Rune Soldier Naruto

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rune Soldier Louie so let's just leave it at that all right?

Chapter 8

Writer's Inspiration

( ): Thoughts/Conversation with the Kyuubi

(( )): Kyuubi's voices

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In the archives in the Magic Guild of Ohfun

Naruto yawned a bit as he looked over a number of tomes yet again that were high lighting events of the past in the kingdom and hoped to find something that would help him find the answer he needed to get back to Konoha soon so he could live his dream of being Hokage yet, the one thing he had not been able to accomplish. He smiled a bit more as he closed the tome and began to think back on how things had been after fighting Pain all those months before.

It had been a hard fight and it was sad that not everyone in Konoha could be saved as he recalled seeing to the funeral of his own sensei Kakashi; it hurt him like mad as he looked at the tombstone that had his sensei's name on it but he had a feeling that maybe his sensei was proud of him when he finally defeated Pain and even convinced him to finally end his reign. He recalled for a brief moment after Nagato died and his body along with the body his friend Yahiko and Konan leaving, he walked back to Konoha and as he leaned on a nearby tree due to exhaustion, and as he sat there he looked a bit to the direction of Konoha and recalled seeing the spirits of his Jonin sensei smiling at him along with his Sannin sensei and godfather Jiraiya. While it might have been an illusion or something....there was no denying that they were smiling and were proud of him.

The sight of the two men smiling at him before they faded away made him smile warmly as he got the strength to move on and was greeted by the villagers along with everyone.

It was a joyful and bitter moment for him when he looked at his village, he had gained the recognition he craved ever since he was young, and he finally proved himself to be a true hero. It was days after that when he looked for Hinata and talked to her about her confession before. Hinata had been avoiding him for a while and it worried him somewhat since it was not like Hinata to do such things since she would usually seek him out.

When he finally talked with her without interruption from anyone in the village, she admitted her long standing crush for him as well as her long time love for him. The two talked it over for a lot longer and it was there that he was able to learn a lot more of Hinata's love for him and how he had meant to her. It was quite a revelation to him to say the very least and afterwards, he asked her why she had been avoiding him if she really did love him, and she answered that she didn't know how he felt about her and knowing that he still loved Sakura, that was why she had been very hesitant towards him. He couldn't fault her for that as he still cared deeply for Sakura and he did love her, but after Hinata's confession as well as her nearly dying to save him when he first fought Pain was something that he had to consider. That was one of the hardest conversations he ever had and then told Hinata that he needed more time to think about it all.

Hinata didn't take offense and replied that she was willing to accept his decision, after finally letting him know the extent of her feelings after nearly ten years ever since she laid eyes on him, she felt very happy, and she would always love him until the very end. She also said that even if he chose Sakura over her, she was willing to accept that, and said that as long as he was happy she was happy.

That struck him hard in the gut as Hinata's words mirrored the very same things he felt when he saw Sakura crying over Sasuke when they brought him back after the fight with Itachi and Kisame long ago, he had felt great jealousy and anger, but he decided to put that aside since he wanted Sakura to be happy. Hearing that from Hinata who he could tell was also hurting inside as she said this was hard to say the very least.

It was not soon after this that he spoke to Sakura and she told him about Hinata's own confession when she had been wounded badly by Pain, and then she told him about Sai's own observations that she was the source of his pain, along with Sasuke. Naturally he was down right furious about that and vowed to bash Sai for running his mouth, but Sakura stopped him and told him that Sai was right...she didn't want him to suffer anymore for her sake, and she told him that the conversation with Sai made her realize the love he had for her, and how much pain she had placed on him by making him promise to bring Sasuke back to the village. She told him that when he had taken to allowing the Kyuubi to take over him in their battle with Kabuto and Orochimaru, and hearing that he was willing to even give up his soul and life to keep his promise was just the first part that made her decide to convince him to stop risking his life for her, and then the battle with Pain and the conversation then with Sai was the last straw. She wanted him to live and to be free of the pain that promise he made on her behalf placed on him.

She repeated that they were going to try and save Sasuke together, that had never changed, but they were also going to be ready to make a new future. He was confused by that until Sakura told him that she had finally realized not only the suffering she brought on him, but also the feelings she had developed for him as well, feelings that made her realize just how important he was to her, not just because he was her friend, but because he had done so much for her because he honestly loved her, and it was about time that she did something about those feelings that had been growing in her as well.

That further confused him until she told him that she had grown to care for him, and not just as a friend and team mate either, but something more, which was why she was not going to let him suffer anymore for her sake. She told him that she loved him, something that she had thought was not possible, but it was, she told him of how she had once thought he was a talentless idiot when they were younger but over the time they had been together, she had seen him for who he was and that made her happy to have him by her side. That was why she was not going to lose him, not to Madara, and to those who sought to harm him.

That further complicated things for him in many ways as this was unexpected and he wondered just how he had gotten into this kind of situation with both Sakura and Hinata.

Thankfully things had worked out in the end, after he defeated Madara to stop his Moon's Eye Plan and defeated Sasuke when he tried to help Madara wipe out the village of Konoha as well as doom the world into an illusion of peace, he managed to have a long talk with both Sakura and Hinata and it seemed to work out in the end, though he had not gotten that far just yet with the two of them since he had time to make a relationship work.

The blonde Chuunin smiled at the memory of that...and shook his head as he decided to focus on getting down to finding a way home, he missed all his friends too much to be stuck here forever, though this world was not all bad. There were plenty of adventures here that helped him grow stronger, and there were good people here as well like Carwess-sensei, Jenny-sama, and Ila-chan. Maybe he could find a way to make things work out soon enough but for now, he needed to relax.

He managed to gather all the information that he needed and placed it aside and would later talk to Carwess and Jenny for more details and see if they could help him fill in the gaps in his knowledge. He had already found a number of powerful artefacts but none of them were able to open dimensions as of yet so he was still in the dark in finding a way home so he still needed to keep looking.

It was then that he decided to check on another one of his storage scrolls, it was time for him to make some much needed updates. As soon as he got the scroll, he made the hand seals and made the command.

"Unseal!"

The contents of the scroll were now revealed and it was a collection of leather bound books with a lot of pages in them and as Naruto checked them out, he smiled a bit and decided to take out a quill pen and finish what was left in the books.

Since he had all day, he took his time as he wrote some more content into the books and he took a quick break by gulping down some nearby tea in a glass that he had brought with him to relax himself while he was doing his research, as soon as he was done with the writing, he bound up the books and then summoned a pair of Kage Bushin and told them to continue the research while he went off to deliver the books to a nearby shop. As soon as that was done, Naruto left the archives and as soon as he was assured that no one was following him, he moved off and arrived in the printing press that created books. He smiled in greeting to the owner of the place as the man smiled in greeting.

"Hey Naruto! Great to see you here after a while."

"Nice to see you Fallon, how's the shop?"

"Pretty darn good, those last books you turned in before were a hit, we were selling the copies just as they left the presses."

Naruto grinned and replied.

"Good to hear, so I take it you guys made a killing with the books?"

"Yeah, pretty much, we had to ship over twenty thousand copies all over the kingdom at this point, we burned out all our supplies, but I have more than enough money here to buy all the supplies I need for decades! And all thanks to you when you came to my humble shop all those months before."

Naruto laughed a bit at that and spoke.

"So how are you and Dana doing?"

Fallon grinned as he turned aside to let Naruto see a pretty woman telling stories to a trio of little toddlers and the woman smiled at Naruto as she walked up, revealing that she was with child. Dana then spoke to Naruto as she placed her arm on her husband.

"It's good to see you again Naruto."

Naruto smiled at Dana and replied.

"Nice to see you too, four kids....wow, you two HAVE been busy huh?"

Dana blushed and so did Fallon and the woman replied.

"It's your entire fault after all Naruto."

Naruto gave a mock hurt look and replied.

"You wound me Dana...and I thought you loved the works I made."

Dana laughed at that and replied as she rubbed her belly.

"I do and so does my husband....perhaps too much and you can see the results."

The group chuckled and Naruto handed over the books, bidding them farewell and headed off to the administration building for the staff in the Magic Guild and then smiled as he got the knowledge from the now dispersed Kage Bushin, he shook a bit from all the knowledge he got and hoped that maybe Carwess-sensei could fill in the gaps, he had a feeling that the senior head of the Magic Guild, having travelled for a long time before settling in to be head of the Guild might have gotten his hands on other records or recalled anything that would help him in his search for a way home.

As he made his way there, he wondered just what else was going to happen in the coming days, though he had a feeling that he was going to have some fun later on once he got back to the dorm room he stayed in, he still had some left over books that were blank and he could very well get back to writing some more good books, after all, he had more than enough material to help him create some fairly good ones.

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Two days later...

Melissa, Merrill and Genie were currently in their usual inn of choice and getting some food for break-fast today, the calls to work had been fairly dull at the moment and while the lack of any jobs or contracts grated on their nerves, the peace was actually quite welcoming. However the three of them were still confused as they ate and thought about a certain ninja/mage.

Merrill placed down her mug of ale and replied.

"I still can't wrap my head around it, how could HE have found such a treasure like that sword?! I've talked with some of my fellow Thieves in the Guild and they confirmed what that weapon dealer said, but those swords were so hard to find that they were considered as myth in the Guild...yet HE found one...."

Genie ate a piece her bread bun and after swallowing it and then offered her own take.

"Naruto's certainly shaping up to be an interesting person, though I'm still not sure what to make of him. He doesn't fight like a mage and that performance he had with Conrad told me he is no rookie with holding a sword, and what just happened days before shows that when he does use magic, he's quite competent"

Melissa nodded as she ate some of the meat that she had on her plate. They had been able to sell the weapon and amazingly, Merrill didn't resist the idea of giving away some of the money she had to them and they were once more able to use the money to lower their debts to their collectors, that had taken higher out in the red, and that was quite a change than where they were months before Naruto was declared by Mylee to be her Chosen Champion.

As she thought about it she began to wonder just what else was there with Naruto, he had already told them good deal about his own world and some of the people he knew of, though she had a feeling that he was hiding some parts of it, and quite adamantly as well. She had a feeling that Head priestess Jenny knew more about Naruto and so did Master Carwess, but they certainly were not going to tell her, and she had to admit that finding out for herself was rather....interesting.

It was then that Merrill spoke once more.

"You think he might have stolen it from somewhere or someone?'

Melissa looked at Merrill with some surprise and replied.

"What makes you say that Merrill?"

"I just can't place him being able to find such a treasure and no one n the Guild knows about it. So I can't help but wonder if he stole it from somewhere...maybe even a grave..."

"Merrill! Don't say that, you recall how unhappy Naruto was when he was told about the trees in the Tarsius Forest being the graves of Celecia's people? He didn't like the idea of robbing a grave in the very least so I doubt he stole it from a graveyard, the whole thing would be against his very person."

Genie and Merrill were surprised at that and the young thief spoke.

"Was I just imagining things, or were you defending him?"

"Huh?"

Merrill looked at Melissa and replied.

"What do you mean huh Melissa? You were just defending that guy..."

"Well....I mean....he's already done quite a lot, I mean he promised me that he would defeat Conrad and expose him for a fraud if i trusted him and he did just that. And if it hadn't been for him defending me when we fell into that floor in the ruin, then I would have been in real trouble....not to mention what he's told me already about himself. So the idea of him stealing that Ceremonial Sword from a graveyard sounds a bit too harsh."

Genie nodded a bit now that she thought about what Melissa said as she did recall that Melissa mentioned that Naruto was an orphan after all so she could understand what Melissa was saying.

"True....Naruto IS a man of his word and from my point of view it is somewhat hard to find men like that."

Merrill sighed and took a drink of ale.

"I guess...but there is too much we don't know about him anyway, we already know he's not your regular mage since some of those techniques are not anything we know mages do. I just can't trust him all that much, at least in my case, another thing I still can't figure out is where he had the money pay even half out debts."

Melissa cringed a bit as she recalled the verbal lashing she and the others got from Naruto when he told them he had visited their collectors and she had thought that he had killed them. The memory of that was something of a sore subject to her now that she thought about it. Eating crow was something Melissa was not used to, but she had to admit that she deserved the lashing after she learned that he did pay their debts with his own money. But she still had to admit that she was rather curious about how Naruto was able to get that much money in so short a time, they had been adventuring longer than he did since according to Ila he had only done so for a shorter time, yet he was able to pay half their debts, it was mysterious as well.

"Naruto might have found other ways to gain money Merrill."

"Maybe....but he was trained as an assassin right? He DID say that ninjas like him were trained as assassins."

Genie nodded and replied.

"Merrill does have a point there Melissa, he already showed that he is trained as an assassin and admitted to it as well, so he might have been hired to do some jobs that might fit his training."

"True....but there have been no reports of any important people being killed for a while now or before we met him, so I don't think....I don't think Naruto hired himself out as an assassin. Even if he does have the training he certainly doesn't use it, I mean, he could have easily killed Conrad if he wanted to after all, we all saw him fight with Conrad and even though I don't know that fighting style of his, he could easily killed Conrad if he wanted to in any part of that fight."

Merrill and Genie couldn't dispute that fact as well, Naruto could have easily killed Conrad if the fight was taken to that level. But if Naruto didn't hire himself out as an assassin, then how was he able to generate the kind of wealth to pay off their respective debts by half. The three mused it over until they were greeted by a voice.

"Hey!"

The three women jumped and there was Naruto next to their table, he had snuck up on them quite effectively and was giving them all a very curious look as he spoke to them.

"What's up with you guys? You all look like you've seen a really weird play in community theatre or something."

Melissa then managed to gather her wits and replied.

"It's nothing Naruto....we were just discussing..."

"Discussing me right?"

The three of them were stunned and the blonde merely shrugged at that and replied.

"I was in the inn a few minutes and decided to listen it a bit."

"You were eavesdropping on us?"

Naruto nodded and took a seat and managed to order some food himself and after having a bit to eat he replied.

"I was only able to get to the part of me being able to kill Conrad, as much as I was tempted to do so, doing that would have caused some ramifications that would be best avoided, so humiliation was in order, besides, humiliation might not be permanent as death, but is' more satisfying. Anyway, is there any new jobs at the moment?"

Genie shook her head at that.

"Not at the moment, but we'll drop by the job market to see if there are any groups willing to hire out escorts, it might not earn as much, but it's not like we've got much choice on the matter at the current situation."

Naruto nodded a bit, things were kind of slow and he sighed.

"I guess....normally I would have been happier going on with a few friends back home, or even watch a new movie made by Koyuki-hime, I hope she's..."

The blonde Chuunin realized that he was talking about something the girls he was with had no idea about and smiled at them and replied.

"Sorry, a movie....is like a play as well, but is different where I come from, and as to who Koyuki-hime is, she's a princess I knew of when I was younger and I served as her body guard."

Melissa raised an eyebrow at that and so did Genie and Merrill as Genie spoke.

"You served as a body guard for a princess? I thought ninjas like you were assassins."

"Yes, but we also serve as spies and as hidden body guards, make us wear simple peasant clothes and carry concealed weapons we can catch any would be attacker off guard since they'll think we're regular people."

He took out a kunai and spun it around his finger through the hoop on the end of the handle as he smiled at them.

"This weapon of ours, the kunai, happens to resemble a gardening knife so imagine walking into a courtyard filled with gardeners and you think they will break and run when you attack the place and their lord....only you find yourself attacked by the gardeners who are all well trained ninja and you're either dead or taken alive. Quite the deception huh?"

Merrill had to admit it sounded clever, if Naruto had been wearing farmer's clothes, then anyone would have considered him a peasant. Genie also nodded at that while Melissa decided that maybe she could get to know more about Naruto as jenny suggested, she already knew some things about him so she should at least try to get more.

"So who is this Koyuki person?"

Naruto smiled a bit as he recalled Koyuki as well as the adventure his mission turned out to be and replied.

"Koyuki-hime was an actress under the name of Yukie Fujikaze when I first met her, to tell you the truth I was a big fan of hers when I thought she was just an actress....but then..."

Naruto then elaborated the time he and his group had travelled to the Land of Snow and discovering that the actress he was escorting to the movie site was indeed a real princess. It was hard as he told them about the whole deal and how he and Koyuki didn't get along very well and her own past as well. He told them of the resulting time he was imprisoned in trying to save her from that traitor of an uncle and how they had talked about his past though he omitted any mention of the Kyuubi as well. He talked about the battles afterwards and when he and Sasuke fought Koyuki's uncle and helped realize the dream of both Koyuki's father and that of many others.

"Then I blasted him with the Nanairo No Rasengan and off he flew....that bastard slammed hard into the generator and then fell off as the generator came online and them it was beautiful! The whole place turned from a valley of snow, rock, and ice to a beautiful valley of flowers, green grass, sunlight, and rainbows...it was awesome! I looked to see Koyuki-hime smiling for the first time, not a fake smile and she began to cry tears of joy for the first time in ten years ever since seeing her homeland being burned and knowing that her father was dead."

As soon as Naruto wrapped up the story with him telling them how Koyuki had become ruler of the Land of Spring/Snow and how she still was an actress as she dreamed herself to be when she was still a child, and to the three women's surprise, Naruto blushed a bit as he told them of the picture he got of her kissing him while he was in the hospital.

Melissa was quite surprised by this latest revelation and looked at Naruto more closely to try and see if he was lying, but considering how he spoke then he must be telling the truth.

Genie was curious about that as well and so was Merrill and Naruto finished his meal and decided to take his leave.

"Anyway, I've got to make some purchases today so I'll see you all later."

With that, Naruto forked out another payment to the inn keeper and headed off to the marketplace, he had run out of ink and as well as couple of writing supplies that he needed to complete on another set of books that he planned to pass to Fallon by the end of the month since there wasn't much to work with and he was in the mood to put the rest of his imaginings to the letter.

This left Melissa and company to think about what they had just learned about their blonde ninja/mage companion.

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In the Temple of Mylee...

Jenny was busy taking the time to watch the students training when Melissa showed up and the two decided to speak together since it had been some time since their last discussion. And what she heard from Melissa made Jenny smile a bit more.

"Ah....you defended him, I must admit that hearing that from you Melissa is quite a change on your part then."

"Well, I guess it was, but he has done a lot already so I guess doing that was the least I could do."

"The least that you could do for Naruto? Melissa, considering how things first started out between you and Naruto before, that's quite a leap of change for you, so has Naruto revealed anything of himself to you already?"

"Yes, he mentioned that he served as a body guard to a princess named Koyuki and apparently....changed her for the better."

"Ahhh....he told you that story, I must admit that when he told me about that I was somewhat surprised that he served as a body guard when he was younger. But considering how things turned out for the princess and her homeland I'd say that he did the right thing. Quite an achievement for someone of his age don't you think so?"

"I guess....but I feel that there is a lot more than he lets on Miss Jenny."

Jenny nodded at that, she knew the full story of Naruto's life which was why she chose him to teach Melissa the true face of the world. Naruto learned that in his own world but he made his world better for the people her cared about in life which was why he was considered a hero in his world, but she wanted Naruto to teach Melissa that the world is not at all like the story books she had read growing up, Naruto in his world had seen both the best and the worst of it all and knew just how to deal with it, considering his own inner burdens. With that in mind she spoke to her student.

"That's because Naruto is not the sort of person to tell all there is about himself, some of the things he had dealt with in the past when he was younger were quite harsh and difficult for him Melissa, but if he told you some things about himself already, then I guess he must be willing to trust you already to some degree, the fact that you are defending him tells me that you do show some trust in him."

"I guess."

"Good, just remember that you need to know Naruto a lot better than just relying on what you first think of him. He might surprise you yet."

"That's what worries me Miss Jenny."

"Oh?"

"I mean....I hope the next time I learn something about my champion I don't find something that will be too embarrassing."

Jenny laughed a bit at that and nodded.

"I suppose, anyway, the only way to find out is to go ahead and do it and the things we least expect do make life interesting and not dull. Before I forget though, I would like to tell you Melissa that we still have some time before the Mylee Appreciation Festival so I suggest you take the time to enjoy yourself before you work on the festival."

Melissa smiled a bit at that, the fact that the festival was going to be on in a few weeks was something that she was looking forward to since she never lived in Ohfun before, and that meant that it was going to be her first time in the festival. She was looking forward to doing her very best for the festival to show her dedication and appreciation to Mylee. But for now she had to deal with her current relationship with Naruto as her chosen champion.

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At the job market...

Naruto arrived in the job market, the one place where job openings, contracts, and the like were posted for anyone looking for work to look at. Naruto was able to spot Melissa, Merrill, and Genie so he joined up with them. Merrill then replied that they had managed to get some jobs escorting some caravans of good and supplies along with books to another city a fair distance away from Ohfun, it was not paying much, but it was a good job since the food and drink on the trip was free for them all and they needed escorts since bandit groups were known to be around. Naruto was more than willing to go along and decided to get some things ready.

Hours later, the group met up with the caravans and Naruto spotted someone very familiar to him among the members of the travelling convoy.

"Fallon!"

The man smiled warmly and greeted the blonde ninja/mage and then spoke to Naruto.

"it great to see you Naruto! I take it that means you're going to be part of the escort group?"

"Pretty much, so what are you transporting and where are you headlining?"

"We're heading off to the port city of Fydan to the south as well as make some pit stops to sell some of the extra wares to the nearby towns, and of course with me being head of the transportation of books to the stores in those said locations, you can bet what I'll be selling."

Naruto laughed at that, making the three women wonder just what was Naruto laughing about with the man, but decided to put that aside for the time being as the convoy got underway, Naruto naturally was more than eager for the chance to travel and he began to chat with the caravan masters apparently getting some of the latest news from outside of Ohfun, it was also when Melissa discovered that Naruto seemed to have a considerable degree of interest in looking for magical artefacts but it seemed that he was interested in one class of such artefacts, namely those that were bent on making portals.

Melissa knew that such artefacts were lost over time and were even outlawed in her time studying in the Temple, she also realized that those devices were very hard to find, let alone use since records of their exact locations were either lost, destroyed, forgotten or were intentionally altered to discourage seekers of such power.

(Why is Naruto interested in such things?)

Melissa decided to shelve that question aside for the time being as she and the others focused on helping escort the caravan to the set destinations. As the travels continued she noted that Naruto began to take out some books and began to write in them, making her all the more curious what he was writing about, no doubt memoirs, but he didn't seem like the bookish type of person, unlike his studious friend Ila.

There were also times when they stopped to rest in either to wilds or in an inn that Naruto usually seemed to be writing in those books and whenever he and Fallon were talking about what he wrote the man would laugh and smile as well as even blush, making Melissa all the more curious what was going on between the two and what was it about Naruto's writing that made a grown man like Fallon blush. The caravans would routinely stop and allow them to rest and clean up in nearby rivers or lakes or in inns, Naruto was content to be writing a great deal and whenever she was able to see him, he usually had a smile on his face as he continued to write on those blank books of his.

They eventually arrived to some of their key destinations and it was there that Naruto would accompany Fallon as well as the others in selling books and it seemed that the books were selling right off the shelves as soon as people arrived to look at the selections that were given away. Naruto seemed to be very pleased by all this and that made things even more interesting to the blonde priestess.

Just what was Naruto writing about?

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A week later back in Ohfun...

Naruto and the others were currently taking the time to move about in the marketplace in Ohfun with Ila in tow and at the moment and the blonde Chuunin was in the mood to relax after a very interesting week of helping escort some more caravans and this was a good chance to unwind from the time they spent on the road, the overall earning they had were pretty good so it seemed that they could take some time off from adventuring. They were not yet rolling in the gold, but at least they were not heavily in debt.

Merrill was still confused as to how Naruto had been able to make this much money in so short a time and she was itching to know just what was the secret the blonde ninja/mage had to getting that much gold without seemingly any effort that she could see.

Genie did the very same thing and wondered how Naruto got so much money, not to mention the fact that she wanted to know just how he was able to fight the way he did, she wanted to test her battle hardened skills against this style Naruto called Kenjutsu, or something like that. However, she decided to reserve that for another time.

Melissa and Ila were also around to relax since there was not much for them to do at the time and the peace was actually helping them relax more, Ila however had hoped to get Naruto alone so they could have some time for themselves but Melissa and company were there so despite her dislike of the situation she had to let things be.

Just as the group moved about, a large carriage came into the area and was escorted by a number of well armed guards in full weaponry and armour, indicating that whoever was the one in the carriage was of high rank and nobility, as soon as the carriage stopped, out walked a noble, and a young one at that with short cut hair and the regular rich robes and clothing that befitted a noble. Naruto and the others were about to move on with their own thing when the noble spotted Naruto and called out to him.

"YOU!!! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!"

The group stopped and so did the rest of the people in the marketplace as the guards of the noble moved forward with their eyes on the blonde ninja/mage intent on something to do with him, this naturally startled the others as they wondered just what was going with Naruto and this nobleman who seemed to be very serious and demanding about something. Merrill was naturally the very first to speak to Naruto about this matter.

"All right Naruto! What the heck did you do to this guy that's so bad he recognizes you right off the get go?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders at that question since he didn't exactly have any answers to that question to begin with.

"Beats me, I've never even met him."

Genie knew that attacking a noble was a bad thing and was grounds for imprisonment or execution. She had no idea what was going on here and while she hoped that this situation would be resolved peacefully she had to be ready though she hoped that Naruto had an explanation for this situation that suddenly came out of nowhere. Melissa wondered just what was going on and hoped that even though she had no idea as to what was going on before her, she would be able to smooth things over as the noble came ever closer to the blonde ninja/mage.

The noble then reached into a bag and then presented a book at Naruto's face and still having that steely expression and asked Naruto a question.

"Did you write this book?!"

Naruto read the title and to the surprise of everyone in his party, including Ila, he smiled.

"Yes I did, do you like it?"

The rest watched, holding their breath as they waited for the worst to happen, but it didn't, and to their shock, the noble smiled and nodded with a very happy expression, and the guards also smiled and presented the exact same copies and the noble spoke.

"It is an honour to meet you then my good sir, if it hadn't been for your book, my wife and I would have never been able to recall how much fun it could be to be married. tell me, do you happen to have another book in circulation or a new one?"

Naruto nodded, after all that happened to him and the fall of Madara's plans, he decided to honour his Sannin sensei and Godfather Jiraiya by taking over the Icha Icha series, he was able to write the new editions after a year or so when he finally got to relax after the battles with Madara and Sasuke, using his experiences with the women he met in his time growing up and taking missions as a ninja, though he naturally changed the names to make sure that no one knew who the women were in the story....just like Jiraiya did to prevent retaliation.

Thankfully his efforts to do the same kind of work his Godfather made were so good that he was able to make another sizable fortune that was added to his already present fortune back in Konoha, he had been planning to write a new series of the books when the portal opened and he landed here in this world, and after months being here in this world he decided to try his luck and write the series once more, and lo and behold, it became a hit here and he was once more making a killing, which was how he managed to gain quite the fortune that he wisely spent and kept hidden in the right way.

Of course like his former sensei, he also wrote something of a novelized semi-autobiography of his life as a ninja, using his own name and the series of stories highlighted many of the events that changed his life, and the people that he knew who helped him grow stronger as well as the battles he had been in ever since he left the Academy and became a Genin, of course he omitted some of the references to his demon resident in his stomach to make sure that his still active status as a Jinchuuriki was kept a secret. He honestly thought about writing those stories as a way to remember his life and his own adventures just for the fun of it and thought that maybe it might change the world just like the novel that his Godfather wrote that gave him his name and also gave him the knowledge to bring about the change that Jiraiya and his father wanted. And maybe even inspire other like the way he inspired others too like his friend Gaara, Neji, and even his girl-friends Hinata and Sakura.

That was a wishful dream, but who was to say how it might turn out?

"I happen to have written a new batch of stories and it will take some time for those stories to be made since I ran out of some of my needed writing supplies."

The noble then reached into his bag and took out a large purse filled with gold coins and the guards gave their own bags as well. In the end, Naruto was hefting at least a dozen or more small bags filled with gold coins as the noble spoke with great respect to him.

"Here, this should ensure that you will have more than ample funds to make it a complete set of books, we'll be waiting kind sir, see you, I have yet to finish the seventh chapter."

"Good, I hope you and your men will enjoy the books you have and the new ones soon to come."

The noble and his guards smiled as they left. As soon as they were gone, Melissa spoke to Naruto.

"You wrote books? I wasn't aware that you were a novelist Naruto."

Naruto grinned and replied.

"I wrote the Icha Icha Chronicles as a hobby to pass the time actually, as well as to honour a very important person in my life who trained me before, I started a few months after I left the Guild and before I came back, I actually had no idea it would be so popular with the people, in fact we were selling those books when we were escorting the caravan, remember?"

The others in the party were confused at that name since it was not something they were all that familiar with as Genie spoke.

"The what Chronicles?"

Ila then nodded as she recalled seeing some of her father's friends reading books like that in their spare time and she even saw her father and mother reading those books along with her uncles, aunts, and cousins. At one point she was even able to spot Master Carwess reading another book with the same title and he also seemed to enjoy it.

"I've heard of it, it's quite a popular book among many of the citizenry and it seems now to the nobility as well, namely with the men and married couples too. I never thought you would be the writer Naruto."

Naruto just grinned at that and as they moved about, the group spotted a nearby book store and found some of the copies of Naruto's books still there and Naruto watched as the others bought a copy of the book and as soon as they were out of the market place and in the area where Genie's house was, they read it in the hut that Genie lived in.

Needless to say that all of them blushed so much that their blushes matched the colour of Genie and Ila's red hair. They all looked at Naruto with shocked expressions.

"YOU WROTE THESE INDECENT BOOKS?!"

Naruto replied with a smile.

"Guilty as charged, and I got my inspiration from the people I met in my own travels so some of the characters in the books are based from you all, don't worry, I changed the names so no one knows who the ladies are in real life anyway. I got a lot of inspiration from all the people I met before so the books were a success. You three wondered just where I got the money I have? Well, those books are the answer."

Melissa blushed bright red as she read the book completely from beginning to end once more to be sure that her eyes were not deceived by the contents, and it wasn't long before she couldn't help but look at the grinning blonde ninja/mage and spoke.

"You...You mean to tell me you got ALL the money you have....by writing all THIS?!"

"Yeah I did, you'd be surprised how many buyers I got when I gave out the first series of books, I thought of all of it was going to land in some junk heap somewhere or even be used as cheap fuel for a fire place, but the readers fell in love with all the books that I was able to write. It's not like it's a bad thing actually."

"But....it's so...."

"Realistic? Intriguing? Arousing"

"No! It's unlike the romance novels that are around!"

Naruto grinned a bit and replied.

"Hey, you can't say that people aren't like that in private when they get intimate with their partners Melissa. Besides that, romance is not limited to flowery decorations and sweet words, there IS the physical aspect of the whole thing. And just so you know, some novels that I read that touch on the romance subject that you speak of had a lack of that so I figured why not add some of my own to really spice up the romance areas? I did it as a hobby after all, I had no idea I'd be making a killing out of it. Besides, it's a lot better than hiring myself out as an assassin right?"

Melissa looked at the ground a bit and had to admit Naruto did have a point there since he was not doing anything that involved killing people, but she was still shocked and slightly disturbed by the discovery that he wrote such.....erotic books as she replied.

"I guess....you're right, but still, to think you have such a perverted sense of romance...."

"Perverted? I prefer the term more mature oriented thank you very much. Besides that, the readers who buy the books are all consenting adults and they like it, otherwise those novels wouldn't be selling like hotcakes so to speak. And it helps that I have something to pass the time when I need to take a break every now and then."

Melissa was still very shocked to find that her champion had such a vivid imagination when it came to such mature matters, and she had to admit that the books he wrote were quite....intense, she then gave Naruto a serious look and spoke.

"Are WE in these books too?"

Naruto then teased them.

"No....but I can put you in the next editions if you like."

The women's answer to that?

Mentally, Genie, Melissa, and Merrill thought only one phrase.

(HE'S A PERVERT!!!!!)

Ila's own thoughts on the matter?

(I had no idea...)

And their physical reaction?

THUD!

Naruto decided to try and help them all up as they all had fainted, he KNEW he was going to get a LOT of flak from them when they woke up. But then again, where was the fun in life without the risks?

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To be continued...

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Author's notes:

That wraps up this filler so now we can get back to the rest of the story, but at least we now have an idea where Naruto got most of his money and it certainly beats having to be an assassin and possibly starting a war in a world that's not his own.

The fact that Naruto became a novelist, mirrors the same way Jiraiya amassed a fortune in money back in the Naruto world when he was alive, so you can bet that Naruto's naturally present perverted tendencies that got boosted by his time with Jiraiya had really come in handy when it comes to raking in the coins, which explains how he was able to have money to pay for HALF of the debts owned by Melissa, Merrill, and Genie. It also shows that unlike his Godfather, Naruto is willing to spend his own money if he thinks he needs to.

Of course since he's doing the same things Jiraiya did before, who's to say that the other series of books he wrote about his life as a ninja MIGHT indeed inspire others in the world he's part of now until he gets home and since he did it for months before becoming part of Melissa's group, you can bet that those books that highlight his life have been read by others?

Food for thought huh?

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Anyway, on the topic of the errors on the previous chapter, you have to remember that I have too many projects to deal with, plus I do have real life to deal with so I don't always have the free time to check all the errors in my work, not to mention that I have to deal with all manner of details since I am taking a secondary course in Education. So forgive me if the errors are there so don't hesitate to correct me and point out the flaws all right?

And for those of you who comment on the story and say that it has a lot of areas that are bad or outright crappy, I am not taking offense to that as you all have the right to voice your opinions, but I do want to make it clear that if you have a problem with some parts of the story, keep in mind that I DO have plans to fill in the gaps later on so don't make assumptions right off the bat all right?

Let me flesh out the story even more and when I am finished, then you decide, all right?