Kyubi back to his cage. I'm sour that you know how to do.... "
Alia: "But... but..."
Neji: "Mom will close again the cage as soon as you put Kyubi inside, my dear. And all will be finished. You'll become again a nice little girl."
Neji believes in it firmly. Alia is a small girl, she has the aspect of a Fox only because of the influence of Kyubi.
Alia: "I'm afraid.... Dad... "
Neji: "I'm here, my dear. I'm always with you. I'll come with you and I'll protect you. And it's Mom who will close the cage. You know that she makes good seals. "

Kyubi createds more little clones and now they're flying in cloud around the Vixen. Some land on her purple fur and they go up towards her ear. Neji figghts them one by one, but their number does nothing but grow.
Neji: "Quickly, Alia, I won't hold eternally! Take along the Kyubi!"
Alia starts to advance with  hesitant step towards  her father, but this one feels the danger.
Kyubi: "Yonbi, you won't  betray your own father? It's theses Ninjas who try to tighten a trap. Don't believe them, Yonbi!"
Alia shouts: "I'm not Yonbi!! I'm Alia! "
Then she leaps  towards the Fox. He could easily push her back, but he would risk to wound her. And the Fox doesn't want that. He doesn't want to harm his daughter. Without defending, he lets her plant her small fangs in the fur of his leg. Alia closes her eyes and thinks of the large room full of water. She wants to go back there.  In a sudden russet-red and indigo cloud, the two Foxes disappear suddenly, to the great surprise of the majority of Shinobis.
Neji also has disappeared.

Chapter 37:  The choice of Kyubi

In a splash of water, the Fox, the Vixen and Neji landed on a solid surface which was formerly the ground of the seal room. Around them, the walls are twisted and blackened, they are split by large cracks  opening on nothing, on the vacuum.  The ground too is borken in pieces, but the water doesn't run out by the opening. Floating above the vacuum, the liquid mass seems to cling to what remains of the thick iron bars which retained Kyubi.

Alia opens her eyes and releases the leg of her father. she trembles on her legs.Because of emotion, because of tiredness. Her white eyes full of fear, she looks at the large head of Kyubi above her. She notices his closed eyes, his low ears. Even the undulating movement of his tails is less sharp than before.

With a small voice, she asks: "You're sad, Father?"
Kyubi: "Yonbi... Alia, why did you betray me? Did I betray you? Why did you reject me?"
Alia leans on her legs to seek the glance, so burning usually, of the Fox. She tries to explain: "But I, ... I don't want that the village is destroyed! I don't want that Dad, Mom, Grand-father, Aunt Hanabi, everyone... die! I don't want that all is broken! I want... I want... "

The tears start to run from her large white eyes while she continues: "I want... to become again a small girl. I want go home, with Mom and Dad! I want to go to the academy and to become Shinobi... I don't want to be a malicious demon Renard!"
With Dad, she said "with Dad". Neji heard almost only this word. How happy! He cherishes with his hand the purple fur of his daughter.
Neji: "Alia, We'll go homme all together, don't cry anymore. Dad is here. "

The Fox sit in the water, without trying to escape by the many cracks of the room. He could flee now. He could find his freedom,  run away alone, leave far from these poor creatures who're living on the surface... but... his  daughter, his small Vixen...
Large tears run from her eyes, she groans. She's unhappy. And the Fox hasunderstood that he's the culprit. He gently rubs his muzzle against the one of his daughter to comfort her. Bur the very powerful Kyubi  can't calm the tears of a  small Vixen. It's not so simple,  not as easy as to kill hundreds of human and to shave villages. Kyubi can do all that. But he doesn't know how to prevent his daughter from being unhappy because of him.
Large sorrow, large sobs. A despair, large as violet Vixen, floods the seal room, floods the incandescant heart of the Fox. How can flames burn under all this despair?

The Fox has a deep sigh. He sees the walls gradually being closed again, the ground becoming again flat, the bars of the cage  rectifying. His prison is being rebuilt. Outside, the white eyes woman is remaking the spiral seal on Naruto's belly, assisted by Jiraya.  Does he have nothing anymore but two choices? To flee or to stay?
To flee. To give up his  daughter, to never see her again. To live, unceasingly tracked by human, these so small creatures, unimportant, but who are covering and transforming the world. Strange beings, in the heart more powerful than him.
To stay. To wait without defending until the cage is closed again on him. To stay for always in this wet room, without being able to live and move, and seeing his daughter only in her dreams. And then, disapear forever at the same time as his carrier.

He, the Fox, can't he find another solution? another answer, as these human do, each time , to fight him and to win against him. Can he accept a sacrifice for another form of victory?

Kyubi looks at his small violet Vixen, and blows on her muzzle. In a pink cloud of smoke, the great form of the Vixen disapear and the fine body Alia with her four small tails appears. With support, Neji falls to the ground, and catch up his daughter   with accuracy  before she land in the cold water. Relieved, he tightens her against him with forces. Alia cries if happiness in Neji's arms. It's so reassuring, so reassuring to be in Dad's arms , to hear him say: "It's finished, my treasure, we'll go home soon, with mom."

The glance of the Fox overhangs these two small human, and Kyubi has a mocker smile. He makes slap his nine tails, making spout out the water. The water which was used to stabilize the seal agitates under the impulse of Kyubi's chakra and begin to whirl. Carried by a wave, Neji and Alia passed through a crack and disappear in the vacuum...and they suddenly appear just next to Naruto.

Hinata: "Neji! Alia!!!"
She can't raise  from her work and the seal, but Neji reads her joy on her radiant face. Under the hands of Hinata and Jiraya, red and black signs twist and agitate  on Naruto's belly, in spite of the pressure which they exert.
Jiraya: "Neji, what's happening inside?"
Neji: "The Fox had created a swirl in water."
Jiraya: "A swirl? What does he try to do??"

Suddenly, in a geyser of water melted with red chakra, a mass of colossal energy spouts out the Naruto's navel and pushes back Hinata, Jiraya, Sasuke, Neji and Alia. Then water and chakra fall down them, soaking them completely. Hinata and Jiraya raise immediately to look at the seal on Naruto, but it doesn't show anymore sign of activity. The seal is closed again from inside.

Hinata and Jiraya look with perplexity. With a detached face,  not to show his concern, Sasuke leans near Naruto who makes him the sign of the victory with a bright smile. He doesn't seem very disturbed by the event. On the other hand, Hinata falls like a mass in Neji's arms, Neji who holds already Alia and wavers under the shock.
Neji: "Hinata!"
Alia: "Mom! Mom!"
But she seems to have lost conscience.

Chapter 38: The last trick of the Fox

The nurses vainly try to keep quiet the group which is agitating in the hospital waiting room. Between Neji who walks in circle while carrying a crying Alia, Naruto who badgers the doctors to know what happen, Sasuke who chokes of jealousy in a corner because Naruto worry too much for Hinata, and Jiraya who tries to calm Naruto... it's too much agitation for a hospital hall. Suddenly, all the glances turn to the door where Tsunade has appeared. Her smiling face  reassures everyone, except Jiraya who knows her well. She has the smile of somebody who's preparing a bad joke. Before Naruto, Neji asks: "How is Hinata?"
Tsunade: "Very well, very well, She's awake now. You can see her. Alia too. Go  see your Mom "

Both runs in the room. The mocker smile of Tsunade widens more.... Until a furious shout "BLOODY SHIT OF FOX!!!" spouts out of the room.

Jiraya: "What happen?"
Tsunade: "The Fox isn't anymore complete in Naruto's body. He transferred inside the part of the seal established in Hinata's belly when she was in contact with Naruto. He established himself in uterus wall... in the shape of a human baby."
Jiraya: "WHAT??! It's a joke!?"
Naruto: "Hm... I doesn't  understand well."
Sasuke: "If I understands, Hinata will have a second baby, who will be the Fox himself?"
Tsunade: "Yes and Non. But it's not completly the Fox. The spirit of a demon Fox is too vast for a simple human envelope, the baby is just a part of Kyubi. The remainder is staying inside the shelter of the seal "

Tsunade throws an eye inside the room. Hinata has taken  her husband and her daughter on her knees, all the three are smiling and speaking gently  about the future.
Alia: "Then, I'll have a little brother? "
Neji: "Yes, my treasure. But as for you, Iwon't be his true father "
Alia: "But you'll be his Dad nevertheless ,won't it? You will care well of him."
Hinata: "And we also counts on you to be a nice older sister, Alia."
Alia: "Right! But.... I have a question. It's when Kyubi said that he was my father, and not Dad, because I had tails of Fox."

Hinata realizes at this time that she forgot to re-seal Alia's Fox, quite visible and who are agitating merrily behind her. But Neji makes a reassuring smile to her. The others Ninjas  didn't react when they saw the four tails of Alia. Everyone was so relieved to learn that Kyubi was again sealed to ask questions. The questions will come later, and the truth will have to be said... or at least, a part of the true.

Alia continue to expose her problem seriously, whereas  her parents listen with indulgence.
Alia: "Alia  has tails of Fox because she's the girl of Kyubi. She's not completely the girl of Dad... then I wonder... A Dad and a Mom, How do they make to have a baby together?"

Great silence.

Then Neji murmurs between his teeth: "There, she's got us. I didn't think that she asks thsi question so early! And after all that happende, I don't think that she'll believe that the babies are delivered by the storks... "
Hinata: "Or that we find the little boys in cabbages.... You have an idea?"
Neji: "No. Tell her, She's your daughter."
Hinata: "She's your daughter too."
Neji: "Between women, you will better understand."
Alia looks with perplexed eye her two parents. But there isn't any choice. They will have to explain her how to do babies.



The evening, Hinata leaves the hospital. In order to cut all the rumours, she has prepared carefully the official reason of the present events, of  Alia's Fox tails, and of her future second child: "To put an end to danger of Kyubi, we undertook a secret experiment. Its  goal was to gradually transmit the mental energy of the Fox in children to be born. As a specialist in the seals, I voluntary tried the experiment with my first child, Alia. Because of our success, we wanted to do it again with my second child and to transferer inside him the  Fox heart, but the Fox fought back, which caused all this commotion. The problem is now definitively regulated. "
Applause and vivas come to punctuate the speech of the chief of Hyuga clan. Naturally, with some rare exceptions, everyone implies that Hinata's children are also Neji's . The shinobis can now disperse and go celebrate the victory over the Fox.
 Neji, Hinata and Alia go home in peace. Naruto and Sasuke go to eat a bowl of ramen, and Tsunade go to drink with Jiraya, leaving to her chunins the care to fill all the paperworks.

In the belly of Hinata, a small fox with nine tail begins his life of human.

Chapter 39: Epilogue.

Lastly, my years of research and work bore their fruit. I found what I sought. It was my small secret research, my masterpiece, which I carried out alone without never speaking with anybody about it. It was a too personal dream. It's completed, It's successful.

My hands poses on the table the brush with which I traced My Seal.

Even Neji can't believe it. He had almost completely forgotten. Too much surprised to realize, he looks in the mirror. He looks at the dark red signs on her face which are melting with the black signs that my father had traced there a long time ago. It's hard for him  to believe...

The seal of the secondary branch is now broken.

10 years ago, Neji had freed me when he plunging to save from the river where I drowned. Now, it's me who freed him, definitively, of the weight of the ancient Hyuga family. Nothing anymore retains us in the past.

All together, my love, my children, my family, my friends and all Shinobis of my village, let's advance.

Let's build our future, free.

END