A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for supporting my story. While I know I'm not that good, there are still some of you who appreciate my story, so thank you! Enjoy the story and have an awesome day.
: Talking
:'Talking in head'
Actions or Expression*
: Telepathy talking
AUTHOR NOTES OR :SPIRIT TALKING
~Chapter Start~
Naruto Pov
It was early in the morning; Miko and I were walking to school while talking about what had happened on our date the other day.
Miko: So, let's go over what happened and what we know.
Naruto: Yeah, so my ex-girlfriend ruined the end of our date.
Miko: Yeah, and she's the goddess of love and matchmaking.
I nervously rubbed the back of my neck.
Naruto: Yeah.
Miko: And that she came to kill me and you.
Naruto: Because the other shrine gods and goddesses feel threatened by my existence and don't like how much I'm interacting with mortal lives.
Miko nodded.
Miko: It makes more sense now, since you're actually the shrine god of judgment.
Naruto: *sigh* Yep.
Miko: That reminds me, can you just go into god mode at will?
Naruto: Sadly no, even with my old memories restored to me I can't figure out how to go into god mode. Probably because I was always in god mode.
Miko: I see. That brings up another question, what happened to you in the past to make you like this?
Naruto: Well, as you know, I'm the God of Judgment. I used to have a shrine, and people would come to pray at my shrine in hopes of winning my favor.
Naruto: In the past, the sight was much more common, so people could see the spirits and shrine gods and goddesses.
Miko: Wait, so seeing spirits used to be normal, but if so, what changed?
Naruto: Sadly, nobody knows. It's the biggest unsolved question, but back to the topic at hand.
Naruto: So people would come to me, hoping to sway my hand into giving their deceased loved ones a better sentence.
Naruto: Because, as you know, there are only two options. You can either pass on into the afterlife or have your soul destroyed and return to the void.
Naruto: As time went on, people started losing their belief in spirits and gods. Remember when I said names held power to a shrine god? Well, there's more to it than that.
Naruto: You see, remembering a god's name and speaking it not only gives the god power but fuels their existence. So when people lost their sight, they slowly forgot most of the gods and goddesses. Eventually, with no one worshiping us or remembering us, a lot of us disappeared from existence.
Naruto: But it would seem that some of the smarter gods saw this coming and got humans to write about them in books and other things, so they would never truly be forgotten.
There was silence for a few minutes. Miko was quiet, which I didn't blame her. There was a lot to take in. Suddenly, Miko turned to me.
Miko: Wait, if that's the case, how are the shrine gods I first met and Enamorus still around? I've never heard of Enamorus before, and you said no one actually remembers the other one's name.
Naruto: Ah yes, well I can explain that. In Enamorus case it's because she was an apprentice to someone else.
Miko looked confused.
Miko: What do you mean?
Naruto: Well, some gods get tired of existing or don't want to do it anymore, so the apprentice system was created.
Miko: The apprentice system?
I merely nodded.
Naruto: So how it works is that after getting trained in whatever the god or goddess does, they inscribe their name upon their apprentice's soul, granting them all the benefits as if they were the original god, thus allowing the former god to retire.
Naruto: Afterwards the former shrine god or goddess becomes a normal spirit so they are free to do whatever they want. I'm guessing you were surprised that Enamorus name wasn't Benzaiten?
Miko: Yeah I was, did you know Benzaiten?
Naruto: We were pretty good friends. I would often have tea with her from time to time.
Miko: Do you know what her reasons were for retiring?
Naruto: I do, you see she was tired because she had too many duties and barely had any free time. So she got herself five apprentices, each one representing one of her duties. Love, Beauty, Eloquence, Music, and Sea.
Naruto: Her husband had mixed feelings about her retirement, and the other six gods of luck weren't happy about it either, but ultimately they were just sad to see her leave her post.
Miko: Question, was Benzaiten's husband really a dragon?
Naruto: Yes, he was.
Miko stopped, I looked over and saw her having a hard time processing this. She opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted before she could say anything.
Naruto: And before you ask, yes most Japanese folklore is real. Try not to think about it too much though, most of the creatures aren't around anymore. But back on topic, let's talk about some other shrine gods. The god of the mountains.
Miko: Wait, it's a mountain god?
Naruto: Correct, but it's not a true God, it's considered a cursed being. It's neither a spirit nor a God, it's something in between. Beings like that are born from human misery and sacrifice, mostly due to natural disasters like famine or plague.
Miko just gave me an intense stare.
Naruto: In the past, people were more religious and believed that the gods they worshipped had forsaken them. This was around the time the sight pretty much disappeared. So, people would sacrifice people to their gods in hopes of stopping these natural disasters, but in the process, they ended up creating a curse god like the one you saw earlier.
Miko: That's terrible.
I simply nodded my head in agreement.
Naruto: I don't know its story, but I know it wants to be called Nesyn.
Miko: Nes-.
I chopped off her head lightly.
Naruto: Don't say it. It may not be a true god, but it still draws power from being called by its name.
Miko: Ow, okay, no need to hit me like that.
Naruto: Sorry I didn't want you to say its name. Before you ask, yes cursed gods can disappear like normal gods, but they are bound to this world by a physical object. Which in this case I believe its physical object is most likely its former life's head, probably sealed in the shrine where it lives.
Miko's face was filled with horror.
Miko: T-that's so cruel... They cut off someone's head and put it in a shrine.
I nodded in agreement.
Naruto: Yeah, the past was a horrible place.
I then clapped my hands, startling Miko a bit.
Naruto: I may not know why I came back after all this time, but it doesn't matter. We're almost at school, so let's forget about this and just enjoy our day. The sky is beautiful and there haven't been any spirits in sight all morning.
Miko smiled and then nodded.
Miko and I eventually made it to school. Miko was sitting in her desk, talking to Hana, while I floated above her, relaxing. Hana was going on about some giant moth or something, but I wasn't really paying attention.
But before I could relax, I felt a strange yet strong presence approaching the classroom. Suddenly, the classroom door opened, and a young man with light brown hair and orange eyes walked in, took out his notebook, and began writing while addressing the classroom.
Teacher: Mrs. Arai is on maternity leave, so for the time being I will be taking over as your homeroom teacher.
Zen: My name is Toono, Zen. Thank you all for having me here.
Naruto: 'I don't like this; I sense some nasty energy coming from him.'
I then saw the scared look on Miko's face, like she had seen this guy before.
Suddenly, a bunch of demonic black cat spirits with red eyes and sharp teeth appeared all around him.
Naruto: 'That explains the nasty energy, but I feel like there's more going on here.'
Hana: Hey, I know that guy.
Naruto: 'So Miko and Hana know this guy.'
Hana leaned over to Miko.
Hana: Is it just me, or have we seen this guy before?
Miko just looked at Hana with a distraught expression on her face, and all she could manage to say was "Oh."
I placed my hand on Miko's shoulder to help calm her down.
The teacher Zen then started taking attendance, but two students up front were more interested in getting to know him better, like if he was single or not.
I merely stared back at them with a deadpan expression.
Naruto: 'These girls are kinda thirsty.'
But the teacher just ignored them and continued with roll call.
Hana: He looks so familiar.
Hana's stomach suddenly started growling, even though she was currently eating some melon bread. I couldn't help but laugh, but it was cut short when I felt a super strong presence coming from the window. When I turned around, however, I didn't see anything.
Naruto: 'What was that?'
Miko: Hey, is there something wrong?
Naruto: No, it was nothing.
Time Skip
Miko, Hana, and I were at the school store, and Hana was drooling over some weird yakisoba creation for sale.
Naruto: Chocolate Chip Melon Bread Yakisoba? That doesn't sound very appetizing.
Miko: Yeah, but knowing Hana, she'll end up buying some.
Naruto: Probably.
Then, as if on cue, she ordered three of them, and I couldn't help but laugh at how predictable she was.
Miko glanced at Hana.
Miko: Are you trying to give yourself indigestion?
Hana: Yeah I am, appetites been off the rails.
Hana then gave the store lady a 1,000 yen bill.
Miko: You've been eating all day, is it that time of the month?
Hana: If you snack in secret, it doesn't count.
Miko: Oh right.
Hana: I get extra hungry in the fall, I don't know what that's about.
The lady then gave Hana her change and food and we start to walk away
Miko: And summer, and winter, and spring.
Hana: Aaah, rude.
We started walking up some stairs, and Hana asked the one question I had been wondering about as well.
Hana: Anyway, tell me where we know our teacher from; your memory is way better than mine.
Hana: It's been driving me nuts all morning; I haven't been able to think straight.
Miko gazed at Hana.
Miko: I have never seen him before.
Naruto: 'That's a lie.'
Hana: Really?
Miko: Yeah.
Hana: Ugh, whatever. Clearly, I need more food to power my memory banks.
Hana then began to freak out a little after looking in her bag.
Hana: I brought my lunch bread but I forgot my after-lunch bread.
Miko and I just gave Hana a deadpan look.
Miko: I think you might need to get your head checked, Hana.
Hana: I'm sorry, go on without me, I'll be right back.
Hana moved past Miko and started going back down the stairs.
Miko: Okay.
Miko started to continue up the stairs, but I blocked her path by standing in front of her with my arms crossed.
Miko simply looked at me confused.
Naruto: So how do you know this Zen Toono guy?
Miko then took a deep breath and explained how she and Hana knew Zen. After the explanation, Miko and I continued upstairs to wait in the hallway for Hana.
Miko was leaning against the upstairs hallway railing, looking at her phone, while I was next to her, also leaning against the railing.
Miko: This Halloween event looks pretty cute.
Naruto: Oh let me see.
I then looked over Miko's shoulder and saw an advertisement for Mrs.D's Haunted House. They were setting up a haunted house, and if you made it through it, you would receive 20 free donuts.
Naruto: This sounds fun, we should go. Beside that, knowing Hana, she'll end up dragging us along anyway.
Miko: Yeah, for sure.
I looked at Miko and noticed she wasn't paying attention and was looking over her shoulder out the window at something.
I leaned back to look past her and I saw Zen walking down one of the other hallways, but something strange was happening. As he walked, giant dark muddy handprints kept appearing, like they were trying to block our view of him.
Naruto: 'What's happening? What's causing this? It's definitely not the cat spirits, there must be more going on.'
Suddenly, Miko ran off to the nearby bathroom.
Naruto: Hey, wait!
But it was too late; she was already gone.
Naruto: Well, I guess I'll wait for her.
I decided to wait outside the bathroom for her. I then watched as two girls walked into the bathroom and then walked back out just 20 seconds later.
They couldn't see but I still gave them a questioning look, but shrugged it off as normal behaviour for high school girls.
Naruto: Women.
A few seconds later, I felt a surge of spiritual energy coming from the bathroom followed by a telepathic message from Miko.
Miko: Help me, please.
Naruto: On it.
I then phased through the wall and into the bathroom where I saw the top of a spirit's head in the last stall. I flew over the stalls toward the spirit, but as I drew closer I noticed in the second-last stall, Yuria was eating her lunch alone.
Naruto: Well that's depressing.
I stopped at the last stall wall and looked down to see the spirit looming over Miko. The spirit in question had no hair; it was big and flabby, with no eyes, crooked teeth, and a mouth on its stomach.
I decided to whistle to get its attention away from Miko.
The spirit looked at me, but before it could react, I did a quick draw and cut the top of its head off, effectively purging it.
I then dropped down into the stall and pulled Miko into a hug.
Naruto: Hey, are you okay?
Miko nodded before relaxing into the hug for a minute, then separating.
Naruto: We should head back, Hana is probably wondering where you are.
Miko: Yeah probably.
Naruto: But before that, why don't you invite Yuria to lunch with you and Hana?
Miko: Huh?
I then pointed my thumb toward the stall wall.
Naruto: She's in the next stall, eating lunch by herself.
Miko: Seriously?
I just nodded my head, and before I could say anything else, Miko walked out of the stall and opened another one with me right behind her.
Naruto: 'She didn't even lock door.'
Yuria just stared at Miko, who was mid-bite, and became extremely embarrassed.
Time Skip
Miko Pov
I invited Yuria to eat lunch with me and Hana. Currently, we are sitting on a bench in the school courtyard, eating lunch while Naruto practices his sword swings in front of us.
Yuria and I watched as Hana took a bite out of her chocolate chip melon bread yakisoba.
Hana instantly gained a disappointed look.
Hana: K well, this isn't anything I had imagined.
Han: It tastes like a mistake.
Miko: You just figured that out?
Hana: Hey, Yuria, do you want some?
Yuria: I'm good.
Hana: Are you sure about that? If you don't eat enough, it'll definitely stunt your growth.
I decided to tune them out. I started thinking about all the spirits that had appeared at school.
Miko: 'There are certainly a lot of them at school.'
Miko: 'But there have been considerably fewer of them since Naruto came into my life.'
Miko: 'But even so, I can't be scared all the time when I see one.'
I then looked at Yuria
Miko: 'And it seems like Yuria can only see the smaller, less disturbing ones.'
Miko: Hey Yuria, umm...do you always eat lunch in the bathroom?
Yuria: It's not a crime, last I checked.
Miko: For sure, I was just curious is all.
Yuria got a shy look on her face.
Yuria: I don't have anyone to eat with, what do you expect?
Hana: Then why don't you eat with us? It beats the toilet, am I right?
Hana: Here, this one's safe.
Hana then handed Yuria some sort of bun.
Yuria looked shocked and a little nervous at the hospitality Hana was showing her, but Yuria took the bun anyway.
Hana: Yeah, now we're having a good old-fashioned bread party.
I couldn't help but smile, but suddenly something felt off. I looked up and saw Zen walking down the second-floor hallway.
Miko: 'I was hoping I'd never see that guy again, and now he's my teacher.'
My attention was drawn back to Hana and Yuria, who were still enjoying their buns.
Hana: I love the cream filling in these.
Yuria just nodded in agreement.
Miko: 'My friends are better off not knowing about these things. Naruto and I will have to keep them safe any way we can.'
I then turned my attention back to Zen in the hallway. All of a sudden, I felt a wave of fear wash over me as something massive appeared behind me.
???: Better not look.
I then felt it disappear and saw Naruto looking at me in fear. Before I knew it, I was crying.
Naruto Pov
Naruto: 'What the hell is that spirit? It came out of nowhere and caught me by surprise.'
I looked down and saw that my hands were shaking.
Naruto: 'It's strong, I can tell that much from just looking at it.'
The spirit in question looks like a half-bug, half-human creature. Its upper half resembles a blond-haired woman with large, almost bulbous eyes and three sets of mandibles. The lower half looks like a spider, but lacks the large abdomen typically associated with spiders.
I looked over at Miko, who was crying but getting cheered up by Hana and Yuria.
I then turned my attention to Zen, who was standing on the second-floor hallway landing, looking out the window.
Naruto: 'I know one thing for sure; that spirit has a strong connection to Zen. This could spell trouble in the future. I need to stay on my toes from now on while at school.'
Time Skip
I am in my physical form. Miko, Hana, and Yuria are standing with me in front of Mrs. D's haunted house event.
Hana was shaking out of fear.
Miko: Hana, you do know that you don't have to do this.
Hana: But the donuts!
Naruto: Miko's right, Hana. If you're too scared, I could just buy us 20 donuts and call it a day.
Hana: That's no fun. Besides, we just have to get the stamp inside and then we get 20 free donuts. This is a huge priority for me.
Naruto: Is it more important than just accepting my offer?
Miko: So you're more hungry than scared.
Yuria: I'm not afraid of haunted houses.
Naruto: Same here, this is going to be fun.
Hana then pulled Yuria into a suffocating embrace.
Hana: I'm so glad you and Naruto are here.
I couldn't help but smile and laugh at Hana's antics; I then looked over and saw that Miko was deep in thought. Before I could ask her what's up, the person working the event said we were next and handed Miko a stamp card.
Suddenly, we heard screaming coming from the haunted house. Hana then pulled Yuria into her for another suffocating hug out of fear.
Hana: Please protect me!
I couldn't help but watch in amusement, until suddenly I noticed that Miko had gotten a determined look on her face and started walking in.
Hana: Wait Miko!
I just looked at Hana and gave her a hug before we followed Miko inside.
Miko opened the door and found herself in a hallway lit by flickering candles. The usual spooky props were there: skulls, skeletons, and fake blood.
Miko: Woah.
Hana: This is creepy, this is crazy.
Naruto: Don't worry, nothing's going to happen. I'll make sure of that.
I gave a thumbs-up to Hana, who was clinging to Miko's arm, looking scared.
We then proceeded to make our way down the hallway.
Hana: It's so dark in here.
Suddenly, one of the skeletons pinned to the wall by a sword began to move, causing Hana to scream. The skeleton's lazy attempt to grab us was unsuccessful.
Hana: Mrs. D's went way too hard on this one.
Naruto: I agree, which makes it all the more fun.
Hana: What's wrong with you?
I just gave them a shrug.
Yuria, Miko, and Hana just gave me a deadpan look.
Naruto: If it makes you feel better, Hana, I'll take the lead.
Hana: Yes, please.
We ended up passing by creepy dolls and an old chemistry set. I looked over my shoulder to see that Yuria was smiling.
Naruto: 'She must be enjoying herself.'
As we were passing a statue that looked like a big guy wearing blue overalls with a white shirt and a bag over his head, brandishing a cleaver, the "statue" suddenly came to life. Or rather, it was a living person just dressed up as a statue.
Hana began to scream.
Hana: OH NO, LOOK OUT!
We all started running away with the big guy chasing us with his cleaver. Eventually, we lost him, and everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Meanwhile, Hana was sitting on the floor, hugging Miko's waist.
Naruto: Guys, this is awesome! It's just like one of those American haunted houses where they chase you. This is great.
Hana: Omg why is this donut shop so scary? You better put as much effort into your donuts.
Hana leaned against the hallway wall when a fake spider came crawling down it, scaring her and causing her to scream and jump into Miko's arms, wrapping them around her neck.
Miko: You're scaring me more than anything else.
Naruto: Calm down, Hana.
Hana: I can't help but scream.
Miko: You were fine in that haunted building, this is the same thing.
Hana: That was an abandoned building, and there weren't any monsters in it.
I then saw Yuria get a shocked look on her face.
Naruto: 'Yuria is over-imagining things again.'
Hana: Can you please hold my hand?
Miko: Yeah ok.
After that, we started moving again. Eventually, the silence was interrupted by a growl.
Hana: What was that creepy grumbling?
Miko: Come on Hana, that's your own stomach.
I couldn't help but laugh a little.
I looked over my shoulder to see that Yuria had stopped to look at a skeleton.
Naruto: Yuria, hurry up or else you'll get left behind.
Yuria shook her head and ran to catch up with us.
Yuria: Coming.
After a while, we stopped and Hana crouched down in front of a door, facing away from it.
Hana: I can't do this, my heart is about to burst.
Miko: Do you want to give up now?
Hana: Nope, I could never give up on free donuts.
Naruto: At least you're determined.
Yuria: We must be near the end.
Miko: You're right; we've got to be.
Naruto: Agreed, because I'm starting to question how they're fitting all these hallways into such a small space; like seriously, this place didn't look anywhere near this big from the outside.
However, they ignored my thoughts.
Hana began to rise from the floor.
Hana: Stay strong.
Suddenly, the door behind Hana slid open, revealing a guy with a chainsaw.
Who immediately started it up.
Hana screamed as she jumped into my arms, and we began running together, the chainsaw-wielding man chasing us.
Along the way, we ran into some more guys in costumes. We saw a Frankenstein, a werewolf, and a grim reaper.
We then ran into an evil clown with an axe. Hana then hugged me even tighter.
Hana: Please don't kill me, please.
Miko gave Hana a jealous look before realizing something and released a scream before laughing and running off.
I couldn't help but smile.
Naruto: 'I'm glad Miko is finally enjoying herself.'
I then ran after her with Hana in my arms, still refusing to let go, while Yuria followed right behind me.
I couldn't help but laugh as we ran into more guys like the masked guy with dual knives, and a Wendigo.
Eventually, we lost them while also finding the stamp station.
Hana continued to hang on tightly.
Naruto: You can let go now.
Hana: Huh? Oh, sorry.
Hana then jumped out of his arms with an embarrassed look.
Hana: Sorry, couldn't help myself. I felt safe in your arms.
Hana: To be honest, I'm kind of jealous that Miko has such a strong and awesome guy like you. Do you work out?
I just smiled as I walked behind Miko, then wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her from behind.
Naruto: I do, and I'm eternally blessed to have her in my life, aren't I? Isn't that right, my love?
Miko's face turned red, and she looked away from everyone.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Naruto: Isn't she's cute.
Hana: Hell yeah, she is! She's super adorable.
Naruto: 'At least everyone is less scared now.'
Naruto: Agreed. Now, why don't you grab that stamp so we can get out of here?
Hana just nodded silently.
Suddenly, I sensed a spirit to our left. I looked and saw a spirit that resembled a pale-skinned teenager with a swollen head. Miko glanced over and was about to react, but I stopped her by whispering into her ear.
Naruto: It's a spirit.
Miko then looked at it and realized it was indeed real, so I let go of Miko.
Naruto: Hey Hana, did you grab the stamp?
Hana: Yep, so we're good to get out of here, right?
I gave her a nod.
Naruto: Yeah, let's go before another costumed freak shows up.
We slowly began making our way out, with the spirit slowly following behind us.
Suddenly, Hana stopped and looked behind us. We all stopped to see what was up, only to see every monster from before standing right there, including the spirit.
Hana screamed and then hugged Yuria.
Hana: All I wanted were the donuts!
The Monster and spirit started running towards us.
Hana: How much are you being paid for this?!
Miko: Let's make a run for the exit, okay?
Naruto: That sounds like a good idea, let's go.
We proceeded to run towards the exit.
As we were running, Miko suddenly stopped and turned to face the group of monsters and the spirit.
Hana: Miko?
Miko: Stop it, stay away from me!
I couldn't help but smile at how Miko used the situation to tell the spirit off, but I was surprised when all the monsters stopped.
Hana: They're not going to listen to you; we have to get out of here right now.
Miko immediately turned around and began running with a happy smile on her face.
Eventually, we made it out of the store, and the event woman handed Hana her 20 free donuts.
Hana: Donuts are the true meaning of life.
I couldn't help bursting out laughing.
Naruto: Heh heh, if you say so.
Miko: And you say that about all food.
After that, we split the donuts and went home.
.
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END OF CHAPTER
