Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens 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 this is it. The last chapter of the Land of Wave's Arc. Everything will be resolved in this chapter and things will be moving forward for everyone. I know I haven't had any lighthearted moments between any of the character or just general light hearted moments period and this chapter is to correct that. I really want more moments like that in and I'm making it my mission to ensure that happens from now on. So look forward to some little comedy and lighthearted moments between characters as things get wrapped up in this chapter.
So everyone sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 26
The Great Naruto Bridge
'This isn't good. With his Tailed Beast awakened it will make things much more difficult for him in the future. My outer persona shouldn't have been so overzealous.' Sōkyoku chided herself as she roosted in her magnificent golden cage inside of Naruto's mindscape. Her titanic body resting comfortably within her cage as her neck angled down so that she could gaze at the entrance into the massive mountain on one corner of Naruto's mindscape. The Goddess with her unparalleled eyesight could penetrate the pitch black darkness that enveloped the inside of the mountain entrance. She could see that the inside walls of the cave quickly turn into sewer pipes of a rusted bronze color with different sized pipes. She could also see that the cave comes to an abrupt massive wall that spans the entire width and circumference of the cave were all the pipes enter through the walls and also congregate around a small bronze colored rusted industrial door on ground level with the cave. Sōkyoku knew that on the other side of that door would be a maze of hallways that would bring Naruto straight to the Nine Tails at the heart of the mountain if he so chooses to go there.
'You're reckless little one, but your heart is in the right place.' Sōkyoku said to herself as she shifted her gaze from the Nine Tails lair to the ant sized human boy laying in front of her eclipsing body. Peering down at Naruto with her overpowering emerald eyes Sōkyoku sighed softly to herself with a look of understanding yet exasperation. 'However I think it's time you've woken up now.' Sōkyoku assessed as in that exact moment she thought this she willed Naruto to wake up from his deep slumber.
'Huh what's going on?' Naruto said as he came to with a grunt. His thoughts and memory were fuzzy and unreliable at the moment but as he shifted his gaze around he could see a warm pulsating glow surrounding him. Seeing impossibly large feathers in a large radius surrounding him with the feathers themselves on fire emitting a soft and warm glow immediately clued Naruto into where he was. It also helped that he was laying down on a house sized incredibly soft and plushy red and orange feather. Turing his gaze upwards the soft red glow from the fires were replace with the celestial light from Sōkyoku's heavenly emerald eyes which casted an ethereal green light to shine down around Naruto to her eyes natural glow.
"Lady Sōkyoku?" Naruto mumbled as he groggily took in the appearance of his daughter's true form. "Hello there little one. Or should I call you father?" Sōkyoku teased as she let out a giggle that rattled the golden bars of her cage. The soft melodic sound of her giggle actually cured Naruto of his grogginess and removed the fog from his mind. "Wait Lady Sōkyoku why am I here?" Naruto questioned as he sat up and craned his neck up just so he could see her head which would have been far up in the sky had he been on solid ground. "I brought you here silly. Unless you don't want to be here with me?" Sōkyoku said with a charming giggle that instantly turned into a hurtful and rejected tone. She was teasing him of course but her tone sounded sincere and Naruto couldn't tell the difference.
"What of course not. I love spending time with you… I was just wondering what I was doing here!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet in seconds to comfort the hurt Goddess but her giggling and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes was the only indicator that Naruto need to know that he was pranked. "I guess you got me huh?" Naruto said with a resigned laugh as he plopped himself back on the makeshift feather bed and laid down so he was staring straight up at the ceiling which made it better for him to look up at Sōkyoku without having to strain his neck in uncomfortable positions just to get a glimpse at Sōkyoku's face.
"I guess so. I brought you here because you suffered some major trauma both physically and mentally. You're within my presence so that you can recover and also to shield you from the mental backlash you received from your ordeal including the nightmares you would no doubt be experiencing right about now." Sōkyoku explained in her regal voice that had that distinctive accent that no one else in Naruto's world had. With that said the memories from the battle on the bridge came flooding back into Naruto's mind reminding Naruto of a crucial fact.
"IRIS! Is she ok… I mean are you ok Lady Sōkyoku?" Naruto wailed in desperation as the condition of his daughter became the primary focus of all his attention. Naruto stumbled over his words however since he reminded himself that this is Iris's true self and that the little girl in the real world is like a blank vessel that was gaining more and more of Sōkyoku's personality as the days go by. "Yes my avatar is just fine and as for me I've already recovered from my ordeal. I received some mental backlash from that dreadful demon running me through with his claw and it caused my powers to surge for a moment but I am fine now so thanks for the concern." Sōkyoku explained with a bitter tone when speaking of Jūra but it turned very sincere and grateful towards the end.
Naruto released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's a great relief. I don't know what I'd do if I'd lost Iris." Naruto said as a few tears shined in his eyes. Life without one of his daughters in it was something he just couldn't fathom. Ever since Iris and Chaos came into his life he's realized that he has become not only attached to them but dependent on them just like they depend on him as their father. They banished the loneliness in his heart and gave him the strength to not only ignore the hatred the village casted upon him but they gave him a real reason to be strong. They were the first people to ever depend on him, to open his heart up to the possibility that he could be loved and if something were to happen to them he didn't think he could go on living. They've just become too far ingrained into his life for him to imagine life without them.
Sōkyoku's eyes shined with warmth as she craned her massive neck and body down until her large beak was above Naruto. She gently rubbed her beak against Naruto's body which turned out to be very soft instead of hard as Naruto would have thought. "You are truly a gentle soul. That makes me happy." Sōkyoku said with a gentle sigh of contentment. Chuckling Naruto took his hands and rubbed Sōkyoku's beak. "You know for an all-powerful goddess you sure are very affectionate Lady Sōkyoku, I guess that's were Iris gets it from." Naruto said with a chuckle. He wouldn't admit it but having Sōkyoku show him such gentle affection placed a warmth in his heart and also surprised him a little since while he knows Sōkyoku is a nice and gentle person he has to keep reminding himself that she is an all-powerful goddess that's been around for who knows how long. If what she told him a long time ago was true, then she was around long before the god of his world that they call Kami.
"Well of course I'm affectionate and stuff. I mean I like…" Sōkyoku said highly flustered as she started to ramble on and on with a blush on her beak. She was pacing back and forth in her cage which was sending out earthquakes for Naruto. She would always do this whenever she got embarrass and Naruto found it amusing that it didn't even take him any effort at all to do. "Ok… Lady Sōkyoku I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Naruto said as he tried to not only hold in his laughter but also his lunch since these world spitting earthquakes Sōkyoku was sending out simply by walking around was causing Naruto some serious stomach problems. He was surprised that the cage could even contain Sōkyoku. He would think with her obvious strength she could shatter the cage by accident without even trying.
"Ok if you say so." Sōkyoku said with a childish huff as she settled back down in front of Naruto and lowered herself a little so that she could be closer to Naruto. The candle like feathers around the cage had lit up with intensity due to Sōkyoku's embarrassment but the feathers which were giving off that warm glow simmered back down to their normal glow. Naruto was just thanking every deity he could think of that the feather he was sitting on didn't suddenly erupt into flames like the others.
"Lady Sōkyoku what happened to the others? What happened to Chaos is she ok? What about the Demon Jūra is he gone?" Naruto fired off question after question. He was trying to piece his fragmented memories which became hazy after the Nine Tail's Chakra entered his system. "Chaos will be fine and Jūra was defeated and you forced him and his accomplice into retreat. I estimate he will be gone for a while. He himself or his accomplice won't make a move against us for a while. However, we must still remain vigilant. As for you classmates they are all fine and will make a full recovery from their injuries." Sōkyoku explained to Naruto who sighed in relief. "Chaos's injures are more severe compared to the others but with my powers I've been healing her. She will be fine." Sōkyoku comforted Naruto with that information. 'Thank god.' Naruto thought to himself at hearing such information. The flames in the cage brightened for a moment at his thoughts but settled back down.
"However we do have a problem." Sōkyoku said after a moment of silence between them. "What problem?" Naruto asked. "It's better for me to show you." Sōkyoku stated as she rose to her feet. The house sized feather Naruto was sitting on rose into the air and Naruto could feel a gentle calming breeze accompanying it so Naruto figured the Goddess was using her unrivaled control over wind to make this feat possible. Walking over to the edge of her cage Sōkyoku started to roost again and the feather gently set itself down in front of her. Naruto idly took note of the fact that it would have took him at least an hour to walk from the center of the cage over to the edge if he was walking at a casual pace. It just further goes to emphasize Sōkyoku's immense size and the even bigger size of the cage.
"The Nine Tails has awoken." Sōkyoku revealed as she stared down at the cracked cage at the bottom of the mountain. "He what?" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "Look for yourself." Sōkyoku said as she channeled some power to Naruto's eyes which turned them emerald green. With his new eyesight he could see all the way back down to the ground below and looking at the golden bars that blocked off the cage in the mountain a noticeable crack in one of the bars could be seen. "His chakra took over your body when it responded to your rage at my avatars peril. You further became enraged when Chaos was struck down as well. You used more of his chakra then your body could handle and you lost control and gave into his influence." Sōkyoku stated as she sensed Naruto becoming more and more distraught with what she was telling him. She made the feather below him glow with a soft calming aura that was soothing his worries.
"How was I stopped?" Naruto questioned as he looked up at Sōkyoku with a certain desperation in his voice and eyes. "Your little witch stopped you almost all by herself. She and the rest of the Mafia team stepped in and she along with that Aspen fellow restrained you with her fighting you off all by herself. You should be very proud of her. She was quite brave." Sōkyoku explained with a warm tone. She felt proud of the little witch who stood up against a superior opponent just to save her master. Sōkyoku admired courage and strength and she approved of Aria's performance. "Aria stopped me? Wow. I know she's strong, especially since she even managed to score a few hits on Shoko when they first met but to think she would stop me with the Nine Tails taking over me is incredible." Naruto commented in awe.
"Indeed. It was a commendable performance. However, there are some things I still wish to speak to you about before you awaken." Sōkyoku explained as she leaned down further to be more at level with Naruto. "Ok."
After some time talking with Sōkyoku Naruto decided it was time to awaken. With that thought Sōkyoku banished Naruto form his mindscape so he could return to consciousness. Waking up with a groan Naruto opened his eyes to the world and tried to shift his weight around but quickly found some resistance. Looking down at his chest Naruto could see a huge mop of long blonde hair sprawled out in every direction. Looking to his right Naruto saw another mop of blonde hair but a lot shorter sprawled out over his right shoulder. But the last bit of resistance came from his left and seeing a long arm that did not belong to either Iris or Chaos made Naruto twitch in irritation. Looking to his left he saw a mop of purple hair sprawled out with loud snores coming from the person. An irritated sigh that was meant to hide Naruto's actual contentment escaped Naruto's mouth.
He was fine with Iris and Chaos trapping him in his sleep since it was better to let them do as they pleased rather than deal with their wrath particularly Iris's but Anko always sneaking into his bed at night has been a running gag between the pseudo brother sister pair for the last few years now. Naruto would usually respond with an annoyed or irritated attitude but deep down both he and Anko both knew that he welcomed it. Naruto felt the love of having an elder sibling whenever Anko came around and it was something Naruto selfishly would never give up. Now he would probably never admit it but he has come to love Anko very dearly over the years and no words needed to be shared between the two for them to both know this and return each other's feelings.
"Oh so you're finally awake?" Anko questioned as she opened her brown eyes and looked at Naruto with concern, relief, and love but the usual smirk that was on her face was there as well to let Naruto know that Anko was trying to hide this fact. "Yeah and what are you doing in my bed Anko?" Naruto asked with an irritated tone to his voice. Playing his part in their little back and forth banter. "Oh just getting the most comfortable spot that's all." Anko replied as she sat up in the bed wearing nothing but a black laced bra and panties. Naruto's face turned crimson as he nearly fainted. Even after all these years of Anko sneaking into his bed he could never get over the fact that she would most of the time find very inappropriate clothing to wear just to embarrass him when he sees them in the morning.
Taking his considerable willpower Naruto managed to ignore Anko's teasing. Shifting his attention to his girls with Anko in the back pouting in defeat Naruto gently shook Iris awake first. Groaning in irritation the little princess opened her eyes and the second they found Naruto they lit up with elation. Sitting up in one swift movement Iris was about to bombard Naruto with a bunch of questions and her everlasting affection but Naruto halted her before she could do so. Quickly waking Chaos up which took more effort than needed considering who she was, but Naruto eventually got her coherent enough for the little Angeloid to focus on him. By that time Anko had already decided to leave the bed and quickly get dress.
"Daddy are you ok…?" Iris asked and that was the only question Naruto could catch before Iris went into an unending tirade of questions about his health and if he was ok or not. Naruto sweat dropped since he thought he was the one who should have been asking all those questions but eventually he managed to get Iris to calm down. "Are you calm now?" Naruto asked with a chuckle. Iris shook her head yes. "Good. Ok I'm fine and as for all your other questions I guess I'll just say that I'm ok now and there's no need to worry." Naruto said as he scratched behind Iris's ear which was a soft spot that she loved. His answers seemed to calm the princess down enough to where she sighed in contentment.
"Chaos are you ok sweetie?" Naruto asked in concern since Chaos hasn't said much yet. "I'm… ok…." Chaos said with a twitch and a variation in the tone of her voice. Naruto frowned at this as it was a blatant and clear sign that Chaos was not ok. "How long was I out for?" Naruto turned to Anko for the answer. "Three days. When we brought you in after passing out I insisted that we put Iris and Chaos with you to rest. I had a feeling they would heal better if they were in contact with you and I was right. Their injuries were a lot worst the other day but the thing was they've been out for the same amount of time you were. They still need to recover a bit." Anko explained. Nodding his head Naruto turned back to Chaos.
"Hey Chaos tell me what's wrong. Where are you hurt?" Naruto asked and Chaos's eyes changed over to her ruby red scanners.
~Electrical damage to circuitry…~
~Power conduit blockage…~
Chaos listed a few other mechanics that Naruto had no idea what they were. Anko didn't either but Iris was looking at Chaos with her eyes now an Emerald color. "Uh…umm… can you repeat that again sweetie." Naruto said with a massive sweat drop rolling down the back of his head. He didn't understand a single thing Chaos just said but he could see multiple things wrong with Chaos. One her eyes were slightly unfocused. Her body was unnaturally stiff and certain movements that she would try to do would seem very limited or just completely impossible for her to perform. Her speech patterns and vocalization was also off as well. "How about you just speak English this time." Anko commented. "I agree." Eva said as she poked her body out of Naruto's mop of naturally disheveled hair. "Good morning Eva." Naruto greeted warmly as he scratched the top of his others half's head affectionately. He was very happy to see Evangeline again. "Hey Naru." Eva said while giving him a light peck on the nose which caused both blondes to blush from the action. "I need you to repair me." Chaos replied.
"Repair you… I… how do I even do that?" Naruto fumbled. He knew that Chaos was an artificial being that was created to be a weapon. She told him so herself in the mindscape years ago when he first went their but based on what she's told him over the years even attempting a fraction of what she would have him do would be far beyond his capabilities. She's not a simple appliance like a stove or toaster. She's much more than that and as far as his world is concerned she is the most technologically advanced thing on it. Not to mention for many other dimensions she would fit that category as well. It also doesn't help that he's never thought of his mischievous daughter as a killer robot or whatever other classifications someone would give her. She's always been his daughter to him and it's difficult for him to see her otherwise. However, the one thing nagging at the back of his mind ever since he first found out about what she actually was is the fact that he wants to know how can she age and grow if she's a machine. It's a question that perhaps only Sōkyoku could answer for him but he always forgets and it's not really something that's ever brought up in conversations.
"Repair what does she mean by that?" Anko asked in confusion. That was one of the very few things Naruto's never told anyone besides Eva, Hinata, and Aria. He has kept Iris and Chaos's true nature a carefully guarded secret. The fact that they are supernatural creatures is a more widely known fact amongst his circle of people he can trust but their exact nature is something that nobody knows. "I'd like to know the same thing." A new voice asked and Naruto looked up to see Kurenai standing in the doorway with Kakashi besides her. Sighing Naruto turned back to Chaos who was in pretty bad shape. "It's complicated and not something that many people should know." He explained as he pulled Chaos into his lap and rubbed her head.
"A lot of things about you are complicated Naruto." Kurenai interjected. "I wish that they weren't." Naruto quickly quipped back. "You're stalling." Kurenai fired back. "And you're prying." Naruto shot back with a glare. Eva growled out in anger at Kurenai's prodding and the fact she was trying to back Naruto into a corner. Both Eva and Naruto have an intense hatred for feeling backed into corners. They hate when others pry on their business or try to force things out of them. It's a part of their distrustful and paranoid nature for growing up on the streets alone and just generally how they raised themselves over the years and the two very paranoid heavy professions they eventually fell into. Kurenai narrowed her eyes back at the tone Naruto took with her. "Kurenai easy." Anko warned as she sent her best friend a look. Backing down Kurenai conceded and apologized. Nodding in acceptance Naruto was about to explain when there was a knocking on the door. Kakashi who was closest answered it and it revealed everyone else in the house. Tsunami was the first to enter with some items in her hand.
"Naruto how are you feeling?" Hinata asked with her soft whisper like voice as she squeezed herself into the room. She approached Naruto's side before the room was filled up with the others. "I'm fine now thanks Hinata." Naruto replied with a smile he only gives his close friends like her. "Hina!" Iris called with a smile. Iris jumped into Hinata's waiting arms and wrapped her arms around Hinata's neck. Hinata carefully supported Iris's weight with one hand on Iris's bottom and the other under her arm. "Hey Iris how are you feeling?" Hinata asked with a sparkle in her eyes. "I'm doing just fine." Iris replied happily. She enjoys spending time with Iris and Chaos very much and it's so much better when Hanabi joins in since the three girls are quite the handful when together and it's a blast trying to keep track of them. Iris and Chaos hold Hinata in a special place in their heart and as such they show her a special form of affection that is different to the others. The main thing they do is that they exempt her from being a victim to their constant pranks and rambunctious behavior. Henrietta sometimes gets this treatment as well but Chaos sometimes still pranks her. As for Aria, Anko, Shoko, and Hiruzen the twins would try to prank them at every chance they would get and with the exception of Hiruzen they would generally act up just to get a rise out of the older adults in their life.
"Is Chaos ok?" Hinata asked as her Byakugan was on and scanning Chaos. The first time Hinata laid eyes on Chaos with her Byakugan she made the startling discover that Chaos wasn't what she appeared to be on the outside. This was even before Naruto met Chaos in his mindscape. She told him right away but with no proof or explanation they two decided to keep it to themselves and not discuss it. However, after finding out for himself what Chaos was Naruto approached Hinata about the subject and the two alongside Eva discussed it in detail and made the decision not to reveal such information to anybody who didn't know. It's bad enough that they were supernatural creatures but it made all the worst that they were such unique creatures that anyone in the world would have to be completely stupid not to try to get their hands on them. Their potential for the future was set and it was guaranteed that they would be more powerful than anything on this planet and you'd have to be dumb not to try to control them. Aria found out on her own based on the fact she as a witch and supernatural creature could tell exactly what species Chaos came from, or at least what species her powers come from. That is until Naruto explained it her.
Right now Hinata could see that the internal components in Chaos was damaged in several areas and it's been like this for the last three days. Of course it was far worst three days ago but being next to Naruto and being allowed time to recover has helped Chaos heal. Hinata remembered everything that happened since her mind wasn't wiped and she came to the conclusion by herself that some foul play was at work when no one after waking up immediately wanted to rush to Naruto to forcibly demand answers to what happen back on the bridge with him losing control. The Jōnin explained to Hinata what was done for Naruto's sake and Hinata found herself grateful for that fact. She could only imagine how Naruto would react if everyone was bombarding him with demanding questions. She knew it wouldn't end well at all especially since she knows how defensive he can be. She's put up with his paranoid nature for the last six and a half years so she knows better than anyone how Naruto acts. He was and still is that way with her. It's just not that apparent since she can simply goad him into telling her things and he generally doesn't like hiding things from her. In fact, it took Naruto about three weeks after the Mizuki incident for him to work up the courage needed to tell Hinata about the Nine Tailed Fox.
"Hey girlfriend." Eva said as she pecked Hinata on the nose as well just to get a rise out of her best friend and she wasn't disappointed when Hinata's face turned into a tomato. Eva was laughing her wings off because of the embarrassed look on her face and it wasn't helping that Naruto, Iris who was in her arms, Anko, and even Chaos with some difficulty was laughing at her. Everyone else had stupefied looks on their faces at the scene in front of them. "Eva, not in front of everyone." Hinata mumbled out pitifully. She didn't particularly mind Eva's affectionate gestures since the two girls have grown very close over the years especially within the last few months after the incident with Eva but she never would have thought the fairy would pull a stunt like this in public. Hinata was very accepting of her girlfriend status with Eva since it was their way of bonding with each other and both girls didn't really mind the so called status of their relationship since it was just a thing between them but Hinata keeps on forgetting that Evangeline is a demon and she takes pleasure in causing discomfort to others. Even those she is close with.
"Are these girls ok Naruto?" Tsunami asked as she had a light breakfast in her hands. Once she heard the commotion from upstairs she realized that Naruto must be up so she made a light breakfast to get him up and going. "Yes my girls are going to be fine Ms. Tsunami. Although Chaos here is going to need a little more time to heal." Naruto said as he scratched Chaos's head who was trying to bury her head into Naruto's chest at the moment. Naruto's hands were a slice of heaven to her scalp since she had a particular itch in that spot. "I'm doing just fine… see… completely fine." Iris chirped as she jumped out of Hinata's arms and landed on the floor. Everyone could instantly see that Iris had a look of discomfort on her face and her balance was far from perfect. In fact, it looked like she was about to fall over. A quick little gust of wind prevented her from falling on her back. Tsunami raised her eyebrow at this since this was the first she's heard Iris talk and she's never heard an accent anywhere close to what Iris was using.
"Yeah I don't think so princess, back in the bed for now. You need more rest." Naruto chided as Iris's performance wasn't fooling him in the slightest. Iris pouted but everyone could see she wasn't going to disobey her father. Iris tried to get back up on the bed but her muscles were both very stiff from sleeping three days straight and she still felt sore. "Need some help." Tsunami asked. "No, I got it." Iris said with a huff as she has never felt so weak before. After another failed attempt she sighed with a pout. "Ok, so I don't have it." Iris mumbled with unladylike grammar. Tsunami thought it was the cutest thing ever as she picked Iris up and placed her back on the bed. She noted that Iris surprisingly wasn't as heavy as a child her age should be. But when she looks at Iris's arms and other visible parts of her body she can clearly see well defined muscles on her arms and legs. Iris instantly snuggled up to Naruto who wrapped an arm around her. Naruto idly noted his Chakra network behaving quite erratically as his chakra/Yōki was starting to rapidly recover. Chaos's energy was very low in his body, Iris's was working double time as it was circulating heavily throughout his body and Evangeline's was pushed a little to the side but it was recovering as well.
"Ok that's nice and all but you've got a lot of explaining to do Naruto." Kiba barked as he gave Naruto a look. Naruto looked out at everyone present and could see a curious look in their eyes. Naruto was about to say something before he noticed a few extra individuals in the room. Zabuza and Haku were on the back wall and they were quiet and Inari was besides his mother and grandfather while sending discreet looks at Iris. Naruto made a quick mental note of that. Zabuza noticed his eyes and let out a seemingly bored chuckle. "Oh don't mind me brat, pretend I'm not even here." Zabuza said but you could see the inner burning curiosity in the older man's eyes.
"…Fine. Whatever." Naruto sighed as he quickly took out a small slip of paper and a jar of ink. Making a design on it that none of the civilians or Genin have seen before Naruto placed it on the closest wall to him and used chakra to make the paper stick. "Fūinjutsu: Privacy Barrier." Naruto said as he surged just a little bit of his chakra and the paper tag with the central Kanji for privacy lit up in a dull blue color. Fūinjutsu formula's copied themselves to the four corners of the room before fading away like they were never there.
"Everything that I'm about to say is to stay between us got it." Naruto said and everyone could see he was serious. "… and I'll only share what I feel needs to be shared." He finished. "Hey, what! No you owe us a lot more than that." Kiba growled but the look Naruto gave him startled many as well as the severe drop in temperature in the room as a light bit of frost built up on the nearby window and Hinata silently sighed to herself as she knew this would happen. "I'll only share what I feel needs to be shared." Naruto repeated himself with a glare and tone that said he was dead serious and no amount of compromise would get him to budge on the matter. Kiba relented after feeling a shiver go up his spine. "Fine say what you got to say." Kiba mumbled out as he tried to save face.
"Ok, but don't interrupt me while I tell you all this. I'll answer as many questions that I feel need to be answered." Naruto stated before taking a deep breath. With that for the next 4 hours Naruto sat and told those gathered many things about his past but he left out a great deal of things. One he didn't mention the incident on his 4th birthday, although he skimmed over it and talked about how he met Eva who during this time introduced herself formally to all those gathered. Naruto covered the day he found Iris and Chaos in the forest. He then talked about the many trials and struggles he went through with trying to provide for them while taking care of himself. He recalled in great detail the day he met Hinata and how they formed the strong bond they now have today. He spoke of meeting Shoko and her taking him under her wing although he lightly skimmed over the Mafia and just what they were and how involved he was with them. He spoke of his crazy meeting with Anko and many of the others gave Anko strange looks after that but the woman shrugged them off easily enough. Naruto talked about meeting Aria but he kept it brief as he didn't want to mention what Aria was or exactly the circumstances of why she came to the village. Every time he thinks back to that time he always remembers Shoko in the hospital bed dying and he idle wondered over the years if that is what it feels like to lose a mother. He talked about meeting his classmates and many things that happened during the academy but the most that he talked about was Iris, Chaos, and Evangeline. He would talk about the mischief they would cause but generally he would just have a lot to say about his daughters and other half.
Throughout this entire time everyone else stayed mostly quiet until a question would pop up and Naruto would answer it with as much honesty as he could or if it was something he couldn't or didn't want to mention he would politely say so instead of dodging the question. A thing everybody noticed though was how relaxed Naruto was becoming as time went on and everybody could see a metaphorical weight being lifted off his shoulders. He was smiling a lot and his voice was much calmer and his eyes would light up whenever he would particularly speak of his daughters. Soon however Naruto finished what he had to say and everyone could see he looked metaphorically ten years younger. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders and a certain shine was in his eyes. Hinata had a proud and happy look on her face as she gazed at her best friend/ crush and she was immensely proud and happy for Naruto to finally get these things off his chest. When Naruto noticed the look he was getting from her he blushed a little and looked away.
"That's quite the story their kid." Tazuna said with a bottle of sake in hand. He pulled it out at some point during Naruto's story and he's been sipping it ever since. "I agree. That's pretty rough in some spots." Zabuza agreed as he gave Naruto a nod of respect that Naruto returned. "So you went through all that?" Kiba asked as he eyed Naruto with a different look in his eye. "Yes I did and it wasn't easy but it made me the person I am today." Naruto replied honestly. "And that's still not the full story." Sasuke stated as he gave Naruto a particular look. "Hinata you know the full story don't you. Every last part that he skipped out on or skimmed over you know those parts in full detail don't you." Kurenai asked her student. "Yes sensei I do. I'm the only one in this room that knows everything." Hinata said with her soft voice as everyone looked to her. She felt really self-conscious right now and wanted to shrink herself inside her large puffy coat that Naruto bought her years ago.
"How come you never told anybody any of this? I thought we were teammates Hinata?" Kiba asked with a hurt tone in his voice as well as something else buried underneath. Naruto caught this and narrowed his eyes at this. "We are Kiba but it's not my place to reveal another person's information like that. Its rude and I would be breaking the trust Naruto has placed in me if I did that." Hinata countered. It wasn't her place to go around revealing information about her best friend to any and everybody especially since half of that information is sensitive and not for others to know. She was fortunate to even know half the things she knows about Naruto. "Naruto tells you everything. How come he never distrusts you?" Sakura asked.
"That's actually not true Sakura." Naruto butted in. "Huh?" Several people wondered. "I trust Hinata with my life and with my daughter's life but I'm always fighting a constant battle within myself to tell her half the things about myself. I have to constantly fight my instincts to keep things to myself instead of just out right sharing things with her. Sometimes it even takes me weeks just to get the courage needed to reveal certain things to her." Naruto explained while sending Hinata a discreet glance at the end. A look that she caught and understood what he was implying.
Many more things were said between those present before slowly the group dispersed. Naruto made sure to apologize to Shino for keeping these things from him and Shino excepted the apology but on the condition that Naruto come to him about his problems in the future. It warmed his heart to know that Shino wasn't mad at him and still wanted to be his friend and even supported him fully. Naruto made a mental note to hang out with Shino even more after this and to trust in the silent boy's friendship. Soon the only people left in the room was Hinata, Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai. Everyone else left to go be somewhere else in the house. "I'm happy you got all that off your chest Naruto." Kakashi said with his eye smile. "Thanks sensei. Now I need to focus on getting Chaos better." Naruto said as he turned to Chaos who had fallen into a light sleep during this time.
"Now I need to figure out how to repair her…" Naruto mumbled. "I can show you how dada." Chaos mumbled out as her eyes turned red again. After some directions to which Naruto became shocked at he was finally convinced to give it a try. "Ok so like this?" Naruto questioned as he twisted Chaos's shoulder blade at a certain point. Nodding the little girl didn't even flinch when her entire arm came off in one clean swoop. "Impossible…" Kurenai muttered in awe. Inside Chaos's arm were circuitry far more advanced than anything on the planet. In fact, it was perhaps millions of years more advanced than anything else. "You'd need a powerful Sharingan or Byakugan to see it but there are tiny minute lines all over her body where her body parts can detach. This is incredible." Kakashi said with awe in his voice. "Actually that's not true sensei." Hinata spoke up. "Huh? What do you mean Hinata?" Kakashi asked. The others were just as curious.
"My Byakugan is special in the fact that I can vividly see Yōki and Holy Aura. Because I've been around Naruto for half of my life and the fact that he leaks a considerable amount of energy that I've absorbed and become accustomed to my Byakugan can track other energies that are not chakra based. But so far it's only been Yōki and Holy Aura because that's all that I've been exposed to. I showed a member of my clan a piece of ice Naruto created himself and they couldn't really distinguish anything different about it even though he packed it with Yōki." Hinata explained. It was true. Naruto has exposed Hinata to so much of his mixed energy signature over the years that her Byakugan is the only one in her clan that can see him perfectly with great detail.
"Incredible… I never knew something like that was possible." Kakashi mumbled in shock. "Ok Chaos what else am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked. "This arm is ruined Dada. This was the spot I was hit in by that ball of electricity. I can barely feel it anymore." Chaos stated. "Ok so what now?" Naruto asked. "Now Iris can heal me." Chaos said. "Ok Iris let's give it a try." Naruto said. "Daddy I can't, however you can." Iris spoke with a peculiar tone to her voice. A tone Naruto instinctively knew to be Sōkyoku trying to tell him something. "Oh… oh ok I understand. Let's give that a try then." Naruto said once he caught on to what Sōkyoku was trying to tell him. Everyone else noticed this shift in Naruto and they were curious to know what was going on. Seeing her cue Iris closed her eyes and everyone could feel a shift in the air. Opening them up they were their powerful emerald green. Naruto's body went still and when he opened his eyes they were also emerald green shocking the adults in the room. Hinata recalled Naruto telling her something about this a while ago.
"Sacred Fire."
A brilliant while fire bloomed in Naruto's hands as it then turned into a rich golden color as the flames slowed to a crawl as if time had slowed down. Then the unexpected happened. Iris's voiced changed over to sound older. Sōkyoku had taken complete control. A Black fire appeared in Naruto's other hand and the color of the flames seemed to sucked the light out of the room. The flames then turned a multitude of colors that looked exactly like Chaos's tainted flames.
"Cursed Fire." Sōkyoku intoned in her powerful voice that made everyone present weak in their knees. With Sōkyoku's guidance Naruto did the impossible. The hand with the tainted flames went into Chaos's chest with no resistance. Everyone gasped at this but the surprise wasn't done. Taking his hand out of Chaos's chest everyone could see a purple glow in the center of her chest. Moving on Naruto placed his hand on the base of Chaos's shoulder and then moved out and as his flames moved out into the open air a pale see through copy of Chaos's arm appeared with everything on the inside of her arm visible. Once her arm was traced out the blackish flames in Naruto's left hand extinguished themselves. Naruto then took the sacred fire and retraced the ghost like arm and it instantly became real. Everything down to the last detail was in place and Chaos's arm was in perfect condition. The purple light in the center of her chest died down until it wasn't visible anymore.
The very last thing to happened was that Naruto grabbed Chaos's old arm and disintegrated it right before everyone's eyes. The emerald light faded from Naruto's eyes and the same happened for Iris whose eyes went back to their aqua blue color.
Speechless. That was the only thing everyone in the room had in common at the moment. No one has ever seen something quite like this before and they doubted they ever would. "How…?" Kurenai mumbled out slowly. Her mind was having serious trouble understanding what just happened. Nobody could say anything as the silence was broken by Iris's little snores and Chaos's eerie giggles that let those who knew her know that she was returning to her normal self. Iris was already fast asleep due to the possession of her body and the use of techniques that was far beyond the comprehension of those around her. Chaos herself still needed time to recover but she was back to her old self that much was apparent.
Three days past after that with Naruto making those present promise never to speak of this again. Within that time Naruto, Iris, and Chaos fully recovered from their injuries and were back on their feet. With the threat to the country gone Tazuna was left to complete his bridge in peace with many of the workers enthusiastically coming back to work but the problem they ran into was that Zabuza had killed off most of the original workers that actually had skill in building the bridge so Naruto offered up his services and that of at least a hundred Shadow Clones to fill up the workforce for Tazuna. Iris and Chaos tagged along and helped with the construction of the bridge as well. Many were surprised to see the three family members helping out but after a quick explanation everyone came to except this new bit of information. Naruto's main hobby was construction, repairing and general D.I.Y activities. Having renovated his entire apartment by himself over the last 6 years taught Naruto a vast amount of knowledge in this area and now that things were not so hectic Naruto was savoring the opportunity to work under a Master builder like Tazuna who despite his drunken tendencies had decades of experience and knowledge that Naruto was soaking up like a sponge.
Again many were shocked to see the twins hard at work right beside their father but it turns out that Naruto instilled in the twins the same handyman mentality that he himself had and the twins didn't mind the hands on dirty work especially Iris who was actually enjoying herself immensely. She was completely in her element at the moment with her hands on approach and she was improving her wind control by moving tiny little nails in place all the way up to lifting up the massive steel pipes that were scattered around the bridge. Chaos with her ability to fly and super strength was lifting up massive steel beams that was meant to support the great weight of the bridge and she was having a blast. Naruto had to reprimand her a few times since the girl looked like she would drop the 2 ton beams at any second. And the hundred clones of Naruto moving around the massive bridge doing any and all jobs available was a sight that the citizens of wave and his own teammates could not get out of their minds.
With the help of the Uzumaki family the schedule for the bridge was moved up as things were getting done much faster than before. Naruto was just happy to help and was also secretly glad that his chakra levels had returned to normal to allow him to spam that many clones. He was far more conservative with the use of his clones but to spam that many and get so much done secretly pleased Naruto. At the moment they were in the kitchen with Tsunami who was just about to start preparing dinner. "Ms. Tsunami do you need any help?" Naruto asked as he approached Tsunami with Chaos clinging to his back and Iris at his side. "Oh no I couldn't possibly ask you to do any more than you already have." Tsunami denied with a shake of her head. "Oh would you please let us help. We're really good cooks and daddy's the best." Iris requested with her regal voice. "The truth is I haven't cooked anything since starting this mission and it's been almost 3 and a half weeks now. I don't want to get rusty." Naruto explained. "But…" Tsunami tried to protest. "Leave it to us. You'll have the best dinner ever." Chaos chirped as she jumped off of Naruto's back and raced into the kitchen before anyone could stop her. "Sorry about that… but I promise we won't cause any trouble." Naruto replied with a nervous laugh. It wasn't helping matters that Chaos was already making a lot of noise as the sound of pots and pans could be heard in the background.
"Ok…" Tsunami said slowly as she let Naruto pass by. Iris had already gone ahead and joined her twin in the kitchen. Everyone else had entered the dining room and was content to wait for dinner but was confused when they saw Tsunami sitting with them. "Ms. Tsunami how come you aren't cooking?" Sakura asked in bewilderment. "Um the girls wanted to cook tonight. I don't know though… I'm not so sure it's a good idea but I couldn't refuse them." Tsunami replied. "Oh don't you worry about a thing. You're all in for a big surprise." Anko said with a smirk that was threatening to rip her face in two. Since the kitchen was opened to the dining room everyone could get a clear view of what was going on in the kitchen and what they saw shocked them.
Mayhem. That was the only word to describe it. Iris was standing on a stool so she could reach the counter and everyone was shocked beyond belief to see her waving her hands around and singing while ingredients and other objects were floating in the air by her Wind Magic. She was mixing and blending ingredients together in a smooth formation and cabinets were being opened and closed by her wind. They saw Chaos place a pot of water on the stove and with a snap of Iris's fingers without even looking a beautiful fire bloomed underneath the pot which instantly heated up the water. Chaos was zipping about with a knife in her hand that was scaring everyone and they were about to say something until they saw the crazy girl start chopping vegetables and others ingredients at a ridiculous pace. Salts and spices were lifted into the air by Iris who was now twirling like a ballerina around the kitchen commanding it to her will. Individual bands of wind were circulating around the room each tending to a different task while Iris used her eyes to check the time and status of each individual thing all the while not physically touching a single thing in the entire kitchen.
Iris would snap her fingers and things would be heated up in the blink of an eye all the while Chaos would pluck the spices out of the air and shake them all over whatever was in front of her. A nearby draw opened up and over two dozen utensils flew out into the air. A bead of sweat rolled down Iris's face as she had 6 bands of air currents circulating and this was her limit. However, that didn't stop or slow her down so instead she stuck to her limit and continued on. Chaos had a devilish smile on her face as she came up behind Iris and placed a lemon near her nose. It was a known fact to the Uzumaki family that Iris always sneezes whenever she smells a lemon. It was extremely strange and no one knew why but that just worked to Chaos's advantaged. Iris sneezed and almost everyone in the house was about to feel a churn of disgust in their stomachs until their jaws dropped when instead of snot a small cloud of orange and red feathers flew out from a plume of fire. Chaos took these feathers and quickly dipped them into the food were they instantly dissolved and the already powerful smell of food was increased tenfold. Chaos then threw the remaining feathers back into the air were they passed by the utensils and everyone who was now trying to pick their jaws off the floor gave up when they saw the previously old a used utensils transform into brand new utensils in the blink of an eye.
Iris distributed all the utensils to the table with her wind while everyone had shocked looks on their faces. "Daddy, I need you on the soup." Iris called out and Naruto let out a blush when Anko and Hinata turned to him with Anko having a predator like grin on her face. "Uh, how about I sit this one out huh sweetie." Naruto said with a nervous chuckle as his blush grew bigger. "Daddy, soup. Now!" Iris commanded and it was clear to see who wore the pants in the family as the look Iris was giving her father gave no room for arguments. Naruto got out of the chair he was sitting in and with a quick hand sign he was cloaked in a cloud of smoke. Once it disappeared everyone was having a hard time not dying right then and there. Naruto was wearing a bright pink cooking apron that had the words [Please do nothing to the cook] stitched on to it with brown thread. Frills and streamers were attached all over the apron and below the words were teddy bears and hearts stitched in as well as Iris's feathers stitched in on the edges alongside the frills. Naruto's face was so red right now that it was glowing and giving off actual light and without looking at anyone Naruto moved with speed far faster than his acceleration to get to the kitchen and as far from everyone as he physically could.
Since the inner girl in Hinata would come out whenever she saw that apron, at the moment she was blushing a light pink since she thought that the apron came out perfectly and looked cute on Naruto. Iris, Chaos, Hinata, Aria, Shoko, and Anko each had a hand in making the apron for Naruto and he wears it every time he steps into his kitchen. The only difference here is that while at home he has the privacy of his own kitchen without a bunch of people around but here he is in front of a bunch of people and it was extremely embarrassing. Naruto loves the apron and can feel the love put into it and doesn't mind wearing it at home but he does think it's extremely feminine and unmanly.
With a quick glare and warning Naruto prevented anyone from commenting on what was obviously an embarrassing subject for him. However, everyone could agree that the Uzumaki family was good cooks. 1 week passed after that and with the unending manual labor force provided by Naruto and everyone else who decided to pitch in even Zabuza who took some convincing by Naruto and Haku who was just naturally kind enough to assist the bridge was finally completed and now the Island Country of wave was permanently connected to the main continent with a truly massive stone and brick bridge that upon completion became the largest and longest bridge in the world. The country was five miles off the coast of the main continent and with the bridge now complete the five-mile gap was filled and with the bridge being nearly two hundred feet wide with a marker dividing each half it allowed cargo of all sizes to travel across the bridge. Since it was arced on the bottom it allowed for massive ships to sail beneath the bridge without being slowed down.
What no one knew was that Naruto riddled the bridge with thousands of strengthening seals that he slipped into the cement and in between each and every brick he came across. He would make sure nothing caused the bridge any damage. Even if a ship collided with one of the columns below the ship would end up taking more damage than the bridge would. He also made sure to strengthen the pavement on top of the bride as well so nothing could scratch the surface or crack it. He infused the seal with a liberal amount of both his Yōki laced chakra and copious amounts of Iris's aura. His broken use of his shadow clones ensured that this task was done faster and more efficiently. What the others didn't know was that was the reason the family was so exhausted and tired after every day. They also built toll booths and custom buildings on each end of the bridge that was laced with Genjutsu breaking seals powered by Chaos's aura to ensure no contraband of any kind could get into or out of the country and with two massive beautiful arch ways at the entrance to each end of the bridge made it an imposing sight to any who would one day travel across it.
At the moment the entire group was gathered at the entrance of the bridge on the side for wave and what they saw warmed their heart. The entire population of wave was gathered in front of the shinobi to see them off and Tazuna's family was at the very front of the pack with sad smiles on their faces. "Well this is it I guess." Naruto said with a sad smile. Despite everything that has happened this place has become a second home to him. Whenever he wasn't working on the bridge he would spend the rest of the time walking though the towns helping any and everybody he came across. He spent the most time with the unfortunately high number of orphans that came about because of Gatō's occupation of their home and the deaths of their parents who initially tried to fight back. He alongside Iris and Chaos played many games with the citizens and orphans and even with Iris's powers managed to heal a few unfortunate people with illnesses which they were eternally grateful for. He made sure to teach them all the survival tricks he learned over the years so that they too could survive. He imparted many stories of his pranks and survival stories to inspire not just the orphans but the other citizens as well to survive and thrive and most importantly how to appreciate all that you have.
With the weeks that they have spent in the country Naruto was confident enough with his photographic memory to remember everybody by name and face and it warmed his heart to know that he could do something good for these people and not just cause any destruction and death like his powers would allow him too. Especially with the Nine Tails now awake. "Yeah I guess it is." Tazuna said and this time he didn't have a bottle of sake in his hands. Naruto felt tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. He's come to enjoy the company of the drunken old man he's learned so much from. He would truly miss him. At the same time everyone else was getting their goodbyes in to those that have come to know them.
"Please don't go!" Many of the orphans screamed as they crowded around Naruto and held him down. Naruto now had visible tears in his eyes and surrounded by people just like him made him feel excepted and loved. "I know guys. I would actually love to stay here but a Shinobi's job never ends and I have to keep moving forward. I'm going to miss every last one of you. But don't forget the things I taught you ok." Naruto said as a few tears fell from his eyes. He would truly miss them all. "Maybe when you visit again we can all play together." One orphan requested. "Sure, I would love nothing more than to do that." Naruto said with a warm smile as he wiped his tears away. "Oh maybe we can play water devil too." A young girl said and she was even bold enough to wink at Naruto. A bunch of the other girls around her were giggling and sending winks and looks at Naruto whose face was a searing red in embarrassment and mortification at the ages of some of the girls. Naruto immediately sent a scathing sun melting glare at Iris who had an aloof and innocent look on her face and Chaos was besides her biting her lip to keep from dying of laughter. Naruto also sent a glare at Anko for corrupting his daughter which led to all this mess but Anko only gave a half attempted innocent face back because it was ruined by the triumphant smirk on her face.
Hinata thought it was absolutely cute since with the amount of time Naruto spent with everyone it was blatantly obvious that almost the entire population of orphan girls had a combination of hero worship and little crushes on Naruto. It was endearing to see them either get so shy around him or try and fail to flirt with him since they had no experience at all with boys. However, Hinata would be blatantly lying if she said she didn't feel something when a few of the girls around their age flirting with Naruto. It didn't help that a few of them were pretty attractive and Naruto's nervous blushing and obvious reactions around them made Hinata think no so nice thoughts but trying to be the good person that she is she would let the incidents slide. Hinata also spent a lot of time with the orphans as well and when they asked what her relationship was to him Hinata initially held out until the combined might of at least two dozen girls overpowered her and she told the girls of her crush on Naruto. But she had made sure he wasn't around to here.
"So I guess this is goodbye then Iris." Inari said with a combination of a sad smile and nervous blush on his face. "I guess so." Inari became good friends with the twins while they stayed here particularly Iris who he obviously had a big crush on. Everyone knew about it since as a kid he couldn't do a good job of being discrete and hiding it. Everyone knew except Iris though. "Here I got you this." Inari said as he gave Iris a flower. "Oh, thank you Inari its beautiful." Iris chirped and she stuck in into her hair where it matched perfectly with everything else she had on. "Here I got a present for you Inari." Chaos said with a snicker as she gave Inari a journal. "A journal?" Inari questioned as he turned it over and an embarrassed blush came on his face. The journal had the title [Diary of a Wimpy Kid] stitched on the front of it by Chaos herself. "See now whenever you feel like you are going to cry you can write in this journal." Chaos said while barely holding back her laughter. "Hey! I don't cry any more. I made that promise and I'm not going to break it." Inari indignantly said with a huff and an embarrassed blush on his face as he looked to Iris only to see her giggling.
"I think it's cute. Besides my sister has the right idea you deserve a reward for maturing some." Iris said but then a worried look came on her face. "But I don't know what to give you. Oh well I guess this would do." Iris said with a casual shrug of her shoulders as she gave Inari and quick peck on the cheek to show her appreciation. Inari looked ready to pass out and go to cloud 9 while the others had amused and shocked looks on their faces which soon turned to just plain old amusement when they turned to see Naruto with jealously and over protectiveness overflowing from his body. The temperature in the air dropped rapidly as he quickly slid up next to Inari with a sickly sweet smile on his face. "Hey Inari let's talk for a few before I go." Naruto said in a deceptively calm voice as he led Inari by the shoulder over to the railings of the bridge well out of sight of the others since the natural mist and fog that surrounds the area rolled in earlier that day.
"He is so dead." Anko was the first to comment. "You're in so much trouble Iris." Chaos said in a taunting tone as she snickered at her twin. "But what did I do?" Iris said in pure confusion which had a slight undertone of panic since she never liked to upset her father or get punished by him. "Oh my naïve twin sister. You have much to learn." Chaos chided as she patted Iris's head in sympathy. "It's ok Iris." Hinata said as she rubbed the poor girls head. Hinata wanted to laugh as well but thought better of it. "I had no idea Naruto had a side like that." Sakura commented with a sweat drop. "The brat's full of surprises huh?" Zabuza said with a simple shake of his head. He found Naruto's antics quite amusing. After spending some time around the Uzumaki trio he found he liked the family quite a bit and he even wanted to fight Naruto himself and after seeing what Iris and Chaos could do he wanted to fight them as well.
Several moments later Naruto still leading Inari by the shoulder came back into view and the poor boy looked like he was locked in a freezer for 50 years. He was shivering and looked like he saw a ghost. By this time everyone had said their goodbyes so Naruto moved to join the others while Inari went over to his mother. Inari tried to shoot Iris a glance but then quickly adverted his eyes while Naruto still with that fake smile on his face nodded in approval. Everyone else around his had major sweat drops forming around them as they all took a minute step back.
"So I guess we'll see you later huh brat." Tazuna said as he gave Naruto a hard pat on the back. "Yeah old man definitely." Naruto said as he and everyone else started their journey across the bridge. Once they were out of sight Tazuna lowered his hands from waving. Seeing the state his grandson was in Tazuna rubbed Inari's head. "See Inari that's what happens when you pursue a girl in front of her father. But I'm still proud of you my boy you have great taste just like your old man." Tazuna said with a belly laugh. Many of the adults around him shared in this laugh as well since everyone could see the blatant puppy dog love Inari had for Iris. "Hey what about the name for the bridge?" One villager pointed out. "Yeah we'll need one." Another stated. "Already taken care of." Tazuna said with a smirk on his face as he looked into the distance.
As the group reached the other end of the bridge that was the entrance to the mainland they all turned back to take one last look at the bridge they all had a hand in creating but a gasp brought everyone's attention to Sakura who was looking up at the massive arch way in front of the bridge. "Sakura what's wrong?" Naruto asked as he followed Sakura's line of sight and he was rendered speechless. On the stone arch way was the bold sign carved out of the stone itself and it read:
[The Great Naruto Bridge]
On the outer edges of the title one before the word "The" and one after the word "Bridge" were the symbol of the hidden leaf village colored in with a vibrant forest green paint surrounded by a thick black outline. But the thing that spoke more to Naruto was what was in the center. In between the words "Great" and "Naruto" was the symbol that every shinobi of the Hidden Leaf wears on their clothes. It was a red spiral. The same spiral that the Leaf Symbol originates from. The Uzumaki Clan Symbol. "Oh my…" Kakashi whispered out in pride as he shifted his gaze to Naruto who had silent tears falling down his face as he refused to take his eyes off the bridge. Feeling bold Hinata came up to Naruto and gave him a comforting hug with a proud smile on her face.
On a plaque that was attached to each column of the bridge words were written.
{Here stands a completed bridge to peace that a shinobi fought so hard for. May he and his comrade's find peace and success in all that awaits them in the future. This country shall live on and always welcome back its hero who personally built this bridge with his own blood, sweat, and tears. He and his family and friends shall always have a home here within the great waves of this country. For he taught us what it truly means to be strong.}
Below that heartfelt speech was the names of everyone who came. Naruto's name was at the top of the list and it went down making sure to get everyone's name and leave nothing out. At the end of the list Zabuza and Haku's names were separated and words were written for them.
{Two individuals who started out as our enemies and oppressors. Now who are forever welcomed to a home here within the waves of this country. May you find peace and success in your future.} Haku was touched as he read this and Zabuza averted his eyes from the others and he let out a grunt trying to deflect everyone's attention. But only a few of them caught how his eyes softened just a little bit at the kindness showed to them.
"I'm never going to forget this place for as long as I live." Naruto said as he did nothing to stop his tears from falling. "Well we can always come back and visit any time we want." Eva said as she sat in Naruto's hair. Her heart was touched as well since her name was on the plaque as well. "We definitely will." Naruto said as he made that promise to himself. "Let's go. The sooner we get home the sooner we can finally rest." Kakashi said as everyone turned away from the bridge and resumed their journey. After a few minutes Naruto laid his hand on Iris's shoulder who suddenly tensed. "Oh yeah and sweetie you are in so much trouble." Naruto said in the same sickly sweet voice he used earlier. Iris gulped and Chaos was snickering next to her sister. Hinata tried to send a sympathetic look to Iris but she just couldn't, she thought it was way to funny. Anko was seconds away from busting a gut and everyone else who cared had sweat drops running down the back of their heads.
"Daddy how much trouble am I in?" Iris asked with a nervous chuckle while poking her fingers together.
"A lot sweetie… a lot." Naruto replied with a tired sigh.
The End of The Land of Wave's Arc
Jutsu Library
1.) Fūinjutsu: Privacy Seal – A seal that allows the user to conceal an area and cut off both sound and light from escaping the area. It is perfect as it allows private meetings to take place without the worry of easy droppers. The seal is typically formed on a small sheet of paper that is then stuck to a nearby surface to engulf the area in its effect.
2.) Sacred Fire – A move that is unique and a special ability of the Phoenix Goddess Sōkyoku. This unknown ability allows the Supreme Goddess of Life to create golden colored flames that is more unique and potent than her normal red hot fires. With these flames Sōkyoku is able to heal any injury no matter the severity and she is more that capable of bringing people who have died back to life with these flames. These flames have strong and potent side effects though. Anything that the flames engulf will not only be healed back to perfect health but they will also regress atomically back to a point in time when they were in their prime or at their very absolute peak. This aspect suggest that Time/Space abilities and aspects are involved in her flames as well. These affects are not limited to living organisms either. Anything that the flames touch including but not limited to by any stretch of the imagination are inanimate objects and nonliving things.
3.) Cursed Fire – A move that is unique and almost identical to the special ability of the Phoenix Goddess Sōkyoku. Black flames come to life and then quickly change over to a myriad of multiple shades that look exactly like Chaos's Tainted Flames. These flames can phase through objects without touching them and can create things out of thin air. At this time, it is still unclear just what power this is.
Author's Note (A/N): So everyone how was that? Did you all enjoy the moments between Naruto and Sōkyoku? Did you enjoy their conversation? Or how about Naruto and Anko? Many things were revealed in this chapter and I hope none were put off by Kurenai's attitude in this. She is new to the fold and pretty much and outsider to the mystery that is Naruto Uzumaki. I hope I dropped enough comedic moments to satisfy everyone. I know I am. Also some very strange and interesting things have happened with Iris and Chaos in this chapter to raise many more questions. I also couldn't resist throwing in the whole scene between Iris and Inari. I was dying to get to that part and I'm very happy with the way everything turned out. Finally I wanted to do something special for the bridge and I'm not just talking about the thousands of seals all over it. The plaque and writings on the bridge was something that I came up with on the spot as I was typing and as soon as I was done with it I felt really proud and happy. I hope you guys like the message the citizen's of wave left everyone.
That's the end of Chapter 26 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
Please rate, comment, and subscribe… Oops I forgot this is not YouTube.
Please leave a review explaining what you liked, didn't like, and any positive criticism that can help me in improve in the future. Every review helps me in the long run. Thank you and stay safe everyone.
Published: 7/31/2016
