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-High Guardian Academy Library-

During their trip back to the academy, Naruto's only friends knew they'd have to face consequences for their actions. Saving a student was all well and good, but they still charged without listening to the adults. Anise and Aloe did take some of the blame, but the four girls were the ones who chose to ignore protocol and charge in head-first. They faced a feral demon and could have ended as slaves for goblins if they had a single opening for the green women to abuse. In the end, they were punished accordingly while several things were kept behind closed doors. Now there was only one thing in their minds…

"Raking leaves has officially broken my back," Rosemary whined after half a day under the hot sun, currently with a duster in hand. "Couldn't they have punished us with combat drills?"

"Wouldn't that be kind of a reward for you?" Parsley asked while sweeping the floor.

"Bit of both," Rosemary commented, then looked at Thyme and Sage archiving dozens of tomes. "How are you two holding up?"

"Literature is easier than manually weeding the gardens," the elf commented with her eyes glassing over slightly.

"Ugh, do you want to change?" the mage asked her childhood friend after stamping one book. "My head hurts from seeing so many numbers…"

"It's best you don't leave any reading to me, I barely get past reading two fairy tales at bedtime for my brothers," the dwarf admitted sheepishly.

Eyeing the two readers, the swordswoman asked, "Hey, Thyme, is that the book about that Ouroboros Circle? Cycle? What was it?"

"A little of both," Thyme massaged the bridge of her nose with a hand, breathing deeply to focus her vision. "Simply put, the circle is a symbol which portrays a snake biting its own tail. It's some metaphor about a beginning and an end meeting, which is the cycle. Basically, a person growing old, dying, and coming back as a baby."

"Oh, I get it," the pink-haired girl beamed. "A bit too non-nonsense, but that was easy to get."

"Telling this to Whiskers in a way he understood was not easy," Thyme commented with her usual dull expression and tone.

"Got it…" Sage could picture the fox boy scratching his head while the ranger went on a long rambling explanation about the symbol.

"Still, that's… all I got from mom," Rosemary's tone made everyone go quiet, Parsley looking at her with pity as she patted her side. Rubbing her arm, the girl lowered her head, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more, Thyme. All I know is that my mother was tasked to find something about that thing and that was the last I saw of her. The letter she got told her to find who was using it for… something…"

Feeling pity, Sage shook her head, "It's alright. That's more than I knew before reading about this thing." She held up the book depicting the symbol she mentioned, "Apparently, some people have tried to find the truth behind this principle… Uh, basically, trying to study the ways the beginning and end are connected… Most of this is philosophical filler, but some people have taken it seriously."

"Like whoever kidnapped Naruto," Sage noted. Rubbing her chin with a finger, she pondered out loud, "Do you think it's related to what you're looking for?"

Closing her eyes, Thyme pondered about telling them, but Parsley did so for her, "She's seen snaked-themed magic, so there's a coincidence to consider."

"Do you actually think that's-" Thyme was cut off by the tiny if voluptuous blonde lifting a finger to shush her.

"How about taking it easy and trusting others more like you did for Naruto?" the small girl told her with a wink. "If someone's offering you a hand, it's rude to just reject it."

"Fine…" the redhead conceded, knowing how stubborn they were. "You'd latch onto me even if I tried to get rid of you, I can see that now."

"Now that we're talking about him," Sage looked up in a thoughtful stance, hand firmly holding her chin. "About that kiss-"

"Push your luck, and you'll find out how accurate I can be with a bow and arrow," the cold elf told her with a glare.

Gulping at the threat, the mage tried to defend herself with a squeak, hands up, "I-I was going to ask why didn't you wait?! Didn't that man say he was joking?!"

"Meaning, an excuse for you kissing your Whiskers," Parsley pointed out with a sassy smirk.

If looks could kill… the elf's glare would be ineffective against the dwarf, who saw a trembling lip, shaky ears, and weakness in those eyes…

Thyme turned away from the dwarf and buried her crimson face in her hands, "Ugh, we don't need to talk about him, alright?"

"But, shouldn't we?" Sage grew worried. "When we were walking and the Triad took him, he kind of gave us this look… Do you think he was sad because he realized he could've hurt us or something else?"

"Yeah, like, what's up with him being some son of a primordial demon of pure evil and legend?" Rosemary asked. "If he's all that, isn't he a little too nice for a demon? Like punk with a secret heart of gold, that type of bad boy who you end up cheering up in Sage's books."

Hiding her face in the newest tardy book, the blue mage sighed, "You could've described it shortly, but… yeah, he kind of is that."

"Does it mean you've got a thing for bad boys?" and Parsley saw her chance at a jab.

"I changed my mind, we're trading," Thyme dully told the dwarf, who shrugged without losing her smirk when sitting down.

"Worth it," Parsley added, but then poked the bear. "So, how much do you want to bet he's also thinking about the kiss?"

Pulling the blonde dwarf into a headlock, Thyme started to curse out in elven while Sage and Rosemary tried to pull them apart, all the while the blacksmith laughed in her friend's arms.

-Triad's office-

"…and that's the last thing I remember before-"

"Red kissed you, okay," Hemlock flatly told the blond whose face grew as red as Thyme's at Parsley's last remark.

"Oh, hardy-dee-har!" he didn't affect the old woman with his blush. Throwing his arms up, he glared at the other two, "Anyone else wants to take some licks in?!"

"Well, if you insist," Anise, who had been standing behind him, started with a smirk.

Lucky for Naruto, the woman's wife stopped her with a patient smile… and eyes colder than an icicle to the heart, "Dearest, cease and desist with childish antics. Especially with the matter of-"

"I-I know!" Anise defended herself, letting out a heavy sigh. Placing her face on her hands, she moaned in distress, "Ugh… I just thought a little humor… How does one even react to this?"

Adjusting her glasses, Wyverna pondered on the tale, "Taking everything into consideration, this Orochi is quite the unpleasant parasite… A creature born of envy, misery, want whose only desire is power and the curse of immortality. Just your typical abominable demon."

Hiruzen stroked his beard, "Do you recall anything else, Naruto?"

"I… think?" the blond ruffled his hair. "Like, that was what I was piecing together before I truly started to get livid."

Foxglove pursed her lips, "Quite a feat, considering what that monster's done."

Oleander gave the boy a glance, pitying him, "Should we inform Rosemary of-"

"Something which will break her?" Hemlock stopped her younger self. Rubbing her chin with a finger, she glared at nothing, "To do so will require easing her up on the news… We must inform her, yes, she is one of the people most attached to Lavender. However, dumping everything on her silly little head won't leave a good impact."

"Agreed," Foxglove nodded. "Naruto, would you be willing to trust us in handling this out?" Seeing him wince, she raised her hand, "Now, I know it's not ideal, especially since you are still unsure of whether to tell her or not yourself. For now, I ask you to be patient and allow us to find a way to inform your friend…"

"Friend, huh?" Naruto scoffed slightly. "Not much of one…"

"Grr, stupid fox, you're making yourself look bad," Hemlock growled. "How blind and stupid must you be to not realize those four girls love you? For crying out loud, one stole your first kiss, you little rascal."

"Cut that out, you hag!"

"Make me, Whiskers!"

"Enough, please," Sarutobi politely asked with a flat tone, smoking his pipe on a corner. "We've had a long day, not to mention that we are presented with more pressing matters than before… Hemlock, if you wish for my shinobi to come, we can and will keep an eye out for Orochi along your guardians."

"Delightful at that would be, the problem would be how that demon would try to approach his targets," Foxglove replied and held her cheek in worry.

"He's looking for kitsune fur for his plans, not to mention his interest in those girls," Wyverna added seriously.

"Perish the thought, but it can be used for our advantage," Oleander told them, surprising everyone at the fact the chipper of the Triad members said so. "I mean-"

"Until we can do more than search and wait for Orochi, your point carries merit," Sarutobi nodded and took a drag from his pipe with his eyes closed. "Knowing what it is that snake wants is as good as a clue for us. Granted, I share the sentiment that using Naruto and those girls is out of the question."

"Knowing where that freak's hiding so I can rip the parasite's scaly hide would be better," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and impatiently tapping his foot. "Argh! Can't you just tell me to track that degenerate snake?! Better than just letting anyone here to be picked out and gobbled by that sick piece of-"

"Tell me then, what would you do if Orochi targeted anyone here and you were outside looking for that demon?" Sarutobi calmly asked the boy, blowing out a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling.

"Yeah, so either keep an eye on your girlfriend or that venomous pest could go after her," Hemlock wasn't one for subtlety, causing Sarutobi to sigh and slap his own forehead.

"How about biting my furry tailhole, granny?!" a red-faced Naruto snapped, holding up a fist.

"Like you could intimidate me when it's so obvious you like the tall one!" the elderly woman shouted back.

"I'm kicking your wrinkly rear back until you're a newborn!" Naruto's eyes were cold and his clenched jaw pulled kept his expression stoic even with the veins bulging on his forehead. He even rolled up his sleeve to throw down with the eldest Triad, who sneered and cracked her knuckles, causing the other adults to sigh and hold them back, "Let me go, old fart! Your bad taste in women's showing!"

"Brats like you would be lucky to hold a fair maiden's heart like he did with me!" Hemlock growled.

Sarutobi, who was holding onto Naruto's left arm while Wyverna held the other and Anise and Aloe used magic shackles to restrain him, had to sigh at his old flame held by her younger counterparts.

He may be old, but she was still beautiful with that attitude despite their years…

"Adjourning this meeting, does anyone have any point they'd like to say before we start rearranging the academy's guard patrols?" he asked.

Foxglove, hugging Hemlock from behind along the youngest Triad, nodded, "While it is a good idea to have your guards, some students and staff may notice. Alerting everyone could create chaos and panic."

"Noticing the teachers comes first, then," Oleander agreed while struggling to take the eldest woman's staff from her hand. "Maybe even rearranging our patrols and trading them for some shinobi…"

"Sounds like a plan," Sarutobi said before pinching Naruto's shoulder… a grip so strong it paralyzed and immediately put the kitsune to sleep.

"Eh, meeting adjourned, then?" Anise asked with a sheepish grin.

-Common rooms-

Large, spacious, and with plenty of seats on the windows, couches around coffee tables next to fireplaces, and warmly lit rooms adorned with bookshelves, the academy had no problem making itself comfortable. Every student was in their sleepwear with Amaryllis herself donning a long-sleeved pink nightgown with matching fluffy slippers and her witch hat atop her head. She was currently playing cards with an extremely bored Snapdragon, the red-haired boy donning a pair of red slacks, brown slippers, and a loose white tunic with medium-length sleeves. Both were on a couch with a bowl of cookies and the deck between them.

"Ugh, I know we're playing because we're bored, but…" looking to the side, Amaryllis groaned at the sight of the four girls next to the fireplace. "Why must you four be so mopey?! It's miserable and not in the fun way in which I can tease you plebeians!"

"Weren't they grounded?" Snapdragon replied dully while picking a card and placing it on top of the others, causing his friend to scowl further.

"I'm asking them, Snapdragon," the purple-haired girl retorted irately while pulling a new card with a furrowed brow. "Let me get a reaction out of them."

"Maybe you should do as they do with you and ignore them," the freckled boy replied as the tiny witch pulled out another card, her frown deepening.

"Please do," Thyme whispered low enough for the two to not hear her but loud enough for the other three guardian hopefuls to listen. "Anything on Naruto?"

"You mean your boyfriend?" Parsley teased, causing the elf to flinch.

"Let's not, please," Sage practically begged. "Your last outburst caused us to do more cleaning at the library…"

"So many books and words…" Rosemary's eyes glassed over at the memory.

"Fine, fine, I pushed my luck enough for a day," the playful dwarf conceded, arms up. "To answer… No. He may have gotten out of the office. Why do you ask?"

"Do you plan on teasing me if I answer?" the ranger gave her shortest friend a side-glare.

"Young Tunnel Trooper's honor, I won't," Parsley held up a hand to her forehead for a salute with the other on her heavily gifted chest.

Glaring more at the sight of the endowments a deity granted the blacksmith, Thyme breathed deeply and answered, "Do you think he's… in trouble?"

"Are you serious?" Rosemary asked, dumbfounded. "He did nothing wrong. I mean, he got mad enough to turn into that tall, buff fox, but he more than likely had a good reason after being kidnapped."

"Then again…" Sage grew mortified. "Maybe it's him going mad which could have made that man, Sarutobi, consider…"

"Exactly," Thyme ruffled her hair, a distraught expression on her face. "Maybe him losing his patience is… enough for his mission to be considered a failure."

Parsley's usual cheerfulness vanished as fear overtook her soft features, "Wait, how's that fair? He's made friends, and that old man did say he was glad to see us befriending him."

"But… maybe he and the Triad are talking about more?" Sage tried to find the words. "Like, you know when someone's rowdy and misbehaves, needing to go to another school…"

"Oh, are you serious?" Rosemary winced. "Like, I've gotten into trouble wrestling beasties, but that was all my fault and I didn't get kicked out of school for it…"

"Surely, that may not be the case, but…" Thyme bit her thumb in anxiousness. "I… can't help but worry…"

Each girl fell silent at the idea, Parsley even passed the joke that the elf's concern could have romantic overtones. After having met Naruto, seeing him try to adapt despite his reluctance, and knowing how good he could be, it felt awful to see him go. He had helped the dwarf and her family so much and she had seen his rough exterior soften around those who accepted him. The blue mage remembered his brutally honest words of encouragement and his sincere effort in cheering her up. Recalling the sparring they had, the swordswoman frowned when thinking how much he put up with her and how obviously he didn't help just for cookies. It was the ranger who had it the worst as their little adventure and his confrontation with the redhead's uncaring mother had gotten to her…

"Like heck they're taking our Whiskers!" the pink-haired girl declared with a stomp and a finger pointed forward. "We've done a lot of chores to make up for rescuing his fuzzy buns! If they try to take him, then-"

"Take who?"

"Naruto!" the girls exclaimed as one, shocked to see the boy stare dully at them with his arms crossed… and a set of blue pajamas.

Amaryllis' face lit up, "Hello, handsome!"

"Really?" the kitsune grumbled, rubbing his head. "You again?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" the short girl exclaimed angrily, pointing at him. "You should give me a good line like telling your heart to be still in the face of your future wife!"

"Be still, my beating heart, it's the biggest pain in my furry backside," Naruto dully replied, causing the girl to smirk.

"Keep being cute, it makes stealing your heart more fun," the girl told him with a wink.

Rosemary didn't know whether to be relieved or shocked to see the boy act so nonchalant, but nonetheless had to ask, "Dare I ask why and how are you still here?"

Naruto turned to Snapdragon, who asked what was on the girls' minds with a blank expression, and sighed deeply before answering the taller boy, "After some crazy stuff happened… I am staying at this academy, courtesy of the Triad… Don't ask too much about it, just know I'm going to be… a handyman of sorts." Shaking his head dejectedly, he growled, "Why must my stay in this world involve so much manual labor…?"

"Um, will you be okay?" Parsley asked worriedly.

"I'll be helping your family first and sometimes this stupid place when they need me to," Naruto replied while scratching the back of his head with an annoyed look. "Other than that… yeah, I'm just going to be sleeping in one of the empty rooms. Can't believe my luck…"

"Next time you pass by, do call," Amaryllis told him with a wink, causing the kitsune to shudder.

"All that said, it's good to see you," Sage told him with a patient but genuinely happy smile.

A tired Snapdragon pulled Amaryllis away, the tiny witch grumbling while the freckled boy said, "Debatable considering that he's already been the talk of the school for the wrong reasons."

Flatter tone and even duller eyes than Thyme, it was surprising he got along with the pink-clad spell-caster, "Come on, Snaps, why do you act like we've got a curfew?!"

Deciding to say nothing, the human redhead left the elf to deal with the blond boy, sighing to himself as did the ranger, "So…"

Thyme blinked as she and Naruto spoke in unison, the two looking away from each other, and then glaring at the sound of giggling which came from one cheeky dwarf girl, "You're being too cute, you two. Why not continue acting like you've always been? No need to really talk about that right at the start."

"You, the tease-queen, want to give someone privacy?" Rosemary asked, pointing an accusing, suspicious finger at the blacksmith.

Rubbing her thumb under her nose, the shortest in the group nodded, "I'm not heartless, and it's been a long day…"

"Other than that…" Naruto looked at Rosemary and Sage, clenching his jaw and fists.

Both the mage and swordswoman tilted their heads in confusion as the foxy boy stared down, looking at nothing, and the blue girl asked, "Do you…" she paused, not knowing what to say next. Pondering when he remained frozen, not even reacting to her words, the braided girl held his shoulder and spoke sincerely, "How about some tea? We need it more than going over every little detail."

"Tea sounds… nice…" Thyme replied, absentmindedly looking away from the boy who she gave her first kiss to.

Naruto nodded, not daring look at the girl who stole his first lip-lock.

-Next morning-

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've got to go to work," Naruto felt what many part-time employees dealt with and was eager to help, but also dreaded the small reward offered. At least Parsley's mom was the type of person he could talk to without feeling… judged, "Huh? Why do I even want to go back?"

Pondering on that, he missed the fact he was walking out of his new room at the dormitories and in his regular ninja getup into a hallway filled with uniformed students. Everyone stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Most notably, they were curious rather than… anything he was used to. Although, he halfway wanted to go back to the usual sneers and scoffs than the obvious staring.

"What are you really doing here?"

"Bwah!"

Naruto leapt to the side as none other than Snapdragon appeared seemingly out of nowhere, the lanky redhead leaning on a wall in his academy uniform. The taller boy had his arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. He hadn't expected the fox boy to just leap in surprise, actually thinking he'd be skilled enough to notice his presence. Either the freckled boy caught the blond off guard, or the whiskered child was having far too many thoughts to count and for the student to care about.

"Alright, I didn't expect that reaction," the taller teen commented, a hand on his hip.

"You're with that midget, how am I supposed to react?" Naruto growled with a faint blush at his outburst. Grinding his teeth, he added, "I already expect her to jump at me if I see you…"

"True, we are friends, but I am not her shadow," Snapdragon informed him impassively. Rubbing his arm nervously, he looked away when asking, "Still, you're quite the talk of the school now. I guessed you'd have something to say about several things…"

"Like?" Naruto ventured.

"Frankly, I don't know," Snapdragon started and looked away. "However, Amaryllis is absent… and-"

"Oh no, I'm not helping you get that gremlin back!" Naruto exclaimed with a sneer.

"Why not?!" the shocked boy asked.

"Because she's a pain!" Naruto pointed out.

"Eh… fair enough…" Snapdragon halfway conceded, eyes shut in acceptance but also concern. "I'm still worried. She's gone to-"

"Do you really have something to make me care?" Naruto asked with finality in his voice.

"She was summoned by her mother for a deal with elves," Snapdragon said irately, narrowing his eyes at the impatient blond. Sighing, he shook his head, "I… I am desperate enough to ask for you to look into it… A hunch, if you wish to call it that, tells me I could at least trust you… Of course, I am regretting even asking."

Giving the slender boy a curious glance, Naruto asked, "Why mention elves? Are you spying on Thyme and me?"

"Come on, it's obvious you two have something going on," Snapdragon started and let out a sigh. "All I know thanks to Amaryllis is that there's a deal she truly doesn't want to do as a favor for her mother. There is some business transaction with forest elves, and she didn't look happy about it… Like, unhappier than usual."

"Pretend I bite," Naruto started, actually curious about some coincidences. "Why ask me?"

"Honestly, you seem like the kind of guy who'd do shadier things for favors," Snapdragon admitted without a care. "I'm willing to lend a hand, so long as we can keep her safe."

"If this is because you're crushing on that midget, I'm punching you," Naruto warned him with a blank look.

"Nothing of the sort," Snapdragon groaned, shaking his head. "Look, I do worry for her… And the way she talked about this deal…"

"Fine, I'm doing it for one reason, though," Naruto raised a finger. "To not have her bother me and take my mind off certain things."

After a pause, Snapdragon nodded with a stoic expression, "Thank you."

"Ugh, why is it so weird to hear you say that?" Naruto asked with another shudder, gratitude still a foreign concept for him.

-Later at the forge-

"Take care, boy," Parsley's father beamed as he patted his new apprentice on the back. "And if there's any problem or-"

"I can take care of myself," Naruto replied and crossed his arms. "Seriously, I get kidnapped by goblins and you think I'm letting anyone get the drop on me again."

"Well, the less of those vile tramps you see, the better," said Parsley's mother with a far too sweet smile, the venomous sugary tone which sent shivers down her husband and their new helping hand's backs. "You may come and go as much as you please, but we want you to be careful, dear."

"Right…" Naruto nodded and walked off, sighing to himself once he was outside the workshop. "Great, now I'm feeling guilty… Is this even right? That snake's after me, and Parsley's family… No, no, the old fart has his ninjas watching over them and the academy. Should I worry, though? Act like everything's fine or-"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" asked Snapdragon in the clothes he saw him as when he arrived at the academy.

"Zip it, Freckles," Naruto groaned, blinked, and then rubbed his head. "Huh, am I spending too much time around the String Bean?"

"Maybe not enough," Snapdragon told him and then motioned for the boy to follow him along the streets. "I've found where Amaryllis is meeting these elves, a small tavern. Apparently, they've booked the entire place for themselves." He gave Naruto a glance, "We need to keep an eye on her in case they-"

"Hold on, how do you know all this?" the fox questioned him, then narrowed his eyes. "You… are you in on this with that midget?" Snapdragon tensed, which had the kitsune growl, "What is going on?"

"Look, I'm sorry I lied, but-" Snapdragon raised his hands defensively, panicking with his eyes shut. He gasped when the blond grabbed him by the lapels with surprising strength, "Wait, I-"

"Start talking, and be honest," Naruto demanded at the shaking redhead, who nodded quickly.

"Amaryllis and I knew you wouldn't agree to it if she came, so she asked me to get your help," the boy started. "This is something she is forced to do by her own mother for the sake of a business transaction. There are some unsavory people she doesn't want to see, but she can't get help from anyone without her mother knowing, so she asked me and-"

Pushing the taller boy back against a wall, Naruto scoffed, "You two could've told me…" shaking his head, he breathed deeply and exhaled through his nose. "Alright… let's go."

"You… mean it?" Snapdragon asked in surprise.

"Oh, I hate that midget, but…" Naruto looked at the freckled axe-wielder and his weapon of choice. "…if you are willing to fight for her and trick me to help that pain in my rear… I… I know of several people I would not be able to see eye to eye if they knew I didn't help your dumb hides when you are in trouble."

Taken aback by the fox's bizarre kindness and sincerity, Snapdragon allowed himself a small and genuine smile, "Thank you."

"Ugh, stop that!" Naruto exclaimed mid-shuddering.

"Better to let people thank you," Snapdragon commented. "It's not often you'll see others show gratitude openly, and I think you've earned it. Now, let's go before this meeting gets too hectic."

"Give me an answer when I ask a question, don't give me sass," Naruto growled, hating the mere idea of being lectured by the pretty boy. And then, he looked at the redhead's axe, "Can you even wield that?"

"I've… got practice, thanks to my father," Snapdragon replied with a distant look on his face. Rubbing the dragon tattoo on his arm, he stated, "My family's been said to have the strength and blood of dragons… I'd take it with a grain of salt, but wielding weapons like this is what we're meant to do…"

"You really don't like it, huh?" Naruto replied with a quirked eyebrow.

"Can you blame me?" Snapdragon groaned, then hefted the axe in both hands. "I… I hate how unwieldy it is, the fact I need to use all the strength and no… no finesse, you know?" He looked at the whiskered boy, a pensive expression as he examined the fox boy, "Although, maybe you do… Neither of us is built with bulging muscles or any roughness…"

Blinking slowly, Naruto merely stared with crossed arms.

"Pardon me, I… get carried away," Snapdragon murmured once he noticed the look he was getting, bashfully looking away. "I thought you… Well, you hang around those girls and while crude you move with grace. Your style may be that of a beast at times, but it's got an elegance to it… Do you know what I mean?"

"Either gather your thoughts after we check on the purple gremlin, or spit it out," Naruto grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

Letting out a sigh, Snapdragon nodded while embarrassedly rubbing his forehead, "Right, sorry, I just… got carried away…"

-Lyngarth Market-

Once again, Naruto found himself in the busy streets of Scarborough and wishing he could get his head on straight. Part of him felt that things were moving too fast and changing too suddenly, but he still hoped his old chief would keep Parsley's mom safe. Knowing the dwarf patriarch, he definitely kept an eye on the kids and his hammer ready. However, the expecting mother was carrying more than just her life. Feelings far too bizarre for the demon fox swirled inside him. Was he genuinely concerned for the woman? It was hard to deny so.

Essentially being nothing but a chore boy of anyone would have made the blond mad, absolutely livid. Parsley and her family? The mere thought of anything bad happening to any of those twelve scamps or their grinning father, sweet mother, and the extremely friendly eldest daughter was sickening. And that was on top of keeping secrets from Rosemary. Not to mention not talking to Thyme about what had happened at the tunnels. If that wasn't bad enough, he was on a mission to try to keep Amaryllis safe…

He needed to drop-kick evil fast, but Snapdragon was looking at him in an uncomfortable way, the redhead's seriousness irking him, "Okay, what's eating you?"

Shaking his head, the freckled boy regained his thoughts and composure, waving dismissively, "I'm sorry about before, but Amaryllis comes first. Yes, I've been thinking about what I wanted to say before, but I can put that aside for now." He said with such conviction, it was surprising to the blond, whose confused stare prompted the taller boy to add, "My father is quite old-fashioned, but his lessons yield results, like how to stand up for myself and not overthinking things…"

"Dads are supposed to be like that, huh?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head… Frowning, he hated some of the implications from Orochi about his father, but knowing nothing of his demonic heritage other than his old man being a jerk didn't help, "How… do you do that?"

"What do you mean exactly?" Snapdragon asked curiously with a tilt of his head and an even tone.

"Not… think about what bothers you," Naruto nearly exclaimed, waving a hand at Snapdragon to motion to him as if the taller teen was doing something then and there. "I need to kick someone's teeth in now, but there's so much going on now that… I can't. So, how can you keep your cool after losing it before?"

Blushing, Snapdragon looked away but crossed his arms in a relaxed stance, "It's not easy, but it's a matter of knowing what you can and can't do."

"All the craziness I worry about is things I can do," Naruto explained while ruffling his hair.

"Then, first, ponder on what's the worst that can happen," Snapdragon stated matter-of-factly.

"Huh?!" Naruto jolted back. "What kind of nihilistic advice is that?!"

"Picture all the bad things that can happen, the true worst," Snapdragon started and shrugged. "Now you know what you want to avoid… I then move to thinking on things I can actually do, truly do, and move from there. Like, if I get kicked out or… disappoint my dad…" the freckled boy lowered his head and held his elbow, but his expression remained stoic as proof he had done such thinking before, "…I look for solutions. As in actually try to plan for ways to solve things, such as starting a different career and finding joy in it… Or maybe even small solutions like working as a janitor or a handyman, anything to move forward…"

"Moving towards what?" Naruto questioned, lowering his gaze as he realized the inevitability of the things he would have to tackle.

"Your future," Snapdragon stated with a small smile. "The one you make for yourself… So, what is the worst that can happen to you?"

"I… mess everything up…" Naruto groaned and scratched his head angrily. "And people get hurt… like in and out…"

"Can you do something to make up for that happening?" Snapdragon asked seriously.

Thinking about it… Naruto bared his teeth, his fangs sharpening and lengthening enough to surprise a slightly wider-eyed redhead, "I can make whoever does so wish to never have been born…"

"Okay, and what can you do now?" the freckled teen asked after taking in how serious the blond was on said revenge.

Vengeance plans aside, Naruto stopped to think, "I… can keep them safe… and talk to them…"

"Knowing those four, that may be the best you can do for them," Snapdragon offered him a hand.

"Look, I…" Naruto looked at the taller boy and blushed slightly. "This is stupid, but… thanks… for the ideas."

"Good enough," Snapdragon retracted his hand and closed his eyes. "Consider us even after Amaryllis gets out of this without any trouble."

"Everything about this feels like she's the one about to make a mess," Naruto scoffed, trying to regain an aloof exterior.

Nodding with a small grin, Snapdragon agreed while inwardly thanking the boy, "She will…"

-Town rooftops near the academy-

Little did the two know that a pair of eyes were looking at them yet again, a certain black cat scoffing before licking her paw and grooming herself. Olive had been tasked with keeping an eye on the whiskered boy, a job made infinitely more irritating with the figures around her. She caught sight of men and women who had never been before in the city suddenly working at places next to the dwarf forge. Even more irritating was having them notice her every move no matter how she tried to sneak in. True, she could pass off by being a cat, but they could sense patterns, such as when she passed a bakery next to the academy.

"Either you're a real fan of this place…" said a shinobi in traditional black outfit, looking over the entrance from the shadows, "…or someone has you watching for them…"

Olive hissed and ran off, the ninja tilting his head before another asked, "Did something happen?"

"It was that cat again, I don't think it's got an owner, but…" the ninja informed his partner, who nodded.

"An eye will be kept on it," the other shinobi stated before growling. "I still can't believe we're doing that brat a favor… or that it's watching over a pregnant mother and her dwarven husband."

"Chief's orders," the first said. "Besides, if he thinks someone could target them…"

"Right," the second sighed. "Still… it's a tad… weird to see that punk just… be nice."

"You tell me, I still can't believe that little troublemaker actually helps someone without making too much of a fuzz about it…" the other crossed his arms as he attempted to put it all together.

"Maybe the chief was right to send him on this mission…" his friend guessed with a shrug.

"Better keep doing our jobs, then," the first ninja said calmly. "It's… almost nice seeing that brat be, well, nice."

Upon leaving the place, Olive growled while still in her cat form, trying to think of ways to get past the ninjas. Her boss was still doing research and occupying Lavender's body, but Orochi's one order was for the cat girl to continue watching over the young demon fox. Easier said than done with all the security that the forge and the academy had. It was to be expected, but she hadn't had an easy time roaming around just for newcomers to consider her suspicious enough to keep tabs on her. After all she did to get an easy life in the city, the new eyes were a pain in her furry-

Below her, she noticed Naruto and that freckled boy walking around and talking about something, her fuzzy ears perking up in interest, "Mrrow?"

The two boys moved around the busy streets with the blond following the redhead. She noticed that the whiskered teen was not on the sights of some ninja, meaning… they kept an eye on key places, but not on Naruto specifically. And considering that bit of information, then the new eyes were stationed to try to minimize whatever moves her boss would make while awaiting for Orochi's next move. Either that or they all acted as a diversion to draw out anyone who'd follow the blond…

Pondering on it for a moment more, the cat girl followed…

-TBC-

And that's my rap!

Before you get mad about the "will he or won't he tell" trope, trust me, I hate it, too. However… Naruto's a teenager with zero social skills, so it is warranted. Worry not, I won't dwell on it for entire arcs, and the secrets won't be kept forever as the adults stated. Still, those are touchy subjects for everyone.

Swordslinger out!