Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Tragic world, I know.
Chapter 4:
Physics Sucks!
Naruto awoke to the sound of the alarm on his phone going off. Groaning somewhat, he sat up on his bed and quickly grabbed the phone from his nightstand. It was the first time in a while that he was waking up this early. It was 5:00 in the morning to be exact. Not even back in Konoha did he wake up this early. Of course, back then, other than his ninja career, he really didn't have other responsibilities he needed to be on top of.
But now…...
Groaning some more, Naruto got out of bed and stretched out his arms, feeling his back muscles pop.
'I'm guessing this is what Shikamaru felt every morning…...'
In order to maintain his physical skills, Naruto had decided to get some training in the mornings. It was the only time he had opened in his schedule. It was only for the weekdays. On the weekends, he was thinking of being more lax in order to give his body some time to recover, or more precisely just goof off. Keeping to this routine was going to be tough, but Naruto was nothing if not a creature of habit. He knew it was going to be challenging at first, but after a while his body would get used to it.
Today was Tuesday, marking his second day at Hope's Peak Academy. Unlike yesterday, though, where it was only the entrance ceremony, classes started for real. The catch is that Naruto didn't technically have to attend class. While it was true that he had a lot of fun yesterday, the blond hadn't forgotten his objective for coming here in the first place.
He needed to stay focus at all costs.
Pushing that aside for now, Naruto got dressed in his running gear in order to start his morning jog. From there, he would continue with different sets of exercises he had found on some magazines the day before. It was probably nothing Nekomaru would recommend, but it suited Naruto just fine for the time being.
He only had to maintain his physical prowess, not get stronger.
Naruto quickly got started.
The morning went by quickly after that, with Naruto taking some time to study the neighborhood he now lived in. He had done some grocery shopping the night before, so he knew of certain spots now. But last night, he had been more focused on getting food than taking in the sights.
The neighborhood was nothing special really. They were just a lot of huge houses. Naruto was sure that this was the part of the city where the rich tended to live. It was kinda weird that he was now among them.
Moving on from that, Naruto arrived back in the house to find Tengan in the kitchen sipping on some morning tea.
"My, my," the old man said. "I didn't expect to find you up this early. Most kids are still asleep at this hour."
"I was just doing some morning training."
"Hmm. I see." Tengan nodded after a while. "You are the Ultimate Ninja, after all. I guess it only makes sense."
Naruto ignored him and stepped into the kitchen. He went for one of the cabinets where he grabbed three ramen cups, which only needed to be microwaved to be eaten.
Tengan raised an eyebrow when he saw this. "…...there was no ramen in this house two days ago."
Naruto shrugged. "I went and did some shopping when I saw that you didn't you have any ramen. Didn't you know? It's the best breakfast, lunch, and dinner you can ask for."
Tengan had to stare at the blond for a few moments to see if he was serious. When he saw the Uzumaki put one of the cups in the microwave, he realized the truth.
"….how are you not fat?"
"Apparently I have a good metabolism."
It was a combination of his Uzumaki genes and having Kurama sealed in him. Thankfully, he still had his genes.
Tengan silently cursed the injustice of it all before moving on.
"Just so you know, your uniform came in this morning. I left it in your room."
Wow. Hope's Peak Academy was fast, huh? Then again, unlike other schools which had to accommodate hundreds of students per year, Hope's Peak had to deal with way less than that. One of the perks of only having the "elite" attend.
Placing his mug down on the table, Tengan studied Naruto who was grinning from cheek-to-cheek as he ate his first ramen cup of the day.
"So. How was your entrance ceremony?"
Naruto paused for a second before inhaling all the noodles in front of him, almost like his mouth was a black hole.
"It was alright. My classmates are…..out there, but they were funny. I can't say I have any problem with any of them."
Tengan chuckled a little. "Well, yes. For some reason or another, all Ultimates have their quirks here and there. It's what makes them so interesting. I'd say you're just like them in that regard."
Naruto shot him a questioning look. But then he noticed Tengan staring at all the ramen he was having for breakfast, making him roll his eyes.
"Point taken."
Tengan grinned. "Anyway. I'm sure you'll find yourself fitting in with them. These next three years of your life are sure to be something else."
For a split second, a frown made its way to Naruto's face. He masked it soon enough.
'I'm not planning on sticking around for that long…..'
Today, he was going to gather more information about the other students in the school. That included those of section A from the 77th class, and upperclassmen too.
Speaking of gathering information…..
"That reminds me." Tengan pointed to the remains of the computer in the living room. "I couldn't help but notice that my computer was practically demolished. Care to explain how that came to be?"
Naruto had to look away. "It's not my fault. That thing just wouldn't cooperate with me!"
Last night, before going to bed, Naruto had attempted to look up information about the students at Hope's Peak Academy in the same way Nagito had. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he always ended up in some different site for things he did not need. It was all because of those "ads" on there. It was just so tempting to click them. Inevitably, it's what led to his downfall, though.
Using the computer as target practice with shuriken had helped cured his madness.
Tengan felt a headache wash over him. "You do realize those things aren't cheap, right?"
"…...I'll help pay for a new one."
He was already planning on doing that anyway.
Tengan shook his head. "That's not what I was getting at. But since you were kind enough to offer, I won't say no."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't comment. It was his fault anyway, so there wasn't anything he could say here.
Taking one final sip from his mug, Tengan savored the taste before placing it down. He gave Naruto a wave as he walked toward the door.
"Have fun in class today. And make sure to stay out of trouble, alright?"
Naruto gave the old man a halfhearted wave back and focused more on eating his second cup of ramen, going over his plans for the day.
He already knew exactly what he was going to do today.
The sun was barely rising over the horizon when Naruto arrived at the front gates of Hope's Peak Academy. Unlike yesterday, the blond was wearing the school uniform now. Or his version of the school uniform anyway. There was no way he was wearing that stuffy blazer, so he discarded it altogether. He kept on the white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and the red tie which was tied loosely around his neck. The top button on his shirt was also not buttoned. He didn't want to be strangled to death thank you very much.
Naruto had also brought his bag with him, but he honestly didn't see any use for it.
He wasn't going to attend classes today, after all.
Facing the building, Naruto nodded to himself. 'I need to look up all the other students here. Or as many as I can. Since the Internet is out of the question, looks like I'll have to do this in person.'
It wasn't really a hassle to him. He had done this sort of stuff back in his dimension all the time. Only the people here who were used to having something like the Internet at their disposal would find something like this troublesome.
Naruto had decided to come early to see if he could scout anyone out before classes started. He didn't know if the other students actually went to their classes or not, so he needed to be as thorough as possible in his investigation.
Naruto was about to take a step inside the campus when a soft squeak reached his ears. He stopped mid-step to see Mikan's surprised face staring at him from next to the front gates. She too was dressed in the school uniform now, albeit the female one. She wore the complete set, blazer buttoned up and everything. It honestly looked very good on her.
"Mikan," Naruto said, feeling as surprised as the girl looked. "What are you doing here so early?"
The girl came out of her stupor when he spoke up. "E-Eh? Oh. I'm actually here on some urgent business…..."
"Business?"
"Y-Yes. I was tasked with looking after the nurse's office yesterday. S-So I have to take inventory to make sure that everything is in place, among other things…..."
Naruto hummed at this. It made sense. Considering the girl's talent, it only made sense that the school would let her handle the nurse's office. It would probably be her own little base during her time here, so to speak.
"I see. Do you need any help with that?" Naruto asked the question before he realized it. Once again, his good nature won out over his desire to get his investigation started. But it's alright. He had the whole day to look for other students. Helping Mikan wouldn't keep him from doing that.
Right? Right.
Mikan fiddled in place, her face red. "I-I couldn't impose something like that on you…...I-I'm sure you're busy too, Uzumaki-san. That's why you came to school early too, right?"
Although she couldn't fathom what the blond could be doing at this hour.
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes studying the school building. "Na, not really. I was just going to take a look around some more is all. But I doubt many students are here at this hour anyway."
There was still more than an hour before school officially began.
Mikan sent him a questioning look before she shook it off. There was no reason for someone like her to wonder about Naruto's business. She should just be lucky he was even willing to talk to her like this. Pushing her luck would just lead down to a bad ending, which she wanted to avoid at all costs.
"T-Then, I wouldn't mind your help, Uzumaki-san…..."
Naruto nodded, unaware of the girl's thoughts. To him, Mikan was just a simple shy girl. Sure, the fact that she was willing to undress for him just like that was a bit weird, but other than that she was alright in his book.
The two walked toward the main entrance of the school in silence. On the way there, however, they spotted Gundham in one of the grand courtyards to the side. He was also decked out in the school uniform, customized with that long purple scarf of his. He had both arms in the air and was shouting about something.
Without realizing it, Naruto and Mikan marched over to him to see what all the ruckus was about. The closer they got, the clearer Gundham's voice became…...sorta.
"-dominion over this land! Let it be known all who dare to trespass shall be trampled by the Supreme Overlord of Ice! Fuhahahahaha!"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Are you still going on about that ice stuff, Gundham?"
"Huh!?" The beast tamer was quick to turn around and spot them, his arms coming down over his face. "You fiends…...you dare set foot over my new dominion!? Has your foolishness no end!?"
"Dominion?" Naruto glanced to the fountain behind the boy to see the four hamsters from before. They were enjoying the water of the fountain from the looks of it. How cute. "Are you out here with your pets? I'm surprised."
Gundham crossed his arms and scowled. "How dare you refer to my Four Dark Devas of Destruction as mere pets? They are far greater than that! They are my companions on this hellish road! Do you understand, you fool?"
Naruto shrugged. "I guess. I had a couple of friends who were friends with animals too."
Kiba and Shino came to mind. They weren't as…...bizarre as Gundham was, though. Well, Kiba wasn't. Shino had his moments of craziness too.
"H'mph. Then you should know better than to treat them as mere pets," Gundham said, clearly annoyed.
Naruto got the memo. "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't think you were that close to them. But since you're carrying them around, I should have expected that."
"Carrying them?" Gundham began to laugh. "Don't mock me, fool! I am not simply carrying them! I am using my body as a vessel for their survival!" Surprisingly, his red eye began to glow. "This is my secret art! The secret art of the Tanaka Empire! Coward before me! Hahahahahahahaha!"
Naruto and even Mikan sweatdropped at the laughing boy. Raising hamsters like that…...well, only Gundham could pull off something like that. Maybe that's what the scarf was for then?
'I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Shino was practically harvesting bugs inside his body. That's even stranger than this.'
Then again, everyone in his world had strange abilities. This world was supposed to be less abnormal than his. Hope's Peak Academy was sure changing that perspective for the blond.
"But it does make sense," Mikan spoke, more confidently this time. "A lot of animals start the day early. I'm guessing that's why he's up and about."
Gundham smirked. "H'mph. It seems the healer understands better than you, apparition."
"Apparition?" Naruto tilted his head. "What the heck does that mean?"
Gundham looked away. "It means your entire existence is a query to me. Starting with those strange markings of yours on your cheeks."
"My birthmarks?" Naruto had never really paid too much attention to them before really. "Why are you so fixated on them?"
Mikan fiddled with her fingers. "W-Well….they are really…..unique. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Your appearance is certainly…...very animalistic in nature," Gundham added, smirking a little. "I can't help but wonder if you have appeared before as my new servant."
Naruto twitched and scowled heavily. "Hell no! Uzumaki Naruto serves no one!"
Gundham's smirk grew as he looked at Naruto. "Understand this: before me, you are nothing!"
Naruto growled. "You're really looking for an ass-whooping, aren't you?"
Mikan tried to intervene. "P-Please don't, Uzumaki-san! We're all friends here, aren't we?"
Naruto stopped and turned to the nervous looking girl. With a look like that, there was only one thing Naruto could do. He patted her head. "Calm down, Mikan. I'm only trying to get this guy to stop talking crazy."
That was looking like an impossible mission now. On a side note, Mikan looked like she was in heaven right about now. Having Naruto pat her head was just amazing to her.
"I speak only the truth." Gundham's Four Dark Devas climbed back on him, their speed admirable to the blond.
Naruto let it go. It was the same way Shino spoke all monotone and quiet-like. Gundham was just like this. Trying to take offense would just be stupid on his part.
"Are you really only here to walk your hamsters?"
Gundham was quick with his answer. "No. I have a bigger appointment now."
"Appointment?"
"I have been assigned as the watchful guardian over all the many beasts that reside in this location. To tame such powerful adversaries…...truly, this is the challenge that I've been waiting for."
Naruto squinted his eyes a little, trying to make sense of what the guy was saying. It was here that Gundham finally saw it.
"You….at last, I realize it…..."
"Huh?"
"You are just like them…..like the tricksters of the underworld." Gundham gripped his wrist fiercely, his teeth clenched. "Just who do you serve!? Is it the great Inari!?"
Naruto just stared at him blankly.
Mikan pulled on Naruto's sleeve to catch his attention. "I-I think he's saying you look like a fox, Uzumaki-san…..."
It was a description she was forced to agree with. And now that she had seen it, she really wanted to pet his whiskers. But there's no way Naruto would ever allow someone like her to do something like that.
At this, Naruto grew a little somber. "A fox, huh…..."
Gundham noticed this and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling like he had said something he shouldn't have.
"H'mph. No matter. You have proven yourself to be more worthy than I first expected. Truly, you are an opponent worth facing."
Naruto's mood turned back to normal. "Uh. Yeah, sure. Thanks I guess."
With this guy, the blond didn't know what was a compliment or an insult anymore. Talking to him was exhausting, but at the same time not all so annoying either. Just weird.
Gundham turned back to the school. "I must depart for now. I have to face my new familiars today. Heh. What an exciting day this shall be. Fuhahahaha!"
Naruto and Mikan watched him go, still unsure of what he was talking about. Maybe Nagito would have understood him better? He had been a great translator yesterday. Too bad he wasn't here right now.
"Anyway, we should head for the nurse's office now," Naruto said, catching Mikan's attention.
"O-Oh, yes. We should hurry!"
Spending alone time with Naruto, having a friendly conversation with another friend…...this was a great morning for Mikan already.
The two were in the nurse's office in record time. They didn't run into anyone else on their way here, proving Naruto right. Most students wouldn't be here this early. Not unless they had some work to do like Mikan.
Or whatever Gundham was doing.
"Man, I didn't notice this yesterday, but this place is kind of dirty," Naruto said as he cleared out the shelves and cabinets alongside Mikan. The girl needed to know for sure what the nurse's office had in stock. If there was anything missing or needed replacement, she would contact the headmaster and tell him about it. That way, she could have new supplies.
"I-It does seem like only the minimal work has been put," Mikan noticed, feeling a bit down about this. "With no one being on duty everyday, I suppose it can't be helped."
"Well, at least you're here now." Naruto made sure not to panic when he pulled out some needles from one of the cabinets. God, he hated these things. "I'm sure housekeeping isn't your thing, but at least it'll be more clean than when there's no one here."
"Y-Yes!" A look of determination made its way to Mikan's face. "I'll be sure to look over everyone and keep them healthy! No one will get sick! I promise!"
Naruto was surprised to see the girl like this. He hadn't thought she had this side to her. On the other hand, her goal was a little bit...impractical.
"You don't have to do something like that, ya know. There will always be sick people. You can't help that. You just have to nurse them back to health when that happens."
"Y-Yes." Mikan giggled a little. "If you ever get sick, Uzumaki-san, don't hesitate to come to me. I'll give you a big shot! A BIG shot! A really BIG BIG shot!"
Naruto began to sweat at her words, a shiver running down his spine. "Y-Yeah, but you don't have to put it like that…...seriously."
A big needle was the stuff of nightmares. Imagining Mikan with one…..it just made him shudder.
'Good thing this place isn't a hospital…...'
The two worked in a comfortable silence for a while, with Naruto taking care of the cleaning while Mikan checked over the supplies. The blond didn't mind this as he was used to the grunt work. Besides, he couldn't just leave Mikan to do all of this by herself.
'The school sure had no problem doing that, though.'
The school here really was more hands-free like Tengan had told him. As long as the students excelled with their ultimate talents, they didn't care for what they did on an everyday basis. This kind of freedom wasn't new to Naruto, though. It's basically how he had lived his whole life. But the students here were different from him…...that's what he'd like to think. But then again, Mikan didn't seem to have any problem with taking care of this task by herself, and Gundham was off doing his own thing too.
Hmm…...
"Hey, Mikan."
The nurse squeaked in surprised, almost dropping the clipboard she was using to check over the medical supplies. "Y-Yes!?"
Naruto sweatdropped. "Why are you so surprised?"
The girl looked down. "I-I'm still not used to having my name called out like that…..."
"Eh?" Naruto had to stop what he was doing to focus on the girl. "What do you mean? It's just your name, isn't it? So what's the big deal?"
He still didn't understand that.
"Y-Yes, but no one's ever bothered to use my first name before…..a-and I've always had nicknames…."
"What kind of nicknames?"
"I-I've been called Ditz, Ratchet, Cunt rag….and t-there was even one who said I reminded her of a Birdbrain!"
Mikan looked happy about the last one, something that made Naruto frown. He was beginning to understand the nurse a little bit better now.
"Mikan…...have you been bullied before?"
"U-Um." Mikan brought her hands up to her chest, her face confused. "Why do y-you ask something like that?"
Naruto shook his head. "All those names…..they aren't the kind of thing you would call a friend."
"Friends…...?" Mikan repeated the word, but to her it was almost alien. "I-I've always had friends…...they would always strip me down, write on me…...a-and even have me pay for their food! T-That's what friends do! I-It's not like I was ignored…..."
She trailed off, but Naruto had heard enough. "Just because you weren't ignored, it doesn't mean they actually cared about you, Mikan."
She looked at him. "B-But being ignored is the worst possible thing that can ever happen! Because then…...no one cares about me at all."
This girl…..she was wrong on so many levels.
"That's not it, Mikan. It's true that being ignored sucks, but when the only attention you get is a negative one it's not a good thing either. You need to find people around you who care about you for you, not who only use you for their amusement."
Mikan fiddled with the clipboard, her head swirling. This was taking a turn she had not been expecting at all.
"I…..p-people have always called me weird for my talent…..t-that's why…"
She began to tear up, which made Naruto panic.
"W-Wait! You don't have to start crying!" He went up to the girl to try and calm her down. "It's my bad! I shouldn't have said anything!"
Mikan shook her head and tried to fight back her tears. "I-It's not your fault, Uzumaki….I-I'm sorry for causing you trouble! You can draw on my body if you'd like!"
"I'm not-…..." Naruto stopped himself and sighed. He had to make this girl understand what he was trying to say. "Mikan…I don't want to do anything like that to you. What people did in the past….it's wrong. I just want to hang out with you normally. Not as my punching bag or anything."
Mikan looked at him through her teary eyes. "B-But…..does that mean you don't like me, Uzumaki-san…?"
"No, it means that I treat you normally." Naruto closed his eyes and came to a decision. "To tell you the truth, there was a time when people ignored me too. Everyone feared me, and it made me angry. So I can understand what you're feeling to an extent." Naruto reopened his eyes patted her on the head, causing for Mikan to feel all nice and warm again. It made her fears go away. "But regardless of that, even if you don't want to be alone, you have to find people who see you for you. Don't let others take advantage of you. Besides, your talent isn't weird. I think it's pretty amazing."
Mikan stared at him in bewilderment. "R-Really…...?" No one had told her that before. Everyone always looked at her funny, saying her habits were weird. Her obsession always managed to creep out those around her. No one understood why she obsessed so much over their well-being, or anything medical related. That's why she didn't want to be ignored. It was better to be bullied than to be ignored. And yet, Naruto was telling her that it didn't have to be that way. She could have normal friends who treated her just for being her.
It felt…...great, if not strange.
Naruto grinned. "Yeah. I think you're pretty awesome. I really like girls like you!"
As usual, Naruto said whatever came to mind without giving it much thought. It was just the kind of person he was. That's why he was startled when he saw Mikan turn bright red before she started to really panic.
"W-W-W-W-What!? I-I-I-I mean…...h-huh!?" Mikan's mind was officially into overdrive. "I-I-I-I…!"
"Oi, Mikan!" Naruto tried to calm her down again, only this time Mikan was too far gone in her own world to pay any attention to him. There was always a part of Mikan that was raunchier than she'd like to admit. Most of it could be attributed to the life she had growing up. Still, there was no denying that it was there.
So when Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down, the girl panicked. Somehow, she defied all common sense and tripped on her own two feet even though she was standing still. Naruto would never understand how Mikan managed to pull off such a feat.
He would also never forget getting a free shot of Mikan's panties that day.
Naruto would never consider himself a pervert. Despite having a master like Jiraiya, the blond was sure he hadn't inherited the man's more dubious nature.
That's what he liked to tell himself anyway.
But he was still a guy, so there was no way he could deny enjoying Mikan's "unfortunate" accident in the nurse's office earlier, even if the rational part of his brain was telling him that it was wrong. When did he ever listen to that side, though?
Things had gotten a bit awkward after that, with Mikan not able to look at him in the eye for the rest of the morning. Naruto still didn't know what he had said to trigger her like that. But oh well. He had helped her get things in order in the nurse's office, the two splitting off after that. Mikan had gone off to their supposed classroom with Naruto telling her that he would catch up later.
He had a mission to start.
The main problem here was that he didn't know where to begin. Classes were already underway. He couldn't just waltz into a classroom either. That wouldn't work. Because of this, he was left to search the rooms that weren't classrooms.
The pool, locker rooms, and the library were all a dead end. That's why the Uzumaki headed for the third floor next. He had mostly skipped these floors the day before since nothing really caught his eye here. This still held up true today…...for the most part. There was one exception, though: the physics lab.
Naruto stuck his head through the fancy looking door, his eyes scanning the room. It was filled with a bunch of ornate machines. He had no idea what they were for, or what this room was even used for in general. The biggest machine was the one in the very center of the room. It was huge, and it had a very big glass globe with tubes sticking out.
'Now I remember why I didn't go inside this place…...'
It was creepy as hell. Thankfully, Peko hadn't been interested at all either.
Scratching his head, Naruto sighed. 'Well, whatever. It doesn't look like there's anything for me either.'
He was about to walk off until the sound of steps down the hall reached his ears. He turned toward them and saw a student making his way for the physics lab. The boy was dressed sloppily. Like Naruto, he wore his white dress shirt of the school uniform with no blazer and a black tie, with only one sleeve rolled up. Unlike Naruto, the boy's dress shirt was sloppy and half-tucked. Instead of the school shoes, he had a pair of bathroom slippers on and black trousers. His dark hair was a mess, and his eyes had heavy bangs under them, probably due to a lack of sleep. All in all, the guy most definitely stood out.
"Hm?" He paused when he noticed Naruto standing by the door. His face was mostly apathetic, but Naruto could sense that he was being sized up right about now. It had happened to him many times before, after all.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Straight to the point, huh.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I was just looking around for other students is all."
His brow furrowed. "Classes are about to start. Shouldn't you be in your classroom right now?"
"Classes aren't mandatory, right?" Crossing his arms over his chest, Naruto shook his head. "Besides, there's something I need. And fast. That's the whole reason I'm at this place."
"Well, get in line. You're not special in that regard. Everyone's here for a reason" The dark haired boy side-stepped Naruto, the conversation no longer interesting for him. He walked inside the physics lab, almost like he owned the place.
"Hey, wait a sec." Being his usual self, Naruto didn't recognize the dismissal and followed after the guy inside the lab. "Do you know what this place is?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"I mean….like, physics. What is that?"
The boy turned to him in obvious perturbation. "You…..you don't know what physics is?"
"Am I supposed to?" Once again, Naruto asked the obvious.
The boy's eyebrow twitched. "Just…..what?" He had no idea how he was supposed to react here. Even if he wanted to get angry, he just couldn't. The question was just that stupid to him.
"Things are much simpler where I come from." Naruto pointed to himself and grinned. "I don't deal with anything that's complicated. It would just be too annoying."
"That's not something to be proud of…..."
Naruto merely shrugged in response.
Placing a hand inside his pocket, the boy said, "Physics is everything you see around you. It governs the natural laws of this world. Without it, we wouldn't have anything. That includes everything you take for granted in your everyday life."
That….didn't really answer much. It did show Naruto that this physics was more important than he had first guessed.
But wait…...
"Did you just say it governed the natural laws of this world?"
"Yeah."
That caught Naruto's interest. This was exactly what he had been searching for.
"Does that mean you could find a way to like maybe open a…...portal or something of that nature to another world?"
"In theory, yes. In actuality…..it's more complicated than that."
It wasn't the guy in front of him that answered but a different voice altogether.
Naruto glanced back to the entrance of the physics lab where a different boy now stood. He wore the complete male uniform, only he was also draped in a white lab coat. His hair was darker and messier than the first guy's, and he looked like he hadn't caught any sleep in weeks too.
"Matsuda, what are you doing here?" Instead of addressing Naruto, the newcomer addressed the other guy, now named Matsuda. "I thought I told you I was gonna be busy today."
Matsuda Yusuke looked up toward the grand machine in the center. "I have no patience to go to class, so I thought I could kill some time in here. But….." He paused and glanced at Naruto. "You have another unwanted guest here."
Naruto pouted. "Now that's just rude. He doesn't even know me."
"But he's right. I don't want you here." The guy in the lab coat didn't give the blond a second glance as he made for the grand machine. "I have things I need to take care of. I'm not hosting parties in my lab."
"Your lab?" Naruto tilted his head. "How can this whole place be your lab?"
Yusuke pointed at the other boy. "He's the Ultimate Physicist, so the school passed along some money for him and his experiments. That's how this place came to be."
That sounded pretty cool actually.
"Experiments that I still have to complete. Since I've been gone for some months, I need to make up some time."
"Wait, that means you created that big clunky thing?" Naruto said, referring to the grand machine in the center.
"I take offense to that," the boy said in return. "This 'big clunky thing' shall be one of my greatest works. I would appreciate it if you showed it the respect it deserves."
Naruto crunched up his face. "Sure, but…..what is it?"
The boy grinned and spread his arms out. "It's an air purifier, except that it will work in a scale never seen before! It won't be like those you see in homes and offices. No, this can very well be the first step into solving global pollution!"
Naruto was officially lost. "I don't get it."
Yusuke scratched his head, now annoyed. "Look, it's obvious you're not smart enough to grasp these concepts, so why don't you beat it? This place won't be up your sleeve."
Naruto took offense to that. "Hey, I don't need your input on this, so butt out. Besides, why are you even here?"
"I need to ask this maniac for some pointers on my work," Yusuke shot back, defending his coming here. "I'm the Ultimate Neurologist, and you are?"
"Ultimate Ninja."
Yusuke snorted. "What a stupid concept."
Naruto growled. "Why you-!"
"I don't need the two of you bickering like idiots in my laboratory," the boy scientist cut in with a scowl. "If you wanna fight, take it outside where you won't bother me." He glared at Yusuke. "And you, Matsuda. I would respect your upperclassman if I were you."
Yusuke looked away, not wanting to get into a fight with the older boy since he did sort of need his help.
Naruto was more interested in this so-called physicist now. "So you're older than us?"
"I'm in the second year, yes." He gave Naruto a once over. "You're probably one of the new students, aren't you?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah….."
"Well, good." He pointed at Yusuke. "So is this guy. You two should get along perfectly."
Naruto and Yusuke both looked at one another, h'mphed, and proceeded to look away.
"Not on his life."
"Like I could ever be friends with this dick."
The still unnamed boy's shoulder sagged. "Why do I have to be a part of this…...?"
"I just need you to answer a question for me," Naruto insisted, not willing to back down. Not when he finally had a lead. "I know that you're probably the best person who can help me out with this."
Yusuke found himself staring at Naruto with curiosity. What could this guy possibly want to know when he didn't even know what physics was?
The Ultimate Physicist was in the same boat, sharing similar thoughts as Yusuke. Although his thoughts stemmed more on the fact that he wanted both Naruto and Yusuke gone as soon as possible. He had a lot to work on, and he didn't need these two hindering him. He got the feeling the blond wouldn't leave him alone until he answered the question, though.
And so, he placed a hand on his head and sighed.
"What did you have in mind?"
Down on the first floor, those in Naruto's class were discovering that their classroom was indeed 1-B, so they didn't need to go on a wild goose chase.
Mahiru was still annoyed, though.
"I can't believe you! Not only do you show up late, but you didn't even tell us about where our classroom was!"
Koichi raised his arms in defense, suddenly feeling like he was on trial here.
"Relax, Mahiru-chan-"
"Don't call me that!"
"-you guys were able to find this place, right? My confidence on you wasn't misplaced, after all."
Fuyuhiko scowled. "Such a bullshit excuse….."
The others were thinking the same thing too.
"Now, now, don't doubt your teacher." Koichi raised his hat a little bit and grinned. "There's a reason why I was chosen to lead you guys."
That reason being that the school was currently understaffed, but they didn't need to know that.
Not that any of the Ultimates were buying his excuse, not even Nagito who was just all smiles and rainbows at the moment. Regardless, they found their seats in the classroom and took them. It was here that Koichi noticed something.
"Huh? Aren't we missing one…..?"
The seat next to Chiaki was empty.
Lifting his clipboard up to his eyes, Koichi read through the names of his students one more time. "Wait a second. Soda-kun, I think that's your seat."
The mechanic raised his fist in disdain. "That's not fair! This seat was empty!"
It was one of the seats in front of the class, but more importantly it was the seat next to Sonia. There was no way Kazuichi was gonna give it up.
Fuyuhiko h'mphed. "The one that's missing is Uzumaki."
Peko had picked up on this already, as had Mikan who was fiddling with her fingers. She silently wondered where the blond could be right now.
"D'oooooooh!" Nekomaru nearly slammed his massive fist on his desk. "That's no good! I already had his new training regiment prepared for him!"
"That was fast," Ryota commented, not taking his eyes off from the device he had brought in order to work on his anime.
"Oh no." Sonia placed a hand on her cheek and nearly gasped. "You don't think anything's happened to him, do you?"
"Na, no way." Akane picked her ear with her pinky. "You guys saw that guy yesterday. He's strong. He wouldn't go down so easily. That's what my gut is telling me anyway."
Peko closed her eyes. "I concur. Uzumaki-san is a skilled opponent. The thought of someone defeating him is…...not an easy one."
"Ah, geeez." Mahiru rolled her eyes. "And here I thought he might be more dependable."
"Hmm, but where do you think Uzumaki-kun might be?" Nagito wondered.
Gundham spoke up. "I saw the fool early this morning in the company of our healer. They were going to school together."
All eyes went to Mikan who squeaked at the attention she was being given. She just wasn't used to it.
"Speak up, ugly." Hiyoko's eyes went cold as she looked at the shaking nurse. "You must know something."
Not that Hiyoko cared too much. The blond had been annoying to her, but…...she was just sort of curious is all.
Mikan stuttered out her answer. "I-I-I don't know where Uzumaki-san went. H-He just said he had something t-to do…..."
It was the truth, and nothing but the truth.
"Calm down, all of you." Koichi sighed and threw the clipboard on his desk behind him. "Uzumaki ain't breaking any rules. The school doesn't keep track of attendance. I'm honestly surprised so many of you showed up today."
He couldn't drink then. Or nap. Goddammit.
Ibuki pouted and slapped her desk a couple of times. "That means Ibuki doesn't have to be here either! Ibuki needs to practice her songs anyway."
"True, very true." Teruteru rubbed his chin in thought. "I was looking forward to being around so many cute girls, but if I can work on my cooking…..."
"You guys can't do that!" Mahiru exclaimed and stood up from her seat. "We have to attend classes! We're students!"
Gundham did not agree. "However, it does appear that the school does not enforce such rules. As long as we work on our abilities, everything else is second." He looked out the window. "Uzumaki has already taken that route, and he…..."
The beast tamer trailed off, not wanting to admit that he sort of appreciated how Naruto had broken the ice with them the day before.
Fuyuhiko didn't give a damn either way, so he chose to remain quiet. Nagito also just watched on. He would follow whatever decision the others arrived at.
Sonia looked down. "But….we are classmates, are we not? If we go our separate ways now…..."
With an audible sigh, Ryota stood up and picked up his supplies. "That's just the way of Hope's Peak Academy. I believe Uzumaki-san is doing the smart thing. There is no reason for us to come to class if we don't have to." With those parting words, the boy left the classroom.
Chiaki watched him go before looking down at her handheld gaming console. A part of her wanted to stay, but…...
Gundham followed next. "I have many affairs to attend to. Farewell, foolish mortals."
He wasn't the only one. One by one, the Ultimates all walked out of the classroom, all deciding that they had better things to do than stick around. In the end, only Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Mikan, Hiyoko, and Mahiru remained. Surprisingly, even Kazuichi decided to leave despite Sonia staying behind. His desire to work on his machines was higher than being around his crush it seemed.
Mahiru leveled Koichi with a glare. "Why didn't you say something!?"
Koichi shrugged. "Again, they're not breaking any rules. So I can't do anything even if I wanted to." Yawning, he walked around his desk to the chair where he plopped down. "You guys have a free period, so do whatever you want."
A few seconds later, he was snoring.
Mahiru twitched. "This man…..."
Sonia sighed. "He is not very dependable…."
Hiyoko snickered. "Who cares anyway? Now we can do whatever we want!"
"That's not the point," Mahiru muttered, not at all pleased by how this morning had gone.
"It's just like they say," Fuyuhiko said, catching the girls' attention. "We don't have to worry about being all friendly and shit. In this school, talent is the only thing that matters."
Sonia felt her enthusiasm sink. That wasn't the reason why she had decided to attend this school. She wanted to be friends with people her own age, and to experience new things. Now, all that was in tatters, all thanks to Naruto.
Not the best of days for the 77th class.
Unaware of the chain of events that he had started, Naruto was focused on the computer screen in front of him. The Ultimate Physicist, who Naruto now knew was named Nishi Jun, was typing at lighting speed on the keyboard of the computer. Yusuke was still with them as well, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"I can't believe you're actually going through with this," he muttered.
Jun's eyes had some amount of interest shining in them. "I'm somewhat interested in what Uzumaki told me. Not that I think it will work."
Naruto gave Yusuke a side glare. "Stay out of this, why don't you? It doesn't concern you."
Yusuke scowled but didn't say anything else, not caring enough to do so. A part of him was still not understanding what the point of this was, though.
A few minutes later, and Jun was finished with all the preparations.
"How very interesting…..."
"Hm?" Naruto leaned in closer to try and see what was happening on the computer screen. "What did you do? Did it work?"
Jun leaned back in his seat. "I ran a simulation using this…..chakra you speak of. It's a lot different from the principles in Buddhism, not that I've ever been interested in such philosophies. But based on what you've described and if it was in a global magnitude like you've said…then yes, inter-dimensional travel is indeed possible."
Yusuke's eyes widened at this while Naruto grinned in excitement.
"What the hell kind of bullshit is that?" For once, Yusuke lost his composure. He had heard everything Naruto told Jun, about whether or not traveling between dimensions was possible. Jun had told him that, theoretically it was. It just wasn't grounded in reality. That's when the blond had gone on about some mystical power called chakra, which was where Yusuke had lost interest. And now this happened?
Jun for his part shrugged. "Based on Uzumaki's description, this chakra has a great deal of firepower behind it. And in the quantity he explained, well…...anything can be possible, especially if it's in a very concentrated form. With that kind of power, and if we hypothesize that the dimensions are close enough…..it can be done."
While Yusuke was still shocked about this, Naruto was pleased with this answer. It meant that his theory had been correct, after all. It was all thanks to that big ass explosion caused by Madara.
'Stupid Uchiha….I just knew he was behind this!'
But even so, now that he knew this….just where did he go from here?
Naruto narrowed his eyes, his mind coming up with his next course of action on the spot. "Say, Jun….just what would it take for me to replicate that kind of explosion?"
If the boy was shocked that the Uzumaki was so familiar with him already, he didn't show it. Instead, he answered the question as best he could.
"That…..would be impossible for you."
Naruto frowned. "What? What do you mean?"
"There is nothing on this Earth that would help you achieve that same level of power, Uzumaki. Nothing within your reach at least."
"Meaning?"
"To achieve that level of power and force, enough to tear through the very fabric of time and space…..it's beyond the reach of our current technological prowess. We can create as many simulations as we can, but it's just not possible in the real world. It's like I told you at the start. It's impossible."
All the hope until that point vanished from Naruto. Now, only anger remained.
"What the heck…..? I thought this place was supposed to make the impossible possible!"
Jun massaged his forehead. "Not like that, I won't. A project like this would take time…...and money. It just can't come from thin air. You have to understand this." He crossed his arms. "But more to the point, why do you even care about something like this? You don't seem like the…scholarly type."
Naruto clicked his teeth together. "If that's your way of saying I'm stupid, then nice on the subtlety."
Jun shrugged.
Naruto pushed that aside. "Look, I just….I really need this, okay? It's very important."
Jun could see the desperation coming from the younger teen. It honestly made him feel bad.
"I wish I could help," he said truthfully, sighing softly. "But it's like I said. With something like this….it would maybe take a lifetime. Perhaps more. My hands are tied."
Naruto turned away, his face pained. Those words…...they cut right through his very soul. The possibility of going back home…..was it really nonexistent?
Yusuke meanwhile stared at the whiskered blond in silence, his eyes studying him. There was more to this guy than what he appeared. What could it be?
'Hmm…...'
His curiosity had been piqued.
By the time Naruto left the physics lab, it was already near lunchtime. He had been in there for like four hours. Time sure flew by when you were focused on something. Not that the time mattered to Naruto right now. His spirit was too down to care about something like time. No, Naruto was just…frustrated. Frustrated that he couldn't do anything about his situation.
He stopped by one of the windows in the hallway, his eyes taking in the scenery. The trees, the massive buildings, the sky.
'This…...'
Was he stuck in this place? Forever? Stuck with no way to return to his friends? To stop Madara once and for all?
Naruto shut his eyes, his form shaking.
'Everyone…...I'm sorry.'
"There you are!"
Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts by Mahiru's shout. He raised his head to see the redhead with her hands on her hips, her face flushed with anger. She wasn't alone either. A snickering Hiyoko was right beside her, with Sonia, Mikan, and amazingly enough Fuyuhiko right behind her.
"What the-? You guys…." Naruto trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" Of course, Mahiru wasn't going to let him not say anything. "Why didn't you come to class today!?"
"Um." Scratching the back of his head, Naruto felt like he was an inmate on death row, or whenever Sakura was questioning him about his behavior. The two girls just had that similar presence to them.
"We were worried sick about you, Naruto!" Sonia was more understanding….sorta. She was still a bit angry with her fellow blond, but not enough to not worry about him.
Mikan smiled a little. "I-I'm glad, Uzumaki-san…..."
Hiyoko rolled her eyes. "See? I knew the idiot was just goofing off. You guys were worried for nothing."
"Then why did you even come?" Fuyuhiko asked her, still annoyed that he had been dragged into this.
Hiyoko stuck her tongue out. "To watch him get chewed out of course~"
But of course. What else could it be?
Naruto raised his hand and said, "Honestly…..I'm feeling totally lost here."
"Don't give us that!" Mahiru began poking him on the chest to emphasize her point. "Because of you, everyone else decided to run off and do their own thing."
"What…..?"
Sonia nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Yes…...Kizakura-sensei told us how it was okay for us to skip class. Since you were already gone, the others just…"
"Who the fuck cares about that guy?" Fuyuhiko grumbled. "Bastard was passed out when we left too. He sucks at being a teacher. Just why the hell did we end up with him?"
For once, Mahiru was agreeing with the yakuza. "I know right. It's totally irresponsible!"
Naruto nodded, mostly to himself. He was beginning to piece everything together. With the arrival of his fellow students, he was also starting to get over his frustration toward his lack of progress.
"I see. That's a big problem, for sure."
Mahiru shot him a glare. "That you started!"
Naruto chuckled, somewhat nervously. Man, this girl had a mean glare on her.
"I'm sorry about that, Mahiru. I really am. I didn't think my absence would lead to something like this."
And it was the truth too.
Mahiru could see that he was being honest, and apologizing also helped calm her irritation some. "I guess I can understand that…..just why were you gone anyway? Tsumiki-san said you had some business to take care of….."
At the mention of her name, Mikan stood up straighter, almost like she was being interrogated.
Naruto sighed as he was reminded of his failure. "Just some stuff here and there. I got acquainted with some other students, so there's that."
Mahiru took notice of the lackluster response but didn't push it.
"Man, who cares about that?" Hiyoko pouted and looked at the others. "All of this walking is a real hassle. We didn't even accomplish anything by coming here."
Naruto grinned. "Now that's not true, Hiyoko!"
The dancer's eyes widened. "W-What!? Don't address me so familiarly all of a sudden, you creep!"
"I think you're just going to have to get used to that," Mahiru muttered, mostly to herself.
Naruto ignored the blonde's insult altogether. "We just have to get the others back! Easy as pie."
"Y-You say that, but we don't know where they've gone," Mikan said softly, feeling confident enough to raise a point against her energetic friend. Naruto had already told her that it wasn't wrong to be like that, so she could be a bit bolder now.
"Man, fuck that." Fuyuhiko began to walk off. "I don't need to be a part of this." After saying that, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed that Naruto was in front of him all of a sudden. "Wha-!? How did you move so fast!?"
The girls were impressed as well, with Sonia's eyes sparkling.
"Wow! Just like a Japanese ninja!"
Mahiru sweatdropped. "Again, Sonia-san, ninjas only exist in Japan…..."
"You can't just leave us like this, Fuyuhiko!" Naruto said with his fist raised. "I caused you guys some problems today, and while it wasn't my intention, I still need to make up for them!"
And it might help him get over his frustrations as well.
Fuyuhiko t'sked. "You seriously want a guy like me to tag along? You already know about my family, don't you?"
"Yeah, what of it?"
The quick dismissal was enough to startle Fuyuhiko and make him lose his voice for a couple of seconds. "W-Well, like….most people are afraid to get close to me, bumbass! No one dares to cross my family!" He finally found his voice again.
"I don't really judge people based on silly stuff like that," Naruto retorted and lowered his fist down to Fuyuhiko's level. "I only judge a person for themselves. And you don't look like a bad guy to me."
Fuyuhiko stared at the fist in front of him, not understanding what the Uzumaki was getting at with this. When he locked eyes with Naruto, though, he understood what the guy was doing. It was enough to make Fuyuhiko smirk.
"You're a strange bastard, you know that?" Despite his words, Fuyuhiko met Naruto's fist with his own, the two exchanging a fist bump.
Naruto grinned.
"Yeah, so I've been told."
Another bond was just formed.
I'm honestly shocked by how much side content Danganronpa has. I never really bothered to think about it until now. Light novels, mangas, that Nagito one-shot episode. It's all there. Not gonna lie, though, that Killer Killer spin-off manga is pretty great. I'm only saddened we never got to see the Ultimate Pyrotechnician in anime form. The guy was just really cool in a fucked up way. Then again, most of the killers in the manga are the same way.
But anyway, that's all a wrap from me. The chapters do seem to be getting longer and longer…..weird.
Till next time.
