Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Gotoubun no Hanayome.

Chapter 7:
Hypocrite

Hypocrisy.

It was a concept that was tied heavily to human nature. Everyone was a hypocrite at one point or another. It didn't matter if it dealt with something big or small. Everyone was a part of this phenomenon. People were fully aware of this, but that didn't seem to stop it from occurring. Why? Because of the reasons behind it. There could be many reasons behind hypocrisy, some better than others. But regardless, it didn't change the fact that humans were hypocritical creatures.

It was unavoidable. It was par for the course, so to speak. It was part of the human experience.

Naruto was no exception to this. It's what his main problem was at the moment in fact. He was being a hypocrite. He preached to the quints to never settle, to not let the status quo be their priority. To take the first steps to changing themselves, for the future that awaited them. It's what he had been trying to convince Nino of for sometime now. But it had never worked.

The fact that she was off on her own proved that. Her argument with Itsuki proved it only further.

Maybe it was because she saw through him. That there was a lack of conviction in his words. He couldn't walk the walk, as it were. After all, he too was afraid of being honest. He was too afraid to come clean to the people who mattered the most to him. To tell them about his past, about his true self.

No. He had tried to bury that truth instead. It had worked all this time, keeping everyone else at bay. Keeping his worries and regret to himself.

That wasn't possible anymore. Not with Nino's and Ichika's feelings now on the table. And most of all, Naruto had no reason to chastise Itsuki about her behavior when he was no different.

'I can't move forward.'

He was stuck at a crossroad, indecisive and feeling lost. He also felt trapped, like he couldn't go anywhere. Like he couldn't even take one step in any direction. It was almost as though there were too many options, and most led to a bad ending for him.

Most of all, he didn't want to risk losing the precious bonds he had formed over the years since coming here. Which he felt was sure to happen if he came out with the truth. Who would believe him? Or even want to be near him after he told them? This world was so different from his own. There was no way they could understand. That's how he had been justifying his silence for years.

It was better to lie to them and still keep their bonds than jeopardize it all for a truth that no one would ever believe in.

Naruto was trying to keep the status quo. And now…

'Now that's not good enough.'

Ichika and Nino.

Itsuki and Nino.

Hell, all five of them.

There were so many complications. He just couldn't take a step forward. It was frustrating. Naruto was close to hating himself for it. He had never felt so powerless before. He had always known what to do. Even when he hadn't known the correct answer, he had still moved in a direction towards one.

'Well, I can't just Rasengan my way out of this.'

As amusing as that thought was, it didn't help him in figuring out what to do. He wanted an answer, but he just couldn't reach it.

What was he going to do?

"Aha! I finally found you!"

A half-exhausted voice shouted from behind him. Naruto turned and was surprised to see Yotsuba running toward him. There was some sweat dripping down her cheeks, a fact that only highlighted her desperate efforts.

"Yotsuba?"

What was she doing here? The park Naruto had secluded himself in was sort of big. It was actually a nice spot, now that he thought about it. He should come here more often, if he had the chance.

Wait, no. He could think about that later. Yotsuba, now. Park, later.

"You're still as fast as ever!" Even though she was out of breath, Yotsuba had no problems talking as she stopped next to the blond. She began to get her breathing under control. "For a second, it looked like I was going to lose you."

Did she follow him all the way from the apartment?

Naruto managed to grin despite the troublesome situation.

"Your speed has gotten better."

They hadn't trained in months because of his trip, but it was nice to see that the girl was still keeping at it.

"But of course!" Yotsuba flexed her arm and grinned widely. "Like I told you, I need to defeat you one day! That's why I'm working so hard." She then deflated a little. "Of course, after seeing how slow I still am compared to you, it showed me I still have a long way to go."

Yeah, that was a mistake on Naruto's part. He didn't think anyone was following him, so he hadn't bothered to slow down. It wasn't his full speed, but it was still faster than anyone else on this planet.

"Don't worry about it. You have a natural knack for this. I'm sure you'll only get better."

That was no exaggeration. Yotsuba was certainly the most physically gifted of the quints, a fact that had helped the two of them bond over the years.

Yotsuba grinned like a little at the compliment before turning somber. "You're always supporting us, aren't you? Even when you're in pain or in trouble, you still doing it."

Naruto hadn't expected the conversation to take this sudden turn. He didn't like it.

Is this why she had followed him here?

"Yotsuba, you don't have to get involved in all of this. It's not your problem to deal with."

That was another funny thing about hypocrisy. People knew they were hypocrites, that was a fact. However, there were just as many times when they didn't know that they were acting hypocritically. Either because they didn't catch it or out of willful ignorance, a strong desire to turn their eyes away from the truth.

Yotsuba didn't know which Naruto was, but she was unhappy about it regardless.

"You keep saying that, but that's not going to stop the people who care about you from trying to help. It only makes you look like a jerk."

Naruto's mouth was left hanging. It was hard to pinpoint what he was feeling, especially from the way Yotsuba was glaring at him.

Yotsuba, the friendliest of the five, was in fact glaring at him. He could see this from any of the others, but Yotsuba? She was actually glaring at him?

Yotsuba was angry. It was a different type of anger from earlier, though. With Itsuki, it was a bitter type of anger. With Naruto, it was more frustration than anything else.

Yotsuba wasn't blind. She had noticed many of the similar stuff Nino and Ichika had about Naruto and his refusal to talk about his past. But she had never said anything. She never had the courage to. She didn't want to think about what the answers could be to the many questions she had. Questions they all had really. Yotsuba didn't know if any of the others had asked Naruto about his past, but if they had Naruto had most definitely refused to answer.

It was a mask. This was a mask Naruto was wearing to try and fool them. And Yotsuba was getting sick of it. The cracks had started to show themselves, and it was getting hard to seal them up again.

Yotsuba ignored the fact that she was wearing one herself.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Yotsuba knew why, but she had to ask.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He suddenly felt exhausted.

"You're the last person I expected to get confronted about this. You've really grown, Yotsuba."

She hadn't. Yotsuba didn't think so at least.

"Bonds are wonderful things." Naruto raised his head. It really was a peaceful afternoon today. The sky was pretty clear with few clouds, but it wasn't too hot either. Definitely a good time to enjoy a walk or something like that. "They can bring joy, comfort, and even love. It's one of the best human experiences we have." He sighed and lowered his head. "But they can also lead to fear, hate, and loneliness. They can make you do some crazy stuff in an effort to protect them. It's an ugly thing to see sometimes."

Yotsuba was having a hard time understanding what Naruto's point was in all of this. His next words thankfully cleared everything up for her.

"I guess that's what I'm doing now. I'm trying to protect the bonds I have with you guys. Even if I have to lie."

It was a small price to pay in Naruto's mind. It was his hypocrisy at play, but he couldn't acknowledge it. And even if he could, he'd probably be too stubborn to do anything about it.

Because it was for the "greater good."

"That's not going to make anyone happy," Yotsuba whispered. "Least of all you. It's visible on your face. Trying to hide behind nice words and justifications won't change that."

"You can say that because you can't understand." Naruto stood his ground. "Some truths aren't meant to be known."

Another lie.

Yotsuba shook her head. "You know you don't believe that. You're just scared. And….you don't have faith in us."

The ultimate truth in all of this. Yotsuba was right on the money, but it was also the one thing Naruto didn't want to say or admit to.

He didn't trust them enough. He wanted to say he did, but his actions proved otherwise.

"Why can't you trust us?"

Naruto had no answer for this. He couldn't answer. Because if he did, the answer would expose the truth he was trying to reject.

"You can trust us." Yotsuba understood all of this. She saw the differing emotions running through Naruto's eyes. It's what gave him away. It's something he could never get rid of, which Yotsuba didn't mind. It just made Naruto who he was to her.

"We won't abandon you."

There was reassurance in her voice. It was like the tone of a mother who was trying to calm her child. That's how soothing it was. It was very shocking to see this coming from Yotsuba, who even Naruto had judged as the most childish of the five.

But now, she looked more like their mother than any of the others ever had. It made Naruto feel like he was sitting back in that hospital room all over again. It was honestly something very weird to go through again, and it was happening with Yotsuba.

Naruto's defenses started to give. When Yotsuba grabbed his hand, he didn't try to push away. It was the opposite. He might have even leaned in closer, as did Yotsuba.

"Yotsuba, I-"

"There you two are!"

A voice, that sounded like it was hanging on to death's door, broke their little moment. The two quickly broke apart as a sweating and heavily panting Fuutarou jogged over to them. He had his backpack on him, and his shirt was stained with his sweat.

He panted more as he slouched over. "Do you two have any idea how hard it was to find you!? Why are you so fast!?"

Yotsuba looked sheepish. "Ah, w-well, Naruto-sensei is a lot faster than me really. That's the only reason I ran so fast."

She couldn't lose him. Not when she wanted to help him.

"Tch, you two are like beyond human or something," Fuutarou said under his breath, trying to calm his panting. He hadn't been forced to run this much in a long time. He was really out of shape, wasn't he?

Naruto looked at him. If he had any lingering thoughts about that moment with Yotsuba, he wasn't showing it.

"So you left the apartment."

"Of course I did!" Fuutarou scowled. "Those two just locked themselves in their rooms again. I have no idea what happened with you and Itsuki, but there's no way I was going to be able to do anything about it."

Miku was a lost cause for him at the moment as well.

"You doubt yourself too much, Uesugi-san!" Yotsuba wagged her finger like a disappointed mother. "I'm sure you'd be able to get access to their hearts if you try."

Hm. For some reason, that made Naruto feel like Yotsuba was speaking from experience.

Fuutarou didn't look convinced. "I don't know who you think I am, but those two are crazy. Even this brute ran away!"

Naruto twitched. "I didn't run away."

But he had.

And what did he mean by brute? That was just hurtful.

Fuutarou felt like collapsing on the ground. "This is just too much. What are you people even involved with? There's no way I can tutor them in this kind of environment."

They would never focus, and there was the issue that Itsuki and Miku didn't want him there in the first place. And the other two were missing! Just wonderful.

What a wonderful job this was turning out to be.

Naruto crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "It's true, what you say. Our initial approach was off. If we continue this way, we'll just meet defeat."

"Oho~" Yotsuba beamed. "Does Naruto-sensei have a new plan?"

There was an underlying question within, but Naruto deflected it.

"For now, it'd be best if Fuutarou went home. But I promise you this. I'll have all five of them there for you tomorrow."

Fuutarou frowned. "Are you serious?"

He didn't know Naruto, and after seeing him fail with Itsuki he wasn't sure if he was ready to put his trust on the blond a second time.

Naruto looked sure of himself. "Yeah. I'm serious. I can promise you that. But that's all I can do. After that, you have to give them a reason to stay."

So that's how it was. Fuutarou didn't mind rising to the challenge.

"Ha, don't underestimate me. I'll make sure to keep their butts in place."

"Wait, wait!" Yotsuba jumped into the conversation, looking back and forth between the two boys. "What am I suppose to do?"

She wanted to be a part of this too!

Naruto and Fuutarou looked at one another. There was a second of silence before Fuutarou reached into his backpack and pulled out several worksheets.

"I was going to have you guys work on these worksheets first, to see what you were good at and what you needed work on."

He didn't have enough copies obviously. How was he supposed to have known there were five of them?

Yotsuba didn't look too happy as she grabbed the worksheets. "Why do I have to do the boring stuff?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "The whole point is to have you guys working on this. That's the end game. If you do it, it'd be a huge help for us."

One out of five wasn't good, but it was better than none at all. Fuutarou was happy to take this considering the circumstances.

'Shitty romance.' He was able to grasp that much, that romance was the root cause of all of this. At least, that's what he had been able to pry out of Yotsuba while Naruto had been conversing with Itsuki.

It just proved to Fuutarou that romance was nothing but a waste of time. Trying to get involved with others like that would only lead to problems, problems that he didn't need. No, getting his family money to get out of their debt was his top priority. Nothing was going to distract him from that.

Yotsuba pouted but accepted the reasoning nonetheless. "Whatever. I guess if I'm helping…."

She was still part of the trio that would fix everything, so she couldn't complain too much.

"I'm holding you to this," Fuutarou said, he and Naruto staring at one another. "I can't afford to waste too much time."

He needed to get them on a studying schedule as soon as possible, but that could only happen if he knew what they needed help with.

Poor Fuutarou. Once he realized that they were all flunkies, he was going to have a heart attack.

Naruto decided to spare the poor boy from that fate. At least, for now. They had already caused enough problems for him today. No need to add more.

But for now, they had another accord. The three of them were on this together, and now it was only a matter of getting the other four to agree.

Simple, right?

"What are you going to do, Naruto-sensei?"

"So you're not going to let me go without telling you, huh."

Fuutarou had left, since there was nothing else he could for today. Not with how things were. But even with him gone, Naruto couldn't go anywhere as Yotsuba blocked his path, looking eager to get some answers.

"I have to make sure you're in the right state of mind!" Yotsuba exclaimed, her ribbon twitching as if it had a mind of its own. "Are you finally going to stop being stubborn and talk to us?"

"That again." Naruto scratched his head. "I'm not sure how that should come into play with this-"

"Because Nino and Ichika love you!" Yotsuba was upfront about the situation. She steeled herself, her usual mask in place. A mask that not even Naruto had been able to pick up on, even after all these years. "You have to respond to their feelings properly. You can't run away from this, understand?"

'They really are quintuplets,' Naruto mused to himself again.

First Miku, then Itsuki, and now Yotsuba. It wasn't word for word, but the three had each said basically the same thing to him. Even if they didn't know it, they were of the same mind on this issue. Of course, Naruto had a feeling that their reasonings behind this sentiment was different. But that could be focused on later.

"You're really unbelievable." Yotsuba was prepared to hear more denial from the blond, but what she hadn't expected was for Naruto to start patting her on the head. It made her heart start to beat faster and her cheeks to redden. "You remind me of the old me in a lot of ways. He'd probably slap me and tell me the same thing."

Yeah, he had been more bold back then, hadn't he? Worrying over something like this…it wasn't like him. All this hesitation, all this refusal to trust those he claimed were close to him.

'If our bonds can be so easily shattered over this, then were they ever strong in the first place?'

That's what Naruto had to wonder, but he wouldn't allow himself to doubt anymore. It was just as Yotsuba said. He had to have faithin them, that they wouldn't treat him differently after knowing everything about him. No matter how unbelievable it may be or how logic said otherwise, Naruto didn't need to care about stuff like that. He never had, so why do it now?

He was an idiot and a hypocrite. He needed to accept this.

Naruto smiled and stepped back. "Thanks for that, Yotsuba. I really needed to clear my mind."

Yotsuba had to calm her beating heart and smiled back. "Y-Yeah, of course! You do it for us all the time, so it's only natural that we would want to help too!"

It really was, but it also came at a cost. But that cost shouldn't matter to Naruto. Or her sisters. Yotsuba would keep doing what she always did and endure. It was only natural, after everything she had done.

"At least I know what to do now." Naruto nodded to himself and continued to smile. "My initial approach to this was totally off, that's for sure. I just have to change the setup."

That way, he would be keeping his promise to both Fuutarou and Maruo.

And most of all, he would keep his promise to their mother.

Yotsuba tilted her head, curious. "What are you thinking of doing, Naruto-sensei?"

"Easy."

He was going to have to find Nino first. After that, he could settle the issue between her and Itsuki once and for all. They were both being idiots about this, but it wasn't like he had been any better. But now that he accepted that, maybe he could do something about it.

Oh boy. This was definitely going to be a long night.

The stage has been set, and it was Yotsuba who rose to the challenge. She got her shine this chapter, so hopefully that was enjoyable for everyone.

And just to make sure everyone knows, I am caught up to the manga. I've known about who Fuutarou met first since the chapter dropped, so there's no need to worry about that. I'm sure some people will be able to guess what her "struggle" will be in this story.

I'm also hoping you see that Naruto isn't the only hypocrite in this situation.

Anyway, that's all from me.

Till next time.