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That is not Mumei Mu but his friend, I'm updating in his place.
I'm alive! And…Well, please see profile for details. It's very important.
Before you all rush off to read the latest chapters/stories, there are important thing you all need to know. I highly recommend everyone to read one to three chapters a day, depending on your time and/or whatever reason you have. I don't want anyone to read everything in one sit…And I know some of you guys will attempt to do that, please don't. I mean it.
Some questions won't be answered to avoid the spoilers and if I miss some questions, sorry!
Most characters might be OOC and there might be some grammar errors but I'm trying my best.
Enjoy the first chapter of NIA!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Tales of Arcadia or anything mentioned in this story.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Arcadia Oaks
Naruto keep glancing from a class schedule paper in his hand to check the classroom's numbers as he walk down the hallway with orange backpack, it's his first day of school and his mother just drop him off on her way to work. They had moved into Arcadia few days ago and he barely get a chance to go around the small town to memorize routes and places. He want to use his clones but nope, his mother won't let him do it and say that she will punish him by taking ramen away for two months. "Is this the one?" Naruto muttered to himself as he checked the room number before he peek in, knocking the door lightly to catch the teacher's attention along with the students inside. "Excuse me, this Strickler-sensei's class? World history?" He asked, his English is not this perfect.
"Ah, you must be Naruto, the new student." Strickler smiled as he beckon him in, "Yes, that's the world history class. Come in, come in." The blonde walk up to the teacher as they face the class, "Everyone, that is Naruto Nomura. He have recently move to Arcadia Oaks from Japan so he's new to here. I know you all have many questions to ask but please hold them until after the period." He glanced across the room before he point at a empty desk, "There's empty one behind Claire Nunez, take it." Claire raised her hand up to let Naruto know, "Feel free to ask me any questions if you don't understand something."
"Will do." Naruto gave him a nod as he walk over to his desk and sit down.
"Japan, huh?" Claire turned to him halfway, "That's quite far away from here."
"Yeah." He nodded with a light chuckle.
"Just curious, do you understand English?" She asked, wondering if she can help him out.
"Yeah, mostly." Naruto replied, "Not good with grammar and words with many meanings."
"Ah, let me know if you're struck with something." Claire said and he gives her a nod before they listen to their teacher's lesson.
After spending the rest of his day exploring the school and meet some people, Naruto was getting ready to leave the school until he notice something from the corner of his eyes. A blonde teenager with blue shirt was picking on a short chubby teenager near the lockers and Naruto turn to walk toward them with narrowed eyes.
"Come on, quit it!" Toby pleaded, "Don't you learn your lesson after Jim knock your teeth out…"
"Well, Jim isn't here to save you this time." Steve hold the chubby boy's collar up as he rear his fist back and the yelping chubby boy tried to shield his face with plastic folder. Before the bully know it, Naruto grab his rearing arm then twist it behind his back with enough force to cause the crying bully to release Toby and the new student shove Steve's front up against the lockers with a slam. "Let me go, let me go! It hurt! It hurt!"
"Say sorry!" Naruto twisted the bully's arm farther.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The bully cried out, "I don't know whatever I did to piss you off, I'm sorry!"
"Not me, him!" The new student bumped Steve's face against the locker again, knocking one of his loose tooth out in process.
"To the fatty tw…" Steve cried before his face met the locker again, "Alright, alright! I'm sorry, dude, I'm sorry for picking on you!" Naruto turn his head to look at the chubby teenager.
"Apology accepted." Toby grinned and the new kid smashes the bully on locker again to knock him out.
"You alright, little buddy?" Naruto asked the chubby boy as he step over the bully, dusting his hands.
"Yeah, I am!" The chubby boy gave him a double thumb-up with a nod, "Thank for helping. I'm Toby."
"Nom…" The new kid catch himself, "Naruto." He need to get used to the fact that everyone here use their first name instead of their surname and that the first name come first.
"From Japan, right?" Toby grinned as they end up walking together and the blonde blink at him. "We're in same classes, just few desks away."
"Oh, I see." Naruto said, he don't remember everyone in his classes which is very understanding because it's his first day and he have a little cultural shock when he change classrooms between periods with different students. They encounter a brunette teenager, Jim, who look worried for some reason.
"Toby, are you okay?" Jim asked, "I heard Steve got his hands on you to get revenge on me for the teeth."
"Yeah, I'm fine!" The chubby teenager replied, "Naruto here save my butt."
"Oh, thank, Naruto." The brunette looked to the blonde with a light smile, "I'm Jim. Do you remember me from some of your classes?"
"Sorry, I can't remember everyone." The blonde scratched his head sheepishly and the brunette just wave it off.
"It's cool." Jim said, "I'm gonna tell you that since you took Steve down, be careful because he may try to get back at you."
"Let him come." Naruto snorted, "I'll take him on anytime."
"What are you going to do now?" Toby asked.
"Um, maybe looking around the town." The blonde gestured to his surrounding, "I need to get used to this place, you know?"
"Ah, how about we show you around?" The brunette said.
"Psst, what about this thing you have going on?" The chubby teenager whispered to him lowly.
"I'm sure they won't mind it if we were a little late." Jim whispered back with a shrug.
"Yeah, sure, thank." Naruto nodded before they walk together into the city, mostly showing him around and pointing out some places like hangout to stores as they chat about each other until they split up.
"I know contemporary media might lead you to believe European history is full of swords, sorcery, and scandal." Zelda smiled at the World History class as they stand in front of a museum in morning couple days later, "I assure you, the truth is far more interesting, and there's no better place to start than Renaissance Era pottery." Strickler and most of his class looked bored as they exhaust out.
"Since we have limited time, Ms. Nomura, perhaps it's best if they explore the museum on their own." Strickler stopped her before she can add more, "Don't you think?"
"See ya!" Claire said as almost everyone race inside the museum and Naruto approached his mother.
"Pottery, really?" Naruto gave her a funny look with arched eyebrow.
"They're interesting." The Japanese woman pouted with furrowed brows.
"Yeeeeeeeah." He rolled his eyes and his mother was about to say something until the teacher cut in.
"You two know each other?" The teacher asked, he assume that their last names were coincidence.
"Yup, she's my mom." Naruto jabbed his thumb at her with a nod.
"Ah, I see." Strickler smiled, "I don't know that."
"Naruto, sweeties, why don't you go and join your friends?" Zelda smiled at him as she shooed him in before she call out to him with stern look, "And, Naruto, behave."
"Relax, kaa-san, I won't do anything crazy…" The blonde turned to her as he walked backward into the building with a teasing smirk, "Maaaaybe!" He turn around to run in with a laughter.
"You'll give me gray hair one of these day." She sighed with a shaking head and the smiling teacher watch on as the rest of his class go inside before he drop his smile, turning to Zelda.
"Explain." The teacher narrowed his eyes with tight lips. Lucky, she have a excuse for that when Zelda found out that she have to work with her fellow changelings.
"He's a tool to help me with my cover story." Zelda said sternly, "You'll be surprised how many people would avoid a single mother." She can't let them know that she love this human child like her own son or they'll hold him hostage to force her do whatever they want.
"…If you say so." Strickler hummed quietly.
Inside the museum, Naruto quickly catch up with Jim and Toby as they climb up the stairs and the brunette turns his head slightly to the blonde. "Hey, Naruto, I just realize something. The lady from earlier have same last name as yours, any relation?"
"Yeah, she's my mom." The grinning blonde repeated, they quickly become friends in short time since the day he met them and tend to hang out with them for a bit whenever they have some free times.
"Oh." Jim uttered, he don't bother to ask him about Ms. part because he know what's it like to be raised by single mother.
"So, check this out, man." Toby tapped something on his smartphone, "So, if I walk fifty thousand steps, I get the t-shirt. A hundred thousand nets me the water bottle. But if I get five hundred thousand…Oh man, you guys…That's when things get interesting!" Jim stop near the corner, causing the others to stop and they follow his line of sight to see Claire with Steve in front of a dress behind glass.
"Look at that embroidery." Claire pressed her hand on the glass.
"Hey, sorry if you got caught up in that little tiff between Lake and I, but I want you to know, since joining the play, I feel like there's another side of me that really wants to come out." Steve said corky, still have missing teeth.
"Apology accepted." The girl with colorful clips shrugged it off, "You were a jerk." She turn back to look at the dress and the bully move out of her sight and in front as he notice the boys. He start to tease Jim by pretending to make out then add a dry hump in it and the brunette look furious by that. Unnoticed by them, Naruto take a coin out from his pocket then flick it toward Claire's back, hitting her to make her turn around and her eyes snapped widened at Steve, who haven't notice her as he keep humping the air near her with make-out gesture while making suggestive noises. "Oh, you jerk! I take it back!" She swing her hand back as the bully's eyes snapped widened in horror before Claire slap his face hard enough to knock him down and that does bring some smiles to the boys.
"Good luck, Jim." Naruto patted the said teenager's shoulder as he walk up to the groaning bully and he slide his arms around Steve's head in headlock, dragging him away from the blinking girl. "Don't mind me, taking asshole down to sensei." The new kid grinned. He was well-awake of Jim's crush on Claire because Toby told him the another day.
"Ah, I'm gonna back him up!" Toby quickly catches on the plan as he nudged his best friend, "Dude, you go and hang out with Claire."
"…Wait, what?" Jim jerked his head up with rapid blinks but it was too late as his best friend run off to catch up with Naruto. He turns his head to Claire as she examines the dress again and he take a deep breath. "Okay, here I go…"
After pushing the bully into Strickler's hands, both Toby and Naruto were wandering around in the museum. "So your mom's a museum curator?" The chubby teenager said, "Like, do you go to a lot of museums?"
"Yeah, when I was little." He replied, "We went to Europe many times because mom's in charge of European history stuff."
"Awesome sauce!" Toby said, "Have you ever visit some famous museum like Louvre?"
"Once." Naruto chuckled at the memory, his mother decide to take him to Louvre during her work because the babysitter wasn't available at this time and let's say Zelda regret this decision when he run amok around with chasing guards and workers, trying to catch the little boy and saving the priceless objects.
"Nice!" The chubby teenager whistled as they look at some exhibits for a bit until Jim join them, "Hey, how does it go?"
"It was good until…" Jim said before he lean closer to whisper to his best friend low enough so the blonde won't hear them as the new kid check a random exhibit out, "Eli have a picture of something that I already deleted but we need to bring this attention to Blinky."
"Trollhunter business?" Toby gasped and his best friend nodded.
"Guys, what do you want to look next?" Naruto turned to them.
"Art!"
"Pottery!" Both Jim and Toby said quickly before they trade a quick look at each other.
"Alright, follow me." The blonde walk ahead of them, "I know the way." The boys exchange one more look before they follow the new kid.
The next day, Naruto have a PE class and the students were playing dodgeball as Jim roll away to avoid Steve's throw before he look over to his dejected best friend. "Hey, come on!" The brunette said, "You gonna get your head in the game, Tobes, or do I have to do this all myself?"
"Why bother taking another step?" Toby whined, "My Chubby Tracker's gone. Life's so empty when you're not racking up points."
"Well, I thought you'd be more concerned about the goblins coming to kill us." Jim whispered.
"Oh, yeah, you're right." The chubby teenager gulped nervously as Jim catch the balls then throw them at Steve and the bully suddenly gone on a rampage, hurling ball after ball at Jim. The brunette skillfully dodges every throw with some impressive moves.
"Is it allowed to have many balls at once?" Naruto asked the coach, he was already out halfway since he was holding back.
"Um, yes, I think?" Lawrence shrugged.
"My gronk-nuks!" Toby fall down, holding his groin with a high-pitched voice.
"In your face!" Steve gloated, "You're out, Domzalski!" He end up having one-on-one match with Jim after they took each other's teammates out and the brunette throw the ball with all of his might. The bully duck under it and the ball fly toward the doors…As Claire walk in.
"NO!" Jim shouted out.
"Oh, snap!" The chubby teenager gasped together with the coach.
"Oh, that leave mark." Naruto winced as soon as the ball hit the girl right in her face, knocking her down with flinging books. Everyone quickly gather around the groaning girl.
"Ooh, headshot!" The coach said, "Shake it off, Nunez!" He walk away from the group.
"…Nice knowing you." The new kid patted Jim's shoulder as the brunette look horrified by his action and the PE class end like that.
It was dark when Naruto decide to take a night stroll in the park and he was enjoying the cold night until he hear something ruffling in the bushes. "Hm?" Out of curiosity and lack of safety, he follow the noise through the bushes and into the woods until he come across something bizarre. There is a strange green creature that looks like a goblin or something and it was smirking at him for some reason. "Gotta admit, not weird thing ever." He shrugged his shoulders, causing the creature to look confused and he turn around to walk away, only to face many creatures surrounding him on the other side. "So…" The blonde looked at them, "You plan to eat me?" The smirking monsters nod their heads. "Oh. Ok." Naruto raise his eyebrow at group of green gobins oddly and the staring contest was very quiet for a minute before he suddenly kick the one with ink mustache, sending the screaming creature flying until it hit the tree, bursting apart like a balloon. The goblins drop their jaws with gasp as the marker roll up to the group and one of the creatures pick it up, drawing mustache on its face.
"Waka Chaka!" The leader snarled and the goblins charge with roars.
"BRING IT ON, YOU GREEN MOTHERFUCKERS!" Naruto crossed his fingers to create many clones as the goblins again drop their jaws out of shock, "KAGE BUNSHIN!" The goblins scramble around with screams as the clones beat them up.
In the background behind the bushes, Jim really can't believe what he's seeing when he watch the new kid hopping around the goblins while making clones of himself, it's good thing he's a trollhunter or he'll have to check himself into a funny farm. "Awesome-sauce!" Toby grinned up to the trollhunter, "Naruto is a freckin' ninja! What's next? Alien? That'll be cool!"
"I can't believe it…" Jim gaped at the sight, "How do he do that?"
"Ninja." The chubby teenager grinned widely, "Hey, do you think we should invite him to join us?"
"Um…" The brunette don't know what to say until he remember something, "Wait, the chubby tracker! Is it…?"
"Let me check." Toby glanced at his phone, "Not here, it went somewhere thataway." He pointed at a certain direction.
"Come on, let's go find the den." Jim sneak away from the one-sided battle.
"Why can't we bring him with us?" The chubby teenager asked but he never gets a respond from his best friend and he have no choice but to follow the trollhunter.
"Man, it feel like I just roll around in green slimes all over again." Naruto enter his home, shaking some green blood of goblins off himself and he make a beeline to the bathroom for a quick shower and change into his pajama, dumping the dirty clothes in the washing machine. By the time he finished, his mother walk in through the front door as she blow her frazzled hair up with a huff and it look like she had a fight with many people. "Welcome home, kaa-san. Did something happened?" He asked with raised eyebrow.
"Oh, just another crazy day at work." Zelda waved it off, "Nothing to be concerned about. You should go to bed, it's late now."
"If you say so." The blonde walked upstairs, "Night, kaa-san."
"Good night." She hollered back before she walks into the kitchen with a grumble, "Stupid goblins."
The next few days were pretty weird for Naruto because Jim and Toby have been acting a little skittishly around him but he write it off as one of weird American things like Janeth's weird breakdown in math class over some play. Right now, he was approaching Toby as the chubby teenager stand in front of game booth. "Step right up!" Toby announced loudly to the bystanders as he waved a horseshoe, "Toss a horseshoe! Win a prize!"
"Horseshoe toss?" Naruto reached the table with a raised eyebrow, "Never tried it before. How do I play it and what's the prize?"
"See the nail in the center?" The grinning chubby boy gestured to the circles painting with nails, "If you manage to stick the horseshoe on this nail, you win! For the prize, it's a secret that you won't know until you win it." It just occurred to him that he and Jim would have tried to tag the new kid with gaggletacks early since he must be secretly a Changeling like the museum lady. "One buck to play!"
"Buck?" The blonde raised his eyebrow again in confusion, the word lost in translation.
"One dollar." Toby corrected.
"Ah, here." Naruto gave him a dollar then take the horseshoe and he make a aim at the center before he toss it lightly. The horseshoe lands on the center nail with fast twirl until it stop, sticking on with a perfect balance.
"Whaaaaaa." The chubby teenager can't help but to drop his jaw in awe.
"Nice!" The grinning blonde pumped his fist before he turn to the chubby teenager, "What did I win?"
"Um, ten bucks and a lot of respect!" Toby quickly pulled ten dollars out of his pocket to give it to the new kid with a grin, mentally sobbing to himself for giving away his burrito money.
"Sweet, thanks!" Naruto walked away with a wave, "See you tomorrow."
"Back at you, dude!" The chubby teenager hollered.
"Any luck?" Jim asked his best friend a hour later in front of the lockers.
"Nope." Toby sighed.
"Yeah, I struck out, too." The brunette closed his locker.
"Oh, I get a good new!" The chubby teenager lit up, "Naruto's not a changeling! He touched it and nothing happen! Let's recruit him…"
"I'm not sure about that." Jim rubbed his neck, "If he's not a changeling, it still don't explain how he can create clones…What if he's on this changeling's side?"
"Or he don't know his mom's a changeling in first place?" Toby suggested and the brunette was about to say something until they heard Strickler's voice, making the chubby teenager wonder if their history teacher is a changeling.
Couple days later, the boys were locking their bikes to the rack, beside Naruto who have walked to school regularly, and a stuffed bunny fall out of Jim's backpack. "Your plushies?" Naruto pointed out.
"Nah." Jim picked it up, dusting it with his hand.
"Ugh!" Toby shivered, "You're still carrying that germ-infested thing around?"
"I am going to find out who it belongs to, and when I do…" The brunette said.
"Maybe you didn't see what you thought you saw." The chubby teenager said and he was about to say something about Trollmarket.
"Saw what?" The blonde asked curiously.
"Oh, ah, a big bird!" Jim quickly said, throwing a quick glare to his sheepish best friend before they hear Claire.
"You have Suzy Snooze?" Claire approached them, "My brother's bunny! I've been looking all over for him."
"You've been looking for this?" The widen-eyed brunette hand the stuffed bunny over to her.
"Yeah." She looked over it, "He's been acting so weird without it. Where did you get it?"
"What do you mean, he hasn't been himself?" Jim asked, "Exactly how has he been acting?"
"Easy, Jim!" Toby quickly stepped in with his arm around the brunette's shoulders as he chuckled, "Always concerned about the children. But just for clarification, are we super sure this is his? I mean, you could probably pick this up at, like, any store."
"I think I'd know the stuffed bunny I grew up with." Claire smiled before Mary ran up to them with a pant.
"Claire, I'm so sorry, but I can't babysit tonight." Mary said, "I can't. I really can't!"
"You promised!" The girl with blue streak hissed lightly, "My parents have a work thing and the Papa Skull concert's tonight. Papa Skull!" She gestured to her shirt, "I, like, live in their shirt every day!"
"Sorry, but Dean finally asked me to a movie, and then Hank invited me to ice cream!" The Asian-American girl squealed, "Tight Jeans Hank! Love can't choose, Claire!"
"Wow, I always heard that Americans' more open." Naruto blinked, can't imagine himself dating two people at same time.
"Do you believe this?" Jim whispered.
"I know." Toby shook his head slowly, "Mary Wang's a player?"
"No!" The brunette hissed quietly, "She doesn't know her brother's gone because Claire's brother is a changeling!" He stepped forward with raised hand, "Claire, I can babysit!"
"Tonight?" Claire turned to him happily, "Really? You would?" She paused, "Wait, have you ever babysat before?"
"Uh, yeah." Jim chuckled nervously, "Yeah, no. They call me Jim the Baby-handed."
"Oh, my gosh!" The girl with blue streak beamed, "You are a life-saver! I could kiss you!" She ran up to give Jim a peck on his cheek before she walk away with Mary, "Just come by my house at seven, no sooner. Thank you, Jim. Thank you."
"He's not a changeling, Jim." Toby whispered.
"Only one way to find out." The brunette whispered back.
'What the hell are they talking about?' Naruto gave them a funny look before he shrug his shoulders and he pat their shoulders lightly, swear that they jump up. "Well, I'll be going."
"O-Oh, right, see you after class." Jim said as the chubby teenager waved and they walk away. If they look back, they would have seen a smirk on the blonde's face.
'Alright, time to go all out!' The blonde snickered impishly, the reason why he don't act usual is because he was actually scoping out his targets and locations for his pranks and today is the day Arcadia Oaks will remember the prankster king from hell!
"Listen up, everyone." Lawrence stand next to the ropes, "Every one of you will climb the ropes and ring…" He yank the rope, only to have it fall down limply to his confusion. "What the?" He looked up to see if there is a loose screw, only to be greet by massive amount of honey as it splash all over him and colorful feathers dump onto him, sticking right away.
There were several smoking explosive inside a math class before the students spawn out, coughing and crying from the rotten scent of a modified farting bomb. "IT BURN!" Eli wailed with teary eyes before he vomit along with few unlucky students.
Strickler open the door of his classroom before a bucket land on his head, blocking his view, as mixed paints flow down all over his suit and he attempt to pry the bucket off his head with some stumble. Before he know it, he slip on a trail of grease and the teacher scream out for his life as he skate down the hallway until his body smash into the wall hard.
"Don't look!" Steve screamed his head off with sobs as he run through the laughing crowd, the bully was wearing a pink tutu outfit two size too small and he have a swan head sticking out under the skirt. "DON'T LOOK AT ME! DON'T LOOK!" The sobbing bully skipped across the school ground and the people laugh harder.
Half of the city were in panic mode as the pranks spring out one after one and no one was safe…Not the cars that mysteriously receive polka dot paints, not the buildings that receive a fresh neon pink paint, not the sirens that keep blaring Rickroll song over and over, not the stores that suddenly have everything glued upside down to the ceiling to the bewildered people, not the drinks that have been replaced with coke and mentos that blast everyone with foams.
From the entrance of the museum, Zelda stare at the chaos before her and she facepalm with a exhausting sigh. "And here I thought he was finally behaving lately." She should have know something is up when her son haven't pull any pranks for days…At least he don't use the corncob pra…
"OH, GOD! THE CORNCOB! GOD!"
Never mind, she just spoke too soon.
"Naruto, you will have house to yourself for a while." Zelda said as she have breakfast with her son few days later.
"You're going out of town or something?" Naruto asked after ate some eggs.
"Yes, I have been called to work at an archaeological site in France." She replied. Most of it was a lie but she have been called in for a job and that is to complete the bridge. "Also I won't be available to reach since the site is in deadzone with no service."
"Oh ok." He nodded, "When are you going to leave?"
"In few hours." Zelda answered and the teenager wasn't surprised since he's used to have his mother leave at last minute for her work. "So in time being, I want you to be on your best behavior and the house better be in one piece when I come back."
"Don't worry, kaa-san." Naruto get up as he gave his mother a quick peck on cheek before he take his backpack, "I'll stay out of trouble."
"Oh, and you better not touch ramen for next few days!" She hollered out, "You're still grounded, remember?!"
"Ugh, so unfair!" The teenager leave the house with a groan, "You have no proof that I did these pranks!" That earns a eyeroll from her.
"Mr. Strickler's out today, so I'm subbing." Lawrence pulled the projector screen down before he face the history class, "He asked me to fill in to teach you some history. So without further ado, I present Gun Robot Three!" He turn the light off then start the movie and just kick back behind the teacher's desk.
'Gun Robot?' Naruto raised his eyebrow at the movie, wondering who come up with lazy title. While he watch the movie, he notice that Jim was freaking out with Toby up front as the brunette kept glance at Claire, who was being teased by Mary about something before the Asian-American girl suddenly force Jim to swap desk with her and Naruto raise his eyebrow when the brunette suddenly pull hundred and eighty by acting confident. 'Meh, everyone always have different way to act around their crushes.' He mentally brush it off in favor of watching the movie.
"Toby, can I ask you something?" Naruto looked to the said teenager.
"Um, yeah…" Toby looked around with darting eyes.
"Is Jim acting weird?" The new kid asked, "Like, weird-weird, you know?"
"O-Oh, um, no, well…" The chubby teenager coughed few times, "He ate something funny today. Don't worry, I'll get him back to normal once I take this…" Toby quickly catches his slip in time before he run toward Claire, "Claire, have you seen Jim? I kinda lost track of him."
"Take what?" Naruto muttered to himself as he joined them.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Claire looked a bit worried and confusing, "Everyone's talking about him. He's been all over school making a spectacle of himself." Suddenly, the loudspeaker blare loudly to draw everyone's attentions.
"Hey, everybody, Jimmy Lake here." Jim's voice spoke cocky, "Just a quick reminder for everybody to keep it crispy." Toby facepalm, "Also, I taught myself bass guitar in the band room. This one goes out to my Juliet." The girl with blue streak gasped in embarrassment as the bass playing, "When our lips meet, fireworks!"
"How'd you get in here?!" A teacher's voice shouted, "Give me that thing!"
"You can't stop the passion, man!" The brunette's voice shouted back, "You can only fuel the fire!" The girl groaned furiously at that as she stomped away.
"Yeah?" The teacher growled, "Watch me!"
"This is bad." Toby sighed.
"…So you said he ate something weird…" Naruto turned to him, "Is he on drugs or something?"
"No, no, just something." The chubby teenager walks away with another sigh and the blonde scratch his head puzzlingly.
"…And what's crispy?" The puzzled blonde asked no one.
Couple days later, the class was listening to Strickler. "War is constant chaos." The teacher said, "The winner will be the one who controls the chaos, both his own and his enemy's. Napoleon's words show an unquenchable need for conquest. A man who could not be stopped. So, what was the French general's downfall? Did he stare down the barrel of a cannon?" There was a pause, "Did he die from the deafening silence of a classroom?" Some students laughed at his joke before Naruto raise his hand up, "Naruto."
"Waterloo?" The blonde said.
"Ah, why's that?" Strickler smiled.
"Um, because British and Prussian army are strong than Napoleon's army." Naruto said, "And there was a bad weather too."
"You're correct in a way." The teacher clicked the slideshow to show a picture of a mosquito, "Malaria. The world's most powerful army felled by the bite of an insignificant insect." The bell rang, "One last lesson. Who can tell me where Napoleon kept his armies? In his sleevies." He laughed to himself and some students leave the classroom with groans as the teacher approached Jim.
"Looks like someone has eyes for Jim." Darci said to Claire as Naruto walked behind them.
"Remember that letter I was telling you about?" Claire said as they stop in the doorway, unknowingly blocked the blonde.
"The one where he was fighting all of those inner monsters?" The black girl said, "You don't think he's crazy, do you?"
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." The girl with colored hairclips replied.
"Um, excuse me." Naruto lifted his hand up to the girls, "Can I please get through?"
"Oh, sorry!" Claire said as the girls moved to let him go through before she get a idea and she power-walk up to his side. "Wait, Naruto, I need your help with something."
"Mm, buy me five ramen and I'm in." He said.
"Wait, you're not going to ask me what it is?" She arched her eyebrow at him oddly.
"Nope." Naruto said, "I don't have ramen for two days and I'm dying! I'll help you out…Until it's dead body, you're on your own."
"Oh, alright…" Claire blinked, "You know where Jim's house is?" A nod, "Meet me there around five today."
"Sure, see you later." The blonde walked away with a lifted hand.
The sun barely set as Claire and Naruto sneak-jog near Jim's house and the girl peeked inside from the window before she kneel down. "Naruto, I'm gonna sneak around and try to see if I can get inside." She whispered, "You, be on lookout. Give me a head up if something go down."
"Get it." Naruto gave her a thumb-up and the girl tiptoe around the house as the blonde just hide around the corner, keeping eyes out for anything out of ordinary. After a while, he swear he heard some clatter in background but it don't sound too serious, consider how short it was. Strickler come out about a hour later as he said farewell to Jim and Barbara and the blonde wait a little longer until he decide to shot Claire a text. "How long do I have to stay on lookout for?" He texted and he don't have to wait longer when his phone vibrate.
"Everything's cool now, you can go now."
"Okay, if you say so. You still owe me five ramen." The blonde went back home, little did he know is that it was Jim who texted him instead of Claire.
Two days later, Naruto was helping the drama class by setting chairs up in gymnasium for Romeo and Juliet play as a volunteer because he get nothing to do. He really don't feel like training with chakra and pulling pranks. 'Guess it's one of these days.' Naruto held his yawn back.
"Everyone, go to backstage or outside." Janeth clapped her hands, "We're on in a hour."
'Guess I'll watch the play.' The blonde walked outside. Yup, he's so bored that he'll watch Romeo and Juliet play for the twenty-one times in his lifetime…Hey, his mother's a huge fan of theatre shows and always drag him to any shows. 'Wonder what's kaa-san doing right now.'
Zelda hold into the floor with her claw as everything suck into the Killahead Bridge and she have one last thought before her grip give out on her. 'Naruto, I'm sorry for leaving you…' She got pulled into the portal, 'I will find a way out of Darklands and come back to you.'
Few hours and a play later, Jim and Toby were celebrating with the trolls for defeated Bular in the Trollmarket. "Hey, dude." The chubby teenager turned to his best friend with a grin, "Since you're planning to give Claire a tour here, can we bring Naruto too? Please? Please!" The idea of fighting together with a real-life ninja give him a stroke and he wonder if Naruto can teach him how to be a ninja.
"Why not…" Jim replied with a light shrug. After the battle, it occur to him that Naruto wasn't on the dark side because he never show up and it make him think that the new kid was being kept in dark the whole time. "…But let's get one thing straight."
"What?" Toby raised his eyebrow.
"We are not going to tell Naruto about his mom." The brunette said, "We can't go and say, 'oh, hey, about your mom. Turn out she's a evil changeling who's worked with bad guys and was trying to kill us. But don't worry, we somehow banish her to Darklands so she will never come back. Sorry'."
"…Gotcha." The chubby teenager nodded rapidly, he don't want to be the one that will break the bad news to their friend. "Who's gonna call him?"
"I will." Jim said before he rub his head, "Hope he don't freak out when we tell him about the trolls and the whole thing, minus his mom."
Little did he know is that the Trollmarket will never be same when they bring Claire and Naruto in…But at least the trollhunter business will be pretty easy…Right? Right?!
And that end the first chapter of NIA!
Naruto have arrived in Arcadia Oaks and while there isn't a lot of actions since he's been keeping in dark, he manage to befriend few people and being normal as much as he can. That will all change when Jim and Toby bring him into their small team!
What will Naruto do in Trollmarket? How will the Trollhunter team turn out with a ninja in it? Will Jim regret this decision? What kind of adventure will it be for our ninja? What will happen next? Let's find out in the next chapter!
Anyway, I think that's all I can say for now. Thank you for your time to read it.
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