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

13. Chapter 13

Fox of Many Masks

Chapter 13

-Thieves Den-

The second they arrived Naruto was on guard despite being in his normal clothes as he and Morgana carefully walked down the small hallway that led out towards a massive room they could see ahead of them.

"I don't sense any Shadows….What is this place?" Morgana asked as he stayed on guard while Naruto kept on, walking out into the main room.

"I don't know but it said Thieves Den so wouldn't this be a safe place for us?" Naruto asked before he heard a familiar laugh.

"Indeed it is. Welcome Partner, to the Thieves Den" Arséne said as he appeared in a quick burst of blue flames in front of them.

It was a bit odd seeing Arséne not behind him like usual but also felt nice since Arséne rarely talked as he seemed to be much more of the 'cool silent type' unlike most of his female Personas.

"What is this place?" Naruto asked, Morgana dropping his guard since the sight of one of their Personas made it clear things were safe.

"Think of it as your Palace, Partner. It is a place born from your strong heart and the connections you've made as a place to keep you and allies safe" Arséne explained which got a shocked look from Morgana.

"W-Wait! A Palace!? A Persona user can't have a Palace though!" Morgana spoke out in confusion while Arséne landed on the ground in front of them.

"True since I am essentially his Shadow that has been tamed, trained, and awakened. This kind of setup is a true rarity but the power of the Wild Card makes impossible things possible" Arséne explained before putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder and motioning to the massive room ahead of them. "But here, let me give you the tour of your new safehouse" he offered, his permanent fanged grin almost glowing more than usual before he took to the air again and floated on ahead of them.

"A safehouse?...I guess it could be useful" Morgana muttered while Naruto was already walking after Arséne along the dark hardwood flooring.

"Could be? This place could be a perfect place to relax and hang out a bit" Naruto told the 'not-cat' as he looked around, noticing some odd red lines going along the floor and walls.

He could also see some picture frames off to the side, one of which had the buffet picture in it along with a second story that he could see a bit of through the glass floor above them that he'd probably check out after.

As he reached an opening in a fencing he was rather amazed by the sight and scenery as in front of him that felt like an utterly massive club with numerous red half circle couches and tables scattered across the red carpet flooring. At the back there seemed to be a large wooden stage of sorts with a microphone and a projector screen while a bar was off to the side.(*1)

The second he stepped onto the carpet he was stopped a bit as he felt something land on top of his head only to see a familiar head of red hair and an equally familiar face smile down at him.

"Why hello there Master~ It's so good to see you~!" Pixie giggled out as she flew off his head and hugged the side of his face.

"In this place all Persona are free to roam and materialize if they wish to while you are here" Arséne told him with Morgana quickly noticing Zorro was sitting in a booth nearby with a Shiki-Ouji, the not-cat's Persona giving him a nod while Naruto saw good number of his other Persona scattered around.

The main ones that stood out were Angel, Succubus, Nekomata, and Yaksini which were all at one booth enjoying some drinks that were served by floating trays. The wave and smirk he got from all of them made him worry a bit.

"It's nice to see you like this too Pixie" he told her, patting her back with his fingers gently due to her small size before she pulled away with a smile.

"Do be sure to visit, us and the girls would love to chat and hang out with our Master~" she giggled out before she flew off, sending a little blown kiss his way.

"So, the microphone and projector screen. A part of me feels they aren't for show" Naruto asked Arséne, getting a chuckle from him as he nodded.

"You can indeed use them both as that is what they are for. This is your hideaway, being able to relax only makes sense" Arséne explained as he snapped his fingers and the Phantom Thief logo appeared on the screen.

"So we got karaoke and movies as well as what seems to be drinks?" Morgana said, asking Arséne before he nodded again.

"The drinks here can be anything you have experienced before or you can even access the food and drinks you have stored away to enjoy here" Arséne explained once more he wandered off towards the stairs near the side, motioning them to follow once again.

Naruto definitely was impressed to see that Arséne's leather bat wings could entirely fold in and disappear, allowing him to actually fit in the doorway.

"So what's up here?" Naruto asked as he noticed several tables with chairs scattered along the glass floored room.

"Cards since it seems my partner is quite skilled at cards. You may use these tables to play various games such as Tycoon, Poker, Blackjack or anything else" Arséne teased as he explained things a bit. "Of course, there is more to this place such as the portraits below but some places only you can unlock when you are alone" he added, pointing directly at him as Naruto nodded despite being confused about what he meant by that.

"Can the others come here?" Morgana asked as Arséne nodded.

"Any person that has a bond with him and that he allows into his heart. It is quite simple, all he has to do is mention the name of this place to them and they will be allowed in if they meet the requirements" Arséne explained, getting a nod from Morgana before the 'not-cat' turned his way.

"This place definitely seems very interesting but we should tell the others about it before we look more into it. This could be the perfect little base for us that we can unwind in at night for as long as we want since time doesn't pass in the Metaverse" Morgana brought up while Naruto looked over the playing cards on the table out of curiosity.

"Sounds like a plan to me since I know the others will be very interested in this place. I'll have to get some movies as well for us to watch" Naruto said with a chuckle, already seeing Ann and Ryuji being interested in using the movie theater sized big screen on the stage. "But for now we should get to bed as I'm still exhausted from everything today" Naruto said with a dry chuckle as the change of heart, darts, and Big Bang Challenge it was safe to say he was exhausted and then some.

"This place isn't going anywhere so don't you worry" Arséne said with a chuckle as Naruto and Morgana headed back towards the entrance, Naruto giving his Persona a wave before the two left the way they came in.

-Real World-

"Well that was….something" Morgana muttered, still surprised by the sudden trip to a place they had no idea about.

"It definitely was but at least I have an idea where my Persona are relaxing when they aren't being used" Naruto said with a chuckle as he flopped down onto his bed. "But enough about that, we'll talk to the others later. Right now bed is calling and I desperately want to answer" he told Morgana with a yawn, getting a nod from him as he hopped up and joined him as they went out near instant.

-5/23 – Monday-

Naruto couldn't help but groan a bit as he woke and sat up, still feeling a bit sore in the stomach from eating so much before he got up and started to get ready for the clean up which included changing into his gym uniform.

"When we are at the clean up you have to be careful, we'll be around Makoto and Naoto. We don't want them catching you so keep to yourself in there, please" Naruto asked Morgana as he finished getting into his gym uniform and grabbed his 'non-school' bag to keep it from getting dirty.

"Got it but try to open the bag up a bit from time to time so I can get some cool air please?" Morgana asked back, getting a salute from Naruto as he hopped into the bag and they set off.

-Shibuya-

As he arrived at Shibuya, to travel to the park on foot from, he found himself having to seriously hold back his anger as he saw a sleazy looking middle aged man forcefully holding onto the wrist of a scared looking Yoshizawa.

"C'mon, there's no need to be shy. If you're busy I'll put my number in your phone so you can call me later. Sound like a plan?" Naruto heard the man tell Yoshizawa as he made his way towards them, the man's sleazy gross tone making his blood boil even more before he approached them.

"What do you want?" the man sneered out as Naruto took off his glasses and glared at the man.

"You're hurting her and you're being a pig by trying to force yourself on her. I'd advise you to stop before I get some cops involved and trust me, sleazy middle aged men don't really get a free pass for harassing high school girls" Naruto growled out with a cold glare, getting the man to let go of Yoshizawa who quickly went to hide behind him.

"D-Don't get worked up. I-I'm just being f-friendly here" the sleazeball tried to assure him, the man's voice cracking as he stuttered a bit as Naruto turned to look at Yoshizawa over his shoulder before turning his attention back at the man.

"Yes cause her scared look as she hides behind me screams a friendly talk so I'll tell you again one last time. Leave before we get the cops involved" Naruto threatened once more, his glare making the man all but run off which got an annoyed sigh from Naruto as he put his glasses back on.

"You okay Yoshizawa?" Naruto asked as he looked towards her a bit before he watched as Yoshizawa quickly moved back with a bit of a blush before she bowed to him.

"Thank you so much! I'm sorry for the trouble!" she quickly apologized before he waved her off.

"Seriously, it's okay as I don't mind. I'm more worried about if you are okay or not" he told her as he was more worried about her given how she hid behind him only to get a nod from her.

"Yes, I'm fine now!" she assured him before her 'confidence' faltered a bit and she grew worried. "It was pretty scary though…." she trailed off, faltering a bit before she stammered, clearly trying to say something before she collected herself.

"May I ask you something?" she asked while Naruto nodded and she collected herself again. "So….what made you step in to help me?" she asked, surprising Naruto as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because I couldn't just look the other way. I would have done the same if that sleazebag was messing with a random person….even if that was what landed me in the situation I am in right now" he told her while muttering the last part moreso to himself.

"I….see" Yoshizawa muttered as if unsure about his answer a bit for a reason he wasn't quite sure on - though he thankfully could tell it wasn't because she was creeped out or anything. "Well, I apologize for asking something so strange. You're headed to the cleanup as well, right?" she asked while Naruto nodded before he noticed the time on a nearby clock.

"Yeah though we might want to hurry, it's getting dangerously close to starting" he told her, getting her to widen her eyes as she pulled out her phone.

"You're right! I'm so sorry I haven't thanked you properly yet but I left my clothes at the school and I need to hurry! I'll see you at the cleanup soon! We can talk more then if you'd like" she assured him, Naruto nodding before she hurried off and left him to head off to the park.

-Inokashira Park-

Once at the park it didn't take him long to find Ryuji and Ann, half cause they were his friends and half cause they naturally stuck out….just like him.

"Yo, what took ya so long?" Ryuji asked once he noticed him walking up to them.

"Got caught up helping someone on the way over" Naruto told him as they fist bumped while Ann looked him over a bit.

"Did you really come here from home in your gym clothes?" Ann asked before Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, it's easier than getting changed here. I saw the massive lines at the bathroom and I so did not want to be stuck there" he told her, only just noticing she wasn't in her gym clothes.

"It must be so nice to be a guy…." Ann grumbled with a sigh. "I brought my gym clothes along with me and was gonna change in the bathroom but you pretty much summed up the problem with that plan…" she said, letting out another sigh while Naruto sympathetically nodded along before Mishima walked up.

"It's such a nice day out that even the weather seems to be mocking us" he said out of the blue, getting Ryuji to shake his head with a sigh.

"Dude, could you try pushin' your way into our conversation a little less awkwardly next time?" Ryuji asked him as Naruto had to agree a bit that Mishima definitely didn't have much tact when it came to stuff like this.

"I bet some Kichijoji clean-freak hung paper dolls all over and prayed for clear skies today" Mishima continued, ignoring their point as somewhat usual for him before Naruto noticed Maruki heading over their way as well.

"Morning everyone" he said with a smile which seemed to surprise Misihima a bit.

"Oh? Are you here for the cleanup too Doc?" Mishima asked which got a nod from Maruki.

"You got it. I've been assigned to the cooking crew so I hope you're looking forward to a solid meal" Maruki told them as two girls came their way, Naruto seeing that they only headed over once they noticed Maruki was there.

"There you are Dr. Maruki!" the first girl said, reaffirming his guess that they had been looking for him.

"We're going to start prepping soon so we need to head over" the second girl said as Maruki nodded and, after a polite goodbye, headed off with the two girls.

"More like Dr. Popular…." Ryuji grumbled a bit once Maruki had left earshot range.

"I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will be even bigger someday" Mishima assured them, Naruto having to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

'Yes, more popular than a highschool teacher….what great ambitions' he thought with a mental groan and a real world sigh before the squawk of a megaphone got their attention.

"Good morning Shujin Academy students and staff" Makoto's voice greeted them. "Please pick up all trash located in the areas assigned to your group. Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served" she announced as Ann smiled at the plans for the meal.

"Ooo~ Pork miso soup! So that's what Dr. Maruki's fan club is making" Ann said, clearly liking the idea.

"Definitely sounds nice and refreshing" Naruto admitted with a smile before Mishima cleared his throat.

"FYI, the school already assigned the groups at random. They're four people apiece, boys and girls as well as years mixed" Mishima told them which got Ryuji to slump forward a bit.

"Oh….really?" Ryuji asked, clearly having hoped that at least the three Phantom Thieves could be in a group together which Naruto definitely wouldn't have minded.

Though he felt it'd just result in Ryuji messing around and Ann getting upset at him for doing so.

"Now that those announcements have been made, please break into your groups and head to your assigned areas" Makoto finished off before the megaphone turned off and Ryuji stopped leaning against the tree and stretched a bit.

"Alright, let's just get this over with as fast as possible so we can chow down on that soup and get outta here!" Ryuji declared before they split up to find who were in their groups despite Naruto knowing who two of the people in his group already were due to Makoto warning him ahead of time last night.

"Oh! Naruto! I didn't expect you to be in my group. What a happy surprise" Haru said with a smile as it seemed she was the fourth member of the cleanup group alongside the two people set to keep an eye on him.

"Yeah, it'll definitely be nice to be in a group with people I know" Naruto said with a smile as looked around at his three teammates.

"I hope we get along Okumura-senpai" Naoto said, being respectful as always before Haru smiled and waved him off.

"Please Naoto, just Haru is fine for the both of you" Haru assured both Naoto and Makoto which got a soft nod from him before Makoto smiled and held out the grabbers and trash bags for them all.

"I hope that the fact that you know us all won't hinder the cleanup since there is more than enough time afterwards for talking" Makoto said with a smile even as she worked as the 'serious student council president'.

"Don't worry, I won't slack off" Naruto assured her with a little salute as he accepted his trash bag and trash grabber from her which got a little bit more of a smile from her before she 'steeled up'.

He didn't blame her since he figured there'd be some teachers keeping an eye on them during all of this.

Though, even with the occasional feeling of being watched, they were able to talk a bit and get their section cleaned up rather quickly. Makoto was a bit busy throughout it, often being called over to help with other things, which was expected, but even then she was still able to do a lot of work as well.

Everyone else seemed to be finishing up quickly as well, allowing them to finish up on time without any real issues.

"Give me one second guys, I need to go and make an announcement to the students. If you don't mind, could you maybe be the one to get the food for us Oku-I mean, Haru?" Makoto told them, clearly a bit unsure about calling Haru by her first name as she asked her for a bit of help. She almost called her Okumura but, after a rather cute little pout from Haru, she corrected herself which made the pout turn to a smile and a nod.

"So, how many teachers have been watching us?" Naruto asked Naoto as he sat down on the bench beside the one he was sitting on.

"At least two at any given time though I'm certain you noticed them as well" Naoto told him, Naruto merely nodding as he leaned back on the bench with a sigh before he heard the squawk of the megaphone turning on.

"The cleanup is officially complete. Thank you for your hard work everyone. Would the leader of each group please come and get the soup for their teams?" Makoto told everyone as Haru was already heading off.

"Do you want some help with the soup Haru?" Naruto asked, calling out after her only to get a smile and a shake of her head as she turned back to look at him.

"Thank you but I've got it" she assured him as she walked off towards the food table and it didn't take long for her to return with three bowls of soup.

"Makoto said she'll come with her bowl of soup later once she is done helping the other students and the staff pass out the soup" Haru told them while she handed them their bowls of soup.

"So how are things going with the plants on the rooftop Haru-senpai?" Naoto asked, getting a warm smile from Haru as she sat down beside their underclassman.

"Very well as due to Naruto's incredible help the flowers are on their way to blooming very nicely" Haru said as Naruto couldn't help but rub the back of his neck out of embarrassment from her praise and her incredibly sweet smile.

His embarrassment quickly went away as he noticed a familiar redhead wandering around before she perked up a bit once she found him.

"Oh there you are! I've finally found you" Yoshizawa said with a warm smile as she walked over to them. "I was trying to find you so I could thank you properly for this morning" she told him before he quickly waved her off.

"Honestly, you thanked me plenty fine this morning so you don't need to feel like you need to thank me more" Naruto tried to assure her only for her to confidently shake her head as if that wasn't good enough for her before she seemed to realise the others nearby.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't know you were still with your group!" she tried to apologize only for Haru to chuckle a bit as she shook her head.

"It's fine, feel free to join us if you want" Haru offered as she noticed she was carrying her soup and clearly alone.

"Really? Are you sure senpai?" she asked before Naruto merely patted the other half of the bench beside him to silently assure her it was okay to sit down. "Thank you as my group kind of ditched me…." Yoshizawa muttered as Naoto merely scoffed, clearly annoyed at how they were.

"Don't let them get to you, people here can be pretty shallow I've found so far" Naoto grumbled with a bit of a sigh while Naruto nodded along, definitely agreeing with him since a lot of people here only cared about themselves.

"With how they acted it made me want to seek you out to thank you even more for what you did for me this morning" Yoshizawa started as she looked over at him. "That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you so I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much" she thanked him again, getting both Naoto and Haru's attention as well as Makoto's who had just returned.

"What exactly happened if you don't mind me asking cause I'll admit this guy has a habit of going out of his way to help people" Makoto said with a bit of a smirk as she sat down beside Haru.

"Oh! Well there was this guy who was harassing me in Shibuya and then he showed up out of nowhere and confronted the man. He stayed calm and got in the middle before making the man run off. I don't know how I would have handled it without him" Yoshizawa said with a soft smile. "He really continues to prove how those nasty rumors that were around when he first arrived were really just all lies" she added, getting nods from all the three girls.

"Sounds a lot like him to do something like that" Makoto said with a smirk, getting him to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment a bit as he looked away since he knew that was very true.

"Rumors tend to be just lies spread around cause people don't know the truth. In his case it was Kamoshida spreading them until they got qwelled" Naoto told her with a sigh before he smiled at Yoshizawa, getting a nod from her.

"I agree since people went from shaking in their boots whenever they heard his name to now being fine with him" Yoshizawa said before her eyes widened as if she just realized something important.

"Oh my gosh it just hit me! I haven't introduced myself yet!" she said which he couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Well neither have I now that I think about it. My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to formally meet you" he introduced with a smile, getting one back from her.

"I'm Kasumi, Kasumi Yoshizawa" Kasumi said with a warm smile, Naruto missing a quick and very brief look between Naoto and Makoto.(*2) "Sorry to make you go first Uzumaki-senpai but there's no need for you to be so polite, I am an underclassman after all" she apologized before he waved her off.

"Just because you're an underclassman doesn't mean I don't have to talk nice to you. Also please, feel free to call me Naruto if you want" he told her as he never cared about stuff like that.

"You really are kind senpai. Honestly, I wish there was some way I could repay you for everything you've done to help me" Kasumi said as her expression became a bit downcast.

"Don't worry about repaying me as I don't help out others just to see what I can get in return" Naruto grumbled a bit, not liking how everything had to have some give and take.

Makoto couldn't help but smile as she looked over to Naoto, noticing a soft smile on his face as well due to how Naruto had done the same thing for both of them.

"So Kasumi, you're an honor student welcomed into Shujin on an athletic scholarship right?" Naoto asked as Kasumi nodded with a happy smile.

"Yes, for my gymnastics" she told them before Makoto smiled a bit.

"Naruto, you're athletic right?" she asked, getting an unsure nod from Naruto. "Then maybe, to put Kasumi's mind at ease, she could teach you some gymnastics? You like to broaden your horizons, don't you?" Makoto suggested which got Kasumi to almost instantly light up at the idea.

"Yes! I could teach you some basics! They could help you with any sports you play in the future I promise!" Kasumi excitedly told him in hopes that she could repay him in some way.

Naruto also knew he couldn't just turn her away since the poor girl felt she really needed to repay him. Plus, if he seriously thought things over, some gymnastic skills could help out with his phantom thievery.

"You know what? Sure, that sounds really interesting and fun to learn" he told her which instantly got a bright smile on her face.

"Great! I'll do my best to teach you the basics" she said as she had a rather cute 'fire' in her eyes to show she was determined. "Plus teaching someone and having someone to practice with might help me get past a slump I'm having…." she said, the fire she had in her eyes quickly dulling down as she slumped a bit.

"Really? What's going on?" Naruto asked as he could clearly see it had her depressed a bit.

"Well….lately I haven't been getting the results I want from my performances but I'm kind of worried I might be overthinking things…." she muttered to them, a bit embarrassed and nervous to talk about her troubles which was understandable.

"So you need someone to give advice?" Haru asked, getting a nod from Kasumi before Haru smiled warmly at her. "Then you definitely picked a good person for the help as Naruto is definitely great at that" she praised which made Naruto rub the back of his head out of embarrassment from being praised like this.

"Really? But wouldn't that be me asking something of you after I agreed to teach you to reward you for helping?" Kasumi asked as it kind of defeated the purpose of things.

"Kasumi I honestly don't mind as I am told I'm a good ear to talk to from time to time" he assured her, getting a nod from Haru with a smile.

"Then I promise to do my best to teach you!" she declared, the fire back in her eyes as Naruto watched the world turn grey once more.

"I am thou, thou art I….Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Faith Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…" the female voice said as always only Naruto couldn't help but notice how its tone had changed and he couldn't put his finger on it entirely but it almost sounded distressed.

He didn't have much time to think it over as the world turned back to normal.

"We should probably exchange contact information" she said with a smile as she pulled out her phone with him doing the same and turning on number sharing only to falter a bit as she frowned at her phone. "It shut down….Sorry, my smartphone's been acting up lately" she told him before her frown disappeared. "Wait, it's back now! Okay, I'll contact you when I've got free time if that's okay" she said as he nodded.

"Whenever works fine for you most likely works fine for me" Naruto assured her before they got back to eating their food.

Honestly, even with all the work they did or how this was an obvious act for the school to cover its ass, he didn't quite mind it as it was nice to relax a bit with everyone.

Kasumi was even able to give him a bit of basic training in gymnastics after the two of them finished eating a bit before the others. It was interesting and kind of fun to do despite the others watching as a bit of an audience - not that he minded.

They couldn't hang around and talk forever though, despite how nice it was, as after a while a teacher came by for Makoto, most likely to announce that the event was over with the sound of the megaphone chirping showing he was right.

"Attention Shujin Academy students: the cleanup event will be ending momentarily. Please do not discard your trash in the bins here. Instead, bring your waste to the predetermined location for disposal" Makoto explained to them since filling all the park's trash cans with their stuff would just clutter the park in another way. "After that, we will be officially releasing everyone for the day. Thank you all for your hard work" she announced before the megaphone turned off.

"Leave clean up to me since I figure most of you might be stuck in line for the bathroom again to change" Naruto told them, looking over to see girls already speed walking towards the bathrooms.

"Are you sure?" Haru asked as she didn't want to pile everything onto him.

"You got the food for us so I'd personally prefer to be the one to throw it away since it's not like I need to rush to get home" he assured her with a look that told her it was okay before she nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you later at school then" Haru said with a smile before she, Kasumi, and Naoto left and he carried their bowls off to throw them away.

He was even able to say goodbye to Makoto a bit as he threw everything away before heading home.

-Yongen-Jaya-

It didn't take long for him, once home, to quickly grab a change of clothes and head to the baths due to wanting to wash the sweat from the park cleanup off of him. As he got back he stretched a bit, enjoying the feeling of having his weariness and slight exhaustion from the cleanup leave him while also noticing no one was there.

"Hey, you got time to teach me a bit more about making coffee?" Naruto asked as he noticed he seemed to just be reading the newspaper a bit.

"Hmmmm…..sure, why not" Sojiro said after a bit of contemplation before he set down the newspaper with a bit of a smile. "Go put your stuff away and we can get started" he told him, getting a nod before Naruto quickly put his stuff away and put on his apron.

"Okay, today we're going to try brewing a cup of coffee from step one. Just listen to what I tell you and remember what I told you already and you should be fine. These beans are Colombian, a medium-fine city roast so don't let the water boil too much" Sojiro told him as he pulled out a canister of coffee beans for them to use.

"Okay, I got it" Naruto said, a bit confident he could do this given Sojiro had been showing him how to do it enough times for him to hopefully pick up on it.

"I'm sure you do and I'll be here the whole time" Sojiro said with a chuckle before Naruto started.

It didn't take too long to brew the cup and, as Sojiro took a sip, the look on his face showed that it was alright.

"Not bad. Though I guess anyone can do something as simple as just brewing it" Sojiro told him as he set down the cup. "Making a blend on the other hand is a different story as mixing beans at random won't do you any good. It's due to the fact that the acidity and flavor profile all depend on the bean ratio" he explained, revealing that making coffee definitely had some science to it.

"Definitely sounds tricky but also kind of interesting to learn" Naruto admitted since the idea of being able to make good coffee like this seemed like an interesting skill to have.

"If you're really that interested feel free to try out whatever combinations you want as long as you stay away from the expensive beans" Sojiro told him with a slight warning, Naruto nodding to show he understood.

"Now next up is the curry and there's something special about its flavor" Sojiro continued, changing subjects to the other thing he planned to teach him how to make. "The truth is that a scientific genius actually came up with the perfect spice combo to complement my coffee. Something about the 'quantification of taste' but personally I don't think there is a formula for flavor but it IS pretty damn good" he explained as he rubbed his goatee a bit in thought as if reminiscing a bit before he shook his head to snap himself out of it with a smile.

"Anyhow, we don't make compromises when it comes to food service as our stuff's gotta wow the customers since this is a tiny shop after all. Self-satisfaction is the only thing that keeps me going" he reminded him before the bell on the door got them both to look to see who it was only for it to be the same guy that Sojiro had warned him about before.

"You….Haven't I already told you I don't have the money? Look at this place, you see many customers in here?" Sojiro barked out, clearly annoyed as the guy walked in and merely crossed his arms.

"Oh, no need to hide it Sakura-san! You must have saved plenty from your time working in the government. Aren't you taking care of that employee right there too, for nothing more than charity? I wish you'd show me the same kindness you show others" the man said with a sickly 'cheerful' smile that was nauseating alongside his 'buddy-buddy' tone to his voice.

All in all it seriously made him want to punch the man.

"If you're not planning on buying anything can you please leave? I'm expecting a phone call so I don't have time to chat with you" Sojiro calmly told the man, showing much more self restraint than Naruto would have if he was in his shoes.

"I don't mind if you take the call in front of me. I can talk to your little friend here in the meantime" the man said as his smirk grew a bit more, showing he had no intention to leave anytime soon. "So should we keep talking until your call comes in or would that be too inconvenient for you?" he asked which got a bit of a sigh from Sojiro.

"Well…" Sojiro said, clearly a bit in trouble before Naruto subtly pulled out his phone to help.

'If he needs a phone call then I can provide' Naruto thought as he quickly dialed Sojiro's phone number and slid his phone back in his pocket to muffle any potential sound from his phone.

As Sojiro's phone rang he was quick to fish it out of his pocket, a split-second look of surprise in his eyes before he knew what to do with it.

"Oh, there's that social services call I was waiting for" Sojiro said with a sigh of relief as he held his hand over the receiver. "They come 'round pretty often to make sure this guy's not getting in any trouble. Want me to introduce you?" he asked, turning the tables a bit on the clearly shady man which seemed to surprise him and get him to take a step back.

"...Oh, that's right! I have some business I need to take care of myself! I'll come back later!" the man said before he all but ran out of the store essentially and Sojiro ending the call the moment he was out of sight.

"Does he really have nothing better to do?" Sojiro asked rhetorically as he slipped his phone back into his pocket only to let out another sigh. "I should probably explain what's going on since he might try to drop by when I'm not around" he said, clearly wanting to warn him but also annoyed that he had to due to the man repeatedly showing up to pester him.

"To put it bluntly he's an old acquaintance of mine who's short on cash. He might look pretty friendly but don't let him fool you, it's all an act" Sojiro warned as Naruto nodded.

"I mean that's pretty obvious just by looking at him and hearing his fake friendly tone" Naruto said with a bit of a grimace since those kinds of people just seriously pissed him off far too quickly. Fake people in general just annoyed him so that paired with the clearly shitty personality that was pretty obvious was a 'double whammy' so to speak.

"Good, glad you have a good head on your shoulder when it comes to knowing what people to avoid. That'll definitely keep you out of trouble" Sojiro said before smirking a bit. "I have to say though that I'm surprised you were quick-witted enough to pull that stuff off with the phone call. You really saved me back there so thanks" he added with a smile, Naruto nodding with a smile of his own.

"I may not be book smart but I'm good at picking up on stuff so I was happy to help get that ass out of here" Naruto told him as he felt a ping in his chest to show that their bond had ranked up.

"You'd think it'd be easier to just ignore someone else's troubles but then again you definitely don't seem like that kind of person with everything you've done so far" Sojiro said, obviously referencing his dive out of his school's window for Shiho before the clock near the door started to chime.

"Is it that time already?" Sojiro said, a bit surprised it was this late before he let out another sigh. "Honestly I'd report him to the cops if he wasn't related to her…." he grumbled before noticing Naruto's confused look and waved him off.

"Don't worry about that and as for the curry you can feel free to use whatever leftovers are in the fridge so long as I'm not using the stove. I'll leave a list of the ingredients I use but it's up to you to experiment around and see if you can figure out on your own. I promise it's not hard so you should be fine" Sojiro told him as he walked out from behind the counter.

"I can rely on you to close up, right?" he asked, getting a salute from Naruto since he figured Sojiro probably needed to be somewhere plus the fact he didn't mind closing up that much.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Morgana asked as he walked downstairs after Sojiro left to watch over him as he closed up.

"From stuff other than Palaces and Mementos? I'm not sure really since it's been a while since I've done sports and the PE class here is a joke" Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders since he's always been full of energy ever since he was a kid.

"Well at least this much energy will come in handy with the Metaverse" Morgana sighed out before they headed back upstairs.

It didn't take long for his phone to ring once he had changed clothes, already knowing it was Sojiro as he answered.

"Hey Naruto. I just wanted to call and kind of say sorry about today. I didn't mean to get you wrapped up in my problems" Sojiro apologized as Naruto sighed.

"You don't have to apologize, the guy was harassing you and a call would be a good way out. Plus it's not like you planned on him showing up" Naruto reminded him to try and ease his worries a bit.

"Yeah you're right. Also I probably don't have to say it but if that guy shows up while I'm out just try and ignore him, okay? Just let him do his thing and you focus on what you're doing" he told him, Naruto nodding along as he gave an 'uh huh' in agreement.

"Understood, don't gotta worry about me starting anything" he assured him since despite wanting to he knew confronting the man would only lead to more annoyances.

"Exactly, whatever he says just don't let it get to you since you're still under probation and don't want to cause a scene" Sojiro said which Naruto definitely understood. "I'm trusting you on this okay? Later" he added before he hung up, Naruto sighing a bit as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Before he got into bed he couldn't help but grab his tarot card deck to check on something that he felt might be off. As he looked through the cards his instincts seemed to be on point still as the card for the Faith arcana, the one he gained from Kasumi earlier in the day, was very different from the others.

Not only were there tears in the artwork on the card but there were only five stars on it unlike the others who all had ten.

'The voice was different, the artwork is different, and only five stars with her….what does all this mean?' he thought with a frown as he looked over the card. He already knew he wouldn't get answers about it from anyone given Igor was more vague than a fortune cookie and the twins would probably yell at him how it isn't their place to help.

'Guess I'll just have to grow our bond and go from there' Naruto thought with a sigh before he put the card away and headed to bed since thinking it over wouldn't help anything right now really.

-5/24 – Tuesday-

-Principal's Office-

-Lunch Time - Makoto-

"How are things going in regards to that matter we spoke of earlier?" Kobayakawa asked, wanting a full update from Makoto given he had arranged things in her favor for the park clean up event.

"I have nothing to report yet" Makoto plainly told him since it was the truth since she refused to 'investigate' Naruto given everything he's done.

"Nothing at all? He is the only student to have butted heads with Kamoshida enough to be a suspect and you have nothing?" Kobayakawa asked, his tone showing he was getting annoyed and a bit frustrated. "You even have the help of the original Detective Prince and you still have nothing?" he added before Makoto straightened up.

"We have both been observing him and there has been absolutely no unusual activity. He goes about school regularly, interacts with a few students, gets decent grades, and doesn't start trouble" Makoto listed off as she tried her best to potentially get Kobayakawa off Naruto's case.

"Sir, might I suggest focusing elsewhere given Kamoshida's accusations towards how you knew what he was doing" Makoto told him, deciding to go a bit on the offensive as he started to glare at her a bit.

"I advise you move away from that topic Ms. Student Council President and focus on the task I gave you. Is that clear?" he told her, his tone telling her that she had stepped too far. "You are to continue your investigation into the student and anything you and Shirogane can figure out about the Phantom Thieves. With the incident surrounding Madarame who received a similar calling card I want things figured out and for it to happen quickly. Understand?" he asked, basically making it clear that he wasn't going to accept her attempts to dissuade him.

"Understood" she responded in a short tone, biting her tongue to keep from talking back before she left his office.

"No dice?" Naoto asked as he waited for her in the hallway outside Kobayakawa's office.

"He is quickly losing his patience with our lack of progress. Eventually we'll need to tell him definitively we have no findings and the investigations are ending but right now seems like a bad time" Makoto told him while he nodded along.

"I agree but it needs to be at a time when the court case against him is underway and potentially going bad for him. That alone will lessen his potential retaliation or stop it all together" Naoto said which was what Makoto was thinking as well.

"I'll message Naruto later today and see what he thinks. For now we continue the charade as long as we can" she instructed, the look in his eyes telling her he understood before they separated despite her nerves still eating at her a bit.

She hoped Naruto could help their situation a little bit but she'd have to wait and see….

-Naruto-

"Did you see Madarame's press conference?" one student nearby asked another, Naruto overhearing them as he and Ryuji ate lunch which quickly got both of their attention.

It had been the talk around school all day so far from what Naruto had overheard. Hell someone had drawn a crying Madarame on the chalkboard at the back of the classroom.

It made sense they'd talk about it today given yesterday they were more focused on the clean up event.

"You mean that guy who was all like 'How can I possibly….apologize for what I've done!' and stuff?" the other student asked, mocking and mimicking Madarame's tearful confession.

"Yeah but do you think it was really those Phantom Thieves? You know, the whole stealing your heart thing?" the first wondered which only got his friend to shake his head.

"That….there's no way. But then again it seems too convenient for it all to just be a coincidence" the second one said, clearly on the fence and not outright denying their existence like so many others had after Kamoshida.

"Yes!" Ryuji cheered a bit somewhat quietly as he pumped his fist in excitement while a smiling Ann walked up to them.

"How's it going? Have you found our next big target?" Ann asked which got a tired sigh from Ryuji.

"I just started lookin' yesterday. There's no way I'm gonna find one that quick" Ryuji told her as Naruto nodded along since he agreed.

"We got lucky with Madarame so soon after Kamoshida cause our first Mementos target mentioning him and that post which led me to his Palace early on" Naruto reminded her given it was pretty much luck that guided them to Madarame and his Palace.

"Yeah, I guess that's true…." Ann admitted with a disappointed tone. "By the way, did you two pick the TV station back when they had us pick where to go for the social studies trip?" she asked, getting a look of confusion from Ryuji before it changed to quick realization.

"Oh crap, the social studies trip! Yeah I picked it but ugh….I just wanna ditch it" Ryuji groaned out as Morgana peeked his head out from within Naruto's desk.

"You'd better go to your school activities. Didn't I tell you not to draw attention to yourselves?" Morgana scolded while Ryuji slumped his shoulders a bit.

"Wouldn't me suddenly turnin' into a good student stand out more?" Ryuji asked with Naruto shaking his head.

"Not really since you have friends to explain your change in behavior. Plus who knows, we might get some interesting info on a potential target while we are there or something" Naruto suggested given celebs and TV personalities did tend to get caught up in dramas.

He doubted it'd lead to a Palace but who knows, maybe they'd come across a Mementos target.

"I heard we're gonna get to watch them tape a show! Maybe there'll be actresses there!" Ann said, clearly excited at the idea of it while Ryuji seemed to stand up a bit more straight after the mention of actresses.

"Oh well. Not like I got anything better to do than waitin' for info to come in online. Plus Morgana's right, showin' up'll keep the teachers from gettin' all suspicious of me" Ryuji admitted with the mention of 'Morgana being right' already telling Naruto something was up with him.

"All right, I'm gonna head back" Ryuji said as both he and Ann heard him mutter about if he should get a haircut with the prospect of TV.

"Yeah that seems about right" Naruto chuckled out a bit, getting a smile and a nod from Ann as she sat back in her desk as the bell signalling the end of lunch began to chime.

It wasn't that long into class before he felt his phone buzz in his pocket and, since Ann was writing notes in front of him like always and he doubted Shiho would bug them in school, he knew it was Ryuji like usual.

Ryuji: Feels pretty great having everyone talk about us, huh?

Shiho: Madarame and the Phantom Thieves are even the topic here at my school as well

Ann: So it's not just here cause of our first target. That's good to know

Naruto: If we being talked about online it makes sense we'd be talked about in other schools

Shiho: And now we just have to wait and keep an eye out for our next target, right?

Ryuji: Yeah since there's no way we'd be able to find a target so quickly after Madarame

Naruto: Pretty much just have to wait and see

Ryuji: Or we could always go into Mementos since you did mention how you found a target

Shiho: Well I'm pretty much free whenever if we do plan to go in

"Hey Uzumaki!" Ushimaru barked out, getting Naruto to look up from his notebook. "Pay attention! Is that how you listen when someone's teaching you!?" he yelled out, Naruto watching as Ushimaru quickly threw a piece of chalk his way.

Naruto thankfully had enough experience with this from past schools as he leaned to the right with more than enough time to dodge it as it hit the bit of wall between windows and exploded into dust.

"Whoa! Easy there Mr. Ushimaru, I was just struggling with my notes" Naruto said, trying to calm him down as he held up his notes, showing he was keeping up with the lesson.

"Well, whatever….Moving on" Ushimaru tsk'ed out with an annoyed look before turning back to the board and continuing the lesson.

'Thank god for learning how to write with both hands' Naruto thought with a sigh as he had pushed himself to learn how to do so for situations like this.

Thankfully class, and the rest of school, was much more calm until the bell rang and released them.

As he left school he couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself as he saw a familiar head of red hair standing outside the front door to the school on the steps where the building was still shielding her from the rain.

"Oh! Naruto-senpai, what a pleasant surprise" Kasumi said with a smile before she turned back to the rain with a frown. "It's really pouring down, isn't it?" she said as the rain really was pouring outside.

"I thought something like this would happen one of these days so I made sure to add a collapsible umbrella into your bag a good while ago so you were always prepared!" Morgana told him as Naruto reached into his bag and pulled it out.

"Thanks Morgana, keep at it" he said, getting a chuckle from the 'not-cat' as Kasumi sighed a bit.

"Well, see you around" Kasumi said, apparently willing to run through the rain before he stepped forward.

"Whoa, no need to rush like that" he told her, stopping her as she turned back towards him. "You want to maybe share an umbrella? I can at least help you get to the train station if you want" he offered as he opened up the umbrella.

"Really? That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much!" she said with a cheerful smile before they started off towards the train station, Naruto making sure to give her most of the space since he didn't mind if his shoulder got wet a bit….he just hoped Morgana would know to stay in the bag to avoid getting rained on fully.

"Thanks again for letting me join you as, to be honest, prelims are coming up soon and I don't want to risk any chances of getting sick" Kasumi explained as they walked through the rain.

"Yeah, getting sick is the last thing you need with your gymnastics given your scholarship and everything" he agreed which got a bit of a solemn nod from her.

"Two huge competitions are coming up - one at the beginning of summer and one near the end. If I'm going to participate in the prelims I have to be selected as my club's representative and there's a qualifier meet to determine who that rep will be" Kasumi explained, Naruto nodding as he followed along and understood her desire to be chosen.

"Sounds like you have a lot ahead of you" Naruto commented as she looked ahead of them with a bit of fire in her eyes.

"It's my dream to compete in gymnastics on the global level. To do so I have to maintain a strict training regimen with my coach" she told him, him nodding along impressed at her devotion.

"Well I'll cheer you on and help in whatever way I can. Just let me know when you want to get together and I'll be there" Naruto told her as she smiled brightly at his words.

"I'd be invincible if I had you cheering me on Senpai, thanks!" Kasumi said with a happy giggle, the sound of it being rather infectious as it made him smile as well.

It even stopped him from realizing they had arrived at the station at first.

"Oh, we're already at the station…." Kasumi said, her tone clearly a bit disappointed while he put away his umbrella as they walked in. "I should be fine from here out. I can't thank you enough for today. I swear I'll return the favor somehow" she told him as he waved her off like always since he never helped for rewards or 'returned favors' from people.

"Hey, isn't that Yoshisawa?" Naruto heard a male voice ask out, his 'whispering' not being subtle in the slightest as he and a female student stood nearby watching them.

"You mean the honors gymnast?" the girl asked as she turned more towards them, not noticing or just not caring that he and Kasumi were looking at them out of the corners of their eyes. "She gets VIP treatment at school AND a boyfriend to escort her around? Miss Special Snowflake sure is livin' on easy street" she complained before walking off.

"What a bitch" Naruto sneered out as he watched them leave. "Though honestly, don't let them get to you" he told her, getting a nod from her.

"I never do but I am sorry, you shouldn't have to deal with a misunderstanding like that" Kasumi apologized as he realized she was talking about the 'boyfriend' comment.

"Honestly people are seriously rude around here though I do feel like I have to apologize for them thinking I was your boyfriend and creating it" Naruto said while he rubbed the back of his head, getting a soft smile from her as she shook her head to show it wasn't a worry to her at least. "Though I'm sure I don't have to tell you but you shouldn't worry about what others say" he reminded her, getting a strong nod from her.

"You're right. The same thing happens in class too. People are often wary of me because I'm an honor student. The school's expecting me to attain strong results in the upcoming competitions too….They even told me I didn't have to participate in the cleanup event but I just don't like getting special treatment" she told him, Naruto frowning at the pressure the school was putting on her alongside the school's constant desire for good press.

It was kind of funny given everything Kobayakawa did seemed to just backfire on him. His thoughts though were interrupted as Kasumi's phone rang.

"Oh excuse me, my father's calling" she apologized before answering the phone and, with some trouble due to her phone malfunctioning again, talked with her dad for a bit. "Sorry about that. He asked if I needed a ride since it's raining. A bit overprotective, don't you think?" she asked with a chuckle as he shook his head.

"Naw, just shows he cares a lot about you and is looking out for you" he told her, smiling as he did sound like a good dad.

"Yeah, I definitely agree" she said while displaying a happy smile. "I do have to get to practice though so it's time for me to go. Thanks again so much for today" she continued on before giving him a small bow before she walked off towards the train platform.

"Seems like Yoshizawa has it hard too…." Morgana grumbled, Naruto nodding along as he definitely agreed.

"The school is putting a lot on her shoulders to try and fix the reputation that was dirtied by the principal and Kamoshida. Hope she doesn't reach her breaking point…." Naruto muttered with a frown since he hoped that maybe he could help her a bit with their agreement.

"But never mind that, having wet fur is the worst….Try to keep me under the umbrella too, would you?" he complained, getting an eye roll from Naruto as he nodded just as his phone chimed, alerting him to a message from Mishima.

Mishima: Hey, I found some great intel. This time it's bullying by a Kosei student they call 'queen'

Mishima: She's been ordering around a male student who goes by the name M. Kinda like S&M….

Naruto: Doesn't sound too willing on M's part

Mishima: I agree so here are the details

Mishima: The girl acting like a queen is Hikari Shimizu

Mishima: I wonder if it's more likely that a girl will turn out like that if she has S as an initial….

Naruto: I have no idea but that isn't really important, is it?

Mishima: Right….well, I already posted the warning so you should take it on when you have the time! Hopefully you won't end up an M!

Naruto could only roll his eyes at Mishima's antics as he felt Morgana's paws on his shoulder.

"Hey, since we have more than one target maybe we should head into Mementos? Everyone said they're ready to go in whenever, remember?" Morgana suggested as, given it was also raining, he felt this might be the best time since that old man struggled in the rain.

Sure he wasn't certain it'd affect his shadow but it was worth a shot.

Naruto: Hey everyone, Mishima just gave me another target so with two people to look for in Mementos it might be a good idea to head in there. You all still good to go?

Ann: Shiho and I are ready to go, we were just browsing the underground mall like we usually do

Shiho: Plus we might be able to go deeper into Mementos now that Madarame had his change of heart

Ryuji: Safe to say everyone's good to go! We'll meet you at the hideout

It didn't take long for him to get to the hideout, just a quick train ride to Shibuya with him getting there to see Shiho and Ann there with Ryuji arriving a bit after him.

"So, what are the targets?" Shiho asked as Naruto pulled out his notebook that he used to keep track of things.

"The most recent target is about a sadistic Kosei student. It sounds like she's been treating a particular male student as a slave against his will. Doesn't sound too 'willing' so we've been tasked with stepping in" Naruto explained, getting a frown from Ann while she looked out at the rain.

"So she's acting like a dominatrix to a guy who doesn't want that….That's pretty horrible. I'm definitely down to change her heart" she said, Naruto looking around to see the others were nodding along.

"The other target is an elderly man who's been harassing people at Harmony Alley in Kichijoji. He snatches people's orders, picks fights, and causes a scene by claiming he got hit and demanding money. Not to mention how he claims to be in a daze and out of it to get out of any consequences for his actions by police and his attitude of being happier the most people complain about him" Naruto listed off, getting a bit of a whistle from Ryuji.

"Sounds like quite a nuisance" Ryuji said before Shiho nodded along.

"Seems like everything he does is purposefully done to harm others. His behavior will probably continue to get worse if we don't do something about it" Shiho brought up as Naruto closed his book.

"Then if we are in agreement let's head on in!" Naruto declared before they pulled out their phones and headed in.

-Mementos-

As they headed in it didn't take long for the Nav to react, buzzing like crazy before he tapped on the notification.

"A new area has been confirmed in the depths. Updating guidance information" the voice spoke out as Naruto watched a new section appear on the design graphic for Mementos, making it now the 3rd section they could go to.

"Sounds like we can go further down" Ann said as she was also looking at the Meta-Nav. "It's because we made Madarame's Palace disappear, right?" she asked, getting a nod from Morgana.

"Most likely….I think" he said with a mutter at the end.

"Always so unsure…." Naruto muttered before he cleared his throat. "Most likely due to that and the people talking about us" he said since that was how it seemed to be after Kamoshida.

"I wonder how far Mementos runs….Do you know Mona?" Shiho asked, getting a long 'uhhhh' from the 'not-cat'.

"I-It's huge!...Extremely" Morgana said, trying to come off as confident but his uncertainty being very, very clear.

"You're always so vague when it comes to the important stuff. It's like he's kinda flaky as our chief of operations" Ryuji said as he turned to Naruto. "Don't you want him to try a bit harder too?" he asked while Naruto could only sigh as he didn't want to get pulled into things.

"He's doing the best that he can. This place is confusing so please, let's just move on" Naruto told them, giving them both a 'please don't' look in hopes they didn't butt heads again.

Thankfully they took the hint.

"Let's start at the rest area in the second section and see where the two targets are from there since apparently both of them are in that area" Naruto suggested with everyone nodding as, following Morgana's lead, they headed in.

"So, is the target forward or backward from here?" Ryuji asked as they arrived, watching as Morgana looked around to seemingly get his bearings.

"One target is right above us while I'm certain the other is below us" Morgana said before Ann nodded with a smile.

"Then we head up and then come back down once we get the target" Ann suggested as they all headed on up since they agreed with her.

"Yeah it's definitely on this floor so let's scour the place for them!" Morgana urged them while he transformed, Naruto once again taking the wheel before they all got in and headed off.

They lucked out a bit with the layout of the floor as the target was pretty much right around the corner from them with only one shadow in their way - which they were able to take out just by running it over.

They wasted no time as they headed inside once they got to the swirling portal, seeing an old man who was most likely Ono inside waiting for them.

"Who the hell are you people! Do you have some problem with me, Heiji Ono!?" Ono barked out, getting an eye roll from Ryuji.

"And of course that's the first thing out of his mouth" Ryuji groaned out in a low tone.

"Nice~! I can tell you're annoyed even with your masks on! That shows how interested you are in me, Heiji Ono, right? Riiiight?" he egged on, loving the attention and wanting more and more of it.

"He's certainly disturbed…." Shiho muttered, a bit unsettled by the somewhat deranged man.

"Let's just take him out and change his heart, the sooner the better" Naruto told them as Ono just laughed.

"Yes, yes! Get mad! Look at me, Heiji Ono!" he yelled out before he burst into his Shadow form which turned out to be a small bearded creature with a leaf in its hand.

"A Koropokkuru. You saw a bit of them back in the last Palace but never grabbed one" Angel told him as she appeared behind him, her arms around his neck. "Shouldn't be too difficult for you with our help" she assured him before disappearing so he could focus.

"What kind o-!" he started to say before stopping with a groan of pain. "Ow! M-My body aches! It always hurts like this when it's raining….but for the sake of causing trouble I can ignore the pain!" he yelled out as Naruto sighed.

"Everyone let's use our ammo on him first, it should dwindle him down a good deal if he's not immune to it" Naruto suggested, getting nods from everyone as it was easy damage that didn't tire them out to deal.

It went rather well, even after it hit them all with an ice attack that knocked Ann and Shiho down but they were able to handle his follow-up attack.

The rest of the battle from there was pretty easy, them focusing on just using their weapons to attack him. It especially got easy when his joint pains stopped him from attacking, allowing Naruto to finish things off and revert Ono to his human form.

"...It started with something small. Whenever I'd do something stupid, my family would worry about me" he started to tell them with an apologetic tone that was a full 180 from before. "My son usually treats me like I'm worthless but he would care for me in those times….It felt so good that I started seeking that kind of affection everywhere and I ended up causing so much trouble…." he admitted as Naruto frowned, feeling a bit sorry for the man.

"This is the effect isolation has on people, isn't it?" Shiho asked, Naruto nodding as the man sniffled a bit.

"I've caused so much trouble….How am I supposed to live like this?" he asked before Naruto put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can do so by apologizing and trying to make up for it. Show you're willing to change, your family probably wishes for that as well" Naruto told him, watching as Ono looked up at him before he nodded in agreement.

"You should try communicating your needs to your family directly. Tell them you're 'lonely' before it's too late" Shiho suggested with Ono nodding more with a somewhat content sigh.

"Yeah, I'll do that…" he said before he turned into light and revealed his treasure which, aptly enough, was a nuisance belt.

"Our next target is definitely deeper within now that this closer target was dealt with" Morgana explained before Naruto nodded.

"Let's head back down to the rest area and jump to the end of this area to see if it's there or at maybe the floor above. This'll also allow us to check out the new area afterwards and find Jose since I have this thing" Naruto told them his plan a bit as he pulled out his Will Seed Crystal that he still had from Madarame's Palace.

"Sounds good to me since we need to check this place out as much as we can with any future targets" Ryuji brought up before they left the area and beelined it back to the escalator, only running into two Shadows they insta-killed by plowing through them.

Once back at the rest area Mona was quick to jump them to the last floor of the area, them all instantly noticing the Shadow of Shimizu waiting for them there.

"Seems you were right about her being at the end here" Ann said as Ryuji shivered a bit.

"She really seems like a sadist" he muttered, looking towards her as she smiled a bit deviously towards him.

"Well she is calling someone her slave and ordering him around so I'm pretty sure that's as 'S' as it can get" Shiho said with a frown before Naruto took a step forward, signaling he was ready to go with the others quickly following after him.

"So you're the pigs who wrote that calling card online? Why do I deserve this?" she asked with a cold glare as Ryuji stepped up beside him.

"It's cause you made some guy your slave! That's all kinds of wrong right there" Ryuji told her, getting a sharp glare sent his way before she shook her head.

"That's what he wants! He worships me more than any god, you know" Shimizu barked out as Ann shook her head with a sigh.

"I don't know where to begin to explain how you're wrong" she muttered as Shimizu somewhat ignored her.

"I beat him and hurt him and he sees it as a sign of our love and friendship! He's so happy!" she declared in a 'matter-of-fact' tone.

"You're so delusional, that isn't how it is at all!" Shiho told her, trying to get it through her head as Shimizu just continued to shake her head.

"I'm pretty and my grades are good! It's my right to order people around! I'll start by giving orders to you pigs! Lick my shoes peasants!" she yelled out before she burst into shadows and transformed into a Yaksini.

"Thank you for transforming as honestly I was about to shoot you for that crazy talk" Naruto told her with an annoyed glare.

"I'll never give up M-Moto! He belongs to me! Being my slave is what makes him hap-!" she declared before Naruto interrupted her by firing his full clip into her.

"Everyone let's hit her hard, use your elements and let's see what sticks!" Naruto instructed, getting nods from everyone as Morgana was first to use his wind on her with no real effect.

She didn't sit idly by though as she quickly retaliated and hit them with some kind of move that all but Ryuji dodged which seemed to enrage him.

"Skull! Easy there, settle down and break free from the effects of her move!" Naruto tried to get through to him only for Ryuji to not really listen to reason, going straight in to attack her despite it missing and him being sent skidding back by her.

"Panther, Spartan, hit her now to keep Skull from charging in again!" Naruto yelled out as the two fire users combined their attacks and hit her together, revealing fire as her weakness as she fell to the ground dazed.

With her down everyone - sans Ryuji - charged in for an All-Out Attack to deal some damage.

"Orthrus! Let's singe her some more! Agilao!" he ordered, the two headed beast blasting her with fire again to let him lead another All-Out Attack to finish her off and revert her back to her human form.

He did notice a little pulse inside him showing he had gotten stronger which was good to know.

"No, no, no….No! I don't want to lose him. He's mine. He's mine, isn't he?" she asked, her tone worried and a bit shaky.

"If you keep this up he will hate you, plain and simple" Naruto told her, getting her to shake her head solemnly.

"I could never stand that…." she muttered, sad at the mere thought of it apparently.

"Why did you start treating him like that to begin with?" Ann asked as the girl sighed.

"He just kept going along with it so I misunderstood and thought I could do anything I wanted….Actually, I….wanted to be more than friends with him" Shimizu told them which got surprised looks from Ann and Shiho.

"More than friends? You mean like as a boyfriend?!" Shiho asked as Shimizu nodded with a bit of a blush.

"Yes. I had a crush on him but then I got possessive which made those feelings go out of control…." Shimizu said with a sigh.

"Be careful that you don't make things worse for yourself than they already are" Ann suggested, getting a nod from Shimizu before she turned into light and disappeared, leaving behind her treasure.

The treasure ended up being a 'Whip Sword' which, after a quick look on the Nav, was stronger than Ann's current weapon so equipping it was an easy choice.

The wall blocking the way, just like the one last time, opened up once Naruto put his hand on it.

"Let's keep going to at least the first rest area. That sound good?" Naruto asked, looking around and getting nods from everyone before they headed on down.

This new area was a bit different from before as the 'color' of it seemed more yellow-ish grey with black particles flying forward around them.

"W-Whoa! Doesn't this look different from how it was before?" Ann asked, looking around as Morgana hopped forward onto the tracks to become a van again.

"Yeah, definitely different but we need to continue and check this place out" Naruto reminded her before they all got inside the van and he started their way through this new area.

The Shadows, for the most part, avoided them and didn't give chase due to them being a good bit stronger than them. They only ended up having to fight one Shadow on the way to the stairs which was a simple fight that they finished off in one round.

"How many floors are in this area anyway?" Ryuji asked with a sigh as Ann rubbed her chin a bit in thought.

"The last floor had seven floors and the one before that only had two, right?" Ann brought up while Naruto shrugged.

"Guess it just varies the further down we go, we'll figure it out the more we explore and get access to more of Mementos" Naruto said since it wasn't something any of them could really know for certain right now.

This floor, like the last, was simple to pass through with no issues other than having to slightly drive quickly away from a menacing glowing red Shadow that was a bit too strong for them.

As they got to the next floor Naruto perked up at the sound of another engine that wasn't Morgana's.

"Oh, mister!" Jose called out, them turning to see him pull up on the tracks. "When you get some flowers please bring them to me! I'll go ahead of you guys" he reminded them before speeding off with a happy wave.

This floor was a little more dangerous than the others due to a glowing red Shadow waiting for them right outside the little starting area. The countless deadends and confusing layout didn't help much either.

It was a miracle they didn't get ambushed with how they had three Shadows following them alongside the massive red glowing one.

Eventually the Shadows stopped chasing them just as they found Jose's camp.

"Hey Jose, I found another one of those Crystals like before" Naruto told him as he sat down on a crate beside Jose's car.

"Oh cool! I've seen these in my studies!" Jose said as he accepted the Crystal of Vanity from him. "They're the accumulated byproducts of warped cognitions with this one not reaching its full potential though…" he explained before trailing off as he tinkered with it like last time.

It wasn't long before the large crystal somehow turned into a silver ring that had what seemed to be a mirrored surface around the outside of it.

'Well it is Vanity so I guess a mirror ring makes sense' Naruto thought as he looked over the ring before pocketing it.

"Thanks for letting me see that Crystal. It really helps with my studies" Jose said with a smile as Naruto smiled back with a chuckle.

"Well I'm happy to help Jose since that's what we agreed to, plus you helping with the crystals helps a lot" Naruto assured him, getting a nod from him as he picked up his squeaky hammer and walked off a bit.

"Then I'll do my best to help you even more! This should make Mementos even better for you" he said before he bopped it down, Mementos flashing for a second as Jose smiled and Naruto felt a pulse inside him to show their bond had grown.

"So, you have any flowers for me?" Jose asked, getting another chuckle from Naruto as he nodded and pulled out the flowers in an act that reminded him of a stage magician.

"Sure thing, let's see what you got" Naruto said before he handed Jose the flowers and looked through his wares, deciding to buy a Snuff Soul before leaving.

"So what did the crystal turn into this time?" Morgana asked as the Ring of Lust was still hanging from the rearview mirror.

"It's a….Ring of Vanity" Naruto told them as he pulled it out for them to see while looking up what it could do on the Meta-Nav. "Apparently it nullifies the wearer's weaknesses and gives the wearer a skill that can let them create a one time barrier that absorbs the damage and heals them instead" Naruto explained with an impressed whistle as he looked at the ring in his hand.

"So who should get it?" Ryuji asked, getting a scoff from Ann as she reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"That's an easy choice, the guy who has a bunch of weaknesses depending on what Persona he's using. Plus he'd know when best to use that skill" Ann suggested as Naruto looked around to make sure it was okay before slipping the ring on his right ring finger.

"I'll do my best to use it well" Naruto assured them before deciding it was best to continue on given the risk of some creature coming after them if they lingered too long on any given floor.

Thankfully there weren't any Shadows on the way to the stairs and the next floor was much smoother sailing than the last - especially since it seemed to be in the shape of a big square. Though that didn't mean they didn't fight a shadow or two on the way to the stairs.

As they got to the 5th floor they found themselves at a Rest Area.

"Sweet! A rest area!" Ryuji said with relieved sigh as he stretched and made his way over to the seats.

"So I take it everyone's ready to leave?" Naruto asked as he sat down and relaxed a bit as well.

"Well we got our targets done with, the Crystal turned in, and finding a rest area we've now done everything we set out to do" Shiho said with Ann nodding along.

"Then let's rest a second before heading out but, while we are here, I need to tell you guys about something Mona and I found a bit ago" Naruto started, getting Morgana to perk up a bit but stay quiet so he could explain.

"It's this place called the 'Thieves Den'" Naruto said, smirking a bit as their phones chimed and alerted them with a 'Destination Added' from the Meta-Nav.

"Whoa! What did you just do?" Ryuji asked in shock as he pulled out his phone to figure out what had just happened.

"Just wait a bit Skull, I know we'll be tired when we head home but later tonight I'll message you and that is when I want you guys to travel to it. Trust me a bit on this" he asked of them, looking at them all before they nodded.

"Sweet, then let's head out" he suggested, Morgana quickly leading them to the stairs since he was also a bit excited to show them while probably also wanting to get home and relax.

"So when will we be going to this 'Thieves Den'?" Shiho asked as they arrived back at the entrance to Mementos.

"Probably after dinner or something. I'll message you a bit later but don't worry since it's tied to the Metaverse time won't progress much while we are in it" he reminded her as everyone left and headed home.

-Yongen-Jaya-

"So how do you think they'll handle the Thieves Den?" Morgana asked as they headed upstairs.

"I feel they'll like it since it's somewhere that we can always go to regroup and relax if we seriously need to. Plus I feel they'll like how they can talk and hang out with their Personas" Naruto said since he knew at least Ann and Shiho would enjoy hanging out with theirs while he could see Ryuji getting into a bit of a ruckus with his.

"Well, should we message them?" Morgana asked after hopping out of his bag and onto the bed.

"Sure, we'll send it and head right in so we can be there before they arrive. Don't want them wandering in confused right away" Naruto suggested, getting a nod from Morgana before Naruto quickly sent the message and instantly activated the Meta-Nav, heading back into the Thieves Den again.

-Thieves Den-

As they arrived, even with the difference in time between the real world and the Metaverse, it didn't take long for everyone else to arrive.

"Whoa! This is so freakin' cool!" Ryuji yelled out, his eyes sparkling as he ran down the entranceway.

"What exactly is this place?" Ann asked as she and Shiho walked calmly unlike Ryuji. They both knew they were safe given they were in their regular clothes which meant they weren't seen as a 'threat' in this world.

"Think of it as my Palace that, unlike usual Palaces, was born from the bonds I've forged. I only recently found out about it but couldn't bring it up til now" Naruto said while motioning for them to head on in, allowing him to watch as they stepped into the 'club' area of it which caused their Personas to manifest.

"Hello my dear, it's nice to be able to talk with you face to face like this" Chilonis said with a warm smile as she walked over to Shiho.

"Ch-Chilonis? How are you here?" Shiho asked in surprise as she reached out to her Persona with a smile, the smile growing a bit as Chilonis gently took her hand and squeezed it.

"This is a place where your Personas can manifest solidly, think of it as a way to grow closer with us" Carmen said as she walked over to Ann, cupping her cheek with a warm smile before blowing out a bit of cigar smoke and turning her attention to Naruto.

"Nice to formally meet you. I have to thank you for what you've done to help my partner" Carmen said with a smirk as she walked over to him, a bit of sway to her hips.

As she stopped in front of him Naruto had to really struggle not to break eye contact given the….immense cleavage on display given her dress just barely contained them to the point he swore they'd bounce out if she stepped too hard.

"Nice to meet you too" he told her, smiling as she held out her hand with him taking it and kissing the back of her hand which got an impressed smile from the large Persona.

"Kindness and manners, you definitely have a good man here Ann" Carmen teased, getting a dark blush from Ann before she rushed over to drag away a chuckling Carmen who seemingly let her do so.

"I too would like to thank you for everything you've done for my partner" Chilonis said as she walked over with Shiho. "Her heart might be turbulent but your presence truly helps her so I must thank you" she added, bowing her head before Naruto who - feeling a little bashful - quickly put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"No need to thank me so deeply like that, I'm more than happy to help her so it's fine. Just focus on being by her side and enjoy some quality time together" he assured the spartan warrior, getting a soft smile from her before they walked off towards a large table that Ann and Ryuji were sitting around with their Personas.

"So where did you find this place?" Ryuji asked as he sat on Captain Kidd's boat with a massive smile on his face.

"I was complaining in my room about how I used to have a 'secret base' back home, somewhere I could always go if I wanted to get away from everything and then the Meta-Nav reacted and sent Morgana and me here" Naruto explained as Morgana hopped up on a seat with Zorro standing behind him.

"We were just as shocked as you were since a Palace shouldn't exist with a Persona user and especially not in one without a tainted heart" Morgana said before Arsène manifested behind Naruto, Naruto looking back at his partner as he sat down in the seat beside Shiho.

"That is because, as a wild card, my partner doesn't follow the mold of the world. His power is all about bonds with others so this realm represents that, a safe haven for him and any of those he holds bonds with" Arsène explained, getting Naruto to turn around quickly in shock.

"Wait! Anyone I have bonds with!?" Naruto asked in shock as that meant people like Kawakami or Tae could travel here.

"Yes, anyone. All you have to do is mention Thieves Den and they will gain access here" Arsène told him as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't believe they will gain full access to the Meta-Nav but merely a shortcut to arrive here" he explained while Naruto nodded but decided to be very very careful about who he mentioned this kind of stuff around.

"What about us? If we mention it can certain people get in?" Ryuji asked, getting Arsène to shake his head before pointing at Naruto.

"Only his words can invite others to this place and I'd advise being cautious about who you invite, not everyone can handle such a place as this" Arsène warned as Naruto nodded since he was already planning to be extra careful about who he potentially let in now that he learned he could invite anyone he had a bond with.

"So all of your Personas are here I see" Ann said, looking around to see various tables filled with groupings of his Personas.

"Yes we are~!" Pixie called out as she flew over, once again landing on his head with her legs dangling in front of his forehead. "When we aren't whispering in his ear and helping him we will be relaxing here, as will yours I figure?" she asked, looking around to the others and getting nods from them as Kidd chuckled a bit.

"Seems like a decent enough tavern to relax in so I don't see a problem with it" Kidd said which got a massive smile from Ryuji who stood up and patted his Persona on the back excitedly, seemingly happy to be able to talk and chat with him a bit.

Honestly everyone seemed to enjoy chatting with their Personas, Shiho and Ann both happy to be beside and chat with the beings that helped give them strength while Ryuji treated Kidd like a close friend which the pirate didn't seem to mind at all from what he saw.

Morgana and Zorro also seemed close but more just the kind to quietly enjoy just being near one another.

Naruto on the other hand, well….while Arsène was the quiet type his other Personas weren't as various female Personas of his flocked to the table either to tease him or hang off him a bit. Ryuji had to be warned a bit with all his staring, Kidd basically having to get his partner to stop once the pirate noticed the glares sent his way.

He told them everything that was available here, from the karaoke to the drinks and even the card games up above but for the most part everyone seemed content just talking for now.

Though even if time didn't progress much out in the real world while they were in here it definitely wore on them nonetheless, eventually everyone beginning to get tired and deciding it was time to head home.

"So we can come here any time, right?" Ann asked as they made their way towards the entrance way.

"Whenever you want and if you want to hang out just let us know and we can head on in if we have time" Naruto assured her before Carmen put her hand on his shoulder, confusing him a bit and wondering what she might need.

"Do be sure to come again, I'd love for a one on one chat with you" Carmen said with a smirk as she cupped his cheek and leaned down before surprising him - and everyone else - with a kiss on the cheek and a rather flirtatious wink as she stood back up.

"C-C-Carmen!? W-What are you doing!?" Ann yelled out, her tone being a bit of a high-pitched squeak from the shock as she grabbed Naruto by his shoulders and pulled him back to get him away from her own Persona.

Naruto nearly fell over when Ann pulled him like that as it was safe to say he was definitely in shock from the sudden kiss like that, even if it was just on the cheek.

None of them really noticed Shiho as she pouted at the sight, a rather cute glare on her face while Chilonis behind her was a bit frightening due to the cold glare with her eyes trained on Carmen. Ryuji was the only one who noticed and even he had the smarts to scooch away and somewhat hide behind Captain Kidd.

"What? Don't get in so much of a fuss Ann dear, after all we bo-" Carmen started to say before Ann interrupted her with a slight yell.

"No! Nope! Nuh-uh! Shush you!" she yelled out, her face dark red as she vigorously shook her head with her twintails repeatedly smacking Naruto a bit because of it.

Though it did help with snapping him out of his daze a bit.

"E-Easy there Ann, you're hitting me a lot with your hair here" Naruto told her, trying to get her to calm down before he looked back to Carmen which only got her to give him another wink before she turned and walked off.

"I am sooooooooo so sorry about Carmen, I seriously don't know what's gotten into her" Ann apologized, grumbling as she looked over to Carmen only to see her at the bar with a drink in hand while some male Persona flocked around her to try and talk with her despite the disinterested look on her face.

"It's okay, it just caught me off guard a bit" Naruto assured her with a chuckle. "We should be heading home though as I don't know about you all but I'm pretty tired" he told them, holding back from adding an 'especially after that' to his sentence.

"Right, it was really fun to come here. We'll definitely have to do this again soon" Shiho said with a happy smile, looking up to Chilonis and getting a warm smile and a nod from her as well.

"Definitely since this is our secret base for get-togethers not involving targets as I feel the overpass is still the best choice for that" Naruto said, looking around and getting nods to show they agreed.

"Next time we'll definitely have to play some cards! Or do some karaoke!" Ryuji suggested with an excited fist pump as Kidd left to rejoin the other Persona.

"Sounds awesome!" Ann said with a smile, seemingly moving on from the Carmen fiasco while they went on ahead a bit but still waiting for the others before leaving.

Naruto smiled as he waited for Shiho, seeing her hugging Chilonis and waving to her while Naruto also sent her a wave before the spartan warrior left to rejoin the others. "It's nice to see you two so close" Naruto said as he walked alongside Shiho who seemed very happy after everything.

"She represents the strength I never knew I had so seeing her continues to reaffirm that I am strong and it's not just something I have in battle" Shiho explained, getting him to softly rub her back and pat it.

"I'll do my best to help remind you of that as well, you just let me know when you're ready to start" he told her and gently reminded her about their agreement, showing he was ready to go whenever she felt safest to do so.

A soft nod was all he needed to know she understood just as they caught up with the others.

"I am so heading to bed right away when I get out of here" Ryuji groaned out with a yawn which quickly spread to the others before Ann lightly slugged him in the arm which only made him smirk and chuckle at.

"Same here, I'll see you all tomorrow at school" Naruto told them, yawning as well as they started to walk, Naruto chuckling as Ryuji grumbled about why Naruto didn't get slugged only to hear him get slugged again just as they left.

He honestly didn't remember much of the night as he was on autopilot with changing into his sleep clothes before he passed out, a smile on his face from the fun get-together with his friends.

-5/25 – Wednesday-

As he arrived at school he instantly knew something was up by the amount of people crowding around some flyer on the bulletin board. "What's going on?" Naruto asked one student as he walked up to the group, peering over them a bit before they moved a bit to let him see.

"We don't know either, it was set up when everyone got here this morning. Apparently it's a 'request to the student body'" one male student told him before Naruto took a look at the flier himself.

"The Principal is looking for information. I heard the Principal put it up" a girl nearby said as the flier was basically him asking for info about the Phantom Thieves without outright saying it and to go to Makoto and the student council about any info they have or any 'troubles' they might have.

'Great….pile more stuff on Makoto….' Naruto thought with a sigh as this was very in character for that corrupt principal.

"So we can go to her for anything? But why the student council president though? What does she have to do with Principal Kobayakawa?" the male student asked before Naruto put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone else but it's probably due to some whispers I've heard amongst the teachers about how he's doing the same thing he did to Suzui. Basically he's making her look into things for him by threatening the president's sister" Naruto told him, getting a frown from the guy before he patted him on the back with a silent 'you know what to do' look which he thankfully picked up on.

'Some pressure on the principal and making it clear Makoto isn't willingly helping him should help her but I have to talk to her later today for sure….I just hope she doesn't get too swamped by people' he thought with a frown as he headed off to class, hoping it went by quickly so he could check in on Makoto as soon as possible….

-Student Council Room - After School-

"President….What's the meaning of that posting?" one male council member asked, his tone clearly confused and worried as Makoto walked into the room.

"I have no idea as Principal Kobayakawa put it up without telling me or even warning me ahead of time" Makoto explained as she did her best to hold back and keep how annoyed and angry she was from leaking into her voice.

"We've already received some anonymous information" a female council member told her before she pulled out some papers. "One told us 'I heard some students are getting threatened, I'm so scared….Please do something'" she read, shocking Makoto before the male member pulled over the paper to read from it.

"Another told us 'They have dirt on me and they're demanding money. I can't go to the police….What should I do?'. Isn't this talking about crimes that have been rumored to be occurring in Shibuya?" he asked as the female member looked through all the other student's testimonies.

"What should we do? If there are even victims at our school…." she trailed off before the male member shook his head.

"This isn't the responsibility of the student council. This is frightening for us too. The Principal called you in yesterday, right? Did he tell you anything about this?" he asked as she shook her head with a frown.

"No….he was more focused on other things…." she muttered as she did her best not to clench her fist out of anger. "I can force my way into his office by claiming important matters so please, head home and I promise you I've got this" Makoto assured them, reaching for her phone to message Naruto, watching as they left before she sent a message to both Naruto and Naoto.

Right now she had to confront the man who caused all this drama to unfold(*3). Though that didn't stop her from noticing Naruto's message just before she entered his office.

"What is the meaning of this Principal Kobayakawa? Why did you post that notice?" Makoto asked immediately once the secretary let her into his office and closed the door. She was thankful that as the president of the student council she could get in here so easily despite how much he's been hiding in his office ever since Kamoshida.

"It was all for your sake. I thought the more information you had the easier your investigation would become" he said with a smug looking smile as if he was proud of himself for it. "And? Did any information arise about the case I asked you to look into?" he asked, growing a bit serious before she shook her head.

"No but right now a more pressing issue revealed itself due to your posting" she told him as she brushed her hair behind her ear out of a nervous tick of hers. "It appears there are students at Shujin who are being threatened by a criminal organization. A few students who saw your posting came to us looking for help. I'd like to request a countermeasure" she revealed, having read through all the anonymous reports as she had speed walked over here.

"Isn't this some sort of mistake? I can't believe this would happen to the students of our academy" Kobayakawa said in shock before shaking his head. "Now is no time for such problems. There are still lingering concerns regarding the Phantom Thieves" he told her, shocking her at how dismissive he was towards this.

"But we received a request for help" Makoto reminded him before he started to grow a bit frantic.

"I-I'm rather busy at the moment. IF you wish to do something you will need to act on your own" he stuttered out a bit, Makoto actually taking a step back out of surprise from his response.

"Sir!?" she asked, almost not believing he was being so dismissive towards this but having to remind herself this was a man who had threatened her sister's career and forced Suzui into being quiet about Kamoshida.

"This must be my intentions bearing fruit. This criminal organization must be a connecting factor. If you pursue this criminal issue you'll surely find clues about the Phantom Thieves" he told her, the smug smile returning to his face in full force.

"But that's absurd! So far the Phantom Thieves have gone after two criminals so why exactly would they be ordering around a criminal organization to extort and threaten students of the school they saved from Kamoshida's control?" Makoto asked, watching as he seemingly broke out in a sweat on command.

"W-Well, I-I...Let's say this rumor is true. Do you intend to ignore those students in trouble?" Kobayakawa asked her which only made her struggle not to glare at him.

"You mean the rumor you literally just started cause none of these reports mention anything resembling the Phantom Thieves" she shot back, getting him to glare at her for a moment before his smug smile returned.

"Your sister would have solved this easily if she were in your position or have you forgotten your situation" the Principal said, referring back to his threat on her sister's career. "I may not look it but I have connections that can easily have your sister removed from her post so I suggest you do as I say and investigate the Phantom Thieves as they are most important above everything else. Understand?" he warned, Makoto having to seriously bite her tongue to keep from speaking out before she nodded and silently left his office and headed back to the student council room.

"So, were you able to hear everything?" Makoto asked as she returned, seeing Naruto and Naoto waiting for her in the room and finally hung up the call Naruto had asked for.

"Yeah, heard everything and recorded it. Honestly it's exactly how I expected him to be, more focused on the Phantom Thieves than his students being targeted by some organization" Naruto said with a frown before Makoto put down the reports on the table.

"Take a read for yourself and see how bad it is" Makoto said to them, sitting down and somewhat putting her head in her hands as they read it over.

"I'll be honest, this sounds like the Mob" Naoto told her with Naruto nodding along in agreement.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm just a student council president! How am I supposed to do anything about this!?" Makoto yelled out solely in frustration, slamming her hands on the table while she could only stare down at the floor until she felt a hand grab hers.

"It's okay Makoto, we're here so you aren't alone in this" Naruto assured her, squeezing her hand before letting go once she nodded to show she understood.

"I suggest creating a drop box for students to put their info in there instead of putting pressure on your members by the students directly telling them everything" Naoto suggested as he continued to look through all the anonymous accounts.

"And from there we can try and figure things out. Just please, don't take it all on yourself like this" Naruto asked of her, looking her in the eyes before she cracked a soft smile and nodded again.

"You mind if I take a picture of all of these? I could maybe look into things a bit on my own if that's okay" Naoto asked, referring to the reports from students before getting a quick nod from Makoto.

"S-Sure but just be careful…" Makoto warned, not wanting Naoto to potentially get himself in any danger despite being a skilled detective.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to go looking for them if that's what you're worried about" Naoto said with a bit of a smile as he took a picture of each page before he got up. "I'll message you both if I come up with anything as I want to help you as well Makoto-senpai. Plus I told Naruto-senpai I'd be your ally so it'd be rude of me not to get involved" he added, earning a smile from Makoto before he left.

"See? You aren't alone Makoto, we're here to help" he reminded her with a smile, relieved to see her smile back with a nod as he felt a pulse inside him to show their bond had grown.

"Yeah I know that now and honestly it really helps ease my worries a good bit" Makoto reassured him, leaning back in her seat a bit before her phone chimed with his following suit a few seconds later.

Sae: Hello Naruto, I just messaged Makoto as well but I wanted to see if you were free to come over

Sae: I know I mentioned originally talking about your principal but there are a few things I want to ask about besides just that if that's okay

Sae: I told Makoto to seek you out to help you get to our place if you are available. Also I know it's after school and if you do come over it'd get late but you can always join us for dinner in that case

"Did my sister just invite you over to our place to talk and have dinner?" Makoto asked in a mixture of shock and surprise as Naruto nodded with a bit of a chuckle.

"Yeah, you okay with me going?" Naruto asked since going to the house of a schoolmate - let alone a girl schoolmate - could be a bit odd even if he was invited by their sister.

"I don't mind since if she's asking to talk with you it might help us out" Makoto told him as he nodded in agreement.

"Plus given how Kobayakawa is acting, we can bring up the anonymous reports about what is happening to the students to her. Hell maybe you might be able to tell her what is happening to you. She doesn't have to get involved but it might 'defang' Kobayakawa's threats a bit" Naruto suggested, watching as she looked down a bit and shook her head.

"I can't, it'd just make her worry and she's too busy with her job as a prosecutor to worry about it" she told him which got him to frown and sigh a bit.

"If I can be frank," he started off, waiting until she nodded to show it was okay "I might not know of your relationship with your sister so by all means tell me to butt out but given how she reacted when we met last at the train station it was pretty clear she found Kobayakawa's actions terrible which leads me to believe she'd want to help you" Naruto told her before putting a hand on her shoulder to get her to look at him.

"How about I just tell her what has been happening, we show her the anonymous reports, and from there we see how she reacts. If she seems upset and wants to help then you really should tell her but, again, feel free to tell me to butt out" he suggested while he watched as she silently mulled it over with a look on her face that made it clear she was debating it before she silently nodded.

Though the unsure look on her face showed she wasn't 100 percent certain.

"So, should we head over now or linger around a bit?" Naruto asked since the sun was starting to set a bit, dealing with all of this taking more time than they realized.

"Yeah, catching a train now would be easier than delaying things. I don't have any student council matters to attend to so we can go now" Makoto said, them both picking up their bags before Naruto left first.

It seemed they both had the same idea to keep from rumors undoubtedly forming should anyone see them leave school together - especially with the eyes of Kobayakawa and the teacher's who are aligned with him on them.

Meeting up at the train station just made things much, much easier overall.

The train ride didn't take too long, the two of them mainly just talking about how things were going in school despite Kobayakawa's harassment. He did his best to assure her he could handle it though he did find her worry to be sweet.

He also made sure to call Sojiro once they left the train station to tell him he was heading over to a friend's place to ensure he wouldn't be waiting for him or anything.

Her apartment was rather big, it overall looked a bit more like a house but then again she was a high class prosecutor so it made sense that their place would be this 'high end'.

"Oh good, you two are here. I was about to call you to figure out where you were" Sae said as she walked out from seemingly the kitchen before she looked at Makoto with a soft smile before looking over to Naruto. "Sorry for calling you here all of a sudden as even I admit inviting you over like this was a weird thing to do" Sae apologized before he waved her off.

"Surprising? Yeah definitely but weird? Not really" Naruto assured her given they exchanged numbers originally to talk about Kobayakawa so he figured she'd potentially invite him out places to talk.

Personally he expected places like a diner or maybe even LeBlanc so yeah, being invited to her house was a surprising choice for sure.

"So, what are these 'other things' you wanted to talk about?" Naruto asked, a good bit curious about what she called him here out of the blue for.

"Well it's kind of two things, the first being how I want to warn the both of you to be extra careful around Shibuya" she started, walking past them and basically inviting them into the living room. "There are some dangerous scams going on by some very shady and incredibly dangerous people so I'd advise not lingering much in Shibuya and not talking to anyone you don't know on the street" Sae warned them, a very serious look on her face that showed she wasn't messing around.

"My guardian warned me as well, what exactly is going on in there - if you can tell me that is" Naruto asked while making it clear he wasn't trying to get her to say anything she wasn't allowed to due to her job.

She seemed to be taking that into consideration as she frowned and furrowed her brow in thought before she sighed.

"If you swear not to spread this around I'll tell you both since it'd help keep you two safe" Sae told them, them both nodding that they wouldn't spread it around which got a serious look from her. "It's because a mafia group has established business in Shibuya and they are trapping highschoolers through 'jobs' that end up with the students being blackmailed and extorted. This is something the police have been trying to combat but it's slow and difficult so until things are cleared up you two need to be careful" she explained, warning them with a very serious tone and look in her eye.

"We promise we'll be careful as the mafia is seriously dangerous" Naruto assured her, looking in her eyes for a bit before she visibly relaxed and lightened up a bit with a nod.

"Thank you, as an older sister and an adult I felt the need to warn you both" she told them before a timer went off. "Oh! The food's ready. Get washed up and we can talk about the next reason I invited you here while we eat" she said, smiling before Makoto led him to the bathroom.

"Seems Naoto was right about his guess about it being the Mob" Naruto told Makoto in a bit of a whisper, getting a nod from her while she frowned.

"Definitely more dangerous than I thought and I already felt it was pretty dangerous…." Makoto muttered while Naruto scoffed as he washed his hands.

"And yet the principal is more worried about the Phantom Thieves and trying to pin Kamoshida's confession on them or me" Naruto grumbled, getting a sigh and a nod from Makoto.

"I'll message Naoto about it later as at least he deserves to know but that's the only person we can tell" Makoto told him as it made sense to tell Naoto about it given he had already seen the reports from the students and knew of her situation.

"Let me know what he says when he replies, okay?" he asked, getting a nod from Makoto before they headed back to see Sae bringing out some food.

"If you needed help Sis you should've let me know" Makoto told her before Sae waved her off.

"I can handle this much as I rarely get days off and I forgot a bit how nice it was to cook" Sae told her while Makoto took the initiative to bring out the plates for them.

"So, what was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?" Naruto asked as they sat down, dished up the food, and began eating.

"It's actually due to your school given, from what I've seen, it's ground zero when it comes to the Phantom Thieves" Sae revealed, Naruto making sure to show no reaction….although he did see his partially opened bag twitch a bit near the door to show Morgana was somewhat freaking out.

"Does this mean the SIU is looking into the Phantom Thieves?" Makoto asked in shock before Sae shook her head.

"Not yet but I mainly want to ask you about them given Makoto told me you were targeted by the teacher who experienced a 'change of heart' by them. I want to know your thoughts on them, especially given what happened with Madarame just a few days ago" Sae brought up, Naruto resisting the urge to frown as he didn't quite like talking about them with someone in the judicial system.

"Can I be honest with my thoughts without coming off as berating or talking down to anyone?" Naruto asked with Sae chuckling a bit.

"Of course, don't feel forced to tiptoe with your words just because I'm a prosecutor" she assured him before he took a deep breath and sighed a bit.

"I honestly believe they are doing some good work in getting criminals who would never confess to their crimes to turn themselves in. I've talked about this with Naoto Shirogane and while we aren't sure how they do it we both believe they aren't coercing or blackmailing them as you'd believe they would reveal that once in custody….unless you believe they somehow have ears in the police" Naruto told her, looking her in the eyes as she seemingly mulled over his words.

"I agree with your thought process on why there wouldn't realistically be blackmail involved but why do you believe they are doing good work?" Sae asked with Naruto shrugging his shoulders.

"The way I see it they've helped take down an abusive - both sexually and physically - teacher who wasn't about to be turned in any time soon and a plagiarizer who ruined people's lives and even caused some deaths. Those two were people who were never going to stop doing what they were doing as they both had controls of their surroundings as in a school and the art scene. I know the police can't applaud their actions and I, by no means am asking them to, but you have to admit a bit how they are helping things" Naruto told her, a bit nervous as she stared him down while he stood his ground and refused to look away.

That seemed to be the right choice as a smirk broke out from her serious expression and she took a bite of her food.

"You're right, I can't applaud them but off the record I do see your point and as someone who they helped I understand how you are thankful for them and how you see their actions like that" Sae said as she looked him in the eyes. "I can't be certain how long I can do this but I'll try to hold off on judgement towards them and try to keep an open mind" she told him, Naruto smiling as he nodded.

"That's fine, I'm just glad you didn't scold me for it" he said with a chuckle, getting her to laugh a bit as well.

"I did say you could speak freely and your way of seeing things isn't dangerous yet so it's fine" she told him with a bit of a smirk. "You're an interesting kid, I feel I made the right choice exchanging numbers with you" she said while Naruto felt a pulse inside him to show their bond had grown stronger.

"So, how are things going with your principal? Have you heard anything as from what I've heard his court case isn't going well" Sae asked, circling back around to the reason they exchanged numbers in the first place.

"Well from what I've heard throughout the school it doesn't look too good" Naruto told her, looking over to Makoto who nodded ever so slightly to show she was still okay with the plan that he suggested back in the student council room. "If I can grab something out of my bag I can show you" he asked as Sae nodded to show she didn't mind before he went over to his bag to grab the anonymous reports.

"How are you doing in here?" Naruto asked Morgana in a whisper as the 'not-cat' had been trapped in here since school ended.

"Cramped and I want to eat but I guess it shouldn't be much longer" he grumbled, seeing Naruto's apologetic look as he carefully grabbed the reports.

"Thanks and sorry for this, I would have let you out to roam if I could but I couldn't with Makoto around" Naruto told him as Morgana nodded and laid down to show he understood before Naruto returned to the table.

"These are some anonymous reports I got from a student that Kobayakawa has been threatening and it's safe to say the students are being targeted by the Mafia" he told her, handing her the papers as he sat down for her to look through. "Though, worst of all, is that Kobayakawa was alerted of this by the student I got these from and he doesn't care. He's more focused on trying to dig up dirt and pin it on the Phantom Thieves as for some reason he thinks a group that just saved his students from Kamoshida would work with the Mafia" he explained to her with an eye roll as that still just continued to make absolutely no sense.

"What? Seriously?" Sae asked in shock as she looked up from the papers, her eyes wide as Naruto nodded. "That is just terrible! Please put me in contact with the student he's forcing to go along with this! I might have my reservations on the Phantom Thieves but I agree that them doing something like this doesn't fit their MO in the slightest. His refusal to help the students

shows a continued gross dereliction of his duty as principal time and time again!" Sae yelled out, looking at him before Naruto frowned and looked over to Makoto.

He could tell she was still debating whether to tell her or not before Makoto sighed and raised her hand slightly.

"It's me sis….I'm the student he's been threatening and, if it wasn't for Naruto's help I sadly feel like I'd be helpless to do anything other than listen to him…." Makoto revealed, Naruto looking over to see a shocked look on Sae's face.

"S-Seriously Makoto? He's going after you?" Sae asked in shock, nearly dropping her chopsticks before she carefully set them down.

"Yes….he threatened your job, saying he knew people in there that could endanger your job. He wanted me to spy on Naruto but he's been helping me and even got Naoto to help take pressure off me even more" she told her before she pulled out her phone and pressed play on the recording while Sae could only shake her head as she sighed before looking up to Makoto once it ended.

"You should have told me when it started but….thank you for telling me now" Sae said, weakly smiling to her as Makoto nodded.(*4) "And look, you don't have to worry about me so feel more than free to outright reject his ridiculous demands" she reassured her with Makoto nodding once again only to have to wipe the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes.

Naruto couldn't help but reach over to rub her back to console her a bit, getting a happy smile from her to show she was okay and thankful for his actions.

"And you….thank you for helping her as this just further proves I made the right choice exchanging numbers with you" she thanked with a bit of a chuckle at the end as Naruto pulled his hand off Makoto's back.

"It's fine, no need to thank me as I wasn't about to let him do the same thing that he did to Shiho. Plus Makoto is a nice girl who warned me of Kobayakawa immediately so I couldn't do nothing when she's in trouble like that" Naruto explained with a shrug of his shoulder as it really wasn't anything he felt the need to be thanked for, it was just what he felt was a given to do.

He felt a bit confused as the two sisters looked and smiled at one another, shaking their heads a bit before going back to eating.

The rest of dinner was fine as Sae somewhat 'scolded' Makoto though it was clear, even to him, it was in a way that showed she cared and how upset Sae was that Makoto couldn't talk to her about it right away. Being around for it felt a touch awkward but at the same time it was nice to see as it let him know that the sisters would be able to 'reconcile' a bit at least.

"Sorry you had to see all of that" Makoto apologized as she walked him to the station despite him telling her how it wasn't needed.

"Really, again, it's fine. I'm just glad you told her about it" Naruto told her, getting a nod with a look on her face that showed she was still a bit embarrassed from having to need him to urge her to do it. "There's nothing wrong with needing a little push every now and again so stop worrying" he told her, chuckling at the slight blush brought forward from him 'reading her thoughts'.

"You're right….thanks" she said with a smile as they arrived at the station. "I'll message Naoto first thing tomorrow and see what he thinks. For now you should head home before it gets too late" she told him, Naruto agreeing as he made his way home.

-Yongen-Jaya-

It didn't take long for him to let Morgana free once they got home, Sojiro being long gone which meant all he had to do was relock the door and head upstairs.

"Aaaagh! That was waaaaaaay too long! Next time you gotta find some way to let me out!" Morgana complained as Naruto nodded along since he definitely agreed it was too long to be stuffed in the bag for.

He might have let him pop out a bit on the way home to eat some food he got from a store while they walked but it was still different from being completely let out to walk around.

"I know, I know. I'll try and make an excuse of having to call my guardian or something next time" he told him, getting a nod as Morgana paced around the room a bit to stretch and get the kinks out of his small muscles.

"We figured out a lot today though I have to say as the Mafia being in Shibuya is a big deal….wonder if they could be targeted for a change of heart" Morgana said before muttering a bit to himself only to get a scoff from Naruto.

"Yeah good luck getting the names of anyone in the Mafia. I know enough about them to know they're more likely to kill you or have you killed the second you know who they are" Naruto informed him, getting a hum in thought as Morgana continued to pace around. "Let's just see where things go for now, last thing we need is to get a target from the Mafia on our backs" he pointed out with a sigh as he tossed his bag onto the couch only to groan as it bounced off and smacked into his box of belongings that he hadn't put back on the shelves yet.

As he walked over to grab his bag and put it back on the couch he raised his eyebrow in confusion as he heard a familiar buzzing from the box of his bug detector. 'What the? Why is it going off?' Naruto thought in confusion and worry as he quickly opened the box and fished it out.

The readings it was giving off were low but, if that was the case, it most likely meant there were several around the room giving off so many signals that it was reacting even when not necessarily close to any of them.

He hoped a bit that it was just being weird due to his phone or something weirdly explainable but, as he scanned around the room it got stronger and he found at least seven for certain spots that were bugged.

'Okay so this doesn't feel like Sojiro's doing as he doesn't feel the tech-savvy type plus if it was for security it'd be video cameras that would be visible to deter robbers so what the hell is going on….' Naruto though, his mind racing before his phone chimed in a way he hadn't heard before.

As he grabbed it he noticed an odd black cat head icon with a mouth full of sharp teeth and no eyes that had messaged him calling itself 'Alibaba'.

Alibaba: I believe you found my bugs, let me explain

-Chapter End-

Pairing: Naruto x Futaba, Ann, Shiho, Makoto, Haru, Kasumi, Kawakami, Tae, Caroline, Justine, Lavenza, Sae, Hifumi, Ohya, Chihaya, and Naoto

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*1 = So with the Thieves Den I modified things a bit, removing the platforms for things and instead making it a club of sorts. Downstairs is for chilling out, listening to music, drinks, and movies while the top floor is for card games.

In this 'Palace' Persona are 100% solid so they can show up. Plus the 'club' area is massive - takes up the entire first floor other than the artwork area over by the side with the second floor being all for the card games and whatnot

*2 = I won't spoil anything for those of you who haven't beaten Persona 5 Royal and done the 3rd Semester in it but I will say that with Naoto being a detective and well versed in stuff in the news and Makoto being the student council president both would be aware of a certain something I feel while choosing not to speak up about it

*3 = I know he's 'out of office' when the posting was made but, to help the flow of things, I changed that

*4 = One thing I've learned over the years of crossovers is that if characters you add don't change things up then why the hell write a crossover? If it's just a retelling with the character(s) added in then it's not a crossover. I'll admit I've done stories like that before in the past when I was still learning but now I know better.

This is one of those cases as due to Naruto's involvement things are changing between Makoto and Sae in rather big ways and they will continue to change due to his presence and actions

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So! Thieves Den was revealed and will play a much, much bigger role than in the games as it's actually a real place for them. I'm really excited to use it in the story as I have a ton of plans for it!

The clean up event was a touch different due to Naruto's group and it was actually pretty fun for him as he got to hang out with people he knows and even got Kasumi's confidant bond which he instantly picked up was a bit different and confirmed his thoughts when he saw her card.

Things are also obviously going differently with Makoto, Kobayakawa, and Sae but don't worry it won't mess up with Kaneshiro (obviously) as it'll just start off a touch bit differently so keep an eye out for that.

Other than that I don't have much else I need to say so I hope you all liked everything.

I'm sorry it took so long to finish as I wanted to post this as a Christmas gift for you all but then family drama reared it's head before and after Christmas then my laptop's hard drive died on me (cost me $154 to get a new one) and the reinstallation and whatnot took a while and then my internet got shut down for a day…..safe to say life hit me hard as it always loves to so I'd like to apologize again for being so slow with things.

On my birth month of all times as well DX - my bday is on the 27th btw .

Thank you for sticking with me

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**Attention!**

I have officially started a discord server for my writing that anyone can join!

If you wish to join drop me a PM and I'll give you the link or you can ask alongside your review and I'll give it to you. Originally I was just gonna have the link here but that could be a tad bit dangerous if a troll got it or if someone I have blocked got it lol

Keep in mind people have access to channels with stuff equivalent to the tiers they are pledged to. BUT, even if you aren't pledged you have access to all the basic stuff of the server :)

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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 :)

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I hope you all liked it

Until Next Time

Rate and Review

Buh-Bye!