Do I Have A Purpose Anymore?
Chapter 18: "Naruto's Uncomfortable Return"
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One minute all was silent.
Then like a clap of thunder, it screamed into existence.
Everyone was suddenly jolted out of their slumber, when a portal began forming inside Yamamoto's domicile screeching and howling into the night.
The Head Captain and Commander of the Gotei 13 continued sipping his tea, as if this miniature hurricane were nothing, unable to see, but his sixth sense could tell that there was a drastic change in the air and commented.
"It seems that young Naruto has passed his second trial."
Yamamoto ignored the fierce wind that whipped at his long beard, as he calmly gazed into the abyss and faintly detected two chakra signatures.
"So it would seem." Shunsui lazily replied, as he stretched his arms out and yawned loudly.
The wind suddenly tossed Daisuke's chair over, instantly waking him.
"Whuzzat?" He grumbled, picking himself up with a snort, before being knocked over again by Hinata and Yugito who burst into the room
Both women gazed at the wildly fluctuating dimensional rip, unaware of their comrade's pain.
The Hyuga heiress and the Nibi container had only recently fallen asleep after spending most of the night talking with one another.
"Is it Naruto-kun?" Murmured the Hyuga heiress, as she peered into the hole with her Byakugan, but saw nothing.
"If it is him, he sure knows how to make an entrance." Quipped Yugito, her arms crossed before her chest, as the vortex was fluctuating fiercely and casting everyone's hair wildly about.
Something began to emerge and everyone waited with baited breath.
Hinata nervously wrung her hands together, the suspense was killing her.
'Naruto-kun, please be alright...'
Slowly, a figure emerged from its dark depths and when she stepped into the room, everyone's breath seemed to hitch in their throat simultaneously, as Yoruichi was the first to emerge in all of her naked glory
When Hinata and Yugito saw her in this au natural state, their killing intent spiked, as the two young women instantly formed a bond with one another. That bond being Yoruichi was their common enemy after already hearing about Naruto's second trial and who and what it entailed earlier from Yamamoto. Therefore, upon the entrance of the gorgeous goddess, Yoruichi was promptly greeted by two vicious glares and massive combined killer intent, as they both Hinata and Yugito took up battle stances.
"Who are you?" Yugito hissed as her hand strayed to her kunai holster.
The neko woman arched a violet eyebrow and raised her hands pleadingly.
"Easy girls, I don't bite….well not always."
Yoruichi suddenly noticed Shunsui and greeted her old friend.
"It's been a while hasn't it Shun-kun."
The man in the straw hat could only nod as he couldn't tear his eyes away from Yoruichi before he finally stammered.
"Hai, you're, you're looking ummmm…look, looking well Yoru-chan."
Hinata and Yugito's eyes narrowed even further, as their killing intent rose even higher after seeing Shunsui's reaction towards Yoruichi.
Sensing this Yamamoto promptly asked changing the subject, as the Jinchuuriki still had yet to appear.
"Where is young Naruto Yoruichi?"
The woman looked behind to the portal, as a voice rang out.
"I'm right here."
Seconds later, Naruto emerged behind the tanned beauty, sliding out of the shimmering black liquid wearing only Zangetsu strapped to his back and the tattered remnants of his pants. Naruto's eyes scanned the room slowly, first to Shunsui then to Yugito. Before falling at last upon Hinata who had instantly relaxed her stance forgetting all about Yoruichi the moment she saw Naruto and walked up to him to embrace and place a loving kiss upon his lips, seconds later. After a minute, she reluctantly broke away and stared at Yoruichi before asking in hard-edged tone of voice, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto.
"Naru-kun, who is she?"
"Yoruichi Shihoin." Yamamoto stated to which the neko rolled her eyes, as he launched into an elaborate explanation, of her being a princess.
"Former princess, I left that life you old coot!"
The elderly man let his words die off, as a certain female Jinchuuriki shot a heated glare at Yoruichi before she asked.
"So what's she doing here and more importantly why is she naked?"
The Nibi container eyed the dark-tanned woman warily, as if she was a threat.
"Easy Yugito-chan, Yoruichi is going to accompany us and the reason she is naked is ummmm…well…we kind of destroyed our clothing during the trial, but she could at least put something on now!" Naruto hesitantly stated and silently prayed that he would not have to further elaborate to Hinata and Yugito about his trial and what had almost transpired.
Unfortunately, Yoruichi could sense Naruto's discomfort and still a bit annoyed that he had resisted her and with a wicked grin stated in a voice oozing with sex-appeal, while mimicking Hinata's address of Naruto.
"I don't remember you complaining about us being naked during the trial Naru-kun."
A tick mark appeared on Yugito's forehead and a look of shock and hurt flashed across Hinata's face, before she bit it back looking away.
The Nibi vessel looked ready to kill Yoruichi, but before anything could happen. Naruto caught sight of the brief look of hurt on Hinata's face and reached out for her before a door opened with a small creak and everyone looked in that direction when a small voice called out.
"Naru-kun?"
There standing in the doorway was a sleepy Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck blearily rubbing her eyes and holding a stuffed teddy bear in her arms.
Immediately, Naruto was across the room, kneeling down before his surrogate daughter.
"You shouldn't be up, little one, it's very late."
Then he was patting her head affectionately, as she realized he was back and hugged him tightly.
"I'm not (yawn) tired..."
Naruto bent down further, to pick her up.
"Come on, back to bed for you."
Yet it was too late for such a thing, as now Nel had noticed Yoruichi and her young eyes glittered with curiosity.
With a speed not possible for one so young, she wriggled away from Naruto, and quickly approached the neko woman. For a moment, they just stared at each other then Nel raised her arms clearly indicating that she wanted to be held, her lower lip jutting out in a pout, as Yoruichi exclaimed and took a step backwards.
"She's an Arrancar!"
Nel bore a confused look upon her face at Yoruichi's reaction towards her, before Naruto scooped her up into his arms from behind and shot a glare towards Yoruichi letting the woman silently know he was less than pleased by her reaction towards the green-haired little girl.
Realizing her error, Yoruichi took it in stride, as she strode over and bent down to tickle the little girl, drawing a giggle from the child. Naruto then told Nel to bid everyone goodnight before he marched back to the bedroom to put the little Arrancar to bed once more.
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Akamaru suddenly stiffened, then yipped, awakening Kiba and Sakura from their slumber, as that malevolent glint shone in Kiba's eyes again.
"You caught his scent boy?"
The dog barked, as it got up and hastened into a run.
"Hey!"
This forced Kiba and Sakura to quickly jump to their feet and chase after Akamaru, as the dog was now outdistancing them quickly.
Sakura's mind worked in overdrive, as they ran after the canine.
What would she do?
What could she say to him that would prevent him from likely attacking her on the spot?
Kiba gave a triumphant cry, as he leapt after his dog.
"GOT 'EM!" Kiba exclaimed after he heard a crashing sound.
However, when the Jounin rounded the bend, Kiba's canine familiar partner had fallen into a deep camouflaged pit of which he could not escape causing the canine to whimper piteously.
On the ground lay one of Naruto's shirts, the source of his scent.
Kiba growled, and shredded the fabric to pieces with his clawed hands.
"What the hell is a trap doing way out here?"
Ino smirked, as she withdrew from Akamaru and back into her body, which had been held by Sasuke lest she fall back out of the tree, as the blonde kunoichi thought to herself.
'That'll slow you down!'
The Uchiha released the blond promptly, and hefted a smoke bomb in one hand.
With a sharp twist of his wrist, he lobbed the smoke bomb and it exploded between Sakura and Kiba, billowing purple smoke out around them, their coughs heard from the cloud.
'And this'll give us a lead.'
Sasuke and Ino hit the ground running, and passed through the cloud of smoke each landing a rather brutal blow across Kiba and Sakura knocking them unconscious. Thus buying the two Anbu time to get away, and when the smoke had dissipated, they were out of sight leaving Kiba and Sakura none the wiser.
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As they sprang through the trees, Sasuke took note that Ino was silent before a question popped into his mind and he asked.
"Hey, why did you have one of Naruto's shirt's with you?"
A glare gave him his answer.
"Why do you think?" Ino snapped, before her mind drifted away to a remorseful memory.
(Flashback: 2 1/2 years ago)
"You're not alone you know."
Naruto suddenly erupted into a harsh laughter causing Ino to cringe slightly, as he replied.
"Sakura gave me that line a long time ago."
Ino's eyes narrowed at the mention of Sakura's name and Naruto realized he needed to change the subject and said.
"Shouldn't you be tending to your flower shop?"
A bouquet of red roses was suddenly shoved into his arms and he did a double take, as he saw the three words attached to the card.
"You're-you're kidding me." Naruto stammered in a hesitant tone of voice.
"N-no Naruto-kun I'm not, I, I love you."
Naruto's face took on an ashen appearance, as he tried to come to grips with what Ino had just declared. After a few minutes of muted silence, Ino couldn't take it anymore.
Pleadingly, she spoke.
"Please say something!"
Naruto looked over to the beautiful blonde kunoichi and hesitantly stammered.
"I, I don't know what to say Ino. I've had two other people say that to me and both times I got my heart crushed in return. You've been a good friend to me since, since…..the wedding."
Naruto shook his head to clear himself of the memory.
"I-I don't think I could have survived these past six months without you. I admit I've grown close to you Ino, quite fond of you actually."
Noticing how close he had gotten, he took a step back before apprehensively saying.
"But I don't want to jeopardize our friendship, by seeking something more, no matter how much I might want to Ino."
Tears welled in her eyes and her lower lip trembled.
"But why, I want us to be more than friends and it sounds like you would like that too?"
"Be-because Ino, I'm afraid if I allow myself to love you and something was to happen to us?"
He stamped a foot, shaking his head rapidly.
"I don't think I can take that kind of pain anymore Ino."
"Please Naruto-kun, I know you're scared of loving someone because of what's happened to you in the past, I understand that."
Naruto backed up as she stepped forward.
"But please give me a chance to show you that I can be the one you can love and that I can love you back, like I already do."
As Naruto listened to the soft caring plea of his friend, his mind was in turmoil about what to say or do. It didn't help when Ino crawled into his lap while he was thinking while resting her arms on his shoulders.
It was then Naruto looked up and truly took in the appearance of the young blonde goddess before him.
Ino was wearing smooth black leather tank top which hugged her upper torso tightly, but was also short enough to show her lean and bare midriff. The lower half of Ino's voluptuous body was encased in tight black jeans that seemed to be painted upon her. The clothes revealed all of Ino's sultry curves giving her a look of sensuous beauty, as they contrasted with her flawless alabaster skin.
Naruto couldn't help but blush at the amount of cleavage she was showing by moving so close to him, his back now leaned against the tree, her breath hot on his face.
Naruto looked deep into Ino's eyes before softly asking.
"Do you mean it Ino-chan, do you really love me?"
"I meant every word Naruto-kun, and I promise I'll never hurt you." She whispered before closing the gap and claiming him with her long awaited lips.
A gust of wind blew wildly as their kiss deepened, as his tongue sharply slid through her willingly parted mouth.
Their tongues encircled each other, a throaty moan escaping both blonde's.
Ino's arms wrapped tightly around his neck, as she threw her leg over his lap and straddled him while pressing her chest and body firmly against him. Naruto snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly, encasing her to him.
Ino could feel the love surging through them, feelings that had been bottled up by both of them for so long now being released. It was pure bliss, and she couldn't recall a time when she was this happy...
(End Flashback)
….Or now a time when she was so miserable.
Ino remembered when she broke things off with Naruto six months later. The look that spread across his face was the same blank expression she had seen when he had opened that hospital door to Sasuke's room.
Ino remembered how she began trying to explain to Naruto why she was breaking up with him when Shikamaru came by.
Naruto had noticed the nervous glance the Nara heir and Ino shared with one another.
But before she could say another word, Naruto took Ino's hand put it into Shikamaru's.
A brief flicker of pain flashed through his eyes, but then he was walking away into the night in deathly silence, as if that look of betrayal had never even been there.
Ino had done the one thing she promised him she would never do.
Would he ever forgive her, for doing what she swore she would never do to him?
She could only hope.
'But, what if he still hates me?'
Silence reigned throughout the rest of the night...
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Naruto breathed out a hearty sigh, as Nel's eyes finally drifted shut.
"She seems like a good girl Naruto-kun." Yoruichi remarked having entered the room a few minutes earlier watching them, as the blonde Jinchuuriki looked down lovingly at his dozing surrogate daughter.
He nodded an affirmative, as he tenderly ran a hand through the child's hair before commenting.
"An impulsive one as well, she reminds me of myself, when I was that age."
"I'm sorry about my reaction towards her earlier, but you have to understand that the prior encounters between a Shinigami and an Arrancar have been difficult shall we say in the past.
Naruto turned around to question her statement, when he noticed Yoruichi had finally put some clothes on albeit a racy black bra with a matching G-string was not much of an improvement
"I don't trust you, you know that."
The tan goddess allowed her lower lip to tremble in a mild pout, as she rounded the bed and stood before him. Naruto stood up before the woman in front of him and was about to say something when again her lips captured his, but this time Naruto pushed her away and enjoyed the look of shock upon her face before sternly saying.
"Look, I don't know what's going on in that devious mind of yours, but let me explain something to you. Up until a few days ago, I had sworn off the notion of giving or receiving love from anyone for the last two years."
"But something changed a few days ago?" Yoruichi asked.
Again he looked down at the little green-haired girl sleeping and said.
"Yes, that little girl lying before you and the two women you met earlier has got me questioning that notion."
Naruto then glared harshly at Yoruichi before stating in a strict tone of voice.
"And although I'm still trying to come to terms with my feelings for them, I do know that they're precious to me. I won't do anything that will hurt them in anyway. So don't think you can bat an eyelash, while snaking your tongue down my throat and I'll fall madly in love with you and forget about them! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Yoruichi nodded.
"I understand Naruto-kun; your love is something I'll have to earn. And if it comes to it...
Instead of kissing him, she gave him a big hug.
This time he did not shove her, stunned instead.
"Then I don't mind sharing you either." Yoruichi stated with a sexy smirk, before releasing him, leaning down to kiss Nel on the forehead.
Only then did Yoruichi make her way to leave the bedroom, her hips swaying seductively as she walked. However, before she left, the neko woman turned around and said.
Get some rest Naruto-kun, Captain Yamamoto and the rest of us will tell you all about the Shinigami and Arrancar war in the morning.
Naruto merely sat down by his sleeping daughter and leaned forward while putting his face in his hands in resignation. And began to wonder how in the span of a few days he had gained a daughter and three women all vying for his love and affection?
Something he had willingly chosen to give up long ago.
Heaving a sigh and resigning himself to the fact that he wasn't going to sort out his feelings about anything or anyone tonight. Naruto lay on his side next to Nel and placed a protective and loving arm across the sleeping girl to keep her close, as he to drifted off into what he hoped would be a peaceful slumber.
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Author Notes: Here is chapter 17 ready for all of you to digest. A shorter chapter than I normally try to give you, but it was a short chapter in the original as well, but I still managed to add on about 1000 words. My apologies for the semi-cliffhanger with regards to revealing the Shingami/Arrancar war and how it pertains to all of the Bleach characters now residing in the Naruto world. However, I know that's going to take some serious time and writing and I wanted to get something out to my readers this week. So you do have that major plot point to look forward to in the next chapter. I'm curious to see what everyone thought about the chapter. It was a bit of a filler chapter I know, but I still would like to hear how it was with the readers. My thanks again to everyone for your continued support, now onto the news and something I could really use your help on.
News:
For the past few chapters I've alerted my readers to a couple of polls set up on each of their accounts by the fine authors brown phantom and Zentary asking the question.
Who is the best Naruto fanfic writer on this site?
Zentary's poll has remained open and is still active.
Regrettably, brown phantom has ended his poll on this question. However, he has started a new poll asking,
Which is the best Naruto fan fiction story on this site?
So I humbly ask if you feel I'm worthy of being one of your 10 picks to please place a vote for me in Zentary's poll. And if you feel this story or any of my stories are worthy of nomination in brown phantom's new poll. I thank you in advance for your support and the links to the profile pages for both brown phantom and Zentary are listed below.
brown phantom http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1634435/
Zentary http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2022054/
End of News:
I'm still very pleased that this revised story seems to be a hit with most people. I also want to thank those readers who take the time to leave a review for the tale. They're very helpful in letting me know how the story is progressing with all of you. And they really do assist an author out in knowing what people like about a story. Thanks again to everyone for all of your support.
Take it easy and be good!
Kingkakashi