Hello my friends. Sorry for the delay. I didn't get this chapter done in time for KHIII and well...
...
But it's here now. Also, something to note, I messed up which biju was connected to the Priestess Arcana in the previous chapter. I have since updated it. Sorry about that! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
A Fraudulent Front
Early Morning, May 16, 20XX
Shujin Academy
Naruto slid into his seat a few minutes before the bell. He found Akira and Ann sitting in their seats, with Ryuji leaning against the wall. "So, how did the museum visit go?" he asked. Akira grimaced a bit.
"It was…interesting," he said. "Until we almost got run over by Madarame's raving fans." Morgana poked his head out from inside his desk.
"That Yusuke person is highly suspicious!" he hissed. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"I take it the exhibition was eventful?" Ryuji scowled a bit.
"Yeah, you can say that," he replied. "That Yusuke guy was surprised we even showed up, even though he freaking gave us tickets!" Morgana slitted eyes lit up with frustration.
"Stupid Yusuke, trying to monopolize Lady Ann's time," he muttered. Akira nodded.
"He was clearly interested in just Ann," he agreed. "The two of them split off from us, leaving Ryuji, Morgana, and I to our own devices. We managed to overhear a TV interview going on with Madarame." The curly-haired teen frowned. "At first glance, he seems very humble, almost overly so in fact. He made it clear he didn't believe in indulging in the fame and fortune one of his caliber could enjoy." Naruto's gaze narrowed.
"That certainly sounds like a red flag," he thought to himself. Morgana sighed.
"We would have listened to more, but at that point we got swarmed by Madarame's fans and had to beat an exit before we got crushed." Naruto winced. He'd been on the receiving end of a rabid fan rush. He turned to Ann.
"So, what did you get from Yusuke, Ann?" he asked.
"Madarame certainly had a lot of different styles on display," Ann commented. "Kitagawa-kun seemed to be very proud of Madarame-sensei and his works." She looked down at the desk "However, when I was looking at the particular painting I wanted to see, he started to get really dismissive and a little edgy, saying there were a lot better paintings than that one." She sighed. "I thought that painting really portrayed the artist's frustrations well." Ryuji tapped his foot impatiently.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, interesting art and all that," he said. He had a wide grin on his face. "Madarame's spiel about his shack though got me thinking about a post I saw on the Phan-site." He pulled out his phone and started scrolling a bit. "Here it is. 'A master of the Japanese arts only shows his public face on TV. He secretly plagiarizes his pupils' works. He treats the ones who live with him horribly, teaching them nothing and ordering them around like they were pets.'" Naruto's eyebrows rose.
"Stealing other people's work and abuse? Sounds like a real class act," he thought to himself. His mind drifted towards a similar person, a towering old man with long brown robes… He shook his head. "Damn it, that's in the past," he thought firmly. Akira looked at him quizzically.
"Something the matter, Naruto?" he asked. Naruto shook his head.
"Nah it's fine. Just thinking the guy sounds like an absolute bastard if that's really the case." Ryuji grinned.
"Right? I mean, if this is true, then it's going to be a huge scandal! Just the kind of thing to put us on the map!"
"It sounds like this Madarame and the one we heard about in Mementos might be the same person," Akira agreed. Morgana purred excitedly.
"However, we can't make any overt moves or we'll tip him off, so we decided we're going to go pay that Yusuke guy a visit after school to see if that's really what's up." Ann frowned a bit.
"I'm still not really looking forward to this," she said. The morning bell rung, interrupting further conversation. Ms. Kawakami walked into the classroom.
"Alright class, get in your seats," she said. "And Sakamoto-kun, can you kindly go to your own classroom?" Ryuji stood up and grinned sheepishly.
"Alright Kawakami-sensei," he mumbled. He looked at the others. "Alright, see you guys after school!"
After School
Shibuya Subway Station
The group poured out of the subway and onto the platform. Morgana scowled at Akira from his bag. "You didn't have to pet me so hard!" he grumbled. Akira smirked.
"Sorry, but we had to convince that kid that you were just a toy," he replied. "We didn't need to make a scene." He turned to Ann. "You have the address, right?" She nodded.
"Yup, it's a little way off of Central Street," she replied. Ryuji grinned.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" The group started off and made their way out of the subway to the plaza. As they headed down main street, Naruto was deep in thought about Madarame.
"Hmm, it would make sense for him to have a lot of styles if he really is plagiarizing his pupil's work, but he's not directly capitalizing on all the fame and fortune," he mused. "Which means there's probably more to this than meets the eye." Naruto frowned a bit. Soon they left the commercialized scene and entered a quiet, housing system. The sounds of the bustling crowd faded behind them as the buildings quickly lost their glitz and glamour. They eventually arrived at a cramped-looking two story home. The drab brown walls complimented the rusting rails of the balconies. A quiet creak escaped the building as a gust of breeze blew through. The group looked at the building in disbelief.
"Is…this the place?" Ryuji asked. Ann nodded uncertainly.
"This is the address Kitagawa-kun gave me. It does say 'Madarame' on the name plate." Akira looked the place up and down.
"When Ryuji said shack, I didn't think it was quite so…literal," he said. Morgana grinned.
"We'd better not sneeze, or we might bring the whole place down," he said cheekily. "That said, we're not going to get anywhere standing around here." Ryuji looked at Ann.
"He invited you, right? You ring the bell." Ann looked nervous at the thought.
"Hope I don't knock the building down somehow." With a sigh, she marched forward and rand the doorbell. After a moment, Yusuke's voice came from the speaker.
"Who is it?" he said curtly. "Sensei is occupied-"
"Sorry, it's Takamaki," Ann interrupted. "But we can come later…"
"I'll be right there!" Yusuke replied immediately. Naruto could hear some soft thumping as the boy rushed to the door.
"I still can't believe people actually live here," Ryuji murmured. The door flung open as Yusuke burst from the entrance.
"Takamaki-" he began smiling at his muse. His excitement quickly faded upon seeing the others with her. "Oh, you two are here as well," he said with much less interest. He glanced at Naruto. "And you brought another stranger too?" Naruto scowled a bit.
"We met two days ago," he said. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto." The blue-haired teen sighed a bit, clearly uninterested.
"My apologies," he said in a bored tone. "So, what brings the lot of you here?" Ryuji stepped forward.
"Yeah, sorry; we're not here about the modeling thing. We wanna ask you about Madarame. Is it true he's been plagiarizin' stuff and abusin' his pupils?" Naruto sighed.
"Way to be blunt Ryuji," he thought. "This is going to go over well." Yusuke gaze narrowed.
"Are you…serious?" he asked in disbelief.
"We read about it online," Ryuji replied. "So, is it true?" Yusuke stepped forward and stared at him.
"Really?" he asked. He began to chuckle humorlessly, soon erupting into full blown laughter. He shook his head. "Ridiculous! Plagiarism, abuse? Impossible." He folded his arms. "No man who hated children like that would ever let pupils live with him in his home! Not to mention I'm residing here myself. So I can certainly say that's an absolute lie." He stared at them defiantly.
"But what if you're lyin' about it?" he countered. For a moment, Yusuke looked away. Naruto caught a flash of guilt pass through his eyes as he did.
"That's…that is complete nonsense," he replied. He looked up, the fire returning to his eyes. "Sensei took me in when I had no family, and raised me himself into what I am today!" The boy took a step forward. "Continue to spout these ridiculous claims about the man I owe everything to, and you will regret it!" The group backed away from him a bit. However, something about Yusuke's tone seemed to resonate with Naruto.
"He almost sounds like he's trying to convince himself, as much as he is trying to convince us."
"Yusuke?" an old voice said. The man Naruto had seen in the car two days ago walked forward to the entrance, his hands in his sleeves. A curious look appeared on his face. "I heard you shouting. Is there something the matter?" Yusuke scowled and pointed a finger at the group.
"These people," he spat, "are slandering you with absurd claims, Sensei!" Madarame looked over them once before sighing.
"Please, forgive them Yusuke," he replied. "They must have come to check on their friend's safety after hearing some bad rumors." Yusuke's shoulders slumped as he sighed.
"Yes, Sensei," he replied. The man shook his head.
"I mean, a cranky old man like myself isn't going to be liked by everyone. Just let it go." Ann frowned.
"That's not what we meant," she tried to explain. Madarame nodded and turned to the group.
"Now, unfortunately, I do have neighbors, so could you please keep it down?" He flashed them a polite smile. "I'm sorry to have butt into your conversation. If you'll excuse me." The man turned and retreated back into his home. Yusuke turned back to look at the group, staring at them for a moment. He bowed his head slightly.
"My apologies, that was…rude of me." Naruto waved him off with his free hand.
"It's our fault for just coming up and accusing your sensei like that," he replied. "He must mean a lot to you." He sent a dark glare at Ryuji, who wilted back a bit. Yusuke nodded.
"Yes, indeed. He's done a great deal for me." His eyes brightened. "I know! If you see that painting, I'm sure you'd be able see Sensei in a better light!" He pulled out his phone and began scrolling for something. A moment later, he turned his phone around to show them the screen. On it was a photograph of a classic Japanese painting of a woman. Her snow-white complexion clashed with her crimson garb and black hair running down the side of her neck. The sun framed her from behind like a golden halo around them, with a lifeless branch cutting across it. A bluish-grey fog obscured her arms and body. She seemed to be looking down with a wistful expression.
"Amazing," Ann breathed in awe. "It's beautiful."
"It's called 'Sayuri.' It's his maiden piece, and most representative one as well," Yusuke explained.
"It certainly is breath-taking," Akira said quietly. He gazed at the picture intently.
"I'm not really into art stuff, but even I can see how awesome this is," Ryuji admitted. Naruto nodded in agreement.
"Sai would probably flip if he saw this," he thought to himself. Yusuke looked at Ann.
"The moment I saw you, I was filled with the same raw feeling as when I saw this painting." Ann looked stunned, a faint blush appearing on his face.
"M-me?" she asked. Yusuke nodded. He closed his eyes and smiled a bit.
"I desire to pursue beauty, just like this, and I believe painting you, is part of that. So, I implore you to consider my offer seriously." He bowed his head to her. "I'm sorry that you came all this way, especially on such baseless rumors, but I must return to assisting Sensei today. I pray we can discuss this again, in the future. Please, excuse me." Yusuke turned around and walked back into the building, closing the door behind him." The group looked at each other before retreating away from the house. Naruto looked at Ryuji with a slight scowl.
"Next time Ryuji, don't just go blurting out stuff out of the gate. I was half expecting him to turn around and slam the door in our face." Morgana nodded.
"One of the basic rules of information gathering is to not put your people on guard," the feline agreed. Ryuji sighed.
"I'm sorry, alright!" he replied. "I just wanted to see what was up." He folded his arms. "Still, those guys…they really seem like nice people," he said a bit shamefully. Ann sighed.
"I wonder if we just had the wrong person. The Madarame we heard about in Mementos might be someone else," she said. Akira folded his arms.
"It's hard to believe such a polite person could do such heinous acts," he admitted. Naruto frowned a bit.
"…I wouldn't count him out just yet," he spoke up. The others looked at Naruto.
"You really think that this Madarame really did all those horrible things to his pupils?" Ann asked incredulously. "He seemed like such a nice guy!"
"Yeah, but so did Kamoshida to most people," he countered. "Also, the way Yusuke reacted when Ryuji put the pressure on him made me think he was onto something. He seemed guilty. Plus, from what you guys told me about what you saw and heard at the art exhibition, the fact he has so many styles could be explained by him stealing it from his pupils." Morgana tilted his head.
"Hmm, interesting. Naruto does bring up a great point. But we still don't have enough information. How's the Meta-Nav?" Akira pulled out his phone and clicked on the app.
"Location found," the voice spoke. The other's eyes widened.
"It found something?!" Ryuji said incredulously.
"Does that mean it was picking up on our conversation?" Ann asked. Inwardly Naruto frowned. Maybe it was just ninja paranoia, but the idea of having someone listening offhand was a bit troubling. He folded his arm over his sling.
"If it's popping up, then that means this Madarame does have a Palace," he noted.
"But how the hell is that possible?" Ryuji asked. "Does an old man like him really have a Palace?"
"We won't know until we see for ourselves," Akira replied. "However, I'm beginning to think Naruto's right about this. If that post really was true and this is the same Madarame, then him having a Palace shouldn't be a surprise." Morgana's tail twitched as his whiskers scrunched up in thought.
"It seems 'Madarame,' 'plagiarism,' and 'shack' are the keywords this time," he said. "We have the location and the name down. We just need the 'what' Madarame views this shack as to get into his Palace."
"Like how Kamoshida thought the school was his castle?" Ann asked. Morgana nodded.
"Let's try making some random guesses," he suggested. Ann tilted his head.
"Should we try 'castle?'" she asked.
"No candidates found," the app replied.
"Then 'prison!'" Ryuji tried.
"No candidates found," the app said again. Ryuji stomped his foot.
"Ugh, this is annoying!" he said. "'Jail!' 'Warehouse!' 'Farm!'" Again, the app returned no results. Naruto shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure you guys are going about it wrong," he said. "You guys aren't thinking from Madarame's point of view. You gotta get into his head and start trying to think how an artist like him might see things." The group paused for a moment in thought.
"…A museum," Akira finally said. "For artists, there's few honors greater than having your work enshrined where people will come to see it." The app chimed.
"Beginning navigation." The hue of their surroundings flickered darker for a moment. Ryuji and Ann's eyes widened.
"Looks like we've got a hit!" Naruto said smirking. He quickly put a hand on Akira's shoulder. "Not getting left behind this time." Black and red ripples poured out from the phone and enveloped the group.
Metaverse
The group landed in a parking lot of some sort. Morgana was standing on a railway. "A little warning would be nice next time," he grumbled. "What if I had wandered off and got caught by the enemy?" Naruto deadpanned a bit.
"Pretty sure you'd realize when you started walking on two legs," Naruto replied. Akira smirked a bit.
"Still, you know what they say about curiosity and cats…" Morgana rolled his eyes a bit and Akira's quip.
"Not a cat," he mumbled. Ann raised an eyebrow.
"So, can you just slip into the Metaverse without knowing it, Morgana?" The feline nodded.
"Yes; the differences are a lot subtler when there's only slight cognitive distortion," he replied. Ryuji turned, his eyes widening.
"Forget that; check this out!" he called out. The group turned toward where Madarame's atelier had been to find a massive golden building that stretched into the sky, illuminated by several spotlights. The intricate swirls and curves and twisted across the building like water glowed slightly, emphasizing its grandeur. Windows randomly dotted the wall, emitting a strangle light from within. A massive red emblem showing Madarame's signature was inset into the main wall. The black-blue sky only served to highlight the shining beacon even further. Ryuji stared at the place in disbelief. "Is this really supposed to be that shack?!" he asked. The group began walking towards the building where a long line of faceless people waited to enter the building.
"It's so extravagant," Ann commented. "To the point where it's gaudy. This is supposed to be a museum, right?"
"A Palace is a scenery, driven by desires," Morgana explained, "Just like Kamoshida's Palace was a castle." Ann frowned.
"But…why a museum?" she asked. "Madarame already has his artwork on display at museums in reality." Akira folded his arms.
"His exhibit was extremely popular. The massive crowd of fans we encountered was proof of that," he agreed. "There shouldn't really be a need to see dream about a museum."
"Yeah, that's a good point," Ryuji admitted. "And this ain't connected to any abuse or plagiarism." Naruto folded his arms as he looked at the place again.
"Something definitely isn't adding up," he murmured. He turned to Akira and Ryuji. "You guys said that Madarame claimed to reject all the fame and fortune, right?" The two nodded. "Well, he certainly isn't rejecting it here. Seems to me like there's a deeper reason for his 'simple living' act."
"Such gall! This man must think far too highly of himself." Naruto heard Saiken's voice echo in his head. He resisted the urge to chuckle hearing the slug critique someone else's ego.
"Glad to hear you, buddy," he replied. Now that he could feel his chakra, he tried to reach out toward Kurama's chakra, but was stopped again. "Dammit, this is starting to get really annoying," he thought to himself. "Not that I'm not happy you have my back, Saiken."
"Never fear, my esteemed ally. Your concern about my elder brother is admirable."Morgana hopped on Naruto's shoulder. "We should try looking around. We aren't going to get anywhere just thinking like this."
"Right…" Ryuji nodded. He grinned. "That aside, ain't a museum just perfect for Phantom Thieves?" Morgana purred.
"Indeed," he replied. "I feel the same way, Skull. Now let's get inside." The group made their way closer to the entrance. Ryuji looked at the crowd.
"Damn, that crowd's intense," he murmured. "We're not going to wait in that, are we?"
"No way!" Naruto said. "No phantom thief ever goes through the front door. Not to mention it'd take forever to get through it." Akira peered toward the end of the massive line.
"The line's being held up by Shadows masquerading as watchmen." he said. "They'll probably attack us on sight, especially dressed like this." Naruto peered through the crowd at the two guards standing it the end and noticed they wore similar masks to the knights in Kamoshida's Palace.
"He's right," he realized. He glanced at the suave thief. "How does he keep seeing things like that," he wondered to himself.
"Does it really matter?" Saiken asked quizzically. "He is your ally, is he not?" Naruto sighed inwardly.
"I guess you're right," he admitted. "It just would be nice to figure it out." Ann looked up at the tall walls surrounding the building.
"That wall seems to go around the building," she noted. "Can we really climb over it?"
"We'll just have to find a way," Morgana said. "Now let's go!" They ran across the parking lot towards the wall. Naruto spotted a semi-truck parked near the edge of the wall.
"There!" he pointed out. "We can use that as a stepping point." With a running start he hopped on top of the car parked next to the truck and used it to leap over to the top of the crate. He turned around. "Anyone need a hand?" he asked. Akira shook his head. He ran towards the truck and leaped up, grabbing the edge. Planting his feet on the side, he swung himself over in a smooth transition. Naruto nodded in appreciation. The others quickly followed suit. Once they were all on top of the truck, Naruto looked to the others. "Here, I'll give you a boost to the edge of the wall. I can climb up the sides."
"I forgot you can do that," Ryuji said. "Man, that must come in handy." Naruto nodded.
"It has its perks." One by one, he boosted the others to the top of the wall, and then walked up the wall to join them. From there they could get a better look at the flashy building.
"So Kamoshida really sees that old shack as something so ridiculously shiny?" Morgana said disbelievingly.
"It doesn't seem real to me that this would be that old man's Palace," Ann said looking down. Naruto frowned. The more he saw of this, the more he was starting to get a sense of déjà vu. Somehow, this all seemed…too believable. He kept his thoughts to himself however. There was no sense in judging too soon. Ryuji looked at the others.
"Well, we're not goin' to figure out anything just standing around here," he said. The others nodded. Carefully hopping down from the wall, they landed in a garden type area. Naruto glanced behind them to see the Shadow watchmen standing there, preventing the crowd from entering.
"Welp, there's only one path to take; let's get a move on." The group nodded. They proceeded down a wooden walkway towards a quiet garden, the bustle of the crowd fading behind them. At the end of the pathway were some raised platforms leading towards the building proper. Together they hopped from platform to platform, until they reached a small ledge that took them to the actual side of the museum. They continued to vault up the staircase of ledges until they arrived at a skylight for one of the exhibits within. Ryuji grinned as she saw that one of the windows were open.
"Sweet! An easy way in!" He was about to jump down when Naruto grabbed him by the collar.
"Hold your horses, Skull," he said. "Just because we found a way in, doesn't mean it's necessarily safe as well. We don't even have a rope to climb back up!" Morgana nodded sagely.
"Shinobi's right," he agreed. "It wouldn't do to alert the guards before we even get a lay of the land." He pulled a rope out of seemingly thin air. "However, as an infiltration specialist, I made sure to bring the tools needed." Ann glanced at him in bewilderment.
"…Where exactly were you keeping that, Mona?" The feline grinned.
"Trade secret," he replied. Akira knelt down and peered into the skylight with narrowed eyes.
"It doesn't appear as though any Shadows are roaming down there," he confirmed. "We should be safe." Naruto glanced at the curly-haired teen for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, I'll trust Joker's judgement in that case," he said. He glanced at everyone. "However, stay on your toes, just in case!" The group nodded before descending through the skylight.
Museum Special Exhibition Room
The group looked around at their surroundings. "It's quiet," Morgana said frowning. "Too quiet." Akira couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Seriously, Mona? Isn't that just a little cliché?" he asked.
"He's not wrong though," Naruto said glancing around. It was a little odd that nobody was patrolling the paintings. Ann looked at one of the paintings and gasped.
"Hey, isn't that painting…moving?" she asked. She pointed at a portrait of a person. The lines which framed their face seemed to ripple on the canvas, creating a haunting effect.
"Come on, Panther, it's a Palace," Ryuji said. "It's not like that's super weird or something." Mona shook his head.
"Since a Palace reflects the ruler's heart, we should probably inspect those a bit more." He walked up to the painting's description. "Hmm, all it gives is the age and name of the person."
"But's that's not going to be the title of the piece, would it?" Ann asked. "Maybe it's just the artist's name?"
"In a place that seems to celebrate Madarame as much as this? I'm doubting that," Naruto thought. Akira seemed to be concerned as well.
"Let's check out the other paintings. They might give us a better picture…so to speak." The group wandered through the exhibition, examining the paintings. There were dozens of different-sized portraits depicting various people, most of them relatively young. However, they all depicted just a name and an age. As they walked from one area to another, Naruto noticed some metal brackets on either side of the doorway, segmented by several boxes spaced evenly. He stopped and stared at them for a moment.
"Some kind of alert system?" the Uzumaki murmured. "They're placed about where someone would have placed a trip wire back home." They didn't seem to be activated at the moment, so he just made a mental note of them and continued on. After moving through a couple rooms with nothing but more ephemeral effigies, the group stopped for a moment.
"This is strange," Ann said glancing down. "Madarame's supposed to be known for having a variety of styles…why are all of these so similar?" Suddenly Ryuji pointed at another portrait.
"Hey, check this out!" The group turned to see a portrait depicting a familiar bowl-cut bespectacled young man in a business suit. "Isn't that the guy we fought in Mementos?" he asked. "The one who was talkin' shit about Madarame?" Akira glanced at the nameplate.
"'Natsuhiko Nakanohara,'" he read. "That's him, alright. The question is, why is he here?"
"There's nothing else on display besides his name," Morgana noted. "The same as the other portraits."
"But that doesn't make sense!" Ann said. "Usually art will have the artist's name or title."
"Unless that is the title," Naruto thought to himself. An idea was starting to form in his mind. He folded his arms. "Let's keep looking," he said. "We're bound to find something here later." The group continued though the exhibit, feeling increasingly unnerved. At the end of the exhibit, Ann gasped as she saw a large portrait of a blue-haired boy.
"It's Kitagawa-kun!" she exclaimed. "But why is he here?" Morgana looked at the name plate reading "Yusuke Kitagawa" and nodded.
"These must be Madarame's pupils then," Akira mused. Ryuji folded his arms.
"That…makes sense actually. That Nakanohara guy did say he studied under Madarame before. Naruto stared at the painting, scowling a bit.
"Well, that just clinches it then." The others looked at him in surprise.
"You figured something out?" Akira asked. Naruto and turned to Morgana.
"Hey Mona, cognitions don't have to actually be human right? Just like my cognition in Kamoshida's Palace was just a statue, right?" Morgana's whiskers twitched.
"Correct, they appear however the Palace ruler views them," he confirmed. Ryuji's widened impossibly.
"Wait a sec; you aren't sayin'-" The Uzumaki nodded.
"These are probably Madarame's cognitions of his students." The small feline crossed his arms.
"It's possible, yes," he surmised. "But let's not jump to conclusions. There's still more to explore after all." The group besides Naruto agreed hesitantly. As for the blonde, the picture was becoming clearer and clearer.
"If he doesn't even see them as human, but just a collection of artwork…" His thoughts trailed off. He followed the others into what seemed to be the lobby of the museum. One would almost say it looked…normal, with some couches and carpet creating a typical-looking waiting area. However, the reception counter was vacant; an automated voice occasionally chimed out saying.
"Thank you for visiting us today." Akira spotted a rack displaying some pamphlets and walked over. He picked up one and unfurled it, scanning the contents.
"Looks like a map of the museum," he said. The others crowded around him.
"Sweet!" Ryuji said excitedly. "This will come in handy!" After looking at it for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed behind his mask. "Wait a sec…it's not even complete!" Morgana looked at the bottom of the pamphlet.
"It says 'one of two,' so there's probably another half later on," he replied. "Regardless, this will help us plan our route better." The group continued on past the reception area into the next area, and were greeted by a dazzling display. A large golden sculpture stood front and center, made of shining waves curling in an upwards spiral. Intermixed with the waves were figures of glittering people with forlorn expressions.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Ryuji asked. Ann read the plate at the bottom.
"'The Infinite Spring. A conglomerate work of art created by the great director Madarame, using his own funds. These individuals have the honor of donating their ideas to the director for as long as they draw breath. Those who fail in this endeavor have no worth living.'" She took a step back in shock. "This…this is probably about the plagiarism, right?"
"Damn it, should have known that old man was a phony," Ryuji said. "So, he's just mooching off his students then. He's not even doing any of the work himself."
"And he does it all in the name of 'securing their livelihood,'" Morgana mused frowning. Akira folded his arms.
"And the fact that he sees them as worthless if they're of no use to him, could confirm the abuse rumors." He glanced at Naruto. "It looks like your thought about those pupils being cognitions was spot on, Shinobi." The Uzumaki scowled deeply. Once again, visions of an old man in brown strolling through the streets of Konoha with a smile on his face came to mind. His frown deepened as a burst of anger filled him.
"So let's take him down already!" he said. "We've got the proof we need, right?" Ann looked down.
"I…still can't believe it," she said quietly. "He seemed like such a nice guy. Plus, Kitagawa-kun stood up for him. He even said he owed his life to him. Why would he say that if this is who Madarame really is?" Naruto frowned. He didn't have a good answer for that. Morgana nodded.
"Panther's right. We've found no real evidence of wrongdoing. This is all just an assumption. It would be prudent to try and gather more information." Naruto grit his teeth.
"Sounds pretty clear cut to me. I mean, Palaces don't just form for normal people, right?" He turned to Akira. "What about you, Joker?" Akira pursed his lips. He seemed to be thinking deeply.
"While I agree that it's looking pretty clear," he began, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions about the situation. If we're wrong, we may end up getting burned." Ryuji looked at everyone.
"I think I'm with Naruto on this one. The guy sounds like a total douchebag!" He looked around. "Still, since the rest of you guys aren't on board, I guess we just gotta keep diggin'." Naruto looked at all of them and sighed in frustration.
"How rude! Your allies should trust your judgment!" Saiken burbled.
"It's fine Saiken," Naruto replied. He knew they were all fledglings in this business. They weren't trained to be cautious, to see the clues. They'd been just regular people for most of their life. It still didn't mean it was aggravating to stall like this. He did his best to ignore the tiny voice saying he was acting on his past. He looked around at the others. "Alright, if we're all not ready to fully check this place out, then this is as far as we should go for now," he explained. "The fact that we're in our thieving gear only means the Shadows recognize us as outsiders. I'd bet you 1000 yen they're waiting just beyond us." The others looked at each other and nodded.
"Shinobi's right," Morgana said. "We shouldn't press our luck. Let's fall back and review what our next step is."
Real World
Shibuya
The group walked back towards Shibuya's central street. Naruto looked at the others. "So, are you guys going to do to try and figure out about Madarame? It's unlikely you'll be able to get any tells off of him; he's perfected his public face." Ryuji grinned.
"Maybe you should tell that guy you'll model if he spills the beans, Ann," he said cheekily. "His grin fell when he saw her seeming to consider it. "H-hey, I was just joking about that!" he replied. She shook her head.
"Actually, I was thinking about taking Kitagawa-kun up on his offer anyway," she admitted. "Maybe he might be willing to actually talk then."
"Absolutely not!" Morgana exclaimed. "Lady Ann, don't fall prey to his wiles!" The feline's tail twitched wildly.
"It's not exactly like we have a lot of options here," Akira said. "I don't think it would be a bad idea. And it's not like she has to go alone either." Ryuji looked between both of them and sighed.
"I guess that's our only option, then," he replied. Naruto frowned a little. Unless something insane happened, he doubted another visit was going to change their minds. He was going to have to find some real proof to show them.
Omake: Encounter with the Detective
January 25, After School
Shibuya Streets
Naruto weaved through the back alleyways of Shibuya, his head down in thought. "Damn it!" he thought in frustration. "What the hell happened to my chakra? I know I had it up until Kaguya knocked me away." The blond sighed. "I can't even remember how I got to this world in the first place." His phone began buzzing in his pocket. He sighed. "Well, all the neat technology's nice at least." As only one person actually had his number, he knew who it was already. He pulled out his phone and clicked the button. "Yeah, boss?" he said. "I'm on my way to Gunn right now. I left right after school."
"That so?" Iwai's voice replied. "Alright, brat. Just make sure that you get those special orders from him. Remember, he's only going to talk to you after you give him the password I told you."
"I got it, I got it," Naruto replied. "I know how to handle things, boss."
"You'd better, brat," Iwai drawled. "You were a pretty hefty investment. Just make sure you don't blow your cover. There still some parts of your background that are a little shaky at the moment."
"I'll keep a low profile," Naruto said. "No worries, boss." He heard a sigh come from the phone.
"Anyway, Kaoru's asked me for help with some homework, so I'm closing up a little early. You can go ahead and leave it closed when you get back."
"Thanks boss. I'll text you when I get back with the models."
"Alright, see ya, brat." The line clicked. Naruto put away his phone and continued walking through the backstreets. As he turned the corner, he saw a spray-painted hawk on the wall of a building and scowled.
"I almost forgotten this was that stupid Hawk territory," he muttered. While he'd been familiarizing himself with the area, he'd come across the group. The Hawks were a basic rough-housing gang, occasionally vandalizing property to assert their dominion over their turf. For whatever reason, nobody ever bothered to call the police on them, so Naruto left it alone. They were small potatoes anyway; it wasn't worth getting involved. Not to mention with his...reputation, they knew well enough to leave him alone.
Naruto frowned a bit as he stared at their emblem. As of late, their activity seemed to have ramped up a bit, going from just irregular vandalism to more focused destruction. He shook his head. It wasn't his problem. He continued on, navigating the streets to his destination. As he turned a corner, he found himself standing before a swarm of police officers and several cars. They were corralling over a dozen people sporting the Hawk emblem on their gear into cars and taking statements. Naruto stopped in his tracks. "What the hell?" he wondered. "What the hell are the cops doing around here?!" He quickly turned to find another route to Thomas. However, an officer happened to look up and spot him.
"Hold it right there!" he said. Naruto sighed and stopped in his place. The policeman walked up towards him. "Turn around slowly, and don't make any moves." Naruto did as he was instructed, cursing his luck.
"Damn it," he thought. "Well, looks like I'll have to talk my way out of this." The officer looked him over carefully. Naruto could almost feel the man judging him and managed not to scowl in response, keeping a slightly fearful facade.
"What's your name?" he asked. "And what are you doing around here?" Naruto adopted a frightened tone.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," he quickly replied. "And I was just on my way to visit my uncle. My mom wanted me to make sure he wasn't drunk on his ass." Naruto tried to look as innocent as possible.
"Uh huh..." the officer said. He looked at the blond skeptically, suspicion written on his face. "And I suppose you just happened to be passing through gang territory?"
"I was just passing through here!" Naruto protested. He knew it wouldn't happen, but he was praying the officer would just overlook this just once. The officer narrowed his eyes.
"Nice try, but you're not fooling me with those looks. You're with the Hawk gang, aren't you?" Naruto kept up his timid mask, though inwardly he was scowling deeply.
"Of course, he thinks I'm with them," he grumbled. His natural features never seemed to help him when the attention was focused on him. "Hey, I was born like this!" Naruto protested. The cop humphed disbelievingly.
"Nice try, but you're not fooling me with that blond hair. And did you really tattoo your face with whisker marks?" He shook his head. "I'm going to need you to come with us. You're in rather serious trouble here." The Uzumaki tensed up, the muscles in his legs coiled for action.
"Damn it!" he thought. This was the absolute last thing he needed right now. While he hadn't run into this world's police force, if they were anything like the Uchiha one in Konoha, he was sure they would pull up his record, even if he wasn't guilty this time. Naruto warily watched as the cop reached for his baton. The blond mentally began charting out the surrounding area, trying to figure out where and how he could lose any pursuers. Just he was about to spring away, a smooth collected voice spoke out.
"There's no need to apprehend him, officer. This person is not with the Hawks." Both Naruto and the officer turned to see a young man in a grey jacket and dark slacks calmly stride over. The police officer looked at the newcomer curiously, actually considering what he said.
"Are you sure about this, Akechi-san?" he asked. "He's looking pretty suspicious. The brown-haired teen smiled and nodded.
"While he may look like a delinquent, based on his uniform he is from Shujin Academy. Someone from that kind of school wouldn't be connected to a gang like this. I believe we can let this young man go." The policeman looked at the young man for a moment.
"Alright, Akechi-san. If you say so, then I guess it's fine." He turned back to Naruto. "You should really be careful about where you're going. Head straight home when you return." The police officer turned and walked towards where the rest of the policemen were. Naruto's eyes quickly studied the newcomer. Despite being around his age, the young man seemed completely unperturbed by the chaotic scene around him.
"This guy's used to this kind of thing," the Uzumaki realized. As they locked eyes with each other, Naruto could definitely see a light of confidence and intelligence. He was going to have to tread carefully. He schooled his features and flashed his foxy smile. "Thanks a lot for the save," he said gratefully. The young man waved him off.
"Think nothing of it," he said amicably. He bowed his head slightly and extended his gloved hand. "Akechi Goro. I'm a bit of a detective." Naruto looked at the offered hand for a moment before grabbing it.
"Uzumaki Naruto," he replied. The two shook hands firmly. Naruto could feel the young man subtly testing his grip. He smirked. "Two can play at that game." The blond maintained an even pressure, not betraying any strength or weakness. If Akechi seemed to catch on to what he was doing he didn't show it, simply staring into Naruto's eyes. After what seemed like forever, he let go of Naruto's hand and stepped back.
"My apologies for getting you wrapped up in this situation," he said bowing his head slightly. "Though I am quite curious as to why a Shujin student such as yourself would be traveling through there."
"I was just running an errand for my mom. She wanted me to check on an uncle living around here," Naruto lied easily. He looked around. "Didn't know there was going to be a bust like this!"
"Indeed," Akechi looked amused. "I didn't intend for this to get so out of hand." Naruto looked at him curiously.
"So you're the one who called in the cops on the Hawks?" Akechi nodded.
"Yes. I had been following up on a lead I'd discovered involving a protection racketeering ring in the local area. Upon looking into it, it seems there was a businessman named Fujito Sakaki at the center of it." He pointed to a middle-aged balding man in a suit sitting in the nearest police car. His head hung low as he looked at the handcuffs chaining his wrists. "Sakaki had been selling fraudulent vandalism insurance to those in the Hawks territory, while at the same time secretly giving a cut of the profits to the gang." Naruto's eyes widened a little.
"Damn, that's quite a set up," he commented. He folded his arms. "So they probably had a deal where they wouldn't hit anybody who had insurance. That way, he keeps getting money from the premiums without them ever getting to cash in on the insurance." Akechi raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed, that was Sakaki's strategy. Interesting you were able to figure it out so easily." Naruto pulled off a bashful look.
"Ah, it just a guess. It's just what makes sense, I guess," he replied. " He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Akechi just had an amused smirk on his face.
"I see," he commented. "Regardless, you seem to have a sharp mind which belies your rough appearance." He looked around at the Hawks. "After digging into the situation, I received a tip off that Sakaki was meeting with the Hawks' leader to discuss expanding their territory so he could try to scheme more people of their money, do I advised the police of the meeting." Naruto nodded. Inwardly, he felt something was off.
"While that would explain a bit why the Hawks were being more active, someone like him would never get that kind of info normally." Suddenly the two heard Sakaki speak.
"I was only doing this so I could cover my sick mother's medical fees. She'd done everything for me. I couldn't let her waste away. Was it so wrong?" His head hung even lower. Naruto glanced at some of the people the police were taking statements from. He noticed they didn't seem all that surprised by Sakaki's apparent robbery. Some even seemed...understanding. Naruto listened in on one of them, an older gentleman, as he was giving his statement.
"I...kinda knew, what was going on," he told the police. "I think a lot of us did. We knew his mother had been sickly, and he wasn't making enough on his own to cover her." He shook his head. "She'd done so much for the community back in the day, for all of us. So I just went along with it. At least it kept those hooligans off our back." Naruto's frown deepened.
"So he was doing this for his mother, and they all seemed to know about it?" he thought. He found it difficult to begrudge the guy for trying to find any means to help his family. However, Akechi narrowed his eyes.
"He stole from his neighbors, and preyed on them for money," he said firmly. "How shameful. Justice needed to be served."
"Well, sometimes, you can't always take the moral high ground," Naruto found himself saying. Akechi turned to him, his eyebrow raised.
"So, you think he was justified in what he did?" he asked. The Uzumaki shrugged.
"I'm not saying what he did was right, or that there wasn't another way of going about it. But when the chips are down and the people you care about are in danger, stuff like justice or the law isn't going to save them. Sometimes your options just don't include playing nice."
Akechi looked at him curiously. "I see," he said. "But if you lack that moral line, do you just will away the casualties?"
Naruto folded his arms. "No, you have to acknowledge them, and make amends were you can. But when push comes to shove, there's only so much you can do before you have do decide whether to play fair, or to protect the people you care about." The two stared at each other for a few moments. Naruto felt Akechi's gaze look over him and tensed up. Akechi broke the tension with a chuckle.
"My, you certainly have an interesting point of view, Uzumaki-san. I can't say that I agree with it, but I respect it nonetheless." Suddenly a voice could be heard above the policeman.
"Akechi-san! Akechi-san! A moment of your time!" Naruto and Akechi turned and saw news crews was rushing towards them. Akechi sighed a bit.
"My apologies Uzumaki-san, but I must address them. I do hope we meet again sometime. I'd love to continue this exchange." Naruto found himself nodding.
"Alright; till next time, detective," he replied. Akechi chuckled and turned to meet the incoming news crew. As Naruto turned away, he heard a strange female voice say something.
"I am...
Obtained...oppression
Bond...Justice...destiny."
The Uzumaki looked around, but couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from.
"Must have just been one of the news anchors," he thought to himself. He decided to quickly get a move on before one of the other cops decided to question him anyway."
Alright, so I'd planned to get to the start of the Palace this chapter, but with some changes and the omake, the chapter ended up being much longer than I thought. However, the next chapter will include the first leg of the infiltration, so you'll be getting some fights next time.
...As soon as I beat KHIII. Give me an extra week for that. The chapter will drop roughly around February 25th or so.
As always, read and review, and PMs are welcome!
