And we're back! Welcome to Twilight Key, Chapter 50.5!
Anyways, on with the story!
I don't own Naruto, Kingdom Hearts, or anything else. I'm just a broke college student…
Normal Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Normal Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Bijū/Deity Talking: "Insert witty remark here."
Bijū/Deity Thinking: 'Insert witty remark here.'
Scene Change: Insert Place Here
Jutsu/Magic/Technique: Insert Jutsu Here
The first time she saw him, she couldn't help but think that there was something…different about the boy. Not that that was a bad thing, but there was definitely something that set him apart from the others. Even going by the strange standards and pace at which children developed here, something about him stood out from any child of his age.
But after going beyond a short glance, she still couldn't determine what about him had caught her attention.
At first, she had thought that it was simply his unique eyes and hair. After all, heterochromia wasn't something that you saw every day, nor was hair that was naturally colored in such a way that made a certain strawberry's hair look natural.
Such notions were dismissed when her eyes still drifted over to the boy, despite her already registering the colors in her mind.
Next, she considered the possibility that she was subconsciously sensing something about the boy…Something that wasn't what the people of this world called chakra. Perhaps he she was detecting the form of energy that she had long grown used to in her own world? Could he be from her world?
This idea was also discarded when she concluded that as far as she could tell, he didn't have anything beyond chakra. Although she did note the fact the energy she could sense from the boy was tinged with something…else. But an anomaly like that was more of her best friend's area of interest, not hers.
Now focusing solely on the boy, she scanned him again. This time, she paid special attention to his other characteristics, trying to see something there besides his strange whisker marks. After a minute, she realized that she had seen his features somewhere before, along with those hair and eye colors. The blond hair and cerulean eye greatly resembled the leader of this village -The Hokage, she reminded herself- and the crimson hair with the violet eye color were things she had seen in the man's wife that one time they were in the same area. And while the eye colors were slightly different -The cerulean eye was a touch too bright and the violet one was a shade too dark- it was still easy to tell that this boy was their son.
However, even that observation didn't satisfy her curiosity.
By then, she was beginning to feel slightly irritated. Here she was, a previous captain with centuries of experience in reading people within the timespan of a blink -A skill gained from battles of both the political kind and the bloody kind- and yet she couldn't figure out what it was about this boy that made her notice him.
She scanned their surroundings, thinking that maybe he only appeared out of place in the current setting.
Initially, she didn't think anything of it. He was a young boy -A child, no matter if compared to a normal person or someone of her age- and it was the middle of the day. They were in an empty training ground, yes, but it wasn't completely uncommon for children to play there instead of a park. And from what she had seen during her short stay in this world, children were free to wander around without supervision.
To her consternation, this idea also proved to not be enough to help her determine the source of his oddity.
Taking a moment to sigh silently, she took in his appearance again, trying to spot anything that didn't belong.
Her eyes started towards the ground and worked their way up. Typical blue shinobi sandals, black pants with orange stripes, a white shirt with a swirl on the back…Nothing out of place.
But while she didn't see what made him different, she did pause when she saw his expression. Slowly, concern joined the curiosity she was feeling, both caused by the boy.
While it could be something simple -He was a child. There was a good chance that it ultimately was not important- that depressed and lonely look in his eyes made her want to help him somehow.
Suddenly, she blinked.
Why couldn't she help him? It most likely wouldn't cause problems, and he seemed like he needed someone there for him.
And this way, she may be able to figure out what about him called out to her.
Her mind made up, she stood up and stretched before jumping down from the tree she had been resting in, landing gracefully and without sound. As she had expected, the boy did not notice the presence of anything else in the vicinity. Resisting the urge to shake her head in response to his lack of awareness, she walked up to him.
From the moment he arrived in the training ground to then, he had yet to move from his position on the ground, sitting against a tree. All he had done from his arrival to then was stare up towards the clouds.
Nudging her head against his leg, she forced down the chuckle that threatened to escape when the boy jumped in surprise at the sudden contact. When his wide eyes landed on her, she tilted her head at him.
"Meow." It was a good thing she could freely control her voice in this form. The one she usually used in this state wouldn't have been convincing in any way.
The boy blinked several times. "…A cat?" He glanced around. "Do you belong to someone around here?"
Scoffing inwardly at the idea that she belonged to anyone, she nudged his hand with her head. As she expected, the boy understood the silent command and began to pet her. And while he wasn't the best at it, she appreciated the feeling nonetheless.
A small smile appeared on his face when the sounds of purring reached his ears. "Heh. That feels good, huh?"
"Meow~" His smile grew at the contented meow, taking it as confirmation.
"Glad I could help." He said. Unfortunately, that seemed to be as far as his interest in her went before he resumed his previous activity of staring up at the sky, although his hand was still absently stroking her. His expression had once again shifted into something that compelled her to act.
Not fighting the urge, she leapt up onto his lap, again surprising the boy. "Huh?" The boy stared at her with wide eyes as she propped her two front paws against his chest and mewed quietly. His surprise grew before melting into comprehension. "Oh? You can tell that I'm sad? You're a smart cat…"
"Meow…" She tilted her head again.
The boy smiled. "Okay, I'll tell you why I'm sad." His smile grew. "But first, I need to choose what I'm going to call you…"
"Meow?"
"Hm…" The boy looked her over and nodded to himself. "You're a black cat…So I'm going to call you Kuro!" He declared.
Well, there were certainly worse names that he could have chosen. Deciding to go with it, she rubbed up against him affectionately, purring as she did so. This action made the boy break out into laughter.
"It's nice to meet you, Kuro." The boy greeted. "I'm Naruto!" And from there, he launched into a retelling of the small changes he had been noticing when it came to his relationship with his family.
Listening to the story, she concluded that the boy really did need someone to talk to, even if that person was simply a cat. With that thought, she decided that she didn't mind being that person. She would be there for him as much as he needed her to be.
Even if that meant that Yoruichi Shihōin, the Goddess of Flash, needed to be Kuro the cat to do it.
Naruto went home that first time smiling slightly, and when he came back a couple of days later, Yoruichi approached him again to keep him company. Then he returned the after a couple of days had passed, earning the same result. This pattern repeated itself, to the point that Yoruichi didn't go a week without seeing Naruto at least twice, but she didn't mind in the least.
Eventually, Naruto started to visit that training ground often to train there. On those days, Yoruichi would greet him as she usually did before walking over to a patch of shade to watch. She could tell that Naruto appreciated her presence, even if she was doing nothing more than being a bystander.
Although she still couldn't determine what it was about him that stood out to her, she found herself enjoying his company just as much as he did hers. He was genuinely a good kid, so she didn't mind.
Before either of them knew it, months had gone by like that.
'This boy…' Yoruichi shook her head when she walked into her favorite training ground to relax in, only to find Naruto there, sleeping.
In her favorite spot.
Deciding that he needed to be punished for such an act, Yoruichi took a moment to crouch before leaping up onto the branch. With silence that was equal parts due to her current form as well as her personal skill, she made her way over to his head. When he suddenly began to shift around, she feared that she had somehow woken him up, but her worries were put to rest when he sat up, took a single look around while yawning, shrugged, and then laid back down. Knowing that it was the time to act, Yoruichi darted forward so that her face was only inches from his.
It was with great satisfaction that she watched him yelp in surprise and fall out of the tree.
After his half-hearted grumbling, Naruto spent the next few minutes talking to Yoruichi, as he normally did when he had something on his mind. The subject of the talk did cause her to contemplate things, though.
She had known that he used to have strange dreams when he was younger -He mentioned it to her once or twice- but this was the first time that he went in depth about what went on in one of those dreams, beyond mentioning a few names or objects. She was just as confused about his dream as he was, but unlike him, Yoruichi considered the possibility that something else was at work here. Children do not normally dream about monsters, fighting, getting swallowed by darkness, and moral questions. So, what was different about Naruto?
Was the reason he was having these dreams also the reason that he stood out to her?
Yoruichi was pulled back to the situation at hand when Naruto's thoughts turned to his family, and Yoruichi was surprised just how difficult it was to not hiss at the mention. She hadn't met any of them personally, but what they were doing to Naruto greatly angered her.
The sound of sniffling made her anger grow further, but she forcefully shoved it aside in favor of comforting the boy, as she had been doing for months.
Back in her world, many people would be shocked that she would dedicate so much time to helping a single boy, and there were some that she knew would tease her about it. A certain firework-loving Shiba came to mind.
But seeing Naruto smile at her, Yoruichi couldn't bring herself to care.
When Naruto didn't return to the training ground for more than two weeks, Yoruichi was contemplating an impromptu infiltration mission into the Uzumaki-Namikaze household to check on him. Two days before the deadline of when she decided to launch her plans, she was relieved to see the subject of her thoughts wandering into the training ground, although he did seem to be distracted by something.
She wasn't expecting to hear him think aloud about finding someone who could teach him how to use a sword. Yoruichi approved of this idea, as learning how to use a weapon was smart for anyone to do, especially if that person would be experiencing combat in the future, but she couldn't say that she supported his plan of finding some random person to teach him. Her tail swished idly as she contemplated what he needed.
Moving beyond the fact that he would be asking a stranger, there were also the possibilities that the person he asked wouldn't be a capable teacher. Or they may not have a style that was suited for him. On top of that, Yoruichi had also noticed that Konoha was somewhat lacking when it came to the number of sword users in the village. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if the best in the village at the moment was Kis-
Her tail froze at that thought.
Could that work?
…Yes.
But would he be willing to do it? After all, he didn't know Naruto. And while her vouching for the boy would get the man curious, she couldn't force him to take on a student. So that meant that Naruto had to be capable of impressing him enough to convince her friend to train him. But would Naruto be deemed as someone worth the time and effort?
Yes, she decided. The man would be willing to teach Naruto.
She has interacted with Naruto enough to get a good read on his person, and what she has seen impressed her. Yoruichi had no doubt that her friend would also find him impressive.
With her decision made, Yoruichi rubbed her body against Naruto's leg, getting the boy's attention, planning to lead him to a certain shop in the village and meet his -hopefully- new teacher.
And who knows? Maybe Kisuke would be able to discern what it was that made Naruto special.
It was with great satisfaction that Yoruichi watched Naruto trudge away. As she had expected, Kisuke had become interested in him upon learning that she had personally guided him to the shop. Knowing that she wouldn't have done that for just anybody, he led Naruto down to the training ground -At this point, was it a replica of the original training ground or a replica of the replica?- for a short test.
Yoruichi could tell that Kisuke was as surprised as she was to see how competent Naruto was with a sword. Not in the sense of skill -No, definitely not that- but in the sense that even at the age of six, he already knew what needed to go into a strike to truly make it powerful, which was something that Kisuke heavily emphasized when training someone.
Now here she was, hours after the initial meeting, feeling pride of all things over how much potential Naruto had. The fact that Kisuke agreed with her made it all the better. As the eccentric candy shop owner turned to head back into the store, a thought occurred to Yoruichi.
"Kisuke…" She began, prompting him to stop and glance over his shoulder at her.
"Hm?"
She paused, trying to find the words. "…Did you notice anything…different about Naruto?"
Kisuke tilted his head. "Different? I'm guessing you mean besides the bit about a six-year-old wanting to learn how to use a sword? Or that he knows that fear will only hold him back? Not to mention that he apparently has a troubled life?"
"Yes, besides those." Yoruichi responded.
Her lack of sarcasm in any form in the face of his own clued him in that she was being serious. "Well…There was something…familiar about him, that's for sure. And I'm not talking about his looks. I'm referring to his personality and the presence he has. If I'm being honest, he reminds me a lot of Ichigo." He admitted. "Is that what you meant?"
Yoruichi tilted her head in thought. Was it what she meant? Now that he pointed it out, she could certainly see a few similarities between Naruto and Ichigo, but was that it?
Eventually, she shook her head. "…No, it isn't."
"Then what did you mean?" He asked in interest.
"The best way that I can phrase it is that it is as if there is something about him that makes me react to him on a subconscious level. I don't know what it is, but he stands out to me for some reason." Yoruichi explained.
"Interesting…" Kisuke murmured. "Well, he didn't have that effect on me. Do you think it's a cause for concern?"
"No." She said immediately. "It's nothing like that. It's just…curious, is all."
"Huh. If you say so…" Because she wasn't looking at him, she didn't see the grin growing across his face. "Are you sure that your maternal instincts aren't taking hold? Maybe you had a feeling of incompleteness inside of you that you didn't even notice, and it is only now coming out?" Yoruichi sighed quietly at this.
The next thing Kisuke knew, his face had been slashed open by an irritated cat.
"Okay, that's enough for today, Naruto-kun!" Yoruichi cracked an eye open when she heard Kisuke call an end to the training session.
"Huh…? But I…can still continue!" The twelve-year-old boy panted out, despite looking as if he was about to collapse. Defiant, he lifted his blade again, but there were obvious holes in his stance that weren't normally there. "…Come on…Let's keep going!"
'Not again…' Sighing to herself, Yoruichi stood up and took a moment to stretch. Now more awake, she made her way across the rocky terrain and over to Naruto.
"I don't think you can!" Kisuke laughed.
"Says you!" Naruto argued.
"No, not says me." Kisuke smiled when Naruto blinked at him in confusion. "Says the annoyed cat behind you."
"Wha-?" Naruto was cut off by the claw that suddenly started to maim his face. "Ow! Yoruichi!" He hissed, glaring at the feline. "What the hell?!"
The boy's obvious pain only served to make Kisuke laugh harder, but it stopped abruptly when Yoruichi turned towards him with a paw raised. Understanding the clear threat, he coughed and blocked his mouth from view with his fan.
Yoruichi nodded. If anyone knew how much her claws hurt, it was Kisuke. With that done, she refocused her attention on Naruto and motioned her head in the direction of the exit.
"What? Come on, I'm not that tired." Naruto protested. "Why should we stop?"
Kisuke quirked an eyebrow at him. "You're not usually this enthusiastic about training. What's the rush?"
Instead of answering immediately, Naruto averted his eyes, much to the confusion of the other two present. "It's…" Feeling some worry seep in, Yoruichi rubbed her head against his head in a show of support. The contact had the desired effect, as Naruto smiled down on her. Shaking his head, he spoke his mind. "…I'm gonna graduate from the academy in two months."
It was now Yoruichi's turn to blink in surprise. 'Has it truly been that long already?' That meant that it had already been more than six years since she and Kisuke had arrived in this world.
Since she had met Naruto.
Taking another look at Naruto, Yoruichi momentarily had trouble reconciling that the normally confident and skilled boy in front of her was the same boy who had wandered into a random training ground, depressed because of familial issues.
It was even more difficult to reconcile that the same boy that she had comforted and supported so many times would soon be considered an adult by the standards of this world.
To Yoruichi's confusion, she felt slightly sad to realize that over six years had flown by so quickly, despite being centuries old. In the long run, six years didn't mean much to her.
Or at least they shouldn't.
Yoruichi was pulled from her thoughts when Naruto continued speaking. "When that happens, I'll be assigned to a team, and I will have to spend a lot of my time with them…" He said. "…I won't be able to come here anymore because my training will be done."
Understanding hit Yoruichi at this. He was sad that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with them anymore. Truthfully, Yoruichi was also somewhat disappointed at this realization. Just as it had become common to meet Naruto frequently in the training ground when he was younger, it had become common to see him around the shop frequently. The knowledge that that would stop didn't sit well with her.
She rubbed against him again while throwing a meaningful glance at Kisuke. Spotting this, Kisuke adopted a smile and waved hand lazily. "Ara? What are you talking about, Naruto-kun? Why would you stop coming here?"
Naruto blinked in surprise. "Huh? Because of my team…?"
"So? Why would they prevent you from coming here?" The shop owner asked. "Of course you will continue coming here! I still need your help around the shop and other general tasks! Not to mention your training. I'm pretty sure that this is the best training ground in the village, after all."
The boy stared at him with wide eyes. "…I can still come back?"
Kisuke laughed while Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "I just said that you can. In fact, you're going to! This place wouldn't be the same without you here. You might not be able to come here as often, but you're still welcome here."
Hearing this, Naruto was stunned into silence for a few moments. Eventually, a small smile spread across his face. "…Thanks." He said quietly.
Yoruichi purred as she started to push Naruto in the direction of the ladder. "Yoruichi's got the right idea. Go get some rest."
"Yeah, yeah…" Naruto trudged over to the ladder. "Do you mind if…" A yawn interrupted him. "…if I use the spare room to sleep?"
"You know it's okay, Naruto-kun!" Kisuke called back. "Now go!" Naruto's smile grew as he reached the ladder and began to climb it.
Once he was gone, Yoruichi sighed. "That boy…So that's what has been bothering him lately?"
Kisuke shrugged. "Guess so. But I can somewhat see where he's coming from."
"Hm…" Yoruichi hummed thoughtfully, but a sudden smirk appearing on Kisuke's face made her grow suspicious. "…What are you planning?" She asked.
"Oh, nothing much…" His chuckle did nothing to relieve her apprehension. "I simply thought of an interesting way to test Naruto's skills."
"…Just don't do anything illegal."
"Relax, it's perfectly legal."
"…"
"…Okay, maybe some graffiti and disturbing the peace a bit. But that's it!"
Yoruichi sighed again.
Yoruichi averted her eyes away from Kisuke's smirk. "What do you want?" She demanded.
"So…Soifon, huh?" He asked, smirk growing.
She huffed. "Shut up. It was the first thing that came to mind. He knows my cat form as Yoruichi, so I couldn't use that name for my normal form. I didn't want to spoil that secret yet." She defended.
Kisuke nodded. "Makes sense, I suppose." He agreed. "…I just find it funny that you failed to notice the presence of a twelve-year-old bo-"
"Shut up!" Yoruichi's cheeks darkened faintly. "I was relaxing a bit and I wasn't expecting him to come here. You said it yourself, he doesn't normally come here this early!" His laughter only made her more annoyed. Deciding to make herself feel better, she lashed out a leg and sent the chuckling moron into the wall.
He groaned. "…That was unnecessary…"
"I don't care." With that, she turned and walked away, intent on returning to her magazine. 'Well, I guess this is fine…' At least this way she could more actively interact with Naruto…
A small smile formed on her lips.
"…What didn't you tell him?" The abrupt question made Kisuke glance down at Yoruichi, only to see her staring at him with a serious expression.
Knowing what she meant, he returned his gaze towards the door that Naruto had just left through only a few moments ago. "…What I didn't tell him was the entire scope of Gato's actions. I didn't tell him exactly how despondent the people in the Land of Waves are." Kisuke's voice grew quieter. "It is a lot like the slums of the Rukongai."
Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "And why didn't you tell him that?" The room was silent for a minute as she waited for his response.
"I didn't tell him because it wouldn't have done him any good. It isn't possible to truly understand it without seeing it for yourself, so I didn't even bother trying to put it into words." They locked eyes. "What he needs right now is to see the darker side of humanity. I wish we could protect him from that, but that is impossible."
"He's already been forced to mature faster than the other kids of this world." Yoruichi retorted.
"You and I both know that that isn't enough. If he's that intent on becoming stronger, then we need make sure he is prepared for what he is going to see. People are capable of far worse than what he is going to come across in the Land of Waves."
Yoruichi frowned, but didn't say anything.
As much as she hated to admit it, Kisuke was right.
Yoruichi's tail swished lazily. When Naruto had returned from the mission, it was simple to tell something was off about him. And when he had relented and told the two of them what had happened, she felt her heart constrict at the knowledge of what he had been exposed to.
Witnessing the darker side of humanity was one thing, but actually taking lives? Yoruichi didn't want him to be exposed to that just yet.
She was thankful that Kisuke was able to handle the situation so well and help him through it. Both Yoruichi and Kisuke were aware that Naruto was still bothered about losing control like he did, but she was confident that he would eventually work through it.
And then came the second part of the conversation.
Light? Darkness? Keyblades? Travelling to different worlds?
Yoruichi sighed as she thought over everything Naruto had told her and Kisuke. When Naruto had suddenly asked Kisuke about a town that should have been impossible for him to know about, she had not been expecting to hear a story like that.
This knowledge put a new perspective on his actions in the Land of Waves. If he wasn't careful, then there would be a chance that Naruto would grow to be wary of his own abilities. And if what he said was true, which it probably was, then Naruto couldn't afford to hold himself back like that. His role was an important one. In a way, a Keyblade wielder could be compared to the Soul Reapers of her world, but on a much larger scale.
'But…' She glanced towards the body passed out on Kisuke's back. The boy overexerted himself by showing off too much while sparring with Kisuke. '…Maybe it isn't too surprising that Naruto has such a big role.'
She had always known that there was something different about Naruto, but even after knowing him for several years, what it was exactly that made him different eluded her. Maybe she had been subconsciously picking up his twilight capabilities?
But according to Naruto, he didn't unlock those until a little before his sixth birthday, but Yoruichi had known him longer than that.
Was that what she was detecting back then, even though it was still locked?
"There sure have been a lot of foreign people stopping by lately…" Kisuke mused after another person from a different village left the shop.
Yoruichi cracked an eye open. "They're most likely here for the chūnin exams that Naruto-kun told us about."
"Hm, that makes sense." Kisuke nodded.
From her spot on the counter, Yoruichi glanced at the clock on the wall. "According to what Naruto-kun told us, the exams should be starting pretty soon." She muttered.
Hearing her, Kisuke smiled. "You're worried about him." It wasn't a question.
"…Yes, I am…" Yoruichi admitted.
"You know he is very skilled for his age. I would be shocked if he could be beaten by most of the kids participating. I would say that he could beat all of them, but there are always outliers." Kisuke said.
"I know that, but…" She shook her head. "I don't know what it is, I just…have a bad feeling about these exams."
Kisuke frowned minutely. "Is it the other jinchūriki?"
Thinking it over, Yoruichi hesitantly responded. "No, that's not it…I have faith that he can get an opening to lock the bijū, but…" She shrugged. "I can't describe it." There was simply something…ominous in the air.
"Is that so…?" Kisuke's frown deepened.
Yoruichi was silent as she watched Naruto head to the guest -At this point, it would probably just be easier to officially call it his- room. Once he was gone, she and Kisuke sat in silence for a minute. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
From his spot next to her, Kisuke watched her with a neutral expression. "…He's gone now. You can let it out."
Immediately, the entire area was consumed by her spiritual pressure.
"…You're angry." Kisuke stated.
"You're damn right I'm angry." She hissed. "That man dared to say that Naruto would be a burden if he stayed? That he would get in the way?!" The air grew even heavier, but Kisuke still didn't show any visible reaction. "I should-!"
"You shouldn't do anything." Kisuke interjected. "Naruto has asked us to not do anything, so we won't."
"But-!"
"Yoruichi!" Kisuke snapped, shocking her out of her anger, making the oppressive feeling in the air disappear. He never yelled at her, especially not like that. "I know you're furious. I am, too! But we have to respect Naruto's wishes. Don't let your anger make you do something you will regret. It will only end up with Naruto growing angry at us as well."
Yoruichi scowled, but eventually nodded. "You're right…You're right." She sighed. "…I knew something would happen. Things have been…changing ever since that mission to the Land of Waves."
"Have things been changing, or are we simply more aware than we had been?"
"Things have been changing." Yoruichi replied with certainty. "While Naruto's abilities can't be described as anything new, the changes he has told us in his family are. They never paid so much attention to him in the past, so why are they doing it now?" Her eyes narrowed as her tail flicked angrily. "And now he has a highly dangerous criminal interested in him as well. Things are definitely changing."
Kisuke hummed. "True…But that means that we need to prepare. So that when the big changes do come, we'll be ready."
Yoruichi glanced at him. "What did you have in mind?"
"Nothing concrete yet, just ideas."
"Hm…" Yoruichi's thoughts turned inward.
They would also need to make sure that Naruto was ready.
"A dream eater?" Yoruichi asked curiously, looking over Naruto's shoulder as he went through the cards he suddenly obtained. "You can summon the creatures on these cards?"
"Yeah, I can." Naruto said with a smirk. "According to Hikari and Yami, all I need to do is apply some twilight to the card to summon them."
"Makes sense, I guess…" A small smirk pulled at her mouth as Naruto passed a card with a dream eater that resembled a flower. "I have one question though."
"Go for it."
Unsure how to phrase it, she spoke slowly. "You said they were synthesized from your heart?" He nodded. "Then why are they so…cute?" Yoruichi asked.
Blushing slightly, Naruto glared at her. "Shut up. Not all of them specialize in battle. Some of them are meant for support."
From where he was standing nearby, Kisuke laughed. "Oh, it's okay, Naruto-kun! You don't need to be bashful around us! We already know that you're cuddly on the inside, you tsunde-gah!" A sudden fireball aimed at his head forced him to duck. "Hey, watch it! That's dangerous!"
"Shut up, you bastard! I didn't get to pick their appearances!" Naruto shouted. "Not all of them look like flowers! Some of them are dragons, or-or horses and stuff like that!"
Much to the boy's annoyance, Kisuke smirked. "What's this? You have a pony, Naruto-kun? That's adorab-Hey, my hat!" Another ball of fire narrowly avoided his head, but his hat was singed.
Fed up with the teasing and Yoruichi's laughter, a still blushing Naruto put the cards back into the deck that had come with them. "Whatever."
Yoruichi's eyes were sharp as she scanned the mayhem going on below her and Kisuke. "There are more of them than I was expecting." She said quietly. The two of them were standing in midair, high above the stadium, observing the flow of battle.
"We were never told any numbers." Kisuke reminded her, his normally playful mask nowhere in sight. "But I agree. There are quite a few." He glanced over to her when he noticed that her eyes began to stray off to the side. Even without looking, Kisuke knew where her attention was going. "He'll be fine." Kisuke reassured her. "Naruto is strong enough for this, and he has some allies with him."
"We can see the fight from here." Yoruichi muttered. "A giant toad and a giant slug against three giant heartless things was not what we were anticipating."
Kisuke nodded lightly. "No, it wasn't. But still, trust him to do this." He paused. "…Or do you have doubts that he can?"
Immediately, Yoruichi snapped an angry glare at him. "Of course I don't doubt him. Naruto will get the job done." Hearing her confidence in the boy, Kisuke smiled slightly.
"Good, then let's focus on our roles." He waited for Yoruichi to nod before continuing with a point. "The Hokage and Raikage are fighting over there. They're up against that Mayuri wannabe and the shinobi he revived. All damage done on the resurrected shinobi is instantly healed."
"Meanwhile, the Konoha shinobi in the stadium are still in the process of purging the enemies. It's slow going, but the Konoha side will eventually win." Yoruichi continued. "So? Which one do you want to take?"
A small smirk formed on Kisuke's mouth. "If you don't mind, I would like to go deal with the revived shinobi. At this point, I think the only way to defeat them is by sealing them, but I'm not sure if either the Hokage or the Raikage have a seal that could do the job without any serious repercussions."
"And?" Yoruichi asked, knowing there was more.
"…And I'm a little interested in how the technique works."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "Don't do anything stupid. You know some stuff, but you might need to hear Naruto's input before doing any serious tests."
"Yeah, I figured that may be the case." Kisuke shrugged. "Anyways, so you don't mind joining the big fight?"
"…No."
Kisuke quirked an eyebrow at her. "You hesitated." He stated neutrally.
"I…" Yoruichi sighed, her eyes moving to a specific person fighting below them. Even from their current altitude, it was easy to spot the person amongst all of the other people fighting.
The red hair was like a beacon.
Following her line of sight, Kisuke figured out what was on Yoruichi's mind. "This will be the first time that either of us have been exposed to his parents." Kisuke commented.
"…Yeah, it is." She shook her head. "My personal feelings aren't important right now. I can focus on that later." Yoruichi smirked. "I'm ready to go whenever. What about you?"
Kisuke grinned and tipped his hat so that his eyes were shadowed. "Oh, you know me. I'm always prepared."
Boom!
The sudden explosion off in the distance made both of their eyes snap towards the source. "That was…" Worry gnawed at Yoruichi.
"He's fine." Kisuke said again. "That was most likely a discharge from the darkness gathered in the bijū getting dispelled." After a moment, Yoruichi nodded. "Now then, I do believe that we have our jobs. We should get to them."
"Right."
"So this thing will let him go to different worlds, huh?" Yoruichi mused as she scrutinized the object Kisuke was studying.
"Well, according to both Naruto and my research, a single block won't do him any good. But that's why I'm going to try replicating it." Kisuke corrected, not looking away from the results of the scans of the gummi block. "And even then, there is still the problem of not having a navigation block. But with any luck, that problem should be fixed somewhat soon."
Yoruichi frowned slightly at this. "Yeah, with any luck…"
Hearing her distracted tone, Kisuke glanced over at her before turning back to his computer. After a few moments of silence, he spoke. "…Yoruichi, we've talked about this. You can't keep protecting him." He spun his chair around so that he was facing her.
Her frown deepened. "I know that."
"But you're still reluctant to let go. I can tell, so don't try to hide it from me. We've known each other too long for you to try to fool me with a half-assed lie." Kisuke said quietly. "Naruto isn't the same boy that he was when you first brought him here. He's still young, but he has grown into a capable person with incredible talent and maturity."
"…" Unable to hold his gaze, Yoruichi looked away. "…I know." She sighed and sat down onto a chair. "I know that, I do. But…I just can't help it. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with this."
"…It's understandable. You're the person who has known him the longest…The person who has seen both his lowest and highest points." Kisuke responded. "You've grown to care for him more than you had expected to. It's the same for me. I'm glad that you brought him here back then."
Yoruichi chuckled weakly, her eyes somewhat distant. "It's funny…He actually kind of reminds me of Soifon." Spotting Kisuke's confused expression, he elaborated. "Don't get me wrong, Naruto's personality isn't too similar to hers or anything, but…" She shrugged. "I'm talking about my relationship with them."
Some comprehension dawned on Kisuke. "I think I see what you're getting at. But your relationship with Soifon started out as a student and mentor thing, right? You haven't really done that much with Naruto."
"Maybe not, but I was talking more about how I've watched and helped them grow." Yoruichi smiled slightly. "Although for Naruto, I was a cat most of the time and it was more of a making sure he didn't push himself too far thing." Her smile grew a bit. "He never did know when to call it quits, always needing someone else to force him to relax. Not to mention how Naruto can be extremely smart for somethings, but slow on others." She chuckled.
Kisuke stared at Yoruichi for a minute. "…Yoruichi…" He began, prompting her to look at him. "When you first introduced me to Naruto, I made a joke that your maternal instincts were kicking in." Yoruichi's smile disappeared at his words. "…Tell me, what is Naruto to you? Is he a protégé? A friend? A curiosity? What is he?" Yoruichi considered the question, attempting to figure out what she sees Naruto as.
"He's…"
"I'm surprised you told him that." Kisuke said quietly.
Yoruichi frowned minutely. "Why are you surprised? They're his parents, so doesn't it make sense for him to at least try to make up with them?"
"Yes, but I was under the impression that you didn't like them."
"I don't." Yoruichi confirmed. "I don't like them one bit, you know that."
Kisuke quirked an eyebrow at her. "Then why did you…?"
"For the same reasons that I told Naruto." She said firmly. "And because it was tearing him up inside. He wanted to reconcile with them, but he was holding himself back…He deserves this chance." Yoruichi shook her head, wanting to change the subject. "Anyways, I'll give him a head start before I begin to follow him. We both know that there's no way that Orochimaru won't try and pull something."
Tightly controlled anger bubbled within Yoruichi as she took in the entire scope of Naruto's injuries. She couldn't believe that she had allowed this to happen. Making sure he didn't get hurt was the exact reason she had decided to follow him!
If only she had been just a little faster…
Who the hell was that guy, anyways? What did he mean by Naruto truly accepting his darkness? And why were they fighting in the first place?
Her rage spiked as she remembered the scene she was greeted with upon catching up to Naruto.
How dare he hurt her little brother.
Yoruichi leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding a blast of darkness that shot at her. Although she appeared calm, every move she made was laced with hesitation. It was naturally more difficult to subdue an opponent when you didn't want to injure them, but the person she was fighting made things even tougher because of her personal attachments.
Using her superior speed to gain some room, Yoruichi glanced at her temporary allies. While this wasn't the first time she had fought alongside Kushina, fighting with her husband was a new experience. Not to mention the two strange teens that had randomly fallen from the sky and decided to help.
Another enraged shout made her attention snap back to the berserk Naruto.
Seeing that the pink haired teen was about to move in to attack again, she used the speed she had been famous for to distract Naruto with a surprise kick to the back. Unfortunately, this proved to be ineffective when Naruto suddenly released a shockwave of darkness, successfully throwing both her and the teen back. Skidding to a stop, Yoruichi's worry increased when she locked eyes with Naruto.
The eyes that she had grown used to seeing over the years were gone.
No longer were they the shining cerulean or the glimmering violet. Instead, two orbs full of hatred and anger were switching between a glow colored reddish-orange, and another colored purplish-black.
Yoruichi hated seeing Naruto look at her that way. The most he had ever directed at her was mild annoyance or irritation when she was messing with him. Never hatred.
Steeling herself, Yoruichi crouched in preparation of another assault.
'Come on, Naruto…I know you're in there somewhere.'
"So you're okay with it?" Yoruichi glanced to Kisuke upon hearing his question before shifting her eyes back to the group of Naruto, Gray, Happy, and Natsu. After Naruto had decided that Gray would be the copilot for the gummi ship, Natsu had been futilely attempting to change Naruto's mind.
"You heard what I told Kushina-san."
Kisuke nodded. "I did. And I also heard you voice similar worries not too long ago. What happened to those?"
Instead of answering right away, Yoruichi opted to remain silent for a few moments. A small smile formed on her lips as she watched Naruto and Gray chuckle over an insult that Happy threw at Natsu.
"They're still there." She told him. "But what kind of big sister would I be if I stopped my little brother from doing what he thought was right?"
"And there they go…" Yoruichi muttered as the gummi ship exited the world. It was hard to believe that the agreed two months of waiting had already gone by. It felt as if someone had compressed those two months into the time span of a couple of days.
Kisuke walked up to her, also staring after the gummi ship. "Hey, don't be so sad. We've known this was coming for a while now."
Yoruichi's lips twitched. "That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." She murmured.
"Perhaps not." Kisuke acquiesced. "But it is necessary. You know what he said about the seven princesses going missing. Add that to how more and more worlds are getting consumed by darkness and we have a situation that needs to be resolved immediately."
A sigh escaped Yoruichi's lips. "I know, I know."
The candy shop owner glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "…You know, I don't think I've ever seen you become this protective and attached to someone before." He said offhandedly, making her sharp gaze snap to him. "Not that there's anything wrong with it." Kisuke quickly added. "It's just…curious, is all." He said, intentionally echoing Yoruichi's own words from the day she had first brought Naruto to him.
Recognizing the reference, Yoruichi's eyes trailed back to where the gummi ship had been. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm not really sure why I'm acting differently towards Naruto than I have to others." She admitted. "I've said from the beginning that there was something…different about him, but I was never able to determine what it was. Even after all this time, I don't know what it was about him that caught my attention. After a while, figuring out what it…slipped from my mind."
"You've called him your little brother…"
"I have." Yoruichi agreed, smiling slightly. "I've told you before that he reminds me of Ichigo, but there are also times where I can also see a bit of Yūshirō in him, although only vaguely. But even then, Naruto is his own person, so I try not to compare him too much."
Kisuke stared at her for a minute, but then he shrugged with a smile. "Well regardless, he'll be calling frequently enough to keep us updated on things, so he won't be out of contact. Although I'm sure there will be times that he forgets to call for a little while. You should trust him to know what he's doing."
Hearing this, Yoruichi's smile grew. "I do trust him. He'll get the job done." Suddenly, she grinned and slapped Kisuke on the back, startling the man. Turning around, she began to walk away. "Now come on. You said you had some sort of idea in the works? Tell me what's going on in that insane mind of yours."
Chuckling, Kisuke rubbed the spot she hit. "Sure, sure. Follow me to the lab and I'll bring you up to speed."
Kushina sighed to herself after Naruto cut the call off. "Why does he do that?" The redhead muttered. From her spot in a chair nearby, Yoruichi quirked an eyebrow, but opted to remain silent. The two of them had just finished talking with Naruto for the first time in a couple of days, so they were both happy to hear from him. Kisuke had dropped in to say hello near the beginning of the call, but he had to quickly return the lab after that. He trusted Yoruichi to tell him if anything important was said, but nothing of great importance came up. However, based on the small cues Naruto displayed, something had happened, but he was hesitant to bring it up.
Unseen by anyone, Yoruichi rolled her eyes. 'He should know by now that he won't get away with bottling things. Someone will get him to open up.' That was one of the reasons that she was happy that Kairi had joined them on their journey. From what Yoruichi has seen and heard, Kairi and Naruto have grown somewhat close, resulting in them opening up to each other if they had something that bothered them.
Yoruichi could already roughly guess what they would talk about. For Naruto, it would be his frustrations over being forced to fight someone he viewed as a friend, or maybe the situation concerning how he couldn't contact Hikari and Yami. Those seemed like things that would get to him.
And while Yoruichi couldn't claim to know Kairi nearly as well as she knew Naruto, she could relate to the princess when it came to finding yourself far from home, only to learn that 'home' wasn't there anymore. On top of that, being told that you no longer had a heart, but were somehow still able to function because you were one of seven princesses was a lot to dump on a person in such a short time span.
So, yes. Yoruichi was happy that the two of them had each other to rely on for support.
Even if Kisuke couldn't stop himself from cracking jokes about their relationship.
"Um…" Kushina's hesitation snapped Yoruichi out of her thoughts. Looking over to the woman, Yoruichi made sure to keep her expression neutral as she waited for Kushina to speak. After their initial introduction and Yoruichi later openly stating that she didn't like Kushina or Minato, the relationship between the two women had been somewhat stilted.
For Yoruichi, Kushina was the woman that was supposed to be a mother to the boy she saw as a little brother, but instead ignored him. Out of everyone, Yoruichi was the only person who had seen Naruto at his best and his worst. For someone of Naruto's age, that claim should have gone to his family, not a person he met at a training ground. Although that didn't mean that she resented her position in Naruto's life in any manner. She simply wished that their relationship didn't start for the reasons that it did.
Granted, Kushina was manipulated, but it didn't change the fact that it happened. The resentment was still there.
On the other hand, Kushina saw Yoruichi as the woman who had cared for her son when she failed to do so. When Naruto lost control on the way to Kumo, it was Yoruichi who stayed calm and knew the best way to help him. She was the one who later calmed Naruto down in the hospital when Kushina first said that he wouldn't travel to other worlds. Yoruichi was the woman who openly stated her feelings towards Kushina and Minato and convinced them to let Naruto leave their world for others. Kushina had personally witnessed how close Yoruichi and her son were.
And if she was perfectly honest, she was jealous of their relationship.
Over the course of the two months prior to the departure of Naruto, Gray, Natsu, and Happy, the two women opted to remain polite with one another while also staying out of each other's way. They didn't interact unless they needed to, but they also didn't object to doing so when necessary.
So for Kushina to willingly approach her of her own volition, Yoruichi's curiosity was piqued. Remaining silent, she waited for Kushina to speak.
Seeing that she had Yoruichi's attention, Kushina fidgeted slightly. "I…" She hesitated again, but then she took a breath and locked eyes with Yoruichi. "Did something seem…different about Naruto in that call?"
Yoruichi blinked. "Different as in?" She inquired blankly.
Not allowing herself discouraged by the somewhat detached response, Kushina elaborated. "As in…he was distracted by something."
Hearing this, Yoruichi quirked an eyebrow. "So you noticed." She said, marginally impressed in spite of herself. "He was subtle about it, so I didn't think you would."
"So there was something?" Kushina asked, ignoring the subtle insult and glancing back to the monitor with a concerned look on her face.
Knowing what she was most likely thinking, Yoruichi spoke up. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. He'll sort it out himself. If he wanted to talk to one of us about it, then he would have."
Kushina's eyes snapped back to Yoruichi. "You know what he didn't tell us?"
Yoruichi shrugged. "I can guess." She said easily.
Biting her lip for a moment in indecision, Kushina eventually voiced her thoughts. "…Can you tell me?" At this, a small frown twitched at Yoruichi's lips. "Please?"
"…I already said that he'll sort it out himself." Yoruichi finally responded.
"I know that, but…" Kushina shook her head helplessly. "But I still want to know. So that I can give him my support if he needs me to."
"He hasn't needed your support for a while now." Yoruichi shot back, earning a flinch from the redhead and making her lower her head in shame and regret. While a small part of Yoruichi admitted that she wasn't being entirely fair, she still refused to tell Kushina about Naruto's thoughts and fears without being sure that it was a good idea.
"…You're right. He hasn't." Kushina agreed quietly. Yoruichi's frown deepened, and she was about to refuse the request to share her insight on Naruto's thoughts, but she was stopped by the sudden fierce violet eyes that clashed with her own. "But I still want to be there for him if he ever needs me to. You know him better than I do, so I would be thankful if you would tell me more about him. Not just what he wasn't saying in that call, but more about him in general. I tried to make up for lost time over those two months, but…" Her eyes watered slightly. "But two months of caring can't make up for several years of neglect. So please…" She bowed her head. "Please help me understand him better."
Yoruichi was stunned by the abrupt heartfelt plea, to the point that she was unable to say anything for several moments. Soon, she realized that Kushina's head was still bowed as the redhead awaited Yoruichi's answer. Staring at her, Yoruichi considered the request.
With a sigh, Yoruichi glanced away. "…He tried his best to not show it, but Naruto still gave away his thoughts by his expressions and clues he gave at various points." She began, prompting Kushina to hesitantly raise her head again. "Based on the way he acted, something has been bothering him lately, and whatever is on his mind is most likely confusing. He also showed some frustration when he told us that he managed to seal the keyhole of that last world, so while he got the job done, he didn't manage to accomplish everything he wanted to."
Happy to be getting this information, Kushina quickly followed up. "But he sealed the keyhole, right? So what else would he want to do in that world?"
"You weren't here when he called last time." Yoruichi said. "It was a short call and he only updated us on a couple of things that had been happening in the world." She paused. "You know about Misa, right?"
At this, a frown made its way onto Kushina's face. "Yeah, I do. I remember seeing her around in the past. She was also the one who made Naruto lose control of his darkness, right?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, so she was in that world?"
Yoruichi nodded. "He said that she was. Naruto was intending to finally get some answers from her." She sighed. "But I'm guessing that it didn't go as planned. Naruto appeared to be more confused than angry, so Misa might have told him something that didn't make sense to him."
"It doesn't matter what she told him!" Kushina said heatedly. "Misa is working for Orochimaru, so he shouldn't take anything she says seriously!"
"He knows that." Yoruichi replied. "Naruto is smart enough to realize that, but her affiliation doesn't automatically disqualify anything and everything she says. And even then, it doesn't change the fact that he is bothered by how he has to fight a former friend."
"Oh, right…" Kushina mumbled. "So then he is confused about something that he was told by her?"
With a shrug, Yoruichi closed her eyes. "That's my best guess. In reality, I could be completely wrong. But you wanted to hear what I think and that's it." She cracked an eye open to stare at the other woman. "So? What do you think of what I've said?"
"I think he should have spoken up if something was bothering him." Kushina huffed, crossing her arms. "He has people who are willing to listen to him and give advice, so he should take the chance to talk to them!"
"Who's to say that he won't?"
"Huh?" Kushina blinked, not expecting such a retort.
"There's every chance that he will talk to someone about it." Yoruichi continued. "Just because it isn't either of us doesn't mean he won't do it. After all, he has other people with him." A small smirk appeared on her lips. "Personally, I'm expecting him to go to Kairi about it."
"Oh." Kushina considered that, soon gaining a small smile. "I suppose that's okay…"
Nodding, Yoruichi stood up and stretched. "Well, if that's everything, then-"
"Ah, wait!" Kushina's raised voice made Yoruichi freeze in place. Blushing somewhat, Kushina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Um, I was hoping…" Yoruichi watched curiously as the normally confident woman fidgeted in place. "I was hoping that you would tell me more about Naruto!" She said quickly.
"…Huh?"
Blush deepening, Kushina repeated herself. "I was hoping you would tell me more about Naruto." She said.
"More about him…As in?"
"You've known him since he was five, right?" A nod. "How often did you meet with him? I think you said it wasn't always here, so where was it? Did you watch him train? What did he train in? How long did he spend on his kenjutsu in comparison to his other areas? What does he like to do when he's relaxing? Did he eat properly? His favorite foods? Least favorites? Get plenty of rest? You mentioned that he helped Urahara-san in the shop, right? What did he do? Has he always been so determined to reach his goals? How about the month in between the chūnin exams? What did he work on then? Does he always act like that around Urahara-san? Why does he always wear mostly black and whi-?"
"Alright, enough!" Yoruichi cut her off, reluctantly smiling in amusement as Kushina's face mirrored the color of her hair.
Kushina smiled sheepishly. "Ah…My bad-ttebane."
Yoruichi's smile softened at the verbal tic. "It's not a problem, but give me a chance to speak." Sitting herself back down, Yoruichi thought over the rush of questions. "Now let's see…Why don't we start with the amusing one? You asked if he and Kisuke are always like that?" Her smile widened and she leaned forward. "You probably saw the stunt Naruto pulled right before his graduation, but I doubt you know why he did it. Or about what he did to Kisuke after it." Kushina nodded eagerly with a matching expression.
Launching into the story about how Naruto chased Kisuke around with a sword for three hours straight, Yoruichi found herself thinking that if Naruto could give Kushina a chance, then maybe she could too.
There we go! All done with Chapter 50.5!
This was something I've been wanting to do for a little while. I would have gone further into the time after Naruto had left, but then that would have started revealing stuff I didn't want to put yet. At some point, I might do another one of these where I do more of the Elemental Nations side.
Review responses are in Chapter 51.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review!
Until next time,
Kog6943