I'm starting this just after posting the last chapter, so of course I'm probably gonna add edit notes seeing as my sorry ass can't keep a decent posting schedule for the life of me.
A/N 12-8-17: Yep, edit notes. So, there's so much I want to say to everyone and so much more I want to discuss, but it's been WAY too long since I've posted so fuck the author's note for the most part.
But as customary now, MORE WARNINGS, YAAY! Most of you know this already, but to those of you who don't, the main and solidified pairing of the story of course in InoNaruHina. However, since this is a story where any and everything CAN and WILL happen, of course they are going to end up being with other people. That doesn't mean they are permanent yet, and it doesn't mean they won't become permanent later.
To those of you who only want the trio to be with each other and maybe Kurumi/Kurama and Naruko, sorry. They will end up doing things with almost EVERY other character. Hell, there are going to be so many crack pairings and ships in this story you could make a topographical road map with them.
So anyway, this chapter won't have much in it, sorry to say. I just really wanted to get it up and out so I can focus on the next chapter with a fresh mindset. I can also promise the next chapter will be up sooner than you think.
Strap in, strap on, and enjoy yourself!
Full Tilt
Blood and Water Arc
Chapter 5: Warm yourself by the fire
She was antsy, which was generally common. At least, her fidgeting was usually attributed to her mousy and somewhat anxious personality. One couldn't blame her though.
Being the assistant to a Kage level shinobi suffering from ptsd and denial who seemed to be in a never ending midlife crisis would make anyone fidgety.
Shizune Kato, as she was known, walked through yet another random town with her mentor/best friend/ward in search of a place to sleep, a place to drink, and a place to blow their monthly savings. Their eternal visa to other countries helped to keep them deep within the distant Storm Country; ironically named due to its once a month storms that akin to hurricanes.
The Jonin level kunoichi continued to fidget lightly, her head down and her thoughts far from the foreign country she and her mentor found themselves in. Usually her behavior would go unnoticed by the buxom blonde alongside her. Unfortunately, as rare as it was, Tsunade actually was paying attention to the mousy brunette for once.
"Everything alright in there? You're not going to have another panic attack thinking of our debt are you?"
Shizune jumped slightly. Taking only a moment to process what the blonde had said, she narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I'll have a panic attack if you keep reminding me of our debt." She paused. "Wait, I mean YOUR debt. I don't owe anyone a damn thing!" She admonished the sannin.
Tsunade sweatdropped. Shizune never got snippy with her unless she was nervous or in a very bad mood. Seeing as they had been relatively calm for the past few hours, she assumed the younger medic was feeling anxious about something. Though there was no way for her to figure out what since the young woman ALWAYS seemed to be worried about something.
The blonde sweatdropped again. Maybe she should let it go since she was most likely the reason she was anxious to begin with.
Seeing that Tsunade was dropping the subject, Shizune let out a small sigh. She needed to get her thoughts together. It was of the utmost importance.
Unbeknownst to the blonde Sannin, Shizune did far more not just for her, but for the world than she even realized. Ever since Tsunade had left the village of Konoha, dragging the brunette along with her, Shizune had been a spy.
Specifically one of Jiraiya's top spies.
Jiraiya had approached Shizune several days before her leave. He had given Shizune time to help the woman grieve and knew for a fact that she wasn't going to get over the death of Dan and Nawiki anytime soon. He also knew his presence, as much as he hated to admit it, would not have helped the woman. Jiraiya loved her with all his heart. But he loved Naruto and Naruko just as much, if not more so. So while Tsunade was perfectly fine with leaving her god children behind, Jiraiya was preparing to give them enough love for the both of them.
Unfortunately things didn't go as planned, as seeing as the Leaf Village did need more protection as it was still in its stages of recovery. It made Orochimaru's defection all the more untimely.
Either way, Shizune agreed to look after Tsunade, though she wanted to stay behind for Naruto and Naruko's sake. But Jiraiya had known that Tsunade would never return to the village if she didn't have someone there for her that she could trust. Shizune was the only one.
For the past few years. Shizune had only reported to other spies within Jiraiya's network, rarely getting any news from the Sannin about any changes in their plan. That was until four years ago. Jiraiya had appeared before Shizune herself, when she was out shopping. He informed her of what was happening to Naruto and Naruko back in the village.
Shizune had wanted to drop everything and drag Tsunade back to the village right then and there. She wanted to tear Sarutobi a new ass hole and burn the villagers alive. However, Jiraiya told her that he had a plan, one that wouldn't potentially lead to a civil war. As for Tsunade, he told her that she no longer deserved to be part of Naruto and Naruko's lives. While Jiraiya's hands were tied with him having to be away from the village, Tsunade had knowingly left the two and hadn't since thought of returning for their sake.
Shizune wanted to argue that maybe hearing of their treatment would change the woman's mind. But she also knew it would compromise her position as Jiraiya's spy. After noticing the conflicting emotions of the kunoichi, Jiraiya decided to help her.
He knew Tsunade wouldn't be happy to see him, but for one of his most loyal shinobi as well as his god children, he was willing to compromise a bit.
-Flashback-
Shizune was worried. In a few moments, Jiraiya would be showing up at their hotel room to speak to Tsunade about the twins. She was worried because as much faith as she had in Tsunade, she honestly wasn't sure on how she was going to react to the news of Naruto and Naruko. Shizune herself needed to play the fool and act as if the news was actually new to her.
Right on cue, a knock at the door grabbed her from her thoughts. Tsunade, in a bathrobe and sipping coffee (with a little spike of a pick me up) rose an eyebrow and looked to Shizune. Shizune moved to answer the door, as was per usual. She cracked the door, knowing who it was, and silently greeted the Toad Sannin. Their eyes shown understanding in the brief instance that they met.
"Jiraiya? What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?" Tsunade released a bit of ki, her fist clenched in annoyance.
Jiraiya kept his arms folded and a small smirk on his face. He intentionally didn't hide the fact that he was looking Tsunade up and down, noting the blush on her face from both anger and embarrassment. "It's good to see you too hime. You're just as elegant as always."
The blonde sannin subconsciously tightened her bathrobe. Shizune stifled a giggle at the their antics but refrained from doing anything as she knew the situation would become serious soon enough.
"Cut the crap you old pervert. If you're here to bring me back to Konoha, you and the old man can forget it."
Jiraiya's smirk fell and Shizune held her breath. She knew what was coming next.
"I was right. You haven't heard. But then again, how could you?"
Tsunade quirked an eyebrow. "Heard what?"
"I was recently in Konoha, hime. Our god children...Naruto and Naruko. They aren't being seen as the 'heroes' like they were supposed to."
Tsunade visibly relaxed at that. "Is that all? I thought you were going to say Sarutobi was dead or something."
Shizune's heart sank. She had hoped hearing their names alone would put a fire under Tsunade. However, seeing her casually write them off caused a bit of her faith in the blonde woman to die. "Jiraiya-sama, what's going on with Naruto and Naruko?" She only asked because she saw the disappointment in Jiraiya's eyes. The small bit of hope she had left in Tsunade held out. She wasn't sure, but she hoped that hearing the full situation would change Tsunade's outlook.
Jiraiya began to explain everything to the two, from the past beatings to his thoughts on Sarutobi only using them as power. Throughout the story, he could feel ki coming from both women, however, more so from Shizune. By the end of it, Tsunade sat quietly for a few minutes.
"They'll be genin eventually. Then they'll be able to protect themselves." Tsunade remarked. The air became stifling as Jiraiya stood up.
"Tsunade...I just explained to you that they need someone there, and I can't be. They may not make it to genin at the rate things are going. They're just about to start the academy."
"What do you expect me to do? To just get over Dan and Nawaki and go back to the forsaken village like nothing ever happened?"
Hearing her comment on Dan and Nawaki drove a dagger into Jiraiya's heart. He still loved Tsunade, and to hear the excuse that after all these years she was still grieving over her past love with no thought or care for anyone else made him realize how blind he was. He didn't care if she didn't love him, but to push aside Naruto and Naruko was unforgivable to him.
The look of disgust in Jiraiya's eyes actually made Tsunade's heart skip a beat. He had never looked at her like that before. It was a look she had only seen on him when Orochimaru was brought up. For a moment, she wondered if things were really as bad as Jiraiya said back in the village. But it couldn't be true. She wouldn't admit it, but she had faith in Sarutobi to uphold the Fourth's wishes, especially since he knew they were his children. Besides, she just couldn't go back. The memories of Dan and Nawaki there were too much for her.
"Tsunade…" Jiraiya started but both women could see his fist clenched. Instead of vocalizing anything else, he sighed and shook his head.
A feeling of dread entered Shizune's stomach. When Jiraiya opened his eyes, they were cold.
"I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll be on my way." Not sparing a move, Jiraiya simply vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Shizune's heart sank. When she looked to Tsunade, her faith withered to nothing.
"They'll understand. I can't go back…I just can't." She spoke, hoping to convince herself as well.
-Flashback End-
That was four years ago and Jiraiya had never shown up in front of the two again. For a while, Tsunade had entered a depression that honestly surprised Shizune. She cared about Jiraiya more than she let on, yet she cared about the memories of Dan and Nawaki more than anything else. She was tethered to the past, Shizune realized, and nothing short of a miracle could probably bring her into the present.
Shizune knew the pain of losing her loved ones. Dan and Nawaki were her family. Yet, she moved on. Why couldn't Tsunade?
She had more family in Naruto and Naruko. You would think that the thought of losing people all over again would have made her want to actively prevent the past from repeating itself.
Either way, they would end up back in Konoha before the end of the year. Jiraiya had kept in contact with her and she knew what he had planned. Four years in the making. Part of her was excited. She was looking forward to seeing the Uzumaki twins. She just hoped Tsunade would be on the right side when shit hit the fan.
The second they entered the academy building, they felt a wave of ice cold hatred wash over them. More specifically, it washed over Ino. The platinum blonde sweated for a second. Not in fear. Just at the thought that she would once again have to go about trying to earn peoples respect and forgiveness.
As Naruto, Hinata, and Naruko moved to their seats, Ino silently took in the looks.
Shino was rigid, his hive buzzing fairly loudly in irritation at her presence. He wasn't close with the twins, but he liked them as people.
Kiba glared at Ino, though his anger was far less than the others. He wasn't friends with the Uzumaki twins due to his mother, but as an Inuzuka, loyalty was everything.
Chouji had stopped eating, a look of disappointment on his face.
Shikamaru gave her a quick bored glance before laying his head down, deciding it would be too troublesome to acknowledge her existence. She knew that meant he was pissed.
Sakura gave a sad look towards her friend/rival. She had wanted to warn Ino to actually try to be friends with everyone, or to at least be honest with why she was befriending them. But she was too late and now she knew how the others would start treating her.
Sasuke himself was leaking the most hatred. His eyes held hers with the most cold indifference that she had ever seen.
A big part of Ino wanted to laugh. She honestly didn't give a shit about most of the looks, especially Sasuke's. But another part of her wanted to kick her own ass. It was always her. She couldn't believe how more often than not, she was a superficial little bitch in the loops. It agitated her. Always trying to redeem herself in the timelines wasted time they could've been using towards having fun or preparing for Chaos.
"Take your seat Yamanaka-san." Iruka called from the front of the room. Ino flinched a bit at feeling a small amount of ki from the young teacher as well.
Naruto had taken the seat next Sasuke while Hinata and Naruko sat at the back of the classroom in a row by themselves. They motioned for Ino to join them so others could see that they had already forgiven her. She smiled sadly and slowly made her way to the back of the classroom. The looks and feeling of hatred wavered as everyone watched her sit between Naruko and Hinata.
Iruka frowned but ignored it. He started class just before Mizuki ran into the room late.
"Sorry I'm late. Forgot to get the written test for the pop quiz later."
The class groaned at hearing about a pop quiz. Mizuki blushed sheepishly. "Oops...well I guess it isn't a pop quiz anymore."
Iruka just rolled his eyes, knowing Mizuki was playing the 'cool teacher' by letting the kids know about the test. He also knew Mizuki was playing in regards to his loyalty too.
Class continued as normal and when lunch rolled around, as expected, Ino was swarmed.
"What the hell are you two doing with her?" Sasuke growled out towards Naruko and Hinata. They were all preparing to leave the classroom but couldn't even get three steps before Sasuke, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Sakura had surrounded them.
"It's a long story Sasuke-kun," Naruko started. "So let's go get some food and we'll explain everything."
The raven haired teen grit his teeth but nodded anyway. The group found themselves on the roof of the academy. Naruto and Hinata were both silently chuckling at the annoyed air about Ino. They knew she just wanted to get past all the 'drama' with her so they could move on to more important things.
Naruko stood next to Ino with Naruto on her other side. "Long story short, Ino apologized and we decided to give her one last chance. Even Nii-chan forgives her." She was a bit uncertain herself, still not completely okay with Ino. It was obvious the others were just as unconvinced.
"Because of her, Naruto ended up in a coma for almost a week. Why the hell would you even remotely forgive her?" Sasuke spat.
Naruto shook his head and took Ino's hand, much to everyones shock. "It wasn't Ino-chan who attacked me. I ran away knowing full well people were watching. I should've stayed with the group."
"Naruto, you can't blame yourself for what happened." Surprisingly Sakura spoke up. "It may not have been Ino that attacked you, but she is partially responsible."
Ino glared at the pinkette. She hated that Sakura was actually speaking up for Naruto and not trying to impress Sasuke at the moment. She had wanted an outlet for her irritation but it wouldn't be Sakura apparently. Her agitation turned to pride though, seeing that Sakura would be a good friend when need be in the time line.
"I'm not blaming myself. I'm blaming those bastard villagers. Unlike Ino, they won't ever regret their actions." Naruto looked down in sadness. "I'm not saying to just forgive her right away, but at least give her one last chance. We've got to focus on becoming shinobi anyway. That's all that matters."
The small group reluctantly agreed and things seemed to fall back into how they were before, albeit, with Ino generally being ignored.
When class was over, the group decided to head to their respective homes to prepare for the graduation exam in a few days. Hinata and Ino also went to their own homes, only after walking Naruto and Naruko home. Of course the trio had a mental conversation, unbeknownst to their blonde ward.
"So first things first, even if we're living normally, we should probably manipulate the Hokage into placing Naruko on a team with one of us." Ino suggested.
"She should be with Naruto-kun obviously. We can just have him make a four man cell again. But what reason should we use this time?"
"Wait, are we all not going to be on the same team?" Naruto was a bit bummed. It was rare to have Naruko with them so he wanted them all to be on a team. It would help with getting Naruko warmed up to Ino too.
Hinata shook her head. "It's been too long since we've actually gotten a chance to split up while we're young like this. If we don't want to waste any time, we need to cover more ground."
"Being in separate teams will make it easier to get the others on our side too, without having to manipulate them." Ino finished.
Naruto sighed. He knew they had a point. But it seemed like two timelines in a row and he was getting the short end of the stick.
"Aww, he's pouting."
"Shut up Kurama!"
"It's Kurumi." All three girls called.
"Whatever! What have you been doing this whole time anyway?" Naruto huffed out.
"Having fun with my darker half!" Kurumi giggled sadistically. The trio sweatdropped.
"That laugh makes you sound like the dark half..." Hinata deadpanned.
"Funny coming from a sadistic psycho killer."
"Touce." Hinata relented.
The trio fell into a comfortable silence afterward, more worried about Naruko than the Kyubi's own counterpart. By the time everyone had settled into their own homes, night had fallen.
Naruko didn't speak to Naruto, which actually surprised him. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts as she moved about their shared apartment with practiced ease. Naruto didn't want to encroach upon her thoughts, knowing that if it was something serious, Kurumi would let him know. Instead, he focused on spreading his chakra over the village. It was thin enough that not even the best censor would be able to pick up on it. Naruto, however, would be able to pinpoint each and every person in the village.
He lay on his bed with his eyes closed and hands behind his head, almost as if sleep. Soon enough, boredom won out and he really did fall asleep.
With the beast within the belly (ugh), Kurumi was sitting atop a red and golden throne within a long throne room bathed in the same colors. Her kimono hung even more loosely from her lithe body as she sat with her legs folded and a long cigarette pipe in one hand.
"Please, Onee-sama, I swear I won't reveal your secrets to the brat...er, I mean, Naruko-sama!"
Below Kurumi, or literally, in the throne she sat on, was the other half of herself. This was possible due to the fact that the bottom part of the throne the powerful demon sat on was also made into a cage. Her other half looked almost exactly like herself, albeit, she was completely naked and her hair was unkempt.
Kurumi didn't respond, instead, focusing on pouring more of her own power into Naruko through her connection with her lesser half. She was also seeing through Naruto's chakra 'bubble', subtly making a few changes to certain other genin as well, without Naruto's knowledge. She always liked to make things a bit fun for her three partners. Shikamaru was always a favorite of hers, and Kiba was an amazing shinobi in timelines where he didn't have his head up his ass. But for this timeline, she wanted to try something different.
"Tenten and Chouji. That should spice things up a bit." She paused. "Dammit, Shikamaru's just too adorable not to power up. Always fun putting a little pep in his step."
She wouldn't be doing anything too drastic to them, simply giving them a small power up that they'd need to work for. She was also changing their outlooks just a tiny bit to get them to actually take their careers as shinobi far more seriously than they were supposed to.
The demoness could have also changed anyone around the world, just as her partners could as well, but it was still early in the loop. They were simply setting up the pawns at the moment. She needed to work faster than the trio as well, seeing as they always had a head start on what they wanted to do in the timelines.
She had found a way to escape the seal without killing Naruto a while ago, but due to a lost bet over a million years ago, she wasn't allowed to do it without Naruto's permission. So instead, she found a way to maximize her power while still sealed.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sobbing of her lesser half. With a sigh, Kurumi stood from her throne, stepping down and turning to face the irksome demon.
Kurumi glared at the naked woman. "Are you really that afraid to be erased? I'll just be absorbing you, you technically won't be dying."
"YOU'RE LYING! YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR OTHER HALF! IF YOU ABSORB ME, YOU'LL TAKE ALL MY CHAKRA AND I'LL CEASE TO EXIST!"
Kurumi had already told her about their time traveling. She had also played with her other half to the point where she had broken her within a matter of minutes. The thought brought a wicked smile to her face, which only made her lesser half shrink into herself even more…
-Flashback-
After Naruto had left his mindscape, Kurumi immediately connected to the seal on Naruko. The wall that made up the opposite side of her cage turned into a perfect mirror of her own. The powerful aura of her other half swamped the area, though it wasn't even a light breeze to herself. As her presence registered to her lesser half, she couldn't help but grin wickedly.
There was a pause as the lesser half eyed its counterpart.
"Why are you in the lowly form of a human?" She boomed. "It's repulsive! What is the meaning of this?"
"Aww, calm down Kurama-chan! I'm just trying something new. You should too; you'd like being able to masturbate in this form! Trust me!"
"You are different...I sense no hatred from you. What happened?"
Kurumi frowned and crossed her arms, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "Hm…no hatred? That's not right, I hate a lot of things. Not being out of this damn seal. Snakes, oh definitely snakes. Oh! And Mondays! I seriously hate Mondays."
The lesser half snarled and lashed out with her claws. "HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME YOU INSIGNIFICANT WRETCH! IF WE WEREN'T LOCKED AWAY I WOULD ABSORB YOU AND BE DONE WITH YOUR ILK! YOU SPEAK AS A HUMAN, A TESTAMENT TO BEING TAINTED BY YOUR PATHETIC CONTAINER!"
The oppressive aura that swamped the dual cages made the Beast form demon pause in something it hadn't felt in years. The fear that struck her made even her bones quiver. All of her bravado would have soon turned into insanity for feeling a being not only so much stronger than herself, but stronger than the Sage of The Six Paths even.
"I was planning on enjoying my time here with you, seeing as it's rare enough to see a counterpart of myself within this damned travels. However, there are a few things that push my buttons."
As she spoke, she had been walking slowly towards the bars of her cage. Once she reached them, she swiped an arm, destroying the bars completely, yet leaving the seal untouched. The beast formed demon looked on in both utter shock and fear. She couldn't comprehend what was happening. It shouldn't have been possible.
"You believe yourself to be a timeless being, one having existed far longer than any human alive to this day. We biju, beings of infinite knowledge and power. How laughable." Kurumi continued to walk slowly towards her counterparts cage. The pressure she exuded was starting to weigh down on the large demon, making her plant her muzzle to the ground.
"Though it may not seem like it, we are susceptible to just as much as humans. Understand? That's to say..." A crooked smile adorned her face, her eyes wide and shining. "I'm just as insane as my lovers."
Another swipe of her hand and the bars separating her from her counterpart vanished. "So one of those things that pushes my buttons, is anyone talking trash about any of my lovers."
The pressure broke the floor around the weaker demon. She whimpered but was unable to open her mouth. Her bones began to audibly groan under the stress.
"I know you're ignorant to all of this. I could absorb you and then you'd realize what I'm talking about. But that just wouldn't be any fun. Ino-chan would have my tails if I didn't make you pay for what you just said about Naruto-kun. Hinata-chan would probably find a way to lobotomize me while having me keep my senses." She shivered at that one. She didn't put it pass the little monster to already know of a way to do that. "So for the sake of my own self-preservation, and partially just because I want to hear you scream, I'm gonna have to hurt ya!"
Kurama's eyes widened as Kurumi held up a hand. In the next instant, she felt something slide clean through her body through her back, right through her spine. Finally the pressure abated and her maw flew open with a pained howl.
Kurumi cocked her head to the side as she watched the glowing red blade of chakra impale her counterpart. She figured Kurama would last longer than that before showing pain. Perhaps she was being too harsh already?
"If you're wondering why that hurts so much, it's because it nullifies your immunity to the effects of your own chakra. Plus, you just had a big ass blade shoved through you made of the corrosive chakra. A little mortifying to know that's the type of pain we cause to mortals isn't it?"
She laughed to herself. "Actually, it's a little ironic calling 'humans' mortal. They have ways of prolonging their own lives or becoming immortal too. And we biju are far from immortal."
"Wh-what are you? I'll kill you!" Kurama shouted defiantly. Kurumi simply shook her head.
With a flash of her eyes, three more blades rained down on the pinned fox, two more in her back and the last in one of her nine tails. The howl of pain that erupted from her throat made Kurumi's eyes glaze in ecstasy. The sinister smirk that adorned her face seemed permanent.
"It's rude to interrupt your older sister when she's trying to teach you something. But if you want to keep showing me that amazing face of agony, be my guest!"
Her shouts continued as the corrosive chakra burned her from the inside out. Yet, she knew she couldn't die like that. It was simply a way to inflict as much pain on her as possible. She wouldn't be able to fall unconscious either, she knew. It was impossible while still within the seal. Whoever this woman was, she was nothing short of a devil. A being with power so far beyond her own imagination that she would be a fool to antagonize her any longer.
"Now as I was saying." Kurumi continued. "We are far from immortal. Though it's extremely hard to kill us, it's still possible. When we're defeated in battle, yes, we reform later. However, if someone were to realize that we are closer to being spirits than demons, they'd know destroying our soul is the one way to completely ensure our destruction. Though I suppose the only one capable of pulling that off would be the Shinigami. Not that bullshit avatar the humans learned to summon either."
By now, Kurama was reduced to a whimpering mess. The fear in her eyes let Kurumi know she was ready to...cooperate. "Go ahead and speak."
"Wh-who...are...you?" The pain was still excruciating. Simply speaking those words were hard enough.
Kurumi giggled sadistically before walking forward and petting her counterparts snout. "I'm you but stronger." That never got old to her. "All you need to know is that this isn't my first rodeo, and anything you think you can do to get out of this situation is just going to make your time here soooo much worse."
Kurama could sense the truth in her words. The pain she felt was something she wouldn't even wish on the bastard Uchiha...well, maybe.
"Now that you're willing to listen, there needs to be some changes here. First, you are to call me onee-sama. Two, you are to refer to Naruko respectfully. Three, if you even hint at letting her know something is going on in here, I will make the pain you feel right now seem like a soak in a hotspring."
To emphasize her point, Kurumi dispersed the chakra blades by having them explode inside of Kurama, making the beast temporarily black out for a few seconds. Once she regained her senses, the look in her eyes let Kurumi know she was in acceptance of her fate. Almost broken.
"Aww, don't give me that look. I just had to make sure you were aware of the pecking order before we could continue being roommates!"
-Flashback End-
"Anyway, you may as well get ready. I'm sure Naruto-kun is going to be bringing Na-chan in here at any moment." Kurumi stretched before waving a hand and having the area return to its dual sewer prison state. She walked back behind her own bars before taking the form of her demonic self. Her other half silently went back into its own cage as well before reforming as the mighty nine-tails.
"O-...Onee-sama?" The beatdown demon called.
"Hmm?"
"You're terrifying."
Kurumi smirked, sending another shiver down her counterparts spine. "I know."
The next few days passed with no incident at all. The trio fell into their roles perfectly, deciding it best to wait until they became genin to begin changing anything. Naruto and Naruko spent most of their time together hanging with Hinata and the others, generally talking about the upcoming exams. Ino had reduced her presence within the group, deciding to start getting into better graces with her parents, specifically her father.
She knew her mother was still against Naruto, but her father was neutral. He didn't approve of Ino or her mothers attitudes towards the boy. She figured if she could show herself changing in front of him, he would eventually stick up for Naruto against her mother. It wasn't as easy as getting rid of her mother, but Naruto made it clear they wouldn't be killing anyone 'innocent'.
Hinata was both annoyed and happy that her father and younger sister were pretty much normal. Her father didn't hate her. He didn't physically abuse her or anything. He rarely even spoke ill to or of her. He simply seemed disappointed in her. By extension, he didn't praise Hanabi as being better than her elder sister either. If anything, he seemed more empty than anything else. She minutely wondered if it was a timeline where Hiashi just never got over the death of his wife and his brother. For the most part, she just didn't care enough to look yet.
Her younger sister was almost the same way. Her previous memories showed that they were never close in that timeline. It was almost as if all of them had simply lost their will to do more than the essentials, even before the death of their mother. Hinata found solace that maybe there was something going on that could keep her interest within the clan without the need to cause havoc herself. She would never admit that she wanted her younger sister to smile either though.
Finally, the day of the genin exam had arrived. While most of the students prepared themselves for the test, the trio discussed their plans for the upcoming few months.
"Have you decided how to tell her, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. The trio had setup their genjutsu from the previous timeline, seeing that it would be weird for all three of them to simple set silently while conversing within their minds. It was made easier by Naruko chatting with Sasuke and Shikamaru, leaving the trio to discuss what they needed.
"Not really going to tell her outright. I'm going to scare her during the Mizuki incident."
Ino and Hinata paled a bit. "Really Naruto-kun? Out of all the ways, you're going to do THAT one?"
Naruto shrugged. "She's already tougher in this timeline. She's a bit more independent already and Kura...Kurumi's made her even stronger already. She'll be able to handle this."
Ino and Hinata frowned. Ino folded her arms and glared at her blonde counterpart. "If she ends up hating you or getting seriously injured, I'm going to hurt you myself."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the mind walker. "Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise, Naruto. We said no hurting innocents right? Who here is more innocent than Naruko-chan?"
Hinata flared just a tiny bit of her ki at the two, grabbing their attention. "If you two still have some aggression you need to get out of your systems from the previous timeline, just go fuck somewhere. But this is the second time you two were starting to get at each others throats over nothing. I'll be damned if I have to watch you two destroy each other again! Get over yourselves and remember who we're here for now!"
Seeing the steaming face of the Hyuga princess made both Ino and Naruto sweatdrop. They looked at each other before falling into hysterics. The youngest dimension hopper pouted and her face turned even redder.
"Wh-what's so funny?" She reverted back to her usual self in indignation.
"Hina-hime, you're so cute when you're trying to reprimand us!" Naruto pulled the girl into an awkward hug, making her squirm.
"I'm not trying to be cute!" She whined which only made her two lovers dote over her even more. She relented and folded her arms while pouting.
Ino poked Naruto's side and pulled on his arm. "Hey, she's still right though. We really need to get over the last time line. We're here now, and nothing is going too wrong just yet. I hate fighting you two, and there's no point in being at each others throats right now."
Naruto nodded with a sigh. "Blame it on sexual frustration and Chaos?"
"Like always."
Iruka and Mizuki entered the class soon after and the trio dropped their jutsu. Everyone stayed seated where they were.
"Class, I know it's last minute seeing what today is, but we have a new student coming in that will be part of team placements if they pass their testing as well. He's a special case, but please be nice. You may enter Sai Shimura."
A young Sai entered the classroom and Ino and Naruto couldn't help but look shocked. However, they both turned their attention to the diminutive Hyuga that was seemingly looking everywhere but at them.
"Hinata-chan, what did you do?" Ino asked.
"What? I thought it'd be easier for what we're doing with the teams. Plus, I found out Sai and Danzo are...different in this timeline."
"Different how?"
Hinata wagged her finger and stuck her tongue out. "You'll see!"
The action only served to make Ino and Naruto once again hold in their squeals of how cute their Hina-hime was. The Hyuga heiress seemed to notice and blushed while looking away again.
Things fell into a familiar pattern afterwards, with Iruka giving a small speech about their duties as shinobi and then the same test that they usually had to take. In the end, everyone that was important ended up passing, including Naruto and Naruko.
After being dismissed for the day, Naruto pulled Naruko away from the group, letting Ino and Hinata route their friends away from the school.
"What's up Nii-chan?" Naruko leaned against the side of the building, a small blush on her cheeks.
Naruto looked at his younger twin and observed her mannerisms. She made small glances at him, primarily gazing into his eyes before blushing and looking elsewhere. He smirked, knowing that it meant she already was leaning towards a more taboo mindset when it came to himself. He already knew they were close, but that next step was something that usually took time. That didn't seem like it would be the case here. That also meant she would be more accepting of the things he would tell and do to her, eventually.
"You remember what I told you about Mizuki-teme?" He asked. Naruko's blush faded and a small frown formed on her face. It soon turned to annoyance however.
"Yeah. I'm guessing that means he's probably going to try something today since it's right before we officially become genin." She sighed. "We knew he was planning something against us. What do you think it will be though?"
"It's why I sent the others away. I want to force him into a situation where he has to make a move. Let's go look miserable somewhere and wait for him to pop up." Naruto suggested with a sly smirk. His twin returned the gesture and the two shunshined to the top of the school building, looking towards the sun in melancholy.
With them both being admittedly stronger than some genin, even before the Naruto's appearance within the timeline, they had also been more observant. Naruko had been the first to notice Mizuki's false attitude towards the twins, alerting her brother of it several months prior. When Naruto arrived in the timeline, he made up assumptions that Mizuki would eventually do something to harm the twins, though it would be more subtle than outright attacking them. Naruko agreed that it was plausible and the two simply kept an eye on the man from then on.
Not too long after most of the students had went home did the silver haired chunin appear before the blonde twins.
"Hey you two, what are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be out with your friends celebrating?" He asked.
The twins gave false smiles, but played up their sadness. Naruko even looked away to force a tear out.
"Well...everyone else had family that they needed to get back to. Me and Naruko only have each other so...we didn't really want to impose on anyone."
"Oh...I'm sorry." Mizuki looked genuinely sad for the two, though they both know he was laying on the cheese thick. They both held back wanting to rip into him as he laid a hand on both of their shoulders. "Hey, you know what. Forget the others. How about I do something special for you two? Just between us three?"
Now it was the twins turns to lay it on. Both blondes looked up at Mizuki with shining eyes and hopeful gazes. "Really Mizuki-sensei?"
"Yeah, but it'll just be between us. I don't want anyone to think I'm playing favorites, though you two always were the best to me." He winked and kept from falling over in laughter as he saw the sheepish blushes on the dual jinchuriki's faces.
"What are we gonna be doing Mizuki-sensei?" Naruko asked.
The silver haired chunin shook his head. "It's a secret. Instead, just meet me at the small house just outside of the southeast exit to the village." He gave them the direct coordinates as well. "Be there at about 9p.m. Don't be late!" With his words, he patted them on the head again and vanished in small whirlwind.
When they were sure the chunin was gone, they both looked at each other with deadpan gazes. "He's totally going to try and kill us." Naruko called.
"Definitely. Want to go tell the Hokage?" Naruto asked, though he knew the answer. Seeing the grimace on his younger twins face confirmed her answer.
"As if. We could do it by ourselves. Or at least let Iruka-sensei know."
Naruto paused for a second. Generally he would agree with going to tell Iruka. However, this was one of the rare few times where Mizuki didn't want him, her, or them both to steal the Forbidden Scroll. So there would be no need to raise alarms in the village, meaning Iruka wouldn't need to come after them. He wouldn't need to be put in danger if something did end up happening. Whatever was waiting for them in the forest could be dealt with between just the two of them anyway.
"Nah. Let's kick Mizuki-teme's ass first."
Naruko shrugged but smirked anyway. She grinned before moving swiftly and jumping on Naruto's back. "In the meantime, MUSH ONII-CHAN! TO ICHIRAKU'S!"
Naruto scoffed in good nature at his sister. "Better hold on then." He called back slyly before seemingly vanishing. The only sound heard were the terrified and girlish squeals of Naruko.
Again, this chapter was cut short so I could start on the next one with a fresh mindset. It'll let me get it done faster so you all don't have to wait another half a year for an update.
Like always, I'm down to chat with people if I have time. Not gonna lie, I spent way more time reading fanficiton than writing for the past few months. But reading SO many bad fanfiction is what really got me to keep posting my own mediocre crap. Anywho, let me know what you all think, and don't be afraid to WRITE YOUR OWN VERSIONS OF THIS STORY! PLEASE, I NEED SOMETHING TO READ!
Until next time, see ya around loves!