A/N - I know you were probably hoping for something else to be updated instead of this, but I was really eager to write this one. Dunno why, I just was. Sooo...here's chapter 3 of The New SeeD!
I'd like to say thanks to the reviewer or whoever it was that explained the gunblade concept to me. I'll try to fix what I was doing wrong so that any future chapters won't be incorrect or whatever you wanna call it.
This chapter is mostly bonding between Naruto and Selphie, to be honest with you. I think this chapter turned out pretty well, so I do hope you like it.
And with that, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 3 - SeeD at Last
"We can't afford to waste time on this thing! Let's finish this quick so we can get to the transports!" Naruto shouted out as he withdrew his pistols and began firing upon the mechanical creature.
Squall nodded and looked over the creature for a moment before he nodded, having come to a decision. He began focusing his mana, preparing to summon Quezacotl. Meanwhile, Zell began to blast the monstrosity with Thunder magic.
When the X-ATM092, as it was called, took a swipe at Naruto, he backflipped out of the way and began to pepper it with Thunder magic, just as Zell was. This thing was a machine, so lightning would obviously fuck it up.
Selphie did her best to attack it with her nunchakus, but she seemed to be dealing minimal damage to the creature. Still, every little bit helped in the long run, and Naruto's words of encouragement to her definitely perked her up a bit.
When the beast finally collapsed, Naruto shouted, "Alright, it's down! Let's get the hell out of here!" Holstering his guns again, he took off running, the others hot on his heels.
After rounding the bend, they all felt the ground shaking beneath them and turned to see the X-ATM092 following them. "I thought we smashed this thing up?!" Zell shouted in astonishment.
"Yeah, well we obviously didn't kill the damn thing. Run!" Naruto shouted at them, taking off once more. As they reached the area where Selphie jumped down earlier, they were shocked to see the monster leaping at them. Quickly, they dashed into the next area and began descending the steep slope of stairs.
When the ground began to shake again, they nearly lost their balance, but they managed to continue walking down the steps leading to the bridge.
Upon reaching the bridge, they began a mad dash across to the other side. However, when the X-ATM092 leapt over them and cut off their path, Naruto scowled and shouted out, "Back the other way! We don't have much of a choice."
Squall and the other two nodded and quickly followed after Naruto as he dashed back towards the area they just came from. When the monster leapt over them again, Naruto was prepared to bark out orders once more, but when they began running again, he realized he didn't need to.
Sadly, Selphie ended up tripping and falling on the ground, leaving her open to attack from the mechanical monstrosity. "Shit! Selphie-chan, hold on!" Naruto exclaimed as he rushed up to her and helped her up. "Go! Follow Squall! I'm going to smash this thing once and for all!"
"But you could die! You can't fight this thing by yourself!" Selphie protested.
Naruto shot her a grin and shook his head. "Just trust me, alright? Now go!" he shouted before returning his attention to the monster rushing towards him. "Alright you piece of shit, let's do this."
Selphie took off with tears in her eyes, 100% certain that her new friend was going to die. However, she knew that she didn't have the power needed to destroy that thing, so all she could do was hope Naruto would be okay somehow.
When she caught up with Squall and Zell, they looked at her worriedly. "Where's Naruto?" Squall asked.
The young woman shook her head. "He's fighting that thing by himself. He said he's going to destroy it. Naruto wants us to go on ahead."
"Fuck that! Naruto can't take that thing on by himself, no matter how tough he is!" Zell shouted, preparing to rush off to help his friend. Before he could, however, Squall placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "Why the hell're you stoppin' me, Squall?!"
"Naruto knows what he's doing. I'm positive he can destroy that thing. Right now we need to hurry back to the beach. If we went back, I'm sure we'd only be in the way." Squall said, though it sounded a bit bitter coming from him. "I hate it too. I want to help him fight that thing off, but we have to hurry."
Zell scowled, but, after taking a moment to think on it, nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. I hate to say it, but you're right. I trust Naruto to beat that thing and catch up to us. C'mon Selphie, let's go."
Selphie frowned as she looked back towards the bridge. Please be okay Naruto...
Naruto vs. X-ATM092
Now that he was alone with the monster, Naruto took a brief moment to look it over for any structural weaknesses that might make dismantling the fucker a bit easier. I need to take out its legs. Then I can think about destroying the damned thing for good…
Bringing his hands up into a hand seal he hadn't used in a while, he called out, "Shadow Clone Technique!" In an instant, a small army of clones appeared on the bridge and began swarming the beast. It managed to take out a bunch of them with one attack, but they were only meant to serve as a distraction while Naruto prepared something special for the monster.
Once he was finished with what he was doing, he looked at the seals he just drew. This should do the trick… he thought as he gave three of the seals to three separate clones, keeping the fourth one for himself. "Let's do this, guys."
"Roger, boss!" the clones shouted before they quickly leapt into the fray. Naruto looked at his foe and his current target, the front right leg. Leaping forward, he ducked under an attack and slipped in close, slapping his seal tag on the joint where the leg connected with the body. Once he got the signal from his clones, he leapt backwards and held out a hand seal.
Here goes nothing. Naruto thought to himself as he activated the sealing tags. Four explosions, big enough to damage the monster, yet small enough to not affect the stability of the bridge, sounded off. Naruto watched as the monster's legs were blown clean off the monster, two of them falling into the water below.
Nodding his head in satisfaction, the blonde quickly drew his sword and pumped wind-natured chakra through it. "Prepare to die you robotic piece of shit!" he exclaimed before rushing forward, slashing his blade through the beast, cutting it cleanly in half. Damn I'm glad I reinforced my weapons with seals, or I'm sure this sword would've broken by now. He thought with a chuckle.
Naruto was caught off guard when a small explosion took place from the monster's corpse. Wincing in agony as he was blown backwards, slamming into the steps he had descended with his friends a short while ago.
As he rose to his feet, he wobbled a bit, wincing at the pain he was feeling throughout his body. His ears were ringing and he found that he couldn't hear a thing. "Well...fuck." he thought as he brought his hand up to his ear and felt it for a moment. Lowering his hand, he looked and, sure enough, he saw blood on his fingertips. Double fuck. He thought with a wry chuckle.
Moving back towards the site of the explosion, he could see that part of the bridge had collapsed, causing him to groan. "Damn it. Gonna have to jump it." he muttered. For the moment, however, he waited for his healing factor to kick in, as his equilibrium was shot.
A few minutes later, Naruto felt good enough to start moving again and rushed towards the edge of the bridge, leaping across to the other side. Once there, he took off at a mad sprint through the town square, stopping to send the dog on its way, and continued on down the nearby street on his way to the beach where the others were surely waiting.
When he arrived on the beach, he hurried up to the transport and was a bit shocked to be pulled into a tight hug by Selphie. Slowly, he returned her embrace and smiled at her. "Hey, I told you I'd be fine, didn't I?"
Selphie pouted up at him and reached up, gently touching his ear. Pulling her hand away, she showed him the blood. "Do you call this okay?! We saw the explosion! It's a miracle you aren't dead you dummy!"
"I have to agree. What were you thinking, trying to take on a monster like that?!" Quistis shouted at him angrily. "You could have been killed! All because you were acting reckless."
Naruto chuckled nervously for a moment before bowing his head. "S-sorry ma'am. Selphie fell and...well...I wanted to keep everyone safe. I knew I could handle it, though! I wouldn't do something like that unless I was absolutely sure I was going to win."
Quistis sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "Be that as it may, that was still reckless. I know how strong you are, Naruto, but even you have your limits."
"I know, Quistis-chan. But I'm okay. Okay?" Naruto said tiredly. "Now...I think I want to take a little nap. I'm feeling a tad exhausted…" he muttered before suddenly collapsing forward, falling unconscious before he even hit the soft, sandy ground.
Zell quickly rushed up and rolled him over, looking him over for any wounds that had yet to heal. "Shit. He's got some shrapnel imbedded in his chest and side. We need to get him inside and healed!"
Selphie's eyes widened in horror at what had befallen her friend. She helped Zell get him inside the ship while Quistis looked on worriedly.
Later - On the ship
Naruto groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Looking himself over, he wasn't surprised to see that he was wrapped in bandages. "Man...that sucks."
"Disregarding your apparent lack of self-preservation, it's nice to see you're awake." Quistis said as she peered into his eyes. "Are you feeling better?"
The whiskered teen nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. How long was I out?"
"Not for very long. We're still on the transport heading back towards Balamb. You got lucky, Naruto. One of the pieces of shrapnel came dangerously close to your heart. It's a good thing you have your healing factor, or you'd probably be out of commission for a while." Quistis said, sounding genuinely worried for him.
Naruto sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah. Thanks for worrying about me, Quistis-chan." Looking around, he didn't see the others. "Where's everybody else?"
"Resting. Just as you should be. You're still recovering, after all." Quistis said.
"Alright. Thanks Quistis-chan."
"You're welcome, Naruto. Please don't go doing something so dangerous again. You aren't invincible, you know?"
"I know. I'll try to be more careful from now on." Naruto said with a serene smile on his face. It felt nice to know that his crush cared about him, at least on some level.
A short while later - Balamb
After coming to a stop and being notified that they had reached the docks of the town of Balamb, everyone began to make their way off the ship. As soon as Seifer stepped out, they heard a shout of "SEIFER!"
Sighing, Naruto looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like Fujin and Raijin are here." he muttered before stepping off the ship after Seifer.
"How'd it go?" he heard Raijin ask Seifer. Seifer's response only served to piss Naruto off.
"Man… All they did was get in my way. Being a leader ain't easy." he said arrogantly.
Get in the way? You were the one to cause problems, ya jackass! Naruto thought angrily.
"SAFE?" Fujin asked. Seifer merely shrugged and walked off with his lackeys, or rather, the Disciplinary Committee.
It was at this point that Quistis stepped off of the transport and onto the dock, looking at the four of them (Naruto, Squall, Zell, and Selphie). "Good job!" she exclaimed. Then she had a look around and frowned in confusion. "Where's Seifer?"
In response to this, Squall turned and pointed in the direction Seifer had left in. When he turned back to Quistis, he saw her sigh and shrug her shoulders in a 'What can ya do?' motion.
Looking at each of her students, she offered them a smile. "Just be back at Garden by sundown. You're free 'til then. Ok, dismissed!"
As they walked away, they were shocked to see Seifer and his crew driving off in the car they had used to get to Balamb in the first place! "H-Hey!" Zell shouted in shock. Slumping over, he sighed and said, "Not again, man! There goes Mr. Ego…"
"Might as well walk it." Squall said dismissively.
It was at this point that Zell looked around and smiled. "Ah well. Damn it's good to be back. Wanna come with me to say hi to my mom, guys? I'd like to introduce you guys to her."
Naruto smiled at his friend and nodded. "Sure, let's go pay her a visit. It'll be nice to meet the woman that raised you."
Selphie offered Zell a smile and nodded her head as well. "Sure!"
Squall sighed and shook his head tiredly. "Yeah, might as well. I just hope she's nice."
"You guys'll love her, I guarantee it!" Zell exclaimed as he began leading them through Balamb.
As they walked up the road, they saw a man sitting on a bench. Walking up to him, the man looked at Zell and asked, "Hi, Zell. How are you doing?"
Zell grinned at the man and said, "Hey…! How's it goin'!? You know me, I'm always good."
"Good. Make sure you stop by and say 'hi' to your mom." the man said in reply.
The tattooed blonde nodded. "Was already planning on it." before he began leading the group into his quaint little home. "Ma, I'm home!" he exclaimed joyfully.
Ma Dincht, who appeared to have been busy, turned around to look at her son. When she saw all the guests she had, her eyes widened a bit before she said, "Zell, what a surprise! Are these your friends?"
Zell nodded slowly. "Yep, these guys are cool. The quiet, stoic guy here is Squall. This here's Selphie. And this guy right here, he's my best friend in Garden! Naruto Uzumaki." Turning to face his friends, Zell said, "This is my house. But don't make yourselves too comfortable!"
The group went into the room nearby and found what appeared to be a Timber Maniacs magazine...but it actually wasn't. When they returned to the main room, Ma asked, "Oh, Zell. Are you off today?"
Zell shook his head. "Nah, outdoor class."
Ma Dincht nodded in understanding. "Drop by whenever you can. Even just to say hi." she requested.
When they attempted to go upstairs, Zell stopped them and shouted, "Yo, guys! That's my room up there! It's sacred! So just keep out!"
Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Sorry man. I was just curious to see what was up there. I won't go in without your permission."
"It's cool, Naruto. Thanks for understanding."
"Yeah, no problem buddy. Hey, doesn't your mom play Triple Triad? Think she'd mind if I challenged her to a game?" Naruto questioned eagerly.
Zell chuckled and nodded his head. "Go ahead man. Who knows? You might just be able to beat her and take her rare card."
"Cool! This'll be fun." Naruto said with a grin before he walked up to Ma Dincht and challenged her to a card game.
The two of them played Triple Triad a number of times, as Ma had some cards that Naruto had yet to get. Sadly for Ma, Naruto was too damn good at the game and beat her every time they played, taking each card he didn't already have from her as well as… "Yes! I got the Zell card! This rocks! Thanks Ma Dincht!"
Ma giggled and shook her head. "You're too good at this game. I'm afraid that's all I have in me for today. It was nice playing you, Naruto Uzumaki."
"You were awesome! You nearly had me a number of times. I'm surprised I managed to beat you a couple of times." Naruto complimented, causing her to giggle once more.
"Thank you. Work hard at the game and win more of those rare cards, will you? I'd like to see a dear friend of Zell's become an able hand at this game. Lord knows my son didn't inherit that kind of talent." she teased, causing Zell to groan.
"Ma, that was uncalled for. I know I'm not as good at the game as other people are, but I try! Naruto's been teaching me too, so I'm definitely getting better! Just...not good enough to beat him yet. Someday though!"
Naruto grinned at his friend and said, "I'm looking forward to that day. I promise you though, I won't make it an easy victory for you."
"Yeah, yeah. I know that already, Naruto. Just you wait though, I'll take you down before you know it!" Zell exclaimed boastfully.
"I'm sure you will." Naruto said before they got up and made their way to the stairs leading up and out of Zell's house. "Nice meeting you Ma. Take care!"
Squall and Selphie offered similar goodbyes and followed Naruto out. Zell stayed behind for a moment and said, "I promise I'll try to come by and see you again Ma. Hopefully I'm not so caught up in my duties that I can't come see you more often."
"Aw, don't worry about it son. You go have fun with your friends now. Take care dear."
"I will Ma. Bye!" Zell said before rushing out after his friends.
As he stepped outside, he heard Selphie joyfully commenting on Naruto's prowess at Triple Triad. "You're amazing! How'd you get so good at that game? I've tried before, but I just couldn't win. I...kinda lost all my cards in the process too…"
Naruto gently patted her on the head. "Hey, no worries. It takes patience and lots of practice. I started with a pretty crummy deck myself and had to work hard to get to where I'm at now in terms of skill. If you want, I can loan you some cards and teach you? I don't mind."
Selphie brightened up and nodded energetically. "Yes! That'd be awesome! Thanks Naruto!" she exclaimed before hugging him tight.
Blushing, Naruto slowly hugged her back, gently patting her back a few times. "H-Hey, no problem. I'm always glad to help."
It was at this point that Selphie remembered her friend was still wounded and she stepped back, looking at him worriedly. "I'm so sorry! I forgot you were still healing! Are you okay?"
Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Selphie-chan. No worries, alright? Now, let's have a look around town. I'm curious to see what there is to do here in Balamb. I've spent most of my time in Garden that I haven't really gotten out much."
Zell grinned as he stepped forward. "Hey, no prob! I can act as your tour guide if you want? I know this town like the back of my hand. Plus, I'm sure you can find some more people to challenge to Triple Triad if you really want."
"Thanks man. You sure you don't mind playing tour guide for a little while?" Naruto asked.
"No sweat! Let's go!" Zell exclaimed before he began guiding them around.
Squall sighed as he watched them begin to walk off. I swear they are far too energetic for me sometimes. Ah well, might as well join them.
Elemental Nations - Konoha
It's been a full year since Naruto went missing, and each of the rookies were affected in a different way. When Tsunade had them brought in, they weren't sure what to think at first because it was a rare thing for all of them to get together. When she informed them that Naruto had gone missing, it hit Hinata the hardest. After all, she's in love with the goofball and without him, it was like her purpose for living and getting stronger was lost to her.
Sakura was furious, but not at Naruto. She was highly tempted to go smash Jiraiya's nuts with her enhanced strength, but Tsunade wouldn't let her. After all, if Jiraiya had just taken Naruto's training more seriously and not wasted all of his time, Naruto wouldn't have done what he did. Or at least, she didn't think he'd have gone through with it! Yeah, she wasn't all that fond of the blonde knucklehead, but she didn't want him gone.
Kiba actually seemed happy that Naruto was gone. After all, now he could get Hinata to himself! However, all of his attempts at wooing her had been colossal failures. She had even requested that Tsunade remove her from Team 8, as she was so uncomfortable with Kiba's advances that she just couldn't handle it anymore. Needless to say, as a strong woman and a fervent hater of perverts, she wasn't about to let Hinata suffer like that.
Shikamaru and Choji were sad to hear that Naruto had disappeared. They considered him a close friend and genuinely cared for him, though they didn't always show it. Shino, on the other hand, didn't show any outward emotions or made any effort to acknowledge that a comrade-in-arms was gone.
Neji was conflicted about how to feel. On the one hand, he owed Naruto for helping him change his views on fate and actually inspired him to be a better person. However, he also knew about Hinata's feelings for the whiskered teen and didn't approve of a possible relationship between the two of them. So with Naruto gone, that removed him as a potential problem.
Tenten didn't seem to care, which some might claim was cold of her, but she didn't know him well enough to really give a damn about him. And Lee? Lee called Naruto's disappearing act unyouthful and claimed that Naruto was just running away from his problems.
Ino? Whether she'd admit it or not, she actually kind of felt for Naruto and wished him the best. Yeah, she wasn't the nicest person to him, but she found herself slowly growing to like him as time went by, and she found herself missing him a great deal now that he was gone.
Now, here they were, gathered together once again in Yakiniku Q, eating a meal together as they thought about their missing comrade. "Damn it. Hasn't that perverted asshole figured out the seal yet?! It's been a full year now!" Sakura exclaimed angrily.
"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered before releasing a sigh. "Seals are complex enough as it is. The seal Jiraiya was experimenting with had left him stumped for years. To top it off, he'd have to recreate the finished product the exact same way Naruto did, or he could end up killing himself, transported to a different world than the one Naruto went to, or any number of things could happen. I'm not surprised it's taking Jiraiya so long to figure out the seal."
Ino fidgeted a bit and quietly spoke up, "Well...I hope it doesn't take too much longer. I miss him."
Neji frowned at her and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Besides, with him gone, the Akatsuki can't achieve whatever their goal is."
Yes, Tsunade had informed the rookies about both the Akatsuki and about Naruto's burden. She felt it was necessary for them to understand their comrade better. While none of them thought of him as the Kyuubi itself, they didn't really show much of a reaction. Heck, Shikamaru and Shino had figured it out for themselves long before then!
"You're acting like Naruto being gone is a good thing! Don't you care about him at all?" Ino questioned angrily.
The Hyuga prodigy narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. "To be quite honest? No. I really don't. In fact, I think it's for the best that he's gone from this world. Not only does that keep the Akatsuki from achieving their goal, but Hinata-sama has a chance to find somebody far better and more deserving of her than that trash."
Before Ino could say anything in response to this, Tenten spoke up. "Let's be real here. Does anyone here really care that he's gone? He wasn't exactly the greatest ninja to begin with. He mostly got through on good luck and one or two decent techniques. It's a miracle he didn't get himself or his teammates killed."
Ino looked furious, but she wasn't able to get a word in edgewise as Shikamaru piped up again. "It's troublesome, but I agree with them, Ino. We're better off without Naruto here. Besides that, he's probably better off wherever he ended up."
Ino knew that if Hinata was here, listening to this, she'd probably fly into a rage. Instead, she looked at Sakura, Naruto's old teammate, and almost pleadingly asked, "Forehead? You don't agree with them...right?"
Sakura scowled and shook her head. "Naruto promised me he'd bring Sasuke-kun back to me. I intend to hold him to that promise, even if I have to drag him kicking and screaming from that other world!"
The blonde heiress went wide-eyed before her face twisted in rage. "Is that all he's worth to you?! A tool to bring that traitor back to us?! Isn't he your teammate? A friend?!"
The pinkette frowned in confusion for a moment before she shook her head. "No. What made you think I wanted to be his friend? I just want him to keep his damn promise to me. Is that so wrong?"
"Yes! Yes it is! Naruto's a good person and he nearly got killed trying to bring back that asshole all because of that stupid promise to you! Newsflash Forehead! Sasuke wasn't interested in you or any other girl in the village! He was an asshole! All he ever cared about was power power power! I'm glad I got over that asshole. It's just a shame you haven't."
Before anyone could say anything in reply, Ino stormed out of the restaurant. As she left, she couldn't help but think to herself, Maybe when the seal's complete, Hinata and I can stay with Naruto in that other world. I hope you're well Naruto…
Gaia - Balamb
As they approached the train station, Naruto couldn't help but take notice of a rather beautiful woman standing off to the side on one of the steps. Approaching her, he decided to strike up a conversation with her. "Um...hey there. Nice to meet you. My name's Naruto Uzumaki."
"I am the Queen of Cards. I travel all over the world to monitor and enforce the various card rules. It is nice to make your acquaintance, Naruto Uzumaki. Is there anything you would like to know?"
"Hmmm...alright, what're this region's rules?" Naruto questioned as a type of test.
"The following rule has been accepted in Balamb: Open. Pay me 30,000 Gil, and I will pass on a new rule to this region: Same."
Naruto blinked a couple of times at that response. "Okay, didn't know you could change the rules up like that. But, I uhhh...yeah, I don't have that kind of money on me. So that would be a no, sorry. Anywho, what's the current trend of the trading rules?"
The Queen of Cards offered him a polite smile. "It's alright, Naruto. I know it is a steep price to ask, but it is necessary. Anyways… Currently, the trading rule is based on Balamb's rule. There is some trading taking place. Trading rule 'One' will spread out from this region."
"'Kay, that's good to know. So, how are the rules passed on exactly?" he questioned.
"Basically, each region has its own rules. The rules you're carrying are passed on as you travel to various regions. As for the trading rules, they gradually spread out from a region where the card game is most popular. Of course, this region can change constantly depending on your course and actions. Also, my presence in a region can change its trading rules at times." she explained.
"Huh. That's kinda neat to know. Alright, so...wanna play a game of Triple Triad with me? I'm curious to see how good you are."
"You're going to challenge the Queen of Cards? You've got more guts than I do." Zell said with a chuckle. "Good luck Naruto."
"You wish to challenge me? Alright. Let us test how skilled you are at the game." the Queen of Cards said with a bright smile on her face.
A short time later, Naruto had won and collected a total of four cards from her, though they weren't the greatest. Looking at her, he couldn't help but raise a brow in curiosity. "You went easy on me."
"As I said, it was a test of your skill at the game. That, and I wanted to introduce to you a trading rule you were probably unfamiliar with: Diff. As you can see, this particular rule allows you to take the number of cards by which you won. So because you beat me with a total of your 7 cards to my 3, you won four cards. Understand?"
"Yep. That rule could really come in pretty handy, huh? Thanks for playing with me, Queen of Cards. I appreciate it."
"Anytime, Naruto Uzumaki. I look forward to seeing you again. I'm sure we'll be able to have many fun games."
After bidding the Queen of Cards a goodbye, Naruto returned to his friends and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I kinda couldn't resist saying hello. And challenging her to a card game, of course."
"Are you sure you didn't just approach her because you thought she was a babe?" Zell questioned with a sly grin on his face.
Naruto sighed and whacked Zell in the back of the head. "Shut up. Yes, she's beautiful, but there was just something about her that caught my attention. So...yeah." the spiky-haired blonde explained with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Ouch man! Okay, I get it, no teasing you for flirting with pretty ladies!"
"Do you want to get hit again?" Naruto questioned irritably. "Let's just go. This is the train station, right? I wonder if there's anything neat in there."
Inside, they found an issue of Timber Maniacs, but not much else was going on. So, with one last stop on the tour, they went to the entrance of town and Zell introduced them to the car rental guy behind the glass. When he said that renting a car would cost them 3500 Gil, they decided unanimously that it would be better to just walk back to Balamb Garden than it would be to pay such a heavy fee.
Now they were back on the plains between Balamb Garden and the small town of Balamb. They decided to kill some time by helping Selphie draw and stock up on magic from the various monsters before making their way back to the Garden.
As they entered, they stopped before the gate and decided to take a bit of a breather. Zell stretched and let out a loud, "Huuuwahaah!" sound. It sounded like he was rather bushed and could use a good rest. "Finally made it back…"
"Seriously…" Selphie said tiredly.
Naruto chuckled a bit as he dealt with a kink in his back. "Tell me about it. I didn't expect the field exam to be so intense."
Selphie lightly whacked Naruto in the chest. "You only made it worse by taking that thing on alone you big dummy! You had me really scared!"
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you so much, Selphie-chan. Thank you though."
The perky brunette blinked in confusion and asked, "For what?"
"Caring. Back where I'm from...nobody really cared all that much about me. And if they did...they sure didn't act like it. And even though I've lived here in Balamb Garden for a year, I don't have all that many friends. Squall, Zell, and a few other people, but that's really it. A lot of people don't really care about me. So, thank you." Naruto explained.
Selphie frowned at this and hugged him again, gently this time. "You're my friend! Of course I care!" she declared as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "So if you're ever feeling lonely or just want to hang out, I'll always be here for you Naruto."
"Thanks Selphie-chan."
Zell chose this moment to interrupt their little bonding moment. "Well, I guess we just wait for the test results. 'Til then, see ya!" he exclaimed, waving goodbye to everyone as he walked off.
Selphie smiled as she took Naruto's hand in hers. "Come on! Let's walk around Garden together! See ya Squall!" she said before rushing inside with Naruto.
"Heh, if things don't work out with Quistis, he might actually have a shot with Selphie. She sure seems to like him well enough." Squall muttered to himself as he began to follow after them.
Naruto & Selphie
As Selphie practically dragged him along, Naruto couldn't help but smile. She's so different from any girl I know. She kind of reminds me of me in a way. He thought silently. When they entered the main hall, he noticed Quistis, Headmaster Cid, and Xu all conversing with one another, but Selphie wouldn't let him stop to say hi. So, with a shrug, he waved to them and followed after Selphie as she led him to the library.
"What're we doing in the library?" Naruto questioned her curiously.
"I wanted to see what kinds of books they had. I haven't had the chance to really check anything out yet, so I'm really curious. Pluuuus, we can talk in the back and get to know each other better. Sound fun? It does to me!" Selphie explained.
"But...wouldn't it be better to chat in one of our dorm rooms? The librarian's bound to try and shush us if we try to talk here." Naruto said, sounding genuinely concerned.
"You make a good point. Okay, new plan! Help me pick out some nice books and we can head back to my room." Selphie declared, sounding excited.
Naruto couldn't help it as he began to chuckle a bit. "You know, people might get the wrong idea, you asking me to come to your room."
Selphie blushed up a storm at this and whacked him in the chest again. "Don't tease me like that. It's not nice!"
Laughing lightly, Naruto gently took her by the hand and led her over to one of the bookcases. "I think some of the books here would be to your liking. I know I've been meaning to check out this one." he said, reaching up and pulling a book off the top shelf. "It's a love story. Nothing too complex, just a nice, romantic story about a soldier and his bride-to-be. I've been curious about it and wanted to read it because I heard it was really good. Never got the chance though, as it's always checked out by the time I get here."
The perky brunette smiled up at him and asked, "Sooo, you like romantic things, huh? Cute. I figured you as more of an action/adventure guy."
Naruto smiled back at her and shrugged casually. "Yeah, well, you can't judge a book by its cover. So to speak anyways. I like a variety of different stories, but I didn't used to. I could never sit still when I was younger, and that made it hard to focus on reading sometimes. So, now that I've grown up a little, I wanted to delve into the world of storybooks and see what they were like. I've grown to love reading as a result of this."
Selphie giggled a bit and nodded once in understanding. "I kind of figured you for an energetic child. I bet you were cute."
Blushing deeply, Naruto scratched at the tip of his nose and looked away. "I...don't know if I was cute…"
Sticking her tongue out at him, Selphie poked him once in the chest. "I bet you were cute, so that's that. Now, let's see what kind of book grabs my attention." she said as she began to browse through the books.
Once more, Naruto could only smile as he watched Selphie. She was so pretty and very energetic. On top of that, she was so nice to him. Quistis came off as cold sometimes, but this girl was so bright and cheerful. It was a stark contrast and he found that he rather liked Selphie. I wonder…
When Naruto realized where his thoughts were going, he quickly shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. Selphie noticed this, however, and looked quizzically at him. "You okay, Naruto?"
"O-Oh...yeah. Just got lost in my thoughts for a moment there, that's all." he replied, finding it hard to face her, especially after where his thoughts were heading. I like Quistis, damn it!
Squall
As Squall entered the main hall, he came across Quistis, Xu, and Cid speaking. "Mission complete! I think we did a pretty good job. The candidates are back safely, right?" Xu said happily. After a moment however, she frowned and said in a rather serious tone of voice, "Although we didn't realize the Galbadian Army was after the abandoned communication tower…"
Headmaster Cid rubbed the back of his head for a moment before saying, "We've just received word from the Dollet Dukedom. The Galbadian Army has agreed to withdraw as long as the communication tower is repaired and the uplink remains operational."
Xu shrugged her shoulders after a moment. "Well, in any case, Galbadia is out of there. We could've made more money if they'd stayed and caused more ruckus."
Squall walked up to Xu and was about to say something when she turned around and saw him. "Hey, you did pretty well!"
Quistis turned to her and nodded. "Of course! He's my best student. He's not very social, though."
The scarred teen frowned as he heard this and shook his head in mild disbelief. Naruto's better than I am. I think he'd be hurt to hear what you just said, Quistis.
With a sigh, Squall listened as Quistis said, "The results for the exam should be announced soon. Just stick around here."
Not saying anything in response, Squall then turned to Cid and gave him a small wave in greeting. "How did it feel out there on the battlefield?"
Squall thought it over for a moment before offering a tiny smile. "To actually fight… It was a good feeling."
"That's the spirit! But don't let it go to your head." Cid advised. After a moment, he said, "Well, I'm just glad nobody got hurt."
Quistis frowned at this and shook her head. "Actually, one of my students was injured, Headmaster. Naruto Uzumaki."
"Oh? I believe I saw him run by earlier. He seems to be doing alright." Cid replied as he glanced towards the library.
The blonde instructor smiled and nodded her head. "Naruto has always healed quickly from any injury, Sir. It's part of what makes him unique."
"That's right. You two did inform me once about his past. I can't believe I nearly forgot about that." Cid said, sounding sheepish.
Squall eyed the two of them curiously for a moment before shrugging it off. So the Headmaster knows about Naruto's past as well, hm? I don't think about it much, but I'm not sure if the reason for Naruto's healing factor is a blessing or a curse, all things considered.
Walking away from them, Squall headed towards the library. When he saw Seifer, he initially tried to walk past him, only for Seifer to call out, "Squall!"
Sighing, Squall reluctantly turned around and walked over to his rival. "Yes, Seifer?"
"D'you hear about the communication tower in Dollet? We would've been heroes if it weren't for that withdraw order." Seifer said, almost sounding like he was complaining.
"Seifer, we had our orders. You were just looking for a reason to fight, as per usual." Naruto could be heard saying as he walked up with Selphie, who had a stack of books in her arms. Seeing her struggling with them, the blonde chuckled a bit and took them from her, easily carrying them.
Before Seifer could reply, Quistis and Xu walked up, the former saying, "Naruto is right, Seifer. You were only looking for a fight."
Seifer grumbled irritably at this, but he relented and said, "My dear instructor. I'm hurt. Those are rather cruel words for an aspiring student. A mediocre instructor like you will never understand."
"What the hell did you just say to her?" Naruto asked angrily. "Apologize this instant you asshole!"
Once again, before he could say anything in response, Seifer was interrupted, this time by Xu. "Seifer, don't be so stuck on yourself. You'll take all responsibility for leaving the designated area."
Seifer shot a quick glare at Naruto for speaking out against him. However, rather than say anything in response to Naruto, he turned to face Xu and said, "Isn't it the captain's duty to take the best possible action?"
"Seifer, you'll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke." Xu replied, sounding somewhat smug. And with that being said, she turned around, waved them goodbye, and walked off.
Shortly after she left, Headmaster Cid stepped up beside Quistis and whispered something to her before she, too, left the area. This left Cid alone with the four students. Narrowing his eyes on Seifer, who had been shaking in rage, Cid said, "Seifer. You will be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior. You must follow orders exactly during combat. But I'm not entirely without sympathy for you. I don't want you all to become machines. I want you all to be able to think and act for yourselves. I am…"
Before Cid could finish what he was saying, someone approached and said, "Headmaster Cid, you have some business in your office…"
The Headmaster sighed and nodded his head in understanding. "There are so many issues at hand here." before he walked off.
Naruto looked at Selphie and said, "Let's get going Selphie-chan. I don't want to stick around here any longer than I have to. Especially not with him around."
Selphie nodded slowly and led Naruto off towards the dorms where they could be alone.
Left alone with Seifer, Squall could only sigh and shake his head. Seifer, you really dug your own grave here. Pity you, I do not.
After a moment, he heard an announcement blaring over the speakers. "All students who participated in today's field exam, report to the [2nd floor hallway]. I repeat. All students who took the field exam, report to the [2nd floor hallway]."
Squall looked in the direction Naruto and Selphie had left in and chuckled a bit. They'll have to leave their books in one of their dorm rooms and hurry up. Too bad, they could've been alone together for a while.
Naruto & Selphie
Selphie pouted as she helped Naruto put her books away in her room. "Phooey! I was hoping we'd have more time so we could just chat for a while. Sorry Naruto."
"Meh, no worries. We can always hang out later if you want?" he asked somewhat hopefully.
The brunette smiled brightly and nodded at him. "Gladly! Now, let's hurry up and get going! I want to see if we made SeeD or not!"
Chuckling a bit, Naruto allowed her to pull him along again. Despite himself, he couldn't help but enjoy being in her presence.
Once they exited the elevator out onto the 2nd floor, they saw Squall waiting for them. "Took you two long enough. You ready?"
Naruto nodded. "Of course. Let's get over there and hear the results. I hope we passed!"
Stepping into the hallway, they could see Zell pacing back and forth while Raijin and Fujin were on either side of the connecting corridor leading back to the elevator. "Heh, looks like everyone's already here." Naruto muttered.
After stepping into the hallway, they heard a voice from behind them. "Dincht...Zell Dincht."
Naturally, this had the effect of causing Zell to shout out in excitement before he rushed off, happy as can be to have passed. After he was gone, the person spoke up again, "Squall...Squall from Squad B. Please step forward."
After Squall walked off, Naruto looked at the man hopefully. When he lifted up the paper he was holding again, he called out, "Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki. Please step forward."
Naruto couldn't help himself as he cheered in excitement. "Woohoo! Finally!" before giving Selphie a great big hug. Afterwards, he rushed off, following after Zell and Squall.
Once he was gone, the person read one final name, "Tilmitt. Selphie Tilmitt."
Selphie cheered as well before hurrying off after her new best friend, Naruto. If she had stayed for a moment longer, she would have heard the man say, "That is all. Dismissed."
Headmaster's Office
"These are the 5 students that passed today's exam." a member of the Garden Faculty stated.
Cid rose from his chair and looked at each of them for a moment before saying, "First of all, congratulations. However… From now on, as a member of SeeD, you will be dispatched all over the world. We are proud to introduce SeeD, Balamb Garden's mercenary soldiers. SeeD soldiers are combat specialists. BUT… That is only one aspect of SeeD. When the time comes…"
Just as before, Cid was interrupted by the faculty member. "Headmaster… It's almost time for the meeting. Please make this short." Walking closer to the new SeeD, the faculty member said, "SeeD is a valuable asset to Garden. Its reputation is solely dependant on each one of you. Handle your mission with care." Turning back to Cid, the man asked, "Is that what you wanted to say, sir?"
Cid chuckled a bit and slowly nodded his head. The faculty member nodded and turned back to the new SeeD. "Here is your SeeD rank report!"
The Headmaster picked up some papers and walked up to Selphie first, whispering to her, "I'm looking forward to the Garden Festival."
Walking up to the SeeD that none of the four friends recognized, Cid whispered to him, "Do your best, even if you don't stand out." Naturally, Naruto heard this and it caused him to quietly chuckle to himself.
Next, Cid approached Zell and handed him his report. "Try to control your emotions a little." he whispered.
Then he walked up to Squall and handed him his report before whispering, "Finally… A gunblade specialist."
Finally, Cid walked up to Naruto and handed him his report before whispering to him, "Try not to be so reckless in the future. Still, I'm proud of you, Naruto. Good job."
As Cid returned to the center of the office, the faculty member spoke up again. "This ends the SeeD inauguration. Dismissed!"
Naruto and Squall remained behind while the others rushed off, too excited to remain standing still. As they approached the Headmaster, Cid said, "Oh, Squall, Naruto. Let me give you this. It's a Battle Meter. Make sure to check it frequently. It may come in handy for future battles."
Nodding in understanding, the duo thanked the Headmaster before they left his office, traveling back down the elevator to the 2nd floor. Once there, they could see Zell and Selphie strutting about proudly, which caused even the stoic Squall to chuckle a bit. "They sure seem happy." Naruto said with a happy smile on his face.
"That they do." Squall replied, cracking a small grin.
Stepping up to Zell, they heard him say, "Yo! Squall, Naruto! Let's get back to class." When they asked him 'Why?', he replied with, "What do you mean, 'why?' Don't you remember what new SeeD members do? They give a speech in front of the entire class! And after that, the inauguration party!"
Naruto went pale at this and shook his head. "Oh boy. The two of us aren't so great at the whole 'public speaking' thing. Couldn't we just, y'know...pass on this?"
"Nope! You've gotta do it buddy! Don't hold out on me now!" Zell exclaimed.
The whiskered blonde sighed and nodded his head somewhat reluctantly. "Damn it. Fine. But I do this under protest."
As they entered the hallway, they were shocked to see Seifer standing there waiting for them. Zell prepared for a fight, but Naruto held his arm in front of Zell and shook his head, telling him to wait. When Seifer stepped forward a couple of steps and began applauding, they were all very shocked. Okay...this is weird. Naruto thought to himself.
After all was said and done, Naruto looked at his report and saw that he had scored 100 points in Judgment, Attack, and Attitude. In Conduct he scored a measly 20 points, which caused him to grimace. In the Spirit category, he scored an odd 85 points, which confused him a bit. Then again, he figured it was probably like that because of how he challenged the X-ATM092 and destroyed it, rather than running away with the others. Looking down at the bottom of the report, he saw that his current SeeD Rank was 6. Could be worse, I suppose. Not bad overall, I'd say.
Reading further, he read the following:
As a SeeD member, you will be paid a salary at regular intervals.
The salary is determined by SeeD rank.
SeeD rank goes up according to your actions in battle.
Some actions will cause your rank to go down.
Huh, that's good to know. Naruto thought to himself with a shrug.
Later - Dorms
As Naruto and Squall returned to their dorm rooms, they saw Selphie waiting just outside for them in her brand new SeeD uniform. "HAH! Found you! See? My new SeeD uniform! How do I look?!" she questioned excitedly.
Before he could stop himself, Naruto said, "You look beautiful, Selphie-chan. I'm impressed."
When Selphie began blushing, Naruto realized what he had just said and slapped his hands over his mouth. After a moment, he removed his hands and said, "Shit. Sorry! It just kind of came out."
"N-No...it's alright. I'm happy. Thank you Naruto." she said before stepping up to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. "I can't wait to see what you look like in your new uniform, Naruto! I bet you'll look simply dashing!"
Blushing worse, Naruto slowly nodded and walked into his room so he could get changed. What the heck is going on with me? Why did I say something like that?!
When he finished changing, he took a deep breath and slowly exited his room, pausing as he saw Selphie. At first he was a bit hesitant, especially after how he had been acting with her, but soon shook it off and asked, "Well? How do I look?"
Looking him over, Selphie blushed again and said, "You...you really do look amazing in that, Naruto. You ready to go to that party? I know I am!"
Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Hell yeah. I'm looking forward to this!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air alongside Selphie.
"I swear, you two look like a couple when you do things like that." Squall said, teasing them good-naturedly.
The two of them blushed deeply and looked anywhere but at each other. "D-Don't tease us like that, Squall." Naruto said.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going." Squall said as he took the lead, leading them out of the dorms and towards where the party would be taking place. You may not see it just yet, Naruto, but it's obvious to even me that you two look good together. Maybe you should chase after her instead of Quistis. Might do you a world of good.
A/N - Yeah, I'm ending it there. Seemed like the perfect spot to end the chapter to me. Yeah, it's a little shorter than my usual chapter, but I really felt that was the best spot to end the chapter. *shrugs*
Anyways, as you can see, Naruto did, in fact, make SeeD! Yay Naruto! His rank is starting off a little lower than what I usually get in the game (Rank 9 usually), but that's to be expected, considering the kinds of actions he took during the field exam.
Also, like I said at the top of the chapter, a lot of this chapter was bonding moments between Selphie and Naruto. Personally, I think they're kinda cute together, don't you? I'm still not sure about the pairing for this fic, and it could likely be him with 2 or 3 girls, knowing me, sooo...who knows? If you have suggestions for the pairing, feel free to let me know either view comments or PMs.
And with that, I believe I've said pretty much everything I wanted to say. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!