Okay, so, yes, I'm a horrible bastard of a person who should learn his lesson…but this HAD to be made! The story cried out for me to help it and I merely answered its cries. If you feel you must kill me for that, then so be it! But seriously, I am sorry, guys, but I have an addiction. Also, my limit is now five stories—no more, no less, so this is the last new one until I have completed a story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.
"So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will fall."
"H-Help!"
"P-Please, my child, he's in there!"
"P-Put out the fires! There are still people inside!"
"Protect the civilians! For now, ignore any collateral damage—all chūnin are to avoid engaging the enemy at all costs! All jōnin are to engage the enemy. Avoid close-combat—stick to long-range attacks! We're Konoha's finest—no matter what, there is no retreat!"
"W…W-What's going on…?"
"G-Grab everything you can—j-just get to the shelter!"
"T-Th…This…c-can't be happening—it can't!"
Panic and chaos flooded the streets of Konoha as a wave of civilians poured down the roads like scampering mice, trampling anything or anyone that got in their way and safety. The lucky few had managed to grab perhaps a handful of their belongings right before the fire that spread from one building to the next hit their own home. The ground shook as explosions rocked the surface of the village, and the screams of agony and fear were deafening as the smoke rose up into the night's sky. Chūnin and genin struggled in vain to control the crowds, the occasional genin being trampled in their mad dash. The entire village it seemed was running like mad to get to the shelter in the Hokage Monument…with the exception of one, weak, small little boy, who was crying to himself in an alleyway.
Uzumaki Naruto was on his way back to the orphanage where he lived when the event that caused all the panic transpired. It had started out as a calm, peaceful day in Konoha—and a good one for Naruto as well, for today was the rare occasion where the kids in the orphanage were allowed to go out into the city. Even if the people always ignored him or glared at him, Naruto still loved to run and explore around the village and see what new things he could find. Naruto had staring up at the twilight sky on the roof of a building he had managed to sneak onto when he saw what he thought must have been the strangest, funniest-looking white bird he'd ever seen. Naruto's eyes widened and he mumbled to himself about how cool it was when he realized that there was a person riding on the bird.
'That's so cool!' Naruto grinned to himself, 'I wanna be able to do cool things like that when I'm a ninja!'
Naruto blinked in confusion when he noticed the man on the bird had thrown something very small from his hands—so small, that Naruto had to focus his eyes and look hard just to keep track of the tiny dot's descent. Naruto hadn't found it to be in the least suspicious then—why would he? It was when it hit the ground that fear entered his heart—it had exploded right in a civilian area. Naruto only stared at the column of smoke silently, his mind racked with confusion and panic as he heard shouts and screams from the streets below followed by more explosions. Then, from his position on the tall building, he could see Konoha's east, west, and north gates were either being blown open or having their supporting walls torn down. It was pure instinct that caused him to run down to ground floor and join the crowd of people already panicking. As usual, the people ignored him, but not out of hate this time, but fear. Naruto fell to the ground in a matter of seconds, though no one stopped to help him up. They ran over him, stepped on him, some even noticed him and still they did not stop. Naruto lay there, face first on the ground, frozen in shock as he felt someone step on his arm and he heard a sickening crack, yet the shock kept him from screaming out in pain. Finally, with his mind still blank, he began to crawl his way to the side of the crowd, still being stepped and trampled on all the way. When he emerged from the side of the flood of people, Naruto found himself in the entrance of an alley, and proceeded to crawl as far back in it as he could. Huddling in the corner, Naruto's eyes looked to the opening of the alleyway, and a cold fear clenched his heart as he did. The crowd was stopped just before they passed the entrance of the alley and were surprisingly quiet. Fear and despair shook in their eyes and forms as they looked at the man in front of them, who Naruto could see was stopping their progression down the street.
He had spiky, orange hair that reminded Naruto of his own and the oddest looking eyes Naruto had ever seen. Those eyes…something about them shook Naruto's very soul, instilled more fear in him than anything he could have possibly imagined…yet he could not look away. The piercings on the man's face, his black cloak with red clouds lining the design, or the headband wrapped around his forehead meant nothing to Naruto—those eyes were the burning image in the back of his mind as he felt his head go light and the blond lost all perception of the world around him. The crowd of terrified people seemed to be in the same shock and broken state as Naruto, as none of them moved, talked, or even attempted to get past the man as his eyes scanned the crowd in front of him.
"…He's not here…" the man mumbled, raising his hand to the crowd, causing them to flinch. Seeing the hand, the people immediately began to turn and run backwards, trampling anyone. Children, parents, teachers, friends, loved-ones—everyone who got in the way of someone else's survival was thrown to the ground and trampled over, being killed in the process. The man glowered at this, his mouth turning into a sickened sneer as he looked at the crowd with fury in his eyes.
"Pathetic filth…" the man growled, "Shinra Tensei!"
Naruto's panic gave way to bewilderment and confusion as the crowd of people went soaring into streets or buildings with such force that their blood splattered the walls and pavement upon collision. Naruto's breath caught in his throat and his head began to spin as the man looked around to survey his work. Would he be found? Killed like the rest? Or something even worse? Suddenly, Naruto felt like he was going to vomit, but refrained from doing so as to stay as silent as possible. The world seemed to freeze as coughing sounded towards the pile of bodies. The man's eyes narrowed as he held out his hand once more. Seeing this, Naruto closed his eyes tightly, opening them once more when he heard the call of "Banshō Ten'in."
Naruto looked to see a young girl who had managed to survive the first assault fly forward towards the man, who grabbed her throat violently and held her closely to his face, forcing her to look him in the eye. The man glared, "Where is the jinchuuriki?"
"M-My m-m-mom…" the girl managed out, turning her eyes away to the pile of corpses.
"The Kyuubi-container—where is it?"
"W-W-Why w-w-would y—"
Apparently, the man had seen that he would get nothing out of the girl, as a black blade extended from the hand he had wrapped around her throat and pierced it. The girl's eyes widened, tears streaming down her eyes and blooding leaking from the corner of her mouth as the blade retracted back into the man's arm. The man tossed her aside apathetically and she fell to the ground like a ragdoll, "Useless."
The man stood there a minute or two…or maybe three—if felt like an eternity to Naruto—before he left, yet his presence hung in the air for what seemed like hours to Naruto before the blond dared to let go of his breath and break into tears. For the next few hours as the sun began to set, Naruto stayed in that position in that alley, the ground shaking as explosions rang out and more crowds of people ran by the alley, as Naruto found himself in his current position.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Naruto lifted his head, his eyes red and puffy with tears still pouring out of them, to see an ANBU member kneeling in front of him—relief rushed into his heart as he saw the dog mask and gravity-defying hair that marked the ANBU as "Inu-san", the one that Jiji always sent to look after and help Naruto. Without thinking twice about it, Naruto jumped at the man and wrapped his arms, ignoring the stinging pain from his left one, around the man's torso, sobbing into his chest. Inu, otherwise known as Hatake Kakashi, patted Naruto's head comfortingly for a moment before looking Naruto in the eye.
"Naruto-san, I need to get you out of here—you're not safe here," Kakashi spoke, his voice taking a serious edge, "Hokage-sama has given me supplies and has ordered me to take you out of the village until it is safe enough to return. Do you understand? We have to leave right now, while the other Jōnin and ANBU are clearing a path for us."
Naruto, shaking terribly, nodded. While he was certainly not against getting out of Konoha at the moment, Kakashi's voice left no room for arguments. Seeing his nod, Kakashi grabbed the boy and leapt to the nearest rooftop, crossed it, and jumped down into an open manhole. Taking off down the sewers, Kakashi ran as fast as he could, Naruto silent the entire way. While calm on the outside, Kakashi was panicked in a way he hadn't been since the Kyuubi attack Konoha—but it wasn't the attack on Konoha that had shaken him up and it wasn't that he knew virtually nothing of the enemy or their capabilities…rather, it was the words of Hiruzen Sarutobi that truly shook Kakashi to his core.
(Flashback)
"Hokage-sama, why have you summoned me now? I need to be out on the field, commanding my squad of ANBU!" Kakashi shouted as he burst through the door. Sarutobi was staring out the window of his office, looking sadly into the distance at the burning buildings and the screaming people. Sarutobi sighed. He had failed not only his village and people, but his predecessors as well. The Shodaime and Nidaime would be rolling in their graves… Sarutobi shook his head—this was no time to be ashamed and he would be damned if he allowed the village to go down without a fight. Turning and walking to Kakashi, the look in his eyes immediately silenced the ANBU Captain.
"I already have the new ANBU, Itachi-kun, commanding your squad, Kakashi-kun. Right now you should not think of that," Sarutobi spoke evenly, "Right now, I am ordering you on a special mission—one of utmost importance that you cannot fail under any circumstances, is that clear?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi bowed deeply.
"This is enough money and supplies to support two people for months without working," Sarutobi said as he handed two scrolls over to Kakashi, "I want you to locate Uzumaki Naruto and take him as far away from the village as possible. Make sure he is with someone strong enough to protect him at all times should something happen to you. Do you understand your mission?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi frowned, "But when can I expect the signal to return to Konoha?"
Sarutobi smiled weakly and moved to look back out the window, never turning to face Kakashi again, "The jōnin, ANBU, and I will buy you at least an hour to find Naruto and leave…and when it is safe to return to Konoha, I will send for you."
"I…" Kakashi fell silent for a moment, his head hung low, "I-I…I understand, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you, Kakashi…" Sarutobi closed his eyes as he felt Kakashi leave the room, before removing his hat and cloak and revealing the battle gear he wore underneath, "Well then, I suppose it is my turn, right, Minato-kun?"
(End Flashback)
Kakashi shook himself from his thoughts and glanced down at Naruto momentarily, still running, "Naruto-san, are you hurt in anyway?"
"…I hurt my arm," Naruto mumbled quietly. Kakashi frowned—he didn't have time to stop and perform first-aid and whether that was the only injury the boy had or the only one the boy knew he had, he couldn't say. For now, Kakashi nodded silently and continued to speed down the sewers, now being very careful of possible enemies. By now, they were deep into the territory that the enemy first attacked and, judging by how Sarutobi wanted Naruto out of the village, they were after the boy. As such, they certainly weren't going to find him above ground, and it would only be a matter of time before they caught on to Sarutobi's plan and searched the sewers and surrounding forests. Kakashi could only hope that the jōnin bought him just another half-hou—
"Man, this is such a pain in the ass. How the hell did we get stuck with this crappy job, anyway?"
"If you're not quiet, Kisame, we won't be able to catch the jinchuuriki. Pein-sama is right—it is safe to assume that the Sandaime has sent at the very least a jōnin to safeguard the boy."
"Ah, whatever, Kakuzu…we didn't tear down the south gate—they're probably headed there, anyway."
"That is why Pein-sama headed there himself, now be quiet—I'll never hear the end of it if the brat got away under our noses…"
Kakashi grimaced as he heard the voices coming from behind him. Had they really caught on that fast? It couldn't have been fifteen minutes! Kakashi calmed himself—Naruto was being completely silent, the enemy was behind them and still didn't know they were there—what's more, they were distracting each other. Very silently, Kakashi carried on with new-found energy, his adrenaline allowing for him to go twice the speed before.
It was about an hour later when Kakashi emerged from the sewers just a quarter mile outside of Konoha's east gate. Panting, Kakashi paused a moment to regain his breath, looking down at the still silent Naruto. Naruto's eyes had dimmed and he was peering past his shoulder to see the flaming buildings of Konoha. Kakashi knew he should say something to the boy, but what could he say? Kakashi sighed, 'Is there anything I even can say that's not a complete lie?'
Unlike the crackling flames and faint screams inside the walls of Konoha, the dark sky and towering trees of Konoha's forest remained untouched, as pristine as there ever were, standing in silent mockery to the massacre going on in front of them. The lush green grass that covered the area almost sickened Kakashi, as did the near unbearable silence of the forest. Kakashi sighed—he had managed to lose the pursuers after hitting a few forks in the sewer tunnels. Being in an area that the enemy didn't expect him to be, a safe—at least for now—distance from Konoha, under the cover of night, and completely winded both mentally and physically, Kakashi figured he could spare at least five minutes of rest before continuing on. Naruto, still quiet and in a trance like state, said nothing as Kakashi moved behind a thicker tree and settled down against it. Kakashi let out a quiet sigh and peaked up at the stars through the branches of the forest…before his eyes widened and he jumped away from the tree just in time to avoid having his head taken off.
"Damn…almost got away from us, didn't you? Lucky for us, Samehada could smell your chakra a mile away."
"You missed, Kisame! Now that he knows we're here, this is just going to get annoying."
"Shut the hell up, Kakuzu…he won't last long."
Naruto didn't bother to look at either Kisame or Kakuzu, he was far more entranced by the flames turning his home to ashes just within his view. The world around him might as well not have existed at this point. He could feel Inu-san move and dodge around a bit as the one called "Kisame" swung something at him and the other called "Kakuzu" stood back and berated Kisame for taking too long, but that was all that registered with him. He would hear groans or grunts as Kisame was hit or Kakashi was hit and the occasional blood flew into the air and sometimes splashed onto him, but it didn't matter—the sounds of screams in the village were far more important.
Kakashi, however, was far more focused on the fight than the destruction of his home—he hadn't anticipated going up against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist while completely exhausted and carrying Naruto. He could completely see why they were hailed as the greatest swordsmen in Kirigakure—every movement was precise and accurate, not wasteful at all and the blade of the sword always shot or extended to just as far as it could get without leaving its wielder open for an attack. By now, his armor had been cracked and torn away, and he could feel the blood loss affecting him from the two deep gashes he had on his arm and back, reminders of how he learnt that his opponents sword doesn't cut—"it shaves." Kakashi glared at the one called Kakuzu—he was the bigger problem here. At first, he appeared lazy, disinterested, and apathetic, but it was clear that Kakuzu was waiting for Kisame to force Kakashi to let go of Naruto, when he would have the chance to snatch the boy up and leave Kisame to kill Kakashi. If there was one of them, he could simply run away, but with two of them, they would catch him in no time. Kakashi calmed his mind once more—this was a losing battle. His mission was not to stop, the enemy, not to kill them, and not to protect himself—it was to save Naruto. And there was only one option left that would protect Naruto at this point.
Kakashi allowed Kisame to score another gash on his side as he retracted his free arm he would have used to block it in favor of grabbing a smoke bomb from his pouch. Throwing it down, Kakashi quickly created two clones that leapt out of the smoke first, charging off in two different directions and, while the smoke still covered the field, Kakashi quickly formed the seals needed for Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu (Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique) and burrowed his way underground, where he waited silently and tried his best to conceal his chakra.
"…Damn, those were Kage Bunshin—Samehada can't smell out which was the real one, they have even chakra…" Kisame grumbled.
"You take one, I'll take the other—whichever one of us finds them, kill the jōnin and take the container back to Pein-sama," Kakuzu replied.
"Yeah, yeah…" Kisame sighed.
Kakashi waited a moment and, not hearing their banter anymore, emerged from the ground. Kakashi checked Naruto quickly for wounds from the fight and, seeing none, then checked over his own wounds. He winced. There were four large gashes—on his back, arm, side, and leg—all of which were bleeding badly. His head felt light and the world around him began to spin as he felt more blood leave him. Shaking his head and focusing on the task ahead, Kakashi began to limp in a different direction than his clones, 'No time for first-aid…'
The already dark night was growing far dimmer for Kakashi as his eyes wailed in agony for rest. Naruto, being exhausted from the day, had by now fallen asleep. It took Kakashi about an hour to find his way to the main road, and by now, he was about two miles away from Konoha, still limping his way through the darkness. By now, Kisame and Kakuzu had realized the trick he pulled, and must have been on his trail for awhile now—it was only a matter of time before they caught up to him.
"A-Are you alright?"
Kakashi looked up to see a man running towards him, and he glared, "S…Stop…don't take another step…until you tell me who you are…and what you are doing here."
The man stopped in his tracks, surprise evident on his face as well as concern. He had short, sand-white hair that was slightly spiked up and tanned skin. Over his warm, chocolate-brown eyes that were filled with confusion were a pair of glasses that reflected the moon's light. He was dressed in formal attire—a grey suit with a black tie and white dress-shirt, with matching pants and dress-shoes. Despite his apparent confusion, the man answered, "I-I'm Takahata Takamichi and I've been traveling around this past month. More importantly, are you alright? You're injured."
'…No—the enemy wouldn't bother tricking me at this point…they'd just kill me flat out and take Naruto,' Kakashi motioned for Takahata to come closer, and when he was close enough, he motioned to Naruto, "Are…Are you strong, Takahata-san?"
"A-Am I strong?" Takahata blinked in confusion, "I suppose so, but that's not what's important right now—we have to get your wounds taken care of!"
Kakashi shook his head weakly, "P-Please, t-take this boy…His…His name is Naruto…and he's in trouble. I…I need you to raise…him and protect him. Make sur…sure he is strong…please…Takahata-san…"
Takahata looked into Kakashi's eye for a moment. Sadness, regret, hope, urgency, defeat, tiredness, loss, despair, and the dying will of a strong man swirled around to create a mix of emotions that Takahata had only seen once before. Coming out of his thoughts, Takahata nodded slowly, accepting Naruto gently from Kakashi, "What about you?"
"…O…Our village…I-I have to…return to it…and help…" Kakashi breathed heavily, "G…Get as far away from…here as possible…"
"…I understand. What is your name?" Takahata asked.
"…Hatake Kakashi," Kakashi nodded.
"I will remember it, Hatake-san," Takahata spoke, "And I will make sure he remembers as well."
That said, Takahata turned and disappeared into the night down the road, leaving Kakashi standing there. Kakashi wasn't sure how much longer it had been when both Kisame and Kakuzu emerged from the tree line, but by now, Takahata and Naruto were long gone.
"You damn bastard…" Kisame growled, gripping Samehada tightly, "I'll tear you apart for that."
Kakashi removed his ANBU mask and smiled.
Kakuzu glared at him in fury, "Where is the jinchuuriki?"
Kakashi laughed.
"Where is that brat?" Kisame roared.
Kakashi, still laughing, began to shake his head. And, as Kisame rushed towards him with Samehada drawn, Kakashi broke out into a grin. He wasn't sure quite why he was so happy. By all means, he should have been wallowing in despair by now. But looking back at his life, and remembering the people he had been lucky enough to meet and knowing that tonight, he may have just atoned to Obito…Kakashi couldn't help but smile the biggest smile he had ever had in his life. And with a smile on his face, Hatake Kakashi died.
Naruto awoke with a start, instantly shooting up from the ground. Looking around, he found himself lying out on a lush field of grass in a clearing in the woods, the night's sky almost giving way to dawn as the chirping of crickets flooded the area. His broken arm was now protected by a make-shift splint and his dirty white shirt and green shorts had been washed for him and lay drying next to him. Looking around, he found a campfire not three feet away from him, with a man cooking some freshly caught fish over it. The man turned to look at Naruto and grinned upon seeing him, "Oh, I see you're up—that's good! Why don't you come over here by the fire and have something to eat? You must be hungry."
It was true—Naruto was starving. Hunger won out over confusion in Naruto's mind as he grabbed his shirt and pants, slipped them on, and walked over by the fire and accepted the fish handed to him, munching away on it quietly. After one or two bites, Naruto lowered the fish from his mouth, tears threatening to overspill from his eyes, "M…Mister…where's Inu-san? Where's Jiji? Where's Ayame-nee and Teuchi-jiji?"
"…I'm sorry—I don't know," Takahata smiled sadly, rubbing Naruto's head in comfort, "…I'm not quite sure what happened to your home… Your name is Naruto, right?"
Naruto, tears falling over his face, nodded.
"Well, Naruto-kun, I'm afraid you can't go back to your home for awhile now…Do you know what happened to your parents?"
Naruto hiccupped, "I…I don't have any…I l-lived in the orphanage all my l-life…"
"I see. Well, Naruto, my name is Takahata Takamichi," Takahata grinned at the boy, "And I would be honored if you'd let me adopt you, then."
Naruto's tears stopped flowing and he looked to the man in shock and surprise. Adopt him? While he lived in the village, no one had spared him a passing glance, let alone spoke or even thought of adopting him. Yet, this stranger…this person he hadn't even known for a single day, without any reason to want to… Naruto rubbed his eyes, "W…Why would you want to adopt someone like me?"
"Why wouldn't I want to, Naruto-kun?" Takahata smiled, "I know right now you're alone and I can't imagine what you've gone through or seen today…but I want to help you. I promise I won't let you be alone. I made a promise to a good man that I would raise you, and I intend to keep it—for both his memory and your future. That is, if you'd let me."
Naruto was silent a moment—he had a lot to take in for a three-year-old. Just today, he had witnessed death first hand, and had come so close to experiencing it. His home was gone, and judging from the fact that he didn't see Inu-san anywhere, as much as the idea scared and hurt him, he was afraid that maybe…Inu-san and Jiji were gone, too. Naruto felt tears return to his eyes, 'Jiji…I need you right now. You always were so nice to me…you always acknowledged me…please…what should I do…?'
"Naruto, always remember this—people cannot live alone. Without friends or family to support someone, they will fall into darkness. Even if at times you are lost and having nothing left, always seek the help of those who truly care for you and you will not be disappointed."
Naruto blinked as Sarutobi's words came back to him—that was what the old man had answered when Naruto had blurted out how he hated the people in the village. Nodding his head and turning back to Takahata, Naruto wiped his eyes one more time before grinning, "I…I'd like it if you'd adopt me…Takahata-san!"
Takahata grinned and ruffled Naruto's hair a bit, "I won't let you down, Naruto-kun. C'mon—let's get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."
"Journey? Where are we going?" Naruto blinked.
"We're going to head to your new home tomorrow, Naruto-kun."
Takahata smiled lightly to himself as he looked out the window at the grounds of Mahora Academy. The sakura trees were in full bloom, the buildings and cobblestone sidewalks of Mahora were in perfect condition, and students were flooding the streets in an attempt to make it to school on time for the first day of the new school year. It had been eleven years since he adopted Naruto… Takahata chuckled to himself and whistled, 'Eleven years already…but it's kind of sad—Naruto-kun isn't a kid anymore…'
At first, it had been awkward trying to be a parent for Takahata—he just wasn't quite sure what to do. He went through his first year of parenting bumbling and stumbling and learning from his mistakes and successes, with Naruto grinning and laughing all the way. It was at the end of the first year, when Naruto began calling him "otousan" and referring to himself as Takahata Naruto that Takahata truly started becoming a good parent—in his own opinion. If one asked Naruto, you'd hear that Takahata was the greatest parent right from the very beginning. Training-wise, Naruto took to everything Takahata had to offer, with some trouble when he learned that Naruto, instead of possessing magic or ki, had something similar to kankahō, chakra, as Naruto said it was called. That boundary was relatively quickly overcome by the boy and he continued to soar to new heights Takahata never expected. Naruto loved Mahora Academy, too, pledging to protect it and everyone there with everything he had, which resulted in—
*BZZT—Attention all students, we of Mahora Academy would like to offer you your first "Welcome Back" of the year. Also, as a message from the Mahora Disciplinary Committee Head Takahata Naruto-san, he would like to remind everyone that no excuses will be accepted for anyone who is late today.*
Takahata chuckled as he watched the returning students on the roads freeze in fear before doubling their efforts to get to class on time while first-year students looked on in confusion at the panic. Naruto's love of Mahora had led to him proposing and creating the "Mahora Disciplinary Committee", of which Naruto was the leader and only member. Using the skills he developed in training and a few years' time, Naruto and the Mahora Disciplinary Committee had managed to become the most feared force in the Academy, at least double that of the fear caused by Nitta, with the help of what the students dubbed "Discipline Mode", the scariest thing the students had ever seen in their lives. He had also managed to win over quite the few hearts and friends from the female population, not that Naruto ever recognized it—in fact, Naruto's friends were all female, now that Takahata thought about it.
"I hate kids!"
"H-Hey, p-p-put me down!"
"Asuna, if you get Naruto-kun angry again, he'll—"
Takahata looked down to see Kagurazaka Asuna lifting Negi Springfield into the air, with Konoe Konoka trying to calm the girl down. Takahata chuckled a bit—Negi was never good with first impressions.
"Asuna-chan, set Negi-kun down!" Takahata called down to them.
Asuna looked up and blushed, "T-T-Takahata-sensei!"
"Good morning, Takahata-sensei!" Konoka waved cheerfully.
"Takamichi! Long time no see!" Negi called happily, "Where's Naru-nii?"
"It has certainly been awhile, Negi-kun—I guess I should call you Negi-sensei, right?" Takahata laughed, "Welcome to Mahora Academy—nice place, isn't it? As for Naruto, I'm sure he's out terrifying the freshmen."
"Y-Y-You know each other?" Asuna shouted, turning to Negi in shock.
"Eh? Sensei?" Konoka blinked.
"That's right…" Negi nodded, bowing slightly, "I am going to be teaching English at this school this year. My name is Negi Springfield and—"
Negi was cut off by an odd sight—a freshman boy flying through the air over them and crashing into the third floor window. Seeing this, Takahata sighed, Asuna grimaced, and Konoka giggled a bit—all three knowing exactly who was to blame for the property damage. Negi blinked in confusion and turned to Takahata to ask his question, only to find Takahata motioning for him to turn around. Negi did, and found another figure approaching—a blond one. The blond had tanned skin and striking sapphire eyes, however, the distinguishing feature was the three whisker marks that sat on either side of his deep scowl as he stomped his way over to the group, his black shoes smacking against the pavement. He wore a pure white, button-up shirt with the top three buttons undone, over which he had on a solid black gakuran jacket that hung on his shoulders, his arms shoved in the pockets of his black pants rather than in the sleeves of the gakuran jacket. On the empty right sleeve of the jacket was an armband with kanji for "Mahora Disciplinary Committee" stitched on to it, held to the sleeve by a single safety-pin. His eyes shot to the broken window and he removed one hand from his pocket and cupped it by his mouth, "I won't be so lenient next time I catch you trying to ditch class, understand? You break the rules, I break you!"
Konoka giggled, "And yet another freshman experiences Naruto-kun's 'Discipline Mode'."
Negi's eyes lit up with joy as he saw Naruto approach, "Naru-nii! It's been so long!"
"Hm?" Naruto looked over to see Negi running at him with his arms stretched out and immediately grinned, "Negi!"
Grabbing his little brother figure into a hug, Naruto grinned as Negi laughed happily before stepping back and ruffling Negi's hair a bit, "You've gotten a bit taller, haven't you?"
"Hey, I've grown up since you last saw me!" Negi pouted. Naruto laughed until he heard a cough. Turning, he found a waving Konoka and an annoyed Asuna, who refused to look him in the eye. Naruto glared at Asuna, smirking, "Oi, you aren't flirting with my otousan, are you?"
Asuna blushed, her glare intensifying, "W-What's it to you, runt? Are you jealous or something?"
Naruto's glare met hers evenly, "Hardly! Student-teacher relationships are against the rules, and I will never allow a single one in Mahora…what's more, you've gotta be kidding if you think I'd ever let you even try to date Taka-otou!"
"You and you're stupid rules! If Takahata-sensei wasn't here, I'd so…"
Negi and Konoka sweat-dropped as they watch the pair argue back and forth, both of them completely lost in their argument and ignoring the world around them. Negi scratched the back of his head and turned to Konoka after a minute of arguing, "Is she Naru-nii's girlfriend?"
Konoka giggled, "No, not yet, but they do really care for each other!"
"NO, WE DON'T!" Naruto and Asuna shouted in unison, both turning their heads to glare at Konoka at the same time before going back to their argument.
"What? You don't?" Takahata laughed lightly as he walked over to the group, "If I remember correctly, you two, Konoka-chan, and Nodoka-chan used to play together all the time when you all barely came up to my knee."
"T-That was a long time ago!" Asuna shouted.
Naruto glared darkly, "Ancient history."
"A-Anyway, what was that about Negi being a sensei?" Konoka broke in, trying to ease the tension between her friends.
"That's right," Takahata smiled, "Negi-sensei here will be taking my place as your English and Homeroom sensei this year. Don't worry though, he's really quite smart."
"R-R-Replacing you?" Asuna shouted as her world began to come crashing down around her, her dying dreams of being close to her crush being accompanied by the melodious sound of Naruto's laughter, "Y-Y-You gotta be kidding, Takahata-sensei! He said that my lo—er, he was really rude to me just a moment ago!"
"Eh? Whatever he said, I'm sure it's completely accurate…" Naruto commented, smirking.
Asuna shot a quick death-glare at him, but didn't risk saying anything right in front of Takahata-sensei, "A-Anyway, I can't accept this!"
Negi glared lightly at Asuna, "B…But it's true!"
Asuna glared and grabbed Negi by the collar, shaking him, "It's not true! I hate kids—especially annoying little brats like you!"
"I…a…a…" Negi opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.
"Oi, put him down," Naruto glared at the red-head, his anger bubbling to the surface, "I won't allow students to bully a teacher!"
Asuna stopped shaking Negi and set him on the ground in front of her, her hands now pulling her hair in frustration at her childhood friend, "I've had it up to here with your stupid rules! Even when we were kids, you always ruined everything for the rest of us with your damn rules! For once in your damn life, will you shut up about rules?"
"A…a…ah…" Negi started to blink funny.
"I honestly don't give a crap if you're sick of me following the rules. I honestly don't care if I ruined your little fun when you were a brat," Naruto's glare darkened, "I am going to protect Mahora. Unlike you, I learn from the past."
Asuna snorted, "Protect Mahora? What do you think is going to happen, you idiot? Who do you think is going to attack a freaking academy?"
Takahata shot a worried glance towards Naruto at this. Naruto's form tensed and the rage and fury in his eyes boiled over to a point where Takahata could already tell that his son was just barely restraining himself. That was one thing Takahata never managed to do and it was one of his biggest regrets in his life thus far—he had never been able to get Naruto to talk about what had happened that day in his village. Whatever had happened, whatever Naruto saw, and whatever Naruto went through had been locked inside him, and it had culminated in his obsession with protecting his home and friends at all costs.
"If you knew…" Naruto growled.
"Asuna…" Konoka called out, worry evident in her eyes as she looked back and forth between her two arguing friends.
"That's another thing! You're always like that—keeping secrets from everyone else even though you say that they're your friends!" Asuna roared, "Half the time, I don't even know what's going on in that dense little head of yours!"
"Keeping secrets from my friends? Yeah, I guess I do that a lot…" Naruto looked Asuna in the eyes, anger giving way to disgust mixed with curiosity, "But do you even consider us friends anymore?"
"ACHOO!" Negi sneezed, causing a large gust of air to shoot forward. The force behind the wind was strong, Naruto noted…just strong enough to blow off Asuna's uniform and leave her standing in her underwear in front of her friend, new teacher, ex-friend, and crush. Her resulting scream of embarrassment shattered the window next to the one Naruto broke. Negi looked around him, blushing in embarrassment. Konoka was trying to gather Asuna's clothes, Takamichi was looking in anywhere other than Asuna, Asuna was blushing and covering herself up, and Naruto…well, Naruto's reaction was a mix between a shy, blushing little kid and a raging demon. While a blush worked its way across his cheeks, he still was sending a death stare at Negi. Naruto walked over and kneeled next to Negi, whispering in his ear while everyone was too distracted to notice.
"Negi, you don't have your powers down pat, I understand that…but forcing someone to break the dress code along with what can be considered harassment…it's unforgivable," Naruto's expression turned dark as he muttered the last few words, "You may be my little brother…but no one is above the rules, got it?"
"G-Got it, Naru-nii!" Negi shook his head quickly.
Naruto's dangerous expression instantly changed back into the happy-go-lucky face of the Naru-nii that Negi was familiar with, "Great! You should probably go see Konoemon-sama to let him know you made it. I'll try to meet up with you again later, so don't start causing trouble."
"R-Right!" Negi nodded as Naruto turned and walked off, offering a wave over his shoulder as his goodbye.
Takahata sighed before breaking out into a grin, "That kid just can't sit still, can he?"
"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?" Asuna roared from her position as Konoka finished retrieving her clothes, a heavy blush still present on her face.
"Um…about what happened early…do Naru-nii and Asuna-san not get along well?" Negi looked to Konoka with curiosity brimming from his eyes. Currently, Konoka and Asuna were tasked with the job of leading Negi to the principal's office. Asuna was stomping down the hall ahead of them, still too caught up in her anger to listen to their conversation, muttering about "dumb blonds". Konoka sighed, sending a sad look towards Asuna.
"Well…we all used to be good friends and played together every day," Konoka answered, "I don't know what happened between those two. One day, they just stopped talking to each other all together. I'm really sorry you got caught up in their argument this morning—it's been building up for a little while now. Honestly, I'm surprised it only went as far as it did."
'Those two were friends? Somehow, I can't picture it…' Negi frowned, 'But it has been a while since Takamichi and Naru-nii visited us in Wales…maybe…has Naru-nii changed? Or did Asuna-san do something? Takamichi was acting kind of weird when he talked about Naru-nii, too…'
"Negi-sensei? Are you alright?" Konoka shook Negi's shoulder a bit to drawl his attention, "You're spacing out…"
"O-Oh, sorry, Konoka-san!" Negi smiled, "I was just thinking a bit, that's all."
Asuna shot a glare back at Negi, momentarily snapping out of her anger, "Hey, brat, we're here."
Negi looked to the double, oak doors in front of him. This would officially mark the beginning of his training to become a first-class mage. Steeling his nerves, Negi stepped into the room behind Asuna and Konoka.
"…Damn it!" Naruto growled to himself as he patrolled the streets of Mahora, his glaring eyes quickly scanning the areas around him for any students that might be skipping class—yet another duty of the Mahora Disciplinary Committee that omitted him from a few classes. His fight with Asuna had left him angrier than he had first thought, and so far he had not yet found a proper vent for his rage.
"Well, look what we have here! How's it going, Shikei? Kill anyone today?"
Naruto turned to find a group of several delinquents standing behind him, each armed with either a metal bat or a pipe. They grinned at Naruto, a dangerous look coming into each other their eyes. One of the goons stepped forward, pointing his bat at Naruto, "Remember us, idiot?"
"Not particularly," Naruto stated with a bored look on his face.
"We're all members of the gangs you ousted last year! Because of a punk like you, we all got suspended and couldn't graduate!" another one snarled.
Reaching into his pocket and flipping out a knife, another grinned, "Well, this time we'll make sure you remember our names! I'll carve them into your ski—"
Simultaneously, all seven thugs fell to the ground, out cold. Naruto sighed, rubbing his fist, "Idiots…no one else remembers the names of bugs they smash, so why should I?"
"It seems that you're getting stronger, Naruto-kun. Maybe you are a suitable partner after all? I wonder-ne…"
Naruto's frown deepened as he was hugged from behind, "Chao-senpai, you're supposed to be in class."
Chao Lingshen pouted, letting go of Naruto and taking a step back, "So mean~! Is that anyway to greet your future partner?"
"I don't have any interest in a pactio with anyone—I told you this," Naruto sighed, looking away from Chao's puppy-stare. Naruto had met Chao just a few years ago, and it took him quite awhile to stop having nosebleeds whenever the vibrant girl decided to tease him—which happened often. It had been about a week after knowing her that he had found out that she was a mage, or at the very least, magically-aware, and the girl had sworn him to secrecy to anyone, even other mages. Why? Naruto had absolutely no idea, but she was his friend, and he always kept promises to friends.
"You won't say that forever! Soon my cute little kohai will grow into a handsome adult! Besides, shouldn't you be in class too-ne?" Chao smiled.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and began down the street once more, "I'm excused, unlike you, so get to class already."
"We're getting a new sensei today, you know. I wonder what he'll be like…" Chao spoke, ignoring Naruto's previous comment and following him.
"That would be my little brother, so go to class and meet him," Naruto stopped, peered into an alley to check for more delinquents, and continued down the road.
"Eh? You have a little brother, my adorable kohai?" Chao questioned, surprise evident on her face, "Why didn't you tell me-ne?"
"You never asked. Now please go back to class," Naruto responded.
"If I was anyone else, you'd have shown me that scary "Discipline Mode" of yours by now, my sweet kohai. I wonder if this special treatment is just another way of showing your love for me-yo?" Chao teased, pinching Naruto's cheek as she stepped up beside him.
Naruto blushed slightly, pushing her hand away, "Hardly. We're friends—I won't use that against you."
Chao grinned happily, enveloping Naruto's head into her chest, "Aw~! You really do care, my lovely kohai! You've been so distant lately, I thought you might have lost interest in me~!"
Naruto blushed bright red, his arms flailing around in an attempt to push Chao's body away from him, "W-W-What a-are you talking a-about, i-idiot?"
Chao giggled and snuggled Naruto tighter, "You're so cute when your shy, my handsome kohai-ne!"
Naruto finally managed to get out of his senpai's tight grip and, still blushing, turned his head to the sky and refused to look Chao in the eye, "S-Stop doing things like that! Honestly…Kazumi almost printed a story about us because you keep doing stuff like that, you know…"
"How did a shy little kitten like you get a scary epithet like 'Shikei'? Death penalty…what a scary nickname-ne!" Chao remarked, smiling wider, "Still, it just proves that you're strong enough to be my future partner!"
"I thought I told you that I don't—forget it," Naruto sighed, his shoulders slumping while Chao grinned behind him.
"See? It's much better if you just accept things, Naruto-kun," Chao said, "Now, where are we going, Naruto-kun?"
"We're going to your class," Naruto answered, not pausing as he heard Chao's groan, "I may not use "Discipline Mode" or whatever you guys call it, but I will still enforce the rules, Chao-senpai."
Chao pouted for a second before grinning and hugging Naruto from behind, whispering into his ear, "You know, Naruto-kun, if we go back together like this, Asakura-san might ask me what we were doing together that made me late…and I don't know what I'd tell her if I have to go to class. Understand, Na-ru-to-kun~?"
Naruto blushed heavily once more and shrugged out of the girl's arms, "…Where to?"
"Let's go to the park-ne!" Chao grinned happily, grabbing Naruto's arms as she dragged him onto her rightfully black-mailed date.
"Geez…that girl…" Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way down the street. By the time Chao had let him out of her grasp, school had ended, effectively ruining his hunt for students who had skipped class. Looking up, Naruto blinked when he saw another of his friends, Miyazaki Nodoka, walking down the road with a large stack of books in her hands. Walking at a bit of a faster pace than his friend, Naruto was able to catch up to her in seconds.
"You're just going to drop them if you carry too many, Nodoka-chan," Naruto spoke up. Nodoka jumped in surprise, letting out a small gasp. The books in her hands would have toppled, had Naruto not grabbed her shoulders to help her regain her balance. Once the books and her heart had settled from the surprise, she turned to Naruto with a weak pout on her face.
"Naruto-kun, don't sneak up on me like that!" Nodoka spoke, directing a light glare towards her friend. Naruto chuckled a bit and took the tall stack of books from her hands, walking further down the street before she could protest. Naruto knew of Nodoka's shyness—in fact, he had experienced it for the first few years of knowing her—but, that was one of the benefits of knowing someone for as long as they knew each other—Nodoka was no longer shy around Naruto.
"To Library Island, right? Just leave it to me, Nodoka-chan!" Naruto grinned as Nodoka ran up next to him.
"N-Naruto-kun, I don't have time to play games now," Nodoka protested, "I have a party to get to and I need to drop those off quickly!"
"Well, then you go and I'll make the delivery for you," Naruto replied, "You said you're in a hurry and I have nothing better to do, so it works out, right? Go have fun."
Nodoka paused a moment, considering Naruto's words, before look him in the eye with varying levels of suspicion, "You'll get them there safely, right? You have a habit of getting into trouble, Naruto-kun."
"I'll guard them with my life," Naruto smiled.
Nodoka smiled warmly in return, turning in the opposite direction, "Thank you, Naruto-kun! I promise I'll hang out with you Sunday!"
"Yeah, yeah, just get going," Naruto smirked as he watched Nodoka run off before turning and walking down the street, a kick in his step. Naruto had always loved to be in Nodoka's presence—she was kind, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and polite, always followed the rules and showed proper respect to those who deserved it—in other words, the perfect student, in addition to being a great friend. Naruto sighed as his pace slowed. Konoka, Asuna, Nodoka—his first friends that he had known for so long had either already or were slowly drifting away. While he knew she meant well and didn't intend it to be, Naruto knew Nodoka's promise to hang out with him would turn into an empty one. She had other friends now, club activities, and school work—that short run-in right now was the first he had seen of her in a week.
'I sound like an idiot…' Naruto sighed once more. He knew he was just being selfish—Nodoka was just too busy lately, as was Konoka. Asuna… Naruto shook his head. Never again. That was what he promised himself after their…falling out. He spent most of his days with Chao, which was very enjoyable, but he it didn't keep him from missing his other friends at the same time.
'Maybe Asuna's right…am I too caught up on rules? Should I even bother trying to protect this place?' Naruto frowned as he began to walk down a flight of steps that led to a small plaza, in the center of which was an ornate water fountain. Naruto froze. That day—that man—those eyes…it all came rushing back to him in a memory he never wanted to remember. He had tried his best to move on, to forget, but it just wasn't possible. Naruto thought about it every now and then and it always had the same effect…Naruto's knees buckled and his breath turned shallow, he felt the world around him get dizzy, and he felt himself toppling off the sides of the stairs, the books going into the air.
"Naru-nii!"
"W-What?"
"…Where am I?" Naruto groaned, sitting up and opening his eyes. As he waited for his eyes to adjust to the light, he could hear someone enter the room. When he finally began to look around, he noticed that he was in the infirmary of Mahora Academy, resting in one of the many beds that lined the bleach white walls and tiled floors. Judging from the skyline outside, the sun was just near setting, suggesting that he had been here for maybe a half-hour. Takahata had entered the room, pulling up a chair next to Naruto's bed.
"Well, I'm not sure you need me to tell you, but you're in the infirmary," Takahata answered, putting out a cigarette, "Now, I would very much like to know why you are in the infirmary."
"The books…" Naruto looked around the room frantically, searching in vain for Nodoka's books.
"They were returned to Nodoka and she delivered them herself—she's very worried about you," Takahata smiled, "But Naruto, this is the second time this has happened in two months. I need you to tell me what's wrong."
"Shouldn't Shizuna-sensei know?" Naruto laid back into his pillow and refused to meet his father's gaze.
"She says you're in perfect physical health—that the only thing she can imagine is that there might be something wrong with your mental health," Takahata frowned, leaning forward to try and meet Naruto's gaze, "Naruto, this is serious. I know it may be tough, but I need you to tell me what is bothering you."
"…"
"Naruto," Takahata's frown deepened, "I'm your father—I worry about you. If for no other reason, if you don't think anything of the burden you're placing on yourself, then please try and ease the burden that you've put on everyone who cares about you. Please, tell me what's wrong."
Naruto's fists clenched to the point that he nearly drew blood, "…I'm sorry, but I can't talk about it."
"…I see…" Takahata sighed. Standing and walking over to the doorway, Takahata paused a moment, "Shizuna-sensei would like to keep you here for a couples of hours in case you blackout again. I've already given my consent. That won't be a problem, right?"
"No."
"Good. Sleep for a bit, Naruto, and if you feel better, try and join everyone at the party upstairs—it might cheer you up a bit."
The door shut behind him.
Naruto sighed, rubbing his forehead. Naruto didn't know why he refused to talk about it…ever since he was little, the memory was just marked as taboo in his mind. Was it force of habit? Did he think something would change if he talked about what he saw that day? Did he think they would come for him at the mention of their presence? Naruto grabbed his hair in frustration.
"Why can't I just get a damn answer?" Naruto sighed, "Just what am I even doing? Pretending that it never happened? Is that anyway to remember Kakashi-san? To remember Jiji? Why am I even trying to forget?"
"Maybe you're just insane?"
Naruto's head shot up as he felt someone sit on the end of his bed. He couldn't tell exactly what had decided to grace him with its presence—any light that seemed to reach for it died before it could, leaving Naruto with his view of a dark, indescribable mass of shadows that seemed to form in the shape of a person about his height.
"W-Who are you?"
"…Good question. My best guess would be that I might be you? But then I have no idea what I'm talking about, anyway. Do you? Know what you're talking about, I mean," the figure replied back.
"Stop playing around! Who are you and what are you doing here?" Naruto shouted, grasping the sheets of his bed and sitting straight up.
"Stopping yelling already, geez. If I knew what I was, I'd tell you, got it?" the figure replied, "It's your messed up little head, not mine."
"My…head?" Naruto blinked.
"Do we really have to go through this whole explanation thing? Look, you're dreaming—or maybe you're just crazy—maybe both, but that's beside the point," the figure got up and moved to the doorway, opening it. As it did, water began to flood in from the hallway, which now appeared to be something close to a very large sewer system. The figure hesitated to go out into the sewer and turned back to Naruto, "Well, are you coming or not?"
Naruto sighed. He was dreaming. At some point during his talk with Takamichi or right afterwards, he had fallen asleep. Pulling the covers over his head, he silently wished for the annoying dream to end while replying, "Just go by yourself."
"Can't," the figure shot back, sitting on Naruto's bed again, "There're a lot of scary things out there—I'm too afraid to go by myself…why don't we just talk?"
"…Whatever."
"Okay…um…oh, have you made up with Asuna yet?"
"No."
"Well, have you talked to Nodoka or Konoka about how you want to spend more time with them?"
"No."
"…Have you told Takahata about the incident?"
"No—are you just here to remind me of my failures?"
"I'm not here for anything…I think," the figure replied, "Why are you here?"
"Like I'd know."
"If that's the case, why do you think I'd know why I'm here?"
"…"
"Now you're just dodging my questions, aren't you, Naruto?"
"…"
"Are you just gonna mope around alone?"
"How can I be alone if you're here?"
"Am I here?" the figure replied, "This is a dream, isn't it?"
"…I don't know. Just go away."
"…Man, you're a real downer, you know that?"
"You just keep asking me questions and when I answer, you respond with another question," Naruto threw the covers off his head to look at the figure, "If you don't have anything better to do, than just let me wake up."
"I don't know how I would do that…why are you asking me, anyway? Do you normally rely on others so much?"
"…"
"Would you say you're a strong guy?"
"I don't know."
"Strong enough to face those guys who attacked Konoha?"
"No."
"Then why don't you get strong enough?"
"Just shut up."
"If it's not "just go away", it's "just shut up", huh? Well, fine."
"…"
"Hey, Naruto, did you know ninety-percent of people forget their dreams?"
"So?"
"When you wake up, don't forget me, alright?"
"What if I don't want to remember?"
"That's just selfish—erasing my existence just to make your life a little easier."
"Do you have an existence to forget?"
"…Good question. Do I?"
Naruto sighed.
"…I think that's all the time I have for tonight, Naruto."
"Good."
"I'll be waiting until the next time we meet."
Naruto sat up and looked around. The setting sun was now peaking through the window of the infirmary, falling across the room and illuminating it. Naruto looked around—no odd figure in sight, no water on the floor—just the normal infirmary. He had fallen asleep for maybe ten minutes and figured that Shizuna-sensei or Ako-senpai, the nurse and nurse-assistant, would be in to check on him in an hour or so. Standing up, Naruto walked over to the door and opened it. No sewers—just a normal hallway. Sighing, he left the room.
Naruto walked down the halls, lost in his thought. Where was he going? He didn't know—he guessed he would eventually head up to that party, but even then, he wasn't sure what he would say when he got there. As he began to walk down a stairwell that past by a large window, revealing the twilight sky to him, he heard sobs drawing closer. Stopping at the top of the stairwell, Naruto found Asuna, tears leaking from her eyes, just a few steps below him.
"…Hey," Naruto drawled weakly, scratching the back of his head.
"...Are you one of them, too?" Asuna mumbled, not looking up at the blond.
"One of what? Honestly, you're so stupid. Be a bit more specific before you—"
"Are you a mage?"
Naruto tensed, his wide eyes shooting down at Asuna, who still refused to look up at him, "…How do you know about those?"
"…Negi…used some type of magic to save you when you fell earlier…I saw and—"
"Damn, Negi, can't you keep a secret for even one day?" Naruto sighed, "…Well, I'm not exactly a mage, but yeah, I'm something like that."
"…I get it. So, that's what you've been hiding all this time, right? I'm guessing you can't make something like a love potion either, right?" Asuna muttered, clenching her fists.
"…Nope, to be honest, I was never good with magic—I have to use some cheap tricks to get around that if I want to do anything," Naruto sighed. Asuna nodded slightly and walked up the stairs between them, attempting to get past Naruto, only for the blond to stick his arm in her way. Asuna scowled, "Move."
"Not until you tell me what's going on," Naruto frowned.
"It doesn't concern you, so move!" Asuna shouted, shoving Naruto backwards. Naruto, caught off guard, stumbled backwards a few steps. Asuna once more began to walk past Naruto, only to be grabbed by the shoulders and twirled around, forced to look her ex-friend in the eyes. Asuna growled, "Let go of me!"
"No!" Naruto roared, "Don't think you can just show up crying in front of me and try to get away like it's nothing!"
Asuna had been pushed to the brink of her limits today—it was all just too much for her to take in. Finally, her frustration and anger boiled over—she reached up and slapped Naruto across the face as tears began to pour out of her eyes even faster. Naruto lost his grip on Asuna and she took two steps back, and glared at him.
"I told you that it's none of your business! Why would anything matter to you? Ever since we were little, all you've done is keep secrets from me, from Konoka—from everyone! You never once trusted us with anything! How can you say we were ever friends, then?" Asuna shouted, "You're nothing like Takahata-sensei, even if you're his son! He's nice and kind…and now he's too embarrassed to even look at me! If you were more like him, maybe you would be a somewhat decent friend!"
Asuna flinched slightly as she saw anger and rage enter Naruto's eyes and the boy raise a fist. She shut her eyes tightly as she saw the fist become a blur of movement…and opened them again when she heard it collide with flesh and felt nothing. Naruto was now sporting a rather large bruise on his cheek where he had punched himself as well as a sharp red tone of skin on his fist, showing how hard he had punched. Naruto let out a small growled as he talked, "You're right—I'm a horrible friend. I'm nothing like Otousan. I have kept secrets from anyone—far too many for it to be alright. But…"
Naruto shot his sapphire eyes into Asuna's blue and green eyes.
"Don't say it doesn't concern me…when my friend is hurt," Naruto stated, "I won't let you just go off and pretend you're alone, Asuna, because you're not! As long as we're friends, I'll make sure you're never alone, so whatever is bothering you, whatever is hurting you, tell me! Because I promise that I will help you through it."
"…Do you even consider us friends anymore?" Asuna whispered as she broke eye contact, her gaze sinking to the floor.
"…I know I've said some stupid things…but that's because I'm an idiot who can't understand a thing!" Naruto replied after a moment. He stepped over to Asuna and gently raised her head once more to meet his soften gaze, "You are and always have been my friend, Asuna, and I'm sorry for being a horrible one in return. But I'll change that from now on…so don't forget that, alright?"
"I…Idiot!" Asuna cried, falling into a hug from her friend and crying into his chest, hitting him on the shoulder lightly.
"I know I am," Naruto smiled lightly, rubbing her head. Naruto wasn't sure how much longer they stayed like that, but he figured it couldn't have been even five minutes before he and Asuna saw a blinding flash, and looked at the bottom of the stairwell to see a blushing Negi and a group of 2-A students.
"No, Asuna-chan, you can't take my cute kohai away from me!" Chao shouted from the group.
"N-N-Naruto-kun?" Nodoka blushed, seeing her two childhood friends sharing such a warm moment.
"You see, Negi? I told you they really cared for each other!" Konoka shouted happily.
"Naru-nii, you really haven't changed!" Negi grinned happily, "Are you and Asuna-san dating now?"
Asakura Kazumi had a sly grin on her face as she looked over the picture she had gotten, "Perfect for an article…"
"W-What? N-No! This is all a big misunderstanding!" Asuna blushed, shouting at her classmates, "Asakura, give me that camera!"
"N-Now, calm down, Asuna-san!" Asakura spoke, backing away slightly.
"A…"
"Oi, Asuna, just because we made up doesn't mean I'll let you break the rules! No fights between students!" Naruto shouted.
"A…ah…"
"Gah! You and those stupid rules!"
"Hey, don't pick on my sweet kohai, Asuna-yo!"
"W-What? C-Chao-san, don't g-grab Naruto-kun like that!"
"C-Chao, I told you to stop doing stuff like this!"
"ACHOO!"
"M-My clothes!"
"W-Was that t-the wind?"
"Um…Nodoka-san fainted, guys."
Negi tried to slowly edge away from the chaos that he, along with other factors, had caused. He was almost safely down the hall when someone gripped him by the shoulder tightly and a chill ran up his neck. Turning slowly, Negi's heart leapt into his throat when he found what appeared to be a blushing, mad demon standing behind him with an insane grin on his face.
"Negi…what did I tell you about that…?" Naruto muttered, entering "Discipline Mode". Negi now understood why students had declared Naru-nii the scariest thing on campus.
"That was awful…" Asuna sighed. The moon was set high in the night's sky by the time the party had ended. Naruto had been checked over by Shizuna-sensei and had ended up with a clean bill of health once more and now walked beside her and Negi as they made their way to their respective dorms. Konoka was a little ways ahead of them, just out of earshot as they talked. Asuna turned to Negi, "This is your fault you know!"
"I can't help it—I'm still trying to get control over my powers," Negi shrugged.
"But why do those powers have to break the rules?" Naruto grumbled, an annoyed twitch reaching his eye.
"Quite, you," Asuna shot back, before turning to Negi again, "Anyway, so you're smart and you can use magic, but you're still a real kid, aren't you? How are you going to be a teacher?"
'That's right…today didn't really go well. I got my magic discovered, too…can I really be a teacher?' Negi wondered.
"Eh, he'll do fine."
Negi and Asuna looked to Naruto, who stretched one arm towards the sky and used the other to stifle a yawn.
"Even though you mess up a lot, you can always find a way to get the job done, Negi. I don't have a doubt in my mind that you'll be a good teacher," Naruto smiled lightly, "And if you break the rules, I'll be there to set you straight."
"Geez, rules, rules, rules…" Asuna shook her head, sighing, "…You still need a place to stay, don't you, Negi? Well, I might have been a bit unfair earlier. If you want to stay with me and Konoka, you can…because I think Naruto's right—if you try hard, I'm sure you'll be a great teacher one day, too."
"R-Right, I'll try my best! Thank you!" Negi smiled, stopping as Naruto and Asuna continued on. Negi pulled out his class roster and pen and opened to the page where he had drawn on Asuna's picture. Due to her anger toward him, he had already scribbled devil horns on her picture… Negi began to scribble away once more.
"Hey, Negi, hurry up!"
"She's right, curfew is in a few minutes—if you break it, I won't forgive you!"
"Coming!" Negi called back, running to catch them. Gone were Asuna's devil horns, replaced with two, short phrases:
"She's nice after all!"
"Naru-nii's close friend."
Okay, and that's the first chapter. For those of you who wanted to see training or Naruto's early days in Mahora, they will be shown periodically in flashbacks and maybe with future chapters dedicated to them. Naruto's Discipline Mode will be seen more clearly in the next few chapters, but most of his fighting skills will be shown during the Baka-Rangers/Library Arc and Evangeline Arc. Also, for those of you confused about Naruto, here's the basic information:
Naruto Takahata/Uzumaki
Nickname: Shikei (Death Penalty).
Notable Traits: Mahora Academy Student, Head/Founder of the "Mahora Disciplinary Committee", Son/Student of Takamichi "Death Glasses" Takahata, Older Brother-Figure of Negi.
Abilities: (More will be shown as they are revealed in story)
Hand-to-Hand Combat (Prefers to fight with hands)
Discipline Mode—Naruto is normally easy-going, until someone breaks Mahora's rules and/or endangers the students, faculty, buildings, or grounds of Mahora, in which case he becomes a killing-machine and his power is multiplied depending on the threat level (see chart below).
Example of Threat Level Multiplication Chart for Discipline Mode:(Note: As Power Multiplies, Naruto's Appearance Becomes More Frightening/Demonic)
x2—Not following dress code, being late, sleeping during class, etc. (Light/Minor Offences) Stage 1: Annoyed Naruto
x4—Not attending class, disrupting class, etc. (Slightly More Serious Offences) Stage 2: Angry Naruto
x8—Bullying, Harassment, Being a Member of a Gang, Defacing School Property, etc. (Serious Offences) Stage 3: Demon Naruto
x16—Heading/Creating a Gang, Gang's Claiming Mahora Turf, Student-Teacher Relationships, etc. (Very Serious Offences) Stage 4: "Shikei" Naruto
x100—Destroying Mahora Property, Endangering the Lives of Students and Faculty. (Unforgivable.) Stage 5: "Shinigami" Naruto