Chapter 19 - End of Conflict?
Author's note: FINE! I will say Yoko and not Kitsune... then I'll fix the grammar issues around the time I end the story. Also the winner of the polls are Mikoto Uchiha (damn look at those votes), Nadja Liones and Zaratras. However due to a last minute thought I will be adding three more, two from the Naruto verse and one from SDS. However I will add Anna since she was close to Zaratras with Gustaf lagging behind by two votes (Sorry Jericho, you didn't get to be Naruto's girlfriend and now you won't get to see your brother. I know I'm a dick)
The last two will in another poll and if by some divine reason you all decide on it, I will consider adding Gustaf, but be aware I'm juggling all of these characters considering I've notice Escanor and Hawk barely had any screen time and most of the Naruto characters have been ignored. I will fix all of this within the next few chapters since I lost a reader because of it. However either the next chapter or the one after that will be the beginning of the time skip followed by flashback episodes leading to the final battle and epilogue.
Naruto's study
Naruto was going over several notes and journals as he began to study everything he had on the Goddess and Demon clan. He had to find answers behind the appearance of the Demon King and the after affects on his body. He knew the moment the deity arrived within his mindscape that he should already find answers as to how to get rid of him. Luckily those people Arthur and Vivian were able to release him and seal away the soul fragment.
However, it was forcing himself to control his Goddess powers that broke him out the Demon King's control. One moment he's able to control his eyes and force him out then Merlin's former pupils manage to take help take him down. Disregarding the appearance of those two, Naruto had his mind set on the change and distortion within him. He hated to do it, but he had to keep this to himself and order his summons to never spread word to this. He didn't want anyone to worry or get in the way in case he becomes unstable.
He sighed as he couldn't find anything remotely useful from either clan or any similar experience coming from the halflings. Another issue Naruto had was the sudden feeling of dread or that something bad was always waiting for him. First it was the kidnapping of his aunts, then the second invasion, and now with his self deterioration things are only getting worse. Just looking at it again, he could see his hand slowly vanishing and returning making him worry.
Knowing his fear would not cease any time soon, Naruto grabbed a pen and paper and began to write to leave some notes and draw up some seals. By the time he would finish, he would entrust the note and seals to Calcifer should something ever happen to him. His work was interrupted the moment he heard someone open the door.
"Naruto! You ok?" Naruto looked to see Hawk walking... crawling... physical moving towards his desk.
"Yeah Hawk, why are you asking?" Hawk looked worried.
"You've been distant today and you keep getting jumpy whenever someone besides Merlin goes up to you. Is it because of the Demon King guy?" he asked as his ears lowered.
"You know me Hawk, sometimes I get jumpy and by the end of the day I'm either being funny or being a smart ass. It's just my defense mechanism whenever I meet new people. You're lucky I wasn't already at the point of being too cold to everyone when I freed my dad." Naruto explained unable to convince his pig friend.
"Yeah, but we're always worried about you. One day your sad, then your happy and another day you pretend to be dumb. It just gets confusing." Hawk said.
Naruto felt sympathetic for Hawk, but sometimes his strange personality would often be out of his hands. Getting up from his desk, Naruto patted Hawk's back trying to reassure him.
"Come on Hawk, how about make us something and I can give you some scraps as seconds." Hawk perked.
"Ok let's go!" Hawk said running out the door.
Meanwhile with Sasuke (I know one of you was wondering where he was)
The "last" and "loyal" Uchiha was training vigorously hitting all of his targets. After everything that has happened Sasuke still put his mindset onto getting stronger. He hasn't been able to tap into his curse seal and with the incident that idiot Kakashi put him into, yes after that last fiasco he's already on poor standing with the scarecrow, he's been wondering about what he's just to get stronger. Not that he regrets anything, he just wonders how that dobe suddenly reveals his powers and when he's at his peak, Sasuke was unable to lay a finger on him.
"Your hate makes you weak, you lie to yourself, you rely on what makes your so called noble clans strong, you will see death before actually becoming strong. When the times comes, you will become the last Uchiha."
Those words burned in his head, it was an easy mission that the jounins put together which should have ended with the dobe getting his ass handed and being embarrassed in front of his adopted family members. That wasn't the case, Naruto arrived with Anko and Kakashi who looked like broken dolls. Kurenai didn't even get hit, she was merely hit with some kind of anti sealing technique according to what he overheard the ANBU say.
It completely infuriated that some dead last would all of a sudden make him, an Uchiha, the elite among the village, would make his own strength completely irrelevant. How irritating that no matter how hard you work, someone else tops you and becomes light years ahead in terms of power. He wanted to say it was Konoha's fault, that he was being held back, that Kakashi was weak, but no. Naruto, Itachi and even Madara Uchiha himself were all powerful and they were all loyal shinobi even if the last one tried to defect.
Sasuke just needed time and the proper guidance to strike, but first he had to damage Naruto. Preferably do something that would hurt him emotionally and make him easier to defeat in the near future. But what to do? Only time would tell.
Sasuke knew Naruto was soft and gentle despite being a prankster and unexpectedly violent towards anyone who attacks his family so a direct attack on them would be reckless. He may h by ave been arrogant and prone to anger, but Sasuke was no fool when it came to battle tactics. However during a fight versus before a fight were two different stories as seen in Wave, but he would never admit that.
Taking a break from training, Sasuke decides to take a stroll around the village to clear up his mind. Thinking about it, he never got the chance to fight in the invasion since he was ordered to help with the evacuation of civilians. As he strolled he could hear their collective whispers.
"Did you see those angels and warriors?"
"I didn't, but my nephew who's a chunin said that he was saved by a woman with wings carrying a scythe."
"I heard they were so strong only a few died while we only lost a couple jounin when Kumo attacked."
"This is troublesome, but my cousin Shikaku said they were part of a summoning clan."
"Didn't the Sandaime say that there was a new group in the village who were the summoners?"
"I remember them, I was under Choza's command when I saw female slightly bigger than the rest of us carrying around a large hammer while followed by some floating boy."
Sasuke was getting intrigued and started laying against a wall to listen in.
"What about the demon fight?"
"What about the brat?"
"Not the brat! The demon! Kumo's demon's were able to transform, but the nine tailed fox arrived in a poof of smoke like Jiraiya-sama's toads."
"I was confused about that to, I thought it was because he was the strongest, but the second strongest turned into his demon."
"Hey maybe that kid with the wings really wasn't human?"
"Yeah, I mean what if he's a member of the summoning race?"
"Maybe that's the reason he always smiled and didn't fight back after taking so many beatings. He was all forgiving and angels are known to be divine and forgiving"
"I never took part of the hunts because I feared the sandaime's authority, but even I started having doubts that he was a normal human."
"Do you think the yondaime accidentally took a child from that clan?"
"Maybe, but he claims that the brat was his son."
Sasuke was confused, he heard of some rumors of people attacking some little kid, but never dug into the information. He never really cared and thought that he either deserved it or did something bad enough to warrant a witch hunt. Sasuke continued to listen in wondering if he could find the wielder of the scroll and demand training from the user.
"Regardless that kid is different from what we thought and shouldn't have messed with him in the first place."
"I know, from the looks of it if he did seek out vengeance, he could have summoned the Kyuubi no Yoko and unleashed it for a second time."
"Whoever the kid is, he might be one of the most powerful people if he could push back Kumo and protect us."
"Ironic, I remember the sandaime said that the name of the group were the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Whoever they are, I feel safer knowing they're around to prevent another catastrophe. Those were two beasts we were up against."
Sasuke stopped listening in and started walking around thinking about the Seven Deadly Sins. He never heard about them before, but did remember the old man mentioning them during his announcement after the first invasion. Then it was strange, the yondaime turned out to be alive and he was the one who taught Kakashi before being revealed to have abandoned his son.
All this information was hard for the young Uchiha to wrap his mind around. First the village is attacked by the Kyuubi, then there's a secret that he left his son behind who carried it, then Kakashi learns that his sensei is being arrested for deserting and letting his kid get picked on for being a jinchuuriki. It just raises more questions for him to think about.
What he does know is, Naruto is the son of the yondaime. He was aware of that after the truth of the fox's death was revealed along with the uncanny look those two shared. Maybe not now since the dobe changed his hair style and covers one of his eyes like he's too cool or something. That much was clear, but now there are these Seven Deadly Sins that suddenly showed up out of nowhere and came to help the village during both invasions. From what he can tell, two of the members were a giant girl and a kid who could fly. That makes two leaving five more and at least one of them holds the summoning scroll.
Then there's Minato Namikaze, from what Kakashi was able to explain to him, Minato and his wife Kushina had three kids and abandoned Naruto to train his daughters. Next there was the fact Naruto went missing for a week claiming that he was visiting relatives which turned out to be true when Kakashi was able to learn about his aunts. It was messed up, but deep down he wanted to put the dobe in his place hoping he would earn a chance to learn some more hardcore techniques from Kakashi like the Raikiri which is a stronger and more stable version of Chidori.
Maybe he could confront the Seven Deadly Sins once he figures out who all the members were once he manages to figure out all of their identities. However, knowing his relationship with Kakashi despite losing respect for the scarecrow, he was sure he could get a favor from the disgraced hokage into training him. It may seem unfitting for someone of lower status to train him, but in reality it was the best solution considering he was still powerful and a high ranking shinobi during the third shinobi world war.
Sasuke could always offer himself as a suitor for one of his daughters, he dreaded the idea of having multiple women forcing themselves on him, but he wouldn't mind had they met his expectations. The daughters were both trained by a kage, an S rank shinobi from a clan no less, and last but not least two of the three legendary sannin. He wouldn't mind using them to help him breed powerful heirs, so in a way should Minato agree, it's a win win situation. Now all he needs to do is prepare a proper marriage contract knowing. He was right about one thing, Minato was rather desperate to hide the fact of what he did to his own son that maybe he would consider regaining some status having one his daughters marry into a prestigious clan.
It's not like Sasuke has done anything disgraceful to smear the name of his clan.
With Ban and King
While Escanor and Gowther left on their own to prepare for tonight's winter festival, Ban decided to go visit the marketplace and look for something to give to Elaine knowing they were close to that holiday that takes place in December. Too bad his memory kind of faded on him about what the name or what the tradition was. Being a fox for so many years messed up his mind a bit and despite the theme in the village, no one celebrates that holiday.
Wandering around the stores, Ban ends up running into King who flies right in front of him panting as if he was in a hurry.
"You ok?" Ban asked not caring.
King took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Ban I know we don't see eye to eye, but as a teammate I really need your help with something." he blurted out.
Ban smirked at how pedding King was going to be, "Aw, does the little Fairy King need help from everyone's favorite thief?" he asked in a mocking tone.
King took another breath trying to keep his cool, "Ban I don't want to fight, I need genuine help and you're the guy who can do it." he said swallowing his pride.
Meanwhile with Escanor and Gowther, "AH CHOO!"
"Are you catching a cold Escanor?" Gowther asked.
"No, I think either someone is talking about me or someone lost all their pride begging for some reason." Escanor answered.
"I wonder who lost their pride." Gowther said to himself.
Back with King and Ban, "Fine, let me hear it." Ban said.
"I'm planning to propose to Diane and I need help!" King opened his eyes expecting Ban to laugh and make fun of him only to see him make a serious face.
"Why didn't you say so?" Ban asked.
"You're not going to make fun of me?" King asked dumbstruck.
"No, I'm not going to make fun of you. What motivated you to go this far already? You were to shy just standing next her right before we unsealed you and now your still too chicken to give her a cheek kiss." Ban asked crossing his arms.
"I just don't want to lose Diane again and I've known her for so long that I don't want this to end. So I decided that I wanted to prove my love for her by marrying her!" King said in a determined tone.
"How far have you planned?" Ban deadpanned.
"What?"
"How far have you planned? Did you get a ring yet?" King went silent, "Did you think of a good time and place?" King started poking his fingers.
"Nothing?" King started drawing in the dirt making Ban sweat drop.
"You're how old and how long have you known her?" Ban saw a dark cloud over King's head making him sigh.
"Come on, looks like as your brother in law I have to bail you out." Ban said picking him up by the back of his jacket.
"Hey put me down Ban!" King yelled.
"Honestly, you make Merlin look braver than Escanor." Ban said.
"Wait what do you mean Merlin is braver than me?" King asked trying to struggle out of Ban's grip.
Meanwhile with Merlin
Shortly after Calcifer's upgrade, Merlin moved in her lab to a larger space where she was using Slader as a guinea pig hoping to find a way to connect chakra and magical energy. As she studies, her mind starts to wander off thinking about how Naruto started acting suspicious again.
"Something on your mind big sister?" Slader asked.
"Nothing too concerning Slader. Here just channel your energy into this paper then the chakra paper." Merlin ordered.
Seeing the regular paper melt slightly while the chakra paper crinkled before turning to dirt revealing an extra lightning element, Merlin began to take notes before it blew up making her jump back.
"I'm assuming that was the side effect Naruto mentioned. It seems I have another affinity, speaking of which how are the two of you?" Slader asked with the last part being in a teasing tone.
"I wonder what nature element that was. Oh and Naruto and I taking it slow." Merlin answered.
"Naruto handed us several notes on the elements since he started to worry about another incident similar to Lady Veronica's." Slader said unsealing a notepad and handing it to Merlin. "He seems like a nice boy, he may be young, but many people in this era are often forced to become adults." Slader added.
Taking a look at the notes first, "I think this is explosion release, you ought to be careful about whatever you touch whenever you focus your chakra Slader." Slader nodded, "Then again, there were many villages and kingdoms back in Britannia's era where children would be drafted as soldiers. Naruto was the exact opposite of what I expected... but the scars were still there." she whispered the last part.
"You know it was King Bartra that taught me what it meant to be human. I know what it feels like to be abused as a child." Slader said remembering the day King Bartra found him as a child.
"I know Slader, but when you only hear about these issues before confronting them in reality. You never know how to properly react. Especially when said victims try to push you away for caring." Merlin said in a low voice.
"I'm sure whatever you and Naruto are going through or will go through will make you stronger. Maybe you should finish your research early for today and talk to him and see if he lets you in." Slader said in a sage like tone.
"Why is everyone I know suddenly a love doctor?" Merlin asked with a smirk.
"I don't know what you are talking about big sister, but talking about relationships reminds me that I have a date with a beautiful swordswoman tomorrow during the winter festival. Goodbye or ja ne as the locals say." Slader said departing from the lab.
Merlin looked back at her work, "Answers won't arrive overnight, but they won't ever arrive if I don't work. Maybe talking things out will be a good motivator." she said to herself before working for a little longer.
At night
King sighed as he carefully hid the sealing scroll Ban gave him in a safe place before the door opened revealing a tired Diane.
"Hi Diane, how was your day?" King asked.
Diane yawned, "I decided to spar with Matrona today since I felt out of shape. Invasions pretty much tend to bring the worst out on you and I didn't like all those lightning bolts hitting me. Especially while I was in Heavy Metal." she answered falling down onto the bed. "What about you King?"
"I was planning on what do for the winter festival tomorrow, so I thought maybe I should bring a beautiful giant lady with me." King answered nervously making Diane giggle.
"I was hoping to check out the festival! Are you really going to take me?" Diane asked getting a nod.
King soon found himself being toppled by his girlfriend as she rubbed her chest in his face in excitement making him blush. He only hoped she didn't notice the sealing scroll before squeezing himself outside of Diane's bust.
With Escanor and Gowther
"Why haven't I had enough screen time lately?" Escanor asked.
"Because the author must be having writer's block when it comes to you." Gowther analyzed.
"But I'm the strongest member of the Seven Deadly Sins and I'm the only one who *SPOILERS* in the story." Escanor whined.
"We have a giant cast here Escanor, it's best not to think about it." Gowther said getting a sigh from Escanor.
With Gil and Margaret
True to some belief, the princess and Holy Knight did share a bed. Margaret actually passed out from embarrassment at the sight when the room was built. She eventually got over it and found comfort sleeping next to her lover.
"Something on your mind Margaret?" Gil asked grabbing her attention.
"Just thinking about the yuletide. By now I'd see Elizabeth running down the halls helping the servants prepare for the holidays and new year. She was always the most excited when it came to this time." Margaret said reminiscing her old home and deceased sister.
Gil looked at her with a look of sympathy before placing a hand around her, "Perhaps you can ask Naruto to let you visit her. I was considering signing his contract as well so it might be a good time." he suggested.
"Perhaps, but that's not all. Thinking about Elizabeth, I always remember how sweet, loving and brave she was. In the worst moments, she wouldn't give up and was the one who helped save Liones while the grandmasters were under the influence of Fraudrin. Now she's gone all so she could help Sir Meliodas save the world from the demons." Margaret explained.
"It was a noble sacrifice, but all we can do is honor and keep her memory alive." Gil said.
"What about me Gil? Thousands of years have passed and I was given another chance at life, yet it's still the same. I'm always the damsel, I'm always supporting from the distance, I don't like this. I don't want to be useless anymore Gil." Margaret said in a sad voice. "So I have a wish for the new year Gil."
"What would that be Margaret?" Gil asked.
"I want to be strong, I don't mean it in becoming a warrior or a shinobi like the people of this village, but I want to be able to defend myself. To fight when others need help. To be the one helping instead of watching from the distance." Margaret said looking up.
"How do you wish to complete that goal?" Gil asked.
"Gilthunder, I request this not as your princess, but as myself and ask that you help train me!" she said looking at him with nothing, but pure determination.
Gil look dumbfounded and took a moment to register her request before answering.
With Naruto and Merlin
Merlin yawned as she entered her room and saw Naruto going over a few of his notes, "Evening hime." Naruto said not looking at her direction.
Merlin sighed before hearing running water in the bathroom followed by a loud poof, "I took the liberty of setting your bath, but don't expect a bed of roses when you come out." he said continuing to study his notes.
Merlin decided to not say anything and took the bath knowing it was one of her weaknesses. Naruto smirked as he pulled out a pile of dirt from his bag and started manipulating a seed he placed inside into rapidly growing a single rose. Chuckling to himself, he placed it on the bed before continuing his research as he waited for Merlin to take her sweet time bathing. Merlin came out of her bath a few minutes later to find the rose and smiled before the Naruto that was studying poofed and the real one hugged her from behind.
"I love you hime. I'm sorry for making you and everyone else worried." Naruto said just as he kissed her cheek.
"You better be, you have other people who care for you and distancing yourself only makes matters worse." Merlin said getting out of his grip and sitting on the bed.
"Can I make it up to you my taking you out to the festival tomorrow?" Naruto asked sitting next to her.
Merlin made a thinking pose before pulling him down into bed, "Yes, and I better not be lonely like I was on my birthday." she said in a berating tone.
Naruto chuckled as he pulled her in for a hug, "I know what it means to be lonely Merlin. I won't ever do that to you again." he said in a meaningful tone earning another kiss on the cheek.
"I love you my little dragon." she said before turning in.
"I love you too hime." he also said before letting his fatigue get to him.
With Ban and Elaine
"Hey Elaine, you want to join me for the festival?" Ban asked laying on his back.
"Sure Ban, it will be like celebrating an early Christmas." Elaine said with a bright smile.
"What the hell is a Christmas?" he asked giving her a confused look.
"Ban!" Elaine yelled putting her fists on her hips.
"What?"
"How do you not know what Christmas is? The forest celebrated it every year! I thought you said you visited to forest to restore the tree."
"Elaine, I'm thousands of years old with no estimated lifespan. It must have slipped my mind when our culture turned into child soldiers and sandals being a fashion sense." 'And damn that Kishimoto's foot fetish. Then there's Nakaba who turned my wife into a loli. Then we have Araki with his crappy memory. And Oda with his... his... wait did Oda do anything wrong?' Ban thought.
Note: Let me know if Oda did do something wrong like these other guys, I have not seen One Piece in a long time and will likely never make a story for them.
"Well let me tell you about a little old holiday called Christmas." Elaine said as she picked up a cane out of nowhere and began to sing.
Up on the housetop, reindeer pause
Out jumps good ol' Santa Claus
Several minutes later
"Well?" Elaine asked panting.
"I think you should leave the singing and songwriting to Naruto." Ban said making her beat her fists on his chest.
Elaine would not give on trying to spread Christmas cheer onto her men.
The Next Morning
Just as breakfast started, Elaine woke up early to convince Griamore to dress up as Santa Claus in order to help spread Christmas spirit. Veronica also helped convince Griamore considering it would be a good way to help everyone remember the yuletide festivals in Liones. Finally there was Calcifer who they managed to convince through some servants to make a chimney that would be easy for Griamore to go through.
Sadly it ended with Veronica being flirting trying to kiss "Santa" and Naruto almost killing Griamore thinking he was a burglar. The charade ended when Naruto was explained the meaning of Christmas and the mythical character known as Santa Claus. Naruto didn't exactly get into Christmas spirit as he was concerned with the idea of some strange elderly man breaking into his home with knowledge of his personally information and desires. In the end, he ruined most of everyone's childhoods, but in his defense he barely had a childhood.
As an apologetic act, Naruto used his shokuton to create missile toes over the doorways of the first floor. At least everyone's favorite blond had some holiday spirit in him no matter how much Santa creeped him out.
Later with the genin
With the Konoha 12... I mean... 11? 10? Numbers hurt my head. With the remaining members of team 7, along with teams 8, 10 and Guy were all hanging around a dango restaurant as they prepare for the festival.
"So how long until you guys are out of probation?" Shikamaru asked.
"Another six months." Shino answered hiding his embarrassment.
"What was it that possessed you guys to even help your senseis to kidnap Naruto's aunts anyways?" Ino asked impatiently, it may have been a month since the incident and cover up, but even team 8 were too ashamed to say anything.
"Ino, you shouldn't get on their case. We all make mistakes." Choji said in their defense.
"That's right, we had to follow our sensei since she's the alpha of the group and the alpha's word is law." Kiba claimed.
"That's where you're wrong. There's a time when you follow orders and a time to ignore them." Shikamaru said.
"He's right, in the end we have our own morals and our choices will define who we are." Neji said.
"Bullshit! Weren't you talking about fate being absolute or some crap!?" Kiba yelled.
"In all honesty, even us Hyuuga can be blind to the truth." Neji stated remembering the scroll his uncle gave him followed by giving him a jyuuken strike for not giving it to him earlier. Hiashi soon realized that his daughter could have been badly injured had Hinata hadn't grown a pair and Neji continued to be arrogant. "Which is ironic, considering we can tell tell when someone lies as it disturbs their chakra." Neji added making everyone nod in surprise.
"That still doesn't answer my question." Ino said.
"She's right, at the end of the day, you superior officer is not in charge of every detail of your life. They are mostly in charge of you during emergencies or during a time of war." TenTen stated.
Kiba groaned and crossed his arms as he looked away while Shino sat still avoiding making any eye contact while Hinata found discovered the great entertainment of staring at the floor. Surprisingly Lee had kept his arms crossed with a look of great disappointment.
"Lee aren't you going to say anything encouraging about them?" Choji asked as everyone else covered their ears ready to hear some annoying rant about the flames of youth.
Lee turned to Choji keeping his disappointing look, "They don't deserve any form of youth." he said in a low voice scaring the Akimichi.
"Is he done yet?" TenTen asked not hearing Lee's scary tone.
Everyone removed their hands not noticing the look of fear on Choji's face. However Sasuke looked looked excited while Sakura continued to fawn over him.
"What about you billboard brow? You and Sasuke-kun also got in trouble for the kidnapping." Ino said.
"It was Naruto-baka's fault Ino! He's always holding Sasuke-kun back and getting in between us!" Sakura yelled.
"Sakura, you do realize it was us who actually attempted to hurt Naruto right?" Sasuke asked admitting to the crime making her smile and scratch her head sheepishly.
"Maybe it was only a little bit his fault." Sakura said refusing to admit to her own mistakes.
Sasuke frowned, "Can I trade teammates?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's get rid of Naru-" Sakura was cut off.
"I was talking about you." Sasuke interrupted her making a cloud go over her head.
Suddenly everyone except Ino huddled to another large booth, "Preferably someone who would rather pick up the kunai instead of the hairbrush?" he asked making a cloud appear over Ino's head.
Sasuke groaned at the fangirl's attitude, 'At least I might have a chance at finding a stronger woman should the former Yondaime give in to my offer. His reputation is already in the mud and at least the council still praise me enough to keep my name alive. Damn you Kakashi, I wouldn't be in trouble at all had you nod goaded me.' he thought.
As he turned his head he could see Minato and Kushina being escorted by the ANBU as they're just trying to pick up their groceries. He smiled thinking about visiting the pair in the afternoon.
The afternoon
Everyone finished their early Christmas shopping, although Ban and Naruto were oblivious as to what the holiday was, giving everyone else time to prepare for the winter festival. Meanwhile Naruto started looking for his favorite Sin of pride with some special news.
"Hey Escanor can I talk to you?" Naruto asked grabbing the older man's attention.
"Sure Naruto, what do you need?" Escanor asked.
"Basically I noticed that a lot of us were going in pairs or couples to the winter festival, I noticed you'd be stuck alone." Escanor cried anime tears thinking Naruto was mocking him, "Don't cry, I actually had a plan to solve for that. I actually have someone in mind for you to take." he said with a smile.
"Um, this isn't a prank now is it?" Escanor asked carefully.
"No Escanor, I asked someone I know she was attending the festival with anyone and she said no, so I wondered if she would like to go with a nice gentleman that I knew." Escanor blushed.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"First she looked scared and thought I was going to prank her. Then after a small explanation I convinced her to be your date." Naruto answered.
"Wait you already set me up?" Escanor asked in panic.
"Don't worry about it! Besides I told her who you were and she saw you during the exams as the proctor so she's cool with it." Naruto said making him sigh in relief.
"Well then, when do I pick her up?" he asked with a sign of confidence.
"You keep responding to me in questions, have you noticed that?" Naruto asked making him shake his head. "Anyways, I'll take you to meet her right before everyone gets ready." Naruto explained.
"Naruto... this is another question now that I think about it." they both chuckled as Escanor now noticed the pattern, "Who is it you set me up with?" he asked hopefully his final question.
"Oh right, she's my doctor. Her name is Shizune and was going to be trained by Tsunade thinking it was debt she owed to her uncle who happened to be Tsunade's lover at the time. Her apprenticeship got cancelled despite all of the hard work she put in. She's a nice lady and really beautiful too." Escanor blushed at the description.
"Does she know about my "condition"?"" he asked.
"Is there a challenge you're doing Escanor? Because you keep asking a question everytime you talk." Naruto said getting a shrug. "Honestly she knows about what Ban is and didn't care seeing me as a patient before anything else. So I think she can handle a slightly older man who can turn muscular in the middle of daylight." he explained.
"Well I can't wait to meet her." Escanor said happily, "Thank you by the way." and thus the two began their preparations for the festival.
A couple hours later, Escanor waited for Naruto at the doorway wearing a brown blazer with a white dress shirt and slack. Naruto arrived a minute later with his hair combed facing down keeping his eye covered, despite regaining control over it, along with a grey turtleneck and black jeans.
"You ready to meet Shizune?" Naruto asked with smirk.
"I sure am Naruto." Escanor said not liking that smirk.
A little while later, the pair arrived outside the hospital finding a woman a woman with short black hair and black kimono with high heeled sandals waiting outside.
"Hey Shizune-chan!" Naruto yelled out grabbing the medic nin's attention.
"Naruto-kun!" Shizune yelled back as the two approached her, "Who might this handsome gentleman be?" she asked getting a blush from Escanor.
"I am Escanor ma'am, I am one of Naruto's associates." Escanor answered keeping it cool.
"He's also the only guy who can take me on in a fight and win." Naruto claimed.
"Oh so how strong are you Escanor-san?" Shizune asked in interest.
Escanor looked nervous wondering how to explain himself until Naruto saves him, "I'm pretty sure you don't need me as a patient any time soon Shizune-chan, because that's the only way you would know." he said.
"Alright, I'll leave it at that. Care to escort me Escanor?" Shizune asked locking her arm around Escanor.
"Y-yes, l-let's go. I think the festival is starting any minute now." he said, "I will see you later Naruto." the two left into the village leaving Naruto smirking.
"Now time for me to pick up my date." he said disappearing using MOB (Mist of Darkness).
At the mansion
Everyone was in the common room adjusting their winter outfits and reminding each other of where to meet up once the fireworks. Their conversations are interrupted when Naruto arrives in his MOB technique.
"Ok what did I miss?" Naruto asked.
"Just Escanor, but we can't find him." Diane said.
"I arranged a date for him with Shizune." Naruto answered.
"You set him up with your doctor?" Ban asked.
"Yeah, Shizune was pretty nice and felt lonely so I thought someone as nice and gentleman like would cheer her up during the festival." Naruto explained.
"Oh Naruto that's so sweet of you!" Diane said grabbing him into a death hug.
"Someone help! Can't breathe!" Naruto panicked prompting King to pull out a crowbar.
Naruto was freed from his godmother's hug and picked up by King, "Now that I think about, what happened to those other guys? Arthur and Vivian was it?" he asked.
"I saw them head out earlier, they said they wanted to explore the village." Merlin answered.
"Hopefully they don't cause any trouble to give the old man a heart attack. Besides, he's announcing his successor today." Naruto explained.
"Well let's get going before we all look like the old man." Ban said before stoping for a moment, "Ok that might be impossible for some of us." Ban said with his eyes going around everyone on the team including Elaine.
"Big sister if we were frozen for so long, then am I technically an adult?" Zeal asked.
"No Zeal you are still a child silly. Besides King and Elaine look like children and they're adults so why would that matter?" Guila asked.
"Hey!" King yelled while Elaine blushed remembering Ban calling her child at one point.
"Totally forgot mom was a loli." Naruto chuckled.
"Your mother is not a loli, now Elaine you might want to use your adult form since they won't serve us at the bars in your appearance." Elaine tried to not to look offended despite knowing it was true.
And with that, everyone grabbed their companion and took off onto their own direction to enjoy the festivities.
With Sarutobi
The old man narrowed his eyes in front of one of his trusted ANBU as she sat their letting Inoichi look into her memories. Misa Persephone aka Cheshire revealed herself shortly after delivering her report on Danzo's assault on Naruto's mansion then decided it was time to reveal her identity to him. Sarutobi was shocked and went easy on her offering her a chance by having Inochi search her mind. By the time the Yamanaka clan head was finished, he came out breathing rapidly and grabbed a large cup of water and downed it.
"Inochi what happened while you were in there?" he asked.
"It was amazing! Hokage-sama, there was so much knowledge in there! She's been here since the founding of the village and only stayed because of the shodaime's philosophy matched the one her clan follows. As for loyalty, well I'm pretty sure you might remember a certain black masked ANBU named bobcat." Inoichi explained.
Sarutobi rubbed his temples remembering that strict ANBU who was hand selected to be by Hashirama and Tobirama's side until the first shinobi world war ended when both died. Bobcat supposedly died when the second began on a failed recon mission and was replaced by a male codenamed Falcon.
"Why the identity change?" Sarutobi asked.
"I didn't want to alert suspicious that there was someone with a longer lifespan than of an Uzumaki in the village. The government was already weary of jinchuriki and some bloodlines. Would an angel as you call me be any different?" Herodias asked.
Sarutobi nodded remembering all the hate people would get and the bloodline purge in Kiri was a good example. However seeing as Misa, or Herodias as she secretly went by, was at this longer than even the old man. Sarutobi saw the capabilities of the Goddess Clan up close during the invasion and knew she was capable physically, but that left out her psychology.
"Inochi, what can you say about her mental health?" Sarutobi asked.
"It's perfect, sure she briefly had an obsession towards finding what appeared Naruto's ancestor, but that's been quelled since she found Naruto." Inochi explained.
"Yes, to think the child I was in charge of was the descendant of the Supreme Deity and my teacher. He may seem naive, but deep down you had a good reason to have faith in him. For one day, he will surpass us all." Herodias stated.
Sarutobi couldn't deny that claim, Naruto may have a dislike toward the village in some way, but he still sees it as his home and was willing to summon an entire army to defend it against powerful forces. Perhaps Herodias would be that guardian to help watch over the village for many years to come. His only worry were the enemies and other dangers they would face.
Meanwhile in the outskirts
"The invasion failed and the Raikage was forced to retreat." Kabuto said revealing that he escaped the battle.
The remaining Oto ninja looked at him and listened closely seeing as their numbers were shaved to less than a fifth. Many of them started questioning the worth behind trying to save Orochimaru leaving many to desert since Kimimaro had died and he was a hardcore follower. Kabuto may have been dangerous and skilled, but he didn't have the energy to kill all of the deserters. There were still few who managed to see this to the end giving Kabuto some motivation to keep planning.
"However, that gives us an opportunity now that the village is celebrating its victory, we can strike causing panic. Enough for us to break Orochimaru-sama out of his prison in time to prevent his execution." he explained.
"And how will we do that?" asked one of the jounin getting nods from the others.
"I have the answer for that my friend. Bring it in!" Kabuto ordered as two chunin arrived wheeling in several broken statues.
"What the hell are those?" asked another among the crowd.
Kabuto smirked, "Orochimaru-sama briefly summoned a powerful entity called Galand, however we only used a piece of Galand's statue to revive him giving while keeping the rest. From years of research, we found out that Galand was part of a group. We don't know much about the group, but we can confirm that they were very powerful." he explained.
"Hold on a minute, if you're trying that jutsu, won't it take several sacrifices?" asked someone else among the crowd.
"We have everything ready, all we have to do is wait for the right moment." Kabuto answered with a smirk looking at the several statue pieces.
He would be dead before he would realize how unstable the powerful warriors he would be. Let alone who they are the most loyal towards.
Back at the festival
"Hey Ban, can ask you something about Naruto?" Elaine asked as the pair strolled through the vendors.
"Yes, Naruto is willing to give up ramen for Merlin. That's how dedicated he is. Or how he claims." Ban deadpanned feeling that his son is ready to be whipped.
"No... what? I was going to ask about his birthday..." she trailed off.
"Oh that passed after the exams." Ban interrupted.
"Ban! Why didn't you tell me!?" Elaine yelled.
Ban winced at the yelling, "I didn't think it mattered and you never asked. Besides Naruto has nightmares even at his age since he almost got cooked alive during one of them and that was before he was able to let me out." he explained making her look down.
Elaine felt sad for a moment, "Well did you at least give him something?" she asked.
"Yeah, I give him his cake and gift every October 10. It was kind of cute actually. Back in the day, the little guy would hug my leg and never let go until he got his cake." Ban said reminiscing Naruto's childhood.
Elaine smiled hearing that deep down wishing she was there to raise Naruto with him, "What was it like Ban?" she asked.
Ban smiled and looked up at the stars, "Starting with me, I had my vices and had to stop realizing I had the captain's kid to raise. I was pissed for a while, despite him being strong, Naruto was high maintenance. He would always have mood swings, he would run around and make me chase him to give him his bath and the little pain would bug me to make him ramen whenever I cooked. I wished Diane or someone else was in my place instead." he said with a loud groan.
Elaine snickered remembering how everyone worried about Naruto's upbringing, "Then how did you two get so close?" she asked wondering how the blond boy changed her husband.
"Well despite his attitude and personality. Naruto was like me and I saw it through his memories. The only difference was that he didn't like the idea of being a thief and only took what people discarded. Deep down he was still a kid and I had to make sure he grew. It's still kind of hard to wrap my mind over the fact he started calling me dad instead of uncle." Ban continued.
"And why didn't he call you that instead?" Elaine asked.
Ban laughed before he continued, "Naruto came up to me one day asking that if we brought you back to life, could we be his parents. So I kneeled down and told him, "Kid, Elaine is a sweet and caring person and I don't know what possessed her to stay with someone like me, but I can tell you this. I'm not the kind of man you would want to be your father." he looked at me with puppy eyes and nodded his head. I felt like I destroyed the kid so that's when we got closer. Always feeding him, always protecting him, always keeping him warm and happy whenever he had nightmares or it rained in his leaky apartment." Ban said finishing his story.
Elaine embraced Ban tightly, "And you'll always be there for him as will I." she said smiling.
Ban pulled her in for a kiss, "I know it wasn't what you expect, but I'm glad you could be there for him." he said in appreciation.
Elaine pulled him closer, "Ban there's something I want to tell you." she said before whispering in his ear.
Ban's eyes became dinner plates as his jaw made a loud metal clunking sound as it hit the ground, "Are you serious?" he asked getting a nod. Elaine soon found herself wrapped in another hug, "We need to tell everyone!" he said getting a giggle.
Ban soon swept her from her feet and jumped rooftop to rooftop to look for everyone.
Meanwhile somewhere else
"Little higher!"
"Lower!"
"To the side!"
"Which side?"
"That side!"
"That's oddly specific!"
Upon closer inspection, one would see four Holy Knights and two princesses watching one of their own attempting to hit a stack of bottles with a ball. The issue however, was one Howzer having issues hitting the bottles without using his wind to amplify the ball's power and trajectory. His goal, was to earn a prize for his date Jericho.
"Howzer you don't have to do this." Jericho said pinching the bridge of her nose.
"No, I do. I have to prove that I'm not just chopped liver!" Howzer said throwing the ball and only knocking the top bottle off making him get down and punch the ground.
"Howzer was never really one for long range combat." Griamore chuckled.
Howzer glared at his bigger friend, "It would be easier if I had my lance, then I would just shoot those bottles off." he mumbled.
"Tell you what kid, since I like watching how pathetic you are. I will give you three more shots since you paid enough give me free rent for three months." said the stand owner with a chuckle.
"Deal!" Howzer cried out taking the three balls and missing the first two only for Jericho to grab his arm before he threw the last one.
"Howzer... I get how prideful you men can be, but can you at least be patient and calm when you do this?" Jericho asked getting a confused look making her sigh, "Remember Naruto's jutsu? Try imagining if this ball was your hand trying to form that jutsu." she said making him think.
'Jutsu huh? If that's what Jericho says, then what were those steps?' Howzer thought as he looked down on the ball and got a good grip ignoring the smug look of the stall owner. 'I think first was, power! No, rotation! It needs to spin and that affects its speed and pressure. Then there was power which isn't the only thing I need. Then there's containment, I can't let it run loose on it's own. I think I got it now!' he thought.
Howzer closed his eyes and tossed the ball with less stress and less pressure as it finally knocked down all the bottles.
"Holy crap! You aren't a total loser after all!" the stall vendor said gobsmacked. He then looked at Howzer who looked proud of himself, "You're just a partial loser!" he said laughing forcing Gil and Griamore to hold Howzer back. "Take whatever you want, I don't care!" he said laughing away as Howzer grabbed a large stuffed animal.
"Um, I do not see why Sir Howzer is putting up such a fit towards knocking over some glass bottles." Margaret said worried about the blond Holy Knight's mental health.
"Relax sis, he's always been like this since we were kids." Veronica said sighing at his behavior.
Margaret could only wondered what she missed out on when they were kids.
At a bar in the festival
The two former grandmasters were having a pint enjoying the yuletide.
"You know, I think this is a good time to reflect at our new life." Dreyfus said taking a long gulp.
"Has it really been several thousand years already? I haven't noticed." Hendrickson said as the alcohol started killing his brain.
"You know, you're starting to sound like Zaratras." Dreyfus said.
Hendrickson looked at the ground for a moment thinking about their past sins and mistakes.
"I didn't mean it like that. You know what I meant right?" he asked.
Hendrickson nodded, "I know, but sometimes I wonder how much we can really fix. I mean, even now we were given one more chance at life while so many other people die. Zaratras is gone. The King is gone. The whole kingdom is gone except for the two of us, the princess, the sins and the few Holy Knights with two being your son and nephew." he explained.
Dreyfus understood where he was coming from, "I know, but we need to be thankful for those we still have left." he said as they clinged their bottles.
"You ever wonder what Zaratras would say if he were here now?" Hendrickson asked.
"Hard to say, he would already have flushed cheeks being in the same room as alcohol." Dreyfus stated remembering his brother had little to no alcohol tolerance in his body.
"He would probably get up and make fun of us for complaining or crying and say what he would do if he was in our shoes. He would even get up on a table and do some impression, the man was a capable warrior, but was as weak as driftwood when he started drinking." Hendrickson explained getting a laugh.
"And right now would also be a good time for him to point out that you were the lonely single guy!" Dreyfus added with a laugh.
Hendrickson sighed at that part, the brothers were married and had their own kids. So that left Hendrickson as the bachelor of the trio, similar to Howzer before he asked out Jericho. Zaratras was the one who pointed it out despite Hendrickson always stealing the hearts of women around him back in the day when Dreyfus settled down with Anna. So it was always the elder of the two who would push him to find a wife or someone to settle down with.
"Hey what about her?" Dreyfus asked making his comrade snap out of his thoughts.
"One of who?" Hendrickson asked.
"The feral looking one, I think she's a member of that family with the large canine companions." Dreyfus explained pointing towards Tsume Inuzuka who was hanging out with the women of the Ino-Shika-Cho group.
The two quieted down as they listened in to the conversation.
"So what's going on with Kiba Tsume-chan?" asked Ichika Yamanaka.
Note: Choji and Ino's moms are the only ones who don't have official names.
Tsume raised her finger as she downed a bottle revealing her flushed face, "I don't what to do with the pup anymore Rei. I told him he had to follow the alpha at all times, but who the hell knew Kurenai would go insane?" she asked.
The three other women contemplated this too, "Honestly, we could never expect this. First there was Orochimaru who was a sannin and student of the Sandaime hokage no less, then Choji-kun's instructor and now we learn the Yondaime abandoned his son so the village would look stronger by having a jinchuriki." Rei Akimichi stated.
Yoshino looked at her drink with disgust, "I find it dishonorable for any instructor to commit such an action. I hear it was Naruto's instructor who was part of it along with Orochimaru's former student, Anko." Yoshino added.
"You know what? I can only imagine what's going on with Hinata. Hiashi may be a dick and a bit harsh, but this stunt was a good excuse for him to have a field day." Tsume said knowing Hiashi actually has a reason to yell at his daughter. "Between you three and me, I heard he was planning on setting up a marriage contract between Naruto and Hinata. Take a guess how that's going to turn out." she added.
"Inoichi wanted to do the same with Ino, but I took a page out of Yoshino-chan's book." Ichika said with a giggle.
"In my own husband's words, this is all too troublesome. Even if we had a daughter, it's not like Naruto would want to be part of the Namikaze family after that last stunt." Yoshino added.
"At least, it was thanks to your own pups that Kiba and his team were stopped. Sometimes I wish I had another girl like Hana, except that she wouldn't be like Hana and hassle me about finding a mate." Tsume said getting several giggles.
"Have you ever thought about it Tsume? Maybe Kiba needs another role model to beat some discipline into him." Rei suggested.
"Bah! And end up having another Kaido? The last thing I need to do is go man hunting. Besides, what man would some feral women with an attitude at my age?" Tsume asked.
"I think Kizashi's cousin Ren is looking for someone." Rei said.
"Yeah and I've met Kizashi's sister Saikiri, the bitch is loud. Hopefully that Sakura girl will be disciplined under his and Mebuki's care." Tsume responded.
Dreyfus patted Hendrickson on the back giving him the sign only for the latter to shake his head and go back to his drink.
"I think Inochi's brother Santa (Yes, there is a Santa Yamanaka) is single." Ichika suggested.
"Brown haired guy with a giant ponytail?" Ichika nodded, "Yeah... no, I think I scared him off the other day." Tsume said.
"Is there anyone you can't scare?" Yoshino asked.
"I bet you I can scare those two squares." Tsume said pointing at Dreyfus and Hendrickson who stopped listening a while ago.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen them around." Yoshino said.
"Yoshino, there are several thousand people that live in the village. You can't exactly run off any suspicions at the fact you assume the people you see everyday are the only inhabitants." Rei pointed out making several other stories sneeze at that fact.
Last note: Do you guys ever think that's stupid when some new character or a character with a new appearance is given the whole, "Have I seen you before?" or "I haven't seen him around before." because honestly that's a good way of saying you have a detailed memory of the population and in this case, it's the most populated ninja village. The world doesn't revolve around the Konoha 12 people.
"Hey Tsume, why don't you try asking one of them to accompany you to the fireworks in a little bit?" Ichika asked.
"I doubt that will work, but I'll give it a shot if you three stop acting like little Hana's." Tsume said rolling her eyes as she approached the table where the former grandmasters sat.
Meanwhile at the center of the village
"And how many does that make Zeal?" Naruto asked carrying a load of stuffed animals and other prizes.
"22 to 21 with me at the advantage Mr. Naruto." Zeal said gleefully.
"Zeal you need to stop giving me titles. If you're going to call me by a title, then call me sensei." Naruto responded.
Zeal nodded, "Ok Naruto sensei!" he mock saluted.
"Good, now could you reach for my back pocket? I should put these all in some sealing scrolls." Zeal nodded and went to search his teacher for some scrolls.
Guila and Merlin smiled at the pair, "So how have you two been Merlin?" Guila asked.
"We're fine, but I feel like I still need to make Naruto open up despite the fact he made me open up." Merlin answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Guila asked curiously.
Merlin sighed, "Naruto is a great man, sure he has his mood swings where he's a flirt, a goofball or tries to block out things he doesn't like to talk about. However, he's still caring about others first, always trying to stay positive and only fights if necessary while avoiding others from trying to goad him." she explained.
"I see, I have noticed that whenever I bring up his abandonment or his past he frowns and quickly pulls out a joke or completely ignores the question. I get worried, yet I see how he is whenever he's around someone like Zeal and does his best to keep a strong bond towards anyone he meets." Guila explained.
Zeal soon found the scrolls and placed them on the ground where the pair started separating their prizes.
"He's good with kids, I remember there was this one child named Konohamaru who called him boss and sometimes elder brother. He's quite good with children. I believe he would make a good father and husband for a certain lucky woman." Guila said secretly teasing Merlin.
The mage looked unfazed, "And many people thought that woman was either you or Jericho or possibly Zaneri." Merlin said making Guila blush.
"Still, Zeal always talks about Naruto and has started seeing him as an elder brother figure. Someone to talk to and grow into this new world whereas I would try to shelter him." Guila said admitting her intentions.
"Naruto has a way to change people and make them stronger in a way." Merlin added.
"And what about this creepy green rabbit that looks like a... what is this a machine?" Naruto asked inspecting the animal.
"I am not keeping that in my room!" Zeal said in panic.
"Well I'm not keeping it near my person or my special person." Naruto said.
"Where did you even get that?" Zeal asked.
"...I thought you won it." Naruto said making the boy shake his head.
The two soon stared into the dead eyes of the stuffed animal as if it were ready to do something interesting. Their thoughts broke out as a large cube appeared behind the stuffed toy they were staring at.
"Um, Naruto sensei? What is that?" Zeal asked.
"I think it's a rock." Naruto deadpanned knowing what was about to happen.
"But rocks aren't squares." Zeal stated.
"No, but whenever I see them I imagine myself pummeling three little kids if they don't reveal themselves." Naruto said cracking his knuckles making the "rock" shake in fear before exploding into smoke revealing three small figures.
"We are the Konohamaru corps!" said the three.
"I'm the future hokage and best ninja in all of Konoha, Konohamaru Sarutobi!" possibly the 7th hokage, 8th if he becomes Boruto's teacher and no way in hell would Naruto Liones allow that spoiled brat to exist in this timeline.
"I'm the pretiest and sassiest Kunoichi, Moegi!" the female of the group who somehow also has the mokuton.
"I'm Udon and I like math." little did the last one know, he would be a badass ninja that would take on three losers who were willing to give up being ninja only for Udon to be the hero.
The two stared at them blankly before either spoke up, "Nice to meet you Udon, my name is Zeal." Zeal said sticking his hand out.
"Nice to meet you too Zeal." Udon said shaking his hand making Moegi and Konohamaru face fault.
"Hey what about us!?" they both yelled.
"Who are you two again?" Zeal asked making them face fault again.
"Nii-san! Tell this kid to show some respect!" Konohamaru demanded.
"Zeal remember to shake everyone's hands no matter how irrelevant they are." Naruto said making Konohamaru grow a tick mark.
"Nii-san! What the heck is with disrespect and who this kid!?" he demanded.
"Oh this is Zeal, he's Guila's brother and my student." Naruto answered shocking the trio.
"YOUR STUDENT!" they all yelled.
"Yes, I've been training Zeal for less than a month and he might be stronger than any academy student you might face." Naruto stated impassively.
"Why can't you train us?" Moegi asked.
"Because none of you asked." Naruto answered.
"Well we haven't seen you in a while." Konohamaru whined.
"I gave you a map didn't I?" Naruto asked.
"Am I seriously the only one that studied it?" Udon asked conveniently revealing the map making the other two look sheepish.
Naruto sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ok then next time you should follow Udon if you want any training." he said making them scratch the backs of their heads.
"So you must be the little rugrat Naruto has been telling me about." Konohamaru looked up to see Merlin approaching them.
The young Sarutobi blushed at her beauty, "Boss you have to tell me! Is this your girlfriend?" he asked.
Naruto wrapped an arm around Merlin as she laid her head on his shoulder, "Sure is, this is Merlin. We've been together for nearly two months." he said proudly making the mage smile.
"Boss your so cool!" Konohamaru said with stars in his eyes as Udon nodded while Moegi sighed at their antics.
The couple chuckled, "I know, by the way isn't your grandfather about to announce his successor right about now?" Naruto asked.
"Yup, jiji is going to announce the person who's hat I'm going to steal in a little bit, then he'll start the fireworks!" Konohamaru said excitedly, "You want to come? We were going to go there when we saw you." he suggested.
"Sure, I was hoping to find a good spot to see the fireworks anyways." Naruto said.
Merlin smiled and took Naruto's hand as the couple followed the kids while Guila and Zeal followed right behind them. The group looked around seeing the festivities and all the liveliness of all the people around them. The decorations, the energy, the beauty, it was truly a sight to behold until...
"Onii-chan!" the group stopped at the loud shout.
"What the..." Naruto trailed off as a mop of blond hair ran up to him before stopping and panting. "Kasumi?" he asked realizing he hasn't seen her since the chunin exams.
"Onii-chan! I know you don't see us as family and this might be awkward to see me after a while, but - burr! I just ran out of the mansion!" she said shaking.
Naruto sighed noticing she came unprepared and whatever it was she had to tell him must have been important if she was wearing a fishnet shirt with shorts. He shook his head and poured warm chakra from one of his lava release techniques into his hands before put them over Kasumi.
Kasumi stopped shaking noticing the warmth, "Onii-chan?" she asked.
"Hold still Kasumi, now what was it you wanted to tell me?" Naruto asked carefully putting heat over her body.
"Basically Menma-kun had trouble reading the note you gave him so I had to read for him since he thought Narumi was hot headed and would do something stupid again so we didn't say anything. After that, he wanted to meet you again in person, but we were overhearing Otou-san talking to some lady from another village." she started explaining.
"What does Minato's conversation have to do with me?" Naruto asked finishing up.
"Otou-san was talking about you and something about a contract between you and some princess. So he was planning on working something out and I couldn't hear some of it since Okaa-san almost noticed us. So after we hid for a while, I told Menma to wait in his room while I listened in, but that's when the bad part happened!" Kasumi said in faster pace making her pant again.
She was about to continue when Naruto placed his turtleneck over her quickly before she could reject, "There, you can't produce lava release so I should help you keep warm." he said.
"Naruto you'll freeze to death!" Merlin said as she began to unwrap her scarf only for Naruto to hold her hand and wrap it back around her.
"Hime, I won't tell you again. I can handle the cold... not my first time freezing." he muttered the last part that only Merlin and Kasumi could hear.
Kasumi tried to take it off only for her brother to stop her, "Don't, listen to your older brother and keep that sweater on because I will not let you freeze to death. Now what happened that got you worried?" he asked.
Kasumi looked at her brother for a moment then at the turtleneck, "Onii-chan... the lady said that you would be...!"
Kasumi was interrupted as Naruto drew Lostvayne and created six copies to block out several kunai from hitting everyone only for a lucky one to hit Naruto in the shoulder.
"Onii-chan!" Kasumi yelled.
"I'm fine, just help the girls protect the kids!" Naruto ordered as Zeal and the trio huddled up.
Several cloaked shinobi surrounded the kids prompting Guila and Merlin to run to their side.
Naruto attempted to jump in only to block a sword slash from his back.
"I apologize, but your fight is with me." said another cloaked figure who blocked his path.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but an attack on my friends and family is an attack on me." Naruto said as his curse mark appeared over his face.
In the distance, a certain blond haired man and redhead watched wondering how the battle was going to turn out.
"Are you sure about this Minato-kun?" asked the redhead.
"I know I've made some mistakes, but I'm sure this is the best way to fix one of them. Besides, I'm sure Naruto will be satisfied once it's all over and we'll be in speaking terms after this. You have to trust me on this Kushina-chan." said Minato.
Kushina looked worried, "I hope your right Minato, I just want to hold my baby." she said with a tear rolling down her eye.
TO BE CONTINUED...
I hope you enjoyed, because we're about to end this and begin the timeskip. Next time, Jojo will return along with another chapter of Persona. While Naruto Liones deals with his attackers, lets see how Naruto Uzumaki grows in his three year exile in the Velvet Room while Giorno Giovanna is forced to reveal his powers to his peers.
Don't forget to check out the poll! It's the last one I'll make for this story I swear!