Fox of Many Masks
Chapter 3
-4/12 – Tuesday-
'Another weird dream visit thing to that weird Velvet Room….fate and awakening they say….Geez, this is ridiculous' he thought with a sigh before he sat up on his bed and started to get ready for school.
Once again he enjoyed a breakfast of curry and coffee, it being oddly comforting, before he headed out and flipped the sign to open for Sojiro.
It was raining again but this time he brought an umbrella so he'd be fine on his way to school this time.
As he rode the train he silently wondered how long it'd take for him to get used to being packed like sardines in the subway cars.
Waiting for his transfer line he let out a bit of a yawn before two other Shujin students walked up beside him, making it rather hard not to eavesdrop on what they were saying.
"Look isn't that her?" one girl asked, motioning towards a girl up front with dark red hair that was tied up with a bright red ribbon.
"You mean the one with the red ribbon?" the guy beside her asked before looking at the girl ahead of them as best as he could. "I guess so" he told her with an unsure shrug.
"She's so thin….It's not fair! I've got my hair in a ponytail too…" the girl grumbled out, making the guy – and Naruto inwardly – raise their eyebrow in confusion.
"Okay? And what's that got to do with being thin?" the guy asked, Naruto agreeing with him before the train arrived and they all headed inside another packed subway car.
Naruto was a bit surprised, as he weaved around for a place to stand, to find himself standing nearby the red haired girl alongside a business man and a on older woman as the red haired girl seemingly got lucky and snagged a seat. This allowed him to see more of her than just the back of her head.
She was rather pretty in a cute way with red hair that almost had a wine-red color to it and her bangs naturally flowing towards her left, red eyes a bit lighter than her hair, and pink lips.
He also noticed she had an 'I' pin on her jacket collar, showing she was a first year.
The girl seemed to have noticed the older woman, sitting up with a smile. "Here please, take my seat. My station's coming up" the girl offered to the woman with a smile.
"Are you sure? Then…" the older woman said, the girl stepping to the side only for the businessman to rush in and snag the seat.
"Wow, that was pretty rude don't you think sir?" Naruto told the man with a bit of a flat look.
"What speed...I mean- Excuse me, that seat was for this lady…" the girl tried to tell the man only for him to 'fall asleep' moments after looking up at the girl.
"Oh…." The girl muttered dejectedly with a frown, Naruto clearing his throat a bit.
"Want me the 'wake up' this world's fastest sleeper? I'm sure I can shake him awake well enough" Naruto asked with a frown, finding this man to be beyond ridiculous with how he was acting.
"It's all right. I can understand his position as well" the girl assured him, making Naruto shrug as she had a lot more kindness and understanding for jerks than he did. "I'm sorry I couldn't be any help" the girl said once she turned back towards the older woman.
"It's all right dearie, don't you worry" the woman tried to reassure her with an understanding and kind smile.
"Please allow me to carry your luggage at least" the girl insisted with a determined twinkle in her eye that would've made Naruto chuckle a bit if it wouldn't have been considered rude to do so.
"Thank you!" the older woman said with gratitude. "Ain't it heavy though?" she asked, becoming worried about overworking the kind girl who had tried to help her.
"Not at all, I train plenty" the girl assured her as the train continued, Naruto getting off once it got to his stop.
As he continued through the station he slowed down as he heard someone running after him, turning to see the red-haired girl from earlier trying to catch up with him.
"Pardon me…" she said before stopping once she caught up with him only to bow to him a bit. "Thank you so much for earlier" she told him with a smile, Naruto chuckling as he waved her off.
"It's fine, I really didn't do much other than offer to get that jerk out of the seat" Naruto told her, not really seeing a need to thank him for it.
"You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, right? I'm a first-year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back there and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai" she said with a warm smile before bowing again to him. "Now that I have done so, please excuse me" she added before heading off to school ahead of him.
'Hmmm, nice girl and very kindhearted. Always a breath of fresh air to see' Naruto thought with a bit of a chuckle before he also continued on to school.
His school day was as boring as most school days, Naruto thankful when it was finally done with for the day.
Once again he found himself stopping outside the doorway of his classroom, looking over to see Kamoshida walking up to Takamaki.
"Hey there Takamaki. Things have been pretty dangerous with all those accidents" Kamoshida started to say, Naruto instantly knowing where this was going.
"Sorry! I have a photoshoot today. It's for a special summer issue so I can't afford to miss it" Takamaki instantly said to block and stop the man's advances.
"Hey now…being a model's fine and dandy but don't work your pretty little self to the bone. Plus you mentioned you weren't feeling well right? Something about appendicitis?" Kamoshida asked, Naruto really having to struggle not to laugh as that kind of excuse was so blatantly obvious code for 'not interested'.
"Yes…I keep planning to go to the hospital but I've been too busy…Sorry to worry you" Takamaki continued while Naruto was surprised that Kamoshida hadn't gotten the hint at all.
"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. Oh, and…be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record after all. If something were to happen to you…" Kamoshida warned and worried, that fake 'friend' act going right out the window the second he wasn't around.
"….Thank you, please excuse me" Takamaki said, clearly uncomfortable before she finally was able to get away from him, Kamoshida seemingly growling and shaking his head in frustration before heading off.
'That just screams sketchy, I should probably keep an eye on him….I hope Jiraiya packed my gear in my box or else this'll get a lot more difficult' Naruto thought, rubbing his chin in thought before he decided to head home since he didn't want to make Sojiro wait another day.
As he headed out the school gates he paused as Ryuji walked towards him.
"Yo, I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday" Ryuji said straightforward while Naruto smirked and nodded.
"Figured you would, couldn't continue to convince yourself it was a dream?" Naruto asked, getting a solemn nod from Ryuji.
"I tried but I couldn't do it…I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida after all" Ryuji told him with a look of determination in his eyes. "I wanna find out what's up with that place, no matter what and I know you're the only person I can rely on for this stuff so….you in?" he asked, making Naruto smile and hold out his fist towards Ryuji, the blonde fellow troublemaker smiling as he bumped fists with him.
"I was wanting to head there again as well but felt bad about going alone since you are involved just as much as I am. Plus I think I have a way of getting there" Naruto told him, motioning him to follow before they headed off to the alleyway near the school that they had originally came out of to arrive at the castle yesterday.
"Really? You know how to get there?" Ryuji asked in shock as Naruto pulled out his phone and opened the eye app that he felt was this 'Navigator'.
"This app is the Metaverse Navigator, or how about the Meta-Nav for short, and it's what took us there…I think" he told Ryuji, looking at the app and smiling at the 'bookmarked locations' as it showed the Castle.
"It has the destination bookmarked so we just tap it and it'll guide us there…or something" Naruto said as he looked to Ryuji, silently asking if it was okay with him if he did it, getting a vigorous nod from him before Naruto tapped the bookmark.
"Kamoshida…Shujin Academy…Pervert…Castle. Beginning Navigation" the same voice from yesterday spoke out from his phone before the air darkened around them with the app's icon took over his entire screen.
-Kamoshida's Palace-
They both watched in shock as the school transformed right before their eyes, Naruto quick to notice how his clothes had changed again.
"Look! It's the castle from yesterday!" Ryuji said in shock, unable to believe that they were actually here again, instantly running into it with Naruto following behind him.
"We made it back…that means what happened yesterday was real too…" Ryuji muttered in awe, looking around before he too noticed the change in clothes. "Those clothes! That happened yesterday as well!" Ryuji yelled before Naruto shushed him.
"Dude, last thing we need is for those knights to come towards all the noise you're making" Naruto warned him with a frown.
"Naruto's right, all that commotion is going to get the Shadow's attention if you don't calm down" a familiar voice called out, getting them to turn to look at the source and see a familiar 'not-a-cat'.
"To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape" Morgana almost chided them as he frowned at them.
"We had to come back. It was just too crazy to forget about" Naruto told him before looking around. "This castle really is the school…I knew I saw flashes of it when I was in the school yesterday" he muttered with a frown, still trying to wrap his head around it all.
"It is the school to the castle's ruler" Morgana explained which only confused Ryuji.
"Castle's ruler?" Ryuji asked, getting Morgana to nod.
"I think you called him Kamoshida. It's how his distorted heart views the school" Morgana continued to explain, Naruto rubbing his chin as he tried to piece it together.
"Explain it in a way that makes sense!" Ryuji yelled in frustration which made Morgana sigh in exhaustion at.
"I shouldn't have expected a moron like you to get it…" Morgana said with a roll of his eyes before Naruto cleared his throat to stop the arguing that was about to start.
"So, because he's an asshole who thinks of himself as the king of the school in the real world it somehow made it like this here? Basically it's like this is his mental realm?" Naruto asked, getting a smile from Morgana who nodded as if excited someone got it right.
But his joy was quickly interrupted by the sound of a scream ringing out from inside the castle.
"What was that!?" Ryuji asked, looking towards the castle with worry in his eyes towards the source of the screams.
"It must be the slaves held captive here" Morgana told them, surprising Ryuji as more screams rang out.
"Oh shit, for real? We saw other guys held captive here yesterday…I'm pretty sure they're from our school" Ryuji said with Morgana nodding along.
"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary, it's like that every day here. What's more, you two escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit" Morgana explained to them with more screams occasionally ringing out as they talked.
"That son of a bitch! This is bullshit!" Ryuji yelled as he ran forward and slammed against the front doors with a roar of anger. "You hear me Kamoshida!?" he screamed out in rage while Morgana looked worriedly over at him.
"Hey Monamona!" Ryuji yelled out while walking over to them.
"It's Morgana!" Morgana reminded him and obviously annoyed at being called the wrong name.
"Do you know where those voices are coming from?" Ryuji asked, Morgana nodding with a confused look on his face.
"You want me to take you to them? Why?" Morgana asked as if to him it made no sense.
"Because they need our help! We aren't just going to leave them there!" Ryuji yelled, making Morgana widen his eyes only to sigh and shake his head.
"How stupid can you get? Those people aren't real! They are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition, they aren't real humans that have entered from reality like you two" Morgana explained to Ryuji with a flat look that showed he was tired of talking to an idiot.
"Cognition…?" Ryuji muttered, not quite catching what it meant.
"I think he means those are essentially, to put it into layman's terms, his imaginary versions of real people?" Naruto suggested, getting a nod and a smile from Morgana.
"In simple terms you are correct. They aren't actual people who can be saved, they are – essentially – extremely similar looking dolls. They only can say or do things that he thinks they'd be able to do" Morgana continued before Ryuji slammed his foot on the ground.
"So the school is a castle and the students are slaves…it's so on point that it makes me laugh" Ryuji grumbled before perking up and turning towards Morgana. "Wait, you mentioned how they can say or do things if Kamoshida thinks they'd be able to do….does that mean they could tell us stuff about Kamoshida?" he asked, making Morgana frown and nod a bit unsurely.
"I guess depending on if Kamoshida makes them intelligent enough to talk" Morgana muttered which only seemed to make Ryuji more determined.
"Then I still wanna go to them and see what they can tell me! If they are realistic then maybe I can take some pics of their faces to help and find the real ones for me to talk to" Ryuji told Morgana, looking the 'not-cat' in the eyes and getting a smirk from him.
"That's actually a pretty smart idea…sure, I'll guide you there but only if he comes with us" Morgana said, pointing to Naruto.
"Fine by me since I came to investigate this place as well" Naruto told them, smirking as he held out his fist for Ryuji to bump again, getting his blonde friend to pump his fists out of excitement.
"For real!?" Ryuji cheered out, excited to finally get back in. "But seriously, thanks man" he quickly added with Naruto waving him off to show he really didn't mind.
"All right let's do this. Follow me!" Morgana instructed before running off, leaving the two of them to run after him until they arrived back at the vent they had escaped out of the first day.
"So this will be our way in and out of the castle?" Naruto asked given they couldn't just walk in and out through the front door.
"Correct! Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery" Morgana explained, Naruto noticing the reference to thievery, just like Igor and the twin wardens back in the Velvet Room.
"How are we, normal high school students, supposed to know about that stuff?" Ryuji asked with a groan of frustration.
"Then I'll just have to make sure to teach you as we go. Come on, follow me!" Morgana told them as he hopped up onto a nearby barrel and into the castle through the vent.
Naruto was quick to follow Morgana through the vent with Ryuji right behind him, them both hopping down and back into the castle.
"Man, this place is as creepy as always" Ryuji said with a shudder, Morgana nodding along with a serious look on his face.
"Now make sure you do exactly as I say, all right?" Morgana told them, looking to each of them and waiting for them each to give him a nod before he ran out of the room and turned right towards the main hall.
"Oh yeah, this is where we walked into the first time we came here didn't we?" Ryuji muttered as he looked around at the main hall, shuddering at the picture of Kamoshida in golden armor in the back of the hall.
He though quickly took a step back as the scenery seemed to fade back and forth between the castle and the actual school.
"Whoa! I was seeing double or something just now! Was that Shujin?" Ryuji asked in shock before Morgana nodded.
"I told you before, this place is your school so occasionally you will see it flicker between the castle – the distortion – and the school – the truth. But regardless, we don't have time to stand around as who knows when a Shadow might show up" he told them, urging them to continue following him as he headed back down to the dungeon.
"The same thing happened to me yesterday, I had a flash of the castle whole in the school. Could be that due to us having been here before our minds can flicker between each setting?" Naruto asked Morgana, mainly out of curiosity, as they ran down the spiral staircase.
"Pretty much, your mind knows there is something else there so it lets you see brief flashes like that. You can't see people or shadows but just the scenery" Morgana said as they left the staircase, continuing on until stopping at a metal door due to a Shadow being a bit ahead of them.
"Shoot….I had a feeling there would be guards here. Looks like we're going to have to start fighting our way forward" Morgana grumbled out with a frown before Naruto started to crack his knuckles.
"Bring it, Arséne and I am ready to go. We should wait until their back is turned and surprise them right?" Naruto asked, getting a surprised look from Morgana before the 'not-a-cat' nodded.
"Y-Yeah, I was just about to tell you that" Morgana said with Naruto chuckling with a shrug of his shoulders. "But you'll also have to rip their masks off to momentarily break the control that the Palace ruler has over them" he quickly added, Naruto nodding along to it.
"I mean ambushing is kind of a given as it gives us the advantage, ripping off their masks is an interesting way to go about it but I feel like I can do it" Naruto assured Morgana before looking over to Ryuji.
"Don't worry, I'll stay back as I know I'd only get in the way given I don't have some crazy Persona…..I just feel like I'm in the way a bit and not of any help…." Ryuji muttered with a frown until Naruto patted him on the back.
"You are helping later by remembering the faces of the people we are gonna meet. I just got here so I don't know anyone at the school so it's up to you to remember who we possibly see so we can talk to them in the real world. Think of me and Morgana as your bodyguards" Naruto told him with a chuckle and a thumbs up, getting Ryuji to chuckle as well before Morgana cleared his throat.
"You guys done talking now? Cause I can assure you the Shadow won't be stuck in that patrol forever, he very well could head this way" Morgana reminded them, Naruto nodding as he cracked his neck and bounced a bit to limber up.
"Ready!" Naruto said with a large smile before rushing towards the Shadow the second it turned away from them.
Naruto was a bit surprised at his speed, him being much faster than usual to the point he nearly ran straight into the Shadow but was thankfully able to jump onto its shoulders at the last second. "Show me your true form!" he yelled out, grabbing and ripping the mask off the knight and jumping back just as it started to violently spasm and turn into black liquid which then transformed into a Jack O'lantern.
"Now's our chance to strike! Go!" Morgana yelled out, now being right beside Naruto as the Shadow looked around stunned and confused.
"Arséne! Ravage them! Eiha!" Naruto yelled out, summoning his Persona behind him and using the black and red energy attack to hit the Shadow, it getting knocked back and slumping over as if almost dead.
"I'll finish it off!" Morgana yelled as he rushed forward with a cutlass sword, slashing at the Shadow and dismissing it into black smoke.
"Nice one!" Ryuji congratulated with a pat on the back, Naruto nodding before taking a look around to see where to go.
"This way" Naruto instructed, pointing to the left with his thumb towards the bridge after seeing that the path ahead of them was a dead end.
As they rushed on ahead Ryuji frowned as he realized something wasn't right.
"Wait, why isn't anyone here?" Ryuji asked given this was where some people were locked up the last time they were here.
"Well, if I had to guess, given we escaped maybe he moved them further in to make sure they were more secure? I mean I know they aren't real but to this version of Kamoshida they are and he wouldn't want more prisoners breaking free" Naruto suggested, rubbing the back of his head with a bit of a frown as this whole 'fakes and alternate versions' business was confusing to get his head fully wrapped around.
"Then lets get going!" Ryuji urged only for Morgana to stop him.
"Wait! I hear footsteps coming! Lots of them! Let's head into that room! We should be able to hide in there until they leave" Morgana suggested, pointing towards the doors right beside them with Naruto noticing how odd and wavy it looked.
To him it looked like it was obstructed by heatwaves that you see far down the road when it's hot outside.
Though he didn't have any room to argue as he and Ryuji followed Morgana into the room.
"The Shadows probably won't come in here" Morgana told them as they closed the doors behind them with him quickly hopping up on the table in the room.
"How can you tell?" Ryuji asked since other than the weird door the room itself looked like the rest of the rooms down in this area to him.
"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak" Morgana explained before the room flickered to an empty classroom for a second.
"Wait is this a classroom?" Ryuji asked before Naruto snapped his fingers, understanding what it meant.
"Its because Kamoshida has little to no control in an actual classroom since he's a PE teacher. It'd be like if Kawakami tried to take control in the gym" Naruto explained, Ryuji nodding along as he understood what he was getting at.
"Exactly, this is another reality that the ruler's heart projects and because the ruler has no power in those rooms in the real world it makes these rooms safe for us to be in this world" Morgana continued which only confused Ryuji more.
"Okay I understood it when Naruto explained it but you just confuse me! This is Kamoshida's reality? It really doesn't make any sense!" Ryuji yelled out in frustration before Morgana rolled his eyes.
"One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a 'Palace'" Morgana tried to simplify, Naruto picking up the word Palace again, a word that Igor had also used.
"To put it into simpler terms, this is a world made by Kamoshida's shitty heart-slash-mind that is kind of on a separate layer than the real world. Think of this world like another projector sheet over the image of the school on another projector sheet only we can move from one layer to the other unlike other people" Naruto said, not even too sure about his explanation despite trying to use terms that Ryuji might understand.
"Okay I can understand that a good deal better than what Morgana's spouting" Ryuji told him with a look that showed he appreciated the explanation.
"Does my outfit also have something to do with Kamoshida or is it related to my Persona?" Naruto asked as he had been curious about this rather sick outfit for a while.
"A bit of both. You are in this outfit due to Kamoshida seeing you as an intruder but you yourself created this outfit to protect yourself from the distortions around you. The design is from your heart, more specifically, from your powerful will of rebellion. This is the image of rebellion that you hold within" Morgana explained, Naruto looking over his outfit with a smirk.
"So because I deep down see 'rebellion' looking like this I turned into this? Seems pretty interesting as I have to say I look sick" Naruto said with a smirk, messing with his jacket and playfully adjusting his tie.
"I'm more curious about you than his clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?" Ryuji asked, bringing up the oddity that was Morgana.
"I'm a human! An honest-to-god human!" Morgana declared with full conviction, getting unsure looks from the both of them.
"No…you're obviously more like a cat!" Ryuji said, Naruto nodding along with a bit of an apologetic look on his face.
"Sorry Morgana but you have a tail, you have ears, and paw pads. You literally can't get any more cat-like unless you turn into a normal cat" Naruto told him with a frown, getting Morgana to deflate a good deal.
"This is…well…it's because I lost my true form…I think" he muttered, clearly not sure about it entirely.
"You think?" Ryuji asked since this shouldn't really be the kind of thing you get unsure about.
"But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means….until I ended up getting caught" Morgana explained only to lose confidence at the end a bit due to getting captured the way he did.
"Besides, I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm gonna make him pay for sure!" he told them, his determination and confidence returning before Ryuji shook his head with a sigh.
"What is this, a comic book? This stuff is seriously crazy…" Ryuji groaned out before Naruto cleared his throat in hopes of getting things back on track.
"Not to interrupt but I think the Shadows have passed and, while it is nice to rest here, we should get going" Naruto brought up with a nod from Morgana showing he agreed.
"Right and I'll be counting on your skills this time too rookie, got it?" Morgana told him, Naruto giving a little salute that showed he understood.
"Don't worry though, I'm not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help so I brought this just in case!" Ryuji said before he pulled out a model gun from his bag. "It's a model gun though so it only makes sounds" he added while handing it to Naruto.
"Hmmm, could work as a fake out since the enemy don't really know its real or anything. Thanks Ryuji" Naruto told him with a smile, slipping it into an inside pocket of his jacket.
"I brought some medicine too. You know what they say: 'Providin' is pre…something'" Ryuji said, Naruto struggling not to let out a long sigh before he pocketed the medicine as well.
"Those will help a lot but come on, we need to go" Naruto told him as he walked up to the door and cracked it open just barely so he could peek out, allowing him to see a group of three Shadows outside.
"Hm, I thought I just heard something move over there…Guess it was my imagination…" the Shadow muttered to the others before another nodded.
"And what of the slaves?" another Shadow asked, looking between the two others for an answer.
"They're all in the training hall. I'd assume they're screaming in pain by now" the last Shadow explained getting some chuckles from the others.
"Very well. By the way, I heard we may have intruders around. Stay on your guard" the first Shadow said before they all nodded and split up again.
"Did you hear that?" Morgana asked as they walked out of the safe room. "I believe the training hall is just a bit further ahead so lets go!" Morgana urged since now there was a goal to head towards.
Walking ahead and down a flight of stairs they paused a bit, noticing another Shadow on guard near a iron barred door which was different from the wooden ones nearby.
"The training hall should be just beyond those bars. We'll have to fight it so try not to have it notice you beforehand as if it does the Palace's security level will rise which in turns makes the Shadows stronger. But don't worry too much as it can be lowered by defeating Shadows without getting noticed" Morgana explained to them, Naruto nodding along.
"Got it, just gotta stay stealthy which I can definitely manage" Naruto assured him before watching from afar and waiting for the moment the Shadow turned away before rushing forward to rip its mask off.
This time he was surprised to see them turn into two human-shaped plants with red flowers on their heads.
"These are different" Naruto told Morgana, getting a nod before Naruto took advantage of the opening they had and ran forward.
"Arséne! Cleave!" Naruto yelled as his Persona's golden tipped claws grew sharper and begun dragging them through the air as it flew, leaving orange gashes in the air before swiping them up in an uppercut to slash the shadow, Naruto following alongside and slashing it with his knife to finish it off in a combo move.
"Nice one! Zorro we're next! Garu!" Morgana yelled as Zorro swiped his sword in a 'z' shape before a gust of green wind spun around and struck the Shadow but didn't kill it.
The Shadow was quick to attack, diving towards Naruto and striking him, making him wince before it leapt back.
"Finish it, Eiha!" Naruto ordered, the red and black energy being enough to strike it and take it out.
"Come on, lets continue on to the training hall" Naruto said with a frown, pulling down a lever while looking over the slight scrape that the Shadow gave him.
"You okay?" Ryuji asked with Naruto shrugging him off.
"I'm fine, nothing major" he assured him before Morgana summoned his Persona with Zorro waving his sword over Naruto, making some light green sparkles rain down on him which instantly made him start to feel better.
"I have healing skills so I can help heal up little scrapes like that" Morgana said, making Naruto smile and hold out his fist towards the 'not-cat'.
"Thanks Morgana" Naruto thanked before Morgana bumped fists and they continued on through the now opened door.
"It should be a bit further in so lets keep moving while looking out for guards" Naruto told them as they continued down the set of stairs past the doorway only to continue on down the next set of stairs that immediately followed.
As they went on the path and nearly turned the corner they quickly had to jump back to avoid being seen, crouching behind some nearby boxes as two Shadows talked around the corner.
"Hey, have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?" one Shadow asked as the other shook its head.
"No, nobody yet…" the other said with a bit of worry in its voice, as if it didn't want to fail its job.
"I had a feeling there would be a lot of enemies here. It'd be impossible to dodge them all" Morgana muttered while peeking around the boxes.
"Then what should we do? Try and take them down like before?" Ryuji asked and suggested before Naruto gave a 'sorta' gesture with his hand.
"We could but we need to conserve energy so we can't just fight everything in our path as summoning our Persona are exhausting as are using their abilities" Naruto explained to Ryuji, his friend nodding along since he didn't quite know how summoning a Persona went for them.
"Dammit, I wish I could fight! I'd at least be able to help out a little bit….All I got was that toy from earlier…I'm such a loser" Ryuji complained, hating the feeling of being weak before Naruto patted him on the back.
"Actually, that might work! We can use them to take down the enemies" Morgana told them both, getting confused looks from them both.
"What!? Were you listenin' to me? It don't even shoot pellets" Ryuji reminded him with Naruto looking at Morgana with an unsure look.
"Something about how it looks real is gonna play into things isn't it?" Naruto asked, getting a chuckle and a nod from Morgana.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll work with what I have in mind so attack away Naruto!" Morgana urged while Naruto nodded and rushed at the Shadow, striking at it with his dagger since he couldn't get its mask off.
Doing so got the same result as pulling of their mask, them melting and turning into two monsters, another Jack O'lantern and a plant creature.
"Now point that gun at one of the Shadows and fire away" Morgana instructed as Naruto shrugged and pulled out the gun, aiming at the Jack O'lantern and pulling the trigger only to get utterly surprised as the gun fired like a real gun.
"Keep going!" Morgana urged before Naruto unloaded a total of six bullets into the Jack O'lantern which killed it with the remaining two being shot at the plant – revealing the gun only had eight bullets in it.
"How about that!? Surprised?" Morgana asked with a smirk before pulling out a massive slingshot. "Now let me show you my weapon!" he declared before finishing off the plant with two pellets.
"Whoa! Did that toy gun just shoot real freakin' bullets!?" Ryuji asked in total shock while Morgana nodded.
"This is a cognitive world, as long as our opponents see it as real it becomes as such. It's a good thing it's so realistic looking" Morgana told them, making Naruto look at the 'toy' gun in his hand way differently than he had mere moments ago.
"Because they recognize it as a gun your ammo is limited to battle but your enemies are also expecting you to come at them with guns fully loaded so your ammo will be replenished in every new fight" he continued to explain before they heard clanking metal rushing up to them.
"W-What!? You bastards!" the Shadow yelled as it rushed at them.
"Oh you are so underprepared" Naruto told it with a smirk before rushing at it just like the last, it quickly turning into a lone plant. He didn't even need to think about it as he pulled out his gun and fired away, killing it in four shots.
"I wasn't sure whether or not to bring it at first but I'm sure glad I did" Ryuji said with a smile, glad that he was able to help.
"Now with some additional firepower we can lessen the burden of fighting so lets keep at it" Morgana urged before Naruto nodded and they kept going.
As they continued along there was really only one more shadow in the way, that fight going insanely easy with them finishing off the two Jack O'lanterns with their firearms so they didn't even need to summon their Persona.
They had to stop and hide behind some cover as they noticed another Shadow, this one staying right in front of the only door around.
"A guard…and I'm pretty sure that's where we need to be going too…." Morgana muttered before Ryuji looked at it from behind cover.
"You guys gonna take it down again?" Ryuji asked while Morgana nodded.
"Its our only choice but this also might be a good time to teach you a special way to fight enemies. Just follow my lead and instructions" Morgana told him before Naruto rushed at the Shadow and struck it, it dissolving and transforming into a singular pixie looking creature.
"First knock it down!" Morgana instructed, Naruto summoning Arséne – feeling an instinct telling him it was weak to his Eiha attack.
Once the attack hit Naruto watched as the pixie fell back, clearly dazed as it laid on the floor with them surrounding it with their guns drawn and pointed at it to keep it from moving.
"Now rush in for an All-Out Attack!" Morgana declared, Naruto not being sure what it meant but decided to go with his instincts like he had been recently.
In the end his instincts instructed him rather interestingly, Morgana and him bouncing around off the surroundings to slash the enemy to pieces. As he skidded to a stop he was rather surprised at what he had just accomplished, chalking it up to how he was boosted and enhanced in this world a bit.
"What was that super move thing you just did!?" Ryuji asked in shock while Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"It was odd but it was as if my body was on autopilot as we bounced around….gotta say it was sweet to do" Naruto said with a chuckle with Morgana nodding along.
"It's an All-Out Attack, a move you can pull off when the enemies are knocked down and can be potentially used to beat them all at once with a concentrated attack on them while they are defenseless" Morgana explained before turning to Naruto with a smile. "And with that I honestly believe you'd be best as the head of command in battle. You might be new to battle but you have a good flow in battle so how about you issue the commands for future battles, including when to use All-Out Attacks" Morgana suggested, getting Naruto to rub his chin in thought before nodding.
"Sure, could be interesting. I'll try to keep the orders simple" Naruto told Morgana, getting a fist bump from the 'not-cat' when he held out his fist towards him. "Now lets keep moving" he continued with Ryuji and Morgana following behind him as he continued on through the door.
"Kamoshida's Training Hall of Love?...What kind of bullshit is this!?" Ryuji asked in shock and anger as he glared up at the banner above the door.
"Well with him I can only imagine what kind of messed up stuff is on the other side of this door…best to just keep going" Naruto told him, patting him on the shoulder to keep him from getting to angry at it and guiding them through the door and into the training hall.
Instantly he frowned as they all heard what sounded a bit like somethings being struck from deeper inside as well as what Naruto swore sounded like a canon, nothing needing to be said as they all kept going to see what was going on in this 'cognitive training hall'.
They all paused a bit as they arrived at the first 'section', allowing them to see four students being beaten by knights as they swung their spears at them like baseball bats. Both Naruto and Ryuji stunned at the sight and the grunts of pain from the students.
"Wait, Morgana….You mentioned that this place is how Kamoshida sees stuff right?" Naruto asked with a frown, getting a nod from Morgana before Ryuji clenched his fist in anger. "So does that mean Kamoshida is abusing his students?" he asked, getting another nod from Morgana.
"Most likely, it wouldn't be exactly like this of course but it's safe to say this shows he uses physical violence and abuse on his students…." Morgana muttered, not entirely liking the thought of this happening in the real world.
"Stop it…Leave us alone…It's useless…" one guy in a volleyball jersey said as he walked up to them from behind the bars.
"So they can talk….I figured someone like Kamoshida might have made them able to talk, otherwise how else would they grovel to him" Naruto muttered to Morgana before Ryuji walked up to the guy just as another walked up to them.
"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys" the other one said with Ryuji looking from one to the other.
"So wait, you all withstand beatings like this?" Ryuji asked, them nodding before walking off. "You said these people look like the ones in the real world right?" he asked Morgana again, the 'not-cat' nodding as he walked up to them.
"They should since they are cognitions that Kamoshida formed based off students in the real world" Morgana told him, watching as Ryuji stared intently at the faces of the slaves down below.
"I heard he used physical punishment but that was just rumors…this proves it though! All I need are pictures of them and talk to the ones in the real world to get them to tell me all about it!" Ryuji said, pulling out his phone only to groan in frustration as his camera wasn't working.
"We can use the navigation app but the camera is a no go?!" Ryuji asked in confusion as it made almost no sense.
"Navigation app?" Morgana asked with Naruto nodding.
"The Metaverse Navigator, Meta-Nav for short, it's how we got here. And just so you know, my camera doesn't work either Ryuji" Naruto explained to Morgana before letting Ryuji know he couldn't do it either.
"There's no other way then, I'll just memorize their faces before going home" Ryuji told them, peering down at the students from behind the bars to really imprint their faces into his memory. "Okay…let's check the other cells around here to find some more" he added after a bit, showing he felt he had memorized their faces.
As they moved onto the next 'cell' area Naruto frowned as he peered down at three students running on a massive treadmill with a spiked roller at the end, threatening those who didn't keep up with a kettle of water teasingly hanging at the far wall to almost mock them due to it being out of reach.
"W-Water…" one student weakly cried out as they ran.
"Please…no more" another one begged while the three all continued to run.
"Not giving athletes water even for tough training is common thing in the real world too but this shows he takes it way too far" Naruto said with a frown, having been on several sports teams and while they sometimes had held off on giving water it never ever got to a dangerous point.
"Yeah…just give me a bit and I'll memorize their faces" Ryuji said with a frown, once again peering down to try and get their faces stuck in his mind.
The last large area was the oddest while still being harsh as one student was tied up and hanging upside down while a cannon fired volleyballs at them with them yelling out groans of pain with each shot.
"It hurts! It hurts!" they cried out as they writhed and struggled helplessly.
"The hell…? This ain't training at all! It's just violence! This means he's been doing something similar in reality too right? Damn that bastard!" Ryuji yelled out while looking to memorize the student's face.
"If I had to guess what this means in real life he probably is spiking balls at his students and purposefully aiming to hit them. A bit of a way for him to let out frustration on them most likely" Naruto suggested, causing Ryuji to tighten his grip on the iron bar until his knuckles were white while he glared down as he memorized the last face.
"Hey! Are you done yet!? We're cutting it close here! The Shadows will eventually notice their allies are missing when they change shifts!" Morgana warned them before Ryuji nodded.
"Yeah I got all of them" Ryuji said with a nod before Naruto cracked his neck.
"Then lets get out of here. I'd rather not have to fight through more annoying enemies" Naruto said before the two others showed they were ready to go, following him as he started off back towards the way they came in from.
As they arrived back near where the safe room was they took a pause to get their bearings to see which way they had to go to get out of this odd area.
"All right we're back! We gotta get outta here quick!" Ryuji urged before they all perked up at the sound of clanking metal.
"The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting! Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!" a Shadow's voice boomed out before they heard and saw a Shadow arrive at the end of a nearby bridge.
"We've stayed here too long…Come on, let's get out of here before they come this way!" Morgana hissed out in a whisper as they hid behind some crates, all of them thankful the Shadow wasn't blocking their way to the exit.
Their way to the exit of the dungeon was thankfully free of Shadows, allowing them to reach the main hall easily before they started to run across it towards their 'infiltration point'.
'Crap…' Naruto thought with a groan as they all skidded to a stop just as several Shadows, one being clad in completely golden armor, and Kamoshida himself appeared in their way.
"You knaves again!? To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!" Shadow Kamoshida said with a scoff and a glare before Ryuji took a step forward.
"The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good, you're going down in the real world!" Ryuji taunted him with a defiant glare.
"It seems it's true when they say 'barking dogs seldom bite'. How far the star runner of the track team has fallen" Shadow Kamoshida mocked with a smirk, wanting to get under Ryuji's skin and seemingly succeeding.
"What the hell are you getting at!?" Ryuji asked, getting more and more pissed off at this version of Kamoshida the more he saw and the more he heard.
"I speak of the 'Track Traitor' who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your…selfish act" Shadow Kamoshida continued, confusing Naruto as he turned to Ryuji.
"Track Traitor?" Naruto asked him, confused at what Kamoshida meant a bit.
"What a surprise. So you're accompanying him without know anything at all?" Kamoshida asked before Naruto waved him off with a roll of his eyes.
"I honestly don't give a shit about anything you have to tell me as if your acting like it's terrible I know it's really isn't that bad. I mean, coming from a guy who tries to hit on students and abuses them its clear you'd only act like it's bad to be like 'You're just as bad as me' that assholes love to do" Naruto told him, enjoying the angered look on Kamoshida's face as he clearly struggled not to just order the Shadows to attack.
"He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes and yet he still carries on as carefree as ever" Kamoshida hissed out, struggling to stay 'composed'.
"That's not true!" Ryuji yelled out before looking over to him, Naruto nodding to show he didn't believe Kamoshida one bit.
"What a tragedy. You blindly trusted this fool and he's led you right to your death" Kamoshida said, smirking before he turned around as if they weren't worth his time. "Hurry up and dispose of them. I can't stand their stench" he ordered the golden knight, it then ordering the two regular shadows to attack with them transforming into three curved horn black horses.
"Ryuji move!" Morgana yelled as he and Naruto rushed in front of Ryuji to protect him as the Shadows surrounded them.
"Crap…this isn't good" Naruto muttered as the Shadows surrounded them, Morgana nodding along as the two of them tried to think of a way out of this.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you cause King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill cause that's what he wants!" one of the horses yelled as it reared up and lunged into Morgana with the other two lunging into Naruto.
They both struggled a bit as even when focusing their attacks on one horse it wasn't enough to kill it. The horses didn't let up as they attacked again, this time with enough force to knock them down while being unable to get back up due to being surrounded.
Kamoshida seemed to revel in it as he walked over to put his foot on Morgana to keep him down.
"You piece of…!" Morgana groaned out before Kamoshida applied more pressure to shut him up.
"Get off of him you asshole!" Naruto growled out, trying to get up before the golden knight put his foot on his back to keep him down.
"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, isn't that right?" Kamoshida asked Ryuji with a smirk as Ryuji was on his knees helpless, unable to do anything.
"N-No" Ryuji muttered, unable to muster much of anything to say anything else.
"What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly. How dare you raise your hand at me" Kamoshida started while locking eyes with Ryuji. "Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?" he asked, getting Ryuji to clench his jaw in anger.
"That wasn't no practice! It was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!" Ryuji yelled out in frustration and anger.
"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me!" Kamoshida declared before growing a cocky smirk. "That coach who got fired was hopeless too…had he not opposed me with a sound argument I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg" he revealed, seemingly reveling in his shitty actions.
"What?..." Ryuji asked in shock, as if not believing that Kamoshida seriously would something that shitty.
….But then again, it was Kamoshida.
"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!" Kamoshida mocked with a shit eating grin while Ryuji slammed his fist into the ground.
"Dammit…Am I gonna lose again?" Ryuji asked while he started to slump over more. "Not only can I not run anymore…the track team is gone too cause of this asshole…" he continued, his voice shaking and showing how torn up he was.
"So that's why…" Morgana muttered as it was all starting to come together, both him and Naruto starting to struggle underneath the feet holding them down.
"Once these two are dealt with, you're next" Kamoshida threatened, glancing over to Ryuji and laughing.
"Don't let this asshole win! Stand up for yourself man!" Naruto yelled out, looking at Ryuji as his friend lifted up his head.
"…You're right. Everything that was important to me was taken by him! I'll never get 'em back!" Ryuji started to say, Naruto seeing a fire beginning to get lit in his eyes.
"Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you" Kamoshida continued to mock before Ryuji stood up, fiercely glaring at Kamoshida as he did so.
"No…that's what you are. All you think about is using people…You're the real scumbag Kamoshida!" Ryuji yelled out as he started walking towards Kamoshida, no feeling the slightest bit afraid of an asshole like him.
"what are you doing? Silence him!" Kamoshida ordered before Ryuji stomped his foot and pointed out at Kamoshida.
"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!" Ryuji roared out before he widened his eyes.
"You made me wait quite a while" Ryuji heard a voice speak out in his head, causing him to clutch his head in pain and fall to his knees as his eyes turned golden like Kamoshida's. "You seek power correct? Then let us form a pact" it continued, causing Ryuji to fall to the floor and begin to writhe and scream in pain.
"Since your name has been disgraced already why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?" it asked with a smirk in its tone. "The 'other you' who exists within desires it thus…I am thou, thou art I…There is no turning back….the skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!" it declared before Ryuji finally raised his head to reveal a metal skull shaped mask had appeared on his face.
"Hmph, what can you do?" the golden knight asked with a scoff. "Cower in fear and watch!" it yelled, raising its sword to strike Naruto down and causing Ryuji to push through the pain as he worked to take his mask off.
Ryuji let out a scream of pain, blood gushing out of his face as he ripped the mask off with an explosion of fire erupting from him which also pushed back the Shadows and Kamoshida.
As the fire cleared Naruto looked with a smirk at Ryuji's new look and his Persona.
Gone was the Shujin uniform and in its place was a black jacket, a red ascot around his neck, matching black pants with metal knee pads and two shotgun ammo belts hanging around his waist, combat boots, and a pair of yellow gloves that had some metal studs on the knuckles.
His Persona was a skeleton pirate with a singular red and yellow eye, the traditional pirate hat on his head, two cutlasses crossed on its chest to represent the 'Jolly Roger', a blue long sleeved shirt with a black sleeveless jacket with red insides that billowed behind it, black cuffs on its shirt, and a singular clawed yellow hand with the other being replaced with a golden cannon…all while riding a wrecked black ship with a fanged smirk and two eyes painted on the front.
"Ugh! This one as well!?" Kamoshida groaned out, the wind still pushing at them a bit.
"Right on….Wassup Persona…this effin rocks!" Ryuji said in awe as he looked over his new outfit and the Persona that floated behind him. "Now that I got this power, it's time for payback!" he went on, allowing Naruto and Morgana to get back up and move over to his sides.
"Yo, I'm ready…Bring it!" Ryuji taunted, ready to fight back now that he finally could.
"Don't mock me you brat!" the golden knight yelled out, slamming its sword down and exploding out to reveal its true form, a knight in red armor atop a black horse with a sharp spear in hand.
"Let's blast him away! Captain Kidd!" Ryuji yelled as his Persona flared behind him, showing it was completely ready to go.
"What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!" the shadow yelled out, Ryuji scoffing with a roll of his eyes.
'Kamoshida's cognition ain't changing' right? Then I'll act like the troublemaker I am!" Ryuji declared as the knight summoned two of the curved horn horses from before to fight alongside it.
"Ryuji! Wind and Curse don't work on those horses so how about you try and hit them with what you have!" Naruto suggested, Ryuji smirking as he found himself holding a metal pipe as his weapon.
"You got it! Captain Kidd! Zio!" Ryuji yelled, pointing at one of the horses as Captain Kidd held out its cannon at the one on the far left before firing off a blast of lightning from it, completely knocking it down dazed.
"You got it's weakness! Hurry! Go again!" Morgana urged, Ryuji nodding and pointing to the other, blasting it which knocked it down as well. Going for broke, given he had another opening he fired off a third Zio at the main target in the center.
"Not weak to Electricity but you got two on the floor so that's great" Naruto said before pulling out his gun. "Allow me to finish the job on those two" he added with a smirk, firing two bullets into each horse with the remaining four into the knight on horseback.
Sadly, it seemed to be a bit resistant to gunfire.
"Don't worry I'll keep it up. Zorro! Let's get them! Garu!" Morgana yelled out, blasting the knight with a torrent of wind.
"You brats!" the knight yelled in anger, swinging its spear at Ryuji only to have it miss.
"Nice job!" Naruto said with a smirk, getting a smirk from Ryuji before he fired off another Zio at the knight which made it slump over. "Great! It's almost done" he added as he summoned Arséne behind him.
"Arséne! Eiha!" he yelled out, blasting the knight with the energy which – while it seemed resistant of it – it was enough to take it out.
"I am…a loyal subject…of the glorious King Kamoshida…So why…have I lost?" the knight groaned out in pain as it struggled to stay up.
"It just proves that Kamoshida ain't anything special" Ryuji said with a smirk before the shadow faded away into smoke.
"How 'bout that!?" Ryuji asked Kamoshida, panting in exhaustion as the exhaustion from awakening his Persona for the first time had caught up with him.
"Whoa…So Ryuji had the potential too…" Morgana said in shock at finding another Persona user.
"Even if you apologize now…I ain't forgivin' you!" Ryuji told him with Kamoshida walking a bit towards them.
"I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand" Kamoshida said with a smirk before they all watched as a girl walked over to him.
The girl was insanely familiar given she sat in front of Naruto everyday only, instead of her usual uniform, she was wearing provocative purple bikini that had panther spots on it, high heels, as well as cat ears and a princess crown.
Even odder was that she was clinging to his arm unlike how she normally rejected all his advances.
'That has to be his cognitive version of her…' Naruto thought with a frown while Ryuji looked at her in shock.
"Wha– Takamaki?" Ryuji asked in shock at seeing how she looked.
"Wha-What a meow-velous and beautiful girl…" Morgana said in awe as he stared intently at Takamaki.
"What's going on!?" Ryuji asked, still in shock at what he was seeing before Naruto sighed.
"Cognitive Takamaki! Obviously! I mean, have you see how she rejects him like crazy in person?" Naruto asked, getting Ryuji to nod as it was obvious now that it was pointed out.
"Yeah, now that you mention it that makes sense" Ryuji said with a bit sigh before looking at the cognitive Takamaki with a raised eyebrow.
"But why is she even here?!" Ryuji asked while Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"Kamoshida is creepily interested in her in real life despite her rejection so in this world it's probably just a way of 'wish fulfillment' in a way where he thinks she is his" Naruto told him while he grew disgusted as Kamoshida cupped her cheek.
"What a sad pathetic man, unable to creepily get with a high school girl as a grown ass man so his mind fulfills that fantasy for him" Naruto said loudly so Kamoshida could hear him, the man glaring over at him.
"This is MY castle! A place in which I can do whatever I want! Everyone wishes to be loved by me…that is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you" Kamoshida said with a glare. "Now clean them up this instant" he ordered, countless Shadows appearing around them.
"Shit! Come on, let's go before we get surrounded again!" Naruto told them, the two of them following behind him as he rushed towards their infiltration spot and getting out just in time.
"It sucks that we had to leave like that….but with what we did in there we can start doing something about him in the real world" Ryuji said, still panting in exhaustion from everything. "I so need to get a gun for myself…maybe something like a shotgun since my belt has shotgun shells on it" he added as he was the only one without one. (*1)
"Sure, we can work on that later" Naruto told him while patting him on the back as he knew that exhaustion since it had hit him like a load of bricks after his awakening.
"Also…I really don't remember changing into this" Ryuji said, looking over his outfit before Naruto looked at him flatly.
"Remember the talk we had in the safe room about 'will of rebellion' and whatnot? That's what happened with you as well" Naruto reminded him which got an 'oh right!' look on his face.
"Did you find them!?" a shadow yelled out, the muffled aspect to their voice showing they were still inside.
"No! Search that way!" another shadow yelled before the clanking grew quieter.
"Wait! We might've gotten away here but we're still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school!" Ryuji yelled out before Naruto patted him on the shoulder.
"I think we're fine, Kamoshida didn't react or say anything about us visiting the first time" Naruto reminded him again with Morgana nodding along.
"There is no way the real one could possibly know what is going on in here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed – a side of one's personality they don't want to see" Morgana said while Ryuji nodded.
"That helps and means that we can snoop around just fine in the real world" Ryuji said, getting Morgana to wave his hands at them.
"Wait. I guided you as promised, it's your turn to cooperate with me" Morgana pointed out which only made the two of him look at him in confusion. "That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything" he added, Naruto feeling the 'idiots' comment was a bit harsh.
"Cooperate?" Naruto asked with a bit of a raised eyebrow.
"Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from by body and regain my real form! That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and–" Morgana started to remind them before continuing on until Ryuji sighed.
"Whoa hold up. What're you goin' on and on about?" Ryuji asked, Naruto feeling the same but didn't quite feel right interrupting him. "We never said anything about helpin' you out" he told Morgana bluntly which visibly shocked him.
"H-Huh? Don't tell me…are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you?" Morgana asked, turning towards Naruto. "Especially you! You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan!?" he added which made Naruto sigh as he hated being put in between a rock and a hard place.
"Look, Morgana, we never made any kind of deal when you offered to show us the way. You only asked that I come with. I'm all about keeping promises I make but…we didn't make any promise" Naruto told him with a frown. "Look, let us think about it as I don't think this is the last time we'll be here. Give us time and we'll let you know" he added with an unsure shrug of his shoulders.
"W-What!? The nerve! Is it because I'm not human? Because I'm like a cat!? Is that why you're making a fool of me!?" Morgana yelled out before Naruto took a step back with his hands up to try and calm him down.
"Relax, you can't expect us to instantly go along with something like this. Being pushy doesn't help" Naruto said with a frown before Ryuji squatted down to his level.
"We're busy so thanks for everything cat. You've got guts, bein' a cat and all!" Ryuji said with a smile. "See ya around" he added before standing up and heading towards where they came in, Naruto right behind him.
"Hey! What the hell!? Seriously!? Why're you wrapping this up like everything's all hunky-dory!?" Morgana yelled out after them before they fully exited, arrived in the alleyway near the school.
-Real World-
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back" the navigator said before Naruto put his phone back in his pocket.
"Thank god. We're back…" Ryuji said with a tired sigh. "I dragged you around a lot…sorry man" he apologized before Naruto waved him off.
"Dude, I agreed to go with you so I really don't mind. Plus, in the end, we got some good info about Kamoshida" Naruto assured him, making Ryuji smile a bit before groaning.
"I am like dead tired…how are you holdin' up?" Ryuji asked while Naruto shrugged his shoulders.
"A bit tired but I've been worse. You're probably feeling it the worst due to having just awoken your Persona" he explained since he had felt the same after awakening Arséne.
Though, unlike Ryuji, Naruto had to power through an entire day of school after it…
"That's impressive. I'm exhausted even though I used to do track…" Ryuji said, a bit impressed before smiling. "But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be do" he added, clearly excited about taking Kamoshida down for all the shitty stuff he's done.
"So I'm guessing you just need to help look for those guys? Need some help with it?" Naruto asked, leaning against the nearby wall with a smirk, getting one from Ryuji back,
"I was just about to ask! Thanks man!" he said excitedly before quickly calming down. "So…if you're thinkin' of layin' low 'cause you got a record, I don't think this'll help…Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal" he said before Naruto waved him off.
"I don't give a shit about laying low. All I have to do is keep from getting in any serious trouble and I don't quite see 'snooping around' as anywhere close to that" Naruto told him with a shrug of his shoulders. "Also so what if they know? People who are actually real will be able to decide for themselves if the stupid rumors are true or not, if they can't then I guess they aren't worth the time to get to know" he added, getting a smile and a nod from Ryuji.
"You have a point there man, didn't quite peg you as the deep kind" Ryuji teased with a joking prodding of his elbow in his side. "But seriously, I know it's because of Kamoshida, there is no way it could have been anyone other than a teacher and you heard what he said in the castle, he has no trouble ruining things he doesn't agree with…like he did with me" he added, Naruto nodding along.
"I figured it was him since he tried playing the 'buddy teacher' card to get me to join the volleyball team. Playing the 'friendly teacher' to benefit is so obvious and after seeing how he was in the castle it only made things more obvious it was him" Naruto explained as this wasn't the first time he's faced off against asshole teachers, an old teacher of his named Mizuki coming first to mind.
"Look, with these rumors of him getting physical possibly being real and seeing the distorted heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!" Ryuji declared, making Naruto nod along.
"I totally understand and am 100% with you man" Naruto agreed which quickly got a smile from Ryuji.
"I'm countin' on you! But don't worry – I'm hyped about this too!" Ryuji said with a smile before everything grew a slight grey tint to it and time – along with him - stopped.
"I am thou, thou art I….Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Chariot Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…" Naruto heard a female voice speak out in his head before things went to normal.
He tried his best to not be freaked out, figuring this might have to relate to the Velvet Room and Igor most likely. It did mention the word 'Persona' after all….
As time and the color turned back to normal a growl from Ryuji's stomach rang out.
"Right…I haven't eaten anything since lunch. It'd be weird splittin' off now so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?" Ryuji suggested, Naruto smiling and standing up.
"That sounds perfect man, some food after going through all that energy is perfect" Naruto agreed before Ryuji turned around to grab his back.
"Sweet, just follow me. I mean I totally gotta hear about your past!" he said, Naruto giving shrug of his shoulders.
"Sure, I don't mind sharing. Never been the secretive type after all" Naruto told him before they headed off towards whatever place Ryuji had in mind.
-Beef Bowl Shop-
"What!? The hell man! How much shittier can that asshole get!?" Ryuji yelled in shock after Naruto had filled him in on how he had gotten his record.
"Dude, quiet down a bit. We are in a public place after all, plus it's in the past. Best I can do is just move past and keep living" Naruto told him as they ate their food, though his anger over his situation to be rather nice.
"But just hearin' your story makes me angry!" Ryuji yelled again before sighing and going back to eating. "So you left your hometown and now you're living here?..." he added as he kept eating before stopping a bit.
"We might be more alike than I originally thought" he said, as if having suddenly came to the realization.
"You may be right, both of us were screwed over by asshole adults who didn't care for anyone other than themselves" Naruto said, getting Ryuji to nod along with a smile.
"You're the first guy that made me think that…I guess it's how we've also been treated like a pain in the ass by people around us…like we don't belong. I did something stupid at school before too" Ryuji explained after he quickly finished off his bowl of food.
"Look, I've got your back like you got mine from tomorrow on. As long as we do something about Kamoshida I'm sure we'll both feel better about bein' at school" he said while Naruto nodded, having finished his bowl of food.
"Oh yeah! Tell me your number, chat ID too" Ryuji asked before Naruto pulled out his phone.
"Sounds good, it'll make things easier for us to keep in contact after all" Naruto said before they traded numbers.
"Just you wait Kamoshida…We're gonna start right away tomorrow. First let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves" Ryuji told him, already having a game plan as Naruto nodded.
"Sounds good but I also have a little side thing I want to do for Kamoshida so I'm gonna need your help being look out for me okay?" Naruto asked with Ryuji nodding along instantly, not even questioning what he had in mind.
"Sure thing man. I mean, it's only fair" Ryuji said with a smile, making Naruto smile along as he really felt he could get along with his new friend. "Oh but they volleyball rally's tomorrow so be careful" he added with a sigh. "Shit's recommended by Kamoshida…makes me wanna gag" he continued with a fake gag.
"I heard we only have to be there for the teacher versus students match and then we can slip out. Should be fine as long as we grit our teeth and bear it" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders since it wasn't like it was completely mandated past that.
"Yeah, due to that there are no classes in the afternoon so we can walk around unnoticed. We can work out the full details, as well as the details you have for your plan, tomorrow" Ryuji told him before they paid and left, heading back towards the train station together.
Once back home Naruto groaned a bit and stretched after he made sure no one was in the store.
"Rough day?" Sojiro asked with a raised brow as he set down the newspaper he was reading.
"A bit, but in the end it was nice since I made a friend and hung out with them a bit afterschool" Naruto told him getting a smirk and a nod from Sojiro.
"Well, as long as you're staying out of trouble" he reminded before Naruto's phone chimed.
Ryuji: Hey I decided to go ahead and message you
Ryuji: Can you see this?
Naruto: Yeah, I can see it
Ryuji: Sweet!
Ryuji: I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?
Naruto: Don't worry, I got it
Ryuji: You're a bro man…
Ryuji: Welp, seeya tomorrow!
Ryuji: Let's save those guys who've been getting abused. You and me(*2)
"That your friend I take it?" Sojiro asked with Naruto nodding and putting his phone in his pocket.
"Yeah, sorry bout that" Naruto apologized with Sojiro waving it off with a smile.
"Don't worry about it but I'm heading home for the night. I'll lock the store up so don't go wandering off" Sojiro told him before Naruto nodded and started to head towards the stairs.
"Understood, be safe on your way home" Naruto said as he headed up to his room with Sojiro leaving shortly after.
Once he got changed Naruto sighed as he was about to sit down on his bed only for his phone to chime again.
Ryuji: That thingy on your phone was some red eyeball icon, right?
Naruto: Yeah, did it show up on your phone?
Ryuji: Yeah, it's suddenly on my phone. And we ended up at that weird place when we used this nav app right?
Ryuji: I don't even remember installing it!
Naruto: It's odd but in the end it's a useful tool. We used it to get to the castle after all.
Naruto: Just don't use it near the school unless you want to go to the castle and you should be fine
Ryuji: Well, should be fine. Tomorrow we gotta find evidence for the beatings.
Ryuji: I'm counting on you all right? Don't go ditching school on me
Naruto: I won't, don't worry
As he put away his phone Naruto was reminded of what Igor said previously about giving the app to those who 'proved to be beneficial'. 'Seemed like Igor was speaking the truth…still odd that he can install them on our phones…then again the Velvet Room screams supernatural so best to not worry about it too much' he thought with a sigh before widening his eyes as the talk about tomorrow reminded him of something he needed to check.
Quickly pulling out his box of stuff that Jiraiya had sent him Naruto opened it and began to search through it.
"Come on you old pervert, you better have included my gear!" Naruto groaned out before smiling widely as he pulled out a large black duffel bag. "Yes! I knew you wouldn't keep them away from me!" he cheered with a fist pump before he instantly opened the bag up.
Now Naruto knew he was by no means a computer wiz but when it came to using machinery for pranks – those alone being something he excelled at – he was pretty dang good with them.
'Let's see…camera, remote detonator, instant smoke bag, power source, fry box for instant destruction of evidence, aaaaaaand a whole lot of wiring! Perfect! With all this and my handy high grade lockpick(*3) I'm all set' Naruto thought, unable to stop himself from chuckling a bit madly as he synced up the camera to the app he had for all his mini-cameras on his phone.
'Let's see what you are up to Kamoshida' he thought, spending a bit of time putting it together before gently putting everything in his bag for tomorrow with the lockpick going into his wallet.
Figuring he's stayed up too late he collapsed onto his bed with a long sigh, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him as he felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier until finally, he passed out.
-Velvet Room-
Before he even opened his eyes he knew where he was by the feeling of shackles on his wrists and ankle.
"You know, this would be exhausting if it messed with my sleep but thankfully it doesn't seem to…" Naruto muttered out before he opened his eyes and sat up, getting up off his cell's bed before going to the door like he was expected to.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room" Igor started off just like last time. "I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you" he explained, Naruto nodding as he somewhat expected this after having visited the castle again.
"What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?" he asked, making Naruto frown a bit as he thought over his words.
"I guess a bit. I mean it doesn't interrupt my sleep really so that's a good thing about it. Plus coming here helps explain the weird stuff around me bit by bit" Naruto explained to him, getting a nod from Igor as he listened to his answer.
"Glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel" Igor joked a bit. "The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. However, such a feat cannot be done by you alone. Today you entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?" Igor asked before Naruto nodded.
"I figured the 'acquired a new vow' thing was related to this place" Naruto said, once again getting a nod from Igor to show that his guess about it was right.
"Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery. You've done well" Igor praised before he grew a bit of a serious aura in his posture. "That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships. It must not be of frivolity but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength. In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong. The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well" Igor explained in detail, Naruto listening intently to the man's words since – in this situation – they were undoubtedly important.
"Power of bonds with likeminded people and growing stronger by strengthening said bonds. I'll keep that in mind and work on it" Naruto told the man behind the desk, getting a nod from him before Justine turned towards him.
"Personas are the strength of heart. The stronger the bonds that surround you, the more power your Personas will gain" Justine explained calmly before Caroline turned his way as well.
"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn't. You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We'll change that into power" Caroline added onto Justine's point as, once again, he listened intently and nodded at their words.
"Indeed. You should be prepared to use even myself or your ambitions will not come to fruition" Igor told him before chuckling. "We have a deal then" he added before the world turned grey again, only this time no one was frozen in place.
Which made sense given this all related to this room.
"I am thou, thou art I….Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…" the voice once again said before the color returned to the Velvet Room.
"That oath will help you establish which persons in the world are your confidants and which are not. In the waking world you will find something to help you keep track of the strength of your bonds and what powers they bring(*4)" Igor told him before adjusting himself and sitting up a bit instead of his usual hunched over posture.
"You will understand it all in due time…Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation" he added with a nod.
"Now this conversation's over! Get lost Inmate!" Caroline ordered with a glare as the bell signaling his return to sleep went off.
'Well…slowly but surely I'm understanding things…wonder how more crazy it can get…' he thought as his vision grew dark and sleep called to him once more so that he could rest before tomorrow, a day he knew was going to be busy.
-Chapter End-
Pairing: Naruto x Futaba, Ann, Shiho, Makoto, Haru, Kasumi, Kawakami, Tae, Caroline, Justine, Lavensa, Sae, and one more TBA (due to it being a massive spoiler to a change I have in mind)
Maybe: Hifumi, and Chihaya
*1 = it doesn't make much sense for how they get a gun after awakening their Persona when Joker didn't. I'm not making guns something they have from the get-go but something Naruto gets for them by thinking of what would suit them best (sans Ryuji who has an idea for his gun given the ammo on his belt)
*2 = So this is how I'm doing the chat messages. Might be a bit long but some are needed and no – I'm not doing all of them so that means none of the constant "are we gonna be okay" or "do you think that their hearts were changed?" messages that are an every day thing lol. I'll only do those once for each palace so that it doesn't get annoying lol
*3 = Yup, Naruto has the Eternal Lockpick from the start. Keep in mind Naruto, naturally, is a prankster so this kind of tool is something he'd have to ensure he can set up his pranks anywhere
*4 = You'll see what this is next chapter as I figured, given its not a game so he cant pull up a menu about it, I'd need another way to show which bonds he has and their level. Its an interesting idea and helps make it feel genuine
Also, I made the 'Acquired a New Vow' something he actually hears as another way to cement and make it clear to him that he is making bonds with others.
Before I get to the story notes I would like to remind everyone I do have a pat reon which includes rewards like seeing progress updates, notifications to new stories I plan to do, voting polls, and early access to chapters before I post them on FF.
Simple go to pat reon and paste:
/user?u=4783680
At the end of pat reon's url and you'll find my page.
You don't get anything that everyone here won't get aka there will be no "pat reon exclusive stories" or things where I have to get a certain amount of money before I work on something as both of those are shitty practices.
It is solely "hey, you want to support me, a disabled unemployed writer who survives off my disability checks? Thanks, I appreciate it" and nothing more
So yeah, check it out if you want, now onto chapter notes!
Honestly, I don't feel there is much for me to talk about as all the major talking points and the numbers *s that are above.
Overall you might have noticed some ways that Naruto made things different like explaining things to Ryuji or stuff happening different and I'm very big on moments like those as without them it just feels like Akira/Ren blandly has Naruto's appearance rather than Naruto replacing him you know?
One big thing I will say is that the prank Naruto has set up will help protect Shiho and keep that….unsavory thing from happening as up until then I feel Shiho hadn't actually been full on….you know….so Naruto's prank is planned to interrupt that.
Her suicide attempt will still happen as, in my mind, the fact that it nearly happened will crash down on her a lot but don't worry. I have a plan to help keep her from going into a coma and getting seriously hurt so just keep an eye out
Other than that stuff, I got nothing else. If you have questions n whatnot just leave them in your review and I'll reply to them as I usually do
I hope you all liked it
Until Next Time
Rate and Review
Buh-Bye!