Big news everyone! I think I've finally figured out who the promised girl is. If you want to hear my theory, it's at the bottom of the chapter, but read at your own risk. There are potential spoilers in it.

In other news, I'd like to let you all know that later on in the fic, I plan to address Marika's condition. Mimiko Kiki will serve a much more major role as well.

Answering the question from last time, the movie was The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, the manga chapter was 86, and the fic was The Newest Challenger, by Kenchi618.

And have you guys heard Ruri's ED theme? It went unused in the actual anime, but it was released with Volume 4 of the DVDs. "OrderXOrder" is the name; if you wanna' hear it, it's on YouTube.

One last thing. Some people have pointed out how there haven't been many fight scenes as of recently. Well…

...Let's just say, that's all about to change.

Here's chapter 5.


? ? ?

? ? ?

? ? ?

? ? ?

(Kakashi)


White.

...

...That's it. Just… white.

It's all I saw. In every direction. There wasn't anything else.

(*NOK NOK*)

I looked down at myself. Or at least, I think I did. I didn't appear to have a body or anything, but I could feel it. It was there, it just wasn't there. Know what I mean?

…Ignore that.

It was an odd sensation. Like being underwater for too long, too deep, and not knowing which way was up. However, I didn't feel the great pressure of the ocean depths, but rather this feeling of weightlessness, as if I were floating on a cloud or something.

If I had my voice, I'd have snorted. Shikamaru'd be jealous.

(*NOK NOK*)

"Let's see… I know I'm not dead," I muttered (kind of), "There's no campfire to sit around with all my loved ones."

(*NOK NOK*)

'...Alright, what the hell is that?'

"Kakashi, my hip and eternal rival!" boomed a muffled, familiar voice, "To sleep in on the day of a mission is very unyouthful!"

I blinked, trying to focus my thoughts. As I did so, the white… dampened, becoming slightly discolored. Curious, I did it again, shapes starting to form, blotting the blank canvas that I'd woken up to.

With one final blink, my vision returned. I was in my bed. In my apartment. In Konoha.

I sighed, sitting up and brushing a clump of silver hair out of my face, matted together by sweat. With a small heave, I pushed myself off the bed, relishing in the cold of the wooded floor of my home.

"Geez…" I grumbled, "It's bloody wintertime, and it's still scorching in Fire Country."

I suited up, pulling the facemask over my nose. 'Maybe I should ask Tsunade-sama for a vacation. Kami knows I deserve one.'

I stretched, satisfied at the popping of my bones. 'Maybe after today's mission then...'

Grabbing 'Icha Icha Panic' off my nightstand, I moved to answer the door.

"Gai," I sighed, "Any particular reason you're banging on my door at this unholy hour?"

The man blinked, looking at a clock on the wall. It was almost 1 in the afternoon.

"You should know Kakashi! We have a joint operation today!" he chided, "And you've overslept! How unyouthful!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry," I gave a sheepish eye-smile, "I'd completely forgotten! And I just got a new mattress you see, and it's quite comfortable."

Of course, that was a lie. Not the mattress bit; it was probably the cause of the weightlessness of my dream.

It was the mission part. Ever since Naruto'd left a couple weeks ago, I'd practically buried myself in work, in hopes that the rush of adrenaline usually associated with S-Ranks would distract me from my constant fretting over my blond student.

Of course, when that stopped working, my work ethic plummeted (which, considering how low the bar had already been set, was pretty damn impressive). Now, I only took the missions to which I was assigned, contrary to the brief period in which I'd actually volunteered for most of them. And even then, I did them rather half-heartedly, though I still got the job done.

'Still though,' I pondered, 'Some time off really sounds like a good idea…'

"…ey, Kakashi! Kakashi!" a voice brought me out of my thoughts, "Are you in there, my eternal rival?"

I blinked, staring at the man.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you just say something?"

At that, the 'Sublime Green Beast of the Hidden Leaf' fell to his knees, purplish cloud of depression settling above his head, cartoonish tears streaming down his face.

"Kakashi…" he muttered, "Your hip ways have bested me once again!"

I walked past the groveling Jonin, tugging the edges of my gloves at the wrists.

"Quit the bellyaching, Gai…" I clenched my hand into an experimental fist, "We got a mission, right?"


Japan

Bonyari High

May 29, 2014

12:45 P.M.

(Tsugumi)


"So what's up? You said you wanted to talk?"

I nodded, gladly accepting the drink my mistress offered me. I popped the cap off the cola and took a sip, washing away the lingering flavors of my earlier meal.

It was lunch break. Ojou-sama and I had finished our food a bit early and, after a trip to the vending machines, decided to spend the remainder of the period outside. We were currently occupying a small bench in the courtyard, facing the street. Unfortunately, Onodera-sama and Miyamoto-sama had other business to attend to, and were unable to join us.

Feeling the liquid go down my throat, I placed the cap back on and licked my lips. I could already feel the caffeine pumping through my system.

"It's really no big deal or anything… it's just…"

She looked back at me strangely, not used to seeing me struggle with words. I finally managed to pull myself together enough to continue.

"Um… you know how Naruto took care of me last weekend?"

She flushed a bit, and averted her gaze. Apparently, my words had brought to mind memories of her own weekend; she was in a similar situation with her boyfriend, as she later told me.

"Y-Yeah. What about it?"

I said nothing of her unusual state, and continued.

"W-Well… it was just really nice of him! He carried me home from school, and then did nothing but fuss over me for the next 20 hours…"

"Although… I suppose getting groped isn't exactly what some would consider 'nice'," I muttered to myself.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

She raised an eyebrow, but chose to drop it. "So where are you going with this?"

"Like I said, it was really nice of him! If he'd just left me there, or didn't assist me in my time of need, who knows what could've happened!" I said, "In my vulnerable state, I might've been attacked by an enemy! Or maybe the disease would've taken my life! I'm really grateful for what he did!"

The girl sweatdropped at my outlandish conjecture, "I don't think we agree on the likelihood of something like that happening…" she sipped her drink, "Not to mention, Naruto's like that. He's the kind of guy that'll do whatever it takes to make you happy, whether you like it or not."

I nodded in agreement at the truth of her statement as she continued, "…But I see your point. You want to find some way to repay him, right?"

"Yes! Exactly!" I smiled brightly, "And I was wondering if you have any suggestions."

"Hmm…" she tapped her chin lightly in thought, "Let's see… what does he like?"

"Ramen," I listed, "pranks, ramen, his 'precious people', the idea of becoming Hokage, ramen, ninja stuff, ramen, good scotch (or really any other form of alcohol), cooking, and ramen."

Her eyes brightened, as if she'd just remembered something important, "Ooh! You forgot ramen!"

I frowned, "But I said it 5 times! What do you mean?"

"…It's called sarcasm, Tsugumi."

"Hmph. Duly noted," I downed the rest of the soda, tossing the bottle in a nearby recycling bin, "So, suggestions?"

The girl tapped her chin in thought. "Well, it'd have to be something new. So, no breakfast in bed," she listed off her fingers, "...watching movies, or taking him out for dinner. You've done all those things already."

She paused and frowned, "Come to think of it, you've done all those things already. Are you sure you guys aren't a couple?"

My eyes shot wide, and I nearly fell off the bench. "Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you implying, Ojou!?"

She tilted her head, "Well, everything I listed was couple stuff. You know, things couples do?"

"It's not like that!" I grumbled, spelling it out for her for the thousandth time, "We're just partners; coworkers!"

As I spoke, I began to feel a little light-headed, and my face heated up. 'It's probably just from the cola,' I told myself.

She gave me a look, "'Coworkers' that live together?"

"Yes!"

She sighed, "Well, I don't really have any suggestions for you. Aside from actually taking him out on a date or something."


Bermuda Triangle

Konohagakure no Sato

December 22

12:52 P.M.

(Kakashi)


It had been… 25 days since Naruto had left.

Or rather, 25 days in our time.

See, out there… Japan… America, time passes very differently. It moves more slowly within the Elemental Continents, and more quickly everywhere else.

That's why, despite me being born first, Claude was physically older, having spent the latter part of his life outside the Bermuda Triangle. He was 37, and I was 32. Last I heard from him, he was married with a kid on the way.

Of course, that was almost 20 years ago in their time. I have no idea what's going on with him now. Hell, if I hadn't hit him up and sent Naruto over to him, at that rate, I don't think we would've talked again. Speaking of…

It'd been almost a month (our time) since Naruto had left.

The Village wasn't the same since. Despite the festivities of Christmas on the horizon, decorations strewn about the streets and buildings, lights lain through the branches of trees, and the giant santa hats we'd put over the Hokage Monument every year, everything seemed a little… hollow.

Wait, no. That's wrong. Let me correct myself.

The village hadn't been 'the same', since Pain destroyed it. Even with Naruto's Kage Bunshin help during reconstruction, seeing Konoha ravaged and lifeless like that really brought down morale.

...Actually, I suppose it all started back during my Team's first Chuunin Exam, where Orochimaru'd infiltrated and marked Sasuke. Then the One-Tail Jinchuuriki took out most of the forest, and the snake had laid waste to the village.

...Well, if we're splitting hairs, everything can really be traced back to the damage cause by the Kyuubi attack, and how Obito took his revenge on the Leaf. Then Minato-sensei and Kushina-senpai died, sealing the beast into their only son…

...But then, it goes back even further to when Obito saw Rin jump in front of my Chidori… and that can be blamed on the Third Mizukage and the Bloodline war… but then Madara was the one who had Yagura under his control… and that means that all of Konoha's problems have resulted from it's very founding; it's like it was doomed to begin with. And that's kind of a cynical thought to have, huh?

But I digress.

While Konoha, nor the Elemental Countries for that matter, had ever known true peace, (only that of the "Fine, I'm tired of fighting over 'insert-reason-here', I'm gonna' go home and rebuild my numbers to fuck you up later" variety) it never seemed that way. It's citizens always did their best to forgive, forget, and move on with their lives, no matter how difficult it may be for them. It was rather admirable actually, the Hi no Ishi (Burning Will).

But the war… it hit harder than anything had ever done before.

For the first time since the village's founding, the Will of Fire flickered. The citizens seemed to have lost all hope, with ⅔ of our population wiped off the face of the Earth.

Not even the lively Naruto, the hero of the Elemental Nations… not even he came out unscathed.

After the… incident, he'd joined ANBU. Throwing himself into S-Rank after S-Rank, he quickly ascended the pecking order until he was placed under the ANBU Commander Boar's personal squad.

And yet… he was merely a shell of his former self.

With his spirit broken, morale plummeted. To see the Number 1 Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja actually not being hyperactive...

What's more, you couldn't talk to a damn person in the entire village who hadn't lost a friend or family member. And for what? For one man's petty feud? For a dream that was never in his reach to begin with?

Obito… you're with Rin now, I hope. Was it all worth it?

Of course not. No one even knew whether or not he was dead. The day I'd returned from the coast of Japan, Tsunade-sama had sent me and a group of Jonin (her personal guard included) to the newly named Shuumatsu no Funkako (Crater of the End) to inspect the tomb of earth that had encased the masked man.

Needless to say, there wasn't a body to be found.

Upon seeing that, I'd swore and pinched the bridge of my nose.

The other Jonin were in similar states, Genma's senbon falling from his mouth, Kotetsu and Izumo's eyes wide, the ever-youthful Gai staring at the ground solemnly. Some of the greener Jonin, promoted in the field during the war, fell to their knees, vomiting or openly weeping.

'Everyone...' I'd clenched my eyes shut, tears almost spilling, 'We failed you...'

Yes, Obito's body had vanished. The only lead we had was the report Yamato'd passed along from Kirabi, shortly before his demise.

Yes, demise.

The rap-spitting, hard-hitting Eight-Tailed Jinchuuriki had perished in combat, fighting off who seemed to be a fully recovered Obito. Or at least, that's what we were able to make of his message.

But since then, we'd received another tip. An old contact of Jiraiya-sama's network had reported sightings of Akatsuki-cloaked men off the border or Rice Country. Several Jonin (among them Gai and I) as well as a few ANBU had been assigned by Tsunade to investigate.

And that's where we were headed now.

"Of all the days to be late Kakashi…" muttered Gai, seemingly unnerved, "...This is not one of them."

"Yeah, I know," I spoke back, voice level despite our jumping from branch to branch, "This is the first time I've done a mission like this since ANBU. Heading directly into enemy territory like this."

"Orochimaru is dead," he said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself, "That monster… is dead. All we're doing is confirming our sources. No moving in or taking any sort of action… If the sightings happen to be true, we report back to Tsunade-sama, and she organizes a larger assault force…"

I gave him a look with my one eye, "Yeah, I know. I was there for the briefing, remember?"

The Jonin said nothing in response, large brows furrowed as we continued on our way.


Japan

Bonyari High

May 31, 2014

12:54 P.M.

(Tsugumi)


"Hm? Debt you say?"

Claude looked up from his Chitoge-themed bento and makeshift shrine at my question.

"I would suggest paying off such a thing before interest accumulates," he said, "In this economy, you can't afford to take loans you cannot repay."

I sweatdropped. "While... that's all... well and grand…"

My eyes drifted over to the photo as I spoke, "...Like I said earlier, this isn't any form of physical debt. It's just… I want to repay someone for helping me out…"

"Oh? Well, I must apologize."

I gave a curious look, "What? Why?"

His mouth twisted into a half-frown, as if he himself were confused.

"I've been advised by several people to only give advice to that of the physical nature, Boss, Ojou-sama, and Naruto included, because quote: "I have the emotional density of a rock."

He stroked his chin with his gloved hand, "I don't quite understand the phrase. Rocks are quite dense, so wouldn't that be a good thing?"

'Yep. Only Naruto-kun could get away with mouthing off to a superior.'

I sighed, "Well, thanks anyway. I'll see you back at the base."

He nodded and returned to his meal. I gave one last, longing glance at the picture before I left.

'I wish I could have a photo like that too!'


After that, I went around campus, asking classmates, teachers, the janitor (who turned out to be a pretty nice guy, though suggestion-wise, came up empty).

"Huh?" Shu turned around in his chair to face me, "Oh, of course Seishirou-chan! I'd be glad to help!"

I sweatdropped at his enthusiasm. In retrospect, I really shouldn't have asked someone like him, but at the time, I was getting a bit desperate. So I did.

He pondered my situation for a moment.

"Hmm… debt you say…" he looked up, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Naruto, would you?"

I blinked in surprise, "H-How did you know?"

He grinned widely, reminding me of an internet meme from about five years back.

"Well," he rubbed his hands together, "I have the perfect idea!"

I raised an eyebrow warily,

"...What exactly did you have in mind?"

His smile looked as if it'd tear his face in half, leaning over to whisper his plan.

"So before Naruto gets home tonight…" he started…


Roughly 2 Minutes Later...


"...And he finds you in his bed, wearing only whipped cream underwear!"

By the time he finished my face had perfectly replicated the likeness of a tomato.

"And then in a sultry voice you say: 'Oh, Naruto-sama'-"

(*BLAM BLAM BLAM*)

I fired round after round into the bastard's skull, his body falling from the chair, crimson liquid spilling from his forehead.

"Shit…" I growled, glancing down at the pistol, "Naruto replaced my weapons with paintball guns again…"

I stomped off, leaving his body strewn across the desk. Hopefully he wouldn't wake up for a while…


Bermuda Triangle

Outskirts of Rice Country

December 22

2:12 P.M.

(Kakashi)


"So it's true… I don't believe it…"

The clearing below was filled with White Zetsu, as well as several men and women in Akatsuki cloaks. The thing about the cloaked ones though…

The sclera of their eyes was black.

"Edo Tensei?" muttered Ox, "I thought the snake was dead!"

"Maybe so," spoke Boar, "But he lives on through 'Kabuto-maru', as Uzumaki says."

I scowled, "Yakushi was confirmed to have been killed during the war. My team saw it with their own eyes."

Gai furrowed his brow, "Regardless, we got what we came for. Now let's get the heck out of here!"

I frowned, "Gai, we have a golden opportunity here. We can cripple their forces and blow this place sky high!"

He shook his head, "Kakashi! Our parameters were to investigate and report back as soon as possible! And that's exactly what I intend to do!"

"Whoa…" Bird spoke warily, "Did you guys switch mindsets or something? Isn't the whole 'sticking to the mission' thing Kakashi's schtick?"

"I apologize for acting so hip," Gai said, causing a few of us to sweatdrop, "But Orochimaru's experiments were most unyouthful! They can cause even a youthful man such as myself to feel uneasy!"

"Riiight," Boar sighed, "As mission leader, I agree with Gai-san. Attacking is out of the question. We're heading back."

As he spoke, I caught a glimpse of something rather interesting.

Emerging from the cavern, staring up into the trees right at us… was…

'Obito...'

His face was scarred and his bare torso a bit disfigured and pale, but there was no doubt it was him. He had the same look in his eye as last time, and his lips were twisted into that cruel smirk.

His expression said one thing.

'Kakashi… I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart. You and the damned leaf.'

I was a bit tempted to run down there, Twin Raikiri blazing, but Boar gave the signal to leave. I gave him one last glance, before leaping back into the forest.

If I wasn't in such a rush, maybe I'd have noticed that his torso looked a little too pale.


Japan

Bonyari High

May 31, 2014

2:49 P.M.

(Tsugumi)


And so, I asked some of my female classmates.

Shiraishi Urara: "Well I wouldn't know. I'm rather inexperienced when it comes to romance."

Tsubasa Konno: "I dunno'... Take him out to a game or something?"

Meiko Otsuka: "Oh! U-Um… H-Have you p-perhaps... tried asking him what he wants?"

Shuu Maiko: "Like I said! Whipped cream undies and strawberries on your- (*BLAM*) -AUUGH!"

The first one wasn't much help, and neither was the second. The third wouldn't work, since I wanted to surprise him, and the fourth one… don't even get me started.

'Well that was a bust…' I sighed, 'Who else can I ask?'

Glancing to my right, I spotted Onodera-sama and Miyamoto-sama talking in the classroom. Maybe…

"What? You're indebted to someone Tsugumi-san!?"

Luckily for us, classes had already ended, and we were pretty much the only people in the room (and even still, any stragglers hanging about had headphones in, were sleeping, or simply didn't care), so Onodera's surprise didn't attract any attention.

"Ah, that's not a good place to be in right now Tsugumi-san…" Miyamoto said in that even tone of hers, "The national debt's reaching a critical point and unemployment shows no signs of abating, while severely declining birthrates-"

"I don't mean literal debt!" I quickly explained, cutting her off from a Claude-like explanation spiel, "I just want to pay someone back for what they did for me!"

"Oh...I see…"

The two seemed to ponder that for a moment.

"Well to start," began Onodera, "What exactly did they do for you? It'd help if we knew, so we could figure out something equally thoughtful."

I shook my head, "Sorry, I can't do that. If I told you, it'd be rather obvious as to who it is, and I'd like to keep what happened between the two of us."

Onodera frowned, "Well then I'm stumped. How about you Ruri-chan?"

"I don't have anything either," said the smaller girl, "But what I don't understand is why you're trying to keep this person a secret. It's Naruto-kun, right?"

I recoiled in astonishment at how easily I'd been found out, "H-How did you-?"

"Waa! Ruri-chan, you're amazing!"

Brushing off Onodera's praise, she continued, "Well, besides him and Chitoge-chan, you don't have many people that would do something so grand for you to such a degree where you'd feel indebted to them. And last I checked, neither Kosaki nor I have done anything for you of the sort."

"Now, if this person who's done so much for you turned out to be Ichijou-kun…" Miyamoto's face seemed to darken, as she cracked her knuckles, "...then that'd be a problem."


Elsewhere


(*BWA-CHYUUU!*)

Raku rubbed his nose on his sleeve irritably.

"Shit, am I still sick?" he grumbled, "Shoulda' known that 'Cold-Busting Porridge' of hers did jack…"

He then walked off to the vending machines to get some orange juice.


Bermuda Triangle

Konohagakure no Sato

Hokage Office

December 22

3:53 P.M.

(Kakashi)


Tsunade rubbed her temples, "...I see. So the greatest threat the Leaf has ever faced is not only alive, but also building an army of nigh unkillable zombie ninjas that were the greatest of their time, and our greatest weapon against them is currently on the other side of the planet, attending high school. Did I leave anything out?"

All of us shook our heads.

"I need a drink…" she muttered, "You're all dismissed. Meet here again tomorrow at 7 AM sharp. And Kakashi, try to roll out of bed before noon tomorrow? Yeah, thanks."

I sighed. Looks like I wasn't getting that vacation.

"Hokage-sama, if I may…" spoke Boar, "What is our plan of action? Without our Uzumaki here, we might as well be sitting ducks, and spearheading an assault on the enemy camp is suicide!"

"I know, I KNOW!" she roared, smashing a clenched fist into her desk, "...We'll… discuss this in the morning. Now get out."

Nobody argued, as we all piled out.

'Geez… Konoha can't seem to catch a break.'


Bonyari High

Garden

June 1, 2014

4:47 P.M.

(Chitoge)


"Haa… I'm so tired…"

I walked over to my distraught friend, currently fretting over her situation on a nearby bench. I glanced down at my hands, a drink already in each one; a coke and some green tea. Originally they were both for me.

Of course, she didn't need to know that.

"Tsugumi!"

The girl looked up as I jogged over.

"So what's up?" I asked, holding up the two drinks, "Find anything out?"

"Ojou…"

"Eeeh!? You've got nothing?!"

She nodded, "Nope. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Mu. Amugeosdo. Shenme. Rien. Nichts. Niente. Aliquid-"

I frowned, "Yeah, nothing. I get it. You didn't have to say it in every language you know to get your point across."

(TL Note: In order, those languages were English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Latin)

"Alright, first of all, that wasn't even close to every language I know," she said, "I know over 10 more, among them Polish, Portuguese, Sign Language, Binary, Morse Code, Klingon-"

I sweatdropped, "Naruto taught you Klingon?"

She averted her gaze and flushed in embarrassment, "Y-Yeah. We were supposed to develop a language for coded messages, but Naruto got lazy and decided to rip off another one."

I giggled lightly. That was so him.

"Hey, it was better than his first suggestion of using various Ramen terms!"

Her half-hearted attempt fell upon deaf ears, as I only laughed harder. Soon enough, she joined me. We laughed for a good two minutes before we finally calmed down enough to form coherent sentences.

"Ahh…" I wiped the tears from my eyes, "But what…(*laughs*) was the… second thing?"

"The second… oh right! Right right…"

It took another 30 seconds or so for her to fully compose herself. "Fully compose" being a bit of a stretch, because her face was still red from laughing.

Upon hearing her next statement, I realized that her flushing had a completely different reason behind it.

"Whaa!? You want to know what couples do!?"

"I-It's not like that!" she cried indignantly, "It's just that… I don't have anything, and I'm kind of desperate here."

Seeing that she was kind of serious put a halt to whatever kind of teasing I'd planned on.

"Well, like I said earlier, try something simple. Stuff like dinner, a movie, or even just hanging out in general. That could be considered a date."

Her eyes widened, "A-A date? Is that...is that what this entails?"

I shrugged, "Pretty much, yeah."

I put on a thoughtful look, "You know, the whole gang's left for that business meeting thing; there's no one around. Why not use HQ?" I said, "It's a nice change of pace from your house, since you rarely spend the night anyway."

"Ooh, Seishirou-chan and Naruto! All alone in a great big house!"

We both turned to see Shuu walking by, hands in his pockets with his trademark grin.

(*BLAM BLAM BLAM*)

"SHUT UP YOU MORON!"

Seeing as these were actual bullets and not just paintballs, the blond fled for dear life.

I turned back to her, as she placed the pistol back where it came from.

"So, couple things?" I asked.

"Couple things."


Bonyari High

Halls: Outside Class 1-C

June 1, 2014

5:35 P.M.

(Naruto)


(*FMMM*)

"Oohp, sorry!"

After sliding the door open, I took a step back to let the two girls pass. Said girls offered me a small smile and a nod of thanks before walking off, presumably on their way home.

I stepped into the classroom, heading over to grab my bag.

"Hm? Kosaki, Ruri, you're still here?"

The two girls were grabbing their bags as well. The taller of the two looked the same as usual, but Ruri's hair was slightly damp.

"Yes, Kosaki just got off from her duties on the Student Government, and I just came from swimming practice," Miyamoto said, "What are you still doing here, Naruto? I figured you and Tsugumi would have gone home to pack for the open-air school tomorrow."

I patted my upper arm where, just above my ANBU tattoo, was a storage seal. "I'm already packed. I would've figured you two would've already left to do the same."

Ruri quirked an eyebrow, "Not all of us can open pocket dimensions in our arms with magic, Naruto."

"It's not magic, it's chakra. Chi-ya-ku-ra. Say it with me."

The girl rolled her eyes jokingly, as Kosaki giggled a bit.

"So the groups for tomorrow," I started, "We're with Tsubaki Konno and… Toranosuke Miyamura, right?"

Miyamoto nodded, "Tsubaki-chan is the captain of the girl's basketball team. Miyamura-kun is in the running against Nene Odagiri for the position of Student Council President."

A dark look crossed her face. "And he happens to be rather close with Maiko-kun."

I sweatdropped, as her statement delved into unintelligible muttering and curses.

(*FMMM*)

"Oh! Ruri-chan! Kosaki-chan! Hello!"

She sighed, as Shuu walked over. "Speak of the devil…"

I raised an eyebrow, "What's up? You look all out of breath."

"Oh, nothing…" he said with that odd '83' face of his, "I just came to grab my bag. Oh, and Naruto! Seishirou-chan was looking for you."

Oh. That made sense. It was time to head back, after all. But then I got a text:

"Hey! Meet me back at HQ?"

I pushed out the keyboard, and typed out: "Y? Mission?"

Not a second later, my phone buzzed again:

"I'll explain when U get here."

I frowned. It wasn't like Tsugumi to withhold information. I glanced over at Shuu.

"You know about this right?"

He nodded.

"Is it important?"

He shook his head.

"Should I be worried?"

"No. Quite the opposite in fact."

"You're not gonna' tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

I glared, the silly expression having never left his face for even a second.

"I hate you."

"I know."


Bermuda Triangle

Konohagakure no Sato

Kakashi's Apartment

December 22

5:39 P.M.

(Kakashi)


(*Haaaaaahhh…*)

Shirtless, I flopped down on my bed, exhaling audibly through my mask as my chest heaved up and down.

'Man, what a day...'

I lazed about for a few more minutes, before returning to business.

I wrote up a quick note, addressed to my only student on a mission abroad.

"Naruto," it read, "I think it's about time we explained the true purpose of your mission…"

The whole letter was rather long, and took up almost the entire scroll, detailing the circumstances and forces at play when we sent him overseas. Hopefully, he'd sympathize.

I rolled the whole thing up, sealing the opening. I walked over to my work desk, and placed the thing over a rather complex seal.

'I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Tatsu, Ne, Hebi, Hitsuji!'

"Yuso! (TL: Transport!)"

The seal flashed teal, before the scroll disappeared in a vortex of light.

See transport seals are kind of tricky. Two seals must be made, with the EXACT same pattern. If even a single stroke was off, neither seal would work, best case scenario. Worst case, it'd explode.

...Seals tended to explode when done incorrectly.

This one in particular was linked to one we'd given Naruto, the one Iruka'd slipped into his headband. Technically, something like this was illegal (so of course, Tsunade didn't know), and he was meant to have been kept in the dark until we'd taken care of the threat. Of course, it turns out that said threat was much more daunting than we'd thought.

I sighed again. Now all that was left to do, was wait.


Japan

Bonyari City

BeeHive HQ

June 1, 2014

5:41 P.M.

(Tsugumi)


(*FWMM*)

(*PUAP*)

(*ZUUSH*)

I moved through the room like a hurricane, cleaning up, and tidying anything I could find. And by tidying, I meant taking random documents and shoving them into wherever they fit.

Naruto must be rubbing off on me.

(*FSS FSS*)

I sprayed and wiped down the flatscreen, ridding it of the layer of dust it'd accumulated through months of disuse.

I sighed, "Why did I agree to this again?"


About Half an Hour Ago


"A movie, huh?" I asked, "But like you said earlier, we do that all the time? So what'd make this any different?"

She shrugged, "That's the beauty of it. It doesn't have to be. You don't need to show this huge gesture of gratitude; I'm sure Naruto wouldn't want that. He's the kind of guy to help out and not expect anything in return."

I pointed at her, "And that's what makes it different. It's just something you do all the time; he'll have no choice but to accept it!"

"Wow…" I said in awe, "You're so much more knowledgeable about love than I, mistress!"

"I know!" she rubbed her nose in pride, "Rather impressive for someone who's never been in love before, ne?"

I frowned, "What are you talking about? You have a boyfriend! Ichijou Raku!"

"OH RIGHT! I just meant I had so little experience, that's all! Ahaha! Ahahaha!"

I gave a skeptical look before continuing. "And besides, he's not the first."

"You were in love, remember? Ten years ago!"

"Huh?"

"Have you forgotten?" I asked, "Well, I guess that's only natural…"

I watched in satisfaction at the flash of recognition passed over her face.

"OH! I remember now!"

"Haha!" I laughed, "Those were the days, right? You used to go charging out of the house each day to see him."

She sat in silence, trying desperately to remember.

"Um… do you remember anything about that boy? I can't recall his name or what he looked like…"

"I don't remember much about him either," I admitted, "But I remember how crazy you were about him. I remember being awed by your devotion to him."

"Sh-Shut up, will you? You're embarrassing me!"

After that, we walked home, me to clean up a bit before the movie, her to find her any trinkets or hints as to who that boy was.


Present


"Ah! That's right! I forgot to remind Ojou about the open-air school!"

I quickly shoved the papers into a nearby cupboard, and leapt out the window, scaling the wall.

And in my rush to leave, I'd missed the flash of light and puff of smoke coming from the cabinet.


BeeHive HQ

June 1, 2014

5:43 P.M.

(Chitoge)


"A… key? A key stuck between the pages of my diary? What's with that?"

I picked it up and examined it. It had a unique design, a crown-shaped bow, and a crescent-moon shape cut out on the end of the blade.

"I wonder… if it has anything to do with the promise? Or is that crazy?"

(*TOK TOK*)

"Ojou!"

"What is it? Is someone out there?"

I brushed aside the curtains and opened the window to reveal… Tsugumi. Upside-down, I might add.

"What're you doing?

"Mistress, is something wrong?" she asked, voice unwavering despite her position, "You've been in there since we got home, and you haven't eaten… I was worried."

"A-Ah! I forgot!"

I rubbed my chin in thought, "Hey, Tsugumi… Do you remember where I met the boy I had a crush on?"

"Hm? No, but I could probably find out. Why?"

"There's something I want to investigate," I said, "Let's go tomorrow. We'll use public transit."

"Wh-What? But what about school?"

"School?" I asked, confused, "Tomorrow's Saturday!"

She frowned, "But we have the class trip tomorrow!"

"WAAA! I completely forgot!" I immediately set out to pack.

I looked up from cramming clothes into a duffel bag.

"By the way, how're you dangling out there?"

"Oh! I'm hooking my toes on the window ledge."

"That's impressive."


BeeHive HQ

Common

June 1, 2014

5:54 P.M.

(Naruto)


The second I stepped in, I realized something was wrong.

There was no bustling activity. No roughhousing, yelling, or celebratory gunfire. In fact, there was nothing. The place was deserted.

'What the hell's going on here?'

"The gang left on a big business trip yesterday, remember?" spoke the demon in my mind, "Supposedly to decide an agreement with The XX Company. The boss talked about it at the last briefing."

'Meh, I wasn't really paying attention,' I thought back, 'Hey, wait. You remember that?'

"Not like I have anything better to do," he said, "Your life is better than cable. Not to mention, I have an eidetic memory."

'Yeah, I guess you're right.'

It was true. It was how I was currently aceing every class. Thanks Dad, for sacrificing your soul to the god of death to shove a demon lord into my newborn-infant gullet! Means a lot.

'So I wonder what was so important that I had to meet her here, rather than the apartment. Our place is a lot closer to school.'

"Ooh, I hope it's sex."

'Shut up.'

"Come on, don't act like you're not interested in her," he said, "Just imagine, you walking into the room to find her on your bed wearing only whipped cream and strawberries."

'Dude! Shut the hell up!'

"Oh, would you rather it be ramen? I can imagine noodles all over her, broth in her belly-button, and fishcakes on her-"

'Mute.'

The Kitsune's perverted ramblings were immediately shut off by the mental block I'd set up.

'Huh. I forgot I could do that.'


I finally arrived at the room, unsure of what to expect.

Regardless of what I expected, what I got was Tsugumi sitting on the bed in her nightie, using the remote to flip through channels.

She glanced my way, "Good, you're here. C'mon, get changed so we can get started."

I quirked an eyebrow, "Get what started exactly?"

She made a gesture with the remote, "The movie. What're you thinking? Action? Adventure? Horror?"

"First of all, in order: sure, sure, and Hell no," I said, shivering at the mere mention of that particular genre, "Second, if it's just a movie, why couldn't we just do it at the apartment?"

She shrugged, "I dunno'. Take it as a change of pace. Here."

She tossed me a bundle. I realized they were my normal orange-blue-black pajamas, monster nightcap and all.

I shrugged, and began stripping.

(*BLAM*)

There was now a smoking round lodged in our door.

"Outside."

I grinned, and stepped out, closing the door.


BeeHive HQ

Naruto and Tsugumi's Room

? ? ?

? ? ?

(Naruto)


'Where… is this?'

Upon opening my eyes, they were greeted by a glaring light that pierced through the darkness. You probably know the feeling; it's absolute murder on your senses.

'This… isn't my bed...'

Finally, my eyes properly adjusted. I realized that the light was the early-morning sun peeking through the windows.

'Oh right… Tsugumi and I… we watched a movie together at the hideout...'

I frowned, 'Crap, we must've dozed off. And we've got the open-air school to get to.'

I tried to rise and stretch, only to find I couldn't.

I looked to my side to see Tsugumi, snuggled up against me, her head cradled in the little crevice between my shoulder and neck, fitting in like a piece of a puzzle.

Her eyes were shut, long lashes prominent. Her chest lightly rose and fell with each strawberry-scented breath, and a lock of her midnight hair dangled over her face. I brushed the bit of hair aside, as she shivered under the contact, pulling the blankets closer, wrapping them around us like a cocoon of warmth.

I considered moving… but decided against it, choosing to doze off again.

'I guess… I could stay like this for a little bit longer...'


Done!

Ah, geez, I'm incredibly sorry about not updating! But school's gotten me super-busy, so I might be a bit more scarce until I'm properly adjusted.

And as for the promised girl, I'll explain it now. For those that don't want it to be spoiled, use your Control+F Find/Search button to skip to the next "MX0".

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- x - x - x -

Alright, for those of you who want to know… It's Ruri.

Yeah, I know right! But here's the evidence.

Remember when Adelt (Kirisaki's dad) talked to Raku at Chitoge's birthday party? He said "The young lady who came with you today!" was Raku's childhood friend. Ruri had also come with him that day, and it was never directly stated that it was Onodera; Raku just assumed.

Yui has also dropped several vague hints like: "Thank you for keeping the group together all these years."

And it's also consistent with when she said: "When you find out who the girl is, will you really be able to fall in love with her?"

That line rules out herself, Chitoge, Kosaki, and even Marika.

Also, notice the faceless girl from Raku's dream is short, with long dark hair, and eyes that are not blue. Those all fit Ruri.

When you see her with her glasses off and hair down, (like in the grandfather chapters, or when she loses them in chapter 58) it's easy to recognize.

Not to mention, out of the 'side characters' AKA, anybody whose names aren't Raku, Kosaki, Chitoge, Tsugumi, or Marika, she's had the most chapters dedicated to her. Now, this can simply be played off as Komi-sensei being generous and you know, not ignoring characters like most manga-ka do.

Also, something terrible will probably happen to Marika. Maybe death, or rehospitalization. There've been massive forms of foreshadowing towards it, like Honda telling her not to pull all-nighters, or her conversation with Mikage.

I dunno'. It seems like something Komi-sensei would pull.

Well, I'm done. See you guys at the end.

- x - x - x -

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Mx0

Ah, and we're done. Yes, Shiraishi Urara, Tsubaki Konno, Toranosuke Miyamura. and Meiko Otsuka are all references to the manga series Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. If you haven't read it, please do so. I personally think it's brilliant.

And MX0 is a relatively unknown discontinued Shonen Jump series. It was pretty good, though the ending was abrupt, and dissatisfactory.

And here's a little something for you guys:


Omake #1: A Bit of Ad-vice...


As I moved to walk away...

"What? You still haven't bought the Drama CD version?"

I paused and looked back at Claude, who was speaking in the exact same pose as before. But this time, his picture of the mistress was replaced with a small poster printed onto cardstock, with a little stand in the back.

"Are you serious?" he said, "I'm constantly listening to that Drama CD. When I go to sleep, when I wake, during missions..."

I raised an eyebrow, "...Uh-huh..."

He pushed his glasses up, "It can't be helped... I shall personally tell you all about it."

He reached into his jacket, whipping out a CD case.

"First of all! Mini clear posters drawn by Komi-sensei," he said, pulling said items out, "They're so gorgeous that I look at them during meals! I can eat three bowls of rice just from Ojou alone!"

I sweatdropped, but decided to play along, "Even... even during meals?"

"And as for the voice actors answering questions one by one..." he put the album away, "Go buy it immediately, and find out for yourself."

"Riiiight..." I said, "But Claude, can I ask just one thing?"

He seemed to ponder this before nodding, "Yes, go on."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He blinked, "...Hm... What was I talking about? This is odd..."

He straightened, "This may be the effect of a new form of technology designed to control another's mind! We must be ever vigilant, lest this happen again!"

"...Roger that."


That omake was based off of one of the Nisekoi advertisements Komi-sensei did for the Drama CD that came bundled with the 9th volume of the manga. He used the panels (Koma) from the scene where Tsugumi asks Claude for advice, so I just decided to roll with it. Sorry if it's kinda' crappy though. I did this at like, 3 in the morning; I'm freakin' exhausted.

Hah, I'm tired. Next update comes out whenever I get time.

'Til Then!

- Objection234 (Akane Sasu Sora on YouTube)