Naruto/PJO (Earlier this Year)
Naruto's New Life and Apollo's Bet
Chapter 1
Part I
Damn you Kiba! – A Bet to WHAT! (Edited)
"When utilizing or creating seals, Be prepared to scream your last words at any moment" – Naruto Uzumaki's Idiot's Guide to Fūinjutsu (Sealing Jutsu)
Konohagakure no Sato, One Year after the end of the Fourth Shinobi War.
Naruto Uzumaki, a 5'11", 18 year old, blonde haired man with fair skin and a slightly angular face with three whisker-like marks on each cheek sighs as the words of his ever popular (Next to his remake of Icha-Icha) Idiot's Guide to Fūinjutsu come to mind. Next to him Hanabi Hyūga, a 5'1", a thirteen year old, teenage girl with black hair left to hang down to half-way down her back with an errant strand of hair over her face and pale-white, with a hint of lilac in the iris, eyes with no pupil, watches as Kiba's mistimed explosive tag kunai strikes the seal she was watching Naruto work on and helping out as his assistant screams the first thing that comes to mind "Kiba you idiot" Ironically both her elder sister Hinata and Kiba's sensei Kurenai Yuuhi had both thought the same thing several times during the boy's training. They'd just been too polite (Hinata) or not allowed (Kurenai) to say that to him.
The explosive seal detonates, even though he knows it's dangerous Naruto grabs Hanabi and activates the Hiraishin no Jutsu which he'd master a couple of days ago in order to escape. However the seals of the Hiraishin intermingle with the seal he's currently working on and the explosive force of the improvised explosive tag that Kiba had created and they combine to launch Naruto and Hanabi between universes to a place no Konoha Shinobi had ever gone before.
New York City
Naruto and Hanabi re-appear in a wide parkland surrounded by tall buildings made of a strange gray material that appears to be stronger then the Chakra rock used to create the walls of Konohagakure no Sato and the Hokage heads. At least it seems that way to Naruto seeing as the towers are far higher than both the walls and the monument combined. Next to Naruto, Hanabi panics slightly as she had only just become a Genin and hadn't yet done a mission outside of Konoha, she'd left before on trips with her father but those didn't have the sense of danger this did.
Naruto looks down at the panicking Hanabi and says "Calm down Hanabi, we are Shinobi of Konoha. I'm a Sennin and there is little for you to fear with me here. Besides I can sense that nobody within my sensor range can use Chakra to any level above that of a civilian. So let us perform some recon and see where we are"
Hanabi nods to Naruto, taking comfort in his presence "Okay Naruto-sensei"
Over the next two weeks with a combination of stealth and their trained abilities as Shinobi, both Naruto and Hanabi quickly pick up the strange language spoken where they are. They might not be fluent but they can speak, read and understand it very well with just a few days interaction. This is helped by the public library they found, they very quickly read through the basic books and found a Japanese-to-English dictionary to help them translate this new language. After each day they hid in the park they had arrived in and slept in the trees hidden behind a neat little Genjutsu Naruto had learned from Kurenai.
After a fortnight Naruto using a public computer at the library (and with some difficulty due to the different language and harder security) hacks the government websites and databases and creates an identity for himself and Hanabi. He then hacks a major banking establishment (Scoffing at the pathetic defenses it has compared to the Shinobi Banks) and transfers several million dollars under his name, he takes the money from nearly forty-two million different people in order to hide his theft. Naruto scoffs as he gets up from the computer, the online security of these people was nowhere near as difficult as some of the advanced military systems he had hacked at several times during the last year. He'd also looked for properties and found one that he could use that wasn't too far away. He printed off the address for the property he'd purchased for nearly 250'000 dollars
Five Bedroom Farmhouse with fifteen acres of land
Number 3 Farm Road
Long Island, New York 11954
Naruto walks over to Hanabi as she finishes creating her own identity on government websites. To be simple they just went with a basic high-school diploma and teachers diploma for Naruto and a history of good grades and being home-schooled for Hanabi.
Naruto smiles at Hanabi his new adopted 'daughter' "Finished yet?"
Hanabi nods to her new 'father' "Yes, I have to ask though. Why a father and daughter?"
Naruto smiles at Hanabi "Simpler to answer why you are with me, either we can say your mother passed away or that you're adopted. No-one will be bothered to investigate further I would imagine"
Hanabi's eyes go wide "Oh" Then she frowns in thought and then asks "Have you done this before?"
Naruto nods "Once, while I was on my training trip with Jiraiya. I had to create a false identity and to make it harder I had to have a 'wife' who couldn't be my team-mate" Naruto then snaps his fingers "That reminds me, if we ever get back I'll have to tell your sister that in the 'Land of Smoke' we're considered a married couple"
Hanabi starts in surprise "Wait, you used my sister as your fake 'wife'"
Naruto shrugs at the question and says "It was either Hinata, who isn't all that bad, or Ino who was, and still is, a fangirl"
Hanabi nods "So you decided fainting was better than fangirl tendencies?"
Naruto looks at Hanabi like she's an idiot "Hanabi, you might not know this but… EVERYTHING is better than fangirl tendencies, even Sasuke's brooding is better. At least he grew out of it in the end, well he evolved it into becoming a psychopath. Still grew out of brooding"
Hanabi nods in fascination at the look of horror on Naruto's face, 'Is a fangirl truly so terrifying? What manner of beasts are they' Hanabi thinks.
Naruto soon shakes out of his thoughts and turns to Hanabi "Come on, let's go visit our new home, we've been sleeping in the park for far too long"
Olympus
Above New York, floating in the sky. A floating mountain tops sits in the night's sky. On the very peak of the mountain is a grand palace, inside the grand palace is a throne room, but unlike normal palaces this throne room has not one, but a dozen thrones, each designed to sit beings twenty feet tall. Each throne is different to the other and no two are the same. On the thrones sit twelve beings radiating great power, by the edge of the thrones is an oversized wooden chair sized to fit the rest of the thrones and covered with a highly polished black varnish. Upon the black wooden chair sits a thirteenth being of power and next to the hearth a final being sits, however the final being is only the size of a normal nine-year old girl, yet she radiates as much or possibly even more power than most of the other beings.
These beings are the Greek Gods, to be more specific they are the Twelve Olympians with Hades and Hestia. The gods are currently gathered for the Winter Solstice, the only time when Hades is allowed to set foot upon Olympus. Currently the meeting is winding down and mostly small arguments are occurring, during this time Apollo, the God of the Sun and prophecy, as well as many other things, is sitting quietly and thinking. Something the other gods are wary of. Apollo thinking quietly wasn't something they were used to, he is normally one of the loudest of the gods. The only three who have noticed are Hestia, Poseidon and Athena (Because during one of their arguments Athena and Poseidon asked Apollo to clarify something and were met by silence)
Apollo on the other hand is quite happy, he'd done his normal routine earlier but was currently thinking of a way to get back at his sister Artemis. Normally Apollo just laughed off anything Artemis said that was derogatory, he loved his big sis (Even if he called her his little sister to bug her and make fun of her normal form of a twelve year old girl) Earlier she'd made a comment on how she was better at him in hunting. Normally this wouldn't bother Apollo as it was the truth, she was better than him at hunting… most things. Apollo had realized she'd made a mistake when she'd said she was better than him at every kind of hunting. Apollo had been thinking things over ever since yesterday when she'd made the comment, Apollo's eyes widen as he realizes how he can get back at his sister and either embarrass her or finally win a hunting competition against her, Apollo grins slightly evilly, Athena, Poseidon and Hestia shudder slightly and Hades who'd noticed the grin gives it a nine while thinking 'Damn Apollo can really do the patented 'Evil Genius Grin' it's not perfect but it's at least a nine' Then Hades grins and thinks 'No matter what, I know this will anger Zeus, better get the popcorn ready, this is gonna be an awesome show' Hades mouths to Poseidon "Zeus won't like what Apollo's thinking" Poseidon nods to Hades and mouths "Popcorn" Hades nods while grinning.
"Hey Artemis" Apollo says, while Apollo calling out his sister name during a meeting isn't unusual he does call it out louder than normal and didn't call her sis or little sis. Artemis and the rest of the gods immediately start paying attention to Apollo while thinking 'He's up to something'
"What is it Apollo" Artemis responds.
Apollo starts smiling "Remember yesterday when you said you were better in all forms of hunting then me"
Artemis nods cautiously wondering where he was going with this "Yes, I remember"
Apollo starts grinning wildly "Well, I realized that you weren't entirely correct about that statement" Everyone freezes except Poseidon, Hades and (surprisingly or perhaps not) Aphrodite, who had all picked up on what Apollo was leading to.
Artemis frowns slightly in anger "What do you mean, we all know I'm the best hunter of us all"
Apollo waves his right index finger at Artemis "Not true sis, you see while you might be a better hunter of animals, I'm better at hunting the opposite sex then you are"
Artemis blushes and shouts "That's not a hunt"
Apollo shakes his head and says "Sorry sis, but it has been called a hunt to find a partner before"
Artemis then frowns and says "Damn you're right"
Apollo grins even more "But don't worry sis, I have a little bet for you, if you manage to win I concede that you're the better hunter then me in all ways, I'll also leave you and your hunt alone for a century. However if you lose you'll not only have to let me call you my 'little sister' without complaint, but you also can no longer scold me for flirting with your huntresses"
Artemis fumes at the last addition to the bet and says "What's the bet then?"
Apollo grins "So you accept, because I won't tell you the details until you accept the terms upon the River Styx"
Artemis worries slightly, but then her competitive nature (and the desire to not see Apollo outside of meetings for a century) overtakes her worries and she says "I accept and vow on the River Styx to the terms of your bet" Thunder shakes Olympus signifying the acceptance of Artemis' vow.
Apollo then turns to the rest of the Council and says "Will you vow to not only not interfere in the bet, but also accept whatever conditions are required by the bet?"
Curious in what Apollo is up to (Except Poseidon, Hades and Aphrodite who'd already guessed) The Olympian Council agrees to upon hold whatever conditions are required by Apollo's bet.
Apollo grin just gets wider "Great, now the bet is pretty simple, sis. You must find and marry a mortal man, you may chose any man. Now here are the conditions, you must chose a man within a year, you cannot use your divine powers in any way to influence the man which includes reading his mind. You must remain chaste until the wedding (Although you would anyways) and you must consummate the marriage" Artemis gapes at the last condition, but she nods unwilling to lose to Apollo.
Apollo then turns to the rest of the council who are either smiling (Aphrodite, Hestia and Hera) Shocked (Athena, Hermes and Demeter) Uncaring (Ares, Hephaestus and Dionysus) Trying not to choke on their popcorn laughing (Poseidon and Hades) or on the edge of an apocalyptic fit and turning purple (Zeus) and Apollo says "Now for your conditions, Everyone but you two especially Aphrodite, Dad you cannot interfere in any way" Zeus frowns and Aphrodite pouts but they nod with the rest "If Artemis does marry then the man will become a God, probably Artemis' lieutenant" Everyone nods at the condition "In which case Hephaestus would you mind making a Divine Symbol for him"
Hephaestus smiles and says "Mind, no. I don't mind, I'd love to do something like that, hell of a challenge"
Apollo then turns to Artemis and says "Good Luck Sister, you have until the next Winter Solstice to find a man, you don't have marry him by then though"
Artemis does the one thing she can think of in this situation, she faints.
Part II
A Beginning and First Date (Edited)
"Sayuki smiles at Shinji and moves to kiss him, Shinji's breath catches in his throat…" Icha-Icha Rebirth by Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto and Hanabi's home. Long Island, New York
Naruto and Hanabi look around their new house. The house is fairly large and it has a simple floor plan.
The house is rectangular, as you walk in the front door you're in a long hallway with an arch on either side ten feet ahead that leads to the dining room on the right and the lounge room on the left. Further down is the kitchen, a couple of empty rooms and a bathroom.
At the end is the door to the backyard, to the right just before the door to the backyard is the door to the bathroom, opposite this door is some stairs up to the second floor. On the second floor is another long hallway, this time with eight rooms on either side and one on the opposite end.
On either side a four empty bedrooms, two empty rooms and two bathrooms, on the end is the master bedroom with a walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom. Outside the back door five feet to the right is a cellar door that leads to a basement around the same size as the ground floor.
Twenty feet from the back door straight out is a thirty meter long swimming pool, surrounded by a iron fence.
Naruto smiles at the house and turns to Hanabi and says "Well, it's probably not like home but at least we have a place to stay. Come on let's pick-out some rooms and then go get furniture, we'll be having some special rooms in the basement" Hanabi nods catching on to what Naruto is referring to.
Naruto of course takes the master bedroom, Hanabi takes the room on the left just before Naruto's room as hers. They decide to have three guest rooms, a library/reading room upstairs along with a study for Naruto to work in.
Downstairs the two empty rooms are transformed into a sewing room (Hanabi likes to create clothing for herself) and a games room (Naruto had loved some of the game consoles he'd seen as they were doing recon). Naruto checks out the cellar/basement and decides to make it a two floor basement with a gym/sparring room on the first floor and an armory/forge, Fūinjutsu lab and a poisons lab on the second floor.
Heading back into New York, they pick up some camping supplies and then head to the furniture shops. Naruto gets a king-sized bed made of oak wood with a couple of bedside tables (Great for hiding kunai and other weapons in), along with a nice couch and coffee table for the lounge room. He also picks up a large dining table capable of seating eight people comfortably. Hanabi gets a queen-sized canopy bed also made of oak with light blue curtains along with matching bedside tables and a dresser and a vanity. Naruto also buys a computer desk for his study.
Naruto then picks up a 60 inch LCD television, a DVD player and a Play-station two, a fridge/freezer, microwave and a stereo from an electronics store. He also buys a computer for his study. Naruto and Hanabi then buy some clothes for themselves and some essentials. They'll get their furniture and electronics delivered over the next few days, furniture first and electronics second, except for the fridge and microwave.
Naruto and Hanabi then head back home with the cartable items they've purchased (Most of the items and clothes sealed into sealing scrolls). Once they get home Naruto and Hanabi pull out some sleeping bags they purchased and sleep, after eating a dinner of take-away Chinese from a take-away place they passed on the way back.
Over the next six months Naruto and Hanabi adapt to their new life, once spring arrive Naruto goes out and (Ab)using his Shadow Clone Jutsu plows a couple of acres to grow wheat just so he doesn't have to buy bread once it's done growing. He also starts a vegetable garden with some carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and other useful vegetables in it and a herb garden, as well as his 'special' garden where he grows the components to some of his more… creative concoctions. He also creates a couple of acres of rice paddies to grow rice in. He also buys a four-wheel drive and learns to drive in it. Later on Naruto hacks the DMV to get himself a drivers license and find out what the laws are. He also purchases a Yamaha R7 and a sky blue convertible Maserati Spyder
"Oh Man, how come it doesn't come in orange" Naruto moans after he had purchased his new Maserati Spyder.
Hanabi shrugs while mentally imagining what the car would look like in bright orange "I don't think it would look all that good in orange personally" While trying not to look Naruto in the eye.
Naruto nods at Hanabi's answer "You're right, it probably wouldn't would it. However under the Uzumaki Clan Laws every Uzumaki is to have a favorite color and if we can't have something in that color we must complain loudly whenever possible"
Hanabi gapes at Naruto "There's a LAW for that!"
Naruto grins crookedly "Of course, why do you think the Uzumaki's were so feared, it wasn't just because of our seals. It was also because of our unpredictability (Or insanity depending on who you ask) making the enemy hesitant to attack us without ten to one odds"
Hanabi just faints from disbelief. Naruto shrugs and thinks 'She lasted longer than most actually'
Naruto also gets a Pyrotechnician's license so that the police won't come screaming should he start testing out explosives tags on his property (The next lot over in Camp Half-Blood Chiron shivers for some unknown reason), he also buys a small herd of horses for the express purpose of breeding Chakra-enhanced horses (This is done by carefully adding a small bit of Chakra to each generation through the use of a basic jutsu, it usually takes about three generations to produce the basic Nin pet. Six or more adds the possibility of speech and use of Jutsus, as well as astronomically extended life-spans, usually to the same length as a human being. Inuzuka hounds have nearly two hundred and eleven generations of this, but due to over-specialization by both their ancestors and the Inuzuka they have lost some of the adaptability of first generation Nin animals)
Finally Naruto published both the 'original' Icha-Icha under the pen-name "Toad Sage" and then his own Icha-Icha rebirth under his other pen-name of "Fox Sage" This one action lead to Naruto earning another several million as well as topping a number of top ten charts. Naruto upon hearing that just grins and starts to write the next Icha-Icha novel, the first in a mini-series, Icha-Icha Seasons: Spring.
Hanabi on the other hand spends the next six months learning form Naruto (or one of his clones) how to be a Kunoichi. Hanabi while blossoming under the training is slightly terrified when Naruto not only is able to teach her purely Kunoichi talents, but also gives her 'The Talk' from a female perspective. Naruto then shows her his Oiroke no Jutsu and explains to her how it actually makes him a fully functional female and therefore he was forced to learn the female side of things by Tsunade once she was aware of this.
"Now Hanabi, since you're about thirteen, and I know the Hyūga clans sex education program is pretty pathetic, it falls to me to inform you of some of the more difficult and embarrassing things" Naruto says smiling to a blushing Hanabi who'd waken up screaming with blood on her sheets.
Hanabi, still with a nuclear blush, interrupts with "Hang on a minute, how would you know anything about sex ed. For women?"
Naruto just makes a hand-seal and suddenly a puff of smoke appears, when it clears in Naruto's place is a beautiful blonde with twin pony-tails on either side of her head and some… cough… sizable… cough… assets. The now female Naruko smiles at Hanabi "Well, when I was younger I used to use this Henge to punish perverts at the hot springs. However Tsunade found out about it and found that it was a complete transformation, so I was given a crash course in females and female sex ed. By Kurenai-Sensei, just in case I either had to spend a long period of time in this form or I had to instruct a Kunoichi under my care in sex ed."
Hanabi gapes "Oh"
Naruko holds up a packet of tampons in one hand and a packet of pads in the other "Now, let's get started on what to do when periods happen, shall we?"
Hanabi gulps suddenly terrified for her future mental stability.
Naruto also teaches Hanabi how to drive and some other skills like poison-making (Learned from Anko), Fūinjutsu, strategy (Naruto learned this from Shikamaru), Critical thinking and weapons use. He also taught her various Jutsu stating that "Only an idiot over-specializes, a true Shinobi or Kunoichi, specializes in one skill but generalizes as many others as possible" Naruto then sighs and says "Which is why Lee died in the Fourth Shinobi War, he was killed by some of the clones after grew too exhausted to fight at the speeds required by the dangerous close range speeds of a melee fight. Had he the ability to use some Jutsu he might have survived. He still managed to take a huge number of those bastard clones with him though"
One night not long after the Summer Solstice, Naruto heads into New York to release some steam. He quickly finds a nightclub and heads inside, after showing his ID which reads that he's 22. Naruto actually enjoys spending time in these places, he enjoys the music and the primal energy that all the clubbers are releasing. Naruto also admits to himself he misses both the fighting part of being a Shinobi and the rescuing people part, he idly wonders if he should find an underground fighting circuit and try his luck, he might have some fun if he restricts himself to not using Chakra.
The nightclub 'Primal' has an interesting design, as you enter directly opposite you is the dance floor, however to your left is the bar, however on the right is a café with tables and booths, where those tired of dancing can sit down and have a meal. On either side of the dance floor are stairs leading up to a second floor balcony with another bar and an extension of the café, however it has more tables due to the lack of a clear space where the majority of people stand for a moment before heading to where they want to go. Inter spaced randomly near the first floor bar and café are columns holding up the second floor.
While he's sitting there Naruto observes the people in the club with him and he notices someone that stands out, a young woman standing near the bar, Naruto looks over the young woman who stands out from the crowd for some unknown reason. She's around 5'8" with auburn hair and a slim, lithe body. Probably a B or C cup he idly muses, before mentally slapping himself for learning how to judge such a thing from Ero-sennin. She's wearing a white blouse with a silver skirt that goes down to below her knees. Her eyes are unusual, a sort of silvery-yellow, similar to the color of the moon. Her face is breathtakingly beautiful, but he notices a slight hint of panic, either she's trying to do something and is running out of time or she's out of her comfort zone, possibly both.
Naruto with nothing else to do saunters over, at the very least he might get some interesting conversation out of it.
Artemis POV, Six months earlier, the afternoon of the Winter Solstice.
Artemis paces in her tent trying to figure out what she should do, she knew that bet with Apollo was reckless, but she just couldn't let him win. Her competitive nature wouldn't let her (she also really wants him to leave her alone for a century or two), Artemis' eyes widen and she curses under her breath, Apollo knew that and baited her into agreeing. Artemis sighs and changes thought processes, she now has to find a mortal man within a year and then grow a relationship with him until they marry. Artemis paces some more trying to think how to do so. She wasn't exactly the best at such things after all.
From outside her tent a voice come "My Lady, may I enter?"
Artemis responds with a simple "Enter"
The tent flap opens and in walks Zoë Nightshade, Artemis' lieutenant amongst her hunters and her close friend and confident of many years. Artemis looks over her lieutenant as she had done thousands of times. Zoë appears to be fourteen with slightly coppery skin and long black hair with her lieutenants circlet braided into it, taller than most girls her, she walks with the grace of a predator, like a jaguar or a panther. Her dark brown eyes and slightly upturned nose along with the circlet gives her a slightly royal look. Artemis relaxes slightly in the presence of one of her most devout followers.
Artemis then asks "Is there a problem Zoë?"
Zoë shakes her head to answer and then says "No, My Lady. However I noticed that thou are more closed off than usual and thou appear to be contemplating something. May I ask what troubles thee?" Artemis hides a smile at Zoë's tendency to intersperse her speech with Shakespearian era English.
Artemis then sighs and says "Zoë the reason I'm more closed off than usual is due to a mistake I made"
Zoë looks curious and asks "If I may, what mistake are thou speaking of?"
Artemis turns to face Zoë full on and says "I accepted a bet from my brother without thinking of the consequences of such an action. This was due to my brother masterfully playing my emotions through the use of my pride, he'd stated that I wasn't better at hunting in all areas compared to him"
Zoë looks scandalized and says "What did he mean My Lady, in what way is he a better hunter then thou?"
Artemis sighs and says "In the ways of attracting a partner, he is better than I"
Zoë looks at Artemis in horrified realization and says "So the bet thy agreed to was…?"
Artemis nods "The bet was to see if I could manage to not only meet a mortal man within a year, but also to foster a relationship that eventually ends in marriage. I cannot use any of my powers or resources other then what I possess in the body of a young woman to snare him. Luckily Aphrodite cannot interfere in any way during the course of this bet"
Zoë smiles at Artemis and says "No matter what My Lady, we hunters will stand behind thou in thy time of need, we may not be able to help thee in thou endeavor, but we will support thy not matter what" Zoë pauses slightly and then asks "Would thou like me to inform the hunters of thy bet and what thou must do"
Artemis nods at Zoë and says "Yes, please do" Zoë turns to leave and Artemis says "And Zoë" Zoë turns to face Artemis "Thank you"
Zoë smiles at Artemis "No thanks are needed My Lady, thy knows that"
Artemis then spends six months studying the mortal girls to see how they build relationships and throughout the course of it is left completely bewildered. Artemis wants to at least find a good man that she can stand, hopefully she finds one in time. (Naruto sneezes while plowing his farmland)
Artemis begins to stake out some nightclubs and bars and finds that no matter what she is desperately out of her comfort zone. It took her nearly four months to find the courage to just enter a nightclub, she is worried that she might not be able to win this bet.
Artemis worries more and more every day and the hunters try to support her whenever they can, but they all know that they have no advice for their lady to follow as most of them had never been on a date and the few that had never want to talk about their experiences.
Artemis eventually decides to throw caution to the wind after six months of anxiety and heads to a nightclub named 'Primal' to try find a possible partner. Unbeknownst to her, most of the Olympian gods follow her in disguise just to see how she goes. Aphrodite waits up on the second floor balcony leaning over the edge for the spectacle to begin, next to her is Hephaestus watching with feigned interest. (Ares had a date with a mortal woman so he wasn't present) Zeus and Hera are sitting at a café booth, opposite Artemis who's standing close to the bar, both enjoying some drinks and some time alone with each other and had completely forgotten the reason they were here. Poseidon is out on the dance floor, dancing ironically with a disguised Athena, of course neither are aware of this fact, Hermes is also on the dance floor and smirks taking a picture of the two disguised gods for blackmail. Apollo is leaning against one of the columns near the dance floor holding up the second floor balcony chatting to some women. Dionysus is hiding at the second floor bar getting a few drinks while Zeus is pre-occupied.
Artemis starts to look for someone to talk to, to begin her task of finding a nice man to marry, she shudders mentally at the last condition Apollo had added to the bet. While she had never taken a vow to remain a virgin as many demigods thought, she had asked her father that she'd never be pressured into a marriage by him and he agreed.
Artemis nearly jumps when a voice asks "Are you alright?"
She turns slightly to face the person who had addressed her and is surprised by what she sees. Standing in front of her is a man who looks to be about eighteen, definitely older due to him being in here 'or he has a great fake ID' He has blond hair which stands up in spikes that don't appear to have any gel or hair care products in them, the back of it however is quite long and goes down to about his mid-back, on each side of his face a single bang hangs down (Minato's hairstyle). His body is muscular and he is slightly taller than her at around 5'10", he has blue eyes that are like sapphires, more darker and richer then Apollo's eyes, with three whisker like marks on each cheek. He's wearing a black jacket over a white shirt with the top button undone and is not tucked in with black pants and belt. He looks slightly like he doesn't care he's messy because of it but he has the air of someone whose always on guard 'Maybe a soldier'
Interested in this strange man Artemis answers "I'm fine, why do you ask?"
The man smiles slightly and says "You looked like you are out of your comfort zone a little, first time at a nightclub?"
Artemis nods despite herself "Yes"
The man smiles at her and says "Why don't you come sit down with me, at least then I might get some interesting conversation. Everyone else here is either dancing, drinking or trying to find each other's tonsils" The man points to a somewhat drunk couple heavily making out on the dance floor, Artemis looks at them and muses 'Those two look familiar' then she shrugs. Hermes is laughing hysterically at the disguised Athena and Poseidon, he had managed to spike their drinks with some aphrodisiacs stolen from Aphrodite.
Artemis nods and says "Okay, but first, can I at least find out your name?"
The man snaps his fingers while looking sheepish "That's what I forgot, Name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. And yours?"
Artemis thinks quickly and after a slight hesitation says "Phoebe… Phoebe Adams"
Naruto looks at her like he doesn't quite believe her and then gestures for her to follow him, they move to a café table near the edge of the dance floor.
At Naruto's table Artemis takes the seat opposite Naruto and faces him, Naruto smiles "Well, how shall we start this conversation… oh I know, As you know my names Naruto, my favorite color is orange and I absolutely love a dish called Ramen, And you?"
Artemis blushes slightly but manages to speak "Well, you know my names Phoebe" Naruto narrows his eyes slightly "My favorite color is silver, I am quite partial to the taste of venison" Artemis thinks for a moment before she says "and I also like to walk through the forests at night"
Naruto smiles "Oh, so I've managed to meet another person who loves to walk in the forest at night. Well, I also like to walk along a beach at sunset or during a light storm. I love the smell of storms and the ocean"
Artemis smiles, relaxing slightly "Well I love to run through the forests, I'm not too interested in the sea, but I'm not scared of it either. I love the smell of nature when you can smell the cities anymore. I also look after some girls, kinda like an orphanage"
Naruto grins "Oh, you do? That's kind of surprising for a woman your age, but then again I have an adopted daughter so I guess it isn't all that unusual"
Artemis' eyes widen at that tidbit "You have an adopted daughter, what happened to her family if I may ask?"
Naruto laughs "Oh, the family is perfectly fine, we just ended up stranded here due to an… unfortunate series of events. To prevent her being taken away I adopted her, hopefully I'll find a way to get her home, I'm not so sure if I'll follow her though"
Artemis' heart sunk when he started talking about being lost, but soared when he said the last line. "Oh, so where is your home then?"
Naruto smiles at Artemis' subtle attempt to gather information, he leans forward and whispers in her ear "I don't know you well enough to talk about that just yet, maybe if I knew you better, so the question is, are you curious enough to spend time with me to find out?"
Artemis blush covers her whole body and her heart is racing, she keeps trying to keep herself under control, before she sighs and then locks Naruto with a glare "Is that a challenge?"
Naruto smiles mysteriously "Maybe, let's see how you do with it… what the-?"
Before Artemis can reply there's a loud commotion on the dance floor, apparently the two tonsil hockey players had attempted to take it to the next level right then and there. Naruto grins shaking his head and Artemis blushes right to her toes. Naruto turns to Artemis and says "Shall we leave then, I think those two would like some privacy and I would like some fresh air" Artemis nods and they walk out of the club together, unnoticed by all the immortals who had their own problems to focus on.
Soon afterwards Artemis and Naruto decide to go for a walk to Artemis' fake home and just before Naruto drops her off at the fake home in New York she'd created for her fake persona Naruto shocks her totally.
Naruto smiles at Artemis "Good night, before I go however I have to ask you something"
Artemis while slightly confused at the request nods "Okay, what do you want to ask?"
Naruto grimaces and says "Why did you lie to me about your name?"
Artemis's mouth dropped and she stammers "H-h-how d-did y-you k-know?"
Naruto smiles darkly "You hesitated when I asked you, like you were making one up on the spot. So I'll ask again, Why did you lie to me about your name?"
Artemis sighs thinking that she's blown her chance to have a relationship with Naruto, she'd enjoyed spending time with him tonight and was hoping to start a relationship with him. So she answers "My name's actually Artemis, but I thought that you might think I'm joking or playing a trick on you, I'm sorry"
Naruto smiles causing his eyes to light up "No worries, I can see why you might hide that, your parents must have had high hopes for you to name you after a goddess"
Artemis smiles despite herself "They did"
Naruto pulls out a small pad and writes something down on it before tearing out a page and handing it to her "Here's my number, if you don't mind I'd like to meet up with again sometime, this was an interesting meeting" Naruto then walks off whistling some obscure tune to himself.
Artemis walks inside her fake home, she walks into her living room to find her hunters waiting for her.
Zoë is the first to summon up the courage to speak and says "How was your night My Lady"
Artemis smiles at Zoë and says "I think I just met the one man I'd want to have a relationship with"
Artemis then found herself besieged by hunters asking questions and despite it all she couldn't stop smiling, she'd found herself a man. Now for the next task, building a relationship with him.
Chapter 2
Greek Gods and Camp Half-Blood?
"There are many words to describe Naruto Uzumaki, the most common one is… Unpredictable, but insane is a very close second with bastard coming third"
Tsunade Senju – Godaime Hokage
Naruto and Hanabi's home
Naruto smiles as he walks through the gates of his home, heading for the front door he idly muses over the woman he'd just met. Artemis. He idly wonders if she is the actual goddess before immediately scoffing at that… That be impossible right? Then again stranger things have happened in his experience.
Naruto enters as quietly as possible so as not to disturb Hanabi who is sleeping upstairs, he know this for a fact because he can hear her breathing.
He silently heads upstairs and into his bedroom, after taking off his clothes and changing into some comfortable pajamas he lies down on his bed and starts drifting off, his last conscious though is 'Interesting times are coming, I can feel it. Hopefully it isn't as bad as the last time I felt like this' With that thought Naruto closes his eyes and sleeps.
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The next day Naruto gets up and does his average morning routine, something that still surprises Hanabi as she still hasn't settled into the cover life they created completely, Whenever she complains about Naruto adapting so well he simply says "Practice, Hanabi lots of Practice"
Downstairs Naruto slowly eats his cereal that he brought while Hanabi slowly trudges into the dining room holding her own bowl of cereal and looking like she just got up, 'probably did' Naruto muses and eats another spoonful of cereal.
Hanabi decides at this moment to make a comment "Have fun last night"
To his credit Naruto didn't even choke he simply gave a patented "Kakashi Eye-smile 2000"™, swallows his mouthful and says "Why yes I did, not nearly as much as the couple that near about had sex on the dance floor though. They seemed very into it, then they disappeared for some private entertainment, I would imagine" Hanabi turns slightly green, while a teenager she hasn't yet gone into the full blown hormonal stage that many do and is still in the boys are icky stage. Naruto chuckles at her face.
"Come on, when your done eating meet me in the sparring room" Naruto chuckles as he walks off to the basement.
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Hanabi finishes her breakfast and then heads down to see the teaching table brought out, she had learned strategy using maps spread across this table before. Similar maps are currently spread across the table but they seem more focused and zoomed in then the previous maps. Naruto smiles at Hanabi as she walks in the sparring room "Good, you're here. Now previously I taught you strategy, but more specifically I taught you grand strategy that involves moving large forces and cooperating between Samurai, Shinobi, Militia and Monks. Now I'm going to teach you the basics of team based strategy, unlike grand strategy team based strategy relies more heavily on knowing your allies strengths and weaknesses, then on the knowledge of the enemy and the terrain. For example you must know what range an ally is optimal for. For example you… or any Hyūga, are close-range specialists, so a team leader wouldn't send you against a long ranged target without some sort of backup or diversion" Naruto places a couple of figurines on the table, one is an Iwa Nin, one a Suna Nin and the last a Hyūga. Hanabi nods showing that she is listening and Naruto continues "Whereas I'm a long-range Ninjutsu specialist that is also capable of medium and short range combat, so I'm typically deployed where a long range specialist would only get a couple of shots off before being overwhelmed by enemy forces" Naruto then places a figurine of himself.
Naruto then looks Hanabi in the eye and says "But, I am also a Jinchūriki, which means should the enemy field a Jinchūriki or the enemy is an unsealed Bijuu I am automatically the only opponent to oppose them, the reverse is also true. If the enemy doesn't have a Jinchūriki or S-ranked Nin in their team they can either attempt retreat or be killed" Naruto then places a figurine of Gaara and the Ichibi on the table. "Should you come against a Jinchūriki or Log forbid a Bijuu… retreat, you can't fight against an opponent such as them. It would be comparable to you facing off against a god and just as lethal, if, IF, you make S-rank, you can attempt to fight a Jinchūriki, if you master sealing you can fight a Bijuu, if you are both S-ranked and a seal master you don't have to worry… as much, but remember that your team-mates might not have such abilities" Naruto places two figurines on the table, The Fourth Hokage and the Kyūbi. "Just remember, against a Bijuu there is little to no chance of no fatalities and no chance of no casualties, they are forces of nature that can only be stopped with sacrifice, which the Yondaime Hokage demonstrated when he fought the Kyūbi" Hanabi nods, gulping slightly in the tense atmosphere created by Naruto's words.
Naruto claps his hands and smiles dispersing the tension and says "Now, let's begin some basic exercises using the dice rules we used for your strategy teaching" Naruto then begins to move figurines around via dice rules, that is a roll of a pair of dice to determine whether or not the individual can move, another for how far they can move. A dice roll if they decide to attack and of course one to see if the attack hits or the opponent dodges or if the opponent can, if the opponent nullifies the attack, as the opponent takes damage the attacks grow exponentially harder to dodge until they die, mimicking what happens when you're injured in a real Shinobi battle. The random nature of the dice helps imitate the unpredictable nature of battle.
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After the exercise has finished Naruto turns to Hanabi and asks "Now Hanabi, what are the three main military forces of the Elemental Nations and what powers or tools do they have that are unique to them alone and what are their strengths and weaknesses?"
Hanabi quickly replies "The first group are the Shinobi, they have the use of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Fūinjutsu and their unique tools are the Shuriken and the Kunai, although they can have several different weapons such as Chokutō, Ninja wire, whips, poisons, hallucinogenic drugs, smoke bombs and other various tools that are used by each individuals. Shinobi tends to be the fastest and most agile of the three main forces but at the cost of defensive ability and heavy armor. Most Shinobi have only a loose uniform code and therefore are difficult to differentiate what village they are from unless you are close enough to see their headbands, however that is a double sided blade as it can cause allies to attack allies and enemies to trust enemies"
Naruto nods at Hanabi's explanation "Very good, What are the Shinobi ranks and titles?"
Hanabi takes a breathe "In order of ranking they are, Student, Genin, Chunin, Tokubetsu Jounin, Jounin, ANBU, Village Leader, Kage. The special titles are Medic Nin, Sannin, Sennin, Shinobi no Kami (God of Shinobi) and Jinchūriki"
Naruto nods again "Very good, next force"
"The next force is the Monks, they have the use of divine intervention and are capable of calling down miracles if their deity is interested, they are also master manipulators of a chosen element, usually corresponding to the country they are part of. Monks are easy to spot as they wear ornate robes and often use loud incantations. They tend to carry staves with holy iconography present on them. Monks have the power to slay the third group the Samurai at the cost of being weak to the Shinobi"
Naruto nods at Hanabi's explanation "That was okay, you forgot to mention their immunity to Genjutsu and ability to use hymns to bolster allies morale or their use of potent hand-to-hand abilities often confused for Taijutsu, list their ranks"
"In order they are: Initiate, Acolyte, Brother, Father, Master, Grand-master and Most Holy or Most Enlightened depending on the order"
Naruto nods at the ranking "Excellent, and the last group?"
"The last group is the Samurai, master swordsmen and also masters of reinforcing their bodies with the internal use of Chakra. Their special equipment is also their uniform and it is their Chakra armor which grants them an immunity to all Shinobi abilities. Their reflexes and sensing abilities make them powerful opponents to a Shinobi, but their lack of speed leaves them open to the powerful strikes of the Monks"
Naruto nods at Hanabi's last explanation "Good, and their ranks?"
"In order they are: Recruit, Swordsman, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Colonel, General and Lord"
Naruto smiles at Hanabi "Well done, now we are heading out side for sparring practice"
Hanabi gulps with sudden fear
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Outside in the training field Naruto activates his Oiroke no Jutsu's more combat orientated version Kyōzō (Mirror Image) It turns Naruto from a male copy of his father, to a female copy of his mother with her red hair and violet eyes. The bust of this version is also smaller at a low C-cup to prevent the swinging of large breasts from destabilizing Naruto's (Or Kanako as he was called in this form) balance and leaving him on his (or her) ass. It also has the unintended benefit of preventing the back and shoulder pain from having large breasts. Something Naruto had discovered when forced to spend an entire month as Naruko (The somewhat humorous and sarcastic name for his Oiroke no Jutsu form) back when he was fourteen at Jiraiya's request (Ironically one of Jiraiya's non-perverted ideas as he wanted Naruto to learn the downsides of being a woman with large breasts) Needless to say Naruto gained a great deal of respect for women with large breasts… and learned how to massage away much of the pain.
Hanabi seeing the red-headed Kanako form pales, while Naruto might seem like an impossibly fast Shinobi as a male, as a female her speed is such that she could possibly run across the surface of an ocean without using Chakra. Her agility and flexibility is also much higher, when fighting Kanako she had learned to watch for attacks from insane angles that somehow Kanako was able to pull off without any difficulty at all.
Hanabi instantly gets into what almost every other Hyūga would call a perversion of the Juken both Hinata and Neji would not only recognize it but also get into it fearing what Naruto (Or Kanako) would do to them if they didn't. The ordinary stance of the Juken is too set and not quick enough to react to Naruto's high speed. Something which has been the source of much fear in the Hyūga household amongst Naruto's two friends and student.
Kanako seeing Hanabi in a ready stance immediately launches into action starting with a high kick to the right shoulder while simultaneously slamming a palm into Hanabi's stomach.
Hanabi attempts to block the kick and thus is unable to block the sharp thrust of Kanako's palm into her diaphragm.
Wheezing with the sudden loss of breath Hanabi is unable to see Kanako's follow up knee to the abdomen.
Lifted up by the force of Kanako's final attack Hanabi crashes into the ground gasping for breath and barely conscious, Kanako kneels down and whispers "That… was for that pride of yours Hanabi, you were growing too arrogant after beating me last week and I needed to remind you that you aren't at my level yet"
Kanako leaves Hanabi to recover and goes for a short jog… around her entire property.
Around halfway through the jog by a forest that reeks of power for some reason Kanako stops and observes a…unusual situation. She frowns, she's never seen dogs that big before, nor felt such a malicious presence from them. She notices that the pair of… monsters are attacking a group of three children.
Kanako quickly makes several hand-seals and shouts out "Katon – Hōsenka no Jutsu" she then immediately spits out a dozen fireballs at the monster dogs setting their fur on fire. The beasts howl in pain and quickly spin on the spot to face Kanako. Kanako narrows her eyes and makes precisely thirteen hand-seals with the last one looking like a crescent moon "Tsukiton – Tsukihime"
A massive blast of silver light explodes out from Kanako and she is transformed, standing in her place is the same person but with elegant silver hair and eyes wearing a silver dress that leaves her shoulders and arms uncovered.
She would look like an angel descended from the heavens intent on spreading peace, but the long katana in her right hand and the angry visage on her face instead makes her look like an avenging goddess descended to punish those who have strayed.
With a quick movement she blurs from twenty meters away from the monsters to right in front of them, before the rightmost monster dog can react it is bisected by Kanako's sword and it bursts into golden dust. The other monster dog swipes at her with its front paw but she dodges it and before it can hit the ground slices it off with a sharp motion. The monster rears back in pain only to be decapitated by her blade. The second monster bursts into golden dust just like it's companion.
Kanako turns to the three children "Are you three alright?"
The tallest of the three a sandy blonde whose face is marred by a fresh scar steps forwards "Thanks, we're fine now" his voice is sharp and curt as if his pride has been bruised.
Kanako frowns at him before decking him with her left hand "Fool of a boy, when someone with a sword who has just destroyed two monsters without injury asks you a question you don't snap at them. If you don't lose that pride of yours it will be your downfall, even if I have to make it so" Kanako releases some focused killing intent on the boy making him pale and stumble back.
She turns to the other two a boy with blonde hair and gray eyes and girl with black hair and brown eyes about a year younger then the fool "Aside from the fool, are you two okay?"
The girl nods "Yes, we're fine. I'm Cristina Mayford and this is Daniel Smith, the fool is Luke Castellan our esteemed quest leader. May I ask who you are?"
Kanako laughs at the venom in the girls tone when she said esteemed "I like your spirit girl, I am Kanako Uzumaki, a Tsuki no Seirei (Holy Lunar Spirit) who has decided to help you"
Daniel frowns at the name "That sounds Japanese"
Kanako shakes her head "It's not, it's Uzushiono or 'Of the Whirling Tides' in your tongue" Kanako stops and thinks for a second "But I will grant you that it sounds near identical to Japanese"
Daniel nods seemingly satisfied with his (almost) correct guess, while Christina asks "We are not far from our camp, would you like to come with us?"
Kanako nods in acceptance "It is probably better that I do, you three are still very weak"
Luke growls at that "What's that supposed to mean?" he prepares to step forwards as if to attack
Kanako nails him to the spot with a glare "Fool Boy! It means that even a child of my people who has not yet finished their training could easily fight off those monster dogs, but you could not!"
Daniel coughs and Kanako looks at him with obvious irritation "Those monster dogs are called 'Hellhounds'"
Kanako nods in thought "A truly fitting name, they seemed to radiate malice. But unfocused malice as if they cared little for who they savaged. But enough of this talk, let us head off for your camp" Kanako glares at Luke "Will you come fool? Or do I have to knock you out and carry you"
Luke snorts "As if you cou-" Before Luke can finish Kanako blurs behind him and knocks him out with a blow to the back of the head
Kanako picks up Luke one handed as if he weighed nothing and asks "So, what are you waiting for? Lead on to your camp!"
Christina nods with stars in her eyes while Daniel smirks at the arrogant son of Hermes getting his comeuppance (Oh the Irony)
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As Kanako walks into Camp Half-Blood the gods are watching over in amusement.
Ares turns to Hermes and asks "So your 'wonder boy' has to be carried into the camp huh?"
Hermes glares at Ares but before he can say anything Zeus clears his throat causing Hermes to look at him and he shakes his head. Hermes sighs while Apollo shoots him a reassuring grin.
Kanako looks at the centaur approaching with a crowd of awed campers "Would you look at that, there is actually a talking horse!"
Apollo and Hermes burst into laughter while the rest of the gods have smiles or smirks on their faces.
Chiron looks both insulted and amused at the comment "My dear, I am a centaur"
Kanako raises an eyebrow "And? You are still half horse are you not? Therefore you are by definition a talking horse"
Chiron stops dead as he thinks his way through that statement and then nods "I guess you have a point, but can you please refer to my species as centaur, how would you like it if I called you ape?"
Kanako tilts her head to the side "It depends, how attached are you to your mouth. Because if you attempt to call me an ape it won't be attached to you much longer" Kanako raises her sword slightly with a small threatening swipe towards Chiron.
Chiron subconsciously takes a step back. Kanako snorts and then dumps Luke on the ground "If you are the leader of this camp them you need to train this fool more, he thought attacking a vastly superior opponent because of a simple insult was a good idea"
Athena just looks at Hermes with a raised eyebrow. Hermes sighs in defeat he knew that he wasn't going to hear the end of this for ages.
Kanako turns and starts to walk away. Chiron shouts out "Who are you?"
Kanako turns back and smiles "I? I am the Unbounded Maelstrom of the Whirling Tides that shatters Fate and slays Gods" Kanako laughs "I am the dark ruler to oppose the light warrior, the Shining Moon to the Blazing Sun. But you may call me Kanako Uzumaki" In a flash of Silver, Kanako disappears.
Chapter 3
Balance
"And so the lord of the Whirling Tides was given the custodianship of the Eternal Prison, and the Humble Warrior of the Blazing Plains was tasked to watch over the -"
A fragment of 'The Sun Warrior and Moon Guardian'
Kanako reappears in front of Hanabi in another flash of silver, before quickly powering down to normal. Then returning to the form of Naruto.
Naruto sighs as soon as he looks around "Dammit, I think I just flipped off some truly powerful beings… oh well, not the first time it's happened and it definitely won't be the last" Naruto hears a moan and turns to see the slowly recovering Hanabi "Hanabi are you okay?"
Hanabi shakes her head slowly "No, why are you so much more vicious when you are Kanako?"
Naruto smiles sadly "Because Kanako is the part of me born in war"
Hanabi looks at him with confusion evident on her face "Huh?"
Naruto looks at Hanabi deeply, measuring whether or not she is ready for what he is about to say "Do you know how the Fourth War ended?"
Hanabi nods slowly in answer "Yeah, they said you found a way of binding Madara's power and killing Obito while simultaneously becoming much stronger yourself"
Naruto nods "Yeah, that's a pretty good summary, but like any Shinobi mission, that's not the whole truth. You aren't ready yet for the whole truth" Hanabi goes to protest "Don't bother, you aren't Jounin level and that's what you'd need to be to learn the truth. But when I gained that power my soul was… split along the lines of Yin and Yang, you do know about that?" Hanabi nods "Good, something I don't have to tell you then. Anyway what you have been taught is slightly off. Yin as you know represents women, the moon, darkness, order, the soul/mind and many other things. But what you don't know is that the elements of Wind and Water and half of Lightning is Yin natured, and those who practice such elements tend to be colder, less emotional and more logical, at the same time they are also impeccably formal. My being male as Naruto protects me from that as my nature is somewhat balanced, but when I become Kanako, that balance is tilted straight to the Yin side, with the only remnant of my Yang side being Kanako's tendency to save others and be a hero"
Hanabi frowns in thought "But, why don't you change when you become Naruko?"
Naruto laughs in delight "I love having a smart student, even Sakura hasn't figured it out yet. It's simple, Naruko is a solid illusion, she isn't real… so to speak. Kanako on the other hand is literally a mirror image of me, hence why the Jutsu I use to turn into her is called Kyōzō, it's not an illusion but rather it changes me into what I would be if I had been born a girl. However my mother was very bright and Yang natured despite being a woman, so how come Kanako is so cold? Well that has to do with being the Custodian. But you aren't yet ready for that"
Hanabi looks to protest and then nods "You're right, I'm probably not ready for that information" Hanabi looks down hiding her face
Naruto smiles and uses his right hand to make Hanabi look up "You know your limits Hanabi, and that's good. Most Hyūga are to put it politely somewhat prideful, so why are you so different?"
Hanabi looks at Naruto with a serious look in her eyes and says "Because of you"
Naruto's eyes go wide in shock "Me?"
Hanabi nods with a look of awe on her face "When I was seven, my father took me to see the Chunin Exams that you fought Neji in. When I saw you defy his expectations of fate and then defeat him, despite him having what I was told was a undefeatable defense. I started to wonder, if someone said to be the dead-last could beat the Hyūga prodigy, could we maybe not be that strong?"
Naruto smiles gently "You saw the truth of the Shinobi, the most dangerous don't need to boast. By boasting the Hyūga left themselves open to defeat, remember that well, but also have pride. Be humble, but assured. Believe you will win and you will. Believe that the enemy will lose, and you will" Naruto sighs "But enough of this, you have things to do and so do I"
Hanabi nods and the two head off to their various tasks
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Naruto sighs as he stares up at the sky later that day, night has fallen and the stars are out along with a brilliant full moon. Naruto stares up at that moon, and he remembers the loses of the Fourth War, all to protect themselves from another moon. Naruto pulls out a small seal diagram. Unlike most seals however, this one is not static but in motion reading statistics that Naruto has religiously checked every day since the end of the War.
Orbital stability: 99.9%
Seal integrity: Layers 2-40 intact. Layer one severely degraded, restoration impossible.
Prisoner: Within Acceptable limits.
Naruto puts his head back and sighs once more, he closes his eyes and begins to remember the first time he 'met' Kanako
… Naruto pants as he runs towards the distant structure, within he knows is the key to Madara and Obito's defeat.
But if he doesn't get there soon, it will be too late to save anyone. Naruto runs faster covering kilometers quickly.
Naruto reaches the vast structure, he walks inside the two vast doors, each high enough to admit a being twice Kurama's size when standing. As he enters he notices a vast seal diagram, with forty different layered Seal Arrays, each one easily containing thousands of Seal Formula, which themselves contain anywhere from ten to ten thousand seals. This had to be the work of a Seal Master, no, not a Seal Master, a Sealing GOD over the span of decades to create this masterpiece.
Naruto frowns as he notices the upper most layer is badly damaged with Seal Formula unraveling from the shattered Seal Array. Small lightning bolts flicker over the damaged seal, if this continues the seals will cascade fail. Unleashing unfathomable amounts of energy in a massive explosion that would easily be able to vaporize the entire Elemental Nations.
"Do you wish to stop that from happening" A feminine voice calls out.
Naruto spins on the spot to face a beautiful woman in a golden Kimono. Despite not knowing who she is Naruto replies "Of course I do"
The woman nods with a grim look on her face "And what would you pay to do so"
Naruto doesn't even hesitate "Everything, except for my morals. Even if my soul is destroyed it will be fair trade"
"Wisely said" a deep male voice comments. Naruto looks to his right where a man in Samurai armor stands, probably looking at him but with his face mask on Naruto can't tell.
The woman in gold nods "Then you shall have that power, but in payment. No longer will you be able to co-exist with the rest of Humanity, you will be above and beyond them. You will be more"
Naruto nods "Fine"
A massive jolt of energy hits Naruto, filling every cell of his body. Naruto is flung into his mindscape, only to find it changed.
Where once a dark and dismal sewer lay, a vast gleaming ocean with a full moon over head now resides. In the distance Naruto can see the Kyūbi on an island. But instead of that his attention is instead taken by the lithe but well muscled woman in a white dress standing in front of him, she has red hair and violet eyes, almost identical to his mothers. But her face is familiar, one he knows very well. His own, but softer than his now angular face, more feminine.
Naruto frowns "Who are you?"
The woman huffs "I'm you fool, I'm the side of you geared for war and battle. The side of you that can make the hard decisions and the side that is meant to rule. For now you may call me Kanako"
Naruto frowns in thought "Why Kanako?"
'Kanako' smiles "Because it sounds nice" (A/N: Literally the reason I chose it, no subtle meaning here)
Naruto then asks the most pressing question "How did you get here?"
Kanako sighs in exasperation, but then shakes her head "First thing you are doing after this war is studying. But when you asked the offer, the great power handed to you was too much. To protect itself your soul compartmentalized, the side of you that is friendly and open. The Yang of you, the side made of light, emotion and optimism, is you. I was created from the Yin, the darker, more logical and more pragmatic side. We are separate but one. When you need to use warfare and to rule properly. Use that clone hand-seal and shout Kyōzō, and you will become me. Temporarily, as your body cannot remain as me forever"
Naruto nods "Alright, now let's get going. We've got to stop Madara and Obito"
Kanako grins at Naruto "With Pleasure Naruto" She then frowns "Now GO!"
Naruto is thrown out of his mindscape
Naruto himself jolts at the memory of being thrown out of his mindscape jars him from his recollections.
He looks down at his hands, he remembers well the power they wielded when he fought Madara, as even a weakened Madara was still very powerful.
Since the battle was over he had had no positive feelings for anyone that were stronger then friendship. But Artemis, somehow she had brought out his hopes, for some reason he felt like he could build a relationship with her, but why? Why was she so special? Naruto stares up at the night's sky, wondering. Unfortunately the night's sky has no answer for Naruto.
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Artemis sighs as she watches Naruto stare up at the sky, 'it's ironic' despite what Aphrodite said, she actually could feel love, it was just that most men she couldn't stand, the only one she could actually stand (Although she would never admit under any circumstances) was her twin brother Apollo. But after making that bet, she was forced into looking for one that she could stand other than him. And lo and behold, she found one.
Artemis sighs once more leaving a billowing cloud of cold air, she wonders if Naruto had noticed? The fact that as the Moon Goddess she was colder than most, literally and figuratively. She remembers what Apollo used to be like before becoming the Sun God… and then she shudders. Apollo was once very arrogant and cruel, he rarely thought of others and the only ones he showed concern for where her and their mother. But after gaining the Sun Domain, he started to change, he became warmer and more friendly. The Olympians were surprised, but pleased by this change. Nowadays he was known for being one of the more open and laid-back Gods.
Artemis ponders once more over the words Selene told her before bequeathing her Domain to her "Being the Moon Goddess is more encompassing then you think Artemis, it will have an effect on your whole being. The only reason I am giving this domain to you is because Helios is giving his to Apollo, the Sun and Moon must be opposites, and you and Apollo are very different. It will be hard for you to find love Artemis, even if you don't seek it now, one day you will. If you find someone who can look through your cold exterior and see the true you, never let them go, it is quite lonely at night, having one who can understand is worth more than some silly little wish. Goodbye Artemis, and good luck, you'll need it"
Selene was right after all, after several Millennia, even with her Hunters she had started to desire someone to stand with her. Someone she could trust, but at the same time she just couldn't let down her barriers, she couldn't drop her cold persona. But Naruto, somehow, he just broke through her barriers and her cold persona. Somehow he exuded this sense of warmth, of friendship, but also a desire for more, like her he was lonely. Artemis smiles sadly as she gazes down on the now sleeping form of Naruto. 'I guess that we're two lonely souls looking for a partner, and the Fates were kind enough to grant us that'
Artemis looks forwards to the coming months, they will be most interesting.
Chapter 5
Making Arrangements
"Balance – it is the key to a true Shinobi, in battle you must be focused, in rest you must be aware, to enemies you must be a demon, to allies a godsend and to your family, an angel"
Hiruzen Sarutobi – A Lecture on the nature of the true Shinobi.
Naruto casually strolls into Camp Half-Blood, he notices the Centaur from the day before walking towards him. As he gets closer Naruto in a rare display of politeness, bows formally and then say "I would like to apologize for the actions of my 'sister' Kanako, when she returned home yesterday she told me what happened. I'm afraid she does tend to be cold to people she doesn't know"
Chiron is shocked by this turn of events, but smiles "That's alright, Mister?"
Naruto smiles "Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto pauses and then gives his title "Tide Lord of the land of Uzushio, in the lands of Eternal Conflict known as the Elemental Nations"
Chiron steps back slightly in shock "That's a very…"
"Grandiose Title?" Naruto interrupts
Chiron just nods. Naruto sighs and then makes a number of hand-seals "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu" Around Naruto a massive bubble of water forms and then shoots off into the sky as an Oriental-style dragon, before slamming down into the lake by the camp. Naruto smiles at the shocked campers and Chiron "But I did earn that title, by the way, you are?"
Chiron shakes himself out of his shock "My name is Chiron"
