The Cursed Wolf {A Naruto Fanfic} UNDER EDITING!

Chapter 4

Kakashi flicked his gaze between the two creatures, breathing a heavy sigh as he noted idly, "I'm pretty sure you just traumatised Tora, Koyuki." Despite the stern tint to his words, there was a glimmer of amusement in his ebony gaze, a glimmer that earned a sharp snort from the aforementioned shifter.

Sasuke grumbled under his breath, unimpressed by the fearful cat using him as a vantage point. Naruto, however, was enthralled, heaving a heavy, barely suppressed laugh, bemused by the disdain on his teammate's face. The wolf's snort only served to reinforce his hushed giggling fit. Sakura was in a similar position, her shoulders quivering with the effort it took to suppress the shudder of amusement threatening to consume her.

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By the time Team 7 arrived at the Hokage tower, Tora's owner had already begun to smother the painful whines ripping through her. A dark sadistic glint was twinkling in the shifter's gaze as she practically baulked and snarled to herself, 'Hah, the hellspawn deserved it.'

When a sudden gasp echoed behind her, Koyuki was quick to whirl her attention back to her 'team', icy gaze centring in on the baffled blonde gaping at her. Cocking her head to the side curiously, Koyuki flicked her tail inquisitively as Naruto made a move to say something, hesitating for a moment, before closing his mouth once again. Her head tilted sharply to her opposing side this time, a pure wolfish display of confusion. And then, slowly, hesitantly, she heard a faint whisper in her mind, 'Yu-chan....?'

Startled, the shifter couldn't suppress the sharp yelp that erupted from her maw, echoing around the room with a sudden start. The room was shocked into a tense, off-guard, silence. Koyuki blatantly ignored them, her nostrils flaring as her icy gaze widened considerably, her tail frozen mid-sway. Slowly, tentatively, Koyuki called back softly, 'Naru? You can hear me?'

Oceanic gaze widening to their greatest capacity, Naruto began to shift back and forth excitedly, a flicker of awe in his wide eyes as he breathed a shuddering breath. Gulping softly, he called back, louder this time, 'I can! But why?'

Humming softly, the sound vibrating softly before morphing into a low rumbled growl, Koyuki flicked her frozen tail slightly before she suddenly recalled something Ko had barked at her not too long ago. 'When a bond between the alpha and their pack is strong enough, a mental link is formed, one which the alpha has full control over. If you wish to, you can establish a mental connection with a packmate and communicate over extensive distances, which comes in very handy for recall-based tasks. You can also shut them down when you like.' was what he had explained to her once before, an aspect of the bond which had slipped her mind up until now.

Smirking, her lips curling back into the wolfish equivalent of a Cheshire grin, Koyuki echoed back excitedly, 'We have a telepathic ability because of my bond with the Kyuubi no Kitsune, as well as with you. It means we can talk more or less whenever you like, so long as our mental connection remains open.'

Eyes brightening with a childish ecstasy, Naruto practically squealed back, 'This is amazing! How far can we be apart and still talk? Is this weird, talking without moving our mouths? I think it's weird, I've never had anything like this before, have you? Hey, do you think-'

'Naru!' was what the shifter roared back through the link, her mind thrumming with a slowly developing headache, pounding softly with displeasure to the sudden rambling. Naruto blinked owlishly, once, twice, three times before he relented with a sheepish smile, scratching at the back of his head nervously.

Before he could mutter a nervous apology, the Hokage suddenly cleared his throat, the sound croaky, muffled and strained. All attention was on him within a half-second, keen gazes trained to respond to the slightest of movements made by the shinobi veteran.