Laptop screen broke, got new laptop, have to wait so I can finish up the latest Kamui Candy chapter.

Thanks and sorry.

~NRK~

His morning ritual came and went as it always did, soon, Naruto found himself walking to school Friday morning with Rana at his side, the two chatting about what they'd learned.

"What do you think about it all-de arimasu?" She asked with her eyes looking up in thought and a hum on her lips. "That's what would happen if we did a 'Baptism', you all call it?"

"Yeah, Baptisms is normally when a Pandora gives their Limiter one of their stigmata," Naruto shrugged. "From what Arthur and my tells me, you activate your stigmata and I just press my hand to the area…" He frowned in thought. "Actually… from what they said, you activate-"

"Hey, guys," came a voice from behind the two and they turned to see Kaho, Arthur, and Kazuya coming their way with Genessa and Satellizer right behind them. "What's going on?"

"Oh? We were talking about something Naruto-kun's parents told us-de arimasu."

"Ohhh?" Kaho grinned as Rana blinked twice before blushing. "Already meeting his parents, are you?"

"K-Kaho-chan, self-control, please," Naruto said as Rana nodded rapidly. "We were just curious about yesterday and I figured, my dad's kind of in the same boat as I am."

"We heard it through the walls," Kazuya said as Arthur and Genessa nodded, leaving Kaho and Satellizer out of the loop. "Well…"

"The thing is, for people like me and Kazuya who can use Freezing without an Ereinbar Set, performing Baptisms might be a little different," Naruto explained for the two whose eyes widened.

"No way, how?" Kaho asked.

"The way my old man said it, it's kind of like what I did with the guys but it's more mutual, going both ways compared to my fist-bump method."

"Still completely confused about that," Genessa said with intrigue. "We've got five minutes, what else?"

"Well, we'd pass physical things like sturdiness and reflexes, I think."

"His father also said we'd be able to pass thoughts and emotions easily-de arimasu," Rana added. "No omnidirectional fields needed."

"That's powerful," Satellizer noted as the group moved onto the grass, out of the way of the other students. "That's everything?"

"No…" Naruto's eyes flickered about before leaning in. "There are two more things. My dad said we'd also get access to two extra skills," the group looked alarmed. "Yeah, Cross-Textures Formula and Plasma Textures."

"Wait, what?" Kaho looked shocked. "N-Naruto-kun, you probably don't remember, or cared to learn, but when Pandoras use Volt Textures, we're using the three states of mass, gases, liquids, and solids, to compose our weapons and outfits."

"... Oh," Kazuya looked alarmed. "Wait, so if it's Plasma Textures-"

"It uses the fourth element," Genessa realized in shock. "If that's true, you could use a higher level of Textures, that's insane!"

"Yeah, it is," Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "It's also something that gave me another idea for you guys to try out."

"Lay it on us."

"What happens if you try and apply Volt Textures to a Freezing field?"

"... I… Is that even possible?" Kazuya asked.

"Well… theoretically, it should be," Satellizer said but looked more confused and bore a frown. "We apply our Volt Textures to our weapons, bodies, and clothes all the time… It's just, I don't think anyone's ever done it to, say, a wall before."

"Hmm, Naruto has said it before, our powers complement one another," Arthur added. "If you think about it… I'm curious, am I the only one who's been wondering if Nova do this?"

The group, Naruto included, blinked before they looked at one another.

No. None of them had considered it before now but if Pandoras and Limiters were people who used the Nova's skills against them… then, surely, the Novas might have known some of these abilities, right?

"It's only a thought but I find it weird," the Crypton continued. "Also, Naruto, I think what happened last night was permanent," he said as his eyes changed, flashing gold as he looked around before turning them off. "I've actually been trying them out, you really make it hard to look at things, though," he admitted with a sweatdrop as he remembered his friend's blazing gold form. "Seriously, could turn off for a second?"

"Hehe~ Sorry."

"So, I can still…" Kazuya activated it… before blinking. "Wait, how'd I just do that?" He asked out loud, irises containing that gold ring and his arm colored by gold. "I-I didn't ask, how did we just… activate it?"

Arthur blinked before his eyes flashed gold and back three times. "... I don't know," he answered.

"Maybe you also pass on the info on how to do that, Naru-Naru," Genessa considered. "Well, isn't Dr. Schmitz supposed to give you guys a medical trial?"

"Yeah, actually, she's gonna give us an out from our second period!" Naruto said with a widening grin as Kazuya and Arthur snorted while the girls laughed. "Dude, this is awesome!"

"Well, tell us about it at lunch," Genssa said as she shifted her bag. "We've got class and Rana's finally gonna try out gym today."

"It feels kind of redundant-de arimasu."

"I know, I know, but it's what it is. Besides, the gym's more for working out anyway," Genessa said as she walked off with the other second-years of their group. "See you guys at lunch!"

"Later, my dear!" Arthur waved back.

"L-Later, Satella-senpai!" Kazuya did the same but more reservedly.

"See ya, Rana-chan," Naruto said, naturally loud enough for it to reach her.

The older Pandoras left Kaho with their Limiters.

"Come on, we've still got class."

~NRK~

An hour and twenty minutes later, Naruto, Arthur, and Kazuya met up with Abel and Eugene at the infirmary.

"Sup, senpais, you try out the new stuff?" Naruto asked as they knocked and entered.

Eugene's eyes flickered gold. "Yes, I take it this is permanent," he said before the group blinked at the sight of their headmistress, doctor, and instructor. "Instructor Kim? I mean, I'm not that surprised by Headmistress Margaret but you're a bit more surprising."

"Hmph, I wanted to be here for this so I'm not surprised during anything that happens during classes or carnivals," the Korean Pandora explained as Naruto chuckled. "Now, come on, there are five beds for you all."

The boys turned and saw what she'd told them. "So we're laying on them?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes but, first, put on these medical gowns," Elize said with a grin as she came forward with said gowns before pointing at the bathroom. "Everything but the undergarments. We're going to try and find out how deep this whole thing goes."

The boys looked at one another before Naruto took the lead.

"You know the protocols, guys. Nothing below the waist."

"Got it."

The three women snorted in unison.

"Quite the leader," Margaret said amused, shaking her head as the door closed. "Honestly, he's seriously rubbing off on them."

"It's concerning," Kim said with an amused shake of the head. "Well, it's not like they've been losing brain cells, I think they've actually been working harder since they got acquainted. Talk about good influences."

"Naruto-kun has become quite the positive force for the others," Elize said with a chuckle as she set up a large body scanner before adjusting some of the nearby screens. "Literally, metaphorically, emotionally, he's got them covered."

"So, what are you looking for within these tests, Dr. Schmitz?" Margaret asked.

"Well, for Naruto, I want to compare his beginning diagnostics and his current ones. For the others, I want to see if anything has changed in their bodies," Elize explained. "Naruto's effect on them might only be in their stigmatic tissues but we've seen how his tissues are. He might have… well, 'infect' isn't the best word but it works. If he's spread his cells' 'likeness' to theirs, it'll be a rather big situation. Especially if he affects Kazuya-kun somehow."

"Hmph, right, Kazuya's similar but his is different?" Kim wondered.

"Well, I think so?" She shrugged. "It's rather interesting to see what happens if we compare his tissues to Naruto's."

The door to the bathroom opened and the boys shuffled out, Naruto looking the least bothered while Eugene was whining.

"Seriously, no body fat?"

"I told ya, I have a killer metabolism."

"..." Elize took a moment before writing down on her clipboard, much to Margaret's amusement. "Alright, Naruto-kun, I'd like you to go first. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said before hopping onto a medical bed yelped as it moved. "O-Oh, right, forgot this wasn't a normal table… hahaha," he laughed embarrassed as the other Limiters laughed, snorted, or snickered. "Bastards. Let's get this show on the road, Doc."

Elize smirked as she moved behind his bed and pushed it to the machine.

"Totally futuristic," he said before laying down on his back and being placed into.

"This should take five minutes, you all," Elize explained before turning the machine on.

Watching the screens with their headmistress and instructor, the boys raised brows at the diagram representing Naruto's body being splotched by splashes of gold color.

"What's that stand for?" Kazuya wondered out loud and the Limiters shrugged.

"That, Kazuya-kun and others, is Naruto's stigmatic tissue represented by colors," Elize explained as Kim raised a brow. "Naruto-kun's body, along with Kazuya-kun's, are different, fundamentally."

"That's not really surprising," Abel said as Naruto snorted and Kazuya chuckled nervously. "I mean, something has to be special about them since they buck the trend."

"A good mindset to have," Margaret said with a smile. "And, yes, Naruto and Kazuya have to have some form of difference in bodily make to be able to do what they can."

"I'd like to remind you guys that I meditate."

"We know, Naruto-kun, but there's still much to learn outside of that," Kim explained as Elize nodded, marking down some information.

"Hmmm, Naruto-kun, do you know about how your stigmatic tissue is organized?" The doctor asked.

"If you mean in it being the seven gates to chakra? Yeah, I know," the spiky-haired blonde said easily, surprising the group. "... So, my dad's not like me in this regard. He's normal but he also knew how to use Natural Energy so we wondered why I was different. As far as we know, dad thinks it's a combination of using Natural Energy and mom being a Maria-type Pandora… Oh, those are women born with stigmata in them, Abel-senpai, Eugene-senpai."

Abel was shocked while Eugene's eyes widened in disbelief.

'S-She's like Chiffon?!' Eugene didn't know, he'd have to talk to Naruto and Rana about this.

"Interesting postulate," Kim noted. "So, would Kazuya be someone with a Pandora mother?"

"I-I never had a Pandora mother," Kazuya said in alarm as something snuck into his veins. "W-Well… being fair, I don't know my father, at all, b-but my mother was normal! She wasn't even in the Pandora Project."

"So maybe your father passed something down?" Margaret wondered with a frown as Kazuya looked… distressed. "... Mr… Kazuya, it's fine, these are all mere hypotheses. You and Naruto are literally the oddest of your Limiter status."

"It's what it is, Kazu," Naruto said as Elize finished his scan, turning off the machine and rolling him out. "Wooo, that's weird," he said as he sat up and felt tingles all over. "Geez, I feel like my body just woke up after being laid on," he explained as he got off and bit his lip. "S-So cold," he uttered at the floor as Arthur chuckled.

"Hmm," Elize did her best to not let her shock show but her thoughts were runnin'. 'It grew more, of course,' that wasn't the issue.

The issue was that she saw the difference in number between the gold tissues and the blue ones and the realization was worrying.

'I need a blood and tissue sample.'

"So, what can ya tell me, Doc?" Naruto asked.

"Well, your amount of stigmatic tissue is crazy high," Elize admitted, getting raised eyebrows from the others. "The thing is, you all, stigmatic tissues don't really appear in males. It's something that only females usually have with Limiters getting some when they're given stigmata."

"Hmm, what do the colors mean?"

"Well…" Elize considered her response. "... I believe that those tissues were the most full of Natural Energy, as you call it," Naruto looked interested. "Remember, your meditation method pulls in a whole other kind of energy not known to man," she stressed.

"Uhh," he rubbed the back of his head. "Is that bad?"

"... If movies are correct, you need to watch your back," Abel said with a frown as the three women winced, getting another from the carrot top. "W-Wait, you're telling me he does?!"

"No, Abel, that's not… look, the fact that Naruto, and his family, assumably," Elize began, eying Naruto who rubbed the back of his head.

"Just me and my dad."

"Right, the fact that he and his father can do this is… It's simply unbelievable," she admitted.

"Being capable of improving a Pandora's abilities as much as Naruto can would make him… I want to use the word 'valuable' but the phrase 'sought after' sounds more appropriate," Sister Margaret said with a sigh. "The way things are going, many would seek to learn this power of his."

"... B-But that's not what you're worried about… is it?" Eugene asked with a frown as the boys looked at him, the three women smiling tiredly. "You think that someone will try and monopolize him."

"Wait, what?" Naruto blinked. "What do you mean? I ain't owned by anybody."

"I get that, Naruto, I do," Eugene said with a strained smile. "But, the fact remains, that there are some real bastards out there and it's not nice to think about… You can imagine what your skills could do for the world, right?"

"... You mean someone trying to threaten me or my family, yeah?" Naruto asked as he closed his eyes, humming as Eugene shot him a sad smile.

"My grandfather used to be a part of those who originally worked the Pandora Suits," the other males looked surprised. "... But that comes with downsides. Do any of you know about the 'myth' of the break-in on the Asian branch of Chevalier?"

"I see," Margaret frowned as Eugene gave a humorless chuckle. "It was an event where someone tried to make off with the branch's Pandora Suit blueprints. It was thought that it was another competitor in the Pandora industry who'd try and craft their own… from the news report, while the documents were recovered, scientists were kidnapped."

"Got it in one, ma'am," Eugene said with a sad smile. "My grandfather was one of them and they tried to threaten the scientists' families… but that's where Gengo Aoi stepped in, Kazuya," Kazuya balked. "Well, him and a 'shadow' as he calls it. They not only handled all the kidnappers but all the scientists were released."

"My grandfather?"

"Yes. This is what I want to impart upon you, Naruto," Eugene said with a firm nod. "If you reveal this, you need a plan… Either that or you need to impress Dr. Aoi enough that he considers you under his protection."

"..." Naruto nodded. "Hmph, I'll handle it somehow, promise," he said with a grin and Eugene let out an amused huff.

"Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in that head of yours."

"Lots about ramen, fighting, and toads. Trust me, it's not safe there."

Many of the others snorted as Abel laughed and Elize smiled.

"We'll offer what help we can but, he's right, a plan is important," Elize said. "Especially since my own name would be on this submission."

"Hmm, well, dad's a genius, I'm sure he can come up with a plan."

"I-I'll see if my grandfather couldn't do something," Kazuya said with a grimace. "Though, like I told you, we haven't spoken in a while."

"Hey, man, I'm not pushing. You do what's comfortable," Naruto said as Kazuya wore a strained smile.

"I know."

"Now, who's next?" Kim asked.

The others went through the scanner and, as they did, the group found a new discovery.

"It's gold as well… well, your arms, small portions, are," Yu-Mi noted, cupping her chin. "Interesting, did Naruto, somehow, pass on some of his?"

The idea was kind of ridiculous… but this entire situation was bonkers as is.

"I'm kind of, just, unlocking stuff, I guess," Naruto said with a tilt of the head. "On my end, I spread out my… well, my 'powers' and just establish a connection."

"Hmmm," Arthur hummed for a moment before his eyes glowed gold and he looked at Naruto. "..." His eyes squinted before his gold irises dilated. "... I-I think I can see it, now," he said.

Margaret raised a brow, observing the small changes in Arthur's eyes as Elize noted it down on a clipboard.

"It's hard to see and I have to really focus… and it's weird," Arthur said as he relaxed his newest skill before groaning as he covered his eyes. "Oooohh, that kind of hurts."

"You pushed it, I'm assuming?" Elize asked.

"Yup and, well," Arthur chuckled a bit. "Naruto's influence is a bit weird, it's like little flames arranged in a pattern on all our arms. His own… well aura looks the same. God, this is so weird. T-They also seem to have… ears?" He turned that question to Naruto who rubbed the back of his head.

"Foxes are, like, my favorite animal. Might have something to do with it."

"Odd but not an overall negative," Margaret said as she looked at the body photos. "Hmm, I'm curious, how do you all feel about this?"

"In what way?" Abel asked. "If you mean having this power, it kind of rocks," he said with a chuckle. "But I'm not sure if that's your question or not?"

It wasn't, she wanted to tell them the truth but was not prepared. Not yet. "No, it really was that simple," she explained. "This is going to be an interesting change in the dynamics here at West Genetics once this becomes public knowledge. I'm just wondering if any of you can see the downsides to that."

"Well if there are people who'd abuse this power…" Abel said with a glare and frown at the ground. "It'd become a worrying case that could increase in time."

"Add on that if there are other Pandora like Miyabi," Naruto spoke up with a frown. "Actually, I wonder how this would affect Pandoras and Limiter numbers."

"It'd be… worrying, when I think about it," Yu-Mi said with a twitching brow and hand pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ooohhh, the idea of that is already giving me a headache."

"It's sadly something we have to consider when it comes to super-powered individuals," Eugene said with a chuckle. "Besides, it's not like Pandora are saints, either, Naruto told us about how he met Rana and things can be really dangerous outside if you're not paying attention."

"?" The adults looked confused before Naruto explained the story.

"?!" Kim balked. "The hell?! Who even are these women?!"

Elize looked through a computer before typing in the characteristics Naruto had given her. "... Are these two the ones, Naruto-kun?" She asked as she turned the screen his way.

Looking at the photos, he nodded. "Yep."

"Well, good news, they've already been decommissioned. Stigmata removed, sentenced to five years in prison, and have no chance to rejoin Chevalier."

"Justice is served," Kazuya said with a smile. "I'm glad."

"Same," Naruto said. "Back on topic, well, I could feel out how the Limiters are. Maybe we could get 'em a psych test?"

"That'd actually be perfect," Margaret said with her chin in hand before nodding. "Yes, that might work. All we'd have to do is weed out those we can, though I fear for how that'd be viewed."

"There are no perfect solutions," Arthur said with a shake of the head. "Sadly, there's no such thing as a utopia, we have to make decisions and live with the consequences. That's what my own father would say."

"A good saying," Yu-Mi said with a sigh. "I guess all we can do for now is just do our best."

"Sounds about right," Naruto said. "I mean, what else is there?"

"I'm glad you all are determined. Now, what else do you need, Elize?"

"Blood and tissue samples from the boys," Elize said with a smile as the boys, as one, paled. "... Oh, don't be such babies! Needles aren't that bad."

~NRK~

At lunch, the girls giggled nervously at the boys who groaned.

"W-Why did the tissue sample also need to be taken with a needle?" Naruto whined.

"It was so cold," Arthur gasped.

"I-I don't like shots," Eugene complained.

"Mmmm," Kazuya muttered.

"It sucked," Abel declared.

The Pandora of their friend group sweatdropped.

"Mmm, needles can be scary-de arimasu," Rana said with a hand rubbing the back of her head as she swallowed. "I don't like them."

"... agreed," Chiffon said after a moment of thought. "They're very cold and unfeeling."

Eugene rubbed the back of his head at that.

"Ehh, it's hit or miss with me," Genessa said as Kaho nodded.

"It's really not that bad."

"Hmph, it's good for you, Limiters," Ticy admonished them as Abel cried crocodile tears. "... G-Geez, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," she pouted with a blush and Abel threw her a thumbs-up.

"I love you, babe!"

"T-Too loud!"

Satellizer paled at the thought. "A-Are they necessary?" She asked the group with a blue complexion.

"Not if you don't get sick~," Chiffon said.

"I'm never getting sick again," she said immediately, stuffing her mouth full of burger.

"Dammit, well, here's how things went," Naruto began before explaining, in hushed tones, what was going on with the other Limiters pitching in.

The girls tilted their heads in unison. "Huh?"

"It's weird, that's all we can really say," Arthur said with a shrug. "Dr. Schmitz is going to look over our blood samples and bring the results to us tonight."

~NRK~

Elize and Yu-Mi looked over the former's paperwork and analysis.

"So he imparted 'knowledge' of his flesh to the others?" Kim asked and Elize nodded, adjusting her microscope.

"That earlier theory about Naruto passing on his cells wasn't that far-fetched. Naruto has to be passing on some kind of material for them to have his tissue in their arms… it's all so crazy the more I think about it."

"You've already told me about your Nova theories," Kim said with a frown in her swivel chair. "If Naruto and Kazuya can be examples on 'our side', this could mean that Nova can do this… That's horrifying."

"It is," Elize agreed. "Hmm…" She observed Naruto's blood.

It had ridiculously remarkable activity to it and, craziest of it all, his blood was in the others… somewhat.

They were 'copies' of his blood that flowed through the boys and it strengthened their stigmatic tissues to the point of causing that tissue to transform.

"It's changing their tissues as well, isn't it?" Yu-Mi asked as she put down some other reports. "That said, those tissues aren't increasing."

"You're good at guessing. Yes, it's staying within the boundaries as well as changing them… I wonder how this will work."

"You'd know better than me."

~NRK~

Thursday came and went with the group finding that Friday had them at a loss for classes.

So, with the student body knowing they'd be training… well, time to 'class it up'.

He watched the other Limiters go through their paces as he completed his Freezing field for the Pandoras.

"Hmm," he considered that the Limiters were already familiar enough with his training method. "... Well, might as well get my own training underway," Naruto said to himself before running off towards the gym closet.

Kazuya threw the tennis ball as hard as he could and Arthur fell on his rear as he barely dodged it with a yelp.

"Wohua!" He wore a nervous smile as the ball bounced back just over his nose. "You've got a killer arm, Kazu."

"Hm, hm," Kazuya caught the tennis ball and came over to help Arthur up. "Thanks…?" He blinked at a mountain of things Naruto was throwing out of the closet with Rana's help. "What's Naruto-kun doing?"

The blonde had taken out a high jump rod with Rana taking one of the mats out of the floor and handing it to him. She then grabbed three volleyballs and bounced them around before doing it in a sequence.

She slammed her fist into the first before following through on the second and then sending a Tempest Turn for the third as she hit the first and second balls back.

"Oh, that's interesting," Abel said as he stopped mid-throw at Abebe. "Then what's Naruto-"

His unsaid question was soon answered as the blonde held the high jump pole on its tip before quickly jumping to the top with the tatami mat.

They'd expected a wipeout… but that didn't seem like something Naruto considered as he landed on the mat Rana had given him and steadied the pole.

The boys balked as the blonde took up a meditating stance, closing his eyes as he kept a perfect stillness and balance.

"What the hell?" Came Leo, their newest addition, as they all watched Naruto just… not fall. "Am I the only one seeing this?"

"N-No, I see it as well…" Abebe said in confusion as Naruto kept still. "I… How does a person even think about this?"

"It's certainly… odd," Mark said with a nervous chuckle before Naruto's left eye opened at them.

"This, peoples, is basically the secret to my strength," he admitted to even the confused Pandoras.

Ingrid blinked from a corner of the room, having been given Fridays to interact with her classmates during these training sessions. "That doesn't make sense," she said to him, completely flat tone getting a chuckle out of the blonde.

"It does to me."

"That's not a good measurement!" Attia shouted with the Pandora. "What are you?!"

"Blonde!"

"Dammit!"

"...?" Satellizer sweatdropped as Chiffon's head hit a tilt. "I… I don't know," she said simply, the only answer she could give.

"... Humans are so weird," Chiffon offered and Satellizer accepted the answer with a rapid set of nods that amused the Junior. "Hm, hm, hm, come now, you wanted to try and pierce my Volt Weapons, yes?"

Satellizer blinked before nodding and taking a few breaths before getting into a low stance, a hand holding her weapon's hand with the other as far along her weapon as she could. "Y-Yes… Naruto said we should try this, so I want to see what just pushing it feels like."

Chiffon smiled with a nod, activating her Volt Weapons, the large clawed gauntlets raised in a boxer's block. "Whenever you're ready."

Satellizer's eyes glowed as she reinforced her body, boots crunching into the mats below her further. Her body lit up with blue lines before she blurred forward.

Accel!

Chiffon's feet slid back a few inches before she rebuffed the blonde, sending her on her rear. "Hm, hm, hm, it's a decent attack," she said as she looked at her gauntlets, not a scratch. "Hmm, tell me, Satellizer, what is your thought process when you use Accel?"

"Hm?" The blonde blinked before considering it. "U-Um, well, I just… I guess I engage my body? I think?" She said with a slight stutter, blushing.

Cute! "Hm, hm, well, for me, I might be able to give you some pointers," Satellizer looked hopeful. "Hm, hm! Well, tell me, in detail, what you do."

"I sent the Volt Textures throughout my body. After that, I build up the force before going forward."

"That's the wrong idea," came a voice from their side and the two turned to see Arnette holding her Volt Weapon, a scythe, aloft. "You're being too general," she said as her body lit up with Volt Textures.

Satellizer tilted her head.

"Well, it looks the same, doesn't it?" She nodded. "It's because I'm also activating the entirety of my Volt Textures but it's focused around the specific parts. Your legs, your core, your skin, your muscles, your eyes, and mind," Arnette tapped her noggin as Satellizer blinked in surprise. "Yep. The thing is, you're expending extra energy by using it all basic like that. You need to focus."

"Hmm, helpful information, Arnette," Chiffon said with a hand rubbing the back of her head as the redhead turned away, scratching her cheek.

"I don't want a win so easily that I'd attack a duckling," was all she said with a pout before going away. "W-Whatever!"

"... I think she's nicer than the third years seem," Satellizer said with a tilt of the head.

"Well, they're not monsters, despite what happened with Ingrid," Chiffon said with a smile before she pouted. "And I'm right here!"

The blonde laughed nervously.

~NRK~

"This meditation must be ridiculous to allow something like this," Kim said as she, Elize, and Margaret traveled towards the Simulation Center. "I'm assuming it has to be him balancing out his internal energies or something."

They broke past the doors to the building.

"Or it's this Natural Energy that steadies him," Margaret said as they went to Simulation Room # 9. "We can ask."

Entering, they looked around, noted what was happening, and nodded at the routines.

Though the three were surprised as another pair of students came up from their backs.

"Hmm, Elizabeth, Andre, how are you two?" Margaret asked with interest as the No. 2 of the third years smiled kindly.

"Fine, ma'am," the Pandora said as her Limiter bowed at the waist, a hand across his chest.

"Coming to see what I can learn in these training sessions," he admitted and Kim chuckled.

"Sounds like a good idea, wouldn't want Mark beating you in your tests, would you?" She asked and smirked at Andre's own.

"Of course, I wouldn't allow him to."

"Hm," Elizabeth giggled a bit at him. "You need to be a little less intense, Mark seems to be a good man if not a little gloomy," she said as she looked at the room. "... What are the Pandora doing?" She asked.

"Ah, you've never watched?" Elize asked with a grin.

"Perception, Rana-chan!" Naruto offered his support as Rana slammed another ball back before widening her stance in an instant and uppercutting another. "No dodging! You're only focusing on counters!"

Rana's eyes reinforced before her body followed and she moved in sidesteps to knock back the balls before squeaking and crossing her arms to allow them to throw her off her feet. "Whoa!"

Hitting her rear, she whined as Naruto chuckled before finding his laugh joined in on.

Creo walked over with a raised brow, a hand on her chin and a grin on her lips.

"Impressive. Perception training like this is probably pretty good," she said as she removed four balls from the nearby cart. "But, also remember… I actually don't know what your type is," she realized with a blink as Naruto snorted.

"Tempest-Type-de arimasu."

"Gotcha, just like me," she said, the two blinking at her. "Not like you can't check the school website… you two do know about the school website… right?" Creo asked as both blinked.

"There's a school website?"

"I think we need to fix some things," Creo said as she dragged her free hand down her face, the four balls balancing on the tip of the other. "Goddammit, I thought it was weird how no one knew about anything!"

"Uuhhh, sorry?" Rana admitted and Creo shook her head.

"Nope, none of that, I get the feeling most of the second years don't know about the website," what a hell of a day. "Hmph but, like I was saying before, you're a Tempest-Type. Don't forget that you always have an extra set of hands by your side."

She raised her free hand and the pair balked at the four hands coming out from her wrist.

"If you can't handle the speeds, yet, make up for it in other areas. That's how you become strong, you find ways."

She proceeded to show them as she threw the balls at the wall in one go… with four hands.

The two watched as Creo kept slamming her fists against the spheres, a boxing stance having her weaving to the sides and verticals to knock them back.

"Not just… that!" Creo continued. "Keep it… focused! On one… space!" She said as the balls kept bouncing back to her.

"... You getting this, Rana-chan?"

"I am-de arimasu."

Elizabeth smiled at the actions taking place.

"He really is an amazing influence, isn't he?" She asked the group who nodded.

"He's fascinating," Andre said with a chuckle. "I've never seen this much unity before."

"Hmm, that's true," Elizabeth said with a light in her eyes. "We should be trying to broker more of this unity."

"Qui, Madame."

Elize chuckled as the two joined in on the training sessions, Elizabeth's presence easily commanding respect from her peers as she trained with them. Giving out orders, ideas, corrections, and everything.

Andre, meanwhile, slipped into the Limiter-wide attack on Abebe Morrison, getting a good laugh out of Yu-Mi.

"Oh God," she wiped away a tear from her laughter as Morrison ran from his fellow man. "You just can't make this up."

Margaret chuckled.

Thirty minutes later, Naruto brought them all in for a break.

"Okay! So, I'm thinking we should try Isolated Frost for the Limiters," many of his people cheered. "While the Pandoras should try some specialized training I just thought of."

"Of course," many of them were just amused by this point. "What is it?"

"Elize-hakase," Naruto called out and the woman nodded, pressing a button on a controller in her hands and the room shifted a bit.

Multiple tatami mats shot out of the floor by the Limiter side before Naruto slammed his Freezing into them all.

When all was said and done, the student body was witness to basically a climbing tower of mats with a large fluff pillow at the bottom.

"... How do you even function?"

"It comes and goes," Naruto said and all of his friends snorted. "Now, would everyone with Volt Weapons hand yours to a few of our Limiters?"

Things progressed well enough and, soon after, the group rested with some water before the Pandoras stampeded over to the 'course'.

"And they left like a pack of enraged, meth-addicted, swans," Naruto narrated as all of the Limiters started laughing. "Truly, school is a place of miracles."

"Snrt, is there a stage you won't commit comedy on?" Yu-Mi asked with a grin and the blonde chuckled.

"Nope. What's up, teaches and Doc?"

"We were curious about your meditation," Elize said. "We don't understand it."

"Oh, well, it's both complicated and not," Naruto explained. "The fact remains that you have to be able to go truly still," he said and the three raised some brows along with many of the Limiters.

"What do you mean?" Kazuya asked.

"Like, we're talking, 'I hope you know how to die' still," Naruto said with a shrug. "You're becoming one with, and like, nature. So, imagine you're imitating a tree. It doesn't move on its own if it moves, it's by other stuff or only when it's growing."

"So, you're saying, be a tree?" Abel asked with a widening grin. "You're telling us to be hippies!"

"Dammit, Abel, you get me too well sometimes!"

"I'm concerned," Kazuya said to Arthur who was just laughing.

"God, it's so stupid."

"Now, let's try some Freezing!" Naruto announced. "So, try what I told you to do on Tuesday, yeah? Wow, it's only been, like, three days. That's crazy!"

Many snickered but followed suit, Naruto walking around and repeating his instructions every so often.

"You've got it, focus and allow it to wrap around the chain head like aluminum foil," he said.s

"Oh, wait, dude, that's so much easier!" Another student said, progress was being made. "Yes!"

"Hmm," Naruto nodded before walking back to his friend group, the sound of screams behind him ignored. "How's it going, guys?"

Joining his little friend group, Mark, Leo, and Andre focused with some actual success, actually.

"I guess I should have expected this out of the top Limiters of the second year, huh?" Naruto said with a hum as he crouched by Leo's. "Focus, Leo-senpai. Remember, aluminum foil."

"What's aluminum foil?" He asked and the group, as one, turned to him with looks of disbelief. "... W-What?!"

"... I…" Kim considered what had just been asked. "... I sometimes forget that most of these kids come from wealthy families," she said in disbelief as the others nagged on Leo. "I-I, he really doesn't know what aluminum foil is?!"

"W-Well," Elize wore a shaky smile before her gaze went back to Leo. "... I've got nothing, this is just odd."

Margaret shook her head.

~NRK~

The following night, Naruto and Rana sat in the former's room.

Rana was in some black shorts and a white tank top while Naruto wore orange sweatpants and a red muscle shirt.

The two grunted as the blonde slapped her fist away before retaliating by stepping in and throwing an elbow at her cheek that was quickly batted aside.

They traded blows before Naruto found his palm strike's forearm gripped by Rana's inner elbow and the older teen was in his guard.

She stopped the moment she made contact, her fist simply tapping his side before she looked up.

Blue met blue and both blushed a bit, sweaty and slightly gasping, Naruto made to move away but Rana's hold stayed true.

His embarrassment grew as she looking into his eyes further before her own embarrassment won out and she released him, face red.

The two red-faced teens looked away from one another.

"Y-You can go and use the shower first, y-yeah?" Naruto suggested and Rana nodded, powerwalking past him to get some of her clothes off his bed. "Yeah, I-" He turned to address her but froze, eyes dilating but moving all about his 'view'.

A heart-shaped rear greeted him and, as she picked her things from off his bed with a slight hitch, he caught-

"Naruto-kun?" Rana addressed him and Naruto choked, causing her to tilt her head. "Hmmm, I-I'll hurry!" She said before disappearing into his bathroom.

Naruto was left there, redder than his mother's hair and thoroughly aroused.

'God! Help me!' He pleaded but the one above decided he'd need to suffer a little more for his gift. 'Oh no.'

Tonight was gonna be 'frustrating'.

An hour later, the two of them sat on his bed, red in the face but sitting cross-legged across from one another, holding their hands up before they touched.

Dressed in similar outfits from before, the blonde wearing shorts this time around, Naruto grunted.

"Okay… let's just activate it, alright?" He suggested and Rana nodded, the two of them closing their eyes.

They breathed in and out several times before they did so in unison.

He activated his Freezing and Rana did the same but with her Volt Textures.

The two powers met on the flats of their palms and both teens' eyes opened to look at the phenomenon.

"Weird-de arimasu."

"I know."

Orange hexagons were outlined by blue before each 'tile' had an odd symbol in the middle of them.

Three circles were put together, making a triangle, that sported a sun-like symbol in a set of familiar squiggles to the blonde.

'Seals?' He didn't understand what this meant, looking at his Pandora who shrugged at him. "I think we'll need to call my parents again. This is so… weird."

"Do you think this is the Cross-Texture Formula-de arimasu?" Rana asked curiously, Naruto looking confused.

"I mean, we're not Baptised yet."

"Hmm, but you said you were different, Naruto-kun," Rana reminded him, getting a shocked look from him. "Maybe you're… one step beyond-de arimasu?"

"Huh?"

"Well, could your father make an Ereinbar Set without just a fist-bump?"

"... No, he can't," Naruto realized with nervousness. "B-But if that's true-"

"What does it mean?"

They didn't know, this whole situation was weird to them.

Then there was a knock on their door, Naruto blinking at the four signatures outside.

"... The others?" Rana said in shock, Naruto's eyes widening in equal measure.

T-This was huge. W-Was Rana borrowing his sensory abilities?

They got up before opening the door to reveal Kazuya, Arthur, Satellizer, and Genessa.

"We heard, at least, all of us besides Satella-senpai," Kazuya explained as the two allowed the group inside. "So you two figured something out?"

"Yeah," Naruto said before explaining it to Satellizer.

"O-Ohh. So you're possibly going to go beyond the next steps?" She asked as the group found themselves on Naruto's bed. "What does this mean?"

"... I want to try something out, first, before we assume that," Naruto said with a determined stare. "You all try doing it."

The four looked shocked before Kazuya recovered the quickest.

"Alright," he declared before turning to Satellizer. "Senpai, please be my partner."

Satellizer's face twisted into shock before she nodded rapidly.

"A-Alright."

"So, how'd you two do it?" Genessa asked. "You just, what, apply it on a wall?"

Naruto and Rana blushed a bit before shaking their heads.

"H-Hands-de arimasu," she admitted with red cheeks and Genessa took three seconds to figure out what she meant before grinning.

"Ho ho ho?" She made feminine, intrigued, huffs of amusement. "Somebody's been holding a lot of hands, it seems!"

Naruto, embarrassed fully, grunted at her. "Just do it, mmmm," he mumbled as Genessa grinned like an idiot.

Naruto and Rana demonstrated, the groups looking at the odd occurrence.

"So Rana-chan thinks this is the Cross-Texture Formula?" Kazuya asked with a hum. "Well, it's mixing both and it has that weird symbol but you were right to have us try it first just in case."

The two pairs then got into position.

Arthur and Kazuya's eyes glowed gold as they spread out their Freezings against Genessa and Satellizer's palms, respectively.

The Pandoras' eyes glowed blue as their Volt Textures spread down their arms before… struggling?

"H-Hmph!" Genessa grimaced. "I-It feels like I'm almost there b-but I can't… reach!" The redhead said with grunts of exertion as sweat began to fall down her brow, the lines of Volt Textures fighting forward, just by mid-forearm.

Satellizer frowned as her Volt Textures began to climb up to her hands with ease but… stopped, right around the wrist.

"Huh?" She blinked at it and pushed harder but the lines struggled to move forward. "I-I can't push any further," Satellizer said in confusion before she grunted, pushing as much as she could and the lines moved the slightest inch.

Both Pandoras were sent off the bed as their Limiters hit the walls by the windowsill.

"Whoa!" Rana went to check on her fellow Pandora while Naruto grimaced and spread out his fields, beginning any healing they'd need.

"O-Ow," Genessa hissed a bit as she flapped her hands off to the side. "Hot, hot!"

Satellizer grimaced, looking at her palms and hissing at the sight of bruises on them.

"O-Ow!" Kazuya yelped as he held his head and then groaned at the feeling of Naruto's healing doing its work. "W-What happened?"

Arthur grimaced, rubbing his own head before his head snapped up and he was rushing towards Genessa in seconds.

"G-Genessa?!" He winced at her side, looking at wounds on her hands. "I-I'm sorry, I don't-"

"Idiot, it's not your fault," she interrupted him, nuzzling his cheek a bit much to his embarrassment. "I doubt even Naruto knows what that is."

"I don't, whatever just happened…" Naruto frowned at them, mind awhirl with confusion as he healed the group. "It's… It looked like a rebound? Maybe?"

"A rebound?" Rana asked in confusion. "W-Why?! T-That doesn't make sense."

"H-Heh…" Genessa let out a weak laugh as she looked at her hands again, remembering the experience. "... I-I think it's incomplete," she said after some thought, confusing the others.

"Incomplete?" Satellizer repeated as Genessa nodded.

"... Like, I'm missing a vital step, a lock, something's not finished…" She looked at Satellizer and Rana in confusion before her eyes widened. "M-Maturity!" She yelled, confusing the group.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"Think about it! What's the difference between me, Rana, and Satellizer?" Genessa asked and the group's eyes widened. "Exactly!"

"Hmm," Arthur considered it, eyes squinting in thought. "I-I mean, that is the most notable difference, it is," he looked at Satellizer. "So it has to do with stigmata maturity… Then if you can use a High-End Skill but not even Satellizer could finish it."

"... Perhaps…" Rana spoke up. "Mmm, is it possible it's because you all haven't awoken your Tears of Kunlun yet-de arimasu?"

"Awakening?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. "Rana-chan?"

"Yes, you can, Naruto-kun," Rana answered before closing her eyes as she breathed in. "... Hmph!" Her eyes snapped open and the group balked when they saw the lights coming out of her back.

Wings of green having stigma-like marks going along the length.

"This-de arimasu," Rana said as she released her breath, the others staring in shock. "Is awakening your Tears of Kunlun. You all remember when Dr. Elize explained sending my Tears of Kunlun into a controlled chaotic state?"

"This is what you meant?" Satellizer asked in confusion. "... How do you do it?" She wondered with a determined stare as Rana chuckled, disengaging the limiter-release. "If we can learn to use it, it'd be a good backup move."

"Well… It's not something a person can just do-de arimasu," Rana said with crossed arms and a hum. "The way I understand it, it's an actual awakening that has to happen naturally though having a good control over Kunlun's blessings… O-Oh, I mean, Volt Textures! You should improve that."

"Damn, sounds annoying," Genessa said with a sigh before looking at her hands, Naruto's field doing its work as she watched the burns slowly vanish. "... Hey, Naru-Naru, you mind trying to teach Arthur this?"

"Of course but it's gonna take some time."

"Hmph, just asking."

"So, tomorrow," Kazuya began, getting things back on track. "What's the game plan?"

"Hmmm," Naruto crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and tilted his head. "Well, what do we know about our senpais?"

"A-Arnette is an Accel-Type," Satellizer said. "She… She was giving me pointers earlier."

"Seriously? No foolin'?" Naruto asked as Rana nodded.

"Yeah! Creo also did the same for me-de arimasu!" She said, surprising the group.

"... I guess our upperclassmen are better people than we thought?" Arthur suggested and Naruto nodded.

"They seemed like decent people, I guess they're kind of like Attia in that they also realize how messed up this whole situation is."

"Then why continue?" Kazuya asked but then he saw Naruto nervously cough off to the side, Rana slammed her fist into her palm, and Satellizer scratched her cheek. "... Guys? Guys, please, it's like you're telling me you're all doing this just because you want a fight," the Aoi said with a choke as Rana grinned, Naruto nervously laughed, and Satellizer didn't look him in the eyes. "Guys?!"

"Hehe," Genessa chuckled nervously. "Being honest, I kind of see where they're coming from," Kazuya gaped. "H-Hey! Sometimes, you just want to hit something, or someone, no one's really listening."

Kazuya began to realize his friends might have been whole different beasts than he knew.

~NRK~

The following Saturday afternoon, the group consisting of Arnette, Creo, Elizabeth, Attia, Ingrid, Rana, Genessa, Chiffon, Ticy, and Satellizer walked in with their Limiters and Kaho.

Behind the group was Yu-Mi who was wearing… her pajamas?

"Hey, some of us like to sleep in on our days off, alright?" Is what she'd told them and they didn't question it.

The two genders separated into their respective locker rooms.

"Hmm, Tibetan attire, correct?" Elizabeth asked Rana who grinned.

"Yes!"

She was wearing what she and Naruto had first met in but a bit less 'complete'.

She wore a sleeveless light blue tunic that was tucked into dark blue pants that had a short, light blue, half skirt at her waist. On her arms were her dark blue, furred, arm warmers while her feet were covered by bandages.

The last thing she did was place her hair in a low ponytail before tying her yellow hairband.

Slamming her fist into her palm, she grinned at Creo who chuckled.

Wearing a black sports bra and black shorts, she tied a white headband around her head before tapping her bandage-covered feet against the floor.

"Right out of a sports manga," Arnette muttered as Attia nodded as Satellizer sweatdropped.

'I really need to look up these manga things,' all of her friend group seemed to know what they were and she didn't want to be left out. "... Which ones to start with, though?"

"Oh, manga? Definitely the big three," Arnette said with a sagely nod as Attia sweatdropped. "Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are, like, the best basics to get an idea about it all."

Wearing some black yoga pants with red lines on the sides, Arnette pulled her long-sleeved, red, shirt's sleeve, her feet covered by some athletic sneakers.

Satellizer pouted a bit, feeling… overdressed as she wore a white dress shirt, a long dark blue skirt, and her normal boots.

"You all look ready to fight," Kim said as she entered the area, nodding to them all. "Ya know, I do like Chevalier uniforms but I really would like to wear my own combat outfit one day."

Most of them giggled.

He adjusted his outfit.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun," Kazuya said as he put on some dark blue sweatpants and sneakers.

His body was covered by a familiar bodysuit that Naruto always wore, an extra copy that the blonde had.

"This feels so… breathable," the Aoi said with a chuckle as he stretched his arms, Naruto doing similar stretches next to him. "A-And it seems to press down on certain points?"

"Trade secrets," Naruto said as he wore one such bodysuit under a familiar outfit.

It was the same one that he'd first met Rana in but with a few adjustments. One being that his cargo shorts were now black pants that he tied at the right thigh and his ankles as he wore an orange long-sleeved top without his necklaces that had his family's orange swirls on the back and shoulders.

He tied a dark blue headband before tapping his ninja sandals against the floor, nodding as he adjusted his auburn, hexagon-patterned, gauntlets on his forearms.

"Changing up the style?" Arthur asked in his gym wear like all the other Limiters sans Garou and Abebe. "It's a good look."

"Thanks and, well, getting more comfortable is gonna help in this fight," Naruto said before his senpais/enemy Limiters entered the room from the stalls.

Both wore what was supposedly the Limiter-regulated combat wear. An outfit composed of a cream-colored top, and pants, with a teal vest and black belt, their feet covered by dark brown boots while their hands were covered by fingerless gloves.

Garou nodded to Naruto and Kazuya while Abebe chuckled nervously, a bit.

"I'm looking forward to this, senpais," Naruto said with an easygoing grin and thumbs-up. "Honestly, maybe you guys can put some of what you've practiced into effect."

"I'm going to try, yes," Garou said with a nod and a straight face. "This is going to be as much of a match for us two, specifically, as it will be for the Pandoras."

"Y-Yes, this is going to be a bit hard for me, I can tell," Abebe said as Abel chuckled and pat his back.

"Don't worry too much, it's not like you all are out to kill each other. The underclassmen made it clear to us that this fight is more just for the sake of a fight," the carrot top said with a widening grin as Garou's face paled and Abebe looked hopeful.

"A-A fight?" Garou asked mechanically as Abel grinned, Eugene chuckling nervously.

"W-We know how Ms. Brand can get, Garou, but surely it'll be fine… this time," Eugene said with a cough off to the side. "A-Ahem."

"E-Eugene, you don't even believe that, do you?"

"... No comment."

"This is going to be interesting," Andre said with a chuckle as Leo shot Abebe a look of sympathy. "Maybe she won't go all berserk on us this time."

"Berserk?" Kazuya asked.

"This time?" Naruto added. "Huh?"

"... You might not know this, Naruto," Abebe said slowly and with a rapidly paling face. "A-Arnette used to be known as… well, her title was 'Mad Dog' two a year back."

"... Wait, why?"

"She might have gone a bit intense in a Carnival?"

"... Keep talking, I'm liking this the more I hear about it!" Naruto said with stars in his eyes and the upperclassmen balked save for Abel who was shaking his head in amusement.

"He's certainly looking forward to it."

The groups left their designated locker rooms moments later before the pairs found themselves standing by one another, both sides facing the other.

Naruto and Rana fist-bumped as Kazuya and Satellizer nodded.

Arnette grinned and Abebe chuckled nervously as Creo slammed her fist into her palm and Garou closed his eyes.

Everyone else stood on the sidelines, waiting in anticipation as Chiffon came forward, an excited smile on her face as she looked at both sides.

"This will be the final match of the Pandora Gauntlet!" She declared as the groups got into readied positions.

"You guys…" Kazuya spoke up, gaining his group's attention. "Shouldn't you all go all-out in the beginning? I-I looked up our senpais on the school website," he looked alarmed. "T-They're really monstrous."

Naruto considered that before nodding, pulling in Natural Energy as Yu-Mi came up to Chiffon, taking the referee spot.

Ingrid's eyes narrowed in fascination as everyone else looked confused. "There it is," she said as Naruto took on that hexagon-covered form that he'd used against her.

"He used this skill against Ingrid," Attia explained to everyone. "It's ridiculous… So hopefully it'll be enough."

Elizabeth raised a brow, considering Attia's input.

'It's mostly a case of knowing if he's fast, or powerful, enough to handle Arnette or Creo,' she considered.

Considering the state he and Ingrid had been in, this skill might not be enough… but that's why he had teammates.

Rana blinked before closing her eyes and slamming her fists together.

Volt Texture reinforcement ran down her forearms, legs, and chest before coming up her cheeks. Her Volt Weapons formed into existence as she opened her eyes, a competitive grin on her face.

Creo chuckled as Garou smiled, the Pandora flexing her hands and her own reinforcement springing to life, her own Volt Weapons, a similar pair of gauntlets to Rana but they bore extra metallic material around her forearms.

Arnette twirled her scythe into existence as her body became reinforced, Abebe taking a few calming breaths before he nodded.

Satellizer held her arms out and her Volt weapon, her large blade, faded into existence as her body lit up.

Kazuya breathed out before he flexed his hands. 'Not yet,' he thought as his and Naruto's eyes locked before the blonde nodded. 'We'll need every advantage we can get.'

"Everyone ready?!" Kim asked and the group nodded, her eyes flicking between. "Then let this fight… BEGIN!" Her arm came down.

Everything happened in slow motion, Naruto's eyes widened as Arnette disappeared from her spot while Creo sent out numerous copies from her position as Garou and Abebe held up their hands.

'Double-Accel!'

'Tempest Turn!'

"FREEZING!" The two called out as they raised their arms in unison.

Their fields exploded across the space between the two groups.

'They came out the gate!' Kazuya had been right, they were going to hit them the moment they could so they needed to be…?!

His eyes widened and the only reason he blocked the scythe swing was because he'd reacted to faster in his previous life and wasn't a slouch in this one.

Naruto swung around and held out his hand, one of the hexagons on his palm expanding.

There was an explosion of noise as he blocked Arnette's hit but the strength in it broke his block.

Naruto swung around and sent out a kick that she dodged with ease, moving back like a phantom.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed and he expanded his own field.

"Freezing!"

The two fields slammed into one another before shattered, the force sending the three back.

Rana's gaze went to Naruto and Creo's shade took the advantage, knocking the older girl back with a cross.

Satellizer's eyes moved and she exploded towards Arnette only to be knocked aside by Creo Brand's other shades.

"It was a good move but none of them could possibly contend with Arnette's speed outside of maybe Naruto," Elizabeth said with a raised brow as Naruto reacted to her ponytailed classmate's sneak attack. "I'm impressed he's capable of blocking her like that."

"Naruto has the highest scores, as we all know," Attia said. "But his reaction speed outstrips almost all the students in West Genetics… all the students," she emphasized, Andre and Elizabeth looking surprised.

"That's ridiculous," Leo said as Ingrid cupped her chin in thought. "Even the Pandoras?"

"Yes."

Yu-Mi nodded to that, having been there when the blonde had done that particular test.

Naruto grimaced before throwing his arms out at his sides.

The shades of Creo pursuing his Pandora teammates were blown away by blasts of his hands before the blonde crossed his arms, blocking Arnette's jump kick.

He was sent skidding back but her speed remained no joke, his eyes narrowed as she appeared in front of him.

Naruto threw a hand down and she froze mid-lunge, giving him recovery time. His hand raised and, soon, she was sent flying backward.

'So that's how hard it is,' Arnette thought as she recovered mid-flight, skidding against the floor. "It's like a light battering ram!" She observed with a grin before rushing the blonde with a regular Accel.

Naruto appeared in front of her, shocking the third year before she found an arm slamming into her throat.

"Lariat!"

She was then sent flying and then crashing into the wall opposite the blonde, denting the metal walls.

"Kaugh!" She spat out some saliva. 'H-Holy shit!' Arnette didn't expect him to be able to move that fast. 'It was like a Double Accel!'

… Her eyes glowed with excitement as she shakily got to her feet and saw the blonde sending blasts of heavy air at their Limiters.

Well, well, well, that wasn't allowed to pass!

She grinned before disappearing in a rupture of air.

Naruto's eyes widened and he raised his arms-

He choked on a kick to his abdomen that carried him all the way into the wall behind him.

"Kaugh!" He grimaced and looked up to lock eyes with his redheaded opponent.

Both's narrowed.

'Thank you, Naruto-kun!' Rana appreciated her fated one as she moved towards Creo.

The white-haired third-year's eyes narrowed as the two stepped in.

Their fists reared back before the two women unleashed them, slamming gauntlet into gauntlet.

A small burst of air shot their bangs back, the two's eyes narrowing.

The starting gong had been struck and fist after fist flew, several cracks, flashes, and bursts of impact as the two slammed their fists together once more.

"You're good!" Rana said with a chuckle as their clash turned into a grapple, their hands gripping one another's and pushing as much as they could. "Strong!"

Creo grinned right back. "You're not so bad, yourself… However!" She turned grinned before Rana's eyes widened.

The Tibet woman's head rocked back as a copy of Creo's head slammed into her own, causing her vision to flash.

Creo didn't let go, instead pulling her back in and 'headbutting' her again.

She'd learned what she could about this girl from the school website. Rana Linchen had decent grades and good close-combat capabilities with her Volt Weapon being similar to Creo's but hers came with less forearm protection and greaves.

So, giving Rana the time to try and use her legs was a no-go. Creo had given her enough of a time to check her own fighting style so all was fair game!

She brought the Tibetan in for a third hit only to find Rana's feet in her ribs.

"Puwa!" She choked before being brought up and over, a circle throw that sent her overhead.

She was rolled for a bit before grimacing and flipping back onto her feet-

Creo's head shifted to the side as a kick occupied her head's previous location.

'Fast!' She went in low, dodging Rana's follow-up hook. 'Get into her guard,' Creo recited in her head as she slammed her fist into the older girl's abdomen.

Their beginning plan had gone off without a hitch… until Naruto Uzumaki had pulled off some kind of add Freezing Technique, as most of the third-years had been calling it.

So the fact that he could react to Arnette had been a worrying omen but they still got the opening shot, they could make this work!

So, as she lodged her fist into Rana's stomach, she placed her foot to the side and wrapped her arms around the older girl's stomach before lifting her off her feet.

"H-Huh-?!" She didn't get a chance to react as Creo brought her down in a german suplex. "?!"

Creo didn't stop, flipping over Rana's body with her still in her grasp, she went for an additional suplex but made a mistake.

She'd never done these kinds of moves before so when she went for the second go, her grip was too weak, too loose… and Rana capitalized.

The Tibet-native's eyes flashed as she gripped Creo's hands before turning their bodies with a harsh spin. The third-year grimaced before having her hold turned on her and was soon tossed into the wall behind her.

"Kaugh!" She spat out saliva as she flopped to the floor, body trembling. 'D-Damn!' That had hurt.

Rana wasn't much better, landing on her hands and knees, vision shaky as she felt her head throb.

'T-That was dangerous!' Had she not turned that around, no doubt, she'd have been knocked out. 'She's strong…' Her eyes narrowed as she stood up, Creo doing the same. "... Bring it-de arimasu," Rana said as she beckoned the younger pugilist towards her.

They lunged.

Kazuya grimaced before getting up and locking gaze with Garou and Abebe.

'I can't give them the chance!' His hands raised and he activated his field. "Freezing!"

His power stretched out towards the two… and Abebe met him with determined eyes.

"Freezing!" He shot back and the two fields slammed into one another. "I-I'm not letting you get in the way, Kazuya!" The older Limiter declared.

Kazuya grunted, he made to push it further only for him to notice Garou circling him. "... W-Wait, no, he's going-!"

The straight-faced Garou skid to a stop and raised his hands at Kazuya's side.

"Freezing!"

The attack from his side caused the Aoi's fields to crack.

He was soon sent flying into the wall behind him with a gasp.

"I'm sorry, Kazuya," Garou said with a nod. "But you're also an issue if we leave you alone."

"T-That's incredibly smart," Kim said in disbelief as Elizabeth smiled.

"Yes, though he might not seem it, Garou is known for his quick-wittedness while Abebe has a strong will. Though the latter needs time to bring it out," the No. 2 said with a nod of pride. "They're our partners, they have to get stronger as well."

Arthur noted with a wince. "Come on, Kazuya, you have to think of something."

Satellizer ran towards Arnette and Naruto.

If she could attack when he held the older Pandora down, they could pincer her-

Blue eyes widened before their owner's mouth spat out spittle and was thrown against the floor. There, standing above her, was a copy of Creo Brand.

What the hell? She got up, a slightly throbbing side her 'reward'.

'What's going on?' She didn't know but she frowned before lunging at it. 'Get rid of it and go towards Naruto!'

She used Accel and reappeared behind the copy with her blade swinging out but her eyes widened as her weapon was caught by the back of her gauntlet before she was kicked away.

"W-What?!"

"W-Wait, what? I thought Tempest Turn was some kind of afterimage thing!" Genessa asked the third years who nodded, everyone not in that group, outside of their Limiters, looking more confused.

"Not necessarily," Kim said in confusion, looking at Elizabeth who smiled. "Tempest Turn also carries the weight of the owner in it but it shouldn't be capable of 'staying alive', so to speak, without input… Elizabeth?"

"Hmm, Creo's always found the technique wanting so she worked to change it," Elizabeth said as Andre chuckled. "Tempest Turn's copies can be mentally handled by their user or given specific instructions so if you were to slash, it could block. Creo took that latter idea and took it to its limits," she smiled as Chiffon looked confused. "She automated a Tempest Turn copy, her Tempest Android."

"That's… that's ridiculous," Yu-Mi said in disbelief as Ingrid smiled.

"Naruto isn't the only odd one in our school."

Satellizer grimaced before her eyes flickered to Naruto's location-

"Senpai dodge!" He shouted at her and the Bridgette didn't understand until it was too late.

Satellizer's eyes widened before she was sent off her feet by a slice of a scythe at her back.

"Ahh!" She screamed as she was sent flying by an extra kick by a shade of Creo. 'H-How?!' She didn't understand as she pushed herself to her feet, locking onto Creo's shade. 'A-Aren't Tempest-Type Pandora's copies supposed to fall when their owner does?!' Something about Creo Brand's hold on the technique was different.

Naruto, meanwhile, drop-kicked the air space by her head, slamming into Arnette Mcmillian's scythe shaft.

"You're with me!" He said before raising his hand and the redhead's eyes widened.

She flew back with a blast of air, Naruto following.

She grimaced at Arnette's speed before lunging at Creo's copy only to find Kazuya's body shooting by her side and into the wall behind her.

"Kazuya!" She grimaced before jumping back from the shade to check on her… her Limiter.

"A-Ahhh," Kazuya groaned a bit as he opened his eyes. "O-Ow, hey, senpai," he said as she helped him to his feet. "Our s-senpais are tough, even the Limiters with a little of Naruto's training… hehe."

"Kazuya, s-stay-"

"Satella," he looked her in the eyes and smiled. "We have to do our best and fight… O-Oh, I think I'm starting to get you all," Kazuya admitted with a blush and a chuckle.

Satellizer blinked in disbelief at him before turning her gaze back to the Creo Shade… "?" She blinked in confusion as it stayed in place. 'It's not attacking?'

It just stood there in a ready-to-intercept position… Her eyes widened as she realized what its whole deal was.

"I-It's automated," she told him, confusing Kazuya. "Creo's Tempest Turn is different. She made a copy that can react to my attacks," the second-year-repeater explained.

"... So it reacts to you?" Kazuya asked with narrowed eyes and she nodded. "... Then try me," he said before raising his arm.

Gold-rimmed irises locked onto the copy as his right arm burned gold.

A blast of air dispersed the copy.

"H-Huh?" Attia was confused like the rest, not in the know. "Since when could Kazuya Aoi do that?!"

"It's recent," Arthur explained. "Though, its real origin is a bit harder to believe… I'm sure Naruto will explain it all when this is all over," he said with a smile.

"So he's imparted this technique to Mr. Aoi?" Elizabeth asked as he chuckled.

"Literally? Yes."

Arnette's grin was shooting on all cylinders as she skidded back from Naruto who landed in front of her.

"You've got some nerve," he said before getting into a loose stance. "That's not happening again."

"Hmm," she chuckled as she twirled her scythe nonchalantly. "That seems awfully confident there, Naruto," Arnette gripped her weapon. "Who knows if you can catch me?"

Naruto wasn't an idiot when it came to combat. He knew that she was ridiculously fast.

She'd gotten behind him with him barely able to respond at the beginning, which meant she could move faster than he could physically.

He needed to keep up, he needed to defend faster than he normally could.

Naruto's eyes closed before he removed his Frost Armor, confusing Arnette.

Ingrid's eyes widened as the other commented on Naruto dropping his skill.

"What's he doing?" Leo wondered before turning to see Ingrid's shock. "... Ingrid?"

"H-He's got another skill up his sleeves," she commented, gaining the group's attention. "And I think he's about to use it."

Arnette raised a brow with interest.

Did he have another skill that made him faster? She was kind of all for it.

Then he grinned as blue particles began to run up his form.

"This is gonna suck when this fight's over with," he said with a chuckle as energy formed over him in a familiar state.

Arnette's eyes widened at the fox-eared, tail-having, energy cloak coming over Naruto's form as hexagon-shaped particles floated up and away from the blonde.

"... This is new," her eyes narrowed and her mouth set in a large grin that brokered no argument, she was ready for whatever was coming her way. "So, we're going all-out from here on, yeah?" Arnette noted as she widened her staff, holding her scythe and reinforcing it.

Naruto grinned as he did the same, 'tails' waving behind him.

"Bijuu Cloak Level 1, at your service," he said.

Amber eyes met blue and their owners grinned-

The air exploded as they disappeared from their spots, leaving the audience with… nothing to look at.

"W-Where'd they go?" Attia asked in confusion as Ingrid held her hands up to her ears, eyes closed, as she reinforced her hearing orifices. "Ingrid-?"

Five explosive cracks filled the air around them, leaving the group to look around in shock.

"Keep up!"

"Back at ya!"

The voices rang out but the vision on their targets was still a negative-

There was a spiral of air in front of them, two meters away, Naruto held his 'tails' ahead of him and pressed against Arnette's scythe as she joked.

"Someone's suppressing something."

"Pervert!"

They disappeared once more before they reappeared time and time again.

"... Well, there they are," Arthur said with a nervous chuckle. "I wonder if this skill is teachable."

Creo and Rana went at each other with ferocity, fists tossed at amazing speeds as they blocked or dodged the other.

They ignored the explosions of air from a bit away, they trusted their teammates as much as they could.

Creo's fist found Rana's forearm before turning into a grab, the Tibetan didn't get the chance to react and was pulled up and overhead. The brown-skinned girl kicked out and sent her opponent flying only for Rana to recover into a roll.

The blue-haired young woman lunged and caught her opponent by the abdomen before throwing her down to the floor and mounting her.

Creo grimaced and made to reach only for Rana's fist to be placed against her stomach.

"Enga!" (Burning Fang!)

The No.5 choked as a force slammed into her gut, heat burning her sides, cracking the floor.

"Enga!"

The cracks turned into a crater as Rana reached back with her other fist only for a Creo shade to slam into her stomach and send her rolling away.

Creo coughed up some blood and spit before shakily getting into a kneeling stance as Rana got into a stance of her own.

Give in-de arimasu," she offered to her kneeling opponent who chuckled before getting to her feet shakily. "The attacks on your abdomen might have-"

"I know," Creo said as she held her stomach, some blood falling from her lips. "I'm probably one more of those hits from being real hurt, I'm not an idiot."

"... Oh," Rana rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as Creo snorted. "T-Then let me take you to-"

"I said I'm not an idiot," Creo said with shining eyes as Rana sensed something behind her. "Not that I'm out of the fight."

The Tibetan girl was sent sailing from a hit to her head from the side, a pair of Creo shades getting up from their punching positions.

Denting the wall she'd landed in, Rana winced as she held herself up.

Abebe and Garou grimaced as Kazuya and Satellizer turned towards them.

"W-Where did he learn an attack?" Abebe asked nervously. "And why are his eyes, and arm, glowing?"

"... It has to be something with Naruto," Garou realized with a nod before sweat fell down his brow. "This is bad-"

Satellizer appeared in front of him, shocking the two before slamming her fist into his stomach.

"Oof!" Garou's vision flashed before she, using the blunt side of her weapon, gently laid him down. "Oooooohhh," he moaned into unconsciousness.

Satellizer let out a breath before turning to Abebe who flinched and began to laugh nervously.

"Ha, ha, ha, c-can I just surrender?" He asked with a swallow as her head snapped to him. "... P-Please don't hurt me!"

Satellizer sweatdropped.

"Ah, his confidence is broken," Andre noted with a nervous chuckle. "At least it lasted up until now?"

"It's an improvement," Ingrid said with a huff as Leo chuckled before the group looked at the state of things. "They're winning," she said outright, no anger in her voice, just a matter-of-fact tone.

"... Hm, they are," Elizabeth nodded. "No one could have expected Naruto Uzumaki to pull out a technique like this… but that might not matter for too long," she said with an observing stare as Naruto and Arnette came back into vision.

Bruises littered the Pandora's exposed cheeks and forearms, the latter seen through her ripped-up sleeves.

Meanwhile, Naruto was bruised to alarming degrees, his entire arm a dark purple as seen since his sleeves are completely gone. The rips in his pants' legs showed them some of the bruising appearing there as well while his left eye was closed permanently from an earlier blow Arnette had landed on him.

"... It's the same that he did to me," Ingrid explained. "This technique seemed to have a major backlash effect from simple touches… if we apply his rebounding to the equation-"

"He's constantly receiving rebounds?" Kim realized in horror. "O-Oi! That's dangerous!"

Naruto chuckled at her and the instructor realized that he was well aware.

"It's a powerful technique that is to be praised but its drawbacks are worrying," Chiffon observed with a frown. "I'm surprised he can even take that many rebounds for so long."

"His aura glows orange sometimes, he's probably healing at the moments where she can't attack," Eugene noted with some awe. "That said, if he can't land a vital blow on Arnette, it won't matter if he's barely as fast as she is… besides, she's only gone 90%."

"The No-Interval Double Accel?" Abel asked with some worry as Eugene nodded with a grim expression. "She's an experienced hand at this… but I think there's a reason she hasn't used it… She's not trying to have Naruto catch her during," he considered, surprising the others. "Think about it, Naruto hasn't used any of the other techniques he's shown so far… why?"

"... Either she's too fast," Elizabeth considered.

"Or he's waiting for something," Ticy added with some thought. "That said if he's to the point that he can't move, it won't mean anything."

Chiffon considered what had happened up to this point.

'Arnette knows he can move at speeds similar to Double-Accel. She's aware and is easily able to match if not outspeed him at key moments… Naruto-kun's reaction speed is easily capable of keeping up with her but he needs this technique to keep up, physically.'

He needed to cut down her advantage while maintaining his own, he needed to cripple Arnette somehow without taking a hit.

'She's expecting you at any moment, Naruto-kun,' Chiffon thought with a frown. 'She knows how fast you can go…?!' Her eyes widened.

Arnette was aware of Naruto's speed to the point of challenging it time and time again… T-Then that meant…

'If he can pull that off, he's terrifying,' she realized with a worrying swallow.

"I've got him, Satella-senpai," Kazuya said as he and Abebe locked eyes. "Help, Naruto-kun!"

"Hmph!" She took off towards the speedy duo of Arnette and Naruto. 'They're both damaged.'

Naruto was amazing in a lot of ways so she and the others could trust in him to handle Arnette but he looked worse off. He needed assistance!

So, as she passed the mid-way point, she'd focused on doing nothing but getting to him… but something stopped her.

"Senpai, don't. You'll set them off!"

She came to a screeching halt, confused at a little glowing hexagon by her feet.

'Set them off?' She was confused as she looked around the room. '...?!' Satellizer's eyes widened as she reinforced her eyes and balked.

At the sheer number of 'them'.

"Hmph, hmph, she a real riot, ya blonde bastard," Arnette said before remembering something with an embarrassed chuckle. "Don't tell Abebe, yeah? I'm working on his confidence."

"I know, I know, he and Mark-senpai share a few traits," Naruto said with a chuckle as Arnette shot him a grin before widening her stance. "Finally done playing around?"

"Oh? You knew?"

"Let's just say, I can tell how much of your Volt Textures you're using at the moment," he said with determined eyes. "You've enhanced your body almost fully… saved for your feet."

The Mad Dog's grin widened to face-splitting levels as she crouched lower.

'She's gonna bring her all,' he realized as his shoulder began to bruise up, causing him to wince. 'God, this form is not easy to keep up.'

The Bijuu Cloak was a ridiculous draining technique that copied his own bijuu cloak back from the Elemental Nations. It was part-nostalgia, part-utility.

It was an amazing ability to have and he wanted it back, even if this wasn't the full form of what he wanted.

Back on track, he had everything where he wanted it now and his mental strain was building. This was not easy.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," Arnette said with a simple smile.

'She's already gone,' it was amazing speed, he would not lie.

That kind of speed would give more than a few people in this place, adults included, a run for their money… but she was invisible to everyone but him.

"It's been a blast," the blonde said to the space behind him, shocking Arnette as her feet skipped back to her original position, eyes wider than she thought possible.

"... No, fucking, way," she said to him. "Y-You can-"

"Tell where you were? Totally," Naruto said with his arms crossed as he dropped his cloak move, wincing a bit as he pointed at her. "I can sense things in ways that many people can't, trust me, I can tell where you are… but damn your speed is no joke," he chuckled.

"... Hm, hm, hm, hm," she chuckled with no end to her amusement. "You have to teach Abebe that shit."

"Eventually," he shrugged. "Oh, she's gone again," Naruto said with his eyes moving around. "No remorse, she's coming in for the kill."

He closed his eyes and focused even as a light slice nailed his shoulder. Not yet.

A cut swiped against his cheek. Not yet.

Another hit the side of his chest. 'Almost.'

And then, there she was, coming for his back.

Chiffon was prepared to wince as she saw Arnette coming for Naruto's back-

An explosion from behind him tore apart the area she'd been in and sent the third-year rolling across the ground before hitting the wall.

"?!" She didn't know what had happened! "H-Huh?"

"What… what happened?" Ingrid asked in confusion before her eyes slowly widened. "... That son of a bitch. He was using that isolating technique!"

"He was using it on the area around them!"

Arnette felt her body shudder as she grunted, her vision shaky as she looked up at the grinning Naruto.

"Gotcha, senpai," he said as she shakily got to her feet.

"W-What the hell?"

"Well, I knew I couldn't beat you like that," he said, his sole open eye shining with bravery. "I couldn't catch you quick enough and had to do things this way. Still cost me an eye, though."

"... So that's why you were so distracted, huh?" She asked with a strained chuckle before covering her mouth as she spat out something metallic-tasting. "Damn, that hit me hard."

"It's not easy trying to keep that rebound from happening, it was a killer on my brain."

"Gotcha, gotcha," she said with a snicker. "I'm still on my feet, though."

"Nope," he threw her a thumbs-up.

The area below her 'shattered' and Arnette's eyebrow twitched nervously.

"Oh no-"

She was thrown across the space again before rolling one more time before grunting and kipping up onto her shaky feet, a hand down on the ground to help steady her.

"I've got more of those, senpai," Naruto said with a grin. "I had tons of time."

Bullshit, he'd only been able to set up those two and had lucked out that she landed on the correct wall.

'God, lying my way to victory suckkssss,' he'd need to seriously get some extra training in because he'd need to be capable of protecting his friends from people as strong as Chiffon, most likely, one day. 'I need to up my training somehow.'

He'd have to find a way to improve his own stats somehow.

Arnette wasn't feeling so hot, she could feel that tightening in her right calf and it was on the verge of cramping something fierce.

That said… 'Is he lying or not?' She didn't know, all this was new to her in the way of Limiters. 'Think, could he have set this up?' Arnette thinks no.

They'd spent most of their time on one side of the room by this one wall… if he was able to do it, that meant that only these two spaces were the ones he trapped up.

She flexed her grasp on her scythe.

'I've got one… no, I've got more than enough Accels in me. If he's lying, he can't really move, can he?' She hoped not, she didn't see his healing field so that meant either he couldn't do it or didn't want it to be obvious. 'I just have to do it.'

She reinforced herself to her limits!

No Interval Double-Accel!

Rana batted down a cross only to barely block a body blow from the other Creo copy.

'I-I can't counterattack like this!' Her own wounds were making this difficult!

'I need my Holy Gates,' her eyes grew determined and she jumped back as far as she could, Creo's eyes watching her as a third copy sprung out of the ether and lunged. 'Now or never!'

She crossed her arms before swinging them out and then tucking them inward, Volt Textures pushed to their maximum all throughout her body before a powerful source exploded from her back.

Creo's eyes widened at the sight of two long 'wings' coming out of her Rana's back. 'Is this some form of technique out of the Seimon Hyakko-Ken?' This wasn't good!

If she increased her-

It was too sudden, too quick. Rana's hands tightened into fists.

Kuga Arashi!

The Void Fangs, the shockwave blows, exploded around the Tibetan female, dispersing all of Creo's copies in a few movements of her fists.

Creo balked before sweatdropping as Rana's gaze went to her and her grin grew. "U-Uhhh, I surrender?" She offered and Rana considered it before walking over. "O-Oi, Lichen, y-you heard me, right?!"

Of course-de arimasu," she said with a calm smile that Creo looked away from nervously. "Just making sure you're not lying."

Creo accepted that blow to the head without issue.

She did have a point.

Satellizer watched, hopefully, Naruto-

"Quick rundown, I'm totally lying! I need help!"

She nearly faceplanted as he told her.

'W-What should I do?'

"... Senpai, you need to hit Arnette the moment she tries to attack me. No ifs, ands, or buts. She's probably got more than enough good blows in her. Besides, she's kind of gone berserk and will hurt herself too much if she's not stopped."

"You've got to hit her with everything you've got."

Satellizer's eyes widened as the orange panel faded into nothingness.

Her grip on her weapon tightened.

Hit her with everything she had?

Satellizer remembered Arnette's words from the day before breathing out and getting into position.

She crouched low along with her center of balance, front leg outstretched. Her right hand gripping her Volt Weapon's handle while her leg went down the side of it.

Her entire being devoted to a single strike.

Her Volt Textures were pushed to the maximum, her legs, core, arms, eyesight, and brain were the foci. Everything else came after.

'Focus on the important parts and…!' Her eyes focused and she didn't let anything else matter.

Arnette vanished from her spot and Satellizer's breath hitched.

Singularity Accel.

She exploded from her spot.

Naruto saw Arnette coming at him head-on, she didn't have any doubt in her strike.

She would land this blow… and he grinned, amber eyes widening in confusion as he did.

Then Arnette felt her body get slammed into. Something sturdy, strong, and fast slamming into her side.

The group covered their eyes as an explosion came from their side, tossing up dust, metal, and some wiring.

When the dust cleared, it was to the standing back of a rapidly gasping Satellizer as Arnette laid there, unmoving, against the rubble.

The area was silent, filled with tension, as Rana Linchen dropped Creo Brand and Kazuya Aoi held Abebe Morrison at 'gunpoint'.

"... Alright then the outcome is decided!" Yu-Mi declared with a nod and hand chop towards Naruto who grinned tiredly. "Team Uzumaki is the winner!"

Elizabeth let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding before humming a defeated tone. "This is, actually officially, our loss," she said to Andre who wore a reassuring smile.

"All things considered, I think that we still came out the best way possible through all this," he said and Elizabeth considered everything that had happened before chuckling.

"It's certainly a grand outcome."

Chiffon grinned as she walked over to Naruto who threw her a thumbs-up. "How do you feel?" She asked with a finger on her chin, a grin on her lips. "You know, beating most of the third years?"

"I'm tired as hell," he said with a nervous chuckle, falling on his rear. "Phew, damn, I really need to up my training because that was very easily able to go Arnette-senpai's way if Satellizer-senpai wasn't prepared enough. Add on the aiming and we'd be screwed seven ways to Sunday."

"Hmm, hmm, you're correct," she said with a hum. "But, honestly?" Chiffon turned her head to the knocked-out Arnette being helped by Satellizer herself. "Had Arnette not helped her out yesterday, you all might have been in a worse situation."

"Hmm, yeah, definitely," he agreed as Rana came over with Creo on her back. "Glad to see you got us a win, Rana-chan," Naruto said with a chuckle as she grinned right back at him.

"Creo-senpai was amazing," she said with a giggle as she adjusted her upperclassman on her back. "I don't understand how she did that with Tempest Turn… then again, I've never really learned how to use it," Rana realized with a hum. "... Do you think she'd teach it to me?"

"I mean, never hurts to try," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Maybe she'll even teach you a few tips and tricks."

"He~"

Chiffon smiled a bit before, without warning, picking the blonde up in a princess carry.

"... Chiffon, please, I don't think my reputation can take this."

"Hmmm, maybe," she said with a grin as she carried him over to the, very amused, audience, much to Naruto's embarrassment. "Say hello to the winning team's leader," Chiffon said with a wide grin as Naruto covered his face, the fake clapping, and whistling from Abel, thoroughly ruining his good mood.

"Dammit, Chiffon!"

"Hm, hm, hm, hm!"

~NRK~

The following evening, the assembled fighters were placed in a large medical room.

Naruto was sitting up in his cot and using his healing skill on the group at large, Elize humming as she observed it once more.

Sister Margaret nodded with finality. "Then this is officially over. How do you feel, Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Well, I think things ended up way better than they ever could," Naruto said with a chuckle and grin as Rana sat on the side of his bed.

The blonde's arms and legs were bandaged up, in medical garb, once more but he was far more capable of moving compared to the aftermath with Ingrid. Rana was sporting some serious bandages around her head and cheek while in some medical garb so her bandaged stomach could breathe more easily.

Arnette sat next to Naruto's bed and was chuckling even though she was covered in bandages. "That was fun," she said with a grin as Naruto snorted along with Chiffon, Ingrid, and Attia. "Geez, I didn't think you could keep up with me going almost full speed."

"I knew you had a little bit more to give," Naruto said as Satellizer and Kazuya sat between the two's beds, the former looking curious, getting a head-rubbing Arnette for her troubles.

"Look, Satellizer, when it comes to Accel, you seem pretty decent at it, especially with that finisher you pulled off," the blonde nodded patiently. "Hmph, but you have interval problems."

"?"

"From yesterday, while you were trying to catch Chiffon. You seem to have a good hold on normal Accel, you're even close to using Double Accel but you stop too much. You start off with the normal version but then you try to speed up, you've gotta make the change faster if you're going to get stronger."

"... I…" Satellizer placed her hands in her lap, in thought, several bandages around her cheeks, stomachs, and thighs. "I get that b-but, surely, I have to still focus on where I want to go?"

"You have to use it all at once," Attia explained. "I'm an All-Rounder so I can use both types of techniques and Arnette's been helping me with my Accel. The thing about it is, you've gotta think ahead, there's no doubt, you're thinking too slowly. Moving, landing, turning, dodging, and accelerating, all of that requires that you're already thinking ahead several steps."

"T-That's…" The Bridgette looked nervous.

"Hm, hm, hm, it's fine, I can try and show you how but it all depends on you," Arnette said and Satellizer deflated in relief.

"Hmm! Yes, Creo-senpai!" Rana said as she turned to the bed on the other side of Naruto, Creo Brand's head turned to her with a raised brow.

The dark-skinned girl's midsection had been bandaged up completely while her head sported several bandages. All in all, she was the least bandaged of the group outside of Satellizer and Kazuya whose only bandaged sections were his biceps and head.

"Teach me how to use Tempest Turn!"

"... W-Wait, I thought you… Oh my God," Creo balked in horror. "I-I got beat by someone who didn't know how to use Tempest Turn?!"

"Hmmm," Rana crossed her arms with a long hum as Naruto chuckled nervously. "But I have the Holy Gates, it's fair."

"Holy Gates?" Elize asked. "... Oh, wait, was that your technique from the other day?"

"Mm-Hmm!" Rana nodded. "When I open them I can use my strongest techniques and improve my current ones-de arimasu."

"That's odd information," Garou noted. "Is it possible for all Pandora to use that?"

"Hmm, I think so," Rana said as she looked at Satellizer. "Satella-chan seemed to get it," she said, shocking Satellizer.

"M-Me? I don't remember doing it," she said in confusion.

"Well, I could kind of feel it, you're almost there-de arimasu!"

"Speaking of interesting techniques," Ingrid said as she turned to Naruto. "What is that form you used against me and Arnette?"

"Hmm?" Margaret blinked in confusion only for Kim to fill her in.

"Naruto did something with Freezing, assumably," Yu-Mi began, looking at the blonde who nodded. "It's some sort of cloak."

"The Bijuu Cloak Ver 1," Naruto explained, gaining her interest. "It's… well, okay, let me explain something about Freezing so we're all on the same page."

Elize was at the ready with a new notebook.

"So, we all agree that Limiter's fields are, like, energy fields, right?"

"Assumably," Mark said. "It makes sense but Freezing is also more than that."

"Yeah, it's also, like, our very beings," Eugene suggested as Chiffon wore a slowly widening smile. "... That's got something to do with it, right?"

"Basically? When we drop down a field, it's interesting. I think Freezing is, like, life force. You know, that stuff in manga and all that. Now hold on!" Naruto raised his hands to halt their questions. "This is all me thinking about it, yeah? It could be life force, fucking soul energy," Chiffon snorted. "Or actual chakra, I don't know. I'm just throwing everything I know about Freezing at it. Yeah?"

"Well, that's not incorrect," Elize considered with a frown. "You have a whole new understanding about the world as we know it, not everything is so easily learned."

"Right but, for a simple way of seeing it, Freezing is energy. When I push my Natural Energy into it, as in, mixing it," Margaret raised a brow at that. "Energy. Anyway, when I mix it and take it into my body, don't ask, it's just a thing I do," he said as Attia raised a finger. "It changes how I can use it. It just becomes… energy I can use and shape," he said as he raised a hand and closed his eyes.

The limb began to grow blue before being encased by a glowing, blue particle rising, energy that formed into a claw-like shape.

The group was more than curious as Rana tilted her head and reached out to touch it.

When she made contact, she shivered before removing her digit.

"It's so cold," she said with a shiver as Kazuya and Satellizer followed her example, nodding.

"It is," Kazuya said. "It's like being in a freezer."

Satellizer nodded. "It does have an outline to it, as well," she said as she gripped further into the energy claw, the group seeing that about an inch in she gripped it, not Naruto's hand, but the energy.

Then her entire body lit up like a Christmas tree, Volt Texture-like reinforcement springing to life.

"... Uhhh."

"Well, this is certainly interesting," Elize said with a contemplative frown as she observed the blonde's body from different angles. "Very strange."

"Oh, sorry," Naruto chuckled nervously as Satellizer blinked. "You see, with this stuff, it's like it's constantly blazing with energy. Let me explain," he said to the group. "This cloak is me using this form of energy and condensing it… It's either that or I'm infusing the energy of the world around me with this stuff and I'm condensing it into a way to use it. That's why it's version 1, there's more I can pull out of this thing if I can condense it further, like… this."

He focused, eyes beginning to form into a slit pupil before the energy around his hand transitioned in a flash and his limb was left glowing bright blue, wisps of energy coming off of it.

As Rana touched the limb, Kim balked, her body also 'activating' with her Volt Textures from the excess energy.

"Hmm-EEe!" She jumped and, when her hand came away, the group saw the frost on the limb, Naruto wincing.

"Sorry, I didn't know!"

"N-No! It's fine, I probably should have known-de arimasu," Rana said as she flexed her hand only to blink as she flexed her hand. "Hmm?" She tilted her head before Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"You might have some of that energy in you, like I said, I'm burning with energy right now."

Arthur hummed before coming in close and his eyes burned bright gold.

"... It is," he said, turning to the others and startling those not in the know. "... Oh, right, this is part of that thing I told you guys Naruto would explain."

"Thanks for passing the buck, Arty."

"No problem."

Genessa snickered along with Chiffon.

"And this is?" Leo asked with confusion before Eugene did the same while Kazuya and Abel's arms burned gold. "W-What?! You guys, too?!"

"Well," Naruto chuckled nervously as Rana focused on her hand.

Before her eyes widened at the glowing lines, she activated her Volt Textures at the glowing lines burned gold and laid about her body.

"... What did you do, Rana?" Yu-Mi asked.

"I activated my Volt Textures-de arimasu," she said, looking over her form. "It's warm," Rana observed as she cupped her chin and closed her eyes, feeling it out. "Hmm, I feel a well of energy, though!"

"Things might have gone better if you knew about this," Creo said and the group nodded. "So, why not use this during-"

The gold left Rana and Naruto's arm returned to normal in a dispersal of blue motes.

"... Okay, that explains it," she said with a nod as Ingrid cupped her chin.

"Why didn't you use that devastating attack you did to me?" She asked and Naruto hummed.

"Well, for several reasons," Arnette raised an eyebrow as Naruto chuckled. "One, it's unreliable, and if I did that all in one go, I'd be out of energy and worse off."

"Understandable."

"Two, she didn't have the defenses of her Pandora Suit on," Naruto explained as Arnette's widened. "Yeah, no, hitting anyone with that much energy is a no-go."

"... Y-Yeah, now I remember the damage that happened at the beginning of the week," Arnette said nervously before swallowing. "Yeah, don't want my precious bones to break."

"Yup. Finally, there was just no time to," Naruto said as Abebe nodded.

"Arnette is too fast," he offered and Naruto nodded.

"It's both that and the fact that the range on that move, while I can narrow it, is not something to be fired off with so many allies nearby. There was simply no way I'd fire off something like that with you guys around."

"Restraint I wish more of the students had," Margaret said. "Hmph, we've learned a lot in a hospital room again. I hope we can actually do this in a classroom, instead, young man."

"Hehe… No promises."

"Of course," Margaret rolled her eyes playfully as she got up. "Well, this is something to think about, for all of you," she said with a nod before leaving. "Take your time, no one should be intruding since it's almost Saturday."

The group nodded as Kim yawned before taking off.

"They're all yours, Elize," she said before yawning.

"Hmph, thanks again," she said to her friend who waved back lazily. "Things have gotten so much more lively since you got here, Naruto-kun. I seriously wonder what's next."

Naruto grinned.

"Well, for now? Tons of training," he said with finality. "There's no telling when things will get crazy again."

Most of the group nodded.

"Hehe, I wanna get faster," Arnette said as Abebe chuckled a bit.

"I know you will, nothing stops you," he said and she grinned.

"Hmph," Creo huffed as Garou smiled at her. "Hmm, I need to push my limits, as well."

"Well, Naruto's got a whole new way for most of you," Garou said and she smirked.

"Don't we know it?"

"We can all talk about the results of all this once you all are fully healed," Elizabeth said with crossed arms and a nod. "Negotiations are always good to have."

"Madame is correct," Andre said with a smile as Naruto nodded.

"Sure."

"... Ugh, why do I feel like I need to train more?" Attia asked Mark who chuckled a bit,

"Inspiration?"

"Bah."

Ingrid nodded. "You're right, especially since we'll be having our Dummy Training soon."

"Ah, yes, that's what I wanted to tell all the first years and transfers," Elize said as Naruto sweatdropped.

"W-Why you?"

"Because you all end up here far too often, as of late," Elize said with a snicker. "And, when I said that, I do mean you all. Sister Margaret wants to see you all try out field exercises with Dummy Novas," the group balked.

"Is that alright?" Genessa asked with a frown. "Isn't that only for later in the year?"

"It usually is but you all are special cases or, really, you have a special case among you," Naruto played 'innocent' as all eyes turned to him. "Hm, hm, yes, she wants to see how you all fare against Dummy Novas."

"... Sounds like fun?" Naruto suggested with a shaky grin as everyone around him shook their heads. "Hey, don't tell me you all don't want to see what it's like against a Dummy Nova."

"... I do," Satellizer admitted with a slight blush as Rana laughed.

"Sounds interesting-de arimasu!"

"It'd be interesting to see how we do," Arthur said. "Practicing on them at a fifth of their power, now, feels kind of insulting."

"Hehe, if Arthur is feeling confident, you bet I'm feeling good about this," Genessa said as her Limiter chuckled.

"With how things are going, you all could use it as a baseline," Ticy considered as she shot Naruto a look as his face contorted into a thinking expression. "... I don't like that look on your face."

"Ticy, honey, that's the look he always has," Abel said sagely as Ticy's face went flat. "That'd be kind of rude."

"Because it's true?"

"Eh, fair is fair."

"Hmm, what's your next crazy idea, Naruto-kun?" Chiffon wondered, casually, only to almost faceplant with everyone else as he spoke.

"I wonder if I could take on one of those dummies on my own?"

"There has to be a limit to your madness!"

"Nope."

"T-That sounds rather… premature, Naruto-kun," Eugene said nervously.

"I mean, why not use that as a good goal?" Naruto asked as many of them grimaced. "Now, hold on, no one's saying that we'd go around having crazy people jumping at Nova the first chance they get but being that strong, even as a goal, seems like the perfect thing to keep a duo motivated."

"Hmmm, I want to see, as well-de arimasu," Rana said as Kazuya and Satellizer blinked.

"... Well, it'd be good to be able to help people faster…"

"If we could perfect an attack that ends a Nova in one hit…"

"I'm in," both said in unison.

"Nice!"

Elize's cheeks twitched in horror. 'He's somehow brainwashing them with his kind of crazy… isn't he?' She wondered in disbelief as the older students tried to talk them out of it. 'He's… I'm worried to think what such a goal could lead to.'

It'd be an insane day if such a warrior existed but, surely, that wasn't possible… right?

~NRK~

He considered the file before him, eyebrows raised to unbelievable levels.

'What?!' None of this report made sense! 'Chiffon… What did you just send me?'

His white hair fell against his head and was slightly long while his wrinkled peach skin stretched in confusion, amber eyes closing in thought. '... But she wouldn't send me this if she wasn't aware of something,' he realized with a sigh as he got out of his recliner and headed towards the kitchen 'island' in the middle of the large living room.

His white pants and dark blue dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves shuffled as he did, grabbing himself some wine before nabbing a glass from the cabinet when he heard the door to the home open.

"We're back!" Came a woman's voice as she and a man entered the home, the latter closing the door behind them. "... Hmm, Mr. Aoi, I thought we told you that drinking too much was bad for you," she pouted at him a bit, back-length black hair flopping a bit before a kiss to her temple had her blushing.

Gengo Aoi chuckled a bit at the woman's embarrassment as he walked past, the now huffing at the man behind her, raven-haired woman.

"O-Obito-kun?!" She huffed at the man beside her, his spiky black hair, peach skin, black eye, and widening smirk all there to taunt her! "Y-You know about PDAs!" She told him, red eyes on a fair-skinned face twitching as the man behind her chuckled.

"Sunali-chan, it's fine," he said with a smirk as he walked past, putting things into the fridge. "Dr. Aoi, she is right, though. Didn't I suggest less alcohol… you also finished the banana bread. Which had alcohol in it."

"You two make too much good food, with alcohol in it," Gengo said with a smile as he swirled some wine, sipping on it for a moment. "But that's not important, Chiffon sent an… interesting report," he explained.

Su-Na walked over in her blue sundress and hat, taking off her slippers and looking at the text on her phone.

Obito finished putting things away before walking over in a long-sleeved purple top and black slacks, leaning over Su-Na's shoulder with a soft frown.

As he read the report, his eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"W-Wait, this Naruto kid," he kept his voice as confused as possible. "Who are his parents?"

"Hmm?" Gengo raised a brow before coughing into his fist. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't inform you two yet," the two blinked. "Obito, you said you knew the owner of Namikaze Industries, yes?"

Obito choked mentally but kept his voice steady. "W-Wait, he's Minato's kid?!" No, his shock was more than they knew.

"Yes and I also didn't tell you, it changed its name to 'Uzumaki Clan' or 'Uzumaki Arts Production," Obito choked outright, now. "I've met the individuals running it, both Minato and his wife, Kushina."

'Oh, God.'

"They're the company who's starting into a field that we never had and one I believe we don't do enough of."

"Wait, they're the ones who you got tickets for?" Su-Na asked. "Why tell us now?"

"Mostly because I was trying to secure it and surprise Obito," Gengo said as Obito's face went flat. "Oh, don't be like that, call it a present!"

"I'd prefer presents to be more obvious."

"Then they wouldn't be 'presents', would they?" Gengo shot back with a smirk as Obito groaned at him. "They're holding a demonstration during Golden Week in Shin Tokyo for their new line of Limiter Suits."

"Limiter what-now?"

What a day to be alive, dammit.

Obito groaned.

~NRK~

And that's a wrap on this long-awaited chapter.

We got through some revelations, Naruto's more of a nut-case than expected, Chiffon's sending back a report, and Obito's existence has been revealed! Yay.

Also, yes, I'm aware of how little Satellizer got to do this chapter, during the fight. Things just went that way but I'm working on bringing her up with this upcoming arc that's coming 0between the Third-Year fights and the 'Cathy Arc'.

Someone asked me if I'd have characters who'd touch Freezing Zero and, yes, Obito will touch Su-Na's time in West Genetics while, if I feel like it, Minato and Kushina will touch Margaret's.

So, I'll get to those parts eventually or randomly. Not like I couldn't do that for Su-Na's backstory.

Take it easy and enjoy this long chapter.

Words: 19k

~NRK Out~