This is my last update for a while, the final part of my 3 chapter update.
Fan of Fanfics21 does not own Naruto or Final Fantasy XIII
After enjoying a nice Popsicle break, Jiraiya drew a swirl on Naruto's right hand after he was told to remove his glove as he observed it with curiosity as Jiraiya drew the same mark on his own hand. "Take a look kid, now what do you see?" he asked as Naruto looked at them both. "They are both the same mark." He replied bluntly as Jiraiya chuckled as he pulled out a blank piece of paper.
"I've heard that you don't concentrate back when you were in the academy so I'm going to do things differently. See this paper?" he asked as Naruto looked confused at the moment. "Yeah, but there's nothing there…There's a hidden meaning in this for the second step isn't there?" Naruto guessed as Jiraiya nodded as he drew the mark on the center piece of paper as Naruto focused on it and it alone.
"So, have you figured it out kid?" The Toad Sannin asked as Naruto nodded. "I guess, I think it involves concentration for the next step am I right?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded. "You've got it kid. Last time when you made a hole in the rubber ball you were desperately trying to gather chakra in the ball. When you concentrate, you draw out the power, but without some sort of target, concentration can be difficult." He lectured as Naruto looked at the mark on his hand. "For this, you need to focus your chakra on the mark alone if you want to pass this part of the exercise kid." Jiraiya explained as he left as Naruto noticed Lightning and Jaken were gone. He guessed they left to find info on Tsunade.
"Time to get to work then." Naruto said to himself as he began resuming popping the rubber balls. Two days had passed and Naruto had not made any progress at all with the rubber ball, only making holes in them causing the chakra to leak out and deflate the balls as Orochimaru and Kabuto left their base to find Naruto. On the third day, Lightning, Jaken, and Jiraiya were looking for any leads on Tsunade as Naruto continued his training.
As night fell, the three were in a bar exhausted from their search as a person spoke up revealing to be a gambler. They told the three of the results and Jiraiya had a look of disbelief, "She lost again, how lovely." He said sarcastically as they got the info they needed as it revealed that Tsunade was in Tanzaku town as said Sannin had just won the jackpot on a slot machine. After winning a few more slots Tsunade confirmed that it was an ill omen as her bad luck hasn't returned. "What could be responsible for this? I've got a bad feeling about this…" she thought not knowing of the Reunion of the Sannin was going to begin very soon.
Back with Naruto, he was on his back taking a breather before sitting back up and flinches in pain from his arms. "Damn it, it hurts so much too even use a sliver of chakra." He muttered to himself as Jiraiya and Jaken looked at where Naruto was. "Lord Naruto isn't doing so well, if this keeps up he'll destroy his arms." Jaken whispered to Jiraiya who nodded. "Yeah, he's reaching his limit." He whispered back as they watched Naruto lay on his back and shook his head to remove his headband.
"I just need…some time…for some rest…" he muttered as he closed his eyes as the wind blew causing leaves to fall as one landed on his forehead. Grabbing the leaf, Naruto suddenly recalled Iruka-sensei's angry face as he remembered he and Kiba ditching class, he and Choji eating behind their books, and even the times when he and Shikamaru both slept in class due to it being "too troublesome" as Shikamaru would put it. He chuckled at the memories of Iruka-sensei lecturing the four of them and even one about using leaves to help with their concentration. That's when it hit him as he had an ingenious idea, "If this idea works, then I'll have to thank Iruka-sensei when I get back." Naruto thought as he got up.
"…I should have also paid more attention in class too." He admitted sheepishly as he licked his left thumb and used it to smudge the edges of the mark on his palm into the Konoha Leaf Symbol as he tried again. This time he only focused on the Leaf Symbol in his mind as he began channeling chakra at a fast rate that in his mind the chakra was spiraling around the symbol like a maelstrom with the symbol serving as the "eye of the storm" as the ball began to glow as Naruto let out a roar of determination as the ball exploded and knocked Naruto back, causing him to skid as Jiraiya caught him.
The Toad Sannin noticed the Konoha Symbol on Naruto's burnt palm and couldn't help but be amazed by the site. "This kid is something else; the chakra was so dense that it burned his palm! One surprise after another." Jiraiya thought with a smirk as Jaken began using his special ointment on Naruto's arms to ease the chakra networks. "Thanks Jaken, I never felt my arms feel any lighter…thank you." Naruto said praising his servant whose eyes were watering. "What?" he asked as Jaken began crying tears of joy.
"This is the first time someone has praised me!" Jaken sobbed as he had a determined look in his eyes. "From now on I will follow you to the ends of the earth!" he declared as Naruto chuckled at that. "That's good and all, but right now I want some rest so I can deal with the last..st..ep…" he muttered before closing his eyes and fell asleep. "Let's head back, we need the kid healed up and ready to go as fast as possible or else we'll lose Tsunade." Jiraiya ordered as they took Naruto back to the hotel room were Lightning was waiting for the three and was preparing to start healing him.
Before she started any healing, Lightning looked at Jiraiya which unnerved him as she had a glare worth up to 10 Tsunades at once. "Uh…can I help you with something Lightning?" Jiraiya asked nervously as the glare seemed to have frozen his legs in fright. "Yes, I believe you could." She replied in a cold tone as Jiraiya got chills down his spine. "Care to explain why Nione asked you to help him to get me and Naruto married again?" she said in a calm tone that masked the promise of pain behind it. Jiraiya knew by instinct to tell her the truth or else he'll have to be interrogated by her scary method involving the spoon again. Just remembering it sent shivers down his spine.
"Well Nione told me about how to counter the brands growth and halt it, after all he said that you and your friends were able to return to your human forms after become C'ieths and it was before your final battle with some guy named Orphan." Jiraiya explained with the full truth. "And you know what it is exactly?" Lightning demanded as she knew what the secret was as Jiraiya sighed. ""If a L'Cie finds happiness in their trials of despair, then the fate of a C'ieth is closed as well as an awakening to a new Focus." Is what Nione said to me…If I can help Naruto in any way to find happiness before he becomes a C'ieth then I would take it. Change his Focus into something less dangerous so he could come back to everyone waiting for him with open arms." Jiraiya sighed as he looked at her. "And I believe only you can help him find true happiness Lightning." He said as Lightning looked at him.
"Why me?" she asked as Jiraiya chuckled at the question. "Because I've never seen Naruto truly happy before, he just keeps hiding his real emotions behind a mask that fooled most of his fellow genin. But in those eyes before he met you was emptiness and despair in them but also a strong resolve and determination that would surpass even the Fourth Hokage himself. But after he met you, his eyes changed to one with happiness and hope as his resolve became even stronger." Jiraiya explained as Lightning was caught off guard at how Naruto's real emotions were like before she was awakened from her slumber.
"But did you have to get us married of all things?" she asked clearly annoyed at that part as Jiraiya chuckled again. "Well no one but the four of us-"he said gesturing to her, Jaken, the sleeping Naruto and himself, "-know your true name and the picture on the certificate shows only a 13 year old version of you so people would assume that it is someone else completely." He said with assurance as Lightning looked skeptical at it all. "Plus Nione said that your sister made a request for him before he sealed her to help you get a love life." He finished with a chuckle as Lightning had a scowl on her face.
"Even in a different timeline Serah is still worried about my love life…" she thought with annoyance but had a small smile on her face as some things between the two sisters haven't changed. "Well, let's get Naruto fixed so we can find Tsunade." Said Jiraiya as Lightning agreed with him as she started casting Cure repeatedly on Naruto who began groaning as he go up with Jaken's help and put a hand on his forehead. "What hit me? I felt as though I was wrestling with a Behemoth King in tar and got crushed by its weight." Naruto asked as the two adults and one servant chuckled. "Well my Lord, you had just finished completing the second step before you passed out from exhaustion. Plus we found out where Tsunade is sir." Jaken explained.
Naruto got up and stretched as he had a smirk on his face. "Then let's go bag us a Sannin!" he shouted as he found his headband lying nearby and he grabbed it and was about to put it on only for Lightning to tie it on his arm causing him to look confused. "Look better without it on your forehead." Was all she said as they packed their things and began their continued hunt for Tsunade.
Once they were out of town, Jiraiya tossed Naruto a simple regular balloon that made him raise an eyebrow at the final step. "What's this one about exactly?" the young Shinobi L'Cie asked as Jiraiya had a balloon in his own right hand. "Tell me what you see?" the Toad Sage asked with a grin on his face as Naruto stared at the balloon. "I don't get it, there's nothing happening…unless…" his mind trailed off as he looked at the super pervert with a smirk.
"The Rasengan is spinning around in the balloon isn't it?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded. "Yup, you are one smart cookie kid. This final step here is the combination of both steps at their peaks and this time you cannot let the balloon pop at all. This is all about the spinning, power and condensing it into this baby!" Jiraiya shouted as he formed a Rasengan in his left hand and Naruto looked at the ball of chakra in awe. It lived up to the name "Spiralling Sphere" for nothing because it was a ball of condensed chakra that was spinning fast and it looked like a storm was inside of it, heck Jiraiya even showed him its power at full strength by using it to drill a hole into a tree trunk!
"This completed version has more power than the rubber ball part, and even more spin to it." He thought as Lightning looked at what was left of the tree from Jiraiya's Rasengan. "That is a powerful technique, a living typhoon in the palm of one's hand. Imagine if it was combined with magic…" she thought as she looked at Naruto who was looking at her with the same train of thought as they both sported a mirrored grin on their faces which made Jaken and Jiraiya raise an eyebrow at the site.
Naruto immediately tried to form a Rasengan inside the air balloon and tried compressing it as the balloon suddenly popped as chakra flowed through the air as Naruto flinched from the backlash of it. "Remember kid that you have to combine both steps at 100% and stabilize it in order to complete it and remember; it's an A-rank jutsu so this isn't going to be easy as the last two steps kid." Jiraiya lectured as Naruto nodded his head.
The foursome left the town and made their way to Tanzaku where they went to a dice gambling building to get info and Lightning couldn't help but notice a familiar royal blue metal ore as the jackpot prize. Naruto caught her gaze and looked at the metal ore himself. "Something wrong Light?" he asked as Lightning's eyes were still focused on the ore. "No, I just have a feeling that I've seen this ore somewhere before…" she said trailing off as the owner of the place noticed them talking about the jackpot prize.
"Ah, I see you've caught interest in that Mythril Ore eh? Well you have to win it to have it lady." The owner said as Lightning was caught off guard at the name of the ore. "Hey Naruto." Lightning said suddenly getting his attention "Yes?" Naruto asked as he felt her gaze on him. "How good were you at the underground gambling arena again?" she asked as Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I won the jackpot 3 times, why?" he asked as he turned around to see her as she had a serious look on her face.
"I want you to win that ore, it is important to win it!" she ordered as Naruto was caught off guard by what she was saying. "Wait, why is that ore so important?" he asked as she grabbed him by his turtleneck shirt and was face to face with him, "That metal is important for a reason! It's been used for weapons and armor and is a good conductor for magic and amplifies it! It's also high quality stuff!" she shouted as Naruto sighed and held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright already! I'll try and win it sheesh." Naruto said exasperated as he sat down and began to gamble with a smirking adult thinking it was going to be a win.
*13 minutes later*
Naruto held the Mythril Ore in his hand as the owner and employees sobbed in defeat as Jiraiya looked at the site with disbelief as Lightning and Jaken had a proud look on their faces. "That's Naruto-sama's luck for you, one that is undefeated by any!" Jaken shouted in awe as Lightning chuckled. "Well I could say that Lady Luck has taken a liking to him." She replied as Naruto overheard that line and recalled a song from the underground about Lady Luck. "Well good luck winning the other two ores then." The owner said getting the three's attention as Jiraiya was gambling for info and was losing badly.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as the owner looked at him with disbelief as he muttered to himself. "You really don't know? There are three of these ores in different gambling areas, one which you won here, another in a slot machine, and one in a lottery. If you win all three then you are the luckiest guy in town." The owner explained as Naruto got an idea. "Hey Lightning, want to see if Lady Luck is really on my side?" he asked with a grin that meant trouble as Lightning sighed at that but agreed none the less.
*an hour and 21 minutes later*
Naruto was seen winning the lottery after he conquered the slot machines and the old woman smiled at him. "I must say sonny you must be blessed with incredible luck to win all three ores. Make sure to put them in good use okay?" she asked as Naruto nodded and did a small bow. "Thank you miss, but now I have to go, bye!" he said as he ran off waving at her. "Such a nice boy, I'm sure he'll make anyone he marries one day truly happy." The old woman said.
Meanwhile nearby Lightning sneezed as Jiraiya looked at how Naruto won the lottery with disbelief. "I can't believe he won off of just one ticket. That kid must have a knack for gambling…heh, if only he was sharp on his jutsu." Jiraiya thought as Jaken looked at his master in awe. "You truly are a master gambler Naruto-sama! To win all three in one day!" Jaken said in true awe. "Well as Fang would say it, "Lady Luck is on his side."" Lightning replied as Naruto chuckled. "Maybe that should be my new catchphrase, "Lady Luck is on my side!" what do you think?" he asked.
"Whatever floats your boat kid." Jiraiya replied annoyed that the kid has this much luck. "I think I know where all of Tsunade's luck went too." He thought as Naruto placed the three ores into his backpack as nighttime fell onto them. "Well, let's get something to eat and then continue our search for Tsunade." Jiraiya said as the other three nodded. The minute they entered a restaurant, there was one Tsunade Senju and her apprentice sitting and eating with their faces facing the door as they both had a surprised expression on their faces.
They foursome were soon seen sitting with the Slug Sannin and her apprentice as Tsunade was drinking sake. "It's like a reunion…a lot of old faces coming back." She muttered as Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that quote. "For you to say that must mean Orochimaru is nearby isn't it?" Jiraiya asked as she nodded. "Yeah, bumped into him as he told me he was after some "Damn demon fox brat ruined my plans for Konoha's destruction." And so on…" she said waving it off like it was no big deal.
Jiraiya chuckled as he elbowed Naruto in the side. "Well kid I have to say you made yourself public enemy number one on Orochimaru's list if he's here personally just to kill you." Jiraiya said as Naruto and Lightning glared at him. "Now's not the time, can we get onto business Ero-Sennin?" the two L'Cie said in perfect sync causing said perverted sage to face fault as Tsunade laughed at the nickname of his as Shizune the apprentice of the Slug Sannin was shocked at the insult to another Sannin.
"Ero-Sennin, fitting name for you Jiraiya." Tsunade said as the two L'Cie looked at Tsunade with the business expression. "Can we talk now?" they both said in sync again as Tsunade calmed down. "Fine, what do you want?" she asked as she began shuffling a deck of cards she kept with her as she played poker with Jiraiya. "The Council has decided to select you as the Fifth Hokage." Jiraiya said in an even tone as Naruto was greedily eating some tonkatsu as Lightning scolded him on his table manners making Tsunade see the image of her dead younger brother Nawaki and herself when she was younger in their place.
"I refuse." She said flatly as Naruto stopped eating to look at her from his food as Tsunade lost to Jiraiya. "Why would I risk my life for some village that's cursed with its leaders to one day die in battle? Only a fool would be Hokage, take a look at Minato, he died sacrificing his life to protect the village from the Kyuubi." She said as suddenly, the atmosphere became cold as a clear desire to kill was in the air as ordinary people suffered strokes as Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune felt something pure evil about it as Jaken was shaken up as Lightning looked at the source of it all: Naruto.
"What did you say about my father?" he asked in a cold menacing voice that promised pain and suffering before granting them an agonizing death as he glared at Tsunade who was surprised at what he said. "I see, so you're his son huh?" she asked as the killing aura was aimed at her, "Yes, and your relative from your grandmother's side, one Mito Uzumaki." Naruto replied coldly as Tsunade looked surprised at what he said. "So you do know of your heritage." She stated as his eyes turned cold. "All thanks to the old man of course. I knew you would refuse and wouldn't comeback so we would have to drag you back if we had to by his orders." Naruto said as Tsunade snorted.
"Go ahead and try, you're just a fool like the Hokages who died for their village. Bunch of fools as well as those who dream of becoming Hokage." She sneered as the place became cold as Jaken was cowering in fear as he knew Naruto's anger had just gotten worse. "So you're a fool as well, as well as your grandfather, granduncle, little brother, and even your late lover. Pathetic fools indeed." Naruto replied coldly as Tsunade's eyes harden as she heard Naruto call her brother and lover fools. "You take that back about them." She said in a serious tone as Naruto snorted.
"Didn't you say that anyone who were Hokage and those who dreamed about becoming one were fools, and not to mention most of them were related to you so you're as much as a fool as them. Grow up Tsunade; you couldn't even overcome the grief of losing those who were close to you that you ran away from home drinking away your sorrows and gambled so much that the owners became stinking rich, face…the…TRUTH!" Naruto shouted as the killing aura dissipated as Tsunade got up and used her fist and punched the table causing it to break. "Let's take it outside brat, you need to be taught a lesson." She said as she was so close to breaking him into pieces as he had a devious smile. "With pleasure you old hag." He replied.
*outside*
"One of the Legendary Sannin taking on a snot-nosed genin… I oughta be ashamed of myself." Tsunade said to herself as Naruto secretly casted Libra on her and his eyes widen slightly at some very interesting info as he began forming a plan. "Just who the hell do you think I am? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konoha and the future Hokage, believe it." Naruto said as he took his gloves off which got Lightning's attention as she wondered what he was planning as he pulled out his Blazefire Saber gunblade and put it in sword mode. As he drew it and got into his battle stance as Tsunade held out one finger making Jaken and Lightning raise an eyebrow at.
"You see this? One finger is all I need to take you down." Tsunade said as Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Shit, I better not get hit by that then. Even that finger itself can pack a punch the size of a Adamantoise's stomp if she was serious." Naruto thought as he charged at her at fast speeds. Just as he was about to make an attack on her, she got underneath him and knocked him back a bit and flicked him in the forehead causing him to be knocked back a good distance.
"Hey kid!" she called out as Naruto jumped back on his feetwith his gunblade in hand. "Before I knock you out, tell me. Why are you so touchy about Hokage?" she asked as Naruto gave her one of his trademark smiles as she noticed two people overshadowing him. "Because becoming Hokage is my dream!" he shouted as Tsunade's eyes widen as she looked away as Naruto noticed she dropped her guard and decided to make a gamble with what he learned so far. "Here goes nothing…" he muttered as he put his gunblade away and started gathering chakra in his right hand as it began to spiral and compress.
With that he charged as Tsunade regained her composure as she noticed what was in Naruto's hands. "Wait…" Tsunade said to herself as she saw it with disbelief "That jutsu is…!" she thought as Naruto was about to shove it right into her. She quickly responded by using her finger to create a small fissure in the ground as Naruto leapt in the air to avoid the fissure as he prepared to slam it into Tsunade's back only for her to leap back as he slammed it into the ground causing a small explosion as Naruto was blown backwards and landed inside the fissure.
Annoyed, Naruto created a clone that helped him out and dispelled it as he shook his head. "Damn it, still haven't gotten it right yet." Naruto muttered as he observed the hole from it before looking at Tsunade. "Fight's not over yet baa-chan, so don't get any ideas and don't even say anything about my Rasengan." He said as Tsunade snorted at that. "Fine, then I'll say it after I beat you brat." Tsunade replied as she had an eye twitch from the "baa-chan" comment.
She charged at him as he quickly drew his gunblade and slid his entire left hand onto the blade as it became tipped with his blood as he charged right at her. He made a slash at her which she jumped backwards only to see Naruto smirk as drops of his own blood landed on Tsunade as she froze in her tracks. With the perfect opportunity in front of him he quickly did a heel drop kick right on her head causing her to meet the ground face first. Shizune came to Tsunade's aid as Naruto walked towards the others with a sour look on his face.
"Pathetic, Jiraiya is she really the famous medical ninja Tsunade or just another girl for your books?" he asked knowing that he's egging Tsunade on who was sitting upright and was shivering from the blood on her. "Yeah she is Naruto, why are you asking something so ridiculous like that for?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto used his thumb to point back at her. "Because medic-nins like her shouldn't be terrified of blood. Pathetic really, all she really is just a mere old hag disguising her true age and runs away from her past, unwilling to move on and be trapped in a cycle of pain and grief. I wonder how Dan and Nawaki must feel seeing her in such a state." He said as Tsunade's head snapped up as she saw the two he mention overshadow him.
What she saw when Naruto and the two images turned around and saw her was disappointment, sadness, and betrayal in all three of their eyes. "Hold it kid, I'm not done yet!" she shouted after Shizune wiped away the blood off of her as she stood up. "Forget it Tsunade, you lost. Couldn't even overcome your fear of blood to save your own life, sad really." Naruto said as she bit her lip in anger. "Fine, then I would like to make a bet with you." She said getting his attention.
"A bet?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Tsunade nodded her head at what she had in mind. "I noticed that your Rasengan is still incomplete, so here's what's going to happen. In one week if you can master the Rasengan, I will take back everything I said about the Hokages and acknowledge that you will be able to become one, I'll even throw in my necklace." She said as she pointed to the green stone. "Tsunade-sama, you don't really mean that!" Shizune shouted as Naruto scrunched his face. "You can keep it, I'm not interested in jewelry." Naruto replied.
"You numb skull." Jiraiya said getting his attention while Jaken was scolding him for being rude to Naruto which he ignored. "That necklace belonged to the First Hokage himself and they are extremely rare to find. Why that little thing is worth three goldmines and the mountains on top of them!" he said as Naruto's eyes turned into ryo signs as he heard that. "Lady, you've have yourself a bet!" he shouted as Jiraiya and Lightning looked at him with disbelief. "It's always money with this kid…" they thought as Tsunade chuckled.
"Alright, but if you don't master it in a week then you must admit I was right and you were wrong. Plus I get the money in Froggy here and you have to quit being a shinobi." Tsunade said as she held out Naruto's bulging wallet Gama-chan in her hand. "Fine, I hope you're ready to lose that bet baa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as Tsunade resisted the urge to punch the kid. "It starts tomorrow kid, so you better be ready to train to the bone." She said as Naruto smirked. "Of course I will, just who the hell do you think I am?" Naruto asked as she tossed him his wallet back as they Tsunade Hunting Group left for a hotel leaving Shizune and Tsunade alone.
*in a hotel room later on*
Naruto was in the room alone as Lightning was in his mind sleeping and Jaken was looking for a perfect training ground for him to practice the Rasengan on as he heard a knock on the door. "Who could that be at this time of the day?" he asked himself as he went to the door and opened it. Behind it was Shizune, "Can I talk to you please?" she asked as he nodded as she walked in. "Let me guess, it's about Tsunade's infamous "Necklace of Death" isn't it?" he asked as Shizune looked surprised at what he said as if he knew about it before hand.
"You need to reconsider the bet Naruto, that necklace is like a curse. It took away Tsunade-sama's brother and my uncle, for her to bet it with you it must have rekindled that faint spark of hope left in her in order to do that. But I don't want her to suffer again!" Shizune explained as Naruto looked at with a small sad smile. "I can't, besides I won't die till I become Hokage and complete my Focus as a L'Cie. Let me tell you a story of the Deifiers of Fate and the hardships they went through, a Fabula Nova Crystallis…" he said as he told her about Lightning's story as a L'Cie and her journey with her friends, how she vowed to protect Etro's Legacy, how Nione ended her world and sealed her and her friends and only family member into their weapons and how he himself became a L'Cie.
Shizune was amazed by the stories and she couldn't help but feel sad about Naruto's situation. "If there's anything you need, you can come to me okay?" Shizune asked promising to help him with anything he needed. Naruto inwardly had his prankster smile on as Lightning woke up in his mind and saw what he was thinking of and rolled her eyes with annoyance thinking that it's going to backfire on him. "So, falling for me already huh?" he asked as Shizune was taken aback by it and became flustered.
"Wha-no I'm just concerned about you that's all!" Shizune exclaimed as her cheeks were starting to get red as Naruto's face got closer to hers. "Don't worry, as long as Ero-Sennin and Tsunade-baa-chan don't know then we're safe." He said as Shizune's heart was beating faster as her entire face became red. "B-but what about our age difference?" she asked hopeful that it would stop him there as he smiled and held her hand. "True love has no boundaries." He said as his lips became closer to hers.
Jaken was walking in the hallways to tell his Lord that he found a suitable place to train as he heard an ear piercing scream that caused him to trip and fall flat on his face before getting up and run to the source.
Back with Naruto and Shizune, Naruto had his lips around her ear as he had a fox like grin on his face as he whispered "Just messing with ya." And a wink as he left the room leaving a flustered red faced Shizune who was trying to calm her beating heart down. Outside the room Naruto was crackling like a madman from his prank only for Lightning to electrocute him from inside his mind as he twitched in annoyance.
"Come on Light, it was a harmless prank, no need to electrocute me!" he thought as he felt her glare at him. "That's for messing with a maiden's heart is all I'm doing." She replied in his mind making him wonder when she became so protective of other girls. "Naruto-sama!" Jaken shouted getting his attention as the boy was out of breath from running. "I found a perfect training spot for you and what was that scream just now?" he asked as Naruto had an amused look on his face. "First one, good job Jaken and second on is because of a prank of mine." He replied as Jaken lead him to a place outside the town were dead trees were at.
"You can go and sleep Jaken, see you tomorrow for breakfast." Naruto said as Jaken saluted him and ran off to get some rest for tomorrow as Lightning came out of his mind in a swirl of red rose petals. "Time for some training!" Naruto shouted as he noticed something on a tree. It was a purplish black object that shined and Naruto's curiosity got the best of him as Lightning realized what that thing was. "A door to the Rift here? If he touches it he might be trapped in some other dimension!" she thought, "Naruto don't touch it!" she shouted but it was too late as he poked it and got sucked in. "Idiot!" she shouted diving in after him.
*In the Rift*
Shinryu, the great Dragon of Ruin sensed the Cipher in the Rift and began glowing a gold like color as he shrunk to the size of a small crystal and flew at great speeds as he crashed directly into Naruto's brand as both Naruto and Lightning fell into another dimension that resembled a sick and twisted version of Cocoon. "Ugh, what hit us?" he asked as he got up only to see a very angry Lightning at him. "IDIOT!" she shouted as Naruto sheepishly held his arms up in surrender trying to calm her down.
"I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know that the black whatever it was would take us here?" he protested as Lightning glared at him hard. "Well don't touch it if you don't know what it is! Ask first! Idiot!" she shouted as she casted Thundaga on him as he yelped in pain. "That hurts!" he shouted not noticing the figure on top of one of the many buildings observing them. The figure landed behind Lightning as Naruto noticed him behind her and couldn't help but look at the figure, it was like him but at the same time he didn't. One thing for sure was that this Naruto was dressed up similar to Kain Highwind as the other Naruto got in a battle stance as Lightning stepped aside and looked at the other Naruto and observed him and noticed a familiar spear in his hands. "Fang?" she asked.
To be continued in SurfaceMemory's fic "Never Forgotten Heroes"…