For the sake of understanding, the ages are as such.
Oguma: 41
Sebun: 21 (recent)
Louis and Haru: 18
Legoshi and friends: 17
Naruto: 16 (Turns 17 coming October)
Also, a little change to the canon.
Louis is about 6 when he's adopted. It's just a little adjustment.
~NRK~
Louis sat outside the hospital room with his hands folded and his head down on them.
'It's fine, it's fine,' he told himself as he grit his teeth. '... You're a goddamn failure!' he wanted to rip his damn fur out!
W-Why was this a situation he was in?! He was supposed to be the smart, composed, one! Naruto even deferred to him as that title.
So why the hell had he allowed his brother's trust to be broken?! He'd not only gotten him injured, he, Louis, almost got killed because of a moment of emotion!
"...Tsk!" he ran his hand through the fur on his head, minding his antlers. "..." he got up and looked through the viewing glass.
There he laid, posted up in a hospital room.
The damage Naruto had received, all of which was Louis's fault and he'll fight anyone on that, was mostly centered around his chest down to his thighs.
The doctors had been urgently concerned, tending to him, but that's where the weirdness started.
Animals had what could, kind of, be called a good healing rate. A broken arm would take about a week to heal. Most historians believed that in the past, the Nature Animals and the Life Animals had longer rates.
Many believed that this was because their bodies evolved over time and that was simply an excellent change.
So him healing fast was to be expected…. But it was more than that.
Even as they applied their methods, many noticed that he looked the slightest bit different from the original photos taken of him four hours ago. His healing was fast.
Louis questioned why this was and the only thing he could think of was Naruto's heritage.
Had he gotten some kind of biological miracle and added his parents' healing factors together? The staff certainly seemed interested enough.
Their father had to get aggressive with some of the doctors whose gazes became a bit more greedy.
Louis was thankful, for, if they'd tried anything, he'd have been forced to beat them to a pulp with his bare hands.
Back in focus, Naruto was currently bandaged from the chest down to the thighs. His arms and shins were mostly fine and were simply rattled by the hits he took… For the most part.
Louis's eyes narrowed as he brought up his phone and re-read the information the cops had gleaned.
That rhino was a man named Reiner. He was a disgraced wrestler after he'd been handed a match from his opponent focusing on his family and not showing up.
Louis's hand tightened its grip on his phone.
That filthy animal had stalked him down and pressed for a middle-of-the-street brawl on concrete.
His opponent was recorded as denying the fight before he was blindsided by the deluded rhino.
He'd been charged with intent to kill and had been on the run, which was ironic because you'd think someone that big would be easy to find.
The more you know, he guesses.
His eyes trailed back to Naruto's left arm.
It'd been bandaged and treated with anti-venom but the doctors also found that the fox's healing was also metabolizing it, making him partially immune.
Oh, the looks on some of those doctors' faces made him want to kill something.
He sighed as the flapping of the double doors to this room clued him in on another presence.
The shifting of paper bags told him who as the person placed down a bag of a popular herbivore food chain next to him.
"Has anything…" Sebun struggled to speak for a moment. "Any changes, Master Louis?"
"... The doctors have said his brain activity is fine," Louis said as he picked up the bag and took out the vegetable sandwich. "They're surprised he's able to awaken so quickly with the poison."
Sebun's mouth pressed into a straight line that couldn't stay that way, wobbling in guilt, worry, and thought.
"... He won't blame you, I know I don't," Louis said with a frown as he ate, swallowing his food before speaking. "You gave him enough time to save our father's life. We're eternally thankful."
Sebun looked shocked at the gratitude before something caught her attention.
"So it's true?" she asked, getting a sigh from the deer. "I-If you don't want to say anything, I understand."
"... No, it's fine, chances are high it'll get out soon enough," the deer said. "Yes, Naruto is the true biological son of Oguma."
"... 'True'?" Sebun looked confused as Louis wore a sad, amused, smile. "Is… Is there something else?"
"Yes," Louis said as he looked around at the cameras by the doors. "But not here. We'll talk about it once we can get home."
"Last I saw Master Oguma, he was talking to the press," she said as she looked into Naruto's medical room. "I didn't think he'd look so annoyed."
"Think about it. His son is in the hospital, he wants to be there, and all these people, who are gossips, keep trying to get more secrets out of him," Louis explained. "I'm more surprised he hasn't just stormed off already."
"I believe that things might get worse if he does."
Louis nodded as the doors to the hall opened up to reveal Oguma himself along with…
Louis's eyes widened at the sight of the drama club. "W-What are you all doing here?"
Well, he said 'all' but it was more Legoshi, Bill, Tem, Els, Shira, and Riz.
"We saw what happened on the news," Legoshi spoke first, wearing his gym clothes along with most of the others. "Though, I didn't think we'd get in early. Your dad let us through, though."
"I was aware of your classmates' names and characteristics," Oguma said with a nod as the group moved forward, his eyes looking through the viewing window with sharp intent. "... You've read the files of the police report, yes?"
Louis's eyes narrowed. "I did. Reiner's the rhino. They incarcerated him in the Low-Quarter prison."
"You mustn't just focus on the main issue," the older deer said, getting an odd look from his adopted son. "Did you see the report on the incident?"
"Yes?"
"... That woman who held you at knifepoint," Louis's eyes widened. "She escaped the scene of the crime when we weren't looking."
"She what?!" The teen deer was out of his seat in seconds. "What do you mean?! She was nailed to the wall when Naruto threw that dagger!"
"Yes, through her sleeve," Oguma emphasized. "She slipped out of her stabbed clothing and disappeared. With how small she was, I'm not surprised she didn't look suspicious to a normal passerby."
"Most of the time, I know most people think more highly of smaller animals," Tem said with a nervous gaze at Naruto's room. "... It's not easy to try to assume that of smaller people."
"That's correct," Oguma said. "With that fact, she's off the radar for now. We did catch those other miscreants that Naruto dealt with."
"Dealt with," Legoshi said. "Um, Mr. Oguma, we saw the testimonies but did Naruto really deal with all these people?"
Oguma nodded along with Sebun. "Yes, he did. Naruto had excellent fighting skills as a child but, seeing him now, I'm more shocked to think he'd done all this with a handicap of us being there. I'm sure that, in a vacuum, Naruto would have bested all those people."
"Whoa," Bill looked awed. "Now, I really have to beat him at the gym."
"Gym?" Louis looked amused. "IF you can overcome over ten years of three martial arts, be my guest."
"Three-excuse me?"
"Bill, you don't honestly think Naruto can just go around being called my bodyguard without actually having the skills to back those words up, do you?"
"Wait, I thought it wasn't real, though," Tem asked. "So it was more than just a fake-out?"
"Yes, mostly of Naruto's design, though," Oguma answered. "That boy… He said as such, 'If I'm going to handle the title, I have to handle everything that comes Louis and my way'," he recited as Louis looked amused. "He trains just about every day as far as I know. On the days in which you all have no school, half-days, or just get out early, Naruto trains, most likely."
"He does it at the school's track course as well," Louis added. "He typically keeps his ankle and wrist weights in the barbell club."
"Which I still wonder how that's a real club," Els said with a nervous laugh. "I don't really get it."
Legoshi nodded at the thought of it, his finger coming up to the bottom of his lip. "Being strong is attractive to people… I think."
"Well, then I'm really damn attractive!" Bill announced with his chest out and hands on his hips.
Oguma raised a brow as Louis's shoulders shook as he covered his face.
"Ignore him, he's delusional, sir," Els said with a smile. "We're probably going to come by tomorrow. We actually just wanted to see if we could even get in today."
"Hm, I'll have the staff make arrangements for you all," Oguma said. "Thank you, I know Naruto will apprec-"
"Um," Riz spoke up as he looked at Naruto's viewing window. "Doesn't he know now, though?"
The group blinked at him before looking at the view-
The fox teen was sat up, looking at the group through the window.
He smiled as he waved at them.
~NRK~
All around the dorms, the news spread more from mouth to mouth.
"So he's Louis's brother?"
"How long do you think it's been that way?"
"I mean, this doesn't mean he's blood-related, right?"
"There are probably going to be tests and stuff to see if it's true."
More of such words passed between students of all years, Naruto's possible new-found heritage the hottest topic.
Haru huffed as she sat outside the freshman building, ears perked.
"It's kind of hot, isn't it?" she blinked as she heard that one. "Naruto's always been so odd."
"If he was a mix-breed, does that explain how he shows no threat? Is he just not capable of it?"
"You wonder where the deer begins and the fox ends~?"
"Hufufufufu, my gosh!"
There was laughter amongst the freshman as they giggled or fantasized.
"Guess we'll know when he gets back."
"Ya think he takes personal students for some private time?"
"If he did, bitch, you're not first in line."
"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter and excitement rang through their words and Haru wondered if all the girls in this school were this thirty.
She left, knowing that Naruto was here, nor was Louis in the third-year dorms, leaving her with nothing to do.
'... Hmmm,' she considered something before snapping her fingers at an idea with a smile. 'Flowers are always good!'
~NRK~
She considered the report of the fox before.
Dressed in her gang's formal pure white cheongsam, she was one of the lower-level members.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked the fox woman before her, eyepatch over her right eye shifting as she placed her chin on her raised templed hands. "... I'll need to watch this newsfeed-"
There was a beep from her phone and she raised a brow at the nervously chuckling gang member.
She smirked. "Seriously, you timed it that perfectly, huh?"
"I thought it fit, Ten," the low-level gang member said as she observed her leader.
The leader of the Inarigumi, Ten the Fox.
Ten was a red fox wearing a black qipao dress with a high collar. The article of clothing's long slit down the side allowing for her long legs to show.
Smooth fur broke through and led down into a pair of black heels that the gang boss had stomped out more than enough people with.
Ten nodded as she pulled out her flip phone, much to her underling's nervous chuckling.
"We seriously need to get you a more up-to-date phone."
"H-Hey! These phones are good enough!" the woman pleaded. "See, no need for a weird screen that scans your fingerprints."
"For the last time, that's not what phones do on purpose. It's a locking function."
"And I have all the keys I need."
"By also needing to press some five times to get a single syllable. Ten, please, let me get you a new phone! I promise! It'll be something you'll love!"
Ten slumped. "I-It's not that bad, is it?"
The underling didn't comment as she got up and ran out of the room.
"Girls! We gotta get Ten a new, cute, phone!"
"Yes!"
Moments later, ten pairs of steps left their hideout, leaving the boss of the Inarigumi completely lost on just how many of her subordinates cared.
"I'd be so touched if I didn't feel like I just failed the phone test," she muttered with embarrassment and a pout, looking at her phone as she pressed the 'Enter' key to play the video.
It was a set of interviews of people of a bank heist. Listening to a few, Ten was, indeed, interested.
"... The son of the Horns Conglomerate?" she asked in disbelief. "No, wait, it could just be an odd misspeak."
Perhaps the herbivore was kinder to the boy than one would think… Or this was real.
Chances were, before the coming week was out, everyone would know whether it was a true blood connection or not.
That said, she blinked at a little hyperlink under the video.
Clicking on it, she watched with fascination as a badly-record video of the fox of the day played out.
She tilted her head at the way he fought. 'He seems to truly understand how to use his body's gifts.'
Foxes were agile beings and not just due to good training.
A fox's skeleton was simply very malleable, it was like a cat's. They contort and move in ways that made them agile fighters.
And this boy seemed very good at making use of his body's natural abilities.
Watching further, she grimaced at how he was put into a situation because of a herbivore.
The attack on his person that followed after had her wincing.
'He survived all of that from a former wrestler?' she thought in disbelief. 'Surely, after this, he's going to be affected.'
That's the only way she could see this going. Ten knew that she couldn't take a blow like that head-on.
So she expected someone to interrupt the fight but no one did, the boy was thrown into the air as the rhino got ready to gore him.
Even knowing what happened already, her hand on her desk tensed.
So imagine her surprise when the boy not only threw something that was on his person to blind the former wrestler, he threw his voice as well.
'He's talented!' she thought as he reached the rhino's height from his fall, removing the weapon on the man's back to save the herbivore. 'And very quick-thinking!'
She was truly and utterly impressed. Many wouldn't understand just how impressive the boy's quick thinking was.
Watching the rest, she frowned at the tall woman at the rhino's side.
'... Do I know her?' Something bothered her about this animal. 'Why…'
Pristine white fur, kicking techniques, and speed to boot.
… No, she had to have known this woman. Why'd did all that information sound familiar and not?
Frowning as the video came to an end, Ten considered what she was to do.
She certainly couldn't recruit him, ignoring the fact that he was male and her gang was full of women, she's unsure of how long he'd last before he became a breeding stag of foxkind for her members.
Lord knows that a good amount of them haven't gotten laid yet.
"..." she considered something before leaning back in her chair.
Well, above all else, she guessed she'd have to meet him first before deciding anything.
~NRK~
The doctor had been called and the group allowed in to see the fox who grinned at them.
"I didn't expect to see you guys here," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head with his right arm. "Actually, how long have I been out?"
"Five hours," Oguma said as he checked his watch. "From the moment of you being set onto a stretcher to now, it's been that amount of time."
"Really?" Naruto blinked. "I guess I felt like it'd be longer than that."
"Be thankful it wasn't," Louis said in response, getting a nod from his sibling. "... Haaa," he sighed as he crossed his arms. "Things have gone to hell in a handbasket since you've been hospitalized."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked as Sebun, Legoshi, and Tem observed his left arm. "I mean, yeah, it was a bank robbery but I don't think that's what you mean."
Louis shook his head. "Naruto, do you remember the last words you said to father before you ended up like this?"
"Hmmm," he frowned as he tried to remember it. "... There was 'get down', 'my luck sucked', and…?!" the fox boy paled. "O-Oh… Oh shit. I-"
"Yes, many have you on record of calling me your father," the fox's eyes shrunk. "I handled the press as much as I could but they came at me with a question that put me into an inevitable position," Oguma continued with a nod. "They asked for a blood test."
"... It is kind of weird," Bill said as he scratched his forehead. "I mean, you did, that's what the interviews said. I didn't really think about it but I can see why people might want to know."
"The truth…" Naruto said softly before sighing. "Haaa, I really want to know why it matters, though. In the end, what would them knowing solve?"
"The public opinion would probably shift in specific to us three," Oguma said as Louis frowned. "I know not what kind, though."
"Hmmm," Legoshi considered it. "I mean, would it really be that bad?"
"That depends on people's opinions, Legoshi," Louis said. "You all may not care but the world at large knowing is far different in scale. There will be people who are confused, worried, scared."
"Wait, why?" Riz asked. "I don't get it."
"There's a large number of reasons," Oguma said. "It can range from the mundane of me preferring carnivores to something insane, like, I lure people into my home so I may feed my son."
Legoshi's eyes widened. "Naruto wouldn't accept that!" he exclaimed, getting the group to jump. "T-That is, to say, I don't think that's fair to think…" the wolf said, rubbing the back of his neck with his gaze not facing anyone in the room. "Ah, sorry."
"... No, that is an appropriate action," Louis was intrigued by this outburst. "Legoshi, that was rather out of character."
"..." the wolf was quiet for a moment. "I… I know what it's like, at least, from seeing it in someone else."
"Really?" Els asked in disbelief. "This is my first time meeting someone with both kinds of blood in them."
"Who was it?" Bill asked rudely. "Someone we know?"
"Maybe it's someone he knows?" Tem wondered.
"..." Legoshi looked conflicted.
"Legoshi, that's enough," Naruto called out, getting the group to turn to him. "Guys, don't push him like that. If Legoshi says he's seen someone like me before then we take his word for it. Legoshi's not a liar."
The group blinked at him before Oguma and Louis noted the others' reactions.
"... He's kind of right," Els said with a slow nod as she put on an apologetic smile. "Sorry.
"No, no, it's fine!" Legoshi waved his hands in protest. "I know it can be annoying sometimes to not know what I mean."
"Ain't that the truth," Bill said with a flat stare at the now coughing-into-his-fist Legoshi. "When it comes to speaking, Legoshi's kind of a maze. Especially when he first joined."
"He's hard to figure out!" Tem added as the wolf blushed, causing the alpaca to chuckle. "It's fine, you've been getting way better since the beginning."
"I don't really know him like that," Riz said. "He just seems a little awkward."
"He is," Naruto teased. "I'm sure Legoshi is more afraid of every herbivore in the world than they are of him."
"T-That's!" the wolf teen blushed as the others chuckled. "..." he pouted.
Naruto snickered.
'... He really is one of a kind, isn't he?' Louis thought in slight awe. 'That's the truest nature of him.'
It always surprised him just how approachable Naruto was as a person. With how the fox seemed hard to grasp a motive on, he was open, willing, and inspiring.
Oguma, on the other hand, saw more of what he'd learned to expect of his younger child.
Sebun stared at the children in surprise before she smiled.
Was Naruto always such an encouraging force for animals? It seemed so.
Sebun, at least, thought so.
"Hm," Oguma noted the time. "Come, everyone, the visiting hour we've been granted has passed and it's getting close to evening."
The clock outside, after some looking, indeed told them it was almost five o'clock.
"Whoa," Els said nervously. "I… I was with my parents when this happened! They're gonna be worried."
"Go off, it's fine," Naruto said with a nod. "I'll either be here or home, depending on how much I've healed up. So you'll see me eventually."
"I'll come by tomorrow," Legoshi said with a nod. "Jack might even come."
"The more the merrier, Legoshi."
"Hmph!" Bill crossed his arms with a grunt.
"I'll see ya-"
"I'm gonna come! Dammit!" the tiger slumped. "Or, at least, I'll try. I was supposed to hang with some of the other guys today."
"Then do it, I'm not gonna disappear on you guys," Naruto said before nervously chuckling. "If anything, looking at the news might be a good idea. I get the feeling I'm gonna be staying at home more for the next couple of weeks."
"With paparazzi, you can never know," Oguma sighed as he shook his head. "That all said, we do have to deal with the main issue of all this."
"You mean the whole me messing up thing?"
"You did no such thing," Oguma frowned. "Without the luck of Sebun being there, I would, in fact, be dead. Being called by my child in my last moments is not something I'd find undesirable."
Naruto blushed before laughing embarrassedly as Louis smirked.
"Well… I'm gonna be honest, dad, is this situation even solvable?" Naruto asked seriously, Oguma cupping his chin.
Going through situations of scandals was something he'd had experience with. He'd never been in many, much less the cause for any of them, so he had off-brand experience.
What did that mean? The issues remained in the populace. I.E. the internet.
People seemed to be able to group together for the most mundane of things sometimes and the internet helped them do that easier.
They'd find pictures of the fox somehow and match it with his own to find similarities.
Two, they'd already called for a blood test. While he could easily get a fake one done, that might not be a good idea.
While he didn't want people to have known of Naruto's heritage before, it was never because he was ashamed of his son.
His literal infinitesimal chance of having children made his child a miracle in and of itself.
No, the issue had been one born of his own shame when he was younger. He wouldn't lie, he'd been a far more judging man than before. Far more selfish as well.
He'd been racked with guilt, shame, embarrassment, and, worst of all, annoyance.
Back then, he'd found the two-year-old child to be a menace to his reputation.
It'd been one year of living with, though he used those words very loosely, the fox before he'd decided to get an heir.
It'd been the years with both children under his name, Naruto's hidden from public record, that he'd come to realize just how… malicious he'd become.
It hadn't happened immediately, unfortunately.
It took Naruto protecting Louis the first time they met, to cause a change.
So, no, he felt no shame in Naruto being his son at this point… And, perhaps, that was a truth that should be told to the world now.
"... We'll reveal it," he said succinctly, surprising the teen. "Ignoring the facts that it's not a good idea to hide it at this point, I… I've kept my true connection to you from the public eye long enough. Perhaps it'd been far too long since it was the wrong thing to do."
Naruto stared at his dad.
"Confirming the connection will happen," Oguma said with a small smile. "I hope you don't mind."
"... Hehe~" Naruto grinned. "Why would I? I'm your son, after all."
Louis grunted with a smirk. "I hope you enjoy the attention at school," Naruto's grin fell. "Why, imagine the rumor mill? Bodyguard to brother! Who could have seen this development?! I've known all along!" Louis faked, pretty well at that, a reporter's voice, grinning at the fox's shrunken eyes.
"Am I the only one who's never seen Louis-sempai be so jokey?" Els whispered to her fellow drama club members. "This is so new to me."
"Yu-huh," came the collective response.
Oguma nodded, patting Naruto's bandaged arm, observing it some. "We'll speak in time, I've been ignoring my publicist for a while now," he said as he pulled out his phone and opened it. "... Ah, 34 calls… That isn't going to be a good conversation, I feel."
"See ya, Dad," Naruto said with a grin as Oguma blinked before chuckling.
"Yes, you will, Naruto, my son," the deer said before nodding as he left.
The room was warm enough that Bill felt second-hand embarrassment.
"Okay, this is a bit too sappy for my tastes," the tiger said as he coughed into his fist. "We'll see you whenever, Naruto," he said before leaving.
"He's nicer than he thinks," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Geez, and I thought today would be a normal one."
"The world finds a way," Louis said as he got up. "I'll be back. We did have an essay assignment in Language today and it."
"Uh-oh," Tem froze, a nervous sweat falling down his brow. "H-Hey, Legoshi, didn't we have a math assignment?"
"...?!" the wolf blinked before he became alarmed. "Sorry, Naruto! We have to go!"
The other said similar things, rushing off as the Saturday sun set outside the former blonde's window.
All alone, Naruto let out a breath he'd never known he was holding.
"Hm, hm, they're some amazing guys."
"I'd agree."
He jumped, head snapping in the direction of an amused-looking Sebun who carried a tray full of food items.
"I-I thought you left!"
"Yeah, I did, I figured you would want something to eat. We left the house to also get some food, remember?" she asked as she brought it over to the nightstand by his bed.
"?" Naruto blinked before his stomach growled something fierce. "O-Oh, hahahaha," he laughed embarrassedly. "I guess I didn't notice."
"I can imagine," Sebun said as she sat down on one of the four chairs in the room, three by the fox's left bedside with one on the other. "You literally almost died."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked around his banana, swallowing as he spoke. "Glp! What do you mean? I wasn't thinking about that."
Sebun was confused. "What?" she didn't get it. "Master Naruto, you were in a bad condition! If you hadn't thought quickly, you'd be a horn-pinned mural!"
"I guess, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head while he chuckled. "I can imagine dad wasn't too happy about that."
"Oh, he was furious," Sebun explained. "Master Naruto, I didn't think I'd ever see a herbivore look scarier than a carnivore for even a moment but Master Oguma looked ready to kill some of the reporters and the doctors."
"The doctors?"
She filled him in on what had happened while he was out, leaving the former ninja looking down under his blanket, just in case.
"Hm, hm, hm!" he pat everywhere before letting out a sigh of relief, Sebun giggling as he did. "Okay, there wasn't any sneaky business. I'm whole."
"I don't want to imagine what your father would if you weren't."
"Oh, I'm sure he'd have a normal reaction," Naruto grinned. "Totally, there'd just be a building in need of rebuilding. Ya know? Normal emotions."
Sebun grinned. "I get ya, I do, Master Naruto," she said with a smile. "... I'm curious, Master Naru-"
"Sebun, please," Naruto pleaded with a nervous smile. "Naruto is fine. Getting called 'master' now isn't doing me any favors."
"... Naruto," she said, the name falling off her lips with ease. "I'm just… how are you right now? The pain, the potential death, maybe losing your dad, being recognized, now, as the son of Oguma? All of it."
Naruto blinked at her, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "Well… I guess the right phrase would be 'I'm not'," he said, confusing her. "Let me explain. I always knew I'd place myself in danger to protect Louis and dad, that was never a question. For the sake of being clear, it's not because they're herbivores, I just knew that, at the end of the day, I had to be strong for them."
Sebun blinked at the young man before. "Be strong for them?" she repeated in confusion.
"Yeah," Naruto said as he pressed certain parts of his arm. "Dad… Dad wasn't the best person in the past, he was more cold and strict. Having me didn't make him any better. So, I had to be the energy. I like being the energy. I liked making sure he knew how to lighten up but that didn't really become as effective until Louis came-."
Sebun tilted her head at him.
"... Oh, right," he winced. "That info-"
"He said we'd talk about it at the manor," Sebun responded with a nod. "Continue, Naruto."
He smiled. "Yeah, so, being there for them in the ways I wanted to help was important. They didn't talk to each other as much so, whenever I was at the dinner table, I'd chat 'em up. Dad spent too much time inside, so I'd ask to go out and play with Louis to also get him outside the house. Dad built a balcony in the back because he now enjoys the outside while he works.
He placed his right hand over his heart as his left arm twitched.
"Because people need people. Because I knew I had to because no one else could," he grinned. "Louis and dad may not see it but they're, like, the same people. It's almost crazy how much Louis and dad are alike but it worked out. They need someone to, not ground them, but let them be more cheerful, me thinks."
Sebun sat there, stunned, as she listened. "...?" she questioned how a child… No, a young man like Naruto came to be.
Where was this wisdom coming from? Was he not just sixteen? Why take on these responsibilities?
"... You look like you don't get me as much as I'm trying to explain it."
"No, I… I do get what you're saying," she began before frowning. "I just… why? Naruto, you were still just a child. Why do something like that?"
"Like I said, because someone has to," he reiterated, much to her confusion.
"Naruto, most children don't do that."
"And we both know I'm not normal," he said back, handing her point right back to her. "I get it, Sebun. I do. Most will say that I should enjoy myself without worrying about all that kind of big stuff but, in the end, I can't unless my precious people are also happy."
Her eyes widened as she blinked. "Precious people?" the sheep asked.
"Yup, the people in my life who are important to me," the fox explained. "Louis, dad, the guys in the drama club, Kuuzo, Harry, you-"
"Me?" she looked at him. "Naruto, we've barely met. I didn't even know you existed until last evening!"
"And yet, you're the one who calmed me down at the bank," her eyes widened. "Thanks for that, by the way. I was mad at that rhino dude for thinking he would try and charge at my family when I'm down."
"So that was you?"
"Yeah, that's what we call 'killing intent'," he explained. "It's the intent of doing what's necessary, to me, anyway. If I had to come back from the freaking dead to kill him, I'd have had to."
Killing intent? What was this? Some kind of odd comic?!
And, yet, she'd felt it, hadn't she? She felt the veins in her heart stop at the thought of being near Naruto.
So that was real.
"Not just helping me, you saved dad," he explained further. "You were already pretty alright in my book by being able to come near me."
"..." she frowned at that, hand coming around to hold her arm. "... I… Did you know that, in the interview for this job, I was asked if I was okay near predators?"
"Let me, you said you were, right?"
"Yeah."
"It's pretty obvious you're not, Sebun," Naruto said as he rubbed his neck. "Chances are high that even Kuuzo knew when he interviewed you."
"H-Huh?!" she looked at him with wide eyes. "T-Then why?! You shouldn't have to! You deserve an actual person who doesn't care!"
"But you're right here," Naruto said, getting a sputter from her. "You don't seem to mind me being a carnivore."
"T-That's because you're different!" she emphasized. "I don't know what it is about you but I don't see you as a threat. You're just a normal animal to me."
"Maybe," the fox shrugged. "That said, I bet you've had thinking worries, haven't you?" she didn't look him in the eye. "Yet, mentally knowing I'm a predator, you didn't leave. Sebun, I don't think you realize how happy that makes me," her eyes widened.
"WHAT?!"
"Because, minus your instincts, you still chose to stay with us," Naruto grinned at her gobsmacked expression. "You saw the real me and didn't turn away, I'm glad for that."
She was left speechless. S-She couldn't accept that!
Surely, someone who worked through their instincts was a better person, right? They fought their programming to be friends.
She wasn't nearly as altruistic.
"It's fine to think otherwise," the fox said, gaining her attention as he grinned while throwing her a thumbs-up. "I'll think the best of you, regardless."
It took her several moments for her brain to process what he'd said before her face grew hot.
H-Had she gotten a fever? She doesn't think so. Sebun had been fine this whole time.
Naruto seemed to notice, a fact that made the heat worse somehow.
"I-It's whatever!" she exclaimed a little louder than she'd have wanted. "T-That is… I'll see you tomorrow!" Sebun shouted once more before zipping out of the room in seconds.
"?" Naruto blinked as he tilted his head in confusion at her exit. "... That was weird."
He seriously picked all the weird ones, huh?
~NRK~
The following Sunday morning had been an interesting one for the former blonde.
Louis was here, from overnight, and had cleaned up in the bathroom when the door to his hospital room opened to reveal not just his father but Sebun, Kuuzo, and their armadillo doctor, Pyrus.
The three from his group were dressed similar to what they'd been in yesterday while the doctor was in his normal medical get-up. A doctor's coat, white dress shirt, brown trousers, and some brown sandals.
The man's blue eyes turned to him as he ambled over before placing his doctor's bag down.
"Heya, Doc," Naruto said with a tilt of the head. "No offense but why are you here?"
"Having a personal doctor's opinion is typically a good call, I can imagine," Louis said as he nodded to his father. "It's also most likely to have an actual unbiased opinion to check against the other staff."
"Yes, it was imperative that we get him here first and foremost before any of the hospital's staff decided what injuries you actually held," Oguma said with a frown.
Sebun waved at the former blonde who nodded.
"Alright, do what gotta, Dr. Pyrus," the fox said, getting a slight chuckle out of his first-ever doctor, that he remembered.
"We will, it's odd to know this isn't an in-house secret anymore," the armadillo said as he removed his medical instruments. "This should only be half an hour."
So his personal medical exam began, the armadillo asking at certain points for the blonde's bodily opinion.
"Why's he doing that?" Sebun asked. "He's the medical professional, last I knew."
"Naruto's understanding of his body actually matches with the doctor's medical understandings," Oguma answered. "He could tell you the slight specifics of Naruto's body while Naruto can find hints of internal issues. Internal control is what Naruto calls it, him feeling the energy that moves throughout his frame," the deer said with a shrug at Sebun's confused look. "Naruto's an odd one but he's always been right in this case. It's rather amazing and odd in the same breath."
"Hmmm," the armadillo felt the fox's left shoulder with a frown at Naruto's body twitching ever so slightly. "... Is this one the worst?" he asked in a whisper as Naruto closed his eyes.
"It is," the former ninja responded. "Every time I move it, it feels like something is slipping in. I was told I'd been poisoned?"
"Hmm," Pyrus nodded as he felt down the arm. "... Oguma," the father sat up. "Can you tell me the specifics of the issue ailing Naruto's left arm?"
"Hmmm. It was a poisoned claw from the komodo dragon individual at the bank," Oguma began, getting a nod from the doctor. "The doctors had applied anti-venom to the wound after cleaning it."
"I see," Pyrus nodded. "Naruto, do you know how deep the swipe at your arm had been?"
"... I think it was a bit within surface-level," the fox said. "I felt it go through my skin but it didn't hurt so it had to have been pretty light. Not enough to draw blood."
"I see," that's where the armadillo sighed. "I wonder exactly what kind of poison you were hit with because what you say doesn't make sense. If it did… I wonder if it's in your epidermis. Your skin. It may have infected the skin of your arm."
"They said that he was metabolizing it," Louis added. "They spoke of him possibly being immune."
"..." the armadillo considered before pulling out a needle. "Naruto-"
"J-Just do it," the fox said with a nervous smile as he saw the needle before covering his eyes with his working hand. "Make it quick!"
The group was amused as the fox bit his lips as he peeked through his fingers to see Pyrus's needle sinking into his flesh.
Taking out enough, the armadillo stared at the crimson fluid in the vial. "... I'm confused," he said. "It's not thinning the blood but my memory of your past visits tells me that your blood is a bit lighter in color."
"That's bad, right?" Sebun asked worryingly.
"It is but there's another part of all this," Pyrus said. "I believe they were right when they said he was metabolizing it. From what I know of komodo dragon liquids is that they're potent. Naruto's system is strong, had it not been, I fear the damage would have been far worse than it is."
Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief.
"So what about the pain?" Naruto asked.
"Well, even if it's becoming immune, it's still poison," Pyrus said as he packed up his things. "As I said, komodo dragon poison is powerful so while you're slowly getting used to it, it's still going to have a negative effect on you. For now, it seems to just be pain. Though, I'm guessing it's worse than you say it is."
"..." Naruto grit his teeth as he slowly curled his arm up, the limb trembling the whole way up. "Y-Yeah, it's pretty rough. When I do even this, I feel like something is stabbing my bicep all over."
"Very well, please stop," Pyrus said immediately, the fox doing as told. "No matter what they say, your left arm is not to be messed with. You keep that wrapped, cleaned, and in a sling. If anything, I'll prescribe you some painkillers. Is any other part of you pained like this?"
"Nah," Naruto shook his head. "Hm… I don't feel anything going off," he closed his eyes before breathing out in a slow breath.
He felt the natural energy around him and pulled it in, moving it around to every part of his body.
As it turned out, he couldn't make sage chakra but he could reinforce his body, somewhat. It needed him to do it in the parts of his body specifically.
Not just that but it helped increase the sensitivity of that area, allowing him to better check his internal body.
So he did that, prodding up from his feet to his head.
He tilted his head before his eyes opened. "Nothing but soreness. Though it's way better than yesterday."
"Alright then, you're good," Pyrus pat his shoulder with a nod. "You know what to do, take care of yourself. I'm gonna look into your blood to see what else I can find."
"Alright, thanks, Doc."
"Take it easy, Naruto. If I'm right, you should be able to leave today," the armadillo smiled before turning to Oguma and nodding to him. "That is my diagnosis."
"Alright, thank you, Dr. Pyrus," the second oldest in the room said. "I'll see about getting him out of here as soon as possible."
"As you should, from what you told me," the armadillo shook his head. "Can I take a guess that all the doctors who looked after him were herbivores?"
"Yes."
"Tsk, that's certainly not a good look at us," the rodent shook his head. "I hope this goes smoothly, I know how some herbivores can be when they come into contact with something they want and a carnivore has it. It's a whole conflict of self-righteousness at times."
"I understand," Oguma did, he'd been like that in the past before, after all. "I'll go with you to the front desk and see if we can't get a quick check for his discharge."
Nodding, the armadillo and deer left, leaving the youngest in the room alone.
"Hoo!" Naruto adjusted his back as he sat against his headrest. "Not gonna lie, I'm glad Doc got to see me first. No offense to the people here but having someone I know is on my side do it first, really helps."
"I understand completely," Louis said as Sebun nodded. "What time is it?" he wondered as he took out his phone and checked. "It's about 10 in the morning. Are you hungry?"
Naruto blinked as his stomach growled. "... Yup."
"I see," the red deer looked amused as he got up. "Sebun, are you coming?"
"Sure, Master Louis," she said as she got up before nodding to Naruto. "We'll be back, Naruto."
"See ya in a bit, bro, Sebun."
The two left after that, leaving him to roll his neck a bit as he stretched.
"Ahhhhh, hm?" he blinked as he spread out his senses. "?" Naruto looked at the open window.
"... Mmm!" there was a grunt outside of it before a clawed hand grasped the window's frame, pulling up a feminine body over it. "There we go!" the bushy-tailed woman said as her heels clicked against the floor. "Leave it to the doctors to have a high-interest patient on one of the higher floors."
It seemed like a fox woman in a hoodie and sweatpants. Around her mouth was a mask that covered the lower half of her face, allowing red fur to be seen along with her purple eyes.
Well, eye, her other one was covered by a medical eyepatch.
"... Uhhh, hi?" Naruto said with a confused wave. "Do I know you?"
"Huh?" Ten blinked at him before shaking her head while waving her hand side-to-side. "Nope. If you did, I'd be surprised and worried about my reputation."
"Okayyyy," Naruto wasn't sure what this weird woman wanted. "So, who are you?"
"Well, that depends on what you know," Ten said. "No intros needed here, kid. I just wanted to see what you were like considering the news just told everyone about what happened at the bank."
"... That didn't answer my question but alright."
"Okay, yeah, not exactly clear," Ten chuckled. "How about this, I ask you a question and you do the same?"
"Alright."
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I thought that'd be my question," Naruto joked as the foxy woman chuckled. "Um, name's Naruto. Son of Oguma, student at Cherryton Academy."
"Cherryton?" she looked surprised. "I guess that makes sense, you were known as the bodyguard of Louis from what I could dig up."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded.
He didn't feel any hostility or killing intent from this woman. She seemed like she wanted to talk.
Weird to find him like this but he guessed no one was being let in.
"Okay, so, my turn. Why'd you want to find me?" he asked. "Please be at least a bit more specific, please?"
"That's two questions but it's fine," she said. "I wanted to know what a powerful young fox like you was like," she elaborated. "Many wouldn't take on a set of gunmen like you did. You're fast and strong, I noticed from the videos online."
"Wait, people were filming me?!" He looked annoyed. "What the hell?! Call the cops!"
"Hahahahahaha," she laughed. "Oh, I get that. But I guess someone did, they did come."
"Hmph."
"Let's see… Ah, here's a good question, why were you fine with staying in your brother's shadow for so long?"
"Um, I've never stayed in Louis's shadow," he shook his head. "I understood what was happening when I was younger and did what I thought was right. It just so happened to have lasted until now and I know dad didn't even want it to."
"That feels kind of unfair," Ten said.
"It is," Naruto said. "But, I found what I wanted no matter what. A father who cared, a brother to know and love, and friends to hang with. There's not anything I've wanted that I didn't get in the end. It may seem weird to some people but I'm happy."
Ten stared at him with a wide eye. "... I… I didn't expect that," she said as she rubbed the back of her head before freezing up as her whiskers twitched. "Okay, your bro and maid are coming back, Imma leave."
"Alright," he nodded. "Bye."
"... You do get one more question, you know."
"Um, well," Naruto cupped his chin. "Got one, why did you climb the side of the building?"
Ten blinked before laughing as she swung her legs over the window's frame outside.
"Because it works!" she said as she fell. "... Hmph! Nailed it!"
Naruto shook his head as Louis and Sebun walked in with trays of food.
"What's up? You remember something funny?" Louis asked with a raised brow.
"... Kind of!" Naruto said with a chuckle.
~NRK~
His time in the room came to an end around 2 pm.
Legoshi, Tem, and Bill had been the only ones who came but Naruto grinned all the same as they chatted.
Getting discharged had gone as smoothly as possible.
The doctors had been very adamant about him coming back to them specifically if he felt off.
He marked that down as a hard if.
So here he was, in the hospital lobby, already able to see the crowd of people with cameras flashing them through the glass doors.
"Hehe…" he chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek with sweat falling down his brow. "... I'm not going to like this at all, am I?"
"Not even close," Louis said with a shake of the head.
Naruto had been given back his black cargo pants and brown sandals, all washed by the hospital.
With advice, he'd been told to not cover his wounded areas to let them air out. So Louis had, with good hindsight, gotten him one of his kimono tops.
It'd been an article of clothing that the fox had gotten customized himself, an orange robe-like top that he tied loosely at his waist with a black cloth belt that sported a large red bar of red on the end with a single bar of red an inch from it.
"The best way to deal with paparazzi you don't wish to deal with is simply continue walking," Oguma advised. "They can't possibly block the car without being charged for a crime."
"Thank god for laws," Naruto said as he breathed in before letting out a breath, his bandaged upper half and arm, in a sling, feeling comfortable. "Alright, let's get this over with."
They walked out, the doors to the hospital sliding open as he came out fi-
His eyes closed and his brows twitched as he was assaulted by flashes of light.
"Ooooh," Legoshi covered his eyes. "That's not pleasant."
"Yeah, it's not!" Bill said as he raised his forearms. "For the love of, turn 'em off!"
"I don't think they hear you!" Tem said as he hid behind his larger club members. "God that's a lot of flashing!"
Louis nodded, used to this. "Come on, I'll lead as best as I can," he said as he rested a hand on Naruto's left shoulder.
"Y-Yeah."
They walked leading the way, Louis found the reporters far greater in noise, volume, and pesterence than he ever did before.
"Louis! Louis!"
"How do you feel about this?!"
"Are you worried?!"
More of such nonsense that he ignored as they made it halfway to the car.
"God, I don't think I'd want to be famous anymore," Bill said with a shiver as they walked. "Geez, I thought this was supposed to be cool!"
"It's not as glamorous as media loves to portray," Oguma said calmly as he waved off a reporter. "It's far more tiring than one might wish for."
"Ain't that the truth," the former blonde said as he adjusted to the flashing lights. "I feel a headache coming on," he groaned as they reached the limousine before being blindsided by a moving pair of mice. "!" he hand shot out as a foot almost came down on the two herbivores.
Oh, that was it. "For the love, CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" he shouted at them, the roar silencing the reporters completely. "What in the world is wrong with you?! Pay attention!" Naruto barked as he placed the trio of mice.
"T-Thanks man!" one of them said as the trio bowed before scurrying off.
Angered blue eyes went across the crowds, cowing them in an instant.
"..." he frowned before turning back to the limousine and going towards. "Let's go, I'm already pissed."
The others followed with nods as the fox was given right of way, the fox's presence setting the reporters to the side.
~NRK~
"Not bad, not bad," Ten said as she watched the TV in the corner of her office. "Gotta know how to handle the world at large and he seems fine when he's pushed to."
Watching the Naruto kid perform a splitting sea event in those people was amusing. When the reporters still started catching pictures, she shook her head.
"I seriously question if these guys realize he could probably kill everyone there and get away?" she asked the room before shaking her head. "No, nah, I don't think he'd do it even if he was out for blood."
The saving of the mice was probably going to do him some favors with the public's opinion of him.
The door to her room open with a smile on an underling's face before they turned to the TV.
"Oh, you're watching it too!" she saw before grinning. "So how'd meeting him, go?"
"Pretty well," Ten said with a nod. "He's pretty solid in character. Though he's wiser than I'd expect of a kid."
"It seems so," the underling said as she observed the fox getting into the limousine. "He's an amazing body, though…"
Ten's expression went flat.
~NRK~
The group of lions grimaced at the sight of him.
"This isn't good, boss," one of them said, a pair of glasses and a scar on his face. "I'm sure the Inargigumi is already considering him."
"No, they're not," their boss lion said, his paw cane in hand and his glasses shining, accentuating the scars over the eyes in question. "Ten isn't known for taking in male members, never has in the time I've known her," is what he said but his eyes narrowed.
"But what's stopping them from just fucking him?" Came the question of a lion with a rather spiky mane and a bandana over his mouth. "She might not want him like we think?"
"That'd give 'em more powerful members, Sabu?" came the question of a more darkly-colored lion. "I mean, that'd take a while. And imagine if all of 'em got knocked up at!"
"Cut it out, you fools!" the leader of the group said. "Ten wouldn't allow something like that to happen… As far as I know," he frowned. "... Perhaps we should keep an eye on him…"
Would this young crossbreed interfere in things? He didn't know. All he could think was that there was little chance that the Inarigumi would let him walk around without some form of contact.
"Agata," the lion perked. "I want you to keep an eye on him. No following, simply follow the news. If you do anything further, I'll slit your throat," he warned, getting a nervous nod.
The suited lions of the Shishigumi would not be cowed by the presence of a mere boy like herbivores.
He'd kill the boy if he became too troublesome.
~NRK~
Haru blinked at the radio.
"The boy's presence is fierce!" came the voice of a reporter. "Why, you'd think he was a lion with how he cowed us!"
The rabbit girl's eyebrows went flat. "No, seriously, what is wrong with these people? Him being scary isn't a good thing!" Haru said with a sigh. "He seemed nice, so what happened?"
She'd have to see Louis know because it was odd how these people could say these things when Louis was right there.
So something must have happened.
She focused back on her task, picking at the sunflowers before she plucked the perfect one.
He'd like yellow and orange, Haru assumed as she looked at the little basket she had filled with chrysanthemums and dandelions.
~NRK~
Many at Cherryton had watched it all, noting Naruto's mannerisms and reactions with rabid interest.
Of course, that wasn't the only thing some of them noted.
"He's ripped!"
"Think he's got good tips?"
"Tips? I'd want him to give me his tip!"
"Goodness girl!"
Els ignored all the scandalous words released from her fellow second-years' mouths.
'Good god!' What in the name of all that was holy was going on?!
Sure, Naruto was now Louis's brother, the connection was officially made.
It's not like he wasn't cute before all this, she knew of some of her classmates finding him as such. They'd just never had the courage to tell him.
And, of course, Naruto was ripped, anyone who saw him at the gym would know!
Adding on that he'd always been a kind, caring, jovial person, why was all this surfacing now?
'It's fame, it has to be,' she thought with a sigh. 'Why are my classmates such horny girls?!'
Naru was basically the drama club's unofficial little brother. He came and went when Louis did but, when he stayed for as long, you'd be surprised to see how easy he slipped into their dynamics.
So having all this happen just because he was a bit more famous didn't exactly do her emotions any favors.
"Haaa, I wonder what Shira's doing," the goat wondered before said cheetah appeared out of a corner. "Huh?!"
"Lookin' for me?" the feline asked as she came out completely. "What's wrong?" she asked with a frown as she saw Els's annoyed look.
"All of this," she gestured to the hall of chatting, about their little brother figure. "Naruto doesn't deserve to be ogled just because he's a little more known."
"Well." Shira considered. "If it were Bill, I'd have said nothing but it's not," she frowned as she rubbed the back of her head. "It is a little worrying how much attention he's gotten. I've heard more than a few less than child-friendly words as of late when it came to Naruto."
"..." Els's expression went flat. "What should we do?"
"I don't really know," the cheetah shook her head. "I think we'll just have to play it by ear, there's not much we can do but accept him back like always."
"... I guess," Els said as they walked to the cafeteria. "Though, we gotta make sure none of these hussies try and move in on little boy! He's not prepared for that!"
Shira snorted.
~NRK~
"Sorry about shouting," Naruto said to the group as he leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowed. "I-"
"Nah, we get it," Bill said. "It was kind of cool to see you actually get angry. I almost thought you were, like, a monk or something."
"Don't monks have the buddha, though?" Legoshi asked. "It's three times and then comes the meanness, I believe."
"In certain cultures, yes, there is such a thing," Louis said as Tem chuckled. "I think they did."
"The Buddha in which you get three trespasses," Oguma said. "After using up all three, fierce punishment is passed down onto the transgressors."
"Yeah, like that!"
The time in the limousine had been comfortable and fast, much to Bill's displeasure.
"Okay, I know what I said earlier," the tiger began as he left the limousine with reluctance. "But limos, I don't think I could find a reason to hate them."
"It was pretty comfortable," Legoshi said as he rubbed his neck. "It was the perfect height as well."
"It's mostly for father's horns," Louis explained. "It's just coincidental."
Naruto was let out last with Sebun given the go-ahead in front of him.
Once he stepped out, Naruto felt his body relax completely, while many of the people around turned and stared, those being the runners and joggers of the morning, they did no more than that.
"So this is Louis-sempai's place, huh?" Tem asked with wonder as he looked at the large manor before noticing the attached house.
No, not garage, house.
"Oh, that's where I live," the guests balked. "It's pretty cool having my own place."
"We'll have to renovate it somewhat," Oguma noted. "I want to see about making it taller so we can make walking passageways between the two."
Naruto grinned. "Sounds awesome! Hm, it'd be sort of a waste to just have an upper floor for people to walk through, though."
"Indeed," Louis added.
Father and sons considered the space before Tem spoke up.
"Well, Naruto, do you use any of your rooms to write in?" the alpaca asked, getting a blink from all three deer-blooded individuals. "Why not make that your writing room or library?"
"... Ya know," Naruto blinked before he grinned. "That sounds like an amazing idea!"
Legoshi smiled as Bill chuckled.
Seemed like good things happening all around.
~NRK~
When night fell, the guys found themselves a host in Naruto.
"I mean, why not?" the fox had asked. "Seems like fun. We don't really hang out outside of school anyway."
So that had all of them, including Louis, chilling in Naruto's living room on a large L-shaped couch.
"So, let's be honest here," Bill began, laid out in the middle of the couch. "Am I the only one who got normal crushes in this damn group?"
"Huh?" Louis raised a brow from his place in the couch's corner. "What do you mean?"
"I think he means people we liked right now," Tem said with a cough as his cheeks reddened. "And, for Bill's information… I might…?"
"Ho ho ho!" the tiger smirked. "Who is it? Do we know her?"
"Well," Tem blushed as Naruto snickered next to him, the two of them on the space on the floor in front of the L-shaped furniture. "... This never leaves this room."
"Agreed."
"Okay, okay," Tem sighed before burning brighter. "I… I liked Els!" he admitted.
"Els-neechan?" Naruto said curiously, getting a nod from the alpaca. "Well, you just got to say something, now, yah?"
"I believe it's more complex than that," Louis said. "Tem's always been a go-with-the-flow type character."
"Uggghhhh," Tem groaned as the others chuckled.
"Well, Els is rather nice," Legoshi said with a hand tapping the side of his mouth. "I think she used to be scared of me but, recently, she's been far more open."
"That's probably because Naruto exists," Tem said, getting a laugh out of the fox. "Els really does act like he's the little brother of this group. I guess, knowing him, she understands that carnivores aren't as scary as she thinks."
"I did have a talk with her about that, once," Naruto said. "That said, I also said that she should still have caution. Not all of us are as nice as those in the drama club."
"It's true," Louis said. "On the streets, it doesn't matter who you are, if someone flips a switch, it won't matter."
"That's where the Beastar comes into play, no?" Bill suggested. "The resident superheroes of the city."
"Many can come from so many schools," Tem recited. "Ya know, it's kind of weird, but I don't know that many Beastars."
"It's a little weird but it should be noted that many schools send in candidates but not all will be accepted," Louis explained. "Of the few or many chosen, you all know the specifications, right?"
"Mmmm," Legoshi nodded slowly. "You have to be an amazing student, I think. That and have a good record, I think?"
"Yes and no," the deer said. "You can become a Beastar by being an exceptional student and having a good reputation or by being a major influence in stopping crimes and the like. You don't need to be a student to become a Beastars. You don't even need to be a good student."
"So it's kind of like, being a super example and people'll choose you?" Naruto asked, getting a nod.
"Exceptional standing in society, similar students chosen by high-level institutes, crime-fighting, all of it is a chance to become a Beastars," Louis said. "But, above all else, one has to be able to unite the people. Carnivores and Herbivores. A Beastar is one who represents that mix being a grand solution. They watch over society and can become above the law to bring down true understanding."
"..." Legoshi considered his words. "... You guys remember yesterday when I said I knew someone of mixed blood?"
"Huh?" Tem blinked before rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah, still sorry about that, by the way."
"It's fine, I know," Legoshi smiled before sighing. "Ya see… The thing is… I'm kind of a mixed-breed."
Louis snapped up along with the others.
"... Ya know, that makes some sort of sense," Naruto noted. "I could never tell why, I always thought you just hung out with lizards often."
"Well, I used to," the wolf said sadly. "... My mother's was a wolf with Komodo dragon blood-"
The entire group choked.
"You're mixed with blood like the guy that fucked Naruto up?!"
"Tactful, Bill, truly," Louis said with an exasperated sigh. "... Okay, unless you're about to tell me that man who poisoned my brother was your father…"
"What?! NO!" Legoshi waved his hands back and forth. "I don't even know that many Komodo dragons, grandpa doesn't really talk about his own family that much… And I haven't really spoken to him in a while, actually…"
"It's fine, you were saying your mom was a crossbreed like me?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah, she was," Legoshi nodded. "Mom had me when she was in her before she was twenty and grandpa was never happier," he smiled. "She was known as the most beautiful grey wolf in her lifetime."
"Really?" Tem wondered. "Whoa, that sounds kind of cool!"
"It reminds me of this guy that I know," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle. "He's what you would call a 'beautiful sheep' then. Though, god, his personality is kind of crap."
"A sheep," Louis said with a tilt of the head. "Ah, apologies, continue, Legoshi."
"Well, mother… haaa, she'd always been seen as a grey wolf," the teen wolf said. "She never showed any of the traits of a komodo dragon, gramps had been happy with that but… After a certain age, her body underwent drastic changes."
Naruto raised a brow. "?"
"Scales started to appear from all over her body," Legoshi explained, shocking the group. "I don't know why that was the case. It just seemed like she hit komodo dragon 'puberty'," he twitched his fingers with a sour expression. "... After that she…"
Naruto nodded. "Alright, we're good, right guys?"
"Totally," Bill said with a nod. "Sorry."
"Same," Tem nodded. "Didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
"I, too, wish to apologize, I didn't think… I didn't know," Louis said.
"Guys… Thanks, I mean it," Legoshi smiled with a nod. "The whole point was that I've known quite a few and I just found you a little weird, Naruto. I'm only one-fourth komodo dragon and it shows."
"Your height?!" Bill looked shocked. "That's why you're so damn tall?!"
"Hehe, yeah."
"Legoshi, did your growth spurt happen oddly, to you?" Louis asked.
"Yeah, it was when I was thirteen. I got way taller."
"So you believe that Naruto will show some form of symptoms?"
"... no, I don't think so and that's what I find weird," Legoshi said. "When you explained Beastars more, I thought about the words 'unite'. Naruto, have you always looked like this?"
Naruto raised a brow before nodding. "Only from when I was around three," he said, surprising Louis. "And I might know why that is," the former blonde explained.
"Explain what, Naruto?" Louis asked.
"Well… How to explain this," Naruto considered it. "... Okay, you guys might not know this but I'm a major spiritualist."
"... You're not gonna say you hokey-pokeyed your way into looking like this, are you?" Bill asked nervously.
"No… Not completely?" Naruto said, ignoring Bill's look of horror. "Okay, first off, listen. Ever since I was young, I could feel the energies in my bodies and, with some effort, all forms of beings."
Tem and Louis just sat there, stunned, as Legoshi blinked.
"Look, let's just run with it, alright?" Naruto pleaded. "Okay, so, I can feel my internal energy and that of nature itself. So, with that in mind, when I started trying it out, I noticed something about my body," he began, pulling out his phone to show them a picture of young him with /Louis.
Looking, Louis's eyes widened at the far more foxish-looking Naruto. "W-Wait, how didn't I notice?!"
"... It's probably because you've lived with him, Louis," Tem said with a thought. "Most people don't notice when their siblings grow up. You know? Like how people always say that their children are still their babies."
"Exactly," Naruto said as he tucked his phone away. "I knew of my herbivore and carnivore sides and found that my energy was chaotic, uneven, separate. I found it weird and tried to fix it, that's when I picked up meditation., Louis."
The deer's mouth dropped.
"So, until I was ten, I worked on it until my energies were completely separate. After that, I felt… weird," Naruto frowned. "I got super sick for a week after that."
"... That enormous fever," Louis said with a pale look. "This was the cause of that?!"
"I got hit with a super heavy fever back then," Naruto explained to the others. "We're talking, 120-degree fever."
"My god! How are you alive?!" Bill looked horrified along with the others.
"Well, it wasn't fun, let me tell you. The thing is, when I was like that, I could feel my body changing. The fever was likely my body making the complete and total change, internally. After that, I'd never felt more alive or as strong as I did. That's why I think I'm different, Legoshi, I completely unraveled my body and allowed it to perfectly balance out."
Legoshi sat back, stunned. "... That's amazing," he said. "C-Can you do that for other animals?"
"I mean, I've never tried," Naruto said with a one-armed shrug. "I can feel the energy in each one of you but I've never tried to mess with someone else's energy. I don't know what'd happen to you."
"... That's the best thing, honestly," Louis said after getting over his shock. "... So, all this time, you were fixing yourself?"
"Essentially," Naruto said. "That said, I still have both sides. They don't mix like I'd thought they could but there's understanding, I guess. Both sides need one another in my body but, now, they're not fighting, they've reached a balance like I said."
"That's kind of crazy," Tem said. "So, wait, Naruto, do you prefer either side?"
"No, not really," the fox-deer said. "They're both a part of me, they are who I am. I wouldn't want to be biased."
Legoshi and Louis nodded.
"Man, this is pretty surreal," Tem said. "I didn't think that kind of stuff was real, Naru. This is kind of making everything look odd."
"Well, if you're interested, I did try out all the other kinds of stuff like this," the fox said with a chuckle. "I, also, wanted to know if any of that other stuff was real. As it stands? Only meditation, yoga, and nature-returning kinds of stuff work. So, say, when we go out and camp, that's some good stuff."
"That makes sense, back in the day, that used to be the care," Louis said. "Returning to our roots, as many say, is a good thing. It's odd, but interesting, to know that that holds much truth."
"Huh, so, how good is all that stuff, anyway?" Bill asked.
"What, trying for yourself?" Louis asked with a smirk.
"N-Nooo," the tiger said with a nervous drawl. "I just, ya know, wanna see how cool I could get with it. Think I could, like, lift an elephant?"
"One… I don't know," Naruto answered. "I've wanted to see if I couldn't get some of the elephant students to help me out as weights but I haven't been strong enough yet."
"Naru, that's terrifying," Tem said with a stare. "Please don't do that."
"I gotta get stronger and faster, had I been, I wouldn't have been in the hospital."
"Be that as it may, you still need to take things in moderation," Louis countered. "Remember, with some pride, these were fully grown people who had the proper skills to perform their parts," he grinned. "And you still won."
Naruto blinked before chuckling.
"I guess!"
~NRK~
He looked over the recording time and time again.
'A crossbreed? In Horns Conglomerate?'
Okay, being fair, he wasn't the heir but that could change if Oguma was more sentimental than he led on.
His tastes were certainly more different compared to what many had believed. 'A carnivore?!' he didn't understand!
Mixed breeds were a stain on their society! They carried no benefit to the world at large other than being ticking timebombs of mixed blood.
Did he hold it against the child born? No, of course not! They'd had no say in how they were born. It was those stupid parents who decided screwing your literal death was a good idea.
'Calm down, calm down,' he was seriously working himself up.
It'd do him no good at this point, anyway. The idea of going after this kid would bring down far more heat than this civit could handle.
Add on that Oguma seemed to truly care for this crossbreed, the civit grimaced.
That boy… He looked over the badly-shot video he'd seen on the internet.
He was strong, quick, agile, and quick on his feet… Loath as he was to admit it but this one might actually be worth letting live. Not that he could kill him, he realized, as he saw the fox's battle instincts were high.
Scarily so and he was only a teenager, were such talents nurtured…
'Everything will start falling down if this kid ever gets nominated for being the Beastar.'
Oh, what insanity would society have to allow someone like this to represent unity? It'd be a sick joke. A very sick, unironic, joke!
He groaned. 'Focus, Deshico, this isn't the time to get riled up,' he thought to himself as he looked over the video again, picking up more details every time he did. '... What are the Inarigumi's actions in regards to this?'
He didn't know. They were an all-female group but he feared what such a young vulpine would do to that fact.
~NRK~
She signed on the dotted line, smooth-looking, perfectly bordered, brown fur shifted as she signed further while a glove-covered hand moved documents to splay them out.
"Hmmm," she considered the document before her before burning it by throwing it, in a balled-up form, into the campfire. "That one wasn't worthwhile."
"Mrs. Curie," the dog woman blinked before she turned her head towards the door in front of her. "I hope you've seen the news as of late, ma'am."
A lower face mask-wearing fox in a pale pink hoodie, black tights, and ballet slippers asked as she leaned on the door frame.
What fur that could be seen being a pristine white with her eyes being a bright lavender.
"Para?" the dog said before smiling, her uncovered, pen signing, hand gesturing to the chair to the side of her desk.
Curie's maroon suit shifted as the dog woman moved something out from a drawer at her side, the vulpine taking the seat offered after closing the door.
"For your information, I have," the poodle said as she pulled an envelope, passing it to the surprised-looking Para. "Make no mistake, you failed your mission, especially since Leo decided his pockets weren't full enough, but you unveiled an amazing discovery!"
"The boyo?" the fox woman asked as she removed her mask to unveil… am scaled mouth.
Shining, beautiful, purple scales settling on the underside of her lips down to her neck.
"Yes, that hybrid!" The poodle woman looked excited. "Think about it, Para! If it's revealed that he's indeed the son of Oguma, that means we can check his history. He might different from all the ones by the hybrid kindergarten."
The fox woman's hands twitched.
"... Para, we've been through this," the poodle's red eyes narrowed. "You can't. We've tried, numerous times, but your… your fertility isn't possible right now, I'm sorry."
Para closed her eyes before grimacing and looking away from the poodle.
Curie smiled, eyes shining and face shadowed in the sunlight casting shade over her office.
"But we can find a way. Once we can find the perfect hybrid, we can see what makes them work. Getting the money to buy off the ones on the black market under the radar is getting difficult but it seems like fate has smiled down on us today."
Yes, if the world wanted true equality, they had to become equal.
If everyone was a hybrid then there'd be no divide. No issues of love, war over species, or otherwise.
And it seemed this 'Naruto' boy might have a clue with how perfectly aligned he was.
~NRK~
And that's the last chapter of this for the foreseeable future until I see what happens with my other fics.
So, we've got some things to unpack this chapter. One, Naruto's words, while damning, aren't the end all be all.
Anyone could call someone who cares for them like a son 'father'. It's to be expected that, while crazy, that doesn't make a blood connection.
Secondly, Ten, the boss of the Inarigumi, meets Naruto face-to-face. It's a rather chill scene.
She's not here on negative circumstances and Naruto's not the kind of person to try and antagonize someone just because they're a little weird.
Thirdly, Sebun learns more about how Naruto ticks. Remember, she's just a normal person in all this, so she's just as reactive to him even if he's a carnivore.
Fourth, the guys, Legoshi, Bill, Tem, and Louis, now know what's up with Naruto now. How he's so different compared to what the rules/medical summaries, would say about hybrids.
And, finally, the hook continues as we have a hybrid 'peace' group out to finalize the divide between the two species.
I can't imagine this shady-looking poodle will be a super nice person.
See ya whenever this gets updated again.
Word: 13.6k+
~NRK Out~