Disclaimer: I own nothing.

xXx

...Space-Time Jutsu are a strange beast. The essence of it all is rather simple. You open a hole in reality in order to connect two distinct points. Any idiot with enough chakra and access to a summoning contract can do it.

I was a teenager when I signed the Toad scroll. It took me a less than a day to summon my first tadpole. A few months later I fought alongside 'Bunta for the first time.

I didn't understand how the whole thing worked until years later, most people never bother learning. It's not like there are many experts on the subject around.

But I am getting off-topic.

Make a hole to connect two points. That's what it boils down to. That's what all space-time techniques boil down to.

The problem is... people can get really creative with just that much...

-Jiraya's Notes, Excerpt-

xXx

Two Months

xXx

In the second month of the new term, Naruto was called to Konoemon's office.

The aged headmaster did not even bat an eye when Naruto appeared in his office out of thin air. The blond ninja had done that every time he was called. No whirlwind of leaves. No gust of wind. One moment there was an empty seat, the next Naruto was there. Rather than speed, Konoemon was certain it was spatial displacement of some type.

The young Kage had certainly earned his title.

"Morning gramps," Naruto said, raising a hand in greeting. He was never one for formality, and Konoemon had no problems with that.

"Good morning to you too, Uzumaki-san," Konoemon greeted. "Some time has passed since you began teaching here. As such I would like to ask you a few questions about your experience in Mahora so far."

"Sure thing. Fire away," Naruto said, leaning back into his seat.

Konoemon nodded. "Good. First, I must admit I am interested in how you find class 3-A."

Naruto looked confused for a moment before snapping his fingers.

"Right, your granddaughter is there! I have to say they are a fun bunch though Negi must have his hands full handling them. As for me well…"

xXx

1 Month and 26 days ago:

"You!" Asuna shouted, pointing at the grinning man standing inside the gym.

"Yes, me!" Naruto said, greeting the assembled class. "Welcome, Class 3-A! From today onwards, I, Uzumaki Naruto, will be your P.E. Teacher!"

Asuna had a bad feeling about this.

"Since this is the first day of classes, I am supposed to go over what we will cover during the semester," Naruto said, taking out the syllabus.

"But that's boring." Naruto threw the papers over his shoulder. "Instead, I want to get an idea of how good you girls are. Who is up for running laps around the gym?"

Half of the class did not react to the announcement. The other half was split between resigned expressions and pained groans.

Naruto blinked.

"Hey, what's with those boring reactions? This will be fun!" Naruto assured them. "We are not going to do regular boring laps around the gym. This will be obstacle course!"

The moment he finished the sentence, Naruto stomped, activating a hidden switch in the gym's floor.

Click

The sound echoed throughout the gym as various mechanisms were set in motion. Trap doors opened. Walls rose from the floor. Compartments opened up in the ceiling and walls to reveal lasers, crossbows, and other dangerous things.

The students' eyes got progressively wider as they watched the gym undergo the transformation.

By the end, the room was better suited for filming an action movie than a middle school gym class.

"What the hell is this?" Surprisingly it was the normally quiet Chisame who voiced the question in everyone's minds.

"It is the gym's obstacle course!" Naruto said, spreading arms wide.

"How is it even remotely acceptable for something like this to be part of a PE class?!" The girl yelled. Around her several of the girls nodded.

"Eh, don't worry," Naruto said, waving a hand, "there is nothing lethal or harmful in the obstacle course. I even set it on the lowest difficulty. Worst thing you will get are a few bruises."

"IT HAS LASERS!"

"Non-lethal lasers," Naruto corrected, raising a finger. "Besides, it is not like I build this thing. It has always been part of the gym. It was even part of the school curriculum until a decade ago or so. By the way, thanks for the books on the school's history, Miyazaki-san! I would never have found about this without them."

Poor, shy Nodoka found herself victim of several glares. The girl could only stutter explanations while her skin struggled to decide between blushing and paling.

"Okay, that's enough standing around. Everyone form a line. You will enter in pairs," Naruto said, slapping his hands together.

Reluctantly, the girls formed a line, looking very much like prisoners about to face the firing squad.

What followed next was...

"THAT WAS A BOXING GLOVE! WHY DOES AN ARROW HAVE A BOXING GLOVE?"

"…and those lasers really hurt..."

"Don't worry Akira! If we stick together we'll be fine."

"Don't say stuff like that while hiding behind me, Misora!"

"Why can't we be a normal school?!"

"For the pride of the strolling club! CHARGE!"

… A tragedy. Truly a great tragedy.

The class was cut down by half during the first lap alone. By the end of the fifth lap, even members of the sport clubs like Akira and Yuna were unable to go on. Only Mana, Kaede, Ku Fei, Setsuna, and Chachamaru were able to endure the exercise from beginning to end.

News of this event would spread like wildfire around campus. In a few days, people would call it The Great Class 3-A Massacre. Other PE teachers in Mahora would go on to copy Naruto's example and let their classes ran that obstacle course on the first day of class.

It would take more than a hundred years for the school to ban the practice.

But that's another story

xXx

"…we get along well. They are good girls. Most of them are lacking when it comes to physical ability, but don't worry I will shape them up in on time," Naruto promised with a smile.

"You have my thanks for that," Konoemon said. "The physical standards of today are far too low."

"No problem," Naruto said, flashing him a thumbs-up. "I'll have those girls roof-hopping by the end of the semester."

"Ho, I see I made the right choice choosing a ninja as a teacher," Konoemon said while running a hand through his long beard.

Deep down, Konoemon hoped his granddaughter wouldn't hold it against him.

"I am glad you get along well with them, but I must admit I am a little surprised. Has there really been no friction between you and the students?" Konoemon asked.

Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Well," he said, "there is Evangeline."

"I see," Konoemon said. "I admit she has a… unique situation."

Naruto nodded. "If you hadn't told me about her beforehand, things could have gotten messy…"

xXx

11 days ago

Kakizaki Misa was tired.

As a cheerleader, she was used to physical activity but nothing had prepared her for the newest teacher.

Uzumaki Naruto did not know how to take it easy on the students or so Misa thought.

Unbeknownst to her, he was taking it quite easy on them. It was just a matter of perspective. Easy when compared to standard Ninja Academy exercises was still grueling training for a middle school girl.

Normal middle school girls that is, which Misa was.

Having to deal with Naruto-sensei's classes on top of her cheerleader duties had proven to be too much for the girl. She had fallen asleep in the changing room after practice. Being more asleep than awake themselves neither Madoka nor Sakurako had noticed she was not with them on their way to the dorms.

Night had fallen by the time Misa woke up.

Having little choice but to walk alone, Misa took the quickest way to the dorms, right through Sakura Lane. Had she not been so tired, she would have remembered all the rumors about people being attacked there at night and chosen another route.

Alas, that was not the case, so Misa was entirely unprepared when a small figure burst from the shadows and grabbed her. White teeth gleamed in the darkness as the figure prepared to bite her.

Said figure was similarly unprepared for Naruto dropkicking her into the ground.

Misa, who had just started to register what had happened, found herself staring at her PE teacher.

"You okay?" he asked.

Before Misa could answer the figure Naruto had kicked got up, hands covering her face. "How dare you! How dare a mere human like you kick my face!"

"Eva?" Misa asked, straining her eyes to see in the darkness. Sure enough, the mysterious figure was her classmate. "Eva, it is you!"

"Naruto-sensei! How could you hit Eva like that?" Misa pointed to the little girl. "She is a girl! Worse, she has the body of a ten-year-old. Who knows how much you hurt her! And Eva, you are too old to go around scaring people and way too young to be dressing like that. Don't you know there are all sorts of weirdoes out ther-"

"Silence!"

Misa was cut off by Evangeline's shout. The girl threw two oddly shaped bottles to the ground. The liquids inside mixed as the glass shattered. Multiple ice arrows burst from the mix of liquids and headed right for them.

They never touched Misa.

In an instant, she was in Naruto-sensei's arms and they were, for some reason she couldn't understand, on top of one of the surrounding buildings.

"Stay here," Naruto said. "It looks like someone is asking for extra lessons."

Misa started open-mouthed as Naruto vanished from her sight and reappeared back on the street in front on Evangeline.

"You know, I have never met a vampire before," Naruto said.

"So the old man told you," Eva huffed, crossing her arms. "It seems people can't keep a secret nowadays."

Naruto shrugged. "It is the kind of thing that comes up during the job interview. Salary. Hours. Problem kids. The usual. Especially when the problem kids include blood-sucking vampires."

Naruto was pretty sure the headmaster hadn't told Negi a thing, though.

He seemed like the type that liked to mess with others.

"You have me at a disadvantage then, sensei," Evangeline said, the last word dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know much about you."

"Me? Eh, there is not much to tell," Naruto said, his hands behind him. "Just a normal teacher. Honest."

Eva snorted. "Don't insult me. Those movements were not those of a normal human, and the timing of your arrival at Mahora... Did Konoemon feel the need to hire a babysitter for the brat?"

"Can't I just be a really dedicated PE teacher?" Naruto asked. He seemed to mean the question too.

Eva raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, was worth a shot," Naruto said, shrugging. "Anyway, can't say the name of my client. Ninja rules and all that."

He apparently had little problem revealing he was a ninja.

"No matter," Eva said, pulling out more vials. "After tonight, you will be in no shape to babysit Springfield."

Once more the vampire threw vials containing magical catalysts. A barrage of magical projectiles headed for Naruto.

The ninja calmly stared at the projectiles as they closed in on him.

Then, he moved.

To Misa, it was as if each of the projectiles suddenly veered off before reaching Naruto.

"Well, that was… not bad?" Naruto said, scratching the back of his neck. He had been expecting something cooler from his first vampire. Sure, Konoemon had said something about the seal, but this was just… underwhelming given how he had talked about her.

"On the bright side, you are perfect for Negi! Definitely starter villain level," Naruto said, cheering up a bit.

Powerful enough to be a threat, but not strong enough to win unless Negi messed up.

Man, he so wished he had one of those growing up.

Zabuza had so not been starter level.

However, Naruto's words were not well received. Evangeline reeled back as if struck by a physical blow.

"S-Sta-Starter Villain! How dare you! How dare you! Evangeline A.K. McDowell is nothing less than a Final Boss!" The tiny vampire shouted.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Naruto said, not looking particularly interested. "Look, I know the headmaster is okay with you being here and all, but don't go around attacking people or I'll do something about it, no matter what my contract says."

Having said what he wanted to say, Naruto hopped to the roof. An instant later, he had Misa in his arms and vanished.

Leaving one very pissed off vampire.

"Chachamaru!" The girl shouted.

"Yes, mistress," the gynoid answered as she stepped out of the shadows.

"That guy. He just called me weak, right?"

"That would appear to be the case," the girl answered in monotone.

"Me! The Dark Evangel. The Undying Mage. The Doll Master. The Apostle of Destruction. He said I was nothing more than a starter boss!" The blonde said, her voice getting increasingly louder with each word.

"I believe he used the term 'Starter Villain', Master." Chachamaru tilted her head to the side. Perhaps her master's storage drives were in need of repair?

"I know what he said! It's all the same thing. He compared me to a first level boss battle only an utter noob would mess up. An existence created for the sole purpose of losing to let the player get some experience. A battle so easy it might as well be scripted!"

Eva knew her games. There was only so much one could do while trapped in a school for years.

"Change of plans Chachamaru," she said. "First, I am going to drink that brat's blood. Then I am going to look for Nagi, but before doing that last part…before that… I am going to beat that miserable bastard!"

xXx

The Headmaster stroked his beard. "Ah, Evangeline. I assumed she would start to act up when Negi came to the school. I am surprised it took this long actually."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "Is she going to be any trouble? I know you said students with abilities were common and all, but this one is going around biting people."

"Have no fear," Konoemon said. "She has not seriously hurt anyone and is unlikely to do so. She may deny it, but she has grown fond of Mahora. Her only target is Negi, and even then I doubt she truly seeks to cause harm to the child."

Naruto didn't like the idea of a vampire going around feeding. But the Headmaster seemed sure she was not going to hurt really hurt anyone so…

"I'll trust you about Eva for now. She will be good for Negi as he is right now. I am curious about what he did to have a vampire going after him, though," Naruto said, scratching his chin.

"That's not really my story to tell," Konoemon answered. "Speaking of Negi, I am curious to hear how your mission is going so far."

"Oh, that! Nothing much has happened. The biggest danger to him right now is getting glomped to death by those girls. Can't recall the last time I had a job this easy. By the way, I got to thank you for giving me this job. It makes keeping an eye on Negi much easier…."

xXx

1 Month and 21 days ago

"Negi!"

The child teacher did not have time to turn before he felt a hand slapping his shoulder making him stumble a bit.

"Uzumaki-sensei," the child said, recognizing the voice.

Naruto, who now had him in a one-armed hug, pouted. "Hey, what's with the formality? We are both teachers. Don't be scared to use my name."

"But wouldn't that be too informal?" Negi asked. From what he understood of Japanese culture, calling someone by their first name could be rude in certain situations.

Naruto laughed. "Come on, it is not like you are Japanese. Neither am I for the matter. A little informal works out just fine."

Naruto omitted the fact that while not Japanese, the culture of the Elemental Countries resembled that of Japan.

Weird.

"You are a foreigner too, Uzumaki-sensei?" Negi asked surprised.

In retrospect, blond hair and blue eyes were enough of a hint. Then again Ayaka had those and there was not a drop of foreign blood on her veins.

Japan was weird like that.

"Yeah, this is my first time in Japan actually," Naruto said. "And what did I tell you about calling me by my name?"

Negi fidgeted. "...Na..ruto-san," he tried out.

Naruto sighed. "That will have to do for now. You're way too serious for a kid."

"I don't think I am that serious." Negi frowned a bit. The expression just made him look more serious.

"No, you totally are. It's like talking with an old man. You're a kid. You have to relax a little. Relax. Oh! I just had the best idea. It's decided!"

Negi did not like the glint in Naruto's eyes.

"As a teacher, I cannot let this go! From here on, I make it make it my duty to help you recover your lost youth!" Naruto said, doing his best imitation of Gai and Lee.

It would have made them proud.

"Wha-no that's not really necessary," the boy said, waving his arms around.

It was then Negi noticed Naruto had carried him out of the room at some point. They weren't even inside the school anymore. The blond was effortlessly carrying him with one arm and was running so fast their surroundings were nothing more than a blur to Negi.

That day many people heard the disembodied voice of a child screaming.

And so was born the Legend of the Screaming Ghost Child.

Seconds later, Naruto stopped and dropped the screaming kid to the ground. The short fall (and not being carried at speeds not even racing cars could reach) was enough for Negi to settle down. The child looked around and saw that they were in a small ramen bar.

"It's not Chao's food stand, but I have always preferred ramen to nikuman," Naruto said before making his order.

"So what are you going to order? I recommend the Miso ramen, but Shio ramen is pretty good too," Naruto said with the casual tone of someone who had not technically kidnapped a child and dragged him screaming through the streets.

"I shouldn't even be here! I had papers to grade! No, first of all, how did we even get here?" Negi protested.

"Putting off your work for later is another part of youth," Naruto said, sagely. At least, he thought it looked sagely. "As for how I got us here… well, you don't become a PE teacher by sitting around doing nothing. I am in amazing shape."

Negi sighed and took the empty seat next to the blond. He could have tried to convince Naruto to take him back, but something told him that would be an exercise in futility. Instead, he made his order and listened to Uzumaki-sensei talk while they waited for their ramen to arrive.

"This… this is pretty good," he said once his order arrived and he brought the first spoonful of ramen to his mouth.

"Told you. Hey, bring some more," Naruto told the chef while waving an empty ramen bowl.

"W-when did you eve-," Negi stuttered before stopping himself.

"A teacher must be ready to eat in the blink of an eye," Naruto replied.

"I don't really see how that has anything to do with teaching," Negi deadpanned.

"You'd think so, but try saying that when you have to grade the final exams of the entire grade," Naruto said. "Then you will be glad you can to eat faster than humanly possible."

Against his better judgment, Negi found himself in agreement. Grading exams was entirely too time-consuming.

Why did he have to include two composition questions in the last exam?

Hold it.

"Did you say 'will be'?"

"Well yeah, I told you I was going to teach you," Naruto said. "We need to turn that frowny face of your into a smile."

"I don't have a frowny face," Negi muttered with what was totally not a frowny face.

Though his voice was low but Naruto heard him anyway.

"Come on! Young teachers like us have to stick together. We are not the norm. Especially you. I have never heard of a child teacher before. You'd think a ten-year-old qualified to be a teacher would be better known."

"Tha-that's…" Negi stuttered out. It wouldn't do for Naruto to dig into his past.

"Easy there," Naruto said. "I'm not the prying type. I just want to offer a little help."

"Help?"

"You have the face of someone carrying something heavy," Naruto said, his face serious. "That's not healthy for a kid."

"I don't hav-oomph!"

Negi was shut by a spoonful of ramen shoved into his mouth. Courtesy of Naruto.

"It's okay. I am not going to pry. Honest. I just want to help you lighten up in the meantime. If that means kidnapping you for lunch every so often then or teaching you a few tricks then fine. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for that too."

Negi had many, many objections to Naruto's unilateral decision-making. However, the spoon got in the way of voicing them.

"Well, that's all I wanted to say really," he said as he got up from the chair. "Thanks for the ramen!"

It was then Negi realized Naruto had left him with the bill.

xXx

"…He is a good kid, if a bit too private for his own good," the ninja said. Negi had not taken him up on his offer even once.

Which did not mean, they did not eat lunch together on regular basis. Naruto made sure of that.

The headmaster crossed his arms. "I see. Yes, Negi is not used to opening up to others. He differs greatly from his father in that regard."

"The Thousand Master, right? Must be tough trying to live up to that legacy."

The headmaster nodded. "I see you know about it. Still, Negi's story is not mine to tell."

Naruto just waved his hand. "Don't worry. I won't pry. I am a ninja. I know a thing or two about secrets."

"Thank you. Now, I must tell you-"

"Don't interfere with Negi?" Naruto interrupted him. "Yeah, I know that part. I wasn't planning to."

"I did say that at the beginning, but you must be wary of Evangeline."

"…I am getting some mixed signals here."

"Allow me to explain. The current Evangeline would be, as you say, a good challenge for Negi. However, she was not always like that. As I have told you, her real power is sealed. While it is not too likely to happen…" The headmaster trailed off, letting Naruto fill the blanks.

"So don't interfere unless the vampire regains her original powers. Got it."

Konoemon nodded. "Once again, you have my gratitude."

"Just doing my job. Now if that's all, I'm going to take off. Thanks for the tea gramps!" Naruto said, getting up.

"There is one last thing I must ask," Konoemon said. "This is just protocol, but, during your time here, has any normal human seen your abilities."

Naruto stayed silent for a moment then grinned. "I am a ninja. I don't get caught."

Then the blond vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Konoemon frowned. He was going to have to call someone to clean up all the leaves now.

Ninja.

xXx

11 Days Ago

The day of Kakizaki Misa made less and less sense as it went on.

Uzumaki Naruto

Evangeline A.K. McDowell

Ninja

Vampire

She thought Eva was just playing around at first, but those powers were too real to be just a prank.

Eva had superpowers!

Naruto-sensei had superpowers!

She hadn't even seen the arrows Eva threw until Naruto-sensei had moved her to the roof, and that speed! It was like he was teleporting! It was like an action movie. She had known the teacher was athletic, but that was just beyond what humans could do.

Had she been Chisame, she would no doubt be complaining over the loss of her normal life. Misa had never had any such delusions. Her classmates were far from normal already.

Chachamaru was totally a robot. Who did she think she fooled?

Still, there was a big difference between drawing out conclusions and seeing it firsthand. The inhuman speed of Naruto-sensei, the mysterious vials, and arrows Evangeline had used.

It was so cool!

She was not quite sure what the two were fighting about. She had not been close enough to hear everything but did manage to make out her homeroom teacher's name.

Was Negi also involved in this?

Her train of thought was stopped when the battle ended as suddenly as it began. Naruto vanished only to reappear next to her. In an instant, she found herself in another part of the city.

It was right then that Misa realized Naruto-sensei was really amazing.

For his part, Naruto looked at the middle-school girl and tried to think what to do. He knew abilities like his were something to be kept hidden from the general population in this world.

He did not care that much for that rule. It was why he did all the things he did and then used a silly excuse like being an awesome PE Teacher. As far as he could tell, he fit right in.

Then again, the Headmaster would probably be mad at him for letting someone see this much.

"Troublesome," the blond borrowed Shikamaru's favorite word while scratching the back of his head.

The word was enough to snap Misa out of her shock.

"THAT. WAS. AWESOME!" The cheerleader shouted nearly jumping in place.

"How did you do it? Are you really a ninja? You were so fast! It was like you were teleporting! What does Eva have to do with this? Did you know she was a vampire? Are vampires real? What was the stuff she was doing? Where did the arrows come from? Was it magic? What does Eva want with Negi-sensei? Is Negi also involved in this? Is-"

"Hold it! Stop for a second!" Even for Naruto, those were far too many words per second.

"But it wa-mhmm!" In an instant, the blond had his hand over the cheerleader's mouth.

"Something very secret," he finished for her.

It struck Misa that just because Naruto-sensei had saved her did not mean she was safe. He was obviously part of whatever she had found. Fear returned to her. She had seen what the blond could do. She did not have a chance against that speed. She was going to get captured and probed like in the movies!

By a really hot guy.

Suddenly it didn't seem like such a bad fate.

"I won't hurt you," Naruto said, ending her fantasy trip. "I will answer any questions you have, but promise me you won't tell anyone about this. Okay?"

The gentleness in his voice put the girl at ease. Slowly, she nodded. Naruto let her go.

"Tell me," Misa breathed out.

Naruto told her. He told her about the supernatural. He told her about mages and their world and a bit about ninja and his world. He told her about Negi, and that he had been hired to protect him.

Misa stayed silent during his explanation.

"So let me see if I understand this: There is a secret society of mages and Mahora doubles as a school for some of them?"

Naruto nodded.

"And Negi is also a mage? Who for some reason needs to be an English teacher in Japan?"

"Yeah…I never got that part either. It is some kind of initiation for them apparently."

"Okay, odd mage ceremonies aside, you are a ninja from another world, and Negi's sister hired you to protect him, right?"

"Cousin, but yeah. That pretty much sums it up."

"Good then."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You are taking this surprisingly well," Naruto said.

"I think I am so shocked I can't feel anything anymore," Misa said.

Naruto looked at Misa with a worried look on his face. "If it is too much, I could make you forget about this. That is supposed to be the standard procedure when normal people find out about magic in this world."

That got a reaction out of the girl.

"NO!" she shouted with all her strength.

Forget! Was he joking? She had just found out magic was real. Forget about it? No way! Magic was… magic was…

"Magic is awesome! I mean, what you and Eva were doing? That was amazing! I am not forgetting about this," the girl declared.

Naruto smiled and held up his hands up. "Fine. Have it your way, but remember. What happened tonight-"

"I will never say a word. Got it!" The girl promised.

"So long as you understand that, it is fine by me. Never cared for the idea of messing with people's memories," Naruto said. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Misa said. "You can't leave me here!"

Naruto tilted his head. "It's a rooftop but there is a door leading to the building. It's not hard to get to the dorms from here."

"What I mean to say it… with all the workload you give us, and my cheerleader duties, and well… everything that just happened…" The girl trailed off, an uncharacteristically shy expression on her face.

"Are you okay? Did Eva do something to you?" he asked. He had made sure the vampire did not lay a finger on her.

"…I can't walk…" she finally mumbled.

"… what?"

"I can't walk!" she shouted. "My legs… they don't respond. I think I am too shocked from everything that happened, so could you," she was blushing now, "could you please carry me."

Rather than ask more questions, Naruto walked to her, knelt down, and offered her his back for a piggyback ride.

"Put your arms around me. I will take you to your dorm."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Naruto replied with a smile.

With a smile of her own Misa complied and wrapped her arms around Naruto. Naruto got up grabbed hold of her legs.

"Alright then, we're off!"

Naruto leaped from the building. Misa didn't scream. All the shock she could muster had already been exhausted by the revelations of the night. Instead, she looked in wonder as the blond leaped from building to building, moving as easily in the sky as if he were flying.

Misa smiled as she snuggled closer to Naruto's well-muscled back, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her skin.

A girl could get used to this.

xXx

The blond sighed as he walked out of the building. He still had no clue what he should do about Misa. Sure, the girl had promised she would keep the secret, and he believed her. However, one wrong word could land him in some trouble. He was supposed to be keeping the Secret and all that.

Besides, he was a ninja, damn it! He had a reputation to uphold!

Cool Ninja didn't get seen.

Unless there was an awesome boss fight, which didn't matter in this case as that Evangeline girl was far from Final Boss material in Naruto's opinion.

Somewhere in Mahora, Evangeline felt the urge to kill a certain blond.

For a moment, he wondered if he should use the same seal he used on Chamo, but the idea was quickly dismissed. The girl did not deserve that.

He was probably worrying too much. He just had to trust his student.

"Sensei!"

Caught up in his musings he did not hear the voice. The flying tackle? That he felt.

"What the- Misa!"

Reflexively, he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling. This left them in a position far too close for the level of teacher and student.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, voice flat.

"Greeting sensei," the girl answered, uncaring of the stares they drew.

"And how is a flying tackle a good way to greet your teacher?"

"Negi-sensei doesn't complain."

Naruto let go of her.

Misa's butt met the floor. It was not a nice meeting.

"That hurt," she said. "I fell on my ass. I am blaming you if it gets flatter because of this."

"I am sure your butt is just fine."

Misa perked up. "Could you touch it just to be sure?"

"Don't push it," he warned. Dealing with this girl was tiring. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"You know…" the girl leaned close to him and then whispered, "magic stuff."

On second thought, trusting her was a horrible idea.

Naruto sighed, grabbed the girl's wrist, and led her away from the small crowd that had been forming. Now doubt there would be rumors about the two of them all over campus tomorrow. Naruto and Misa turned left on the first alley. Once they were out of sight, they vanished.

"First of all" Naruto began as they reappeared on the roof, "I told you not to do that stuff. I am your teacher, you know? It may look okay with a ten-year-old but not with me. Second, no magic talk in public."

"Hey, that's way too cold! Shouldn't a man feel pleased when receiving attention from a beautiful girl?" Misa bent over slightly while pushing her breasts together with her arms, giving Naruto a good view of her cleavage.

Misa was an attractive girl. The same could be said for most girls in class 3-A.

Unlike most of her classmates, Misa was aware of her looks and the effect they had on the people around her. While most of her classmates would balk, blush, and stutter at the idea of seducing a man, Misa would just smile and do it.

She was the type of girl that would seriously contemplate seducing a ten-year-old in order to have a well-trained boyfriend in the future.

"That's not going to work."

But Naruto was a ninja.

"It is not easy to seduce a ninja, you know?" Naruto said in a lecturing manner.

He was lying. The girl could probably have the twelve-year-old him warped around her pinky in under a minute.

A certain old pervert had managed to fix that weakness during the years they traveled together.

"Naruto-sensei is not fair," the girl said with a cute pout in her face.

"And seducing the teacher is against the rules," he told her with an amused smile in spite of himself. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"Oh, right! The battle!" The girl said, dropping her attempts at seduction for now.

"What battle?" Naruto said, knowing full well what she was talking about. Over the last few days, Misa had been meeting with him to learn more about the supernatural. He had obliged and spared some time to talk with her each day.

These meetings were not dates.

Really.

Anyway, one particular subject came up in those meetings: Negi and Evangeline.

"You know what I am talking about? The battle! Vampire vs Mage! Tonight is the final showdown!"

Years of experience, the information he got from a certain ermine periodically, and his gut feeling told him the conflict between the two would be settled tonight.

Mostly his gut feeling.

"And what makes you think I am taking you with me?" He asked.

Misa thought about trying to use her appeal again but stopped herself in time. It was time for a change in tactics.

"I see," Misa said, casting a sad gaze to the floor. "Sensei is right. I would be in danger if I went to such a place. There is no way sensei could protect me."

"Wait, hold it!"

"Sensei is only a ninja."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He couldn't hope to compete against mages."

"That's just... sad. It's completely transparent. You are trying to trick me. It is obvious. I understand, so-"

"It is better if I stay here because sensei will not be able to protect me," the girl finished with a resigned look on her face.

Oh, that was it.

Misa yelped as Naruto took her in his arms.

"So I will take you to watch that damn fight! As long as you are next to me, you are in the safest place in the whole damn world!" Naruto said while jumping from roof to roof.

"It is so nice to have such a strong, dependable sensei," Misa said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"You are so going get it in the next class," the blond grumbled.

Ninja and student moved through Mahora.

A battle was about to begin.

xXx

Extra Scene: The Sniper

xXx

Mana Tatsumiya could not be described as a social person. Even among her classmates, few had exchanged more than a few sentences with her. Fewer still could say they actually knew Mana Tatsumiya.

That suited Mana just fine.

Which is why many would find it odd she was visiting one of her classmates today.

Her reason was a simple one.

Business.

Chachamaru opened the door as soon as she knocked. The gynoid gave her a short bow before leading her inside. The owner of the house sat waiting for her with a cup of tea in hand.

Evangeline A.K. McDowell.

Mana knew the vampire was a mere shadow of her former self, but she could not help but feel a little nervous around her. Regardless, this was business, and people like Evangeline did not live so long without accumulating a sizable fortune.

"You are early," the vampire said. She made no effort to get up. Instead, she sat like a queen gazing down on a peasant.

Of course.

"I do not like to keep prospective customers waiting," Mana said. The vampire motioned for her to sit.

"Tea?"

"I am afraid I will have to decline," Mana said, taking her seat.

"Very well, then allow me to get straight to the point. What do you know about ninja from the Elemental Countries?"

Ah.

"I presume this is about Uzumaki Naruto?" Mana asked.

"He has proven himself an annoyance," the vampire said offhandedly. "I desire to know just how much of an annoyance he can make himself if he tries."

In her long life, Evangeline had accumulated a wealth of knowledge. The Elemental Countries were not part of it. That world kept to itself. At least, it had done so for most of her life. Only in the past few years had that changed.

Put bluntly, the knowledge was too recent for her.

Normally Mana would have charged for the information, but this was not one her usual customers.

"Ninja from the Elemental Countries did not interfere with our world until a few years ago," Mana begun. "They became easier to find. They took on more jobs. It is unknown what exactly happened to cause the change. Most of the information seems to point to their world managing to achieve a state of relative peace. Without conflict…"

"The ninja found themselves without jobs," the vampire muttered, amused. "They needed to look for work elsewhere."

"That seems to be the case."

Eva nodded. "That partially explains his presence here, but I did not call you for background information. What can you tell me about his abilities?"

"A few years ago, I would have been certain he was ranked Chunin or higher. Off-world travel was limited to those ranks, but times have changed. Nevertheless, I doubt he is a genin. The way he handles himself denotes great experience."

In all the time Mana had seen him, Naruto had never once let his guard down. When he walked around the campus, when he ate, when he yelled at her classmates, and even when laughed, the blond never once let his guard down.

He did not even seem to think about it. It seemed to be as natural as breathing to him.

It was the sign of a man who had seen countless battles.

Evangeline took a sip of tea. "I figured as much. I do hate an unknown factor in my plans. I guess I will have to depend on my dear classmate for help."

Evangeline smiled.

"Of course, you will be compensated for your kindness."

"It is certainly a tempting offer," she said, "but before accepting, I would like you to answer a question of mine."

"And that would be…"

"Just how far do you intend to go?" Mana asked. "So far no one has been seriously hurt in your attacks, but none of those people were your real target. How far are you willing to push the battle with Negi-sensei?"

Evangeline smiled, uncaring. "So you even know about that. Your information gathering skills are quite good."

"I do not require your praise just the information," Mana said, a hard glint in her eyes.

"Temper. Temper," Evangeline mocked. "Do not forget where you are, Tatsumiya."

A shadow fell over her and Mana did not need to look to know Chachamaru was right behind her.

Mana's body tensed. The gynoid's abilities were a mystery to her, one she was not looking forward to finding out in a real battle, especially not while in the seat of Evangeline's power.

"I must say, it is surprising to see you exhibit such care for a child you have only known for a few months."

"I do not make it a habit to stand by when a child is in danger," the sniper replied.

"I see," Evangeline said before smiling. "Then allow me to put your concerns at ease. I will not kill the child. I just need some blood from him. Not enough to kill him."

"In that case," Mana said with a smile of her own, "I see no reason to deny my help to a fellow classmate."

"However," Mana added, her smile vanishing, "If you try to kill him, I will end you myself."

Evangeline chuckled. It had been a while since she had been threatened. She supposed she could let it go.

For now.

Evangeline shook hands with the sniper.

The deal was made.

xXx

.

.

.

AN:

Man, it's been a long time, hasn't it?

With the year about to end, I wanted to post something. However, I am too busy to write a new chapter of The Return right now, so I guiltily shifted my gaze to this story.

I always feel bad about it since I have six chapters of this gathering dust in my hard drive. I just need to edit them up. From now on, I will try to have a new chapter per month until I run out of them. Look forward to that.

If you enjoyed this story, check out my other fanfics. If you enjoy those, consider checking out my e-books (I have those. Guess who is a published writer? Me!). Just look for the Amazon link in my profile page.

Don't forget to review!