'Tonkotsu ramen… miso ramen… or shoyu ramen. Damn it, this is such a hard choice' Was the thought of one Uzumaki Naruto.

He was currently in the exact same ramen shop that he was in yesterday. After Touka and him left the drop off with Aogiri Tree, they had gone back home in silence and hadn't talked since. He was going to talk with her, but was reassured by Yomo that it wasn't his fault, and that she still hadn't fully accepted Hinami's departure. That didn't stop the blond from trying to cheer her up. He had only tried once, and it wasn't a complete failure to say the least. Looking back on it, it was hilarious.

Flashback to early morning

Naruto had just finished setting everything up. It was early morning, and everyone was already in the re: cafe except for one person.

Nishiki.

Naruto didn't know why but there was something that made his younger, more devilish side come out whenever he saw Nishiki. Maybe it was the funny expression he made when he saw his clone. Anyways he had just finished his newest prank. It was similar to when he painted his entire classroom in orange, but this time it was aimed at one person specifically. That person being one Nishio Nishiki. No one had seen what he was doing, but he was sure it would bring some joy to the ghouls. Except one that is. He just prayed that no one else came through the front door.

You may be wondering how he had come into the possession of orange powder, rope, and a bag. For the blond to be honest, he found it all laying around in the back. In fact, when he saw everything he came up with the idea instantly. Now all he had to do was wait for the chestnut haired bimbo to arrive.

Yomo and Touka were doing their daily routines. Touka seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, since she would always gaze off into space seemingly looking at nothing. He could see regret in her eyes, but on what he wouldn't know. Possibly letting Hinami leave.

That's when it happened. A single jingle of a bell, which indicated the door being opened. It's all Naruto needed to turn to face the door. Time seemed to slow down for everyone. Nishiki was opening his mouth to announce his presence. The rope was moving like a snake, preparing to drop it's contents. In an instant two small bags fell on top of Nishiki. An explosion of orange went off. It covered everything in its path, and that included Nishiki as well.

The explosion caused both, Yomo and Touka's eyes to widen. They were going to see what was wrong, but their attention was caught by the blond who seemed to be dying in laughter. Naruto had his one arm over his ribs, and a tear could be seen welling up in his eye.

Nishiki however, was far beyond mad. No, he was far beyond furious. A purple aura could be seen dancing around Nishiki's orange form. The blond was going to pay.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Nishiki roared out in pure and utter rage.

It seemed to do nothing as Naruto was still laughing. In fact it seemed to only increase Naruto's laughter.

"Hey! I'm talking to you whiskers!"

That did it. The remark seemed to stop Naruto's laughter, and in exchange an equally mad expression formed on his face.

"Oi! Who the hell you calling whiskers?!"

"Who do you think… whiskers?"

"That does it! No one calls me whiskers and gets away with it, Dattebayo!" Naruto yelled as he lunged at Nishiki.

While the two were scuffiling on the floor, Touka couldn't help but let out a small smile. That small smile quickly turned into a chuckle as she witnessed Nishiki and Naruto attempt to pound the living daylights out of each other. They were both rolling around the floor while crude remarks such as 'kitty' or 'Horse face' could be heard from the two. It was funny and all, but there was only one tensy tiny problem she had with this.

"Stop dirtying my floor you idiots! Or else you'll also have to clean red!" Touka yelled at the two.

Flashback End

Afterwards, they cleaned up the mess, while every now and then glaring at each other, and throwing the usual insult or two. To say Naruto was scared for his life was an understatement. He saw the fear in Nishiki's eyes as well, and his survival intuition kicked in. That survival intuition being to never piss of a female. He had been at the end of a females anger more times than he could count, and if there's one thing he learned was that it didn't matter who the female was. They would beat you to a pulp if you got them mad beyond a certain point. Naruto wasn't ready to go to that other side yet, and it was clear to him Nishiki wasn't either. Memories of Jiraiya brought a small smile to his face. He wouldn't feel the one lone tear making its way down his cheek as he thought back on his late sensei.

Once they finished cleaning Yomo had given him some money to get food, and that's how he wounded up here. He only had enough for what seemed to be two maybe three bowl of ramen. Now he was debating if he should get the same flavor, or mix it up a little.

"Say Blondy, Saiko wouldn't have come back if you were going to be all doom and gloom" A voice he was familiar with cut him out of his thoughts. Looking up he was met face to face with the same blue haired girl from yesterday. However, this time she was smiling.

"Huh?" was the blonds confused reply.

The girl seemed to let out a small chuckle at that. Honestly females confused him. One second they were all happy, and the next he was being punched through the wall.

"So what brings you here…. Uh?"

"Saiko, Yonebayashi Saiko" the girl responded.

"Huh, that's a pretty cool name. The 'most greatest child'. That's awesome Saiko!"

Hearing the compliment, Saiko couldn't help but smile and hide a small evident blush. No one had ever complimented her, let alone call her awesome.

"Oh! By the way i'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto!" the blond spoke cheerfully, while doing a small salute.

Saiko couldn't help but laugh at his introduction. Let alone his name.

"Your parents…. Called you…. Fishcake?" she spoke in between laughs.

Naruto's face changed from one of joy to an annoyed expression. His eyebrow was twitching and a tick mark was evident.

"Damn it! Why does everyone think that! It's for maelstrom, and that's ten times cooler than fishcake. No! It's an infinite times cooler than fishcake!" He tried to defend himself, but it only seemed to serve to cause the bluete to laugh even harder.

"What… whatever you say fishcake."

As she finally calmed down there was a small silence between them.

"Soooooo… what brings you back here? I see you're not all upset and all from yesterday." Naruto asked curiously.

Looking at the blond her smile turned into a very small frown.

"I thought I could repay you for helping me out."

"Huh? Oh, don't worry about that. A smile on your pretty face is more than enough payment." he told her with a bright smile.

Hearing that Saiko's eyes slightly widened as she professed his words. Realizing what he called her she hid inside her jacket, so he wouldn't see her blush.

"Saiko, you ok?" The blond spoke oblivious to why she might be in that state.

"I-it's nothing." the girl sputtered out.

Naruto just nodded at that. He never understood girls.

"Do you mind if I can ask you something?"

"Shoot" Saiko spoke finally getting her head out of her jacket.

"What had you down?" seeing the saddened look on her face he added, "Sorry for asking it's just… i don't know I get really attached to people in a short amount of time, and I can't help but already feel like we're friends."

Instead of storming off, or staying silent, like he thought she would. He was surprised to when she waved of his worry, and held a faint smile.

"It's just a job offer I got. My mom has been pressuring me to take it and I did. Your words yesterday also helped a lot, and well I go into surgery in about two weeks."

"Surgery?" Naruto asked confused. What type of job required someone to go through a surgery?

Widening her eyes at her slip up. She stayed silent while trying to not look at the teen across from her. She was on contract to not tell anybody about the Quinx project, until it was public information. Sweat drops could be seen forming on her forehead.

"I-it's uh… um….what were we talking about?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know." the blond replied casually.

It seemed to calm things down as Saiko looked at him with a blank expression.

'What?' she thought. Had the blond really been that willing to drop the subject that fast? Looking him over she realized he went back at looking at the menu. 'He did!'

"Say Saiko-chan-" she grew a tint of pink on her face at the suffix, "-you want anything?" he asked giving her his menu.

"I'll just have what you ordered."

Counting his money he looked back at Saiko with a sheepish look in his eyes.

"Would you mind sharing a bowl? I only have enough for three bowls, and i'm not someone who likes having more than others." he asked while scratching the back of his head.

Feeling a bit flustered by his question, Saiko slowly nodded her head. Who was she to deny free food?

"So are you new in town or?" she asked with curiosity.

"I guess you can say that. I'm not exactly from here." Naruto responded looking into her eyes.

"Oh so you're from out of the country?" she asked with even more curiosity. The blond truly fascinate her, and she couldn't help but want to get to know him more.

"Something like that."

A comfortable silence fell between the two. Both sitting in their own respective seats with a smile on their faces.

"So, would your baa-chan have really punched you through a wall?" Saiko asked a bit teasingly.

At the thought of it Naruto slouched comedically with what sounded like mumbling coming from him. "What you think she wouldn't? Trust me I have been at the end of her fists more times than I can count, and most of the times I don't even do anything!" Naruto whined.

At his statement Saiko couldn't help but laugh.

After the food came a pleasant atmosphere surrounded the two. Of course it changed drastically when they started sharing the third bowl of ramen. Naruto could have sworn he was redder than his mother, and Saiko didn't seem to be doing any better. It only seemed to make things a bit more awkward with the looks they were getting from the people in the restaurant. He even heard someone whispering how cute of a couple they were. He almost choked on his food when he heard that one.

'It's just ramen damn it…'

Saiko was in her own thoughts. She had realized long ago the looks they were getting, more specifically from the older people in the joint. There was no way she could look at the blond after the comments she heard. She was just grateful that he offered to share the third bowl cause she was honestly pretty hungry.

After finishing there was an awkward silence between the two. Both averting eye contact as if they looked into each others eyes/eye they would be even more embarrassed. Which was the case. Calming down a little Naruto couldn't help but want to break the silence.

Looking at the girl, she was still in the same state as he last glanced at her. The feeling from the first time they met each other surfaced. Just what exactly was this? It was warm, and…. There was just something else he couldn't figure out. It was on the tip of his tongue, but no matter what he couldn't find his answer.

'I should probably say something' he thought wanting to clear the atmosphere.

Saiko, slightly turning to the blond realized where his gaze was fixated on. It was on her. She didn't know why but it caused her to become a bit flustered. No one had ever payed her much attention, especially someone her age. This was honestly getting kind of awkward.

'Saiko should probably say something' she thought unknowingly thinking exactly what the blond was.

"Do you like manga?-" -"What's your favorite flavor of ramen?" They both spoke, interrupting the other.

It seemed to slightly clear the tension as they both looked at each other with a confused expression. Blinking a couple of times they couldn't help but laugh.

"I-i'm sorry you go first" Naruto spoke.

Looking at the blond she gained a faint smile, "No, no, you go" she insisted.

He didn't seem to accept it if his patient look was anything to go by. He was leaning his head against his hand, and had a smile on his face.

"Do you like manga?" she asked a bit hopefully. She didn't have a lot of friends who liked her hobbies, but than again she didn't have a lot of friends in general.

"Manga?" Naruto asked confused.

It seemed to rile the short girl a bit.

"WHAT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MANGA IS?" She yelled in an over exaggerated tone.

Naruto had to suppress a sweat drop at this,'You know she could have done that differently'

"Sorry?"

"No, no! How do you not know what it is! Everyone's at least heard of it!" she spoke as she wailed her arms around.

Letting out a awkward chuckle and scratching the back of his head Naruto spoke, "Sorry, it's just I grew up in a village. We don't even have more than half the things people have here."

His answer seemed to calm her down as her mouth was in an 'o' shape.

"Well, let me tell you. Next time Saiko see's you, she's showing you the world of an otaku!" she yelled in excitement.

Naruto smiled at this. It seemed he made a friend, and a fun one at that.

The two continued talking as if they knew each other their whole lives. Smiles evident on their faces the entire time. Both laughing at each others dismay, and their stories. Eventually they didn't even notice, but they were already outside the store, after eating their ramen.

"Wait, wait, wait. So, you painted your entire classroom orange? And no one caught you?"

"Yeah, and I would have done way more, but Iruka-sensei caught me before I could. You should have seen the look on their faces!"

At his words the two just laughed even more.

"Oh man… I gotta see you do this one day." she wheezed out.

Hearing this Naruto's gained his usual mischievous foxy grin whenever he was up to something. It seemed he possibly found a partner in crime. Of course that didn't mean she was safe from his pranks. Oh no far from it. If he saw more of Saiko he was sure the two of them would no doubt try to get a hand over the other at any moment of chance. That would be awesome, but he was getting to far ahead of himself.

"Well i'll see you later Naru!" The blue haired girl waved off happily with a bright smile.

Using his one eye to smile like his sensei had. Naruto couldn't help but shout happily his farewell to the girl, "I'll see you later Sai-chan!"

The two made eye contact one more time. What felt like hours was actually a mere second in the real world. They couldn't help but marwell the brightness of the others blue eyes or eye. Once again smiling to each other they both turned around, going their separate ways. Both with the same thought going on in their heads.

'Can't wait to see her/him again'

Re:

Our favorite blond could be hear whistling a tune inside the cafe as he looked over the map of Tokyo. Currently he was studying up on the map of Tokyo. It never hurt to know routes, and such for a quick getaway. Tunnels to run into incase he needed a place to hide. Not only that but he was getting the idea in what wards he should and shouldn't be in. Of course he always had a question or two that needed to be answered, and that's why Yomo was there. The older man seemed to be cleaning the dust of the cups and plates.

It was funny seeing such an intimidating man wearing an apron, while he cleaned the dishes. Than it hit him. He was going to have to wear an apron while serving those dishes.

'Wait how the hell am I supposed to do anything around her if I don't know how to do anything at all?'

Letting out a small groan at the thought of having to learn even more.

"Say Yomo" the blond called out to the large man, "What the hell am I supposed to do anyway when I work?" he asked bluntly.

His question seemed to put the man in thought.

"Oh yeah…" the man responded in realization, "Well why don't I show you the ropes. Than afterwards Nishiki is going to take you to meet one of our friends."

"He's not gonna eat me is he?" The blond asked a bit worried.

Yomo however didn't respond.

An hour or two passed by as Yomo was showing Naruto the basics. How to greet customers, how to see if someone is ready to order, and the most difficult one of all… how to hold a tray and serve customers with his one arm. Don't get him wrong it took some time to get the proper stature, and everything else Yomo talked about which he probably should have listened to. But, due to only having one arm it took to much time. He had to set the plate down on the table, than hand everything individually to the customer, and than finally go around handing everything else. The writing part was even more horrendous. His handwriting as Yomo put it, 'Looks like a toddler scribbled all over the paper.'

Now here he was sitting, trying to improve his handwriting to no avail.

"AHHHHHH!" Yelling in frustration the blond threw the pencil at the door, and at that moment… Nishiki came in.

"Oi! What the hell whiskers!" Nishiki yelled in rage while glaring at the blond.

"What the hell did I say about calling me whiskers! You Horse Face!" the blond yelled with the same fire evident in his voice. The two bumped heads where they started to growl at the other.

THWACK

In a heartbeat the two boys were on the ground with bumps on their heads. Standing menacingly above them with a annoyed expression was Touka. Her eyes were closed, and she was obviously trying to calm herself down from beating the two even more.

"W-why… Touka?" the blond barely being able to speak through the pain.

"Naruto! Nishiki! Go to where you're supposed to be!"

Getting up by his knee Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a confused look.

"Aren't I supposed to be here?" he asked confused.

The sharp glare the older girl gave him was all he needed to shut up. Like he mentioned before… not crossing that line. He was about to get up, but felt a strong pull, pull him up from his crouching position. Looking back he realized it was Nishiki with a not so pleasant look on his face.

"Come on Naruto. We're going to visit a friend. Think of it as the first step in fitting into a ghouls world." He spoke with the same nonchalant tone.

Nodding at his words the blond followed him out the shop.

"You think he's gonna get scared?" Yomo asked out loud.

Turning to the man Touka couldn't help but nod her head.

"For sure."

4th Ward

The shinobi and the ghoul were standing outside a wooden door. There were two barrels decorated with art, and a sun graffiti onto the wall. Over the sun the text 'HySy ArtMask Studio' could be read.

"Masks?" Naruto questioned out loud while staring at the building.

"It's just a precaution in case you ever do something stupid, which I can already tell will be quite a lot" Nishiki replied calmly as he opened the door, ignore the loud 'oi' he received from his comment.

Inside the shop the scenery changed quite fast in Naruto's opinion. The floor was checkered, and all over the room there were glass showcases with various items in them. Most of it being either masks or other sorts of artwork. In the corner there was a skeleton with a gas mask on which caused a nervous sweat drop to appear on Naruto's forehead.

'I hope that's not real'

As he was looking around the shop there was one thing that caught his attention. Next to one of the showcases their was something covered with a sheet. Looking over it, he couldn't help but want to unravel its mysteries.

"Hey Nishiki! You think your friend will mind if I take a peek what's under here?" The blond asked with a point towards the object of interests.

Turning to Naruto with a bored expression he spoke, "Knock yourself out."

Grabbing the bottom of the sheet, Naruto slowly pulled it up. Eventually he was met face to face with a man sitting on the pedestal. Black and red met lone blue as they looked at each other with confusion. Blinking a few times, Naruto was slightly surprised to see a man sitting there.

"Boo"

However unlike Kaneki Naruto stood there still looking at the man unsurly.

"What?" Naruto asked even more confused.

There was an awkward silence as the two just kept staring at each other. Well there was for Naruto's part, but the man seemed to be perfectly contempt with staying like this.

"Uta come on. Stop playing around." Nishiki spoke with a bit of annoyance. He wasn't annoyed by the two, but more over the fact that he was on babysitting duty.

"I thought I would surprise you. It worked on Kaneki." the now named Uta spoke with a bit of amusement.

"Well that's because Kaneki was a wimp"

His words seemed to intrigue the man even more.

"Oh? Are you saying there's something special about the blond?" he asked while poking the whiskered teen.

Memories of what Naruto did to him flashed in that moment.

"No… he's an annoying whiskered cat, who doesn't understand how to show respect to his superiors."

As if on cue to prove his point Naruto yelled out with white eyes,"Oi! Who the hell are you calling a cat, horse face! I'll beat the crap out of you, Dattebayo!"

"See what I mean?" Nishiki asked while looking back at Uta.

The artist nodded at his words. It was clear to him that he was way different from Kaneki, but there was something about him that seemed off. Smelling the blond, which caused Naruto to look a bit petrified. He found the reason for his bewilderment.

"Is he a one eye?" he asked curiously.

Nishiki shook his head in response.

"He's not even a ghoul, but he's a special case."

"How so?" He was interested now. A human who doesn't smell like a human, and somehow landed himself in a ghoul society.

Nishiki looked at Naruto for confirmation. The blond seeing this looked back at Uta before looking back at Nishiki. Could he trust this guy? I mean he seemed friendly, but there was something off about him. I guess he would just have to keep it a secret until it was the time to tell him.

Nishiki seeing the look in Naruto's eye turned back to Uta, "You'll find out."

"Oh that's such a tease Nishiki."

Gaining a smirk Nishiki spoke, "What can I say…. It's a surprise."

The man seemed to gain a small smile at that.

"Well come on than" the man said as he led Naruto to his little work place which was in the middle of the room. Uta went to his desk before grabbing a clipboard with paper attached onto it.

He then proceeded to ask Naruto a series of questions while scribbling on the paper.

"Do you have any allergies?"

"No"

"You want a full face or half"

"Uh.."

"I'll go with full" Uta spoke not caring for the blonds reply.

'Than why'd he ask?' Naruto thought with a sweatdrop.

"You want to keep your whiskers on your mask?"

The question seemed to irritate Naruto. His head was red with anger and his eye was twitching.

"They're not whiskers… "

"I'll take that as a yes."

Naruto seemed to deflate at his words.

"Well I got a sort of idea. Say Naruto was it?"

Nodding at his words the man continued.

"Do you purr?"

There was a silence as the two just stared at each other. Naruto's face was blank of any emotion with a look of, 'You're kidding right?', while Uta kept his normal face on.

Letting out a sigh Naruto spoke, "No, I don't purr."

"Are you sure? Has anyone ever scratched your cheek?"

"I DON'T PURR DAMNIT!" Naruto yelled in rage.

However instead of any other reaction, Uta just kept doing his measurements on Naruto. Still keeping up his normal face, "I'll take that as a no."

"Say Naruto do you know why us ghouls have masks?" Uta asked.

"Huh? I actually have no idea." The blond responded with some interest evident in his voice. He had wanted to ask one of them why he needed a mask, but decided to give up on it after Nishiki basically ignored him the whole way here.

"It's so we can blend in with human society,-" Naruto's eyes instantly shot up., "-we need a mask that we never take off. If we're suspected for even a moment, we're done for, so we conduct ourselves seamlessly enough that we don't become too involved."

A tear drop hit the floor. Seeing this confused Uta. However that confusion was cleared when he saw the trail the tear left behind. It had came from Naruto.

"I know exactly how it feels to wear a mask your whole life." Naruto spoke low but he could be heard by the two, "It's hard for people who are seen as monsters I know that, so we put up a facade so we don't get hurt anymore by others. Instead we start hurting ourselves for companionship."

Silence. Each individual had their own thoughts. Uta seemed to understand the blond, and decided not to pry any further. Naruto was reminscating his past. Images of a lonely boy crying by himself, with a shadow of nine tails moving behind him. Another memory of him with old man Hokage. They were in his new apartment, after he was kicked out the orphanage, and forced to live on the streets for three months. Four words was all it took to break the old man's heart. Now that he was older he could see all the pain and regret in the third's eyes.

Where are my parents?

He was so happy that he achieved his goal. His goal to receive the recognition of the villagers, and he couldn't be any happier. After all he was the sun in the darkness. The boy of miracles or the child of prophecy as he was called. His frown turned into a sad smile at those memories.

Nishiki was trying to find out what Naruto meant. Just what did the happy carefree blond go through? However his slight worry towards him were cleared at Naruto's next words.

"Although sometimes it's better to break that mask, and show people who you really are. After that you can see who your real family is." A sad smile was evident on his face. The warmth in his eye returning.

"That's true in some cases, but that's tough for us ghouls in this world."

"Than i'll change it." Naruto spoke determined.

"What?" both of them asked.

"I'll change it. That's a promise and if there's one thing I never go back on are my promises, dattebayo!"

The two ghouls just stood there wondering if Naruto was insane. However Nishiki gained a faint smile at his words.

"Come on Naruto, don't go around saying stuff like that."

"Uh huh. To late."

A silence fell upon them. Uta was almost finished taking Naruto's measurements, and Nishiki was just staring at the blond. He was thinking over his words. 'I'll change it' Such determination and conviction. It was if the blond was stating a fact. Most of Nishiki just wanted to say it was Naruto's subconscious or whatever speaking, but… he couldn't help but wonder what if he could.

'Oh get a hold of yourself Nishiki. There's no way a kid who looks like a fox can do that.'

Finishing his measurements, Uta patted the blond on the head.

"Well that's everything." he spoke as his hand made its way towards Naruto's cheeks.

Standing up from his chair he noticed where Uta's hand was. They looked at each other before coming to a silent agreement to not talk about it.

"Naruto… "Nishiki spoke getting his attention, "Go outside. I'll be out in a bit."

Nodding at his words he gave Uta a wave with a smile, which he returned with one of his own. Hearing the door close Nishiki's faced Uta.

"You know when you said he was special, I didn't think he was that special."

"Can we trust you not to tell anyone that he's human?" His usual bored voice asked, but if one listened closely they could tell that it held power.

"Of course" Uta told him while nodding. Turning around Uta made his way towards his desk, but left behind some last words, "Try not to get him killed. After all I want to see what the kid does."

The Next Day

A blue eye slowly opened itself to the rays of the sun before closing tightly. His sunny blond hair spiking all over the place.

'The sun is evil' he thought as he got up. Rubbing his one eye with his hand before looking at the clock.

It was already two in the afternoon. Grumbling about his dismay he was sure Yomo was going to give him that look. He was supposed to be 'intraining' as they called it. Seriously, who wakes up at eight to train to be a waiter.

Preparing himself for the consequences to come, out favorite blond hero got out of bed. Making his way downstairs he was surprised to see no one was there. The front doors were locked, and nothing seemed to be touched since yesterday.

'Weird. Maybe they're still asleep' he thought. Hopefully his assumption was true, and he wouldn't have to deal with anything this early. Well it wasn't early but it was for him. He just woke up for Kami's sake.

Going behind the counter he started gathering the necessary materials to make coffee. Pouring the beans into the foil Naruto moved his stump of a arm to try to grab the pot with water.

'Oh yeah… I forgot about that problem.'

Letting out a small sigh he couldn't help but think how difficult or annoying somethings were with one arm. Sure he could still eat, but if it involved anything with a fork or knife he was done for. How ironic, the Savior of Konoha bested by some eating utensils. That brought a smile on his face. It had a funny ring to it.

Getting back on task he grabbed the pot of water, and started pouring it onto the beans. Moving the pot in a circular motion, the beans started letting off a small drops of coffee. If anyone else was there, there mouths would water of the fresh hypnotic aroma the pot was letting off. After a while the pot was half full, where Naruto decided was enough. He had never drank coffee in his life. The first time he tasted it he wanted to spit it out due to the bitterness tasted in it. After that he had stayed as far away from the drink as he could. Deeming it the 'curse of the gods'. Right now however, he didn't care. He was thirsty and there was nothing else to drink due to the other occupants living here. Sure he could go out and get something, but would he? Nah, he was to lazy for that.

Even he had to admit the aroma it was letting off was a bit enticing. Mist wisped around the edges of the cup as he poured the brown drink in slowly. Finally after filling it near the top he put the pot down. Grabbing the cup by his finger he examined it. The coffee was letting of small ripples due to lifting it up.

A flash of memories came through his mind. Nagato more specifically. Than it went from Nagato to an image of Obito, than Madara, next was Sasuke, and finally…. Him. The rinnegan was another problem in general. He hadn't given the eye much thought, but now… now he had no idea what to do. The eye felt… normal to say the least. It felt as if he finally was able to put a piece of a puzzle in himself that he didn't even know he was missing. The only problem he had with the eye was accepting it. How could he after it was used to kill hundreds if not thousands of people. It had trapped his world in a gengutsu that he hoped his friends could find a way to undo. His world was something he also didn't give much thought on. He had made a promise to someone to save this world and yet… he couldn't even save his. How stupid was he. Making promises like that.

'Honestly… i'm here playing waiter while everyone back home is suffering. Damn it! I just need to put my faith in Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-can. B-but what if they don't find a way? Is the old man sage still there to help them? I-i mean he wouldn't just abandoned them like that would he?"

With every thought his grip got tighter and tighter. His hand started shaking with rage or hopelessness we wouldn't know. Finally, the cup broke. It's shattered pieces cutting into his hand, while the melting coffee slightly burned it. However instead of reacting to it he stood there. Lost in his thoughts, as he tried to find an outcome where his world could be saved without him. Silently praying that he didn't leave his world to die.

"Naruto?" a voice spoke cutting him out of his thoughts. It wasn't until he regained his bearings that he realized what he did.

"Huh? Ah shit! Touka i'm so sorry I didn't even realize what I did" he spoke frantically as he started picking up the shattered pieces with his bleeding palm.

Seeing the state of her new worker she couldn't help but feel as if he was reminiscing the past.

"Is everything alright?" she asked with what sounded like a hint of worriness.

Turning to her Naruto gained a sad smile, "Yeah everything's all right… I was just thinking.

"About your world?" She asked instantly.

Time seemed to stop as she said that. Naruto's hair covered his eye, and Touka stood there waiting for him.

"Yeah… " he spoke out meekly.

Hearing this she immediately went to pull out two chairs. Motioning him to sit down next to her while she took a seat in her own. Getting up slowly, Naruto accepted the offer. Taking a seat the two sat there for a bit before Touka let out a small sigh.

"I was never good at these things… the last time I tried to help someone emotionally I beat him up" she spoke with a sad smile as her interaction with Kaneki passed her mind. Naruto seemed to let out a small chuckle at that. "Huh? You think i'm kidding?"

Waving his hand in a defensive manner he spoke, "No, no, it's just… it must have been nice getting close to someone like that. It also helps that I can actually picture you doing that."

At that both of them let off a small chuckle.

"I guess it's that Kaneki guy i've been hearing so much about." he spoke.

Turning her head to face the front of her she closed her eyes.

"Yeah… "

"He sounds like an amazing guy. I would love to meet him some day."

"Yeah… " she replied not knowing what to say. "You know i'm here to help you not the other way around."

He seemed to smile at that.

"You know I never was the type of person that needed help. I always wanted to help others with no regard to my own safety. Be it physical or emotional."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

There was a pause between the two.

"You know Nishiki told me what you said at Uta's shop."

Naruto seemed to raise his eyebrow at that.

"Did he now?"

Nodding at him she spoke, "Yeah, about wearing a mask and all that."

Diverting his gaze to the ceiling it seemed as if he was in thought.

"It was true you know. Everything I said."

"Even the promise you made?"

He stopped when he heard that. A distant look in his eye appeared thinking back about his home. How could he bring peace to another world if he couldn't even bring peace to his?

"Naruto… " Touka spoke realizing he was lost in space.

Regaining his bearings he steeled his nerves. He was Uzumaki Naruto! Not some wimp. He was the person that kept his promises no matter what, cause that's his nindo. Gaining a smile he turned to Touka.

"Yeah… even that."

There was a moment between the two. As one processed what the other said, and as the other waited for the other to respond.

Letting out a sigh she couldn't help but see a bit of Yoshimura in him. The blond had goals to bring peace, and that was something Yoshimura wanted as well. However, the only difference was, Yoshimura wanted to do something he could achieve. Naruto on the other hand wanted to do something that just seemed plain impossible.

Letting out a sigh she turned to him, "And how do you plan to do that?"

Her words seemed to make his smile widen slightly. Looking back at the ceiling he couldn't help but see an image of everyone who had gave their wills to him. Jiraiya, Jiji, his parents, Nagato, Obito, and so many more people.

"With the will of fire." he answered with a smile.

His words seemed to confuse Touka.

"You know… I didn't have the best of lives. I was actually basically seen as a demon in human flesh." His words seemed to intrigue Touka, "I lived in an orphanage until I was five, and that's because the caretaker decided to kick me out. For months I lived on the street before our village leader realized my predicament. He had gotten me an apartment, and I couldn't tell if things got better or worse. I was beaten to the brink of death on my birthdays, and every other day I would either be glared at, or they would simply act as if I wasn't there. They would call me 'demon' or 'demon-child' behind my backs, but no matter what I kept smiling. I had a dream to achieve, and I was going to achieve it no matter what. Eventually the loneliness turned me into a prankster, so I could force people to pay attention to me. It seemed to work, but it only worsened my reputation. At the time I didn't care. Why would I? I was gaining attention, and it brought me out of my loneliness no matter how short it was. After a while I graduated from the academy and was put on a team." His sad smile seemed to gain some light in it as a teardrop went down his cheek, "They were my first family. They accepted me when no one else would, and I couldn't thank them enough for that."

His words seemed to hit Touka a bit. Turning to her his eyes slightly widened when he saw what seemed to be a tear going down her cheek. However, she turned around where she wiped the tear away without him seeing.

"You know, I would have probably ended up like most of the insane ghouls here if it wasn't for them." he spoke solemnly as images of his friends appeared, "But… after a while I started making more and more friends. People started seeing me as Naruto instead of the 'demon fox', and I couldn't have been happier. I was making friends, and slowly the villagers were accepting me. Because I stuck to my nindo, and the will of fire is what kept me going. The will to never give up, and to keep striving for your goals no matter what. So many people trusted me with their wills, and there's no way i'm going back on them." his voice seemed to gain his care free attitude as he spoke more and more about the will of fire, " Because if I give up than people will start giving up on me! There's no way i'm going back on my word cause that's my nindo, dattebayo!"

The spark in his eye regaining its place. It seemed he had came to his decision. He was going to save both worlds no matter how much time and effort it took. He trusted Team 7 to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and now it was his job to help this world.

Touka however was at loss for words. The blond seemed ready to give up, and now all of a sudden he's declaring things like this. Letting out a sigh she couldn't help but want to believe him, but she just couldn't.

"Come on Naruto. Be more realistic here."

"I am being realistic." He spoke with a determined tone.

Looking at him she knew she wouldn't get through to him. She only knew him for a few days, but she already knew what type of person he was. An optimistic who always looks for the best in people, and has a way to attract those around him. Than his past came to her mind. She was honestly surprised, and felt a bit sad for him. How couldn't she. His words to their first actual encounter at the breakfast table all made sense now, but she couldn't help but feel like there was more. When he said there would be no more wars? Had he actually found a way for peace to prevail? What about the fourth war he spoke about? His answers seemed to only bring forth even more questions.

"You know, our previous boss thought that Kaneki could bring peace between humans and ghouls. You see he was a hybrid between the two, and instead of having two kakugan he only had one. A cross between a human and a ghoul. Our boss, Yoshimura, told him he was the bridge between the two. A person who belonged in two worlds. He was a wise man that thought all us a lot. He saved us from our darkness."

Naruto nodded at that. If he was anything to go by he sounded like old man third. Both people who want to steer the next generation on the right path.

"Sounds like a old man I knew." He spoke lightly.

Touka couldn't help but nod at his statement. They stayed in silence for a bit. Letting the information they received sink in.

"So, you were a prankster when you were younger?" Touka asked with a small smile. They had enough emotional talk for one day, but Naruto's past tore down a wall she had unknowingly made. It was if the blond was in a new light. The same light as Hinami.

"Oh you would not believe the stories I have… " he spoke excitedly. For the next few hours Touka and Naruto could be found exchanging stories. Naruto about the good times in his childhood, and Touka sat there listening to them. It wasn't until Touka told him the story about why she keeps the right side of her face covered that Naruto lost it.

Our favorite blond could be seen laughing hysterically on the floor. While our favorite coffee shop owner could be seen with a red face glaring at the blond. Out of embarrassment or out of anger, or maybe a mix of both.

"It's not funny!" Touka declared in a fit of rage.

Her words didn't seem to even have an affect on the blond.

"… I-it's just…. You-" he said pointing at her"... have a fear… of birds!" he spoke in between frantic laughs.

At his words she reddened even more.

"I almost had my eye plucked out by a bird! AFTER HELPING IT!"

Rolling around even more Naruto started hitting the floor with his fist, "T-that makes it even better!" he declared.

Before the two could proceed any more the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Yomo could be seen making his way through the door of the shop. He was wearing a leather jacket, and it was clear to the two that he was ready to go somewhere, if the sign of him not taking of his jacket was anything to go by.

That's when Touka's eyes widened before she slapped her forehead while mumbling something. It was that time of the week. That being body collection. Turning to Naruto she saw his confused expression at her gestures.

"Naruto… would you mind helping Yomo?"

Getting up from the floor he dusted himself off a bit, "Uh, with what?"

"Body collection." surprisingly it was Yomo who responded instead of Touka. Turning to the man with a bit of unease, Naruto didn't like that name. He had an image of what body collection meant, and he didn't like it.

"I know I said I would help you guys, but I can't kill innocent pe-"

"Naruto, It's nothing like that." the man spoke with his passive tone.

A look of confusion was followed up by that.

"What? You guys eat people don't you?"

Letting out a sigh Yomo couldn't help but be reminded a bit of Kaneki. The boy was the same as he was when they were first introduced to ghoul society. Both young and innocent.

"Come on" the man replied. Turning around, Yomo made his way towards his car. Waiting a bit Naruto turned to Touka before she gave him a small wave. Following in Yomo's path, he caught up to the enormous man. The two stayed in silence while they made their way to the car. Once they entered, Naruto was feeling a bit nervous They hadn't exactly told him what 'body collection' was, and if what he knew about ghouls was anything to go by it couldn't be any good. Gulping at the thought of the things he might have to do he glanced at Yomo. The man seemed to be in his 'silent mode', his head was focused on the road in front of him, and his face was perfectly still. The more and more Naruto looked at him he could have sworn the man never even blinked.

Their surroundings also started to change. From the concrete jungle he had been exploring these past few days, had changed into one that reminded him of home. Trees and mountains surrounded them with the occasional buildings or few that they passed by. He could see it now. Shinobi jumping through the trees, as they raced back to their village. It made him feel a little home sick, but they were in capable hands. Without realizing it the sun had set, and the moon started to rise. They had eventually pulled over to the side of one of the mountains they were going up.

"We're here." the stoic man spoke as he unbuckled his seat belt before exiting the car. Following the man's actions, Naruto stepped outside the vehicle. Turning to Yomo the man was rummaging through the trunk of the car. Averting his gaze to the distant mountains that lined themselves up Naruto felt at peace. There was so much more nature here. He could feel the energy dancing on his exposed skin. Taking in a deep breath of the air, Naruto let out a satisfied sigh. He didn't know why but it felt amazing being able to stay in a serene place like this.

Than he felt it. His eye widened quite profoundly as he rushed towards the edge of the cliff. There laying down the long steep was a dead body. The jolt of a hand connecting to his shoulder caused Naruto to turn around instantly. Standing there was Yomo with a understanding look on his face with a duffle bag in his other hand. Steeling his nerves Naruto slid down the slope where Yomo followed.

They stood there for a good minute staring at the carcass. Looking at Yomo he realized the man was giving a silent prayer to the dead man. It seemed to slightly calm his nerves knowing that the people who's care he was in weren't cold blooded killers. Giving his own prayer to the man, the two of them fell in a small silence.

"You know... ' Yomo started getting the blonds attention, "Us at Re: were thought to cherish human life. We only kill unless we absolutely have too." the man spoke clearing the blonds mind. It all made sense now. The reason Touka asked him to help Yomo with the body collection. It was to show him that he was in their care, and to ease his worries of them possibly betraying them.

"The old man thought you that right" Naruto asked with more of a statement than a fact. Looking at Yomo the only response he got was a nod. Letting out another tired sigh, Naruto couldn't help but want to meet the man. From what he understood their old man sounded a lot like Jiji.

Surprisingly it was Naruto who made the first move. Grabbing the bag Yomo was carrying before setting it on the ground he opened it. Finding what he was looking for he gave one last sad glance towards the body before approaching it. Steeling his nerves, Naruto proceeded to cut the body piece by piece.

Yomo could say he was actually surprised by the blonds actions. He was sure he was going to breakdown, or at least complain about having to do something like this. But no, the blond had proved him wrong once again. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and was handling the knife like a pro. One thing he had noticed was that his eyes seemed to harden. It was if he flipped a switch, and a new Naruto appeared. I guess that's what shinobi were trained to do. Rubbing his temples with one hand, Yomo approached the body as he put his two cents in. He wasn't going to let the blond do all the work. Who knows how taxing it was on him. It was better to hurry it up, since they also had one more thing to do.

And there is the extra long chapter I promised. Hopefully you guys enjoyed, and sorry for the wait. I said I was going to tell you guys why I made the last chapter shorter, and that's because I felt that it was a good place to end off. Next chapter there will be a fight scene, and I feel like I should make something clear real quick. Naruto himself is a rather powerful character, but in his normal mode or even sage mode he's not exactly god like in the Tokyo Ghoul world. Weird and strange yes, but not exactly someone where people will instantly think of a person with godly powers. I mean we've seen plenty of times in the show where Naruto gets hurt or even injured by the mere things of swords and kunai, (Like in Boruto when he gets stabbed even while Kurama's cloak is activated) so imagine how a kagune will be like. Anyway I don't want to go on a full rant, but all i'm saying is normal Naruto or sage mode Naruto (while powerfull) aren' exactly god like, and can go against a triple S rated ghoul with some difficulty. Some people may not see it that way, and if you want to tell me your views on it. I will gladly discuss my reasoning and listen to yours. Sorry for the small rant but I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you guys so much for the support. You don't know how much it means to me, and it has been a very busy week and a half for me. Hopefully I can stick to my weekly updating schedule, but i'm also going to be working on a side story of mine and see how it goes. If I don't update it on the usual monday it'll most likely be a day or two,(max three) late. Please review, and if you have any questions just PM me, and I will respond asap. Thanks for reading! Till Next time!