Happy Friday... or Saturday, depending on your timezone, lol. These past few weeks have been relatively uneventful, but that's not a bad thing; been looking at a lot of the upcoming chapters, particularly towards the end of the story (which, yes, has already been written in advance) and I'm seeing a few things that I might need to change. But, because I basically have all of the time in the world to do so, given my update schedule and the fact that this fanfic's gonna be upwards of 30 chapters when all is said and done, that shouldn't be too much of an issue, if at all.

I must say, this is doing wonders in teaching me how to write and has proven very helpful in tackling Twisted Bonds. Still not ready to be doing updates on that yet, but I am progressing. I just need to get it all written down, and I have all of the Naruto manga volumes I'll need to do so. That said, it will be done. It's just gonna take time, lol. I hate how long it's taking to get Twisted Bonds done, but I suppose it can't be helped. :(

Oh, well... on with the story!

Chapter Fifteen: the Bunny's Confrontation

Shion had to admit that the flying 'village's' speed was quite impressive, despite its sheer size; it only took a week to reach the capital of Kaguya's empire from Haru. The priestess in question looked outside and couldn't help but gawk at the sight before her; despite being psychic, her visions couldn't have hoped to give justice to the spectacle before her.

Floating thousands of feet above the Desert of Death in Kaze no Kuni was a massive castle…? No, that term simply didn't suffice; the structure was just too big! The city-sized building, no less than three times the size of Soragakure, towered over the landscape as several workers with flying gear buzzed this way and that, either fetching components or other such tasks. They were like gnats in comparison to the mighty, steel and copper behemoth.

It was roughly in the shape of a teardrop, mighty, towering spires jutting from a rounded bottom, its method of flight not at all visible. It was like something from a dream.

'It's no wonder she ruled the world all those centuries ago,' Shion thought. 'She's barely been back a year and yet we already have no hope of stopping her!'

"One hell of a view," one of Shion's escorts commented. The girl was Maki—a trusted jounin of considerable skill, despite her young age.

"That, it is," Shion replied.

Then, the intercom blared to life as Amaru delivered her message to those within her village. "We will be arriving at Rouran, soon," she announced. "All who wish do depart can do so through Terminal B."

"Rouran, huh?" Shion mused aloud. "She truly is trying to rebuild… even chose the same name for her new capital." (1)

It only took five minutes for the smaller village to dock with Rouran and from there, the trip to Kaguya's castle took twenty; the structure was that massive. Hell, even her "citadel" dwarfed any other building the priestess had ever visited. It was quite the sight, too, looking to be made of solid gold!

Needless to say, Shion's escort was feeling rather anxious from the displays of wealth and power.

From there, they were brought to the great hall to finally see the woman whom they once opposed, face to face.

"It pleases me to see that the Coalition is at least willing to cooperate," Kaguya stated. "I was beginning to worry that your grudge against me would prove too strong for civility."

"Though I will admit to bearing some ill feelings about all of this," Shion replied, giving the woman a respectful bow, "I am at least willing to talk it out; as the High Priestess of Oni no Kuni, I know full well that the last thing either of us needs right now is more bloodshed."

"I've heard much about your powers," Kaguya commented. "It's a shame we couldn't see eye to eye; you'd make for a powerful ally."

"Naruto is the reason for that… as I'm sure you're aware. He is the father of my child."

"Among how many others, I wonder?" Kaguya wondered aloud.

"Eleven," Shion answered bluntly. "Fortunately, none of them were lost in that grandiose entrance of yours… you're welcome, by the way." Convincing some of those girls to evacuate their homes in advance was an utter bitch, but she managed.

"That was no fault of my own, I assure you," Kaguya pointed pointed out with a heavy sigh. "It's not like I asked that peasant to seal the damned butter churn he shoved me into inside of a moon of all things..." She took a deep breath, calming herself before that bitterness towards the Sage could make her do something… unhelpful. "But enough of the past; I've been informed that you wish to aid me in discerning this boy's fate?" (2)

"Yes," Shion answered swiftly. "I want to be reunited with him just as much as any of the others; we're willing to open up negotiations in exchange and help out with putting this war behind us."

"Excellent!" Kaguya cheered, clapping her hands in delight. Finally, something goes her way without resorting to violence! "Let's get straight to business, then, shall we?"

"Very well," Shion exhaled. Then she gave the demoness an almost curious look, "Thanks to my visions, I have been able to discern that Naruto is still alive and living fairly well in the world you have thrown him into. He's built up a considerable amount of influence."

"Oh?" All three of Kaguya's eyes lit up at that. If that is the case, then finding him should be much easier for her. Being of another world, his influence would have caused a disturbance that she could potentially detect if she knew where to look. "Have you been able to discern what realm of existence he has ended up in?"

"Unfortunately, no… But from what glimpses from my visions have told me, Naruto is located in a world where women have silver-eyes, pale blonde hair, and strange shape shifting creatures that can mimic humans to such a degree that they put transformations to shame."

"I see..." Kaguya trailed off in a thoughtful mutter. She was not at all familiar with any realms that fit the description. But from the sounds of it, Naruto had made himself a new home there. The God-Empress nodded and leaned forward on her throne, "Tell me all you know about Naruto's location."

"I do not know much. Just that this realm has no chakra and demons that can disguise themselves as humans down to the last detail. The silver-eyed women I mentioned were created as a countermeasure to these beasts. Naruto is currently… living with some of these women. He is also living with… some kind of demoness—a creature these women turn into if they exert themselves too much."

"Duly noted," Kaguya said. "And what of Naruto himself? I need to know everything there is to know about him if I am to locate the boy."

"That depends on what you want to know."

Letting out a sigh, Kaguya elaborated. "I need to know his full name, where he's from, his likes and dislikes, goals and aspirations, his appearance, everything."

Shion nodded. She can work with that. And so the priestess began to inform the three-eyed demoness on everything she knew about Naruto thus far.

Meanwhile, back in Neo Konoha, Naruto couldn't help but think something was about to happen. The young man stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep despite the ungodly hour and his kid's silence. Little Kushina was happily snoozing away with a full belly and a very tired Sylvia was clinging onto him to adorably as the blond wondered why he felt this way.

"You're feeling it too, Naruto?" Kurako asked through their link. She was curled up in another room by a crackling hearth.

"Yeah… You have any idea what it is?"

Kurako was silent for some time; Naruto could tell she was uncertain of something, but also feeling restless. "I don't quite know for sure… just that it's something big."

"Whatever it is, we'll be ready for it. I got your back and you got mine, right?"

"You know it. As much as I want to go back, this is our new home. I like it here." Kurako will defend her new home with her life, of that you can be certain of. While she did miss her siblings—especially poor Chomei—the Bijuu in human form knew there was nothing she could do for them. Not any more. Most of them were gone, sacrificed to undo the Sage's seal. Only Gyuuki remained, last she heard, but alas, she knew not his fate as Kurako's link to him only spanned the world; she was simply too far away to tell.

Naruto frowned in concern, sensing her distress. "Hey, now… why are you feeling all depressed on me?"

"Sorry… I just... can't help but miss my brothers and sisters, even to this day…" Kurako sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position. "It's still hard to believe that so many of them are gone... "

"Yeah… believe me, after that war, I know that it sucks hard to lose a loved one. If there's any way I can keep it from happening again, though, you'd better believe it that I will."

"And yet you somehow still wonder how I fell in love with you…" Kurako commented, feeling a bit better after hearing that. Having fun with him did take her mind off of the more… depressing stuff after all, and did wonders at keeping her optimistic.

As for Naruto, he couldn't help but let out a sheepish chuckle at that. Despite her insistence, he still found it hard to believe he made her fall for him like that. The thought was just so... surreal, given how hostile she was towards him at first. "Can you blame me? To think I of all people, could get this super-powerful demon fox to fall in love with me..."

Kurako giggled again. "You always did have a knack for the impossible, you lovable goof."

"No arguments, there," he replied with a massive grin. Then, he yawned. "Well, it seems like I'm about ready to turn in… goodnight!"

"Sleep well, my love."

"You too, my little kinky fox," he teased, knowing full well that he drew a blush from her. "See you in the morning,"

Oh, they were going to do more than just see each other after that… Kurako's grin only widened as she shifted about once more and drifted off herself, her anxiety gone.

The next morning, Naruto stretched and let loose a satisfied sigh, as he left Kurako's quarters—a very happy fox-loli in his wake, basking in the afterglow of their little rut. With that out of the way, he headed towards the dining hall to see what was for breakfast and was very surprised to see Roxanne diligently slaving away over a cauldron of potato soup.

While the woman had no idea how to be a good housewife, she was learning quickly, still determined to prove to Naruto that she was all he needed, despite her previous 'defeat' at his hands. Cassandra, Miranda, and Uranus were also there, marveling at the display. Not one of the women present knew she had it in her, but that soup smelled really good.

Then, Roxanne squawked and went utterly stiff upon feeling a big, strong, manly pair of arms wrap around her, a large and very familiar shape pressed against her bum.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed," Naruto whispered into her ear. "Seeing you working so hard makes me want to fuck you again."

"All the more reason for me to continue," she cooed, rubbing and grinding her nice ass against the bulge in his trousers. "I am all you need, after all,"

"You have yet to prove that, babe," he whispered huskily into Roxanne's ear, before grinding particularly hard against her nice ass. Then he let her go least things get more heated than it needed to be. "Though I certainly don't mind letting you try again."

"I will rock your world, so help me!" Roxanne growled lustfully, receiving a peck on the cheek for her trouble. She blushed at that and gave Naruto a charming smile, before returning to what she was doing.

Miranda did a wonderful job hiding her envy; she wanted so badly to tear Roxanne out of Naruto's grasp and snog him on the spot. But, she couldn't bring herself to do that in front of everyone...

Said blond then turned his attention to the other girls and asked, "so, what do you lovely ladies plan on doing?"

"Training, mostly, in my case," Uranus replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I need to keep my skills sharp so I don't grow stagnant."

"I'll likely be checking with Liliana when she finally arrives and ask her about some… lady issues I've been having," Cassandra answered evasively.

"Something I can help you with?" Naruto asked, suddenly looking concerned.

"Doubt it," Cassandra muttered, averting unable to look him in the eye. "It's minor, anyway. Nothing for you to worry about."

"I'll be sticking with you, just in case, then," Miranda declared, almost possessively. "If you somehow found a way to get sick, then the least I can do is be there for you." Cassandra gave her best friend a thankful smile at that.

"Speaking of Liliana, she should be arriving any moment," Naruto commented. "I'd better get ready to welcome her when she gets here."

Once their meal was done and Naruto returned to the great hall., it didn't take long for Lady Liliana of House Vess herself to appear in the great hall of Zakol Castle, who was greeted with the sight of Naruto himself and his harem, plus four "claymores" and a large man standing beside the remarkably young-looking, pregnant brunette.

As for woman in question, she was a fetching thing in her early, maybe mid-twenties, with sharp features and a nice figure. She wore an elegant, shoulderless, purple dress that hugged her curves rather nicely. Its long skirt was slit all the way up to her hip quite enticingly; her skin was pale but healthy, her hair was black, straight, and quite long with a vibrant shine, held back with a decorative, golden headdress. Her eyes were a deep, coal color, as well, with the cunning of a woman far beyond her years. Finishing her attire were bicep-length, purple gloves; black, thigh-high, leather boots, clearly attached to a garterbelt; and a decorative, golden belt above her dress.

This was the infamous Lady Liliana of House Vess, a noble house that had been wiped out when her brother, Josu, turned out to be a Youma. To this day, she was certain that something had turned him into that beast he became and endeavored to find a cure for whatever this "condition" was.

"...Does she go around like that in public?" Cassandra asked aloud in an awkward tone.

Naruto, personally, wasn't as affected by her appearance due to the different era he came from, but many of the others here couldn't help but find it a little… scandalizing for a woman to go around dressed like that.

"You should've seen what I was wearing yesterday if this leaves you hot and bothered," Liliana replied teasingly, before turning to address the Lord of Neo Konoha with a curtsy. "Liliana of House Vess, at your service, Lord Naruto, I've been informed that you are in need of a healer?" (3)

"You would be correct," Naruto replied, "I have heard that you have some kind of mystical power over life and death. If that is the case then your skills will be of great use. If you are willing to aid us, of course."

Liliana giggled at that, "My skills are at your service. Provided you pay well, of course."

"Of course," Naruto repeated with a chuckle. "Can't have my workers going hungry. I hope you enjoy your stay!"

"Thank you, your lordship," Liliana gave him another respectful curtsy. Then, she perked up after hearing something behind her… something strange. Then, before she knew what happened, she… was sitting in Naruto's throne?!

As it turned out, said blond had switched places with her, immediately recognizing the black tear in reality as being one of Kaguya's portals. Kurako was by his side, brandishing her claws as a very familiar and very unwelcome face stepped forth from the darkness.

Given how aggressive he was towards this person, Uranus and Cassandra also had their swords at the ready. Riful, Dauf, and several guards joined in as well to meet this apparent threat, though everyone in the room who could sense youki found themselves feeling… overwhelmed by her presence.

Her power… it was like a bottomless pit!

Kaguya didn't even flinch. "Well, I can't say this warm reception was unexpected," she said with an exasperated sigh. Then, everyone else in the great hall realized that they couldn't move an inch, much to their dismay. "I'm not here to fight, but do forgive me for defending myself... Now, would all of you be so kind as to give me and my guest some room?" Then, she raised a hand and brushed her fingers forward in a 'shoo' motion.

Many a cry of panic, dismay, and startlement was pulled from the combatants' throats as they all suddenly found themselves floating in the air, well out of striking distance from Kaguya. That didn't stop them from trying though.

The guards all tried chucking their spears at her, just barely managing to do so by sheer brute force, but their attempts failed quite pathetically, their attacks coming up short when gravity kicked in. The crack Dauf took at forming a metallic rod and shooting it through Kaguya's head didn't fare much better as the projectile suddenly stopped in front of her and fell harmlessly to the ground. Meanwhile, Naruto created a small horde of Shadow Clones, blue orbs of spiraling energy forming in their hands as they charged, and Riful formed dozens of black ribbons from her hair to attack the three-eyed woman in tandem with the incoming stampede.

When the ribbons got close, though, something... stopped them. It suddenly felt as if they were pushing through molasses and curved, seemingly of their own accord, away from her target. Meanwhile, Naruto only managed to fail more spectacularly as with a wave of Kaguya's hand every whisker-marked blond but one went up in smoke, including the poor bastard who was floating in the air with his comrades. The one who remained staggered, briefly overwhelmed from experiencing the memory of being crushed two-dozen times in an instant, before he and Riful were forcibly pinned to the ground with a pair of startled yelps.

Then, Kaguya turned and said, "don't be shy; it's rude to keep them waiting."

There was a long pause and then, another woman stepped out of the portal… one who got quite the reaction from Naruto.

"Shion?!"

"Yeah, it's me, Naruto," she replied sheepishly. "Sorry for scaring you like that; it's not what you think, though. I'm just here to play middleman is all. A lot has happened since this woman banished you from our realm."

"This is that Kaguya lady you told us about?" Sylvia asked aloud. Since that 'doorway' this woman appeared through was so similar to the one Naruto came through, it wasn't that hard to make a connection.

"Yeah. Be careful, everyone! She's said to have taken over a thousand dimensions and ruled them with an iron fist before she got sealed away."

Kaguya didn't quite know what they were saying at first, but she had a spell for that. She concentrated for a split second and then her central eye flashed red. Then, suddenly, everything they'd just said made perfect sense to her.

"Realms, not dimensions," she clarified in the tongue of this world, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"What's the difference?" Naruto barked.

"A realm is an entire universe," the God-Empress explained; while she was at it Kaguya took a moment time to examine her new surroundings. She had to admit, the architecture here was rather pretty. "Dimensions, meanwhile, are just components of one. But, I'm not here to discuss interplanar geography or the like."

"We wish to ask for your help in preventing another war from breaking out," Shion chimed in awkwardly, not quite understanding what Naruto and Kaguya were talking about. "As I said, a lot has happened."

The blond couldn't help but scoff at that. "So now Kaguya gives a shit about preventing a war?"

"Oh please, if I killed everyone who slighted me, there would be no one left to rule over," Kaguya retorted.

"Lucky them." Naruto snorted, giving Kaguya a very nasty look.

"Naruto, please," Shion sighed, "I know you're pissed off at her… with good reason—"

"No shit!"

Shion continued as if Naruto hadn't interrupted. "—but she is legitimately trying to prevent war from breaking out between her empire and a massive coalition of several countries. That's why I'm here; I was needed to aid in finding you, because those countries demanded to know what happened to you."

Naruto looked to Kurako and the vixen nodded with a frown. "She's telling the truth," she said. "You can trust what Shion is saying."

"Just because she's telling the truth doesn't mean Kaguya is." Naruto pointed out to the vixen, before he looked back towards the priestess, "You may be able to see the future, but you of all people should know it can be changed."

Before Shion could reply, Kaguya decided to take charge and loomed over the blond as she started to lose her patience. "Listen, boy," she said with all three of her eyes narrowing dangerously. "If I was half as bad as you clearly think I am, I would have slaughtered the Coalition and beaten the survivors into submission instead of accepting their terms of negotiation; I'm here, because several... and I mean several well off women you slept with wanted to know what happened to you. So, I agreed to find out and bring you back to them in exchange for a calm and civil discussion."

"...She's not lying." Kurako said with much reluctance in her voice. "She's not lying. What she just said is true."

"You sure about that?" Naruto deadpanned not even taking his eyes away from Kaguya.

"Naruto, I literally read her mind," Kurako muttered. "You might want to avoid testing her any further."

"Doesn't mean she can't trick you. The woman has more experience than you in the tens of thousands of years. She may have a way to trick your mind reading abilities."

"Millions, actually, but should I remind you that I was literally created from her very essence?! It is literally as impossible for her to hide anything from me as it is for you! Now, shut up and try to keep your emotions from getting us all and possibly thousands of others killed, including many of your offspring!"

"Do you want another war to break out?" Kaguya demanded. "Am I wasting my time in trying to prevent it?!"

"Of course not," the blond growled, "but that doesn't mean I trust you!"

"You don't have to, Naruto, but she's being completely genuine, here," the vixen chimed in, her tone dripping with befuddlement. "I can assure you that I'm finding it to be every bit as jarring as you are, but as I said, there is literally no way she could hide the truth from me. Just calm down. And listen."

Naruto closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled, and would keep on doing it until he calmed down. Kurako's earlier words about his kids sank in and helped immensely in calming his shit. Neideen was pregnant and his kids weren't very far away; if a large-scale battle were to break out and potentially destroy the castle, they'd likely be killed as a result.

The fact that Shion was here, apparently of her own volition, had to mean that little Mirai was okay… did that mean the others were, too? If so, and if Kaguya was telling the truth, then his kids back home could also be at risk.

"Alright. I'm calm." He stated as his eyes opened to give Kaguya a weary look. "You're here for me, right? Just… What do you want me to do?"

The three-eyed woman calmed down considerably when she heard him say that."We want you to come back with us and talk to the Coalition," Kaguya explained. "Once they see you're okay, they'll be more than willing to open up and discuss a peace treaty."

"Fine," he sighed. There was no questions. No protest. Just…pure apathy. After that little outburst, and his realization of what might've happened as a result, he felt emotionally drained.

"Not without me," Sylvia shouted. "I'm going with."

"Syl…" Naruto began in protest.

"I will be hearing nothing of it, honey," she cut him off. "You watch my back and I watch yours; that's what we signed up for when we got married. If you're going, then so am I... besides, someone's clearly gotta keep you in check."

"I'm fine with waiting for her to get ready, if needed," Kaguya chimed in. Finally releasing her grasp upon those within the great hall and gently placing the ones floating in the air back down, she crossed her arms uncaringly and waited.

"I wanna punch you so bad, right now..." Naruto muttered.

"I can tell," Kaguya grunted.

Truth be told, she would too in his position—which was precisely why she had Shion accompany her… and went first... and had her bodyguards and several Akatsuki on standby, just in case. It was definitely overkill from what she saw, but better to be safe than sorry. (4)

"With her ability to move restored, Sylvia decided to lighten the mood a bit, leering at Liliana as she got up and stretched. "Be a dear and keep my hubby's seat warm, will you?"

"Oh! Uh... m-my sincerest apologies, m'lady," said woman sputtered, immediately extracting herself from the throne in question.

Shion had no idea what the two women said to each other, but it seemed to be of no consequence, so she paid it little mind.

With a much-needed giggle at poor Liliana's expense, Sylvia then turned her attention to Kaguya, speaking in Naruto's native tongue once more. "I'll inform someone that I need a babysitter and then get changed. I shouldn't be more than half an hour."

To say that Kaguya was not amused would be an understatement… Seriously, how many children did this prolific bastard have?! Despite that, though, she nodded politely and waited.

1: I kinda like the idea of Kaguya creating the Ryuumyaku, given my idea of her empire. It would have served as a wonderful power source before knowing how to harness electricity was a thing and as such, Rouran is the obvious choice for a capital.

2: I was actually rather annoyed by Kishimoto-San revealing that the Sage was Kaguya's son. It honestly felt like a copout. As an alternative, I very much fancier the notion of her being defeated by a farm boy with just the right amount of cleverness and charisma after he was groomed into being the leader of the rebellion. The details will be fleshed out in other fanficion where the story calls for me to do that, unlike this one.

Regardless, what few details I've already divulged here do wonders in showing Kaguya's classist/elitist nature. Needless to say, she's rather salty about it, which also gives her a lot of potential for character development... unlike her canon counterpart, whom I simply cannot bring myself to even call a character, due to her almost complete lack of personality.

3: Yes, I stole Liliana from Magic: the Gathering to use in this fanfic; I mean, it's not like her story was hard to tweak, after all, lol. She's wearing her attire from Liliana of the Veil and in her quip to Cassandra, she's of course referring to her original outfit worn in the card Liliana Vess.

4: Yet another issue I had with Kaguya in canon was that having to be guided through the fight the way she was by Black Zetsu made her come off as... frankly idiotic. It's kinda hard to take an antagonist seriously when they display little to no intelligence of their own and are reliant on others to think for them. This makes it much harder for them to come off as a threat and thus makes it harder for the antagonist to do their damn job. Needless to say, I feel disinclined to let this be an issue in my fanfiction, lol.

And that is very much that for now. I hope y'all enjoyed it and I will be updating again in about two weeks or so... depending on whether or not life gets in the way, of course.

Have a good one, eh? :)