Here we are again with another chapter of Persona 4: Naruto. A lot of things happened again so how will we follow up the last chapter…with a little of something new and roll into the next arc. One person in a review asked for us to stretch the events of Persona 4 over time instead of just for a whole year; that would be a challenge and me and Wolfpackersson09 will see about it when we next meet to write a chapter.
I'll say one things about reviews, normally I would answer some but not if it would involve giving away a surprise or spoiling the story so I'll answer review if they are good, even from guests even though they would have to be a really good question because I don't really answer anonymous reviews.
Also, a question to you all; in the Persona 4 anime Souji/Yu has different persona representing each social link (Pyro Jack = Yosuke, Saturnus = Teddie/Kuma, etc…). I was thinking to change those personas up to be unique to Naruto, though that's my thinking. Being a Wild Card he can have any persona; but what would you think if he had slightly different ones from Yu. Leave an answer in the reviews.
Now since all of that is addressed, let's start this story.
Disclaimer: We do not own anything in this story. Persona and all references to Shin Megami Tensei belong to ATLUS while Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Co-written with: Wolfpackersson09 and can be found on his page as well. All songs are part of the Persona 4 soundtrack unless stated otherwise.
Third Scent: Next Victim Revealed
(Evening)
Inside an apartment building a group was waiting within the living room for a few more people to arrive. Hiruzen took another smoke from his pipe and let the smoke flow out into the cloudy night as he observed those who had already arrived. He wasn't the one to call this meeting but he knew the dangers this could pose to the village and as the Sandaime Hokage he was present for this. The other members of this group were waiting as quiet and patiently as the elderly Hokage were himself.
One was his own son and owner of the apartment, Asuma Sarutobi. The Jounin was off duty but was still dressed within his uniform as he sat on the end of the couch with his girlfriend sitting close at his side. Kurenai Yuuhi was enjoying a cup of tea she had put on when she had arrived. Hiruzen then turned from the couple to the one standing at his side; his bodyguard, the silent and enigmatic Doll who stood calmly though no emotion could be seen through the porcelain mask. To avoid having unnecessary people find out about the meeting he only took Doll with him as hi bodyguard; no one objected his decision.
Checking the time and seeing that it was well close to midnight Hiruzen addressed the blonde ANBU. "Doll, as of now you are off duty. You may take off your mask." The Hokage told his subordinate. This meeting pertains especially towards Doll herself and she needed her mentality away from her village duties.
"As you wish, Hokage-sama" Doll said as she loosened the red scarf around her neck and rook off her mask to reveal pale skin, short platinum blonde her that reached her shoulders though there was a gold headband that was visible now. The woman also had a pair of blue eyes, though not like another blond shinobi; her eyes were a dull blue that seemed lifeless though if one looked closely they could see life in her eyes.
"You take your work pretty seriously; I heard the news of what you did to the one who tried to take the Forbbiden scroll." Asuma said.
"Though was it really necessary to use that summons on a lowly Chuunin like Mizuki?" Kurenai asked.
"He talked of him having a greater power, so I decided to…humor him as it would" Doll said. The methods she used may have been unnecessary but it still acquired the same results; no one had seen her abilities besides those who already known and the only one who hadn't was in a jail cell spouting nonsense.
"Still, the news flooded down into my level. Honestly, I thought you guys would be more careful than that!" Everyone in the room turned to the newest arrival as he walked through the door. The man wore a pair of dark blue pants, brown shoes, and a black closed jacket. The only thing out of place on him was the white cap he had on his head with red kanji on the side.
"It's been awhile since we've all met like this hasn't it?" Teuchi said as he found a seat in one of the lone chairs Asuma had around his apartment. "You all look well for yourselves, and you've been as lively as ever Aigis." The ramen chef said. (A.N. Save all questions in the reviews as some of this will be explained, some characters like Teuchi are a bit younger in this story.)
The now named Aigis chose to ignore the man's joke as Kurenai addressed the chef. "Teuchi, I didn't think you would be able to make it tonight." The woman said as with him being a civilian and married there was a slim chance of him arriving since he needed an excuse to leave his family for the night."
"It's fine Kurenai, Ayame was already asleep as she has school in the morning and I just needed to give Chi-chan an explanation to why I was going out." Teuchi explained.
"So she's still doing all right?" Kurenai asked.
"Hey I know I can take care of my own wife; there are no secrets between us. There doesn't need to be." Teuchi said before he then got serious. "So about this meeting, is this a false alarm?"
Aigis was the first to answer. "Unfortunately it is not; I could always feel the presence of shadows and even if it was an almost unnoticeable presence I still sensed it." The ANBU then turned on Asuma's television to the news. "I started feeling it during the Namatame scandal."
"Which isn't that long ago, they just now focusing most of the news now on the recent murders that have happened." Kurenai said.
"And this is all shadow related, though there is no unseeable hour so how do we know if shadows are about and who else have potential?" Asuma asked. As if fate answered his question a woman then entered the apartment.
"Sorry I'm late everyone; most of the night went to celebrating Ino-chan's graduation and I was told I was getting the early shift at the hospital in the morning." The woman said as she caught her breath, obviously rushing to this location. The woman had long braided green hair and had a doctor's coat over a purple dress and comfortable shoes.
"You didn't miss much, it's good to see you again Fuuka." Aigis said as the doctor sat down on the couch on the other side of the couple. Before they could get a chance to socialize Hiruzen cleared his throat to get their attention.
"As much as I know how close you all are we have to get back on topic; the night is still young." Hiruzen said as he turned to Aigis. "Is that all that you sensed?"
Aigis then shook her head. "Negative; from what I was also able to gather there may be at least two more who have potential in the village." That fact was alarming, but what she said next especially got their attention. "One of them I believe…bears the Wild Card's power." That alone was able to cause a few gasps from the group.
"Another Wild Card, but why would another one surface?" Kurenai asked.
"Does it have something to do with the shadows returning?" Asuma also asked. Teuchi and Fuuka didn't ask questions but they knew this was important; everyone in this room besides the Hokage had first-hand experience with the power of the Wild Card; especially Aigis herself.
Hiruzen took another smoke from his pipe. "That is something; from the stories you all tell this isn't a power that can fall into the wrong hands. Fuuka-san, would you be able to scan for any shadows or Persona users now?"
"It's been a while since I summoned Juno so the scan will take some time, but I will try my hardest. Give me tonight on my own and I'll pull whatever results I have and send it to Aigis to give to you Hokage-sama." Fuuka said.
"That is all I can ask for Fuuka-san, the decision to join back together is completely up to all of you." Hiruzen said.
"After all the work we did to finish off the shadows last time you think we can walk away from this? We may be down four members but that doesn't mean we're just going to step down from this." Teuchi said.
"There may be a younger generation now but they will need our help honing their powers. They may need to find teachers who have experience with this kind of enemy." Kurenai said.
"Hold on, before we can just leave it to someone new; I still want a hand on getting rid of these shadows." Asuma said.
"I'll do my best to help put an end to these shadows; there doesn't need to be any more deaths." Fuuka said.
"I won't allow their sacrifices to mean nothing, if these new Persona users cannot handle this mission, then it is up to us to execute it fully." Aigis said. "As Fuuka said, there shouldn't be any more deaths."
Hiruzen nodded as he stood out of his seat to address the group before him. "Then as Sandaime Hokage, I will official restore your group under the command of your choosing. All situations involving shadows and Personas will be brought to you and you shall only report to the Hokage." Seeing them all nod, he looked out at the clouded night. "Then for now, this meeting is adjourned."
After the Hokage's words, every one of the group gave a small moment of silence. After they finished they all were about to leave before Kurenai called their attention. "I know it has been a long time, twelve years since anyone of us have called out our power but I always thought the day we needed them would come. In the morning you should all receive something that will help us get back to full power." Kurenai explained.
"I do not need it." Aigis said as she went to the door. "I do not need a tool to summon my Persona and the tool that I do carry…is to special to let go off." The ANBU then placed her mask back on as she was ready to resume her duty. On that note all of them but Asuma left to prepare for the days to come.
(Early Morning, Dojima Residence)
Inside his bedroom Naruto let out a big yawn as he got out of bed. The blond was never used to getting up so early but he wanted to finish his test as quickly as possible so he got as much sleep as he could. As he went through his routine he noticed there was a message on his phone, he flipped it to read the text.
'Meet at Junes when your test is done. –Sakura'
The Uzumaki then smiled remember back how happy he was when they exchanged numbers; however, he also know the reason they did so. After what they saw and experienced in the TV World they knew they couldn't tell the Hokage or the Military Police; it was up to them as the only ones with Personas to solve the case. Naruto dressed in his signature orange outfit and added the two new additions to it: the armband Nanako made and the shinobi headband he received. As he wrapped it around his forehead and check himself out in the mirror a few thoughts came to mind.
'Maybe I should try out some new outfits…naw who am I kidding, nothing beats orange!' He smirked to himself as he straightened up and grabbed his phone as well as his frog wallet Gama-chan. Once the Genin was ready he then headed downstairs. The blond was greeted with an empty living room and kitchen. It was early in the day so Nanako would still be asleep and his Uncle was probably still at the station working. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast when he heard the sound of a door opening.
"Morning Big Bro, you're up early today." Nanako then yawned; the girl was still tired but was trying her best to stay on her feet. Naruto walked over to the sleepy child.
"Hey Nana-chan, I have to go to the Academy for something and then I have to meet a friend later. What are you doing up so early, you don't have to go to school until later." Naruto asked wondering why the girl was up and about.
Nanako was rubbing the sleep from her eyes but was able to answer his question. "Well I'm usually the one who cooks because I wake up first." The girl explained, staying awake to the best of her ability.
"Well you don't have to worry about it because today I'm cooking breakfast." Naruto said, as he pulled Nanako over the couch just in case she ends up falling asleep again. Naruto then went back to the kitchen and began pulling ingredients out for a quick breakfast. Soon as he found his family one of the first things he learned was how to cook; the reason being was that Ryotaro himself couldn't cook to save his life and didn't want Nanako to grow up on just microwave food. While Nanako took a few lessons Naruto took it upon himself to also learn how to cook for his family.
The young girl waited, turning on the television to watch some early morning cartoons as the blond worked on breakfast. Soon the aroma of eggs, bacon, and toast filled the Uzumki-Dojima apartment. As he was finishing placing some eggs on a final plate and setting the table Nanako had left to properly wake up; soon she returned in her usual pink and white outfit just as he finished putting the food on the table.
"Itadakimasu~" Nanako thanked the food before she started eating with Naruto following her example. The cousins continued to eat in silence since there wasn't much to talk about that day; Nanako decided to break the silence by asking about her 'Big Bro's' plans. "So what do you need to go to the Academy for? I thought you graduated?"
"I did, but there was a test that I couldn't take before so I have to go back in for a remake of it." Naruto answered her. "It's just some final things I have to do before I can go and get my official ninja license."
"Oh, but what about later?" Nanako asked.
"A friend of mine asked to see me after I take the retake, but I'll be sure to come back and walk with you back home." Naruto said.
"It's ok, I'm a big girl! I can walk home by myself if I need to." Nanako said. "You're going to be an adult soon, so I have to step up and take care of the house right?" The girl said, a bit enthusiastically.
"A big girl huh?" Naruto laughed a bit as they both got ready to leave. "Well if you ever want me to walk you from home let me know Nano-chan."
"I will," Nanako said. The two then left to drop the small girl off in front of the civilian school. Before going into the building Nanako made sure to give Naruto a hug along with a smile. "Good luck on the test Big Bro; good bye!" Nanako then made her way to school where some of her friends were waiting. After that, Naruto then walked off towards the direction of the Sinobi Academy.
'Hopefully Iruka-sensei will give me a chance and not give me a hard test.' Naruto figured as he continued onward.
(Konoha Shinobi Academy, Morning)
Naruto walked into his classroom and took a seat at his usual spot out of habit. The Uzumaki looked around the room, feeling somewhat alone; it felt just a bit unusual to be in the class by himself. Even when he had detention before Iruka had him scrubbing floors or picking up practice tools from the training field in the back, never in the empty classroom. As Naruto continued to ponder this, Iruka then walked into the class carrying the test.
"Well Naruto, you remember the rule from yesterday. Complete the test to the best of your ability; this will just go on your test record since you already graduated." Iruak said as he haned the test in front of him. "You've got an hour, and after that I'll grade it and submit it for the actual grade. Begin."
Naruto nodded and then flipped the test to begin as Iruka walked to the teacher's desk. The Chuunin waited patiently but what he saw caused him to smile; Naruto's pencil seemed to have taken a mind of its own as the Uzumaki continued to work. The blond found the question to be much easier than last time.
'I actually know this stuff! I can do this 'ttebayo!' Naruto thought as it seemed his pencil took a life of its own, answering every single question quickly and effectively. It was clear that there was a difference between this and the last test that he took in class. An hour then passed and Naruto then handed the paper to Iruka confidently; he was sure that he did well and knew that he wasn't going to get a failing grade on the test this time.
Iruka accepted the paper and then dismissed Naruto, "Alright Naruto you're free to go; I hope to see you with the other graduates when we have team assignments." Iruka said.
"Wait, what about grading my test…and by the way where's Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked wondering where the other instructor of the class was. He was curious about why Iruka was the only one here to give him the retake and Naruto also remembered it was Mizuki that gave him the first test.
"Well since you're a shinobi now you have the right to know this information. Last night Mizuki tried to steal the forbidden scroll of sealing from the Hokage's Tower; he was captured by ANBU and is now in prison where he will be interrogated." Iruka explained. "All of that was after he was suspected of tampering with your test yesterday during the exam by giving you a different exam."
"So it was Mizuki that gave me the harder test, how did you even find out?" Naruto asked, knowing he wasn't the one to go to Iruka about his test. The blond was slightly surprised that he was given a harder test but then remember things like that were common when he had other instructors; it was once reason for his low grades before he was found by his remaining family.
"Surprisingly it was Sasuke who came and brought it to my attention; in his words it was something along the lines of : 'he may be a deadlast but he deserves the same chance of becoming a shinobi as the rest of us.'" Iruka quoted the Uchiha that day. "I almost penalized him for looking at another student's test, but had he not come forward you might've secured your spot as the Bottom of the Class academically."
'Wow, guess I'll have to thank Sasuke next time I see him.' Naruto thought, surprised that the stoic boy would go as far and do that for him.
"Alright, we'll get your proper grade in soon; I think you should take some time to get your ninja ID and then you should use this time to take in your last few technical days of childhood." Iruka said and Naruto nodded. He knew he had an arrangement with Sakura after the test was done, and decided to head to Junes hoping to find out what the cherry blossom needed.
(Junes, Afternoon)
Walking into the large supermall Naruto saw the girl waiting for him in front of the elevators. She then saw him and made her way over to him, "Naruto, thanks for coming." Sakura said.
"You needed something Sakura-chan?" She had a slight blush when Naruto asked her that, but decided to answer him anyway, though Naruto noticed the nervous tone in her voice.
"Well, it's actually two things," The pink haired girl started off by saying that. "The first is that we really need an extra bit of help here at Junes and since classes only just graduated my dad can't call for some Genin help so I was wondering if you would help me with work?" Sakura asked.
"Sure, it's no problem" Naruto said, seeing nothing wrong with helping her out at work. "And what's the other one?"
This time Sakura looked visually nervous, with a small amount of blush on her face matching her hair. "The second is, um, well…wouldyouliketocatchamoviewithmeafterwork?!" She blurted it out so quickly that Naruto barely caught it.
"Y-you mean a date?" Naruto asked, blushing as well.
"Yes, a date…I never really gave you a chance in the past, so I thought that now might be a good time to start being the real me." Sakura said; after their adventure in the other world she has started saying and doing more that was on her mind. As a result she had barely heard Inner Sakura speak at all; she took that as a sign to start over new with her life. "So, would you want to go or not?" Naruto was caught off guard with Sakura's statement, but smiled.
"Sure thing Sakura-chan," Naruto said calmly, if this was just two days ago he would be cheering his head off at the thought of finally dating Sakura and a part inside him felt like doing so. But now that they were technically adults he decided to start actin more mature. "And I'll help you out for the day, so what's my first job boss?" He gave her a foxy grin, causing to laugh before handing him part of a Junes uniform.
"You can start, by helping me pack inventory."
After being handed a Junes apron, Naruto then set out to help the girl with her work load. Most of the time the blond was helping to stack shelves full of food other things in a few different stores. Sometimes he would work together with Sakura since she was the one he was helping and they would both handle a store together. When they were both done they were sitting at the food court, in the same table they had previously said sat at before.
"Thanks again for helping out today Naruto and sorry for having to spring that work on you like that." Sakura apologized to the blond.
"Don't worry about it Sakura-chan; besides I thought you would be taking it easy after you-know-what." Naruto said.
Sakura didn't say anything at first as she looked down to her pouch where she now kept her pair of glasses. "About that...after you dropped me home last night; I tried sticking my hand through my TV...and it worked." Sakura said surprising the blond. "It might be because I have a Persona now; I have the same ability you had in that world."
"Really, I was able to slip my hand in before I actually got Izanagi but that was only a few days ago." Naruto revealed to her. "Well we have one mystery to solve before this one, it's not like there are people out there to teach us how to use Persona and where they come from." Naruto said, all he had known about his Persona's existence came from his few visits to the Velvet Room, though he didn't think Sakura would believe in the Velvet Room's existence.
Sakura nodded her head as they decided to end the talk of the investigation. "Well, we still have that movie to catch; I'll call my dad and let him know that I'll be home a little later. After that we can just hit the movie theatre and see what's playing." Sakura then dialed a number after ordering some drinks.
As the two Genin continued to talk they never noticed a woman who was sitting at another table but was close enough to hear their conversation. The girl was dressed in a blue kimono with dark blue trim, a dark blue obi and sandals; she also had straight blond hair that reached her shoulders and blue eyes. Once she saw Sakura pull out her phone she decided to let her finish the call before approaching them.
"Hi daddy, I'm going to be home a little later than normal." Sakura said, now reaching her father. "I'm going to a movie with a friend…it's not Ino or any of the other girls I know. Um, aren't you going a little too far with that? I'm an adult in the eyes of the village, and don't need to be protected." Sakura then let out an irritated groan. "Look, after the movies Naruto-kun will escort me home like a gentleman. Bye." She sighed as soon as she hung up.
"Um, was it bad to go on a date?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"No it's all right; it's just my dad's been overprotective of me. It's been that way since…ever." Sakura explained. "He's nice once you get to know him." She guaranteed him.
"I can understand that, Dojima-oji is the same way with my cousin Nanako. Something like, no boy will ever step near her unless they want a tour of prison from inside." Naruto said as Sakura sat back down in her seat. "So what kind of movie did you pick out?"
"I don't know which came out yet so we'll find out once we get to the movie theater." Sakura answered, she then felt like she was being watched and turned to see a woman sitting alone at a table nearby. "Hey Naruto, have you seen that girl before...cause she looks like she's been looking right at us.
Naruto looked from his seat and turned to see the girl looking at them from her table, before she averted her eyes. The woman seemed not to notice that she was staring for too long and went back to reading the book she had brought with her. "No I never seen her before and she doesn't look like anyone I saw from class, maybe someone from the upper class?" Naruto tried to guess seeing that the woman was still young.
"Maybe someone has a secret admire; I should be jealous since you're technically on a date with me right now." Sakura joked with him a bit just as their drinks arrived.
"I'm sure I've never seen her before but..." Naruto then stopped as he tried to think, he felt as if he had seen the girl before but didn't know from where.
Seeing that her cover was now blown, the woman decided to put her book down and walk towards them. 'It seems that the observation was a failure, but I did find out what I needed to know…he really does look a lot like you.' She thought to herself as she reached their table. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhear some things. Did you perhaps mention…Persona?"
"Huh? W-why do you ask?" Sakura answered with a bit of suspicion.
"As I said I couldn't help but overhear you; I can also see you are shinobi, you may want to be careful with what information you speak aloud." The woman said causing them both of them to be embarrassed by their blunder. "If you did speak of it, then I know some people that may help you both."
"Wait, help us with what?" Naruto asked,
"That is for you to find out at another time; have a good day, Uzumaki Naruto-san." The woman said before leaving the table, leaving two weirded out Genin.
"Okay, that was seriously weird. Well, I guess we'll just see what's playing at the movies." Sakura suggested and they left towards the movies, not noticing a trio of people that had noticed them and had followed them.
(Movie Theatre Afternoon)
"Okay, what are you two doing?" Ino asked the two other kunoichi she was with as they followed Naruto and Sakura on their date. The two that were acting sheepish were TenTen and Hinata, as they forgot that they had dragged Ino with them to keep her from exposing them.
"I w-was looking for Naruto-kun, to ask him for some help at the Inn, and I s-saw him helping Sakura. I-I wanted to see what they were doing." Hinato answered the blonde's question. Ino then looked to TenTen as she also answered.
"I was just going to ask Naruto to come with me to watch a martial arts movie and get some practice in later." Tenten said looking to the side in order to avoid them seeing the blush that slowly became visible on her face.
Ino then snickered a bit in realization. "Wow almost everyone knows that you feel this way about Naruto Hinata, but I'm surprised someone from last year's class would feel the same way it seems." The Yamanaka said while ignoring Tenten's objection that it was just for training. "Though, what are you two doing just spying on them like that?" The girl asked.
"It's not spying, I-I just wanted to ask and see if he wanted to practice with me after the movie. I just happened to meet Hinata-chan on the way here." Tenten tried to save face as she pointed to the red faced Hinata.
"I-I just wanted to see if Naruto was free afterwards t-to give me a hand at the Inn." Hinata managed to say but was struggling not to stutter. While she had gotten a lot better at it, she tended to regress back to a stuttering mass whenever the Hyuuga heiress got nervous.
"Then why don't you come out here and ask him right now? Hey Naru..." The two kunoichi then silenced Ino quickly and then dragged her back down into their hiding place causing Naruto to look around in confusion.
"Did you hear something Sakura-chan?" Naruto checked around to see if they were being followed by someone.
"I don't think so Naruto-kun; let's just go enjoy the movie." That was the thing that really caught Ino's attention as her curiosity began to peak.
"Wait a minute, did she just say 'kun' with Naruto's name. They're on a date!?" She almost screamed out and looked at the two kunoichi. The blonde haired Yamanaka had prided herself with knowing all types of rumors, whether true or false, gaining the title of Gossip Queen of Konoha. "I think we'll spy on their date, and then we'll see what happens with them." Ino had a streak for being a gossip girl, but then something beeped. She took out her phone out and read the message and then sighed.
"Shoot, looks like I won't be spying on anyone today. Gotta go, see ya, and tell me how their date went." Ino said with a wink and left, leaving two confused kunoichi behind as she jumped back to ground level and raced off into the distance. Tenten and Hinata turned back to see them enter the theatre and stealthlly snuck down to follow them inside.
(In the theatre)
Hinata and TenTen spied on Naruto and Sakura as they enjoyed themselves, but TenTen was really into the movie as well causing her to become distracted. It was a samurai movie and she was almost cheering on the protagonist as he had an honorable motive, but Hinata herself kept her eyes on Naruto almost the whole time.
'Why is it now that she's going on a date with him? I-I want to be there too.' Hinata thought as she watched Naruto and Sakura enjoy the movie. The movie soon let out and the heiress had to remind her bunheaded accomplice of their reasons for coming as they followed after the couple of shinobi.
After the movie was over Naruto and Sakura still made small talk as he was walking the girl to her house. "I would've never thought you would want to go to a movie like that, no offense Sakura-chan." Naruto said adding the last part quickly in fear of the cherry blossoms' punches.
"Hey I enjoy action movies too, of course I could've chosen one of those romantic movies that came out but I really wanted to see that movie." Sakura said as they walked through Konoha, still unaware of their two followers.
'Well at least my tickets didn't go to waste, although I wish I could've gone with Naruto like I wanted.' Tenten thought to herself before sighing. Hinata was also having the same thoughts about the Uzumaki.
'I wanted to spend the day with Naruto-kun, but suddenly now Sakura shows an interest in him.' Hinata thought as she saw them talk with each other. 'Why now, when she couldn't see any of the good in him before until now. Naruto-kun was my prince first.' Hinata made a sad sound before standing up. "I think we should head back home, I'll see you tomorrow Tenten-chan." Hinata said as she made her way down to the streets with Tenten following her.
"All right, I know my team doesn't have to meet but I'll drop by tomorrow ok?" Tenten said as they proceeded on their ways home.
After making it to the Haruno household, Naruto let out a breath of relief that he didn't have to deal with Sakura's father just yet. The two of them exchanged good byes and other things before Sakura headed inside. Seeing that the escort was home, Naruto then started on the path back home.
(Scene Break)
Taking a different path, Naruto ended up walking through Konoha's park at night. As the blond took in the sights of the slides and swings under the setting sun he noticed someone sitting on one of the benches. It was Hinata, though he didn't recognize her at first. Instead of the kunoichi's usual outfit she was dressed in an indigo blue kimono with lavender floral decorations.
"Hey Hinata-chan, is something wrong?" Naruto asked wondering why his friend was sitting alone in the park. He had a clue of what she might've been up to since he had seen Hinata wear that kimono before.
The blond's warning startled Hinata as she hadn't notice him walk up to her until he called her name. "Oh, I-I'm alright, just working at the Inn. I decided to take a break and stop here for a bit." The Hyuuga answered him "Ano, what are you doing out here?" She had though he would still be on his date with Sakura with how late it was getting.
"I was just enjoying a movie with someone. Did you need help today?" Naruto answered before he asked that question. Even though it was getting late and Nanako and Dojima would wonder where he was; he was still happy to offer his shy friend some help with the end. While Hinata looked disheartened at first when she was reminded of his date with Sakura, the later question caused a smile to appear on her face.
'Maybe I was worried for nothing; Naruto-kun is too nice for it to be that serious.' Hinata thought as she shook her head.
"I'm almost done for today, I only had to run a few errands. Please come by sometime, I could use the help. See ya." Hinata then got up from her seat and started to walk off, but Naruto stuck close with her.
"Sorry, but a knight must escort the princess home, Hinata-hime." Naruto said as he began to walk her back home. She couldn't help but blushed at that, but still couldn't get the date out of her head. Even though the two didn't kiss, she wished it was her in Sakura's stead.
Naruto then noticed the down look on Hinata's face and decided to ask about it. "Hey, is something wrong Hinata-chan?"
Seeing that she was caught, Hinata shook her head and changed her expression. "No everything is all right." She smiled to him as she thought, 'I wish this could last longer, maybe I could've told him how I feel but...' The walk couldn't last forever as they could see the surroundings of the Hyuuga Compound. Soon they made it close when they had bumped into a woman on their way to the gate.
"Oh sorry, I didn't see where I was, oh is that you Hinata? Working some errands for the Inn today?" The woman asked, obviously familiar with the heiress. Naruto saw that she was a shinobi from her headband, but wasn't a Hyuuga because of her ruby red eyes. The woman had on a dress that appeared to be made out of bandages, shorts hidden underneath, blue sandals, and a red undershirt which had a long right sleeve but no left sleave. This wasn't someone Naruto was used to seeing.
"Something like that" Hinata answered and then turned to Naruto to introduce him to the older kunoichi. "Naruto-kun this is Yuuhi Kurenai-san, I met her when I was way younger and had just a beginner in my shinobi training." Naruto nodded then turned to Kurenai and gave a slight bow.
"Oh, well I'm Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you Kurenai-san." Naruto said, being polite around the Jounin. Another thing he quickly learned under Dojima was to respect others, though they have to worry about keeping the blond's respect to not worry about being targets for his pranks.
Kurenai seemed to looked him over a bit; to must people who didn't know of Naruto he seemed like an ordinary boy with whisker marks, but could feel something different about him. 'He's definitely Minato's son, he even has the potential to use a Persona.' She thought for a few moments before answering the boy's greeting. "It's nice meet you too. Are you escorting her home?" Naruto nodded.
'Of course, I'm always happy to help out whenever Hinata-chan needs me." He said, oblivious to the reddening face of the girl next to him.
Kurenai smiled a bit, amused at the Uzumaki's obliviousness. "Well that's good, and please keep it cordial. I wouldn't want to have to plan an execution for a Genin who hasn't started active service yet." Naruto gulped at that while Hinata blushed knowing what the Jounin was .
"H-he's my only male friend!" Hinata protested to the grinning Jounin. 'Even though I wouldn't mind doing that with my prince. No, Bad Hinata!' She thought before noting the grin on Kurenai's face.
"Very well then, I'll stop by the Inn later myself. There's a chance I may have you as a student, or maybe both of you may be on my squad. Adieu Hinata-chan, Naruto-san." Kurenai said before she walked off, passing between them as she made her way back home.
"I didn't know she could be so scary." Naruto said as he shivered slightly when she talked about execution.
"That's just her teasing you; Kurenai-chan wouldn't do anything like that." Hinata tried to reassure him. 'At least, I hope not.' They make it to the Hyuuga household where Hinata bowed to Naruto as they got to the gate of the compound. "Thanks again for walking me home Naruto-kun."
"Are you kidding, if you ever need me just ask Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled. "I'll see you later, if you see Tenten-chan tomorrow say hi for me." Hinata agreed and then walked into the Hyuuga compound. Naruto then began to walk home but then noticed something as he walked; he reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a note. 'Where did this come from, don't tell me.' The blonde then thought back to Kurenai. "Maybe she was the one to slip this on me, when did she do it?" He asked himself. Naruto then decided to read the note as he slowly walked home.
'I can tell you either can or have potential to use a Persona, if you want to learn how to better use it go to the Hokage and ask for Doll.'
'Okay, that's something strange. Who else knows about the power of Persona? I better ask jiji about it.' Naruto thought before deciding to call Dojima.
"Hey Oji-san, I'm going to wake up early again to try and see Hokage-sama early tomorrow. It's about something important." Naruto said, "Yeah I can pick up Nana-chan afterschool tomorrow as well, thanks Oji-san." After he got the confirmation, he noticed there was still time and then got another idea. He dialed a number and quickly got Sakura on the line.
"Hey Sakura, think you can meet me at the Administration Building tomorrow? I think I have something about Personas. All right, I'll see you tomorrow and I'll check the Midnight Channel tomorrow night, it's going to rain." Naruto hung up and went to straight home.
(Dojima Residence, Evening)
Naruto and Nanako were eating the dinner, which they worked on together. As the cousins continued on with their meal Nanako would occasionally change the channel, but the program they were watching soon went to a news report. Seeing something familiar Naruto asked Nanako to keep the channel there.
"Hyuuga Inn, a historical treasure of Konohagakure no Sato, and one of the few natural hot spring inns. It is owned by the third branch of the Hyuuga clan but is opened for all residence and visitors of Konohagakure no Sato to attend." The reporter began.
'Guess that's why all those people of Hinata's family live around that part of the Inn.' Naruto thought. Naruto have met and known a few of the workers there and the only thing separating them from the Main or Side Branches of the Hyuuga was the lack of a certain trait. The news story then continued.
"Our top story is about the young manager, Hinata Hyuuga." The announcer said, and that got Naruto's attention. On the screen now was his friend, still in her kimono looking at the camera with the microphone being held in front of her.
"I-I'm just the temporary manager until my Oba-san recovers." Hinata explained, visibly uncomfortable with how much attention they were giving her.
"Still, so young and yet a shinobi clan heiress and now you're the manager of your family's Inn! You must feel accomplished…hey that sounds like the pitch for a tv show wouldn't it?" The announcer asked.
"Huh?!" Hinata asked, surprised about the question.
As the report kept on Naruto kept his attention on the screen. It would rain the next night, and that meant a potential victim would appear on the Midnight Channel. If the pattern follows just like last time…
"Big Bro, isn't she the nice girl I see you with?" Nanako asked recognizing Hinata on TV.
"Yeah, that's Hinata all right, though I'm surprised she's the on doing the interview. What happened to her Obaasan, she's usually the one that handles the Inn on TV?" Naruto said wondering what happened to the elderly Hyuuga
."It's nothing to get worried about." Dojima said as he walked down from his room. "From what I heard from some doctors that her Grandmother was being treated, so her granddaughter has to run the Inn in her stead," The police officer explained. "Well, I'm off for the night. Both of you make sure the house is locked up before you go to bed."
"All right Tousan" Nanako said as Dojima left to work. Once the news special turned off the girl then changed the channel to one of the game shows that she usually watches. As Nanako casually watched her show and answered some of the questions Naruto was still deep in thought.
'I know I have to find out what that message is about but the case takes precedence. I'll find out who this Doll person is and then tell Sakura-chan to keep her eyes open tomorrow night.' Naruto thought. Since it wasn't raining yet tonight, Naruto decided to turn in early. He still needed his Ninja ID, and to find out about this 'Doll' person. Naruto had a decent, yet worried sleep that night as he lied in bed.
(Morning, Dojima Residence, Cloudy)
Naruto woke up feeling refreshed, though he was red in the face from his sleep. He had a rather odd dream about Sakura and Hinata…with both of them in nothing but ribbons. Naruto blushed more as he recalled the dream and then tried to shake the perversion out of his head. 'It's perfectly normal.' He thought to himself as his routine began again. 'I have to get my ID and then talk to Sakura quickly!'
(Administration Building)
Walking into the Hokage's tower he happened to notice Sakura was waiting there as well. He knew he had sent a text to Sakura before he left home so that they could talk about the case but he didn't think she would come so early. "Thanks for coming Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he noticed the pinkette waiting for him.
"I figured it'd be important to be on time partner. Hokage-sama is usually busy, but why'd you think he'd know something about Personas all of a sudden?" She asked. It was then that Naruto then held out the letter that was snuck into his pocket yesterday. The girl took a second to read it over and a number of expressions appeared on her face, though the most was surprise.
"Whoa, this is something!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Yeah, but we should ask Jiji directly about it. Let's go Sakura-chan." The two entered the building, and went towards the Hokage's office, even if he wouldn't be in there alone. They had to get to the bottom of the letter before tonight.
The two walked inside seeing the elderly Hokage working on some paperwork. Hiruzen place his pen and papers down, happy for a well-deserved break from paperwork, and looked up to the two Genin. "Naruto, Sakura what can I do for you? If it involves getting your shinobi licenses I'll have to make an appointment with the photographer to have it done, there's a long list for the graduates this year."
"Yeah, this isn't any shinobi work Jiji." Naruto said. Sakura was surprised that Naruto would address the Hokage something other than his title.
"Naruto, you really shouldn't talk to Hokage-sama like that." Sakura whispered to try and warn him.
Hearing her, Hiruzen gave a hearty laugh. "It's all right Sakura-san, it would have been more weird if he didn't call me that after all these years." The Hokage said to her. "So what is this all about…the Mizuki incident?"
"No but I'll asked you about that later." Naruto said to Sakura's confusion. The blond then took a breath and then asked his question. "Ji…no, Hokage-sama, what do you know about Persona?" Naruto asked.
Sarutobi remained silent for a while taking his pipe to have a smoke. "...About the power itself, not so much but I do know of a group that has a power of that same name and have knowledge all about that power. I assume you have something that told you to talk to me about it?" He asked.
Naruto presented him with the letter he had guessed that Kurenai gave him. "It said to ask for Doll when we got here, who exactly is that?" He asked, while he suspected the Jounin why would she give him the letter and not talk to him after dropping Hinata home. There was also the mysterious civilian from before.
Hiruzen could almost smirk at that, but didn't want to give it away; he kept his face solid as he began the explanation. "Doll is a unique member of the ANBU, and is someone that is considered a myth. She is only sent on missions that I deem high caliber, the type that I cannot trust with others. I can arrange a meeting with for you."
"Yeah, might as well get our licenses while we're here. I don't want to be arrested for carrying a weapon without one." Sakura suggested when Hiruzen finished, Naruto nodded as well. "Yeah, go ahead and give us a time, and a chance to get our licenses Jiji." Not only will they need weapons for service, but also for another reason.
"All right then, you both just have to fill out this paperwork and then report to the photographer. He should still be working at the Hokage Monument so you may want to hurry to be the last ones of the day." Hiruzen then passed them two slips of paper to fill out; all it had was the basic shinobi information.
Naruto and Sakura then filled it out and then left the office to quickly get their pictures taken at the monument. "Man and I wanted to try something different for my picture. I had it all planned out and everything." Naruto said after they walked away with their I.D's.
"Better not, these also double as our personal I.D. so you don't want to botch these up...also." Sakura then stopped the blond and unzipped his orange jacket open. She then turned around with a blush. "I think that look actually looks better, black is your color." Sakura said talking about his black shirt.
"I think I'll stick with this, nothing beats orange." Naruto said though he kept the jacket open.
"Ever heard the phrase 'tone it down'?" Sakura asked, but Naruto wouldn't relent. 'Hopefully I can talk him into wearing less, though this seems more up Ino's alley..' The pink haired girl thought.
(Scene Break)
They had finally returned to the office ready to meet with the mysterious Doll. Oncethey walked in the office they found another person standing next to Hiruzen's deak. It was clear that she was waiting in the office for them with the Hokage.
"I will tell you now that because this is a special case, I will not follow traditional protocol and allow Doll to remove her mask." Hiruzen said and motioned for Doll to remove her mask. The ANBU nodded and lifted her mask, clipping it to the side, but the two immediately recognized her.
"It's you! That weird girl that was staring at us, the hell's up with that?!" Sakura started, but Aigis ignored her outburst and just looked at the two. "I am capable of teaching you how to utilize your
"An evoker, what is that?" Naruto asked.
"An evoker is a tool that helps the summoner summon their Persona in situations though it is mostly in battle, from you two being here it's safe to say that you both have a Persona?" Aigis assumed.
"We do, but last I check Naruto didn't use anything to summon his Persona." Sakura said, inside she was keeping the fact she hasn't summons hers for now. Naruto nodded as well as he looked down at his hand.
"It's true, I just need to concentrate and a card would appear; which is how we summon it but that's just it." Naruto tried to explain though he was having a hard time trying without blatantly saying 'We destroy a card and then our Persona appears.'
'So their way of summoning Personae are different as well, I'll have to ask her if it is possible to summon persona without an Evoker.' Aigis nodded her head. "So you are able to summon them, then I'll have to get you to a more open field in order for you to demonstrate."
"Huh, what for?" Sakura asked.
"I would like to see your Persona ability in a spar. Aigis is one of the best I have available to test you both, that is if you do not mind." Hiruzen asked.
Aigis nodded her head. "It is acceptable. This may also serve as a test to see if they can work together as Genin beforehand." The ANBU said, while it would go to see if they have ability as a team what mattered to her right now was if they could control their Persona.
"Test?" Naruto and Sakura asked at the same time, but they were unanswered.
"Please, let us use Training Ground 7 for the practice spar." The two Genin looked at each other before following the two. Seeing as they weren't going to get answers from in the office, they may be able to find some during this spar.
(Training Ground 7 Morning)
They had followed Aigis and Hiruzen to the training ground and noted the area. It would be a good a good place for a spar, especially in what is about to happen. Inwardly Naruto was worried if he could really summon his Persona outside of the TV world, while Sakura was just worried if she could even bring out Tsunade. The ANBU then stopped and turned to them.
"Before we begin, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aigis, please do not take this the wrong way Uzumaki-san, Haruno-san, but I already know your names." Aigis explained.
"We won't but how exactly do you know our names Aigis-san?" Sakura asked.
"While I work for this...group I am also a secret agent of the ANBU under Hokage-sama's direct command, I have been during the reign of the Third and Fourth Hokage. ANBU are required to memorize all shinobi on duty even the newest graduates, not to mention this isn't the first time we met Naruto-san." Aigis informed them.
"What do you, wait you don't mean?" Naruto asked and then thought back to the early years of his life before he was found by his Uncle. The times when he was out of the orphanage and was alone, with the only protection being a handful of masked shinobi who would show up when he was in trouble. He had remembered one of them clearly, because they never had on an animal mask…much like Aigis' one. "You were one of the ANBU from before?"
"I was more active than others." Aigis answered leaving Sakura in confusion to what they were speaking about. Naruto then gave her a face that said he rather not talk about. "Now you two only had the power for a short amount of time, Sakura-san your signature is much greener than Naruto's so you must not have summoned yours yet." She inferred to the pink haired girl's shock.
"Well I only just received my Persona the other day." Sakura answered.
Aigis nodded and then pulled something from the pouch at her side. "Well then, I might as well show you my Persona first for visual sake but first to show you what an Evoker is." She then showed them the strange weapon with the letters S.E.E.S. displayed on the barrel. "This is an Evoker."
"Huh, that looks just like the guns I sometimes see Dojima-Oji carrying." Naruto said. Guns weren't new to shinobi after the Elemental Nations began to advance, though they weren't used much in shinobi forces due to their loud noise and their maintenance. Mostly nobles carried them as signs of their nobility as well as others for miscellaneous uses.
"It is only shaped like a gun, there are no rounds," Aigis explained. "Tell me, how do you feel when you summoned your Persona for the first time Naruto-san?"
"Well, at first we were attacked and…I guess I was scared, that maybe Sakura-chan and I was going to die." As he kept talking, the story made Aigis' eyes widen a bit. It was similar to a story she had heard once before. "Then I heard a voice…and then I just summoned Izanagi." The Uzumaki finished his story.
"So Izanagi is you Persona," Aigis said. "Well Personas are first summoned under periods of fear and stress; I say that was a perfect example for what happened to you." The ANBU then held up the Evoker. "Like you I do not need an Evoker but I had a similar device provided for me, I carry this one as a…keepsake."
"A keepsake?" Naruto repeated.
"After the first summons, it becomes much easier to draw out your Persona…however since Sakura has not summoned hers yet does that mean you have not gone through something similar?" Aigis asked.
"Trust me; I went through something like that…" Sakura looked to side with a sad expression. "I think I should be able to summon mine, no problem!" The Genin declared.
"I see, then you wouldn't mind showing it to me," The ANBU put the Evoker away and then began to concentrate the Genin and Kage then saw as a blue mist began to swirl around her. "Come, Pallas Athena!" Aigis said, as the sound a glass breaking pierced the air, shards of glass rose to the sky and summoned her persona.
Pallas Athena was a human shaped Persona, the same as theirs but they also can feel how much more powerful it was. It was a woman in a flowing white robe dress with long sleeves and on top of that was a bronze breastplate and belt. On her head, covering its eyes was a Greek bronze helmet with a red plume on the top; Athena's braided hair making its way out the sides of it. Hovering around it was a large ring, which in front held a massive shield an in the Persona's hand was a spear.
"Shit! That's scarier than the Shadows!" Sakura said surprised at the Persona suddenly showing up.
"An Evoker was created to help those that have the potential to summon a Persona to summon them. The form chosen is of a ranged weapon called a 'gun'. A normal gun would fire a small projectile as fast, if not faster, then a Shinobi using shuriken, piercing armor, bone, and flesh. In the case of the Evoker, it summons a Persona. Now, can you summon your Persona?" Aigis explained and asked.
Naruto nodded as he closed his eyes and felt around for the swell of power. He then opened his eyes and held out his hand as he summoned the card with the Arcana 'The Fool'. Sakura subconsciously did the same as well and a Tarot card appeared in front of her with the Arcana 'The Magician'.
"Come, Izanagi!"
"Let's do this Tsunade!"
Naruto simply smashed his card, but Sakura added a flip using her kunai out of her puch to slice the card to pieces. While the actions were different, the results were the same and their Personas were summoned; hovering over them.
"Well you two can summon them easy enough, though they are much weaker." Aigis pointed out.
"What do you mean by weaker, sure ours might be newer but Personas are usually the same right?" Sakura asked, a little insulted that Tsunade was called weak.
"That's a mistake you shouldn't make; from your files you learn more from theory Haruno-san, yet Naruto-san here learns more from hands on training." The two Genin then shivered seeing Aigis form a smirk. "I think I may be able to do both, I'll teach you the difference between Persona." Aigis said. As the two freaked out Aigis heard a voice speak in her head.
"Aigis-chan are you sure this is a good idea? We don't know what level they are yet just their names and Arcana."
"And that is all I need to give them a proper lesson, this may hurt but nothing like what He would try if he was tasked with doing this." Aigis thought back as she readied Athena. "I'll let you two have the first move; we shall use only our Persona for this spar."
"I don't know, what do you think Naruto?" Sakura asked.
(Play: Persona 3 – Unavoidable Battle)
"We can't get any better if we don't try, she's going out of her way to help teach us how to use our Persona." Naruto then pulled something from the inside of his glasses and slipped on the glasses Kuma gave him.
'Glasses?' Aigis thought.
"Izanagi!" The Persona then charged forward ready to Cleave through the Greek Goddess of strategy.
"Don't leave us behind, let's do this Tsunade!" Tsunade followed after her comrade, a pair of shuriken formed in her hands ready to strike. Izanagi and Tsunade tried to double team Pallas Athena with a regular strike to her armored body, but there was hardly any damage done.
"No way!" Sakura said as she tried to use one of her skills, and unconsciously used her only offensive spell, Garu. "Ok, Tsunade Garu!" An emerald whirlwind then struck Athena; though the spell still did little to no damage.
"The first theory you have to listen to is Persona Level, it is an overall symbol of strength. The higher a Persona's Level, the more powerful it is, supplementing your own strength with the power of gods and demons." Aigis then had the Greek goddess attack Sakura's persona; Athena then rushed through and slammed into Tsunade, knocking it back lightly, and making Sakura, herself, feel the collision.
"I don't think she's even taking it easy on us." Sakura said, rubbing the phantom wound she got from the Persona's attack.
"Then we'll have to fight as best we can, "Zio!" Naruto spoke trying to land a blow in order toinjure the stronger persona. Izanagi summoned the bolt from the heavens only for Athena to dodge the attack.
"It does seem that you are already figuring out how to use skills, they are divided into two broad types: Active and Passive. Passive skills activate automatically, but Active skills require a conscious use." Aigs explained as they tried to corner Athena. "However, active skills can be divided into different things just as jutsu can such as..." Athena then rushed with quick speed heading for Izanagi. Aigis then gave the order. "Athena, Kill Rush!"
Using her spear the Greek Goddess of wisdom did damage by rushing with her shield to the deity also causing Naruto to fly back a good distance because of the blow. Izanagi also stumbled back but righted himself in the air.
"Naruto, that's it let's try that! Tsunade, Bash!" Sakura ordered and the shinobi like persona rushed at Athena. "Shannaro!" Holding her shurikens in hand Tsunade tried to throw a hard punch only for Athena to dodge it.
"Persona can also learn moves that can raise and lower things like evasiveness," Aigis pointed out that Athena had glowed slightly before dodging the hit. "By the way Haruno-san, how do you feel after that order?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura said taking a hard breath, she was feeling a little drained but she thought it was just from the battle.
"A Persona's physical power is taken from the user's stamina; their magic skills come from the user's chakra pools. I'm impressed you can still battle after ordering that attack." Aigis said. "Tsunade is of the Magician's Arcana, it specializes in learning all varieties of spells, whether they be attack or healing." Sakura was surprised as she looked up at her Persona.
Aigis then looked to Naruto. "Your Arcana is 'The Fool' and you possess the Wild Card. I believe we should end the spar for today, Igor will tell you more." Aigis said as she disengaged her Persona. Sakura and Naruto also faded their Personae from the fight.
"Thanks for the spar, but what's the 'Wild Card'?" Naruto asked and Aigis simply smiled.
"It is a unique power that you have. As I said, Igor in the Velvet Room will explain more when the time is right. Have a nice day, and if you want to learn more about Persona, then please ask Hokage-sama. He will let the group I am affiliated with know." Aigis then went towards the Hokage and they nodded.
"Who is she talking about Naruto?" Sakura asked as they recovered from their lesson.
"Some guy I met before when this whole thing started, I would tell you but you wouldn't believe me." Naruto said apologizing to her. They all then heard the storm above them signaling that it would rain later in the day.
"With this change in weather we can meet another time." Hiruzen said as they all went their separate ways. Naruto and Sakura were still walking together looking up at the rain like it was a bad omen.
"We didn't tell them anything about the Midnight Channel, maybe Aigis-san could be of some help?" Sakura suggested.
"Even if she knows about Persona I don't think they would buy another world inside of a TV in Junes Sakura-chan, besides we need to investigate a little more to make sure them dying isn't a coincidence. Besides; as an ANBU Aigis has to stay in the village." Naruto said. "We'll just keep an eye on the Midnight Channel in case something does come up, or someone."
"Ok then, I'll keep my phone ready. I'll call if I see anything." Sakura said. Naruto nodded as they both went their separate ways home.
(Dojima Residence, Evening)
It was raining pretty heavy when Naruto got in the house. Nanako looked up from her seat and saw her cousin take off his jacket as it was now soaked wet, from the journey home.
"Welcome home big bro." Nanako said and Naruto greeted her as well.
"Sorry I didn't pick you up Nana-chan. I was busy getting my license and hanging out with Sakura-chan. I finally got her to go on a date with me!" Naruto explained hoping that she wouldn't get too upset with him.
"That's great Onii-chan." Nanako replied, but she wasn't that enthusiastic about learning about his date. "And like I said, I can walk home by myself." She said again, though she is already missing the days he would pick her up from her school.
Naruto sighed in relief. "You've already eaten right?" He asked, but Nanako shook her head. Naruto chuckled a bit before making dinner. "Ok then, since I missed picking up Nana-chan, I owe you some ramen for dinner!" As he said that Nanako's eyes lit up.
"Really?!" Nanako asked excitedly.
Naruto nodded, "We can't order Ichiraku this late but we still have the Instant Ramen that we can share." After hearing the girl cheer, Naruto already got the water boiled and ready to use for their noodles. They then spent the rest of the night, until Nanako's bedtime talking about her day.
(Naruto's Room, Near Midnight)
Naruto made sure Nanako was in bed before returning to his room. He didn't see a need to cut the lights off this time. It was close to Midnight, and he watched the screen. Like last time, something did show up. It was a girl in a blue kimono, and she looked familiar.
"That kimono...wait that can't be who I think it is!" Naruto thought back to when he walked Hinata home. She was wearing the same kimono as the girl on screen. He tried to touch the image only for his hand to sink into his TV. Once he pulled it out the screen went dark again, the Midnight Channel was over.
As Naruto stared puzzled at the screen his phone went off causing him to answer.
"Ok, you're up, did you recognize the girl that showed up?" Sakura asked on the other side.
"I think I do, it looks like Hinata-chan; Hyuuga Hinata from our class." Naruto told her.
"You think it's Hinata? If that's true then the killer would have to be gutsy to target the first princess of the Hyuuga clan."
"It's definitely her. I saw her in that Kimono after our date. I'm going to call TenTen and check on Hinata. Maybe keep an eye on her at the Inn, I'm known there." Naruto replied to Sakura.
"Look, we don't know if it's true that she's in there or that she's the next target, but we'll stick with the theory for now." They hung up and Naruto needed sleep, he wouldn't have been able to help if he was too tired to think.
The blond closed his eyes for what felt like a second but when he opened them again he was back in a familiar limo driving through the fog. Right in front of him sat Igor and his Assistant Margaret.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, it seems that after we've met last you've awakened to your power. You're Persona," Igor said with the same look on his face from last time. Naruto remembered the dream but also felt too tired to speak so he just gave them his full concentration.
"Also from talking with a person from your past you've discovered your special ability of the Wild Card." Margaret explained. "As we told you before, your powers will grow as you developed close bonds with those around you." Opening the book in her hand she showed Naruto the images that appeared to be moving, he saw his date with Sakura as well as the Magician Tarot card. "You've already started your social link with the Magician's Arcana." Margaret said.
"Now, I will explain a bit more about your power."
"It's the Wild Card right? But, what is the Wild Card?" Naruto asked Igor, just as he was about to explain.
"A Persona is a facet of your personality, a mask that protects you from life's hardships. Your power of the Wild Card allows you to wield and summon multiple Personas as you see fit, and now it is time to tell you of my role." Igor said with a creepy smile, but Naruto listened on.
"My role is to assist you with the birth of new Personas. When you gain additional personas, you can bring them to me, and I will fuse them into a new form." Igor said, but something caught Naruto's eye. Now there was a third person inside the Velvet Room, a girl that stood out from the theme of blue with startling orange/crimson hair and eyes.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked only for the girl to scoff and look away from the blond out to the window. Seeing as the girl was in no mood to respond Igor took the liberty to do so.
"This is Kurama, she will also be assisting you. It is rude to not say hello Kurama-chan." The keepr of the Velvet Room chuckled.
That was when the girl turned around to yell at the man. "Don't call me chan! Hello brat, my name is Kurama, remember it well." The girl said now looking in Naruto's direction.
"Sorry, it's just you weren't here when I first got here, I just wanted to know who are you?" Naruto asked Kurama.
The girl then gave him a mischievous smirk, "You really want to know who I am pipsqueak, ok I'll tell you I'm..."
"Someone who will assist you well on your journey, and something that shouldn't be told to you just yet." Igor said ignoring the glare from the girl. "Be calm Kurama-chan, you may be in his life but that doesn't mean you should just tell him. Let him figure it out on his own." He said causing the girl to huff.
"Kurama is lively but she'll be of much help; maybe you two can develop a bond of your own." Margaret said with a smile.
"As if," Kurama muttered as Igor decided to add another brief explanation.
"Her role is to help you with special cards called Skill Cards. For within each card is the ability to teach a Personas new skills, skills that they may not possess naturally." Igor then continued on.
"Cool, and I bet I could get some pretty awesome skills from those cards." Naruto beamed at that, but Kurama interjected.
"Fool! Skill cards disappear once the skill is transferred, but if you sacrifice a copy of a skill card with me, you can get as many copies of the skill as you desire, for a price that is." She said with a fox-like smirk, and Naruto had to admit that she was crafty, even cute.
"Now, our time together grows short. So, until we meet again." The dream started to fade once more to black.
(Naruto's room Morning)
Naruto opened his eyes and checked his clock seeing that it was morning. As he stretched a bit he could already hear the patter of hard rain outside. "It's raining again...I need to check with Tenten." With he pulled out his phone and called the older Kunoichi, after a while the girl then answered.
"Hello, oh hey Naruto" Tenten said from the other line.
"Hey Tenten-chan, do you know if Hinata's doing all right?" Naruto asked hoping that Hinata was safe and sound.
"Yeah she's all right; we've just been hanging around an working at the Inn since it's been raining really hard since last night. We could really use an extra hand so can you come over?" Tenten asked.
"Sure thing, I'll come over right away." He said and hung up. 'This is going to be a long day.' He thought as he went downstairs for breakfast. Nanako was already there and had a plate set out for Naruto.
"Morning big bro." Naruto nodded, and started eating. He sighed, staring at the rain outside.
"Nanako, I'm going to be helping out at the Hyuuga Inn today. I know today's a day off from school, but I'll make sure to play with you later, unless you want to help me out at the Inn?"
"Really?" She asked a little downhearted, and Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I'll make sure you don't get a heavy load. Hinata's been busy recently, and could use the help. She probably had to hire a team just to help out." Naruto had humor in his voice and they finished breakfast.
(Scene Break)
The two waited at the entrance of the Hyuuga Inn, until Hinata or TenTen came to get them. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice got their attention, and she was in that same Kimono that she wore for the interview.
"Hey Hina-chan, I hope you don't mind that I brought Nanako-chan with me. I didn't want to leave her home all by herself." Naruto explained with Nanako slightly hiding behind him. The small girl was still shy around meeting some new people.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you two. Big Bro's told how nice you two are." Nanako said.
"So this is the famous Nana-chan you told me about; I'm Tenten and this is Hinata." Tenten said pointing to the girl in the kimono. Hinata nodded to girl, slightly blushing.
"Naruto-kun has told me a little about you too, he always talks about how good a little sister you are." Hinata said with a small bow. "Thanks for coming to help us out on such short notice." She said.
"You're welcome." Nanako was a little shy about it, but her and Naruto and got dressed in the clothes that Hinata had ready for them. They started working around the Inn with helping to clean and straighten out some rooms. All of this while Naruto hoped nothing bad happens.
'Everything looks good so far, I just hope last night was a false alarm.' The Uzumaki thought.
(Evening, Dojima Residence)
Naruto and Nanako were given part-time pay for helping out at the inn, as was an agreement between them. It was mainly through Hinata's grandmother, but they were allowed to have some compensation for their time.
"So did you have fun Nanako-chan?" Naruto asked as they put their umbrellas away and sat back in the livingroom.
"Yeah, it was really fun." Nanako smiled, the girl then turned on the TV and they were instantly greeted with the weather forecast. After glancing at the week's weather for a bit Naruto managed to memorize it.
'So we have a few days before we get fog, but first I need to make sure that no one ends up being kidnapped.' Naruto thought as Nanako changed the channel to watch a game show. After a while then then heard the sound of the door opening.
"Dad's home!" Nanako said running to Dojima just as he entered.
"Hey Nanako, I see you're full of energy right now." Dojima smiled and then looked to Naruto. "You wouldn't happen to be the cause of that, would you?"
Naruto chuckled embarrassed, "I met with some friends to give them a hand at their work and I brought Nana-chan with me so that she wouldn't be bored and alone. I just wanted to make it up to her for not being around for a while."
"I see, well next time call me so that I know where you are." Dojima said as he went to his usual spot on the couch. "By the way, I did promise to give you something for graduating." He said as he took the wrapped bundle attached to his back off and held it in front of him.
"What's that?" Naruto asked.
Dojima smiled. "Well Naruto, as a registered shinobi now that you have your license; you would need to stock up on real weapons. You can't bring a bokken with you on a mission. Konoha has a small number of kenjutsu users and you are now one of them. So you would need your own weapon." He then threw the bundle to Naruto who caught it; the excited blond opened to see a katana sheathed into a black scabbard.
"That's your graduation present, your first sword." Dojima said proudly.
"Whoa, I didn't think you would get me a sword this early." Naruto said unsheathing it slightly to look at the steel blade.
"Well you have to continue training, but you would need your own sword eventually." Dojima said. "And before you can continue you have to get used to the weight of a real one, this sword is special since it's your first. The only thing that can compare is one forged by your own hands."
"Like your sword Narukami?" Naruto asked.
"That's right, so take good care of that sword Naruto." Dojima said.
"I will" Naruto stared down at it. 'I just hope I won't have to use it before Shinobi Assignments.'
(Near Midnight, Naruto's Room)
Naruto looked at the turned off TV, the rain was pounding outside. It wouldn't fog over, but it would be slick or impede investigation. 'It's almost time,' Naruto thought as he looked at the TV screen, and then it started to work. This time, it wasn't a vague picture of someone, but a clear resolute picture of what appeared to be a television program.
"Good evening, and Welcome to Princess Hinata Hyuuga's hunt for her prince charming." A perky Hinata called to the TV screen. That caught Naruto's surprise, as he hadn't seen her that happy period. Not to mention she was in a strange white dress and in front of a castle with statues horses framing the path inside.
"I'm out to catch myself a whole harem, and the best of the group will be all mine. I'm perfectly prepared with my lacy unmentionables stacked from top to bottom." Hinata giggled as she held an arm over her chest, drawing more attention to them. "Ok! Here I go!" The image of Hinata ran off into that castle as the show began to fade.
"I should've recorded it." Naruto said, too dumbfounded at the shear idea of Hinata looking for a harem, or acting like that period. After he said that his phone went off, he answered it guessing it was Sakura but was surprised when it was Tenten's voice he heard.
"Naruto, are you awake?" The girl asked frantically.
"Yeah I am, Tenten what's wrong?" Naruto asked hearing the amount of worry in the kunoichi's voice. He never heard Tenten sound this way before.
"It's Hinata, she was sent to do one last errand for the Inn but she never came back! I was spending the night at the Inn when they told me, do you have any clue where she could be?" Tenten asked.
Naruto struggled how to answer but he knew he could trust Tenten and she has been to the TV world before. "I think I have an idea, can you meet me and Sakura-chan at Junes tomorrow. It's about the other world; we have to go first thing!" After taking a while to explain to Tenten he tried calling Sakura only to receive her voice-mail; he left the same message he gave Tenten. They were to be ready for the rescue mission.
TBC…
The next victim of the Midnight Channel is, Hinata Hyuuga. Not only will the police be scrambling to try and find the missing shinobi but the Hyuuga clan as well to find their lost Heiress. It's up to Naruto, Sakura, and Tenten to bring her back quickly as possible.
That's it for this chapter, as always favorite and reviews so that we know you enjoy our work making these stories. Until next time!
-Shadowlight0982 out.