Unlimited Courage

by Nasha Rei-Kun

He stood out and Satellizer realized that she was fine with that. Kazuya always found motivation in his words, not a replacement for his sister but Kazuya was fine with that. Chiffon found this boy weird, he did way too many odd things to say otherwise... but she was fine with that. And Rana Linchen grinned, laughed, talked, and enjoyed every moment together with Naruto Uzumaki.

16. Trips

~NRK~

They found themselves playing something that Naruto was laughing at in total hilarity.

Fighting games.

Rana grinned as she and Kazuha played their last matches.

Against one another.

Naruto had begun laughing as the two's characters went at it, in hilarious fashion.

Every one of their hits were the same, the same kind of damage, and of similar reach.

It all came to a head when the two went into double DRAWs. Something the blonde didn't think was possible outside of Smash Bros!

"Come on!" Kazuha squeaked as they went at it again.

"I won't lose-de arimasu!" Rana grinned as they hit one another once more.

"U-Um… h-how?" Kazuya said in disbelief as Chiffon snorted and Eugene chuckled nervously. "I-I didn't think double overtime was a thing!"

"I'm not sure… this happens in soccer," Satella said and Kazuya grinned shakily.

"Y-Yes, it does but fighting games are different. There's code and other things, Satella-chan."

"Hmm."

Things came to an end by their third draw.

"Right… Let's not continue with this," Obito said with a flat expression as Su-Na blinked at the impossibility of three draws. "Come, I made some tea and snacks while you all were busy."

The group got up from their seats, Naruto settling Rana as Su-Na did so for Kazuha.

"Hm, hm, that was fun!" The Tibetan said with a grin as her partner snickered. "Hmm, I didn't expect that, Kazuha-san."

"Hmph, I used to play video games all the time," Kazuha said as Kazuya chuckled. "It was one of the things Kazuya would play and I figured we could bond that way."

The boy blushed a bit before rubbing the back of his head. "S-Sorry, nee-chan."

"It's fine, you were young, Kazuya. It's not like we know what'll happen in the future. I'm just glad you didn't dislike your big sister beating you all the time!" She said with stars in her eyes as he slumped. "Hm, hm."

They drank and ate with chatter between them all.

"So, when you go down to Alaska, do you think they'll try to get some of your cells, Naruto-kun?" Kazuha asked and Naruto blinked. "If you think about it, these E-Pandora aren't even Pandora. Not fully. If they mix your cells within their bodies, they may be able to get some benefit out of it."

"I mean… Huh, that's the first time someone's said that," Naruto said. 'So, would I become a 'Hashirama Cell'?' He sweatdropped at the idea.

Now that he thought about it, Kazuya had been a 'Hashirama Cell' here long before he. Damn.

"The thing is, what would they take from him?" Obito said. "Naruto's situation is… unique. Inside his body is where his stigmata are and they're not normal, not normally physical."

"Eh? How'd ya know?"

"Because of the x-rays," Su-Na answered. "Stigmata are normally there but we can't see them. That's not normal but you say that you have them and can encircle them, that means they're there in a way that we can't see… unless they're in your brain."

"I don't like how you said that."

"You shouldn't."

"So, the fact remains, are your skills inheritable like that? That's a big question," Kazuha said. "Or could you not just fill the Injection-Based Stigma with your energy?"

"... I think I can try that," he said as Rana nodded.

"Being connected to Naruto-kun changes you," she said as gold spiraled out from her back into a familiar set of bladed wings… that had the bottom two pairs of wings now all to the same length as the top ones.

The flight-like appendages seemed to blaze with a small bit of golden light, leaving Kazuha blinking at them.

"Those… aren't normal," she said before Naruto and Chiffon chuckled as Eugene explained.

"Naruto has, seemingly, connected to her on a deeper level," he explained as Kazuha, Su-Na, and Obito looked intrigued. "It's a change that seems permanent."

"Really?" Satella asked as he nodded. "Hmm. Do you feel any different, Rana?"

"Hmm, well, it's different. I've used my Holy Gates enough times to know," Rana said. "Before this… I feel like I could have learned Accel Turn if that sounds weird."

"It does," Su-Na said with a frown. "You're increasing the capabilities of your value as a Pandora… So what about now?"

"Hmm," Rana crossed her arms in thought as she tilted herself to the side. "... It's weird… I feel like something's there. Something I'll get eventually," she admitted. "This is new-de arimasu."

"Was it like that with Accel Turn?" Chiffon asked and Rana nodded. "So, it'll be a skill of some sort… and I don't think it'll be like Naruto's own. I mean, after all, he can't sprout wings like you can even as the originator."

"Well… I wanted to say that it's kind of like the difference between Pandora and Limiters when it comes to Nova," Kazuya said and Chiffon grinned shakily. "But Nova can't perform Illusion Turn or Accel Turn. If that's the case, then it's probably something weirder."

"... No, Kazuya, I think you need to understand something," Kazuha said as Su-Na sighed and Obito nodded. "Of course it's similar, stigmata are basically Nova tissue."

"... H-Haa?" Satella flinched while Kazuya choked. "W-Wait, what do you mean?"

"Didn't you ever find it weird how similar we are to Nova?" She asked and the Pandora and Limiter froze. "Exactly. No one's going to willing make the connection because it'd bring up questions they can't possibly answer but the fact remains, Pandora are part-Nova after a point."

"... I-I…" Kazuya grimaced before sighing. "I did find it weird, at times… but it was really more worrying when we learned about the Nova able to force the Pandora they have under their control to do things. To forcefully look like them. I thought it was some kind of virus but then I remembered Rana's previous Holy Gates and the feeling from them."

"The feeling?" Rana asked and her eyes widened. "Y-You can feel that?"

"Y-Yeah… I can, kind of," he admitted as Chiffon sighed. "You're right, I didn't want to think about us using parts of Nova to fight… but when you give it thought, isn't that the only way we could have put up defenses for so long? I feel stupid not putting this together sooner."

"No, it's not wrong to feel like you should have figured it out but that's life, you can't know all the answers until you've gained more clues," Obito said. "So, let me ask a better question. How many do you have?"

"... A lot, so many questions I can't think straight now… C-Chiffon-senpai-"

"Yes, I'm different," Chiffon admitted with a smile and he chuckled nervously before smiling with a nod.

"Thanks for being honest."

"It'd be an offense to you to try and act like we don't know more, that'd not be fair," she said.

"Well… I guess, in the same vein, was there anything about us growing up that I don't know about?" He asked Kazuha who grimaced before sighing.

"... Yes, understand that I want to get it all straight for you to know. So, not yet," she said with a determined look and Kazuya nodded.

"A-Alright… Well, Naruto, are you some sort of Nova lab baby thing?"

"Haa!" Naruto snorted. "Nope, nope, nope, I'm literally what you know for the most part," he said with a grin as Kazuya let out a sigh of relief. "Trust me, most of what I've learned is from the past week. Besides that, a lot of stuff me and Rana looked at before we got involved is a part of how far I've come, too."

"What do you mean?" Satella asked and Naruto hummed.

"Let's see… well, I can see your souls, kind of," they balked and he chuckled. "Calm down, I'm not like some reaper baby or something. I can see them when I enter the emotional world, so to speak."

"Oh," she blinked. "... I actually don't know what that's like," she admitted with a small blush.

"Well, you can find out, me, you, Rana, Chiffon, Eugene, and Kazu. We can all try it."

"Well, in that case, we might as well join," Obito said and Naruto chuckled.

"Then let's see what this is all about!"

His orange field spread out around their feet.

---

When Kazuya blinked, he wasn't in his old home anymore.

"Huh?!" He choked at what he was seeing. "N-Naruto, what is this?" Kazuya asked and the blonde chuckled as he came into view.

"The Emotional World from my point of view, sort of," he said with a shrug as the others stood around them.

"So, this is what that feels like," Kazuha said as she blushed a bit, Obito crossing his arms next to her with Su-Na. "R-Right, soul form," she reminded herself.

It was still a nice view.

"W-Wait?! What is this?!" Satella blushed bright red as she covered up and Chiffon chuckled a bit.

"Calm down, it's not like you're nude. Remember, this is us as our soul selves, for lack of a better phrase. It's not like you're bouncing everywhere," Chiffon giggled.

"D-Don't say it like that!"

"S-So, this is the emotional world…" Kazuya looked around before balking at the small circle around him. "... N-Nee-chan?"

"Yes, that's a part of what I'll tell you later," Kazuha said as one appeared around her and Chiffon as well. "Still, so this is what it looks like?" She wondered, looking at the ring around her. "... Hmm," she looked up and blinked. "Is that what I think it is?"

The entire group looked up and saw the white ring in the distance.

"It's certainly backed off since last time," Chiffon muttered as Naruto nodded.

"For the sake of simplicity, Kazu, Satella-nee, that thing is a problem and I've punched it and I was sorry," Naruto said like that was the most normal thing in the world.

"... I believe you… but what?" Kazuya asked in disbelief.

"... Yeah, no, that's about as good as I can put it," Naruto said with a nervous chuckle as Rana snickered.

"It's extremely complicated," she explained. "For now, it's better to say we have a weird relationship with it-de arimasu."

"... 'We' as in us, specifically?" Satella asked.

"... No."

"Alright then."

"Is there a chip?" Kazuha asked and Obito snorted.

"He did say he punched it," the man said and she gaped at him before looking at the sheepish Naruto. "I'd say there are some things even people like Kazuha won't believe."

"Hehe…"

"So, this thing is against us?" Kazuya asked and Satella hummed.

"That seems to be the case."

"Naruto, my life has gotten 'enriched' in so many ways, I don't even know how to respond to all of this."

"Once again, my bad."

"Rana's stigmata shine here?" Satella asked as Rana smiled and they could see the dark blue shine on her back. "That's six, alright."

"They seem to do that often," Eugene said. "I guess it's because she and Naruto are close… but, even then, it's kind of weird."

"Well, I think that's going to change," Obito said as several lights reached their eyes.

"H-Huh?!" Satella blinked as she looked behind her to see white lights from her own stigmata. "W-What's this about?" She asked but Naruto shrugged.

Then the floor beneath the group's feet shifted, much to the shock of Obito, Su-Na, Kazuya, Satella, and Kazuha.

"What is this?!" Kazuha choked as she grabbed Obito's bicep, Su-Na too preoccupied to mention it. "... What the hell is going on?!"

Naruto chuckled nervously as a familiar fox avatar held them.

"Oh, yeah, forgot about this part of the punching," he said with a nervous grin. "This was how I did it."

"... What?"

"Naruto's soul is rather reactive to his will," Chiffon explained but the group looked confused. "... Oh, right!" She chuckled before pointing down. "We were walking on his soul, basically, a second ago."

"Eh?!" Kazuya choked while Satella blinked, looking at and minding her feet. "W-We're walking on it?!"

"Yep, basically," Naruto said with a chuckle as they were held in the avatar's hands. "Though, why is this thing doing this, I don't know."

The head of the fox came down and pressed its nose against Naruto's back.

Then a moment later, there was an image of the boy ahead of himself, a sort of blue-outlined, filled almost to the very top with yellow, form of him.

"... Oh," Chiffon said as she walked over, looking at the image. "This is showing how far along Naruto's changes are," she said before blinking at the sight of seven spots in the boy's 'body'.

In them were dark blue eight-sided diamonds that were very familiar.

"Stigmata?" Kazuha asked as everyone else came in close. "So, these are his stigmata's locations?"

"The Chakras," Obito said as Naruto nodded. "In this case, these should all be connected."

And, as he spoke, dark blue lines went from the 'open' stigmata to the others, connecting with the 'open' ones pulsing a bit.

"W-What's this mean?" Kazuya asked.

"It means those ones are mature, I believe," Rana said. "Maria-san told Naruto that he'd be close to unlocking the fifth one, his Throat Chakra. If this is showing us how much of Naruto has changed… i-it's really close-de arimasu!"

"W-Wait, what's changing about Naruto?" Satella asked.

The male blonde nodded and explained to her and Kazuya about what Maria had told him. About his soon-to-be-gone humanity and his existence.

"You'll stop being human?!" Kazuya balked. "N-Naruto! Don't you feel odd about that?!"

"Hmm, well, no, not really," Naruto said, causing the boy the flinch. "Kazu, nothing changes about me just because I'm not really human anymore."

"B-But what about connections!?"

"What about 'em?" Naruto asked with a grin that Kazuya choked at. "So what? It's not like my family stops being my family because I'm different. If you were an alien with twelve hearts, that wouldn't change anything. I'm still 'Naruto Uzumaki'. At the end of the day, by connections with others is what matters, not what's inside of me."

Kazuya looked taken aback by his words, the Aoi grimacing as he looked down.

"Even if you, like, sprouted horns?" He asked fruitlessly as Naruto grinned. "Stupid question," Kazuya sighed. "I don't… maybe I just like normal too much."

"Hey, normal's fine. Being a little weird just won't hurt ya."

"Naruto, becoming a different species isn't a little weird, last I checked."

"Eh."

"I can't I'm having this conversation," Kazuya said with a grunt before rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry for freaking out about this."

"Nah, man, sometimes, it's necessary," Naruto said. "You care, that's cool. But you also value everything about us as we are, that's right in its own way. Just needed a little tweaking," he said, pinching his fingers together to the point of them being separated by the barest of millimeters.

"Hmph… Nee-chan, that's not what these rings mean, do they?" Kazuya asked and Kazuha smiled sadly.

"Well, you're still human, that hasn't changed," Kazuha said.

"... alright, I guess," he said before turning to Satella with a shaky grin. "I hope you don't mind."

She blinked before smiling. "I doubt I fell for you being human… though being part alien will certainly be an interesting facet to see."

"I mean, we don't if it's part alien yet."

"Don't we?"

"... So, what's going to happen to Naruto again?" Kazuya changed the topic like he changed underwear.

"Right, so I'm really close, I guess," Naruto said with a smirk. "So… I'd say about three more times and I'm 'finished'," the blonde boy said with a snort. "Man, I really wanna know what I'm gonna end up with…" he said intently, looking at the fox.

… Nothing. Dammit.

"The suspense is gonna kill me."

~NRK~

Sunday passed and, on Monday morning, Naruto and Rana were outside of the school, prepared.

Their friends were seeing them off, all of them in uniform, all of them.

"You're heading on another vacation," Arthur said with a chuckle, hair in a low ponytail. "Can't say you don't deserve it, even if it'll be part business," he said as Genessa smiled.

"Yeah, well, I'll try and relax. It's gonna be at an isolated place, though, so that's a limit on the fun," Naruto said, green goggles hanging off his neck.

Wearing burnt orange sweatpants and a black long-sleeve top with his family's emblem on the shoulders and back, he'd put on his blue ninja sandals as well. His biggest insulator for the freezing Alaskan chills was a crimson red cloak with black flame designs on the bottom, the cloak even had a hood for him with a thick collar.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Abebe said, hair shorter than when he left and combed back. "Not like working in the hot Alabama sun," he said, skin slightly tan as Arnette smirked.

"Don't get caught up, Rana. You might find competition down there in Alaska!" The redhead said as Rana snickered with a grin.

"Not really possibly-de arimasu," the young woman said, a familiar orange bandana around her head, hair in a long style once more.

Wearing original clothes that she'd met the group in, around her shoulders was a light blue cloak of similar design to Naruto's with a hood. The cover having dark blue rectangles at the bottom.

"With this, you two are going to be off, huh?" Leo said. "Though if what you tell is true, you'll be doing this again with Elizabeth, Chiffon, Satellizer, and Genessa. The top two in the second and third years, that's gotta be quite the meeting," he said, hair slightly longer.

"You'll do fine," Itsuki said, a tan on his form. "It's not like you need to speak with reporters again," he reassured as Creo crossed her arms with a smirk, she and Rana nodding to one another.

"Don't I know it," Naruto said before a helicopter carrier came into view. "And that's our ride, we'll see you guys Sunday. Promise."

"We'll hold you to that," Elizabeth said. "For now, simply don't cause trouble, hard as that may sound."

"No promises."

~NRK~

Meanwhile, in a car, Obito and Su-Na parked outside of a large villa a good distance outside of Shin-Tokyo.

Wearing dress shirts, black for Obito and light blue for Su-Na, and black slacks with dress shoes, the two got out of the car with different expressions.

Obito chuckled nervously while Su-Na's face was neutral, a powerful neutral.

As he came around, he pecked her on the forehead and held her hand as they strode forward.

"Hmph… It's been close to three months since we saw them last," Su-Na said as she gripped his hand back and he did the same. "Haa… A normal woman would say a lot more, Obito-kun."

"I know, unfortunately, in a couple of ways, we aren't normal people," he said and she pouted. "Come on, it'll only be for the week and then we'll go on a little vacation of our own before I work some more."

She blinked at him, cheeks slightly rosy at the idea. "You made plans?"

"Reservations for my sweet," he said with a smirk as she hummed curiously, knocking on the villa's door. "It'll be just you and me, for whatever you want," Obito admitted with a small blush as her eyes widened and her cheeks grew redder.

"A-Anything?"

"Anything."

"... V-Very well," Su-Na understood perfectly. 'I think I still have the wolf ears and collar,' she hoped that red cloak still fit.

Obito chuckled at that and the sounds of small steps at the door, eyes softening as it was opened by eager hands.

"Chi-chi-ue!" A little figure cheered as she jumped him.

Obito caught the small child with one arm, the other still holding Su-Na's hand as the woman was off in a small mental diatribe.

"Chi-Chi-ue!"

"It's nice to see you, Arcadia," Obito said to the small child whose eyes shined as she hugged him tightly.

Arcadia Aoi was a short teenager who was light enough that he could still lift her with one arm.

Having dark skin for reasons he still didn't understand, her hair was yellow and came down to the back of her knees with a small black hairband in it that looked like cat ears.

Wearing a white spaghetti-string dress with a small blue bow by the chest, her feet were bare.

"How have you been?" Obito asked her as a figure appeared in the hallway leading to the door. "Ah, good morning, Cassandra-san," he said with a nervous smile as Su-Na snapped out of her lust-driven fantasy to wear that neutral expression again. 'Well, she's getting better at it.'

Cassandra Aoi, one of the six children of Gengo Aoi, was an above average-height, voluptuous, woman with fair skin, long hair held in a high ponytail with a black barrette, and gold eyes that closed in joy upon seeing them.

Wearing a similar dress to Arcadia, obviously more fitting for her adult form, she also had on a small metallic bracelet that was fused to her skin but to those not in the know, was a simple accessory.

"Ah, good morning, Obito-kun, Su-Na-chan," she said and Su-Na's eyes became half-lidded before she sighed.

"Good morning, Cassandra," she said with a raised brow before noticing that Arcadia was being put down. "... when did she get here?" Su-Na asked and Obito sweatdropped.

"W-Were you that taken with your plans that you didn't notice?" Obito asked, worried, as Su-Na blushed.

And didn't look at him, oh no.

"That's… oh, I'm in for it," he said before wearing a shaky grin that Arcadia commented on.

"Obito-tou-chan, are you nervous?" She asked blatantly and he grinned more nervously.

"Yes."

Su-Na had the decency to blush further.

"I'm just preparing for my future," Obito admitted. "Now, come on, I'm sure you all haven't eaten yet."

Twin growls from both females got a smirk out of him.

"I had a feeling."

~NRK~

8 hours after their departure from West Genetics, Naruto and Rana looked out the window of their carrier to see the Alaska base.

"Whoa, that's a huge tower!" The boy said as Rana whistled.

"It's a really big base… but what is this base for?" She wondered and Naruto blinked at her. "Isn't it a bit big for the amount of E-Pandora Amelia-san said there were?"

Naruto blinked before looking out at the other buildings besides the tower. "Maybe? I don't really know. There's probably a Pandora-level gym, to be fair. They have to triple-time their training to keep up, right?"

"That's true-de arimasu."

Their ride came to an end on a large platform that looked like it could easily handle over twenty carriers.

"They're probably getting ready for everything after next week," Naruto said as their carrier's door opened and he and Rana came out. "But man it is cold out here," he said as his breath was like hot mist in the air.

"Hmm," Rana considered it before placing her fists together.

Volt Textures filled her cloak and she grinned.

"We can use Textures to warm up!" She said with a grin and Naruto smirked before doing the same, the small field beneath his feet getting a chuckle out of her. "The others are gonna crowd you when we come here next time, you know?" Rana said teasingly as Naruto chuckled.

"A heat source is a heat source," he said before they watched a pair of people come towards them. "And those are our guides," Naruto said with a grin as he waved at the two.

Scarlett raised a brow as Amelia smiled widely at the waving blonde, the two in thick coats, pants, and boots as they came close.

"What's with the field?" Scarlett asked as she stepped over the little threshold… before blinking. "... what?" She looked around and breathed out a warmed-up breath. "... What are you doing, exactly?" She asked Naruto and Rana.

"As it turns out, Volt Textures and Freezing fields can make us warm-up," Rana said with a grin as Scarlett looked shocked at the two. "I figured we could try and see what happened-de arimasu."

'Are these two geniuses of some sort?' Or was she crazy? 'Well, yes, trying things out is a good mentality to have but this is…' Maybe this was good? "Well, curious minds are things we need more of. That's how you've become the sensation that you have, yes?"

"Hehe~" Naruto grinned before facing Amelia. "Man, this is the first time we've ever met in person!" He said with a chuckle, lifting his goggles. "Nice ta meetcha in person, Amelia-chan."

Amelia grinned. "It's crazy to think we'd meet like this after so many years," she said before looking at the smiling Rana. 'So, this is his Pandora?' Being honest?

She kind of liked this girl's energy. She seemed nice, energetic, and bubbly. Amelia realized there was work to be done on her end to make things work.

"Come on, let's get out of the still-there cold," Scarlett said and the two nodded before they moved. "I'm glad you could come, Mr. Uzumaki."

"No problem, if I can help, I'd love to," Naruto said and Scarlett's expression fell a bit, out of sight as her back was to the three teens. 'She seems kind of down,' he wondered why.

Scarlett, meanwhile, grimaced at another well-intentioned person in this place.

'He can help make this a success, I'm sure we can find a way,' she told herself but the fact that she was relying on outside help, from a teenager, wasn't doing her guilt any good. "Hmph, for today we'll just get you into your rooms. Amelia will show you both where all the facilities are afterward."

"Thank you," Rana said.

"Same," Naruto agreed.

"No problem, it's not that complicated around here. All the buildings are typically for specific things," Amelia said with a chuckle. "Still, this whole place is going to be so busy in two weeks… ugh, I'm nervous just thinking about it."

"That's why you train, Amelia," Scarlett said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Commander Radox may have greenlit this but we still have to show the committee we matter. So, in that same vein, you have to give 110%."

"Of course!" Amelia grinned. "We won't fail your expectations!"

'... I-I know you girls won't but that's also why I want to ensure you all have as good chances as you can get,' speaking of. "Naruto-kun, were you allowed to bring those Limiter Suits?"

"Yup!" Naruto grinned and Scarlett out a big smile along with a breath of relief. "It's in the carrier."

"Thank you, I mean it," the doctor said with a wince while Amelia blinked.

"W-Wait, we get to wear something other than those things we call training outfits?!"

Scarlett blushed. "I-I didn't design them, Amelia, I couldn't tell you that in good faith."

"But we won't have to wear them in front of the entire world, right?" Amelia asked, hopefully, much to Scarlett's nervous laughter.

"Yes, you won't have to."

"YES!"

"Are these so-called training outfits that bad?" Naruto asked and Amelia burned bright red. "... H-Hold on, please don't tell me it's those skimpy things some pervert drew up!?" He asked in disbelief as Rana hummed.

"It's not that bad," she said with a shrug as Naruto's mouth twitched along with Amelia. "It's all about freedom of movement."

"R-Rana, we've all seen the outfit," Amelia said, utterly terrified. 'Are Tibetans this powerful?!' Oh, Lord, her work was cut out for her. "I-It's really not that… workable with my dignity."

"Hmm… I understand, I suppose."

What a steep hill she was dealing with!

~NRK~

With their things put away, and Dr. Ohara gone with the Limiter Suits, Amelia brought Naruto and Rana around, the two lacking their cloaks.

Amelia, meanwhile, changed into her military wear which consisted of a magenta top with an unnecessary boob window, a black skirt, light brown pantyhose, and brown boots.

She pointed out several rooms that they passed on the way out of the 'dormitory' building.

"This is the training hall," Amelia explained as they walked into said hall.

Inside, the other E-Pandora were training, currently running around the track field-esque oval on the floor.

When they saw them, the purple-haired girl at the front grinned before beelining over to them, much to Amelia's horror.

"Like, shot in the dark? She's Purpleton, right?" Naruto asked as the girl skirted to a stop by them with a grin.

"You bet your ass!" She said. "Jina Purpleton, nice ta meetcha," Jina introduced, holding out a hand.

He shook it and Rana chuckled.

"Nice to meet you," the pair said in unison.

"Man, I'm sensing high-level energy," Jina said with a smirk as she shook Rana's hand. 'Damn, Amelia, you've got your work cut out for you,' she realized with a sweatdrop at the energetic, strong, blueberry before her. 'Geez.'

"So, how's the training going?" Naruto asked as Amelia smiled nervously while Jina crossed her arms.

"We're trying out what you said and, ya know, we can kind of feel those stigmata inside of us. It's just not easy."

"Of course not," Rana said with an owlish expression. "The fact that you could though means you all have the potential for getting stronger."

"W-Well, Amelia's kind of the reason we even figured it out," Jina admitted with a blush as Amelia shook her head. "Nah, don't try that. We know, oh so precious leader, how things go around here."

Amelia blushed. "T-That doesn't you all didn't have good aptitudes before this!"

"Eh."

"Hehe, that's still not a bad thing," Naruto said before nodding. "Even if Amelia-chan helped you, you still did it. That's all we need to know. For now, I'd say the more you try to find them, mess with the energy in your body," he said and Jina blinked. "Try activating all your stigmata… actually, speaking of, how many do you guys typically get?"

"Give or take the normal amount based on estimated compatibility," Jina admitted with a hand rubbing the back of her head. "It's really not a lot in my case."

"So? You work with what you have-de arimasu," Rana said with a sagely nod, confusing the two for a moment.

"Oh, right, Tibetan dialect," Jina said with a hum. "Still, what can we do with my three, hell not even that, my one active stigmata?"

"Well, you can reinforce your bodies, right?" Naruto asked and the two nodded. "If that's the case, why not push that to its limits? Like, as you work out, use your stigmata to see what your maxes are."

"We kind of do that," Jina said. "It's just, we only do it once since doing that is dangerous, ya know."

"The corrosion of stigmata," Amelia said as Rana nodded.

"In that case… try learning how to max out one section of your body then!" Rana considered with a grin. "We can even try that out here, too! If you can test your limits without going over them fully, you might be able to gain something out of it."

"Well… I won't say no to making this whole thing work out," the purple-haired girl said with a grin. "Alright! When do you guys think we could start?"

"Hold on, they did just fly here, we might want to take it easy on them," Amelia said as Jina slumped.

"Yeah, not gonna lie, feelin' the jet lag," Naruto said with a shiver. "God, I feel like I'd been stuffed into a medium-sized suitcase."

"I'm good!" Rana said with a grin as she stepped forward. "I feel fine."

"God, that's you, then," Naruto said with a chuckle. "If nothing else, we already ate, too, so I'll go and hit the hay."

"Alright, I'll lead you back to your room before coming back here," Amelia said with a nod to Rana and Jina. "I'll be back, do your best."

"It's, like, ten minutes back and forth, I doubt much'll be learned before you're back," Jina said.

"Alright, let's go and gather your friends," Rana said before nodding to Naruto. "I'll see you when I do, I guess."

"Same," he said before he and Amelia walked off. "It's gotta be because she's a whole different case," Naruto said, confusing Amelia. "You don't know about Maria-Types, do you?"

"... Wait, I think I've heard of that," Amelia said. "Isn't that when women are born with stigmata?"

"Yep," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Well, that and the newest changes as of late with Rana."

"Something happened? I thought everything was covered by the demonstration."

"... Not everything, like the Baptism thing, Amelia-chan."

"Oh," that's right, he hadn't wanted the commander to know for a good reason. "... W-Well, I won't tell if you tell me!" Amelia said shakily, facepalming a moment later as Naruto chuckled.

"It's not like I wouldn't trust ya, it's just… well, this information is kind of big big," Naruto whispered, his eyes flickering to corners of the hallways to see if there were any cameras. "When we get to my room."

She nodded, curiosity at an all-time high.

As they made it to his and Rana's shared barracks, Amelia's eyebrow twitching as she remembered this fact, they closed the door.

"There aren't any cameras in the rooms, we can speak at length," Amelia said with some excitement. 'I wonder what it is,' maybe it'd be another secret that could help them?

Didn't hurt to hope.

"So, like, I can disconnect a Pandora from her normal skillset," Naruto said outright and Amelia blinked.

"I don't… what do you mean?"

"I mean, you remember when I told you about me not gifting Pandora powers?" She nodded. "So, that's not exactly true but even I don't really get it. You'll probably see it from Rana, one of these days, but she said my power caused a change in hers, and her potential skills might have changed."

That wasn't something Amelia was sure she even understood. "Well, what were the normal ones she might have learned?" She wondered.

"Well, Rana's a Tempest-Type Pandora," Naruto said, getting a nod out of his fellow American. "She said with her ability to push her stigmata, she could have learned Accel."

"Aren't All-Rounders a thing?" Amelia asked.

"Yes but this is different. Rana's never been able to use Accel before but she felt like she'd be able to learn it with her Holy Gates, her pushed stigmata. The thing is, she says that she can't now," Naruto said.

"That doesn't seem possible… but, well, everything you've done as of late seems like that," Amelia wondered something hasty. "... D-Do you think you could do that to me?" She asked with some hope.

Maybe Naruto could give them something that was theirs and not someone else's?

"I don't know like I said, I didn't do this on purpose, Rana kind of connected with my powers in a different way, you'd have to ask her," he said with an apologetic smile.

Amelia wasn't deterred. "I will… I want this project to work out, we all don't have much if it doesn't," she admitted as Naruto frowned.

"... Amelia, this is gonna be rude… but why are you in this project? What happened?" He asked, hand on her shoulder.

She sighed at his warmth. "... Luke, he's… h-he needs money, Naruto," Amelia admitted with clenched fists. "A-And this was all I could do to get him the medical help he needs."

"... His disease…"

"Y-Yes…" Amelia grimaced, head down. "T-There's treatment, I've heard that recent breakthroughs have been made! But… the money to do that, we're making it by, if anything we were doing fine until it flared up a year ago."

"..." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "And the treatment is that expensive?"

"It numbers in the hundred thousands," Amelia whispered and he grimaced. "I… I couldn't get the loans, credit, or anything… this was the only option open to me… So, I have to make it work," she said, looking at him with determined eyes. "A-And not even just for Luke, alone. Every one of my friends here… they need this project to take off."

'... How much do I have in my bank account?' Was the involuntary thought in his head and Naruto locked it away, for now. "Then we'll do our best to make this work, I promise," he said with a nod that she grinned at. "Ya know what? Let's get to training, there's no time for sleep," Naruto said with a smirk as she blinked.

Amelia then smiled a beautiful smile.

Of course, this would be the boy she'd have fallen for, wouldn't it?

~NRK~

"You're back?" Rana said as she saw Naruto and Amelia return, her partner's determined eyes getting her eyebrows to raise. "... Alright, well, we've started with having them try and use their Volt Textures to their limits," she said with a grin and he nodded with a smirk.

"Alright, let's try some stuff."

~NRK~

The morning after saw Naruto and Amelia walking to Dr. Ohara's office, the breakfast of the day being a nice little meet-and-greet with all the other E-Pandora.

Wearing a pair of orange shorts, a dark blue long-sleeved top with orange borders on the collar, and a pair of black ninja sandals, Naruto hummed as he came to a stop by her door, Amelia turning to face him.

"Here we go. I'll be waiting outside until you're done-" Amelia had been saying only for the door to the doctor's office to open and reveal the woman in question.

"None of that, if anything, you should come in, as well," Scarlett said, surprising Amelia a bit. "It's important that if Naruto's to help, we need one of you around, Amelia."

"Oh, right," she blushed and the woman chuckled. "W-Well, change of plans."

Naruto snickered as they went in after the doctor. "So, uh, how do you wanna do this, Doc?" He asked her and Scarlett nodded.

"Getting down to it is for the best, Naruto-kun," she said with a nod of thanks. "Now, I'll be explaining the entire concept of what the project is just for the sake of clarity, alright?"

"Sure."

She explained to him everything that he already knew but Naruto was sure it was so she truly knew they were on the same level, so to speak.

He was touched.

"The general issue is that not only can they not fully contact their stigmata. That's why we're making medicine," Naruto blinked in shock, this was new. "... It's called 'Mark' and… well, it's not been very successful."

Amelia grimaced as she ran a hand through her hair, Naruto's gaze going to her. "... My hair used to be completely red, Naruto," she admitted and he choked.

"W-Whoa now, hold on! Isn't that super dangerous?!" What the hell was going on?!

"It… it is," Scarlett said truthfully with a grimace before she sighed. "But the fact of the matter is, measures need to be taken, soon if things keep going the way they have," she said to him, getting a frown out of him.

"What do you mean?"

"How good are you at history?"

"Don't ask questions about it."

"Right," Scarlett said as Amelia giggled. "The fact remains, the Nova Clashes, Naruto, are getting closer," she said and he winced.

"Right… Dammit, that's literally the worst news we could get," he said and she nodded.

"Of course, the recent adaptations that you, and Dr. Kamui, have added to our ranks isn't to be underestimated… but the fact remains that yours, and his, rely on Pandora or, at least, women with stigmata. Those types of people aren't exactly common, you know."

"The percentage of women who are compatible isn't a lot, Naruto," Amelia said and he frowned.

"I guess I get it," he said. "But, still, shouldn't the higher-ups give this whole thing more time, then? Even if we assume another Clash is gonna hit us later this year, this project needs to be done as safely as possible, right?"

"... Yes, that'd be for the best," Scarlett said. "But that's, unfortunately, not what higher-ups want. They want immediate confidence in the project and it's been running for an entire year as is."

"But Amelia-chan can do Double-Accel, how in the world is that not what they need?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Like, there's no way they'd want someone who can do more than that within one year, right?"

"..."

"... What the hell is the committee thinking?" He asked and Amelia sighed. "This is stupid, why the hell wouldn't they wait for you guys to have three years under your belt before pushing this. Hell, only third-year Pandora are supposed to be able to do High-End Skills, so what the hell is the issue?"

"Most likely? Paranoia," Scarlett hypothesized. "They've been spooked and they're doubling down on new projects just for the sake of peace of mind."

"They're not thinking clearly, basically," Amelia said with a frown. "I… I do believe in this project, the fact that Commander Radox did this much must mean he does, as well, on some level… it's just too soon," she said with a frown.

"That's true, I wonder if I couldn't speak to that guy about this," Naruto said and Scarlett balked at him. "Surely, he doesn't want some defective ideas to get in the way of us protecting people, right?"

"... I-I'm touched by our consideration but that's also the reason you're here, right now," Scarlett said. 'Stop being so easy to talk to,' her mind was going crazy trying to deal with this kid who was seemingly more mature than some of the people up top.

The fact was, he was right, not only had they not lost any Pandora in the recent Clash, he was here with all new kinds of ways to improve their battle efficiency. The fact remains, Scarlett had a feeling that this green light wasn't just because of some fear… no, she had a feeling there was a human element to all of it… but her hands were tied, there wasn't much she could do but try and ensure results.

"So, I want to try several methods to see if you can't help us improve their bodies or other concepts," she said.

"Well, what's the first thing you wanna try?"

"Well, I want to get some samples from you, blood, skin, hair, tissue, all of that," he grinned nervously. "It's just a needle, don't be a baby," Scarlett said with a roll of the eyes as Amelia smiled, amused.

They got down to it, through the use of her pre-set materials, she got everything out of Naruto, that she needed, in under thirty minutes.

She then took some samples from Amelia as a control group. "Okay, now, the first thing I want to see is if your form of healing affects them positively."

"A-Alright!" He stuttered and Scarlett scoffed.

It wasn't even a big needle!

"This'll be a little warm, Amelia-chan," Naruto said as his field spread out beneath their feet. "Ready?"

"Y-Yeah," Amelia sat in her chair, prepared for anything. "Do it."

He nodded.

And then her eyes widened at the feeling of energy springing throughout her body. Every bit of her form thrummed with a feeling of electricity and warmth that caused her to flush a bit.

"How does it feel?" Scarlett asked her and Amelia nodded, eyes glowing bright gold. 'The effect is that powerful?' Her hopes were rising and Scarlett stamped it down.

She wouldn't allow such a thing until she had permanent results.

"It feels like there's energy inside every part of my b-body," Amelia said as she closed her eyes, shivering pleasantly. "I-It feels nice," she admitted with a blush.

"Hmm…" Naruto's eyes closed as he established a connection between the three of them.

---

Scarlett froze as she blinked at Amelia.

"H-Huh?!" She jumped, looking down at the golden floor before choking as Naruto chuckled at the two females' sides. "N-Naruto?! What did you do?!"

"I connected us," he said and Scarlett froze. "You know how Limiters can reach out and connect emotionally with Pandora, right? That's what I did."

"S-Still, I'm not someone who's capable!" How had he done this?

"What do you mean? You have a soul. You have emotions. Why wouldn't I be able to connect to you?"

Did he not realize that doing this kind of thing required stigmata? Or was it that because he didn't know that he was capable of doing this?

"N-Naruto?! W-Why am I naked?!" Amelia shrieked with a bright red face as Naruto blushed.

"Y-You're not, these are our souls. It's just like this for everyone who comes through," he admitted, looking away. "But I wanted to check something," Naruto said. "Here, Rana-chan and one of my senpai, Satella-nee-chan, had their stigmata shine… though, now that I think about it, maybe it's because they were special?"

"... Rana Linchen is a Maria-Type," Scarlett said, a little red in the face herself but she got over it as best she could. "Satella has to be Satellizer El Bridgette, yes?"

"Yep."

"She holds six of Kazuha Aoi's stigmata," Scarlett said with a frown. "They're special existences, they likely did so because they're more powerful stigmata than the manufactured ones."

"It p-probably won't work, ya know?" Amelia said, completely embarrassed. 'God, I wasn't trying to do this so early!' Life was weird it seemed!

"Hmm…" Naruto considered his friend who blushed harder. "So, uh, this is gonna be kind of freaky, alright?" He said with a nervous grin and the two blinked.

"What is-?" Scarlett began to say before the floor shifted. "... W-W-What the fuck is this?!" She cursed blatantly as the three of them sat within a giant fox's palm. "Naruto! Explain!"

"Well, for me, the emotional world is seemingly different from a normal Limiter's," Naruto said. "My friends said it was, at first, but they started having stuff like this happen to them ever since we performed the ritual to give them a part of my power. This is my will, my soul, manifested. We were just standing on it."

"Sorry!" Amelia said immediately and Naruto laughed. 'W-What if he's the type who likes that kind of stuff?!' She didn't know, he hadn't minded her stepping on his soul.

Amelia realized she might have been overthinking a lot of this experience.

Then something warmed hit her back and she turned her head to see one of the giant soul fox's fingers tapping her back.

"H-Huh?!"

"Well, I wondered if doing the energy transfer like this wouldn't be more effective," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Like I said before, in here, we're purely souls. Maybe that'd be different."

Scarlett was officially out of her depth but she could see his logic.

"M-Maybe," she said with a blink as she looked around before spotting a small dark blue sphere a bit away. "What's that?" She asked and Naruto grinned.

"That's Rana-chan," he said and Scarlett's face went blank. "Like, if I didn't bring you here, you look like a diamond or a small planet," Naruto explained as Rana's 'planet' was surrounded by half-lit diamonds itself. "Those must be the E-Pandora," he said with a raised brow as Scarlett's eyes widened.

She grimaced at the sight of their half-lit states. "Is that the corrosion?" She asked out loud. "Or is it because most things, in here, relate to stigmata?"

"Well, I can see my guy friends just fine, I think that's the side effect, maybe."

Scarlett grunted while Amelia jumped a bit.

"W-Whoa!" She exclaimed and the two looked back at her to see the young woman missing a fox finger in her back. "I-I think he's done," Amelia said in a higher octave. "M-My back feels warm!"

The two looked behind her to see that all of the stigmata were glowing softly.

"D-Did you do something?" Scarlett asked in shock but Naruto hummed.

"I don't think they're ready yet, call it a hunch," he said and the two females looked confused. "Well… I can kind of feel it? So, like, they're not ready to be called stigmata or something."

"... then what did your soul do to her?" Scarlett asked, nonaccusatory but utterly fascinated. "So, when they're 'done' what will happen?"

"... I don't know… okay, so, I told Amelia this but this also happened to Rana-chan, kinda," Naruto said, shocking the doctor as Amelia smiled apologetically.

They explained it as best they could, Amelia even coming through with a small awareness of herself as well.

"I… I think I understand what she meant," the former redhead said with a blink as Scarlett looked at her, confused. "It's… there's something on the edge… mentally? I guess?"

"Just think it through," Scarlett said, finally feeling some confidence in all of this. "Consider your words."

"Well… It's like when you knew you were going to do something but you forget. You know you'll remember it later but you want to do that now."

"Oh, that's gotta be annoying," Naruto said and Amelia snorted.

"It is."

"So, they'll get whatever this is, eventually?" Scarlett asked. "Would eventually be before the exhibition?"

"No telling. Rana-chan had been like this for over two weeks."

"Dammit," still, if things worked out, the girls might be able to truly be Pandora. "... Alright, for now, I want to view her samples now."

---

They returned to the real world and Scarlett let out a breath she hadn't know she'd been holding.

"God, it's cold in here," she said with a sigh. "Alright, Amelia, I'm going to do what I did earlier."

Getting her samples again had been… interesting… very interesting.

Scarlett's eyes widened at the plucked hair strand in her tweezers. 'It's that potent?!' She realized in shock as she saw the red at the base of the white bit of hair. 'Don't say anything, not yet,' she put it into a plastic bag for examination. "Alright, for now, go back to the others. I'll probably call you two, and Rana Linchen, back up here later."

"Alright," Naruto said with a grin as Amelia smiled, the two getting up. "Alright, so, what do you guys do for fun around here?" He asked her as they walked out.

"Well, we have video games, board games, computers, and a movie theatre," Amelia listed off as Naruto's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Come on! We'll grab the others and go watch something!"

As they left, Scarlett quickly went to work with a microscope, looking at Amelia's first sample.

'Nothing new, the pigment cells are as low as they were before,' she noted before checking her other samples. 'Same as always, though she might need another shot of iron,' before the events that just happened had taken place.

What would have changed?

She pulled out Amelia's newest hair sample and swallowed before putting it under the scope.

The first thing she saw shocked her. 'They're repopulating?' Her eyes widened as she looked all around the strand with deep interest but the same result hit her. 'I-It's returning to normal even when it's pulled off?!'

She looked at the hair before placing it in a petri dish and left it atop her desk.

If she was right… that follicle would regain its normal color for however long the cells lived.

Scarlett grinned.

This was good news.

~NRK~

Obito smiled in his black pajamas as Arcadia watched her pan intensely, the teenager humming in a rising octave before she gasped and grabbed the handle of the pan before a spatula appeared in her other hand, the pancake flipping with ease and landing back in her pan, much to her joy.

"I did it!" She said and Obito chuckled, rubbing her head. "Mmm~"

"You did," he said as he finished the eggs. "Alright, come on, let's go and serve your mother and aunties."

"Here here!" Came the cheer of a woman with long pink hair set in a long pair of pigtails, her fair skin and gold eyes shifting in joy as Obito and Arcadia brought the food over. "Yay!"

Wearing a black shirt and light green pajama pants, the woman grinned as he set her food down in front of her. "Don't eat yourself out of house and home… again, please," Obito said with a shaky smirk as she grinned more. "That's not reassuring," he said with a shaky of the head, serving Cassandra.

"Thank you," she said softly in her white nightgown and he nodded.

"You're welcome, now-"

"... me," the last of the Aoi sisters said, voice neutral and soft as possible but somehow loud. "..."

"... Here," Obito said as he handed her food. "Alr-"

The violet-haired beauty pinched his cheek and Obito felt Su-Na's eyebrow ticking from his current predicament.

"... thank you," her fair skin and gold eyes, like her siblings, closed in tranquility as she picked up a fork-

Half the food was gone in seconds and Obito's eyebrow twitched in a horrified manner.

"You all do eat… right?" Su-Na asked, horrified out of her annoyance to stare at all their plates, her black pajamas crinkling with her horrified lean back. "..."

"Mmmm," Obito's face set into resignation as he gave his beloved her plate, a kiss on the forehead, and turned right back to the kitchen. "This might take a while," he said and Su-Na's mouth set in a shaky grin that Arcadia hummed at, sitting next to her. "You can eat, Arcadia… I have a feeling you'll be eating for me and you," he said nervously.

Thirty minutes, and six plates of pancakes, later, Obito finally sat down next to Su-Na… before looking down at the empty space in front of him.

"... ah," he realized and Su-Na chuckled before pushing half of her food towards him. "Thank you," Obito said as he ate.

"So, I guess we should go into town one of these days," Su-Na said and the Aoi siblings perked up. "Yes, we can all do some shopping," she said with a bit of red on her face. 'I hope that shop is still in business.'

She'd have to make a few orders, after all.

~NRK~

The movie had been fun, even if he hated every second of a ghost on screen.

They'd agreed on immediately doing some training afterward, Naruto informing Rana of what happened in Dr. Ohara's office in the meanwhile.

Now that they were back in the training hall, Rana and Amelia chatted as Naruto ran with the others around the circle.

"Come on! We've got 20 of these to do before we start any kind of training!" He shouted at them, doing his best to ignore those stupid perverted outfits. 'No, seriously. Whoever designed those things, I want to clobber you!' Naruto thought as he ran ahead of the pack in his black ninja sandals, orange three-quarter pants, and a black muscle shirt.

"Gah, you tryin' to kill us already?!" Jina complained even as they ran.

"Consider it more training! Whenever you start to feel the strain, increase your body only to the point that you can keep going! No full reinforcement! You'll learn how much you'll need to use as you suffer!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Work out, that's what I said!"

Jina growled.

Rana hummed in some black shorts, some white sneakers, and a black tank top, Amelia in the same workout wear as her fellow E-Pandora.

"So, Naruto-kun told me about what happened, how do you feel?" Rana asked and Amelia rubbed the back of her head.

"It's… I don't know, honestly," the albino said. "I feel normal, right now."

"Hmm, it's probably because the biggest change hasn't taken place yet-de arimasu."

"What do you mean? Or do you mean whatever Naruto meant about my stigmata?"

"No, I can feel that, too, but it's not what I mean," the Tibetan said and Amelia blinked in surprise. "The first time you use the power you gain from Naruto's Will, you'll be starting a small domino effect," Rana explained. "I honestly didn't notice it, myself, until I saw the changes in my Holy Gates."

"Naruto said you had something like that," Amelia noted. "What are these Holy Gates?"

Rana grinned before crossing her arms.

Gold wings burst from her back and Amelia's eyes widened. "W-What?" The force from such a simple act nearly pushed her back. 'What the hell are Pandora?!' Was this what she was up against for this project?!

"These are the Holy Gates," Rana said. "I learned this when I learned about my Seimon Hyakku-ken. My village's notable fighting style," she explained and Amelia swallowed.

"R-Rana, can all Pandora do this?"

"No," Amelia slumped in relief as the younger female chuckled. "Though, I believe all Pandora have the ability to. I can feel it," she said and the E-Pandora chuckled nervously. "And, maybe not before… but I can tell you can as well,' Rana noted and Amelia's head snapped up in shock.

"What? Me?" She asked and the Tibetan nodded. "... It was Naruto's effect on me, right?"

"Yes. Naruto's power… I think the best way of saying it is allowing anyone connected to it to push the limits of their being as, in our case, Pandora," Rana explained while Amelia frowned in thought.

"As a Pandora?"

"Yes. It's weird to think about but Naruto's power is one that gives you a path to growing stronger, I believe-de arimasu."

"... Then I want to follow that path," Amelia said with clenched hands in view. "I… Anything I can do for this project, for the girls, for all of this to work. I want to make use of it."

Rana grinned. "Then we'll start here. Activate your Volt Textures."

Amelia nodded, feeling excited. 'T-This will be the first time,' she hoped nothing flubbed up.

She closed her eyes and activated that warm energy within her body.

Bright blue sparks lit up her body as she activated her Volt Textures at full force.

"Good, we can work with this," Rana said as she hummed. 'I feel like she has a lot to use,' it was weird to be able to tell that but she'd gained a grand explanation as of late.

Blame it on her fated one. It was fool-proof with a fool, self-proclaimed by the boy himself, at the center!

"So, what should we do first?"

"Hmm… Well, let's test your limits!"

The two of them went over to the bench press and Rana got the right amount of weight to put on.

"Oh, God," Amelia choked at the 500 lb bar in front of her. "T-That might be a bit too much!"

"I'm spotting you-de arimasu," Rana grinned. "Right now, you'll be testing your absolute limits, we can't just take it that slow if we want to make this whole project work."

Amelia flinched before nodding, walking forward, and laying down.

"Alright, you know what to do."

Amelia grabbed the bar before her eyes narrowed.

If she was to do this, she had to push forward! Luke, the others, the doctor was depending on her.

So, she lifted the bar and pushed it above her before bringing it down and back up.

"...?" Amelia blinked as she did so again. "H-Huh?"

"Hehe, I said it before. Naruto's power makes it so your normal limits are pushed further away. I guess that works with your Volt Textures as well… though, being fair, you've got a ways away before you hit normal strength of the top 3," she said.

"Huh? What can they bench?" Amelia asked, putting the bar back on the rack. 'I'm feeling kind of good-'

"Oh, well, Chiffon-nee can bench 600 lbs," and her confidence plunged like an atomic piston. "Hmm, even Naruto-kun can bench 405."

"H-Huweh!?"

"Yup but we've all trained for so long in our lives, it's not fair to compare," Rana said reassuringly. "Now, come on, we've gotta do the other things before the others finish."

So they did, all in all, Amelia realized she gained a scary buff in her abilities with Volt Textures that it wasn't even fair to call it only a 100% increase.

More like 250%!

Still, even now, she wasn't comparable to the top of the schools… but even Naruto and Rana, some of the most notable from there, said that it wasn't something to complain about.

And Amelia knew they were right but as had been discussed in the doctor's office, things weren't in the majority, unfortunately, on this one. This needed to be approved by those above.

So, she felt she could feel a bit of worry being unable to compare.

"Alright, so, that's good to know," Naruto said as he crossed his arms by them, the E-Pandora all sitting down with rapid gasps. "So, in that way, should we do the same for them?" He asked quietly and Amelia's mouth opened… before it clamped shut.

"... Maybe after everything we know about these changes is done," she said. "I don't think this is bad but we don't know why this is different for us compared to Rana."

"Well… in that case, we'll try out new methods and stuff," Naruto said with a nod as Amelia smiled in thanks. "So, for now, how about we try Volt Texture training?" He asked the group of girls, entirely, who nodded.

"Sounds good," Jina said as Rattle looked at Naruto curiously.

"Where is all this energy coming from?" She asked simply and he grinned.

"I've been told I'm a stamina monster."

"That makes sense," Jina said with a groan. "Who runs 20 km and is fine?"

"I know quite a few of my senpai would, actually," Naruto said and the group groaned. "Calm down, you all seem to have a good foundation, that means you have a decent set-up for our training."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

"Well, Volt Textures aren't something that aren't a part of you," Rana explained to the group who huffed. "Don't you realize that the more you use them up, the more tired you get?"

"W-Well, yeah," Jina said with a choke as Naruto nodded.

"Volt Textures grow not just from the number of stigmata you have but from how much you train them and your body. It's not a joke to say, anyone could have the stigmata of the greatest Pandora in the world and still be the worst Pandora known to man," he said. "It's not just about stigmata, it's about how much you're willing to push yourself to prove how powerful you can become."

"Hmph…" Rattle hummed. "Well, what should we do?"

"Easy, we'll mostly be doing that Volt Texture thing I spoke about," Naruto as Rana came forward. "Rana-chan."

The Tibetan held her arm up and the group saw how the typically straight, almost circuit-like, lines of Volt Textures shifted to form bands down her wrist.

"Normally, Volt Textures would look different," he said as he looked at Amelia who perked up. "Amelia-chan, can you show 'em?"

She nodded before her body sparked to life with the energy, her eyes looking down at her raised hand.

'Something's different,' Rana was probably right.

Something had changed.

"See how different they are?"

"Yeah, even though Rana's seems like it's a lot less," one of them said, a young woman with short wavy blonde hair. "Is that like in manga and stuff? You know, you can use less to do more?"

"Well, I mean, it's not something that isn't true about Pandora but, in this case, it's because of how dangerous the technique is," Naruto said. "The fact remains, none of my friends can really do this, perfectly, yet. Only Rana-chan and Chiffon-nee have shown a decent grasp on it."

"The idea is that your Volt Textures can let out bursts of energy but if you put out too much you're forcing that energy in the direction of the lines," Rana said. "It's dangerous to do too much."

"Well, how will this help us?" Another young woman said, her hair dark brown and set in a ponytail. "I mean if it's as dangerous as you say."

"Well, that's because I think you all will have an easier time with this since you're not working with as much Volt Textures as a normal Pandora does," Naruto chimed in. "Add in that this will also tune your control and could even work as your specialties. You guys need to match up but that's not possible, normally, in the time we have. So, we'll try and give you something that can close the gap a bit."

"They're not wrong," Amelia said with a frown. "We need to find a way to show confidence in the E-Pandora Project!" She said and the others cheered. "Hm, hm, besides if this has so many benefits, it's kind of our best shot."

They all sweatdropped.

~NRK~

Obito hummed as he stood in the Aoi Villa's living room.

At present, he was standing before Cassandra as Su-Na and the others got ready for their shopping trip in the next city over, which wasn't Shin-Toyko.

The blonde smiled at him and Obito chuckled nervously before holding out his arms-

She slammed into him and nuzzled his neck as Obito embraced back… very platonically.

Above Cassandra's right shoulder appeared a familiar little 'screen' which had seven digits on it.

Every ten seconds or so, it went up by 1, leaving him feeling both embarrassingly inadequate and worriedly concerned for his relationship.

Su-Na was always so accommodating to the usual nonsense Gengo had them doing, Obito really did need to make sure you knew he appreciated her in every way… His eyes widened while Cassandra hummed.

"She'd be happy," the powerful hybrid said with a smile as he blinked before humming himself.

"I… believe that also… since when could you read my mind?" He asked and she chuckled, nuzzling his neck some more.

"Our mother can do this as well," she reminded and Obito nodded.

"That's not wrong," he said before the door to the home opened to reveal none other than Gengo and Maria, the two looking at his current predicament with very different expressions.

Gengo hummed in amusement while Maria tilted her head curiously. The former in a white shirt, brown pants, and some brown sandals while the latter wore a white spaghetti dress with brown geta sandals.

"Maria-san, please don't ask."

'... Gengo-kun?' Obito slumped at her words.

"Naruto's not the only one who can pass energy," Gengo said with a smirk. "Now, time for some shopping, my love."

'I like shopping.'

"That you do."

Cassandra smiled as Obito chuckled nervously.

Well, time for some planning, he guessed.

'It is,' Cassandra said and he sweatdropped.

Dammit, Cassandra.

~NRK~

Yes, before anyone's wondering, I HAVE considered an Obito x Kazuha and Obito x Legendary Pandora fic, I'll have to leave you all with an Omake about the second one, for now, that's not the true vision I have for how the fic would go but is an idea I liked enough for at least an Omake.

~NRK~

~Omake: Golden Time Lovers I Obito x Cassandra~ ~Reference to Fullmetal Alchemist's Opening of the same name~

Chiffon Aoi Fairchild blinked at the crater outside of the villa, her father, Gengo Aoi, and her sibling, Cassandra Aoi, at her sides.

It'd been a rather star-speckled night, the three.

Cassandra had been awoken, ever so briefly, just to at least give her general ideas of what the outside world was like.

Chiffon likened this to her father's emotions, the man was a rather ruthless scientist… but he couldn't hide how human he was, especially with his family despite his plans for the future.

So, here they were, in the backyard of the villa and looking at the smoking crater within the home's area.

"... What is it?" Gengo asked the air as the smoke began to clear. "...?!" His eyes widened along with his daughters'. "... No…" He choked as their vision cleared enough for them to see… a man.

A man with short, spiky, white hair, fair skin, that had a large white portion down his right side, and black pants. His feet were bare and his face… the partial deformity was apparent even if it was clear this was a… human, correct?

"..." Gengo's eyes steeled themselves before he rushed out towards the unknown being. "Cassandra, go and prepare my office!"

~NRK~

When Obito Uchiha awoke, he blinked thrice.

'... What?' He groaned as he sat up, holding his head with a grimace. '... What the hell is going on?'

'?' He blinked at the… 'sound' of a voice nearby, causing his head to turn to see a rather beautiful blonde woman with strong gold eyes. '... you're awake,' she… said?

"... Telepathy?" He said, unsurely, to the woman who tilted her head before nodding. "... Who are you? Where am I?"

"..." Cassandra blinked neutrally at him. 'Japan.'

"... And 'Japan' is…?" He asked nervously as she blinked owlishly at him. 'So, I'm clearly not in the Elemental Nations, am I?'

'No,' she replied and he sighed.

"No offense but can you please not read my mind so often?"

'... I'm sorry.'

"It's just kind of intrusive, is all. Right now, will the people watching us also come out and greet me?" Obito asked the room as Cassandra's eyes widened a bit. '... You're not a shinobi, are you?'

She didn't respond this time and he nodded to her.

"You're not a ninja, are you?"

"... Ninja?" Cassandra tilted her head and Obito snorted as he heard the steps coming into the medical area he was in.

"Hmph, your senses are pretty good," Gengo said as Obito raised a brow at him. "... Who are you? How do you speak our language? Well, outside of your rather old dialect," the scientist said with interest.

"Hmph… I don't know what's going on much more than you do," Obito said with a sigh and shrug before black eyes locked onto the other male's own. "I am Obito Uchiha… and I don't think I'm from this place… at least, not unless I've been thrown into an oh-so distant future that nothing looks the same."

"... I see," Gengo really didn't but he'd learned how to look like he was composed. "So, you believe you've been thrown through time? Why?"

"... Because it's either that or this is the afterlife," Obito said plainly, shocking Gengo a bit. "I should literally be dead… does the name Kaguya mean anything to you?"

"The folktale? The myth about the girl who got taken to the moon?" Oh, no, please don't tell him that shit existed.

"... Well, when I died, she was an alien who came to my world a long time ago. She gifted us the ability to use chakra."

"That's spiritualism," Chiffon said and he looked at her oddly. "Is… Is it not?"

"Its main purpose was that, to connect people, but chakra was the energy within our bodies, physical and spiritual mixed together, that allowed us to do ninjutsu… you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?"

"I don't."

"Dammit, starting to think 'other world' is a better explanation," Obito groaned as Cassandra tilted her head at him.

"... are you part alien?" She asked and he snorted.

"Essentially."

"... Ah, so are we," she admitted and Gengo's eyebrow twitched as Chiffon giggled a bit.

"... I don't believe I could explain to you how different she means, can I?" He asked and Obito snorted.

"I can read her body language, she's just saying this without the idea of hiding it."

"That's a 'no' then," the scientist sighed. "Okay, so, with everything you've said… I believe you didn't time-travel, as ridiculous as that is to have suggested."

"Mmm, all things considered, from where I'm from, time travel isn't as impossible as you might think. Hell, I'm pretty sure I teleported out of the afterlife for a few seconds."

"... I don't know how to respond to that," Gengo said as Chiffon grinned. "Be that as it may… I'm going to assume you've no idea what to do?"

"Not unless going back to the Pure Lands is in your ability."

"Okay then… well, I guess I should explain the world at large… actually," Gengo turned to his daughters. "Can one of you two show him everything you've learned about our world?"

"... Okay," Cassandra answered as she got up from her seat, shakily. "...?!"

"Got you," Obito said as he held the woman in his arms, Cassandra's eyes widening along with Gengo's and Chiffon's. "I had a feeling but the energy in your body… it's too much for her form, isn't it?" He asked Gengo whose eyes widened further.

"Y-You can tell?"

"I can sense chakra… well, I get the feeling this isn't that but I have sensory abilities. It's how I knew you two were watching, how her body is full of energy that could cause her to harm herself and so on," Obito said as he set the older hybrid back into her chair. "Hmm," he blinked once and his Sharingan burned to light, shocking the hybrid once more.

Cassandra tilted her head with interest as Obito saw how the energy in her body seemed to spill out from her body in random areas but mostly in her back.

"A-And this skill is?" Gengo asked with interest as he and Chiffon looked at Obito's eyes.

"It's my kekkei genkai, a hereditary jutsu that spawns from my clan," he explained. "Is there a reason more of her energy spills out from her back than the random spots on her body?"

"... It might be better for Cassandra to tell you," the man said with a long sigh as Cassandra nodded.

Obito then blinked as she held his face. "What-?" He tried to say only for the sweet feeling of lips on his own reached his brain. '!?'

Then his eyes widened at the information the slipped into his mind.

This world, their Earth, Nova, Pandora, stigmata, the continents, normal humanity, and so on.

When she let go, he was left there, confused as he pinched the bridge of his nose with a blush. "You really just wanted her to surprise me, didn't you?" Obito said to Gengo, flatly.

The scientist was amused. "Well, to be fair, she could have easily just kissed your hand… but yes, this is amusing."

Obito rolled his eyes before cupping his chin. "So, these stigmata are basically points of energy for her, yes?" He asked and Gengo nodded. "They're… I guess the word would be, unstable?"

"Yes, the fact remains that her humanity might be to her detriment," Gengo admitted with a bashful look.

"Hmm, I don't think so," Obito said. "If this is true, it's due to her humanity that she was able to help protect this planet even if indirectly."

"... Hmph."

Chiffon giggled a bit before her sibling blinked and waved her over. "Yes?"

"... His memories," Cassandra said, surprising Obito a bit as she looked down with a slight blush. "... I saw them," and Obito winced.

"... Well, it probably is for the best if you know where I'm coming from," Obito admitted with a grimace while Cassandra looked at him oddly.

She held her sibling's hand and Chiffon closed her eyes as she was fed all of Obito's memories.

As she saw them, her eyes softened as they opened, the man not looking at her. "Oh, you've been through a lot."

"... Not necessarily enough to call my current situation 'fair'," Obito admitted.

"Perhaps… but maybe that's the point," Chiffon said. "This is your chance to do good… and I can see you helping out, here, a LOT," she continued with a grin as Gengo looked curious.

"How much?"

"A LOT," Chiffon said with some surprise. "It's kind of scary how versatile his people were, chichi-ue… and yet so amazing what they could do," she followed up with a grin. "Well, I want to see something, first. Obito-san, could you seal Cassandra-nee's power, for now?"

"Wait, what?!" Gengo choked while Obito looked at him with a nod.

"Fuinjutsu is the art of sealing techniques," Obito said and Gengo's body froze as he swallowed. "I could take a crack at it, nothing to lose, right?" He asked.

"Nope, none at all!" Chiffon said with a grin. "If we could get her power under control, it'd be easier for her."

"Well, in that case-"

"We've got some ink!" Chiffon said before scurrying off and coming back in seconds. "I keep some in my room just in case we need it."

"Thank you," Obito said before biting his thumb until it bled. "Pass it here."

He filled the well with his blood, much to the two's fascination before he mixed it with the brush.

"Sealing works best with a type of ink that can be linked to the sealer," he said as he nodded. "Cassandra-san… I'm going to need to put this on your back somewhere. Somewhere closest to the source of energy in your body."

"S-She can lay down on the gurney," Gengo said as Chiffon nodded, lifting her older sibling up and placing her on the cot.

Obito nodded as he turned around and Gengo didn't-

"?!" His eyes snapped close, eyebrow twitching at Chiffon's giggles. "Was doing that right there necessary?!" Obito pinched the bridge of his nose, face completely red even if he couldn't forget the perfect image before him. 'Oh, God, stop it, Uchiha! You're not a pervert!'

"Alright~ She's ready!" Chiffon said with a big grin as Gengo turned around while Obito's eyes stayed closed. "Mm~ There's no need, no flashing this time."

"Why is 'this time' the phrase you'd use," Obito hissed out as he opened one of his eyes before doing so with the other. "This life after my old one didn't exactly hit me like I thought it would," he said as he saw Cassandra, laid down with her front against the medical bed. "..." He picked up the ink well and went over to her back.

On supple, clear, skin was a diamond shape. It glowed softly, almost impossible to see if he hadn't had his Sharingan on, with ten small perfect circles forming the shape. It almost looked like circuitry, honestly.

It was big enough that he could probably put his hand within it but Obito threw away the invasive idea before dipping his brush once more.

Cassandra blushed a bit when she felt the brush on her skin, peaks perked against the cot.

Obito focused as he made the right symbols and markings. "I can say I hope this works, this is typically used to seal chakra but there are seals that can seal natural elements so maybe, even if this isn't perfect, I can just see if I can't find a way to seal energy itself."

"If nothing else, ether is probably what you're considering. Maybe the Legendary Pandora can show you their Soul Energy," Obito blinked at Gengo's words before chuckling.

"Soul Energy? Well, if that's right, this should work then," he finished as he did with the seal. "Alright, hope this works," Obito said as he put down the items before making a handseal. "Fuin!"

The effect was immediate as Cassandra's eyes widened and she shivered, the energy in her stigmata… they blinked.

The perfect diamond's sides released glowing lines that reached down to the seal before making contact.

The marking became surrounded by an octagon before the sound of 'locking' reached their ears, the entire thing flashing once before going black.

"... There," Obito said as Cassandra looked back at him, eyes widened. "Her powers should be sealed," he said as he looked at her form with his Sharingan before nodding. "Yep, it's stopped flowing out so harshly. I've set it up so it can be released in levels, just in case."

'... I feel… rather heavy,' Cassandra said as she leaned back down, eyes closing. 'But… my body doesn't hurt as much.'

"You've been harmed by your own strength for so long, phantom pain is probably what you're dealing with," Gengo said with a smile and chuckle. "This is magnificent. And this is teachable?"

Chiffon smiled before holding his hand.

Gengo saw a world of bloodshed and war, he saw ninja, shinobi, and kunoichi, beings of mass power, strength, people capable of taming those creatures which included this man before him.

He saw the skills and 'jutsu' before Chiffon released his hands. "... All unified by a single boy?" Gengo asked, amused.

"I won't say it's dissimilar to what you want for your son," Obito said and Gengo choked as if he'd just remembered something.

"Dammit, I'd forgotten about Ryuuchi," the scientist sighed. "... I don't want to ruin my family," he told Obito who crossed his arms.

"You saw my life as I saw it, as I learned it, you likely have a good idea of what that looks like," Obito said sadly. "A life of total focus on an idea that could ruin everything doesn't end well. I was barely capable of coming back, had I not shown the trueness of my soul… I'd have ruined my world."

"Yes, but where does that leave us?" Gengo asked with a sigh. "Seeing your path made me all the more horrified by what I'd need to do… but what can I do otherwise? Someone has to take the world under their own Will and change things. That's why a powerful man like Ryuuchi was, unfortunately, born."

"... This Transcendent Will… It's seemingly unfocused energy with a directive," Obito said as Chiffon nodded.

"Seemingly, it doesn't make sense for it to feel emotion, it's too beyond human understanding for that," the young-looking woman said. "I mean, how would we even interact with such a thing without fighting the Nova?"

Obito's eyes narrowed. "Right, the Nova are connected to these things… Gengo, I'm curious about something," Gengo looked hopeful. "When the Nova appear, how do they do that?"

"They arrive from the sky," Gengo said with a thought before his eyes widened. "Wait, you want to see if you can't connect with their dimension?"

"If they're coming out of nowhere on Earth, they must be teleported here, possibly, somehow. If I can get into that dimension, I might be able to gather information that you all can't."

"That'd be an immense boon," Chiffon said with a smile before humming. "But it's not like we'd wish for a Nova Clash, so…"

"When was the last one?"

"Give or take 7 years ago," Gengo said with a frown. "The thing is, it restarted that long ago, before… well, you know Maria gave her life to fend off the Clashes four times before being mortally wounded."

"Yes, she did…" Obito cupped his chin. "And the Clashes started again in 2037, 22 years later. If you had that much time, it'd be efficient but you don't, do you?"

'We don't,' Cassandra answered him, surprising the Uchiha. 'The Will is growing more impatient.'

"Like emotionally? Or, say, like a pent-up machine?" Obito asked and she hummed.

'... I believe it is the latter.'

"That's the first time this has been mentioned," Gengo said in confusion. "Pent-up?"

"Well, it'd make sense if it's being forcefully unallowed to do its supposed job. Still, from Cassandra's memories, I know you're destroying them… so what's being pent-up? If you destroy them, what's being sent back that it'd grow impatient? This doesn't make sense."

"..." Gengo considered his words. "If that's the case… I'll need to visit Maria," Obito blinked.

"Wait, I was under the impression she was dead."

"She essentially is," the scientist said. "But, at current, she's barely in a state that can allow her to communicate. Cassandra is able to communicate telepathically due to Maria being able to."

'I got it from mother, she's a full-Nova,' Cassandra said and Obito considered it.

"Alright then… but what should I do in the meantime?" Obito asked with a frown. "I have no credentials and/or records, I'd have to stay underground."

"I'll handle," Gengo said with a nod and Obito raised a brow. "You're willing to help, I think the least I can do is help you have an actual life."

"Thank you, then."

"If you're in need of work… then help Cassandra, be her guard, just in case something happens."

"That makes sense," Obito said with a nod before Gengo grinned. "You have an idea that falls in line with 'Two birds one stone', don't you?" He asked as Chiffon giggled with a grin.

"That's typically what his grins say," she said.

~NRK~

Ryuuchi Aoi was a simple man with even simpler desires.

He wanted to live as normal a life as possible with his beloved wife and daughter along with any other children they may have, one day.

His relationships out of his immediate one were… well, the right word would be 'strained', he really should visit his grandmother one of these days, while the other would be… tested, he guessed.

The last time he'd seen his father… well, the horrifying thing was, he didn't remember the last time he saw his father.

Maybe it'd been at his wedding? No, wait, Ryuuchi had a feeling that wasn't the case.

Around when he got his degree, then? He thinks that's right. Despite his distance, Ryuuchi always felt like his father would become closer if they got into similar fields… which might have backfired, yes, but he had some hope, he guessed.

At present, his wife, Orie, was making breakfast and he was flat in his bed, the Saturday morning giving him some reprieve from his job as a college professor.

Then there was a ring at the door and he blinked as he sat up.

"Ryuuchi?" Came his wife's voice.

"I'll get it!" He replied back, leaving his bed and going out of the open door towards the living room and then the front door. "I wonder who it is?" Ryuuchi spoke out loud as he opened the door. "Hello?"

The person who stood before him was decently tall, standing about three or so inches above Ryuuchi himself.

His white hair caught his attention while the man's… well, he'd have said his skin made him look young but the right half of his face was covered by a cloth cover mixed with a headband.

Wearing a small smile in a long-sleeved black top with a half-white-and-black open kimono top over his shoulders, Obito handed Ryuuchi a basket with some good smells coming out of it.

Fascinating.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are," Ryuuchi said kindly and Obito nodded.

"Apologies, I moved in with my roommate last night. Sorry for any noise you might have heard.

"That's what that was?" Ryuuchi chuckled. "I was wondering when we had neighbors! Well, nice to meet you, Ryuuchi Aoi."

"Oh, well… I don't know how your relationship is but I know your father," Ryuuchi was surprised. "I was in a harsh situation and he helped me out after I did some things for him. I figured you'd prefer to know that instead of finding out in the middle of nowhere."

"Oh, well, thank you," Ryuuchi was sure he was right.

Finding out randomly that someone around him was conveniently connected to his father would have bugged him to no end.

So, that was points in this guy's favor. "Hm, hm, I guess your roommate's not a people person?" He asked and Obito grinned nervously.

"Well, she's kind of… okay, so, I'm helping her out, she was a part of what I'm helping out with, from your father," Obito admitted and Ryuuchi looked surprised. "I don't know how he knows her, really, but she can't really… she's socially inept."

Ryuuchi nearly laughed. He'd been expecting some kind of crazy grand scheme.

Social ineptitude? That was far easier to accept. "Oh, well, we Aois won't mind her no matter what she does… hopefully," Ryuuchi added at the end and Obito snorted.

"Ah, yes, Obito Uchiha, at your service."

"That's a rather kind name."

"Well… I want to make it so," Obito admitted with a smile as he felt his covered face. "I've done a lot of things I'm not happy about so that's also why I'm here. To become some worth my name."

Ryuuchi was impressed with the man before him. Not many would say such things honestly, outright, like that.

He had a feeling they'd be good neighbors.

"Well, as I said, we'll welcome you. So, if you work with my father, is looking after her a full-time job?"

"Basically, he's paying me for it since my background would make normal work difficult… before you ask, no, I'm not a criminal."

"... Thanks."

"No problem," Obito said before taking his leave. "I'll see you when I do, Ryuuchi-san."

"Likewise!" Ryuuchi said as he closed the door. "Why, he's downright nice to talk to."

"Who was it, honey?" Orie asked, peeking out of the kitchen to look at him and then the item in his hands. "A delivery?" She said as a baby girl bounced from a harness on her back.

"No, actually, we have new neighbors," he said with a chuckle. "The man next to us apparently is taking care of someone under my dad's employ… I think," Ryuuchi said as Orie hummed. "It's a gift from him," he continued, taking off the small sheet on the contents.

They smell it and grinned at the fresh bread within.

"Oh, someone's a baker!" She said with a chuckle and he grinned.

Their neighbors would be fun, he knew it.

~NRK~

Obito returned to the next-door home, rolling his eyes at Gengo's idea of 'watching over his son'.

"That man seriously needs to just come and say he loves him, I get feeling he doesn't do it often," Obito muttered as Cassandra smiled from the couch in the living room.

'Everything went well?" She asked mentally, wearing a long-sleeved white top and a long black skirt.

"Yes, he seems like a nice man," Obito said with a chuckle. "Now, for now, what do you want to do, Cassandra-san?"

"..." The woman tilted her head at him before he hummed. 'I don't know what there is to do,' she told him and he nodded.

"Alright, well, let me ask some questions, first and foremost. Can you read?"

'Yes, we were given structure programs when we were born.'

"Hmm, what about books? Do you like them?"

'... I haven't read many books before,' Cassandra considered before nodding with a smile. 'I'd like that.'

"Hmm, well, let's look online, yes?"

He went over to a nearby bookcase and picked up a big box.

"Gengo-san was very willing to give you everything you wanted," Obito said as he sat back down next to her, pulling out laptops for both her and himself. "For now, I'll show you how to set up a laptop."

She nodded as he placed the other down on a nightstand by the couch before placing their focus in her lap.

Cassandra opened it gently, knowing how big of a difference full strength was… before she blinked as she noted how decently heavy the computer was.

"You haven't used your sealed body for normal things, yet," Obito said and she blinked before nodding.

'I'd forgotten,' she said and he chuckled a bit.

"That's fine, one step at a time," he said softly and she nodded.

As he took her through the 'set-up process' of a laptop, Cassandra found herself leaning into Obito's shoulder as he leaned over to help her.

As she found herself at her 'desktop', she smiled for him and Obito smiled back before realizing something else.

How close they were, how she'd tucked herself into the crux of his shoulder and arm, said appendage thrown over the back of the couch.

'Dammit,' he cursed mentally and she tilted her head at him. "... It's nothing… well, no, when I say that, there is something," he admitted. "Well, not always but you have to watch people's body language to know if they're being truthful about that phrase."

She nodded, smiling again, leaving Obito nervous.

She was going to get him in trouble one of these days.

---

For two hours, he'd helped her learn little things about the computer, having used his Sharingan and several nights full of such activity to be aware of how to operate the technology.

And, nervously, Cassandra seemed like the touchy-feely type. She'd been completely okay with leaning into his form and settling in.

The way she'd pouted when they'd separated for breakfast… oh, Obito was concerned about what Gengo would think.

So, for now, he did his best to just act like it was nothing. He'd not give in to the temptations of the flesh even with how much her kiss from their first meeting had affected him.

So, he made her some rice porridge with butter and a slight amount of cheese. He'd gotten some shopping done last night, with some difficulty, but it wouldn't last. They'd need to go out and do some actual grocery hunting for the days ahead.

Still, he worked with what he had and brought her some of the porridge and showed her the method of cooling it a bit more before eating.

So as she took her first bite, Obito smirked at the slight redness in her cheeks, chuckling as she chewed before swallowing.

Gold eyes shined with delight that Cassandra didn't verbally speak of but her gusto had increased and he simply enjoyed her enjoyment.

Still, as he ate maybe ¼ of his porridge… she was looking at an empty bowl quickly after.

She looked at his food and he chuckled a bit.

"You want some more?"

The rest of the porridge later and Obito's fears sprung back to life as she sat there, content.

'We need to do shopping ASAP!' He realized in horror. 'The pantry won't exist in three days!'

Scratch that, two days! They'd only eaten breakfast!

"Alright, we'll rest for an hour before going shopping, alright?" He told her and Cassandra smiled at him. 'Right.'

---

Ryuuchi hummed as he and his wife walked outside that Saturday morning in a nearby park.

"Hmm, it feels like the days can go on forever like this," Orie said with a grin as she held onto his arm, Ryuuchi chuckling as she did, their daughter in her harness. "Hmm but we've got to get our neighbors something! It's only polite."

"Hmph, well, maybe they'll need help with getting used to things," Ryuuchi said as he ruffled his daughter's hair. "Possibilities are endless, aren't they, Kazuha-chan?"

They basked in the feeling before Ryuuchi made a curious sound.

"What is it?" Orie asked before he pointed to a pair walking by the park's entrance. "?"

"That's our neighbor," Ryuuchi said with a chuckle as Obito had his elbow locked with a woman they hadn't seen. "And I have to assume that's his female roommate."

Orie balked at the beautiful woman by their male neighbor's side before discreetly looking at Ryuuchi who simply smiled, getting a blink out of her.

"She's pretty," Orie observed and he nodded.

"She is," he said with a shrug and she raised a brow. "Now, where were we-?" Ryuuchi had begun saying only for Orie to notice something.

"They're waving us down," she said to him and he looked back to see Obito coming over with a nervous smile.

~NRK~

Obito rubbed the back of his head as the five of them, including the baby, walked. "Sorry, again, for this," he said as Cassandra tilted her head at the three before smiling kindly at them.

"No, it's honestly no issue," Ryuuchi said as Orie blinked at Cassandra's seemingly vacant expression before smiling nervously.

'Right, socially inept,' Orie realized she was being rather mean to a person who was her neighbor. "Hmm, I don't know your names," she realized again and Obito chuckled.

"I'm Obito," Obito said before introducing the woman currently locking elbows with him. "This is Cassandra Fairchild."

"Oh, that's… A-American, right?"

"Indeed," Obito remembered his nightly researches. 'Thank God for Google!'

Cassandra tilted her head at him and he smirked nervously. 'Google?'

"It's nothing, Cassandra," she looked at him with intense scrutiny. "This time, I do mean that."

"... hmm," she nodded and Ryuuchi blinked.

"Right, uh, some idioms don't land, right!" He said cautiously, not trying to offend the woman. "... Don't take this as an offense, Cassandra-san… Maybe it's just me but, Orie, does she look familiar to you, too?" Ryuuchi asked with a confused frown as Obito simply smiled.

'Please remember, your father doesn't want to tell him yet,' he reminded her mentally and Cassandra nodded neutrally.

"I… don't remember you," which was true, she'd really not met Ryuuchi Aoi before, sadly.

"..." Orie blinked at the answer but even more at Ryuuchi's confusion. 'Look familiar?' She looked at the woman before her with some scrutiny, considering her features… with an odd bit of confusion. "I-It's kind of weird, Cassandra-san, but Ryuuchi-kun is right… you are kind of familiar."

"Sorry."

"What, no! That's fine!" Orie said immediately. "That's not something to apologize for."

"... It's not?" Cassandra asked Obito who shook his head.

"Not everyone knows everything, no matter who they are," Obito said and she hummed. "It can seem like someone knows everything in the world but sometimes even the tiniest tidbits can get past our understanding of things."

"It's true," Ryuuchi said with a chuckle. "Sometimes, it can feel like you know it all and then something comes out of the ether to throw everything out of wack."

"... out of wack?" She asked Obito curiously and the three other adults smiled nervously.

"O-Oh… it's this bad," Orie noted.

"Y-Yeah, I expected more of a shut-in," Ryuuchi offered as Obito chuckled nervously.

~NRK~

"Bulk purchases are important, Cassandra-san," Orie explained to the woman as Ryuuchi and Obito lifted some things off the top of a palette. "If you know you'll need a lot of something, it's better to buy in bulk even if you might not see yourself using so much."

"... Hmm," Cassandra worked her phone, pressing keys slowly, before looking back up at her with a nod and offering her phone to look at.

Orie smiled as she checked the woman's notes. 'She's really… not aware of a lot of things,' now Orie just felt even worse about how she'd initially reacted. 'Haa, I really need to work on that,' she wasn't perfect, she knew that.

She had a jealous streak a mile long and this wasn't… being in a relationship wasn't exactly something she had experience with outside of Ryuuchi.

So, handling all these emotions was certainly a new thing… but he'd accepted her despite her faults and inexperience.

She wanted to make sure to repay that kindness and love and so, she'd do her best from here on out!

"It's good," she answered with a smile as Cassandra did the same. 'She really is beautiful, though… w-wait, no!' Orie's eyes shrunk as her cheeks reddened and she shook her head. 'I am not bi!' The horror helped replace the jealousy.

Now, if only it wasn't worst in how mortifying it was.

~NRK~

"Hmm, s-she's pretty strong," Ryuuchi said nervously as Cassandra carried three 40-count packs of water with ease. "... I-I might need to hit the gym a bit more," he whispered to Orie who laughed nervously.

No, seriously, who lifted that much?! Sure, she looked like a model but was she a weightlifter, too?!

"Thanks, for everything, you two," Obito said as he came by with four 20-lb bags of rice, just as much ease as his… 'roommate' being seen. "We literally just came here so this is all new to us."

"N-No problem," Ryuuchi said, pale. "To the gym it is."

Orie smiled shakily.

They had some strong neighbors. Maybe that brought them together?

She didn't know.

~NRK~

Obito and Cassandra relaxed on their couch, the food items all put away.

"Well, that's handled," Obito said as the Legendary Pandora nodded, laying on his shoulder with her eyes closed. "Did raising and lowering the seal tire you out that much?"

'... No,' Cassandra said as she nuzzled his neck. 'I've never spoken to so many people… been to so many places and seen so many things,' she said as he let out a breath, allowing her to do as she pleased. "It was… enjoyable," she found the word with a smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"..." She closed her eyes and pressed herself more into his side.

"Get some rest, Cassandra," he whispered and she smiled.

Whelp, something told him he was involved deeper than he ever expected.

~NRK~

That's a wrap for the chapter and the Omake.

So, quick run-through on the Omake, Obito!EOS is here with both Sharingan and a need to do good, can't imagine how much this will change, especially since Cassandra's found a liking to him from the offset. Like a female bird who's never met a male one before.

They've already kissed, too, which compromises her feelings as is. Seeing as she did this with a man she'd just met and is new to all forms of experiences by this point in the timeline, this has already had an effect on her… and Gengo's already planned for it, duh.

We'll see more of the Omake in future installments.

Now, onto the chapter itself. Naruto's getting better at being a 'Will'. Actually choosing to change Amelia, on purpose, instead of involuntarily like with Rana.

But that's jumping the gun, we've gotta talk about the Emotional World trip at the beginning.

Yep, that patch of the character roster now knows how close Naruto is to being completely inhuman. Becoming a being that's neither human nor Nova.

And he's just using his abilities willy-nilly now. Might as well try and gain an 'understanding' before anything crazy happens again.

Next, we have two departures. One to Alaska and the other to a place almost as weird.

While Alaska is going as expected, meeting the Legendary Pandora is a fun thing because they have interesting personalities that interconnect at 'neutral' expressions.

We didn't see Lucy there due to her helping Gengo with Maria's situation. Kazuha's still at the Aoi home and Kazuya will obviously be visiting often.

Speaking of our fellow MC, I'm doing something here that will make a rather interesting change in his future.

Kazuya is learning that him being not-fully human doesn't matter. As Naruto said, he hasn't changed just because he learned it, he's not some monster.

He's still Kazuya Aoi and no one can change that.

This is gonna be an interesting way of addressing his issues when it came from canon.

Other than that… I'll see ya'll in the next one.

Ciao.

Words: 18.1k

~NRK Out~