Holy crap! The response for this story's first chapter has been immensely positive! I cannot thank you all enough for such supportive feedback!
It's positivity like this that make me putting out obscure ideas less anxious. I was worried that the premise would be hit-or-miss, but I'm glad it was a hit!
Here's the next chapter!
Disclaimer in first chapter
Blonding with Interest
Chapter Two: Welcome Back
Approaching the large gates of the Hidden Leaf Village were three people. The first was the legendary Toad Sage, and self-proclaimed Super Pervert, Jiraiya of the Sannin while the other two were his apprentice, Naruto Uzumaki, and his fellow blonde, Yang Xiao Long. The past three years hadn't changed the man much, save for him looking a bit more relaxed than when he had left the Leaf.
If asked, he would say that it was thanks to the years spent with his apprentice and the spitfire he was somehow linked to. Seeing their interactions, and how deep their bond was reminded the man of his late student and his equally late wife. While not redheaded like the woman was, Yang was just as spirited and fiery.
He held a slower gait than the two blondes, simply observing them with a fond smile as they talked about everything, and yet at the same time nothing in particular. The closeness of their walk to the gates showed the Toad Sage that this bond they shared wasn't something made quickly though an intense moment in time.
No, their bond started years ago, and only grew stronger as time passed by. From what Naruto had told both him and Tsunade when she had checked his mental state with medical ninjutsu, the two blondes had met one another when they were fairly young. Children who were starting to take their first steps into their futures as a Ninja and a Huntress.
While they were concerned about him, the two Sannin both came to understand that Naruto's odd link with Yang was nothing but beneficial to his growth; especially in an emotional sense. The Uzumaki had grown up alone, full of sadness and ignorance about his status as the Jinchūriki of the village. When things were too much for him, instead of being forced to deal with it alone, he always had a friend to confide in; a companion who would never leave him and offer him both the support and the comfort he desperately desired.
And that support went both ways. Naruto was fiercely protective of Yang, always prioritizing her issues before his own because he believed they were more important in the end. Jiraiya had tried to get an answer for why he had such a mindset, but he would always get the same answer.
She's worth it
It amazed the Sannin when he witnessed Naruto saying those words for the first time. The raw conviction in his voice, yet the casual tone in which he said them; as if the words were the simplest thing to say. The look on his face, an expression of unyielding devotion and care for the closest person in his life. The Uzumaki spoke of Yang not as if she were a friend, but as if she were his other half.
And yet, the young man was too dense to see just how deep his feelings were for his fellow blonde. He didn't realize just how hard he had fallen for her, only knowing that he would do anything for her. This was not something that Jiraiya, a known pervert and "player", could help his apprentice understand. His reputation wouldn't allow Naruto to fully trust his advice.
So, the man who had not been there enough for his godson hoped that his old teammate would be the one to open the Uzumaki's eyes. After all, he was as dense as granite, and Tsunade could punch granite to dust.
"This place still looks the same," Naruto muttered with a fond smile as he and Yang walked down one of the main roads of the village.
"Yeah… But it somehow feels different, huh?" she asked rhetorically, earning a faint chuckle from him. She then perked up and nudged him. "Found something different."
"Oh yeah? What?" When he saw her point toward the Hokage Mountain, he blinked once before smirking. "About time they added Granny's face up there."
"Surprised her punches haven't knocked your block off yet, Foxy."
"I'm thinking she might be holding back because I'm her favorite."
"Really? The punk kid who constantly brings up her age being her favorite?" Yang challenged in amusement.
"Don't hate because you can't relate, Firecracker," he fired back and the two devolved into a fit of chuckling as they exchanged friendly shoulder bumps.
"Naruto?" a female voice familiar to Naruto called out, earning their attention and making them turn to see that it was Temari. "Geez, you grew. You take extra vitamins during your time away?"
"Like I would use supplements to get taller," he denied with a small laugh. "Been a long time, Temari. How're things back in the Sand?"
"Much better since Gaara took over as Kazekage. It surprised us when he accepted to position, but he told us that he was inspired by you two," the blonde from the Hidden Sand told her fellow blondes.
Jiraiya spoke up at that point. "I'll go on ahead and catch up with Tsunade. Don't keep her waiting too long, you two."
The two blondes nodded to him before turning to the third blonde.
"Sandman became the leader, huh? Good for him," Yang praised. "He's probably the best pick for the role."
"Dammit… I'm happy he's doing so well, but I'm still jealous that he beat me to becoming a Kage," Naruto grumbled, prompting Yang to pat his shoulder consolingly, though she looked amused the whole time.
"You two look like you're doing well," Temari noted. "How was the training trip?"
"It was good, despite the Old Perv's antics acting up on occasion," Yang answered. "Although, the times we spoiled it for him were fun."
"Yeah, like the time you kicked down the wall separating the hot springs and made it crash on top of him," Naruto reminisced with a laugh, earning a proud grin from Yang.
"Hey, I wasn't gonna have him perving on me! So, I decided to break down the walls between us and open up for Lady's Night."
Temari twitched at the bad puns, and her urge to face palm was high when she saw Naruto genuinely chuckling at them. 'Those two are too much of an influence on one another…'
"Anyway," the whiskered blonde began, "we better get going. Granny's expecting us."
"I swear only you could get away with calling her that," Temari pointed out.
"Told you, Firecracker. I'm her favorite!"
"Uh-huh… Keep deluding yourself, Foxy," Yang jested as the duo walked off.
Left alone, Temari shook her head in amusement before looking over her shoulder. "You can come out now, Nara."
"Troublesome," the Chunin groused as he stepped out from a nearby café with two drinks in his hands. As he handed her one of them, he continued, "Didn't want them giving me any trouble or getting any ideas…"
"And what kind of ideas would they get?" she asked in a bit of a warning tone.
For once, he wisely kept his signature phrase to himself and remained silent. That didn't mean he didn't think it. 'Troublesome woman… Why do I like her again?'
"So, did you miss me?" Jiraiya asked his old teammate suggestively as he stood in her office.
"As much as I missed the debt collectors," she replied dryly.
"Oh! You wound me with your cruel words, my fair lady!"
Rolling her eyes, Tsunade couldn't quite keep her smile from showing. Despite her outward attitude, she did miss her fellow Sannin. Even if she was consistently annoyed by his antics, he was a dear friend and a valued teammate from her past.
He was far more welcome in her life than their other teammate.
"How was the trip? Fruitful, I hope."
"You think we'd return without any results?" the man challenged with a smirk. "But in all seriousness, Naruto learned plenty on this trip. Blondie too whenever she stuck around. She mostly sparred with him, but the two are definitely improving. He even came up with a few tricks thanks to her."
"What subjects did you teach him?"
"For genjutsu, I couldn't do much more than show him different ways to dispel them. Though Kakashi should've been the one to do that."
Tsunade frowned. "I've gone over his old reports on Team 7's training, and I'm far from impressed. Especially with him waiting until they were knee-deep in a C-Rank turned A-Rank mission to show them Surface Walking."
"I'm guessing you saw plenty of that when you took on your recent apprentice?"
"I saw the signs before she came to ask me. I don't get why sensei never got on Kakashi's case, but there's nothing we can do to change what happened. At least they're ready now."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "Continuing on, I made sure to check Naruto's chakra affinities for his ninjutsu. Brat's got a major Wind Nature and an average Water Nature, which works out perfectly for him. Wind is primarily offensive while Water will give him a nice blend of offense and defense. I'd recommend getting sensei's brat to help him with his Wind Nature, though."
Tsunade hummed in agreement at that. Better to have Asuma help Naruto than someone like Danzo. "What about fūinjutsu? Did you get him started on that?"
"Interestingly enough, I didn't even have to bring it up to him before we started him on that. He's rough around the edges, but he's still their kid. He's got plenty of interest like Minato did, and he's creative like Kushina was; if not a tad reckless."
"Dangerously reckless?" she asked with a touch of concern.
"Not that far, but he has a couple of seals blow up in his face. Blondie and I got a kick out of those."
Tsunade chuckled at the mental image. "Anything else?"
"Kid's been trying to recreate the effects of what Blondie called Aura with chakra."
"Aura… I remember that Yang simplified it to calling it a forcefield. How is Naruto trying to incorporate it?"
Smirking, the Toad Sage replied, "How do you think? With fūinjutsu. He's actually making some headway, too. A thin layer of protective armor that covered the body and is powered by the bearer's chakra. Obviously, the larger the chakra core, the longer the armor lasts and the more hits it could take."
"I'll be interested in seeing it when he finishes. Anything else to note?"
"He's…happy, but I doubt he understands why."
"What does that even mean?"
"What I'm getting at is that I think he has grown to love Blondie, but he doesn't understand what he's feeling. Given how little stunted his growth was, even with Yang's influence in his life, I don't think Naruto ever learned to differentiate aspects of love. In his head, he loves his friends; but I'm thinking he'd unconsciously put Yang ahead of them because of his love for her."
Tsunade frowned at that. "You didn't think to pull him aside and tell him?"
"Let's be honest, Tsunade. Would you listen to me tell you about what love for another is given my reputation?"
"Fair point, and I'm still impressed how you own the negative reputation."
"Sensei always told us to be true to ourselves. I'm a self-proclaimed Super Pervert, and I've acknowledged that for many years. I also know that being true to myself would impact my relationships with others, like how I'm not the best person to explain to Naruto what he's feeling."
"And you want me to do it?" she asked with a raised brow.
"He trusts you, Tsunade. More than he trusts most others in the village. If I had to give a Top Five, you'd probably be fourth or fifth on the list."
She blinked at that. "Why those positions?"
"We both know Blondie is his Number One."
"Obviously."
"I'd put those ramen chefs as his second and third, simply because they've done the most for him in the village. This puts you and that scar-faced Chunin… Iruka, I think?"
Tsunade nodded in confirmation.
"This puts you two at either fourth or fifth, and part of me thinks you just squeak ahead because of the bond you have with Naruto. Kid's never had a mother figure, and I can see why he'd think of you as such."
"Me? As a mother figure?" she repeated almost incredulously.
"Is it really so surprising with how often you look after him? You have occasionally doted on him when he's pushing himself too far."
She huffed at that, but still held a faint smile on her face. When Dan was alive, she had hoped to eventually marry him and become a mother. His death stung, and Nawaki dying only compounded on the pain. But then she met Naruto, and saw how far he was willing to go for his dreams…
And she felt a spark, a desire to nurture that dream of his and to protect him from what could seek to kill both that dream and him. She had bonded with the younger blonde, and she developed a dynamic with him; a relationship that only grew as time went on.
"I'll talk to him. Where are the two idiots, anyway?"
"Should be on their way. They bumped into Gaara's sister on the way here, so I told them to get here after they caught up." He chuckled and added, "I bet Naruto's both happy and jealous that Gaara already reached Kage."
Tsunade chuckled alongside him before a knock came from her door. "Come in!"
Stepping inside was a smiling Shizune followed by the two blondes. "Here's some more forms to look over, Lady Tsunade."
"Great… Just what I was hoping to see…"
"Hey, you're the best one to make sure they're in top form," Yang teased with a grin.
"I see your puns still suck."
"Everybody's a critic…"
Naruto chuckled at the byplay before he gave Tsunade a cheerful salute. "Yo, Granny! Been awhile, huh?"
"Sometimes, I think it's not long enough… Damned brat…"
"Aw! I missed you too!"
She couldn't fight the small smile at his good mood, and she got up from her seat so that she could move over to him and pull him into a hug. While a bit saddened when she felt him stiffen up for a split-second, she was glad to feel him return the embrace.
"Welcome back."
"Good to be back," he replied as they pulled away.
"Hey! Where's my hug, huh?" Yang exclaimed with a fake pout.
"I limit my hugs to one dumb blonde a day," Tsunade snarked playfully.
"You mean you didn't hug yourself today?" the Remnant blonde fired back.
"Funny… At any rate, it's good that you're both back. We can get to testing your skillsets as soon as possible and determine what your current ranks should be. I doubt that after three years, you'd still be a Genin in skill."
"I was Chunin skill before I left, Granny! You just never gave me the vest!" Naruto argued with a pout.
"Maybe skill wise, but not mentally. I want to see how much you've grown over the years; not just how strong you are."
Yang nudged him playfully. "See? Punk kid~"
"With an equally bratty imaginary friend."
"Oi!"
"Told you, Firecracker. Not fun to hear…" Naruto commented with a sigh.
"Sorry to bust your chops, but I needed to get things moving," Tsunade continued, nodding once to Shizune who then left. "For this test, I'm going to have you both, along with Sakura, go up against a series of shinobi of roughly Jonin rank. They'll test you in different aspects, give me their reports on how you've done, and then I'll decide on what rank to give. However, the highest rank I can give you confidently would be Special Jonin, since full-fledged Jonin demand more experience."
The two nodded just as the doors opened and Sakura walked in. "Naruto? When did you get back?"
"Not long ago. Yang and I just caught up with Temari before coming here," he answered.
"Sup, Pink Lemonade?" Yang greeted.
"Seriously, why do you call me that?" the pinkette questioned with a faint frown.
"At least you're not regular Lemonade. That mind reader girl is that."
"And how is that better?"
"Sakura, what color is lemonade?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
"Yellow…?"
"And what color do you piss?" Yang continued with a smirk.
"…You sneaky bitch."
"I try."
"Moving on!" Tsunade butted in again while Jiraiya smirked at the byplay. She then turned to the window and demanded, "Get your ass in here!"
"Maa, maa…" a familiar voice sighed out as a certain masked Jonin hopped onto the windowsill in a crouch, giving his signature eye-smile to the three teenagers. "Yo! Long time, no see."
"Kakashi-sensei? How long were you out there?" Sakura asked in slight surprise.
"Sup, sensei/Scarecrow?" Naruto and Yang greeted the Jonin respectively.
"I wasn't out there long," the man answered as fully stepped into the office and stood next to them before Tsunade. "I'll be the one testing you and Naruto on your ninjutsu."
"What about me?" Yang asked in confusion.
"Due to you possessing a Shadow Clone of Naruto's," Tsunade began, "we're going under the assumption that any ninjutsu you could use would just be ones that Naruto has learned over the years."
"That…actually makes sense."
"However, we will be testing you all on your taijutsu. Despite using a borrowed body, you still move and act as your own person. That means you also use a different fighting style and would react differently in a fight."
"Got it. we're actually going to do an Initiation Test or whatever tomorrow morning back home."
"I know that you two told me about the connection that you share," Sakura spoke up, "but it still sounds crazy how casual you guys talk about another world…"
"We know," they both replied in stereo.
"That's weird too…
Grinning similarly, they repeated, "We know~!"
"Stop that!"
"Stop what?"
"UGH!"
"Enough! You two can drive Sakura insane another time!" Tsunade called out, hiding her smirk at the betrayed look her pinkette apprentice gave her. "Kakashi will test you on your ninjutsu, I'll have Anko test you on your taijutsu, and Kurenai will test your genjutsu. And before you start," she cut off when Naruto and Yang looked ready to speak, "I know that neither of you can use genjutsu. However, that doesn't mean I can't test your defense against them."
The two younger blondes nodded in understanding.
"For Sakura, I'll have Shizune test your medical knowledge. I've trained her for years, and she'll know what I'd be on the lookout for."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And for your fūinjutsu, Naruto, I'll have you demonstrate to myself and all the judges what you believe to be your most advanced seal. We'll confer with Jiraiya and decide on a grade afterwards."
"Got it."
"We'll go through with the tests in the next few days. Be sure to give your all in every one of them."
The three of them nodded, each looking eager.
"That's all I have for now. Naruto, I'd like to talk to you privately for a moment. Yang, either dispel or find something to do."
They both blinked at that before Yang shrugged. "Alright. I'll go check the apartment, see if it needs sprucing up."
"Thanks, Firecracker. See you in a bit," Naruto bid as she left, followed by Sakura, Kakashi, and Shizune.
"Well, I'm off to relax," Jiraiya announced. "Maybe get in some research time, too."
The two remaining blondes rolled their eyes as the man left. "Have a seat, Naruto."
"I'm not in trouble already, am I?" he asked with an awkward chuckle.
"No, but what I wanted to talk with you about is pretty serious."
"Why couldn't Yang be here for it, then?"
"Because, in a way, it involves Yang, and I don't want her distracting you."
He frowned slightly in confusion, but he said nothing.
"Naruto… How do you feel about Yang?"
"How do I feel?" he repeated.
"Yes. When you're around Yang, how do you feel? What goes through your mind?"
"Well… I love spending time with her, no matter what we're doing. We could just be hanging out doing nothing, and I'm happy. And even if she's the only one who can see and hear me in Remnant, I still enjoy those moments."
"I see… And how do you feel about your friends?"
"Where are you going with this?" he asked suspiciously.
"Please… Just answer the question. I promise that it'll make sense in the end," she pleaded.
Her expression made him soften his own with a sigh. "I like spending time with them, and I'd do anything I can for them."
"Not Yang?"
"What? Of course, I'd do anything for her! Hell, there's nothing I wouldn't do for her!"
"Uh-huh… And why do you feel so defensive about that?"
"Because you made it sound like Yang isn't important to me?"
"Did I? All I asked was if she was exempt from the same treatment that you give your friends."
"But you… I mean…"
"How do you feel about me?" Tsunade pressed.
"About you? Well… I find it easy to talk to you, sometimes. I mean, there are things that I think you'd be able to help me with better than others…"
"Go on…" she gently urged with a smile.
"I… Sometimes, you…. You make me think that you're the closest thing I have to…"
"To…?"
"…to a mom…" he admitted softly, looking away almost guiltily. "…sorry…"
"Oh, Naruto…" she whispered fondly. "You don't ever have to apologize for seeing me that way. I care about you very much, and I sometimes think of you as my own."
"You do…?"
"Of course, I do. You and I have grown closer since we first met, and we share a mutual love for one another; a storge love."
"Storge love…? What does that mean?"
"It means we love each other like family would; you as the son and me as the mother. There are different kinds of love, Naruto. Did you know that?"
"I… No… I don't think so…"
"That's what I wanted to talk with you about. While I'm happy that you've grown up, you must understand that there are things that you missed because no one explained them to you. This doesn't make you dumb or stupid. It's just something nobody taught you; something that a parent would normally teach their children."
"So… If I love you like family, what about my friends?"
"That would be philia love, or a sense of belonging and acceptance to a group. Over the years, you've bonded with your fellow ninja and found acceptance in them and for them."
"How do you know the names for them?" he asked curiously.
"Being a medical ninja, I've studied many different aspects of health. Of these aspects, I've also studied mental and emotional health," she explained. "During those studies, the notion of love was given a more…thorough explanation, particularly to the different kinds of it."
"Huh… That's kinda cool," he admitted with a smile.
"I'm glad you find it so interesting. Now, the next kind of love is a love for yourself. This is known as philautic love, and sometimes can be a bit extreme. There's loving yourself positively, and there's loving yourself too much. There are also times when it's the opposite, and you hate yourself for something you've done, something someone said you believe to be true, and something you just are."
"That sounds…complicated…"
"Love, in all forms, is never truly simple, Naruto. It's just a part of life…"
"Oh… So, you've talked about three different kinds of love already: my love for you, my friends, and myself. I know I'm not the sharpest kunai, but I'm guessing the next kind of love…is what I feel for Yang?"
Tsunade smiled softly. "Correct. Before I tell you, what do you think the love you have for her is?"
"…It's more than that friendship love," he began.
"Philia," she supplied, earning a nod.
"And…I think it's stronger than storge love…"
"You don't see her as family?"
"I do… But I can't help thinking that it's more than that…"
"How much more?" she gently pressed.
"…enough to know that…if I lost her…it would hurt more than anything I've gone through," he answered. "If she was taken away from my life… I don't… I wouldn't know what to do… I'd feel…"
"Like you lost everything? That you'd never be the same again?"
"Yeah…" he agreed, looking up to meet her gaze. "How did you…?"
"Because…when Dan died…and Nawaki not long after… That's exactly what I went through. I had lost the man I loved, and then my younger brother… The two biggest sources of warmth and love in my life, both taken from me… I became a bitter old woman who dragged Shizune with me on a self-destructive trip throughout the Land of Fire, trying to deny the pain I was feeling and drown it all in booze and gambling debts…"
His expression was one of sympathy, and he felt some guilt at how he had behaved when he first met her. He didn't know she had gone through so much, and his bratty attitude probably didn't help.
"Based on that," she picked back up, wiping the tear that almost fell, "what sort of love do you think you have for Yang?"
Thinking back on his words, and what he was afraid of going through if Yang was taken from him, Naruto didn't need much time to find his answer.
"…I love her," he admitted softly, realization in his eyes. "I'm in love with her…"
He saw Tsunade smile and nod. "Yes. This kind of love is known as eros, a romantic and sexual love."
"S-Sexual…?" he repeated with a stutter and growing blush.
Smirking at him, she confirmed, "Yes, sexual. It's not surprising to feel that way for someone you're in love with. You want to be there for her, to have her in your life, and to have a future with her. Be honest, Naruto. The thought of a family… You can see that might be possible with Yang, can't you?"
His blush grew and he looked away in embarrassment. "…maybe…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Naruto. I felt that way for Dan when we were together. And your parents felt that for you. It was their love that created you, after all."
"My parents… Could you…tell me about them? Please?"
Her smile lessened to a somber one, the brightness of the room dying down slightly. "Of course… I'm sorry you were never told, especially when you, of all people, deserve to know who they are."
"The Old Man… He never told me whenever I asked… And it hurt every time he wouldn't give me a real answer…"
"I'm so sorry… But let me tell you who they were." She was glad to see him brighten up, and she continued, "Let me tell you about Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki…"
It was the early evening hours that found Naruto finally returning to his apartment after years away from it. A serene smile was on his face, one born from so many revelations that were experienced in Tsunade's office.
Finding out Tsunade loved him like a son…
Learning the identities of his parents…
Hearing about his parents and how amazing they were…
Realizing his feelings for Yang…
All of it was enough to make him feel lighter than air, as if he would reach the stars if he jumped in elation. But then, he came right back down to earth when a stray thought entered his mind.
Does Yang feel for him what he feels for her? Does she love him, too?
He almost froze in front of his door, his hand grasping the handle at the terrifying thought. These newly understood feelings were opening up the doors for new fears to enter. The biggest being that Yang didn't feel the same.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Naruto opened his door and stepped inside. "I'm home…" he called out a bit weakly.
"About time, Foxy!" Yang called from his couch. She had been lounging and looking at his old childhood comics for a couple hours now. "What took so long?"
"Oh! Uh… Granny had…a lot to talk to me about…"
"Like what?"
He wanted to bring up what he felt for her, to tell her that Tsunade helped him understand how much he cared about the wonderful blonde woman standing before him. He wanted to close the distance, take her in his arms, and show her how important she was to him…
But his fears reared their ugly heads, and he held back.
'I need time to know…' he assured himself, despite how much it hurt to hold back his own feelings.
Instead, he plastered on a smile and decided to tell her the other revelation Tsunade had given him.
"I found out who my parents were…"
"Really? That's… That's great, Naruto!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, taking his hands in hers and dragging him to his couch while missing how his cheeks reddened and his smile softened. "Don't keep me in suspense! Tell me!"
His smile, while not a full one, was still true as he told her about his parents. The chance to speak about them, to share their histories with Yang, would be enough for now.
'Someday, Yang… I'll tell you how I feel… I promise…'
And that's chapter two! I hope you all enjoyed it!
There are, according to professional studies, eight different kinds of love:
Eros: Romantic/Sexual
Philia: Friendship/Belonging
Storge: Family
Ludus: Play/Fun/Exciting
Mania: Obsessive
Pragmatic: Enduring/Being There
Philautic: Love for Yourself
Agape: Love for Humanity
I thought it'd be interesting to show them to you all, so that way you can look into them yourself! What kinds of love have you experienced throughout your life? ^_^
Naruto has finally realized what kind of love he feels for his fellow blonde thanks to another blonde. But, like many of us do, the fear of rejection and loss is holding him back from showing those feelings to her.
Will he break away from those fears and tell Yang the truth? Will Yang find out before he can tell her? And what will happen when our two Blondes return to Remnant for Beacon's initiation test?
Please leave me your feedback in reviews! They sustain me!
Until next time!
Stay safe, healthy, and positive!
Dreaming of the Future
pain17ification