Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Vampire Diaries.

This is based on the challenge by Shawn129. Naruto uses a seal to steal Kaguya's power. He then proceeded to end the age of the ninja by killing every last one of them. Summoned by Kami, he is rewarded with a new life, reborn with the chakra of the tailed beasts and that of Hageromo Ootsutsuki. He Is Naruto Mikaelson, the oldest surviving son of Mikael and Esther, and he is an original vampire.

Almost a thousand years had passed since he'd last laid eyes on this land. His family, dysfunctional as they were, had lived here, surviving in the new world. A thousand years since he'd killed the last of the Shinobi. It looked so…different. He'd travelled the world, seen cities, countries, rise from the earth. Tokyo, New York, all of them had been interesting to see, but there was something about Mystic Falls that just felt right.

His phone rang. He checked the caller ID. Elijah. He answered.

"Ah, little brother, checking up on me already are you?" he joked. Out of all their siblings, Elijah had the tendency to be the most serious. That being said, he had just upped and left. No doubt his little brother was having a heart attack. Oh right. Vampires.

He could hear the exasperation oozing from the frustrated sigh over the phone. "Brother, where are you this time?"

Naruto allowed himself a small chuckle. It wasn't the first time he'd vanished from his sibling view. Usually it had something to do with other vampires, or vampire hunters. Even the occasional witch. It was the former this time however.

He sobered up. "I'm home brother. I felt like visiting. And besides, there have been one or two vampires running around here the last few months. One of them looks familiar" he stated.

He heard a sharp intake of breathe from Elijah. His brother wasn't a big fan of their home, too many bad memories. Not to mention the fact that everything that could kill them had been created in Mystic falls. For all they knew the vervain had grown back. Or that Kami-damned oak tree.

Wincing, he offered brief apology to the god that had done so much for him. She had come to him when he'd been in a very dark place. Thanks to her, he had family. Speaking of which…

"Are you sure this is the right time? We were getting close to Niklaus-

"I know, Elijah" he growled out. "But I have things to take care of here. Niklaus can't destroy them. And besides, you can manage things without me. You know where to find my sources". After their brother's disappearance in 1920, they'd been searching for him, Rebekah, Kol, and Finn. Evidently whatever had happened in Chicago spooked Klaus, because almost a century had passed and there was still no sign of him.

"I hope you're right. I'll call you if anything happens"

Naruto nodded. "Understood. Till next time brother"

Placing his phone in his pocket, he sighed, running his hands through his spiky blonde hair. He'd grown it out, a spiky ponytail reaching down to the middle of his back, two bangs on either side of his face, one crossing over his left eye, partially obscuring it. If it wasn't for the suit he was wearing, he might have been mistaken for a less decent member of today's society. Not that there seemed to be many of those in Mystic Falls, typical small town that it was.

Reaching into another pocket, he took out a metallic plate with multiple symbols and kanji written on it. As it turned out, he had been able to use his sealing skills in his new world. There had been one or two issues -rather explosive ones-but a few tweaks here and there, and it was all working perfectly. However, carrying a massive scroll around in the modern era would have been far too…outlandish, even considering some of the things he'd done over the centuries. So, he'd used his magnet release-thank you Shukaku-to fashion a metal plate, onto which he'd inscribed seals. Storage seals mostly, he had food and water, camping supplies, money-in large quantities, in every currency, a few spare phones, and…

Cars

He quickly unsealed one of his favourites. The Nissan Gtr. He'd travelled especially to Japan just to get one; he'd even had it customised. Not only was its performance significantly better, but he'd compelled a team of workers to fit a few extra 'safety measures'. That and he had enough weapons in the back to decimate a small army. Not entirely necessary, given what he was capable of, but just in case.

"Not to mention that most of my techniques are loud…and destructive. Although I do feel bad about Krakatoa" he thought. It had been an experiment with a lava style technique that had gone horribly, horribly wrong. But he hadn't caused any other-major-natural disasters since, so that was good.

Climbing into the car, he thought about what he was doing in Mystic Falls. Keeping an eye on the vampires was a given, but if the rumours were true, then after the 'incident' in 1865, there would no doubt be some sort of anti-vampire organisation in the town, most likely consisting of the founding families. And then of course there were the Bennett witches. Ayana's descendants. They hadn't parted well, not after what his mother, Esther had done. As a sage, he had a healthy respect for nature, and when he found out what had been done to him and his sibling…it was a wonder the consequences hadn't been worse.

But now he had something else to do.

He had to visit a friend from college. And if he knew her, she'd be driving herself crazy, worrying about taking care of two teenagers recently bereft of their parents.

"Jenna…relax for once in your life would you?"

"Toast, I can make toast"

Elena Gilbert had seen her Aunt Jenna rushing around before, but this was a bit…much. "Seriously, she doesn't have to worry this much, we can take care of ourselves" she thought to herself. It had already been several months since the accident, and she was…sort of over it?

"It's all about the coffee Aunt Jenna" she said to the flustered redhead as she poured herself a cup. Which her brother Jeremy promptly snatched right out of her hands. Sighing to herself, she was about to pour another cup when the doorbell rang. "That shouldn't be Bonnie, she isn't getting here for another few minutes" she thought. "Jeremy can you get that?" He sullenly left the kitchen. She was honestly concerned about him. They hadn't really…spoken, about the accident. It had been hard on the both of them, but he…she was worried about what he might do.

Jeremy poked his head round the corner. "Hey Aunt Jenna, there's a guy here to see you, says his name is Naruto?"

They were both surprised when Jenna froze, dropped what she was doing and ran to the door. They gave each other a look, before running to see just who their aunt was so excited to see.

At first glance, it looked like Jenna had taken a flying leap, and was now hugging the man with a death grip. It was only when she-finally-let go, that their jaws almost dropped. The blonde-lots and lots of blonde-was taller than all of them, and the three whisker-like birthmarks on each cheek gave him an almost animalistic look. Combined that with sky-blue eyes and smooth tanned skin…

"Hey Aunt Jenna, you didn't tell us that you had a boyfriend"

And her brother just had to open his big mouth.

For a moment, Jenna just looked at them, blushing furiously, before her mind seemed to restart.

"Nononono, he's not, I mean…"

The blonde started laughing, before stepping forward and introducing himself.

"I'm a friend of Jenna's. Naruto Mikaelson, a pleasure to meet you"

He moved to shake their hands. "Jeremy Gilbert" her brother said. He didn't seem that concerned about the man's presence. "Elena" she said, giving a polite smile. His hand felt strangely rough, not the same as someone who did physical labour, but was still strange. And it contrasted strangely with his suit. "His expensive suit" she noted.

"So, uh, how do you two know each other?" Jeremy asked.

Jenna smiled warmly at Naruto. "We used to go to the same university. He was the best student in our class. I didn't know you were the one who would be helping me with my thesis?" she stated curiously. Naruto just rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"Well, they asked me to come in, and I figured you would rather do it here than in a dusty office. And I was hardly the best" he stated calmly. Hopefully she wouldn't call him out-

"Hardly the best! You knew more than the lecturer in most cases and you got a perfect score on every assignment and exam! Not to mention you already have several doctorates!"

He chuckled nervously. Explaining that he'd had several decades to practice in academic circles due to his immortality would be a bit difficult. Looking at the two teenagers, he saw the confused looks on their faces.

"Wait a minute, how old are you?" Elena asked. There was no way he could be that young and have that many degrees.

"I'm only 33, believe it" he said with a grin.

Elena and Jeremy's eyes bugged out. How was that possible? "What the hell man, are you some kind of genius?" Jeremy asked. Elena watched the man as he answered. He had a look in his eye, like he knew something they didn't.

"Nah", he said. "I'm just really good at multitasking. It was still a hell of a lot of studying" They didn't need to know that he'd had an army of shadow clones invade the library at night, doing his studying for him. He'd never been more grateful that he'd chosen to learn that particular jutsu. That said, he was the only one capable-in this world or his own-of abusing it like he had. It would be even more difficult to explain than his vampirism.

Suddenly, a car sounded from outside. Elena turned to her phone, and then back to Jenna.

"Sorry, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, see you Aunt Jenna" she said, grabbing her bag on the way out. Jeremy waved to them as well; stalking out the door with his shoulders slumped. As soon as the door closed, Jenna turned to with the look on her face. He raised an eyebrow at her when she didn't let up.

"What? Don't give me that, I wanted to come visit" he said to her.

After a moment, she sighed, looking away from him. "Right, like my big brother isn't checking up on me…"

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. "Hey come on, I may not exactly be family, but I still have to take care of you remember? With how busy you get, it's not like you do that for yourself" he joked, earning him a half-hearted swat on the arm. Leaning away from him Jenna beckoned him into the kitchen. He took a seat at the counter, waiting for her to start talking.

She turned away from him for a moment, before looking straight at him. She looked…desperate.

"I've been taking care of them", he indicated the door, and she nodded in confirmation "since Miranda and Grayson died. It was fine, but with the school and everything happening…It's messy" she said despondently. Naruto winced. He hadn't liked Grayson Gilbert all that much, the man wasn't a big fan of myths and legends, but Miranda had been a lot like her sister. He'd heard of their death, but he'd forgotten about the kids. He grabbed her hand. "Jenna…you worry too much. They look like they can take care of themselves, so relax for a bit. And besides, your sis wouldn't have chosen you if she didn't trust you to do the job"

She looked at him gratefully. "Thanks Naruto. Now," she said, immediately switching into business mode, "let's finish my thesis. I'll be soooo glad when I'm done"

He chuckled at that. Three years since he'd last seen her, and she was still the same. Given how much he'd seen in his lifetime, he was grateful for this one constant.

Now then, back to the dusty halls of academia and the written word. He had a thesis to review.

"So, he's a professor or something?"

Elena glanced at her friend Bonnie from the passenger seat, still lost in thought. She'd spaced out again, thinking about her parents. She'd barely registered Bonnie talking about her grams, witches, psychics, and so on. Although now her friend was fixated on the sudden appearance of Naruto that morning.

"Or something, I think" she said. Sure, the man had several doctorates-supposedly-but he'd brushed the accomplishments off, like they didn't matter all that much. No professor would be so disregarding of such a great feat.

"But he's hot right?"

Elena started, turning to Bonnie in disbelief, only to see a look of mischief on her friends face. She sighed at her friend's antics, but with a grateful smile on her face. Anything that got her out of her own head right now was welcome. "Yeah, I guess so" she stated. "But it's weird, he doesn't look like an academic, and he's really friendly with Aunt Jenna" she said as they passed through the centre of mystic falls.

"Defending her from a man huh, I thought she was supposed to-"

BANG

Elena barely held in a scream as something –a bird-hit the windscreen, and the car skidded to a stop.

"What was that?! Oh my God Elena, are you okay?"

"It's okay I'm fine" she said. She was still shaking though. "I can't be sacred of cars forever. This needs to stop" she thought.

"Let's…let's just get to school" she said.

"Well, since I'm psychic, I predict that this will be a great year for you, that all the dark times are behind you" Bonnie told her friend, smiling warmly at Elena.

Elena smiled back. She could always rely on her friends to cheer her up.

Having finished with Jenna, Naruto had changed into something a bit less…obvious than his suit. Currently he was wearing the closest approximation to ANBU pants that he could find in the modern world, a blue muscle shirt, and a greyish-red jacket. Quite baddass in his opinion. He'd already gotten more than a few admiring looks from some of the girls leaving the school, one particularly pretty blonde had even invited him to a party in town the next evening. "Well, I do need to feed at some point. I'll get there late, everyone should be hammered enough by then to make selecting a meal easy" he thought to himself.

Aside from the buzz he got from feeding on someone who'd just been drinking, it was easier to compel them that they'd just blacked out and gotten a little 'rough' with someone. Healing them was easy, especially with the yang chakra he'd received from Hageromo. The only times he'd feed hard enough to kill had been when he or his family were threatened, or someone managed to piss him off. Which, after a millennia spent reining in his temper, was extraordinarily difficult.

He watched as Elena exited the school with…

"Ah, finally, it was getting boring here. Honestly, some people have no respect"

He pushed himself off the car as Stefan Salvatore was about to walk past. Finally he could speak to one of the vampires that had returned to the small town. He still had to find the one responsible for the tragic death of that young couple on the road outside of town, but where one Salvatore went…

…the other would follow.

"Of all the small towns, I never thought the Ripper of Monterry would turn up in Mystic Falls"

Stefan Salvatore had been having his first truly great day in years. He was back home, he had spoken to Elena, and the town wasn't baying for his blood. So who the hell had recognised him from what was arguably the darkest period of his personal history? It didn't sound like his brother.

Turning, he saw a blonde man leaning against what appeared to be a rather expensive car. He stared carefully at the man, but for the life-or unlife as it may be-of him, he didn't recognise him.

Naruto frowned at the lack of recognition on Stefan's face. "I guess the compulsion is still in effect. Oh well, far be it for me to disturb the man. Anymore" he added to himself.

"Excuse me?" came the cautious response.

Naruto almost laughed. The attempt to dissuade him as to the Salvatore's identity was pitiable. Hadn't anyone taught the brat to lie? Then again the man did feed on animal blood, and who knows what that was doing to him. Fighting down a grimace, Naruto thought of the one time he'd been forced to rely on animal blood. Given his former life, he'd never been squeamish regarding blood, human or otherwise, but when he'd fed on a dear for the first time…the taste was disgusting.

"What, I'm just wondering what a vampire is doing returning to his home town after 145 years?" he asked innocently. He caught the widening of his fellow vampire's eyes, followed by the shifting muscles that warned him that Stefan was about to speed over and grab him.

"Uh uh uh" he said wagging his finger. "Bit too public for that isn't it?" he said, gesturing to the throngs of students around them. Stefan grimaced. This was bad, and the enemy had been smart enough to choose a public place for their confrontation. "What do you want?" he asked the whiskered man. Funny, he hadn't noticed those till now.

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Just answer the question Salvatore. And while you're at it, you can tell me whether or not you had anything to do with that couple on the news" he stated, half glaring at Stefan. And just for good measure, he leaked a tiny bit of KI. The first time he'd gone all out, he'd killed his opponent with a heart attack. The look on his face had been as funny as hell, but he wasn't here to kill off half the town the day he got here.

Stefan started sweating slightly. He'd felt danger before but this…

"I'm just visiting. There is still one living member of the Salvatore family here. And no I didn't have anything to do with that" he stated with a frown. Had that actually been a vampire attack? He'd suspected, but…

Immediately the feeling of impending doom let up, and Stefan could breathe once more. Turning to glare slightly at the blonde, he was about to ask the same question when Naruto spoke over him.

"Before you ask, no, it wasn't me either. And I'm just keeping an eye on a few old friends" he said cryptically. His grim turned feral. "But…you left out the fact that you're going after the Gilbert girl. The one who looks oh so much like Katherine"

Stefan barely restrained himself from lunging at the man. As it was, the blood vessels around his eyes were darkening, like they did when he fed. He snarled at the man, who merely laughed.

"Now now, Stefan" he drawled, "no need to get so angry. I'm not planning on hurting her. Man, that diet of yours really isn't helping you is it? Oh, and by the way," he said, as he climbed into his car, "I'm Naruto".

Stefan watched as the infuriating vampire drove away. He'd done all he could not to cause a scene. "I have to find out who he is, he must have spoken to someone around here" he thought. He needed to figure out what 'Naruto' was doing in his hometown.

God forbid Damon turned up.

Naruto bit his lip to keep from laughing at the scene in front of him. It seemed that the other Salvatore brother had a bit of a flair for the theatrics. The crow on the tombstone, the rolling fog. Clichéd, but classic. Although seeing his brother chat up the girl who looked so much like Katherine must have been…uncomfortable. "Although it seems Stefan can't handle human blood right now, probably due to his diet" he mused, watching him speed out of the cemetery away from the doppelganger. "She looks like Tatia as well" he thought to himself. Probably what had enamoured his brothers with Katherine-Katerina, in the first place.

Private thoughts aside, he still had another Salvatore to speak to.

Damon Salvatore was just finished glaring at his brothers disappearing back when he heard clapping coming from behind him. Spinning round and snarling at the noise, he found an-evidently amused-blonde man sitting on a gravestone, as if waiting for him.

"Well, well, spying on little Stefan. Why ever would you do that?"

Damon immediately sped up to the man, intent on ripping his head-

-He coughed as he hit the ground, caught in a clothesline by the blonde. He watched as he knelt down, sniffing the air around him. "Well, damn, now I know that it was you in those woods. Don't you ever use deodorant? I can still smell them on you" the man remarked. "Decent flavour, but you're too sloppy"

Damon stared as the man offered him a hand, before grabbing it.

Naruto yanked him to his feet, grinning as Damon shook himself. "So," Damon began, still wincing at his impact with the ground. Just how hard had he been hit? "What can a humble vampire such as I do for you?" he stated, a sarcastic tone entering his voice as he bowed mockingly. Naruto grinned. "Names Naruto. I can I just say, you're already a lot more fun than your brother. You know, the basket case, animal diet, girlfriend issues…" he trailed off.

Damon grimaced. Just when he'd been getting somewhere. Was this guy here purely to mess with him? "Well, as fun as all this was, what are you here for? I highly doubt it's for the whole 'small town community thing'" he finished smiling thinly.

Naruto scoffed. "You're one to talk. Those two people the other night…obvious much? And let's not mention the fact that you've been watching this town almost longer than your brother. Kudos for avoiding him so long by the way" he stated lightly. Damon froze. How the hell had he known that?

"But anyway" Naruto continued, "I'm just visiting. And making sure vampires don't become an actively hunted species here. Don't draw too much attention to us, and we won't have any problems" he finished with a pointed look in Damon's direction, before speeding off.

Damon looked on in shock. This 'Naruto' knew a lot about his recent actions, which he'd taken unusually painstaking lengths to hide from everyone. And even with his recent meal, he'd been unable to follow the blonde's movements.

Just who the hell was he?

Elena had just gotten home when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Frowning, she walked down the hallway. "That sounds like…Naruto?"

She entered the kitchen to see Jenna sitting at the counter talking while Naruto, now wearing a tight black shirt, facing away from them doing something at the counter. He looked very different out of a suit, surprisingly fit for an academic. Or anyone, really. He would probably put some of the school jocks to shame.

When he turned around, she saw he had a pot and spoon in hand. The moment he saw her, he smiled. "Hello again Elena. You're just in time, dinner is almost ready" he said as he set the pot down.

She was honestly shocked. As good friends as he and Jenna seemed to be, this was…weird.

Apparently, Jenna had sensed her apprehension. "Naruto is staying in town for a while, so I invited him over to make dinner" she explained. Elena nodded numbly. She was brought out of her thoughts when Naruto turned to face them both. "Actually," he began, in a slightly subdued tone, "I wanted to ask a favour, but I'm going to need an answer from both of you" he said, looking both of them in the eye.

Taking their silence as a que to continue, he pressed forward. "I have a place to stay, but it isn't going to be ready for a couple of days, so I was wondering if I could borrow the couch for a few nights? I promise not to get underfoot, and to make dinner every night I'm here" The last part was said in a pleading tone, with as large doe eyes as he could manage. That particular technique, perfected as a child, had been the bane of bleeding hearts everywhere. And he wasn't above abusing it.

Just looking at his face, Elena was sure he was doing this purely for the amusement factor, but at the same time, refusing him would feel like kicking a puppy. Smiling slightly she nodded. "Sure, if it's ok with you Aunt Jenna?"

Her Aunt nodded happily, with a hint of gratitude in her eyes. "So, are you staying for dinner?" she asked, taking a sip of wine. Elena shook her head. "No, I'm meeting up with Bonnie at the grill"

Jenna nodded, before adopting a faux-serious face. "Alright I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night" she said, with just a hint of amusement. Naruto just snorted. "Like you're one to talk" he mumbled. And received a 'light' punch on the arm for his troubles. Elena laughed softly at their antics. It was like she and Jeremy used to act. A long time ago.

"Well, have a good night Elena" Naruto said, grinning at her. She nodded, said, goodbye to Jenna, and walked out the room. Maybe Naruto staying here wouldn't be such a bad thing. She just hoped Jeremy took it well.

Naruto kept listened with half an ear to Elena and Stefan's conversation at the door. He'd turned up right as Elena was leaving, but he didn't know that Naruto was here, so why-

"Oh right, her diary. He must really want to get into her good graces" he mused. As he listened to Jenna's thoughts, occasionally adding his own opinion, he considered what he'd accomplished in the town so far. He'd confirmed that the 'animal attacks' were caused by Damon's feeding habits, that the Salvatore's had an interest in Elena-or was it Katherine-and would more than likely come to blows over the matter. He frowned momentarily. He was going to have to run a lot of damage control once the brothers 'reunited'.

It was only much later, as he lay down on the couch, that he wondered what he'd be doing if Rebekah and the others were with him. He'd always been the big brother, spoiling them rotten and keeping them safe. In Rebekah's case, he'd chased away more than a fair share of suitors. He should have picked up on that Alexander fellow though, but his curiosity about the Hunters was too strong.

"Still…I can deal with all that later. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day"

He cracked open an eye when he heard whispering, but the couch was facing away from the voices. Settling in, he started to listen in.

"Jeremy, it's just for a couple of days, besides he's not exactly in the way"

"Are you sure Aunt Jenna? I mean we barely know him, and it's going to get crowded around here"

"I'll be out of your hair in a few days don't worry"

Both of them jumped at that. They'd had absolutely no idea he'd been awake. Mind you, he'd been so wrapped up in his blanket that you couldn't tell the difference.

Climbing to his feet, he did a few stretches to straighten his spine. Blinking his eyes, he saw Jenna and Jeremy staring at him wide eyed. He raised an eyebrow. "What, is there something on my face?" he asked.

He heard Elena coming down the stairs. "Hey Aunt Jenna, is the coffee ready, I need to…"

She stopped and stared. The man who had looked so clean cut, if a little feral, had his hair sticking out in every direction. Compared to his usual hair style, it wasn't that different, but without the ponytail, the spikes descended down his back and over his shoulders like a waterfall. She heard Jenna laughing, but was too busy holding in her own giggles to care. The hair, the sleepy face, was hilarious.

"Haha…oh god, I haven' seen you like this in years" Jenna wheezed out between chuckles.

Finally, he seemed to figure out what they found so amusing. Pouting, he tied his rampant hair up with a piece of cloth. Glaring half-heartedly, he left towards the kitchen, intent on coffee and breakfast. The others followed him, if only to watch more of his morning routine.

He was taking another drive through town. This place, his home, wasn't all that different now from all the other small towns he'd visited. It had a much deeper history than any of the others, but still. He'd already passed the local stoner den, the sole bar, which seemed to double as a restaurant, and a few other minor stores. "I should probably check in at the Salvatore's. If they still have living relatives, then it's possible they have a supply of vervain. Go in, grab a few cuttings, and get out. Nice and simple"

It was very rare that he had the opportunity to practice his stealth. Against humans, it was easy, he could melt, mummify, drown, shred, or disintegrate them in a second, bypass their security with ease. Vampires however…vampires could sense him. Most of the time. Where was the fun in completely suppressing his presence? More than once he'd gotten a kick out of making Elijah and Kol jump, almost literally, out of their skins. "Although I wish I'd taught Henrik better. Maybe then…" he thought, before shaking himself. He had no particular love for werewolves, but that had been a long time ago, and his father-he thought in disgust-had seen to it that the ones responsible had paid with their lives.

His attempts to undo the wrongs done that day had gone largely without success. He'd found several packs over the centuries, mostly in the new world, but he'd either been told to leave, or "fuck off" as the case was, or had been attacked on sight. There were now fewer wolves on the world than there should have been.

He came to an abrupt stop in front of the Grill, the local haunt. And since school was just out, it would be a good time to scout for potential 'meals'. Provided he could feed without Stefan noticing. He'd found out from Elena that Stefan would be attending the party that night-surprise surprise-and Damon was no doubt hot on his heels. Stepping into the bar, he immediately found himself immersed in the usual bar smells; smoke, booze, greasy food, and vomit. Not so much vomit though, might have been because it was also a restaurant. Meh, he'd smelt worse. New Orleans for one. He'd partied perhaps a little too hard back then. As a Jinchuuriki, he'd already had a problem getting drunk, his massive chakra reserves burning the 'toxin' from his system. As a vampire, it just metabolised faster. Combine the two…It had taken a long time to figure it out. On the upside, he never lost at drinking games.

Sitting down at the bar, he was approached by an olive skinned brunette, maybe slightly older than Jeremy and Elena. "Hi, I'm Vicki. Can I get you anything?"

He looked at her, giving a small grin. He'd smelt her on Jeremy before, but it was only now that he had a face for his theory. "Orange juice and a steak, rare, thanks" she nodded as she took his order, smiling as she walked away. He saw two other boys around Elena's age watching her, one who seemed to be her brother-there was just enough resemblance to identify them-and another jock looking at her with more than a little interest. Maybe he should keep an eye on Jeremy.

He looked up as his order was placed in front of him. It seemed decent enough, but it wasn't like he ate food because he had to. He'd gained a new appreciation for fine food, especially after spending time in Europe.

He smiled at Vicki, expecting her to leave. She didn't.

"So," she began, a curious tone entering her voice. "You must be that guy staying at Elena's house. Gotta say, I can't picture you as the book learning type" she said, with just a hint of disbelief and condescension in her voice.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Who did you hear it from?" he asked carefully.

"Elena mentioned it here last night, and Jeremy told me the rest this morning at school. So, what's going on with you and Elena's aunt" she asked, dismissing his question after giving the bare minimum of information. He grinned at that. Two could play at this game.

"What's going on between you and Jeremy? And between you and that other guy at the bar?"

He briefly enjoyed the look of shock on her face. Even though he was more likely to pick up on smaller details, if only because of experience, people never hid their secrets as well as they thought they had.

He laughed, before moving to set her mind at ease. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone. I just get that way when people think I'm just an academic ya' know".

Briefly, very briefly, he was almost shocked that his infrequent verbal tic had resurfaced. It only slipped through when he was defending or comforting someone…oh. Right.

She flashed him a grateful smile, and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. Still, my brother, Matt" she indicated the lighter haired teen sitting at the bar, "used to go out with Elena, so he's probably gonna try get all 'in your face' staying at her house" she stated, disapproval and exasperation evident in her voice.

Naruto merely grunted. "Little brat. Let him try" he said, grinning fiercely. Vicki sighed. "Just don't rough him up too much. I've gotta go, but it was nice meeting you" she said as she walked away. He watched her for a moment. He hadn't just smelt Jeremy on her. Drugs. Now there was something he actively avoided. They made him far too…slow. He'd have to avoid her later.

He looked over the patrons of the bar. Lots of school kids, parents, friends and family. He'd always enjoyed the bar atmosphere. There was that one time, back in Konoha, when he Kakashi, and a few of the other Jonin had gone drinking, and Anko had-

He shook himself, and dug into his cooling meal. That life, those people, were long gone. One way or another, they would have ended up in the clutches of the Shinigami. His actions had been a mercy right? They would understand why he did it, right?

He could wallow another day. Finishing his meal, he moved to the exit, several pairs of eyes following him. He scoffed. If people were so curious, then they could either confront him, or leave him the hell alone.

Despite how typically 'high school teen' the party was, he was actually enjoying it. He'd learnt the name of the blonde who'd invited him-Caroline Forbes, daughter of the town Sheriff-and even danced with her once she was drunk enough. By now, most of the crowd was either drunk, making out, or sitting on the sides talking. Like he was, strangely enough.

Reason being; he'd just met Bonnie Bennett. He'd come across several of Ayana's descendants in the past, so this was as interesting for him as it was for her, apparently.

"So, you really have like ten doctorates?" she asked disbelievingly.

Bonnie had been somewhat wary when Elena mentioned the guy staying with them, especially after the vibes she'd gotten from Stefan. The last thing she'd expected was for him to actually show up here of all places. His description hadn't done him justice. If Caroline hadn't already staked her claim…

"Down girl. Besides, it isn't like they're together yet" she thought to herself. She'd been speaking to him for the last few minutes, and it was one of the few truly interesting conversations she'd ever had. Her grams was nice and all, but lately with all the witchy stuff…

He sighed good-naturedly. "Yeah, but no-one ever believes me. I mean, it's not like I can carry around the certificates can I?" he joked. He actually did, but explaining how seals worked in modern day society wasn't going to help him. "So, what's this about you being psychic, I heard something earlier, but…"

She frowned slightly. "Well, my grams thinks that we're a family of witches, and lately she's been saying 'oh, I need to learn everything about our ways' and stuff. I love her and all, but she's getting really crazy. Although, yesterday, I got a really bad vibe of that Stefan guy" she said with confusion.

Naruto merely shrugged. The supernatural was part of the Bennett's way of life, sooner or later they had to face it. But let her live in peace a bit longer.

"Always trust your instincts. You might not know why, but rather safe than sorry" he told her. He could vaguely hear Elena and Stefan in the distance, Jeremy, Vicki, and one of the guys from the bar too. Quite an argument, but it wasn't escalating, so it wasn't his problem. He continued talking to Bonnie, and Caroline when she returned, when suddenly there was a commotion outside.

"I smell…dammit, Damon, I told you to be more careful when you feed" he thought as he rushed outside, barely restraining himself from growling.

He found Vicki being carried by Jeremy to one of the tables. "What happened?" he asked. Jeremy barely spared him a glance, looking worriedly at the girl. "I just found her lying in the woods, unconscious. What the hell did this?" he asked, almost frantic. Naruto looked at the wound on her neck. It wasn't deep, so Damon hadn't tried to rip her throat out, but she was losing blood fast. The flesh was torn, oozing blood, but she would live. There was still only so much he could do for her without revealing his healing techniques, but at least he could stabilise her.

Grabbing a nearby cloth, he staunched the bleeding, using it to hide what he was actually doing. As he called out for someone to get an ambulance, and Jeremy to get some ice, he channelled a tiny bit of yang chakra into her, enough so that she'd survive the trip to the hospital. He'd used the same technique on Gai after he'd activated all 8 gates. He couldn't do quite the same thing now though, it would be too obvious.

After what seemed like an age-he'd lived through more than one of those-the ambulance arrived. Her brother climbed in with her, and everyone else either turned to go home, or to sober up at the Grill. He couldn't sense Damon or Stefan. "Finally, the confrontation. Pity I won't be able to see it" he thought. He had a fellow blonde to take care of.

He chuckled as Caroline groaned into the table top, Bonnie sitting next to him. They were more or less sober, Caroline on the other hand…

"Why do all the nice guys never pick me?" she asked drunkenly.

Bonnie just sat back. There was no way in hell she was touching this subject, no matter what she said, her friend would just drown in her sorrows. At least she'd had enough to drink that she wouldn't remember. Naruto on the other hand, had no such reservations.

"What am I, chopped liver?" he joked, grinning down at her.

She looked up at him, puppy-dog eyes and all.

As much use as he'd gotten out of that particular technique, there wasn't a women alive that could fail to use that on him. Unless they were trying to harm him. Sighing, he glanced at Bonnie, before motioning Caroline to move over. She just slouched a bit more. Shifting her a bit further, he wrapped her up in a hug. He could feel Bonnie's gaze on him, but Caroline was already snuggling further into his embrace.

"Shh, shh, your friends are here Caroline" he whispered. He remembered doing this for Rebekah every time their father got angry. Maybe that was why he was doing this, she was somewhat similar to his missing sister.

He pulled her up, looking into her eyes. "Caroline, this is what's going to happen now, 'kay?" he ordered, waiting for her to respond. Once she nodded, he continued. "Bonnie and I are going to take you home, and get you to sleep. Then, in the morning, I'm going to make you an awesome breakfast. Alright?" another drunken nod. She was close to blacking out. He turned to Bonnie, and asked her to grab Caroline's things, before picking the clingy girl up in a bridal carry, earning a small moan of protest, even as she relaxed into him. Though that may have been because of the chakra he was channelling into her to help sober her up, if just a little bit. He always did get the clingy ones .

"Thanks for helping with that" he said to Bonnie.

They were currently standing outside Caroline's house, having just finished tucking the tired girl into bed. "I should be thanking you, I would have had to wait for her mom to come and find her" Bonnie replied smiling at him. He honestly liked her, she knew her stuff, was funny, and apparently was loyal to her friends. He nodded, smiling at her. "You don't want to stay over? I'm sure Caroline wouldn't mind, and I am making breakfast?" he offered.

She seemed to consider it for a minute, but shook her head. "No I'd better get home before grams starts worrying. She might think ghosts got" she said, waving her hands.

He laughed. Oh, if she only knew. As she drove of he wondered what he should about Vicki. Compulsion? Maybe. But he really needed to talk to the Salvatore's.

The bloody idiots.

Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of this story. I will probably alternate between this story and my other one, so expect an update every week and a half or so. No promises. Thanks to Shawn129 for the idea for this story, and I hope to see many reviews. Keep well, see you soon.