Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.


Chapter 36:
The Ultimate Student Council

Mitarai Ryota was exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally. Staring at a computer screen for over fifty hours could do that to you. If it weren't for the time displayed at the bottom of the screen, he would never know what hour of the day it was. Heck, he probably wouldn't even know what day it was either!

The dorm was all dark, save for the light coming from the monitor. All the curtains were closed. The door was firmly locked. Not that it mattered. Not anymore. No one could disturb him in here. He could focus on his goal as much as he wanted, with no interruptions. The outside world wasn't going to distract him. Not again.

But it still wasn't enough. He still wasn't nearly done. There was still so much work to do. So much he needed to perfect before his project was complete.

The perfect anime. One that could bring hope to other people. To inspire them, just like how anime had inspired him when he had needed it most. This was the only thing that kept him moving. Kept him alive. His motivation was all the source of energy he needed.

If only his body wasn't so weak. Why did the human body require so much nourishment to keep functioning? And the constant bathroom breaks! It was all so damn annoying. It was time that could be put to better use working on his anime.

He would still persevere. He just had to. This was his dream, after all.

Ryota continued with his work in silence. Some would probably mistake him for a zombie if they saw him like this. Not that anyone came to visit him. He wasn't even the owner of this dorm. Not officially. The only ones aware of the "true" resident of this dorm were the headmaster and that drunk scout for the school.

That was the talent of the Ultimate Imposter. That invisibility.

It was something else.

It was still surreal, how he and the Ultimate Imposter had come to know each other. Theirs was a relationship born of necessity, if you will. But also one of chance. Really, it was only by chance that they had found one another. If Ryota wanted to be more optimistic, he might even call it "fate."

That was beside the point.

Because the reason didn't matter. What did matter was that they could help one another. They each had something the other wanted. That's why Ryota was staying in this room, after all. And why the Ultimate Imposter was living out his school life.

Did Ryota regret it? Not at all. What was there to regret? His anime was far more important than going to some classes with random students. His anime was going to transform the world! Yes, it was the opposite of regret. He was happy. Because Ryota was doing the noble thing. He was sure of it.

That's why he kept working, not stopping for a single break. Not even to eat. His stomach started to growl in protest, but Ryota ignored it. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something, but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to waste any time looking for food. It would only slow him down!

So he kept working. And working. Even when the door to the dorm was opened, Ryota still kept working. There was no reason to look up. He already knew who was here.

Ryota spared a moment's glance to the clock on his screen. It was almost six in the morning.

"You're still working. I can't say I'm surprised."

Ryota's hands froze for a second. He was just about to start drawing the next scene, but he hesitated for a whole second before resuming.

Why did he hesitate?

Because of the voice that he heard.

"You're back to your old self?"

The Ultimate Imposter stood by the doorway, his arms crossed. It was annoying, but Ryota was unable to stop his eyes from going to the boy. It was just as the animator expected. The Ultimate Imposter was no longer dressed as him, but rather he had gone back to the same disguise he was wearing when they first met.

Togami Byakuya, was it?

But why? Didn't the Ultimate Imposter want to use Ryota's identity because he could no longer use this one?

"A lot has happened." Byakuya almost chuckled at his own words. A lot was an understatement. "There is a lot I want to say to you, but first. You must eat."

Ryota then noticed the bag the Ultimate Imposter was carrying. He had to admit, the smell coming from it did make his stomach growl even stronger.

"It's leftovers from Hanamura's cooking. He has a terrible personality, but his skills are something else."

Hanamura? It took a few moments for Ryota to realize that Byakuya was talking about the Ultimate Cook. And why did Ryota know something like that?

That didn't matter. Besides, it wasn't his fault. It was Byakuya who was to blame for that kind of distraction! He had been coming for the past month to tell him all about their class and their activities. Ryota didn't bother to acknowledge such information, but annoyingly enough his brain had gone to the trouble of remembering the names of his classmates.

"I don't have time for eating." Ryota turned back to his work. He was still curious about Byakuya's decision, but he couldn't afford to waste more time. "You already know what I'm trying to do."

"Yes."

Ryota expected that to be the end of things. For Byakuya to simply set the bag on the desk and leave. That's how it always was between them.

At least he got the first part right.

But Byakuya didn't leave. Instead, he slammed his hand down on the desk, startling Ryota.

"You're still eating."

Ryota stared at the boy in silence for a couple of seconds. This was new.

"What are you….."

"Eat. You probably haven't eaten for the past week, have you?"

Maybe?

"Hmm. You look even worse than I remember." Byakuya shook his head. "No, perhaps I was just trying to turn my eyes away from the truth this whole time."

What was he saying?

"I wasn't in a position to help you before, but that ends now."

Byakuya stalked closer to the animator, which only made Ryota start to panic.

"W-Wait-!"

This was happening too fast! No, scratch that. Just what was happening in the first place!?

"No excuses! In the name of my family, I will guide you down the right path!"

Wait, what!?

"Tsumiki! Now!"

Ryota's brain was too slow to keep up with this turn of events, so much so that he didn't even notice another person suddenly running into the dorm until it was too late. He just knew that Byakuya had pushed him off his chair and was now pinning him to the floor.

"W-What's happening!? A-Are you-!?"

"Enough of that. Save your energy." Byakuya smirked down at him. "You're going to need it."

Ryota couldn't even begin to struggle. His body was way too weak for something like that. Heck, even if he wasn't as hungry as he was, he was sure that he could never, not in a million years, fight Byakuya off. The boy was surprisingly strong.

"I-I'm sorry about this." Ryota's bewildered eyes fell to the other person now in the room. It was a girl. A really beautiful one at that. She was wearing the Hope's Peak uniform. What name had Byakuya said again? Dammit, why was his brain failing him now!? "B-But Togami-san is right! You look completely malnourished!"

"Just leave it to Tsumiki," Byakuya said as Mikan knelt next to Ryota with the bag of food on her lap. "She's the Ultimate Nurse. She's the perfect person for this."

The Ultimate Nurse? So she was one of their classmates then!

Mikan smiled weakly. Byakuya had already explained the whole thing to her, so she knew what she was dealing with. Not just about Ryota's condition, but also the fact that they were supposed to be classmates.

"Ehehehe…..not the best of first meetings, is it?"

That was an understatement.

"After this, you'll be taking a bath." Byakuya looked annoyed now. "You smell terrible."

That was probably true, but why did he have to be so blunt about it!? And in front of such a beautiful girl too!?

Yes, for Ryota this day was not turning out the way he had hoped.


What was the worst part about throwing a party of any kind at your place? Why, the clean up of course! No one wanted to be in charge of that responsibility. Which is why it was always better to attend parties rather than host them. Everyone was inherently lazy, after all.

But for the Ultimate Princess, there was no such concern. Not when she had a whole team of maids at her disposal.

It was their job, but the already dressed Sonia still felt like apologizing.

"Sorry for the mess. Things were messy last night."

The rest of the Ultimates had only just left like an hour before. None of them were well-rested in any sense of the word, but they still needed to get up. Such was the duty of a student. At least Sonia had a staff to help her get ready. None of the others were so lucky.

Well, except for Hiyoko.

"There is no reason to apologize, your highness. This is the reason why we came with you to this country."

This was true. Sonia's parents had sent a full staff team to stay at the hotel with her, not just maids. They had their own separate rooms to stay in, so as to not bother Sonia unless she called for them. This was done as another precaution. For any emergency that came up. Like turning on the shower for example! Well, to be honest, she didn't need any help with that. It was turning it off that gave her trouble. Specifically, remembering to turn it off. Back at Novoselic, she always had someone do it for her. However, to celebrate her new independence, Sonia had wanted to do it on her own.

She had nearly flooded her bedroom on her first night here.

How embarrassing.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yes." Sonia checked her phone. "I do not want to be late. I have a feeling today is going to be a good day."

"Hmm. Would this have anything to do with a certain boy?"

Sonia's cheeks started to redden. A remark like that normally wouldn't be tolerated. However, since coming to Japan, Sonia had tried her best to make her staff feel more at ease around her. She knew that couldn't happen while in Novoselic, but it was a different story here. Thankfully, it seemed like they were starting to feel more comfortable around her.

Unfortunately, this also meant she was easy pickings for her maids' teasing remarks.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Sonia needed to keep up a tough front. They couldn't possibly know about her kiss with Naruto last night….could they?

"Such comments are not necessary here."

Sonia's blush disappeared as a third person joined their conversation. This time it was a man, far older and perhaps more scary looking. At least, in Sonia's mind. Unlike any of the other staff, he wasn't shy to voice his opinion, even if it contradicted hers. This was to be expected. He was the head of her security team, after all. Someone who had been with her and her family for a very long time. She knew he meant well, but the man was always so stiff. Her father trusted him, though, which is why he had come to Japan with her. It was another compromise Sonia was forced to make if she wanted to attend Hope's Peak Academy.

"We don't need those kinds of rumors spreading around….correct?"

The man's stern voice forced the maid to wilt.

"Y-Yes, of course. Forgive me."

She then quickly made her escape as she rejoined her fellow maids in cleaning up the suite. She didn't want to risk losing her job.

This caused Sonia to become instantly suspicious.

"What is going on here?"

Her head of security looked at her. There was a momentary pause that only caused Sonia's suspicion to grow.

"It is unfortunate, but it seems even my men cannot stop themselves from gossiping."

It couldn't be helped. Sonia was well-liked among her people. She was seen more like a celebrity than a princess by many, and not in a bad sense. They both respected and looked up to her. And to find out that she was experiencing the first signs of love…..well, it was bound to get them excited, heck even happy. It was like they were seeing a member of their family take the next steps on their journey to adulthood.

Which was a problem, for many different reasons.

This was a problem for Sonia too. "What do you mean?"

He couldn't possibly be implying that they knew about her kiss with a certain blond classmate of hers.

Right!?

Sadly, the truth was far different.

"We saw you kiss that….boy last night."

Sonia was horrified. "But how-!"

"It is our job to keep you safe at all times," he explained, already knowing what she wanted to say. "Your father gave us that duty. We intend to honor it."

So they were spying on her!?

Wait a second. "D-Did you hear any of our conversation last night?"

To Sonia, this was more troubling than the kiss. She didn't want to betray the trust Naruto had shown in her. Even if it wasn't intentional, to have others he didn't know about listen in to his story because of her….it would shatter her.

Thankfully, the man erased those fears from her mind. "We don't have this place bugged. I believe that was another one of your agreements with your father."

Much to his dismay.

Sonia wasn't pleased. "I also told father not to meddle too much while I was here. And yet, he…."

He just didn't listen.

"You must understand your position, and where he's coming from," the man said softly. His voice lacked its earlier bite. "You are the future ruler of Novoselic. More important than that, you are his daughter. Can you blame him for wanting to keep you safe?"

She couldn't. Sonia knew she couldn't. And it frustrated her. This wasn't just about her father either. She had come to Japan to try and escape the constraints of her title, even if only for a bit. This was reminding her that it wasn't that easy.

"In any case, this is a tangent. I believe you already know what I want to say."

Sonia did. And she didn't want to hear it.

"Your father does not mind you wanting to see more of the world before you ascend to the throne. But such…..affairs are a different story."

Sonia turned away from him. She didn't want him to see the look on her face right now.

"I do not know what you mean."

She kept her voice from cracking. Good.

The man wasn't deterred. "You are not a child anymore. You know precisely what I am talking about. You are the future Queen of Novoselic. You have a duty to your country and your people. Starting a casual relationship with a commoner is unbecoming of someone of your rank."

He didn't mince his words, did he?

Sonia wasn't going to back down either. "Then as long as it is not some casual relationship, it is fine, correct?"

Her retort caused him to pause. It also forced him to reconsider many things. "What does that mean?"

"It is obvious." She faced him again, her face now full of resolve. "If Naruto returns to Novoselic with me, you and father will have no complaints, correct?"

That was…..

For once, Sonia had managed to silence him. He didn't know what to say. It took him several seconds to be able to respond to her.

"But that….you haven't known him for too long. How can you be sure that this boy can handle such a responsibility?"

"My parents have already left the choice in my hands."

And besides, Sonia knew he could handle the responsibility. After hearing his story, she was confident of that fact. No, even before then.

"After all, I have three years to make it happen."

With those words, Sonia left the suite, not wanting to be there anymore. Besides, she really didn't want to be late for class.

The man just watched her go in silence before shaking his head.

'As I feared, she's as stubborn as usual.'

Then it was out of his hands. There was only one course of action for him to take.

Still, he did have to wonder. If she meant what she said….then perhaps the future King of Novoselic had already been found?


Naruto wanted nothing more than to sleep in that morning. He had probably only gotten like an hour of sleep last night, if that. Not that he regretted any of it. Far from it.

He just regretted waking up.

But that was inevitable. While he and Kazuichi had been all about skipping class today, a certain headstrong redhead had put a stop to that idea real quick.

Speaking of.

"I can't believe you. How did you forget about bringing your uniform? We're totally going to be late because of it."

Naruto was again being chastised by Mahiru as she opened the door to his house.

"I still think I'm innocent. Ibuki didn't really tell me what we were doing, ya know."

As it turned out, everyone had brought their uniform with them to change into that morning. Sonia's suite had three bedrooms, with a shower in each one. The plan had been for everyone to use the other two showers, get dressed, and head to class together.

That wasn't happening anymore. But this was only a small alteration.

"I swear, I'm surprised you've been able to survive on your own for this long," Mahiru said, exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah."

"And that attitude! I came here to help for your information!"

"I get it! You don't have to chew me out for it."

"Ugh. You boys can be so insensitive."

Naruto bit his tongue to stop himself from retorting sarcastically again. He wasn't going to win that battle.

The two teens and one fox then walked into the otherwise empty house.

"Well, whatever. This might actually be a blessing in disguise."

Naruto turned to her with an eyebrow raised as Kurama jumped down from his head and dashed down the hall to their room. Which wasn't surprising, since the little fox hadn't been in the house for the past week either. He was probably feeling homesick.

"What do you mean?"

With her hands on her hips, Mahiru glared at him. "Tell me something. What do you usually have for breakfast?"

"Erm…."

Goddammit. He already knew where she was going with this.

"That's what I thought." Mahiru sighed in disappointment. "Didn't Tsumiki already tell you that eating that much ramen isn't healthy for you?"

"It's not that bad."

"I disagree."

Of course she did.

Naruto then realized something. "Wait, are you saying you're going to make me breakfast?"

Out of nowhere, Mahiru's cheeks started to redden.

"D-Don't say it all weird like that!"

How was it weird!? He only asked a simple question!

"I-I'm only doing this because you're helpless, so don't get any funny ideas!" she exclaimed before averting her gaze and mumbling, "W-well, I don't mind if you do either….."

"What?"

"N-Nothing!" She started to shove him to his room. "Just go take a shower already! You can do that much, right? I have to get ready too."

It wasn't on purpose. It really wasn't. Naruto also wanted to make it perfectly clear once again that he was no pervert. He was way better than that, honest! But as Mahiru said this, the realization that she was going to be showering in his house entered his mind.

Along with other inappropriate but also very pleasing thoughts.

Wait, no. They weren't pleasing! Because he wasn't a pervert. Mhmm, yes.

'I'm not the Pervy Sage.'

Not even close.

It was a good thing that Mahiru was too embarrassed to take notice of his face at that moment, or he might very well have died.

Still worth it.


Showering with one of your arms in a cast was annoying. But Naruto had already realized that way before today. Thankfully, unlike eating, he had learn to put up with it and get around it.

It wasn't the first time one of his arms was in a cast, after all.

'Mikan said to meet up with her at the nurse's office before class started.'

She was probably going to do what she couldn't last night and fully inspect his arm. Might as well. He wouldn't mind seeing the damn cast be ripped apart.

'Ehehe, that'll show you.'

Yes, he was having vengeful thoughts toward an inanimate object.

No, he wasn't childish.

Speaking of the nurse, Naruto was kinda curious about where she and Byakuya had gone off to. Byakuya hadn't offered any explanation, just saying that he needed Mikan's help with something before dragging her off.

Teruteru had instantly accused them of running off for a private make-out session, but he said that about everybody.

Embarrassingly enough, this train of thought led the blond right back to his biggest problem, and what a problem it was.

He had kissed a princess. And a friend at that.

'Sonia…..what am I going to do?'

He still needed an explanation for what had happened between them last night. Not just from her, but from himself.

'Why did I kiss her back?'

Now that he had some alone time, he could ponder this question more intensely. The short of it was, he didn't understand. He couldn't explain his actions at all. He knew he liked her, just like how he liked everyone else. But that couldn't be it. There had to be something else going on here.

'It's definitely different from Kirumi….'

That's all he was clear about. Because while he had been pretty surprised by Kirumi's kiss, and he had enjoyed it, that all boiled down to getting a kiss from a pretty girl. Of course he was going to enjoy that. But with Sonia, he was sure it wasn't that simple. That said, he couldn't figure anything else out just based on that.

So what was he going to do?

'I need advice.'

That much was clear. But from who?

Naruto could think of a couple of people right off the bat. He needed to be careful about how he approached them, though. He didn't need this blowing out of proportion.

Thinking about that just made him all the more tired.

'I just wanna sleep.'

Today was shaping out to be another busy day.


Mahiru felt like admonishing herself. Why?

Because she was staring like an idiot. And what was she staring at?

Naruto's chest of course.

It was different from say, Nekomaru, who had a body closer to that of a bodybuilder. It was just overwhelming in her opinion. On the other side of the coin, just about all the other boys in their class had a more lean build, which Mahiru was more comfortable with. Ryota, or rather Byakuya, was the exception to that.

Then there was Naruto, who was like in a mix between the two. He had muscles, but it wasn't to the point of it being obnoxious. And it wasn't muscles for show either. Even her untrained eyes could see that his muscles were meant to be used, if that made any sense. She had once read how male models gained muscles, but it was all for show. This was different from that.

But she was getting carried away. The fact that she took notice of this at all made Mahiru feel dirty and self-conscious. It was like she was checking him out while she was supposed to be helping him!

Actually, that's exactly what it was!

But it was almost impossible for her not to. Not when she was this close to him as she helped him put on his uniform.

'I hate this.'

Being conscious of her feelings was not fun. Normally, she knew she wouldn't be acting like this. Was it good? Bad? Maybe both?

Mahiru was only grateful for Naruto's obliviousness. She didn't need him noticing her wandering eyes.

As for Naruto, he only felt relief as he managed to squeeze his arm through his undershirt. This whole process was always a pain in the ass, and it took too long. He couldn't wait to go back to normal.

Mahiru held up the blazer. "And this?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. Actually, something good may come up from this after all!

"Just throw it over my shoulder."

The redhead deadpanned. "Really? Are you trying to look more like a delinquent?"

"What does that mean!?"

"Do I really need to spell out for you?"

Yes!

Naruto groaned. "My face is totally normal."

Mahiru's face said it all. She didn't believe him.

Which he noticed. "That's just hurtful."

"It's called honesty."

Even as she grumbled about it, she still draped the blazer over his shoulders. Matched with the cast, and it almost made him seem like a gang leader that had just come out of a fight.

Mahiru crunched up her face in displeasure.

"I don't like it."

But Naruto did. "Finally, I can make this look good."

"I really don't understand boys," Mahiru said with a dry tone.

Did they have no fashion sense?

Fashion sense aside, the disgruntled Mahiru led the beaming Naruto to the kitchen, with the blond instantly catching whiff of something delicious in the air.

"A part of me thinks you shouldn't get this now, but here you go."

Naruto looked at the food that was now on the table, which rarely got any use since he and Kurama were always eating in the living room.

It looked delicious. There was white rice, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, and miso soup. It was basically the essence of a common Japanese breakfast.

Naruto couldn't believe it. His eyes widened a bit.

"Mahiru, you didn't have to go this far."

He would have been fine just having eggs or something.

"Don't think too much about it." Mahiru smiled. She couldn't help but feel pleased by his reaction. "I cook all the time at my house, so I'm used to it."

She had to, is more like it. Otherwise, her deadbeat of a father would starve.

Naruto still felt touched.

"Thanks."

"L-Like I said, don't think too much about it." She tried to hide her blush. "You probably need help eating, right? So sit down already. We've already wasted enough time."

She had a point. Naruto had taken a long time showering. The proof being that Mahiru had showered and also prepared breakfast.

The Ultimate Photographer was efficient, no doubt about it.

There was no denying that breakfast was a lot more fun than normal for Naruto that morning, and not just because the food tasted as good as it looked. Just having Mahiru there was enough to make it more exciting. The more people the merrier. That's what he thought at least. Having grown up alone would make someone think that way.

Having her feed him was just a big plus.

The same could be said for Mahiru, who looked even more pleased as she saw how much he was enjoying her food.

"You're a little kid, you know that?"

She didn't sound angry or judgmental. Just amused.

Naruto was too busy enjoying her food to make any sort of comeback. He could also tell that she was just being playful.

It was certainly interesting. Naruto had suspected this for a while now, but this show of kindness, as well as their talk the previous night, showed him pretty clear that Mahiru had a soft side. Maybe it was due to some personal wall, but it was rare for her to be this vulnerable.

Perhaps it wasn't intentional. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but her showing him this side of her was a big sign of trust. That's what he thought anyway.

Yes, breakfast was definitely a fun affair for the two of them. Nothing could possibly ruin it!

Except for maybe Naruto's phone ringing.


Hope's Peak Academy. Naruto felt like he hadn't seen the place in forever. But really, it had only been like a week since he'd last set foot here.

Man, time was a funny thing.

In a weird way, it felt like he was returning to his second home, if that made sense.

Naruto wasn't going to class, though. Not yet. For an unexpected appointment suddenly appeared.

"Things were a lot more weird the last time I was in your office."

Jin held himself back from smiling at Naruto's comment as the blond made himself comfortable on one of the sofa chairs. Kurama rested on his lap, seemingly napping. But Jin could tell that the little fox was wide awake, alert to everything that was happening in the room.

It sort of reminded him of Naruto's demeanor, but that was irrelevant for now.

"Yes, I remember. You were forced to be a part of an unpleasant encounter. I apologize for that."

"I was only joking."

"My apology stands."

Right.

Naruto took a quick look around the office. "So whst did you call me in here for, headmaster? If it's for another job, my hands are a bit tied right now."

Funny, right?

Also, there was the issue with his gear. Naruto was going to have to get it fixed. The only problem was finding someone to do it.

At least he had the funds for it now. One less problem for him to worry about.

"No, it's nothing like that at all." Jin folded his arms across his desk. "I'm not sadistic enough to send one of my students on another assignment so quickly."

Oh yeah?

"I just felt the need to pick up where we left off. I believe I owe you that much."

"You did pay me, ya know."

"Money doesn't mean much to me, Uzumaki-kun. Information is far more valuable, don't you think?"

Hmm.

"That, and you saved my daughter's life." Jin bowed his head a little. "That means more to me than you can imagine."

Naruto had some idea. Ah, but that didn't matter.

"I'm not the one you should tell that to."

The blond didn't need to say anything further.

Jin had to close his eyes for a moment and accept what Naruto was getting at.

"Being a parent can be a difficult thing."

Naruto didn't answer.

"But my personal problems isn't the point of this conversation." Jin settled back in his seat, his eyes opened and focused. "We do have much to discuss."

Hmmm. This was weird. Naruto didn't know what it was, but he felt like something was different about this from before. From when they last spoke a week ago. But what was it?

"First, I would like you to indulge me for a bit, Uzumaki-kun."

Oh?

"Tell me. What are your plans for your future? For yourself? Your friends? This school?"

'This seems very specific.' That's all Naruto could think after hearing the headmaster's question. Regardless, he didn't have a problem answering it.

"I can't say I have any plans yet. I'm only going where the wind takes me."

Get it? It was totally deep and cool, right? Naruto thought so anyway.

"Where the wind takes you, huh." Jin didn't outwardly react to the remark. "You really don't have a specific goal you want to accomplish?"

"There's something like that."

It wasn't just about trying to bring peace, though. There was still a lot of things Naruto wanted to do around the school. The kids, Natsumi, Ruruka, Izayoi, Jun, everyone in his class. Heck, even the Reserve Department. He needed to know more and spend more time around here first. Until he graduated.

Man, he had a lot of things on his plate.

Naruto wouldn't say anything more on it, though. Not out loud anyway. Jin didn't know if he should feel hurt that his student wasn't trusting him, but there was nothing that could be done about that for now.

"I see. But you should know, it's not going to be so easy moving forward. That carefree attitude isn't going to cut it."

Naruto frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I told you, didn't I? The board of trustees have their eyes on you. To expand their project."

There was that, wasn't there?

Naruto still didn't understand something. "Aren't you a part of them?"

Jin almost laughed at the thought. "Far from it. You could say I'm like Tengan-san. I don't like the project. To try and artificially create hope….it doesn't bode well in my opinion. Hope is something that is only meaningful if it's cultivated naturally, in the real world. Unfortunately, my colleagues don't share my opinion. So I have to take a different approach."

His view was in the minority. Hope's Peak Academy had chosen its path. Jin could not stop it.

Not by himself at least.

Naruto tried to read in between the lines.

"You and the old man are planning something."

Jin allowed himself to smile. "Hardly. We are not some manipulators laughing maniacally behind closed doors, if that's what you're thinking."

Okay, maybe the board of trustees could fit that description.

"I'm just willing to put my hope in something. That's all."

Is that right? Naruto understood the headmaster wasn't saying the whole truth, but he could accept that. Because he was also the same way.

It was just another step in their…..partnership? Naruto didn't know how to describe it. He just knew that they were closer now. And like he decided earlier, he was going to rely on the man as much as possible.

Tengan's warning did momentarily flash in his head. Naruto still wasn't sure if the former headmaster had been talking about someone specific or if it was just a broad warning. Either way, Naruto would always trust his instincts first and foremost. As far as he could see, Jin wasn't trying to deceive him. That, and he still didn't know much about this "hope of Hope's Peak Academy" or whatever it was called. He was going to need a reference point.

'I also need to start thinking more about the future.'

That was the second biggest point in all of this. Jin was right on the money about that. As of right now, Naruto's plans for the future just involved his friends. Which was good, but he needed more than that.

A plan.

Of course, Naruto would always act in the moment. He had no reason to believe that his "plan" wouldn't change. So perhaps it could be something of an outline?

It was something else he needed to think about.

But before that.

Naruto looked at the headmaster. "I do have several questions about this plan."

Depending on Jin's answers, combined with what he knew about the status of his body and chakra, Naruto would know how to proceed on that front.

Jin nodded.

"Ask away. I'll tell you what I know."

What would this conversation accomplish? Jin didn't really know.

But he was looking forward to finding out.


Hope and despair.

These were two concepts Naruto never really gave much thought about on their own. He knew how powerful they could be, having been on the receiving end of both throughout different parts of his life.

He knew of so many people that had fallen to despair. Nagato, Neji, Gaara, Itachi, Obito, and even Sasuke. Just to name a few. Heck, if it weren't for Iruka, Naruto knew that he could have been the same.

He loved his world. He loved being a ninja. But there was no doubt the system in place, the world at large…..it was full of despair. Ninjas themselves caused so much of it, and in turn fell victim to it. It was a vicious cycle that had plagued his world for so long. Super gramps had tried to fight that but failed. In his own way, Asura had tried to do the same but failed. It only led to a bitter rivalry with his brother that affected so many people for so long.

It was just despair upon despair.

Having been in this new world for over a month now, Naruto saw how different things were…..but also how very similar they could be.

There were no ninjas here. Not anymore. Wars still existed, though. Bitter conflicts between nations in a world that was so massive. Fear, resentment, distrust. They were all present. In many ways, this new world could be called "peaceful," but looking just underneath that surface layer and one would find the ugly truth staring back at them.

It was a complicated situation.

Hope's Peak Academy was supposed to try and combat that. Even if it was only for Japan, the hope they said they were trying to create could spread all over the world if given enough time. After all, despair might be as contagious as any disease, but so was hope. But in Naruto's mind, hope was the harder of the two to achieve. That's why it was so rewarding. Because you struggled so much, reaching the finish line felt all the sweeter.

It's why he had been so accepting of this school. Because they were trying to do something that could potentially change the world, no matter how difficult it might be. Perhaps not right away, but given enough time anything was possible.

But now, as he left the headmaster's office, Naruto was forced to confront yet another ugly truth.

Hope's Peak Academy was not that beacon of hope. It was almost like a reflection of this world. On the outside things looked great. Almost perfect even. But strip away that top layer and one could see the foundation was rotted.

'The Hope Cultivation Plan…..'

What a loaded name that was. It sounded so noble too, but it only made Naruto sick to his stomach.

The plan was nothing but a lie, built on a bastardized principle.

'No, maybe I'm the one who's wrong.'

It was something else he was forced to contend with. Because, while this world was rotted, it was also true great wars were a thing of the past. Small conflicts still existed, of course, but nothing like before. This "peace" was only there because of fear, but it was a form of peace nonetheless.

'It's like Nagato once said too.'

To be honest, Naruto had felt the same way once. Perhaps that's the best kind of peace that could be achieved. It wasn't genuine by any means, but it still got results.

Perhaps he was just living in another illusion? Unwilling to accept the true way of the world?

No. Maybe what he wanted was unattainable, but like Nagato had once said, if there was something as genuine peace out there, then he was going to reach for it. It might be more painful and harder to achieve, but that's what would make it so worthwhile

'I can't look back.'

Doubting himself…..that would be the same as giving up.

Even so, Naruto was still going to have to tackle this somehow. This Hope Cultivation Plan the school was working on…..he was going to have to wreck it.

But how? As far as the school was concerned, he was but a lowly student. Sure, they were interested in his body for some reason or another, but that didn't mean they were going to listen to him.

'I guess there's only one thing to do.'

The Reserve Department. Naruto had been putting off going there himself, mostly because he had been too busy with other stuff. But it was about time he saw it more closely.

That would probably be the best step to take. But after that…..he didn't know.

It was another thing to consider.

"Found you."

Naruto was pulled out of his heavy thoughts by Chiaki's familiar and also soothing voice. He still blinked a couple of times as the gamer girl approached him from the other end of the hall.

"Chiaki?"

What was she doing up here so early in the day?

Fighting back a yawn, Chiaki stopped in front of him, her eyes a bit sleepy. "Koizumi-san told me the headmaster called you for a meeting. So I headed up here as fast as I could. I didn't want to miss you."

Oh yeah?

"What for?"

They were going to see each other in class anyway.

"I sort of forgot to mention this last night with everything else that happened, but there's someone who wants to meet you."

What?

Naruto tilted his head. "Can this wait? I sort of have to meet up with Mikan right now….."

He was already kind of late. The last thing he wanted was her freaking out because he wasn't there.

"Don't worry, this won't take long. Probably."

That "probably" didn't inspire much confidence, Chiaki.

"It's going to be worth it. Trust me."

Hmm. Well, if she said so.


Naruto wanted to say they had no interruptions on their way to wherever it was that Chiaki was taking him, but things never went that simple for him.

So of course they were ambushed.

"There you are, whiskers-kun!"

Naruto almost shuddered as Ruruka came jumping down from the staircase to land in front of them. Well, it was more like Izayoi jumped. She was just riding on his shoulder.

The Ultimate Blacksmith was definitely strong to be carrying her like that. Naruto was sort of impressed.

But wait, no! That didn't matter. Moving on.

"Y-You have to be more careful than that!" Seiko came walking down the stairs like a normal person, save for her hair twitching like tentacle legs.

Naruto still couldn't get over that.

Ruruka ignored Seiko's worry in favor of pointing down at Naruto from her vantage point with a wide grin.

"We meet again! This must be fate at work. And-ah! What happened to your arm!?"

Why was she sounding like Gundham now?

Sighing, Naruto greeted her. "Good morning to you too, Ruruka. And the arm is just a…..souvenir thing."

Nice explanation.

That aside, Naruto honestly didn't think he would be running into her this early in the morning.

Hopping down from Izayoi's shoulder, the Ultimate Confectioner pointed at the blond again.

"It's been too long since our last meeting. I was starting to get worried something had happened to you. And you have Kurama with you too!"

Oh, she had? Naruto was sort of happy to hear that honestly.

Kurama just ignored her entirely.

Chiaki tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "She came looking for you a few days ago. Caused a big scene."

Naruto wasn't surprised to hear that at all.

Puffing out her cheeks, Ruruka grumbled. "It wasn't my fault! That stupid princess just had to get in my way!"

Sonia? What did she do?

"Honestly. Just because she thinks she's royalty she thinks she can command me."

"U-Um." Seiko looked on between Naruto and Ruruka. "She only said that they didn't know anything either and for you to not worry."

"Yeah, but she had that tone! It was the tone! You have to be more nice about it!"

Right, right.

Naruto tried to go around them. "Well, it was nice seeing you. But we sort of have something to do. So."

"You do? Great!" Ruruka's eyes sparkled. "Things have been so boring around here lately. You have another event planned I'm guessing? We can totally help!"

She…..she was going to follow him, wasn't she?

Chiaki didn't seem to mind. "I'm sure the student council won't care."

Wait. The student council? What's that?

Ruruka was confused too, but for a different reason. "Why are you going to see the student council?"

Were they in trouble or something?

Naruto shrugged. "Beats me."

"Explaining it right now would be tiresome." This time, Chiaki did yawn. "The president can tell you."

Man, she was being real lazy this morning. Probably because she had spent the whole night gaming.

"Oh, this sounds interesting!" Ruruka was on board. "See? What did I tell you? Whiskers-kun can always make stuff more interesting!"

Was that a compliment?

Well, whatever. Naruto could take this opportunity to tell Izayoi about how well his kunai worked in actual combat. And maybe order some more.

He could actually pay this time too. Win-win for everyone!

Seiko just silently looked at Naruto's cast and wondered if there was anything she could do about it. Since he was Ruruka's friend, that meant he was also kind of her friend, right? And Seiko was always to willing to help her friends out!

Or anyone really. She was nice like that.

Unaware of Seiko's thoughts about him, Naruto led the group.

Off to the student council!


There were many things running through Naruto's mind as he knocked on the door of the student council's office. The main thing being what the heck they wanted with him.

Well, that and just what a student council was. He was sure someone in his class had mentioned something like it before. Probably Mahiru. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember.

'I'll just ask Chiaki later.'

Good idea.

It took a few seconds for someone to open the door, with Ruruka growing more and more impatient. The girl really lived for the moment.

But honestly, the last thing Naruto expected to see was for a little girl to be on the other side of the door.

"Yes?" Her voice was timid, and right away Naruto could tell she had a demeanor similar to Mikan's. Her appearance was the exact opposite of the nurse's, though. She had a notably small and short stature, similar to Hiyoko's. She had short, wavy brown hair. Her eyes were different color, with her left eye being green and her right being blue. She wore a yellow bunny hoodie over her Hope's Peak uniform, which reminded Naruto of Chiaki's.

All in all, she was very adorable.

It was still no reason to suddenly pick her up and start hugging her, but Naruto still did it anyway. Even with only one good arm, he had enough strength for something like this. She was very light.

The poor girl could only squeak in terror as she found herself suddenly being spun around by a stranger. Kurama didn't appreciate the sudden movement either and jumped down from Naruto's head with a disapproving look, which Naruto obviously didn't notice. Ruruka thought this was her chance to jump in and try to snatch the little fox in her arms, but Kurama quickly ran away when he spotted her, much to her displeasure.

She just wanted to pet him dammit!

"W-What is happening right now!?" The small girl was close to tears, still trapped in Naruto's grasp.

"You're just too adorable! Like a cuter version of Chiaki!" Naruto gushed.

"Ah." The Ultimate Gamer didn't have an immediate reaction to Naruto's comment. Probably because she was still too sleepy. But when her brain finally caught up, she pouted.

"That's just mean."

"Hmm, I think this is more interesting." Ruruka looked amused as she switched her attention over to Naruto and the small girl. "So that's his type, huh."

Who would have guessed.

"I think that's a crime," Ruruka murmured.

Izayoi didn't say anything, as per usual.

"S-Somebody help! This is sexual harassment!"

The poor girl's cries for help went unheard for quite some time.


Five minutes later, Naruto was rubbing his sore cheek while pouting.

"You didn't have to pinch me that hard, Chiaki."

The gamer girl disagreed. "Someone had to stop you."

She was probably also a little miffed by his earlier comment, but let's just move on.

Ruruka was having the time of her life. "Ehehe, so fun!"

Not everyone agreed, though. The girl who had greeted them by the door was now hiding behind a very large male student while occasionally shooting Naruto wary glances. Nekomaru's physique was still a lot more impressive in Naruto's opinion, but the guy was still very fit.

"Ahahaha, it's been a while since the student council room was this loud."

Naruto's attention went to the person who had summoned him here: the student council president. The boy was sitting behind his desk with a poised posture.

In the room were also a couple of other student council members. Aside from the short girl and beefy guy, there was also a girl with glasses and a boy with very odd features: a squarish face, greenish-gray hair, and very weird looking dark brown eyes. He was also on the heavy side. Nothing like Byakuya, but close enough.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the president said with a big smile. "My name is Murasame Sōshun. I am the Ultimate Student Council President. I've been eagerly awaiting for this meeting." His eyes wandered to Naruto's cast before shooting back up to the blond's head where Kurama was once again resting.

It wasn't every day that Sōshun got to see someone like this. As far as first impressions go, he was knocking it out of the park.

"Uh, yeah." Naruto didn't know what to say here. What did this guy want with him? "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice meeting you too. I guess."

"Mhmm, Uzumaki Naruto." Sōshun quickly pulled out a file from one of the desk drawers. He didn't even need to look. It was almost like he had it memorized already. "So you're the one." He did a quick scan of the file before putting it back and smiling again. "Truth be told, I didn't think you were the one behind all of this. I guess that just goes to show how much I have left to learn."

Behind all of what?

"Yeah, I'm kind of lost here," Naruto said as he glanced at the other students in the room. "What exactly is it that you want from me?"

"Oh." Sōshun's eyes went to Chiaki. "You didn't tell him anything?"

Chiaki let out another yawn. "It's been a long day."

"But…..it's only morning," the boy with the squarish face said.

Chiaki was too sleepy to answer him.

Clearing his throat, Sōshun moved the conversation back to focus.

"I see. Then you don't know. I don't mind explaining things. It's probably better this way."

Probably.

"I need your help, Uzumaki-san!"

Woah, wait to get excited all of a sudden.

"Help?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why? And what for?"

"This school. There's something very wrong with it!" Oh yeah, Sōshun was definitely sounding more passionate now. "I'm sure you've seen it too. There's no point in classes. There's no sense of unity. Of friendship! It's only about talent and nothing more. Such a thing shouldn't be a deciding factor in life. A system such as this can't possibly lead to hope."

Once again, Naruto didn't know what to say. It was different from before, though. Now it was more like he couldn't believe someone else had been thinking the same as him.

Chiaki rubbed her eyes. "You didn't say that before."

"Ah!" Sōshun's passion died down as he looked apologetic now. "M-My apologies! I hope I didn't say anything to offend!"

Chiaki shook her head. "It's not about offense. It's more like…..you're a strange guy, you know that?"

Woah. Chiaki didn't pull any punches.

"S-Strange!?" Sōshun exclaimed, not sure how to take her comment.

"Mhmm. Just like this guy." Chiaki tapped Naruto on the cheek a couple of times, which only made the blond's eyebrow twitch. "I'm sure of it now. You two will get along."

"Hmm." The girl with the glasses hummed. "I didn't think another person like our president existed. He's been talking about this nonstop for a while now."

"More like, it's interesting!" Ruruka raised her arm in excitement. "I also think things are too boring in this school! Something has to be done!"

"It's not really about boredom, though….." Sōshun trailed off, but Ruruka was already in her own little world.

"We can totally make changes around here. You think so too, right whiskers-kun?"

Naruto wasn't sure if she was understanding the point of this, but oh well. As long as she was willing to help. Maybe this would be the way to get closer to her?

But wait, there was something more pressing here.

"What are you trying to do exactly?" Naruto asked. "Like, why come to me?"

He needed to know that much.

Sōshun had been expecting the first question, but the other part? It caught him off guard.

"You haven't heard, have you? The buzz you have created around here. You and your class."

Buzz?

"H'mph, that festival of yours." The tall and muscular boy from earlier crossed his arms. "You got the attention of everyone in the school. You came together as a class to do something like that. Everyone was surprised. Ultimates don't concern themselves with pointless activities such as those."

Is that so?

And wait, pointless? Both Naruto and Chiaki took offense to that phrasing, but they let it go.

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Naruto still didn't think it was. "We're friends. We just wanted to hang out. Nothing more than that."

They weren't trying to make a statement with the festival.

"That's the thing, you see." Sōshun's voice just oozed excitement. "That's what we're trying to capture. That bond. No one else in this school feels the same way as you do. We want to spread that friendship to everyone else in school. That will be the first step in trying to reform Hope's Peak Academy. To reforming us. That there is much to life out there besides being an Ultimate."

So that's how it was. This was certainly quite the development for the blond. Just when he was thinking about what to do next, he was presented with this wonderful opportunity. And from the student council no less. Naruto still didn't know what that was, but he was starting to think it was an important position. Or something along those lines.

Was Nagito's luck rubbing off him?

"See?" Chiaki shot him a smile. "I told you it would be worth it, right?"

This girl.

Naruto almost flicked her on the forehead. "You should have said something sooner."

"Last night was busy enough, Uzumaki-kun."

Still.

"Last night?" Ruruka perked up before pouting. "Did you guys do something again? Without inviting me? Cruel! And here I've been thinking about you! You owe me one! H'mph!"

Wait, he did?

Naruto tried to wave it off. "It's not that big of a deal."

And besides, he hadn't been the one to plan it.

Ruruka just pouted again as she turned away from him with her arms crossed. She looked just like a little kid who was throwing a tantrum for not getting their way.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. She really made it difficult for him, didn't she?

"Ah." Izayoi looked up, his face sort of blank. "I think you might have to go and get ice cream with us later."

Seriously? He's almost always quiet, and when he does talk he says something like that?

Naruto didn't understand this guy.

Sōshun just found the whole thing amusing. And incredible.

"I see. You're already bonding with your upperclassmen. You have exceeded my exceptions, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto wouldn't exactly call it bonding, but yeah. Sure.

But back to the topic at hand.

"Well, I don't have a problem helping you," Naruto said. "To be honest, I'm not sure if you're going to like what my ideas are."

Sōshun's face was amused.

"We're already going against the status quo of the school. I think anything is possible at this point."

He said that, but…..well, Naruto was just going to see how much Sōshun really wanted to change the school. Not that it would make a difference for him. Even if Sōshun disagreed, Naruto was still going to do what he thought was right.

Still, he did have to thank Sōshun for giving him this inspiration. Naruto just hoped the guy was true to his ideals.

'The student council, huh?'

Perhaps he had just found another group of friends to help him on his journey.

Only time would tell.


Only one more chapter to go before our second times kip. And then, we finally start where the anime began. Chisa and Hajime will finally enter the scene.

Yay.

My schedule has gotten a lot more hectic now that I'm back in school and working again. It'll probably be hard for me to update frequently till around November or so. Life is starting to return to normal again. Sort of.

The ending of this chapter might be a little awkward since I didn't know where to end it exactly. Sorry about that.

Thanks for all the reviews.

Till next time.