Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 3: "Adjusting"
(Year: X775)
'…You know…I've been thinking…' Kurama mentioned to his only companion.
'Is that so…' It was obvious that Naruto didn't care. 'What else is new? Let me guess, it's about Azura?'
'Yeah. Okay, I know we went over this kind of stuff a hundred times by now, but…What about my Yin chakra?'
'What about it? It was sealed into the Shinigami's stomach with my father.' Naruto mentioned.
'But wouldn't that mean that would weaken the barrier she was talking about?' Kurama questioned.
'Perhaps the Shinigami exists outside the barrier or some shit like that.' Naruto stated. 'Now, be quiet. I need to concentrate…'
'Whatever, I was just asking a question…' Kurama grumbled and placed his head on his paws. 'It's just strange to wonder about. Plus, it seems that Azura is a 'god,' so why would she give someone the power to slay her? And what's the connection between our home world and Earthland that the old man used to talk about? And…'
Naruto ignored his partner and focused on the task at hand. He was in a simple examination room that April built into her house. There were shelves of medical books, a cabinets with organized medicine and bandages, and the bed wear the patients sit.
After a year of training with April, Naruto had learned enough about sky magic to get into the healing aspect of it. That was one of the differences between sky and wind magic. Not only was sky magic devastatingly strong, it had the ability to heal people. That made it even more useful…to everyone but Naruto. Truthfully, he didn't care about healing people, but it was a required part of his training, so he did it.
"Ah…" The aging farm sighed as the wounds on his leg healed. "Thank you, son. I thought that when the horse threw me off, I wouldn't able to walk for a month. Now, I can get my crops ready."
"Don't mention it." Naruto shrugged. "Kazen-sensei could have easily done it, Conner-san."
"Hahahahahahaha! True, but at least with you I don't have to deal with a tongue lashing! In fact, I don't think it would kill you to talk a little bit more, Naruto." Conner mentioned.
"I get that a lot…" Naruto gave a small chuckle and smiled at the man he knew for a year. "I managed to heal most of it. Your leg should be sore for a day or so, but besides that you'll be fine."
"Good! I can't trust that wishy washy son of mine to get the job done alone!" Conner jumped to his feet. "In fact, I better be getting back to him. Thanks again, Naruto!"
"You're welcome…" Naruto continued to smile as Conner left. Well…there were upsides to being a healer. Receiving thanks was very different than what he was used to in Konoha.
…But it was nice…
"You finished?" April questioned from the door frame. "How was he?"
"His leg was pretty banged up, but besides that…" Naruto shrugged. "He'll be fine."
"Did you give him any medicine or instructions?" April questioned.
"Should I have?" Naruto returned.
The woman sighed. "Yes, Naruto. Not everyone is like you. They can't get healed instantly."
"He'll be fine." Naruto shrugged.
"…Fine, but it's on you if he comes back within a week." April finally noted.
"And if that happens, I shall come to you on my hands and knees and beg for your forgiveness, Kazen-sensei." Naruto spoke up.
"Smartass…" April rolled her eyes. "I guess you don't want training today…"
"…" Naruto got on his hands and knees. "Forgive me, Kazen-sensei. I was wrong."
"Hahahahahaha!" The blond haired woman laughed. "Good to see that your ego is still non-existent. I give you credit, though, you're true to your word."
"I never go back on my word." Naruto raised from his bow. "Even if I was being sarcastic."
"Good to know. That means if I trick you into saying you'll rub my feet, you'll do it?" April smirked.
"…Yes, but there is no way you can trick me into saying that…" Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"You underestimate me…"
Gaara was content for the first time in his life. For the past year, he stayed in this desert and killed anyone that passed. Luckily, he quickly found a small oasis that had plenty of water and food. The red-haired boy usually stayed in the shade of the oasis and waited for anyone to appear in the horizon. And if someone appeared…Well, Gaara would prove his existence was greater than theirs.
The greatest part was that at nights, he could let himself sleep. Mother always took over when he let himself unconscious. Back at Suna, if he allowed this to happen, his father would stop his rampage and place him in lock up with guards to make sure he stayed awake. Now, though, he could sleep from sunrise to sunset.
Gaara was just grateful that Mother didn't move too far from the oasis. He actually enjoyed life while staying by the oasis.
"…" Gaara took a deep breath. Over the past year, he learned about this…new world that he was in. Despite his desire for blood, Gaara listened to the people that passed by before killing them. He now knew what the weird feeling in the air was. It was magic.
Apparently, that was the main form of energy in this world. That explained why the air was so rich. Magical energy was everywhere. While about equal in strength, magic was superior to chakra in one aspect. It was an outside source that people didn't need to live. If a magic user ran out of energy, they could just absorb more later. Chakra users, however, could possibly die by using too much energy.
Gaara thought about trying to work with magic, but it didn't work all that well. He tried to use his new magical abilities to control sand, but it didn't work the same way as with chakra. He could barely get it to move. Not that he stopped trying. When not killing travelers, Gaara didn't have a whole lot to do…
But when there was someone nearby…
"Hey you!" A voice snapped to Gaara. "Have you seen a demon around here? I've been contracted to kill it!"
Gaara grinned darkly. It was time to prove his existence again.
"So…I wasn't the only one sent here." Yugito noted as she nursed her drink.
"Yeeep, both of us were mashed to here in a flash, dawg~." Bee nodded his head.
"You know I hate being called dawg, Bee?" The twenty-one year old woman glared. "Can you please take this seriously? We've been gone from home for over a year."
"…" Bee looked around the guild hall of Lamia Scale. After hearing that this guild had a mage that had catlike tendencies and blue fire, Bee basically ran here from his own guild. Rubbing his guild mark, he mumbled. "Sorry."
"It's fine, Bee." Yugito sighed. "It's just how you are…"
"Yeah…" Bee nodded. "It is…How you been, number 2?"
"Pretty damn great." Yugito admitted. "This…has been the most relaxing year of my life."
"Me to, but…I miss home." Bee noted.
Yugito was silent.
"You don't?" Bee raised a blond eyebrow. His shades hid the confusion in his eyes.
"Bee…I worked hard to gain the respect of everyone in Kumo, but their eyes…" Yugito shuttered. "No matter what, they feared and hated me. Here though…"
She looked around. Her guildmates were cheering and laughing. Her guild master Ooba Babasaama was currently spinning a few of them that mouthed off to her. Her usual partner in missions, Jura Neekis who oddly enough was bald at the age of eighteen, was sitting patiently nearby. He was waiting for her to finish so they could go on their next mission.
There was even a few kids in the guild. One looked like a dogboy and the other had really large eyebrows.
"I am…happy." Yugito noted. "More so than I have ever been. I don't know what happened, but I'm grateful. I…I'm sorry that I feel that way. I know you must miss your brother."
"I do…But it is nice not to have to be yelled at by A-bro, but I promised to always have his back yo. Sorry, force of habit." Bee gained a sheepish grin.
"So will you work to find a way back?" Yugito questioned.
"…I'll try, but I don't know if I can." Bee frowned. "This complicated stuff isn't my forte…And I do enjoy my time in Blue Pegasus."
"I've met some of the mages from there…You definitely fit in there." Yugito smiled.
"That I do…" Bee groaned and rose to his feet. "Well, I leave you be, cause this Bee needs to get back to the nest, dawg."
"I'm a cat, not a dog…" Yugito rolled her eyes.
"Word, kitty cat, word…" Bee then began to leave. "Take care, yo~"
Seeing that her visitor was now gone, Jura approached the woman. "Your friend was very strange, Yugito."
"Yeah, but you won't ever meet a more loyal guy." Yugito smiled.
"Yugito! Jura!" Ooba jumped on top of the counter of the bar and spun her fingers in circles. "You need to get going or you'll miss your train! You must not disappoint our clients! Spinning!"
"Yes, Ooba-sama!" Yugito snapped to attention. Her eyes were sharp and her stature was rigid as her militaristic instincts kicked in as she saluted the guild master. "I will uphold the high standards of Lamia Scale!"
"I know you will!" Ooba declared. "You should all work as hard as Yugito! She sets the bar for all of you! Granted if she was around in my days…"
Everyone groaned as Ooba began to lecture them again. Even Jura looked bored. Yugito, however, stood at complete attention the whole time without moving a muscle.
"Sky Shot!" Naruto yelled as he sent a blast of air towards his teacher. The blast came out of his hand and was strong enough to crack the bark of a tree. April, however, blocked it with ease.
"Nice technique, now add more power behind it." April instructed.
"Hai!" Naruto rushed forward. He sent a roundhouse kick to her midsection. The wind flew around his leg in a sweeping motion. "Sky Whip!"
"Sky Burst." A strung gust of wind blew around April and hurled Naruto back. He still landed on his feet, but his attack didn't even get close to hitting his teacher.
"Sky Spear!" Naruto gathered wind around his hands. Then, in a straight votex of twirling wind, the magic attack flew towards April.
"Excellent…" April actually dodged what had become Naruto's favorite attack. "But you need more speed."
"Sky…" Naruto raised his hands together and was about to bring them down in an arching motion, but he was stopped.
"Sky Geyser." April waved her hands.
Wind burst from below Naruto's feet. The force sent him flying into the air. Luckily, while the attack was fast, it lacked the power to do any real damage to Naruto. Nevertheless, he tossed away into the nearby forest. He landed through the branches with a crash.
"In case you didn't know…I was trying to get you to use support magic." April noted as her apprentice dragged himself out of the trees and back to the clearing that was behind April's simple one story, blue home.
"I get it, but it takes time to use support sky magic." Naruto picked twigs out of his hair. "Even is I used it to speed myself up, I would be completely open. Then you would have told me not to drop my guard and used the same attack."
"You know me so well…" April sighed in contentment. "But if you sped up your incantation, you wouldn't be open so…be faster."
"Yes, master. Whatever you say, master…" Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Hey! Don't make fun of me, brat!" April stuck her tongue and and pulled her right eyelid down. "I'm the mature teacher here, and you're my humble little student that should do everything I say!"
"…I'm sorry, did you say something? I was cleaning out my ears…" Naruto put his finger in his ear and acted like he was cleaning it out.
"Gah…Who taught you to be such a brat?" April pouted and held her arms under her bust.
"You and Kurama." Naruto shrugged and then used the foxy smile that Kurama taught him. "You're both bad influences on me."
Over the course of the time Naruto spent with April, he revealed all his secrets to her. He didn't want her to ever question his motives or past while training him. Oddly enough, she seemed to believe him. Naruto didn't know if she was good at reading people or if she was gullible.
"Stupid brat…Saying I'm a bad influence…" April kicked him in the head and then held him down with her foot. "What do you say now?"
"…You're wearing a sundress…" Naruto stated.
"So?"
"You're standing over me…Cute panties by the way." Naruto mentioned.
"Thanks! I thought about wearing my silk ones, but then the red shows through the dress and people can see them…" April blinked. "Wait…Oh…You little pervert! Stop looking up my skirt!"
"Then get off of me, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. He then paused. Wait…
"Ha!" April released Naruto and stepped back laughing. "I got you to say it again! That's so hilarious!"
Naruto felt his flush. His sensei had a tendency to do things like things like this. She was always trying to shake him up by doing weird things like this. He had to admit that it worked. Naruto was coming out of the emotionless tendencies he had before. It also helped that Kurama's constant barrage of sarcastic remarks and mocking of basically everyone has been in his ear for years.
He was still the boy that viewed emotions as pointless, but he could understand the upsides a little now.
"I hate you…" Naruto muttered.
April knelt down and pinched his cheeks. In the most demeaning voice possible, she stated, "I love you too, Naru-chan!"
"What are we even doing?" Yagura questioned as he walked with his companion to the train station.
"We're going to go hunt some monsters!" Xion cheered. She was a taller woman than most. Her short hair was pitch black, but her eyes were a warm brown. Her dusty, torn, and old trench coat hid most of her figure, but Yagura knew that she had a very womanly body. "Burp!...Woah, I think I tasted pickles in that one. When did I have pickles?"
"You stole them from my plate at the restaurant…" Yagura sighed. "Can't you act like a lady for once?"
"No way! That's boring as hell!" Xion laughed and stomped the ground in laughter.
"AH!"
"Help! An earthquake!"
"We're all going to die!"
"Woops…" Xion stopped her moments and grinned sheepishly. "My bad!"
All the people began to run away screaming.
"Ah! Why do people always do that…" Xion sighed with a shrug. "I'm a fun person if you get to know me…and not get smashed to dust. A lot of my friends and old boyfriends got smashed to dust. But that was before I got my little sidekick!"
The woman hugged Yugara close. The difference in height caused her to lean down. Her sizeable breasts smashed against the top of his head.
The ex-Mizukage frowned. "I am not your sidekick! We are partners!"
"But people ask me if you're my kid." Xion mentioned. "How can I be partners with a little boy?"
"I am not a little boy! I am a fully grown man! I went through puberty! Respect that, damn it!" Yugara screamed.
"I know…" Xion smirked. "After all, you seem to be enjoying my hug a lot~"
"…No comment…" Yugara stated but did nothing to exit the hug.
"Of course not…" Xion exited the hug and looked around the train station. "Oh…I scared everyone of again…"
"Of course you did. Your laughter causes earthquakes. Your sneezes destroy buildings. And your or…Er…" Yugara paused.
"It rocks the world." Xion smirked.
"That is not a proper topic." Yugara stated firmly. "Let us move on immediately."
"You're such a stiff." Xion spat on the ground and scratched her armpit.
"And you are a slop." Yugara noted.
"Thank you."
"It was not a compliment."
"I'll take it as one…" Xion blinked. "Oh…I destroyed the tracks by accident…"
"Crap…" Yugara sighed and slumped down. "Now what?"
"Can we take the turutle?" Xion questioned.
"No. Last time you got so excited you almost put a crack in his shell. He is still quite displeased." Yugara noted.
"Oh…Time for the catapult then. Earth God's Catapult!" Xion noted. She waved her arms to the side. Beside the train station, the earth began to turn black and shift. A giant catapult was formed. "Let's go!"
"Damn…" Yugara followed the cheering woman. "I hate that cursed catapult."
"Roshi…" Han noted as he leaned back in his chair. "What's with the white and gold robes?"
"Eh?" Roshi blinked and looked down at his clothes. "You see there was this girl…"
"You never change old man. You see a pretty face and some wide eyes and you're wrapped around some girl's finger." Han laughed harshly. "Are you that desperate for some affection?"
"Not everyone is as gruff and cold as you, Han. And like you're one to talk about acting strange." Roshi eyed the place where Han was sitting. "You start a dark guild and sit on a thrown? I thought you hated authority figures."
"And what better way to stick it to those stiffs in the Magic Council than making a Dark Guild." Has shrugged from his spot on the throne. "It wasn't even really that hard. I just started beating people up, other people started following me, and then Death's Caucus Head was born."
"I can see that…" Roshi looked around the surprisingly well kept building. It was filled with people. They all didn't look like criminals. Most of them were incredibly normal. There were even a few kids here…one of them seemed to have an owl head… "I'm surprised that these are the people that follow you. They seem so…not violent."
"Just because we are a dark guild does not mean we are bad people." Han stated. "We just don't want to conform to the Magic Council's whims."
"That I can understand…they can be real assholes sometims…" Roshi sighed when he remembered when a few of the members came to the church and acted like they owned the place. "But I'm not here about any of that."
"Then why are you here?" Han questioned.
"I heard about you. The Steam Bull." Roshi stroked his red beard. "From the description, I knew it was you. I came to ask if you knew what happened. How did we end up here?"
"Who cares?" Han shrugged. "This place is a lot better than home. I don't have to deal with that big nosed old man and his stupid demands. Why are you even asking? I thought you were retiring anyway."
"Doesn't it bother you that you and I were teleported to this weird land without even a hint of what happened?" Roshi questioned. "I spoke with the High Priestess, but I don't want to explain everything just yet, so she can't give a full answer…"
Han did not care who the priestess was. "No, it doesn't bother me. I'm free now. That's all that matters. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, old man. You complained about Iwa even more than I did."
"Yeah…" Roshi rubbed the back of his neck. "At least now I can grow old in peace."
"That's the spirit."
"Are you still mad?" April questioned. They were in the small kitchen that she had in her home. It had a simple stove and sink, but there were pictures of flowers and clouds everywhere. The sky magic users even painted the ceiling to look like the sky and the floor to look like a garden.
"I was never mad. Anger is a useless thing." Naruto took a bite of the vegetable on his plate. "It makes people illogical and causes them to do things they regret."
"It is a human emotion, Naruto." April noted with a frown. "It isn't useless."
"Of course it is." Naruto eyed his teacher. "It is something that only brings suffering."
"You're wrong…" April stated. "It doesn't bring suffering. It is meant to bring an end to suffering. People get angry because things become unjust or unfair. Anger is a sign of passion and pride in what we care for."
"Whatever…" Naruto shrugged.
April frowned. "Do not take emotions so lightly, Naruto. They are what make us human."
"I have never been called human." Naruto rationalized. "I was raised as a weapon and am being trained to be a god slayer."
"And what makes you think I will even give you my notes on Sky God Slayer magic?" April questioned. "I can't even preform such magic. What makes you think you can?"
"Because I have to in order to fulfil my goal." Naruto stated.
"Okay…And what makes you think that I will even let you learn if you refuse to accept your emotions." April questioned. "Sky God Magic…It's dangerous. In the wrong hands, it could be used to destroy things like a hurricane could. I cannot in good conscience let someone emotionally unstable learn that magic."
"You…think I'm emotionally unstable?" Naruto frowned.
"No, not now, but if you keep bottling up what you feel, you'll crack. And then you will truly do something that you do regret." April noted. "You once told me that you refused to feel angry at the man that responsible for your parents' death. That's not a good thing Naruto."
"And what was I supposed to do? Get angry at him and get revenge?" Naruto questioned.
"No, you were supposed to grieve." April noted. "It's something you refuse to do."
"I can't grieve people I never met." Naruto rationalized.
"Maybe so, but you can grieve the fact that you never had the life you deserved." April mentioned. "But instead, you bury your emotions in your heart instead of dealing with them. That never ends well."
"…You act like I have experience in the matter." Naruto stated. "Feeling is not natural for me. I was trained…beaten into never feeling."
"And that's why I spend so much time trying to help you." April explained. "Even if it's small…you're making progress. Today, you were happy to help Conner and you were flustered by me. But until you're willing to open up, you will never be able to find happiness."
"No…I will never be happy until I learn Sky God Slayer magic." Naruto stood from the table. "And you refuse to let me teach myself."
"Because you're not ready."
"When will I be ready?
"When I say so."
"Then never…" Naruto frowned. "You know I've been ready for a few months, but you continue to keep me from it. Why? Because you're afraid of me leaving you and you being alone?"
"That's not it, Naruto." April glared at him.
"Is it because you pity me for my past?" He frowned.
"No, now stop-"
"No, I won't. Quit treating me like a child. I was never allowed to be a child, so now shouldn't be any different." Naruto stated. "So stop treating me like I'm some kid that you're completely responsible for. I'm not your son."
"…" April clenched her fork. "Go to your room. NOW."
"As your student, I will obey, but…Despite what you think, you're not my mother." Naruto walked away. "My mother died and abandoned me to a cursed life a long ago."
"Meh…The sun is so hot…" Utakata mumbled and leaned back in his small boat. "I wish it would get cloudy so the sun wouldn't burn so much…"
To his embarrassment, Utakata stayed at the tower for about a year. It wasn't that he didn't think about leaving. It was just that the tower was nice, dark, damp, and quiet…But the jinchūriki realized he couldn't stay there forever. While the cultists left him alone out of fear, the slaves glared and yelled at him to do something. He would…but he didn't care about some stupid humans. Plus, he should probably figure what happened to send him there in the first place.
It was then that Utakata decided to leave. It was no longer peaceful there for him there, especially with that red haired girl yelling at him.
So, Utakata grabbed a boat and sailed off. He didn't care about what happened to the people there. People never cared about him, so he didn't care about them. The jinchūriki didn't even feel slightly guilty by leaving.
"What to do now…" Utakata blew bubbles from his pipe. He learned a lot about this world from listening to the cultists. From what they said, it might be smart to find a guild or something. "Ah…I don't want to work, though…"
He just wanted to relax and not have to deal with stupid crap. Maybe he could just live in a forest instead? Eat the fruit and relax by a waterfall or something…
"I need to find land, though…" The brown haired boy realized. "…Which way do I go?"
It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't exactly think things through all that much. But that wasn't anything new. It could be worse, people could be trying to kill him or he could be back at the village. Those guys back at his home village were depressing. At least now he didn't have to deal with them.
"I guess I can purify the water and eat the fish…" Utakata realized. "And the sun won't do too much damage to a jinchūriki, but it's a pain…"
He was then covered by shade.
"Oh?" Utakata blinked. "That works. Maybe I should complain about things more…"
Vroooooooom!
"Huh?" Utakata looked up to see a floating ship thing…or something. "Well, that's new…"
"It is, isn't it?"
"Yep. Pretty impressive."
"Thank you. I take pride in my mobile guild."
"Your mobile guild…" Utakata turned and blinked at the elderly man with long hair and an eye patch. He was floating over the water. There was no shadow, though, so it was probably an illusion. "That's your ship…or something?"
"Yes. I've been using it to look for you." The elderly man noted.
"Looking for me?" Utakata tilted his head.
"Yes, you terrorized the Tower of Heaven with ease for a year. That is very impressive." The man explained. "So impressive, that I want you to join my guild."
"Guild, eh…" The teen rubbed his head. "I don't know…would I have to do boring stuff?"
"Not often, no." The old man stated.
"…Alright, I guess. I don't have anything better to do." Utakata shrugged. "And…what's your name, guild master?"
"Hades. Master of Grimoire Heart."
"Obaa-chan!" Fu cried as she ran into the house shaped tree. "I got the plants you wanted."
"Good, those Fairy Tail idiots keep hurting themselves, so I need as much supplies a possible." Porlyusica noted from her desk. She was currently making medicine.
"Then why do you want me to go there, Obaa-chan?" Fu tilted her head to the side.
"Because I want you to go away, stupid child." Porlyusica rolled her eyes.
"Oh…But then who would get the plants for you?" Fu questioned.
"I can get my own plants!" Porlyusica snapped.
"Not as fast as me!" Fu bragged. "My bugs lead me right to the ones I want."
"…That is true, but it's not worth dealing with you…" Porlyusica mentioned with a frown.
"You always say that, Obaa-chan, but I know you put that extra blanket on me last night." Fu beamed at her most precious person.
"No I didn't…." Porlyusica argued weakly.
"Yes you did! Despite what you say, you like me." Fu looked absolutely content at that moment. "You're the first person to ever be kind to me, that's why I love Obaa-chan!"
"It's sad if I'm the nicest person you ever met." Porlyusica mentioned sadly. "You should really go to Fairy Tail. You would be happy there."
"But then Obaa-chan would be lonely. I can't let that happen." Fu stated.
"I don't get lonely. I hate humans and moved out here to get away from them." Porlyusica argued.
"I know. But I'm not a human. I'm a jinchūriki." Fu mentioned.
"Hmmm…'The power of the human sacrifice'…" Porlyusica remembered when Fu first explained what that was. The tales she heard about what it was like to be a jinchūriki made her hate humanity even more. How could anyone ever hate an innocent child like that? "There are nine of you right?"
"Yeah."
"Tell me, do you think they might have teleported between worlds with you?" Porlyusica knew that the girl she was caring for was from a different world. Just like her…except it wasn't Edolas. It was a different world, one that was filled with war and grief.
"Maybe, but that might end badly." Fu stated. "A lot of us are really destructive. I heard that number 9 has the power to shatter mountains and cause tsunamis with a swipe of the tail."
"I see…" This worried Porlyusica greatly.
"But you don't have to worry about that with me!" Insect like wings extended from the girls back and allowed her to float into the air. "Because I'm lucky number 7! With my good luck, I'll make sure nothing bad ever happens to Obaa-chan and her guild!"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Naruto?" April's voice sounded behind the door to the jinchūriki's room.
"Yes?" Naruto answered. He was meditating on the middle of his room. "What is it?"
"…I need to speak with you." April noted.
"Then come in, Kazen-sensei." Naruto did not open his eyes.
April entered the small room. It did not have a lot in it. A shelve full of sky magic books and a small desk were the only furniture besides the bed. "…You need to liven up the place, you know that."
"I can see the sky from the window. That is all I need." Naruto opened his eyes but did not rise from his position.
"Of course you would say that…" April walked over to his bed and sat down. "Is that all you care about?"
"Somewhat, yes. There's still Kurama, but besides that..." Naruto answered immediately. "It was the only comfort I had for a long time."
"…You are still a cold person, Naruto." She gave him a sad look. "But you are also observant. What you said was hurtful…but true. I have been treating you like a child…and you haven't been a child for a long time."
"That…doesn't excuse my rudeness." Naruto bowed his head. "Forgive me, Kazen-sensei."
"I wish you wouldn't call me that…" April mentioned sadly.
"It is the proper thing to call you." Naruto rationalized.
"Still…" The blonde woman gained a wistful look. "…Never mind. You were right. I am holding you back. You have such potential, and I was wrong to try and halt your progress. That's why I'm giving you this."
She used a magic called Requip which stored items in a pocket dimension. The item she summoned was an old tomb that seemed to be falling apart.
"Is that…" Naruto eyed the book.
"Yes. This has all the notes available on Sky God Slayer Magic. I could never get it to work, but I think it takes a certain kind of person to be able to use this magic." April stared at the book.
"…Can I see it?" Naruto finally rose and stared at the book.
"Yes, but only on one condition." April explained. "If I give you this book, you must allow me to teach you more than magic. You must let me teach you what it means to be a human. We'll do lessons on emotions."
"…And that is you final offer?"
"Yes."
Naruto frowned. April's new lessons seemed pointless, but he needed to learn that magic. It was the only way to get close enough to being like the sky. "Fine. I agree."
"Excellent!" April cheered and handed him the book. "We'll start tomorrow!"
"Okay…" Naruto held the book close to him.
"You should get some rest then." April walked to the door. "I think that tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Yeah…It probably will be…" Naruto probably wasn't going to sleep, though. He wanted to read this book.
"Goodnight, Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow." April stated from the doorframe.
"Goodnight, Kazen-sensei." Naruto peered into his book.
"…" April paused and looked back. "Naruto?"
"Yes?" Naruto looked up.
"…What you said…about me treating you like my son…you were right." April mentioned. "I do think of you as a son, because…I never had the chance to have one."
"…Why are you telling me this?" Naruto questioned.
"I don't know. Maybe it's your first lesson. Maybe it's your last." April shrugged. "But I want you to think about it for a while."
"…If you say so." Naruto eyed her.
"Goodnight, Naruto." With that, she closed the door.
'Kit?' Kurama spoke up. 'Are you okay?'
'Of course I am. I have my ticket to Sky God Slayer magic now.' Naruto gave a small smirk.
'That's not what I meant.'
'I know, but I don't want to think about that.' Naruto mentioned. 'Right now, it's time to start my journey to become a god slayer. That's all that matters.'
This will be the last time I will show how the other jinchūriki are doing for a while. The main focus of the story is Naruto, but the other jinchūriki will show up. Some have more spotlight than others, but they're all important.
Thank you all for reading and please remember to…
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