Author's Notes: Well... This story certainly did much better than I thought it would have... So here's chapter two. To explain a few things here. First and foremost, I will be following canon to a certain extent, but things will change around. Second, I do intend to, within this chapter, differentiate Naruto from Loid by making Naruto act like... Naruto, albeit 5% smarter.
Review Responses
Hellkeaper: To answer that last question, essentially, during that fateful moment in which Neji jumps in front of Hinata during the war, he simply doesn't make it in time. Hope that answers your question.
Anti-weeaboo Faction: It turns out, he's much better with children.
Salazar1537: Fret not, for Naruto will be bonding with Anya in this chapter quite a bit. Also, yes, Anya can hear Kurama.
kgarz01: Don't worry, it's just an act he puts on as a spy. To better fulfill the requirements of this mission, Naruto will return to being how one would expect a wounded Naruto would act.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"'Kurama Thinking or Speaking'"
"'Jutsu or Techniques'"
-The Newspaper Stand-
Naruto slowly walked up to the newspaper stand as the supposed informant turned his back to tend to something. As he did, Naruto quickly cleared his throat, before speaking in his usual, more casual tone.
"Franky Franklin?" Naruto asked, shocking the man as he turned around frantically.
"Yes? You're here to buy a paper?" Franky frantically asked back, 'Strange... People around here generally don't know my name.'
Having discretely taken a step back, Naruto held up a badge with three s's on it. "I am Officer Fleming of the SSS, you have been suspected of harboring anti-Ostanian and anti-Revolutionary ideas, and will be taken into custody. Lethal force will be used should you not comply."
"I-I..." Franky began to say, freezing up for a second, "I'm sure there must be some mix-up..."
"I'm afraid this is no mix-up," Naruto continued to say, continuing to put up this front.
"Y-You don't even look like an Officer Fleming! Both in terms of appearance and accent!" Franky retorted.
"That's enough, you two..." Twilight suddenly cut in, making sure there was no one watching them as he walked into the view of Naruto and Franky.
"Loid?" Franky asked in shock.
"Twilight?" Naruto asked in turn, tilting his head as he continued to play his front.
"Whirlpool, you've overplayed your part," Loid joked, "Any SSS Officer would've shot me on sight."
"Fair enough, I assume you are the informant?" Naruto asked, "Nice to meet you, I do believe that we will be getting along just fine."
Franky sighed. "I don't know what I find stranger about you spies... Your morbid sense of humor? Or the fact I'm helping you two..."
"Well, whatever the case may be, Whirlpool, or as your undercover name suggests, Naruto, this good man here is Franky," Twilight began to say, "He's by in large the best informant we have in Ostania. And I do believe he already has the first pieces of the puzzle that you'll need."
"Oh? I haven't even spoken to anyone besides Anya and this informant already has things for me?" Naruto asked with a small, fox-like grin, "Either Franky here really is the greatest informant of all time... Or someone's been spying on me, huh?"
"With how carefree you're acting, I wonder if your reputation is greatly exaggerated..." Twilight stated, "Please do not get it twisted, I mean no offense by that statement. It's just... You act against any and every international spy doctrine I've read."
"Oh please... This is just how I've always been," Naruto replied with a short chuckle as he received the documents from Franky. "And do not worry about spy doctrine where I'm from... The nation I am from had not a single spy to its name in the period after my teacher had perished in his line of work and before I took up this line of work."
'If only this operation can be as carefree as Whirlpool here is, hell, if only world affairs could be such...' Twilight thought, before tilting his head slightly, 'Although... Considering his task is to raise a child... This lighthearted nature could benefit the mission greatly...'
"Just please take these documents... I've got a date coming up in a bit..." Franky stated, passing a letter to Naruto as well as a document regarding Anya.
"We all know dates regarding you never go well..." Twilight joked.
"In the same way yours go? Or are you just gonna use the mission excuse?" Franky shot back.
"Mission excuse, speaking of which..." Twilight continued to say, "Whirlpool, I will be needing your help for a mission..."
Naruto lifted his head from the document on Anya, "Yeah? Go on..."
"Essentially... This is what I need your help with..." Twilight began to explain.
-Somewhere Else in Berlint-
A phone began ringing in a small, unassuming apartment within the city. It rang for a few moments before a tall young woman, clad in a red, backless sweater with long, black hair tied in a strange hairstyle walked over to receive the call.
"Briar residence, how may I be of assistance?" The woman asked, setting her cup of tea on the counter.
"Good afternoon," The voice on the other end stated in a monotone fashion.
"Oh? Shopkeeper? How may I be of assistance?" The woman asked back.
"I have a new 'client' I would like you to dispose of..." The shopkeeper continued to say.
The woman sighed, already knowing where this was going as her red eyes now bore a form of unrelenting fury.
"At and around midnight... Dispose of the terrorist named Edgar and all of his associates," The shopkeeper continued, "I suspect Westalis may be involved in an act to dispose of him, in such a situation, disengage after ensuring Edgar's demise."
"Alright, I'll see to it that it will be done," The woman replied in a more serious tone than most would expect from a woman of her appearance.
"You have my sincerest gratitude..." The shopkeeper continued, "Thorn Princess."
-Naruto's Apartment, Afternoon-
Naruto opened the door and entered the apartment, before locking it behind him and noticing several open exercise books on the desk Anya had sat at before he had departed an hour or so prior.
'Incredible...' Naruto thought, reading through the several books, 'She got everything wrong... Although... On the history book, especially the portions on espionage... Had she not gotten the spellings wrong, she would have scored well... Hmmm... I've got an idea...'
Turning his head, Naruto noticed a sleeping Anya in front of the television, leaning her head on the table.
"Hey... Anya..." Naruto began to say, lifting Anya from under her arms.
"Huh...?" Anya murmured as she slowly stirred from her sleep, before immediately beginning to panic, a sense of anxiety familiar to Naruto apparent in her eyes, "E-Eh?! Papa! I wasn't watching the TV! I... Alright, Anya was, b-but... I only did it since the rest was too difficult for me to do!"
"Hmm... Is that so...?" Naruto asked, tilting his head as he attempted to remember where he had seen this nervousness before this.
"Anya promises!" Anya replied, tears slowly forming in her eyes, "Please, Papa! Please don't get rid of Anya!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered where he had seen this form of nervousness, the late Hinata's face repeatedly flashing in his mind, something Anya was able to see as well, including the intense sorrow it caused Naruto. After quickly putting down Anya, Naruto rubbed his temples with his fingers in an attempt to clear his mind.
"Papa...?" Anya began to say, walking up to Naruto before she hug his leg, "Anya's sorry if she made Papa feel bad..."
'Stay calm... Stay calm...' Naruto thought, simultaneously saying it to himself and Kurama. "Don't worry, Anya... I'm not mad at you... Come on... We can take a break if you'd like."
"Al-alright..." Anya replied, wiping the tears from her eyes as she sat down on the sofa.
"If you'd like, I'll study the material with you after your break as well," Naruto offered, "In fact, I've got a small gift for you, seeing as you've worked so hard while I was away..."
Anya turned towards Naruto, her eyes widening as a consequence of the small packet of peanuts that Naruto had passed to her.
"They're your favorite, no?" Naruto asked, receiving a happy nod from Anya as his response, "It's always nice to have a form of food as your favorite... I too have a favorite food, and I'll make it for you one day... When I figure out how to cook, that is..."
"Don't worry, Papa! Anya will help you with that when we come to it!" Anya assured, "Also, Papa... Will Anya be getting a Mama anytime soon...?"
Naruto froze for a second, even if he hadn't shown it, he was greatly distressed by the idea of looking for a significant other. Even if just for a mission, to invest his time and effort into love and eventually marriage was not something Naruto was sure he would be willing to commit to, especially not after what happened to Hinata, the incident still very much fresh in his mind.
'Hmm... Papa seems... Off...' Anya thought, before using her ability to peer into Naruto's mind, looking at his reminiscing of the Shinobi War.
-Several Years Ago-
"Hinata!" Naruto called out, rushing over to the downed girl as he ignored the lingering rainfall of wooden pikes launched by the Juubi. Rushing over to her side, Naruto could see the fatal wounds inflicted by the Juubi. "Hinata! You... You're gonna be alright! Trust me!"
"Naruto-Kun... No... No need to lie to me..." Hinata groaned out, coughing up blood with every breath as she did, turning towards Naruto with a very apparent stiffness in her neck. "My eyes... They see all... The wounds are fatal, aren't they?"
Despite not being a medical shinobi, Naruto could still recognize reality, shown especially when he turned his head, refusing to look at the fatally wounded Hinata who had been bleeding out on the ground, even if Naruto had suspended her in his arms.
"Naruto! Hinata-sama!" Neji yelled out, dashing towards the two, before stopping dead in his tracks and falling to his knees, tears falling to the ground as he did. "I... Have failed..."
"Naruto-Kun... Listen to me..." Hinata replied, weakly lifting her right hand and ushering Naruto to look at her, "Please... Naruto... Please do not... Do not let my... Unfortunate circumstances stop you from... From protecting everyone else..."
"What... What are you talking about? Hinata, don't talk like this... You'll live..." Naruto murmured in denial, "Medical team!"
"Naruto-Kun... There... There's no need... Please... Let them help those who can still be helped..." Hinata pleaded as Naruto turned to face her, "Naruto... Please understand... Please remember... You hold in your hands more than one life... Your life... As well as the lives of everyone else here... War is terrible, and there are bound to be casualties... In the act of saving yours... My life was a small price to pay..."
"Please... Please don't speak like that, Hinata..." Naruto pleaded in kind as tears slowly trickled down his face.
"Please don't cry... Naruto-Kun..." Hinata pleaded, bringing her hand up and touching Naruto's cheek, "You've always looked more handsome smiling... Listen to me... Naruto-Kun, the... The Hyuuga Clan has always held beliefs and teachings... And, while we are rather conservative in terms of values... We have always held one belief... That-"
"So... Naruto?!" Obito began to yell atop the Juubi, "Is this the result you wanted?! Those words of yours... 'I'll never let my comrades die...' Now... I dare you, to take a good look around you, and say it again!"
Now frozen with a mixture of both guilt and despair, Naruto slowly winded his head around the battlefield, gazing upon the many dead and wounded lying on the ground, as well as the rivers of blood running down the newly created ravine.
"I dared you to say it again!" Obito yelled out, flinging his arm forward and sending forth another wooden pike, one intercepted and destroyed by Neji. "You can feel it, can't you?! The bodies of your comrades... The body of the only one who loved you! As they slowly grow cold in your arms! This is the result that your pathetic values will achieve... You shall have nobody left in this wretched world who will ever accept you for who you are!"
"Hmpf..." Madara merely scoffed, glaring down at Naruto. "The voices of the weak... All laying on the ground, they shall perish, some in an instant... Some in a painful, slow affair... How sweet it is to hear them scream..."
Naruto's eyes twitched, resigned to defeat as he slowly looked down.
"Naruto... Please... Please remember... A war of aggression... A war of annihilation, no matter how much it may seem necessary, and how much it may be justified..." Hinata began to croak out, her eyes slowly closing as everything blurred together within her vision, "Is always a crime."
Hinata laid silently as Naruto gently placed her on the ground before the blond helped her shut her eyes, as a golden robe slowly emerged upon him once again.
"Naruto... Are... Are you alright...?" Neji asked, slowly walking towards Neji.
"Not now, Neji," Naruto stated, his eyes once again sparked with a familiar determination, "You heard what Hinata said, didn't you? We have some criminals to bring justice to."
-Present Time-
'Papa... Papa fought in a war?!' Anya thought to herself, looking upon Naruto's shut eyelids as well as his memories.
Naruto shook his head from his vision of the past, before turning back toward Anya. "Anyhow, I... I suppose you'll get a mother soon enough... Whenever I go meet someone else... But until then, we'll just have to stay hopeful, alright, Anya?"
"It's alright, Papa!" Anya assured, "Anya's alright with just you being around!"
"Well... In that case, I'll do my best as your father," Naruto replied, placing his hand over his heart's position, "And I never go back on my word."
"Alright, Papa! Anya's ready to continue studying now!" Anya declared, strangely reinvigorated by Naruto's memories.
"Well, let's get to it, then," Naruto replied, moving to sit at the studying table, followed shortly by Anya, "Alright, I'll let you choose first. Which subject would you like for me to help you with first?"
"Err... Can Papa help Anya with Mathematics?" Anya asked, passing Naruto one of the books he had bought her, filled with examples of math problems.
"It's decided then," Naruto replied, before opening the book and then moving to scribble something on a sheet of paper, "Hmm... Say... What's the result of the problem seven plus eight?"
"Errr... Fifty-six?" Anya asked.
"Not quite... Try a little smaller," Naruto encouraged.
"Hmmm... Zero... Zero-point-eight-seven-five?" Anya essentially guessed.
"Let's try something else..." Naruto murmured, flipping through the book, "What value would you attain if you add two to five?"
"Hmm..." Anya murmured, focusing for a bit and attempting to impress Naruto, too distracted to even read his mind, "Seven?"
"Yup, that's correct!" Naruto replied, "Good job!"
Anya's eyes widened upon hearing Naruto's encouragement, only for the excitement to quickly fade as Naruto spoke again.
"Hmm... In that case, what is the value attained from subtracting five from two?" Naruto asked again.
"Hmm... Three!" Anya replied, her voice brimming with confidence.
"Close, but not quite," Naruto began to say, "It's negative three. It's... Something of a strange concept to grasp, I know that... Well, it's kinda like having two of something, then you need five of it, of which you only fulfill two of the prerequisites..."
Naruto quickly stopped upon noticing Anya's confused and disappointed reaction as he promptly moved to run his hand through her hair.
"Hey, hey... Don't worry... We have two weeks to get you all ready..." Naruto assured.
"What even is the point of studying?!" Anya asked back, standing up, "I'll just read it from other people-"
"Is that what you're intending to do?" Naruto asked again, his impatience beginning to show itself again. "Are you intending to cheat?"
"I... Well-" Anya began to say again.
"Funny you say that... You want to hear a story from me... School days?" Naruto offered, attempting to lighten the mood of the situation by trying another method to teach. "Consider it something like a break from math, alright?"
"Of course! Anya loves stories!" Anya replied, her excitement restored.
"Alright... So... A long, long time ago... I used to be... Well, for a lack of better terms, the dumbest student that could be birthed on this earth, as well as a nightmare for any possible teacher to teach," Naruto began to say, garnering a curious look from Anya, "As clever as I look now... I gained it through experience, so I can't exactly force books upon you... Back then, I had to take a mandatory exam as well! And, for a lack of better terms, considering the circumstances of which everyone there with me had no idea how to answer any of the questions..."
"Ooh! Papa and his friends all had a group study session!" Anya cut in.
"Well... I wished I got along that well with everyone..." Naruto replied jokingly, "We were all, subtly, encouraged to cheat."
"What?!" Anya asked in disbelief, her strange trust in Naruto's words and apparent honesty prompting her to not check for the details in Naruto's mind.
"Yup, and while everyone in the class cheated... I, the stubborn idiot that I was, decided to leave everything blank," Naruto continued, "Thankfully... The stars aligned and decided that I was allowed to pass based on sheer willpower."
"Really?!" Anya asked in surprise, "Did Papa get the highest score in class?!"
"Well... As far as I could get from it..." Naruto replied, "I was told to resit for the test. During then... I gained something very, very valuable. A person who taught me to be the very best I could."
"Was he Papa's teacher?!" Anya asked in excitement about potentially meeting this teacher.
"Well... I had many teachers, but he was the most significant," Naruto replied, "You wanna know what's the one thing that allowed him to mold me into my current state of intelligence?"
"Ummm... Lots of books?" Anya guessed.
"Nope. He placed his faith in me and my potential, and... Was willing to give me a familial bond... As well as... Change his usual teaching methods to fit my needs..." Naruto began to say, pausing for a bit of time to think. "Anya... Please understand... For as short of a time that we've known each other, you are my daughter, and I place my faith in you unconditionally... But to do well in an exam, you'll need to put effort into it on your part, alright?"
"Alright, Papa! Anya will try her best!" Anya replied earnestly.
'Hmmm... Hold on a second... Adapting things... I've got an idea...' Naruto pondered, thinking back to his past stints of training under Jiraiya and teaching the Rasengan to Konohamaru, 'To train an unorthodox student... One must employ unorthodox tactics...' Naruto nodded to himself, before speaking up again.
"Let's try something... A little bit different..." Naruto began to say, rubbing his chin, "In the show Spy Wars, that you love, what weapon does Bondman use?"
Anya immediately brightened up upon hearing Naruto's question. "Ooh! A silenced pistol that holds eight bullets!"
"Very good... So, assuming in an episode, that Bondman starts with a full magazine before he shoots and wounds three people, with the assumption that his bullets have no penetrating power beyond that of its first target..." Naruto began to ask, "How many bullets would he have left in the gun?"
"Five!" Anya immediately replied not long after.
'Hmm... It's working so far... But I'll need extra evidence to prove its effectiveness,' Naruto pondered, before continuing to speak, "Correct... Now, onto the next question, assuming Bondman has to save fifteen hostages, has saved five so far, while three had fled on their own... How many hostages were there, to begin with?"
"Hmm... Twenty-three!" Anya stated, her voice brimming with confidence.
'Jackpot, so this is how I'll teach her... Work with her interests...' Naruto thought, a small smile slowly garnishing his face as he did, "Very good! Now... For your next question..."
-An Hour Later-
'Strange... Twilight still hasn't sent me a message regarding the plan...' Naruto thought, his anxiety rising slightly as he shut the book in his hands, "That's enough math for today... Let's move on to something else... Would you like to take a break first, Anya?"
"Anya's fine! Let's continue!" Anya exclaimed eagerly.
'Well, would you look at that... The lousy teacher somehow has an enthused student...' Naruto thought to himself, a slight smile forming on his face as he picked up another book. "Alright then... Let's help you with German this time... I may not look the part, but I can assure you, I speak fluent German."
"Anya knows! Papa's speaking it now!" Anya exclaimed with a giggle.
'For Kami's sake... Why am I acting like the fool I used to be...?' Naruto asked himself, facepalming as he did, "Anyhow, I'll start with a sentence, and you'll repeat it, alright?"
"Okay!" Anya replied, nodding her head as a form of confirmation.
"Alright... We'll go with something simple, to begin with," Naruto replied, "Hans is part of a family of five."
"H-Hans... Is pwart of a family... Of... Fwive?" Anya replied, messing up some of the pronunciations.
"Not bad, let's continue," Naruto replied, "Hans' father works whilst his mother stays at home."
"Hans' father works whilst his m-mother..." Anya began to say, lingering on the word 'mother' a little too long, before she continued, "Stays at home..."
"Don't worry, Anya... I'll try my best to get you a mother someday... I promise," Naruto assured, locking his pinky finger around Anya's to assure her that it was a genuine promise.
Naruto waited for a bit, as Anya slowly began to smile again and nod.
"Don't worry, papa! Anya trusts you!" Anya assured, "Let's continue!"
"Well, in that regard, let's continue," Naruto replied, looking at the book again and scanning through it. "Hans' father has a job as an accountant."
"Huh...? What's an accountant...?" Anya asked back, seeming slightly confused.
"Well... To put it simply, an accountant is someone who helps keep track of a company's finances..." Naruto explained, "Imagine Bondman with a mission to count someone's money."
"Oh... Alright, Anya thinks she gets it now!" Anya exclaimed, "But... If... If papa doesn't mind Anya asking... What is papa's job?"
"I'm an illusionist, basically a fancy word for a magician," Naruto replied, before noticing her increased confusion, "I perform... Tricks that look real."
"Really?! Can Anya see one of Papa's tricks?!" Anya asked back, excitement clear in her voice.
'It should be fine... Right...?' Naruto thought to himself, before forming a cross with his fingers, "Alright, feast your eyes... On this!" Naruto exclaimed as a cloud of smoke appeared next to him before it faded and replaced itself with a perfect clone of Naruto.
"Woah!" Anya exclaimed as she ran up to the clone, looking on in amazement as it looked back at her with equal amounts of interest. "Another Papa appeared!"
"Yeah... Sure did," Naruto replied, smiling softly as he could recognize that sense of childlike enthusiasm.
"Can Papa do anything else?!" Anya asked excitedly, her eyes glowing in her excitement.
"Hmm... Well, since you asked so nicely..." Naruto began to say, before pulling out one of his dull kunai. "This is one of my tools as an illusionist, don't play with it if you pick one of them up... This one may be dull, but most of them are sharp. Razor-sharp." Naruto warned, 'Good thing she doesn't know this is a murder weapon...'
'Murder weapon?!' Anya thought to herself as she read Naruto's thoughts, immediately putting down the dull kunai that she had picked up out of interest.
'Did... Did I say that out loud?' Naruto thought to himself, noting Anya's seemingly terrified expression, 'No... I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything...'
'Papa can sure be scary...' Anya thought as she stared at the book again, before pointing at the word 'friend'. "Ooh! Anya used to have friends at the orphanage!"
"Really? That's nice to know, I used to have many friends back then too!" Naruto explained, smiling softly, "Even if my best friend had to leave unexpectedly..."
"Huh? Leave...?" Anya asked in confusion.
'Crap... I may have trapped myself in a hole here...' Naruto thought to himself, quickly working to fabricate a story, his mind wandering to the actual series of events for inspiration.
'Hmmm... Let's see what Papa meant by that...' Anya thought to herself as she peeked into Naruto's mind.
-Valley of the End, Showdown-
"Hmm... This place brings back a lot of memories, doesn't it?" Naruto asked, staring across at the opposing statue on which Sasuke stood.
"Even if momentarily joining forces did feel like the days of old... I suppose we both knew it would end this way," Sasuke replied in turn, crushing a leaf in his palm.
"Heh... Well, do you remember that time we were learning about tree-walking in the forest?" Naruto asked back.
"You asked Sakura, and refused to tell me what she told you," Sasuke replied with a solemn smile, "And then we had competition after competition to see who would get further."
"That was a good memory..." Naruto replied, closing his eyes.
"From a past that has long since faded," Sasuke stated, unsheathing his chokuto.
"I miss the kind of people we were then..." Naruto replied, tightening his headband before slipping into a stance.
"Who doesn't hold nostalgia for better days?" Sasuke asked back before the two friends dashed towards each other.
-Present Time-
'Papa's been through a lot...' Anya thought to herself, reading all about Naruto and Sasuke's battle, up until Naruto spoke up again.
"Anyhow, we used to get along very, very well together," Naruto continued to make up. "We practically went without a single argument as friends."
'Well... That was a flat-out lie...' Anya thought, knowing full well what the truth was.
"We used to study under a master at a... A school that taught us how to perform magic..." Naruto improvised, "And he was constantly at the top whilst I was always at the bottom. But! Eventually, I became his equal, and him being my friend helped me up to that point."
'That's another lie...' Anya thought once again, leaning her face against her open right palm.
"And... Well... Before we parted ways, something which led to me coming to Ostania... He did give me some advice that I still live by to this day..." Naruto continued, piquing Anya's interest once again. "Basically..."
-Naruto and Sasuke's Battle-
With their chakra supplies now nearly exhausted completely, the two friends glared at each other once again, the raven-haired Uchiha gripping his right wrist tightly, as a crackling thunder began to gather on his palm, whilst Naruto held out his right palm, a blue sphere of circling chakra slowly forming in the center.
"This is it for you... Once... Once I go through with this... I'd have cut all my bonds to this accursed world..." Sasuke began to say as he readied himself.
"Well... You'd better hope that you're capable of doing so... I don't see either of us getting any more hits in after this..." Naruto joked as he readied himself in response, "I believe we're both out of chakra after this attack, so I'll be fair and let you call it a draw if you surrender now."
"Surely you didn't expect that to work?" Sasuke replied with a soft smile, bringing Naruto right back to the past they shared.
"When did it ever?" Naruto joked once again, accepting the reality of the situation and preparing himself for what he was going to do.
The two stood in place, in their respective stances as if waiting for the blanks of a gun to be fired, only for the starting shot to come in the form of a drop of water dripping upon the nearly empty pool below, prompting the two of them to dash at each other, Sasuke jumping down from his high ground towards Naruto whilst the blond leaped upwards to meet him mid-air.
With his Sharingan deactivated due to the chakra fatigue, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, attempting to see through whatever Naruto's plan was, finding the perfect opportunity as he narrowly avoided clashing with the blond's Rasengan and plunged his arm into him.
"I... I've got you now..." Sasuke mumbled in a triumphant tone, breathing heavily from the exhaustion as he looked up at his former friend, only for the Naruto in front of him to break down into a cloud of smoke.
"What the-" Sasuke began to say, only to never finish.
As Sasuke began to speak, the real Naruto came out from the shadows, the wounds sustained from their long battle extremely evident as he slammed the blue, rotating sphere of chakra into the raven-haired Uchiha, causing him to cough up large amounts of blood and collapse onto the ground defeated.
"How... How did you manage a clone... Didn't you-" Sasuke began to say, only for the blond to cut him off.
"I lied," Naruto replied, huffing and puffing as he sat down next to Sasuke. "Isn't that the main point of a shinobi...? Deception?"
"I... Well played..." Sasuke mumbled as he failed to resist Naruto taking his hand to perform the releasing of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. "You've won... Who'd have thought, that after all these years... You'd go this far..."
"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked back as he released Sasuke's hand, expending the last of his chakra as he tried his best not to collapse.
"Heh... If... If you were willing to go that far... To see your victory and your goals manifested..." Sasuke began to say amidst his dying breaths, "Then this world no longer needs me to shelter its darkness..."
Naruto's eyes widened, before he looked away, accepting reality as Sasuke stopped speaking, his body falling limp next to the blond.
-Present Day-
'Wow... Papa's been through a lot...' Anya thought to herself as she stared at Naruto's frown.
"Basically... He taught me that, by having goals that I want to achieve... And the competition that I want to rise above..." Naruto began to say, "I would improve much more in anything I put my mind to."
'Ummmm... That was another lie... But...' Anya began to think, only for Naruto to snap her out of her thoughts.
"And that's why you need to get many friends if you get into this school, alright? It'll help you out in later life," Naruto assured, 'Plus, it'll help me out with my mission too...' Naruto thought.
"Alright, Papa! Anya will try her best!" Anya assured in response, closing her eyes confidently as she did, 'If Papa needs help with his mission... Anya will do whatever it takes! After all... If Papa goes away... Anya will be alone again...' Anya thought.
Before the two of them could continue the discussion in any way, a knock could be heard on the door, prompting Naruto to stand up to go answer it. Upon placing his hand on the doorknob, Naruto's eyes widened.
"Careful, Naruto... I sense someone with hostile intentions behind this door..." Kurama warned, a warning that both Naruto and Anya kept in mind.
'Crap... Are these the terrorists that Twilight warned me about...?' Naruto thought to himself, as he placed his hand over his pocket to retrieve his portable cipher decoder, only to find that it had been left on for a while. 'Double crap...'
'Is this bad...? Papa seems worried...' Anya thought to herself as she noticed Naruto's visual panic.
'Maybe I'm just overthinking this...' Naruto thought to himself as he slowly opened the door, only to be faced with the barrel of a gun, one that was quickly pushed against his temple, prompting him to slowly raise both his hands.
"Strange, you don't look like what I expected Twilight to look like," The thug stated, slowly stepping forward and prompting Naruto to step backward in response, "You're coming with me, spy."
"P-Papa?" Anya croaked up, fearing for Naruto's life as she looked up, "W-What's going on?"
'Shit, now she's involved in this too...' Naruto thought, pondering a response, "Don't worry, Anya! This man is part of my... Illusionist show! He's just here to collect his pay... Trust me."
"What the hell are you talking about?!" The thug demanded, punching Naruto in the gut, only to not even receive a flinch in response.
Using the thug's moment of surprise to his advantage, Naruto knocked the gun out of the thug's hand with an elbow, before kicking the thug in the stomach with a spinning side-kick, launching the thug backward and onto his back before the blond ran over to Anya's side.
"Are you doing okay?!" Naruto asked, checking on Anya before hugging her by instinct, 'I don't even know why I'm acting like this... But it's rather relieving, fake family or not...'
"Papa was so cool! Was that a performance rehearsal?" Anya asked as if to reassure Naruto, even if she knew what Naruto had been thinking. "Is there any more for me to see?!"
"Uhhh... Yeah, of course... Go get more people as an audience, preferably police officers, alright?" Naruto requested, patting Anya on the head and unintentionally leaving a hidden Flying Raijin Seal out of habit. "They deserve it for their hard work every day..."
"Okay, Papa! Leave it to Anya!" Anya declared before she dashed out of the apartment through the door.
Naruto stood up from his crouching position, smiling softly to himself before he lifted his arm, breaking a plank that the thug from earlier had attempted to strike him with.
"Well... Wrong move..." Naruto stated before grabbing the thug by the wrist.
Forcing the thug to drop the piece of wood that had been shattered, Naruto flung his assailant over his shoulder into the other room, shattering the picture frame that had been hung on the wall in that room. The thug slowly stood to his feet again, only for Naruto to throw a right hook, knocking out one of his front teeth before the blond threw him into the living room once again, grabbing him by the wrist upon arriving there again.
"Who do you work for?" Naruto demanded, placing a foot on the thug's back and tightening his grip over the injured man's wrist.
"That would be me, Twilight, that man works for me," A voice suddenly said from behind, as the clicking of a gun could be heard. "And I can assure you, should you decide not to comply, your daughter will not be the last one to suffer."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, as he turned around towards the source of the voice, seeing a relatively old man lighting a cigar, whilst many other thugs behind him pointed their guns at Naruto, with one of them holding a gun to a crying Anya.
"Your move, Twilight," The man stated with a smug smirk, placing a lit cigar into his mouth, as if he hadn't just gotten the wrong spy.
Author's Notes 2: And that concludes my rather long hiatus, it's a shame that it ends with a cliffhanger, but it's as far as I can go today. As for why I haven't updated in a long time, it's mostly down to the fact that I broke my wrist a while back. But I'm back to normal now, even if my doctor tells me to take it slow. Regardless, I'll finish this section by the next chapter, which hopefully will come out by next week.
Regardless, tell me what you guys thought about this chapter in the reviews down below! I'm eager to see what you guys have to say!