Yo guys and gals, I'm back with the second chapter! Drake and I worked hard on it, so I hope you enjoy it. This chapter will cover Chichi's first day on the farm, starting shortly before Ms Smith showed up for breakfast last chapter and continuing after it. I'm honored that you all seem to like this story so much. Some of you may have noticed the story's new picture. That's a picture of a future OC I designed for this fic and then commissioned an artist on deviantart to draw. You can find more details about both the character, the design inspiration, and the artist on my deviantart, djunk855. She's one of a few OC I designed not based on a subspecies, and she likely won't appear for a good long while, so consider it a preview. I'm also talking to a couple artists about commissioning pictures of some other OC, so I'll let you know in subsequent author's notes if that happens. I'll address some questions I got in reviews at the end of the chapter as well as some expected questions similar to what I did last chapter. Anyway, I've blabbed on long enough. Let's get this show on the road!
Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 2
When the sun rose, it was to a peaceful scene. There was a gentle breeze that ruffled Naruto's hair as he watched the sun rising, a tired and disgruntled Chichi stood beside him. As she took in Naruto's calm smile, she couldn't help but feel a little relaxed herself. Even though she was planning to explain to Ms. Smith that she couldn't possibly stay with such an inexperienced handler, she was enjoying this brief moment of quiet.
"You know you don't have to follow me, right?" Naruto chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at her. "I'm not going to run off or anything."
"Article 21-D, sub-section 2- A representative must not stray more than 100 yards (91.4 meters) from their handler without a written letter from the Coordinator expressing that the representative is adjusted enough to cope without a human handler." Chichi stated.
Naruto opened his mouth to argue but then decided against it. If following the rules made her happy, who was he to judge? He settled for leaning on a rotten wooden fence and surveying the fruits of his labor.
The house looked okay from the outside, but only the bare minimum had been done inside. In fact only Kaguya's room was finished (although Kaguya had made it quite clear that it wasn't up to her 'noble' standards). Chichi had been given what was supposed to be his room, which had had the walls and floors repaired, but was still lacking furniture. He had slept in the kitchen, the only other room that kept out the cold. Whilst Chichi hadn't complained, he felt guilty at making her sleep in such a bare room and resolved to finish her room before starting on his own. Even if he wasn't going to be here long (hopefully) he could at least leave it so that Chichi would have a nice place to live in when he returned to Konoha.
"Right then!" Naruto suddenly declared. "Time to get to work!"
"Work?" Chichi asked.
"That's right." Naruto looked at the farm. "This place isn't going to build itself! When I'm finished with it, it'll be a fully working farm… With all sorts of… er… farmy things like… chickens and… er… rice?" He finished weakly. "To get us some food and such, you know?"
"Do you know anything about farming?"
"Not a thing," Naruto proudly declared. "But I have a neat little trick to learn new stuff!"
"Oh?"
"See…" Naruto smirked as he summoned a Kage Bunshin. "Anything these guys learn is transferred to me when they're dispelled."
"I see," Chichi frowned softly. "May I ask something?"
"You don't need to ask me permission to ask me a question," Naruto chuckled. "Just ask me, okay?"
"In accordance with Article 21-E I shall acknowledge your request." Chichi replied, hiding a smile at Naruto's exasperated sigh. "I was wondering… Are you really human?"
"Yup," Naruto nodded proudly.
"But you can do such wondrous things," Chichi frowned. "None of this was explained in the documents I have read about humanity."
"W-well," Naruto saw something over Chichi's shoulder and choked back a laugh. "I guess you could say I'm special. Good morning Kaguya-chan. Did you have a nice sleep?"
"That is Kaguya-sama to you," Kaguya scowled at Naruto, who was wearing a grin so wide it threatened to split his face in half. "Is something amusing to you, servant?"
"No, nothing." Naruto turned to survey the land. "Just thinking about all the work it's going to take to get this place into shape."
"Such a task should be easy to someone who calls themselves my servant."
"I don't call myself that." Naruto deadpanned.
"He is our handler and as per Article 21-D he should be treated with respect." Chichi remarked before her face went strangely blank as she saw Kaguya's face.
"I see you are still here," Kaguya turned to face her. "I could care less about the laws you preach, Vulgar Spider."
"Good morning." Chichi found herself staring over Kaguya's shoulder to avoid looking at her face.
"See, this one gets it." Kaguya smirked. "She understands that a vulgar being such as herself does not have the divine right to gaze upon my face."
"S-sure…" Chichi mumbled. 'Do not laugh… Whatever I do… I cannot laugh… Remember the Exchange Laws...'
"Well your face is a sight to behold." Naruto nodded.
"...What are you planning?" Kaguya stared at Naruto, distrust apparent in her eyes. "Your words seem true but I feel there is more behind what you say."
"Oh nothing," Naruto whistled innocently. "By the way… you haven't washed your face yet have you?"
"No," Kaguya paused. "I used to have servants to do that for me, but I would rather not have your callused hands caressing my face. My skin is soft and delicate and requires a soft touch." She glanced at Chichi's hands before scowling. "It appears I shall have to bathe myself."
"Well you can wash your face in the lake," Naruto nodded to the body of water.
"A servant does not tell their master what to do," Kaguya declared before heading to the body of water.
"When she sees…" Chichi glanced at Naruto.
"Hehehe," Naruto grinned.
"YOU INSOLENT SERVANT!" Kaguya shrieked as she turned to glare at Naruto, the bunny face paint she was wearing looked ridiculous when combined with her angry glare.
'I was wrong. This is funny!' Kurama's bemused voice sounded from the depths of Naruto's mindscape.
"BWAHAHAHA!" Naruto fell over laughing as Kaguya stormed over to him, her eyes radiating killing intent.
"I'm pretty sure almost every rule of the Exchange program has just been violated." Chichi hung her head. 'Whilst it was kind of funny… I will have to report this to Agent Smith. She will see that staying here will only hurt my chances of being a police officer.' Chichi glanced at Naruto who was still rolling around laughing as Kaguya tried to wash her face. "Where did you even get that paint?"
"Oh I found it in one of the barns," Naruto remarked as he staggered to his feet. "There was loads of junk in boxes and when my clones found the face paint we knew what we had to do. Ouch!" He frowned as he saw a little bunny bite him on the shin. "Geeze, what's the big… idea…" Naruto noticed a group of at least twenty rabbits staring at him. "Fine I'll help her get it off. " He was cut off by a strange ringing noise.
"The phone," Chichi frowned as Naruto pulled out the device. "You need to flip it open and it should auto answer."
"Oh," Naruto flipped the phone open. "Hello?"
"Hi there," Ms. Smith sounded tired. "I forgot to go over some details, so I'll be at the property in half an hour. Tell me, have you had breakfast and your morning coffee yet?"
"We don't have anything here to serve, breakfast or coffee."
"Well fine, I'll use your allowance to buy you some food. I'll even bring over some workers to make sure your house has everything you need for your new resident! You've met Chichi, correct?"
"Yeah," Naruto glanced at Chichi.
"For a second I was worried that you hadn't gotten my text!" Ms. Smith chuckled.
"Er… Yeah I got that," Naruto laughed weakly. "Thanks for that."
"Well if you really want to thank me you can make me a meal." Ms. Smith hung up.
'I get the feeling this isn't going to be the last time she tries to mooch a meal off of you.'
'Quit being such a cynic. She's helping us out by fixing up the bits of the house I can't and providing us with food. Besides it's not as if I'm planning to stay here is it? As soon as I find a way back home we'll be leaving."
'And Kaguya?'
'To take her back would be reckless. She's powerless right now and quite a lot of people would want her dead if not captured and experimented on."
'Wait a minute, you're calling something reckless? You are the most reckless person I know!'
'I'm not reckless!'
'You dive into danger headfirst. That isn't exactly sensible.' Kurama chuckled.
'W-well,' Naruto scowled as he struggled to think of a comeback. 'It's not recklessness if you know you can survive it.' He finished weakly.
'That is the kind of argument only a suicidally reckless person would say. Either that or someone who was already dead.' Kurama remarked dryly as Naruto made his way to the house, the rest of the journey spend in silence.
"It's not recklessness if you know it won't kill you." A patchwork women proudly declared as she poked some stitches across her exposed belly. She wore the standard armor of MON squad, although her top was open, showing a variety of wounds that had been stitched and bandaged. Some of the bandages were tainted with a strange looking liquid that didn't smell like blood. This was Zombina the Zombie, Mon Squad's weapons expert.
There was a group sigh of exasperation in the MON squad barracks as two of her teammates just shook their heads.
"But Bina-chan," Manako, the squad's sniper Monoeye frowned at her zombie teammate. "You don't heal naturally."
"It was only a bokken," Zombina grinned.
"It was thrust through you like a spear." Doppel, the squads infiltration expert remarked as she sat, using her hair as a chair. "Clearly the target was a lot stronger than we were expecting."
"Bullet holes are easy to seal but this wound was much more difficult. You were lucky that the wound could have been closed at all." Manako tried to explain her concern to the grinning zombie.
"You're right." Zombina's sharp teeth gave her an almost feral look, "She was a strong opponent!"
"You are focusing on the wrong thing," Manako mumbled under her breath.
"Meh," Zombina waved her concern off. "Hey where's Tio?"
"Ms. Smith requested her for a mission, prisoner transport most likely." Doppel shrugged indifferently.
"I see," Zombina frowned. "Once again I get left out of the exciting stuff? What if that criminal tries to escape, huh? Tio gets to have the best parts! I didn't even get called when there was the incident with the boss."
"Ah," Manako nodded softly. "With the human and the strange Liminal."
"From what I heard the Liminal had weird glowing hands!"
"That was apparently the human," Doppel remarked.
"How do you know?"
"I was there," Doppel shrugged.
"Gah?! Did everyone except me get a piece of the action?"
"There really wasn't much action after the human pulled himself out of a truck and started to glow yellow and pick people up with the weird glowing hands he created." Doppel shifted until she was a perfect replica of Naruto, golden chakra form and all.
"Say what?" Zombina frowned. "I could never do that when I was alive. That sounds pretty awesome! Were they used for any attacks?" She leaned forward to look at Doppel.
"Not really," Doppel returned to her usual form. "He just sort of held everyone up then surrendered without a fight."
"Oh?" Zombina seemed a little disappointed. "Well I guess I didn't miss that much… Unless you're lying to me?"
"Why would I do that?"
"To make me feel better… Oh there was a full on gunfight, wasn't there?!" Zombina groaned. "I'll bet Manako was firing bullets everywhere… Tio probably threw a car at someone,.."
"I can assure you that didn't happen," Doppel shook her head. "Besides I would have thought you would have had enough excitement fighting that exchange student that ran you through."
"But she didn't throw a car at anyone." Zombina pointed out.
"No one threw any cars," Doppel shook her head.
"I'll bet he was a deranged psycho…" Zombina's mismatched eyes sparkled. "It must have looked like some sort of horror movie when you saw all that death and destruction."
"You could always just read the report."
"I… I think he is strange." Manako frowned. "But not a bad person."
"Oh?" Zombina blinked.
"He could see me when I was in a sniping position. He looked at me straight in the eye and even pointed at me. No human should be able to see that well." "
"Really?" Zombina didn't sound convinced.
"Well there have been some interesting developments." Doppel smirked. "Have you not read the report?"
"Why would I?" Zombina mumbled. "It's bad enough knowing I got left out of the action without hearing all about it as well. I'll bet the car crashes were epic! Argh! And I was stuck on some stupid escort duty!"
"It was quite a pile up but fortunately there were no fatalities." Manako nodded. "That's probably the only reason that she was able to take the human and Liminal into custody without too much fuss."
"Argh stop mentioning it!" Zombina groaned.
"But it was you who asked about it," Doppel shook her head. "It's interesting what you can find out if you can get ahold of Smith-san's mission reports."
"How'd you get a hold of them?" Zombina asked.
"Well," Doppel changed her appearance until she looked and sounded like Ms. Smith. "Humans are quite easy to fool." She returned to her usual appearance. "But it looks like the human isn't actually classified as one."
"And that means?" Zombina asked.
"Who know's?" Doppel smiled. "All I know is that his race was entered as 'Other.'"
"If he wasn't entered as a human or Liminal… what does that make him? Is he a handler or an exchange student?" Zombina frowned. "And if he causes trouble can I shoot him?"
"Who knows?" Doppel smirked. "I'm sure that Smith-san has a plan."
Back at Naruto's House
Naruto and Kaguya glanced at each other uneasily before returning their attention their house guest. Chichi had quietly asked to be excused and had retreated to her still empty room, having not taken Ms. Smith's judgement well. If the coordinator was aware of Chichi's bad mood, she showed no signs of concern.
"Not bad," She nodded approvingly.
"Well thanks," Naruto chuckled. "I'm not much a cook."
"The best kind of meal is a free one." Ms. Smith took another sip of coffee.
"I have a feeling we just got a dangerous insight into your personality," Kaguya frowned. "May I ask why you are here?"
"Why? It's my job." She smiled. "I had to get people here to make this place livable, although I did underestimate the damage. Fortunately Naruto-kun here did a lot of the hard work that allowed the specialists to do their jobs easier."
"What exactly is your job anyway?" Naruto asked as he summoned some clones to clean up the mess.
"I am the Cultural Exchange Coordinator," Smith gestured at Naruto, "In a nutshell, my job is to keep an eye on the handlers and any exchange students they may be housing to ensure that everything is going smoothly."
"But didn't you just disregard that Vulgar Spider's objections a few minutes ago?" Kaguya frowned.
"Well I could have tried to find her a new handler," Smith sighed. "But it's far easier to just leave her here. Besides she isn't in any danger here."
"So basically you don't want to do your job," Naruto deadpanned.
"She'll learn to get along with you, I'm sure. After all isn't that part of her dream job?"
"Dream job?" Naruto blinked.
"Oh she hasn't told you?" Ms. Smith raised an eyebrow. "Well, it isn't for me to say." She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her outfit. "As much as I would love to eat free food all day, I have a lot of work to do today."
"Doing what exactly?" Kaguya asked.
"Well for your information, I am not only your local coordinator but the liaison for the MON squad, MON being short for Monster Ops: Neutralization," She added seeing the blank look on Kaguya and Naruto's faces. "Due to the rules of the Exchange Bill, humans and Liminals can't harm another without breaking the law. There are those who would violate this law and whilst the police can arrest humans, they cannot touch Liminals. Hence the Monster Ops is a team of Liminals who are able to do what the police can't."
"Oh so you are kind of like a Chuunin or maybe even a Jounin? A team leader kind of thing."
"Yes," Smith nodded. "In fact you have already met some of my team."
"Oh, that armored giant!" Naruto grinned looking at Kaguya.
"That uncultured oaf dared to manhandle me!" The rabbit goddess angrily bit into a carrot with an audible crunch. "I'll bet he is some uncouth barbarian who doesn't understand the first thing about being a lady!"
'You'd be surprised.' Smith thought to herself.
"I'm guessing that one eyed girl was one as well?" Naruto chuckled at Kaguya's antics before returning his attention to Smith.
"Indeed. She was a Monoeye," Smith looked thoughtful. "I suppose i should make sure you are familiar with the different species… I'll send some books later," She finished dismissively.
"I'm starting to think Chichi should be more worried about you not being fit for your job than me as a handler." Naruto shook his head.
"I'll have you know I am extremely busy with many important things." Smith shook her head.
"Those 'things' are probably finding other ways to avoid doing your job," Naruto grumbled.
"Says you," one of the Kage Bunshin cleaning the kitchen retorted.
"Those clones, they are copies of you correct?" Kaguya glanced at the muttering clone.
"Yeah?"
"Then if your clones don't like you, what does that say about you?" Kaguya smirked.
"I'm leaving before I see something that might make me have to perform a suitability test," Ms Smith grabbed one another slice of toast and took a bite. "And then I would have so much more work to do if you failed it and at this short notice too…" She left, but not before draining her coffee and grabbing the last slice of toast.
"Apparently she too is lacking manners," Kaguya snorted. "Sunglasses must be almost as common as you, servant."
"You're still sore about the face paint aren't you?" Naruto dodged a bunny missile. "And so are your minions apparently."
"To touch the face of a noble…" Kaguya huffed, "One should know their place. You are fortunate that I don't have my powers. Such a crime would deserve the harshest punishment."
"While you try and think of one, I'm going to check on Chichi." Naruto glanced at Kaguya who continued eating her salad slowly.
"Such vulgarity." She scoffed.
"It's her name," Naruto called out. "It's not like I'm going around calling her tits or anything."
"S-such language!" Kaguya looked away from Naruto. "Do you not know how to speak in the presence of a lady?"
"Er…" Naruto frowned, "Come to think of it Sakura-chan did always hit me… I guess I don't know."
"Well," Kaguya smirked. "You are fortunate you have such a forgiving and generous master, who shall teach you the error of your ways."
"I'm going to check on Chichi," Naruto left. "If you really want to, anything my clones learn is transferred to me."
"I see," Kaguya turned to the clone. "I wonder if etiquette can truly be hammered into that tiny brain of yours. I believe a short two hour lecture should be a good start."
"You traitor!" The clone yelled after the fleeing Naruto.
"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," Naruto bowed his head as he headed towards Chichi's room.
'You'll want to be careful. Kaguya may be the only way home.' Kurama warned Naruto. 'Try not to upset her too much.'
'I know.' Naruto sighed. 'If she never regains her chakra… I might have to rely on her to teach me how she opens portals. That means putting up with her for a bit longer. Who knows? Maybe she'll lighten up. In her defense though, she was my enemy less that 24 hrs ago.'
'In her defense? She was trying to end the world near enough! How can you defend her? ...Oh who am I kidding? This is you we're talking about. Everyone who you beat up seems to become a good person. Although somehow I don't see it happening anytime soon with her.'
'She's just scared.' Naruto paused outside Chichi's door. 'Come to think of it. Maybe that's the case with Chichi too… She has be sent away from her family to live with a complete stranger.'
'Heh,' Kurama shook his head. 'I'm sure you'll make her feel right at home. You're that kind of person.'
'Ah, thanks.' Naruto chuckled before knocking on the door. "Chichi?"
"Enter."
"Er…" Naruto pushed open the room. "Wow those people Ms. Smith got in really did a number on this place." Her room had all the furnishings that you would expect of a hotel room including a decent sized TV on one of the walls. He'd never seen one that was flat like that one, though. The only thing that stood out was there was a hammock instead of bed, on which Chichi was currently laying.
The only signs of personalization were a set of official looking books neatly stacked on a desk and several outfits hanging in the closet, each one neatly hung and ironed.
"I apologize for leaving but I was… emotionally distraught by Agent Smith's decision. I thought that you would be a hindrance to my future career prospects."
"What do you want to do?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the desk. "These are all books on laws and procedures."
"... I want to be a police officer." Chichi smiled softly.
"Police officer?" Naruto frowned slightly. 'Is that like the Uchiha Police of this area or something?'
"Indeed." Chichi nodded.
"So that means you'd need to deal with all sorts of unruly sorts right?"
"That is…" Chichi's eyes widened. "Oh, I get it now. Agent Smith must have put me here because an officer must be calm and collected at all times. Sometimes we have to deal with members of the public who could be infuriating and unreasonable, so in a way this too is preparing me for my job."
"Infuriating and unreasonable?" Naruto's shoulders slumped.
"Ah! I apologize." Chichi skillfully climbed out of the hammock, "Article 21-D, Subsection 1 states that human handlers must be treated with respect. I cannot apologize enough for my behavior."
"No, that's alright." Naruto chuckled. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to be a police officer?"
"Article…"
"I don't want you to answer me because the law demands it." Naruto interrupted her. "I only want you to tell me if you want to tell me."
"Very well," Chichi bowed her head. "I am from a small village not too far away. When the treaty was signed two years ago, not all humans took it well. Some Liminals are less… acceptable to humanity. Whilst those who have milder traits like those of cats and dogs are more widely accepted, those with less appealing traits are usually shunned and feared, like we are monsters."
"Shunned and feared," Naruto frowned softly, recalling his own past, remembering the cold looks, the hurtful words. "That's never pleasant."
"Indeed," Chichi nodded. "I remember there were some humans who were aggressive to us. They formed a sort of Anti-Liminal group. Usually it was just threats and graffiti but one day…" She scowled. "They set fire to one of my neighbors houses at night when they were sleeping."
"Did they get out alright?" Naruto asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Yes… Thanks to one person, a human." She smiled softly. "Whilst all the other humans were stood back watching, not sure what to do, he raced forwards without any fear and went straight into the burning building to help them escape. When he came out I asked him, why did he not fear us? Why would he risk his life for us? His answer…." Chichi looked at Naruto, "Because I am a police officer and we help people, regardless of who they are. Human and Liminal alike were calling him a hero and that's when I realized something. If I became a police officer, I could show humans that were are not to be feared and at the same time inspire other Liminals to pursue their own dreams. With my hunting instincts I believe I would make a good police officer and I was physically fit so…" She gestured to the books. "I got in touch with the Exchange Program and Agent Smith provided me with the books and promised she would find me a suitable handler, even after my application was initially blocked."
"I see," Naruto nodded. "Did they catch the people who lit the fire?"
"No," Chichi shook her head. "But I think when they saw that police officer, they must have felt shame."
"Huh?"
"Their actions were based on fear and ignorance. That's yet another reason why I have to be a police officer. So long as our people are considered mysterious and strange, fear will be prevalent throughout the communities that we live in. That's why I have to prove them wrong, to show them I am not some monster. I am me."
"..." Naruto stared into the distance. "And one day I will be Hokage…"
"Pardon?" Chichi glanced at him.
"Hehehe," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "You might not believe it but we're kind of similar. We both know the stigma of being hated for something you have no control over. Alright!" Naruto nodded. "I've decided!"
"Decided what?"
"I'm going to help you." Naruto pointed at Chichi. "When I'm finished you'll be the best damn police officer ever!"
"How?"
"Er…" Naruto deflated. "Well… I haven't thought that far ahead... " He admitted. "I mean I might not be the best at books and stuff but when it comes to practical work, I'm pretty good. ...I've got it! I'll make training course that only I can make for you!"
"Really?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "You said your request was originally declined right? Because of that law saying you can't be a risk to the public."
"Correct. Article 1-A Principal Law 3."
"Well then," Naruto smirked. "I can simulate a public environment with my clones. One will be your target and the others will just be normal civilians."
"But how will I know which is which?"
"I'll have my clones change their appearances so they all look different and give you the details of the criminal. You have to find and catch him."
"I already told you that I am a talented hunter." Chichi frowned.
"Well then why don't we make it fun?" Naruto smiled, "Since you're so sure of yourself, why don't we make a bet of it? If you're able to complete whatever the goal of the training exercise is, then I'll assist you the only other way I can, by helping you find a handler who is able to help you. However if you're unable to complete the goal, that means there is something I can teach you and you have to promise to stop being so uptight with the rules."
"Deal." Chichi nodded. "I look forward on seeing your letter to request my transfer."
"Hehe," Naruto grinned. "I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet. You're going to be seeing this face for a while."
"Possibly," Chichi bowed her head. "If you don't mind I would like to stretch out before the exercise as outlined in the Police Academy training guidelines."
"You love your rules," Naruto chuckled as he left her to her stretches.
'I totally didn't see that coming.' Kurama's voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.
'What?'
'Another bleeding heart story. Admittedly you could throw it but let's be honest, the moment you realized the parallels between you there was no way you could give up on helping her achieve her dream is there?'
'Am I that predictable?'
'Heh, you might be the most unpredictable ninja, but you're the most predictable hero in history.'
'I'll take it. Hero is a better title than demon.' Naruto shook his head softly and made his way out of the house past the kitchen.
"Now this is a dessert spoon." Kaguya was still lecturing the clone.
"...It looks like every other damn spoon!" The clone wailed.
"...I think I'll take a different exit," Naruto made a u-turn.
Some time later
"And this is a steak knife." Kaguya placed the sharp blade on the table. "And this is a carving knife."
"Does it really matter?" The clone protested.
"Does it really matter?" Kaguya looked incredulous. "It is quite apparent if not for me you would probably descend into barbarism. You should be honored that a noble such as myself is spending her precious time instructing you on these things. One is only as noble as one acts."
"Uh huh…" The clone looked for a distraction, "Oh look it's Chichi."
"Are you here to be enlightened?" Kaguya turned to face the spider woman, who was wearing a jogging shirt that fell below her waist, acting as both a shirt and a skirt. "What is with that strange outfit?"
'Chance!' The clone quickly grabbed the steak knife and stabbed itself, his final thoughts before bursting being a prayer that Naruto got the memory of the pain as revenge for forcing him to sit through Kaguya's lecture.
"I am training with Handler-san," Chichi remarked simply. "If I beat his challenge then he has agreed to help me find a new handler."
"Then you are probably going to stay here for a while," Kaguya scoffed. "Considering that back when I was technically a goddess I failed to kill him, I doubt you would have much more luck."
"Attempting to kill our handler would be in violation of…"
"Yes, yes," Kaguya sighed. "The rules that govern you commoners do not apply to those with noble blood." She turned to find the clone had dispelled. "It appears that my servant is completely useless. He didn't even give the clone enough of my chakra to last through the lecture. Still, I suppose I should be grateful that he at least expended the chakra in a worthy cause." She turned to talk to Chichi, only to find she had left as well. "That is fine. I had no desire to converse with that Vulgar Spider anyway." She turned to the lone rabbit that was sitting on the kitchen table, nibbling the leftovers from her breakfast salad. "People of my station, we are destined to stand alone, misunderstood by those we watch over."
The rabbit's nose twitched, which Kaguya took as a cue to talk.
"Your life must be quite easy," She stroked the creature's head. "Unburdened by duty and the pressures of nobility. Even before I was a goddess, there were so many who expected so much of me. I was a symbol of hope, of a potential everlasting peace. Now look at me," Her shoulders slumped. "I am a failure. I failed to save the world." She sat down and laid her head on the table. "What a pitiful creature I have become…" She glanced at the empty sleeve of her kimono, "A pitiful and incomplete creature."
The rabbit nudged her head.
"What is my purpose?" She wondered aloud. "When I was a goddess it was so clear. I was saving the humans from themselves. I was trying to bring about a true peace, an everlasting peace… But now I find myself helpless and no doubt my home is burning with the fires of war. Without me the world will have descended into complete anarchy… And it is all his fault." Kaguya lifted her head to glare in the direction of the fields where she assumed Naruto was. "If he had just accepted my peace, if he had not tried to stop me." She clenched her one fist. "I cannot forgive him for that. He doomed our world… But at the same time, I understand him a little better. It was not his intent to cause harm, but much like a child, he knows not what he does. He acts without thinking."
The rabbit returned to the salad, crunching noisily on a particularly crispy piece of lettuce.
"I suppose as a noble it is my duty to overlook the commoner's faults and guide them to better themselves." She sighed as if realizing the depth of the task she had set herself. "Still one should not complain. Despite being thrown into a new world he has proven to be surprisingly adaptive. Maybe there is hope for that one." She reached up and stroke the horn that he had regenerated for her. "He means well…" She smiled fondly. "Yes. I do not believe he is beyond redemption."
The rabbit hopped off of the table.
"The sad thing is," She shook her head. "You probably understood that a lot better than my clueless servant." She shook his head. "I shiver to think of what inane training he has cooked up. No doubt wasting more of my chakra."
With Naruto
"Still so sure you're going to win?" Naruto glanced at Chichi who was stood frozen with shock.
"When you said you could make thousands, I thought you were bragging." Chichi glanced at Naruto. "There must be at least three thousand!"
"I don't know, never really tried to count." Naruto shrugged.
Chichi returned her gaze to the forest where Naruto had been waiting for her.
"I wanted to try and use an earth jutsu to make large building shaped obstacles, but earth isn't really my element," He looked slightly disheartened. "I mean I can kind of use it but I don't really know any actual earth jutsu."
"Jutsu?"
"Techniques, like the Kage Bunshin."
"May I ask you a question?"
"...I am definitely human."
"May I ask a different question?"
"Oh sure."
"Are you sure you are human?"
"Yes," Naruto chuckled.
"So…" Chichi's look of shock was slowly fading. "What is the task?"
"One of the clones will be a criminal and it is your duty to find him! He, or possibly she, will be holding these bells and milling around in that forest with the other clones trying to escape Your task is to find him and safely capture him. Once he is captured you are to bring him back to me with the bells. Simple, right?" He jingled a pair of bells. 'When I found these in that barn with the paint I knew I had to use them! I feel like Kakashi-sensei right now.'
"Sure," Chichi nodded. "Even with such a large number of people I am sure that I can keep track of one clone."
"But be warned. If he manages to reach a secret hideout that I have built in the forest, then you lose unless you actually track him to his hideout, then you can still win if you pursue him inside before he returns to me with the bells," Naruto smirked. "But that has its own set of risks as... " He was interrupted by one of his clones snatching the bells from his hand and running. "Officer! I've been robbed."
"Try and catch me if you can!" The clone, who was disguised as Yahiko, made a vulgar gesture before turning around and running, stuffing the bells into a pocket.
"W-what?" Chichi was caught flat footed but quickly leapt into action, pursuing the clone with agility that impressed Naruto. Whilst a normal human would find themselves quickly in trouble, her quarry was no normal human. This was a ninja and as agile as she was, she couldn't quite catch him before he reached the mass of clones.
"Excuse me," She tried to edge her way through the clones.
"Hey watch it will you?" One of clones snapped. "I'm standing here."
"I'm sorry sir but…" Chichi tried to move.
"Ah, Onee-sama! Your legs are strange. Can I touch them?" A clone disguised as a young girl walked up to her.
"I'm sorry but I am in pursuit of a criminal," Her eyes desperately scanned for her prey until she caught bright orange hair, 'Got you!' She smirked as she leapt towards him before blinking as an unfamiliar face looking back at her. 'No piercings? This… This is the wrong clone!'
"Can I help you officer?" The clone disguised as Juugo smiled politely.
"No thank you," She looked around annoyed. 'Where has he gone?!' She leapt into a tree and scanned the area.
"Unlucky~" Naruto's voice echoed through the trees and the clones all turned back into Naruto.
"I lost?" Chichi sighed as she returned to Naruto, where the Yahiko clone was twirling the bells around his finger.
"Well?" Naruto smiled at her. "Did you think it would be easy and that's why you didn't use your webs?"
"I can't." Chichi looked at him. "Long Leg-type Arachne don't spin webs."
"Oh, I didn't know that." Naruto chuckled. "I just assumed that you could. Sorry that was insensitive of me."
"It is not your fault. If anything the fact that you were assigned as my handler without the relevant information is Agent Smith's fault."
"Are you criticizing a coordinator? Isn't that against the rules?" Naruto gasped in fake shock.
"I am allowed to make criticisms where necessary," Chichi mumbled, although was apparently not too proud of her remarks.
"Well I guess that means you lose," Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Let's head back. There is a saying that 'rabbit's die of loneliness' and if Kaguya dies then… I am in a whole heap of trouble."
"Again." Chichi spoke softly
"Pardon?" Naruto paused.
"Again." Chichi repeated louder, a look of determination in her eyes.
"Okay," Naruto nodded and glanced at the clone. "...We'll try something a little different this time to keep things interesting. This time the clone will be an aggressive criminal holding several clones hostage! You have to take down the criminal with non-lethal force whilst ensuring none of the other clones die." He nodded to the Yahiko clone who raced off into the forest.
"Right," Chichi nodded, eager to complete this exercise.
'Huh, she seems really fired up. I wonder if that's because of the bet.'
'Or maybe I'm an awesome teacher who inspires his students?'
'… So it's the bet then?'
Ignoring the smart-ass fox in his head, her turned to Chichi. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"Sir!" The Yahiko clone returned and gaze a sloppy salute. "We have an update on the situation! The target has six civilians held hostage in the forest. The target has black hair and a smile that doesn't look quite right. He's located half a kilometer inside the forest and appears to be armed."
"Understood," He glanced at Chichi, "Are you ready officer?"
"Yes sir!" Chichi saluted before heading into the forest. This was her element, stalking an unaware target in order to deliver the killing blow. She paused in that line of thought, reminding herself that she had to try and take the target alive if possible. But she couldn't fail, her future career was counting on her being able to succeed.
Back at the House
Kaguya glanced at a clock as she sat in the kitchen, her fingers tapping the surface of the table as she waited for Naruto to show up.
"How long can it take to train a Vulgar Spider to…" She paused. "I don't even know what they are doing, but it shouldn't take this long." She stood up angrily. "Who knows what that idiot servant of mine is doing? He probably got sidetracked by a wounded animal and is now racing to deliver it to some sort of animal healer." She chuckled at the thought of Naruto carrying a bleeding fox. "I wonder why I instantly thought of a fox?"
Her attention was drawn to the floor as a couple of rabbits started to nudge her.
"You are correct," Kaguya nodded. "No doubt he is lost in a ditch and requires my aide. He should be grateful to have such a gracious master." She started towards the door, a small trail of rabbits behind her. "This is not an unpleasant place to live." Kaguya remarked as she took in the fields. "My servant has been quite busy. Maybe in a year or so it would be a place worthy of the presence of one such as myself." She nodded. "Funny, as a princess I used to have a hundred servants at my beck and call. All trained to the highest standards and aware of their duties. Now I have one who wouldn't know good manners if they hit him in the face." She scowled, although there was a hint of mirth in her features.
She continued towards where the most noise was, assuming correctly this would be where Naruto was. What she saw almost made her pop a blood vessel.
"So… So much wasted chakra," She blinked as what must have been around a thousand clones headed her way.
"Oh it's the Bunny Princess," One of the clones waved at her. "Hey Kaguya-chan."
"That's Kaguya-sama to you."
"Yeah, yeah," The clones waved off her remarks. "What are you doing?"
"I am going to speak to the real you."
"Oh he's in the forest with Chichi." One of the clones pointed off into the forest.
"Don't say such vulgar words in the presence of nobility."
"What would would that be? Chichi? Because if it is Chichi then we can stop saying Chichi. Isn't that right?" One clone turned to face another clone.
"That's right. We'll stop saying Chichi if Kaguya-chan wants us to stop saying Chichi."
"..." Kaguya rubbed her forehead tiredly. "What I wouldn't do for my chakra right about now…"
"Hehehe," The clones laughed. "Well, we can't all just hang around chatting. Boss says he wants us to work on some of the other rooms. He wants a training room in there!"
"So he has decided to stop just dismissing you?"
"Well he said if he did you would just complain about it and we should try not to upset you too much."
"Huh," Kaguya preened herself, "I see his starting to respect my noble self."
"Not really, he just doesn't want to make you 'hopping' mad."
"..." Kaguya glare said more than words ever could.
"We'll… we'll be off then," The clones coughed awkwardly, unwilling to spend any more time being glared at by the angry ex-goddess.
"You do that." Kaguya watched them flee before heading towards where the clones had indicated Naruto to be.
With Chichi
As Chichi approached the area the clone had mentioned, she tried to keep a low profile. She saw someone who matched the target but they appeared to be bound up. After a few moments she realized that the clone, disguised as Sasuke, despite not looking like he knew smile properly and dressed like he was from a strip club or something, was actually a hostage. The actual target was the one wearing a smile that looked so fake it was painful to look at.
Chichi advanced on the position as the clone disguised as Sai walked amongst the hostages, twirling a kunai in his hand. Whilst Chichi was confident she could take down the clone, doing it without killing it would be much more difficult and that was without taking into account that she had to try and make sure the six civilians survived. Her mind raced as she tried to recall the rules for such a situation.
"Tch," The Sai clone walked over to one of the clones disguised as a child, Hanabi Hyuuga to be exact, and picked it up by the scruff of her throat. "I'm fed up of waiting for my ransom. Maybe sending a small piece of you back will convince them to hurry up?"
"P-please no!" The Hanabi clone squirmed.
'Not good!' Chichi quickly charged the target, expertly maneuvering through the undergrowth until she got within leaping distance, her agile movement meaning that the Sai clone was completely unaware of the rapidly approaching Liminal until it was too late and the full mass of the Liminal came down on him like an angel of vengeance. Unfortunately this meant that the fragile clone dispelled, taking the Hanabi clone with it.
"For what it's worth," Naruto called from a tree. "A real human isn't quite that fragile." He jumped down next to her. "For example, I survived being hit by what Ms. Smith called a truck."
'Judging from the public reaction to that, I don't think most humans can survive that. Hell if not for me, you might not have survived that!'
'Details,' Naruto thought back flippantly.
"A loss is a loss. Those are the rules of the challenge." Chichi sighed. "One more time."
"Again?"
"Again."
"Heh," Naruto nodded. "Let's see… What can this third test be? ...How about you try and catch me?"
"You?" Chichi tilted her head.
"That's right," Naruto nodded. "Unlike my clones I won't break so easily. This way you can learn to capture a strong human before working your way towards more fragile targets! To make things fair I'll only use my chakra to cling to surfaces. I'll head into the forest and wait for one hour. After which I'll make my way back here. If I get back here then I win and if you capture me, you win."
"You've seen the damage I caused to the clones. It would be in direct violation to Article 1-A Principal Law 5- It is a criminal offence for any humans to willingly and knowingly inflict harm upon a representative or put them in a scenario that would lead to injury without written and un-coerced confirmation from both the representative and the handler. This also applies to any harm inflicted upon the handler by a Liminal."
"So basically we both just need to give our approval right?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Well yes, but you fail to realize the potential harm that you could suffer." Chichi frowned.
"Can you summon a god that can send me through dimensions and turn me to ash if you land an attack on me?"
"No."
"Then I'll be fine. I survived that after all." He grinned widely. "Just ask Kaguya how hard I am to kill."
"...Where are you from?" Chichi struggled to wrap her head around what he said.
"Let's just say I'm not from around here." Naruto chuckled. "So you still want to try and catch me, or are you too scared now?"
"When I decided to become a police officer I swore I would give it my all." Chichi shook her head. "Giving up is not an option!"
"Hehehe," Naruto nodded. "That's the spirit! You ready?"
"On the count of three?" Chichi stretched out her many legs.
"One…" Naruto crouched.
"Two… Hey what are you doing?!" Chichi blinked.
"Being a ninja!" Naruto laughed as he set off running early.
"I… You cheater!" Chichi took off after the grinning ninja.
"Oh and criminals always play by the rules?"
"You... " Chichi narrowed her eyes as the two sped into the undergrowth.
'So why are you doing this again?'
'I don't know. It seemed like a good idea?'
'Still, she seems pretty agile. Duck!'
"What?" Naruto rolled as Chichi leapt over him. "Damn! She can jump! Well she isn't the only one."
'Remember! No chakra besides to cling to surfaces. Was that Kaguya?'
'What?' Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see the irate goddess and her small army of rabbits traversing the undergrowth.
'Branch!'
'Oh right.' Naruto grinned as he ducked under the obstacle, landing flat against another tree and racing towards the canopy, Chichi quickly scurrying up the neighboring tree matching pace with him. "You know, I wasn't expecting you to be this fast!"
"Once I have my prey in my sights, it won't escape."
"What about those clones that you failed to capture?"
"I… I underestimated you." Chichi kicked off the tree towards Naruto who leapt off and grabbed ahold of another branch, watching as Chichi tore through the tree where he would have been stood.
"Maybe I limited myself too much," Naruto frowned. "Hey… Chichi?" He tried to spot the spider woman.
'I get the feeling she decided against a direct assault and is now waiting to ambush you.'
'Ambush a ninja? Ha!' Naruto smirked as he dropped to the forest floor. "Good luck with that." He looked around, searching for the tell tale sign of movement amongst the bushes. "Huh, she's good."
He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. Wherever Chichi had gone, she was being awfully quiet. 'At least I don't have to worry about her setting some sort of trap with webs.' He opened his eyes.
'So… Any plans?'
'Well technically I can just sit around waiting then head back to the original meeting point to win. I'm guessing she will be hoping to ambush me on the way back and is using this time to set up some traps for me.' Naruto looked around before sitting down.
'And you're going to let her, aren't you?'
'Of course.' Naruto grinned as he sat down, enjoying the calm of the forest. He pulled a kunai from his pocket and checked the reflection to make sure she wasn't behind him before picking up a branch and cutting at it. 'Has an hour passed yet?' He thought jokingly.
'Yes.' Kurama responded sarcastically.
'Wait, really?'
'No, not even close.'
'Ah…' Naruto got into a meditative pose. 'Might as well kill some time then.' He sat down, allowing the natural energies to flow through him. 'I see that this world still has natural energy, even if no one else seems to have chakra.' He smiled slightly as he felt the strange energy of the world, familiar yet completely foreign at the same time. He could sense so many life forms around him. "This is really a busy little forest isn't it." He murmured as he extended his senses. Time seemed to flow by quickly until his trance was broken by Kurama.
'Your hour's up. If you want to keep meditating don't let me stop you but remember there's no toad with a staff to beat you here, though.'
'His name is… wait a minute. You're a genius!'
'I know I am… But just in case I had forgotten why am I a genius?'
'The toads!' Naruto stood up dispelling the natural energy he had gathered. 'They can reverse summon me back home!'
'Maybe.' Kurama was skeptical. 'But the chakra required to summon one here must be astronomical. I doubt we could do it.'
'Well, we can at least try!' Naruto grinned.
'Now?'
'I suppose it can wait until we finish this test,' Naruto glanced into the forest. 'You think she's finished yet?'
'I suspect yes.'
'What do you…' Naruto instinctively rolled forward and started to run as the sound of Chichi tearing through the undergrowth sounded directly behind him. 'Being a little noisy isn't she?' He started towards the tree line but Chichi cut him off, forcing him to change directions and leap into the trees, Chichi following behind him.
Every time he tried to change direction, she quickly leapt in the way of his attempt to escape, forcing him to follow the route she wanted.
'Just what is she planning? She only had an hour to prepare.' Naruto frowned as he easily kept his distance from her. 'She isn't even trying to chase me down now… What is she planning?' He ran across the forest floor, tracking her movements out of the corner of his eyes.
'Just a little longer…' Chichi smiled as she saw Naruto heading towards her trap. 'No matter which direction I attack from, you can just jump out of the way. In order to capture you I have to leap when you're in mid jump and unable to alter your course.'
'Do you think she plans to lose?' Naruto wondered.
'No… She has a similar look in her eyes to you. She won't give up.'
'Heh, I knew there was something about her that was familiar.' Naruto smirked as he approached some bramble bushes that marked the edge of the forest, 'Almost home free.'
'Here we go.' Chichi prepared herself.
"And away we… crap!" Naruto cried out in alarm as he leaped over the bushes, twisting his body to narrowly miss several bee hives in the tree. "Phew, that was close," He chuckled before stepping forward and feeling something catch on his leg. As he tugged his leg free he saw the familiar glint of a trip wire and the bee hives briefly shook, followed by the sound of angrily buzzing bees starting to leave the hives. "Not today!" Naruto leapt backwards from the hives and their guardians.
'Here's my chance!' Chichi dived at the airborne Naruto.
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened. "Clever girl," He regretted his handicap, without his other abilities he was a sitting duck, so he did the best he could and braced for the inevitable impact.
"Mission achieved," Chichi declared as she grabbed Naruto tightly, the speed of her impact knocking the air from his lungs as she came down to land, only to realize too late that she had been so focused on catching Naruto, she had launched herself at him more energetically than she had planned to. Rather than a soft landing on the grass, the two of them were headed straight for the lake next to the farm. She braced herself for an impact that never came. A sudden surge of warmth spread through her body and she found herself held above the water by a glowing yellow limb. Naruto himself was stood atop the water's surface.
"How?" Chichi blinked as the golden limb put her down on the shore.
"Chakra," Naruto replied simply as he walked over to the shore. "It's kind of like a natural energy that powers me and my jutsu."
"Thank you," Chichi nodded, "Whilst I wouldn't have died, being submerged is extremely unpleasant for me. It appears that you may have some latent talent as a handler after all."
"Er... " Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks I guess? So you're not a big fan of water huh?"
"It's just that my lungs are in my abdomen," Chichi gestured to her spider half. "In what you could call my rear. I can breath through the surface of my skin so when I am submerged, while it won't kill me, it feels like I'm suffocating from all sides."
"Wait… You breathe from your butt?" Naruto blinked.
"I leave you alone for an hour and already you have dropped to that Vulgar Spider's level," A disapproving Kaguya remarked as she emerged from the forest, her kimono looking slightly worse for wear.
"Oh hi Kaguya-chan."
"Kaguya-sama," The former goddess brushed herself off and set down. "You shall address me as Kaguya-sama."
"Whatever you say Kaguya-sama-chan."
"... I will not sink to your level," Kaguya scoffed. "I have just one question."
"Oh?"
"Why… Why are you wasting my chakra?!" She pointed at his golden form.
"Oh this?" Naruto laughed weakly. "Well you see we were going to fall into the lake so I called on Kurama's power to stop Chichi and I from getting soaked."
"So you wasted my chakra because you didn't want to get wet." Kaguya remarked.
"When you put it like that it seems less cool," Naruto grumbled.
"Nothing about you is 'cool', except your association to me." Kaguya remarked. "As my servant that is."
"You know what, I was going to let you come back home with me, but now I think I'll just leave you here," Naruto crossed his arms.
"You mean to tell me you have found a way back home?" Kaguya's eyes lit up slightly.
"I'm pretty sure I have," Naruto allowed himself a moment of smugness. "I mean it would take a lot of chakra."
"It would finally be a use that wasn't a complete waste," Kaguya smiled.
"Huh?" Naruto chuckled. "This must be one of the first times I've actually seen you smile. You should do that more. It suits you."
"It is the duty of a servant to compliment their master," Kaguya remarked. 'Although admittedly my old servants never seemed quite as sincere with their compliments as you just did.'
"I can't even say anything nice to her," Naruto turned to Chichi who looked bemused at their interactions. "So I guess this is goodbye then."
"You are leaving?"
"Well hopefully. Just as well really, considering you successfully captured me. That means I have to write a letter for you to find a new handler."
"Er…" Chichi frowned softly. "I… I don't believe I won."
"Huh?"
"Two out of three times I was soundly beaten. I am grateful that you even allowed me more than one chance." Chichi bowed her head. "As per the rules that we agreed upon, I am to stay with you."
"But I might be heading back home."
"Article 2-A, Subsection 1. A handler is responsible for the wellbeing of their assigned representatives until the relevant body qualifies the representative for human integration without a handler or the handler is deemed incapable of performing their duties." Chichi quoted. "Until Agent Smith says otherwise I must stay with you."
"What are you saying?"
"If you are to leave this residence then I must accompany you." Chichi stated firmly.
"But," Naruto blinked. "We could be going far away."
"There is no limit on the reach of the law."
"Kaguya… A little help?"
"I'm sorry?" Kaguya looked at him. "You can't have been talking to me."
"Fine," Naruto sighed. "Oh gracious Kaguya-sama. Please help me." He rolled his eyes.
"No," Kaguya smiled at him.
"This is for the face paint isn't it? When will you let that go?!" Naruto wailed.
"When you undo ruining the last hope of peace for our home."
"I just can't win with you can I?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well… Here goes nothing!" He bit his thumb and slammed it down on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
"Was something supposed to happen?" Kaguya remarked unimpressed.
'Kurama… Give me all you've got!'
'This isn't going to work.' Kurama remarked but relinquished a great deal of chakra regardless.
'Now to top it all up with a little nature chakra!' Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them his eyes, already red from the effect of the cloak had been replaced by his orange sage eyes with slits through the bars thanks to Kurama's influence.
'Wait a minute, do you feel that?'Kurama tried to get Naruto's attention but he was too focused on his Jutsu to care about anything else right now.
"Here we go! KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!" Naruto bit his thumb again and poured as much chakra as he could into the summoning.
There was a burst of smoke that filled the area and when it cleared Naruto let out a whoop of joy.
"It worked!" Naruto laughed. 'Odd she doesn't look like the other female toad's I met. Maybe after a certain age they all just end up looking like Granny sage.'
"Er…" Kaguya blinked as she took in this new arrival. She had green skin with brown splotches appearing now and again on her arms and legs. She wore what looked like a conductor's hat with blonde bangs covering her forehead. The rest of her hair was tied into a high ponytail that trailed down the large coat she was wearing, its sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her collar lifted up. Beneath the coat she wore only some bindings to cover her modest chest and some dark pants tied at the waist with a rope belt .
Kaguya noted that her bare feet were on display, revealing the webbing between her toes that was mirrored on her hands. 'This one must be even more common than my servant.'
Chichi found herself instinctively distrusting this new arrival. 'She looks like some sort of delinquent. What is this ruffian doing here?'
"Alright!" Naruto grinned. "I need you to go back and tell Grandpa sage to…"
"I ain't doing nothing." The toad girl spat.
"Eh?" Naruto blinked.
"As amusing as this is," Kaguya brushed off her kimono and stood up to leave. "I am returning home. I will bathe then be down to have a meal. I expect the bath to be ready and hot for me in ten minutes."
"Where do you think you are going?!" The toad scowled.
"To my house." Kaguya retorted.
"It ain't yours anymore." She declared. "You all listen good! My name is Nectophry but you're going to be calling me Toph-sama from now on! You're my underlings and this is my territory now!"
...and that's the end of the second chapter!
I bet you're all wondering who this delinquent Toad Girl dressed like a banchou is, right? Well, you'll just have to wait and see next chapter! By the way, her name is based on Nectophrynoides, a genus of True Toads known to both lay eggs that hatch into miniature toads instead of tadpoles and give birth to live young (also miniature toads). All the OC names are related to their species, but some might take some more knowledge than others. Chichi's name, for example, is based on the fact that "chichi" is an informal way of saying "dad" and her subspecies are called Long Legs-Type Arachne, so it is meant to be a reference to the Daddy Long Legs spider. When I named her this, I didn't realize her species was more based on Wolf Spiders, but I liked the name and it still kind of worked, so I left it. Next chapter I'll give you all a little back story on how and why I came up with Toph (and no, it has nothing to do with ATLA).
Now to answer some questions from last chapter. Some of you have asked if the farm means there will be some of the farm related Liminals like Cathyl or Merino. The answer is yes, but it is likely not all of the official ones will be appear and some of them will be OCs. Also, don't expect to see them for a while. It was stated in the manga that they were assigned to a farm because they wanted to learn about farming, so until Naruto actually shows he can farm to Ms Smith, there's no reason for her to assume he can actually teach them. Next, some people have asked about specific side characters or species. I can't answer one way or another without giving too much away, but I will say this: In addition to several side characters, I have made at least one OC based on the subspecies from every one of the end cards of the anime. Finally, some people have been mentioning the wikia and online game in reviews. I'm well are of it, don't worry.
Now, onto some expected questions.
Q: Why are rabbits following Kaguya around and can she actually understand them?
A: It's mostly just a gag that has some practical use and no, she can't understand them. It's just a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of this strange new situation.
Q: When he goes into Chichi's room, how does Naruto know what a TV is?
A: Chapter 181, the first chapter of Volume 21 of the Naruto manga, shows Sasuke standing in his room staring at his team photo just before he defects from the village. It that room is a TV, though it appears to be the kind that uses tubes and such as opposed to the LED screens we have today. As far as this story goes, I'm assuming that they only had prerecorded video (like a VHS tape) and not broadcast television, so Naruto understands the concept of a TV, but not all the things a modern one can do.
Q: Why did Chichi say the Exchange Bill was signed 2 years ago? In the manga Kimihito said it was 3 years ago.
A: When did I ever say this story started at the same time as Kimihito's? I have reasons for why it starts earlier, just know that for now.
Q: How was Chichi able to keep up with Naruto (when there were no clones to block her)? He should be much faster than her!
A: Much of Naruto's speed is augmented by his Nine Tails Chakra Cloak and/or Sage Mode, so he is significantly slower without them (though still much faster than the average human). Also, spiders can be quite fast when they need to be, and a spider scaled up to a larger than human size would be even faster.
Q: How did the Yahiko clone get back to Naruto so fast?
A: The small hideout he built had a tunnel that led out near the fields. Remember this, as it may come up later (no guarantees).
Q: If no one has chakra, why is there natural energy? Is this just a convenient way for you to allow Naruto to use Sage Mode?
A: Because, in this story at least, the ability to generate and control chakra was given to people (and the ancestors of future ninja animals) by Hagoromo. No, this is not just for convenience. I have plans for the natural energy, but you'll just have to wait awhile to find out.
Q: How did Naruto summon a Toad Girl? His contract is only with the toads of Mt Myoboku!
A: The details of this will be revealed next chapter. There should be enough clues in this chapter for you to figure it out, but I'll give you one more: Every time a summoning jutsu is preformed, three things appear. One is a summon seal on the ground, one is the summon itself, and one is... something else. Just because one of those things doesn't appear, doesn't mean the others won't if you pump enough chakra into it. I wonder if anyone will figure it out~
See ya next time!