Hello folks! Back again with another chapter! I really enjoy writing for this story, so let's respond to some reviews!
Ignisha: Don't worry, I'm not putting any of my stories on hiatus or anything, I just want to get this one started off right! Thanks for reviewing!
Junky: Really? That's weird. Anyway, thanks for telling me, but I'm not worried! I don't think anyone would do that without a reason, but thank you again for your concern and reviewing!
Crimsonkyuubi: If you wanted to see a crossover with a NaruxAsuna pairing, Ignisha has one published right now. Thank you for reviewing!
Capito Celcior: Sorry about that. But thanks, I'll try my best! I kinda have a few different options on how to line Ako up in the story, but they all end the same way in the Festival arc.
Demoncreater2002: I know the summary isn't the best, but it's the accursed word limit! I had this great one going on in my head, but when I typed it all down I found I was going to be over the limit and I couldn't type it all!
Digman14: While he's not gonna be an all-out baddie, Naruto's going to be leaning more towards the dark side in this one, so you can expect a Naruto vs. Negi match sometime down the line! Naruto is also probably going to be as strong as you think he is, if not a little more.
Deathsilver: Okay, when it comes to voting, you can vote once per chapter. You can vote for more than one girl in each chapter, too!
Ricieri1: Don't worry, everything will be explained as the story goes on!
Mk14ebr: I know, but the plot bunnies out number me! Some of my ideas do seem evil, huh? You have no idea! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Also, don't worry; I plan to continue on all my stories! I just write what I have fun writing the most, and that's currently this one! But rest assured that all my stories will be updated…eventually!
FFXFan13: That's going to be a fun part in the story! Don't worry, I already have a few different ideas brewing for how that may happen! Also, I get that xxxHolic thing a lot about this story, but I've never read it! Weird, huh?
Relyt: "Needul Thing"? I've never heard of it, sorry.
OBSERVER01: I've never actually read xxxHolic, so I wouldn't really know if it's similar. I based it more on Howl's Moving Castle, if that helps any.
Durandal II: I do have an explanation for Naruto being smart, but it mostly deals with his age. You don't get to be his age without learning a few things…that's sounds a little odd, though.
Infinite Freedom: It's really not that big of a stretch when you consider that it's common for mages to have more than one Probationary Contract in Negima and considering that Evangeline has been around for such a long time, I think she'd be well aware and used to that.
Naruto7144: Well, Negima is one of those shows where I love most of the characters, so choosing one is always difficult for me, but I also don't want it to be this huge harem like the actual manga, so I wanted narrow it down more.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Negima.
"…Naruto…there's no chance I can convince you to pick a different path, is there?"
"If you mean you want to try and make me like you than you can save your breath."
"…I see…"
"Now leave."
"If…you ever do something I cannot forgive…if I ever, even for one moment, believe that you are a threat, I won't hesitate to kill you."
Naruto stared up at the large castle before him, fiddling with the canteen that hung on his belt. Really? They had a library this big? Whatever, he was getting paid, so he'd accept it. Glancing around the area, he sighed. He was alone among the fallen pillars and lush grass of the island, the shadows dancing around him as he leaned against the large door leading into the library.
"Is this really okay? The lower levels are off-limits to students…"
"It's a library—how dangerous could it be?"
"Don't be fooled. I told you there were traps in there."
'It's about damn time…' Naruto pushed off against the door as he approached the group, "So, is this everyone?"
The group, which consisted of Asuna, Negi, Yue, Konoka, Kaede, Ku Fei, and Makie nodded.
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle everything down there, Naruto-san?" Yue questioned, casting an unsure glance to Naruto.
Naruto smiled, "There isn't anything in there that I can't handle, Yue-chan. So, shall we head inside?"
"So, where are we now, Yue?" Asuna asked, looking around at the current area. It was practically a maze made of bookshelves. It had to be far larger than the gymnasium and it even had waterfalls running through it and tree growing freely! Books upon books were placed neatly onto the shelves as they took in the glow of the moon from the windows in the room.
"This is the third floor of the basement. From this point on, students are not allowed here," Yue said, looking down at her map, "We'll need to reach the eleventh floor and follow a passage there to get to the book, but the whole trip should take about four hours."
"We'll be back in time to get some sleep!" Makie smiled.
"A-Asuna-san, look!" Negi cried excitedly as he drifted to the shelves, "This book is very rare!"
Negi pulled the book, causing an arrow to fly out, poised to hit his head, only for it to be grabbed mere moments away from hitting Negi by Kaede, "Please be more careful of traps, Negi-bouzu."
Yue nodded, "In order to keep thieves from the rarer books, traps have been placed, so be wary."
Asuna turned to Naruto and glared, "I thought you said you could handle anything!"
"I can," Naruto replied, walking ahead of the group and dodging seven more arrows that fired as he grabbed a few books before turning back to the group, "A treasure hunter is supposed to go get the treasure while the client waits. I expected you all to wait outside for me, so please don't hold me responsible if anything happens."
Negi turned to Yue, "Why are we coming down here again?"
"We need to find a magical book, Negi-sensei," Makie explained, "So we won't come last in the scoring!"
"A-A magical book?" Negi cried, turning to Asuna in a hushed whisper, "Asuna-san, I thought we agreed on not relying on magic? I sealed my magic for three days because of our agreement!"
Asuna grinned sheepishly, "But if our grades don't improve, something bad will happen, understand?"
"Oi, hurry up!" Naruto called.
The group looked over to Naruto, shocked to see him already halfway across the room, 'F-Fast!'
"We're coming!"
"D-Don't leave us behind-aru!"
"Wait, Naruto-san!"
The group continued deeper into the library, Negi nearly falling into about three more traps on the way, causing Asuna to sigh, 'H-He really isn't much with his magic sealed, is he? Maybe we shouldn't have brought him.'
"There's a resting point up ahead," Yue called, "We can stop and eat the food we brought and take a break there."
"A break? We should continue until we reach our destination," Naruto commented, hanging back to allow the group to catch up.
"But Naruto-san, I've been waiting for this-aru!" Ku Fe exclaimed, "It's just like a picnic with everyone!"
Naruto found his arguments drowned out as the group sat upon a large table, laughing and eating as they had their break. Naruto shook his head and sat on the edge of the table, away from everyone else as he removed the canteen of blood he had brought and took a swig, 'Kids…I could've had this job done in an hour if I didn't have to wait and watch Negi…'
"What are you drinking, Naruto-san?" Negi smiled as he sat down with the blond.
Naruto smirked, "Blood."
"W-What?" Negi jumped, landing on his back on the floor.
"What's wrong, Negi?" Asuna asked, as the group turned to the duo.
"B-Blood! In his canteen!" Negi pointed, shivering.
The group turned to Naruto with confused eyes.
Naruto laughed lightly, "I was only joking, Negi-san. It's tomato juice, not blood—don't be so afraid. You act like I'm an evil maniac."
Ku Fei laughed, "See, Negi-sensei? It's just juice-aru!"
While the rest of the group returned to their previous conversations, Asuna cast an unsure glance at Naruto, who noticed. Naruto, turning his head so that he could just see Asuna out of the corner of his eye, smirked and sent a knowing look to Asuna making her turn pale and sending a shiver up her spine.
"N-Naruto-san?" Negi called out, seeing the unspoken conversation between the blond and Asuna.
Naruto hopped off the table and kneeled down to Negi's position on the floor, "Let me make myself clear, Negi. I'm not your friend. I will not help you, I will not protect you, and I don't need you trying to pry into my business. Not everyone you meet will be as kind as Konoe or Takahata. There are still plenty of monsters in this world, and I am one of them, whether you accept it or not."
"Negi-sensei, Naruto-san, we're moving on!" Yue called to the two.
"Coming, Yue-chan!" Naruto replied cheerfully before turning back to Negi, "Remember that."
Negi starred dumbly as Naruto walked further down the maze before frowning and following after the group.
Naruto scowled at the large statues that stood before him, 'What are you planning…Konoe?'
It had taken far longer than Naruto would have liked to finally reach the book. The room was large and intricate with large book shelves lining the right and left sides of the room and numerous pillars holding the ceiling up. At the end of the room was a large hole with an altar erected on the other side of the gap. On the altar stood a pedestal with a large book on it and two giant stone statues, one holding a hammer while the other held a sword.
"The vault of the magic book…" Yue mumbled, looked around and taking in the sight.
"To think a place like this was under our school," Asuna spoke, looking to the altar.
"T-That's the Book of Merkisedek!" Negi exclaimed as he pointed to the pedestal, "I-I can't believe I'm actually seeing it with my own eyes!"
"You mean it the real deal?" Asuna questioned, stepping besides Negi.
"This is a magical tome of the highest level!" Negi explained, "It's true that you could get smarter by using it, but that's only a small part of—"
"We did it!" Makie shouted in joy as she and the other Baka Rangers began to run for the book.
Naruto's eyes widened, "W-Wait! If you approach it so easily, you're bound to be—"
The floor the Baka Rangers stood on gave way, landing them on a stone Twister-mat with different translations marking the circles right in front of the altar.
"…trapped," Naruto growled in annoyance, 'These humans are making things far more difficult than they need to be…'
"Hohoho…"
The group froze as they heard laughter come from above them and, looking up, found the two giant statues glaring down at them.
"If you want this book, you'll have to answer my questions first!" the statue holding the hammer called, taking a step off the altar.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, 'What are you up to, Konoe? If you had these things stationed here for you, why send me?'
"W-W-What the Hell?" Asuna shouted, "Why is that statue moving?"
"First question! What is the English translation for 'Difficult'?" the statue questioned.
"Everyone calm down!" Negi called, "If you answer the questions correctly, you can get out of the trap! Press the correct spot for the answer!"
"B-But, Sensei…" Makie called out.
"What is 'Di...Difficult'-aru?" Ku Fei questioned.
"I-If I tell you, we'll be disqualified!" Negi sweat-dropped.
"It's the opposite of 'Easy'!" Konoka answered from next to where Negi stood.
Naruto shook his head, "I can't believe this…"
Smiling lightly to himself, Naruto sighed in happiness, 'Actually, I think I like this trap…'
The girls were currently twisted and huddle together, struggling to keep themselves held up in the painful positions they were in. So far, they had run through about fifteen questions, leaving the girls mentally exhausted (which, when Naruto thought about it, was kind of pathetic) and Negi nearly fainting from a nosebleed.
"Final question!" the statue bellowed, "What is the English translation for 'Dish'?"
"D…Dish-aru?" Ku Fei mumbled in confusion.
"You stack them! They're considered dinnerware!" Negi shouted, trying to give his students as many hints as possible.
"It's like in 'main-dish'!" Konoka called.
"I…It's 'Osara', isn't it?" Asuna shouted from underneath Makie.
"Got it!" Makie shouted, moving her hand on to the "O" button.
"Sa…" Asuna mumbled to herself, hitting the "Sa" button.
"Ra!" Asuna and Makie finished as they both tapped the "Ru" button.
"…Osaru?" Negi mumbled, looking at the Twister game in shock.
"WRONG!" the large statue roared, slamming his hammer down on the floor and creating a large hole. The hammer-wielding statue, Negi, Konoka, and the Baka Rangers fell down into its depths, shouting at Asuna and Makie for screwing up all the way down, leaving Naruto and the statue holding the sword in the room.
"How have things been so far, Uzumaki-san?" the statue questioned.
"Without his magic, he's useless," Naruto grimaced, casting a suspicious look to the statue, "More importantly, why are you here, Konoe? I thought the whole point of me being here was because you couldn't."
"Do not worry, Uzumaki-san. I assure you that your presence was very much needed here and that you will receive the reward I promised at the end of this little trip," the statue replied, "However, I believe your job is not finished. Negi and his students, along with the book you came to get, are down there, and that means…"
Naruto sighed, walking over to the hole, "I expect a raise for this…"
Naruto jumped down into the hole, leaving behind the statue.
"…I'm sorry for deceiving you, Uzumaki-san, but I cannot allow such a threat to exist around my students," the statue mumbled, "I hope you can forgive me after this is over…"
Naruto glanced around the room as he landed gracefully on the water below him. The ceiling was held up by multiple tree roots and the area was covered in scattered bookshelves, crammed with books of all kinds. Reaching down into the water, Naruto found it to be warm and, looking to the beaches that covered the area, decided that the place was more of a tropical getaway than a library. Naruto looked to a small patch of sand that rose out of the water, finding the rest of his group there knocked out. His sharp eyes fell on Asuna's, whose forearm began to darken as a bruise slowly formed.
'Great, an injury…' Naruto carefully glanced over each of their necks, 'It'd be so easy…'
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, Naruto raised his canteen to his ear and shook it, grimacing when he heard very little blood left, 'Damn.'
Settling himself into the sand next to Asuna, Naruto fell back into the warm sand and began to drift to sleep, 'You'd better hope for your sakes that we get out of here soon…before I get thirsty.'
"W…Where are we?" Asuna yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up from the sand.
"I remember," Negi answered, blinking his eyes opened as he sat up as well, "That golem knocked us down here after we failed that trap."
Asuna nodded in remembrance before her eyes widened at the room before her, "W-Where the Hell is this?"
"Are we still in the library?" Konoka wondered aloud as she stood.
"Amazing, we fell all the way down here-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed as she examined the area around them.
Yue stepped forward, "C-Could this be the legendary 'Deep Library'?"
"The what?" Konoka questioned.
"It's a book-lover's paradise!" Yue explained, "Nothing but rare books as far as the eye can see and all the time you could possibly want to read them!"
Naruto chose this moment to drown out the babble of the students with his thoughts, 'Konoe said the book fell down here with them…where is it? I need to find that thing before they find a way out of here.'
"—ruto-san? Naruto-san?"
"Hm? What is it?" Naruto blinked, coming back into reality to see Makie waving a hand in front of his face.
"Are you alright? You spaced out on us for a minute," Konoka commented, stepping over to the blond.
Naruto smiled, "I'm fine…still, what are you all going to do now? You're stuck down here for the time being."
"H-He's right-de gozaru…" Kaede mumbled.
"We won't be able to make it in time for the test!" Makie cried.
"T-This isn't good," Yue muttered, "There doesn't seem to be anyway to climb up…"
'I'm in charge of this class…I've got to show some courage!' Negi decided, "E-Everyone, please listen! I'm not sure how, but we will find a way out of here and make it back in time for the test! So, until then, we should study to prepare ourselves!"
"Study?"
"At a time like this-aru?" Ku Fei giggled at her teacher's idea.
"You sure are optimistic, Negi-sensei," Konoka smiled.
"T-Thank you, Negi-sensei," Makie spoke up, "We're in this mess because of Asuna and me…"
"Not at all! If we study now, we won't need a magic book!" Negi exclaimed happily.
'Speak for yourself,' Naruto scowled as he stalked off from the rest of the group, "While you start studying, I'll look for a way out. My store can't be closed for long—my customers will lose their loyalty!"
After Naruto was out of sight, Yue turned to Asuna, "How many customers go to his shop anyway?"
Asuna shook her head, "I haven't seen one."
"You've got to be kidding me…" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. The sight was so ridiculous that he actually rubbed his eyes, double checked to make sure he had seen correctly, rubbed his once more, and finally checked a third time. Yes, before him stood a door clearly marked 'exit'. He had been searching the area without using any of his abilities to avoid being discovered by the students. This, however, came with unfortunate side effect of having to take longer to find the exit and thus go longer without blood. They had been stuck for about two days now, leaving them with one day until the exam and one day for Naruto to find the book.
"…Are you serious, Konoe?" Naruto shook his head, before smirking, "Well, works for me…now all I need to do is to get that book…hm?"
"Okay, we've got the book!"
"Let's look for a short cut to the surface while he's confused!"
"I told you that you won't find a way out! Give up and return the book!"
"We won't give it back-aru!"
"What…are they doing?" Naruto's eye twitched. Running towards his direction was the entire group, the book notably in Ku Fei's hands, with Konoe's hammer-towing golem in pursuit of them.
"Naruto-san, you found an exit!" Konoka beamed as she and everyone finally reached the door.
"Y-You found the book, right?" Naruto looked to the book, "Then let's leave."
"Are you okay, Naruto-san? You seem pale," Yue commented.
"I'm fine," Naruto replied, 'The sooner I get blood, the better.'
"T-This is bad!" Makie cried.
"What is?" Asuna questioned, "Get in the door already!"
"There's some kind of question on the door!" Yue shouted.
"Damn it, I'm through putting up with this!" Naruto muttered, "Stand aside!"
Naruto pushed his way to the door and, in a swift and fluid motion, kicked the door in. The group quickly got over there shock when they heard the giant golem coming from behind them and ran inside to discover a large and empty room with a spiral staircase leading to the top.
"C-Can we even climb this?" Konoka shouted, seeing no end to the stairs.
"Get back here!"
"Looks like we don't have a choice! Get moving!" Naruto shouted, charging up the stairs with the rest of the group following behind him. It didn't take long for the golem to bust through the door and run up the stairs after them.
Naruto glared as he saw another wall with a question in front of him on the stairs, "Annoying!"
Naruto threw back his fist and slammed it into the wall, never missing a step as the stone crumbled to pieces.
"H-How are you doing that?" Makie shouted, "You're only ten!"
"Never mind that! Just keep moving!" Naruto answered, shoving his fist through another wall.
"L-Look everyone!" Negi shouted, pointing to the top of the stairs. After what seemed like ages, the group had finally reached the top to reveal…an elevator? Naruto resisted the urge to smack his forehead.
'You installed an elevator, Konoe?' Naruto shook his head, "Everyone inside!"
Everyone packed inside the elevator while the golem smashed his way ever closer. Naruto stiffened as he looked at his shaking hand, 'Damn it…if I don't get blood soon…'
"W-We made it!" Asuna exclaimed, "Now let's get to the surface!"
"Notice: Overload. This elevator is overloaded."
"W-W-What?" Asuna shouted.
"W-We must have eaten too much while we were here-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed.
"Makie-san, how much do you weigh right now?" Yue questioned.
"D-Don't ask me! What about Asuna and Ku Fei?" Makie blushed.
"All I did was study!" Asuna yelled, before going to test an idea she had.
"It has the space, but not the power, huh?" Konoka commented to herself quietly.
"E-Everyone, drop everything you're holding!" Asuna declared, "If I put my foot outside the door, the notice stops! All we need to do is drop a little weight!"
"Get rid of your clothes! We lose weight that way-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed and, with no arguments or objections much to Naruto's surprise, the girls began to eagerly tear of their clothing and throw them out the elevator door…
'Maybe this was worth it after all…' Naruto smiled before shaking his head, '…No, it wasn't.'
"I-It's no good!" Makie cried, "It's not enough!"
Yes, even if the stupid plan gave Naruto a good show, he still had to shake his head at the idiocy of the girls before him, 'You'd think one of these girls would question the fact that we're being chased by a giant statue...'
"I've got you now!"
Well, in the time it had taken the girls to pull off their clothes, the golem had made it to the top step and was currently peering into the elevator at them. Negi, staring back at the golem's red eye and ignoring his student's screams, walked out of the elevator and stood defensively in front of the door.
"N-Negi-sensei?"
"What are you doing-aru?"
"Everyone, please return to the surface and take the test!" Negi called without looking back.
"B-But your magic!" Asuna mumbled.
"Hey, golem! Your opponent is right here!" Negi shouted as the golem stood to tower over him.
"Brave child…but also foolish!" the golem roared as he pulled back his fist and brought it down. Just as the fist would have connected with Negi's head, however, Asuna grabbed him by the back of his collar and yanked him back into the elevator.
"A-Asuna-san!" Negi shouted in shock as he looked to the girl.
"Have you forgotten this is your test, too? What's the point of taking the test without you being there?" Asuna shouted, "Stop trying to act cool!"
"B-But what will we do about the golem?" Negi asked.
"This!" Asuna replied, raising the book in her hands.
'S-She's not…she wouldn't!' Naruto froze in horror as he watched Asuna throw the book off the elevator and onto the ground before it. The elevator notice went dead and the doors slowly began to draw shut.
'…She did,' Naruto slapped his forehead.
"I-It's moving!"
"We're out of here!"
"Not quite," Naruto quickly moved to stick his foot in the door just as it was about to seal shut, "But I'll be seeing you all."
"N-Naruto-san?"
"What are you doing-aru?"
"Come back inside-de gozaru!"
"Are you insane?"
Naruto just turned and gave a sly smile and wave just as the doors finally closed and the elevator began its ascent to the surface. Turning to the large golem that still stood there, Naruto bent down and picked up the book, dusting it off before shoving it under his arm, "Well, that was an interesting experience and all Konoe, but I suggest you get me to the surface quickly. Being without blood for three days has left me less than up to par."
"I see…I don't suppose there is any way I can convince you that the book and payment are reward enough and that you can take those and leave Mahora?"
Naruto frowned before smirking, "Sorry, Konoe, but I have a mission to complete. This little prize is just a bonus."
"And you still refuse to tell me what that mission is?"
Naruto's smirk widened, "I already told you—that would spoil the surprise."
"…Then I'm afraid I have no other choice."
Naruto frowned, "Konoe?"
Without warning and in one fluid movement, the golem had backhanded Naruto off of the spiral staircase and sent him plummeting to the ground, "If you refuse to tell me, I must assume the worst for my student's sakes! I cannot allow such a threat to my students to hang over them!"
The golem then leapt off the stairs, following Naruto on his way down with his hammer drawn to slam into the ground. Naruto hit the stone floor first, the hammer coming down on top of him as the golem landed on his feet, "I am sorry, Naruto…but my student's safety is my main priority. I could not allow you to harm it…I could not allow you to live!"
"Don't make me laugh old man…you really think that'd be enough to kill me?"
"W-What?"
Konoe watched from his office through his crystal ball, shocked as the hammer of his golem shattered, revealing a completely unharmed Naruto. Not only was there not even a single scratch on him, but he was laughing! Laughing like an insane monster about to leap at his victim.
"Don't tell me you thought that I, a collector of rare and magical artifacts, wouldn't have any at my disposal?" Naruto smirked, "You see, Konoe, while I usually deliver artifacts to people who order them or keep them to trade to someone who comes into my store, when I find one that is particularly useful, I keep it for myself to use! In fact, I have quite a few on me right now…"
Before Konoe even knew what happened, Naruto had disappeared from view and reappeared in front of his golems head, slamming his fist into its face and sending it toppling over backwards on the ground, a few feet away from where Naruto landed gracefully seconds later, "The first of which are these boots I wear."
Naruto gestured to the hiking boots on his feet, "These are called the "Seven Leagues Boots." Normally, they allow a person to move a total of seven leagues (roughly 21 miles) in a single step. Any distance shorter than that, I can move in barely a fraction of a second."
The golem struggled to stand up, its head completely smashed to pieces from the powerful punch of the blond.
"The next is my belt," Naruto laughed, "It is known as the "Girdle of Might", and once was a part of a suit of armor given to the god Thor. I'm sure you've already noticed it's effects, but in case you haven't, it makes my already staggering physical power as a dhampir even stronger, to the point that I can destroy just about anything with a simple punch."
The golem, with the last burst of energy it had, grabbed the broken and sharp handle of his hammer and drove it into Naruto's chest…only for the stone handle to shatter on contact with the boy.
"That leads me to the third and final piece that I am currently wearing, the Aegis," Naruto smirked, "An impenetrable cloth that was woven and given to the goddess Athena to act as the perfect shield. A particular favorite of mine, it took me quite awhile to get my hands on it, too. Of course, I couldn't walk around looking like I was from ancient Greece nowadays so I had it reworked into my hoodie. Nothing can touch me in this. So, as much as your efforts were amusing, it is time for this to end, Konoe."
Naruto smirked and held out his hand as an orb of blue energy sprung out from it, "A little trick I picked up from my father…Rasengan!"
Naruto slammed the orb into the chest of the golem, causing it to be thrown back and broken to pieces as it collapsed against the wall in a pile of rubble. With the battle won, Naruto turned to begin his climb back up the stairs.
"Don't think this is through, Naruto!"
Naruto swirled around too late to dodge the second golem's attack, and was pinned to the wall by the giant stone sword it carried, stabbed through his waste just below where the Aegis began. Naruto stared down in shock at the sword as a metallic taste filled his mouth, "B-Bastard…"
"I'm sorry, Naruto, but it seems you forgot that I had two golems here, not one. That mistake has made all the difference here today and has cost you your life," Konoe's voice came from the golem, "Now please die."
It was then that Konoe learned a very important detail in that library that morning. Naruto was a thing he had greatly underestimated. The boy couldn't have been a simple dhampir—he realizes that now. That day, however, he had been shocked beyond all belief at Naruto's next move—the crazy bastard started to laugh. His laughter echoed through the room, blood escaping his mouth as he did.
"Konoe, you pitiful, senile bastard!" Naruto laughed, "Don't you understand? I cannot be killed!"
Naruto grabbed the stone blade with his hands, disregarding the blood that poured from them as the gripped the razor edges of the blade tightly and shattered it. Naruto, whose body should have been cut into two, walked toward the golem completely unharmed, "You didn't think Eva-chan was the only "Undead Mage", did you?"
"T-That's not possible! You aren't a full vampire—you should be able to regenerate like that! Evangeline can't even regenerate like that! How?"
"Eva-chan isn't in my league, to put it simply," Naruto's smirk became twisted, "The same goes for you! The same even goes for the Thousand Master himself! No mage can kill me! The only one who can kill me is far, far away! You pitiful humans, mages or normal, are too arrogant! Don't underestimate me!"
Naruto disappeared once more, reappearing midair in front of the golem's head and delivering a powerful kick that sent the stone warrior up to the top of the stair case again, where Naruto stood waiting. Before Konoe even had the chance to marvel at the boy's speed, Naruto had silently and gracefully leapt into the air towards the golem as it reached the peak of its journey upward. With a quick movement of his right hand, Naruto had decapitated the golem, with the golem's head in his hands, allowing the body to fall to the ground below as he landed on another section of the spiral staircase.
"…I don't like being double-crossed, Konoe," Naruto growled as he held the head at arm's length, forcing it to look him in the eyes, "However, I will allow it to pass just this once. I will expect triple the amount of money I was offered and a fresh supply of blood from you."
"The money I can agree to, but the blood I cannot get you."
"Hold a blood drive," Naruto didn't skip a beat in his answer, "Now, I will meet you on the surface soon. I'll give you my report and finish this mission and I will expect my pay immediately after words."
With that said, Naruto tossed the head over his shoulder and let it fall down the staircase as he walked to the elevator that had decided now was a good time to come back down. Smirking, Naruto made his way to the elevator, picking up the book where Konoe had made him drop it at the top of the stairs.
"T-Then that means…" Asuna mumbled in shock as she looked at her headmaster in amazement. The sun was just beginning to set at the Mahora Train Station, and Negi, the Baka Rangers, Nodoka, Haruna, and Konoka all looked on in shock at Konoe.
Konoe nodded, "2-A has the highest grades of their class."
After the group had finally finished the test, the scores were quickly marked as sent out as an assembly was held to show the yearly grades and, after a rather crushing moment, 2-A was shown to once again have the worst grades of their class. Negi, seeing this, ran ahead to the train station to leave, only to be confronted by the Baka Rangers, Nodoka, Haruna, and Konoka. What no one was expecting, though, was when Konoe showed up announcing that 2-A was really at the head of their class, with the early score being false.
"D-Does this mean I'm an official teacher?" Negi asked.
Konoe sighed, "T-That is not my decision…it's—"
"Mine."
The group looked up to see Naruto smirking at them with the book tucked under his shoulder.
"N-Naruto-san!"
"You're alive-aru!"
"W-Wait, what do you mean?" Konoka asked her grandfather, "I thought Negi only had to get us to pass!"
"I was contacted and paid to follow Negi throughout the library and grade him as I see fit," Naruto explained, "Depending on how he handled himself, I decide if he stays or goes."
"And your decision is?" Konoe questioned, the group leaning forward in suspense.
Naruto frowned, "Negi…when we got to the library, you were useless. You set off trap after trap, putting not only your students, who had to save you, in danger but also yourself. Not only that, but you broke every regulation and not only allowed, but followed your students out on a trip to a forbidden and dangerous section of the library past curfew to get a book to make them smarter for the test. Not only does that show a tremendous amount of doubt in your students, it is also considered cheating. When you and your students ended up trapped, you didn't bother to start to look for a way out—you told them to study, something that they easily could have done if they had stayed safely in their dorms that night. Does this sound like a good teacher to you?"
"Hey, lighten up! He may have made some mistakes, but everything worked out fine in the end!" Asuna shouted.
"She's right-aru!" Ku Fei added.
"We're all safe and we even scored higher on the exam than we ever did before!" Makie exclaimed.
"And what if it hadn't?" Naruto pushed, turning to Asuna, "You hurt your arm when you fell down into the Deep Library, did you not? You're lucky it was only a sprain—if it had been a much more serious wound, there would have been no one to help you and no medical supplies to aid you. Hell, you're all lucky any of you didn't die from the drop alone! That's ignoring the life-threatening traps that were set up along the way. A teacher should not lead students into that kind of place!"
"But—"
"No, he's right," Negi spoke, "I put us all in danger. I should have known better—I should have been more confident that we didn't need the book to pass. Because of me, we were trapped in the library for three days and nearly killed by a golem. I'm sorry, everyone. Naruto-san, I understand why your failing me."
"Stupid, son of a…" Naruto shook his head in frustration, "Let me finish before you all go making decisions yourselves! Negi, at the end of this trip, you managed to get everyone out safely, even risking your life to protect them at the elevator. You got all your students to the test and trusted in their abilities to pass…that's why I'm passing you."
Konoe smiled, "How very surprising of you, Naruto-san. Perhaps you aren't so bad?"
Naruto sent a good-natured smirk to Konoe, "Don't go putting words in my mouth, old man. You shouldn't read too much into this."
"N-Naruto-san!" Negi had tears leaking out of his eyes as he ran up and hugged the blond.
"H-Hey! Get off me!" Naruto shouted, "You're getting my clothes wet!"
The group of students, seeing this, laughed and ran to join in on the hug.
"Great job-aru!"
"We did it!"
"Let's toss them!"
That's where Naruto drew the line, "If I go up in the air, you're gonna regret it!"
"C'mon! This calls for a celebration-aru!" Ku Fei exclaimed.
"I'm sure everyone else will want to join in, too!" Konoka smiled.
Kaede turned to Naruto, "Want to come along-de gozaru?"
Naruto shook his head, "Not only do I have a store to open up, but I need to get some more tomato juice. Asuna, I will expect you to start your overtime tomorrow and I will be docking your pay for the three days you missed in the library."
"B-B-But I was trapped!"
"Either show up to work or you don't get paid," Naruto replied as he began to walk away, "Next time, look for an exit instead of studying!"
Naruto didn't turn to see Asuna's angry face or how the group laughed at her misfortune, he only kept walking until he turned the corner into the surprisingly empty Mahora Shopping District. Opening the book he had tucked away, Naruto smirked, "Poor, gullible Konoe…a little more paranoia would do you some good. Was that really all it took to get you to trust me? Pass that brat? I suppose he didn't know how to use the book completely, either…if he did, he would've been smart enough not to let me have it."
Stopping, Naruto's smirk deepened, 'You're lucky your slightly useful to me, Negi, otherwise I would have failed you on the spot. Luckily for you, I can see you making a decent distraction for me in the future…now, on to more pressing matters.'
Holding his hand on the cover of the book as he made his way down the street, Naruto closed his eyes, "Book of Merkisedek, as your owner, I command you…reveal to me a detailed list of the Mahora Academy staff. Reveal to me a detail map of the entire academy. Reveal to me the location of the World Tree's roots. Reveal to me the area of the protective barrier of the school."
Naruto smirked as he flipped through the pages of the book, nearly grinning as he saw everything he had asked for appear on its pages. Closing the book and approaching his store, he entered.
"Sayo-chan, I'm back," Naruto called, walking behind the counter.
"Naruto-kun! Where were you? You were gone for three days!" Sayo chimed as she floated over to the blond, attempting to hug him only to fall straight through the boy.
"I had quite the adventure," Naruto smiled, "But it was all worth it for the pay off…"
Ako glanced around the dark streets of the Mahora Shopping District as she made her way down them, a heavy case of blood packets in her arms. She was surprised when just a few days ago, Konoe announced a blood drive would be taking place and, with the reward of sweets, many students signed up to donate. What shocked and confused her more, though, is how she was now being sent in place of Shizuna-sensei, who had to deal with an emergency patient to deliver the blood.
She shivered.
She never liked blood. There was something about it that always made her stomach churn at the sight of it, which was completely contradicting to her position as a nurse assistant.
'Why is the blood being delivered to the Shopping District anyway?' Ako thought as she continued down the road before finally coming to a stop, "…Isn't this Naruto-san's shop?"
Ako double-checked the address that was written on the case. Yes, it was supposed to be delivered to Naruto's shop, oddly enough. Shrugging, Ako quickly decided the faster the blood was away from her, the better, and she wasted no time in opening the door.
"Ako-chan, I've been expecting you. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
Ako smiled as she looked to the small figure behind the counter, "It has! Ah, Naruto-san, I don't suppose you mind me asking what you're going to do with the blood?"
"Oh, that?" Naruto smiled, "I'm the one who went to Konoe to hold the drive, so I have to be the one to send the blood to the Red Cross. Just a little formality, I guess, but it's nothing too troubling. Just set it on the counter and it's a job well done!"
Ako giggled and did so, waving goodbye to Naruto as she headed for the door, only for a letter to slide in from the crack of the door. Ako smiled and picked it up, "Looks like you have a letter, Naruto-san!"
"I'm kinda busy right now—would you mind reading it to me?" Naruto called as he began to sort out books on the shelves.
Ako nodded, opening it up and reading it, "Dear Naruto, I have heard news of your recent exploits…I am coming to-what?"
Naruto turned at the girl's surprised yelp, "What is it?"
"I-It's a death threat!"
Naruto froze before walking over and snatching the letter from the girl's hands, looking it over before smiling, "Oh, this is nothing, Ako-chan. It's just a little inside joke that a pen-pal and I have running. We got into a little argument once and—well, it's a long story, but I assure you that everything has been taken care of."
"Y-You're sure? It sounds pretty serious…" Ako mumbled, looking to the letter with worried eyes.
Naruto laughed, waving the girl off, "Don't worry about it. Now, you should be heading home soon—it's awful late."
Ako nodded, "If you say it's nothing… I guess I'll be seeing you later then, Naruto-san. Have a nice night!"
"You too, Ako-chan," Naruto smiled as he waved. His smile dropped and his eyes darkened as soon as he saw the door close completely. Sayo flew down the stairs as Naruto looked over the letter.
"I heard what Ako-san said," Sayo spoke, looking over his shoulder to get a look at the letter, "Is everything okay?"
Naruto frowned, "…I need some sleep."
"N-Naruto!"
Naruto ignored the ghost's cries and walked up the stairs, practically gliding through the second floor and ignoring the dolls that cried out to him as he proceed to the third floor. Stopping momentarily to stare into the glow of the glass container on the third floor, Naruto proceeded to open a small crawlspace door and move through it, stepping into a large room.
On the wall of the left side of the room was a large map of the globe that took up the entire wall. It was riddle with notes and strings, possible leads and tracks of where the store had moved. On the right side of the room were four large bookcases crammed with tomes, scrolls, papers, and maps with a desk situated in between the bookcases. The desk was a mess, with numerous papers scattered across it, folders left open and reports that went unread continued to gather dust as the blond past them. He threw himself on the large, king-sized bed that sat at the end of the room, under a skylight and before a door.
He groaned into the sheets, before sitting up and pausing to look up to the night's sky through the skylight, '…It was on a night like this, wasn't it? All those years ago…'
His eyes narrowed as he moved off his bed, storming over to his desk and planting himself in his chair, 'A night like this…when he…'
'When he…' a scowl developed on his lips, "DAMN HIM!"
In a fit of blind rage, Naruto shoved the papers on the desk to the floor kicking his chair back and scattering them over the room. As he calmed down, he looked to the crumpled letter in his hands that he, lost in his thoughts, had forgotten about. Setting his chair up right and propping his elbows on the desk, Naruto grabbed his head in frustration, '…The only man who can kill me…I'm surprised you even remember me…'
Naruto,
I have heard about your recent exploits. I told you a long time ago that if you ever did anything that I couldn't forgive, I would kill you. I cannot allow you to exist any longer. I can see now that I should have killed you when I last held the chance. I will correct that mistake. Be on guard, you fool—I am coming for you.
—Minato
Sorry about the long wait, guys! If you'll believe it, I actually had this chapter mostly done for about a week or two, but my computer deleted all my files and I had to go on a wild goose-chase to get back what I lost, only to find that a simple configuring of my updates did the trick. Well, to make it up to you, 20 pages! To be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with the way this chapter turned out. But that's because the Library arc is so boring! I mean, how many important things happen in this arc? Negi becomes an official teacher and that's it! No one ever talks about it now in the manga! But at least it's out of the way and we can move onto the Eva arc, and with Naruto around, that one should be far more interesting! Of course we won't be moving right into the Eva arc…because next chapter we finally an explanation for Naruto! Why he's a dhampir, how he got the store, and why he and Minato are at ends! Anyway, enough of my ramblings, on to the poll!
Current Pairing: Naruto x Eva x Ako x ?
Poll:
Yuna: 4
Asuna: 16
Akira: 6
Madoka: 3
Sakurako: 2
Sayo: 18
Asakura: 14
Chizuru: 14
Ku Fei: 6
Chao: 6