"...Huh...well...you don't see that every day." the blond mused, carefully grabbing the individual inside the bag and taking them out of it. Cradling the young girl in his arms.
It was a little girl, one that looked no older than ten years old. She had golden blond hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin, and was even wearing a miko outfit.
All in all, not exactly what you'd expect in a bag, just why the hell would someone want to kidnap this girl for?
As his eyes continued to study the little girl, he noticed several things that clued him in to the fact that the girl wasn't...normal.
For one...she had fox-like ears on her head.
Secondly, he could feel something furry where her read end should be...a tail maybe?
He shifted her around in his arms to check if he was right, maybe he was being too paranoid. It's not like she's-
Oh.
Tails.
Ohhh.
Nine tails.
Ohhhhhhhhh.
"...Shit." Naruto cursed, shifting the girl again so that she wouldn't be too uncomfortable.
Well...this was unfortunate.
He honestly had no idea how to deal with this, whatever he does can backfire spectacularly if done incorrectly.
That being said, he couldn't drag his feet. No doubt people were asking questions about why this train wasn't on schedule.
As the shinobi contemplated on this very jarring issue, his comrades had just finished dragging all of their adversaries inside the train, keeping them safe from view.
However, that wasn't the only thing that was happening while he was preoccupied.
A shadow was flitting across the ground, slowly getting bigger as the owner of said shadow flew closer to the ground and straight towards-
Naruto's danger sense practically screamed for him to move.
Following his instincts, the blond jumped and narrowly avoided a surprise attack from an airborne adversary that was intentionally trying to skewer him.
Blue eyes followed after the flying being, eyes narrowing as he remembered a creature that resembled the creatures' appearance quite well...
But he definitely knew one thing about it.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "You're a yokai right!? Why the hell are you attacking me for!? I just saved your princess!"
The yokai, a bird-like creature with a crow-like face, sneered at the blond's attempt at diplomacy. "Lies! Humans attacked her! You will pay with your life! I've already informed everyone else of your treachery!"
With that declaration, the yokai nosedived towards him again, trying it's hardest to kill the human.
Naruto's eyes quickly flitted back to the train, as two familiar faces were charging back outside to aid him in the fight that he got dragged into.
But he shook his head at them.
Yuki and Maria stopped in their tracks, frowning, but listening.
The shinobi gave them a thankful nod for listening, then refocused back on the yokai, readying himself to just the right moment...
There!
The yokai nearly skewered him alright, but at the last moment, Naruto allowed himself to fall backwards as the sharp beak that was aimed at his throat flew over him.
The shinobi then went on a handstand on the ground and pushed himself off from it, smashing his feet into the bird-like creature.
Almost immediately, the yokai's eyes bulged and the bird fell to the darkness that began to overtake it, falling into unconsciousness easily.
Naruto backed away from fallen form, scrambling to get inside the train cart so that he could talk to his friends on what the hell just happened.
"Ok...ok...what the hell. Can someone explain to me what just happened!?" Naruto complained, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.
This was supposed to be simple, just...where do these things go so wrong?
Neither Yuki or Maria responded, they were both too busy staring at the girl in his arms, as if she was actually a bomb that was about to go off.
"...Naruto...is that a kyuubi yokai?" Yuki inquired quietly, her voice barely a whisper.
The shinobi turned his head away warily. "...Maybe."
The hero could only facepalm, shaking her head all the while.
Maria poked at the unconscious girl's cheek, fascinated. "As much as I hate to say it...it should still be said."
Purple eyes turned to meet blue, a cheeky grin accompanying it.
"I told you so."
Naruto twitched violently, giving the succubus a dark glare for her cheeky attitude.
Yuki, finally breaking free from her immediate frustrations, spoke again. "Well...I think it's obvious what the problem is. That yokai was given the order to destroy the little kyuubi's kidnapper...and that so happens to be you. I doubt they'll believe you if you claim innocence."
The shinobi could have cried at the unfairness of it all.
"...Maybe I could change my appearance, make it seem like I ran away and leave the kid here for them to pick up." the blond began, looking for something...anything he could do.
Maria shook her head sadly, serious again. "Sorry Naruto-sama...yokai have a strong sense of smell...even if you tried to cover yourself with another smell, it would be extraordinarily difficult for them not to figure it out."
Naruto grit his teeth, eyes scanning for another option.
What could he do...?
He was already labeled as the kidnapper, so pointing the finger at the guys they fought would probably just get them executed, while doing nothing for him.
Leaving the girl here for them to take wouldn't convince them of his innocence either.
His eyes landed on Yuki and Maria, about to ask them for help in brainstorming. But then another idea entered his head, just by looking at the two.
Yuki and Maria...
"I got it!" Naruto exclaimed, fist-pumping. "I'm gonna head to Kyoto by foot with the kid, for her protection. But the yokai never saw you, so to them...you're just some random people that are not associated with the kidnapping! You two could find the yokai faction leader and get her to stop!"
The hero blinked, considering the idea. It had merit...although she had no idea if the faction leader; the powerful kyuubi known as Yasaka, would listen to them. It was still their best shot if the blond still needed to talk to her.
"Alright then, I'm going to leave and get a head-start. Good luck you two!" Naruto said, turning to leave the car immediately.
"Wait."
The shinobi stopped in his tracks, turning his head to frown at the female human that stopped him.
"What? Are you not satisfied with the plan?"
Yuki said nothing for a moment, yellow eyes stayed locked with blue, neither wavering.
"...Stay safe out there, no matter what."
.
.
.
🎉The novel is available in PDF with more than 400 chapters, visit us in our Ko-Fi store🎉
🎉ko-fi.com/gokublack444🎉