Published at 18th of September 2024 12:43 pm

Chapter 131 Kurama’s Misadventures, Fox in a Ninja’s Body: 4 The Team Mission Fiasco

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Kurama was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, pretending to be Naruto was a full-time nightmare. After surviving the ramen ordeal—twice—he’d thought that at least today would be better. Maybe he’d have a day off, or maybe everyone would leave him alone.

But, of course, the universe had other plans.

As Kurama lazily strolled through the village, still working on his “Naruto swagger,” he suddenly heard a familiar voice shout out his name.

“Oi, Naruto!” It was Kiba, running toward him with Akamaru at his side.

Kurama grimaced. What now?

“Lady Tsunade’s got a mission for Team 7. Kakashi-sensei sent me to find you. Apparently, it’s urgent.”

Kurama groaned inwardly. Of course, it was urgent. “Uh, sure, I’m on my way.”

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At the Hokage’s office, Kurama found himself standing alongside Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Tsunade looked unusually stern as she explained the mission.

“You’ll be escorting a group of merchants through the Land of Fire,” she said. “There’s been a rise in rogue ninja attacks on traveling groups. They’re counting on you to get them to their destination safely.”

Kurama blinked. Escorting merchants? This sounds boring, he thought. “Yeah, we’ve got this,” he said, trying to sound confident.

Tsunade gave him a hard look. “Naruto, I expect you to take this mission seriously.”

Kurama saluted, mimicking something Naruto would probably do. “Of course! Super serious. No problem.”

Sasuke glanced at him, suspicion still lingering in his eyes, but he said nothing.

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The team set out later that day, traveling through the forest with the group of merchants trailing behind them. The path was quiet—too quiet, for Kurama’s liking. He wasn’t used to such stillness. The silence made him uneasy.

Sakura kept glancing at him, probably wondering why he wasn’t running ahead and shouting like Naruto usually did. Sasuke, too, was watching him out of the corner of his eye, clearly skeptical of his unusual behavior.

After an hour of tense walking, Kurama grew bored. He wasn’t cut out for this kind of slow-paced nonsense. To him, escorting humans felt like babysitting, and he hated every second of it.

“Ugh, this is so boring,” he grumbled, kicking a rock along the dirt path. “Can’t something exciting happen?”

Sakura shot him a warning look. “Naruto, we’re on a mission. Focus!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kurama muttered under his breath. “I’m totally focused.”

As they continued walking, the merchants were chatting quietly amongst themselves, while Kakashi led the group ahead, his face buried in his book as usual. Kurama wondered how anyone could read and walk at the same time.

But just when he thought the mission might go off without a hitch, a group of masked rogue ninjas appeared, blocking the path ahead.

Kurama’s heart raced. Finally, some action.

_______________________________________________________________

The rogue ninjas charged without hesitation, and Sasuke was the first to react, darting forward with his Sharingan active. He moved with precision, deflecting kunai and sending one of the attackers flying back with a swift kick.

Kakashi closed his book and sighed. “Guess I’ll have to help too,” he muttered, quickly moving into the fray.

Sakura joined the fight, calling out, “Naruto, come on! Help us!”

Kurama’s eyes narrowed as he considered his options. He couldn’t use Naruto’s usual flashy techniques like the Rasengan or Shadow Clones, not without risking exposing himself. But he couldn’t just stand around either.

What would Naruto do? Kurama thought.

He decided to take the least risky approach and charged into the battle with his fists. How hard can it be to throw a few punches?

But fighting in a human body was harder than he anticipated. His punches were sloppy, his footwork uncoordinated, and his aim... well, let’s just say he punched a tree instead of a rogue ninja at one point.

Sasuke paused mid-fight, glaring at him. “Naruto! What the hell are you doing?”

Kurama grinned sheepishly, rubbing his sore knuckles. “Uh, just... warming up?”

Kakashi, meanwhile, was handling the situation with ease, taking down several rogue ninjas while barely breaking a sweat. Sakura landed a punch that sent one ninja crashing into a boulder, while Sasuke’s precision attacks kept the rest at bay.

Kurama tried his best to keep up, but his movements were sluggish, and it was obvious to everyone that something was off. One of the rogue ninjas even managed to knock him off balance, sending him tumbling into the dirt.

“Damn it,” Kurama muttered as he scrambled back to his feet. I can’t let these brats outshine me!

Sasuke dispatched the last of the enemies with a Chidori, glaring at Kurama as he wiped his hands on his pants. “Naruto, you’re acting like a total idiot today.”

Kurama growled, his pride taking a hit. If only I had access to my full power, I’d show you who’s boss, Uchiha. But instead, he gave a half-hearted shrug. “Just... off my game, I guess.”

Sakura hurried over, looking worried. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you, Naruto?”

Kurama’s eye twitched. Why do humans always assume I’m weak? “I’m fine,” he snapped. “Just a scratch.”

Kakashi gave him a curious glance but said nothing, pulling his book back out as if nothing unusual had happened. “Alright, let’s keep moving. The merchants are waiting.”

_______________________________________________________________

As they continued the mission, Kurama kept his distance, trying to stay out of trouble. He had been exposed—his fighting skills were nothing like Naruto’s, and everyone knew it. He could see the doubt in Sasuke’s eyes, the concern in Sakura’s.

But the worst part was that Kakashi hadn’t said a word about it. That made Kurama more nervous than anything else.

How much longer do I have to keep this up? he thought bitterly. Pretending to be Naruto was becoming more of a headache than he had anticipated.

_______________________________________________________________

By the time they reached the destination, the merchants were safe, and the mission was technically a success. But Kurama knew he had blown it. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were all too sharp. They’d noticed something was wrong.

As they prepared to head back to the village, Sasuke turned to him. “Naruto, we need to talk. You’re not yourself.”

Kurama froze, his heart pounding. “What do you mean? I’m totally fine.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. “You haven’t fought like yourself this entire mission. And you’ve been acting weird for days.”

Kurama felt his pulse quicken. He needed to deflect, fast. “Oh, come on, Sasuke. You’re just mad because I didn’t let you show off.”

Sasuke didn’t look convinced. “I’m not the only one who’s noticed.”

Kurama glanced at Kakashi and Sakura. They were both watching him closely, waiting for an explanation. Damn it, Kurama thought. If I don’t come up with something, they’ll figure out the truth.

Thinking quickly, Kurama laughed. “Alright, alright! You got me. I’ve just been tired. You know, Hokage duties and all. Haven’t been getting much sleep.”

Sasuke frowned but didn’t press the issue further. “You better not hold us back again.”

Kurama smirked. “Don’t worry, Uchiha. Next time, I’ll leave you in the dust.”

_______________________________________________________________

As they made their way back to Konoha, Kurama couldn’t help but feel a small sense of relief. He had managed to survive another day without blowing his cover completely. But the cracks were starting to show, and it was only a matter of time before someone figured out the truth.

I need to get out of this body soon, Kurama thought. Before things really go south.

_______________________________________________________________

***

Kurama’s misadventures continue as his attempts to blend in during a mission with Team 7 nearly lead to disaster. With Sasuke growing more suspicious and Kakashi quietly observing, Kurama realizes that staying hidden is becoming harder than he anticipated.

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