Return of the Golden Protector

Chapter 3: Love while War

Two years later...

"Again!"

Naruto, age eight and covered in bruises and cuts, looked up terrified at Miko as she looked down at him, a silent, seething anger behind her eyes.

His stomach hurt from just being hit and his eyes filled with fear tears as he could feel the wrath filled chakra inside Miko.

"Lady Miko, I believe the boy has had enough training for the day." Jiraiya interrupted sternly. "This type of training it so much for a mere eight-year-old human."

Ever since Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune were attacked, Jiraiya had not gone on any journeys to keep an eye of Naruto. He would help train Naruto, who took a great liking to Jiraiya, calling him Pervy Sage, much to Jiraiya's dislike.

However, most of Naruto's training came from Miko.

"He is fine." Miko growled at the toad. "Now stand up and assume the stance again Naruto."

Trembling, Naruto stood up, doing as his mother/teacher told him to do, but his legs and arms were shaking as he stood before her.

"Stop shaking." Miko nearly shouted. "You are a human who can use chakra, you can't be acting like a scared child."

"But that is what he is!" Jiraiya snapped, getting tired of this. "Naruto come with me now."

"Jiraiya..." Miko started to say before the master toad sage grabbed the blonde boy and vanished.

Miko clenched her hands before unclenching them, tension leaving her body as she exhaled and left to her room.

Once her door was shut, Miko fell to her knees and started crying.

'I am doing this for his own good.' She thought as she hiccupped. 'He needs to be strong. Naruto is strong, but he can't use that power easily. Despite all that I have put him through, why doesn't he call on that power?'

Outside the door Tamamo listened to her mother cry with her ears lying flat against her head.

She too had been training alongside Naruto, but her training wasn't as bad as Naruto's.

For the last two years, Tamamo had to watch as her mother pushed Naruto hard, sometimes yelling at him to reveal his power.

'What power has her this worked up?' Tamamo wondered before she left to go to Tsunade for her medical training.

She arrived to see Jiraiya there with Shizune as Tsunade healed a trembling and crying Naruto.

Tamamo walked over and when he saw her, he flinched.

"Naru...?" Tamamo asked, saddened he moved from her.

Naruto's eyes were wide and scared.

"It's okay Naruto." Shizune said soothingly. "It's just Tamamo."

Naruto looked up again and saw it was indeed Tamamo.

"Tama?" He asked timidly.

"Naru."

The young kitsune embraced her friend as he started to cry in her arms.

Seeing that he was healed, Tsunade and Jiraiya left the children and Tamamo's training in Shizune's hands for the day as they went upstairs to talk.

"It's getting out of hand." Jiraiya stated as he and Tsunade poured sake.

"I know that." Tsunade answered. "I heal his wounds every day Lady Miko trains him."

"But WHY does she do this?" Jiraiya nearly shouted. "She has no reason to do this to him. He is nothing but a child yet the exercises she uses are meant for adults. Is she trying to kill him?"