NAAAAW! This will contain Spoilers for Persona 5 (G-Damnit what a great game! if every Persona Game is like this please tell me because I fell in love! XD)
About this fanfic, I will take few ideas from P5 and the general idea of the Shin Megami Tensei series…
This means, that Naruto and Co. will have their own Personas and the demons/Bosses will be my doing (Hopefully they will be original)
I still don't know the name of their 'Group' so to speak, any suggestion?
The "Theme" of the story, since every game seems to have one as I gathered by giving a look to past installment of the series, in my case,will be 'Ambition' and how it's the Ambition of great men that can shape the world, either for Good reasons and Bad ones.
And how that same Ambition can be 'chained down' by fears, doubts and expectations.
And by breaking those Chains, their Ambition can once again fly free and let those great men shape the world.
So: The characters 'break those chains' and summon their Personas.
Personas = Ambition...Got it? XD.
I am asking to the "Veterans" of the Persona Series, would this idea fit somehow in the series or I am just wasting time? (Yours and mine).
Thank you.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Persona 1-5 or whatever I will use and I already used in this or any other story I write, wrote and will write nor I did this for money or any sort of compensation. Thank you for your time.
A word of advice, Naruto here will act slightly different from Canon due to not being the "Original one". I am not Masashi Kishimoto, I CAN'T make him Canon-like.
To the guest Review "Akira"
Nothing happens 'Just because' in my stories, I thought you knew XD
Naruto NEEDS to be back in Time as 'An Outsider' to see once again his past from a different point of view, as Philemon said "It's a Journey he needs to grow" into a better man XD.
Enter a Prison is not THAT EASY, Haku will be the 'Testing Ground' that will show Naruto and Kakashi that unless they prepare properly they won't go far, just like Joker and Ryuji found the hard way that Stealing Hearts was not a joke.
Naruto and Co. too will need "Few things" to enter a Prison and break out the victim Real Self, they are still learning the ropes and starting next chapter will start learning.
To Philemon "Time does not Exist" so once fixed everything and the contract with the Velvet Room is fulfilled, things will return to normal as if nothing ever happened. I know what I am doing XD.
Also, please consider opening a real account here, I don't like being unable to properly answer Guest Reviews and like this I risk giving spoilers to everybody...
Nothing ever happens just because in my stories, Remember ;)
Also, please think about creating an Account here, I hate not being able to answer Guest Reviews properly...
Chapter 1: The new Guest of the Velvet Room -
Velvet Room –
The group of young friend also known as the infamous Phantom Thieves were all crowding around the desk of a bizarre old man with a very big nose as he talked to them.
"So...We need to steal the Heart of somebody that isn't even human?" Ann asked looking both disturbed and worried.
"Would there be any difference? You already know how to navigate a Palace, doing that for a different being than a human won't be a too-big challenge for you, mostly." the old man answered unfazed.
"Master Igor has full faith in your abilities, and I do too." the young girl dressed in blue next to the long-nosed man added with an encouraging smile.
"Then I guess we can only do this or let the planet face ruin..." Futaba answered sighing in defeat.
It was then that part of the wall morphed to show a new door that then opened towards absolute darkness.
"What the fuck?!" Ryuji gasped shocked.
"What is happening?" Joker asked still looking unfazed, as usual, by what was happening around him.
"Why is he always that calm? How does he do that?!" the rest of the group thought in wonder.
"Nothing to fear, merely my next appointment finally making his entrance." Igor answered with his smirk never faltering as a tri-pronged kunai flew inside the room from the door soon followed by a giant flash of orange light slamming against the opposite wall at high speed almost demolishing it.
"AH!" Ann cried-out in fear at seeing that flash of light turn into a human that then fell to the floor boneless.
"Yes, perfectly on time..." the blond man faintly heard Igor say as the last strands of consciousness slipped away and he fell into complete unconsciousness.
Some time later -
"Ooough!" Naruto groaned as he finally managed to crack one eye open to welcome the huge wave of nausea that almost had him throw-up everything he had ever eaten in his entire life.
"Here." a very sweet and gentle voice said from outside his, admittedly, blurry field of vision to offer him a warm cup of green tea.
The blond wouldn't have normally accepted an offering like that, but either his headache and nausea were overriding his instincts or the voice in the back of his head telling him to trust whoever that girl was as a 'Friend/Confidant' was very convincing, making him gratefully accept the cup and drink from it.
It was to no small amount of surprise that his nausea and headache disappeared almost completely as soon as he finished his tea.
"Feeling better?" a second voice, this time male and more graveling, asked sounding almost amused by the man's plight.
"Where am I? W-What is this place?" Naruto finally asked with a coarse voice, noticing just in that moment that he was sitting on a very comfortable plush chair.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, I am Igor."
"Velvet...Room…?" Naruto muttered surprised as indeed wherever he looked, either floor or walls or even ceiling, everything was covered in deep-blue velvet, even the chair he and that bizarre man were sitting on and the drapes on the windows.
The room itself was a perfect replica of the Hokage Office in Konoha with Igor sitting right behind a desk completely identical to Naruto's own only with an old phone next to the man, the only difference was that everything looked 'Blue' and the world outside the window was just a bunch of blue lines creating the mere silhouettes of Konoha Village in the absolute blackness of the void outside.
"Yes, a room that exist between dream and reality, mind and matter. You are in a place located between consciousness and unconsciousness. This, is the Velvet Room." Igor answered sounding nor proud nor angry, he was merely stating a fact, a rule of Reality itself.
"My name is Lavenza, and together with Master Igor, we are here to help you." the girl that first gave Naruto that tea showed herself being a short girl with long silver hair and golden eyes wearing a rich dress of the same blue colour of the room itself.
"Help me?...And why this place looks like my Office?" Naruto asked still groggily as he looked around with a lost expression.
"The Velvet Room is mirroring your Heart and Spirit, your old office is the manifestation of your Ambition, what always gave strength to your Will, so the Velvet Room changed itself to match that Ambition of yours." Igor answered chuckling darkly.
"Changed itself? This place is Alive?"
"Perhaps." the bizarre man answered with a knowing tone.
"W-Wait...KONOHA! HINATA! BORUTO! HIMAWARI!" it was then that the blond man's brain finally rebooted completely making him jump to his feet in horror.
"They are beyond saving, beyond recovery. They are gone." yet another voice said as a man joined the scene.
"Lord Philemon." Igor greeted the man with a bow of his head just like Lavenza did.
The new arrival was wearing a mask with the image of a violet butterfly wing in the right side of his face and the eye holes not showing his pupils, he also wore a suit consisting of a black shirt and tie, a white blazer and white pants with black dress shoes. He also had long, black hair tied up in a ponytail.
"T-They are gone?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" the blond man roared furious.
"You are alone here, none of them joined you, nor could they join even had they not succumbed to their madness."
"Nobody!?"
"Nobody."
"A-And Kurama?"
"..."
"Kurama! KURAMA!"
"Your friend is safe, he is merely unconscious as he still can't enter the Velvet Room, but we couldn't leave him out either as you will need his help once again." Philemon answered calmly as he moved to stand behind Igor, and actually using a hand to stop the man from getting up to let him use the chair.
"What happened? Why everyone went insane? Why my friends killed each other?!" Naruto asked sounding more furious at each word he spoke.
"This was merely the job of Asmodeus, a follower of Nyarlathotep. Asmodeus is a minor demon that tipped his hand in mine and his Master's affairs to tilt the balance between conscious and subconscious." the deity answered with a calm and detached expression.
"A demon did this!? Where is he! WHERE IS HE!?"
"Unfortunately nor me or Nyarlathotep seem able to find him at the moment, the truth is, we believe his motivation behind what happened in your world has even more 'Sinister' reasons behind than merely him using you others as simple entertainment."
"Lord Philemon cannot directly intervene to fix your world, but he can give you the means to do it yourself." Lavenza said grabbing one of Naruto's hands in both of hers, incredibly making his anger subside of a great deal.
"Fix my world? How?"
"By sending you back following the last known position of Asmodeus in what you humans refer to as 'The Past'." Philemon answered simply.
"The past? I have to travel back in time?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"Isn't Time merely a construct of the mind? What is Time if not merely a shapeless idea justifying to finite lives when their time to die comes?" Philemon answered simply as he moved towards the door on the back of the Velvet Room to open it.
There Naruto could see a Konoha completely in ruin, still with people furiously attacking each other with several of them even giving-in to cannibalism.
"Isn't Time something as ethereal as dreams? A creation of humans?" the deity said closing the door and opening it again to show a plain green field where few houses were being built under the proud scrutiny of Hashirama Senju himself.
"If Time is just an idea, can't I, who reside in the subconscious, simply Ignore Time and send you whenever I wish?" Philemon asked rhetorically as he closed the door to open it right in the sky to show Wave Village standing under the Velvet Room, the place appearing just like it did during the reign of Gato when Naruto himself was just a Genin in his first Mission outside Konoha.
"Asmodeus' plan was simple, he switched the Conscious Ego of everybody with its Subconscious counterpart, the Ambitions with the Desires...He switched humanity's Light with its Darkness. And he did this so that at the peak of your Ambition, everything would have crumbled to dust around you, all at once." Igor explained.
"Me? I am his Target?" Naruto asked in disbelief.
"I saw his lair, and he was obsessed with you and whatever you did to call upon you his ire, Nyarlathotep himself wanted to purge the world and let it start anew to erase his servant influence, as for me, I offered a better option, you." Philemon answered.
"Me?!"
"You are his target, if you personally intervene to fix what he did, he will come out to face you by himself to fight you once and for all." Lavenza explained.
"As to be sure to not be found out, he started with merely few people, but as time went on, more and more humans fell to his trickery." Philemon stated.
"And how am I supposed to fix them? I already helped a lot of people, but by what you said that Asmodeus went too deep even for me to reach them." Naruto asked in distress.
"You can help them by breaking them out of their self-imposed Prison." Igor said simply.
"Their prison?"
"You will need to enter the Prison of their Heart and free their real self from their Wardens, as to say, the manifestation of their Dark Side." Lavenza explained.
"Their heart...Is the Prison of their real self?"
"A man's heart is at the same time their Palace and their Prison. Doubts, Fears, Desires, Expectations...All things that can chain down even the mightiest of men. Just like those are chaining you down just now." Igor said knowingly.
"Chain me?...Uh?!" Naruto asked, and as soon as he said that, he felt his wrist slam together and thick manacles appear around them to then close tightly.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF!" the blond man yelled trying to break free to no avail.
"You are holding yourself prisoner, chaining yourself down with your own fears and doubts...What do you fear NOW that is holding you back when in the past nothing else could?" Philemon asked with a curious tone.
"F-Fear?" the other replied while looking at the manacles.
"I have lost everything and everybody all at once! Of course I am afraid!" the man thought in blind anger.
Pathetic! You are not this!
You are not a whiny loser!
Break those damn chains and show the world who you truly are!
You are no toy of Fate or Destiny!
You spit on those excuses!
The voice he heard was not Kurama's, it was cold, deranged, otherworldly.
"Who are you?!" the blond yelled looking wildly around the room.
I am thou! And Thou art I!
"Has not Lord Philemon said that everything can be fixed? Won't that mean that things can still change?" Lavenza said with an encouraging tone.
Break the chains of Fate and Doubt and fly free!
The voice said in glee as it grew in power.
"Can I save them?...I can save them...I WILL SAVE THEM!"
Your Ambition shall become the wings that will make you reach the Heavens!
"Yes, break the chains of Doubt and free your Ambition," Igor said with a pleased tone as his perennial smile grew of few inches in width.
I. AM. THOU! AND. THOU. ART. I!
"GRAAAAH!" with a bestial scream of the former Hokage of Konoha the manacles around his wrist broke into thousands of pieces, and the blond could swear he saw the shadow of something appearing behind himself with the corner of his eye before it flickered away.
Good job! We'll meet soon! HIHIHIHIHIIII!
"Well done, I guess this is yours then." Igor said sliding a tarot card on his desk towards Naruto.
"...The Fool?" the blond said chuckling as he grabbed it.
"A wild card, a man that started from nothing and at the end of his journey gained the World. Isn't this a Tale you already heard about?" the bizarre man answered.
"I lived through it, old man...So I will have to meet again few key people in my life and save them from Asmodeus' influence?" Naruto answered.
"Exactly. Along the way you will see others suffering from the demon's influence showing the first signs of their Prisons taking shape. You will need to defeat the Warden influencing the area to exorcise the spirits taking over those hearts before they will transform into Wardens themselves, otherwise you'll have to break them out as well."
"And how am I supposed to navigate or even enter those Heart-Prisons?"
"Your card will vibrate whenever you are close to a Prison, hold it out in front of yourself and you will be transported in the Distortion housing that Prison, then you'll have to navigate through the world of that person's Subconscious to reach the Real Self holding cell and defeat the Warden, once destroyed that Manifestation the key will appear and you'll be able to free them, returning them to normal." Philemon explained.
"As for navigating, when you will enter your first Prison you will find there your helper...Even if it was a rush job, I can recognize a good design, and wasting it would be a sin in itself." Igor added.
"Thank you, I guess...So it's time for me to go?" Naruto said walking towards the open door.
"Whenever you feel the need to return to the Velvet Room, just look for a blue door, only you will be able to see it and use it, I will be in front of it to wait for you." Lavenza said with a gentle smile.
"There is no need, Lavenza-san." Naruto admitted sheepish.
"It is my duty and pleasure to help every Guest of the Velvet Room." she answered bowing.
"You better go now, you will have a lot of work to do." Philemon prompted.
"Ehm...Wouldn't I cause Time Paradoxes?" the blond man asked very worried.
"How can there be Paradoxes if Time is merely a construct of your own mind? Just remember this, and go forward." Philemon answered gently pushing Naruto out making him fall from the sky.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaah…." the young man's scream of surprise echoed in the Velvet Room until the door's closing cut it off.
"Should have we told him we already know where Asmodeus is hiding, Lord Philemon?" Igor asked curious.
"Would have it changed anything? He will discover it by himself sooner or later, there is no need to aggravate him further as he himself will need to undergo this Journey to finally break free of his doubts." the deity answered sounding ALMOST amused.
"As you wish, Master." Igor and Lavenza said as one bowing.
"I will go then, I leave everything in your capable hands, Igor, I know you will do a good job in guiding this human as well as you did with the others." Philemon said as he disappeared from a side door, that too melting away as soon as the deity closed it behind himself.
Meanwhile – with Naruto -
"AAAAAAAAH-" SPLAAAAAAAASH!
The blond man's fall stopped when he reached water creating a giant column of water at the impact, and resurfacing at few meters from the small beach where he and his teammates with Kakashi fought against Zabuza for the first time.
"...BUAAAAGH! Aaah! C-C-C-COLD!" the former Hokage bellowed shivering as he rapidly moved out of the water and on solid ground.
"Brrrr! First order of business, concealing myself and dry my clothes, THEN find a place to stay until I fixed this mess." Naruto muttered to himself as he sealed away in a hastily-made storage seal the short mantle he wore as Hokage to remain with the orange jacket and black pants under it.
"I wonder if they sent me here because the first Prison is close by...Zabuza maybe? Or even Gato? Sure it would explain why that bastard was that greedy!" he said aloud.
"NARUTO! NARUTO! You okay?!" he finally heard Kurama call-out in worry.
"Yeah, I am! And you won't believe what is happening!" Naruto answered groaning as he sat on a near rock to look at the destruction left behind by Kakashi going against Zabuza.
"I am all ears! Especially since the other Biju are not answering to my summoning them in your subconscious!"
"Keep trying, in the meantime I'll explain to you what is happening, and maybe you yourself will come up with some idea about what to do..."
"Please do, I am getting a headache already." the giant fox begged tiredly.
The next day – patch of trees near Tazuna's home -
Having finally dried-up his clothes with a small camp fire, and having fashioned himself a hood and concealing cloak with few stolen bed sheets from a near house, Naruto walked towards where he remembered Kakashi was teaching to Team 7 the tree walking exercise, and as expected, he saw his younger self and Sasuke already glaring daggers at each other and arguing about who could go higher.
"Maaan! I was so competitive at the time! Even Sasuke refuses to talk about those times!" he thought chuckling.
"You were young and brash, give yourself some credit!" Kurama answered laughing.
It was then that they saw Kakashi eyeing the hiding Naruto, as they expected, and discreetly keeping the Time Traveling Hokage under close watch without Team 7 noticing.
"I hope your idea works! I am still not sure about letting Kakashi-sensei take part to this." the blond man said signaling Kakashi to come over.
"My cute Genin, I'll be back soon, while I am gone you can keep trying to go higher and higher, 'kay?" they heard Kakashi say in a perfect jovial tone.
"Where are you going, Kakashi-sensei?" the young version of Naruto asked curious.
"I will just take a tingle in the woods." the masked Jounin answered with an eye-smile.
"SENSEI!" Sakura screeched in shock.
"Hey! We all need to pee sometimes, Sakura-chan!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Here he comes." Naruto muttered as he walked slightly back to give Kakashi more space.
"...Okay, I am here. What do you want?" the Jounin asked with a bored tone the former Hokage knew was completely fake.
"Oh! You know...Dolphins and burning cats." Naruto answered making Kakashi's uncovered eye bulge-out slightly.
"What are you talking about?" the other asked shocked.
"I am just wearing blue pants, Kakashi."
"...And the otters?" the man asked with narrowed eyes.
"Eh!...Pink flamingos."
"Impossible..."
"Like getting lost on the road of life?"
"Road of...HOLY SHIT I TRAVELED BACK IN TIME!" Kakashi said with wide eyes.
"Not exactly." Naruto answered snorting amused.
"Eh?"
"Nice to see you again, and so young at that, Kakashi-sensei!" the blond Hokage said uncovering his face to show a wide smirk.
"GUH! You! Whiskers! Blond! Past!"
"Yup! I happen to need some help saving the world, that is why I traveled back in Time. Can you help me, Kakashi-sensei?"
"...Ooooh." The masked Jounin simply answered by deflating and fainting right in the arms of his student.
"Oof! Wow he weights a ton!...Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you have all that stuff memorized?"
"Hey! He admitted this bullshit when you were having self-doubts about FINALLY becoming Hokage, I found it too funny and in the end I ended-up memorizing this whole 'Password to use just in case I travel to the past by mistake and I need my Past Self help' he came up with when he was a Genin himself! And it worked, so what's the problem?" the Biju answered huffing annoyed.
"Well, it may have helped us gain the benefit of the doubt...But what to do with Team 7 down there? If he doesn't wake-up soon they will get suspicious."
"Then let's hurry-up and wake him."
"Yeah."
Some helpful slaps and a short bath in the freezing waters (And a short explanation) later -
"Okay...I sent them back to Tazuna...H-How?!" Kakashi asked groaning.
"How I came back? Or how do I know that series of nonsense you jokingly made-up when you were still a kid yourself and secretly a huge fan of fantasy novels?" Naruto asked.
"...Both?" the man replied blushing.
"I'll answer to both then. Apparently Time doesn't actually exist so a God can simply go where and whenever they want, and also send people when they want...I guess the explanation was more complex and this was the best they could do in simplifying it."
"And I told you that silly pass-code...When?"
"The day before I gave my speech as Seventh Hokage." Naruto answered unsealing and showing him the short cape and the pictures in his wallet.
"THAT CAPE! YOU REALLY DID IT?!" Kakashi said with wide eyes.
"Yup! I even got married, see?" he answered pointing at a particular picture.
"...GURGLE!"
"What?" the blond asked at seeing the man's horrified expression.
"YOU MARRIED HINATA?! YOU WILL COST ME THREE THOUSAND RYOUS!?" Kakashi shrieked in horror.
"...What?"
"T-There is...A bet...Ongoing...About you and both Hinata and Sakura..." Kakashi admitted shyly.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! And you bet I would have managed to get Sakura?" Naruto asked laughing.
"Yes, you always seemed damn determined to, and you are taking this well."
"I learned to expect everything from the Shinobi of Konoha, after so many years as Hokage I understood why Sarutobi-jiji smoked that much!"
"Please give me a rapid run-down of what happened that forced you to get back...And please, do spoil me the future, I need that too if you want my help."
"I don't know if I should-"
"Who the fuck cares?! Time doesn't exist, right? And if the current course of events brings Armageddon, then you can give all the spoilers you want! There can be nothing worse than the End of the World as we know it!" Kakashi answered.
"...Oookay." the blond answered a bit unnerved.
A LOOOOONG Explanation later -
It had been a three-hour long tale, and Kakashi had started to restlessly pacing around as soon as they reached the 'Obito was behind everything' part, and after a rapid Summoning of Pakkun for an errand in Wave, the Jounin had momentarily discarded his mask to smoke a cigarette after another.
"I didn't know you were a smoker..." Naruto said with a low voice.
"I stopped once joined the ANBU force, they have strict rules about it, but all this is making me relapse...So...Madara AND that Kaguya woman were the true masterminds?" Kakashi answered lighting the first cig of his third pack, his steps still erratic and jerky as he walked nonstop.
"Pretty much. Black Zetsu played Madara like a fiddle to have Kaguya return so that she could absorb everybody into the Shinju Tree and gain a new Chakra fruit to eat it, become WAY stronger and using the resulting Zetsu Army to defeat Momonoshiki once he too reached our world."
"And you, Sasuke and Sakura defeated them all." Kakashi said.
"Uh-uh."
"Then I SOMEHOW was talked into being the Sixth Hokage, then you became Hokage, defeated Momonoshiki and everybody else...And the day Boruto-kun was supposed to take the Chuunin Exam...Everybody went berserk."
"Exactly." Naruto said with a chocking sound coming from the back of his throat.
"Naruto..." Kakashi said with a very sad expression.
"You were not there...A moment everything was normal, then...Then all of them at the same time simply flipped, and started attacking each other while raving like lunatics...Everybody was screaming about this or that thing they wanted or hated...H-Hinata herself tried to stab Himawari while saying that our little girl was trying to steal my love from her, and Himawari instead tried to do the same because she wanted to be as pretty as her mommy...By wearing her face like a mask...B-B-Boruto instead kept assaulting Sasuke's daughter Sarada because 'he could not hold back anymore' and wanted to have her. Kakashi-sensei...I saw my friends, my 'Precious People' and my whole Village implode in a matter of minutes as they killed, raped and destroyed everything on their path...I-Ino used a kunai to cut her own belly open because she saw herself as too fat and 'Ugly'...Chouji tried to eat few people alive and Shikamaru kept snapping everybody's neck because they were making too much noise...I-I-I...I was the only one sane, and then I saw that blue butterfly telling me to go through the door to that Velvet Room...And...And Hinata was covered in blood and wanted to kill me so nobody would have had me while the others just kept attacking me and each other and-"
"Sssh! Stop, just stop. All this has yet to happen, all this will NEVER happen. Whatever that Asmodeus did we will undo and fix! No matter what, our Future will be a damn bright one!" Kakashi said grabbing the blond's shoulders to stop his rambling.
"I never tried to use the Hiraishin after my first failed attempt, apparently it was tailored to my father's own Chakra, I could survive using it because of Kurama and my own Uzumaki durability, but even I usually lose consciousness when doing that, but with that horde of raving lunatics closing-in I had no other choice than using that...From what I understand not only Konoha turned like that, Asmodeus targeted everybody I met, so I guess Suna and the other Villages weren't spared either."
"Okay. We have a starting point none the less, that Tarot Card of yours will tell us where to act, we can do this! They sent you back the moment he has just started messing things up. Once fixed the victims you'll see that demon will get so angry at you meddling AGAIN with his plans that he will come out personally to attack you, and that is the moment we will stop him once and for all."
"We?"
"We, Naruto. That monster ruined the lives of everybody, and I'll help you stop him." Kakashi said presenting his hand.
"Okay, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto answered smiling as he shook the man's hand.
"..?!"
I am Thou, and Thou art I!
Thou hast acquired a new Vow.
It shall become the wings of Ambition
that breaketh thy chains of captivity!
With the birth of the Strength Persona,
I have obtained the wings of Blessing that
shall lead to Freedom and new Power...
"Uh?" Naruto uttered letting go of Kakashi's hand as if burned.
"You okay? Something wrong?" the man asked confused.
"No, no...I-I am okay!" the blond said with a weak smile.
"Wasn't that Lavenza-san's voice?" Kurama asked confused.
"Let's go, you will camp next to Tezuna-san's place so I will be nearby if you need me." Kakashi said walking towards the drunkard home.
"Okay? But how will I do this? I look too much like my young version." Naruto said unsure.
"True...Uuuhm! I can fix this too, for now let's make sure you won't be seen, in the meantime I will send a couple letters back to Konoha."
"Letters? For what?" the blond asked curious.
"Supplies, the good ones." Kakashi answered with a smirk as he wore back his mask.
"So ramen too!?" Naruto asked with starry eyes.
Sigh! "Yes, Naruto...Ramen too." Kakashi confirmed sighing.
"HURRAY! Let's go then!" the former Hokage cheered hurrying forward.
"Hehehe! You never change...Uh?" Kakashi said chuckling before feeling something in his pocket he knew was not there before.
"...A Tarot Card?...The Strength...Yes, I think it fits." Kakashi muttered as he pocketed the strange card with 'XI La Force' written under the strange picture of a man strangling a lion while showing a diabolical smile.
"Wait for me, Naruto! I will help you find a good place." the man said hurrying to follow the older version of his student.
Three days later - Tazuna's kitchen -
"So Sarutobi-jiji sent a ANBU to help us?" the young version of Naruto asked in surprise.
"Hu-uh! Considering I have some doubts about that strange guy being a real Hunter-nin, I preferred evening the playing-field by calling for reinforces just in case, right, Inu-chan?" Kakashi answered looking at the Time Traveling blond next to him wearing full ANBU attire and the man's old ANBU mask.
"Uh? You said something?" Naruto, voice distorted by the mask itself, answered confused.
"I am not THAT bad when I do it...Right?" the Masked Jounin thought in worry.
"A dog mask...I find it insulting." Kurama commented huffing.
"Nice to meet you, ANBU-san." Sakura said with a small bow.
"Likewise. You have a cute forehead, you know?"
"Oh! T-T-Thank you." she answered with a small smile and tiny blush.
"Hn." Sasuke instead looked at the ANBU and gave a noncommittal grunt as a greeting.
"...Hey, Kakashi?"
"Yes, Inu?"
"...Did something crawl up his ass and died?" the fake ANBU asked whispering with a low voice still loud enough to be heard making Sasuke give a rather spectacular spit-take while the young Jinchuuriki in the room fell from his chair laughing.
"HEY!" the Uchiha boy yelled with a red face.
"Uuuhm! I never checked...Sasuke? Chin up and pants down!"
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!" the boy answered pressing his back, and his ass especially, against the wall.
"Why instead don't you three go with your sensei to guard Tazuna and his men while they build their pretty bridge? In the meantime I will scout the area." Naruto offered making the three Genin bolt at top speed to get ready to leave.
"..."
"...Good, like this they won't suspect anything wrong is going on." Kakashi said dropping his joking attitude as soon as the three were gone.
"Thank you for the mask and equipment, sensei." Naruto said sighing.
"They never removed my name from the Inu code-name in the ANBU registry just in case, so the mask remained to me. But I fear we'll need to tell to the Third why I needed that mask and full ANBU equipment in your size being sent to me in this short amount of time."
"You think we can risk having Sarutobi-jiji survive the Chuunin Exams?" the blond asked worried.
"I would like to, even if he then steps down from the Hokage position immediately after, at least he won't die." the other answered.
"Good. While we were waiting for the gear you asked I gave a look around Wave, Gato's thugs are already under the influence of the Warden we need to find, but strangely it was not Gato himself the cause, my card didn't vibrate when I infiltrated his base…And I fear I know who it may be..." Naruto said worried.
"Zabuza?" Kakashi said gulping.
"He was still in his bed when I saw him. The only one not around was Haku himself, as he was probably out collecting herbs to finish healing Zabuza." Naruto answered in dread.
"How can you tell the others were under the Warden's influence?"
"Ever since I got my Tarot, I got the ability to see Things I couldn't before. Every man I met had one or two little devils hanging from their back, if we have to go with symbolism, the ones with HUGE spikes sprouting from their crotch were spirits about Lust, the ones toying with a knife were about Wrath, the ones counting coins Greed and so on...Zabuza had a few telling him he was just a butcher and an animal, in fact, it was just before dying that he understood he could be something different...So Haku..."
"Haku may be the one with the Warden inside, you said he called himself Zabuza's Tool, so maybe his Warden is the manifestation of his lack of sense of worth, unless it's about his being 'used' by somebody else of course."
"He is chaining himself down by believing himself to be only useful if used by somebody else, exactly." Naruto confirmed.
"So we need to enter his Prison, kill the Warden and free his Real Self, then he will return to normal, isn't it?"
"We?"
"I think I will be able to enter there myself as well, see?" Kakashi said showing his own Tarot Card.
"Oh! Well, that is what Igor-san said. I hope it will take just that, even if I find it hard to believe...Sorry if I dragged you into this, Kakashi-sensei."
"Together we are stronger than when we fight alone, you taught this to many of your friends, don't you?" the other answered with an eye-smile.
"Yup! So let's go! we'll try to have things play-out as they did before, like that IF Haku once again tries to take the Chidori for Zabuza (and if he really is who we are looking for), then we'll be able to immobilize him and enter his Prison." Naruto said shaking his sensei's hand in determination.
A week later -
"It is over, Zabuza." Kakashi, already holding his hand covered in the chirping lightning of his Chidori Jutsu, said looking at the swordsman in sadness.
"Then finish me, Kakashi! Give me a proper death!" Zabuza answered without fighting back the summoned dogs holding him in place.
"As you wish...Farewell." the masked Jounin said rushing forward leaving a trail of light behind himself.
"ZABUZA-SAMA!" as expected, Haku used his last remaining strength to created an Ice Mirror and appear between his mentor and Kakashi.
"NOW!" the masked man yelled dropping the Chidori and using that same hand to grab Haku's throat.
And barely a fraction of a second later, three ANBU appeared from under the bridge to hold the young man down so that the Original ANBU-dressed Naruto could reach for Haku's head himself.
Due to the position nobody saw the two men take out a Tarot Card each to touch the immobilized Ice-User's body with them, but from Naruto and Kakashi's point of view, the world around them started dissolving as soon as their cards touched their target.
And now, in a bare wasteland covered in snow and surrounded in a perpetual moonless night of freezing howling winds stood and imposing fortress made out of pure ice, and even from outside they could feel the sheer anguish and helplessness plaguing the small pocket universe of Haku's Prison inside the young man's heart.
"Okay, with this we can say it worked...What now?" Kakashi asked as the imposing double doors acting as entrance (and completely covered in ice spikes as big an an adult man) were clearly sealed shut and chained down for added measure.
"Now we enter inside, and I will teach you how to!" a new voice said in unmatched smugness.
"What the?!"
"So you are our guide?" Naruto asked with raised eyebrows.
"Of course! I am Morgana 2, or M2 if you want! Ready to break-in and save some prisoners?" the talking cat, looking like something out of an Anime with its big head and tiny body, answered striking a pose while pointing at the ominous giant prison of ice.
"Okay...I am going to physically enter the Subconscious of an enemy ninja to save him from the plans of a demon with the help of a talking cat and the adult version of one of my Genin that came back in time...Even my excuses are not THIS Wild!" Kakashi answered chuckling.
"I take that as a yes." Morgana answered nodding pleased.
"Hinata...Sakura...Sasuke...You all be patient, I will change the future and save you all, I will save our Future and make it bright once again! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto thought in determination as a new Ambition flared to life in his heart like a raging inferno.
Well said, well said indeed, Partner! Hihihihihihiii!
From the recesses of the blond's mind, a shadowy figure smirked in glee as it was FINALLY time for it to come out, a Wild Card that never run wild was a sin in itself after all!
Extra chapter (As in: stuff that happens between chapters) – A favor for Igor -
Naruto, once finally resolved the issue with Haku, was once again visiting the Velvet Room to have the bizarre old man give a look to some 'Personal Matters' of the blond, but contrary to last time, before he left Igor himself stopped him.
"A minute of your time, if you would." the bizarre man said rising a hand in a soft manner.
"Yes?"
"There is a small favor I must ask you to fulfill for me."
"What is it, Igor-san?"
"One of my past Guests has overstepped his abilities and may need some assistance from somebody like you, especially with your ability to talk people into a radical change of mind." Igor said taking out a folder from the desk and giving it to Naruto.
"...He proposed to ALL of them?!" the blond said shocked once red the whole thing.
"I am still studying the workings behind humans' emotions and minds, but even in my still-limited understanding, I can tell he was being honest with all of them, just like honest his feelings for them seem to be...And at the same time I can understand the anger being not 'His one and only' can bring to those women. A feeling I came to understand fully though is 'Gratitude' for what he himself did in my time of need, hence my asking for your assistance." Igor explained with a calm tone.
"So you want me to...Fix this?" Naruto asked unsure as he waved around the folder.
"I am sure somebody with your Gift will know what to do to assure he won't suffer from this, can I count on your intervention?"
"Sure, whatever, IF he did this not for perverted reasons, I'll see what I can do." Naruto answered shrugging as a new door appeared next to the one he normally used.
"I can assure you it had the best intentions behind, as for the rest, it is not of my concern what this will bring to him as long as it won't cause him harm." Igor answered uninterested.
"Oh! Chances are it will hurt in a way the boy won't mind at all..." Naruto thought sighing as he left the Velvet Room.
The Next day – Leblanc Cafe -
"...I am worried." Joker muttered looking at the sign on the cafe door in apprehension.
"That strange man with blond hair asked us to meet everybody here, I don't think we have a choice." the cat hanging from his bag answered.
"I am happy you are back, Morgana."
"And I am here to stay, Joker." the cat answered proudly as both entered the cafe.
"GOOOD! With our wild card, we can say the whole gang is here!" Naruto said proudly.
"Why we are here?" Ann asked confused.
"Well, before your friend goes back home." the blond Hokage said making the room feel gloomy for an instant.
"I thought that talking with you all would have been a great idea!"
"Talking with us?" Ryuji repeated confused.
"Yup!"
"I was told what happened here and I thought that I could give my own two cents about the whole ordeal," Naruto answered smirking.
"Can we trust him?" Sojiro whispered to Takemi.
"Apparently he was sent by the same guy that helped the Phantom Thieves in their time of need, I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt." the punk doctor replied.
"Your two cents? About what?" Tae asked with narrowed eyes.
"Oh! you'll see." the blond answered with a fanged smirk that managed to put EVERYBODY in the cafe on edge.
"He has more fangs than Mona..." Ryuji commented muttering.
"No jokes, he does." the cat admitted.
"So! let's see..." Naruto said rubbing his hands as he started talking, right from that infamous Valentine's Day that immediately turned the girls (and Sojiro) furious, apparently that too part of the man's plan...
Two Hours later -
Utter amazement, complete and absolute unwillingness to believe what was happening right in front of their eyes.
That was what was filling the hearts of Sojiro, Ryuji, Yusuke, Joker and Morgana as soon as Naruto had stopped talking with the girls and was instead giving the finishing touches to the talk he was having at the phone with Joker's parents.
"Shameless..." Morgana said in utter disbelief.
"How can somebody so shameless even exist?" Sojiro unknowingly echoed in awe.
"Such mastery over words is unheard of! A form of art on its own! An otherworldly one!" Yusuke muttered shocked.
"But you have to admit it, he was really fucking convincing." Ryuji answered.
"Don't I have a saying in this?" the poor young man in the middle of the storm asked faintly.
"I fear your other option was being skinned alive, Joker. This was the best alternative." Morgana answered sighing.
At the other side of the room though, the discussion was completely different.
"So, Christmas Party and end of the year party aside, if we can time this right...From the first to the 21th of April he will go with Ann since she will be having a photo session in Okinawa." Tae said looking at a stack of papers in front of her.
"Two weeks and three days of work, to be precise, the other two will be a 'prize' of sort from the producer." Ann confirmed smiling proud.
"Okay, so...It may be a bit hard on the jet-lag, but then he can come with me at the Medical Expo they offered me to hold in Great Britain to present my new medicine, and I will need my Patient Zero/Lucky Charm to do it properly." the punk doctor added signing that down.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! There is the comicon the 15th and 16th of January! I want to go there with him! Pleeeeease!" Futaba begged.
"Aw come on! I wanted him to help me choose my new bike! The new Kawasaki GT will hit the showrooms that day!" Makoto answered annoyed.
"Your bike can wait a couple days, do not fret and leave little Futaba have fun with her first boyfriend. Me and him can easily meet during school, so I don't have many complains or strange necessities for now, but I reserve to tell you later if something pops-up." Sadayo said shrugging.
"With my connection with the coffee industry I can easily come here using 'new products' as an excuse, so I too don't have many requests just like Sadayo-san! She can come here too as a teacher!" Haru said smiling happily.
"Student-teacher meetings here to check if this new development gave him issues with his school work? Eh! I didn't think about it, thanks!" the teacher answered smirking.
"Glad to see you all working this out like friends." Naruto said pleased as he held the telephone towards Joker.
"Your mother wishes to speak with you." he then said.
"You are even scarier than Toranosuke-san..." the poor young man commented as he accepted the phone.
"HONEY! I am so proud of you! You finally found your path in life!" the woman at the other end of the phone said happily.
"My path...In life?"
"Yes! Finding a respectable job, going well at school and even finding an honest girlfriend...Or several, that is a little less okay if you ask me, but I understand that times changed since I was your age..."
"And dad?"
"Him?...Well..."
"A Harem! who's tha man? MY SON! And why he's tha man? Because he took it from me! THA MANLIEST MAN! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" a male voice could be heard in the background screaming in pride.
"...He took it well." Joker commented sweat-dropping.
"That is an understatement, honey. Listen, please pass the phone to Sojiro-san, me and your father will send you the rest of your things soon, with how well your life is going NOW that your name is clean and you are on the path of independence, calling you back here risks ruining all the many great steps forward you took in all this time. Just know that I love you and call us as often as you can, okay? Me and your father are proud of you." the woman said with a happy tone.
"I love you too mom...Sojiro-san? They need you."
"Coming, coming." the Cafe owner answered taking the phone himself.
"..."
"...What?" Naruto asked at the intense stare he got from the old man.
"Once done here we'll swap stories, there are a couple pick-up lines I want you to revise for me, I am getting old so maybe it's time even for me too to find a special somebody."
"Me too! Me too!" Ryuji said immediately.
"Sojiro here...Yes...Yes I don't mind...Yeah, I can let him use the same room if he works at Leblanc to pay for his staying...No, it's not a problem...Yes, I can send you pictures of the girls so you can have your friends be jealous of your son's success." Sojiro answered as the phone call dragged on in further details.
"It seems like I am staying here for the time being." Joker said sighing making the others cheer happily at the news.
"So we still are the Phantom Thieves?" Ryuji asked confused.
"I think you all can take a short vacation from that, if the need arise again, the almighty heroes that saved the world will return, until then, just live your life normally. As for me, I have still my own Mission to carry on, so I don't know if we'll see each other again. Take care!" Naruto answered smirking as he left the cafe.
"Oh! We will! And thank you again!" Ann answered as she and the others waved him farewell.
Later that day – Velvet Room -
"...That, was not what I meant when I talked about fixing the issue." Igor said as soon as Naruto re-entered the Velvet Room.
"What?"
"I think Master Igor means that 'Harem' was not what he had in mind." Lavenza explained annoyed.
"Oh! I thought you did..." the blond admitted unease.
"To be honest Lord Philemon himself had been surprised to see this work, by any means, there was absolute zero chance for this to work." Igor admitted.
"It's a gift?" Naruto said with a forced smile.
"A very scary one indeed, now go, you still have a lot to do."
"Yes, you are right! Call me again if you need something though!" the former Hokage said rapidly leaving the room.
"..."
"Uhmmm."
"...What are you thinking about, Master?" Lavenza asked curious.
"I would like to try creating a copy of him to advance my studies, but I am actually afraid of the potential that Assistant could have, and what would happen should I lose control of him."
"I see, Master..."
"What?"
"...Would it be against the rules should I too join the Harem?" Lavenza asked shyly.
Sigh! "Every time, I wonder what is the connection between the Guests and my female Assistants." Igor muttered thoughtful.
End of the little extra!
Yes Morgana has been cloned to help Naruto while the Original stays with Joker, that I call like this because (To me) that is his name. XD
(Do not whine, I am the Author and I said so, so this shall be.)
So! Morgana 1 with Joker and Morgana 2 with Naruto.
Why? Because I LOVE that cat! He is fun, adorable, annoying and very useful in battle!
Especially when he quips during battle! I lost count of the times he went from saying "Looking Good, Joker!" when the MC does something cool to then say "Oh, Skull, you are Pathetic!" immediately after when Ryuji screws-up! XD it never fails to make me laugh.
In fact, Morgana is in my Top 10 of favorite characters of Persona 5, second place actually after Igor XD.
Also, extra scene, I still have not finished the game but I got spoilered by few assholes so I knew what to write, and the whole ending was something I despise considering all the work I am doing in my gameplay between school and social activities, so I changed it XD
I have no idea if this is a proper Persona Fanfic, I hope it is.
Thank you for reading me, Bye!
Tr230.