NaruTen: New World Sojourn
Have I mentioned that I fear my muse sometimes? Because I do.
A lot.
She utterly demanded that I get this out about a week after my last update but I'd been struggling, fighting against her wishes. So she decided to pull a completely asshole move and stall progress on the Contract's rewrite. Then, she cranked the juice on this one until I caved.
However, in defiance, this will be a back burner project. So there! Suck it muse!
Anyhow, this will be a... Read it and find out.
—~ ~—
Naruto's POV
"Naruto! Boost me!"
Unleashing a huge Vacuum Wave to slice the hordes around us, I spin around, interlocking my palms to created a platform for her feet. Right on cue, she steps in and, just as she's about to take off, I throw my hands upward, boosting her jump. Without missing a beat, I unseal two kunai and swiftly move in to cut down the fresh wave that's trying to push its way in, both blades glowing with the wind chakra I have running across their edges. My eyes never leave her form, though, watching her intently as she sweeps the large fan in her hand twice, the first unleashing a cloud of flames and the second releasing a storm of winds that empowers the flames, turning them into a sheet of blindingly white, insanely hot flames set to rain hell on our enemies.
I don't need to hear her call the technique's name to know it: Deluge of Flames. It's an apt name and one that they have no chance of dodging, to say nothing of escaping.
Then, with insane speed, she seals the battle fan away and begins to devastate the enemies at the fringes with a rain of steel. Her accuracy is practically godlike, each kunai burying itself into a kill spot of an enemy.
As she comes down a few meters away from the field of burning bodies, she unseals a glaive and proceeds to savagely rip into them.
'Poetry in motion.' Kurama sighs in my head. 'I never get tired of watching your girl go.'
'Trust me Kurama, I never get tired of watching her myself.'
Dismembering an arm with a swift upward slash, I utilize a short shunshin to appear behind her, ramming both kunai into the jaws of the shirozetsu that just crawled out of the ground.
"Thanks!" She smiles as she spins to disembowel another clone that attempts to jump on me. "I'm on two hundred and fifty six. You?"
"You're a kill up." I reply before flicking both kunai into the hearts of two more shirozetsu. Now I'm one kill up."
She takes a hand off the glaive and forms the half-ram seal, smirking all the while. "Katsu."
Around us, a series of explosions roar and shirozetsu bodies go flying. She must have explosive tags wrapped around those kunai she threw midair.
"I think that convienently puts me at over three hundred."
'Three hundred and twelve to be precise.' I can feel Kurama smirk at me. 'You losing your touch kid?'
I snort. 'Hardly.' I was already an S-ranked shinobi before learning sage mode and partnering with my stomach problem. She shouldn't underestimate me.
A quick rifle through my jutsu repertoire, I selected one I knew would bring us back to even footing. 'Lend me your senses buddy.'
With a mental nod, I feel my sensory sphere expand massively to cover the battlefield. We're almost done here, having ripped our way through more than eighty percent of the shirozetsu the false Madara stashed here. A pretty sound tactic, trying to flank the Allied Forces' base in Tetsu no Kuni by sweeping in from the rear while he occupied our attention in other directions. Honestly, if it weren't for Kurama's senses and sheer luck, we'd have been blindsided.
Oh well, time to make my move.
I blitzed through the seventeen handseals for this technique while locking the position of each shirozetsu in my mind and then, i slammed both palms on the ground and called out the name of my technique.
"Doton: Tajū Doryūgadan!"
Multiple Earthen Dragon Fanged Bullets. My go-to technique for shredding bandit camps especially at night. The bullets were more like spikes that shot out of the ground at speeds faster than most humans could perceive, impaling the targets like a kebab on a barbecue stick.
Don't blame me for that bit of imagery; Ero-sennin thrust it onto me when he explained the how-to of the jutsu.
Tenten doesn't even seem shocked. "I just knew you were gonna pull something outta your ass."
"You know you love me."
She just rolls her eyes though the faintest hint of a smile tugs at her lips. "Whatever. Just let Baa-sama know that we're done here."
I try not to laugh but can't help the few snorts that escape. It's just so damned hilarious hearing her call Tsunade that. First time she did, we were just basking in the glow of 'we're getting married' sex and I still fully recall her simple reason: If we're gonna be a couple then she'll be our grandmother. I'm not as impolite as you but I won't go calling her Hokage-sama in private either. I don't have a stick up my ass. Well, except yours and you're more log than stick.
A simple chakra flare to a specific seal embroidered into the fabric of the wristband on my right hand opens a secure communication line to Baa-chan. "Yo Baa-chan!"
Tenten's snickers alert me to the fact that I've subconsciously ducked to avoid the paperweight I'm expecting to slam into my face. Damned old lady and her wicked throwing arm.
To her credit, only the faintest undercurrent of annoyance is carried over the comms seal. "Status report."
Ah well... Guess it's time to be formal again. "Sōichirō Pass secure. No injuries."
"Good. Gaara and Kirabi are en route for a pick up. Be ready."
"Understood."
"And tell Tenten I said that I'd prefer to have grandkid to spoil after this war. So no horizontal happy dances."
The flaming blush on Tenten's cheeks just made her look cute.
"Got it Baa-chan." I smile as I cut off the chakra flow to the wrist band.
"I am SO getting her back for that." Tenten huffs angrily.
Just as I'm about to poke fun at her, my senses blare out a warning just as Kurama yells 'DOWN!'
Without an instant of hesitation, I grab Tenten and push her down, both of us colliding roughly with the ground.
"Your senses are better than I expected. Or was that your bijū warning you?"
Tenten and I swiftly flip back to our feet at the sound of that annoyingly calm voice.
"Madara." My love grinds out. I can see her shifting her stance, ready to support me in whatever way she can.
The masked shinobi turns his head, seemingly impressed by the carnage around us. "Impressive. You two single handedly tore apart my distraction."
I swallow a snarky retort as his words fully sink in. "Distraction?"
I can almost see the smugly arched brow. "You didn't figure it out? Shame. I'd thought you would."
"Ningen. Something's not right here."
I know. We're going final form.
"Already on it."
My mind whirs at full speed, cataloguing every bit of motion I can detect from him. Damned Akatsuki robe's getting in my way. I can feel the power of nature enhanced bijū chakra zinging through my coils, begging for release just as I feel Kurama easing the pressure, holding it back till I give the signal.
"You see, I fully expected you to sense the zetsu out here. I knew someone would be dispatched, most likely you since I learned of your ability to sense negative intent. So all that was left was for me to wait."
"And if he didn't notice anything amiss?" Tenten asks.
He just shrugs. "Sneak attack. A debilitating one for your side."
I clench my teeth at the thought he's just casually planted in my head: he wants us to believe that we're trapped; that our every step was plotted by him, that whether or not we were here, we'd still lose.
"But the clincher," he continues and I tense, feeling that things are about to come to a head, "is that you, Uzumaki, brought her with you."
My eyes widen. Kurama!
The power explodes out of me, covering me in its warm embrace as I launch myself toward the false Madara. At the same time, I see his sharingan morph into its next stage.
Yet, I feel no distortion of space around me.
What the hell is going...
'But the clincher, Uzumaki, is that you brought her...'
Kurama is in absolute sync with me as we blast more chakra than Shukaku has within him outward to reverse our momentum and send us rocketing toward Tenten.
His Kamui has already begun, twisting her abdomen away from this plane of existence. I can feel myself and Kurama roar, though I don't hear it as I grab hold of her still tangible hand and feel the distortion take hold of my body too.
"If he gets us into his world..."
"Not happening!" I snap angrily as I forcefully flush most of the natural energy in my coils then, using the basic principles of the rasenshuriken, I use the last vestiges of natural energy combined with Kurama's chakra to force the natural energy into a violent spiraling vacuum.
"Be careful boy! That's a volatile mix!"
I know that. In fact, I'm all too aware of that considering how powerful my senses are at the moment but beneath my arm, I feel Tenten's body solidify meaning that the false Madara's chakra is being dispelled faster than it can gather.
"Not- defy me- last time!" Snatches of his voice reach my ears but I'm too busy dispelling his now more powerful chakra.
"Let some of the pressure off!" Kurama growls urgently. "It's rapidly approaching critical-"
Honestly, it feels almost anticlimatic.
Kurama's voice is abruptly cut off just as the compressed cyclone of violently swirling chakra detonates soundlessly.
With my senses so powerfully enhanced and my speed capable of meeting up, I grab Tenten a millionth of a second before the shockwave impacts her, ensconcing her in Kurama's chakra as I launch myself forward.
I doubt if I've gone ten feet forward when I feel a powerful force pull me back like the violent tug of a fishing line. Unprepared for it, I am unable to resist and am pulled to the epicenter of my volatile creation, Tenten still in my arms.
I feel the cyclone, now exponentially larger than when it was compressed in my hand, tear at me, pulling me hither-thither.
The last things I observe before succumbing to unconsciousness are the tunnel of racing lights I'm in and the ethereal wail pervading my ears.
—~ ~—
Tenten's POV
The first thing I see upon opening my eyes has me wondering exactly what the fuck is going on.
Last I recall, Baa-sama was debriefing Ruto and I on our mission specs. Then, I open my eyes and- POOF!- I'm lying in a grassy meadow with a mountain range to my left, a stream- possibly a river- a few hundred meters ahead with a forest further down its path,, staring at the clear sky with Ruto's body sprawled lazily over mine.
"Gerrof you big lug!" I grunt as I push him off my chest to my lap so I can sit up. He doesn't seem to be awake, a tiny fact that makes this whole scenario seem even more awkward. Why are we sleeping in a grassy meadow when, according to my dear darling Blondie, an army of Shirozetsu intend to strike us from the rear? That creep, Madara was damned-
Madara.
As in, Madara Uchiha. Of the Uchiha clan. The guys who could casually leave you in a twisted illusion with a glance.
'Fuck.' I swear repeatedly as I build up a pulse of chakra, leaving it thrumming through my coils till they hurt.
"Kai!" The pressure is released as I vent the pent up energy in an omnidirectional burst through my tenketsu. It takes less than a second for my senses to clear out and...
Damn. Nothing's changed.
This can only mean one thing...
Tsukuyomi.
The ultimate genjutsu.
According to Ruto, the technique works by convincing one's subconscious that the illusory world is real. As such, it turns the subconscious against the conscious, ensuring that regardless of how much you consciously realize that it's an illusion, your own mind prevents you from getting out.
Fuck, fuck, a thousand times fuck! If he's accurate, we're to spend three days in here before returning. Only seconds may have passed while it's cast but seeing as how it laid a guy like Kakashi out for weeks, then we might as well be dead upon waking up.
"Kami damn it all!" I can feel the frustration brewing inside. I'm stuck in an unbreakable illusion, possibly with my knocked out fiancé, while my body is likely being desecrated. To top it all off, I have no idea how I was ensnared by the illusion in the first place.
"Oh damn Naruto... I really need you to wake the fuck up." I sigh before leaning my forehead on his.
The instant we touch, I feel something wash through my mind, as searingly hot as it is chillingly cold.
And I remember.
Fighting beside Naruto, tearing through the zetsu horde and him speaking to Baa-sama before that bastard appeared and everything went to shit. The blue tunnel, the flashing lights and glassy windows with people inside and that awfully haunting yet beautifully uplifting wail...
The encompassing darkness and Kurama's rumbling voice lulling me to sleep.
"You okay oujo-sama?" The fox's voice rumbles through my mind, tired yet still carrying that snarky, mocking tone as he refers to me in his chosen way.
"Kurama! Thank goodness you're alright! How is Naruto-kun? And what the hell happened?"
"Calm down girl." The vulpine bijū sighed tiredly as he decided to explain. "Now, in order, he's fine. Just stressed out, much like I am. As to what happened... Well, when your stupid ass husbsnd-to-be decided to completely destabilize the Uchiha's attempt on your life, he forgot to give the building pressure an outlet. Bijū chakra, natural energy and spacetime warping chakra apparently don't mix, particularly under such insane pressures and even worse when compressed. Suffice it to say that mother nature rejected that ungodly brew and it tore the fabric of spacetime, sucking in its root cause, Blondie in a bid to erase the anomaly. You, who had the luck of being in his arms, were just dragged along for the ride."
I'm pretty sure my eyes are the size of goose eggs.
"Suffice it to say that we're in an entirely different dimension."
Two words sum it up nicely: "Aw fuck."
—~ ~—
Naruto's POV
"So we're stuck in an unknown dimension with no way to get home without spacetime chakra like that faker had." I summarize, on the receiving end of fierce glares from both my fiancé and my bijū buddy. "And even if we had said chakra... We still wouldn't be able to go home because Kurama was too busy saving our lives, Tenten was too busy worrying about my life and I was such a big pussy that I slept through the trip through the inter-dimensional gap and so none of us could map out the route that got us here. And even if we DID map the route we'd still be stuck here cause the inter-dimensional gap is only a concept and a vague one at that, that doesn't follow any human or mortal rules. So our route would still have been pointless. Am I right?"
The slight hardening of the glares have me shivering and I swallow shakily.
"Alright. So, uh, Tenten. Have you seen anyone since you woke up?"
I see the glare soften and I relax. She's not as mad at me as I'd first thought. No, most of her anger is directed toward the fact that we're worlds away from home with no certain way to get back yet.
I'm really glad she's not mad at me though. Pissing off a girl that can hurl kunai at your gonads at speeds rivalling rotary launchers with unerring accuracy is not a good idea.
"That's a no, Naruto. We apparently landed in a pretty deserted area." She replies. "Or, we could have landed in a forbidden area."
I look up to the clouds. Time with Shikamaru has given me an appreciation for the fluffy balls of water vapour but I call on my outdoor survival skills this time. "If nature's following the same pattern it did back home then judging by the Sun's position, I'd say we should head towards the river and walk along it in the opposite direction of the mountains till dusk. Then, we'll set up camp and figure out what to do for tomorrow."
"And the rest of our time here?"
I lean over to kiss her on the nose and rest my forehead against hers. "Till we get more info about this place, we'll just have to take things a step at a time."
—~ ~—
Tenten's POV
What. The. Fuck.
I'm gonna come out right now and say it: I'm a kunoichi; been one since I was twelve, and I have seen some freaky stuff.
This definitely ranks somewhere just outside the top fifteen.
The funny thing is, its not so outlandish that it should be an entirely foreign concept yet its not so tame that that one can easily shrug them off.
Them.
As in the two undeniably hot yet exotically different girls that accompany the young man who's just stepped outta the forest.
One has a long ass snake tail for a lower body with what look like scale (literal, reptilian scale) forming both her skin (moss green with brown highlights) and her bra/pauldron. Her hair is a darker shade of green than her skin and her eyes are yellow and reptilian.
The other looks pretty human save for the covering of light brown fur all over, the claws and the bushy tail. Her eyes are a nice shade of brown that compliments the general aura of cute she's got going on.
How do I know they're female?
Well, bar the bra and pauldrons of the snake-girl, they're both nude.
"Oh hey there! I'm Anderson! Most my friends call me Andy."
"I'm Mikoto." I smile as I leave the tent peg I'm hammering to answer him. As I dust my hands on the black shorts I'd changed into, I catalogue everything that's just happened since he stepped into the little clearing. I know it's barely been ten seconds since he stepped in so I'm certain I haven't done anything strange by staring a bit. His instant offering of his name strikes me as a bit odd since he doesn't know me hence my calling out a cover name for him. Though I may just be a tad paranoid considering what my home world's like. His... Companions? Let's go with that.
His companions seem at ease with him, the snake girl being more stoic than the beaming... Furry girl? She's not a cat and I have no clue what to call her.
"So, prepping for nighttime huh?" He smiles as I shake him, my projected cover image never wavering.
"Yeah, my boyfriend and I decided to explore the great outdoors for a bit." Sweet Kami please don't let Naruto blow my cover. "He's out gathering some veggies for us."
His eyes widen a bit and both his companions seem to shrink a bit. "I was wondering why you didn't have any girls with you. He's got them on protection duty huh?"
The split second before I reply has my mind whirling. Girls? Protection? While I keep from darting a glance at his companions, their gender, coupled with the snake girls's predatory look has me wondering. If I'm right, beings like his companions seem to be popular enough for their absence to be considered strange rather than vice versa.
Taking this into account I just smile a bit wider as I return to hammering in the remaining tent pegs. "Nope. We're roughing it and that means no assistance for the most part. Not even from our girls."
A slightly adjusted stance allows me to keep their faces in view as I work. He seems a bit stunned.
"What about Ferals?"
I shrug and pull out a kunai. The way he calls them Ferals has me believe that whatever's out there while dangerous, lack the brains to be considered as equals with the 'girls'. So I reply accordingly. "We've got a bit of training. Besides, most Ferals aren't really smart. He should be able to get out if he gets in trouble."
He seems to agree with this. "I guess you're right. Plus, this forest mostly has just Buttitsfrees anyway so if he's careful he should be okay."
Right about then, something clicks in my head.
Either this world considers women to be lesser beings, they consider these 'girls' to be lesser beings or this guy's just a sexist prick. Judging by his behavior to me, I don't believe it's the last option. Of the other two... Well, I'm leaning more toward the second. I know some men consider us girls to be 'less' than them but I also know how people treat those that are different. Case study: Jinchūriki and their fellow citizens.
Time to test the waters a bit.
"So, what are the names of your girls? And what type are they?"
He seems equally baffled and impressed. "No 'dex? Talk about a clean break from tech. Anyhow, Selene's the Naga and the Eva's Roquette."
So my guess was right; there are multiple types of these girls. And that tidbit about a 'dex' and 'tech' has me believing that they've got a technological index of these 'girls'. Good to know.
I smile at the two and make to shake them. "Hello Selene, Roquette. I'm Mikoto as you know. Nice to meet you."
Lady Stoic shakes my hand fimly and replies with as single word; her name.
Miss Beaming Smiles, on the other hand, ignores my outstretched hand and glomps me in a hug.
And then... She lets loose.
"Hi! I'm Roquette! I'm an Eva! I've never seen clothes like yours before! Of course I was a feral only three weeks ago so I don't know much. Wonder if you're from Silvergalde? Hey are you sure your boyfriend's gonna be okay? He's been gone a while and he's not here yet. Oh and Wow! You guys are really brave coming out here alone! Of course-"
"Woah! Breath girl!" Anderson cut into the tirade and I was treated to the spectacle of Roquette sucking down gulps of air. "Sorry about that. She's fresh out of taming shock so she's usually really exuberant. Unlike Selene, really. I had to order her not to talk till she was addressed else we wouldn't have gotten a word in edgewise!"
"Meh, its no problem." I shrug. Really. It isn't. Ino on a shopping/gossip rampage is worse. By orders of magnitude. "She seems really fun."
"Oi Mikoto! Don't go hunting for another girl without my consent!"
Ah. He's back.
—~ ~—
Naruto's POV
I'd been wondering what sort of twistedly weird world I'd gotten us stuck in since my conversation with the strange tree girl that had confronted me over harvesting a some veggies. Besides the fact that she'd simply walled out of a tree in a very Zetsu-like manner, there was the fact that she actually seemed a bit like a tree. It had taken a while for me to get her to believe that I only wanted something for Tenten and I to eat and even now I believe that if I hadn't utilized sage mode she wouldn't have believed me.
Now, though, having spent the past couple of minutes behind this tree, listening to Tenten converse with the new guy, Andy, I believe I have enough to not put my foot in my mouth.
So, I swiftly descend from the tree I'm in with Tenten's pouch holding my catch for the day and I stroll forward.
"-seems really fun."
I take up the opening. "Oi Mikoto! Don't go hunting for another girl without my consent!"
"You and your consent can suck it!" She fires back as I walk into the clearing. The guy, I note, is a pretty plain dude. Dark brown hair, blue eyes, average height, a pair of dark pants and a blue shirt. Altogether quite forgettable really. Of course, his plainness is offset by the sheer exotic beauty of his companions.
'Hot damn! I didn't know snakes could be so sexy. And the ass on the furry one!'
'And to think that there might be many more, both types and numbers' Kurama sounds like he's salivating. 'Your godfather would have given his left nut for a chance to get here!'
I can't help but snort mentally. 'Nope. A foot, yes. Maybe with a kidney thrown in. Definitely not a nut though. Wouldn't want to ruin his performance.'
"Oh wow!" The furry one, an Eva from what I overheard, seems dazzled as I walk up to the dude. "Sorry Andy, but if I didn't have you already then I'd totally jump his bones!"
Like magic, Tenten suddenly appears under my arm, playfully sticking her tongue out at Roquette. "Mine!"
Anderson just laughs at their antics. "You sure she doesn't have any pokegirl blood in her?"
I mentally file away the word pokegirl for later discussion while shrugging. "Honestly? I'm never really sure. I'm Dan."
"Anderson. You can call me Andy." He reaches out and I shake him. "Your girlfriend's currently in a really cute glaring match with Roquette while Selene's being the cautious one."
I turn to wave at the snake... pokegirl I believe and she nods curtly at me. I don't think she's really rude just, like he said, cautious. And I can't be mad at that.
'Well of course you can't!' Kurama snorts. 'Do you have any idea how hypocritical that would be, being pissed at someone for being cautious while you're slinging out false identities to people who couldn't possibly give a shit about your real name?'
'Oh shut it ya mangy mutt'
'Oi! I resent that! Take it back ya lil' brat!'
'Make me!' I shot back, biting back the urge to stick my tongue out.
"So Dan, whatcha get from your foray into the forest?"
It's always interesting to watch Tenten slip into a persona when she feels like it. Being a weapon mistress back home meant she was the most skilled of our generation at utilizing non-chakra enhanced techniques behind Lee. As a result, she'd been on more infiltration and assassination missions than any in our generation. No one could put on an act better than her, though she often said I could give her a run for her money.
"A few fruits and vegs for dinner. I... ah... didn't plan for any guests."
Andy just laughs. "No problem man. I've got a bit stashed here for the girls and I. We'll forage for some more tomorrow."
Tenten seems shocked. "You're not heading back to Silvergalde?"
For the first time I hear Selene speak and, surprisingly, her voice isn't nearly as sibilant as I'd though it would be. "Master wishes to journey further north."
"Well damn. I'd thought we'd be going back together."
"Aww don't worry Mikoto! I'm sure we'll see each other again someday!" Roquette smiles and I actually feel a bit uplifted even though I wasn't feeling down a few moments ago.
"Well! If we're gonna be separated then we might as well have a bit of a feast!" I exclaim as I pull away from Tenten. "Mikoto! I'm certain we still have a few supplies from precious nights. Please get them and start cooking. I'll head to the stream and reel in our catch. Andy, Roquette, Selene... You three set up your tent-" I pause and turn to Mikoto. "Give 'em our spare if they need it. Now, you three set up your tent and relax."
With that, I head over to the stream. It might have seemed sudden but, judging by a few factors, I felt that little display would fit in with our 'slightly off but still totally cool couple' act. Food isn't a problem anyway, the real reason I left earlier being to scout the forest. Tenten know which scrolls to access for food and cooking supplies and though there's no trap laid out, taking back some of the salmon I spotted in the stream during our walkabout earlier is simply a matter of tying wire to a string and throwing.
—~ ~—
Tenten's POV
"So this is Silvergalde huh?" I murmur as we stroll into the town. It's a pretty decent place with quaint looking houses and shops clashing nicely with the larger and obviously more modern building we're heading toward.
Silvergalde Pokecenter, the sign reads. According to a very agreeable Andy (after both his pokegirls had gone to bed, helped along by a few sedatives and after he'd been drugged up a bit), this is the place to go for any answers we might need to the Pokegirls, Sukebe and more. He'd even told us to look for a man named Professor Danika Trelawney for better answers than the regular run of the mill stuff.
"Here we are." Naruto mutters softly into my ear as we casually amble forward. "No going back."
It's gonna be a risk but we need to do this. We'll need to be honest, at least to a point, with the professor. Hopefully, it doesn't comeback to bite us in the ass.
—~ ~—
So here we go!
As is obvious now, this is a Naruto/Pokegirl story featuring Tenten, a Kurama with Jiraiya like mindset and more!
As regards why Naruto and Tenten aren't concerned about heading back home... Well, consider it something in the air or Kurama mind-tweaking them during the cross-dimensional tour. Whatever you choose doesn't matter. I don't plan on having them mope over not being able to go home.
I'm not good at writing lemons though so lemme say it now: you wanna read about them doing the horizontal tango? Then be my beta! And please be good at writing lemons!
Next chapter- Professor Trelawney's intro and Naruto's first Pokegirl.
PS: the first person POV may show up a bit more in the next two or three chapters but I really don't plan on it being as frequent as this chap.
PPS: want a Tenten harem? Then vote on the poll! Doing so now that I haven't decided means you guys get to impact the story!
Later y'all.
TheSeparation