Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's Lost Property, High School DxD, or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm finally back. I super sorry that I've taken so long to upload anything. It's that time of year and I've been super busy. Especially when it comes to physical labor. But I'm back and I got this juicy chapter filled with great content that you will drool over. A lot is going on in this chapter and it's quite important so I hope you enjoy it. It was definitely a blast to write this chapter.
Chapter 17
Famine of the Waves
It's been two days since the reinforcements arrived and now the leaf teams were preparing for the inevitable showdown with Gatō's forces. Naruto while shocked was happy to see Hinata again and was quick to talk to her. She scolded him for getting himself injured in such a fashion. Naruto was quick to submit to Hinata's feminine stare that every male knew meant that they were in trouble. Naruto was secretly happy that all of his friends were so worried about him. Anko of course was very happy to see Naruto again and she wasted no time in letting him know that. As usual with Anko she was always dramatic and over the top not to mention crazy with her interactions around Naruto.
Tsunami and Tazuna took notice of how Naruto was acting differently around Anko and Hinata compared to everyone else. He was smiling more and showing more of his personality. It looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. This made both father and daughter duo curious about this new behavior in the boy who was quickly catching their attention. Sakura and Sasuke tried to question Naruto about what happened the other night and how he healed Tsunami's wrist. Naruto sighed sadly while giving his teammates an apologetic look. He told them that as it was looking like he would have to tell them all soon. Sasuke and Sakura were confused yet curious but Naruto told them that he would explain everything to them after the mission.
While they were not satisfied Naruto refused to budge. At this point in time his shoulder and neck were about 90 percent healed and he had regained much of his mobility in that area. He knew he would be ready for when the time came.
When Anko had first ran up to him and gave him one of her overly enthusiastic hugs a smile came to his face as he felt his body relax. He knew right then and there that he actually was feeling homesick and more than that he knew he had missed Anko as crazy as that sounds. But the proof was in how he felt in that moment. A soft warmth had settled over his heart when Anko hugged him and that was all that he needed to figure out that he was actually growing to love Anko as the crazy annoying older sister that she was. The thought of knowing he was growing to love her put Naruto's soul at ease.
Of course those pleasant feeling were immediately washed away when Anko being Anko had to ruin the moment with her usual antics. Her mouth that has been frozen by Naruto on more than one occasion started to talk with no signs of stopping. Her usual embarrassing and improper remarks were in full force and Naruto had to quickly stop the older woman before he died of embarrassment. Even without saying a word Anko was still embarrassing because of the choice of clothes that she usually wore which was not appropriate for a young boy like Inari to see.
Speaking of which Tsunami's son decided to stay far away from Naruto after what had happened the other day. Naruto tried approaching the boy but he didn't persist since he didn't want to come off as being forceful. After expending that much anger the other night Naruto felt bad for what he had done even if he felt what he did was right. Naruto did notice that Inari had been following him around though in secret, the boy was watching him from afar but most of the time his eyes were not overflowing with anger but a mixed range of emotions. Naruto never called him out on it though. Whatever the boy was looking for Naruto would not stop him from finding it.
For the last two days the other teams also joined in on the Tree Walking Exercise that Naruto had his teammates doing. Kiba was quick to complain about why they were being made to do this exercise when Kurenai had already started them on it soon after taking the team but even Kurenai could see the benefit from the training and she had a feeling she knew who taught this to Naruto and her suspicions were confirmed when she asked Anko about it. Shoko, Anko, Kurenai, and an ANBU Black Ops Agent whose real name was Yūgao Uzuki would hang out at every chance they could find and spend girl time together and shop and gossip.
Shino simply raised an eyebrow once Naruto explained the nature of the training exercise. Fuki frowned for a brief moment before being forced to pick up a spare manikin. It turns out that Naruto actually had more manikins on him. A very well kept secret about Naruto is the fact that he has a little bit of a hording problem. Since he was little he would steal many things with Eva by his side. However he often took many copies of the item depending on what it was. It was a compulsive addictive problem that he's never really talked about much at all and he's kept it relatively a secret from many people since he was rather self-conscious about people finding out about his problem.
The extras were hollow and did not have much weight to them. To compensate for this missing weight Naruto applied simple weight enhancing seals to the manikins to simulate real body weight. At the moment everyone was practicing with the training method right now and Kakashi was sitting back watching as the Genin climbed the dozens of trees in the clearing.
Even Naruto was getting in some training in this method to help him train his new muscles in his shoulder and neck. With his rapid healing new muscle fibers grew in to replace all of the damaged and cut ones he received from his fight with Zabuza.
As it turns out Hinata already knew this training method for years now since the first time she met Shoko. Soon after Naruto revealed his past to Hinata and Shoko the older woman offered to train Hinata in this method as well. Hinata was initially hesitant due to her shy nature but Naruto managed to convince her and from that point forward the two trained together for years. Of course Hinata could never match the progress Naruto made since she didn't have an all-powerful 9 Tailed Fox bolstering your stamina to inhuman levels.
On his own Naruto already had crazy amounts of stamina that took long periods of time to exhaust but add in the 9 Tails and you have him going to inhuman levels. Compared to this Hinata actually made impressive progress over the years and her already superior chakra control from being born a Hyūga was further increased to levels that other Hyūga or children her age just could not compete with.
With her enhanced chakra control and large chakra reserves it's helped Hinata develop her skills over the years to comfortably match Naruto in combat when they spar. It was Naruto who helped her discover her Chakra Nature and between him and Shoko they taught her water style Ninjutsu as well as other basic Jutsu that the Hyūga clan avoids like the plague.
While not widely known to many Hinata can actually match and pressure Naruto in their sparing matches due to her impressive skills. The Gentle Fist Taijutsu Style of combat that the Hyūga clan invented is a devastating Taijutsu style that is deadly to fight against. Now in Hinata's hands the style is quite different and lethal due to the fact that she has not limited herself to just her family's fighting style.
Also a side effect of this training Hinata put herself through over the years is the fact that it's added quite a lot of muscle to Hinata but at the same time she's somehow managed to keep her body lean without letting to much muscle bulk her up. However one thing Naruto took notice of above all else is the fact that because of how lean her muscles and body are they've helped pronounce some vastly growing assets that Naruto has to struggle not to stare at. Naruto secretly thanked every god he knew that Hinata didn't always wear her big bulky jacket that he got her for her birthday years ago. The first time he had this thought Iris didn't speak to him for the rest of the day much to Naruto's complete confusion.
At the moment Naruto and Hinata were running up two trees that were side by side. Naruto was lagging behind just a little bit because of some left over pain in his shoulder but he was quickly catching up to his best friend who was surprising everybody else with excelling at this exercise. Hinata was completing several laps in the time it took the others to even do one. Even Sasuke was falling short of Hinata's progress. Now this angered the Uchiha who didn't know the reason why this was happening.
Naruto was pushing himself harder than he normally would so that he could be ready for the next big engagement with the enemy. He was drenched in copious amounts sweat right now and he was using subtle amounts of Yōjutsu to manipulate the sweat off his body as an added training method. It was hard work both mentally and physically and it was exactly what Naruto needed to make the most out of the training he was doing. Reaching the bottom of the tree again after another successful lap Naruto decided to take a quick break by drinking some water from a water bottle he had with him. He could see Kakashi sitting on a low hanging branch from a tree nearby. The grey haired man had his nose glued to his orange book at the moment but Naruto could tell that he was paying attention to the Genin.
Kurenai and Anko were busy guarding Tazuna as he and his workers continued work on the bridge. The old bridge builder nearly had a heart attack when he first laid eyes on Anko. The Jōnin's revealing attire and sultry attitude nearly drove the poor man up a wall. Anko always told Naruto that old men were perverts and for the most part he would have to agree but he was unconvinced if Tazuna was one. Tsunami was concerned for both Tazuna and Inari being exposed to such a thing so she planned to ask Anko to cover up but Naruto beat the mother to it by hitting Anko over the head and reprimanding her about her attire. Naruto mostly did it because he was embarrassed about what Anko was doing and how it could be traced back to him due to their close relationship.
As of now Naruto had finished his bottle of water and was about to start climbing again when he sensed Inari just beyond the clearing in hiding watching as the Genin trained. More specifically he was watching as Naruto trained. Naruto didn't give any indication that he sensed the boy and decided just to let it go. Walking back over to his tree Hinata just reached the bottom again and she was sweating so much that her clothes were sticking to her body.
"Naruto Inari is back again." Hinata said as she could see Inari watching them from beyond the tree line. "I know… he's been like this for the last two days now. I know I shouldn't have gotten angry with him like I did. It wasn't my place… but…" Naruto said sadly while trying not to look in the direction of the boy who thought his presence had gone unnoticed. "I know you meant well. It's rare that you lose your temper like that. His actions and what he was saying was affecting you more than you care to admit." Hinata said comfortingly.
"Yeah I guess your right but I sense something is different about him. But I don't know what." Naruto said in a tone that let Hinata know that it was a mystery that intrigued her blond haired best friend. Speaking of blond hair Eva was inside Hinata's coat at the moment catching up on some girl time as Hinata trained. The Hyūga heiress was all too happy to see her fairy friend again after Naruto's team left over a week before.
"You'll know soon enough. By the way where is Iris and Chaos?" Hinata asked in a whisper. She got to reunite with the twins the day she arrived in private and since then she's spent some of her free time with the girls but at the moment she could tell that they were not with Naruto. "I let them roam around for a while. They were getting pretty cranky for being cooped up for so long. They are in the area right now. I told them not to go to far." Naruto explained.
Hinata widened her eyes a little at this. To her this was big news. Naruto never lets his girls out of his site and he certainly never lets them go off on their own without any supervision. He's very paranoid and overly protective when it comes to their safety and wellbeing. For Hinata to hear this shocked her somewhat. It would seem that Naruto was becoming more comfortable with letting the girls out of his site.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, you never let them out of your site. Not even for a second." Hinata questioned her crush. "I know what you're thinking and it's not something I would do but I've been trying not to be so overbearing with them. It's not healthy to keep them cooped up in my apartment or attached to me all the time. I know I can't truly be far from them since that can cause some problems but I want them to explore and run around and have some freedom. It's important for their growth." Naruto explained with a serious expression on his face before it changed to a small confident smile.
"Besides they are more resourceful than we give them credit for. With Chaos's abilities it will be impossible for anyone to detect them and Iris knows not to go too far away from me. She can keep her sister in check just fine. In fact I think they are close by. They are probably spying on us right now. You know how Iris can get." Naruto said with a chuckle as he eyed a baby blue jay bird in a nearby tree. "Yeah I know. I can just imagine the cute little pout on her face right now since I'm spending all this time with you." Hinata said with a lady like giggle but she did have a giant blush on her face because of what she said.
It was a well-known fact that Iris would be prone to jealousy whenever another girl would spend too much time with Naruto. The only person who Iris didn't mind was Chaos. Even Eva would be subjected to Iris's pouts and glares whenever the little fairy would have her special moments with Naruto. Shoko, Aria, Hinata, and Henrietta are all subjected to the girl's pout and jealous glare which would often include Iris gaining Naruto's attention away from the others. She was never harsh or mean with it but it didn't mean she would stop. The others knew this and never reprimanded the princess for her actions since they thought it was cute but they all kept an eye out for her just in case.
"Race you to the top again." Naruto suddenly said with a challenging smirk. Hinata put on her own challenging smile that most people rarely see. Being around Naruto for years brought out more of Hinata's confidence and it's actually helped with her stuttering problem. Although she still regresses into that under intense pressure or embarrassment. "Loser has to buy the winner their favorite food when we get back to the village." Hinata proposed the challenge and prize. Naruto's eyes lit up in pure excitement hearing this. "Well then prepare to eat my dust Hinata." Hinata smiled. "We will see."
'Old Man Teuchi I'm about to finally put you out of business.' Naruto thought in a dreamlike tone.
'I can't wait to have a full box of cinnamon buns.' Hinata squealed in her mind. Naruto introducing her to cinnamon buns when they first met sealed the deal for Hinata's own food obsession.
With Iris and Chaos
"Someone's jealous again. Hehehehe!" Chaos's voice rang out as she laughed at her fraternal twin sister. Iris had on the cutest pout imaginable and she was glaring in the direction of the clearing from far off in the forest. "Oh shut up." Iris grumbled as her pout increased. Her accent was coming out again and it made Chaos who was lying on her back giggle more. Iris was sitting down next to her sister while watching her father and his team practice in the clearing up ahead of them through the use of a blue jay bird.
The two girls were roaming around exploring the forest and seeing nature in all of its glory. Iris felt right at home surrounded by all the bustling wildlife and it did bring a gentle smile to her face. "Hey look a squirrel." Chaos chanted. A tan squirrel carrying a nut scurried past the two sisters and came close to Chaos's head. They watched as it ran up a nearby tree and disappeared underneath the dense foliage. "I'm bored. When is dada going to be finished training. I want him to pet my head again." Chaos said with a whine.
Naruto has been keeping Chaos in check for a while now. The young girl was still riled up from the ambient negative energy floating around the country and Naruto even noticed that her mood was starting to manifest in the real world through unexplained and random cases of bad luck, karma, and other unexplainable freak events that were plaguing not only the residents of Tazuna's house but also his workers all the way at the work site. Naruto knew he had to keep his daughter under control or else it could get worse and cause them major setbacks so he's spent as much time as possible with her to cure her of her instincts.
"Probably not for a while now. He's flirting with Hina again." Iris mumbled with a scowl. She really wanted her father's attention at the moment but she didn't want to distract him during his training and she knew that she couldn't spend every moment literally attached to his hip. It was frustrating but she was putting up with it because she loved him and she didn't want to distract him with her childish needs or behavior which always got under her skin. Her overly developed and mature mind sometimes hated her more childish actions despite the fact that she was only 6 years old.
"Iris can you pet my head please." Chaos requested as she placed her head down in Iris's lap. The princess smiled gently at this and began rubbing her twin's head much to Chaos's delight. One of the few things Iris enjoyed above all else was interacting and spending time with her sister. Iris loved Chaos dearly and enjoyed every second she was with the slightly insane girl. The twin sisters never fought with each other and they were always holding hands about 90 percent of the time but they did argue with each other for every little thing in petty little arguments because their personalities while similar to each other at times were actually very different for the most part.
For a few minutes the two sisters were quite but Iris suddenly looked up when she saw something. "What is it? What do you see?" Chaos asked since she knew Iris saw something not with her eyes but through the eyes of one of her bird familiars. "Inari. I see him, he's watching daddy and the others practice." Iris said as a bird in the area accidently caught Inari spying on Naruto in the clearing. Iris's power was not limitless when it comes to what she can do with birds. While she can control hundreds at a time, she can only see out off a few at a time. As of now if she concentrated fully she could see out of up to 8 birds and their point of view.
It was taxing and mentally straining for the young girl and it's not something she can keep up with for long periods of time. For 1 bird she can do it almost indefinitely but 2 or more and it starts to become a problem. Looking from all of those perspectives at once is mentally straining so both Naruto and Hinata came up with a solution. Iris would force the conscience of all the birds to the back of her mind and the first bird to catch a glimpse of movement from whatever she is looking for will automatically send those images back to Iris's mind.
It helps relieve the stress it puts on Iris's mind. "Looks like we're not the only ones spying huh?" Chaos chuckled as she sighed in contentment. Her sister's fingers were heavenly to her. "I guess not." Iris mumbled as she focused in on the boy who caused her father some trouble for the last few days. "Do you think he will change?" Iris asked her sister. "After the talk we gave him?" Chaos questioned for confirmation. "Yeah."
"Maybe, he is a pretty wimpy kid after all." Chaos replied with her special little laugh. Iris smiled a little but she did look back to Inari and a contemplative look crossed her face.
Flashback Begin
It was the night Team 8 and 6 arrived and everyone was off doing their own thing after dinner was served by the host family. Inari was sitting on the docks near his house looking out at the waves. The boy had a veil of depression and angst around him and he was skipping little pebbles into the water below him. "Dad why did you have to die?" The little boy sobbed to himself. "Why did you try to be a hero?" The boy was grieving but his thoughts drifted to the incident and what happened the night before. The sight of his mother with her bleeding hand did not leave the boy's mind since the moment it happened and the words that Naruto spoke are still ringing in his head even now.
Next to the boy was a picture of a young man with short spiky black hair and black eyes. He had a small white rope tied around his head which was tied on the right side of his head and a small x-shaped scar on his chin. He wore a black T-shirt that had a white outline and a white pair of pants. He also had scars on his arms. Inari traced the figure of the man on the picture frame. 'Dad.'
Turning back to the ocean Inari was about to skip another stone when suddenly he saw one dart past him and start hopping across the water's surface sending ripples into the calm ocean. Startled by this Inari turned around and his breath hitched in his throat. The prettiest girl he ever saw in his entire life was standing behind him. She had on a cute dress that was primarily white but had yellow embroiled edges. On the center around her chest was a stitched on face of a brown teddy bear that used black buttons for the eyes and nose. And brown thread for the rest of it. On the dress itself, there were actual patterns of little brown bears scattered around in no discernable pattern. In the girl's hand was a big brown teddy bear with a green collar and she was hugging it to her chest. She also had a large pink bow tied into her hair that was pushing up her bangs.
"Beautiful." Inari whispered out with a dazed look in his eyes. Iris had the decency to blush but for the most part she had on one of her sly smiles that she wore whenever she had a goal in mind. "Thank you. Do you mind if I sit there?" Iris asked with her faint accent. Inari blushed even more at hearing the girl's voice. He has never heard someone who sounded like that before. "S-sure y-y-you can." Inari stuttered. Iris smiled at this. Sitting down Iris turned to face Inari. She had a goal and she was going to complete it.
"Who are you?" Inari asked shyly as he looked at the girl sitting next to him. "My name is Iris. This is Jean Paul. Oh and that is my sister Chaos." Iris said with a giggle. She motioned to her teddy bear first then pointed over Inari's shoulder. "Sister?" Inari questioned in confusion as he turned his head.
"BOO!" Chaos echoed into Inari's ear causing the poor boy to nearly have a heart attack. He screamed and nearly fell into the water. "Hahahahaahahah!" Chaos laughed at the expression on the boy's face. It was priceless in her opinion. It was also a bonus that she collected the energy his fear produced. That was icing on the cake for one like Chaos. "That's not funny." Inari gasped. "You're right it's not funny it's hilarious." Chaos chimed with a twinkle in her purple eyes.
Inari quickly took in Chaos's appearance. The psychotic girl had on a light purple dress with two straps going over her shoulders and above this dress was a near see through lavender dress that covered most of the purple dress below. A light purple almost pink ribbon tied the dress close around Chaos's chest. Both dresses were lacy with lots of frills with the outer see-through dress being looser with a deep V-neck that lead down to the ribbon on her dress exposing the darker dress below.
The clothes Iris and Chaos were wearing at the moment were actually their pajamas that they wear when they are sleeping. Naruto himself stitched on the brown teddy bear face on Iris's dress using a needle and a reel of brown thread.
"We came here to talk to you about something important." Iris spoke up after Inari calmed down. Giving the girl his attention Iris continued on. "What do you think of Naruto?" Iris asked. Saying her father's name like that felt weird rolling off of Iris's tongue; calling him anything other than daddy was foreign to her but she managed.
Startled by this Inari spoke up. "How do you know him? Are you guys related? And how come I've never seen you around here before?" The boy asked. A million questions ran through his mind and he wanted answers. He's never seen these two girls before in his life and he's definitely never seen them in the village either. "Boy you ask a lot of questions." Chaos commented with a chuckle. She was splashing her bare feet in the cold water below them. She was seemingly distracted and not paying attention at all to the conversation taking place. That was what Inari thought but Iris knew her sister was anything but distracted. She was paying very close attention to the conversation around her. She just expresses her concentration in a different way compared to normal people.
"You could say that we know him and we are not from around here; but what do you think of him?" Iris pressed. Inari didn't even hesitate. "He's an idiot! A jerk and a wannabe hero! He doesn't know a thing about what we've had to endure here. Yet he just comes in here already injured and says all those things like he can make everything better. I hate him!" Inari ranted as he clenched his fist in anger. Chaos looked a little conflicted as she absorbed Inari's anger since she was sitting next to him but Iris remained unfazed. Her baby blue eyes did harden into a darker color though.
"What if I told you that he does know more about suffering than most? More than even you?" Iris questioned as she regarded Inari with a hardened yet curious stare. "How could he possibly know more…?" Inari started to say until Iris spoke over him. "How would you feel if you were hated for a reason that was hidden from you for all 12 years of your life?" Inari closed his mouth at this. "What if that hatred was so deep that at the age of 4 on your birthday the first friend you ever made was tricked into attempting to murder you all because the people that hated you wanted you dead in the most twisted way possible?" Iris said with her tone not as delicate as it normally is.
Inari's mouth was opening and closing but no sound came out of it. Chaos had stopped splashing her feet at this point and a frown was on her face. It was a sign that she did not like the topic being spoken about. She never liked hearing about how her father suffered. It was one of the few things that could make her perpetual smile turn into a frown. "What if because of all that you were forced to live on the streets with no one caring for you? You had to steal most of your meals and clothes just to survive and the only house you could find was a broken down apartment that was decaying?" Iris pressed further. Her ever expressive blue eyes were studying Inari's expressions with expert precision.
"How could any of that be possible? There is no way any of that can happen to someone. You're lying." Inari refuted while shaking his head. He wouldn't admit it but hearing that made him want to throw up in disgust. "It is possible because all of that happened to Naruto. He knows more about suffering and pain than most. He knows what you are going through yet he does not cry like you do he instead chooses to fight. He fights to show that he is strong and that those who thought that they had a reason to hate him were all wrong." Iris explained as she hugged Jean Paul to her chest more.
Inari was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what to say to that. "I take it this man is your father?" Iris asked politely while tracing her eyes over the picture slowly. Inari slowly nodded while looking at Iris. Something about the girl sitting next to him was driving him crazy. He could feel his heart beating faster for no reason whatsoever. In contrast when it comes to Chaos Inari can honestly say she is just as beautiful and nice but something about the girl was telling him to be weary of her. What Inari didn't know was that because Iris was not human by any stretch of the word she had a passive influence on anything she meets. For those who have a weaker mental constitution it's easier for her to influence them. Her presence is also vastly different compared to those around her and any and everything around her automatically notices her and recognize her as being fundamentally different compared to them. The same thing applies to Chaos as well but with different side effects.
Iris's eyes turned emerald green for the briefest of moments as she looked at Inari's father in the picture frame. "He's quite handsome." Iris said with a giggle. Inari blushed at this. "He had a strong soul. Brave and courageous. I can tell you now that he is in a better place right now." Iris said with a small smile but Inari missed how Iris's voice changed slightly and how her eyes were now green instead of blue. "You think so?" Inari asked timidly. "I know so." Iris said confidently as her eyes returned to blue. Inari just thought that she was trying to be nice and comfort him and he appreciated that but what he didn't know was that Iris was speaking the complete truth.
"You shouldn't fill yourself with so much hate and anger. It's not good. You'll get yellow eyes and pale skin if you do." Chaos said with a giant grin on her face which was accompanied by her signature giggle. "What?" Inari asked in confusion. He didn't understand what Chaos was trying to tell him, but he thought she was trying to tell a joke. Iris however started to laugh at this with her bell like laughter at what her sister said. It would seem that Inari was left out of the loop when it comes to the joke that was just spoken. However he wouldn't be the only. If anyone else heard this they would be confused as well. It was something only beings like Iris and Chaos would understand.
"I know you may be angry now at losing your father but it's no excuse to bring everyone else down with you. I know Naruto didn't go about telling you this the right way but he meant well. He didn't want to see you suffer through your anger any longer. You must move on but more importantly you have to stop crying and stand up and fight. Your country can never truly be healed if its own citizens can't even heal themselves." Iris said as she placed a delicate hand on Inari's shoulders. The boy was seriously contemplating her words.
"Naruto is jaded and rough around the edges but he's a good soul and he understands you better than you think. Just think about my words and give him a chance. If you do you'd be surprised at the difference taking the first step can make." Iris said kindly with a small smile.
"Even if you do change I hope you know you're still going to be a wimpy kid." Chaos chirped as she giggled with glee in her eyes. "Hey that's not true! Take that back!" Inari said belligerently. Chaos's laugher was all Inari heard as he watched with his own two eyes as the girl seemed to distort and become a kaleidoscope of different colors which matched the surrounding area perfect. With that Chaos was gone as she seemingly faded from existence.
"What?" Inari whispered in total shock.
Turning to face Iris Inari saw that the girl was not sitting there anymore and looking behind him he say her walking away. "Wait!" Inari said as he scrambled to his feet. "You can change yourself Inari and make your father proud but only if you are willing." Iris said as she continued walking before fizzling out of existence with a gust of warm air.
"Who are they?" Inari asked as he looked at the picture of his father with a deep look of concentration and contemplation.
Flashback End
"I think he will do fine." Chaos said as she poked her sister's nose which grabbed her attention. Looking down into the large purple eyes of her sister Iris smiled and continued to pet her hair. "I guess you're right. I love helping people." Iris said with a beautiful smile which Chaos returned. "You know he likes you right?" Chaos said out of the blue. "Likes me?" Iris said with the cutest tilt of her head in confusion. Her eyes were squinted shut and a grin was on Chaos's face at seeing this. The facial expression on Iris's face was an exact carbon copy of Naruto's whenever he is confused about something.
"Hehehehe! You're as clueless as Dada! You're too cute and innocent Iris." Chaos said teasingly as she pinched Iris's cheeks. "Hey I'm not clueless." Iris said with an indignant pout. "Yes you are." Chaos chanted. "Am not!" Iris rebuffed. "Are too!" Chaos teased. This went on for nearly a minute until it dissolved into the girls wrestling each other with the both of them laughing the entire time.
A Day Later
The day was fast approaching that Zabuza would inevitably return and the teams were getting anxious especially when they were told that there was a large group of hired missing ninja in the area. The sensei's were scouting the area and coming up with plans when the inevitable battle takes place.
At the moment Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Tsunami were in the village looking for supplies for food. They were starting to run low and with so many mouths to feed they needed these supplies now more than ever.
The second Naruto stepped foot into the village he felt a wave of nostalgia and not the good kind. The situation in the village of wave was worse than ever. Naruto was instantly reminded of the slums district back home from years gone by and that was not a good feeling to recall.
Sick people coughing and wheezing at the side of the street and children running around begging for scraps of food. Seeing this Naruto was reminded too much of years gone by. Everyone had a depressed aura about them and most of these people lost their will to fight or live and they were just going day by day. A large frown came on Naruto's face at seeing all of this.
During the walk Tsunami explained to them just how bad it was in the country and that this was what everyone looked like. Sakura was horrified and disgusted by what she saw around her and what Tsunami explained to her. Hinata was much the same but she was more desensitized to this based on all the things she knew about Naruto's pass.
Speaking of Naruto the Hyūga Heiress saw that her best friend's mood instantly changed once they made it inside the town. She could see that he was reliving his past and it saddened her to see his eyes darken in repressed memories. Hinata blushed but she reached over with her hand and grabbed Naruto's own who was distracted by his thoughts. Naruto jolted out of his thoughts at the contact and when he looked down and saw Hinata holding his hand he blushed.
He was a little shocked that Hinata would do that considering how shy she is. While he managed to bring her stuttering problem down to a manageable level over the years it was still present every once in a while as well as her shyness never went away it was just that she got more confident over the years.
"Are you ok?" Hinata asked in concern. She was trying not to think about the bold stunt she just pulled. She normally would never do such a thing in public but she was concerned for her friend and she knew seeing all of the people around them suffering in the state that they were in, it was hurting him more than he cared to admit.
"I am now." Naruto said in an uncharacteristically shy tone of voice. A light blush was on his face as he looked away from his best friend. If he was honest with himself Hinata's hand felt nice in his own and he didn't want to let go but when Sakura and Tsunami looked back at them Naruto and Hinata both separated as quickly as they possibly could with massive blushes on their faces.
Sakura watched as a disappointed look briefly crosses both Naruto and Hinata's faces but as quickly as it came; it passed as they tried to cover up what happened. Deciding not to question them the group of 4 walked into a small broken down shop to buy supplies. After a few minutes they left with supplies that were barely above the level of rations in quantity and as far as quality was concerned it was an entire story in and of itself.
Stepping out of the shop and moving down the street the group was confronted by a group of bandits. Only a small group out of the many bandits lurking around under Gatō's control. Naruto was already in a bad mood considering they were in a place that reminded him to much of his past in years gone by and he wouldn't admit it but he was a little moody because he couldn't understand why letting go of Hinata's hand made him feel angry. Naruto wasn't always the brightest when it comes to his own feelings.
They were the typical bandits with no distinguishable features between them but the way they were looking at the girls was setting Naruto off. "Now ladies and gentlemen let's just make things easy for all of us and just don't do anything stupid." The lead bandit said.
"Move." Naruto said forcefully with a glare. He was in no mood to deal with scum like the people in front of them. They are largely responsible for the condition the people of this country are in and all they do is gloat about the power they have over the people. It made Naruto sick to his stomach.
Hinata could see that Naruto was in a foul mood. She didn't know what she was going to do but she was thinking but it would seem like this situation would be taking out of her hands. She counted 7 bandits surrounding them in the middle of the street and they were blocking their path.
"What was that little boy I don't think you… Ack!" The lead bandit started to say until he was cut off by an abrupt and sudden pain that caused him to pass out. All of the other bandits soon fell to the ground around them all out cold. Naruto was glaring daggers into the bandit that had spoken up. He saw the man reaching for the large machete attached to his waist and he also took notice of the particular look in the other bandit's eyes. The way they were looking at the girls in his group made Naruto sick to his stomach.
'That wasn't his Acceleration. So was that pure speed or something else?' Hinata thought in complete shock. By now she was used to Naruto's Acceleration technique and she could instantly recognize whenever he uses it since she is so used to his chakra and how unique it is. But Hinata didn't sense any of that from Naruto so it really made her wonder what just happened.
'Why must scum like that be allowed to have such power over others? If they tried hard enough they could do some good in this world. They could even make something out of themselves but instead they all stoop so low just because they have no desire or will to change their own lives. It truly makes me sick to my stomach. Especially the way they were looking at Hinata and the others.' Naruto thought to himself with a scowl on his face. The look the bandits had in their eyes as they gazed at the females around him especially Hinata set something off inside of Naruto. He's dealt with hundreds of bandits over the years and it was all the same in his eyes. Weak willed individuals who thought if they banded together in large groups they could scare and forcefully take whatever they wanted because they themselves were too scared to commit such crimes on their own. It truly brought clarity to the saying of strength in numbers.
'What was that? How did Naruto do that, I didn't even see him move a muscle?' Sakura thought in complete shock and awe. One second the bandits were standing and the next they were out cold all around them. She knew it was Naruto. For one she would be surprised if it wasn't and two judging by Hinata's reaction and look on her face right now then it didn't take much to figure out what happened. Still it surprised Sakura a great deal and in all honesty made her feel inadequate compared to Naruto; and if she was secretly honest with herself she was both intimidated and awed by his apparent strength which was leagues ahead of her basic skill level.
Tsunami was at a loss for words since her untrained eyes couldn't even see any of what happened. She just knew that it was Naruto who did this. 'Who is this child?' Tsunami questioned herself with a small frown.
"Hinata can you take Ms. Tsunami home for me?" Naruto asked as he didn't turn around to face Hinata. "Naruto what's wrong?" Hinata asked in concern and worry. She was now legitimately concerned for her best friend. "It's nothing. I just need to take a walk and clear my head that's all." Naruto admitted but his voice sounded slightly strained. Naruto began to walk down the street leaving the others behind. Sakura and Tsunami were about to say something but Hinata's hand stopped them. They turned to look at the young Hyūga but were surprised to see so much concern in her lavender eyes. "Let's go. Naruto will be ok. And no one will attack us on our way back. If they do I can handle them." Hinata said with as much bravado as she could muster.
Having no choice but to follow after the heiress both Tsunami and Sakura were worried about Naruto. Hinata activated her Byakugan to look for Naruto who was not out of her line of sight and she nearly gasped when she saw red Yōki gathered around his back.
That Night
Naruto was in his bed wide awake. Kakashi was in the other bed next to his fast asleep. Or as asleep as a highly trained war veteran could be. Ninja were known to sleep with one eye opened or so the saying goes. For someone like Kakashi it could be quite the spot of bother. He could feel that he was off his game and a lot of anxiety and stress was building up inside of him. With Hinata and Anko by his side again a lot of it had diminished but stepping foot inside the town brought back all of his stress and anxiety not to mention bad memories.
Naruto could feel both Iris and Chaos reacting to his change in mood. Iris was becoming concerned for him and Chaos was absorbing way more negative energy than he would like. Eva had done her best to comfort her other half and while it helped some it was not enough to ease Naruto's mind.
'Girls are you still up?' Naruto questioned in his mind. He felt two presences' become pronounced in the back of his mind as his daughters opened up a psychic link with him. [Yes daddy.] Iris responded sleepily. [I can sense how worried you are dada. You're going to get grey hairs if you don't stop. I want you to keep your blond hair so we can match.] Chaos commented but she wasn't giggling which let Naruto know that she too was concerned for him.
'Girls I'm really worried.' Naruto started off. [I know what you're worried about.] Iris chipped in. 'I don't know exactly how we are going to handle Zabuza and Haku when the time comes. We were fortunate that you followed Haku Chaos but that still does not give us a solution.' Naruto said to the twins in a worried tone. [I know but if all else fails we can just beat them up.] Chaos said somewhat bluntly but with a little of her enthusiasm still managing to slip in. [It won't be that easy sis] Iris reminded Chaos. 'It really won't, but to think the Hidden Mist Village is in such a state that it's producing far more missing ninja than any of the other 4 villages right now is troubling. People like Zabuza barely manage to come out of that place alive but even then they are hunted down by their villages ANBU Hunter Squads. I just hope there will be no bloodshed between us when the time comes. I want to avoid that at all cost. Gatō is the real enemy here.' Naruto spoke as his mind was in a million different places at the same time.
[We will handle them when the time comes daddy but this is not the main thing that is bothering you.] Iris pushed. She was confident that they could handle the duo when the time came but she was more worried about her father at the moment. Naruto paused at this since he knew that his mood and emotions would not go unnoticed by his daughters. He took a few seconds to form his words since he didn't know exactly what to say or how to say it since this was very important to him but when he felt like he had his words down he spoke up.
'I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep you hidden anymore. If I were to be honest with myself I'm tired of hiding you. I want to be able to proudly walk side by side with you in the public. But it's not that simple. Not with the way everyone dislikes me still in the village.'
[We know daddy but you have to have more faith and confidence. Things will work out in time I promise.] Iris said as Naruto could feel the warmth of her presence wash over his body and sooth his aching muscles. [If they don't see how awesome you are then we can go on a pranking spree without end Dada and we'll get back everyone who ever bullied you.] Chaos said but both Naruto and Iris knew that Chaos's version of a pranking spree could be potentially dangerous.
'I guess you're right, thanks girls.' Naruto said but the way he said it made it seem like he had more to say. [That's not all that is bothering you.] Iris stated picking up on the tone in his voice. Sighing Naruto decided to get the rest of his anxiety off his chest. 'I don't think we can win this all on our own. Kakashi will be tied up with Zabuza no doubt in their rematch. Anko and Kurenai will have their hands full facing off against two Jōnin each which is unfair and that just leaves 16 Chūnin level ninja to deal with. That is suicide. Between Me, Hinata, Sasuke, Fuki, Kiba, and Shino we stand a good chance and if I decide to go all out our chances of winning will be almost guaranteed but now we add Haku into this mess who is another unknown variable and then are chances go down again. Not to mention any outside interference that can happen at any time during the battle.' Naruto ranted in frustration. He was running over everything he knew about the mission and it was not looking good in his eyes.
[What are you trying to say Daddy?] Iris asked in a voice that Naruto doesn't really hear form her. She was probing him for an answer and he knew that it was at the tip of his tongue. It was like she already knew what he was about to say. 'I may need your help girls.' Naruto said with remorse, fear, anxiety, and many more emotions rolling off his tongue as he said this. It was one of his worst nightmares. To involve his daughters in a life or death battle that may get them hurt or killed. He never involved them with his battles in the past. The most they did was enhance his skills and allow him to use his Acceleration Technique to its fullest but other than that he never physically had them present for the enemy to target.
The mere thought of having them by his side in a battle made him feel like he wanted to throw up. He knew for a fact he would die if anything was to happen to his girls. Their lives meant more to him than his own and they meant the world to him. They gave him a true purpose in life and he would not endanger them for anything. He unintentionally nearly got Chaos hurt during his fight with Zabuza and that was still prodding at his consciousness even now. Now that he's admitted he might need their help it's made him feel even worst.
[Daddy it's ok to ask for help. You know we've been waiting for the day that you'd need us.] Iris said comfortingly. [Yeah now you and I can go finally break some legs. It will be so much fun Dada.] Chaos said enthusiastically but she was really only sounding this way to help cheer up her father. She knew just how badly this decision was affecting him. It's what's been behind all of his unusual behavior since the mission started.
'Girls it's not that simple. I never intended for you to ever have to fight. I didn't even want you to attend the ninja academy. I wanted you to live a normal happy life were you wouldn't have to worry about a thing but that whole idea got thrown out the window the second you two started to manifest your powers. You're not even human. There's no possible way for you to live a normal life with you two being the beings you are. But I tried to shelter you from this and now I've backed myself into a corner. I feel like I failed you girls as your father.' Naruto admitted with guilt in every word he spoke. Although his eyes were closed small little tears were leaking out of their corners.
[It's ok. You never failed us. All you've ever done was keep us safe. And for that we are grateful but we all knew that one day we would have to fight by your side. You can't take on everything that will come for you one day. This is our battle just as much as it is yours.] Iris said soothingly. [Especially since I was the one to bring you all of these problems.] Sōkyoku thought to herself with a frown. [We can win Dada. Or did you forget just how strong Iris and I are?] Chaos asked with a giggle.
Naruto's lips twitched up at this. He knew just how powerful his daughters are. Individually they are both more skillful and powerful than he was at the age of six. He would have no doubt if his six year old self ran into one of them he would find himself hard press to defeat either of them. He was almost positive that they would win the vast majority of the time. Now together they were leagues ahead of his six year old self and he would not stand a single chance of ever beating them. His girls were very, very, powerful for their age but then again he has to keep reminding himself that they are not even human and their powers are not quite like anything any of the other ninja's possess.
'I'm just afraid that I won't be able to protect you. What if you get hurt? What if I'm not fast enough to save you? What if-?' Naruto started to say but he was cut off by Iris. [And that is why we will not get hurt, and why we will be the ones to come out of this battle alive.] Naruto paused at this. He could almost see the gentle smile on Iris's face. 'Huh?' Was his eloquent reply.
[We won't lose because you care about us so much. That's why we won't get hurt. You won't have to worry about are safety. Our enemies have no idea who they are dealing with. They've never faced someone like us before and we will beat them. I refuse to lose or give up and they can't beat Chaos either.] Iris said with pure conviction. Unwavering confidence was the only thing Naruto heard coming out of Iris's mouth and he couldn't help the surge of pride welling up inside of him. He felt more tears falling down his face but these weren't tears of fear and self-anguish but tears of pride and reassurance.
[Don't worry so much Dada. We're going to prank them so hard they won't ever want to show their faces to anyone ever again. And I promise that I won't get caught either.] Chaos said with a giggle. Naruto could feel her cheerfulness washing over him and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.
[You've been under a ton of stress lately daddy. You were given a lot of responsibilities with not a lot of help. You're being overwhelmed. Now let us help you. I promise you won't regret it.] Iris said soothingly. Naruto could feel a weight lift from his shoulders and he couldn't help but sigh in relieve. 'Ok girls. You can help so let's do our best ok.' Naruto said with a smile forming on his face. {Ok daddy!] Iris said cheerfully. [Yeah! It's show time. Now I can show all of those meanies just what love is.] Chaos chanted. Both Naruto and Iris sweat dropped at this.
'Thank you girls. It really means a lot to me. I'm so proud of you both.' Naruto said sincerely. He could both feel how happy his words made his two daughters. [We won't let you down daddy.] Iris said happily. [This is going to be so much fun!] Chaos said with glee.
Smiling Naruto really felt his love for his girls growing with each day. 'Good night girls. Love you.' Naruto said. [Night daddy. Love you too.] Iris replied happily. She always lit up whenever he tells her those special words. [Night! Night! Dada! Don't let the bedbugs bite. Love you!] Chaos said with a laugh.
For the first time since this mission began Naruto felt at peace and he closed his eyes as he felt both Iris's and Chaos's presence fade into the back of his mind where they usually stay. As he felt himself slip further and further into a peaceful slumber Naruto then felt a painful heat rising in his back. He tried to ignore it but it wouldn't stop. He thought that it was left over pain from his injury but now he wasn't so sure. He wasn't going to wake up his daughters again or Eva so he tried his best to ignore it.
'So much for my peaceful sleep.'
Gatō's Base
The tycoon business man was up right now in his private quarters receiving some pleasure from some of his servants without a care in the world. His two top bodyguards were standing by jealous for obvious reasons but they wouldn't dare speak out against their meal ticket. Suddenly the door to the room swung open and a tall figure calmly walked into the room ignoring the screams of the woman and the two swords suddenly at this neck.
The man was tall and he seemed to have a black and white striped theme going on with him. However before anyone else could study him further he spoke up. "Hello Gatō. It would appear that you're still being just a pathetic little human as always." The man said. As for Gatō he was shaking like a leave in the wind. "It's you." The businessman said.
"Who the hell are you?" One of his bodyguards rudely asked. "Gatō I suggest you tell this flea to remove is little stinger from my neck before things get ugly." The man said with a savage grin filled with sharp teeth.
"Hey who the hell are you calling-?"
"You fools take your swords away-!"
Before Gatō could finish warning his subordinates, the only answer they got to their demanding questions was to see each other's heads rolling across the ground before everything went black for them. The whole room was now painted in blood because their necks wouldn't stop spewing out gallons of the precious life source. The man was covered head to toe in blood and his savage grin only increased as he licked the blood of his mouth. His eyes were glowing bright red and a malevolent presence settled down around Gatō.
"Now Gatō I believe we have some things to talk about." The man said with a wicked grin as he saw Gatō become as pale as a ghost.
To be continued...
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys so I hope you greatly enjoyed that. I know I definitely enjoyed writing that chapter. So many things has happened so let's quickly recap.
Naruto is almost completely healed. He is happy that both Hinata and Anko are there with him. All three teams are practicing the True Tree Walking Exercise with Inari secretly watching Naruto. Naruto himself is starting to notice girls, particularly Hinata and her figure. Naruto let Iris and Chaos explore the area and be by themselves. Iris is experiencing some childish jealousy when it comes to the other females in her father's life. Iris and Chaos had a secret talk with Inari and set him straight about the conflict between him and Naruto. Inari himself gained an instant crush on Iris in the form of a love at first sight kind of scenario. Iris herself is just as clueless and dense as her father when it comes to these things (go figure). The state of the country is very bad and it was shown with the state the village and its people are in. Naruto and Hinata held hands. Naruto incapacitated a group of bandits before leaving the group. That night Naruto had a long and lengthy discussion with his daughters and a lot was revealed and said and in the end Naruto agreed to let Iris and Chaos help him in the upcoming fight. Finally a mysterious being has shown up and he apparently has business with Gato himself.
That's the end of chapter 17 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 12/1/15
