~NRK~
The return to the clubroom was with surprise, joy, and excitement.
"I guess we can give you two a good demonstration of the club," Tem said with a smile. "We're actually already working on a big play that's to happen in a month or two. The Adler!"
"The Adler, the courageous one, the big play that's typically strung throughout the years, I believe," Juno said with a hum of thought. "Oh, right! You all performed this in three parts over the year, this is the last one before the third-years leave."
"Correct," Els said with a long sigh. "It's gonna be difficult to fill Louis's role in the club but I know we've got this. We've been a part of this entire thing for a long time."
"Hm, hm, so you'll be looking for a new star, yes?" Pina asked with fascination as Naruto snorted while Riz moved off to the side, sniffing the air oddly. "Well, can't very well say I'd dislike that idea."
"You're looking to perform?" Louis asked with some intrigue. "Well, I don't think it'd be a bad idea to work as part of the crew, for now. Tem and I have the lead roles in the show as of now. Perhaps you'll gain a good standing to fight for the chance to be Adler after I've left." he said with a smirk as Naruto chuckled.
"Alright! Stagehands! We're gonna move some shit!" The hybrid said as he looked up at the ceiling where Legosi and Kai were. "Gotcha."
"Got what-?" Juno began to say only for Naruto to jump atop a desk.
He then bound off it to the wall then to one of the rails by Legosi and the others before flipping up onto their scaffold.
"Sup," the former ninja said as the large wolf blinked at him along with the gaping Kai. "Hehe~"
"Come now, Naruto's getting involved like always," Louis said with a smile that the others choked at. "What? This is completely normal."
"No, it's not!" Kai shouted. "What the hell, are you part monkey, too?!"
"Heh, nope, it's all about flexibility, Kai-senpai," Naruto said as flicked his bag to the side. "Watch," he said, falling back onto the rails.
His toe caught one of the corners and he hung from there before pulling himself up only to swing his other leg around to hook around one of the bars and right himself.
"It's all about understanding how my body works," the blue-eyed boy said with a chuckle as the group gaped at him.
"... Hmm," Louis rubbed his chin in thought. "As always, I'm trying to figure out how to best make use of you, Naruto."
"It happens," the blonde said before he stepped off the railing, causing Els to blink.
"W-Wait, I'm confused, Naruto, how much do you weigh?" She asked.
"Hmm, give or take 70 kgs."
"No way!" Shira said in disbelief. "I'm 70 kgs you bastard, where'd it all go?!"
"Ah, so we're breaking the rules of normalcy," Kibi said as Moro chuckled.
"Hey, I'm basically a bunch of muscle and fur, I'm just kind of short."
"Oi! You saying I'm short?!" Kai shouted and Naruto chuckled nervously.
"I didn't say a thing, senpai, hahaa…"
"You just droned off, you son of bitch!"
"Hmm, I'm 71," Legoshi considered as Kai snorted.
"2-20, that doesn't mean I'm short, junior!" He said to Naruto who grinned nervously. "Dammit, don't try and bedazzle me, you bastard!"
"I'd be worried if someone was that weight and above 5 feet," Dom said as Kai choked and Tem chuckled. "But, don't worry, Kai! You're fine the way you are!"
"Dammit!"
Juno and Pina chuckled. "Where do you want us?" The sheep boy asked and Louis hummed.
"Can you dance?" The red deer asked.
"I-I can!" Juno said with a shaky grin. "I-I did a little bit of it back in middle school."
"Good, then you'll join the dance team for now," the deer said before looking at Pina. "You, meanwhile, will be shadowing the roles of Odie the Water Spirit… and Adler the Reaper."
Pina blinked in surprise before smirking as everyone else gasped or choked.
"We want to make sure everything goes off without a hitch," the deer continued. "In case anything happens, we need as many possible mishaps taken care of early."
"I understand," the sheep said with a chuckle as Naruto did. "Goodness, Naruto really is a good luck charm, at times."
"It's called charisma," Naruto said with a snort as Juno giggled. "Except I use my powers for good!"
"Debatable, like I said before, he wears you down before you accept his odd friendship."
Legoshi hummed as things set into motion, the trio of him, Kai, and Naruto working on the lights, adjusting them to the stage with the blonde moving them down the rails while the mongoose gave him the locations and the wolf adjusted those far ahead of them with his long reach.
Juno, meanwhile, followed Shira and the others in their organized dance numbers.
"Alright, again!" Shira led as they moved through the numbers once more. "Hmph! Not bad… Freshman!" The cheetah said with a chuckle as Juno preened a bit.
They flowed through the next ten steps before taking a break.
"Hmm, you really do have beautiful fur," one of the other dancers said as Juno blushed a bit, rolling a water bottle in her hands.
"T-Thanks! I love using Lourve's Medicinal Groom for it," she said and the others gasped.
"No way! I never knew!"
"Talk about finding a diamond in the rough!"
"I'll check my finances."
Juno smiled at the others before Shira nudged her shoulder with hers.
"So, how's the routine?" She asked. "And how'd the three of you oddballs become a little team?" Shira asked with a chuckle as Juno blinked before laughing along with her.
"Well, for the routine, it's pretty good," she considered. "There aren't any tiny animals in it so we can use bigger moves without worrying about stepping on anyone. Add on, you must have done this one a dozen times because I never felt like I was moving in someone's space."
"Hmph, we did, I've been planning it for close to a year in my downtime."
"Hmm… and, as for Naruto-kun and Pina-kun… Naruto was the reason we became a friend group in the first place," she admitted with a smile. "Let's see… Right, the moment I joined Cherryton, I was in their class and we were doing an assignment on the different animal languages. This one was on sea animals. I didn't know anybody in there but all the animals seemed to want me on their teams and… well, I didn't feel comfortable. Naruto just seemed to swoop in and asked if I wanted to join his and Pina's group."
"I take it that he does that a lot."
"He does," Juno said. "Naruto-kun's odd, he's not normal and I guess we all know more about that but I mean, maturity-wise. He's so wise for someone who's my age."
"Hmm~ Hard how?" Shira asked suggestively and grinned as Juno blushed bright red.
"N-No, no, no, no, not like that! I mean, he's cute and hot, I get it but I don't want to date him," she said even as she grimaced on the inside a bit.
Not dating Naruto had always plagued her a bit, he wasn't a wolf, that's not how things worked.
"Naruto, come on down, it's time for the fight scenes," Louis said and the fox-deer hybrid nodded from above.
He then flipped down to the ground, much to the applause of those in the drama club.
"Good form, a magnificent flip, and landing," Dom said with a chuckle. "Goodness, I'd think you were a gymnast instead of a fighter most of the time."
"It comes with the territory as far as I'm concerned," Naruto said with a grin before humming. "Right, with these fights, Adler fights past the mooks, right?" He asked as he walked past the dancers. "Doing good, Juno-chan," he said with a thumbs-up as she chuckled.
"Honestly, he's already broken quite a few hearts as is," she said to Shira and the just-sitting down Els who looked intrigued. "When I was getting used to things, Pina and me would always watch Naruto get confessions, he got like one every day for Valentine's Day," she said and the two gaped at her. "It was hilarious."
"I mean… Oh, wait, that's why he came in here that day," the cheetah realized as Els blinked in shock. "Ya see, around that time, Naruto would spend almost all his free time here helping out. We never thought about it but that makes more sense."
"Hm, hm, Naruto-kun's a total weirdo," Juno said and Els grinned.
"He really is."
Pina hummed with shining eyes, reading some of the lines and poses as Naruto stood next to him in costume.
That being a white-cloaked individual with a black mask on one side of his head and a blindfold around his eyes.
"Can you even see in that?" Pina asked curiously.
"A bit but I just use my senses," Naruto said as spun around his friend before finishing his circuit with a crouch and flare of his cloak, the wooden spear on his back remaining there. "Trust me, I look like an idiot but that's only kind of correct."
"Glad to see your humor hasn't changed."
"It's another one of my best traits."
"Now, as you four know, Adler fences his way through the army of Odie the Water Spirit," Saru said as he came forward, Louis coming over with a wooden sword in hand. "I'm sure you all understand but this isn't supposed to be actual fighting."
"We know, we know," Bill said, coming up to the scene with a spiked collar, clothing wrapping over his right eye, and a fighter's gi on. "Man, ya know, I'm curious, Louis, you don't know any form of fighting?"
Louis blinked, humming. "I actually know fencing. Naruto impressed upon me that even as my bodyguard, knowing how to defend myself is important, despite how good at actual combat I am."
"Well, while I hope it never comes, it will come with time and experience," Naruto said with a smile, twirling his spear from his back.
He rotated low and forward with the wooden weapon flourished about before its tip was placed on Louis's shoulder.
"As you learn, as you grow, as you fight, gaining the strength you'll need will come to you. There are no shortcuts, my brother, the end of the world could come and any random person will struggle," Naruto said as Saru perked up and secretly signaled to the light crew. "It seems easy, it seems hard, but know you will, in time. That's not why I'm here but why I'm beside you," the blindfolded fox said with a chuckle as his spear was returned to his back with another flourish. "Because I am your ally, no matter what, I'll ensure that strength is there for your future."
Then there was clapping and Naruto blinked as Louis snorted, the fox lifting his bandages and blushing at the light above.
"Dammit, Saru, you know how I get when I'm monologuing!"
"And it's always so fascinating," the pelican said with a chuckle. "Why, I know I'm not the only one who's noticed."
"He's not," Louis said as he cupped his chin and closed his eyes. 'Yes, you're always so incredible.'
Those natural words, that powerful stance, that feeling of protection, Naruto's aura could reach the most snobbish individual and make them understand what being protected by him meant.
"As a matter of fact," Louis said with a smirk. "There's been some brainstorming by myself, Dom, and Saru. The Adler is powerful but just redoing it won't be enough, no, we need our spin to it and I think you've just stepped up," Naruto's mouth dropped. "Welcome, Sander, Adler's brother and mentor."
There were gasps, cheers, excited whispers, and chuckles aplenty as Naruto blushed.
"L-Like, that's cool, but…" His eyebrow twitched before he huffed. "Fine, as your gracious, kind, amazing, underclassmen, I do need to step up and help my upperclassmen every now and then. You have your damn addition."
"Hm, hm, hm, talk about a change in the script, yes?" Pina said and Naruto groaned.
"Don't, Pina, unless you want me to find your current girlfriend and tell her to test you."
"Oh! You know, you always were a dashing friend."
"... I'm just gonna let that slide," Naruto said before grunting. "Alright, alright, I better have only a decent part in this play."
"You're in a third of it."
"Freaking hell, Louis, just throw me into the ocean why don't you!"
"Fucking hell, he actually just altered the play?!" Bill realized in disbelief. "What the fuck have I been doing?! Bring me in, coach!"
"Calm down, Bill, you're literally the understudy to Adler in case anything goes wrong," Louis said. "While I'm definitely not hoping for this, you are my backup in case things head southern."
"South, dude, it doesn't need to be this whole thing."
"Damn, they must have been waiting for Naruto to mess up, haha," Shira said with a chuckle as Juna giggled. "Like, they got him in 4K."
"Naruto's always been a bit dramatic, he just doesn't know it," Els said with a smile. "Now, can he pick up the slack to make it? I think he can, he's not unaware of everything that's happened up to this point, especially with Louis originally bringing him in earlier."
"Earlier?" Juno asked.
"Yeah, Louis brought Naruto-kun in when he was still early in middle school. Ever since, Naruto's been a part of the team, so to speak."
"I see…" Juno said softly as she looked back at the bickering Naruto, Pina, Bill, and Louis. "He's one-of-a-kind."
"That, we know," Shira said.
~NRK~
Sitting in the main home's kitchen, Naruto, Louis, Oguma, Kuuzo 'Gaston', and Sebun ate as they chatted, the other staff in their rooms.
"He laid his trap and I got caught, I'm completely embarrassed," Naruto grumbled as he stuffed some bug and bean sausage in his mouth. "Grrmmm."
"You're getting a star role and complaining about it?" Oguma wondered, sipping some of his tea in confusion. "Has teenage rebellion changed?"
"He's just weird," Louis said with a smirk as Sebun chuckled. "And, even though he says all that, he's capable, it's scary how good at acting he is. I might take that some kind of way, Naruto."
"Oi, I'm taking offense, the heck?" The hybrid's mouth dropped and Sebun chuckled some more.
"You're simply hard to pin down, sometimes," she explained as he grumbled. "Hmph, hmph, how about you tell us about these friends of yours? Pina and Juno, right?"
"Oh, yeah, well, I really met Pina a month after school started," Naruto said with a chuckle. "I was walking in the yard when he saw him being picked on, sort of."
"How does one 'sort of' get picked on?" Oguma asked with a raised brow. "Surely it's either he is or isn't."
"Yeah but I didn't know Pina that well back then, he's good at hiding his true feelings."
"Is everything alright out here?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the four male students, one of whom was a pretty sheep. "Class is about to start, break it up."
"Shut it, lap dog, we're dealing with our latest problem!" One of them, a chimpanzee with a bad disposition, said with a growl baring his fangs. "Go clean up after Louis, ya servant."
"Now, that's rather ungraceful," the sheep boy said with a smile that Naruto saw the barest of twitches of. "You've not only mocked our fellow student for no reason but you've accused me of… talking to your girlfriend?" He asked in confusion, shifting the slightest bit away from the group of carnivores.
"Why you?!" The leader of this pack of chimps seemed ready to attack only for Naruto to step forward.
"Noble, I better not catch you trying crap or we'll have a problem," the fox said with a glare as the three bullies looked ready to try him. "Don't make me put you down, here and now."
"Soo tough, are we?" The boy said as something flicked out of his pocket-
"Nuh-uh, we're not doing that," Naruto said as he closed the switchblade in his hands, the four boys freezing at what had just happened. "Last warning, do not."
Noble looked shocked at his empty hand before swallowing as he looking up and shied away from Naruto's gaze.
"Fucking, fuck you and, sheep boy if I catch you near my girl again, I'm slitting your throat," the chimp said before his group ran off, leaving Naruto to sigh before turning to the bishounen.
"You alright?" He asked and the boy blinked before grinning, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm certainly better, thank you, sir."
"Name's Naruto, nice to meet ya," the hybrid said with a smile and the herbivore blinked. "So, what was that actually about? Noble's already been known to not have a good memory but he looked actually pissed this time."
"... I was simply asking his, supposed, girlfriend to be my lab partner. No more, no less," the sheep said before humming. "I guess it might have looked like flirting…"
"Even then, he shouldn't have done that, dammit," Naruto said with a grunt as he looked at the backs of the trio of troublemakers. "I have a feeling I'm gonna have to deal with that eventually, fantastic."
"Hmm? Are you security?" The sheep asked.
"No, but it's not right for me to not step in if something's going wrong."
"... Is that so?" He looked at the former blonde with some surprise.
"Come on, we need to get to class," Naruto said as he walked gestured to the school.
As they walked, Naruto raised a brow at the sheep's close walking distance.
"Ah, I apologize, Pina is my name. Pina the Dall Sheep."
"Nice ta meetcha, Pina."
"That's your MO, that's for sure," Louis said with a chuckle as Sebun smiled proudly.
"You did good, Naruto, that was the right thing to do," she said as Oguma nodded and Kuuzo chuckled. "What of your other friend, Juno-chan?"
"Oh, now that's a whole different thing," Naruto said with a laugh.
Naruto and Pina blinked as she introduced herself to the class.
"Hi, my name is Juno, I'm a gray wolf and I like going on long walks and candy!" The newly-introduced Juno declared with a bow and smile.
"Good, Lord, she's beautiful," Pina whispered in awe as Naruto blushed a bit before nodding along.
"S-She's cute, yeah, that's not wrong," he said and the sheep gaped at him. "W-What?"
"You've never done this before," Pina said with a growing grin as the hybrid blushed before grumbling.
"Shut up."
"Now, since she's kind of an odd transfer one of the groups will need to make their pair into a trio-" the teacher began to say but the moment he'd said it, the others were out of their seats and crowding the grey wolf.
"And, just like that, your chances have shrunk," Pina said with a sigh as the fox gawked at him.
"There were no chances, dude! Dammit," he said as the sheep chuckled before they watched the wolf try and deal with her popularity. "... She looks so uncomfortable," Naruto noted with a frown as he sat up and Pina began to laugh.
"Ah, yes, the Naruto special, it's fun to watch."
"Quiet you."
Juno grimaced mentally, tail limp. 'I-I feel so out of place,' she thought with a sigh. 'This isn't what I expected a new school to be like.'
She'd like to actually make some friends thank you very much.
"Yo, alright, alright, chill the hell out," Naruto said as he parted the crowd with a grunt. "You all know how to act civil, do that. Yo, you alright?" He asked Juno who blinked at him.
"Y-Yes, I'm just… overwhelmed," she said as she observed the fox boy. 'His features are odd.'
"Good," he said before grunting. "Okay, like, this is gonna make me look like a total hypocrite but do you want to join me and Pina over there?" Naruto asked before being besieged by his classmates.
"You snake!"
"Tryin' tactics, ey?!"
"I thought you were a better person, Naruto-kun!"
As the fox boy was fending off their classmates, she smiled and answered.
"Sure!"
"To the rescue again, someone might start to think you want to be a superhero, Naruto," Oguma said with a smirk.
"Being a hero's pretty cool, not gonna lie," Naruto said. "But I don't want to have to be a hero to help someone, I think I'm fine."
"It's all about perspective," Louis said before humming. "Speaking of, how do you feel about my sudden change in our track? I know it was kind of sudden."
"Hm? Well, wished you'd have just told me but I'll live. Being an actor, though? That's a whole other kind of attention I'll have to deal with."
"Right, this is your first day back," Sebun said. "So, how'd that go?"
"We got mobbed," both brothers said and Oguma hummed. "It was annoying."
"... I see… Well, it will die down eventually, I promise. As long as you don't cause another scene, things should go well."
"... am I cursed?" Naruto asked and Louis chuckled very nervously. "Is that what this is?"
"Not me this time."
~NRK~
The days following his return had been… slightly less crazy but Naruto still found himself at the mercy of the populace, especially when it was released that he'd be in the Adler in a new role.
Wednesday at noon, though, found the Freshmen in gym class.
Naruto with his arm in a sling pushed down and came up for another push-up, Pina and Juno on his back. The three teens were wearing the school's gym uniform of white shirts but with pants for the boys and bloomers for the girls.
"I knew I could do it with people on my back!" The hybrid said as others gaped. "Though you two are pretty light."
"Hmm, I'm flattered but feel I should be upset," Juno told him, curling some 60 lb weights, and he grinned nervously. "... I'll settle for a compliment."
"Thank God."
"Hm, hm, hm," Pina chuckled as he curled a 40 lb weight. "And I hear you wanted an elephant on your back? Excuse yourself, beautiful sir, that's very much not beautiful to hear."
"Back on that, are ya?" Naruto said with a smirk. "And, for your information, I was only thinking about it-"
"That's not what Molly said," Juno said with a hum as Naruto choked under Pina's intense stare. "She told me that you've been asking for 'workout partners'," she said with twitching fingers. "You're too much, sometimes, you know that?"
"... No comment."
"And he's defeated," Pina said with a shake of the head. "With that aside, shouldn't we be about finished?" He asked and, speak of the devil, there was a whistle from their gym teacher.
"Alright, everyone! You're done with class for today! Go and clean yourselves up!"
"Alright, thanks, guys," Naruto said as they nodded and got off, the hybrid getting up. "A quick stretch," he said as they did a few twists. "And we're good. Having one arm to use really didn't make these any easier," he said as he pulled at his wet shirt.
"You'll get your other one back in time, as you told us," Juno said with a nod as he nodded. "Oh, we're also going to need to trim, soon, right?" She reminded them unsurely.
Naruto nodded, pinching the fur on his bandaged shoulder and making a sound of disgust at the long and wet strands.
"Okay, yeah, no, it can't come quick enough," he said with a grunt before looking at the distance between where they were and the men's locker rooms. "... Screw it," Naruto said as he shrugged.
Juno and Pina raised a brow before they balked as he tore off his shirt.
"Haa, much better," he said.
He was defined and yet not rippling with muscle as they had assumed but that matched his fox image while still fitting his deer heritage.
"Alright, let's-" He began to say, taking a step before Pina took his shirt out of his hand and threw it on his front. "Dude, please, I just-"
"You know, for someone who didn't want the attention of the entire school," the sheep interrupted with a smirk that could have split mountains. "You are so oblivious, I'm jealous."
"The hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked, turning to Juno. "Do you… O-Oh, sorry," he said with a blush at Juno's, along with many of the other Freshmen girls', looks of shock but thick blushes. "... We should leave," he said before he ran. "Dammit!"
"... Ah, he's an idiot, I keep forgetting," Pina said with a hand cupping his chin. "... That said, it's part of his charm along with a rocking bod, I suppose," he said before running after the fox. 'Yes, for the first time in my life, I am not looking back towards those girls' reactions.'
He wasn't an idiot like a certain friend of his.
Let there to blush bright red, Juno choked on her thoughts.
'Maybe a little interspecies isn't so bad.'
No, stop! Why would you think that?!
He's hot, that's fine! Don't go loony on her now!
He grumbled as he washed up, Pina chuckling nervously in the stall next to him.
"Surely, you do realize, this made your situation so much worse, right?" The Dall sheep said and the hybrid groaned while the other guys laughed. "Goodness, you're just all about causing trouble."
"That fucker is!" Came a voice from the entrance of the locker room, getting a frown out of the two specifically. "Where's that fox son of a bitch!?"
"You've gotta be kidding me," Naruto said with a groan before turning off his shower and putting on a towel. "Right here, Noble, what do you want?" He asked, stepping out of the showers to see the irritated chimpanzee and his recently grown posse of ten members.
"You know what you did."
"... Oh, shit," Naruto groaned. "Look, you probably don't believe me but I wasn't trying to impress anyone-"
"Shut your mouth! The boss is talking!" Another of the members said as Naruto's eyebrows went flat.
"Hmph, I'm done just allowing you to keep doing your bullshit," Noble said as Naruto's eyebrow rose.
"You ain't allowing shit."
"You just heard me, didn't you!?" That goon had said.
"I don't give a damn what you say, not Noble, especially not goon #23," Naruto said as the chimpanzee growled. "You're throwing this tantrum because I took off my shirt? Dude, think about what you're actually doing! This is stupid no matter how you turn it!"
"Fuck off! That's it, I want a fight, so-called 'bodyguard'," the monkey said, surprising Naruto a bit.
"Oh, shit, well, sure, I'll give you all a fight," he said as the eleven students flinched. "That's what you want? Alright, fight you, your backup dancers, your estranged aunt, whoever. As long as, at the end of all this, when I win, you cut the bullshit and just grow up."
The chimpanzee grimaced, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides before he growled and moved to his locker along with his pack of goons.
"Is that wise?" Pina asked.
"It's not gonna be hard, that's for sure," Naruto said.
~NRK~
"So, what's this I hear about you and a fight?" Jack asked as the group ate in the cafeteria. "Naruto-kun?"
"It's nothing serious, promise," Naruto said as he, the drama club, Haru, Jack, and his Freshman group sat at a set of long lunch tables. "Just handling something with a dude that I used to know."
"It's bound to be interesting and safe," Louis said, eating some egg. "Hmm, I will not lie, egg does have a sort of… pleasantness to it."
"Yes, covert!" Naruto said as Haru giggled. "And, yeah, unless Noble's got snipers on every nearby roof, several martial artists, a clown, and an actual plan, this should be fine."
"I know you're joking… but a clown?" Juno asked, looking away from his grin. 'Dammit.'
"Hey, you never know what a clown will bring to a fight, he might know kung-fu."
"Or squirt ya," Bill said with a snort before blinking at a large pack of animals. "And I think that's their car."
Els frowned as Naruto got up, finishing off his water before wiping his face.
"So, where do ya want this to happen?" He asked Noble and his group.
"Get the fucking yard," he said before they left.
"Ya know, despite how aggressive he is, he's probably got some charisma to gain a group that big," the fox said as he walked off. "I'll give him that much."
"Hmm," Louis wiped his mouth as he, too, finished his food before following his sibling. "You're not that slick."
"See, you're a strategist, not that guy."
"Compliment."
Pina and Juno finished their food as fast as possible, followed by the drama club and friends before they all got up along with a good amount of the student body.
Legoshi took the time to make their tables at least look neat before heading after them with Jack at his side.
"I hope Naruto's truly okay with all of this," the labrador said.
"I think… he'll be fine," Legoshi said as he sniffed the air. "... Naruto isn't a weak smell… honestly, it's so powerful and yet kind, I think he'll do well."
"Hm, hm, thanks."
~NRK~
He removed his dress shirt and shoes as the Noble Crew did the same.
"I've waited way too long for this," the chimpanzee said with a growl as Naruto snorted.
"You won't be losing that streak," the hybrid said, much to the chimpanzee's growl. "Seriously, though, this is all stupid. Have you, I don't know, talked to your so-called girlfriend?! This is insecurity on a whole other level."
"I don't think that's going to work in your favor for today," Louis said as his brother stood there in his gray slacks and a black muscle shirt, the deer holding his shirt while tucking his shoes to the side. "He seems hyper-aggressive. So this is the so-called Noble."
"Yup, he's a real piece of work," his younger brother said as the others made it to his side. "Welcome to the show," Naruto said with a snort. "This is bound to be interesting, my first fight with one arm," he said, the bandaged up limb twitching a bit but he clenched and unclenched his hand just fine. "A bit better than a few days ago, too."
Juno blinked at the sight of his arms before remembering his body and blushed like the schoolgirl she was.
Shira and Els raised a brow at her before leaning in.
"So, what happened, blushing princess?" The cheetah asked and the grey wolf blushed harder. "Now I've gotta know."
"Yes, you told us earlier you had no feelings, so, what happened?" Els asked cheekily and Juno stuttered a bit before swallowing.
She whispered what had happened in the gym and the two made understanding looks.
"I mean, I've never seen him like that but it's not surprising," the cheetah said with a hand on her chin as she envisioned the body that matched the blonde's powerful arms. "... Yup, it's hot," she said blatantly, the slightest blush on her cheeks.
"He is attractive, that's not surprising," Els said with nary a blush or stuttered, surprising Juno a bit.
'Has she really adopted the sister role this much that she doesn't feel a thing?' The wolf wondered with a sweatdrop. 'Damn, sister, you've got a powerful mind.'
She wished she'd had such a thing.
Riz watched the fox prepare with a tilt of the head.
'He's weird… how does he compare to me?' Riz thought as the two sides began to walk forward. 'If it came down to it, I could beat all of them, maybe,' he considered that the thirty guys across from the bodyguard were rather aggressive animals by traits alone.
"W-What do you think, Riz?" Tem asked with a nervous swallow as he saw the sheer number of opponents. "O-Okay, if things go badly I-I'll step in," he declared as those around him stared in disbelief. "G-Guys!"
"... I don't think we'll have to," Legoshi said after a moment and Juno blinked as she looked at her senpai. "Naruto-kun's pretty strong just from his scent alone, they don't."
"That's one way of saying that," Haru said as the two sides stood 'face-to-face'. "We'll find out."
"Any last words?"
"You're an idiot."
The chimpanzee launched the first punch-
The blonde sat on his back with a bored look.
… "What?" Jack blinked as the fox's opponents looked at him in confusion.
"Yea, you guys really aren't about to be a threat," Naruto said as he pat Noble's head. "Good effort, though."
Then his hand gripped the chimp's head.
The floor cracked after he pressed down.
Naruto got up, Noble didn't.
"Now, who's next?" He asked with arms out towards the opposing party who took a step back. "Remember, you could call this off, take your shitty leader and leave."
One of them, the 'yes' man, grimaced before rushing him.
Naruto stepped into his guard and brought him to a halt with a punch to his sternum that dropped him in a second.
"So, that's, what? 28 left?" He asked as Louis chuckled.
The others now looked more nervous but found some courage to fight.
Then the fox nodded and proceeded to dropkick the nearest available member. Still in the air, he wrapped his right hand around another's neck before using him as a platform.
His leg shot out in a harsh revolution that he flipped off the man's back after.
The six around him dropped like potatoes and the group didn't have the time to react before the fox tore through their numbers.
"W-Well… I-I guess I won't have to go in there," Tem said shakily as another boy was thrown over the group's head and landed nuts-first into a tree.
He certainly wasn't getting up.
"Come on! You were talking all that good shit a second ago!" The fox said as he bent back from a haymaker before slamming his knee into the offender's chin.
He then snaked his way up the teen's body before rotating him into a throw that sent several of his fellow posse to the floor.
"So, what happened?!" He shouted at them, catching a punching fist at his side.
He pulled the zebra in close and kneed him in the stomach before slinking around him and brought him up and over into a suplex that the former shinobi flipped up from.
Landing on his planted energy's rigid feet, he lunged to the next 'opponent' who screamed like a woman.
"... So, you knew this whole time, yeah?" Haru asked with a big grin as Louis smirked.
"I've lived with, trained with, and have been protected by our newest actor, yeah, there was no contest," the red deer said as many of the members of the club brought out their phones.
"Dammit… I don't like my chances," Bill said and Moro rolled her eyes.
"Are you still on about that?" She asked and his face became contemplative.
"Yes."
"You're a lost cause," Aoba said with a laugh.
"Hmm, fluidity, grace, and powerful strikes, it's truly something to marvel at," Pina said with a big grin as Juno tilted her head at Naruto's destruction of the other team.
The hybrid cackled as he chased a member who ran for the hills before one of the platypus members came to his aid to… slight effect.
The fox-deer was stopped by him, yes, but that was because he stopped to knee him and then used him as a springboard to pounce on the running one from earlier.
"Come to papa!"
"Noooo!"
"He's having fun with this," she noted with a sweatdrop as the opponents' numbers dwindled. "And they're dropping like flies."
Then several of the last of them brought out metal pipes from their trousers, don't ask, and she became a bit concerned.
The first of the last ten came swinging at the blonde who released his recent choke-out victim.
The snorted and the swinging warthog didn't have much time to process a jab to his forehead.
Two more and he stumbled to the floor, groaning as the fox hybrid kicked up the metal pipe.
"Hmph, this doesn't have that bad of a balance," he said as he blocked the other pipe-wielder.
He dismantled him with a thrust to his chest which was barely protected by a raised pipe.
Then he brought his pipe through his opponent's and finished things off with a kick that sent the other teen flying into the school walls.
"And now there's eight," he said, dropping the pipe as a kangaroo and lemur came at him, knuckle dusters on their hands. "Oh, interesting."
He slapped the kangaroo's punch aside but hummed at the strength in it before rotating around the lemur's kick to his head.
"Ya know, you two got potential," he said as he dodged several more punches from the kangaroo as the lemur came in low to try and trip him up. "Not a bad tactic!" Naruto declared as he swept the puncher off his feet before grabbing the lemur's tail from the latter's jump kick.
He threw him into his partner and the two went rolling before going limp on the floor.
"Six left."
Gon raised a brow from his window, watching it all go down. "Certainly not a fight," he said with a weak chuckle. "Those boys are getting their rears handed to them-"
A ring from his phone gained his attention and he blinked as he picked it up. "... Hmm?" Gon picked it up and looked at the caller ID. "... No way!" He answered immediately. "M-Mog?!"
-How's it going, Gon? It's been so long-
"Who are you telling?" The principal chuckled. "I'm just here, watching my students settle some business."
-I can tell, look outside the gate, the news is recording all of it-
Gon blinked before doing as suggested and he groaned.
"No shame, those people."
-Hahaha, don't I know it- The animal across the line said. -And that's kind of the reason why I called, the boy, I mean, not the newscasters?- Gon made a curious sound. -You don't know this but I work at Insigner Academy-
"Well, I'll be, life's so weird," Gon said. "How is it?"
-It's fine, the headmaster here's kind of a stickler for rules, though. Can't blame him, there've been a routine amount of murders around here… for the worst of reasons-
"The recent predation incidents," Gon said with a sigh.
-Yeah but most of it's due to bullying- Gon snorted as Mog laughed. -It's kind of bittersweet but it's, in a morbid way, better than someone dying despite that incident with the duck in that crew-
"That's also been a thing, hasn't it?" The Siberian tiger said. "Now, what was it that you wanted from my student?"
"..." Riz hummed as he considered the fox's leftover opponents. 'So, easy it's kind of scary.'
Could he have done that? Riz doesn't think so, especially as unharmed as the hybrid was who didn't even look tired. Where the hell did this stamina come from?
"Where does his stamina come from? Damn," Shira said in disbelief. "Like, I could not see myself going through all that and not breaking a sweat, with one arm. This is bullshit."
"Naruto's always been energetic… but this does kind of put that into a different light," Els said with a thoughtful smile. "But this could also work well for acting! He doesn't get tired!"
"Don't let him hear you say that, he might take offense," Louis said as Legoshi tilted his head.
"I think he'd just run with it… Naruto's very easygoing like Jack."
"Hmm, I can see what you mean," Jack said with a sagely nod. "Well, it's a good way to go through life."
"Perhaps but allowing yourself to bloom is important," Pina said and the labrador smiled nervously at him. "Look at him, he's in his element!"
"Pina-kun, there's a question I've been meaning to ask."
"Don't, Jack-senpai," Juno said with a nervous giggle. "You'll end up more confused than you were before."
"... Concerning."
"What was the question?"
Naruto sighed as he looked at his last six opponents before walking towards them.
"So, you're done, right?" He asked as he came forward before one of them grabbed another. "?"
"We're using the pine plan!" One of them, a jaguar, said as he held up his comrade. "Brace yourself, Cody!"
The two rushed forward and the fox blinked before sweatdropping.
He literally just stepped to the side and the two ran past. Rolling his eyes, Naruto tripped them and they rolled.
"AAhhhhh! Why are you so damn spiky!?"
"We're done," Naruto said with a frown. "Take your… Well, actually, by this point, I should probably call an ambulance."
The four grimaced as he nodded.
"Taking a loss isn't as embarrassing as what I'll do to you if you don't," the fox said outright.
"... Dammit," one of them said, falling to his knees as the other three grimaced. "Fuck it, you win."
Naruto observed each of them before looking at their last member.
"Well, most of you think that way," he said as he saw the lizard growl at him. "Take your shot if you want."
The lizard growled before rushing him and only then did the fox not just see how fast he was but the haze in his breath.
Blue eyes narrowed before he walked towards his running opponent.
The moment they met in the middle, poisoned claws swung out-
There was a loud 'CRACK' as the fox's leg lashed out at the lizard boy's forearm.
Naruto landed softly as the student fell into a roll, holding his arm.
"Louis, call an ambulance, yeah?"
"Handling it," Louis answered as he walked up to him. "Your work is as clean as always if not a bit kind," he said, looking all around at the beat-up forms of the bullies. "..." His brown eyes narrowed on the lizard's broken forearm.
The student growled at him but did nothing and Naruto made the executive decision of getting between them.
"Come on," he said as he urged him back to the group. "We-"
"Naruto!" Els shouted in horror as the fox's eyes narrowed before something wrapped itself around his forearm.
He looked down and smelled the poison as the reptilian student's grin reached him, his left hand, coated in poison, wrapped itself around his bandaged arm's forearm.
"N-Not so tough now, are ya?" He hissed out and Naruto's eyes narrowed at him… before he tilted his head.
"Weird," he said as Louis choked at what was happening. "Nope, nope, I think this isn't dangerous to me anymore," Naruto said as he squeeze the reptile's forearm and another loud 'crack' reached his ears.
"ARRGGGG!" The student rolled away, two broken arms his reward as Naruto looked at the bandages.
"..." He unwrapped the area around the arm as Louis paled. "... So I was right," the fox said as he looked at the wet bandage.
He flung the poison towards the floor where it hissed and looked at his undamaged forearm.
"W-What?!" The red deer gaped as Legoshi rushed over.
"W-What happened?!" He shouted, looking at Naruto's limb in horror before the hybrid chuckled.
"I think that poison immunity kicked in earlier than we expected," the fox said as he shook off the rest of the poison, showing them an untouched forearm. "Dude, I'm fine," he explained as the two's eyes widened at undamaged skin.
"T-That quickly?!" Legoshi gaped at the fact as the others tackled them. "W-Wait, please, one at a time!"
"What happened?!" Juno and Pina shouted before Naruto raised his hand.
"Alright, alright, calm down, I'm fine," he said, minding his arm. "You all, on the other hand, do not have an immunity to poison," the former ninja said as he held his limb away from them. "Totally fine, we told you, yeah? I'd eventually gain immunity to komodo venom but I guess it was a bit more broad. I think it's all kinds of toxins and stuff."
"... What?" Shira asked in disbelief as the sounds of sirens reached their ears. "You're immune to rock destroying venom?"
"... Yes," Naruto said as Haru minded her feet by the spots that he shook the venom off of, observing his limb with scrutiny.
"... You seem fine," she said. "Though getting checked by the ambulances is still on the itinerary, young man."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said before the gates slammed open and more than just ambulance personnel rushed in. "Oh no."
"Sir, sir!"
"Can we have a word?!"
"Are you alright?!"
Naruto's eyebrows twitched as they were mobbed by paparazzi and journalists.
One of whom, towered over the others.
"Apologies, I believe this is kind of rude," he said to the others who frowned at him. "Calm down, the boy's not going anywhere."
"Thanks, old man," Naruto said with a grunt. "Alright, alright, one question at a time. And it's only a limited interview!" He shouted at the hungry-looking animals. "Why do they seem more like lions than a lion does?" He whispered to the annoyed Louis.
"Because they share a brain cell."
"Ah, that makes sense," Naruto nodded. "So, camel-jiji, what's your question?" He asked and the glasses-wearing camel blinked.
".. hm, hm, hm, Galom's the name and I'm just concerned about the poison," he said and Naruto chuckled.
"Nah, I'm good, I've gained an immunity to it," the hybrid said and the camel blinked.
"How?"
~NRK~
"An immunity?!" Ten balked at the sheer idea. "The fucks he made of? Antidote meat?!"
What the hell kind of fox was she dealing with? Who just gained immunity?!
"... It has to be because of some sort of medicine, right?" She asked the empty room in disbelief. "There's no way this kid is that sturdy."
The idea of having such a fox on her side made Ten excited but she also remembered that her girls weren't prudes in any sense of the word.
'Think, think. I think I need to go and speak with him again after dealing with the Madaragumi,' she considered with a huff. "Kid, you're just a marvel of insane proportions."
~NRK~
Desco's mouth dropped.
"Immunity to Komodo venom?! Is that where this is heading?!" He gaped.
What the hell was going on with this kid's genes?! There was no medicine for this! The world would have known several times over if there was!
"I…" He swallowed as he looked at the troublesome cross-breed. "... I need to figure out how to deal with this kid."
The world now had visual proof that not only was he a hell of a fighter, they got him on record of gaining a powerful immunity to venom.
'He's becoming more valuable by the day,' the civet realized in horror. 'If more bastards like him come into existence, that's the end of society as we know it!'
No, no, no, no! That could not happen!
'... Is she behind all of this?' Desco froze and paled at the thought of that woman being behind all of this. '... No… NO! It can't be true!' His claws bit into his table. '... I need to know. If she did have a hand in this… there's no amount of good he can do, the boy must die.'
~NRK~
Curie's hands cracked the desk as she listened to the impromptu interview with the boy.
No, the fertile young man sounded better, so much better.
"You did well to escape so many weeks ago, Betty, now's the time for you to go back into the field," the poodle woman said with a big smile. "Get to it."
"I will, ma'am."
The small figure that had at one point had Louis at knifepoint left the room through one of the windows with a flap of her wings and cloak.
"Ma'am!" Para broke through the front door before looking at the TV. "Okay, you're seeing it," she said, mask on and excitement welling within her. 'I have a date!' She grinned like she'd won the lottery.
Now, as for her recent 'savior', Para had come to a decision.
Let Curie find out on her own, that's the least she could do to give the kid some form of privacy for however long that lasts.
"I did… gaining immunity to komodo venom is not some little feat," the dog said, her red eyes gleaming with excitement. "His cells must be so fascinating! To have not just disgusted but adapted the venom into his system like this… he's a bodily marvel."
"Hmph, he's certainly something else," Para said as they watched the interviews. "... Actually, information," she continued with a frown as Curie tilted her head. "I'm pretty sure I saw one of the Shishigumi's members around and more than one. They've been scoping out his home."
Curie frowned and her eyes' normal pupils went slit-shaped. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. So, do we do anything about it?" Para asked with narrowed eyes. "This doesn't sit well with me."
"Neither I," her boss said with a frown. "... We might need to move up Reiner's breakout. That said, I've sent Betty to get in contact with the boy."
"... 'Betty' Betty?" Para asked while clearing her throat. "Uh, how sure of that are you? She's not gonna try and sleep with him for 'information' is she?" She asked brazenly as her boss cackled a bit.
"Well, it'd certainly be the most simple way for the boy to get 'examined' but, no, she's going to fake an interview at his home. In that time, we can have her keep an eye out for these so-called lions."
Anyone who'd get in the way of her goals, Curie would make sure they never saw the light of day.
'Hm, hm, hm, Desco, I get the feeling you hate all this, don't you?' She thought with a big smirk. 'Thank God, your sister saw reason.'
~NRK~
He grunted.
"So, poison's out of the question now," Chief Lion said with a frown. "Ibuki, what do you think of all this?"
"I think we're still fine to keep doing as we have… though, I'm starting to think that what Agata said, while true, isn't a good idea anymore," Ibuki the lion said, his glasses shining in the room. "While it's astronomical luck of him being by two white-furred animals, this is too good, boss."
"I didn't tell you to think about that, Ibuki," the boss said with a growl that cowed his subordinate. "We get both of them, having two is an amazing result. If we could also end the boy, this would be good."
Ibuki grimaced.
~NRK~
He groaned as Harry drove them home.
"Of course, the moment I deal with a problem, another one pops up," Naruto said as Louis, Haru, and Legoshi sat in front of or beside him. "At least those reporters chilled out."
"So it seems but I guess you'll be more concerned with your newest popularity," Louis said and the hybrid snorted. "That's what you get for being careless with your clothing. Now, I'm wondering if anything happened by the house."
As the limousine came to a stop by said house, Naruto got out first and blinked as Sebun spoke with a woman at the door who caused his mouth to drop.
Golden fur with dark brown stripes fell over long bird wings. Her tail was as feline-like and her eyes gold with slitted pupils as her taloned feet clicked against the marble steps of their home.
Dressed in a dark red vest and pants with a dark brown cloak over her shoulders, the woman's eyes widened at the sight of him.
"Come in, you guys," Sebun said with a smile as the group blinked at the woman by the house. "We got a new potential employee."
The feline woman curtsied towards them.
"Betty, the civet, at your service," she said, voice like honey and as smooth as silk.
The fox-deer and co. blinked.
Well, time for a conversation, they guessed.
~NRK~
Wanted to crank this one out before continuing on with writing the next chapters for Void Breathing and Kamui Candy.
Hope y'all like it.
We touch on slice-of-lifey things, for the most part, and they feed into the other minor plots.
Yes, Juno is attracted to Naruto in all the right ways but she's not someone who believes in interspecies relationships and that's likely the only thing holding her back from just pouncing on him and becoming his girlfriend.
And, yes, Naruto would easily date Juno because of how straightforward she is. He's an oddball, sure, but he's also someone who's sought love and affection for most of his life if we add in his past one.
Prepare for a double-whammy set of Omakes.
~NRK~
~Omake: Beautiful II ft Naruto x Pina~
Naruto always knew that a girl would be out to kill him, especially with his horrible track record.
So, when Els, Louis, and the drama club shot into the cafeteria, he should have known better than to expect nice things.
"So, tell me about yourself, Pina-san," Els said with a big smile as she sat at Naruto's side, Louis opposite her position. "Why, Naruto's never really spoken about his friends in the Freshman year before."
"Yes, he's a big blabbermouth," Louis said, drinking some tea with focused eyes. "Quite odd."
"Um, well, I've told you that I had friends in my year, you know," the fox said with a grunt. "Pina's just not the type of person who likes her name being spoken behind people's backs."
"Is that so?" Both herbivores asked.
"It feels like a marriage interview," Shira whispered to the others who nodded. "Like, damn, they're gonna make sure they understand this girl while Pina-chan is taking it all like a champ."
"Hmm, it's as Naru-kun says, I'm fine with making my own debuts than having Naruto explain for me. He's considerate like that," Pina said with a smile that caused the hybrid to clear his throat with a slight blush. "Besides, Naruto's life is his, last I checked, not anyone else's. What happens, and with whom, is all for him to know."
"... I'm liking her fire," Dom said with a small chuckle. "That said, Louis and Els are rather powerfully-minded as well."
"..." Els's eyebrow twitched. "Is that so?"
"Hmph, rather sharp words," Louis said with a grunt. "Is that how my brother fell into your grasp? Apologies, company?"
Pina wore a big grin as Naruto coughed.
"As a matter of fact, our meeting was obviously preordained," she said with a smug smirk that Els began to growl at. "It was a simple day, a pair of weeks after we'd become Freshmen and he helped me from a rather unsavory individual who'd want me as their girlfriend, uugh," Pina shivered. "I'm not afraid to say, a cold day in hell."
"A to-be boyfriend, that seemed kind of unfair," Els said and Pina hummed before smirking as Naruto explained.
"Like, uh, not really," the hybrid said. "So, like, this guy's a piece of work, no if's, and's, or but's, he's a bastard in how he does things."
"It's not wrong, Noble's aggression is known among those in the Freshmen classes," Pina held her cheek with a sigh. "Goodness, it's a good thing we snatched up Juno as well or we'd be doing that song and dance again."
"Juno?" Els asked.
"A female grey wolf," Naruto said and Legoshi perked up, getting a nod from the younger canine. "Yeah, though she's kind of red so I'm not so sure if that's how that works."
Pina giggled a bit. "She's told you enough times, classification is not a rigid rule, just a general one," she said with a shine in her eyes. "But, that's all something Juno should tell you, she does want to join the drama club, after all."
"She does?" Louis blinked. "I haven't seen her yet."
"She transferred in, bro," Naruto said. "Give or take a few months ago. Juno-chan had to get used to Cherryton so she never decided until soonish."
"I see, we'll be waiting then."
"I'm sure she'll be glad," Pina said. "Now, as for our first meeting, Naruto helped me from then on. I was swept into a ride that I didn't know I needed," she weaved as the hybrid rubbed the back of his head.
"I mean… you're welcome?" He said unsurely and she nodded.
"So, yes, that meeting was a big event in our lives," Pina directed at the blinking, protective, duo. "Life's like that."
"... Is life like that?" Legoshi whispered to Jack who blinked.
"I mean, your mom."
"... Oh, right… that doesn't make me feel better, though."
"R-Right…" Els forgot why they were here. "Well… what is your other friend like?"
"Ah, there you two… what's with all the people?" Came a voice that passed Legoshi who perked up. "Nothing's happened, right?" Came a wolf student, a grey wolf student.
"Nothing, Juno-chan," both Naruto and Pina said as the girl stood between the 'two sides'.
"You guys do remember that we need to be in class, soon, right?"
And only then did the bell ring, telling the group to make moves.
"Shit!"
"We lost track of time!"
"Dammit!"
Louis's eyebrow twitched at what they'd forgotten.
'We should have done this at the actual lunchtime,' he groaned as everyone got up. "... Right, this situation is still… odd, so to speak."
"I know," Pina said with a small grin as Naruto hummed. "Come now, Naruto-kun, Pina-chan, we've got to get to class."
"Y-Yeah, I know," the hybrid said as he, she, and their friend walked towards one door in the cafeteria. "Later, guys," Naruto said before blushing as Pina held his bandaged arm tenderly, inspecting it as they walked out. "R-Right."
Watching them leave, Els was left there in confusion.
"What… just happened?" She asked Louis who grunted.
"We fell right into her trap."
~NRK~
"Pina-chan, you're so sneaky," Juno whispered as they sat in class, Naruto in the bathroom. "You called me right when you were getting into it."
"Of course," the Dall sheep said with a giggle. "That's a lot of pressure for little ol' me. That said, I'm winning," Pina said with bright eyes and a big grin, Juno chuckling at that.
This was one of the reasons they were such good friends. Pina and she had many similar ideas and plans.
Despite Juno's own ideas on interspecies relationships, she had no problem with Pina doing what she pleased. It was encouraging to Juno that her friends were happy and that she should become happy as well.
Well, at least, when Pina finally popped the question instead of beating around the bush.
~NRK~
Walking to the drama club, Pina all over his arm again, Naruto was embarrassed to think this question.
Did Pina like him? Was that what this was? L-Like, sure, the signs were there but he'd never been on the 'I know' end before! This was all new territory for him!
… Still, he didn't dislike Pina, quite the opposite really, he liked her despite her slight narcissism and need to keep her core self protected.
And he did think she was 'cute' and 'beautiful' on occasion, that was just normal, too.
"... Hey, Pina-chan," he spoke up, surprising her a bit.
"Yes?" Pina wondered with a tilt of the head before her eyes widened at his blush. 'Wait… YES! Say it! Say it! Say it! Say it!'
Juno also saw the signs. 'There's no way the normally oblivious Naruto-kun noticed… did he?!' Was she underestimating him this entire time?!
"So… Like, I'm gonna come out and say it," he said, rounding the corner to the drama club's room. "I…" Blue eyes widened as they snapped to the front of them.
"N-No, wait, why'd you-" Pina began to say before looking ahead-
Hungry.
She froze and Juno choked along with her as they saw that big bear turn his head towards them with a smile on his face that made the herbivore and carnivore wrap their arms around the fox's.
"Ah, Naruto, I wanted to speak with you," the bear said and Naruto's eyes softened.
"Girls, please, let me talk to him," Naruto said as he slunk out of their grip. "How's life been, senpai?"
Watching the two walk off, Pina's blood went cold and her eyes trembled.
Juno swallowed before urging her friend forward.
"C-Come on, let's go and watch."
The confession, words, and method of the fox had left Pina speechless.
When he approached the door, she didn't even hide and he shot her a nervous grin.
"I guess you heard all of that, didn't you?" He asked and she frowned at him. "P-Pina-chan, I know this is-"
She grabbed his face and their lips met immediately after.
Riz balked along with Juno, both looking away from the spectacle that ended ten seconds later.
"W-Whoa…" Naruto whispered in shock as Pina grinned with totally red cheeks. "S-So, I was right about you liking me?"
"I'm more surprised it took you this long to figure that out," she whispered and he blushed bright red.
"I-I'm typically no good at this."
"I know, Naru," she said, no suffixes to be found and that made it so much better and worse. "Now, come on, we have to get Juno-chan to our new club."
"Wait, our?" The hybrid asked in shock as Juno looked at their friend in shock as well. "Since when?"
"Since nowish."
Watching the three go, Riz blinked as he rubbed his jaw.
He tasted the air and felt his body groan in relief at the scents.
'Maybe I'll do a bit better,' he thought as he walked to the staircase. 'That sheep's still capital 'C' crazy, though.'
Well, he had some gossip to share!
~NRK~
Onto the next!
~NRK~
~Omake: What We Want ft. Naruto x Juno~
He blinked at Juno's intense stare.
It was the time of the Meteor Festival, a time where the people of the city and nearby schools, celebrated their ancestors who happened to be dinosaurs?
Why the hell were mammals celebrating dinosaurs?! Somebody needed to fill him in ASAP!
Still… That was kind of not important. Right now, he had to deal with Juno and her intense stare at Legoshi, at the moment.
"What's wrong, Juno-chan?" Naruto asked and his friend sighed.
"It's nothing… Naruto-kun," she said, blue eyes not looking at him.
"Even if I wanted to agree, you're not doing a good job of it," he said as they walked away from the Shining Meteor at the center of the area. "Like, seriously, what's wrong? Did something happen in that blackout?" Naruto asked with a frown as they slipped into the woods.
"Well… not physically," the female grey wolf said with a frown before she sighed, leaning back against a tree. "Emotionally… I-I'm not doing so well?"
"Was it those assholes from when Legoshi-senpai helped you?" Naruto asked with a slight growl that tossed her heart around and caused it to thrum.
'Why are you such a big part of my picture?' She thought with a small grunt, sliding down to the floor. "No, it's not them, they don't even try the moment they realize how close we are."
'But it's not enough.'
Her traitorous mind fought her on that fact and Juno covered her head.
"Hey, come on, are you really alright?" The hybrid asked softly as he sat next to her, eyes shining with concern. "Juno-chan… Emotionally, huh?" Naruto asked and she nodded. "... You liked Legoshi-senpai?"
"... I want to be surprised, I really do… but you were always so observant when it comes to others, huh?" She asked with no humor and he sighed.
"Well, especially when they're feeling down. Now, come on, I'm here for you."
'You are, aren't you? Like always,' she thought with a small smile. "I did like senpai but… h-he's infatuated with that rabbit!"
"... Oh, wait, holy crap, Haru-nee-chan?!" He choked and she nodded.
"... I don't understand, at all," Juno said with a grimace before looking at Naruto with concern. "... N-Naruto-kun, you're my best friend… and I accept everything about you, it's just-"
"You're not one for cross-species relationships, right?" He said softly and she scrunched in on herself. "Juno-chan, let me tell you, that's fine," Naruto said, confusing her. "Like, you're allowed to have your own emotions, thoughts, and stuff. As long as people don't hurt others, I can't force a change that will only hurt you."
"I just… Why? What does she have that I don't?" Juno asked with a big frown. "I-I'm not ugly, last I checked."
"You're not."
"A-And I love taking care of my fur!"
"It's pretty cool."
"A-And I'm good with bookwork and dancing… I don't understand, why doesn't he feel the same way for me that he does that rabbit," she hissed and Naruto sighed. "I-I just… he's a prime wolf! I don't understand why he'd trade that in for Haru-san."
"Well, love can make people do crazy things but it's sometimes the biggest thing that can connect two people who don't look like they'd get along to that extent," the hybrid said with a grin as he jabbed a thumb at himself. "My mom before she passed was a, well, woman of the night," he explained, surprising Juno. "Yeah, dad didn't 'put on the helmet' because he'd been told that he was sterile from a young age and he did that often until I came into the picture."
"I-I didn't know," she said in shock.
His mother had been a prostitute?! That was new information!
"Yet, dad, the moment I was in his care, regretted never getting to know her better. A carnivore just on the poverty line and a high-class herbivore who could meet any woman he'd want… I'm sometimes worried he won't try to love again because of what happened with my mom," the boy said with a frown as Juno grimaced. "I hope he can find someone who'll love him in the future, for now, I'm there to help him, Louis, and anyone else."
'Why are you so perfect?' Juno thought with little filter. 'Why is it that the idea of a life with you, even being judged by my own kind, seems like it'd be the best life I could live?'
It'd never left her mind how amazing of a person Naruto was but it clashed with her view of the world so often that she wondered if his existence was meant to drive her crazy.
"... I guess," Juno said with another sigh, head flopping back against wood. "What's in it for me, though? I… None of the other grey wolves are people I'm interested in…" she said with red cheeks, eyes shifting to Naruto who laughed.
"Listen, I know you'll find that special person, Juno-chan. Like you said, your smart, top of the totem pole, good looking, and got a good goal of becoming the Beastar, anyone would be happy to have you," the hybrid said with a big grin that she blinked at.
'... Fuck it,' come whatever that may.
This was hers.
"Naruto-kun," she said with a serious frown, getting a raised brow from her friend. "Can you close your eyes for just a moment, please?"
"Sure," the hybrid said with a nod, closing his eyes.
"Okay, now, hold still."
Naruto wondered what she was getting before he froze at the feeling of a body crawling over his.
Then he smelled a familiar scent of berries before feeling cool breath on his lips.
And then those two senses mixed together when lips pressed into his own, the taste of berries mixing in as Juno's mouth pressed against his and her arms wrapped around his head, their tails tying together involuntarily.
The kiss was innocent but long, the two lost in the feeling of their lips on one another's.
"Naruto, I saw you-what the crap is this?!" Louis shouted as he broke into the forest, causing Juno's lips to leave his brother's, the two Freshmen looking redder than red. "Dammit, Pina!"
"What?~," Pina said with a big grin as he chuckled at the sight of the two's position. "I told you exactly when to come in."
"P-Pina?!" Naruto choked in horror as his entire head went bright red. "I-I…" He stuttered.
Juno blushed more, herself, before grinning.
Louis and Pina burned bright red as she stole Naruto's lips one more time before getting up, cleaning off her skirt, and skipping past them.
The hybrid's pupils shrunk as his mouth was left into an eternal stutter.
"I-I-I-I."
Yup, that girl was going to ruin him and he wasn't sure why he seemed to like the idea.
"Hmm, this is what we want~" Juno sang just out of earshot.
"... Women, they're going to be the end of us," Louis realized as he shook his head in his hands while Pina began to laugh, the two going over and picking up the third male in the area. "... How do you feel?"
"... I have no idea," Naruto said before taking in a shuttering breath, eyes alight with a fire the two pure herbivores weren't used to but got a chuckle out of Pina. "But I'm gonna find out!"
He ran after his newest affection.
"Go get him, foxy!" Pina said with a grin.
Louis snorted as he crossed his arms.
"Go get her, brother."
~NRK~
That's the quick end to both these omakes, hoped you guys liked them.
This is how I'd see Juno ending up with Naruto with the circumstances of this fic. There's a little bit more information for the future in them but nothing too serious.
But, yeah, Juno's completely unashamed of showing her true self, her love for her boyfriends, when relevant, and has zero problems showing, and staking, her claims when possible.
As we saw with Louis in the theatre and Haru on the stairs. Juno has no filter when it comes to things she wants and will fight for. She's a rather hungry wolf or, as Louis says, a greedy one.
Ciao.
Words: 12.4k
~NRK Out~