Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto nor Danganronpa.


Chapter 8:
The Ultimate Camping Experience Part III

"Holy shit, this place isn't that bad!"

"Naruto-san, language please. We don't need two loudmouths in this group."

"H'mph, don't look at me while saying that, you bitch."

"See what I mean! You need delicacy when talking to women! And you too, Naruto-san!"

"Boooo~ Don't be so stubborn, Mahiru~"

"I'm not the stubborn one here!"

"Mahiru-chan is pretty stubborn."

"There is no reason for you to join in, Mioda-san! And don't defend them either!"

"Ibuki goes where no Ibuki has gone before!"

"Ah, don't change the subject!"

"H'mph, loudmouth idiots."

"I swear, I'm going to get mad!"

Mikan watched the exchange between her friends, yes friends, with a small smile as she walked alongside Naruto.

It was the second day of their trip, which made this a Thursday for them. Friday was their last day unfortunately, but this 3-day camping trip was going excellent in Mikan's mind.

The class had decided to go hiking after breakfast, which Teruteru had prepared for them. It was more soup, but the soup was still delicious so no one could complain. After that, they had set for the hiking trail that was nearby. This was one of the main attractions of this camp site. It was one of the reasons Fuyuhiko had picked it out for them apparently.

Anyway, they were now on this trail. Akane had gone off ahead since Naruto had promised to finally have their fight at the end of the trail, which was supposedly on the summit of the mountain. It was by no means a tall mountain, so there was no risk of danger here.

Probably.

Naruto and Mikan were up front, with Fuyuhiko, Mahiru, Ibuki, Peko, Chiaki, and Hiyoko trailing behind them. Nagito, Sonia, Gundham, Nekomaru, and Kazuichi were behind them, and finally Ryota and Teruteru were trailing at the very end. The last two in particular didn't seem to be enjoying this hiking experience all that much. And just like with Gundham's hamsters, Kurama had decided to join them on this little expedition of theirs. He seemed to be doing a lot better now, having joined them for breakfast. He had eaten some of the deer meat leftovers from the previous night, under Gundham's instruction. As foxes were omnivores, there was no problem with this at all apparently.

The little fox in question had draped himself around Naruto's shoulders, holding his head up high as he took in everything around him. Naruto was surprised but happy that the young fox liked him so much. According to Gundham, he had said that the fox was eternally grateful for being saved. Naruto had believed the breeder, but Kazuichi still had his doubts that Gundham could actually talk to animals. That had more to do with his one-sided rivalry with the guy than anything else, though.

"I-I don't think I'll make it, y'all!" Teruteru cried out from the back of the group. A weird accent seemed to be slipping into his speech every now and then, but no one seemed to notice. Or care.

Hiyoko looked smug. "Well, it's no surprise. You don't have the physique of an athlete to keep up with the rest of us."

Kazuichi scratched his cheek. "Says the girl who needed to be carried by Uzumaki a few minutes back."

This was true. The sandals she was wearing, while ideal for dancing and normal everyday life, weren't exactly suitable for the hiking trail. Naruto had offered to carry her part of the way up, and Hiyoko had decided to accept the offer. To her, it was a lot better than being carried by Nekomaru, who smelled. To her, he smelled anyway. Not only that, but she felt more safe around the blond than anyone else, which was crazy since they had only known each other for a few days now.

Still, this did not mean that Hiyoko wanted to be reminded of this fact, a fact that showed on her face when she started blushing.

"S-Shut up! That was completely different!"

Kazuichi grinned in a teasing manner. "Sure it was."

Hiyoko huffed and turned her attention back to the trail. A deadbeat like Kazuichi wasn't worth her time!

"This place is still spectacular!" Sonia praised the scenery around her. Her eyes were filled with excitement and happiness, it was almost like she was a little girl. "I cannot believe Japan has such amazing sights!"

"H'mph, this is nowhere near the most impressive challenge," Gundham said, his arms crossed. "This is but a beginner's test. Surely nothing worth praising."

"Well, it's no Forest of Death," Naruto said under his breath. He still liked the way this place felt. If only he could use Sage Mode, then he would have liked to have known how nature here felt, as opposed to nature back in his world.

He would never know unfortunately.

Mahiru managed to capture several shots of Sonia and Gundham exchanging ideas about future travels while Kazuichi looked annoyed in the background, as well as a few of Nagito just simply laughing in amusement at all of this. She had taken many the night before as well, especially when Ibuki and Hiyoko had put on that little performance for them during dinner. It was a magical time for the whole class, and Mahiru was going to enjoy looking at them later.

Akane came back running towards them a moment later, picking up dust behind her. Really, this girl was just too excitable. It was hard to keep up with her sometimes, and this Naruto who was thinking this.

"What's the hold up!?" she shouted at them in slight annoyance. "I've been waiting for you guys at the top for the past fifteen minutes!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Hiyoko yelled back at her. "Some of us would actually like to enjoy the journey." This was a first for her as well. Given her family's reputation, it was rare for her to partake in any activities that didn't revolve around her talent or family duties. She wanted to enjoy this just as much as the others did. She just didn't want to show that side of her to the others since it was embarrassing.

"Why are you so eager to fight Uzumaki again anyway?" Nekomaru asked her. "You already know what the outcome will be."

"No, we don't!" Akane smacked her open palm with her fist. "In battle, nothing is decided until the end! Besides, I'm more ready for him this time! He won't be able to catch me off guard like last time!"

"I'm with the others on this one, Akane." Naruto thanked Mikan who handed him a bottle of water. The nurse had been the one to volunteer to bring them in case anyone needed them. Teruteru had already drank three, while Ryota had brought a soda can with him to replenish his thirst. "This is the first time I'm taking a trip this far from my village. I want to take in the sights at least a little bit."

Another half-truth, half-lie. Naruto was getting good at those.

"Aw man, but that's, like, so boring," Akane grumbled.

"Ah." Chiaki tilted her head. "It's certainly not the type of fun I'm used to. This is a lot…..sweatier than my usual pass times."

"IT BUILDS CHARACTER!" Nekomaru shouted at the top of his lungs, the electric blue aura around his eyes amplifying in strength with his shout. "A fit body is a healthy body! It's like when you take a shit every morning!"

Hiyoko looked disgusted by his words. "Seriously, just die."

"I need…...to maintain…...my fat ratio," Ryota managed to force out from the back.

Naruto had no idea what the boy meant by that at all. Was he like Choji or something, where his skills required his fat? But he was an animator, not a fighter.

'Not that I really know much of what an animator does…...'

Mikan fidgeted in place. "I-I believe that drinking soda while hiking is not a very good idea, Mitarai-san….."

The boy hugged the soda can close to his body. "I will protect it with my life if I must!"

Cue group sweatdrop. Ryota was usually quite and reserved, just like with Chiaki. But when it came to junk food and the like, he was certainly more passionate than anyone else around.

Fuyuhiko scoffed. "Let's just ignore the lazy fools, and keep going."

"It's…...just that...my body was not built for this," Teruteru moaned in pain. "But of course…if someone was willing to carry me…...to hug my body close to theirs…...I think I could do better that way. Rawr. Hehehehe."

"That's soooooo creepy!" Ibuki shouted with her head raised to the sky.

Mahiru glared at the round boy. "Even when you're exhausted, you're still a creep."

Nagito chuckled. "Yep, I don't think they're falling for that one, Hanamura-kun."

Teruteru was too weak to protest.

Even with the complaints from their resident cook and animator, the group was still able to continue with the hike in relative peace. Of course, the most excited ones were obviously Akane and Sonia, for different reasons. Mahiru was just happy that she had been able to get a picture of everyone while they hiked. She even got a group photo too! Definitely worth saving for later.

A few minutes later, and they finally arrived at the top.

"W-Wow." Mikan looked around the clearing that was basically at the top of the mountain. There were a lot of trees, even up here. But as said earlier, this wasn't a very tall mountain to begin with. It shouldn't be surprising to see trees at this altitude, but Mikan was still amazed. A little further up was the true peak of the mountain. It was a very small spot, though, so it would take them climbing it one at a time to reach it.

No one seemed too keen to try it.

The focus was more on Naruto and Akane who were both getting ready to finally face one another.

"Man, this is so stupid," Hiyoko complained as she made herself comfortable on a big enough rock to sit on. By this point, getting her kimono dirty was no longer an issue for her. "Big Bro already crushed her before. Why does this need to happen again?"

"Because Owari is a very stubborn woman," Nekomaru answered with a shake of his head. "Once she sets her mind on something, it's nearly impossible to convince her otherwise."

"What a pain."

'Not like you're any different,' Kazuichi thought, but he kept it to himself. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of the little girl's verbal lashing. Not again.

"Here, Mikan." The nurse nearly squeaked when Naruto passed Kurama to her. "You can hold on to him for now, right?"

The little fox didn't seem to mind being held in the nurse's arms, but Mikan was still apprehensive about the idea.

"I-I don't know. Does he even like me?"

Naruto smiled. "The fact that he's not fighting back is a good sign I think. Besides, you saved his life too. I'm sure he knows that."

Naruto was no Gundham, but even he liked to think that animals were a lot smarter than people gave them credit for sometimes. Even in this world. Gundham's hamsters were proof of that.

Speaking of the boy, he didn't seem to have any problems with Naruto's idea either. He would surely speak up if he felt the fox was being mistreated in some way.

That's why Mikan finally relented. But she only blushed when the fox began to make himself feel more comfortable against her chest. She wasn't used to that sort of contact, after all.

Naruto didn't notice this and instead turned to face Akane again in the middle of the clearing. It wasn't nearly as safe as the forest, as one could potentially fall from up here and go crashing down. However, Naruto was confident in his abilities as well as Akane's to make sure that didn't come to pass.

Nekomaru stood in between them, acting like the mediator for their spar.

"Finally!" Akane shouted, nearly jumping in excitement. Naruto nearly raised an eyebrow when he saw her form go more feral than before. "I've been waiting a long time to face you, Uzumaki!"

It's only been, like, two days at the most.

"It's like seeing two video games character facing one another," Chiaki commented from the sidelines. For once, she didn't have her games with her and was instead staring at her two fellow classmates with great intensity.

Peko sighed. "I know how that feels."

"Huh?" Kazuichi glanced at her. "What does that mean?"

"Many times, when I'm just walking down the street, people tell me I look like this character, or this other character. I believe the term they used was…...cosplay. They believe that I am cosplaying as someone else. Clearly I'm just being me. That's why I can understand what Nanami-san is saying."

Kazuichi looked at the sword she was carrying. With that thing nearly always on her, it was easy to think that she was trying to cosplay as some fighting game character or something. Good thing he knew better. He didn't want to know if her bokken was as deadly as a real sword.

"Let the rumble commence!" Ibuki cheered, drawing the attention back to Naruto and Akane.

Nekomaru gave them the clear and stepped back as Akane instantly pounced on the blond. Naruto heard the clicking of a camera behind him, meaning that Mahiru was probably going to keep pictures of this spar too. How nice of her.

Those thoughts drifted to the side for now as he ducked underneath Akane's punch. Once again, Naruto was impressed by the ferocity displayed by the girl, especially when the punch was able to send a shock wave even when coming in contact with nothing. He couldn't admire it for long, though, as Akane quickly came back with a high kick this time, making Naruto have to duck down in order to dodge it. This was where he faced his first problem.

Akane's panties.

Blushing, the blond skidded back to put some distance between himself and the gymnast.

"Oi! Don't do a high kick while you're wearing a skirt! Are you mad!?"

"Huh?" Akane didn't seem to understand the problem. "What's wrong with that!?"

"You're giving me a free shot of your panties! Get it!?"

The others all facepalmed in the background. Things had started so serious too.

"It's just panties, right?" Akane shrugged. "I don't see the problem."

Naruto spluttered, unable to come to a proper response here. Just what kind of values did this girl have anyway!?

"Anyway, forget that! I'm all fired up now!" Akane exclaimed as she dashed for Naruto again. The blond's embarrassment faded away as he went back on the defensive again, all the while admiring the speed and power behind her moves. That said, there was something else he was starting to notice. It was the same thing Nekomaru had picked up when Akane had challenged him during their first day.

Akane's lack of form.

Her moves were wild and unpredictable, but she had no true form to call her own. That's why she couldn't connect with combos as well as she otherwise could. It was the same way Naruto had struggled with a taijutsu style back in the day until he learned senjutsu. Before that, his taijutsu had been more about misdirection with his shadow clones and just street fighting really. Not exactly the best, especially when compared to Lee's and Guy's taijutsu prowess.

Nagito watched as Naruto and Akane continue to trade blows with one another, with the blond either dodging or blocking every single of her attacks. He too had noticed something peculiar.

"Hmm, how very strange."

Sonia looked at him. "Is something wrong, Komaeda-san?"

Nagito chuckled. "Oh, it's not worth mentioning if someone as lowly as me was able to notice it."

Sonia didn't know how to respond to that.

Peko was the one who spoke up. "Naruto-san is holding back."

Sonia gasped. "W-What?"

Peko nodded. "When we sparred, his actions were different. Since he's not used to holding a sword, he had to compensate with his other skills. But here, where he has more experience, he's able to take things easier."

Nagito smiled. "That sounds about correct."

"But for you to notice that," Peko looked at Nagito, "I'm impressed."

Nagito chuckled some more. "To be praised by the Ultimate Swordswoman like that…...hahaha, I'm quite honored."

Peko took the weird comment in stride.

Fuyuhiko h'mphed. "It just means that Uzumaki is out of her league. Which makes this spar pointless."

Ryota frowned a little. "I don't think Owari-san sees it that way…..."

Fuyuhiko didn't care enough to respond.

With Naruto and Akane, the gymnast was able to realize the same thing as Peko and Nagito, that Naruto was holding back against her.

"Don't take me so lightly!" she shouted in anger. "This isn't what we agreed on, Uzumaki!"

Naruto, still on guard, watched the panting girl glare at him. If he was being honest, this was the first time he was seeing Akane truly angry. Before, it was only annoyance. Now, it was definitely closer to anger. From the looks of things, she had considered this spar to be very important. Naruto had not seen it that way. To him, it was more along the lines of seeing more of what Akane could do. And he had. It was like her whole body was put together for fighting. The tittle of Ultimate Gymnast didn't do her justice.

Nekomaru shook his head. "I believe you have insulted her, Uzumaki."

"That's not nice of you, Naruto-chan!" Ibuki exclaimed.

"Ah." Chiaki tilted her head. "Bad Uzumaki-san."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. And now everyone was ganging up on him. Great.

"I didn't mean for you take it that way, Akane," Naruto said, with honesty. "I just got too caught up in studying your moves. But I guess if I was in your position, I probably would be reacting the same way too. I'm sorry for that."

Akane smirked. "As long as you take this more seriously, then I won't hold it against ya."

"That so?" Naruto got into his stance. Without Sage Mode, he could never again bring out the full potential of Frog Kata. Once they got back to Hope's Peak, he knew that he would need to make a lot of changes to his fighting style. Maybe Nekomaru could help him with that too.

Anyway, that was for later. Right now, he needed to teach a certain gymnast a lesson, so this would have to do.

Peko's eyes studied Naruto's form, finding herself entranced by the stance. It was different from all the hand-to-hand techniques she had studied before. So what was this?

Nekomaru was thinking along the same lines right now.

As before, Akane charged Naruto again, unable to contain herself any longer. Unlike before, though, when Naruto blocked her first strike, he quickly responded with a quick punch to her gut. Akane doubled over, her vision going dark for just a second.

That punch had hurt a lot more than Nekomaru's, and that was saying something. Strictly speaking, Nekomaru had more explosive power than Naruto. What Naruto was able to do was concentrate more of his power into a single area, whereas Nekomaru just let his power loose. That was why Akane felt a lot more pain from a single strike.

Her resilience wasn't for nothing, though, and she quickly recovered and went back in for payback with a punch of her own. Naruto still blocked this and landed another strike on her abdomen, this one sending her rolling back across the ground like a rag doll.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Nekomaru fell into laughter at this. "That was an excellent counter-strike, Uzumaki! Better than anything else I've ever seen!"

Well, gosh.

"Holy shit." Kazuichi whistled at what he had just seen. "I can't believe Uzumaki could do something like that."

"Hmm." Nagito appeared thoughtful. "I never would have considered a ninja to be so skilled in martial arts like this…..."

To the lucky boy, Naruto defied what a conventional ninja should be. At least, what history remembered them to be like. Then again, the term "ninja" was very broad. Even in the past, no two ninja were ever alike. Their skills all depended on the region they were from, and what they were tasked to do. Ninja were diverse, and all sorts of groups existed in Japan's history. How did Nagito know all of this? Because he had taken the time to study about ninja before coming to this trip. He had felt ashamed for not knowing more of Naruto's existence before they had met at Hope's Peak Academy, so he had tried to rectify that by brushing up on his knowledge about the ninja. It was a very interesting topic to say the least.

At the end of the day, there was no denying Naruto's fighting prowess, and Nagito counted himself lucky to be able to witness it firsthand. Yes, very lucky indeed.

Fuyuhiko just shook his head. "He's a crazy bastard. Nothing new here."

Akane still managed to stand up, even with all the bruising. "T'ch, I'm still not done yet!"

Hiyoko snorted. "She's crazy, she wants to get herself killed!"

"I don't think continuing this would be a great idea," Mahiru muttered, worried for Akane's safety.

Akane didn't listen, and instead rushed for Naruto again. The blond met her strikes with his own, the two blocking and trading blows with one another. Naruto was surprised by this for a moment, that the girl could still increase her speed. He responded by increasing his own again, with Akane unable to do the same.

One final blow to her gut and the gymnast fell to her knees, blood dripping down her lips.

"O-Oh no!" Mikan gasped, and she nearly ran up to them to stop them. It was only thanks to Nagito placing a hand on her shoulders that she stopped herself.

Kazuichi had to wince when he saw the blood. "Oh, man."

"That doesn't look good," Sonia said, her face troubled.

Nekomaru didn't look worried, though. "Is that enough for you, Owari?"

Coughing, Akane wiped the blood away with her hand. "Y-Yeah. I hate to admit it, but he got me."

Naruto grinned. "I guess you can only accept it by force, huh?"

"Stubborn woman, like I said." Nekomaru pointed at Naruto. "As obvious as it should be, Uzumaki is the winner!"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto started to cheer in place, even doing a little dance. "Bow before the awesomeness that is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Don't get carried away, you idiot!" Akane glared up at him. Unfortunately, she still couldn't stand up. "Next time, I'll get you! I know I will!"

"I'm always up for a challenge." Naruto helped her up to her feet. "Having a sparring partner is always beneficial in getting stronger."

"Nicely put," Nekomaru said, also agreeing.

"Whoooo!" Ibuki was the first one to run up to them, her enthusiasm surpassing theirs. "That was awesome! It was like 'woosh!', and then 'waaaahh!', and she was like 'oh no!', and it was just so fun!"

That sounded about right.

"You guys looked a bit too serious for a moment there," Kazuichi said, laughing nervously. "I thought you were getting ready to kill one another."

The blood didn't help either.

"A-Are you alright, Owari-san?" Of course, Mikan was all over Akane to check for any permanent damage. "We need to look you over at once!"

Kurama jumped out of her arms and onto Naruto's shoulder again. He seemed to prefer that spot above all else.

"Huh?" Akane picked her ear, now bored. "Don't worry about it. It's not the first time I've been beaten like this."

"Now that's just worrying," Mahiru shook her head. "You really need to look out for yourself, Owari-san."

"Jeez, you don't have to act like my mother now. And Tsumiki, I said I was alright!" Akane was clearly not enjoying all the attention she was receiving from Mikan.

"I'm still confused about something," Naruto said, catching Akane's attention. "You can clearly fight, so why the heck are you the Ultimate Gymnast and not something else?"

"I was kinda curious about that too," Kazuichi admitted.

"How the heck should I know?" Akane rolled her eyes. She was slightly annoyed by all the questions they were throwing her way. Was she some mystery box that needed to be open or something? "Like I said, some old geezer suggested I take up gymnastics and wouldn't leave me alone until I did. Then some guy from Hope's Peak came and told me I was invited to the school and that's how I'm here. That's it."

"Um." Chiaki had something on her mind too. "You said last night that you didn't care for gymnastics. Or was I imagining that?"

"I said it wasn't a big deal or anything," Akane replied with a hand on her hips. "I just did it cause I could win prize money. And all the traveling helped me bring stuff to my brothers and sisters too." She smiled widely. "Totally a win-win!"

"So you did gymnastics for the money?" Naruto scratched his head. She had said the same thing last night too, if he remembered correctly. "Well, I guess that sort of makes sense. If it was easy money…..."

"Anyway, who cares about all that!" Akane started to do some stretches. "That fight made me hungry! When are we eating again?"

"I-I just cooked something for you guys!" Teruteru cried out, still not used to the girl's appetite.

"Oh, yeah." Akane grinned. "Think you can make more?"

"I'm gonna be worked to the bone, aren't I?" Teruteru said, although he didn't sound too depressed about it.

Naruto was still trying to think about Akane's past a bit more but stopped when Mikan started to pull on his shirt.

"A-Are you okay, Uzumaki-san? I'm supposed to be your nurse, but I was only concerned with Owari-san…..." She looked to be near tears, as she was sure that Naruto must hate her now.

The blond simply patted her on the head. "Yeah, I'm good. Akane had a lot of strength behind those punches of hers, but it was nothing I can't handle."

Mikan had to bask in his touch.

"Are we going down now?" Hiyoko balled up her hands into fists. "Because it's starting to get boring again!"

"How can you be so bored?" Sonia looked around, taking in the scenery. It was just like Naruto had told her. Being one with nature. It was a spectacular thing. "This place is beautiful!"

"Hehehe." Ibuki winked and stuck out her tongue. "Ibuki feels like she can compose an entire song up here~"

"Yay!" Hiyoko was on board with that. "I wanna listen to another one!"

Out of the whole group, Hiyoko was the only one who seemed to enjoy Ibuki's music. Well, Naruto was confused by it, but it still couldn't be classified under "enjoyment" like Hiyoko.

"I guess I wouldn't mind taking photos of that." As usual, Mahiru tried to be optimistic about the situation.

The group began their trek down, with Akane leading the way again. Despite her injuries, she didn't seem fazed at all.

Mikan still made sure to look her over again when they got back to camp, though.


"Alright, I'll bite. Why are we here, Kazuichi?"

"Hehe. It's because I, the great Soda Kazuichi, have come up with the greatest plan ever in the history of all of mankind!"

Naruto didn't seem convinced at all by the boy's words.

Fuyuhiko scowled. "T'ch, this is so stupid. Why am I here again?"

Gundham had his eyes closed. "I, too, wonder about my presence here."

"I only brought you here because you were nearby! I can't have you spilling the beans about this to the others!" Kazuichi glared at the breeder before turning to Naruto and Fuyuhiko. "But come on, you two. This is the first step to making the best memories in our high school career!"

"This sounds like a pain."

Naruto was with Fuyuhiko on this. Kurama was still with him, but the small fox was silently napping on his shoulder with his tail keeping him in place.

"Don't say that. You're gonna make me sad over here. Especially since this will benefit you all too!"

"Alright, I'll bite." Naruto gave the mechanic a dry stare. "Why did you pull us away from the camp?"

Naruto, Fuyuhiko, and Gundham had been talking amongst themselves after their hike up the mountain, with the blond asking the Ultimate Breeder for more tips about what to do with Kurama once they got back to Hope's Peak Academy. Gundham was already making plans to make sure the fox would be well-adjusted after this, something Naruto was happy for. Fuyuhiko was just curious about the whole thing.

Teruteru had been planning his next meal for them, while Ryota had wondered off. Only Nagito and Nekomaru had been lazing off. The girls had all splintered off to take care of something. What that was, Sonia wouldn't say. The princess had been the one to gather them apparently.

Grinning, Kazuichi said, "I was able to figure out what Miss Sonia is planning on doing with the other girls!"

"And that concerns us how?"

"I'm getting there! Don't be impatient, Kuzuryu." Fuyuhiko t'ched but kept quiet and allowed Kazuichi to continue. "Apparently Miss Sonia asked the other girls to accompany her to the lake for a quick dive. And they're all gonna wear swimsuits!"

In Sonia's words, she had taken a page from Naruto's book to invite them to get to know each other better. A girls' date, or something like that. Kazuichi wasn't too thrilled with Sonia saying she wanted to imitate Naruto, but still. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up!

Naruto wasn't surprised in the slightest. "That's what we're here for?"

"W-What?" Kazuichi stared at them. "You're not excited about this?"

"What the hell do you think?" Fuyuhiko sighed and looked down. "What do you even want to do with this information anyway?"

He already had an idea, but he wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

"We go spy on them of course! Or see if we can join in on the fun! Surrounded by a bunch of cute girls, while they're in swimsuits…...it's a man's passion!"

Gundham h'mphed. "What a waste of time."

"Y-You don't get a say in this!"

Now he was just being unfair.

"Man, do you have any idea what you're suggesting?" Naruto didn't want to think that Kazuichi was an idiot, but maybe he was. "You got Peko-chan with them, who would slice us in half if she ever found us out."

Fuyuhiko was mentally nodding to that.

"The other girls wouldn't be happy with us either, making it more likely for us to get our asses kicked by them. I'm not looking to do that on this trip."

"D-Don't say that!" Kazuichi pleaded. "Besides, you can match Pekoyama with her sword! And you already defeated Owari!"

Okay, so he was an idiot. Good to know.

Naruto was ready to slap some sense into him. "Don't you know anything, you idiot!? You don't want to cross paths with pissed-off girls! They get like a hundred percent power increase just from their anger alone! It makes no sense, but they can defy reality like that!"

He had learned that firsthand from all the beatings he had gotten from Sakura and Tsunade.

"Such is the forbidden power," Gundham added.

"Then we just don't let it come to that!" Kazuichi retorted. "We can hide, and none of them would be the wiser!"

"Dude, you just want to see Sonia in a swimsuit, don't you?"

"And what's wrong with that!? I can dream too!"

Naruto mentally groaned. 'This guy is more desperate than I thought if he's willing to do this…...'

Kinda reminded Naruto of that time he almost peeped on Sakura in the hot springs. Ero-Sennin had rubbed off a little too much on him sadly.

"You can also see what Tsumiki looks like in a swimsuit too!"

Naruto came out of his thoughts to look at Kazuichi with confusion.

"Uh. Why would I want to know that?"

Kazuichi faltered a bit. "Cause, ya know…...you two have a thing going on."

"We do? Since when?"

This was clearly news to the blond.

Fuyuhiko stepped in here. "This idiot isn't a horn dog. He really has no ulterior motives…..unlike someone else I know."

"If you got something to say, then say it!"

"I just did!"

"Say it clearer! I can take it!"

Naruto groaned out loud this time. "We're not gonna argue over this for hours. We can't-"

"How dare y'all!"

Fuyuhiko was tackled by none other than a crying Teruteru, the two crashing to the ground as a result.

"Teruteru!?" Naruto shouted with wide eyes. What the hell was the short cook doing here?

"Ugh, get off me, you sick bastard!" Fuyuhiko shouted from underneath the crying boy.

"This is not fair!" he said with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Leaving me out of something like this…...how cruel! So very cruel! I thought we were friends!"

"Uuuuuuhhhh…..." Naruto was at a loss for words here.

"How the hell did you find out!?" Kazuichi asked, his eyes wide too. He had made sure none of the others would find out about his secret master plan!

"Hahaha…..that might have been my fault."

They turned to see Nagito, Nekomaru, and Ryota all emerging from the woods from the direction of their camp.

Nagito smiled. "I might have told him that I thought you four were planning something, and then followed you here."

"What the hell, Komaeda!" Kazuichi shouted, nearly pulling his hair out. "Now my plan is ruined!"

"There was never a plan to begin with!" Naruto screamed in his direction.

"Yes, there was!"

"This plan of yours." Nekomaru crossed his arms over his massive chest. "It does seem like an invasion of privacy, does it not?"

"More like illegal," Ryota said. "Didn't the girls plan this among themselves?"

Fuyuhiko, who had managed to pry the crying Teruteru off him, said, "I don't know, and I don't care. All this shit is stupid anyway."

"It's passion!" Kazuichi reminded him. "Passion I say!"

"Mhmhmhm, I'm with you there." Teruteru stood next to Kazuichi now, blood dripping down his nose. "Just thinking about all of them in bikinis…..the choices they will make…...their pure forms hugged by that tiny piece of fabric…...oooohhh, it gets my buddy all excited!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Seriously, think before you speak."

This guy was even worse than Jiraiya sometimes.

"Hohohoho. There are no problems there, Uzumaki-kun. For you see, I'm the type of pervert that everyone likes!"

"Well, your ability to fool yourself into thinking that is something I guess…..."

"Come on, you guys can't let me down on this!" Kazuichi returned to the topic at hand. "Just think about it! All the girls are ridiculously hot!…...well, except for Saionji. But forget about her! Don't you wonder what they would look like, glistening with water and in their swimsuits!? If you're a man, you know you agree!"

Despite Fuyuhiko's willpower, a small mental image of Peko in a bikini playing with a beach ball was able to slip through his mental defenses. And wow did his cheeks get red just from thinking about that alone. The usual Peko was calm and reserved. But this Peko…...

Cue more blushing from him.

Naruto started to madly shake him. "Don't get tempted, Fuyuhiko! We can't lose you to the perverted side!"

Teruteru whistled. "You can't help it. It just beckons you, with its sweet and comforting embrace. Let it flow through you, acting as your power. It will transform you into the person you want to be."

What the hell! He was like a cult leader now!

"Hahaha, oh my." Nagito was totally amused by all of this. "I can't believe we're planning something like this."

"Everybody is an idiot," Ryota muttered while shaking his head. Seriously, why did he get stuck with this group again?

Nekomaru just looked confused. "So what's happening…...?"

Gundham looked away. "This journey of ours, which will take us to the edge of the world…...can we really survive such a perilous journey?"

Naruto was forced to sweatdrop. "Really, Gundham? Even you? I thought you were better than that….."

The breeder simply pulled his scarf over his face to hide his red cheeks, but Naruto still saw the blush.

"Don't act so pure!" Kazuichi poked Naruto in the chest. "We all know you got Tsumiki working for you! Trying to corrupt her, and get her ready for your devious activities. I admire your plan, but that doesn't mean I'm not jealous!"

He wanted to be the same with Miss Sonia dammit. So why was this blond bastard the one who got his own private, hot nurse?

Naruto stared at the mechanic like he had grown an extra head. "I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

How the hell could he come up with a plan that even he wasn't aware of? It's crazy. No, it was madness!

"Hahaha, I hate to say it, but I think Uzumaki-kun doesn't know the consequences of his actions," Nagito pointed out, still smiling as ever.

"Oi!" Naruto didn't know why or how, but he was sure they were talking bad about him.

"I still say we do it." Teruteru rubbed his chin. "Of course, if we go through with this, it means we'll have to take this to the grave. Unlike Miss Sonia, I don't think the other ladies will be so easily tricked."

"Dammit, I hate the way you phrased that, but you're probably right," Kazuichi grumbled. He didn't want anyone insulting his delicate princess. But it was true that she could be easily tricked sometimes.

"I still have no idea what's even happening here," Nekomaru said, looking at the others with confusion.

Grinning, Kazuichi patted the taller and muscular boy in the back. "We're about to work for our dreams, Nidai. You want that too, don't you? That's what every athlete should do, right?"

"I APPROVE OF YOUR WORDS!" Nekomaru shouted with great force.

'You're sneakier than I thought, appealing to his manager side like that,' Naruto thought with another sweatdrop.

But it was clear to him by this point that there was no stopping this. Fuyuhiko and Gundham were already tempted, Nekomaru was fooled by Kazuichi's sweet words, and Ryota didn't seem to be able to speak up loud enough for the others to hear.

Naruto petted the sleeping Kurama on the head and sighed.

He just knew that this was not going to end well for them.


"Yaaahhhhoooooo!" Ibuki was sprinting across the water of the lake at top speed, or as fast as she could go anyway.

"Incredible! The water is so cool!" Sonia gushed as she placed a foot in the water. It felt great on her skin.

"Hahaha, I'm surprised. I didn't think this lake would be this clean. Kuzuryu picked a great spot for us!" Mahiru said while snapping several pictures from where she sat.

As Kazuichi said, the girls were all by the lake and enjoying the beach feeling it brought. They had all changed into swimsuits that they had either brought with them or bought from the nearby shop in the facilities on the camping grounds.

It was surprising to see that most of them were wearing bikinis. The noticeable exception to this was Sonia, who were a dark and pink wetsuit. Despite this, she still seemed to be enjoying the water the most, other than Ibuki of course. The other exception was Hiyoko who was wearing a pure white one piece. It looked like a kid's swimsuit, but no one wanted to point that out lest they get on her bad side.

Some other campers nearby, mostly males, were stunned to silence as they stared at the girls from afar. The girls ignored them for the most part, other than Hiyoko who made the occasional snide remark about them.

"Man, I'm getting hungry again," Akane whined by the edge of the beach of the lake. "I should have eaten more of Hanamura's food when I had the chance."

"Just how much do you eat normally?" Mahiru wondered, still shocked by the figure Akane had when the girl ate so much. The redhead wore an olive bikini. It was a simple bikini set all things considered, but her natural beauty was more than enough to make the bikini shine.

"Huh? I never keep count." Akane sighed as she picked her ear. "I just eat whenever I can. You never know when food might disappear."

"I think that only applies to you," Mahiru said under her breath before focusing back on her pictures. She needed to make sure she got plenty of them. She was already beginning to get used to Akane's mannerisms, as with Teruteru's. It was sort of scary in a way, but she didn't mind it all that much.

Peko, Hiyoko, and Mikan were all together. It was an odd trio, but Peko was content enough to watch the two girls interact with one another. For once, she could see that Hiyoko wasn't just spouting insults at someone who wasn't Mahiru.

Chiaki was off enjoying the cool water of the lake, just like with Sonia. She had never once gone to see a lake in person before, or to the beach. But on this camping trip, she had already done a lot of things she had never tried before. This was just another one on an ever growing list for her.

This was the sight the guys arrived to. They all hid themselves inside the foliage of the forest that was just beyond the beach, namely a bush.

"No way," Kazuichi said, his eyes wide. "Is Miss Sonia wearing a wetsuit…..?"

Naruto snickered. "Disappointed?"

It would serve him right, but that didn't seem to be the case as Kazuichi started to squeal in delight.

"That's just like Miss Sonia. She makes anything she wears look good."

"Ah, that so?"

Goddammit. This guy recovered quickly, didn't he?

"Hehehehe, this is quite the stimulating sight." And of course, Teruteru was enjoying this as much as Kazuichi, if not more so. "I always knew they had great figures hidden underneath the clothes they wear. But seeing their lovely forms with my own eyes…...truly, what a great day this is!"

"Shut it, idiot. Don't be so loud." Naruto clamped his hand over the boy's mouth. "Do you want the girls to know we're here?"

"Huh?" Nekomaru was once again confused. "Would that really be wrong?"

Ryota sighed in disappointment. "You still have no idea what we're doing here, do you?"

Nekomaru was surprisingly pure in this area it seemed.

Fuyuhiko was too busy staring at Peko to say anything of note, while Gundham was more or less keeping to himself. But if one looked closely, they would notice Gundham's eyes going to the girls every few seconds.

They were all perverts, the lot of them. Naruto was disappointed in his new friends. Just why did he always have to be surrounded by perverts? Kakashi and Jiraiya had been the same way, and they had been two prominent male figures in his life.

He was just glad he hadn't followed their examples.

'Well, at least Nekomaru and Ryota aren't like that.' That was definitely a plus.

Nagito was just…..Nagito. It was hard to know what the guy was thinking when all he did was smile like usual.

"Shut up." Kazuichi rolled his eyes. "I bet you're staring at Tsumiki, aren't you?"

"Huh? Why?"

It was Kazuichi who was frustrated with him this time. "Huh? What do you mean, why? It's because you and her are a thing, right? Or what? Are you going for Miss Sonia? I won't forgive you if you do!"

Naruto scratched his head. "Again, I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

"T'ch, you can't lie to-"

"I believe he's being sincere," Nagito said. "So I don't think you have anything to worry about, Soda-kun."

"You think so?" Kazuichi was ready to fight anyone for his destiny, said destiny being all about his and Sonia's future relationship. It was just meant to be, he knew this deep in his heart. "But I must say, I didn't think Nanami was that stacked. I guess that hoodie of hers really doesn't do her justice."

Naruto was thinking along the same lines. They weren't Tsunade's size, but still. He also noticed that Mikan had a very nice figure too, with her breasts rivaling that of Chiaki's. But that didn't surprise him all that much.

"I knew this would be heaven." Kazuichi fell into a state of total euphoria the longer he stared at Sonia and the others, but mainly Sonia. "To enjoy such a sight…...this is what high school is all about!"

"U-Ugh…..." Gundham seemed to be struggling with keeping his eyes off the girls. He was like one of those kids who finally found the cookie jar but had been forbidden from touching any of the cookies. It was that kind of reaction.

"Oh shit." Fuyuhiko suddenly cursed and ducked lower under the bushes.

"What? What's wrong with you?" Naruto asked him.

"It's Peko…..uh, yama." Fuyuhiko bit back a scowl at his mistake. "She's looking over this way….!"

"What!?" Naruto looked over to Peko's direction, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the girl staring at the bush they were hiding in. "Shit, I think she knows we're here, guys."

Her senses must be greater than he thought if she could tell that someone was looking at her from this distance.

"Ohohohohoho." Teruteru managed to get Naruto's hand away from his mouth long enough to laugh. "Her sharp gaze makes my spine tingle…...!"

"Uh, dude." Kazuichi scratched his cheek, looking nervous. "I don't think this is a good thing. Pekoyama can wield a sword, ya know."

"That's exactly what I said earlier!" Naruto hissed.

"Yeah, well, I'm not good with thinking things through, okay!"

Nekomaru scoffed as he made to walk out of the bush. "You worry over nothing. We just have to talk this out, and-"

"And nothing! Hold him down, guys!" Naruto commanded the others to tackle Nekomaru to the ground before he could take one step out of the bush. Only Ryota and Nagato didn't join, the latter simply laughing at their antics while the former shook his head again.

'We're so gonna die…...'


Mikan had to stop enjoying her time in the water when she noticed Peko staring over to a bush leading to the forest and their camp.

"Hm? What's the matter, Pekoyama-san?"

Peko's eyes were narrowed and full of intensity. "I do not know. But…..I can't help but feel as though we are being watched right now."

"Huh?" Hiyoko curled her lip. "That's easy. Those gross guys keep staring over this way. Seriously, they're worse than ants. I can't stand people like that."

Mikan got the impression that Hiyoko secretly enjoyed the attention, but she was learning not to point such things out to the dancer. It saved her from the verbal lashings. She much preferred Naruto's head petting anyway. The blush on her face right now had nothing to do with that last thought, though. Not at all.

Peko wasn't convinced, though. "No. It is not them. It feels like…...a different pair of eyes. More vulgar in nature too…..."

Now Hiyoko was confused. "A different pair…..? But who would-"

She stopped mid-sentence when Nekomaru emerged from the bush Peko had been staring at with Teruteru and Kazuichi on top of him.

"Aaaahhh, being pressed up against a muscular man like this!" Teruteru swooned as he and the others rolled out from the bush. "It's an exquisite feeling I tell you!"

"Gross! Get me out of here!" Kazuichi shouted, near in tears as he was stuck in between the two boys.

Nekomaru was still as confused as ever, not understanding just what was happening right now.

"Ah, wait a minute!" Hiyoko quickly pointed at them. "You guys were peeping on us, weren't you!?"

The lake was technically open to anyone, but still! They were totally peeping!

"H-Huh?" Mikan nearly fell to the sand as she covered herself. "P-Peeping…...?"

Her delicate heart couldn't handle that thought.

"U-Uzumaki-san isn't with them, right…...?" She would die if that were the case. Having Naruto look at her ugly body would just be the worst thing ever for her.

The other girls started to take notice of them now too, with Mahiru shooting them a harsh glare.

"You guys…...!"

"A-Ah, wait a second!" Kazuichi fell to his butt and started to back away from them. "This isn't what it looks like!"

Teruteru whistled. "On the contrary…...this is exactly what it looks like."

"Are you trying to get us killed!?" Kazuichi said in disbelief to the cook.

"I'm an honest man!" Teruteru declared with no regrets. "I wear my heart on my sleeve, you see. That's the truest way to love…...and to cook. It's all about the passion!"

Kazuichi could only gawk at him.

Nekomaru on the other hand laughed. "Gahahahaha! I understand what you mean very well, Hanamura! Men of passion are not to be underestimated!"

And the idiot had to go along with it…...just great. Kazuichi felt like he was the only sane one here.

Mahiru cleared her throat to grab their attention. "Excuse me, but….we have other business to take care of here."

"Oh, like what-"

Before Teruteru could finish, he was blown away to the skies from a kick, courtesy of Akane.

"Did I do that right?" she wondered. Mahiru had been the one to tell her to kick Teruteru while the three boys had been talking amongst themselves.

"Woah." Nekomaru nodded in approval. "Nice form. And nice power too. Impressive."

"Totally gnarly." Ibuki was right there with him.

Akane was happy with the praise.

"Oh, shut it." Mahiru crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "We'll figure out what to do with you next, Nidai. Now, as for you, Soda…..."

The mechanic turned to the bush for help, but found it to be totally vacant now.

'They ran for it…...!?'

He succumbed under the despair of being betrayed like this. Not that he wouldn't have done the same if he had been in their position, but still!

Mahiru just smiled…...but it was a smile that promised a lot of pain while the rest of the girls stood behind her.

"I believe it's time for your punishment as well, Soda-kun~"

It was the first time the girl had added "-kun" to his name, but Kazuichi knew that it wasn't for good reasons this time.

May his soul rest in peace.


"What the-? Was that Teruteru just now? Flying into the air with hearts in his eyes?"

"Huh? Who the fuck knows? Idiot deserves what he got anyway."

After they had tackled Nekomaru, the team manager had started to fight back against them just on instinct alone. During the commotion, he, Teruteru, and Kazuichi had unfortunately rolled out from the safety of the bush, and into the girls' line of sight. It was then that Naruto and the others had ran for it. Better those three than all of them.

Poor Nekomaru, though. The big guy had been totally innocent in all of this. Hopefully the girls were nicer with him than with the other two idiots.

The remaining five boys were now heading back to camp to wait for the girls to return. It would better establish their alibi too.

Naruto playfully elbowed the yakuza on his side. "Oh, please. You were totally staring at Peko-chan back there. You got a thing for her?"

Fuyuhiko started to blush again. "I don't! And don't ever say that again, you idiot! Or I'll fucking kill you!"

Naruto laughed at the boy's response. He could totally tell by now that Fuyuhiko didn't mean what he said. It was just the way he spoke.

When they finally got back to camp, Kurama and the Four Dark Devas of Destruction started to enter into a mock fight with one another, much to Naruto's and Gundham's excitement.

The others gathered around as well, curious to see the aforementioned fight.

"Huh, I'm impressed he's able to move around like that so quickly," Nagito said as San-D managed to get on Kurama's tail when the young fox wasn't looking.

"Yeah." Naruto smiled. "Mikan did a great job patching him up. And Teruteru's food seemed to help a lot too."

Nagito smiled as well. "Ah, their talents really do shine brighter when working together, don't they?"

"For once, Nagito, I totally get what you said. And I agree."

"Ah. I'm glad."

"H'mph, I say it's more surprising that they're not killing one another," Fuyuhiko said with his arms crossed. "He's adapting a lot better than what you normally see."

"Don't underestimate their power for adaptation," Gundham spoke up. "Besides, I have already spoken to this familiar. He is more than happy to be in Uzumaki's care after his actions. He's also very happy with the treatment given by that healer."

"Oh." Nagito started to chuckle. "That's right. I had nearly forgotten. You can talk with animals, right?"

That's what the rumors said anyway.

Fuyuhiko snorted. "No way that's real."

Gundham smirked. "My abilities cannot be comprehended by lowly humans such as yourself. Does it make you cower in fear to know that I posses such abilities? Hm? Fuahahahaha!"

Fuyuhiko scowled. "T'ch, you can talk all big if you want. Doesn't change the fact that it's all bullshit."

Naruto was more open to the idea of Gundham being able to talk to animals than Fuyuhiko was. Shino and Kiba had been like that, and Akamaru could perfectly communicate with and understand them. Not like the blond could tell the others that, though. That would just open a whole can of worms the blond wasn't ready to deal with yet.

The girls arrived soon after, with Nekomaru and Kazuichi in tow. Nekomaru seemed to be okay while Kazuichi was a shuddering mess. He must have seen true hell for him to be reacting like that. But to Naruto, it was a lesson learned for the mechanic after coming up with that crazy and stupid idea.

As the girls were still in their swimwear, Fuyuhiko was forced to look away from Peko, still too embarrassed by his earlier thoughts to look at her normally right now. The swordswoman noticed this and was confused by her young master's reaction.

"Yo, welcome back." Naruto waved at the girls as Kazuichi ran for them and hid behind Ryota. "Did you enjoy the lake?"

Mahiru placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Don't give us that. Soda told us everything."

Naruto eyed the mechanic with disappointment. "Couldn't even spare your friends, huh?"

He scowled. "Don't start! You guys are the ones who left us behind!"

"It was your idea in the first place!"

"Yeah, but….! But you don't abandon your comrades like that!"

"Then don't come up with stupid ideas like that again!"

"Um." Sonia smiled. "I do not understand why you had to hide like that. It would have been fun if you could have joined us too. It may have been an event for just girls, but it's most fun when we're all together."

As usual, Sonia was the more understanding one.

Hiyoko just smiled in disdain. "I bet they would have just stared at us like the other perverts anyway."

Take that back! Naruto might like all the skin he was seeing right now, but that wasn't his fault! He was totally innocent here!

"Ahahahaha, boys will be boys!" Ibuki winked at them.

Was she angry or not? Naruto couldn't tell.

"Well, hopefully next time you can join us," Peko said, her face relaxed. It had been a while since she had had so much fun.

Mikan smiled. "I-I agree….."

The boys were more than happy to agree to it as well.

While the girls all got settled into their normal clothing again, a badly injured but smiling Teruteru limped back to camp from somewhere in the woods. Nobody knew where, and no one wanted to ask. The cook looked to be in bliss, so they decided to leave it at that.

Fuyuhiko still couldn't look Peko in the eyes, though. Naruto thought it was cute.


The sun was beginning to set on the horizon again. Realizing this, Teruteru began to prepare their next meal for them, much to Akane's excitement. Naruto had to wonder what the cook was going to make for dinner this time, but it was probably going to be delicious either way.

The others all started to do their own thing as they began to feel more comfortable with one another. Sonia asked Chiaki about her games, Mahiru asked Ibuki and Hiyoko if they could perform together again, Nekomaru began to give Akane more tips about her training, and so on. Heck, even Ryota began to interact with the others more, despite what he had said last night.

Naruto was more than happy to see this. He didn't want the others to only interact when he was there. He wanted them to grow bonds with one another too. That way, they would truly be united.

The Uzumaki separated himself from the camp for a bit, though, as Kurama seemed eager and more prepared to start moving again. The fox led him to the nearby stream, where he began to gently stick his paws in the water. He seemed to hesitate for a few moments, looking at the water like it was going to attack him or something.

Naruto chuckled at the sight. "I guess you still have a lot of things to learn, huh?" Gundham had said that the fox was still young, so it only made sense. But it was just another thing that he and Naruto had in common, as Naruto still had a lot to learn about this new world.

"Well, it's our world now," he muttered as he bent down next to Kurama who was beginning to feel more accustomed to the water. After tomorrow, Naruto was going to ask Gundham everything he would need to make Kurama feel more comfortable with the city life. He was fortunate enough to have someone like Gundham in his class who could help him with this sort of stuff. He had never taken care of a pet before, after all. But he was confident he would enjoy it as much as he enjoyed watering his plants back in the day.

"U-Uzumaki-san…..?"

The blond's musings stopped when Mikan came walking from the camp to stand next to him.

"Ah, Mikan. What's up? Did something happen?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, it's not that…...I-I just couldn't see you in the camp, so I….."

Would it be weird to say that she got worried?

"Yeah, sorry about that." Naruto looked sheepish as he pointed to Kurama who was now in the middle of having a stare off with a squirrel perched up high in one of the trees. "He wanted to explore the woods some more, so I came along with him."

Mikan looked at the fox. She was happy to see that he was making a full recovery. "Moving around like this…...is it really okay?"

Naruto shrugged. "He doesn't look in pain….."

He got the distinct feeling that the fox was just as stubborn as him when it came to standing still after getting hurt: they both hated it. Naruto was a creature that always liked to be on the move, always trying to experience new things. If Kurama was the same, then the two would get along just fine.

Mikan placed a hand over her heart. "H-He's probably going to have to be tested before you can bring him to school."

Naruto shrugged some more. That was no big deal. He knew he could run this by Gundham later too.

The two teens fell into a comfortable silence after that. Since they were out in the middle of the woods, the stars here were more visible than when in the city, something Naruto had noticed during his first night at Tengan's house.

Funny thing is…...the night sky here was just as beautiful as the one back in his dimension. It captivated Naruto all the same.

Mikan's gaze went to Naruto's face for a moment, and it was then that she saw just how beautiful and deep his eyes were. They were a very deep blue. It almost seemed like they were reflecting the beauty of the world around them, and she felt like she could be swallowed in them at any moment. But she didn't feel fear at that thought. It was probably because she knew that the person behind those eyes would never harm her either. It was a weird thought for her to have. But since arriving at Hope's Peak Academy, she had felt happier than any other time she could remember in her life. It was said that she was someone who was meant to fill the world with hope, but it was happening in reverse. The school was filling her with hope.

'No…...Naruto-san and the others…...'

Mikan had been truly frightened of coming to school here. She had done so to escape the past, but a part of her, a big part of her, felt that things would be the same way here. She was proven wrong time and time again.

"Peace….."

Naruto tore his eyes from the stars to look at Mikan who was fidgeting, as having Naruto's intense gaze on her was more than enough to make her nervous.

"W-What you said last night…..do you really think that's possible?"

Naruto grinned a little and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm still an outsider to this world, but I've never been one to hesitate with my actions. Many people have told me I'm foolish because of it, but I don't think there's any point in remaining indecisive."

He still failed from time to time, though.

"Something like that is foreign to me," Mikan admitted softly. "I-I'm always wondering if I'm doing the right thing, or if I'm messing up, or if-"

"Like I said, don't sweat it." Naruto placed his hand over her head again, causing Mikan's heart to be filled with all those warm feelings from before. "No one here wants you to tiptoe around us. Just be yourself. The others will appreciate it too."

Be herself…...it was the one thing Mikan could never do. She was always aiming to please others, not herself. Because…...she didn't want to be alone. But here, with her class…...or rather, her new family…...

Could it be done?

'A place to call home…..'

Something as special as that, something she could never have before...could this be it?

The two settled back into a comfortable silence as they gazed up at the stars again, both of their hearts filled with hope for the future.

Little by little, the bonds among them were strengthening.


To be honest, I don't really have anything to say this time.

Uh…..review?

Thanks, and till next time.