Fox of Many Masks

by HaretaSora

Naruto's life has never been easy, from being orphaned shortly after birth to being taken in for stopping a man from sexually assaulting a woman & sued for it is clear that things haven't been easy. After being put on probation, Naruto now finds himself in a new environment hoping to wait for the year to be over so he can return home only to get swept up in things - Naruto x Harem

7. Chapter 7

Fox of Many Masks

Chapter 7

By the time he got back to LeBlanc he was definitely exhausted but didn't regret pushing himself, something he knew the others didn't regret either.

"You okay there? You look exhausted" Sojiro asked with a frown once he noticed Naruto walk in.

"Just a bit of a hectic day, I'll be fine though" Naruto assured him while Sojiro nodded, still a bit of a frown on his face.

"I was going to suggest you can clean up the rest of that junk but don't worry about it right now. Do it when you have the energy" Sojiro told him as Naruto nodded and walked on towards his room.

Once up there he wasted little to no time to change into his sleep clothes and collapse onto his bed. Though, as much as he wanted to just pass out with his face buried in the pillow, he knew he had to check out his 'mini-compendium' which he fished out of his bag.

The book itself was incredibly well made but that was kind of to be expected when created in somewhere as unreal as the Velvet Room. As he browsed through the pages it seemed that he had collected a total of eleven of them with three that were greyed out, most likely being the ones he wasn't strong enough to handle from the bonds he had formed.

'Wow, I have a lot of Ice skills equipped. Definitely gotta change that' Naruto thought as Saki Mitama, Genbu, and Silky had ice skills. In the end he removed the bookmarks from Saki Mitama and Genbu while keeping Silky.

He also knew he needed some balance, adding back Pixie since she had Electricity which made it where he had Ice with Silky, Wind with Kelpie, Fire with Cait Sith, and of course Curse with Arséne. In the end he also chose to keep Succubus as the mini-compendium told him that she'd get a fire skill once she gets stronger.

"I'm so glad you added me again Master~!" Pixie cheered in his head with a giggle, getting Naruto to roll his eyes with a smirk. "I'll do my best to continue being useful to you" she added before he closed the book and dropped it back into his bag.

"Ready for bed?" Morgana asked as he hopped up onto the bed beside Naruto.

"Yeah, today has been rough" he groaned out, pulling the blanket over him before sleep quickly overtook the both of them.

-4/22 – Friday- *1

Naruto couldn't help but yawn a bit as he stood waiting for the train, looking around bored a bit before he spotted a familiar pair of pigtails that were bouncing his way as Ann ran over.

"Hey there! You sleep well?" Ann asked with a smile as she stood beside him in line for the train.

"After last night? Like a log and then some, what about you" he asked, getting a big nod that made her pigtails bounce with.

"I was so sore from everything but even during it there was no way I was going to ask to stop and come back to finish later…especially not after that terrible room" Ann growled out, clenching her fists before Naruto put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"I think everybody was like that, we were all determined to get through it to make the bastard pay for everything" Naruto assured her, getting her to smile softly before he removed his hand just as the train showed up.

"We're still heading up to the roof to plan things out, right?" Ann asked before Naruto nodded as he positioned himself between her and everyone else.

"Yeah since Morgana apparently has more to tell us about this whole calling card situation" he said as he scanned the crowd and narrowed his eyes at a few people once he noticed them leering at Ann.

Thankfully, his glare was seemingly enough to get them to stop being perverts.

"I'll message Shiho once we get off the train to expect a call later. I told her to stay home as I knew we weren't going into anything today" Ann told him as Naruto turned back towards her.

"How is she? Did she sleep well?" he asked as while he did have her number he had avoided messaging her since he didn't want to wake her in the morning if she was the kind that slept in a bit when staying home.

"She slept fine but went back to sleep once I left my house since we've been talking on the phone every morning ever since this happened. She was really drowsing and loopy this morning" Ann explained with a smile and a giggle as Shiho had definitely fallen asleep before they hung up.

"Well I'm glad she's resting up" he said with a chuckle before the train arrived at their station and the two of them made their way towards school together while she messaged Shiho to let her know about the planned call.

School was more or less the same as always only with Naruto finding himself needing to help Ann when she was called on by Kawakami. Thankfully he was able to coach her through it and get her the right answer.

As the school bell rang Ann quickly turned around towards him. "So we are still good to go?" she asked, wanting to make sure before Naruto nodded which got her to quickly message the others.

Heading up to the roof Ryuji was already waiting near the door leading to the roof before they all walked out to the roof and sat around the grouped up spare desks with Morgana hopping out of his bag and Ann putting Shiho on speakerphone.

"All right! Now that we're here all that's left is to send out the calling card and take Kamoshida's heart!" Morgana exclaimed as he stood in the middle of the tables.

"Couldn't we have just sent one at the beginnin' of all of this?" Ryuji asked, not personally seeing why they had to wait so long to do this.

"I don't think so since it'd have no impact. Imagine getting a letter that says someone will steal something from you only for a few days to go by and have nothing happen. It'd make him not believe anything is gonna happen and maybe make it where the Treasure won't even show up when we need it to" Naruto tried to explain as once the seriousness is lost then who knows what would happen to the setting inside the Palace.

"Correct! The Treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone the Treasure will disappear. I think it'll last a day at most" Morgana warned them, getting a confused look from Ryuji.

"The hell? That's like no time at all!" Ryuji grumbled out before Shiho hummed over the phone.

"Actually I feel that makes sense, heists are supposed to be quick things after all. Plus we have the route to the Treasure so it shouldn't take us more than a few minutes to get it done" Shiho tried to explain to him before Ryuji sighed.

"I get ya but all that matters is that we can send the callin' card right now, right? Let's get it done and steal that bastard's heart!" Ryuji declared while Morgana nodded.

"We can and once we take the Treasure that Palace will finally disappear" Morgana reminded them all before Naruto felt all eyes on him.

"Well, if we send out the calling card we'll be doing it tomorrow and stealing the Treasure immediately after school. Does that sound good for everyone? Cause I know we just rushed through the Palace and we might all still be tired and last thing I want to do is overwork you guys" Naruto said while he voiced his concern for things.

"Naruto, your worry is very sweet as always but trust us, we want to get this done with. The sooner the better" Ann assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder with a smile and a determined look in her eyes.

"I agree with Ann, we'll be fine to go tomorrow. I want to make him atone" Shiho admitted, Naruto able to hear the conviction in her tone before he sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"Fine, then let's do it. Let's send the calling card" he told them, getting a fist pump from Ann.

"Tomorrow will finally be the day" Ryuji said, his tone excited yet determined as he wanted to get this done just as much as the others.

"So we send the calling card in the morning and carry out the plan by the end of the day right?" Ann asked as she wanted to get this completely sure so they didn't mess anything up.

"Correct, the effect won't last much longer than that" Morgana reminded them before Ann nodded.

"We're going to pull this off no matter what, right Shiho?" Ann steeled out before looking at her phone.

"We have to, he's done too much and must be stopped no matter what" Shiho agreed before Morgana looked around.

"So, who's going to write the card?" the 'not-cat' asked before Ryuji quickly patted his chest.

"Leave it to me!" he quickly volunteered, getting a raised eyebrow from Ann.

"Why?" she wondered, unsure why he was so gung-ho on doing it.

"Why? Why wouldn't it be me?!" Ryuji asked back, almost insulted she questioned it.

"This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?" Ann asked as she wanted to make sure he could handle something intense like this.

"I must agree" Morgana chimed in, also unsure about letting Ryuji handle it.

"I really wanna get him good! Lemme write it! C'mon, please?" Ryuji basically begged before Naruto sighed and nodded.

"All right, you can do it but take it seriously" Naruto told him before he nodded with a serious look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I got this!" Ryuji declared before Ann sighed a bit.

"Hey, are you sure about this? If they find out our identities, then all this work will be for nothing…" Ann reminded him, knowing that they had to be careful and wanted to make sure he knew as well.

"I know, I know. I'll be careful" Ryuji assured her before Naruto stood up and looked around at everyone.

"All right then! Tomorrow it is! Everyone get ready and after school we head straight into the alleyway to head into the Palace. We can't fail so be prepared" he told the others, getting either nods from them or a vocal affirmation in Shiho's case.

With that done they decided to all head home and rest, he did though walk with Ann to the alley so he could at least wave to Shiho before the two of them headed off together.

It seemed the second he got back to LeBlanc his phone chimed with Ryuji starting up a group message.

Ryuji: Man, there's so much I wanna write on the calling card. It's kinda tough figuring out what to say

Ann: Are you sure you're really capable of this!?

Ryuji: Don't worry, I got it. I even made a logo for us

Shiho: A logo?

Ryuji: Yup! You'll get to see it tomorrow, well not you exactly but I'll be sure to show it off later

Naruto: That's slightly worrying as are you even an artist or good at drawing?

Ryuji: It'll be fine! I took a lot of time on it

Ryuji: Anyways, we should all rest up, if we screw up tomorrow we're done for

Naruto: We're all in this together so I'm counting on you guys

Ann: Yeah, I know we can do this

Ryuji: Since we can't rely on shitty adults we gotta do this ourselves. Let's pull this off and surprise everyone!

As Naruto got ready for bed he made sure everything was set, from the weapons they had, making sure all their medicine was in the Meta-verse ready for them to use if needed, and even double checking which Persona he had equipped to make sure they were the right ones.

"It'll be okay dear Master," he heard Succubus gently say in his head which got him to look up from the mini-compendium "all of us will be by your side and ready for whatever comes tomorrow. Steel your heart and we will be steeled as well" she encouraged, getting him to nod and close his book.

'You're right, I need to not worry so much. We've got this and everyone will be there alongside for whatever happens' he thought before he put the book away and laid back in his bed. 'No matter what happens we've got this' he reiterated before he got ready for bed and drifted off to sleep.

-4/23 – Saturday-

Given it was the big day Naruto made sure to head to school a bit earlier than normal. It paid off as it allowed him to watch as students gathered around the bulletin board near the entrance of the school – one of many – that Ryuji had tacked countless calling cards onto.

"A calling card? What is this?" one student asked before another quickly looked over to them.

"I heard it was already posted by the time everyone got here this morning" the other student said before Naruto noticed Ann had shown up before she went up to read the card.

"Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the utter bastard of lust…we know how shitty you are and that you put your twisted desires on students that can't fight back. That's why we have decided to steal away those desires and make you confess your sins. This will be done tomorrow so we hope you will be ready. From, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts….wow" she read out before sighing a bit and walking off once she noticed they were nearby.

"Not bad eh?" Ryuji asked with a proud smirk while Ann just stared flatly at him. "I looked up a bunch of similar stuff online for reference" he added as Ann just sighed.

"Um…yeah. I know what you wanted to say but it sounded like an idiot trying to be an adult" she said while Naruto couldn't help but nod along with her.

"The 'utter bastard' and 'how shitty you are' definitely make it scream like that" Naruto admitted as he rubbed the back of his head a bit, not wanting to hurt his feelings but also needing to be honest with him.

"Your logo's a bit lacking too" Morgana chimed in, getting another set of nods from Naruto and Ann to show they agreed.

"O-Okay, y'know what? Th-That ain't true!" Ryuji said to defend himself as best he could.

"Did Mr. Kamoshida do something wrong?" a female student asked, bringing their attention back towards the students in front of the bulletin board.

"Does that mean the rumors are true!?" another female student asked out, as if shocked and surprised that they could possibly be true.

"Wait a sec…Is someone gonna take something from Mr. Kamoshida?" a male student asked, confused what the card possibly meant.

"And what's with this weird logo and who are these Phantom Thieves of Hearts people" another asked out, poking at the quality just like they had done before questioning who had posted the cards.

"It got everyone excited so it's all good, yeah?" Ryuji asked before they all noticed Kamoshida as he showed up and read the letter.

"Who's responsible for this!?" Kamoshida yelled out in rage as he looked around the students who were standing by the bulletin board.

"Look at that. A predictable reaction for someone who knows what we mean by distorted desires" Morgana said with a smirk with Ryuji smirking along as well.

"I think it's hittin' him pretty hard" Ryuji said, proud of the reaction it was getting.

"Did you do this!? Or was it you!?" Kamoshida yelled out, causing the students to flee and scatter as it was obvious he was beyond enraged before he finally noticed them standing nearby – Morgana thankfully always being quick to dark back into his bag. "Or was it you two!?" he asked as he stomped over towards them.

"What're you talking about? We just got here" Naruto said with a confused tone, looking at the man as if he had no idea what he was talking about.

"So you're playing dumb? Not like it's an actual problem, you'll be expelled soon enough anyway" Kamoshida said while Naruto frowned and looked behind the man.

"I don't know, I'd be more worried about you blabbing out all your countless crimes if I were you. Maybe invest in some duct tape?" Naruto suggested before staying calm as Kamoshida stomped over and quickly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him into the nearby wall.

"I can destroy you, you little brat! I own this school and my word can ruin your life in moments! Fuck waiting for the teacher meeting, I'm gonna have you suspended first thing Monday after this stupid thing turns out fruitless so you better savor the last day of school for you" Kamoshida warned before a throat cleared behind him, getting Kamoshida to turn to see Kawakami recording everything on her phone.

"I'd suggest you put my student down unless you'd rather I call you in for assaulting a minor" Kawakami said, steel in her tone as she glared down the man with Ann and Ryuji standing behind her with Ann seemingly working to keep Ryuji from attacking.

"Whatever" Kamoshida grunted out, dropping Naruto and walking off a bit before he – and Ann and Ryuji if their widened eyes were anything to go by – watched as the world flashed black. It was as if they were in a void where they could only see each other and, shockingly, the Palace ruler Kamoshida.

"Come…Steal it if you can!" the perverted king taunted before the world turned back to normal and the real Kamoshida walked off with a scoff.

Naruto rubbed his neck as he watched Kamoshida leave, not hurt but definitely didn't like the experience before Kawakami came over to check on him. "Are you okay?" she asked before he nodded with a smile.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks for coming to the save like that" Naruto thanked, getting a smile from her before she looked around and sighed.

"Poking the bear isn't smart Naruto but you helped a lot. I got footage of Kamoshida attacking you without physical provocation so I can use it to help you out just please keep your head down today" Kawakami asked of him while he nodded.

"Don't worry, that was my daily dose of bear poking" he assured her before she checked her watch and sighed as she looked over to Ann and Ryuji.

"I have to get ready for class so you three stay safe" she said before she walked off with a bit of a frown.

"Wow, Kawakami coming in for the save. Glad she's on our side like that" Ryuji muttered as he and Ann walked over, both of them still looking over towards where Kamoshida had walked off towards

"I'm glad she did as it was really hard keeping Ryuji from pouncing" Ann grumbled before Morgana popped out of his bag.

"Either way, judging from Kamoshida's response I'm sure we had an effect on his Palace" Morgana told them, getting Ann to look at him with wide eyes.

"Does that mean the Treasure's appeared!?" Ann asked while Morgana nodded. "And we'll be able to get it today, right?" she added with Naruto nodding this time.

"That's the plan but it's not 'today' it's ONLY today" Naruto reminded her as Morgana looked over to her.

"The impact of seeing a calling card isn't going to last long and it can't be repeated. This is literally our one chance to steal the Treasure" Morgana said, trying to hammer home the seriousness of it.

"One day's more than enough for us!" Ryuji said with a smirk that showed how ready he was to get this done as were the rest of them.

Oddly enough, even with the anticipation of raiding the Palace, school went by before they knew it. No message was needed as they silently left school once the bell rang and met up with Shiho who had a fierce determination in her eyes.

"Well everyone? It's showtime!" Naruto announced as he activated the Meta-Nav and they traveled to the Palace one last time.

-Kamoshida's Palace-

The second they arrived they could see and feel how utterly different the Palace was compared to their last visit. Things felt more intense and heavy while the sky had a bit of a red tint to it.

Not wanting to waste any more time they immediately headed off towards the infiltration route, Morgana heading in first to transport them to the safe room that was right outside the throne room.

Things were definitely suspicious as the door to the throne room was utterly wide open and there wasn't anyone inside whatsoever.

"Things feel sketchy, stay on guard" Naruto warned everyone, getting nods from them as they quickly continued on towards where the Treasure was only to be surprised to see an extravagant and massive crown floating above where the murky blob was before.

"The Treasure has appeared! It's just as I said! Now we can steal it!" Morgana declared happily, proud that it had worked.

"Man, it's huge!" Ryuji said in awe, looking the massive crown over and was shocked by all the gems on it.

"Yeah, definitely massive…are we even going to be able to walk through the tiny vent with it?" Naruto asked as he walked around it a bit to inspect just how big it was.

"It kinda pisses me off…" Ann muttered with a frown with Shiho nodding along.

"Something pretty shouldn't belong to a disgusting man like him" she replied, getting a nod from Ann to show that was just what she was thinking.

"Yeah! Why is it so pretty when it's Kamoshida's desires?" Ann asked since she expected something more disgusting for him.

"T-Treasure~" Morgana purred out, Naruto raising an eyebrow in confusion at the 'not-cat's weird attitude.

"Uh…the cat's actin' awfully excited…" Ryuji muttered a bit unsure what to do.

"What's wrong? Is something…?" she started to ask before Morgana leapt onto the Treasure and let out a loud meow followed by other awfully cat-like noises.

"Um, Morgana? What exactly is going on?" Naruto asked only to get meows and mews in response which further worried and confused them.

"All right, that's enough you stupid cat!" Ryuji yelled at him to snap him out of it, getting Morgana to leap off of it.

"Oh, um, yeah…Forgive me for displaying such an insolent sight in front of two ladies…" Morgana muttered, clearly embarrassed while Shiho rose an eyebrow at him.

"That was really out of character for you, what was that about?" Shiho asked, which only made Morgana's ears droop more out of embarrassment.

"I couldn't stop it either…To think I'd be drawn to human desires this much…" Morgana muttered before perking up. "Doesn't that prove that I'm human!?" he asked only for Naruto to frown a bit.

"I don't know, that was an awful lot of meowing" Naruto muttered a bit to Shiho, getting a nod from her before Ryuji stomped his foot.

"How should we know!?" Ryuji yelled out only for Morgana to shake it off.

"A-Anyway, you guys need to carry it" Morgana ordered a bit, Naruto sighing as he and Ryuji walked to opposite sides of the crown.

"All you do is bark orders…Still, that was easier than I thought! I thought for sure there'd be some insane trap or something" Ryuji admitted before Naruto looked at him flatly.

"Please don't jinx us like that" Naruto grumbled as Ann and Shiho walked up to the crown as well to help.

"So the Palace will disappear if we take this right? And Kamoshida will change too?" Ann asked, looking to Shiho as if to convey that she couldn't believe it was happening.

"That should be the case now let's get moving as this is our chance" Naruto reminded them before they all settled below the crown which allowed it to drop down for them to carry.

"It's heavy…" Shiho groaned out a bit as they all started to settle and get used to the weight and size of the crown.

"To think it'd go so well! I even found four other Persona users. In the end my judgement was correct! I made the right choice making a deal with you" Morgana said to Naruto with a smile, Naruto feeling a pulse inside him similar to the one that he got with Igor the day before last.

"Great now let's get going!" Naruto urged before Morgana started to guide them as they all carefully started walking while carrying the massive crown.

"Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!" a familiar female voice cheered out before a volleyball shot into the crown with enough force to knock it away.

They all grimaced in disgust as Kamoshida leapt over them and held out his hand, somehow calling the crown to his hand and shrinking it down while the fake Ann rushed up to him and hugged on him.

Shiho was a bit frozen by him being so close, inching closer to Ann and holding onto her for support while Ann gently held onto Shiho to help.

"I won't let anyone take this!" Kamoshida yelled out as he bounced the crown in his hand a few times. "This proves that I'm the king of this castle – it is the core of this world!" he declared as Ann glared at him and that fake version of herself.

"That rat bastard! I thought I killed her last time!" Ann growled out before Naruto cracked his neck and glared down Kamoshida

"I knew you'd be setting a trap but who knew the coward who ran away like a little baby all the last times would actually confront us. I thought you would have your men fight us like all the other times" Naruto taunted, getting a glare back from the perverted king.

"Whatever you little punk, I just made it easy to find you so I could dispose of you myself. Right here, right now" Kamoshida growled out as Ryuji stomped his foot in anger.

"That's our line you sexually-harrasin' d-bag!" Ryuji yelled out only for Kamoshida to shake his head as if he was disappointed in them.

"What a selfish misunderstanding" Kamoshida said in a tone as if to say he felt bad for them.

"How is it a misunderstanding!? You were doing things that you kept secret from others!" Ann yelled out, beyond sick, tired, and disgusted at his attitude.

"People around me were the ones who kept it secret. Adults who want to share in my accomplishments, students who have the drive to be winners. They willingly protect me so that we all may profit from it" Kamoshida announced, as if that excused anything.

"As if that changes anything you jackass! That doesn't excuse your actions in the slightest!" Naruto yelled out, the rim of his mask igniting in a bit of blue fire like it did when he got really angry.

"There are too many imbeciles who don't understand! Including naive brats like you and that girl who tried to kill herself" Kamoshida barked out, ignoring Naruto's point before Shiho started shaking only to push Ann away gently and furiously glare up at Kamoshida.

"Shut the hell up you asshole! You don't get to do whatever the hell you want! Yes I was stupid to ever let you manipulate me but no one needs your permission to live their lives so shut up!" Shiho yelled out, stomping her foot with enough force to make a loud shattering sound from underneath the carpet they stood on showing she had shattered the marble tile beneath her.

"Drop the attitude you mediocre peasant! There is no wrong in using my gifts for my gain! I'm a cut above all other humans!" Kamoshida declared only for Naruto to laugh at him.

"You!? A cut above all others!? You are a gym teacher at a high school! You had one big moment before you peaked! You've been trying to uphold this 'glory' of yours in any way possible and people are stupid enough to clamor to you" Naruto yelled out, laughing a bit in between his words which was quickly making Kamoshida grow red in anger.

"Yeah I think you mean beneath! You're a goddamn demon obsessed with your sick desires!" Ann yelled out before Kamoshida started to laugh, a red and black aura rising out from beneath him.

"That's right, I'm not like you…I'm a demon who rules this world!" Kamoshida declared, his voice distorting as he pulled the fake Ann in towards him with the aura growing stronger and stronger before it exploded out and they all took a few steps back out of shock and disgust at Kamoshida's transformation.

Gone was the gross pervert in a speedo and now he had transformed into a massive pink demon with a massively long and gross blue tongue that wore a red cape like the previous version of himself. The crown was now back to its large size and atop his head with a pair of ram horns coming out of the demon's head. He had four arms, a golden knife and fork in one hand, a while glass that had the fake Ann in it in another, and a riding crop in the last hand. He also had a golden trophy in front of him that had several pairs of legs sticking out of it with tiny weird iron mask wearing creatures around him attached by chains to two massive golden weights behind him.

"What the hell!?" Ryuji exclaimed in shock at the sight of whatever the hell Kamoshida had just turned into.

"I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!" Kamoshida yelled out before Naruto shook his head.

"You're wrong and we're about to show you by bringing you down! Come on everyone! Let's finish this!" Naruto declared as Kamoshida roared in rage, showing he was ready to fight.

"You goddamn, no good, shitty brats! Haven't you been taught not to point at people!? Huh!?" Kamoshida yelled out before swinging out his crop, and getting the small creatures to launch a barrage of volleyballs at Morgana which were too much for the 'not-cat' to dodge fully.

"Everyone! Remember we aren't here to kill him, just beat him til he can't fight back! We need to keep hitting him, use your elements and keep hitting. Buff and protect others as much as you can" Naruto told the others, getting nods from everyone as Naruto was quick to rip his mask off first.

"Silky! Bafu!" Naruto yelled out, the red dress wearing Persona appearing behind him and causing ice to suddenly form and shatter on Kamoshida to hurt him. He doubted that someone like a Palace Ruler would have a weakness but, given he was the only one with Ice skills, he felt he might as well experiment and see.

"Take this! Agi!" Ann yelled, launching a fireball at Kamoshida with Shiho quickly readying one up.

"And this as well! Agi!" Shiho followed up, hitting him with another fireball which hit him dead center in the face.

"Don't let up just yet! Come on Captain! Zio!" Ryuji declared, blasting Kamoshida with a bolt of lightning before Morgana already had his Persona summoned.

"Witness my resolve! Garu!" Morgana yelled out, buffeting the massive demon with a twister of green wind.

"Ugh! You brats!" Kamoshida roared before swinging his riding crop again and sending two waves of volleyballs at them. The first went to Shiho but Chilonis merely rose her shield to negate the damage with Ann getting hit a bit by the second wave.

"Same as last time! Let's go Arséne! Eiha!" Naruto yelled out as he summoned Arséne to attack this time with everyone continuing to blast Kamoshida with their elements.

They braced for an attack but were a bit disgusted to see him use his cutlery to eat a pair of legs, a quick glow to him seemingly healing the damage they had just done to him.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm~ That hits the spot!" Kamoshida purred out with a chuckle. "You pieces of shit! I ain't lettin' you sleep tonight!" he told them with a chuckle.

"He healed himself from eating those things in the trophy!?" Morgana asked in disgust before Naruto nodded.

"Then we'll just have to take out the trophy" Naruto told them before Kamoshida sent another wave of volleyballs, this time at Ryuji. "Everyone okay?" Naruto asked as he knew everyone had been hit other than him and Shiho.

"We're fine so far! Focus on taking out the trophy" Ann reassured him as Naruto nodded and fired all of his bullets into the trophy for a chunk of damage.

"Hey! Watch what you're doing you brat! You don't know what this is worth so stop touching it! Don't do it anymore, got it!? I've warned you!" Kamoshida barked out, making Naruto smirked and nodded to the others.

"Really shouldn't have said that, it only makes us want to do it more and more" Naruto said with a smirk before everyone else fired off their elements into the trophy, the wear and tear showing it was almost done.

Everyone watched in a bit of disgust as he sipped from his wine glass, taking the fake version of Ann into his mouth for a bit before letting her plop back into the wine glass only to cause a red aura around him.

"Take this you brats!" Kamoshida roared as he jabbed his knife down at Ann.

"Ann, no! Chilonis quick! Rakukaja!" Shiho quickly yelled out, boosting Ann's defense just like she had done to Naruto to help protect her friend a bit but, as Ann skidded back with a hiss, it was clear it still hurt.

"Thanks Shiho, that seriously helped" Ann thanked with a smile before Naruto tossed Ann a packet of medicine.

"Take those, they should help a bit" Naruto told her, getting a smile and nod from her as she took one before he blasted the trophy with another use of Eiha from Arséne.

"One more hit should do it! Come on Carmen!" Ann yelled as the fireball did the trick, shattering the trophy into a million pieces.

"No! That was from when I won nationals!" Kamoshida cried out before slumping over, giving them the opening they needed to surround him with their guns drawn. "You think that you can get away with doing such a thing!? Do you realize who I am!? I am Kamoshida! Don't you get it!?" he roared out, his anger rising more and more as the fight continued.

"Yeah. So what?" Naruto said with a smirk, getting him to widen his eyes in shock as he stared down at him.

"Huh!? Like I keep saying! I am Kamoshida! I'm the king!" Kamoshida tried to reiterate despite it being clear he was annoyed that his name wasn't having any effect.

"I always saw you as a condescending hotshot but right now…you're just a pathetic loser" Ryuji admitted, further damaging his pride.

"We came all this way to steal that! Will you just give it up and hand it over?" Ann asked, further working to damage his pride by making it as if fighting him was a bother – which it was – but painting it as a bore more than anything.

"Or would you rather be beaten to a pulp for you to give it up?" Shiho asked with a smirk as she didn't mind either way though she had to admit she enjoyed fighting him as it was a form of stress relief.

"Silence! I won't let the likes of you have this!" Kamoshida yelled as he refused to just give up.

"You still have energy to say things like that? Then I guess we'll have to up our game as well!" Morgana declared before they started an All-Out Attack on him.

"I'm the king!" Kamoshida yelled out as he recoiled in pain from the attack. "If I'm not, then who is!? How dare you keep defying me! Looks like I've got to bring out the big guns!" he declared before looking around and whipping his riding crop.

"Slaves! Bring over you-know-what!" he demanded as the little creatures were released and ran off. "Time for my killshot from when I was active and rockin' it! Killshot…as in I'll make the kill!" he revealed before getting angry and whipping his crop again.

"What's the holdup! Where's my ball!?" he roared before they watched Mishima, undoubtedly the fake version of him, run up with a volleyball.

"I-I'm so sorry King Kamoshida! I-I have it right here!" Mishima stuttered out as he was hunched over in fear.

"Too slow Mishima! Worthless chump!" Kamoshida barked out, insulting the fake version of Mishima just like he does the real one.

"Looks like he's getting ready for a big attack, one I feel not even Spartan can regularly negate. Everyone be on guard" Morgana warned as Naruto nodded and summoned Arséne to help shield him while everyone else followed suit in summoning their Persona to help bolster their guard.

"Good Mishima, now pass it to me! Don't tell me you can't even do something as simple as that!" Kamoshida ordered before Mishima set it up into the air for Kamoshida' getting him to jump into the air and spiking it down at them.

The effect wasn't what they expected as it seemed to explode, causing a large explosion that their Persona helped lessen the damage a good bit.

"I knew it! I can't go all-out with Mishima providing the backup. Hey, shit-for-brains! Get off my court!" Kamoshida yelled out, causing Mishima to run off in fear while apologizing. "Next slave, get out here! Hurry up with my damn ball!" he ordered out, whipping his crop again to try and get them to hurry it along.

As the 'slave' showed up Shiho felt a mixture of utter disgust and pure anger as she watched a version of herself walk out wearing a fuzzy white tube top bikini with a rabbit tail, rabbit ears, wrist cuffs, and heels while wearing a silver tiara similar to the fake Ann's golden one, and red lipstick while she had a volleyball in hand.

"King Kamoshida, I've brought the ball just like you asked" the fake her said in a chipper tone that also made her want to barf.

"Now there's a good girl Suzui. Yeah all women should obey my orders like this – ain't that right sweetheart?" he asked before the real Shiho quickly started shaking in anger as Kamoshida smirked at them.

"Ah I get it, you guys want to see my killshot again don't you~?" he asked with a massive smile as if they were fans and wanting him to show off.

"We need to focus on killing that fake version of Shiho so he can't use another killshot. Everyone put everything you have into it!" Naruto yelled as everyone agreed with Naruto taking the first attack with Eiha, finding she was weak to it and letting him hit her twice.

Everyone followed up with their elements, showing she was pretty much weak to everything before Shiho, who had held off til now, looked up at the fake version of herself with pure rage in her eyes.

"I refuse to let that thing live!" Shiho growled out as she leveled her carbine up towards the fake version of her. "I refuse to be seen like that by him! I refuse to be here in his mind! I refuse to let this stand!" Shiho declared before she fired her entire clip of 15 bullets into the fake version of herself, it thankfully being enough to kill it.

"Hmph, even Suzui was useless…Looks like I'll have to give her some special instructions later…one on one~!" Kamoshida said with a perverted purr to his tone that only made Shiho's mask blaze with flames.

"I'd rather die than ever let you look at me ever again!" Shiho screamed out as she hated even being seen by this fake version of him.

"What's the matter slaves!? Hurry up and bring me more volleyballs! I can't serve up my killshot without any balls!" Kamoshida ordered as he looked around for another slave only to find no one. "Did I just…Am I really out of slaves!?" he asked out in shock, as if surprised he could be abandoned like this.

"We still need to take the crown, given its power maybe if we take it he'll be easier to fight…Morgana, you're the smallest and most hard to notice. I need you to sneak over to that terrace and steal it without him noticing" Naruto suggested, getting a nod and smile from the 'not-cat'.

"Great idea! You have to keep him busy though by attacking him" Morgana said before scurrying off.

"Pixie, let's patch Ann up. Dia!" Naruto said as he summoned Pixie, the small fairy floating over to Ann and helping heal her again.

"Thanks Naruto" Ann said with a smile before they all did a round of their attacks and withstood his counterattack as they had to keep his attention away from how Morgana was missing.

"Listen up! This school exists because I'm around! You're the only ones who don't respect me you know! You've even gotten people to dare praise someone else other than me! And that damn Kawakami! How dare she try and rally the other teachers against me! Their king!" Kamoshida roared out in anger before Naruto watched as Morgana hopped up closer to the terrace.

"One more round should do it you guys" Naruto told them, getting a nod from them all as they all fired off their attacks again, making Kamoshida recoil in pain and anger again.

"You're misunderstanding it all! I haven't sexually harassed anyone! They came onto me because they wanted to get on my good side!" Kamoshida defended only for Shiho's mask to ignite again in pure rage.

"Shut the fuck up! You know what you did! You forced yourself on me and others! You used your leverage to threaten us to where if we didn't comply you'd ruin our lives or the lives of the ones we care for! I refuse to let you shift the blame!" Shiho yelled out as she summoned Chilonis to attack him with a fireball directed right into his mouth, causing a large amount of pain for him.

"Now Mona!" she yelled out, surprising and confusing Kamoshida as he just noticed Morgana was gone but far too late as Morgana leapt out and knocked the crown off his head and far out of reach.

'Noooo! My…my precious!" Kamoshida cried out, reaching frantically out for it only to find it way too far for him to grab or reach for which in turn caused him to slump over.

"Now everyone! Let's finish this!" Naruto yelled out as they all attacked him again, instantly finding their attacks were incredibly stronger than they were mere moments ago.

"With this, I move on from the torture you put me through!" Shiho growled out as she waited til last to attack. "Chilonis! Let's end this once and for all! Giant Slice!" Shiho yelled out, pouring her everything into this before Chilonis swung her blade, the giant gash it made being enough to slice the disgusting demon's tongue off before he faded into black smoke.

Naruto could feel three pulses inside him but thankfully the Persona knew this wasn't the time to reveal themselves given this was rather important. "Don't worry Master, you just unlocked the Persona for the Hierophant and Fool Arcana and evolved the one for the Death Arcana. You can look at them in your compendium later. For now finish the task at hand" Pixie told him briefly as they went to grab the crown only for Kamoshida to snatch it up and run off with only a nearby balcony as where he could try and run off to.

"What's wrong? Not running away?" Ann asked as he had his back turned towards them.

"Why don't you run? It's all cowards like you are good at. Aren't you supposed to be a great athlete" Shiho mocked and taunted, wanting to use this fake version of him to vent as best as she could.

"It's always been like this…all those goddamn hyenas forcing their expectations on me! I'm doing this all for them! What's wrong about demanding a reward for that!?" Kamoshida yelled out, the tone of his voice making it clear he was moments away from crying.

"Now you're making excuses? What happened to all that bravado before?" Naruto asked with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. "Sooner we do something about that distorted heart of yours the better" he added as the others nodded, Shiho and Ann both still having their glares glued to him.

"Scared?" Shiho asked as she took a step forward. "You're seeing the same view I did. I was terrified…I had no choice but to jump as even with someone saving me it was all too much. I promise you though, if you jump no one will be there to catch you like with me" Shiho continued as she walked closer to him, getting Kamoshida to turn around and cower in fear as he clung to his crown like some sort of security blanket.

Shiho wasted no time as she summoned Chilonis, her Persona's sword already blazing on fire and ready to strike as Kamoshida whined and whimpered.

"You want to finish him off? It's your call?" Morgana asked as he crossed his arms before Naruto stepped forward and put his hand on Shiho's shoulder.

'If you kill him the real Kamoshida will die. I can't even imagine the anger and pain you feel but killing him means he remains a victim in the eyes of everyone. We're here to take his treasure and make him confess, a dead body can't confess" he softly told her, getting her to clench her fists tighter.

""No, please wait! I beg you…just forgive me!" Kamoshida cried out, utter terror and fear on his face as Shiho clenched her jaw.

"How…How do I let him live when he is an utter demon!" Shiho growled out as Naruto squeezed her shoulder.

"You let him live knowing he'll atone for his crimes by forever being labeled a monster by everyone in the nation. That his victims will be heard and that he'll never be able to hurt anyone ever again" Naruto told her as Shiho yelled out and launched a fireball at the wall next to Kamoshida, getting him to cry out in fear.

"I-I accept defeat…You want this? Take it" Kamoshida quickly said as he tossed the crown over to them, Naruto catching it with his free hand before looking back at Shiho. "Go ahead and finish me off…you do that and my real self will go down too…you have that right since you've won" he admitted, leaving his fate up to them as Naruto gave her shoulder another squeeze.

"Please Shiho, I know he's a monster but he'll only become one to the rest of the world if you let him confess" he tried to convince her seeing as she still had Chilonis summoned and her sword was still on fire.

"Shiho no!" Naruto yelled as Chilonis fired off another fireball only for it to miss and explode mere inches from him.

"I've lost…You're through when you lose…What am I – What am I supposed to do now?" Kamoshida asked out as he hunched over, tears rolling down his face.

"You will confess to everything you have done. You will live to tell the tale so don't you dare try and kill yourself. Turn yourself into the police and rot away behind bars" Shiho demanded with a powerful calmness to her voice before Kamoshida rose his head and nodded.

"All right…I'll leave now and return to my real self…I'll make certain that I confess" Kamoshida said as he turned into a bright light and completely disappeared.

They didn't have any time to celebrate as the Palace instantly started to rumble and shake.

"We don't have any time to waste, this place is about to collapse!" Morgana announced before he plopped down and started to clean himself.

"Great he's back into cat mode so we can't use the safe room travel! Come on! We gotta run!" Ryuji yelled out as they all started to make a break for it.

It might be due to the Palace crumbling but not only were there absolutely no Shadows but the path out had become so much simpler than the way they had to go through coming in.

"We're gonna die! We're so gonna die!" Ann cried out as she kept running, all of them having to avoid falling rubble as they were running down the hallway that led them towards the entrance. She was a bit put off kilter as Morgana, who had turned entirely back into a cat, leapt onto her head only to leap off it and use Ryuji as a stepping stone to land on Naruto's shoulder.

"No fair you jerk!" Ryuji yelled out only for Morgana to look behind at them and meow.

Naruto couldn't really turn to see what was happening, only knowing that Shiho was by his side near the front, that Morgana had leapt on his shoulder while Ryuji and Ann were a bit behind him.

"Ryuji!" Ann cried out, getting everyone to stop to see Ryuji had fallen but before anyone could rush to his side he waved them off and started to push himself up.

"It's been a while so I just tripped is all" Ryuji assured them only to quickly rush up as they started to see the hallway rapidly fall apart behind them sending them back into full running mode.

He wasn't sure if it was by sheer luck or what but in the end they were finally able to escape back to the real world.

-Real World-

"That…sucked…" Ann panted out as they all appeared back in the alleyway, panting and out of breath at the end of that near death experience before Ryuji pulled out his phone.

"Guys! Look at the nav!" he told them, getting everyone to pull out their phones and open the Meta-Nav app.

"The destination has been deleted" the voice of the app revealed to them, showing that they really had removed the Palace.

"It's true…we really can't go there anymore" Ann said in shock before Morgana started to look around.

"What about the Treasure!?" he asked, not seeing it anywhere only to have Naruto show off the gold medal in his hand as he had kept the crown in his hand the entire time and this was what was there when they got here.

"A medal? Wait, where'd that crown go?" Ann asked, confused how a crown turned into a medal.

"Yeah what's goin' on?" Ryuji questioned while looking down to Morgana as he was the one who knew about this stuff…somewhat.

"It means that was the source of Kamoshida's desires. To him this medal is worth as much as that crown we saw in the Palace. It's what started his distorted desires" Morgana revealed as Ryuji nodded along.

"An Olympic medal…so that perv kept clingin' to his past glory and couldn't let it go…" Ryuji suggested, thinking that might explain it as everyone nodded.

"This means Kamoshida's heart might have changed, right?" Ann asked as Morgana frowned a bit.

"Probably…we can only wait and see as this is the first successful example for me. However I know that there is no doubt that this has affected Kamoshida's personality quite a lot as the entire Palace disappeared after all" Morgana explained to them as Ryuji groaned.

"Ain't there a way to check right now!? I'm getting all antsy" Ryuji complained as he had never been the patient type.

"All we can do is wait and see, we'll know soon enough. Plus remember how Kamoshida's Shadow said that he was returning to his self in reality? It seemed like he regained his conscious just before he returned so have faith that it worked" Naruto tried to assure them as best he could as Ann nodded and quickly looked around, Naruto realizing why she was looking as Shiho hadn't said anything since they returned to the real world.

But just as they found her Naruto was blindsided by Shiho running up to tightly hug him, her face buried in his chest before he gently hugged her back.

"With that I think it's time we head home, not much more we can do" Naruto told the others, Ryuji nodding as he headed on home while Ann stayed nearby and Morgana gave them some privacy by standing a bit down the alleyway.

"T-Thank you Naruto…f-for everything. Y-You saved me a-and let me finally move on" Shiho choked out as she cried into his chest, Naruto softly rubbing her back as Ann moved in to also rub her back, showing she was there for her as well.

He figured the feeling of finally being free from Kamoshida and getting back at him after suffering by his hand during her first year most likely was emotionally liberating for her to a level that broke the dam so to speak.

"I might have saved you but you did everything else on your own. You fought and pushed yourself along, you have intense strength inside you and now I just hope it blooms more" Naruto told her before she pulled away and nodded with a smile as she wiped her tears.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked, a bit worried for her before she shook her head with a smile.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine" Shiho assured him before nodding to Ann as well to show she didn't need to walk her home either.

"Just message one of us when you get home, okay?" Ann asked, getting another nod from Shiho before she walked off towards the train station. "I'm gonna head home as well" she said as Naruto nodded and picked up his bag only to get a hug from her as well.

"Seriously…thanks for everything Naruto. You've really done so much for Shiho and me…" she admitted before she pulled away from the hug with a smile.

'You guys really don't have to thank me so much, I don't do what I do for the thanks" he assured her, getting a chuckle from her which only made her smile grow a bit as she took a step back.

"Which is why we have to thank you so much for what you did out of the kindness of your heart" she giggled out before hurrying off, leaving Naruto in the alleyway shaking his head with a soft smile.

"You ready to head home?" Morgana asked, having watched but gave them privacy since it was obvious that it was a personal moment between them.

"Yeah, seems like all the hugs are done with" Naruto told him as he watched the 'not-cat' hop into his bag to allow him to pick him up so they could head home. He let out a tired sigh, the exhaustion of the fight catching up with him as he stuffed his hand in his pocket, about to start the trek back home only to pause as he rose an eyebrow in confusion from a foreign object in his pocket

"Ummm, Morgana? What is this?" Naruto asked as he pulled out what looked like three crystal blue skulls that were all attached in a sort of 'Y' shape with the faces pointing outwards and held it up towards Morgana so he could see it as it screamed 'Meta-verse'

"Oh! You got a Will Crystal! Those are powerful items that, along with the Treasure, are at the core of the Palace. We must've gotten it from taking the Treasure! I think if you wear it into battle you'll be able to use a unique skill!" Morgana explained to him, getting Naruto to look it over only to pocket it as one: it was creepy and two: he could figure more about it later.

"Whatever, let's just go home" he sighed out as they finally headed home.

His exhaustion was so strong that by the time he got home he instantly got ready for bed, Sojiro seemingly seeing his exhaustion written on his face, and passed out before he could really register anything.

Fighting a massive demon in a mental world would do that after all.

-4/24 - Sunday-

Sadly, despite wanting to sleep in, he knew he had to wake up so that Sojiro could open up the shop after he finished his breakfast. He paused a bit into his meal as his phone suddenly chimed, getting him to pull it out to check who had messaged him so early.

Tae: How are you feeling? I have the first clinical trial ready to record whenever you are ready

Tae: I actually had it ready yesterday but was worried about school

Tae: Are you free today?

"I'm extra proud of today's curry. You'd better savor it" Sojiro told him with a smirk, politely asking him to put the phone away which made Naruto quickly put it away with a frown.

"Sorry, wasn't going to reply, just wanted to see who messaged me" Naruto apologized, getting a nod from Sojiro to show it was all okay before Naruto got back to eating his food. "Thanks as always for the food" Naruto made sure to say as always before he got up once he was done eating to wash the plates.

"It's quite alright and just make sure you have everything you need before you head out" Sojiro reminded him before Naruto nodded and headed back upstairs to get everything ready since he wasn't really able to 'stay home' on the weekends with his 'home' being a cafe.

Not that he really minded though.

As he got his stuff ready he paused as his phone chimed once again, this time being a group message started by Ryuji.

Ryuji: So Kamoshida's had a change of heart now, right?

Ryuji: I don't really care what happens to him...but it'd totally leave a bad taste in my mouth if he wound up dead or something

Ann: Hey! Don't say stuff like that! We didn't kill his Shadow so he should be fine, right?

Naruto: Should be but honestly, I don't think we have to worry. Just give it time and see how things go tomorrow since he did threaten to expel me first thing Monday

Shiho: I really hope it worked...It'd be terrible to go through fighting him like that only to have it not work in the end…

Ryuji: I never thought I'd end up worrying about a bastard like him but yeah, you're right, we'll see how it goes when tomorrow rolls around

Shiho: That's all we can really do after all

Naruto: So let's just try and rest and recover after everything that happened yesterday

Ann: Right…

"How is everyone doing?" Morgana asked as he stretched on the table near the stairs, getting ready to be stuffed in the bag for who knows how long.

"They're worrying but it's to be expected with what is on the line and the three outcomes available. Either it worked, failed and he's dead, or failed and I'm screwed" Naruto listed off with a sigh as he plopped down on his bed and reopened Tae's message.

Tae: How are you feeling? I have the first clinical trial ready to record whenever you are ready

Tae: I actually had it ready yesterday but was worried about school

Tae: Are you free today?

Naruto: Yeah I'm free, sorry I was eating breakfast

Naruto: Also you don't have to worry about school all that much. Feel free to let me know when trials are prepared and I'll come around when I'm able

Tae: I'll keep that in mind. Head on over whenever and we can get started

Naruto: Sounds good, I'm on my way

"Come on Morgana, we have an appointment" Naruto told the 'not-cat', nodding his head over to the bag and getting him to hop into it without any complaints before they headed back downstairs and left LeBlanc so Sojiro could open it up.

With the clinic being basically right around the corner he thankfully didn't make Tae wait more than a few minutes.

"Someone's eager" Tae teased a bit, a slight smirk on her face as he rolled his eyes a bit with a chuckle.

"Well how can I not with such a young attractive doctor waiting for me" he teased back which got a soft chuckle from her, showing she liked the back and forth teasing before she motioned towards the door with a nod of her head.

"Go on in, everything's prepared for you" she invited, getting him to head into the exam room and take his place on the exam table as she brought out a glass cup that had very dark blue liquid in it.

"This is the first of several concoctions I need you to drink so that I can record your body's reactions to them. This is for a medicine I am attempting to make for a treatment for a rare illness, the medicine won't have any effect on people who don't have the illness but it still helps to gather readings and data" Tae explained to him before handing him the glass only to pull back once he reached for it.

"The reactions you might show won't be painful or harmful just...overwhelming potentially to the point of passing out" she warned with a bit of a frown as he reached out for the cup and gently took it from her hand. *2

"Thank you for the warning but it should be fine...even if I do pass out" he assured her before looking over the dark blue liquid and getting a sigh from her.

"Okay...please drink it down in one gulp then" she asked as he nodded and quickly did as she asked.

The taste was powerful, it being both sour and bitter while the smell was terrible as he shook his head a bit.

"What is it? How are you reacting?" Tae asked, writing down what she could see as Naruto started to take shaky breaths.

"H-Having a bit of a hard time breathing but it doesn't hurt, it's kind of like anestesi…" he tried to say before he felt himself pass out and fall over onto the exam table.

He wasn't sure how long he was passed out for but, as he finally came back around and slowly pushed himself up, he shook his head a bit in an attempt to 'de-fuzz' his head.

"You okay?" Tae asked, handing him a bottle of water before he nodded and accepted it.

Wasting no time he started to drink some of it, his throat feeling like there was cotton in it before he sighed once he was done gulping down water. "Yeah I'm fine but wow I was so not expecting that. Was that the reaction you wanted?" Naruto told her before asking as he watched her write down everything, unable to tell if this was good or bad due to how focused she looked.

"Actually yes, it is. It's actually a great first step, think of it as the foundation if you will" she explained to him, turning to him to look him over a bit. "Let's take your temperature and blood pressure. I'm also going to need to draw some blood as well as have you do a few motor tests but, given the intensity of your reaction I feel that can wait a bit" she listed off, getting a nod from him as he sat up fully while finishing the water she had given him.

Though, before she could start, the door the exam room opened up.

"So you ARE here" a man's voice spoke out, getting Naruto to turn and see a cop walking in with a serious look on his face.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of an examination?" Tae asked, annoyed at her clinic being barged into like this. "I've told you before Officer, if you want to investigate me you need to show me a warrant" she reminded him which showed Naruto that this wasn't the first time Tae had been harassed like this.

"I'm here because we received a report" the cop bluntly told her with a scoff at her mention of needing a warrant. "I'll need to see a detailed statement of medical expenses and full medical records. I bet you didn't have enough time to hide any incriminating documents" he listed off with a smirk, as if proud of himself for 'driving her into a corner' before Tae pulled out a notepad with a glare.

"You must be under orders of the Medical Chief of Staff" she muttered before motioning towards a binder of papers on her desk. "There you go, that should be everything" she told him, getting a surprised look from the cop as if her being open and cooperative was the last thing he expected from her.

"This kid here is my only patient today and if you're asking for his medical expenses then I'm guessing I'm under suspicion of improper billing?" she asked as she started to write something down on a notepad. "But, without a receipt I'd say you've been sent on a wild goose chase" she added, clearly confusing the cop as he shook his head.

"Wh-What's going on here?" the cop asked as this wasn't how they told him it'd go down.

"You're being manipulated. That 'report' is fictitious. It's nothing but an attempt to harass me" she bluntly told him, looking up from her notepad and getting him to take a step back in shock.

"What!?" the cop asked, getting more annoyed before Naruto inwardly groaned as the man looked over towards him and narrowed his eyes. "Hey you! What're you doing here!? You don't seem to be sick...Are you up to something illegal!?" he asked before Naruto sighed.

"I don't have to look sick to be sick as, for your information, I am recovering from injuries I suffered from leaping out of a second story window to save a friend of mine" Naruto told him with a flat look, the fact his eyes widened showing he had most likely seen the video that was still circulating around online. "I still have pain in my joints and in the back of my head where I had a gash and Dr. Takemi has been helping my recovery a lot" he continued, really laying it on thick and clearly shaking up the cop's confidence a lot.

"Yes, I've been helping him recover with my medicine. When he showed up first he had trouble moving his left arm due to injuries from the fall and impact but he's making a steady recovery with my help" Tae told him, hammering it in some more before going back to writing down on her notepad. "Now, is there anything else? As you can see, I'm pretty busy here" she calmly told him, looking up at him with a look in her eyes as if to say 'are you done with this yet?'.

"...Fine" the cop relented as he clenched his jaw. "You're infuriating, you know that? I'd really expect nothing less from the 'Plague'" he told her before he finally left, allowing Tae to let out a tired sigh as she shook her head.

"I'm so over this…" she muttered while Naruto nodded.

"I agree, that was beyond ridiculous for him to come in here like that" he agreed, getting a smile from her as she looked over at him.

"It's nothing really to worry about though. I'm sure it was my former superior who made that false report, he was the man you eavesdropped on about the drug that granted 'unlimited power'" she said with a bit of a chuckle at that last part. "He's just trying to put pressure on me by having the police investigate me and my practice" she added before standing up with a sigh.

"I still need to draw some blood, I hope that's still okay" she asked, wanting to make sure before he nodded and took off his jacket.

"Go ahead, that is part of a clinical trial after all" he assured her before rolling up his sleeves and allowing her to do what she needed, Naruto feeling another pulse inside him like how he had with Morgana back before the fight with Kamoshida. Though, just like then, he decided to check it out later.

The tests were thorough as she worked to write and record everything while the concoction she had made him drink was still in his system.

"And we're done. Sorry it took so long" she apologized as he rolled down his sleeves and put his jacket back on.

"Don't worry about it, I've sat for longer tests than that with my godmother" Naruto assured her as he picked up his back, holding in a chuckle as Morgana wiggled in his bag, most likely shocked from being woken up suddenly like that.

"Well, be careful walking home and I'll let you know when the next trial is ready" she said, getting a nod from him as he walked towards the door out of the exam room.

"Hope the results help and I'll see you for the next one" he said with a chuckle before he walked out of the clinic, getting Morgana to pop out with a yawn.

"That took longer than expected...did someone else show up near the end?" Morgana asked as they headed back towards LeBlanc only to notice that they had been in there for much longer than they thought, it now being around lunch time.

"Just some cop who was harassing Tae on orders from her old boss, we got him to leave so it's no worries...bigger issue is if Sojiro will give us some lunch or should we head out somewhere else…" Naruto muttered as they stood outside LeBlanc only for his phone to ring just as his stomach growled.

"Hi, it's Tae. I wanted to call to make sure you got home safely as you seemed a bit dizzy when you left " Tae said, surprising him that she had called like this while it also showed she was taking the trial seriously and didn't want to risk any adverse reactions.

"Yeah I got home and I'm fine after walking around a bit, thanks for check in on me but I might have to go somewhere else to eat" Naruto told her since he wasn't sure if Sojiro would be okay with him popping in like that.

"Getting food in you is important after drawing blood, if you do go out to eat just be careful and call me if you start feeling sick" she asked as he chuckled and nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure - as my doctor - you'd be the first I'd let know" he assured her, getting a simple 'good' from her before she hung up.

"Now lets see where we can eat...how about the Beef Bowl shop? I'll leave some left over for you" Naruto asked Morgana, getting a nod from him as they headed out.

As he ate his food, already having ordered some extra meat for Morgana to eat later, he grabbed his box of cards and compendium from the outside pockets of his bag.

'Let's see, Tae is the Death Arcana and Morgana is the Magician. The pulses I felt seemed the same with Igor which means….yup, they ranked up' Naruto thought before his assumption was proved right as he saw two stars filled in for both of them. 'Seems by helping them out it increases the bond...I'll have to keep that in mind' he added before putting the cards away to check on what he had unlocked after beating Kamoshida.

'Pixie mentioned Hierophant and Fool were new while Death had evolved so let's see what I got' he recalled as he turned through the pages.

'For Fool Arcana I got Obariyon who seems to be resistant to physical skills and has Snap which is a medium gun skill, Sukunda which lowers agility to a foe, and Lucky Punch which has a high crit rate and low power. Could be interesting, didn't know Persona could replicate gun fire damage' he thought, making note of it before going to the next.

'Berith seems to be the one I got for Hierophant. He seems to resist fire and block gun, that's pretty interesting. His skills seem somewhat basic with just Cleave and Rakukaja which Shiho has' he noted, not really seeing any reason to use him right now before flipping over to the 'Death Arcana' section.

'Seems Mandrake evolved into Mokoi who resists electricity and only has Tarukaja which buffs attack power and a skill that can make someone dizzy...though he does get an attack skill when
I strengthen up' he admitted in Mokoi's defense since he was like how Succubus was where she just needed one level to be able to attack.

"Thinking about me~? I should be honored~" Succubus giggled out, making herself known as he rolled his eyes and turned to her page. "As you can see I have grown stronger and can now fight fully by your side" she told him as he did notice Agi on her list of skills.

'Well I don't know when next we'll be fighting but I'm glad you are ready' he told her before he removed Cait Sith from the roster as he didn't quite need two fire skills.

As he finished up and sat outside while Morgana ate his food he could only really sigh a bit. Everything was so odd around him, from the Velvet Room, to Persona, and the Palace but at the same time he could feel him starting to accept it all, as weird as that seemed.

Plus with this power they might have been able to bring someone to potential justice...if their stealing of his Treasure actually changed his heart. To him, helping others who couldn't be helped due to the power the criminals held was worth any and all weirdness.

"You done?" Naruto asked, looking over to see Morgana licking and cleaning himself.

"Yup! Thanks for getting me some food as well!" Morgana thanked him as he couldn't help but pat the 'not-cat' on the head with a smirk.

"Don't worry about it, now let's head back home as it's getting late and, since Sojiro gave me permission, I'd like to clean up my room finally" Naruto told him, getting Morgana to hop back into the bag so they could get on the move again.

Once back at LeBlanc he was a bit thankful that there was no one there, as bad as that sounded, as that meant he could maybe clean up his room.

"Hey Sojiro, think I can clear up my room now?" Naruto asked, getting Sojiro to look up from the crossword puzzle he was working on.

"Oh right, I did say you were finally allowed to...sure, go ahead. There isn't anyone here so you're fine" Sojiro said since he had given him permission previously.

"Thanks! I'll try not to make too much noise in case customers do show up" Naruto said with a smile, before he made his way upstairs and looked over the mountain of junk - somewhat literally and partially metaphorically - that he'd have to clean up.

"Well...let's get started" Naruto sighed out before getting to work. He started with the pile of junk in the front and moved it around to the space on the other side of the stairs *3. He also worked on clearing out the bookshelf and table beside the sofa.

All in all it wasn't as hard as he thought it'd be to clean up, he even found a still functioning bulky tv and a house plant that was still alive.

"Maybe if you find a DVD player or something you can actually use that TV" Morgana suggested with Naruto nodding along as he felt he had seen one nearby for sale.

"I'll look around later but right now I just want to head to bed" he told him, groaning as it was still tiresome.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Morgana asked as Naruto got ready for bed.

"A bit but at the same time I refuse to think that everything we did had no effect in the end" Naruto told him as being worried or thinking that nothing happened just didn't click with him.

"I like your confidence, we'll just have to see how it goes" Morgana complimented as the two of them laid down for bed, waiting to see how it went for them tomorrow with Kamoshida's 'first thing expulsion' hovering over.

-4/25 - Monday-

As he arrived at school he was pleasantly surprised to find neither Kamoshida or the Principal were waiting for him at the front gate and as school went on he was even more surprised that he wasn't called to the office either.

From whisperings he had heard from nearby desks, and from other students once lunch rolled around, Kamoshida apparently hadn't even shown up to school today.

"Dude, have you seen Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked, having come over to find him so they could eat lunch together.

"Nope, I heard he didn't show up to school today" Naruto relayed, telling Ryuji everything that he had heard from other students throughout the day.

"Do you think he changed?" Ryuji wondered as this was way too suspicious to just brush off.

"Possibly as I doubt he's just home with a cold" Naruto said, not seeing much else this could be.

"Oh, perfect timing!" Kawakami said, both of them turning to see her walking out of the classroom seemingly looking for them. "I wanted to let you know that study hall will be done in place of gym class as Kamoshida took the day off today after he placed himself under suspension...don't tell anyone I told you that last part but honestly, this is great news for you" she explained before giving him a soft smile since she was one of the only ones that knew about Kamoshida's plans to expel him today.

"Principal Kobayakawa went to talk to him about it but he supposedly wasn't making any sense...All I know is that Kamoshida wants to address the students tomorrow" she said, clearly confused about what was going on before looking them both in the eyes once more. "Again, don't tell anyone you heard about him putting himself on suspension" she warned them again, getting a nod from the both of them.*4

"The talks about your expulsion have been put on hold, personally I think it's indefinite since if Kamoshida still wanted you expelled he would have told Principal Kobayakawa about it but, from what I heard, he told the principal to completely forget about it" she revealed with a smile, getting Ryuji to nudge Naruto in the side, clearly excited about what was happening. "I've relayed what's going on so I hope that helps you rest easy" she told them before walking off.

"If that isn't proof that the change of heart worked then I'm sure it'll be even more obvious tomorrow" Naruto told him, this sudden and intense change in behavior easily appearing to be good for them. "Let me message the others and let them know" Naruto told Ryuji as he also pulled out his phone to see their responses once the message was sent.

Ann: No way! Does this mean that Kamoshida had his change of heart!?

Naruto: I think he did, this is way too out of character to be anything else

Shiho: Do you think he might confess at the assembly?

Shiho: Or do you think he's just going to quit and go to the cops?

Ann: I'll call you so you can listen in to see what ends up happening

Ryuji: And I'll record it! If he's gonna confess I want that stuff on tape so he can't back out of it!

Naruto: Who knows, all we can do is wait and see

School, after that potentially huge bombshell, went as normal. His thoughts were mainly on Kamoshida and what the assembly tomorrow might actually be included in his confession.

'I know Kobayakawa is complicit and the parents knew, well, almost all the parents' he thought since Shiho's parents were kept in the dark and Kobayakawa somehow threatened Shiho into keeping quiet about them.

He knew it really wasn't his place to ask but curiosity and worry got the better of him as he pulled up a message with Shiho.

Naruto: Feel free to tell me it isn't my business but, have you told your parents about what went on?

Naruto: I feel bad not asking about this sooner but...stuff did kind of happen

Shiho: Yes I let them know...kind of hard to keep it secret when I tried to jump…

Shiho: My mom has been talking with some cop friends of hers back home about what they can do against the school while my mother is using some connections she's gained from her inn to help

Naruto: Good, I hope they really nail Kobayakawa for threatening you with your parent's careers

Shiho: They definitely weren't happy when they learned I shouldered all of this for them but they also understood

Shiho: I also told them about how you saved me with the smoke bomb and just allowed me to talk about it. Hence why they both hugged you even moreso

Naruto: Sorry for bringing it up out of the blue, it's just with the assembly coming up I got worried

Shiho: It's okay Naruto, I don't mind. Thanks for the worry but finally I'm able to recover. I just hope he actually confesses tomorrow

Naruto: Same here

As he got home he raised an eyebrow a bit as he could see Sojiro struggling a bit. "Need some help there?" Naruto asked, getting Sojiro to look up at him with a raised eyebrow of his own.

"You want to help out?" he asked while Naruto nodded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I mean I live here rent free, it'd be pretty rude of me not to help out when I can. Just let me put away my bag and get changed real quick" Naruto told him as he walked up and got changed as quick as he could so that he didn't keep Sojiro waiting.

"Well if you are serious here, put on that apron" Sojiro told him, pointing towards an apron that was hanging up on the wall.

The work of helping Sojiro out wasn't all that difficult, especially since he had experience working at restaurants given his past part time job at his favorite ramen shop.

"Whew….thanks for the help there. Didn't expect to get a bit of a rush like that" Sojiro thanked as Naruto nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, always happy to help when needed" he assured him since helping out was the least he could do for letting him have a place to live.

"Well, if that's the case then how about we make a trade? I'll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee and you help me out when I need it? How's that sound?" Sojiro asked, the idea sounding very interesting to Naruto as he had tasted Sojiro's coffee and curry and if he was able to teach him how to make it like that then it could be a nice skill to have.

"Sounds really great honestly, how about we start with a bit of a lesson now. If it's okay that is" he said, not wanting to sound like he was being bossy or anything only to get a chuckle from the man.

"Given how you helped me out just now, sure. Better to start now since we have the time" Sojiro admitted, motioning him to come over. "Now, to start anything you need to have the basics hammered into you so for now we'll start with coffee. This store might not be the busiest around but I'm real particular about how we do things and I'll kick you out no questions asked if you serve a bad cup, you got that?" Sojiro warned him with a serious look before it cracked after a second or two to show he wasn't that serious.

"Another important thing is that when you run a shop you will get all sorts of customers. Knowing their personalities is absolutely vital. It's what being in the food service is all about" he explained before the bell to the shop rang, getting Sojiro to turn towards it to welcome the customer only to stop part way through and gain a shocked look on his face.

"You…" he muttered, as if surprised that this man was here and clearly not liking it either.

"Hello there! It's been quite a while Sakura-san!" the man said, his tone and attitude making Naruto feel the man definitely wasn't Sojiro's friend or someone Sojiro even slightly wanted to see. "I heard you opened up a shop so here I am! It wouldn't have hurt to mention it to me though. Real nice location, right by the station and everything" he said as he looked around the place, inspecting it with obviously an ulterior motive that Naruto wasn't too fond of.

'Your order?" Sojiro bluntly and briskly asked, clearly wanting to get this over with as quick as he could.

"No small talk? That's cold...This smell though, sure brings back memories! You're still making that curry it seems" the man continued to prattle on, only acting hurt at Sojiro's attitude. "I guess you haven't gotten over her yet..." he added, that being enough to get Sojiro to snap as he glared at the man.

"Your order, sir?" Sojiro asked again, his voice raised a bit, showing more of how he definitely didn't like whoever this man was.

"So pushy," the man said with a laugh, clearly being the kind of guy to like getting a rise out of others "but don't worry, I just stopped in to say hi today...but I'll be back again soon! Bye" he said before leaving with a bit of a laugh.

"Ugh...I don't know where he caught wind of this place" Sojiro grumbled out as Naruto watched as the tension eased out of Sojiro while he let out an incredibly tired sigh.

"That guy seemed super suspicious and a real asshole" Naruto complained, getting a chuckle and a nod from him.

"You definitely have an eye for some things but don't worry about him as I still need to teach you about bean types. You're not gonna be any use to me if you can't pick up on the ABCs. Besides, ladies love a guy who knows his coffee so this isn't such a bad deal for you" Sojiro explained with a smirk as Naruto nodded along with a chuckle at the man's antics.

'Okay maybe he isn't so much like Jiraiya, definitely seems a more classy ladies man compared to that super pervert' Naruto thought, feeling another similar pulse that told him his bond with Sojiro had ranked up before focusing back on the man as he explained various things about coffee and beans.

The lesson only seemed to end as the clock chimed.

"Oh is it that time already? I have to start closing up and I'll admit, you did good for your first lesson" Sojiro admitted before he allowed Naruto to head back upstairs.

As Naruto worked on some homework while hearing Sojiro finish up and leave he was surprised and confused to get a phone call from a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?" he asked, unsure who it was before a familiar chuckle rang out on the other end.

"Good to see you answered, it's me Sojiro. Glad this number works, had to dig it out from your papers as I forgot to ask for your cell number….A real hassle, lemme tell you" he said with a sigh before Naruto couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"Your 'never remember a guy's number' motto backfired?" Naruto asked, getting a dry fake laugh from Sojiro.

"Ha ha, very funny kid. Look, from now on I might need you to close up on some days so do you think you can manage? It seems like you're a quick study so I think you can get the hang of it pretty quick" Sojiro asked as Naruto nodded, not seeing any problem with it.

"Sure thing, whatever I can do to make things easier" he said since it was genuinely how he felt. He knew he was a workhorse so to speak, he had stamina and strength to do a lot of things so he might as well use it to help out here.

"I'll keep that in mind and I also might have you do more chores once you get settled in. Try not to stay up too late though" Sojiro warned before hanging up, Naruto leaning back with a sigh only for it to morph into a yawn part way through.

"And with that I'll take it as a sign to go to bed. Come on Morgana, I feel we're gonna have a busy day tomorrow" Naruto told Morgana, getting the 'not-cat' to get up and stretch with a yawn of his own.

"What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?" Morgana asked as he hopped up onto the bed.

"If I'm lucky, and trust me when I say most of the time I am, we'll see a confession and a change of heart" Naruto told him since that was what his gut was screaming at him.

-4/26 - Tuesday-

As they arrived at school they were ushered into the gym first thing after homeroom for the sudden assembly called forth by Kobayakawa - although Naruto, Ann, and Ryuji all knew it was really Kamoshida who called for it.

Naruto frowned as he could hear students muttering how they wondered if this was about Shiho as well as maybe it being due to the teachers freaking out about the calling card. With one last look at Ryuji - who was recording it hiddenly - and Ann - who clearly had her phone out, most likely with Shiho on the other end - he gave them a nod just as Kobayakawa came out to the podium.

"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly. As you all know, a tragic event took place the other day and thankfully, due to the intervention of one utterly brave student, she was saved from danger" Kobayakawa started off, referencing Shiho and how Naruto saved her which in turn got all eyes on Naruto a bit before the principal cleared his throat to get attention back on him.

"Everyone here has a bright future ahead and I implore that you rethink the importance of life after such a traumatic event" he continued before looking over to his side off stage and sighing a bit. "Before I say anything more Mr. Kamoshida has some words he would like to say to you all given the student involved was a member of his team" Kobayakawa said, stepping aside to allow Kamoshida to walk onto the stage and up to the podium.

Kamoshida looked utterly different than last they saw him, clearly looking defeated and solemn with drooped shoulders.

"I first want to apologize if my absence worried anyone but after everything that has happened I guess you can say I saw the light...which is why I want to confess everything to you all" Kamoshida started as he looked over the crowd, his eyes making it incredibly clear and obvious that he was remorseful since they looked like he was mere moments from breaking down.

"I have repeatedly done things that were unbecoming of a teacher...verbally abusing students, physically abusing my team, and sexually harassing female students just to name a few" he continued on, clenching his fists as he looked out across the students. "I feel utterly terrible that I coerced and forced the parents of the students to allow me to do all of that merely for the sake of 'ensuring their child a better future' with the principal's support or that I had the principal threaten another student by making threats towards her successful parents...in the end, because of that and more actions I have done towards her, I am the reason Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself" he revealed, hitting hard out of the gate with confessing to the big stuff as well as making it clear that the Principal knew all of this, allowed it, and - even worse - participated in it.

"M-Mr. Kamoshida w-what are you doing!? S-Stop this at once!" Kobayakawa tried to interrupt with some teachers quickly trying to get the students to dismiss.

"I also did horrible things to Takamaki-san as well...in return for letting Suzui-san keep her position on the team I...I tried to force Takamaki-san into having relations with me. When she refused I tried to force myself on Suzui-san only for the smoke bomb that went off that day to stop me...and I am now beyond grateful it did" he said, revealing his actions towards Ann and absolving any rumors of her being 'Kamoshida's bitch'.

"Some teachers, like Kawakami, tried to stand up to me while some sadly knew and stood by as it happened. I even was in the process of ruining the careers of the teachers who opposed me before I saw the light" he continued, utterly ignoring Kobayakawa while knowing his strength would ensure that no one could potentially stop his confession.

Naruto couldn't help but look over to a somewhat blushing Kawakami who was embarrassed about the sudden attention, her meeting his eyes before smiling softly as if happy that this was actually happening.

"And even then I tried to expel the very student who heroically saved her without a second thought...all because he confronted me about it. I tried to expel him and other students simply because I didn't like them. I hope that by rescinding those here and now that I am able to help show I am serious about making up for things" he still continued, the amount of stuff he had to say showing just how much he needed to get off his chest while Naruto felt quite awkward again at all the eyes on him before Kamoshida taking a deep breath got attention off of him as the man gained a serious look on his face.

"This is why, effective immediately, I am stepping down as teacher and turning myself into the police who should be arriving soon" Kamoshida announced as he walked out in front of the podium and sat down on the stage, eyes closed as he decided to wait there for the cops to show up.*5

"Wow…" Ryuji muttered in shock as he stopped his recording just as a teacher walked down between a row of students.

"This morning's assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!" the teacher tried to instruct only for no one to make any attempt to leave.

"Isn't this just like what that calling card said?" Naruto heard one student mutter to another nearby.

"Does this mean the Phantom Thieves thing was for real!?" another asked in shock, surprised and confused how someone could 'steal a heart'.

"C'mon, there's no way you could steal someone's heart!" yet another rebutted, dismissing it off given how it wasn't the easiest thing to believe.

"But why else would he start saying things like he's going to turn himself in or confess to all of that stuff?" a girl asked since it didn't make sense for it to happen all of a sudden like this.

"Maybe because it almost got leaked? Don't they go easier on you if you turn yourself in?" another girl said, clearly not believing the Phantom Thieves were the cause which he didn't really blame.

"Man, Kamoshida really turned out to be one sick bastard and the Principal ain't that clean either" a nearby student summed up, getting a chuckle out of Naruto as that was pretty much the gist of it.

"Return to your classrooms at once!" the teacher yelled out again, trying to create some order which was only possible once the police showed up and all the teachers had to guide them out for the most part.

Naruto, as he stood with Ryuji and Ann once the gym was cleared out and the cops had left, could only let out an impressed whistle at what all had just gone down.

"His heart really did change…" Ann muttered, almost not believing it just yet.

"Seems like it" Ryuji said before Naruto scoffed.

"Seems like it? It is it. He confessed to his crimes and 'saw the light'. His heart one hundred percent changed because of us" Naruto told them, getting Ryuji to look at him as he still clearly was processing it.

"But, was this really for the best?" Ryuji asked which made Naruto a bit annoyed honestly given how Ryuji had been all gung-ho about making Kamoshida confess.

"How can this not be for the best!? Kamoshida finally confessed to his shitty actions, Shiho got her justice, and he's going to jail! How is this 'not for the best' in the slightest!?" Naruto asked with a bit of a glare as the sudden meekness was such a stark contrast to a few days ago.

"Things are just happenin' way too fast…" Ryuji muttered as Naruto nodded.

"Well this just shows that changes of heart happen quickly after the Treasure is stolen" Naruto told them before he heard people walking up from behind, getting them to turn to see Mishima and two girls walking towards them.

"Takamaki-san...I'm sorry!" Mishima apologized as he bowed to Ann, getting her to turn around and look at them in confusion.

"We all knew...but we pretended we didn't" Mishima revealed before one of the girls, the tall one, behind Mishima took a step forward.

"Takamaki-san, I had you all wrong...I'm sorry that I spread rumors about you!" she apologized as the other girl, the one with black hair, shook her head with a frown.

"I didn't know at all...to think Kamoshida was forcefully pushing himself on you...it must've been so hard for you!" she said before the tall girl nodded along.

"I'm sure there's a ton of people who want to apologize to you. We're so sorry!" the tall girl said as Naruto nodded along.

"Hence why we are staying here since Kawakami knew there'd be people ready to hound us" Naruto told them, motioning to him and Ann.

"Honestly, it's okay. The same goes for me too...Besides, that's all in the past now" ann assured them before a teacher noticed them and walked over towards them.

"Return to class at once! You don't have permission to be here" the teacher yelled out, looking to Mishima and the others that had shown up with him.

"W-Well, see you later then…" the tall girl said a bit nervously before the two girls and the teacher walked off, Mishima staying around a bit more as he looked over at Naruto.

"I can't apologize enough for what I did to you...I swear I'll make it up to you someday" Mishima declared only to quickly walk off before Naruto could tell him he didn't need to.

"Looks like Kamoshida ain't the only one that had a change of heart but I'm glad for you Ann. Looks like those weird rumors are gonna go away" Ryuji said as Ann shook her head.

"My thing doesn't really matter. We made Kamoshida apologize about Shiho and everything. That's more than enough for me" Ann said, looking down at her phone only to get a chuckle from it.

"Ann, you're allowed to be relieved about yourself as well. You don't have to just think about me" Shiho said over speakerphone, showing she was connected through the call.

"Honestly, after everything that has happened I feel we need some kind of celebration or something to unwind. Maybe something involving food to sort of splurge ourselves" Naruto suggested, getting all eyes on him as Ryuji nodded along.

"I was thinking the same thing! But...how are we gonna pay for it?" Ryuji asked as Naruto tapped the top of his own head.

"Simple, we sell the 'crown'" Naruto suggested, getting confused looks before they realized he was talking about the gold medal. "I have a place in mind to sell it, you guys think up the spot and I'll get the cash" he told them before they nodded.

"I think that sounds like a really nice idea. It'll serve to put all this Kamoshida stuff behind us and get the weight off our shoulders" Shiho agreed before Ann smiled.

"Then it's settled! I know just the place! It's somewhere that we have been wanting to go for a while Shiho. I'll head on over after school and talk it over with your parents and let you guys know when I grab the info" Ann said before she happily hurried off.

"Well, with that settled I think we can head out. Meet up with me on the roof after school so we can tell the 'not-cat' what happened here" Naruto told Ryuji, getting a two finger salute and they headed back to class.

Classes were a bit unruly but, given what had just happened it was kind of to be expected.

Eventually the day ended and, with a bit of help from Kawakami who let him leave class a few minutes before the bell rang, he was able to avoid the crowd of students that most likely wanted to pester him.

He had to wait for Ryuji but once he was there the two of them explained to Morgana about what happened in the assembly.

"Does that mean that they won't have a mental shutdown even if their Palace disappears?" Morgana asked as Naruto nodded along.

"I think it has a lot to do with Kamoshida's Shadow returning to him and that we didn't kill it. Cognitive fake versions can be killed but the Shadow themselves can't since they are sort of the person themselves...if that makes sense" Naruto muttered, not sure he explained it too well before Morgana nodded.

"No, I understood. Essentially we just have to have the Shadow return to its real self after persuading it to do what is right and the destruction of the Palace won't damage them" Morgana added on with Ryuji smiling as he leaned back.

"So we can get 'em to confess with no bad stuff basically! That so works for me!" Ryuji said before he sat up, his face getting a bit more serious. "Though I am curious, why was Kamoshida the only one who had that Metaverse thing?" he asked Morgana, getting the 'not-cat' to shake his head and look over to him.

"It's not necessarily limited to him. It's something anyone could have if their heart became warped from their desires" Morgana revealed as Naruto widened his eyes a bit at that bit of info.

"So there could be more Palaces out there?" Naruto asked as Morgana merely nodded, that alone making Naruto wonder what other people had them and what they potentially looked like. "Well, as curious as I am, I think we should lay low for a bit since people are going to be talking about Kamoshida a lot right now even if people are just treating it as a prank or something" he told Morgana, already answering the question undoubtedly on the cat's mind.

"Though, it's like totally impossible for someone to find out what we did at his Palace" Ryuji brought up as Naruto nodded along.

"True but still, let's just wait a bit before we think about other targets" Naruto told him as he couldn't help but agree.

"First! Let me show you how much this medal can be sold for! I was looking it up in class" Ryuji excitedly told him, him hurriedly scrolling and typing on his phone before he held it out towards him. "I already messaged Ann about it since she apparently has a place in mind but dude! 30 thousand yen! Personally I thought it'd be more but in the end that's actually a good chunk of change" Ryuji revealed as Naruto nodded along and grabbed the medal out from his bag.

"When should we go? Personally I told her we should do it soon but first we gotta get the money" Ryuji asked as Naruto thought it over as he pulled out a mini-calendar that was attached to his 'probation diary'.

"How about the 29th? I know we have school the day after but I feel this is something worth getting done with sooner rather than later. That way we can properly celebrate after a job well I should be able to sell the medal by then as well" Naruto suggested since it was the closest 'day off' they had since Golden Week was the only alternative.

"Sweet! That sounds perfect! I'll let Ann and Shiho know right away" Ryuji said as he quickly messaged her, waiting a bit before his phone chimed twice and he smiled.

"Both of them said it sounds good, all that's left is to sell the medal. Are you sure you can do it?" Ryuji asked before Naruto nodded and looked the medal over.

"I'm extremely confident that the owner of the shop I have in mind will buy it off me so don't worry" Naruto assured him before Ryuji got up and cracked his neck a bit.

"Well then I'll leave it to you, I'm gonna head home" Ryuji said, Naruto nodding as he decided to stay on the roof a bit.

For now, after all the chaos, he felt a bit of relaxing with the plants would help a lot. Personally, as he looked over the planters, he couldn't help but chuckle as Haru had seemingly drawn little chibi versions of him on the back of the inserts in his planters that were used to show what seeds were planted.

'How cute, she even was able to draw my whiskers with such a small space' he thought since even with as small of a canvas that it was she had still been able to make sure they didn't become a smudge. 'God I wish my drawing skills were better but...might as well try' he thought as he reached into his bag and pulled out an ultra-fine tip sharpie.

'God her poofy hair is hard to draw…' he grumbled a bit in his head as he focused on drawing her as best as he could only to realize he had to do them on all of them like she had done with his.

While a tiny bit annoying, after the third one he got it down well enough to where it became easier and in a mere matter of ten to twenty minutes he had got them all done. Not wanting to end up with Sojiro waiting for him, Naruto watered his plants and decided to head home, figuring this to be a nice way to spend his time after school since it'd result in a smile from Haru when she saw it.

Or at least he hoped it would since he knew he wasn't an artist in the slightest.

Once home he noticed a familiar face in one of the booths, Tae noticing him too as she motioned him over to sit down. "There's my guinea pig, how have you been since last we saw each other?" she asked as he sat across from her.

"Some hectic stuff going on at school that will probably make its way to the news soon but other than that I'm fine" he told her, watching as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Is that so? Who knew school life could be so exciting" she joked a bit with a smirk hidden slightly behind her coffee cup before she set it down. "Also, in regards to you helping me, I'll be needing more help soon. I'll let you know when" she told him, getting a nod from him with a smile.

"Just message me when it's all set up and I'll come over as soon as I can" he told her, getting a smile from her as she got up and set the money down on the table.

"I'll be sure to do so, thanks again" she told him, waving a bit awkwardly before he swore she blushed a bit and walked off.

"What kind of stuff are you helping her with?" Sojiro asked, having naturally overheard them a bit which he didn't mind given its a small cafe and all.

"I help her move things around when she gets shipments. The boxes are a bit big and bulky so she can't move into her storage area all too easily" he thought up on the spot, thankful that Tae also left things vague when she had talked about it.

"Well, as long as you're careful I can't really tell you what you can and can't do" Sojiro admitted with a shrug before Naruto brought in her dishes to wash and handed Sojiro the money.

As he headed upstairs and finally let Morgana out he started to get ready for bed, nothing really else he could do in the evening like this.

"We have to head to Untouchable first thing after school to sell the medal" Morgana reminded him as Naruto nodded.

"I know and I will. I have tomorrow and the day after to sell it which is more than enough time so don't worry" Naruto assured him as he knew he had an important job and that people were counting on him to get the funds. He wasn't the kind to be lazy about this kind of stuff after all.

-4/27 - Wednesday-

School was a bit hectic after the Kamoshida bombshell, which was to be expected. For the most part the students weren't sure which teachers were in on it like Kamoshida had said, they only knew which ones weren't by Kawakami mentioning a few.

She did mention though that some had been nervous to even respond to her when she brought up banding together given how much power Kamoshida had. Especially since he had gotten teachers fired in the past with how much pull he had with the Principal.

And on the topic of the Principal….'Oh boy' was the easiest way to describe it. It was beyond safe to say - and rather obvious - that the students were not happy with him to the point he heard that the Principal stayed in his office until really late into the day before he could leave and had shown up way early to avoid students.

He also heard from Shiho that due to Ryuji sending her the video of Kamoshida's confession her parents were able to build a strong lawsuit against Kobayakawa for allowing such things to happen to the students under his care. Apparently her mother Yukiko had gotten a high class lawyer to work the case in exchange for a free year worth of bookings at her inn, meaning the next 365 bookings he made would be free if he helped them out.

It definitely wasn't looking too good for him...not that he felt sorry in the slightest.

Once school eventually ended Naruto immediately headed off towards the train station only to frown a bit once he noticed just how many reporters were outside.

'Guess they want to interview students after the story was spread around, after all, you can't really expect for people not to pounce when they hear about all the stuff Kamoshida did' he thought with a sigh before shaking it off and continuing on out of the school and just ignoring any reporters that tried to speak with him since - given his situation - being on the news was the utter last thing he needed.

Despite being swamped they eventually got the picture and left him alone after the third 'I don't want to answer any questions' he repeated to them.

Eventually he was able to make it to Untouchables but noticed two men in suits outside. He was able to overhear a bit of what they were talking about which consisted of something about a warrant not coming in yet and the other not wanting to wait.

As he walked up to the counter the owner was in the same pose as last time, feet up on the counter as he read a magazine.

"Huh? You again? What do you want?" he asked, still a bit standoffish like last time.

"I want to sell you something, a gold medal" Naruto told him, pulling it out for him to see.

"A gold medal? Why do you have this? Look we don't buy any fake or stolen goods here kid" he briskly responded only for Naruto to shake his head.

"Not stolen and not fake. An old man I know was getting rid of possessions he didn't want, this was one of them as he told me it reminded him of a bad time in his life. He told me to sell it to get it away from ever returning to him" Naruto lied as he kept a straight face, the man narrowing his eyes a bit as if to inspect if he was genuine or not before sighing and taking his feet off the table.

"Fine, let me see it" he relented as he stood up and started to type stuff into his laptop that he had set up on the counter. "Okay, look. I'll give you 30 thousand for it if you're that intent on selling it" he offered with Naruto nodding, not about to haggle with someone like this guy as he screamed 'don't mess with me' and then some.

"Sounds perfect as that's what I saw it was worth online. I came here to sell it since I can only imagine the hassle if I were to sell it elsewhere" Naruto mentioned, getting a chuckle from the man as he handed over the 30 thousand yen over.

Naruto didn't quite know what was up with the man as he went silent, looking at the clock then to the front door and back to him while muttering something about it almost being time.

"Here, take this with you. It's a thanks for sellin' me that medal" the man said, handing over a paper bag with a red logo on it that Naruto gingerly accepted. "Best not to open it, just bring it back with you next time you come back here" he added, making Naruto feel even more unsure about having taken the package only to nod as while it was beyond sketchy the man didn't set off any warning bells to him.

"Okay, got it" Naruto said, deciding not to question it and just go along with it since the man had just bought the medal and was asking for the item back.

"Glad you're so quick to understand as you felt like the type" the man said with a smile before it quickly turned to a glare as the door to the store opened and Naruto saw the men that he saw outside from earlier walk in.

"Munehisa Iwai, yes? There are some matters we'd like to discuss with you today" the man in the grey suit said as the owner, now known as Iwai, quietly told him to go with Naruto stepping out of the way as the men made their way to the counter.

"Do you know why we're here?" the grey suited man asked before Naruto could even start walking away.

"I dunno, lookin' for evidence? You tell me Mr. Detective" Iwai jabbed back with a chuckle before the man in the blue suit slammed his hand down on the desk, Naruto able to see out of the corner of his eye as he walked.

"Watch your attitude!" he yelled while Iwai seemed completely unphased.

"Well, you guys gonna search me? Go on, do what you gotta do" Iwai invited as Naruto finally made his way to the door, not wanting to rush out which he figured Iwai also knew.

"What was that?" the man in the blue suit asked with Iwai smiling back at him.

"An upstandin' citizen's supposed to cooperate with the cops, right?" Iwai asked as if it was an obvious question.

"Hey, are you sure that lead was legitimate?" the man in the grey suit asked as the first man seemed to deflate a bit.

"I'm sure it was…" he muttered which made Iwai chuckle again.

"Can you two hurry it up? I got a business to run here" Iwai said just as Naruto opened the door to leave only for that to get the blue suited man's attention.

"Hey you! Stop right there!" he yelled out, getting Naruto to stop in his tracks as he was halfway out the door.

"Yes officer?" Naruto asked, seeing how Iwai was annoyed but more at the situation as he gave him a look that seemed to say 'it'll be fine'.

"What's in the bag, huh? Show me!" the man demanded as Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.

"The kid's just a regular ol' customer. You can check the tapes if that'll convince you. He's been in here a few times. They'll show you everything that's gone down here today" Iwai said, making a bluff as they both knew the tapes would show Iwai handing him the bag out of the blue. It was also dangerous as the tapes would show him selling the gold medal which wouldn't be easy to explain.

"I won't let you get away that easy! Show us what's in the bag!" the man in the blue suit demanded as Naruto sighed.

"Officer, this is just a bag of tools that I ordered from him. It's in a bag cause the seller Iwai got it from stiffed him for it and since Iwai isn't the kind to bag stuff he had to use this bag, as janky as it is" Naruto tried to explain with a chuckle, this being the only thing he could think of while trying to sell it off.

Though the look he got from Iwai showed he at least did a good job in his eyes.

"This all seems a bit too fishy…" the man in the blue suit muttered before the grey suited man turned back towards him.

"Hey, easy there. You're talking to a kid, remember? Besides, he's not the one we're here to see" he told the blue suited, man, getting an irritated groan as Iwai nodded.

"That's right Mr. Detective. Maybe next time try not harassin' my customers, see how that goes" Iwai taunted, getting the man's anger directed back at him before looking back over to Naruto. "Safe trip home kid" he said, telling him this was his window to leave and to take it which he instantly did.

"What were those detectives doing there?" Morgana asked, surprised that they showed up and that they nearly got caught in the middle of them.

"I don't know but I feel it involves whatever is in this bag" Naruto told him before he wasted no time in opening it.

"A real gun!? Wait...I think it's just a model" Morgana said in shock only to calm down once they got a longer look at it.

Naruto definitely could see how Morgana thought it was real, it coming off as a real one but the longer you looked at it the more it started to lose that vibe.

"Definitely miles ahead of the one I have" Naruto muttered as he looked it over a bit more.

"There's definitely something weird about that place...and the owner" Morgana said with a shudder before he perked up suddenly. "Wait! I just had an amazing idea! We should totally ask to buy this from him later!" he suggested, Naruto looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"He said to just bring it back to him later. We can try but I don't know how well it'll go down...for now let's just put it away and tell the others we have the money" Naruto told Morgana before his phone started to ring, him pulling it out to show Ann was calling him.

"Hello?" he asked, unsure why she was calling him so suddenly.

"Hey, it's me. Just wanted to call and see how you were doing. Were you able to get out of school safely?" Ann asked since depending on if other students had been interviewed he might have been referenced. Plus there was also that clip of him catching Shiho and there really not being many red haired guys at school.

"I'm fine, I was able to push past them and they got the message about not wanting to talk...at least for today" he muttered with a frown. "What about you?" he quickly added on since she was legit named in Kamoshida's confession.

"I'm fine, as a model I can handle stuff like that and ignore it in stride!" she said confidently with a bit of a giggle. "Oh, I almost forgot. How did selling the medal go?" she asked as he chuckled a bit.

"Went perfect, got 30 thousand for it just like it said online. We're all good to go for the 29th" Naruto told her as he started to walk in the direction of the train station.

"Perfect! I already told Ryuji and of course Shiho knows but we're going to meet in front of the Shibuya Station at noon on the 29th" Ann told him as he nodded, it making sense given she and Shiho were the only ones who knew the location they were off to.

"With the mention of Shiho, how is she? I can imagine she's relieved its over but, with the Principal, I can only imagine how her parents aren't going to want her to go back to Shujin" he muttered a bit with a frown since any good parent wouldn't let their child go back to somewhere they had been hurt before.

"Yeah she's fine but you're right about her parents...she's going to transfer to a nearby school…" Ann muttered dejectedly, clearly upset at the news and for an obvious reason given Shiho was her best friend.

"Just because she is transferring doesn't mean you won't be able to see her. There is after school, on weekends, and holidays. Plus it's not like she is actually moving away" he assured her as best as he could, hoping he somewhat helped.

"I know, it's just going to be weird without her at Shujin but we'll get through it" Ann assured him, her tone showing she was confident as he couldn't help but smile.

"Great, but if you ever want to talk about it just know that I'm here" he offered, getting a giggle from her.

"Trust me, Shiho told me all about what you did for her with the 'coded conversation' so we both know you're here for us if we need it so thanks" Ann said, a smile clear in her tone as he nodded. "I better go, I have a shoot soon that I got to get ready for" she told him as he nodded.

"Yeah, don't let me make you late. We can talk whenever, have fun?" he said, a bit unsure what to say in regards to her job which clearly made her laugh a bit.

"I will, bye!" Ann said, still chuckling a bit as she hung up just as the train arrived.

As he got home he was a bit tired from the annoyance of those detectives but, as he smelt the coffee in the air he felt he might as well try making some since Sojiro had taught him a bit.

"I can brew some coffee, right?" Naruto asked, getting Sojiro to look up from cleaning a dish behind the counter.

"Sure thing, help yourself to the beans on the shelves. I'll show you how each kind of bean is different later" Sojiro said before putting the dish down and straightening his back out with a groan. "I'm gonna head out to buy some cigarettes" he said, leaving the shop to Naruto for the time being since there were no customers around.

Naruto decided to let Morgana out of the bag and sit on one of the chairs as Naruto got changed upstairs real quick and put on his apron before getting started on the coffee.

"Mmm! I love the smell of good coffee" Morgana purred out as he watched Naruto start brewing his cup of coffee. Naruto tried to focus on it, doing his best to remember everything that Sojiro had taught him and do it right.

Once the cup was done Naruto sat down in the chair next to Morgana and gave the cup a tentative sip, half because of the heat and half because he wasn't sure if he had done it like Sojiro.

As the taste hit his tongue he was surprised that it actually tasted pretty good. It wasn't perfect like Sojiro's but, as a first attempt, Naruto felt some pride in it.

"Your reaction makes me think it turned out good, right?" Morgana asked as Naruto nodded to him.

"I'd give it a passing grade, not a perfect score but pretty nice nonetheless" Naruto admitted with a smile before the door chiming got their attention, Morgana about to run off only to see it was Sojiro who had returned.

"Looks like you're doing well" Sojiro said with a smirk, looking at him and Morgana with a chuckle. "Here, let me have a sip" he asked, Naruto nodding as he got up to not only let Sojiro sit down but so he could clean up the stuff he used.

As Sojiro took a sip he closed his eyes as if to help concentrate on the flavor. "Hmmm, this aroma and soft richness...You used Blue Mountain didn't you?" he asked, Naruto looking around for the beans he used and Sojiro had accurately identified it.

But then again, he ran a cafe with coffee being one of his main staples.

"For a first cup you did pretty good but the flavor profile is bland. You should practice more to bring out the roast's full potential. Though I see you're preparing the cup the way I taught you so I'll definitely acknowledge your hard work" he criticized only to praise him in the end with a smile to show he had done a good job.

"You look like a real barista standing at the counter like that. It seems like you're following all the rules and instructions I gave you so keep at it and who knows, maybe you'll be able to make a masterful cup of coffee" he encouraged as he let Naruto finish the cup before he got up.

"Can I leave closing up to you? I need to head home" Sojiro asked before Naruto nodded and waved him off.

"Don't worry, I got it. I have to clean up this cup once I'm done after all" he assured him, allowing the man to head home without worrying about the shop for once. Plus it wasn't anything that took too long, just some cleaning of the tables, making sure all the dishes were clean, and making sure the stove wasn't on before locking up and turning off the lights.

"That was nice of you to close up the shop for him" Morgana said as he followed him up the stairs.

"The way I see it, I'm living here rent free and he's feeding me. Least I can do is help out here and there where I can" Naruto told him with a shrug of his shoulders as they got ready for bed and laid down.

-4/28 - Thursday-

As he made his way towards the front gate he smiled a bit as he saw a familiar head of poofy hair a bit ahead of him, getting him to speed up his walk to catch up to her. "Morning Haru" he said, slightly surprising her but making her smile once she noticed it was him.

"Morning Naruto, you startled me for a moment there" she 'scolded' with a playful frown as he nodded solemnly to play along.

"I am truly sorry," he apologized with a little bow which made her giggle a bit before he stood up "I just saw your poofy hair and felt that a bit of company on the walk to school would be nice" he said with a smile, getting her to nod with a soft smile.

"I agree as it seems our trips to the rooftop never coincide" Haru said, her smile faltering a bit.

"Don't feel afraid to message me if you are up there. I'm not that busy of a guy so I can easily head up there to hang out if you want" he assured her before smiling as he nudged her. "I did see the little chibi drawings of me and I gotta say they are pretty cute...sorry if mine were crudely drawn" he grumbled a bit before she quickly shook her head.

"No! Yours were very cute as well. I thought they were nice and sweet" she admitted, making him let out a little sigh of relief.

"I'm glad cause your poofy hair was hard to draw" he said, getting another giggle from her as they continued on towards school and talked about plants and how they each had been doing.

Once they had to split up Haru made sure to promise to message him the next time she's up on the roof and wanted to hang out.

School after that went fine, Naruto still feeling some animosity between the students and the teachers but it was to be expected after everything was aired out like that.

With not much else to really do he decided to head home only to see Sojiro sitting down on the other side of the counter and watching the tv which, from the picture of Kamoshida, was playing a report about his school.

'That was fast…' he thought with a frown as he walked over towards Sojiro to watch it with him.

"Fall from Grace: the story of a dishonored Olympic medalist. Just recently, a high school coach confessed at an assembly that he had been repeatedly abusing his students. It is also important to note that the Principal of said school knew about his actions and took part in suppressing those who tried to speak out about it" the report on tv started out as a picture of Kamoshida stayed on the screen.

"Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess these heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogation will bring light to this question" the reporter continued as Sojiro, who had noticed that Naruto walked up beside him, hummed in thought.

"Isn't this…?" Sojiro muttered, not quite sure before he decided to continue watching before the screen changed to a recorded interview with a male student whose head was out of frame.

"My friend would come back from practice with bruises all the time...It was scary but I'm relieved that the abuse is finally going to end now" the male student said before it cut to an interview with another student, this time a female.

"He would touch me and stuff all the time...I'm glad I don't have to deal with that sexual harassment anymore…" she muttered before it went to another female student.

"There were always rumors, sure. Not many people believed them though. Like...I'm totally shocked they were actually true and that the Principal himself actually helped him get away with it... At least I can go to school without worrying about Kamoshida anymore" she said, which quickly made Sojiro grow a serious look as the report ended.

"I knew it. This is your school, isn't it?" Sojiro asked before Naruto nodded.

"It happened a few days ago. I had no idea it'd get reported on like this...or this fast" Naruto muttered as Sojiro looked him in the eye.

"Remember what Jiraiya said, keep your head down. Last thing you need is to have you get caught up in something" Sojiro warned before Naruto nodded again despite knowing he was already caught up.

"I know, hence why I've been dodging reporters these last few days" Naruto told him while he headed towards his room only to stop and turn back around. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I have plans with my friends tomorrow" he added on, wanting to at least warn Sojiro a bit beforehand.

"Those two from last time?" Sojiro asked since those were the only ones he knew.

"Them and one other. She was the one who gave me Morgana" Naruto told him, getting a nod and a smile from him.

"Well have fun but I'll probably need your help over Golden Week" he said with Naruto giving him a thumbs up as he headed upstairs.

He paused at the top of the stairs as his phone chimed.

Ryuji: Did you see!? It was on the news!

Ryuji: No way the school's gonna be able to play dumb after that! Especially since they reported that the Principal knew and allowed it to happen!

Ann: I saw it too

Shiho: I'm just glad no names were brought up at all

Naruto: Same here, last thing any of the victims need is for their names to be known and bothered for it

Ryuji: Yeah, and with this it's finally over…

Ryuji: All we gotta do is stuff out faces and put this Kamoshida crap behind us, right?

Ryuji: I'm totally looking forward to this celebration party

Ann: Shiho and I will try not to let you guys down!

Shiho: Yeah! This is a place we have wanted to go for a while due to how great the food is and the variety, we've just never had the money til now

Ryuji: How did selling it go?

Naruto: Went perfect, got 30 thousand just as it said online so we're good to go

Ryuji: Sweet! Then I'll see you guys tomorrow!

Ann/Shiho: Yup!

"And with that we are all set for tomorrow! You'd better head to bed early so we aren't late" Morgana said before trying to rush him to bed.

"I know, I know. I wasn't planning to stay up or anything" Naruto said with a nod and a wave as if to say 'he's got it' while he started to get ready for bed.

He had to admit he was looking forward to wherever Ann and Shiho had decided they were going as Ann seemed really excited about it.

Thinking about it wouldn't do him any good though as he needed to focus on going to bed so he'd be ready for tomorrow.

-4/29 - Friday-

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" Sojiro asked as he looked over from behind the counter towards Naruto who, despite having plans, was washing dishes.

"Look, I have a few hours to kill before I leave at noon and just standing around with nothing to do feels weird" Naruto told him, getting Sojiro to shake his head with a smirk as he decided to just let it be as the sound of the bell told alerted him of a customer.

And Naruto had to admit this customer, an adult woman, screamed professionalism as well as mature beauty with just a simple look over.

She was tall with long hair that was brushed over towards her left with it being a color that messed with his eyes a bit, unsure if it was some odd tone of brown or grey when he looked at it. She also had an interesting eye color as it was brown with a mix of red into it.

Her outfit had an intense feel to it alongside professionalism and a nice sense of fashion. It was a black business suit with a black turtleneck underneath her blazer which had some interesting designs along her cuffs and near the bottom of it in the front.

He didn't look at her for more than a second before she sat down near the far end of the counter just as a new story came on the news.

"The cause of the runaway-train incident in the subway the other day still has not been found. Police are hurrying to solve the matter as it may relate to the rise in psychotic breakdown incidents" the reporter said which got Sojiro to rub his chin in thought.

'Is that the thing everyone's been talking about?" Sojiro asked, getting Naruto to turn around a bit as the woman sat up a bit more.

"Doesn't it make you curious? People who were living normal lives suddenly went mad or deranged out of the blue...Not to mention that it's happening one after another...Could they really be coincidental?" she asked, it coming off more as a rhetorical question or just voicing her thoughts on the matter while Sojiro rubbed the back of his neck with a bit of a hum to show he wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Leaving that aside, what'll you have?" Sojiro asked, getting a bit of a sigh from the woman before she nodded.

"I'll have the house blend please" she said before Naruto watched her look over towards him and smile a bit. "Are you a part-timer? I'm surprised this place can afford one" she asked as Naruto turned around and waved her off with a smile of his own.

"I'm sort of a part-timer, I work here for free as he's a family friend" Naruto said, covering things up a bit which, by the smirk on Sojiro's face, showed he had said the right thing.

"Are you a highschool student? Where do you attend?" she asked as he nodded.

"I go to Shujin Academy, I'm a second year there" he told her, getting a look in her eyes that showed she knew what he was talking about.

"Someone I know goes there as well, she's a third year. I've heard things are rough right now, a teacher named Kamoshida confessed his crimes like he was a completely different person supposedly and it happened 'all of a sudden' one day..." she started to say while Sojiro started on her coffee as he listened in.

"Well maybe various things factored into it. All it takes is a single new straw to break a camel's back after all" Naruto retorted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But can a person's mental state change so easily?" she responded back before Sojiro set down her cup of coffee and looked at him.

"You should probably get going, right?" Sojiro reminded him, Naruto nodding as it had finally rolled around to where he could leave without being too early.

"Right, thanks for reminding me" Naruto said before taking off his apron and picking up his bag that had Morgana inside it. "I hope you enjoy your coffee, this place seriously has the best" he told the woman, getting a smile from her as she picked up her cup before he walked past her and headed off towards the station.

As he arrived it seemed that even with him holding off on going early he was still the first to show up with Ann and Shiho appearing next and Ryuji being the last.

This was also the first time he's seen any of them in 'non-school' clothes as even Shiho had been sticking in her uniform whenever she came to go into the Palace with them due to not wanting to stick out when she did.

Ann wore a lavender blue button up shirt under her usual jacket that she wore under her school blazer, only now it was unzipped. Beyond that she wore a white skirt, black leggings, and red Converse shoes.

Ryuji was very laid back - not that he expected anything different - consisting of a purple hoodie with a black shirt underneath, dark pants, and yellow sneakers.

Shiho's was a mix between Ann and Ryuji if he had to summarize it, her outfit being a white hoodie with black insides, a pair of black shorts that were shorter than normal but not to the extreme 'short shorts' level, a loose baggy red shirt that ended a bit above her shorts, and a pair of soft grey Converse sneakers. Her usual pink scrunchie had even been replaced with a red bow to keep her hair up as it always was.

"Everyone ready to go?" Naruto asked as Ann nodded with a fire in her eyes.

"I am so ready to eat!" Ann cheered, getting a giggle from Shiho and even a chuckle from him.

"Well, let's get going then" Naruto said, getting them to start heading down to the trains while Ann and Shiho led them since they knew the route they'd have to go.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Ryuji asked since neither of them have revealed the place they had picked yet.

"It's this really high class hotel buffet. My parents went there once and they both loved it and since then Ann and I have wanted to go there as well" Shiho said with a smile as their train arrived.

Once they arrived at the hotel it was obvious how 'high-class' it was and the buffet itself was even more so given most of the seats around each table were high-end couches - one that seats for two and two that only seat for one alongside two normal chairs on the other side.

They were quick to grab a bit of food, no real solid 'meal' - at least in his case - as Ryuji and Ann got the single seaters which left him and Shiho alongside Morgana in the bag on the double seater.

Morgana though somewhat had to be fed since there was absolutely no way he was going to be allowed out of the bag.

"Mmmmm….So good~" Ryuji almost moaned out as he ate some barbecued meat as meat was literally the only thing he had on his plate.

"You made a great choice picking this place Lady Ann!" Morgana praised her before Ann looked over from eating her plate of sweets.

"Thank Shiho, she found this place first so thank you Shiho~!" Ann said before smiling over at Shiho and thanking her, getting a smile and chuckle from her as she pointed to her cheek, silently telling Ann that she had some icing on her face.

"This is a famous hotel so the food would obviously be amazing" Shiho reminded them as she ate a bit of the food she had grabbed on their way in.

"Sorry to change the topic but Naruto, Ryuji, I heard that the police are coming to interview some people at school" Ann quickly sidelined things since she had just learnt about it this morning.

"Really? That might be a bit bad as I can imagine Ryuji and me being brought up due to how he tried to expel us and everything. I don't think anyone will make up any weird rumors but still, police attention is the last thing I need…" Naruto muttered with a frown since with him on probation he was annoyingly on thin ice.

"I think something else will be more on their mind, something like how 'The Phantom Thieves really stole his heart!'. I hear people saying it all the time but I think most people don't believe it while others seem actually grateful" Ryuji said with a smile, proud and liking the effect they had on people. "I mean, look at this" he added as he pulled out his phone and showed them a webpage on it.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website?" Ann asked as she read the name at the top of the page before looking down at one of the messages a bit below it. "Well done Phantom Thieves...Now I can keep going too...Thank you for giving us hope…" she read a few of the messages before Ryuji put his phone away.

"Pretty cool, right?" Ryuji asked with a smile, looking around to the others while Ann nodded a bit.

"I was just desperate to deal with my own problems, but seeing people saying all this feels...strange" Ann said before Shiho scooted back and nodded a bit.

"Kamoshida hurt a lot more people than just the two of us...by bringing him to justice we saved all the others as well" Shiho said, reminding them that Kamoshida's focus wasn't just narrowly on them.

"Makes me wonder...what do we do now?" Ryuji asked, looking around as that question was still very much on Naruto's mind as well.

"As much as I want to delve into it we only have an hour to eat here. Let's save the heavy talk til then" Naruto told them, that reminder getting Ryuji to instantly burst up from his seat.

"You're totally right! We only have an hour to eat! I'm not gonna finish all the beef dishes at this pace!" Ryuji panicked as Ann burst up as well.

"Just fifty minutes left! I need to eat my way through the entire dessert menu!" Ann panicked alongside him before she hurried off towards the food.

"I'll watch your stuff, you guys grab your food and I'll get mine after. Last thing I want is for you guys to grab me weird food" Naruto told Ryuji with a flat look, not trusting them to actually get him any food as - given their one track minds - they'd probably just grab him a random assortment of food like beans, eggs, and bananas...

"You're not going with them?" Naruto asked Shiho, expecting her to head off with Ann only for her to shake her head with a smile.

"I'll stay here and watch their stuff with you. We can get our food after them" Shiho said as she started to eat her food again.

"So, being an athlete, are your tastes more like Ryuji's or more like Ann's?" Naruto asked, noticing a bit of both on her plate as well as some other kinds of foods here and there.

"Given my mom I've grown up with well cooked meat often made in the house but my mother always ensured I ate balanced, though I definitely indulge in sweets when I'm with Ann" Shiho said with a bit of a chuckle since Ann utterly loved her sweets and there was no stopping her when she decided to take her to try out certain sweet shops.

"I'm the same way, my godmother really hammered down a balanced diet for me but let me indulge on ramen as a guilty pleasure" he said with a reminiscent smile before he watched as the others returned with plates full of each of their desired foods.

"Seriously? Only meat?" Morgana asked, shocked that Ryuji had brought back three plates full of meat dishes. "And she's all about the cake…" he grumbled as Ann was muttering to herself about where she should start on her plates of cakes and pies.

"So happy~!" Ann purred out as she ate, her expression making it clear how much she was enjoying it.

"Hey. Calories" Ryuji brought up, teasing her a bit only to get a quick and strong glare sent his way.

"Shut up! How much do you think one of these costs!? I'll never get the chance to do this again!" Ann growled out in defense before taking another bit and melting at the taste. "Mmmm~! The Wilton Hotel cake buffet...I'd heard rumors but I never thought it'd be so amazing~!" Ann purred out again only to get a dry laugh from Shiho over how into it Ann was getting.

"How about we go now?" Shiho suggested as Naruto nodded and stood up.

"Stay here Morgana, last thing we need is to have someone spot you. I'll bring you back some nice looking fish for sure so don't worry" Naruto told the 'not-cat', him nodding as he understood before Naruto and Shiho walked off to get their food.

"Those two definitely have one track minds" Naruto said with a dry laugh of his own with Shiho nodding along.

"They know what they like and are determined to indulge in it, no harm….just hope they don't overindulge and end up puking...would be a real waste of a seven thousand yen buffet*6" Shiho said since she could see at least one of them ending up like that at the pace they were going.

"I plan to get a bit of everything so let's make our rounds" Naruto suggested, getting Shiho to nod with a smile as they went from one table to another and piled some food from each on their plate.

As they went around Naruto also picked up on some gossip people were talking about.

It seemed Kamoshida was the talk of the town, some people saying how he should have just kept his head down and done his job as a teacher diligently while others lauded how how great the country was and how it was a shame the Shujin students had to suffer like that...though her pompous tone and mean jab at calling them hooligans made the concern even more clearly fake.

Though some mentions of 'looking into' and 'someone arriving to talk with higher-ups' made him think some people were investigating Kamoshida...even though it still seemed sketchy.

Apparently even the Phantom Thieves were being mildly discussed as 'world reforming heroes' although it didn't seem like the person talking about it really cared or believed in it. They were more just reporting what they were told.

The main thing that got him annoyed was some guy talking about how ratings were up because of the crude nature of Kamoshida's story, clearly not caring about his actual actions whatsoever. It seriously pissed him off, having to clench his free hand to keep himself looking somewhat calm before Shiho gently grabbed his hand and squeezed it with a smile, telling him it was okay.

Though he was still pissed at that asshole but he decided to let it go for the most part.

"All these adults are jerks" Naruto grumbled before Shiho gave his hand another squeeze.

"It's best not to let them get to you. We got our food so let's head back" she said with a smile only to quickly pull her hand away with a blush once she realized she was still holding it. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she sped walked back to the table.

"Whoa! That's a lot of food there!" Ryuji said with an impressed whistle at what all he and Shiho had gotten.

"Not that much compared to the several platefulls you guys got" Naruto told him with a flat look, Ryuji nodding as he knew Naruto had a point. "Keep in mind we have to finish all of this or else we get a fee" he made sure to remind them, getting looks of worry from both of them which only made him sigh.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Shiho will help with Ann's sweets and I'll help with all these meat dishes. If we do this together we can get it done without anyone puking...hopefully" he said, getting nods from them both while Naruto put some food for Morgana to eat on a small plate.

With time, and help, all the plates were finally cleared with everyone seemingly handling it well...besides Ryuji who overstuffed himself.

"Th-this isn't good...I gotta go to the bathroom…" Ryuji groaned out, making it clear he pushed himself too far.

"My, look at that table…." one woman muttered behind them, her tone so condescending that Naruto could picture how her face looked before he even looked at it.

"Come now, pay them no attention. I'm sure they must not normally have the chance to eat such exquisite food" the man beside her said, his tone also pissing him off.

"I can only imagine what their parents must be like" the woman said before Naruto leaned back and smiled at her.

"Hey, my parents are dead but I know they'd like how I'm acting over how you guys are acting like pompous 'better-than-thou' dickbags" Naruto said before his smile turned to a flat look with narrowed eyes to make it clear he was tired of them and quite pissed off.

The shocked and angered looks they gave off before hurrying off was a great bit of payment before Ryuji burped.

"N-Nice job b-but we don't got time for that...C'mon, let's go…' Ryuji groaned out as Naruto stood up.

"Fine, you two stay here and watch our stuff please. I'll try and keep Ryuji from puking until he gets to a bathroom" Naruto sighed before he walked off with Ryuji.

The closest bathrooms available ended up being ones on a different floor due to the ones that were on the same floor as the buffet being closed for cleaning. Once Ryuji was done puking up a bit of his food they made their way back to the elevator to head back to the buffet.

"The buffet is on a lower floor, right?" Ryuji asked as Naruto nodded and hit the 'down' button.

"We came up to come here so yeah, I made sure to remember the floor as I refuse to get lost here" Naruto assured him as they waited for the elevator, Naruto hearing other people gather around to wait on the elevator with them.

He grunted though as some man in a suit essentially walked through them, shoving them aside as if not caring or even acknowledging they were in his way.

Naruto frowned as a bunch of men in suits were seemingly surrounding one guy as if they were bodyguards or some kind of entourage. The man definitely screamed 'leader' as well as asshole, being completely bald with a goatee and yellow tinted glasses.

A part of him wanted to say he's seen the man before but couldn't quite place where…

"There's still no update on the case?" the man asked before someone in the back of the group surrounding him stepped forward.

'N-Not yet...Excuse me but why are you so involved? It's not something you should be concerned with…" the man who stepped forward said, his tone clearly confused and unsure before the bald man turned around with a glare.

"I don't care about your opinion you incompetent buffoon! When I say pick up the pace, you do it!" the bald man growled out, Naruto feeling he definitely hit the nail on the head in regards to the 'asshole' assumption.

"Hey, can we maybe get an apology for walking through us and shoving us aside like that? Didn't know teenagers became invisible to adults when they got to a certain age or are manners just dead and no one alerted Japan?" Naruto asked with an annoyed glare.

"What do you want?" the 'incompetent buffoon' asked as Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Didn't you literally just hear me? An apology for shoving through us would be nice, plus we were here first" Naruto told them again, still with an annoyed glare obvious on his face.

"We're in a hurry" the 'buffoon' said as Ryuji seemingly had enough as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So you can shove us aside and butt in front of us if you're in a hurry?" Ryuji growled out as the bald man merely looked them over before turning away with a scoff.

"It seems the customer base has changed since I was here last. Have they started a daycare?" he asked as Naruto got more annoyed, half at his attitude and half that he seriously had the strongest urge telling him he knew this asshole.

"Rich coming from the group of jerks pushing their way through like some schoolyard bullies" Naruto retorted with a scoff of his own before the buffoon turned back towards the bald man.

"Sir, we don't have time for this" the buffoon insisted as the bald man nodded.

"I know" the bald man told him before the door to the elevator opened and the buffoon shoved Naruto back, Ryuji catching him so he didn't actually fall back. "Don't bother with them!" he quickly chided as Naruto glared at him enough to make the buffoon take a step back.

"Shoving a teenager must make you feel real powerful" Naruto growled out as they all walked into the elevator.

"You okay man?" Ryuji asked while Naruto nodded and dusted himself off a bit before Ryuji walked forward a bit with a glare. "The hell was with that bossy guy!?" he growled before Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea but I feel I know that bald asshole from somewhere...I just can't remember where and that's annoying me even more" Naruto grumbled out as he pressed the down button on the elevator, wanting to get out of here and back down to the others.

"That dick seriously wasn't even hidin' the fact he looks down on everyone! If you know him from somewhere I'm surprised you don't remember him as I don't see him being the kind of guy you let off without a confrontation like you did Kamoshida" Ryuji said as Naruto widened his eyes in shock.

'Confrontation!? No...he couldn't be…' Naruto thought, not quite sure if his hunch was right, before he pocketed that aside for later to ask Jiraiya about it later.

"I might have...but it doesn't matter. Losing your temper, even towards shitty adults, isn't gonna do us any good" Naruto reminded him before walking into the elevator with Ryuji right behind as he nodded since he knew it wasn't going to help either.

As they got back to the table Ann seemed a bit annoyed while Shiho looked a bit exhausted.

"What took you so long!?" she asked, getting a frown from Naruto.

"Sorry, we got held up by some assholes in line for the elevator." Naruto told her which got a sigh from her.

"I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to get upset like that" she apologized before Shiho looked over at them.

"We had a bit of a run-in with a lady a bit ago. She bumped into Ann and blamed her when she dropped her plate" Shiho explained as they sat back down. "Even the restaurant workers all looked at her with these disapproving expressions" she added, showing just how much they were looked down on despite being able to afford coming here.

"Seems we both had run-ins with annoying adults" Naruto said with a sigh, getting nods from the two girls. "Adults really just don't seem to give a shit about anyone 'below them' either in standing or in age" he continued to explain a bit before Ryuji sat up a bit.

"Hey Morgana, I got something to ask ya" Ryuji called out to the 'not-cat', getting him to poke back up out of Naruto's bag.

"Yeah? What is it?" Morgana responded, curious what Ryuji had on his mind given the serious look on his face.

"Anyone could have a Palace, right?" Ryuji asked before Morgana nodded.

"Anyone with a strong distorted desire" the resident expert on this kind of stuff answered which only got Ryuji to lean forward a good bit.

"Same for them havin' a change of heart if their Treasure gets stolen?" he continued his questions with Morgana once again nodding.

"That would be the case given the proof we acquired with Kamoshida" Morgana answered again before Naruto smiled a bit.

"What made you bring this up all of a sudden?" Ann asked as Naruto looked over at her with a bit of a sigh.

"Because this entire time we've been here we've been dealing with asshole adults and Ryuji, like myself, is wondering if we'd be able to change those kinds of people as well, right?" he asked, getting a nod from Ryuji to show they were on the same page.

"You mean...you guys want to continue as the Phantom Thieves?" Ann asked as Naruto quickly nodded and sat forward with a serious look on his face.

"We awakened the power of our Persona for a reason. Deep in my gut I knew this wasn't a one-off deal. If we have this power then why not help more people and change the hearts of those who are so corrupt and shitty that they have a Palace?" he asked, looking around to them before Ryuji nodded along.

"We put a lot of work into changin' Kamoshida's heart but nobody believes in the Phantom Thieves. Plus! Those guys who had no other choice but to just deal with it are thankin' us! Us of all people!" Ryuji insisted, trying to make a case that doing this would help others who had no ability to fight back.

"I agree...if it wasn't for this then I don't want to even imagine how things would be for me…" Shiho muttered before looking up with a fire in her eyes. "That's why I am beyond all for this, I want to help those who can't speak up for themselves or defend themselves against those in positions of power that make it unable for them to get justice in normal ways" she declared as Ann nodded along while reaching over to hold her friend's hand and give it a squeeze, completely agreeing with her.

"If we ignore the people who are in trouble I'd go back to being the same as I was before…" Ann admitted before Shiho squeezed her hand back with a soft smile.

"You all are under my tutelage. There's nothing we can't accomplish as phantom thieves!" Morgana encouraged them as Naruto nodded.

"Doing all this means fighting more Shadows but honestly, with our numbers and power - which is still growing mind you - we can manage or raise to meet the challenge" Naruto told them, seeing looks of determination in their eyes to show they agreed with his words.

"You guys might still be just fledglings but this means we're an actual organization now" Morgana announced with Ryuji pumping his fist in excitement.

"We're gonna catch all these shitty adults by surprise and make ourselves known to the world!" Ryuji declared before Ann sat up and looked over at Naruto.

"You okay being our leader?" she asked, surprising Naruto a bit since leading them in battle was one thing but leading the group felt like an entirely different thing.

"You sure about this? I don't mind but even if I am the leader I want you all to know this isn't going to be a 'my word is law' situation by any means" he assured them, getting a giggle from Shiho.

"Don't worry, no one was worried about that with you" Shiho said since they all knew how nice and caring he was and how he looked out for them.

"Yeah, I got no objections to you being the leader. I can't handle all that responsibility stuff at all" Ryuji bluntly admitted though Ann had to chuckle a bit since it was obvious Ryuji wasn't cut out for being the leader.

Though she also knew she wasn't suited for it either by any means.

"Ooo! We need to decide a name for our group!" Ryuji brought up as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I just went with Phantom Thieves of Hearts last time but don't you think a real name would be cooler?" he asked as Ann perked up.

"I've got it! I want it to be something both cute and luxurious sounding. How about 'The Diamonds'?" Ann suggested before Ryuji shook his head with a slightly exhausted sigh.

"I'm gettin' a real little league baseball feel from it" Ryuji bluntly told her, getting a frown from her as Morgana sat up in the bag.

"Well then, here's my suggestion! How about 'Tilefish Poele'?" he asked, getting confused looks from everyone - even Shiho. "It's what I ate earlier. It's commemorative, no?" he asked before Ryuji let out an annoyed groan.

"Hell no you idiot! We are not naming ourselves after food!" Ryuji scolded him only to sigh and recline back in his seat. "You decide for us since I doubt any of us could really think up anything...plus the Leader picking the name feels right, doesn't it?" he asked the others, getting nods from them before Naruto leaned back and closed his eyes to try and help get ideas bouncing around in his head.

'We started out as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and while I really do like that name I feel it needs to be shorter or something...' he thought over for a bit before he opened his eyes and sat up.

"How about something short, simple, and connects to our roots? The Phantoms(*7)" Naruto suggested with Shiho smiling at the name.

"I like it. It feels true to us" Shiho said, which got Ann to nod along as well.

"I agree, it's a pretty good name" Ann agreed as Morgana nodded with a bit of a smirk on his cat face.

"Pretty good, for a rookie" he said only to get a scoff and an eye roll from Ryuji.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you 'Tilefish'" Ryuji jabbed back which got the 'not-cat' to shrink back into the bag a bit.

"Well, if there are no objections then we are 'The Phantoms' from now on" Naruto announced with a smile as Ann sat forward a bit.

"So, now that we have a name all set, who's going to be our next target?" she asked which got Ryuji to scratch his head a bit.

"There are tons of rotten adults...how about we just stick to targeting big names?" Ryuji suggested which got Naruto to hum as he thought it over.

"It'll be easier as people like politicians and CEOs are the kinds of people who ordinary people can't defend themselves against" Naruto said with Ryuji nodding along.

"Yeah, something along those lines. If we go after some bigwig it's gotta get on the news and make us known more, right? Don't you think more people would definitely believe in us if we did that?" Ryuji asked as Shiho nodded in agreement.

"It definitely would, it'd give people someone to look up to. It'd make them think someone is looking out for people like them" Shiho said before Ann frowned a bit.

"I agree, we would be giving courage to a lot of people but I don't really like the idea of just picking someone out of the blue though" Ann said, a bit unsure as she didn't want to just go after anyone out of the blue without a good and solid reason.

"Simple, we narrow it down to someone we can all agree on unanimously. After all, I did say this wasn't going to be a 'my word is law' set up" Naruto told her, getting a smile from her as she nodded.

"Definitely! I really like the unanimous part, it makes it so no one voice speaks above the others when deciding targets" Ann said as this erased a lot of worry off her.

"Now then, this is the official formation of the Phantom Thieves organization!" Morgana declared with everyone nodding in agreement before Ann gasped a bit.

"Oh no! Our time for the buffet ran out…" Ann whined a bit before Shiho consolingly rubbed her back with a bit of a chuckle.

"We can talk more about this tomorrow, it's getting late so we should probably head home" Naruto said, getting nods from the others and - after some train rides - he made his way back home and back up to his room.

He smiled though as his phone chimed and he saw a group message.

Ryuji: The Phantom Thieves...I'm liking the sound of that!

Shiho: I hope we can really help people

Ann: I'm curious about the Phantom Aficionado website too...I wonder who made it

Naruto: No idea, it has to be someone at Shujin though

Ryuji: More importantly, you see the survey on there? I dunno how I feel about it

Ann: Yeah, there was this approval rating thing but it was only at like six percent

Naruto: Bigger than I expected given everything

Shiho: When you put it that way it's not so bad

Ryuji: I bet the number will go up tons if we take down some big targets

Ryuji: It's pretty damn exciting when you think about it like that

Naruto: Well, let's keep working hard from here on out

Ann/Shiho: Yeah!

As the conversation ended his phone got another chime, Ryuji having started up another conversation.

Ryuji: Lemme send the celebratory pic I took for today real quick

Ryuji: Celebrating the founding of the Phantom Thieves! And celebrating us crashing that classy buffet!

The picture itself was really nice, it being a selfie from Ryuji's angle with Naruto in the back with a cup of coffee in hand as he looked at the camera out of the corner of his eye with a smile, Shiho smiling beside him, Morgana staring at a plate of pancakes just out of reach, and Ann enjoying her plate of cake

Ann: Wait! You took that while I was eating!? Why didn't you tell me!?

Shiho: Don't worry about it Ann, you look fine

Ryuji: Plus I did, you just never stopped eating

Ryuji: Anyways, this is our start as the Phantom Thieves! We're gonna take the world by storm! All the shitty adults better watch out for us!

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle with a smirk at Ryuji's enthusiasm as he saved the photo to his phone only for the smile to falter as he pulled up Jiraiya's number and dialed it. If the man he had ran into at the hotel was the one he thought it might be then he definitely needed to tell him…

"If you called me out of the blue like this there has to be a serious reason for it" Jiraiya said, his tone showing he was unsure but taking the call seriously as they both knew he wouldn't call him out of the blue like this.

"Yeah, I think I might have stuff to help you in regards to you looking into my case…" he told him with a frown, hoping that this wasn't a false alarm despite his gut screaming it wasn't.

Then again, he wasn't a high ranking information broker that had been hired by the government for countless years so he had no idea if his info would help. But, given everything he felt, he needed to tell him and just hope it helped.

-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 = I realized I messed up with the dates when I did the 'Naruto stays home for 3 days to recover' so I went back in chapter 5 and 6 and fixed it

*2 = Given Naruto volunteered to help her I felt she might be a bit more open and upfront with him about how things will go down. Afterall, she doesn't want the person who offered to help her out of the blue to stop and get angry due to the intense reactions

*3 = It wasn't until I watched some Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight did I learn of/see the space there. It helped answered the question of 'where did he put all the junk'

*4 = One major thing I decided to do is utterly remove the wait between Treasure stolen and confession/change of heart. It makes little to no sense why it takes so long (I know for a game it makes sense but in a fic - where things are 'de-gamed' it doesn't) and, from reading the manga, I like how they just instantly did the change of heart the next day though here I made it where like 2 days were all that is needed

This will help cut time and potentially allow for me to do something later on that you'll have to wait and see~

*5 = Some major changes here. 1st - no mention of killing himself due to Shiho instructing he atone for things and not run away and 2nd - Kobayakawa was thrown under the bus, not literally….yet.

This will have MAJOR implications later on and create changes later on as well

*6 = Made it 1,000 cheaper so all 4 can go without being over budget

*7 = Honestly it does fit the best and sue me, I couldn't think of anything that didn't feel weird or non-fitting

---

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!

---

Also I forgot to address it in the end notes of last chapter but the Will Seed Crystal - as seen - was granted to Naruto when they finish the Palace as going around looking for seeds would take too long and be kinda Bleh I feel

In terms of the Kamoshida fight, I did my best not to draw things out like it is in the game where you have to damage him for several rounds before the crown gets knocked off. I also changed things a bit after it in terms of Shiho being the one to confront him since it just makes a lot more sense.

I have to say, it's nice adding in Shiho to the story. Giving her lines and dialogue isn't difficult and her character feels like herself you know? I also enjoyed giving her some 'casual clothes' that I found online since she doesn't have any in the game - even in the 3rd Semester she was covered in a jacket.

And yes! Jiraiya's job has been revealed. He is an information broker and a very powerful one. He is often hired by the government and isn't well known except by those in very very high places (not Shido yet). Others just know rumors of him.

Not much else I feel I need to address but, after such a long chapter I tend to forget a bit, hence why I do the * marks so that I can talk about the major things as they come along and I don't forget

---

I hope you all liked it

Until Next Time

Rate and Review

Buh-Bye!