Naruto awoke to shouting the next morning. He'd finally had a chance to catch upon all that sleep he'd missed out on. Grumbling, he quickly got up and dressed. Going into the living room, he noticed that most of the noise was coming from upstairs, Eva's room. Ascending the stairs, the indistinct shouting became recognisable as words.
"-rn how to fight, go ask Takamichi!" Chibi-chan was shouting.
"Even knowing that, I still came to you today. I saw for myself at Kyoto, the only person I should learn magical combat from is you!"
That got her attention. "Ho… so you were moved by how strong I was, huh?"
"Yes!" he honestly replied.
"Oi! What's with all the noise? Some of us are still trying to sleep."
"Its 1pm,"Asuna deadpanned.
"Not like you were much better," Chamo muttered.
"What was that?" Asuna growled.
"Nothing!" the poor ermine squeaked.
Meanwhile, Negi and Eva had ignored Naruto's entrance and question. "Well, if you insist," Eva was saying. "However, in case you have forgotten boy, I happen to be an evil mage. When you want something from an evil mage, you have to do something in return. Kukuku" she laughed. Sticking her bare foot into the air, she ordered, "First, lick my feet. Then, we'll discuss you swearing yourself to be my devoted slave."
Distracted by Naruto, Asuna didn't notice Negi as he protested, before finally giving in. His tongue was just inches from the bottom of Eva's foot when she noticed where Naruto's attention lay. Snapping around, she spotted the display, and with her artefact smacked Eva out of her bed, shouting "You idiot!" Standing over Eva and between her and Negi, she continued her rant. "What do you think you're making a child do!?"
"Dammit Kagurazaki Asuna! I'm weaker than usual at the moment, but you just completely ignored my Shinsou-level magical barrier!" Eva yelled back, but she was ignored.
"And you!" she shouted, rounding on Naruto. "Why didn't you do anything to stop her, I know you saw what was happening!"
"I just thought it was a Master-Apprentice thing. I had to do something just as bad to get Ero-Sennin to train me," he shrugged.
"Wha… No, never mind that." Again she turned her attention to Eva. "Don't you think that was a bit over the top? Negi-kun is begging you!"
"If everything could be solved by begging, we'd have world peace by now!" Eva shouted back, still rubbing her cheek. Calming down some, she smirked. She could smell something very interesting in the air. "More importantly, why are you willing to go so far for him anyway? Could it be, you've fallen in love with a 10 year old brat?"
"Wha..?" Asuna gasped, blushing deeply. "N-n-n-n-n-no! Negi's just a kid!"
"Hahaha, why are you turning red? That's so cute!"
"N-no, I'm just-"
"You're just getting angry and denying it now. Hahahaha, bulls-eye!" she continued to cackle.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Asuna shouted, using her fan to once again smack Eva. From there the argument degraded into a more physical scuffle, one which Negi watched with tears in his eyes, Chachazero was cheering on, and Chachamaru was stoically watching.
Chachamaru was distracted when Naruto asked, "Can we record this or something?"
"Yes. Now recording."
"What? How?"
"I have in built cameras in my eyes."
"Wait, what?"
"I am a robot." She explained.
"And that is?"
"An artificial entity made from inorganic materials."
"Oh, okay." Naruto replied, still slightly confused.
"Why do you wish me to record this anyway?" she asked.
"Blackmail."
Finally, Negi moved to break the fight apart like a good teacher. Once the panting girls were apart, Eva finally agreed to teach him. "But, you'll be tested first. If you pass a test next Saturday, you can be my apprentice."
"Thank you!" he bowed in gratitude.
Naruto walked them downstairs to the door, but before they were through, Negi called for his attention. "Naruto-nii-san!"
"Huh, what?"
"Will you train me in martial arts?"
"No," he immediately rejected.
"What, but why not?"
"Ah, how do I say this? My fighting style, if you can call it that," he snorted, "was designed to be as unpredictable as possible. You don't think, just react. It is not something I can teach, only beat into you, which would take time. Besides, I don't think it would suit you anyway. You'd be better looking for someone else. Though if its physical conditioning you want, I can help with that, but that's all. Unless you want to drop the Mage thing entirely and become a ninja," he joked, "you're on the borderline, but you're still young enough to be taught."
"No thanks" Negi quickly responded.
"I was only joking," he told him. "Why do you want to learn anyway?"
"I realized on the trip, there are some very strong people out there, and I need to get stronger, to protect my students." That brought a smile to Naruto's face.
"If that's how you truly feel, let me tell you something good. 'When you have something truly precious to protect, only then can you become truly strong.'" He quoted. "Someone told me that a very long time ago, and they were right. Do you understand what I mean when I say that?"
"I think so…" he replied somewhat hesitantly.
"You'll understand one day." He told him, just before they left.
"We're going to be running some errands, do you want to come?" Negi invited, which Asuna was distressed to find herself annoyed with.
"No, I've got that report to do, and then we can get started on that project."
"Alright," Negi smiled. "Let's go Asuna-san."
"What project?" she asked as they left.
"It's a secret," Negi told her, grinning.
Moments after they were gone, Eva herself descended the stairs. "Well, that was amusing."
"Yep. Hey, Chibi-chan, you don't really think Asuna loves Negi like that, do you?"
"Why, jealous?"
"No! It's just… never mind." He finished with a sigh.
"In answer to your question, I don't know. But, right now at least, she is under the effect of a love potion. I could smell it."
"But, she wasn't acting too much different than normal."
"Exactly," she smirked.
"Oh well, never mind that now, we should follow them."
"Why, you're not going to tell them, are you?"
"Of course not! This is just perfect black-mail material. Cha-chan, let's go!"
"I cannot."
"What, why?"
"Master is not well, and do you not have work to do?"
"Fine," he sulked.
"Uzumaki," Eva called.
"Okay, seriously, call me Onii-chan or at least Naruto. It's just weird being called that."
"Fine, Naruto. Before, you didn't stop me from getting Negi to lick my feet, and you said you had to do something similar. What was it?"
"Oh, I just had to transform myself into a beautiful teenage girl and seduce him. I was 12 at the time, and he was 50. Ah, good times," he sighed.
"Wha!?"
"See ya Chibi-chan, I've got work to do." He said as he retreated to his room.
As soon as the door was closed, he had to stifle the laughter. The look on Chibi-chan's face had been priceless. Her eyes had opened wide and her jaw had dropped, it was hilarious. Naruto hoped Chachamaru had recorded that too.
The rest of that day was spent working on that damn report. It was pure torture to Naruto's soul. Only foolish Kage's should have to deal with paper work. It would have been the first thing to go when Naruto became Hokage. After all, what kind of ninja wrote down what they'd just done? That, or just make his clones do it. But to be forced to do it himself, there would be pay back at this indignity. Naruto may not have believed in revenge, but pranking was a different matter entirely.
The next few days passed mostly uneventfully, with Naruto either working on his report, or more often, eating, training or just plain exploring the campus, plus occasionally sneaking into the girl's dormitory baths. For most of the day, there was no Chibi-chan to bug, or Negi to visit, not unless he was willing to disturb his classes, and Naruto had a feeling that Negi would not be pleased about that, so he just killed time by himself.
Wednesday afternoon was when he finally found a distraction in the form of Negi. Naruto had just been on the way to get some food when he spotted Negi near the hated World Tree, practicing kata's of a style that looked vaguely familiar. With him was Kuu Fei, who was correcting his stances and instructing him on how he should move. It looked like they were just finishing when Naruto greeted them.
"Yo!"
"Naruto-nii-san!" Negi smiled.
"Naruto-sensei! Perfect timing-aru."
"Oh, why?"
"We had just finished, but I think Negi-bouzu seeing a display would help-aru."
"Er, what do you mean?"
"Sensei still owes me a spar-aru." She told him simply. "Don't tell me you forget?" she mock glared.
"No, no, just busy. Can it wait though; I was just about to eat? Do you two want to come? My treat." He offered.
"Okay!" Negi instantly agreed. Kuu was more hesitant, but she was willing to wait for her spar, especially if it meant food.
They both followed Naruto as he led them to Chao Boa Zi. "Hey Chao-chan, Satsuki-chan!" Naruto greeted.
"Hello Naruto-kun," Chao responded. "Oh, Negi-sensei and Kuu-chan too." She smiled.
"Good afternoon, Negi-sensei, Naruto-sensei, Kuu-chan," Satsuki greeted them back. "What can we get you?"
"Oh, I'll just have a miso ramen and a chicken ramen." He told them, before sitting down nearby, Negi and Kuu Fei joining him after they ordered. "So, how long have you two been training together?" Naruto asked as they waited.
"Today was only our second day-aru. Negi-bouzu very quick learner." She complimented.
"That's good," he said while giving a small smile. "I'm glad you found a teacher so quickly." He said to Negi. "What made you choose Kuu Fei as your teacher, anyway?"
"I saw her getting attacked by loads of strong people, and she defeated them in an instant. It was amazing!" he gushed.
Surprised, Naruto asked, "Does that happen often?"
"About once every week; very good practice-aru. Both for me and for them."
"Fair enough," he shrugged.
"After that I asked her to teach me, and she agreed."
"So far he's been excellent student." Kuu added.
"That's good. My offer is still open by the way." Naruto reminded him.
"Offer?"
"I said I could help you with physical conditioning, didn't I? All you have to do would be keep up with me during my morning exercise."
"What do you do?"
"Oh, just a light workout, 100 push ups and 100 sit ups, then twice round campus, that kind of thing."
Negi wasn't sure but that sounded like quite a lot. Kuu Fei wasn't reacting like it was though, so he couldn't be sure.
"That's good aru."
"Yeah, I suppose, but I'm thinking of increasing the work load; wear weights, that kind of thing, y'know?"
She nodded her head in agreement.
"So, what do you say, Negi, you in?"
"I-I'm not sure," he told them.
"I don't think it good idea yet; Negi-bouzu needs to focus on basics and forms right now."
"If you say so," Naruto agreed as their food arrived. He wasn't an expert in Tai-Jutsu, so he wasn't exactly going to argue.
They ate in relative silence after that, enjoying their meal (in Naruto's case two meals).
As they were leaving, two of Negi's students appeared, each from different directions. It was Kaede and Mana. Each one spotted them at the exact same moment, or more specifically Naruto. They had been keeping an eye out for the blond teen since the end of the school trip. When Negi had explained to them that he was a Mage, and that was why he had needed their help over the trip, and that they needed to keep it a secret lest Negi be transformed into an ermine, they had all, Kuu Fei included, asked more about Naruto. Negi had been hesitant, but let slip that he was a ninja.
That had Kaede instantly curious; she hadn't met many ninja outside of her family. His being a ninja didn't interest Mana quite as much, she was more interested in learning about his past on the battlefield, as it was obvious to her now that he really was a soldier, and she would love to meet someone else who had experienced something similar to her. Kuu hadn't cared at all; she just wanted someone strong to fight against.
"Hey girls!" Naruto and Negi greeted.
"Negi-sensei, Naruto-sensei, Kuu Fei," Mana nodded to each in turn.
"Negi-bouzu, Naruto-sensei, Kuu Fei," Kaede greeted similarly.
"What are you guys up to?" Naruto asked.
"Not much," both admitted.
"Then you have good timing-aru. Me and Sensei were just about to spar," she told them. Kuu wasn't stupid, she knew her more fight loving friends were curious about Naruto, that was why she had texted them. This was a perfect time to see him in action.
What Kuu didn't expect was interest from another party. "Oh, Kuu, you're going to be fighting Naruto-kun? Can I watch-ne?" Chao asked.
"Huh, that's unlike you-aru. You don't usually like watching me fight." Which was true. Chao, a fighter herself, though no where nearly as dedicated to the practice as Kuu, hardly ever went out of her way to watch Kuu fight. At least not anymore, though maybe that was because she hadn't had any new opponents in a while.
"Well, I was just curious, but if it's a problem…"
"No, no; no problem-aru. At least not if Sensei doesn't mind."
"It's fine with me."
"I'll also be coming to watch." Mana informed them.
"Well now, I can't be the only one left out-de gozaru." Kaede added.
"To the World Tree!" Kuu called, and with a small sigh from Naruto they were on their way.
It didn't take long to get there, and when they arrived Kuu immediately assumed a Tai-Jutsu stance. Naruto mimicked her, assuming his own loose form.
She was practically bubbling where she stood, having been looking forward to this for days. In contrast, Naruto looked bored at the whole thing. Annoyed at that, Kuu struck first.
She was quick, very quick, and was instantly in his guard. He had only just managed to deflect that strike when he was hit by the follow up blow. Again she attacked, but this time Naruto was ready, and he managed to block or dodge her attacks. Her form was flaw less, and Naruto couldn't see a single opening. He would just have to make one, he decided. He struck then, but she easily grabbed his extended arm, dragging him into a series of combo blows to his mid-section that sent him flying back.
Once he had recovered, Naruto attacked; Kuu didn't let a single blow past her guard, and even managed to land a few counter attacks. Finally, he broke through, landing a solid blow to her solar-plexus, causing her to involuntarily double up. He followed up with a string of punches, sending her up a little higher into the air each time. He tried to finish with a kick to her face, but she somehow managed to catch his foot. Before she had a chance to let go, he struck with his other foot and with a hand-standed spin he sent her flying.
She recovered in mid-air and managed to land on her feet with little trouble. With a cough and a smirk, she resumed her stance and attacked. As the battle continued, Naruto noticed two things. The first was the style, eerily similar to Fate's. 'No wonder Negi wanted her to teach him', he thought. The second thing he noticed was the smile he could feel growing on his face; the longer the spar went on, the bigger it got. He'd almost forgotten how fun it was just to spar with someone, with or without the use of Chakra.
As the fight continued, it became obvious who was better at hand-to-hand combat, with Kuu dominating the match. For every blow Naruto managed to land, Kuu dealt three more right back. Finally, after 20 minutes of this, Naruto finally called a halt.
"I give," he laughed. "You win."
Frowning, she replied, "But we're not done yet. You haven't gone all out."
"Is that really what you want?"
Nodding her head, she agreed.
"Alright then, for fifteen seconds I'll use Chakra. Can one of you time it for me?" he asked Negi and the girls.
After a few second of fiddling, Negi was prepared. "You ready?" he asked Kuu Fei.
"Bring it-aru."
"Alright then, GO!" he shouted. Suddenly he was gone from Kuu Fei's vision, and she only just managed to stop his first punch by intuition alone. She wasn't so lucky on his follow up, which sent her high into the air. Then suddenly he was above her, pushing her down with a kick, even as he jumped higher. Coming down, he somersaulted in the air, and Kuu just barely managed to roll out of the way of his spinning axe kick as he landed.
Kuu rolled to her feet, re-assuming her stance, and struck, getting in close and doing her best to stay there. Unfortunately Naruto was faster, and he delivered a strong punch to her chest, throwing her back.
"Time?"
"5 seconds left," Negi replied, awed. He hadn't even been able to see Naruto move, and he'd only just been able to make Kuu Fei as a blur.
Then Naruto was on the attack again, only this time, Kuu Fei was ready. She could see his movements now, if only just, and with the right timing, 'there', she thought as she ducked, Naruto's lunge going right over her head. She struck then, one solid blow to his chest, then following it with another, and another, forcing him to quickly backpedal.
"Time!" Negi told them.
Both Naruto and Kuu were smiling as they called an end to the sparring session, receiving a splattering of applause from their audience.
"Good fight-aru!"
"Yeah it was. We should do it again sometime!" Naruto laughed back.
"Yep, you were an excellent opponent-aru." Then she turned to Negi. "So, Negi-bouzu, did you learn anything?"
"Not really," he admitted.
"That's fine. You're still new at this, so you can't be expected to notice these things." Naruto stated. "Hopefully when you have more experience you'll be able to understand more. What you should, would have noticed is that Kuu has more skill in hand-to-hand,-"
"But Naruto-sensei is a little bit faster and hits harder." Kuu cut in.
"That just goes to show how useful skill in Tai-Jutsu really is." Naruto finished.
"Tai-Jutsu?"
"Sorry, martial arts." He corrected.
Meanwhile, Mana and Kaede were off to one side.
"What do you think?" Kaede was the first to ask.
"He did well to keep up with Kuu Fei, but I expected more."
"True. He was rather impressive at the end though," she added.
"Agreed. Did you notice?" Mana asked.
"You mean Kuu?"
"Yes. For just a second, she was glowing. She's learned to use Chi."
"I'm not sure; I think it was just natural."
"As expected of Captain Kuu Fei, when she really needs to, she steps up." Mana commentated.
"You don't suppose he was still holding back, do you?"
"It's possible, but I think when he used that Chaka thing, that was his true power."
"Well, we've seen him in close combat, but…"
"We still haven't seen his ninja techniques," Kaede finished.
"Exactly."
Back with Naruto and Negi, they were seeing Kuu Fei off as she headed back to her dorm room. Chao was already on the way back to her restaurant, unnoticed, a small smile on her face. She had always wanted to see Naruto in action, and now her wish had been fulfilled. It was a pity she couldn't involve herself anymore, but she had to back off for now. After all, it wouldn't do for her to reveal her knowledge of magic just yet.
"Your test is in what, 3 days? Feeling confident?" Naruto asked.
"Not really; Eva-san hasn't told me what I have to do yet."
"You should ask her tomorrow. It's always better to try to be prepared."
"I'll do that," he assured. "Are you going to be there when I'm tested?"
"Of course, even if I have to bully Chibi-chan into it." he said with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you" he said. Then Negi had to ruin the moment by asking "Have you finished that report yet?"
"Erm, not yet," Naruto admitted. "I'm almost done though."
"That's good. What are you doing now?
"Not much, I was just about to head back to Chibi-chan's place. What about you?"
"I think I'm going to train for a little bit longer, then head back home. I've got to prepare my lesson plan."
"Riiiight. Sometimes I forget you're a teacher. I'll see you another time then, later," Naruto said as he set off.
With that, Negi was left alone to practice. Unnoticed, Mana and Kaede had slipped away.
Five minutes later, Naruto stopped in the middle of the deserted path. "Can I help you girls with something?" he asked.
"Hoe, so you noticed us," Kaede said as she stepped out of the shadows, followed soon after by Mana, who came out from the other side of the path.
"Of course, you can't hide from me that easily you know," he smiled. "So, I take it there is a reason you were following me?"
"We were just curious about a few things, and were hoping you could enlighten us."
"Such as?"
"About yourself," Kaede continued.
"Aright, I'll make the same deal as I made with Eva-chan. You get three questions only. Since you came together, I assume you're working with each other; otherwise you would get three each. As it stands, you get three altogether."
"WHAT!" Mana shouted, losing her cool. "I am not working with her, we just happened to arrive at the same time!"
"We're not working together-de gozaru!" Kaede insisted.
Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't care, three questions only. One each, then a joint question. I'll make it fair, and tell you what I already told Eva-chan. I'm from Konoha, and I'm a ninja," he told them simply.
"We'd already heard that from Negi-sensei," Mana informed him. "Wait, that was only two things, what was the third?"
"The answer to that question doesn't concern you."
"That doesn't matter, you should tell us anyway," Mana insisted.
"Fine, the third answer was, 'Why wouldn't I?' If you want the question, ask Eva-chan. Now, I think it's time for you're questions. Kaede can go first."
"What ninja clan are you from?"
"Me, I'm not from a clan. What I said when I introduced myself in front of the class was mostly true. I'm an orphan, I raised myself."
"But then who taught you the ninja arts?" she asked.
"Sorry, you've had your question. It's Mana's turn. Go ahead, Mana, what's your question?"
"How long have you been a soldier?"
"Since I was twelve. It was just the way things were done where I'm from. They train you in the ninja arts from the age of six, sometimes even younger, and when you're good enough to pass the test, they certify you as a Genin, and send you out to do missions. Alright then, last question. You two should decide on this between yourselves," he suggested.
They did just that, albeit grudgingly. After much whispered arguing, they finally asked, "How do we learn more about you?" A smart question, seeing as they couldn't decide whose second question was more important.
"That's easy, you'll just learn as time goes by. I'm not intentionally holding back, not really. You can't just expect me to tell you my whole life story from the get go, do you? We'll just have to learn about each other over time. Now, I really do have to go back, I have work to do. Plus, if I'm lucky, I might be able to convince Eva to lift the ban on Cha-chan cooking for me. That spar made me hungry all over again."
"Um, do you think I could spar with you sometime?" Kaede asked.
"Sure!" Naruto answered with a smile. "What about you, Mana-chan, do you want to spar as well?"
"No, thank you. I have other ways of keeping my skills sharp."
"Fair enough," Naruto shrugged. "I'll see you girls later."
"Well, that was interesting-de gozaru." Kaede said after he'd left.
"Not as informative as I would like, but at least I learned something." Mana sighed.
That night, Naruto found Chachamaru folding clothes and Eva reading in her room. After helping Cha-chan, he when up stairs to talk to Chibi-chan.
When she saw him, she grimaced. "What do you want?"
"Nothing really, just wanted to see how you were doing."
"I am fine."
"Good, good" he muttered. "So, what're you reading?"
Smirking, she answered. "Icha Icha Paradise."
"What! How the hell did you get that?"
"It was delivered here by Takamichi last night, while you were on one of your walks. It looked interesting, so I decided to have a look for myself. I must say, it's quite good. It had already mentioned a little about Chakra, and its uses. Tell me; is it true you can use it to extend your tongue?"
Blushing, Naruto stammered, "Y-y-yeah," while the voice of Jiraiya gently coxed his mind onto thoughts of Anko.
"And really, a whole family of people with x-ray vision and the ability to paralyse with a touch. It that true too?" she asked in a voice just made to send the imagination into the most perverse corners of the mind.
Naruto could feel the heat coming from his face as his blush deepened, stammering out another yes in reply, the voice of Jiraiya reminding him of Hinata, and how it's entirely possible she may have spied on him in the bath, or even just looked through his clothes at any time she wanted.
"And those illusions, are they possible too?"
"Yes!" Naruto shouted as he bolted down the stairs, unwilling to hear anymore, leaving behind a cackling Eva. After she had calmed down, she picked the book up once again and continued to read. Who knows what else she was in this book that she could use to tease Naruto with. Besides that, it also gave her a little insight to his culture. 'The sex-scenes aren't bad either' she thought with a blush.
After Naruto had finally calmed down, he decided that he should try and finish that report in order to take his mind off what he'd just heard. Taking out the report, he looked over what he'd written so far. It read as such:
Day 1: Frogs appeared. Got angry and dealt with them.
Night 1: Attempt to kidnap Konoka took place. Watched as Negi, Asuna and Setsuna-
That was it. That was all he had accomplished in the four days he'd been working on the report. 'I hate paper work' he thought with a scowl, before finally sitting down and starting over.
He needed to make this a proper and detailed report of what he'd seen and done during the trip, and his assessment of how well Negi had handled the situation. He'd managed to get up to the day trip to cinema village by the time he decided to call it a night.
The next morning he was woken up when a grumbling Eva returned home, wearing a white frilly dress, Chachamaru in tow, Chachazero sitting on her head.
"What's with you?" he asked.
"I wasn't jealous!" she shouted back at him.
"I never said you were," he responded, completely confused.
"Good, because I'm not!" she yelled again, before storming back to her room. She sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.
"What. Was. That?" Naruto asked Chachamaru.
"Master just found out that Negi-sensei is receiving Kung Fu instruction, and is annoyed that he already has a teacher."
"Why?"
"I am unsure, but I believe she wants all of Negi-sensei's attention to be on herself, and her teachings. Another instructor would prove counter productive."
"Okaaay." Naruto responded, still unsure.
"If you will excuse me, I need to prepare for school." She said before bowing and leaving.
Soon after, they were both gone, leaving Naruto alone in the house. Well, almost alone.
"Hey Naruto-sama!" Chachazero called from the couch, where Chachamaru had left her.
"Oh, hey Zero-chan. I didn't se you there. Why aren't you with Chibi-chan and Cha-chan, don't you usually go to school with them?"
"Nope, I usually stay here all day, by myself. I'm usually left in Master's bedroom though." She told him.
"Oh. Oh! I'm sorry I didn't realise, otherwise I would have taken you out with me."
"Out?"
"Yeah, I've been exploring the campus in my free time," Naruto explained. Of course, he actually meant, 'I've been exploring the campus as I ditched the paper work,' but that's neither here nor there. Besides, it's better than drinking so much you can't see the paper, even as you sit right in front of it, like a certain someone.
"Are you going exploring again today?" she asked
"Not today, no. I've got some work to finish; I've kinda been neglecting it."
"Oh," she sighed.
Scooping her up into his arms, Naruto carried her into his own room and placed her on the futon. I would like to take this moment to remind you that Chachazero is a puppet, two-foot tall tops. If you are wondering why I mentioned this fact, you are not dirty minded enough. "Come on, you can keep me company while I work." Naruto told her.
Blushing, she did just that. They talked about Eva, Chachamaru, and how she hated to be left behind by them. She talked about some of Eva's other puppets, and her relationship with them.
"Chachako always was kind of bossy," she was saying, "she thought that just because she was the biggest, and able to contain the most magical power, she was in charge whenever the Master didn't need us. She thought she was the favourite. I actually miss her a little" she commented, before whispering "then again, that doesn't mean I regret cutting her in half when the Master wasn't looking." She continued at a normal volume by saying, "When she was damaged, Master didn't repair her, we had to move on." Smiling, she chirped, "Master never left me behind, even when it was dangerous to come and get me, and she always made time to keep me in my best condition!"
"You really love Chibi-chan, don't you?" he asked.
"Love? I'm not really sure, I'm only a puppet." She easily responded.
"That doesn't mean anything. Sounds like you love her to me." Turning thoughtful for a second he mused. "You said she made you, right?"
"Yep!"
"Then doesn't that make her your mother?"
"I suppose…"
"I know, when she gets home you should tell her how you feel and call her mum. I bet she would love that."
"You really think so?"
"Well, she may not admit it, but I honestly think it would make her happy." He admitted.
"Alright, I'll do it!"
"Good girl," he responded, giving her an affectionate pat on the head, causing magical, and for some reason red, particles to rise to her face, imitating a blush.
With that said, Naruto returned to work, even as he told Zero all about Kankuro and his puppets. "Just simple wooden puppets at first glance, but filled to the brim with deadly poisons and weapons." With a shiver, Naruto said, "I'd have hated to fight him. And the noise they made as they moved really could send a chill down your spine." With a seal, he began to imitate the noise, ckckck, like wood tapping together. "Now, try and imagine that noise, getting closer and closer, but you don't know where from. Then suddenly, it strikes. But you were prepared" he continued softly, "and managed to dodge, SNAP, only to fall victim to the other puppet, the one you didn't hear. Instant death."
"Was there blood?"
"Er, yeah, I think I remember seeing some dribble out. Why?"
"No reason." She innocently replied.
"That was only Kankuro. There were other puppeteers, some a lot more skilful than he. Sakura-chan once told me how Chiyo-baa-chan could control 10 puppets at once, one with each finger," he told her, wiggling his own for emphasis. "But that was nothing compared to Sasori, a member of Akatsuki, and one of my enemies. I never fought him myself, but Sakura-chan told me he could control 100 puppets at once, even while he himself was a puppet."
"He was?"
"Yeah, he turned himself into a puppet. The only thing human he had left was his heart."
"What happened to him?" she asked.
"He was killed by puppets fashioned in the likeness of his parents, controlled by his grandmother."
"So cool," Chachazero gushed.
"Erm, I don't think you quite understood what happened."
Suddenly there was a rumbling that rocked the entire room.
"Er, I think it's time to eat." Naruto laughed. He had made a little progress on his report, and was up to the part where he had Fate chase him into the forest.
Stepping out of his room, Naruto checked the time. It was approximately 2 o'clock. "Hey, Zero-chan, what time do Chibi-chan and Cha-chan usually get back from school? About half past three, right?"
"I think so," the puppet replied.
"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he thought. "Hey Zero-chan, what's Chibi-chan's favourite meal?"
"Blood." Zero answered simply.
Sighing, Naruto corrected himself. "Apart from that."
"Erm, I think she once mentioned she liked haggis," the doll hazarded.
"What's haggis?"
"Sheep heart, liver ad lungs, minced up with other stuff, all boiled in the sheep's stomach!" she cheerfully told him.
"Er, I don't think I can make that," he told her, to Zero's annoyance. She wanted to watch him slaughter a sheep.
"Anything else she particularly likes?"
"Rabbit stew, maybe," the doll muttered miserably. No one ever wanted to eat rabbit anymore, saying they were too cute to kill.
"That, I can do." He old her, shocking her. "Just give me a minute while I grab some weapons. We're going hunting," he told her with a grin.
An hour and a half later, Eva arrived home to the most wonderful smell, closely followed by Chachamaru, who was curious about the strange readings from her nasal sensors.
Stepping into the cottage, they found Naruto working in the kitchen, Chachazero sitting nearby. "What is that delicious smell?" Eva asked. It was making her mouth water just going near it.
"Ah, Chibi-chan's home! Zero-chan, do what we talked about!" Naruto said as he stepped away from the pot he was hovering over. Picking up Zero, he brought her over to Eva and placed her into her arms.
"Mummy, I love you," Zero shyly said as she struggled to lift her arms and give her mother a hug.
Flushing a brilliant red, Eva was rendered speechless.
Nearby, a cheerful Naruto continued to work.
Her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. Eventually, she just gently put Zero on Chachamaru's head, and ran to her room.
"Aw," Naruto cooed. "I didn't think she would be that embarrassed."
"Did I say something bad?" Zero asked.
"No, not at all. She was quite happy to hear that actually, wasn't she Cha-chan?"
"Indeed," the robotic girl answered. "What are you making?" she asked after a moment had passed in silence.
"Rabbit stew. Zero-chan here told me that Chibi-chan liked it, so I decided to make some. I hope you don't mind?"
Blinking, she asked, "Why would I mind?"
"Oh, I just thought me stealing your job might irritate you, that's all." He shrugged. "In fact, I could really use your help, if that's okay?"
"Certainly. What would you like me to do?"
After that, Chachamaru helped Naruto prepare the meal. When they were almost done, she noticed two glasses. One was already full, while the other was empty. "What beverage is master being served?" she asked.
"Well, you did say she was a vampire, right? So I thought she'd want blood. Or was I wrong?"
"No, blood would be acceptable. I shall go get some from storage."
"Ah, no need. I thought fresh blood would be better, so I'm giving her some of mine."
"What?" Chachamaru gasped, incredibly shocked. No one had ever volunteered blood for the Master before. She had to ask, "Why are you doing all this?"
"All what?"
"This," she repeated, gesturing to the food and the glass.
"Oh, well. To be honest, this is a thank you. She really did help me and Negi out on the fieldtrip. You too," he added. "I really wanted to show my appreciation to her and to you, so I decided to cook her dinner. I haven't decided what to do for you yet, and Zero-chan has already got her reward."
"I have?" Zero asked.
"Yeah, you got to watch me kill and skin those rabbits."
"I see," Chachamaru replied, feeling a strange sensation in her core. Perhaps she should have that checked out.
"Thank you Naruto."
"Your welcome," he smiled back. "Now then, I think it's time we fed dear little mum." The stew had been served and placed on two separate trays; all that was remaining was Eva's drink. "Could you get a bandage for me?" he asked.
While Chachamaru fulfilled his request, he grabbed a kunai and made a seal, channelling a little bit of demon chakra to his arm. With a breath he cut his arm, letting it bleed into the glass. Once it was more or less full, he wrapped his arm in the bandage Chachamaru handed to him, confident the wound would be none existent by the end of the day. The bleeding had already stopped and the wound closed by the time he had carried Eva's meal to her bedroom up the stairs.
At the foot of the stair, Naruto stopped and said, "Keep the blood thing a secret, okay?"
"Yes Naruto."
"Sure thing Naruto-sama!"
In her room, Eva was mulling over what Zero had said to her, shocked at both being called a mother, and her oldest doll and most sadistic doll telling her she loved her. It was difficult to think however; her own embarrassment stopping some trains of thought, such as the warm feeliing that it produced, while the heavenly smell drifting from downstairs derailed the rest.
It was too early for dinner, but damn if the smell wasn't making her hungry anyway. Eventually, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She was greeted by blond hair and the most beautiful sight in the world, the source of that gorgeous smell.
"Here you go," Naruto smiled as he handed over her food, seating himself with his own tray of food on his lap.
He watched as Eva slowly took a bite of the stew, took a moment to savour it, and then squealed in delight at the taste, causing Naruto to chuckle. She then wolfed down most of the stew at a lightning pace.
"Good?"
Eva nodded her head. "I haven't had rabbit in a very long time; I forgot how much I loved it."
"Good, I made it especially for you. Zero told me that you liked it."
"Why would you do that?" she asked as she took a sip of blood.
"Well, I-" Naruto began, before noticing that she wasn't paying attention anymore. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was blushing as she licked her lips. Taking another gulp of blood, she moaned in pleasure.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she breathlessly replied. "Just leave me be for now."
"Alright," he agreed, taking his leave. "Enjoy the rest of your meal."
As he descended the stairs, Eva was already out of it, sighing as she took small sips of blood, the stew completely forgotten.
Finishing her glass, she slipped off to a very relaxing sleep, her last thought before blissful dreams being, 'Springfield blood really is the best.'
Downstairs, Naruto finished his own meal. "Alright, time to finish that report!" That night, he did finish the report, plus a little something extra. The next morning, he woke up with his arm completely healed, and did his usual exercises. During the run, he caught sight of Negi and, was that Makie? Anyway, he caught sight of them both hanging upside down while Kuu Fei pelted them with wooden blocks. Shaking his head, he carried on.
Once he returned to the cottage, he grabbed his report, taking care not to forget Chachazero who was otherwise left alone, and headed to the headmaster's office.
Konoe Konoemon was relaxing in his office. He had little to no work to do today, so he was spending his time reading. It was a most amazing book, written by a true genius, giving in sight into age old cultures and traditions.
"Hey Old Man!" Naruto greeted, suddenly appearing in the headmasters office, startling the poor old man.
"Ah, Naruto-kun," he swiftly recovered. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked.
"Finished the report." Naruto stated. "Have you got the files on Eva's curse?"
"Yes, yes, just give me a moment." Konoe pulled some files out of his desk draw and simply handed them to Naruto.
"Thanks old man," Naruto said. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something. The book Konoe had dropped when Naruto arrived. Picking it up with a grimace, he handed it back to the old man. "Icha Icha, I never should have reintroduced it the world."
"Hohohoho, don't be so quick to judge. This is one fine piece of literature. Which reminds me, of the 5 books you gave to me, three have been copied magically copied, and two should be published tomorrow."
"That was fast."
"Let's just say I have connections, hohohoho" he laughed. "Paradise and Tales should be hitting shelves tomorrow."
"Thanks old man," Naruto smiled, before setting off. He had to get out of there soon. Besides, he had to tell Negi the good news.
"Naruto-sama, why do you need information of Master's curse?" Zero asked.
'Crap, I forgot she was there!' he thought. "Sorry, but it's a surprise."
"Master doesn't like surprise."
"Don't worry, she'll love this one. But you can't let her suspect anything, understood?"
"Hai Naruto-sama."
"You don't have to say –sama you know."
"I know, but I want to, and I won't stop."
"Fine," Naruto sighed.
When he arrived outside Negi's classroom, he couldn't help but grin. This was going to be fun.
Negi was having a strange day today. Well, not that strange, but definitely different. Makie had joined him for training that morning, and Kuu had decided to up his training in the most bizarre ways. That was fine in its self, but the thing that was really weirding him out was Eva-san.
As soon as she had stepped into the classroom, he freaked out. Instead of her usual expression of boredom and distaste, she was smiling. Not the 'I'm thinking of different ways to torment you' smile either, it was a content and happy smile. What was worse was when she would sigh and lick her lips every so often. Frankly, it scared him.
Nevertheless, he carried on his lesson anyway, refusing to let one oddly behaving student distract him.
Then he got the fright of his life and screamed like a little girl when Naruto appeared right beside him, startling his class.
This just had the unfortunate side-effect of causing Naruto to burst out laughing. Fortunately, it also had the side-effect of angering certain girls in the class. (Ayaka and Asuna, mostly). They lunged before he'd stopped laughing, catching him completely off guard, and tying him up with Makie's gymnastic ribbon.
"How dare you scare Negi-sensei like that!" Ayaka shouted.
"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized, terrified of the scary lady. That was when she noticed, the object of her ire was a little kid, even younger than Negi. He was tearing up at being told off. He was just so cute, the class president couldn't resist giving him a hug and patting him on the head, or at least as much of it as she could. There was this strange doll in the way.
The girls in the class turned their anger onto her, accusing her of making the cute little kid cry. While she was scolded by some of her peers, the more 'see cute, must hug' girls did just that, and seemingly attempted to smooth the poor boy.
Eventually, Negi managed to reign in his class. Turning to the little boy, he asked "Are you lost?"
The child cutely nodded his head.
"Alright then, I'll take you to the Headmaster's office, they should be able to help you get to where you want to go." Escorting the boy out the door, he set off for the Headmaster's office.
'I can't believe I thought that this boy was Naruto-nii-san,' Negi was thinking. 'He can't be more than six years old.' Except that when he turned to the kid to ask for his name, it was Naruto-nii-san.
He was sweating and looked like he ran the London marathon, but it was definitely him. "Negi, Zero-chan, remind me never to do that ever again. Those girls are scary when it comes to you."
Nodding his head, Negi agreed that the girls could indeed be very scary. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he tersely asked, "Why did you feel the need to interrupt my lesson?"
"Er…"
"Busted," Zero sang from on top of his head.
"Alright, I admit, I was bored and wanted to talk to you. But I did have a reason. I wanted to tell you that I finished that report and got the information we wanted."
"That's great!" Negi grinned.
"Sure is. Now, I've got to go before the old man gets to the back."
"Why?
"I don't want to be here, I don't know how he'll react. Actually, it may not have been the best idea in the world." With a sigh, he said, "Well to late now. See ya!"
With that he was gone, and Negi returned to his class.
Unknown to Naruto, the Headmaster had already fallen for his prank. On the back of the final sheet of paper, there was a small circle, with a sign saying 'press here'. Believing it to just be more information, Konoe followed through with the request.
This was how he found himself soaked with water that had splashed out like a wave, with a small water proofed note saying:
I hate paper work.
A small threat to be sure, something similar would happen next time the blond teen had to do paperwork.
With a small chuckle, Konoe rose from his seat. He was wondering who he was going to assign that job to. It looks like Naruto-kun had volunteered.
On the other side of the area, just as he was leaving the school district, Naruto felt a chill down his spine.
That evening, Naruto watched Negi, Makie and Asuna train under the instruction of Kuu Fei and Setsuna. Naruto would have joined them, but he had neither the drive nor the chakra to do any serious training, and while he could have sparred against Kuu, he decided that Negi needed her attention more.
With a smile on his face, Naruto returned to his room in order to study the barrier.
The next day, Naruto once again found Negi and the others working hard under the World Tree. After he finished his run that day, he joined them. Kuu was working hard on teaching Negi forms, and the best way to counter attack, while Makie worked on her routine. Setsuna and Asuna were sparring using a wooden sword and that special fan respectively. Deciding that it would be a bad idea to interrupt Negi's training, and seeing as he had no idea what Makie was doing, he made his way over to the swordswomen.
"How's she doing?" Naruto asked Setsuna, indicating Asuna, who was taking this opportunity to rest.
"Quite well," the dark haired girl answered. "She's progressing nicely; plus, her natural strength and speed are complimenting kendo perfectly."
With a small smile, Naruto asked. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not really," Setsuna responded. "Asuna still needs to learn the basics and isn't ready to handle a close range fighter like you. However, I would like to spar with you, after Asuna's instruction for the day is done."
"Sure thing!" Naruto agreed.
So, Naruto watched with Konoka as Setsuna sparred with Asuna, or watched Makie as she practised, applauding when appropriate, (Mainly for Makie).
Eventually, Asuna had to rest. During this time, Naruto stepped up to face Setsuna.
"So, why exactly did you want to face me?"
"I need practise against opponents that prefer to fight close-quarters. I would ask Kuu Fei-san, but training Negi has left little time for that."
"Alright, close-combat it is then. Hey Asuna, I would watch this if I were you." Naruto called.
Then he began his attack. Ducking under Setsuna's first slash, it left her open. He mock punched her, stopping on contact so it wouldn't deal any damage.
Backing off, Naruto let her get her bearings before saying "Again in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 GO!" then he was on the offensive again. This time she reacted better, keeping her guard up while simultaneously attacking Naruto, forcing him to dodge, waiting for an opportunity to deal a proper blow.
Suddenly she spotted it, the perfect moment. Swinging her sword, she struck. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough, and ended up hitting only his arm. Still, she was satisfied. Or at least she was until she noticed the dark metal glint coming from the part of the fore-arm that she struck.
Then she felt the cool metal that was pressed against her neck. Naruto had one arm held up to block the blow, while his other was reaching towards her. "Your opponent might always be hiding a weapon or two." He instructed. "Again?"
She nodded her head, and Naruto backed off, letting her assume a defensive crouch once again.
The third attempt was even better, and she held Naruto off for a full twenty minutes before he finally managed bypass her defence. The fourth time was different, in that Setsuna was the one on the attack for most of the time. A full half an hour later, Naruto managed to stop a swing of her sword by grabbing her arm, and performing a mock head-butt to end to the battle.
They called a rest after that, the same for Kuu Fei and Negi. "Okay, that's everything it for now Negi-bouzu. Everything I can teach you in this time-limit I have taught you-aru! All you can do now is leave everything to fate and the heavens. Use the remaining time to rest!"
"Yes Master Kuu!" Negi responded.
It was then that Makie's friends, Ako, Yuna and Akira. In fact, now that he thought about it, this was group 4, minus Mana.
"Hey, Negi-kun, I heard you were having some kind of match tonight!" Yuna shouted.
"I brought snack and dinner," Ako told them as she arrived.
They made their way towards the World Tree to enjoy the picnic as the three girls were told all about the test, to Naruto's frustration. He wasn't going to say anything until Akira innocently commented, "Is it just me, or is the World Tree leaning this way?" That stopped Naruto in his tracks.
"Don't be stupid," Yuna told her, "the World Tree is huge, nothing short of a ga- Huh, maybe you're right, it does seem to be leaning this way."
"Alright, that's it! I'm not taking a step closer to that evil tree!" Naruto shouted.
"Take that back!" Yuna immediately yelled back. "The World Tree isn't evil; it's a majestic and ancient tree that this school prides itself on."
"It was planted as a grave!" Naruto countered. "Nothing good could ever come from that!"
"It was?" Ako asked.
"Don't be silly, he's lying," Yuna assured her friend.
"Actually," Negi cut in, "Naruto-nii-san is correct. It was planted a grave to a great hero, who fell bringing peace to the lands."
"Eh, really?"
"Well, that's one of the theories, the one that I personally believe in."
"I think we should honour the hero, and eat by the tree." Yuna insisted.
"No. I am not taking a step closer than I have to. Please, can we just stop here?" he begged.
With a huff, Yuna agreed and they set up a picnic in that spot. As they ate, Kuu Fei explained Negi's chances. Meanwhile, Naruto had to explain to Asuna and Negi exactly why he refused to go near the tree.
"When I was up there with the twins, I noticed something. I left indents in the branch I was standing on. Where ever I go, the World Tree always looks as though it is leaning towards me. I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me at first, but when Akira noticed it too, I knew I was right."
"So, what does that mean?" Asuna asked.
"I think the World Tree wants to eat me."
Asuna tried to take him seriously, she really did, but when he said that with a perfectly straight face, she couldn't help but laugh hard and loud, catching the attention of her classmates.
"Hey, Asuna, what's so funny?" Makie asked.
"I-I-Its nothing," she managed to gasp out. "You can't be serious," she said once she finally calmed down.
"I'm completely serious," he informed her. She turned to Negi for support, expecting him to set Naruto straight, but instead she found her teacher actually considering it. "You don't actually believe it's possible, do you?"
"Well, there's a lot we don't know about the World Tree. It might want to reclaim Naruto as a source of nourishment. Plants do grow and lean toward places with the best food source. The World Tree could be doing the same."
"But isn't it a little too big for that?"
"Asuna-san, it is a giant magical tree. Who knows what it's capable of."
"Oh," Asuna finished lamely.
With that the three descended into and uncomfortable silence, which was finally broken when Asuna decided she couldn't sand it anymore. Leaning over Negi to grab some food, she noticed something disconcerting.
"Hey, Negi, aren't you kind of smelly?" Asuna noticed. "Don't tell me, you haven't been taking baths?"
"Erm…"
"EHHH!" the rest of the girls exclaimed, quickly backing off.
"No, no, just forgot to," he tried to defend himself.
I didn't work, and Asuna proceeded to drag the boy off to the nearest showers.
"Er, wouldn't it have been better to let Naruto-sensei take care of that?" Akira pointed out once Asuna was out of ear shot.
Shrugging, the girls chased after Negi and Asuna, leaving Naruto alone. With the food. Yeah, they weren't getting that back.
It was only after they returned that they realised their mistake. The next time Naruto ran into those girls there was going to be hell to pay.
Hours later, at midnight, Naruto was with Chachamaru and Evangeline, waiting for Negi to show. Chachazero had been placed on the floor nearby. "Please mummy, I can't see from down here. Can I be moved?" she asked, causing Eva to flush crimson.
"Oh, sorry about that Zero-chan, here you go," Naruto said, picking the puppet up and placing her in her favourite position, atop Naruto's head.
It took a few seconds, but Eva finally managed to find speak. "Don't call me that, you useless puppet!"
"See, I told you she likes it," Naruto told the doll. "You can see it in her eyes."
Immediately, Eva turned away from the pair, her blush returning tenfold.
"Yeah!" Zero chirped.
"You too, Cha-chan, she's your mother as well. Give it a try."
"Actually, Master wasn't the one that built me."
"She wasn't?"
"No."
"But she still had apart in it, right?"
"Yes."
"Then it still counts," Naruto declared. "Go on, give it a go."
Nodding her head, she agreed. "Are you sure this is okay, mother?"
"Don't call me that!" Eva screeched. "And you!" she rounded on Naruto. "Don't encourage them!"
"The odds of Negi-sensei being able to hit me are below 3%," Chachamaru carried on like she hadn't heard Eva's orders. "It would be insincere of you to not at least give him a chance."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for an apprentice."
"Liar," Naruto and Zero coughed.
Sparing them a quick glare, she carried on. "I'm making an exception by letting him pass if he hits you once. If the boy can't manage that then it's his own fault. Don't go easy on him, understood?"
"Yes mother." Chachamaru responded, causing Eva to twitch.
"He should be here soon," the short blonde commented.
"Actually, they've been here awhile. Ever since Cha-chan called you mother," Naruto helpfully informed her.
"I hate you." Eva said, looking down at the group gathered below, who had watched her humiliation.
"Love you too, Chibi-chan."
It took a few minutes, but Negi finally broke from his surprise. "Eva-san! Negi Springfield reporting in for his apprenticeship test!"
"Good, you came after all. Well then we'll hurry up and get started. If you can land even a single hit on Chachamaru with your Kung Fu, then you pass. The match continues until you're dead and can't attack anymore, got that?"
Meanwhile, Naruto and Zero were talking. "Chibi-chan is really building up the tension, isn't she?"
"Yep, mummy really likes drama."
"I think I'll break it," Naruto said. Forming a single quick handseal, his mission was complete.
"You're evil." Zero told him.
"Only when it comes to pranks," he countered.
Back with Eva, she had just finished explaining the rules when she noticed the laughter. The girls Negi had brought along, all the ones that had been there when they had dinner, had turned their cheering into gales of laughter and giggling.
"Why the hell are they laughing!?" Eva yelled.
"Well," Negi began, vaguely gesturing at his clothes.
Looking down at herself, Eva instantly understood why everyone was laughing at her. In bright orange paint, someone had written 'I still wear diapers' on the skirt of her otherwise pristine white dress. Turning, she glared at the one who she knew was responsible.
"How dare you!?" Eva said, chillingly quiet.
"How dare I what?" Naruto asked anyway, knowing for a fact that he was taking this too far, but for the life of him, couldn't stop. It was like pocking the Kyuubi, you knew it was going to get you, but you just couldn't help it.
"This!" she hissed gesturing down at herself.
"What are you talking about?"
"This!" she repeated.
"There's nothing there."
"Of course there is," Eva began, looking down on herself, finding her dress pure white with block frills again, no sign of the orange paint.
"See." Naruto gave a huge sigh, "Maybe you're going senile in your old age?" he suggested.
"Chachamaru, start the test. I'm going to deal with this trash," Eva growled.
"Yes mother." She responded.
"AH!" Naruto screamed, as Eva attacked in a flash, he only just barely managed to dodge. The next two blows he wasn't so lucky with, and he was sent crashing into the ground. He only just managed to roll out of the way of the next strike, one so strong that it cracked the pavement.
He quickly got to his feet, only to have to deflect another blow. Attempting to counter attack with a palm-thrust probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as with his bad position, there was next to no strength behind it. It landed on Eva's chest rather softly.
"Flat," Naruto muttered. He only realised his mistake when a flushing Eva brought attention to herself. "What. Did. You Say?"
"I-I-I'm gonna die for that, aren't I?"
"Yeah, and it is going to be slow and painful."
"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"
"No," Eva responded flatly.
"Okay. Would it help if I told you that I had video of you bugging out when Zero-chan called you mummy, you getting into a fight over Negi, and your face when I explained what I had to do to get my Master, all of which would be distributed around the school?"
"You're bluffing," she accused. Looking into his eyes, she realized something. "You're not bluffing."
"No, I'm not."
"Very well, I won't kill you. But you must promise me to destroy that video."
"Deal!" Naruto quickly agreed.
"Good," Eva said simply, before landing a strong punch to the gut. "I only promised I wouldn't kill you," she explained to his writhing form.
"Fair enough," Naruto wheezed.
Eva soon returned to watching the apprenticeship test, leaving Naruto in the dirt.
'You deserved that.' Sakura told him.
'You would say that,' Naruto shot back. Sakura always hated the word flat, and Naruto and Sai had found out the hard way about using that word around her. It wasn't all the time, but she could get really cranky if anyone said that in her vicinity. Usually monthly, Naruto noticed. Huh.
"Hey, hey, I want to watch the match!" Zero insisted, pulling on Naruto's blond hair and bringing him out of his reverie. "Get up."
"Alright, alright," he agreed, struggling to sit up. When he finally managed it, he threw up off to his side. That last blow had really done a number on him. Eventually, he staggered back to Eva's side, grumbling about losing that precious blackmail material. She threw him a horrid glare before continuing to watch the match.
At the moment, Negi was still trying to get his first hit in, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
"I don't even know why I'm here," Naruto commented. "I already know who's going to win."
"Oh, and how do you know?"
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"
The questioning quirk of her eyebrow was enough to answer that question. "I guess only minds like mine would pick it up. The question is, will Negi?"
"Minds like yours," she sneered. "What, empty?"
"You'll see." He told her.
Then the moment of truth arrived, and the perfect opportunity for a counter opened. Negi went for it, grabbing and dragging Chachamaru's leading arm closer, preparing an elbow thrust. Unfortunately, she saw it coming, and using the pillar behind her, vaulted over Negi's head and delivered a kick that sent Negi flying.
"Tch," Eva went. "Well I guess that's that."
"Nah, it's only the moment of truth. It is only over if he hasn't noticed."
Slowly, Negi righted himself and retook his stance. "I'm not dead yet, Evangeline-san." He told her.
"He noticed," Naruto chuckled.
"Huh, what are you talking about? The match is over."
"Check the rules again, Chibi-chan!" Naruto laughed loud enough for all to hear.
"The condition was 'until I die', wasn't it? That means no time limit, right?" Negi explained with a smirk.
"Wha! Don't tell me you're?"
"Hehe, That's right. I'm going to keeping going until I land one hit, no matter how long it takes. Chachamaru-san, let's continue."
"But sensei."
"Cha-chan, continue. Let him keep trying," Naruto told her.
She did just that, and continued to battle Negi.
"Is this what you were talking about?" Eva demanded.
"Yes. No time limit. Even if he falls today, he can try again tomorrow, or the day after, or after that. Eventually he'll land a hit, and you'll have an apprentice."
"So you won't stop this, no matter how much he gets hurt?"
"Unless he was on the verge of death, no, I wouldn't interfere."
That said, they watched as Negi threw himself at Chachamaru again and again, only to be continually knocked to the ground. He once again dragged himself off the floor after and assumed his stance, face bloody and bruised.
"Hey, come on boy, isn't that enough?" Eva was compelled to ask. "We get it, you're motivated, geez."
"No, not yet…I'm not going to give up yet." Negi told her, sounding groggy.
"Geez, he's more like me than I thought. The type that won't give up even if it kills them." Naruto sighed, even while he wore a smile.
Finally, Asuna cracked. "I can't watch this anymore. I'm going to stop him," she declared, only to be blocked by Makie.
"NO! Don't stop him!" she shouted, stepping between Asuna and the match.
"But…" Asuna began to protest, but Makie quickly cut her off.
"Even if he's badly injured, he's still tried really hard to get to this point. I know what you're thinking, but I think it would be terrible for Negi-kun if you stopped him now! Didn't Negi-kun say he would try his hardest no matter what!?"
"Bu, Maki-chan… He's just a brat who doesn't know any better. He's just being stubborn, and I've got to stop him for his own good."
"NO! Negi-kun is an adult!"
"Maki-chan, I know that's what you said in the showers, but no matter how you look at him, he's just a kid."
"A child could never be this stubborn. I can't express it well, but I think Negi-kun is prepared."
"Prepared?"
"Yeah. Negi-kun has an objective, and he's prepared to give everything he has to achieve it. Asuna, do you, your friends or your senpai know any boy's who have an objective like Negi does? Not just someone with a dream, but someone who can say, 'This is what I've decided to live for!'
"That, that's…" Asuna stumbled.
"Negi-kun is an adult. He's got an objective and he's doing his best to achieve it! So, you can't stop him now.
"All this from a third year brat," Eva mumbled, embarrassed.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she's wrong. Besides, looks like its over," He said, pointing to the on going battle.
"Makie-san," Chachamaru mumbled, momentarily distracted. Negi, not one to miss out on an opening, struck.
"Ah!" Eva gasped as she noticed, but before she got out her warning there was a strong arm wrapped around her stomach and a hand preventing her from speaking.
"Shh, it's their fight, and you shouldn't interfere." Naruto whispered into her ear.
With a clonk, Negi landed a blow to the back of Chachamaru's metallic head, shocking everyone watching. As Negi swayed on his feet, he muttered, "I… I hit."
"I have one final test for him, alright? If he fails, you don't have to teach him if you don't want to." Naruto told Eva. "Alright?"
"Mhad ind off est?" Eva asked, voice muffled by Naruto's hand.
"You'll see." With that, Naruto handed Zero to Eva and jumped down the stairs, landing directly in front of the swaying Negi.
In a commanding voice, Naruto asked Negi. "What is your objective?"
"To find my father," Negi answered dizzily.
"Not bad, but I was expecting more," Naruto mumbled. "Would you risk your life to find him?" he asked.
"Yes." Negi replied unflinchingly. That answer brought of few gasps from the watching girls.
With a small smile, Naruto asked his final question. "Would you risk the lives of your friends and pupils in pursuit of your goal?"
"No!" Negi seemed appalled at the very idea.
Giving a sigh, Naruto very gently and very lightly patted Negi on the head. "Geez, sometime's looking at you is like looking in a chibi mirror. Well, minus the prodigy status. I have three things to say before you pass out. One, it was no time-limit, dummy. You could have lightly clonked her in class and claimed victory, or even just tried again after training some more."
"Oh yeah," Negi muttered.
"Two, congratulations on passing the test, both of them; you did good out there. Finally number three; I've got you, and always will, when ever you fall. Have a good nap." He finished.
With that said, Negi finally collapsed into Naruto's open arms, entering a deep and blissful sleep.
Once Negi was peacefully in his arms, Negi gently lay him down, head rested on Naruto's jacket.
"What was all that about, acting all cool?" Asuna snapped at him.
He snapped back. "And what was all that about, calling him a stubborn child and trying to interfere with the test. I agree with Makie, Negi is an adult, he may be ten, but he's still a ten year old adult. Don't treat his gaols as a child's fantasy."
"I'm curious as well, what were those questions for?" Setsuna asked.
"That was my test. I needed to know just how serious he was. The first question didn't matter. The second question was to gauge his seriousness, but the most important was the third. If he would be willing to sacrifice others to further his own ends, I would have blocked him at every opportunity. He would effectively be my enemy. I'm just glad he answered correctly." Sighing, Naruto began his trek back to Eva's cottage.
A little while later, Negi woke up. The sun was already rising and everyone was gathered around him. The only one not there was Naruto-nii-san.
The first words out from his mouth after waking were, "The test, did I really pass it?"
"Yeah, you did. Both of them." Asuna answered from beside him.
"Both?" he groaned.
"Ask Naruto-sensei," Makie told him.
"Hmph, I lose boy," Eva sighed from the top of the stairs. "Come to my cottage any time you like and I'll train you, just like I promised. Ah, and you should keep up the Kung Fu too. Everyone needs physical skills, and Chinese kenpo seems like the logical choice for someone like you." With that, Eva and Chachamaru departed.
"Thank you Evangeline-san," Negi muttered.
Among the heaps of praise he received, one in particular person stood out the most.
"Well done Negi-kun." Makie congratulated.
"Yes. You've got to do your best too, Makie-san."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Author note:
I would like to defend, or at least justify Naruto treating Negi like an adult, and pushing others to do so, especially in regards to dreams and goals.
Naruto himself is where I should start. Affectively an adult and soldier at age 12, having been trained to become such at age 6. That is the norm in his culture, and while 10 years old is younger, he personally knows ninja who graduated early. To him, it wouldn't seem strange to send a child into the fray, as long as they can defend themselves.
On the matter of goals: Naruto's dream was constantly mocked and belittled when he was younger. I can imagine Naruto reacting badly to the same thing happening to Negi.
In fact, this philosophy will seriously grate on Asuna's own.
On Negi's end, he's a teacher and has shown himself to be mature in regards to his goals. Naruto is treating them as such.
I shouldn't have read Sekirei before writing the Makie scene. It was soo tempting to superimpose the Game Master onto Naruto for this scene, calling out his opinion for on high.
I hope you enjoyed the on going Naruto versus Eva. Eva actually managed to get a few wins this chapter too. Strangely, the blackmail had another purpose, or at least was going to, but the diaper message came out of left field and snowballed from there.
Oh, and I could always use idea's on what Naruto could do for Chachamaru. My mind is drawing a blank at the moment. Which reminds me, some of you might be slightly freaked out about the dinner scene, specifically Eva's drink. Yeah, that was weird, but Naruto was trying to be nice, and decided fresh blood would be better. A little personal touch you might say… I can't believe I just typed that. You might also be a little squicked at the dinner itself. There is nothing wrong with eating rabbit. On a related note, haggis is lovely too.
I now present you with Part 1 of my omake series. A little ongoing thing to have some fun with. It probably won't be every chapter though.
I'll say this now so people don't get confused. The events depicted here have not, will not, can not happen in main story. Clear? Good.
Omake.
Strongest Vs Strongest. Part 1.
Walking down a path in the magical world, Nagi Springfield was bored. He had to patrol the area looking for a couple of mischievous demons that were stealing food from a nearby town.
He hated work like this; he found it frustrating that the great Thousand Master, hero of the war, had to wander through the woods helping a group of people who could, should, have been able to handle it themselves. But alas, this was his job, helping out whoever needed it. Then again, the sense of satisfaction over helping someone would probably overwhelm any annoyances that this particular job was presenting him with.
On the other hand, that warm feeling he got from helping others was conspicuously absent at the moment.
Then he spotted another man, this one walking in the opposite direction from him. This man had spiky blond hair, particularly long at the sides of his head, framing it. He also sported bright blue eyes, and blue headband, a strange spiral pattern inscribed on the metal front. He was wearing a long white coat, the bottom hemmed by flames. Just visible underneath was a dark green vest, and under that dark blue jacket. His pants were a similar shade of blue.
Nagi was just going to let him past, but then he felt it. He locked eyes with the man, and instantly knew he was strong.
All of a sudden, Nagi felt giddy. This feeling, he hadn't experienced it since he met Raken that fateful night, and even then the feeling had only been a tingle, whereas now it was a full blown shock, like he'd been hit with one of his own lightning spells.
Screw the demons, they could wait. He wanted to fight this man, and he wanted to do it now.
Walking down a forest path in this strange new world, Namikaze Minato was confused. The last thing he remembered was fighting the Kyuubi and that man in the orange mask, then nothing. He was here, completely lost. Once he was sure that he was nowhere near any familiar landmarks, he'd taken a couple of days to rest and recover before finally looking for signs of civilization.
Following the path, he hoped to come across a nearby village and ask about his whereabouts, and hopefully a way home.
Eventually he did come across someone, a red-haired man, about the same age as him, wandering in the opposite direction. He was wearing a light brown cloak and holding a large staff in his right hand. Minato was just about to approach and question the man when they looked eyes. Instantly, Minato could tell he was strong, a fighter. Tensing up and preparing for anything, he cautiously continued his approach.