Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Maji De Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!
…
-START-
…
Tesshin once again walked into the school infirmary, this time with a different purpose.
His path was clear and he walked at a brisk pace, his gait straightforward.
Within no time at all, he stood beside Momoyo as she continued to sleep, unaware of the outside world.
Lifting his right index finger, he tapped her forehead, disrupting her internal Ki flow.
His simple action did the trick as she slowly came to, her eyes cracking up just a bit before closing once more.
…
Momoyo instantly sat up, her eyes wide as she searched the nearby area, looking for... Well, everything.
She blinked and calmed down once she saw her grandfather standing at her bedside, a patient, amused look on his face.
Then she blinked again once she realized she was in bed with her school uniform still on... And then she realized she was in the school infirmary.
Wha... What's going on?
Tesshin sat down as he waited for Momoyo to ask the question he knew she eventually would.
She spent a few minutes rubbing her head in confusion, searching her memory for why she was in the infirmary, before coming up... With absolutely nothing.
Finally, after a few minutes struggling, she turned to face her grandfather. "What the hell happened?" she asked, her approach to the situation being direct and brash, the defining characteristics of her personality.
Tesshin stroked his beard, gathering what he wanted to say, which was basically recapping the whole story. "Well," he started, "I heard you thrashed some thugs from Chiba this morning, and on your way to school, one thug decided to kidnap Moro. Yamato came up with a strategy, you all executed it quite well, and then Kazama beat you to the punch, or should I say kick. As you were all gloating over your easy victory, you were interrupted by the new transfer student, who mistook you all for common thugs picking on a single individual."
He took a break to watch her for any signs of recognition. Seeing her eyes light up, he continued onwards.
"Now, this is where things start to get... Uncertain. According to Yamato and the rest of your group of friends, a bloody, blonde haired man roughly the same age as you, fell from the sky, flipping uncontrollably, and collided head first into you. He fell to the ground unconscious, and you stood there for a moment before falling on top of him, also unconscious. Does any of this sound familiar?"
As Tesshin continued to speak, Momoyo felt her jaw started to lower more and more. Once he had finished speaking, Momoyo once again rubbed her head, her head in splitting pain.
"Most of that sounds familiar." She started, her headache slowly going away. "I remember beating the shit out of those thugs from Chiba, Moro being kidnapped, Capt. Kicking the kidnapper in the face, and that cute transfer student, riding a horse...interrupting us. What I don't exactly remember is getting knocked out..."
Her head shot up, her red eyes wide, her locks of hair swaying with the head motion.
"Wait! Are you saying that I got knocked out by a simple head blow!? Me, as in the strongest woman in the world, was defeated by an unconscious man who fell from the sky!?" she asked, her voice incredulous.
Tesshin nodded, a playful smirk on his face. "Why," he started, "That's exactly what I'm saying. In fact, I was so impressed with his victory over you, that I invited him to join Kawakami Academy. Of course, he joined and is now a student here."
Momoyo clenched her hands into fists, a frown on her face as she furrowed her brows in thought. "I can't believe this." She started, "All this time, I've always wanted someone with whom I could just go all out... And here I get beat by some no name chump..."
Tesshin watched her wallow in self-pity for a moment before clearing his throat, getting her attention. "Well." He said with a shrug, "If you are that distraught over your loss, just challenge him to a duel. After all, he is a student here now."
Momoyo's downcast expression was replaced with a more normal look, her smirk back in place as her eyes gleamed with intent. "Hah... Once again, you're right old man." She said, a fire in her eyes. "After all, I can't let this defeat go unpunished, now can I. Do you know where I can find this young man?"
Tesshin stroked his beard in thought.
Even if she doesn't realize it, she has subconsciously started to think of Naruto as an actual man, someone who might be deserving of her attention... Hehehe, I love playing matchmaker...
Keeping his face blank, lest he portray his thoughts, he decided to unleash Momoyo upon her new prey. This is payback for trying to take my cane you little brat... "Why, yes." he said, "I do in fact know where young Uzukaze is staying."
Momoyo's face adopted a confused expression, her eyebrows scrunched up in thought as she tested the new name on her lips. "Uzukaze?" she asked.
Tesshin nodded, "Yes. The man who beat you is named Uzukaze Naruto."
Momoyo looked... Pleased with the name?
"Huh... A maelstrom in the vortex of winds. Should be a fun fight with a name like that. Hopefully he lasts longer than a second."
Tesshin agreed with her. Not because of the name, but because he could sense the power lingering within the man himself, not to mention what he had seen in the young man's memories. In fact, he doubted that even he himself, the acclaimed most powerful being in the world, could match that kind of power.
It was, how would he say... Unworldly... He laughed in his mind at that little hidden truth.
All is going according to that of my master plan. By unleashing Momoyo onto Naruto, it will create the opportunity to learn even more about his unnatural powers as they fight, and at the same time, I will be pushing those two together. Soon, I will have tons of great grandchildren to spoil. Ah, life as the elderly is truly amazing...
Tesshin decided to place the final nail in the coffin, completing his so-called master plan.
"Back to what we were talking about. Yes, I do know where he is. In fact, I've decided for him to take a temporary residence at the Shimazu Dorm, and as of right now, Yamato should be showing him around the school along with the new transfer student. I suspect you and your group of friends will be seeing him quite often."
Momoyo felt a blood-thirsty grin start to grow on her face.
"Perfect."
…
…
Yamato took the front, leading them both with Chris taking the middle and Naruto hanging at the back, trailing after them both.
The brown-haired teen started out simple enough... With an introduction.
"As you might or might not know, I'm Naoe Yamato. I live on the first floor of the Shimazu Dorm, nice to meet you both. Now, seeing as you two don't know each other, I'll introduce the both of you."
Yamato pointed at Chris.
"This is Christiane Friedrich. She is a transfer student from Germany." He said before pointing at Naruto, "This is Uzukaze Naruto. He is a special transfer student that the headmaster has brought into our school."
He then clapped his hands. "Any questions?" he asked, a patient look on his face.
Naruto hummed from his position at the back. "The Shimazu Dorm huh? I suppose we'll be seeing each other quite often then, since that's where I'll be staying." he said.
Yamato looked surprised. "Really?" he started, "I haven't heard anything about this..."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, cranking his neck to the side. "Uh, yeah... It was a last-minute decision, you see?" he weakly stated.
Yamato clearly didn't believe him, but never pressed for a more solid answer.
Instead, it was Chris who would steer the conversation away from that particular landmine.
"Hmm, Yamato huh?" she said, "Is that the same name as the other name for Japan, Yamato?" she asked.
Naruto tilted his head in confusion. Japan? I think I heard the old man say that before... Man, I really need to hit up a library or something... So troublesome... ...Damn it Shika!
Chris looked up at Yamato in awe. "That's a great name. Do you mind if I call you Yamato?" she asked.
Yamato just laughed, "It's fine. Everyone calls me that, anyways." He said, okay with being called by his first name.
Naruto noted that Yamato sent a look his way before sighing. "Duly noted, Yamato." he muttered.
The continued for some time, the conversation becoming too complicated for Naruto to follow.
"You have the same name as the main character in Yamatomaru Yumenikki." said Chris.
Naruto tilted his head in thought. Yamatomaru Yumenikki? Is that a book series? That reminds me, Maybe Ero-sennin's books will sell well here...
Yamato nodded towards Chris. "Oh, I watched that too. It's a good Historical Drama." he said with an easy going smile on his face.
Naruto stayed silent as he watched Chris' eyes light up like a pair of bright stars in the darkness of the night. She closed the gap between Yamato and herself, one hand coming up to grasp one of Yamato's free hands, the other holding a case of some kind
Where in the name of Kami did she get that case...?
"Indeed! It is interesting!" she said, her voice clearly reflecting her excitement. "I have all the DVDs of the series! His strength is amazing and his loyalty is wonderful!"
Okay... I REALLY need to go raid a library or something... I have absolutely no idea what they're talking about...
Yamato stepped back and looked towards Naruto for help, not seeing the look of amusement on his face, his face pleading for aid. Naruto sighed, and just as he was about to step in, something unexpected happened.
Chris stepped back, clasped her hands together, and with a serene look on her face, said...
"I love Yamato."
Naruto and Yamato shared a look of surprise... Well, Yamato had a blush on his face while Naruto was having a really hard time controlling his snickering. Yamato took a shaky step forward, his index finger pointed upwards.
"Sorry, could you run that by me again?" he asked.
Chris snapped at him. "I love Yama-" She seemed to realize what she was saying and blushed a fierce red.
Naruto could no longer hold back his snickers and lightly elbowed Yamato. "You hear that Yamato, I think Chris here is in love with ya'" he said, a teasing tone in his voice.
Yamato took it in stride, his demeanor doing a complete 180, joining in on the joke. "Yeah, I guess so." he said as he bowed before Chris. "I'm sorry, but I hardly know you. So... Let's stay friends?"
Chris' face turned into an angry shade of red. "NO! I meant the one in the historical drama!"
Naruto and Yamato shared a chuckle. "Haha, I know, I know. I just couldn't resist." Said Yamato.
Naruto nodded along with his words. "Yeah, you must admit, you really just set yourself up for that one."
She "humped" and turned away as Yamato led them to a nearby poster board with a ton of flyers pinned onto it. "So, there are a lot of fliers in the hallway, right?" asked Yamato, pointing to said fliers.
Chris seemed to take an interest in his words, while Naruto just picked his nose. "Huh? Indeed, there are..." she said.
Yamato walked up to the fliers. "Students will post any requests here." he said, motioning to a few of them.
Naruto walked up to the fliers, his blue eyes quickly scanning over the words written on them. Damn... I can only read some of the words written here... It looks like a much more advanced version of our own... I should find some books as soon as possible..."Hmm, let me see... Offers for part-time jobs... Looking for helpers... Friends to drink tea with?" mumbled Naruto...
What... The... Fuck... It's like D-rank missions all over again...
Chris walked up next to him. "There are so many interesting offers!" she said.
She leaned down to inspect one, cupping her chin in one hand. "However... Now that I take a closer look... There seem to be quite a few dangerous challenges included as well..." she muttered.
Yamato waved at a passing student, though his attention was kept on Chris and Naruto, explaining a key concept to them. "Competitions are a school tradition. Kawakami Academy has a ritual called a 'duel'."
Chris seemed amazed, while Naruto just seemed bored. "A duel! They have such things here?" asked Chris.
Yamato once again nodded. "Yeah. You state your intention to duel and show your badge to the opponent." he said only to pause as he pulled out his own badge. Naruto inspected it, finding a motif of a dragon on the badge as well as the Kawakami Academy symbol. So that's what the badge is for... Interesting... Yamato resumed talking, "Then the competitors fight right in front of everyone until the fight is settled. In case of a physical battle, you need permission from the faculty first."
Chris hummed to herself, an idea forming in her head. "Such an idea is not that bad... I would like to conclude the fight I had earlier with Kawakami Kazuko-Dono. She seemed quite skilled." she said.
Naruto, set that name aside in the back of his mind for later... She must be related to that old man somehow... They share a surname, after all...
Naruto scratched his head in thought, a question on his lips. "Does it always have to be a spar? Can it be something like a sports game?"
Yamato seemed quite surprised at the question before he smiled. "Well, it usually comes down to fighting, but there is no set standard. You can challenge anyone to anything, if the faculty agree to it. Nice question." he said.
Both Naruto and Chris took that in stride, plans already being formed.
Yamato checked his phone.
The hell...? What is that thing...? Thought Naruto, as he watched Yamato looking at a weird device.
"Well, I guess I better show you both around town as well. Let's go."
…
…
Momoyo rushed to she Shimazu Dorms as soon as she was let out of the infirmary, an eager expression plastered on her face.
Uzukaze Naruto... I'll remember that name forever...
Quickly arriving in record time, she threw open the front door and yelled out...
"Uzukaze! I, Kawakami Momoyo, challenge you to a fight!"
She waited on baited breath, her bloodthirsty grin never disappearing.
…
She waited...
…
And she waited...
…
She was still waiting...
…
A door opened and out stepped Shimazu Reiko, the owner of the Shimazu Dorm, and the mother to Shimazu Gakuto.
She was also one of the only few individuals whom Momoyo decided to never piss off...
Reiko noticed Momoyo standing in the doorway and called out to her. "Momo-chan? What can I do for you?" asked Reiko, already closing the gap between the two of them.
Momoyo just smirked and planted her hands on her hips. "I'm here to fight Uzukaze. Can you point me in the right direction?" she asked.
Reiko seemed to regard her with a curious expression before slowly nodding. She pointed out the front door, to which Momoyo followed her finger with a confused expression.
"What?" asked Momoyo.
Reiko just smiled. "Well, if you're here to fight Naruto, he's not in right now. I believe Yamato is showing him and Chris around town." she explained.
Momoyo just deflated like a punctured balloon, her expression dropping. "Ah, that's right... Gramps did say Yamato would be giving them a tour..." she mumbled as she slowly turned on her heel, walking out of the front door with her shoulders slightly dropped.
Reiko watched her go before shaking her head.
"Poor girl has it bad... Still, to think old Tesshin would want to play matchmaker with me... Hehehe."
…
…
And so... Yamato stood by the entrance, his arm motioning to the temple behind him. "This is the Kawakami Temple." he said...
Chris' eyes seemed to sparkle, while Naruto regarded the temple with a curious look.
So, the old man lives here... I wonder if I should go through with the neon green dye prank... I'm sure he has already set something troublesome into motion...
"OOH!" Started Chris, "So this is the legendary martial arts temple! This is Japan's ultimate weapon!" she exclaimed.
Yamato scratched his cheek. "Is that the story in other countries...?" he asked before shaking his head, already pointing at one statue in particular. "Then, do either of you know who that statue is?" he asked.
No way in hell I would know that yet...
Naruto shook his head, indicating he didn't, while Chris placed an index finger on her forehead, deep in thought. "I believe it was a god of military arts..." she mumbled. She turned to give Yamato her answer, a smile on her face. "Raoh!"
Yamato deadpanned. "I want to say the right answer is 'Nioh', but I guess you're not entirely wrong..." whispered Yamato, only caught by Naruto, but there is no way he was going to say anything.
They were interrupted as someone jogged up to them wearing a full track suit. Clearly working out.
Naruto noticed that it is a rather cute girl, and was somewhat mesmerized by her red hair.
Dammit dad... You just HAD to pass on that trait on didn't ya'?
"Oh, It's Yamato, Kri, and... oh, it's the guy that knocked out Onee-sama!" said the girl. "What are you guys doing in front of my house?"
Yamato gave her a wave. "Hey Wanko." he started, "Tesshin made Naruto here a student at Kawakami Academy, and since they are both new to town, I've been showing them around town."
Kazuko nodded, a pair of imaginary dog ears on her head, complete with tail wagging behind her. "Oh, I see!" she said.
Did that old man slip me something...? He must have slipped me something...
Naruto kept silent as Wanko, as Yamato referred to her as, swept her gaze past himself, stopping only for a brief moment, and watched as it continued going as it landed on Chris. Kazuko adopted a haughty expression, as if she was better than Chris. "What do you think, Kri? Isn't the Kawakami Temple majestic?" asked Kazuko.
Chris, who was still examining the temple, spoke without looking at her. "Yes, it is splendid. I am so glad I came to Japan." replied Chris. "By the way..." She turned to face Wanko. "What is this 'Kri' that you speak of?" she asked
Wanko spread her arms out wide. "You're Kri 'cause you're Chris! It's the nickname I chose, so be grateful!"
Chris shuddered, an unknown feeling traveling down her spine. "Grr... Why does it feel like I'm being made fun of?" asked Chris as she paused and inspected Kazuko, finding her to be very dog like. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe you were called Wanko..." Chris crossed her arms over each other, a smug expression on her face. "Then I shall call you dog! Be glad!"
Kazuko, or Wanko, however she was referred to as, blew up. "Who are you calling a dog? Let's fight!"
Yamato and Naruto watched from the sidelines, Naruto trying not to laugh, as Chris and Kazuko butted heads, lightning flashing between their eyes.
Yamato threw a glance at Naruto, who just shrugged in response, before scratching his cheek.
"Er..." he said before an idea struck him. "Hey, Wanko, weren't you in the middle of training?" he asked.
Kazuko pulled away, her imaginary dog ears back and standing upright, as if Yamato was her master. "Hmm!? That's right! Today I'm running all the way to Tokyo! See Ya!"
Yamato waved her off as she ran away. "Yeah, go for it." he muttered.
Naruto scratched his chin in thought. Despite the situation I'm in, I can't help but liker her... She reminds me of myself...
Yamato turned to face Chris and Naruto. "Wanko will challenge anyone to anything, so you just have to deal with her like that." he stated
Chris watched Kazuko until she was gone in the distance. "She's like a dog playing fetch..." she mumbled.
Yamato turned, ready to leave himself. "Well, this is enough looking at the Kawakami Temple. "He said before flashing Chris a teasing smile. "You haven't met Nee-san yet, but once she catches you, she'll play with you for a while."
The name Naruto recognized, but where? He stopped the two of them, needing some answers. "Hey, just wait a second." he said.
Chris and Yamato shared a look. "What's up?" asked Yamato.
Naruto scratched his head. "I keep hearing the name Kawakami Momoyo. The old man told me she's his granddaughter, and then threatened to unleash her upon me. And just now you mentioned something about her. So, I guess what I'm trying to ask, is what's the big deal with her?" he asked.
Yamato looked at him, not believing he couldn't know. "A-Are you serious!?" he asked.
Chris nodded along with Yamato. "Y-Yeah, do you really not know who she is? You don't even recognize her name?" she questioned.
Naruto frowned but shook his head. "Nah., I don't really remember much, to be honest." he said. It was a lie, but they didn't need to know that.
Yamato frowned as well, his face deep in thought. "Amnesia huh? That's rough... Alright, well, here's all you need to know." he said, being the helpful dude, he was.
Yamato took a deep breath before continuing his explanation.
"Kawakami Momoyo is the granddaughter of Kawakami Tesshin. They are both considered the world's strongest, with Tesshin being the absolute strongest because of his age and experience plus his overwhelming might. Momoyo takes after him in that regard, her power being absolute. I've never once seen her lose or get knocked out..."
He gave Naruto a critical gaze.
"Well, that was until today, when you fell from the sky and collided heads with her, knocking her out." he explained.
Naruto hummed, already having formed several conclusions. I need to verify...
"So, what you're saying is that I supposedly beat one of the strongest around, and because of that, I've placed a target on my back? I can only guess what kind of person Momoyo is, but I would hazard to guess that she's getting pretty bored with being the strongest, right?"
Yamato seemed shell shocked; his mouth wide open. "H-How? How did you know all that?" he asked.
Naruto shook his head. "I didn't know for sure, but you talked about her like you're close with her. I took a shot in the dark to see if I was guessing in the right direction." he explained. Naruto examined the sun for a moment before turning to face both Yamato and Chris. "Well, thanks for helping me out with that. Now I better understand the situation I am in. Should we continue our tour?"
…
…
Yamato led both of them to the shopping district to conclude their day. They took a break, finding a spot on a bench outside a shop.
Yamato approached with some Kuzumochi in his hands. "Here, to conclude today." said Yamato, handing out the dessert to the two blondes.
Chris eyes her plate, uncertain of its origins "This is?" she asked.
Yamato took a bite of his own. "Kuzumochi. It's the specialty around here." he explained.
Naruto set his plate down, already having finished with his dessert as he turned to watch the clouds. Yamato and Chris ignored him, absorbed in their own conversation.
"I see." Chris took a bite and swallowed. "Hmm? Fufu... It's sweet and delicious." She said as she turned to give Yamato a bright smile. "You are very skilled at giving tours, Yamato. I did not have any complaints to the very end. You also seem to have many friends. I hope to learn a lot from you."
Yamato waved off her praise, trying to stay humble. "You're praise makes it all worth it." he explained.
Naruto just continued to watch the clouds, feeling the day take its toll on him.
I don't know where I am, who is friendly and who is a foe. I know I have no way to return home, and shouldn't even if I did... They need the sacrifice to maintain the peace between villages that has finally been achieved... And I think I could really like it here...
He sighed as Yamato and Chris started to fight over who would pay.
"That's right! How much did this cost?" asked Chris as she brought out her purse. "I shall pay." she declared.
Yamato sent her a smile. "500 Yen, but I'll pay for the both of you to celebrate your arrivals. It's not much." he said. Being honest with them.
Chris wasn't buying into it. "I appreciate that, but I cannot allow it either. Please, take it." she said, trying to hand the money over to Yamato.
Naruto just rolled his eyes.
Would someone please just pay for the damn food...
Yamato held up his hands. "It's fine. It's not worth that much..."
Chris interrupted him. "NO! I shall pay!" Insisted Chris.
Yamato scratched his cheek. "Well... To be honest... I was able to make this because of you, so don't worry about it."
Naruto turned an eye to watch them, finding this turn of events to be very interesting.
Chris seemed stunned. "What? What do you mean!?" she asked.
Yamato seemed smug. "We were betting on the gender of the transfer student. I already know of your gender, so I was able to make some money." he admitted.
Naruto nodded along with his words. Easy money right there... "That's pretty smart of you, to take advantage of the situation like that." admitted Naruto, throwing himself into the conversation.
Yamato sent him a bright smile. "You think so? Thanks."
Chris interrupted the both of them, a dead serious expression on her face. "Yamato, is that not cheating?" she asked.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her tone. Is she upset?
Yamato seemed to be in the same boat as Naruto as he regarded Chris with a curious look. "Cheating? Call it a victory of my information network. Isn't it fine to use my head?"
This seemed to upset Chris even more. "That is fine, but cheating is wrong!" she declared, as if Yamato was the villain in the scenario.
Yamato was starting to get irritated. "It's not cheating if you're not caught. It's pointless to win if you don't win using your own skills." he argued.
Chris fell silent, a critical gaze cast at Yamato.
"..."
Naruto glanced between the two of them, a slightly bemused expression on his face. While this is somewhat entertaining to watch... As a shinobi, I'll have to side with Yamato on this one...
Chris finally spoke up, her tone no longer heated, but full of ice, as if she was rejecting Yamato. "So that is your way of thinking? I have misjudged you, coward." she said, labeling Yamato.
Naruto watched the brown-haired boy wince, his eyes going wide. "Wha-!" started Yamato.
Chris gazed off into the distance, an upset look crossing her face. "And to think, YOU, have the same name as Yamatomaru... What a pity..."
Yamato wasn't about to back down. "I'm a fan of Yamimaru in that series." he muttered.
Naruto had to hold back a grin. What a smart guy... Attacking at something she clearly holds close to her heart... Pretty ruthless...
Chris gasped and stood up, an outraged expression on her face. "What! That devil who kills people for money!?"
That hits a little close to home for me as well... Wait... HA! I'm pretty sure I've only ever personally killed 2 people... Okay, now I feel better about her statement...
Yamato stood up after her, leaving Naruto as the only one still sitting down. "He's certainly not righteous, but he keeps his word! He's cool!" started Yamato, "Yamatomaru's excessive sense of justice is just weird!"
Chris' eyebrows twitched. "What was that!? Are you making fun of Yamatomaru?"
Yamato sneered at her. "All I'm saying is that he should use his head more! He should be wittier and mean sometimes as well!"
Naruto watched as they butted heads and lightning traveled between their eyes.
"Grr!"
"Grr!"
Yamato was the first to pull away as he shouldered his pack, his expression settling back into neutral. "Let's go. I'll show you the way to the dorm at least." he said, quickly walking away.
Naruto stood up and clapped a hand on to Chris' shoulder, getting her attention as he gave her a gentle smile. "You know, you're not wrong in believing that his way of thinking is the coward's way."
Chris beamed brightly at him and opened her mouth to say something but Naruto cut her off before she could.
"Now, don't get me wrong," he started, "I'm simply stating what I believe in. Sure, that kind of thinking is a coward's way of thinking, but in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that." Naruto turned to glance at the sky and then at the back of the retreating Yamato, before giving Chris a look. "I believe the difference between having honor and being a coward is the will to survive."
Chris seemed to contemplate this." The... Will to survive?" she asked.
Naruto nodded.
"Yep. Once you've become desperate enough, you'll start to look for any means or methods. Eventually, you'll find out that the ends justify the means, as long as the results show. Naruto tapped her on the forehead before leaving after Yamato, but not before leaving her some parting words. "Chris, if you want to grow both as an individual and as a warrior, you'll need to start looking underneath the underneath."
With that, Naruto caught up to Yamato and engaged him in some light conversation, leaving Chris to watch the both of them becoming fast friends.
Chris furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Looking underneath the underneath... What does that even mean?" she mumbled, moving to follow after them.
…
…
The three of them arrived at the Shimazu Dorms and Naruto watched as Yamato took the lead. "We're back." he simply stated before heading inside, leaving Chris and Naruto to follow after him.
Stepping inside the traditional inn turned dorm, Naruto became aware of another person in their presence.
She had blue eyes and long deep forest green, almost to the point of black, hair that went well past her waist. She was using two white ribbons to tie her hair into a ponytail and she had a soft, pale skin tone. She was also fairly tall and has a voluptuous figure, meaning she obviously kept herself in well condition, giving off a Yamato Nadeshiko vibe.
As she looked over her shoulders back at them, Naruto decided that this girl had a great ass. Wow... That booty...
Naruto watched as her expression, being that of surprise, transformed into a more forced smile, coming off as an intense evil look. "Ah, Aah... Naoe- Senpai, welcome back..." sadi the girl, as if she was trying too hard to make friends.
Yamato sighed and motioned to Chris and Naruto, once again introducing them, though he forgot one. "This is Christiane –san. She'll be living here from now on." he said, introducing her.
Chris bowed. "Nice to meet you..." she greeted.
Yamato motioned to the other girl. "This is first the first-year Mayuzumi-san." he said, introducing the other girl.
Mayuzumi bowed back, her face still stuck in that forced position. "O-okay! Good Day!" she greeted back.
Yamato nodded before leaving. "Then, I think I'll head to my room!" he muttered, walking away.
Chris seemed to agree with that decision. "Myself as well!" she said, a haughty expression on her face.
Mayuzumi seemed lost. "Eh...Eh!?"
Yamato completely forgot about Naruto as he and Chris split, leaving Naruto and Mayuzumi-san together. Naruto turned to greet the strange girl, and came upon a weird sight.
Mayuzumi was crouched in a corner, her hands held above her head as she whispered to herself. "Just now... Those two were mad, weren't they?" Naruto sweat dropped as her condition got progressively worse.
"Perhaps I was acting impolite to them! I thought I could greet them with a smile! Ha!? I probably gave off the impression of being really stiff! That must be it..." she said as she stood up, completely unaware of Naruto's existence as she started trudging for the stairs. "I... Guess I'll return to my room to rehearse greetings."
Naruto felt his eyebrow starting to twitched.
This girl... Did she just completely ignore me?
Deciding enough was enough, Naruto cleared his throat, gathering the attention of Mayuzumi as she spun on her heel, a surprised expression on her face as Naruto gave her a foxy grin, causing her to gain a little pink on her cheeks. "A-ah..." she said, suddenly finding the floor to be very interesting.
Naruto just chuckled before stepping forward and rubbing her head, as if she were a child. She looked up and found him smiling gently down at her. "Hey, I know we didn't get introduced. But the name is Uzukaze Naruto." he said, pointing to himself, his smile grew as he pointed to her with a questioning gaze.
Mayuzumi suddenly felt how close they were, and with a blush, she stepped back and bowed before him, trying to hide her face... "M-M-Mauzumi Y-Yukie!" she stuttered out.
Naruto tested the name on his lips. "Yukie huh? Yukie-chan? Or maybe Yuki-tan? Hmm, so many choices..." he mumbled in thought.
Yukie's head shot up; her face confused. "W-what do you mean c-choices?"
Naruto gave her another foxy grin. "Ah, my bad. I was thinking of a nickname to give you, to commemorate our new friendship, ya' see." he explained, his easy-going attitude coming through strong right now.
Yukie was taken aback, surprise on her face. "F-F-Friends!?" she asked.
Naruto tilted his head. "Yeah... Unless, you don't want to be friends?" he questions, not wanting to be presumptuous.
Yukie furiously shook her head, happy to have made a new friend.
We really need to work on that... Such a cute girl... Having way too much trouble with stuff like this...
Reiko, the dorm mom, popped her head through a doorway. "Oh, Yukie-chan and Uzukaze-kun."
She fully stepped out to where the both of them could see her as she sent a smile towards Yukie. "The girl's bath on the second floor is broken, so please use the one on the first floor for now."
She turned to talk to Naruto. "Uzukaze-kun, I'll show you to your room so you can get settled in for the night."
Naruto bowed his head, his manners showing. "Please and thank you. Oh, and could you not call me Uzukaze? Just hearing that makes me feel old. Please just call me Naruto from now on." he said with a smile.
Reiko smiled at him. "I can do that, Naruto-kun."
Naruto grinned back. I can totally feel mother-like vibes coming from her... Naruto turned to Yukie to give her a small wave. "I'll see you around Yuki-tan! Let's be great friends, okay?"
Yukie once again seemed surprised before nodding, a serious expression on her face.
"L-Lets!"
…
…
Momoyo slowly trudged her was back into the Kawakami Temple, her feet feeling sluggish as she walked without purpose.
"Ugh... I spent all afternoon searching the town for them... Damn you Yamato, this is all your fault..." she said, muttering to herself.
With a sigh, she hung her head as she rounded a corner, running into somebody. Blinking her eyes, she found that person to be Kazuko, who seemed to be just getting out of the shower if the bath towel wrapped around her neck was any indication, as was the sleepwear she was currently wearing.
With a small smile, she greeted Kazuko. "Hey, Wanko."
Kazuko blinked before looking up, a grin quickly splitting across her face. "Onee-Sama! How are you?"
Momoyo flipped her hair back, blowing away a loose strand in frustration. "I'm irritated. I spent all afternoon looking for Yamato and that guy who knocked me unconscious. I was totally going to challenge him and enjoy beating him up..."
Kazuko hummed to herself as she placed a finger to her bottom lip, her eyes calculating as she searched her thoughts. "You were searching for Naruto?" she asked.
Momoyo blinked before facing her adopted sister. "Naruto... How do you know who Uzukaze is?" She asked in wonder.
Kazuko once again smiled. "Ah, well I was returning to the temple before my run to Tokyo, and I ran into Yamato giving both Chris, that new transfer student in 2-F from this morning, and Naruto, another new transfer student for 2-F, a tour around the city. It seems that they started here at the Kawakami Temple." she explained.
Momoyo completely froze, her red eyes losing the light in them as her mind slowly decided to shut down, her head falling as her bangs hid her face away from view.
They...
Were...
Here...
First...
I could have...
Gotten...
My fight...
Kazuko, not seeing that Momoyo had hung her head, asked a question that was the finishing blow to her sister, that set her off. "Onee-Sama? If you were looking for them, why didn't you just text Yamato?" she asked.
That was it. That was all that was needed to cause Mount Momoyo to erupt, her frustration and anger visible for all to see.
"DAMMIT! I'M SO PISSED RIGHT NOW!" she yelled, her power level fluctuating. Momoyo spun on her heels, one goal set in her mind as fire and ice erupted around her fists. "GRAMPS! WHERE ARE YOU!? I REALLY NEED TO BLOW OFF SOME STEAM RIGHT ABOUT NOW, SO LTE'S FIGHT!"
Kazuko, who had sought shelter from the eruption of Mount Momoyo, watched her big sister stomping away.
She blinked.
"I didn't cause that, did I?"
…
…
Naruto crawled into his futon, tires from all the new things he had to deal with today. He closed his eyes in thought.
Let's see... A new and unknown place that doesn't know who I am by my name alone... New and unknown technology for me... Though the locals seem well versed in their craft. And to top it all off... Nobody has chakra except for me...
Well, at least I managed to find some books... Now my clones can upgrade my reading and writing from this place... I won't seem like just some country boy who never went to school...
Naruto closed his eyes, sleep already coming to take him back into his personal paradise of ramen. Right before he fell asleep, he mumbled out something.
"I'll just pull an Octo-pops... Just take everything as they come, and enjoy myself."
With that, he fell asleep, unaware of what tomorrow held in store for him.
Mainly, he was unaware of what plans one Kawakami Momoyo held in store for him.
…
(Back in The Elemental Nations)
…
Shortly after all of the flashes of light, and sounds of explosions stopped. A group of people body-flickered into the completely destroyed clearing, they were all astounded at the level of destruction, that only two people had caused during their fighting.
"Wow, they really went all out here, didn't they?" asked a sultry sounding, mature female voice.
She was Mei Terumi, the 5th Mizukage. Long auburn hair, flowing down her back, splitting into various spikes all the way down, with a top knot atop her head. Her bangs covered her right eye and the sides of her hair crisscrossed each other below her neck. She wore a one-piece blue dress, split from the end all the way up to her waist on one side, shoulders also absent, enhancing her bust. Her bright green eyes, scanning all of the details within the clearing.
She was answered by a tough, rough voice. "Well, when that idiot is involved, what else can you expect?" He scoffed out. There stood a mountain of muscle, open robes showing off his dark-skinned, extremely muscled torso. His eyes sharp as they also examined everything in sight in the clearing. His blonde hair, slicked back, the tips flapping slightly in the wind. Appearing rather imposing, stood A, the 4th Raikage.
"Yes, Naruto always causes too much trouble wherever he goes." Replied a dignified female voice, belonging to Senju Tsunade, the 5th Hokage. Long blond hair, split into pig tails stopping in the middle of her back, her bangs flowing on either side of her face, as if proudly showing off the small purple diamond on her forehead. Hazel eyes, taking in all of the destruction around them. Wearing a light grey top, which did not seem to help hide her rather impressive bust, dark blue pants which stopped shortly above her ankles, which had the straps for her heeled sandals. Remnants of a long-sleeved green coat, still hanging off her shoulders.
"Stupid little brats." An old impatient voice stated, the 3rd Tsuchikage, Kamizuru Onoki. Being far shorter than the rest of the members of this group, he was floating near the rest of them. He was missing most of his hair, but what hair he did have, was pulled back into a top knot at the crown of his head. Wearing a green cape like piece of clothing which was under a red mantle. His expression was hard, his big red nose kind of ruining his serious expression.
They continued forward for a while, Tsunade looking on in concern as the amount of blood on the ground was slowly increasing. Spotting someone lying on the ground tens of meters ahead of them, they picked up the pace.
"Sasuke... Wow, Naruto really did a number on him, huh?" blankly stated A, still rather pissed at Sasuke.
Tsunade kneeled down, to check his pulse. "He's dead... But... Hmm..."
"What is it already woman?" asked the ever-impatient Onoki, annoying Tsunade, her eyebrow twitching.
"Just shut up! Let me scan him for a moment." she responded, before her hands started glowing green, running them above Sasuke's body a few times before stopping. "He used a Jutsu... While on the verge of chakra exhaustion... It seems to have cause his chakra network to shatter... He died a mere moments after using the technique."
"Whatever it was... It was powerful, very powerful. Even causing damage to his own hands upon use." she added.
"OH MY GOD! LOOK OVER HERE!" screamed Mei. Tsunade not liking the urgency in her voice snapped up and ran over... She dropped to her knees and started crying loudly, confusing the two men that were still slowly making their way over.
"no... No... NO!" Tsunade said progressively getting louder.
Onoki and A could only gawk at the sight before them. An orange clad arm... Attached to... Nothing... There was blood everywhere...
Tsunade still bawling her eyes out at the thought that Naruto was this injured. Walking towards a nearby crater, A, found that it was surrounded by scorch marks inside and out, blood pooled at the bottom of the crater...
There is far too much blood... To be simple injuries... Wait, what's that in the blood...
Quickly jumping to the edge of the pool of blood, he pulled out a large piece of cloth... Black and red... He pulled out some water, hoping to find out that this wasn't Naruto's. He was proven wrong more and more, as he slowly poured the water over the cloth. It was changing from red to orange, he noticed a grey patch, one that he found very familiar.
Dammit boy... Why...
Slowly walking out of the crater towards Tsunade, with a somber look on his face. He bowed to her and held out the piece of cloth with both hands.
"Tsunade.." he said, to get her attention. "I'm truly sorry... But I don't think Naruto made it through... I found this in that crater over there." He motioned with his head, "It is filled with far too much blood, and this was drifting about on the surface..."
With trembling hands, Tsunade slowly took the cloth. Drawing to her chest as tears streamed down her face.
Tsunade summoned her personal Slug summon and asked her to contact the Toads, because she needs to confirm something on the summoner's school. Nodding her head, the slug vanished in a poof of smoke, only to appear a few minutes later with a Toad carrying a large scroll.
"Can I please see the entry for one, Uzumaki Naruto, I need to confirm if he has truly died." She requested. The toad looked over to the Slug who nodded slightly, and then unfurled the scroll. The Toad's eyes started to water, seeing their most recent summoner have his name greyed out. He lightly tapped the name for Tsunade to confirm.
Tsunade slowly ran her fingers down the greyed out writing, tears once again forming in her eyes. The Toad put his 'hand' over hers trying to comfort her for a few minutes before resealing the scroll and poofed back to inform the rest of the Toads.
"Why... Naruto..." she sobbed. Everyone patting her back or shoulders, trying to comfort her. "I swear... On my name... He WILL be seen as a hero." she said with surprising strength in her tone. The others solemnly nodded at her words.
They made their way back to the command base in silence, Sasuke's body having been put into a scroll, and Tsunade still tightly clutching the piece of Naruto's clothes.
Making their way into the camp, she stated to a nearby guard, "Have the rookie 12 and their sensei's in the main tent within 5 minutes." she started before adding, "And tell Kakashi... If he is not there on time... I WILL TAKE WHAT MAKES HIM A MAN!" Frightened by her tone, the guard quickly nodded before disappearing from view.
…
…
A few minutes later, within the main tent, stood all of the rookie 12 and their sensei's. The only person missing from this group is the Kazekage, Gaara. He has other important tasks he was busy with, but will have to have the same explanation given to him, considering he was also a good friend of Naruto.
"We found the location where Sasuke and Naruto were fighting." she blankly stated, stopping all whispering that was going around about why they were called in.
"Master... Where are they?" Asked a pink-haired girl.
Tsunade's silence was deafening... Slowly pulling out a scroll, handing it over to her student, Sakura. "Sasuke is in here. He had died from using a technique that we have no knowledge on, we can only assume he found it within Orochimaru's library, when he was already on the verge of passing out due to chakra exhaustion."
Everyone was silent... It was as if a bomb had gone off in their minds...
Sakura, with tears forming in her eyes, slowly took the scroll, and drew it into herself.
"W-W-What a-a-about... N-N-Na-Naruto-K-kun?" questioned a lavender-haired girl, stuttering all the while.
"Knowing that idiot... Hinata, he's probably asleep in the field medic tent..." Scoffed a brash animalistic boy, with a very large dog at his side. Hinata was about to calm down at his words, when Tsunade spoke, tears once again streaming down her face.
"I-I'm sorry... Hinata..." she started, almost on the verge of breaking down. Her words silencing everyone in the tent. Pulling out a scroll, and a piece of cloth, that they all found, looked very familiar. "He didn't make it..."
Hinata fell to her knees... Hands covering her eyes... Tears leaking through her fingers. As everyone could only look at the cloth in shock.
"Tsunade-Sama... Is Naruto's body in the scroll?" uncharacteristically serious, asked a pineapple haired boy.
A pony tailed blonde took the piece of cloth, and pulled one of Hinata's hands, to place the cloth into it for her.
Hinata held the cloth to her chest, her tears never stopping.
Tsunade slowly shook her head, her tearing having slowed down by this point. "No... It's not his body..." started Tsunade, "All we could find... Was his arm... Near a crater, filled with blood... Too much to have even come from 5 people. We know there was no one else at the site, so our only plausible conclusion. Is that whatever technique had killed Sasuke, was also responsible for Naruto's death."
They were all dumbfounded, they couldn't imagine that Naruto was dead, none more so than Hinata. "A-a-are y-y-you s-s-sure T-T-Tsunade-Sama?" she stuttered out between sobs.
Nodding her head, Tsunade replied, "Yes... Unfortunately... This is the only possible scenario that could have occurred. Nothing else would make sense..." After calming herself down once more, "I truly am sorry, that we have lost such a hero." she paused. "Please take a few hours, to calm down. We will hold a funeral tonight, for our most recent loss of a hero. One who has been a hero to our village since his birth."
"Please inform, everyone around the camp, that we will be having a gathering for all villages later today... We need to make sure he is seen as a hero, for not only saving the Elemental Nations, but also for saving the Leaf's destruction from a highly misguided fool, tainted by Orochimaru's whispers."
Everyone, now in a downtrodden mood, nodded their heads. Before shuffling slowly out of the tent, Kakashi staying behind. "Yes, Kakashi? You need anything?" Asked Tsunade.
"Are you absolutely sure he didn't survive?" he asked, his head lowered some drops falling from his eyes, hidden from all.
"Yes... I'm sorry Kakashi... But there is no evidence to support his survival... No foot prints, marking his departure... No claw nor drag marks, indicating any sort of abduction... The only possible outcome... As much as I wish it wasn't true... Is that he is dead... I even called upon the Toad Clan to confirm this with their summon scroll... I truly am sorry Kakashi." Tsunade answered.
Nodding, tears now flowing more freely from his eyes, Kakashi slowly turned around, making his way out of the tent.
... None of them aware that Sasuke's technique had stripped Naruto's entire existence from this world, before sending him into the unknown...
…
…
Hours later, shortly after the sun had vanished below the horizon, leaving a soft orange glow in the evening sky.
Gathered around the podium, were the ninjas of all villages. The Kage's of each village standing atop the podium
Gaara having arrived, having tear stains on his cheeks at the loss of his friend. Tsunade held up her hand, trying to silence the crowd... It wasn't working...
Until A shot a blast of lightning above their heads and shouted, "SILENCE!"
Everything stopped... You could hear a leaf hit the ground at the level of silence, "Please, continue lady Tsunade."
Nodding to him for his action of silencing the crowd, she cleared her throat. "I am sad to report... We have lost one of our best heroes tonight, a hero to the entire Elemental Nations for his actions during the war, and also to his home village, for holding the Kyuubi at bay since his birth..." Taking a breath to let that sink in, and to keep herself calm. "We are here this evening, to mourn for the death of our world's greatest hero, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto."
Her statement causing some thumps, people having falling to their knees, some lowering their heads, tears falling from their eyes. Each and every person there, having felt this loss hitting them harder than any other, during this time. Understandably so, they have just lost their largest hero.
Everyone was silent as Tsunade slowly walked towards the pyre that had been set up for this funeral.
"Let this loss settle in your hearts!" she shouted, "Know that he fought for all of us! To keep us all safe! To keep the peace between our villages!"
People slowly nodding their heads, a fire in their eyes at her words.
"LET EVEN KAMI KNOW! THAT THIS LOSS WILL NOT BREAK APART OUR PEACE!" She finished, emotion burning throughout her words.
"YES!" Everyone around the camp screamed with all their heart, towards the sky, towards Kami itself.
Tsunade whispering to the others of their Kage group, "I will have Sasuke have a separate funeral within the leaf. I would prefer to have the Uchiha's go out with at least decent terms in the village, as much as I hated the smug little bastard, he WAS the villages golden-boy."
The rest of the Kages nodding in understanding, not saying anything on the subject.
…
-END-
…